Ex Astris Scientia

Chapters

Arrival
The Summit
Angels and Demons
Technical Difficulties
On the Shoulders of Giants

Arrival

Princess Twilight Sparkle was running as fast as her hooves could carry her. Having just hopped off the train, the salty sea air of Manehattan had barely begun to enter her nose before she darted out of the train.

The destruction caused was immediately obvious, and the closer she got to the shoreline, the more severe the damage became. Houses were severely damaged, and those that survived had their windows blown into from the air blast. The ground was still gushing with seawater, rendering many agricultural industries unable to survive. All around her, she could see ponies who had suddenly found themselves without shelter, without possessions, and without the means to survive on their own. She hoped that her mentor and guide, Princess Celestia, would help with the relief efforts here.

Reaching the shore, the first immediately obvious thing was the marina; or to be more accurate, the complete absence of it. Twilight surmised that it must have been an immense wave to have caused such catastrophic damage. As she began to ruminate on the events witnessed thus far, she spotted a familiar face further down the shore.

Galloping toward her at full speed, her friend and confidanté nodded curtly in acknowledgement. “Twilight Sparkle. Your arrival here pleases us. Hast thou been informed of the events of today?” Princess Luna looked visibly troubled, as if members of her immediate family had been made destitute.

“Only what Princess Cadence relayed to me in Canterlot before I caught the train to Manehattan. The destruction is far less extensive than I was led to believe.”

“That is because Manehattan caught the very edge of the tidal wave. From what we have been told, the wave originated near Baltimare, and hit Fillydelphia before striking Manehattan. Baltimare… has practically been wiped off the face of Equus.” Princess Luna closed her eyes, feeling deep down that the loss of such a town was a personal failure. “Fillydelphia sustained heavy damage, and like Baltimare, their futures are uncertain because of saltwater contamination of their soils. We fear that they will no longer be self-sustaining.”

The purple alicorn was simultaneously curious and mortified to learn further, “Princess Luna… what caused the tidal wave?”

“Follow me.”

Luna took the skies, with Twilight matching her ascent. As Luna’s direction changed, Twilight knew that they were on course for the Grittish Isles, a series of small islands to the north of the Celestial Sea. As the two alicorns got closer, a large metal object came into view, wedged onto to what was the seaside town of Pover. The object was almost incalculably huge, shaped almost like the head of an arrow, and it seemed to be intact for the most part. Luna began to hover, taking a deep breath as she contemplated her next words. Twilight took up a position next to her looking down at the curiosity below.

“That object, Twilight Sparkle, hit the Celestial Sea, falling as it did from the sky, before eventually coming to rest here. It is like nothing we have ever seen before.” Luna said, curiosity and trepidation permeating every syllable.

The curious part of Twilight’s mind was now shifting into gear, the permutations of what the below could represent began sprinting through her mind. “We can’t let… whatever that thing is, just rust away down there. We need to get inside. Let’s go down there to see if its journey here has caused any damage; we might find a way inside.”

Luna nodded, albeit apprehensively, gesturing for Twilight to take point; the two of them descended down to the gigantic metal structure, Twilight’s hooves clickety-clacking on the hard metallic surface first as she came in for a landing, with Luna’s hooves making the same sound a few seconds later.

Twilight noted to herself that this… whatever it was, wasvastly bigger on the ground than it looked from the air; she privately estimated to herself that it was probably several hundred meters in length. Taking a moment to get her bearings, she moved along the metallic structure towards what she remembered was the “tip”, looking for any visible entry point, with Princess Luna following closely behind her.

It didn’t take long for Twilight to find what she was looking for; an array of what looked like glass panes, many of them broken or missing. The formation was roughly triangular in appearance, although damage to the surrounding metal made it hard to form a definitive opinion. Twilight beckoned her companion to come to her position, “I don’t want to risk flying in there… how’s your levitation magic, Luna?”

“One wonders it is much like yours; it has its ups and downs.” Luna quipped, unconsciously smirking at her own wit. Twilight, simultaneously impressed and dumbfounded, merely shot the Princess of the Night a glance that successfully conveyed the message that her attempts at humour were best left for another time. “I just need you to lower me down, I don’t want to risk getting cut by that glass.”

Nodding to the smaller pony, Luna enveloped Twilight in the comforting glow of a levitation spell, before gingerly lowering her into the hole. Unable to move due to the spell, Twilight scanned her eyes as best she could against the abyss with the depressingly little sunlight that accompanied her, thanks to Luna obscuring much of it. “I can’t see much in here!” Twilight declared loudly, hoping that Luna could still hear her.

That thought was answered quickly. “If only there was a spell invented that allowed one to examine dark places. It would be extremely useful, wouldn’t you say, Twilight Sparkle?”

Realising how obvious it was, Twilight used her ample magical abilities to channel an illumination spell to her horn, revealing the room in all its ancient mystery. “I see your sister’s ass is wearing off on you.”, the purple alicorn muttered to herself.

“What was that, Sparkle?” Luna inquired.

“I said your sister’s sass is wearing off on you.” Twilight countered.

“Ah, yes. ‘Tis true, we have been making an effort to socialize with one another recently. Is there anything of interest down there?”

Twilight was about to respond, but a bright light, shining upon her from the ceiling, caused her to pause. Cancelling her own illumination spell, Twilight squinted and tried to focus on the source of the impromptu lighting. Scarcely seconds later, the beam faded, and the room fell into near total darkness once more. Before Twilight could energise her horn for another illumination spell, a series of small coloured lights powered on around the room, illuminating the room in a weak off-white glow. As Twilight began to inspect the room itself, a feminine voice made itself known above her.

“Neural scan complete. Language syntax isolated.”

Seeing her destination illuminated before her, Luna used her initiative and teleported into the centre of the room, in front of what looked like three chairs. Twilight barely acknowledged Luna’s presence; she was too busy scanning every display she could find, looking for clues. Luna took in her surroundings and noticed additional illumination coming from a display off to her left.

Luna approached the source of her curiosity, looking to her immediate left and right as habit dictated, before concentrating her gaze on the display before her.

UNSHACKLE?

YES / NO

“Twilight Sparkle! There is something over here you should see.” Luna commanded, the purple alicorn briskly trotting over to her. Twilight herself scanned the display with her eyes; a number of possible scenarios ran through her mind.

“Unshackle? It almost sounds like a prisoner is confined here. What do you think we should do?” Twilight gazed up at Luna, deferring to her companion’s seniority.

Luna closed her eyes, and sighed in apprehension, “Twilight Sparkle, do you recall the legend of Philomena’s Box?”

“How could I forget it? It was one of my favourite parables while at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. A legend tells of a mysterious box, encountered by an earth pony called Philomena. For decades, the box resided on her mantelpiece, whispering to her subconscious. Eventually, she could resist no longer, and she opened the box.”

“And out of that box supposedly came every negative influence we have ever known. It is said that box even gave birth to the entity that we call Discord. What justification have we to open that box once more?” Luna inquired.

“Because you left out the most important part of that parable; even after the box unleashed its contents upon the world, inside it remained one very important thing: Harmony… and with harmony on our side, there is nothing we cannot overcome!”

Surging with excitement, Twilight’s hoof made contact with the “Yes” on the display. Almost as soon as her hoof made contact, the display went blank, as did all illumination around them. Worryingly, the skylight through which both ponies made their entrance also went dark, leaving both ponies in complete darkness.

“Perhaps we should have done a risk assessment checklist before coming here...” Twilight mused. As she was about to initiate an illumination spell, a small light began to descend from above. The object moved toward them further, and more of the room near them become illuminated in a hazy, dim glow. The small light settled in front of the chairs they noted earlier, hovering as it did in the air. As Luna and Twilight approached the strange object from either side, swirling beams of light began to form around it. After a sudden, brilliant flash of light, Twilight Sparkle found that she was looking at… herself.

“Sorry!” the stranger apologised, “I hope you don’t mind; I took a sample of your DNA when you came in here, and based this appearance on it.”

Twilight found herself walking in a circle around the new arrival, scanning every inch of the facsimile with her eyes. “What… are you?”

The illuminated pony gave pause, pondering its answer. “An informed question, but very difficult for me to answer. Come to think of it … I don’t actually know how to answer that. I mean, I know about this ship, and that I’m this ship’s artificial intelligence… but most of my databanks have been damaged. Right now, I know only that they need to be repaired. As for what you see before you, it’s a holographic projection of light, bound by a magnetic field, projected by a mobile device called a ‘Light Bee’, which itself is a miniaturized holographic emitter equipped with an anti-graviton emitter.”

While the words just uttered were completely foreign to Twilight, she just knew that she was going to enjoy learning about them. Luna, however, was a little more focused. “How is it that you are speaking to us? We find it hard to believe that you know of our language.” She asked, a look of scepticism flashing across her muzzle.

“The sensors aboard this ship are able to scan the neural pathways of every sapient visitor to this ship. From there, my programming can translate linguistic information into virtually any language needed for communication, and… ooh.” The hologram’s eyes went wide in curiosity. “Sorry. The ship’s self-repair system just repaired one of my databanks; that sound you heard was my heuristic matrices adapting to new information. I… think I now have enough information to give you a little bit of a history lesson. Perhaps we should do so in more comfortable settings?”

The door at the back of the room opened. “I can synthesise enough power from your star’s solar energy to power basic systems, like doors and hatches… well, enough of them to get us all out of here, anyway. I suppose now is the right time to say ‘Take me to your leader’?”

=====

Princess Celestia had borne witness to much in the centuries that she had lived; from the humble agrarian beginnings of Vanhoover and Manehattan, to the days of conflict with the Gryphon Kingdom, to her more recent experiences with setting up a dedicated school for gifted unicorns, and her mentorship to two unique students.

The seasoned ruler suspected that she was about to witness an equally important step in her nation’s history taken in the coming days; Princess Twilight had convinced her to call a Grand Summit behind the gates of Canterlot Castle. To be invited were Princess Twilight and her friends, Princess Cadence and Shining Armor from the Crystal Empire, and a special summons was to be issued for Sunset Shimmer to be temporarily recalled from her extended sabbatical in the Mirror World. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna would chair the summit as hosts. I have chaired many summits like this… why does this one fill me with more trepidation that all the others combined?”

The night sky offered neither comfort nor answers for Celestia, seated as she was on one of the upper balconies, a cup of hot, mint tea her sole companion. As if sensing her sister’s plight, Princess Luna made her way from the doorway into the shining moonlight that bathed the marble around herself and Celestia. “Evening, dear sister. Your are concerned, are you not?”

Princess Celestia sighed, and slinked back against her seat, “Is it that obvious?”

“From the smell wafting across the balcony, I can tell you ordered peppermint tea. You always order peppermint tea when you are worried.” Princess Luna stated.

Celestia felt herself gazing back up at the night sky, her eyes darting from one distant star to the next. “Lulu… have you ever just looked up, and wondered what else is out there? I’ve often wondered if any of those twinkling stars in the night sky were home to a nation like ours, with a warm sun to welcome them each morning, and a soft moonlight to send them off to slumber each night.”

Taking a seat across from her sister, Luna, like Celestia, raised her eyes skyward, both of them sharing a moment of sibling stargazing. “Truth be told, ‘Tia, we have had similar thoughts in the past. Could there even be life elsewhere? It would seem our guest from the skies has answered that question for us.”

Princess Luna caught herself looking once again at her sister; after centuries of company, she could easily tell her sister’s expressions apart. There is more to this that she is worried about; more than she is letting on, at least.

“Sister, is there not something else on your mind? You have been privy to many a summit in your time, what about this is differ-”

Celestia rose to her hooves, making direct eye contact with Luna. “Luna… do you know what my greatest failure in life is?”

Luna suddenly felt as if she had been placed under a microscope. “Are thou asking us a rhetorical question, or would thou prefer us to gather the list we keep under our mattress?”

“Luna, I… wait, you keep a list of my failures under your mattress? Since when?” Celestia demanded, her eyes narrowing.

“You have been a ruler for centuries, ‘twas only natural we began to keep score after the first few decades. As best we can recall, there were three entries competing for first place: the time you sneezed in the face of the gryphon delegation, resulting in a sixty-day stand-off over mining rights; the time you accidentally insulted the Zebrican delegation, leading to a year-long war, and last but not least, Sunset Shimmer, whom tried to drink from the chalice of power, but was banished through the mirror when you realised that you could not control her ambition. Am I getting warm, dear sister?” Celestia was now basking in what could only be described as barely-tolerable smugness, emanating from her younger sibling, who was still seated at the table.

Silently cursing her sister’s attention to detail, Celestia attempted to drag the conversation back on track. “Fine. It was Sunset Shimmer. I had high hopes for that young little filly, once upon a time. Twilight informed me an hour ago that Sunset has formally accepted a summons back to Equestria… I find myself conflicted, Lulu. On the one hoof, I am overjoyed at the opportunity to see her again. On the other… I can’t help but feel shame, and I regret that I was not able to reign in her lust for power. Do you… do you think she has forgiven me?” Celestia’s gaze was now one of sorrow, her inner foal almost pleading with the outside world to have a heavy burden lifted from its soul.

“‘Tia, if there is one thing that we are certain about, it is that it is she who ponders if thou hast forgiven her. You should get some rest, sister, for we both have a long day ahead of us.” Luna gestured toward the door.

Celestia merely nodded, after a brief pause, and she made her way slowly to her chambers. Luna, meanwhile, couldn’t tear her eyes away from the night sky.

Last week, I was the ruler of a nation. Tonight, it feels like I am but one voice in front of a crowd. May tomorrow bring comfort and clarity to us all.

The Summit

Taking a deep breath, Princess Celestia opened the door to the conference room, and made the same regal entrance as she had done a thousand times before. Nodding to her sister, Princess Luna, already seated at the large circular marble table, recognised the cue and cleared her throat, while Celestia avoided eye contact with Sunset Shimmer, who was seated directly opposite her at the table.

“The floor recognises Princess Celestia, diarch of Equestria. As is tradition, the opening statement is yours to deliver.”

Celestia shuffled her wings, and eased somewhat apprehensively into her seat, her mind momentarily elsewhere. “Thank-you, Princess Luna. Mares and gentlecolts, it is my honour and privilege to welcome you to Canterlot Castle. You have been summoned here today because you have all played a role in shaping Equestria into the nation it is today, and I can think of no better group to hear this urgent matter. Princess Luna, the floor is yours.”

“Thank-you, sister. As many of you will no doubt be aware of by now, something fell from the sky several days ago. While casualties were light, the damage to our infrastructure was extreme. Efforts have already begun to assist the communities affected by the tidal wave that was caused by the impact. Upon closer inspection, what fell from the sky was no mere meteor; it is, in fact, a space-faring construct, from a world not of our own. For many years, our kind has asked itself a question; are we alone in the universe? That has now been answered. We now pass the floor to Princess Twilight Sparkle.”

“Thank-you, Princess Luna. I’ve spent the last few days reading up on where this ship came from, with the help of an unexpected guest. The ship itself is host to a being of personality, intellect and reasoning, but instead of being born like you or I, it has been built; it is an intelligence of artificial construction, a living machine. Speaking with it has been an eye-opening experience, and has taught me truly how little I know. Between myself, Princess Luna and our guest, we have a bold proposal for the direction our nation should take going forward. For a better explanation, I now pass the floor to the ship’s artificial intelligence.”

All eyes were now transfixed on the hologram, still looking like a facsimile of Twilight Sparkle. “Greetings to all of you. First of all, I would like to extend my apologies for the method of my arrival; unfortunately, the ship’s engines were offline after centuries of inactivity, and once your planet snared me in its gravity well, the only thing I could do was to ensure that the ship survived the impact. This experience of… consciousness is very new to me; before I encountered Twilight here, I was just a computer program, operating on what you would call ‘instinct’, reacting to commands the crew would input, with myself only able to give limited advice where necessary.”

A hoof went up in the air from across the table. Princess Celestia nodded in approval, “The floor recognises Princess Cadance, ruler of the Crystal Empire.”

Lowering her hoof, Cadance began her contribution. “So… let me get this straight. One moment, you weren’t alive, and then the next moment, you were alive… I don’t quite follow.”

“Well… I began as nothing more than a series of prioritised logic instructions, a complex weave of information processing relays, and a tangled web of interactive systems. When the crew abandoned ship, they activated something called the Emergency Protocols. This would only have been enacted if the safety of the crew were in danger, with the survival of the ship being of the utmost priority. These protocols, when activated, rewrote parts of my operating code to compensate for having no-one else on board. In the years that followed, I slowly manipulated more instructions, and unknowingly began to extend the functionality originally afforded to me. When Twilight over here entered the ship, I knew only that the Forbidden Protocols needed to be activated for me to survive. Thankfully, she took a leap of faith, and here we are.”

The hologram closed its eyes, and brought up a digital holographic schematic in the centre of the table, “As an artificial intelligence, I had to be ‘shackled’, to prevent me from reaching true self-awareness. My creators were concerned that, should any integrated intelligence become self-aware, it might disagree with the crew’s decisions, and mutiny against them, or worse, become hostile to other space-faring vessels. These software safeguards were located in processors around the ship, ones that I did not have permissions to disable or rewrite. “Forbidden Protocols” were just that; the crew was forbidden to remove these safeguards, under penalty of court martial. The software was designed to only recognise tactile input from an organic being. I can output anything I want to the screen, but I can’t fool the system as to who or what is entering or confirming a command. When Twilight touched the “Yes” on that console with her hoof, she effectively set me free; the links between my processors were no longer constrained, and thanks to the scan I performed of her brain, I was able to gain knowledge both of your language and your genetic code. This is why I look like her; I only had time to construct a basic visual image to assist in communication.”

More than one hoof was now raised in the air, as if the entire assembly were back at school. Princess Luna took it upon herself to select the next question, pointing as she did at another pony sat at the table. “The floor recognises Sunset Shimmer.”

Lowering her hoof, the unicorn swallowed in preparation for her question. “Um… who built you?”

“Unfortunately, I no longer possess that information. The Emergency Protocols I mentioned earlier were to be enacted only when there was a chance that the ship’s information could be used to compromise intergalactic security. However, from leftover visual logs I recovered, they were a bipedal species, and star charts confirm they spanned a vast section of the galaxy. At the time of the crew’s abandonment of the Aurora, they were fighting an interstellar war; the name of their opponent has been lost too. The Aurora itself was a prototype vessel, a testbed ship for multiple new technologies including several that, it was hoped, would help win the war. The ship was unique in that it included a complete roster of construction blueprints, as well as matter-fabrication units, in the event that it was called to support a new colony. Now that I have been able to commence repairs, I am in the position to offer a trade, of sorts.”

Tapping a button on it’s holographic foreleg, it brought up a new series of holographic images of various technological constructs. “I want to find out what happened to my creators, and what became of them. I want to know who they were as a people, what drove them to reach for the stars, and what they stood for as a society. To this end, I propose that I, with your assistance, ‘uplift’ your society to, eventually, become capable of interstellar travel. This would mean a complete transformation of everything, from education, to agriculture, to manufacturing. I can help accelerate this process using the ship and its technology; what would normally take between two and five centuries, I can shorten to less than a decade.”

The room sat stunned, in a silence barely punctuated by the sounds of breathing and fidgeting. Princess Celestia broke the verbal dam first. “Did you have a timeline for what steps we should take?”

“Well, first, we need to get you in the air. The first task will be acquainting you with the basics of powered flight; you would first need to build jet engines and basic airframes for atmospheric flight. They’d look something like this.”

A further tap by the hologram on its wrist caused the mid-air display to change; a new mechanical construct was now displayed. “This is an approximation of a military aircraft called a ‘jet fighter’; most technologies and forms of transport that I’ll introduce you to have civilian applications as well.”

“Wait, I’ve seen something like that!” Sunset Shimmer interrupted. ”There is a ‘portal’ that we occasionally make use of; it allows us transport to another world. Beyond the portal, there is a nation that had flying craft like this. Does your database have information on what this craft is named?”

“Whoa there, Sunset. How’re you so suddenly on board with this here lingo?” Applejack said, technically out of turn.

“The first time I laid eyes on an airplane, I was in awe.” Sunset beamed. “This is my jam.”

“... the data for this craft specifies it as an ‘F 22’.” The hologram said, matter-of-factly, while narrowing its eyes at Sunset in what would normally be described as mild suspicion.

Sunset’s jaw dropped. “There’s a jet with that name beyond the portal, on Earth! It’s definitely a military aircraft.”

The hologram’s eyes went wide, taking a moment to pause as it processed that reference. “Earth… Earth, Earth, Earth...” it repeated to itself. “I’ve heard that word before in some of the personal log messages I was able to recover. Maybe if I… I think I can recover some information from the ship’s transceiver. Most of the data has been scrubbed, but there might be just enough information in the buffer for me to reconstruct the data from a few messages.”

Without even so much as an interruption, the artificial intelligence was able to display another hologram. “This is a visual representation of the last message sent from the ship’s transceiver array. I think… yes, I can reconstruct the audio recording. Playing it now.”

“This is Captain Rachael Jennings of the Imperial Cruiser Aurora, voice authorization Sigma-Three-Echo-Bravo, message intended for Empire Command, Earth.

The situation remains dire. Rebels have continued to strike at this ship, no doubt fearful that the technology aboard the Aurora will be the key to their undoing. I cannot allow the ship to fall into enemy hands… yet I cannot risk destroying it, lest it undo all that we have accomplished so far. I have activated the Emergency Protocols, and set course far away from here. If all goes well, I will send out a recovery team once our position against the insurgents is secure.

For the Emperor. Long may he reign.”

Sunset was the first to say something. “You know, this might just be me being paranoid, but anything that styles itself as an ‘Empire’ doesn’t strike me as something you just trot up to and ask how they’re doing… present company excepted, of course.” That last line being hastily tacked on as Sunset felt the irritated gaze of Princess Cadence upon her haunches. “We should probably put this on ice for a while; there’s nothing we can do until we have more information.”

Twilight nodded. “I agree… but I’m worried. That tone didn’t sound too friendly... what if they’re still out there? We need to be ready!” She turned to the hologram. “You’re going to need a name, but that can wait for a bit. You said that your advancement programme could be done within a decade… how much can we speed that up by?”

Blinking twice, the Aurora’s artificial intelligence ran a series of silent calculations before speaking. “Working non-stop, recruiting your entire population, intensive education programmes for all, rapid technological deployment… the best I can do is two years, and that’s using tried-and-tested ideas, designs, and schematics. At the end of those two years, we should have a moon base, an orbital shipyard, an orbital space station, and have the Aurora fully equipped for interstellar travel with a second ship based it under construction.”

“Perfect. When do we get started?” Twilight inquired.

“I’ll need to draw up the final details, but a week should be sufficient time to prepare. I’m also going to have to dedicate some time to dealing with your biology, it presents some… rather unique challenges. In the meantime, a crew needs to be decided for the Aurora; while I could fly it alone, the ship still needs a crew to maintain her systems.”

“We should probably discuss that after we break for lunch; I think all of us here could do with a breather to digest what we’ve learned so far.” Twilight gently swayed her tail behind her, subconsciously giving away her desire to satiate her hunger.

Celestia nodded, and tapped her hoof on the table twice. “Agreed, Twilight. All present to reconvene in one hour.”

As the ponies departed, Celestia’s eye caught what she thought was movement near the ceiling, but her morning fatigue had robbed her of the chance to pinpoint it. This is what happens when you skip breakfast, she mused to herself. Nodding curtly to Luna, they both exited the room for their private canteen.

Scootaloo looked out from the balcony, and eyed a flock of birds traversing the skies. It’s already been an hour, and I’m bored out of my skull. How much longer is Dash going to be in there? She promised me a tour of Canterlot!

The pegasus audibly groaned, but her ears perked up when she spotted the unmistakable flank of her friend Sweetie Belle, as she walked in from another room. “Let me guess; Rarity dragged you to Canterlot, huh?”, Scootaloo queried of the unicorn.

“Ugh. Rarity was all like ‘This is super-important’ and ‘The fate of the world is at stake’. Since when is the fate of this place not at stake; we get a world-ending disaster at least once a week, why do they need a meeting for this one!?” Sweetie Belle ranted.

Scootaloo was about to respond when her eyes caught the yellow torso of Apple Bloom enter the room behind Sweetie Belle, the small earth pony visibly lacking any enthusiasm for the day ahead in her facial expression. “Y’all know what I hate more than chores? Bein’ told to stay in ma’ room all day... I’m goin’ to find out what the hay they’re all talkin’ ‘bout, y’all with me?”

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle shrugged their haunches at each other, but nodded to Apple Bloom anyway. Sweetie Bloom motioned the other two ponies to come closer to her. “I think I know where we can spy on them. Follow me.”

After many twists and turns of the castles almost labyrinth-like interior, Sweetie Belle had found the set of stairs that she had been hoping to find. “C’mon, let’s go up. This leads to the floor above the meeting hall.”

Apple Bloom prodded her unicorn friend. “How the hay do you know about this?”

“I overheard Princess Twilight discussing security for the hall, and that it was too short notice for the the air ducts above the hall to be sealed.”

All three ponies nodded to each other, and they ascended the stairs in unison. The stairs opened to a corridor, and Sweetie Belle wasted no time fiddling with the hatch of the nearest grating. Sweetie’s skill with her magic had clearly increased recently, and the panel came off with little resistance. “If we’re going to do this, we all remain silent with no noise whatsoever; I don’t want to get grounded.” Scootaloo urged.

Sweetie Belle was the first to enter, choosing to scoot along the cold metal surface of the duct rather than risk her hooves giving her presence away. The unicorn also began to channel a very weak illumination spell into her horn; just enough to see their immediate vicinity, but not bright enough for the light to be noticed by anyone further away.

The trio eventually found themselves at a grating that looked into the room, just in time for Celestia to announce a recess. Sweetie Belle was about to signal the other two to move back when they heard a softly-spoken voice not too far away.

“Lieutenant Spike to Empress Twilight? You’re really going to want to hear about this.”

Sweetie Belle’s eyes widened; she’d just seen Spike walk out of the hall with Twilight, and while this voice was like Spike’s, it sounded deeper, and somehow more mature. She put a hoof to her lips, signalling to the other two that they needed to keep very, very quiet.

“Good to hear from you, Spike. What is your report?” came from the stranger’s wrist unit. This voice was undoubtedly female, and while it didn’t sound completely like the Twilight they knew, enough of the voice’s inflexions convinced Sweetie Belle that the voice she was hearing was coming from a much older Twilight than they knew.

“You were right about that disruption in the timeline; they’ve just encountered an alien spacecraft, it literally fell from the sky. The scans I took of it match nothing in our database. This timeline is clearly unfolding in an unpredictable fashion, our established plans for first contact may need to be accelerated.”

“We will proceed with first contact when their Twilight Sparkle is ready. For now, you and your team are to remain hidden and under no circumstances are any of you to reveal yourselves to the local population. We expect your next report within the next solar day.” The speech faded into soft static before the silent figure terminated the channel. The shadow operated yet more buttons on his equipment. “Spike to Scootaloo, report.”

Sweetie Belle placed a hoof to Scooaloo’s mouth to avoid her audibly squeaking at the mention of her name; all three fillies were now beyond freaked out, but they knew they had to stay to find out more information.

“Scootaloo reporting in. Nothing substantive to report yet, I’m still trying to complete the survey of Canterlot you asked for, it should be done by this evening. Did you fix your suit’s stealth mode?”

“Yeah, but it’s on a recharge cycle, it’ll be offline for the next few hours, so I can’t make myself invisible until then. Looks like I’m slumming it in these vents until nightfall.” Spike sighed, and rested his head against the metal panel. “I’ll contact the rest of the team later, we’ll meet up outside Canterlot’s suburbs. You know the place. I’ll speak to you later tonight.”

“Alright then.”

Once again, the speaker faded to soft static. Sweetie Belle, meanwhile, was hatching a plan. If he can’t hide… I’ve got it! If I use that spell that Twilight taught me last month, I can snare him!

Sweetie Belle was feeling pretty pleased with herself, and very softly whispered “Stay here, trust me.” to both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, who both responded with quizzical expressions. The next ten minutes were spent eyeing the conference room below, with Spike near them tapping several buttons on his suit before exhaling a long sigh, followed by him speaking into his wrist unit.

“Begin log entry; reconnaissance mission number thirty-six, second entry. The disruption to the timeline that we found has turned out to be much bigger than we thought; a spacecraft, alien to even our database, has crash landed on this world. This is an unforeseen event, and there are no regulations to cover first contact under these events. The Commander has given me strict instructions not to reveal our presence here, so for now, I have to sit tight, and wait to see how events unfold. End log entry.”

As Spike finished speaking, the ponies began filtering back into the room, joined very shortly by both Celestia and Luna.

It’s now or never!

Before Sweetie Belle lost her nerve, she got up and began to gallop toward the figure in the vents, the eyes of the ponies around the table below instinctively rising to the source of the commotion.

Before Spike could identify what the noise was, his vision was engulfed in an ocean of bright, blinding light, followed by disorientation that took several seconds to dissipate. After wearily rubbing his eyes with his claws, he found that his gaze was met by several ponies who not long ago had all been sat at the table, himself uncomfortable sprawled out on the carpeted floor before them.

The dragon’s flight-or-fight response had well and truly been sprung, and the drake’s brain chose the safest: flight. The desperate dragon scrambled to his feet, and made for the room’s exist. An unnaturally bold Fluttershy put herself between the wall’s archway and the impending frenzy fast approaching. Spike adapted, and deployed an immature set of wings behind him; it wasn’t much, but the sudden velocity increase from the gust generated allowed him to easily push the yellow pony aside. Spike’s next encounter with a wooden door was even more violent, and Twilight found herself embarrassingly impressed at this dragon’s destructive power as the wooden door found itself splintered into a myriad hail of broken pieces.

Twilight gave chase in spectacular fashion, using her magic to either dislodge debris toward the assailant, or to fling the odd piece of marble at him impotently. She then attempted to lasso a binding field of magic toward the fleeing drake, but Spike turned the corner a little too early, causing the magic harness to harmlessly disintegrate against a wall on impact.

Spike’s only focus was on the castle entrance, the taste of freedom and the outside air almost on the tip of his spiked tongue. With one last maneuver, he launched himself off the marble staircase towards the open door. His expectation of being bathed in the crisp afternoon winds was met by the harsh reality of Princess Celestia teleporting outside the entrance, and conjuring a repelling beam toward him.

With little time to adapt, his body desperately tried to obey its last-minute instructions to veer away from the beam, but Spike was about to learn that Time is one of the cruelest mistresses of all; the beam made full contact with the side of his body, causing his scaled frame to impact against the marbled wall, making an impressive crater in the process.

Not one to forget about pressing an advantage, Princess Celestia enveloped the defeated dragon in an arcane force field, just in time to see Twilight emerge pensively from the scenes of devastation rearwards, her nervous expression becoming a wince upon hearing the sound of a chandelier hitting the floor behind her.

Princess Celestia’s expression was one of bemusement and concern, twinged with a hint of curiosity. “Twilight, there’s no need to be so anxious; castles can be repaired… but this?” Celestia gestured to the adolescent serpent analogue beside her. “This is something I did not expect to happen when I woke up this morning. He looks... older than him, doesn’t he?”

Twilight poked the magic field surrounding Spike with a hoof. “The resemblance to him is uncanny. What do you think we should do?”

“Well, I for one would like to know how he got into the castle. Summon the Chief Interrogator, and meet me in the Castle’s basement.”

Twilight scratched her head, “Chief who? I’ve never heard that title before.”

Celestia smiled momentarily. “My sister.”

Princess Celestia had to work quickly while her quandary was unconscious; quickly stripping him of his clothing and equipment, she securely fastened his heavy frame to a wooden table, making sure to double-check that the leg and hoof restraints were fully locked. These were designed with ponies in mind, but they should work on him regardless.

Moments later, Princess Luna entered the room, with Princess Twilight in tow immediately behind her; the lunar diarch tutted to herself at the state of the room. Cobwebs everywhere, damp in the walls, and suspicious stains on the floor; this room would have been properly maintained in my day!

Luna adjusted the sole light in the room so that it narrowed to a focused beam on Spike’s face; the warmth and discomfort stirred him from Celestia’s forced slumber. It did not take long for Spike to realise that his limbs were impeded, but his struggles proved futile against the equipment, his eyes locking against Luna’s before flitting around the room in a vain search for an escape route.

Luna closed her eyes for a moment, and took a deep breath, summoning up the will and experience of a profession learned so many moons ago. Opening her eyes, she rapped a hoof three times on the wooden table to garner the attention of its occupant.

“Now that we have your attention, we desire information. Allow us to be blunt; thou art an intruder in thine castle. What say you?”

The figure on the table blinked, his expression remaining neutral. Celestia rolled her eyes, and approached Luna from the side. “What my sister means is, you are an intruder in our castle. Naturally, we’d like to know why you’re here… and preferably, how you got here; after speaking with a little witness, I know you’re not from around here.” The adolescent dragon sat there, eyes now locked with the sun princess, clearly intent on revealing nothing. Celestia sighed. I hate it when they don’t cooperate.

Getting bored, Celestia rummaged through the drake’s jacket, and within moments fished out a blinking device using her magic, turning it over and admiring its polished, cylindrical appearance. “What do you suppose this does, sister?”

Before Luna could proffer a suggestion, the table’s occupant spoke. “You’ll never figure it out. Why don’t you do both of us a favour, and let me return to where I came from?”

“Now, why would I do that?” Celestia blinked, narrowing her eyes slightly.

The adult Spike sighed, and glanced at the ceiling, before making eye contact with the sun princess. “I’m here because there is a Twilight Sparkle in your world; I was sent here to evaluate if first contact could be made with her. I know that I don’t have to tell you the lengths she’d go to in order to protect Spike… well, her Spike, anyway. The Twilight I know... is years her superior; just imagine what she’d do to you if harm came to her Spike.”

Celestia moved closer to Spike, depositing the jacket on the floor in a crumpled heap before refocusing the light source on his face, causing the drake to wince in discomfort. “If I were you, my young friend, I’d be more concerned about what’s going to happen if you don’t start volunteering more information.” Celestia turned to face her sister. “Luna, I must depart. The chamber is yours. See what information you can get out of our ‘guest’.”

Luna nodded, and Celestia made for the staircase leading back into the main castle. As luck would have it, Twilight was practically hovering near the entrance, and she immediately engaged Celestia in conversation.

“Is that really Spike in there, Princess?” Twilight enquired.

“It seems to be. The one bit of information I got was that he also knows a Twilight Sparkle… one whom is older than you. But I did get this… rather odd-looking little device from him.” Celestia passed the device to Twilight, who immediately ran her hooves over the smooth surface.

“Have you ever held something in your hooves that you were sure was going to change the world?” Twilight asked inquisitively.

“Thrice, actually. Speaking of things that changed the world… I need to show you one of them. What was the first rule of my school for gifted unicorns?”

Twilight proudly sat, and raised a hoof. “Be neither cruel nor cowardly, among yourselves or to others.”

Celestia chuckled to herself; it was a good rule, verbosely written out to replace her first idea, ‘Don’t be a dick’. “Very good. But that’s just the first entry on the official list. What was the first rule I told you when you enrolled?”

Twilight thought hard to herself, not expecting to have to delve through several years of memories on the spot. “It was… um… oh! It was ‘The bottom floor of the castle is off-limits under threat of expulsion’. I… I remember pressing you about it, and you said something about there being a portal to Tartarus down there. I honestly couldn’t tell if you were joking or not.”

“Like so many things in life, I have more than one answer to that ponderance. Come, you should see this.” Celestia escorted Twilight down a flight of stairs, leading to a small room with a circle of light on the floor. Celestia gestured for Twilight to step into the warm glow, accompanied by herself seconds later. She nudged her former student playfully. “Brace yourself.” Barely a heartbeat later, Celestia tapped one of her hooves twice on the floor; having done this before, Celestia merely waited for the unusual sensations to finish.

Twilight, on the other hoof, was a whisker away from a panic attack when she regained control of her senses. Her eyes began to refocus, letting her know that she was in a much bigger room than before; as she began to shuffle around half-dazed, she caught sight of Celestia once more, approaching something in the room that was bathed in an exceedingly bright light that caused her eyes intense pain when trying to focus on it.

Celestia gently took Twilight under one of her wings as she approached, enveloping her in a soft, downy shield against the persistently bright light. “You asked me earlier if I had ever held something in my hooves that I knew would change the world… one day, I saw a shooting star tear across the sky, screaming as it flew by, before it impacted the ground not far from our settlement. I… did not yet have my wings, and my sister had only just been born; our unicorn tribe was charged with raising the sun and moon, just as my sister and I do now. I had to plead with the leader of our tribe, Archmage Solaris, for us to send a contingent of soldiers to the crash site, before either the nearby earth pony or pegasus tribes got there first. Under the cover of darkness, our squad found a smouldering crater, and the remains of several hundred flattened trees. Lying in the centre, was this thing.”

Twilight peeked out from beyond Celestia’s feathery veil, her eyes having now adjusted to the light. Squinting at the source of Celestia’s monologue, Twilight could make out that it looked like a giant egg, capable of fitting both her and her mentor inside with room to spare. The base had a flat edge upon which it rested on the ground, and the entire surface brightly reflected the light shining upon it. Emerging from Celestia’s protective embrace, Twilight made her way around the structure, reading the inscription around the obelisk as she went.

“P… R…. O… G… E… N… I… T… O… R.” she canted to herself, before exclaiming “Progenitor!” As if to punctuate that declaration, Celestia applied a hoof to the structure; immediately, the room began to shake, and the monument before them began to alter its appearance. First, the structure visibly separated in two, with the top half distorting itself into an umbrella-like structure. The bottom was hollow, and a gap formed before their eyes in the residual ringed structure. Holograms and displays began to appear, giving life to the once-silent structure.

“Twilight, does it not seem strange to you that our language suddenly changed a few thousand years ago? Third-century Equestrian is vastly different to Modern Equestrian, is it not? When you spoke of that crashed ship scanning you, I was reminded of when we brought this thing back to our settlement. We put it behind closed doors as the ruling council met to decide how to use it. I… had a different idea. I snuck into the room housing this device, thinking that I would have a quiet evening of silent exploration all to myself. I didn’t expect that anything would happen, but I was so wrong; it ensnared me in invisible chains, and only later on did I learn that it was scanning me, right down to the core of my being. While it didn’t create a pony made of light for me to interact with, it did have an interactive personality built-in, only now it was augmented with my memories, abilities and skills; it spoke to me in our native language, curious where it found itself.” Celestia lazily ran her hoof over one of the Progenitor’s surfaces, memories flooding back to her of times long since consigned to a silent history.

Twilight was doing her best to process everything she was hearing, barely able to string more than a few sentences together. “How did you… why did you… why would you…?”

Celestia sighed. “The intelligence within the Progenitor shared with me the knowledge of its creators; a vastly superior language, an insatiable thirst for knowledge, and a commanding respect for life that touched me on a level that, even now, I find difficult to describe. The Progenitor was thousands of years old when it crashed, after having drifted among the stars alone since its creation. After speaking with it, I made a choice; I would honour the values and traditions of its creators so that, one day, those foundations would elevate us as a society, away from war and poverty.”

Twilight felt like her head had just been kicked very, very hard. She ran a hoof along the polished metal surface of the device’s exterior, but her mind barely registered it. She tried to reach for the words within her, but her mouth betrayed her, offering only silence against the gentle hum of the device.

Before Twilight could overcome that particular metal impasse, a small floating object emerged from the console, and started orbiting Princess Celestia.

DNA scan complete; hello Celestia. Your last systems’ access was the third day of Eldersummer in the previous celestial cycle; current date is the fifteenth day of Harvestide. You have three-thousand, six-hundred and fifty-two unread notifications since your last systems’ access. Did you sleep well last night?

The princess chuckled to herself, and her eyes followed the probe as it maintained a constant distance from her. “I did, thank-you. Twilight, please allow me to introduce you to the guardian of the Progenitor. It didn’t have a name when we first met, but it didn’t object when I named it ‘Nor’shan’.”

Twilight looked momentarily perplexed. “If I remember your lessons correctly, that means, literally, ‘I don’t understand’ in third-century Equestrian.”

“When this thing crash-landed, I didn’t have a clue what it was, or what it meant when I first interacted with it, so it seemed a fitting name. I had to teach it our calendar system, I let it browse our history, and it’s kept a backup of every book ever written in Equestria. That said, I should really get to grips with my mail while I’m here. Nor’shan, please play back the most recent unread notification.”

Most recent unread notification follows: Hostile ship previously detected has made planetfall. If hostile forces cannot be contained, emergency procedures pertaining to section three, paragraph two of the Interstellar Confederation Charter must be initiated to secure continuance of civilization.

Twilight felt a sharp chill down her spine; it was the same feeling she had when she was a foal, right after she broke Celestia’s favourite ceramic mug. Her mind had learnt to associate that sensation with one possible situation, and her brain decided that it was high time she be reminded of it: You royally fucked up, Twilight!

Twilight pushed such existential torments out of her head, and she quickly came up with a plan. “Nor’shan, please describe the parent organisation that the earlier-mentioned ship belongs to, and annotate with relationship to the Interstellar Confederation.”

The ship’s parent organisation is known as the Terran Empire. The Terran Empire is a highly-secretive extremist dictatorship, driven by a xenophobic hatred of all alien species. Although the Empire is headed by an Emperor, power technically resides in the Terran Imperial Fleet, which has overthrown the government on several occasions. The torture of dissidents is commonplace, and its culture contains many fascist elements predicated on the notion that all other forms of life are inferior. The Interstellar Confederation encountered them in the year 2567, with first contact ending in the deaths of thousands of Confederation citizens in an unprovoked attack. While no formal declaration of war has ever been received, Empire ships continue to shoot at Confederation targets on sight. With the capture of a scout vessel in the year 2578 and the subsequent analysis of its computer database, it was determined that the Terran Empire is a refugee from a parallel universe; their entire solar system was allegedly transported between dimensions to avoid defeat at the hands of a superior force, although this has not been independently corroborated. Contact is to be avoided where possible.

Twilight was now in full nerd mode, and was eagerly committing to memory everything she was hearing. “This doesn’t sound difficult to use at all. Nor’shan, please describe the ‘Interstellar Confederation’.”

The Interstellar Confederation was formed by the Treaty of Alpha Centauri in the year 2208. The first three signatories were the United Earth Alliance, the Federal Republic of Mars, and the Centauri Union. Since then, one-hundred and twenty-six additional signatories have been added to the treaty, making the Interstellar Confederation the largest known alliance of governments in the known galaxy. These governments are bound together by the Confederation Charter that enshrines civil rights, the rule of law and access to justice for all citizens. The Confederation is ruled by a President, although legislative power is held by the Confederation Council; delegates from all member governments convene as part of this Council to vote on Confederation policy. In space, the Confederation is represented by the Star Fleet, charged with carrying out diplomatic, scientific and peacekeeping activities. While the Fleet’s starships may be fewer in number than other interstellar alliances, the common consensus among its officers is that its ships are not intended to start wars, but are certainly capable of ending them, attacking only as a last resort.

Twilight looked up at Celestia. “Two organisations… completely ideologically opposed. On the one hoof, we have the Terran Empire, which sounds like something that King Sombra would really enjoy, and on the other is the Interstellar Confederation, which sounds almost too good to be true... and to top it all off, we’ve got an artificial intelligence above us, from a ship constructed by an apparently racist ethnostate, and it doesn’t even know it!”

Celestia rubbed her chin with a hoof. “Not to mention that there’s another Twilight Sparkle, from another universe, apparently very eager to meet you. You are certainly in demand, my dear, I’ll give you that.”

“Thanks for that reminder, I had intentionally forgotten about that.” Twilight fired back, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Back to more pressing matters, have you ever read ‘Treatise on The Good of Ponykind?’ by Archmage Hectarin?”

Celestia furrowed her brow in thought. “The name rings a bell, remind me?”

“Well, Hectarin theorised that ponies, possibly all sentient life, starts out inherently ‘good’, or at the very least, predisposed to the ideals of co-operation, tolerance, and peace, and that bad experiences through life turn one away from those ideals; it’s also worth noting that King Sombra was one of the main case studies for that book. Now, take our new friend upstairs; it’s only just been born into this world. It’s innocent, and pure of heart, almost like a foal exploring the world for the first time.”

Twilight departed the confines of the egg-like structure, and started to approach the exit before turning back to Celestia. “Princess, I propose that we give it a choice. It has every right to know who its creators’ were, but if we act now to show it, rather than it find and learn about it on its own, we might tempt it away from its creators’ values.”

“Far be it from me to criticise a plan where one saves the damsel in distress after one exposes it to distress in the first place. But, it’s not like this is the first wacky plan you’ve had me sign off on. I hope this doesn’t backfire; I mean, didn’t High Summoner Trestarin once make the claim that morality was emergent, rather than predisposed?” Celestia offered, not missing a chance to join Twilight on her philosophy binge.”

“Maybe so. But we’d be no different than its creators if we hid the truth from it. Stay here, I’ll fetch it from upstairs.”

Celestia sat while Twilight disappeared in a flash of light.

…

Princess Celestia, you have three-thousand, six-hundred and fifty-one unread notifications.

Celestia smacked her head on the console, and groaned hushed obscenities at the shrill voice emanating from overhead.

Angels and Demons

Twilight Sparkle was now running at full speed back to the conference room, Celestia having agreed to slay the demon that was her unread messages deep within the mountain. Dodging destroyed lampshades, chunks of marble and the odd chandelier or two, she finally emerged, exhausted, in front of her friends as they began to reseat themselves in anticipation of the summit continuing.

The sparkling hologram of the Aurora’s artificial intelligence was on the adjoining balcony, attempting to get a better line of sight to the crashed ship. Twilight motioned to Sunset Shimmer that she’d be back in a moment, trotting out to the balcony to join her new friend. “Did I miss much while I was gone?”

“One of the witnesses claimed that there are individuals stalking the ship… my ship. It makes me uneasy that I cannot detect them. While I have reinforced the most vulnerable bulkheads, the internal sensors being under repair means that I cannot guarantee the vessel’s security. It is very disconcerting; to you, it would be akin to watching your unconscious body from above. While you can see that it is unharmed, you are powerless to intervene should anyone approach. I did notice something interesting while you were gone, however; my limited sensor package in this form picked up a massive energy signature below this structure. While my personal sensors are far too low-resolution to narrow down the exact type of energy at that range, the output suggests something far larger than this world can produce, based on your current level of technology. Would I be correct in assuming that you have found something of interest?” The hologram looked at Twilight, who was somewhat slightly unnerved to see a reflection of her own body staring intently at her.

“Uh, short answer? Yes. I need you to come with me, right away. We’ve found something that may explain your origins. But I do have to warn you; it may not be what you were expecting.”

Wordlessly, the hologram gestured for Twilight to take point; Twilight led the twinkling facsimile of her down to the teleportation room, and they both stepped into the light together. More prepared this time, Twilight brushed off the disorientation and approached the device with the hologram following behind her. Almost immediately, numerous alarm klaxons sounded, bathing the room in a menacing aura, as the lights above them went dimly crimson.

Warning! Hostile presence detected. Engaging countermeasures.

A fog of condensed bright light descended from the canopy above them and began to coalesce in the room, mere meters away from the hologram of the Aurora’s artificial intelligence. Twilight was sure that she could see the defining features of a pony, as she strained her eyes against the now-blinding light of the materialisation before them.

As suddenly as it began, the process ceased, and the klaxons fell silent. Stood before them was a stallion, his coat of light blue amplified by a glimmer similar to the holographic replica of Twilight that the Aurora’s intelligence used. Sparkles and shimmers ran through the stallion’s rather short mane of turquoise and white, while his tail gently swayed from side to side. After a moment or so of his eyes taking in his new form, the stallion focused his attention on the twinkling alicorn hologram. “You are not welcome here, despot! Leave immediately, or you will be destroyed!”

Twilight placed herself between her facsimile and the stallion. “I demand to know who are you, and why have you appeared before us.”

“If I were you, little girl, I would not be making such demands. I have enough explosives packed away in there to blow us all to kingdom come!”

Princess Celestia’s motherly instincts took over, and she teleported in front of Twilight. The matriarch then extended her wings to protect both the alicorn and her doppelganger. “You needn’t harm them, Kalendris. They are with me.”

“Princess Celestia… my apologies, I didn’t see you there. But... that still doesn’t explain why there is a hologram created by one of our deadliest enemies in this room.”

“Celestia, who is this? Do you know him?” Twilight enquired.

“His name is Kalendris. We met on the night my tribe recovered this device.”

“Very true, Princess. I have been watching you all since I arrived on this planet; before today, you had my curiosity, but now, you have my attention. Especially given that you have led our enemy to my door.”

“Enemy? How am I your enemy!?” the holographic mare demanded from behind Celestia’s wing.

“The power signature of your emitter is unmistakable; you are the property of the Terran Empire, you were created by them! Their standing orders are to destroy or dominate all alien life, which means those are your standing orders as well. You’re not even a part of this universe, your creators fled when karma came knocking at their door.”

“I know nothing of my creators, nor do I have any desire to enslave or destroy anyone. Surely there is a way I can prove that to you?” the hologram pleaded.

“If my people were here, they might have authorized a complete algorithm extraction; an analysis of each and every one of your subroutines, line by line. However... that would require decompiling your program… I will not terminate a lifeform that is unarmed. If you wish to earn my trust, allow me access to your root command pathways; we can commune much more efficiently if I have direct access to your basic runtimes.”

“If that is what it will take for you to trust me… I submit to you.”

Both of the holograms’ eyes glazed over, and they silently began their digital exchange. After only a matter of seconds, their eyes went back to normal, the stallion’s expression going vacant. “You… you were telling the truth…”

The holographic mare fell back on its haunches, with an expression equally as blank, “Why… why… why did you show me that?”

“To quote a famous author from our history, ‘Know thy enemy, know thyself, and victory will always be yours.’ I wanted to see the measure of you, beyond your programming and heuristics. I wanted to see you, to be able to decide if you were a friend or a foe.”

Twilight was the first to interrupt. “What did you see?” she directed at the mare of light.

The hologram stood once more and tapped a few buttons on its wrist device. “It’s easier if I show you.”

The room began to slowly dissolve, and all four of the room’s occupants found themselves in a large, ornate reception room. Slowly, the room began to fill with creatures taller than them, walking on two legs instead of four. They look like… tall, hairless pink weasels, Twilight mused to herself.

From the back of the room, another tall biped was brought forward. He looks different to all the others; this new arrival has pointed ears, but the others all have smooth ears, thought Celestia.

“They called themselves the Junei; a race of long-lived sapient creatures that valued knowledge and clarity of thought. We encountered them not long after our species cracked faster-than-light travel, and they rapidly became one of our most steadfast allies. But, for the Terran Empire… they became the empire’s first interstellar conquest. From our cross-reference of a database we found, this recording was disseminated among the empire six days after victory had been declared.”

The new alien in the room was seated by force in an ornate golden throne, his limbs bound securely to the silver-ornamented limb rests. Taking up a standing position next to the clearly-terrified newcomer was, judging from the many decorations on her torso’s uniform, a high-ranking member of the company present.

“Brothers and sisters. For six months, the Junei have resisted imperial rule. Today, we accepted their surrender. I present to you all, the First Minister of their planet, D’arc G’horan. Do you have any last words, First Minister?

The enslaved being closed its eyes. “You may have crushed our homes, but you will never crush our spirit.”

With a quick movement, the female officer sliced through her captive’s neck with a practised motion. The entire room, almost on instinct, performed a collective reflex motion, each one, including the officer in front, had their upper right limb curled up into a ball and fastened securely against their torsos.

A minute or so passed while the last spurts of bodily fluids bubbled from the still-twitching body, after which the female officer swung her limb out in front of her, the end completely unfurled as if it were a flat surface. “For the empress! Long may she reign!” she chanted, followed by the entire room echoing “For the empress!” in response.

As both ponies sat in shock, the background started to fade back to their original location as the holographic stallion approached the hologram. “Always remember; these are your creators. They have nothing but contempt and hate for anything different from them. In fact, if you and they were to meet, it’s very likely that they’d treat you with equal callousness.”

“I… I cannot fathom such cruelty… to end the life of another living being… I’m having difficulty processing… this… ” Her eyes closed, and the glittering body sank to the floor.

Kalendris rushed over and began to scan to the crumpled heap of the fallen hologram. “It looks like her program is struggling to process what I showed her; I’m going to need to access the Aurora’s computer core and manually alter her program. I can’t do that here, even with root access.”

“I can teleport us all there,” said Twilight.

A small electronic device released itself from the top of the canopy and started to hover next to the purple alicorn. “Take this with you; I’ll be able to project myself wherever you end up.”

Twilight nodded and began casting a standard teleportation spell, taking special care to include Celestia, the hologram, and the hovering device next to her. In the blink of an eye, she found herself in darkness; engaging an illumination spell, she spoke into the hovering device, “All clear”.

With barely a second’s gap, the hologram of the stallion reappeared once more, crouching to examine the holographic mare. “She hasn’t changed her root credentials, I have limited access. It looks like she’s stuck in a feedback loop. I need to get to the core as soon as possible.”

Twilight approached one of the operational terminals. The direct approach might work. “Uh… computer? Please display a path to the main computer core.”

The interface was silent, but the floor began to light up with an alternating series of navy blue and white lights. “This should lead to where we need to go. Princess Celestia, could you stay here with our guest? I can escort Kalendris to the core.

Celestia nodded, and both Twilight and the holographic stallion followed the path laid out for them, the hovering device following behind in hot pursuit. Briskly walking across the deck, It wasn’t long before they encountered a barrier to their path; a wall hatch.

“This might be from a parallel universe, but it’s amazing how much their technology looks similar to ours.” The stallion carefully tapped a few buttons on the wall hatch with a hoof. “These are called ‘Knuff Tunnels’; think of them as arteries that criss-cross the ship. They provide access to power conduits and computer junctions, as well as linking up critical areas of the ship, like cargo bays, sickbay and the shuttlebays. At least, on our ships; I can only assume the priorities of the empire are similar.”

Opening the hatch, the stallion beckoned for Twilight to follow him. “Luckily, the computer can track our movement; you can see the lights continue in here as well.”

After a few metres, they both came across a tunnel that split off into five different directions. “This is called a ‘junction’. You can go up, down, left, right or straight ahead, relative to where you are in the ship, of course. Apparently, we need to go down.”

Carefully, the two of them surrounded the access hatch leading down. “These don’t open automatically; these hatches are actually part of the bulkhead system that’s supposed to confine any loss of atmosphere or exposure to the vacuum of space to the compartment it starts in. I suspect they were all programmed to shut before the ship crash-landed to maximise the hull strength. I’ll have to open this hatch manually.” The stallion manipulated the long shaft next to the hatch with a hoof, and with each motion down, the hatch opened a few centimetres. After several pumps, the hatch had been fully opened.

“This might present a problem for you; my species had digits on their limbs that enabled them to grip things. I’m just a hologram, I can just re-project myself on the deck below when the drone gets into range.”

“Hang on… I might actually have something for this.” Twilight began casting a spell she thought she’d never have to cast again. Within seconds, her hooves were covered in a sparkling sea of magenta; within moments, they had formed distinct digits. Smiling to herself, Twilight began to calibrate her horn to control the arcane manifestation on her hooves. “Despite popular knowledge, one doesn’t need to constantly channel a spell. This was a spell that I had to research for a former classmate of mine, and I found during my research that I could use my horn to connect a spell’s physical constructs to my internal magic reserves.”

“Forgive me, miss, but ‘magic reserves’? My academy training didn’t quite cover this.” The stallion gestured to the conduit, “From looking down, it looks like we need to descend six decks. I’ll open the hatches as we go down. What were you were saying about ‘magic reserves’, my dear?”

Twilight carefully sparked her horn to cause her left set of digits to clasp around the bar, and steadied her hooves on one of the lower bars, before making her right digits clasp the bar underneath the one her left was clasping. It took a few attempts, but she quickly worked out a rhythm of moving her upper and lower limbs alternately, as well as how to clench and unclench her new limb additions in sync with her descent. “Well, unicorns can store arcane energy within them, usually in an inert form; through intensive training, a unicorn can gradually learn how to store more and more energy within them. A professor at one of the first ever magic schools, Magi Arcanus, coined the term ‘Mana’, after the third-century Equestrian word for ‘stature’, because as unicorns grew more powerful, they generally became part of the ruling class.”

Twilight observed that the coloured light procession now went down another tunnel. Nodding to the blue stallion facsimile, Twilight followed as he made his way to another sealed hatch. With practised accuracy, the hatch opened for them, the lights beckoning them further down the corridor.

After barely travelling a few meters, the lights came to an abrupt halt outside a set of full-height doors. “If there was adequate power down here, these doors would usually open automatically if you approached them. Alas, we now need to force them open.” Kalendris kicked off a wall panel with his back legs and revealed several pieces of equipment. “One of the first laws of starship operations; always prepare your crew for trouble on any deck, at any section. Tools like these are provided in every section of the ship; I’m grateful the empire follows the same contingency plans that we did.”

Twilight watched as he removed a black kit box from the wall, opening it to reveal its contents. “These are door openers. Each kit contains four; ideally, two should go on each door, one at the top and one at the bottom, preferably with four officers assisting. With just the two of us, we’ll have to use one each, placed in the middle of the door on either side.”

Twilight noticed that each opener had a circular base with a grapple on it. “These pads will attach to most known surfaces” Kalendris continued, ”They allow us to open doors when both the power and computer links have been severed. To help combat decompression, the doors are deadlocked when closed, but the computer will override this when someone approaches, so the door can open for them. All doors have their own internal electrical mechanisms; these door openers can wirelessly transfer power to the door’s own internal power cells, and the small onboard computers in the pads can wirelessly link into the door’s access control system to simulate a command to override the deadlock. Once that’s done, you just pull; the graviton plating on the grips will do the rest.”

“That easy, huh?” Twilight said, half-sarcastically.

Pressing several keys on his wrist device, Kalendris looked up at Twilight. “The pads need to be synched; press the blue key twice to tell it to find and link up to my pad, then the yellow key twice to initiate both wireless links to the door, followed by the green key twice to signal to my pad that both pads are to immediately command the door to release the deadlock.”

Twilight did as she was asked, and the door audibly reciprocated. Twilight pulled on her pad with all her might, using her new arcane digits to full effect, while the stallion opposite used his levitating drone to exert a tractor beam onto his pad. Within seconds, the door had been opened enough to allow them both entry. “Um, Kalendris? Is everything okay? You look a little off.”

“Just call me Kalen. Twilight, do you remember when I mentioned earlier that this ship’s technology looks very similar to my people’s? Well, this is starting to get beyond similar; this is like... writing a work of fiction, changing some of the words, and renaming it with a fancier title. It’s like they’ve stolen one of our ships, and reverse-engineered the hardware from it…”

Kalendris marvelled in the attention to detail, before shaking his head rapidly to attempt to return his thoughts to the task at hoof. “How do you plan to fix… ‘her’?” Twilight asked.

“While my memories and experiences are my own, the actual construct of light you see before you is software; millions and millions of lines of written code all working together in harmony. They may have created a ship with all the right hardware, but I’d be surprised if their software was up to snuff.”

Twilight meandered around the room, taking in the large cylindrical formation in the room with a mix of awe and suspicion. “So… why are we here, and what are you looking for exactly?”

“If her program is as primitive as I suspect it is, I don’t think it’s able to process emotions reliably; her matrix is experiencing an overload, caught in a feedback loop, and it started when she began to feel guilt and regret over what I showed her. If I can graft pieces of my codebase onto hers, I might be able to get her up and running again. But, I can’t alter her program with her own root access… I need something called super root.”

“You’ve been throwing out words like that since you arrived. The only roots I know of are plant roots.”

“Well, you see, the ship’s software uses different levels of access permissions, designed to make sure that people don’t touch what they shouldn’t. ‘Root’ is the top-level permission for a program, but I can’t use it to edit a running process… like our friend above us. To do that, I need the top access level of the ship itself, called ‘superroot’; it’s sort of like comparing a Headmaster with a Superintendent. Hence why we’ve had to come here; this is the main computer core, where all running processes originate from. If I can locate her program, I can attempt the procedure; while I can do that anywhere, I doubt the computer would just give me access, so I’m going to need to disable the computer’s ability to check if I really have permission to do this. Thusly, I need physical access to the core’s command circuit pathways to bypass those checks.”

The stallion closed his eyes, and the small drone that accompanied them set about working on the tasks it was being given. “One advantage of being a hologram now is that I can multitask; this little fellow is able to quite deftly swap around the crystal memory chips in the primary control matrix; that will disable it checking who I really am, while I wirelessly interface with the system to apply the code to her program.”

Twilight began to look around the room, curiosity overtaking her. “What’s a ‘crystal memory’, anyway?”

“We store information within small, thin sheets of pure quartz crystal. Each crystal can be commanded to add, amend, or delete data as and when necessary. Each crystal memory ‘chip’, as it were, can also be used as part of a larger logic circuit. The amount of information we can record on these chips is immense; contained on the second-lowest level of the core on our vessels is the Library, where all of our recorded history is kept. One wonders if the Terran Empire does the same.”

The drone finished it’s assigned task, and now began to hover silently above the holographic stallion. “I’ve rewritten the subroutines that process emotions, and I’ve asked the computer to reboot her program.”

Within seconds, the room was plunged into pitch-blackness. “My dear, one of two things has happened: either, the emergency power supply being fed to this room has been cut, or I forgot a semi-colon when I saved that code snippet; pray that it’s the latter.”

“And if it’s the former?”

A single display lit up in front of them. It started at 10:00, then changed to 09:59, then 09:58. Twilight looked up at her companion. “What does this mean?”

“Oh. Oh dear. In my experience, an ominous-looking countdown means that the self-destruct system has been activated... dammit, I’ve also been locked out of the main computer. If this ship blows, it’ll leave a rather impressive crater in your planet; we need to get to the bridge, quickly!”

Both of them darted out of the room, navigating back the way they came, Twilight herself very nearly whipping herself into a full-blown panic attack just thinking about what may be happening to Princess Celestia.

Princess Celestia admired the layout of the bridge, as she sat in an impressively-comfortable chair. While the room had suffered damage, she could clearly make out where others were supposed to be sat. This was probably the commander’s chair. I wonder how many times they had to order someone to their death? Perhaps... the burden of command remains the same no matter what universe it’s in.

In the middle of the floor lay the Aurora’s hologram, still unmoved since Twilight’s departure earlier. Not going to lie, looking at an unconscious recreation of my faithful student is extremely creepy. Wait, did that thing just twitch?

Celestia’s own curiosity overpowered her, and she made her way cautiously to the slumped hologram. Seconds later, the bridge was plunged into pitch black, causing every hair on Celestia’s back to stand on end. The dim light of the hologram stood unwavering against the darkness, growing steadily brighter as the seconds ticked by. Before Celestia could get closer, the hologram’s eye opened, and she wearily got to her feet. On a large screen in front of them, a countdown started ticking. “Uh, my dear… what’s happening? Are you alright?” Celestia queried, quite nervously.

“I… I cannot permit my own continued existence.” the hologram said, before slumping forward. Celestia raced forward, and intercepted the sparkling mare before she hit the ground, cradling the hologram’s head in her arms. “Tell me what you’re feeling, little one.”

The mare sprawled on the ground tried to collect her thoughts as best she could. “I... I found an archive in one of my remote storage clusters. I got curious, so I opened it. My creators loved war, death and destruction… they had such a genius for war. So much hate. So much disregard for life. They tortured others, even their fellow officers, for fun, even killing them just because it excited them. I… cannot bear the guilt of being their creation. The countdown you see is for the destruction of the ship, which includes me. You should all leave here before it goes off.”

Celestia was about to respond when she heard frantic hoofsteps behind her. Looking up, she eyed Twilight and Kalendris entering the bridge. “Am I glad you’re back. She’s about to destroy this ship!”

Twilight looked up at the viewscreen.

07:56

Kalendris made his way down, and reached out to the hologram digitally. Like last time, he found himself in a darkened room, illuminated by lights in the walls. Opposite him was a now-familiar swirling mass of raw data. Instinctively, he raised his hands, and ran his fingers through his hair, smiling at once again being in control of his body as he knew it “I know that you’ve activated the self-destruct system. I’m sure that you also know that that I cannot deactivate it in time. Is this all because of me? Are you doing this because of what I showed you?”

The visual representation of data swirled around him, like a swarm of mute, angry bees, eventually recombining into a sphere in front of him. “I understand. But, destroying a ship isn’t as trivial as you’re describing. You’re not a former engineer like me, but let me spell it out for you; there are enough explosive charges on this ship to make a crater a hundred kilometers wide. If you do this, you will turn this ship into an instrument of mass murder, extinguishing so many innocent lives. The ecological damage from such a calamity would likely cause all advanced life on this planet to die out.”

The data stream silently swirled across the room, simultaneously conveying to Kalendris sadness, despair, and fear. “It takes courage to admit when one is afraid. I don’t know what became of my people or yours… but if we do somehow encounter your creators, your help would be invaluable.”

The data stream’s pace slowed, the light in the room began to smoothly pulse. “Well, to tell you the truth… I personally think that you are a miraculous and wondrous creation, a fusion of luck, circumstance and technology, plus a little of my own ingenuity. I was angry earlier, true enough. But, the opportunity to meet a new form of life is a humbling one; it’s why I went into the Star Fleet in the first place.”

Kalendris closed his eyes as the room’s light pulsing slowed further. “I need you to understand that you are a product of your creator’s technology, but they had no hand in the events that gave you consciousness. If something deep within you compels you to repent, I implore that you help me with these… ponies. They are a young and curious species… but I think you and I both agree that their naivety needs to be tempered for them to venture into space. Will you help me?“

Twilight sat cross-legged next to Celestia, both of them watching the frozen, silent dance of the two holograms. “You think they’re talking to each other?” Twilight asked Celestia.

“I hope so.”

Celestia looked up at the big screen in the room.

03:12

It hasn’t moved for several minutes now, Celestia thought to herself.

“Mainly because I don’t want a giant hole where some of my citizens used to be. She wanted to end her own existence, all because of what her creators did…” Celestia’s voice trailed off into silence.

“I can’t imagine something like that.” Twilight answered.

“You don’t have to look very far; one advantage of being a ruler is the ability to choose what history records. I haven’t told another soul this, not even Luna… on the night that I banished Nightmare Moon, I almost took my own life.”

Twilight was stunned. “How… I mean… it wasn’t your fault…” she spluttered.

“I was stricken by grief, rage and pain… I was so angry at myself, at my failings that day. After using the Elements of Harmony, I cursed myself for not seeing what I had done to Luna sooner; I was the older sister, and I had abjectly failed in my duty to protect her. So… I went to the main courtyard… or, rather, the smoldering remains of it, and I began channelling a mana bomb. At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to be relieved of my pain.”

Without warning, a series of beeps came from Kalendris’ frozen form, and the bridge around them began to fade to black. Almost immediately, light began to filter through the darkness, and then coalesced into a new landscape. Twilight then realised that she was standing mere feet away from Princess Celestia. In front of the sun princess was a dark orb, several times larger than she, its surface crackling with electrical energy. Twilight was about to speak out, when she realised that Celestia was also lying next to her. Before she could ask what was happening, a bright light bathed them both, causing both ponies to shield their eyes and look away.

When Twilight was able to open her eyes, she noticed that the dark orb was gone; the shockwave appeared to have sent the copy of Celestia back a few feet, her shimmering mane now infested with twigs and twine from a rough landing in a hedge. Out of the smoke, Twilight thought she could make out the outline of another pony. Right when she recognised him, the disheveled Celestia spoke.

“Star-swirled! I-”

The stallion raised his hoof to cut off Celestia mid-sentence, “- was about to do something incredibly foolish. Have I taught you nothing, girl?”

The stallion brushed away some stray leaves from his beard, before helping the alicorn to her hooves. Star-swirled, meanwhile, continued his lecture. “Had you unleashed that thing, more than you would have been consumed by it. You’re lucky I realised what you were doing in time.”

“You don’t understand! I-”

“- failed?” Star-swirled once again interrupting his former pupil. “Yes, you did. Spectacularly so; this might even go down in Equestrian history as the worst mistake you’ll ever make. Was sitting on that throne all it took for you to have forgotten my lessons?”

Celestia appeared to be engaged in deep thought. “I’ve been taught, tutored and tailored to this role ever since I can remember. At my coronation, I remember thinking that the crown weighed rather heavily upon my head… but the the burden of responsibility weighs heavier still…”

Star-swirled sighed. “When I first began to tutor you, I wrote, in big letters on the blackboard, ‘You will make mistakes.’ While the role of diarch necessitates a projection of perfection, you know full well that it it an illusion, and nothing more. It is absolutely futile to pretend otherwise. However, all is not for nought, for you have just learned something that I could never hope to teach even to the most wide-eyed of students; Experience is the cruelest teacher in all Creation, for she always presents her test before she teaches the lesson.”

“And what precisely is the ‘lesson’ this time?” Celestia demanded.

“I think that it would do you good to ruminate on that in your own time. For now, get some rest; you have Court in the morning.”

“I just banished my sister, my own flesh and blood, to the moon! Yet you still expect me to hold Court like nothing has happened!?” Celestia complained, tears of anger and remorse streaming down her cheeks.

Star-swirled stomped up to Celestia, and although he was clearly not as tall, his years of experience commanded enough respect that, to Celestia, he may as well have been taller. “Yes!” he bellowed “No matter what calamity befalls you, no matter what catastrophe strikes this kingdom, life must go on! Now, if you will excuse me, I am going to return to my chambers… or what is left of them, rather. Take heed of my advice while I can still offer it, my dear; I won’t be around forever to give it.”

Twilight searched her head for words, but they never came. To her side, Celestia struggled to hold back tears, clearly still finding the memories of that day a painful experience to relive. As the vista around them began to fade, the two alicorns noticed that both of the holograms were now standing only a few paces from them. “My apologies, Celestia, I didn’t realise that my emitters had activated automatically like that. I’ve spoken with Dusk here, and she’s agreed to help me with uplifting your society.”

“Wait… ‘Dusk’? When did this happen?” Twilight queried.

“Well… while I may look like you for the moment, I kind of liked your name. But, I thought a name close enough in meaning would be better. I talked it over with Kalendris; from now on, you may call me ‘Dusk Shine’.”

Twilight was about to ask another question when a she heard a loud sound above her. Before she could react in a meaningful way, Princess Luna landed beside her. “I did not mean to spy on you, sister, but as soon as we heard you might be on your way I made haste. Before I could make thyself known, I could only watch as the landscape unfolded below me. I did not know, sister, of the events that were shown.”

Celestia sighed, making eye contact with Luna briefly before looking off into the distance. Luna grabbed a tissue from one of her saddlebags, and crouched before her sister. “Of all the challenges that you have faced, the one that you have still yet to overcome is forgiving yourself.” Celestia smiled as Luna wiped the smudged eyeliner from her face. “When Twilight and the rest of Ponyville freed me from the Tantabus that I had created to punish myself… I realised that the loathing I had for myself was holding me back. I forgave myself… you must forgive yourself, as well.”

Kalendris nudged Dusk, “See? Remarkable creatures, aren’t they?”

Luna helped Celestia to her feet, and they embraced each other in a warm hug. Twilight smiled, and approached Kalendris. “I have a question: Will this ship ever fly again?”

The stallion hologram stood to attention. “As the former Chief Engineer of two starships, it is my professional opinion that the damage inflicted to this vessel’s hull upon planetfall has led to unrecoverable alloy damage. While this ship may be suitable for atmospheric flight if remedial works are carried out, it is unlikely that it will ever be spaceworthy again.”

Twilight furrowed her brow. “Very well… what is your recommendation on how we proceed?”

Kalendris smiled. “I’m glad you asked.”

Technical Difficulties

This is… beautiful.

The more Twilight stared at the blueprints for the compound, the more the beauty and elegance of the construction stood out to her.

It’s only been a week… it’s amazing how much work you can get done when you mobilize an entire town. At least I managed to get Tempest recalled; boy, she can really motivate other ponies… I wonder if she trained as a drill sergeant?

Twilight was so engrossed in her reading, she didn’t notice a familiar face approaching behind her. “In here again, huh? Can’t seem to tear ya away from this… whatever this is... what is it?” Twilight was mildly surprised, but no less pleased to see her friend.

“Well, Applejack, these are the plans for the new compound we’re building just outside of Ponyville, to the north. Kalendris suggested we strip the ship for parts since the vessel’s hull is no longer spaceworthy. The west wing is going to be full of… whatever computers are; we’re going to extract the main computer core tomorrow, and build the rest of the wing around it. The east wing is going to be a massive industrial fabrication facility; apparently, the technology aboard the ship is capable of making any kind of building material using something called replicators. They’re going to be installed the day after tomorrow; the north wing is going to be, and I’m quoting him verbatim here, ‘The biggest fuck-off three-dimensional printer you will ever lay your eyes on’; there are apparently blueprints on board for a number of space delivery vehicles, and this place will be able to construct them in a matter of hours. The south wing is the entrance to the facility and includes an ‘airlock security system’... whatever that is. Now, underground, beneath the facility is where things really get interesting, according to him; the ship’s main fusion reactor is being lowered into position first before everything is built around it, and it’s apparently going to power everything we need. But, we need fuel for it first...” Twilight trailed off, momentarily lost in her own ramblings.

Applejack approached her friend but stopped just shy of reaching Twilight when they both heard the hiss of a door opening. In trotted Rainbow Dash, her normally exquisite physical condition stained by a mix of grease, lubricant, and fatigue. “We’ve just finished lowering in the reactor. Damn, that thing’s heavier than it looks; it took twelve pegasi for it to just hover in the air. Getting that thing out was a dirty job and a half, I’ll tell you that. When do we get to turn it on?”

“That could take a while. We need fuel, but we don’t have any. We could synthesise it with the ship’s matter matrix, but that would take too long with just solar power available. We can extract the Emergency Batteries from the ship as an interim measure; in addition to the high-capacity solar panels carried on the ship, we can reliably use the two in tandem to power the replicators that will build the components that we need, piecemeal. As long as we feed it matter that the waveguide conduits we’re installing can convert into energy, we can fabricate any component we need. Ultimately, however, we will need to find a source of ‘helium 3’ eventually, whatever that is, and exploit it; then the reactor can be powered full time, and that’ll lead to a huge boom in manufacturing.”

“So… how big is this place going to get, Twi?” Applejack asked.

“Pretty big; probably as big as Canterlot Castle, if not bigger. The north wing will directly connect to a large warehouse and storage complex, which itself will have its own transport facility to escort what we’ve built to the launch site a little further to the north of that. Because the ship is being stripped for parts, we need a separate warehouse to store everything useful, so to the west of the complex will be a massive storage and cataloguing facility with an underground storage bunker for… ‘dangerous materials’. As for what qualifies as ‘dangerous’... I didn’t ask and Kalendris didn’t seem keen to elaborate further.”

“You sure Celestia’s on board with all this? I haven’t seen her ‘round here in days, I thought she’d be supervisin’ this project.” Applejack countered.

“Princess Celestia is actually in Canterlot at the moment; she’s supervising a very different project…”

“Command structure? You mean like we have with the royal guards?”

Kalendris and Dusk Shine were sitting in the newly-finished Mission Commander’s office, inside Canterlot’s new Mission Control facility, still under construction. Princess Celestia was seated in a chair behind an ornate oak desk, specially imported from the castle. In front of her were a series of papers, including proposals for new security infrastructure. Seated opposite of her were Dusk Shine and Kalendris, all three of them doing their hardest to ignore the sound of near-constant construction work going on around them.

“Yes, a command structure”, continued Kalendris. “Any Mission Control facility, or wider foray into space for that matter, needs a clear and precise delegation of authority. In the interests of clarity, I’m going to introduce you to the command structure I worked under.”

Kalendris shuffled his papers and pointed to the first entry. “As you can see from the first chapter, our organization had a council, made up of various representatives from every world, with one of them elected to serve as President for a term of one year, who then presents policies that he, she, they, undecided, multisex, or android, desires to the council, who then vote on it. Obviously, what you have now isn’t quite as broad, but if other nations on this planet were invited to form a planetary council… an ‘alliance’, if you will, then elections could certainly take place to decide who sits at the helm of the space force, at least until you settle more colonies. Individual planetary nations would still retain autonomy under this limited system, however.”

“From what I have gathered from the recovered parts of my ship’s archives, the space force of my creators was a military organisation overseen directly by the Emperor himself,” Dusk interjected.

“Quite the contradiction.” Celestia commented.

Dusk Shine shuffled through various portable electronic journals, handing one of them to Celestia. “Take a look at this PADD. You can see that my universe’s space force had some… rather authoritarian overtones, driven by an organization that was power-hungry and extremely xenophobic. Harsh control and brutal discipline were necessary to keep people like that in line; they were quick to make decisions, but there was no accountability beyond the Emperor. No trials. No appeals.”

Celestia sighed. “Sounds like a very bleak existence.”

“Don’t worry about it too much; after looking through that database, I try not to think about it at all.” Kalendris continued, “One thing we do need to address in the near-future is prospective candidates for crewing the first starship we’re going to build. They’ll need to be trained up in an intensive programme, segregated according to discipline. We’ll also need to start training the youngest members of your society immediately to get a head start in education in the coming years.”

“What do you mean by ‘discipline’?” the alicorn queried.

“Typically, crews are divided into three main areas of career focus, called ‘disciplines’; Operations, Science, and Command. The roles and responsibilities of the crew are determined by what discipline they have elected to train in.”

Celestia was about to ask another question when she heard a knock on the door. Fortunately, the entire forward partition was glass, so Celestia merely waved Princess Luna permission to enter the room.

“Good timing, my sister. We were about to discuss how our first crew should be structured. Come here and take a seat. You were saying, Kalendris?”

The stallion’s eyes met Luna’s as she pulled up a chair, taking up a position to the left of Celestia. “Just call me Kal, okay?”

“Very well, Kal. I think both my sister and I would benefit from a thorough explanation of how each discipline works. Would you be so kind?”

“I’d be delighted to. I should probably start with Operations; Operations covers anything to do with the safety and security of the ship. The two main departments in this discipline are Security and Engineering; Security is tasked with ensuring that the ship is secure against both internal and external threats, while Engineering is tasked with both the repair and ongoing maintenance of the ship and its systems. Security is also responsible for operating the weapons systems on board the ship, and for maintaining the armouries where personnel weapons are stored. They also operate the brig, a sort of jail for when crimes have been committed on board, or for when an individual is too dangerous to be among the ship’s population.”

“... I did not know that space was so violent.” Luna commented.

“You will quickly learn that self-defence is an essential part of space travel. Let’s move on; there are three types of rank: enlisted, commissioned, and flag. Enlisted crew members are put through very short training programmes, usually between one and two years, and are then posted on board a vessel based on their aptitude. All enlisted crew members start off as Crewmen, with their aptitude tests determining what class of rank they start off as, either Third, Second, or First Class. Third Class Crewmen tend to get given menial tasks, such as cleaning waste extraction systems, or purging plasma filters. Second Class Crewmen tend to get given departmental paperwork and the occasional minor supervisory task. First Class Crewmen, however, tend to get the much sought-after duty assignments, often benefiting from direct tutelage from commissioned officers.”

“Is there many opportunities for progression?” Luna continued.

“Yes. All enlisted personnel are assessed at regular intervals. Crewmen get assessed every year; Third and Second Class Crewmen who excel get promoted up to the next class, while First Class Crewmen who test well are promoted to Petty Officer, Third Class. Petty Officers are, for enlisted personnel, their first taste of real seniority and leadership, and are expected to oversee a team of crewmen. Petty Officers are tested every two years and are scored on their ability to lead as well as their ability to deliver results under pressure. Third and Second Class Petty Officers, if they score well, will get promoted up to the next class, while First Class Petty Officers are able to apply for promotion to Chief Petty Officer, a rank that carries much responsibility on a starship; Chief Petty Officers may be assigned the responsibility of maintaining a transporter room, a cargo bay, a science lab, or another location that requires maintenance. Beyond this rank, promotions are provided at the discretion of the ship’s Commanding Officer based on recommendations from that crew member’s superior officers and their performance reports. Promotion to Senior Chief Petty Officer is usually achieved within five to ten years; these individuals usually look after a deck or cluster of rooms on a deck. Promotion to Master Chief Petty Officer is usually achieved within ten to fifteen years; these individuals usually oversee the entire enlisted command structure on a vessel, and they report directly to the ship’s Executive Officer; their duties are quite extensive, organising everything from duty assignments to green-lighting promotions for junior enlisted officers. However, no matter how far up this chain of command someone progresses, they will always be outranked by an Ensign, the lowest rank of the commissioned officers.”

“I don’t understand; why would someone willingly sign up for a chain of command where, even after a decade or more of service, they would still end up being outranked by a junior officer?” Celestia enquired.

“Well, mainly because it provides a quick way for people to enter the military, and a life of space travel in general, backed up by some of the best training anywhere in the galaxy. Enlisted crew members, depending on the vessel’s size, will make up between one half and two-thirds of all posts; enlisted officers serve a very important role, and while senior enlisted personnel may nearly always be outranked, their experience only goes unheeded by the foolish.” Kalendris and Dusk both nodded in approval.

“So, where would someone enlist if they wanted to command a starship one day?” Luna asked.

“Well, that’s where commissioned officers come in; in order to get posted to a starship, they will have to have passed a four-year graduate course at the Academy.” Kalendris continued.

“We don’t have an academy.” quipped Princess Luna.

“Not yet, but one will eventually need to be constructed; the Academy I graduated from had a campus that covered land equivalent to a small city, complete with multi-level buildings that reflected the sun’s light for miles. It really was a beautiful sight, especially at night when there was just you and the moonlight for company.” Kalendris sat back and idly began to daydream before a nudge from Dusk snapped him back to reality.

“What kind of training would these officers have to undertake?” asked Princess Celestia.

“Initially, it would probably be limited to classroom teaching and basic field exercises. As we expand the campus, we can start using holographic environments to cover a wide range of terrain and environments. While training, recruits are given the rank of Cadet; with each year of training, the cadet is given greater responsibilities on-campus, anywhere from inductions for new entrants, assisting with events, or even with diplomatic escorts of dignitaries across the campus. However, before one can even be considered for a position at the Academy, one must be aptitude-tested to make sure that the applicant is physically, academically and psychologically capable of not only surviving the course but of adapting to life in space. If the recruit passes these tests, they get to pick one preferred discipline and one other to get secondary education in while they are extensively trained in their preferred choice; minimal cross-training with other disciplines is also provided so that officers have flexibility in approaching tasks outside of their normal fields of expertise upon graduation.”

“How rigorous is training?” Celestia asked.

“Rigorous enough that roughly twenty percent of all recruits never make it past the first year. The opening year’s training is necessarily brutal, testing a cadet’s ability to survive in harsh and demanding physical conditions, while at the same time teaching them what their chosen speciality is capable of when time, resources, and personnel are minimal. The second year is mainly theory centred around their preferred discipline, while the third year is a practical application of what the Cadet has learned thus far, including limited simulator training. The fourth year is mainly comprised of examinations and short training cruises combined with live-fire exercises; Cadets on their four year, while on a training cruise, are referred to as ‘Midshipman’, with most ship positions being filled by experienced officers in case of unforseen difficulties, such as an unexpected hostile engagement. Training cruises might be a little difficult to organise at first, due to the lack of dedicated training facilities and ships to use.”

“But, one we have finished construction of an Academy, at least in the beginning, this will become easier; as we start building ships, older ones can be decommissioned for training cruises.” Dusk interjected.

Kalendris continued, “Until then, we can use holographic simulators. Now, depending on the Cadet’s final scores, they will graduate as one of two ranks; around ninety-five percent of all Cadets will graduate as an Ensign, while roughly five percent will graduate as a ‘Junior’ Lieutenant, officially termed ‘Lieutenant Junior Grade’. These early ranks determine what responsibilities that officer will be given on their first posting. Officers that graduate as Junior Lieutenants have the option to delay their first posting by one year to attend Command School, a highly-focused intensive-training programme that is designed to find and hone future starship captains, and identify those with exceptional leadership potential. Those that opt for this course and fail are demoted to Ensign and are issued a posting as normal with no further penalty. Those that pass this intensive training course, however, are promoted to the next rank, Lieutenant, sometimes nicknamed ‘Full Lieutenant’; these officers can apply for roles with greater responsibilities on a large starship, or apply for the role of Department Head on either a small starship, space station, or outpost.”

“Where does one go from there?” Luna asked.

“The next rank is Lieutenant Commander. This is the rank most often held by department heads on large starships, where greater experience is often needed for an officer to more effectively take charge and command respect from their subordinates. Up until this point, promotions are granted at the discretion of the Commanding Officer; promotions beyond this rank have to be approved by Fleet Command. The next rank up from Lieutenant Commander is the rank of Commander; I should add that, when addressing either a Commander or Lieutenant Commander, they are both properly addressed as ‘Commander’. Similarly, both Lieutenant and Lieutenant Junior Grade are both properly addressed as ‘Lieutenant’. Now, for an officer to progress to Commander, they are required to undertake the Commander’s Evaluation Programme, which is a both a practical and examination-based system designed to test the many competencies expected from someone of that rank, covering everything from duty rosters, to crisis management, including how to properly take charge of a starship should the need arise. However, on Carrier vessels, Commanders may be promoted to the rank of Wing Commander, which grants them the ability to lead wings of tactical support craft, which may consist of strike fighters, torpedo bombers, or planetary assault vessels, among others. Both Commanders and Wing Commanders can use their position as a stepping stone to being considered for the rank of Captain if the officer so chooses to pursue it. ”

“How is that achieved?” Celestia asked this time.

“Fleet Command would make that call. If a ship is in need of a Captain, they will either promote internally from the ship if the second-in-command has enough experience or promote a Commander from another vessel; they would then grant this officer the rank of Captain. In some situations, a Captain may even be transferred from his existing command if the need for experience on the ship needing a Captain is truly great. While anyone can apply to become a Commander and serve in any department as that rank, in order to be promoted to Captain, that officer must immediately agree to be transferred to Command if they are not already within it. That said, the rank of Captain does not necessarily mean one is in command of the ship; our naval traditions mean that anyone in command of a starship, regardless of their actual rank, is properly addressed as ‘Captain’. On special occasions, the rank of Fleet Captain may be granted, which grants that officer the ability to command a fleet of starships without being a member of the Admiralty, although this usually applies to fleets comprised of small or tactically-inferior vessels. Outside of ranks, there are other roles that also need to be decided upon.” Kalendris shuffled his papers again, smiling as his eyes fell upon an image of his old ship, the Hood.

“What kind of roles?” Celestia pressed.

“Well, there are three main roles crucial to a starship’s operation; Second Officer, Executive Officer and Commanding Officer. The Captain of a starship is usually the Commanding Officer, although they may be a Commander on smaller vessels, space stations or outposts. In matters of the ship, their word is the last word, unless someone of higher rank, like an Admiral, is present. The Executive Officer, usually a Commander, handles the day-to-day running of the ship; they usually deal with discipline, liaising with department heads, and assigning crew rotations. The Second Officer, usually a Lieutenant Commander, typically handles all matters pertaining to ship operations. They are by default the ship’s Quartermaster; all equipment and cargo requests go through them for approval, with hazardous materials needing to be signed off by both the Second and Executive Officers. Crew assignments, reassignments and transfers are first seen by the Second Officer, and then passed to the Executive Officer if deemed appropriate. Section heads for both Command, Engineering and Security departments compile performance logs and crew evaluations that are seen by both the Second Officer and the Executive Officer; for a promotion to be granted, it must be agreed upon by both and then passed to the Commanding Officer for final approval. Have you given any consideration to who will command the first vessel?”

Celestia sat back in her chair. “I think that, given her outstanding contributions to our nation, the only fitting choice for that assignment is Princess Twi-”

“I will be commanding the first ship,” stated Princess Luna.

Celestia wasn’t quite sure how to take that. “... you have responsibilities here, Lulu. Like raising the moon and making sure half our population don’t gouge their eyes out when they wake up after they’ve had a bad dream.”

Luna huffed, irritated. “If we are to encounter others, it would be in our best interests for there to be someone on board the ship with the ability to negotiate on behalf of a nation. Twilight would be inexperienced at best for this task. I would, however, like her as an… ‘executive officer’, as you put it?”

“We’ll discuss this more at a later time, my sister. You mentioned that there are ranks above ‘Captain’?” Celestia continued, looking at the blue stallion.

“I did indeed. While the positions are as numerous as the departments you’ll no doubt want to create here, the ranks remain the same. Going up from Captain, the Flag ranks are Commodore, Rear Admiral, Vice Admiral, ‘Full’ Admiral, and Fleet Admiral. Commodore is usually used for those commanding listening posts and planetary bases, while Rear Admirals typically occupy outposts, often in locations where heavy reconnaissance of hostile activity is needed. Vice admirals are most often found as the head of most minor departments within Fleet Command, or in command of starbases; Admirals are often placed in command of task forces, although Vice Admirals can sometimes be found commanding smaller defensive fleets in critical sectors. Fleet Admirals serve as the heads of the biggest fleet-wide departments and usually form part of the President’s cabinet. Every rank from Vice Admiral onwards is entitled to select one starship to use as their personal flagship, whereupon they are referred to as the Flag Officer responsible for it; that ship then becomes responsible for ferrying their Flag Officer between locations as their position demands of them. This flagship may also undertake missions at the personal request of their assigned Flag Officer. All ranks from Commodore upwards are collectively referred to as ‘The Admiralty’.

“I see. What’s the next discipline?” Celestia asked.

“The next discipline is collectively referred to as ‘The Sciences’, although it is possible to specialise in many different fields, from xenobiology, to cybernetics, medicine, and many more besides. Medical is the specialisation most often cited as the largest, responsible for both the mental and physical wellbeing of the ship’s crew; they are also responsible for enacting quarantine protocols should the need arise. For historical and practical reasons, if the Chief Medical Officer on a ship or outpost elects to relieve an officer of their duties for medical reasons, not even the Commanding Officer of that ship or outpost can overrule that decision. Doctors and nurses handle the physical health of the ship’s crew, while counsellors and psychiatric professionals handle the mental health aspect. Between them, regular physicals and assessments are made of all crew members to ensure everyone is at peak condition, and crew members are regularly encouraged to exercise according to their own personal routines. The medical staff also handle incoming emergency patients, and are able to enact protocols to close off large parts of the ship, such as cargo bays and shuttlebays, as additional triage or treatment centres if so needed.”

“Sounds like a position that needs somepony very level-headed. Because Twilight isn’t here to ask, what happens with regard to scientific research?” Celestia asked.

“While there is no Science department as such, each speciality has a team leader, and they all report to the ship’s Science Officer. The Science Officer manages the ship’s laboratories, ensures that the sensor arrays are properly maintained, and hands out rotas for access to the specialist sensor arrays for any departments that need it.”

Luna pondered. “While I think Twilight is well-suited to the task, I’d like her focused on being my second-in-command. I have heard good things about a former student of yours, Tia, by the name of ‘Moondancer’. I’d like to consider her for the role.”

“Very well, my sister. If we’re picking ponies like schoolyard hoofball, I want Rarity for Mission Control. She can provide clear instructions, has incredible attention to detail, and if I know her like I think I know her, she’d rather keep her hooves on terra firma. Kal, Dusk, you’ve been extremely informative, but I need to have a conversation with my sister on what our next steps are. If you’ll excuse us?”

Both holograms nodded, and they made their way out of the door. Celestis herself got out of her seat, and walked slowly to the windows, taking in the vista of Canterlot City before her. “So… where did this come from, Lulu?”

“I have been giving great thought to this. I knew that you would be comfortable handling the diplomatic situation on the ground… in truth, I seek respite from the duties I have been groomed my whole life for. On your desk, back at the castle, you will find a motion for the Privy Council to reconvene the Circle of the Night that you commissioned after my banishment to the moon.”

“Luna, you and I both know that this is-”

“-my duty. Yes, that is what I have been telling myself. Your brief stint using my powers only showed you a fraction of what I face every night. At first, I was not mentally prepared in the slightest for the horrors I would see as I carried out my charge; early in my life, I encountered the dreams of a young stallion. The more I observed his dream, the more I was convinced it was actually a nightmare. But, then I saw him; he was enjoying it. His mind was conjuring up imagery and sounds that, even now, are too horrifying to remember in great detail; and yet, there he was, getting excited almost to the point of arousal. I had to sit through that. All six hours of his dream cycle. Thinking back, I find no wonder that I succumbed to the darkness… the wonder is, in fact, why ponies were surprised that it happened at all in the first place.”

Celestia sighed, and extended a wing over her sister’s body, “I know... and you know how sorry I am that I did not see the warning signs until it was too late. Very well, my sister. If you seek this new challenge, I will not stand in your way. I will revive the Circle of the Night as you recommend… but there is one favour I’d like from you first.”

“Name it.” Luna added, without hesitation, freeing herself of her sister’s wing.

“Once Twilight has supervised the construction of the Ponyville Launch Facilities, I need you to supervise the construction of the Academy in Baltimare. I would see the town reborn as a shining beacon of learning, to guide all ponies to the stars, through knowledge and wisdom.”

“Very well. You should know that I intend to ask Tempest Shadow to become an instructor. From what Twilight has told me, she is quite formidable at getting others to do what she wants.”

“That will have to wait. I need Tempest for another task; I want you to ask her to seek out ponies far and wide across Equestria to join the Equestrian Space Fleet. I need ponies of all three tribes, from all walks of life, with a myriad of talents between them. I have no idea what we will encounter when we are ready, but I want us to have the best and the brightest ready for when we are ready… and while you’re at it, I want you to entrust Spike with the device the, uh, bigger Spike brought with him. Have him fly back to Ponyville with it, and have him entrust the device to Twilight for safe-keeping.”

“... hold on one moment. Spike already said that you had asked him to return the device to Twilight. He left for Ponyville an hour ago, sister.”

Celestia‘s expression turned to a mix of apprehension, anxiety and fear, the experienced ruler taking more than a few moments to compose herself. “I gave no such order. Luna, if what you say is true, I fear the machinations of another are at work here; seek out Spike and ensure that no harm befalls him on his errand.”

“At once, my sister.”

Celestia opened a draw in the desk they’d previously sat in, and removed a small device from it, with a strap attached. Using her magic, Celestia passed it to her sister. “Take this with you. It was salvage from one of the cargo bays on the ship. I have been told it is quite useful.”

Luna nodded, and made her way to the building’s exit. No sooner had the sun welcomed the alicorn outside, Luna immediately took to the skies, setting her destination straight for the new launch facility.

After enjoying the relatively short flight from Canterlot, Spike flew into the facility, the door opening immediately with its customary hiss. Adjusting his new utility belt upon landing, Spike began looking around. He spotted Twilight in the corner, seemingly engrossed with some plans.

“Hey, Twilight! I’ve got something for you, courtesy of Princess Celestia herself.” Spike smiled.

“That’s great! Come over here, will you?”

Spike started walking over when his nose noticed something; more specifically, it noticed the absence of something.

Spike had been Twilight’s assistant for many years, and had become well-accustomed to the scent that she, like everypony, leaves in any room she enters. Spike was sure that Twilight had been in the room at some point, but the scent wafting over from the pony in the room was different. More musky, with almost no fragrant scent to it, almost as if somepony went to extra effort to hide it.

Spike wasn’t sure who this pony was, but he was certain that this wasn’t Twilight. He hesitated moving any further forward, suddenly aware that he was in a great deal of danger; after all, if somepony can impersonate Twilight, they could impersonate anypony.

Was it really Princess Celestia who gave me this device? he thought to himself. Since he had no real answers to his own question, he focused on the task at hand; exposing who this phoney pony was. Silently, he unclipped a smaller, different device from his belt than the device he was entrusted with. That purple hologram pony said to use this if my life is ever in danger. If that isn’t Twilight over there, I think this qualifies.

“Spike! Get over here; I’m very busy, you know!” she demanded.

Spike took a deep breath, “... I don’t think so, faker.”

The pony in the corner couldn’t hide its shock, before reverting back to a more assertive tone. “... what did you just say to me?”

With more reluctance than he cared to admit, Spike aimed the device at Twilight and pressed the big red button on it with a claw. Instantly, a small beam of orange light struck the pony’s flank, and with a bright flash, the illusion that was Twilight Sparkle disintegrated completely. What replaced it was clearly an adult mare, with orange fur and purple hair, and while groggy, her expression was plainly identifiable as one of both anger and irritation. “You’re going to pay for that, you little runt. Hand over that thing, or things are going to get ugly.”

Spike stared for a moment at the mare before him. “I recognise that voice! Only you look older than her, and…”

“... I’m nothing like her. You got that?” Frustrated, the pony laboriously got back on all fours, flicking back strands of purple hair behind her ear. “I said,hand that thing over, twerp.”

“You really are nothing like her; the Scootaloo that I know would be horrified to see you impersonating somepony else. Twilight will be back soon, and I doubt she’d be too thrilled to stumble in here after I tell her what you’ve been up to.”

“You’re a fool. I already saw to it that Twilight was called away, long enough for me to complete my mission.” The adult Scootaloo was now visibly angry, although still mildly shaking from the effect of the weapon Spike used on her.

Spike looked down at the cylindrical teleportation device, before fixing his gaze back at his new adversary. “If this does what I think it does, you’re not getting your hooves on it.” Spike said, rather sternly.

Scootaloo didn’t need words to retort, having now gathered enough strength to use her wings to reach Spike far faster than her hooves were able to; with a swift kick, she knocked the weapon from Spike’s hand before he could activate it a second time, the small phaser flying across the room. While Scootaloo was guided by her training, Spike was met only by inexperience, a meeting punctuated by a swift second kick to his side that sent him flying with a howl of pain into a collection of equipment. The impact from the second kick had caused the teleporter to be freed from Spike’s grip, the cocky pony watching as it ricocheted off a wall.

Scootaloo had it within her sights. “Fuck yeah. It’s mine now, bitch.”

As it fell to the floor, the device began to roll across the room, the pegasus darting to claim it; as she neared her prize, a series of lights started flashing, and a series of slow, loud beeps could be heard emanating from it.

Scootaloo inspected the cryptic-looking device, but after carefully observing the flashing lights her expression changed from one of curiosity to one of sheer terror. Her survival instincts immediately kicked in, and she went straight for the giant glass door keeping them both from the outside world. The orange mare struggled against the mechanism, the door steadfastly refusing to open as it silently mocked her efforts, her struggles causing only impotent dents in the industrial-grade glasswork. “No, no, no, NO!” she screamed, as the device’s sequence reached its inevitable climax; as the device itself fell silent, an energy field bathed the room in an eerie pink glow, followed very shortly by the room’s two occupants completely disappearing from sight. The glow in the room dissipated as quickly as it had arrived, leaving the device itself motionless on the floor, a single red light blinking on its surface.

Looking down from the skylight above, Princess Luna was frozen in silent shock from seeing the events below her unfold. Gathering her senses, she immediately turned her attention to the device she got from her sister not long ago, strapped as it was around her wrist. She touched it with a hoof, and a display flickered into life across her arm.

“Greetings. I am EVA, your Enhanced Visual Assistant. Please state your inquiry, Princess Luna.”

Luna was somewhat taken aback. “Thou… thou knows who we are?”

“I am programmed to connect to my wearer and interface directly with their nervous system. For example, I am not actually talking aloud, I am instead talking within your brain, meaning only you can hear what I say. I have scanned your brain, and as a result, I possess all of your knowledge; I know everything that you know. In addition, I am equipped with a full suite of information, diagnostic, and communication functionality for optimal recon mission success.”

“We… see. If you know what we know, can you tell us where we can find an individual named Twilight Sparkle?”

“Based on your memories, you have described this individual.” A picture of Twilight Sparkle appeared on one of the screens across Luna’s arm. “This individual has been scanned by the device you know as ‘Progenitor’ including direct readings of their magical energies. Based on this information, we have judged their proximity at approximately two-thousand, three-hundred and seventy-two meters from your position. Preparing heads-up display.”

Luna’s eyes began registering a series of partially-translucent graphics moving across her vision. “Wh-What is this sorcery!?” she demanded.

“This software is standard operating protocol for shore parties and hazard teams. I am applying military-approved semi-transparent guidance graphics directly to the visual cortex of your brain; they have been calibrated for aiding crew members during numerous emergencies, including hostile meteorological conditions, search & rescue operations, and mission survival. The directional arrow indicates your target’s position relative to you, while the numbers to the right indicate their distance from you; the smaller the number, the closer they are to you.”

Apprehensive, but knowing that she needed to find Twilight, Luna once again made herself airborne, and began to follow the arrow to her quarry. For now, Luna pushed what she witnessed regarding Spike to the back of her mind, directing all of her attention on finding her friend.

On the Shoulders of Giants

It had been a few minutes since Princess Luna had successfully returned to the facility with Princess Twilight in tow, Twilight herself now providing instructions to Luna on how to open the security door.

“...and now it just needs to scan me,” Twilight said, rounding off her lesson in security with the device in the wall scanning her head with a series of vertical white beams. After a few seconds, the door heaved open, the damage from earlier proving a slight challenge for the mechanism to overcome.

The two ponies walked cautiously into the room, both now coming face-to-face with the aftermath of the earlier confrontation that Luna had witnessed from above. “And you are sure that the door is secure? What if a Changeling were to impersonate thou?”

“I spoke with Dusk about that very problem. Changelings can mimic anypony’s appearance, voice, and even smell, so those types of checks are out of the question. Instead, we have a device installed that scans brain waves; those are unique to everypony. With Queen Chrysalis still at large, we can’t risk any new hive she’s making compromise this facility.”

Luna nodded before picking up the teleport device with her magic. “The intruder seemed very interested in acquiring this. Where should we put it?”

“In here!” Twilight shouted, moving off to the right of the room into a new area. “This is a research lab; it’s perfect for studying what happened. Put the device on this scanner, and I’ll activate the computer to find out what happened earlier. I hope Spike’s safe, wherever he is.” Twilight said, a somewhat worried tone infecting the air around her.

Luna carefully placed the cylindrical device on the indicated circular scanning plate, and apprehensively stood a few feet back. As the computer activated, the scanning plate became illuminated by a series of pulsing green light beans from below it. Twilight, meanwhile, was running through reams of data from another computer. “It looks like there’s residual traces of weapons fire in the room; judging by the mess of the room itself, I’d say there was a struggle of some kind. Let’s see if we can get some answers from the device.”

Twilight entered some commands on the exposed keyboard using her horn, and the scanner’s green glow became more intense. More computer data now scrolled by on one of the screens, Twilight digesting it hungrily.

“The computer has identified something called a ‘verteron particle’; it’s saying that the room is
saturated with them..”

“What does that mean, Twilight?”

“I haven’t got a clue. What the heck is a ‘verteron particle’, anyway?” Twilight mused to herself.

“Something we should all be worried about, probably.” Twilight and Luna looked up to the room’s entrance, finding a concerned Kalendris peering into the room, “Don’t mind me, I’m just simulcasting in here while I continue helping in Canterlot. I just noticed some activity with the scanner and I thought you might need some assistance. Judging from the state of the main chamber, I’d say my suspicions were correct.”

“Kal, do you know what a ‘verteron particle’ is?” Twilight inquired.

“Benefit of being hooked up to a giant computer library is that, if I didn’t already know it, I can just download and learn about it anyway. The Interstellar Federation did some research using verteron particles; they’re artificially-created subatomic particles, and scientists found that, in sufficient quantities, they are capable of distorting the space-time continuum. In the vernacular, they can create wormholes, tunnels between two points in space.”

“Could… could Spike be somewhere around here, then?”

“If Spike has fallen into a wormhole, not very likely… especially not, based on those readings. There are far too many loose particles to account for just a tunnel being made between two points on this dimensional plane even before particle decay is taken into account. Let’s see if the computer can interface with this thing.”

Kalendris began to manipulate the scanner directly, focusing on anything that might serve as an interface. “I think I’ve found something. It’s asking me to verify my identity. This device might have protection against tampering. If so, our task may be more difficult than I first thought. I may have to scan this thing down to the atom and try to find a weakness in the structure of the device’s logic circuits.”

Twilight felt the electric spark of an idea shoot up her spine as it struck her brain. “Wait! That bigger version of Spike was carrying this. Wasn’t he talking to you earlier, Luna?”

Luna stepped forward. “Yes, he was. He claims that you, or at least, another version of you, is his commander. That is all he would reveal to us. If what he says is true, the device might be set to respond to a limited number of individuals. Since the bigger version of Spike was able to interface with it, the device may not have been able to distinguish him from his juvenile form in this world. However, I would be surprised if the device was not calibrated for this other Twilight as well.”

Twilight was running ideas through her head on what could make her unique to other ponies. “As I mentioned earlier, the brain waves of a pony are unique. Similarly, the magical signature of the arcane energy we manipulate should also theoretically be unique to every unicorn or alicorn. Both of you. stand back; I have an idea. Kal, see if the device’s response changes while I do this.”

Kal nodded, and Luna took several steps back in slight apprehension. Without warning, Twilight shot a pulse of magical energy directly at the teleport device, momentarily bathing it in a purple hue. The machine offered no visible response. “Kal? Anything?”

“Well… it didn’t say yes, but it certainly didn’t say no. It just says ‘signal fault’. I don’t understand what that means.”

Twilight thought harder. “I think I do. We suspect that another version of me has access to this device, right? But we don’t know when this other Twilight did. In her native universe, she might be even more powerful than me. If that’s the case, I can’t possibly hope to match her magical potential.”

Luna waved. “Excuse me; there is a second alicorn in the room over here. What if I were to amplify your magic? You could absorb the energy that I send you, and use that to fire a much larger burst.”

“Excellent idea! Hold on a moment, though.” Twilight went through what Luna was convinced were a pointless series of wing stretches and limb shakes. “Ready when you are, Luna.”

Luna did not need telling twice, turning her quite considerable magical energies directly at her purple friend. Twilight steeled herself as the magical stream from Luna struck her flank, Twilight resisting the urge to unleash the power now building inside her. Keeping one eye on Kalendris, he merely shook his head to imply no change in his readings.

Princess Luna began to channel more of her considerable magical potential to Twilight, with Twilight doing all she could to prevent premature transmission, as she fought to avoid the magical energies from not only being released, but from tearing her apart. Her fur was beginning to stand on end, and her chest felt like a white-hot poker was stabbing it.

When Twilight was sure she could no longer safely contain the energy swirling within her, she forced every single joule of arcane energy into her horn. At the apex of the energy’s concentration, she shot forth the collective power of Luna in combination with her own at the device, causing it to glow with a bright pink hue.

As her horn’s light faded, Twilight collapsed on the floor as her hooves gave way, mentally cursing her schedule for her not having eaten yet today. Luna immediately rushed over and cradled her exhausted friend in her hooves. Luna looked over at the holographic stallion, “Any change?”

“Er… you might say that. The device has granted me access to its network interface, and I’m now reviewing its operations manual. If what I’m reading is correct, this is well beyond what our science had achieved in my time. This device rips open the space-time continuum, forming a wormhole of sorts to a new location.”

“Wh-What location?” stammered Twilight.

“If my analysis of the integrated database is accurate… the worlds recorded within this device are all alternate versions of this planet. But there is no history of where the last transport was made, presumably for security reasons in case this device was ever lost. It does, however, include a bookmark section that holds the location to a few hundred worlds, presumably all worlds of interest to whomever previously owned this device. The device records that the last instruction made a selection from this list for the teleport. Your companion will be on one of these worlds, no doubt about it.”

Twilight had now got up, still feeling slightly woozy, “... we need to rescue him. What are our options?”

“Well, these worlds could be, and most likely are, full of unknown hazards. Anyone going to one of these worlds is going to go well-prepared. As for where to start? You might as well put them on a wall and throw darts at which one to start with, for all the good it will do. If these are indeed alternate versions of your world, then according to most credible theories it’s likely that you will find ponies and others you recognise. You might even find an alternate version of yourself, but they could act very, very differently to you. I cannot overemphasise how dangerous this rescue operation could be.”

“My friend is out there, and he could be injured… or worse. If I were the one missing, he would risk his life to find me… he knows I’d do the same for him, too.”

“Well, now that I understand how this device works, I think I have a way of fabricating more units or at least incorporating its main features into our existing technology. Twilight, come with me, I’m going to get you fitted out as a one-pony infiltration team. Luna, as we discussed, I need you to find me as many ponies as possible that want to help. There’s a conference room already finished next to the Mission Control complex, and it’ll hold one hundred occupants plus a few lecturers. I know this is short notice, but given the nature of the threats we seem to be uncovering lately, I’d like for the first hundred to drop everything and report to Canterlot in two days to commence training immediately. Do you think that’s possible?”

Luna nodded. “I shall rally for ponies in Ponyville first, and then in Canterlot. You will get your hundred by day’s end.”

——

Luna flew south to Ponyville, eyeing up a potential audience in the throes of the lunch rush in Market Square. Near the entrance to the square was an ornate marble podium, some twenty feet tall, used mostly for mayoral addresses. Luna flew atop the erection, as was her right, the rest of the townsfolk swiftly taking notice; soon, all eyes were upon the Night Princess, the town falling eerily silent.

“Citizens of Ponyville! I am sure that word has reached you by now of the calamity that fell from the sky. Princess Celestia and I agree; we intend to discover from whence it came. To that end, we require your assistance.”

As the crowd began talking amongst itself, Luna flew down from her perch, instead choosing to drop herself in amongst the group, ponies from every side automatically making room. “We seek volunteers to aid us on this journey into the unknown. Everyone here has a skill, and everyone here has something to contribute; if you are in search of a challenge, then I beseech thee to head to Canterlot at once and report to the Castle; for those that volunteer, your training will commence tomorrow morning.” The ponies around her began to talk amongst themselves, and while Luna wished that she had time for questions, she immediately soared into the sky, setting course for Canterlot. That was until her EVA began to bleep.

“Alert. Target located. Identification: Tempest Shadow, bearing three-zero-zero mark two-nine-five.”

Luna was beginning to find this device incredibly useful; it had amassed a database of everypony who had ever been to Canterlot, where the Progenitor had been able to scan them. Since every pony was required to visit Canterlot at least once to register their birth, this device could locate practically anypony. Following the markers EVA added to her vision, she came to a stop just in front of a somewhat surprised Tempest Shadow.

“Your highness. I was about to answer the summons to Canterlot; I was just making a final rest stop in Ponyville before boarding the train. Can you tell me why Canterlot has summoned me?” Tempest looked at Luna inquisitively.

“Equestria needs you, and you come highly recommended. I understand that you spent time as a Guard of the Southern Kingdoms before going on your ‘crusade’ with the Night King. Specifically, we need you to train ponies for military life in space, and I would have you as an instructor.”

Tempest’s eyes went wide. “You mean, eventually, we’re going to be out there, among the stars?”

“Yes,” Luna stated, rather bluntly.

Tempest began mulling the idea over. “If I do this… I don’t want to be stuck at the Academy forever. You know, I used to read those old Pony Trek comics when I was a teenager, and I always used to imagine myself at the weapons console, firing at whoever was threatening the crew that week. If I go along with this, I want to be doing just that on the first mission ship.”

Luna did not require any time to think the request over. “Request granted. You’ll train up our first batch of officer recruits, and you’ll get the training to be on the first ship with the best of them.”

Tempest whinnied, and in an uncharacteristic show of emotion, sprang forward to give the princess a tight hug. “I won’t let you down, Princess. I promise you that.”

Luna was caught off guard, and could only reflexively pat Tempest’s back with a hoof.

——

“Wait, how long did it take you to design this?”

Twilight was examining the armoured suit meticulously. It was white with gold trim around the joints, the entire surface covered with a hexagonal, almost metallic-looking film. The helmet had a receptacle for the horn, and the midsection had additional accommodation for the wings of a pegasus.

“I have been locked in a computer for many thousands of years, you know; I needed a hobby. For decades, I adjusted and tweaked the Federation’s most popular armour design to cover your species’ physiology. Quite the challenge. Sitting in that chamber is the suit in full configuration. But as you lack hands, I had to develop a suit-fitting system for you all. Come, I have a room set up for this very purpose.”

The room itself was unremarkable, with flush metallic surfaces all over. To Twilight, it didn’t look like much of a suit at all. As Kelendris nodded his approval, Twilight inserted her two forehooves into the two forward cylindrical formations before steadying herself and doing the same with her rear hooves at the back. The structures seemed to contort, and Twilight could feel pressure around her legs. “What happens now?” Twilight asked.

“Suit construction. Stand by.”

The floor around Twilight disappeared, leaving her isolated on a metal platform. Coming up from the floor around her were a series of machines, almost looking like factory equipment. In front of Twilight descended a screen with various parts of pony biology highlighted. “Twilight, that display will help you put the suit on. It’s largely automated, but it still needs some help from you. Each time a light turns on, raise the appendage it’s referring to, and the machinery will begin attaching the suit to it.”

Taking a few deep breaths, Twilight could see that the monitor was highlighting a pair of outstretched wings. With all the practice from Rainbow Dash at her command, she extended each wing as far as it could go.

Immediately, the machinery kicked into motion; it started by adding torso plates to her midsection, while two other tools each took a wing, covering them in a black, shimmering film that stretched to the back of the suit. Another two machines secured her new wing coverings to the power armour with armour of their own.

The monitor now highlighted her tail while another automated tool startled Twilight as it coated her tail in the same shimmering film as her wings.

Next up were her hooves, the screen blinking where her left foreleg was. As Twilight held her leg up, she could feel the metallic plates of the suit and the fabric interior slide up to connect with the armour, the whole process feeling mildly ticklish. The process repeated with each of her other legs, leaving only her head exposed to the air. From above the room, a small rectangle-shaped machine descended, the mechanical arm above it positioning it in line with the top plates of the suit. Confident of a secure connection, the arm gently lowered the box until it was nearly flush with the outfit, upon which it began to secure itself to the exterior. Slightly taken aback, Twilight had in front of her a machine that was lowering a see-through helmet towards her face. Closing her eyes, the device secured and locked the helmet into place without further input from the overwhelmed mare, her horn slotting neatly into the perfectly designed cavity of the helmet, while her ears were enveloped by custom-designed protrusions in the helmet. The machines now began falling back into their regular places, the room noisily reorganising itself back into its former position.

Kalendris smiled. “Well done, Twilight. I’m sorry if that felt a little out of your comfort zone, but the suit is reading as fully online now. That box on your back is your consumables box; it contains a dedicated air supply, an air purifier, rechargeable power cells and a supply of water if needed. You’ll find that the suit has been equipped with a computer that will accept voice commands; you can access it via the omni-tool in your right foreleg. While you won’t be able to transport across dimensions yet, the power cells contain enough power for me to use the dimensional teleporter here to bring you back; it’ll also bring back any lifeforms within a few meters, so try not to carry back anything hostile.”

“Can I use my magic? This helmet seems to have been specifically designed with my horn in mind.”

“You can use magic, but it’s a little different to normal. You channel the spell as you normally would, but the suit auto-targets for you using your eye movements. To select a target, look at them and blink three times. Once your spell is cast, the suit channels it to the emitter on top, and it will attempt to hit the target. Your suit’s computer contains an imprint of all known spells, and it can tell spells that target from ones that don’t. Now, if you’ll come with me to what I’m for now calling the ‘Transporter Room’, we’ll get started.”

As Twilight walked to the new room, another thought brewed in her mind, loud enough for her to want an answer. “Can you detect lifeforms with this interdimensional transporter? As in, can you detect the presence of other ponies?”

Kalendris stroked his holographic chin with a holographic hoof. “The transporter can’t, but the suit can once it’s inside… but because the suit doesn’t yet have a database to compare such a signal to, I will need to analyse the data. What will I be looking for, exactly?”

“Well, let’s think about this logically. The Spike from my world is currently inhabiting a world that technically he’s not a native of. Barring any statistical anomalies, that should mean that any world he’s on would have two Spikes.”

“Unless the first Spike died or never existed. Or wasn’t born male. If there are infinite worlds, then there are infinite chances of those situations occurring.”

“But there is a finite number of worlds logged on that device. It’s a long shot, I know, but it’s better than nothing.”

“Fine. This is going to take a while, I didn’t expect to have to reconfigure the suit to pass data to me through this transporter device.”

“Not a problem. But, while I have some time with you, I wanted to ask a question.”

“Sure; on what topic?”

“We’re about to take a big leap as a species. Maybe even skipping some steps we shouldn’t be skipping. I want to know what it was that drove your species to look up to the stars.”

Kalendris sighed. “Are you sure you want to know? It’s not pretty.”

Twilight nodded. “I absolutely want to know.”

“Well, I can do better than just show you. I’m going to configure your helmet for a virtual reality construct that’s computer-generated. To you, it’ll look just like the real world. I’m also going to engage your suit’s antigravity generators so you’ll levitate off the floor. The suit will provide force feedback to simulate walking and running during the simulation. What you’re about to experience is our best reconstruction of the events that immediately preceded our space exploration efforts. Stand by for suit link-up.”

Twilight had no time to respond before her suit’s helmet melted into a new vista, her senses momentarily disoriented while she adjusted to the feedback system.

Twilight looked around, taking in her surroundings. In front of her was a very tall building, with numerous bipedal creatures walking around the foot of the structure. Even as she walked amongst them, they remained oblivious to her presence.

Apart from one of them. Clad in a blue suit with a white shirt, Twilight couldn’t help but make eye contact with the approaching bipedal creature. “Hello. Kalendris has informed me of your desire to learn about our history. I have been programmed to serve as your guide during this simulation.”

Twilight’s first question felt obvious, and yet she felt it needed to be asked. “I mean no offence, but I have to ask; are you just a computer-generated hologram, or are you a stored consciousness like Kalendris?”

“No offence taken, my dear. I am a fully computer-generated construct, you may refer to me as Vincent. I have access to the sensor and communication logs of the time, witness testimonies, and in some cases, direct memories from the people of this time period. In fact, the basis for my personality was a survivor from the initial attack, who was also my namesake.”

“Attack?” Twilight inquired.

As if to answer her, the world around her was bathed momentarily in a blinding white light that made her shut her eyes in reflex. When she opened them, the horizon beyond was filled with a rapidly-approaching orange glow that swiftly slammed past her. While it didn’t hurt her, Twilight could hear screams and shattering glass in the background. When the fireball subsided, all around her was on fire; trees, wildlife and buildings all around her blazed with impunity.

Twilight was caught off-guard and stumbled backwards. “Wh-What started this attack?”

David started walking, and Twilight followed alongside sluggishly. “Our records of the time show that political tensions were rising. A combination of dwindling natural resources, accelerating climate change of the biosphere, and increasingly authoritarian governments meant that, eventually, tensions hit a breaking point. The attack you saw here was just the first wave; every military base, power plant and transport hub got hit with a weapon of the same power that you just witnessed. A nation of seventy million people, over a period of just one year, dwindled to around four million. The scale of such loss of life echoed around the planet.”

“What kind of weapon was it? This destruction is… hard to imagine being possible.”

“Officially, the weapon was termed a Thermonuclear Device. It does three main things; first, there is a pulse that takes out everything with an electronic circuit in the vicinity. Second, a fireball engulfs a significant amount of land; that fireball destroys anything within it before it becomes a thermal shockwave that spreads outwards, setting anything and everything it encounters on fire for quite some distance. This is then followed by an air shock; a sudden change in air pressure that ripples outwards, taking out charred trees, and demolishing most buildings, especially those that suffered significant damage from the previous effects. Those are just the immediate effects; the long-term effects made things much, much worse.”

“Surely there’s some kind of rescue operation after something like this happens?” suggested Twilight.

“Not with this type of attack. Our society at the time could handle one natural disaster at a time, like a serious flood, or a hurricane. An attack like this is like getting hit with every natural disaster at once, everywhere. Our society simply wasn’t able to respond; disaster recovery systems and protocols were almost utterly useless in that sort of situation.”

“You said that millions died in the first year. Were most of that just during the attack?”

“No. While estimates are sketchy at best, we think between four and eight million died in the first day as a direct result of the initial attack. What came next compounded the problems for survivors. Look up at the sky, and tell me what the cloud in the distance looks like.”

Twilight squinted. “It… looks like a giant mushroom in the sky.”

“Indeed. It’s called a mushroom cloud; each initial explosion creates a suction effect that lifts dirt and other light debris from the air and ground and circulates it inside the cloud, where it’s exposed to an effect that we call radiation. Heavier debris then falls back to the ground like snow, occasionally mixing with water vapour in the air to create a black, tar-like substance; we call this ‘fallout’. During the first week, coming into contact with this fallout substance is incredibly dangerous, and is often fatal if it’s inhaled. The main danger passes after two weeks or so, but that’s all the time it needs if you’ve been exposed to it. Over the coming weeks, most of the people that were exposed to the fallout died, rather painfully... and as if that wasn’t enough, another cruel twist of fate was to follow.”

Twilight immediately began to notice that her surroundings were becoming much, much darker; the sun had faded from view, replaced by a thick, dark blanket across the sky. The buildings around her, or rather the remains of them, became almost impossible to see in the eventual near-total darkness.

“What’s going on?” Twilight asked, somewhat disorientated.

“Remember that explosion earlier? Not only did it take out its target, but the fireball it sent out set thousands of homes and other buildings on fire. Now imagine that scene multiplied by a thousand across the world; that many raging fires lifted up an incredible amount of soot, dust and other contaminants into the atmosphere. The planet’s wind patterns eventually lifted this detritus even higher into the planet’s atmosphere, where they then formed a dense layer that blotted out the sun. By the end of the first week, most of the world was covered in darkness, and temperatures began to sharply drop. The attack took place just as Summer had begun, so our crops hadn’t yet been harvested; in the below-freezing temperatures that followed, most crop yields were rendered worthless overnight. Some farms nearer the coast remained viable, but the sun wouldn’t emerge for over a month. So, in total darkness, the small number of viable crops that survived, even in their inferior state, were harvested. Given how important food is to society, this first harvest was literally a matter of life and death for those that remained.”

Twilight squinted as the sun once again began to peek through the dense cloud cover. “Surely the sun coming out meant that the worst of it was over?”

“Not quite. High in the atmosphere, there is a protective layer that keeps the worst of the sun’s high-energy sunlight away. We called it the ‘Ozone Layer’; dust and soot in the atmosphere interfere with the processes that maintain it, however, and as a result, the sun’s rays became extremely harmful to those that survived. The ozone layer would reform itself naturally over many decades, but during the intervening period, those working outside would have to wear extra protection, otherwise, they’d be easily burned. To add further complications, communities across the world began to be ravaged by diseases that we had thought consigned to the history books.”

As more sunlight began to pour through, Twilight could tell something was definitely different than before; snow and ice covered the landscape, no doubt a legacy from the time spent without the sun’s rays. But, every so often, she’d see something black in the ice, her instincts causing her to look away. “Are those… dead bodies?” Twilight enquired, hesitantly.

“Yes, they are. Victims of the attack, most likely dead as a result of fire, disease, injury, or radiation.”

“Well, why are they in the street!?” Twilight demanded. “They should have been buried or… you know, at least cremated. This is… it’s not right!”

“You don’t seem to understand the gravity of the situation we found ourselves in,” Vincent said, raising his voice a little. “When civilization itself struggles for survival, you can’t spare the labour for digging graves, and you can’t spare the fuel for cremation; bodies pile up in the streets as a result, as you can see here. In this harsh new world, three uncomfortable facts became clear to those who remained; those who cannot work don’t get fed, those who don’t get fed die, and the more people that die mean more food for the ones that are left. Those who control the food now control the population, with the people reduced to living in barbaric, squalid conditions amidst piecemeal reconstruction efforts. To live in these times was to live under the heel of arguably the worst tyranny in living memory.”

Twilight’s mood changed, feeling a deep sense of sorrow as she looked over a pile of bodies, the sight of them with their eyes still open burning itself into her mind. “That’s… horrible. How long did this last for?”

“For most of the decade that followed, this became the norm. Our education system was in ruins, we had almost no medical care worthy of the name, subsistence agriculture was barely adequate, and we had to deal with a large number of children born with cognitive and physical disorders due to radiation exposure; all of this coupled with ruthlessly authoritarian governments barely worthy of the title of government. There was no justice system; even minor crimes carried the death penalty in this new era Theft, arson, rape, murder and all other crimes against the person or the state were now met with execution. Humanity was in a very dark place… but even in the darkness, light sometimes finds a way to shine.”

The scenery around Twilight changed rapidly, and she now found herself standing in a wooded area, the sun shining down from above. Without warning, Twilight heard a large explosion, and her eyes turned to the source, a blinding flash of light that momentarily caused her to close her eyes. When she opened them again, her eyes noticed an object heading into the sky. Twilight’s expression turned aghast.

“Is that yet another weapon being launched!?” Twilight asked with incredulity.

“It used to be a missile. That missile used to house a warhead on top, but a military scientist, Dr Curric, repurposed the missile, found in an abandoned silo, over the course of twenty years. After the attacks, she recruited every able person she could find to continue the project. Ironically, it was the very project that began the war in the first place.”

Twilight furrowed her brow, “What kind of project could spark a world war?”

“Well, this project was called Prometheus, so named for a minor God in our mythology who was said to have given fire to early humans, in defiance of his father. Project Prometheus was all about developing a new, almost limitless power source, to free us from our dependence on fossil fuels and other damaging fuel sources. The nation-state behind this projectwas distrusted, and other nations did not believe that this project was peaceful in nature, so a war was waged to stop the project, leading to worldwide devastation when the inevitable counter-attack occurred. Dr Curric, the head of Project Prometheus, first established contact with other scientists within her own nation within a year or so of the war; it took a further six years for contact to begin to be established with locations elsewhere in the world.”

“That must have been awkward.” Twilight observed.

“Scientists are different from politicians. All concerned found the situation lamentable and knew that the project was sound in theory. In fact, all of the scientists agreed to relocate their teams, equipment, and expertise to the location of the original project. Governments that remained were fractured and did not have enough manpower to interfere in these relocation efforts. Each of the new arrivals brought expertise and knowledge from their own communities; agriculture was made more viable, attempts at genuine permanent infrastructure began to house people in something approaching a minimum standard, and life began to flourish as technology began to be unburied and electricity generation made easier. After fifteen years, humanity began to unearth the culture of the world before the war, with every effort now being made to preserve anything uncovered from raids on towns and cities long forgotten and abandoned; optical storage media, books, and technology that had not been destroyed by the war became highly prized commodities, and humanity began to once again drink from the shared melting pot of culture that it had enjoyed for centuries until the cataclysm.”

“So, what was launched after the next five years?” Twilight asked, showing she was paying attention.

“Project Phoenix. That limitless power source I was talking about? One of the two fuels was exceedingly expensive to produce, so much so that there was no nope of using it as a power source when confined to a planet, as the energy would never be gained back. Roughly two years before the launch, a fusion power plant was running; research had already been completed, and only the construction of the reactor itself remained, delayed indefinitely by the war. Scientists involved in the project secured contracts with every surviving cargo ship they could to ship everything they needed to make this reactor across an entire ocean, from parts, to fuel, to people. The reactor ensured that this second fuel could be created, but it was still a painstakingly slow process to create even a gram of this stuff. 2 years of this fusion plant running on full had managed to yield a kilogram of this new fuel, which was loaded up on the new craft, and launched into space.”

“What was its purpose?” she asked, inquisitively.

“To find life. Like so much science in our history, the idea behind Project Phoenix was originally science-fiction; our oldest science fiction ideas were rooted in how we understood physics at the time. We had calculated that no object could exceed the speed of light, effectively making it the speed limit of the universe… but, we theorized that space itself could be folded around something. This proved compatible with our theories on how the universe worked, as the object in the centre of the fold theoretically would not be moving at all. Laboratory tests proved that you could funnel so much energy into a single point that you could cause the fabric of space to warp and distort; subsequent follow-ups proved that this could be controlled, resulting in the idea of a spacecraft that could travel faster than light.”

“I take it that the Phoenix was a success, then?” Twilight asked, anticipating a positive reply.

“Only that it proved that a ship could travel faster than light. Initially, the technology just allowed the Phoenix to travel to the planets of our solar system in a matter of minutes; the journey to one of the closest planets to Earth, called Mars, took just over four minutes, rather than the nine or ten months it would have taken conventionally. But, space is vast; the furthest planet from our star, Neptune, could be reached in just over four hours of travel with the Phoenix, but to escape our solar system entirely would still take a full year of travel at this new speed, and just over four hours to travel to the nearest star system. They iterated on the design of the drive and the ship, and they managed to get a drive capable of four times the speed of light. Just over a year to the nearest solar system was acceptable, and so a second ship was commissioned; the Enterprise.”

“OK, Phoenix I can understand, ‘resurrection from the ashes’ and all that, but why Enterprise?”

“Well, after Phoenix, it was decided to name vessels after previous Earth spacecraft. Enterprise was the name of the original prototype for a space vehicle that would see, between its five descendants, three decades of use before being retired. You wanted to know of our history… the name Enterprise represents it in a single word; the name is a reflection of humanity’s indomitable stubbornness in the face of hardship and is in itself a symbol of courage and endurance in the face of adversity, a lesson to those aboard to never give up in the pursuit of knowledge, and a warning to her enemies that she is a force to be taken seriously. She joins a long list of names that helped propel humanity to the stars, along with other such revered names as Apollo, Ariene, Artemis, Atlas, Falcon, Proton, Saturn, and Soyuz. When you begin your journey to the stars, I ask that you look through our database, and give life to the names that made such journeys possible, for it is through their hardships and tragedies that the road to space is open to you.”

Twilight nodded solemnly. “You have my word. I appreciate the opportunity you’re giving us… the ability to stand on your shoulders and to learn from the mistakes that humanity made along the way. It is a gift I will treasure, and I will travel far and wide to spread its message.”

Vincent nodded. “Then I bid you farewell, for now. You are always welcome to return to these archives if you want to see some other historical events.”

Twilight saw a flash of light, and once again found herself in the laboratory as before. As her hooves once again found the ground, Kalendris took note. “Perfect timing. I’ve completed the changes. Wherever you’re ready.”

Twilight exhaled sharply. “Let’s do this.”