EASA - Chapter 4: Two Overdue Reunions

- { Twilight } -

The Coastal City of Brighton.
Just a few miles south of Brighton, actually. Brighton was just a moderate growing town. But a few miles south of Brighton, next to the road, on the top of a small knoll surrounded by low subtropical bushes, all of us stood under the hot sun and clear blue sky, just looking at the Equatrian AeroSpace Agency facilities in awe.

In just three days, the miles of construction area were fenced off, and far off, amid the dark green wild bushes we could see half-built warehouses amid huge splats of ground where cream-colored dirt replaced the grass. Further in the distance, silhouetted by the blue sky and distant ocean, were enormous red steel towers, or rather, skeletons of towers. They were latticeworks of red beams rather than solid buildings. It was a true modern marvel.

Launch towers! I giggled a little in excitement. Just last night Hoofcolt had been explaining about them. I only learned about the concept a few hours ago, and yet there they were, as real as anything else.

I felt the warm, moist ocean breeze, and the moon hung low in the sky over the facility. Like a Chekhov's gun, I knew it would play a huge role in preparing to go to Mars, and make us the most well-known mares alive, and perhaps even spread our sentiments of friendship, and dissolve some of the feelings of tension in-between Equestria and Avia, preventing this horrible upcoming war.

We could feel the energy of it being rapidly built, the most futuristic place on the planet, and it was huge. Yet, it felt small compared to the ocean on the horizon, the enormous blue sky, and the flat lands all around us specked with tiny towns amid the wild subtropical bush. I looked back, saw a forest afar off, and turned back to see open ocean and the enormous half-built spaceport. It looked almost as if the sky reached down, and that facility was where land and space, the sky's ceiling, bent down to meet Terra, so that we could climb it's great heights that nopony ever had. I giggled in excitement again.

"Heheh..." Applejack sheepishly laughed a little. "There were taller buildings in Manehatten back when I was there. They call'em skyscrapers."
I couldn't help but look surprised at her as she underplayed this amazing sight. She didn't seem to be bragging, though. Didn't she see it the way I did? How the sky's unreachable ceiling was bending down for us to climb up on top of?

"Skyscrapers, huh?" Rainbow replied, and shot into the sky, leaving a Dash of color in an enormous loop, and landed right next to her friends.
"How's that for scraping the sky!?"
"Heheh, pretty good, Rainbow, but those are still some pretty impressive sights over there."
Pinkie piped in: "That was amazing Rainbow Dash it was fantastic! It was -"
"Boooooring." Screwball said.
I know she's too old... But we should've just sent her to a daycare anyways. Or gotten a foalsitter. But who's qualified to foalsit Discord's minion?

"Screwball!" Pinkie started: "It's not boring! It's super! It's spamdifferous!"
"Pinkie, I think the word you're looking for is 'splendiferous'" I corrected her.
"No – it was splendiferously spamdifferous! Super duper-uper splendidly splendif-"
"Can we keep going now?" Screwball interrupted.
"-erous..." Pinkie finished slowly.
"Let's not be late." I said and we all started walking back towards the bottom of the hill. Pinkie kept trying to cheer up the bored Screwball, and Rarity, Rainbow and Fluttershy talked among themselves.

I turned to Applejack, she'd know more about raising buildings than anypony else; "Can you believe they raised all that in just three days, Applejack?"
"It's mighty impressive what a good team of strong construction unicorns can do in a jiffy! Why – once my granny pa struck a deal with the Riches, and as a return favor, they had just a few construction unicorns come and build us a new shed. They built it in less than an hour! It would've taken us all week! Needless to say they don't pay by the hour, but I wouldn't know for sure since it was a gift and we didn't have to pay an' all. The Riches paid for it."

As we walked back down to the dirt road, a covered wagon rolled along pulled by stallions. Behind it was a group of newsponies. Among them was the doctor Hoofcolt, chatting with Trixie.
"Woah, nelly!"
Rainbow Dash shot up. "Oh – that little!"
"Rainbow..." I said.
She huffed.
"Maybe she's learned her lesson?" I offered.
"Oh, I'll teach her a lesson alright." Applejack said.
"Girls, just -"
"Twilight!" Trixie called.
To their surprise, Screwball shouted: "Trixieee!"
I couldn't help but ask; "You know her?"
"Yeah! She does way awesome magic, and even puts on shows!"
I rolled my eyes.

Trixie's gaze snapped to Screwball. She galloped over in a rush.
"Screwball! Who's Trixie's number one fan!?"
Screwball squealed squeakily.
"Memememememe!"
"Right, so why don't you – uh – go take a tour of the wagon?"
Screwball darted off.
I think everyone's jaws dropped. Maybe this is somepony else – but it can't be – even the cutie mark is the same, talking in third person – but – news? I – what!?

We were all so shocked by Trixie acting odd that I think my friends didn't realize how odd Screwball was acting. The only thing Screwball loved was Discord. What does Trixie have to do with discord?
Well, nevermind...

I started: "Uhm. Trixie, you uh..."
"Twilight!" Trixie said back.
"How have things been?" I asked.
"Well, tell your friends to stop giving Trixie that evil glare. Trixie is going to be on camera soon and it's not going to help Trixie's focus."
"Camera?"
"Yes! It records moving pictures? Ever heard of it?"
She glanced back at the newsponies as Doctor Hoofcolt trotted back up, and back at me and continued,
"And Trixie's been doing absolutely grand, of course, how else does The Great and Powerful Trixie ever do?"
Yep. This is Trixie.
Well, might as well be nice. It's better to make friends than enemies.
But why was she so nice to Screwball?...
Hoofcolt came in the conversation before I could suggest the hill we just came from.

Rarity gaped in horror at Hoofcolt's mane as he walked up. It looked a bit messy, I guess. Looked like he'd had a rough morning.
"Good morning, my future astromares. I see you've been on Eagle Knoll?"
Relief spread through the rest of my friends as he spoke instead of Trixie.
This was my chance: "Uh, yes. Trixie, it's a great vantage point – your camera -"
"Trixie already knew, of course. Doctor Hoofcolt told me. He is a rocket scientist, after all."
"Uhm... Don't you mean engineer?" Rainbow Dash said.
So she was listening all those times I was telling her about rocket engineering!
"What are you talking about? The hot word for these geniuses is rocket scientist, I should know, I coined it!"

Hoofcolt piped in; "It's not entirely technically accurate... But it is a labcoat environment, and the public gets the right idea..." He turned to Trixie: "Though I think 'genius' is a bit much" he blushed a little.
I felt sick to my stomach as Trixie continued: "Oh, don't be so modest, why, you're such a genius your intelligence almost rivals The Great and Powerful Trixie's!"
Hoofcolt laughed a little, then said in a hushed tone to me: "She really loves that stage show!"
Trixie was too preoccupied with herself to notice.

I had to ask: "What happened to your show, Trixie?"
"Oh, The Great and Powerful Trixie did very well. So well, she became rich, and well-known,-"
Well I've never heard of you, aside from your blunder in Ponyville...
"-and this new radio news company – you do know what a radio is, right?"
"Yes... I know what a radio is."
"Well, this radio company was just thrilled to have Trixie's voice, and with these big events going on, all the other companies want Trixie, too!"
"Where's your cape, and hat, and wand?"
She looked embarrassed: "Oh, those? I uh - I don't need those to be dazzling!"
She spoke in first person again...

"But she said I could!" They heard screwball wail from the approaching wagon.
"Trixieeeeee!" a camera crewpony yelled.
Trixie sheepishly backed down; "One second."
She zipped away, talking to the crewponies.

"So you've been talking to Trixie this entire time?!" Pinkie asked.
"Yes, I uh-" Pinkie gasped and darted away to Trixie, leaving the rocket engineer perplexed: "Hmm..."
"Now, Hoofcolt darling, we must address this mane of yours!" Rarity trotted towards him.
"Uh... My mane?"
"Yes! I -"
He cleared his throat.
"No, but thanks, my mane's fine, and I'm sorry but there's some matters we must get to -"
"No, no! I insist!"
"Just wait a bit-"
"This is a fashion-"
"One moment! This is Celestia's official business!" he snapped.
"Uh... Okay... Then." she backed off, ears drooping.
Hoofcolt sighed.
"I'm very, very sorry Rarity, I just -"
"No, go on ahead."
Everypony looked around awkwardly.

"It's Trixie. I've had to spend most of the morning with her."
"Ooooohhhh." Everypony said in unison.
I informed him: "It's perfectly okay, Dr. Hoofcolt, we understand. So what was it you came to tell us about?"
"She's not that bad..." he mumbled, then continued; "So you've seen the facilities, then, right? Impressive, aren't they?"
We all agreed. I could imagine it again, though a view like earlier would be nice...
"Well you aren't nearly ready to use them. They aren't ready, either, but they'll be ready before you are. Every one of you will need to learn strict discipline, learn one of the most complex arts known to ponydom – one that we are only just beginning to understand, and are inventing as we go along. We have a lot to learn, but this much we know: you'll be spending two years in cramped spaces next to eachother. 'cabin fever' would be a massive understatement, and if you make the single smallest mistake, you're all going to die, and the blunder will probably make Equestria look so stupid the griffons would lose fear of us and invade immediately.

This isn't just a technical challenge. It's going to take you to your limits, and keep pushing, and keep pushing until you become somepony else, because that's what it'll take to survive out there. The smallest weakness, the littlest squabble will quickly become a war, and everyone will die. Either your friendships are perfect, and your knowledge and discipline are secure, or you'll launch this entire world into discord."

Rainbow Dash stood with her chest puffed up; "You can count on us! We can do it!"
"That's the spirit, RD!" Applejack cheered.
"Wohoo!" Pinkie came out of nowhere. "Who started the party without me!?" she yelled obliviously.
Hoofcolt facehoofed. He later told me he was thinking; "these ponies are dead already."

"So, you were saying, doctor?" I said.
"Just call me Hoofcolt – I'm sorry I digressed a bit... Uhm... We have some assignments for today!"
Rainbow Dash deflated. "Assignments?... Like what? Breath tests? G-tolerance tests! Speed and agility workouts! Piloting skill tests! Bring it on!" She punched the air.
"No. Not yet. You, Rainbow Dash, are going to record the weather at a few different points."
"Huh-wha?" She stopped punching and dropped her forelegs.
"Uhm. More detail at the Hoofford building. It's the only one that's finished at the facility. Actually, it's a converted villa so it's rather nice."
She just looked at him. "So, what do I do, exactly?..."
"Go to the Hoofford building, they'll tell you."


- / / Rainbow Dash / / -


Of all the things in the world – Weather!?
Why the hay do we even need this? Couldn't the local weather team keep it up? But no, apparently we had to know some other stuff. Oh, they explained it, atmospheric density and vapor and speed of sound with varying weather and high altitude winds, all kinds of stuff, it's just it's not what I wanted to be doing. It was unbearably boring.

But, I flew from one spot to another anyways, and I set the "instrument package" on a cruddy cumulus cloud, and I read it's gauges and documented details at each point on a notepad.

It seemed to take forever. I couldn't take it any longer! I started to feel stuffy in my own skin. It seemed like painful hours and hours passed. I had to do something!

So after a few minutes, I took a little break, and I just shot into the sky, straight up, as high as I could. The wind, whishing through my mane, the ground rushing away underneath me, even the early afternoon sky got darker overhead as I shot higher and higher, and the world got smaller and smaller far below. Ooooh yeah!

I kept going until it was hard to breath. I had gone too high before, it gets harder and harder to fly -  already I was struggling to stay in the air – and if I kept going up, I'd black out, and might not wake up before hitting the ground. I'd gone too high before, a long time ago, and as I was climbing then, by the time I noticed I was blacking out, it was too late, and I woke up just in time to keep myself from hitting the ground.

I wasn't going to repeat that. So I always stopped when it got too hard to fly and hard to breath. So this time, I hovered and rested for a moment. It was always awesome up here, with the darker sky and the world so small far below. It felt amazing, it was exhilarating!

But then I saw something flying by the coast. It was tiny, but I could tell it wasn't a bird or a pegasus. I'd seen enough pegasi to know that, and it was too big for a bird. It looked like it was trying to hide in the clouds. Then it split – it was actually a team of flying somethings. A team of non-pegasi trying to hide?... No, it can't be... Then there was a glint of sunlight off of one – they were wearing metal armor! My heart skipped a beat – Armored, not pegasi? Griffon soldiers! It has to be!... Calm down, Rainbow Dash... They're probably just... Just... I couldn't think of anything benign no matter how hard I tried. -Spying!

I wasn't a soldier! To go against a team of griffon soldiers was suicide. There was no doubt I was the greatest flier in Equestria, but griffons were born better fliers than most pegasi – and a whole team of them against one pegasi...

But I just can't sit and do nothing... I have to get a closer look. Captain Ratchet Wrench will have to know if there's spies nearby. And plus... They might just be pegasi. But I still didn't want to be seen. I grabbed the red hair of my mane and held it close to my head. Against the blue sky, I was hard to see except for the streak of red on my tail. Maybe they were just pegasi, though...

But as I got closer, I saw them stealthily sneaking along, slithering through clouds. They were good, too, and they were definitely griffons. They stayed to more cloudy areas and snuck around, hiding from the land like it was a giant, gargantuan monster. They were definitely deviantly sneaking. So I shot down to a patch of clouds they were moving near. They would wander to a cloud nearby, and from here I could –
The cloud shook as something landed on it.

I turned around just in time to see a glint of armor and a blur of claws.

- { Twilight } -

"Transferred from Farmsville."
Hoofcolt said, presenting a huge finished rocket, an entire five ponies long, laying on it's side on a metal trailer in the one finished warehouse.
My eyes sparkled.

He trotted over to it's revolutionary liquid-fueled rocket engine: "It has enough power to lift a full two-hundred pound package right to the edge of space..."

Much later, I was jittery thinking about my presentation I'd soon make as we walked through the Hoofford building. It was used like an office building, but it was obvious it was built long ago as a villa.

We had spent a lot longer in the warehouse than anypony meant to, just musing over and talking about the rockets that had already arrived. Test rockets, they called them, to learn more about space, and make sure we wouldn't die from radiation or anything as soon as we left the atmosphere.

There was a murmur of conversation as we sat down in the conference room. I gasped, and everyone bowed as the doors opened and Princess Luna walked in.
"Princess Luna!" I said.
"I am sorry I am late, ponies, there were some matters I had to attend to with security. As you were my little ponies, if you would, please."
Everypony returned to the way they were as Hoofcolt spoke: "No need to apologize, princess, we could never stand to let a princess wait on us!"
"Thank you, Doctor. Twilight, now you may let us begin." Luna said, nodding at me.
I squeed and levitated the enormous stack of papers over to me, and straightened them out.

I cleared my throat. "I wrote these theories on astronautical engineering after discussion with Hoofcolt for our review here today. Section one: mission architecture..."
I paced over to the chalkboard, lifted a piece of chalk, and jumped in shock as it made a loud bang when it touched the chalkboard, I accidentally blew the stack into an enormous explosion of paper sheets.

"Twilight!" Pinkie shouted at the door, which she'd slammed open.
It wasn't the chalk that banged! It was Pinkie slamming the door! Of all the times!
"Pinkie!..."
"Something's happened to Rainbow Dash! There were big, mean griffons!"