garageguy

Phesla was your average person. Average, that is, in that she had her idiosyncrasies, her desires, and made a decent living as an extratevian condition analyst at the UTB Space Exploration and Research Center (the best one on Tev). She liked her work because she smelled what she called "hints" in it. What she meant was that there was something about the way space operated like clockwork that seemed to whisper of some greater purpose. Her ultimate goal was to find that purpose, and since the workings of other gravity systems and spherums was where she smelled it strongest, that was where she dug. She became such an expert that she could accurately guess how long a moon's orbit would last before it passed the Roche limit after just a quick glance at the data.
There were times when she felt that the whole thing was pointless and that there really was nothing to be found in connection with the skies above her. When this happened, she often turned to pictures of it. These were not hard to find on the omniweb, and when she saw them it did not take long to reawaken hope. How could such beauty come from nothing? Nebulae, galaxies, even the simple star  cluster was a masterpiece. There had to be some reason somewhere, and that Reason must be somehow essentially good. That Reason, she had no doubt, would be the Answer to all.
It was on one such occasion where, glancing at non-image search results, she noticed a recent news post. It quickly grabbed all of her attention. The headline read "Unregistered Spacecraft Captured by PPS, Scientists Say It's Not Ours." She tapped it. As best as was possible to transcribe, this is how the article read. "Two days ago, the PPS system servicers received a waste load that contained a manufactured object, later identified as some sort of remote control exploration spacecraft. The craft does not appear to be from Tev at all, so we must assume that this is indeed solid evidence that a second habitable spherum exists. The only damage appears to be from the recovery process, so we can safely assert that the spherum is near to Tev since longer term space travel would have damaged the craft severely. It is quite possible that said spherum is within actual range of our current life supporting spacecraft. The SERC has received the craft and all pre-gathered information about it, and is expecting to have solid answers within a week."
Phesla was dumbfounded. There were others out there? Could this be what she had been searching for? It seemed too succinct to be an accident. Here she was looking for hope, and something from right where she would be digging if it weren't her off day landed right in her dish. Almost literally. But even if it wasn't the Answer, it might help her find it, and she had more than personal interest to try this new avenue.
Tev was not as it seemed it could, or rather should, be. They worked, and panted, and bled, and sometimes died to make it better, but it seemed like some distortion was always eating it's way in. Some of them had even let it stain their very personality, and when they did it was easy to see it slowly kill them. It was a constant fight. And everyone felt it. She knew it wasn't just them, though.
As I mentioned, she knew all about the Roche limit (the distance a moon had to be from a planet before the planet's gravity would rip it apart). This and other things she saw in space all mirrored the distortion she saw on Tev. It wasn't just their spherum, it affected space as well. That too, the one beauty she knew could not have been made by anything but the Reason, had been marred.
When she had seen this, she had committed, only second in priority to finding the Reason (if, despite her expectations, the two did not lead to the same place), to finding out how to stop the distortion for final. Now it seemed she might have a scent.
The next day she went back to work.
For once she had trouble staying on task with the regular grind because she had glanced at her assigned schedule and, sure enough, the unregistered craft was on it. The gopher girl of the office, a young Brittany Spaniel named Molly, asked her "You don't seem the same today. What's up?"
Phesla put down her pen. "It's that spacecraft. I've been thinking about it since yesterday, and it's hard to wait."
Molly nodded. "Oh, yeah. That thing. They're testing the engines right now."
Phesla looked at her. "Testing? What do you mean?" Molly seemed almost as confused as Phesla was. "They finished the engines, and now they're testing them."
Phesla began to have some understanding. "Molly, I was talking about the spacecraft that the PPS system picked up."
Molly looked embarrassed. "Oh, that one! I thought you meant the one they were building to respond to it."
Phesla froze. They were building a spacecraft?
The lunch bell rang.

It is sometimes the case where one thinks a task has finally been completed, then realizes it has only just begun. It was so here. Twilight was very much relieved, but suddenly she went serious again. "Oh, no." She said. "I already sent the approval letter to Dr. Splintcane. She'll be distributing them!" Rarity put a hoof on her shoulder. "Not so fast. I don't think she could have thrown together a whole manufacturing plant in the time since you sent it. We've still got time, if we don't slack off." Twilight was just starting to calm down when Spike blasted out a letter. He opened it and began reading to himself. A moment later, he yelled "What?! Twilight, look at this!" Twilight took the letter. After about the same amount of time, she said "She glitched into the messaging system while we were on the train, Spike." Spike turned aside to process this, then suddenly became alarmed. "You told me to write Celestia because you knew she would read it!" Twilight was about to say "I didn't know for sure she would," but Spike continued. "I put personal stuff in that letter! She's gonna tease me to DEATH when I see her next, if she doesn't think I'm an absolute jerk." Twilight had stopped listening and turned back to the letter. Now, as she read, she began to look tense.
"Twilight, what is it?" Rainbow asked. "H-hold on" Twilight said, holding her hood out defensively. A few seconds later, she muttered "no," then began repeating it louder and louder until she dropped the letter and ran out the door. This process was repeated by each pony in turn (including Spike), and to simplify what happened in each of their minds I will transcribe the last half of the letter. "Since this [Igniandra glitching into the system] should, by design, never have happened, I have decided to shut down the system entirely until all four of us can come together with enough time to solve it. In fact, we may have such an opportunity at the National Science Exhibition. I know you were not planning on coming, but considering some of the entries I myself am personally asking you to attend. In the spirit of the event, Princess Luna will be wearing jewelry made from stones produced by Dorcas Mineral Research, and I will be wearing a pair of extended usage ability vision enhancing contact lenses made by a Dr. Mary Splintcane. Having applied an adaptation acceleration spell, I have already noticed greater ease in my reading, and hereby recommend them to you. Sincerely, Princess Celestia."
At the same time as the above, in Canterlot...
Celestia sent the letter. She was, of course, quite smug that she had finally gotten something to wear despite Luna. As it happened, at that very moment, Luna walked in. "Hey, um, Lesty?" Celestia's inward thoughts need not be written. She tossed her head. "Uh, yes?" she said casually, glancing to the side that Mrs. I-played-chess-for-several-hundred-years was on. The said Mrs. continued "I... You... You give so much for me and you definately work the hardest by far so... You can wear the black hole pearls." She held out a tray with the white gold set she had designed earlier. Celestia walked up to it, examining it as she did so. In that fraction of a second, she decided. She wasn't going to fall for the guilt trip trick. With subtle ridicule she said "Well, that's very thoughtful of you," then turned to Luna and continued "but there's been a late entry. In fact I'm wearing them right now." She watched with glee as Luna's innocent little smile faded. "Wha-what was the submission?" the younger allicorn stammered. Celestia turned back to her work as she said "Vision enhancing contact lenses. I can read a newspaper fifty feet away with these, and much more." Out of the corner of her eye, Celestia watched Luna's reaction. She looked down, said "Oh. Well, uh, good. Great. I'm glad it worked out." and left the room. "Gotchya," Celestia whispered. Hardly anyhting could be less related from the truth.
Coming from Luna's perspective of the above events...
The last black hole pearl slid into place with a *click,* and Luna bent the brace over it. There. The set was done. She laid the pieces in an orderly fassion on a velveted tray, then thought for a minute about how to best present them. She decided a direct defrontation would be best. With that, she picked up the tray and headed towards the throne room. As she went, she was again passed by the same scientist, this time heading the other direction. She wondered for a minute, but didn't have long before she arrived at the door. She opened it cautiously. Celestia was looking at some papers. She stepped into the room. "Hey, um, Lesty?" she said, using Celestia's pet name to try and shoot for friendly relations. She immediately wondered if this had been a mistake, but Celestia seemed indifferent. "Uh, yes?" she replied, tossing her head.
Luna took another few steps forward, holding the tray behind her back and fumbling for words. "I... You... You give so much for me and you definately work the hardest by far so... (here she showed Celestia the tray) You can wear the black hole pearls." Celestia walked over to her, examining the tray as she did so. Luna tried to smile in a "I don't mind you having it"+"I hope you like it" way. For a moment it seemed as if Celestia really did like Luna's design, and her smile became real. Then the unexpectable happened. Still looking at the tray she said "Well, that's very thoughtful of you," then turned to Luna and continued "but there's been a late entry. In fact I'm wearing them right now." Luna didn't know what to think, and it didn't help that it suddenly seemed impossible to think at all.
Celestia's eyes were absolutely breathtaking. Luna felt as if she was moving through water, being pulled by the force one feels on a roller coaster going downhill. It was half pleasant, half terrifying. With great determination, she gathered her thoughts and managed to stammer "Wha-What was the submission?" Oh, relief, Celestia turned away as she spoke. "Vision enhancing contact lenses. I can read a newspaper fifty feet away with these, and much more." The phrase "and much more" was what caught Luna the most. It was obviously the contact lenses that had caused the water-rollercoaster phenomenon, but had Celestia meant for that to happen? She probably had, but to what degree? Was she still upset? Panicking, Luna decided to pull out for the time being and regroup. Maybe everything was alright anyway. Walking towards the door, she said "Oh. Well, uh, good. Great. I'm glad it worked out." and turned away hurriedly. She really was glad she would get to wear the pearls, but she was stll worried about the contacts when she put the jewelry on later that day as the exhibition was starting.