Maud and Cheeseby rhonyChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 6Chapter 7Chapter 8Chapter 9Chapter 10Chapter 1Maud pie pushed her straight, violet bangs out of her eyes as she stared through the train window at the Ponyville station platform. She had just finished a visit with her favorite sister Pinkie, and true to character, her sister was on the platform making a major scene. Luckily her friends were there with her and were bodily dragging the visibly sobbing pony away from the train. As her seat began to vibrate below her and the sights outside of her window faded away, she heard the last plaintive cries from her little sister. “Goodbye Maud – Goodbye – GOODBYE MAAAAUUUUDDDD!!!!!” Maud was happy she had taken the time to visit with Pinkie before heading to her graduate studies at the University of Mareland in Baltimare; she had learned that Pinkie had made wonderful friends in Ponyville that would be there for her through thick and thin. This was essential to Maud, as everypony knows graduate studies take up all of a mare’s time. With Pinkie being – well, Pinkie – Maud had worried that her sister might find herself in some type of trouble while Maud was away at school and unable to help her. Now, nothing stood in the way of Maud’s dream – to study and someday become a Rock Professor herself. Ever since she had been a little filly, Maud had been fascinated by rocks. On her parent’s rock farm her fascination had grown into something of an obsession. The other foals at school had laughed at her, unable to understand why she was so smitten with something so… gray. But Maud has always understood that it was her gifts that allowed her to see the beauty in the rocks, gifts that the other fillies and colts simply did not possess. The ponies around her saw a uniform greyness where she saw mottles and flashes of color that told her the very history of the ground below her. In art class, she would try to show others the beauty that she found in rocks, but they would snicker at the variations of grey she had crayoned across the paper. In contrast, the garish colors of the other ponies’ drawings hurt her eyes and her sensibilities. Her writing was much the same; her words each conveyed so much meaning to her, yet others did not seem to understand the delicate layers of meaning wound through her descriptions of her favorite topic. In turn, she found their words overly emotive and therefore close to meaningless. Over time, Maud learned to keep to herself. The ponies around her seemed so loud, both visually and aurally. Her tendencies became more like the rocks she so dearly loved; one had to observe her very carefully to see any changes in her expressions, listen attentively to notice the minute variations in her voice. It wasn’t that Maud felt things any less than others, simply that she expressed herself in the same way she sensed the world around her – minutely. Maud smiled to herself as the scenery rushed by her train window and she thought of her sister Pinkie. From the moment Pinkie was born, she had been different to Maud; the one pony that could never be, well, too much. Maud had been fascinated with that little pink bundle from moment one. As Pinkie’s natural tendencies evolved, and she became the party animal she is today, Maud stuck with her through thick and thin. It was as if Maud had a special filter when it came to Pinkie which allowed her to experience Pinkie in all her glory without feeling overwhelmed by it. A filter built of love, Maud mused, as the train continued on its way to Baltimare. The entire trip might have continued in pleasant monotony for Maud if not for a sudden slam of the train car door behind her, followed by a loud humming. Maud first fought the urge to hide under her seat, and then the urge to turn around to see what (or who) was making all that racket. Instead, she took the wisest course she could by continuing to stare out the window, even as the humming turned into singing…. “The super-duper party pony–that pony is me….You'll never meet another party pony quite like CHEESE!” At this point the singing was clearly right behind her… and then right next to her… Please keep going, please keep going… thought Maud as she fought to continue staring out the window. Please… “Hello! Anyone sitting here?” Maud sighed. At this point, she had to turn around; to do otherwise would be rude. But she wasn’t quite prepared for what she saw. Well, she knew it had to be an earth pony, but this earth pony was a bright orange color she didn’t know pony genetics could produce. His mane and tail were chocolate brown and as wild as pinkie’s, and his cutie mark… was that a toasted cheese sandwich? A bright yellow shirt completed the picture. But his eyes – his eyes were what caused Maud to stare, mouth agape. His eyes seemed to shimmer with a bright green energy, almost pulsating with light. It overwhelmed her, but for some reason she couldn’t turn away. The strange pony’s voice cut through her reverie. “Well, of COURSE no one is sitting there!” With that he plopped himself down in the seat next to hers and smiled, somehow never breaking eye contact. "So I've been on this train for a while and then it pulled into Ponyville and everyone on my train car got off which is SOOOO boring so once the train got moving again I thought I'd take a look at this train car and see if there was anything interesting going on and so here I am and there you were so I thought I should find out more about you. So tell me all about you!" Maud managed to look away, and closed her eyes. It was going to be a long trip. Chapter 2Cheese Sandwich was happily humming as he moved from train car to train car. Life is very good, he thought to himself. He had been traveling by train from Las Pegasus, where he had thrown a stupendous party if he did say so himself – Which I do! he thought, chuckling. Malarson Highstepper himself had raved about the bash to his best friend, who just happened to be the Dean of Students at the University of Mareland. The next thing he knew, Cheese was on a train to Baltimare, ticket already paid, job already guaranteed – a never-to-be-forgotten new student orientation ball! Only one teeny weeny problem marred Cheese’s good humor – the ponies he had whooped it up with on the first leg of his journey had been inconsiderate enough to disembark at Ponyville (never mind that it was their intended destination). So Cheese was on the prowl for a new set of happy-go-lucky travelers. Unfortunately for him, it seemed like everypony had disembarked in Ponyville. But Cheese was not a pony to let a small hitch in his plans keep him from moving forward. There had to be somepony left on the train… And then, finally, there was! A mousy earth pony was sitting alone in the car he had just entered, with her face turned toward the window. Maybe not the partying type, he thought to himself, but the challenge makes it all the more fun! Singing at the highest volume he could, Cheese moved toward the lone pony in the cart. Hmm…. maybe she is deaf? One thing that Cheese had never been accused of was being unnoticeable… well, not since he had gotten his cutie mark, anyway. The fact that the pony hadn’t moved a muscle since he entered the cart was a bit unnerving. This made Cheese all the more determined to get her attention, somehow. The poor thing looks like she never has had a moment of fun – but I can solve that! Cheese sang all the way up to the seat next to the immobile pony and then, in as cheery a voice as he could muster, asked her if he could sit next to her. He was surprised when he heard a faint, pained sigh pass her lips, but quickly decided to look on the bright side of this strange encounter. After all, she had reacted to his query, which lead him to two promising conclusions: 1) she wasn’t deaf after all and 2) she wasn’t dead either. So he put on his most charming Cheesy smile as he waited for her response. Slowly she turned around… And Cheese was looking at the most unusual, amazing, beautiful pony he has ever seen. She had a silky straight violet mane and tail and soft grey fur like the fog rolling over Vanhoover on a fall day. But it was her eyes – those mesmerizing jade-green eyes surrounded by a thick fringe of lashes – that seemed to bore through to the center of his heart. He couldn’t seem to break his gaze away from her. Did I just say something? What did I say? Cheese thought to himself as he sat down. He knew he was babbling, but he wasn’t even sure what was crossing his lips anymore. That is, until the amazing creature next to him broke his gaze and closed her eyes. That break in contact felt like a splash of cold water. Cheese took a deep breath, determined to salvage the situation. “So…” Okay, not exactly smooth Cheese, get it together. “My name is Cheese Sandwich, and I’m on my way to Baltimare.” The mare next to him had opened her eyes again and was looking at him silently. Cheese wasn’t sure how many awkward moments passed before he couldn’t take it anymore. “What’s your name?” The mare opened and closed her mouth, fixing those jeweled eyes on him again. Finally, she spoke. “My name is Maud.” Like her mane and her coat, Maud’s voice was silky. Cheese felt so… well, garish compared to Maud. But at the same time, her smoothness felt like a calming balm to him, allowing him to settle back in his seat and relax, at least somewhat. “Well, Maud, are you on your way to Baltimare as well?” Maud blinked. She seemed to consider her answer carefully. “Yes.” Not exactly an opening for more conversation, but Cheese was too enthralled by this strange mare to be put off. “Why Baltimare?” “Well…” Maud paused. “Rocks.” Cheese wasn’t sure he’d heard right. “Rocks?” Maud blinked again. “Yes, rocks.” The two ponies sat in silence for a moment while Cheese considered her answer. Finally, he asked, “Weren’t there rocks where you were before?” Maud turned to face him, her mouth open. She snapped her mouth shut, staring at him while he stared at her. Then, the corner of her mouth began to twitch… and soon, the twitch spread into a smile, followed by a short snort of mirth. Cheese was convinced it was the most beautiful laugh he had ever heard. Maud spoke again. “Yes, there were rocks in where I came from. Quite a few of them.” She flashed a brief smile before her face settled back into a serene, calm façade. “I am entering the University of Mareland as a graduate student in Rockology. My studies begin next week.” Cheese couldn’t believe his luck. “I’m heading to the University of Mareland too! Well, not as a student.” Cheese took a breath. He was starting to speed up again, and somehow, instinctively, he knew he needed to slow down around this particular mare. “I’ve been hired by the school to plan the new student orientation ball. That’s what I do, I plan parties. You’ll be coming to the new student orientation ball, of course?” Maud seemed to consider his words carefully. “I wasn’t planning on attending. I’m not much of a party-pony.” Dang. Cheese was a bit lost as to what to say after that. So the two ponies sat in silence for a while. As he contemplated Maud, and Maud’s words, Cheese slowly came to two new conclusions. The first was that getting Maud to be his friend was going to be quite a bit of work. The second was that he was going to get Maud to come to the new student orientation ball – and have fun – if it was the last thing he did. Chapter 3For the first time since she had arrived in Baltimare, Maud felt as if her life was in order. She leaned back in her desk chair and surveyed her small but private dormitory room in the Graduate Student Hall at the University of Mareland. Her desk was ready, pencils and supplies in drawers and textbooks lining a single shelf. A clock hung from a hook above the shelf, and her pet rock Boulder had its own place of honor in a depression in the upper left corner of the desk’s surface. Her knapsack was ready, a small grey bag leaning against the desk, containing her notebooks and schedule for next week. Beside the desk, her cot was made up with the sheets and quilt gifted to her by her parents – the quilt had been lovingly constructed by her mother in shades of grey. A tiny closet completed the room. Finally, quiet, she thought to herself, as she reviewed the past few days in her mind. Her new… acquaintance, Cheese, had insisted on flagging a taxi for her and accompanying her to the University of Mareland when she had arrived in town. He’d finally let her be when the orientation counselors took over, showing her to her new living accommodations and burdening her with a thick scroll outlining her orientation schedule—all mandatory. After that, there had been non-stop activity, from tours of the campus to departmental welcome socials to residence hall getting-to-know-you games. None of it was really Maud’s cup of tea. Well, she had found out about a poetry club on campus during the activities fair. And she did get to meet some of her professors for her classes. And… in the background, somehow, through it all, was Cheese Sandwich. Whenever it had seemed like she might have a little downtime, he had magically appeared, as if he was carrying around his own copy of her schedule. At the cafeteria during lunch, she would sit by herself in a secluded corner… and Cheese would walk up out of nowhere, peppering her with questions about her activities so far. He claimed he was “researching,” learning what the new students were doing so he could design the best wrap-it-all-up ball possible. “Aren’t there any other ponies you could ask about orientation?” she had asked on the second day. “Nope! Haven’t met anyone else!” he had replied with his ever-present cheerfulness. Maud had then weighed the unpleasantness of having to continue answering his questions against the daunting task of introducing him to some of her fellow students. Which led to her agreeing to meet him for lunch again the next day. There was something about Cheese that made her smile, even though he was nothing like anyone she had befriended before. Or cared about. Really, nothing like anyone else she knew at all… sometimes he was just too loud, too fast, too vibrant for her to stand. Other times, he seemed… different. Calm, patient, with those amazing eyes that captivated her. She found herself telling him things about herself, her family, the rock farm, her dreams… things she didn’t share lightly. Some things she had never shared with anyone. But then the boisterous, party-loving animal would surface again, acting like a complete idiot. Sometimes he was even waving a rubber chicken around. What is the point of a rubber chicken, anyway? Why does such a thing even exist? Maud thought about Cheese for a moment longer, trying to figure him out like a puzzle. The pieces just didn’t fit together in a way that made sense to her. She shook her head and decided to think about something else. It was almost over. One more day of orientation activities tomorrow, culminating in the New Student Orientation Ball. The Ball was most assuredly optional, to her relief – but Cheese had asked her every single time he saw her whether she had changed her mind about attending. Of course she hadn’t, but he seemed determined to wear her down. Silly pony, she thought. Rocks don’t wear down that easily. As a child, she had been teased by the other fillies, who liked to tell her she was as dull as a rock so she must be a rock. What they didn’t understand was that to Maud, this was a complement. A grumbling from Maud’s mid-section interrupted her reverie, and she checked the clock on the wall of her room. It was dinnertime. With a sigh, she rose from her chair and exited her small sanctuary, locking the door behind her. A few flights of stairs later, she was outside, enjoying the warmth of the last days of summer as she sauntered across campus toward the cafeteria. Along the way, she contemplated the different paving stones used to create the pathways between the campus buildings, trying to guess which ones came from which part of Canterlot. It was when she was in this state that she started to hear a far-away cry, getting closer at an alarming rate…. “Maud? Maudie-pie! MAAAAUUUUUD!!!!!” Suddenly, she was flying through the air and landing on her back with an OOOMPH, a tangle of pink mane and tail dancing on top of her. She managed to catch her breath long enough to get out one hoarse word: “Pinkie?” ... In the dining hall, she no longer had the luxury of a quiet corner to herself and Cheese. In fact, suspiciously, Cheese was nowhere to be seen. Instead, she was sitting next to her boisterous younger sister, who had attracted a rather large crowd of students to their table. Pinkie babbled on in a chipper Pinkie voice about her trip from Ponyville and what had brought her to visit her sister so quickly after Maud had last seen her. “And then I got a letter from my friend Cheese, asking me for MY help putting together the New Student Orientation BALL! ME, he wanted ME to help! Isn’t that great? So of course, with you being here and everything I HAD to say yes, and now I get to see my FAVORITE big sister and help set up the BIGGEST party on campus… I mean, I’m so EXCITED I can hardly STAND IT!” The stream of words ran past Maud… wait a second. “Um, Pinkie, you know Cheese? Cheese Sandwich?” “Of, COURSE, silly! Don’t you remember that letter I sent you about Rainbow Dash’s birth-iversary?” Maud couldn’t remember the letter, honestly, but then again Pinkie always had so much to say… “Anyway, this is going to be the best, the biggest, the most SPECTACULAR New Student Orientation Ball E-VER! With me and Cheese planning it, there’s no way it can’t be! You are coming, Maud, RIGHT?” Pinkie faced her with those large sky-blue Pinkie eyes that began to shimmer when she saw the doubt in Maud’s face. “Oh, Maud, you HAVE to come… please oh PLEASE?” Pinkie stared at Maud, waiting expectantly. Around Pinkie were a dozen of her new friends (ponies whose names Maud had already forgotten), and they were staring at her expectantly too. It was a nightmare, and there was only one thing she could do to end it. “Of, course, Pinkie, I’ll be at the Ball. But I don’t have a dress.” Pinkie let out a whoop and sprung out of her chair, landing on Maud and pushing her over backwards. Maud was still in her chair staring up, and Pinkie was jumping up and down on top of her. “That’s NO problem – I have enough time to take you shopping for a dress in the morning! This is going to be the BEST… PARTY… E-VER!” Maud closed her eyes, and waited to wake up. Chapter 4Cheese surveyed the ballroom before him, satisfied with the results of the last several hours of decorating. Actually, not to be outdone, Cheese had arranged for the hallways and outside of the Student Center to be decorated as well, all in the colors of the University of Mareland: black, red and yellow. Pinkie had tried her hardest to sneak in some pink and purple, but Cheese had put his hoof down on that one. Cheese smiled to himself when he thought about Pinkie. Asking for her assistance had been the smartest move he’d made since coming to Baltimare. He had only found out she was Maud’s sister by accident, when Maud had described her childhood on the Pie rock farm. He still had a difficult time imagining Pinkie in such a place… but anyway, he had managed to keep it together and not let Maud know he knew Pinkie. And Pinkie had somehow convinced Maud to show up tonight for the Ball! Everything had to be perfect tonight; this might be his last chance to impress Maud before his Cheesy Sense pulled him toward his next destination. So he had spent hours in preparation, even before Pinky had arrived at lunch time, flush-faced and muttering something about a dress making her late. There was a lavish feast spread across several tables at one end of the ballroom. At the other end, Vinyl Scratch was queuing up the music for dancing. Cheese’s own accordion was safely stashed behind Vinyl for use after the partying had really gotten going. Pinkie was in the kitchen overseeing the last of the food. And a few fillies and colts had started to show up, mixing in small groups and eyeing the banquet tables hungrily. Cheese rushed over to get them started on filling their plates, and queued Vinyl to start the music. “Great party, well done!” Cheese turned to see Kathy Andercolt, the Dean of Students, standing next to him, munching on a canapé. “We haven’t had this successful a ball on campus in a very long time.” “Thank you, Dean Andercolt,” Cheese replied, feeling giddy in his success. Around them, ponies were beginning to pair off and dance. More ponies were munching and laughing in groups around the room. The room was quickly filling up, but not a pony among them had soft grey fur and dazzling green eyes. “You know, Mr. Sandwich, I could see us making a more permanent arrangement for your services. Our graduate students tend to be overly focused on their studies. Even serious young ponies need to have fun every once in a while, don’t you think?” “Um, sure,” Cheese replied, his attention diverted. He was barely listening, as at that moment, a young mare with a beautifully coiffed purple mane and a dazzling green dress in a shade that perfectly matched her eyes stepped into the ballroom doorway. She had arrived alone, and was looking around uncertainly. “Excuse me.” Cheese strode as fast as he could to the doorway while maintaining some illusion of composure. Maud continued to look around, until she saw him… and their eyes locked. “Maud! You’re here!” Cheese shouted over the ever-growing din of the party. He eyed her appreciatively. “You look beautiful.” Maud’s gaze became startled, and she looked toward the floor. Was that a hint of pink under the grey of her cheeks? Her mouth opened and she looked up and around again, as if trying to catch her breath and think of something to say at the same time. Cheese thought it was adorable. “Here, Maud, come sit down!” Cheese led her to one of the tables lining the walls of the ballroom. “Would you like anything to eat? Or drink? Everything you could possibly want is here…” Cheese didn’t mention that he knew that was true because he had pumped Pinkie pie for information on her families’ food favorites, ostentatiously as research for the ball. “Wait, I’ll just get you a plate of things to sample.” Later, Cheese would wonder what might have happened if he had sat down with her instead. Or perhaps asked her if she wanted to dance. Or offered to take her for a quiet stroll outside. Anything that would have meant he hadn’t turned toward the buffet tables at the very moment and witnessed Pinky carrying a bowl of something very, very pink toward the spread of food. The problem being, of course, that there had been nothing quite so pink in the carefully conceived menu he had planned. At that moment, Pinkie saw him, and came bounding over, carefully balancing the large bowl of pink glop in her hooves. “Cheese! I was hoping I’d find you! Look, it’s your families’ secret cheese sauce recipe, but I pinkified it for you! Isn’t it GREAT?” Cheese Sandwich stared at the bowl. His families’ secret cheese sauce was a sacred institution, a cornerstone of his parties’ success. He had carefully prepared the sauce earlier and left it to chill. Pinkie simply had to place it out on the table at the right moment. “Pinkie?” squeaked Cheese, when he regained his ability to talk. “Why is my families' sacred, secret cheese sauce HOT PINK?” Pinkies’ face fell for a microsecond, but then she cheered back up again “Oh, silly, everyone will love it oh-so-much-more now that it is pink! Pink is the bestest, most partyish color around!” At that point, Cheese grabbed onto the edge of the bowl, “Pinkie, I really can't let my extra special cheese sauce be PINK…” Pinkie was having none of it. “It’s still the same SAUCE, silly, why would you NOT serve it?” She began to tug on her side of the bowl. Cheese was beginning to feel a bit desperate. There was no way he was going to let this cheese sauce go out on the buffet as a hot pink mess. He began tugging harder on his side “Pinkie, give me the sauce.” The tugging grew more frantic and the two ponies argued the merits of cheese sauce of unnatural coloring. Maud watched the fiasco, half amused and half embarrassed. Cheese and Pinkie really were making a spectacle of themselves, and several ponies had come over to watch. In fact, even Vinyl was staring in their direction, and seemed to have forgotten to queue the next album in her set. Neither Pinkie nor Cheese seemed to notice. They were caught up in their own world of perfect-party-paranoia, tugging frantically back and forth on the unsuspecting bowl, which was vibrating under the pressure. Then, just as the current song was ending… CRAAAAACK! In the ensuing silence, every ponies' eyes watched as the bowl of hot pink cheese sauce split in two. Unfortunately, as it split, the contents of said bowl were thrown upward, outward, and managed to land squarely on Maud. Hot pink cheese sauce coated her new dress. Hot pink cheese sauce covered her carefully coiffed mane. In fact, the only part of her that was not covered in hot pink cheese sauce was her eyes, which were currently staring daggers at Cheese and Pinkie. Cheese was not sure how long it took for him to register what had happened – the quiet in the hall was deafening. As he and Pinkie stared in horror, Maud slowly stood up. Then, her head held high, and with as much dignity as she could muster, she slowly walked toward the doorway and out of the ballroom, dripping cheese sauce as she left. Pinkie turned to Cheese, and Cheese turned to Pinkie. They both blinked several times. But it was Pinkie who finally broke the silence. “We are in sooo much trouble. I have NEVER seen Maud this cheesed!” Chapter 5Maud was very aware that she was leaving a trail of pink drips behind her as she marched back to her dormitory, up the stairs, and straight into the shower. She didn’t even bother to take off the silly dress Pinkie had convinced her to buy that morning. As she sat under the hot spray of water, she saw trails of hot pink running off her and down the drain. Maybe it was just her mood, but she swore she could smell cheese curdling as the shower slowly rinsed away the last traces of the trauma her sister and Cheese had put her through. It’s settled. I’m never going to a ball again. Once she was very, very sure that every trace of the horrific cheese sauce had been removed from her body and dress, she rubbed herself down and changed into pajamas. Her head had begun to pound, and all she wanted to do was go to sleep and pretend the day hadn’t happened. But the sight of the sleeping bag in the middle of her floor reminded her that she would have to face Pinkie again sooner or later. Later. Later works. Soon after Maud had settled into the comforting darkness of her room, she heard a timid knock on the door, followed by a subdued “Maud?” The door cracked open, and in slunk Pinkie. “Maud?” Pinkie tried again. Maud was so not ready to talk to her sister. She kept her eyes tightly shut, hoping that Pinkie would take the hint. Pinkie sighed and slowly rolled herself into the sleeping bag. She shuffled around a bit, before settling down. Before Maud fell asleep, she swore she heard her sister whisper “I’m so sorry.” But maybe that was just the beginning of a dream. It turned out that graduate students are much more mature than elementary school fillies. Maud was able to put the Great Cheese Sauce Incident behind her rather quickly, and rather than laugh at her, her fellow students tended toward sympathetic glances. Besides, they all soon found they had way too much to do to spend their time thinking about events that were so last week. Graduate school professors don’t break you in slowly, and Maud found herself reading and studying late into the night the day after classes started. Even the weekends were filled with work. Maud had three classes, plus teaching assistant duties. Day in and day out, rocks and more rocks. She loved it. Finally, she was surrounded by ponies that truly shared her interests. But even though she enjoyed the topics covered in her courses, she soon wondered if she was cut out for graduate school after all. Her Classification of Rocks class was the one she struggled with the most. Before graduate school, she didn’t have to think quite so much about what label she should use for each rock she encountered. She could just enjoy each specimen for its unique beauty. No more. But no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t seem to remember the difference between a Schist and a Scoria, or a Conglomerate and a Breccia. It was driving her crazy. As midterms approached, Maud began to really worry. She seemed to be okay in her Hydrology class – water did predictable things and interacted with different rocks in predictable ways. Besides, hydrology hit close to home for Maud, as her parents’ rock farm was probably created by a receding glacier. Maud thought she’d be okay in her Tectonics class as well, as long as she kept studying. But nothing she tried seemed to help her remember rock classifications. And if she wanted to stay in graduate school, she had to pass Classification of Rocks. No two ways about it. Maud began spending more and more time in the library, reviewing alternate textbooks on rock classifications and looking for tricks to help her remember which rock was which. She even made herself flashcards, but nothing seemed to be working. It was the night before the dreaded midterm, while she was sitting in the library pondering her fate, when Cheese Sandwich walked back into her life. Specifically, he walked into the library, as if he knew she’d be there, and sat down across from her as if this were an everyday occurrence. Maud stared at Cheese. “What are you doing here?” she asked, while struggling to decide just what emotion she was experiencing at his sudden appearance. Something between anger, annoyance, and joy? She couldn’t tell if the sensation in her stomach was due to her nervousness about the midterm, or if it was just a reflection of the confused state Cheese had elicited in her. “I’m here to help you!” Cheese replied, acting as if he had completely forgotten that the last time they had seen each other was the night of the hot pink mess. Maud tried to organize her thoughts, and failed. “Um, how? I mean, why do you think I need help? I’m fine you know… graduate school is great. I haven’t had to attend a single ball since you left.” Maud knew the moment after that last sentence had slipped out that she probably shouldn’t have said that. Cheese winced visibly in reaction, and Maud was immediately sorry to have brought up the ball. After all, it wasn’t as if Cheese had intended to publicly humiliate her. But before she could apologize, Cheese spoke. “Maud? I’m really, really sorry about what happened that night. It was totally, completely my fault.” Cheese paused, looking suddenly shy. “The truth is… well, the truth is that I just wanted to make the night special. For you, because you deserve to have special things happen to you. And when I saw what Pinkie had done to the cheese sauce, well… it just wasn’t right. I lost my head.” Maud swore she saw a glimmer of tears in the orange pony’s eyes. She opened her mouth to respond, but Cheese cut her off. “Wait, Maud, there’s more. I know I should have contacted you before this, or at least said goodbye, but I was too embarrassed after what I did to you… well, what Pinkie and I did to you. I figured you’d have to forgive Pinkie, but you wouldn’t have to forgive me. And I couldn’t bear the thought of you never wanting to see me again. So it was easier to leave than ask for forgiveness. But Pinkie told me you were having trouble, so I thought maybe I could make it up to you by helping you out…” Startled, Maud looked him in the eyes and narrowed hers. “What do you mean, Pinkie told you I was having trouble?” “Ummm…. She said that you were having trouble remembering the names of rocks? You told her that in a letter?” Nervous, Cheese tugged on the collar of his yellow shirt, hoping desperately that he hadn’t made a big mistake in coming back so quickly. At first, Maud looked pretty angry, but then she sighed and her shoulders sagged. After a minute, she spoke. “Well, she’s right, but I don’t think you can help.” Maud looked sadly at the book in front of her on the table, and then back at Cheese. “My midterm is tomorrow, and no matter how hard I try I can’t seem to remember which rock is which.” Cheese brightened up visibly, and started bouncing up and down in his seat. “You’re wrong, Maud, I can help you! I have a fantastic plan, and I just KNOW it is going to work! You are going to ACE your midterm, I promise!” Maud was taken aback by Cheese’s exuberance. What in Equestria was he planning? Chapter 6For a pony that had not slept a wink the previous night, Maud was surprisingly awake. In fact, she was buzzing with an energy she had never felt before. Probably Cheese’s fault, she thought to herself as she took her seat in her Classification of Rocks class. I bet his hyperactivity is contagious. Cheese had been good for his word. He had spent the entire night with her, first at the library and then in the common room of the dormitory. Now all she could do was face down the test and hope his scheme had worked. The professor passed out the exam papers, face down, as Maud chewed on the end of her pencil. Five… four… three… two… one… “You may begin.” The first section of the exam was a plain and simple rock identification. Her professor had created three dimensional pictures of the rocks using some type of magic and posted them at the front of the room. Tapping on the picture on her paper caused the picture to appear closer to her. If she didn’t need to concentrate on the exam, she would have spent some time marveling at the ingenuity of the spell. Maud stared at the first picture… the rock had grains that were obvious. Was it granite? Before panic overtook her, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes… ….and in her mind she was back with cheese. Cheese was playing a popular song on the accordion in the corner of the library, and other than a disapproving librarian, no one else was there. But he had changed the words of the song… One part of me knows the word is overused One part wants simplicity And if I am confused, I am confused But in my textbook You offer definitions will not take these things for granite “Come on, Maud, your turn!” Cheese called out cheerfully after the first verse. “Cheese, this doesn’t help me remember anything that is going to be on the exam!” Maud had been frustrated. “That’s not the whole song! But it is the beginning and helps the rest make sense… c’mon Maud, what could it hurt?” A few minutes later Maud had to admit it was easier remembering the lyrics than she thought it would be, probably because she already knew the original song. Cheese went on to the next verse… It’s true granite is a rock with grains that show With a hardness more than marble But that doesn’t mean, schist’s the same thing Igneous it’s not, It’s metamorphic! “Okay, that verse might actually be helpful,” said Maud, although she still looked dubious. I'm noticing Gabbro is much darker Basalt is fine-grained Diorite has less quartz I will not take these things for granite Anymore… …Basalt, Maud thought to herself, and put the answer down on the exam. One down, nine to go. Every time Maud looked at another rock, she saw Cheese. Cheese, dancing in time with the music, teaching her another verse of some ridiculous parody. Cheese, sitting across from her, patiently reviewing the words with her. Cheese, playing the chords for the song on the accordion until she could sing the song through without his help. Finally she was on the last rock… and the last song… How many names can you have for one rock That’s sedimentary? Chemically formed and flaky to boot, Its luster is waxy Sometimes is used for starting a fire, And sometimes it’s just pretty… The answer my friend, Is Jasper, Flint, or Chert…. The answer is Jasper, Flint or Chert! In this case, it’s flint. She wrote down the answer with satisfaction. Part one was done. But that was the easy half of the test. The second half was essays, and for those she had to know the origins of all the different kinds of rocks. She had already known the basic way that igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks were created before she got to Baltimare. But in graduate school, much more detail was required. “Everyone is sick of this song. I’m sick of this song. I don’t know if I can stand to sing it.” Maud knew she was being difficult, and she knew she wasn’t being fair. Cheese was doing everything he could to help. But “Let it go” had been the only song anyone had been singing for weeks. If she had to listen to one more pre-pubescent pony belting that song out…. “This is a whole new set of words!” “Okay….” Maud was not convinced. But he had already taught her several song parodies that had all been, in the end, catchy and informative. “Let’s hear it.” Cheese picked up his accordion with a dramatic flourish, and begin playing. Maud did her best not to cringe as he began. The moon glowed white on a primeval night But the swamp was lush and green Plants they lived and plants they died Then sank and were unseen No oxygen to break them down in that water with no tide No light or life, only time to bide… Hmm… this is actually much better than the original, Maud thought to herself. Then sediments were washed into That swamp and a rocky layer grew Over time, the weight it took its toll Plants became coal… “Why are you doing this, really?” Maud interrupted, starting intently at Cheese. “Because this song is just so perfect for the story of coal!” “No, I mean, why are you helping me?” Cheese swallowed and suddenly looked a bit shy. Staring at the floor, he said, “I’m just helping out a friend.” “A friend?” “I’m hoping so.” Maud tilted her head. “I’ve never had a friend do something this nice for me.” Cheese was definitely blushing under his orange fur, but at least he looked back up at her. “No biggie, I make up silly songs ALL the time. Takes me no time at all!” “Still,” Maud said, “I feel like I’ll owe you a big favor if I manage to do well on this exam. I’m not sure I like being in debt like that.” “Umm, maybe you could do me a favor after the exam is over, and then we’ll be even,” Cheese suggested. Maud raised her eyebrows. “How painful will this be?” “Not painful, I hope.” Cheese took a deep breath. “Have dinner with me.” For several moments neither pony spoke. Then Maud said, quietly, “Cheese, you are being really nice to me, helping me out like this, but all I seem to do is study. I don’t really have time…” “Just one dinner. Surely you have to eat?” Maud debated with herself. She had thought Cheese might like her… like that. But she wasn’t sure how she felt about him. In truth, she had forgiven him for the cheese incident a long time ago, and assumed he was long gone when she didn’t see him after the ball. She had been… a bit disappointed, but mostly relieved at the time. Now that he was back, being so helpful to her, how could she say no? Finally, she rolled her eyes. “Okay, one dinner.” Cheese slowly smiled. Then he jumped up and down. “YEAH! She said yes!” He then began to dance around the room, which left Maud feeling like she was in the presence of an orange version of her sister after a sugar binge. “Um, Cheese?” Cheese stopped his dancing long enough to look over. “I have to do well on the exam first.” “Oh, yeah,” Cheese responded, looking a bit bashful. “Back to learning songs!” Maud finished her essay on the origins of coal and looked up at the clock. One more essay, fifteen more minutes. I can do this. The she read the second essay question. Describe the origin of marble and at least three of its uses, being sure to explain how and why marble is used in each case. Maud racked her brain. Had she studied about the uses of marble? Trying to swallow down the lump in her throat, she closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind. But she couldn’t… there was Cheese, with his accordion, looking at her with a smirk. She wanted to slap him! He hadn’t taught her any songs about… Wait a second… Marble, marble Palaces that reach so high Marble, marble, marble Monuments that touch the sky You know for building it's so great Crushed it’s used for aggregate - Ya Marble, marble You don't need to foliate You see, limestone is the answer Heat and pressure is its fate You know once that stone is baked then it’s marble, that’s the way… Acid it will neutralize Calcium it supplies Soil it will fertilize… That’s what marble’s done What marble’s done Ya, what marble’s done Ah, what marble’s done Maud put down her pencil just at the professor called time. Her hoof was shaking a bit, and suddenly she felt very, very tired. But she had done it… she was very sure she had passed, and pretty sure she had done well. Now, all she wanted to do was sleep. Ten minutes later, Maud was ensconced in her dormitory room, and snoring. Chapter 7Cheese was incredibly nervous as he stood outside of Maud’s dormitory. This is it, he thought to himself. He was finally going on a real date with Maud. As he stood there, the past three months of memories flooded him. Seeing Maud for the first time on the train. His efforts to impress her with the New Student Orientation Ball. Maud, furious, pink goop dripping off of her dress. Him thinking that she would never speak to him again. After Maud had left the ball, activity has resumed, and overall the evening had been a success as far as the University of Mareland administration was concerned. But as far as he was concerned, it had been a disaster. Pinkie had apologized nonstop to him until he took her aside and reminded her that they still had a party to run. And run it they did – if both had been a bit more subdued than usual, no one remaining at the party knew them well enough to notice. They didn’t have to face each other again until it was time to clean up. When the hall was finally sparkling, Pinkie collapsed in a chair and groaned. “How can I go back and face my sister? She must be so embarrassed!” Then Pinkie gasped. “What if the other students tease her because of this? It will be all my FAULT!” Big, fat tears began to drip down her face. Cheese, who had flopped on his back on the floor, looked at Pinkie. “This isn’t the playground, Pinkie, it’s college. I really don’t think she’s doomed to a life of ostracism because of a cheese bombing. It’s not like it was her fault – it was ours.” This caused Pinky to cry harder, which had not been Cheese’s goal. He sighed and stared back up at the ceiling. “Easy f-for you to say,” Pinkie wailed. “She’s my FAVORITE sister. You don’t even know her! If she never talks to you again, it won’t matter!” Cheese winced visibly. Pinkie stopped crying and stared at him for several moments. “It does matter to you, doesn’t it?” she asked, a slow smile crossing her face. Cheese froze, then turned over and stood up. “Ummm, how could it? Like you said, I don’t even know her! Well, everything’s cleaned up, so it’s time to go!” But Pinkie was not that easy to put off of an idea, once it had taken root in her head. “Why were you standing right next to her when I came out of the kitchen, then?” “Coincidence? Heh…” Cheese couldn’t help it, a slow crimson was spreading across his cheeks. “You LIKE her, don’t you?” Pinkie was looking gleeful. “Pinkie… you aren’t going to say anything to her, are you? Not that it matters,” Cheese pointed out dejectedly. “After tonight, she won’t talk to me anyway.” Pinkie’s face fell a bit as she remembered why she had been upset in the first place. Then she got a look of determination. “Don’t worry, Cheese, we’re going to fix this. I’m not sure how yet, but…” Cheese sighed, and said, “I’m headed to Fillydelphia next. My Cheesy Sense has been pointing that way for a while now. I appreciate the thought, Pinky, but for now I’m not sure how I can make this up to your sister. Maybe some time will help.” Cheese and Pinkie had said their goodbyes then, and Cheese left that very evening. He had written a letter to Pinkie once he settled down in Fillydelphia, and they had been writing back and forth for weeks when the letter came that prompted him to return to Baltimare. The letter in which Pinkie had written about Maud’s trouble with her Classification of Rocks class. Cheese had instantly known why Pinkie had sent that letter. Here was his chance to get back in Maud’s good graces. Almost as quickly, he knew that the best way for him to help was through his songwriting ability – specifically, his talent for taking existing songs and making up new, funny lyrics to go with them. So he went that day to the University of Fillydelphia library and found as many books on rocks as he could stand. It took him several days, but he wrote songs about all of the major types of rocks. Pinkie had told him when Maud’s exam was, and time was running short. The day before the exam, he started back toward Baltimare. It took all day to get there. Maud hadn’t been in her dormitory, so he had headed to the library. She had been just as beautiful as he remembered, her brow furrowed in concentration as she stared at her books. In spite of his nervousness, he had gotten up the courage to talk with her, apologize to her, and convince her to learn the songs he had written. She had even agreed to go on a date with him. And she had aced her exam, he found out a week later, when he stopped by to see how she was doing. They had set their dinner date for the next day, both blushing furiously. Which brought him back to that moment, outside of the dormitory, working up the courage to go in and ask for Maud. It’s just a date, Cheese. Why are you so scared? Cheese started to walk back and forth outside of the dormitory, ignoring the curious stares of the other ponies passing by. But Cheese already knew the reason he was scared; it was because he had never felt like this about any other pony. Maud wasn’t just beautiful, and scary-smart, and funny in her own way. Maud just felt right to him. And she had agreed to just one date, so this was it. Either he was going to convince her to be his special somepony, or they would be saying goodbye. Finally, he stopped pacing. He wasn’t going to get what he wanted by avoiding her. Cheese took a deep breath, and walked through the dormitory door. Chapter 8Maud heard her name called on the dormitory intercom, signaling Cheese’s arrival. She took one more look at herself to make sure she was ready – she was wearing a green outfit her sister had sent her as a present. In fact, it had arrived just that day. Maud knew that Pinkie had her Pinkie sense, but this was getting ridiculous. She was beginning to believe her sister was actively trying to set her up with Cheese. If it had been anyone else, she would have been furious. But it was hard for her to stay mad at Pinkie. She was just so… earnest about everything. Well, I shouldn’t keep him waiting. As Maud walked down the stairs to the front hallway of the dormitory, she asked herself yet again why she had agreed to go out to dinner with Cheese. It wasn’t that she didn’t like him – after all he had done for her to help her with her midterm, it would be very difficult for her to not like him. In fact, since the midterm, every time she thought about Cheese she felt like a little jolt of energy shot through her. And her mind seemed to wander back to thinking about Cheese quite easily. Way too easily. Then, there he was, beaming at her, looking just so… Cute? Wait, when did she decide he was cute? I’m in trouble. “Hi Maud! Wow you look great in that outfit!” If Cheese was nervous, he wasn’t showing it – but he was talking rather quickly… “Uh, thanks,” Maud replied, looking down at the floor. “Are you ready to go? Of COURSE you are, or you wouldn’t have come down, right? I have a surprise for you!” Maud wasn’t completely sure a surprise was going to be a good thing, given her history with Cheese. But she followed him out the door anyway. “Where are we going for dinner?” asked Maud, as they began walking down the path and off of campus. “I was thinking… Loch Raven Reservoir! It’s just a bit North of Baltimare, and I thought you’d like to see all the rock formations there. The area is full of…” “Marble and Limestone. We learned about it in class. I didn’t know there was a restaurant there?” “There isn’t,” Cheese smiled mysteriously. “That’s why I packed… a picnic!” At that moment, they had walked up to a chariot. Cheese swung open the door, and on the floor of the chariot was a large picnic basket. Maud was stunned. “After you?” Cheese asked, motioning Maud inside. Maud was speechless. She walked into the chariot, and Cheese joined her. The pegasi pulling the chariot took off, causing Maud to grab onto the side of the chariot with one hoof, and Cheese with the other. But once the chariot was in flight, it was less wobbly. She let go of the side of the chariot, but held onto Cheese. He didn’t seem to mind. “How… in Equestria… did you manage to get a chariot?” Maud squeaked out. “Oh, well, a friend of a friend pulled in a favor for us,” Cheese replied, smiling broadly. “What do you think of the view?” Maud had to admit the view was spectacular. She had never seen any part of Equestria from the sky, and now she understood why winged ponies loved it so much. As she and Cheese traveled north, she watched the ponies go about their business and thought about how small it all looked. “It’s amazing.” “I KNOW, right?” Cheese was starting to bounce a bit, which was causing the chariot to rock. Maud grabbed ahold of the side again. “Um, cheese, maybe you could stand still until we’re on the ground again?” “Oh, right, sorry,” Cheese replied, abashed. The ride continued without incident. Before Cheese knew it, they were landing in a wooded area, next to a large, pony-made lake. Cheese picked up the basket and exited the carriage, holding the door open for Maud. The pegasi sat down, looking bored. Cheese put the picnic basket down so he could talk to Maud. “I thought we could walk down one of the trails a bit and set up our picnic. Sound okay?” Cheese asked. “Sure,” Maud replied, looking around more closely. Loch Raven Reservoir supplied water to all the ponies in Baltimare. It was huge. They had landed at the southernmost point of the reservoir, and several trails led off in different directions. This didn’t bother Cheese a bit, and he cheerfully started trotting down the trail closest to the water, the basket hanging from his mouth. Maud followed him in silence for a while, until they got to a flat grassy spot right next to the water. Cheese put down the basket again and opened it up, pulling out a red-and-white checkered blanket. He spread the blanket out on the ground, and then sat down on it. “Let’s eat!” Maud joined him on the blanket and poked her nose into the basket. There was a wonderful selection of food – cold salads, sandwich makings, apples and other fruit, and a bottle of wine. Maud looked impressed. She pulled some items out of the basket, spreading them out on the blanket in front of them. “You don’t have to do that Maud…” Cheese moved to stop her, but Maud put her hoof up. “You have set all of this up; I think it’s only fair I do a bit of the work,” Maud replied, and then rewarded Cheese with one of her rare smiles. Cheese blushed a bit, but sat back as Maud set up the food. Soon they were munching away, staring at the water. Maud seemed happy with the silence, but Cheese was beginning to feel nervous. “So… how’s your family?” Cheese asked, desperate to start a conversation. “Oh, everything’s a-okay at the rock farm,” Maud replied. “My sisters Limestone and Marble are giving my parents some trouble, now that they are teenagers. But nothing too serious, according to Mom. And, of course, you know how Pinkie is, since you two exchange letters so often.” Maud paused, a twinkle in her eye. “So, are you supposed to report back on how our date went?” “Yeah, she wants…” Cheese’s eyes opened wide and he put a hoof over his mouth. “I’m assuming she’s the one that got you the carriage?” Cheese was turning an interesting shade of red. “Ummm….” “It’s okay,” Maud assured him. “I’m glad Pinkie approves. I trust her opinion. Many ponies don’t realize how smart she is about things, because she’s always so… well, Pinkie.” Cheese was relieved. “Yeah, that she is. Smart I mean. And Pinkie.” At that point, nothing was left of the picnic but crumbs. Cheese brushed himself off and stood up. “Are you ready to go rock hunting?” "Yes!" Maud clearly liked the sound of that. After putting the blanket back in the basket, Maud and Cheese started down the path again. Soon, Cockeysville Marble formations were showing through the foliage. Maud oohed and aahed and chatted about the Marble; Cheese was just content to listen. Then Maud stopped short and did the most unMaudlike thing Cheese could imagine—she squealed. “Look, CAVES!” Maud said, in a voice that was closer to that of her pinkish sister. “Oh, let’s go in, can we Cheese?” She looked up at him with those wide green eyes. “Sure,” responded Cheese. He was pretty sure she could have said something like “Oh Cheese, please pull out your teeth for me,” and the answer would have been the same. He had never seen her look so excited. Putting down the picnic basket, he rooted around in it until he found a flashlight, which he then handed to Maud. The two ponies then entered into the cave, following the pool of yellow light the flashlight provided. At first, the tunnel was only wide enough for the two ponies to walk single file. Since Maud was holding the flashlight, that put her first, with Cheese following her. This did not bother Cheese one bit. He rather liked the view. But after just a few minutes of walking the tunnel became wider and bottomed out into a large cavern. Maud just stood in the center of the cavern, looking entranced. She slowly turned, the flashlight reflecting the walls of the cavern as she spun around, taking it all in. “This is so amazing,” she whispered around the flashlight. She then put it down on the floor of the cavern, facing upward. This allowed quite a bit of the cavern to show, and she sat down next to it, staring up at the cavern ceiling. Cheese contemplated Maud for a minute, and then sat down next to her. She was clearly completely absorbed in her study of the cavern ceiling. After the walk in, however, Cheese had something else on his mind. “I’m glad you like it,” Cheese said softly, scooting a bit closer to Maud. “Like it? I love it. Thank you so much Cheese for bringing me here,” Maud responded, turning toward him with those shining eyes. Cheese took a deep breath. He was pretty sure this was the right time to kiss her. It was all he had been thinking about for the last fifteen minutes, and there she was, facing him, looking so incredible. Very slowly, he started lowering his head toward her, hoping she wouldn’t pull away. She didn’t. Her eyes closed. Softly, he touched his lips to hers. And it felt like the ground was moving. He swore he could hear it rumble and feel it vibrate. Her chest was against his, and he could feel her heart beating as quickly as his. He pulled away and looked at her. “Wow,” he whispered. “They say when you kiss the right pony, it feels like the earth moves.” Maud stared at him. “Uh, Cheese?” “Yes?” he answered breathlessly. “I think we’re in trouble,” Maud responded. Her eyes were dilated, and she was breathing heavily. “Yes, I think so,” Cheese said dreamily, and moved in to kiss her again. But Maud stopped him with a hoof. “I think the earth really did move.” “What?” Cheese answered in confusion. “I think an earthquake just happened. For real.” Cheese stared at Maud, who stared back. Then, slowly, Cheese reached down and picked up the flashlight in his mouth. He turned around slowly, pointing it at the tunnel which had led to the cavern… And discovered there was no more tunnel, just a wall of recently dislodged rocks. Large ones. Much too large for even two strong ponies to move. Cheese turned back to Maud. “You’re right. We’re in trouble.” Chapter 9For a moment, Maud and Cheese just stood there, staring at each other. Then Cheese seemed to break loose from his trance. “We’re gonna DIE!” he shouted, looking a bit frantic. Maud sprang into action. “I need the flashlight,” she said to Cheese, taking it from him and turning toward the wall of rocks. Slowly she moved the circle of yellow light up and down the wall. Every once in a while she would stop and sniff at a spot, and then continue onward. As she was doing this, Cheese was bouncing up and down, eyes looking a bit wild. Finally, Maud turned around and place the flashlight back on the ground. “CHEESE!” It was the loudest he’d ever hear her speak. He instantly stopped moving and stared at her. “You need to calm down. We’re not going to die.” “We’re not?” Cheese asked hopefully. “No, we’re not,” Maud replied firmly. “First of all, there is still air coming in through the rocks, so we are not going to suffocate. Second of all, you left two pegasi at the top of the trail, who will soon be wondering where we are. They aren’t just going to go back home without reporting that we are missing to somepony. Third, you left the picnic basket outside of the cave, remember? Somepony is bound to come looking for us sooner or later, and that somepony is bound to find that picnic basket. We just need to wait.” Cheese thought Maud was making a lot of sense, but he wasn’t quite ready to stop panicking yet. “What if they don’t find the picnic basket, or what if they find the picnic basket but don’t realize it’s ours? Or what if…” “Cheese,” Maud said, a little more gently this time. “The pegasi saw us with the basket, right?” Cheese seemed to calm down after that. He sat down. “So we just have to wait?” “Yup,” Maud replied. “It’s probably dark outside now. Somepony will probably come looking for us in the morning.” She sat down as well. “Look, Cheese, I’m sorry I got you into this.” “No, it’s my fault – this was all my idea, coming here,” Cheese responded. “But it was my idea to go into the cave. Anyway, I’m sorry.” Cheese and Maud sat in silence for a moment, each contemplating their own thoughts. Maud was thinking about practical matters, like how long they should keep the flashlight on and whether there was a way to signal the outside world that they were in the cavern. Cheese was thinking that he and Maud were going to be alone together all night long. All… night… long. This made his stomach feel like it did on a roller coaster ride. Cheese was a very shy pony as a youth, and as an adult he had mostly interacted with other ponies in largish groups. He hadn’t spent much time dating before Maud, and working up the nerve to just kiss her had been difficult for him. But it was worth it, he thought, smiling to himself. Cheese’s smile soon vanished as the butterflies started up in his stomach again. What if she wanted more? Was he ready? What if she laughed at him? Cheese was at an age when other ponies would expect he had more experience than he actually did. Cheese did his best to try to think about something else. Anything else. Eventually, Maud spoke up. “We should conserve the power in the flashlight by turning it off soon." She looked around. “I know this isn’t the most comfortable place to sleep, but I think we can find two sandy spots that will do for the night.” Cheese had never been relieved and disappointed at the exact same time. He put on a cheerful face. “Sure, there must be… I mean, okay, I can sleep over here…” he pointed to one side of the cavern, “and it looks like there’s a sandy spot there?” He was gesturing to a spot about five feet away from the first. “That’ll do,” Maude said, walking over to her assigned spot with the flashlight in her mouth. She pushed the sand around a bit and curled up in a ball. “Ready?” she asked Cheese, who was settling down in his own spot. “Ready,” Cheese replied. Maud turned off the flashlight. Maud settled down in her sandy bed and tried to sleep. But her thoughts kept coming back to Cheese. Cheese had gone to so much effort to make her happy since the day she had met him. Not that all of his efforts have been successful. She had never heard of anyone working so hard to help a friend. He must have worked for days on those songs. Then he stayed up all night to help me study. And this date—setting up the picnic, going to a place he knew I’d like. When he had kissed her, she had let him, because she was caught up in the moment. It had been nice. Okay, very, very nice. But she was still conflicted. She really didn’t have time for a special somepony, even one as thoughtful and attentive as Cheese. She couldn’t possibly give him the attention he deserved. Cheese should be with someone who is more like he is. Nothing was going to turn Maud into a party pony. She would always be focused on her rocks. He was too loud, too brash, too excitable to be a good special somepony for Maud – and she was too dull, too studious, too boring to be a good special somepony for him. But he makes me smile. Maybe it was because he was different than her that she found him so intriguing. Maybe she needed someone who would bring her outside her comfort zone a bit, draw her out of her shell. Maybe he needs someone who will help him calm down. Could it work for them in the long run? Her settled down with her rocks, him taking off at a moment’s notice following his Cheesy Sense? Then again, Cheese had never said anything to indicate that he wanted a long-term relationship. He just seemed to want to be with her. But… he clearly cared a lot about her, or he wouldn’t be doing everything he was for her. What am I afraid of? Cheese wanted to be with her, and Maud couldn’t keep pushing him off. She either had to decide she was going to be his special somepony, or make it clear they could only be friends. Maud shivered. The cavern had gotten steadily colder since she had turned off the flashlight, and the sand was providing little insulation. Well, what are special someponies for, if they can’t keep you warm at night? “Cheese?” Maud’s heart was beating so loudly she was afraid Cheese could hear it from five feet away. “Yes, Maud?” “Are you cold?” Cheese swallowed so loudly she could hear it. “A-a little,” he replied. “Maybe we should sleep next to each other, so we can stay warm.” A moment passed, and Maud was beginning to worry that she had been too forward, when he finally answered, “o—okay.” Maud picked up the flashlight and felt her way through the darkness toward Cheese. She put the flashlight down and settled next to him, her body parallel to his. She could feel his heart beating through his side, rapidly, and his breathing seemed a bit shaky. “Cheese, are you okay?” she asked. “Y-yes,” he stammered. “We’ll be warmer if we hold each other,” Maud said. Cheese froze. Then, he slowly turned toward her, and wrapped his hooves around her. She snuggled closer. Cheese was so very warm, and smelled so good. She reached up with her head and nibbled on his neck, softly, and was rewarded with a quick intake of breath. “Ma-maud,” Cheese stuttered nervously, “I should tell you… I was very shy as a colt and I… well, I’ve never…” Maud softly whispered, “That’s alright.” And it was. Chapter 10When Cheese woke up in complete darkness, it took him a second to remember where he was. Then it took another second for him to register that there was a pony snuggled up to him, with a hoof over his body. He froze, and then relaxed as memories of the previous night came back to him. It had turned out to be a very good night, after all. Cheese was contemplating going back to sleep when he heard some banging noises in the distance. Maud must have heard them as well, because she groaned and moved, and then groaned again. She’d not a morning person. I’ll have to remember that, Cheese thought to himself, smiling a very wide grin in the dark. Maud turned over and turned on the flashlight. The banging continued. In the pool of light, she looked around and then at Cheese. “I think they’ve found us,” she said. She stood up and began smoothing her mane with her hoof. “Um, you might want to clean up a bit, as much as you can.” Cheese blushed, and worked on his mane and fur, smoothing it as best as he could. The banging had gotten louder, and there was a small sheen of light around the wall of rocks that once was the entrance to the cavern. In the distance, he could hear a familiar voice. “Maud! Cheese! We’re coming for you!” Pinkie was shouting at the top of her lungs to be heard over the clamor of the rocks. Finally, a hole of light appeared, and then was enlarged as rocks magically moved out of the way. As soon as the space was big enough, Pinkie Pie bounded through it, followed by Twilight Sparkle, whose horn was still glowing. “MAUD!” Pinkie shouted, landing on her sister. Maud seemed to be used to this treatment, because she simply said, “Hello, Pinkie. How did you find us?” Pinkie bounced off of her sister and back on the ground, while simultaneously taking a deep breath. “Well you see first there was my Pinkie Sense that went off and I knew something was wrong but I didn’t know what and so I found Twi and asked her what she thought and then we thought about it but I couldn’t figure it out until the pegasi from your carriage came to the castle and said that you had never come out of the forest and there had been an earthquake so of course we all came as quickly as we could but it was dark and we had to wait until morning but then we sent search parties down each of the trails and one of them found your picnic basket so we put two and two together and here we are!” Somehow, Pinkie had managed that extra-long sentence without a second breath. She made up for that now, breathing in and out several times. Twilight watched her in amusement. “Well, I’m just glad you are all safe.” Cheese turned toward Twilight and bowed. “Thank you for rescuing us, your highness. I am so sorry for the trouble…” “Nonsense,” Twilight responded. “You didn’t cause the earthquake. And you can just call me Twilight. I hear you are practically family.” Twilight said that with a twinkle in her eye as she took in Cheese and Maud’s rumpled appearance. Cheese blushed and looked at Maud. Maud smirked. “I hope so,” Cheese said, and then realizing his intent could be misconstrued, continued. “That is, I hope that Maud will agree to be my special somepony.” His eyes were bright and hopeful as he watched her. Maud looked at him with a half-smile and an arched eyebrow. “I think I already am your special somepony,” she replied, somewhat suggestively. Cheese blushed even harder, but started to bounce up and down. However, he was outdone by Pinkie, who let out a whoop and grabbed Cheese with one hoof and Maud with another. “I KNEW it would work out between you two. You guys make the CUTEST couple!” “Um, Pinkie?” Maud said. “That’s great, but do you think we can get out of this cavern now?” Twilight laughed and ushered them out the new tunnel and into a brand new day.
Chapter 1Maud pie pushed her straight, violet bangs out of her eyes as she stared through the train window at the Ponyville station platform. She had just finished a visit with her favorite sister Pinkie, and true to character, her sister was on the platform making a major scene. Luckily her friends were there with her and were bodily dragging the visibly sobbing pony away from the train. As her seat began to vibrate below her and the sights outside of her window faded away, she heard the last plaintive cries from her little sister. “Goodbye Maud – Goodbye – GOODBYE MAAAAUUUUDDDD!!!!!” Maud was happy she had taken the time to visit with Pinkie before heading to her graduate studies at the University of Mareland in Baltimare; she had learned that Pinkie had made wonderful friends in Ponyville that would be there for her through thick and thin. This was essential to Maud, as everypony knows graduate studies take up all of a mare’s time. With Pinkie being – well, Pinkie – Maud had worried that her sister might find herself in some type of trouble while Maud was away at school and unable to help her. Now, nothing stood in the way of Maud’s dream – to study and someday become a Rock Professor herself. Ever since she had been a little filly, Maud had been fascinated by rocks. On her parent’s rock farm her fascination had grown into something of an obsession. The other foals at school had laughed at her, unable to understand why she was so smitten with something so… gray. But Maud has always understood that it was her gifts that allowed her to see the beauty in the rocks, gifts that the other fillies and colts simply did not possess. The ponies around her saw a uniform greyness where she saw mottles and flashes of color that told her the very history of the ground below her. In art class, she would try to show others the beauty that she found in rocks, but they would snicker at the variations of grey she had crayoned across the paper. In contrast, the garish colors of the other ponies’ drawings hurt her eyes and her sensibilities. Her writing was much the same; her words each conveyed so much meaning to her, yet others did not seem to understand the delicate layers of meaning wound through her descriptions of her favorite topic. In turn, she found their words overly emotive and therefore close to meaningless. Over time, Maud learned to keep to herself. The ponies around her seemed so loud, both visually and aurally. Her tendencies became more like the rocks she so dearly loved; one had to observe her very carefully to see any changes in her expressions, listen attentively to notice the minute variations in her voice. It wasn’t that Maud felt things any less than others, simply that she expressed herself in the same way she sensed the world around her – minutely. Maud smiled to herself as the scenery rushed by her train window and she thought of her sister Pinkie. From the moment Pinkie was born, she had been different to Maud; the one pony that could never be, well, too much. Maud had been fascinated with that little pink bundle from moment one. As Pinkie’s natural tendencies evolved, and she became the party animal she is today, Maud stuck with her through thick and thin. It was as if Maud had a special filter when it came to Pinkie which allowed her to experience Pinkie in all her glory without feeling overwhelmed by it. A filter built of love, Maud mused, as the train continued on its way to Baltimare. The entire trip might have continued in pleasant monotony for Maud if not for a sudden slam of the train car door behind her, followed by a loud humming. Maud first fought the urge to hide under her seat, and then the urge to turn around to see what (or who) was making all that racket. Instead, she took the wisest course she could by continuing to stare out the window, even as the humming turned into singing…. “The super-duper party pony–that pony is me….You'll never meet another party pony quite like CHEESE!” At this point the singing was clearly right behind her… and then right next to her… Please keep going, please keep going… thought Maud as she fought to continue staring out the window. Please… “Hello! Anyone sitting here?” Maud sighed. At this point, she had to turn around; to do otherwise would be rude. But she wasn’t quite prepared for what she saw. Well, she knew it had to be an earth pony, but this earth pony was a bright orange color she didn’t know pony genetics could produce. His mane and tail were chocolate brown and as wild as pinkie’s, and his cutie mark… was that a toasted cheese sandwich? A bright yellow shirt completed the picture. But his eyes – his eyes were what caused Maud to stare, mouth agape. His eyes seemed to shimmer with a bright green energy, almost pulsating with light. It overwhelmed her, but for some reason she couldn’t turn away. The strange pony’s voice cut through her reverie. “Well, of COURSE no one is sitting there!” With that he plopped himself down in the seat next to hers and smiled, somehow never breaking eye contact. "So I've been on this train for a while and then it pulled into Ponyville and everyone on my train car got off which is SOOOO boring so once the train got moving again I thought I'd take a look at this train car and see if there was anything interesting going on and so here I am and there you were so I thought I should find out more about you. So tell me all about you!" Maud managed to look away, and closed her eyes. It was going to be a long trip.
Chapter 2Cheese Sandwich was happily humming as he moved from train car to train car. Life is very good, he thought to himself. He had been traveling by train from Las Pegasus, where he had thrown a stupendous party if he did say so himself – Which I do! he thought, chuckling. Malarson Highstepper himself had raved about the bash to his best friend, who just happened to be the Dean of Students at the University of Mareland. The next thing he knew, Cheese was on a train to Baltimare, ticket already paid, job already guaranteed – a never-to-be-forgotten new student orientation ball! Only one teeny weeny problem marred Cheese’s good humor – the ponies he had whooped it up with on the first leg of his journey had been inconsiderate enough to disembark at Ponyville (never mind that it was their intended destination). So Cheese was on the prowl for a new set of happy-go-lucky travelers. Unfortunately for him, it seemed like everypony had disembarked in Ponyville. But Cheese was not a pony to let a small hitch in his plans keep him from moving forward. There had to be somepony left on the train… And then, finally, there was! A mousy earth pony was sitting alone in the car he had just entered, with her face turned toward the window. Maybe not the partying type, he thought to himself, but the challenge makes it all the more fun! Singing at the highest volume he could, Cheese moved toward the lone pony in the cart. Hmm…. maybe she is deaf? One thing that Cheese had never been accused of was being unnoticeable… well, not since he had gotten his cutie mark, anyway. The fact that the pony hadn’t moved a muscle since he entered the cart was a bit unnerving. This made Cheese all the more determined to get her attention, somehow. The poor thing looks like she never has had a moment of fun – but I can solve that! Cheese sang all the way up to the seat next to the immobile pony and then, in as cheery a voice as he could muster, asked her if he could sit next to her. He was surprised when he heard a faint, pained sigh pass her lips, but quickly decided to look on the bright side of this strange encounter. After all, she had reacted to his query, which lead him to two promising conclusions: 1) she wasn’t deaf after all and 2) she wasn’t dead either. So he put on his most charming Cheesy smile as he waited for her response. Slowly she turned around… And Cheese was looking at the most unusual, amazing, beautiful pony he has ever seen. She had a silky straight violet mane and tail and soft grey fur like the fog rolling over Vanhoover on a fall day. But it was her eyes – those mesmerizing jade-green eyes surrounded by a thick fringe of lashes – that seemed to bore through to the center of his heart. He couldn’t seem to break his gaze away from her. Did I just say something? What did I say? Cheese thought to himself as he sat down. He knew he was babbling, but he wasn’t even sure what was crossing his lips anymore. That is, until the amazing creature next to him broke his gaze and closed her eyes. That break in contact felt like a splash of cold water. Cheese took a deep breath, determined to salvage the situation. “So…” Okay, not exactly smooth Cheese, get it together. “My name is Cheese Sandwich, and I’m on my way to Baltimare.” The mare next to him had opened her eyes again and was looking at him silently. Cheese wasn’t sure how many awkward moments passed before he couldn’t take it anymore. “What’s your name?” The mare opened and closed her mouth, fixing those jeweled eyes on him again. Finally, she spoke. “My name is Maud.” Like her mane and her coat, Maud’s voice was silky. Cheese felt so… well, garish compared to Maud. But at the same time, her smoothness felt like a calming balm to him, allowing him to settle back in his seat and relax, at least somewhat. “Well, Maud, are you on your way to Baltimare as well?” Maud blinked. She seemed to consider her answer carefully. “Yes.” Not exactly an opening for more conversation, but Cheese was too enthralled by this strange mare to be put off. “Why Baltimare?” “Well…” Maud paused. “Rocks.” Cheese wasn’t sure he’d heard right. “Rocks?” Maud blinked again. “Yes, rocks.” The two ponies sat in silence for a moment while Cheese considered her answer. Finally, he asked, “Weren’t there rocks where you were before?” Maud turned to face him, her mouth open. She snapped her mouth shut, staring at him while he stared at her. Then, the corner of her mouth began to twitch… and soon, the twitch spread into a smile, followed by a short snort of mirth. Cheese was convinced it was the most beautiful laugh he had ever heard. Maud spoke again. “Yes, there were rocks in where I came from. Quite a few of them.” She flashed a brief smile before her face settled back into a serene, calm façade. “I am entering the University of Mareland as a graduate student in Rockology. My studies begin next week.” Cheese couldn’t believe his luck. “I’m heading to the University of Mareland too! Well, not as a student.” Cheese took a breath. He was starting to speed up again, and somehow, instinctively, he knew he needed to slow down around this particular mare. “I’ve been hired by the school to plan the new student orientation ball. That’s what I do, I plan parties. You’ll be coming to the new student orientation ball, of course?” Maud seemed to consider his words carefully. “I wasn’t planning on attending. I’m not much of a party-pony.” Dang. Cheese was a bit lost as to what to say after that. So the two ponies sat in silence for a while. As he contemplated Maud, and Maud’s words, Cheese slowly came to two new conclusions. The first was that getting Maud to be his friend was going to be quite a bit of work. The second was that he was going to get Maud to come to the new student orientation ball – and have fun – if it was the last thing he did.
Chapter 3For the first time since she had arrived in Baltimare, Maud felt as if her life was in order. She leaned back in her desk chair and surveyed her small but private dormitory room in the Graduate Student Hall at the University of Mareland. Her desk was ready, pencils and supplies in drawers and textbooks lining a single shelf. A clock hung from a hook above the shelf, and her pet rock Boulder had its own place of honor in a depression in the upper left corner of the desk’s surface. Her knapsack was ready, a small grey bag leaning against the desk, containing her notebooks and schedule for next week. Beside the desk, her cot was made up with the sheets and quilt gifted to her by her parents – the quilt had been lovingly constructed by her mother in shades of grey. A tiny closet completed the room. Finally, quiet, she thought to herself, as she reviewed the past few days in her mind. Her new… acquaintance, Cheese, had insisted on flagging a taxi for her and accompanying her to the University of Mareland when she had arrived in town. He’d finally let her be when the orientation counselors took over, showing her to her new living accommodations and burdening her with a thick scroll outlining her orientation schedule—all mandatory. After that, there had been non-stop activity, from tours of the campus to departmental welcome socials to residence hall getting-to-know-you games. None of it was really Maud’s cup of tea. Well, she had found out about a poetry club on campus during the activities fair. And she did get to meet some of her professors for her classes. And… in the background, somehow, through it all, was Cheese Sandwich. Whenever it had seemed like she might have a little downtime, he had magically appeared, as if he was carrying around his own copy of her schedule. At the cafeteria during lunch, she would sit by herself in a secluded corner… and Cheese would walk up out of nowhere, peppering her with questions about her activities so far. He claimed he was “researching,” learning what the new students were doing so he could design the best wrap-it-all-up ball possible. “Aren’t there any other ponies you could ask about orientation?” she had asked on the second day. “Nope! Haven’t met anyone else!” he had replied with his ever-present cheerfulness. Maud had then weighed the unpleasantness of having to continue answering his questions against the daunting task of introducing him to some of her fellow students. Which led to her agreeing to meet him for lunch again the next day. There was something about Cheese that made her smile, even though he was nothing like anyone she had befriended before. Or cared about. Really, nothing like anyone else she knew at all… sometimes he was just too loud, too fast, too vibrant for her to stand. Other times, he seemed… different. Calm, patient, with those amazing eyes that captivated her. She found herself telling him things about herself, her family, the rock farm, her dreams… things she didn’t share lightly. Some things she had never shared with anyone. But then the boisterous, party-loving animal would surface again, acting like a complete idiot. Sometimes he was even waving a rubber chicken around. What is the point of a rubber chicken, anyway? Why does such a thing even exist? Maud thought about Cheese for a moment longer, trying to figure him out like a puzzle. The pieces just didn’t fit together in a way that made sense to her. She shook her head and decided to think about something else. It was almost over. One more day of orientation activities tomorrow, culminating in the New Student Orientation Ball. The Ball was most assuredly optional, to her relief – but Cheese had asked her every single time he saw her whether she had changed her mind about attending. Of course she hadn’t, but he seemed determined to wear her down. Silly pony, she thought. Rocks don’t wear down that easily. As a child, she had been teased by the other fillies, who liked to tell her she was as dull as a rock so she must be a rock. What they didn’t understand was that to Maud, this was a complement. A grumbling from Maud’s mid-section interrupted her reverie, and she checked the clock on the wall of her room. It was dinnertime. With a sigh, she rose from her chair and exited her small sanctuary, locking the door behind her. A few flights of stairs later, she was outside, enjoying the warmth of the last days of summer as she sauntered across campus toward the cafeteria. Along the way, she contemplated the different paving stones used to create the pathways between the campus buildings, trying to guess which ones came from which part of Canterlot. It was when she was in this state that she started to hear a far-away cry, getting closer at an alarming rate…. “Maud? Maudie-pie! MAAAAUUUUUD!!!!!” Suddenly, she was flying through the air and landing on her back with an OOOMPH, a tangle of pink mane and tail dancing on top of her. She managed to catch her breath long enough to get out one hoarse word: “Pinkie?” ... In the dining hall, she no longer had the luxury of a quiet corner to herself and Cheese. In fact, suspiciously, Cheese was nowhere to be seen. Instead, she was sitting next to her boisterous younger sister, who had attracted a rather large crowd of students to their table. Pinkie babbled on in a chipper Pinkie voice about her trip from Ponyville and what had brought her to visit her sister so quickly after Maud had last seen her. “And then I got a letter from my friend Cheese, asking me for MY help putting together the New Student Orientation BALL! ME, he wanted ME to help! Isn’t that great? So of course, with you being here and everything I HAD to say yes, and now I get to see my FAVORITE big sister and help set up the BIGGEST party on campus… I mean, I’m so EXCITED I can hardly STAND IT!” The stream of words ran past Maud… wait a second. “Um, Pinkie, you know Cheese? Cheese Sandwich?” “Of, COURSE, silly! Don’t you remember that letter I sent you about Rainbow Dash’s birth-iversary?” Maud couldn’t remember the letter, honestly, but then again Pinkie always had so much to say… “Anyway, this is going to be the best, the biggest, the most SPECTACULAR New Student Orientation Ball E-VER! With me and Cheese planning it, there’s no way it can’t be! You are coming, Maud, RIGHT?” Pinkie faced her with those large sky-blue Pinkie eyes that began to shimmer when she saw the doubt in Maud’s face. “Oh, Maud, you HAVE to come… please oh PLEASE?” Pinkie stared at Maud, waiting expectantly. Around Pinkie were a dozen of her new friends (ponies whose names Maud had already forgotten), and they were staring at her expectantly too. It was a nightmare, and there was only one thing she could do to end it. “Of, course, Pinkie, I’ll be at the Ball. But I don’t have a dress.” Pinkie let out a whoop and sprung out of her chair, landing on Maud and pushing her over backwards. Maud was still in her chair staring up, and Pinkie was jumping up and down on top of her. “That’s NO problem – I have enough time to take you shopping for a dress in the morning! This is going to be the BEST… PARTY… E-VER!” Maud closed her eyes, and waited to wake up.
Chapter 4Cheese surveyed the ballroom before him, satisfied with the results of the last several hours of decorating. Actually, not to be outdone, Cheese had arranged for the hallways and outside of the Student Center to be decorated as well, all in the colors of the University of Mareland: black, red and yellow. Pinkie had tried her hardest to sneak in some pink and purple, but Cheese had put his hoof down on that one. Cheese smiled to himself when he thought about Pinkie. Asking for her assistance had been the smartest move he’d made since coming to Baltimare. He had only found out she was Maud’s sister by accident, when Maud had described her childhood on the Pie rock farm. He still had a difficult time imagining Pinkie in such a place… but anyway, he had managed to keep it together and not let Maud know he knew Pinkie. And Pinkie had somehow convinced Maud to show up tonight for the Ball! Everything had to be perfect tonight; this might be his last chance to impress Maud before his Cheesy Sense pulled him toward his next destination. So he had spent hours in preparation, even before Pinky had arrived at lunch time, flush-faced and muttering something about a dress making her late. There was a lavish feast spread across several tables at one end of the ballroom. At the other end, Vinyl Scratch was queuing up the music for dancing. Cheese’s own accordion was safely stashed behind Vinyl for use after the partying had really gotten going. Pinkie was in the kitchen overseeing the last of the food. And a few fillies and colts had started to show up, mixing in small groups and eyeing the banquet tables hungrily. Cheese rushed over to get them started on filling their plates, and queued Vinyl to start the music. “Great party, well done!” Cheese turned to see Kathy Andercolt, the Dean of Students, standing next to him, munching on a canapé. “We haven’t had this successful a ball on campus in a very long time.” “Thank you, Dean Andercolt,” Cheese replied, feeling giddy in his success. Around them, ponies were beginning to pair off and dance. More ponies were munching and laughing in groups around the room. The room was quickly filling up, but not a pony among them had soft grey fur and dazzling green eyes. “You know, Mr. Sandwich, I could see us making a more permanent arrangement for your services. Our graduate students tend to be overly focused on their studies. Even serious young ponies need to have fun every once in a while, don’t you think?” “Um, sure,” Cheese replied, his attention diverted. He was barely listening, as at that moment, a young mare with a beautifully coiffed purple mane and a dazzling green dress in a shade that perfectly matched her eyes stepped into the ballroom doorway. She had arrived alone, and was looking around uncertainly. “Excuse me.” Cheese strode as fast as he could to the doorway while maintaining some illusion of composure. Maud continued to look around, until she saw him… and their eyes locked. “Maud! You’re here!” Cheese shouted over the ever-growing din of the party. He eyed her appreciatively. “You look beautiful.” Maud’s gaze became startled, and she looked toward the floor. Was that a hint of pink under the grey of her cheeks? Her mouth opened and she looked up and around again, as if trying to catch her breath and think of something to say at the same time. Cheese thought it was adorable. “Here, Maud, come sit down!” Cheese led her to one of the tables lining the walls of the ballroom. “Would you like anything to eat? Or drink? Everything you could possibly want is here…” Cheese didn’t mention that he knew that was true because he had pumped Pinkie pie for information on her families’ food favorites, ostentatiously as research for the ball. “Wait, I’ll just get you a plate of things to sample.” Later, Cheese would wonder what might have happened if he had sat down with her instead. Or perhaps asked her if she wanted to dance. Or offered to take her for a quiet stroll outside. Anything that would have meant he hadn’t turned toward the buffet tables at the very moment and witnessed Pinky carrying a bowl of something very, very pink toward the spread of food. The problem being, of course, that there had been nothing quite so pink in the carefully conceived menu he had planned. At that moment, Pinkie saw him, and came bounding over, carefully balancing the large bowl of pink glop in her hooves. “Cheese! I was hoping I’d find you! Look, it’s your families’ secret cheese sauce recipe, but I pinkified it for you! Isn’t it GREAT?” Cheese Sandwich stared at the bowl. His families’ secret cheese sauce was a sacred institution, a cornerstone of his parties’ success. He had carefully prepared the sauce earlier and left it to chill. Pinkie simply had to place it out on the table at the right moment. “Pinkie?” squeaked Cheese, when he regained his ability to talk. “Why is my families' sacred, secret cheese sauce HOT PINK?” Pinkies’ face fell for a microsecond, but then she cheered back up again “Oh, silly, everyone will love it oh-so-much-more now that it is pink! Pink is the bestest, most partyish color around!” At that point, Cheese grabbed onto the edge of the bowl, “Pinkie, I really can't let my extra special cheese sauce be PINK…” Pinkie was having none of it. “It’s still the same SAUCE, silly, why would you NOT serve it?” She began to tug on her side of the bowl. Cheese was beginning to feel a bit desperate. There was no way he was going to let this cheese sauce go out on the buffet as a hot pink mess. He began tugging harder on his side “Pinkie, give me the sauce.” The tugging grew more frantic and the two ponies argued the merits of cheese sauce of unnatural coloring. Maud watched the fiasco, half amused and half embarrassed. Cheese and Pinkie really were making a spectacle of themselves, and several ponies had come over to watch. In fact, even Vinyl was staring in their direction, and seemed to have forgotten to queue the next album in her set. Neither Pinkie nor Cheese seemed to notice. They were caught up in their own world of perfect-party-paranoia, tugging frantically back and forth on the unsuspecting bowl, which was vibrating under the pressure. Then, just as the current song was ending… CRAAAAACK! In the ensuing silence, every ponies' eyes watched as the bowl of hot pink cheese sauce split in two. Unfortunately, as it split, the contents of said bowl were thrown upward, outward, and managed to land squarely on Maud. Hot pink cheese sauce coated her new dress. Hot pink cheese sauce covered her carefully coiffed mane. In fact, the only part of her that was not covered in hot pink cheese sauce was her eyes, which were currently staring daggers at Cheese and Pinkie. Cheese was not sure how long it took for him to register what had happened – the quiet in the hall was deafening. As he and Pinkie stared in horror, Maud slowly stood up. Then, her head held high, and with as much dignity as she could muster, she slowly walked toward the doorway and out of the ballroom, dripping cheese sauce as she left. Pinkie turned to Cheese, and Cheese turned to Pinkie. They both blinked several times. But it was Pinkie who finally broke the silence. “We are in sooo much trouble. I have NEVER seen Maud this cheesed!”
Chapter 5Maud was very aware that she was leaving a trail of pink drips behind her as she marched back to her dormitory, up the stairs, and straight into the shower. She didn’t even bother to take off the silly dress Pinkie had convinced her to buy that morning. As she sat under the hot spray of water, she saw trails of hot pink running off her and down the drain. Maybe it was just her mood, but she swore she could smell cheese curdling as the shower slowly rinsed away the last traces of the trauma her sister and Cheese had put her through. It’s settled. I’m never going to a ball again. Once she was very, very sure that every trace of the horrific cheese sauce had been removed from her body and dress, she rubbed herself down and changed into pajamas. Her head had begun to pound, and all she wanted to do was go to sleep and pretend the day hadn’t happened. But the sight of the sleeping bag in the middle of her floor reminded her that she would have to face Pinkie again sooner or later. Later. Later works. Soon after Maud had settled into the comforting darkness of her room, she heard a timid knock on the door, followed by a subdued “Maud?” The door cracked open, and in slunk Pinkie. “Maud?” Pinkie tried again. Maud was so not ready to talk to her sister. She kept her eyes tightly shut, hoping that Pinkie would take the hint. Pinkie sighed and slowly rolled herself into the sleeping bag. She shuffled around a bit, before settling down. Before Maud fell asleep, she swore she heard her sister whisper “I’m so sorry.” But maybe that was just the beginning of a dream. It turned out that graduate students are much more mature than elementary school fillies. Maud was able to put the Great Cheese Sauce Incident behind her rather quickly, and rather than laugh at her, her fellow students tended toward sympathetic glances. Besides, they all soon found they had way too much to do to spend their time thinking about events that were so last week. Graduate school professors don’t break you in slowly, and Maud found herself reading and studying late into the night the day after classes started. Even the weekends were filled with work. Maud had three classes, plus teaching assistant duties. Day in and day out, rocks and more rocks. She loved it. Finally, she was surrounded by ponies that truly shared her interests. But even though she enjoyed the topics covered in her courses, she soon wondered if she was cut out for graduate school after all. Her Classification of Rocks class was the one she struggled with the most. Before graduate school, she didn’t have to think quite so much about what label she should use for each rock she encountered. She could just enjoy each specimen for its unique beauty. No more. But no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t seem to remember the difference between a Schist and a Scoria, or a Conglomerate and a Breccia. It was driving her crazy. As midterms approached, Maud began to really worry. She seemed to be okay in her Hydrology class – water did predictable things and interacted with different rocks in predictable ways. Besides, hydrology hit close to home for Maud, as her parents’ rock farm was probably created by a receding glacier. Maud thought she’d be okay in her Tectonics class as well, as long as she kept studying. But nothing she tried seemed to help her remember rock classifications. And if she wanted to stay in graduate school, she had to pass Classification of Rocks. No two ways about it. Maud began spending more and more time in the library, reviewing alternate textbooks on rock classifications and looking for tricks to help her remember which rock was which. She even made herself flashcards, but nothing seemed to be working. It was the night before the dreaded midterm, while she was sitting in the library pondering her fate, when Cheese Sandwich walked back into her life. Specifically, he walked into the library, as if he knew she’d be there, and sat down across from her as if this were an everyday occurrence. Maud stared at Cheese. “What are you doing here?” she asked, while struggling to decide just what emotion she was experiencing at his sudden appearance. Something between anger, annoyance, and joy? She couldn’t tell if the sensation in her stomach was due to her nervousness about the midterm, or if it was just a reflection of the confused state Cheese had elicited in her. “I’m here to help you!” Cheese replied, acting as if he had completely forgotten that the last time they had seen each other was the night of the hot pink mess. Maud tried to organize her thoughts, and failed. “Um, how? I mean, why do you think I need help? I’m fine you know… graduate school is great. I haven’t had to attend a single ball since you left.” Maud knew the moment after that last sentence had slipped out that she probably shouldn’t have said that. Cheese winced visibly in reaction, and Maud was immediately sorry to have brought up the ball. After all, it wasn’t as if Cheese had intended to publicly humiliate her. But before she could apologize, Cheese spoke. “Maud? I’m really, really sorry about what happened that night. It was totally, completely my fault.” Cheese paused, looking suddenly shy. “The truth is… well, the truth is that I just wanted to make the night special. For you, because you deserve to have special things happen to you. And when I saw what Pinkie had done to the cheese sauce, well… it just wasn’t right. I lost my head.” Maud swore she saw a glimmer of tears in the orange pony’s eyes. She opened her mouth to respond, but Cheese cut her off. “Wait, Maud, there’s more. I know I should have contacted you before this, or at least said goodbye, but I was too embarrassed after what I did to you… well, what Pinkie and I did to you. I figured you’d have to forgive Pinkie, but you wouldn’t have to forgive me. And I couldn’t bear the thought of you never wanting to see me again. So it was easier to leave than ask for forgiveness. But Pinkie told me you were having trouble, so I thought maybe I could make it up to you by helping you out…” Startled, Maud looked him in the eyes and narrowed hers. “What do you mean, Pinkie told you I was having trouble?” “Ummm…. She said that you were having trouble remembering the names of rocks? You told her that in a letter?” Nervous, Cheese tugged on the collar of his yellow shirt, hoping desperately that he hadn’t made a big mistake in coming back so quickly. At first, Maud looked pretty angry, but then she sighed and her shoulders sagged. After a minute, she spoke. “Well, she’s right, but I don’t think you can help.” Maud looked sadly at the book in front of her on the table, and then back at Cheese. “My midterm is tomorrow, and no matter how hard I try I can’t seem to remember which rock is which.” Cheese brightened up visibly, and started bouncing up and down in his seat. “You’re wrong, Maud, I can help you! I have a fantastic plan, and I just KNOW it is going to work! You are going to ACE your midterm, I promise!” Maud was taken aback by Cheese’s exuberance. What in Equestria was he planning?
Chapter 6For a pony that had not slept a wink the previous night, Maud was surprisingly awake. In fact, she was buzzing with an energy she had never felt before. Probably Cheese’s fault, she thought to herself as she took her seat in her Classification of Rocks class. I bet his hyperactivity is contagious. Cheese had been good for his word. He had spent the entire night with her, first at the library and then in the common room of the dormitory. Now all she could do was face down the test and hope his scheme had worked. The professor passed out the exam papers, face down, as Maud chewed on the end of her pencil. Five… four… three… two… one… “You may begin.” The first section of the exam was a plain and simple rock identification. Her professor had created three dimensional pictures of the rocks using some type of magic and posted them at the front of the room. Tapping on the picture on her paper caused the picture to appear closer to her. If she didn’t need to concentrate on the exam, she would have spent some time marveling at the ingenuity of the spell. Maud stared at the first picture… the rock had grains that were obvious. Was it granite? Before panic overtook her, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes… ….and in her mind she was back with cheese. Cheese was playing a popular song on the accordion in the corner of the library, and other than a disapproving librarian, no one else was there. But he had changed the words of the song… One part of me knows the word is overused One part wants simplicity And if I am confused, I am confused But in my textbook You offer definitions will not take these things for granite “Come on, Maud, your turn!” Cheese called out cheerfully after the first verse. “Cheese, this doesn’t help me remember anything that is going to be on the exam!” Maud had been frustrated. “That’s not the whole song! But it is the beginning and helps the rest make sense… c’mon Maud, what could it hurt?” A few minutes later Maud had to admit it was easier remembering the lyrics than she thought it would be, probably because she already knew the original song. Cheese went on to the next verse… It’s true granite is a rock with grains that show With a hardness more than marble But that doesn’t mean, schist’s the same thing Igneous it’s not, It’s metamorphic! “Okay, that verse might actually be helpful,” said Maud, although she still looked dubious. I'm noticing Gabbro is much darker Basalt is fine-grained Diorite has less quartz I will not take these things for granite Anymore… …Basalt, Maud thought to herself, and put the answer down on the exam. One down, nine to go. Every time Maud looked at another rock, she saw Cheese. Cheese, dancing in time with the music, teaching her another verse of some ridiculous parody. Cheese, sitting across from her, patiently reviewing the words with her. Cheese, playing the chords for the song on the accordion until she could sing the song through without his help. Finally she was on the last rock… and the last song… How many names can you have for one rock That’s sedimentary? Chemically formed and flaky to boot, Its luster is waxy Sometimes is used for starting a fire, And sometimes it’s just pretty… The answer my friend, Is Jasper, Flint, or Chert…. The answer is Jasper, Flint or Chert! In this case, it’s flint. She wrote down the answer with satisfaction. Part one was done. But that was the easy half of the test. The second half was essays, and for those she had to know the origins of all the different kinds of rocks. She had already known the basic way that igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks were created before she got to Baltimare. But in graduate school, much more detail was required. “Everyone is sick of this song. I’m sick of this song. I don’t know if I can stand to sing it.” Maud knew she was being difficult, and she knew she wasn’t being fair. Cheese was doing everything he could to help. But “Let it go” had been the only song anyone had been singing for weeks. If she had to listen to one more pre-pubescent pony belting that song out…. “This is a whole new set of words!” “Okay….” Maud was not convinced. But he had already taught her several song parodies that had all been, in the end, catchy and informative. “Let’s hear it.” Cheese picked up his accordion with a dramatic flourish, and begin playing. Maud did her best not to cringe as he began. The moon glowed white on a primeval night But the swamp was lush and green Plants they lived and plants they died Then sank and were unseen No oxygen to break them down in that water with no tide No light or life, only time to bide… Hmm… this is actually much better than the original, Maud thought to herself. Then sediments were washed into That swamp and a rocky layer grew Over time, the weight it took its toll Plants became coal… “Why are you doing this, really?” Maud interrupted, starting intently at Cheese. “Because this song is just so perfect for the story of coal!” “No, I mean, why are you helping me?” Cheese swallowed and suddenly looked a bit shy. Staring at the floor, he said, “I’m just helping out a friend.” “A friend?” “I’m hoping so.” Maud tilted her head. “I’ve never had a friend do something this nice for me.” Cheese was definitely blushing under his orange fur, but at least he looked back up at her. “No biggie, I make up silly songs ALL the time. Takes me no time at all!” “Still,” Maud said, “I feel like I’ll owe you a big favor if I manage to do well on this exam. I’m not sure I like being in debt like that.” “Umm, maybe you could do me a favor after the exam is over, and then we’ll be even,” Cheese suggested. Maud raised her eyebrows. “How painful will this be?” “Not painful, I hope.” Cheese took a deep breath. “Have dinner with me.” For several moments neither pony spoke. Then Maud said, quietly, “Cheese, you are being really nice to me, helping me out like this, but all I seem to do is study. I don’t really have time…” “Just one dinner. Surely you have to eat?” Maud debated with herself. She had thought Cheese might like her… like that. But she wasn’t sure how she felt about him. In truth, she had forgiven him for the cheese incident a long time ago, and assumed he was long gone when she didn’t see him after the ball. She had been… a bit disappointed, but mostly relieved at the time. Now that he was back, being so helpful to her, how could she say no? Finally, she rolled her eyes. “Okay, one dinner.” Cheese slowly smiled. Then he jumped up and down. “YEAH! She said yes!” He then began to dance around the room, which left Maud feeling like she was in the presence of an orange version of her sister after a sugar binge. “Um, Cheese?” Cheese stopped his dancing long enough to look over. “I have to do well on the exam first.” “Oh, yeah,” Cheese responded, looking a bit bashful. “Back to learning songs!” Maud finished her essay on the origins of coal and looked up at the clock. One more essay, fifteen more minutes. I can do this. The she read the second essay question. Describe the origin of marble and at least three of its uses, being sure to explain how and why marble is used in each case. Maud racked her brain. Had she studied about the uses of marble? Trying to swallow down the lump in her throat, she closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind. But she couldn’t… there was Cheese, with his accordion, looking at her with a smirk. She wanted to slap him! He hadn’t taught her any songs about… Wait a second… Marble, marble Palaces that reach so high Marble, marble, marble Monuments that touch the sky You know for building it's so great Crushed it’s used for aggregate - Ya Marble, marble You don't need to foliate You see, limestone is the answer Heat and pressure is its fate You know once that stone is baked then it’s marble, that’s the way… Acid it will neutralize Calcium it supplies Soil it will fertilize… That’s what marble’s done What marble’s done Ya, what marble’s done Ah, what marble’s done Maud put down her pencil just at the professor called time. Her hoof was shaking a bit, and suddenly she felt very, very tired. But she had done it… she was very sure she had passed, and pretty sure she had done well. Now, all she wanted to do was sleep. Ten minutes later, Maud was ensconced in her dormitory room, and snoring.
Chapter 7Cheese was incredibly nervous as he stood outside of Maud’s dormitory. This is it, he thought to himself. He was finally going on a real date with Maud. As he stood there, the past three months of memories flooded him. Seeing Maud for the first time on the train. His efforts to impress her with the New Student Orientation Ball. Maud, furious, pink goop dripping off of her dress. Him thinking that she would never speak to him again. After Maud had left the ball, activity has resumed, and overall the evening had been a success as far as the University of Mareland administration was concerned. But as far as he was concerned, it had been a disaster. Pinkie had apologized nonstop to him until he took her aside and reminded her that they still had a party to run. And run it they did – if both had been a bit more subdued than usual, no one remaining at the party knew them well enough to notice. They didn’t have to face each other again until it was time to clean up. When the hall was finally sparkling, Pinkie collapsed in a chair and groaned. “How can I go back and face my sister? She must be so embarrassed!” Then Pinkie gasped. “What if the other students tease her because of this? It will be all my FAULT!” Big, fat tears began to drip down her face. Cheese, who had flopped on his back on the floor, looked at Pinkie. “This isn’t the playground, Pinkie, it’s college. I really don’t think she’s doomed to a life of ostracism because of a cheese bombing. It’s not like it was her fault – it was ours.” This caused Pinky to cry harder, which had not been Cheese’s goal. He sighed and stared back up at the ceiling. “Easy f-for you to say,” Pinkie wailed. “She’s my FAVORITE sister. You don’t even know her! If she never talks to you again, it won’t matter!” Cheese winced visibly. Pinkie stopped crying and stared at him for several moments. “It does matter to you, doesn’t it?” she asked, a slow smile crossing her face. Cheese froze, then turned over and stood up. “Ummm, how could it? Like you said, I don’t even know her! Well, everything’s cleaned up, so it’s time to go!” But Pinkie was not that easy to put off of an idea, once it had taken root in her head. “Why were you standing right next to her when I came out of the kitchen, then?” “Coincidence? Heh…” Cheese couldn’t help it, a slow crimson was spreading across his cheeks. “You LIKE her, don’t you?” Pinkie was looking gleeful. “Pinkie… you aren’t going to say anything to her, are you? Not that it matters,” Cheese pointed out dejectedly. “After tonight, she won’t talk to me anyway.” Pinkie’s face fell a bit as she remembered why she had been upset in the first place. Then she got a look of determination. “Don’t worry, Cheese, we’re going to fix this. I’m not sure how yet, but…” Cheese sighed, and said, “I’m headed to Fillydelphia next. My Cheesy Sense has been pointing that way for a while now. I appreciate the thought, Pinky, but for now I’m not sure how I can make this up to your sister. Maybe some time will help.” Cheese and Pinkie had said their goodbyes then, and Cheese left that very evening. He had written a letter to Pinkie once he settled down in Fillydelphia, and they had been writing back and forth for weeks when the letter came that prompted him to return to Baltimare. The letter in which Pinkie had written about Maud’s trouble with her Classification of Rocks class. Cheese had instantly known why Pinkie had sent that letter. Here was his chance to get back in Maud’s good graces. Almost as quickly, he knew that the best way for him to help was through his songwriting ability – specifically, his talent for taking existing songs and making up new, funny lyrics to go with them. So he went that day to the University of Fillydelphia library and found as many books on rocks as he could stand. It took him several days, but he wrote songs about all of the major types of rocks. Pinkie had told him when Maud’s exam was, and time was running short. The day before the exam, he started back toward Baltimare. It took all day to get there. Maud hadn’t been in her dormitory, so he had headed to the library. She had been just as beautiful as he remembered, her brow furrowed in concentration as she stared at her books. In spite of his nervousness, he had gotten up the courage to talk with her, apologize to her, and convince her to learn the songs he had written. She had even agreed to go on a date with him. And she had aced her exam, he found out a week later, when he stopped by to see how she was doing. They had set their dinner date for the next day, both blushing furiously. Which brought him back to that moment, outside of the dormitory, working up the courage to go in and ask for Maud. It’s just a date, Cheese. Why are you so scared? Cheese started to walk back and forth outside of the dormitory, ignoring the curious stares of the other ponies passing by. But Cheese already knew the reason he was scared; it was because he had never felt like this about any other pony. Maud wasn’t just beautiful, and scary-smart, and funny in her own way. Maud just felt right to him. And she had agreed to just one date, so this was it. Either he was going to convince her to be his special somepony, or they would be saying goodbye. Finally, he stopped pacing. He wasn’t going to get what he wanted by avoiding her. Cheese took a deep breath, and walked through the dormitory door.
Chapter 8Maud heard her name called on the dormitory intercom, signaling Cheese’s arrival. She took one more look at herself to make sure she was ready – she was wearing a green outfit her sister had sent her as a present. In fact, it had arrived just that day. Maud knew that Pinkie had her Pinkie sense, but this was getting ridiculous. She was beginning to believe her sister was actively trying to set her up with Cheese. If it had been anyone else, she would have been furious. But it was hard for her to stay mad at Pinkie. She was just so… earnest about everything. Well, I shouldn’t keep him waiting. As Maud walked down the stairs to the front hallway of the dormitory, she asked herself yet again why she had agreed to go out to dinner with Cheese. It wasn’t that she didn’t like him – after all he had done for her to help her with her midterm, it would be very difficult for her to not like him. In fact, since the midterm, every time she thought about Cheese she felt like a little jolt of energy shot through her. And her mind seemed to wander back to thinking about Cheese quite easily. Way too easily. Then, there he was, beaming at her, looking just so… Cute? Wait, when did she decide he was cute? I’m in trouble. “Hi Maud! Wow you look great in that outfit!” If Cheese was nervous, he wasn’t showing it – but he was talking rather quickly… “Uh, thanks,” Maud replied, looking down at the floor. “Are you ready to go? Of COURSE you are, or you wouldn’t have come down, right? I have a surprise for you!” Maud wasn’t completely sure a surprise was going to be a good thing, given her history with Cheese. But she followed him out the door anyway. “Where are we going for dinner?” asked Maud, as they began walking down the path and off of campus. “I was thinking… Loch Raven Reservoir! It’s just a bit North of Baltimare, and I thought you’d like to see all the rock formations there. The area is full of…” “Marble and Limestone. We learned about it in class. I didn’t know there was a restaurant there?” “There isn’t,” Cheese smiled mysteriously. “That’s why I packed… a picnic!” At that moment, they had walked up to a chariot. Cheese swung open the door, and on the floor of the chariot was a large picnic basket. Maud was stunned. “After you?” Cheese asked, motioning Maud inside. Maud was speechless. She walked into the chariot, and Cheese joined her. The pegasi pulling the chariot took off, causing Maud to grab onto the side of the chariot with one hoof, and Cheese with the other. But once the chariot was in flight, it was less wobbly. She let go of the side of the chariot, but held onto Cheese. He didn’t seem to mind. “How… in Equestria… did you manage to get a chariot?” Maud squeaked out. “Oh, well, a friend of a friend pulled in a favor for us,” Cheese replied, smiling broadly. “What do you think of the view?” Maud had to admit the view was spectacular. She had never seen any part of Equestria from the sky, and now she understood why winged ponies loved it so much. As she and Cheese traveled north, she watched the ponies go about their business and thought about how small it all looked. “It’s amazing.” “I KNOW, right?” Cheese was starting to bounce a bit, which was causing the chariot to rock. Maud grabbed ahold of the side again. “Um, cheese, maybe you could stand still until we’re on the ground again?” “Oh, right, sorry,” Cheese replied, abashed. The ride continued without incident. Before Cheese knew it, they were landing in a wooded area, next to a large, pony-made lake. Cheese picked up the basket and exited the carriage, holding the door open for Maud. The pegasi sat down, looking bored. Cheese put the picnic basket down so he could talk to Maud. “I thought we could walk down one of the trails a bit and set up our picnic. Sound okay?” Cheese asked. “Sure,” Maud replied, looking around more closely. Loch Raven Reservoir supplied water to all the ponies in Baltimare. It was huge. They had landed at the southernmost point of the reservoir, and several trails led off in different directions. This didn’t bother Cheese a bit, and he cheerfully started trotting down the trail closest to the water, the basket hanging from his mouth. Maud followed him in silence for a while, until they got to a flat grassy spot right next to the water. Cheese put down the basket again and opened it up, pulling out a red-and-white checkered blanket. He spread the blanket out on the ground, and then sat down on it. “Let’s eat!” Maud joined him on the blanket and poked her nose into the basket. There was a wonderful selection of food – cold salads, sandwich makings, apples and other fruit, and a bottle of wine. Maud looked impressed. She pulled some items out of the basket, spreading them out on the blanket in front of them. “You don’t have to do that Maud…” Cheese moved to stop her, but Maud put her hoof up. “You have set all of this up; I think it’s only fair I do a bit of the work,” Maud replied, and then rewarded Cheese with one of her rare smiles. Cheese blushed a bit, but sat back as Maud set up the food. Soon they were munching away, staring at the water. Maud seemed happy with the silence, but Cheese was beginning to feel nervous. “So… how’s your family?” Cheese asked, desperate to start a conversation. “Oh, everything’s a-okay at the rock farm,” Maud replied. “My sisters Limestone and Marble are giving my parents some trouble, now that they are teenagers. But nothing too serious, according to Mom. And, of course, you know how Pinkie is, since you two exchange letters so often.” Maud paused, a twinkle in her eye. “So, are you supposed to report back on how our date went?” “Yeah, she wants…” Cheese’s eyes opened wide and he put a hoof over his mouth. “I’m assuming she’s the one that got you the carriage?” Cheese was turning an interesting shade of red. “Ummm….” “It’s okay,” Maud assured him. “I’m glad Pinkie approves. I trust her opinion. Many ponies don’t realize how smart she is about things, because she’s always so… well, Pinkie.” Cheese was relieved. “Yeah, that she is. Smart I mean. And Pinkie.” At that point, nothing was left of the picnic but crumbs. Cheese brushed himself off and stood up. “Are you ready to go rock hunting?” "Yes!" Maud clearly liked the sound of that. After putting the blanket back in the basket, Maud and Cheese started down the path again. Soon, Cockeysville Marble formations were showing through the foliage. Maud oohed and aahed and chatted about the Marble; Cheese was just content to listen. Then Maud stopped short and did the most unMaudlike thing Cheese could imagine—she squealed. “Look, CAVES!” Maud said, in a voice that was closer to that of her pinkish sister. “Oh, let’s go in, can we Cheese?” She looked up at him with those wide green eyes. “Sure,” responded Cheese. He was pretty sure she could have said something like “Oh Cheese, please pull out your teeth for me,” and the answer would have been the same. He had never seen her look so excited. Putting down the picnic basket, he rooted around in it until he found a flashlight, which he then handed to Maud. The two ponies then entered into the cave, following the pool of yellow light the flashlight provided. At first, the tunnel was only wide enough for the two ponies to walk single file. Since Maud was holding the flashlight, that put her first, with Cheese following her. This did not bother Cheese one bit. He rather liked the view. But after just a few minutes of walking the tunnel became wider and bottomed out into a large cavern. Maud just stood in the center of the cavern, looking entranced. She slowly turned, the flashlight reflecting the walls of the cavern as she spun around, taking it all in. “This is so amazing,” she whispered around the flashlight. She then put it down on the floor of the cavern, facing upward. This allowed quite a bit of the cavern to show, and she sat down next to it, staring up at the cavern ceiling. Cheese contemplated Maud for a minute, and then sat down next to her. She was clearly completely absorbed in her study of the cavern ceiling. After the walk in, however, Cheese had something else on his mind. “I’m glad you like it,” Cheese said softly, scooting a bit closer to Maud. “Like it? I love it. Thank you so much Cheese for bringing me here,” Maud responded, turning toward him with those shining eyes. Cheese took a deep breath. He was pretty sure this was the right time to kiss her. It was all he had been thinking about for the last fifteen minutes, and there she was, facing him, looking so incredible. Very slowly, he started lowering his head toward her, hoping she wouldn’t pull away. She didn’t. Her eyes closed. Softly, he touched his lips to hers. And it felt like the ground was moving. He swore he could hear it rumble and feel it vibrate. Her chest was against his, and he could feel her heart beating as quickly as his. He pulled away and looked at her. “Wow,” he whispered. “They say when you kiss the right pony, it feels like the earth moves.” Maud stared at him. “Uh, Cheese?” “Yes?” he answered breathlessly. “I think we’re in trouble,” Maud responded. Her eyes were dilated, and she was breathing heavily. “Yes, I think so,” Cheese said dreamily, and moved in to kiss her again. But Maud stopped him with a hoof. “I think the earth really did move.” “What?” Cheese answered in confusion. “I think an earthquake just happened. For real.” Cheese stared at Maud, who stared back. Then, slowly, Cheese reached down and picked up the flashlight in his mouth. He turned around slowly, pointing it at the tunnel which had led to the cavern… And discovered there was no more tunnel, just a wall of recently dislodged rocks. Large ones. Much too large for even two strong ponies to move. Cheese turned back to Maud. “You’re right. We’re in trouble.”
Chapter 9For a moment, Maud and Cheese just stood there, staring at each other. Then Cheese seemed to break loose from his trance. “We’re gonna DIE!” he shouted, looking a bit frantic. Maud sprang into action. “I need the flashlight,” she said to Cheese, taking it from him and turning toward the wall of rocks. Slowly she moved the circle of yellow light up and down the wall. Every once in a while she would stop and sniff at a spot, and then continue onward. As she was doing this, Cheese was bouncing up and down, eyes looking a bit wild. Finally, Maud turned around and place the flashlight back on the ground. “CHEESE!” It was the loudest he’d ever hear her speak. He instantly stopped moving and stared at her. “You need to calm down. We’re not going to die.” “We’re not?” Cheese asked hopefully. “No, we’re not,” Maud replied firmly. “First of all, there is still air coming in through the rocks, so we are not going to suffocate. Second of all, you left two pegasi at the top of the trail, who will soon be wondering where we are. They aren’t just going to go back home without reporting that we are missing to somepony. Third, you left the picnic basket outside of the cave, remember? Somepony is bound to come looking for us sooner or later, and that somepony is bound to find that picnic basket. We just need to wait.” Cheese thought Maud was making a lot of sense, but he wasn’t quite ready to stop panicking yet. “What if they don’t find the picnic basket, or what if they find the picnic basket but don’t realize it’s ours? Or what if…” “Cheese,” Maud said, a little more gently this time. “The pegasi saw us with the basket, right?” Cheese seemed to calm down after that. He sat down. “So we just have to wait?” “Yup,” Maud replied. “It’s probably dark outside now. Somepony will probably come looking for us in the morning.” She sat down as well. “Look, Cheese, I’m sorry I got you into this.” “No, it’s my fault – this was all my idea, coming here,” Cheese responded. “But it was my idea to go into the cave. Anyway, I’m sorry.” Cheese and Maud sat in silence for a moment, each contemplating their own thoughts. Maud was thinking about practical matters, like how long they should keep the flashlight on and whether there was a way to signal the outside world that they were in the cavern. Cheese was thinking that he and Maud were going to be alone together all night long. All… night… long. This made his stomach feel like it did on a roller coaster ride. Cheese was a very shy pony as a youth, and as an adult he had mostly interacted with other ponies in largish groups. He hadn’t spent much time dating before Maud, and working up the nerve to just kiss her had been difficult for him. But it was worth it, he thought, smiling to himself. Cheese’s smile soon vanished as the butterflies started up in his stomach again. What if she wanted more? Was he ready? What if she laughed at him? Cheese was at an age when other ponies would expect he had more experience than he actually did. Cheese did his best to try to think about something else. Anything else. Eventually, Maud spoke up. “We should conserve the power in the flashlight by turning it off soon." She looked around. “I know this isn’t the most comfortable place to sleep, but I think we can find two sandy spots that will do for the night.” Cheese had never been relieved and disappointed at the exact same time. He put on a cheerful face. “Sure, there must be… I mean, okay, I can sleep over here…” he pointed to one side of the cavern, “and it looks like there’s a sandy spot there?” He was gesturing to a spot about five feet away from the first. “That’ll do,” Maude said, walking over to her assigned spot with the flashlight in her mouth. She pushed the sand around a bit and curled up in a ball. “Ready?” she asked Cheese, who was settling down in his own spot. “Ready,” Cheese replied. Maud turned off the flashlight. Maud settled down in her sandy bed and tried to sleep. But her thoughts kept coming back to Cheese. Cheese had gone to so much effort to make her happy since the day she had met him. Not that all of his efforts have been successful. She had never heard of anyone working so hard to help a friend. He must have worked for days on those songs. Then he stayed up all night to help me study. And this date—setting up the picnic, going to a place he knew I’d like. When he had kissed her, she had let him, because she was caught up in the moment. It had been nice. Okay, very, very nice. But she was still conflicted. She really didn’t have time for a special somepony, even one as thoughtful and attentive as Cheese. She couldn’t possibly give him the attention he deserved. Cheese should be with someone who is more like he is. Nothing was going to turn Maud into a party pony. She would always be focused on her rocks. He was too loud, too brash, too excitable to be a good special somepony for Maud – and she was too dull, too studious, too boring to be a good special somepony for him. But he makes me smile. Maybe it was because he was different than her that she found him so intriguing. Maybe she needed someone who would bring her outside her comfort zone a bit, draw her out of her shell. Maybe he needs someone who will help him calm down. Could it work for them in the long run? Her settled down with her rocks, him taking off at a moment’s notice following his Cheesy Sense? Then again, Cheese had never said anything to indicate that he wanted a long-term relationship. He just seemed to want to be with her. But… he clearly cared a lot about her, or he wouldn’t be doing everything he was for her. What am I afraid of? Cheese wanted to be with her, and Maud couldn’t keep pushing him off. She either had to decide she was going to be his special somepony, or make it clear they could only be friends. Maud shivered. The cavern had gotten steadily colder since she had turned off the flashlight, and the sand was providing little insulation. Well, what are special someponies for, if they can’t keep you warm at night? “Cheese?” Maud’s heart was beating so loudly she was afraid Cheese could hear it from five feet away. “Yes, Maud?” “Are you cold?” Cheese swallowed so loudly she could hear it. “A-a little,” he replied. “Maybe we should sleep next to each other, so we can stay warm.” A moment passed, and Maud was beginning to worry that she had been too forward, when he finally answered, “o—okay.” Maud picked up the flashlight and felt her way through the darkness toward Cheese. She put the flashlight down and settled next to him, her body parallel to his. She could feel his heart beating through his side, rapidly, and his breathing seemed a bit shaky. “Cheese, are you okay?” she asked. “Y-yes,” he stammered. “We’ll be warmer if we hold each other,” Maud said. Cheese froze. Then, he slowly turned toward her, and wrapped his hooves around her. She snuggled closer. Cheese was so very warm, and smelled so good. She reached up with her head and nibbled on his neck, softly, and was rewarded with a quick intake of breath. “Ma-maud,” Cheese stuttered nervously, “I should tell you… I was very shy as a colt and I… well, I’ve never…” Maud softly whispered, “That’s alright.” And it was.
Chapter 10When Cheese woke up in complete darkness, it took him a second to remember where he was. Then it took another second for him to register that there was a pony snuggled up to him, with a hoof over his body. He froze, and then relaxed as memories of the previous night came back to him. It had turned out to be a very good night, after all. Cheese was contemplating going back to sleep when he heard some banging noises in the distance. Maud must have heard them as well, because she groaned and moved, and then groaned again. She’d not a morning person. I’ll have to remember that, Cheese thought to himself, smiling a very wide grin in the dark. Maud turned over and turned on the flashlight. The banging continued. In the pool of light, she looked around and then at Cheese. “I think they’ve found us,” she said. She stood up and began smoothing her mane with her hoof. “Um, you might want to clean up a bit, as much as you can.” Cheese blushed, and worked on his mane and fur, smoothing it as best as he could. The banging had gotten louder, and there was a small sheen of light around the wall of rocks that once was the entrance to the cavern. In the distance, he could hear a familiar voice. “Maud! Cheese! We’re coming for you!” Pinkie was shouting at the top of her lungs to be heard over the clamor of the rocks. Finally, a hole of light appeared, and then was enlarged as rocks magically moved out of the way. As soon as the space was big enough, Pinkie Pie bounded through it, followed by Twilight Sparkle, whose horn was still glowing. “MAUD!” Pinkie shouted, landing on her sister. Maud seemed to be used to this treatment, because she simply said, “Hello, Pinkie. How did you find us?” Pinkie bounced off of her sister and back on the ground, while simultaneously taking a deep breath. “Well you see first there was my Pinkie Sense that went off and I knew something was wrong but I didn’t know what and so I found Twi and asked her what she thought and then we thought about it but I couldn’t figure it out until the pegasi from your carriage came to the castle and said that you had never come out of the forest and there had been an earthquake so of course we all came as quickly as we could but it was dark and we had to wait until morning but then we sent search parties down each of the trails and one of them found your picnic basket so we put two and two together and here we are!” Somehow, Pinkie had managed that extra-long sentence without a second breath. She made up for that now, breathing in and out several times. Twilight watched her in amusement. “Well, I’m just glad you are all safe.” Cheese turned toward Twilight and bowed. “Thank you for rescuing us, your highness. I am so sorry for the trouble…” “Nonsense,” Twilight responded. “You didn’t cause the earthquake. And you can just call me Twilight. I hear you are practically family.” Twilight said that with a twinkle in her eye as she took in Cheese and Maud’s rumpled appearance. Cheese blushed and looked at Maud. Maud smirked. “I hope so,” Cheese said, and then realizing his intent could be misconstrued, continued. “That is, I hope that Maud will agree to be my special somepony.” His eyes were bright and hopeful as he watched her. Maud looked at him with a half-smile and an arched eyebrow. “I think I already am your special somepony,” she replied, somewhat suggestively. Cheese blushed even harder, but started to bounce up and down. However, he was outdone by Pinkie, who let out a whoop and grabbed Cheese with one hoof and Maud with another. “I KNEW it would work out between you two. You guys make the CUTEST couple!” “Um, Pinkie?” Maud said. “That’s great, but do you think we can get out of this cavern now?” Twilight laughed and ushered them out the new tunnel and into a brand new day.
