Tallon IV: A Study in Dragon Growth, part 2
After a quick vegetarian lunch - none of the ponies ate meat, and Samus couldn't eat the gems that Twilight had in storage for Spike that he hadn't eaten before going missing - Samus sat back in her chair, putting her helmet back on. "That was delicious," she said softly. "I haven't tasted vegetables so crisp, cheese so delicate, or bread so soft since I was living with the Chozo."
Luna smiled softly. "Based on what I've been able to determine, the Chozo were an agrarian society, much as we are, whereas most of the Federation is industrialized, like the minotaurs. I imagine one of the greatest problems the Federation encounters is environmental pollutants contaminating produce and other food sources?"
"Not to mention causing sickness," Samus agreed. "But this entire planet scans as being free of any pollutants. How do the minotaurs manage that?"
Celestia chuckled. "They don't," she replied simply. "Minotaurs provide most of the industrialized products the world uses. The griffons have the best foundries, where raw materials are broken down into the ores and alloys needed for the minotaurs' manufacturing. The various canine races do most of the mining, providing both gems and ores for the other races." She levitated her tea cup and took a sip. "Many believe the reason Equestria has such a significant role in political realms is my control of the sun, and my sister's control of the moon. They are mistaken. It is the Earth Ponies, Pegasi, and Unicorns who provide the true political power. Twilight, perhaps you can explain?"
Twilight nodded. "Earth Pony magic is bonded to the land itself. While not all Earth Ponies are farmers or work the land, Earth Pony farm goods are orders of magnitude more fruitful, flavorful, and resistant to natural disasters than produce from any other farm. Pegasi are able to control the weather inside Equestria's borders, but outside they use their abilities to leech pollutants out of the air and water, while Earth Ponies do the same for the land. And unicorn magic possesses spells that can convert the pollutants back into viable resources."
Samus blinked. "So...ponies have political power from recycling?"
"Once, shortly after the tribes united," Luna explained, "the other races attempted to make war on the fledgling Equestria. Those unicorns not focused on controlling the sun and moon worked with the other races to create a boundary that separated Equestria from the rest of the planet, ecologically. Within a month, the dragons - who had stayed out of the conflict - were the only race not suffering from plague, famine, or excessive pollution." She sipped her tea. "There hasn't been a single war between nations since."
"It's not something talked about much," Celestia explained as many of the faces around the table were slackjawed. "The strategy was Clover's, and at Smart Cookie's suggestion, ponies did not beat the other races over the head with what it meant. As soon as peace overtures arrived from all involved, the barrier came down, and ponies returned to cleaning the planet as if nothing had ever happened. Before the week was out, the status quo had been restored. Many races are...unhappy...with how much political power this gives ponies, but they know we're necessary."
"Dragon physiology makes pollutants a non-concern, however," Luna pointed out. "They can adapt to just about any environment, and thrive in ones that are lethal to most other races. Most dragons also consider ponies weak, as we lack any standing army beside the defensive ones, such as the Royal Guards."
Samus chuckled softly. "Your government controls the planet as an economic superpower," she joked. "The other countries need the services you provide, and that keeps the planet stable."
"Basically," Celestia replied. "And we don't flaunt it, which keeps bad feelings down."
"But enough about our planet," Luna countered. "Tell us more about your adventure on Tallon IV." She looked nearly as eager for the story as Rainbow and Twilight.
Samus chuckled. "Alright. There isn't actually that much more to tell in the Chozo Ruins. Some of the morph ball tunnels I had to go through were too small for Spike, so I had to face the incinerator drone without him. Which is a pity, as his flame breath would have been useful against the barbed war wasps."
"...didn't get to taste them, either, since we never encountered them again," Spike pouted, making several of the mares giggle.
"That got me back my Morph Ball bombs," Samus explained. "One of my most useful additional pieces of equipment. The next thing of interest didn't occur until we got to the Sunchamber at the peak of the Chozo Ruins. I went up through some morph ball tunnels, while Spike climbed the walls. When we got there..."
Samus stared up at the massive red flower as it writhed in the center of the sun chamber. Spike stared down from above, as he'd been forced to climb walls to get there. Samus had mentioned dragons had wings, and he was really looking forward to getting his. As the bloom writhed, it unfolded, massive thorns erupting from the ground to seal the path Samus had taken into the Sunchamber. Reflecting mirrors flipped to shine sunlight directly onto the open bloom, and a worm like creature with massive blade arms rose from the bloom's center, roaring as it spewed the venom that had poisoned the waters of the Chozo Ruins and corrupted the plant life.
"What is that thing?" Spike demanded in disgust and a little fear.
Samus raised her hand to her visor, scanning the creature. "It's a Flaahgra," she explained.
"Flaahgra?" Twilight asked curiously.
Tapping a console on the wrist of her power armor, she called up the image her logbook had recorded.
"Eeyugh!" Rarity spat, backing away from the image. "Spike, please tell me you didn't try to eat that!"
"Is...is that a plant or an animal?" Applejack asked in confusion.
"I think it's a plant," Fluttershy replied. "Possibly with an animal symbiosis."
"How big is that compared to, say, us?" Pinkie asked.
"About the size of Town Hall, maybe a little smaller," Spike replied, making Twilight's jaw drop.
"So how'd you fight that thing?" Rainbow demanded.
Spike chuckled. "Well..."
"It's a mutant plant!" she called out. "It's the source of the toxins, but it needs continuous sunlight to survive at this point in its Phazon accelerated development. If we can knock the mirrors out of alignment so it isn't getting direct sunlight, I can attack its nerve center with my bombs. But first we need to stun it, and-"
Spike promptly spat a fireball at the Flaahgra, igniting its uper body and causing it to flail about. He then raced along the stone upper rim of the Sunchamber, using his tail to knock the mirror out of alignment.
The Flaahgra's worm body fell over without the sunlight, and the spiked vines protecting the base withdrew from the tunnels under the plant. Samus quickly delivered a morph ball bomb to its nervous system at the end of one of the tunnels. The worm withdrew to heal, only to come out stronger than before as more mirrors angled to give it direct sunlight.
Spike and Samus repeated this strategy four times; Spike setting the beast on fire and knocking the mirrors out of alignemnt, and Samus setting a bomb at its base. With the last explosion, the worm body dissolved and collapsed into the flower. It slowly died as it burned down, its toxins fading as new plant life burst free of its influence.
With the plant dead, clean water burst forth, overwhelming the toxins as it flowed to fill the whole Ruins. It would take some time for the environment to recover, but they had taken the first step.
At the opposite exit from where Samus had come in, a new upgrade awaited her. Acquiring it, her Varia Suit was restored in a rather flashy light show.
"Are suit upgrades always like that?" Spike asked as he uncovered his eyes.
"In my experience," Samus admitted.
As she started to make her way to the door, Spike stopped her. "Mom...something's here..."
"What?" Samus asked, turning.
"It...it feels like the spirit in the artifact," he said. "But...I feel...madness."
"Wait, what?" Twilight demanded.
"Dragons do have heightened magical sensitivity as compared to other species," Luna pointed out. "While unexpected, it's conceivable Spike could sense the presence of spirits."
"That's what it was," Samus agreed. "And not just spirits. He could also sense the Chozo Artifacts. That proved especially helpful for me before I got ahold of a visor upgrade that let me detect the Chozo Ghosts that had been driven mad by Phazon. He was able to tell me where to aim. And against three Chozo Ghosts that were attacking all at once, knowing where to aim before they phased back in was a huge tactical advantage, especially as I only had my Charge Beam to damage them. My normal missiles were useless."
"Was it the battle that drew them?" Celestia asked.
"No," Samus replied. "As best as I was able to tell from what happened, they attacked because Spike sensed their presence."
"Well, we did beat them," Spike pointed out. "Managed to get another of the 12 artifacts, too. The Artifact of Wild."
Pinkie giggled and snorted. "Fits you in this, Spike!"
Samus chuckled. "After that, we went down into Magmoor Caverns. The Varia Suit allowed me to handle the intense heat, and it didn't seem a problem at all for Spike."
"Yeah," Twilight replied, "dragons tend to ignore temperatures and the weather."
"You have no idea," Samus replied.
As they entered the first cavern filled with magma, Samus cautioned Spike. "Be careful here," she said as she leapt across the platforms to the other side. "Acid was easy to heal from, but I doubt magma would be as easy to recover from."
Spike nodded as he followed. "Right, I'll be-"
At that moment, a gout of flame erupted from the wall, impacting him. It didn't actually cause any damage, but the unexpected blast pushed him off the platform and into the lava.
"Spike!" Samus yelled out in fear, leaping back towards the platform, ready to leap into the magma to pull him back onto the platform.
Spike's head popped up out of the lava. His expression showed no signs of pain, merely confusion. "Huh...this is kinda nice," he said as he began to swim around.
Samus leaned back against the wall as she drew on all her Chozo training to bring her heartrate back to normal.
The ponies around the table struggled to stifle their giggles. "Well, how was I supposed to know dragons were immune to lava?" she demanded. "Ridley certainly wasn't the first time I fought him, even if he liked being around it."
At that, the giggles burst into laughter. "Sorry, Samus!" Twilight managed to say as she wiped her eyes. "It's just..."
"It does show good mothering instincts that you were ready to leap into the magma to save him," Celestia pointed out. "I imagine your power suit would have allowed you to survive for a certain amount of time?"
"It would have," Samus replied. "Not too long, but long enough to get him back on the platform...hopefully."
"It is not your actions we find humorous," Luna promised. "It is just...imagining your face when Spike popped up out of the lava like he was in a swimming pool..." Luna could hold the laughter back no longer.
Samus sighed. "I admit, in hindsight, it is pretty funny..."
Spike patted her shoulder reassuringly.
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Wait...a month?! Jesus Christ, just how bleak and rampant is the pollution that a single month causes what Humans took decades to do?
Heeheeeee, Lava bath~
Higher population, more industrialization, greater demand for polluting machines, lots of possible reasons.
Another enjoyable chapter. Well done.
6045873 best bath there is it would burn off anything
6045848
It's not so much that the pollution is bleak and rampant.
It's that everything in the environment that would normally take care of it requires pony magic to function.
6045848 Simple.
Phazon.
Nice chapter. Great job. I love how the lava scene turned out. That was funny.
6045848 how long would a city last if all it's plumbing and waste disposal shut down all of a sudden? If the ponies were the only way they knew of maintaining such things... and it could easily be a matter of seeing the dominoes start to fall rather than actually being at the levels the worst of humanity has reached; If they were used to no sickness, famine, and pollution, it wouldn't take much to see the error of their ways.
6045924
6045848
It's called, 'The Great Poison' for a reason.
6046205
6045924
Phazon is on Tallon IV, not Equestria. The question is about how things could get that bad that quick on the pony planet.
6046216 Oh, right. Well, then the answer is even more simple.
It's fucking magic, brah. And fucking ponies, but mostly fucking magic.
I haven't taste vegetables so crisp
which keeps bad feeling down
1. Tasted.
2. Feelings.
so Pegasi can't control the weather outside equestria?
Our world is in peril. Gaia, the spirit of Equis, can no longer stand the terrible destruction plaguing our planet. She sends three magic rings to three special young ponies:
Smart Cookie, an Earth Pony, with the power of...well, Earth!
Private Pansy, a Pegasus, with the powers of Sky (Wind + Water)!
And Clover the Clever, a Unicorn, with the power of Magic.
With the three powers combined, they summon Equis' greatest champion, Captain Planet. (Go Planet!)
THE POWER IS YOURS!!!
(six seasons later...)
6046243 You sir, need to take deeper breaths. There is clearly a lack of oxygen going on.
6045980 And you my good chum have a grasp of basic environmental science. Which seems to be sorely lacking by some. You are correct in that if a major city's sanitation services simply up and left/stopped working that it would NOT take long before things became serious. However the timing for this tale is a little off, though that could be due to the other races not producing as much pollution/waste as humans would. With a city the size of New York, if the sanitation and recycling services simply did not exist anymore, while the city continued to produce the same level of waste/pollution, it would be COMPLETELY UNINHABITABLE in a full month's time. Remember there are various bits of tech that are not normally visible or even thought about that help to reduce pollution, especially air pollution. A full month with all of those things gone without any drop in pollutant production would be nothing less than an ecological disaster.
In all honesty the fact that ponies have reality warping magic is probably the only reason that certain other parts of their world were not reduced to desolated wastelands. Look just how bad it got, and they STILL were able to fix things like it was nothing, IN UNDER A WEEK. It makes perfect sense to me that the ponies seem to run damn near everything. In fact its down right insidious and scary really. They are surrounded on all sides by bigger, stronger, and more advanced forces, and yet it doesn't even matter. They are the universes cutest mob bosses. "Fuck with us and YOU will die, not us. We wont counter attack. We will simply stop helping you. We pack up our toys and go home, and it wont take long for you to either die off or suffer a complete collapse of your society. Once you're gone we will simply pick up the pieces. We're REALLY good at that..." The only race not completely at their mercy are the dragons, which begs the question if its simply Sunbutt and Best Princess are that powerful that dragons as a general rule don't fuck with ponies, or if the miniature mobsters have yet another ace that keeps even flying, fire-breathing, nigh-immortal, and virtually invulnerable giant lizards in their proper place...
It's possible that the Galactic Federation has dedicated agricultural planets, where food can be grown free of industrial pollution. That being said, it's mere speculation, and even if that is the case, it would probably be heavily preserved if it's going to be moved across the myriad planets aligned to the GF.
6046455
They can. But without a dedicated pegasus population to do so, it's more efficient to let it happen on its own.
6046619
Actually, the main reason the dragons don't do anything about the ponies is divided into three parts.
One, dragons as a whole are lazy. Unless someone gets in their face, they'd much rather laze about on their hoard than anything else. It's not their problem.
Two, dragons don't like working together. They're very strong individualists, and don't have a central government. Each individual dragon is a superpower to themselves that can't be bothered.
Third, the dragons who did cause problems for Equestria after Celestia and Luna took over were beaten and then bound to mutual assistance contracts.
6046738
Do you have any idea how expensive it would be to import ag products from another planet? And how many contaminants they'd be exposed to in transit,
not to mention preservative agents to prevent spoilage? (Oh, you did address that last part.)Basically take the "imported produce" problems of Earth when it's just from another country and crank that up to 11.
6046782 Ah, that makes sense. "Fuck with us and we kick your ass. Otherwise we'll just stay well out of your way." Pretty much the best way to deal with a dragon honestly. I'm willing to bet even for Sunbutt and Best Princess a full grown adult dragon is a b!tch to deal with. Still standing on the 'My Little Mobster' bit though. The only caveat, as Sunbutt mentioned, is that the ponies don't need to gloat about it. Which is for the best. When you have someone by the balls like that pissing them off just makes things worse. Eventually you run into the guy who IS spiteful enough to pull "Sure I'm bucked if I do it, but I can take you with me so that's good enough for me...".
Once again, you have brought about another superb chapter. ;) Nice mix of humor and storytelling withing the story itself.
6046782
Sure, it may be expensive, but you must remember that Federation tech is magnitudes greater than our own.
Think about this; the USA is the biggest exporter of plenty of agricultural goods, including most grains and meats. This is because they have a large agricultural sector and are among the cleaner countries, pollution-wise. More polluted industrial nations, such as China and India, heavily rely on the USA's grain and meat imports (rice eaten in China is mostly grown in the USA; go figure). This may be expensive, but it's more economic than attempting to section off parts of the industrial country into agricultural districts, as that farmland is far more likely to be heavily polluted by the relatively nearby industrial sectors, not to mention the significant drop in industry.
With all that said, five hundred years ago, the idea of importing food across an ocean to feed an entire populace was completely unthinkable. It was far more reasonable for each given city to have large areas of farmland nearby. However, with the advent of advanced preservation techniques such as canning, flash-freezing, and chemical preservatives, along with the massive increase to pollution that accompanied the Industrial Revolution, moving farms successively farther away from industrial centers became far more reasonable.
The Federation may be in a similar situation, only on a much larger scale (or as you said, cranked up to 11). They may have industrial techniques that can produce manufactured goods at a rate of gigatons per year, but with the side effect of rendering an entire planet almost inhospitable. Couple this with futuristic preservation techniques that can keep food reasonably fresh and contaminant-free for entire light-years of travel, and dedicated agricultural planets are suddenly looking pretty good.
6046970
Actually, what I was saying was that the Federation - especially its military branch (which Samus was a part of until she went freelance) - would have the cheaper option of synthetic foodstuffs. Vat grown protein, synthetic vegetable matter, or just flat out ration packs.
Basically, getting the real stuff is expensive, and is reserved for the food industry - restaurants and the like - while the less well off groups or the military use the synthetic stuff as its just as nutritious, more easily accessible, more easily portable, and if you haven't had the real stuff you'll never know the difference.
Or, to put it in Star Trek terms...
The Enterprise doesn't have a huge stash of fruits, vegetables, and meat. They use the replicator. But an apple picked fresh from the tree will taste better than a replicated one.
6046977
Hmm. I hadn't considered the possibility that the GF had matter replication technology. Then again, it's a known fact that the Chozo had it (Samus' missiles, full stop), so it stands to reason that the Federation may have gotten their hands on some and managed to incorporate or reverse-engineer them. I could definitely see an Olympus-Class Battleship decked out with some sort of biomass recycling and artificial photosynthesis system.
Now I picture Spike doing this out of lava:
why do I picture Spike biting a chunk out of Ridly and saying it tastes like chicken?
Man, and I thought there were some bad weeds around my area. Spike's lava bath is awesome. Ridley is going to be hurting soon.
6046619 So can we get some help from the ponies???? We need a kick in the butt to stop ruining our planet.
6047604 LOL, this needs to happen.
6046782 To use a Star Wars example: Corousacant the city that covers a whole planet: no surface water, only reservoirs. major imports are foodstuff and medicines. They grow nothing there, or nowhere near the scale needed to feed the whole planet.
6048208
I never said that it wasn't a viable option. I said it was expensive. Meaning it would only benefit those who could afford it, whereas those who couldn't can fall back on the synthetic nutrient options which could be produced locally and are vastly cheaper and last longer.
6048208 Another method is to take the Warhammer 40000 route - planet sized cities that are stacked on top of each other to make colossal hives, so tall that the surface of the planet is a long-forgotten thing. Literally everything is recycled down from the spires of the hive where the nobility live, and no one is ever likely to see the sun or hard earth in their lifetime.
6046619 Bah, living. Stopped doing that a long time ago.
6048228 Yeah, Coroscant only works because it's the capital of the Star Wars Galaxy and the government pays for all the imports. The other extreme is Tatooine , which has no water and they have to farm it.
that plant is one ugly bitch
but can it be used to make salad for spike?
MOAR!!!
Don't make adorable fillies cry!
Samus -
Spike -
(as usual)
Everypony else -
After a little procrastination, I'm back and enjoying the chapters.
That works.
HAH!
Poor Samus.
Why does having a dragon make everything easier? It took me forever to beat that boss.
Huh, the lava feels warm.
No, duh!
6950546
Forget the boss! His mere PRESENCE negated a significant backtracking detour!
I see, neat.
6046865
sooooooooooooooooooooooooo the ponies are smart, peaceful, and neccassary orks... got it don't screw with the ponies.
Everyone here is commenting on how Equestria practically rules the world through helping the other nations reduce their pollution.
And here i am wondering if the dragons were laughing at everyone else for nearly causing self-genocide by trying to go to war against Equestria
6048862
6 years after this comment is made and i finally have context for it, thanks to a Warhammer 40K video game that takes place on (or rather in) such a world.
Maybe that's how Sparkle in His Eye!Twilight created the Sparkler-class cleaning mechs: Pegasus leaching of the air/water pollutants, Unicorn magic refinement of the viable resources converted to technology based solutions.
🔥❤