Chapter 13
CHAPTER XIII
“People who enjoy meetings should not be in charge of anything.”
—Thomas Sowell
Majesty,
My report on the aliens follows.
The captain, “Eris”, doesn’t seem hostile, and neither does her crew. While they are well-armed and in possession of great magical power, she insists they are not a military unit in the sense of the Guard. While these creatures’ empire is enormous it seems fractured into smaller fiefdoms. I am told that major factions within it would be powerful enough to force Equestria to submission, were they so inclined.
I’m sure you’ll get a comprehensive write-up from your sister’s student.
We will meet them again tomorrow. I continue my vigil.
Diamond Hoof
Luna lowers the letter, hiding her snicker behind a polite cough as her sister skims through the massive scroll slowly scrolling in front of her.
“I heard that,” Celestia notes without turning around.
“It seems your student has been quite productive, sister.”
Celestia puts down the huge report and rests her eyes on the horizon.
“Twilight, though a brilliant scholar, has always had a penchant for somewhat... verbose reports.”
“So it would seem. I find her thirst for knowledge a quite endearing trait, myself.”
“You don’t have to read said reports.“ Celestia nods towards the night blue scroll. ”Is that from captain Hoof?”
“Indeed, and it is as it’s author. Curt and to the point.”
“Well, I believe you’ve said that you chose him for this job exactly because of his personality.”
“Hah! His impatience with etiquette is one of his most valuable traits.”
“True words. I hope the talks will continue as well as they have started.”
“So do I, though it seems we have nothing to fear from our first guests.”
Celestia frowns.
“I would like to think so, too, but these... primates still seem quite volatile, advanced though they may be. Can you trust a mage who bows to no mistress?”
Luna snorts dismissively, waving the roll of parchment in the air.
“Bah, a little roughness and a disregard for authority has always been the hallmark of sailors, even here. And recall the knights errant! What happened to the Celestia who bestowed her favour upon a stallion before a particularly exciting joust, hm?”
Luna playfully pokes at her sister with the scroll. Celestia bats the offending object away with her wing, a faint colouration to her cheeks.
“That was a long, long time ago.”
“Ah, but you have grown old and stiff, sister. I shall leave you to your bureaucratic entertainments.”
“I’ll take a break soon enough. Will you be visiting the encampment?”
Luna turns back at the door.
“I’m thinking of taking a first look tonight.”
“Be careful.”
“By the stars, sister. There’s a full squadron of Guards present. What could possibly go wrong?”
*
“How in the name of all fuck did this happen?”
The angry shout rebounds from the metal bulk of the ship and echoes around the clearing. The responsible human continues into a long string of curses which, even only partially translated, manage to bring a blush to the cheeks of most ponies within earshot. The engineer punctuates her rant by accusingly waving her cap at the other orange-suited crew members milling about her and occasionally kicking a nearby walker. Showers of sparks and clouds of steam burst from inside the damaged bulkhead.
“W-what’s going on?” Fluttershy asks, peeking over Twilight’s withers towards the railing engineer. Eris laughs a hearty laugh, collapsing her artificial hand back into its normal shape and rolling down the sleeve of her suit.
“Welcome to engineering. It’s not a work place for the faint-hearted.”
“But, um, does she have to be so—” Fluttershy's ears flatten over the earbuds of her visor as the distant shouting rises in volume for a few seconds.
“—will kick you so hard in the dick you’ll be pissing blood out of your—”
“...angry about it?” She casts her eyes to the ground.
“Well... That’s just her personality, I guess. I’ll admit she’s got a slightly short temper.”
“—tear your goddamned tits off—”
“...and quite a colourful vocabulary.”
A new human steps into the circle of those already present, a faint grid of crossed-out triangles springing up between the group and the working crew. The volume of the chaotic scene around the hull abruptly drops to a whisper, and Eris greets the newcomer with a lazy wave of her hand.
“Thanks, Ace.”
“No problem. Looks like there’s a skimmer team suiting up, if you want to take a break.”
“Oh, nice! You take over here, then.”
“Sure.”
The tall newcomer turns to the ponies and inclines his head. His voice is quiet but carries clearly over the muted backdrop of distant clangs and shouts.
“Good afternoon. My name is Ares, though most seem to prefer to call me Ace.”
“Treat my brother well, alright?” Eris quips over her shoulder as she walks away.
“Oh, so you’re related? Nice to meet you, my name is Twilight.”
“I know,” Ares says as he squeezes the offered hoof, “I have been following your interactions with my sister from the bridge.”
“Oh. Oh! That reminds me, you have to tell me how that works! I can’t sense any magic when you talk to each other across a distance...”
“There isn’t any. We transmit our messages encoded in very high-frequency electromagnetic waves,” Ares explains as he moves to greet everypony present in turn.
“But... you’d need an oscillator for that, and Eris said you don’t have anything similar to our horns.”
“True, but you saw her left hand, yes? It’s the same thing. We manufacture the equipment we require and then merge it with the body in various ways. Like inserting them behind our eyes.”
Ares’ eyes shift through a flurry of glowing colours as a demonstration.
“Amazing...”
His mouth quirks into a small, crooked smile.
“It’s just a long, long process of small improvements. To us your ability to levitate objects and fly with those tiny wings appears far more impressive.”
“Hey! My wings aren’t tiny.”
“My apologies. I merely meant that, physically speaking, you shouldn’t be able to produce enough thrust to fly. They are quite beautifully proportioned from an aesthetic point of view.”
Rainbow self-consciously angles her wings back, the conflict between pride and annoyance at having them called pretty evident on her face. Applejack snickers behind a hoof.
Ares peeks behind the next to last pony in line, offering his hand to the half-hidden figure behind.
“Well met, miss Fluttershy.”
“Um, hello...”
Ares gently grasps the timidly offered foreleg. Fluttershy carefully looks out from under her mane, meeting the human’s dark eyes with an involuntary squeak.
The other ponies watch with interest as their pegasus friend goes through a series of fidgets, jerks and posture changes under Ares’ steady gaze. After a few seconds he releases her hoof.
“Hm.”
“Don’t worry, she’s just nervous around new ponies. Creatures. Persons.”
“It’s all right. I wasn’t the most sociable of people when I was younger, either.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Eris was always the more... outgoing of us.”
“...y.”
“Pardon?”
“Um... I-I meant to say... I’m sorry, I don’t want to offend anypony...”
Ares thoughtfully scratches his chin while looking the pegasus over.
“Like I said, it’s quite all right. But I wonder...”
With a sudden squeal, Fluttershy dives behind Rainbow Dash. The human stands still as a statue, following her with his eyes.
“Fluttershy? What the hay?”
“Oh, um, it’s... I just...”
Peeking out from behind her friend with a haunted look, Fluttershy blushes and hides behind her mane.
“What’s up with you today, Shy? You’re totally on edge.”
“I-I... don’t know...”
“Fluttershy.” Her name called, she peeks at the human. Instantly, the tension drains out of the scared pony, her crouched posture relaxing into a more upright stance. She looks at Ares, wide-eyed.
“But... why?” Confusion is evident in her voice.
“Because you are like me. Come, sit. Let’s talk.”
Ares settles down on the edge of the projection table.
“Did Eris talk to you about Sympathy?” The ponies shake their heads in unison. "Well... this might take a while."
Ares collects his thoughts for a few heartbeats, and begins talking.
“In... the final stages of the Eco-wars, the amount of land available to farm and live on became critical on Earth. Genetic engineering saw a surge as the surviving governments scrambled to effectivise agricultural production to the point where they could upkeep the existing population. Somewhere along the way the gene-engineers of the time—it’s lost to history who—mapped the workings of a cluster of genes integral to the development of our prehistoric ancestors’ brains: the structures of social interaction.
These were genes that had always existed in the human gene pool, of course. The research, however, made it possible to bring out, multiply and control these effects in individual humans. What we essentially created was a human who could consciously manipulate the subconscious signals we use to affect others. They were the perfect spies, ambassadors and instigators, and very soon they were in use by all parties of the war.”
Pausing, Ares looks up to the half-empty sky.
“In the aftermath of the wars a lot of old borders crumbled, and hundreds of years of knowledge were either lost or freely distributed. The same was true for the gene program. The engineered genes spread into the general populace as former combatants settled down to rebuild, their former identities forgotten or consciously hidden. Today, an approximated four percent of all humans carry the altered genes in some configuration.
There are two main ways the engineered genes manifest: Sympathy and Empathy. The first is the ability to affect others subconsciously, and the second is a heightened sensitivity to their emotions and attitudes.”
“So it allows you to manipulate others to do your will? That’s terrible!” Twilight exclaims.
“You misunderstand. Sympathy is no different from being, say, a ‘natural leader’ or a ‘good persuader’. The signs such a person exhibits—confidence, purpose, trustworthiness—are simply amplified, because the Sympath can identify them in their own behaviour. There is no hard line which separates a skilled speaker from a weak Sympath. Do you see?”
“I... think I do.”
“You should. You spend time seeing the effects of both every day.”
“I’m sorry?”
Ares nods at Pinkie Pie.
“I presume she’s very good at making you cheer up and go along with her plans?”
“Well, yes...”
“Of course I am, silly! Nopony likes to not party!”
Ares waits patiently. Twilight’s eyes finally widen as she understands the implication.
“Are... you saying Pinkie has this ‘Sympathy’?”
“Well, something very akin to it. It saved her life when she ran up to Eris at our very first meeting.”
“You would have attacked her?”
Ares’ eyes remain inscrutable.
“She charged at our captain without warning. People have gotten shot for much less.”
A heavy silence descends on the group as the ponies take stock of the alien with new eyes. Even Pinkie seems quiet after the revelation.
Twilight finally breaks the silence with a nervous laugh.
“Well, I’m glad nothing happened. Right, girls?”
“So are we. She’s not the only one, though.”
Ares shifts his dark eyes back to Fluttershy.
“What did you feel when you hid behind your friend?”
“It... I, um, thought you were going to attack us. Sorry...”
“Don’t be. The signals I gave were aggressive.”
“What signals? You didn’t move at all!” Rainbow suddenly draws back. “Can she read minds?”
Ares’ sudden laugh takes the ponies by surprise.
“Ah, no, she can’t. The reason she reacted so strongly was because she’s not used to interpreting human body language. It’s not something supernatural, only a combination of very, very high sensitivity to a number of very minuscule signals. The threat of violence seems to be a universal concept.”
“So when you said Fluttershy is ‘like you’, you meant...”
“Yes. I was born a weak Empath. And unless I’m mistaken, she has a potential far higher than mine.”
Another silence descends on the group as the ponies mull over the information. Rarity protectively steps in front of Fluttershy.
“I am most certainly hoping you’re not thinking that this will change a thing between us six!” She levels a glare at the other ponies. Ares clears his throat.
“Before you start arguing, there are a few things I’d like you to keep in mind. First of all, like I said, it’s only a natural disposition to certain social behaviours, untrained it doesn’t really differentiate you from the rest of the populace. The Gods know we’ve had enough misunderstandings and prejudice in our own culture.”
For a split second Ares’ eyes flick to the side and something hard glints in his expression.
“Secondly, and more importantly, what I’ve said only applies to humans. With your species, the genes were most probably not introduced into the gene pool artificially. It’s entirely possible you’ve evolved the traits on your own, which would explain why you’re still alive. And sane.”
“What do you mean?”
“For humans, while they confer quite tangible advantages, these forcibly developed skills aren’t without a price. For us Empaths, the strain is usually mental. Tell me, Fluttershy, have you ever felt that society is full of lies, aggression and hidden agendas?”
“I... um...”
“That doesn’t sound like Fluttershy at all. She’s perfectly fine with other ponies!”
“You say your passion is taking care of animals. Why?”
“Hey! Is this an interrogation? Lay off her!”
“It’s... alright, Rainbow.”
The other ponies turn in surprise. Fluttershy looks straight back at the unwavering Ares.
“Animals are... honest. They don’t tell lies. I think I... understand what you mean.”
“Fluttershy!”
“My friends are the same. I trust them because I know they want me to be happy.”
Ares nods thoughtfully, and for a second he smiles warmly.
“I see. They are the bedrock of your sanity.” He alternates between Pinkie and Fluttershy. “...and yours too, I would imagine. You are both very lucky.”
“Of course! We have the bestest of friends, after all!” Pinkie exclaims, before scooping as many of her friends into a hug as she can reach. Ares chuckles at the scene.
“But then... what about y’all? How d’ya handle the strain?” Applejack manages from within the group hug.
“Fortunately, though I said four percent of humanity carries the genes, only a fraction of them exhibit fully matured Empathy or Sympathy. For those few, life can be tough... Many die, by their own hand or by accident.”
“How awful!”
Ace shrugs.
“People die for various reasons all the time. It’s not as bad as it sounds, there’s always techniques and drugs to curtail and control the backlash.”
“So you were... trained?”
The human smiles softly with a faraway look in his eyes.
“Our father taught both me and Eris. He was a very important pillar for us both, while he still lived.”
“Oh, he’s passed away... I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. That’s life.” Ares’ expression has returned to it’s blank default state.
The conversation dissolves into silence at the heavy topic, Twilight and her friends unsure of how to continue. Their thoughts are interrupted by the now familiar whine of thrusters, audible even through the dampening screen as a new group of hovercraft exits the ship. Ares eyes Rainbow Dash as she floats into the air for a better view.
“Are you interested in the skimmers?”
“Do they go fast?”
“Very.”
“Really, now...?”
Ares dismisses the intangible noise wall with a flick of his hand and whistles sharply through his teeth. The group turns in response and quickly makes its way over to the group by the table. Eris’ face becomes visible as she pulls up sideways, the remaining four hovercraft skipping around impatiently behind her. The distant shouting continues unabated.
“—jam a frequency wrench up your asshole if you give me lip again—”
“What’s up?”
“Looks like Rainbow Dash here would like to run a patrol with you.”
Eris grins with delight.
“Think you can keep up?”
“Hay yeah I can! You're looking at the fastest pegasus in all of Equestria!”
“I’ll believe it when I see it!”
Releasing the decelerator, Eris rotates her skimmer around full circle before gunning the engine, the team ascending straight into the sky with a roaring blast of wind.
“All right! Finally some action!”
“Rainbow! Maybe you should—”
The pegasus flexes her wings and takes off after the humans in a blur of movement, leaving her friends behind in the swirling cloud of ash and dry leaves. Twilight coughs and rubs her eyes with a hoof.
“—inform the Guards...”
She trails off as the fliers disappear over the Everfree. Three pegasus guards scramble in a panic to pursue, desperately flapping their wings to keep up with the sudden change of situation. Ares chuckles.
“Well, they’ll be gone for as long as your friend can fly, I’ll reckon.”
“Oh dear. That could be a while,” Rarity comments as she tries to re-arrange her mane. “Seems your sister enjoys flying as well.”
“Loves it. The ability of flight has always fascinated us as a species, I think.”
“I can understand how that would be enticing if you lack the natural means to do so.”
“How do those machines fly?” Twilight asks, squinting towards the horizon. “They don’t have wings either, and enchanting an object to fly at that speed would be massively energy-consuming...”
“I'm sure it would be. There’s some complex technology involved, but basically there’s something called a Stoltzmann rail inside, which creates a kind of weak lifting force. Think of it as a balloon full of a light gas, only compressed into a very small space. Active, it makes the whole contraption light enough to move with a single, big thruster.”
“Interesting... how does that work, exactly? Balloons need a lot of volume for lift, but...”
“It’s not really my specialty. You might want to talk to the scientists or engineers.”
“—I will murder you in your sleep! Perkele!”
Ares reasserts the zone of silence with a wave and smiles wryly at Twilight’s pensive expression.
“Don’t worry, Niina’s not the only engineer we have. She is a very good one, though.”
“What about the one we met earlier?”
“Tito? Sure. Do you want to go now?”
“What, inside?” Twilight’s eyes light up. “Yes! Yes I would!”
“Twi, wait up fer a beat.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Look, Ah understand this is all very ‘mportant and we were asked by the Princesses, but Ah can’t leave the orchard for too long. Big Macintosh can’t handle all those trees by himself.”
“Oh... Are you sure? It’s a great opportunity!”
“Ah know, and Ah’d like to go. But...”
“Excuse me, but if I understand correctly, you run a rather large apple orchard?”
“A-yup. Sweet Apple Acres, biggest orchard in th’ region!”
“Impressive. I think I might have a proposal which might benefit all parties.”
“Ah’m listening.”
“Since we’re confined to our ship most long journeys, our supplies are often of a rather... well-conserved variety. Fresh produce is a rarity, and one we value greatly. We can’t offer you any local currency, but perhaps we could spare some farm hands in exchange for goods?”
Applejack thoughtfully rubs her chin.
“'Farm hands'? D'ya mean hired workers? Well, it’s not like we need any help, but it’d save us time a-plenty, and we’ve got more than enough apples ta spare...”
“Exactly. Our maneuver platoons aren’t doing very much at the moment, and I would rather not have them getting too restless. As an additional bonus, you wouldn’t have to leave your friends today.”
“Well, that does sound like a darned good deal! All right.”
Ares gets up from the table, sealing the deal with a shake.
“Well then, I’d be glad to function as your guide. Will your escort be joining us...?”
"I dont' know, let me go ask..."
*
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There's not a lot of action going on right now, so I'm kind of misusing the "Adventure" tag at the moment. Sorry about that. I think I might have introduced a bit too many characters to present in any easy manner.
Things will explode later, I promise. But first there must be Science.
Don't really care about the lack of action, building up the various characters and interractions is really interresting. Much more interresting than randomly dropping blank characters directly into action.
1731433 I don't mind though to avoid those isues here's a tip: ad the tags as you write =P
1731704
...would you read a fic with only the "Human" tag?
1731712
Yes!
1731712
I typically give them a squiz. Call me obsessed with anything human in equestria related.
1731433
A "Dramatis Personae" might help, at least for the crew of the Trickster.
Also:
"I think I might have a proposal which might benefit all parts.”
I think you mean "all parties."
But any credit you lose from that error is more than offset by your correctly spelling "minuscule."
1733567
Fix'd. Thanks for pointing that out.
I don't do pre-readers. The cool kids have post-readers.
Here is my evaluation of your story: I LOVE IT!!!
Your character interactions to the very involved and detailed history of your version of humanity is vastly intriguing and had me hooked from chapter one on. I truly enjoy the colorful mix of cultures you have going on in the story. I haven't seen a futuristic society this creative since the western/Chinese feel of Firefly. (would I be far off in guessing there was a little influence from the show?)
Keep up the excellent work as I'll definitely be keeping my eye on this.
1819348
Well, thank you very much. It's going to be a while before I can update again, holidays and all, but it's nice to know someone might be out there waiting for a new chapter. Don't worry though, I have some cool human-related ideas for the future.
Get it? Future?
I actually haven't watched Firefly, though I feel I should. I'm way behind on my sci-fi education; I'm still plowing through the very first (1968-1989) season of Doctor Who...
1820697
, Firefly that is. The crew of the ship is in a very similar situation to your story's characters minus ponies of course. looking forward to many more chapters of Elis and her free mariners.
I have the feeling you might like it
1731433
SCIENCE!