Year 0, Spring.
I have no idea what happened. It should not have had happened. Really. I doublechecked everything. Go figure. Thats what happens when you do magical experimentation. Oh well. To the point. This is my diary. Ive decided to keep it because, well.. I`m in a situation here.
My name is Twilight Sparkle, and Im normally an alicorn. Well, lately, anyway. But right now, I am kitten. Yes. Kitten. Sort of. Im using the word kitten because the body shape is close to kittens I`ve seen, and, well.. because when I woke up, I had the words "You are a kitten in a catnip forest." bouncing around in my head.
Im going to state clearly that I have no idea why Ive been afforded this diary, the quill that never seems to dull or the inkpot that does not run out. Theyve been in the satchel next to me when I woke up. Regardless, in my situation its invaluable.
Year 0, Summer.
Its been a while. I can not do magic, so Ive been... settling. The catnip is, amusingly enough, exactly that. It keeps me rather sated. However, Ive noticed a tangible drop in catnip growth once the summer started. If thats an indication of a trend, then in winter, catnip will be scarce. I`m setting up primitive catnip fields in order to bolster my food reserves. Must consider some kind of barn.
Ive tried to look around, but I couldnt locate anyone at all. There are animals in the forest, but they are quite wary and wont let me close. Makes sence, Im currently a predatory species after all, catnip diet nonwithstanding.
I have been thinking (and dreading it, if frankly), about my diet. Cats are obligate carnivores, but its been about two weeks and Ive yet to feel any negative impact from eating only catnip. Nor do I really go crazy from it, like the cats are supposed to do. So... what exactly am I? No idea, so I am going to identify as kitten until I know better.
Year 0, Autumn.
Ive left a bale of catnip under the rain and forgot about it. When I found it again, it had fuzed together into some sort of log. Ive experimented and found out that I can reproduce this. Furthermore, the log thus created is a good piece of timber. Im going to attempt a construction, I believe. I do need some barn, and a place to stay out of rain wont go amiss either.
Autumn is upon me, and Im worried. This world does not seem to have anyone managing seasons, which means they come and go as the air currents will. The thought is terrifying. But then I remember that Zecora does manage to live in Everfree somehow. So, by the same token, I should be able to, right? Still, a hut is a priority. Ive made due sleeping under the convenient tree so far, but evenings are getting chilly.
Oh Celestia, will I ever get home? Without magic, it might be decades before I gather the necessary ingredients to attempt alchemy. Still, something to occupy my time with, if nothing else.
Year 0. Winter.
I`ve underestimated the quantity of catnip necessary to create those logs. Winter had came and I barely have enough timber for a hut. It will suffice, I suppose.
I`ve learned from the mistakes made back in Ponyville and built hut to be as roomy as I can. By my estimates, it can easily accomodate me and someone else. Which is good to have. Better to have space and not need it, then not having it and needing it.
Catnip wood is surprisingly lightweight. Im glad it is so, otherwise putting those logs in place all by myself wouldnt be fun. I thought about constructing a ship, but without any means to navigate by, I just might end up getting lost in sea. So to avoid unnecessary temptation, I`ve withheld from making a boat just yet.
Year 0. Winter addendum.
ANOTHER KITTEN! Today, a kitten found my hut. Unfortunately, they dont have much to tell me. According to them, the society of kittens is... well, not. Everyone is for themselves, gathering catnip as they know. Ive invited them to stay over, given their exhausted looks. They were duly impressed with the fields I`ve set up so far. According to them, this is a revolutionary idea.
Given that the fields produce some catnip even during winter, me and my new companion were free to harvest some more timber from the wood and clear out a space. This will be... Kittenville.
Year 1. Spring.
I have constructed a library. Well, a building that will grow into library, in any case. A place to plan out things, in any case. I have had counted the days and my feline companion knows something about the year cycle as well. I`m going to invent a calendar.
Without some way to track time at least on daily scale, agriculture will likely prove to be nigh impossible, let alone anything more complex. So... developing calendar and some seasonal basics at the very least. Im trying not to think about it much, but I might spend years upon years in this catnip forest before Ill find a way to return...
Oh Celestia, I want to go home....
Year 1. Summer.
Expanding fields. I am toying with the idea of constructing additional hut in hopes that it will lure in more kittens to settle with me, but I am wary of overpopulation. It wouldnt do to invite everyone here only to let the starvation kill everyone, right? So calendar first, agriculture next, settler advertisements third. If I even need advertisements, that is. I might be misunderstanding my companion, but according to them, extra kittens will just, uh... show up, I guess, as I make accomodations for them. Im not sure about the mechanics of this, but more helping paws wont go amiss, thats for sure.
Year 1. Summer addendum.
Couldnt resist, built one more hut. Two more kittens arrived. How do they know exactly how many kittens I have accomodations for? Asked. Didnt get a reasonable answer. "We just know." is the response. Something is off here, and I have no idea what. I dont want to accuse them of spying on me, but they totally must be... Though why. And why come and settle with me? Its not like anykitten is living lazy. Logging is brutal work, let me tell you.
Year 1, Autumn, 33.
Calendar is handy. The year here is weird, full four hundred days, a hundred per season. Catnip grows half again as good as usual in spring and only quarter of usual in winter. The summer and autumn are normal. Which means I can afford to take risks with catnip stock in spring, but should be cautious in autumn and winter, lest I end up without food for my little community. Thinking about supplementing it somehow. Cows, maybe? I think I saw some in the forest. Gotta consider how to domesticate them...
Year 1, Autumn, 53.
Saw an amazing astronomical event. A comet had passed so close I could see it with naked eye. Astonishing.
Year 1, Winter, 24.
The beginning of winter was a close call. With four of us, a quarter of field yield isn`t enough. Had to frantically gather more in the woods while thinking about ways to boost the fields. I figured it out in the end, but both of the newscomers have to attend the fields now. Meaning that we gain timber that much slower.
What we need is a barn to store a surplus of catnip in. If we had some safety net, things would be much less by the seat of a pants. But barn will need a lot of wood... Though that is just idle grumbling, we need the barn and that`s the bare truth of it. Regardless of how many logs we have to cut and haul.
Year 2, Spring, 12.
Finally got enough wood together to raise the barn. This will tide us over for quite a while, even if we are struck with completely barren fields. Well, once we fill the thing up, of course. Which, by itself, is not a trivial task, let me tell you. In my caution, Ive planned the barn big, and dedicated most of it to catnip. Oh, we do have a space for logs set aside, and Ive reserved some for a rock bin... A bit of wishful thinking here, I suppose, but sooner or later we will have to look into masonry. Some things just can`t be constructed with just timber.
Year 2, Spring, 65.
Expanding fields is harder now. More expensive in terms of catnip. But the gains are well worth it. Extra work beats starving in the cold. I was expecting some grumbles from my earstwhile companions, but much to my surprise, they agreed with proposal wholeheartedly. Well, the exact words were "Bigger is better, mew!" Im getting this feeling theyll be in favor of any new expansion, provided I dont actually kill off my whole village by wasting catnip stock on it entirely. Its been almost a year since we got any new faces around here, so I can actually understand their eagerness. More food means ability to invite more settlers.
Year 2, Summer, 2.
One of the kittens brought me a "shiny stone". Its a metal ore. Im thinking about mining. Having some iron for the tools would be quite a step forward in my new lifestyle. Oh Celestia, what an irony. What am I doing playing tribal leader for... kittens. They need me, though. I can show them the way to civilisation.
Year 2, Summer, 96.
I need to expand the library. Kittens are illiterate, of course, but theyre learning my writing. And me? Im reduced to using wood panels to carve my words in, no way to make parchment. Yet at least. For some reason, this diary just isnt comprehensible to kittens. Something about object makes them just go "Mew." at me when I try to show them anything. They CAN see the diary, that much Ive ascertained, but there is some kind of... logic barrier, of sorts, that renders this diary of mine into a complete informational blackbox for them. Curious. Who gave me that diary anyways?
Year 2, Autumn, 24.
Expansion complete. Now I can plan out where to dig and what to mine, at least. Also, maybe, some kind of weapon for my kittens? Just because we didnt encounter any dangerous predators yet, does not mean we wont do so in the future, and they don`t have any kind of magic to defend themselves with. Nor do I, for that matter.
Year 2, Autumn, 75-78.
There was a meteor shower today, followed tightly by a partial eclipse. Ive gained lots of inspiration observing such majestic events. Curiously enough, my kittens are more fascinated then frightened. Maybe their scientific curiosity is on par with mine? On one hand, a civilization of scientifically-inclined kittens could be a wonder to behold. On other, they already are enabling me far more then its healthy for ones ego. I need to keep the people within my sights while Im striving for greater picture. It won`t do to build a bright future on the bones of ancestors, after all.
Year 2, Winter. 26.
With the barn three quarters full, this winter is calm so far. We have communally decided to build another hut. We need more kittens around. The food expenses will rise, but we can afford that, now. It seems that the huts we can construct can accommodate up to two kittens per hut. Sadly, there`s preciously little space to place them, and before long, I might be reduced to adding second levels to huts rather then bother with clearing more of our, well... clearing. The amount of wood that has to go into shoring the hut up goes up for each new one. It makes little sense, to be honest. It appears that just about any upgrade or build-up in this world is incremental. The initial investment may be affordable, but each consequent one requires more and more resources. Bizarre.
Year 2, Winter, 89.
As the winter comes to wrap, I am planning on using up most of old catnip to fertilize yet another field, and fill barn with fresh nip for next year. If this pans out, I might make it my official strategy to expand during springs and bunker down during winters. Leftover old catnip will be converted to wood, its just not good to chew on anymore. Not when well have abundance of fresh.
Year 3, Spring, 17.
I have constructed workable bows and began teaching archery to my kittens. As much as Im loathe to think about it, we do need some meet to supplement the diet, so Ive detailed one of the newcomers to train as a hunter. Other had shown aptitude for preparing lumber.
Kittens are surprisingly capable with the bow. Must be something inherent to predator species, as I`ve found my own ability to make leading shots to be significantly improved. Something with eye structure, perhaps?
Year 3, Spring, 85.
Compressing the remains of old catnip and adding some cut timber yielded sufficient wood to raise the fourth hut. Im hoping a farming-inclined kitten would arrive this time. While were still not below the threshold, the yields are dipping, and I`d rather not scour the woods in snow for more catnip again.
Year 3, Summer, 30.
Score! A farmer and a scholar. Well, future farmer and scholar, anyway. Now were well-rounded. I will abstain from creating more lodgings until I figure out better ways to farm - were quickly exhausting the field capacity, and too many new arrivals will cause starving.
Im seriously looking into domestication now, because without alternate mean of gaining food, we wont be able to expand much further. Not to mention that after three years of nothing but catnip, even meat starts to look enticing.
Year 3, Summer, 75.
Expanded library again. More space to plan means more plan to space. Or something. Im honestly not sure why things work out like this, but apparently theres an inherent limit to how much can be contained, and that spans from things as material as catnip and logs all the way to metaphysical concepts like scientific knowledge. Puzzling. Im looking into this strange phenomenon, of course, but it will take significant time before Ill have anything more then idle musings.
Year 3, Autumn, 19.
Kittens are asking to conduct a big hunt. Im still iffy about actually killing other animals, but Im cognizant of the fact that winter is soon, and even I would feel better if we had some furs to cover with, as barbaric as using the skins of other beings for warmth is. Of course, fire is always an option, but there just no way to carry fire with you while you`re cutting wood or tending fields. Not in amount that will provide tangible warmth, at least. I believe I will allow them that much, but between the seven of them, they have more then enough of catpower to handle this without my participation.
Speaking of catpower. I`m going to keep a periodic record of what occupations my village has and how the settlers are distributed. It would make things much easier in the long run, if I have some data points to compare. So, we have two woodcutters, three farmers, two scholars (yours truly included) and one hunter. Total catpower - eight kittens.
Year 3, Autumn, 19 addendum.
They came back toting a good number of pelts and a few hefty pieces of bone, but no meat. Im tempted to ask, but Im worried that trying to ask them about meat will just bring forth lots more questions I do NOT want to ask. Nonetheless, the bone will prove to be handy. While were not at metal-making stage yet, bone is a good alternative for making detailed items like needles and other utensils that wood is too rough and fragile for. And maybe some decorative carvings. Ive seen kittens cut wood figurines before with their claws, but the quality is... subpar to say the least.
Year 3, Autumn, 45.
We have had amassed enough catnip for another field expansion, but this late in autumn Im wary about committing with it. I believe I will postpone the expansion until winter, so I could see how our consumption compares with our production. In other news, Im planning on several more expansions to the library. The more space we have, the easier it is to plan, after all. Later on, a barn expansion wont be amiss either. Simply because a few more fields and well need more for expansion then total capacity of the current barn.
...I just realized Ive used word "expansion" a lot. I guess this is what the theme of next few years will be, no? Expansion. Im looking into mining resources and into herding some cows. Cows here dont seem to be sentient at all, but they do produce nutritional milk that agrees with my palate very well. Unfortunately, milking cows in the wild is not an option - the effort I went through to obtain a cupful of milk so I could get the opinion of my villagers on it was simply gargantuan. Domestication is a must if we are to enjoy milk as a part of our meals. On the plus side, Im confident that kittens will see that effort with great enthusiasm. They were quite, ah, empathetic about how sorry they were there wasn`t more then just a sip per kitten in that cup.
Year 3, Autumn, 68.
Adding more to library. Now we have enough space that I can dedicate a corner to permanent educational stands. Now each kitten can come in and refresh their memory on basics of farming and woodcutting in comfort. They take advantage of this, by the way - one thing that I was sorely missing in Ponyville. Dedicated students.
Year 3, Winter, 6.
Ive decided to hold off staking out new field. The consumption is sizable enough. Its true that the barn is at four fifth of capacity, but the whole half of it will be emptied if Id decide to set up field now. If theres still close to half the barn by the spring, we`ll set up the new field immediately, otherwise as soon as the spring harvests enable it.
Upon consideration, Ive came to conclusion that all the produced wood for now will go towards expansion of library. I foresee great need for educational space in the future, once I lay down the concepts of animal domestication and mining. Im leaning towards setting the domestication as a first task. Teaching all the kittens on how to do it will take a good while, but we will all be richer for it.
Year 3, Winter, 42.
The spoils of hunt have long since run out, and kittens are clamoring for another one. Im still not certain just how they procure furs and ivory without coming back splattered in blood, but Im going to allow it just for the peace of my mind. Also, because sleeping under the fur blanket is much, much, much, MUCH better then without it right now. Its amazing just how easily the need trumps the ethics, especially when I have no alternative option. Maybe sometime later, Ill see about finding some plant source of fibers, but for now, pelts are the only viable source of clothing and bedding. I`ve.... resigned myself to it.
On a side note, we will probably see the field staked first thing in summer. Ive measured the catnip stock in barn and it seems like were going to have just over a half left over after winter. And since fresh will be coming aplenty, there won`t be any problem putting the old stock towards seeding.
Year 3, Winter, 42 addendum.
No ivory this time, just furs. I guess it depends on what they find. Oh well, furs are just what we need in winter anyways. Kittens do seem happy enough with the haul.
Year 3, Winter, 58.
More space in library today. The requirements of timber continue to grow up, but not quite as drastically as the cost of huts and barns. I imagine it is due to the fact that library is smaller then barns and is one building, unlike huts. So it requires much less foundation real estate then either of aforementioned. Oh well, if it works, it works. Far it be from me to gainsay any expansion to the learning space.
Year 3, Winter, 83.
I was right. If Ive committed with construction of a new field before, we wouldve run out of food right now. Well, maybe a few days later, given that field would have supplemented something towards the stocks, but still... Im very glad Ive shown restraint - otherwise I`d be frantically gathering catnip in snowy forest again for like ten days in a row to keep my fellow kittens from starving.
I suppose we could have also weathered the issue if everycat went to tend the fields, but that would mean no wood income, no preparation for hunting, and worst of all - no scientific progress. Best not to run into such emergencies at all, rather then resort to hasty measures to mitigate the consequences later.
Year 4, Spring, 1.
Im probably getting far too obsessed with this issue for my own good, but... Ive measured. If I made a decision to risk it in autumn, wed have a week of no food right in the end of winter. Thats more then enough to kill somecat. And while my kittens seem to be fatalistic about the possibility of me accidentally killing them through my decisions (HOW? Im still trying to wrap my mind around the fact they purported that they would be "OK" if they all starved because I miscalculated!), Im very much NOT OK with this.
I, Twilight Sparkle, do solemnly vow that no kitten will go hungry on my watch.
Year 4, Spring, 7.
Expanding field today. I love it when the plan comes together, I do. A few more expansions will max out the barn capacity, however. If I intend to go bigger, storage facilities will have to follow suit. Which means I need more wood. Or more patience.
Year 4, Spring, 40.
This is a memorable day. We have had finished a construction of a pasture and captured some wild cows to inhabit it. Since we had the extra wood, Ive ordered the pasture to be thrice as big as originally planned, and consequent increase in captured cows. After some time settling in, the efforts paid off with several bucketfuls of delicious milk. While I dont foresee this as a complete alternative to catnip farming, it will supplement our diet magnificently, and nutritional value of milk is sufficiently rich to actually make us need to eat less catnip.
With the timely expansion of pasture and field, I do believe we will be able to handle the further population increase easily. Irrigation is becoming a problem, however, so masonry is next on the list. Wood is not durable enough to form aqueduct, so we`ll need vast quantities of quarried stone in order to construct it. A project I can dedicate my full attention to, now. Kittens will handle the production of food.
Oh, Ive suggested not to hunt as soon as supplies for one hunt are ready, but rather wait a bit and conduct a deep search with additional supplies. Well see if this approach will provide better results.
Year 4, Spring, 50 - Summer, 100.
The summer have had been warmer then usual, and our catnip fields bore more then usual as a result. Weve dedicated the whole summer towards expanding fields and pasture as far as our resources can take us. The autumn will be slated for gathering up supplies for the winter. I am well satisfied with progression of pasture expansion in particular, as it had already been brought to three times as much as what weve initially built. That means ninefold increase from what I have originally conjectured to be sufficient. We, well, won`t quite be swimming in milk, I suppose, but we will have enough to make winter taste good.
Year 4, Autumn, 31.
It seems my theory had vindicated itself. Waiting until the hunter prepared enough supplies for two hunting trips allowed my kittens to conduct a longer one and procured good supplies of both fur and ivory. Just the thing before the dreary winter starts. Im hoping it wont be cold one.
Year 4, Winter, 1.
Expanding library again. Ive amassed some interesting data about geological makeup of the region and plan on imparting that much to my kittens, so they could grasp the finer nuances of mining and recognition of various ores. It will help them to construct an actual mine. Ive had the kitten with shiny stone show me the place where they found it, and it does look like a good spot to dig in. It seems that the area has a bedrock of igneous stone, mostly granites. This is fortunate, because granite is far better construction material then sedimentary options like sandstone I was expecting. Mining it will be harder, of course, but such is the life. For every benefit, there must be some drawback. It might be a good idea to arrange for an additional hut. We will need a dedicated miner to quarry those stones. I can`t imagine working this part-time.
Year 5, Spring, 34.
Expanded pasture again and finished my educative efforts as far as basic mineralogy is concerned. The mine itself will require quite sizable amount of timber, of course. I`m thinking that giving myself some time to shore up the fields further as well as possibly expand the barn and library might be a better option. After all, I am planning on building another hut, because I am at a loss as to whom I can possibly spare to quarry the stone right now.
On a plus side, maybe that`s for the best. So far, all the tools we have at our disposal are literally sticks and stones. It might not hurt to educate kittens on some metalworking before the mining starts, so that we may fashion iron pickaxes for the miner as soon as possible, if nothing else. Iron axes for lumberjacks as well.
Year 5, Summer, 6.
What a misfortune. Ive ordered another expansion of field and pasture, but the summer is chilly. Catnip is not quite as fast to grow. Im afraid that for this year that`s it for expansions. We need to stockpile for the winter, and with chill in the air, it will take extra days for catnip to grow.
Year 5, Autumn, 87.
A meteor shower! Ive been able to observe it from a fortuitous viewpoint and gained much inspiration. Also, Im now confident that every single kitten observed the event with me. One of them later inferred that sometimes, the meteors do reach the ground. A loud event, as I`ve been told, but usually educational.
Year 5, Winter, 5.
Observed a comet today. Also, the winter is milder then usual, and fields are not impacted quite as badly. Were gathering almost twice as much as usually during winter. So Ive decided to add more to pasture, since we have wood for it. Metalworking is a harder topic, and kittens take a while to grasp it, but Im confident were making progress.
On a side note, Ive decided not to write down each time Im expanding field or pasture, as we`re doing such things as a matter of routine now.
Year 6, Spring, 5.
Warm summer! Catnip is growing through the roof! If theres too much, we will convert the excess catnip into wood by the process Ive learned before. We could use more wood.
Year 6, Spring 24.
The field is now exactly sixty times as large as the little parcel Ive set up initially. To celebrate, kittens are going on all-out hunt. Theres literally no more space for supplies, it will be as big as hunting four times back to back. I wonder what will they bring this time.
Year 6, Spring 24 addendum.
No big surprises. Furs and ivory. A good lot of both. Artisans ahoy!
Year 6, Autumn, 4.
The warm spring was followed by warm summer. But the autumn is cold. What if winter is going to be cold too? We have enough lumber, Im ordering the expansion of the barn. We need to have better reserve capacity if were to invite additional kittens.
Year 6, Autumn, 30.
An eclipse of the moon. It gave me an interesting insight into the tides of this world. Something to consider later. Water supply will be an issue soon, so... yeah. Head full of curiosity, paws full of necessity. At least the education about metalworking is coming to fruition. Now all we need is some metal to work.
Year 6, Autumn, 60.
Kittens are as trained to handle metal as I can make them without actual metal to shape. The creation of the mine becomes an order of foremost importance. Were going to stockpile wood all winter and if there is a good crop of catnip in the spring, convert all the winter leftovers into wood. If thats not enough, I suppose one more year just stockpiling things won`t change much. We do have ample space to stockpile after all, with the recent barn expansion.
Still... I am unnerved just how casually I waved my paw at a whole year of stockpiling. Its been what?... Seven years now that Ive been here? That is very troubling. Im going native. At this rate, a few more years and Ill start looking for a nice tomcat to have kittens with.
Speaking of which, surely my kittens might have gotten around to that by now? Why Ive heard not a peep about children so far? Its like they dont even procreate normally... Oh Celestia, what if thats true!? What if... I mean, they DO show up when I need them and seem to like exactly what I need doing at the moment. What if Im wishing them into existence? IM TOO YOUNG TO BE A MOTHER! Especially to a civilization of kittens. Oh stars above, this must be what its like to Celestia... OK, Im fine, Im fine... I dont like this. I dont want this. But these kittens have no one else to guide them. Without me, theyd be scattered in the woods, eating what they can find and conversing with groans and face punches. So, I will see to it that their civilization rises above that and makes its own history. I owe them that much, at least. Without them, Id be alone here, eating catnip in my hut and wondering why I`m cursed with such lonely existence.
Year 6, Winter, 40.
A meteor fell near the village! While this is interesting from scientific point of view, of course, theres also the fact that its impact had shattered it into perfectly usable stone, and a good quantity of it. My kittens wasted no time in putting it all safe into storage. I must think what to do with this unexpected windfall.
Ive long since mulled over the construction of proper workshop, with forge and all manner of tools necessary to fashion things. But that kind of building requires a solid stone foundation and walls, as the forge is both heavy and hot. Timber wont support it, nor will it shield the walls from the heat of furnace.
Alas, while the amount of stone from meteor is significant, its not enough to lay proper foundation. Guess the mining project is still on. Ive sent kittens on an extended hunt to blow off some steam after the scare given by meteor. They returned in good spirits and brought back a decent haul. While this winter is rather mild, some extra furs never go amiss.
Year 7, Spring, 20.
A warm spring and a meteor to my backyard. A good start of the year, if a bit, ah... stressful. Still, the stones been put away and the catnip is being harvested in bundles and oodles. Soon well have enough wood to create a mine. On a side note, Im thinking about maybe stopping with the hunts for now and move the hunter to quarry stone instead. Were all sufficiently supplied with clothing and bedding and utensils for now.
Year 7, Spring, 40.
The mine is ready, and hunter seems to be reasonably well at getting the stones dug up. Now to set up the smelter and workshop, and were in business. OOh, I can think of so many eminently useful things to teach my kittens to make. This is actually exciting! I dont know how I came to enjoy this, but... Yes. Seeing them gain control of environs, thrive and improve... I hope I will see such success in the future as well.
Year 7, Autumn, 18.
Very setback! Much consternation!
...Sorry. For a moment there, Ive taken leave of my grammatical senses. Using the stone from meteors and quarried ones weve constructed the smelter. And it worked just fine. The problem is, the darn thing has way too much of an appetite. We literally can not cut wood fast enough to keep it working. It does produce iron, I`ve run a test batch to verify, but until we get more kittens to cut wood and more kittens to mine ore, the smelter is going to sit idle. Very disappointed right now. Things working too well can be a problem too, it seems.
On the plus side, we did prepare a bit of an overstock of wood in preparation for smelter testing, so we were able to expand library again.
Year 7, Winter, 36.
Another meteor. What happened? Are we going to see them more and more until nothing alive is left under the stony bombardment? Im worried by such a development, but there is just no way I can advance kittens enough scientifically to construct something that will be able to sustain meteor hit in just a few years. So unless things start getting really bad, Im just going to smile and put the stones to good use and pretend nothing is amiss.
Year 8, Winter, 9.
It took me more then a year to educate my villagers in mathematics. We`re picking the last few things to create a workshop, as well. After that? We will be creating an academy. Try as I might, the library alone is simply no longer sufficient to facilitate learning. A division is necessary between a place to store knowledge, i.e. library, and a place to share knowledge, i.e. academy. Thankfully, the initial building for academy does not need to be too big. I estimate that we will be able to raise one by the spring.
Year 8, Winter, 19.
The workshop is complete. I am both excited and weary, because the amount of work had just increased exponentially. First things first, I`m going to use the workshop to carve up a stone tablet with a permanent system of celestial movements, so that I can teach astronomy efficiently. It may seem weird to insist that villagers must know astronomy, but the truth of the matter is, celestial movement affects the crops and weather immensely. Moreso, knowing at least the basics of it, kittens will be able to tell me if there was anything unusual about meteors or skies when they see them, and thus, further my own understanding of this world.
One other important thing workshop does is keeping the record of all measurements and conversion ratios. Now, combined with public knowledge of mathematics, I can simply talk numbers and kittens will understand me easily.
Year 8, Winter, 79.
An odd combination of late sunset and early moonrise allowed me to map out several of moon`s largest craters. Nothing like the moon in Equestria, as could be expected. No imprisoned godcats either. Thankfully.
Year 9, Spring, 1.
As the new year just broke, Ive seen a green sunrise. This is a rare event, normally sunrise starts with yellow and goes upwards on the rainbow scale. Sometimes, like today, when the weather conditions make good combination, its possible to see earlier stage of it, green. Im... overwhelmed by the sight. Ive never seen that happen in Equestria, Celestia never rises the sun in a way that could create such a magnificent view. Im not sure she even knows its possible.
With magic, it might be viable to change the atmosphere refraction coefficient further, possibly creating blue sunrises, indigo sunrises, or even violet sunrises. Wouldnt THAT be a nice show? If I ever end up in control of the sun, Im so trying it out.
Year 9, Spring, 39.
A bit later then I predicted, but the academy is ready to serve. And not a moment too soon - I have a presentation on celestial movement scheduled in a week. Oh, I`m so excited to actually have a classroom to teach!
Year 9, Spring, 55.
OK, that may have been a little more then a week. OK, so it was over two weeks. Im sorry, but theres just ever so much to do! Anyhow, I`ve gathered all the kittens, brought in the chiseled plate of celestial movements, and conducted my lecture! And everykitten listened! And they asked intelligent questions after!
I`m... incredibly happy right now.
Year 9, Autumn, 1.
As happy as I was to lecture, it is obvious that a single classroom is insufficient. So were adding another. Same song and dance as every other addition, really. For a bit more then initial cost, we can expand. And then again and again, and again. Im starting to think that this incremental expansion is something inherent to the world itself, because no matter what, there`s always space and ability to add more. So long as you can satisfy the ever-increasing resource investment.
Speaking of which, the next field expansion may be the last for a while, because the amount of catnip that would be necessary for one after it is liable to be more then we can stuff in our barn. So storage capacity must grow, if we are to grow the rest of our facilities. First things first, however, I intend to use workshop to, at least, replace the haphazard stones and sticks with uniform rock tools. Iron tools will have to wait a bit until we bolster our resource base sufficiently to allow smelter to run without impedance. More kittens required. Here`s hoping that an investment towards better farming tools will improve our catnip production enough to offset the addition of new mouths.
Almost forgot - Im using newly expanded academy to teach kittens the intricacies of construction. They know how to slap together basic buildings, but they dont know more elaborate architectural tricks that allow bigger better buildings to be erected. This should open up many interesting new venues of insight and interest to look into.
Year 9 - Winter, 100.
On this day, its been ten years since Ive arrived to this place. Yesterday, for the first time, I`ve heard other kitten refer to this world. He called it Cath.
Author's Note
Yes, this is written by playing the Kittens Game and writing down events as they happen from Twilight`s point of view. She is, as it turns out, the first kitten and eventually the village leader (Once the game actually develops to the discovery of village leadership and there is a science-inclined kitten in the mix.)
Year 10, Spring, 10.
Expansions all around. Field, pasture, mine. If the resource cost continues to rise, then the correct response to this is to improve our production. And capacity. Can`t forget capacity.
Ive spent a week just reminiscing and thinking about how things are back in Equestria. Ten years have passed, after all. On the other hand, how do I even know how long it was in Equestria? I mean, just consider Sunsets situation. Shes been gone from Equestria for at least ten years, given that she left for human world before Celestia picked me as her personal student. Likely closer to thirty - I havent exactly asked around much, but I do vaguely remember hearing that princess had no student for "over ten years" before picking me. Yet, by Sunsets reconing, only three years have had passed. Whos to say the same effect is not in the works here?
That does worry me, however. What if I return to Equestria hundreds or thousands or even millions of years after I left? ....Im scared, but Im reassuring myself that if nothing else, then Celestia, Luna and/or Cadence will be around to welcome me back, at least.
That is, assuming theyre not thinking I run away of my own volition. Which they might assume, given that I did experiment out of my own volition, even if the end goal of experiment definitely wasnt the "end up in a different world in a different body with no magic to call upon".
Some times, Im thinking that maybe I should accept things as they are. Embrace the kitten, so to speak. And other days, I want to claw my skin off just to show Im still a unicorn on the inside. Heavy thoughts. But, I can not afford sinking into depression. One way or another, I have far too many things ahead to allow myself such decadence.
Year 10, Spring, 64.
Theres been inexplicable surge in resources, and most worryingly, learning. Ive managed to tutor my kittens in the basics of construction and civil service in just a few days, which opens a plethora of new options ahead of me. Ive also managed to make significant improvement in our catnip farming by introduction of selection into our process. Only the best catnip is seeded. I mean, Ive been doing this from the very beginning, but after ten years, the results are so obvious that kittens asked to be taught on how does it work. They`ve also developed a passable rock-chipping technique that produces uniform hoe heads and axe blades. Rock tools seem like a step backwards after spending so much time teaching metalworking, but unfortunately, the smelter will have to wait until we have more kittens to mine the ore and cut the timber.
Still, I am very puzzled as to why the resources have had been surging so significantly. Something odd is going on. Still, Im taking advantage of this and expanding learning facilities. Theres never too much knowledge.
Year 10, Spring, 79.
Barn expansion today. I`ve decided that now we will start focusing on construction of huts to attract more kittens. We need helping paws all around the place, the more the better, and I am confident that our fields are up to the task of feeding the extended workforce. Just to be certain, though, I will make sure to detail most greenthumbed kittens to assist with farming.
Year 10, Winter, 16.
Ive spent summer and autumn looking over things, trying to figure out where exactly in the universe am I. For all I know, I may have had been simply moved to another planet. But the observations dont bode out well. Ill need to introduce astronomy into the society at some point. My own eyes are just not enough to graph and systematize all those constellations. But theres ways to go before we get there. Ive finished teaching engineering to my kittens. Not the entirety of engineering, of course, but rather the concept of engineering. Theyve grasped it splendidly and immediately used the newfound knowledge to construct a good aqueduct to the farm. Now that the crops are stably watered and cows have their troughs full all the time, we`re definitely well-supplied for all times of year.
Year 10, Winter, 40.
Success. Even in the harsh colds as were experiencing right now, aqueduct is simply too fast-flowing to ice over. As such, even in those dreadful chills, our crop of catnip is plentiful. Still juuuust a little bit not enough to completely satisfy daily norm, but its been very cold. On normal winters, I`m confident that we will continue growing more then we eat, even if not as much of a surplus as in spring. Exciting!
Year 11, Summer, 34.
Something weird is happening to the time. Those resources didnt just show up. Kittens remember gathering that catnip, cutting that wood, digging that stone. I remember counting all of this, storing all of this, deciding what to build with all of this. But theres also a disturbing recollection that those days didn`t really happen. I have this annoying feeling in my head, the word bouncing around. Recovered. N recovered days worth of production. Recovered from what? Or whom? Why the production is measured in dayworths?
Year 11, Summer, 36.
Im not sure what triggers those resource surges, but while I have them, Ive decided to make good use of them and ordered construction of additional huts and log cabins as far as resources permit. If the universe decides to be weird... I should have panicked, probably. But honestly, after Discord, extra stuff showing up just isn`t that bad.
Year 11, Summer, 56.
Two new kittens today. Lumberjack and miner. Welcome aboard, cats, have some catnip, have some work. More required, if Kittenville is to get off the ground and become a center of the civilized world. Im somewhat jesting with this, and somewhat not. If I am stuck with kittens... Im going to be the best god-empress ever. And it does not look like Im aging in any way, so Ill be around for a while, I imagine. Neither do other kittens, for that matter, but so far, no one wanted to volunteer themselves as the leader in my stead.
Year 11, Summer, 70.
Today, weve fired up smelter again. And while its still abominably needy of wood, we can keep up with the demand. Barely, but we can. So the smelting of iron is on. And hopefully, soon the replacement of stone tools with iron ones.
Year 11, Summer, 86.
Another inexplicable resource surge. What should have taken years is amassed in mere days. Im at my wits end with this. How does this happen? If I knew how to replicate such circumstances... Oh, how useful it could be. Nonetheless, weve used the boon for all it was worth. Another hut, and major upgrade to workshop - which was immediately used to replace all the stone tools with freshly forged iron ones. Oh, and apparently learning itself is a resource just like timber or stone - kittens have grasped the notion of writing.
I MUST understand this phenomena. My hunch (which scares me silly, if honest) is that this world is not stable chronomantically. Which means that time itself may be very malleable here. This could be infinitely useful... and this could be a horrifying disaster.
On a side note, Ive given in and explained to kittens how to process hide into parchments. This appears to be the only way we can procure a writing medium. I failed to locate anything like papyrus plant and my attempts to use catnip wood to create paper were dismal failure. Catnip wood is simply too amorphous - if I attempt to press anything less then a plywood Ive been relying on as writing medium for now, it becomes crumbly. So parchment remains the only option I have, at least until I can advance kittens enough to have a decent chemistry industry going on. But that kind of project is... well. Centuries, I`m going go hazard a guess. Too much to teach to just do a week-long crash course. Too many precursor know-hows and sciences.
Year 11, Summer, 87.
Another day, another surge. What is going on, I dont even... Meh. Carpe diem! Since I have enough iron from the surges now, Ive ordered the construction of lumber mill. With it, we will be able to feed the smelter far more efficiently and produce better logs for construction, as well. Speaking of construction - communal huts are fine, but kittens are starting to clamor for individual lodgings. Ive given them the plans for a log cabin, that ought to entertain them for a while. And attract more kittens with lodgings, I imagine. Speaking of which, now that kittens are all literate, the names became a thing practically overnight. Im still agape as to how "hey you" of yesterday suddenly turned insufficient. Though, I guess, I am to blame for it. After all, it was me who insisted they call me Twilight and explained the concept of being named. Now everykitten has a name... Lets see. Mittens Sand, Amber Sand and Amber Berry are woodcutters. Cassie Clay, Angel Fur and Mittens Dust are farmers. Tami Shadow and yours truly are scholars. Plato Tails and Angel Tails are miners. And Maddie Tails and Oscar Clay are hunters. Were expecting more kittens to turn up soon, too. On a side note, Im still unsure about how my kittens are related to each other. Same last name means absolutely nothing, as Ive learned.
Year 11, Summer, 89.
It seems that the surge had brought on many new questions for my kittens. In particular, the topic of currency had to be broached. So far, our community employed mostly communal management style, resources being shared per need. However, when the question was raised about possible interaction with other communities that surely must exist out there, the topic of trading came up. I admit, I`ve gotten a bit carried away with explaining how barter works and started talking about introducing universal tokens...
Long time short, my kittens are now on lookout for gold, and once theyll find any, we will be minting us our own coins. Now I finally understand why Celestia once told me that overly inquisitive student is far more troublesome then a lazy one. Its well worth the additional trouble, of course, but darn.
Year 11, Winter, 28.
WHAT IS GOING ON!?
My kittens just got back from a hunt. They brought a unicorn. A UNICORN!
Ive made an utter fool of myself trying to talk to it. Turns out the unicorns arent sentient. Or at least, sentient enough to talk. Turns out that unicorn is perfectly content to just, well... hang around the village nipping whatever grass is around and farting rainbows. I am NOT KIDDING. It literally farts rainbows.
This world would make Discord cry tears of happiness. How... why, I mean... WHY THIS IS HAPPENING TO ME?!
I know that yelling in written form is not productive, but Ive already had a hysterical fit in my hut. Im... better now. Milk helps.
I dont know what is going on anymore. Not that I knew before, but now Im really in the dark. Unicorns here. Apparently, they sometimes find hunting kittens and tag along. What do unicorns even want with kittens? What do kittens want with unicorns? Kittens do seem to be perked up by the fact we now have a unicorn. Maybe I should consider a dedicated pasture for it?... If one more shows up, Im ordering a parcel of land set apart just for them. Theyre obviously a good influence on kitten morale, and I want those unicorns where I can see them!
Maybe I can... harvest magic from them... No, no, no, no nonononono! Thats how one ends up like Tirek... But... what if thats my only way home?
I need to know more. I`m woefully uneducated about this world.
Im going to push sciences. I cant do this alone. Kittens seem to be happy enough to help me with this. I cant imagine why wouldnt they. Living in a settlement like this is surely better then eking it out on your lonesome in the woods.
Year 11, Winter, 29.
Kittens brought me a lump of gold today. Apparently, there is some to be found in our mine. Finding nuggets like this is pretty rare, but not something unheard of. Ive recalled what I know of gold mining, and ... Well, after some digging at the pasture (Saltpetre. Kittens were simply THRILLED with necessity to overturn piles of cow dung. Sarcasm here.) and some experiments at the smelter, weve discovered a way to recover some gold after smelting pure iron out of the ore. The slag is treated with saltpetre while still molten, and gold will settle down on bottom of the smelting pot. It`s a hassle, but does give us a steady source of gold, which is better then relying on the on-off chance of finding gold nuggets. I explained the concepts of gold panning to kittens, but there are no suitable places to do that in our locale. Maybe once we explore and tame the surroundings a bit more...
For now, Im mainly concerned with making our way to the sea. Its not that far, but cutting all the way through to the shore is going to be a chore. Its about three miles of wood, and I want a graded road leading there. Not sure if fishing is an option, but I want access to sea simply so I could have a better option of exploring the world. Until such time we develop reliable flying machinery, sea remains our best option for exploring the world quickly. Landbound expeditions are far too complicated and resource-hungry to carry out currently, and I do not foresee the situation changing in the near future. This world has much higher concentration of forests then what Im used to, and without reliable means of navigation, seafaring is actually less likely to get us lost, provided we stick within the view of coast.
Once I get the ironworking to the level of casual use, Im going to look into constructing a proper observatory and creating some starmaps so I could figure out the reliable navigation schemes by stars. Before that, were effectively blind.
Year 11, Winter, 75.
Three new kittens found our settlement today. Amber Scratch, Molly Fur and Meeko Berry. Theyve gravitated, respectively, towards woodcutting, hunting and mining. Cabins are coming along nicely, and Im sending out hunters fairly regularly now. I need to know if that unicorn was really a freak occurrence, or there is a population of them. To that end, Ive taught my kittens about the creation and use of bolas and composite bow. Its amasing, by the way. The combination of wood and iron results in a bow that is far superior to wholly wooden or wholly iron one.
Year 12, Spring, 31.
One smelter is insufficient. We do need a constant influx of iron now, and with the addition of gold smelting, weve reached the limits of what single smelter can afford us. So were building another furnace. It will further eat into our wood production, of course, but with the lumber mills, we can afford the extra expense.
Im mulling over a creation of a separate storage building, this one dedicated to industrial goods storage, like lumber and stone. Dont get me wrong, barns are very important, but theyve been designed with catnip storage in mind. And while Ive tried to make sure they have a wood stockade and rock bin space, the capacity is voefully insufficient for our needs. But making a warehouse will require more advanced construction materials...
Year 12, Spring, 45.
Fifteen kittens is plenty to manage, and by the looks of it, this number will only continue to grow. So Ive created a register. Any further newscomers will be recorded there (And not in my diary, which is wholly insufficient for that because kittens STILL go mew when they see it! What is this diary anyways?... But I digress.) and furthermore, this register will serve as a mean of record-keeping, allowing promotion of kittens. (I dont KNOW how this works. Promotion was wholly kittensidea, I have no clue where they even learned that word, or how they expect to be promoted in a communal society. Still, if they want it, they can have it. The idea was fairly sound on parchment, at least, theyre using incremental ranks... Oh my Celestia, incrementation again. Is it fundamental to this universe? So maddening! Does it mean I can be promoted to? What would promotion even DO for me, anyways? What IS promotion, even? They mentioned gold being a necessary part of it, I imagine that promotion would entail a payment of bonus or some such... Right? RIGHT!?)
Year 12, Spring, 56.
Another surge today. I`ve been ready and used the abundant materials to attempt something new. Behold the warehouse! And also the introduction of stone slabs and wooden beams into construction. I imagine I will see those used by kittens far and wide now - further compressing lumber into sizeable rods enabled construction on bigger scale, and using smelters to quickly fuse the assorted stones into a singular slab makes for a superior foundation.
Year 12, Spring, 75.
I have conducted an experiment with large-scale forging today. Under my supervision, kittens were able to create a singular sheet of metal big enough to serve as a hut wall by itself. This will be very useful for more advanced construction. Sadly, pure iron isnt rigid enough to be used as a primary construction material. I need to introduce kittens to steelmaking. Both for advanced building and for better tools. Steel axes are a must. Hoes, well... Replacing iron with steel will bring negligible benefits with our soft soil, so Im not considering that a priority. Or a necessity, even. On the other hand, steel axes will hold the edge for much longer and better then iron ones. Thankfully, smelter slag is both hard and plentiful enough to make sharpening a non-issue in term of resources. IN terms of time, however, ugh. We will definitely see an improvement in woodcutting if my kittens won`t be needing to stop after each third tree to resharpen their axes anew.
Almost forgot. Ive been stockpiling parchment. It will see more use later, once were sufficiently advanced to allow significant free time to be whiled away in a commune. Cultures will flourish, mark my words. I will wholeheartedly support any artistic endeavors, because without art there can be no science.
Year 12, Spring, 96.
Ive been surprised when kittens came by asking for parchment. Ive been expecting something, but not quite that soon. In any case, Ive given them what they requested, under auspices that all will be revealed at the summers end. I wonder what they`re preparing.
Year 12, Summer, 1.
...A theatre. They built an amphitheatre and read poetry. And sung songs. About "she who enlightened". Which they dutifully recorded to parchment. And gave to me. I`m crying tears of happiness, literally. Sorry about that inkstain.
...
...
Im going to encourage them to keep up with it. While a good number of poems and songs were dedicated to me, they also addressed their fellow kittens in some others. This will do wonders to their morale and bring the whole community closer. An important thing as were going to grow. I know we will. We must.
Also, their performance made me realize one important thing Ive missed. In my hurry to teach them the practical sciences, Ive neglected to dedicate some attention to cultural studies. And they will need that. So, I`m going to make a detour from my usual natural sciences and take some time to teach kittens philosophy. They can not be expected to learn why without answering what for first.
Year 12, Summer, 3.
Using the new construction methods and materials, weve greatly expanded the barns and thus, raised our capacity caps significantly. Now we can store amounts of lumber and stone significant enough to consider bigger building projects. Im thinking about observatory, of course, but for the time being, this remains unfeasible. Need more iron.
Year 12, Autumn, 93.
Today, Ive stumbled upon a new building. Apparently, my kittens have had discovered the joys of commerce. The trading post, as they dubbed it, is... well, that. Theyre using gold that weve been smelting to mint those little coins, and are actively exchanging goods. Im... not sure about it, but it seems that in doing so, theyve achieved some economy of goods that Ive set aside for public consumption, such as furs and ivory. It makes sense that a kitten knowing how to tailor a good coat would waste less fur then an amateur... But I have an irrational worry that given the incremental nature of this world, building up this tradepost large enough will outright negate the expense of public use goods.
I am well aware this worry is irrational, but... This world is not exactly rational too. The unicorn have had been hanging around for year now. It wont go away. (Though I obviously didnt try to chase it away. My kittens clearly like it, if I tried to get rid of it without a good reason to, Id have a mutiny on my paws! Though its not like I want to chase it away either, I`m just curious as to why it is still hanging around. Do unicorns like kittens that much? And if so, why?)
Year 13, Autumn, 1.
After all the shakedowns, a quiet year was just what I needed to get my bearings together. Things have had been proceeding apace, with minutae expansions, mostly to our food-related endeavours. A tradepost recently got extra shelf space to show off all the stuff kitten made for sale. I`ve been hearing rumors of other species out there. Other species that may be open to trade, at that. Unfortunately, no dice so far.
Lets see what weve achieved so far. The aqueduct system have had been greatly expanded and extended to supply pasture and village with fresh water. Fields are properly irrigated too. Library have had been gaining genuine scrolls written by kittens lately, both scientific and recreational. Ive been flattered and mortified to find a scroll that is essentially a massive rumination on the "divine curves of Enlightener", "the perfect proportion" and "enticing tail". Im sorely regretful that I havent introduced the concept of signature along with the concept of writing. This scroll is apparently also among the most popular for kittens to borrow, and Ive since found two more copies of it.
Just what I need, my settlers finding me the exemplar of sexuality. I wonder if this is because I am indeed an epithome of allure in feline form, or because Im trendsetting the standard of sexuality by being "the Enlightener". I am honestly unsure as to what I will do with a culture of kittens who find me... uh. Well. Yes. For that matter, Im not sure what I am feeling about it. On one paw, I`m embarrassed. On other, I have a certain guilty desire to find out who wrote this and see if the reality can, uh... compare to fantasy.
Oh Celestia what am I writing, I cant be seriously mulling over fucking cats. UGH. Im going to get me some warm milk, and then Im going to go to bed and then Im most definitely NOT going to dream about participating in a feline orgy. UGH.
Year 13, Autumn, 1 addendum.
Apparently, another surge happened while I was writing this. Improved workshop and lumber mill and added two more cabins. New kittens ahoy. Hoping for farmers this time. Were not short on food, but what I want is to bring our catnip situation to the point where were not running deficit even during harsh winters. Overproduction is much better then underproduction, given that we can easily convert the overhead stock into another highly demanded resource.
Year 13, Autumn, 49.
Tami Fur and Oscar Sand. Both farmers, as Ive hoped. With this, were set to live and eat comfortably throughout the year, regardless of what kind of unfriendly weather is outside. And the converted wood came in handy to expand the library significantly. I need to introduce kittens to books. Parchment scrolls are too inefficient as far as storage goes.
Year 13, Winter, 31.
On this day, kittens (and me) have had finished developing the base tenets of kitten philosophy. It`s been a long and troublesome journey, I admit, and many things made little sense to me when I tried to think of them as a pony, yet were perfectly reasonable and well-considered when I was thinking of them as a cat.
One unavoidable thing, however, was the question of religion. We have agreed (after much arguing and accusations of excessive humbleness) not to deify me, and instead picked the sun as the most suitable object of worship. Admittedly, my explanation as to how solar energy is responsible for just about anything they have, use or eat had easily swayed the opinion.
Well, that, and the unexpected argument that obviously the sun was the object to worship - after all, it casts light, and therefore it makes sense that Enlightener must be related to sun somehow. Im pessimistic. Religion was never a particularly good opinion, and back in Equestria, Ive seen what cults can do to perfectly rational beings. My paws are tied on the matter, though, and all I can do is to make sure that their religious practices dont take some... inadvisable forms. (Please dont develop kitten sacrifice, please dont develop kitten sacrifice, please please oh please dont develop kitten sacrifice! Or any other sacrifice of living beings. I am ethically challenged enough with allowing hunts to go on, I don`t need ritual slaughter on my conscience, oh please just no. Oh stars above, NO, never. NO.)
Year 14, Spring, 56.
Solar eclipse. Very impressive, both for me and kittens. Again, no fear expressed, but plenty curiosity. Ive noted that kittens are having more and more interest in my scholar endeavours. At first, they were merely humoring my requests for unusual things to be brought in... Now, they are emulating me in most curious ways. Theyre experimenting on their own. I think their collective understanding of the world is upgrading itself better with this self-study then what I could impart on my own. They figured out that its the moon blocking out the sun. Its both promising and frightening. Promising, because they will surely reach the heights of science. I`m not even necessary anymore. Helpful, sure, but not necessary. I gave them the impetus, they will never abandon scientific progress now... And that is what frightens me, to be honest.
What if kitten science expands too fast for me to follow? What if Im just setting myself to be left in the dust as they race into the bright future ahead?... I must not fall back. I must hang on and be on the forefront of kitten science. No matter what. I refuse to be left behind. And I refuse to cheat and hold them back with bogus science, as Im sometimes mulling about in my darkest days. For good or bad, I am THE ENLIGHTENER. It does not behoove me to hold them back to pamper my vanity.
Year 14, Spring, 76.
I have received a promotion.
I`ve been wary of this day. All of the data pointed towards me being the first kitten in line for promotion, and I was unsure on how it would even go. The truth is stranger then fiction.
Theyve literally fed me gold and bathed me in gold. They took about twenty five ounses of gold and ground it to fine dust, then mixed it into my catnip and into my bathing water. Gold is neutral, so I didnt expect much trouble from eating it, but...
It soaks into my skin. Im surprisingly not nervous. Well, nervous, but detached. Im blaming it on the milk. It`s suspiciously calming. And has golden tint to it as well.
Year 14, Spring, 76 addendum.
I cant believe it. I have no explanation, but Ive adsorbed the gold. And my ability had increased acutely. I can see better, my pawscribbling had became pawwriting, and Im having such a clear head right now. This is incredible. Unfortunately, its not possible to just augment yourself to godhood with just gold, as Ive just verified. One has to accrue experience for it. But once its there, once you have an idea of what you need improved and how and why, hoo-boy. This feels great. And according to kittens, its supposed to be permanent. Not sure about it, though. If it wont wear off by tomorrow, I`m going to believe them.
Year 14, Spring, 77.
Incredible. The augmentation by gold is, indeed, permanent. Or at least, long-lasting. Im definitely not immune to bad moods even now, but overall? Im GOOOOOOOOOD.
Now my worries about keeping ahead in science seem rather... insubstantial. I`m the first of kittens. Unless I allow myself to wallow in idleness, gold augmentation will ensure I will never be surpassed.
...I just reread what I wrote, and I need to clarify. Im not afraid of somekitten being better scientist then me. Im afraid of becoming irrelevant to scientific progress in general. And clearly, it`s not going to happen unless I make it happen. Huge relief.
Year 14, Summer, 13.
Weve been building new cabins all the while. New kittens are showing up. Were now twenty strong. Im trying to be friendly to every newscomer, but Im predicting that eventually, there will be just too many kittens around to maintain a personal friendship with every single one. As such, I`m going to stop mentioning individual kittens arriving in this diary, at least as far as routine arrival goes.
Year 17, Winter, 65.
I havent touched this diary in three and half years. Why? Nothing had happened. Ive had ample time to look into all those oddities that Ive mentioned before. Sadly, Ive learned both much and nothing. Much, as in Ive learned a great many "what happens if". But none of why. All the time, Ive been busy developing a good technology for smelting steel, and I believe I`m on the cusp of it. The main problem is heat - wood just does not give enough for steel. Coal is needed. Preparing some charcoal in the furnace is feasible, but if we were able to find a deposit, it would be even better.
The reason why I got the diary out? Another unicorn. As Ive promised before, Ive ordered a good meadow fenced out as unicorn pasture and herded the pair there. They immediately began procreating. Ow my eyes. Why, unicorns, why. Oh well, in any case, we will not run out of unicorns in our village, that`s for sure. Might see about expanding the pasture later, if it proves to be too cramped for the growing herd.
Im... growing numb to them, to be honest. After all those years, I kind of just got used to unicorn being there and me not being unicorn. Ive even experimented a little with horn shavings. No dice, if there is any harnessable magic to those unicorns, it wont be an option without removing the entire horn at the least. An option that Im not willing to consider an option, mind.
Year 17, Winter, 89.
Today, I`ve observed planet parade. It was magnificent. I need to create a telescope. For personal use, if nothing else.
Year 18, Spring, 59.
Exceptionally good observation conditions today. Could see all the planets with naked eye. Astounding. Also, had to expand unicorn pasture. Theyre breeding like rabbits! Im morbidly curious if its just the local variety or if all unicorns are that randy and Ive just missed out on all the shenanigans with my books and learning?
Year 18, Winter, 37.
Finally! After a long struggle and many futile attempts, we have developed a way to produce batches of quality steel. Now I just need to source coal for it, in industrial qualities. And I believe that the best option is to combine production of charcoal in smelters inbetween batches of iron ore and mining the coal. Kittens are telling me they`ve found several promising veins of coal down there, but it will take some careful planning to extract.
Either of those methods will require some careful planning and retooling, of course... But both are crucially important. Without steel, we have no future, quite literally. And the first thing I need to consider is expansion of our storage facilities as far as I can.
Year 19, Spring, 33.
After some quiet and logical days, the surging started again. I took full advantage of this and expanded barn and warehouse as far as our current resources allow in hopes of wild surges topping them up at no expense of time and effort. I mean, things DO happen, so why not put them to good use? If this works, the resource surge will likely enable at least one of the stable coal production methods to be established within days, and not years as I previously feared.
On a side note, its been three times already that weve expanded the pasture for unicorns, and theyre STILL going strong. Oh Celestia why. Im beginning to fear unicorn overpopulation. Though, I have to give them their due - they`ve stayed within the pasture so far, no matter how many of them are there.
Year 19, Spring, 90.
Well, it seems that my intention to take advantage of surges have had paid off. Still not enough to kickstart coal production, but were getting there quickly. Also, as an interesting sideline, Ive developed some hunting suits for my kittens. Nothing too elaborate, just some covers to keep them safe. They were quite appreciative, I have to add, as it turns out that wearing that armor allows them to proceed through the forest much more briskly, as they no longer need to fear minor issues like brambles and sharp rocks.
Year 19, Summer, 30.
Expansions, expansions, expansions.
Kittens have had caught on to the surges and are taking advantage of them to expand... well, everything. Amphitheater now has enough space to involve unicorns in the performances... And they had. Workshop now has two wholly separate forges. Were discussing installation of second sawblade into lumber mill. Things are booming, in short. All thanks to those surges. But I cant help but wonder if we`re gaining all that for free, or there is some comeuppance for all that down the line?
Year 19, Summer, 50.
Today, weve had a meeting at the academy, where the plans on mechanization of our village have had been finalized. Kittens have had been using simple machines for quite a while now, lumber mill being the prime example, so it stands to reason we would advance further with this. One of the inventions Im really itching to develop is printing press. At long last, I can have books again... Books. Oh, how I miss you. Scrolls are fine and all, but nothing can replace the feeling of a book fresh off the printing press. Mmm...
But I digress. The machinery. Ill have to construct some kind of steam engine first, to move all this. Big project. I do need to get steel together first, at least. But once we get where I want us to be... skys the limit. For now.
Year 19, Summer, 54.
...Im sorry about the tear stains in advance. Again, tears of happiness. Apparently, somekitten overheard me grumbling about lack of books. So... they made me a book. Thats right. They made a book, just for me. A collection of all the word art thats been dedicated to me, as it were. I sincerely hope it wont become the holy book sometime down the line. I know Ive ascended to godhood back in Equestria, but goshdarn it, Im not ready to be a goddess! I`m barely adequate as a paragon of civilization, let alone deity.
Year 19, Summer, 63.
Finished forging and installing reinforced saw. Now we can run lumber mill faster. Figuring out the exact cut of teeth was problematic, I wasted four blade prototypes before we collectively figured out the best shape. The expertise of our loggers had proved invaluable, once I figured out how to apply their practical skills to theoretical consideration. Once that was done, the blade was forged in barely a day and proved it`s worth the very next morning. Very convenient, as it eliminates a notorious bottleneck in the wood production. Now the question is if our lumberjacks can fell the trees fast enough to keep the lumber chugging along.
Expanding barn and warehouse became a point of dire necessity, by now. Were proceeding apace, but were still lacking the space. I might have to look into reinforcing the inner structures to make sure we can pile goods higher against the walls, because simply adding new segments to the building is getting both complicated and expensive in lumber. We`re already unable to expand barn further simply because we can not amass enough wood to complete the next expansion.
Year 19, Summer, 70.
Two more books were made today. A book of mathematics, and a book of agriculture. Both are meant as collections of relevant and important information on their selective fields. More to follow soon. Finally. After almost twenty years, I can have library again. I`m so proud of my kittens.
Year 19, Summer, 84.
I was right again. Reinforcing barn with proper beams and slabs had allowed a LOT more space for timber, stone and iron ingots. Reinforcing warehouse is a bigger project, as it will require a whole lot more of construction material, as well as complicated scaffolding, but that is a question for another day. For now, we`re focusing on getting the coal out of the ground.
Year 19, Summer, 91.
Ive received another promotion today. The amount of gold had increased. Ive ordered that anyone who is capable of receiving a promotion should receive one as soon as theres enough gold to do it. The effects promotion has on kitten is nothing short of miraculous, and whats best of all - theyre permanent. I have no idea how, but promotions permanently increase ones capacity to work, to think, to perceive. Ive walked outside tonight, and I could see the color of stars. Not just indistinctly white pinpricks of light, but a distinct color to each and every star up above. Thats how better I am now. And thats only rank 2. Im both excited and nervous to think about what happens to one that achieves rank 9. Nirvana?
Year 19, Autumn, 7.
YES! Coal mining is a go! Had to widen the mine and put in some beams to support the main shaft, but now we are getting coal. Now to prepare the smelters for charcoal making, and we`re all set to make some steel. It will be very useful. I can think of so many things to build and invent while having such a durable and flexible material at my disposal.
Also, Ive got two more manuscripts in the library. A treatise on carpentry and lumbering and an almanac of common animals in our locale. I know its too early to call it a library with only five books on hand, but... darn, my library is coming along nicely. Woo-hoo!
Year 19, Autumn, 38.
My collection of books continues to grow. A treatise on plant life, and a collection of kitten fairytales have joined the other books on the shelves. On a less pleasant note, Ive stumbled upon some interesting notes. It seems that my kittens are again planning some kind of construction. While Im hoping that it`s something beneficial like tradepost, the noted amounts of gold and stone requisited make me wonder.
Hopefully, they`re not about to construct some kind of palace for me. That would be just embarrassing.
Year 19, Autumn, 80.
More books. Ive given kittens free reign to write on all kind of topics they desire - but made sure that parchment had a tangible cost to prevent them from creating nonsensical books. So far, so good, althrough I am sadly certain its only a matter of time before a book extolling my supreme enticement will be penned.
Im fine, Im fine. Its just... back in Equestria, nopony exactly showed much of an interest in me in, ah... "that way". That is, not to say I was ugly, of course. But plain, yes. Its not pleasant, but I have to admit that all my life in Equestria, I`ve been plain, even when I got my wings in addition to horn. Plain alicorn princess, hah. What a joke.
So its more then a bit.... unusual, I suppose, to have everyone watch me like Im sex incarnate. Im fairly certain they do screw around with each other, Ive even walked in on some couples a few times. But...
Eh. I`m not sure just how to react to all this. Thankfully, no kitten had propositioned me directly, yet. Because I frankly have no idea what should I do if somecat does.
Year 19, Autumn, 99.
A temple. They built a temple.
...Admittedly, its a nice temple, and its dedicated more to the concept of sun as the source of living energy, rather then any personification or some such... but.
I`m not sure what to think. On one paw, religion is very... ah, delicate subject. It requires precise handling, and even if managed well, the benefits it provides are rather... intangible. On other hand, it is a good way to keep morale up. And the object of worship is not likely to demand kitten sacrifices. I hope.
I will have to keep a very close eye on this. I dont like the idea of possibly branding some of my kittens as heretics, but if any of them get the bad ideas about what sun wants, I wont hesitate to expel them from the village.
One good point is that they havent appointed anyone to maintain temple as of yet. So far, its self-serve kind of worship, and that gives me hope that I`ll be able to give them good direction with this. But I will need to write them a selection of holy texts. I guess the manuscript production had just gained new priority.
Year 19, Winter, 1.
Today, weve began making charcoal as well. This will allow us to expand the steel production. The next item on the agenda is steel axes and warehouse reinforcement. Then... Then well start looking into mechanisation in the earnest.
Year 20, Spring, 1.
...Today, an emissary of lizards had shown up in the village. He was perfectly polite and gave me a very positive impression. According to him, they have a society that had achieved much with timber, but had fallen behind with masonry. As such, theyre willing to barter cut timber for quarried stone in bulk. Im quite impressed with the lizards so far, theyve been friendly and honest throughout our whole conversation. I believe I will endeavor to occasionally send them shipments of quarried stone even if we dont need extra wood. Helping out such friendly people is a boon in itself.
With that visit in mind, I have wondered all night if there are other civilizations we can meet and befriend? I must find out! It will be long and hard to amass the necessary amount of supplies to send out an expedition like that, but I am fully committed to it, now that I know there are other civilizations to discover. Whom else shares this world with us, and what do they have for trade? I can`t wait to find out.
Author's Note
Terribly sorry if anyone is still expecting this to update (hopefully not). I`ve lost both savegame and interest in that particular story.
