Coming of Age
Silver Spanner Gets Her Cutie Mark
Admiral Biscuit
Outside, it was a beautiful spring day. Sidelong glances through the open window only confirmed what her nose and ears told her—birds were singing, foals were playing, flowers were blooming and begging to be sniffed or eaten, and here she was, stuck at an uncomfortable desk with a few other miserable students, being educated by what was possibly the most boring mare in all of Equestria.
If pressed, she would admit that school wasn't all bad. Recess was fun; the playground had a swingset that only students could use, and once a week, there was a special day just for the unicorns. She liked those classes.
But next year, she was supposed to go to Manehattan for more school. As if she didn't know enough already! She could add and subtract, and she'd learned multiplication and division tables up to twelves, which was far beyond what any pony ever really needed to know. She could read every spellbook the magic teacher brought into class . . . there just wasn't anything more worth knowing, and Pencils thought to fill the gap with lots of perfectly useless information, like how pegasus cloud cities came about. Not like she'd ever visit one.
She'd already tuned out the lecture, focusing instead on a sketch of Ponyville's new water tower. The class had taken a field trip there last week, to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony. A clever system of pipes connected it to a fountain and public faucet that anypony could use. The mayor had said that one day, all the homes in Ponyville would have pipes running to them, like they did in Manehattan.
"Hey!"
She flicked an ear at the sharp whisper, and almost dropped her quill in surprise. With a slightly guilty look, she snapped her head up to look at Pencils, imagining the wrathful face of the teacher—but she was still writing on the chalkboard, oblivious to Silver Spanner's lack of attention.
"Is 'big' a noun or a verb?"
Silver Spanner turned to her classmate. "It's a . . . um, it goes before nouns. Like a 'big flower.' So it's a pronoun, maybe?"
"Thanks!"
"No problem." She turned back to her drawing. Some of the farms in town had artesian wells, she'd learned, and she'd been surprised to learn that the water tower was an artificial application of the same principle—water in a high place wanted to be in a low place. A steam powered pump temporarily served to put the water into the water tower—it would be retired when the dam was finished—and from there it wanted to run out into the pipes, and into the fountain. A book in the library had explained it all, and even though she’d had to look up some of the bigger words, it all made sense.
Already, a few train car loads of pipe had been delivered at the freight house, and they were being laid in trenches throughout town. She always stopped by the construction site after class, and hung out with the construction ponies. They knew so many things that just weren't taught in school.
"All right, class." Pencils tapped her ruler on her desk to get their attention. "We're done for the day. Please continue to work on diagramming sentences at home. Write down a dozen things your parents or siblings say and diagram them for tomorrow, please."
Silver Spanner stuck out her tongue, grabbed her composition book, jammed it in her saddlebag, and practically galloped out the front door to freedom.
In no time at all, she was at a familiar trench. A wagon half-loaded with clay pipe stood off to one side, while a few workponies labored inside, joining the pipes together. Silver Spanner leaned over the edge and watched them work, before her attention was drawn to an offshoot of the project. A smaller, secondary trench ran to the bakery. Her eyes lit up—here was an opportunity to see some indoor plumbing and spend some of her allowance on a treat.
She eagerly trotted into the store, making her way up to the display case. She stuck her muzzle right against the smudged glass, her eyes taking in the shelves of succulent treats. It was difficult to choose—all the food looked so yummy. Finally, after an indecisive thirty seconds, she made her choice. "Can I have a eclair, please?"
"That's a half-bit, dear."
Silver Spanner rummaged in her saddlebag for the coin, while the baker wrapped her purchase in a small square of thin paper. She set the coin on the counter, picked up her eclair, and looked up at the proprietrix. "Can . . . can I look at your plumbing?"
"Of course!" She could hear the pride in the mare's voice. "First shop in town to have it, don't you know? We're proud to be the most modern bakery this side of Canterlot." She stepped around the counter and put a gentle hoof on Silver Spanner's shoulder. "It's not done yet, though. Are you sure you don't want to wait until it's finished?"
Silver Spanner nodded eagerly.
"All right then." She shepherded the filly back into the kitchen, and then down into the basement. A pair of stallions were standing on a hastily-constructed scaffolding, routing pipes along the wall. "Stay out of their way, won't you?"
"I won't be any trouble," Silver said, and sat down on her rump to watch them work. This was so much more interesting than the supply lines—here they had to work around floor joists and drill holes through the floor for piping runs, instead of just digging a trench.
Once they'd positioned a couple lengths of copper pipe along the wall and sweat-soldered the joints, the younger stallion got off their makeshift scaffold and grabbed a toolbag in his teeth, before trotting up the basement steps, giving her a brief nod in passing. She smiled at him, before turning her head back to the work in progress. The older stallion was sorting through a bucket of pipe fittings, laying several out beside him—couplers and elbows.
Her ear turned up at the rasp of a drill bit in the floorboards above. The stallion glanced up at the rain of shavings, and hooked a tape measure over the end of the supply pipe. He stretched it out towards the new hole, only to grunt in frustration as it slipped off the end of the pipe, before trying again with the same result.
Without even asking, Silver got to her hooves and climbed up on the scaffold, and took hold of the end of the tape with her horn. He gave the silver-grey aura twining over his tape a brief glance, gave her a more critical look, and then stretched it out without a word.
She held one end of the tape measure for him as he measured out a new piece of copper pipe, and marked it with a few strokes of a triangular file, then he rolled the tape measure back up.
"Dad?" Silver turned her head up as a disembodied voice came down from the kitchen. "You need me to come back down now?"
The older stallion gave Silver another thoughtful look. "Nope. Go drill holes for the rest of the plumbing. Might as well get that done."
"Okay."
The older stallion looked back at Silver Spanner. "You do want to help, don't you?"
She nodded eagerly.
"I've seen you around town, always sticking your muzzle in construction projects," he ruminated. "Ain't the kind of thing unicorns are usually interested in. Still, that horn of yours might be pretty useful. You ever used a pipe-cutter before?"
Silver Spanner shook her head.
"Might as well learn how." He reached back into his tool belt and grabbed his pipe-cutter out, handing it to Silver Spanner. "All right, watch carefully. I'm gonna cut this piece, to show you how it's done, and then I'll let you practice on a bit of scrap."
She leaned in eagerly, her head practically touching his as he began working the tubing cutter with his hooves.
• • •
The rest of the afternoon just flew by. She helped the older stallion measure and cut pipes, and he showed her how to strap them to joists, and how to solder couplings. He explained the differences between ball valves and screw valves, and which one should be used where.
Finally, he led her upstairs, to the newly-installed kitchen sink. "Go ahead and get under there," he told her. "I'm going to teach you how to use compression fittings."
"Are you sure, Dad?" The younger stallion looked at her with a trace of concern on his face. "She's a unicorn—she doesn't need to know stuff like that."
"She's a better apprentice than you were as a colt," the older stallion growled. "Get down to the basement and pick up all our stuff."
It was crowded under the sink—there was hardly enough room for one pony, let alone two, but Silver Spanner didn't mind. She watched intently as he demonstrated installing the fitting on the hot water line, before handing her a second and a pair of line wrenches. He backed out of the cramped space and crouched on the floor next to her, watching intently as she worked the pieces into place, remembering to tighten it partway before slipping it over the feed line.
She bent the soft copper into place, then took the wrenches in her aura and tightened the fitting, giving a final push by hoof to make sure they were tight. He watched closely, but didn't say anything until she set the wrenches down.
"Are you confident it's tight and won't leak?"
She nodded.
"Okay, go ahead and turn on the valve, then."
Silver Spanner reached out with her aura, hesitating slightly. If she was wrong—if it wasn't tight—she was about to get a facefull of water.
The valve opened more easily than she expected, and to her satisfaction, the fitting she'd installed didn't leak a single drop. She proudly scooched out from under the sink, accepting a hoof from the stallion.
"Go ahead and use the faucet," he instructed.
She nodded, and reached for it with a hoof, giving it a decisive twist. There was a brief hiss of air, followed by a gurgle, and then a steady stream of fresh water splashed into the sink. Just then, she felt a warmth on her hips, and for a moment she thought the stallion was giving her a friendly nuzzle or something, but when she turned her head back, she saw a bright silver wrench on her hips where before there had been nothing but a bare brown coat.
"Well, I'll be damned." The stallion gave her a hearty clap on the back. "If that don't just beat all."
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Nice little story. All of your Pony Planet side stories are a treat!
I don't much make use of it in my writing, but it's occurred to me before that the Ponies might have a base-four or base (some easy multiple of four) counting system, for one obvious reason. Ponies have four hooves. Hence, twelve (three fours) might be a natural point for Pony math, particularly if their system is base-twelve.
Base-twelve has some important advantages over base-ten; in particular, twelve is integrally-divisible by two, three, four and six in addition to one and twelve. By contrast, ten is only intgrally divisible by two and five in addition to one and ten. We humans picked ten mostly because we have ten fingers on our combined hands.
It's also easier to convert to and from base-four or base-twelve to binary than it is with base-ten. Most of the Ponies wouldn't know why this would eventually become important, but Celestia might. This may be why the Ponies have what look a lot like pre-electronic calculating engines.
Yeah. I wouldn't copy off of her for language studies. Mechanical engineering, now, that's a different matter entirely.
By the way, is she going to be a plumber, or is that too specific?
5192410
They do indeed use base 12 in this verse, at least in the modern age. Others are mentioned in CSI, one as still extant, most others as either historical or remnants (like how we have remnants in timekeeping and such).
There's some interesting discussion to be had on base 10 vs others, but I'll have to wait on that til I have more time.
That's one way to develop a pony's talent, pretty well written.
5192077
Thank you!
5192410
In one of the earlier chapters of CSI, Luna mentions that ponies used to use base 4, but they went to 12 as the mathematics got more complex. They teach it by counting heel, toe, heel on each hoof.
I don't think Princess Celestia is enough of a technocrat to consider the potential advantages of binary when it comes to computing, and I personally don't like the idea of her being omnipotent. Clever, from over a thousand years of leadership, yes.
Since they have advanced technologically to the point of having a telegraph system, I don't think it would be a stretch for the concept of binary and its usage in a calculating engine to be understood by some ponies; it's also plausible that early computers and computer programming language have been built or proposed by the ponies . . . if I remember correctly, Ada Lovelace was working on machine language before the American Civil War, and the difference engine had already been designed.
In OPP, she is working as a plumber. Based on the trading cards, she does other types of repair as well. I could also see her dabbling in steam engines, and maybe some other types of machines or mechanical craft.
5193739
Thanks!
5193941
Whether or not they'd use binary is likely tied heavily to how advanced their electronic/magical computation knowledge is. Macro-scale mechanisms usually don't benefit much from it, so pretty much all of our early computation devices used decimal [1*]. I have seen a binary mechanical calculator someone built for demonstration purposes, and it was way too large to make into a practical device.
[*1] Be sure to explore the linked articles too - there's a lot of interesting stuff there.
5194093
While the mechanism would be overly clunky if the 'computer' did its own conversion, would the same apply if it received its input and gave its output in plain binary? I only ask because the typewriters we've seen in the show are binary typewriters.
5194320
I'm not sure I understand the question here. However, I can say that you need to be careful using typewriters as a basis for speculation on their math - the two have little in common outside of incidental similarities.
5194582
It was just the thought that the ponies might be willing to have the operator be required to learn a different language in order to operate the machine, rather than have the machine interpret 'plain English' (so to speak). So a mechanical pony adding machine might not be designed to have the numbers 0-11 on the keyboard; it might instead have 0-1, and the operator has to key in the binary equivalent of the numbers to be added.
Not that that's how they would do it for certain, but the typewriters give some canon evidence that they might.
5194607
The concept's certainty plausible enough, if human history is anything to go by. The thing about doing that with mechanical devices, though, is that unless you can make the pieces really tiny (like in modern electronic computers), using a lower number of more complex pieces in the workings is more practical. Maybe I can make a mechanical binary part half the size of a decimal one with less effort per piece, but since I'd then need need to use five times as many pieces, it's still a net loss. The fact that it means you don't have to convert the I/O is pretty much just a bonus.
I do think the binary typewriter suggests some sort of code's in use, but what that might be is probably open to speculation. It could be a more sophisticated version of a Morse transmitter, some form of chorded keyboard, or something else entirely. However, whatever it is, it's probably not related to math any more than an old-school human typewriter was.
5194749
In general, yes, I agree. In this case, I'd say it's kind of open to speculation, since the machine could be a mechanical/magical hybrid which uses some type of interaction with a gem or something where binary would work better than duodecimal . . . or it could just be familiarity. The early machines might be an adoption of an existing machine, utilizing the input device which was already built, or perhaps because the intended operators were presumed to be familiar with the other machine. You only have to compare a calculator number pad and a telephone keypad to see that in action in modern life.
That gets more into manufacturing technology--in some cases it's easier to make five of a simple part rather than one complex one. Labor costs factor in, too--there's a reason why Japanese cars from the Eighties use so many screws, while American cars of the same vintage were using specialty fasteners to speed assembly.
My own guess is that the typewriters output pony morse, and that's translated by the typesetter before the newspaper (or whatever) is printed. But that's just my opinion.
5194787
They definitely could have some analogue of electro-mechanical computers, but of course that leads back to the question of how advanced their electronic/magical theory is. However, based on the tech levels you're shooting for, I'd say there's probably not enough pressure to develop binary, except maybe from an academic interest standpoint.
Things like labor availability are obviously rather up in the air, but I suspect that going for the fewer complex parts would be more useful and reliable overall (not to mention more likely to fit into the room you're planning to use). Of course, since you're more mechanically adept, I'll leave that one to you: would you rather make and maintain a device with 1000 complex parts, or prefer one with 5000 somewhat simpler parts?
Breaking stereotypes, one pony at a time!
Keep going! ;)
5196828
I do what I can.
So many BG ponies, so little time.
Short, bug good. Kudos ^^
5198137
Thanks!
Charming and adorable. Nothing more needs to be said.
5199278
5192410
Not really. Base four converts easily enough: (And the lack of a monospace font is going to make a mess of this, but oh well.)
base 10: base 4 = binary
0: 00 = 0 0 0
1: 01 = 0 0 1
2: 02 = 0 1 0
3: 03 = 0 1 1
4: 10 = 1 0 0
Since each digit position in the base-4 counting system – 4^0 ("ones"), 4^1 ("fours"), 4^2 ("sixteens"), etc – corresponds exactly to every other position in base-2 – with 2^0 being "ones", 2^2 being "fours", 2^4 being "sixteens", etc. – and the four possible values in base-4 (0, 1, 2, or 3) can be represented by the four possible values of two binary bits (00, 01, 10, 11) without skipping any combinations between 00 and 11, it fits. When a base-4 value rolls over from a 1-digit value to a 2-digit value, it corresponds exactly with the point where the binary value has to expand from two digits to four digits to contain all possible combinations of the 2-digit base-4 value, and so on.
Base-12, on the other hoof, does not map any more easily to binary than base-10 does:
base 10: base 4 = binary
00: 00 = 0 0 0 0
01: 01 = 0 0 0 1
02: 02 = 0 0 1 0
03: 03 = 0 0 1 1
04: 04 = 0 1 0 0
05: 05 = 0 1 0 1
06: 06 = 0 1 1 0
07: 07 = 0 1 1 1
08: 08 = 1 0 0 0
09: 09 = 1 0 0 1
10: 0A = 1 0 1 0
11: 0B = 1 0 1 1
12: 10 = 1 1 0 0
Now, here's the problem. Base-12 will not fit into only three bits, since a three-bit value only has eight possible states, so we need four bits to represent the twelve possible states of a single base-12 digit – but a four-bit value has sixteen possible states, not twelve, so when the base-12 number rolls over from a one-digit value ("B") to a two-digit value ("10"), it does not correspond to the point where we need to go from four bits to eight in order to hold all possible combinations of the two base-12 digits. (Decimal has the same problem.)
Base sixteen, a.k.a. "hexadecimal", maps to binary. Since 4x4=16, you could have ponies using "hex" as their preferred mathematical system, counting as four groups of four, but base-4 would probably come more naturally to them.
That was just about all the stories Ponyville's plumbing needed to be told, up until Spike used up the entire reserve of hot water in the town.
This statement makes me happy. You'll know why.
I would say something about iron and lead, but given Equestria's natural resources like minerals and most likely gold, semi precious metals are probably plentiful too. So this makes perfect sense.
Speaking of which, I have to re-plumb an entire house I recently bought. *looks off wistfully* I remember replumbing my current house. It... was really fucking easy. We had all the wet walls open, and copper and pvc are just so easy to work with. You just cut the shit and put it together... so much easier than iron / galvanized. Never worked with that pex shit, but I honestly don't trust it. I mean, the joints are just sealed with o rings, which.... might be ok, but I have a feeling the hot side o rings would eventually get fucked up. I mean... don't hot side o rings already get fucked up in shower faucets? I've seen a few. And the only mechanical force holding the tubing into a joint is basically a barbed washer that sorta pinches the line. Am I right? Pretty sure. Acts kind of like a quick disconnect, but without the ridge / flare on the line for a clip to hold onto.
And, excellent story. Kind of hits home with me, I'd imagine it's the same for you.
5203568
Don't forget about Twilight stealing the water tower to lure off the Ursa. Also, I seem to remember Spike stole it once, too. Maybe they need to investigate a firmer anchoring system for the Ponyville water tower.
5204284
I wanted to avoid lead, since it has a bad reputation in water systems. And, you probably noticed that the pipe they were laying out in the street was ceramic (now I can't remember the acronym, but it's still commonly used because it's impervious to just about everything).
I hate plumbing. The system in my house is a total mess, and I don't want to screw with it and make it not work.
As for Pex, it's probably similar to nylon fuel lines or air lines. I haven't heard anything bad about it myself--but I've never used it, either. It's probably more resistant to freezing that the supply pipe on my old mobile home.
I hope it didn't come off in the text, but I had to really work to get up any enthusiasm for plumbing at all. I have pretty much none. I respect it and what it does, but I just couldn't get excited as I was reading up on the history of municipal water distribution systems.
Thanks!
Well, aside from the fact it's about plumbing
I think I have a lot more in common with Poppy from Highway 502. She's going to be a great character to write in the future.
5206455 I did notice. In Chicago, you can't use anything but clay pipe for underground sewer pipes (from house to main sewer). Not sure why, pvc is just about as impervious, and doesn't shatter like clay might. Still a wonderful material. Speaking of municipal water, I actually have a slice of an old Chicago water main on my shelf. It's wood.
dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/37540750/water_main.jpg
My only gripe about pex is the joint-holding-stuff-part.
I thought the story read fine, in regard to enthusiasm for plumbing.
Well, that's where I have an advantage. We don't live in that house yet, not til we're done renovating, so we can do whatever for however long. And I'm gonna completely gut all the old plumbing. It's easier, quicker, and cheaper to just annihilate everything and start with clean slate.
Very cute, the casual racism irks slightly, but it doesn't detract.
5214392
All my OPP stories have casual racism (especially A Gift from Celestia). But I try to keep it at a minimum. I'm actually glad you picked up on it.
5219672 It felt kinda heavyhanded this time around.
akin to "Giant flashing neon sign" 
and I feel like I've maybe read other OPP fics, but I'm not sure.
5219687
Some of that was also because she was a filly without a cutie mark--it's kind of akin to a middle-schooler walking up to a construction project and offering to help. The foreman might not take the kid seriously.
If you've been stalking me for long enough, you've probably seen a few of the one-shots drift across your feed, like A Foal's First Words, for example. I made a bookshelf that has them all! Yay site update!
5219672
It would almost be impossible to avoid, since the "racial" differences between the tribes of ponies are real and functional differences instead of the arbitrary, cosmetic, or sometimes even imaginary differences between groups of humans.
5267826
I totally agree, and that's one of the reasons I try to throw it in. Most of my stories also have minor sexist undertones, except in most cases it's the stallions who are in the minority, and presumed to be less mentally capable, etc.
5275281
I've thought of doing similar, but the biggest male stereotypes I can think of that would be amplified by a matriarchal society are aggression and "guys are all always horny", and the latter only really lends itself to Mature stories. And I don't really have any thoughts on how to use the former.
Also, in the fic:
5307863
There's all sorts of fertile ground for flipping gender roles. From a stallion not normally owning real property, to him taking the mare's name when he gets married. Little passing lines: "It's a mare's sport . . . I don't know why a stallion would want to compete in hoofball." Stallions taking the mare's name when they marry (Carrot Cake used to be Carrot Harvest). Jokes about endurance. Really, anything where there's a gender bias in modern or near-modern society can be flipped around: "Stallions just aren't good at math. They're only fit for heavy labor, like pulling plows, and giving us foals when we want them."
Correction made; thank you!
Nice little story, this
5786474
Thanks!
I just love stories about obscure background ponies.
Nice job!
Nice.
Fillies, always sticking there noses everywhere, and adults don't seem to care.
6727597
So true. I think that might be a cultural norm, what with cutie marks and all that--how's a pony to earn her mark if she doesn't stick her nose everywhere?
Truly, that kind of information in not very useful unless you go the full way and develop and understanding of the language.
But back in elementary school I personally never made it past adverbs, didn't see how that knowledge could come in handy in the future and I was over a decade away from beginning to understand the craft of writing.
I think learning those is useful for rising one's ability to communicate, and everyone needs to communicate at some level.
Just not that much if you are s construction pony or something like that.
~Leonzilla
6857544
You don't really need it to write. As long as you know what looks right and what doesn't, an editor can fix the few mistakes you make. Where it's really an issue is in pre-reading; when I pre-read or edit for other folks, I can't tell them the rule they violated, because I often don't know.
It's also invaluable when you're learning a foreign language. Part of the reason I don't know any is that I don't really know the fundamentals of English, so I can't very well apply them to a different language.
6859778 yup that's grammar for you.
It's not necessary vital for nearly anything, but it's really helpful for a variety of things.
But take it from me, you don't have to be an expert in your native language to learn a new one.
It's just the more you know the more it helps.
6862929
True, you don't have to be an expert, but it sure helps when you're in school. I remember in French class not knowing what direct objects and indirect objects were, so I had trouble with that, and in Latin . . . well, you have to know all the parts of speech for Latin. If you do, it's a really easy language to learn. If you don't, you're screwed.
6862988
Or you just have to learn them also as you go.
There's not much to this, but I love the quirkiness of this little filly trying to learn more about plumbing. :)
6891009
Thank you! Silver Spanner is best pony.
derpicdn.net/img/2015/10/7/996809/large.png
Not at all what I was looking for, but damned epic
5207326 My uncle is a plumber who works with pex pipe, a bulldozer caught on some and it stretched until no water could go through it but the joint held.
This story is amazing
! I think you are the only person to write stories about this wonderful background mare. I added this story to the group "Silver Spanner Fans"
7036686
I might very well be the only one to do so. I hope not; I'd love reading other stories starring her.
She also figures as a recurring character in Onto the Pony Planet.
7035327 Awesome! I still doubt its longevity though...