AMICITAS FLIGHT THREE – MISSION DAY 54
ARES III SOL 57
“Dragonfly, what are you- no don’t do that- don’t- no no no- oh fuck SPITFIRE!!”
Spitfire sighed. She had her suit on except for her helmet, ready to join Cherry Berry for the hike to the gem cave. Since the rover wasn’t going to be available for a while, the ponies were going to have to get used to the walk- not quite an hour each way at a leisurely pace, fifteen minutes at a bouncing gallop in Mars’s light gravity. But time was pressing, and the last thing she needed was for some changeling shenanigans to cost them time checking the soil and watering the hopefully-soon-to-sprout crops.
“Spitfire, come here! Dragonfly’s eaten something!”
The last few days, with the regular language lessons and the lack of Starlight Glimmer’s magic to translate, had seen rapid improvements in the ponies’ ability to understand the alien biped. She was pretty sure she knew what he’d just said, if for no other reason than that it made perfect sense for a changeling to eat dangerous things. If a thing was annoying, it made sense for a changeling to do it.
“Yes, Mark?” she asked in his language, walking over to the work table where Mark had been gluing together large strips of canvas to make the rover saddlebags.
“How do you make Dragonfly throw up?” Mark asked, making a hand gesture to convey the idea of tossing one’s cupcakes.
“Dragonfly not throw up,” Spitfire replied, trying to make it clear by tone that Mark was asking for a thing that didn’t happen.
“Shows what you know,” Dragonfly muttered in Equestrian. “I can throw up just fine if I eat too much pony food. Anyway, he’s overreacting.”
“What did you eat?” Spitfire asked, also in Equestrian.
“I tasted a bit of his glue,” Dragonfly said. “A little ball of it. It cures really quick, you know.”
“What?” Spitfire galloped to the box that contained the ship’s library from Amicitas. “What were you thinking? That could have been poison!”
“It isn’t,” Dragonfly said complacently. “I just wanted to know if I could make more of the stuff. I don’t think I can. It doesn’t taste familiar at all. Not like any of the glues we changelings use.”
“Open your mouth.” Spitfire practically wedged her hoof under Dragonfly’s fangs, paying no attention to the come-on-seriously look the changeling gave her. “Say ahh!” Only a moment later did she realize that, even if she had the mouth-light to see by, she couldn’t see down Dragonfly’s throat around her own hoof.
Dragonfly carefully disengaged the pegasus’s hoof from her fangs. “Spitfire, honestly, listen,” she said. “I’m not being silly and I’m not being foalish. There aren’t many things that can poison a changeling, and most of those things are magical. There’s no magic here. Mark’s glue is just a couple of really complex and disgusting-tasting carbon compounds that make a really powerful resin when mixed. It would probably kill a pony, but only because it would permanently glue your mouth or throat shut. I don’t have that problem.”
“Obviously,” Spitfire said.
“Now, just tell Mark I’m fine, okay?” Dragonfly asked. “I know you’ve got a hard job, but you don’t have to worry about me for now.”
Spitfire reached over Dragonfly’s back and hooked a hoof under one of the changeling’s wings. “Those holes are still too big,” she said. “You ought to be recovering better.”
“I was worse off than this a lot of times before the space program,” Dragonfly insisted. “But if you keep caring about me like you do now, I’ll be hole-free in no time!”
Spitfire rubbed her temple with one hoof. This is not the job I wanted, she thought. This is not the job I chose. I should be running Equestria’s top flight team and training the next generation of Celestia’s defenders of the air. I’m a flyer, not a doctor! “Mark?” she said hesitantly.
“Yes, Spitfire?”
“Dragonfly not hurt. Dipsticks not get sick.”
“Aw, now that’s harsh,” Dragonfly complained in Equestrian.
“Dragonfly, don’t do that again,” Mark said. “You scared the sh- you make me afraid. Very much.”
“I won’t do it again,” Dragonfly replied. “I needed to know something.”
Mark’s eyebrows made a run for his shaggy hairline, but the alien refrained from asking. Instead he said, “Please go with Cherry today,” and returned to his work.
“You heard him,” Spitfire said. “You’re going to be farming with us today.”
Dragonfly shrugged. “I could use a walk,” she said.
Spitfire bit her tongue on what she really wanted to say. Ever since crashing on this planet, she’d gradually come to understand why Queen Chrysalis was so grumpy and evil most of the time. Imagine having to deal with thousands of Dragonflies, every single day…
If Cherry Berry can put up with all those changelings for four years, she’s Wonderbolts material. Or maybe we can talk Twilight Sparkle into making her an alicorn. Can she do that? Wouldn’t hurt to-
Spitfire’s thoughts got interrupted by Mark’s voice. “Oh, Spitfire, need to ask: what does Dragonfly eat?”
Spitfire saw the changeling stiffen. Aha, she thought.
The problem was, she didn’t have enough English to explain changeling appetites for emotions. She could only think of one thing to show Mark. She focused on the silly things Dragonfly did every day, the harmless antics, the often useful information, her absolute fearlessness in the air (a trait Spitfire would admire more if she didn’t think it came from pure stupidity)…
… and then, armed with all the positive feelings for a crewmate and wingpony she could muster, she leaned forward and cuddled the changeling tightly. “Dragonfly eat this,” she said over her shoulder.
When she let go and looked at Mark, she couldn’t tell what the expression was on his face. Definitely not belief or understanding, though.
“Whatever,” he said. “I’ll ask Starlight sometime.” Apparently done with ponies for a while, he returned his attention to his pieces of canvas.
Dragonfly let out a slow breath. “He didn’t believe you,” she said.
“I’ll tell him again once I have more words,” Spitfire said.
The changeling’s ear-fins drooped. “Please don’t,” she said quietly. “I need his love too. And you get more love if your… subject… doesn’t know you’re eating it.”
Spitfire’s eyes narrowed. “You’re not getting enough at all, are you?” she asked.
Dragonfly shrugged. “Everyone else is on rations,” she said. “Why not me?”
Voices warred with one another in Spitfire’s head. This is a trick, one voice screamed, a trick for sympathy. Don’t trust changelings! Another voice countered, We aren’t loving her enough! She’s going to starve! And a third voice chimed in, What kind of ponies are we, that we can’t provide enough love for a friend?
“I… have to think about this,” she managed to say.
“Please don’t tell anyling else,” Dragonfly murmured. “Your pity is edible, but your self-anger spoils it. If you tell the others, they'll feel the same way.”
“I’m not much for secrets, changeling,” Spitfire muttered back, no real heat in the words.
“Please?” Dragonfly asked. “Also, try to lighten up a bit on Starlight? Every day you two argue about-“
“Get your suit on,” Spitfire barked, louder this time. “And seal the compost bin. You get to carry it to the cave.”
The changeling trotted over to the spacesuit storage area. Spitfire watched Dragonfly go… and noticed Starlight Glimmer, sitting on a stool on the far side of the Hab working with one of Mark’s spare computers, also following the changeling with her eyes.
Pegasus stare met unicorn stare, and after a long moment, Starlight turned her attention back to the computer.
Yeah, maybe I will lighten up, Spitfire thought. In three days. Starlight’s horn wasn’t sensitive to touch anymore, but a bit more time to heal couldn’t hurt.
In three days, then.
I keep telling myself that I will wait a few days and let some chapters build up, only to learn time and time again that I apparently have no self control where this story is concerned.
Is there a record for how many days in a row a story has gotten on the featured box? Cause this story has done it every day for over a month and that's awesome.
Silly adorable changeling. Also why is it that whenever dinner is ready you upload a new chapter.
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The bottom three slots of the Feature Box are reserved for continuing stories that have been featured in the past. When a previously featured story updates, it gets into those three slots in some manner again, and subsequently pushed off by other stories doing the same.
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Ooooh makes sense. This story still deserves to be featured every day though.
You're lucky, Spitfire. Dragonfly is really quite intelligent and levelheaded for a changeling.
*gives Spitfire some quality time with Stinger Charlie and Lucky Cricket*
At least it's not the glue made from horses. At least I hope it isn't. That would be awkward.
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Maybe the reason why it's so sticky is because it's made from magic horses!
So did Mark have a beloved childhood dog? Cause that would help Dragonfly's situation. And yeah, Chrysalis is remarkably well-adjusted, all things considered.
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Do you not remember Austraeoh or half it's sequels?
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I've only read the 1st one so far. And most of them were written before i joined the fandom let alone got far enough down the rabbit hole that i was reading fanfics longer than the freaking Harry potter series.
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Silver Glow's Journal had daily updates for a year, but the record probably belongs to the complete works of Imploding Colon.
Ever since crashing on this planet, she’d gradually come to understand why Queen Chrysalis was so grumpy and evil most of the time. Imagine having to deal with thousands of Dragonflies, every single day…
Best. Explanation. Ever.
Oh shit, dragonfly is showing serious symptoms of dying character syndrome. Let's hope they all find it in their hearts to love the cuddlebug or Mars is getting it's first grave
With how Dragonfly’s currently written, she sounds like a starving puppy.
I find the situation with Dragonfly very intriguing.
The original mission probably wasn't going to last this long, but it would have had the same crew, obviously. And she's probably had some missions with just Cherry or another pony to sustain her. And Cherry obviously sees her as a friend. Why isn't that love alone enough to sustain her? Is it just long-term degradation without having additional love spread from the Queen? Or is the stress and anxiety from the whole situation tainting their love so it isn't as filling to her?
Can changelings put themselves into cocoons? Maybe that would help save on energy? But then the others would probably end up missing her company, and maybe blame themselves, Cherry especially, and that would taint the situation even more, wouldn't it?
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I love that series!
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No hello for me? I'm hurt.
Hey, i know this would be quite silly in real life context but could Dragonfly make a pod which inhabitant would be swapped every now and then? This would make it certain that Dragonfly gets a lot of food, and initially reduce food consumption by 20% due to the person in the pod! Eventually Dragonfly might be able to pod almost all of the people involved cutting down the food requirements to whatever is needed to run the pods, all the inhabitants beings in minium state of movement.
Then, theoretically, they could just chill and wait for rescue.
Edit:
And if he is well fed he could just change that cave slowly to a changeling hive with his adhesive spit no?
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oh no! I don't want dragonfly to die!! she is my second favorite character in this story next to mark please find a solution like having one of the characters fall in love with her it would solve her lack of love real quick
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Hellooooooo, darling.
Now, imagine that in either Rarity's voice or Roz's, from Monsters, Inc.
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Me too. I'm especially curious to see Mark's reaction when he asks Starlight in three days. He's been noticing for a while that Dragonfly doesn't eat, and human fiction has a long history with emotion vampires. The idea shouldn't seem particularly strange to him when he's sitting in a room with a dragon and a unicorn.
The question is, how will he react?
Why not create emotions from magic? Cadance and Shining were very succesful in it.
I cant remember what it was with teh glue, but even 30 years ago in the university chemistry department there were a whole load of how to make silicones from gas to solids with tuneable properties.
Im thinking theres something called binary adhesive ducttape? Think of the roll of stuff, sticks to itself because its a sellotape type gel, sticks to plastic, glass and other normally non glueable materials, but contains microspheres of a secondary material. Press hard to crush those, they mix under teh pressure with the gel and give rubber to rigid epoxy results, even on the duct tape backing material.
Everyones low on magic though, Dragonfly uses it both ways, not only to eat emotions, but using magc for other to be able to generate the magic componant of the emotion for them to be edible in the first place?
well if proximity wasn't an issue then Dragonfly would get all the love or other emotions she needs from earth once they set up Pathfinder
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That's more a glue for cellulose. (Carpentry and bookbinding.)
When in doubt, liken it to the polyvinyl acetate "white glue" used for arts and crafts... which, in my comparative tests, proved to be the best paper-bonding glue out of all the stuff you're likely to find kicking around any given house. (I was experimenting with the idea of creating dirt-cheap homemade alternatives to those plastic/metal "tamper-evident security seals".)
Rate Mature
Daaaw... So DI’s DO have souls! Listen to that last voice Spits, that your Hu-... Equinity speaking!
Though technically she is on this team as a medic. Does that make her a Doc?
Trusting a changeling is always a gamble, unless you absolutely don't care about what happens to you. They are, of course, now and forever the Enemy. But here Dragonfly's extremely useful, a highly adaptable worker that doesn't put additional strain on the rations. It wouldn't make sense for her to sabotage the mission, so supporting her right now would be a wise idea indeed.
8715896 Dragonfly came onto the mission with a large stockpile- or a full belly if you will. She used up almost all of that reserve getting Mark to drive back from the cave after the perchlorate splash.
Good luck with the van(s)!
Oh boy. Spitfire may end up being too cautious. Sitting idly won't get anyone hurt, but it could end up killing them due to lost opportunities.
Dragonfly may be hesitant to share the truth with Mark, but I do hope someone mentions her internal synthesis capabilities. She may not be able to make NASA-grade epoxy glue, but she can hork up other useful things... given raw materials. Still, with the farms set up, they'll at least have more of that available.
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And she's one of the cautious, clever ones!
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Assuming Starlight both knows a spell that can generate edible emotions (as opposed to the kind that would punch Dragonfly through the hab canvas) and can repeatedly cast it in these conditions, there's still the question of energy efficiency. A spell that uses three days of stored magic to produce the nutritional equivalent of a peck on the cheek is going to cause more problems than it will solve.
8716220 Hopefully, "Come here, you cuddly thing, and let me rub your tummy."
Putting aside the whole potential of Dragonfly possibly starving, I’m now intrigued as you have intentionally or unintentionally set up a potential Chekhov’s gun situation. With changeling “rope” proven to be strong & flexible (pulled Amicitas), Dragonfly proving she can make more (Starlight’s battery harness), and with Mark using the extra canvas/glue I think a possible plothole (pun) could be changeling glue (not the same as NASA’s but maybe good enough) being used to fill in a small Hab breach – potentially when Mark & Fireball are away picking up Pathfinder. Could be funny when Mark gets back and looks at harden black/green goo on wall(s) and asks Spitfire “If Dragonfly can’t get sick, why does it look like she threw up all over the walls … also why didn’t you clean it up!”
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8716936 Eh, he can just mind-control everyone into loving him and then drain them until they're too weak to fight back... then Dragonfly alone will be Emperor of Mars! Muwah ha ha- (looks out at dusty, airless desolation... then back at Dragonfly.) Your empire sucks.
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Dragonfly is a she.
Had a random thought. Lets introduce Dragonfly to Top Gun. Because reasons.
8717365 No one's sure of that sort of thing these days! Confusion is the norm!
The Spitfire chapters are always my favourites
Just spent the last few days binge reading this, and i gotta say, I absolutely love what you've done here! The Martian is my favorite book of all time, and I love how you've expanded on the concept. I also really appreciate the level of scientific detail and thought you put into your chapters without compromising the story at all, very similar to Andy Weir in that sense. Keep up the good work, can't wait to read more!!!
8717496 The battery is installed on the underside of the rover. Storing anything else in its spot is a no-go.
8717635 And I suppose that even if shifting it to the saddle bag and removing the extra weight requirement were possible, Mars' gravity makes the small gains in performance not worth the time/effort/risk of making the modification?
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Well, if he keeps up the pace of a chapter a day, each representing one or two Sols, the story could in theory stay in the feature box for a couple of years.
Unlikely, of course.
By that measure, Chryssie is pretty much a Saint.
I think I remember some instances in the comics of the Changelings spitting up glue-like slime in their hives to secure stasis pod prisoners or eggs.
In your head canon, could Dragonfly do this as well if she was provided the correct materials? An additional adhesive would definitely be useful.
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It's been mentioned in the story that they can do exactly that. But I would imagine that it takes love power to create - something Dragonfly cannot afford to waste on anything but a necessity.
Well, okay. I'd have liked to believe our little Dragonfly was above that, but, apparently not
Well, apparently she ate it after it already solidified...
Hah!
Come now. recklessness is not quite the same as stupidity
Shouldn't the bolded word be "his"?
10296821 Fixed, thanks.