//------------------------------// // Ponyville (Part 2) // Story: The Technician // by Pyrus_uk //------------------------------// “How far is it to Rarity’s?” Charlie asked. “Not far now, just at the end of this road” Twilight replied. They had been walking for about 10 minutes, which was far too long for Charlie’s liking. “Maybe leaving the quadbike wasn’t such a good idea” He thought. As they made their way over a small bridge, Twilight spotted her friend's boutique. “There it is, Charlie” Charlie saw a fairly large and fancy looking building. To him, it seemed a little over the top. “Wow, looks fancy. Really stands out from the other houses next to it. I know she works in fashion, but is all this really necessary?” Charlie asked. Twilight rolled her eyes as they walked. “Well, she doesn’t really settle for bland or basic. If you haven’t figured that out already, you’re certainly about to.” They arrived at the front door of the boutique. Twilight knocked and they both waited. And waited.... Waited some more... Twilight knocked again a little louder. “Fluttershy said she would be here. Perhaps she’s out getting materials.” They both waited, before impatience prevailed. Just as they were about to leave, the door opened. “Darlings! Whatever are you both doing out here? Why didn’t you just come in?” Rarity said, standing to one side to allow both the human and unicorn inside. “Sorry Rarity. I would usually, but since this is the first time Charlie has been here, I figured I would knock first.” Twilight replied as they both made their way inside. “Nonsense darling! You’re both most welcome here. Even some of my least regular customers don’t hang around on the doorstep. How are you both? Giving Charlie a tour?” Twilight nodded. “That’s right. We’ve been to see Applejack’s farm and Fluttershy’s cottage already.” Rarity smiled. “Excellent! It’s good to see you again, Charlie. I trust you’ve had a pleasant day so far?” “It’s nice to see you again too, Rarity. Today’s been great so far, thanks.” Charlie looked around. “Quite a place you have here. Quite large. You live here as well as work?” “Oh yes, me and Sweetie Belle. She’s at school right now.” Rarity said, smiling. “A pony called Sweetie Belle? For real?” Charlie thought. “She’s Rarity’s sister. I guess you’ll meet her another time.” Twilight said. “Oh you certainly will. A human living in Ponyville? Timberwolves couldn’t keep her away” Rarity said, rolling her eyes. She lead Twilight and Charlie to the sitting area. “Can I get you both some tea?” “Oh, no thank you. We just had some at Fluttershy’s” Twilight said sitting with Charlie who nodded in agreement. Rarity sat took a seat across from them. “So Charlie, I suppose you would like to know some more about what I do” Rarity has been talking for about an hour......non-stop. Charlie had managed to throw a question in once or twice, which simply added momentum to the already high speed and one sided conversation. Twilight simply sat in silence. Charlie suspected she had heard all this before. “- and that’s why Canterlot nobles are so important to the fashion industry. Even if I have a strong distaste to most of them....on a social level of course.” Rarity said, matter of factly. When Charlie realised Rarity wasn’t really paying much attention to anything else other than what she was saying, he figured he could use the opportunity to properly look around. He glanced over to what he assumed were some works in progress. “Those dresses look quite fancy on those....mannequins.....ponyquinns?......does ‘man’ even mean anything in mannequin? Oh crap, I hope she doesn’t ask me any questions about....anything.” He thought. Much to his surprise, she hadn’t asked him a single question about human fashion. He didn’t mind, of course. He had very little knowledge or interest in fashion and he knew that perfectly well. He definitely didn’t want Rarity finding out about it though. Rarity simply kept on the subject of Equestrian fashion. She clearly knew almost everything about it, inside out and back to front. She was just beginning to start describing her view on royalty’s influence on fashion, when she glanced at the clock. “Oh my! That’s not the time is it? I’m late to pickup Sweetie Belle from school!” Rarity said, suddenly in a fluster. “Oh, well...uhh” Twilight stumbled over her thoughts that were suddenly brought back into the room. “I didn’t even get to ask Charlie about human fashion culture. Simply horrible!” Rarity said, now at her dresser looking for her things. “That’s OK, Rarity. Perhaps another time.” Charlie said, slightly regretting saying that shortly after. “Oh absolutely! You must come back at a later date so we can resume where we left off.” Rarity said making her way to the door. Both Twilight and Charlie followed Rarity out the door. Closing it behind them, Rarity looked up to Charlie. “And I mean that, mister. I expect to see you again very soon.” She said with a smile. “Oh don’t worry, I won’t keep you waiting.” Charlie said with a nod. “Thanks for having us over.” “It was as delightful as it was short, darling. Sorry but I must dash. I fear I won’t hear the last of this from my dear sister.” Rarity said, looking down the road. “No problem Rarity.” Twilight said, leading Charlie down the road. “See you soon!” “Take care!” Rarity called back, heading the other way. Both Charlie and Twilight walked down the path, slowly making their way further into town. “Well she certainly seemed......devoted.” Charlie said looking up to some pegasi flying about in the sky. “Rarity’s....particular. Didn’t you like her?” Twilight asked with slight concern. “Oh! Of course! She was very nice and welcoming. All of your friends have been. My positive assumptions when I first met them yesterday were pretty accurate. I’m just learning a little more about their personalities.” Charlie said. “That’s good. But in all fairness, we haven’t really gotten to know much about you. I realise that this is a whole new world for you and you're probably well outside your comfort zone, but you still seem a little....closed up. Is something wrong?” Twilight asked, still holding that concerned look. Charlie’s gaze lowered to the ground just in front of him. “C’mon, you’re doing well so far. There’s no need to share anymore with these ponies than you need to.” Charlie looked up back in front of him. “Don’t worry, Twilight. Give me a few days to get used to it all. I’ll be fine.” Twilight held her gaze a little longer, until she noticed they had arrived at their destination. “Ah, we’re here. Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie Pie lives and works here helping run the bakery.” Twilight said, gesturing with her hoof. “This building stands out even more than Rarity’s boutique.” Charlie said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. “It looks like it’s made out of cakes and sweets.” “Trust me, it’s not. The foals can attest to that.” Twilight said with a slight giggle. “C’mon, let’s get inside.” Twilight led Charlie through the front door. Charlie could see a couple of ponies standing in a queue in front of the counter where another pony was serving. He could smell a strong aroma of baked goods. He could see a doorway to the kitchen but not much of the kitchen itself, although he could hear various sounds of activity from inside. Shortly after they entered, some of the ponies looked over at Charlie. He actually recognised some of them from his earlier stroll through the town centre. Everypony still gave him long stares, although Twilight’s presence next to him seemed to keep them from freaking out entirely. “I don’t see Pinkie behind the counter. She must be in the Kitchen, c’mon.” Twilight said as she joined the back of the queue. Charlie followed shortly after. One by one, the ponies in front of them got bought their goods and made their way out of the shop. Strangely, no pony entered after Charlie and Twilight had come in. Charlie wasn't all that surprised. “They must have seen me walk in and not want to follow. I feel welcome already.” It wasn’t long before the final pony left and they both reached the counter. A middle aged mare was just finishing putting away the last few bits into the cash register when Twilight greeted her. “Hello Mrs Cake. How are you today?” “Oh hello there, Twilight. It’s been a busy day today so I’m a little frazzled.” Mrs Cake said, still sorting the bits. “Are you looking for-“ Mrs Cake trailed off as she looked up and her eyes met Charlie. Her pupils immediately shrank. He did his best to keep a neutral face. Due to his nerves, a smile was out of the question. Twilight’s eyes were darting between both the human and the mare. “Uhh, Mrs Cake, this is Charlie. A human who’ll be working in Ponyville. I’m showing him around.” Twilight said a little awkwardly. Still silence. “aaaaaand, Charlie, this is Mrs Cake. The owner of Sugarcube Corner.” Mrs Cake just stood, staring at Charlie. He knew he had to say something. “Uhh, hi there......pleasure to meet you” He said, still without a smile. “H-hello. I, uh, can’t say I’ve met someone like you before.” Mrs Cake said nervously. “No I don’t expect you have. From the numerous nervous stares I’ve been getting plus the distance the ponies have been putting between me and them, I get the impression I’m in the first human here.” Charlie said. Both Mrs Cake and Twilight drooped their ears slightly at that. “Oh, I’m sorry about that. I know that we can be a skittish bunch.” Mrs Cake said. “But that will change!” Twilight piped up. “Once everyone gets to know you, you’ll be making loads of friends in no time!” “I don’t know. I haven’t really been that good in the friends department in the past. I think I’ll focus on my work here in Ponyville, at least for now.” Charlie said, glancing down slightly. Twilight kept her gaze locked on Charlie, before Mrs Cake stole her attention. “Speaking of friends,” Mrs Cake said, “are you both looking for Pinkie?” “Yes we are” Twilight replied with a nod. “Is she around?” “She’s in the back. Go right in.” Mrs Cake said. Charlie and Twilight started making their way into the Kitchen. “Oh and Charlie?” Mrs Cake said behind him. Charlie stopped halfway through the kitchen door and looked back to Mrs Cake. “Please don’t be a stranger. You’re welcome here anytime, despite my shaky first impression.” Mrs Cake said with a smile. Charlie smiled back for first time. “Thank you, Mrs Cake.” Charlie entered the kitchen and saw Twilight standing in the middle. No Pinkie in sight. “Mrs Cake said she’d be in here. Now where’s she gotten to?” Twilight mumbled, looking around. “HEYA!” Pinkie yelled as she jumped out from inside a cupboard. Both Charlie and Twilight yelled and visibly jumped in surprise causing Pinkie to fall on the floor in a fit of giggles. “Hahaha! You should have seen your faces! You were all like ‘oh my gosh’! Hahahaha!” Twilight grumbled to herself. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this.” She glanced over to Charlie, who had his hand on his chest, trying to get his breathing back under control. “Sorry about that. It’s just Pinkie being Pinkie.” Twilight said. “Don’t worry about it.” Charlie said between gasps. “This better not be a regular thing or I’m not gonna last that long.” “So” Twilight said as Pinkie got back onto her hoofs. “I’ve been showing Charlie around Ponyville. We’ve met everyone else and now we’re here to see you, Pinkie” Pinkie made an exaggerated gasp, “Oh my gosh! I can show you how to bake super nice cakes and stuff! You’ll love ‘em! You’ll be the first human Ponyville baker, Charlie!” Pinkie started hopping up and down on the spot. Charlie realised that he was starting to get a little hungry, something that was exacerbated upon smelling the sweet aroma of the bakery. “Sure, Pinkie. That sounds really good actually.” Charlie said, now having gotten his breathing back into a slow rhythm. Another giant gasp from Pinkie, who was still bouncing on the spot. “Ohhhh, this is gonna be so much fun!” They were now 20 minutes into baking some muffins. Pinkie was adding some final ingredients into the mixture that Charlie was mixing. Twilight was sat on a stool in the corner, writing on a notepad. “Not gonna help, Twilight?” Charlie said. “No Thanks. I think Pinkie wants you to do it. Besides, I’m getting some great insight into how differently you humans go about certain tasks. Those hands of yours seem very useful.” Twilight responded without looking up from her page. Charlie rolled his eyes and shifted his focus back to the mixing bowl. Once the muffin mixture was in the baking tray, it was put in the oven and the tedious waiting began. They decided to pass the time with some conversation. “So Charlie, whatcha planning on doing while you’re here in Ponyville? You could come and work here in the bakery! Oh that would be fantastic!” Pinkie said cheerfully. “Thanks for the offer Pinkie, but I already have a job to do.” Charlie replied. “Ooooooo, what’s that? Special human stuff?” Pinkie asked tilting her head slightly. "Wasn't she already told this?" He thought. “Well yes, I suppose. I have to set up some equipment here in Ponyville and in the neighbouring towns. Hopefully, if everything goes well, that will allow the towns communicate in a special way.” Charlie said plainly. He didn’t expect Pinkie to be all that interested in the more technical explanation. “What do you mean special? We already have postal system that runs between towns for messages. Spike even uses dragonfire for instant messaging between me and the princesses. Although that’s a pretty rare thing in all fairness.” Twilight said. Charlie scratched his chin. “Well, are you familiar with video?” “Yeah” Twilight and Pinkie said in unison. “Well, I plan to setup a system that will allow for video messaging in real time. That is where you can talk to the person...uhh, pony....and see them on a screen at the same time.” Charlie said. “How can you do that? Video, at least how it works here, has to be recorded onto some kind of medium and then played back. We usually put video into gems using magic. Although it can be put into tapes and such as well.” Twilight said. “Well, we use digital data which I don’t think you ponies have yet. Or you may have it but in a different form. Regardless, that’s how we stream the video. Using digital information transmitted through a signal through the air, we can stream audio and video from one point to another across considerable distances.” Charlie replied. “Wow! I really look forward to seeing that in action.” Twilight said, smiling. “That would be really useful.” “Oh! I could call my family back at the rock farm! The worst part about writing to them is waiting for the reply” Pinkie said with a tinge of a frown. “Rock farm?” Charlie thought. “Well like I said, I need to setup some equipment first. I’ll need to do some trial runs once I get a small system in place just to make sure everything works properly. Then I can roll it out for everyone, but it’s going to take some time.” “Of course, as you said, you need to have something in place to send and receive this ‘signal’ of yours.” Twilight said, thoughtfully. “I’m glad to have you around, Twilight. I may need some help with this in the future, and it’ll be good to know you’re here.” Charlie said. Twilight gave a small blush while Pinkie’s smile grew even wider. *DING* “MUFFINS ARE DONE!!” Pinkie yelled as she raced over to the oven. Both Twilight and Charlie jumped again at the sudden outburst. “Is she always like this?” Charlie whispered to Twilight. “She get excited when a new pony, or in this case human, comes to Ponyville. She’ll calm down......a bit.” Twilight replied, rubbing her left ear which was still ringing. Pinkie came back and split the muffins three ways. She made two bags of muffins for Charlie and Twilight. “Thanks a bunch for the muffins, Pinkie. Still too hot for me right now but they certainly smell nice.” Charlie said following Twilight to the door. “No problem! You helped make ‘em too y’know!” Pinkie said before gobbling down one of her own piping hot muffins. Charlie gawped at her. “How? They’ve just come out of oven.” He asked. “Years of practice, my human friend. Years of practice.” She said with a smile and a wink. “Ah forget it.” Charlie made his way outside where Twilight was waiting for him. “It was nice seeing you today, Pinkie. Hope to see you again soon.” “Thanks, Pinkie. I’ll see you later.” Twilight said, turning away. “I’ll see you both at the party! I'll let you know once I've planned it!” Pinkie called, waving as Twilight waved back. Charlie was carrying the two bags of muffins. “Ah, crap. The party. And apparently everyone in town is going to be there. Everyone who was giving me those stares.......lovely” Charlie thought. He looked up and saw the sun starting to set. Twilight seemed to have clocked this too. “Well, Charlie. I haven’t shown you all of Ponyville but I think we should call it a day. You’ve met all of my best friends at least.” “It’s been a great day, Twilight. Thanks a lot for showing me around. And I agree, I’d like to head back. I didn’t get the best nights sleep.” Charlie replied. “Do you need me to walk you back?” Twilight asked. “No thanks, I think I know which part of town I’m in right now. I can make it back on my own.” With that, Charlie handed Twilight her bag of muffins and they said their goodbyes. Sure enough, his quad-bike was exactly where he left it. He stashed away his bag of muffins inside the quad-bike and started the engine. With his helmet firmly placed on his head, he set off back up the mountain. “No plans with the ponies for tomorrow. I should probably get to work on those dish calibrations.” He thought as he raced up the dirt path. “Don’t want the first report to the captain to consist solely of my increased muffin consumption.”