Chapter 3.- Wernher Von Braunie

- I'm afraid you are right, Twilight. As far as we know, above the altitude stablished by Starswirl the Bearded's limit, all magic disappears -said Celestia-. If anything crosses that invisible border, its magic ceases working until coming back.

- I see. But then...

- How did my sister manage to banish Nightmare Moon to the... Well, the Moon? -smiled Luna.

Twilight nodded respectfully. At the time she had arrived to Canterlot that night, she had expected only to find Luna awake. It turned out Celestia was not asleep, neither. She was ending up a meeting with an emissary from the Crystal Kingdom. At first, Twilight was reluctant to interrupt the meeting, much more to put on the table such a delicate matter as Luna's imprisonment. But Luna didn't seem to care and had explained, kind of amused, that Celestia would be more than grateful in having an excuse for interruption.

Apparently it was an economics meeting.

- The spell was technically a powerful teleportation -explained Celestia-. Magic surrounds the Moon and Equestria, but not the space between them. This same magic is what allows us to rise the Moon and the Sun. But you know that already.

Twilight nodded again. When Tyrek's attack forced the Princesses to give her all the alicorn magic, she had barely managed to rotate Equestria in the proper rate to ensure a correct night and day times. Without the Princesses' constant adjustments, every night and morning, Equestria would be for ever under the Sun in one side, and under the Moon at the other, since it was a planet with no natural rotation. It was that change what eventually provided appropriate life conditions for everypony.

- Anyway, Twilight -added Luna, uncomfortable for the first time-... I don't recommend space as worth visiting. The little I remember about the Moon is... About a boring and awful place. Why such interest?

- Our friend Rainbow Dash seems to have a different opinion -Twilight explained-. This morning she tried to get there by her own means. And she's determined to do it again. If we don't help her to do it safely... We are worried about the outcome.

Luna and Celestia exchanged surprised looks. A polite cough broke the silence, then. It was the Crystal Kingdom emissary. He was introduced before as Zaphire Assistant.

- I assume we can resume our meeting tomorrow morning your Highness. Your Highnesses -said politely, squaring all of his papers.

Celestia's face turned for a moment into a grin of pure horror. The perspective of continuing the meeting was not, apparently, in her plans. Luna properly hide a chuckle after seeing her sister's expression.

- Oh, heavens! No! Thanks, no! There will be no need for that my dear, Zaphire. The meeting has ended well -she proclaimed awkwardly-. And now I must go to sleep. Sun doesn't rise on its own!

She was about to exit the room when an idea seemed to cross her mind, stopping her in her hooves.

- Since Zaphire has to come back immediately to the Crystal Kingdom -explained Celestia-, why don't you go with him, Twilight? I have just remembered about a pony there who maybe can help you to help Rainbow Dash.

Dawn was breaking outside the window at Hooves' weird and flamboyant workshop.

Rarity yawned again. It had been a good idea to come there for information but, maybe not during the night... That colt... Oh, sweet Celestia! He was relentless, tireless and full of passion! It was a pity he was such... Passionate about all kind of things she didn't find interesting at all...

Applejack and Fluttershy didn't have make it to the dawn: they were totally asleep on the couch, with dusty books as covers. Only Pinkie was able to follow Doctor's lead, in front a blackboard full of chalk writings and numbers.

Rarity was not sure about Pinkie having a cup of coffee in the past, but after that night she was sure she did not want to be present next time she had one.

- How is it possible! -exclaimed an hyperexcited Pinkie after another sip, a constant and repetitive movement in her head.

- The same way Equestria doesn't fall into the sun! -explained Hooves again-. The object goes so fast around the planet that it doesn't fall, you see? The forces counter each other. Velocity keeps the object away from falling and gravity keeps the object from going away. That's the reason for the closed orbit. It's all in the math.

Rarity was not very sure about the details, but it seemed Doctor Hooves was convinced about the need of going for an orbital flight. In that way, he had argued, Rainbow could return to the exact point of launch. A sub-orbital jump could take her to the other part of Equestria, with no opportunity to help her if... Well... If something wrong would happen during re-entry.

It seemed to her nevertheless, a low sub-orbital jump was a much more safer option. Specially since it didn't involve that incredible amount of heat able to disintegrate meteors in the upper atmosphere.

- I love it! Let's go for the orbit! -said Pinkie-. Wait a minute, Doc. How fast exactly are we dealing here with?

- It depends on the exact altitude, but I would say... For a proper low orbit... In the order of ten thousand miles per hour.

Pinkie fainted dramatically on Rarity's arms.

- Oh my gosh! -exclaimed Rarity a tired smile in her face-. I think Rainbow is going to love that!

- But that's bad news! -exposed Pinkie a hoof over her forehead-. How in Equestria are we going to accelerate Rainbow to such a speed?

- We are NOT discussing the cannon again -protested Rarity in horror.

- Why not? -argued Pinkie-. It would be a huuuuuughe cannon! Humooooooongous!

- No cannons, darling. Just lend us the books you talked us about, Doctor, please -said Rarity waking up Applejack and Fluttershy-. I hope you don't mind if we come to visit you another day with more questions?

Doctor Hooves' eyes flooded with tears, his lower lip and chin trembling.

- Can I... -he said-... Can I just go with you?

Twilight said goodbye to Zaphire Assistant at the Crystal Kingdom prison's main entrance. It was dawn already. In the nightly way there by train, Zaphire had been able to report her about the pony she was going to visit. Much more interesting than economics! Thinking about visits, she remembered she had to see Flurry, Cadence and Shinning!

After presenting herself to the warden, she was flanked by two guards to a little yard inside the prison. In there, in the cold blue morning, a middle aged unicorn in an orange prison jumpsuit was watering a little garden full of pink zinnias.

- Those are some gorgeous flowers you got there, sir -Twilight said.

- I rrreally hate 'hem -the pony answered with a strong accent-. They vant me to take carrre of them as a parrrt of the prrrocess of rrrehabilitation. This ist ein prrrison afterrr all, madame.

The unicorn finally faced her, and his calmed face contracted in surrrprrrise (sorry, surprise). "You are a Prrrincess", he observed with disgust.

Twilight remembered all Zaphire had told her: at the Crystal Empire, during King Sombra's rule, all ponies obeyed. Some ponies, nevertheless, obeyed much more gladly. Wernher Von Braunie was one of them. His vast knowledge in strange and powerful forms of magic made of him a pony of interest for the Empire, in Zaphire words. Twilight could understand why every pony wanted to keep that unicorn busy tending a garden, since, some ponies said, there were hidden plots all across the Empire to bring Sombra back.

Somehow, he remembered her to Discord. Trapped in stone. That didn't have worked out well in the long run.

- All rrrulerrrs arrre the same -Von Braunie continued, talking to his zinnias-. All vant morrre.

- More?

- Poverrr -answered Von Braunie-. I deserrrve being hier, yourrr Highness. I vas young and stupid. I am not stupid no morrre. I vill not give morrre powerrr to anypony. Not even Celestia.

- I don't want more power -Twilight shrugged-. I just want to... Send a friend to space. I've been told maybe you can help me.

Wernher Von Braunie stopped watering his garden.

- Vhy would any Prrrincess vant that? -he said.

- Because my friend wants to. And she's a good friend. And I want her to be safe.

Then, Von Braunie laughed softly. For Twilight, it looked like some kind of forgotten and rusty smile.

- Do you prrretend to send herrr to space and be safe at the same time? -he smiled-. I see... And, may I ask... How do you plan to do that?

- Carefully? -answered Twilight.

Von Braunie smiled again.

- You arrre a strrrange Prrrincess, indeed.

(CUE TO MUSIC. END OF CHAPTER)

Edit: Breaking word limit to apologize! Sorry. I must said Zaphire Assistant doesn't belong to me. I first read about him in "La Guerra en las Sombras" by Volgrand and I immediately fell in love with the character and the delicate political situation at the Crystal Empire described in that fic.

As you may have noticed, Von Braunie is more than a little homage to Wernher Von Braun. It won't be the last reference to the Space Race but I must warn, Pony Space Program is a creature on its own, not a historic reenactment. If you want to know more about the Historical Space Race, I recommend the BBC documentary "Space Race", with 4 episodes. Thanks for the views! :)

Edit2: OMG! English verbs... The horror... :)