AMICITAS FLIGHT THREE – MISSION DAY 272
ARES III SOL 269
“What’s Samwise crying about?” Starlight asked as Cherry Berry, whose turn it was to read, finished the chapter. “Is he happy about going on an adventure or not?”
“That’s what you ask about?” Fireball asked. “Bilbo’s ring is a Horcrux. A real… a real big Horcrux. That more important than a few hobbit cries.”
“Yeah,” Cherry agreed. “It explains why Bilbo was acting like that after the party. How long did he have the Ring?”
“Sixty years,” Mark said. “And he didn’t age a day in all that time.”
“So it’s a Horcrux that Horcruxes other people too?” Fireball asked.
“The Potter books were written more than fifty years after these books,” Mark said. “J. K. Rowling might have got the idea for Horcruxes from the One Ring. But I remember reading a story in the school library as a kid- an old fairy tale, hundreds of years old, about a giant who couldn’t be killed because he kept his heart hidden hundreds of miles away. Turns out it was in an egg inside a chest in a tower, or something like that. The hero smashed the egg, and the giant died instantly.” He shrugged and added, “It’s a really old story with us humans.”
“But remember how Voldemort’s Horcruxes messed with the minds of people around them?” Starlight pointed out. “And this one turned a hobbit into that Gollum thing.”
“It didn’t hurt Bilbo,” Spitfire pointed out.
“Yet. That we know of.”
“Hey, you know what this makes me think of?” Cherry asked. “The Allcorn… um… word…”
“Allcorn Amulet,” Starlight said.
“What?” Mark gasped. “You mean your world has something like the One Ring?? The power of an evil god in a piece of jewelry?”
“Oh, we haven’t told you that story?” Starlight asked. “Once upon a time in the magical land of the ponies, there was a unicorn, a stage magician and sleight-of-hoof artist named Tricky Moon-lady, though she referred to herself- frequently- as the Great and Powerful Tricky…”
MISSION LOG – SOL 269
Our enforced vacation continues. It’s frustrating to see sols go by with no progress on the Whinnybago.
We’re coming up on a hay harvest soon. It’s going to be better than expected, thanks to the daily magic fields, but we weren’t expecting much. The actual yield is going to be down from pre-methane levels, but that still means a lot of work on suits that may be getting ready to fail.
Dragonfly shows no signs of waking up, so we’re waiting for magic batteries to recharge for Starlight’s next attempt to wake our gunk-bug. If it doesn’t work, then things will really get bad.
In other news, the ponies have picked their characters (finally), and I’ve run them through a few sample combats and skill checks. They… haven’t done well. Cherry’s barbarian charges straight ahead and swings his sword at anything that moves. Spitfire’s elf thief keeps trying to pick pockets mid-battle. Starlight, when playing her dwarf cleric, speaks in this weird monotone and makes every use of magic into a call for the others to worship her god, whose name is apparently Rocks.
And Fireball… well, the others are lucky a Level 1 wizard can’t cast the spell by that name. But Burning Hands, Flame Fountain, Chain Lightning and Magic Missile? And a 14 Constitution? And no comprehension of the concept of back-blast?
Anyway, for any future diplomats to the ponies who might read this, I have two pieces of information picked up during our daily literary discussion. Pay attention, because these things are very important to future good relations between our worlds.
1: If offered jewelry, for sale or as a gift, by a pony, the safe option is to decline as politely as possible. Failure to do so may result in fits of megalomania, overuse of the word “precious”, and/or a pathological fear of wheels.
2: For you or me, the day a stage magician shows up with real magic power and forces the town to kneel before his/her might would be a turning point in our dreary little lives. For ponies, it’s Tuesday. Bear this in mind if you’re tempted to make diplomatic threats.
Beautiful. Sometimes I wish my Tuesdays were more like Twilight's Tuesdays.
Stand in awe, for I am the Great and Powerful Tricky Moon-lady!
...stop laughing at Trixie.
Meh, Tuesday in Ponyville boring as always What?
I think you meant read there? Or did i miss some crazy English thing again?
Chain Lightning is an even higher level spell than Fireball; a level 1 wizard can't cast it. Otherwise they sound like a typical level 1 adventuring party.
I read that in Raul Julia's voice
Rocks Damnit Starlight, stop roleplaying as Maud.
8974811 It was a VERY long day, and I wrote this running on fumes mentally.
8974799
May you live in interesting times.
SG:
I guess this story is Alt-Universe. (Space program - DUH!). In the show SG and Trixie are supposed to be friends.
8974822
Thanks, screw you too.
So how has A-Kon gone? Would it be worth a day pass to pop over? Iv'e never been to a con.
8974823 The less literal a pony name is, the harder it is for Starlight to get an English equivalent. Remember "Slobberflame"? Tricky Lady-Moon is about as good as the translation spell will do.
So, apparently "Leeroy Jenkins" translates into equestrian as "Cherry Berry" and Maud's a druid. As for Fireball, he's probably just not used to the idea that a dragon can take damage from... well, he's probably just not used to the idea of being able to take damage.
Good to see Spitfire getting into the mindset of a rogue, though. I always thought that if I play a rogue or other thief type, I'd try to pickpocket my companions at every opportunity.
Also noteworthy: both of Trixie's more... antagonistic visits to Ponyville were dealt with by a pre-ascension Twilight Sparkle, so just imagine how badass a "diplomatic threat" you'd have to make to force the hooves of the equestrian royalty.
8974829 A vendor's perspective is different than an attendee's perspective. If you go, Saturday is the day- don't wait for Sunday. And expect IMMENSE crowds and long lines because of, well, IMMENSE crowds. But there's tons to do (and to spend money on) if you do go.
Seriously? She made a Maud dwarf cleric?
8974821
Have you read Eragon by Christopher Paolini?
I would love to see a Mystery Science Theater 3000 done with these characters. Nothing but them sitting on a couch watching a movie or a television show or Mark trying to read a book to them, and them commenting on it with their unique perspectives.
Sounds to me like they understand how to play the game perfectly well.
8974834
Wait till Spitfire tries to sneak attack with a ballista.
I can't stop giggling, make it stop pls 😂
I thought those things happened on Saturdays
trixie meet gun, gun meet evil trixie. better yet make that a paint ball gun
8974676
Minmax the character.... not the playstyle.
I just want to play a crazy game with friends. For me, it's not about the system.
8974903
“Lesson Zero” and “It’s About Time” established the Tuesdays in Ponyville pattern.
8974889
I get that reference, and now I wanna watch that series again.
8644391
I don't think that's true about Tolkien's books.
It continues to amaze me how you create such wonderful work while running on fumes.
8974882
Everyone knows that the moment something dies, its pockets irreparably seal up, removing their contents from the world forever. If you want to get the best possible loot, stealing in the middle of battle is a necessity.
Hahaha! I knew Mark and I would be on the same wavelength!
They sound like a typical RPG party to me.
Starlight channelling Maud is a brilliant move
And Mark has yet to learn about Sombra, or that Dragonfly's boss is an actual evil queen.
"If you do not adapt your trade rules to ours, we shall make things uncomfortable."
"Oh? That a threat? What are you gonna do? Send ravening hordes of rapidly replicating bugs to devour our crops? Infiltrate our society and replace our leaders? Upturn the very fabric of reality and turn our land into a playground of madness?"
"...We, uh, we were thinking more of sanctions. Make our export more expensive."
"Oh. ...Do you take bits? I've got some diamonds if you don't take bits."
Anyone remember Groo, the comic book? I made a character based off him. Intelligence and charisma were low single digits. Had a tendency to go on a killing spree every time someone called him a mendicant.
In Tolkiens Hobbit, You dont wear Ring, Ring Wear You.
Wear Ring?
There, Ring.
There, Hobbit.
If only there was a way to get a more accurate translation of Trixie's name down the line.
8975220
He knows, at least about Chrysalis. They told him the Canterlot invasion story a while back.
8975174
As a GM I would have banned it in the spot. Maud is too OP as a starting character, even as a monk.
i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/717/961/5ca.gif
This said, still more balanced than Starlight playing as herself.
I look forward to the point where Mark really understands what Celestia and Luna do every day and his attempts to explain that to NASA.
i am not sure how every one feels about Dragonfly. but it is time to get a big stick out and beat the lazy bug.
It was more than good enough for me!
8975322
I can see how he could have this mental dissonance though. The changelings invading is just a military action. The Alicorn amulet is possession magic that corrupts the wearer! It's like transmutation is much more impressive than telekinesis, as you can move stuff with your hands, or invade with your armies, but there is no easy mundane equivalent to corrupting someone's soul while giving them incredible powers right? (I mean, besides the lottery :P )
Heh. I still think "Cantered Slopes Cliff Side City of the Rising Sun" is the best translation issue.
Also my imgs.xkcd.com/comics/new_2x.png
says that Discord or Starswirl invented translation magic. It does great with concrete concepts, but any proper nouns or untranslatable stuff gets replaced with puns and references. So the show uses this to translate, hence all the horrible horse puns.
Here, the spell seems to uses guessing, and with repeated use and feedback from the caster AND target(It copied from Mark iirc.) To narros down a good translation. Once both have a positive opinion of the translation it solidifies.
Trixie Lulamoon as Tricky Moonlady is pretty reasonable as a first guess. Note that it is Starlight guessing though, so if she doesnt try to refine it, it won't be refined.
8975530
Starswirl's spell called "translation matrix" (clear reference to Dr.Who) was mentioned more than once before and I think it is semicanon (from comics) or fandom canon.
They're MINERALS! Jesus, Marie.
8975530
I don't think my insurance covers tranalation, doc.
And what's that procedure exactly is anyway?
You're going to talk to my what..?
Through WHAT?
Or does it mean that the spell just makes you speak from your arse?
8975342
oh, you made me think of a silly story called "Daring Doo and the One Buck Mare"...
it's essentially a pony-parody of the Saitama vs. Boros battle from One-Punch Man, with Maud as Saitama and Ahuizotol as Boros.
They're all a bunch of murder hobos.
It’s only Tuesday for the ponies of Ponyville. For the rest of Equestria, it’s the annual Armageddon.
8975642
Yea, It was a typo. No, you don't have to be that silly.
I think you mean Sunday, not Tuesday.