Chapter 11 - Papers, Please
Padlock's long, silvery blue mane tossed to the side as her head turned towards Cassie entering the room. After a brief moment, the mare’s pencil started scritching across a piece of parchment. Cassie glanced at the unintelligible writing as she returned to her chair at the table, still surprised that using one’s lips to write with worked as well as it did. An eyebrow rose when she sat down and noticed a symbol on the top of the page that appeared eerily similar to her tattoo of the Olympic rings, though it lacked the swimmer under them.
The mare glanced at Cassie several times before she finished writing, and set the paper off to the side. She then tapped her chest with a forehoof, and said, "Xiltwks."
Cassie looked at the mare for a few seconds before realizing what she was trying to do. The mare repeated the action, looking expectantly at her. After rolling the word around on her tongue a few times, Cassie gave it a shot.
"~P… Pa… P… Pddks~," Cassie sputtered.
The mare sat up straight. "Xi… l… T… Wks," she said slowly with an encouraging smile.
Cassie listened to the mare say what was obviously her name slowly a few more times before trying again.
"~Pa… Pa… th… th…~" Cassie’s face screwed in concentration, trying to pronounce the next part of the mare’s name. Padlock rejoined, saying the part Cassie had trouble with slowly, and with her at the same time, all while trying to hide her cringing at the butchering of her name.
Starting over, Cassie took a deep breath. With the mare still saying it with her, she tried again. "~Pa… Pa… Pad. Pa… Pad… Padlax… Padlack… Padlock~. Your name is ~Padlock~?"
Padlock grinned and leaned back on her haunches, clapping her forehooves together rapidly. As a smile tried to break outside the boundaries of Cassie’s face, she saw her own happiness reflected in the mare's excited eyes.
This is why I hated taking that foreign language class. Her name was a lot harder than the other two words, and those were hard enough.
The mare then pointed at Cassie and said, "Nejco."
Cassie shook her head, now knowing for sure that was the name they had given her. She prepared to return the introduction gesture. Placing her hand on her chest, and with a wicked grin, Cassie said, "Lieutenant Cassandra Elizabeth Campbell."
She knew telling the pony her rank and full name would confuse the mare, but she hadn’t expected the mare to look so sad. Cassie watched as the mare looked down and fiddled with a forehoof, her ears drooping to the sides.
Cassie heard the mare trying to mutter what she had said. Realizing she might have gone too far, she quickly said, "Sorry." Rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.
When the mare looked up, Cassie tapped her chest before Padlock could try saying her full name and rank. "Cassie," she said simply.
Padlock’s face scrunched up, and Cassie could see her mouthing the new word. Some quiet mutterings later, the mare gave a small nod to herself before looking back up to Cassie and trying to repeat it back.
"Ca… Cas… Case… see… Cassie," Padlock sputtered out.
Impressed with how fast Padlock had figured out how to say her name, Cassie excitedly nodded her head, causing the mare to beam. Padlock slid over a glossy folded parchment with a hardened border. Thankful that the mare did not wish to continue any other language lessons beyond names, Cassie looked at the images on it. It was unmistakably a menu, and Padlock wanted to know what she wanted to eat. A quick glance showed that almost everything listed seemed to be things Cassie could eat, or had eaten in the hospital.
Cassie poked the inside of her cheek with her tongue a few times, while her hand absently fiddled with the hem of her dress. Each selection her eye roamed to seemed better than the last. After a mental coin flip, she pointed to a pasta dish with a white sauce, asparagus, and finished her selections on dinner rolls. Padlock grabbed the menu before hopping out of the chair and trotting to the door.
Okay, this is getting weird— weirder than me not shivering in a ball yet with her being so close. They’ve been nothing but nice today and last night. They even just gave me a choice of food, and there were some expensive-looking dishes on it. Plus, it looked like wine on that back page, too… or at least bottles shaped like it with berries on them. If this continues, I think I’ll see if my next trust test works, and tell Padlock about the wound on my back. It’s one out of two so far.
Padlock's feathers ruffled as she settled in her seat, bringing Cassie out of her thoughts. Cassie watched the mare shuffle through the parchments before selecting a few, and placing one in the center of the table. She reached for the page, but missed by a few fingertips. With her eye narrowing, she tried again, this time pulling the page over to her side of the table. The page contained several, well-drawn images. A line separated the top few, which were circled in green, from the rest, which had red X's through them. The top picture showed what looked like Cassie sitting in a cell with a neutral face above her, followed by one with her in a cell, along with a pony outside with chat bubbles above them and smiley faces. The final picture showed her eating food, again with a smiley face above her head.
Before Cassie could move on to the rest, Padlock pointed at the three green images and made overly dramatic happy gestures, saying, "Gma," repeatedly.
Padlock's smile turned to a frown as she pointed to the first picture on the parchment with a red X through it. This time, she pointed with a stern expression and said, "Vy." She repeated the word as she pointed at each picture with a red X.
The first picture Padlock pointed to brought a grin to Cassie's face; it depicted her throwing that first tray of hay at the guards. The next one showed her attacking the guard in the hallway.
Sorry, Padlock. It's just too vague. I don't know exactly what you are trying to get across: good, yes, okay, do, bad, no, not okay, don't do… they’d all fit.
Cassie could only shake her head and shrug her shoulders at whatever new words Padlock had attempted to teach her. Padlock let out a sigh, but continued her pointing. The third image she pointed to had Cassie's hands over her ears, with the guards outside the cell pointing at her and laughing.
The last picture on the page showed Cassie on the ground, guards hitting her with sticks. Cassie heard a quiet snort and looked at Padlock, only to see the mare's nostrils flaring slightly, her ears splayed back at an angle, and her hoof starting to tear into the paper. Cassie's blood pressure crept up slightly before she looked to the orange-hued sky, allowing it to drop back down.
Oh… ooohhhhh! Okay, calm down, I don't think she’s mad at me. I think I might be getting this. The top is how things are supposed to be, and the bottom is not. Is that why they’re being nice to me? Was all that shit I’ve been through lately not supposed to have happened? If not, why did they let it go on for however many days it's been?
The rippling of paper in the air yanked Cassie's attention back. The new paper had four images on it, all circled in orange. They seemed to be connected, if the arrows between them were to be believed, and baffled Cassie.
The first image showed a pony with a stethoscope and the Rod of Asclepius medical symbol that Cassie could never remember the name of. He appeared to be pouring something into a glass with a few vertical squiggles on it. The following pictures showed her drinking from the same glass, and then her laying down in the bed. The final picture filled the bottom third of the page, and caused Cassie to jump from her seat with enough force to knock the chair over.
Cassie's face turned an ugly shade of red, and she jammed a finger at the picture of her nude, held off the floor in a harness-like device with her extremities restrained. "What the fuck!" Cassie screamed at Padlock, a small amount of spit landing on the page. “That is not cool, ~Padlock~! I am not okay with that!"
This time, Padlock had been the one to shrink back from Cassie, making herself as small as possible in the chair. Pacing back and forth, Cassie kicked the fallen chair out of the way, and continued screaming mostly incoherent random thoughts, spittle flying from her mouth. Padlock's eyes darted around the room like a tennis match, and her chest rose and fell rapidly when Cassie returned to the table. With her hands clenching the table’s edge, Cassie leaned towards Padlock, causing the mare to look into her eyes. "I thought that was some nightmare, and here you are showing me that you ponies drugged me, stripped me, and put me on display!" A series of loud crashes bounced off the walls as Cassie's arm swept everything off the table.
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Padlock could only sit in shock as she watched Cassie storm off to the bathroom. She flinched when the door slammed hard enough to rattle the windows of the room. After her ears finally returned to a more normal position, Padlock looked at the paper, then smacked herself in the face with a hoof hard enough for a 'tock' to be heard.
Frantically digging in her folder, she found the missing page. Padlock practiced Cassie's name a few times before moving to the door. She knocked on it softly. Getting no response, she tried the handle, only to find it locked.
"Rings... Cassie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. Please look this over and come out when you are ready. Food should be here soon," Padlock said.
Padlock slid the sheet under the door. With her muzzle nearly scraping the floor, she returned to the chair. "I hope I didn't screw this up," she muttered sadly.
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Cassie ignored the mare’s supposedly gentle words, but she soon looked at the paper laying on the floor a few feet away. Her hand still shook when she leaned to the side and reached for it. Just when she started drawing her fingers together while pressing on the paper, she stopped. Smoothing it back out in her lap, she looked to see what Padlock delivered.
Her free hand flexed, seeing a more blown-up picture of her in the harness. Cassie's only comfort in the nude drawings of her was that they were both Barbie-doll representations, and not anatomically correct. Her hand relaxed, and the thumping in her ears quieted the more she looked at the picture. It showed her location to be an enclosed area, though the walls didn't quite reach the ceiling. The doctor from the other page held a movable shower head in his anti-gravity aura. Closer to her stood what seemed to be a nurse, if the Band-Aids in the shape of a plus sign on her butt were anything to go by.
Beyond that room, it showed a few similar rooms to the right. To the left, it showed a more familiar locker room-type shower area with a bunch of mares in it, some showering and others in a gaggle near the exit. Next to that were the actual lockers, and there, the mares looked to be having a towel fight, some of which were the mares in that gaggle. They all had smiley faces and big grins.
Cassie's eye widened and the paper fell from her grasp; now she understood. That nightmare, the images Padlock showed her, they all connected. She leaned her head back against the wall with her eyes closed.
"I feel so stupid. They didn't put me on display— it was two medical professionals trying to clean me in an isolated room. All those voices I heard in what I thought was a nightmare was just those mares having a little fun. And the only reason I got it all confused was because whatever that doc gave me didn't work right."
A smile wormed its way onto Cassie's face as she leaned forward, looking at the page on the floor. "Maybe that's why I felt a little better after that. Maybe—" Cassie's face scrunched in concentration as her hand absently ran through her hair to rest just under the base of her ponytail. "—Could it?" Her eyes darted back and forth as if trying to calculate. "It was! It has to be!" Cassie shouted, jumping to her feet.
The light twinkled in her eye, and a flash of white from her smile could be seen in her reflection on the mirror. Fitting the pieces together, Cassie realized that all the abuse and taunting from the guards, save one last incident, had stopped right after what she had originally thought to be a nightmare. The doctor and nurse seemed to be the key, just like at the hospital, not Apolla. Though she surmised Apolla still had something to do with the further change in treatment and conditions.
With her mood vastly improved, Cassie returned to the bedroom. She noticed the maid from earlier had just finished serving the food, and now tended to the broken dishes on the floor.
"Sorry about the dishes," Cassie said quietly, looking off to the side.
After dumping the shards in the trash, the maid returned to the table. Padlock glanced over to Cassie, then leaned into the other pony, whispering into her ear. Both mares smiled before the maid grabbed the serving tray and placed it on her back in preparation to leave.
Cassie had just reached her chair when the maid said, "Xua, Padlock. Xua, Cas-sea," while waving a hoof side to side.
The maid left before a confused-looking Cassie could respond. After picking her jaw up from the floor, she shook her head. She had been too distracted by another pony saying her name to catch what she said before it, though it had obviously been the ponies' word for ‘bye’.
"Sorry about all that earlier, ~Padlock~," Cassie said, gesturing around the room, then pointing to the paper she placed on the table.
A quick look around the table didn't reveal the other pages. Cassie thought for a moment on how to convey to Padlock that she wanted the other one. After a few gestures, Padlock placed the two from earlier back on the table, between the plates of food. Cassie grabbed the second page and tore the bottom third off, then handed that part of the page back to Padlock before moving over to the desk. After placing the two sheets under the ink bottle, she returned to the table and sat down.
The rich, cheesy aroma of a nice alfredo sauce tickled Cassie's nose. Her mouth began to water just looking at the pasta before her. Her eyes closed and she let out a light moan when the creamy sauce and perfectly prepared noodles roused her taste buds. Cassie cracked her eye when she heard a snicker from Padlock. She watched the mare look around like nothing happened then get extremely interested in her salad.
Laugh all you want. At least I don't have hay sticking out of my food.
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Cassie leaned back in the chair, rubbing her belly, a stupid grin dominating her face. She didn't know if it had been the lack of food in recent days clouding her judgment, or if the pasta tasted just that good, but she really didn't care at the moment. The meal had gone much better than she expected. Padlock only sat on her side and ate, instead of trying to do anything else. How she held a fork with her hoof still baffled Cassie, so she added it to her ever-growing ‘figure out later’ file. During her relaxation, the maid had returned briefly to bus the table, but didn't speak that time.
The mare across the now cleared table had an uncertain look on her face. Padlock kept glancing at a few pages, and then back to Cassie. Cassie noticed Padlock's eye and ear would twitch occasionally, and a snort kept shooting from her muzzle. While unable to figure out all of the ponies’ expressions, it was obvious to Cassie that whatever those pages contained agitated Padlock greatly.
Padlock placed the first page down. The photographic image caused Cassie to flinch and shiver, while at the same time caused her blood to boil.
"Por likju. Ranu por likju," Padlock growled, with a click of her teeth.
Cassie noticed the snarl in Padlock's voice. She also noticed the paper crinkling under Padlock's hoof. Unable to stand the sight of that smug-looking slate-gray unicorn, Cassie's arm shot forward and snatched up the paper. Tearing sounds filled the space between the two, followed by a shower of confetti.
"Q baah hyv aium eig, Cassie," Padlock said, then facehooved.
Looks like you remembered I don't know but a few words in your language, but I take it you don't like him either.
Padlock chuckled softly and nodded to Cassie. Her expression grew dark before placing the next picture down. Cassie instantly saw why; the entire paper had a big red X on it with the pictures overlaid on top. Cassie's eyes narrowed at the images, and she resisted the urge to get up and hit something. Her focus to see exactly what they depicted broke when a loud snort caused her to look up at Padlock. She recoiled in her chair— it was the first time this mare's expression had frightened her.
If the pegasus had been able to shoot lasers from her eyes, Cassie was sure the paper would have had several holes in it, and probably be on fire. She watched the mare's nostrils flare, and for a brief moment thought she saw smoke snorting out. Padlock's lips twitched, and Cassie saw her foreleg digging its hoof into the upholstery of the chair she sat in, as if she was preparing to charge. Cassie registered the mare muttering something to herself.
I am soooo glad it’s not me she’s mad at. Let's see exactly what has her so ticked off, other than that asshole unicorn. I still hope his fur burns off.
Cassie shuddered violently when she examined the first picture. It showed the day the unicorn tried to do… whatever it was he had planned before he was interrupted. Not wishing to relive that memory ever again, she tore a hole through the paper. The next series of images consisted of the majority of the other physical abuse she had endured. The only thing similar between the images was the slate-gray unicorn, or that tangerine one. However, a few were missing, like the last attack when the spear cut her back.
Before Cassie could get more worked up, Padlock took the page away and replaced it. It showed a scene from earlier in the day, a scene she would also have liked to forget. With it being an image instead of being in person, Cassie looked at the scene critically. She spotted things she only barely registered before.
The pony's legs were shackled, with leads to a guard both in front and behind. A dull metal cap-thing covered his horn. The next picture showed that pony in a cell, minus the leg shackles, and a frown above his head. The following had the tangerine unicorn in a jail cell, but her horn only had the bottom half covered.
Cassie sniffled, and her hand came up to her face. Tears leaked from her eyes, splashing onto the table. Padlock started clearing the table in a panic, unsure as to why Cassie started crying all of the sudden, until she saw the smile. Cassie reached forward and yanked the papers from under Padlock's hoof.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Cassie shouted excitedly.
Cassie's face threatened to split while attempting to contain her smile. She finally knew for sure that it wasn't supposed to have been like that. She finally realized why Padlock and the others were so nice to her recently. That guard this morning really had been there to protect her, and even that guard who stopped her from falling was only trying to help. And most importantly, those two horrible unicorns had been arrested.
So overcome with joy that after everything that had happened, things seemed to be moving in the right direction again, Cassie leaped into the air and let out a whoop. Her excitement in the new information caused her brain to shut down momentarily. It kicked back on when her fear of horses overrode the joy, and she found herself hugging Padlock.
Instantly, Cassie released the mare and jumped back, giving a sheepish grin. A panic attack had thankfully been avoided, though her heart still thumped in her chest. Cassie was unable to tell if it was from her recent joy, or the fear, but most likely a combination of both.
"Cassie, oep. Q dwra acfs," Padlock said, while motioning to the chair.
Cassie didn't want to sit. She wanted to dance around the room, but one little spin brought that to a stop. She lost her balance and fell to a knee, but the world kept on spinning. Standing up slowly, she crawled into the chair and closed her eyes, a hand on her forehead. Cracking her eye open, she watched the final moments of the world coming to a halt. Padlock pushed her a glass of water with a concerned look.
Her little dizziness bout over, Cassie ran the cloth napkin from dinner over her forehead and around her neck. Though her fever had lessened throughout the day, it had not broken yet. Cassie noticed earlier that every couple times she wiped the sweat off, Padlock seemed to jot something down. Nothing had been brought up about it yet, but both knew that the other knew.
Cassie sat up and eagerly looked across the table to see what Padlock wanted to show her. The page held photographs of four ponies, all of whom looked familiar, with those tattoos on their rumps expanded in larger images above them. She recognized the orange normal pony stallion from this morning. She didn't know about his red life-preserver tattoo, though. Next to him showed the white unicorn stallion that tried to keep her from falling earlier, with a tattoo of a book and handcuff laying on it. The next looked like that brown normal mare she briefly saw outside the room when she poked her head out. She had a yellow bowl of chocolate balls for a tattoo.
I wonder if these tattoos are more important than I thought. Maybe they’re like name badges or something.
The final photo depicted a pony she just so happened to be the most familiar with, outside of Redcross. A smile spread on her face when she looked up to see Padlock trying to imitate the same pose as her photo, though Padlock failed horribly with the grin she failed to conceal.
Cassie surprised herself as she unexpectedly let out a good, long laugh. Padlock joined her for a moment before placing down another parchment. This piece showed her room and one of the ponies in the golden armor, like the ones that captured her, outside of the room. One picture had Cassie in the room, the other did not, yet the guard always remained. She leaned forward, resting her elbow on the table, and her cheek against the back of her fingers.
Ahh, got it. They're here to guard the room, not me.
As she sat back up and gave Padlock a nod, the mare smiled before placing another page down showing an overhead view of a castle. Everything inside the wall surrounding it had a light green shade covering it, while outside the wall had a red shade covering it. Padlock laid another down, this time showing her in various locations. Cassie's eyebrow arched when she noticed that every picture had one of the three guards in it, but they were not always near her. She twirled a lock of hair around her finger a moment.
Hmm, could this mean that I’m free to leave the room, but I have to stay within the castle wall? Still a gilded cage, but it's a lot more freedom than I’ve had with any other interactions with the ponies. Maybe if I play my cards right, I can leave the castle soon, too.
Cassie looked at Padlock, giving her a thumbs-up. The pony looked confused for a moment, and then shrugged her shoulders with a smile. The action caused Cassie to giggle internally. Padlock began rounding up all the papers and shoving them back into a folder. She left the last four pages behind. After some interpretation of Padlock's movements, Cassie decided that those pages were for her to keep.
Padlock moved to the door with a smile stretched across her muzzle. She turned, and said, “Xua, Cassie."
Cassie mulled the word around in her head while looking at an expectant Padlock. "~Bye, Padlick... Padlock~," Cassie said, kicking herself internally for the mess-up.
Padlock only smiled and left the room, leaving Cassie to her thoughts. She just sat there in the chair for several minutes, letting everything sink in. Finally, she stood up, grabbed the four pages, and moved them to the desk, where she stuck the other two with that doctor on them.
"I'm gonna do it," Cassie said. "I'm gonna tell Padlock I need the doctor's help in the morning."
Cassie proceeded to the bathroom to use the facilities and brush her teeth in preparation for bed. Once back in the main room, she unfurled the curtains that were nearly hidden in the corners of the room. Satisfied with the room's visual privacy, she checked the door. She smiled thankfully upon seeing the deadbolt and chain.
She nearly skipped the distance from the door to the chair at the end of the pastel red-and-pink canopied bed. Cassie quickly disrobed and laid her clothes on the chair. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she disconnected her leg and leaned it against the side of the dark wood bed, placing the pin on the end table. She pulled back the thick, fluffy, golden comforter, and silky smooth, white sheet while letting out a loud yawn. She gently slipped into bed, avoiding lying on the left side of her back.
"Thank god I don't have to wear clothes to bed anymore. I hate that," Cassie murmured.
Before drifting off to sleep, Cassie pondered more on the day's events. She now knew four pony words: Padlock, water, come, and bye. Though small, it was a start. However, she already knew it would only get harder. Learning a new language didn't happen to be a skill she had proficiency in.
Cassie tightened the covers over her shoulder and snuggled into the blanket. She continued smiling as she thought about the new freedoms it seemed she had, freedoms that she planned to see if they were true tomorrow. Her mood darkened slightly, and a frown briefly appeared. She wanted to see those unicorns in jail. She wanted to see for herself that they really were arrested. Cassie's thoughts returned to more pleasant ideas, along with what she planned to ask for for breakfast, as consciousness slipped from her.
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A wrinkle on the curtain in just the right place allowed the sun to warm Cassie's face. Groaning, she squeezed the pillow she had between her arms and snuggled her face into it. She reluctantly sat up, the warm embrace of the blankets falling away. Cassie let out a long yawn, stretching one arm out wide while the other curled back behind her head. Tussling her hair, she rolled to the edge of bed. Reattaching her leg, and grabbing her clothes, she made her way to the bathroom to prepare for the day.
The warm light of dawn spilled around the silhouette of the young woman, casting a long shadow upon the floor. Cassie had high hopes for the oncoming day. Already one mystery had been solved from her ‘figure it out later’ file when she got up in the middle of the night, and realized that the lights were motion activated. Hoping that this new situation continued, she sat down at the desk, and set to work.
Cassie sat observing the garden. Birds flittered from branch to branch, flowers of every color swayed in a gentle breeze, their scent flowing through the window she had opened, and pegasi pushed clouds around. Her brain came to a screeching halt; she blinked stupidly at the sight several times.
Hair flew around her head and Cassie's jaw snapped shut with an audible click. She brought her hand up to her eye, rubbing it to make sure she really did see what she thought she had just seen. Sure enough, she watched as a bright green pegasus flew up to a cloud, put both hooves on it, and pushed it out of view.
Cassie's mouth flapped like a fish out of water. "Wha... what? How?"
Deciding she had seen enough of the sky, Cassie pulled the curtains shut. Hearing a knock on the door, she mechanically moved to it, opened it up, and returned to her chair without even looking at who, or what, had knocked. During this time, her brain rounded up all the new information, shoved it into a box, taped it shut with caution tape, and dropped it into an ever-growing ‘investigate later’ closet.
"Nejco… Nejco."
Cassie faintly heard the word the ponies called her by. Squeezing her eyes shut and blinking rapidly, she looked over to the maid, her brain still working on bringing her back to reality. The maid held out a menu in her hoof. Unlike the unicorn from yesterday, this maid didn't have any additional appendages. Taking the menu with a sheepish expression, Cassie searched for what she hoped would be listed. Smiling, she pointed out what she wanted to the maid, and returned to staring at the ceiling.
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"~Come~," Cassie called, when she heard knocking on her door.
The last bite of Cassie's scrambled eggs with cheese twirled on her fork as Padlock entered the room, heading straight for the curtains. For a brief moment, Cassie’s breathing hitched before she forced herself to calm down. Placing the now empty fork back onto the tray, she washed the egg down with the last bit of her orange juice. She set the glass back down with a satisfied smack popping from her lips.
"Owwl acfbwbu, Cassie," Padlock chirped as she trotted over to the curtains.
Some sort of greeting. Hi, hello, greetings, good day, good morning, morning? Too many choices— not even going to try.
"Uhhh, hi? ~Padlock~," Cassie replied with a questioning look.
Cassie walked over to the desk to get the drawings she made. A light tinking sound flittered around the room, followed shortly by the sharp crack of glass hitting a hard surface. Her hands balled in frustration, and she stomped back over to the table. Cassie jumped when the maid seemingly popped up out of nowhere from her right side, and started cleaning up the desk and floor.
Returning to her plan, Cassie placed the sheets in front of Padlock. It took a little pantomiming while pointing to the various pictures to convey that she wanted Padlock to go get the doctor. She grumbled under her breath about how it would have been so much easier if she hadn't spilled the ink all over the drawings.
While they waited for the doctor to arrive, Cassie began showing Padlock that she wanted to see that the unicorns were actually in jail. Initially, Padlock kept shaking her head, but Cassie scowled and kept pointing to the picture of her standing outside the cell. It wasn't until Cassie started vocalizing her want that the mare's ears folded back, and she gave in by circling the drawing while nodding her head.
Cassie's heartbeat picked up when the doctor arrived, floating a clipboard next to him. She hadn't asked for the nurse, but was glad she showed up, and she had saddle bags strapped on her sides with a band-aid plus mark that matched her rump tattoo.
"Dahhk, Padlock, obr Leoo Nejco. Epib ammua bu hyv lnkxhai?" the doctor said.
Padlock trotted over to the doctor and responded, "De, Zky. Dan vium qa oqhiozzm Cassie. Obmkomg, apm eivba ukq noz okiapdejc."
While the ponies talked, Cassie re-closed the curtains, then moved to the door, closing and locking it. She smiled weakly at the ponies’ lifted eyebrows, before moving over to the bed and sitting down.
"~Come~," Cassie said.
Cassie briefly closed her eyes to fight her fear as the three trotted over to her. She held her arms out to stop them when they were just outside of arm’s length. After a bit more pantomiming, she finally got Padlock to turn around and face the other way. Darting her eye around the room to double-check the privacy, she stood up.
It's now or never. Hope this trust test works.
Turning around, Cassie bit her lower lip and closed her eyes as she grabbed the bottom of her dress and pulled it off. She cringed when she heard two gasps behind her. Turning her head to the left, she opened her eye to make sure Padlock had remained turned around.
Cassie started untying the knot in the cloth strip when she felt the tingle of an anti-gravity aura around the wrappings. Screaming, she dived into the bed, ignoring the pain in her back as she rolled onto it. Latching onto a pillow, she threw it at the ponies, hitting the nurse in the side. Grabbing the other pillow, she held it close, while huddling under the blanket.
The pillowcase darkened, sticking to her face. Cassie squeezed the pillow, thinking back to happy memories of swim meets in an attempt to control her breathing and maddening pulse. After several minutes, she could pick up the ponies whispering to each other. The bed vibrated as a pony hoof knocked on the wooden baseboard. Taking a chance, she peeked over the edge of the covers.
Padlock stood there, her muzzle almost in her face. Cassie's pupil shrank to match the one on the right, until Padlock moved back a step.
"Cassie, em'na awzzg. Dana, eibkp," Padlock said.
The dark blue mare motioned for Cassie to watch. The nurse slowly passed a small knife over to Padlock. Cassie sucked in her breath and tightened her grip on the pillow, ready to swing it at the mare if needed. Her eyebrows rose sharply when Padlock took the knife to her own foreleg and swiped it across in a short, quick motion. Blood beaded on the wound before gravity took over, and started it on a trail through her coat.
Padlock dabbed it with a cloth to clear the blood and reveal the cut. The doctor moved over, lighting his horn up. Cassie watched as the aura surrounded Padlock's foreleg. A gasp left Cassie, her mouth stuck open as she watched the small cut seal itself in the aura, followed by an unneeded bandage being placed over it.
I really, really, really don’t like that anti-gravity aura. But what the hell was that? It… healed her? Is that what they are going to do to me? This is a much bigger trust test than I was prepared for. I just wanted some ointment and a proper bandage. I need time to think first.
With some effort, she got the ponies to sit at the table while she went into the bathroom to think.
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Cassie returned to the bedroom roughly fifteen minutes later, wet towel bandage in hand. She had decided to chance it. Once back to the bed, she removed the towel covering her body, showing her back to the ponies, along with the makeshift bandage. Cassie could see their muzzles wrinkle upon seeing the gash. The doctor and nurse seemed overly agitated. Having moved the small end table toward them, the nurse drew a very detailed picture, wanting to know how she received that wound.
Having already drawn it, Cassie pointed to the desk. In the meantime, she flipped over the nurse's drawing, and drew out that she wanted to be sedated before they did anything, using images similar to the ones Padlock had shown her yesterday. She was going to go through with this much larger, not-as-well-planned version of a trust test, but she knew her fear of equines, and her newer fear of the aura, would prevent them from fixing the wound properly.
The nurse set all the pages from the desk on the table. The ponies sat patiently while Cassie flipped through them. Worrying the towel sitting across her lap, she laid down the image she drew of that slate-gray unicorn cutting her in the back with a spearhead, and her initial wrapping of the wound.
Padlock snorted and took to the air. Cassie had never seen her fly before. A small smile flashed on her face, but it quickly disappeared, replaced by an expression of unease, and then fright. Rage poured off the mare as she pointed at the paper, yelling loudly, her forelegs flailing in the air as she made wildly animated gestures. Cassie's eye locked onto the hooves as she fell back on the bed, crawling back from the enraged mare above her. Squeezing her eyes shut, images of hooves coming down at her face flashed in her mind.
The bed shifted, causing Cassie to roll to the side until she bumped into something soft. She wrapped her arms around the fuzzy, smooth, softness, hugging it tight, and then pressed her face into its warm embrace, a steady stream of tears wetting her face, and hiccups interrupting her sobs. Her grip tightened for a moment when she felt a sharp prick in her butt cheek.
------------------------------
Cassie's eyes fluttered open. Spying a glass of water on the end table, she rolled to the edge of the bed. The corners of her lips turned up when no pain shot up her back from the action. Eager to sooth her parched throat, she reached for the glass, stopping once her hand wrapped around its cool surface. Lifting the paper from under the cup, she studied it briefly. With a laugh, she tossed it to the side, grabbed the little cup with two pills in it, popped them in her mouth, and downed them with the water.
Bouncing to the end of the bed, Cassie grabbed her dress from the back of the chair. Swaying on her feet with the dress over her head, she stumbled around until it fell into position. Not paying attention to her surroundings, she turned to the right and stepped forward, only to trip over the chair. The chair crashed to the ground as she tumbled over it, a smile ever present on her face as she hit the ground with a loud thump.
"Oops," Cassie laughed giddily.
Cassie sat up on her knees, leaning against the fallen chair. Brushing the hair out of her face, she looked to see why the door opened. Her teeth flashed as her grin grew wider, and her eyes started sparkling in delight as the door shut. She quickly glanced around the room until her eyes fell upon the wooden shaft, the earlier grin turning manic as it spread across her face.
Practically skipping across the room, Cassie nearly ran into the wall as she grabbed her wooden shaft. She turned the door handle, tugging the door wide open. With a smile plastered on her face, Cassie strode into the hall, staff in hand.
And there you have it, chapter 11.
True parchment is made from animal skin. But... I like the word, and use it to describe the ponies non-animal based paper that is similar looking, and the most common type they use.
I am glad I was able to get it out in a more timely fashion. 
It has been requested to have the translations given by several readers. As such, I have put them into a document. Remember, you are not supposed to know what they are specifically saying, but since I made it easy to figure out, I have decided to allow those that want to see it without having to take all the time to decrypt it.
Protocol D: Translations Document
Edited By: Level Dasher
Thank you all for reading, I appreciate it very much.
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Another cute chapter, eh?^^ Though, I wonder the ponies reactions.
I hope you've got something good planned for her Mushroom Samba
Woohoo an update!
Is that drug induced mania I detect at the end? This should be interesting.
I really like the progression here between Cassie and Padlock. Nicely done.
Papers Please, eh?
So what was on the paper? Her permission to see the prisoners?
my favorite part, very well written.
6175186
I suppose it's not too hard to guess that certain pony pharmaceuticals react differently in humans? Thankfully she's not been given something that would have a decidedly adverse affect on her, although I dunno what drugs a vet can give a horse that could have potentially fatal results in a human besides dosage levels simply because a horse is many times larger than a human... and here in Equestria, the common pony has the same mass as a human, possibly less? The real wildcard-factor however is magic. We know it's in everything and it affects her just fine (no innate resistance to magic as seen in many other HiE fiction) but there's still unknowns that won't come to light until the author shows us.
So when will Cherilee make an appearance to teach our hapless human how to speak Equestrian? Heh. (Ok, it's horribly cliched in HiE fiction but any excuse to show off the world's best teacher is fine with me) Cracking the language barrier is always fun. As is finding out how deeply the phobias of your human guest go in regards to you (ponies), magic, and nudity. (Well, the last one isn't really a phobia so much as ingrained human modesty and it's probably too cold to go commando)
6175118
6175186
You will have to wait and see.
6175211
I can neither confirm nor deny those allegations at this time. I am glad you liked the chapter.
6175382
It was supposed to be a stupid joke based on the papers Padlock brought, and the ones Cassie drew on. Guess we know why this is not listed with a comedy tag.
6175637
Thanks.
6175653
No, what they gave will not have any long term effect. Actually, when they found Cassie, she was only about 70-75% the weight of the average mare, and less now. I use 150lbs as average mare weight between the three species. She does have an innate magic resistance, though small and can be easily overpowered, but I know you meant it as complete/near complete immunity.
Well, Cherilee is in Ponyville. She cannot just abandon her students. Imagine how much more bullying Diamond Tiara and Silverspoon would get up to with some random substitute. It would be a disaster. Fears... yes she still has them. Not as much with Padlock, but it is still there. And, as you pointed out, she has a new Equestrian based one. Nudity is a little different for her. Remember, Cassie used to be an Olympic swimmer, so running around with lots of skin being seen by the public is not new to her, though full nudity may be another story. Plus, as you have read, certain articles of clothing are not supposed to be seen by the public and may still embarrass her if they are.
Well things seem to be going well for Cassie...
Still with the mysterious intrusion on that one ship's crew and the mysterious Protocol D running, one has to wonder if the things that Cassie will have to try to fix is building up.
To bad Cassie didn't have some translator handheld computer back at the ship, something tells me communication is only going to get more important rather quickly as the story progresses. But at least ideas seem that pictures seem to be explaining things well enough for now.
glad to see this story back in action!
Really happy with these updates!
Well done, but I do think the story has quite a bit too much fluff for my liking. It's a common theme I see in plenty of Fim stories, as if authors are afraid of writing less. Still, I am enjoying myself.
6176136 What was the joke?
6177257
Like I mentioned it was apparently a stupid joke. As you read, Padlock brought a bunch of paper with images on them and gave them to Cassie. Cassie also drew some of her own to show the ponies. So papers were given back and forth as in, give me the paper you have to see please.
6177281 Is this a reference to something? Because I don't know what else it could be and I even asked a colleague if I'm not seeing a joke that might be there.
6176136
About the clothing, I wonder how utterly confusing it is to ponies? Certain ares must always be covered while others are optional and some are never covered unless it's really cold-- barring a practical need like gloves when handling hot pots. Hmm, I bet the Earth ponies would be impressed at the dexterity of her digits as compared to say, a dragon or minotaur (two extra digits and an extra segment in the digits). Unicorns would probably just give a contemptuous sniff and keep to their superior magic. But back to clothing; it's one thing to stroll around in a bathing suit, it's entirely another to waltz into Day Court wearing panties and a bra... er, not that the ponies would know any better. A trollish plan would capitalize on this, although given her phobias I kinda bought she'd start acting like the Mad Hatter just for the lol's because she'd be the only one who gets the joke.
Oh! Since we're going to Canterlot, will we see anything of Discord? Mmm, then again, it might be for the best that she doesn't. I can just picture one simple greeting with his usual flair for magic horribly backfiring and causing her to huddle in a quivering ball under the nearest tablecloth.
p.s. The part where she started gawping like a goldfish at the pegasi moving clouds around was priceless. We need more lighthearted scenes like that-- and maybe a follow up where certain, ah, eccentricities of Equestria are explained to her by the pony caretakers. Some ideas; apple bucking by a Earth pony into baskets. Dragonbreath mail system. Forcing a cloud to rain by jumping on it (just don't ask Derpy to do it!). Witnessing one of the princesses moving a celestial body. Luna gets to shine here by really showing off the sparkly night sky. One thing missed in a lot of fiction is that the "lesser" animals are really quite smart which would surprise a human expecting birds and squirrels to be dumb critters acting solely on instinct, like one reacting to what was a spoken rhetorical question in a moment of boredom. (Just no spiteful Angel bunnies, please)
6178661 lol, you are right. Lots of little rules to wearing clothing other than the ponies do I want to or not, or am I going to some high-class event.
YES! That is exactly what I meant. You have no idea how hard it is to get that through guys heads sometimes. Swimsuits: Okay to show off... Bra & Panties: Not generally supposed to be seen.
Hence why before she was captured at the campsite and the wind blew her dress up, she looked around slightly embarrassed, and why at first she wanted Padlock to turn around when she was going to show the doctors the wound.
Well, technically she is already in Canterlot since she is in the castle, but you know from chapter 9 that she is not destined to stay there for too long. As for Discord, while I did change it so that his statue was not destroyed, I still have no plans to bring him around. Other than her maybe seeing his statue at sometime before he is let back out after his little punishment, just pretend he was warned to stay away or something, or that he is off running his own little Discordland amusement park that ponies can visit, while allowing him to use his powers he wishes.
Thanks. She will eventually see/gradually be shown/explained various aspects of pony life and the world in general.
Well, Angel Bunny is Angel Bunny, and does eventually Cassie meet him. Already have the first interaction loosely planned out. He is not going to be the demonic little shit most have him as, but that said, he is still Angel Bunny.
6177694 The reference is to a phrase used when foreign citizens suspected of being illegal immigrants are asked to show their naturalization forms, AKA 'papers'. I don't know how often it happens anymore (if ever), but the phrase frequently used when requesting to see the forms was "Papers, please."
6177031 Luna: "Sister, did you forget the time of year? Your sun was not in its normal position when you raised it this morning."
"You nearly singed my moon!"
Molestia: "Oh, you know how it is....I thought I'd take up one of Discord's suggestion and change things up a bit. Just for today."
Luna: "You mean...like raising the moon in the North by North West???"
Molestia: "Well....by nine, it was back to normal..."
Elsewhere:
Cassie: "Pegasai moving clouds!?! Whodathunk?....wait...why does the North on my compass point out the window...???"
6178821
Heh, just thought of something about clothing and taboos. A reversal; she has no idea the sexual connotations of [frilly] saddles, [rubber] bits, tackle, and other "typical" accoutrement that a horse would normally wear back on Earth as opposed to the, er, bondage gear a pony might have stashed in the closet. Could be good for some shenanigans as the "I didn't know about that taboo" game goes both ways.
But thinking a bit more on undergarments, I'm fairly certain most ponies would figure out that the very thin, silky things (possibly with lace and/or frilly bits) she is so desperate to hide under boring clothes is probably the same 'unmentionables' mares have tucked away in the back of the closest.
Also, have any ponies tried really looking harder at the material? Even a mundane pair of Levi's would be pushing at or beyond Equestrian tech levels; from the aluminum button fly, zipper, and very fine yet perfect stitching of the dungaree material itself. But all that pales in comparison to the lethally paranoid ship with loaded guns everyone's apparently forgotten about. I do hope we touch base on that and of course, whatever the hell Protocol D is all about... seeing as how even she doesn't know.
6183417
Well... some of the ponies wear frilly saddles normally (see below) that could be make other, say more risqué designs be confused with being normal, instead of for closed door... activities. As for what Cassie might find or see will have to be waited for.
sp.yimg.com/ib/th?id=JN.etYGhyysDGu2hJ9m1XhlJg&pid=15.1&P=0
Rarity did have access to all her clothes at one time.
Even in chapter 4 she figured out the undergarments thing, and you already know that at least one set of her undergarments has a lacy frill on the edges and waist band (plus its in the reference picture).
No. Rarity did not examine them too much at the time. She just wanted to get them fixed. With a small amount of clothing to sample, Rarity could have easily overlooked the stitching as a custom or one of kind order. That also goes into how she could have easily overlooked the type of metal used, as she was more worried about repair in a timely fashion than analyzing everything. Overall though, I figure they can make basic aluminum, even if at low production levels, so the zippers and buttons would not be totally out of place if noticed. Maybe taken as excessively expensive, though.
They have not been inside the ship. The only thing they know about it is what the back looks like, with the blanket covering it, the side that is mostly covered, and that something powerful shoots from it if a ponies hoof so much as crosses the entrance in the back. Why they have not used magic or anything to look inside is brought up later. That said, remember the hunk of metal that Beef had that the ponies from the investigation team came to retrieve.
Cassie has to, and will , work her way back to the ship she was so rudely removed from to look more into what Protocol D is.
Thanks for the comment.
That ("female") feels a little bit out of place there.
ahem...
Could you please explain what you want to say with this sentence?
For my understanding it says "She wanted to try it". Is that right?
6215200
Good point, I changed it to woman. Thanks for catching the spelling error of the translations document link.
Basically, yes.
As you read her initial want was just like ointment and actual bandages. Then the ponies showed her the magic could heal, which she has only believed to be an anti-gravity aura. Being somewhat afraid of both equines and more recently their magic, she went to the bathroom to think (while also removing the bandage as she had last chapter). Her deciding to chance it was her decision to allow them to touch her, and use this magic on her in an attempt to heal the wound with it. Though as you read right after that, she did not want to be awake for it.
6217305 Thanks for the explanation!
Poor Cassie. I hope for her that her fear will become bearable eventually.
Thanks for showing us what the ponies were saying when we were reading through Cassie's point of view. To be honest, I thought you were just typing random letters for the heck of it. I never knew you actually thought of what they really said. I also want to know how the ponies say Cassie's name in there point of view.
Finally read this. Liked it.
6282837 Nope, every converted word is in a document. I write it with the actual words there and convert after the document is finished. So if you ever see (TRANSLATE) after a sentence, it means I missed it.
Well, until recently their name for her was Rings (Nejco). While she will still be referred as such by some still, they will be fazing over to Cassie. All they do is pronounce her name the way it sounds when she said it. So to them its just a unique sounding name. While I have not done a conversion in the direction of the Cassie to the ponies, to them her name is probably either Kiaaqm (if I use my current ciphers) or Uskkaw (if I use different ones for that direction). But, that is not set in stone as I have not had any plans to do a Cassie to Ponies conversion like I do for how she hears things.
6295339 Thanks
6302609
I am sorry to hear your experience with the story was not that good. I will answer your questions below, some slight spoilers will be there, but with tags covering.
It has been mentioned a few times, so you do know she is only a Lieutenant right? Which is a low ranking officer. Specifically she is a Restricted Line Officer, making her ineligible for command of a spacefaring vessel.Everyone has phobias... Everyone. A mild fear of equines (though exacerbated recently) would not bar someone from the space program, even today. Unfortunately, you seem to have confused her era with modern day rocketry space missions. She is from a time in the future where the entire solar system is spacefaring, and its not with craptastic rockets. More information on the SSC Quasar itself is in a future chapter, but it was not a small ship, and had a fairly decent sized crew. Also, as mentioned in Chapter 3, there were certain criteria that had to be met to get the assignment. A good working relationship with at least two others onboard, and friends with at least one.
As mentioned in Chapter 3, she is a volcanologist, which is a geologist. Geological things was her assignment for the mission. Though only briefly noted in the same chapter, she does have some engineering training, (and education not mentioned). I have not brought up her shipboard experience yet, that is in a future chapter. However, I can still give a glimpse. She has no real assignment during the travel section, she was asleep for 2 years of the 2 1/2 year flight. Her stasis time was mentioned at the beginning of Chapter 4, of around 3 1/2 years. Given that Chapter 2 states they were in the transport/escape ship for 1 year 5 months stasis, that left the other 2 years when on the main ship. While awake: Just hang out in the science labs of your division, read up on any new data the ship may have received, maintain areas assigned to your division (mostly keep them clean), and help with any issues that may arise if needed. The initial trip was mostly automated. That's about it.
Overall this is not the 'we can barely get people reliably into the lower earth orbit' days of space flight you are thinking of with today's standards.
6360751
in chapter 3
If you recall, she did stay near the river. So, she boiled water from the river when she made camp each night. Included in that camping stuff would have been a few of those small pots (boil the water), canteens (hold the water). In chapter 4 it mentions the water pouches she has (basically strong, plastic bag canteens).
6361034
Yes, you are at the part, and the next chapter that seemed to anger a lot of people. Before you choose, I hope you will at least read to the end of chapter 9.
6361075
I guess you won't be getting to chapter 9 like I had asked to at least get to. So you don't know what actually happens. Chapters 8 and 9 are part 1 and part 2 for a reason, but oh well.
I will spoil this for everyone . This is a TEEN rated story. I consider Teen to be the equivalent of a PG-13 movie rating.
The "attempted rape" as you put it was not that. Not from the doctor's trying to give her a bath, or the unicorn that chained her to the wall. His reasons, and actions were not for a rape. They were to mess with her, and he wanted to see if she really was hairless like the reports said.
As for the name calling... That was uncalled for.
6361096 I didn't call you a name per se, but close enough. I did use foul language, true.I kept reading by the way and I was not impressed by Celestia's reaction once she found out about the wanton and intentional neglect, flagrant abuse, and physical and physiological torment and assaults. She figured out that Cassie was innocent and decided to just do nothing. It was Padlock who got Cassie out of the room. Celestia just let the Warden do his thing, which ammounted to nearly nothing. The rampant injustices make me ill. They destroy her eye, they take her leg, they beat her every time they brought her hay (which they already knew she couldn't eat), they laughed at her, they cut her, the list goes on. Excuse me for being upset. I have a rather long story where Humans get mistreated by Ponies early on, but even I got fed up with Celestia's 'let somebody else handle it' attitude. She could have made the whole thing better with a few simple acts (at least in my story she has a reason). It slowly got better toward the end though. I'll mark this as a favorite so I can follow what happens and if the abusers actually get some form of punishment (the Warden too for willful negligence) I may end up liking this story. I still find it absolutely ridiculous that they're still going to have some facre of a trial when Cassie can't even defend herself for crimes that Celestia knows she didn't commit.
6361564
I am glad that you read to the end of chapter 9 (and then farther), and found out what that particular scene was. I am more glad that you actually gave a reason for why you downvoted.
Yes, several of the jailers did lots of bad things. The physical abuse was from a very specific few ponies (who were also the most vocal of the mental abuse ones too). Which... well, they have their own issues coming up soon.
The warden did a lot actually. He had no knowledge about her dietary requirements (why that paperwork changed/missing is part of the investigation the princesses are doing), He rectified the physical abuse when he found out, and stopped the tauntings. Relieved a few jailers of duty, and jailed a few while Internal Affairs investigates. Had her leg returned (via Padlock) it was supposed to have already been returned after being checked that she could not use it to escape, same ponies involved as the princesses investigation. Had a plan to fed her at medical facilities. He did a lot of things right, sure he should have done some more (especially the food part), but he is still supposed to be a good pony. If it came across different, that is writing deficiency on my part.
Along with Celestia's actions. In Chapter 9, Luna briefly mentions forged orders, and an investigation happening in the background. That investigation the princesses are conducting is directly related to events that transpired in chapter 7, 8, and 9. It is my hope that when it is completed (around the time of the trial), the readers will see part of why Celestia did some of the things she did.
Yes, Celestia could swoop in and fix everything with a word, or wave of her hoof. She will not do that however for this. As shown in the show, she tends to let others do the work, and merely guides. Also, she is not a tyrant, and believes in her own justice system. She knows the truth only due to a spell that is part of the trial investigation. Also, as mentioned, she is extremely limited with what she can do with the knowledge at this time. It is a very heavily restricted spell, restrictions she and Luna designed, and put into law. She will let the trial continue for several other reasons also, that I will not get into here. The trial (kind of far away still as Celestia is delaying it so Cassie can learn pony language enough to fight it) is meant to be a large part of the story. It is also a part of the story I really hope people will like a lot, and a large changing point in the story.
Hopefully, I may be able to change your vote. I Can't promise I will be able to.
edit: Always using quote tag instead of spoiler tag!
6361705 Interesting... Glad the Warden didn't feed her intravenously. The hay would have killed her. I'm also sensing that a certain blond Unicorn asshole is responsible for what happened to our heroine in regard to the leaked and withheld information.
6361727
It would have been basic nutrients, not straight hay in intravenous form. The doctor's might be getting some dosages wrong for medicine, but they wouldn't screw that up.
Don't think its really spoilery for this, and totally based on my own head canon (well his actions at least, not the job). It's not Blueblood. He is not the same as you see in the show in the Gala episode. He is the Secretary of Defense. He still has the same reputation for his actions at parties, like with Rarity. However that is a front he does at social events to get the mares the only want to be with him because he is a prince, or his job, and not just for being Blueblood, to leave him alone.
6361756 Sounds like our portrayals of Blueblood aren't that far off. I portray him as a self-important, entitled jerk, but one who follows the laws. A douche in mannerisms but his actions are always to help those who actually need it. He says dickish things to almost everybody but would never stoop to actual harm. Even though he freely admits that he is a jerk, heheheheh.
6364068 Sorry I lashed out but you were kinda freaking out bro. And yes I now know the issue was addressed.
6400545 Hmmm... I see. As a geologist, her classification would be "Specialist", probably an "Other Ranker" with the equivalent rank of Second Lieutenant, or something similar...
6409518
No... just no. (bangs head on desk)
As stated in chapter 3 she is a volcanologist (that's what her primary degree is), and 6400545 is correct. Its just a more specialized geologist.
As stated in chapters 2, 3, 4, and 7, Cassie is a Lieutenant (0-3 in today's US Navy), Lieutenant Junior Grade (O-2) prior to the mission. Not a specialist (enlisted rank / civilian), not a Second Lieutenant (equivalent to an Ensign which is O-1). Hell, in chapter 7 it also gives her exact titles and positions.
"Lieutenant Cassandra Elizabeth Campbell. Executive Officer Transport Escape Ship Four, Geological Survey Team Division Officer" The ship one is only when on the transport escape ships, and the second one is her overall position in the mission.
I hope that clears up any lingering confusion.
I guess my writing fails since that was confused in the first place. I will endeavor to do better.
6409602 My mistake, thank you for the clarification.
On that same note however... How did she pass the Psych eval i'm sure your version of the Space Corps would have administered? A lot of her behavior up to this point can't really be explained away by intense stress/trauma, since even in the real world Officers are trained to deal with high-stress situations, and it only stands to reason that as time progresses, that training would become more intense and comprehensive, as the scope of a given military/exploration entity expanded.
I suppose I can sum up my main gripe like this: regular Phobias and xenophobia would immediately disqualify a potential space officer, regardless of education, skill, or other qualifications. So, her actions just feel... wrong, for lack of a better word, even factoring in the stress of the initial accident, loss of all know crew and comrades, and ending up in the presence of previously unknown lifeforms.
6409621
I understand your concerns. As I mentioned a few comments below somewhere, this is not the current military. The Sol Space Command is more like Star Trek's Starfleet. Cassie is what is known as a Restricted Line Officer. More specialized jobs (training/degrees) are usually this type of officer, even in today's Navy (such as an Oceanographer). She is never eligible to be in command of a large vessel, or even an entire base. She can only ever be in command of small military research vessels, or military research outpost/commands. She would have ask for permission, and be accepted, to switch to Line Officer, and then undergo additional training and testing before it was granted.
Maybe with todays craptastic rockety she would be disqualified for those phobias. Remember, (though not fully explained in the story yet) she is from a time in our future. Nearly the entire solar system has been populated with shelled cities, space stations, outpost, wandering fleets. The military is mostly regulated to police work (stopping piracy) occasional small uprisings, rescues, relief operations, and research. (But still prepared for a country or planet (and its shelled cities) to try and start some war.)
She does not have xenophobia (this will be shown soon) , she has equinophobia. Which she was already starting to work on in chapter 7, then the ponies screwed that all up, and she is now attempting again. Training survival for space is no where close to training survival on land. Knowing how to survive in the woods does not help in in the middle of the solar system. There you need to know your equipment... engineering helps too....
I do see where you (and a couple others) get the idea from, with her training, and stuff. Maybe I should have stressed how much different it is in her time, or maybe I should have already done the section that talks about her life before, and the SSC Quasar as that would have shown more of how she got into the military and her training background... But, I didn't and its too late to do that now, plus that's planned farther down the road. I'd sorta hoped interstellar, warp speed ship already helped show that Cassie was from the future, and not like next decade. Oh well, add that to my pile of things I messed up.
Edit: I always miss stuff, and suck at spelling.
6409746 Thanks for taking the time to explain. That makes a lot more sense, when you lay it out like that.
Other than that, I actually like this story, and am curious as to where you'll take it next.
I guess we can safely infer from you explanation that the military in her time has no recent combat history, and as a result, the psychological qualifications for military members in space have been relaxed. As I said, that explains a Lot.
Keep on writing! We all improve with time and practice, so this story is sure to get better and better.
6409767
Not a problem. Didn't ever think people would really, really look into the detail of her rank and stuff, and hoped the she's from the future thing helped it. Oh well, it will mostly all get told more in depth later on anyways, and I don't think it's really a spoiler to give a little more currently about it in the comments since some of it could already be inferred.
The last big conflict/war happened a little before Cassie was born.
Certain aspects yes, as it is not nearly as rigorous up there for her as it currently is for us. The retired space shuttle orbiter is a model-T in comparison. What's left of the ISS sits on the moon in a museum. But, the military side still has higher requirements than the science side in many areas... that being one of them.
I'm glad you, and the other readers, enjoy the story so far.
6409843 Most folks probably wouldn't have noticed. The only reason I twigged to it is that I have family in various jobs where psych evals are a common thing (military, government employee, etc.). I also have been subjected to quite a few for work.
Can't wait for the next chapter!
I just got an update for Chapter 13. Somehow, I missed the previous 2 updates, so I am here. I found a cultural error:
Parchment is animal-skin. Ponies are not likely to use parchment.
6832957
You are correct, true parchment is made from animal skin. But... I like the word, and figure the ponies have a non-animal based paper that is similar looking as the most common type they use. A whiter, more uniform paper I think would be more expensive and less common for them.
6833597
In that case, you can take a leaf from artificial leather:
Artificial leather is called Pleather (Plastic-Leather). Maybe you can call the artificial Parchment Plparchment (PLastic-Parchment).
I recommend that you do not introduce velum because it is fœtal skin.
6834511 I'll probably just stay as is. If Cassie ever ask the ponies, they will just tell her its plant based, and they stole the name for it from the Griffons long ago.
6834552
¡Thanks for the spoiler!:
Evidently, the PonyPidgin of Cassie will be good enough, in the future, for Cassie to converse.
I notice in your translation page that there's only 19 chapters. Is that how many there we'll be or more to come?