Cloudia
State of Lincoln
Holmes Bay
Captains Quarters Apartments
Pollen Hollow
5:30AM
Cloudia washed her face quickly in a thimble sink, taking a moment to glance at a watch fashioned into a sort of grandfather clock. Wiping off her face, she started running a toy brush through her short mane, inspecting herself from side to side. Nodding her head, she pulled away and made her way to a nearby wall where bright orange coveralls were hung on a thumbtack. Pulling it off, she smirked, seeing her name stitched onto the back in bold letters before slipping her gangly limbs into her uniform. Clasping the buttons, she began inspecting herself one last time before nodding her head; making her way out of the door of her studio apartment, she was greeted with the sight of a model town, quite literally.
Breezies had just begun to mill out of their homes and onto the plastic streets fashioned from various model kits and improvised building materials. Spreading her insectoid wings, she jumped off the railing and slowly hovered down among the growing crowds of her kind. A few made their way to the various shops or cafes; the smells of honey-drop bread and brewed nectar filled her nose, making her drool a bit. Ignoring the tempting aromas, the uniformed Breezie made her way to the "outskirts" with so many others. Looking upwards, she saw the grow lights hanging above their little town, shining down on them like an artificial sun.
She shivered, feeling the rays invigorate her as the drowsiness of having just woken up melt away. It was hard to know how long they walked, but eventually, they reached the edge. The sprawling town giving way to a dizzying drop to the floor below, a long ramp-like bridge connecting it all to a hole in the far wall. It was a bit of a bottleneck as the crowd of Breezies was forced to pack together on the balsawood construction. But thankfully, it was far from unbearable; they were used to living in far more cramped conditions.
Slipping through the wall, they all rested on a long white shelf, looking almost like some sort of bus stop. Like always, benches were packed with Breezies who had gotten there earlier, but they didn't have to wait long; the first transport had already arrived. A tired-looking long-haired Vietnamese woman in white cloth pants and a collared button shirt stepped close. Slowly turning to the side, she revealed a sizeable wooden carrying case on her back with the stylized logo of The Reverie Spa could be seen. Numerous Breezies took flight and funneled into the case, their faces slowly filling the improvised windows. After a few minutes, the last one tapped outside the case, obnoxiously signaling they were full.
Most of the transports were to various spas in the area; being so small, Breezies had trouble finding employment at first. Instead, relying on multiple grants to get by, thankfully being so small, they didn't need much. Though that didn't mean they were content to just lay about, they worked hard to find their niche. Apparently, some of their odd tendencies were welcomed by creatures looking for a facial or to have their skin exfoliated. It took plenty of trial and error before customers were comfortable having tens of dozens of small horse-like insects scattered around them, though.
Cloudia had no ill will towards those Breezies, but the lack of challenge in the profession bugged her to no end. She wanted to do something new, something challenging, and she wasn't alone. While terrified of this new world, many of the youth were equally fascinated by it. It wasn't long until SeaBreeze agreed to invest in a computer for the community so they could begin to learn about their new home.
Tech was a godsend for them, not requiring great strength or size to secure work. It wasn't long until her ride finally came; Reggie slowly approached the platform, looking down at her with a tired smirk. Buzzing her wings, she slowly hovered up to his shoulder, grasping onto the threads of his black and white hoodie. He took a moment to glance at her making sure she was secured before he began making his way out of the apartment complex.
It was hard not to feel small in this world; their entire town took up only a single-bedroom apartment. Glancing over to the opposite side of the doors, she saw the two-story drop to the street just past the plain white railings. Just looking was enough to make her feel dizzy; shuttering, she looked back down to the black fabric. Swallowing, she nestled back down before keeping her eyes forward, watching him slowly climb down the steps.
"You alright, Cloudia?" He turned his head slightly to try and glance at her.
"Y-ya, just still a bit tired." Cloudia put on a brave face once they reached the ground floor, sighing in relief.
"Heh, I get that, these long shifts aren't easy, but damn I love the pay." He responded in his deep baritone voice with a chuckle.
Cloudia gave an awkward smile as he approached the older red Toyota Tacoma; once he slipped into the driver's seat, she carefully glided down to the cup holder. Once they were both secured, he started the v6 engine, letting it warm up before pulling away from the curb. Cloudia was content to just curl up in the plastic enclosure and catch a little sleep, the rocking of the old truck helping her doze. Reggie glanced down at her, smirking before turning his eyes back to the road.
Cloudia would later feel herself being gently nudged by her coworker's finger, letting out a groan as she worked to her hooves. Spreading her wings, she buzzed her way up to the dashboard, seeing they had arrived at the checkpoint. Reggie had already pulled out their ID badges showing a lethargic security guard the QR codes, which he scanned before nodding his head and lowering the steel barrier. Turning her head back forward, she stared at the vast seaside complex, the towering buildings almost beyond her comprehension.
Reggie parked the truck in the sprawling lot; unbuckling from his seat, she waited for her to climb up. Scampering back to his shoulder, she watched as he slipped back out of the truck and began to make his way to the massive corrugated steel building. Already there was a line of workers at the entrance, slowly shuffling in. Cloudia looked up at the pristine logo above the doors as they waited in line. The stylized emblem of Space X hung over them, and a feeling of pride slowly swelled up in her chest.
A burly Feline waited at the security check, checking ID's and digital records before letting each group enter decontamination. A lengthy process that they were all thankful was part of their pay; soon enough, they were in the group getting inspected. Cloudia closed her eyes as she felt the feline lean in close to check her, his muzzle far too close for comfort before he finally moved away and checked the others. He would eventually return to his desk and press the button, opening the spinning airlock and motioning for them to enter.
She had to brace herself a bit, feeling the gentle rush of airflow out of the spinning door as the pressure difference became apparent. Once they entered, the winds died as the door closed behind them, allowing them to dive deeper into the factory. Reggie had not missed a beat as he made his way down the sterile white hallway to the locker rooms and showers. Something Cloudia wasn't looking forward to as the chemical showers and powerful blowers left her feeling rather raw, but Management wasn't taking any chances.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Alright, the docket says we have to check the maneuvering rocket valves for any cracks..." Reggie read aloud as the two of them slipped out of the final airlock.
Cloudia hummed in affirmation, turning her attention to the subject of their endeavors. Space X's latest monstrosity waited like a giant's grain Silo resting on its side, filling the majority of the building. "Guessing they are worried after the last Raptor exploded from defects?"
"Mhm, with X-Dragon sporting engines from the same plant, they want to ensure they didn't get defective equipment...." He gazed up at it, just barely hiding the childlike wonder.
"Are they pushing the launch date back?" Cloudia began tightening the straps on her full-body clean suit and checking her LED headlamp.
"Nuh-uh, it's still at the end of the week." Reggie fidgeted with his white hood before pushing his safety glasses back up his nose.
Cloudia paused, looking horrified. "So, on top of the laundry list of prelaunch procedures and system tests, they want us to recheck all plumbing?!"
Reggie tiredly nodded as he climbed up to the scissor lift, resting his company-issued tablet on the work table. "Believe me, a lot of people aren't happy, but hey, at least we get overtime..." He mumbles as he begins to move the lift to the first nozzle on the side of the massive rocket. "Alright, let's do a camera and ultrasound check..." He pulled up diagnostic software on the tablet while Cloudia turned on her back-mounted gear.
"Ya ya, I know the drill." She mumbled as she fiddled with the plastic box she carried, attempting to get the straps around her barrel to fit more comfortably.
"Tell me if the Ultrasound gets too close to comfort..." He watched as the tablet pulled up a live feed from Cloudia's camera while another window showed a visual analysis of her surroundings as it cycled through various frequencies.
"Mhm..." She swallowed back a yawn before the tablet flashed a green checkmark showing the system checks were complete and clear.
"Alright... here's to another long shift..." He reached up his palm to his shoulder, allowing her to climb on, before carefully lifting her to the rocket nozzle. "It still amazes me you don't feel claustrophobic in there..." He mumbled as she jumped inside and began to traverse through the alloyed pipes.
Cloudia switched on her wireless. "it doesn't seem so small to me... it's like a cave system.... except a lot cleaner..." She slowly trotted deeper into the rocket. "Getting the data? Sometimes the metal messes with the signal a bit..."
"That doesn't sound a lot better to me..." She could almost feel Reggie shutter at that. "Mhm, the new repeaters they installed really do make a difference. What about you? See any issues inside that the ultrasound isn't picking up?"
"Welds look perfect; I see the valve up ahead, about to inspect..." Cloudia approached the rounded wall. "Looks alright; please open for further inspection..."
"Opening...." Reggie spoke, tapping on his tablet; after a few seconds, she heard the buzz of the electric motor causing the rounded wall to turn, revealing a passage.
"Valve action looks smooth, about to enter..." She carefully climbed in. "Looks seamless; hows the ultrasound look?"
"Hold on... Looks clean; move on; the holding tank should be up ahead... your going to have to scale it. It's gonna be under a lot of pressure when the propellent is loaded, so we have to triple check the seams." Reggie mumbled.
Cloudia couldn't help but groan at the thought that the tanks for the maneuvering thrusters alone were bigger than her hometown! "But we checked them last week and the week before that! They aren't even made in the same facility as the valves!"
"Managements orders, everything is to be flawless. I swear they would have us lick it clean if they thought it would help the launch." Reggie said sarcastically.
"How close am I to the tank?" She asked, feeling a pit grow in her stomach.
"About 30 yards or so..." He said hesitantly.
"As the crow flies?"
"As the crow flies," he responded through the wireless.
"This is gonna be a long shift.." She continued to shuffle through the pipes.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"The plumbing is flawless... The next order is the electronics..." She heard Reggie over the wireless as she slowly climbed out of the nozzle.
"What about our break?!? I spent over five hours in the bowels of this monster!" She protested while Reggie held out his hand for her to climb up.
"We could, but the boss is offering bonuses to those who... willingly give up their breaks..." He gave a knowing look.
"....How much?" She swallowed.
"Think Christmas times three..." He muttered as he moved her to his shoulder before moving the scissor life down the length of the rocket, away from the thrusters.
"Well... Elon certainly knows how to motivate us." Cloudia shook her head as she watched Reggie pull out an impact drill to open the maintenance hatch. "But you know what bugs me?"
"What?" He unscrewed the bolts before carefully grasping the panel's handle and lifting it up.
"Well, what's this thing for?" She asked, fluttering into the exposed circuit boards.
"What do you mean? It's a rocket; it sends things into space." Reggie shrugged, looking back at the tablet. "Start with control board one... let's start by checking the voltage around the processor..."
Cloudia reached into her pack and pulled out two probes, carefully pressing them to exposed solder. "Well, duh, I know it's a rocket... but it makes the Starship look like the damn TRICOM... This thing is grossly oversized for any of the contracts we have!"
Reggie seemed to hold a moment before speaking. "Processor looks good; check the supporting hardware for any physical signs of failure..." He said, almost seeming to ignore her.
Climbing between the boards and looking closely at each resistor and capacitor before twitching as her headset filled with an ear-ringing pattern. ".-- . .----. .-.. .-.. / - .- .-.. -.- / .. -. / - .... . / - .-. ..- -.-. -.- / .-.. .- - . .-. / - --- -.. .- -.-- .-.-.-" Rubbing her head, her eyes closed as she thought for a moment.
"I'm on it... With all this hard work, it's gonna make the drive home so much nicer." She said while continuing to crawl over the board, using her sensitive not to check for any damaged hardware. "By the way, any idea what's for lunch today?"
"They got the Devil's Taco Truck to cater today." He responded
"Ohhhh, hopefully, they have the Abatu Burrito." Cloudia drooled at the thought of the black and red wrap smothered with sauce.
"I don't know how you can eat those things; last time I had one of those, I swear it nearly burned a hole through my gut." Reggie shuttered, remembering the first time he ate from that diabolical food truck.
"Eat nothing but honey and nectar for your whole life, then tell me you don't crave something completely different. I didn't realize how toothachingly sweet my diet was until I tried some human food! It's like night and day!" She laughed a bit before squeezing over to the next board, pressing the probes against the navigation systems.
"I'll have to take your word for it." He hummed. "Navigation looks good; follow the lines to the power supply and make sure they are correctly secured."
"I'm going to have to remove my pack for that." She mumbled, making her way out of the hardware, settling on his dark hand. He just nodded his head in response, watching her remove the straps before grabbing it. Once it was free, she climbed back into the rocket and began to slowly shimmy her way down the endless stream of wires that ran the length of the machine.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cloudia practically collapsed into the cushioned passenger seat of the old truck, thankful Reggie kept it clean. It was almost as comfortable as her bed, tempting her to fall asleep before she felt the cab rock side to side with a gentle oceanside breeze sneaking in. Signaling that her coworker had returned, the wonderful smells of Mexican food followed soon after, making her stomach growl. Letting out a yawn, she worked to her hooves just in time to see the Imp-Sized burrito being set down before her, wrapped in shiny tinfoil with a cartoon devil sticker looking at her.
She didn't even bother to be neat about it, ripping away the wrapper to reveal the bright red tortilla; the meal was scarcely the size of an eggroll, but smell warned it should not be underestimated. Sitting down at the nearest end, she lifted the edible cylinder to her mouth and began to eat. The red sauce burning her tongue and roof of her mouth, even the sour cream offered little respite. "Mmmmf, I've been craving this.." She mumbled through a mouthful of beans, rice, and cheese.
"I still can't believe you can eat all that..." Reggie said, watching her eat before biting into his own burrito.
"Hmmmf, what do you mean? This is like a nibble to you..." She said between messy bites.
"Ya, but to you, it's like a fence post." He shook his head as he sipped his RC cola.
"...High metabolism, I guess." She licked her muzzle. " So are you gonna finally tell me what you know?"
He seemed to freeze for a moment allowing his eyes to look around before switching on the radio. Cloudia tilted her head at this but didn't question it as she sat up straight, wanting to hear what he had to say. "Your not wrong about the X-Dragon being oversized for our existing contracts... but that's because it's not meant for them."
"So what, it's an Ego project for the boss?" Cloudia raised an eyebrow.
"No, bigger." He exhaled
"What do you mean?"
"I'm saying that this rocket's performance will make or break the company." He finally said, sinking into his seat.
Cloudia looked disturbed but pressed further. "That still doesn't tell me what it's for..."
"The only thing I know for sure is that the Big Wigs from Caterpillar and GE will attend the launch party." He sipped his soda again. "If they like what they see, we'll never have to worry about job security again..."
"So our future is being gambled on a rocket that hasn't even flown outside simulations yet?" Cloudia swallowed, feeling her throat go dry.
He just nodded his head tiredly; he was about to say something only for the alarm on his phone to go off, signaling their break was nearly over. "All we can do is our best... and hope." He shoved the last of his burrito into his mouth before crumpling up the wrapper. Cloudia did the same before climbing back up onto his shoulder.
They would spend the rest of the long shift in silence.
------------------------------------
The rest of the week would follow the same pattern, rechecking numerous systems and plumbing. Then beginning the prelaunch procedures, such as sealing the engines, loading the adjusted launch data from the eggheads, and then fueling. Followed by rechecking all these procedures, looking for any leaks or cracks in the sealants. It never ended, leaving the poor Breezie stumbling when she returned home, looking more like a shambling zombie than her usual self. When Saturday finally came around, she was tempted to stay in bed, even as she sat by the deserted beach on the dashboard of Reggie's old truck that morning.
But despite her exhaustion, she forced herself to stay awake, taking dainty sips from a condiment cup filled with coffee. The windows cracked just enough to let a faint cold ocean breeze enter the car; looking out at the beach and ocean as the sun started to rise was oddly calming. Reggie, meanwhile, checked his phone and leaned forward, pointing to a mass of tugboats out on the horizon, pulling what appeared to be a half-sunken barge. The process was painfully slow, but soon enough, they began to pull off, no doubt releasing the rocket; they could see it naturally right itself, pointing its rounded nose skyward.
The two of them held their breath, unsure what to expect; for a while, nothing seemed to happen. But just as their hope began to fade, the water around it erupted, giving way to a nearly blinding orange light, but despite the burning in their retinas, they refused to look away. The behemoth began to rise out of the sea just as the blast's power reached them on the deserted beach. The powerful winds rocked the suspension even at a great distance, nearly knocking her off the dash. She watched it pick up speed as it rose far above them; even as the gargantuan rocket vanished from their sight, its powerful thrusters lit up in the sky like a second sun.
"It worked..." Cloudia said, seeing it finally vanish into the sky, swallowing nervously.
"Hold on... Getting it up there is only half the nightmare... its gotta maintain orbit then come back..." Reggie said, still staring upwards at the sky as if expecting it to fall back down.
"How long will that take?" She suppressed another yawn.
"Over an hour or so..." He checked his phone, seeing the digitized orbital map that was being broadcast by the company tracking its progress.
"So... what do until then?" She gazed up, seeing the sky continue to light up to a familiar blue.
"I saw a crab shack down the beach... we could check to see if it's open yet? Anything else is too far away..." He looked at the maps grumbling a bit.
"I could definitely eat..." She stretched out a bit before fluttering her wings.
"You alright on the dash?" He asked as he began to start the engine.
"Mhm..." She latched onto the plastic beneath her as he moved the shifter into drive. Turning hard left, it climbed back up to the road, spitting sand behind them.
She watched the beach pass her by, seeing a few local hippogriffs milling about on the sands. Many looking more than a little testy as they leaned against their wooden dorys. A brightly colored shack rested among the resting watercraft, where a small line of colorful avians waited. Pulling the truck on an open patch of grass, some locals looked their way before returning to the menu. Seeming to be deciding what to order.
Reggie motioned her to his shoulder as he opened the door; the smells of cooking crustaceans, mollusks, and fish filled the air. Grasping onto his sweatshirt, she looked around at the feathered hybrids, her nose wrinkling at the noxious smell of burning seaweed. It came from various pipes and talon-rolled cigarettes that invaded their beaks. Knowing better than complaining, she took shallow breaths through her mouth as her coworker got in line.
"Hmmm, what looks good to you? The Crab Egg Wrap sounds interesting..." He said tiredly as he read the chalkboard menu.
"Crab for breakfast?... What else do they have?" She looked at a few hippogriffs resting on the sand next to a cooler, sipping Patriot Brew despite still being the early morning, making the best of the situation.
"Hmm, Tuna stuffed avocado... Egg stirfry with shrimp...Crab egg melts..." He continued to list off the menu.
"I guess that Crab Egg Wrap doesn't sound so bad..." He finally said. "Maybe something with caffeine to wash it down."
"Still tired then?" He glanced back over at her.
"We've been working overtime all week; what do you think?" She gave him an unamused look before slumping on his shoulder.
"Hey, no need to get testy; I was just kidding." He rolled his eyes, stepping forward as the line started to move, the patrons leaving in rather colorful-looking seafood dishes.
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Florida
Merritt Island
Disused John F. Kennedy Space Center
Vehicle Assembly Building
Crawler-Transporter 1
2:35 PM
General Cook dug into his uniform as he sat in the vast hangar atop what was once an engineering marvel. Pulling out his flask, he began to take a stiff drink from his flask, letting out a grunt as the bitter taste hit his tongue. Leaning back into the rusted metal chair, he just began to notice the familiar heavy footfalls of his compatriots approaching. Turning his attention to the far corner of the platform, he saw them appear; they both had to lean against the catwalks railings to catch their breath even with the help of their suited aids; age had not been kind to them. The men accompanying them were boxy, almost robotic with their movements, eyes hidden behind sunglasses despite the dark surroundings.
One of the older men looked rather bookish, dressed in a simple threadbare lab coat, the faded NASA logo barely visible; he briefly brushed his skeletal hands over his balded, wrinkled head. He was hunched over; one could almost see his boney vertebrae poking out of his back as he hobbled to the table with the help of his G-man. The other saw fit to push his own guard away when they moved to try to help, dressed in a rather unassuming one-piece suit with a perfectly pressed white shirt and black tie. The burning cigarette in his mouth deftly lit his more rectangular aged face.
Cook watched them both take a seat at the distressed table, waiting a moment to allow them both to collect themselves before finally speaking. "I remember a day when this hanger would have been filled with our people..."
The elderly scientist blinked and gave a crooked smirk. "I suppose it is a testament to our endurance... So many gave up after that wall fell..."
The cigarette-smoking man shook his head, looking stoic. "They made the mistake of comforting themselves with the knowledge the reds did the same things as they did..." He exhaled thick smoke. "They didn't understand the purpose of our little group... not really anyway..."
"You can hardly blame them... when Gorbachev failed his save his crumbling nation... many felt all they had done was for nothing... That's not an easy burden to carry..." The scientist shook his head while Cook nodded.
"Indeed, so many died during the Cold War... Uniformed and otherwise..." Cook mumbled.
"Progress doesn't come without sacrifice." The smoking man exhaled.
The scientist and general nodded in agreement to their compatriot.
"We didn't come here to reminisce about dead meat..." Cook sat up in his chair, looking far more serious.
"No, we did not..." The smoking man hummed. "We're here to talk about our clever little South African friend..."
"Indeed... the rocket works better than it ever did." Cook shifted in his seat.
"We did our best with the available technology of our time..." The scientist grumbled. "Thankfully, we still have pull with our original... Partnerships to help him with the rest."
"But that leaves new problems." Cook closed and rubbed his old eyes. "When we gave him those coordinates... we knew exactly what we were giving him."
"He knows what we left up there... who we left up there..." The scientist shook his head again.
"You worried he'll break our little deal and squeal to the world what happened in those shadowed craters?" The smoking man chuckled. "Neither of you have to worry; I have him well under my control..."
"How can you be so sure?" General Cook tilted his head.
"Legacy..." He smiled, showing his unnaturally white teeth as he tossed his cigarette away.
"Ah... I suppose that makes sense..." The scientist nodded his head solemnly.
"I suppose his treatment isn't going well?" The general watched evenly as the man pulled out a pack of smokes, a brand that supposedly didn't exist. Not getting a response, his eyes widened briefly in realization. "That's why you chose him, isn't it?"
"For all his faults, he never grew out of his childlike wonder of space... being a savior is just a bonus." The man lit another cigarette.
"... such a terrible way to go..." The scientist shook his head sadly.
"Will he last long enough?" The general asked.
"His treatments are improving his condition... but even they can't reverse it." The smoking man let out another puff. "But if worse comes to worse... we have other options to continue his work."
"Catipliars designs worked well in the tests, but they're worthless if GE can't get their end working..." The general shook his head. "They shelved it decades ago."
"Because it predated necessary supporting technologies, the math and theory were correct, the means just didn't exist." The scientist dusted off his coat.
"How's the advisory role?" The smoking man.
"It's not what I'd prefer, but with my arthritis, I can't do much else." The scientist massaged his fingers, letting out a grunt. "Keeping the staff quiet about the work is still difficult; during the Cold War, people knew how to keep secrets." He grumbled.
"That's always a concern, but more importantly, will you be able to protect it, General?" The smoking make stared deep into his eyes. "Once it's revealed to the world, it will paint a target on our backs."
"Would I have gotten to this point if I wasn't?" The general looked unamused. "The paranoia at home would make invasion untenable, while the fallout from the military strike has allowed me to remove... hindrances to our goals."
"Excellent... Just don't get to attached to your asset general; in this line of work, you have to be flexible." He frowned before taking another deep inhale from his cigarette. "Assets and liabilities can have such blurred lines."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cloudia watched in the distance as the massive rocket descended into the bay, the powerful winds rocking the truck. She couldn't help but lean forward in anticipation watching it slow its slow descent until it hovered just above the water, boiling away the surface. Despite the bright light, she resisted the urge to blink; the moment the engines cut off, it fell into the sea, nearly sinking past the nose before slowly bobbing back up like a buoy. The ocean continued to steam around it, looking like a thick fog; the Breezie was speechless.
Reggie beat her to the punch as he pulled out his phone to look at the update, waiting for a few moments. "They still have to do some post-flight checks... but... It looks like we're gonna be working overtime for the foreseeable future Cloudia..."
"But we still don't know what it's for..." She looked back at him.
"It says Elon will be coming to the factory in a month for a big announcement... weeks pay says it's about that." He motioned to the X-Dragon as its support vessels began to swarm it.
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So...space travel on colonizing mars, or rellocating humans that were stuck up in space?
11380866
Neither, won’t spill much more then that, that’s not to say those two things aren’t a “long term” goal however.
I'm going to be honest, i just find the idea that they're finding that dog the soviets threw in space very funny.
What could they possibly want in space. My first thought went to Luna, but then I remembered what Celestia did to her. Could it be NMM (as a separate entity) on the moon. A rogue alicorn would definitely be the sort of security concern that would warrant this level of seriousness. Otherwise maybe some sort of Equestrian contingency superweapon on the moon that needs to be dealt with, sooner rather than later.
I would assume that caterpilliar representatives are there, because they build a rover or other machine vehicles for the moon surface.
I wonder if miniature artists are making bank on providing things for breezies? Them using watches styled into grandfather clocks is cute. Also torn between Gilda or Rockhoof. Don’t think we’ve ever seen the “internals” of any of the new non-pony towns. So Gilda could be a nice look into one.
I worked for caterpillar, they don't do small a lot. This is a very intriguing development.
(Well there is engine models like the c3.5 and c0.5, but definitely not what they are known for)
What year did the war started and ended? A timeline of the reservation would be interesting.
Ooo the plot thickens.
Do you think we’ll be catching up with Pinkie Pie anytime soon?
this is really interesting about how the world is changing with these new circumstances, i look forward to what is after this!!!
Thank you for taking the time to add in some more pleasant chapters between the dark ones. Helps keep things from getting too depressing. Also an interesting look at the environment two non-pony species have. Can't wait to see how the griffins and Gilda are doing.
Each chapter of this story always impresses me.
Gilda sounds most interesting, but I'd love to eventually see that Storm Creature!
Breezies would be extremly useful for tons of works, they actually would be able to dictate price. Industry, research laboratories, military etc. would gave everything for tiny, sapient beings able to replace a lot of equipment and be more efficient than it. And due to their limited population they would be most irreplaceable worker in any job.
11380910
Well, it's hard to say, how Nightmare Moon would react to facts, that she can't control day/night cycle and that Celestia is off. It's very probable, that she would follow Grogar's footsteps (maybe more ambitious), as she would be extremly valuable person for a lot of places. Imagine how much would any inteligence agency pay for person able to spy on someones dream...
11381442
That's the point, Nightmare Moon can't do that anymore and the rest of their night/dream-oriented abbilites.
The same with Luna, even if her mind wasn't in her damaged and healing state.
You literally pointed it out in the same comment, they can't even control day/night cycle and everything else.
Also, she isn't really that valuable.
Grogar was because he had much more than magic, personality,experience, and knowledge
Nightmare Moon not so much, if she was just a parasite creature or second personality of Luna, either way she doesn't have much to give unlike Grogar
11381466
Ok, lack of this skill certainly is not improving her valuablity. Still Nightmare (if she exist) lost all reason to be actually dangerous to world, if she second nature of Luna. And alicorn is still alicorn.
11380910
I see three possibilities:
My money's on #3.
EDIT: With perhaps a bit of #2 thrown in.
11389690
I'm still holding out hope for NMM. I would love to see her reaction to everything that has happened and Celestia’s fall.
11389717
That would certainly be fun.
I really wanna see some of the humans' first reactions to the non ponies. Imagine being transferred to the new Space X facility and finding out your new partner is a tiny thin framed fairy horse who lives in a little model neighborhood in a building and has a hankering for spicy mexican tacos. Not to mention coming across the walking cats, the man sized fluffy bird horses, actual dragons, talking yaks, minotaurs straight outta Greek Mythology. Heck or go vice versa and having some of them wondering why they're showing up in some regions ancient myths.
Hell, i'd love to see a kid's first reaction to some of em. Seeing a dragon for the first time ever in your face would be one hell of an experience.
The Storm Creature or Gilda would be wonderful chapters. Heck, I'd love all three of those ideas from how much I enjoy seeing this post-war world you're putting together!
I also do wonder what lurks up on the moon, as well.
Gilda I think would be interesting to see what she is up to. But right now I really want a story about Pinkie because we have seen all the other girls but her. But maybe we need not a story about Pinkie at her worst but a story about Pinkie becoming her best. We need a story of Pinkie getting the gang back together. Because going by this story the girls have hung separately in bad shape so it's time for them to hang back together. And only one Ponk...I mean Pony could possibly get that to happen.
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I think it might be a better effort to try and get the Student 6 back together and for Sandbar (if he's still around) to mend bridges with the others. Can't imagine he wasn't coaxed in some way into giving up Silverstream to the guard. Not to mention it'd fit with trying to mend relations with the ponies in general who basically got supremely screwed over by Celestia. Plus it helps the S6 from what we've seen seem to be living overall more stable lives than the Mane 6.
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Possibly. We have seen two of them living there lives happily to a degree. But I think we need Pinkie to have a case of the Pinkie Sense and know her friends are in trouble. I think the one thing that could get ger out of her current condition is the desire and the need to get them to smile again.
My Little Reviews & Feedback I did your review.
A thing i've wondered: What kind of sheer shock would a human moving in from outside of Lincoln to one of the more congested mixed species cities/towns have? Taking the movie races into account you'd have a whole fantasy kitchensink of all sorts going around.
Lizardpeople, bipedal walking birds, walking talking cats, dragons, griffons, Storm Creatures and who knows what else. It'd be one hell of a flip on someone's perspective even if they followed the war from home.
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I think he's a human.
I'd like to see Rockhoof. When he came out of Limbo he had a hard time finding his place in modern Equestria until he became the Keeper of Tales. But then Convergence happened and now he needed to find a new place in a new world that doesn't give two shits about his home world's tales, so I'm curious to see how he has adjusted again.
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I'd imagine his insane strength would be much in demand given the blurb indicates he's a dock worker. Being able to solo lift those cargo containers among other things would make him invaluable.
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His strength is an asset that a lot of people would want, but what I meant was I was curious of the events leading up to his current life, because despite his obvious strength, I doubt a bunch of humans came up and offered work to someone who is the same species that invaded their world and were now reduced to second class citizens. He might not even be respected at his work, treated as nothing but a beast of burden like an Earth horse, a far cry from when he was revered.
Hope you are doing ok.
you still alive dude?
I look back upon this site to just re read this sometimes, great world building and conversations between characters
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oh damn, understandable then.
11474413 Except that's not Grogar at all.
All of these 'conquering pony' stories have a FATAL flaw: they have to completely change the very nature of the ponies... without ever considering the ramifications of how their society AND military AND magic use would consequently be altered.
It's just one form of favoritism over another. It's as bad as humans actually being able to beat the "Independence Day" aliens by uploading a computer virus... it's completely silly. Good popcorn flick, but totally absurd.
Hi when is the next chapter?
Gracias por el cap. Me gustaría saber qué pasó con Sandbar, Yona y Lyra. Aunque creo que darle una mención a Sombra o Starswirl también sería genial.
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Dude, that gives me a lot of cool ideas for first contact stuff like this!
-Davidtin