Chapter 11
* * *
“Has anyone ever told you that you have a very nice mane?”
Fluttershy blushed slightly, looking around furtively before she answered.
“Oh, yes. Just this morning.”
“That was nice of them.”
“Yes. Well, I mean...” She sighed wistfully. “I hope he thinks that way.”
“Ahh.”
“Trent?” she beat her wings softly, hovering alongside him. “How do you fly?”
“Ahhh... Well, first, an airfoil or lifting body generates a pressure differential...”
Fluttershy rubbed her head gently, at the unexpected tingling sensation.
“No. I mean, how can you fly, if you don’t have wings?”
“I can fly without wings as well as I can run without shoes.”
She gazed quizzically at him.
“Which is to say, not very well.”
“Oh.”
“But, where shoes can help me walk, something called an airplane can help me fly.”
“Eep!” She rubbed her forehead vigorously.
“I’m sorry, did that... Try to make sense?”
“...Yes. How did you know?”
“A bit of magic imparted by your Princess. I can understand what you’re thinking...”
Fluttershy’s eyes shot wide, and her face turned beet red. She slowed to stay behind Trent, out of his view.
“...as you say it. Kind of interesting actually. And it works the other way around too. I say something, and you suddenly think about the meaning of it.”
“Umm... Are you able to read anypony’s thoughts?”
“No. It just helps me understand what they say.”
“Ohh,” she sighed with relief, quivering slightly as her heartbeat slowed back to a hummingbird’s pace.
“But, as you’ve just felt, it doesn’t work right unless we both understand what’s being discussed. Like you’ve probably never seen an air... Eh... You know what I mean.”
“Won’t that be a problem?”
“Only slightly. I can teach you from the ground up, the old fashioned way. That way, you can understand things as you go, rather than trying to understand it all at once.”
“I see.”
They continued to walk, leaving the forest clearing for the rolling meadows.
“Where are we going?”
“The Everfree forest, I believe you call it.”
“Oooh!” she gasped. “No. No, we can’t go there. Not by ourselves. It’s not safe!”
“Hmm... You’re quite right. I hear that it’s the home to the most dangerous creature in all of Equestria.”
“Oh?”
“One that devours tasty animals.”
“Eeeep!”
“One that shoots fire from its hands,” he intoned in a deep rumbling pitch.
“Ooohh! No!”
“One that has set cities ablaze, and left fields of ash in its wake,” he said, as his arms swooped wide in the air.
Fluttershy began to quiver, and fell over on her side. Her legs twitched erratically, despite their imitation of rigor mortis.
“No, no, nooooo!”
“One that has toppled powerful nations!” his voice rose to a booming crescendo.
She gasped.
“One that has ended the lives of entire worlds!” his hands clapped together with a final thunderous retort.
Her mouth hung open, a drawn out silent scream.
Trent stood over her, looking down with an amused grin.
“It’s me!” he exclaimed with bashful modesty. He broke into a mischievous smile as he touched his pinkie to the corner of his lips.
“Whaaaat?”
“Ohh, Fluttershy,” Trent said as he sat down next to her. “Don’t worry. I like to make jokes sometimes.”
She stared at him, her chest heaving rapidly. A nervous laugh bubbled up from within her, as she tried to calm herself.
“Ahh. Ha. Ha. Ha...” she laughed in stuttering bursts. “G..Good one.” Her wide shocked eyes did not dare to waver or blink.
She rolled upright, looking over to Trent.
“But why are we going there?”
“Before we start, I want to show you something. Something that no other pony has seen. Later, I will present you with a choice. One that decides whether you wish to continue, or whether you want to return home. I will support your decision either way.”
“Oh.”
“But before you make that choice, I want you to think deeply about who you are. What drives you. What defines you. It will be a very important decision, and I want you to weigh both options equally.”
“Why? Why would you offer a choice like that?”
“It is not mine to offer. It’s yours entirely.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Well, I don’t want to spoil any surprises... But let us say that I can show you what you could become. And then, you will decide if that is who you want to be.”
“Oh... I thought I already said yes?”
“You did. That’s a great start.”
“But...”
“I want to know that you will continue to say ‘yes’, all the way through till the end. Like how a bird always flies south for the winter, makes a nest for its eggs, and takes time to feed it’s young. What would happen if they decided to shirk that responsibility? It would be fine for them. No consequences. But what happens the next year, when the nests are empty and the air is quiet. Not a song, warble, or chirp.”
“Oh.”
“You said you like to help others, right?”
“Yes. Very much so.”
“Then show me. Show me how deeply ingrained that is. Show me that compassion is your conviction, rather than your hobby.”
“Ohh, but I...”
“No, no. Don’t tell me now. When the question is asked, you will know the answer. Tell me then.”
The two travelled in silence for a short time, plodding through the lush green meadow.
“Umm, Trent?”
“Yes?”
“Do you remember that joke you made earlier? It... Well, it wasn’t very funny.”
“Hrmm? Oh... Yes. That would have been absolutely terrible as a joke.”
Fluttershy looked at Trent for a moment, before shaking her head.
* * *
“Oy! Took you long enough this time! No idea what you’ve been eating lately, but I can safely assume it’s by the shovel-full.”
“Good to see you too, Laurie.”
“Oh, what’s this now? Heey, did you make a new friend there?”
“Yes, indeed. Have you met Fluttershy?”
The pink and yellow pegasus timidly peeked out from behind Trent.
“Ahh, yes. So it is you. Knew we’d see each other again. Or rather, you’d be seeing us. Isn’t that right?”
She nodded, still retreating from Laurie’s chastising gaze.
“Now, now... No need to worry. You’re not in trouble or anything. If Trent’s okay with you getting up close... Ahh... Breaching our defensive perimeter, yeah. Then it’s all right by me. Lot less paperwork that way too, you know. Incident reports. Filed in triplicate. Real world of pain that you don’t want to set hoof upon. So I can let you off with a warning here, see? Please don’t sneak up on our visitor like that. Gave us a bit of a scare earlier, and I was whisker breadth away from springing into action. Didn’t look that way, did it? Just goes to show how well they train us back at Canterlot. Strictly professional. Elite. The vanguard of her Royal Majesty’s armed forces.”
Trent’s eyes rolled far enough to complete a full circle.
“Another minute like that, and I might’ve had to assume the worst. And that’s where the fun starts. All those years of training kicking in. All at once. Take your eyes off us for one second, and then... Gone! Vanished! Look around to try and to spot us again, and that’s when you hear a little rustling in the bushes. Next thing you know, you’re flat on your back, and there’s me! Holding you down against your will... Er... Well, that’s the way it has to be, I mean. Holding you down, until backup arrives. Or till you’ve learned your lesson, I guess. Could be a while, anyways. Holding you down. Probably have to rethink that a bit.”
Fluttershy darted out from behind Trent, her expression erupting into gleeful ecstasy.
“Umm... Yeah. Sorry, let’s forget I said that. Just sorta came out wrong there.”
“I wouldn’t mind!” she blurted out.
“Ahh... That’s the spirit. Cooperation with authorities, due process... All that. Right then. Okay. Sooo... Trent! What’s the plan for today?”
“Taking a little trip into the Everfree forest.”
“Splendid! Er... I mean that’s crazy and dangerous, but great idea nonetheless! Yeah. Ahh, Miss Fluttershy. Sorry to run here, but it appears that duty calls.”
“She’s coming with us.”
“Beg your pardon?”
“There’s something I’d like to show her.”
“It’s not slow agonizing death, or sudden evisceration by some nightmare-given-flesh that might be lurking around in there, is it? Because there is plenty of that.”
“No.”
“Trent. It is dangerous out there,” Laurie repeated.
“That may be. Fortunately, we have the vanguard of Canterlot’s royal forces here, to ensure us safe passage,” he grinned at the nervous brown and white pony.
“Ahhhh...” he raised one hoof in protest - a placeholder for a lengthy verbal rebuttal against the idea of wasting a perfectly good afternoon by dying horribly.
He looked aside to see Fluttershy staring at him expectantly, her hooves clutched together over her chest as she gently hovered with her wings flapping excitedly.
“Lead the way. Captain,” Trent smirked.
Laurie drew a hissed breath through clenched teeth, before shaking his head in resignation and marching towards the treeline at the far end of the meadow.
“...hate you,” he whispered, as he trod by.
The two followed Laurie from a short distance back.
“Umm... Mr. Trent?”
“Yes, Fluttershy?”
“It is dangerous in there. What if we do see a monster?”
“Good question. Some monsters can be quite friendly, you know.”
“But aren’t you scared?”
“No.”
“Because you’ve never met one before?”
“Because they’ve never met me before.”
* * *
The clock read Noon. There was a knock on the door.
Twilight groaned. Partially from the throbbing in her head, and partially from the fragments of the headboard encircling her neck. She tugged back slightly, but found herself stuck.
“Well Twilight, there’s always a logical and rational response to any problem!” she said, to no one in particular.
She smiled. Her horn flared with a twitch of magic. The bed exploded.
“That’s better!” she exclaimed, walking through the maelstrom of wood chips and splinters. She casually brushed the impaled scroll from her horn, watching it lazily drift to the floor.
“And what a great idea. Writing letters to convey your deepest feelings. And just not sending them! Ha. Ha.”
She turned her cheerful gaze to her writing desk. It exploded.
“Ohh, they just don’t make them like they used to...” she trotted happily across the room.
A single scorched sheet of paper floated above the carnage of it’s former home. It was gripped violently by an unseen force, jerked upwards, and slammed against the wall.
Twilight grinned at the blank sheet, contorting her lips into the smile of a Cheshire Cat, and lolling her head to one side. A quill floated alongside her - ink still dripping from it’s sharpened nib.
“Never can decide what I’m going to write...”
The quill shot forward at the immobile sheet. It slashed, it stabbed, and it drew tiny hearts over the letter “i”. The corners of her lips twitched upwards with each violent stroke.
The paper fell to the floor, lifeless. She wrenched it back into the air, hovering just inches before her face.
It read:
To whom it may concern.
AAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!
Twilight Sparkle.
“Nothing like a job well done!” she exhaled happily. The letter hung in the air for a moment, before abruptly bursting into flames.
Not the magical aether kind.
The burning kind.
Oddly enough, it did make her feel better.
The knocking at the door repeated. She checked her clock again.
Two minutes past twelve.
“Well, time to open the doors to Ponyville’s book reading public!”
The clock imploded into a steel ball the size of a marble, and fell to the floor.
* * *
Applebloom raised her hoof to knock a third time, but thought against it.
“Horsefeathers...” She turned to leave, just as the door opened behind her.
“Oh, hello Applebloom. Please do come in.” Twilight greeted from beyond the threshold.
“Hi missus Twilight. How’re you doin today?” she trotted inside.
“Just wonderful actually. I’ve been trying a few therapeutic exercises recently, and now I’m feeling very relaxed and refreshed!”
“That sounds mighty swell. Shucks, I know there’s some days I’m feeling a bit steamed, and it just makes me wanna see the whole town go up in a big ol ball of flame. Might hafta try some of them exercises myself sometime,” she grinned sheepishly.
“Yeaaah... I know how that can feel,” Twilight said with a wistful roll of her eyes.
“Anyhow, I figured it was high time I brought these back,” Applebloom reached into her saddlebags and tossed a small stack of books onto the nearest chair. “And you can keep this one too. Wasn’t much all that interesting,” she picked up John Canter and the Planet of Mares with her teeth and set it atop the pile.
Twilight’s ears twitched.
“Gotta wonder who reads this stuff. I mean, just look at it.”
The cover depicted an enormous warhorse, standing atop a ruins of a castle wall. The sky was a blackened tapestry with a smattering of stars, and the barren landscape was dotted with towering spires of grey rock. A metal tube with wide fins and a tapered nose sat upright in the distance. The warhorse clutched a spear within it’s yellowed teeth, holding it’s head high, with knotted muscles that rippled all the way from it’s neck to it’s obscenely bulging hindquarters. A bevy of green hued otherworldly mares lay supplicant around it’s stout hooves.
“I don’t think they even bother reading it.”
“Heh,” Applebloom replied, as she wandered into the library, zipping from one shelf to the other.
“Missus Twilight, do you know if there are any more of these sorta books? Any more with excitin adventure and all kinda unknown things happenin?”
“I think you’re looking at all of them right there,” she pointed at the stack.
“Awww.”
“But we do have a fairly wide selection of other genres. Books that deal with what we know, rather than any made-up fantasies.”
Applebloom’s enthusiasm deflated noticeably.
“That’s allright Miss Sparkle. Don’t think I got time for all that, what with all the chores I gotta get to.”
“Hmm... Why do you like those books so much? I’ve read them myself, but I didn’t learn anything, and they weren’t even very well written.”
“Oh, I don’t read em to learn about things. I read em to think about things!” Applebloom pranced with wide eyed excitement.
“Eh?”
“I know it sounds like a whole mess of gobbledygook in there, and often times they can’t even get it straight themselves. But I like it when they talk about ideas that are all new and exciting. Not for what’s it themselves, but because fer what they can do! How things get all changed up. Like... Like... Ohh, I know. One of them books talked about planets actually being whole giant worlds all of them own, and because of that, they had to travel between em in giant metal tubes that shoot flames out the back. Crazy huh? And another one where everypony could talk back n forth to any other pony out there - but without havin to put a letter in the mail, or havin some dragon spit fire on it. It’s little things like that, that make it all exciting. Thinking that someday we could see that sorta thing fer ourselves.”
“Planets?” Twilight eyed Applebloom curiously.
“Yes Missus Sparkle. Ah know. They’re really just tiny lil dots that come out with the stars. Just like we learned in school.
“Ooh, no. It’s not that... Um...” Twilight wrestled with her response for a moment.
“It’s okay, I know what’s in them books is all just made up make-believe.”
Twilight shook her head, through no conscious effort of her own. She leaned in close to Applebloom, with a nearly conspiratorial expression.
“It’s okay to question things. It’s good, actually. There’s a lot that we don’t know yet.”
“But I thought you knew near just about everything?”
Twilight shook her head again. “I thought I did, too.”
“Huh?”
“It’s hard to explain.”
“Missus Twilight, I think I might kinda know.”
“Oh?”
“It’s kinda like a dark room with all the lights turned off. But just because you c’ain’t see nothin, doesn’t mean there ain’t nothin in there.”
“Oh... And asking questions is like lighting a candle to help you see your way around.”
“Well, kinda, yeah. But here’s the thing. What if that room’s so big that the candle can’t light up the walls on the far side. Still doesn’t mean it’s full of nothing. There’s just more stuff out there that we can’t see yet, till we get some more candles.”
“Or turn on the light switch.”
“Yeh, but you ain’t never gonna find that light switch until you get in there and start flailing around a bit.”
“Is that why you like those stories so much? Because they like to talk about the unknown?”
“Ahh... I guess. Sometimes they have pretty neat pictures in em too.”
They both turned to look at the book on top of the pile.
“‘Cept that one...”
Twilight giggled.
“You know - I think you should meet Trent sometime. You kinda talk like he does.”
“Who?”
“Our visitor.”
“You mean the giant metal thing with a head made outta glass?!” Applebloom’s eyes went wide with a mixture of fear and excitement.
“Yes, and no. That’s him, but that metal armor is just a suit he wears.”
“Oh! Ooohh... I was wondering who that tall mostly hairless monkey thing was. Gosh. How do you think he does his business while wearin a whole ton of moving metal?”
“I never thought to ask...” Twilight deadpanned.
“Wait a second. Did you say he can talk too?”
“Yes.”
“That sure is convenient...” she remarked suspiciously.
“Oh, it’s not that. He can’t speak our language on his own. We used magic to help him communicate.”
“Ah... Wonder how he got here too. More magic?”
“He doesn’t have magic. If he used something to get here, it was probably something called technology.”
“What’s that? Is it like magic?”
“Only when it’s sufficiently advanced, apparently.”
“What if... What if he got here in somethin that’s made outta technology?”
“Made out of it? That’s just... How can you make something out of a skill or ability.”
“I dunno.”
“Well...”
“And you don’t neither!” she snapped.
Twilight sighed. She had a point.
“Er... I’m sorry, missus Twilight.”
“No, it’s okay. Asking questions like that is what helps us discover new things. And it never hurts to ask, even if we’re wrong.”
“Cuz if we never ask all the wrong questions, we might not ever find the right ones!” Applebloom beamed.
“Are you sure you haven’t met Trent before?”
“Umm...”
“Besides that.”
Applebloom shook her head.
“Hmmm... Miss Twilight? What other sorta things did he talk about?”
“Well, he did talk about science. The act of observing natural phenomena, creating a hypothesis that attempts to describe how it might work, and then performing testing and experimentation to see if the hypothesis can match or predict the observed results.”
“Oh? Well, that kinda makes sense pretty well.”
“I know. It’s something I’ve done myself, even if I didn’t know it at the time. But he told me how much they use it, and how many things they’ve discovered before they could even see them directly. It’s like they have the act of doing science, down to a science!”
“Gosh... That’d be somethin fun to try.”
“After you finish school, you mean?”
“Well, not really... I mean, why wait around to get started?”
“Because you’d need to learn the fundamental laws first. And then...”
“Yeh, I get all that. But just learnin about things ain’t gonna do me a lick of good if I wanna think about things.”
“Why don’t you learn things first, and then think about them later?”
“Because thinkin about things is what makes me wanna learn about em in the first place! Don’t work the other way ‘round.”
“But how would that even work?”
Appleblooms eyes widened. “I know. You said that science involves making an idea, and then running an experiment to see if it matches up, right?”
“Yes... That’s part of it, at least.”
Applebloom ran to the chair, and tapped her hoof on the stack of far-fetched stories.
“Just like this here! Some of these books have ideas that are outta this world. That’s like a hypothesis right there!”
“But there’s no way to test that.”
“Not yet! But someday maybe. Someday we might be able to build giant flaming metal tubes that can take us out there and see what them planets actually look like up close. Someday we might all be able to fly around without wings, or travel back in time to keep ourselves from doin’ something we didn’t know we was gonna regret. Can’t know till we try and test it out, but we ain’t gonna test it out if we don’t got the ideas to start with!”
“Yes, but there’s no way that you can experiment like that. Some of the ideas in those books won’t even be possible for a very long time.”
“Oh, I know it. But that’s just the thing. Coming up with those ideas now means somepony can try and run an experiment way off in the future!”
“In the future, you say?”
“Yep! Reckon that’s where all the fun stuff is, anyhow.”
“Are you sure you haven’t talked to Trent?”
“Not yet... Any reason in particular?”
“No reason...”
The two ponies stared at anywhere but each other for a short time. Adrift through the sudden lull in the conversation, as a ship without the wind beating its sails.
“Well, it was very nice of you to stop by...” Twilight began. “If I see any more books like those, I’ll be sure to let you know.”
“Mmm, yeah... Uh, missus Twilight?”
“Yes?”
“Do you have any paper? That I could borrow?”
“Borrow? It’s not exactly borrowing if it comes back covered in words.”
“Well this is a library, ain’t it? Figure I’d be doin you a favor if it came back like that.”
Twilight rolled her eyes and furrowed her brow. A thick ream of paper floated up from the lower shelf, and firmly crammed itself inside Applebloom’s saddlebag.
“There you go...”
“Oh, and do you have a pen or a quill I could borrow too?”
From the upper floor, a sharpened quill darted upwards from the ruins of the bedroom, flitting about in the air, before aligning on the young red-maned pony. It shot forward, covering the distance in a heartbeat, stopping just inches from her nose.
“Ah, much obliged,” she stated, as she gripped it with her teeth and placed it within her bag. “Gonna need it back anytime soon?”
“Keep it.”
* * *
The trip through Everfree forest had been fairly quiet. Not necessarily because Trent had instructed them to be quiet, but rather that Laurie and Fluttershy were equally terrified of saying anything further within earshot of each other.
He walked slowly. A casual pace where he seemed to know his footsteps well in advance, and simply allowed his body to slither along from one to the next. As he walked, he held his arm out in front of him, swinging it lazily from side to side. A rounded rectangle of polished metal with a ring fused to one end lay within his upturned palm, held loose within his fingers.
“We’re here,” he announced as he slipped the device back into his pocket.
“Where?” the two ponies asked at once.
Trent stuck his fingers into the plastic camouflage curtain and tugged it aside.
“Inside here.”
They stepped through. The sunlight filtered through the plastic mesh, showing each irregular swatch. Overhead, a drab metal structure hung over them, vibrantly coloured in many shades of grey and black.
“What is this?” Fluttershy trembled.
“Think I know... This is what those guards were looking for earlier. The draft pegasii team told me about it our last flight. Said they were ordered to go find it, and setup a perimeter. Thing is, they never could find it! Said they ended up searching for a few hours, before just setting up camp someplace, and telling the rest of em that’s where they were supposed to be. Case of ‘lets not, and say we did’ sorta thing.”
“Hmm... Our little secret for now, then.” Trent mused.
“You know what this thing is?”
“Of course.”
He pointed his finger at the structure’s belly and bent his wrist downward. There was a sound of many slick steel pins sliding out, and the blackened hull plate lowered with a soft hiss. A second ramp laid down over the first, telescoping out until it pressed into the forest floor. A cavernous black gulf stood before them, beyond the sharp edges of the rectangular threshold.
“After you.”
Fluttershy stood at the base of the ramp, nearly paralyzed. She looked up at Trent with pleading eyes.
“You will be fine.” Trent stated.
She gulped, closing her eyes and letting one hoof fall forward. It struck the ramp with a metallic ting. The second hoof fell, causing the ramp to echo with a tiny reverberation.
“Trent. Trent! What are you playing at?” Laurie hissed. “What’s inside there? Why are you making her go?”
Fluttershy’s hoof slid backwards slightly, towards the familiar soil of Equestria.
“What is inside bears no importance at this point. And I am not making her go. She has to do that on her own.”
“Trent. What is inside there?” he raised one hoof at the inky black shade.
“The unknown. The future.”
Fluttershy let her hoof slide back, until just the tip was touching the ramp. She looked sidelong at Trent again.
He smiled reassuringly. “You will be fine.”
Trent marched up the ramp, stopping at the halfway point. He turned back, and offered his outstretched palm.
“Are you sure this is what you want to do?” he asked.
Fluttershy raised her hoof from the ramp, staring at it for a moment. She turned to look back through the camouflage mesh canopy, to the filtered beams of sunlight, and the lush vegetation of the forest outside. Beyond the shimmering mesh veil, the life that she knew well.
Beyond the ramp, a dark gulf. That which she knew nothing of.
Fluttershy turned without flourish, marching up the ramp with measured pace. She hesitated as she approached, nearly stopping short of Trent. Her hoof thrust out, coming to rest firmly in his hand, just as her legs would carry her no further. She looked up, trembling and breathing heavily through nervous shudders.
Trent smiled back.
“You did very well.”
Fluttershy’s back stiffened, and her legs straightened. She rose to look at Trent.
“I don’t think I could have come this far without you.”
“I don’t think you would have come very far without yourself.”
She broke into a short laugh.
“Um, Trent? That joke was pretty terrible too.”
“Heh. Yes it was, wasn’t it.”
Trent turned to look at the brown and white pony standing by the edge of the ramp.
“Captain Laurie!”
“What.”
“Did you say that the Celestia’s guards were looking to setup a perimeter around here?”
“Yes, assuming they haven’t buggered off and left already.”
“Ahh... It appears to be your lucky day then!”
Laurie groaned hard enough to make himself heard.
“We won’t be longer than a minute. Just going inside to get something.”
“Whatever.” Laurie snapped off a salute, before turning and stiffly marching several paces toward the opening in the mesh. At this point, he tossed his satchel to the ground, fished out a dog-eared pocketbook, and laid down.
“Miss Fluttershy, are you ready to continue?”
She looked up at the dark interior one more time, swallowing nervously.
“Yes, I think...”
“Splendid!”
Trent snapped his fingers, and the two ramps shot upwards, sealing against the belly of the craft with a tight hiss. Trent and Fluttershy were gone.
* * *
Stats
Page generated in 0.048 seconds
Total duration
686 users online
1,100,609 hits today, 2,456,496 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2023
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2023 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Woo! More!
Goddammit I wanted to see what was inside.
GODDAMMIT I HAVE TO KNOW
inb4 Apple Bloom getting a time travel cutie mark.
Awesome job so far, can't wait to see what happens with Fluttershy
.
155272
Maybe there's a larger ship inside.
spaceship? Huzzah!
155279 SHIPCEPTION
sorry, i'll go sit in the corner now
It's bigger on the inside is it?
155403
Brace yourself.
The TARDIS jokes are coming.
Actually, it's a lot smaller on the inside than it is outside. Them's the breaks if you want a reasonably plausible combined-cycle SSTO vehicle with modest cargo capacity and defensive armaments.
Things I learned in this chapter.
1. Applebloom is a smart cookie.
2. Twilight blowing shit up is always funny. Matter of fact I think I'll go re-read that part about the letters for more LULZ.
3. Fluttershy is always adorable.
4. Trent is LOLtastic.
5. Laurie doesn't even.....
pinkie.ponychan.net/chan/files/src/132409835074.jpg
Some of Applebloom's remarks have an uncanny resemblance to Trent's ideas and mannerisms.
This is not because Applebloom is somehow borrowing some of Trent's wisdom.
It is because Trent has Applebloom's gift of curiosity.
Oh btw, the CMC's role in this story just got bumped up to the mane-6 / Dueling Princesses level. Thought I might just throw that out there. All three will have something in common before too long.
Why is it that the human in Equestria fanfics keep updating just when I want them to?
You really are fueled by comments. I rather enjoyed this chapter, especially Trent scaring Fluttershy
Question: will there be a monster encounter in the future, so Trent can show off his alien technology?
Trent is rather reserved against "showing off".
Also, some monsters can be rather friendly.
Very, very nice. There is nothing like the curious mind of a child. Loved it!
I am a bit afraid to see what Fluttershy will say to Trent's past when he truely reveals it instead of clouding it in riddles. She might very well be shocked into leaving him (at least temporarily).
I figure this Fic needs some art.
i.imgur.com/swYoY.png
But I'm not very good at it...
156056
I could draw some cover art if you want... just message me a description and ill see what i can do.
Y NO THERE MORE CHAPTERS
“I can fly without wings as well as I can run without shoes.”
She gazed quizzically at him.
“Which is to say, not very well.”
He must not be very physically fit. Because humans are built to run long distances.
my god... it appears we are reading the work of a genius....
this story is awesome, I hate cliffhangers, and the authors comments are... interesting
This story is the best.
155279 YO DAWG! I heard you like spaceships so we put a spaceship inside you spaceship! So now you can fly while you fly through space!
"Whether it's spears, swords, arrows, or suborbital clustering munitions with inherent dispersal reduction capabilities, they all serve the same purpose"
"Hitting things?"
"Well, yeah."
I have just re-watched the first episode to research the Elements of Harmony. It appears that the Elements are exactly what Equestria needs to survive at any given time.
But they are not a crutch. They simply are an extension.
Much like Fluttershy wouldn't walk up the ramp without Trent being there - but the fact that she was there in the first place was more important.
METAPHORS!
The story has been doubled.
I need answers. Is Trent in bad shape? Because if he can't run without shoes, then he is a weakling. He'll never toughen up those soles with a pair of boots on.
It also means that he's screwed if he goes up against me in a barefoot race down a gravel driveway.
157913
He runs pretty fast when you put the fear of BEEEES in him.
>> Kamineigh
Take your shoes off, then go outside and run for a few miles in the wilderness, then tell me that it was easy.
Great Story so far, i think i found a new favorite story, although Stasis is tough competition
Please keep it up, love all the science he is teaching the "ignorant" populace, its sorta like my writing, except more articulate, and with less plot holes, and poor cliches.
Muahahahuehue :D
Strange they are so taken aback by such concepts as guns when they have cannons (Sweet and Elite) and fireworks (The Grand Galloping Gala); by war when they have had wars (Hearth's Warming Eve); by accurate prediction and foresight when they have Pinkie Sense divination (Feeling Pinkie Keen)...
Perhaps the general population, and by extension the mane six, are kept from knowing truths about the universe only the Sisters are acquainted with... and if indeed the universe within which Equestria is located has laws like our world. Who is to say their world is like ours at all? Perhaps it truly is geocentric, and the Sun and Moon have need of guidance, and the stars themselves are but points of light emanating from the glittering mane of Luna. If not, then it would seem Luna is by far the more powerful of the Sisters, capable of moving stars, galaxies, and entire constellations by will alone.
Sufficiently analyzed magic is indistinguishable from science as well. Elsewise academies of magic would not exist (Cutie Mark Chronicles); nor would books on the lore of magic and its inner workings. Are they unfamiliar with the process of observation and experimentation? If so they would not have discovered the wonders of steam for their trains (Hearth's Warming Eve) and the wonders of aerodynamics for their gliders (Cutie Pox) and airships (Sweet and Elite). Electricity is not unknown to them either (Mare Do Well hydroelectric dam) and neither is natural gas or running water.
Perhaps they are not quite as primitive as others think?
158550
Celestia might know a lot more about war than she lets on.
She did not use the Elements of Harmony to banish Luna. The Elements went by a different name back then.
Inquisition. Judgement. War.
Few remember such things.
The Elements will present themselves as necessary.
They use technology and science, even if they don't fully understand when, how, or the full implications thereof.
Sort of like Twilight Sparkle doesn't know just how terrifying she would be if she were to use her powers in anger, rather than just as a way to vent frustration.
As said, "any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic". As most humans don't fully understand the background of all the technologies they use, some of it might as well be "magic" to them. It just works. Sort of how unicorns can use magic to gloss over any stumbling blocks they have with technology. It just works too.
Also, they're not exactly stupid or ignorant, having a relatively advanced civilization that still believes in a geocentric universe. No more than Isaac Newton was "wrong" for not discovering general relativity.
There might be a very good reason for Celestia to "raise" the sun. It beats the alternative.
i am at a loss of words trying to describe the pure awesomeness this fic radiates
You have a very inquisitive mind about you shalrath. I will say I am enjoying these later chapters much more than your first few. Although its worth mentioning I read the very first paragraph of chapter 1, and started tracking this story because I absolutely loved how you described the "monster". After reading all your chapter consecutively, I am quite enthralled by your didactic relationships with most of the ponies and Trent. But I can shake the feeling he may be a bit of a broken soul?
Nonetheless I will be anticipating you next chapter.
158573
Celestia might know a lot more about war than she lets on.
Perchance, perchance. If she is indeed as ancient as legends tell, she should have seen many a war in ages past. And who is to say that this is the first human to have entered Equestria in its millions of years of history, forgotten by all save the Immortals?
She did not use the Elements of Harmony to banish Luna. The Elements went by a different name back then.
So the legends lie... or are distorted. The plot (heh) thickens.
Inquisition. Judgement. War.
Few remember such things.
Few, perhaps, but Equestria DOES have a military, and the sheer incompetency of the Royal Guard against Nightmare Moon, Discord and Spike should have been a warning for the military to start getting their act back together. And one doesn't live right next to the Everfree without seeing some SERIOUS **** if you know what I mean. (or maybe that's fanon speaking, but still have you SEEN those star creatures, timberwolves and manticores? one-hit disembowling and crushing; even your mother wouldn't recognize your muzzle after they were done picking your crushed bones.)
The Elements will present themselves as necessary.
An event to be waited for with much anticipation.
They use technology and science, even if they don't fully understand when, how, or the full implications thereof.
How does one build a machine without first understanding the "how" of how to build it, what principles of mathematics, geometry and physics to utilize such that the structure does not collapse upon itself, "how" electrons flow through a wire and are moved by a moving magnetic field, "when" to combine minerals in order to create an alloy or apply excess oxygen to cut and weld a powerful engine together, and the full implications of mixing sulfur, saltpeter and and charcoal in an enclosed space? Without observation of natural attributes of minerals and objects, hypothesis regarding the outcome of a new idea, experimentation regarding that idea, and conclusion to utilize the idea, how is science, engineering and alchemy possible? And full understanding is almost a requirement for some extremely delicate creations, particularly hang-gliders and steam engines. Mathematics at least is present as shown during the Cutie Pox, and by extension Logic, Probability and Logistics.
Sort of like Twilight Sparkle doesn't know just how terrifying she would be if she were to use her powers in anger, rather than just as a way to vent frustration.
Does she not? She certainly knows the terrifying potential she holds and nearly utilized irrevocably during her introduction to the School of the Gifted in Cutie Mark Chronicles. And perhaps it is her fear of her own potential for death and destruction which causes her to choose to run from danger rather than confront it as she obviously is capable of, and to obsess over orderliness of both action and attitude as a means of controlling the bottomless well of worlds-ending power within.
As said, "any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic". As most humans don't fully understand the background of all the technologies they use, some of it might as well be "magic" to them. It just works. Sort of how unicorns can use magic to gloss over any stumbling blocks they have with technology. It just works too.
Also, they're not exactly stupid or ignorant, having a relatively advanced civilization that still believes in a geocentric universe. No more than Isaac Newton was "wrong" for not discovering general relativity.
Perhaps this universe has Equestria function as yet another planet, in orbit about a star, on some lonely branch of some lonely galaxy, yet that does not explain the abilities of, say, Discord in tearing the order of reality apart without even thought when he forced the day-night cycles to complete within seconds, reversed gravity and broke all the laws of thermodynamics. Pinkie herself regularly breaks the principles of inertia and Newtonian physics, and the star-creatures of the Everfree survive in direct defiance to the square-cubed law. Does this world and its population of sapient, capable-of-walking-on-clouds, magic-capable, flying-with-undersized-wings capable, talking equines, buffalo, dragons and deer REALLY quite as conforming to the laws which govern our own universe as the Human would think it?
There might be a very good reason for Celestia to "raise" the sun. It beats the alternative.
Perchance. And perchance she raises it so that a Night that Never Ends does not come to pass, as has occurred on more than one occasion, once in legend and once in recent history as the Sun fails to rise upon the day of the Summer Sun Celebration.
But seriously I'm really enjoying this fic, just pointing out some possible flaws in the Human's (and the ponies') logic. Hope you don't take offense!
♫♥I look forward to reading what happens next in your story♥♪
Good with tools + Love for Sci-Fi = Engineer cutie mark.
The first few chapters were a bit... confusing, but I kept reading, and I have to say, it's gotten better and better with each new chapter.
Keep doing what you're doing man, and if what you say about comments fueling your need to write is true, then I'd post a thousand of them just to get you to post faster.
162934
Was there any particular bit that seemed exceptionally confusing or disjointed?
New chapter is making progress. Had to spend a little time thinking about a certain scene though. And by that, I mean the last two months.
163061 It was just a bit hard to follow is all. I just kinda got confused on what was going on.
163129
Part of that might be due to me having not written anything in the past few years. Took a few chapters to get into the swing of things.
The other confusing bits might just be intentional.
163148 Ah, okay. Makes sense.
You're writing right now is awesome! I love Trent's lectures on science. I dunno why, I just do.
"“I wouldn’t mind!” she blurted out. "
Oh Fluttershy, I thought Applejack was the silly pony.
Oh, ditto, 163547. I proclaimed, "oh, Fluttershy, you!"
Derpy, the mad scientists whos so smarts people thinks shes mentally challenged, and applebloom derpys apprentice. i must have MORE!
Updaaaaate
Shalrath - Mind if I talk science at you a second?
I really hope Equestria isn't a Geocentric system. That just plain does not make sense. As soon as you throw in gravity, it stops working.
So, I'm theorizing that Equestria is tidally locked to Celestia (The sun, for lack of a better name), and Luna (Moon) is in a similar situation to Equestria. So, instead of moving the sun and moon, the Sisters just rotate the planet as a sort of constant, low-level thing, and put on a show at dusk and dawn.
Either that, or they aren't tidally locked, and the whole thing is just a show and it'd happen anyway.
195675
Dornier's been alive long enough to know the truth.
Btw - who's listened to "Icarus" by Kansas? That song fits a certain character to a T.
Making some progress on the next chapter. The last month here has been like APPLE.MOV, except with Oracle application/database patches. I may not have had a lot of time to write, but I've had a lot of time to think.
198677
195675
incidentially, according to your system how exactly does Discord and the Banishment of Luna work? Or Pegasi, or Sonic Rainbooms, or Pinkie Sense, or Party Cannons, or...
http://youtu.be/muVfidujxRg
and see Fallout:Equestria for more ways to weaponize Earth, Pegasus and Unicorn magic aside from Sonic Rainnukes and such
202951
Ask Shalrath. Not my setting, I'm just a guy he talks to occasionally.
As promised, Trent is going to teach Fluttershy how to fly...
i.imgur.com/1cATR.png
i.imgur.com/hKcFo.png
237945
Oh, my...
Few thousand words written over the past few days. Getting there.
It's kind of weird though, when I have to stop and do some research on "what's the lower explosive limit of single-walled carbon nanotubules," or how long a 64bit computer can keep time before resetting itself. (292 billion years, forwards and backwards. Or about 300,000 years, if you're counting in microseconds)
Btw..
Celestia in a Ghillie suit.