Our First Steps

by Mrakoplaz

In a secluded desert on the frontiers of Equestria, an eccentric genius works to bring the stars within reach of everypony. But can smiths and metalworkers who never made anything more difficult than ploughs or golden trinkets really make the dream a reality? Or has inspiration arrived a hundred years too early?

725 pages, ebook

First published June 4, 2012

Reviews

[Facedeer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ponies in space! The author of this story has clearly done his homework about the early days of real-life space programs and the technical challenges that would need to be overcome when designing a space rocket for the first time. I was quite impressed with the accuracy and detail of it all, tweaked and modified to fit with a setting populated by magical technicolour ponies whose background technology level is significantly lower than where we were at when we did this.

Another nice feature of this story is its focus on well-written original characters. Several characters from the show do eventually show up and become significant parts of the story, but they don't steal the spotlight.

There were two minor flaws to this story, in my opinion. There was a bit near the middle that wound up dragging longer than it should have, and I felt that the epilogue was entirely unnecessary. I'd even recommend skipping it. But those are pretty small quibbles that aren't enough to knock a star off. Overall, a fantastic read.