//------------------------------// // A New Skate Spot // Story: The Synthesizers // by Wiz Ahmad //------------------------------// “Wow, this place is huge,” Smolder breathed, as she and Cerulean came out of the crowd and approached a large L-shaped building on the edge of town. Behind it, the mountainside towered even higher, and fast-running currents of water trickled down grooves in its rocky surface, leading into a large river that flowed straight through the city. “See those waterfalls?” Cerulean said, pointing up. “I’ve rerouted all those to enter into a narrow canal using a system of barriers, from which a group of pumps extract the water. I’m thinking of taking all the water from the one on the right and redirecting it straight into the building with a series of chutes and pipes, just to make the flow faster and more efficient than sucking the water straight out of the little ‘lake’ that forms behind. If you peek at the back of the building you can see what I mean.” Smolder dropped her board and flew up and over. Peering at the water, she could see it all. A cleverly designed system of wooden planks tightly bonded together to divert some of the water into a tight area to make it flow faster, with some large metal units sticking out of the building directly over the water’s surface. She could only presume those were the pumps. “Pretty cool,” she remarked as they approached the building’s side door. “All those wooden planks you installed yourself?” “Yeah,” Cerulean stated proudly. “All when I was a little filly. My father used to own this building as a factory, but I wanted to do something that could outdo everypony else in providing for the city’s residents. Back then in Canterlot, everypony just pulled water from wells. So with help from some school friends who were also into it, we set up a system for how to extract water from the waterfalls and began working. My father wasn’t too pleased at first, but soon relented. After graduating from school I got straight to work on it, renovating the building with whatever funds I could hustle. Mind you, Canterlot wasn’t the brightest when it came to cleanliness earlier in its development. The city’s residents increased hospital visits due to sickness caused by waterborne illnesses only increased the demand, and so I encouraged those graduating from engineering, chemistry, and biology to help me out. It took twenty years, but I finally realized my dream.” “Now let’s go inside, ‘cause that’s where the real magic happens,” he added with a smile, opening the door and ushering Smolder inside. “Whoa,” Smolder gasped, taking in all the sights of large metal pipes, gauges, switches, and other operating machinery, along with the large lights and skylights high above. “Let me give you a quick run-down of how all this works,” Cerulean offered, excitedly leading her up a set of metal stairs and onto an elevated hallway that overlooked the whole section. Behind them, up on the wall, stood a whiteboard. Cerulean, who was a pegasus, took hold of a marker and started drawing. “So all the water from those pumps you saw outside, comes in like so,” he began, drawing five arrows on the top right. Smolder grabbed a nearby stool and sat down to observe, just like she’d done in class back at school. “Now, all that water is pushed through a coarse filter in the pipes before they enter the pumps – coarse meaning that the holes are somewhat large. This prevents a build-up of pressure which could cause a burst. All these pumps run on electricity. I generate that electrical energy from a gym downtown, as well as from several other waterfall wheels I hooked up and solar panels.” Smolder nodded. Interesting. “All of these pumps pull out the water and then direct it to the far end, where another filter removes smaller minerals, debris, and other unwanted items.” Cerulean pointed to a green tank opposite the pumps. “That’s a holding tank for a special chemical I created in a lab. It is added thereafter in the next section of the building to cause organic particles and other items to stick together and thus increase in size.” “I suppose the next challenge would be to remove them,” Smolder inferred. “Exactly!” Cerulean exclaimed. “Now let me show you the next section.” Picking up her board, Smolder walked down the elevated hall into the next area of the building, where a large pipe split into several smaller ones and entered what looked like an enormous covered tray, split into two sections. Ever so enthusiastic about his work, Cerulean began again. “All that water is then slowly stirred, to get those unwanted particles to actually stick. It takes a while, but eventually they do. Once they – ” BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! “Ooh, looks like it’s time!” Cerulean announced, flying down to the main floor and pressing a few keys on an instrument panel, before pulling a lever and flying back up. “I’ve added some pre-treated water high in oxygen into the next section, which, along with some air bubbles, will get those clumps of dirt to rise…” “…Where you can skim them off,” Smolder chimed in. “Just like foam with raw milk.” “You’re a quick learner,” Cerulean remarked with a wink. “Exactly. Now what do you think needs to be removed next?” “Invisible particles?” “Indeed – they’re called bacteria. Harmful bacteria.” Cerulean pointed to two tanks on the main floor at the opposite end of the room. “With help from Cloudsdale, I extract oxygen from the air and liquefy it, then zap it with electricity, which creates what’s called ozone. The ozone deals with the bacteria, and afterwards the other tank adds sodium bisulphite to remove any extra ozone. Next comes another tank with even more filters, which cause the dirty water to rise, where I can pump it out and return it back to an earlier stage.” “So, would the water then be clearer?” “Absolutely. But not completely safe. Let’s head into the third and final section of the building.” Smolder smiled as she walked down the elevated halls, gazing down at the system of mechanical parts below her. It would never have occurred to her that such an elaborate system was needed to give Canterlot such fine water, let alone exist. “And here is the final stage of processing,” Cerulean announced proudly, pointing to four tanks and a unique system of wide pipes with bright lights inside of them. “First, I add chlorine to remove the remaining harmful bacteria, and then another chemical that restores the acidity level, so the water tastes as it would be from the original source. The last unwanted particles are removed by spitting a special light through holding tanks. The UV levels of the light render the particles harmless. Finally, ortho phosphate is added, which prevents build-up on the pipes. And voila! The water is finally at the end of its purification stage and I then pump it throughout the city, monitoring pressure levels and adjusting them to ensure no bursts or slow drips. On occasion my lab team tests check the water to ensure it is truly safe to use, and also routinely check the systems for any leaks, damages, or symptoms that need replacement.” Smolder stood back, feeling grateful and humbled. “I can’t believe you did this all… for everypony. For every creature.” “Where there’s clean water, there’s flourishing life. And it’s my goal in life to ensure clean water for all. Thirty ponies manage this facility, including myself. We’re all a team.” “I wish more of Canterlot’s residents could be like you,” Smolder said sadly. “You’re kind, respectful, and don’t exhibit even a shred of snobbish attitude or rudeness.” Cerulean sighed. “I know. Many aren’t even that grateful, given all I sacrificed in life to build this facility. For years I once lived in the streets because I gave up everything of value just to keep the pumps running. I thank Celestia for speaking up for me and ordering more to help me out. I sucked a ton of money off Canterlot’s economy, but it was all worth it. Now the money is more settled, and several business owners still donate to keep this place running.” “Could I skate here?” Smolder asked excitedly. “Sure,” Cerulean offered. “Just watch out for workers moving around. Your best bet would be back by the side entrance where the main pumps are. There’s a lot of space, and not many workers frequent there – only to check on the pumps and monitor pressure. I’ve got to get back to work writing up reports and checking up on several teams of workers. Afterwards we’ll spend the lunch break together. Have fun!” “Thanks for the tour!” Smolder called out, waving as she took off back down the maze of elevated hallways. “You’re welcome!” Navigating her way down the halls, she soon found herself back to where she started – at the main pumps. They were pretty loud, but the smooth, hard floor surface was too good to pass up. Not wasting another second, Smolder leapt off the rail, flew down, and started skating again, perfecting and refining her moves and tricks she’d learned so far. Tail-slap to flat. Tail-slap to Casper flip. Casper flip. Truck-stand 180-Casper spin to Casper flip. Rail flip to flat. Tail-stand vertical spin (one-foot version shown) She fell time and time again, scoring a couple times but still slipping up occasionally. At times it became frustrating, but in her mind, Smolder felt happy and free. All the energy from within her creative spirit could be set free. Undeterred by her sore muscles and beaten bones, she kept going, trying each trick until she could cleanly land it consecutively three times in a row without failing. It would be some time before her mind was relaxed enough in its eager state to return to school – which was news she had yet to tell Cerulean Filter.