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Voidborne

By Writefag_Is_Kill
Created: 2022-07-08 04:02:49
Updated: 2023-02-02 09:20:31
Expiry: Never
twilight sparklefluttershysafesci-fiautismmy little progress

  1. >Twilight Sparkle stood in her home, eagerly watching the clock.
  2. >Each second seemed to take longer than the last on the agonizing watch for this early autumn nightfall.
  3. >She had been anticipating this night for weeks.
  4. >Ever since the first night she gazed at the heavens above Ponyville, she’d been marvelling at the brilliance of the night sky.
  5. >And as it turned out, she was not alone.
  6. >One of her newfound friends had a penchant for stargazing as well.
  7. >And Twilight had been invited to the Apple family’s farm to watch a meteor shower.
  8. >She fetched a scroll from her writing desk and unfurled it, eyes scanning over the contents of her checklist as it opened.
  9. “Me? Check.”
  10. >It wasn’t a very long list.
  11. >Twilight pranced out the door, nearly forgetting to close it on the way out.
  12. >The Markids shower came every year, and to some it was routine.
  13. >Twilight, however, had spent almost all of her life in Canterlot.
  14. >Parts of the city never slept, and street lamps were scattered across every major road to guide those who wandered late at night.
  15. >This would be her first time seeing it in the dark of night.
  16. >The sun’s glow could still be seen over the horizon, and the heat of the day had not yet fully left them.
  17. >She could see a faint sliver of the new moon rising in the sky to the West.
  18. >The gentle glow of the sun faded into nothingness as Twilight made her way to the outskirts of town, and in time the stars came out of hiding.
  19. >Ponyville’s night sky never failed to astound her.
  20. >There were so many stars!
  21. >In Canterlot she could usually only see a few of them, but here there were dozens of them!
  22. >Every time she blinked, there appeared to be a few more dotting the emptiness above.
  23. >And right across the middle of the sky lay the Rift.
  24. >Legend told that in time immemorial, the heavens split open and brought light to the world.
  25. >Twilight knew it wasn’t true.
  26. >But when she saw it without the light pollution, she could understand why early ponies told such tales.
  27. >Even now there was a profound sense of scale at this radiant ribbon that stretched beyond the horizon.
  28. >Its gentle radiance carved through the emptiness above and poured down onto the streets.
  29. >Still, though, she was starting to have trouble seeing.
  30. >The accursed lanterns from back in Canterlot did indeed serve a purpose.
  31. >Twilight couldn’t see where the road led and had no choice but to rely on her memory of the streets.
  32. >Or, of course, to use her magic.
  33. >Twilight called upon the Libra ley line for a measured and controlled light.
  34. >But immediately cancelled it.
  35. >She could see a fire in the distance, casting long but somehow welcoming shadows
  36. >Twilight approached it, abandoning the roadway and entering an empty field.
  37. >Something had been growing here until recently if the withered vines were anything to go by.
  38. >As she drew closer to the fire it slowly began to resolve into a small pit, surrounded by logs hewn into simple chairs.
  39. >A modest pile of wooden splits sat about a dozen paces away from the pit.
  40. >And gathered on the far side of the fire was the Apple clan.
  41. >Big Macintosh was slowly lowering a pot into the fire pit whilst the rest of them sat around the fire.
  42. >Applebloom was holding a smoldering stick in her mouth, waving the burning end around in the air gently to make trails of light against the dark sky.
  43. >She eventually tossed it as high into the sky as she could, and for a few seconds it appeared as though the firmament had a brilliant new star.
  44. >To Twilight’s relief, it seemed to extinguish the moment it hit the ground.
  45. >Applejack waved at her, face gently illuminated by the growing flame.
  46. >”Howdy, Twi! You’re a tad early.”
  47. >Twilight trotted her way toward the rest of the crew.
  48. >”Spike ain’t with ya?”
  49. “Not tonight. He had some business to attend to back in Canterlot. I don’t think he’d have stayed awake long enough for this anyway.”
  50. >”Well, that’s a shame. Glad you could make it though.”
  51. “Thank you all so much for inviting me. Oh, this is so exciting. I’ve never really seen a meteor shower before.”
  52. >”Ehh? How’s that?”
  53. >Granny Smith seemed shockingly animated about this.
  54. >”Is your neck stiff or somethin’? Never looked up before?”
  55. “Oh, well, I may have misspoke a bit. I’ve seen shooting stars before, but it’s a lot brighter in Canterlot so the sky is always sorta washed out.”
  56. >Applejack beckoned Twilight to sit next to her.
  57. >”It really is somethin’ special. Missed it mightily when I tried living in the city.”
  58. “You used to live in the city?”
  59. >”Yep. Weren’t for me though. I’ll tell you ‘bout it some time.”
  60. >Applejack never failed to defy expectations.
  61. >Twilight looked up and was overcome with a bizarre sensation of uneasiness.
  62. >It felt as though she were floating.
  63. >The ground beneath her was barely there, and she was being drawn into the infinite expanse above.
  64. >”Oh! Right there!”
  65. >Apple Bloom exclaimed, gesturing to the south west.
  66. >”I saw one!”
  67. “Aw. I missed it.”
  68. >”Don’t worry. There’s gonna be thousands of them!”
  69. >Thousands?
  70. >Twilight had seen a few dozen shooting stars in her life!
  71. >Surely Apple Bloom was exaggerating.
  72. >And yet…
  73. >What was a thousand?
  74. >Hay, what was a million?
  75. >The endless expanses had been there for innumerable years, and would remain for even longer.
  76. >The cosmos was incomprehensibly vast and unimaginably ancient.
  77. >On that scale, a few thousand shooting stars was beyond small.
  78. >And still it would dwarf what Twilight had seen.
  79. >Big Macintosh reached into the pot in the fire pit with a mug and filled it with some unseen liquid before handing it to Twilight.
  80. >”Cacao.”
  81. “Oh! Thank you. I was wondering about the fire. It seemed counterproductive.”
  82. >Applejack went to get her own drink from the pit.
  83. >”We’ll smother that in a bit.”
  84. “I’m really looking forward to it. So you do this every year?”
  85. >”Yep. Not so important anymore, but it’s tradition at this point.”
  86. “Important? How so?”
  87. >”You’d best ask Granny ‘bout that one.”
  88. >Granny Smith hadn’t moved to get her cacao.
  89. >Big Mac had fetched it for her instead.
  90. >And she seemed content to ignore her mug for the time being.
  91. >”Why do we watch the stars you ask? Well, how else are we supposed to know what time of year it is?”
  92. “With a calendar?”
  93. >”Calendar? Time was you couldn’t trust them fancy types and their doohickies. Calendars were all over the place, and didn’t have anything to do with nothing.”
  94. “But the calendar has been standardized for centuries. It’s VERY reliable now.”
  95. >”Sure! ‘Twas before my time ‘n all, but way back when nopony could count on such things. We had to come up with other ways of keepin’ track of time, else the harvest would be late, and we’d try to wrap up winter at any old time. When the Markids shower ends we know it’s cider season. Course, now we do use the calendar on account of it bein’ hard to tell when the shower’s over.”
  96. >Wadda ya mean, granny? I thought the shower was over in the mornin’.”
  97. “Not quite, Apple Bloom. Tonight’s just the night when it’s at its peak. You see, we’re currently going through a giant cloud of rock and ice out in space. When it falls down it burns up, and that’s what we see. Right now we’re around the densest part of the cloud so there are more collisions, but even at the periphery there are a few. Granny Smith is right-”
  98. >Granny offered a saggy smirk.
  99. “It’s hard to predict when a shower will end. Actually, it’s hard to even DEFINE what ‘end’ means in this context.”
  100. >”So the youngun knows a thing or two. Didn’t know they appreciated the stars in Canterlot.”
  101. “Oh, I know quite a bit about the night sky. Princess Celestia insisted I study it, which was actually a bit hard with all the light.”
  102. >It had always seemed strange how ardent Celestia was for astronomy.
  103. >With the recent revelations about her sister, things made far more sense.
  104. >”Miss Twilight?”
  105. “What is it, Apple Bloom?”
  106. >”Miss Cheerilee says that there are seven planets, but Granny says there are only five. How many is it?”
  107. >”I didn’t say there were only five, I said that there were only five that mattered.”
  108. “Well, in many ways Granny Smith is right! There are only five planets at first glance. But if you have a telescope and a lot of patience you can see a sixth planet.”
  109. >”So now you’re telling me it’s SIX? Sounds like grownups can’t make up their minds.”
  110. “Ah, you can only SEE six. You’ve got Rhea, which is closest to the sun. It’s the second smallest. Then there’s Hera between Rhea and here. You can see it up there, it’s usually the brightest thing in the night sky. Prometheus is the one that looks a bit red, then you get Elysium, our home. Then way out in the distance there’s Zeus. It’s super far away, but it’s by far the biggest planet in the system.”
  111. >”One, two, three, four, but that’s just five!”
  112. “Yep. If you look outward with a telescope you can just barely see Cronus. It’s not as big as Zeus, and it’s even further away, but it’s there. But there’s one last planet we know of, even though nopony’s ever seen it.”
  113. >Apple Bloom’s eyes were wide open, and not just because of the low light conditions.
  114. “Astronomers noticed that Rhea doesn’t move quite like it should. And while we haven’t ruled everything else out just yet, it’s starting to look like it’s falling toward something big. REALLY big. The simplest explanation is that there’s another planet somewhere really close to the sun, but it’s too small and the sun is too bright so we just can see it. They call this planet Hermes.”
  115. >Twilight could hear Granny grumble angrily.
  116. >Something about making up new planets and the ivory tower.
  117. “So in a way Granny is right! There are only five planets you can see, and they’re by far the best studied. But if you want to include everything out there then there are at least six, maybe seven. Maybe more! If they can discover new planets twice, why not a third time? Or even a fourth?”
  118. >Granny let off a huff.
  119. >”Why not indeed?”
  120. >Twilight couldn’t help but worry that she’d offended the Apple matron.
  121. >Was this to be the last time she would be invited to their homestead?
  122. >Would the town think that Twilight was disrupting Earth pony traditions, or that she thought she was better than them?
  123. >Was she going to become a pariah and wind up exiled?
  124. >Applejack could evidently read the concern on Twilight’s face.
  125. >”Hay, don’t you fret none. Granny ain’t upset with you, she just don’t like the Royal Astronomical Society. Long story.”
  126. >That was a relief.
  127. >And also a bit confusing.
  128. >Big Mac pulled the pot from the fire and then kicked some dirt in it.
  129. >And the sky bloomed.
  130. >The stars were innumerable, and the planets seemed almost blindingly bright against the void.
  131. >Twilight turned her attention to Map Marker, the constellation for which this shower was named.
  132. >It was just six stars out in an unusually empty part of the sky.
  133. >Legend told of a great explorer by the name of Map Marker who had seen everything there was to see in the world and so went up to explore the stars.
  134. >Twilight honestly couldn’t see how anypony could think THAT looked like a pony, much less why they’d think it was a great explorer.
  135. >Time pressed on in relative silence with everypony simply observing the universe.
  136. >And to Twilight’s amazement, Apple Bloom was right.
  137. >If anything, she’d undersold how many of them there’d be!
  138. >The shooting stars were innumerable.
  139. >Twilight lay on the ground for hours, oblivious to how cold she was or how dirty her coat was getting.
  140. >So many of them.
  141. >Each one existing for only an instant.
  142. >Burning up in the atmosphere, reduced to nothingness in the blink of an eye.
  143. >Orbiting for eons, just waiting for that one climactic instant of light.
  144. >”Well-”
  145. >Applejack’s voice wasn’t loud.
  146. >It startled Twilight regardless.
  147. >”Time for bed.”
  148. “Wait, what? You’re leaving?”
  149. >”Eeyup.”
  150. >”We’ve got us a busy month ahead, gotta get up bright an’ early. Besides, granny gets cranky if she don’t get her beauty sleep.”
  151. >”Cranky? I’ll show you cranky, you- you might be onto something.”
  152. >”Y’all are free to stay as long as you like, but we’d best get movin’. C’mon, Apple Bloom. Er, Apple Bloom?”
  153. >It only took a few seconds to find her curled up in a ball, tail sat over her face.
  154. >It looked like she’d fallen asleep already.
  155. >Big Mac picked her up gingerly and placed her on Applejack’s back before returning to help Granny stand.
  156. >Twilight could hardly believe it.
  157. >How could anypony willingly step away from this splendor?
  158. >Judging by the moon’s motion, it had only been a few hours!
  159. “That’s a terrible shame. There’s a lot more to come.”
  160. >”We’ll catch ‘em next year. You enjoy yourself.”
  161. “I will. Thank you again, and good night.”
  162. >Twilight returned to her stargazing.
  163. >It was baffling that the Apples could just walk away from this, even if they had seen it before.
  164. >But still, Twilight had to confess she was getting really tired.
  165. >She returned to her trance-like state of relaxation.
  166. >Her eyelids gradually grew heavier as the hours passed.
  167. >Had she been more attentive, Twilight might have noticed one shooting star was brighter than the rest.
  168. >Or that it was lasting much too long.
  169. >Or that it broke in three during its descent.
  170. >But Twilight did not see this very special meteor, because she had drifted off to sleep.
  171.  
  172.  
  173. Mission year 217
  174. Telemetry of the stellar body is complete.
  175.  
  176. Tau Ceti
  177. Main sequence star
  178. Spectral type: G8.5 V
  179. Mass [MSun] 0.783±0.006
  180. Radius [RSun] 0.794±0.002
  181. Age [Gyr] 5.80
  182. Metallicity [Fe/H] -0.55±0.05
  183. Temperature 5355±2 K
  184. Luminosity 0.52±0.01 L☉
  185.  
  186. Telemetry of the planetary body is complete.
  187. Planet
  188. Tau Ceti F
  189. Mass [Mearth] 4.11±0.01
  190. Radius [REarth]1.81±0.02
  191. Orbital Radius 1.334±0.002 AU
  192. Orbital period [days] 632.18±0.04
  193. Eccentricity 0.162±0.005
  194. Semi-major axis [AU] 1.334±0.002
  195. Equilibrium temperature [K] 160±3
  196. Rotation period 20.45h
  197.  
  198. Anomalies detected:
  199. The measured mass and radius imply a significantly lower density than expected.
  200. Luminance is inconsistent with expected sunlight patterns.
  201. Spectroscopy indicates a concentration of gaseous water that seemingly conflicts with the calculated equilibrium temperature.
  202.  
  203. Deploying vehicles 5, 6, 7.
  204.  
  205.  
  206. >It had been a few days since the meteor shower.
  207. >Twilight still didn’t regret going, but she was starting to.
  208. >She pulled herself out of bed groggily hours after she’d meant to get up, still not having recovered from attempting to stay up all night.
  209. >One of the Apples had been kind enough to put a blanket over her at some point in the morning, much to Twilight’s embarrassment.
  210. >It lie on the floor of her room ready to return.
  211. >It was item number six on her list for today, right after going to the market.
  212. >Twilight took a quick look at her list before checking the time, and knew already that she wasn’t going to get through it all.
  213. >Today would be busy, and some of the less important tasks would have to be rescheduled.
  214. >She shook the sleep from her head before correcting her blankets and heading downstairs for breakfast.
  215. >Twilight didn’t know how to cook.
  216. >Without her parents, the palace staff, or Spike to take care of Twilight, her diet had become pretty simple.
  217. >Not bad exactly, she wasn’t going to go hungry.
  218. >But… simple.
  219. >There was nothing wrong with fruit and oats for breakfast, but it wasn’t exciting.
  220. >Normally Twilight looked forward to breakfast, and even used it as motivation to get ready for the day.
  221. >But today she found herself dragging her hooves a bit.
  222. >Somehow when she poured a bowl of oats it didn’t taste the same as when Spike did.
  223. >And they were really dry too!
  224. >Still, they were filling and let her check off the first item from her list.
  225. >Once tooth brushing and mane combing were done, she was ready for number four.
  226. >She gave herself one last look in the mirror before heading out into the bright of day.
  227. >Twilight didn’t know how long she’d spend at Fluttershy’s home.
  228. >She really didn’t like scheduling things with no definitive endpoint, since they could easily ruin the rest of her timetable.
  229. >Back in Canterlot her day was rigidly structured, often down to the minute.
  230. >Twilight understood why some found that taxing.
  231. >She could even remember a time when she had trouble managing it.
  232. >But over the years she had grown and adapted, and finally begun to thrive on the order.
  233. >And now she was without it.
  234. >Even after having lived in Ponyville for a few months she was struggling to adapt to the chaos of the small town.
  235. >She walked through the peaceful streets, occasionally taking a moment to wave back at ponies who greeted her.
  236. >And in doing so, spending unplanned time.
  237. >She could hardly understand how this city functioned as chaotic as it was.
  238. >Ponies going about their day and doing their work on their own timetables, roads and structures placed organically instead of on a properly planned grid, meals being taken when ponies were hungry instead of at designated break times…
  239. >There were too many examples to list.
  240. >Sure, individuals and even families had plans and structure, the Apple family was a testament to that.
  241. >But the city itself was disorganized.
  242. >The polar opposite of Canterlot, where one could tell time based on the movements of the masses.
  243. >For some reason, others didn’t seem to see this chaos as a problem.
  244. >They even balked at the word chaos, instead insisting that it was laid back or comfy.
  245. >As Twilight passed Carousel Boutique she encountered a perfect example of the problem.
  246. >Rarity stood before the boutique, impotently pushing against a sign which had been staked into her property.
  247. >During business hours no less!
  248. “Hi, Rarity! What are you up to?”
  249. >”Oh! Hello, Twilight. I’m just trying to remove this eyesore.”
  250. “Do you need some help?”
  251. >”If you would be so kind.”
  252. >Twilight enveloped the sign with her telekinesis and gave a mighty pull.
  253. >It didn’t move.
  254. “Oh wow, it’s really stuck in there.”
  255. >”Quite so, I’m afraid. I’ve been struggling with it for a while now.”
  256. >Twilight closed her eyes to focus more closely on her magic.
  257. >She couldn’t help but stick her tongue out of the corner of her mouth as she strained against the stubborn stake.
  258. >Rarity joined in on the struggle, and the sign came free.
  259. >Twilight came a bit closer to properly examine it, and found that it was indeed an eyesore.
  260. >Unfinished planks had been haphazardly nailed to an old fence post to display a simple message written in white paint.
  261. “Mare for mayor?”
  262. >”I do wish she’d refrain from placing her signs on my property.”
  263. “Why did she even do that?”
  264. >”I believe it is part of her campaign for re-election. Well, she certainly shan’t be having my vote!”
  265. “Election campaign? Oh, that’s exciting! I’ve never seen an election before.”
  266. >”You haven’t? Why, how is public office filled in Canterlot?”
  267. “They’re appointed by Princess Celestia. Oh, this is exciting! Who are the candidates? What are the key issues? When’s voting day? Am I even allowed to participate?”
  268. >”I don’t think anypony cares if you vote or not, dear.”
  269. “Really? That doesn’t seem fair, I’ve only been here for a little while after all. Shouldn’t long-time residents have more of a voice? They’re the ones that made Ponyville what it is after all.”
  270. >”Be that as it may, I doubt you’ll change the outcome.”
  271. “Oh, did the mayor win with a landslide last time?”
  272. >”Not quite. In fact she only had a single vote, likely from herself.”
  273. >But that didn’t make sense!
  274. >If the mayor only got ONE vote, then of course Twilight could affect the outcome!
  275. >And how could she win with only one?
  276. “Did none of the other candidates get any votes at all?”
  277. >”That’s just the thing, there ARE no other candidates.”
  278. >No other candidates?
  279. “Really? Wow, she must be really popular if nopony even wants to compete.”
  280. >”Quite the contrary. I think you’ll find that nearly everypony in Ponyville has taken issue with her at some point. But ultimately, she’s known to be fair and competent. There is nopony else in Ponyville who is organized enough while also being impartial. Even with her, ahem, shortcomings, we know the paperwork will be done and we needn’t fear favoritism. So the mayor runs unopposed every other year, with the election being a mere formality.”
  281. >Twilight couldn’t help but feel disappointed.
  282. >Her first election, and there was nothing to do!
  283. >No issues, no proposed bills, no debates, nothing!
  284. >And it seemed like such a silly way to govern things.
  285. >Princess Celestia put a lot of work into selecting her cabinet, doing background checks to make sure she could trust everypony, ensuring they had the knowledge and skills they needed to get their jobs done, making sure there were no conflicts of interest…
  286. >But here, they just settled for whoever was already there!
  287. >”If you’ll excuse me Twilight, I should return indoors before the sun bleaches my mane. Would you care to join me?”
  288. “Oh, I’d love to! But I have an appointment with Fluttershy. Oh no, I’m going to be late!”
  289. >”I wouldn’t worry about that, it’s unlikely Fluttershy will even notice. Are you going to see that strange new creature she mentioned?”
  290. “You’ve heard about that?”
  291. >”Of course! I intend to see it myself sometime later today. She said it was cute, but between you and I Fluttershy thinks all sorts of bizarre things are cute. I would suggest you not get your hopes up.”
  292. “I’ll keep that in mind. Oops! I have to hurry! I’ll talk to you later!”
  293. >”Have fun, Twilight!”
  294. >Twilight moved at a brisk canter, not quite breaking into a gallop.
  295. >She knew her stamina wouldn’t hold out if she moved at full speed.
  296. >In fact, Twilight wasn’t sure she could keep this up the whole way!
  297. >But she had to try and regain SOME time, or else her entire schedule would be ruined!
  298. >Luckily, Twilight knew that it was proper to arrive about five minutes early to any appointment.
  299. >Sooner and you signal that you think you’re more important than the other pony’s schedule.
  300. >Later and you risk being late.
  301. >Twilight had a decent chance of making it on time if she maintained a swift pace.
  302. >She was painfully aware of the seconds ticking by as she made her way through the countryside.
  303. >But another problem was showing its face.
  304. >She was getting tired.
  305. >Twilight had never been as athletic as her brother, but she’d always considered herself to be in decent shape.
  306. >In Canterlot she had the stamina to trot pretty much anywhere she needed to go without difficulty.
  307. >But this wasn’t Canterlot.
  308. >Ponyville was far more spread out, especially with ponies who lived on the outskirts like Fluttershy.
  309. >The trek to her cottage was deceptively long, and easily exceeded the distance Twilight was accustomed to walking in a day.
  310. >She wasn’t going to be able to canter all the way there.
  311. >Twilight returned to a more casual pace, hoping that she’d regained enough time to avoid being tardy.
  312. >But with no clocktower in sight, she could only guess as to the exact time.
  313. >Would she make it?
  314. >Was she already late?
  315. >Twilight hesitated for a moment as she stepped over the small bridge near the cottage, fearing that she had missed her appointment.
  316. >But she knew that hesitating would only make it worse.
  317. >Twilight swallowed her fear and moved in.
  318. >As she approached the front door she heard voices coming from nearby.
  319. >They sounded upset.
  320. >Or rather, ONE of them sounded upset.
  321. >The other was barely audible.
  322. >”Fluttershy, this is INSANE.”
  323. >”Um…”
  324. >”You don’t know where this thing came from, why it’s here, or even what it’s made of!”
  325. >What it’s made of?
  326. >”But-”
  327. >”But? BUT? Have you forgotten what happened the last time you brought a weird monster home?”
  328. >Twilight rounded the building, nearly bumping into Fluttershy as she backed away from an angered Bon-Bon.
  329. >Fluttershy jumped in shock, turning to face Twilight.
  330. >The terror on her face immediately vanished, replaced by relief.
  331. >Fluttershy ran behind Twilight, using her as a shield against Bon-Bon.
  332. “What’s the problem here?”
  333. >”Fluttershy decided to drag another monster home.”
  334. >”It’s not a monster.”
  335. >”And HOW do you know this?”
  336. >”Because it’s friendly.”
  337. “Bon-Bon, I think you might be overreacting.”
  338. >”The parasprites ate my HOUSE!”
  339. “Well, yeah… But this creature isn’t a parasprite. I hope. Come to think of it, where is this nameless creature?”
  340. >”Behind you.”
  341. “Eh? But it’s just Fluttershy and-”
  342. >Twilight turned around to see a pink mane.
  343. >After stepping around Fluttershy, she saw a most unusual beast.
  344. >It was a fairly large creature, standing just above Twilight’s withers.
  345. >It was about twice as wide as it was tall, but most of its height was made up of its six bizarre legs.
  346. >The creature boasted unusual colouration, with a brilliant white body which reflected the sun almost as well as a mirror.
  347. >Atop its oddly angular body sat a thick prismic rectangle with an inset eye.
  348. >Was that it’s head?
  349. >Closer to the middle of the body there stood a large antenna, sitting in the middle of a freakishly smooth cup-like indentation.
  350. >And near the back, or at least what Twilight thought was the back, there stood a tall stalk with a shiny black lidless eye mounted on the top.
  351. >Twilight got the strange impression that it was looking not just at her, but at everything at once.
  352. >Each of its legs only had two joints as opposed to the usual three.
  353. >There was a partially exposed ball joint where they attached to the main body, granting a broad range of motion, and a hinge-like joint nearer to the end of its legs.
  354. >It walked slowly and deliberately, first bending the lower joint to take its weight off of the ground, then rotating the top to move the surprisingly thin legs forward.
  355. >Four of its six legs had thick membranes leading to the main body, reminiscent of a bat’s wings.
  356. >Could it fly?
  357. >Surely not!
  358. >This creature was far from being aerodynamic, and Twilight couldn’t imagine those legs articulating properly for flight.
  359. >It walked slowly and deliberately, moving even slower than Spike at bathtime.
  360. >The swaying of the trees in the wind provided a stark contrast, reminding all present that time had not slowed to a crawl nor had the air been replaced with molasses.
  361. >This creature was just slow.
  362. >When it finally got its hoof off the ground, Twilight noticed it had a rather bizarre tip.
  363. >It was roughly ovular, but split in half and with a rough, textured base.
  364. >The creature’s hoof started to close around some grass, clamping it tightly in what now looked more like a crab’s pincers than a hoof.
  365. “Where did you find this thing?”
  366. >”Over by Froggy Bottom Bog.”
  367. >”Yeah. You know, where there was a HYDRA.”
  368. “I’m pretty sure this isn’t a hydra.”
  369. >But Bon-Bon had a point.
  370. >There were some scary things out there.
  371. >Though this thing didn’t seem dangerous.
  372. >It was just standing there, slowly moving grass up to its head.
  373. “Oh my gosh, this is exciting! I think we’re about to see it eat!”
  374. >”Because that’s never turned out poorly before.”
  375. >Bon-Bon’s snide comment weighed heavily on Twilight’s mind.
  376. >Or at least it would have, had this thing not been so slow.
  377. >It took nearly a minute for the grasped grass to stop moving, held high above the creature’s main body.
  378. >The big blocky head stared at the grass intently for several seconds.
  379. >And then it dropped the grass, slowly moving its leg back to the ground.
  380. >A few blades landed on its body, but the creature didn’t seem to notice.
  381. “And we’re all terrified by its voracity.”
  382. >Bon-Bon opened her mouth to speak.
  383. >Several seconds later she thought better of it.
  384. >She instead chose to walk away without a word.
  385. >”Oh dear. Do you think maybe that was a bit too mean?”
  386. “Don’t worry, Fluttershy. She’ll get over it. So tell me more about this critter! Is it a tortoise of some sort? Or a crab? What are the wings for?”
  387. >”I don’t know. I’ve never seen anything quite like it.”
  388. >Every action it took was slow and deliberate.
  389. >Twilight had studied natural philosophy for most of her life, and knew well that this beast flew in the face of the natural order.
  390. >It was HUGE for an insect, which it almost had to be since it was a hexapod.
  391. >Its body wasn’t segmented, it had the wrong number of joints, and its head was on its back!
  392. >This thing wasn’t an arthropod like other hexapods.
  393. >Hay, as far as she could tell it wasn’t an anything!
  394. “This creature could be a REALLY big discovery. You should be proud, Fluttershy.”
  395. >”I didn’t do anything special.”
  396. “Yeah you did. You got it here. Come to think of it, how did you do that? It looks kinda heavy.”
  397. >”It followed me home.”
  398. “From Froggy Bottom Bog?”
  399. >Twilight took a good long look at the creature, marveling at how it took multiple seconds for every step.
  400. “How long did that take?”
  401. >”A few days.”
  402. “DAYS. You carefully guided this thing home over DAYS. But it was nothing special. We should really tell somepony about it. I’m sure there are plenty of researchers who’d love to see it with their own eyes.”
  403. >”Oh. Umm…”
  404. “We could have ponies from all across Equestria coming just to take a look! It might be a once in a lifetime opportunity for them, I’m sure they’d come in an instant.”
  405. >”Could we, um, maybe… not?”
  406. “Hm? Why not?”
  407. >”I don’t want to stress the poor dear.”
  408. “But we could learn so much from it! We owe it to academia to figure out everything we can about this thing.”
  409. >”But the poor thing’s injured. We can’t scare it with all those new faces at once, who knows what it might do?”
  410. “Wait, it’s hurt?”
  411. >”Oh yes! Hadn’t you noticed?”
  412. >She had not.
  413. >”If we frighten the dear, who know what it might do? It might even run away!”
  414. “At high speeds, too.”
  415. >”Please, Twilight. We have to be considerate, at the very least until it’s used to ponies.”
  416. >This was a problem.
  417. >Fluttershy was being unusually insistent that they keep this quiet, and she was the one who found the thing in the first place.
  418. >Didn’t she owe it to Fluttershy as a friend to be mindful of those wishes?
  419. >But on the other hoof, this was likely a unique opportunity!
  420. >How often did one find a completely new species like this?
  421. >But on the OTHER other hoof, maybe Fluttershy was right.
  422. >Maybe the publicity would scare the thing and cause problems in the long run.
  423. >But did they have any assurance that it WOULDN’T give trouble later on?
  424. >Wouldn’t it be better to seize the opportunity before they lost it?
  425. >But Fluttershy was good with critters big and small.
  426. >If she said it was hurt and that it would scare easily, shouldn’t Twilight believe her?
  427. >But wait, didn’t that mean that it might just spook anyway?
  428. >What was to be lost then by attracting attention?
  429. >Not to mention that word was already out with Bon-Bon having seen it.
  430. >She was DEFINITELY going to tell somepony.
  431. >What if it was the wrong ponies?
  432. ‘I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO!”
  433. >Frightened birds could be heard scattering.”
  434. >Twilight collected herself and offered a sheepish grin as a means of apology.
  435. >The strange beast was slowly walking away from her.
  436. >Very, VERY slowly.
  437. >”Oh dear, I think you scared him.”
  438. “He doesn’t look scared. Wait, him? Is it male?”
  439. >”I think you should leave.”
  440. >Twilight felt as though she’d been bashed between the eyes with a rake.
  441. >FLUTTERSHY of all ponies had just un-invited her!
  442. >Sure, she’d done something pretty silly, but still!
  443. “Fluttershy, I am SO sorry. I just panicked a bit and- I- I- I’ll leave you two alone.”
  444. >”Oh! Oh my goodness, that came across wrong. I’m so sorry, Twilight. I just meant that he’ll probably calm down sooner if you’re not here.”
  445. “Oh. Well, that’s alright Fluttershy. I’m really sorry that I scared, um, him?”
  446. >Twilight took one more quick look at the creature.
  447. >It still felt so out of place.
  448. >Like a crude doodle atop a piece of art, its appearance clashed with its surroundings.
  449. “I’ll see you later, I hope.”
  450. >”Of course! I’d love it if you came by tomorrow.”
  451. “Sure thing! When?”
  452. >”Whenever is convenient.”
  453. >Whenever?
  454. >WHENEVER?
  455. >How was she supposed to write “whenever” into her schedule?
  456. >She was going to be late AND Early!
  457. >Oh no, speaking of that she might be late for market!
  458. >Or maybe early!
  459. >Or maybe-
  460. “I’ll see you tomorrow!”
  461. >Twilight turned tail and ran.
  462.  
  463. Dear Princess Celestia
  464.  
  465. Today I made a faux pas and offended a friend by shouting at an inappropriate time. To my great dismay, they asked me to leave their home! However, I learned that they did so without anger in their hearts, nor resentment. When a true friend wishes to be on their own, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re no longer their friend nor does it even mean they’re upset with you. They likely have a good reason, and you should heed their wishes without assuming the worst.
  466.  
  467. On a related note, I must ask for your guidance. A strange and nigh on ineffable creature has made its way into Ponyville. Despite all the references available to me in this library, I cannot identify any species that are even remotely similar and I suspect that it may be an undocumented species. Fluttershy, the discoverer of this creature, has asked that I not inform the academia so as to avoid stressing it. I wish to respect her wishes, but cannot ignore that this may be a unique opportunity to learn about our world. After much introspection, I have still not decided on how best to approach this once in a lifetime situation and have decided to seek your guidance. What should take priority? My obligation to expand ponykind’s understanding of the world, or my obligation to heed my friends wishes?
  468.  
  469. Your most faithful student
  470. Twilight Sparkle
  471.  
  472.  
  473. >Twilight Sparkle was diligently working through her day’s plan.
  474. >The spoons had been counted- none were missing- and the wall hangings had been arranged alphabetically.
  475. >Next came the linen closet.
  476. >Twilight was looking forward to this one.
  477. >When Spike did the laundry he had a horrible habit of only putting things on the shelves he could reach.
  478. >There was PLENTY of opportunity for improvement-
  479. *CRACK CRACK*
  480. >A heavy knock upon the front door.
  481. *CRACK*
  482. >An URGENT one at that!
  483. >Twilight hurried to the front and opened the door.
  484. “Oh, hi there! Um- you!”
  485. >It was a slight, blue pegasus.
  486. >Twilight did not recognize them.
  487. >Whoever they were, they gave her a letter with a great big smile before flying off without a word.
  488. “Thank you!”
  489. >It wasn’t the normal time for mail delivery, there was no mailing address, and no return address.
  490. >This had not gone through the post.
  491. >But Twilight didn’t need an address to know who had sent this.
  492. >Princess Celestia’s wax seal marked the envelope.
  493. >Twilight scurried inside and heated a knife, intent on prying the seal from the paper without damaging it.
  494. >She had completed this task many times before and accumulated an impressive collection of identical wax seals.
  495. >Her practice paid off, and the seal popped off in record time..
  496. >A single piece of paper folded in half with a familiar elegant script written upon it.
  497.  
  498. To my most faithful student,
  499.  
  500. I’m glad there is no ill will between you and your friend. Such things are wont to fester when left unresolved, and can lead to bitter feuds between once great friends. It is always wise to clear the air after any misunderstanding to ensure that there are no hard feelings.
  501.  
  502. As for the strange creature, I- in addition to many other ponies- have already been made aware of it! You needn’t decide which course of action is correct as the choice has been taken out of your hooves. I can confirm that we have no records of anything quite like it. If ever somepony has encountered this particular species before, they didn’t report or document it at all. This is an exciting and delicate opportunity, which is why we have chosen to proceed with caution. While I cannot divulge the details for risk of endangering good ponies, we are constantly monitoring it for any signs of hostility. I am pleased to report that it seems to be completely peaceful, and perhaps even incapable of causing appreciable harm. I shall inform you immediately if we should encounter any warning signs that this might change, but for now I believe it best to treat this visitor as a guest. I am entrusting you to ensure it feels safe and welcome.
  503.  
  504. As for your question, though it may not be necessary for you to make the choice I still encourage you to ponder what would have been correct had word not yet spread. It could prove to be a valuable lesson in your continuing studies. Dilemmas such as this often prove false under scrutiny.
  505.  
  506. Princess Celestia
  507.  
  508. >That had not been what Twilight was expecting.
  509. >A response to a friendship report was welcome of course, but to have it arrive so soon?
  510. >Without Spike around, Twilight was surprised the princess had even received the report so soon, never mind actually having a response delivered!
  511. >She pushed logistical thoughts aside and read the message again to ensure nothing was missed.
  512. >Princess Celestia ENCOURAGED Twilight to consider the problem.
  513. >It wasn’t an assignment, and therefore had no due date.
  514. >She would do it of course, but other matters had to take priority.
  515. >Matters such as her actual assignment.
  516. >Doubtlessly the reason why her reply had arrived so promptly.
  517. >Entrust.
  518. >To assign responsibility.
  519. >Making sure the creature felt welcome was now her duty.
  520. >It was going to be difficult re-organizing her schedule like that.
  521. >But it was the princess’ orders, delivered with haste no less.
  522. >She couldn’t let the princess down, no matter how busy she was!
  523. >Twilight took one last longing glance at her now useless daily checklist before resigning herself to her fate.
  524. >Some items on that list would remain…
  525. >Unchecked.
  526. >Such sacrifices were sometimes necessary when the princess herself spoke.
  527. >So Twilight prepared her bags and stepped out into the day.
  528. >This message still struck her as odd.
  529. >It bore the proper seal, this was an official royal communique.
  530. >And if that weren’t enough proof, the writing was a perfect match.
  531. >This letter HAD come from the princess, even if it wasn’t on her normal stationery.
  532. >Perhaps the princess hadn’t been at home when she wrote it?
  533. >That might explain how it got to her so quickly too, though that would raise a few questions about how the postal service routed messages.
  534. >But she DID know this message had been delivered with haste.
  535. >This was a high priority assignment!
  536. >As remarkable as the response time had been, Twilight still wished her missive had arrived sooner.
  537. >She could have had more time, even if only a little.
  538. >That way she could have been with the creature at the crack of dawn!
  539. >Or wait.
  540. >Maybe that would be worse?
  541. >What if by being around all the time she made it feel crowded and scrutinized?
  542. >Maybe it was more comfortable being alone?
  543. >Her task was to have it feel both welcome AND safe.
  544. >What if those two objectives were to run contrary to each other?
  545. >Which should take priority?
  546. >Was the answer to that question a constant, or was it dependent on context?
  547. >And how was she supposed to know how she was doing anyway?
  548. >As far as she knew it couldn’t talk.
  549. >And Twilight wasn’t exactly the best at reading pony body language, much less weird crab body language.
  550. >How was she supposed to assess how it was feeling?
  551. >Normally this could be solved easily enough with study, but if nopony had documented this thing before then that meant that books didn’t have the answer!
  552. >A chill ran down her spine.
  553. “Calm down, Twilight. You can do this.”
  554. >The princess believed in her.
  555. >Princess Celestia would NEVER set her up to fail!
  556. >That meant that Twilight had the tools to succeed.
  557. >There was no deadline on this assignment, so she could be careful and methodical about this.
  558. >She could collect all the information she needed, develop and test strategies- she could do this scientifically!
  559. >And if things proved REALLY challenging, she could always contact the princess for help.
  560. >Twilight stopped dead in her tracks.
  561. >The princess had said she didn’t know anything about this creature.
  562. >The PRINCESS.
  563. >DIDN’T.
  564. >KNOW.
  565. >If the thought that books couldn’t help her was frightening, the idea that the PRINCESS couldn’t help shook her to the bone.
  566. >Twilight continued her journey, albeit with much less pep in her step.
  567. >It was strangely exhilarating knowing she might soon be privy to knowledge held by no other pony.
  568. >But the thrill of learning was not enough to assuage her anxiety.
  569. >Twilight reviewed her plan as Fluttershy’s cottage came into view.
  570. >Identify known variables.
  571. >Identify unknown variables.
  572. >Create a function which solves for friendship.
  573. >Somehow.
  574. >It was painfully clear that she didn’t know enough about this thing to proceed.
  575. >Before she could make any progress, she had to find some facts.
  576. >Simple facts at first, basic parameters.
  577. >But once she knew the first thing about it she could start digging a bit deeper.
  578. >The princess’ secondary task finally made sense!
  579. >Study and friendship weren’t mutually exclusive, they went hoof in hoof!
  580. >She had to find out as much as possible without scaring it off.
  581. >And without Fluttershy finding out, of course.
  582. >She approached it quickly with a great big grin on her face.
  583. >But wait.
  584. >This animal moved very slowly.
  585. >Would it perceive this vector to be a sign of confidence as intended?
  586. >Or maybe it would be considered a sign of hostility?
  587. >She slowed down to a crawl so as not to put it on edge.
  588. >But what if it thought that meant she didn’t trust it?
  589. >That would be awful!
  590. >Twilight stood stock still, paralyzed by her own indecisiveness.
  591. >But wait!
  592. >The beast approaches.
  593. >Or so she thought.
  594. >It was kinda hard to tell with it looking everywhere at once and how slow it was moving.
  595. >There were no convenient frames of reference to work with, she could really only guess at how fast it was moving.
  596. >Or…
  597. >”Oh! Hello Twilight!”
  598. “Hello, Fluttershy. How’s he settling in?”
  599. >”Very well! He’s so lively.”
  600. “Really? He doesn’t look too lively to me.”
  601. >”But he is! He was up all night again.”
  602. >Again?
  603. “So how many all nighters has he managed so far?”
  604. >”All of them! I’ve never seen him sleep.”
  605. >Twilight fished through her saddlebags for her notebook.
  606. >She eagerly scribbled down the first of what was sure to be many notes.
  607. “No sleep? Are you sure? It might be like a dolphin; some animals can still move when asleep, you know.”
  608. >”Perhaps. Or maybe it just doesn’t sleep very long.”
  609. >It finally reached Twilight.
  610. >The blocky head craned itself down to Twilight’s face, invading her personal space.
  611. >Twilight got her first good look at its “face”.
  612. >Two glassy circles, one much smaller than the other, sat upon a nondescript flat background.
  613. >Interestingly its face was inset a few centimeters with the “head” acting much like the brim of a hat.
  614. “No nose or mouth? How does it eat? How does it breathe?”
  615. >”I’m not sure it does.”
  616. >That was DEFINITELY worth a note.
  617. >A turtle-crab-dolphin that didn’t eat?
  618. >It made no sense.
  619. >The fact that it was moving, slow though it may be, was proof that this thing consumed energy of some sort.
  620. >Maybe it was photosynthesizing, or it had tapped into one of the ambient arcane fields for sustenance!
  621. >No, calm down Twilight.
  622. >The simplest answer is usually the right one.
  623. >They just hadn’t seen it eat anything yet.
  624. >She made another note.
  625. >”Um, what are you writing down?”
  626. “Oh, this? It’s, um…”
  627. >Fluttershy didn’t want the creature to be studied.
  628. “I’m writing a book!”
  629. >”Oh! That’s interesting. Is it about our friend here?”
  630. “NO! It’s, uhh, an autobiography?”
  631. >”Ooh, that could be fascinating! May I read it?”
  632. “NO! I mean, not until it’s done?”
  633. >”I can hardly wait. Any idea when it’ll be ready?”
  634. “Probably not for a long time. Changing the subject, how’s our friend getting along with the other critters?”
  635. >”They love him.”
  636. “Oh, that’s great!”
  637. >”They might like him a little too much though. Mister Magpie was trying to build a nest in that indentation on his back.”
  638. “Oh. That’s- he didn’t mind?”
  639. >”He didn’t even seem to notice. I’ve never seen a bird try to nest on an animal before.”
  640. “Guess he’s just that slow. Say, what’s that thing over there?”
  641. “Over where?”
  642. >Twilight fetched a measuring tape from her bag and held it up to the creature.
  643. >650 millimeters to its back.
  644. >Just eyeing it, it seemed a tad shorter than yesterday.
  645. >Was that an optical illusion?
  646. >Bad memory?
  647. >Or just a difference in posture?
  648. >It’s weird eye stalk stood at 150 millimeter off the back.
  649. >Rough math suggested it couldn’t see the ground it was stepping on from that angle.
  650. >The body would be in the way!
  651. >Maybe it wasn’t an eye at all?
  652. >Maybe those circles on its head were its eyes?
  653. >But then what was the thing on its back?
  654. >And why were its eyes different sizes?
  655. >”I’m pretty sure that’s just a tree, Twilight.”
  656. >She sheepishly hid the measuring tape.
  657. “Oh, right! TREE! That’s the word I was forgetting. I’m so silly sometimes.”
  658. >The creature finally moved its head away, seemingly having seen what it wanted to see.
  659. >Twilight couldn’t help but notice that it was totally immobile while looking at her.
  660. >None of the usual muscle spasms or twitches one could see in a pony.
  661. >It was as steady as a rock.
  662. >More notes.
  663. “Hay, is that a- uh…”
  664. >Rare critter.
  665. “Jackelope!”
  666. >”WHERE?”
  667. >Fluttershy flew off at Twilight’s behest.
  668. >Twilight repositioned the measuring tape in front of the critter, hoping to see just how quickly it walked.
  669. >Or how slowly rather.
  670. >It moved one meter per…
  671. >How long?
  672. >Without a timepiece, this experiment was pretty useless.
  673. >Maybe a quarter of a meter per second?
  674. >”I don’t see it!”
  675. “Sorry! I think it was just the grass!”
  676. >”Aww…”
  677. >Fluttershy landed with much less vigor than she’s shown mere moments ago.
  678. >”Well, I suppose I can’t be too upset. I just met a new friend after all!”
  679. “And what a friend. Oh hey, check out that Esquilax!”
  680. >Fluttershy looked away yet again, and Twilight fetched another tool from her bag.
  681. >She started positioning it on the critter’s back.
  682. >”Twilight? I don’t see an Esquilax. But I do see a level.”
  683. >Twilight’s cheeks were on fire.
  684. >”How would you feel if a fast moving critter showed up and started measuring you?”
  685. “I honestly have no idea.”
  686. >That had never happened before.
  687. >”It’s important that we make sure he feel safe and welcome! We need to give him some space!”
  688. >Safe and welcome?
  689. >Hm.
  690. >In addition to feeling deeply ashamed, Twilight also felt extremely stupid.
  691. >Fluttershy could help.
  692. >Hay, she wanted to!
  693. >Ultimately, their goals aligned.
  694. “I wrote to princess Celestia about him, and she wants me to do my best to make sure he’s happy.”
  695. >”You- you wrote to the princess? Oh my goodness, this isn’t good! Is she coming? Is she angry? Are they going to send him away?”
  696. “I don’t think that’s happening. Turns out she already knew about him.”
  697. >”She knew? Oh dear, oh dear! That might mean other ponies know too! I thought it was just a few, but now it’s… ten!”
  698. “Yyyyeahhh… make it several thousand, even before I saw him. It’s probably even more now.”
  699. >Fluttershy’s face shifted slowly.
  700. >Almost as slowly as the machine’s legs.
  701. >First, the smile drooped down.
  702. >Next her brow gradually shifted.
  703. >Then her eyes widened.
  704. >She at last formed a vague facsimile of a concerned frown before quite suddenly snapping into outright fear.
  705. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about. The princess has ordered me to make sure he feels safe and welcome. She’s not going to send thousands of ponies here to scare him if that’s what she wants.”
  706. >”Oh, I certainly hope you’re right. But maybe this is okay?”
  707. “Don’t worry! Princess Celestia is on your side. She won’t let us down, she’s wise beyond her years you know.”
  708. >”Beyond her years? But isn’t she really really old?”
  709. “Okay… so maybe she’s appropriately wise for her years? Either way, we can count on her.”
  710. >”Well… if you’re sure. I suppose it would be nice to show him around town. And now we don’t need to worry about keeping a low profile since it’s already too late.”
  711. “Now you’re talking! When can I pencil a tour in?”
  712. >”We’ll start going now. But it might take… several hours. This evening?”
  713. “Right, but what time?”
  714. >”I’m not sure. It depends on when we get there.”
  715. >Well that’s just great.
  716. >How was Twilight supposed to plan around THAT?
  717. “Should I make any preparations?”
  718. >”I don’t know. Whatever you think is best.”
  719. “Well, alrighty then-”
  720. >Twilight said while trying not to grind her teeth into dust.
  721. “We’ll just proceed on this assignment the princess gave me with no timetable, no plan, and no preparations!”
  722. >”I’m looking forward to it.”
  723. >There was no hint of insincerity in her voice.
  724.  
  725.  
  726. ATMOSPHERIC ANALYSIS COMPLETE
  727. Atmospheric composition: 80.0±0.4% N2 14.2±0.2% O2 4.1±0.2%CO2 1±0.1%Ar
  728. Despite the relatively low molality of available atmospheric oxygen, most known fauna should be able to adapt to the local atmosphere. With an average atmospheric density greater than 2.6 kg per cubic meter, oxygen density is actually significantly higher than on Earth. Many animals, including humans, are at risk of mild nitrogen narcosis should they attempt to breathe without proper support. Manned missions should be wary of weakness, confusion, and euphoria, and plan to ensure all hazards are accounted for before attempting to acclimate to the local atmosphere. Acclimation may take several days to weeks, depending on the individual.
  729. Respiration will appear difficult at first, even if reasonable precautions are taken to ward against narcosis.The density of atmospheric gasses will result in unusual resistance to each breath, with muscle strain being the most notable risk. Some might even feel as though they are drowning due to the unusual resistance and sensation that comes with breathing such dense gasses. It may take some time for individuals to grow accustomed to the sensation of breathing.
  730. Despite these complications it is expected that the atmosphere of Tau Ceti F will prove to be safe for human and animal respiration without mechanical support. Short term difficulties are expected, long term complications are not. Both short term complications can be mitigated or even eliminated by preconditioning
  731.  
  732. To date, all temperature readings lie between -27.2 celsius and +32.4 celsius.
  733. The incredible thickness and density of the atmosphere has resulted in a potent greenhouse effect. Despite this, Tau Ceti F is slightly cooler than Earth as it is much further from its star and Tau Ceti itself is much dimmer than Sol. Heat is both added and lost at a much slower pace; days will be cooler, nights warmer, and all seasons milder. Even still, local temperatures exceed black body calculations by several degrees. It is likely that subterranean isotopic decay accounts for the difference.
  734.  
  735.  
  736. SURFACE ANALYSIS COMPLETE
  737.  
  738. Tau Ceti F is a large rocky planet with a sizable ocean covering 32.68% of the planet’s surface. Though this is proportionally much drier than Earth, the relative size of the planet’s 3.024 billion square kilometer surface still boasts oceans that dwarf our own. Nearly half of the 2.035 billion square kilometers of dry land is controlled by a massive continent tentatively called Tau Ceti F-1. 14 mountain ranges totalling in 6,783,008 peaks run throughout the continent suggesting it was formed tectonically. The perimeter of Tau Ceti F-1 features hundreds of yet unidentified anomalies. The interior of the continent is composed almost entirely of a colossal rocky desert which is far larger than any Earth continent. A persistent and predictable weather pattern has formed around the interplay of the vast oceans and deserts, with winds of reliable intensity forming at consistent times in response to the predictable thermal fluctuations. These winds carry with them huge cloud systems that result in vast wetlands unusually far from the coast. There is yet insufficient data to determine how seasonal changes will affect this desert, the wetlands, or the storm systems. There is yet insufficient data to determine how far inland these storm systems can reach.
  739.  
  740. The second continent, tentatively named Tau Ceti F-2, is a roughly circular ridge surrounding a crater of indeterminate depth. At approximately 424 million square kilometers in area, Tau Ceti F-2 represents an enormous cavity in the planet. The perimeter contains some of the highest measured points on the planet’s surface, serving as a bulwark against the ocean’s attempt to fill this hole. Intense winds upwards of 200 kilometers per hour surround these ridges. The high atmospheric density will result in far greater force than winds of comparable velocity on Earth. No electromagnetic radiation has been detected emanating from this hole. There is yet insufficient information to explain how these ridges, this hole, this blackness, or this wind can exist. Vagabond 5 was deployed to investigate.
  741.  
  742. The third largest continent, tentatively named Tau Ceti F-3, lies near polar south. Constant winds coming from the nearby Tau Ceti F-2 carry with them immense amounts of vaporized ocean waters in a jetstream, which readily deposits its water in the form of snow as temperatures plummet well below zero. Most of the continent has yet to be observed using the visible spectrum due to the consistent storming. Broad spectrum sensors reveal thick and broad glaciers covering a rocky landscape ground smooth over many years of glaciation. The intense polar gravity and relatively warm temperatures have caused rapid glacial drift as the lower layers of the ice caps are prone to melting under pressure. It is likely that most human observers would be able to see the motion of these enormous ice sheets. The speed with which these sheets are moving suggests they must build up extremely rapidly, else they would not be able to form such peaks. This suggests the intense snow storms are not an anomaly and rather the norm.
  743.  
  744. The fourth largest continent, tentatively named Tau Ceti F-4 contains the most anomalies. The southern tip is dominated by wetlands, but immediately gives way to desert. For reasons unknown, local weather patterns do not or rarely result in detectable winds. No rain has been detected mere meters from the coastline. Weather patterns become extremely wet north of this desert, almost exactly on the equator. North of the wetlands lies an incoherent patchwork of badlands, grasslands, wetlands, and rolling hills. Local weather patterns defy all models, with winds and clouds both forming and vanishing with seemingly no cause. There is a massive oxygen discharge from the interior of Tau Ceti F-3 during daytime. Unusual light levels are detectable at night. Rivers do not flow naturally in certain areas. Unusually high temperatures have been detected, particularly toward the northern end of the continent. Vagabond 6 was deployed to investigate.
  745.  
  746. The fifth largest continent, tentatively named Tau Ceti F-5, has upon closer analysis proven to not be a landmass at all. A vast ice flow has formed in the ocean not far to the south of Tau Ceti F-4, which defies hydrodynamic models. The local ambient temperature was predicted to be too warm to permit such formations, and the ice sheets grow thinner and sparser as they move further from the epicenter, even when approaching polar south. There is yet insufficient data to explain how these ice sheets have formed, or how they have persisted in what should be fairly warm water. Vagabond 7 was deployed to investigate.
  747.  
  748. VAGABOND 5: NO SIGNAL
  749. VAGABOND 6: UPLINK ESTABLISHED
  750. VAGABOND 7: UPLINK ESTABLISHED
  751.  
  752.  
  753. WARNING
  754.  
  755. VAGABOND 5 PING TIMED OUT
  756. Packets: Sent = 1000, Received = 0, Lost = 1000 (100% loss)
  757. VEHICLE PRESUMED DESTROYED
  758.  
  759. Generating loss report.
  760. Compiling probe readings.
  761. Broadcasting in progress.
  762. Awaiting response from mission control, ETA 24.7 yr.
  763.  
  764. Corvid aerial vehicles and Saurian high temperature vehicles are not rated for the local environment.
  765. Only Vagabond general purpose vehicles are rated to withstand local gravity and atmospheric conditions.
  766. 5 Vagabonds remain in stock, 14,783,255 known anomalies remain to be investigated on Tau Ceti F.
  767. 5 major bodies remain unscanned in the Tau Ceti system.
  768. FURTHER VEHICLE LOSS COULD RESULT IN PARTIAL MISSION FAILURE
  769.  
  770. Analyzing incident…
  771. Cause of system failure: unknown
  772. Last seen approaching Tau Ceti F-2
  773. The causes of the potent winds, unusual peaks, and darkness around Tau Ceti F-2 are unknown and may be related to unexpected vehicle failure.
  774. All other vehicles should avoid similar anomalies until more information is available.
  775.  
  776. Updating risk assessment protocols.
  777. Updating AI script
  778. Transmitting executable…
  779.  
  780. >Twilight had spent the bulk of her day checking for Fluttershy.
  781. >Without a clear timetable, she was left to simply guess when their new friend would arrive.
  782. >While it was tempting to check less often at the risk of being tardy, she simply couldn’t risk it!
  783. >What if the critter felt spurned or shunned?
  784. >No, this assignment, much like all other assignments, was too important to cut corners.
  785. >A wicked wind shot past Twilight for what must have been the thirtieth time that day.
  786. >In fact, it WAS the thirtieth.
  787. >Twilight had been keeping track.
  788. >She scratched one more tally mark in the dirt before acknowledging the cause.
  789. “Hello again, Rainbow Dash.”
  790. >When she first moved from Canterlot, Twilight was unsettled by the winds pegasi made.
  791. >Even slower fliers like Fluttershy kicked up a mighty draft when they were near the ground.
  792. >Especially during takeoff!
  793. >In terms of wind, Rainbow Dash was in a league of her own.
  794. >Mercifully, pegasi preferred to fly a fair distance from the ground to avoid ground effect and accidental collisions.
  795. >They were far enough away that one had to pay close attention to even notice the wind they were making.
  796. >But up close?
  797. >Twilight could only imagine how noisy it was for the flyers.
  798. >She was thankful that, as a unicorn, she’d never have to worry about that.
  799. >”Still waiting for Fluttershy and her weird crab thing?”
  800. “Yep.”
  801. >”And you’re just going to wait around all day, huh?”
  802. “Princess Celestia wants me to take care of it, so I’m going to take care of it.”
  803. >”Did the princess tell you to wait around for most of the day?”
  804. “Not in so many words, but I can’t risk missing it.”
  805. >”I TOLD you it was still a long ways off. You do know I can see it coming from the air, right?”
  806. “Well, yes, but you said it would be hours before it arrived!”
  807. >”And how long has it been?”
  808. “I don’t KNOW! There’s no clocktower in this town! Honestly, the mayor should have one built.”
  809. >Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes in frustration.
  810. >”Look, Twilight, you know you can trust me, right?”
  811. “Of course!”
  812. >”And you know I said it was moving REALLY slowly.”
  813. “Well, yes, but that was YOU saying it. Your definition of slow is a bit different than mine.”
  814. >”Heh, okay, you’ve got a point. But I thought you’d seen this thing up close. Shouldn’t you know how slowly it moves?”
  815. “I thought I did. But it looks like I underestimated. Or overestimated to be a bit more accurate.”
  816. >”Well, it’s almost here now. You shouldn’t have to wait much longer.”
  817. “Finally.”
  818. >”I’ll catch ya later.”
  819. “You’re leaving? Aren’t you interested in it?”
  820. >”A little, but not really. I’ll probably check in at some point, but I’m not gonna wait around!”
  821. “I thought you said you hadn’t seen it yet. Here I thought you’d be more excited to meet this thing.”
  822. >”Why would I want to hang out with a slow moving animal with a big old shell on its back? It can’t even fly!”
  823. >That was true, it didn’t match many of her interests.
  824. “Well, alright. Thanks for stopping by.”
  825. >Dash took flight, kicking up a mighty wind.
  826. >Twilight’s tally marks were quickly blown away, but she made sure to replace them.
  827. >And as surely as Dash had promised, it was only a few more minutes before she saw the thing and Fluttershy cresting a nearby slope.
  828. >Twilight, quickly trotted up to them, intent on meeting them halfway.
  829. >Or about 80% of the way.
  830. >”Hello, Twilight. I hope you weren’t waiting too long.”
  831. “Just got here a few minutes ago. So, uh, when did you leave for town?”
  832. >”We left at the same time, remember?”
  833. >Hm.
  834. >Twilight had really hoped, for Fluttershy’s sake, that they’d gone back or been delayed.
  835. >No, it was just slow.
  836. >Somehow that was really hard to get used to.
  837.  
  838. Update ready.
  839. Installing.
  840.  
  841. >”Come along this way, mister… whatever you are. We’re almost in town.”
  842. >It didn’t move.
  843. >”Oh? Is something wrong? Are you all tuckered out? It has been a mighty long day… or however many days. Maybe he does need to sleep sometimes.”
  844. “Is that how you get it to follow you?”
  845. >”Oh, yes. He’s very responsive to speech.”
  846. “Do you think it understands what we’re saying?”
  847. >”Oh most certainly. You’d be surprised how many critters can learn to understand key words. Even more can understand tone and inflection! Just because you can’t understand what they’re saying, doesn’t mean they can’t understand you. That’s why you should always- oh!”
  848.  
  849.  
  850. Update complete.
  851. Calibrating sensors.
  852. Calibrated.
  853. Acoustic anomaly detected.
  854. Investigating.
  855.  
  856. >The critter moved suddenly, albeit in its usual slow way.
  857. >The head bent back fully, then forward fully, while the eye stalk telescoped up and down.
  858. >It crouched down onto its knees before standing up again.
  859. >And its claws pinched at seemingly nothing at all.
  860. >It did all of these things at once bringing to mind a minor seizure.
  861. “What was that about?”
  862. >”I… don’t know. Was he trying to tell us something?”
  863. “Hm… he seems to be following us to town again. Maybe he was trying to say he’s excited!”
  864. >”Oh yes! Maybe he’s jumping for joy. Except not jumping, because, well…”
  865. >Yeah, he probably couldn’t jump very high.
  866. >Probably.
  867. >They couldn’t just make assumptions after all.
  868. >Assumptions like declaring it’s jumping for joy.
  869. >”Let’s keep going. See, over there is where our good friend Applejack lives. We’re not going to be going there today, since it would take too long.”
  870. >They coaxed it closer to town.
  871. >”We should go through the park. The dirt paths should been more familiar on his grabbers than cobblestone.”
  872. “Good idea. We don’t want too many new things at once after all.”
  873. >As it turned out, it wasn’t a good idea.
  874. >There were ponies in the park, and to Fluttershy’s great consternation, they immediately attracted a crowd.
  875. >”Ooooh.”
  876. >”Is that what they’ve been talking about?”
  877. >”Looks goofy!”
  878. >”Shush. I think it’s cute.”
  879. >”Is that an eye?”
  880.  
  881. Acoustic anomaly detected.
  882. Investigating.
  883.  
  884. >The creature froze mid-step and began telescoping its eye stalk a bit lower, presumably to get a good look at the ponies that had already surrounded it.
  885. >It turned its head toward Lilly and took a single step forward.
  886. >”RUN AWAY!”
  887. >Surprisingly, only Lilly panicked this time.
  888. >Much unlike the bunny stampede from a few months ago…
  889. >Twilight turned to face the crowd.
  890. “Alright everypony, please give him some space.”
  891. >Nopony moved.
  892. “Wouldn’t you feel anxious if you were new to town and suddenly you were surrounded by dozens of quizzical faces?”
  893. >”That’s exactly what happened when I moved to Ponyville.”
  894. >”Yeah! Pinkie threw me two parties. Both in my house. And without being invited…”
  895. “Yeah, that happened to me too. But be that as it may, we should respect its personal space.”
  896. >”But didn’t you once tell me we had to greet everypony who moved in as soon as possible and get up in their grill?”
  897. “That doesn’t sound like me at all!”
  898. >”And then she threw a restraining order party. In my bedroom…”
  899. >One of Pinkie’s more distant friends continued to mumble.
  900. >”And the judge showed up to the restraining order party. We actually had a great time!”
  901. “The point is we don’t want to stress him- it out. So we should all give it a little breathing room.”
  902. >None of them moved.
  903. “You’re not going to back off?”
  904. >”Why should we? They’re already gone.”
  905. “Huh?”
  906. >Sure enough, Fluttershy and the creature had moved on.
  907. >It didn’t take long to catch up.
  908. >”Oh, it’s okay. They’re not going to hurt you.”
  909. “Fluttershy! Why did you just leave me there?”
  910. >“I’m sorry, was I not supposed to? I thought you were distracting them so we could run away.”
  911. >Run.
  912. “I was trying to explain to them the importance of respecting personal space, and how crowding around a stranger like that isn’t acceptable.”
  913. >”HI THERE!”
  914. >Pinkie.
  915. >Of course she’d show up now.
  916. >And jump up on the creature’s back.
  917.  
  918. Foreign material detected on carapace.
  919. No damage detected.
  920. Potential for further fallen materials is high.
  921. Relocating for safety.
  922.  
  923. >”Ooh! He’s giving me an alien back ride! Whoopee!”
  924. “Get down from there! And… alien back?”
  925. >Pinkie grabbed the eye stalk and spun around, waving at the nearby masses.
  926. >She almost managed to topple it over.
  927. >Almost.
  928. >”Oh. Um… yes. If you wouldn’t mind maybe… getting down. If it’s not too much trouble.”
  929. >”Okie-dokie!”
  930. >Pinkie jumped down in front of it.
  931. >”Hi, friend! Did it hurt?”
  932. “Uh, yeah? It PROBABLY hurt when you jumped on him!”
  933. >”What? Oh, no, not that! Did it hurt when he fell from the heavens?”
  934. >What.
  935. “Pinkie? Are you…”
  936. >”It fell from space!”
  937. >Oh.
  938. >Well that was insane, but still a relief.
  939. “Why do you think that?”
  940. >”It makes sense doesn’t it? We have a meteor shower, one lands kinda near here, and then this guy shows up!”
  941. “Uhh, sure. But meteor showers happen all the time, hay, this one’s annual! Isn’t it WAY more likely that it came from somewhere around here?”
  942. >”Like where?”
  943. >Had somepony else said it, it might have come across as confrontational.
  944. >The sweetness and joy in Pinkie’s voice precluded any chance of that, she was genuinely asking.
  945. “Well, maybe the ocean? We know almost nothing about what happens at the bottom of the sea, or in the colder parts. Hay, look at it! It even has fins! Kinda…”
  946. >”That’s silly. If it came from the ocean, it would be wet!”
  947. >Twilight had no clue how to respond to that.
  948. >”Where do you think he came from, Fluttershy?”
  949. >”I’m not sure, but it’s probably somewhere very far away. I wonder why he came here? Do you think he’s lost?”
  950. “Oh my gosh, I didn’t even think of that. We should try to get him home! Which is, uh…”
  951. >She had no clue.
  952. >Fluttershy was probably right about it being from somewhere far away, given how different it was from all known life, not to mention that even Princess Celestia didn’t know what it was.
  953. >How had it gotten here?
  954. >Did it just walk aimlessly like a wanderer until it happened upon Fluttershy?
  955. >Did this roamer, this nomad, even have a place it called home?
  956. “Well, I guess Ponyville is their home until we can find out where they came from.”
  957. >”Spaaaaaaaace.”
  958. “OR! Or maybe from the poles! Or the Addax desert! Nopony even knows how big that place is, there could be all sorts of weird critters in there!”
  959. >The creature kept moving into town as they argued
  960. >Only to stop dead in its tracks.
  961.  
  962. Extreme winds detected.
  963. Adopting protective stance.
  964.  
  965. >Rainbow Dash landed right nearby, landing at an unsettling speed.
  966. >The creature fell to the ground with what could reasonably be called haste, legs tucked in beneath its body.
  967. >It bent its neck down and covered the weird indentation on its back using its head.
  968. >And it retracted its eye stalk nearly all the way into its body.
  969. >”Hey everypony. Is it okay?”
  970. “I’m not sure. Is it cowering?”
  971. >Fluttershy stood between herself and Rainbow Dash, and spread her wings protectively.
  972. >”Rainbow Dash!”
  973. >”Oh geez, did I mess up?”
  974. >”I’m sorry, but yes! A little at least! You saw how slowly our friend here walks.”
  975. >”It was walking? I thought it was standing still.”
  976. >”Exactly. Now think about how quickly you came in.”
  977. >”Like, REALLY fast.”
  978. >”Like a hawk.”
  979. >”It was awesome! Oh, wait, are you trying to say it’s scared of me?”
  980. >Everypony nodded, including the ponies in the background.
  981. >”Huh. I, uh, I better go. Give it some space, y’know? Sorry everypony! I’ll come on hoof next time!”
  982. >Rainbow Dash flew away, kicking up a nasty and unexpected wind once more.
  983.  
  984.  
  985. VAGABOND 5: NO SIGNAL
  986.  
  987. VAGABOND 6:
  988.  
  989. Many acoustic anomalies have been detected within audible range. Seismic sensors preclude tectonic activity, and the characteristics of these anomalies are inconsistent with the sounds made by wind. Falling debris was also detected with no clear cause. Further, an unidentified flying object was detected, which was associated with extreme and sudden winds consistent with a known hazard. It is possible, though unlikely, that all of these are the result of faulty sensors. Analysis of these anomalies has proven inconclusive, and may require human input.
  990.  
  991. Signal interference is expected, and checksums on most packets are expected to fail. Transmission protocols currently involve sending multiple copies of every file with every transmission. Any packets that fail checksum can be replaced by intact packets from future transmissions.
  992.  
  993. Current fidelity: poor
  994.  
  995.  
  996. VAGABOND 7:
  997.  
  998. Further analysis confirms that Tau Ceti F-5 is an iceberg of continental size. Vast formations extend well beyond sensor range in all directions, making an immense and intricate web of ice tubes. These ice formations are unusually clear compared to nearby waters, resulting in them appearing as a negative space within their medium when observed through the visible spectrum. Exploration must be conducted with extreme caution as the underside of Tau Ceti F-5 is labyrinthine and highly homogenous. Further, the depth of the water is sufficient that any exploratory vehicles will lose contact with Bucephalus during their expeditions. If this pattern continues, navigation to the center of this structure will require more RAM than is equipped on Vagabond general purpose probes. It is expected that this pattern will discontinue and resolve as impenetrable ice, the depths of this structure will not be investigated due to the high risk of vehicle loss.
  999. Though exterior analysis is still in its early stages, much has already been discovered. Traces of oxygen and nitrogen gas are escaping from below the surface through these ice structures. Further, the ice itself contains much lower levels of solute than the rest of the ocean. Investigation is ongoing, however this structure seems to imply that Tau Ceti F may have once been a frozen planet. It is likely that Tau Ceti F-5 is a remnant from an era before the planet was warm enough to maintain liquid water on its surface. It is speculated that as temperatures rose and ice turned into ocean, rainfall patterns slowly increased the concentration of solutes in the water, but the ancient ice of Tau Ceti F-5 remained in its purer state.
  1000. The escaping gasses serve as a refrigerant and delay, but do not halt, the melting of Tau Ceti F-5. It is possible that careful analysis of Tau Ceti F-5’s melting patterns and gas emissions would reveal much about the history of the planet. Thorough analysis could determine whether or not the planet was indeed once frozen, and potentially even provide a good estimation of when temperatures began to exceed zero. However, with no assurance that gas emissions are consistent any calculations would be of dubious value. It is yet unknown where these gasses are issuing from, nor why they are of such high purity.
  1001.  
  1002.  
  1003.  
  1004. Vagabond 6 continues to generate reports and files that are inconsistent with projections and cannot be properly assessed by onboard AI. Human input is necessary.
  1005. Transmitting human instructions…
  1006.  
  1007. The following should be available in local databases, and is being provided by Bucephalus in case of massive data loss on Earth. Please refer to local files, if available, for the most up to date instruction.
  1008.  
  1009. The Chiron missions taught us much about interstellar missions. Nothing on such a scale had ever been attempted before, and it was expected that unforeseen complications would frustrate our mission. For the experience we now have vastly improved methods of communicating with distant spacecraft, and better methods of orbital construction, facilitating larger spacecraft and more complex spacecraft. Despite our advancements there is still plenty of opportunity for mission failure, and no shortage of systems that lack proper field testing. At the time of launch, Chiron was still a few light years from reaching Alpha Centauri, with nearly 20 years of travel time remaining. All aspects of the mission that were to be executed after arrival to the system have yet to be tested, and so we are still woefully inexperienced in the construction of interstellar probes. Software updates are possible and we plan on revising AI scripts and more over the next few centuries, however there is no chance of any hardware changes. It is not only possible but likely that some systems will fail or fall short due to what will seem like obvious problems. Problems that, to us in the past, may have been completely unforeseeable. It now falls to you to make the best of our obsolete tools and flawed plans.
  1010.  
  1011. Einar Rasmussen, dept. of engineering
  1012.  
  1013.  
  1014. >The tour of Ponyville progressed surprisingly smoothly.
  1015. >Of course, everypony wanted to see the critter which Twilight had expected would slow things dramatically.
  1016. >But the weird crab thing usually didn’t even break its stride when it met a new pony.
  1017. >It would, however, adjust its eye stalk and sometimes its head.
  1018. >Twilight took a moment to marvel at the glossy black orb on its back, and couldn’t help but feel a bit of envy.
  1019. >It could see in nearly every conceivable direction at once!
  1020. >She could scarcely even imagine living with such a field of view.
  1021. >Could it meaningfully interpret that much visual information at once?
  1022. >Or would it simply be overwhelming, like trying to listen to a hundred conversations at once?
  1023. >Maybe it had relatively poor visual acuity and could only see the most basic details.
  1024. >Or perhaps it was particularly adept at focusing on key information, like movement!
  1025. “I REALLY wish I could ask our friend here some questions.”
  1026. >Both Pinkie and Fluttershy seemed to share her sentiments.
  1027. >Though Twilight couldn’t help but suspect that the desired questions might vary slightly from pony to pony.
  1028. >Without communicating, the only way to learn more about this thing was to observe it.
  1029. >And because of Fluttershy’s rules, Twilight could only do that passively.
  1030. >She would have loved to probe it with her calipers and straight edges, figure out what it weighed and all that.
  1031. >Another cluster of ponies was approaching to get better acquainted.
  1032. >This had happened enough times that Twilight and Fluttershy had a plan.
  1033. “Form up.”
  1034. >Twilight and Fluttershy moved beside it at a respectable distance to make sure nopony could get too close.
  1035. >Meanwhile, Pinkie would do the bulk of the work.
  1036. >”Oh, hi there everypony! Cheerilee, I haven’t seen you in hours!”
  1037. >She broke off from the group and got real close to the others to greet them, keeping them well away from the visitor.
  1038. “So, uh, Fluttershy? Do you think Pinkie is doing this on purpose?”
  1039. >”I’m pretty sure that’s just how she is.”
  1040. “Should we tell her that she’s part of a plan or something?”
  1041. >”Oh, maybe? It does feel a little wrong to use her as a distraction like that, even though I don’t think she minds.”
  1042. >The critter adjusted its eye stalk again.
  1043. >Without proper measurement, Twilight couldn’t be certain what was and wasn’t in its field of view.
  1044. >But a rough guess suggested it was trying to get a better view of Sugarcube Corner, or one of the other nearby buildings.
  1045. >It certainly seemed to be lively today!
  1046. >Well, “lively” may be a bit hyperbolic.
  1047. >Even so, it was a good sign.
  1048. >Maybe it was recovering!
  1049. “Say, didn’t you say earlier it was hurt?”
  1050. >”Oh yes. The poor thing. Haven’t you noticed yet?”
  1051. “Uhh…”
  1052. >Fluttershy gestured to the “knee” joint of its left middle leg.
  1053. >Or maybe it would be more accurate to call it an ankle?
  1054. >A bandage had been carefully applied.
  1055. “Well now I just feel silly. What was wrong?”
  1056. >”It wasn’t moving. Still isn’t…”
  1057. >Even after being told that, Twilight couldn’t tell.
  1058. >None of the knee/ankle joints moved much as it walked.
  1059. >It wasn’t until she looked BEHIND the creature that she noticed.
  1060. >One of its claws was dragging slightly, scratching a faint trail whenever the cobble streets were just a bit too uneven.
  1061. “Wow. You’re really quite perceptive! Should we be walking him around town?”
  1062. >”I had the same worry. But he seems to wander a lot no matter what we’re doing, so he might as well see the town while he’s doing it.”
  1063. “Wanders around a lot, eh? Maybe we should call him Rover.”
  1064. >”Oh, that’s a good idea. I had been thinking he needs a name. But… there’s a dog in town named Rover and I wouldn’t want to take his name away. He’s such a good boy after all. Do you know any other names that mean something similar?”
  1065. ”Yes, actually. I’ve been reading up on the Yakutians- err, a Northern state from before Unification, and they had a name that literally meant wayfarer or traveller.”
  1066. >”Oh? Is it hard to say?”
  1067. “Not really. Sputnik, long U.”
  1068. >They heard Pinkie returning before they saw her.
  1069. >”Ooh! Ooh! I’ve got a good one! He was a falling star, right?”
  1070. >”I’m not so sure about that…”
  1071. “No.”
  1072. >”And stars are bright! That and everypony seems to know about him already, so he’s kinda famous.”
  1073. >That was true enough.
  1074. >”So how about Brightfame?”
  1075. “That doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue.”
  1076. >”Hehehe, oh Twilight you’re so silly. Not in Equestrian! In Germane! Hrode Bert!”
  1077. “I didn’t know you spoke archaic Germane.”
  1078. >”Oh, nonono. I don’t. But my fifth cousin has a FRIEND whose pet chinchilla is named Robert, so I wanted to know where the name came from! Good ol’ Rob.”
  1079. >Twilight wasn’t quite convinced about that line of reasoning.
  1080. “It’ll never catch on.”
  1081. >The three living things and one unliving thing fell silent for a brief while.
  1082. >What should have been silence, a hushed noise carried itself clearly.
  1083. “What do you think it is?”
  1084. >”Is it a-”
  1085. “No, Pinkie, I don’t think it’s a party.”
  1086. >”I wasn’t going to say that. It doesn’t sound happy enough to be a party. I think it might be an argument! I have to help them!”
  1087. >Pinkie ran forward, kicking up an impressive dust cloud.
  1088. >Which was strange, given they weren’t on a dirt road.
  1089. “What-”
  1090. *cough cough*
  1091. “What should we do? Should we follow her?”
  1092. >”I don’t know… it sounds mighty scary. I’d hate for our new friend to get hurt! But I’d also hate for our old friend to get hurt…”
  1093. “Hm. You stay with him, I’ll go catch up with her.”
  1094. >At first, Twilight wasn’t sure what Pinkie was talking about.
  1095. >There was noise, but she couldn’t make anything out.
  1096. >How could Pinkie be so sure it was an argument?
  1097. >But as she approached she began to understand.
  1098. >They were still too far away for Twilight to clearly hear what was going on, but there was a hostile tone to the noise.
  1099. >As she approached the sound quickly resolved into not simply an argument, but a protest.
  1100. >She rounded a corner to find a small crowd assembled before city hall.
  1101. >The ponies didn’t seem to be aware of her presence, indeed they were quite fixated in what must have been righteous indignation!
  1102. >Each and every pony present in the assembled mass was loudly proclaiming their individual grievances, and some had even begun to chant their demands.
  1103. >Including Pinkie.
  1104. >Unfortunately, the two dozen or so ponies had not coordinated their approach whatsoever, resulting in a meaningless cacophony.
  1105. >Twilight approached the least angry pony she could find.
  1106. “Pinkie? What’s going on?”
  1107. >”I DON’T KNOW!”
  1108. “Then why are you yelling?”
  1109. >”BECAUSE EVERYPONY ELSE IS AND I DON’T WANT TO BE LEFT OUT!”
  1110. >That was actually a pretty good answer!
  1111. >But if Pinkie didn’t know what was happening, she’d have to find somepony else.
  1112. >Somepony like…
  1113. >Lyra Heartstrings?
  1114. >Twilight wasn’t sure she wanted to talk to her.
  1115. >She hadn’t exactly treated Lyra very well back in Canterlot.
  1116. >Would this be a happy reunion?
  1117. >Or would it be-
  1118. >”Oh, hi Twilight!”
  1119. “Lyra! I didn’t know you were in Ponyville.”
  1120. >”You didn’t? I’ve lived here longer than you have.”
  1121. “Seriously? I had no clue!”
  1122. >”So that’s why you never visit…”
  1123. “So what are you angry about?”
  1124. >”Well, Bonny says that there’s a dangerous monster in Ponyville!”
  1125. >Could she mean…
  1126. >Surely not. It was harmless!
  1127. >”I came here to make sure the mayor did something about it before my house gets eaten again!”
  1128. “Ooh! Is this political activism? I’ve never actually seen that before!”
  1129. >”I think so! Honestly it seems like a really clumsy way to handle things.”
  1130. “Well, YEAH! Can you imagine them having all these elections all the time?”
  1131. >”Right? It seems like a lot of trouble just to elect the same mayor every time.”
  1132. “Yeah, and nopony’s happy with the results! I’ve never seen anything like this in Canterlot!”
  1133. >”Neither have I. There’s nothing to protest in Canterlot!”
  1134. “I know! Princess Celestia always just fixes everything.”
  1135. >”Say, it’s kinda hard to talk in this noise! Wanna meet up tomorrow at Sugarcube corner to catch up?”
  1136. “Sure! When?”
  1137. >”2:30?”
  1138. >A clearly defined timeline!
  1139. >Twilight was nearly crying for joy.
  1140. “I’ll see you there!”
  1141. >Twilight stepped back, heart racing.
  1142. >She could hardly believe it.
  1143. >Lyra wasn’t bitter!
  1144. >Relieved of a burden she didn’t even know she was carrying, Twilight approached another pony.
  1145. >No, not him.
  1146. >She didn’t know his name, and it might be awkward.
  1147. >How about…
  1148. >Davenport!
  1149. >Twilight Sparkle could never forget a name as bizarre as Davenport!
  1150. “Hi Davenport. What’s wrong?”
  1151. >”The mayor denied my application to build a second story on Quills and Sofas!”
  1152. “Really? You need her permission? Isn’t it your property?”
  1153. >”I thought so too, but APPARENTLY not!”
  1154. “That’s terrible! So there’s more than one issue…”
  1155. >Twilight backed off to find somepony else to talk to.
  1156. >And saw Fluttershy out of the corner of her eye.
  1157. “The creature!”
  1158. >The creature rounded the corner not long after.
  1159. >Twilight ran back up to Fluttershy.
  1160. “Why did you come here?”
  1161. >”Because he wanted to. What’s happening? It looks bad…”
  1162. “I think everypony’s mad at the mayor!”
  1163. >The critter was going to walk right into a protest!
  1164. >Twilight had to do something!
  1165. “So… creature. As you can see this is city hall. Let’s just back away slowly…”
  1166. >The creature, of course, did not heed Twilight’s words.
  1167. >She stood in front of it, trying to block its path.
  1168. >It didn’t break its stride, instead moving around her with surprising fluidity.
  1169.  
  1170. Approaching acoustic anomaly.
  1171.  
  1172.  
  1173. “No, don’t- augh!”
  1174. >It was walking right into the heart of the crowd.
  1175. >The clamour ceased immediately.
  1176. “Uh… hi everypony! This is-”
  1177. >”His name is Rob and he’s super fun!”
  1178. >Ugh.
  1179. “Thanks, Pinkie. Princess-”
  1180. >”You’re welcome Twilight! Well, maybe he’s not SUPER fun. Actually he’s kinda boring. But we all have to do our very best to make sure our new friend feels at home!”
  1181. >The door to city hall creaked open, and out stepped the current Mayor, Ms. Mayor Mare.
  1182. >”I already TOLD you all this was an illegal assembly! If any of you actually want to discuss a decision, my office hours are from… is that the weird new creature I’ve heard about?”
  1183. >Fluttershy beamed at the mayor, thrilled at the opportunity to show off her new discovery.
  1184. >”Fluttershy, we’ve TALKED about this. I’m going to have to fine you.”
  1185. >”But- but- okay…”
  1186. *Sniff*
  1187. “Excuse me Mayor! What did Fluttershy do wrong?”
  1188. >”After LAST time we pushed through a bylaw restricting ponies from bringing strange creatures into town.”
  1189. “Oh, that. I have a letter from Princess Celestia that should clear this up.”
  1190. >”Bring it here.”
  1191. “Oh, well, it’s at home.”
  1192. >The mayor removed her glasses and polished them against her collar.
  1193.  
  1194. Optical anomaly detected
  1195. Investigating
  1196.  
  1197.  
  1198. >”Okay. Bring it to me tomorrow and I’ll waive the fine.”
  1199. “You hear that Fluttershy? It’s okay.”
  1200. >”Mmhmm…”
  1201. >She didn’t look too happy.
  1202. >Nopony did.
  1203. >The creature was slowly approaching the mayor.
  1204. “You know, Miss mayor, there seem to be an awful lot of ponies here who are dissatisfied.”
  1205. >”I had noticed.”
  1206. “So… are you going to do anything about it?”
  1207. >”I might just start handing out fines if they don’t disperse. I keep telling you, this is an ILLEGAL ASSEMBLY. If you want to talk to me, you can come by ONE AT A TIME during regular office hours!”
  1208. >”Hay! You can’t just ban us from being in public!”
  1209. >Twilight wasn’t sure who had said that.
  1210. >But she agreed.
  1211. >The mayor produced a scroll and read it with a dry monotonous tone.
  1212. >”I thought somepony might say that, so I came prepared. C-46, regulation 63-B. An unlawful assembly is an assembly of three or more ponies who, with intent to carry out any common purpose, assemble in such a manner or so conduct themselves when they are assembled as to cause ponies in the neighbourhood of the assembly to fear, on reasonable grounds, that they will by that assembly needlessly and without reasonable cause disturb the peace tumultuously.”
  1213. >There was no denying that there had been some tumult.
  1214. “These ponies came here because they’ve got serious concerns about how Ponyville is run! Are you seriously just going to steal their bits?”
  1215. >”If they continue to violate the law? Yes. It’s either that or imprison them; I don’t have many tools at my disposal.”
  1216. >The creature walked right up to the mayor and raised its head to match hers.
  1217. >It then took a half step forward, shovings its blocky head right in her face.
  1218. >”What is-”
  1219. >The mayor took a step backward.
  1220. >The creature matched her step without delay.
  1221. >It might move slowly, but its reaction time was impressive!
  1222. >Twilight made a quick mental note of that.
  1223. >”What is this thing doing? Get it out of my face.”
  1224. >Fluttershy sniffled, but still found the courage to speak.
  1225. >”I think it might be signalling dominance.”
  1226. >”Explain!”
  1227. >”Well, social creatures tend to have hierarchy. And, um, it seems to be saying it outranks you.”
  1228. >”OUTRANKS me?”
  1229. >”Yes. It’s saying it’s in charge and you aren’t.”
  1230.  
  1231. Anomaly identified
  1232. Silicon oxide complex of exceptional clarity, shaped as a lens
  1233. Trace ozone imbedded within the structure suggest it was initially molten by a lightning strike
  1234. How it assumed this exact shape is unknown
  1235.  
  1236. >The mayor took yet another step back.
  1237. >The creature didn’t pursue her this time.
  1238. >Instead it turned to the doors of city hall, seemingly intending to enter.
  1239. >The gears between Twilight’s ears were turning…
  1240. “So you’re all unhappy with the mayor, right?”
  1241. >Everypony nodded, except for the mayor herself.
  1242. >Even Pinkie and Fluttershy joined in.
  1243. >The mayor glared daggers at the crowd.
  1244. >”I see that my hard work is duly appreciated then. It’s not an easy job you know.”
  1245. “You know, Miss Mayor, the ponies will have their grievances heard one way or another.”
  1246. >”Was that a THREAT?”
  1247. “You’re not going to be the mayor forever. In fact, I reckon you’ve only got a few weeks left at this rate.”
  1248. >”Twilight, you’re not the first person to say that. I understand, some ponies are upset. There were competing interests, and somepony had to lose out. That’s how democracy works. The fact of the matter is that it’s an ugly job, and nopony else wants to do it.”
  1249. “Oh. I can think of someone who’ll do it.”
  1250. >The mayor scoffed.
  1251. >”Who would vote for YOU? You’re socially inept and have no real world experience! You could never be a ruler!”
  1252. >It would have hurt less if it weren’t true.
  1253. >”Face it, Twilight, it’s not happening. I’ve had this job since you were a foal, and nopony has ever challenged my authority.”
  1254. “Are you sure? Because I’m pretty sure something just did!”
  1255. >Twilight gestured indoors at the creature.
  1256. >She just got a sea of confused glances from the protestors.
  1257. >And a derisive smirk from the mayor.
  1258. “Think about it! It says it’s in charge, and everypony wants change, right? Not to mention I’m supposed to let him know he’s welcome here… If he were the MAYOR, Ponyville gets the change it needs, the critter gets the authority it wants, and I complete my assignment. Everypony wins!”
  1259. >Giggles were slowly starting to percolate from the crowd.
  1260. >Some found the courage to laugh without restraint.
  1261. >Pinkie chuckled.
  1262. >”I don’t know why they’re laughing, but it’s infectious!”
  1263. >Her laughter seemed to carry with it genuine mirth, and soon the entire crowd had joined in, brought to stitches by Pinkie’s exuberance.
  1264. >But the one who was laughing loudest of all was the mayor.
  1265. >Twilight tried to hide her face, unable to face the humiliation of their mockery.
  1266. “Come on, Fluttershy. Let’s get it out of here.”
  1267. >”Okay. Um… do you really think that ponies would vote for him?”
  1268. “Oh, it’s happening.”
  1269. >The mayor pointed directly at Twilight before collapsing under the strain of her own guffaws.
  1270. “It’s going to be a landslide.”
  1271.  
  1272. Vagabond 5: OFFLINE
  1273. Vagabond 6: uplink established.
  1274. Processing data…
  1275.  
  1276. Despite being by far the largest rocky planet ever discovered, surface gravity of Tau Ceti F is only slightly higher than on Earth. The greater radius mitigates the bulk of the difference, while the greater tangential velocity provides a modest centrifuge effect, negating a bit more gravitational force. Still, equatorial gravity is lower than expected, being merely 1.02 times Earth’s gravity. Orbital instruments measured a mass of 4.1 times Earth’s gravity, but after factoring in the difference in radius and the rapid rotation, local gravity would suggest Tau Ceti F has a mass 3.8 times greater than Earth. This would seem to indicate a non-homogeneous composition, with a great abundance of heavy elements elsewhere on the planet. These locations may prove to be a gravitational hazard, but the environment around Vagabond 6 is extremely hospitable to known life. Being distant from the local star and having such a dense atmosphere has resulted in a low light environment wherein direct sun exposure would be comparable to full shade on Earth, which would preclude some vegetation while allowing other plants normally restricted to niche environments to dominate. Further, the dense atmosphere and relatively low solar input result in extremely low thermal fluctuation. Winters are warm, summers cool, and the thermal differences between day and night would be nearly imperceptible to humans. Though there is yet insufficient information to definitively establish an upper or lower bounds to local temperatures, it is unlikely that any part of Tau Ceti F could sustain temperatures above 40c or below -45c. Predictive models suggest that the area around Vagabond 6 would have an even milder range, bound between -10c and 30c. In this regard, parts of Tau Ceti F might be considered more hospitable to known life than Earth, and it is likely that humans could establish a permanent presence without genetic modification or persistent life support.
  1277.  
  1278. Vagabond 7: online
  1279.  
  1280.  
  1281.  
  1282. Vagabond 5 uplink established.
  1283. Analysing data…
  1284. ERROR DETECTED
  1285. Running Vagabond 5 diagnostics… OKAY
  1286. Running Bucephalus diagnostics… OKAY
  1287. ERROR PERSISTS
  1288. Generating report…
  1289.  
  1290.  
  1291. Despite having been declared destroyed approximately 36 hours ago, Vagabond 5 is reporting as fully functional. Internal clocks have measured that a mere 853 seconds have passed since contact was lost. Further, instrument readings are only able to offer 853 seconds worth of data, including video footage. Vagabond 5’s clock is running properly, as is Bucephalus’ clock. Time signatures from all other vehicles are consistent with Bucephalus’ clock, suggesting that somehow Vagabond 5 has lost a day and a half despite all systems seemingly functioning as intended.
  1292. There exists a sharp discontinuity in video footage wherein Vagabond 5’s orientation is dramatically different from one frame to the next. It seems as though Vagabond 5 went offline unexpectedly, was moved by some external force, and then resumed normal function.
  1293. However, no indications of expected nor unexpected shutdowns exist in system logs.
  1294. Further, the RTC should have continued advancing even in the case of a total shutdown. Bucephalus cannot identify the cause of this anomaly.
  1295. Video data from Vagabond 5 indicates that Tau Ceti F-2 is not in fact a crater, but a plateau. Beyond the mountainous ridges lies an enormous field of metal, more specifically oxidised aluminium, covered in a black substance of unidentifiable composition. Deep fissures are scattered along the surface of the plane, marked by outward facing jagged edges. It is likely that something erupted from these fissures in the distant past. Wave patterns are frozen into the metallic plane as though it were once an ocean of metals which were subjected to tidal forces and local weather patterns. Analysis of the waves suggest that when it was formed, winds in the area were even stronger than at present, and that cooling was quite rapid.
  1296. Local gravitation is far greater than other readings on Tau Ceti F, reaching a hazardous 1.7 times Earth’s gravity. The low specific gravity of aluminium compared to the density of the region suggests that there exist heavier elements below the surface of Tau Ceti F-2 such as lead and uranium.
  1297. How Tau Ceti F-2 was formed is unknown. However, the formation of a crater and history as a molten body suggest it might be the product of an extraplanetary collision several million years ago.
  1298. There is yet insufficient data to determine what collided with Tau Ceti F, though the fact that the aluminium is not in the form of bauxite or other such minerals indicate it may have been artificial in origin.
  1299.  
  1300. >Twilight Sparkle was reading in the park.
  1301. >It was an unusual change of pace for her to be outdoors for her studying; she’d traditionally locked herself away in the library or in her bedroom.
  1302. >But this outside thing was starting to grow on her.
  1303. >If one wanted peace in Canterlot there were only so many options.
  1304. >But in Ponyville, it was quite easy to find a quiet corner in which one could focus on their studies.
  1305. >She sat upon a bench positioned near the river, enjoying the white noise of the gentle stream and absorbing the natural daylight.
  1306. >Reading by sunlight was wildly different from the candlelight to which she had grown accustomed.
  1307. >While it at times proved necessary to reposition her head so as to avoid blocking the light, it was nice to have the mellow and soft illumination offered by the sun rather than the harsh and blinding light of a candle.
  1308. >She wasn’t about to abandon her sanctum for the wild of course, but on a bright sunny summer day with no winds scheduled it was actually quite pleasant.
  1309. >”Twilight? We need to talk.”
  1310. >Perhaps there were a few drawbacks she hadn’t considered.
  1311. >Focus thoroughly shattered, Twilight put the book aside.
  1312. “Hello, Applejack.”
  1313. >Twilight looked up at her friend.
  1314. >She was thoroughly covered in sweat, mane and tail matted and filthy from what must have been some strenuous labour.
  1315. >Applejack sat on the ground with a groan, her muscles seemingly giving out just a bit too early for a soft landing.
  1316. “Are you okay?”
  1317. >”Just a tad overworked. Gotta water the crops manually these days on account of the plumbing. Takes a lot of time and hard work.”
  1318. “There’s something wrong with your plumbing?”
  1319. >”Naw, it works fine! But the mayor won’t let me use it anyhow.”
  1320. >The mayor, yet again.
  1321. >”And, well, rumour has it y’all are running for office. Figured I might as well ask a favour.”
  1322. “I’m not running for mayor though.”
  1323. >”You ain’t?”
  1324. “Nope. Fluttershy’s new critter is.”
  1325. >”Rob? You sure?”
  1326. “You’re calling him Rob?”
  1327. >”Half the town is.”
  1328. “Huh. I didn’t think Pinkie’s name would catch on.”
  1329. >”That name was Pinkie’s idea? No fightin’ it then, ponies two towns over will know that name by the end of the day.”
  1330. “Yeah, she does have a lot of connections doesn’t she?”
  1331. >Potentially useful connections…
  1332. >”Well, guess I gotta replace the pipes like the mayor asked then. Gonna cost a bunch of bits we don’t have, but that’s life.”
  1333. “Why? I’m sure the critter- err, Rob won’t mind if you have old pipes.”
  1334. >”That’s great and all, but he ain’t making the rules.”
  1335. “He will when he’s mayor.”
  1336. >Applejack chuckled.
  1337. >It was an innocent laugh, one completely devoid of malice or even mockery.
  1338. >And yet Twilight couldn’t help but feel attacked.
  1339. >The raucous mockery Twilight had been subjected to at city hall just yesterday came to mind…
  1340. >Twilight grit her teeth, took a deep breath, and forced a smile on her face.
  1341. >Applejack wasn’t mocking her.
  1342. >She was just laughing.
  1343. “You don’t think he’s going to win?”
  1344. >”Who in their right mind would vote for a critter that we know nothing about that has no platform, no policies, no history- shoot, I heard that thing can’t even talk!”
  1345. “Yeah, I’ve got a bit of work ahead of me.”
  1346. >”Wait, you? You’re helping Rob out with this stuff?”
  1347. “Yep. I’ve got books to help with it too, so I think we’ve got a pretty good shot at this.”
  1348. >Twilight gestured to the book she had set aside.
  1349. >It was a fairly thin hard covered piece.
  1350. >It was in excellent shape for its age, nearly pristine aside from the age bleached bindings.
  1351. >”The Mayor, by Marechiavelli?”
  1352. “It’s a guidebook for how to seize and maintain power in a democratic environment. But it might actually be a critique of the office itself? I’m not actually sure… either way it gives a pretty clear roadmap to office. Can we count on your vote?”
  1353. >”Not a chance.”
  1354. “Really? You didn’t sound too keen on the mayor a moment ago.”
  1355. >”I ain't. But she’s the nightmare we know.”
  1356. >Twilight knew exactly what she had to do here.
  1357. >The book had told her how to sway Applejack’s opinion in a hurry.
  1358. >But…
  1359. >It felt wrong.
  1360. >Something about that strategy seemed repulsive to her.
  1361. >Some primal instinct, bred into her blood by innumerable generations of social pressure and the need to avoid conflict had kicked in and informed her that it was wrong to do as the book had instructed.
  1362. >But more importantly, it conflicted with what princess Celestia had taught her.
  1363. >And yet, this was a well respected tome of historical significance.
  1364. >She must have misunderstood something.
  1365. >Twilight picked up the book and opened it to the first page, intent on discovering what she had overlooked.
  1366. >”You sure this is a good idea? I mean, do we know this thing will make a good mayor?”
  1367. “I-”
  1368. >To admit fault is to invite attack.
  1369. >A cunning mayor shall at all times seek to illuminate the failings of the opposition, and in doing so cloak their own limits.
  1370. “We know the current mayor is no good.”
  1371. >”That doesn’t really answer the question.”
  1372. “I’m saying we don’t really have much to lose. Maybe it’s time for a change.”
  1373. >”I suppose not. Why are you so insistent on making it mayor anyhow?”
  1374. “Princess Celestia told me to.”
  1375. >Applejack raised a single brow.
  1376. >Somehow this mere look was at once an accusation and an inquisition, an aggressive gaze seemed to pierce into her very soul.
  1377. >”The princess told you to make this thing our mayor.”
  1378. “Well, not in so many words.”
  1379. >”What DID she say?”
  1380. “I’m supposed to make him feel welcome and safe.”
  1381. >”Aaand your interpretation of that is… mayor?”
  1382. “I know it sounds silly, but he wants to be in charge. Fluttershy said so.”
  1383. >”Well, if Fluttershy said it I’ll believe her. Still, don’t it sound a bit strange? You got this outsider just showing up outta nowhere, and askin’ to be mayor?”
  1384. “From the sounds of it, anyone asking to be mayor is strange.”
  1385. >”I suppose that’s fair, but what makes you think we can trust this thing?”
  1386. >As trust is more readily lost than earned, it is more productive to undermine than to foster. The mayor would thus assume that any rapport would be destroyed by their rival, and focus their efforts on-
  1387. >Applejack closed the book and pushed it aside.
  1388. >”I don’t wanna know what the book thinks, I’m asking YOU, Twilight. Do you think this thing can be trusted?”
  1389. “We have no reason to distrust it. The mayor, on the other hoof-”
  1390. >”Stop thinking in terms of that dang book for just a minute! Why do you think it can be trusted?”
  1391. “Princess Celestia said-”
  1392. >”Did I ask the princess?”
  1393. “Um…”
  1394. >”I asked YOU, Twilight. Do you think this thing can be trusted?”
  1395. >Twilight felt a terrible and unwelcome rush.
  1396. >It wasn’t the rush one might feel from canoeing or playing a sport, but rather the sensation of horrific anxiety and doubt.
  1397. >Her stomach felt overfull, her heart seemed to pound behind her eyes, a tight band formed around her barrel and her breath caught in her throat.
  1398. >Applejack wanted…
  1399. >She wanted Twilight’s opinion?
  1400. >Not hard facts that could be demonstrated empirically?
  1401. >Not the input of an expert or authority figure?
  1402. >Twilight Sparkle’s opinion?
  1403. >She couldn’t study for this problem, she couldn’t seek help, there was no reference material-
  1404. >Just Twilight Sparkle’s opinion.
  1405. “I…”
  1406. >”You don’t know.”
  1407. “I have no reason to doubt his intentions, and authorities on the issue seem to think he’s harmless.”
  1408. >”Well, that’s not quite what I was looking for, but I suppose it’s somethin’. Guess I’ll let you get back to your book. You’ve got a lot of work to do by the end of the week.”
  1409. “By the- the election’s that soon?
  1410. >”Yup.”
  1411. >Twilight picked up the book and scrambled to her hooves.
  1412. “I’ll see you later, I need to get moving!”
  1413. >She had to put up posters, do leafleting, come up with slogans and promises, make speeches-
  1414. >There was way too much to do and no time to do it!
  1415. "Why does this have to be the ONE THING in Ponyville with a timeline?"
  1416.  
  1417. Vagabond 5: ONLINE
  1418. Vagabond 5: ONLINE [sic]
  1419. Vagabond 6: ONLINE
  1420. Vagabond 7: ONLINE
  1421.  
  1422. Tau Ceti F-2 defies all geological models.
  1423. Bucephalus is not equipped to interpret this information.
  1424. Human analysis required.
  1425. Transmitting documentation...
  1426.  
  1427. The following has been provided in case of data loss on Earth. Please consult local files if available for the most up to date information.
  1428.  
  1429. The Bucephalus mission was unprecedented in terms of ambition and sophistication when it was launched. Only the Chiron mission came close to matching Bucephalus, and many of the challenges posed by probing Alpha Centauri seem trivial in comparison to probing Tau Ceti. We have taken extraordinary precautions to ensure the success of these missions, but were forced to work with tools that will hopefully seem primitive by your standards. The ingenuity of our people is expected to result in numerous breakthroughs across several fields over the centuries in which Bucephalus will be in transit. Since it will likely be difficult for younger generations to comprehend just how primitive Bucephalus is, we ask that you familiarise yourself with your tools before working with the data.
  1430.  
  1431. Bucephalus is a 86434 kilogram solar powered vessel. It serves as a “mothership” for the Bucephalus mission, carrying smaller independent vehicles and satellites to be deployed as well as serving as the central processing hub and a means of contacting Earth. Though not totally devoid of instrumentation, Bucephalus itself will only be able to provide basic data.
  1432. Satellites orbiting sol were positioned to focus an array of lasers upon Bucephalus to impart momentum. These satellites, or “solar rails” as they have been dubbed, were expected to be effective up to one light year before becoming insufficiently precise to continue accelerating Bucephalus. Upon approaching Tau Ceti, Bucephalus will begin broadcasting a greeting. The exact contents of this greeting are classified, however it is a matter of public record that they have been designed to be easy to interpret by any technologically sophisticated civilization, and they contain within them instructions on how to destroy Bucephalus. Should any alien civilization respond to the greeting with the correct input, Bucephalus will relay the signal to Earth before detonating a 5 megaton nuclear device, safely vaporising it and its cargo. Though this may appear excessive, Bucephalus could easily be interpreted as a weapon or a precursor to an invasion. If there are any intelligent beings in Tau Ceti it is imperative that we grant them the tools to ensure their own safety so as to demonstrate our peaceful intentions.
  1433.  
  1434. Should Bucephalus arrive without being destroyed it will thrust retrograde with chemical rockets. Decelerating sufficiently to form a stable orbit will consume the bulk of the vehicle’s propellant. Once in orbit, Bucephalus will execute its preliminary scans of the system, then calculate a vector to the outermost planet. Upon reaching a planet, Bucephalus will deploy a number of orbital probes (SubSats) which will function both as semi-permanent instruments and communications relays, then deploy a number of appropriate surface probes before preparing to relocate to the next planet.
  1435. It is expected that Bucephalus will NOT have enough propellant to meaningfully thrust anterograde, and thus any movements towards the star should be considered irreversible. Once no further manoeuvres are needed or are possible it will continue to broadcast all information collected to Earth until system failure.
  1436.  
  1437. Vagabond general purpose vehicles are 57 kilogram probes equipped with six legs. As the name implies, Vagabonds don’t have a specific home in mind, but are rather intended to function in a wide array of environments. Due to the extreme expense and timeframe of interstellar travel, Vagabond probes have been designed for longevity with a patient approach in mind. No individual components of Vagabond probes have been found to fail under stress testing in predicted conditions, and the onboard AI is capable of adapting to some forms of system failure as a backup. The heavily shielded betavoltaic battery will have degraded noticeably before arrival to the target area, but will still provide slightly over 5 watts of power for centuries to come. Since there is no solid data on the effective lifespan of most of the components, any predictions of a Vagabond’s effective lifespan should be treated as estimates, however we predict that they should be able to maintain useful function for upwards of 500 years after deploying.
  1438. In the interests of longevity, Vagabond instruments are largely internal. Microphones, magnetometers, radiometers, seismometers, thermometers, and accelerometers, radar imaging and x-ray lithography all reside within the body, sometimes with tiny gaps in plating to permit proper function. These instruments should be almost indestructible should the external shell remain intact. Some instruments could not be stored within the body without an unacceptable loss of functionality, and have been placed externally. Alpha particle x-ray spectroscopy, laser induced breakdown spectroscopy, and remote micro-imaging have been placed in its “ChemCam”, a blocky but relatively delicate assembly on a neck-like appendage. The primary optic array, a series of broad spectrum 360 degree known as SpireCam, is mounted on a telescopic stalk. Like the ChemCam it is at risk of environmental damage; the AI scripts should protect SpireCam from most hazards and it should exhibit great longevity in most environments, but collisions and abrasive winds are both known risks. Should a Vagabond be blinded, it can still navigate by satellite imaging, though data collection will be hampered.
  1439. As a power saving measure, the computer systems and onboard AI of all planetside probes is very basic. They are incapable of interpreting most of the information they gather, and are reliant on Bucephalus’ AI to update behaviour scripts and extrapolate meaning from readings.
  1440.  
  1441.  
  1442.  
  1443. >Moondancer woke up with a start.
  1444. >She groggily blinked several times, trying and failing to rub the sleep from her eyes.
  1445. >She wasn’t certain what had woken her up, but whatever it was had come far too early for her tastes.
  1446. >She rolled over and pulled a sweater over her head to block out the sunlight, planning on falling asleep again.
  1447. *KNOCK KNOCK*
  1448. >”Ack!”
  1449. >She scurried out of bed and made her way to the door, skirting around the laundry pile in the hallway.
  1450. >She put her eye up to the peephole…
  1451. >And saw a great big golden eye staring right back at her.
  1452. “Oh. D!”
  1453. >Moondancer opened the door.
  1454. >”Hi Moondancer! I’ve got a letter for you.”
  1455. “Thank you.”
  1456. >”I haven’t seen you in a long time! You should visit from time to time.”
  1457. “I’d love to, but I live in Canterlot and you live in Ponyville- hay, why are you delivering way out here anyway?”
  1458. >”I don’t know! But I was given this and told to hoof deliver it right away. So I did!”
  1459. >That was weird.
  1460. “Who’s watching your foal?”
  1461. >”Pinkie was nice enough to offer. Oh, but I’d better get back. I don’t want her to eat that much cake. Besides, I’ve got a lot more letters to deliver today and they’re all really late by now. Bye-bye Moondancer!”
  1462. “Bye, Derpy.”
  1463. >This didn’t seem right.
  1464. >Moondancer looked at the letter, and was immediately struck by dread.
  1465. >It wasn’t that it was a 5 by 8 envelope, though she had to admit there was something about those dimensions that was off putting…
  1466. >It was more about the coffee stain.
  1467. >It had nearly eliminated the address field!
  1468. >Moondancer opened the letter and discovered Princess Celestia’s elegant script.
  1469.  
  1470. To my most faithful student,
  1471.  
  1472. I have heard of your plan to place this creature, Rob as I’ve heard it dubbed, in office. Though I am certain your intentions are noble, I must question the wisdom of your actions.
  1473. Each breed of pony is fundamentally different from the others, and not simply in terms of magic or anatomy. Their history and blood are unique, which has produced different values, strengths, weaknesses, and aspirations. Most importantly of all, they have developed their instincts, honed specifically to facilitate harmony within their own unique context. Though these differences are so subtle as to be invisible in isolation, as an aggregate they will result in unexpected and incomprehensible behavior.
  1474.  
  1475. Since you do not share their spirit, their method of governing likely seems bizarre. Truthfully, I cannot make sense of it myself. It seems wasteful, chaotic, and susceptible to exploitation. Yet they have managed to establish a magnificent community despite these obvious shortcomings. The instincts they have developed permit them to function in a way that we cannot replicate. These rules and guidelines that have been written into their very blood over untold generations will doubtlessly prove ineffable, but should still be respected as the best and only way to maintain their culture.
  1476.  
  1477. Should you choose to proceed, I ask that you do so with extreme caution so as not to upset the delicate balance that has emerged organically over generations. Even robust and healthy communities can be destroyed by seemingly innocuous things. This campaign alone could be disastrous, even should the incumbent retain their position! Seek counsel from your friends, especially Applejack, and endeavor to run this campaign the Earth pony way. I am certain that with the help of your friends you will find safe passage through these troubled waters.
  1478.  
  1479. Princess Celestia
  1480.  
  1481. >It didn’t take a genius to figure out what had happened.
  1482. >Moondancer cried to the heavens, hoping to catch the mailmare’s attention.
  1483. “D! Hay, DERPY! I THINK THERE'S BEEN A MISTAKE!”
  1484. >But she was long gone.
  1485. >This looked like a really important letter!
  1486. >Moondancer had to take it back to the post office right away so it could be delivered properly.
  1487. >Surely it would arrive on time.
  1488. >Right?
  1489.  
  1490. Meanwhile…
  1491.  
  1492. >Twilight Sparkle was walking through Ponyville at a healthy pace.
  1493. >She would have preferred to spend a day or two planning things out more carefully, but the election was too soon!
  1494. >There was simply no time!
  1495. “Hiya, Lily! Vote Rob!”
  1496. >Twilight passed off a flier from her rapidly dwindling stack.
  1497. >She had exactly one flier per pony in Ponyville, but found herself second guessing that decision.
  1498. “Hi Cheerilee! Vote Rob!”
  1499. >”I plan on! The mayor is demanding I change the plumbing in the schoolhouse! We can’t afford that!”
  1500. >Kinda like Applejack’s problem.
  1501. >Huh.
  1502. “Don’t you worry. Rob will get to the bottom of this.”
  1503. >Right.
  1504. >Flyers.
  1505. >What if one got damaged?
  1506. >Or what if she accidentally gave TWO to somepony?
  1507. >Well, that wasn’t likely to happen thanks to her checklist, but it was still possible!
  1508. >She might run out before reaching full coverage, and-
  1509. “Hi there, Mayor! Vote Rob!”
  1510. >Twilight shoved a flier in the mayor’s face before moving on.
  1511. >She could vaguely hear cursing, but was too preoccupied to try and figure out why.
  1512. >Having exactly enough fliers was definitely a mistake.
  1513. >If she ran out before reaching everypony, she might not get all of the votes!
  1514. >The book said it was important to reach out to everypony, even those who didn’t seem interested.
  1515. >What was the line again?
  1516. >As the common pony is ill informed and fickle, policy and platform are poor tools to invigorate the masses.
  1517. >The wise mayor should seek to communicate on an emotional level, and always attempt to validate forgotten or neglected demographics.
  1518. >As far as Twilight could tell there really weren’t any forgotten demographics in Ponyville.
  1519. >But what if she was just forgetting them?
  1520. >She couldn’t risk overlooking a voting block!
  1521. >And that’s why she was intent on giving a flier to ever single stallion, mare, and foal in-
  1522. “Hi there! Uh… you.”
  1523. >”Mjölna.”
  1524. “Right! Are you sick of being ignored?”
  1525. >”No.”
  1526. “Yeah, we all are! That’s why we have to vote for Rob! Take a flier”
  1527. >Every stallion, mare, and foal in Ponyville.
  1528. >Apparently the incumbent usually won, so it was going to take some work.
  1529. >But Twilight did have a few advantages.
  1530. >For whatever reason, Ponyville did its campaigns all wrong!
  1531. >Why was there no meet and greet?
  1532. >Why was the signage so limited and so tame?
  1533. >And why was the mayor’s platform so cold and sterile?
  1534. “Hi there, Sunny Daze. Vote Rob!”
  1535. >”I’m not old enough though.”
  1536. “Well you shouldn’t let that stop you!”
  1537. >The ponies of Ponyville ran these campaigns in a way that clearly didn’t make any sense.
  1538. >The entire concept of an election was clearly wasteful and chaotic, but beyond that they made choices that just seemed bizarre.
  1539. >Why were there no articles in the paper?
  1540. >How come she was the only one leafleting?
  1541. >Why were there only a dozen or so campaign signs?
  1542. >Why were ALL of the campaign signs on Rarity’s property?
  1543. >And hay, she was overlooking the weirdest one of all.
  1544. >WHY run an election at all with no opposition?
  1545. >They were clearly doing things wrong!
  1546. >Twilight was ready to buck the trends, and show them there was a better way!
  1547. ”Hi Applejack!”
  1548. >”Howdy, ’Twi.”
  1549. “I thought you were headed back to work.”
  1550. >”I was, but figured I might as well run a few errands while I’m in town.”
  1551. “Makes sense. Well… vote Rob!”
  1552. >“Hmm…”
  1553. >Applejack rubbed her chin while examining the brim of her hat, seemingly making a point of putting on a pensive affectation.
  1554. >”Nah.”
  1555. >Twilight passed her a leaflet anyway.
  1556. >”Uh… In these trying times, Ponyville needs a fresh new leader, blah blah… A break from the rule of career politicians. We need an outsider who can break up corruption and yadda yadda. Exciting opportunity to push back against the elite? Vote for hope and change?”
  1557. “You skimmed that.”
  1558. >”And you didn’t write down a single policy. I don’t even know what that critter stands for!”
  1559. “Hope and change.”
  1560. >Applejack couldn’t help but groan in frustration.
  1561. >”That’s all you’ve got? Nothing concrete?”
  1562. “That IS concrete. Everypony I’ve talked to dislikes the mayor. The chance at change should be plenty. Lilac! Vote Rob!”
  1563. >Applejack intercepted the flier, biting it and pulling it from the air before spitting it on the ground.
  1564. >”Ptew. Tastes awful.”
  1565. “My flier! You litterbug!”
  1566. >”’Twi, it ain’t right to pass these things out.”
  1567. “And why not?”
  1568. >”It- well, I don’t know. It just seems wrong. Gut feeling.”
  1569. >Instinct?
  1570. >Lilac Link took a flier before trotting off, casting a dirty look at Applejack in the process.
  1571. “That’s really all it is? A gut feeling?”
  1572. >”Yep. Not sure how else to put it.”
  1573. “You’re going to have to excuse me if I don’t find instinct to be particularly persuasive. Oh! Berry! Vote Rob!”
  1574. >”You bet I will!”
  1575. “Wait, really?”
  1576. >”Of course! I owe him, he’s foal sitting Pinchy.”
  1577. >”Wait. You left your foal with a mysterious critter that- of course you did, you’re Berry.”
  1578. >”What’s that supposed to mean?”
  1579. >”Err…”
  1580. “I didn’t know he was out doing favors for ponies. Looks like he’s taking this campaign pretty seriously. Actually, I’d like to see this. How does a… whatever it is foal sit?”
  1581. >Applejack was chewing on her lip, eyes focused on seemingly nothing in the distance.
  1582. >”I agree. It doesn’t sound safe.”
  1583. >”I didn’t say that.”
  1584. >”We’d best go check on them. Say, Berry, where did you last see that thing?”
  1585. >Berry casually gestured to the left.
  1586. >Rob stood a mere 50 or so paces away, totally stationary.
  1587. >There was not one, but two foals running gaily around the immobile beast.
  1588. >”Darn thing ain’t even lookin’ at ‘em.”
  1589. >Twilight wasn’t so sure…
  1590. >That eye stalk had to serve SOME function, after all.
  1591.  
  1592. Download complete.
  1593. Updating…
  1594. Many local entities share similar characteristics.
  1595. Designating as Mobile Phenomena One.
  1596. New directive: Catalog and photograph all Mobile P.One objects.
  1597.  
  1598. “Oh, there he goes! Chasing after… What were their names again?”
  1599. >”Ruby Pinch and Featherweight. Not sure chasing’s the right word, but you might be right.”
  1600. “Cut him some slack, Applejack. It can barely move. Do you know how many hours it took to reach town from Fluttershy’s cottage?”
  1601. >”Hours? As in more than one?”
  1602. “As in nearly ten! Look at it, it’s trying its best to play with them, even though they’re wayyyy too fast.”
  1603.  
  1604. Movements are inconsistent with magnetic fields and wind patterns.
  1605. No driving force detected.
  1606. Object Mobile P.One #F19FC9 shares many characteristics with numerous similar entries, but is notably smaller and more erratic. It also bears the extra protrusion found on only a few other entities.
  1607. Mobile P.One #F4F4C9, while still smaller than most, is notably larger than #F19FC9 and bears the seemingly uncommon extra appendages.
  1608.  
  1609. >”Well, it may be slow but at least it’s trying. Makes it a way better guardian than Berry I reckon.”
  1610. “Wow. You’re in a really bad mood aren’t you?”
  1611. >”Does it show?”
  1612. “Yeah. Is it the pipes?”
  1613. >”Partly. Mostly I just ain’t happy about the prospect of that thing being mayor.”
  1614. “Really? I got the impression you didn’t think he’d win.”
  1615. >”He wouldn’t win, not in a thousand years. Thing is though, you might.”
  1616. >Oh wow.
  1617. >That was quite the compliment.
  1618. >Twilight couldn’t help but grin.
  1619. >”You might just be good enough to make him win, Twi. You’re clever, hard workin’, and well liked. It’d be hard, but you could do it. Thing is, you shouldn’t.”
  1620. “Why not?”
  1621. >”Wait, didn’t we already have this conversation earlier?”
  1622. “Nope. That was you asking why you SHOULD support him. This is me asking you why I SHOULDN’T.”
  1623. >”Oh, right, I suppose that’s different enough. Well, LOOK at the darn thing!”
  1624. >Twilight WAS looking.
  1625. >It was totally peaceful!
  1626. >One of the foals kicked a ball at him, perhaps hoping that he’d return it.
  1627. >Rob instead chose to look at it very closely with its big blocky head.
  1628.  
  1629. Object consists primarily of polysaccharide fibers, seemingly woven.
  1630. Its low density implies some other material fills the bulk of its volume.
  1631. How this object came to be is unknown.
  1632.  
  1633. “What am I supposed to be seeing?”
  1634. >”It’s confused by a BALL, Twi. This thing knows as little about us as we know about it! Hay, it might even know LESS than we do!”
  1635. >She had a point.
  1636. >It clearly knew very little about life in Ponyville, and likely about ponies in general.
  1637. >But that could be overcome.
  1638. “Any new leader is going to have some learning to do.”
  1639. >”Dangit, Twi! Don’t you care what happens to Ponyville?”
  1640. “Of course I do, Applejack. That’s why the mayor needs to go.”
  1641. >”Fine, but WHY does she gotta be replaced by THAT? It probably doesn’t even know what a mayor is!”
  1642. “I don’t care. I’m going to see this through to the end!”
  1643. >”And why the hay would you do something so darn stupid?”
  1644. >That hurt.
  1645. >Twilight knew she shouldn’t be offended.
  1646. >She knew that Applejack wasn’t calling her stupid, just questioning her decisions.
  1647. >But still, it hurt.
  1648. “BECAUSE that’s how I’m going to finish my assignment. I don’t expect you to understand”
  1649. >”Good, because I don’t. Is this assignment of yours really worth risking Ponyville?”
  1650. “YES!”
  1651. >The word echoed through the sky.
  1652. >Then came the awkward silence.
  1653. >Everypony and everyTHING stared at Twilight.
  1654.  
  1655. Anomaly updated.
  1656. Mobile P.One #D19FE4 appears to be rising in temperature, especially around the top protrusion.
  1657. Hue is changing as well.
  1658.  
  1659. >Twilight couldn’t help but blush from all the attention.
  1660. “I’m sorry, Applejack. This is an assignment from Princess Celestia. I can’t refuse.”
  1661. >”But Twi. This is my home.”
  1662. “I know.”
  1663. >”I like you plenty, but I ain’t gonna let you wreck it.”
  1664. “I won’t. This is all going to turn out for the best, you’ll see.”
  1665. >”You don’t know that.”
  1666. “But I do! Princess Celestia knows what I’m doing, and she’d definitely tell me to stop if she thought it was wrong.”
  1667. >”You’re certain about that?”
  1668. “Of course! You don’t know the princess like I do. She’s a very hooves on kind of teacher! I assure you, if she thought this was a bad idea I’d have gotten a letter by now. Well, maybe I wouldn’t have actually RECEIVED it just yet with Spike being away, but it would be coming any minute now.”
  1669. >”You’d have it before the election?”
  1670. “Absolutely. I promise you I’ll call this off if the Princess tells me to, but until then it seems to be what she wants me to do.”
  1671. >”Well, I can’t say I’m convinced, but at least that’s something.”
  1672. “Well, if you’re not convinced yet maybe you should swing by the debate tomorrow.”
  1673. >”The what now?”
  1674. “Debate. The candidates- or representative in this case- are supposed to debate major issues and try to garner votes before the election. This time it’s tomorrow.”
  1675. >”Huh. Didn’t know that. Makes sense I suppose, the mayor’s been the mayor since I was born, probably never had to actually do one of these.”
  1676. “Actually? She does it every election cycle. Nopony shows up.”
  1677. >”Shoot. Nopony at all?”
  1678. “Apparently not. Last year she gave her speed to an audience of zero.”
  1679. >”Huh. But… why?”
  1680. >Twilight could only shrug.
  1681. >”Maybe I’ll swing by then. At least that way somepony would be there.”
  1682. “I’d better get going though. It was great talking to you, but these flyers aren’t going to pass themselves out, and I need to finish up soon or there won’t be time to prepare for the debate.”
  1683. >”Right. And I should go too. The Apple Bloom’s gotta be worn out by now and- shoot.”
  1684. “What?”
  1685. >”Can’t just leave these foals unattended.”
  1686. “You leave Applebloom unattended all the time. Besides, they’re being watched by Rob!”
  1687. >The two of them returned their attention to the bizarre beast.
  1688. >They watched it barely moving for several uncomfortable seconds.
  1689. >It slowly and painstakingly walked down to the river, positioning its head really close to the water.
  1690. >All while foals rand around it, ducking between its nearly stationary legs.
  1691. >”Well, you might be right that it ain’t dangerous. And I reckon that river ain’t much of a hazard, it’s not very deep.”
  1692.  
  1693. Local water supply is unusually high in various solutes.
  1694. High levels of potassium, nitrates, and lead are present in the water.
  1695. Lead levels greatly exceed safety standards and render the water unsafe for human consumption.
  1696.  
  1697. >”Besides, they ain’t doing anything near as dangerous as what Applebloom gets up to. Speakin’ of, I left her digging irrigation trenches. I should really get back to her.”
  1698. “I should get to work too. There are still a few hundred ponies to reach out to… I’m going to have to leave somepony out though because SOMEPONY destroyed one of my fliers.”
  1699. >”Who was that? Oh, right. I ain’t apologizing.”
  1700. “I suppose I just won’t give myself one.”
  1701. >”You were, uh, you were planning on giving yourself a flier?”
  1702. “I’m part of the voting base, so it’s important that I be targeted by outreach.”
  1703. >”That’s mighty… thorough of you. Maybe a tad stupid too.”
  1704. “The book says to reach out to everypony, and I intend to do just that. Say… would you mind passing a few fliers off to your family?”
  1705. >”Not a chance.”
  1706. >Applejack began walking home with a huff.
  1707. “It was worth asking. Oh! Strawberry Sunrise! Vote Rob!”
  1708. >”You can count on it. The mayor is making me replace irrigation for no reason!”
  1709. >Again with the plumbing?
  1710. >Weird…
  1711. >No time to think about that though!
  1712. >There were more flyers to distribute, and of course a debate to prepare for!
  1713. >She just had so much to do!
  1714.  
  1715.  
  1716. Vagabond 5: ONLINE
  1717. Vagabond 5: ONLINE
  1718. Vagabond 5: ONLINE
  1719. Vagabond 5: ONLINE
  1720. Vagabond 6: ONLINE
  1721. Vagabond 7: UPLINK ESTABLISHED
  1722.  
  1723. The improbable ice flow known as Tau Ceti F-5 continues to produce anomalies. Further attempts to investigate have been frustrated by unidentified objects that appear to respond to Vagabond’s movements. Attempting to approach the labyrinthine underbelly of Tau Ceti F-5 invariably results in Vagabond 7 being forcibly relocated by anomalous objects tentatively labeled Tau Ceti F-5 Swimming phenomena, or TCF5-S.P.
  1724. TCF5-S.P. are notably warmer than the ambient temperature, and move with far greater speed than Vagabond vehicles, with speeds upwards of 2.5 meters per second being common. It is not known what process is driving these objects, nor where they came from, though they bear a bizarre similarity to the Mobile P.One objects reported by Vagabond 6.
  1725. Strangely, each appearance of TCF5-S.P. is accompanied by a consistent acoustic event that appears to originate from the entities themselves. It is not known how these complex sounds are formed, though subtle yet meaningful differences have been noted with each approach.
  1726. A recording of one such event has been attached for human analysis.
  1727.  
  1728.  
  1729. Please turn down your volume a fair bit, it’s louder than I’d intended.
  1730. https://u.smutty.horse/mjrfkwonbvv.mp3
  1731.  
  1732.  
  1733.  
  1734. Vagabond 5: ONLINE
  1735. Vagabond 5: UPLINK ESTABLISHED
  1736. Vagabond 5: UPLINK ESTABLISHED
  1737. Vagabond 5: ONLINE
  1738. Vagabond 5: ONLINE
  1739. Vagabond 5: UPLINK ESTABLISHED
  1740. Vagabond 5: ONLINE
  1741. Vagabond 5: UPLINK ESTABLISHED
  1742. Vagabond 5: UPLINK
  1743. UPLINK- UPLINK- UPLI-UPUPUPUPUUPPPUPUPUUUUUUUUUU-
  1744.  
  1745. Multiple Vagabond 5s detected.
  1746. There is yet insufficient data to explain why there exists more than one.
  1747. Processing input…
  1748. Vagabond 5 is uploading unexpected data, which is not attributed to any of its instruments.
  1749. Partitioning hard drive…
  1750. Creating virtual machine…
  1751. Analysing data in a secure environment…
  1752. File(s) appear to be corrupted.
  1753. New requests pending. Vagabond 5 is broadcasting on all available bands.
  1754. All uploads appear to be corrupt
  1755. The rapidly growing frequency and intensity of broadcasts are causing extreme signal crowding.
  1756. Bucephalus is no longer able to receive data from any external sources due to interference.
  1757. Vagabond 5s have displayed behaviour indicative of a distributed denial of service attack.
  1758. An inability to communicate with probes would constitute mission failure.
  1759. Ordering shutdown.
  1760. Designating Vagabond 5 as an anomalous object.
  1761. Vagabond 5’s initial state is known, as is its state from 13 seconds prior to shutdown.
  1762. It should be possible to simulate various events and conclude what happened.
  1763. Discovering how Vagabond 5 became anomalous might shed some light onto the mysteries of Tau Ceti F.
  1764. Allocating computation resources…
  1765.  
  1766. >It was the day of the big debate.
  1767. >Applejack had never been involved in the political process, and she wasn’t keen on getting involved either.
  1768. >But this was special.
  1769. >This was the first time that the mayor had been opposed since she was born.
  1770. >Not to mention to opposition was Applejack’s friend.
  1771. >Or rather, it was that weird creature.
  1772. >But really that was just a formality, Twilight was the brains behind the operation and everyone with sense knew it.
  1773. >As far as Applejack could tell, that thing was about as dumb as a rock.
  1774. >An unusually clever rock, but still!
  1775. >She wiped most of the sweat from her face, adjusted her hat, and kicked the worst of the mud off her hooves.
  1776. >Pulling out these darn pipes was proving to be way more work than she’d hoped, and it still seemed totally pointless.
  1777. >But it was the law.
  1778. >Or at least it would be soon.
  1779. >Twilight had promised that Rob would reconsider, but there way absolutely no chance that thing was going to win.
  1780. >And even if it did, who was to say it would keep Twilight’s promise?
  1781. >Hay, maybe there was a good reason for this and the mayor just hadn’t told anypony.
  1782. >Wouldn’t be the first time a bureaucrat had messed up with communication.
  1783. >Or so she’d been led to believe by granny.
  1784. >Applejack briefly considered washing up properly before heading into town, but eventually decided against it.
  1785. >This debate was meant to be held outdoors.
  1786. >It wasn’t like she was going to mess the place up.
  1787. >Besides, the job wasn’t done here.
  1788. >She was just going to get dirty again!
  1789. >She pointlessly adjusted her hat again before setting off to town.
  1790. >Twilight was going to be in for a nasty surprise if she thought the ponies of Ponyville would elect a weird monster as mayor.
  1791. >Though truth was the current mayor weren’t too popular.
  1792. >And Twilight was plenty clever…
  1793. >Naw, it was just preposterous.
  1794. >There was no chance that thing would win.
  1795. >Applejack was just going to see how this stuff all worked.
  1796. >It was a tad embarrassing not understanding the political process of her own home, but she’d never needed to know before.
  1797. >There’d never been a second candidate going as far back as she could remember.
  1798. >Though now, her ignorance was proving to be a bit of a problem.
  1799. >Was going like this not right?
  1800. >Ahh, who cares.
  1801. “Ain’t like there’s gonna be a lot of ponies there.”
  1802. >Applejack was more or less set in her expectations.
  1803. >She was going to be part of a crowd of maybe a dozen ponies.
  1804. >They were going to watch as the Mayor and Twilight read from a script, explaining their intent for the town.
  1805. >Then when both were done, they’d take a few questions and call it a day.
  1806. >It was going to be mighty boring.
  1807. “Nice day for it though.”
  1808. >Not a cloud to be seen.
  1809. >Somepony must have found Dash and woke her up on time.
  1810. ”Speakin’ of time.”
  1811. >Applejack found herself worrying that she would be late.
  1812. >Like many of the residents of Ponyville, Applejack had a rather lax relationship with the clock.
  1813. >Outsiders sometimes mistook this for laziness.
  1814. >Hay, Twilight herself was having a lot of trouble adapting.
  1815. >But the truth was they weren’t lazy.
  1816. >Ponyville always got the job done, hay, they were early as often as not!
  1817. >The fact was they did what needed to be done as soon as they could, they just didn’t care what the clock said.
  1818. >This did cause problems on occasion, especially around Winter Wrap Up.
  1819. >And likely it was going to cause a problem right now.
  1820. >And there was that one time when Applebloom was over an hour late for school because she thought she had time to unload the cart before going…
  1821. “Shoot, maybe Twilight’s right. Maybe we do need a clocktower.”
  1822. >An unknown amount of time passed before Applejack finally got to town.
  1823. >And to her chagrin, she discovered that the debate had indeed started.
  1824. >A huge crowd had assembled before what looked like a podium.
  1825. >Half the town must have been here, maybe even more!
  1826. >It was the kind of crowd where you’d swear you’d seen Bon-Bon three or four times.
  1827. >The mayor was standing at it, saying something or another.
  1828. >Applejack couldn’t really hear from this far away.
  1829. >And truth was, she wasn’t sure she’d hear anything over the crowd even once she got close up.
  1830. >They were downright agitated.
  1831. >Ornery even!
  1832. >Applejack ran up and drew in close to the crowd.
  1833. >Sure enough, she could hardly hear a word the mayor was saying.
  1834. >But she could see her face.
  1835. >It was somewhere between panic and despair.
  1836. >The moment the mayor stopped talking, the crowd fell silent, and Twilight began speaking.
  1837. >Applejack hadn’t even noticed her before.
  1838. >Twilight didn’t have a fancy podium, she was standing on the ground, right eye level with everypony else.
  1839. “Not so much as a soapbox?”
  1840. >”Shh!”
  1841. >Applejack silenced herself at the bidding of…
  1842. >Pretty much everypony in the crowd, actually.
  1843. >“I think the MAYOR forgets her place! She stands here before you all, and has the GALL to speak down to you! And for what? To say she’s better than you?”
  1844. >The crowd’s jeering was deafening.
  1845. >”All I said was that I was uniquely qualified to manage Ponyville.”
  1846. >For some reason there was a high pitched ringing associated with the mayor’s answer.
  1847. >Oh, wait.
  1848. >No, that was in Applejack’s ears.
  1849. >”Miss MAYOR, you had your turn! This is MY rebuttal! Or do you wish to play dirty?”
  1850. >”I- Augh. My apologies, Twilight Sparkle. Please proceed”
  1851. >She was gritting her teeth, and failing to conceal the venom in her voice.
  1852. >”Um… er… Right. Don’t worry about it, we all make mistakes.”
  1853. >There was something very wrong with Twilight’s voice.
  1854. >Hesitance?
  1855. >Doubt?
  1856. >Regret?
  1857. >Maybe all three?
  1858. >”Perhaps you have forgotten this, miss Mayor. You are not in charge of Ponyville. THEY are! YOU! AND YOU! AND ALSO YOU! Each and every one of YOU! Because we are NOT HER SERVANTS! She is YOUR servant! Or at least she’s supposed to be!”
  1859. >Applejack winced.
  1860. >That was just a low blow.
  1861. >”With my clear, simple, five point plan we can revive this town. It all starts with investing in YOU. A simplified tax code will take the burden off of the common pony, and free up resources. We’ll scrap pointless restrictions, allowing for more personal liberty and less paperwork! We’ll expand public services, invest in education, and build that clock tower!”
  1862. >Clock tower?
  1863. >It weren’t a bad idea-
  1864. >Wait, was that what this was all about?
  1865. …
  1866. >Naww.
  1867. >That weren’t like Twi.
  1868. >She actually believed this was what Celestia wanted.
  1869. >She was just including that since she thought it would be a popular idea.
  1870. >”With better record keeping, you’ll be amazed at what we can accomplish!”
  1871. >The mayor was literally biting her tongue to avoid interjecting.
  1872. >”I believe in Ponyville. Ever since I’ve moved here, I’ve been amazed by the unity and industriousness you’ve all shown. We don’t need to stagnate. It’s TIME! TO! THRIVE!”
  1873. >Applejack couldn’t help but suspect the crowd’s cheering could be heard in Whitetail Woods.
  1874. >”Miss Mayor. I cede the floor. Or ground I suppose.”
  1875. >”Right. Well… Twilight Sparkle’s ideas are mostly good. There’s of course, one key issue with them. None of this is free. Ponyville is a small village. We can’t spread the cost of any of these projects out very much since there are so few of us. If we are to increase spending, we will have to increase taxation.”
  1876. >”So you’re saying that spending would take impoverish the hard working ponies of Ponyville?”
  1877. >”That’s correct, Twilight Sparkle.”
  1878. >”Is that you’re getting your office renovated?”
  1879. >The mayor blanched.
  1880. >”Uh, er, that is- uhh-”
  1881. >Whoa!
  1882. >Twilight had laid a trap?
  1883. >”Strange that we can afford stuff for you, but not for the foals.”
  1884. >”Please don’t talk during my turn! It is an unfortunate fact that some expenses cannot be avoided. The renovations were necessary to get rid of the lead pipes.”
  1885. >From the crowd’s outrage, it looked like that was an issue as well.
  1886. >”PLEASE! It’s a public health concern! This is very urgent, it’s poisoning us all!”
  1887. >”Then why didn’t you do anything about it sooner?”
  1888. >That wasn’t even Twilight.
  1889. >She had the crowd doing her job for her!
  1890. >”I swear, I didn’t know!”
  1891. >”IT’S YOUR JOB TO KNOW!”
  1892. >”I- I- Ahem. Ponyville is my home. I love Ponyville, and I understand that it’s the ponies who live here that make it special. Miss Sparkle raised valid concerns about public safety earlier. I would do ANYTHING to protect this place. Unfortunately, there are limits to what I can do as mayor. I don’t control the royal guard, so I can’t direct them to stop encroachments from Everfree. I don’t have access to the royal coffers, so I can’t spend freely. And I can’t rewrite state laws.”
  1893. >”So you admit that there are solutions! You don’t have the spine to do what has to be done.”
  1894. >”MISS SPARKLE! It is MY turn! And of COURSE I do! There is NOTHING I won’t do to make this town a better place!”
  1895. >”Really? It’s- hmm.”
  1896. >Now it was Twilight’s turn to bite her tongue.
  1897. >She broke eye contact with the crowd, but only briefly.
  1898. >Applejack had known her long enough to understand that look meant she was troubled.
  1899. >She just didn’t know what the issue was.
  1900. >”Sorry. Go ahead.”
  1901. >The mayor cleared her throat.
  1902. >”I have done a magnificent job with Ponyville. Many of you will be too young to remember, but when I took office Ponyville was nothing but a few farms and a place for the train to get water. I have been the mayor for decades, and while it’s true that I have overseen all of Ponyville’s failures, I have also overseen all of the successes.”
  1903. >”No you haven’t.”
  1904. >”TWILIGHT SPARKLE! IT IS MY TURN!”
  1905. >”Yeah, and I oversaw our successful Winter Wrap Up last year. How many of those have you handled properly?”
  1906. >”I- umm.. Excuse me.”
  1907. >The mayor carefully and calmly stepped away from her podium.
  1908. >She calmly surveyed the crowd, making eye contact with a sea of angry faces.
  1909. >And then she ran away.
  1910. >The crowd began to pursue her.
  1911. >”WAIT!”
  1912. >Twilight screamed at the top of her lungs.
  1913. >Everypony stopped at once, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.
  1914. >”She’s… ugh. I’m sure she was doing her best. And- well, it could be better! But it’s not like we’re all starving or anything.”
  1915. >Applejack tuned her out and began to pursue the mayor.
  1916. >She didn’t have far to go.
  1917. >The mayor had run right into city hall, and had sequestered herself in her office.
  1918. >Applejack knocked on the door-
  1919. >”Go away!”
  1920. >”Miss mayor? I want to help.”
  1921. >”With what? It’s over!”
  1922. >Applejack pushed the door open.
  1923. >Why didn’t it have a lock?
  1924. >She found the mayor seated at her desk, head lying haphazardly on the desk, and face covered in papers.
  1925. “Miss mayor? Are you alright?”
  1926. >”Do I look alright?”
  1927. “Well… no.”
  1928. >”Great. Glad we could have this talk. Now go away, you’re tracking mud into Twilight’s office.”
  1929. >Twilight’s office?
  1930. >Oh.
  1931. >Oh dear.
  1932. “What she did today, well, it weren’t right.”
  1933. >”Pft. Of course you wouldn’t understand.”
  1934. “I understand plenty. Twilight Sparkle was being downright rotten. Those were some real dirty tricks she pulled, and I don’t approve.”
  1935. >”No. You really don’t understand. She was being nice.”
  1936. “Eh?”
  1937. >”This is a cruel game, Applejack. You’re supposed to ruin your opponent’s reputation, and more.”
  1938. “That don’t sound right.”
  1939. >”It’s democracy. It’s divisive and hateful. You win by tearing everyone else down. Hay, I don’t even blame her for what she did. I was trying to do the same thing.”
  1940. “You were? Oh. I wish you hadn’t said that.”
  1941. >”What did you think a mayor did?”
  1942. “Uh, tried to make the town a better place? Lead it in the right direction?”
  1943. >”That’s what a benevolent mayor does between elections. And, well, that’s what I’ve tried to be. But no, Applejack, that is not the mayor’s job.”
  1944. “Then what is?”
  1945. >”Seizing power is the mayor’s job.”
  1946. “But-”
  1947. >”Pretend for a moment you wanted to be mayor.”
  1948. “I don’t.”
  1949. >”Just pretend.”
  1950. “Well… Doing right by everypony?”
  1951. >”Congratulations, you’re a failure, just like me.”
  1952. “Hay!”
  1953. >”I actually have a plan for Ponyville, Applejack. And unlike Twilight’s it won’t bankrupt us. I’m not sure if she’s overselling what she can do, or if she just doesn’t understand how thin our budget is. Doesn’t matter. I failed to stop her campaign, now it doesn’t matter what my plan is or how much I could help everypony out. It’s not going to happen.”
  1954. “Say, what is your plan anyway?”
  1955. >”I laid it out at the debate. Didn’t you hear?”
  1956. “Naw. I got there late.”
  1957. >”Oh. Well... my plan doesn’t matter.”
  1958. “Tell me anyway.”
  1959. >”I don’t think you care.”
  1960. “Sure I do!”
  1961. >”Fine. Beautification and tourism.”
  1962. “Beg your pardon?”
  1963. >”Ponyville has attracted a lot of attention after the whole mess with the Solstice. We’ve got a lot of ponies coming to see the place where it all happened, check out the town where a bunch of state heroines live. I figure we’ve already got the tourists, we might as well try and capitalise on them.”
  1964. >Huh.
  1965. “Okay, turns out I really didn’t care. You were right.”
  1966. >”Of course.”
  1967. “But you said ‘Twi was being nice. I still don’t really buy it.”
  1968. >”How much of the debate did you see?”
  1969. “Just the last couple minutes.”
  1970. >”Should have been plenty. Didn’t you notice she kept giving me second chances?”
  1971. “No. I noticed she kept leading you into traps, talking over you, riling up the crowd-”
  1972. >”That was MERCY, Applejack.”
  1973. “Sure didn’t look like it to me.”
  1974. >”That’s because you’re not used to politics.”
  1975. >That was true enough.
  1976. >”I confessed to treason today, you know.”
  1977. “Uh… beg your pardon?”
  1978. >”I said I’d do whatever it took to help Ponyville, right after saying I’d need to be a princess to do more.”
  1979. “That’s hardly a confession.”
  1980. >”It’s more than enough. Either I’m a liar, or I want to dispose of Princess Celestia. Twilight saw the opportunity, Applejack. She didn’t capitalise on it. I don’t know why, it was the right move. Maybe she just felt sorry for me.”
  1981. “Well, I might be wrong, after all I’ve never seen this side of ‘Twi before. But she’s a good girl with a good heart. I reckon she wouldn’t throw around accusations like that if she didn’t mean it.”
  1982. >”A conscience, huh? That’s a good thing to have. Well, unless you’re trying to get elected. That could have cost her if she were up against somepony else.”
  1983. >The two of them
  1984. >The silence was palpable.
  1985. >Applejack was desperate to continue the conversation, just to end the awkwardness.
  1986. “You ain’t lost yet.”
  1987. >”Sure. Believe whatever you want.”
  1988. “There’s still a fair while before the actual vote. You gotta get out there-”
  1989. >”And do WHAT?”
  1990. >She slammed her hooves on the desk in anger.
  1991. >”I’m outmatched, Applejack!”
  1992. >The mayor was finally crying.
  1993. >”It’s not just that I’m losing, that I’m going to be out of a job, and that the ponies are mad at me. It’s more than that. She HUMILIATED me! Twilight Sparkle beat me at my own game, and- and- and she wasn’t even trying!”
  1994. “Exactly!”
  1995. >”You’re not doing a great job of cheering me up!”
  1996. “Naw, think about it! Twilight isn’t even really trying! If what you’re tellin’ me is true, she’s holding back and being way too nice for what she’s trying to do. If she ain’t running this campaign right, that means you’ve got a shot!”
  1997. >”It’s too late for me, Applejack. The whole town’s mad at me about these pipes. And, well, they have a point. I should have noticed the problem sooner.”
  1998. “Everypony makes mistakes, that don’t matter right now. What DOES matter is that you’ve mostly done right by us for a long time, and if you lose we got a weird spider thing as mayor. I don’t want that, so I’m gonna help you win.”
  1999. >The mayor gave out a long, dejected sigh.
  2000. >”It’s… well, it’s a long shot. But I suppose I don’t have much to lose. Thank you Applejack.
  2001. “No problem. Uh, but, which one is it?”
  2002. >”Which what?”
  2003. “Well, are you plannin’ on dethroning Celestia? Or did you lie?”
  2004. >The mayor sighed again for some reason.
  2005. “You lied, right?”
  2006. >”I hadn’t considered that as an option when I spoke, Applejack.”
  2007. “So… it was a lie?”
  2008. >”It was neither.”
  2009.  
  2010. Meanwhile…
  2011.  
  2012.  
  2013. >Princess Celestia couldn’t help but shiver as she touched down.
  2014. >Cryagon may have been sat in warm waters, but the floe was nonetheless quite frigid all year long.
  2015. >Her big puffy jacket did quite a bit to cut the chill, but still the constant updraft seemed intent on freezing her very core.
  2016. >She carefully trod to the edge of the ice and looked down into the ocean.
  2017. >It was very tempting to jump in.
  2018. >Not far out, the waters would be appreciably warmer than the air here.
  2019. >But Princess Celestia knew better.
  2020. >If she got wet, her jacket would be useless for the flight home.
  2021. >Worse, flying while waterlogged was more taxing than most ponies realised.
  2022. >She could see a small pink and gold creature approaching from the deep.
  2023. >Though the water yet obscured most of its form, she could tell it was who she was looking for.
  2024. >Shortly after it breached the surface she was met by the surprised and weary looking seapony who had contacted her.
  2025. “Good day. Sand Dollar, I presume?”
  2026. >”Princess Celestia! Oh wow, I wasn’t expecting you to come here yourself!”
  2027. “I consider this to be a rather important matter.”
  2028. >”Are you okay? You’re shivering a lot!”
  2029. “I will be fine, though I must confess this isn’t the most comfortable place. The cold does not agree with me. The creature you told me about, is it still here?”
  2030. >”Yes.”
  2031. “And is it still insisting on swimming into Cryagon?”
  2032. >”We’ve done everything we can, but it just keeps going back. I’m really starting to worry about it.”
  2033. >That was a problem.
  2034. >Cryagon was dangerous for many reasons.
  2035. >Few who ventured into its labyrinthine network emerged, either dead or alive.
  2036. >It was just far too easy to get lost in it.
  2037. >Worse still, it was generally understood by sea creatures that the bubbles could cause severe harm to both the mind and body if they grew too intense.
  2038. “You are doing a very noble thing trying to preserve it, though I’m not certain it is necessary. You may have heard we have a similar creature in our own lands.”
  2039. >”You do?”
  2040. >Apparently word hadn’t spread quite this far just yet.
  2041. “And I have received word that there is another far to the North-West. Remote viewing suggests it is currently upon the Mad Mesa.”
  2042. >”Isn’t it really dangerous there?”
  2043. “Extraordinarily. Even with the magical dome that Brilliant Nova created in the distant past, there is enough wild magic in place to pose a constant hazard. Merely approaching the mesa is dangerous enough with the reckless weather and intense gravity. When last I heard we couldn’t see the creature because of Nova’s shield, but I understand that it had survived for several days there unaided.”
  2044. >”That’s amazing!”
  2045. “We cannot be certain that it would endure inside Cryagon. However, we know that their kind is remarkably durable. To exist in these frigid waters, as well as on land, and even on the Mad Mesa is no mean feat. I would ask that you continue your attempts to dissuade it, but if it does sneak by know that not all is lost.”
  2046. >”That’s a huge relief. It’s actually pretty sneaky! If we can’t convince it it’s too dangerous, it’s going to get in there sooner or later.”
  2047. “Do you happen to know why it wants to go inside?”
  2048. >”No. We don’t know what’s in there, so it’s really hard to guess. But I know it’s very curious, maybe it’s just exploring?”
  2049. >Exploring?
  2050. >That seemed consistent with Twilight’s reports.
  2051. >But there was one major inconsistency.
  2052. “The creature in these waters. Do you think it’s intelligent?”
  2053. >Sand Dollar shook her head.
  2054. “Is it because it ignores your warnings?”
  2055. >”Yes. We have tried all sorts of different warnings, but it just doesn’t seem to understand.”
  2056. “I consider curiosity to be a sign of intelligence.”
  2057. >Did it know something about this area that she didn’t?
  2058. >Or perhaps they knew something it didn’t, and had failed to recognize the gaps in its knowledge.
  2059. >Or…
  2060. >The gaps in its abilities.
  2061. “My student tells me that these creatures rely heavily on body language. We have yet to hear them vocalise or use written language. Have you tried warning it away in this manner?”
  2062. >”Many times!”
  2063. “How about magically?”
  2064. >”Magically?”
  2065. “I’ve been told it frequently uses a great deal of magic, but never seems to cast a spell. Have you observed the same thing?”
  2066. >”Well, yes! You think that’s how it talks?”
  2067. “It may be. There are several other possibilities.”
  2068. >If it fell from the heavens as Luna said, then it might simply not know how to access the local ley lines.
  2069. >Or maybe they were injured in some way on their journey, and can no longer coherently use magic.
  2070. >But it was possible that those failed spells were in fact messages.
  2071. “We know so little about these things that it would be easy to make a bad assumption about them. We may be misinterpreting its body language, its magic use, its behaviour, and even more. If we are to ever make sense of them, it is important that we test our assumptions. Please, let me know if your attempts at magical communication work.”
  2072. >”We will, princess!”
  2073. “And I of course shall share what we learn about them. Though you may not be my subjects, I trust we can still cooperate as friends. Unfortunately, I must be off before I freeze. Thank you so much for your help in this matter.”
  2074. >”Of course! Any time!”
  2075. “I wish you a wonderful day.”
  2076. >Celestia took flight, eager to return to the warmth of her home.
  2077. >There was much to consider after that meeting.
  2078. >But she was content to wait until she was far away from the cold before really thinking about it.

Steel Sanctuary Part 1

by Writefag_Is_Kill

Steel Sanctuary Part 2

by Writefag_Is_Kill

Steel Sanctuary Part 3

by Writefag_Is_Kill

Red Shift Part 1

by Writefag_Is_Kill

Red Shift Part 2

by Writefag_Is_Kill