Hey! It looks like you're new here. You might want to check out the introduction.
Show rules for this event
Astronomy
Spike shuffled up the steps to Twilight's balcony, bearing a platter of cookies and a friendly smile. He found her nestled on a cushion and peering through her telescope at the night sky.
"Hey, Twilight!" he said excitedly. "I brought you some cookies."
"Thanks, Spike," she said without looking up. "You can just set them down over there." She gave a vague wave of her hoof.
Spike slumped a bit. Still, he was intent on spending some time with her, and he had learned a few tricks in all of his time as her assistant.
"Why're you studying space, anyway?" he asked, trying to sound casual. "I don't see what the big deal is."
She tore away from the telescope and straightened up in shock.
Works every time.
"'The big deal'?" she asked, incredulous. "Astronomy is one of the natural sciences--one with a history almost as fascinating as the science itself."
"Really?" Spike plopped down and stuffed a cookie into his mouth. "Do tell."
"Well, if we're talking about the history of astronomy, I'd have to start with Ptoleneigh." She shifted on her cushion to fully face him. "Like many ponies and astronomers in his time, he held that our planet was the center of our system, and that the sun and moon orbited around it."
Spike swallowed another mouthful of cookies. "Well, yeah—isn't that obvious?"
"It might sound obvious to us, Spike," Twilight agreed, "but throughout history, there were other astronomers with different theories. For example, Coponicus had a model of the system—one that was even supported by famed griffon astronomer Galla Leo—where the sun was in the center."
"The sun?" Spike's eyes narrowed as he attempted to visualize it. "So, our planet and the moon are supposed to go around the sun...?"
"Well, no," Twilight said. "In that model, we go around the sun while the moon goes around us."
Spike started tracing circles in the air with his claws, trying to adjust his mental-image. "Wha...?" It was starting to make him dizzy.
"And day-and-night cycles were not because of the movements of the sun and moon, but because of the planet turning on its axis of rotation," Twilight finished.
Spike suddenly froze.
"...Axes of what?"
"Basically, they thought the planet is constantly spinning as it goes around the sun."
"Uh, Twilight?" he said with a chuckle. She had to be joking. "I think we'd notice if the planet was spinning. We're standing on it." After all, it doesn't take a pony very long to realize if they're standing on a merry-go-round.
Twilight let out a giggle. "I know it sounds silly, Spike, but astronomers really believed this stuff. Of course we know the truth now. It's as the philosophers say: the simplest solution is often correct." Twilight nodded. "But you see, that's precisely why we continue to study space or... anything, really. Our understanding is constantly changing and growing, and..." She turned to look at her telescope, smiling softly. "And I'd like to be a part of that."
Spike nodded slowly.
"Well, I hope that answers the question, Spike." She levitated a cookie over and took a bite.
"Yeah, it does." Spike got up and dusted himself off. "Thanks for explaining it to me." He smiled bashfully, grateful for the time they spent together.
"No problem," Twilight said, returning her attention to her telescope. "Just let me know if you have any other questions. I'll be happy to answer them."
"You got it." Spike took a step to leave but stopped. "Well, actually, there is something else I've been wondering for a while..."
Twilight turned away from the telescope and smiled to him. "Yes, Spike?"
Once again, Spike's eyes were narrowed in thought.
"...Where do babies come from?"
"Hey, Twilight!" he said excitedly. "I brought you some cookies."
"Thanks, Spike," she said without looking up. "You can just set them down over there." She gave a vague wave of her hoof.
Spike slumped a bit. Still, he was intent on spending some time with her, and he had learned a few tricks in all of his time as her assistant.
"Why're you studying space, anyway?" he asked, trying to sound casual. "I don't see what the big deal is."
She tore away from the telescope and straightened up in shock.
Works every time.
"'The big deal'?" she asked, incredulous. "Astronomy is one of the natural sciences--one with a history almost as fascinating as the science itself."
"Really?" Spike plopped down and stuffed a cookie into his mouth. "Do tell."
"Well, if we're talking about the history of astronomy, I'd have to start with Ptoleneigh." She shifted on her cushion to fully face him. "Like many ponies and astronomers in his time, he held that our planet was the center of our system, and that the sun and moon orbited around it."
Spike swallowed another mouthful of cookies. "Well, yeah—isn't that obvious?"
"It might sound obvious to us, Spike," Twilight agreed, "but throughout history, there were other astronomers with different theories. For example, Coponicus had a model of the system—one that was even supported by famed griffon astronomer Galla Leo—where the sun was in the center."
"The sun?" Spike's eyes narrowed as he attempted to visualize it. "So, our planet and the moon are supposed to go around the sun...?"
"Well, no," Twilight said. "In that model, we go around the sun while the moon goes around us."
Spike started tracing circles in the air with his claws, trying to adjust his mental-image. "Wha...?" It was starting to make him dizzy.
"And day-and-night cycles were not because of the movements of the sun and moon, but because of the planet turning on its axis of rotation," Twilight finished.
Spike suddenly froze.
"...Axes of what?"
"Basically, they thought the planet is constantly spinning as it goes around the sun."
"Uh, Twilight?" he said with a chuckle. She had to be joking. "I think we'd notice if the planet was spinning. We're standing on it." After all, it doesn't take a pony very long to realize if they're standing on a merry-go-round.
Twilight let out a giggle. "I know it sounds silly, Spike, but astronomers really believed this stuff. Of course we know the truth now. It's as the philosophers say: the simplest solution is often correct." Twilight nodded. "But you see, that's precisely why we continue to study space or... anything, really. Our understanding is constantly changing and growing, and..." She turned to look at her telescope, smiling softly. "And I'd like to be a part of that."
Spike nodded slowly.
"Well, I hope that answers the question, Spike." She levitated a cookie over and took a bite.
"Yeah, it does." Spike got up and dusted himself off. "Thanks for explaining it to me." He smiled bashfully, grateful for the time they spent together.
"No problem," Twilight said, returning her attention to her telescope. "Just let me know if you have any other questions. I'll be happy to answer them."
"You got it." Spike took a step to leave but stopped. "Well, actually, there is something else I've been wondering for a while..."
Twilight turned away from the telescope and smiled to him. "Yes, Spike?"
Once again, Spike's eyes were narrowed in thought.
"...Where do babies come from?"
I quite enjoyed this one for the most part. The interactions between Twilight and Spike felt natural and alive, and the playing with the history of astronomy brought both a smile to my face and an impressed nod from my head. It's a well-written and engaging scene.
The punchline shifted the focus of the prompt onto the wrong character though, and I found it unsatisfying as a result. The opening hook was about Spike wanting to spend time with Twilight, and using an underhooved (clawed?) method to do so. Now, for example, had Twilight cantered full-steam into a wildly OTT explanation, complete with tests, that made Spike regret asking, then the set-up and punchline would have more flowed more evenly together.
Still, a fun read. Thanks for sharing your work with the community.
The punchline shifted the focus of the prompt onto the wrong character though, and I found it unsatisfying as a result. The opening hook was about Spike wanting to spend time with Twilight, and using an underhooved (clawed?) method to do so. Now, for example, had Twilight cantered full-steam into a wildly OTT explanation, complete with tests, that made Spike regret asking, then the set-up and punchline would have more flowed more evenly together.
Still, a fun read. Thanks for sharing your work with the community.
I really liked the setup, it's charming how Spike baits Twilight like that. that specific way they interact, it can only be told with Twilight & Spike! but I was hoping for a more character-driven story after that. Twilight just.... explains stuff. and it's over.
if you replace the lecture on Equestrian Astronomy with any other subject in the world, the story would be exactly the same. that's why it feels boring.
if you replace the lecture on Equestrian Astronomy with any other subject in the world, the story would be exactly the same. that's why it feels boring.
A lot of this is more of a headcanon lecture than a story, but considering that Twilight is involved, it fits. I think that the biggest problem is that the beginning sets the story up as being about Spike trying to spend time with Twilight, but that idea is pretty much dropped for most of the story. I think that at the very least, the ending should have found a way to return to that idea.
Well it tastes like a contrived set-up to tell us about your Equestrian astronomy headcanon and pull a few puns on names. But if we stick strictly to the general, accepted canon, then: either Celestia (and Luna) have always raised the Sun and the Moon and the disquisition here is nonsensical, or it raises another question, namely what happened to the celestial bodies for Celestia and Luna to have to take over?
Besides, it's not much of a story rather than a vignette. And I think that you could've pulled a stronger story if you'd started from the punchline and expanded on it, showing us how Twilight possibly tries to weasel out Spike’s question.
Remember, this has to be technically correct: Orion has three stars in his belt, not four.
Finally, if you base your headcanon on the actual Earth-Moon system, remember that:
Besides, it's not much of a story rather than a vignette. And I think that you could've pulled a stronger story if you'd started from the punchline and expanded on it, showing us how Twilight possibly tries to weasel out Spike’s question.
Remember, this has to be technically correct: Orion has three stars in his belt, not four.
Finally, if you base your headcanon on the actual Earth-Moon system, remember that:
The one exception was Earth's Moon, where the Sun wins the tug-of-war with a value of 0.46, which means that Earth's hold on the Moon is less than half that of the Sun's. Asimov included this with his other arguments that Earth and the Moon should be considered a binary planet.
We might look upon the Moon, then, as neither a true satellite of the Earth nor a captured one, but as a planet in its own right, moving about the Sun in careful step with the Earth. From within the Earth–Moon system, the simplest way of picturing the situation is to have the Moon revolve about the Earth; but if you were to draw a picture of the orbits of the Earth and Moon about the Sun exactly to scale, you would see that the Moon's orbit is everywhere concave toward the Sun. It is always "falling toward" the Sun. All the other satellites, without exception, "fall away" from the Sun through part of their orbits, caught as they are by the superior pull of their primary planets – but not the Moon.
— Isaac Asimov
Another clever Galileo pun. I wasn’t even expecting one of those this round.
Still, this doesn’t really go anywhere. It’s a bit of science history tweaked to fit Equestria’s cosmology, followed by a weak punchline. This story needs more story.
Still, this doesn’t really go anywhere. It’s a bit of science history tweaked to fit Equestria’s cosmology, followed by a weak punchline. This story needs more story.
This is the second story to touch on heliocentrism so far, oddly enough. P(o|u)nifications are nice, but I would have liked more quasi-science geekery in the discussion.
The punchline is a bit cliche, and it contrasts with Spike's savvy in the initial part of the story. It also doesn't match Spike's stated goal of "spending more time with Twilight" if he's primarily there to ask a question.
You mean "as science itself", maybe? The science of astronomy having a history almost as fascinating as the science of astronomy is a bit confusing.
The punchline is a bit cliche, and it contrasts with Spike's savvy in the initial part of the story. It also doesn't match Spike's stated goal of "spending more time with Twilight" if he's primarily there to ask a question.
...one with a history almost as fascinating as the science itself.
You mean "as science itself", maybe? The science of astronomy having a history almost as fascinating as the science of astronomy is a bit confusing.
Out of all the finalists I've read, I find this one the weakest. The idea of discussing the stars and how they move is interesting, but these explanations don't really do much to allow us to understand the characters any better. Spike is still Spike, Twilight is still Twilight, and there's nothing more to it; no revelations, no observations, nothing that enhances their character. I'm not sure I'd call the story "pointless", but I certainly don't feel like any really interesting narrative ideas were explored here. Maybe this would work better if the prompt could be longer, allowing to balance out the discussion with more character moments, but as is, it just feels like I was given a lecture about the stars instead of a story about them.
I'm not sure I can rate this story fairly, just because it involves solid Spike and Twilight talking to each other and I am so utterly starved for that. Thank you so much for allowing them to have their cute ambiguously-familial relationship.
The actual content of the conversation was okay but nothing special; but the fic is entirely carried by the tone it set, and I think you did a great job at that.
The actual content of the conversation was okay but nothing special; but the fic is entirely carried by the tone it set, and I think you did a great job at that.
HAH! This amused me. I've always missed the pilot episode's characterization of Spike as a innocently naïve child, and I appreciate this fic's attempt to emulate that. Also, Galla Leo—yes. A great moral, too.