Laud opened the door to the castle and felt something was... off. It was quiet. He was being watched. He felt sure of that. He held up a hand, the back shown to Spike to slow him down. He pointed ahead then took slow measured steps forward. He would not have expected an attack in the castle of all places, but if one was coming, he would be ready for it.
Spike came in behind him. His confused expression was unseen by Laud, who was looking just about everywhere but at him. "Uh, is something wro--" Laud's hand went up again. "Alright..." He went quiet, peering at him as he stalked through Twilight's castle.
Laud approached the room where the sensation was greatest, the map room. He slid in, back against the wall, eyes darting around the room to take in the likely ambush points. If someone was there to attack, maybe they would hurt Twilight, and it would be shameful if he allowed that. Hardly a show of Hawkwood values to be such a poor guest.
He had to fight a smile. He saw it, a tail peeking free from around one of the thrones. It was an orange-brown color... And then it hit him. It was the color of the pony to whom the throne belonged. It was Applejack. He was not being ambushed. Well, he was, but hardly in a malicious way. He slumped with relief before he strode directly into the room.
"Surprise!" came a communal cry as Twilight and her friends popped out of their hiding places. That part was not surprising, the fact that the full decorations of the party dropped from above into just the perfect place was far more startling.
Pinkie was dangling from a rope that hung from the ceiling far above. "Welcome to Ponyville!" she called with a jubilant smile on her face. She undid the knot that held her and flopped to the ground just to bounce back up. "It's so nice to be able to say that."
Applejack, nodded towards Laud. "Reckon yer overdue for a proper greetin'."
Spike was slipping past as if fleeing, but Laud would not have that. He grabbed the skittering dragon by the shoulder. "Where are you going? You were invited, don't forget."
"Oh, yeah, uh, well someone has to put away your new clothes and I'm not dressed properly yet."
Laud could tell Spike was making an excuse in part, but he wasn't wrong. "Thank you, and come back once you're ready."
Spike offered a sharp salute and dashed off with Laud's clothing.
Reminded, he took in the dresses of those before him. They were all wearing their best, which was quite a difference from their usual standard of nudity. Even their hooves were garbed, and not in any horseshoe one might put on a horse. They were full slippers or even boots in the case of Applejack. They were as fetching as horses could be, which was a pretty significant barrier.
Twilight came forward and dipped her head towards Laud. "It is my great pleasure to formally welcome you, Laud Mountbatten of House Hawkwood, to the kingdom of Equestria. May there be peace between our people." She had to say his name and that of his house in English, since they were names. There was some small pleasure in watching her struggle to do as he had to do every day, but she pushed through it without stumbling.
He clapped his hands together and gave a light bow, eyes squarely on Twilight. "I, Laud Mountbatten of House Hawkwood, accept your generous offer of hospitality. Your kindness will be returned. There are many things to discuss."
Pinkie swept a hoof over the map table, which had been covered with various foods, drinks, and one large cake that she was bringing attention to specifically. "Now that the stuffy things are out of the way, let's get this party started properly! Laud, would you like to make the first cut?" She produced a cake knife from nowhere in particular and held it out towards Laud.
He accepted the knife from the hoof that should not have held it so easily. Cutting into cakes was far from a new thing, though he paused to actually look at the cake first. "Welcome to Ponyville!!!" it read with a little picture of Twilight and her closest friends all smiling. It was adorable, and not very professional. He carved into its softness and made a thin slice that he set on a plate beside it. A flash interrupted it as a picture was taken of the slicing.
The party began in earnest. Music began playing with no obvious source, and ponies began to talk, eat, and wander about freely.
"Hey," came a flat voice. Maud had snuck in right behind Laud, as she had proven many times she could do.
Laud turned to her, a glass of something sweet in a hand. "A pleasure to see you, Miss Pie."
"Maud works." She nodded. "Pinkie can be 'Miss Pie'. I think I figured a bit about some of the rocks in your egg. I'm going to try making some myself. Would you like to see it when I'm done?"
"It... hasn't been that long," he said, tone dripping with a lack of confidence and a little amazement. "Are you really ready to imitate it that quickly?"
Her hoof raised to her chest. "This is my specialty. Metals are just a specific kind of rock. So?"
Ah, right, the question. "Yes, I would like to see it." If she could pull it off... "Are you here to enjoy the party?"
"Nah. Parties are not my 'thing'. I let Pinkie handle them."
Pinkie was suddenly there beside Maud, throwing a leg over her withers. "Aw, don't be like that, Maud. You're the life of any party! Besides, you and Laud are buds, right?"
It was somehow pleasing to know Maud could be crept up on, but it also meant that stealth was a Pie trait, shared in their family.
Maud looked up at Laud. "Are we 'buds'?"
"We are associates of mutual respect. I feel we would need to learn more about one another before we could properly describe one another as friends."
"That's fair." She nodded, and a little smile curled her lips. "Thanks. It's nice to not be pushed like that."
Pinkie looked between Maud and Laud. "I don't get it..." She turned and walked off, not questioning her sister's decision.
Laud watched her go before looking back to Maud. "Tell me if I guess poorly, but I presume she would prefer people consider themselves friends if they so much as know one another's name."
She tapped her nose.
On the nose. How did so many sayings translate so perfectly!? "I value your time, and appreciate the work you've done to let me speak clearly. You are obviously a mare of talents. I would not mind learning more about you."
"But you're not rushing to call me a friend." She glanced where Pinkie had gone. "She would say that's not very nice. I think that's... honest." She pointed up at his cup. "What are you drinking?"
"It tastes of pineapple with some berries?"
She nodded. "Pinkie's favorite party drink. Do you have a favorite?"
"A finely crafted wine or a gut-punching liquor is a fine way to celebrate an occasion." He rubbed his chin. "You have the words for those, but I haven't actually seen them."
"You should talk to Berry Punch." Maud turned half away. "Enjoy your party, Laud."
Twilight approached next, Starlight beside her. "Laud, we wanted to talk to you."
Starlight nodded. "You wanted to meet important ponies, right?"
Laud tensed. "Are more coming tonight?" He was not prepared.
Twilight shook a hoof quickly. "Not tonight, promise, but we were thinking of giving a sort of tour, starting with Mayor Mare. She's been eager to meet you for some time, but avoided making contact since I had asked her to give you some space."
If word of some strange alien in his own demesne had reached his ears, he surely would want to know more about it. He could hardly fault Mayor Mare for wanting to meet such a strange creature and ensure it was safe for her people. "It would be an honor to meet her. I've had thoughts of introducing myself to her already."
Starlight brightened. "Great! I had a feeling that might be true." She pointed towards the town. "You've seen the city hall, she's in there as often as she isn't."
Twilight brought in a hoof in front of Starlight. "Let's not be hasty. Mayor Mare has a busy schedule. We'll plan a proper meeting at a set time and place."
"Sure sure." She lifted her shoulders. "Hey, Laud, so how are you liking things, now that you're talking like a pro?"
"It is nice to not be hobbled that way." He frowned at the memory of gibberish flowing freely around him, a cacophony of equine sounds. "Maud was the right teacher for me."
Twilight rolled a hoof. "Funny thing about that, technically she'd only be qualified to teach mineralogy, being a doctor on that subject. Still, you can't argue results in the end."
Starlight rolled her eyes at Twilight. "We all know English. Teaching is the important part. Finding the right teacher, in this case, just as important. Say, you tried Cheerilee first, right, what went wrong there?"
"She focused on reading." He lifted his shoulders. "I'm sure if I was a child that already spoke the language, it would have been quite fine, but I wasn't. We needed to tackle spoken words first, long before reading."
Twilight's ears pricked. "This reminds me, can you read? I mean, not your language, I'm pretty sure you can do that. I mean ours."
He fought the sigh that wanted to emerge. "Not as well as I would prefer. It's a work in progress." He could devote more time to hitting the books, but there were other things to do... "Twilight, do you have time for a few questions I had in mind?"
She tilted her head. "We're already talking, and this is your party, of course."
"Right." He looked around and spotted a door that had the feature he needed. He led the two over to it and took firm hold of the knob. "Why do you have these?"
Starlight squinted at it. "To separate rooms and the inside from the outside? I don't get it."
"Not the door." He jiggled the knob. "This. This is made for a hand, which is a thing ponies do not have. At best, one third of your population can make easy use of this. I'm struggling to think of what the thought going through a pony's head would be when designing this."
Both stared at it as if they had never even thought of the idea before. Starlight raised a hoof. "Maybe it was a minotaur thing first and ponies just copied it?"
Twilight tilted her head either way at it. "I... never researched architecture very deeply, but that is an interesting question." She reached up and tapped her horn. "Being part of that third you mentioned didn't encourage me to think about it. It works quite well for a unicorn."
"Why are y'all starin' at a doorknob?" Applejack was trotting towards the group. "Is it stuck? Ah can fix that."
She seemed a fine pony to ask about it in addition. Laud tapped at the doorknob he stood beside. "Applejack, how useful are doorknobs, to you?"
She blinked with wide eyes. "They're mighty fine fer getting from one room t' the next, ah reckon... Why?"
"And you don't mind putting your mouth where others have touched with their own mouths and hooves?"
Applejack shrugged softly. "Some hoity toity types carry a napkin around, but ah ain't afraid of a little dirt none. Healthy livin' on the farm keeps me strong."
Starlight and Twilight shared a look between themselves. There would be no answers that evening, but Laud could tell he had at least inspired some questions.