Hidden Hands

by David Silver

17 - Denouement

They all gathered into what seemed to be a cafeteria. There were three long tables with benches on either side of them. All of the furniture was made of cold metal beneath haunches or the human's bottom.

Susan patted a spot beside herself. "At least it's a change of scenery."

Bon Bon was seated across from the human. Derpy had a leg around her claimed stallion. Bon Bon smiled at Susan gently. "My apologies that it took this long to get to this point in the diplomacy."

Susan threw up her hands. "It helps when you try! Barking questions through the speakers is not much of a friendly hello. Orders don't improve the situation. Were you that scared of me?"

A new voice joined the conversation as his steps carried him across the room. "Standard procedures. Considering you seemed to be avoiding contact with ponies to begin with, you can hardly fault us for assuming it foolish to force the contact." The stallion that seemed to be in charge was looking at Susan directly. "We can put that behind us now."

Susan pointed at Turner. "Isn't that what you ended up doing? You know what, nevermind. I'm glad to be out of that box. What do I need to do to get out of this bigger one?"

Turner put a hoof behind his head, looking uncomfortable as his eyes darted. "Well, about... that. You... I've always thought my other half was a unique species, but here you are, ruining that assumption. Are there many of you, where you come from? Where is that?"

Derpy bobbled her head, eyes seeming to jiggle about her head from the motion. "Yeah, where are you from, Susan? Are they all like you there?"

All eyes were on her, eager to hear the answer. "I'll answer that, after I get fed like a civilized person."

Bon Bon hopped down from her seat. "I'll get something. Turner, Derpy?" Derpy nodded and Turner shook his head. She trotted off in pursuit of a snack for two.

The stallion in charge nodded lightly. "This is a question of great importance, but while we wait... allow me to welcome you to Equestria."

Susan watched his perfectly serious face, unchanging in its supposed welcome. "You're not the most cheerful thing, are you?"

He turned his head towards Turner. "About that. The techs have already surmised that where there is one, there could be another. The odds of her being entirely unique are vanishingly small. We will need the services of a diplomat and go-between to ease the friction of first encounters and help forge relations with future such encounters."

Derpy shoved her head in front of Turner, glaring at the stallion. "You're not taking him. He's going home, to Ponyville."

"Of course he will," agreed the stallion with a light nod. "You will be on retainer with S.M.I.L.E. You will be paid for the trouble, but we expect you to be ready to react at anytime in exchange. Should another human surface, you would be the first to attempt communication and ease the process."

Susan burst out with a guffaw of a laugh. "You're joking. Really? Smile?"

"S.M.I.L.E.," repeated the stallion. "It's an acronym."

"Sure sure." She pointed at the stallion, a smirk on her face. "Except you're not smiling at all. The one that went to get something to eat, she's in too, right? She doesn't smile much either."

"I smile when there's a reason to." Bon Bon returned from down a hallway, a tray balanced on her head. It barely wobbled with her steps, three plates set out on it, steam wafting upwards with the promise of food. "Mid-assignment, those tend to be rare in coming."

The stallion nodded towards her before returning his gaze to the others, Turner especially. "Do you accept?"

Turner looked aside at his companions, new and old. He watched Bon Bon set the tray down on the table. "Well... I don't want to imagine anyone else being treated the same way Susan was... If I can lend a hoof and avoid that in the future..."

"Very good." He turned to Bon Bon. "See them home, and give him a communicator. Be sure to give the standard introduction speech for outside agents."

"On it," assures Bon Bon as she passed around the plates to each person. "But, for now, let's just eat and talk."

Susan smiled at that. "Maybe I was wrong. You're not so bad."

And that's what they did, though the stallion excused himself quickly. The others ate and talked. Though Turner hadn't asked for anything, Derpy fed him anyway, a goofy smile on her face.

"There are a lot of me," explained Susan. "Where I come from, it's harder to find a place without a human than the other way around. We had cities just like the one we're... in? Are we still in the city? Either way, big places, and lots of them, with countless people, living their lives."

Derpy clopped her hooves excitedly. "That sounds nice. You must have had lots of friends if there were that many people around to talk to." Her smile faltered in a sudden crash. "Oh no! You must miss them soooo much! I'm sorry!"

Susan sank her teeth into hot sandwich that had been provided. It was more of a sub or a hotdog. Whatever it was, it tasted of caramelized carrots. "I went through... that already. I prefer to not think about that too hard. I could sit around and cry, or I could stand up and do something. Trick was, I didn't have a lot of choices before." She looked towards Bon Bon. "Once I finish this 'guide to Equestria' training, will I be a full citizen or what?"

Bon Bon's ears lifted as she looked up from her salad. "Do you want to be?"

Susan leveled a lone finger at Bon Bon. "That's a silly question. As a citizen, I can get an apartment, a job, all that, right? As 'That weird alien thing,' none of those. Of course I want my papers. And you said something about getting a typewriter?" She made a typing motion in the air, her many fingers dancing. "I wonder how the ponies of this world would react to an autobiographical piece about an alien arriving in their world?"

Turner watched her fingers dance and tilted his head. "You know, typewriters are not designed to take advantage of our digits like that."

"... What?" Susan looked at Turner, her brain refusing to properly process the new information. "What do they look like then?"

Bon Bon held up a hoof. "One moment." She was gone in a flash, and back almost as quickly, a pony typewriter balanced on her back. With a single powerful heave, it bounced up onto the table between everyone, rattling the plates with the impact. "I borrowed this. I have to put it back after you're done looking at it."

Susan reached with mildly trembling hands, feeling over its cool metal surfaces and its two, large, round, singular buttons. "How... do you type with just two buttons?"

Turner smiled at the stunned human. "Binary, ma'am. It takes some practice, but once you get the hang of it, it comes easily enough." He reached and pulled the machine over a little before laying his hooves down on the two buttons. "Just about large enough to fit most hooves, you see. Then..." He began tapping down on the two buttons, making rapid click-clacks.

The typewriter came to life, striking letters onto the piece of paper held in it. "Hello. It is nice to meet you, Susan."

Susan shook her head rapidly. "No no no no! You're a mechanical pro, right?" She spread out her fingers, showing her palms to Turner. "Tell me you can make something just like this, but with different keys for each letter. I can't be the only thing in this whole world with fingers, I hope?"

Derpy thrust up a hoof. "I bet a minotaur typewriter looks different."

Turner smiled easily as he brought up a hoof to his face. "Of course, how absurd of me. A minotaur typewriter would be precisely the ticket, ma'am."

Bon Bon inclined her head. "That will take longer to secure. Minotaurs can be fussy about their technology. I'll do my best, Susan." She pointed at the typewriter. "Can you make do with one of ours while you wait?"

Susan pulled the typewriter away from Turner, lifting it a little so its bottom stopped scraping against the table. She laid her hands down on the buttons made for hooves and gently depressed her right hand, making a little click, but nothing happened. She tried pressing the other hand, alternating back and forth until a single letter was produced with a firm stamp of metal on paper. "ª" was the result.

Derpy shook her head. "I don't blame her. I can barely use one and I'm from here!"

Susan let out a hysterical little laugh. "Oh, wow, it... really is binary, which I never learned. I can't write with this." She pushed the typewriter away, rejecting it with an unhappy sigh. "At least tell me you have some paper and a pencil?"

Bon Bon coughed into a hoof. "I'm sorry to hear that. Pencils we have though. In the meanwhile, we should show you your new room, and we can begin with your lessons when you feel ready."

"No, thanks." Susan waved away the idea. "I've been in a room long enough. I'd rather just loaf around out here for a little while. That's alright, I hope? I've been a good prisoner."

Bon Bon flinched at the word. "You are not our prisoner."

Turner raised a hoof. "Not to be contrary, but she kind of has been, ma'am. Still, I'm glad that messy episode can be put to rest." He smiled at Susan. "And it's good to make a new friend." He offered a hoof out towards her.

She met it easily, only to have Derpy's hoof already present by the time she got her fist out. "You better watch out. She's claimed you something fierce, Turner."

Turner leaned against Derpy gently. "I have accepted her claim, Miss. I can think of several worse fates."

Derpy stuck out her tongue. "I just don't want him to slip away again. Running away like that... The ponies of Ponyville will still love you, Doctor, even if you're sometimes all weird and naked." She looked to Bon Bon with a bright smile. "Right?"

Bon rolled a hoof through the air before grabbing the typewriter and balancing it on her back. "The ponies there already know you, Time Turner. I'm not writing you off, and I doubt they will either." She returned the typewriter to where she had borrowed it from. "Now, before I let you two go..."

She waved a hoof between Derpy and Turner. "The usuals. What you've seen is a secret, so don't go talking about it. You already know me, not much to be done about that, but you'll note that the other pony kept his name to himself. That was not a mistake, and he wasn't trying to be rude. You can refer to him simply as 'Boss' or 'Director' and that'll do."

Derpy suddenly pounced Bon Bon, interrupting the speech. "I'm sorry for running away from you before. I was being just as silly as Turner was."

Bon Bon pet the wall-eyed mare's back with an awkward smile. "I forgive you, but in the future, if you're concerned, talk to me. Hay, you know who I am, and what I do, so I expect you to come running towards me. We're here to keep Equestria safe from horrible monsters."

Susan hiked a brow. "Is that what I am, a horrible monster?"

Bon Bon thrust up her hooves, a frantic expression on her face. "No no no! I didn't mean it like that!"

Turner chuckled softly at the exchange. "Forgive them, Susan. I thought... for the longest time, that I was a monster."

Derpy spun around in place to face Turner. "That mean you're not keeping it a secret anymore?"

Turner tensed. "I'm... not sure I'm ready to shout it from the rooftops, Muffins. Baby steps."

It would have to do.

Author's Note:

This feels like an ending to me. Did I fail to close a vital thread? I'll leave this unfinished for a few days, let people comment and such. Enjoy the story? Lemme know!

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Comments

[Emtu]

"At least it's a chance of scenery."

change

Where you that scared of me?

Were

lifting it a little to its bottom stopped scraping against the table

so

I can think of several worse fates

needs a period

[David Silver]

8914855
Ending a story with typos? I should be ashamed.

[Viper Pit]

8914862
is it bad that I can imainge derpy having little centaurs and satyrs rrunniing around showing new humans that they have nothing to fear

[FanOfMostEverything]

I would've liked to have seen Bonbon's daughter integrate into the hive, but that's outside the scope of the story. All told, this was a very satisfying adventure. Thank you for it.

[Booster Spice]

Nice place to end the opening.

Troubloe is with two key typewriter if Binary.. whats the symbological transklation table given ASCII is 7 bit, Baudot is 6 bit?

Before Baudot was Morse ot the equivalent, which the iambic keyers used two keys to greatly increase speed. Up to 240 words a minute for fastest?

[tsaukpaetra]

The super expensive typewriters exchange the two buttons for two knobs you can push in eight directions each. Much faster since you can impress a glyph in only one stroke, but way more complicated to build...
They avoided her incursion story, maybe that would only really be useful for those looking for new humans arriving...
Keep going! ;)

[tsaukpaetra]

8914919
But that, as they say, is another story....

[Emtu]

8915406
Actually there are typing systems like that designed for dual analog controllers. They're not particularly popular, but they do exist.

[tsaukpaetra]

8915469
Yes, we were basing the description off the Corsair One.

[Frazzle2Dazzle]

NOOOOO!!! This can't be the end!

[wildlander84]

You have to do a follow up or sequel. He can't keep this secret forever. It's going to come out and the results should be spectacular

[FridayPie]

8915406
There is actually a keyboard that usestwo rotary knobs like that. OrbiKey or something.

[tsaukpaetra]

9353698
Why yes, we were describing it, in fact. 😉