Tempest sat back in thought as the experiments and tending continued, thinking Barry's offer over. She had to admit the offer of becoming the Minions' 'Queen' was tempting, but at the same time her worry of leading them down the wrong path plagued her minds. She was not a good leader, that was true. ...okay, no, that wasn't quite accurate. In terms of capability, she was an excellent leader, and she'd showed that under the Storm King...when she'd led his troops against her homeland and crushed all opposition, consigning them all to slavery as she sought to destroy the very balance of the world in the vain hope the Storm King would restore her horn so she could belong in the society that would no longer exist afterwards.
Okay, she was a good leader with really bad taste in commanding officers. Still, that didn't mean she was the right choice for the Minions. Sure, she may be perfectly suited as far as their requirements stood, but would that be good for them? Would being anchored to her change them? Would the change be good? And the offer to take the memories from her, so she could live cleanly...
When she'd first arrived and found she'd been turned into an infant, she'd railed against it, consumed with fury as she swore the horrible things she'd find a way to do to Discord for doing this to her. But when the possibility of getting her horn back was raised...
A child, whole once more. Accepted, welcomed...loved. Was it...was it really so selfish to want that for herself with a clean slate? To enjoy being a child without the adult responsibilities and awareness? To...to just be happy again?
She still hadn't come to a firm conclusion on all this when Gru returned with the stolen quantum computer, which Nefario promptly hooked up to read the energy from her horn. As it scanned and finally gave information in a form that could be read, Nefario's jaw dropped. "Well blow me down..." he murmured in awe.
"What?" Gru demanded sourly. "I can't read any of this. What does it mean?" He gestured derisively at the readouts.
"This crystal quantum computer that you stole?" Nefario began. "300 atoms total. A standard computer system - even at the level of miniaturization that's been developed nowadays - would need to be the size of the entire universe to match the computational power."
"That's...impressive..." Gru murmured thoughtfully, looking at the stolen computer in a new light.
"And the crystal in the base of Tempest's horn is also a crystal quantum computing system, just like this one," Nefario continued, struggling to lift his arm to gesture against the awe. "But purely biological, naturally grown, gives every sign that it will grow with her...and is presently one inch across in diameter."
"Well...that is...impressive," Gru allowed, plainly not getting it. "I mean, it's not that big-"
"It's about four billion times the size of the one you stole, give or take," Nefario pointed out acidly. "And the computing power of crystal quantum computers grows quadratically with size, rather than linearly."
Gru blinked as he took that in. "So...if the Infinite Worlds multiverse theory were true, and the entire multiverse were a standard super computer..."
"The crystal in Tempest's forehead could still give it a run for its money in terms of computing scale, and certainly in computing speed," Nefario explained calmly. "And it's the key to her ability to channel energy to do things like shoot lightning from her horn stump-"
"Wait, she can do what?" Gru interrupted in confusion.
"It's the energy/matter equation," Nefario explained quickly. "There's ambient energy, ambient matter, and the energy and matter of the universe. In theory, one could alter that balance by sheer will if you could calculate exactly how, but no brain or computer in existence could compute every factor of the chaotic system of reality to the degree that would require...but that biological crystal quantum computer can, and does so automatically!"
"Then...with the right focusing apparatus - like a fixed horn - she could...shoot lasers?" Gru asked excitedly.
"Pedestrian!" Nefario snapped. "With the right formulas and focusing apparatus, she could completely reconfigure an apple's molecular structure and turn it into an orange! Or perform complete molecular breakdown without energy loss, ignoring the Laws of Thermodynamics! The power she could bring to bear if it works the way I think it does once her horn is whole again...she could turn the world inside out or shatter it with the right thought!" A huge grin crossed his face as he considered such monumental power.
Huh, Tempest thought to herself. That...sounds a lot like magic, though I'd never put it in those terms. Is...is that how it works? Does that mean Pegasi have smaller crystals like this in the bones of their wings, and Earth ponies in their limbs? ...that would explain quite a bit, actually. Especially if something similar were in Changeling carapace to enable the shapeshifting...and that would mean the Changeling throne that negated all magic that wasn't Changeling was a crystalline structure encoded to cause any non-changeling crystal computing to shut down. ...puts a whole new light on why Sombra was obsessed with crystals, too...and the Crystal Empire, for that matter...
Seeing the look on Gru's face, Nefario hesitated. "So, uh, given that...still want me to fix her horn?"
"Think she'll behave herself and not try to destroy the world?" Gru inquired carefully.
"Behave? ...eh." He shook one hand back and forth in a so-so motion. "I mean, she's a little girl."
Gru closed his eyes and sighed. "Right...Edith..."
"Not try to destroy the world, on the other hand?" Nefario offered readily. "I think I can guarantee that. The Minions sure seem to like her."
"That's...not exactly the best recommendation as far as 'safety' is concerned," Gru pointed out carefully.
"Radbad?" the Minions all chorused in a pleading tone, looking up at Gru with teary, soulful eyes.
I almost feel sorry for him, Tempest mused silently as Gru quailed. They've weaponized cuteness.
"Alright, alright!" Gru called out, waving his hands as though warding off the gazes. "Just cut that out, I'm not as young as I once was! And I was going to say yes anyway..." At that point, Gru found himself dog-piled by happy Minions clinging to him.
Tempest sighed happily. So she would be getting her horn back...somehow. But then again, that left her with Barry's offer...
The last 'test' Nefario had engaged in had involved some sort of sonic device aimed into her horn, leaving her with a ringing headache as though a song was trying to echo up and down her horn. And now she could see Nefario approaching with an odd shaped crystal, concave at the base and tapering to a point in a cone. It only took a moment after she saw the size to realize what it was. This was her prosthetic horn...the concave base shaped to the crystal in her horn.
<It's time,> Barry pointed out softly. <Once he puts that into place and energy makes it attach, your mind will open entirely. If you want me to hold the memory for you, it will have to be then.>
Tempest opened her mouth to respond...and hesitated. More than anything, she wanted to say yes, to live as a child, to be a child and grow up happy and whole...only for the echoes in her horn to suddenly give rise to a voice, her own voice.
Open Up Your Eyes
Give up your sweet fantasy land
It's time to grow up and get wise
Come now little one, open up your eyes
She winced at the words, remembering just how cruelly she'd said them to Princess Twilight and the message the song had carried...only to see a new meaning here for herself. She may be a child, she may even grow up from a child and live as a child for the time...but for important decisions as this, she could not be a child. Not wanting to accept adult responsibilities and yearning for the whole childhood is what blinded her to the Storm King's true nature. If she was to help the Minions or even make the best of this fresh start...she had to face the truth with open eyes.
<No,> she said calmly. <They're my memories, and my responsibility. I...will grow with them.>
To her surprise, Barry...smiled. <Thank you, My Queen, for proving you are the right choice.>
Before she could respond, Nefario started to slip the crystal horn into hers, sliding gingerly along the breaks as it fitted perfectly. "This may sting," he commented dryly as the base of the crystal horn settled perfectly against the crystal in the base of her horn.
And all Tempest knew was pain, whiteness, and bliss...
Well, Twilight did an orange-robin before.
Welp, ready or not, here comes the OP, brought to you, once again, by the Great and Slightly Insane Tatsurou!!
...ouch?
Whenever a doctor utters that line you know shit’s about to hurt. Swear every single one of them has dead nerves or fails to understand the difference between “sting” and “hurt like a bitch”
SO MUCH BLOODY FRICKIN' YES!
The explanations you can and DO give in your stories, so many reasons to read them and to be understanding when you need a rest so you don't burn out from your stories!
Like how the minions were appearing to hope that Tempest would NOT take them up on their offer even as they put it on the table.
RIGHT! just like when doctors say that "This wont hurt a bit."
9021695 Yeah, anyone that knows a little bit of the possibilities of crystals knows and\or has heard some of the conspiracy theory stuff on the Crystal Skulls now think if even half of that was correct and then thinking of a entire country built along those same lines? Sombra had some BIG and probably sick plans.
Also, happy 4th of July everyone.
9021649
Orange-frog, too.
Hmm... That does make a lot of sense.
I'm glad that she made the choice that she did.
This won't hurt a bit! (but it might hurt a lot.)
I am very glad to see Tempest make that decision, and even more to see the minions admit that it was a test. My opinion of both of them just went up a lot, and I'm very pleased with her maturity and determination not to screw up again, and make the right choices. Very, very nice.
Pfft. That's still pedestrian. We shall warp the universe with our will, and dance among the very stars! Hubris is our birthright!
(For the reference -- take a look at Samarkand's Girl Genius/Stargate crossover for the Sparks' history*. That was the MOST epic version of the story of Daedalus ever.)
Yeaaaaah... That's a lie if I've ever heard one. What cartoon was it that used "This may hurt... a lot."?
*the excerpt (and link (click over to page 1 for the start; it's quite good) ):
"Never more calm in my life." The odd harmonics in Agatha's voice sent shivers down Sam's spine. "No treaty will deny us this. We have to bow down to the wishes of these 'gods'? Hah! I'll show them what it means to cross a Child of Daedelus."
"That's the engineer who built the labyrinth," Samantha said. "And--yes, I know this myth. He escaped with his son Icarus, who died when the sun melted the wax of his wings."
"Does your world's myth tell of what came after?"
"That is where ours ends," Samantha said. "It's a typical myth about hubris and challenging the gods. Working with Daniel for a year is one hell of a refresher on mythology."
"In our myths, when Daedelus heard Zeus proclaim his son's death," Agatha continued, "because of pride, he swore vengeance. Daedelus constructed a vessel to dive beneath the waves to steal Poseidon's trident. He broke Prometheus' chain in exhange for the secrets of fire. Hephaestus himself taught him the ways of the forge to spite Aphrodite's infidelity.
"Then Daedelus stormed Olympus itself." Agatha's smile could be measured in low decimals of Kelvin. "The gods fell before him or were driven to the darkest corners of the world. When Daedelus smashed in Zeus' head with a smith's hammer, Athena arose from her father's shattered brow. Daedelus claimed her as his own."
Agatha's wild cackle seemed to encompass everything around them.
"The ancient Greek Sparks called themselves the 'Children of Dadealus', and hubris was their birthright. Just LET THESE GODS TRY TO TELL ME WHAT I CAN OR CANNOT DO."
Hmm... is that a hint to the origin of heartsongs?
9021738
She might have run away before learning that.
At least Tempest's brief tribulation will be rewarded when she wakes up.
interesting take on how pony magic operates, i could get behind that
I wonder how Twilight will take this information, if she is ever told? I think this Tempest is going to be very interesting and just how those crystals are affected by the Cutie Mark?
9021738
A Quantum Crystal Computer with the computing power of a supercomputer the size of the universe is only 300 atoms large. That's nano-scopic.
12 crystal quantum computers 600 atoms large embedded in each Pegasus wing within the bones would be enough to allow Pegasi to instinctively alter their specific gravity for flight, as well as manipulate clouds and weather in groups (computing power of universe-sized super computer squared times 24 total), and would still be nano-scopic.
The same number and size in each Earth Pony leg would grant the same ability with the Earth to explain their enhanced strength and fertility gifts.
Heck. The entire skeletal structure of a pony could be a crystal quantum computer embedded in a calcium/alicron (as in the material of the horn) shell, and they wouldn't be able to tell that there was anything special about it. Or heck, the calcium/alicorn mix could be arranged in a crystalline pattern for it.
So yes, Tempest might very well know that ponies have crystalline structures in their bodies. But Nefario is the first to ever question why.
9021821
Well, why would they? They know they can do magic, and they only know pony biology. And if that sort of structure is something every sapient creature on their planet has, why would they assume a direct correlation between it and magic?
9021960
Maybe they do, it's just treated like vitamins. "Your *insert there word for microscopic crystalline magic diodes* count is a little low. Eat more apples."
9021821
They haven't got to those conclusions since the crystals are nanoscopic, as in they don't have the spells or technology to see them , maybe the crystals on unicorns horns marrow are visible but the rest aren't, that's why equestrian doctors don't know about that
9021982
Phembotnum.
9021994
Except for the crystal in the base of a unicorn's horn, a known magical focus, the only parts of the crystalline structure that show noticeable and detectable magic reactions range from the nanoscopic to the microscopic. Ponies don't have the spells/technology to find and monitor them to make the discovery.
9022025
Yes, it's common knowledge that the crystal in a unicorn's horn is a magic focus and a unicorn can't cast if it's damaged or lost.
What she just learned from Nefario is why that is.
9022031 Considering how MANY things are in the show, I wouldn't have put it past the doctors and scientists not to have a slightest CLUE!
9022031
Consider the following: the existence of Bone Marrow has been known for longer then Humanity has even existed. However, no one knew it created blood cells until relatively recently; largely because the very concept of cells is itself a recent discovery in the grand scheme of things.
Ponies likely knew there was a crystalline structure within Unicorn Horns for a similar time frame. They also likely deduced said structure was involved in projecting magic. Jumping from this to the concept of a quantum computer, in a society where no computers seem to exist, is unlikely in the extreme.
Plus, just because a mad scientist interprets the data regarding the crystal as a quantum computer, doesn't mean he's right. It just means he's interpreting the data in a way that makes sense to him.........
9021802
If this is true... these equines were already OP before receiving the PWNY treatment!
9021716
A-freaking-greed! Not only does this show Tempest's growth, but it forever removes the label of "idiot" from the Minions (the PWNY ones, not necessarily the canon ones).
Oh, and that excerpt sounds like that Daedalus became some sort of Kratos... I'mma call him "Kratolus"!
Astounding. You just made CRYSTAL PONIES potentially terrifying.
9021716
I Googled Samarkand. Beyond it being the name of a location, I got nothing. Is he on AO3 or Fanfiction?
Edit: Just noticed the link. Spacebattles, eh? Wasn't expecting that, though one of my favorite authors here makes use of those forums for the parts of his expanded universe that doesn't include Ponies.
9022224
A doctor at the time X-rays were introduced, and for some time after, would know the retina is a light sensitive layer on the back of the eye that somehow converts a projected image into visual data. No knowledge of rods, cones, photochemestry or the neurological process involved needed. They knew what it does, and a bit about how. Likely far more then the average person does, in fact.
Would a Pony medical professional or arcane specialist know that the crystal in a Unicorn's horn channels magic? Of course they would. They may even know a bit about how. But that doesn't mean the average Pony, especially one that never went to any sort of magic school nor received more then basic first aid training would have a clue as to how the crystal works, or even necessarily that it even exists.
Quick quiz: without looking it up, what EXACTLY does the spleen do?
Get the picture? Tempest would have no more idea about the crystal in her horn then most people would the function of their spleen. In fact, most likely less of an idea; we at least would know the term.
9021802
So that explains why Pinkie Pie is able to do everything she can do.
9022203
I never really thought about the minions that way. Bumbling, perhaps, but not idiots, per se. But a hive mind and a clever test of conviction does make it pretty hard to claim they're stupid!
And you'd really enjoy Samarkand's work, if you liked that. It's all of the same quality. You don't even need to know Stargate OR GG to enjoy it, although having read GG (it's a free webcomic) does help, and it's very good on its own (aside from the needless fanservice. Seriously, those clothes are impractical. ).
He also wrote a story called Mare Genius, which is a GG/MLP crossover. There's some interesting humor involving D-mail that should not be, flight calculations on magical creatures, party cannons and the appropriate response to having weaponry fired at you, and implications that most of the ponies might be minor or latent Sparks, especially Rarity. He's only updating the Spacebattles thread, though; the version posted here is out-of-date. Oh, and it makes reference to what happens when Fluttershy gets drunk (she only inhaled the fumes, and the result includes singing a very embarrassing song, likely the Discworld Hedgehog Song).
9022241
Oh, dear. RUUUNN! The apocalypse is upon us!
9021994
The problem with that is, the doctors would have no "flow" of energy to detect, aside from whatever the crystals create on purpose. From the sounds of it, they just sort of compute, and the universe follows. So, there's no direct magical energy or fluid that can be detected, since it's more like Quantum Entanglement. The visual effect and any magical energy they can detect is probably a side effect or even distraction produced by said crystals to make themselves not noticed, since there's no actual need for it.
(this makes Tirek even more terrifying, since stealing magic likely involves sucking body parts out of people.)
HOWEVER, despite the fact that it does not guarantee that their doctors would know, they DO know that crystals are useful, and there is the Crystal Empire to think of. It's likely they knew of the horn one, but not what it did ("Perhaps it's an amplifier for the phloghistical energies from the...").
9022596
Tierec might just slave their computer to his.
...this chapter...
Tatsurou, you sly pony...
A “scientific” analysis of Equestrian magic, combined with an emotional depth to Tempest previously untouched by the film and all of it done in truly awesome yet simplistic writing mastery?
...
...
...
Tatsurou, don’t you EVER so much as DARE to let ANYONE make you second guess yourself. You were born to write.
Noice
9022596
Even without having any detectable energy flows through the crystal, pony science could still discover what purpose the crystal serves by observing what happens to accident victims - specifically accidents that damage the crystal and accidents that don't quite damage it (to rule out it being damage to nearby things that causes the problems).
Or evil experimentation on living ponies could deliberately do things to the crystal to see what impairment is imparted. That would involve the Equestrian equivalent of Nazi medical science...
9022938
I claim that it's too nice a setting for them to see much of either of those. Tempest is the first we've seen with a broken horn. I'm surprised that she was ever added, as that adds a darker element when you consider that there might be others with the same problem...
You'd hope that the creators of such a setting wouldn't add such an obvious and easy/simple way to get crippled.
9022810
The aura is not around the crystal, though (it's the horn), and a lot of their effects are at a distance. Why can't the crystal create an additional effect to BE the aura, as a decorative effect, warning to predators that they will become a shrub in the near future, or for any other reason? Not to mention, the other 2 types of ponies AND the Princesses when raising the sun have no such aura effect.
I thus claim that the aura, and also any outwardly-detectable "magic" beyond the unnatural effects that it silently causes as direct result of the spell, are spurious creations of the system, likely intentionally, that don't necessarily need to point to the crystal as a source for them (it can silently create the real effect, so it can silently create the aura and the "magic" flow/fields elsewhere, without any evidence pointing to the crystal itself).
It's kinda like a reverse of Plato's shadows problem. Technically, all "you" or "I" are is a five-pound blob of neurons. Most of our perceptions are simply signals coming from what we perceive as the world. The Matrix is entirely possible, if beyond our tech level for now, by simply replacing those inputs. We would never know, and it wouldn't even be internally inconsistent, since it would BE our reality and any weirdness would simply be a result of physical laws (or lack thereof).
The magic they can observe is an incidental effect of an unobservable phenomenon. They have no way to know that what they are studying is entirely contrived and not actually the right field of study. All the crystal has to do is make some sufficiently flashy effects that have some function describing their behavior based on the actual spell's effect, and it distracts their scientists from finding the REAL cause of their abilities. Heck, it could even spoof their instruments! Perhaps that's one of the reasons that Gru's computers kept blowing up; it couldn't entirely spoof them, so it destroyed the evidence as best it could!
Some of this (the spoofing) requires intelligence behind the crystals, but the brain itself is simply a computer, and the magic system is both complex and unlikely to form on its own. Perhaps its designers or first users added that feature in, or built it themselves. Ponies are entirely capable of transhumanism (or the ponified equivalent) with their magic (my headcanon for alicorns even), so I could see this happening.
9023065
Sorry about that. By silent I meant that its effects are undetectable, not that they make no sound.
And I was just trying to posit a theory that the part of the aura that is around the pony isn't really related to the magic, and that its effects, such as have been measured, are part of a secondary effect and not the cause.
(Since the crystal is the cause of the magic and this was news to Tempest -- who admittedly is an outcast, so maybe that's the explanation -- I was trying to figure out how that could reconcile with the show's canon)
But I did jump ahead a bit there, and I didn't mean to push so hard with the argument -- I just wanted to make sure that my idea was understood in full, not that you had to agree.
9023097
Ah. I haven't seen much, so that doesn't help. Also, that sucks.
I only knew of Sombra.
9023118
I wish Season 3. I've seen snippets.
9022576
I'll have to take a look at those... after I finish rereading a few other webcomics I've been feeling nostalgic over, starting with EGScomics (only have 4 out of 16 years left to go there). I WOULD include City of Reality in the list, but that site's been down for years now...
9023231
EGS is actually on my list. Some I have read and enjoyed also include ExterminatusNow, XKCD, Order of the Stick, Housepets, and Questionable Content (note: REALLY questionable). I kinda suggest NOT reading the last one, but there are some funny ones too... so be warned, should you look.
Links to bookmark:
http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/
https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/mare-genius-mlp-fim-girl-genius.226331/ (has threadmarks for easy perusal of chapters)
https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/sparkgate-agatha-and-the-grasp-of-the-serpent-god-girl-genius-sg.164834/#post-4754033 (no threadmarks, so keep the index open!)
Yeah, finally a baby SI that did keep her memories from the start!
Anybody see the “Shaq Fu” Obama DLC? Obama Fu: Dirty Barry?
I kinda want Barry to be the one to go Rambo on Tempest’s enemies.
And with that Tempest takes the first step. Accept your mistakes. Accept your flaws. Accept your sins. Never forget them, and in fact burn them into your soul. Because, in the end, we are defined by our mistakes, and how we react to them.
Now she has to work on accepting that being flawed doesn't mean you can't be better.