I'd Ship It, With Mana Engines(!)
The Mark Two was a great deal longer than Rainbow Dash had anticipated. From a cursory glance while she was outside the craft, she assumed that most of the vessel was a thick outer hull with supporting lateral struts to connect the four major segments—but very little else. It turned out that the interior of the ship was, indeed, quite spacious in some areas and very intricate in others. Several compartments and corridors branched out from the central chamber that led from stern to bow. Most of these junctions led to cargo holds bearing all manners of goods and supplies, locked away by the various trade organizations desperate to ship them from one major port to another.
Rainbow had to guess that the hull was built out of a metal alloy that was far more durable than any of the vehicles she had witnessed in Ledomare, Alafreo, or Val Roa. While the Rohbreddenite mastery of magic was nominal, their knack for armor—she imagined—was a great deal more advanced. Had a ship been built with an outer hull this thin in Ledomare or Xona, it would surely have shattered upon contact with the ocean's tense, rippling surface. Half of her wondered what the Rohbredden engineers would do with the western continents' gift for magic, and the other half of her shuddered. Hard.
As it turned out, there wasn't much distance left to traverse towards the bow. At a distance situated approximately two thirds the length of the vessel, the ship's interior was cut off from all passengers. Beyond this, Rainbow Dash imagined, was the ship's bridge and control center. It certainly was up to Rainbow's guess, for several thick doors blocked off the passage from both sight and sound, and such partitions were guarded by able-bodied ponies in uniform—the first ponies Rainbow had seen aside from her companions since she first threw herself on board the vessel. She swiftly trotted out of sight before any of the stallions could glance twice at her haggard features.
In forcing herself to take a spontaneous detour, Rainbow Dash found herself wandering from port to starboard. This was made possible by one of three major corridors bridging the support struts between the Mark Two's four large sections. The Arrowfish was indeed very much like a gigantic four-part trimaran, and a lonesome part of her being positively knew that Nick would be beside himself with drool-worthy admiration. She likewise imagined Booster Spice, Props, and even Pilate sharing a mutual respect for the craftponyship.
The mare sighed. Her experiences—voluminous as they may have been—gave her an appreciation of things she never once thought she'd respect. If nothing else, she admired the nature of things through the ghostly recollections of others' personalities... personalities that she would never again share company with. It was growing more and more increasingly difficult to separate her wealth of knowledge from her fountain of memories—and most of them colored in far more melancholic colors than she wished to admit.
It was with a queer burst of joy and reverie—then—that Rainbow realized just how much more she had reacquired in that same period of time.
“You girls enjoying the tour?” Rainbow mused, struggling to contain the smile across her muzzle.
Rarity and Twilight Sparkle were oblivious, instead admiring the sights and sounds around them.
“My my yes,” Rarity cooed. “This is a far more luxurious ship than I imagine!”
“And so curiously engineered!” Twilight stammered. “Rarity... just... just what's holding all of this together?”
“Mmmmm... a strong yet flexible metal. Titanium, I suspect, but with some aluminum alloys and steel reinforcements. The interior web-work of the cross sections are quite remarkable. Almost reminds me of cross-stitching, only with tense metal filaments... erm... if that makes any sense.”
“Gosh...” Twilight exhaled, drifting along with Rainbow Dash while the pegasus led them back towards the stern of the vessel, navigating one of the compartments situated closer to starboard. “Rarity, what I wouldn't give to have your architectural sensitivity right about now.”
“It's far more complicated than that, darling.”
“Well, you don't make it sound so!” Twilight's voice cracked. “If you must know, the magic being used to power this vessel is so... so simple and minimal! It's absolutely astounding! Almost makes you wonder why Equestrian scientists haven't bothered to construct something like this back home!”
“I'm more apt to ponder precisely why we were given the disparate senses we currently possess,” Rarity mused. “You're the scientist amongst us, Twilight. Surely you would benefit from extra sensitivity to metals in addition to magics,” she said. “Not to 'rub it in,' as t'were, but I'd much rather have a dress-detector built into my horn.”
“Yeah,” Rainbow dryly chuckled, drawing a few curious glances from a group of passengers she shuffled past. “Because that would have been super useful to me back there in Rust.”
“Rainbow has a point, Rarity,” Twilight said, smiling. “You truly should pat yourself on the back. We wouldn't have made it out of Revan's Stronghold if it weren't for your abilities navigating us through that ugly platform.”
“And Wildcard would be a dead duck,” Rainbow added.
Rarity fluffed her mane while phasing through a bulkhead. “Well, I must admit, it all came to me rather suddenly.” Her pale brow furrowed. “Do you ever wonder if there's a far grander purpose to our sensitivities and the intricacies thereof?”
“I dwell on it all the time,” Twilight said. “Considering that the flames of the machine world are what allowed Rainbow Dash to salvage you and me in the first place, it would seem as if we were meant to have the inexplicable gifts of extra sensory perception given to us.”
“Not like they're friggin' out of place or nothing,” Rainbow said.
“I beg your pardon?” Twilight remarked.
“Well, Twilight, darling, you've always have been a prodigy at magic,” Rarity said. She placed a hoof over her chest in mid-glide. “I've always had a horn for finding rare and precious jewels. It's how I got my cutie mark, after all.”
“Very true,” Twilight said with a nod. She smiled at Rainbow. “It almost makes you wonder what Pinkie Pie will bring to the table... if anything.”
Rainbow paused, looked behind her, and squinted at the shimmering fuchsia beacon of Yaerfaerda far below the bow of the vessel. “Mrmmmfff... I seriously doubt the Machine World's gonna throw phantom cakes and party streamers at us.”
“Oh, but wouldn't that be delightful?” Rarity giggled. “Maybe Rohbredden proper will be a continent full of soiree's!”
“Meh. I don't think Verlax is some sort of Party Queen,” Rainbow grumbled, passing a last bulkhead and emerging upon a heated compartment full of steam and noise. “Why, hello, there.”
“Oooooh...” Twilight rubbed her aching horn. “The magic in the air just shot up by three hundred percent.”
“Is... is that a bad thing?!” Rarity remarked, blinking.
“No, it just means... that...” Twilight blinked, then gestured at Rainbow. “Trot a little further! Please!”
“But what if—like—the crew doesn't want me to?”
“Like that ever stopped you before!” Twilight hissed. “Now move!”
Rainbow sighed, shuffling forward until she met the edge of a catwalk overlooking a broad compartment full of red lights and condensation. “There, you happy?”
“So... very... fascinating,” Twilight murmured, on the verge of drooling. She drifted forward as far as the invisible barrier to Rainbow's anchorage would allow.
There—a half-floor below them—stood an array of turbines housing all manner of multicolored crystals. Situated alongside these engines were unicorns, half of which were seated in custom-built chairs that faced the turbines. With meditative expressions, these ponies aimed their horns at the contraptions, empowering them with natural waves of concentrated mana. The devices churned and spun from within, channeling energy into the thrusters positioned at the very stern of the vessel. This process was maintained at a constant rate, and the unicorns all took turns at the task, shuffling in and out of the chairs with mechanical precision. The ones on break relaxed, talking amicably with one another, even managing a meal or two before it was their turn to take a chair again.
“All in all, it's just like ponies back home taking turns rowing oars,” Twilight remarked. “Only on such a large and concentrated scale.” She sighed, cheeks rosy. “It's so refreshing to see a well-maintained industry.”
“Not to mention an innocent one,” Rainbow muttered.
Rarity peered at her. “What do you mean by that, darling?”
“Well...” Rainbow squirmed slightly. “It's just that—in all the places I've been to—stuff this cool was... very uncool.” She gulped. “In that it was used to make weapons... y'know... for war and murder.” Her nostrils flared as she glanced at the bulkheads looming over the steamy compartment. “I'm sure both Hooves of the Syndicate have a lot to do with how the Arrowfish system operates, but... but for the most part this is all built for trade and commerce. I see no guns or harpoons or the makings for explosives. It's... it's just refreshing for me, I guess. I dunno.”
Twilight gazed softly at Rainbow Dash. “It's going to get a whole lot cleaner, Rainbow Dash, you'll see.” She smiled calmly. “Once we get to Shoggoth, we'll get the locals to wash their hooves clean of the Syndicate... all of the Syndicate.”
“Yeah, well...” Rainbow sighed, running a hoof through her mane. “Not by myself, I won't.”
“Precisely, darling!” Rarity smiled. “Twilight and I will be with you every step—or pony paddle—of the way!”
“Not exactly what I meant, but awesome nonetheless...” Rainbow glanced down at the engineers on break yet again. The unicorns were enjoying fine morsels of bread and fruit. Squinting, Rainbow turned to see a crew member trotting in from the lengthy corridor behind. “Uhhh... excuse me?”
The stallion looked over. “Yes, ma'am? Are you lost?”
“Er... not quite. I was just curious, dude...” She trotted over, bearing a casual smile. “...is there a mess hall on board?”
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“...is there a mess hall on board?”
"I could eat a horse"
TwiEngine? Sounds about right.
Plank for one minute, ):(. Knock 'em out!
TURBOSHIPPING.
*heeee* "Pony-paddle"...
When powering the ship was mentioned earlier, it sounded more like naval impressment than a fairly cushy job.
This whole quest would be so much easier if Verlax was a Party Queen though...
It scares the shit out of me, personally.
Pinkie Pie..Well emotion devining maybe...?But we're talking PINKIE PIE! So even if the machine world had a plan for her, she got to break the 4th wall some how.
Perhaps she'll "story cannon" be reading the comments, or posting her own. Or perhaps her Pinkie sense will be turned up by a factor of eleven?
I haven't a goddamn clue what to expect when Pinkie shows up. Imagining her with the capacity to float and phase through things is enough to make me nervous, and those are just the normal ghostly powers. I almost picture her with the ability to temporarily possess someone.
Now thats a Swan Song title if I ever saw one.
When you dont have access to magic, your tech has to get that much more advanced to compensate.
Stressed metal fibres in teh bulk material, well, if it was spun gemstone, sapphire in titanium, thats the stuff used for the Shuttle wing root cross bar, and also in the book for Robocops armor. Titanium aluminium alloys are teh memory metals that if made to one shape when cold, when distorted and heated, use the heat energy to recover their cold shape,.
I know one thing that Pinkie Pie is already bringing to teh group.
Paranoia.
Computer is your friend, citizen.
I have a feeling that Pinkie Pie is going to have a kind of "friend or foe" finder system or a hyped up version of her pinkie sense. Though you could consider both my ideas the same thing I guess.
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I wouldn't say it sounds like impressment, being volunteered and all, but yeah, definitely did not expect it to be such nice conditions. Especially considering the normal relations between the Syndicate and the citizenry.
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Pony Paddle:
derpicdn.net/img/view/2014/8/24/706991__safe_solo_rainbow+dash_cute_upvotes+galore_adorable_anon_unshorn+fetlocks_water_dashabetes.jpeg
Also: had a slowpoke thought. With the Blight down, is there anything stopping, say, an airship from flying over from Val Roa? You know, besides no one there knowing the Blight is down.
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Possiblities:
1) Party sense (Boring, not sure what it can be used for)
2) Emotional Sense (Maybe some sort of radar system?)
3) Spooky ghost (With effort an concentration, can move things)
4) Hostile takeover (Either takes control of someone, or Dash only, allowing her to share some magic or something)
5) Wall breaker (No)
6) Teaches Dash how to be a Reality Warper.
IC Stahp! I can't handle the imagery!
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6 sounds the most fun...or maybe she can possess people and Dash and THEN do the reality warping herself?
Pinkie's probably going to be have something akin to a changeling's emotional radar or an aura that makes everyone more jovial, but relaxed.
I wonder if Dash told them about the sequencing stuff they had going on at Blue Shelf and Blue Nova.
-Memories given light, ease a lonely flight. Ynanhluutr.
Inb4 there's going to be hostile phantom cakes and party streamers in the Machine World
Pinkie Pie... she'll probably be able to physically move things, to an extent, knowing how much she already breaks certain walls repeatedly while sensing falling objects.
6248830 I personally love thinking of Pinkie Physics as an actual magic, not just cartoon joke - I mean, we have plenty of incentive in the show implying it's supposed to be just that so there's that too. So yeah, Laughter as the actual Transcendent Element, not Magic, that's what I like to envision. So giving Pinkie powers warping the basic laws of reality even in ghost form, that would indeed be lovely!
I cant wait for PolterPie to make an apperence. I bed she'll be VERY unhappy.
6248490 Pinkie posts. Sweet Celestia sneezing, yes. Yes please.
I bet Boss Revan shows up while Dash and company are trying to pull their heist in the Southern Hoof. I would not bet, but I seriously hope, that Nick and Sinrar show up for that too, them suddenly having some serious business to attend to in Supercalifragiloggoth.
Hmm, I wonder what the other girl's senses will be when Dash gets them out of the ether? I'm guessing some kind of variation on Pinkie Pie's danger sense, or weirdness sense, or whatever Pinkie Sense actually was. Betting She'll be able to sense it when off the wall stuff is about to happen. Fluttershy will likely either have an animal sense, or maybe more broadly the ability to sense living organisms. That or she'll be empathetic, be able to pick up on emotions and the like. Applejack I'm guessing is going to be a truth sensor, able to tell when folk are lying. Or an infallible ability to detect the presence of apples. Coin toss on which Dash will find more useful in that case (she does like her some apples, after all).
6248362 What are you? Nev?
Maybe she'll be able to sense... Okay, I've got nothing.
-Spirit (Yeast and Treacle)
I have to be honest, I teared up at this chapter.
Dashie is right, it's refreshing to see something that isn't made to murder things.
Knowledge is built from memories, cannot have one without the other.
I can't wait to see what these sirens are all about. Since their whole society is based on conjecture and speculation, I'm curious how they'll be handled here.
I totally shouldn't expect, you know, any of the Dazzlings being mentioned, right? It might be kinda cool, but we'll see we're things go.
Thinking with your stomach again, Dash?
I bet pinkie can sense emotions.
What is up with the "(!)" in the chapter titles?
That title is Props approved.
____________________
Don't worry; they're separated by the Bligh-
Oh right.
Nice job, by the way.
The term for this is Quadrimaran, apparently.
Don’t give up hope! Us readers haven’t!
I'm totally on board with guessing emotion sensor for Pinkie, lifeform sensor for Flutters, and lie sensor for AJ. With those on top of magic for Twilight and minerals for Rarity, it's hard to imagine a scenario for which Rainbow won't be prepared.
Until we remember Verlax is still out there somewhere, at least...
I'm thinking pinkie will provide pinkie sense.
Well, Rainbow's guess, or the veritable observations of her incorporeal ghost friends.
Gosh, Im having a hard time imaging this thing to look cool. I mean, why four sections? It seems unwieldy. Three would be cooler. At least we got some cool interior description and whatnot. Neat!
It would be cool if the friend ghosts had different powers based on race. Say, unicorns can sense things, Earth ponies can interact with physical objects, perhaps pegasi could create illusions?
Like, what if pinkie and apple jack could move things related to their cutie marks, and Flutters could speak to animals or something. That would give the ghost crew quite a lot of power I imagine.
8179009
Ooooh!
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6248789
Mm yes, pandering.
The arrowfish reads to me like a cross between a jet airliner and ship, almost like that Russian ground effect aircraft whose name I forget. I thought it was supposed to be a hydrofoil but none of the later descriptions seem to bear this out. Nevertheless, a thin aluminum hull and lots of exploitation of tensile strength definitely feels very jet age to me.
I like it. Makes me want to fly again. It also drives home just how vast the travel distances in this region are.
I wonder if Pinkie will have a souped-up version of the pinkie sense and be able to detect falling object dangers from miles away.
Like I said, their natural talents have been juiced up while being ghosts for somehow.
Can we not think about Nightshade, the bad industry horse?