Solar Chaser
I was excited to begin my day at Cloudsdale Academy. My first astronomy project was to examine the details of a constellation and write a report on the expansiveness of it. It was first period, and the research cycle was about to begin.
From an early age I knew astronomy was to be my calling. As a colt, I constructed my own telescope. I discovered a solar event none had ever seen before. Many ponies knew what a shooting star was, but they had never seen this particular shooting star. It was actually a comet. Dad proposed the comet be named for me, but Mayor Mare named it Stella Nova, in honor of its unusual flight and ability to go undetected for so long. This discovery gave me the shooting star cutie mark I now bear with pride.
In my later years, I enrolled at the astronomy program at Cloudsdale Academy. While there, this multi-colored Pegasus caught my eye. She told me her mother had always envisioned her as a great athlete, so she trained every day to become the fastest creature in existence.
“What is your name?” I had asked her.
“I am Rainbow Dash.”
Such a fitting name for a Pegasus with a rare hair color. When I asked if she dyed it, she responded, “No. It just so happened I was born with it. Doctors said it was the strangest thing.”
I was in awe of her power and athleticism. We never crossed paths again, but I heard she did great things for Equestria. I wish I could have achieved something, but fate had other plans.
I stood at the telescope in Cloudsdale observatory. I looked towards the constellation of my choosing. It was Pegasus, the constellation my great-grandfather Rider, a founder of Cloudsdale, had inspired. It was only fitting I look at the constellation modeled from my ancestor. I looked longer and harder. Nobody would ever believe me but…There was something taking up valuable space in the constellation.
“I AM NOT CRAZY!!!” I was speaking with my mare-friend Persephone. We majored in different subject areas, but we had met during a flight training course. She was interested in Ethics, but she took a liking to my genius. It was love after about a month, and we started going out a few weeks later.
Persephone had me strapped to an MRI to test my brain. “He’s telling the truth.”
Tornado, a pony who helped me build my high-res telescope added, “Well, this is strange. I don’t think anyone has observed this before. What was it now?”
“It was big…black…and overpowering,” was all I could use to describe the miracle I had witnessed.
“It may have been just another black hole.” Alonzo, a pilot pony notorious for skipping school, offered his own explanation.
“No. It may be hard to believe, but this was much bigger. It looked as though it was a rift right through the sky,” I explained.
“Wow!” Alonzo said. “This seems very odd. Persephone, any suggestions?”
“Well,” she started. “I suppose the scientific thing to do would be to go into this hole and investigate for himself.”
“Don’t worry Solar Chaser,” Alonzo assured. “I have equipment for you that will keep you safe should you go through.”
I sat in Alonzo’s flight equipment. There was little more than a wind helmet with a visor and armor on my wings to keep me safe.
“This seems unsafe,” I stated.
“Don’t worry, Tornado tested it,” Alonzo, the ever confident one, told me.
“Okay, so I just fly in and see what’s on the other side.”
“Yes. We await your return,” Tornado called out.
I closed my eyes. I lifted off. It was official; I flew headlong into the portal. I was surprised to find that through the hole, I felt no suction. It was just a slow glide through the hole. At the end of the portal, I saw a blinding white light, and I instantly blacked out. When I awoke, I could have never expected what I saw.
I was in a large, windowed room. I was sitting in an ugly beige couch in front of a black, flat screen. The sun was shining, and the day was bright. There was a tall figure in front of me. He stood more than six feet high, had glasses on, and wore all black from head to toe. I had recognized this creature. Persephone had a friend who drew these creatures in her books. In Equestria, they were merely the stuff of myth and legend. They were called Humans.
Humans in Equestrian myth came to ponies in their dreams. They could speak of the past and future, and guide a pony on their quest in life. Celestia also warned that humanity was a destructive race. They would wage war at any moment. But there were some nice people in that race, too. Celestia said Humans reward kindness to others with a major ceremony and a medal. I wondered, was this Human one of those people, or was he a vicious being?
“Do not be afraid,” he cautioned. “There is a very specific reason why you are here.”
“Why? Who are you? Where am I? Can I return? Will…?”
“I can answer all those questions if you give me time.”
I sat silently on the couch.
“I wish to keep my name a secret, but you may call me ‘Dr. W’. This world is my home planet. To some, it is ‘Tierra’, to others ‘Oceanus’, but you may call it ‘Earth.’ And This may come as a shock but, I made you.”
I was stunned. Made me? I was a horse. I was born to two loving parents and had a lineage and ancestry. Celestia said the first ponies came from the first eight ponies borne from glaciers in the frozen north. How could this human make me?
“You were intended as but a character. You started life as an image custome made on this machine called a computer.” He held up a smaller black screen. I was shocked to see my own likeness captured perfectly on it. “Then I had an idea. I would create something for this character. I would name him, give him a story, and give him friends.”
He hit a button on the smaller screen and another link appeared. “He was intended to be the main character of this blog on a website known as Tumblr. He would post whatever stories and pictures his heart desired and bring joy to others. Soon, you exceeded my expectations. You became real. You discovered an opening in my imagination and leapt from the boundaries of imagination into my family room. I would like to congratulate you on your valor and resourcefulness.”
“Thank you sir, for welcoming me kindly.”
“And I will have you know. As my creation, you are like a son to me. A being borne from my mind that came from the computer but ended up in my conscience. As long as I am online you are a part of me.”
“Now, what do you want me to do? And can I return home?”
“I can engineer your return, but you may come back anytime you want. Just imagine hard enough, and you can go between places anytime. But before you go, I want you to introduce yourself. I already set you up online, so introduce yourself. Be friendly and affront.”
I thought of an opening post. I saw letters on his computer, and thought if pressed, they would form words. Finally, I wrote, “Hi! My name is Solar Chaser. I am new to Tumblr. All you need to know for now is I am an astronomer Pegasus.”
“Now wish real hard you were back home,” Dr. W ordered. “Close your eyes if it helps.”
I did as told and woke up back in Cloudsdale. What looked like a mini-computer was attached to my wrist. I rushed over to where my friends were waiting. Nobody would believe me, but I had quite the story to tell.”
Author's Note
Solar Chaser really came to me. He was with me almost from the moment I became a Brony. He relates a bit of background but his discovery story is amazing. I was glad to meet him on this day.
