Showdown at High Noon
Chapter 12
Showdown at High Noon
Edited by: CosmicAfro and Neko-
Dear Princess Celestia,
I am writing in regards to a new sapient being in our midst that was encountered in the Everfree forest, specifically the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters. Communicating with him is rather difficult as he doesn't appear to speak our language, but we've been able to communicate some crude concepts.
I am currently referring to this new individual as "the Subject" as his name isn't easily replicable for casual conversation (I don't even know where to begin spelling wise). His appearance is difficult to describe, but I will do so to the best of my ability. Please note this is from casual observation and not a detailed study. Assumptions made off of first appearances may prove to be incorrect with further investigation:
He is approximately twelve hooves tall, bipedal, with a similar stance and posture to that of a minotaur. He has no readily observable tail or other appendage that would aid balance, despite this he appears to be fairly agile. Also, what I hypothesize is to be the equivalent to the hoof area is covered with a garment similar in appearance to work boots or some other covering, but has some design on the bottom that I can't place a function for outside of radical speculation. The shape of the boot flattens out horizontally in the front along the laces and appears on first inspection to be masterfully crafted.
The Subject, although when first encountered was only partially clothed, appears to prefer being clothed completely. The reason most likely stems from a near complete lack of fur, whether due to disease or simply his natural state of being is beyond my observational capabilities. He seemed to be in at least fair health when we first encountered him. He also is in the possession of hands very much like minotaurs do, the only observable distinction is that minotaurs have a total of eight fingers, whereas the subject has ten. The creature also keeps on his person a small wood axe and a large knife. The knife in particular seems to have an ornate handle, possibly indicating an heirloom or something else of significance. The knife and the axe have oddly shaped handles, most likely to offer a better grip given his physiology.
The Subject himself is difficult to read in terms of emotion or temperament, though while it seems we share common expressions like smiling or frowning, due to his small eye size some of the more subtle gestures are easily lost. From what I've witnessed he seems cautious regarding ponies he has just met and the possibility of him being territorial is difficult to judge due to various circumstances. However, he seems amicable at the moment.
In two days I will be leaving with Zecora and Mayor Mare to meet with our new acquaintance at noon. If you have any material you think would be useful or any advice on diplomatic matters, it would be most appreciated. I promise I will do my best to learn as much as I can about our new friend and facilitate peaceful relations between our two species.
Your student,
Twilight Sparkle
P.S. One thing I should-
Celestia cast her eye once more over the letter on the breakfast table. Her expression hidden behind her cup of tea. She had already finished her morning meal and was planning on how to deal with this news. The implications behind such a discovery were weighty indeed. To start, the scientific community would go absolutely bananas when they got wind of this. She had already drafted multiple letters to the various learning institutions and research labs to prepare for a drastic increase in research activity. With a new species appearing she could already see the proverbial hurricane of various theses, scientific journals and research papers churned out in response. Scientists are somewhat excitable like that.
The doors to the small dining area opened, drawing the Princess’s eye away from her letters. Luna yawned as she entered, the younger Princess somehow managing to keep the movement regal and dignified. Though her childish smirking was less than what would normally be considered ‘proper’.
Shuffling in behind Luna was Prince Blueblood, his unkempt mane had yet to be styled and sprung out in all directions in a massive afro. The Prince didn’t seem be aware about the state of his coiffure, just like he wasn’t yesterday or the day before that, as awareness requires brainpower and he just didn’t have the wattage at this hour. No one had ever accused Blueblood of being a morning pony. The only reason he was awake now was because outdated decorum demanded it. The bags under his eyes were so big, they could be used to smuggle refugees out of the country. Add in the fact he was practically dragging himself across the room, and there was little to indicate that the Prince would ever be an early riser. Several servants were trailing behind Blueblood desperately trying to tame the young royal’s mane with various straighteners, combs and hair sprays. There were good reasons as to why there were no mirrors in the the halls of Canterlot castle.
No one wanted a repeat of the greased lilac incident.
"Good morning sister," Luna called out in greeting. "And good morning to you nephew."
The irritable grumble she got in response was fairly standard for this time of day. The Prince shuffled to his seat with unseeing eyes as he plopped himself down on his usual seat and pawed blindly around the table until a servant placed a bagel underneath his searching hoof. He then proceeded to pull the baked good to his mouth and idly gnawed on it as his brain tried to extend its functions beyond basic motor control. Currently it was on consonants, soon it might even remember that words were as a general rule strung together in sentences, but that would take a minute or two.
All the while his hair maids labored in the background as they finally managed to wrestle the massive mane into his usual style. They bowed before the Prince upon completing their given task, and excused themselves when Blueblood finally blinked. The stylists had long ago decided this would be the closest they would get to a dismissal with the Prince in this state.
"Cmmphy" Blueblood mumbled through his meal, still staring dead ahead. Soon a servant brought forth a cup of coffee and set it next to the waiting Prince. The stuff was strong enough to eat through the mahogany table on which it sat. After a few seconds the Prince set down his bagel and sipped from the steaming cup. Soon some intelligence creeped back into his tired eyes and he let out lengthy yawn.
The royal sisters shared a private giggle at their nephew's zombified antics before Luna turned to the sizable pile of scrolls seated in front of her sibling.
"And what pray tell has you doing paperwork at this hour?" as she lifted a scroll at random and scanned the contents. "Summons for the griffin ambassador Laud? For discussions of a paramount nature?" She raised an eyebrow at her alabaster sister. "Has something occurred that we- I should be aware of?"
Celestia raised a different letter from the table and let it float to Luna. The older sister kept her expression in its standard political mask of serene neutrality. However, the fact that she herself was penning these summons spoke volumes about the situation when she could have easily delegated the task to almost any other scribe or servant in the castle.
Luna’s expression turned more and more serious with each line she read until finally she lowered the letter.
“I see, so a new species has been found. This is...” Luna paused as she grappled for the appropriate wording. “monumental.”
“Indeed.” The tension in Celestia’s voice was difficult to notice, but it was definitely there. The mere implications of yet another species would cause waves in the political world. Who knew what would happen when this new society emerged fully into the spotlight.
“So what?” The two celestial sisters turned to their nephew as he took a deep drink from his coffee before continuing. “I mean no disrespect Aunties, but this seems to be a bit of an overreaction. Some new breed of dog or inchworm hardly seems noteworthy.”
“It’s not just a new creature Blueblood, it’s a brand new race, not unlike the griffins or minotaurs.”
The Prince choked on his coffee in reply to Luna’s clarifying statement, and after a few minutes of hacking and coughing, the Prince portrayed his confusion in the most elegant way that he could manage at that particular moment.
“Bwuh!?”
“I imagine many delegates are going to have a similar reaction dear nephew,” Luna replied with a hint of smugness. “Hence the need for a proper meeting, to allay any initial misgivings about the creature before it has a chance to prove itself.”
“I hope I don’t have to tell you what is said here cannot leave this room.” Celestia chimed in. All the servants had left to attend to their other duties, leaving the three of them alone for their discussions. “There are many contingencies we have to prepare. Just the mere appearance of a new race brings many dangerous implications, especially in this day and age.”
Blueblood pondered the Princess’s words for a moment before speaking up again. “I’m afraid the subtleties of the situation are lost on me Auntie. If this new race were to prove to be as hostile as the diamond dogs or as isolationist as the dragons, wouldn’t we simply be able to deal with them as we have the others?”
Celestia took a long draw from her tea before answering. “If the worst scenario came about, yes those are possible options. However there are a few things you are not grasping my young nephew.”
“Such as?” Blueblood made a ‘go on’ gesture with his hoof.
“Well for starters, I imagine you need the full story.” The Sun Diarch raised her student’s letter and read it for her nephew, who remained politely attentive. Right up until she finished, the raised eyebrow he held clearly showed he had expected something a little more dire than that to rile up a Princess.
“As fascinating as that is, I’m still not seeing what so worrisome.”
The Sun Princess nodded, then conjured a holographic globe over the table. “Tell me, where can you find ponies on this map?”
The Prince scrutinized the map for a moment, using his own magic to spin the construct before returning his attention to the Princess. “Almost anywhere I would guess. Granted, Equestria is our homeland but you could find at least one pony in any major city. Maybe some of the smaller towns only get ponies as visitors, but not so few they would never see one.”
Celestia nodded approvingly, “And where could you find somepony who speaks another language?”
Blueblood didn’t bother even looking at the globe. “The griffins, saddle arabians, zebras and minotaurs all have their own native tongues, and that’s just off the top of my head.” He rested his chin on his hoof. “While social studies is an interesting subject, I fail to see how this is pertinent.”
Celestia took a sip from her cup before continuing the conversation. “You will in a moment. What about those who don’t speak Equish?”
One of the Prince’s ears flopped at the odd question. “What about them?”
“Where could you find a place where no creature spoke a word of Equish?” She elaborated.
The Prince opened his mouth to answer, before pausing then closing it as if trying to catch the answer between his teeth. He spun the globe from place to place, continent to continent. After a minute or two of searching he gave huff of frustration and set the globe spinning like a top with a shove of his magic as his ire overrode his decorum.
He quickly caught himself and straightened his tie before addressing Celestia. “I honestly can’t imagine such a place, even in the most remote towns somebody has to speak Equish. It’s the language of trade.”
“Exactly,” Everyone's attention shifted to Luna as she spoke. “Tis the most widely spoken of languages, the dragons that pride themselves on independence and rarely interact with ponies, if ever, still speak our tongue. Even the diamond dogs who live in warrens under the earth and far removed from our society, still speak broken Equish. At least, so I am told.”
“Again,” Irritation creeping into the Prince’s tone. “I fail to see your point.”
“How about this then.” Celestia twirled the globe again and nudged it towards her nephew. “Now, show me somewhere one would never see a pony, griffin, minotaur, zebra or any other known kin, and thus a place where Equish isn't spoken at all. Keep in mind that the place you choose has to be able to house an entire species.”
At this the Prince frowned and then began to spin the globe, stopping here and there before finally letting out an exasperated sigh.
“I honestly have no idea Auntie, and not to sound like a broken record but what does this all mean?” Aggression was starting to seep into the Prince’s tone despite his years of noble bearing, though it was quickly stifled under embarrassment.
The Princess of the Sun simply took a sip from her morning tea as she let the Prince calm himself before grasping the translucent globe in the glow of her magic.
“Allow me to explain.” she said with rather amused tone. “There are three places that this creature may have come from that would explain its appearance and behavior. Each one has its own problems or raise concerns for us in the long run.”
Blueblood for his part sat attentively, he was becoming genuinely curious now that his aunt was no longer teasing him with riddles.
“The first place it may hail from is the sea,” Celestia highlighted the globes vast bodies of water for emphasis. “If this creature lived in the vast expanse of the oceans and on the seafloor, then it would make sense that we knew nothing of it.”
The Prince nodded, the logic seemed sound.
“The problem is,” Chimed in Luna. “that if it was from the great seas, why was it first seen in the Everfree Forest? It is well within Equestria’s heartland, somepony should have sighted it long before now. From the description it doesn’t sound like it would be easily overlooked.”
Luna summoned a map of Equestria and pointed at the Forest. “The only way it could have gotten here from the sea without notice is if it traveled upstream. That however, carries its own questions and implications.”
Blueblood leaned over and examined the map. “Such as?”
“Such as,” Luna elaborated. “if it resides in the sea, how does it survive? From the description, it doesn’t sound like it has fins or gills. If it were a creature of the sea, why is it so poorly equipped to live there? What’s more, how would it survive the transition from water to land? Or from saltwater to freshwater? Even if we could get satisfactory answers for those questions, there is a key mystery left hanging.”
The Princess of the Night leaned across the table and locked eyes with the Prince. “Why travel the river? Why not appear on the shoreline and move from there? There doesn’t seem to be any problem moving on land so why keep to the water?”
She leaned back into her seat. “Then again, there might be something we are missing so we can’t make any assumptions. Even then it seems unlikely to come from the sea. No fins or gills and no obvious reason to be this far inland otherwise.”
At this point Celestia took the helm of the conversation again. “It’s for similar reasons that we can rule out the second location. If not in the sea, then what of the skies above them? Pegasi tend to keep their cloud homes anchored over land so they can easily access the rest of society. However, with no wings and no indication of ability to fly, how would a society of these creatures live in the sky? What’s more, we once again have to ask why appear in the Everfree of all places?Which leaves the last and most likely place, underground.”
The Princess supped the last of her tea before returning it to its ornate saucer. “If this new race is subterranean in nature, and their only access to the surface was through the Everfree Forest, it would make some degree of sense that they haven’t ventured out too often. Even if it's just below the Everfree, that is a sizable amount of land to dig under, theoretically large enough to sustain a population if one dug down far enough. If this being is an explorer, there is a good chance that we can proceed in forming proper diplomatic channels.”
“Which will herald long and tedious negotiations on trade, extradition of criminals and so on and so forth.” The Prince wasn’t even trying to sound enthusiastic, it was becoming rapidly apparent the logistics of preparing for the appearance of a new race weren’t nearly as exciting as the appearance itself.
“Well, as fascinating as that is Auntie, I need to prepare for the rest of my day.” The Prince gave a small bow. “Paperwork needs to be attended to, as well as a rather nifty soirée that Fancypants is throwing this evening and I need to find just the right tie for the occasion.” The Prince slowly left the room with a practiced saunter. “I’m sure those letters will be lovely Auntie, See you tomorrow as always,” were his parting words as the door closed behind him.
Celestia rolled her eyes at her nephew’s less than subtle retreat and returned to writing, but it wasn’t long before Luna was hanging over her wither.
“I see you didn’t feel like mentioning that other possibility to our impressionable little Prince.” The Night Princess chided. The Solar Diarch on the other hand simply smiled.
“I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“And I’m sure there is reason why you’re writing the minotaur ambassador last.”
Celestia raised an eyebrow. “And what’s so unusual about that?”
“You tend to do things in alphabetical order, and there’s a letter for the zebra ambassador here already.” Luna poked one of the neatly wrapped scrolls. “Habit is rarely forgone without reason sister, more so with individuals of our age.”
Celestia let out a soft sigh, her sister was as perceptive as ever. “It’s unlikely my worries are founded on anything solid, but…”
Luna needed no prompting. “But if these creatures do not reside under the Everfree, it’s impossible that no other race hasn’t encountered at least one encampment. Or at the very least caught a glimpse of one and have legend spring up in place of truth.”
“I am not aware of any legends,” Celestia replied. “But that is a definite possibility.” She sighed before continuing. “I like it better than the alternative, that one of the other races is harboring them secretly.”
The shocked expression Luna wore was enough to tell her sister what she thought, however never let it be said that the Princess of the Night was without tact. “Tia, that’s a bit of a stretch don’t you think?”
“True, I don’t believe there is any merit to be had in such a theory but it cannot be overlooked, extra care must be taken.” She frowned down at her letter. “All I intend to do is word my letter carefully. Twilight herself drew a comparison between this new creature and minotaurs, it is possible that they share a homeland, or a heritage perhaps.”
“Unlikely; no matter how well you can keep a secret, one can’t hide an entire population without something slipping through the cracks.” Luna quickly rejected. “What truly worries me is your student's postscript.”
The Princess could only nod as she reread the last few lines of the letter.
P.S. One thing you should know about the Subject, he appears to destroy or in some way nullify all forms of observable magic. While this is not without consequence (as it appears to be quite painful) no magic can interact directly with his body or belongings. I don’t know the limits or capabilities of this power. But it is possible that he might be able to imbue objects with a similar if not the exact same property. I don’t know for sure yet, but I’ll let you know as soon I find out.
Luna continued as her sister reread what was the most worrying aspect of this new species. “The defenses of our realm are mostly magical, our unicorn troops are trained to wield offensive spells and weapons with their magic, meaning that to be of any use at all in an encounter with a hostile force comprised of these creatures they would need to be retrained. Earth ponies would be deprived of their normally substantial strength, meaning they would be encumbered by armor and weapons, reducing effectiveness in combat. Again the only solution is to retrain the troops to counter this maneuver.”
“At least we won’t have to retrain the pegasi from the ground up.” Celestia added, trying to grasp a silver lining in the sea of dark ominous clouds that hung on her metaphorical horizon. “We simply have them focus on ranged combat and introduce new tactics to counter this ability. Twilight’s letter implied this ability relies on touch, let us hope that it is limited to that. And I don’t even want to begin to imagine what would happen if one came into contact with the Elements of Harmony.”
She frowned down at her papers as Luna seemed lost to contemplation for a time before she put forward an option that already had crossed Celestia’s mind. “Why not delay in the correspondence to the ambassadors? Give ourselves time to prepare and cushion the impact that the news will cause. The economy and stock market are wild cards at best, we could stack the odds in our favor, given appropriate time.”
The Sun Princess kneaded her eyes, it was too early for this prolonged parade of preposterously paramount politics, even for her. “You remember how the griffins shook up the country when they made themselves known. Everything a new race means and more is on its way and we have a very finite amount of time to prepare, and stepping on tails now, so to speak, will only cause problems in the long run.” A long sigh escaped the Princess’s lips as she slumped in her chair. “If it’s all the same to you, I wish to discuss something other than politics before the court opens for the day.”
A cheshire smile slunk on to the nocturnal sister’s muzzle as she returned to her own chair. “Well then, why don’t you finally get around to telling me how the land of Equestria came to acquire a Prince?”
“You’re not going to let that go, are you?”
“Not a chance, Celly.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Everfree as of late had seen more pony activity in the recent year than the last one hundred combined. Now, one could wonder if the forest itself had an opinion on such matters. It was a rather bizarre forest after all, such things weren't out of the question. Certainly its fearsome reputation had diminished slightly within pony culture with ponies actually returning from the forest now. To gauge how a sentient forest would react to such a thing one would have to find a way to gauge its attitude and/or personality. Strangely enough, if one considered how ‘friendly’ the forest itself was by what was able to live there, then it was an oddly welcoming place. Any creature, no matter how strange or alien, could find a home in the Everfree. The only problem came from surviving the forest’s other occupants.
Even a particularly hardy zebra had come to call it home. So naturally with this line of reasoning one would consider the forest almost welcoming, friendly even, to creatures from all walks of life.
Except Twilight Sparkle. Because fuck Twilight Sparkle.
The empirical evidence for such an attitude being that even though she was walking down one of the most well-worn paths in the Everfree forest, if not THE most well-worn path in the Everfree forest, she was still having an inordinate amount of difficulty doing so. She found herself walking into cobwebs, multiple tree branches, and a pothole. She also found herself collecting burrs in places she didn’t even know she had.
However, it would all be worth it in the end. She had partaken in a particularly interesting exercise in politics this morning. Specifically, finding out how many ways the Mayor could politely say: “I’m not going into the Everfree forest and you can’t make me.” She had been much more receptive when Twilight had offered to have Zecora come along as a guide. All that required was to get Zecora’s written consent and that would be that. The only hitch was the Mayor also insisted on bringing a photographer along as well in order to capture the new creature’s image so the townsfolk could have a chance to acclimate to its potentially horrifying appearance.
Under normal circumstances, Twilight would have inferred that particular reaction to a poor description of the creature on her part. However considering that half the things in the Everfree forest were either covered in sharp protrusions, were primarily comprised of teeth, or had way WAY more appendages than any creature had any right to possess, the Mayor's fears weren't exactly based on unfounded assumptions.
Still, while this specific trip to Zecora’s was particularly unpleasant, she had other business with the zebra that she had wanted to go over before the meeting tomorrow, so all things considered the Mayor’s request didn’t send her too far out of her way.
All the same, when she finally arrived at her friend’s hut she was relieved that her trek was over and took a moment to remove the various bits of forestry that had hitched a ride on her person. After making herself presentable, she finally approached and gave the door three sharp knocks.
After a few seconds the door opened to reveal the striped shaman. “Well how do you do! Twilight my dear, it’s so good to see you.” Zecora stepped forward and gave her friend a quick hug which Twilight returned.
“It’s good to see you too Zecora. I hope you’re feeling better now, the last time I came by you were really out of it.”
“Aye, gentle the Tracker's Tonic is definitely not, once the effects wear off most fall asleep on the spot.”
Twilight smiled and lightly placed her hoof on her striped friend’s withers. “Well I’m glad you're feeling better.” Her smile slipped a few shades towards sheepish before she continued. “Do you think you’re feeling up to helping with something tomorrow?”
Zecora tapped her chin in thought for a moment before answering. “That depends on what you require of me, tell me your needs and we shall see.”
“Well, it’s pretty important, you might want to sit down for what I’m about to tell you.” At this point Twilight had begun to dance on the tips of her hooves and was featuring a smile usually reserved for lottery winners, mental patients, and Pinkie Pie.
After a moment it became apparent to Zecora that her friend wasn’t going to continue unless she took a seat, and she complied with a bemused smile. It wasn’t often she saw Twilight this excited. After she was properly seated on her porch Twilight leaned in close after looking around at the surrounding foliage, as if searching for some unknown malcontent.
“Yesterday, the girls and I discovered an entirely new sapient species!” She whispered, practically squealing with excitement.
Surprise flashed across the zebra’s face as Twilight continued, though she had begun to pace back and forth chatting ecstatically.
“The Cutie Mark Crusaders told us about it after we rescued them, I think you were asleep by then, but anyway after a little investigation we found it living in the old castle! It’s so strange, it has familiar aspects from minotaurs but otherwise it’s completely alien!” She squealed excitedly. “No tail, no wings, just two legs to walk on and two arms if we go with minotaur equivalents. It wears clothes, speaks some unknown language and is possibly the first of its species to come into contact with the outside world!”
At this point Zecora attempted to interject, but at this point Twilight was gushing like a firehose and jumping up and down like a five year old filly on her birthday while simultaneously spouting theories.
Zecora, to her credit, waited patiently for her friend to finish her nerdgasm. Eventually Twilight began to lose steam and after realizing her antics, focused more on blushing and breathing.
After her lungs stopped burning and her heart was no longer in danger of exploding from the combination exertion/excitement she tried to put on a serious face. She was mostly successful.
“Oh, that reminds me!”
Twilight pulled out what appeared to be a massive scroll from her saddlebags.
“I took the liberty to write some contingencies and conversation tables for when we start communicating. This is your copy.” Twilight gingerly placed the massive text next to her friend with the softest possible WHA-THUD. “It contains possible non-verbal cues, Topics of importance once a dialogue has been established, and several useful tidbits to keep in mind when dealing with an unknown species and its society.”
Zecora eyed the positively back breaking scroll in front of her as Twilight continued. “Once we can actually talk we can get the important questions answered.”
The shamaness could only imagine what kind of effort went into this monolithic scroll, as she opened it and briefly scanned its contents. Or more accurately the table of contents. It had tips and tricks to create and maintain a good first impression and continued on to outline how to avoid what might be considered offensive. After a minute or so of reading she realized that at least half of the scroll was dictating how to make a good first impression. Seeing how the creature had left her hut as little as a half hour ago, a good chunk of the guide in her hooves was rendered pointless. However, sometimes being a good friend means delaying bad news to a less stressful time, so she opted out of informing Twilight for now. She was sure they could laugh about it later.
Looking up from the massive lump of parchment Zecora noticed the distinct impression of unhappiness in Twilight's face, though brief it was undoubtedly there. Before she had a chance to comment another deluge of dialogue began to flow.
“It is imperative that we do not project what WE would consider to be inappropriate, offensive, or immoral. For all we know, they could very well have no concept of personal property or other critical social morals. We have no common frame of reference.”
“That is all well and good,” Zecora interjected. “But what in particular brings you to my neck of the wood? I imagine it has something to do with the new addition to our neighborhood.”
“Oh, right. To be honest, I was hoping you could help me with opening up a dialogue with the Subject. You’re fluent in two different languages, I get the feeling we’re going to need that kind of expertise. Also Mayor Mare was rather insistent about your help in another regard.”
Twilight explained how the Mayor ‘requested’ that some sort of guide come with them if they were to venture that deep into the Everfree. After which Zecora pointed out they could simply have the mystery creature come OUT of the Everfree the day of the meeting, and have the Mayor meet them in a less hostile area. Both of them agreed this seemed to be a much better idea. The ‘major’ crisis resolved Twilight slumped onto Zecora’s porch in semi-relief. After which she gratefully accepted the medicine mare’s offer of tea before heading home.
On her way home her fur collected the most colorful sap, much to her dismay. Several baths were required to make her presentable enough to let the Mayor and Applejack in on tomorrow's planned proceedings. The Apple family was thrilled to hear that such a historical meeting would be happening on their property, especially one little filly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Next Day
Troy fiddled with his newest creation as he waited for noon to roll around, he was still trying to decide if his newest attempt at weapon craft was either brilliant or stupid.
See, Troy was dead set on getting his mitts on something with more range than a hand axe. Unfortunately his bow making attempts had pitiful results, so he went back to basics. First, what was your most basic projectile weapon? Easy, a rock. People have been throwing them at each other since time immemorial. And one of the most rudimentary weapons that made throwing a rock easier was ye olde stone sling.
So he promptly made one out of vines and a sock. Troy discovered two things rather quickly, first thing he learned was ‘simple to use’ did not mean ‘easy to use’. The second thing he learned was that sling stones, while only a little larger than a human thumb, where surprisingly effective. He learned this when he cracked himself in the head with one.
For the uninformed, ye olde sling is primarily operated by utilizing centripetal force. The basic operation of a sling is to have a large strip of flexible material, usually leather or cloth and place your projectile, read ‘rock’, in the loop you’ve just created. Then you spin the stone in a circle, either above your head or to the side to bring the stone up to speed, then you simply let go of one end of the cloth at the appropriate time and fling your projectile in the direction of someone or something you don’t particularly like.
The problem was that while Troy doesn’t hate himself, the universe at large seems to be making up for that, so naturally the stone caught the sock at a rather inopportune time and gave the guy a rather large goose egg above his right eyebrow. The only reason that Troy had a lump rather than a cracked skull or a concussion was because the malfunctioning sling had stolen a lot of the momentum from the rock. Still put him on his back clutching his face for a good fifteen minutes. Rocks to the face hurt.
So after some appropriate downtime afforded to the recently injured and a few modifications to the sling to prevent future injury, Troy was the proud owner of a fully functional sling. Too bad he couldn’t hit anything with it. Again, this is where simplicity did not equate to usability. To hit anything with a sling required some familiarity with the weapon and its use, along with several years of practice using said weapon. Troy had none of this, and as a result his aim was, generously put, laughably inaccurate.
If he managed to hit anything it would sting like the dickens and probably either scare off or incapacitate a person, but most of the stuff he’d seen would probably just get pissed.
So going back to the drawing board, he went even more basic and tied a rock to a rope.
That was literally it.
He had taken a piece of masonry that had fallen from the castle at some point, and tied a braid of vines to it. Surprisingly enough it was actually pretty effective when all was said and done.
All he really had to do was swing it in a direction and let momentum do the rest, he could even spin it up like the sling and get it to a decent speed. (Though he opted out of the overhead approach, one lump was enough thank you very much.) And he could retrieve it fairly quickly by simply reeling it back in. It wasn’t glamorous, and it was unwieldy as hell, but it worked.
He had dubbed his creation his Rock on a Rope, or for shorthand his Tactical Rock. Why Tactical Rock? Because for some inexplicable reason the block of masonry he found was black. It was why he chose it for the ROAR program in the first place.
He gave another practice swing at the tree he was currently abusing and got a satisfying thunk when his improvised weapon struck true. He had decided to add more braids to the rope at a later date for more range. He was stuck in Stone Age offensive technology, but hey, progress.
Another blow stripped the bark from the hapless fir tree he was assaulting and Troy let out a joyful whoop.
“Watch out world! Because I’m ready to ROCK… your world.”
He made a mental note to come up with better quips before his attention was attracted by what he was certain was The Polite Cough. When he turned he found his currently scheduled appointment had appeared with a familiar face tagging along for the ride.
In front of him was the purple pony from a few days before along with the zebra he had met yesterday.
Both of whom were eyeing his weapon with curiosity, though there was a rather large difference between the two. The zebra was looking with passive and pleasant inquisitiveness. While the unicorn was clearly wearing the fakest of smiles ever to be faked.
He set aside his improvised weapon and started his attempts to figure out how to say, ‘Help I’m lost and the world refuses to make sense’ in pony.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A little to the left and a few seconds ago
“So what do you think it’s doing with that rock?” Twilight whispered as the Subject swung what looked like a stone cradled in braided vines at a tree. When the bark tore from the trunk of the tree it- HE, made a sound that seemed to shout ‘excitement’. “What if it’s a sacred ritual that isn’t supposed to be seen? We need to be very-”
Her conspiratorial whispering was cut off when her co-conspirator let out a very loud and obvious cough. Grabbing the subject of their conversation’s attention. When he put aside his strange contraption and smiled, Zecora turned to address the clearly uncomfortable Twilight.
“We learn very little with silence and stares, for the victor is she who dares. We’re bound to stumble on a social snafu, and I would think he will too. It will be something we all will work through.”
“Ok fine, but next time a little warning maybe? So do you think you can talk to it?”
Zecora only gave her a mischievous smile before turning to the creature of fame. They began with a quick reintroduction, some badly broken Equish later they began in earnest.
She gestured to Twilight, “Pony” then to herself, “Zebra” then she motioned to the Subject, letting the unspoken question linger in the air.
Apparently understanding the creature tapped his chest and said what sounded like “Hughemaan”.
Zecora smiled and picked up a few blades of grass in her hoof, the process of which seemed to fascinate the ‘Hughemaan’. “Grass.” She slowly intoned before motioning to the biped. After an attempt to replicate her word, she quickly shook her head in the negative, she pointed to Twilight, “Pony, Grass.” Then pointed to Troy, “Hughemaan,..?” and motioned for him to continue.
It was subtle, but the light of comprehension sparked behind those eyes. Leaning down, he plucked a few blades from the earth and spoke a word that neither recognized. Twilight produced a scroll in a blur of movement and began to scribble something down, both to Zecora’s amusement and to their new friend’s fascination.
They continued this back and forth method for some time, going over rocks, trees, animals and briefly over body parts. Twilight had an admittedly small, but steadily growing lexicon as they worked their way to verbs. But she was having the time of her life filling that scroll, there was just so much to learn.
They also got something of a tour of the castle, at least the entryway, though it was for Zecora more than anything else. A makeshift cot had been made out of timber, sticks and leaves, there was a more permanent fire pit next to the central pillar that the Elements of Harmony once rested on. However, what stood out were two things. Sort of.
First there was the main hallway that lead further into the castle. Every so often there would be a very obviously stacked pile of rocks, and in the entrance itself a long stick leaned on one of the walls. Both parties had learned the other's phrase for “what” or “question” when playing the name game, and they had used it as a quick way of asking simple questions. It had mostly been limited to naming, but when Twilight asked ‘what’ and gestured to the hall. The Hughemaan had helpfully used the stick to push aside the rock pile and pressed on the brick it covered.
The brick immediately sunk into the floor and a large trapdoor opened up just ahead of the group. After he released the pressure on the stone, the brick slid back into place and the trapdoor slammed shut.
They didn’t venture any farther into the castle after that.
The other thing that stuck out was all the little things that had been done to make the castle livable to some definition. The roof had been covered with branches, and the rubble piles and random bits of masonry that had been strewn about the floor had been reused to fortify crumbling passages.
It wasn’t exactly what anyone would call comfortable, but the effort of maintenance was noticeable.
After a while it was nearly time for them to return, Zecora gave the newly named species a bowl of soup. Which ended with Twilight filling in the equivalent for ‘thank you’ and Zecora getting a surprisingly strong bear hug. Then they set about the laborious task of performing interspecies charades. It took a while but eventually they were fairly certain they conveyed “Come to the apple farm at noon tomorrow.” Twilight’s magic playing no small part in the affair. For his part, the Hughemaan didn’t seem eager to touch any of constructs this time, and seemed quite intent in keeping a respectable distance between himself and the dolls.
After they waved goodbye and Twilight had teleported the both of them across the chasm that separated the castle from the forest she let out a girlish squeal as she danced on the tips of her hooves. “I can’t believe it, look at this!” She unfurled her scroll and waved it about in her excitement, it was almost completely filled. “We learned so much, we might get to full sentences within the week! Now that I think about it, it seemed really comfortable around you Zecora, why is that? And how did you know he'd like soup?”
"Probably because I fed it to him the first time we met, so I figured it was a safe bet."
If Zecora noticed her friend making adorably confused faces for a moment, she didn’t comment. Soon, Twilight was demanding every last detail of their encounter, she was so engrossed with the story she didn’t even notice the burrs she was collecting.
For the most part.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the Castle
Troy lay down on his improvised cot as he reviewed the day and rubbed the fuzz that had been accumulating on his face.
I need a shave.
In retrospect things had gone pretty well, both parties had gone from drawings and caveman speech to… Advanced caveman speech. Still, progress.
At least now they had a few simple sentences down, such as “What is this” or “what’s your word for that?”
He was also infinitely glad that he didn't have to figure out how to mimic some of the sounds that came from an equine mouth. And they had brought more soup.
Awesome Zebra is going to get a second fruit basket.
Today had been a breath of fresh air, everything had gone splendidly. He was fed, and getting closer to being able to go back to some kind of society.
This was a good day, although he hadn’t been here long it still felt like it had been years since he’d had any kind of luck. He didn’t want to ruin it with introspection or brooding. He just wanted to sleep and finish the day on a good note.
His rest was interrupted by what sounded like a distant squawk, it was just enough to draw him from his cot for moment before laying back down again. This was soon followed by the far off sound of pony laughter, which now that he thought about it was very similar to someone choking on a bassoon.
Meh, It’s probably nothing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“A different language is a different vision of life.”
-Federico Fellini
Stats
Page generated in 0.037 seconds
Total duration
983 users online
1,638,234 hits today, 2,280,440 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
OMG IT LIVES!
...but I forgot what it is about.
Well, I guess I'll just reread it than.
HOLY CRAP! I was so sure this story was dead! This has definitely brightened my day!
Totally forgot a lot of the plot and stuff though. Gonna have to reread the whole thing. Not that that's a bad thing, mind
Glad to see this is still alive!
Alive!
P.S. I hope next chapter appears this year. Or better yet, in February.
Been a while since I've seen this story. Definitely and enjoyable chapter that awoke memories I had forgotten. I look forward to more, if you choose to make them.
6897572
Poor Timing!
IT'S ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!
6907180 *robot chicken flashbacks*
6907145
6907149
6907163
What they said - about having forgotten.
Holy shit, talk about necromancy.
Wait....
I'm here again...? Were all those years just a dream? Did I really not wile my life away?
Is there still hope!?!
6897572
Jokes on you.
[will edit this with chapter opinion when brought back up to speed]
[EDIT: reread everything]
Great chapter. Characters are still consistent, and nothing's better than forcing confusion on Twilight. Now hopefully we'll learn about what happens tomorrow before next year.
But seriously, glad to have you back.
You thought it was dead, but you were wrong. It's alive!
Glad to see you back dude, it being a while
The glorious return! Praise be to JarOfHearts!
Everyone commenting on the fact the story isn't dead, and nobody commenting on the story content. I guess that's a good thing then :)
Unlike others, I actually haven't forgotten about the plot, so no problems for me, I'm glad this has been resurrected, and I hope you don't abandone it again
Wait your not dead? Your story is not dead!?! FINALLY!
wondered
xP
YES! Thank you for updating this fic again!
*looks at fimfiction* "oohh a story update!" *clicks* "....WAHT?!"
Ahh... poor Celestia for making such a fuss over one solitary Human
I wonder how Twilight will react when she realizes that she only unearthed a dimension-lost hiker—instead of an actual hidden society.
Good times all around I'd say.
"Oh story that dwells in long forgotten ages, rise up again and walk the front pages!"
'Waves voodoo stick in a mystical way'
6907319
Drat... I missed that one...
6907333
Corporal Stick is still MIA
2 years... it back boy.
Ah charade the universal language…and now is not an exaggeration it is NOW a universal language
*tears of joy*
IT DOES NOT DISSAPOINT!
The second coming!
No, wait. The twelfth coming... of this story
Sapient.
Funny, because she used the right one later.
Well damn, never thought I would take something off my dead shit bookshelf
would you look at that :D the yearly update came early this year :3 still a quality read!
6907373 not quite, sapient meaning an intelligent/wise creature. And sentient more or less meaning "self aware", capable of intelligence.
so sentient is correct in this case
it.. it LIVES!! hopefully next chapter wont be as long.. seriously though.. u couldnt have just forgotten about it..
I like it! I can totally foresee him bungling the introduction with Applejack and Applebloom salvaging his lack of tact.
I see the update~ and I lose my fucking miiiiiiiii- Glad to see things are progressing nicely.
soooooo happy to see an update
6907387
Technically correct, yes, but not what Twilight was trying to convey. Dogs, cats, and even insects are sentient, and while it is true for humans and ponies as well, we take it further.
It's like, let's say you have a doctorate, you technically have elementary grade intelligence, but you wouldn't describe yourself as such because you have that plus much more.
Please don't disappear for another two years again....
THE END TIMES ARE NIGH!!!!
Cant wait for the next chapter to come out in 2017!
I'm guessing this is a story where the mirror world doesn't exist because Celestia failed to consider the 4th possibility which is a transdimensional traveler.
We are back. Your back in the favorites buster, but your on probation.
Yay! Ans since the last time, we have since heard of a "Mare of Shadows" (missing piece of NMM) If such a creature exists, will it be in hiding or on the run into the forest given the antimagic nature of it's new roomie?
Thank you for updating this, dude. I'll get to it as soon as I can with a proper reply.
6907209 It appears so.
6907209 Is it? Yes it is! IT IS ALIVE!
And there was much rejoicing!
meh ok sees story update clicks
wait what
checks story name
EYES WIDEN
(inside mind)
IT HAS ARRIVED HUZZAH
Another chapter! Woohoo!
If this isn't the definition of a zombie story I don't know what is
media4.giphy.com/media/jqeTaaiD3rLKE/giphy.gif
An update!? WOO HOO!!! Most of the stories i read fuse together at some point, but i remember this one pretty well.
Not sure if a person or thing is the subject of this.....