Horse-Based Economy

by David Silver

8 - Of Past and Future

Applejack pointed to herself with clarity, eliminating any potential confusion.. "Me? Um, howdy." She tipped her hat at Celestia. "Don't mind mah sayin' it... But yer a mighty big pony, ma'am."

Celestia gave a kind smile. "Proof. My ponies are quite accustomed to my... stature. I apologize, but there's little I can do." She lowered herself, lying flat on her belly, head about equal with them. "Does that help?"

Stan snorted at the sight. "Yeah, you ain't like the last mayor ah saw, and I'll put that down as a good thin'. In charge, but still tryin' that hard to make guests comfie?"

Applejack colored at the display. "Y'ain't need to go to all that trouble! Jus'... Does it get in the way? This town looks like it were made for a more average pony. And y'ain't that. No offense or nothin', ah promise."

"There is but one of me." Celestia curled a hoof at herself. "But so many of them." She did a slow wave of that same hoof towards the rest of the town. "If one had to be catered to, it wouldn't be me. I can duck my head far more easily than insisting they build everything for my size."

Stan shrugged at that. "Can't rightly argue that. So long as you can get around."

"I manage." Celestia sat up, perhaps noticing Applejack seemed to be used to her general bulk. "Now, you came to be instructed, and that instruction has been given. As I already said, there is no punishment waiting for you, unless you ignore my words and risk my ponies a second time. I don't mean to be impolite, but our laws are quite severe if a firearm is involved."

Stan raised his hands wardingly. "Calm down. Ain't meanin' to cause no trouble with her."

Celestia cocked a brow. "Allow me to ask... Why do so many humans refer to their firearms as females? If one had to assign a gender, surely they have a far more... masculine purpose and construction."

Stan shrugged at that. "The tradition started way afore me and it'll keep right on goin' after me. Yer not wrong, 'xactly. Language is funny like that."

A gentle clopping came from the door. "Excuse me," called a soft female voice.

Celestia perked. "Fluttershy? A rare visitor. Do come in."

"Sorry." She opened the door and nosed her way in. "I don't mean to interrupt... He insisted on joining you as soon as he could."

Nudging past Fluttershy, Giddyup entered the room, colored and free of scuff marks. Sure, it was camo coloration instead of the bright yellow he'd originally been constructed with, but he didn't seem to mind. Without word, he moved to stand next to Stan.

Stan patted his newly painted friend. "Yer lookin' good."

"Thank you for your repairs." Giddyup turned his attention to Celestia. "Hello fellow horse. Horse communication activated." He gave a friendly equine nicker, completely accurate, at least at the time of recording.

Celestia's ears pricked at the sound. "Oh..." She gave a little whicker back with a chuckle. "I have no idea what I just 'said', but that felt natural."

Applejack laughed at the exchange. "Ah've felt the same way. Giddyup can set off somethin'. Feels funny."

"Horse communication successful." Giddyup seemed as proud as he could be, even if that was muted at best. "You speak English. We will speak English."

Fluttershy hurried to Celestia's side. "Agree with him," she whispered to her large leader.

"Hm? Alright. We will speak English." Celestia nodded at that. "My favorite language."

With that settled, Giddyup didn't emit any further horse noises. "I am a Giddyup Buttercup unit. Name: Giddyup. Assigned child." He directed a hoof at Stan, having to turn to do so easily. "Responsible Adult." He pointed again at Stan. "What is her status?"

Stan considered that. The status of a person was very important and determined how Giddyup reacted to a person in a lot of ways. "Friendly adult. Not family."

"Status updated."

Celestia skewed an ear at the curious automaton. "Nice to meet you, Giddyup. You are very friendly, compared to many robots I've heard of... The vault we came from had no robots. We were expected to take care of ourselves. Independence was a part of our training, but we were provided reading material to learn about them." She inclined her head at Fluttershy. "Some of us are more interested than others in the art, as you've likely noticed."

Giddyup clicked with memory access. "Only one pony vault had Giddyup Buttercups or any robotic assistance."

"Oh, my." Fluttershy raised a hoof to her mouth in surprise. "How many vaults were there? How... many ponies are there?" She withdrew behind Celestia for safety. "Is it a lot?"

Applejack pulled her hat free to in front of her chest. "Don't be scared none, Miss Shy. Pretty sure all the ponies ah met would like ya plenty. Yer a right talented mare, and nice t'boot."

"That's good." She wasn't coming out from her cover. "But you already said they... Oh, what about that one vault? Do they have robots?" That made her peek out. "I'd love to see them."

Giddyup was quiet. Stan stood up for him. "That's a sensitive topic... And that vault's done closed fer good. The ponies are fine, livin' their best, but the robots are gone."

Applejack put her hat back on. "That was afore ah got involved. Way ah hear it, it's why they found mah vault. Our vault's doin' just fine, but no robots, sorry. Still, no reason to be worried, ma'am. We ponies are way friendlier than humans, on average."

Celestia rose to her hooves. "Two entire communities of ponies... I didn't want to put too much credit in passing rumors. They can be quite outlandish at times... We should reach out to them. We'll all be healthier with one another. As much as I adore each and every pony in my care, there are only so many of them... More would be healthier for all of them."

Stan snorted at that. "Yer not the first to think that. The tribals an' the vaulters are swapping kids back an' forth, so they get more diversity goin'."

Celestia clapped at that. "Yes, exactly. Our community, I am gladdened to report, could support a few more ponies, and curiosity may draw some to visit them." She looked between Applejack and Stan. "Is this in your power to arrange?"

Stan shook his head. "Ah'm a friend ah theres, but ah got no real say in what they do or how they do it. Ain't gonna promise no moon here."

Applejack joined in the headshaking. "Ah went wanderin' with this ghoul ah met. Plum crazy ah me! But here we are... Don't got no say back home either. We could tell you were to find them at least? They're friendly sorts. Don't 'magine them gettin' angry with ya fer askin'."

"Good." She considered a moment, walking towards the door. "But you know where they are, and are skilled voyagers aside..." She turned. "My little ponies say you two are delivery people by profession."

Stan didn't have a fancy badge to show that off. "Couriers, yep. You need somethin' to get somewhere, we're the ones that'll do it."

"It'll get there in one piece, even if we don't," added Applejack with a proud buffing of her chest. "What'd ya have in mind?"

"It ain't obvious?" Stan shrugged. "Letter delivery's somethin' we can get done."

Celestia smiled at the small ghoul. "Astute. That is exactly what I have in mind." She returned to her desk and sat behind it, her magic grabbing a pen and some pencil to start writing. "Two of them, of course. I'd like each settlement of ponies to get an official welcome. Should they respond in kind, then we can trade." She scribbled busily. "Ponies, goods... I'm sure we all have things the other would like. From your reports, each of us are a very different environment."

She paused, hoof at chin. "I can only imagine it... But the inside of a vault and wild living on the land aren't going to result in the same resources. We'll be stronger, sharing, trading." She trembled with a little giggle. "Sorry... That... Sorry." She shrank with shame. "The thought of maybe being in charge of more ponies sent... It was a good feeling... But I will not force myself on any pony. If they wish to live here, they will. I can only provide a pleasant place they may choose to come to."

Stan cocked a brow at that. "Now, not promisin' anythin'... But how would you feel if ah wanted to stay here?"

Celestia sat up, regarding Stan in a whole new light. "Oh... Would you?"

Fluttershy smiled nervously. "That'd be nice... That means Giddyup would stay too." Her priorities were not hidden. "I would like that very much."

Celestia coughed into a hoof. "You asked that to test me... I am loathe to admit it's working. You staying would be delightful." She let out a tense laughter. "I suppose I want to be a good leader to everyone, not just ponies. I never considered it before. The human guests we get usually move along quite quickly. It's a lovely town... But it is a pony town. It makes them nervous, I think."

Applejack reached towards the letter, though not close enough to get it. "How's that lookin'?"

"Hm? Oh, first one is done." Celestia floated the sealed envelope towards Applejack's care. "And on to the second." Her magic moved the pencil in her scratches. "The first is to go to the tribals. The second, to the vault. It doesn't bother which you actually deliver first, whichever is closer?"

Stan hopped to his feet. "Silly question. Ya got any radios around here?"

"Receiving only," sighed Celestia as she tucked the second letter away. "No messages will be sent that way."

Fluttershy raised a hoof. "Um..."

Celestia dropped the envelope she had just sealed. "Can you make a radio, Fluttershy?"

"No." Fluttershy pointed at Giddyup. "But he is a radio."

Giddyup was still and quiet a moment. "No such function located."

Stan rapped the side of his metal friend. "You were puttin' out a signal. The vaulters found it."

"Right!" Applejack threw a hoof in front of herself. "That's what we were followin' tah find ya in the first place. Miss Shy's on the money! Ya do have a radio."

"A radio I do not have instructions to operate."

Stan frowned with thought. "But you did it before. How to do it kinda has to be in there, right?"

"Logical. The file... was closed. It was open. While open, operations were followed. The radio operating instructions must be within." Giddyup nodded, confident in his logic. "I do not want to open that file."

Stan winced. The dead file, belonging to a dead robot, another giddyup buttercup unit that had fallen in the line of duty. "Ah... can see how that might be rough... We'll hike it."

"No." Giddyup gave a soft whinny. "That is dangerous. If I can avoid danger to you, I want to open the file." Priorities, he had them, and arranging them came as second nature to his robotic nature. "Opening file." He went quiet save for the clicks of his internals doing what they had to do.

Celestia looked between her guests. "This... I don't understand how a robot can have these feelings, but they sound true... I will pay the full price if they can send the message. Do the tribals have a radio?"

Applejack snorted at that. "They don't got no 'lectricity, ma'am. They live wild to the ground. It's a free life, but it ain't got no radios in it."

"How... romantic, in a way." Celestia floated up the vault letter and floated the envelope to Applejack. "I very much would like to meet them. I hope they accept my words in the kindness they were written."

Author's Note:

Do you remember those files? They were quite a bit of the last story. The dead can haunt even robots.

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Comments

[Booster Spice]

Poor Giddyap, having to live through his freinds times again just to find the instruction manual.

Maybe should pull those data subsections out and store them in a seperate but assosiated file space for Operating Manuals etc?

[tsaukpaetra]

It is both fortunate and unfortunate data access necessitates process execution.
Giddyup really is more than the sum of components.

[David Silver]

11672750
The trick is that the robot is not also a programmer.

[geomease]

I see Celestia is struggling with the Impulses of a False Queen. Hopefully she can keep them reigned in