//------------------------------// // Chores (8) // Story: Summoned // by BlackWing //------------------------------// Chores "Name?" Asked the ancient scholar. "Alex." The pony filled in the paperwork. "Date of birth?" "January 14th, 1993." Alex had just turned 19. "Species?" "Human. Binomial nomenclature is Homosapien." He learned species classifications from biology class, which he took as one of his required high school sciences. He hated it, but the knowledge stuck. "Not sure if it means anything to you, but go by my society's scientific classification system, it's Animalia, Chordata, Mammalia, Primates." "Simply fascinating!" Fiddle Stick said again. "We have the same classification system here in Equestria!" "Not to mention the same language, alphabet, and societal tendencies, with the exception of Equestria being far more peaceful, and being predominantly female from what I've seen." "Why? What's the ratio on your world?" The elder pony asked. "It's about a 60/40 ratio, for female." Alex replied. "It's about 75/25 here. Alright, now I'll just need to draw some blood so we can have the medical department run some tests. We'll also need to do some x-rays to determine your skeletal structure." The wrinkled old stallion brought him to the medical wing. "Now, don't worry, this won't hurt a bit." Alex closed his eyes, waiting for the needle prick. A small pinch, then he opened his eyes. After drawing the blood and sending it off for tests, and the x-rays for his bone structure, he was finally released. Suds was waiting for him. "So, how'd it go?" The soapy stallion asked. "Well, I'll find out soon enough whether or not I'm gonna die, so till then, I should probably get to helping you clean. That way I can get a feel for the layout. Don't wanna go getting lost in here." He replied. They both laughed at the little joke, can began. "So, the castle layout is pretty simple. It's like a cross, but it has two squares around it, one on the outside, and the other half way in. At each of the junctions, there's a staircase to move between floors. Basement is kitchen, janitorial, heating, storerooms, and castle maintenance facilities. The store room is in the middle, providing easy access to each of the wings. First floor is medical, science, and mechanical, with the library in the middle. Second floor is lodgings, with the main hall in the middle, and third floor is guard quarters and barracks, with the throne room in the middle. Fourth floor is off limits to most, and is the princesses' rooms, as well as some of the more dangerous things. Fifth floor is the observatory. We take care of the basement, second and third floors, as well as first floor hall ways. Those sciency types don't like us going in there, think we might clean up a pile of magic dirt or something. The observatory has it's own special cleaning crew, as do the royal quarters." Alex was taken aback by the complexity of the system. Then again, it made sense to have special cleaners, trained to deal with magic spills, and highly trusted ones to deal with the princesses rooms. This was the capital of the country after all. "Ya catch all that monkey?" Suds used that as a nick name, not meant to be degrading. "Yeah, I'm just drawing a map in my head. Helps to have a visual representation. Okay, so even if I get lost, I just need to keep walking, and eventually I'll find a staircase, and I'll find signs there telling me where I am." "Ya catch on quicker than most of the newbies here. You're pretty smart for a hairless ape ya know that?" He teased. "Yeah, where I come from, our positions are reversed. Ponies are just animals there. Kinda awkward, especially when Prince BB called me an animal." Alex replied. "Ya handled yourself pretty well though. Ah well, I'm not one to judge. If the princess thinks you're okay, then I guess you're okay." They laughed and began to clean. "Well, that's the whole basement done. So, the other floors are exactly the same?" Alex asked. "You catch on quick. We normally do the first floor three times a day while the other's we only do once, unless there's some kind of accident." Suds replied. "Let me guess, It's because Widget is on that floor, and she likes to wander while forgetting to clean herself?" He said sarcastically. "Bingo, that and the rest of the eggheads tend to have spills. It's the reason the science wing is on the floor next to the janitorial, and directly above it at that. We should never be to far away from there, and should have a mop and bucket always close." He replied with a sigh. "You've got to put up with a lot don't you?" "Yep, but, I wouldn't give it up for anything. I may be a humble janitor, but I'm working in the capitol of Equestria, in the princess's castle no less. Every job, no matter how small, is something to be proud of if done well." "I'll remember that. Well, now that we're at the mechanical section, Widget wanted to see me for a bit. When you're back for your next round of this floor, come and get me. I don't want her to talk my ear off." Alex then parted ways with his new friend, and headed into the mechanical section. It looked like a garage and wood shop combined. There were ponies of all types doing all sorts of different things. "Well heya there new guy! I was wondering when you'd get around here!" Widget rolled over on one of those skids mechanics lay on when they go under cars, but she used it like a skateboard. "Suds didn't make ya dull did he? I'd call him a stick in the mud, but that would be a dirty joke now wouldn't it?" She said, obviously referring to the fact that he hated grime. Holding out her hoof, she found it in a cloth wrapped handshake, the towel graciously given to Alex by the janitor pony before he went in. "Well, come take a look at what I'm building over here. I call it the internal combustion engine! Takes oil and makes the cart move all on it's own. The stuff is kinda hard to find though, and it makes a heck of a stink." Alex went wide eyed as he saw a V8 sitting on a table. "This way, earth ponies can get around real quick, and have some machines to do heavy pulling." "Yeah, I hate to burst your bubble Widget, but I've seen one of these before. They have loads of em in my world, but in cars, lets humans get around. Problem is, oil eventually runs out, and they pollute everything. Letting these go into mass production would be a huge mistake. Don't make the same error my people did." Alex said with a sigh. He didn't want to upset the steel gray pegasus, but even more so, he didn't want Equestria to lose it's beauty. "Oh, well, that's no good. I guess I'll have to go back to the drawing board." The iron maned mare looked down. "Maybe not. Because humans made these and realized it was a huge mistake, they started making electric ones. You can put big batteries in them, and set up solar panels, windmills, or water wheels to turn sun and wind into electricity, and use that to run them. It doesn't pollute at all, and you don't need to worry about fuel. Maybe you could work with some of the other eggheads to make a generator and electric motors or something?" Alex explained. "Electric huh, hmm, yeah. I think we could pull that off. What kind of other gadgets you got where you're from?" She looked at him with a twinkle in her eye. "Well, we have telephones. They turn sound into electrical signals that get sent along a wire, then back into sound at the other end. Since electricity moves instantly, you can talk with someone on the other side of the world. Then there's radios. They use things kind of like x-rays, although way lower frequency, and not dangerous at all, to send sound like with a phone. Then radio's pick up the signal and play music or news or whatever." Alex spent the next two hours explaining various harmless gadgets that humans had, things that wouldn't destroy Eqeustria, before his head started to hurt. Thankfully, Suds came back for him before he lost his cool and strangled Widget. She was like a little kid, asking 'why' to everything, and she would get frustrated when he said he didn't know the answer. That, and the loud grinding of metal and machine was getting to him. "Thank goodness, I was just about ready to cut my own ears off." He told his saviour once they were out of earshot. "Heh, cuz of you, miss grime herself didn't go walking around with her greasy hooves, and we only have to do two rounds on this floor today." Suds laughed. "Joy." Alex replied sarcastically as they continued to their jobs. "Well, that's it then. We've finished our parts way ahead of schedule. Now I can take the rest of the day off, until I do the science floor later, unless something gets spilled of course. No matter what anypony says, you're all right in my book." The janitor pony said. "Thanks soapy. We're getting to be pretty good friends for this only being my first day on the job." He remarked. "What? Everypony is like this. Is it hard to make friends where you're from or something?" He asked. "Kinda. There's just so many, it's hard to find someone who has the same interests you know? And of course, the more you have, the bigger your chances of finding a bad apple, someone who you really shouldn't be friends with you know what I mean?" Alex replied. "Sounds kinda rough. Well, looks like you've got a new friend. Thank's for helpin clean, and stopping Widget from making a huge mess." Suds said with a hoof shake. "You have no idea." Well, it was a little short, but I think that's all this chapter needs.