Universal Language

by David Silver

31 - Unified

Twilight sifted through the thoughts. There were more than she could hope to hold. For as much experience as she could call upon, she was not Luna, and the realm of dreams was at best, a place she could visit. Still, she could feel much of it directed at her.

Some humans were still mad at her for how she introduced herself at first.

Others were far closer to awe-stricken, seeming ready to heed her as some manner of divinity.

And some others saw in her something a bit more primal, either as a prey animal, or a potential mate, either almost as intensely.

She wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but, so much focus on herself was almost intoxicating. It was, however, tiring. This was a facet of being so many things to so many creatures, and each of them only wanted more of her, despite having so much already.

She opened her eyes and shook her head. "Fluttershy?" Fluttershy looked up from her work. "Any status updates from Rarity? How are the humans taking our terms?"

Fluttershy found the proper page among her dozen or so open ones. "Oh, um, pretty good? She's being very gentle with them. They're very proud and strong, though, um, not nearly as much as the Chinese. Relatively, their island isn't the largest by far." She rubbed behind her head. "Australia would be better if we wanted a large island."

"Not the goal." Twilight smirked at the idea. "But they're coming around?"

"Oh, yes." Fluttershy bobbed her head. "They're going to have a vote about it soon. But it looks, mmm, positive." She laughed nervously. "This is all very strange, but also exciting. It's such a good feeling."

Twilight breathed in and out slowly, taking some of that in herself. "This is probably our last stop on this trip." She flew towards Fluttershy. "We will be on the ground. Any travel we do from there will be far slower, and likely less frequent."

Fluttershy rose her hooves in alarm, floating up with a spooked look in her eyes. "Oh! Um, then we should— We have to find homes! And mates!" She descended in front of Twilight, looking quite close at her fellow pony's face. "I was hoping you would want to be mine. I could be yours?"

Twilight exhaled slowly as she pressed her forehead to Fluttershy's with a low, contented hum. "I already told you I'm not doing that. I love you, as a friend, but not as a mate." She turned away to the floating globe that dominated much of the room. "We will find our own mates. I know it's scary, meeting somecreature entirely new, but Rainbow and AJ have both proven there are humans that can and want to get along with us. We just have to find them and welcome them."

Fluttershy's gaze flickered towards her hooves and back to Twilight. "Um, you, really won't be mine?"

Twilight flicked her wings, pulling Fluttershy close with them as she pressed their sides together. "I will be your friend. I will not be your wife, or husband." She brushed Fluttershy's face, tapping her nose gently with a hoof before doing the same to herself. "If there are to be ponies on this world, we, first ponies, have to go out there and make more. They need to be diverse. The more diverse, the better."

"Oh." Fluttershy tensed up with an awkward expression. "I see." She turned her gaze down to her hooves once more, unable to look Twilight in the eye at that. "I just, I, I'm sorry. I really, really like you."

Twilight raised a hoof for silence. "I like you a lot too, Fluttershy. We won't stop being friends. You're welcome to come get a hug whenever you have the urge, but we're not marrying." She paused in thought. "If you'd like, I'll help you find some human that's nice and gentle, that you can get along with."

Fluttershy groaned at the mention of humanity once more, wanting nothing to do with it, but understanding that it was now part of their lives. "Um, okay. Thank you, Twilight." She returned the embrace of hooves and wings. "I'd appreciate that." She let out a little sigh. "But they're so violent."

Twilight pricked up at that. "Oh, most of them really aren't. I've been reviewing. Most of them are just creatures, like any other creature, they just want to live their lives without being bothered. The violent ones get all the attention because they're loud. I'll work through those to get at the nice ones, you'll see."

Fluttershy hugged on tighter still with a little shudder as she trembled slightly. "I hope so." She closed her eyes as she pushed in against Twilight. "Thank you for taking care of me, Twilight. I love you."

"I love you too. As a friend." She pressed against Fluttershy, propelling herself away with a flap of her wings. "Now, let's see how this is going."

---

Ultimately, the offer was too sweet to decline. Negotiations began for a different, but related, political problem. Rejoining the EU was not an automated process by any means. It would require both parties agreeing to the terms, and the voters saying yes, as well as their parliament's approval, but it was still better than the alternative.

The UK had a large bargaining chip on their side, the offer of power, enough to fuel all of Europe's needs for the foreseen future. With that much power, at the low price of covering the expanded connection between the UK and the rest of the EU, clean air goals that had seemed a wild pipe dream suddenly felt so much closer.

Construction could begin as soon as it was agreed upon, the largest of the connections having already been laid down, and ready for the upgrades that would be needed. Power wouldn't be free, but it would be less expensive than anything they had been considering, with energy that wasn't burned as part of the generation.

Things were moving, and swiftly. Everyone involved in the matter wanted access to that alien power.

But red tape had a maximum velocity. Though most were agreeing, some push back did develop. More power creation projects were being threatened with the spectre of being completely outmoded. Of course, once the power was connected, it wouldn't matter where it came from, but that did little to assuage concerns.

Russia began to launch threats that severing the pipes that allowed it to send oil, or even lowering their use, could be seen as an act of economic war, if not war itself.

The Americans threw back threats that they would not tolerate Russian aggression, especially when it put their allies at risk.

All eyes were turned towards the UK and its vote on whether to rejoin the EU. The future was decided there, one way or another. A deadlock would lead to chaos, and that was not a desired outcome by any means.

There were a few sticking points. The EU offered a hand in greeting, but the other held the terms that other EU members had to follow. "No exceptions," they firmly stated. "No special rules for you." The UK would have to use the euro, not the pound, to start, along with a laundry list of other rules the UK had avoided up to that point.

They didn't like it, but without them, the EU couldn't accept the offer. If they couldn't make it work as one, they wouldn't be able to together. This was part of the process.

It came down to the people in the end. A vote was called, and the British people came out to place their votes.

Twilight might not have gotten the world to unify, but, at least, Europe became one place, with one currency, and one people. The European Union was whole, and the people of the continent cheered at the news.

---

Rainbow brushed Surprise forward. "Say hello to your cousin."

Surprise examined the other pony curiously, then raised a hoof to her mane. "We have the same color."

Angel giggled gently. "Yes." He pounced ahead and the two hugged, clearly already friends. "Nice to meet you. You're still small." Angel was a grown foal. Surprise was still tiny, but in that period of rapid growth.

"Yeah." Surprise nuzzled Angel and hopped away. "Good things take time."

Applejack smiled at the two, just to look to Rainbow. "So, that's Pinkie, really?"

Rainbow shrugged. "She's Surprise now. Surprised me, I promise that. I just wanted my best friend back."

Applejack chuckled. "But you're living with a foal? Hoo-wee! That's gonna be hard."

Rainbow jabbed a hoof at Applejack's chest. "You know the feeling, huh? Besides, still Pinkie. She knows the rules, even if she doesn't always follow them. We got to skip the diaper stage, so not complaining." She wrapped a wing around Applejack, bringing her in close and hugging her firmly. "Now, enough of that. It's good to see you! How are you and your human doing?"

"I'm doing fine." Cindy was there, rolling her eyes at being discussed right in front of her. "Nice to see you again, Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow blinked. "I don't have the translator on."

Applejack smugly grinned. "Cindy insisted she learned our whistles." She turned to nuzzle Cindy. Not that cindy was speaking the whistles, but she seemed to understand them. "Did ah mention how much ah love her?"

Rainbow backed up a bit to better look over Applejack's human. "Yeah, looks like you two have been getting along. Congrats!"

"Thank you." Cindy stepped back as Rainbow tried to sniff at her. "Easy." She reached out and ruffled Rainbow's mane. "Personal space is a thing."

"Sorry." Rainbow bounced up and down. "Just so excited! Your planet, mine now too, is crazy! So many cool things." She grinned toothily. "I really wanna get in on the action. Oh! Twilight and Flutters are on the way!"

"Ah heard!" Applejack applauded the news. "In the UK was it? Where is that from here?"

Rainbow circled in place a moment before thrusting a hoof eastwards. "That way, a good while. I plan to fly over there as soon as they land."

Cindy touched at her neck and throat, considering how the conversation was flowing so smoothly, now that it was just the two ponies talking. "Are you going to stay there? Or travel more?"

Rainbow gave Cindy a curious look before grinning. "I can travel without moving. I have a husband, can't just abandon him. I'll visit the girls, see how they're doing, and come back." She pointed at Surprise. "I have her too, and she can't keep up yet, so, yeah, not moving."

Applejack leaned back on her hooves. "Well, it's nice seeing you, but I think we should wait for them to land before bothering them too much." She pulled her hat down to cover her eyes. "Might as well get some sleep in while we wait."

Rainbow nudged at AJ. "You are way too chill about things. Surprise?" Surprise looked over. "Say bye to Angel. We should be heading back."

Author's Note:

They're not carving exceptions out for the UK, again. All in, baby!

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Comments

[dlambchic]

Twilight has some of the dream magic. At least she doesn't have to worry about raising the sun and moon. Twilight's going to find a spouse, and it can't be Fluttershy. She never did that in Equestria.

[David Silver]

11912494
She didn't have to do her part to repopulate ponies in the world. They were doing that fine without her.

[geomease]

Poor Flutters getting shot down again, she just wants to love the beeg pone, is that so wrong?

[Booster Spice]

If English Mills an have induvidual token monetary representation when embedded in Pound Sterling, its just as possuiboe to ahev it continue. People who want a single currency just dont like doing a million different conversions, because that means only the machines can do it, far cheaper than a human can with standardised coin.

As for what could the UK do with all that power? If they built Boris Island, that would give 4 paceport launch sites for Railgun and Laser launchers? Apparenlty Cornwall is on the Great Circle for Japan, totally over open ocean, southwards.

[Okie Brony]

I can definitely feel Fluttershy's pain of being in love with someone who only wants to be her friend.

I hate being the one to point this out, but the entire first part of this chapter is repeated from the last chapter.

[David Silver]

11912698
Should be fixed.

[Silentwoodfire]

So,why have the UK rejoin the EU?

They could have still connected the power regardless

[Twinkie Sprinkle]

Fluttershy seems to have a tendency to fall in love with friends who are taller than her.

That being said, maybe it won't be long before she's able to find a human mate.

At least Europe seems to be doing well, even if a one world government hasn't been achieved yet.

Interesting to get a reminder every once and a while about how unique the Ponies' language is, and how similar it is to whale songs.

[David Silver]

11912915
It was a requirement Twilight applied to getting UNLIMITED POWER.
She couldn't unify the world, but she got a continent. She'll take her win.

[Twinkie Sprinkle]

11913298

A continent is indeed a nice consolation prize.