We finally got transported back to the space center after a long wait for the transponders to do so. Every pony took naps until we got there. We then went outside, and the space center changed by not a bit, but a lot. The VAB especially, the last time I saw it, it wasn't as large.

All the other ponies just left the space center, but I remained for a while. I went into the administration building. It looked more futuristic to me, and it was definitely nice to look at. I asked Gus where Starry Night was. Gus was the head of operations, but he also somehow knew everything that was going on at the space center. 'In the astronaut complex, I think, she's in there with Silverstream and Sandbar watching TV,' he said.

I was a little confused with what he called a TV. I have never heard what a TV was, but I knew if I didn't go in the astronaut complex, I wouldn't even come in contact with one. I entered the building, seeing it for the first time in more than a year, maybe two, or so, the interior looked so different. There were remote controlled things and high tech things, and I thought communication systems were very high tech.

I looked to my right, and on the couch, I saw Starry Night, Sandbar, and Silverstream. Sandbar told me to join them watching TV. The TV was mounted to the wall, and it was huge. There was a display that showed colour instead of the green and grey LCDs of the screens in command pods. I joined them on the couch, sitting down like I usually would.

'Why are you in your flight suit?' Starry Night asked curiously. This was her real first time talking to me, other than the time on Duna.

'Used to it, I'm too lazy to take it off and put it on sometimes,' I replied, 'I got one question for you too, why are your wings so different?'

'My wings? It's what pretty much all pegasi have nowadays. These are part bionic wings, and it lets you fly better.'

I looked at my wings, 'Ehh, I'm really good at flying anyways.'

'Nice, you should start to relax now, watch the TV you know.'

I stared at the TV, dazzled at how pictures were just moving and the advancement in technology in just two years. I couldn't believe Equestria was able to evolve technology so quickly, it just confused me. After a while of watching, everypony and one hippogriff got off the couch and started to do their own things. 'Starry Night, what are you good at?' I asked her.

'Lots of things, especially science, I just love it.'

'Oh, that's nice, I like to pilot spacecraft, but the thing I like the most is to do stunts in space, last time I did one was a low pass under 10m above a ledge on the moon.'

He brohoofed me, and then we talked about more things. He told me so much about the 2 year period of Equestria's advancement in tech. When we were all done with that, I went into my room, which still was in tip-top condition even after 2 years. When I said I would go to my room, she told me to call her Starry instead of her full name.

I took off my flight suit, ready to modify it again. This time, I would make something for my wings, add a better thermal control system, and make it modular. I first had to go to the spaceplane hanger to get the parts so I could actually modify it. I grabbed a newer thermal control unit, tiny solar panels, and navigation illuminators.

Once I was done, I trotted over to my room and started to modify the suit. I took off the old thermal control unit, which meant cutting it off. I then put on an attachment node and tested the thermal unit. The thermal unit wasn't as large as the old one and ran more efficiently. The efficiency of it was so much better than the old one, only requiring one-tenth of the power as the old one.

The next thing I did was put on attachment nodes on the back. It wasn't that big and they were very flexible, meaning that I could put on a solar panel, which was also flexible, unlike to the old ones. I loved the new technology, so I added more things to my suit.

I then put on a few navigation illuminators on the front right hoof. The illuminators were not modular, but they were able to be turned on and off with a flick of a switch, and they weren't very heavy or anything like that. When I was finished with that, it was nighttime, meaning I was going to sleep.

I woke up pretty late the next day and started to modify my suit a little more, putting a little digital screen on the left hoof. The little screen would be a little gizmo that I could look at the time with or communicate with others with. I had to go to the mission control building to get the little screen and some computer electronics. The computer electronics were highly sophisticated, as a tiny processor could do tasks that a big computer would do 2 years ago.

I walked into my room again, this time Silverstream greeted me, 'Planetshine, what are you doing?'

I replied, 'Nothing really, just modifying my flight suit.'

'Can I see it?'

'Sure, come in my room and you'll see.'

I led Silverstream in my room. My room was in sort of a mess from yesterday because of the flight suit modifications and whatnot. I started to implant it on the suit and having a basic knowledge of computers already, I put in a battery to power it. The chip worked, and now I just needed software to run on it.

I knew how to program software a little bit, so I made it into a basic watch. The next thing I did was to test it. I asked Silverstream, 'Do you want to test the suit?'

'Yeah, what will happen?' she enthusiastically replied.

'Simple, follow me.'

I led her into the spacesuit testing chamber in my junkyard, which was pretty close from the space center. My junkyard supplied spacecraft parts and other random items, such as old technology and train wheels. The spacesuit testing chamber was used for testing any spacesuit that has been made.

I put in my flight suit in there, and I programmed it to perform the necessary tasks, such as leakage of air or failure of the suit. The test would need about 6 hours to complete, and I let Silverstream press the big green button to start it. We then went out of the chamber, and Silverstream suggested that we go to Ponyville.

Silverstream and I flew a race to Ponyville to see who was the faster flier, and of course, I won. My first impression of Ponyville when I saw it was that it looked similar to what it used to look like 2 years ago, but it looked more, modern. The roofs of the houses looked flatter and the town hall was under reconstruction.

'This looks pretty nice, I'm going to my own home, see you at the space center tomorrow or something, I feel like staying here today,' I said to Silverstream.

'Then I'll be going,' she replied, 'The others on the space station are coming back home today.'

I flew down and landed on the ground of Ponyville. Some other ponies greeted me, asking about my space travels. I told them the most simple thing ever, and that was that it was fun being on another planet, but boring sometimes too. They also wanted my autograph for some reason. I didn't know how to respond to that, but I did it anyway.

I then trotted over to my home, which I haven't been in more than 2 years already. I was living in the space center for a long long time already, and I missed my home in Ponyville, even if I only lived there for a few months. When I opened the door, my fellow astronauts surprised me, even sort of frightening me with the surprise party.

'We knew you were going back home,' Bon Bon said to me, 'So we thought a party would be the best thing to do after our first interplanetary mission.'

'Thanks for the party,' I replied.

I joined in on the party, there was Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich who organised it, Vinyl Scratch who was playing the music, and my old friends from Cloudsdale when I was a filly. I couldn't believe my old friends would come to the party. Upon meeting them, I realised they also had part bionic wings, just like Starry Night.

'Rainbowshine, Sia?'

'Planetshine, don't be emotional, we only haven't met in like forever,' Rainbowshine cheering me up from the emotional moment.

There were tears forming in my eyes, I haven't seen them for 2 years, very long for me at least. The one I miss the most was Sia, who I didn't see much since a long time ago when I was at the friendship festival, which she let me and Rainbowshine backstage for a while. That was the last time I saw her in the flesh.

We partied for a long time until night time, which Princess Luna would raise the moon. I didn't have much belief in Princess Luna controlling the moon and Celestia controlling the sun, but maybe the princesses may have controlled Equestria's spin. The party was amazing, with the new tech, there were lots of lights and a bass cannon that you could hear the wubs smashing into you.

When the party was all done, everypony went off to their homes, but Sia and Rainbowshine didn't leave, they wanted to have a sleepover party with me secretly. That was a good time to ask them questions about their lives in the 2 years I was gone, and them asking me about my 2 years in space.

'Planetshine,' Sia asked, 'How was your time in space, also, I forgot to show you something I got for you.'

'What is it?' I replied very curiously.

'A TV!' she joyfully said, 'Just wanted something new for you in your home, it's a bit outdated.'

'No problem, so, how's your singing career and how's your time creating rainbows?'

'Oh great, though the pay isn't the highest, Sia's going great, her songs are getting better every time I attend the concerts,' Rainbowshine blurted out before Sia could say anything.

We then continued on with the conversation, talking about mostly my adventures in space and on Duna. I told them everything that happened, including me falling in a canyon and me modifying spacesuits. We then slept until the next day. All three of us woke up very late that day, and then spent the whole day together, just like old times.

We went shopping, relaxing in the spa, flying competitions and signing autographs, Sia and I that is. Rainbowshine did want to be like us, being well known in Equestria, so she wasn't jealous at all. I had no idea why she wasn't jealous, it just didn't make sense to me.

The experience that day was really just the best ever, but seeing a different Ponyville was just hard for me to imagine. Ponyville's shops have changed, and some of the signs are now neon. But after all that, I still had one question in my mind which I didn't ask my old friends.

'Why do you guys have half bionic wings?'

They answered quite quickly, 'Fly better, that's it really.'

'Umm, ok.'

Author's Note

A space odyssey doesn't mean not being on Equestria for extended amounts of time.
Gizmo idea from Artemis by Andy Weir. (I love that author)
Sia used for reasons.

Here is a little gift from me.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1AjdoIJ_xUTWwhSTsyuRFrZ0fcS8TKmF3
(Stock KSP mobile base)