Chapter 109 – History of the Machine
"Meltack itself is basically a dwarf planet encased in a machine." Honor explained.
"Yah didn't have te explain it like THAT, Aie?" the large Hok-Sai said in shock, "But yes, Meltack is a giant hunk of what was left of a planet that was covered in a lot of machinery until it was teh size of a normal livable planet."
"Why?" Breeze asked curiously.
Tri-Tiner and the Meltackians all shrugged their shoulders, "Dunknow." he said, "It's been like that fer millennia, actually."
"What stops it from seizing up?" Blade asked.
"What's the machine supposed to do?" Twilight asked over top of the stallion's question.
"Us." Chivalry said, earning a confused look from everyone there, "Meltack is a machine that is designed to create life. Though to what end, we don't know."
"And te answer yer question," Tri-Tiner said as he pointed to Blade, "We Hok-Sai are what keep teh planet from seizing. Hok-Sai are like teh engineers of teh planet itself, Ai? We're born into it, and die fixing it. That's why we're gifted with things like Impact Immunity or Stone Skin, things like that."
"I guess it makes sense." the alicorn pondered.
"Unlike Meltackians, Hok-Sai aren't born from teh machine, we're born from parents, have siblings and all that." Tri-Tiner explained.
"So, you build houses out of the machine parts?" Applejack asked, "Do yah have farms?"
"Yes." the Hok-Sai answered. "Yah'd be surprised how many asteroids smash into teh planet's surface every day, Ai? Always near teh same spots too. We're able to harvest them asteroids and use 'em as dirt fer growin, and melt teh ice on them fer water and such."
"Doesn't that cause damage to the machine?" Twilight asked.
"Nah, we already thickened teh shell in those sectors and created anti-impact grav-nets, ain't nothin getting through that." he announced proudly.
"What about diseases?" Fluttershy asked shyly, "If you don't know where something came from, it might have something dangerous."
"We scan and filter everything that hits teh surface of our planet or gets caught in teh grav-nets." he said, "Sterilizing and cleaning is teh specialty of a few of my kind."
"What about pets?" Pinky asked, "Any funny-looking animals survive?"
"Plenty." Tri-Tiner said getting Fluttershy to smile, "Yah should see teh animals that learned te live on Meltack, there's a whole sector of teh planet built like a petting zoo."
"I want to go there." Fluttershy pleaded quietly to Blade.
"I'll do my best." he said.
"Meltackians are born from teh planet itself." the Hok-Sai continued, "Don't know why. But they're always made in pairs, and lots of times those pairs are in different sectors, Ai? Connected through some kinda psychic connection. Took em forever te start explorin past their birthin sector, now they act like they own teh whole planet."
"That is illogical at worst and grossly misinterpreted at best." Serenity said, catching everyone's attention, "We Meltackians are logic minded, and have therefore simply offered better solutions to reoccurring problems. Also, collecting and feeding pets is a viable survival strategy, the companionship is widely known to be an effective barrier against depression and loneliness among even your own species."
"Why does her way of thinking sound so familiar?" Twilight asked herself, only to hear chuckles from her friends around her, "I wasn't THAT bad."
"Yah could communicate it better." Tri-Tiner said in a short yet somehow happy huff.
"Emotions are irrelevant." the young female Meltackian said, "They cause thinking that tends to make far too many mistakes and can interfere with solid logical planning."
"But emotions are necessary for both magic and diplomacy." Twilight said getting Serenity to tun to her, "Magic is powered by emotions, and through your emotions you can connect to the problems of others, help them to truly overcome them and bond to be friends." The alicorn then walked up to the young Meltackian, "Don't you want to be our friend?"
"I do not see what benefit being more than coworkers would have." Serenity said.
"I used to be like you, then I met my friends." the purple princess said as her friends walked up to support her, "They changed my life I ways I never would have imagined."
"You are a princess of your race, correct?" Serenity asked.
"Yes." Twilight answered, unsure of where this conversation was going.
"So you not find that emotions interfere with your rule of your people?" Serenity asked.
Twilight shook her head, "Not at all." she announced, "Emotions and logic work hoof in hoof with how I approach problems, and without my friends, I wouldn't even be what I am now."
"Emotions and Logic can work hoof…or hand in hand?" Serenity asked, mostly to herself, "I do not understand, does one not interfere with the other?"
"Not when you understand how both work." Twilight said, "While logic is important, it's not everything, and can easily become corrupted if carelessly applied without consideration. Emotions help logic by letting you learn from others. Just as important, logic can help emotions stay under control."
"I see." the Meltackian girl said in realization, "That does make sense." She then turned to face the baby dragon, "I see your ability to reason with logic has taught a very important pony a great deal of wisdom."
"He wasn't the only one." Rainbow Dash said with gusto.
"Yeah!" Pinkie shouted as she jumped and playfully landed on Twilight's back, toppling the group of ponies to the floor with a cacophony of giggles and laughter.
Image, Honor, Chivalry and Tri-Tiner all joined in on the laughter. "Well, there ya go." the Hok-Sai said, "That's why Hok-Sai don't have teh same connection problem as Meltackians do."
Serenity floated her way to the giant Hok-Sai and slightly bowed to him, "I must apologize I suppose." she said, "While we had purely noble intentions, I do suppose our emotionless minds may have caused us to be a bit blunt in our delivery of our aid."
"Bah!" he scoffed with a grin on his face, "Ah know us Hok-Sai can be a bit stubborn too. No harm done Aie?"
"Can't wait to see you at the next track Tri-Tiner." Rainbow suddenly said
"Sorry we left you out of the loop, but we promise to give you the rundown from now on." Tusks said as he walked up to shake the Hok-Sai's hand.
"Good ta hear." Tri-Tiner said in response, "Ah was beginnin ta think ya didn't trust me, Aie?" He then belted out a laugh that was so loud and jovial, that the ground beneath them trembled in what Pinkie would have called joy and slammed his massive hand onto Tusks' back.
"Now THAT was a laugh!" Pinkie said in excitement.
Once Tri-Tiner was done laughing, he turned to the Dryskian, Syls, "Sorry ya didn't make it today." he said, "But if ya make it back to Dryskis, give us a call, Aie? Ah bet we'd all love ta here from ya."
"Sure." Syls said and turned so she was facing the young Sunik boy, "You take care of them ok?" she asked as she slid the shard over his head and around his neck, "They'll need somepony as dependable as you."
"Ok." was all he said, and let the taller two Dryskian girls envelop him in a hug.
"Don't do anything crazy." Tris said.
"I won't." he said and was interrupted.
"Don't promise that." Syls said, "If you have to get crazy, then you get crazy. Just be careful, ok?"
"Ok." he repeated.
Soon after the groups separated to go back to their garages, placing the medallions into the wall of their facility and closing the door before the spell flashed and teleported them to a new location, "My apologies, but does anypony else smell fish?" Rarity asked after smelling the air.