My Little Realities: C28 - Business or Pleasure?

My Little Realities: C28 - Business or Pleasure?

>it's been three days
>your ribs and stomach are finally getting better
>you've scavenged in the broken down houses for stuff to keep warm and clean up with
>food isn't much of an issue
>you just eat at the cafeteria set up for the workers
>you haven't gotten beaten up again
>the p0nies just stare at you
>some choose not to openly hate you, figuring they weren't there and shouldn't judge what they know little about
>others have friends of family that died or lost their homes
>you try to stay clear of those
>apart from being sore and everyone hating you, you feel strangely at peace when you work
>keeps your mind off things
>you get a lot of jobs that are hard to do for ponies
>calluses are coming along nicely
>you really should get a hat and your farmer's tan is only going to get worse
>you notice a tarp slipping off one of the statues
>it reveals a p0ny, rearing back, face distorted in fury
>it hurts to look at it
>you get closer, unable to look away for some reason
>you start wiping the dirt and dust off the statue
>you quietly apologize to it as you clean the statue carefully
>you are trying to be quiet, your eyes are so watery it's hard to concentrate
>this felt worse than getting your ass kicked or being hated by all the workers
>you think about how many of the Equestrians probably do hate you
>you gently put the tarp back, wrapping it up
>you wipe your face
>this did feel good in a way
>like how good it feels when you're sick and you throw up then feel better after
>throwing up isn't pleasant, but the relief is worth it
>a whole week goes by
>you come in early and stay late, waiting until all the workers are gone or haven't arrived yet so you can uncover the statues and clean them up carefully
>so you can tell them how sorry you are
>you're so tired, you often sleep through the horrible nightmares
>the nights feel endless, but you wake up as if you'd just gotten to bed
>you're losing weight, at least
>your shelter isn't looking too shabby, you've found a basement that wasn't too caved in
>it's cozy
>your clothes are getting pretty tattered, but whatever
>you're finishing a wall frame when a green flame appears in front of you, reverse-combusting into a letter
>wow, fuck you too, science
>you have it read out loud by your foreman
>he doesn't seem to care about your history here, he's just here for the job
"Dear Anon, we've been worried about you for a few days now.  Is everything okay?  We didn't know you'd be away for this long...  If you can't come back to Canterlot within the next few days, it would relieve the girls and I to know that you're doing well so if possible, send us a letter.
with love, Twilight Sparkle
ps: Spike just "remembered" to tell me that the friendly Root you guys brought back from the follow up mission is with your R&D team and they've asked if it was possible that they could get your help on a few things with it.  They said it would be better sooner rather than later."
>welp
>you don't feel like you're finished here, but you owe the R&D team quite a bit
>if it's Root related, you should probably deal with it now
>you also do need to get back to your apartment at some point
>you carry on for the rest of the evening, you tell the foreman you're going back to Canterlot for a bit
>he tries to pay you for your work, but you tell him you weren't here for the money
>the water is getting pretty fucking cold but you manage to clean up enough not to stink the morning train up too much
>your night is just as bad as all the ones that came before it
>the repetition of the dreams has no impact on how upsetting they are, but they seriously make you lose track of time
>thankfully, work has kept you from forgetting what month it is, and the sunrise never fails to wake you
>you really dislike sunlight when you sleep, so it acts like a good alarm clock
>you catch the train to Canterlot
>being careful to drink coffee and not fall asleep
>you don't feel like disturbing the other patrons with "WAAaargh? Ohhh fuck...  Fuck..."
>or some other version of your less than pleasant awakenings
>you get back to your apartment and clean up, chucking your highly ruined and torn up clothing in the scrap cloth pile
>they'll make good cleaning rags and patches
>you want to say hi to the p0nifolk first
>Canterlot Library is fruitless
>Dash isn't at her suite
>Pinkie isn't in her party room that used to be a royal suite
>where the fuck are they
>Applejack is probably back, but you don't really know what she's been up to
>Vinyl might know where Pinkie is, at least
>you go to her apartment
>she's not there
>maybe her club thing here
>you track it down easily enough
>with all the earthquake-inducing wubs and stuff
>this is probably one of the strangest places you’ve ever been into
>fucking p0nies
>what have you done
>it's a mix of massive wub and rave techno fucking dubtrot played using the instrument notes and arrangements of classical composers you've given her
>you listen while walking through the crowd of waltzing, richly dressed p0nies in what looks like Victorian era attire
>you don't even know what to think of the music, picking up on Mozart, Bach, Chopin, Johann Gambolputty de Von Ausfern Schple-
>oh look there's Vinyl
>and Octavia
>they're both headbanging violently, Octavia is practically raping her cello with an upbeat version of Beethoven’s 9th while Vinyl is working the turntables like a possessed Korean
"ANON?  OH HI ANON!"
>Pinkie has found you
>not that you were that hard to find, being well over two feet taller than anyone else
"HI PINKIE!  GOOD TO SEE YOU"
>you wave her towards the doors, where you won't have to rip your throat apart to convey a message
>she follows you outside
"How are you doing?  I haven't seen you in a bit" you say
"Oh my gosh things have been so awesome here, Vinyl like totally opened this new club with Octavia, it's the best thing EVER!  I've been spending most of my time here, it's like a nonstop party for everypony!  They have the classy music from Octavia for the uptown snooty p0nies and Vinyl rockin' the rest of us!"
>Pinkie is speaking loudly
>you wonder if it's a habit from the loud music you stepped away from or if that's just Pinkie
>you pet her head
"I'm so happy to hear it's working out for your all here.  Say, do you know where the rest of our friends are?  I wanted to say hello to all of them if possible..."
"Oh yeah, Twilight is with Fluttershy, they're having a picnic in the Canterlot gardens, Rainbow Dash is off for her flight practice, Rarity is having brunch with the Toity's and Applejack is out seeing if she can land contracts for the new Sweet Apple Acres.  I think they should be free this evening, I could go round them up for another evening at the Canter Bar..." she replies
>you wanted to see them before the R&D team and their Root thing, but this would do well
"You'd do that?"
"Well yeah, I don't want to miss another evening like that!"
"Awww thanks Pinkie" you reply
>you wave goodbye
>now for this Root thing
>you make your way to the Canterlot Castle
>the guards there straighten as you approach them
>you inform them that you're here to meet with Dr. Graphs
>they wave you in without a word, it's not like there are many like you running around
>feels a little weird being the only human in this universe
>it's not that bad, your desire for human contact was always so little
>you kinda miss flinging shit around on the internet
>you snap out of your reverie
>you're kinda fucking lost
>goddamn it
>you ask a nearby guard if he knows where Dr. Graphs would be
>he escorts you there, saluting you as he returns to his post
>you open the door to the lab he led you to
>the hair on the back of your neck stands on end
>the Root is right there in the room
>standing still
>pushing away your feelings, you enter
"Sir Anon!  I didn't expect you to arrive on such short notice.  Please sit, we have a few things to discuss"
>good ol' Graphs
>now was the time for SCIENCE
"So I heard you needed a hand with the Root?"
"Oh yes, we have cast the translation spell, so he can understand us, but he can only reply by writing, and we still haven't figured out his particular form of written communication"
>just as you had been unable to read Equestrian, the Root understood your words but had no vocal cords to reply with
>he seemed to be able to formulate written answers, but it was indeed an unfamiliar form of written language
>you suspect it was at some level, a mathematical expression of thought
>the Roots' names had always been little math equations
>your translation laptop was made of rock now
>you might be able to come up with something from your probe's leftover parts
>you weren't really a programmer and you didn't have much experience with translations
>no internet either
>wait
>Fluffy the Root you had tied up had been able to read the simple alphabet you and Twilight had come up with
>the Roots might be clever enough to figure out your alphabet rather quickly
"You understand me right?" you ask the Root
>it turns to you, antennas shining a few colors and light patterns
"I'll take that as a yes.  We're going to try something that worked a while ago with another Root..."
>you write down the alphabet and numbers
"So as you've probably figured, the sounds we make can be written down into these letters.  Can you learn them and use that to communicate your words to us?"
>it snatches the quill out of your hand
>you jump back and paw uselessly at your lack of sidearm
>it just raises a sheet of paper where a perfect copy of your handwriting shows
"I will comply.  I have memorized this information"
>note to self
>Roots are as smart as they are strong
>scary-superhuman-godmode-top tier level at both
>you kinda wish you could shoot this one, this is just unfair
"How in Celestia's name...  We should let it learn our alphabet as well..." says Graphs
"Looks like we have been asking it the wrong questions...  We had no idea he was this smart" finishes the labcoat-wearing unicorn
>to be honest, you're surprised the Root didn't somehow try to answer them by associating letters from their language on whatever written material was laying about
>you ask it why it had not done that
"I did not think of doing that"
>for something so smart, it does seem to lack ingenuity...
>they seem to be smart like computers are smart
>probably impeccable memory and great mathematical capacity, but not very...  "smart"
>this explains a fair bit about their battle tactics
"What is your name? Asks Dr. Graphs
>it writes with printer-like speed
"0.599/3(a/tan0.0295)"
>why are you not surprised
>wait, you've never seen a trigonometry expression in their names
"Why the angle?"
>the Root's antennas explode with color
>it writes down
"Our naming system would take an unspecified-but-long time to explain.  Quickly answered, it means I am a Seed ship pilot"
>that sure explains why he was at some sort of control station in the ship
>for now, you're simply fascinated by the antennas and how you could somehow Jerry rig something together to use his antennas instead of quill and parchment
>you might be able to set up some sort of system through your implants
>you could get your left eye to pick up on whatever color or light pattern and translate it
"Dr., do you have a dictionary?"
>at the same time, you think you might be able to use this system to put subtitles on whatever Equestrian is in sight
>Graphs brings you an Equestrian dictionary
"Okay, this will probably be a little tedious, but I need you to copy down this entire dictionary from the Equestrian alphabet to mine, and display each word you're copying down in your relative equivalent on your antennas"
>your left eye will pick it all up, unlike a regular eye, it had amazing resolution across the whole field of view
>regular, biological eyes are only very sharp at the center of your vision, a spot the size of your thumb on your outstretched arm
>sure, you couldn't pay attention to the whole left eye image all the time, but your peripheral vision on the left side was as sharp as any other spot in your field of view, for example
>your left eye would record every movement all at once and you could set something up to associate the various words
>would be a little rudimentary but it should work
"I will comply" it writes down
"May we call you Tan?" you ask it
"Yes, that is appropriate for the moment" it replies
>Tan starts working on the dictionary
>you will need more ink and more parchment
>he is just blazing through this
>your implants seem to keep up, the more or less intuitive interface you have with them helps
>for now, it will display all versions of the translation in your peripherals
>bottom will be straight English text, right will be Equestrian, and left will be color patterns on Tan's antennas
>whenever one is used, all will be displayed
>you stay still as the Root tirelessly flies through bottles of ink, wears quills down and uses up stacks of parchment
>he's going at it with two fucking limbs at once, using a third front limb to flip the dictionary pages
>it stops at P
"I need large-mol-number of 2 hydrogen 1 oxygen"
>that works rather well
>you saw the text, like a real life subtitle, the Equestrian counterpart and the matching antenna colors in your left eye's vision
>looks like he's thirsty
"Hey Dr. Graphs, I think it's working.  He told me he was thirsty for water"
"Really?  You understood his visual language?" he asks, incredulous
"Well technically, my implants and Tan here did the work..."
"That's fantastic!  I'll be right back." he says, hurrying off
"Many words we have no equivalent for, from my language to yours and your language to mine" says Tan
"We'll have to teach each other some things along the way, but for now we just need to be able to understand you at a basic level.  Just skip whatever you don't recognize; we'll look at the missing words later"
>you notice with glee than your implant is sticking Enligsh subtitles under Equestrian words that you can see in the room
>fuck yeah
>you'll have to set up some filters so it doesn't have the three languages whenever one is triggered, but whatever, it's cool for now
>you notice how very quickly the colors convey full sentences
>Graphs comes back with a pitcher of water
>Tan just grabs it with one of his rear limbs and slowly pours the pitcher on himself
>very little of it hits the ground
>it just resumes working
>the whole dictionary takes like three hours
>fucking machine plant
"Is there anything else?" it asks
>you will get speakers and see if you can find another camera to tie to it
>right now you can only understand it if you can see him with your left eye
>you could have the camera relay to your implants, then send the text-to-speech to the speakers
>your implants would be able to handle it, you aren't actively translating anything unlike the computer you had set up on One-Fifth, you're just having it associate stuff
>quite a bit simpler
>the camera and your eye was practically set up for it already, it had a function to associate landmarks and objects with other information
"You can rest now, Tan, unless Dr. Graphs needs anything"
"I do not need rest" it replies
>oookay
>protip, never let plants become sentient under the power of old magical fragments from other realities
>it might not end well
"Well Anon, we had questions to ask of Tan, here..."
>you remember your night out at the Canter Bar
"Dr. Graphs, I actually have plans coming up in a bit.  Tan can write down the answers until I get him set up with a remote device..."
"Of course sir, thank you again for your help.  I can’t imagine what we’d do without you” he replies, thanking you again as you leave
>you quickly make your way to the Canter Bar
“There he is!” says Rainbow
“We kept a spot on the bench for ya” says Applejack
>they’re all here, waving as you walk over
>you barely notice the stallions giving you jealous, dirty looks
>they should deal w/it already
>sheesh
“Hey Anon, glad to see you again.  We didn’t think you’d stay in old P0nyville for so long” says Twilight
“I…  um…  Also want to know why you stayed there” asks Fluttershy
“I guess I stayed there ‘cause I felt I owed it to those who were turned to stone.  I think I’ll return soon and help them all build the museum.  I feel like I gotta do that or else I won’t have the closure I need…” you reply
>Rarity puts a hoof on your shoulder
“Well if there’s anything I could ever do to help, don’t hesitate.  We’re all your friends and we’ll support you whatever you decide to do” she says
>a general nod of agreement goes through the p0nies surrounding you
“So how’s about we have fun now?” corrals Applejack, raising a hoof to get a waiter’s attention
“Yeah, a round of cider!” chirps Pinkie
>Twilight looks at the cider like it will attack her
“I think I’ll go easy on this stuff tonight, girls…” she says
>you look at Twilight and then to Dash
“Hey Rainbow, I bet I can drink more of this stuff than you can”
“Oh, you are so on” she replies
“Whoa Nelly, before y’all start chuggin’ away…  Ah ain’t haulin’ y’all back home, got that?”
>you and Dash nod at the cowp0ny
>Twilight holds her head in her hooves
>Rarity is shaking her head, sipping on something sparkly
>Fluttershy is just sinking into the corner, looking like she’s just enjoying the company
>you down your first mug as fast as Rainbow
>you notice that Fluttershy is also drinking
>not chugging like you guys are, but sipping away at a hard cider mug
>you do not know if this is good or bad
>whatever
>you finish your second mug, Rainbow is downing hers as easily as you are
>you aren’t worried
>you weigh more than her and you have spent a little bit of your life here in Canterlot drowning yourself in alcohol
>she is holding her own quite well
>this stuff was a bit like Nickel Brook’s Green Apple mixed with Keith’s Original Cider
>it was fucking good, that’s what it was
>but it was a good 5% and you were both chugging around a third of a liter per mug
>you’re both slowing down
>Dash is staring at you, you’re trying to pass a burp
>another round of mugs arrives
“chug chug chug chug”
>the mantric chanting grows in intensity as you both throw back the mugs
>at least the shit is delicious
>it’s fizzy, but you have no trouble drinking it like it’s water or ice tea
>you start slowing down and Rainbow starts smiling
>Fluttershy is sipping away at her mug
>Twilight is still staring at hers, mortified of the liquid
>Applejack is building on the chant with Pinkie and Rarity
>what the fuck, Rarity
>whatever she’s drinking isn’t a wine cooler, the dressed up marshmallow already has rosy cheeks
>Rainbow is drinking with more confidence
>she feels like she’s winning…
>if only you could…
“BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRP”
>she stops in mid-chug
>the whole bar almost went silent
>Applejack is in awe
>you down the rest of your mug and half of another mug before she’s recovered
>Fluttershy is trying to cover up her mirth with her hooves and mane but she’s failing
>you’re both tied
>Rainbow’s laying against the table, pawing at another mug in the mess across the table
>hiccupping occasionally
>you’re bowed down, breathing hard
>she won’t give up
>you both lock eyes and begin downing your last drinks
“I’m done” you say
“I’m done” she says
>simultaneous forfeit
>you agree to a draw
>and oh shit are you going to regret this in the morning
>you don’t want to be Dash tomorrow, that’s for sure
>the shit wasn’t done kicking in at all
“Whell that was one heck of a start to an evenin’” says Applejack
“Oh yeah, now we can paaaaaaaaarty!” says Pinkie
>no wait, that was Fluttershy
>why wasn’t she whispering
“Oh no, Fluttershy, not you too” says Twilight
“Buut Twilight, I haven’t had much at aaaall, I’ll be fine” she replies
Whump
>Dash is passed out on the table already
>holy shit, the sun has barely set and she’s fucking gone already
>Pinkie bounces over and shakes her a little
“Wah?  Oh heYY guys, whaaaat’d I MMIIiss?  PiiinKIE, anYppp0ny evER tellel you THAT yoouuur maaaane smells like…  cotton…”
>she starts snoring again
>Pinkie Pie shakes Dash a second time
“CANDY”
>Dash grabs a mug and smashes it on her forehead whilst yelling
>mother of science
>you kinda blur out at this point
>Twilight laughing at you when you missed your mouth with a milkshake
>Fluttershy singing along to a song on the jukebox
>dancing with Pinkie Pie
>Rarity hoof-wrestling with Rainbow Dash
>Twilight stopping Rainbow from FUI
>Fluttershy then started scolding Rainbow
“Next time, don’t get in a drinkin’ contest so dang early in tha evenin’, Anon” says Applejack
>she then starts laughing at you as you stumble around to go change the song
>you aren’t sure about what happened next
>but you remember floating
>floating around as if you were in space
>you think you’re in your apartment
“Goodnight, ya silly pack o’ varmints” says Applejack
>you hear Rarity giggling and Twilight sighing
>best you can figure is that Twilight, Rarity and Applejack headed back to their suites
 >the unicorn must have used her magic to carry you all back
>you’re face down on the carpet
>you think Pinkie Pie is on her back on top of you
>your legs are on something soft
>Fluttershy is on the bed next to you
>you fall asleep
>it is very dark and you are suddenly terrified
>it’s hard to move, you aren’t sure why
>you are half asleep, drunk and confused
>you feel something warm and you reach out
>you curl up, you are at your nerve’s limits
>all those nights in old P0nyville have worn your mind down
>it feels sore, like a cut you keep poking at and poking at
>you don’t even know what’s going on
>you just can’t take any more
>you just start crying softly until you fall asleep, finding comfort in the warmth in your arms and against your back