Prologue: Luna’s Race
===================================================
“That’s one small step
for [a] man,
One giant leap
for Mankind.”
-Neil Armstrong, July 2oth 1969 A.D.
===================================================
Luna stared at the Moon from her window, thinking about how chaotic her life was, being Nightmare Moon after all. At the thought of how she had been banished to the Moon for 1,000 years, tears had started to form in her eyes, but she shook them away. But that got her thinking, onto a broad range of subjects… like the fact that only she, Princess Luna of Equestria, could breath on the Moon; or the fact that only she could go to the Moon… Right? She began to wonder if anypony could be banished to the Moon. But… why would a pony want to be banished to the Moon? How would one get to the Moon? Why would one go to the Moon? Ponies have long looked at the Night Sky… How about trying to get to the Moon without magic… That would be a challenge. A challenge Luna would take and cherish. That motive would start a journey, from Equus, all the way to her Moon. And afterwards, beyond the Moon.
* * *
Equus, Equestria, Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle’s Castle
October 17th 2015 A.D.
T-10 Days till E.A.S.A. founded
“So, if you mix 60% unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine and 40% diethylenetriamine l and insert it into this motor, it will cause a thrust skyward, Spike.” Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship, told her assistant, Spike the dragon, as she poured the last of the dimethylhydrazine into the small fuel tank. She checked the motor one last time, before screwing the nose cone onto the top of the small rocket. She trotted over to a small barrier that she had set up to protect her in case of any mishaps. She had set up a small desk, with a journal labeled, 'Liquid Engine Motor Tests'. She picked up her quill and began counting down.
"T minus 10..."
"9.."
Spike ran behind the barricade, holding a pocket watch.
"8..."
"7..."
"6..."
"5..."
Twilight and Spike huddled down a bit more behind the barricade.
"4..."
"3..."
"2..."
The motor's engines began to rumble as Twilight warmed up the engine.
"1..."
She casted a small combustion spell right below the rocket.
"0..."
The rocket's engine roared with a blinding flash of light as the ground started to shake subtly.
"We have Lift-Off!" Twilight shouted, as to make sure Spike heard her over the rumble and roar of the rocket. The rocket itself was blasting off the ground leaving a charred mark and burned grass where the rocket was standing a moment ago. Spike rushed to start the pocket watch, so to see how long it took to go back up and then back down. All Twilight could do was sit there, mouth open in awe, at the very fact that the rocket worked.
"Spike... It works... It really works." Was all she could get out. She immediately started to write what she had just observed.
"Should we tell Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, Twilight?" Spike asked as he handed the pocket watch to Twilight and just watched with her as the rocket lifted beyond and pegesi or hot-balloon had ever gone. With that rocket, a new race had begun. A space race. The Space Race.
