Chapter 9 - On the Brink of the Abyss
The elevator ride down to the station’s lower docks was quiet, with neither Flurry nor Oakheart willing to break the silence.
Her failure to disable the enchantment hung in the air between them like a bad odour. She had been running the whole event through in her mind since they had left the hangar, trying desperately to come up with a solution to her quandary.
Magical theory had never been Flurry’s strong point. One of the benefits of being an alicorn was that you didn’t usually need to learn finesse when the magical equivalent of a sledgehammer normally did the trick. Poking around and figuring out how it worked was usually Twilight’s schtick, and that was the last mare she wanted to be thinking about right now.
Flurry tried to calm herself and think, but her heart felt like it was about to burst out of her chest. It had all seemed so simple in her head, but now she was stuck, possibly for a very long time. Worse still, she was no closer to helping Swan or her aerie. Until they got rid of this enchantment, they were all screwed, metaphorically as well as literally.
She cast a glance to Whammy, who had been conspicuously silent as everything had fallen apart. It had been his encouragement that had made her go ahead with this crazy plan in the first place. Was this his way of punishing her for being dragged into all those heists?
She shook her head before the idea took root; she couldn’t be second-guessing him now. He had never led her astray yet. She just needed to think.
Nyx.
That’s right! Nyx will be able to get her out of this, Flurry thought, a thin shard of hope cutting through her fear like sunlight through a storm cloud. Nyx always had a plan, a strategy, and most importantly, good connections. If anypony could find a way to release her, it would be her cousin.
If she’ll help, that is. They hadn’t exactly parted on good terms before the war.
The thought made Flurry waver, but she didn’t linger on it. Once they rescued Nyx, they would come up with a plan to stop Merry. She just needed to focus on the mission for now and keep her head on straight.
Oakheart seemed irritated. He had borne Merry’s company with barely a grimace, but now, he had an expression that could sour honey. His tail swished from side to side, and his ears flicked in annoyance.
“If you’ve got something to say, just say it,” Flurry said, growing tired of the charged silence.
His mouth twisted, probably considering and rejecting several choice epithets. “Why didn’t you come to me first with your plan?” he finally asked.
“We were running out of time and needed his ship. How was I supposed to know the blackwing staff had crazy-strong defense mechanisms?”
He turned and jabbed a hoof at her chest. “While you’re on this station, you’re my responsibility, Ms. Flurry. It’s my duty to keep those under my command safe, not stand by while they sell themselves into slavery.” He let out a sigh and looked away. “Now you’ve taken it out of my hooves.”
Flurry allowed herself a smile. “There wasn’t much you could have done, captain, not in the time we had.”
“I could have done something,” he said with an angry snort. “Harmony is about building trust and helping those that need it, not exploiting others for personal gain. If I allow this to go through, then I will have failed in my duty.”
“So, it’s professional pride then?”
“It’s principle, Ms. Flurry,” he replied sternly.
“And here I thought you cared about little old me,” she said, putting on a tone of mock hurt.
“You’ve caused me enough headaches in the past four hours to last a lifetime. Believe me, getting you free and off my station is going to do wonders for my blood pressure,” he said with a wry smile.
“Come on, captain, your impression of me must have changed ever so slightly by now,” she probed.
Oakheart pondered for a moment before speaking. “A little.”
“Wow, you really know how to throw a girl a bone,” she grumbled.
“Don’t get me wrong, Flurry. You’re still reckless, insubordinate, and don't belong in any uniform,” he said firmly before his expression softened, a smile playing on his muzzle. “But I can see now the compassion for others that drives you. It is… quite the force of nature.”
His smile quickly disappeared as he noticed she was watching him intently, causing him to look away, suddenly finding the elevator controls very interesting.
“Why captain, I didn’t know I was having that effect on you,” she said with a wolfish grin. “I’ll have to watch myself around you in the future.”
The doors hissed open, and she trotted outside with a little swish of her tail and a sway of her hips. “Are you coming? Or are you just gonna keep staring?”
“This mare is going to be the death of me,” he muttered with a shake of his head.
Flurry chuckled as they came around a corner to a corridor lined on one side with large glass windows, looking out onto one of the station’s massive external docking pylons, as well as a spectacular view of the planet Avalon in the background. Outside, there was a clear view of the berth where Merry Weather’s ship was docked.
To say she was surprised would have been an understatement.
“We’re going in that?!” Flurry exclaimed with an incredulous gasp.
There was nothing structurally wrong with the ship. It was a perfect example of pegasus design, resembling some exotic flying fish you might find in the oceans of Mamba, equally at home in the sea or the sky. Two long, curved wings arced elegantly backwards from the large contoured main body of the hull. The ship’s drive section at the rear was concealed beneath yet more gently curving panels of hull plating.
No turrets or antennae blemished its surface, as no self-respecting pegasus would ever let such things ruin the aesthetic. They were hidden away in recessed bays until they were needed. Even the launch tubes for her fighters were concealed behind hatches on the wing’s leading edge. The only blemish was the gaping docking bay on its bow, a necessary compromise for the ship’s intended role.
No, the ship itself wasn’t the problem.
It was the choice of colours that Merry had the ship painted in that was the problem.
The carrier was painted in the same crimson red as all Republic ships. The offense here was that he had decided to add golden feathers across the ship’s wingspan, along with every intake and contour lined with golden flowers and leaves. Worse still, there were paintings of pegasus mares cavorting across the wings and bow, adding to this offence against art. The ship looked like it belonged on a stall in some flea-ridden houndrathi bazaar for gullible tourists.
The name “Glorium” was illuminated on the ship’s bow as if the owner had any idea what that word even meant. If Flurry had encountered this ship in the wild, out in any other part of Dragon’s Head, it probably would have made her thieving senses tingle. It simply screamed “I’m rich, please rob me,” and she couldn’t help but feel sorry for its poor crew.
The carrier had been kept hidden underneath the station proper as if everypony was ashamed to even see it. Ponies in EVA suits were busy loading cargo onto it, and the last of the aerie’s fighters were being shuttled aboard.
The Dream had already been loaded aboard, as per Oakheart’s instructions. He didn’t want the Alliance ships outside catching wind that she was departing, lest they try and stop them.
It was strange that the usual anxiety about her ship being in other ponies’ hooves was gone. She hadn’t felt like this in a long time—trusting others.
“Merry Weather has some unique tastes, but it’ll serve our purpose,” Oakheart said.
“Urgh, Nyx is never going to let me live this down,” Flurry said. “I hope the damn thing will actually work.”
“I should hope so, given the price we—well, the price you paid for it,” he grumbled. “Let’s hope Merry’s crew is at least competent.”
It had surprised Flurry when she learned that Oakheart would be in command of the mission. She could only imagine the resistance Merry put forth when Oak demanded it. Though she suspected the fat pegasus took some glee in the idea of it being a cruel joke, considering the trouble an earth pony was going to have getting around inside the ship.
Soon, they were walking through the main space bridge connected to the Glorium. The passageway was full of pegasi, flitting to and fro as they made preparations for departure. Most were too busy to notice, but those that did all stopped to gawk at them as they passed by.
After passing through the main airlock, they boarded the Glorium, entering the expansive corridors of the carrier proper.
The ship was broken up into several large atriums that led to the various decks. The corridors were wide with tall arched ceilings that were hidden behind projections of blue cloudy skies. A gentle breeze wafted through the open spaces, dancing across her feathers as she walked. She hadn’t felt this sense of space aboard a starship in a long time.
Unfortunately for Oakheart, there were no elevators or stairs connecting the decks. Such things weren’t needed when your entire crew had wings.
They came to the atrium that served as access to the carrier’s flight deck far below. Pegasi were busy flitting between the levels as they rushed to get the ship ready.
Oakheart’s expression narrowed into a scowl, and he let out a snort as he stood on the precipice, staring into the chasm below. "They were supposed to have made this ship earth pony-accessible before they came to Harmony.”
“You didn’t really think they expected an earth pony to actually want to come aboard, did you?” she asked.
“We all must adapt sooner or later, Ms. Flurry,” he replied before swallowing nervously as he eyed the drop.
“You need any help?” she asked, holding back a chuckle.
“I need to get up to the bridge,” he said reluctantly, looking up towards the top of the atrium. “So yes, I’d appreciate it.”
She grinned, taking to the air and hooking her forelegs around his to lift him up off the deck.
“Comfy?”
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
“Oh absolutely,” she said with a devilish grin, arching her body so they headed towards the drop.
“Okay, gentlyyy!!!!” he cried as she soared off the edge and into the open space.
A few pegasi stopped to watch the ridiculous display of an earth pony being hefted up by Flurry’s forelegs like a filly’s teddy bear. Looking down, she could see his eyes were tightly closed as he muttered something to himself over and over again.
She was half tempted to pretend to drop him, but that would’ve been cruel to the poor stallion. His pride was already taking a hefty hit as it was.
It didn’t take long for them to reach the platform that led to the bridge. There, she recognised the dark-green stallion who stood beside a set of blast doors. It was one of Merry’s cronies from earlier. He gave them both a bemused smile as she came in to land.
She gently set Oakheart down onto the platform, where he immediately let out a sigh of relief at being on solid ground again. He then straightened his slightly crumpled uniform and composed himself.
“You okay there, cap’n?” she asked with a smirk, earning an unamused glare from him.
“I don’t like heights,” he said.
“You can ride on my back on the way down if you’d like,” she offered with a sly smile. “Or maybe I could hold you in my forelegs like a swooning maiden being rescued by her dashing knight.”
His tail flicked. “I’d prefer you just dangle me like a sack of potatoes.”
“Aww, you’re no fun.”
Satisfied his uniform was presentable, Oakheart trotted forward to the waiting pegasus.
“Ah, Captain Oakheart, a pleasure to see you, and may I say, such a graceful entrance,” the pegasus stallion said, his mocking tone immediately ruffling Flurry’s feathers. “My name is Downdraft. I am the shipmaster of our esteemed Lord Merry Weather, and I will be your liaison during this operation.”
“Thank you, Downdraft.” Oakheart said, any residual signs of discomfort disappearing under that professional mask. “What is our status on loading?”
“Loading is seventy-five percent complete. We were just securing our new pet alicorn’s ship,” Downdraft replied, offering a smug look in Flurry’s direction.
Oakheart subtly side-stepped to place himself between them. “Estimated departure time?”
“Twenty minutes, depending on how quickly your soldiers load their equipment,” Downdraft said, opening the door to the command deck. “If you’ll come this way, I’ll show you the bridge.”
Oakheart trotted inside, following Downdraft’s gesture. Flurry moved to follow but found her way blocked by an outstretched wing. “The bridge is for officers only, blackwing—learn your place.”
Flurry glowered at him and was about to retort when Oakheart intervened.
“Shipmaster, Ms. Flurry Heart is here under my invitation. I suggest you let her through,” he said sternly.
“I will not foul the bridge of his lordship’s carrier with the likes of her,” Downdraft sneered, raising his nose haughtily at her before returning his gaze to Oak. “And you will know your place as well, dirt pony. You’re only here because of his lordship’s gener—”
“Enough of this!” Flurry exclaimed, her patience finally giving out.
With a fluid movement, Flurry slammed her hoof into the bulkhead behind the shipmaster’s head. With a startled jerk, Downdraft stumbled against the wall, turning a fearful eye toward the looming alicorn.
“Now you listen to me, you pompous sycophant,” Flurry growled, leaning in close to him. “The only reason you’re still able to eat solid food right now is that the captain here doesn’t appreciate me removing your teeth in his presence.” She looked over to Oakheart and gave him a sly wink. “I suggest you cooperate and let me through, so we can get underway. And if I hear you haven’t been following his orders, I’m going to be extremely upset. My enchantment has no restriction at the moment. You would be wise to remember that.”
Downdraft gulped as the implication sank in. “O-of course, r-right this way.”
He scurried past Oakheart and disappeared into the bridge.
“Welcome to the Flurry Heart style of negotiation,” she announced proudly, fluffing her wings.
She had been playing nice for far too long, so it felt good to let off some steam. If Merry’s cronies thought she was going to just roll over for them, they were in for a nasty surprise.
The earth pony gawked at her with a raised eyebrow. “You never cease to amaze me, Ms. Flurry.”
She smiled. “I aim to please.”
The bridge was a large dome, covered in projectors that were currently giving a panoramic view of the outside. Several open balconies on the upper levels wrapped around the dome, each dotted with crew stations. At the rear of the bridge was the navigator’s station, where an imperious-looking unicorn mare sat glaring at them.
There were two flight couches on the port side, currently occupied with crew members preparing the ship for departure. Impressively, it only required these two in order to get this massive ship moving. There was no need for the rows of flight couches and consoles like those seen on Alliance ships.
On the starboard side, the room was dominated by an enormous captain’s chair that was more like a throne than a tactical command center. Marble sculptures of pegasi mares sat near either side of the chair, heads bowed in reverence with golden vines and plants wrapped around the throne. A plethora of cushions festooned the seat to ensure its bloated master was comfortable.
Behind this throne was the heart of the carrier’s flight operations. Holographic projections would relay all of the carrier’s sensor data, as well as the information gathered from their flight group, creating a three-dimensional view of the tactical situation.
A few more officers stood, glaring at Flurry and Oakheart as they approached. She recognised a few from her branding ceremony, their styled manes and embellished uniforms unpleasant reminders of the event. She felt her gorge rise just looking at them, and her eyes narrowed as her gaze shifted from one to the next.
“Shipmaster, why have you allowed one of our lord’s pets on the bridge?” a stallion asked.
Flurry eyed Downdraft carefully as the pegasus swallowed and adjusted his collar.
“S-she has permission to be here. She is part of Captain Oakheart’s staff,” Downdraft stammered, hurriedly trotting over to his compatriot.
“That dirt pony?” the stallion sneered, only for him to pale considerably as Downdraft whispered something in his ear. He then cast a nervous glance at Flurry and gulped, his wings trembling. “U-um I mean, welcome aboard the Glorium, Captain Oakheart.”
“Thank you. I hope that we can all work together amicably during this mission,” Oakheart replied.
“Or else,” Flurry added.
“Of course, captain,” Downdraft replied, getting vigorous nods from the others.
“Excellent. I’d like to review the navigation schedule before we depart,” Oakheart said, a slight smirk cracking that professional mask as he trotted up to join them.
“Why captain, are you enjoying yourself?” Flurry chuckled to herself as she stepped up to join him at the tactical plotting table.
<=======ooO Ooo=======>
Swan Song gazed out of the viewport into the swirling immaterium as the Glorium ploughed its way through Mirrorspace at a steady pace. The flight control office at the bow of the ship gave her a front-seat view of the etherium building up on the Glorium’s bow like a slowly creeping frost. The room itself was, thankfully, quiet.
When operations were in full swing, this place would be bustling with activity, handling the launches and landings of the carrier’s air wing. While the ship was underway and their ships were all parked up, it was quite peaceful, the consoles and control stations lying empty. It was one of the few places a blackwing could walk without drawing the ire of the nobles.
Their launch from the station had been an unremarkable affair, not even drawing the attention of the Alliance flotilla that was parked outside. The warships had no idea what notorious cargo they were carrying and had done nothing to impede their ship’s passage.
Riptide and his squadron had escorted them for as far as they could before returning to their patrol route around the station. The stallion had been stuck on patrol outside of Harmony when the Fleeting Dream showed up, and he had been chomping at the bit to get involved. Unfortunately, somepony had to stay behind to maintain the patrols around the station while she and Blitz were away.
A smile crept onto Swan’s muzzle as she remembered him waggling his wings at them before he had to turn back. She would have to grab a few rounds of drinks from the distillery for them when they got back.
Swan let out a sigh, feeling weariness tugging at her, both emotional and physical. She hadn’t had any respite in the past eighteen hours, and she was exhausted. And on top of that, ever since Flurry Heart had arrived, she had been jumping from one crisis to the next without even a moment to recover.
She still couldn’t decide what she should make of this whole thing. All at once, everything had been ripped away and then restored again by the same mare, who now had given up everything herself to buy their involvement for this mission to save her cousin. Was it simple expedience or perhaps something more that motivated the strange mare?
Without a doubt, when she had looked into the alicorn’s eyes, she could see an earnest desire to help. Those were not the eyes of somepony who was faking it for a short term gain. In her heart, Swan wanted to believe that Last Shadow—no, Flurry Heart would help them. Still, forgetting all that history was a whole other problem.
She scratched her mane with a hoof, letting out an angry groan. The effort of trying to figure this whole mess out made her head ache. Eventually, she realised that the only way she was going to find any reprieve would be to speak with Flurry Heart again.
The door slid open, and Swan turned to face the newcomer.
“Hey, Swan, I’ve been lookin for ya,” Blitz called. “We’ve been called in for a briefing. The rest of the squadron leaders are there as well.”
Duty calls.
“Okay, let’s see what rock-brained plan our dirt pony captain has come up with,” she said with a sigh, taking to the air with a gentle flap of her wings.
“Come on, Swan. He’s been pretty straight with us so far,” he said with a sigh.
“I know, I know,” she conceded. “He’s not as bad as Merry or Downdraft, that’s for sure. But it’s the principle of it. A dirt pony in command of pegasi?” She shuddered at the thought.
She was still trying to figure out how Oakheart had managed to convince Merry to go along with him taking command. Earth ponies had little grasp of pegasus tactics, as they preferred to huddle up behind their guns. They had no instinct for flight. An Alliance ship was not so much flown as it was a heavily armored building that was moved about in zero-G.
Still, anypony was better than Downdraft.
“Earth ponies, zebras, alicorns? Who else is going to join this mission?” Blitz exclaimed with a chuckle as they headed down towards the hangars.
“I know what you mean. It’s been a hell of a day,” she said as she worked her neck. “I’m not sure I can take any more surprises.”
“Speaking of…” he began, scratching his chin. “What’s the plan with Last Shadow? Some of the others have been asking about it.”
Swan let out a heavy sigh. “We play along for now. We need her just as much as she needs us, at the moment. What happens after that? I guess we’ll have to see.”
“Last Shadow in our aerie… I’m still wrapping my head around it,” he said, a playful smile forming on his muzzle, which gave Swan a bad feeling. “Still, she seems nice after you get past the ‘mess with me and I use your head as a bowling ball’ vibe she has goin’ on at times. And she ain’t hard on the eyes, if you catch my drift.”
He waggled his eyebrows at her.
“Really? Last Shadow joins our aerie—the most wanted mare in the Republic—and that’s your first thought?”
He shrugged. “Our lives are short, Swanny. Gotta enjoy it while you can, and besides, I’d love to get my face trapped between those thighs.” He gave a lurid grin before abruptly looking away. “Though, she ain’t a patch on you, Swan.”
“Come on, don’t even joke about things like that!” she said. “I need your head in the game, not off chasing tail.”
His ears tilted back. “R-right,” he stammered, but the confidence quickly returned to his voice. “Don’t worry, it won’t be a problem. Something to aim for though, right? A guy’s gotta have hope.”
“Keep dreaming, stud,” she said.
“Yeah,” he sighed, his ears going completely flat. “Keep dreaming.”
Swan shook her head, and they continued on until they arrived at one of the Glorium’s briefing rooms.
“Best faces for the chicks, mother hen,” Blitz said as they landed outside the door.
“Urgh, will you stop calling me that?” she groaned.
“After that reaction? No way,” he said before opening the door and gesturing for her to go inside first. “After you.”
“Thanks,” she said, giving him a scowl.
Inside, her chosen pilots were already sitting on the tiered cloud chairs with her most experienced flight leaders seated at the front. Twenty four in total, these were the best combat pilots her aerie had to offer.
Most gathered here were ponies she had known since flight school, but she had rarely seen them since coming to Harmony. Because the more experienced pilots had to be spread out to act as flight leaders for the younger members of the aerie, they often missed each other due to their shifts. One benefit of this mission was that she could pool them together once again.
Any lingering doubt she might have had about their feelings towards her evaporated as they all rose and saluted her in unison.
She returned the salute. “At ease. It’s good to see you all together again, my friends. Thank you all for volunteering.” She gave them a bow, feeling her heart swell.
In truth, she had been a little frightened when she had asked her aerie to join her on the mission. There were still a lot of mixed feelings about Last Shadow joining them. And considering her own failings with the alicorn, she wasn’t sure how many of them would still follow her after being so soundly humiliated.
“You know, Swan, I’m a bit insulted you didn’t ask any of us to join you on your little bout against Last Shadow,” Contrail called from amongst the bomber pilots at the back. The steel-grey stallion with a wispy white mane made his way down to join her.
He was the leader of Tomahawk squadron, the aerie’s bomber group, and had been asked to join them at Oakheart’s insistence. Swan was curious what kind of threat needed that amount of firepower, considering this was just a rescue operation.
“Well, next time there’s a certain-death mission on the cards, I know who to call,” Swan said, giving him a hoof bump.
He laughed. “It’s a date then. Somepony has to pull your tail out of the fire, and it sure won’t be Blitz.”
“Hey!” Blitz cried.
“Heard you got your flank spanked, Blitz. By a mare as well. I didn’t think you were into that kind of thing,” Contrail grinned, fluffing his wings.
“Pfft, please, as if you could have done any better,” Blitz dismissed with a hoof wave.
“That a challenge, Blitz?”
“Like you have the balls to accept even if it was,” Blitz growled as the two stallions squared up.
Swan just rolled her eyes. They were always like this when they got together. While those two were washing down the decks with testosterone, she trotted over to the others.
After spotting Cinnamon Swirl waving at her, Swan trotted over to join in. Beside her sat a purple stallion named Wind Whisper, her wingmate of several years now. He gave her a typically quiet nod as she approached.
“Hey, Swan,” Cinnamon said, shifting nervously in her seat. “Thank you for asking me to join the mission. I know I’m not the best—”
Swan placed a hoof on her shoulder. “I wouldn’t have asked you if you weren’t good enough, Cinnamon.”
Cinnamon gave a weak smile. “Are you okay? You’ve been through a lot today.”
“I’m fine,” she replied. “Well, as fine as can be expected.”
“If you need us for anything, Swan, we’re here,” Wind Whisper said quietly.
“Thank you both,” she said, giving them a warm smile. Looking up to her gathered friends, she saw nods of encouragement and smiles. In that moment, she wondered how she ever doubted her aerie.
Suddenly, the door hissed open, making everypony look to the entrance.
“We’re finally here! Those pillow-stuffers really know how to make a convoluted ship layout,” a kirin mare announced as she strode confidently into the room at the head of a group of earth ponies and a zebra.
Swan had heard of the Kirin race in one of the many strange stories about Equus during her academy years, but she had never seen even a picture, let alone one in the flesh.
The mare towered over them, her legs and body bulging with taut muscle. Her chestnut coat was mostly hidden beneath a figure-hugging black undersuit, her voluminous rusty red mane encompassing her head and practically bursting from the chest of her suit. Her tail was longer, more like a lion’s than a pony’s, and it swished around like a whip. Yet probably the oddest thing was a strip of what looked like green scales running along her snout! Her horn also wasn’t like a unicorn’s; it was smooth and black, curving up her head and splitting into two points at the top.
“These are the bunch that are going to be watching our flanks out there? Celestia save us!” the kirin mare said with a contemptuous snort.
“Indeed,” a snooty orange earth pony mare said from behind her, brushing her permed purple mane with a hoof.
Swan let out a snort. “You got something to say?”
She trotted right up to the kirin, standing almost snout to snout despite their size difference. Blitz and Contrail attempted to join her but were promptly intercepted by the other members of the kirin’s squad.
“Looky, looky, the little pillow-stuffer has some bark,” the kirin said with a laugh. “Hey, I know you, you’re the little filly that got her tail whooped by Flurry Heart.”
Swan blushed, but held her ground. “Yeah, that’s me, though last time I checked, you security pukes didn’t fare any better.”
The kirin raised an eyebrow for a moment, before letting out a bellowing laugh, a tiny spark of flame dancing above her horn, “You’re alright, kid.”
“Come on Firey, stop bullying the poor mare,” Chief Flintlock called, stepping between them and giving the kirin a look. “Or else I’ll tell everypony your real name.”
The kirin bristled. “There’s no need for that, chief.” She reached out and gave Swan a light pat on the shoulder that made her stagger. “See, we’re all good.”
The thestral gave an easy smile. “Sorry, Lieutenant Swan, I hope these idiots haven’t been giving you too much trouble.”
“Nothing I couldn’t handle,” she replied, giving him a salute.
She’d had a few run-ins with the security chief in the past after some fights with the earth pony work crews had gotten out of hoof. A level of bias towards the earth ponies was to be expected, but the thestral had shown himself to be a fair and reasonable judge in their encounters thus far.
“Let me introduce you to the Magic and Weapons Squad. This is Fire Hawk,” Flint said, gesturing to the kirin beside him. “Don’t let her attitude fool you. She’s a good pony, just… don’t get her angry. Seriously don’t, it’s a real pain trying to buff out the scorch marks.”
Fire Hawk grinned devilishly, her tail flicking from side to side.
Scorch marks? Swan gulped.
“The prissy one over there is Princess,” he said, pointing to the tall mare with a white coat speckled with brown, who was currently examining her hooves with disinterest.
“Who are you calling prissy,” Princess huffed haughtily.
“Just ignore her,” Flint said.
“Yeah, daddy hasn’t given her her allowance yet,” Fire Hawk teased, earning chuckles from the other ponies of their troop.
“Screw you, tinderbox,” Princess hissed.
“Any time, anywhere.”
A smaller strawberry roan coloured earth pony mare giggled at the two mares squabbling, her scruffy blue mane seeming like an untamed animal.
“That’s Echo. Take a wild guess what her talent is,” Flint said.
Swan looked to the mare with a frown. “Surprise me.”
“Surprise me,” Echo repeated, her voice a perfect match of Swan Song’s.
“Whoa!” Blitz exclaimed as more of the pilots came down to inspect the newcomers.
“I do cutiemark parties on request,” Echo grinned, giving a subtle bow, her accent not one Swan was familiar with.
“Cutiemark? Oh! One of those butt stickers you Equus ponies have,” Blitz grinned, his voice switching to the style Swan was familiar with whenever he saw a mare he liked. “So what’s yours?”
“Maybe I’ll show you some time,” Echo chuckled coyly.
Does that stallion have any self-control at all?! Swan lamented internally.
Flint sighed and pointed to the last of their group, a stoic zebra stallion with several golden ear clamps. “That over there is Priest. He’s the spiritualist of our little group.”
The zebra bowed his head, uttering something in a strange dialect.
“What’s he doing?” she whispered to Flint.
“Giving you a blessing,” Flint replied with a shrug. “Or he could be... we’re never quite sure. It’s sorta like a good luck charm for us.”
Swan gingerly nodded her head, wondering just what she had accepted. “Umm, thanks.”
The zebra smiled gently. “I hope fortune favours our mission together. I am proud to have you watching over us as we go into battle.”
“We won’t let you down,” she assured, and she meant it. These ponies were relying on them as an escort, and she wasn’t going to disappoint.
Swan looked to see other squadron leaders chatting with the new arrivals. It surprised her how quickly they warmed to Flint’s squad, ranks and positions forgotten.
Suddenly, Flint gave Swan a nudge and gestured towards the door.
“Squad, attention! Officer on deck!” Flint yelled, making everypony snap to attention out of reflex.
Swan followed his gaze toward the door, where Oakheart and Flurry Heart were standing. She straightened, giving them a salute, which the earth pony then returned.
“Thank you, chief,” Oakheart said. “Now, everypony take a seat.”
They all scurried back to their seats while Flint’s squad stared bemused at the cloud chairs.
“How am I meant to sit on this?” Princess grumbled.
“Just sit your plot down, would you?” Fire Hawk hissed as the lights fell and a large holographic projection appeared in front of them.
Swan watched as Flurry Heart sat down amongst the marines, giving a few hoof bumps to them as she did so.
Above the audience, a holographic image formed, taking up most of the room. It was a three-dimensional representation of a dense asteroid field, with a very unusual looking capital ship at its centre. Swan had never seen this class of ship before, and her first thought was that it seemed out of proportion with the scale grid overlaying the scene. In addition to this ship were multiple points of interest, most notably the icon of a nearby wreckage field as well as a cruiser-class contact some distance off to the side, with an arrow indicating it was off the view at this magnification.
“This is the ECS Orion,” Oakheart began, his voice booming across the room. “She’s a Commonwealth vessel en route to Harmony station, where she will be outfitted for an extended classified mission. From the data packet we have been provided by Ms. Flurry Heart, the Orion stopped in the Huerth system to answer a distress call from a civilian mining operation. It turned out to be a houndrathi ambush. While the Orion successfully destroyed the attackers, she blew out her Nexus cores in the fight and is now running on CAPS with only four hours remaining before total life support failure. She’s now completely disabled, and there are over seven hundred personnel aboard counting on us. Those are the stakes, people.”
Everypony straightened to listen, and what little chatter was in the air quickly faded to silence.
The holographic view then zoomed out until the previous field of view was a tenth its former size. At this scale, the cruiser contact came into view. It was marked, “Unknown: Elderberry.”
“You’ll notice this cruiser on the scene, sitting outside weapons range. Sensor analysis concludes this is an older Alliance Elderberry-class cruiser, possibly modified. The cruiser has not answered hails, nor does she bear an IFF signature. With her intentions unknown, we have to assume the worst until we can get proper intel. We’ve been trying unsuccessfully to raise the Orion on Mirrorcomm, so it could be she’s being jammed.”
“Honestly, they didn’t even have the power to send out a proper signal,” Flurry pointed out. “Nyx had to hook herself directly to the transmitter just for us to talk. There’s no way you’re going to get a response at this point—especially this far out.”
“Right. So with time against us,” Oak continued, “phase one of the operation will involve only our fastest ships. Sabre squadron will escort the Fleeting Dream to where the Orion is disabled. Your insertion point will be here.”
The tactical display zoomed in close to the Orion again, where a green reticle hovered nearby in space.
“Once you arrive on-site, the Fleeting Dream will serve as a communications relay back to the Glorium. At that point, we will direct the engagement from here.”
“With respect, sir,” Swan interjected, “we only have one capital ship. Even if the fighters could get there first, we’d be stuck in Mirrorspace until you arrive to jump us out. And I also need to point out how hazardous it would be to open up a jump point right in the thick of this mess,” she expressed while waving a hoof around the room. “We’re likely to slam straight into an asteroid as we exit.”
Oakheart deferred to Flurry Heart, who was standing beside him at the front of the room with that creepy plushie still clinging to her jacket like some kind of misshapen parrot.
Flurry cleared her throat and took a step forward. “Don’t worry, I’ll thread the needle for us nice and safe. I’ve done this plenty of times,” she stated.
“If you think you can, then fine, but what about the missing capital ship? Are you going to tell me that pirate ship of yours has its own jump drive?”
After a pause, Flurry glanced around the room at nothing in particular while nodding her head slightly. “Um, yes, I… suppose that’s correct.” She then locked her gaze directly on Swan’s, a slight smile playing at the corner of her mouth.
Murmurs spread around the room at the revelation that a corvette-sized ship was actually jump-capable.
This was absurd. Swan could feel her ears heating up. “What? And when exactly were you planning on telling us this, L—Flurry?”
“It’s not something I’m fond of sharing,” Flurry remarked casually.
“Yes, so… the Fleeting Dream will lead Sabre squadron on the quickest route through Mirrorspace,” Oak quickly resumed. “Additionally, and I need you to be prepared for this, Sabre’s objective is a one-way trip until the Glorium arrives for refueling. We have calculated the optimal launch window so that you have enough fuel. Once you arrive, you will have to hold your own until we get there some thirty minutes later. This shouldn’t be a problem versus a cruiser. Just stay outside her point-defense flak zone and make sure she doesn’t get any fighters out—mercs have been known to strap a few onto anything with a secure hull.
A commotion roused among the Sabre pilots. “Are you kidding me?” somepony said. Swan’s emotions boiled to the surface.
“Sorry, what? Now you’re expecting us to put our lives in the hooves of— to trust that she can get us to the right spot, a half-hour ahead of the Glorium, jump out of Mirrorspace in one piece, and hold our own against who knows what opposition while running on fumes until you all show up? Am I hearing this right?”
“I understand your concerns, lieutenant,” Flurry stated calmly while looking Swan straight in the eye. “But time is our enemy here, and we can’t afford to wait for the carrier to make her way to the Orion. We must act as soon as possible. I have a lot of experience with this type of thing. I’ll get us there in one piece, I swear by the Winds.”
Swan wanted to reject her proposal outright, but there was something in the alicorn’s eyes that made her pause. It was a confidence, a conviction she had rarely seen in another pony. Her whole body practically radiated it. This was not merely her opinion; it was practically a statement of fact.
“I’ll hold you to that,” she said. “Continue, captain.”
“Thank you, lieutenant,” Oak said with a nod. “After jumping in, Sabre squadron will secure the space around the Orion and attempt to make contact with the cruiser to verify her intentions. You’ll provide cover to ensure Ms. Flurry Heart is able to deliver Chief Flintlock and his squads, who will then secure the ship from the inside. It’s quite possible that she’s already been boarded.”
“What kind of hostiles might we find aboard the ship, sir?” Fire Hawk chimed in.
“We suspect Syndicate, so most likely mercs and feral changelings,” Oak replied. “This is why you and Princess are there with the big guns.”
“I am the big gun,” Fire Hawk quipped, stirring up random chuckles among her squad.
“Depending on the level of resistance,” Oak continued, “once the Glorium arrives, we’ll deploy Falchion, Rapier, and Tomahawk squadrons. The bombers will take out the cruiser’s weapons, should she prove hostile, with the interceptor corvettes providing cover in case any supporting ships have arrived on the scene.”
“Seems a bit overkill,” Princess commented. “You sure this much firepower is even necessary? A Houndrathi ambush and an obsolete Alliance cruiser… Feels like amateur night, to be honest.”
“The Director was unwilling to take the risk, corporal,” Oak replied. “Recovering the Orion successfully is of the highest priority to her, and recovering her captain is a very high-value rescue.”
“A very high-value rescue,” Echo repeated, matching his tone in a way Swan found a touch creepy.
“Once everything is secure, we will conduct emergency repairs and the Glorium will provide auxiliary power for the Orion’s life support while she is towed back to Harmony. I’m sending deployment data to your holo-braces, so I suggest you review it when you can.”
A soft beep from Oakheart’s holo-brace drew his attention, and his shoulders stiffened slightly. “Now, an important guest wishes to say a few words.”
Everypony straightened in their seats, and any murmurs that had been passing between Swan’s pilots were quickly snuffed out. The hologram of the asteroid field vanished and was replaced by a projection of a well-dressed pony, standing near the central podium.
There was an audible gasp from the front of the room, and all eyes turned to see Flurry Heart, whose wings trembled uncontrollably at her sides. Her eyes were wide as saucers, transfixed on the image before her.
“May I introduce you all to the Director of the Harmony Initiative, Twilight Sparkle.” Oakheart announced.
Swan had only seen this elusive alicorn once, when she and her aerie had first arrived on the station. She seemed like an ordinary pony at first—ordinary, until one took in the wings, the horn and that subtle feeling that she wasn’t quite a pony any longer, but something more.
Swan Song remembered her meeting with this alicorn vividly. The mare had been warm and welcoming, like the first sun after a cold night. She had an energy and enthusiasm which could only inspire those around her.
Yet, the alicorn that appeared before them today was different. Her ears were flattened and she looked hesitant as she gazed across the presentation stage to where Flurry Heart stood, bristling with emotion.
The air became thick as the pair locked eyes with each other, an unspoken conversation passing between them in those few seconds. The effect on Flurry Heart was immediate. She jumped to her hooves, her wings outstretched, like she was about to lunge at the image before her. Her whole body trembled with rage, raw energy emanating out of the alicorn, causing everypony’s ears to pop from the change in air pressure. Swan could even feel a vibration pass up her body through the deck as the very room trembled.
Then, as quickly as it had started, the room calmed down as Flurry Heart appeared to relax. She looked to Twilight one last time, giving the mare a snort before trotting outside, leaving the alicorn visibly shaken.
Twilight swallowed, her composure returning swiftly. “I apologize for that. My niece and I have a bit of bad blood between us.”
“A bit more than bad blood,” Fire Hawk commented.
“Can it, Fiery,” Flint warned.
“Quite alright, Chief Flintlock,” Twilight said with a sigh. The alicorn took a breath before continuing. “Now, I’m afraid my time is limited, so I’ll simply say thank you. Thank you all for undertaking this mission, not just as a Director, but as a mother afraid for her daughter.”
Emotion rolled off her voice like a wave, her lips trembling as a slight crack formed in her mask of composure. “It brings me great pride to see so many ponies of different tribes and nations, working together to help their fellow pony.” The alicorn bowed her head. “My prayers are with you all, and I know you won’t let me down. Good luck.”
And with that, her image disappeared and light returned to the room.
A somber silence blanketed the briefing room, with nopony willing to break it.
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Hmmm, seems Twilight isn't Flurry's BAE any longer...
Also, of course Twilight is behind the Harmony Initiative. It just makes sense!
Half-expecting Twilight to be Nyx's "good connection" here. And if it isn't, it sounds like a good way for Flurry to find herself in yet another mess or in debt to someone else, given the 24-hour time limit places some pretty hard restrictions on her negotiating power.
Because of course that'd be Merry's ship. Don't know why I would have expected anything else
I'm mildly surprised Merry's cronies don't have a way to deal with uppity blackwings without dragging them in front of Merry himself. Perhaps it's unusual for them to be separated by Merry by this much?
This doesn't sound abusable or anything. Certainly could be used to fool someone important, although the apparentl prevalence of holographic communication could make that difficult.
Curious what Flurry's standard response to those who ask about Whammy.
Yikes, that isn't your standard "parted-ways-after-an-argument" kind of reaction. Really makes me wonder what in the world happened back then.
I'm also kind of curious whether Twilight noticed Flurry's now-black wings.
Can't wait to see what surprises are in store when the operation proper starts. Can't imagine the ship shadowing the Orion is anything normal.
I honestly wonder just what happened between Twi and Flurry that got the latter so ticked off at her...
10249855
Normally, any blackwing who was rebellious in this way would pay for it dearly once getting back to Merry.
Twilight and Flurry having bad blood hit me harder then I expected, but it makes sense. Flurry’sthe biggest criminal in the galaxy and I can imagine Twilight does very much not approve.
Can’t wait for ship battles to ensue
10250084
first one to notice!
I suspected Twilight as the director but did not expect Flurry's reaction at all. I wonder what happened between them and whether Flurry's career as a pirate might have been a result of this or the other way around.
Anyways, onward to the rescue. It appears we'll going to get some answers as to the identity of Nyx's pursuers.
Dear Oakheart and Flurry,
Just besito already! Muchos Smooches! Gorsh!
10250090
Former military. We got pretty good at slipping in and catching things like that.
10250420
hehe, yeah Merry has a lot of people gunning for them
10250420
On this note, I have to say that comeuppance is actually a lot harder to design than people might think.
Just how such a thing happens has a huge impact on reader impression of the main characters and the whole dynamic of who they are and how they operate as real people. It's super easy to accidentally give the wrong impression. For example, there are a lot of real-life politically-charged hot topics flying around out there these days which have to do with powerful people abusing women. The whole #metoo issue, "empowerment" and such. For the protagonists (who almost all happen to be female by coincidence) to rise up and just take unflavored vengeance on the oppressor could very easily send the wrong message.
Also, as you have noted, there are many different views on just what would be the best result. I myself have fallen in the "harsher the better" category when we were designing the story. But the team has taken into account the message certain types of comeuppance would send to the reader. While I won't spoil the results, I'll say that everything plays out in a way that has taken careful consideration to how these characters would respond if they were actual real-life people. This has always been our aim when writing our characters -- to make them as realistic as possible in terms of how they think, feel, talk, and act. That takes precedence over doing things for drama's sake. So, whatever happens, rest assured that this is how these people would actually respond to the situation.
10250607
I'm sure I won't be disappointed by whatever method is used for dealing with the roughly pony shaped scum. I'm just pointing out that, when it comes to "giving him what he deserves", slow and agonizing isn't necessarily better.
Maybe it'll bring a bit more satisfaction, but as far as he is concerned, once it's over, dead is dead. The only ones the method used will affect at that point are the others involved. And that, I suppose, is the part that agrees 100% with what you're saying.
And on an unrelated note...
All this time I've been thinking Nyx was Luna's alias, much like Last Shadow was Flurry's.
Should I assume this is taking place in the "Past Sins" verse, just a couple millennia down the line?
10250716
Yes, effectively. Though we have taken massive liberties with the source material. Nyx is the literal part of "Nightmare Moon" which was not specifically Luna. She had a childhood, grew up, matured, and came unto her own in a whole huge elaborate story which we have designed.
Adult Nyx is my personal creation, whereas adult Flurry is Duvet's personal creation. This is a joint venture between us, and the saga goes on for far, far longer than just this story, in both directions in time.
10250736
So an AU of an AU. I'm on board with this. This suddenly makes a couple things make a bit more sense.
So far, I've enjoyed the storytelling here. This is some quality work, and I'm looking forward for the next chapter.
Have a thumbs up, and I'm tracking this.
See, that's your problem right there. You assumed it wouldn't, that there'd be no chance of such a thing. Which, when you consider how this is a staff that's supposed to basically enslave any pony to the whims of the master, isn't an assumption that'd make sense. If one could really just forcibly "break free" of the spell whenever they wanted, then why haven't all of the blackwings just done that already? I mean, heaven forbid, they've got plenty of motivation to--somebody's gotta do Merry in, after all.
Point is, there was no justification for such an assumption. You just banked on yourself being alicorn enough that the rules wouldn't apply to you, and now it's bit you in the flank.
But that all said, I'm still confident you'll work out a solution in the end and soon--the universe literally cannot withstand the idea of Merry being victorious on this. It'll have to implode in on itself first.
There is that, though. Oakheart here keeps going on about Harmony protecting Flurry throughout this, but I had strong doubts about whether or not that was ever actually true from the start, especially on the grounds that ponies such as Merry even exist on this place to begin with. Oakheart means well, but his control over the whole place is still rather limited, and thus, in turn, so was that protection he was trying to provide.
But it's nice he cares.
Shouldn't they have machines for that? That way they can do it quicker, faster, safer, and probably cheaper too. I mean, if they've got all this other tech, I struggle to see why there should be any need for ponies having to don a EVA suit and do this manually, especially while docked at what is effectively its home port.
I would think that they'd have to be, on the grounds that its obvious to all that Merry himself is not.
Aw, don't worry--it can't get any more fouled up than what Merry's already done to it.
Little of both.
Of course she is. I mean, I sort figured she'd tie into it at some point--it's right up her ally.
10250749
Awesome. Welcome aboard! You're in for quite a ride.
And yes, I suppose "AU of AU" is as accurate enough description as is needed at this time. It does go a bit beyond that and leans more toward "Original IP heavily inspired by" territory, if I was to be entirely accurate. We've put several years of work into our saga, and the more elaborate and complete it became, the more we realized we truly needed to be 100% "at the helm" of the entire story, start to finish.
Incidentally, Flurry constantly referring to Nyx as "my cousin" is because Twilight is her aunt. So literal cousins. Though Nyx was adopted, so not cousins by blood. Nyx's actual identity and origins are far more complex and elaborate than I probably should get into here at this time.
If you want to read more about Nyx, you can follow the links on my user page to a story I've been working on for many years, which is quite a read even though it's unfinished.
10250758
Someone has to keep the dockers union happy
10250768
It just doesn't seem practical--never mind the clunky logisitics needed to keep the pony alive while maneuvering out in space like that, one machine will always be able to move more cargo per trip than any one pony could themselves (magic or otherwise), and would need fewer all working together so to move the same amount of cargo, so it just strikes me as more practical to rely on the machines instead.
I mean, sure, it'd create more jobs for people if we just made offices work without computers...but it's more practical and profitable to use computers than to hire people to do the same jobs but at a slower rate. Not to mention it'd overall take up more space, a valuable resource one does not want to squander in space flight.
10250758
You tempt me to post a conversation we had on Discord recently, contemplating trolling the audience by turning the tables and making the whole thing with Merry entirely justified.
I'd paste it here, but it might give half the fans a brain aneurysm.
10250763
Yea, I never caught the cousin thing for whatever reason. Probably something along the lines of I seem to recall Celestia being Cadance's aunt, and i've probably read so many fanfics that showed Celestia as Twilights mother/mother figure that it just didn't seem odd enough for Flurry to consider Luna a cousin to register on my radar. Seriously, read enough fics here and your image of the pony family tree starts looking akin to Alabama.
And I'll check out your story. I've read Past Sins and several 'sequels', but at the very least, it'll be a refresher, and one that may let me in on the differences between the verses.
[Edit] As it turns out, yours is one i've read.
10250775
At this point, I could only assume that using the manual labor to be cheaper for whatever reason. Maybe proper equipment costs a fortune when compared to hiring cheap labor? I mean, we already see slavery as a thing here. A thing that's frowned upon by most groups it seems, but a thing none the less. I know, for us, EVA suits aren't cheap, but they also aren't mass produced on an assembly line for us yet either. I can easily imagine that if operating in space ever got to the point we have multiple city sized colonies, with possibly thousands of crew members needing them, and it's been a "business" that has been around for a millennia or two, buying an EVA suit might compare to buying a few good pair of work boots. Just don't buy the cheap stuff, for similar reasons.
Then compare that to the kind of equipment we currently have. even our dirt bound equipment comes with a pretty hefty price tag, despite how long they've been around. Then there's maintenance costs. Now I don't know what the economy is like in here, but in zero G, one pony could move some pretty heavy cargo, so it may very well be that this really is the cheapest route.
10250794
Though Black Feather has a long and turbulent history. Did you read it since early-to-mid 2019? That is when I actually posted the polished chapters, up to 21. Material prior to that, which was officially published as fimfic chapters, was pretty crap, to be honest. But the 21 chapters that are publicly available are quite good. And yeah, this is the same Nyx that appears here in Duvet's story.
btw...
images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/b52974cd-4912-4e27-ad26-0a26ab6a332b/dcya5tt-274bdcc2-2b68-489e-95f7-ca8ae984fae6.jpg/v1/fill/w_1600,h_2264,q_75,strp/black_feather___chapter_1___page_17_by_bernarddk_dcya5tt-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6Iiwib2JqIjpbW3siaGVpZ2h0IjoiPD0yMjY0IiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvYjUyOTc0Y2QtNDkxMi00ZTI3LWFkMjYtMGEyNmFiNmEzMzJiXC9kY3lhNXR0LTI3NGJkY2MyLTJiNjgtNDg5ZS05NWY3LWNhOGFlOTg0ZmFlNi5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTYwMCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.lWIgMbRMbISsuS3EbWLxX7o__9gl7t0tgx7YV6QdS6A
You can see here that even at a young age, Flurry talked to Whammy.
10250815
May not be the same one then. I clicked over to your page and found it on hiatus in your story list, with that nifty blue checkbox filled, indicating I've read it. To tell you the truth, I don't remember how long ago it was. Probably sometime last year.
[Edit] After following the link, I'm pretty sure I haven't read it since it's off-site. I've read a grand total of 3 pony fics off site (Fallout Equestria, Fallout Equestria: Project Horizon, and Rainbow Factory) all because I didn't know this site existed at the time.
Nothing against that, I'll check it out. I've just managed to get my fix well enough here that I don't have to google around for it.
10250794
If the total costs for using machines were to outweigh the total costs for using ponies for some viable reason, then I could buy that, but I'd still prefer a specific and detailed reason why that's the case, and not any "that's just how it is, roll with it" stuff. I mean, c'mon, it's a chance to worldbuild anyway, and sci-fi thrives on that, so I'd think it'd be a chance to jump at doing regardless.
The thing with machines though is that they may be costly to buy initially, but once bought and installed, they tend to cost less overall in the long run, assuming they're reliable tech. I mean, which machines, all you have to worry about funding for them is the space to house them, the power/fuel to run them on, and any routine maintenance to keep them working which if its a good machine that's well cared for should be pretty minimal. Whereas with a pony crew, you not only have to worry about all of that (but doubled or more because you'd still need more ponies than machines to move the same amount of goods), you also have to consider the life support, all the resources you'd need to run said life support, more management to keep those ponies working in line, as well as all of the safety concerns needed to keep said ponies reasonably safe while working, and all the resources required to provide all of that. And, for a spaceship, you also need to consider all the fuel and thrust needed to move all that crew, and the more crew, the more thrust needed, and the more fuel/power spent at a time generating it.
It adds up quick, and its why companies today are all increasingly moving more and more towards automation--it's faster, cheaper, more efficient, and overall better business in the long run, at least under capitalistic economies. It basically comes down to would you rather have to spend money for housing of probably hundreds of crew, or just spring for the one machine?
I mean, yeah, story-wise this is all a very minor quibble that wouldn't really change the story any, but it still strikes me as an odd design choice and not an immediately well-justified one, worldbuilding-wise. *shrug*
Not as much as you'd think, because even in zero-g, the cargo's mass is still going to be same and will still require the same sort of forces to budge. An extreme example, but consider, if you will, that you were going to try and budge a mountain. Do you think you'd really move it much farther or faster in zero-g than you would with gravity? You might have a better chance of nudging it because of the reduced friction, but you're still not going to be moving it very far very fast.
10250831
Oh, I'm quite aware that mass still applies in Zero G. There would be some things that equipment would be 100% required for. But we aren't talking about moving mountains here. I don't consider myself to be all that strong of a person, but even down here I can push a 1 ton truck. Not up-hill, mind you, but I can get it moving where I want. In Zero G, gravity isn't a issue you would have to fight against, and friction wouldn't be a problem once you got it moving. Now granted, I probably wouldn't even try to get it going very fast, but that's the thing. You wouldn't want to go fast in these situations even with equipment. That's how accidents happen.
And like I said before, I don't know what the economy is like here, so I'm not saying for certain that the manual labor route here is actually cheaper. Just saying it's very plausible that it could be the case.
Sounds like you're arguing this for the same reason as I am. I really don't care either way, but I felt the need to toss in my 2 bits, the discussion is here, and I'm getting my 2 bits worth out of it.
Not going to argue that one. I agree, it's those kinds of details that show how much thought was put into something. If they want to elaborate on why something is the way it is, I'm all for it as long as the story doesn't become 75% explanation of their economy and 25% story.
10250828
You won't regret it!
10250859
Got it open in the next tab over right now! Now I just need to find a way to change it to green text over black background. That's much easier on the eyes. I'll figure it out. Probably.
10250831
For what it's worth, I guarantee Duvet did not put this much detail into his thought process when he wrote about "ponies in EVA suits" loading cargo onto the Glorium.
My impression was that certain things were loaded this way, while other things were loaded in other ways. Some would be via transport tube in the space bridge. Some were probably towed aboard with the space equivalent of forklifts or those 'pushback tugs' you see at airports, as they load aircraft onto the carrier. And... likely certain things were loaded via EVA suits, which would be what was noted by the POV character in that scene.
10250847
I was going to say, from your previous comments, you didn't seem like the person who'd overlook mass in zero-g like that.
And you're right, it'd depend on the cargo. But if cargo in space is anything like cargo on sea--and I have no reason to assume it wouldn't be--a lot of it is still going to be pretty big and heavy, some of it at least as big and heavy as the pony trying to move it. You probably could still move it by hand with enough ponies working together, but just using a claw-like machine instead would probably be easier in the long run. I mean, imagine if NASA had to send astronauts out for heavy lifting every time they needed to load or off-load something from the space shuttle while in orbit, instead of just using the shuttle's trusty Canadarm.
Likewise. Really, at this point I'm just beating a dead horse, but it's still a fun discussion.
10250847
There's a great scene in the movie Titan AE where individuals are able to move very heavy pieces of space wreckage essentially by hand, due to the lack of drag, but absolutely the inertia of mass is still depicted. And then, little space forklifts grab and run off with the pieces. It's that scene where the protagonist is cutting apart a derelict starship with some kind of beam cutting tool.
10250865
One thing I find helps a lot is to read at 125% or 150% magnification, which is one of the toolbar options in Google Docs.
Apologies for the black on white background. I dislike that as well.
10250868
10250869
Yea, that's probably the best way to look at this. Just because we saw ponies in EVA suits moving cargo doesn't mean that's their only method of doing so. We weren't there watching through a whole shift, just passing by.
Yea, I'm no expert, but I know a few things regarding the subject. Give me a calculator and the mass of an object, and I can tell you how much force in newtons you would need to get an object to a certain speed over x amount of time, how much fuel would be needed to do so (approximate depending on fuel efficiency) and when you need to start applying force to bring the object to a halt at a given point. (I've written a few physics based scripts that dealt with all of this)
10250886
I found a solution that works. I copied the text and pasted it into Notepad++, and from there I could change the colors and font to something close to what I have here.
10250921
hrmm... Notepad++ would eliminate all formatting which I put into the chapters. Wonder we can find a better solution.
10250936
What kind of formatting would I be knocking out here? On G-docs, I see a couple things in the first chapter that should be center aligned (like the scene separators or whatever you call them) and the chapter title that should be bold. If that's pretty much the bulk of what is formatted, it shouldn't be an issue.
And at this point, should this be moved to messaging? Not sure if you want this stuff clogging the chapter discussion any further, but you're the boss here.
10250953
well when I try to put bold and italics onto N++ it won't let me. Maybe it's a setting?
BF regularly makes use of italics for emphasis.
Yeah PM after this.
@Duvet, sorry for the delete scar. I forgot Fimfic for some reason leaves these when messages are deleted.
10250792
I now want to see that.
10249972
It's this part I was interested in. If blackwings were to rebel, when they could not be easily punished would seem like an opportune time.
Of course, this would depend quite heavily on the overall makeup of the group in question, but if blackwings make up a sizeable majority of the military force (and if they collectively decide to rebel, which is a very big "if"), then it may be an opportune time to go rogue.
10252916
That's the big question now, isn't it... just how to free them.
The enchantment has a 24 hour "freedom" leash, which is what they are all under during this mission. So it's not like they could just say "screw it I'm not coming back". It would kill them. So they must return, where he refreshes their timer and then dishes out whatever punishments he sees fit for their behavior.
10250758
To be fair, most blackwings don't have unicorn magic they can manipulate spells with, and if the tribes dislike each other as I think they may then it might be hard to find a unicorn friend to poke at the spell too. That being said, I think the most reasonable explanation for that mechanism is to prevent nosy unicorns from breaking things.
I half-suspect there's a shady unicorn somewhere who has figured out the secret to breaking the enchantment and is slowly building up an army of former blackwings to one day wreck havoc on the Republic.
I mean, if something's worked 1000 times, you'd be inclined to think that it'll work the 1001st time, too. Can't really say whether Flurry's confidence was born of experience, recklessness, or both, though.
10252996
Yeah I can't blame Flurry for believing she could break it.
What I do blame Flurry for is not being absolutely sure before jumping right into it. But then, that's why the plot kind of forced her into a corner, eh? She didn't have the time to properly research this thing, and no other options would have provided them with the carrier.
At best Flurry could have taken the Dream, gone to the Orion, and insisted Nyx bet onboard, just leaving several hundred of her crew to die as the life support failed -- that's presuming that the situation remains how it was when she last spoke with Nyx.
10253057
I have to point out (and I lament that this just occurred to me) that Flurry has been thinking that picking apart the blackwing enchantment is really complicated and difficult and not her thing...but it is Twilight's. And guess who we just found out is probably on Harmony Station this chapter...?
Yes, clearly there is bad blood between them, but it seems more like Flurry hating her aunt than vice versa. If she can just get over herself enough to ask for help...
10252937
Oh, the 24-hour kill switch is failsafe for all blackwings? I thought it was something Merry set up specifically for Flurry, although it probably wouldn't be a bad thing to have on blackwings in general. That addresses that particular complaint, I guess.
Even if she had time, I'd imagine convincing a blackwing to let her poke at the enchantment would be immensely frustrating to say the least, and Merry probably wouldn't appreciate her mishandling his property.
I am really enjoying this fic. Flurry Heart has a very interesting character and I look foward to seeing more of it. Very interesting backstory on Swan. A most engaging story looking foward to reading the rest. I also love having Nyx be in it, always enjoy seeing OC canon characters show up.