--Thunder Bolt--

@@repsol rave, "Oh, it's not too much trouble," she replied. Okay...I've got a chance to help somepony...don't mess this up. Her horn brightened as she cast Lesser Diagnosis. I hope a hangover doesn't need Greater Diagnosis...but it's not like a rare illness or anything, right? she thought as she opened herself to sense the nuances of his condition. Maybe I should try to treat the root cause instead of the symptoms? I don't know how long a hangover lasts, and I wouldn't want him to feel bad again later. Except that the alcohol is all through his bloodstream and mixed in with the rest of his body chemistry. I'd better not mess with that. That would be better done with a potion anyway, to establish pattern-identity between cause and cure. Sunyatay closed her eyes tight and concentrated, focusing on the subtle geometry underlying his mild nausea, forming the pattern of the Cure Nausea spell in her mind. Each pattern was a delicate web of vibrating energy-strands and linking nodes on the magical plane. "I'm going to start casting spells now," she said. Carefully, Sunyatay adjusted the string length and vibratory intensity of the spell's energy strands to correspond to those of the symptom she intended to cure, but at opposite phase. Finally, she gathered her magical energy and cast. A faint pink ray shot from her horn, growing in intensity as she poured herself into it. A small smile crossed her face as the energetic ripples on the magical plane formed a complex interference pattern that quickly broke up and faded. Next she concentrated on his bloodshot eyes. This one was a bit simpler and more localized. Again she concentrated and cast, telling the capillaries in his eyes to return to their normal size and regulate blood flow properly. Right. Now for the biggie, she thought, turning her attention to his headache. Given its nature and the vital area it worked on, Cure Headache had to be cast with a delicate touch. Normally this wasn't too difficult, except that Sunyatay had to exert extra effort to push her magic out into the material world. Otherwise, like her voice, it would be too faint. She formed her spell, focused, and cast. It was like trying to paint a flower underwater with a strong current pushing her away from the canvas. Her gut clenched as she felt the energetic intensities go askew. For Repsol, it was as if his whole headache concentrated itself in the area just under his right ear. "Oh no! I'm so sorry!" Sunyatay said, her voice even more distant than usual, echoing from across an invisible canyon of magic. Gritting her teeth in concentration, she let go of visibility and tangibility to put all her concentration on the spell. She disappeared completely, except for the point of light at the tip of her horn. Failure, and the fact that Repsol was in pain made it even harder to make her magic manifest, but she concentrated on the Form her new Cure Headache spell would need to take and carefully ramped her power up, and up. Another pink ray shot from the point of light, minutely adjusting its intensity with a melodious hum. Finally, the pattern-integrity that was his headache broke up into fading ripples that briefly caused odd tickling sensations in his head. Sunyatay reappeared, swaying slightly on her hooves. "Is that better?" she asked, looking at him with worried eyes as she braced herself for his reaction.

"Oh, so it's like one of those little signs racers wear?" she asked. Suddenly, he wobbled on his hooves, sat down, and rubbed his head, clearly in some pain. "Are you alright?" "Oh...would you like me to try to treat that for you?" Cure Headache and Cure Nausea were two of the most basic Healing spells. Due to her condition, Sunyatay would have to exert more effort than an ordinary unicorn would, but she figured she could pull it off. While she waited for Repsol's reply, she heard the departing griffon say something that made her ears perk up. Would they? That would be wonderful! But I'm not like Zecora... Sunyatay had watched the beautiful zebra crafting her potions, but she'd never dared approach, fearing that she might startle her and cause a dangerous accident. OT : Oh, but Pinkie would be delighted with some "Pranks." BTW, technically, wouldn't it be "prancs?" Or is it just the Swiss that spell it "franc"?

"Yeah, check out my groovylicious gradient background, and how nicely it emphasizes my horn."

"With my new black Stealth Suittm on, nopony will see me in the dark!"

Sunyatay smiled shyly, relieved that he hadn't reacted adversely to either her intangibility, or her question about his cutie mark. "How did you get it?" she asked, then noticed that he seemed to be a bit under the weather. Bloodshot eyes, mane and tail somewhat disheveled.

"Wha--? Oh!" Sunyatay said, her voice sounding eerily faint, as if coming from a distance. She turned to see a young stallion with a sleek, athletic build. He looked like the kind of stud who 'got all the mares' and had lots of dudebro friends. But, he was holding out his hoof to her, not making fun of her (yet). With an effort, she summoned the courage to reciprocate the gesture. Instead of meeting his, her hoof passed through, with a brief sensation of warmth felt by both ponies, and a hint of electrostatic charge. She blushed, vanished completely, then slowly returned to translucence with a look of forceful concentration on her face. "It's...from a coherent superposition of implicate and explicate magic as far as I can tell...and undoing it is the hard part," she said, suddenly realizing she must sound like a giant egghead. Which she was, but still... She blushed again and strained to remain visible, noting that she had worked herself into a conversational cul de sac. Explaining how it had happened, and her hypothesis for what would cure her both lead to humiliation, and her model of the arcana by which the phenomenon worked would surely be boring, not to mention weird, to the handsome stallion. Frantically, she cast about for some other topic. A glimpse of his cutie mark. The word 'Repsol' and the number 26. The number had a fair amount of arcane correspondences. Two, the number of the Primordial Scission, when the omnisymmetric primordial Oneness bifurcated into duality and polarity, the first stage of the emergence of the Cosmos. Six, the number of stability, linked to the shape of spacetime and symbolically, to the archetypal pony form (head, four limbs, and a tail, though pegasi were associated with Eight, and alicorns Nine). Two and Six added up to Eight, the number of quark types, and symbolic of the completion of creation. Twenty-Six multiplied by a thousand yielded an approximation of the length of the Great Year, a complete cycle of the precession of the equinoxes. Twenty-Six was also twice Thirteen, the number of full moons in a year with a "blue" Moon-- None of that was likely to be relevant, so she pushed those associations from her mind. "I live...in the Everfree Forest...and I'm invisible a lot of the time...so that's why you've never seen me." Right now, his cutie mark was the only thing she could think of for a way to shift the topic of conversation from herself. "Your cutie mark...I've never seen one like that...a name written out and a number...instead of an icon..." What if he thinks I'm being rude? she thought, her visibility flickering.

"Iiiiiiiiiiiiii ain't got no---bodyyyyyyy!"

"J-joke?" Sunyatay said, vanishing entirely except for the light of her horn and a blush on her cheeks. She could feel herself losing some of the corporeality she'd been able to sustain until that moment. "Oh, no, it's...more of a...a magical...accid--" she said, interrupted by another pony galloping into--and partially through--her, colliding with the group like a bowling ball. By reflex, Sunyatay teleported a short distance away in brief flashes of pink light. Taking a moment, she regathered her concentration at least enough to restore translucence, then approached the new pony "I'm sorry...are you alright?" By now the griffon and the pegasus were talking in Prench, which she didn't understand. Rather than interrupt, she turned her attention back to the other pony, a unicorn stallion who looked...close to her age, and noticed another pony. This one was cute, bright green with a pink and white mane and tail that lent her a resemblance to a frosted mint confection. So...many...ponies...and a griffon...all of a sudden. It was everything Sunyatay could do to not just back away. The unicorn stallion was talking with the green pegasus now. He probably hadn't even heard her faint voice in all the commotion, and now Sunyatay felt the familiar sensation of being on the outside, looking in.

"Your accent is lovely, ma'am," Sunyatay said. The way the pegasus fussed over her wings--not to mention her accent and national origin--lent the impression that she was a fancy pony, probably rich. Her mane was styled with the kind of "casual," almost sloppy look that only a high-end professional mane-and-tale stylist could quite pull off. It was easy for Sunyatay to imagine her in some posh little coffee house talking philosophy or art, enjoying gourmet coffee and treats while a jazz trio played live background music. Or on the cover of a style magazine. Sunyatay's mind scrambled for something to say to somepony like that. She grasped for the only piece of the high-class elite world that existed in Ponyville. "Have you been to the Carousel Boutique?" she asked. She'd never been inside, but she'd seen Rarity a few times, and peered through the windows to glimpse the finery within. "I think you might like--" Seeing motion out of the corner of her eye, Sunyatay turned, and did a double-take. A Griffon! Sunyatay knew almost nothing about them, except that there was one who'd been mean to Pinkie Pie once. Of course, that didn't mean this one was mean. His face was fiercely regal, and his clothes were of a military cut. Is he a soldier? she wondered. She knew almost nothing about soldiers, either. At any rate, he was certainly an imposing presence.

"I heard that Princess Luna once went to the South Pole wearing nothing but a top hat and tried to catch penguins to use as servants." LUNA: *embarrassed giggle*

"Cartoon ponies? Hahahaha! I WAS CARVED FROM GRANITE WITH A DWARVEN BATTLE AXE!"

@@Pulcinella, Sunyatay hung her head. She'd practiced for days. Standing over a pond in the Everfree Forest, concentrating on making herself visible. Finally, she'd worked up the courage to try to go to Ponyville. She'd been concentrating so hard on trying to stay visible while figuring out what to say that she hadn't noticed that increasing trepidation made her fade to translucence. Not until the first terrified cry of "Ghost Mare!" sent ponies running for their houses. Now Ponyville looked like...well...a ghost town. Sadly, she turned back toward the forest and started to head toward it with slow, dragging steps. She hardly noticed the confident, sprightly hoofbeats approaching, nor did it occur to her that: 1) she was in the middle of the road; and 2) she was invisible. That is, until the other pony bumped into her. Sunyatay staggered from the impact. The other pony apologized with a pretty accent. "Oh...I'm sorry...my fault," Sunyatay said in a tiny, faded voice, accented with a slight Coltcutta lilt. Hoping to at least let the other pony see who she'd run into, she concentrated on making herself visible, managing a faint translucence. She lit her horn, its light refracting through her body, making her look like she was made of pink-tinted blown glass. "Please don't be afraid..."

"Anyone else want to make fun of my fwiend...Biggus..Dickus?"

Rome, if you want to-ooo. Rome, around the woooooorld

One day, I will defeat evil and spread love and light everywhere... now, where do you suppose I could get a less tacky hat?

Assuming Realistictm technology (i.e. no magic "gravity plating" in floors of spaceships), a baby born in a colony on Mars, the Moon, or an asteroid base could well be an "alien" in both senses. The child would have gestated in, and would grow up in, much lower gravity. If they're in a rotating habitat (to produce some level of artificial "gravity" by centripetal force), they would be growing up with Coriolis effects we do not experience on Earth. Children growing up with lower gravity or no gravity would end up adapted to it in various ways. They would have less bone and muscle mass because their bodies don't have to work so hard to stand up, and their hearts would probably be less muscular because it doesn't take as much force to pump blood up to the head. "Spacers" born on habitats or long-range space vessels would probably have a lot more exposure to microgravity than Mars or Moon colonists. Even if their habs or ships had rotating habitat sections, a lot of the work of maintaining them, prospecting on asteroids, etc. would take place outside of the rotating sections, in microgravity. Prolonged exposure to microgravity causes things like loss of bone mass, and blood pooling in the torso and chest area instead of the legs. A child growing up in space might become noticeably taller than Earth-born humans. They would likely be noticeably thinner. Assuming that humans can survive for the long term in colonies on Mars, the Moon, asteroid bases or long-range spacecraft and stations, children born in those environments would grow up adapted to them. If they could visit the Earth at all, it would require extended periods of acclimatization before they could do simple things like walk around under their own power. They would probably look different. They would probably be different psychologically as well. They would grow up in cramped habitats/ships, taught from earliest childhood that "the outside" is deadly, that the walls and life-support systems were what provided protection from the Void, that any breach in the wall is a life-threatening situation, and what they should do if it happened. Going "outside" would always involve a long and deadly serious ritual of suiting up and checking seals and testing for leaks. To experience "the outside" without a wall or window or spacesuit between it and one's flesh (as people normally do on Earth) would probably be terrifying to a space-born person. In a nutshell, people born and raised in space would be "aliens" relative to people on Earth, and the environment of Earth would be alien to them. Over generations, native-born Martians, Celenites, 'Stroiders, and Spacers would outnumber new colonists from Earth, interbreeding with each other and developing new cultures and customs suited to their new environments. Their populations would be genetically isolated from the mainstream population of Earth. New ecological niche + genetic isolation is basically how speciation (the formation of new species) happens. Genetic Engineering: Since space settlement on any scale is unlikely to take place for decades, perhaps even a century or more, the colonists may have access to mature sciences of genetic engineering and synthetic biology. They may well find it desirable to use those technologies to better adapt themselves to their environments, becoming even more alien as a result. Consider: Tardigrades are animals that can survive in the vacuum of space, endure radiation, and enter a state of deep suspended animation during which they can be dessicated and frozen to 0 degrees Kelvin--basically the temperature where molecular motion stops--then warmed up, re-hydrated, and revived. If a sufficiently advanced science of genetic engineering (comparable, say, to the science of computer programming in our day) could be used to modify the genomes of humans and provide them something approximating the same abilities, the advantages for the space-born would be enormous. For example, any long-range spacecraft for Earth humans has to carry heavy radiation shielding. Every kilogram of rad shielding is a kilogram of cargo the ship can't take to its destination. Alternatively, it means slower acceleration and deceleration (and thus, longer trips) for a given amount of propellant and payload. A ship that didn't need to have radiation shielding, or even could use, say, half as much, would be a lot more capable (more cargo, faster trips, or both) than an Earth-based ship of equivalent mass. Spacers who could enter suspended animation like tardigrades could hibernate for long space voyages. This would reduce the need for life support (since the crew would not need to eat and breathe and process wastes for years on the way to their destination), and provide subjectively instantaneous travel: go to sleep after launch--wake up in orbit of Saturn, or the Oort Cloud, or wherever. If they experience some catastrophe, like a meteor hit on their ship, they can go into suspended animation while they await rescue. Now let's go a little further. Imagine space-born people who have genetically-engineered themselves to have a carapace, or a thicker, tighter "skin" that functions as a living spacesuit so that they can survive outside of their ships and habitats, and perhaps not even need atmosphere inside. Or, consider the possibility of Uplift--take some fairly intelligent creature from Earth with useful attributes, like octopi or squid, genetically engineer them to have longer lifespans, enhanced intelligence, and the ability to live outside of water. They're already adapted to floating, have multiple arms, and can squeeze through or into tight spaces. Perhaps it might be easier to engineer them with tardigrade abilities than humans, which might provide the motivation for their Uplift. So yeah. If we ever start exploring and colonizing space on a significant scale, we'll be spawning aliens before too long. And that's if we don't just send robots instead of biological people. Since machines are continually getting smarter and more capable--and astronauts aren't--the odds are pretty good that machines will lead the way. They've already replaced humans for all space missions outside of near-Earth orbit, even though the ones we've sent so far aren't much smarter than a bag of hammers. If we could launch rovers as smart as house cats--or even house flies--and as capable of "living" and reproducing in the environments of space (without needing life support or rad shielding), would we ever bother sending out fragile humans made of meat? Whether they ever became as intelligent as humans (or more so?), they would certainly be more alien to us than the majority of "aliens" we see in science fiction.

War...war never changes.

"Aiiiiiii! I'm never gonna light a fart again!"

"...and I have a huge tromboner!"

"Start your morning with a power-up of Yu-Gi-Os breakfast cereal, and break the laws of thermodynamics before lunchtime! Ask your doctor if Yu-Gi-Os is right for you. Side effects include: spiky hair shaped like lightning bolts, energy discharges, sexual side-effects..." Ninja! "Can't read my, can't read my, no you can't read my poker faaaaaace!"

Two Undeniable Truths of Life: 1) Sir Godot will brohoof every post in this thread. 2) The avatar that Sir Godot presents for us to caption, will already be captioned. Caption: "I'm not sure if Jerry Garcia ever actually worked at a regular job...but if he did, he totally deserved to be Employee of the Month, man!"

"Get off my back!" ... "Nevermore!" ...Oh, wait, this isn't the "Caption the Avatar Above You" thread. Seriously though, nice pic! I can just hear those two arguing. I'm not sure if the raven talks (a familiar containing the spirit that made Trickster an "alicorn"?), or just gets the point across with caws and gestures like other animals in FiM. The wing does seem to be emphasizing a point made though. And judging by Trickster's expression and body language, it may have struck a nerve...