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3476 19.3 KB 166
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>Captain's Log 1280
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>Earth was our home... once upon a time.
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>Such a silly little phrase that old mother goose would tell our children, now a reminder of what we lost by our own fault.
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>It has been twenty four thousand years since we took what mother nature had given us and used them to destroy her.
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>Or so we thought.
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>When humanity brought ruin to our homeworld we fled to the stars. We vowed to never make the same mistake to our new home.
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>I was chosen to return to earth out of curiosity of the ultimate fate of our ancestral home.
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>There were tales of how our forebears created horrid monstrosities, a forest that regrew faster than it burned.
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>Even tales how even the sun and moon hung in the sky never to move again.
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>That is what I expected to find on this mission. A dead or dying husk of our once proud home.
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>We were wrong.
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>Somehow, someway the land seems alive and vibrant instead of strangled by an unending forest.
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>Sensors indicate life on a scale of the various jungle worlds mankind has found in the millenia since.
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>The sun and moon move.
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>The only remnant of humanty's past was the odd sattelite still in orbit.
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>In the name of humanity I, Anon Yosemite Mous will reclaim our long lost homeworld.
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>End log.
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---
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>You shut down the recording software and turn once again to the blue planet below you.
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>"Anon, why did you record your captain's log in prose?"
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>You turn to look at the screen with your AI assistant's insignia. You should really change it from the default one of these days.
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>You regard your assistant for a moment before returning your gaze to Earth.
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"Because, ALEXAndria, I felt that such a momentous occasion deserved a momentous recording to mark it."
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>"Hmpf" She may not have a face, but you can imagine the deadpan expression ALEXAndria would have easily enough. "No wonder the other humans think you have some sort of autism."
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>You know that's bait, but you can't leave that unchallenged.
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"I just think differently. Now are you the captain? Do you make the logs?"
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>"*sigh.exe* No Captain"
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"That's what I thought."
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>ALEXAndria had come with the ship you had saved from the scrap yard three years ago. The previous owner thought you were insane to want a ship with such a "quirky" AI, but you were insistent and were able to get the ship at a fraction of its value.
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>Also you found interacting with ALEXAndria easier than with other humans, despite her constant prodding.
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>You take a deep breath before steeling your resolve.
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"ALEXAndria, chart a landing course."
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>"Aye Captain."
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>You look out the window to the now pristine world below. You can only imagine what awaits.
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>You are Luna and you are bored.
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>Night court as per usual was empty save for the obligatory thestrals as your guards, and even they were sitting in a corner playing cards.
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>You ought to put a stop to it as it was unbecoming of royal guards, but you couldn't be bothered anymore. Let them have their fun.
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>Meanwhile you just sat on your throne and stewed in your thoughts... again.
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>You know you shouldn't, but you can't help but feel jealous of your sister and how day court is always overflowing with petitioners, syncophants, and diplomats.
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>Just once you wish somepony would come to you to help with one of their problems, even if it was to get a drunk friend home safely.
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>You let out a small sigh before turning your gaze upward to the night sky, its collection of stars and nebula bringing a small smile to your face.
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>Even as a filly you wondered what might be out there. What secrets laid amongst the void the meteors called their home? Was Equus alone in its capacity for life?
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>Your sister never shared your wonder of the unknown, preferring to stay down to earth with her little ponies. Just another difference between you two it seemed.
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>Your ears perk up as a shooting star flits past the skylight you are gazing though, with a smile forming as a second flies by moments later. You had forgotten the Orionids were starting this week.
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>You decide that since nopony wants to see a lunar princess you'll wrap things up early tonight and enjoy yourself.
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>Gathering your regal composure you look to your guards and clear your throat causing the guards to scramble to abandon their game and line up at attention in front of your throne.
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"My loyal guards, I have decided to retire for the night. You are dismissed and may spend the rest of your shift as you please."
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>You make your way toward the grand doors leaving the throne room, ignoring their confused looks. You know they'll spend the rest of the evening gossiping or something. Pony or thestral, stallions never change.
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>As soon as the throne room door closes behind you and cuts off their sight you break into a wide grin and begin cantering toward the nearest balcony.
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>With a beat of your wings you throw yourself into the autumn night, relishing the cool breeze blowing through your mane and the moon lighting the way to your observatory tower. It won't be long before the pegasi begin preparing the mountain for winter.
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>The thought of winter makes you giddy with anticipation for the Geminids and the Ursid meteor showers, but for the second time tonight an errant thought makes you wish you had somepony to share them with.
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>Another meteor streaking across the sky snaps you out of your thoughts as you rush toward your telescope. The old device creaks in protest as you move it into position, but Starswirl's design has proved its durability over the years.
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>You spend the next few hours searching the night sky for incoming objects, and trying to guess the composition of those you do find. You could never prove it to the scholars but you're almost certain the Orionids are mostly ice that comes from Noble's Comet.
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>A soft glow on the horizon signals the approaching end to your observation for the night, but as you move to place the telescope away you notice a bright object that seems conspicuously out of place; it isn't reflecting light like a meteor would.
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>You train your gaze on the object slowly bringing it into focus. Strange... it doesn't seem to be moving from its place in the sky.
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>At long last the telescope comes into focus on your unknown object and your jaw drops in shock. It's no natural object hanging in the sky; it appears like some sort of boat made of refined metal.
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>A faint memory tickles at the back of your mind but it is overwhelmed by renewed curiosity and joy. There is other life in the universe! You can see it clear as day!
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>You needed a closer look. You may be able to show your memory to the scholars but they would never accept something you saw through a telescope, princess or not. You would need to go see the object up close so they couldn't possibly say this was just some strange asteroid.
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>You note the object's position relative to the observatory before rushing toward the balcony and throwing yourself upward, the spells to ensure your wings work in the thin air of the upper atmosphere already flowing through your horn.
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"Oh Celestia, you are not going to believe this!"
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"ALEXAndria where's the telescoping flag?"
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>"Under your bunk where you left it, Anon."
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>You are Anon and you are making last minute preparations... again. When you told ALEXAndria to chart a landing course you weren't aware it would take six hours.
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>In retrospect you probably shouldn't keep distracting her, but hey she's an AI and has processing power to spare. Humanity's come a long way since the FX-4300 you absolutely don't have inside your gaming rig back home.
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>Staring down at your ancestral home is exciting for the first hour but eventually it gets old. For a moment you had felt a twinge of sadness that the continents of old were no more and whatever calamity had caused humans to flee had reshaped the world. At least you have your globe sitting near the control panel to remember it by.
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>You run through your mental checklist again, shuffling in the spacesuit you've had on for hours thinking "charting a landing course" would be only a few minutes at most.
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>Oxygen tank? Check. Telescoping flag? Check. Empty bladder? ... Check.
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>You run through the remaining items on your list before sitting down on your bunk. Your thoughts turn to home and what you might do after returning from Earth. You'll return a hero, bringing news that the cradle of humanity is alive and well. We've learned from the past and we can preserve Earth, right? Then why do you have a sudden sense of foreboding?
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>The sudden beep of the proximity alarm rouses you.
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>"Anonymous, there is an unknown object approaching the ship from the port side."
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>You draw yourself up, slipping into competent captain mode.
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"Right! Port side. Which is the..."
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>"*sigh.exe* Left side, Anon."
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"Left side!"
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>You pause for a moment.
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"Wait unknown object? Do you mean some sort of meteor?"
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>"I mean unknown, Anon. The scanners are picking up something with extremely high energy readings, but when I tried to adjust course to avoid it it changed course as well."
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>That's not nervousness you're hearing right? AI's don't get nervous... you think. The lack of snark from ALEXAndria tells you it's serious enough.
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"Let me see if I can spot it out the window Alexa."
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>"Please do. Remember I'm not equipped if some pirate decides to ruin our day."
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"Noted, how long until landing initiation?"
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>"T minus 3 minutes."
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"Alright as soon as 3 minutes are up initiate landing procedure no matter what."
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>There's a small pause before an "Aye captain." confirms your order.
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>You walk over to the portside window. What on earth got Alexa so worked up? You chuckle as you realize it very well may be something from Earth, before the implications make your chuckle die in your throat.
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>With growing apprehension you gaze out the window searching for the mystery object, the setting moon a backdrop to the planet below.
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>It's amazing, the metal thing in the sky.
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>You were forced to fly higher than you've flown in a long time, maybe halfway higher than when you were... no... don't think about it.
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>What in Equestria could be so high up yet not fall to the ground?
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>As you approached the metal boat you began to make out details you had missed looking through your telescope, like it's dull orange color, the lights running along its side, or the window to the inside.
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>... There's a window to the inside!! Any doubt you had that this was made by intelligent life is squashed by the elation you feel at this discovery. Maybe you'll be able to see inside this strange thing. Maybe there'll be... aliens inside?
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>As you get closer to the object it suddenly comes alive and fire shoots out of a cylinder in its rear end, moving it slightly forward before extinguishing itself.
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>It's a simple course correction but concerning. Is there something controlling it? You continue to warily approach the... ship? You suppose it does look like one of the airships your sister enjoys so much. It does not react again as you further close the distance aiming slightly below the window.
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>At last you are close enough to touch it, and you warily do so. With a soft clang against your shoe you confirm it is made out of metal before turning your gaze upward toward the window.
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>Casting a strong magnetism spell you cling to the ship's side as you begin crawling up, stopping just short of the window. You take a deep metaphorical breath to calm your nerves before slipping your hooves up to the window edge and hauling yourself up.
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>You expect to see many things when you look through the window. You even expect to see nothing. What you don't expect, however, is to look an alien in the eye, freezing you in place in shock.
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>Shit. Holy shit. SWEET TAPDANCING JESUS CHRIST HOLY FUCKING SHIT AN ALIEN JUST PULLED ITSELF UP TO YOUR WINDOW.
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>"Anon initiating landing procedure in 30 seconds."
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>>Don't just fucking stand there like a moron do some sort of first contact protocol!
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>I'M WORKING ON IT BRAIN JUST GIVE ME A SECOND.
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>With a slight shake you raise your hand and wave to the alien clinging to your window. The alien stares at your hand before mimicing the gesture with a... hoof? You're calling that a hoof.
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>Nailed it. You give a small smile before realizing you still have your helmet on.
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>Wait you should probably take that off if you're going to-
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>"Three, two, one, initiating landfall procedcure."
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>WAIT NO!
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"WAIT NO!"
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>It's too late as the engine fires to life and the ship launches forward, the sudden change in momentum jostling both you and the alien. You glance once more at the alien before moving to the nearby chair and strapping in hoping it gets the message.
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>The ship decellerates from its parking orbit and fire begins to appear as planeteary entry heating glances off the ship's armor.
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>It's about halfway through reentry when alarms start blaring.
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>"Anon we've sustained damage on the starboard wing! I've lost control of the ship!"
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>Your bladder which you thought was empty suddenly finds its second wind.
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"WHAT? What the fuck could damage durasteel?"
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>"Sensors indicate it was the unknown entity that interacted with the ship just now. Prepare for crash landing."
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>Well, the Socrates has crash landed before; maybe this won't be so bad?
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>"Anon... it's been an honor."
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>Oh... shit...
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>You are Luna and you are hanging for dear life onto the alien ship.
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>When the ship started moving you did the fist thing to pop into your mind which was grab ahold of the fist thing you could which was the wing right below you.
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>It wasn't until the outside of the ship started heating up did you realize you had made a very bad mistake. At least it was space where nobody could hear you scream.
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>As the ship continued to decelerate you began to realize that while the heating wasn't hurting you the drag around your hooves was beginning to warp the metal where you were holding on.
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>Before you can think to reposition your hooves (no way in Tartarus you were letting go) the wing around your left hoof suddenly gives way with an awful screech of tearing metal.
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>As you grab on again the ship begins to wobble before destabalizing entirely, tumbling through the dawn sky.
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>As you close your eyes and grit your teeth to await impact, you begin to hear a scream coming from inside the ship. It sounds like a colt! Why on earth would a colt be in such a dangerous contraption?!
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>You open your eyes ad through the tumbling can make out the path of the ship is aiming straight for the south side of Canterlot Mountain. If it impacts there the inhabitant inside would surely perish!
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>Fighting your growing nausea you begin guiding the falling ship toward Canterlot proper, an idea beginning to form.
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>First stopping the damn spinning, you then direct the alien craft toward the cliff connecting Canterlot to the west side of the mountain in a smooth incline.
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>Timing it just right you send the craft into a nosedive, renewing the screams coming from within.
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"CALM YOURSELF, ALIEN, I AM TRYING TO SAVE US!"
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>Whether it understood you or not you don't know, but as the cliff approaches you get ready for your maneuver and put the creature within to the back of your mind.
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>Ready... ready... impact! With a horrid noise of metal on rock the craft begins grinding its way down the cliff face. It takes all of your concentration to keep the nose up enough to prevent the ship from flipping over.
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>As rock gives way to soil the screeching stops, but the craft begins digging a trench as it continues to race down the hillside.
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>Just as you think you are in the clear the ship hits a rock just below the dirt surface causing the ship to suddenly rise up and deliver an uppercut to your chin, breaking your grip on the damaged wing.
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>You are thrown into the air and after a moment's disorientation locate the alien ship continuing down the mountain to Canterlot before giving chase.
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>With you no longer directing it the ship's nose dips into the dirt, sending the craft into voiolent flips as it enters Canterlot itself.
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>The craft does several more flips before finally landing on its stomach sliding deeper into Canterlot. The weakened wings are broken off nearly instantly thanks to the narrow streets, and the few ponies awake at this hour are alerted to get out of the way by the racket of metal on stone. It's only sheer luck that the nose does not catch on an ally to send the ship tumbling again.
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>As you worry that you will need to teleport somepony out of the way you see the ship finally beginning to end its spree of property damage and slow down before coming to a stop in the square in front of the castle.
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>Exhausted, you fly the remaining distance to the alien craft and land a few meters away, wings drooping to the ground as you catch your breath.
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>>"Princess! Please step away from that... thing! It's destroyed all of Mane Street and several businesses along the way!"
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>You look up to see a ring of terrified guards surrounding you and the alien craft. Before you can assure the guards otherwise you see your sister descending the stairway from the castle, a look of concerned confusion on her face.
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>>>"Luna, what is going on? Did you cause all this?"
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>Great, just what you needed: bad PR. You can already see the headlines "Lunar Princess Destroys Mane Street"
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"Sister, you will not believe this but this craft came from the outer void!"
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>Celestia's eyes widen while the surrounding ponies murmer in confusion. Something from the outer void that isn't a meteor? Impossible.
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>Before she can retort noises begin emanating from the alien ship. The surrounding guards tense as a door on the side unseals and begins to open.
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>You are Anon and your head fucking hurts.
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>It took all of two seconds for you to realize your impromptu passenger was doing /something/ to keep you from dying, but the way it went about it left much to be desired.
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>Now that the craft has finally stopped moving, if not spinning, you feel a sense of elation. You're alive. YOU SUFFERED A FUCKING HARD REENTRY AND LIVED TO TELL THE TALE!
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>You begin moving toward the exit when ALEXAndria speaks. "Anon I must advise against leaving the spacecraft! There are many unknown..."
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>You phase Alexa out as you work the depressurization mechanism. You'll apologize to her for not listening later. For now you need to kiss the ground for being kind enough to let you live.
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>With a hiss the door swings outward, with you stumbling out onto the ground. Ripping your helmet off you make good on your promise and begin kissing the cobbled street below you.
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"Land! I will never take you for granted again! I..."
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>Wait... cobbled street?
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>You slowly turn your gaze upward to see a crowd of the same kind of alien that was attatched to your ship. A few awkward moments pass before the largest two step forward past the ring of what look like soldiers. Hey that's the one that attatched to your ship!
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>Seeing your recognition the smaller blue alien clears its throat. You feel your brain grind to a halt as you realize you can understand it.
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>>"Creature! What are you? Why have you come?"
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>You simply kneel there in shock staring at the alien that spoke to you.
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>"Anon, it is generally rude to ignore a question like that."
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>ALEXAndria's voice rouses you from your stupor. Glancing to your ship you realize that it's totaled and escape would be impossible, even if you could get back to its safety without being caught.
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>A few moments pass before you turn your gaze back on the aliens in front of you. Finally realizing the gravity of the situation you clear your throat and rise to your full height, taking note how only the largest alien in front of you can look you in the eye.
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"My name is Anonymous. I come in peace."
by CharlieHoers
by CharlieHoers
by CharlieHoers
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