Chapters Dear Princess Celestia,
Today I learned that stealing is justified in select circumstances.
Okay, I know that sounds bad, but hear me out. So, you know the probe I mentioned in my last letter, right? The one in orbit? Well, The blueprints for part of the launch rocket were leaked a few days ago, by someone on the inside of the Union’s spaceflight administration. One of our lead engineers decided to take a look, and said that it seemed quite applicable to our current needs. We held a meeting, and eventually decided to contact the source of the leak. In under a day, we had our hooves on all the requisite schematics, and we were able to begin production on a launch vehicle of our own, adapted to our considerably superior energy supply.
Right, sure. The research method used to advance the program to this point was… unethical. But, in the end, which is better? Industrial plagiarism, or the Reds getting a 100-megaswirl magic ray into space before us?
Twilight Sparkle
Spike, can you get me some scotch? I think I left the bottle next to 'The Astronomer’s Almanac'.
Dear Princess Celestia,
Today, I learned why classified technical documents require extra protections and limits to access. As you know, many members of our program, including yours truly, were worried about the implications that the inclusion of the Crystal Empire into the Poniet Union would have for the Luna project's timeline. Many of those worries were unfounded, as ‘The Power of Love’ turned out to be a less than optimal fuel for advanced rocketry. However, as I recently discovered, ‘The Power of Love’ has a much more effective application in espionage. Luckily enough, Rarity’s meticulous attention to detail helped spot the security breach before any important papers could be leaked, and we’ve added extra regulations to correct this problem for the future.
Unfortunately, Big Macintosh will no longer be working for the engineering team.
Your loyal subject,
Twilight Sparkle
Dear Princess Celestia,
The Luna IV launched today. It did not go as well as it could have. I was hoping for a deviation from the pattern set by the first three Luna missions; I and III were shut down in the planning or manufacturing stages, and II failed on startup. Unfortunately, I was sorely disappointed. From the looks of it, the only thing on the rocket that actually functioned properly was the emergency teleportation spell I installed in the cockpit, and even that component had to be engaged manually. At this point, I’m seriously considering just canceling work on Luna V; I mean, the Poniets already got a probe into orbit! I just… I don’t know.
Yours,
Twilight Sparkle
Dear Princess Celestia,
It took us through Luna VI, but we finally sent a rocket into space. One could say that the V mission was also moderately successful, although that ship traveled at a rather more horizontal direction than anyone wanted, but VI was the real deal. I could just cry.
In fact, I will cry, because shortly after escaping the atmosphere, the Luna VI collided with the Poniet probe, destroying all the scientific instruments aboard both crafts. Just for fun, I’ve quickly approximated the probability of this event happening, and it seems to be no greater than a 1/3600000 chance, and that’s being generous. While Pinkie finds a way to spin the crash to the press, I’ll be having fun skimming some books on astrology. You never know, I might just find something relevant.
Please help,
Twilight Sparkle
Dearest Twilight,
Thank you for your series of letters informing me of your latest magical and scientific pursuits. I always enjoy hearing from you, especially when your missives are on a topic of which you clearly care very deeply about, and it pleases me that you are still learning and growing as a result of your experiences.
As a leader, it does not escape me that I may not always receive a balanced or unbiased perspective on events that transpire, especially if said events are not widely publicized. As such, I take it upon myself to take input from as many direct sources as possible, so that I may build as complete of a stance as I can. Unfortunately, there are times when a conflict, no matter how public or well known, and no matter how accurately reported, cannot be simplified to a single logical conclusion. Because of this, I have occasionally been forced into choosing a path to resolution that may not seem entirely fair to all involved. Sadly, the recent spaceflight incident you informed me of in your last message seems to have resulted in one of those instances.
I am sure you are aware of the recent international struggles Equestria has been having; in fact, they seem to be the primary motivators behind a few of your recent endeavors. Your opponents on this issue seem to have interpreted the destruction of their property as an extension of these conflicts, and are unwilling to either send or receive monetary compensation. This rigidity forces my response to be one of increased military action. A rather unfavorable repercussion of this, as I'm sure you will recognize, due to your newfound managerial experience, is that I must find a way to support these magnified expenditures. I have already made my choice as to how I will handle this budgetary stress, so, as a result of my decision, a large portion of this challenge has been passed to you. You are one of the most intelligent ponies of this generation, and I have no doubt in your ability to rise up to this adversity; however, my personal recommendation is that you refocus your current studies onto a more theoretical subject.
Warmest Regards,
Celestia
Dear Princess Celestia,
This week, I learned the importance of accurate and efficient communication. When you approved my budget on the 21st, I had no idea just how difficult running an entire program can be, especially when said program requires departments for several different scientific and magical fields of study. As it turns out, while I can easily outline and regulate the completion of tasks when they are already reasonably well defined, such as facilitating bird nest construction or conducting statistical surveys, when our goals require that information be transferred between groups, organization becomes significantly more difficult; as has been noted before, ponies are not all that great at sharing, whether it be land or knowledge. After numerous missteps between the engineering and thaumaturgy departments, I decided to bring Applejack onto the project, and her equine resource skills turned out to be just the thing we needed. Since she has started helping, we can finally begin research.
Your faithful former student,
Twilight Sparkle
