Prologue: Princess Twilight Sparkle's Speech
"We, as a species, have always been driven to explore, to go new places and to se new things. Ponies, as a whole, are a curious species. From discovering what is now Equestria, to researching magic to the level we have today, to creating everything from Canterlot to Manehatten to the Crystal Empire - we, as a whole, are born to do great things.
But there is only so much our mother Earth can provide. Already, we are using up her resources at an unprecedented pace. There are billions of ponies, gryphons, minotaurs, diamond dogs, and every other species imaginable combined living on this world, and that number is still growing. Our Earth cannot provide for all of us; she only has so much to give, and we need more than she has.
Some of you might suggest things like population control, or summoning materials from other universes. But those would be costly, and in many ways terrible, not to mention the insane potential for things - for everything - to go wrong. No, those would not work. But there is an alternative; one that both caters to our need for greatness and the need for a new home. One that, while more ambitious than anything ponykind has ever attempted before, will certainly bring about a new era of enlightenment and prosperity.
The Red Planet of Mars.
To achieve this is no small task. It will take determination and power beyond any we have needed before. it will take science, magic, and technology working together in harmony. It will take the combined power of all the four Alicorns, and all of Equestria. It will take immense funding, from ponies willing to risk a venture to our stellar neighbor. It will take bravery and courage from those who valiantly risk their lives to provide a new home for all of Equestria. It will take time. It will take willpower. And, above all, it will take unity.
But we are Equestrians. Power, determination, will, and courage run through our veins. We will not back down from this challenge; we will face it head-on, and we will prevail! We will colonize the planet Mars. We will explore it, learn it, own it. We will save our Earth. And we will not be denied.
To this end, I, Princess Twilight Sparkle, have authorized the creation of the Pioneer Program. Twelve hundred of Equestria's brightest, smartest, friendliest, most caring, and most harmonious individuals will embark on a one-way voyage to the Red World. Armed with thousands of tons of supplies and equipment, multiple pre-landed base modules, and their own wits, they will forge a new home on that world. They will dwell on, and under, the surface. They will live among the red sands and windblown rocks, among the craters and dunes. They will create a community of Martians, with their own cultures and customs.
But they cannot live protected inside their domes and caves forever. Thus, another, far more ambitious endeavour will be taken as part of the Pioneer program. We will change the Red Planet, make it our own. The atmosphere will thicken, become survivable, become genuinely breathable. The ancient riverbeds, dry and dusty, will be filled with water. The red dunes and windblown rocks will become rolling green hills, covered in grass and trees. The planet's two moons will become orbital colonies, providing trade to the ponies below and habitation to those who live within.
All this will, of course, take centuries if not longer. It will be a long, slow, arduous process. Many will live, and die, on that world before their task is done. But it must be done; it is our duty, both to ourselves and those around us. It is our duty to provide for our children a world where they will not be starved for resources, a world where they will have enough space to live, a world where they will not have to fight for control of food, or of water, or of land.
And so, we go to mars. Our twelve hundred Martians will forge us a new future, a new home among the stars. Following them, we will earn greatness. Our Earth will not be marred by competition for limited resources. Our children will not suffer through the perils of living in an undersupplied, underfed, underprovided world. They will instead live among the stars, finding a home on the Red Planet. And this, my fellow ponies, is our future. This, my fellow ponies, is why the Pioneer program is a must. This, my fellow ponies, is why I am urging you all to sign up today."
