Chapter 3: Potential Difference

Ampere liked to arrive at work early, partly because there weren't as many ponies on the streets on his way to work, partly to get a head start, and partly to see the dawn.  The dawn had reminded him of his mother.  When Ampere was a young colt, his mother had always caressed him in the warmth of dawn.  His habits as an early riser was born from this.  Ampere had never missed a single dawn since the first time he consciously saw one.

He would hold his hoof out and try to possess the dawn.  He never succeeded.  His mother held his hoof after a few sustaining seconds when he did this and he always felt her warmth.

It was about 6:00 A.M. now and he went to the usual spot.  It consisted of a bench that sat upon a slightly elevated cliff within a park.  The cliff was an out-of-place protrusion.  It contrasted heavily against the industrial Dusk-at-Dawn.  The bench was built by Ampere; to everypony else, no one knew for sure but they held some suspicions.

He sat gently on the bench that was growing creaky.  His posterior felt welcomed and accustomed to the firm grooves of the bench seat.  In truth, he was no architect.  Ampere had actually went to the furniture manufactory and asked the clerk there for a simple bench.  It was made that afternoon.

He was just a tad early - a common in his vocabulary of reality - and this allowed him time for reflection.  He looked up, tilted his head back, and stared blankly at the brightening sky.  He remembered his mother's death.  He had tried to suppress the thought but it haunted him always.  He could never escape from its gripping tendrils.  Simply looking the other way was not an option.  It is difficult to do so when insulting comments float to your nose that you can sniff them out precisely.  It is only a matter of time until pony curiosity invites for another sniff... and just seconds later complete slavery.  It's difficult to look forward when there's so much to look at behind you.

"Hello?"  Ampere's trance was cut short.  The shy but bold voice squeaked once more, "Is this seat taken?"

Ampere looked at her.  He made the semblances of a scowl and looked at the grass.

"It's okay, it's fine.  If it's-"

"No.  It's not taken," he interjected.

"Oh, okay then."  The young mare said, scrambling to keep her bag of groceries from falling onto the ground.  She was tired, perhaps from carrying the load for such a long distance.  She was not superbly built in the manner of an athlete, and only possessed the power of everyday strength.  She was perhaps just a foot away from the bench when she tripped and the groceries began their descent unto the ground.

Ampere saw this and in an instant rushed for the groceries.  He managed to save the bag first right hoof, a banana second with his left hoof, and a pomegranate with his muzzle.

"Oh!  I'm so sorry!"

Ampere placed the items into the grocery bag that the mare set down from his hoof.  Then he sat back down on the bench as if nothing happened.  He looked on at the rising sun.  The young mare finally sat on the bench with her groceries aside her on the ground.  She sat a tad nervous in his presence but kept her composure.  Ampere still looked apathetically at the rising sun.  The contrast was brilliant.

"Thank you - again," she said nervously and hesitantly.  Ampere turned to her and drew a small scowl.  It was brief and so he withdrew and orientated his face at the grass.  She had a feeling that he would act that way.  She stiffened her defense and wore a walled countenance.  Thus, here sat two unlikely candidates for a little adventure.

"Well, I really must get going," she braved.  She picked up her groceries and hurriedly went on her way to an unknown destination.  A minute passed and Ampere looked at the empty seat to the right of him.  He spotted a bracelet that read "Volta".  He looked to his left.  He looked to his right.  He looked at the bracelet again.  The dawn's light shined on it.  It blinded his eyes at first but he adjusted to it.  He picked it up.  The sun was now fully visible in the sky.