AMICITAS FLIGHT THREE – MISSION DAY 218
ARES III SOL 216
TRANSCRIPT – WATER TELEGRAPH EXCHANGE, ESA BALTIMARE and ESA SHIP AMICITAS
AMICITAS: Amicitas calling Baltimare, use suit CB for responses, over.
ESA: Baltimare calling Amicitas, over.
AMICITAS: SG – need to consult with Chrysalis regarding Dragonfly health issues, over.
ESA: TS – Chrysalis isn’t available. She’s standing watch on Concordia in case we find you. Won’t be back until Mission Day 231, over.
AMICITAS: Darn and blast, over.
ESA: How urgently do you need to speak to Chrysalis, over?
AMICITAS: Unknown. Serious concerns over Dragonfly’s health, but Dragonfly is unwilling to discuss it. Need input from expert in changeling medicine. Also do not tell Dragonfly we are asking, over.
ESA: Tell me what’s wrong, over.
ESA: Baltimare calling Amicitas, comms check, over.
AMICITAS: Sorry, Baltimare. CB says we should keep this to changelings unless things get worse. Chrysalis won’t like ponies prying into changeling health, over.
ESA: Stand by, over.
ESA: Spoke with Chrysalis. She refused to order you to report. She says if Dragonfly is hiding something, she has good reasons. Will try to get a changeling for consultation, over.
AMICITAS: Understood. Will contact again when Dragonfly is elsewhere. Out.
Cherry Berry looked at Spitfire, Starlight Glimmer, and Fireball. They looked back at her. The water from the last outbound message seeped into the soil between the Hab's potato plants.
"Are we doing the right thing?" the pink pony asked.
"What's the alternative?" Fireball grunted. He held up his claws, using them as if they were sock-puppets. "Dragonfly, we know you're sick. No I'm not. Yes you are. No I'm not." He lowered his arms again and grunted. "Repeat as often as you feel like. She isn't going to tell you. That would be showing weakness. This is the only way we can find out."
Cherry Berry gave the dragon a sharp look. "Should I be worried about anyone else not wanting to show weakness?"
Fireball growled, a deep, seriously angry growl. He cut it short with a snort and muttered, "My fire is out. Dunno if that means anything. I feel fine otherwise."
The three ponies looked at each other, but said nothing.
"Have you noticed," Spitfire said, "that she hasn't tried to get any of us alone for her schmoozing for weeks now? And she doesn't act stupid as often." When the others nodded, she added, "How worried does she have to be, that she forgets all about her little manipulative changeling games?"
"That's not worried," Fireball grunted. "That's terrified."
Cherry sighed. "Fine, but what do we do about it?" she asked.
Starlight Glimmer sighed. "Find excuses to waste magic," she said. "You saw her yesterday. She can't hide it anymore. She obviously needs magic."
"Maybe," Spitfire said, the sound of caution totally out of place in her scratchy voice, "maybe we all do?"
"We can ask Twilight," Starlight suggested, pointing to her space suit.
"No time," Cherry said, shaking her head. "Mark will be back with Dragonfly for lunch any minute." She took a moment to look each of the others in the eyes. "We don't even hint that we know, right?"
"If I hadn't spent six months living with her, I wouldn't know," Spitfire said. "She looks normal. Well, changeling-normal."
"But not Dragonfly-normal," Starlight put in.
The outer door of Airlock 2 unlatched, the thump echoing through the Hab, and Starlight rushed to put the suit away.
Short chapter, I can feel the intrigue.
That said don't burn yourself out trying to cram in plot for like ALL the days. ALL OF THEM!
8901819 Normally I wouldn't. I'd originally intended to skip Sol 216. But today I decided that yesterday's performance by Dragonfly had to have a more immediate response from the crew.
Nice development of Dragonfly’s problems. So obvious her crew mates notice. The “master manipulator” is an open https://www.fimfiction.net/story/396744/123/the-maretian/sol-216
8901831 They know her too well.
Ooh, this was a good response: concerned, but not too pushy. I liked Fireball's muttering of his own health concerns in particular. Hopefully Chrysalis will find a way to get in touch sooner.
The Prime Minister of Great Britain should consult the Minister of Magic over this situation.
8901840
Notice the link I put?
8901896 Notice, yes. Understand why it's there, no.
I just had an idea and thought I would pass it on. In the chapter where Angel 8 crashed near CHS and they hid it in Twilight's garage do you in all honesty think Sci-twi wont disassemble it? And we heard Twilight say that reversing the Mana to electric was possible. If that probe has that unit in it... So here we have a girl who has already found a way to not only detect magic but to manipulate it using only technology and a unit able to make electricity from magic and in most cases if a transfer is possible in one direction it must be reversible so I would give her good odds on designing a magic generator showing it to Sunset who will contact Twilight who will rush over for a full briefing as this would solve so many of their problems dealing with low magic areas. What are your thoughts?
8901830
i can't help but to see this happening to her when they force her to say it
I've found Dragonfly's worst nightmare:
network.bellona.org/content/uploads/sites/4/2017/12/RITEG1-1.jpg
network.bellona.org/content/uploads/sites/4/2017/12/zal.jpg
army of Artie Gees!
8901921
This idea was discussed earlier in the story. Apparently it was deemed impossible by the ponies...until what'shisface on earth ran complex stuff through a super computer and sent info to ponies and they conclude that it is theoretically possible. So if sci-twi does make it, I will call BS.
Just send me to Mars. I'll hug the buzz right out of that bug.
First one who needs a good Equestrian soak is Cherry Berry. It's synergistic. The more magic she soaks, the more earth pony magic makes things grow, which causes more magic. There are serious implications in that.
Shouldn't Chrysalis be getting a Changeling doctor there asap? I mean it's a serious enough health condition that Dragonfly can't hide it, and serious enough that the Ponies don't want to share it with other Ponies. That basically makes it a medical emergency and a secrecy issue. That is not a good thing to have without any access to proper treatment facilities, and you're going to want to get medical advice at least as soon as possible.
8901946
we'll ship you off hiding within Hermes.
8901896
So why did you put a link to the chapter on the page of the chapter?
And what does "the master manipulator is an open" mean? An open something, or just an open?
Meanwhile, Hermes drew away.
8902081
It would not surprise me at all if Changeling medicine amounts to find out what causes X illness, and then killing off "affected" in a manner that X does not spread to the rest of the hive.
This is most likely that a Changeling has been in a magic poor environment for any length of time.
Rather than intentionally waste magic, Why not rig a battery to trickle feed magic into Dragonfly's suit, and then add a couple of shielding wards to contain the magic field within the suit?
8900998
Thank you. This makes much more sense now; I appreciate it. No, this doesn't really count as 'dark' any more than the regular ambient level. Magic very well can be a hazard, that much is known, and this is one good example of it.
As far as 'it's always have been there'... I've read a theory once that a lot of supposed 'creative' stuff isn't so much 'creating' as 'describing' the concepts, ideas and facts percieved from somewhere else, more or less faithful to the original. So this feeling just might be exactly what's going on.
8901921
Given time, she can do it. Unlike ponies and humans on Mark's Earth, she has experience working this specific field, designing and reverse-engineering magitech equipment in relatively low-level magic environment. It had to be much harder to design her device originally, simply because she had so much less to work with.
8902081
Nobody really explained Equestria side what's wrong, so it's unclear how actually urgent the situation is. Chrysalis will likely attend to it when she's back but not sooner. That said, low-magic environment isn't something that can happen often in Equestria; while the hives maintain a knowledge base about deseases among other threats, this is something that would be unlikely to ever come up (Tirek's thing lasted very briefly and probably didn't affect the regions outside of core Equestrian provinces)
8901831
Changelings are bad at long-term contact. All of their methodology is focused on avoiding being noticed, so they have practically no idea how to behave when you can't do it and are observed for any decent amount of time.
8902303
Now we can say it's getting closer to Mars.
Actually, it's pretty much doing this: http://galactanet.com/martian/hermes.mp4
8902345 Plato's Forms?
8902386
Actually yeah, that's pretty close. He didn't have the concept of multiverse to work with, but otherwise it more or less fits.
The idea that Sci-Twi can figure ANY of this out is ludicrous. She's an exceptionally talented high school student, but she's still a high school student -- a child who has no knowledge of magical theory on the one end, and only minimal knowledge of math and physics on the other end.
8902356
First time I have actually seen it illustrated. Damn. That's a crazy maneuver.
Thank you.
Fireball needs to evolve into a Charizard? Or at least a self propelled Space Dragon?
Dragonfly is going to go all Forward, Prmetheus on crew if they dont pod her in the cave farm?
Small and innocuous?
Dont go back for the cat.
8901913
8901896
8902251
I think I get it! You said "The master manipulator is an open," and then linked to this chapter.
Were you saying, "The master manipulator is an open book," and linking here instead of saying book as this is sort of an online version of a book?
8902465
She figured out how to build a device that can detect and contain magic, created a robot dog girlfriend for Spike, has a mad science lab in her backyard, and may have created a camera drone with partial AI. And then there's that one robot from the play shorts. She could totally do it.
8902465
8902705
Canterlot High is an alternative Equestria, so even with less magic their reality is ruled by the same logic.
Going to be difficult to hide concern from an empath.
8902345
But extreme isolation from a queen or hive is. I suspect what's going on here, is that when changelings become separated for long enough, they morph into queens. Only queens can lay eggs, so if a queen dies, what happens? Does the whole hive die? Yes, unless one of the drones becomes a new queen.
I think that's what's happening. After such a long absence from the influence of a queen, Dragonfly is becoming one. But that process requires a great deal of magic. She's hurting because there isn't enough to complete the transformation.
Even if Chrysalis doesn't put two and two together over the low magic environment, she would know what happens if a drone with an abundance of love is kept isolated from her queen for long enough.
The question is whether Dragonfly knows what's going on. I think she doesn't.
It also brings into question...what happens if Dragonfly makes it back to Earth, with its abundance of magic-generating life?
8902716
...Logic? In EQUESTRIA GIRLS?!
Spitfire raises a disturbing point. It's not like any of the Equestrians know how their bodies respond to chronic magic starvation. Heck, I'm pretty sure Fireball just became ectothermic, which can't be good by any stretch of the imagination. Hopefully someone takes the time to ask home. Hopefully home has an answer.
8902356
Won’t start getting closer on planned trajectory until past perihelion. (Needs to “cut the corner” inside Venus’ orbit first.)
8902716
Which means Sci-Twi's high school level knowledge of science is even less useful.
8902705
The ability to create a handful of trivial technology trinkets does not equal an ability to surpass the accomplishments of actual magic experts in Equestria and actual science experts on Earth.
8902793
You call those things 'trivial?'
8902741
8901840
There's also possible complications from reintroducing a magic-starved changeling back into a high magic environment, much like how people suffering from malnourishment can't eat solid food right away or else they'll hurt their atrophied digestive track.
8902745
Are you saying that the Hermes is taking a different path in this story than it did in the book and movie?
8903063 No, he's just stating a fact of orbital mechanics. Even though the Purnell maneuver sends Hermes closer to the sun as soon as it leaves Earth's sphere of influence, that doesn't mean the distance between it and Mars is decreasing yet. First, Mars and Earth are still drawing apart in their orbits around the Sun; they won't be on opposite sides of the Sun from one another for another hundred sols or so.
Second, Mars has a much more elliptical orbit than Earth's. Earth varies from 92 million miles to 94 million miles from the Sun depending on position in orbit. Mars varies from aphelion of 155 million miles to a perihelion of 128.5 million miles- a difference of over 26 million miles. And aphelion (greatest distance from the sun) more or less corresponds with summer solstice in Mars's northern hemisphere.
So yes, for a while yet, while Hermes is on course for Mars, at the moment it's still getting farther away from Mars.
8903214 The mathematician would have to keep trying to prove it, no matter how blatantly false the theorem.
8903300
How about competing oaths? And missing knowledge?
Say an someone swears to build the biggest barn in the world, will it stop when the goal is reached, or when he builds the biggest one he knows about?
And what if someone then builds a bigger one?
8903356 Do you want a quick story?
Unicorns aren't usually in the business of building barns. The Canterlot nobility, on the other hand, have mansions. And they also have the pony version of "keeping up with the Joneses."
So during the oath fad, one upper-class twit who wouldn't stop bragging about his house cast the oath to swear that (short of the Royal Palace itself) he had the grandest mansion anypony had even heard of.
Well, on the one hand he was smart enough to exempt Celestia's palace, or else the whole city might have fallen off the mountain. But no sooner had he finished the spell than his hooves carried him bodily to a part of the city he'd never set foot in in his life: the well-hidden but indispensable industrial district.
Our big-talking friend still had the free use of his mouth- he hadn't sworn to tell the truth or anything of that sort- and so was able to resist any urge he might have had to hire builders. But his hooves could spend money and buy building materials and interior decor, and ponies were satisfied to ignore what the mouth was doing when presented with sufficient bits. After all, crazy ponies with money are barely crazy at all.
The self-enchanted unicorn had never done one day of manual labor in his entire life, and he knew nothing of the building trades. But in the week that followed, he had the opportunity to learn a great deal. The spell worked him to exhaustion and past exhaustion, only letting him relax when it decided that- for the moment- his home was the grandest non-alicorn residence anypony had heard of.
Unfortunately, these rests were short-lived, because a place anypony has heard of is not the same as a place that actually exists.
And so, as the gossip went around Canterlot and tales of the new garden with the fancy sculptures carved in less than an hour, the gables that became a fourth story in about one afternoon, and the golden gateposts electroplated by the pony's own magic circulated, there would always be that one pony in the conversation whose imagination would take flight, goaded by the desire to top whatever story the teller is telling. And once the new, entirely mythical mansion was described, it was a place ponies had heard of, and the spell demanded that our poor loudmouth spend more and build more to pass the new mark.
Celestia stepped in after a week and just before the idiot's hooves were about to sign a loan document of the first-born-foal variety. She cancelled the oath, asked the other ponies of the victim's social circle to pass the hat to make up his losses, and added one more tale to the list of Why Magic Oaths Are a Very Bad Idea.
The whip-round didn't come close to restoring the lost wealth, so the pony ended up selling the home he was so proud of, moving into much humbler (almost plebian) lodgings, and applied his hard-won experience to investments in the building trades. His investments prospered, as did the workers he employed, and in a few years he had recovered the wealth he had squandered in a week. And, eventually, he lived happily ever after... but he didn't brag about it.
As a postscript to this tale, I add that an attempt to enact a law forbidding businessponies from accepting the custom of those obviously off their head due to inadvisably applied magic failed of enactment. The law's opponents argued that not only would such a law remove a good 20% of the Equestrian economy overnight, but it was never the easiest thing to tell a magic-crazy pony from the naturally crazy kind, and if crazy ponies weren't to be allowed to do business then the whole country might as well pack up and go home there and then.
8903565
That was a fun read! Thank you!
That spell sounds incredibly useful and powerful, If only it was used with more careful consideration.
Canterlot nobility ruining it for everyone.
8902356
How did you even find this. The main webpage does not link to it.
8902793
>Fully autonomous AI.
>Robot that PERFECTLY replicates canine locomotion.
>Created device that turned her into planet-busting Demi-goddess.
>Trivial.
This is really, really stupid.
Edit: My original post was a lot more... biting, let us say. Today was a crap day.
#savethehugbug
Goddamn infiltrator mindset
At least he's trying
Hope she didn't bite the dust... Poor Dragonfly