Maggie then started explaining, in layman’s terms, how Ascent worked. How the tiny little nanomachines could re-arrange any object on a molecular or cellular level, and which had been developed in an unsuccessful bid to try and counteract the Tide on its own terms. As Maggie explained how the Committee made the decision that initial contact should be covert, in order to avoid scaring the ponies or provoking hostilities, Erin watched as her mother’s eyes widened in sudden realization. 