The suit you were wearing was large, bulky, and heavy. But according to Twilight, it would be necessary for the trip. The field had been cleared of all trees, and a magical aura had been placed on the ground to prevent any fires from spreading. You looked around, taking the time to appreciate the beauty of the world around you. Twilight had almost guaranteed your safety. Almost.
Should the worst happen, you wanted to remember the world in its most beautiful way. The sunrise painted the land in its most vivid colors, and the beautiful landscape was almost enough to distract you from the immense craft standing in the center of the field. Standing several hundred feet tall, the craft would be accelerating you into the skies several dozen times faster than any pegasus could ever hope to achieve.
It had taken Twilight, and a team of other unicorns, almost a full year to devise the fuel for the rocket, let alone build the actual rocket. All the science said that it would work, and that it would get you safely into space, but it frightened you to no end. The fancy magical data storage device onboard would be taking care of all the calculations for thrust, and rotation, but you were unsure.
Your worries were sufficient to distract you as you made your way to the craft, and now you were standing next to it. Its size really sank in, and you felt your heart rate spike. You had been given the honor of naming the rocket, and you had named it Major Tom, after a war hero who had died quite a long time ago. He had been a humble earth pony, but he had done great things during the war.
The small elevator took you to the cabin, where you’d be spending the next three days. It was small, cramped, and uncomfortable, but your comfort wasn’t the point of the venture. You clambered into the pod, and you took a last look at the blue sky outside the ship. Rainbow Dash had a hoof on the hatch, and she gave you a smile as she closed the hatch.
The thud of the hatch closing was quickly followed by several ratcheting noises as the pod was sealed against the vacuum of space. You began your pre-flight checks, and for the moment things were calm. You made sure that all your seals were good, and that the biometric monitor was sending back positive readings.
You spent almost an hour running through the checks, and then you glanced at the final countdown clock. Twenty minutes till launch…
A voice echoed through your head. “Blaze, this is Twilight, do you copy?”
“Yes, Twilight, I read you loud and clear. Switch to call sign Major Tom.”
“Copy, switch to call sign Ground Control.”
“Ground Control I’m reading all lights as green, we are good to go. Beginning final checks.” You ran through the checklist twice, and you spared a quick glance through the tiny window that served as your only view to the world beyond the capsule. The countdown read at just over a minute.
“Major Tom, we have just received final confirmation for launch. Please report all systems go.”
“This is Major Tom, all systems read green. All systems check out, let’s get this tub airborne.” You felt a tiny rumble run through the craft as the various service cables began to disconnect. A more noticeable rumble ran through the frame of the ship, and you knew what was about to happen.
“Ignition is a go, and we have full engine burn. May Celestia’s speed be with you.” The rumbling of the ship became an incessant noise, and you felt the acceleration in the pit of your stomach as the ship began to fly. The acceleration grew quickly, and you felt yourself being pushed against your seat with an ever increasing force. You could see the clouds whipping past the small window faster than your eyes could track.
A groan escapes your lips as the acceleration finally seems to ease up at just around six ‘G’s’ worth of acceleration. You grimace as your vision begins to cloud up a bit around the edges. Several thuds pass through the frame of the ship, and you can see on the readout that the phase one rockets just came off. The acceleration cuts out immediately, and is then replaced with the sickening sense of deceleration. Just before you can start to panic there is a solid kick as the phase two engines engage.
“Ground Control to Major Tom. You’ve really made the grade. Check in when phase four engines cut out. Ground Control out.” You nod, despite the fact that nopony can see you.
Several more minutes pass as the engines all run their course, and now you are in orbit around the planet. You check all the seals on the ship, and then you engage the atmosphere seal. With a rush of air the capsule is turned into a vacuum to prevent a blowout.
“Major Tom to Ground Control. I’m stepping through the door.” You got your first view of the planet. Nopony has ever seen the planet this way, and it leaves you speechless. You try to put words to what you see, but none seem to come to you. “They should’ve sent a poet…”
You pull yourself back into the capsule, having finished your brief space walk. As you seal the door once more, you allow yourself a brief sigh. However, a single light was blinking red. With an abrupt shake, the whole craft seems to shift ever so slightly. You should be panicking, but something seems to stay your fear. From the depths of your mind comes a voice that says nothing, but it eases your fear.
“I… I think my spaceship knows which way to go. Equestria is blue. Equestria is blue, and there’s nothing I can do.” You never spoke again.
“Ground Control to Major Tom, your circuit’s dead, there’s something wrong! Can you hear me, Major Tom? Major Tom, can you hear me? Major Tom? Can you hear me, Major Tom?”
“On this day we commemorate Blaze, who was the first pony to ever go into space. His death is tragic, but we will always remember him for what he did. We will persevere, and I will see ponykind on Luna’s moon before the end of the decade.”
Eight years later the first hoofsteps were taken on the moon.
Your body was never recovered, and the signal of your ship was never heard again.
