Prologue

Space was always seen as a vast open space, to which no end could be found. Utter darkness surrounded by life, heat, energy, mythical forces yet to be seen by eyes of the wandering space nomad. Yet, in spite of its utter darkened state, it still retained some mysteries. In some places, the mysteries surrounded those who studied it, who nurtured it, who sought it.

"To be alone in space, is to forget those you loved, to accept and embrace death." A young stallion remembered as he drove his drill into the rock once more. Dust billowed out in small tufts of clouds around the tip, only to float away effortlessly as it was in a state of suspended animation. Sweat dripped from his brow, some droplets clinging to his face shield. His suit stank from the horrible odor that his sweaty fur gave off.

"Just another push Lucky, and were in." Beside him, a much older, yet more toned stallion plunged his own drill in. Cracking could be heard as the asteroid they were mining began to break apart. "Tell Floural to be ready with the crane, got enough floating debris as it is." Whirring was heard from the drills as they dug into the floating space rock, but they grew to a still silence as they disengaged them.

"Roger." Pulling his drill out, Lucky turned to a small ship that was floating nearby, "Floural." Her name echoed inside of the cockpit, but she was nowhere to be seen. As he listened, he could hear heavy metal music blaring in the crew bay. "Floural, we need you in the crane now." If it was at all possible, the music seemed to get louder before a rough, beaten voice answered him.

"Sorry Lucky, just needed to get a hit. What do you need again?" Years of heavy drug abuse had not been kind to Floural, and her voice was evident of that if her figure was not. Even now he could tell that she was not in the right state of mind.

"We need you in the crane. Readings say that there are heavy traces of metal inside of this asteroid. This could be our lucky one babe."

"We'll see 'Lucky'. We'll see." She disappeared from view, heading back towards the crew bay. In seconds, the arm of the crane was swinging around to grasp the chunks of metal in the center of the asteroid. "Ready when you are boys."

Both stallions smirked at her comment before plunging in deeper with their drills, each laughing when the whirring resumed. The cracking grew louder until, with a loud groan, the asteroid began to flake off in small chunks. Beams from the ships external nav-lights shone in, reflecting off of an almost mirror like substance. "Boys, I think we just hit the mother load." Whooping could be heard as both boys darted inside of the cave they had revealed leading towards the center of the asteroid.

A faint dripping sound could be heard as they progressed steadily down. Each step they took sounded as though they were walking on metal grating, each step echoing in the still darkness that surrounded them. When the lights from their helmets flashed towards the walls, all they could see was the light shine brightly back. The walls were smooth, too smooth in fact, almost as if they formed a shaft instead of just a simple cave in the asteroid.

Near the bottom, a faint set of lights could be seen. Small at first, but growing brighter as they went. Beeping was heard before all at once, lights went on around them. Bright white lights that when you looked at them, you would go blind. Everything was silent as the two looked around them. As time ensued, the beeping got louder, and further down the shaft they went.

Emerging from the shaft, which had a set of gravity doors and a derailed tram, they found themselves in a fairly large room, surrounded by computers, a set of giant blast doors, and a circular table. Seven chairs stood erect, each one housing a rotting skeleton. Cobwebs covered the computer screens, the glass cracked, some sort of wild vines growing from the interior of the system. Spiders crawled in and out of the skeletons, through their skull, or through the broken, some shattered, bones.

The blast doors stood out among the carnage that it looked like the place had suffered. Moss covered the the food laden table, which was covered in moldy bread and assorted rotting fruits. Walking across the floor spotted in wild vines and long roots, they came upon a small Dias erected beside of the blast doors. Looking into it, Lucky could see that the water inside of it was untouched by time, almost as if it had been frozen in place far after what had happened to this place. "What happened here Grange?"

"I don't know Lucky." Their voices were tainted with a hint of worry, but also of excitement. Though they did not find the metal that they were looking for, they found something much better. An archeological sight that could bring them in tons of money. While Grange saw nothing but credits flying by his eyes, Lucky cautiously dipped his gloved hand into the Dias. A pure ring echoed in the room as a heavy thud could be heard slamming behind the blast doors. Groaning loudly, the doors began to open.

Air began to whoosh through the opening in the doors, sucking in Lucky and Grange with its force. They screamed as they flew into the still darkness once more, but instead of being in zero-g, they found themselves slamming into the metal grated floor. Looking up, they saw only seven lights on, and underneath each one was a sight that they had never seen before. "Grange, I think we better call the Princess, she really needs to see this."

---

"How long ago Lieutenant Clawston?"

"Twelve hours ma'am. Three miners were looking for ds-ore metal when they came across it. I am flying out in twenty minutes to inspect this discovery for myself. As of right now, only three people know about the discovery aside from you or I. A team of thirteen scientists will be accompanying me to bring their find back here."

"Good, when we get them back here, we will know more."

"Ma'am, at the rate of which we will need to get them, it will be at least three to four months before we can get all seven back here."

"That's fine Lieutenant, just get them here as fast as possible. Dismissed."

"As you wish milady." With a bow, the Royal Canterlot Guard Lieutenant Troius Clawston departed from the royal chambers of the two princess rulers and made his way towards his 'non-existent' star cruiser.

"Should we fear these things Luna?"

"What does thou mean dearest sister?"

"This new discovery, they has never been heard of before, they have never been seen before as long as we have been alive at least." She put a hand to her chin as she thought, while her sister gazed out at the starlit night. "I must seek council with the library tonight Luna. Maybe there is history of them written in there. Please sister, do watch over our subjects tonight."

"Fret not dearest sister, thou hast nothing to fear, it is our task to protect our land." With that, Luna turned away from the window to smile at her sister as the sun princess vanished beyond the threshold of the door. "We wish thee luck in thoust pursuit."

---

"How much longer pilot."

"Two minutes sir."

"Alright then." Turning around, the almost hulking gryphon looked over the thirteen whimpering scientists that he was escorting. "Prepare for zero-g launch." Altogether, the gryphon and thirteen ponies slipped on their helmets. Looking over his shoulder, he saw that the pilot was giving him a thumbs up. "Here we go." The ramp to the back of the small T-3 star ship opened up, sucking with it all of the viable oxygen. "Go, go, go."

Rushing out, the fourteen team members were stunned at how massive the asteroid was looking at it up close. Nevertheless, Troy knew that they had a job to do, and was going to see it through. "Alright ladies, I want those things back inside of the cruiser in no more than four hours. Let's see what we are dealing with." They drifted down towards the protruding shaft, the miners having cut away the rock before leaving.

"Easy now." Troy took the lead as they went down the brightly lit white shaft. His eyes caught the almost skin smooth walls, swearing that it was made of some kind of chrome instead of metal. Near the bottom, they engaged their gravity boots and passed through the gravity door.

"Dearest Celestia." One of the scientists muttered as he gazed upon the sight before him. The skeletons, the vines, the roots, the moss, the broken glass, the irreplaceable computer systems, and the untouched blast doors. "Sir, are we really going in there."

"Damn right we are." Pulling out his sidearm, Troy took the lead as they passed through into the darkness, flashing his helmet light all around to make sure that the area was clear. He motioned for the scientists to wait as he delved deeper into the darkened interior of the room. The seven lights were still on, but it seemed to easy that they were just there.

Pressing a button on his helmet, he watched as the darkness began to grow a deep blue, and he looked around. No heat signatures to be found, no movement to be seen, not even a mouse scurrying across the barren floor. Looking around once more, he took a more refined stance and motioned the scientists in. "Clear!"

Troy almost smacked each one of the scientists as they all stood in awe at what they were seeing. The seven magnificent things that they had been sent there to retrieve, was nothing that they would have though they were. "Boys, it's not like we haven't seen anything like it before."

"But never like this." Not a single scientist moved until Troy groaned and stepped over towards one, running a hand along its side. Seeing that he was fine, they all rushed to each one, almost two scientists to each.

Troy slipped away from the rest of the group through the blast doors, heading over towards the table where the seven dead beings laid. One he recognized as a pony, but the other six were unknown to him. One looked to have tendrils of some kind leaving their cheeks, while yet another assumed had a really thin, almost flat body, with just barely a wisp of breath. The other four he could not even begin to think about what they were.

A screen appeared on his face shield, showing him the picture of Princess Celestia. She looked worried, scared even, as to what he had to say. "Milady, they were right, there are seven of them. Seven dead around the circle table too, one of which is a pony. I can recognize one, it has tendrils on their cheeks, almost like whiskers, that would be a dragon from Horthna. The other five are unknown to me."

"What do you think they were?"

"I think they were pilots ma'am. They bare no insignia on what remains of theirs clothes, not dog tags, not even any bone markings to indicate who they were. This is a well built facility they have though, and it leads me to believe that there were some with lots of money involved in this."

"If what you say is true, then it is imperative now more than ever that we get them back here for further examination."

"As you wish milady, it will be done..." Troy paused and lowered the screen as he noticed a scientist walking over.

"Sir, we won't be able to move them at the moment. They are clamped down to some sort of system that won't allow us to either enter them, or to disable the clamps."

Sighing, Troy nodded his head, making the scientist walk away. "Sorry milady, it seems that we are going to be delayed longer than I had hoped. We will arrive with them in tow as soon as possible."

"Then don't let me distract you Lieutenant. Hurry home."

"Yes your majesty." Bowing his head, he waited until the screen vanished before he walked back in through the blast doors. "Alright, what-ya need?"

---

"Luna? Luna where are you?" Princess Celestia hesitantly slipped through a misty fog that clung close to her. Below her, she could feel the soft squish of mud, as well as the faint scent of blood. Dread filled her heart as she worried whose it could be, but not once did she realize that she was also in one of her sister's many traps. Brushing aside some darkened vines that hung from the ceiling, she held her breath as she caught sight of one of her sister's Royal Vampony Guard drinking away from yet another would-be assassin.

Clearing her throat, the princess spoke, "Where is my sister?" Without stopping, for they were too far gone in the taste of blood to care, the vampony pointed with a tail over towards her throne, where some darkly colored vines were closing in around her. Walking over to the throne, she was relieved to see that her sister was okay, and that her spell was starting to wear off. "What happened?"

"Tis our one mere insight above assassins. Vamponies are the greatest night guards, are they not dearest sister?"

"They do have their purposes." Slowly, the darkness, the mist, the vines began to dissipate until only the drinking vampony guard was left. "Uh, how long..."

"Thou needst not worry dearest sister. Thy subject shall have finished before morn. Tis been a fortnight since thy subject has had a thirst. This night was his luck."

"Just so long as somepony cleans up after." She glared teasingly at her younger sister.

"Thou implies not would we?" She spoke with a smirk, knowing what her older sister was up to. "Thou hast listened to a dark ale."

"Unfortunately so Luna. It seems that it will be a while before they can come back to us with the asteroids cargo." Her eyes drifted to the floor as she thought about what Troy had said. Something about pilots stuck in her for some odd reason. Lost in thought, she took no notice when she walked over towards one of the painted glass window, looking past it towards the East, where she knew to be the greatest Pegasi city ever built, Cloudsdale.

"Is thy dearest sister, alright?" When she turned to see where her older sister was looking, she just shook her head and stalked back over to her throne. "Does thou needst a head twist?" Celestia remained silent as she just gazed out over towards Cloudsdale, a beam starting spread across her lips, revealing her teeth.

"Luna. That's it." Luna, perplexed, wondered at her sister. "Troy said that he thought the seven dead beings were pilots. That's exactly what they were, they piloted those things inside of the asteroid. We need to get into contact with Cloudsdale Flight Academy, tell them to open their doors this year to not just Pegasi, dragons, or gryphons, but to all of the ponies, earth and unicorn included."

Luna, still perplexed, but starting to understand a little of what her sister was saying, shrugged. "We suppose thou hast expressed an idea. What does thy dearest sister needst from us?"

"Rest is what I need, as for you, I need you to watch over the night as always. Nothing shall damper my spirits, save for a few hours of unrestful sleep. I bid thee a fair night sister."

"Nay, we bid thee the fairest of night's rest. Slumber awaits dearest sister." With her sister gone, Luna called to one of her Royal Vampony Guards. "We needst thou to do thy task. Thou shalt fly to Cloudsdale Flight Academy, there thou shalt say that we decree doors open to all thy races. Thee without wings permitted. Go." With a wave of her hand, the vampony stallion bowed before taking off towards Cloudsdale, a message of secrecy dancing across his lips.

"Thy dearest sister slumbers, while thy night toils. Into the distance thy subject flies, to deliver thy message. Thy dearest sister needst slumber." In a flash of purple smoke, the Princess was gone, entering the realm of sleep, in order to help her older sister find her peace for the night.