Solar Sails: Adrift In Canterlot

by Bluecho

03 - A Learning Experience

Ch. 3 - A Learning Experience

---

“So...heavy...”

Sarin Miles struggled beneath the enormous stack of tomes. She hobbled through the Canterlot Royal Library, stumbling once or twice as she made her way to a table. Nearly falling the remaining meter, Sarin let the books tumble onto the surface with a loud clatter. From a distance away, Sarin heard the disapproving shush of the librarian.

“Sorry,” Sarin whispered, staggering to her feet, using the back of a chair as support. As she seated herself, she felt the dull throb in her arms.

Not even weight training compares to hauling books, Sarin mused, rubbing her sore arms. I'll need to add such strength training to my usual regiment. If I can find a gym somewhere in this land, that is.

She pulled a rolled scroll from her belt and unfurled it. All one meter of its length. She sighed, taking stock of which volumes she'd obtained. The scroll Sarin read arrived the day before, delivered by way of magical fire to land at the feet of Princess Celestia. It happened while Sarin enjoyed dinner with her majesty, alongside a number of stuffy nobleponies.

It was that list of important and informative texts Sarin asked Twilight Sparkle to compile for her. Being a scholar intimately familiar with the Canterlot library, as well as a studious and organized intellectual, Twilight seemed the ideal choice for reference to helpful materials. Sarin lamented that spying on the residents of Ponyville, hearing their gossip and stealing their newspaper, only provided so much knowledge about the world she now called home.

Sarin further lamented her underestimation of Twilight Sparkle's thorough organization. The list was extensive, seemingly covering every possible subject Sarin could think to research. And several she didn't think of, or indeed felt like reading about. When would she ever need to study...Gyromancy: Applications, Abbreviations, Aberrations, And Historical Contexts?

I'm a soldier, Sarin thought, holding her head. Or at least I was. I don't need to understand the intricacies of magical theory. I barely comprehend the magic that lets me understand other languages.

Maybe asking Twilight Sparkle for her assistance in the matter was a mistake? No, the aid was helpful. Just horribly excessive. Sarin sighed, setting the list on the table. She would need to pen a thankful reply, one that would bridge her towards establishing lines of communication about Sarin's many obligations in Ponyville. She needed to know when and where she had to travel to accomplish the tasks. Aid the Apple family in their next harvest to make up for the apples she stole. Be properly fit for the clothes Rarity insisted on designing for her. Attending Pinkamena Diane Pie's party(s). Cuddle with Fluttershy's adorable animals (the thought made Sarin giddy). Actively avoid Rainbow Dash, so as not to do anything more to punish the pegasus. Even if she deserved it. So very much to do in one town.

...where would I stay in meantime, she thought, tapping her lips. I guess I could try Base Two...wait...

---

“Here's the last one. Say cheese curds!”

“C-cheese curds...”

The camera flash went off, lighting the facets of her crystal body. Whole Heart blinked, staggering back into a nearby chair.

“That's it! We're done,” said the university student, bright smile on his face. He carefully collected the last of the negatives and stored them in boxes for later. “I feel confident the photos will make great reference for the book!”

“You think so?” asked Whole Heart, rubbing her aching hooves. For whatever reason the student insisted she stand up when taking the photographs. Something about needing a range of angles of her midsection. The crystal pony sighed. At least it ended.

They exited the workroom, walking to the front desk of the university. When they were nearly out, the student rubbed his hooves. “Oh I'm excited! My book on Crystal Pony anatomy is so much better for your contribution.”

“Y-yeah, glad I could help,” Whole Heart said, putting on a smile. She scratched a knee. “So is the part where I get paid?”

“Huh? Oh yeah, almost forgot,” said the student, smile dropping. He fished through his saddlebag and removed a bag of bits. Whole Heart noticed it wasn't that big or full. “Thank you kindly for your help in advancing science.” He dropped the bag into Whole Heart's eager hooves. “I would offer to send you a free copy of the book when it's published...” he began, putting on a nervous smile, “but you know how expensive textbooks are these days.”

“Oh yeah, I understand,” said Whole Heart, politely taking her leave with a few passing pleasantries. In truth, she had to take the stallion's word on that. The Crystal Empire didn't really have a university, let alone monopolistic price points on school textbooks. She had learned her trade as most in the Empire learned theirs: apprenticeship. Her education had come under the watch of a very mild crystal clerk, one who'd taken pity on her for her Flaw.

Whole Heart sighed, jingling the bits in their sack. The payment, in retrospect, was probably generous on the research student's part; compensation for the time of a pitiable creature like her.

She walked down the street, stopping by a shop with a mirror in the window. She turned to the reflective surface, mournfully taking in the Flaw as she'd done many times before. It was a thin internal fracture deep in her trunk. The cleavage was fairly large, noticeable to anypony at a glance.

Flaws, or imperfections as some in the Crystal Empire called them, were body deformities wholly unique to crystal ponies. When in the best of health, crystal ponies shown brilliantly like gems. Translucent flesh glinted in the light, and if one were particularly focused, one could perhaps see things behind them. Thankfully their internal organs were invisible, as was anything passing through their bodies. Many crystal ponies counted such as another aspect of the same magic that left crystal ponies more “normal” like regular ponies when not at their fullest health. Like the business with King Sombra.

What that magic failed to hide were inclusions and other impurities in their bodies. These imperfections – these Flaws – ranged from general cloudiness to feathering to carbon scores...or in Whole Heart's case, a sickening internal fracture. It caught the light and stood out against the majority of crystal ponies. Other Flaws were treated as symptoms of other medical issues. Fractures were medical issues unto themselves, and were quite debilitating to have. As a matter of fact, Whole Heart was among the luckier ponies born with such a Flaw. Most others came out still born, or died shortly after birth.

Then again, Whole Heart thought with a displeased frown as she stared at her deformity, sometimes I wonder how lucky I really was to get a fracture that didn't immediately kill me.

She shook her head, forcing her eyes away from the mirror. Whole Heart moved forward again, jingling the bit bag again. The paltry sum she received allowing the student to document her Flaw in photographs – a new technology she hadn't personally encountered before – was appreciated. Really. But the student had taken as many pictures as he could, and even then Whole Heart thought he was being excessive in an attempt to “make it worth their respective times”. It was all she could reasonably get from that opportunity.

Was that all she could look forward to in Canterlot? Temporary work portioned to her out of pity?

Whole Heart suddenly felt extremely depressed. She hung her head, placing the sack of precious bits into her saddlebag. She felt so bad emotionally she hardly noted how much her feet hurt.

---

The door opened, a very bored looking earth pony turning into a very dumbfounded earth pony when he saw who came rapping at his door.

“Hello,” said Sarin, nervously smiling. She held her hands clasped together in front of her. Weaving her fingers together, she said, “Is there a Turnip Turner living here?”

The pony stared for a number of seconds before blinking rapidly. “...uh...” he toned, “...what are you...”

“Fatae.”

“Excuse me?” the stallion said, squinting.

“I am a Fatae, that's my species,” responded Sarin Miles. “That is what you were asking, right? What I am?”

“...uh...yes...I'm sorry,” the pony said, squirming where he stood. “What was your question again, miss...?”

“Sarin Miles,” said Sarin. “And I wanted to know if Turnip Turner lived here. I checked records at the post office, and found the stallion named Turnip Turner was a resident here at some point. Is that you?”

“...why do you want to know?” the stallion asked, seeming less out of depth and more suspicious.

“Because a stallion named Turnip Turner lived at one time at a residence in Ponyville,” explained Sarin, patiently. “I was squatting in that house not too long ago, and I gathered Turnip Turner was the last one to hold the deed.”

The stallion blinked for several seconds, gripping the door frame with a hoof. “...you should maybe come inside...”

“You're sure the crystal mare stays at this hotel?” asked the heavyset earth pony.

“No doubt,” said the skinny unicorn, stroking his beard. “Saw her come out the other day.” He looked back from his associate to the hotel doors across the street.

“She could have been visiting someone in a hotel,” ventured the large earth pony stallion. He liked to remind ponies how, while he certainly had no university education like his associate, he wasn't a nimrod.

“Would make sense,” said the unicorn, “except I saw her checking in with a big load of suitcases. Mare is staying in the hotel.” He looked up the street, then lit up. “Hey it's her! Look!” He pointed down the street. There, a shimmering mare walked, mint coat, purple mane, orange eyes. Pleasantly plump, heart shaped cutie mark.

“Oh wow,” the earth pony said, whistling. “She sure does look pretty. Especially how the sun catches her...what do you call the surfaces of a cut gem?”

“Facets,” said the unicorn, eyes fixed on the mare. “And she does have a fine set of facets.” He stroked his beard again.

The crystal pony trudged along the walkway, eyes downcast. The setting sun glinted off her mint-colored hide.

“So we gonna...?”

“Not here,” the unicorn said, pulling hard on his beard. Grimacing, he motioned to his associate to avert their direct ogles. “Street's crowded, hotel has security.” The unicorn, checked the position of the sun, and verified it to be sunset. “Too late anyway. We'll follow her tomorrow. Come on.” He got up from his chair. He stalked away from the table, followed by the earth pony.

“So your name is Sarin?”

“Yes,” answered the modified soldier, accepting the offered cup of tea. “Does that make you Turnip Turner?”

“Hardly,” grunted the stallion homeowner, settling into his own chair at the kitchen table. “Turnip Turner was my father. My name's Radish Router.”

“Oh,” said Sarin, taking a sip of her tea. It tasted bitter, but she made no complaint. “Nice to meet you Radish Router.”

“Hmm,” said Radish. “So you said you were staying in the old Ponyville estate?”

“Yes. As you can probably guess, I'm not originally from Equestria.” Sarin stroked the brim of the teacup with her finger. “You can say I was a vagrant, refusing to enter into pony society proper. So when I was in the Ponyville area, I broke into this old, abandoned house and stayed there for three weeks.” She took another sip of tea. Exhaling happily, she said, “I found a lot of old documents belonging to various family members, and saw your father's name among them. Decided he was worth looking up while I was here. Is he still around?”

“Afraid not,” said Radish Router, frowning. “Passed away a couple years ago.”

“I'm sorry.”

“No, it's okay. And yeah, my dad used to live in that house back in the day.” The stallion sipped his tea. “When he passed, his belongings went to me. I've still got all the stuff here, including the deed to the house.”

“Hmm...” Sarin hummed, nodding her head.

Radish Router nodded too, expression grown contemplative. Sipping more tea, his face relaxed. “Do you want it?”

Sarin blinked. “Want what?”

“The deed to the house.”

“What? I never said anything about wanting to get the deed,” Sarin said, trying to wave off the suggestion. “I just...”

“But you did stay in the house when nopony else ever would,” said Radish. “Got more use from the old place than anyone in my family has in years.” Another sip of tea. “You can have the deed if you want. No charge.”

“I couldn't possibly,” Sarin said, frowning. She clutched the teacup, tracing the rim with her fingers. “Couldn't possibly take property like that.”

Radish Router chuckled, shaking his head. He stood from the table, walking across the kitchen. He stood at a battered, water-stained writing desk, pulling cabinets open. Sarin could see him rifle through stacks of yellowed papers. Satisfied, Radish walked back, setting a piece of paper on the table before taking his seat again.

“You know,” Radish began, “My father hated that old place.”

Sarin looked taken aback. She blinked at the pony. Her hand lifted up from the cup and stroked the four flared points on her ear.

Radish continued, “He hated it back there. Told me some pretty messed up horror stories about it.”

“Yeah, I gathered some pretty bad things happened there over the years,” Sarin explained.

“Dad never got around to properly explaining how it all went down, beginning to end,” Radish said, looking sadly down at the deed. “I remember, for years, he'd bring folks over to our place here, or head out there on day trips to meet them. He tried for so long so sell the house. If I had it right, he tried to sell it at soon as uncle Vigor died, and the deed passed to dad.” Radish smiled in a manner of...nostalgia? “Dad tried everything he could to sell the house. But in the end nopony wanted it. First because Dad dared to ask for a reasonable price given the property value. Then because of the overwhelmingly negative things said about it that just piled up. And then because the house had fallen so far into disrepair that it looked appropriately haunted.

“And I just think...” Radish Router shook his head. “I think it got to the point where dad was too old to keep making the trips. So he just gave up; unable to even give the house away.” He looked up at Sarin. “So if I can give it away to anyone...finally settle the matter once and for all...I guess I'd feel good about it being to somepony...some Fatae, who could really use it.”

Sarin ran fingers through her hair, stopping to scratch her scalp. Having a house all her own? Owning property on the strange world she was stranded upon? Advantages is what it would be, but it also meant other things. Property taxes for one, assuming ponies paid them. Did the prospect of not paying property taxes to Ponyville partially motivate Radish Router's generosity? Did Radish's family even pay the taxes, or would Sarin walk into Ponyville and be met with a sizable bill of back taxes? Or did the Ponyville tax collectors even care about the house, given its dreadful reputation?

Assuming there were taxes, moving in would necessitate obtaining furnishings for it. Sarin then shuddered at the considerable amount of work that would be needed to bring the dilapidated structure up to code, whatever that was in Ponyville. Existing furniture sorted, junk thrown out, windows replaced, boards nailed down, bug infestations exterminated, walls painted, carpets washed, floors scrubbed. Lawns cut, fences strengthened, shutters oiled, plumbing cleared of obstructions, water flow reestablished with the town authority.

So much work, so little time, so little money. To accept the house was to commit to the property.

It was to say “I'm prepared to make this plot of rotten wood and barren land mine, for the rest of my life.”

What AM I going to do with the rest of my life, she suddenly thought. Even if I get rescued by the next ship that arrives in however many months or years it takes, I don't know if I want to go back to the military. I kind of want to retire...but then what am I doing? If I'm just retiring, what's the difference between retirement from service here and retirement on one of the imperial planets?

And what if the Empire decides I still haven't worked off the debt they incurred making me? If I commit to the house, will I just have to leave it to ruin when I went back? If I went back?

Sarin Miles circled around in her mind, contemplating options. Options and uncertainties. Most importantly, she felt the profound desire to reject the decision, put off making it. But then she shook her head. No, she was trapping herself in an uncertainty spiral. Was that a thing? She brushed two hands' worth of fingers through her hair.

“So do you want it?” said Radish Router, pushing the deed forward so it was in the center of the table.

Sarin stared at it. If nothing else, to refuse the gift – a gift of house and property where she had neither – would be the height of rudeness. This long suffering pony wanted nothing more than to rid himself of terrible memories. And did so through immense generosity to a bizarre creature he just met whose only qualification for owning the house was squatting in it.

Looking at the paper, Sarin sighed. She picked it up. “Alright...and thank you, Radish Router.”

“No problem,” said the pony. He smiled, then looked over to the writing desk. Sarin could almost see the wistful manner in which he stared. “You'll probably appreciate the place more than anypony in my family ever could.”

As Sarin left the earth pony's home, she hugged the deed to her chest. She smiled, then smiled wider as the full implications set in.

I own a house now. How weird is that?

Comments

[Kenshinryuu]

Hmmm, owning a house in Ponyville... interesting idea for Sarin. I think it would be good for her to have a place she can call her own that she fixed up with her own two hands. I'm sure if she mentioned this, Pinky would throw several parties based on fixing up a home and the CMC might show up to try to get their cuties marks in home repair, which actually has many possibilities, ie painting, carpentry, plumbing repair, electric repair, etc.

[Dubious]

3798538 Or they'll end up burning it down or turn it in to a piece of abstract modern art.