AMICITAS FLIGHT THREE – MISSION DAY 157
ARES III SOL 157
Dragonfly closed her eyes and basked in the feeling of magic, full-strength Equestria-level magic, rolling across and through her body. It was the most peculiar thing; she’d never had any sense of being in magic back home, and even here she didn’t really miss it until moments like these, when Starlight Glimmer had a mana battery rigged to dump its charge into the environment.
Right now, both batteries, or both of the batteries salvaged from Amicitas anyway. She was using the third battery, plus her own reserves and the artificial field, to enchant two more battery-sized amethyst crystals. Colors and rainbows flickered all around the cave farm, which added its tiny, tiny little boost to the field, along with all the Martian castaways present.
Spitfire soared around the heavy crystals embedded in the ceiling, doing rapid figure-eights in the air while she could. Cherry Berry fussed over the cherry saplings, which had started to send out limbs from the leaf-covered central trunks. Fireball and Mark just stood and watched the light show, with Fireball taking still photos while Mark used his video camera to capture it all.
Dragonfly just sat, eyes half-lidded in bliss, enjoying the temporary feeling of… well, not-hungry wasn’t quite it, since her hunger for love was about as sated as a changeling’s hunger ever got. What she felt, at the moment, was complete, as if a piece of her was missing without magic in her life. A hole inside her was being refilled, almost as literally as love surplus filled the holes in her limbs and wings.
But the moment was brief- a couple of minutes at most before Starlight, trembling, shut down the switches on both batteries. Spitfire glided back to the cave floor, Cherry trudged back to the others, and the rest, Dragonfly included, felt the ache of the sudden absence of magic again.
But Dragonfly was pretty sure her ache was worse than the others’. Oh, the brief dose of a proper field helped immensely, just as it had the last time Starlight had done this using only one of the old batteries. She even felt better now than she had at the end of the previous enchantment session, which gave her hope that even the brief exposure had gained back ground she’d lost to the literally soul-sucking environment of Mars.
She’d stopped talking about the feelings the environment gave her. The others laughed, or worse told themselves not to laugh but blew it off anyway. But she still felt them, every day, and she suspected that in some small way the others felt them too.
Certainly everybody felt the planet. She could feel it now, surrounding the currently safe bubble of air and early-spring-chill air in the cave farm. Mars felt something not of itself and wanted it gone, wanted to wipe it out. Dragonfly was convinced of this in her own mind, and even the others could feel, in their dim, unconscious pony/dragon/Mark ways, the world’s inherent hostility.
But Dragonfly could feel other things too, feelings from some of Mark’s equipment. The Hab had a feeling that reminded her of that last moment, during the invasion of Canterlot, before the big shield collapsed, as if it were holding Mars back by some feeble, wavering, but yet unconquered will. I will protect you, it said, not in one weak voice but in a hundred thousand whispers in a cacophony of will. It didn’t inspire as much confidence as it ought to, not to Dragonfly.
Rover 2, the modified one, felt stolid, like a patient donkey; it would go someplace, it would go in its own time, and it would definitely get there. Where? Didn’t matter. How far? Didn’t matter. How long? Give it power, and it didn’t matter. I will get you there.
And Sojourner, the little rover Mark had brought back from his long trip, sitting inert on a Hab workbench, had a very faint aroma of confusion; what happened? Where is everything?
Dragonfly would have to ask Mark for permission to tinker with Sojourner. The technology was years beyond Equestrian electronics, she knew, but she wanted to get it working again, just so she could go, See? Here we are. Here we all are. It’s all right now. It was a very un-changeling thing to want, but the rest of the hive wasn’t here to tease her about it, so she didn’t care.
And then there was the RTG, or as Dragonfly knew it, the Can of Hot Burning Indifferent Death. Unlike the others, it had no sense of doing or intent of any kind. Death just sat there, inert for the moment, and bided its time with the patience of tides.
Not everything of Mark’s had feelings like that, of course. The equipment inside the Hab had no sensation apart from the Hab as a whole. The computers were utterly emotion-dead to Dragonfly, intriguing as they were to play with. Even Mark’s tools, which he’d finally allowed her to inspect under close supervision, had no more emotional scent than any pony workman’s beloved tool kit- less, really, since Mark had only had these tools since he landed on Sol 1 and unpacked them from the supply probe they’d been shipped in.
And then there was Amicitas. Dragonfly hadn’t noticed until one day, while going with Mark to install the circuit board to add a Mares’ Code key to the ship backup radio, she’d felt the quiet weeping of the ship, the scent of regret and shame.
It wasn’t bad enough that Starlight blamed herself for the crash. It wasn’t bad enough that sometimes Cherry blamed herself, when she was feeling really depressed. But even the ship itself blamed itself for stranding its crew on Mars. That, so far as Dragonfly was concerned, was bucked up.
She hadn’t used to feel these things from inanimate objects. Oh, she was the fastest changeling in the hive, one of the best front-line warriors and a skilled infiltrator. She’d learned to be a passable rocket pilot, and then a very good rocket in-flight engineer. And, well, everyone knew there were places in Equestria where even the land itself was, to put it in pony terms, Not Your Friend.
These feelings were different. They weren’t like those moments at the stick, when she could feel the ship responding to controls, the two of them partners in a dance with the Pale Horse. There was something about Mars that awakened her to these… really bizarre sensations. Maybe it was the absence of the magic field, her body reaching out for any possible substitutes? Maybe she was changing somehow, adapting to a new environment? Maybe she, forgive the blasphemy, was becoming more queen-like? Chrysalis always went on about the feelings she had when above atmosphere…
The others would say- in a couple cases had already said- that she was cracking her chitin. She had to admit, it was the simple answer, and not one she could exactly argue against.
Starlight disconnected the Jacolt’s ladder rigs from the batteries, using her hooves and horn to transfer power (with losses, Dragonfly knew- magic had its own forms of entropy) to the new batteries. “Looking good,” she said in English. “I saved a bit of power for the harvest, just in case we need it.”
“Good,” Mark said. “I was afraid I might have to build my own scythe.” Dragonfly didn’t know what the word scythe was, but she could sense Mark was lying. He’d love to build a scythe. He was happier when his hands were doing things.
“One more test…” Starlight switched on the crippled battery, the one she called C, and cast her scanning spell. The light from her horn flicked back and forth across the four batteries in front of her; A, slightly scuffed from use around Mars; B, battered but functional after coming loose during Amicitas’s crash; and the two freshly enchanted batteries, just clamped in the shells salvaged from the Sparkle Drive’s power systems.
The spell shut off, and Starlight allowed herself to flop back onto her rump. “Looks like we have a success,” she said. “I can barely tell the four apart. The new batteries should be at least 95% of the…” She stumbled her way through the next word, “…capacity of the old.”
Dragonfly joined in the cheer with the others. More magic meant more options. And enough batteries might mean… might…
“I’ll need at least twelve fully charged batteries to enchant a new crystal for the Sparkle Drive,” she continued. “I should ask Twilight to work on a way we can meter the output of the field generators. If we could run twelve batteries at twenty percent power instead of two batteries at a time full-out, it would prevent any risk of the enchantment failing from power loss during switch-over.”
The others lost interest as Starlight techno-babbled magic theory to herself. Dragonfly kept listening, or at least pretended to. She was going to be Starlight’s helper every single time she made new batteries. She was too afraid of what might happen to herself if she didn’t. Tartarus take it, she needed that magic field!
But also, she enjoyed being in the farm. Not just for its tiny magic field, which to be honest wasn’t that much larger than the Hab’s now that the potato plants had come up nice and green. People put off more magic than the same mass of plants. But the Hab had that fainting-warrior feeling, that eternal feeling that something might break at any moment.
The cave had its own feeling, the feeling of something very small looking up at the malevolence of Mars and saying, matter-of-factly, I am here.
No bravado. No challenge. Beyond fear, beyond courage. Just the statement of fact: I am here.
Dragonfly liked that feeling. For all the times she’d flipped the high hoof at the Pale Horse, she’d never had the guts to tell Her, I am here.
it would be funny if the concentration of magic in these locations birthed some genus loci.
I am very curious about Dragonfly's new sensitivity to inanimate objects. Is she going to physically change somehow before the rescue? Hopefully not, that might present a problem if she can't fit in her suit anymore.
Also nice to see progress being made with the new batteries. Though, maybe I missed this, but what good would a new Sparkle Drive be without a universal magic field? Didn't NASA determine that it couldn't get them into orbit, much less home?
I think the human pack bonding Mark does with all his equipment combined with what little magic seeps through in the water and atmosphere in pony communications is giving everything basic life. Like, on the level of Earth animals.
I love this chapter. The way Dragonfly describes things makes them feel alive. The mention of Sojourner and her wish to comfort it made me think of the XKCD comic about it, and every time that happens it kinda breaks my heart.
8829322 The Amicitas's Sparkle Drive failed because it overdrew the batteries, which couldn't replenish in time. A Drive limited to the power in the batteries, or which only pulled the power produced by six thinking beings in the ship, could be made to work, in theory.
So Dragonfly seems to be getting very sensitive to the emotional resonance of places. Could be an adaption of her species' unique physiology to the environment.
I do have to say I can understand what she's talking about. Some places just have a feel to them. Anyone who's ever found peace in a church or felt the somber melancholy of a graveyard knows what she's talking about.
Beautifully written chapter. Love it
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True, but maybe just turning it on will make enough of a signal for Equestria to "ping" their dimension.
Wait...I think I know what's going on with Dragonfly. I don't quite remember it, but there was a book series awhile back, that delved on how the world was secretly magic, and that it was connected to higher and lower planes of existence, as well as other planets entirely. I remember this, because in those books any plant or animal could talk/socialize to the special few deigned with magical powers, but there was a subsection that wasn't too explored, as the series only ever gave two characters with this ability. They could talk to man-made objects, like convincing cars to drive without the need for an ignition key, or asking a computer to share a private file with them. Anyway, here's the breakdown of how it works.
If you build something with love, care, and attention, the creation has a sort of personality assigned to it, and it learns as time goes on. However, the opposite can also happen, where the personality degrades if their creators, or at least someone like their creator, isn't around to care about them. (*This was basically a real halmark in the book series, as they came upon a planet full of dead machines, mentally screaming out their last words on repeat*) However, there is another way for a man-made object to gain 'personality' as it were. If it wasn't made with love, care, or attention, it just needs to absorb these things from their current owners. If their owners treat them as anything other than tools, like a close friend, or even a long-gone acquaintance, they would develop personality over time anyway. The only difference between this option and the last, is that once their owner dies, they go into a state of depression and forget themselves. If they were to reawaken they wouldn't remember anything about their past and only care for their current 'owner'.
Anyway, the way that she's talking about how a planet can have emotion, a robot, a vehicle, a rocket, and a home reminds me of this. The only reason I think that the tools/computers aren't having emotions, is that everybody there is just treating them like tools instead of being familiar with them. Anyway, sorry for
all the rambling, I just had to get this out, as I had forgotten the name of the series, and I could only do it justice if I were to explain the mechanics behind why I find this part of the universe so similar to that one.
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You can't help but feel bad for the rover...
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More bughorse to cuddle
I wonder how long it'll take Dragonfly to ask Chrysalis about the new feelings she's experiencing... just saying
Does equestrian magic have any mechanism like the salt circle that is supposed to block magic? And could such a technique be adapted to contain ambient mana around the hab, stopping it from leaking away thus increasing its local concentration? Can energy be extracted from the movement of magic from a high magic to a low magic area? Do mana batteries actively pull in mana or do they passively absorb incident mana? The future of equine exploration in low magic areas may rely upon finding a way to make a more diffuse mana battery enchantment that can encompass an entire ship or habitat. Does magic obey an inverse square law? Would it be possible to gather mana radiated from inhbaited planets via some sort of thaumic panel?
repetition of soaring
embedded
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'I am here'. "Oh dear. That means you are emerging as a queen and must put your hive there"
wait if those things have like soul of some kind......
Dragonfly meet opportunity! make it happen!
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her meeting opportunity would be a fun one
I really like this. Dragonfly learning to listen to things and places, it's great. And given how many cultures on our world believe this, I'm going to go on a limb and assume they're right. Maretian's universe has animism!
I wonder something. Mars hates them, I wonder if it's because Mars used to have life but it died. Or maybe planets (or SOME planets) just hate anything not born there? I wonder what Venus would feel like to Dragonfly these days... or Europa/Enceladus/Titan/one of those icy moons that could have stuff living under the ice. Or heck, Earth for that matter.
This chapter was... Powerful. Dunno why, but Dragonfly taking about the feelings of places and vehicles just resonated deeply. I can barely wait for more
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Or even better... Spirit (personal bias since my name is one the battery for participating in the naming contest... Even though I didn't win)
Did the others laughed at Dragonfly other hunger that she told to Dr. Shield?
I am sorry for a bit slow, could anyone explain this passage?
Very solid chapter. Good feels. Good bughorse.
8829391 I can answer one of those questions, the batteries charge passively, like solar panels, off the magic fields of the people around them.
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You know, I think your right.
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"Velveteen Rabbit" is an old example of this idea.
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i hate to see the mind of those robots if they can feel for real.
i mean think of one of them wanting to kill humans for putting them on that rock
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Yeah. I have a feeling that Chrysalis might end up using Dragonfly as an ambassador (because she's least likely to buck things up). Because while Chryssy would certainly check things out herself, she can't stay away form hive for too long.
And keeping Dragonfly on Earth may or may not require a...
i.ytimg.com/vi/jZH3SpBujwk/hqdefault.jpg
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Techpriest Changelings for the lulz!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1E-FlguwGw
Dragonfly: (hugging Sojourner) "Don't be sad, little robot. I love you."
Mark: ???
I hope Dragonfly is keeping a journal of her new senses and feelings. Extra-awesomeness if/when Dragonfly decides to tell Starlight, causing the purple pony to nerd out over SCIENCE!!!
I wonder what Chrysalis would think if Dragonfly reported her findings.
It's entirely possible that she's just losing it (as she notes in passing), but I hope not. As much as I'm a bit harsh to Dragonfly, I hope for the best. And either way, this chapter was really cool. Definitely an interesting departure from the usual concrete scientific observations (no complaints about those) into something more abstract. ...Unless it isn't and all these things she's sensing are as she sees them. And wouldn't that be something?
I really enjoyed this chapter, easily my favorite Dragonfly focused one so far. Nice work.
Everyone has said it, but I'll say it again: this was a powerful chapter. Very moving.
Supposition: The story ends when Dragonfly befriends Mars.
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I wonder what Dragonfly would think of 17776. Sounds like Rover and Sojourner are potentially on their way there, if magic helps inanimate objects gain sentience.
Very interesting concept you got there. Imamite ohjects with emotions. Interesting
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The others laughed at the idea that she could sense the emotions of various things on Mars, or laughed it off as unimportant.
Very nice. :)
Have any of us ever stopped to consider that “I am here” may be the three most powerful words ever strung together?
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I'm reminded of an exchange from the webcomic A Miracle of Science:
Caprice: Mars likes you.
Benjamin: That's like saying "Brazil has decided you're cute".
she could be turning into a queen indeed. some insects that go without a queen sometimes make one and then make a new hive or nest. so teh absence of cryssy may indeed force that change apon her.
This was a very deep chapter.
What Dragonfly is feeling reminds me of the Japanese belief that objects can take on a life of their own after 100 years of love and care.
I can just imagine if Dragonfly can sense Earth's emotions and feelings and relay it to NASA. Everyone would go ape.
Sojourner and Amicitas.
The lost child and the flawed future.
One wanting to keep exploring with childish exuberance and the other wanted to show everyone the future. Both lost in their own ways.
Just a thought though. Didn't Mark and Starlight leave the Sojourner behind? Or am I mistaken.
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Wouldn't be the weirdest friendship I've heard of. I once watched a Kamen Rider befriend a SPACESTATION. They fistbumped and everything. Why does the spacestation have fists now? Because FRIENDSHIP.
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....woah. O_O
Feels. Also, I hope this isn’t madness on DF’s part.
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Maybe Mars considers life in its surface like a case of lice.
It would be funny if, among the planets from the Solar System, Earth was considered the hippie sister .
You have brought Dragonfly to life and she is beautiful.
Guys?
Machines with more soul than a Fishmongers Priests Blues convention full of 12 inch platforms.
Farm's all like:
All though I suppose it's more "have no fear ponies"
This is what I'm seeing
orig00.deviantart.net/28d5/f/2018/089/d/e/i_am_here___11__by_dahmenn-dc7cp08.jpg
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i think dragonfly would love that song so much and her owning amgia when she come to earth seeing the old meet new
If i wasn't already supporting you on patreon, this chapter would make me support you on patreon. Very nice. Have a KoFi instead.
Hineni! I'm ready, my Lord.
Well, that's not portentous at all.