My roommate!
My new roommate is awesome! She's really friendly and was just as eager to see me as I was to see her.
She got to the room just after lunchtime. I hadn't gone to the dining hall, 'cause by then I was starting to worry that maybe she wouldn't show up or something . . . I know, dumb. I thought about calling my human assistants, but I didn't want to bother them, they've probably got all sorts of stuff that they have to do.
One of the mares that gave us a bunch of pointers worked as a facilitator in Equestria, and it sounded like she worked a lot to make sure that the humans had a good experience. It's a little bit harder for ponies 'cause we don't have telephones.
So I'd gotten most of my stuff put away and was starting to pace the room nervously, when I heard keys rattling outside and a girl's woman's voice talking, then the doorknob turned and she came into the room.
She was shorter than any of the humans we'd met at the facility, but still more than a head taller than me. I thought she was really fat, but it turns out that she was wearing a padded jacket and was a lot thinner under it.
Her name is Peggy. She has a dark brown mane that falls below her shoulders and brown eyes that have little lines around them when she smiles or laughs, which is a lot. She's also got large udders breasts which I think I remember were a sign of beauty on a human woman.
There was a brief moment of awkwardness, like neither of us could believe this was actually happening, and then I reached out my hoof like we'd been told was a greeting (just like a hoofshake but the human will hold onto your hoof or pastern) and she leaned over and wrapped her arms around me and gave me a hug.
I told her that if I'd known we were going to be hugging I would have stood up on my hind legs, and so we tried again and it worked out much better.
She took off her coat and pulled her suitcase which has little wheels into the room and then we introduced ourselves properly.
I'd kinda gotten a little background from her; that was part of the matching process we had to do beforehoof. Of course in the moment, I couldn't remember anything except that she came from a region called Colorado that was all mountains, which is probably why they thought she'd be a good match with a pegasus.
Peggy smelled nice, too. We'd been warned that humans liked different smells than ponies, and I'd kind of worried about that. What if she smelled like a pig or a bear? Humans are omnivores after all.
I think it would be smart to let all the new exchange students meet with the outgoing group. There's some overlap of times; it has to do with how the portals operate. I bet we could learn more from that than from a slideshow.
She had a lot of clothes in her suitcase, and she put them away while we talked. She was happy that she could use my half of the closet. I was only using a couple of drawers in my dresser, and I told her she could use the rest of that, too. I couldn't reach the top drawers unless I flew anyway.
Which was something she really wanted to see, so I flew up to the ceiling for her. It felt good to stretch out my wings.
Then she was unpacked and sat down on her bed, so I stretched out on mine, and we just talked about what our homes were like for a little bit. Mostly me—she had a lot of questions, and I got the impression that their briefings hadn't been as detailed as ours, or else there had been a lot of details left out of our materials and I was going to find out later how different things really were.
We probably could have kept talking forever, but her portable telephone rang and she read the telegram on it and then said that it was dinner time.
I'd completely forgotten about the time, but when she mentioned it, I all of a sudden remembered that I was starving. All I'd had to eat was the snack bouquet that had been on my desk.
One of the many many things in my packet was a table of times that the dining hall was open. I think they called it Saga, and then there was a little restaurant under it called Quad Stop that was open later but cost actual bits to eat at. I started to look for it, but Peggy said that she'd buy us a pizza, if I could eat pizza. I wasn't sure if I could, but her little telephone was very clever and showed all the different things that came on a pizza, and we finally agreed on what to have on our pizza.
We got back to talking again, and then it finally arrived—it was delivered in a vehicle, which seemed like a very complicated way to get food when we could have just walked over to the dining hall and gotten some there.
She gave the driver some bills, which is what they call their money. Bills and coins. All the bills look the same, except they have numbers on them, while the coins are all different sizes so you know what's what.
She told me to stay up in the room, so I did, but I watched as she got the pizza from the delieveryperson because I want to know how it works so that I can get my own sometime.
It was very good, although a little bit undersalted, and there was more cheese on it than I thought there would be, and fewer vegetables. But Peggy had also gotten a salad for me, and while it wasn't very fresh, it was still good. She also let me eat the pepper that came with the pizza.
The two of us talked until it was very late—she finally looked at the clock and apologized for keeping me up all night, but she said that the night before had been a holiday and she had stayed up late and that was why she had been so late in arriving. I told her that I didn't mind.
Peggy undressed changed into her sleeping clothes, which was a t-shirt and panties (I had to look that up). I hadn't believed that humans wore clothes all the time, but there it was in front of me.
I should have written this last night—I probably forgot some stuff—but I was exhausted. Obviously, Peggy was too; she's still asleep even though the sun is already up.
This looks like it's going well. It will definitely be interesting to find the holes in these girls' understanding of one another and their respective cultures.
America... why is it always America... it's probably THE WORST, first world country to represent Earth. For starters, they wouldn't talk about Earth, they would talk about America is "the most besterust!" (pssst Australia and Norway outranks America in basically everything but military spending and crime rates)
You should have gone with Australia, Europe, or an Icelandic country...
6975603 Well, you have 0 stories. Why not try writing about that?
6975613 if i have the authors blessings i'll have a crack at a similar story.
6975637
I picked my alma mater for a multitude of reasons, not the least of which is I am very familiar with the campus, and if I need to refresh my mind on any details, I can make a short road trip.
By all means, if you want to write a similar story, go right ahead.
6975643 I have faith that you'll keep working on this. In some ways, it reminds me of the criminally completed Pillow Case.
6975603
The US has more Nobel Laureates than any other nation, the largest and most successful space program, the largest economy, it is also more diverse than Australia or Norway.
Further more, Iceland is a country, I believe the term you are looking for is Nordic.
That little detail made me
Tracking this, looks nice.
Well, don't know if working and studying in different countries in Europe counts, but if so I have three to offer with some combined seven years. And yes, even within the EU one keeps stumbling over cultural differences that are either annoying or embarrassing.
Nothing as extreme as this setting of course... that would be something like a year in e.g. Ethiopia. Spend two weeks there on a study trip and that was enough to get completely confused.
A common complaint of mine too. When I order bell peppers on my pizza, I expect to see more than a little fleck of green over here and a little fleck of green over there. Sadly, such expectations often prove unfounded.
Can I say how much it amuses me that they call all text based messages telegrams? I know in other stories of yours you have magic interfering with electronics, will that come up here?
I'm wondering whether that was actually meant to be a snack...
Never really been interested in these types of stories but I decided to read this mostly because it's short. It's alright, I gave it a like and I'm going to track it but it hasn't really impressed me that much yet. Not your or the stories' fault of course since it's barely started and it's very nature demands it take a bit of time to get going so I'm going to stick around and see where it goes.
I wonder how the human students will react if it starts raining and Silver flies up to try and move the clouds away?
Another adorable chapter.^^
6976001 Then ISIS suicide bombs the ponies and interdimensional war happens. THEN it's good because grimdark!
6975603 Other countries? What do you mean there are other countries out there? I always thought they were myths, like Antarctica.
Lyra stood staring out across the open expanse of ground that stretched out beyond the portal and shivered in her parka. All that could be seen for hundreds of lengths was snow, snow, snow, and the occasional rock sticking up out of the (wait for it) snow. The sun hung near the horizon in a pale orange that brought sharp shadows across the snow of both her and the two-legged similarly clad scientist beside her. Another sharp gust of wind made conversation impossible for a short time, but in the brief pause where she could make herself heard, she shouted, "So this is Antarctica, Professor Henderson?"
"Yeah!" shouted back the scientist. "It's really beautiful in the summer, isn't it?"
For a long moment, Lyra stood and watched the snow blow across the landscape in the gusty breeze, then turned her back and started walking.
"I'm going back through the portal. Goodbye."
I wonder how ponies would deal with a phone, not being able to see or smell the other person, would it make it seem rather ghostly? Plus mobiles at least don't seem all that hoof friendly. On that front how will she deal with computers, keyboards, touch screens, mice, etc, unless she's been provided with a pony equivalent turning in course work might even be a challenge, it's been many years since I was at university it is handed in on paper still or downloaded to a shared drive?
I wonder if ponies are lactose tolerant?
6975647
I don't know if it's available in the states, but if you've ever been dubious about the taste of gin, you might try Bombay Sapphire, easily the nicest gin I've ever had.
dropbox.com/s/geos97mcvjoptd2/bombay_sapphire.jpg?raw=1
6976417 I actually remember a very good story about Twilight exploring the South Pole...
This is a fun little fic. I do love interworld culture shock.
I think this is a story I'll read between alpha reading chapters of a book.
6976764
I also remember it but I forgot it's name, you know it?
6976907 I don't, otherwise I would've quoted it
6976916
Darn it, thanks nevertheless.
Just what is this story? Is this some kind of premature sequel to On to the Pony Planet, or is it its own storyline?
6975730 And the largest and best Navy in the world.
6976916
Found it
https://www.fimfiction.net/story/225743/1/twilight-sparkle-discovers-earth/the-weather-outside-is-frightful
6976951 Yay!
I love all the little slightly misunderstood details in this, like the snack bouquet and the cars with their names and cutie marks. It's just a pity nobody's going to be driving around a beat-up old Ford Prefect for her to see...
I was worried she would get stuck with a racist.
6976949
Well he does mention the military budget.
6974179 And then, of course, she'd try to actually talk to some of the contestants at that horse show...
(Yes, it was covered in orientation. No, seeing it is still a totally different thing.)
6975730 Lot of that was achieved thanks to foreigners getting funded by the USA.
America's main strenght is its industry and money reserves to funnel to anywhere necessary.
6975603
While I kind of share you view, you can't really pick any one country to sufficently represent Earth. Nor can Equestria alone can represent its own world. It is merely an exchange between two countries.
6976949 I believe Britain might have some arguments against the "best" part. However the air force of the USA is overkill.
While I am all for being proud of your home and defending it, I think this is not exactly the place for this conversation. And yet here I am continuing it ..... bloody hell, me.
6975579
And of course, they'll just keep coming up, from the biggest things to the littlest things. Add in one world that has magic and one that does not (Peggy's lucky socks probably confer no real benefit, but Silver Glow's lucky hair bow might very well do so), and things are bound to remain interesting.
6977127 Now that is something I didn't know. So in a sense, both of us are right, and we can pester each other for all eternity. Mwahahahahaaaa
On a side note, can horses actually sweat? I am too lazy to look it up now.
6975751
There aren't enough PoE stories where the pony eats the floral arrangement.
The way I see it, it's often the little details that make things weird. Like, I dunno, the electrical outlets are totally different, Or what things are allowable public behavior and what things aren't.
What are some of the little things that you found annoying/embarrassing (and feel free to reply via PM)?
6975855
A lot of the pizza chains really skimp on the ingredients, whereas some of the independents seem to overload the pizza. It's rare to find a happy medium. Plus of course the human expectation vs. the pony expectation . . . Silver Glow's going to learn a lot about the difference between advertising and reality.
6977210
Yes.
i587.photobucket.com/albums/ss315/Jumper2295/0527111603a1.jpg
articles.extension.org/sites/default/files/w/1/10/Saddle_fit_3.JPG
According to a horse forum, a horse can sweat up to four gallons/hour. Here's an article about horse sweating.
6975863
No; I want to explore the challenges of Silver Glow using human technology, and there isn't much challenge if she breaks it whenever she gets too close to it.
6977171 Well, as far as I know, amphibious and aquatic mamal don't sweat, as well as some creature living in the desert.
Human don't qualify as such.
6977127
6975994
If they meant for it to be a snack, there would be more hay and fewer flowers.
6976001
I'll give you fair warning now: the majority of my writing is in the SoL category. There's unlikely to be much action or very high-stakes conflict. Rather, there are likely to be a lot of short diary entries on one or two subjects, once Silver Glow has gotten over her initial settling-in period.
That probably depends entirely on whether she succeeds or not, doesn't it?
One thing that Silver Glow is going to learn to hate is the FAA.
6976040
Thanks!
6976118
First I write a story nobody likes about Dick Cheney blowing up ponies, and now you want me to up the stakes and have ISIS do it? Not gonna happen.
6976490
That would take some getting used to, I think. I suppose they would have had to practice with them before they went to Earth; their function wouldn't be entirely intuitive.
I think a lot of stuff is online now. Some of my high-school papers were still written on typewriter; by the time I got to college, most English assignments and stuff were done on computer, but I still was taking notes by hand. (with a fountain pen, 'cause that's how I roll)
The computer/pony interface will be an interesting topic that will come up in the future. Two things in Silver Glow's favor is that she's not the first pony on Earth, and voice-recognition software is pretty good these days.
To steal an idea from Caliponia, touchscreens could probably be activated by muzzle.
6976534
I believe we've seen them consuming dairy products before, so probably yes. But Twilight doesn't like cheese, at least not in quesadilla amounts.
IRL horses can in small amounts. I just skimmed through an article from The Horse about the things readers' horses had eaten, and it's pretty much anything a human might eat, plus a lot of other stuff.
6976745
It is available in the US. I do occasionally indulge, although it's not my favorite adult beverage.
6976848
Thanks! Glad you like it so far!
6976941
No, it's a complete standalone. Not related to anything that I've ever done before.
6976978
It's not impossible; Michigan is the automotive capital in the world. I once got to ride in the only Renault Aspen in the US. . . .