Basic objects were too advanced, so they went back a step.
Letters. Every part of the equine language was shared one by one with the writing that went with them and how they could be combined. An alphabet was required to get anywhere, and Cheerilee was happy enough to provide that. As out of her depth as she seemed, she tried her best to coach the alien along.
Laud was determined to make the best of the situation, even if that meant learning to give a whicker on command. There was more to it than the brute noises a wild horse would make, of course. It was a language, full and rich and wonderfully complicated, like any functional language had to be.
Diamond Tiara shook her head slowly as she glanced to the left where the strange alien pored over a book. "Teacher, does it have to be here in the middle of class?"
Cheerilee snorted softly. "We've been over this. They're not bothering anypony, and are a guest. We should help them, not begrudge them."
Snails raised a hoof. "What are they readin'?"
Snips snorted softly. "Ya should be asking what they're saying." An ear directed at the strange creature. "They haven't stopped making noises."
Cheerilee saw the class was not going to be easily put back on path, so rolled with it. "Our friend, Laud--" The strange alien glanced up when his name was spoken. "--is learning our language, and they have a special problem. Twilight has informed me that their throat is not naturally designed to imitate our words, but, all is not lost, much like us, they are very flexible. We are very confident they'll get this, with practice and effort." She stood up. "Which is why--"
Scootaloo hopped up from sitting to practically standing on her chair. "We're gonna help an alien!"
"Yeah!" Exclaimed Apple Bloom. "Let's get it talkin'!"
His name had been said, the one bit of familiarity amidst the foreign noises. The teacher was speaking to her students, and they were looking at him. One of the smaller ones hopped onto their desk suddenly with a cry, then... he was swarmed.
A crowd of little horses were grinning at him while speaking encouraging words. Some were holding up cards with a single letter or word and a picture on them. The entire class had decided to try to help him learn. It was... overwhelming, and kind of cute, he had to admit.
He wasn't sure he learned all that faster with the entire class involved, but it was a welcome change of pace, and, perhaps, just knowing they were eager to help was comforting.
When lunch time came and all the little ones ran off to get a bite to eat, he decided to make himself scarce. As amusing as that was, it was clear him haunting the schoolhouse was distracting from any other lessons being given there. He thanked the teacher as best he could. She didn't seem to mind his keeping the book with the alphabet in it for practice, and he ventured back out towards the castle to the tune of the class waving and, he assumed, wishing him luck.
He could see his host's tower, it was hard to miss. It also did not fit the aesthetic of the rest of the town very well. It was hard and crystal and dark purple while the rest was all sorts of bright hues and largely made of wood where it didn't occasionally look like it was made out of candy. If he hadn't met its owner, he would think they were some kind of harsh overlord.
Speaking of that, he had come to a conclusion on that reptile. It wasn't the master. It was more like a hawk that a noble might carry on their arm. Sure, the hawk got a free ride out of it, but the noble was the one in charge. The reptile was the largest horse's pet. He was fairly sure it was a relationship with warmth in it, helped by the fact that the reptile spoke better horse than he did, but on the hierarchy, the horse was higher. Was she the top? He wasn't sure of that yet. She was the largest of them he'd seen, but size wasn't always the start and end of social hierarchy.
It would be a strange universe if all intelligent species opted to follow the biggest at all times. Heck, Laud wasn't the physically most massive member of his holdings, but he was still the leader by right of title and birth. He sighed softly as he went. Would he ever see home again? Would he even see any part of the known universe? Odds weren't looking so hot.
Even if he didn't, he still had a job. His situation was stable. Learning more about the locals was certainly a valuable thing to do, but he had to start surveying the world if he wanted to be able to hold his head up when, and if, they came after him and found him.
"Hi."
Oh, he... actually understood a word. It was so strangely thrilling. He turned towards the speaker to see that green horse had returned.
She said something else, sounding happy to see him.
"Nice to see you too... Rose?" He said the name in their tongue, mangling it.
"Rose? (odd noises) Lyra. I (slowly said words) Lyra." She put out a hoof, saying something but it ended with another word he had decided was very important, "you."
Speaking in parts English and, uh, equine, was odd, but his syntax was anemic, to say nothing of his vocabulary. "Lyra. You, Lyra." He spoke each syllable slowly, doing his best to get it right.
Lyra seemed delighted, bobbing her head. "You, Laud." she returned before she pointed at herself, saying a simple word he hadn't learned yet but guessed was likely 'me', "Lyra."
Smooth and placid words came from behind Laud. He started, but turned without his sword to find it was the horse that seemed best at sneaking up on him. The grey one with the frock. She always wore that, it seemed, an oddity in the largely nude equine society.
She nodded at him. "Hi." Her word was clear and slow.
"Hi," he returned. "Me, Laud. You?"
"Maud."
Lyra was pleased at the exchange, clopping her forehooves and saying something far too fast for Laud to have a prayer.
Maud nodded at Lyra and replied in her slow direct way.
Laud had an idea. Though the words were strange and alien, Maud's way of speech was so very precise and slow, she would be perfect. He held out his alphabet book towards her.
Maud tilted her head at it, then reached a hoof. He wasn't sure how she took hold of it with a hoof and could only blame it on a subtle psionic power. Their entire people seemed heavy with the stuff. It was... just what they were. He could scream and wail, but that wouldn't make them suddenly stop.
She opened the book and started reading each letter slowly.
Lyra interrupted with a few questioning words.
"Why are you saying the alphabet?" asked Lyra with an arched brow.
"Isn't this what he wants?" Maud looked at Laud, then Lyra. "He was listening." She resumed reading the letters.
Lyra gave a shrug and a smile. "Well, have fun with that. If he needs any help, just call. I like him." She trotted away, allowing Maud to finish her reading of the alphabet. Maud set the book down and looked at Laud patiently.
He said something in his own strange language while gesturing. Maud hoofed his book back to him. He quickly flipped through it as he sat beside her, speaking more strange words. He sounded thankful. He pointed to a letter.
Maud said it.
He tried to say it, but it wasn't right. Maud repeated it.
They spent some time going through the book. As great was it was just reading, having someone slow and patient was a godsend. Maud seemed to have no end of time to speak the letters.
By the time they had worked through the alphabet a few times, he felt indebted. Here was this alien that owed him not a thing at all that presumably had things to do that just gave up hours of its life to go over the alphabet. It wasn't even like she was a teacher. What she did for a living, Laud had no idea, but it was still a kindness. He owed her, but what could he give her?
Ah, yes. It would be useless on the alien planet, but perhaps it would have some sentimental value for its oddity. He fished out a firebird. It was a coin used by their people. He displayed it to her, the phoenix side facing her. "For you," he declared, the first word in English, the latter in equine. "Thank you," he followed up in English, wishing he could say it properly.
She leaned in and sniffed the coin, then slurped it right out of his hand. In her mouth it was swished around as she kept her placid expression. Laud wasn't sure what to make of it. Was it tasty? She spat it out into a hoof and said something odd before tapping the moistened coin with her other forehoof. She tucked it away and said some other equine things in a clear question, but it was one he didn't understand. She stared at him for an uneasy moment before she nodded and pointed to his book.
Did she want to continue with the lessons? He could only assume she liked the gift, or... she had questions that could only be asked once he could actually hold a conversation with her. Both seemed likely, and neither were a bad reason. He accepted her offer, and the study resumed.
Twilight's gaze drifted from alien bit to alien bit, their strange metal glinting in the light. She had chalkboards filled with observations and calculations, but the exact composition of half the things before her were beyond her. Many weren't any single elements. Alloys of metals she wouldn't have dreamed of combining, or strange chemical brews that seemed like rubber, at least the small parts of it that had escaped the fire, but it wasn't rubber. It wasn't rubber at all.
Intricate patterns that she would have guessed were magic were made of other strange combinations of things. The whole thing spoke of an incredibly advanced people. People she couldn't ask questions of. She grunted loudly in frustration. If only she could talk with Laud clearly. Surely it would have answers to some of her questions!
"You really shouldn't talk to yourself."
Twilight jumped. Spike had entered the room.
"You get pretty loud when you're worked up," he explained. "Everything alright?"
Twilight threw a hoof across the scattered and labeled pieces and the ruined craft it came from. "I'm more than alright! If I could just figure out how half of this works! Is Laud back?"
"Where'd you take him to anyway?"
"I brought him to school, to learn how to read and write. Even if he never speaks proper Pony English, there's no reason he can't communicate that way."
"Yeah, I doubt that's how that'll work." Spike rolled his eyes. "Want to up that bet?"
Twilight crossed her forelegs. "You're awfully confident about this alien."
He rolled a claw. "We've seen things like him before. He's like a slightly misshapen pony from the mirror world where Sunset is. Remember them?"
"How could I forget them?" asked Twilight defensively.
"And you didn't notice a difference between stallions and mares there?"
Twilight looked clueless.
"Something every mare there had that most stallions didn't?"
The staring continued before she shook her head. "Get to the point, Spike. What did you notice?"
He put a claw over his face. "You really missed it? The mares have fat up here." He pat his boyish scaled chest. "It's really kinda obvious."
Twilight blinked, thinking back to her time in Canterlot High. Every female... "The cutie mark crusaders didn't have those."
Spike's eyes dropped halfway. "Congratulations, you just discovered biped puberty."
Twilight's hooves fell to the floor. "I... How did I not notice that?"
"You were focused on getting your crown back?" Spike flashed a smile. "So, since Laud doesn't have those, he's a dude, and I expect you'll get to cleaning those windows, the same way I'd have to. I'll show you where the rope and pulley is."