The pile of hardware had turned into a small hill, but at least the stuff had stopped arriving. Gravity frowned at what was left, a chaotic mass of 'light' modular weapon systems destined for hot-swappable bays on dog vehicles, ammunition for railguns and missile launchers, and a small stack of what one gryphon had assured her were self-contained, solid-state fusion reactors. Steady output for a gigasecond and no moving parts... I can see why the gryphons wanted them. They were simple-looking things, little more than matte-black cylinders the size of a pony capped with the fractal fans of heat sinks, although the plain exterior hid massive complexity.
She dipped back into her shadow sight, the relative simplicity of the magic-only world view making her other sense that much easier to read. Luna was there, and Grund, the most obvious things above the limb of the world. There was still no sign of the twitching that presaged a Hammer launch, and she sank into a light trance, following the tracks of everything above the atmosphere. It was a chaotic place, still evolving after Fusion's assault on the satellites, and the regular bands of floating machines had nearly all dissolved into invisibly fine particles. Nothing from the mass drivers. I wonder why they haven't tried to hit that Bakot place?
Gravity sighed, letting the sensations fade and dropping back to normal vision. Here I am, helping the attack after all. I could have gone with them. The ponies assigned to transport duties were cycling in and out of a patch of clear air assigned to them; each time one appeared it dropped off a clawful of gryphons. The majority were coming back uninjured, but there were a few suffering the normal injuries of battle. Burns and traumatic injury cases were stacking up in the triage centre, with medics hurrying from person to person and directing their attentions where required. Animal Scanner was at the centre, eyes closed and a red light dancing about his horn. Matching glows moved over the nearest gryphons, flowing over them like luminescent oil.
Eyes narrowed, Gravity scanned the scene, checking each of the medics in turn. Where are Spiral and Trocar? They should be--
One final pony teleported in, releasing Ellisif and Adigard. The pair dropped towards her, landing softly amid a plume of sweat- and smoke-scented air. "The raid was a complete success, ma'am," Ellisif said with a beak click. "We captured a significant amount of material, practically cleared out their armoury." She fluttered her wings, eyes bright. "That Redshift of yours has made us another eighteen nukes; this will give us real leverage over the dogs."
A bright light, the world's biggest lightning strike, coupled with enough heat to sear flesh at fifty kilometres. Gravity smiled. "I'm sure they don't need too many more reasons to fear us." She surveyed the airspace again, then frowned. "Where is Redshift?"
Ellisif turned to Adigard, who looked uncomfortable. "He said he'd be right behind me. I asked him to set the final bomb to destroy the base."
"You left him alone?!" Gravity opened her wings, hindquarters bunching for the leap into the air.
"Stop!" Ellisif snapped, and the tone carried with it enough similarity to that of a Master that Gravity hesitated, the teleport pattern dispersing in her mind.
"I'm not leaving a friend to burn!" she snarled, jumping into the air.
"And if he's already set the timer, what then? The delay will be very short," the gryphoness leapt into her own hover, wings beating strongly. "Your people can't afford to lose you."
'My people' only ever talk to Fusion. Her magic vanished, and she turned the hover into a slow vulture-circle. You refrained from jumping into one explosion, filly, how about another? How long would he have set the timer for? She started to count in her head, wondering when it would be safe to find Redshift. At a count of thirty, three ponies appeared in the air nearby.
The one in the middle was Redshift; exhaustion was clear in the ragged beat of his wings, but he had an expression of extreme satisfaction on his face. He angled his wings, dropping to the triage point, and Gravity followed him down, unable to take her eyes off the other ponies’ foreheads. A raw heat built in her belly, fighting with the cold that bit through her fur. The sun, already filtered by the heavy clouds, dimmed like she stood at a patch of shadow. Scalar... "You were at the base the whole time," she whispered, pushing her rage away and letting the light back in. Let's try this Fusion's way. Talk first; find out who I should be angry at.
"I need a medic here!" Redshift called out, depositing a limp Elliptic between a pair of battered gryphons, who shuffled sideways with angry-sounding hisses. He caught sight of Gravity, shying away from her expression. "I saw them at the last moment; didn't want to risk a delay in coming back for help," he said, ears drooping.
"I am the last pony to chastise you for galloping straight in, Redshift," Gravity said, "still, how long would it have taken to make a couple of jumps -- twenty seconds?" He nodded, ears drooping, and she smiled. "Don't worry, you did good; if Fusion gives you a hard time you'll have my support. I expect all the details later."
One of the Naraka ponies trotted over, a heavily pregnant blue-coated mare, her ears going flat at the sight. "Oh, you poor thing," she muttered, horn glowing and magic flickering over Elliptic's body. "Some evidence of thaumic medical repairs and no obvious internal injuries. Definite dehydration and..." Her voice trailed off as she sank deeper into her magic.
"Well?" Scalar said, taking a few steps forward then stopping when Gravity stepped in his path. "Get out of my way!" he said, pawing at the ground and lifting his head. Tiny fireflies of light danced over his horn stub and he flinched as if struck.
"Let the pony work, you'll only get in the way," Gravity said. "Talk, Scalar. The dogs claimed you died when a missile struck your airtruck." She smiled, ears folding back. "Yet more evidence that they cannot be trusted."
The stallion slumped, head drooping. "They took us to a base and were going to hook me into some machine, then another pony showed up and took charge." He looked confused, frowning. "A dapple grey mare, definite Security type. She... she actually ordered the dogs out, said they were never going to get anything out of me."
Gravity blinked, her ears relaxing. "And they obeyed her? Really? It wasn't some kind of show? Who was she?"
"Said she was 'Strategist Orgon's personal servitor', but never told me her name. The dogs seemed to be scared of her! And... and Elliptic." Scalar, wings drooping, leaned against Gravity and she staggered, bracing herself against his weight. "She was going to kill her if I didn't help; wanted to know where we were -- but I didn't tell!" He looked up at her, head still low. "I heard her talking to her Master, this Strategist Orgon. He said that they already knew where you were... they... they--" He looked around, eyes going wide as if he was seeing the valley for the first time. "What did they do? Did anypony get hurt?"
"They used the Hammer," Redshift said softly, backing away and looking behind him at one of the piles of equipment. "About half of us didn't make it out. It was Random."
Scalar's ears went back, then relaxed. "I should be angry, but that would have been me in a kilosecond." He swallowed, jaw working. "The grey mare... I showed her the teleport spell."
Gravity growled quietly at the back of her throat, and Scalar flinched, stepping back. "Sorry," she said, trying to relax, "I don't know what they did to you. Is there anything else you can tell me?"
"The mare... she's smart and not afraid to hurt ponies, or anyone else. Her master didn't seem very interested in using the teleport spell, more how to block it. There's something else... she behaved very strangely after she talked to Orgon, like she'd kept something vital from him." His attention drifted back to the medic working on Elliptic, and Gravity sidestepped to get out of his way.
"I want to know exactly what happened, and Fusion will too. Get yourself settled for a kilosecond or two and I'll try a sharing."
"But my horn... surely you can't--" He shuddered, closing his eyes, then nodded.
If it works on dogs, it will work on you, Gravity thought, backing away and scanning the valley with a frown. "Animal," she said, waiting until the medic had paused in his repairs, "where are Spiral and Trocar?"
"Wish I knew," he grumbled, "these Naraka ponies are too out of practice for the problem cases. Ask Lilac." He closed his eyes, focussing on the next patient.
Right. Gravity directed her attention inwards, feeling for the ponies she knew and had shared with before. Her sister was there, by far and away the strongest despite the distance that separated them, but there were faint traces of the others. No sign of Spiral, unfortunately, but Lilac was there. She pushed gently, and was rewarded with a confused response.
Grav? Is that you?
Gravity smiled. Who else? Little snippets of the youngster's sensorium were coming through the link, flashes of the work he was doing among the injured from the Hammer strike. Do you know where Spiral is? We need her.
She's missing? Not at any of the new settlements? She... she said something funny, last time I saw her. She said she was sorry.
That's it?
I think she was scared. Random was with her, but she moved like she'd been drugged.
Gravity's brow furrowed. Thank you, she sent, then dropped the link, directing her attention to Fusion instead. I think Spiral has run away. Trocar and Random are also gone. Not sure yet; I still need to check the new corrals we are setting up. A ghost of sensation swept through Gravity's body, a twisting in the depths of her gut echoing Fusion's own reactions.
What?! Maker-dammit, I should have thought to-- Some of the anger left Fusion's mental tone, replaced with weariness. I should have guessed they'd leave; they must have heard all the talk from the gryphons. Does anypony know where they have gone?
Not so far, but I've only just started asking. We'll find them.
I'm needed here for now, can you manage? There was a sense of power being expended at the other end of the link, of energy being funnelled from some high, distant reservoir and directed to a multitude of sources. The weather ponies can maintain the cloud spells, but I have to pump most of the power in to get the magic to spread at a reasonable rate.
Another application of that energy-draining spell of yours? You must show me. Gravity opened her wings and leaped into the sky, accelerating upwards. I can... I'll hit the furthest new corrals first. If I was going into hiding I'd start at the end of the chain and strike outwards. Talk to the weather ponies as you work; they might have seen something.
===
"Well I say we should take matters into our own claws. This 'Random' pony killed over half of us, and you are telling me that she will get away without punishment at all?!" Halla said, her head feathers erect and wings mantled. She strode about the clearing, eyes glittering in the pale light of a dismounted navigation beacon set to 'moonlight'. "Five hundred of us burned to charcoal and vapour in an instant... what's to say she won't do it again? What's to say any of the ponies won't turn on us the moment the dogs crook a claw in their direction? They even rescued those two prisoner dogs -- that's two of us they could have saved instead!" Around the perimeter of the little space, many gryphons snapped their beaks in agreement and an angry muttering filled the air.
Ellisif nodded in turn, idly scratching a triangle in the pine-needle litter with one foreclaw. She looked around the clearing, taking note of the shadowed faces. There was a wide selection present; some newly-minted NCOs from the remaining Naraka gryphons, but many from the units rescued from the Pit. Perhaps maintaining the old units was a mistake... it's a damned shame we lost so many from Naraka. It would have been good to split up and dilute the squads. As it was, since they had been effectively cut adrift from the dogs' table of organisation, most of the low level troops had become even more tightly bound to their units in an effort to cling to some semblance of normalcy.
"You dragged us all out into the woods far from camp and away from prying ears, so I assume you have a plan, Halla," Ellisif said quietly. This lot could command what... three quarters of my trained gryphons? Something in her gut twisted, and she was suddenly aware how far away the rest of the camp was.
"Random must answer to the Code of Military Order, just like we have to," Halla said promptly. "Make a public example of her; that will make any of the ponies pause before betraying us." She waved a claw through the air, black needle-tips glittering in the light. "I also hear that she's vanished, along with her parents. That sound innocent to you?"
"That would fall under Article Five." Ellisif nodded. "Yes, the case is clear, but... what if they won't let her be executed?"
"Then they cannot be trusted. We have our own weapons and we have numbers; we should leave. I don't think we need the ponies any more. With those nukes we can negotiate our own deal with the dogs -- at the very least they won't dare to come after us."
"That's your plan, to vanish into the wilderness. Follow the others that have already deserted." Ellisif shook her head. "You are a fool. How you ever made sersjant I'll never know." Halla hissed loudly, beak open, and took a step forwards. "Oh shut up. I've beaten you before and I can do it again." Ellisif swept her gaze around the assembled group, glaring at each gryphon in turn. "The same goes for the rest of you. You need to think with your heads, and not your claws."
She jumped forwards, then strode up to Halla. "Putting aside the fact that we'll have to get a pony to construct an interface for the bombs, exactly how well will we fare without pony support? What about transport, or medical care? Do you really want to fly away with only what you can carry? Without them the dogs will just hunt us down one by one." She waved one wing, raking the little patch of visible sky with her primary feathers; it glowed a faint, alien pastel shade of pink.
Halla narrowed her eyes, head feathers lifting. "None of us asked to be 'rescued' by that Gravity pony. Not from Naraka and not from the Pit. It's her fault that we're now in this position. The Masters would have pulled us out. In fact, I'll bet they would even take us back, especially if we deliver the ponies to them. It was very clever of you, to arrange an attack so soon, but I saw though your little game. One victory is nothing in this war."
A sudden hush settled over the clearing, with each gryphon looking uncertainly at the next. "You were not on that raid were you, Halla?" Ellisif said quietly. "Is that because it would give you a way to go back to the dogs? I'm sure you heard what that pair did to the base, but you didn't see it. It was like a precision bombing run... they flattened the defences in the time it took me to draw a breath. Can you imagine what they might do if we betray them?" Fusion, probably nothing but cutting words. Gravity, though... Ellisif suppressed a shudder.
"How am I supposed to trust them if they cannot control their own?" Halla's claws raked at the already churned ground, making deep furrows. "Why should I take their word for it? I want them to prove they have the guts to stop their kind from betraying us. If they can't, then this... this rebellion has all the makings of a disaster."
"Oh, I agree, but you have to remember a few important things," Ellisif said, settling back down on her haunches and lifting one claw. "The Code only ever applied to gryphons and military dogs. Two," another claw joined the first, "Random is the last surviving foal of Spiral and Trocar, who are two of the three medics--"
"Who have already vanished! Most of us have some level of medical training, and I have nearly twenty trained battlefield medics." Halla snapped. "That is hardly a good reason!"
Ellisif hissed, the sound harsh and loud in the silence under the trees. "You must have seen what those ponies have done. Between them they have the capabilities of a major hospital. Spiral's other foal was shot by a gryphon during a botched Security operation, so you can imagine what she's going to think if we get Random killed. Three, no ponies means no more hardware and no instant transport, and nothing that gets broken will be fixed. I don't know about you, but I don't have an industrial civilization kit in my panniers." Four, Fusion was Random's friend, and she's far too soft to have her killed, even by proxy.
Halla made to speak, but Ellisif stood up, beak gaping threateningly. "No, that's enough. You, all of you, will listen to me. I don't want to just survive this, which is all Halla seems to want. I want to build a new world, a gryphon world, one where we're not looking over our shoulders at the dogs snapping at our heels. If we want to be free, we will have to kill them all, and we can't do that while cowering in the woods." She let her head feathers relax and started to walk the perimeter. "But I do understand. This world is a hard one and we cannot afford to be soft. I will make your feelings known to Fusion; she is a thinker and she will understand the consequences of Random's actions. Something will have to be done; after all, the ponies are just as vulnerable as we are." Possibly more so. If one turns they might convince others...
Halla nodded, but little of the anger left her eyes. "Very well. We'll wait, for now. I agree with you on one point; we are too dependent on the ponies. We must make every effort to gain some independence."
"I don't think we will ever be fully independent; after all, the ponies do most of the dogs' manufacturing. I'm sure we can work out a way to get some transport, though." Ellisif cocked her head, beak half open in a smile. "Plenty of gryphon-pilotable vehicles about, if we go to the right places. If nothing else, I can use your discontent to push the ponies into action."
===
Fusion flew in the gap between the heavy, pastel clouds and the dark fur of the evergreens that coated the valley, leaving the little corral behind her. One of a dozen or so that they'd split the ponies and gryphons into in an effort to reduce their vulnerability to the Hammer, spreading them over a thousand kilometres of mountain and forest, all sheltered under the expanding cover of the altered clouds. She looked upwards, watching through shadow sight as a pair of ex-weather team ponies, some of Naraka's survivors, flew through the clouds, pumping magic into the web of simple spells that tied them together. It was a pair similar to these that had seen three ponies travel up this valley, away from the new corral.
The sun was up, she could feel it above the artificial clouds, but little light penetrated. "Good thing we are going into local winter," she muttered, "at least the plants aren't losing what little growing season they have." The steep-walled glacial valley slowly climbed towards a distant peak, eventually vanishing amid the jumble of the terminal moraine and the glacier itself, but at this level the trees were unbroken aside from the rapid tumble of the icy river down its middle. Shadow sight showed her target -- a tiny cluster of horn- and winglights burrowed into the side of one wall, the colours matching those of Spiral, Trocar and Random. She's made herself a hole to hide in.
She reached inwards, feeling for Gravity; the connection snapped open and she got a sudden sense of the mare flying low and fast over similar terrain. I've found them; you can stop searching.
I was half afraid some gryphon unit had gone for a little revenge.
Fusion shivered. I hadn't considered that. We'd never recover from that.
I'm glad it's not the case. You will call if you need me?
I will. I'd like you to listen in, if you can. A sharing seems a good place to start with Random. Fusion felt the echo of a nod, the motion of Gravity at the other end of the link, and let the connection narrow to a thread.
Not a fit thing for a pony, living so alone. You should have come to me first, Spiral. Approaching the lights, Fusion skimmed the treetops, then dove through a slender gap, hooves rattling off branches, landing before a narrow entrance.
Spiral stepped out of the shadowed opening, blocking it. "I wondered when you would find us," she said, voice trembling. "You can't have Random."
Fusion paused, one hoof raised. "I just want to talk to her."
"Do you? I've heard what the gryphons are saying, that she's a traitor and must be punished. The dogs trained them and we all know what they do those who betray them."
"You know what she did, Spiral," Fusion said softly, "There's no doubt."
"Of course I know!" Spiral shrieked, loud enough that Fusion flinched. "I-- I've had to keep her tranquilised... any time I stop watching she tries to--" Her head dropped, tears running freely down her muzzle. "She's my only foal, you can't..."
"I'm not going to." At least, I hope not. Fusion stepped close to the other mare, resting her head against her neck. "I failed her... we all did. I saw what she went through at the Pit; should have pressed her further." She gently nibbled at Spiral's shoulder, feeling the trembling flesh under the fur. "She's my friend and I don't want her to die... but we have to do something. I can't fight the gryphons as well." Well, I can, but it would be a slaughter and I won't kill so many for one. I think we need them.
"What do you want to do?" Spiral's voice was a tight whisper, like some spring inside her was wound up to breaking point.
"There are... options. None of them are pleasant, but she has a chance to live. It may even give her a reason to want to live. That's why I wanted to talk to you and Trocar first. It would be best if you carried out part of the... the sentence, to make sure it is done safely. For now, I just want to talk. I have to understand what she's been through if I'm going to convince the others. Has she told you anything?"
"No," Spiral whispered in a low moan, "she won't talk to me or Trocar. I hoped that if I took her away, she'd open up."
"Let me try, please."
Spiral stiffened, then backed away. "I can't stop you."
No, you can't. Fusion moved along the passageway and into the chamber beyond, only a few paces into the valley wall. "Trocar," she said, the gentle glow of her mane lighting the dark interior. The stallion was lying on a bed of pine boughs next to Random, staring up at her with a helpless expression.
"What are we going to do, Fusion?"
She swallowed, staring at the still shape of Random, her lips moving silently. I wish I knew. Oh, Random, I'm so sorry. "I have a few ideas, but she has to want to do it." Shadow sight showed a familiar curl of magic in Random's head, the same soporific spell Spiral had used on Packet. "Let me take her. I won't go far, I promise. No decisions without talking to you first."
He nodded, and Fusion reached in and took control of the spell, then picked Random up. She was light in her grasp, barely a feather's-weight, and Fusion carried her gently out into the forest and down towards the river. There, on a bed of water-smoothed pebbles, she allowed Random to wake up.
Her tan head moved, wobbling uncertainly in the manner of a pony too long asleep, eyes opening slowly, unfocused. "Dam, please, I don't want to sleep anymo--" She gasped, eyes snapping fully open and legs spasming with great, reflexive leaps.
Fusion held her jerking body close, one white wing folded over Random's back and flank, head tucked in against her friend's opposite shoulder. "Random, it's okay, you don't hav--" Magic came next, great surges of raw thaumokinetic force that blasted craters in the pebbles where Fusion parried the panicked blows without suppressing the spells. Ten seconds passed, then another, and Random still struggled in complete silence, trying to escape Fusion's grip. She waited and, after an eternity, Random stopped fighting.
"Let me go," she screamed, eyes wide and ears flat back, the words shockingly loud and sudden after the silent fight.
"So you can go and kill yourself?" Fusion said sharply. "No. I will not let you go that easily. We all have to live with the choices we make, and there are too few of us to let any slip away." Her voice softened, the colours of her mane becoming pale and insubstantial. "And you are my friend. I saw what the dogs did to you, I--"
"I killed all those ponies and gryphons, Fusion," Random said, muscles sagging and hanging limply in Fusion's telekinetic grip. "Me! If it wasn't for me, w-we'd have over a thousand more people." Her words became choked, spaced with great, gasping sobs. "A thousand! My fault, I--" Her body still trembled, but Random's voice was suddenly calm. "Give me to them, to the gryphons. They will know what to do with me. I have to pay the price."
If I won't let you kill yourself, you'll get someone else to do it. "And all that blame, all that great inverted mountain of blame and failure, is all focussed on you," Fusion said, gently stroking Random's neck. "It is not. You were just the final link in a long chain of events, any one of which could have stopped this horrible thing." She sighed then, still with one wing draped over Random's back, relaxed her magic and lowered her to the ground. "But in a way you are right, Random. You are to blame, but so am I for not seeing it, so is Gravity for not looking into your head. We both knew what the dogs did you. We should have checked."
Random shook her head violently and opened her mouth to speak, but Fusion touched her lightly on the muzzle with the primary feathers of her other wing. "No, just listen. The dogs who tortured you at the Pit, Salrath for taking you prisoner, me again, this time for getting you taken in the first place. The Blessing and the whole world conspired to put you in this position, balancing that mountain on your withers. What chance did you have? Nopony could support all that weight." She nuzzled at the back of Random's head, just behind her ear. "So you see," she whispered, "although you pulled the trigger, many others were involved with loading the gun."
"I can't go back, Fusion. I can't face all those people," Random said, tears dripping off the end of her muzzle. "What can I say to them?"
"Everypony understands the effects of the Blessing... some may have trouble forgiving you, but everypony will understand. The gryphons... well, there may be ways to convince them." She started to walk back towards Spiral and Trocar's shelter, giving Random little encouraging nudges. "Come on, you should start with your dam and sire. They only want the best for you, so don't you dare try and leave them."
Random shuddered, but took another step. "Yes," she whispered, "I know. I won't try anything."
"I know you won't. Come on, we have much to talk about."
===
~~~discontinuity~~~
Fusion released her grip on Trocar and Spiral, flying down to the largest settlement they'd constructed so far. Like the original one, it was dug deep into the rocky walls of a nameless mountain in the endless northern range, a series of pony-dug tunnels that would house a mixed population of nearly two hundred. It was the first one to be occupied, and currently held far more than it was designed to; the overspill -- mostly gryphons, as every able pony was actively tunnelling or moving supplies -- was waiting for the other bases and roosts to be completed. When the network was complete, there would be small populations of ponies and gryphons spread throughout this harsh landscape.
Gravity was waiting for her, along with Ellisif and Halla, the gryphon she remembered from Gravity's rescue at the Pit. Other people were starting to collect, but they remained separate; one herd of duns and browns behind Ellisif, the other a riot of pastel shades near Gravity. "See, I told you my sister would bring them back." Gravity said, her voice loud and clear enough to be heard over the rush of air.
Fusion landed next to Gravity, pulling Random down to a soft, four-hoofed landing between them. The mare, although the same age as Fusion and older than Gravity, seemed to shrink into herself, head held low and stripped wings clamped tight against her sides. "Any problems, sister?" Fusion asked, cocking her head and staring at Halla. The gryphon glanced once in her direction, but was staring at Random.
"No. Halla here was just explaining how Spiral and Trocar had most likely betrayed us the moment they left."
"Perhaps not this time, but what about tomorrow?" Halla hissed the words, foreclaws flexing. "Or the day after? Once a traitor, always a traitor." Random stared back, hypnotised by those huge, alien eyes, and started to shake, legs dancing with the precursors to a bolt.
"No you won't, will you, Random?" Fusion said, magic taking a subtle grip around Random's midsection and holding her steady.
"N-no!" she said, the word coming out as a near-squeak. "The dogs, they lied to me, I--"
"A thousand people are dead because of you! Your words mean nothing against that." More rumblings came from the ranks of the gryphons, filled with vicious squawks and beak-snaps.
"Yes, it is my fault," Random whispered. "I failed so badly that the only way to prevent another disaster is for me to..." A ripple ran through the ponies behind them, a slight disturbance in the otherwise total silence. Fusion let her go and she straightened up on trembling legs, taking a step towards Halla.
"Fusion, no, you promised!" Spiral cried out.
I let you believe, and that's not the same at all. Her gut twisted but she kept her face still and expressionless. This is going to hurt, Spiral, but we have to do it this way. Fusion's power closed around the mare, keeping her still and soaking up her sudden flares of magic. "Nopony is to interfere!" she shouted, as Random took another step forwards, cringing as Halla's talons closed around her featherless left wing.
"You are right," Gravity said suddenly, "words do mean nothing. There is no way you, as a gryphon, can know a fraction of what it is like to a pony in the Masters’ service."
"I have worn a command collar, I have been forced into situations where it was obey or die," Halla snarled, giving Random a shake.
"A collar. A little electric shock machine." Gravity curled her lip, ears back. "A machine you get to take off at the end of the day. Every pony in the world has that, only it sits in their heads. You can't even dream the wrong dream without the Blessing sending you awake with screams in your throat. A foal soon learns how best to think."
"So what? This pony was freed of that spell, yet she still did something so monumentally stupid as to call the dogs down on us. She made the choice while free. She cannot be trusted."
Fusion stole a glance at Spiral; the mare was staring at Gravity like she was hypnotised. Carry it through, sister, they need to understand. Wish we'd had more chance to plan this.
Gravity smiled, a hard thing that involved little more than a twitching of her lips. "You don't understand; how could you? There's no way a gryphon can get in a pony's head." Her horn started to glow and Halla suddenly looked nervous, backing away a step. "Or is there? Perhaps you would like to experience exactly what Random did, while she was under the dogs' care?"
"I don't need to kno--" Halla's words ended with a squawk as violet magic locked around her head. Her legs dug at the ground, slipping and sliding through the dead leaves, but gained no purchase.
There was movement towards the back of the crowd, of claws reaching for shoulder-mounted railguns, and Fusion let her own magic build, pushing light and warmth out over the group like a blanket. There are more armed gryphons here than I thought... were they expecting something? "Let's all remain calm," she said loudly enough that the nearest flinched. "Gravity, take it easy." Her sister had listened in while she'd talked with Random, but they'd not rebuilt the sharing since the return jump. Don't push too hard.
There was a pause and Gravity looked back at her, a sense of calculation in her eyes, then her magic cut off, sending Halla sprawling to the ground. "Oh, I think you do. And not just you, but as many of the rest of you as I can manage." She took a step forwards, a dark silhouette towering over the prone gryphoness.
Fusion pushed out her own power, winding it about Gravity, tapping at the mental doors of the sharing until she sensed a flash of something; not words or thoughts, but a simple image of a pony's head, one eye closed in a wink. She hesitated, sending her worry back down the link. Be careful!
There were the nasty, metallic noises of weapons being cocked, and several gryphons in what passed for full armour jumped up from the perimeter of the crowd, hovering on wide, tawny wings. Their guns weren't focussed on Gravity, but on the rest of the ponies. In the herd, magic started to flicker, pushing against the blanket of Fusion's power like fireflies in a fog. Gravity looked up at the soldiers, her smile returning and becoming broad. "If that's the way you want--"
"Stand down!" Ellisif bellowed out the words, glaring up at the flying troopers. "Put those guns away and land, right now." Without waiting to see if she was obeyed, the gryphoness turned to Gravity. "You will not threaten my people!" she said, jabbing at Gravity with one claw. "We will not exchange one set of masters for another; if we do this thing, it will be as volunteers, because it is necessary."
Gravity cocked her head. "Very well, volunteers it is. Who will--"
"Me," Ellisif said promptly, "I want to know." She extended a foreclaw to Halla, helping her up. "You should, too." Halla gaped at her for a second, then nodded shakily.
"And me," Spiral said, her ears back. "This is my filly you are talking about." She walked forward to stand next to Random, who hadn't moved throughout the whole exchange. At the gentle touch of Spiral's wing, Random came alive, as if the whole conversation had just registered.
"No," Random whispered, "I don't want to--" She swallowed, eyes going wide and head whipping from side to side. "Don't want to remember!" Her hind legs bunched and she leaped to one side, knocking Spiral to the ground.
Fusion caught her before she'd gone more than a stride, lifting her clear of the ground. Random continued to struggle for a moment, then hung limp in the magic, staring at the mud and leaf-litter. "I'm sorry, Random, but you are the only one here who doesn't get a choice," she said softly, stroking the mare's neck with one wing. "This will not be pleasant for any of us."
"No," Ellisif muttered, "not if she would rather die than go through it again."
Fusion felt a touch inside her head and let Gravity in. Random's mind hung like a fractured jewel in the mare's perception, its facets reflecting odd, half-recognisable places and people. There were other minds in the empty space; some blurred and fuzzy, the others perfect, polished shapes. I've never seen it like this, she thought.
I noticed it after I started to use the sharing on non-ponies... I'm sure it all means something, but I don't know what, yet. The view blurred as Gravity did something, and there was the sudden feeling of others being present.
What--? The thought was from Halla and was gasped out, holding the same tones as the throat that would have spoken the words out loud, coloured by endless megaseconds of a brain hearing its own voice, but younger-seeming and obviously frightened.
Nearly got it.... The jewel, suspended like some fragment of crystal in the debris ring, seemed to fold in on itself, turning and churning like it was made of grinding teeth. Steady, Random, steady, Gravity thought. I'll be as quick as I can.
We're all here, Fusion sent, trying to accompany the thought with her own memories of Random -- happy things like games of tag, listening to wild stories during homecoming parties or long flights and romps over endless cloudscapes.
There was a distorted whinny, half thought, half heard, and the view suddenly changed--
--a press of bodies, all smaller than me, the slightly earthy smell of poor grooming mixed in with the wild-garden scent of constant, low-grade fear. There was a singing in my head, traces of memory that were all-too close to the surface threatening to burst across my mind and-- No! Mustn't think! Pain twitches at the back of my head; a cat with steely claws flexing and working their way into tender flesh. Eyes closed, my head dipped, muzzle and lips hunting the underside of one wing for a feather. They are all short, the big primaries pulled out long ago, but they are big enough to get my teeth around. I pull slowly, prolonging the pain, using it as a shield to--
--a paw on my withers, the blunted claws firm but not unkind, guides me down a white-lit corridor to the Machine. It's at least a hundred steps away, hidden behind a bend, but I can still feel it. I can't resist dropping into shadow sight and watching the glow of its crystal thaumic systems as I approach. It pulses like it's alive, like a heart or -- and this is more apparent the closer I come -- the coiled, peristaltic twitches of some giant parasitic worm. I walk like I am already dead, legs loose and threatening to collapse at the slightest stumble, rounding the final corner and standing quietly next to the Machine, my skin twitching and rippling like it is trying to flow away from the thing. A gesture and I lay my head in a groove on the upper surface, a jewelled clamp locking about my poll and horn--
--pink-maned, the white-coated body moved weakly, the bloody half-circles of hoofprints scattered in pairs over the forequarters. "Random, please--" I hesitate, the familiar voice from my foalhood making me freeze, then pain, blinding in its intensity, reaches up and wraps itself around my head. I spin and the big muscles in my hips contract, sending my hooves out again--
--entrails like lumpy snakes trail from the belly of the yellow stallion. His eyes, empty and terribly familiar, bore into my own, the reflected golden highlights fading as the magic I used to--
--joy, so vast as to make me weightless even with my damaged wings, floods through me like a warm rush as my new Master lightly touches my head; I fall to my belly, pressing my muzzle into the grass at his booted paws. I have a purpose again, something of the greatest importance to Him. I am not worthless; I will not fail, I cannot fail--
The real world returned with a rush, leaving Fusion staggering, spread-legged, strange and alien memories that seemed so personal, yet were not her own-- "Monsters!" Gravity growled, shaking vigorously. She glared into the forest surrounding the clearing, surges of power making the light flicker and flutter. At her hooves Ellisif and Halla flopped like they had been gutted, beaks open to show sharp little bird tongues. Random was also down, but curled into a tight, shivering ball. Spiral lay next to her, wing spread to cover her. All around the crowd of gryphons were backing away, guns coming back up.
"Yes," Fusion said thickly. "I knew it was bad, but nothing like that." She looked down, helping the weakly-stirring gryphons to rise. "Why, Ellisif? Why would they do that? What possible use is that scenario?"
The gryphoness shook her head, beak opening and closing, then waved at the others. "It's okay," she croaked out, "we are unharmed." The crowd relaxed slightly, weapons lowering, and she turned to Halla. "You see? Could you have withstood that?" Halla stared back, then looked away. "Fusion, I... all I really know about is training gryphon soldiers, but I have heard things. The aim is to mould a mind into a new shape; for us this is what basic training is for. It is a shock to the system that lets them... I imagine that atrocity would have the same power and more." She cocked her head, gaze sweeping along Fusion's body. "That white pony... that was you?"
"I think so. I recognised others from our corral. I wonder how many times they made her do that?" Fusion shook her head, then looked at Halla. "Well? Do you still think that Random is to blame for what happened?"
Halla opened her beak, then closed it again with a snap. "No... Ellisif is right. No one could come out of that unbroken." She closed her eyes, keeping them shut. "But it doesn't matter; if anything it proves my point. She cannot be trusted. You ponies are too strong; if she should go against us again, who's to say she won't do a better job next time?"
"I can be sure!" Gravity hissed. "I can see into her mind as easily as I can pick apart yours!"
"Oh, and you are completely certain, are you?" Halla's white head-feathers rose, her beak snapping to punctuate the words. "What about the day after you check, or the day after that? Are you going to sit in her mind forever to be absolutely sure? She's been twisted by the dogs... a moment's doubt is all it would take to call them down on us again. You can go through her head, but can you fix it?"
Gravity's ears went flat back, practically hidden beneath her mane. "No," she ground out.
"Enough." Fusion nudged Gravity with one wing, making her take a step sideways. "So you will be satisfied if Random cannot contact the dogs?"
Halla nodded slowly. "She's already flightless... but I don't think the Security-issue horn suppressors are good enough. It wouldn't be hard to remove one, given a few kiloseconds of uninterrupted effort."
"No, they won't hold a determined pony. You can break them, even with an active shock collar." Fusion moved a few steps, dipping her head to whisper to Spiral. "I'm sorry, but we have to be sure. It doesn't have to be permanent, just enough to stop Random using her magic for a few megaseconds. After that it won't matter."
"So this is what you wanted me to do." Spiral didn't look up from Random, but Trocar did, his ears flat back and teeth bared.
Fusion nodded, then lifted her head to address the crowd. "Random's horn will be removed to ensure she doesn't present a danger to herself or others."
Halla nodded, as if Fusion's words were for her alone. "I accept this." Throughout the gryphon half of the crowd, the tension bled away, bodies relaxed and wings, partially spread and ready for flight, were furled.
Fusion lowered her voice, pitching the rest for Spiral, Trocar and Random. "It doesn't have to be like Slipstream; no damage to the horn bed. I know Animal has checked Elliptic and Scalar; he tells me that they will regain full function within half a year, and some ability much before that." She dropped to her knees next to Random, switching her attention between Trocar and Spiral. "There are other benefits, you understand? She won't be without support. Would you rather Animal do it?"
"Without magic I will be useless." Random twitched, uncurling enough to lift her head, fur tear-streaked and matted with mud. "It would be better to let me die."
"I don't agree with her, but Halla does have a point. I know what we've seen, but it's not like we can ever really know you, not second by second. No pony can know their future self... I really don't think you will betray us again, but I don't want you to die, Random. You are my friend and I don't want to hurt you... but I'd rather see you dehorned and alive than whole and dead."
"You should have left us in hiding," Trocar spat, "what gives you the right to decide what happens to ponies? I was right the first time; you, the pair of you, are monsters. All that power you have has turned you into something twisted."
Fusion bowed her head, flicking a wing in Gravity's direction when she felt her sister move. "At the start, power gave me the right, because there was nopony else. Now..." She blinked, head coming up. He's right... there's no way it can be just me and Gravity making the decisions. I can be rid of some of this responsibility... and if something does happen to me, there will be leadership. Her eyes widened, mind racing away down the possibilities, then she shuttered the thoughts. "That will change, after today. For now, though, this is necessary for all of us."
Trocar snorted and opened his mouth, but Spiral shook her head. "I will do it. It's the only way I can be sure. You said... you said there might be something else you could do?"
Fusion nodded. "Yes. Random, you were a teacher once. There are a dozen foals who need a... a guardian." Gryphons, too, but we'll start with ponies...
"Those are the ones that I... that I--" Random swallowed heavily. "I killed their dams, Fusion, you can't ask me to..." Her eyes went distant, the whites showing around her blue irises.
"We could split them up, spread them through the rest of the Naraka dams, but they have already formed a little herd among themselves. It would only hurt them to separate them again. They need stability and a constant adult companion, not just whichever pony happens to have the time." She leant forwards, brushing her muzzle against Random's. "Think of it as your punishment, if you like." Fusion smiled. "Hard labour."
Some of the fear slipped away from Random's face, and she offered a tentative smile of her own. "It would be kinder to kill me. A dozen foals..."
Fusion nodded, a tight knot of stress uncoiling in her belly. I will bind you to them with chains of duty and devotion, keep you so busy you don't have time to breathe, let alone think.
Random's eyes moved to Trocar. "Sire, it's okay. I... I think I need this to happen. I made a mistake and have to pay the price. You all tried to help me but I didn't listen." Trocar's jaw worked, the big muscles in his cheeks bunching, but stayed silent. "Dam, please do it quickly, I--"
Tears leaked down Spiral's muzzle, pushing past her closed eyelids. "Stay still, baby." A cage of green magic spread over Random's head, then a single crystal chime and a line of pale light cut her horn off near the base.
===
Chaos had long ago traced the communications networks of the bipeds, identifying the critical nodes each polity used to distribute orders and to make plans. Use of particular facilities, or meetings between particular bipeds, always attracted its attention, and it would periodically dip into these spaces. The long, slow interactions of molecules and ions that passed for thought in these organics was both a blessing and a curse; it only needed brief touches to sample the short-term memories of those present, but it took them so long to reach any decision.
Activity at these highly-connected nodes had increased dramatically, and Chaos could feel that the whole system was at a turning point in the behaviour phase-space. A push, perhaps only a single manipulation of one individual, would be enough to move the system from its relatively stable state to one where a dramatic reduction in the numbers of organic minds would be accomplished. The trick was to find that balance-point and nudge the system in the right direction, while avoiding Guardian attention.
The bipeds’ own defence infrastructure was an obvious point, but there were safeguards and no single individual had the ability to trigger the massed launch such an event would require. There was such a weak-point for a single system, not a weapon of physical destruction, but of economics, in the polity self-identified as 'Baur', but it was out of Chaos' reach. Too many of those responsible had their behaviours modified by a control mechanism similar to the one used on the servitors; careful experiments had shown that any attempt at direct manipulation would result in a failure of the target mind's organic infrastructure.
Perhaps some subtle alteration to the high-level order set that was used to coerce the required behaviours from the bipeds? Or to the manufacturing process of the crystal actually supporting the automata-control function? No: the upgrade cycles were measured in hundreds of planetary rotations. The situation it had manufactured might have resolved itself by then. Frustrated, Chaos made another fleeting pass at Baur.
===
The Strategic Operations Centre of Baur Hive was silent; the full attention of everyone in the dimly-lit room was on the comms screen. This one wonders if the rumours are true, that the Monarch has his fur bleached-- Ininil's mind wandered as the report from External Security, a thing of wonder crafted using only the finest euphemisms, continued interminably onwards. He won't be very impressed by this. Ininil glanced sideways, watching the speaker, a relatively junior officer, visibly try and keep his ears up and whiskers forward. Ininil carefully kept his face blank, attention on his own report.
"What is Intelligence's assessment?" The tone was one of bored indifference coupled with a refined lilt that sounded closer to the melodic intonations of a servitor than a Person, and suited the perfect figure very well.
Ininil looked up from his set of screens, fixing his gaze directly at the camera, rather than the snow-white and absurdly handsome figure on the wall-sized display under it. "Monarch, the information coming out of Lacunae has been very fragmentary; there is the data packet supplied to Auditor Kosigan, but there is no independent verification of--"
The figure scowled and waved a manicured paw with a sharp, choppy motion. "The assessment, General." The Monarch's voice was delicate and full of cultured tones, a product of careful thaumic surgery, and was completely at odds with the harshness of his expression.
On either side of the wall-screen, actually within the operations centre with Ininil, two other figures stirred. The pair, direct representatives of the Monarch's reach and a reminder of the risks of failure, were always there, so much part of the furniture and so motionless that you might be fooled into thinking they were statues. A servitor and a gryphon, both the same unrelieved carbon-black from feather to coat to equipment harness, switched their blank gazes to him. The gryphon's beak opened slightly, revealing a pale pink throat framed by dark razors.
Ininil matched that gape for a moment, his own jaw hanging loose, then a feeling like ice water ran down his spine and he sat bolt upright. "The Hammer strike was on target, Monarch, but it is unlikely to have the effect the Court would desire. This new ability of the servitors--" He glanced at the soot-coated pony, but it didn't even flick an ear. "--renders them supremely able to evade a direct assault with even the slightest forewarning. There will be reprisals, there must be. This one fears that they have already achieved a critical mass of recruits -- Lacunae reported over a thousand -- if they are truly working with the original rogues, and not just blindly following because of a lack of valid orders..."
He swallowed, looking down at his trembling paws for a second, then laying them flat on his desk. "Monarch, this is a worst-case scenario. The Blessing's conditioning was never intended to prevent a mass uprising. It may be too late to stop this rebellion without resorting to..." There was a prickling sensation in his head, warning tendrils of pain that crept from the base of his spine and down his neck to curl around his chest. "...special measures." Ininil kept his face fixed forward, ignoring the whispered comments and gasps from around the operations centre and fighting back the discomfort. Everyone here has clearance; this one will be fine, he thought, trying to will the desire into the little bundle of thaumically active material bonded to the inside of his skull, just above the brainstem.
===
Only a few seconds for the glacial organic thought processes, but an age for Chaos. This particular biped's distress was clear as the coercion mechanism started to activate, crudely prodding certain reward/punishment pathways in its organic networks. The cause of this was what drew Chaos' attention; those in the chamber were the prime-movers in the polity's defence structures. Such meetings were rare, and Chaos ran and reran the memories of every entity in the chamber, creating short-lived models of the minds and interrogating them as to the meaning of the discussions.
Its presence became more concentrated in the local space, pulling on enough of the automata's resources that it started to affect their performance. Guardians would be coming, drawn by this anomalous activity, but still it hesitated, reaching for an elusive understanding and a prediction of what would happen next. It suddenly had an answer: this was part of what it was looking for, not the tipping point, but a step to enable that decision junction to be used. The coercion mechanism the polity used on its own members could not be tracelessly altered while active, but it looked very much like it was about to be--
The automata it parasitised were failing and Chaos realised it had stayed too long; Guardians had arrived and were cleaning out its influence, eating away at the corners of its mind. It fled into the dark, slow spaces near its decoy, using that isolated fragment to lure away its pursuers.
===
"To even mention that is dangerous, General," the Monarch hissed, his perfect ears folding back and lips pulling away from teeth even whiter than his fur. The pressure from his gaze was matched by that from the two guards, backed up by a glimmer of magic around the servitor's horn.
"It might be a useful excuse to humble Lacunae... we would be doing the Court's work for them, and with far less damage than multiple Hammer strikes." This came from Argor, head of the Cabinet, seated a little further down the conference table. There was a sense of discomfort in her tone, as she blindly searched the space of acceptable words for ones that wouldn't trigger a response from her own implant. "There will be censure, but they may even thank us... and someone will have to act as administrators for Lacunae territory."
Thank you thank you thank you. "Excellent point, Minister," Ininil wheezed, the pressure in his head slowly building. "It should at least be discussed, if it suits the Monarch." He bowed his head and waited, the space between his shoulder blades itching.
There was a rattling noise; the sound of someone drumming manicured claws on a desktop. "Very well. Look at this one." The voice shifted tone, moving from anger to command, and the words twisted something within Ininil's head. "The Monarch releases those present from the geas, for the duration of this meeting only."
==
The Guardians were still there! This was the best place in space-time, in all the available dimensions, to effect the changes it wanted, and the Guardians were still there! It dithered, sending stealthy probes into the automata, monitoring their activities. Panic subsided; they were just finishing their clean-up, the normal destroy-and-rebuild approach, and were moving away.
Chaos knew the modifications it had to make, not to the minds, but their automata-connected controlling mechanisms, enclosed within the calcium-based container for their organic networks. The mechanism had switched to a passive state, rendering the mind it controlled vulnerable to Chaos' manipulations. It ignored that tempting target and reached in, connecting to all the passivated mechanisms and altering them slightly.
How long this modification would survive depended on the inspection cycle the bipeds used; there were random elements based on the decay of unstable nuclei and it was not easy to predict or manipulate the process without detection. This was not necessarily a problem, as it was likely to be many planetary rotations away, and until that time Chaos had a way to deactivate the coercion mechanism at will.
==
There was a near silent sigh from around the table, and Ininil wasn't the only one to slump slightly. "That is appreciated, Monarch."
"This one is interested that the General thinks that Strix is actually a workable solution to the rebellion; he always considered it to be a first strike weapon only useful in degrading the enemy's infrastructure. It was his impression that it would always be less useful than Project Seraphim--" The Monarch's expression soured, his muzzle wrinkling. "--should it ever get off the ground."
"There has been some success, Monarch; the silicate/alumina metabolism has taken in the latest tranche of hatchlings. The one adult we managed to create in the original batch continues to grow in power--"
"But not in control, if this one remembers the outcome of the last test." The Monarch was leaning forwards again, muzzle cradled in blunted and polished claws, his eyes fixed on Ininil. "This one can see that he needs to spend some time in a full project review. Now, back to the Strix project. Has there really been that much progress in penetrating the production chains of the other Hives?"
Something else that is true; the Monarch doesn't read the intel summaries. Ininil resisted a dangerous urge to sigh. "Yes, Monarch. Our modified lucerne crop has been found in the majority of forage fields supplying plants manufacturing the universal servitor supplement; these ones gave the other Hives the opportunity to steal the genome and they appear to have done so. Testing of locally-sourced supplement pellets all show that they are using our lucerne as feedstock, and that the prion precursor is present and does survive processing. None of the other Hives have shown signs of reverse-engineering the extra protein, or even detecting it." Ininil risked a tiny smile. Of course, this one also doesn't know the full consequences of Strix activation. There were those unwanted epigenetic effects... "There would have been an outcry if they had."
The Monarch gave a sharp nod of his perfect head, bone-white whiskers flexing with mirrored amusement. "This one is pleased. General; this is an excellent idea. The General will prepare a full briefing on Strix, along with a selection of strike options and expected remediation after World Court censure. Ensure the herds are at full readiness; this one wants to be able to use the weapon at short notice."
Happy April!
So much conflict within, its a wonder Chaos has any difficulty at all getting anywhere near the planet.
So Baur is the origionator of Changelings, or other Horta class non organic lifeforms maybe dragons? Wonder what mind altering effects the Strix prion is going to have, such as Toxoplasmosis?
Hmmm, I am guessing we are seeing the beginning of dragons and the division of ponies into 3 sub races.
Silica/Alumnia metabolism implies some sort of geovore. I expect it's definitely the birth of Dragonkind.
As for the prion timebomb. I expect that is what eventually breaks down the Alicorn race into it's 3 sub-races, earth, pegasi and unicorn. Genetic degredation and reduction of the species's potential? Sounds like something to help shut down the rebellion. It's fairly clear that modern day ponies don't stand up at all compared to the potential of even un-linked alicorns.
I like how the comments following each chapter are mostly speculation, shows how great of a story this is (instead of angsty readers talking about how it should have been written)
Not even trying to imagine what's going to happen next, I'm just here for the ride.
Awesome chapter as always, constant subtle hints towards what we all know (or think?) to be the eventual outcome of the story keeps every detail exciting.
7131092
And it was a pleasure being of help on making this chapter a reality.
7131472
We also see some debate here. Just look at the flame war we had two chapters ago.
I'm gonna guess this feed they are using is going to destabilize the Alicorn genome, causing a split that creates the three pony species we know and love from the show.
Not sure how it's used as a weapon, unless the blessing cannot be applied to unicorns? Or they can force the pony servitors to do their bidding? Or something?
So much food for thought.
7131652
This destroys the next generation of ponies as force multipliers. I imagine it would also diminish the power levels of individual ponies, thus explaining why ponies are not known to use forcefields on offence or utility.
Oh, so this is how you explain the existence of the three tribes. I was expecting Chaos to be the one to do it.
Project Seraphim is mutha fuckin' DRAAAAAGOOOOONS~!
Oh fuck. For fuck's sake. I knew the whole degrading-into-non-alicorns was a thing that would have to be explained sooner or later, but I wasn't expecting it to be such a sinister cause, and especially not from Baur Hive. And what tipped Fusion off to be paranoid of the food?
So if "modern-day" ponies' small size, decreased magical ability, missing limbs, and general non-alicorn'ness is a long-term result of a genetic weapon intended to cause such reductions, does that mean Twilight's alicornication is finally progress towards the whole species' recovery? A multimillenial project of Celestia's, perhaps?
That some Baur Hive dogs are under an effect very similar to the ponies' 'blessing' is also super interesting. I can't help but wonder how many. Is it just high-ranking members of government, as a method of protecting sensitive information? Or is it prevalent in their citizenry, to ensure loyalty to their monarch? If the latter, that could definitely be taken advantage of by the rebellion, I feel.
[Edit] Also, if the three tribes stuff from their Hearth's Warming play is true, I wonder what actually causes the long winter that forces them to move somewhere far away? My two guesses are nuclear winter, or something happening to Celestia (the pony, and therefor the sun) that takes a long while to recover from (she didn't seem to be present during that stuff in the stage play). I wonder where modern-day Equestria even is in relation to the places in this story.
Actually screw it I do have some ideas to share.
Not sure if it's just being held back for a future plot point or simply a passing reference not really to be included with the rest of the story, but we still haven't heard anything of the "makers path" (I think they were called) group. Y'know, the doggies that took side with the cuddly wuddly ponies.
I imagine they would be causing near riots with the rising fear level of the "servitors". Despite best efforts by security I doubt they could plug all leaks concerning the over powered ponies rampaging around their utopia to the general public (the fact that Korn at one stage watches I believe a "news channel" on TV would suggest a society not totally dominated by their military for the dogs. Might reread that chapter to make sure I'm right)
And the fact that the group was founded in the first place and not immediately shut down would give the idea that this paticular hive as a society does support freedom of speech among its citizens.
Now with the use of the hammer at full power, which I would imagine could be felt quite easily underground in the doggy settlements from very far away from the impact site, they have more than enough fuel to start whatever consipracies they like in order to turn more dogs to the side of the unstoppable cute ponies.
To be honest I really hope the group does make a more prominent appearance in the story, we've seen more than enough of the evil side of the dogs
7131472
I like to keep folks on their toes!
Speculation is a wonderful thing; I 'discovery write', so the story evolves as it appears -- any plans are vague, fluid things (an 'outliner' is the other sort of writer; everything gets planned). Reader's thoughts -- some accurate, some so far off as to make me scratch my head and think 'where the hell did that come from' -- are always useful. Pointing out things that are of special interest, which bits of foreshadowing have worked (and which were unintentional!), and so on.
7131503
Our conversation was most useful in solidifying some of the options, for which you have my thanks. The real prescience prize must go to Luna Nightshade, though. It's rare to have someone post almost exactly what was going through my head.
7132710
I'm trying to avoid having Chaos do too much -- to easy (also Chaos would much rather be rid of the lot of them).
7132179
Absolutely, yes. It's a weapon of mass economic destruction. As an analogy, it would be a bit like a mega EMP frying every computer in a country.
7132736
Able to eat tank armour and swim in magma. That's one hell of a bioweapon!
7133076
That's a nice set of speculations you have there.
7133141
We'll just have to see! At this stage, I don't actually know (see 'discovery writer', above). Adds to the excitement!
Well, well, well.
I had to wonder, when that point with some of the dogs under a similar influence of the blessing would come up again.
But that the food has been manipulated - other than that it was in some way addicting - was something I did not see coming.
And the solution for the random-problem was indeed a good one. I wonder why I have not thought about just showing them what it is like ...
Though we are on a dangerous path, if we think about forcing them into it ... I am glad that some of them had the guts to volunteer ...
Now, all the hints ... (very) possible Dragons ... Epigenetics ... and something else the food might or even will do to those that have not stopped eating it. I know that Fusion stopped (not eating it because the dogs wanted them to eat one portion at least every day), but I do not know if Gravity stopped - or any of the other ponies as it apparently also controls the estrus cycle ...
There is also the hint on another secret weapon of Baur Hive ... I wonder what the Final Solution will finally be ?
7133391
Yup. While I helped to shape the complexity of the gryphon problem, my solutions would have seen Random in a cell, rather than a sentence of hard labour. Now I just hope no gryphon tries to follow up with something more... permanent.
I believe a better analogy would be how the Spanish Flu short-circuited the Great War, as here, even with numbers undiminished, the productivity of the next generation will be first filtered through a 3:1 filter, then to whatever factor affects the power levels (which should be very significant, judging simply from the casual use of forcefields in your story versus the rarity of their use in FIM). And finally, the physical aspect: dwarfism! The dams currently pregnant will be giving birth to the last normal sized, all-equipped, full-powered ponies, with new pregnancies resulting in the first modern ponies. And I also imagine that Baur is what we now call Saddle Arabia, as their half-tested antigens did prevent dwarfism, but couldn't prevent the rest.
7133456
It will not matter if they are currently eating it or not: every pony that has ever eaten it is currently infected with the prion, and will succumb to whatever illness this prion carries.
BTW, a prion is a very primitive form of virus that has to be acquired by passive means, and gives a simple illness. In this case, I imagine the virus is carrying an order to mostly deactivate a chromosome during fetal development. The main insidiousness of prions is that, as they are extremely simple, they are extremely hard to get rid of and can easily jump between species, resulting in them easily becoming a permanent part of the ecosystem.
Just for example, try to never eat goat or sheep meat undercooked, as you could get encephalitis.
7133456 The hatchlings may have been dragons, yes, but they may have also been changelings. I imagine the latter would fit better with Baur's apparent appreciation for infiltration and subtle sabotage.
Alright so, Ponies (and griffons) staged a successful raid on a Dog military base. The Dogs are starting to realize how utterly fucked they are. And now.. the Ponies have Nukes. This should be fun.
AKA, new toys for her to play with. So, on to the sorting of all the jun they grabbed?
Damnit, freaked me out for a second, was like "wait "Luna was there, but.. isn't this FROM her persepct... ohhhh right, the moon, not the pony."
Because they know that given enough time and practice, you can make those shots go wherever you want. Now get practicing on controlling those Moons.
Dealing with their daughter?
Yeah, even that might be an understatement. Though the sheer scale of the threat you two pose is possibly to big for most Dogs to even begin to comprehend. Nukes are something they have plenty of context to understand the threat of.
Gee wonder where this could end up going.........
But maybe if you tried, and ever talked about more then getting out there and slaughtering Dogs. Tone it down a bit and maybe they would open up. But still, great foreshadowing.
Always nice to know you are compressing the right screaming meatling into neutronuim with just your will. But good learning Grav, yes you have every right to be upset, to want to lash out, but channel that anger at the right targets, not just at random.
So, a result of just how close the two are, being that intertwined that it is so easy for them to feel each other. Just a result of raw power, or a combination of the two? My bet would be on a combination of the two.
Oh Faust damnit Random. Wait.. which she? She Random or she Spiral? Which one was moving like they were drugged? Cause that changes things. random drugging Spiral and using her to sneak away to flee and exile herself, or Spiral trying to take Random away to keep her safe?
Okay, so the latter option.
Well, energy manipulation is kind of her thing. Still, if you can work out a way to use something similar to steal kinetic/gravitic energy from something... that could be fun to play with.
Those two are very useful prisoners, and also could come in very handy with helping things grow all around. Even if not they are still vital sources of intel. Also, okay so now onto a bit of Griffons making a big squawky noise while not having the slightest idea about the details they are bitching about.... sounds familiar.
Not military you overgrown buzzard.
Or make them want to get rid of you altogether and find you unable to be worked with.
And once again Ellisif proves just how damn lucky the Sisters were to get her on their side. A griffon with the brains to understand the scale of what they are doing, and also clever enough to deal with all the details.
Ehhhh, you betray them in a big enough way.. you'll be wishing for Gravity's tender mercy. Yeah Grav is by far the more prone to lashing out, and quicker to resort to violence. But if you push Fusion hard enough........
I'm with Ellisif, how the hell did anyone as blockheaded as you make NCO? Yes a gryphon with a first aid kit and some bandages is totally the same as a trained medical pony.
Fair enough.. can't really debate that. But you forgot 5. Random was not acting under her own free will and in a rational state of mind at the time.
Still not as fast or undetectable as teleporting. (Yes yes I know they can detect a teleport happening in an area if they have the right monitoring stuff set up, but it still gives them no advanced warning it is coming like being able to see a transport coming could.
Yeah, clouds will still give the Dogs a general idea where you are.. though if it's a wide enough area that might not really be narrowing it down to much, since there can't be that many large, open expanses of land far enough from any Hive structures and with enough wilderness to support the Ponies around.
.... seriously, how have you not read Fallout Equestria yet, while still being this eerily similar to it?
Yeah this is going to be one hell of a clusterfuck to straighten out.
But is a new nation built on cold blooded murder like that a nation you want to create?
No.. no..... oh FUCK! YOU! Seriously NO!, Just... FUCK YOU NO! Don't even fucking go there!
Okay, so getting through to Random.. and conflicted. On the one hoof, everything Fusion said was perfectly true, logical, it was exactly right. On the other... when the hell does anyone respond to logic like that so well? Feels.. weird having basic logic and thinking the problem out rationally work so easily. I like it, but, feels odd to actually see it happen for a change.
Next raid, I vote Halla gets to prove what a badass she is by leading the first wave of attack. Shut up you loudmouthed, pigeon brained asshole.
Ohhh, ohhh are you.. are you planning what I think you are?
Ohhh they are... way to go Fusion and Gravity, very nice thinking.
Grav is learning just how valuable intimidation is in earning respect among Griffons. If they don't think you are willing and able to rip their head off, they won't give a fuck what you say.
Though.. maybe simply ruling through fear isn't a good idea, even if it is what is expected. Yeah got a little carried away.. like Gravity. Still, once more Ellisif for proving to be best War Assert.
That is very beautiful sounding, quite poetic and.. yeah not sure what it signifies. If it was just Random I'd say it was her psyche tearing itself apart over pain, loss, guilt, anger, and all the other things she is dealing with. But, it's something having to do with any non-ponies? Oh wait, the fractured gem bit WAS just Random, and the other minds thing was all the Griffons, and THAT was what Grav was talking about, some being in focus some not... hmmm, yeah sure there is some meaning to it, maybe something along the lines of their receptiveness to magic? How open minded they are? Could be anything.
And even head headed assholes like her can see that point when it's shoved in her face. Also... HELL YES SISTERS!
No... no... don't you FUCKING DARE! NO!
wait... "not permanent"... okay.... anger toning down a bit, now explain please.
How the fuck is that 'not permanent'!? So far, every time anything involving that has come up, it's been pretty damned permanent.
Wait, so..... it can be healed, so long as certain parts aren't damaged. Well, this is certainly good news.
No real comment I just really REALLY love that line.
Oh crap... just as things were getting good, here come the constant Diablos ex Machina to try and screw it up.
Wait... what? Okay so, he's just going for wiping out as many beings as he can? Why? Just for the lulz? that seems, almsot beneath Chaos. To easy. On the plus side, he's not really all for helping the Dogs agsint the Ponies, he just wants to cause them to fight each other till they wipe each other out, so will help either side if he can to get that. Though given the huge advantages Ponies have, does mean he'll almsot always be helping the Dogs just to give them a chance. huh kind of like the Necromancers in Diablo. Technically neutral, only seeking to maintain the balance between good and evil, not aid on to defeat the other, but 'Evil" is so often the one on the rise they almost always end up helping the 'good' side be default. Okay tangent over. Have a bit of stress to blow off over all that tension above. Random trivia regurgitation helps get my mind off that.
Huh, so, is that kind of Baur's thing? Seeking better control over it's own 'People'?
Ohhh, going after Lacunae's biggest rival... not anything about the ponies at all. Simply trying to use the chaos they kicked up to get others to move... very very well done. Evil, manipulative, and going to still lead to a whole lot of everyone being screwed over. But still, smart.
Yes I can see how badly Baur is dealing with the strife in their neighbor if this is the big rumor going around....... okay story that was a good bit of levity that was really badly needed. Kudos.
So, Baur is a monarchy, while Lacunae is a Military based leadership, with a separate civilian council overseeing and approving/disapproving decisions and carrying out the day to day stuff?
So making incredible freaks of nature and all kinds of genetic and surgical tampering is also Baur's thing then? Guess this is where a lot of the other creatures we see in Equestria come from?
Okay I have some vague ideas what this might be referring to but still.... yeah Baur has even less data then Lacunae to not underestimate the ponies.
Okay something SO Top Secret, anyone who is cleared to know about is still barred from even talking about it? Okay so, what the hell were they planning?
Well, so even these Dogs get to help wipe out their whole civilization through fucking over their own people too. Not just Lacunea and their treatment of their servitors. Nice to know we don't have to feel sorry in the least for all the other Hives. I mean I wasn't going to but, nice to know they are all filled with utter assholes. And a few of them get to help with the whole wipe out our species thing.
............................. Okay then. Trying to say something?
..... And that would be them creating Dragons wouldn't it? Now there is an experiment that would turn around quick to bite them in the ass. Good luck controlling something that size and that vicious and cunning.
Case in point.
Oh fuck... hidden Prion disease in the food.... and... and.. holy fuck story.. that is.. that is.. that is so hideously, insanely, subtlety, nefariously brilliant. And with The Sisters having forgone eating it for so long, combined with their higher power levels.... is this what causes the separation into the Three Tribes?
Okay so, that is one question answered more or less.
Alright, Random. That.... went about as well as I think it realistically could. And far far better then I had hoped. The solution was logical, and the whole horn thing.. so long as it's not permanent (At least till she gets turned into an Earth Pony by this prion thing), does make sense, and had a valid reason beyond "Punish for Punishments sake." Random was so broken, so scarred, so mentally in tatters from the ordeal, she does need some way to make sure she doesn't have a moment of insanity and do something wrong. maybe call in another strike to kill herself with. Give her some time to try and heal, and give her something to focus on while doing that.
Also, nice to see Fusion trying to come up with some way of guiding the ponies besides her dictating everything, that will be interesting to see.
Also, so the main issue is swapping from Lacunea to Baur, that... that is rather brilliant. At this point the first Hive has been so beaten over and over and over, they have to be running out of new things to try, and realizing just how little they can do agsint the Ponies. So having an outside force come in that doesn't quite get it, with their own idea...... well played. Very well played.
7131652 Well, given the remark about them not knowing the side effects, I'm more betting it's something intended to weaken or outright kill another Hives servitors to cripple them, and the splitting into the Races thing is simply a result of them screwing it up and it not working like they thought it would.
7133076 We already saw a Dog with a Blessing like device implanted in him, though I don't think that was ever established as being in Baur hive. Also, could still have been Windigoes. Though yes does beg the question of where The Sisters went. Unless this was them leaving the ponies to govern themselves. only to come back and see how bad they bucked that up. Twilight and Cadance, well also have to account for Magic. And they are still smaller and seemingly weaker then Celestia and Luna, though maybe about even with these Alicorns now? I'm figuring that their "Ascension" is tapping into the fundamental forces of creation to be recreated in the original Pony form. Not a genetic anything. Given Cadance ascended with no planning or help from Celestia, and we have good evidence of there having been other alicorns before.
7133734 Except it's not a prion. They very specifically say it's a 'prion precursor' Something far harder to spot. So they add some component, chemical genetic, something, that stays in a ponies system, and when given the right activation code, maybe a certain other chemical breathed in or ingested, Or a very very specific type of EM pulse, something, Then forms into the Prion that will, yeah fuck shit up. So given it's not a full Prion, we have no way of knowing just how long the 'precursor' would stay in their system. Or it could be that simply channeling as much raw power into their bodies as The Sisters do also serves to purge shit like that, or they have some kind of super immune system now too or something.
7134116 Nah Dragon, only thing we've seen with a reason to have a rock like composite. Changelings are still organic, their insectile look would just be normal chitin. It's Dragons. Also if it was Changelings they'd be close enough to servitors The Blessing would likely control them.
7134717 Oh, good point. Apparently I misread the line about their changes (was in a hurry while reading due to RL), thought it was referring to their biochemistry rather than metabolism. Figured they were experimenting with something altogether foreign, rather than rock-eaters.
7134717
You say corn; I say maize. You say aluminum; I say aluminium. You say plantain; I say cooking banana. What actually matters is that apparently all ponies have been inoculated with the first component of binary biological weapon, and Baur is currently preparing to deliver the second component. And it will be delivered through some sort of herd animal, which could very well be ponies, but could be deer or buffalo or reindeer.
7133456
That's the thing with magic, it short-circuits so many problems (that's why it's magic!); hard to imagine any irrational fear/hatred being maintained when you can actually sit in the other person's head.
You'll notice there weren't that many volunteers; Ellisif did it because she really did want to understand (but also to shame Halla into following her).
7133734
The show isn't very consistent when it comes to magic; we almost never see the unicorns do anything with their power other than a bit of light telekinesis. Perhaps Twilight and her ilk are 'super-powered freaks' compared to the general population (interesting how many of them are linked to Celestia in some way; perhaps the big C is running a soft eugenics program, trying to bring her race back...).
Prion precursor is an important distinction, though. Who knows what the biological half-life of the trigger molecule is? This also raises the question of how it is triggered -- it would have to be in a way that was useful to an aggressor.
7134683 congratulations!
Your comment has surpassed the chapter length of some fics I read!
CLICK HERE to obtain your reward!
In all seriousness seeing a point by point breakdown of a chapter like that is actually great and it makes me want to go back to other chapters and see what you've said in them.
7134683
Ah, don't be too hard on the gryphons; an NCO is all they can ever be -- and their NCOs are not like the ones in the Western militaries, trained for flexible thinking. The dogs are prone to micromanagement.
Land and open spaces: the dog population is not as high as you'd think; magic has distorted the normal demographic growth model -- they hit 'stage 4' much earlier in their history (ie low birth and death rates; the population numbers just didn't build up like on Earth). This, combined with the habit of building underground, makes for a population density closer to Australia than India.
It wants them all dead: Chaos wouldn't care about the dogs, if it wasn't for their development of ways to control magic. It sees them as an increasing threat to its existence (either directly or via Guardian attention). Stuff in the middle of Wasp dealt with that.
Seraphim: yes, I know. I can hardly help it if your FimFic handle was useful as a project name! One translation is 'the burning ones', after all...
Part of the problem with Random is that she wants to be punished, so there had to be some penalty or she'd just self harm, or worse.
7136242 Heh yay Glad you like them.
7136072 We see Rarity bust out some transmutation spells and a few illusionairy special effects. Pumpkin Cake phase through her playpen walls, Trixie do her whole show, Starlight and all the stuff she got up to (Also a powerful unicorn with no prior connection to Celestia.) We've seen quite a lot more then just basic TK, but yes nothing near on a level with in story ponies save for the Princesses. And yes Twilight is explicitly gifted and powerful. Though the idea of her trying to 'breed' back alicorns.... I cannot take that idea seriously, mostly due to the Buters-the-Alicorn blog where it had that same idea, but the current result of that program is... less then impressive.
Beyond that, I do get that Random thought she needed to be punished as well, and.. overall, it is likely the best solution possible... still not very happy about it, but that's more a personal issue with stuff like that then anything I can claim to be objectively wrong.
7136072
Actually, I believe the show is indeed very consistent when it comes to magic:
A) Most unicorns are pushovers. That's how Trixie could march into towns harping that she was the most magical unicorn in Equestria. Rarity would already be considered a powerful and versatile one, as she can perform multiple-object levitation, can manipulate objects as she levitates them, and can even transfigure them. Shining Armour and Twilight are superpowered freaks indeed.
As I've tried to analyze it, unicorn magic only consists in telekinesis (which can be augmented in power and in ability), a few auxiliary spell, and can include a salient ability related to the unicorn's Cutie Mark.
B) Pegasus magic is hardly analyzed, but we can see that different pegasai have different power levels and distributed in different aspects.
1. Passive aura (always active)
1.1 Passive aura component: self-levitation (weak)
1.1.1 Self levitation (complete)
1.1.2 Levitation of other (weak)
1.1.3 Levitation of other (strong)
1.2 Passive aura component: cloud walking (ability to manipulate clouds as solid)
1.2.1 Cloud shaping
1.2.2 Advanced weather shaping
2. Wing fitness
By this analysis we can then say that, for example, that while Fluttershy has nearly no wing fitness or cloud shaping, she's got a very healthy levitation effect, enough for her to calmly walk a chariot full of frogs from her cottage to Froggy Bottom Bog. Similarly, we can imagine that, while Rainbow Dash is terribly fit and can do anything with the weather, we have never seen her carry anything heavier than a book. Notable too is that the only pegasus we have ever seen use her wings as hands is Fluttershy.
C) Earth ponies' magic is never analysed, or even mentioned in-show, but we can easily define certain aspects:
1. Self boost (strength & stamina) (or how Big Mac could distractedly drag a house down the street)
2. Touch-range telekinetic finesse (all ponies have touch-range telekinesis on their hooves, but Earth ponies have finesse to it)
3. Agromancy
4. Salient abilities, or however we may wish to define the Pinkie Sense
5. Not defined whether is their effect or an environmental effect, but Crystal ponies may be able to push their magic forward.
A) The trigger would be the second component of the binary bioweapon. And I would imagine it will be something that will fly under the radar of the other hives, such as a migration of wild animals.
B) The way you already defined it, I would have imagined that it induces an economic crisis ten, twenty years down the road. in the mean time, Baur would slowly stockpile and gear to an invasion, and would then strike once the economic crisis hits its lowest point.
7136580
Ah, no obvious connection, but... I can't help but notice that the superpowered freaks all have the same naming convention. Twilight Sparkle, Sunset Shimmer, Starlight Glimmer -- perhaps the pattern is there because the names are markers for the eugenics programs. They are the end products of a number of different family lines, some in Celestia's direct control, some more removed. Shining Armor, the same family as TS, can make a mega shield. The programs started as a way to get pones strong enough to use the Elements and get Luna back. So sayeth my head canon.
I'm joking. Mostly.
The rest of your examples don't work for me. Illusions are inherently low power (Trix does precious little else), The foals are there for comedic effect. Given that a third of the population are overt magic users, the level of actual magic (other than a little TK) on display is really small. It should be everywhere.
7136927
I see you have thought about this.
Alright, I'll give you that, if by consistent you mean 'almost none of it' for the unicorns.
I like to imagine pegasi as the strategic bombers of Equestria. The ability to lift apparently arbitrarily heavy objects, without regard for balance, would remove any point of ground fortifications. It would be like castles after the development of cannon.
Also I loath the 'sticky hooves' model.
>>Lunatic
I would rewrite this without using the You Monster! TV trope, and without the trope of "you dont have the right to make decisions because you are not a chosen democratic leader". The less tropes the better.
About the dragon... a factible war weapon? I mean, you can shoot him with an anti-tank missile in like 10 seconds and bye bye, isnt it? It doesn't look like the next step in war technology, or there is something I am missing? Anyway, maybe I only complain because it looks a little like "high fantasy" to me, like if the trope of "heroic fight against Dragon" was coming...
The french Baur Monarch aristo-cat, seems... weird, also... it kind of breaks the mood of "space rusia", it almost looks like an anime character.
I loved the part when the gryphon behaviour changes from "yes mam" to "now we have weapons and nukes and we are not afraid of ponies". I wonder of equivalent historic facts that may be in real history.
7137912
Wut?
Ummm no, that... that is so far beyond anything approaching reality.. I'm not even sure how to take that idea seriously. it's like saying "the less periods the better" or "The less quotation marks the better" Only even more out of nowhere and nonsensical. Tropes are Tools There is nothing inherently good or bad about them, and you can't make a story WITHOUT using them, they are just the basic building blocks that all narratives use. It is all in how they are used, which can only be looked on an individual, case by case basis.
Also, massive, self powered, firebreathing monster that can be fed off basic rocks? There is no downside to that... beyond the obvious one Baur seems to be realizing of "How the hell do we control this thing?"
Finally "Too High Fantasy" Ummmm, this IS My Little Pony, Dragons have been an established part of this world for years, you can't complain about a pony fic having something in the 'verse, that is an established part of that 'verse.
7137523 Except we've seen no evidence that Pony names have any real familial passing for that to work. (Okay okay, among unicorns and Pegasi. Earth Ponies do seem to have a tradition of having related names, or even surnames. But since we are talking about unicorns, it applies) Even if we don't see much magic, it's still an established fact it exists, and we never really have much chance to see points where it should be around but isn't. We never really spend a whole lot of time with any Unicorns beyond Twilight and Rarity. And while Rarity might not have a lot of raw power, she is extremely versatile and has a very very fine degree of skill with it. And oft times skill trumps power. (See also why Starlight could fight Twilight to a standstill. Twilight has more raw power, but isn't very skilled at offensive magic. She prefers to get a solid grasp of every type of magic, but rarely practices something till she masters it. She's a Jack of All trades when it comes to magical skill. Starlight is powerful, but also focused so much effort on perfecting how to deal with Twilight. Note how Starlight made sure to avoid all of Twilight's blasts rather then try to tank or deflect them. While Twilight easily swatted aside every spell Starlight threw at her save those that caught her off guard.)
7137554
My model so far seems to fit unicorns in the show like a glove. Only Trixie, Shiny, Twilight and Starlight Glimmer break the mould so far. And alicorns definitely don't count, as they are clearly on a completely different level.
Strangely enough, I don't believe they actually have the ability to lift such heavy objects. The specific way we have seen this happening in the show is that pegasai hitch themselves on a chariot, then hold their wings out and start walking or running up an invisible incline, with the chariot following them. The chariot is then proportional to the pony in question, so a pegasus will only be able to fly a chariot if they could walk that same chariot in the first place. Thus, Fluttershy flew a motorcycle-sized chariot, regular Royal Guard Chariots are pulled by two Royal Guards, Celestia flies in a chariot hitched to four Guards, the moving ponies had an indeterminate number of pegasai hitched to the moving wagon, and Discord hitched a Cleopatra-sized palanquin to Twilight and Cadance.
And, if Scootaloo ever gets off the ground, she'll be able to use her Radio Flyer to fly the other Crusaders along.
Just like Darwin loathed peacocks, since he hadn't yet envisioned mating selection into his model of natural selection, and he was still locked into the idea of plain survival as the essence of evolutionary success.
A man of science must take the world as it is given to him and then try to explain it. A man of science must not colour his perception by his preferences. The show has plenty of examples of ponies picking stuff up with their hooves, so it is either some form of "sticky hooves", or the hooves hide some sort of fingers. Take your pick.
My favourite pick is the following: that ponies can push out their frogs, and can then use something similar to granular jamming.
I do have to say, the Auditor Kosigan throws me out a bit. I keep getting a mind-picture of a manic-depressive who 'needs' love, not meds. Cute homage, though.
7137554
Sorry, I forgot to mention that Zecora can cast spells, even if she might be limited to contact-range spells (notably, she can refill her drinks with a though)t. Applebucking could also be considered a contact-range spell, as an Earth pony wills the apples to fall into the baskets.
I know Zecora isn't even considered to be a pony, but I have yet to find anything on the show that actually marks her as different from an Earth pony. Doubly so, if you consider that she's begun training Applebloom in her own brand of magic.
7138614
Yeah, I know. Probably should have picked another name (but I couldn't resist!).
7137912
Well, tropes do exist for a reason, but it could be worded differently. Trocar is basically restating his original opinion from back when Spiral first broke the news about Random. It might be better if worded more like:
...which isn't much of a change, I'll grant you.
Dragons: ah, that depends on the dragon! Bear in mind that this is a dragon built by a race that knows all about shaped charges and energy weapons. Also think more like the dragons in Pratchett's Strata, ie nuclear powered. As for the knight vs. dragon hero fight... I'll have to wait and see, but who do you think such a creature will side with?
Different Hive, different society. Lacunae is closer to 'space russia' (I kind of imagine McCarthy America with the anti communist paranoia), while Baur is more like a mad dictatorship (pre Gulf War Iraq, Libya) with the tech to enforce the 'one top dog'. As for the OTT -- dictators tend to the extreme, especially when they really do have that amount of power, so I didn't think it too unbelievable.
But duty is heavy as a mountain. Fusion really didn't have any good choices here, but I think she went with the least bad ones.
As for the dogs, quite a lot to take in, from dracogenesis to the apparent origin of the tribes. Most fascinating. Plus, Chaos has a new backdoor to play with, which leads to all kinds of future shenanigans.
Definitely looking forward to more. As Chaos noted, we stand at a tipping point. Seeing which way it falls should be all kinds of fun... for those of us on the right side of the fourth wall, at least.
7136927
Very well thought out breakdown! You missed one point with RD's carry capacity when you said she's never carried any deadweight more than a book on the show... not true. She has hefted entire ponies. Other than that, nice breakdown!
I suppose RD is as OP with pegasus magic as Purple Smart was OP with magic, pre alicorn.
7140727
I kind of remember that she couldn't hold Twilight by herself during S1E1&2 (although she later picks up the rope bridge), in S2E8 (Mare do Well) she only ever really carries (through the air) a filly (she only slows down the falling balcony) (after tackling the construction worker, she gallops him to safety), In Dodge Junction she uses chariot (so it doesn't count), and in S3E7 (Wonderbolt Academy) we see every recruit but her easily catching a pony.
Oh, wait: she briefly picks up Pinkie during "Too Many Pinkie Pies". That counts.
7138266
That's what I meant: most unicorns have no magic (or at least don't use it), so I grant you that point. Perhaps all unicorns are equally powerful, but the choose not to use their power. It's sort of a philosophical view, and TS et al are just very immature... Or just super powered freaks.
That's certainly what the flight model looks like -- otherwise you'd need a planquin-type design, with flyers fore and aft. Because you don't, that indicates that the magic used is a 'body force'; the power that lets them fly without really paying attention to gravity or inertia must be extended to the thing they are hitched to. Which has interesting implications -- the only thing that really works (for me) is some form of mass control. The flight magic drops their mass, allowing those silly wings to actually work, and extends to what they pull/carry to maintain balance. The other hypothesis I have involves a super-dense atmosphere or that pones are actually bumblebee-sized.
Heh, that would work if the world being viewed was governed by reproducible physical laws. In Faust's day, it was, but there has been a certain amount of drift. Modelling a universe subject to variable physical laws is a sure route to madness.
I can accept it fits the observations, but I don't like it for aesthetic reasons. It's too easy. I want my horse-shaped aliens to have a world that fits their physical form, dammit, not just an expedient human analogue. I'm not going to get that, but that's what fanfic is for!
7142663
Thinking about it, I believe we could also add the hypothesis that the current state of unicorn education is piss-poor, which may artificially push down the average results. What if proper training could see every unicorn doing the same things Rarity does (minus her gem-finding salient ability), but the educational system is reading-based and completely drops the towel on skill training?
On the Cutie Pox we saw Cheerilee take the class out so Applebloom could "teach" her own special talent, but that clearly went out of the syllabus.
I could be calling it an antigravity field, but I prefer to call it a levitation aura to fit the fantasy setting. Furthermore, I look at the fact that the various pegasai that are seen dragging chariots through the air are always seen walking on air, with the sole exceptions (so far) of the thestrals that were dragging Luna's chariot, and Fluttershy dragging the frogs in Superman position. All others either just hold their wings out stiff while they trot their legs or beat them in concord with their trot.
I imagine the mechanism, translated to your own story, would be to push the flight aura out of the ponies' wingbones and, through the hitch, into the towed vehicle. And it may be a skill developed precisely by or for the first hornless pegasai: having no horn meant that their magic potential pooled on their wings, and they thus learned to do more with it than just fly and shape clouds.
Wouldn't it be interesting if Random ends up developing the basic syllabus for pegasus magic? After all, in addition to her having no horn, her wingbones remain functional regardless of lack of feathers.
But that wouldn't account to them stopping in mid air without the load sagging. We see them come to a complete halt in mid air, twice, in "Feeling Pinkie Keen".
Now seriously, Random is currently magicless, so she will need to learn how to pick up, carry and manipulate stuff with only her hooves, wingtips and mouth.
7143771
Then they'd all be super! Next question is why would that be the case? We have to ask, who controls the schooling system? I think we know.
Earth Ponies.
It's a wide-ranging plan to keep the unicorns, the natural master race, in their place. The School for Gifted Unicorns is the exception: it's obvious that Celestia needs a cadre of well-trained boneheads to act as a training nucleus in case things every really go south.
Adding to the list of stuff I loath: the name 'thestral'. Use something original, fandom! They're bloody batponies, not skeleton-horse-pegasi.
Interesting thoughts on the other bits, concerning Random, will consider.
No, atmosphere changes don't help with that, but I could imagine buoyant chariots... Small size is also out, because fire burns in the same way as it does for 'full size'.
I had been wondering how we go from 500 free to everyone free... It looks like we don't need Luna to do a world wide horror dream of blessing removal after all. By definition, you can't bless a peguses or an earth pony, and I don't even know if a unicorn will stay blessed... This bio weapon is going to free the whole world population all at once!
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Rather than any sinister plan, I rather imagine this to be a systemic problem with the educational system, and not really limited to affecting unicorns. Who is to tell us that Scootaloo's greatest problem isn't being a flightless dodo, but the fact that she hasn't been properly trained on how to beat her wings? Do consider that prior to Gutenberg, even reading was a skill passed from master to apprentice, and prior to Jean Baptiste De La Salle (three centuries ago), there was no such thing as a teacher trained specifically to teach, plus that he pioneered technical colleges, high school as we know today, and the concept of quality public education as the Great Equalizer.
Curiously enough, I've seen a few stories were the word 'batpony' is equivalent to 'nigger', but then come the differences by author, where the politically correct word might either be thestral, bat (no-pony) or umbral pony.
Doesn't fit the data in the show: chariots are normal chariots, wooden and even metallic. Airships on the show have smallish air bladders, but do have them.
>> Luna-tic Scientist
At least you're following Bujold's very good advice for writing. "What's the worst thing I can do to this/these character(s)?" It makes for an interesting story. :)
I look forward to seeing where this goes.
Oh wait, your earlier comment re. horn regrowth was totally foreshadowing, wasn't it?
Edit: Huh, I was expecting them to make it permanent.
There's the Vor guy again.
I like how we've spent years thinking the Dogs we already knew were the evil ones, and then Baur Hive just completely recalibrates that scale.
Oh crap... that stuff is dangerous. At this point I figured Fusion was just paranoid.
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Due to the serial nature of the story, what makes Baur special in some way to be, well, unexpected in unleashing bio-warfare?
Anyhoo, glad to see that the reason we have the three tribes is pointing more to 'genetic degradation' rather than 'mass execution and unintended consequence'. Of course, it could well be the mass-killing is still intended, but hopefully not. Also why Celestia and possibly Luna would be unaffected, since the former and presumably the latter likely stopped eating said food before ever picking up the precursor.
7146177 I've actually always favored "thestral", primarily because of the fact that "Luna Eclipsed" had multiple Harry Potter references, thus I always felt it was fitting. I know they ain't weird "undead skelly ponies", but they are Luna's guard, and certainly a reference to Luna Lovegood's thestral interactions.
To each their own, though. Last update was amazing, cause it was TWO chapters! I somehow missed the second to last one last month, cause I was busy working! The last two chapters were incredible! Always thanks for an always awesome story!