Chapters I reached the landing at the top of the stairs and went into the bathroom, there I quickly washed my face and hair with plain water and combed my hair with my fingers, my hair was in an undercut style with the sides and back being short and the hair on-top of my head remaining rather long by comparison, I looked rather more presentable after my hobo shower but my state of dress would ruin any chance I had of being considered decent.
I walked back down the corridor and made my way to the main room of the unique abode, it was in a circular style the walls being covered in books of every size and shape on any conceivable topic of the times, sitting on a round table in the center of the room was a bust not of anyone I would have feasibly recognized but from the rest of the room I could deduce that it may have had a similar meaning to a bust of Pallas perched above a chamber door.
Inside the room was 3 doors, the one I just came down leading towards the ground floors bathroom and the basement, The front door leading outside to the street, plus the archway which lead to the kitchen which was next to a staircase leading to the more personal abode of my patron and her, assistant? brother? child? it was kind of confusing to be honest, in my introductions they made it a habit to show a professional air but quite rapidly afterwards it was quite easy to see they were a lot closer than mere acquaintances.
I strode into the kitchen and greeted them both, “Mornin you two, what’s up?” I questioned civilly in my own, unique here accent.
“Do you have a knife and fork? It's kinda hard to eat with just my hands.”
“This is how I’ve always had my cuppa.” I replied, “Milk and no sugar.”
“Spike, I didn't stay up all night” she sheepishly said, “Oh sorry I forgot that you were muzzle first in a book drooling when I came downstairs.” he riposted.
“I thought I would show you around town, and introduce you to my friends.” she said excitedly, “You're lucky you got here when you did a couple of months ago and everypony might have been too scared to speak to you.”
“I can’t.” she said “There is nothing I can say or do that couldn't just be rationalized away as your brain making it up.”
“That’s the problem, unfortunately this is something nobody can help me with, it's something I have to decide for myself” I state, shaking my downturned head. “But thankfully in the end it doesn't even matter, if this is a dream then there's nothing to lose by playing along and if it's real then by playing along everything works out just fine.”
“Twilight this has been a problem for Human philosophers for about 2300 years.” I explained turning to face her, “It's called solipsism, meaning roughly ‘alone with myself’, there are people in my world that believe the whole universe and everything in it, including memories were created just last Thursday and there is no way to prove them wrong no matter how ridiculous it seems to everyone else.”
“Okay.” I said weirded out by this animated display, “Though to be honest that isn't the thing that upsets me the most, It’s my lack of property” I explained gesturing towards my lack of attire, “I have no shoes, no shirt I was brought here with just the things I was sleeping with and, no cigarettes” I mumbled this last part, the rational part of my brain knowing that the first things were more important, the rest of me really wanted a smoke.
“Well if you need some help buying essentials I can help.” Twilight smiled “Anything to help you feel more comfortable.”
Twilight grabbed it in her magic turning it around and examining it, “What, is this?” She questioned.
Battleships and Confusing Mathematics
While Twilight sat comatose in the kitchen Spike walked over to the shelves in the children's or I suppose, the foal’s section of the library and began to search, Hungry Hungry Hippos, Monopoly, Twister, Candy Land, Connect Four and, Scrabble were all here plus a version of what looked like Battleship called ‘Cloud Bucker’.
“Want to play this one?” asked Spike holding up the Battleship clone.
“Hey Spike, why are all the pieces named after clouds?” I questioned, these long names didn't seem beneficial to a game designed for an early entry level.
The board was set up now, I had my pieces spread out around the outside on the board with my two largest pieces touching one another at 90 degrees in a corner.
I won the game, Spike’s strategy seemed to be just picking places at random till he got a hit and then searching near there till he finished bucking what he was aiming for.
By the end of the first game this is what the board looked like.
“Hey Spike, How come you only shoot at random?” I questioned.
It was at this exact moment my hostess decided to enter the room, Kindle floating behind her.
Just then came a knocking at the door, Twilight cantered over to answer it.
Animals Alliteration and Afterlife
Twilight opened the door with her magic revealing a butter yellow mare with pink hair. “Hi Fluttershy, what can I help you with?” Twilight asked eagerly with a happy smile on her face.
“Oh my, what kind of creature are you?” Questioned Fluttershy from well inside my personal space, she had leapt towards me at a speed competing with that of Olympic athletes the second she noticed me.
“I have a name Spike and really that's unsurprising, as far as I know I’m the only one here.” I told the empty air right in front of me.
Slowly, trying to appear as small as possible, she strode into the room and took a seat as far away from me as possible.
The strongest creature for his size But least equipped for combat That dwells beneath Australian skies Is Weary Will the Wombat.
He digs his homestead underground, He's neither shrewd nor clever; For kangaroos can leap and bound But wombats dig forever.
The boundary rider's netting fence Excites his irritation; It is to his untutored sense His pet abomination.
And when to pass it he desires, Upon his task he'll centre And dig a hole beneath the wires Through which the dingoes enter.
And when to block the hole they strain With logs and stones and rubble, Bill Wombat digs it out again Without the slightest trouble.
The boundary rider bows to fate, Admits he's made a blunder And rigs a little swinging gate To let Bill Wombat under.
So most contentedly he goes Between his haunt and burrow: He does the only thing he knows, And does it very thorough.
After I finished Spike looked like he was sleeping and Fluttershy looked much more relaxed, she immediately began interrogating me.
“And what about dingoes? Why is there a fence to keep them out?” She asked again.
“Um, kilometers?” she queried.
“I..I just have one last question” asked Fluttershy. “Do you, um eat … meat?”
“That’s an extremely kind offer Fluttershy but where do you get it from?” I asked.
“Fluttershy, ‘Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.’ Your friends generosity in their final moments mimics teachings of my own world.” I told her. “Certain groups of Buddhist people when they die, have their bodies fed to vultures in order to give even after death. They believe that in sustaining another's life the world itself will recognize their good deeds and their soul which has already left the body will be in a better place because of it. Once the soul has left the body all that remains is flesh.”
I walked around the table and gave her a hug.
“You can call me Al.” I told Fluttershy.
“It was nice meeting you Al, we’ll have to talk again sometime.” She responded with a sheepish smile that I returned. “It’s really time for me to go though, thanks for the books Twilight, I really hope whatever is bothering Angel isn't serious.”
“I’m sure it’s nothing serious Fluttershy, perhaps they just weren't hungry.” I reassured “It was nice meeting you too.” Fluttershy quietly left the building behind her closing the door as she left.
I took a look at Twilight who had already returned to the Kindle, “Bye.” she stated not looking upwards from the device unaware that her guest had already left.
“Twilight.” I asked snapping my fingers trying to get her attention, “Hello, Earth to Twilight.” she jumped.
“Yes, What's happening?” she brusquely responded, “Where did Fluttershy go?”
“Fluttershy is gone Twilight.” I said removing the tablet from her magic, “And I’m sure this needs to charge.” I informed her.
“How do we charge it?” she questioned. “Please tell me it does not require something you don't have with you.” She asked looking a little worried.
“Nope its simplicity itself.” I informed “If we just leave it with this panel here in direct sunlight it will be charged again after a while.”
“That's a handy enchantment, I have to admit when you said It needed to be charged I was worried we wouldn't be able to use it any more.” Twilight stated.
“What do you mean ‘we’ Twilight.” Spike snarked.
“I might find a use for it again Spike though I’ll probably be more interested in the pages in the walls for a while now, and as far as enchantments go it’s nothing supernatural, just materials science.”
“Could you please tell me how it works?” asked Twilight curious, as she spoke I walked up to the windowsill next to the east facing wall ready to place the Kindle down in the light.
“I can do my best.” I informed as I walked back to my seat the device still within my grasp.
“Okay so the way I understand it.” I said placing the solar panel face up onto the table, “Is that within the panel are two layers of silicon with the tiniest parts of silicon connecting up with 4 other parts of silicon and so on throughout the material, are you with me so far?”
“Okay so the top layer of silicon has extra amounts of a tiny particle known as electrons which is what carries electrical charge, electrons are things like lightning for example, while the bottom panel has extra spaces for these electrons to sit into.”
“But.” Twilight questioned, “If that's the case what's stopping these electrons from just falling into the holes on the bottom layer?”
“Well they have.” I informed, “But not entirely, after a few of the holes had been filled it created a layer between the two sheets of silicon so more electrons couldn't find their way through. Anyway when the panel is left in the sun, photons which are small particles of light hit the panel and can knock the free electrons loose creating a hole for an electron, the hole moves to the bottom layer while the loose electron is collected by the metal grid along the top of the upper panel and is directed to the positive end of whatever is it you would like to power, the electron continues after that to the negative end of the device and goes back to the bottom layer of the panel filling a hole and ending the cycle.”
“Are you sure this isn't magic? It sounds pretty fantastical.” Twilight deadpanned.
“I’m one-hundred percent certain it isn't magic.” I said “It’s kinda funny one of my favourite writers wrote that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable to magic, I guess its all relative it doesn’t seem super special to me because I’ve had things similar to this my entire life.”
Now I had recollected the Kindle and placed it at its home for the moment, “So it won't last forever will it.” Twilight stated. “Eventually the bottom layer will have been filled or the top layer won't have any more electrons to let go.”
“Yeah that’s right, it will take a few years for that to happen we can cross that bridge if we get to it.” I told the purple unicorn, “So what's the plan of action today?”
“Well I wanted to go introduce you to all my friends.” Twilight elucidated, “We have already met Fluttershy so we are on schedule the only question is who do you want to meet first? Applejack, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash or Rarity.”
“Can we go see Rarity, please Twilight.” Spike pleaded positively giddy.
“Might as well, we'll get to all of them eventually I’m sure.” I affirmed to the pleased drake and his purple caretaker.
Author's Note
Hopefully I can find a schedule to keep this going, still interested in doing so, It's pretty cathartic getting words down onto metaphorical paper, cant find the drive to get a substantial number of words down at a time, I could work on it for a few days and put a 3000 word chapter out but at the end of the day I like publishing what I've done.
Plato’s allegory of the cave, an idea that everything we; see, hear, smell or, touch is limited by our phaneron. We can’t see all there is and we don't know what else there could be. These limitations preclude being able to see the world in certain ways when our preconceptions might be challenged.
I used to think this snippet of information interesting but ultimately useless, I was sure that the way I saw my world matched with what other people saw, we had the same names for chairs, phones, shovels and the colour red, even if spelling differed from place to place, I was a realist.
But now, well.
“Are you going to get up or not?” I heard from outside the door, ‘The new landlady, I thought to myself, acts quite a bit like the one from my childhood.’ and chuckled.
It was just as well I had this doona, one of my few remaining possessions, the bed I had slept in that night was decidedly small, the frame and already existing blankets being better sized for a child than a 20 year old man, I had moved the mattress to the floor in the night so my legs wouldn't hang over the end.
The other possessions I still owned was a kindle with a solar panel placed into its cover, expensive but useful in it own way, I enjoyed reading and when travelling the convenience of a power-point wasn't always a guarantee, the flannel pyjama pants I was still wearing and the briefs underneath, I wasn’t the most possessive person but this complete lack of property was mildly depressing to me
I stood up onto the wooden floor, placed the mattress back onto the bed frame and walked towards the door, the smell of pancakes drifting down the stairs and through the cracks surrounding the edges of the portal.
Author's Note
So this is the first work I have decided to upload to the net, I’m not sure how long I will continue this, whether it will continue or just be an exercise but I will write at the very least a few chapters.
