Of the skies and starsby KippershyChaptersTo the stars......From the skiesSurprise of survivalTo the stars...Of the skies and stars By Kippershy Prologue: To the stars... Mission command gave the green light, everything was set and ready for the lift off. My fuel tanks were full and the lines cut free. Structural integrity was strong and the stars were shining clear, a beacon of hope for us all. Though their voices jammed the airwaves with outgoing radio signals, an intense calmness filled the atmosphere. We were on the brink... and our time to ascend was now. A voice called me over the radio, beckoning my name. "James. Confirm once more that the intercom system is working cleanly, please." A small smile broke apart as my lips opened, a light sigh slipping out of my throat. "Yeah, I'm all clear this end, command." I replied. "Okay, check life support systems on your internals." Tapping the buttons on the faceplate of my helmet, a screen came up on the inside of my visor. Another tap of a button and the reading confirmed that my suit had plentiful supplies of oxygen for the mission at hand. "Check, all good command." "Okay, good." The voice on the other end paused for a moment, the sound of shuffling papers lightly filled my ear from the other side of the conversation before the next question was uttered. "What about external life support? Is the shuttle giving out between required and optimal levels of oxygen?" Looking down at the sensors and dials ahead of me, I confirmed this to be the case. Everything truly was set. As far as I knew now, there was nothing essential, that had to be checked. There was just one last thing... "Any last words before your successful launch, James?" Successful launch... yeah. Moral was high and so were the expectations, but I had no doubt in my mind that it would indeed be successful. It had been a long time since the likes of the Challenger accident... our methods and designs had gone through a series of incredible improvements and safety had jumped to astounding levels since. I had no worries at all. My pause held for a moment too long, though command were happy to give me a nudge. "James, you're going out to space on the first mission of its kind and you have nothing to say? Ha. There's got to be something, right?" Giving a nod in response, even if it would never be seen, I answered. "I'm sorry. I was just thinking about what an honour this is. To be chosen as the only man... the only one who needs to go out and do this. It's a surreal experience and I can't thank everyone enough. To all those who can hear my voice right now, to the elderly whom watched Apollo Eleven soar unto the stars to reach the moon and to the children who will watch this on TV and witness the splendour of such a momentous occasion... It was you who did this. It was you who gave me the strength to accept the task and it was you who gave us all the chance for this to happen. Humanity is the patron saint of this flight, because no one person alone made it possible. You all did." The sound of clapping came from over the communication systems, the room full of technicians and scientists alike all on standby for if a single system went wrong, for if anything failed to do its job. Over the roar, a calm and confident voice spoke now. "James, this is the president of NASA speaking. I wanted to speak to you personally, thank you for your inspiring words and your sacrifice to make this mission possible. We look forward to seeing your communications, from the very first to the very last and even the full report when you get back. It's an exceptionally large task you've accepted, you're going beyond the line of duty to find out things very few others with the skill would ever even consider doing. On behalf of the rest of humanity, we thank you for your courage." Oh yeah, that was right. This whole mission was to test out the possibility of the hyper-warp drive on an upscaled level and its affects on the human body. We'd figured out the technology for a miniature version and proved that it worked, in theory. Now though... now we were testing it for real, and there was few who knew the system inside and out and had the physique that entering space demanded for healthy living in extended periods out in space. My mission was only going to be brief for me, though we had no clue how it was going to work out on the exterior. Would the trip go faster than time would allow? Or would it put me into what was essentially cryogenic stasis? All our tests had given the answer we'd presumed, that it would defy the laws of motion and warp through the speed of light... but now was to find out for real. If the mission was a success, I'd be five years older but have reached the closest neighbouring galaxy. If the mission was a failure, it would be a form of slow suicide. My supplies would last me well over a decade and a half with ease, part of the reason why I was to make the trip alone was to ensure this fact. It would be a lonely journey though, for all contact with earth would cease once I had broken past a certain distance and communication signals would be too slow. This would be my last true chance to speak to everyone that I'd ever loved, hated, feared... known. Once more, I took a deep breath and pressed the button to publicly communicate. "People of earth... creatures of earth... plants of earth... forces and objects of earth. These are the things I leave behind, these are the things I risk never seeing for myself again. The feeling that I will never see any of you again does concern me, though I trust in the work me and my colleagues have been doing enough to risk it all. You are all amazing, each and every one of you. It is my one desire that if there could be one moment of peace... one moment where we all join together and set aside our differences, that this be that moment as we come to realise how special we are." Pausing for a moment, I regretted my inability to wipe the tear from my eye as it trickled down onto my cheek. "I do not pretend that world peace can come from a man entering the stars, though all the same, it is my wish that we could spare a single moment to realise this. Some believe we came from an almighty creator, others believe in evolution and adaptation. I do not seek to question nor change your beliefs, only, I say this; no matter what you believe in, we have advanced from civilisations that hardly knew even the most basic medicine or maths to ones which are capable of scientific feats that none may have even dreamt of just one hundred years ago. We are all special, even if we choose to ignore it. I love you all." "James, It's time. The mission preparation is complete. Preparing lift-off sequence, ignition sequence to commence in T-minus 10... 9... 8... 7.." My thoughts turned to that of the wife I would leave behind. I supposed now however, that she was no longer my wife though. We had parted amicably, both knowing what the mission would do... how long we would be apart. We both understood and agreed it would be best, in either case. "4... 3... 2... 1... Lift off!" The rocket engines erupted with power, the noise filling the air even in my soundproofed cockpit with an almost deafening thunder as they burnt the liquid oxygen they contained. The ascent was slow at first though quickly the power of the boosters caused the shuttle to rise with intimidating acceleration. Within seconds the gleaming night sky had gone from something high above even from the view of my cockpit to what I almost felt was something I could touch and hold if I just tried hard enough. Mission command screamed in joy as the boosters successfully detached, now the primary engines were firing up and my speed had increased even further higher on the scale, pushing further as I climbed. I broke free from Earth's atmosphere without even the slightest of hindrance, the mighty Celestia One carried me safely to the skies and the stars. Out of the gravitational pull we rode, towards the point where mankind's greatest feat would either be achieved or I would die a lonely, broken man. "My name is James Mane." Kind've funny, how everyone would put on a stereotypical Mexican voice when they were casually messing around with my name... "James Mang" they would call me. Now there was no-one... no-one to call me James Mang any longer. "I am about to find out if intergalactic travel is possible for the human race at the current time... this is my journey." I stopped the recording. I didn't feel like continuing further, the opening message was enough for now. Four years... five years passed without a trace. Before my eyes the calendars on the computer systems traced my time, I couldn't have known in any other way. Having left the earth, there was no more day and night cycle. My body kept a routine of when to eat, exercise and sleep by itself, however. Communications with earth had stopped before even the first year had ended, apparently. Though during that time, they'd made sure to compile as much entertainment material onto my systems as they could possibly process. I had libraries that amassed millions of books to choose from, hundreds of thousands of films and shows old and new. The music must have been just about every album ever released into the mainstream media and even some of the higher quality indie bands that some of the engineers had suggested. On top of that, some brainiac computer engineers had been able to program a complex imitation of artificial intelligence, though I found the conversations we had often leant to the same topics and responses in the end. I supposed there was only so much you could program a computer to do... they didn't work like the organic brain. They had their hard-wired limitations and we had ours, though the directions we went in were completely different to one another. I supposed the greatest gift of all about it, was that there was never any irrational paranoia and distrust. Not once. Looking out of my cockpit, I saw something strange. A planet we had never noticed before, blue and green like earth. I'd distrusted my eyes, it had to be something other than what I was seeing. I wasn't due to see a planet for at least another year! Even as I rubbed my eyes, looked away and checked the computer systems, it remained there. Looking back at the ominous sign, I couldn't help but wonder. How had we missed such a large object before? We couldn't have.. my mind was playing tricks on me was all! And yet, even the computer systems told me it was there. And suddenly an alarm went off... It was pulling me in. It was somehow pulling my ship in, closer. Scrambling back to the controls I checked all the gauges and read outs, though everything told me the same. Engine pressure was fine, structural integrity was the same as ever, fuel reserves were well within reasonable amounts and the auto-pilot hadn't strayed off course... Panicking, I ran my fingers across the control board, switching on everything from RCS to thrust control to avoid the catastrophe that would unfold unless I could regain my course. Nothing worked. The ship was going to be sucked into the planets orbit, or worse, the atmosphere itself. Muttering my prayers as I did what little I could, I watched the altitude go further down.. down... down. I didn't know what to do. There was nothing I could do. "This is James Mane... and if you can hear this, the Celestia One has been caught in an unforeseen circumstance. The ship has been caught in a planets gravitational pull... I don't think I'm going to make it. I'm sorry." I looked down at the planet as the descent began. I knew now that breaching the atmosphere was going to happen without a doubt. I was going to die... alone. On a planet I knew nothing of, no less. Accepting my fate, I had no time for tears. Instead, I closed my eyes and waited for the inevitable as I prepared all landing systems in hopes that perhaps I wouldn't die by burning in the crashed ruins of my ship. So, Kippershy here with a new fic! Human in Equestria -- but I don't plan to bring ANY of the FiM cast [canon, anyway] into the story or even give reference to the "mane 6". Hopefully it'll be a fresh new approach, though we'll see. Ha, I know which genres to pick oh so well, right? Start with FoE and move on to HiE. ...From the skiesOf the skies and stars By Kippershy Prologue: ...From the skies Celestia's sun shone down upon the moon which pressed down the light onto the land below, bathing it in a gentle glory that only Luna could bring. The other ponies had always called me weird when I looked into the night skies, the radiant sparkling of the stars above enticed me with their dances. Though few stars themselves moved, the way their light flickered and lit up the night sky was like even the most passionate waltz... or that's how I saw it. Everypony else was always too tired to sit with me and watch the stars. Mother would tell me to come indoors and stop being so silly, that I would catch a cold outside during the night. Dad didn't think the same though. While he rarely came out and sat with me, Dad still encouraged my amusement in the stars and bought for me a series of telescopes, progressively getting bigger and more expensive as I grew older. He understood my love of the stars, much like he'd had a love for his things. Sitting just out in the front garden, I laid upon my back and crossed my hooves over my heart as I looked up on awe. I'd always wondered what it would be like to see the stars up close, though I knew there would never be the chance. There was just something so special about them, so alluring, so wonderful and curious. The stars were the things of my dreams. "Midnight Mystery, really." The voice of my mother called. "If I had known you would've grown such a strong obsession with the night skies, I would have called you something like 'Luna the second'" A half giggle came from her muzzle as she looked out to me from the living room window, though a serious set of eyes told me I'd had my fun for the night. "Come indoors now, I know you're a mare now, but that doesn't mean you get to stay up all night." "But mum!" I whined. "Can't I stay out just a little longer?" A caring tone filled her voice after a soft sigh, her head gently shaking. "No." "Please?" I begged, hoping just for that little bit longer. "No, Midnight. Come on, it's late and it's cold." Wistfully, I rolled over and rose from my stomach onto my hooves. The night sky would have to wait for the next night, it seemed. Taking one last look for the night, I noticed something different. Orion's Belt should have only had three stars... not four. That star wasn't meant to move, either! Looking back at my mother, she was right. It was late, it was cold and I did have to go indoors... but she never said I'd had to go sleep. Running indoors, I made my way up to my room and carefully pulled out the high power telescope and set it up within an instant. Something told me that this was important, though I wasn't sure what. Dad came into the room and let out a small laugh before kissing my head and brushing my mane, making me blush. "You really do love your stars, don't you?" Not looking out from the telescopes view as I carefully nudged the focusing rings until the image gained clarity, I chuckled. "You always say that Dad!" "And then you always tell me how much you love me for giving you whichever latest telescope you have." Taking my eye from the scope, I looked up as his creamy coloured coat and short white mane before nuzzling in and wrapping my hooves around him. "Because I do! You're amazing and I love you, thank you Dad." "Whatever makes you happy sweetie, you mean the world to me and I think your fascination is a good thing. Speaking of, what's this latest thing you've gotten excited over now then?" Looking back into the eyepiece, I steered the lens towards the moving star and zoomed further, hoping to find the anomaly. "There was a shooting star or something, though I couldn't tell for sure. It looked different to normal though." Within a moment I had a better sight of what it was... and it surprised even me! Stars weren't meant to flash green! I recoiled in shock, that wasn't meant to be! Stars shimmered, but they didn't flash! Definitely not green, either. Dad put his eye up to the instrument and looked through. Though he wasn't as interested in the stars as me, he was interested in what I took interest in, and thus understood to some extent that things weren't normal with what he saw. "Mystery..." He began. "That isn't right, is it?" "No." I stammered back to him. "Do you have any clue what it could be? Have you seen anything like this before?" "Never! I mean... no. I mean, red, yes, but green?" Dad pulled back and shot me a worried look, he could tell that something wasn't right though he didn't know what to do about it. "Who do we contact?" He asked, as if he was the child and I was the parent. "I honestly don't know. Celestia? No, we'd never be allowed inside her castle without royal permission, let alone direct communication. Luna? I mean, she is the princess of the night after all... but she's just as hard to try communicate with for her very own reasons. Neither have the time for normal ponies like us." Sighing, he nodded in agreement. Trying to contact the princesses over something like this would've been impossible unless the situation got serious, even then they would have their own personal guards investigate rather than simply approaching random ponies and asking if they saw anything. To make matters worse, the only official astronomy centres nearby we're the Canterlot centre and the Ponyville Library centre, which even then acted just as much as somepony's home as it did for a true centre. Even then, both were over a hundred miles away! Too far a distance for a simple walk and chatter over what could've been nothing after all. "Want to stay up tonight and keep track of it? I know how much this would mean to you... and you do have the day off from work tomorrow after all." My father asked. Looking back to him, I jumped into his hooves with nothing but pure affection as he smiled at me. He really was the best Dad in the world. "Yes please, Dad.Thank you." I smiled from side to side. "No problem. I'll go make you some hot chocolate and get some marshmallows for you so you've got something to drink, too." Hot chocolate, marshmallows and watching some strange event in the sky I'd never seen or heard of before? This night was turning into the best night ever! The grin on my face was too much and he just chuckled as he made his way out of my room and downstairs. Tonight would be interesting, I knew that. Looking back into the eyepiece, I let out a small sigh as I tracked the movement of the strange object. Three and a half hours passed as the night went on and the faintest cracks of dawn light came from across the horizon as the moon made its way behind the Canterlot mountains. The object had gotten bigger and its movements were less erratic and more structured now, though it still made no sense as a luminescent green glow emanated from it. The glow was only gentle, but it was definitely there. Dad had long since gone off to bed and fallen asleep, so my supply of hot chocolate and marshmallows had dwindled until the last of it was gone, but I didn't mind at this point. The thrill of seeing something so different was an adrenaline rush of its own for me. Over the time however, my head had begun to feel weary and my eyes heavy. As interesting as the night sky and the unknown object was, nothing could hold back the restful slumber that drew towards the end of the day, or end of the night in my case. Leaving the telescope all set up still, I pulled away from it for the last time for the night and sleepily eyed my bed. "It'll be there still when tomorrow night comes," I mumbled to myself. "it'll be fine." My sleep was disturbed by the sudden sound of alarm as my Dad knocked on my door before opening it up and gently nudging my shoulder until I awoke and opened my eyes. Without a thought I waved my hoof at him, as if he'd just disappear and let me sleep some more if I did. "Wake up Midnight! Wake up!" His voice sounded worried, though I still wasn't taking everything in properly and wasn't sure. "Wake up! The thing in the sky! It's still visible!!" The thing in the sky? I spent a moment thinking about what he meant... Oh! That thing! My eyes shut closed once more, there was nothing to worry about- wait. "Wait!" I shouted, my eyes opening in shock as it hit me. "You mean that object I was tracking last night is visible in broad daylight?" "Yes!" His cry wasn't of terror, though it was something more than fear. Shooting stars weren't uncommon enough that even somepony like my Dad would worry about them, but this had seemed more serious to begin with. Rolling over to my hooves and making my way to the window, I immediately saw what he had meant. Up in the sky, a large object flew in our direction, the ominous green glow that flickered on and off that I'd noticed before was obviously coming from it even still. Even worse, it seemed to be entering the atmosphere now, flickers of flames tenderly licking the sides of the white object! Whatever this was, it was something different for sure. Nopony had ever told tales of anything even close to this and there was nothing in the books that ever detailed events like this. Shooting stars were not white. They would be black, brown or grey, but not white. "What do you think it is?" My mother asked as she now anxiously stood beside father, the rising tension and uneasiness filling the room. "I don't know." I began to respond. "I just... don't know." Though one thing was for sure... as soon as it landed, I would find out. Getting myself prepared for the upcoming day, I washed and ate breakfast. The object was rapidly approaching with flames now encasing the entire front as a meteorite would, though I still knew it was different. Taking no time, I ran out of the house with a banana balanced on my muzzle and my mane barely having finished being brushed, there was no time to wait around. Ponies lined the roads of the village, jaws agape at the sight above. Shooting stars were uncommon but not rare. Meteorites however, were extremely rare and to see one looking as if it could crash into Equestria in any minute was both stunning and terrifying for the best part of the villagers. We wasn't some backwards country place with no education, but even still something of this magnitude was impressive in every way. Running along the roads as I looked up into the sky, I had to make sure I didn't lose it. I had to keep track of it. It was only fifteen minutes later that it came crashing into the ground and slid across the fields surrounding our part of the region. It was impressive that it managed to land so solidly, but even more impressive was the fact that... well, somepony's argued over it, saying that it was some optical illusion. However, I was certain that I saw a... parachute fly out of the back of it as it glided over the orchards to the east. I needed to find the crash site. To find out if I was right. To find out what it was. Hey! just another note, mostly to make the chapter "feel" finished. (I'm not used to writing short chapters, unless you count 10k as short.) I just want to say - feel free to leave any comments or criticism! All I ask is that you please don't downrate purely on the fact it's HiE rather than the quality of the content (and context) inside. If you have any issues with my writing style or how the story plays out however - let me know! Lastly, description of Midnight Mystery to come next chapter! Don't worry, I just didn't want to make it out of place. Surprise of survivalOf the skies and stars By Kippershy Surprise of survival Ringing filled the world around me, a constant ringing sound that overpowered everything else inside my head. Was this death? A darkness that surrounded you and made your ears ring for eternity? I really hoped not, death was horrible enough without this. Slowly working up the courage to open my eyes, it had turned out I wasn't dead at all. My spaceship had indeed crashed, but I was far from dead, for now. Warning lights galore shone, their glaring red beans glistening in my barely opened eyes, whispering their dangers as I tried to make sense of what had happened. As the moments passed I noticed now that the computer was telling me that all the automatic crash landing sequences had successfully deployed, leaving my craft capable of little more than basic life support protocols and accessing the primary computer systems. "No..." I muttered to myself, if only to hear a voice. "This... can't be." But it was. Through a miraculous series of events that had been born from forethought and tragic history, the engineers had designed the cockpit of my ship to withstand a crash landing in the event of there being no way to smoothly return to the ground when I returned home. ...Home, that was when it hit me the hardest. With the ship broken into god knows how many pieces and nowhere near the proper tools to repair even the main part let alone reassemble the first stage boosters even if I did have the fuel... it was hopeless, I was trapped. I would never see home again. I knew the risk was there, that had always been a part of my worries but I'd always chosen to put them behind me for the benefit of science and mankind. Still, facing the reality of it all was daunting. Knowing a risk is there and seeing that risk come to tear your world apart... All I had left was the computer filled with entertainment. The thoughts of the life left I could never see again rushed to the front of my mind. My family who had given me a caring, loving background supportive of all the choices I had ever made, good and bad. Friends and colleagues who stood by me through thick and thin, giving me the friendships I leant on as times required them to be there. The ex-wife who I had left behind, separated only so she could live her life without guilt if she moved on or if things went wrong... as they had. Turning the media computer on, I set it to play different landscapes of earth along with their appropriate soundtracks. Though it only made me feel more homesick and helpless, it felt like I had no choice. If I could never see earth again, I'd wanted to pretend I could, this one last time. Tears fell to my knees as I knelt down, the overwhelming despair taking control of my actions. For hours, I sat in that same position. Not looking up, not checking any of the read-outs and preliminary reports of the possible atmosphere around me. For hours I would cry, feeling more alone than I ever had before in my entire life. Because now, I really was. *** *** *** The echoing of the objects landing filled the air for what seemed like hours, though in reality it was only closer to less than a minute. With more force than even the biggest of dragons could produce, a large gathering of trees collapsed under the blow before starting a small fire. As if they'd been waiting all along, the Wonderbolts streaked through the skies above and placed a whole mess of clouds above the crash site, blasting it with rain until the fire was extinguished. It was one of the most amazing things I'd ever seen! Not only had something strange come down from the night sky, but the Wonderbolts had been ready in case it landed over Equestrian soil! All around me, other mares fainted as they saw the likes of Soarin work his magic with the clouds above. Everypony drew close to the crash site, though nopony dared to actually approach the strange object. "What is it?" Somepony asked. "I don't know. What I'd like to know is where it came from." Another answered almost under their breath, obviously not taking note of how they spoke as they stood awestruck by the mysterious thing that had come from the night sky. As everypony stood around with worried looks and the tension rose, I decided to stand tall and declare what I knew. "It's from the stars. I've been tracking it since last night, though I have no idea where it came from past that." The voice of an old buck came from the middle of the crowd, a voice I knew well. "Well that much is a little obvious, seeming as it's nothing we'd ever find here in Equestria and given the way it landed, it has to be something that fell from the highest levels of the sky... but... where did it come from there? There's never been a meteorite look like this." My old astronomy teacher stood there with his white mane looking just as frazzled as it always had when we were both younger and his coat that same old dusty brown, though the years had served to make me look more beautiful as I reached marehood, they had given him a winkle at the corners of his eyes and mouth. Without a second thought I went and wrapped my hooves around his shoulders, it had been too long since I'd seen him. "Starstruck! You're here in Coltshire? Why?" With a chuckle and a small nod, he happily gave me answers. "I was informed of the strange object this morning, came here as fast as I could after working out the trajectory and estimated landing position. I guessed it to be a little further out from here, though. Didn't expect the, quite frankly, interesting yet terrifying acceleration dampening systems." "You mean the parachutes?" I asked. "Yes." He began. "As much as it scares me to admit, they were obviously, purposefully, made to slow down the descent of this object. Though I am no princess, this much is something I am sure of. Which begs the question... what is inside?" "Inside?" Now he had me worried! I had never considered the possibility of there being something inside this thing! "Again, yes. Think of it this way; if you have something that will be risking a heavy landing at high speeds, would you give it preventative measures to slow it down if it were nothing of value? Would you bother to try ensure the safety of the object if it wasn't transporting... something?" Thinking about his words further, he was right. There had to be something inside, though now everypony was too frightened to approach and find out what it could possibly be, if it was the case at all. In silence we stood as the number of ponies slowly dwindled until it was just me and Starstuck. Gently he gave me a small smile, but even still I could see the worry and pain in his eyes. "I... don't know what to do about this." He admitted to me quietly. "I've contacted the Royal Guard about the matter, though the parachutes hadn't deployed at the time. I worry for what could be inside, Midnight." Like a child I found my voice turning almost into a high pitched squeak as I spoke quietly. "What... what if it's some crazy stunt somepony decided to pull, what if they're hurt?" Her just shook his head though, pointing to the symbols on the side. "They aren't pony symbols, Midnight. We both know it. Besides, nopony in Equestria has that sort of technology to build this.. perhaps nopony at all..." With a gasp, I understood exactly what he was implying and wondered the same thing myself, though to find my old teacher was considering the same possibility was astounding to me. "Are... are you saying you too think it could... ya know?" "Be an alien life form?" He interjected. Meekly I nodded, not wanting to repeat the phrase for fear of prying ears. He sighed before answering, another small nod. "Perhaps, perhaps. Some ponies would call us mad for even considering that, you know?" Nodding back, I knew all too well how much taunting I got over my hobby as it was, without conspiracy theories added into the fray. Looking at him once more, I sought his guidance. "So, what do we do?" Asking just like old times. He took a moment to consider the options, though we didn't seem to have many. After a few seconds of staring at the object, he turned back to me. "I'll inform the guard of the update... as for the rest of it? We watch and wait." So that was it... while he went off to tell the higher authorities, I would stand guard in front of... whatever it was. On the surface I hoped it was nothing more than pure coincidence... something that had fallen from the stars and skies and crashed into Equestria, perhaps something from another empire done as some scientific research or perhaps even a joke. Though another part, deeper inside of me, hoped for something different. Another part of me hoped there was something inside... the options to learn more about the night sky would be endless if only it were so. With that, I sat and waited. I didn't know what for, or how long, but I waited all the same.
To the stars...Of the skies and stars By Kippershy Prologue: To the stars... Mission command gave the green light, everything was set and ready for the lift off. My fuel tanks were full and the lines cut free. Structural integrity was strong and the stars were shining clear, a beacon of hope for us all. Though their voices jammed the airwaves with outgoing radio signals, an intense calmness filled the atmosphere. We were on the brink... and our time to ascend was now. A voice called me over the radio, beckoning my name. "James. Confirm once more that the intercom system is working cleanly, please." A small smile broke apart as my lips opened, a light sigh slipping out of my throat. "Yeah, I'm all clear this end, command." I replied. "Okay, check life support systems on your internals." Tapping the buttons on the faceplate of my helmet, a screen came up on the inside of my visor. Another tap of a button and the reading confirmed that my suit had plentiful supplies of oxygen for the mission at hand. "Check, all good command." "Okay, good." The voice on the other end paused for a moment, the sound of shuffling papers lightly filled my ear from the other side of the conversation before the next question was uttered. "What about external life support? Is the shuttle giving out between required and optimal levels of oxygen?" Looking down at the sensors and dials ahead of me, I confirmed this to be the case. Everything truly was set. As far as I knew now, there was nothing essential, that had to be checked. There was just one last thing... "Any last words before your successful launch, James?" Successful launch... yeah. Moral was high and so were the expectations, but I had no doubt in my mind that it would indeed be successful. It had been a long time since the likes of the Challenger accident... our methods and designs had gone through a series of incredible improvements and safety had jumped to astounding levels since. I had no worries at all. My pause held for a moment too long, though command were happy to give me a nudge. "James, you're going out to space on the first mission of its kind and you have nothing to say? Ha. There's got to be something, right?" Giving a nod in response, even if it would never be seen, I answered. "I'm sorry. I was just thinking about what an honour this is. To be chosen as the only man... the only one who needs to go out and do this. It's a surreal experience and I can't thank everyone enough. To all those who can hear my voice right now, to the elderly whom watched Apollo Eleven soar unto the stars to reach the moon and to the children who will watch this on TV and witness the splendour of such a momentous occasion... It was you who did this. It was you who gave me the strength to accept the task and it was you who gave us all the chance for this to happen. Humanity is the patron saint of this flight, because no one person alone made it possible. You all did." The sound of clapping came from over the communication systems, the room full of technicians and scientists alike all on standby for if a single system went wrong, for if anything failed to do its job. Over the roar, a calm and confident voice spoke now. "James, this is the president of NASA speaking. I wanted to speak to you personally, thank you for your inspiring words and your sacrifice to make this mission possible. We look forward to seeing your communications, from the very first to the very last and even the full report when you get back. It's an exceptionally large task you've accepted, you're going beyond the line of duty to find out things very few others with the skill would ever even consider doing. On behalf of the rest of humanity, we thank you for your courage." Oh yeah, that was right. This whole mission was to test out the possibility of the hyper-warp drive on an upscaled level and its affects on the human body. We'd figured out the technology for a miniature version and proved that it worked, in theory. Now though... now we were testing it for real, and there was few who knew the system inside and out and had the physique that entering space demanded for healthy living in extended periods out in space. My mission was only going to be brief for me, though we had no clue how it was going to work out on the exterior. Would the trip go faster than time would allow? Or would it put me into what was essentially cryogenic stasis? All our tests had given the answer we'd presumed, that it would defy the laws of motion and warp through the speed of light... but now was to find out for real. If the mission was a success, I'd be five years older but have reached the closest neighbouring galaxy. If the mission was a failure, it would be a form of slow suicide. My supplies would last me well over a decade and a half with ease, part of the reason why I was to make the trip alone was to ensure this fact. It would be a lonely journey though, for all contact with earth would cease once I had broken past a certain distance and communication signals would be too slow. This would be my last true chance to speak to everyone that I'd ever loved, hated, feared... known. Once more, I took a deep breath and pressed the button to publicly communicate. "People of earth... creatures of earth... plants of earth... forces and objects of earth. These are the things I leave behind, these are the things I risk never seeing for myself again. The feeling that I will never see any of you again does concern me, though I trust in the work me and my colleagues have been doing enough to risk it all. You are all amazing, each and every one of you. It is my one desire that if there could be one moment of peace... one moment where we all join together and set aside our differences, that this be that moment as we come to realise how special we are." Pausing for a moment, I regretted my inability to wipe the tear from my eye as it trickled down onto my cheek. "I do not pretend that world peace can come from a man entering the stars, though all the same, it is my wish that we could spare a single moment to realise this. Some believe we came from an almighty creator, others believe in evolution and adaptation. I do not seek to question nor change your beliefs, only, I say this; no matter what you believe in, we have advanced from civilisations that hardly knew even the most basic medicine or maths to ones which are capable of scientific feats that none may have even dreamt of just one hundred years ago. We are all special, even if we choose to ignore it. I love you all." "James, It's time. The mission preparation is complete. Preparing lift-off sequence, ignition sequence to commence in T-minus 10... 9... 8... 7.." My thoughts turned to that of the wife I would leave behind. I supposed now however, that she was no longer my wife though. We had parted amicably, both knowing what the mission would do... how long we would be apart. We both understood and agreed it would be best, in either case. "4... 3... 2... 1... Lift off!" The rocket engines erupted with power, the noise filling the air even in my soundproofed cockpit with an almost deafening thunder as they burnt the liquid oxygen they contained. The ascent was slow at first though quickly the power of the boosters caused the shuttle to rise with intimidating acceleration. Within seconds the gleaming night sky had gone from something high above even from the view of my cockpit to what I almost felt was something I could touch and hold if I just tried hard enough. Mission command screamed in joy as the boosters successfully detached, now the primary engines were firing up and my speed had increased even further higher on the scale, pushing further as I climbed. I broke free from Earth's atmosphere without even the slightest of hindrance, the mighty Celestia One carried me safely to the skies and the stars. Out of the gravitational pull we rode, towards the point where mankind's greatest feat would either be achieved or I would die a lonely, broken man. "My name is James Mane." Kind've funny, how everyone would put on a stereotypical Mexican voice when they were casually messing around with my name... "James Mang" they would call me. Now there was no-one... no-one to call me James Mang any longer. "I am about to find out if intergalactic travel is possible for the human race at the current time... this is my journey." I stopped the recording. I didn't feel like continuing further, the opening message was enough for now. Four years... five years passed without a trace. Before my eyes the calendars on the computer systems traced my time, I couldn't have known in any other way. Having left the earth, there was no more day and night cycle. My body kept a routine of when to eat, exercise and sleep by itself, however. Communications with earth had stopped before even the first year had ended, apparently. Though during that time, they'd made sure to compile as much entertainment material onto my systems as they could possibly process. I had libraries that amassed millions of books to choose from, hundreds of thousands of films and shows old and new. The music must have been just about every album ever released into the mainstream media and even some of the higher quality indie bands that some of the engineers had suggested. On top of that, some brainiac computer engineers had been able to program a complex imitation of artificial intelligence, though I found the conversations we had often leant to the same topics and responses in the end. I supposed there was only so much you could program a computer to do... they didn't work like the organic brain. They had their hard-wired limitations and we had ours, though the directions we went in were completely different to one another. I supposed the greatest gift of all about it, was that there was never any irrational paranoia and distrust. Not once. Looking out of my cockpit, I saw something strange. A planet we had never noticed before, blue and green like earth. I'd distrusted my eyes, it had to be something other than what I was seeing. I wasn't due to see a planet for at least another year! Even as I rubbed my eyes, looked away and checked the computer systems, it remained there. Looking back at the ominous sign, I couldn't help but wonder. How had we missed such a large object before? We couldn't have.. my mind was playing tricks on me was all! And yet, even the computer systems told me it was there. And suddenly an alarm went off... It was pulling me in. It was somehow pulling my ship in, closer. Scrambling back to the controls I checked all the gauges and read outs, though everything told me the same. Engine pressure was fine, structural integrity was the same as ever, fuel reserves were well within reasonable amounts and the auto-pilot hadn't strayed off course... Panicking, I ran my fingers across the control board, switching on everything from RCS to thrust control to avoid the catastrophe that would unfold unless I could regain my course. Nothing worked. The ship was going to be sucked into the planets orbit, or worse, the atmosphere itself. Muttering my prayers as I did what little I could, I watched the altitude go further down.. down... down. I didn't know what to do. There was nothing I could do. "This is James Mane... and if you can hear this, the Celestia One has been caught in an unforeseen circumstance. The ship has been caught in a planets gravitational pull... I don't think I'm going to make it. I'm sorry." I looked down at the planet as the descent began. I knew now that breaching the atmosphere was going to happen without a doubt. I was going to die... alone. On a planet I knew nothing of, no less. Accepting my fate, I had no time for tears. Instead, I closed my eyes and waited for the inevitable as I prepared all landing systems in hopes that perhaps I wouldn't die by burning in the crashed ruins of my ship. So, Kippershy here with a new fic! Human in Equestria -- but I don't plan to bring ANY of the FiM cast [canon, anyway] into the story or even give reference to the "mane 6". Hopefully it'll be a fresh new approach, though we'll see. Ha, I know which genres to pick oh so well, right? Start with FoE and move on to HiE.
...From the skiesOf the skies and stars By Kippershy Prologue: ...From the skies Celestia's sun shone down upon the moon which pressed down the light onto the land below, bathing it in a gentle glory that only Luna could bring. The other ponies had always called me weird when I looked into the night skies, the radiant sparkling of the stars above enticed me with their dances. Though few stars themselves moved, the way their light flickered and lit up the night sky was like even the most passionate waltz... or that's how I saw it. Everypony else was always too tired to sit with me and watch the stars. Mother would tell me to come indoors and stop being so silly, that I would catch a cold outside during the night. Dad didn't think the same though. While he rarely came out and sat with me, Dad still encouraged my amusement in the stars and bought for me a series of telescopes, progressively getting bigger and more expensive as I grew older. He understood my love of the stars, much like he'd had a love for his things. Sitting just out in the front garden, I laid upon my back and crossed my hooves over my heart as I looked up on awe. I'd always wondered what it would be like to see the stars up close, though I knew there would never be the chance. There was just something so special about them, so alluring, so wonderful and curious. The stars were the things of my dreams. "Midnight Mystery, really." The voice of my mother called. "If I had known you would've grown such a strong obsession with the night skies, I would have called you something like 'Luna the second'" A half giggle came from her muzzle as she looked out to me from the living room window, though a serious set of eyes told me I'd had my fun for the night. "Come indoors now, I know you're a mare now, but that doesn't mean you get to stay up all night." "But mum!" I whined. "Can't I stay out just a little longer?" A caring tone filled her voice after a soft sigh, her head gently shaking. "No." "Please?" I begged, hoping just for that little bit longer. "No, Midnight. Come on, it's late and it's cold." Wistfully, I rolled over and rose from my stomach onto my hooves. The night sky would have to wait for the next night, it seemed. Taking one last look for the night, I noticed something different. Orion's Belt should have only had three stars... not four. That star wasn't meant to move, either! Looking back at my mother, she was right. It was late, it was cold and I did have to go indoors... but she never said I'd had to go sleep. Running indoors, I made my way up to my room and carefully pulled out the high power telescope and set it up within an instant. Something told me that this was important, though I wasn't sure what. Dad came into the room and let out a small laugh before kissing my head and brushing my mane, making me blush. "You really do love your stars, don't you?" Not looking out from the telescopes view as I carefully nudged the focusing rings until the image gained clarity, I chuckled. "You always say that Dad!" "And then you always tell me how much you love me for giving you whichever latest telescope you have." Taking my eye from the scope, I looked up as his creamy coloured coat and short white mane before nuzzling in and wrapping my hooves around him. "Because I do! You're amazing and I love you, thank you Dad." "Whatever makes you happy sweetie, you mean the world to me and I think your fascination is a good thing. Speaking of, what's this latest thing you've gotten excited over now then?" Looking back into the eyepiece, I steered the lens towards the moving star and zoomed further, hoping to find the anomaly. "There was a shooting star or something, though I couldn't tell for sure. It looked different to normal though." Within a moment I had a better sight of what it was... and it surprised even me! Stars weren't meant to flash green! I recoiled in shock, that wasn't meant to be! Stars shimmered, but they didn't flash! Definitely not green, either. Dad put his eye up to the instrument and looked through. Though he wasn't as interested in the stars as me, he was interested in what I took interest in, and thus understood to some extent that things weren't normal with what he saw. "Mystery..." He began. "That isn't right, is it?" "No." I stammered back to him. "Do you have any clue what it could be? Have you seen anything like this before?" "Never! I mean... no. I mean, red, yes, but green?" Dad pulled back and shot me a worried look, he could tell that something wasn't right though he didn't know what to do about it. "Who do we contact?" He asked, as if he was the child and I was the parent. "I honestly don't know. Celestia? No, we'd never be allowed inside her castle without royal permission, let alone direct communication. Luna? I mean, she is the princess of the night after all... but she's just as hard to try communicate with for her very own reasons. Neither have the time for normal ponies like us." Sighing, he nodded in agreement. Trying to contact the princesses over something like this would've been impossible unless the situation got serious, even then they would have their own personal guards investigate rather than simply approaching random ponies and asking if they saw anything. To make matters worse, the only official astronomy centres nearby we're the Canterlot centre and the Ponyville Library centre, which even then acted just as much as somepony's home as it did for a true centre. Even then, both were over a hundred miles away! Too far a distance for a simple walk and chatter over what could've been nothing after all. "Want to stay up tonight and keep track of it? I know how much this would mean to you... and you do have the day off from work tomorrow after all." My father asked. Looking back to him, I jumped into his hooves with nothing but pure affection as he smiled at me. He really was the best Dad in the world. "Yes please, Dad.Thank you." I smiled from side to side. "No problem. I'll go make you some hot chocolate and get some marshmallows for you so you've got something to drink, too." Hot chocolate, marshmallows and watching some strange event in the sky I'd never seen or heard of before? This night was turning into the best night ever! The grin on my face was too much and he just chuckled as he made his way out of my room and downstairs. Tonight would be interesting, I knew that. Looking back into the eyepiece, I let out a small sigh as I tracked the movement of the strange object. Three and a half hours passed as the night went on and the faintest cracks of dawn light came from across the horizon as the moon made its way behind the Canterlot mountains. The object had gotten bigger and its movements were less erratic and more structured now, though it still made no sense as a luminescent green glow emanated from it. The glow was only gentle, but it was definitely there. Dad had long since gone off to bed and fallen asleep, so my supply of hot chocolate and marshmallows had dwindled until the last of it was gone, but I didn't mind at this point. The thrill of seeing something so different was an adrenaline rush of its own for me. Over the time however, my head had begun to feel weary and my eyes heavy. As interesting as the night sky and the unknown object was, nothing could hold back the restful slumber that drew towards the end of the day, or end of the night in my case. Leaving the telescope all set up still, I pulled away from it for the last time for the night and sleepily eyed my bed. "It'll be there still when tomorrow night comes," I mumbled to myself. "it'll be fine." My sleep was disturbed by the sudden sound of alarm as my Dad knocked on my door before opening it up and gently nudging my shoulder until I awoke and opened my eyes. Without a thought I waved my hoof at him, as if he'd just disappear and let me sleep some more if I did. "Wake up Midnight! Wake up!" His voice sounded worried, though I still wasn't taking everything in properly and wasn't sure. "Wake up! The thing in the sky! It's still visible!!" The thing in the sky? I spent a moment thinking about what he meant... Oh! That thing! My eyes shut closed once more, there was nothing to worry about- wait. "Wait!" I shouted, my eyes opening in shock as it hit me. "You mean that object I was tracking last night is visible in broad daylight?" "Yes!" His cry wasn't of terror, though it was something more than fear. Shooting stars weren't uncommon enough that even somepony like my Dad would worry about them, but this had seemed more serious to begin with. Rolling over to my hooves and making my way to the window, I immediately saw what he had meant. Up in the sky, a large object flew in our direction, the ominous green glow that flickered on and off that I'd noticed before was obviously coming from it even still. Even worse, it seemed to be entering the atmosphere now, flickers of flames tenderly licking the sides of the white object! Whatever this was, it was something different for sure. Nopony had ever told tales of anything even close to this and there was nothing in the books that ever detailed events like this. Shooting stars were not white. They would be black, brown or grey, but not white. "What do you think it is?" My mother asked as she now anxiously stood beside father, the rising tension and uneasiness filling the room. "I don't know." I began to respond. "I just... don't know." Though one thing was for sure... as soon as it landed, I would find out. Getting myself prepared for the upcoming day, I washed and ate breakfast. The object was rapidly approaching with flames now encasing the entire front as a meteorite would, though I still knew it was different. Taking no time, I ran out of the house with a banana balanced on my muzzle and my mane barely having finished being brushed, there was no time to wait around. Ponies lined the roads of the village, jaws agape at the sight above. Shooting stars were uncommon but not rare. Meteorites however, were extremely rare and to see one looking as if it could crash into Equestria in any minute was both stunning and terrifying for the best part of the villagers. We wasn't some backwards country place with no education, but even still something of this magnitude was impressive in every way. Running along the roads as I looked up into the sky, I had to make sure I didn't lose it. I had to keep track of it. It was only fifteen minutes later that it came crashing into the ground and slid across the fields surrounding our part of the region. It was impressive that it managed to land so solidly, but even more impressive was the fact that... well, somepony's argued over it, saying that it was some optical illusion. However, I was certain that I saw a... parachute fly out of the back of it as it glided over the orchards to the east. I needed to find the crash site. To find out if I was right. To find out what it was. Hey! just another note, mostly to make the chapter "feel" finished. (I'm not used to writing short chapters, unless you count 10k as short.) I just want to say - feel free to leave any comments or criticism! All I ask is that you please don't downrate purely on the fact it's HiE rather than the quality of the content (and context) inside. If you have any issues with my writing style or how the story plays out however - let me know! Lastly, description of Midnight Mystery to come next chapter! Don't worry, I just didn't want to make it out of place.
Surprise of survivalOf the skies and stars By Kippershy Surprise of survival Ringing filled the world around me, a constant ringing sound that overpowered everything else inside my head. Was this death? A darkness that surrounded you and made your ears ring for eternity? I really hoped not, death was horrible enough without this. Slowly working up the courage to open my eyes, it had turned out I wasn't dead at all. My spaceship had indeed crashed, but I was far from dead, for now. Warning lights galore shone, their glaring red beans glistening in my barely opened eyes, whispering their dangers as I tried to make sense of what had happened. As the moments passed I noticed now that the computer was telling me that all the automatic crash landing sequences had successfully deployed, leaving my craft capable of little more than basic life support protocols and accessing the primary computer systems. "No..." I muttered to myself, if only to hear a voice. "This... can't be." But it was. Through a miraculous series of events that had been born from forethought and tragic history, the engineers had designed the cockpit of my ship to withstand a crash landing in the event of there being no way to smoothly return to the ground when I returned home. ...Home, that was when it hit me the hardest. With the ship broken into god knows how many pieces and nowhere near the proper tools to repair even the main part let alone reassemble the first stage boosters even if I did have the fuel... it was hopeless, I was trapped. I would never see home again. I knew the risk was there, that had always been a part of my worries but I'd always chosen to put them behind me for the benefit of science and mankind. Still, facing the reality of it all was daunting. Knowing a risk is there and seeing that risk come to tear your world apart... All I had left was the computer filled with entertainment. The thoughts of the life left I could never see again rushed to the front of my mind. My family who had given me a caring, loving background supportive of all the choices I had ever made, good and bad. Friends and colleagues who stood by me through thick and thin, giving me the friendships I leant on as times required them to be there. The ex-wife who I had left behind, separated only so she could live her life without guilt if she moved on or if things went wrong... as they had. Turning the media computer on, I set it to play different landscapes of earth along with their appropriate soundtracks. Though it only made me feel more homesick and helpless, it felt like I had no choice. If I could never see earth again, I'd wanted to pretend I could, this one last time. Tears fell to my knees as I knelt down, the overwhelming despair taking control of my actions. For hours, I sat in that same position. Not looking up, not checking any of the read-outs and preliminary reports of the possible atmosphere around me. For hours I would cry, feeling more alone than I ever had before in my entire life. Because now, I really was. *** *** *** The echoing of the objects landing filled the air for what seemed like hours, though in reality it was only closer to less than a minute. With more force than even the biggest of dragons could produce, a large gathering of trees collapsed under the blow before starting a small fire. As if they'd been waiting all along, the Wonderbolts streaked through the skies above and placed a whole mess of clouds above the crash site, blasting it with rain until the fire was extinguished. It was one of the most amazing things I'd ever seen! Not only had something strange come down from the night sky, but the Wonderbolts had been ready in case it landed over Equestrian soil! All around me, other mares fainted as they saw the likes of Soarin work his magic with the clouds above. Everypony drew close to the crash site, though nopony dared to actually approach the strange object. "What is it?" Somepony asked. "I don't know. What I'd like to know is where it came from." Another answered almost under their breath, obviously not taking note of how they spoke as they stood awestruck by the mysterious thing that had come from the night sky. As everypony stood around with worried looks and the tension rose, I decided to stand tall and declare what I knew. "It's from the stars. I've been tracking it since last night, though I have no idea where it came from past that." The voice of an old buck came from the middle of the crowd, a voice I knew well. "Well that much is a little obvious, seeming as it's nothing we'd ever find here in Equestria and given the way it landed, it has to be something that fell from the highest levels of the sky... but... where did it come from there? There's never been a meteorite look like this." My old astronomy teacher stood there with his white mane looking just as frazzled as it always had when we were both younger and his coat that same old dusty brown, though the years had served to make me look more beautiful as I reached marehood, they had given him a winkle at the corners of his eyes and mouth. Without a second thought I went and wrapped my hooves around his shoulders, it had been too long since I'd seen him. "Starstruck! You're here in Coltshire? Why?" With a chuckle and a small nod, he happily gave me answers. "I was informed of the strange object this morning, came here as fast as I could after working out the trajectory and estimated landing position. I guessed it to be a little further out from here, though. Didn't expect the, quite frankly, interesting yet terrifying acceleration dampening systems." "You mean the parachutes?" I asked. "Yes." He began. "As much as it scares me to admit, they were obviously, purposefully, made to slow down the descent of this object. Though I am no princess, this much is something I am sure of. Which begs the question... what is inside?" "Inside?" Now he had me worried! I had never considered the possibility of there being something inside this thing! "Again, yes. Think of it this way; if you have something that will be risking a heavy landing at high speeds, would you give it preventative measures to slow it down if it were nothing of value? Would you bother to try ensure the safety of the object if it wasn't transporting... something?" Thinking about his words further, he was right. There had to be something inside, though now everypony was too frightened to approach and find out what it could possibly be, if it was the case at all. In silence we stood as the number of ponies slowly dwindled until it was just me and Starstuck. Gently he gave me a small smile, but even still I could see the worry and pain in his eyes. "I... don't know what to do about this." He admitted to me quietly. "I've contacted the Royal Guard about the matter, though the parachutes hadn't deployed at the time. I worry for what could be inside, Midnight." Like a child I found my voice turning almost into a high pitched squeak as I spoke quietly. "What... what if it's some crazy stunt somepony decided to pull, what if they're hurt?" Her just shook his head though, pointing to the symbols on the side. "They aren't pony symbols, Midnight. We both know it. Besides, nopony in Equestria has that sort of technology to build this.. perhaps nopony at all..." With a gasp, I understood exactly what he was implying and wondered the same thing myself, though to find my old teacher was considering the same possibility was astounding to me. "Are... are you saying you too think it could... ya know?" "Be an alien life form?" He interjected. Meekly I nodded, not wanting to repeat the phrase for fear of prying ears. He sighed before answering, another small nod. "Perhaps, perhaps. Some ponies would call us mad for even considering that, you know?" Nodding back, I knew all too well how much taunting I got over my hobby as it was, without conspiracy theories added into the fray. Looking at him once more, I sought his guidance. "So, what do we do?" Asking just like old times. He took a moment to consider the options, though we didn't seem to have many. After a few seconds of staring at the object, he turned back to me. "I'll inform the guard of the update... as for the rest of it? We watch and wait." So that was it... while he went off to tell the higher authorities, I would stand guard in front of... whatever it was. On the surface I hoped it was nothing more than pure coincidence... something that had fallen from the stars and skies and crashed into Equestria, perhaps something from another empire done as some scientific research or perhaps even a joke. Though another part, deeper inside of me, hoped for something different. Another part of me hoped there was something inside... the options to learn more about the night sky would be endless if only it were so. With that, I sat and waited. I didn't know what for, or how long, but I waited all the same.
