the sky works by itself

Chapters

the discovery
the decision
the beginning of the beginning

the discovery

Let us get one thing straight from the very beginning:

Sky Seer was not a terrorist, fearmonger, or extremist. No, no, Sky was a stallion of science. He only believed things after he had thoroughly researched and tested them.

Sure, many ponies called him stubborn, and a few outright labeled him paranoid, but as his great-uncle Maddeye always said, “There are the paranoid, and then there are the stupid.”

He purposefully ignored all the signs that his great-uncle had schizophrenia and simply stuck with what made sense: his research and science. He tested everything, from gravity to the incompatibility of magic and electricity. He even tested whether he was a pony or just a gear-powered automaton filled with blood (that was an awkward trip to the hospital), and he experimented with whether he could fly using his horn. He could, but not very well.

He was a stallion of science. All he had ever done was test things. However, one day, he perhaps tested a little too far.

He was at work, tracking the movements of the sun compared to the moon. Naturally, it all had to be logged so that the princesses could adjust it to match the animal migration patterns. It was a very important job, and he was always paid a hefty salary. Yet, something was wrong.

Every time he sent a report to the princesses telling them where the sun and moon should be, and for how long, it always happened—without fail. Every time, they were in the perfect spot. Never a single mistake. Now, that was simply unnatural. Every pony makes mistakes, he thought, so why don’t the princesses? And so he devised a test:

He would make a report suggesting that they move the sun and moon to completely wild locations, but harmless to the environment. A victimless crime, right? Not even a crime, as this would be beneficial for the farmers regarding the sun's location.

So he just… tweaked it a little. He wrote to have the sun orbit Equus in the opposite direction, along with the moon. Just a little test to see if they would do it. He was in the highest command of his job; no one would even dream of questioning him. So he sent the letter and promptly stayed up all night waiting for results.

The next day… nothing happened. The sun followed its normal pattern, as did the moon the night after. How queer, thought Sky Seer, that they didn't do what he wrote. Perhaps it was the exact one time they finally made a mistake? Perhaps they just followed the previous day’s instructions by accident?

So he sent in the same orders. The next day, no results. He did this again and again, and every single time, nothing happened. The sun and moon did what they always did: move east to west. It was… well, to Sky Seer, uncanny. They MUST be reading his notes, right? Why else would his job even EXIST?

So he decided to ask: what other explanation could there be besides the princesses making the sun and moon orbit Equus?

And so he did what he always did when he didn’t know what to do: he ran some tests.

All of them, even the ones meant to prove otherwise, pointed toward one conclusion: Equus orbited the sun, and the moon orbited Equus by itself.

the decision

He immediately freaked out after three months of testing. How? WHY?! Why would they lie about something so… so stupid? It made no sense! Any idiot pegasus, determined or foolish enough to fly high enough, would figure it out too! All Sky Seer had was some basic equipment, yet they all kept essentially screaming about how WRONG he was before!

The tide measurements showed that the moon was OBVIOUSLY affecting the Earth, but the texts that Luna published claimed the moon was a flat piece of crystal?! No, no, it… it had to be bigger! And have gravity?! He was utterly and completely confused. There was no POINT in lying about that! So… why? Why lie about controlling the celestial bodies? And the sun—oh, don’t get him STARTED on the su—

“Sky, are you okay? You’ve been looking at those papers and crying for like an hour in the middle of your backyard,” said Time Turner. Sky and Time Turner had known each other since he moved to Ponyville about three years ago. Sky Seer was more into astrophysics, while Time Turner focused on quantum mechanics and time travel. As the only two scientists who actually had REAL careers—unlike that poser, Twilight Sparkle—they hit it off pretty quickly.

“Time Turner. Come over here right now.” Time Turner looked concerned but obliged, coming over to look at the papers.

Thirty minutes later, they were both freaking out and panicking.

Thirty minutes later, they were both freaking out and pacing around the backyard.

“Sky, this doesn’t make any sense,” Time Turner said, running a hoof through his mane. “You’re telling me that all the evidence points to the moon affecting the tides, yet Luna’s texts say it’s just a flat piece of crystal?”

“Exactly!” Sky exclaimed, gesturing wildly at the papers scattered around him. “It’s like they’re deliberately trying to mislead us! Why would they lie about something so fundamental? It’s infuriating!”

Time Turner frowned, deep in thought. “Maybe it’s not a lie. What if it’s just… a misunderstanding? Maybe they believe it, too?”

Sky shook his head. “I can’t accept that! The measurements don’t lie. The gravitational pull is real! It’s like they’ve created this illusion to keep ponies from understanding the truth.”

Time Turner sighed, looking at his friend with concern. “You’ve been at this for months. Maybe it’s time to step back for a bit. You’re getting too worked up over this.”

“Step back?” Sky replied, his voice rising. “How can I? This is bigger than us! If they’re hiding something this crucial, who knows what else is going on?”

“I DONT KNOW!” screamed Time Turner. “I just… look, this is dangerous! The princesses have been lying to the population for CENTURIES, creating fake jobs, making fake holidays, its been the foundation of our country for the entirety of its existence! Cant we just….. Leave it alone?” he said, shrinking back.

Sky snapped to look at him. “Really? You, of all people, want to ignore REASERCH?!”

(Quick author’s note: In the scientific community, ignoring research is akin to blasphemy.)

Time Turner immediately backtracked, hands raised. “NO! Oh my Celestia, what was I saying? I… look, Sky, I’m just terrified. If we do this wrong, it could lead to riots, war… chaos!”

Sky took a deep breath, trying to reign in his emotions. “I get that it’s risky. But think about it—if we don’t uncover the truth, what kind of future are we leaving for the next generation? They deserve to know what’s really going on.”

Time Turner looked torn, glancing at the papers, then back at Sky. “You really believe we can change anything?”

“I have to believe that,” Sky replied, determination shining in his eyes. “And I need your help to do it.”

“But… how are we even going to do this? I mean, its not like we know anypony around thats actually interested in research, or knows the princesses.” said time turner

Sky fell silent for a moment, then took a good, hard look at Time Turner. “Time Turner… we may just have to…”

Time Turner gasped, “No! We can’t! She’s just a bookworm! A poser!”

Sky continued to hold his gaze, his expression serious. “But she has access to the princesses. If anyone can help us get the information we need, it’s her. We just have to convince her that this matters.”

Time Turner shook his head, frustration bubbling over. “You really think she’ll take us seriously? She’s too busy with her precious friendship lessons and magic studies. We’d just be a couple of crazy ponies to her.”

Sky smirked, a glint of mischief in his eyes. “That’s where you’re wrong. She’s also curious. If we present her with solid evidence and a reasonable argument, she might just listen.”

Time Turner hesitated, weighing the risks. “And what if she tells the princesses? We could end up in serious trouble.”

“Or,” Sky seer countered, “we could finally uncover the truth. Look, I know it sounds crazy, but we owe it to ourselves—and to everypony else—to try. Are you in?”

Time Turner sighed, running a hoof through his mane. “Alright, I’m in. But we need a solid plan. We can’t just waltz in there and expect her to take us seriously.”

Author's Note

its true. faking research sends you straight to science hell.

the beginning of the beginning

This was it. They stood at the door of the library, anxiety coursing through them. By the four alicorns, they hated being here with every fiber of their being. The very air seemed thick with an unspoken “I’m better than you” energy.

Time Turner and Sky Seer exchanged a glance, each of them silently weighing the gravity of their decision. With a deep breath, Sky raised his hoof and knocked on Twilight Sparkle’s door.

After a moment, the door swung open, revealing Twilight, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. “Oh! Time Turner! Sky Seer! What brings you here?”

Sky felt a knot tighten in his stomach. “Um, we need to talk,” he said, trying to keep his voice steady.

Twilight tilted her head, sensing the seriousness in his tone. “Sure! Come in!” She stepped aside, allowing them to enter.

As they crossed the threshold, the familiar scent of books enveloped them, mixing with a hint of lavender. But the cozy atmosphere did little to calm their nerves.

“Is everything okay?” Twilight asked, her brow furrowing with concern as she noticed their tense expressions.

Time Turner exchanged a wary glance with Sky before speaking. “We’ve been doing some research… and we think there’s something important we need to discuss with you.”

“Research?” Twilight’s interest piqued, but a flicker of apprehension crossed her face. “What kind of research?”

Sky took a deep breath, steeling himself. “It’s about the sun and moon… and what we believe the princesses have been hiding from us.”

Twilight snorted, and said, “yes, right, celestia? Lie? Nice one.” time turner groaned, and face-hooved. “Sky i told you this was a bad idea!”

Sky pressed on, undeterred by Twilight’s skepticism. “No, really! We’ve done the calculations. The moon’s gravitational effects are inconsistent with what the texts say. It’s like they’re hiding something fundamental!”

Twilight raised an eyebrow, crossing her forelegs. “And you think I’m going to take your word for it? You both come here, claiming the princesses are lying, and expect me to just believe you?”

Time Turner chimed in, “We’re not saying they’re lying outright, but the data suggests there’s more to the story. We think it’s worth investigating.”

Twilight sighed, her expression softening slightly. “Look, I get that you’re passionate about this, but you have to understand the implications. If you’re wrong—”

“But what if we’re right?” Sky interrupted, his voice rising. “What if the truth is far more complicated? Don’t you care about what’s really happening?”

Twilight hesitated, glancing between the two of them. “Fine. Show me what you’ve got. But if this turns out to be a wild goose chase, I’m holding you both responsible.”

Time Turner and Sky exchanged relieved glances. “Thank you,” Sky said, the tension easing slightly. “We promise—it’s worth your time.”

An hour later, twilight was ALSO freaking out.
She paced the floor of her library, her expression a mix of disbelief and concern. “You mean to tell me that the moon isn’t just a flat piece of crystal? That it actually has gravitational pull?”

Sky nodded vigorously, feeling a rush of validation. “Exactly! The data doesn’t lie. We’ve been looking at this all wrong!”

Time Turner chimed in, “And if the princesses are hiding this from us, what else are they keeping secret? We need to dig deeper!”

Twilight halted, her eyes wide. “But… why? Why would they lie about something so fundamental? It doesn’t make any sense!”

“Exactly!” Sky exclaimed, his frustration bubbling over. “That’s what we need to figure out! If they’re willing to manipulate such a basic truth, who knows what else is at stake?”

Twilight ran a hoof through her mane, her mind racing. “Okay, okay. Let’s not panic. We need to approach this methodically. What’s our first step?”

Sky exchanged a glance with Time Turner. “We need to gather more evidence. Find more data. Maybe even talk to some other scholars who might share our concerns.”

Twilight nodded slowly, her scientific curiosity kicking in. “Alright. Let’s start by reviewing every piece of research on celestial mechanics we can find. If there’s a pattern, we’ll uncover it.”

“Fucking poser…” muttered time turner, so that only sky could hear him.

Author's Note

shes such a fucking poser >: l