26 - Under the Star's Light
With the talk of potential unions shelved for the moment, they traveled companionably back to Ponyville. Lyra trotted off to return to her business with a parting wave. "See you later, Laud!"
Laud raised a hand in kind and moved for Twilight's castle. He hadn't created an awkward wedge between them, that was a good step for the time being. He had other things to do. "By the Pancreator, I will do them," he promised to himself in English. Talking to oneself in a foreign tongue had the delightful advantage of assured privacy.
He opened the front door. It was never locked, and no one seemed to mind that he entered without pomp or announcement. The security of it was terrible. The fact that they survived with it spoke volumes about their people. The ponies were, as a whole, trusting that their fellows would bring them no harm, and they were right often enough that such fears never took root, even in their mightiest.
"Laud, there you are." It was Starlight, approaching with a smile. From nowhere in particular, she drew out the translator, though it had several new lights in it that shone bright colors, blinking without obvious patterns. "I have a gift for you," she practically sang. She looked quite pleased with herself, which could only be good news, Laud decided.
He returned the smile and crouched down to be closer to her level. "What have you managed, you brilliant unicorn?"
"Well, I wouldn't go that far," she demured with a faint blush. "But, I did it!" She brought the translator to her own neck and slipped it on. "Hello," she spoke in the pony language. There was a delay before the device spoke softly in English, parroting her. "See? It knows proper Ponish now." Starlight bounced in place as the collar echoed her statement in proper English. "And your language too, 'Eng-lick' was it? Well, it already knew that one. I just had to teach it Ponish and how it was different from that other equine language. I would love to meet those other equines. I wonder what stories they have..."
Laud froze at that. A meeting of the Equestrians and the Shantor would be... problematic, mostly for the humans involved. "Well, we'll have to wait until communication is re-established with humanity before we can dream of speaking to the other races we've contacted." He reached for the collar snug about her neck. "Does it work the other way around?"
"Of course." Her horn glowed as she pulled the collar free of herself and held it up where Laud could take it. "It would be a bit silly if it only worked for ponies wanting to speak Englick." She was saying the word for English as best she could in actual English. "Don't worry, I have my own!" She pulled out a second collar.
Laud accepted his as he stared at the second. "How?" The ability to make those collars was a closely guarded secret of the guilds. Some argued they just couldn't be made, just upkept and repaired.
"How what?" She slipped the new collar onto herself. "There we are." Her words started being echoed into English, though hers was set to speak in a female tone. "Do you mean how I copied it?" He nodded at her and she just smiled. "Copying things isn't hard at all, once we know what's in them, and having one to play with gave me that. It's just a spell away and I can get another one, provided I have the materials." She thrust a hoof. "Which Maud, wonderful mare she is, can provide! I made one for her, of course. She said she wanted one and if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have mine, so that was a no brainer."
Had his study been for naught? Well, no. If he hadn't been able to talk, the collar never would have been fixed. Maud would never be making the metals needed to enact the fix or the copies. And being able to speak Ponish without the collar on was a strength, not a weakness or vanity. Laud nodded, becoming more sure that he had done the best that could be done. "Starlight, thank you." He slipped the collar on and allowed his throat to relax back into English words. "Though your magic continues to unsettle me, its utility is increasingly difficult to argue with." He could hear the collar whickering, neighing, and whuffling out the Ponish words. He could understand most of it, which was a point of pride.
Starlight nodded. "Anything for a friend. So, how'd the meeting with Luna go? That's where you were, right?"
Right! "It went fantastically." Well, not the Luna part, but... "Celestia gave me this." He produced the writ he was given. "I'm authorized to begin construction immediately, but I would like to speak to Twilight and Mayor Mare before I do so."
Starlight leaned in, her eyes scanning the paper quickly. "Oh... Celestia must not know where Maud's living."
"Hmm?"
"This plot of land is right over her cave. I mean, she probably won't mind, but we should talk to her too." Starlight nodded firmly. "Maybe this will work out for the better for everyone." She trot around Laud, moving for the kitchen. "You're just getting back, want something?"
He hadn't realized it was just over Maud's dwelling. He wondered just how innocent Celestia was in that. "We should speak to Maud as soon as possible before we consider any other action." Of all the ponies, she was near the bottom of those he wished to offend.
"And we will." Starlight opened the fridge with a twinkle of her horn. "But she won't go anywhere while I have a sandwich." Their words echoed back and forth, making it sound like two humans and two ponies were chattering at once. "I'll make you one, Mister Serious." And she got about doing that. "No flowers, promise."
Laud calmed himself. It didn't do to be the frantic one when there wasn't a pressing need. He settled down at the table. "Thank you again, Starlight. You've been a fantastic help."
Starlight waved it away as two plates floated beside her. She set one before Laud before hopping up into a chair and setting her own down. "Eat up, then we'll go Maud hunting. She isn't usually too hard to find these days, with her forge keeping her busy."
His sandwich had less meat than he would have preferred, but the vegetables were fresh, and the tomatoes finely sliced. It was a perfectly good vegetarian sandwich. "Tell me, what meats, if any, do ponies partake in?"
Starlight perked an ear at that. "Fish. Mmm, eggs if you count those?" She devoured hers in no time at all, wiping her snout clean. "We aren't big on the hunting and, you know. Not really our style." She waggled a hoof at him. "Do these look like predator claws to you?"
That they did not, but neither did his fingers, from his own standing. "We have to make our own claws." He did feel better for eating. Perhaps he had needed that more than he would have admitted. "Does Ponyville have a fish market?"
"We have a fish... booth. Not quite the level of a market, but there is one gal that loves to fish." She leaned forward. "If you plan to become a regular, she might die of joy. The rest of us only stop by once in awhile." Springing to her feet, Starlight hopped down and began moving for the door. "Well, let's go find us a Maud."
Laud was quick to follow her and move beside her. He knew the way to Maud's dwelling. "How has she been? Any news I should know about?"
"Nothing I won't let her say herself." Starlight rolled her eyes mightily. "Let a girl be the bearer of her own news. I will say that you've given her plenty to do. Did you know she was once considering not moving to Ponyville to find more interesting rocks to study?"
"Is that so?" That would have been unfortunate. "It seems her choice was rewarded, with a treasure trove of alien minerals to document and reproduce."
"Exactly so." Starlight nodded as she trotted. "And she gets to be with ponies she knows and likes, instead of off in some forgotten valley, alone." Her nose wrinkled. "Glad that didn't happen. Stupid mare doesn't realize how amazing she is."
Laud made a quiet note to perhaps ask Maud about that. "Were you the one that convinced her to stay?"
Starlight shook her head as they approached the cave entrance. "It was her sister that got through to her. Of course, it was Pinkie that almost drove her away. A fair exchange in the end. Look, I love Pinkie as much as anyone else, but she can be... a little much, you know?"
Laud couldn't properly argue that. "She has a powerful personality."
"That is a very nice way of putting it." Starlight descended into the earth. "Maud! You in there? Laud's back." Her collar made no attempt to match her volume, so it spoke the words in the same monotone female voice it had started with.
That was important to remember. If he wanted to make an impassioned statement, he would have to use his own voice to do it. That made him feel better about the effort spent learning Ponish.
"Hello." Maud had snuck up behind them without a sound. "I cannot proceed."
Laud turned to get Maud in his line of sight. "Good to see you, Miss Pie."
"Maud," she corrected. "I see you too. I am ready to do more, but require much larger facilities and will need to create machines to assist in the task or it will continue to be slow at best."
Starlight pointed upwards. "Celestia just gave him right to build right on top of you."
That was not how he had planned to break the news, but it was done. Maud nodded. "Good. You can help me build the new workshop." She turned and trotted right out of the tunnel without a specific word to follow her, though the others did just that. "I can provide the basic specifications of the building itself. I will be constructing what goes inside myself."
Laud hiked a brow. "Not that I'm upset that you're agreeable, but to be certain, you're alright with my building a spaceport on top of your house, where vessels like mine, some significantly larger, might land and take off at any given hour?"
Maud tilted her head. "Should I not be? I will reinforce the walls and ceilings if you predict it will create strain." She tapped her chin with a hoof. "I should do that regardless." She seemed to remember something and pulled out a bar from her frock. It was like the others she had shown but was much more lustrous in its grey silver shine. "I've improved the impurity removal. I'm certain there are improvements to be had, but I won't accomplish this down there." She pointed with the bar-laden hoof back at her hole. "The heat was starting to frizz my mane." Her mane looked perfectly flat as always. "When do we begin?"
She was moving fast, quite fast. "Wait. You haven't even seen Princess Celestia's writ yet?"
"And?" Maud turned to face Laud directly. "Are you lying?"
"No! No, of course not."
"I didn't think you were. When do we begin?"
Such faith. For being godless, the ponies had huge reserves of faith, in each other, and their society. It was unnerving at times for Laud. "I need to speak to Mayor Mare and Princess Twilight. Let's do this right, instead of quickly and sloppily. I want this done right."
Starlight put a leg around Maud and another just behind Laud, pulling them together. "You two are a treat to see working together, did I ever mention that? Don't leave me out of the plans. I want to see what you're up to, and if I can help, well, it looks like it'll be interesting."
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Communist Pony can't wait to get her message to the stars
8460161
Starlight Glimmer is not a communist. Her past philosophy has little to none connection to actual communism. Really, there at best some superficial semblances.
Its not the stress thats the problem, although it has to be quite definitely dealt with, its the vibrations and radiations, depending on systems and drive design and implementation. Usually, ponies would have an easier job of halding the problem starting from scratch as the Cavern Geode could be tuned specifically during its growth so the various crystaline matrix layers work together to divert and deflect a whole range of energies and forces around its interior. Gives good foundations as well.
Further research, experimentation and discoveries could likely lead to asymetric construction, where all the forces are concentrated in one specific point, and Maud could have her own Gravity Forge, powered by the magic of the World. Trouble is, this focal point is likely already occupied by the Tree Of Harmony.
Lauds House ships I suspect will be good quality, clean, maintained etc, but its having to deal with Flim Flam Companies Tramp Steamers that will stress pretty much any trading and transfer location to its limits.
So much paperwork for Twilight to get through with the building design, hiring and construction. Hope they add bunts for the surface water storage lakes that double as security, safety, and shock absorbng facilities etc.
I think Beau Mareis would be pushing it a bit though, no matter how clean and noble its build?
Jokes and comedy are lost on some, Just glad I triggered at least one snowflake.
8460550
Let's be nice. <3
8460584
I will, honest. Glim's my favorite character in the show along side Maud was just making a tongue in cheek joke comment, just don't expect me to be PC.
So Starlight able to reprogram a translator... With only her wits and horn? Really at loss how she do this. I mean... This thing most likely a really complex and specialized computer. And language database likely also a rather complex thing.
Uh... Spell just make a perfect molecular copy of a translator and Starlight only need an original and materials or she precisely know internal make up of translator and can create a copy even without original? Last case would be a really crazy.
8460852
Not to mention translating from language to language, when said languages have different sentence structure, verb tenses (or lack thereof!) AND that's not even beginning to get into idiom/slang, which often require translation within the same language!
8460202
She's more of a Leveler, which stems from the same roots as Communism, but is a different branch of the Tree of Failed Political Structures.
8461917
8460852
As noted, it had a language very similar to Ponish to work with, and already knew English, reducing the difficulty to bridging the gap between Shantor and Ponish rather than completely going Ponish to English.
Yes, this does mean it's not perfect, not that a translator ever is.
8462030
Well... This translator most likely a computer, right? So Starlight able to reprogram a computer with unknown internal architecture, with CPU which command she didn't know at all, with a database that wrote in a way that again unknown to Starlight. And she able to this without any tools.
Really, same with Maud who able to recreate an alloy without chemistry lab analysis solely by taste.
These ponies are OP.
8460852
It sounds like she just needed to know what raw materials made it up, and then the Fabricate spell put them together in the right configuration.
Well, that's what D+D calls it.
Well, there's something to offer the greater galactic community. If ponies can reconstruct and reproduce lost technology after scant weeks or months of analysis, they could lead a scientific renaissance... or be exploited as living factories. Laud still has a lot of work to do to ensure the best for equinity.
Also, even Maud might not be so blasè about having a starport on her roof after the first few landings.
8462410
If they able to analyze and understand things that fast then any attempt to enslave them could horribly backfire - there a chance that they able to use acquired knowledge to create Weapon of Doom and kill everyone. Well, more likely to destroy Gate but you got the idea :).
this story is super good and a vary good read.
loving it totally.
8463732
Glad you're having a good time with it :D
8462060
To be fair, if ponies are able to turn oranges into perfect orange-bird hybrids without a lick of understanding in genetic engineering, then this isn't too much of a stretch.
nice, Maude is like, "oh great, now I don't need to leverage help from him!"
Done.
Her.
That could have been a scene right out of the show!
8461921
Is Levelism sort of similar to Anarcho-Primitivism?
They both seem to have a feel of "We should only operate as if we were our weakest selves"
8857198
Anarcho-Primitivism seems more like a focus on fitness and - dare I say it - eco preservation. Levelism is a new ideology I haven't heard of before now, and I'm glad I did. Seems fun to research.