"Tau Volantis. The most inhospitably cold planet known to man. Some points along it's uneven, mountainous terrain are near absolute zero. What event caused this planet to go from a possible paradise to a frozen sea of ridges and canyons? And most important of all, why? Well, everyone, that is what we have come here to find out. Tau Volantis was discovered in the year 2302 when the first of our resource hungry ships arrived there. Although it was an accident that sent them there, they solemnly decided to set up on the planet's surface. But little did they know of the dangers that ravaged the frozen surface. Upon their slow arrival, they discovered that not only was the planet locked in an everlasting ice age, but it was also void of life. The first miners there ordered in supplies and began digging and digging. Soon, however, the miners weren't the only ones looking for resources to get by. The Sovereign Colonies Armed Forces, or S.C.A.F. was soon on the scene and setting up military bases along the frigid cliff sides littering the landscape. They ordered in entire teams of archaeologists and miners to dig for the precious minerals they needed to build their ships and weapons..."
"Psst..." a quiet voice whispered in the middle of the presentation. Tim Kaufman looked to his left and behind. Then he turned back to his friend, Sam Ackerman. "Psst..." Tim slowly hefted his arm in Sam's direction and poked him in the side.
"What?" Sam asked, his voice just barely above a whisper. He was quite clearly annoyed by Tim's antics.
"You wanna get outta here and get somethin' to eat? I'm starvin'." Tim asked quietly, trying his best not to talk any louder.
"Yeah, yeah. Just let the damn presentation end first. This info may be too valuable to pass up." Sam returned his attention to the flickering screen in front of him. Tim did the same.
"...however, this turned out to be a big surprise for both the S.C.A.F. and the early settlers. Instead of stumbling upon a cavern full of precious metals and minerals, they had unearthed a lost alien city. This city was absolutely huge. Glowing stone structures of many different sizes lined the giant walls of the underground Atlantis. And in the center of it all was an enormous tower that shined like the sun..."
Tim's eyes lit up with envy before turning back to his partner, "Do ya think we'll be goin', Sam?"
"Most likely. We're going to be stationed with some guy named Earl Serrano who is working down there. Too bad. I was really hoping for some action." Sam glowered in disappointment, "I should've just stayed home..." he muttered under his breath as the presentation ended.
The holographic display ended abruptly as a man decorated in many medals entered the room and placed himself in front of the group.
"Hello, everyone. Can you hear me correctly?" the entirety of them nodded, "Good. Now, I want you all to know that I am very proud of you all. Every last one of you has payed your respects to me and obeyed every order given to you so far. That makes me a very, very happy Sergeant. But now, it is time for me to bid farewell. Goodbye, and welcome to the 625th Brigade." the entirety of the room looked at each other, surprised at what they just heard.
"Holy. Shit." Sam said aloud before the group of soldiers stood up and made their way out of the room.
Ironically, the most surprised of the two was Sam, who was absolutely ecstatic to get to work. Well, that's what he wanted to believe. Truth be told, he never really liked to play soldier. Nor did he like snow, or the cold in general. But a job was a job. It also looked easy enough to pull off, which is an understatement compared to the other jobs out there. Engineering? No way.
The two of them got up from their seats and made their way out the door, before closing it behind them. "Wow," Tim nearly shouted, "Can you believe we're gonna be in the 625th? I mean, that's amazin'."
"Yeah, I never figured he would promote us this early. I was at least hoping for some experience in the field first." Sam responded casually as the two strolled down the halls of the CMS Roanoke.
"Hey, you two." a voice called from behind them. They stopped in their tracks and turned to see their General approaching them. They immediately saluted and straightened up.
"At ease, boys." they both removed their hands from their heads and set them down to their sides. Neither of them could hardly believe it. The general would almost never converse with his soldiers.
"Now, I believe you two are Tim Caufman and Sam Ackerman." they both nodded, "Well, I just wanted to give you two a big thanks for the diligence you have shown in your training. I've almost never seen such determination in a soldier. Hell, you remind me of... well, me!" the three of them laughed heartily. He glanced down to his wrist and nearly flipped out. "Crap, it's that late? Well, I guess I'll be on my way. I've got an important meeting to get to. I'll see you two on the surface." the two soldiers saluted before the general turned and left them.
Needless to say, Tim nearly had a heart attack...
1 billion years later...
The sun shown brightly upon the city on the mountain. Light glinted off of the polished glass of the palace, able to be seen for miles. Sunshine slowly began to pour down upon Canterlot as one of the princesses, Princess Celestia, stepped out onto her balcony to meet the sunrise. Her horn began to glow a vibrant gold color, as did the sun. It slowly moved up over the horizon. Clouds littered the sky and blocked the sun, only to be removed by the city's weather team. One by one, ponies began to wake up and meet the new day. All except for one, that is...
Princess Celestia floated gracefully back down to her balcony and touched down with a silent thud. She smiled vibrantly as the sun peeked out over her sister's tower. It deflated slightly when she saw that her sister, Princess Luna, wasn't up and about like she normally was. She flapped her wings and took to the skies over the palace. The colored glass of the palace showed beautifully among the town. Sunlight lit up the marble roads of the city. Her subjects were just beginning to leave for work. Then, without any warning whatsoever, she slammed headfirst into the side of her sister's tower. The entire tower probably shook from the impact. Whatever her sister was doing just then, she was done with it now.
"Sister?" Luna poked her head off the side of her balcony and giggled in delight. "I see thou hast come to see us. Please, come in!" she shouted joyously. After regaining her composure and straightening herself out, she flew up to the balcony and landed softly near the door.
"Luna, my dear sister, why have you not come out to help me greet the sun?" she asked curiously as Luna almost skipped back to her study.
Celestia promptly followed her into her study. Multiple bookshelves lined the walls. Nearly half of the books that were supposed to be on them, however, were scattered about the floor. The huge telescope that sat in the middle of her sister's room was pointed at a strange angle.
"What has happened in here? It looks like Discord was allowed access to your study." Celestia remarked as she slowly followed her sister to the other side of the study, where a huge painting sat. It was, however, covered in a huge tarp.
"Oh it is most joyous, dear sister! We think we hath found yet another addition to our night sky!" she announced, "I hath just found it the night yonder. I shalt call it..." she used her magic to project a picture of a large red star onto a nearby wall. "Red Swirl! What doth thou think, Tia?"
"Wow... it certainly is... quite big. And red." she giggled a bit, "Are you sure this is what it looks like? The last thing we need right now is a supernova."
"Oh, it is quite safe, sister, I'm sure. Even if it does explode in the most horrific of ways, thou do not hath to fret. It is very very far away. Now, you wanted something, dear sister?" Luna asked as she levitated the painting onto the nearest wall.
"Yes. I was wondering if you would like to come to the grand unveiling of my students invention?" Celestia asked.
"Oh, but of course." Luna said politely as she began scrounging up multitudes of stray papers. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."
