This is Defiance calling Ponyville. Do you hear me, over?
I hear you too, Ponyville. Loud and clear, over.
Altitude is seven score. We're coasting over the lunar surface. It feels strange, as if we should be dropping but we aren't. We should be able to see the landing site soon, over.
Not a lot, Ponyville. Just a lot of dead white rocks. There are a lot of craters, large and small, and rocks all over the place. It's worse than a desert.
We can see Equestria through the port window, though. It looks so tiny, and all green and blue. There are no lines on it, no borders. No sign of the tyrant's…
Never mind. Over.
Uh, same as they were an hour ago, Ponyville. What do you expect to have changed, over?
Okay, okay. Oxygen level, seven tenths. Propellant, seven tenths. Battery, six tenths. I'd better conserve that for the trip back. Altitude is six score, over.
I'm starting to think she's not here, Ponyville. There's no signs of life at all here.
Still waiting on visibility on the landing site, over.
Ponyville? Are you there, over?
Seriously, Ponyville. This is such a critical time. I can’t believe you’d miss a moment of it, over.
Wait, I think we can see the landing site now, Ponyville. Just coming over the horizon. Looks like we're right on target, over.
Honestly, not much, Ponyville. It looks as dry and dead from close up as it did through your telescope.
Wait. I think I can see some structures up ahead, over.
That's what I said, Ponyville. We can see buildings, roads, statues. All made from the same grey rock. Wow, there's really a lot of them. There's practically a whole city here, over.
Affirmative. Are you sure there's only one creature up here, Ponyville? It would take years for one pony to make all these, over.
A thousand years, yeah. Point made, Ponyville. Still, this means that she's here. She's real. Our work wasn't for nothing. Our…
I'm fine, Ponyville. I'm fine. On mission, over.
Could you repeat the message please, over?
Confirmed, Ponyville. Altitude is three score. We're coming in for our final descent, over.
Engaging retro thrusters now. Fifty seconds.
That's a Tartarus of a kick.
Four. Three. Two. One. Disengaging retro thrusters.
Oof!
We have contact! We've touched down and everypony is fine! We are on the moon, repeat, we are on the moon, over!
It's hard to tell right now, Ponyville. The thrusters threw up a lot of dust, and it's limiting our visibility. We should be able to tell you in a few seconds, Ponyville.
Sure thing. Oxygen seven tenths, propellant six tenths, battery six tenths. Altitude zero, of course. Looks like we're fine for the return trip, Ponyville. Over.
The three of us are all fine. It’s strange. There’s gravity here, but not much. It’s a bit like swimming, over.
Okay, the dust outside is starting to settle now. We're surrounded by buildings. They all look very old fashioned, all columns and spires and minarets. All of it's carved out of the same white rock. I think some of the buildings are carved right out of one piece. It looks like the pictures of old Canterlot from a thousand years ago. You know, from before the tyrant.
There's a lot of detail in them all, as if somepony spent years making every one. They're all different as well. There's no repetition at all. It looks like our target is an artist, over.
I wish everypony back home could see this. I wish my little sister…
Yeah, we've got the camera ready, Ponyville. We'll bring you back some pictures, over.
I see her! I see her, over!
She's beautiful, Ponyville. Dark against the pale rock, with stars in her mane. She's tall like the tyrant, but dignified. No armour, no crown.
She's perfect, over.
She's seen us, Ponyville. She's looking our way, over!
A thousand years, in a place like this. It's hard to even think about. What does that do to a pony? I pray she’s still in one piece. For all our sakes.
She's coming this way, over.
We're preparing for contact now, Ponyville. We're helping each other seal up our spacesuits. Ready soon, over.
I'm worried, Ponyville. Is the spare spacesuit we brought going to be big enough for her? She's a lot taller than other ponies. I'd hate for Equestria's salvation to be held back by a size issue.
Good call, Ponyville. The sewing kit is at the ready. We can use binary glue and patches to cover the seams. We're going to get her home, Ponyville. Tell stores it's a good thing we packed everything, over.
She's holding back. Waiting to see what we do. I'm sure we look very strange to her. A unicorn, a pegasus and an earth pony, wearing baggy orange outfits and big bubbles on our heads, riding in a shiny gold capsule. Over.
We’re almost there– Ponyville?
Ponyville, I thought I heard something at your end, over?
It didn’t sound like radio noise to me, over.
If you insist, Ponyville.
Everyone's ready, like we rehearsed. We help each other out of the capsule, then we bow. The photographs of Equestria are in my saddle bag. Of the tyrant's Equestria. Even without words, that should tell her everything she needs to know, over.
Helmets are secure. I've started depressurising the capsule now. Two minutes until we can open the hatch and meet her, over.
What's that noise, Ponyville?
Oh, shit. Did they track the radio signal back to you? You have to get out of there, Ponyville. Get out, over.
I mean it, get out while you can. Equestria needs you, over!
Ponyville, what's happening there? Ponyville! Please respond, over!
Who is this? Put them back on!
You have no right! The tyrant won't rule forever, you monsters.
Good luck, Ponyville. Hang in there. There's only one thing we can do for you all now.
Defiance out.
