The Equinid (Undetermined Prologue)

    A brown earth pony was seated in a chair, screwing in a panel on top of a massive tangle of wires.

            He had been working on his creation for years in the cellar of his home, which he shared with another pony. The cellar was large by Ponyville standards (most homes didn’t even have one), about sixteen square feet, and eight feet high. The walls were dark blue in color, and a series of shelves were pushed up against them. On the shelves lied a multitude of different materials; tools, nails, screws, bolts, some gems, and a large assortment of metal pieces. It had taken a great deal of time and work to find all of these things; indeed, this basement may have been the greatest workshop in Equestria.

            When he had finished twisting in the final screw, he sat back and swiped a foreleg across his brow, wicking off some of the sweat pouring down his head.

            He stood up and trotted over to a table, stacks upon stacks of paper heaped on top of it. He shuffled through the piles and pulled out a few sheets, laying them down on the table. One sheet was filled with calculations, another with schematics, and another with a rough sketch. He exhaled loudly.

            Scanning the papers with his eyes, he went about the room collecting the materials he needed with the eccentric enthusiasm that many characterized him by. He had been working for years, and he knew that it would be years before he was finished, but that didn’t seem to stem the fervor with which he worked.

            The materials in his hooves, he walked back to his chair and dropped them beside it. He rolled his neck and sat down, going to work once more. He grabbed a metal panel between his hooves and a few screws in his teeth.

            “Let’s see… one screw, two screw, three screw…” he counted to himself and pointed on to where he would put them in.

            “And… tsk, that won’t do.” He lined up the panel according to his blueprints. He couldn’t attach the entire thing with screws alone. He would need a unicorn to weld part of it on.

            This time he exhaled in frustration. He had hoped to complete a good deal today, but unicorns familiar with fire magic rarely came by Ponyville. He had had this problem before, and it would, at times, take weeks for him to get in touch with the right unicorn for the job.

            He laid the plate down and dropped the screws on the table. Work would have to wait for now.

            He turned around to head for the stairs and, as if on cue, the door at the top of the staircase opened.

            “Hi, Doctor! I’m home!” A grey, blonde-haired, wall-eyed pegasus poked her head through.

            “Derpy!” he said with a hint of an accent, smiling. “How was your mail route?”

            “Perfect! I didn’t deliver anything to the wrong place!” She beamed proudly

            “Wonderful!” he smiled again. “I’ll be right up!”

            “Okay!” She disappeared as she pulled away from the door and headed for the kitchen. Doctor, who was slightly more organized (and usually spent his time at home) would always be sure that the pantry was stocked with muffins, Derpy’s favorite food.

            He heard a “thud” as something heavy fell upstairs, no doubt knocked over by Derpy.

            He chuckled to himself. He loved that pegasus. They had been good friends for years, ever since Derpy came to Ponyville from Cloudsdale, and while it seemed (and was) a bit unorthodox to others that two ponies of no relation should live together, the two of them thought little of it.

            In fact, neither of them were very well known in Ponyville, despite the town’s community being so close-knit. It was hardly as if either of them were harassed, but Doctor’s oddball pursuits and Derpy’s eye condition and clumsiness made them a fairly awkward duo, even in a town like Ponyville.

            Doctor walked over to the table and reorganized the papers strewn about it.

            When he was finished with this, he turned and trotted up the stairs. Walking into the kitchen, he found Derpy chewing happily on a muffin at the table.

            She looked up and smiled. “Hi again!”

            “Hello there.”

            Her eyes swept over his body.

            “You’re all sweaty and greasy, Doctor,” she said. “Were you in the basement all day again?”

            He looked down at himself. His fur was in fact slicked and matted down with sweat and grime. “So I am; and yes, I was.”

            “Come on Doctor, why don’t you go outside more? You love to walk around and explore!”

            “Well of course I do; my time in the basement is only aiding me in expanding the boundaries to which I can travel to do such things. It’s very complicated.”

            “Okay, then.” She cast her eyes down at the table, and then looked up once more. “Can we go out to have dinner, though?”

              “Tonight?”

            She nodded.

            “I don’t see why not; after all,” he frowned, “my project may be on hold for a bit.”

            “Yay!” she cheered, before quickly adding, “I mean, at dinner, not your project being on hold.”

            “That’s quite alright, I understand what you meant. Now, I should probably go wash up before I do anything else.”

            “Okay!”

            He turned and walked up an askew spiral staircase to the second floor of their house. It was odd to have a shower and a bath on the second floor, but that oddity and uniqueness was one of the reasons they liked the house so much.

            No later than the moment after she heard the water turn on upstairs, Derpy heard a knock at the door.

            “Hold on, be right there!” She placed her half-eaten muffin down on the table and jumped to her hooves, breaking into a canter one the way to the front door.

            She was intrigued; they rarely got visitors.

            However, when she did open the door, the two earth ponies waiting on the other side were nopony she recognized from town.

            Both of them were very light in color, one was a subtle, off-white color, and the other was similar, only slightly tanner. The tanner one stood closer to the door, and had a moderately thick mustache, as well as a large pair of sunglasses that covered his eyes entirely. His brown mane was styled in a strange, “big, curly poof” as Derpy would later call it. He wore a long sleeved white shirt with the cuffs rolled up and a brown waistcoat over it.

            His companion had a pair of smaller, rounder sunglasses on, although they covered his eyes for the most part as well. His black mane was longer, and, other than a few curls at the ends, hung straight down around his neck and shoulders. He too wore a long sleeved, button down shirt, although his was blue in color.

            Their faces were expressionless.

            “Uh… hi?”

            “Derpy Hooves?” the mustached one asked.

            “Yes? Am- am I in trouble?” she asked nervously.

            He shook his head. “Have you seen anything out of the ordinary around here?”

            “Um… no. I don’t think so.”

            “That’s too bad,” he said, although his face betrayed no emotion.

            Without a word, they both turned and walked away.

            “Okay, bye!” She waved a hoof, but they didn’t respond.

            She closed the front door as they departed and went back to the kitchen. She sat down and continued eating the blueberry muffin she left on the table, although she looked apprehensively out of one of the windows as she did so, somewhat put off by the strange visit.

            A few minutes later, Doctor came jogging down the stairs with a towel over his back. He was still fairly damp, but was much cleaner and groomed than he had been earlier. His mane was perfectly feathered (as always), and the scent of shampoo still hung around him.

            He pulled out the chair across from Derpy with his teeth and sat down, before he took the towel from his back and started drying himself off further.

            “Was there a knock on the door?”

            “M-hm.”

            “Well who was it?”

            “Some stallions asking funny questions.”

            “’Ha-ha’ funny, or ‘that’s odd’ funny?”

            “Odd.”

            “Peh.” He waved a hoof as if shooing away a fly. “Foreigners or travelers no doubt; no need to worry.”

            He leaned forward, put his elbows on the table, and rested his chin on his hooves. “How was your day, love?” His accent came through more thickly on this last word.

            She giggled. His voice had a tendency to slip in such a fashion when he would speak with intense emotion or use phrases or expressions from his parents, who had come to Equestria from Richmare, but who were ultimately from The Kingdom.

            “It was good. Oh! I forgot!” She slapped a hoof to her head. “I got a mail load from CANTERLOT!”

            “Really? Canterlot?”

            “Uh huh!” Her face was stretched by a huge grin of pride. “I got to dispose of a bunch of old letters from Celestia herself! I hope this means I’ll get a promotion soon!”

            “I wouldn’t doubt you would; they’d be lucky to have you.”

            “Thanks, Doctor.”

            He smiled sincerely.

            She hopped up from the table and tossed out the wrapper of her muffin. Doctor hung his towel over the back of his chair and leaned backwards, exhaling loudly. Peace and quiet was relatively easy to come by in Ponyville, and when Doctor stopped to notice it, he realized that he took it for granted.

            However, peace alone could only entertain him for so long. He was made to be busy, and after only a few short seconds his mind was at work once more, filled with thoughts of his calculations and dreams of his success.

            He rose to his hooves and trotted to the front door. He really had nothing to do at the moment, so he supposed he would act on Derpy’s advice and take a stroll through town.

            He jogged out to the front of their house, lying somewhat on the outskirts of Ponyville, and took a look around.

            It was more overcast than usual, but in the distance the sun shone radiantly on the barely visible city of Canterlot and the mountains it sat in. For a moment, his throat seized and a coughing fit took over.

            “Hm,” he sniffed, “hope I’m not coming down with anything.”

            He absent-mindedly cantered into the town square, centered around that giant tree that served as a Library, and peered about for some activity to occupy himself with.

    As ponies walked by, he would, every so often, see somepony glance at him out of the corner of his eye.

    There were two reasons for this: one was that he was, in Ponyville, recognized as attractive. His intelligence, his naturally, perfectly feathered mane, and his pseudo-accent had made him, in the past, the desire of a good deal of fillies. However, this was rarely the case anymore, as he was also known to be far too preoccupied and eccentric to function in a relationship. Thus, nowadays, most ponies would wonder at him due to his reputation in town as a dreamer with his head in the clouds and full of plans that would never be achieved. He spent so much time in his cellar, many expected him to emerge with some sort of gadget, whether it be flawlessly advanced or entirely contrived.

            “Well hey now, good ta know ya weren’t trapped in that there house a’ yours.” A lazy, deep voice grumbled over his shoulder.

            Doctor turned to face a large, red, muscular stallion. He didn’t spend much time in town, and he hardly knew the stallion, but what Doctor did know is that Big Macintosh had a tendency to be almost as introverted as himself; it came as both a surprise and a relief to him that the tall earth pony had initiated a conversation with him.

            “Yes; well, work is work, you know.” He replied in a somewhat meek voice.

            Big Mac nodded. “That’s fer sure. Ya wouldn’t be happenin’ ta work on any harvestin’ equipment in that house a yours, would ya?”

            Doctor shrugged and shook his head.

            “Shame. Anyways, nice ta talk ta another stallion  -‘sides Caramel or Pokey, but you know how they are- every once an’ a while. There ain’t many a’ us in town.”

            Doctor had never really taken the time to notice it, but what Big Mac said was true. As his eyes scanned the crowd, he spotted maybe one colt among the throng of mares.

            “I suppose you’re right.”

            Big Mac shook his head once more. “That’s a shame, too. Applejack ain’t gonna have an easy time findin’ a good colt around here.”

            Doctor shrugged. “Well, there’s always other places. Manehattan, Fillydelphia-“

            “S’pose so. ‘Fraid Ah couldn’t quite see you workin’ out in the family, if you’ll pardon mah sayin’ so.”

            Doctor waved a hoof. “Think nothing of it. I’m aware of my physical ineptitude; I’d be next to useless in a farm life scenario.”

            Big Mac whistled. “Had a feelin’ you were the type ta use fancy words. Maybe you’d be better at helpin’ Applebloom with her homework than me; you be lookin’ for a job as a tutor?”

            Doctor hadn’t expected the proposal and paused, a blank look on his face as he tried to formulate a response.

            “Don’t worry none, Ah’m just pullin’ yer leg.”

            Doctor exhaled in relief before he continued the conversation. “Pardon me, I forgot to ask; how is your family?”

            “Fine for the moment, thanks for askin’. Granny Smith came down with somethin’ a week or two ago, but it cleared up, Applebloom’s runnin’ round here somewhere with her friends, an’ Applejack’s up at Canterlot.”

            “Really? Canterlot? What’s the occasion?” Doctor asked, intrigued.

            Big Mac lethargically shifted the hay in his mouth. “Ain’t quite sure. Went off with her friends ‘cause a’ some letter from Celestia.”

            “Urgent situation?”

            “Can’t say fer sure.”

            “Interesting at any rate, I’d say.”

            Big Mac nodded. He suddenly looked as though he remembered something, and turned to Doctor. “Oh, Ah was gonna ask ya; you been gettin’ any funny visitors knockin’ at yer door?”

            Doctor tapped his chin for a moment, and then his face lit up with recollection. “Actually, Derpy was speaking of some odd guests a matter of hours ago; I was bathing, so I didn’t quite get a look at them. Why, have you received any unordinary visits currently?”

            “Two funny-lookin’ fellas dressed up like it was the Gallopin’ Gala, if ya ask me. Askin’ fer Applejack. Don’t know what they were up ta, but Ah probably shoulda asked more; don’t want them messin’ around with mah family.”

            “Ah, don’t mind it,” Doctor raised a hoof in assurance, “there’s simply no reason to do such a thing.”

            “S’pose so.”

            The two stood for a couple of minutes in silence, neither of them able to come up with another topic to speak about. Neither were particularly enthusiastic conversationalists, and it showed in the awkward pause. Eventually, Doctor cleared his throat.

            “Yes, well, I suppose I should be going; work to do, and all that.”

            Big Mac sighed in relief that he didn’t need to excuse himself. “’Course. Guess Ah’ll talk ta ya later, then.”

            Doctor nodded, although both expected that they wouldn’t cross paths; much less speak to one another, for another year or so.

            Doctor trotted off towards the spa, not particularly interested in paying a visit to it, but more because he was interested in finding something to do on the way there. He passed the row of vendors always set up just off the main square, peddling apples, carrots, and any other number of foods found in the area around Ponyville.

            As he observed the blend of food, he unintentionally ran into one of the potential clientele looking over the food.

            “Dude!” Another one of the few male inhabitants of Ponyville wheeled around. He was a unicorn, a subtle green color with a fine-haired mane about the length of Doctor’s. He wore a black shirt, on which, upon further inspection, Doctor could read the word “Queen”.

            “What’s up, man? Couldn’t see me here?” the unicorn asked somewhat sarcastically.

            While Doctor struggled to think of a response, the unicorn’s brow furrowed as he focused in on the brown stallion, suddenly touched by recognition.

            “Oh hey, you’re that shut-in that’s probably making a bomb or a doomsday device or something,” he chuckled.

            “Bomb?” Doctor asked, desiring a definition.

            The unicorn’s face lost its air of amusement and instead a look of defeat and disappointment replaced it, as if he had been expecting this response, but was hoping for a different one.

            “Yeah. Right. Just… look out a little more; I can’t get another shirt like this anywhere around here.”

            Doctor nodded, not wanting to partake in any altercation.

            “Great, I’ll see you around, uh…”

            “Doctor.”

            “…Doctor. Cool. I’m Lyle, for future reference.”

            Doctor extended a hoof, but then quickly withdrew it when Lyle showed no interest in a hoof shake, looking past the brown earth pony instead. Lyle looked back to Doctor and gave him a cheesy smile before trotting past him to observe some tomatoes.

            Doctor cleared his throat timidly and jogged a little further down the dirt street. He supposed, with nothing else to do, that he’d make the dinner reservations now rather than later. He took a left and came to a smaller road with less ponies walking the streets.

            Among the colorful, cheerfully painted buildings that mostly housed culinary or general stores, Doctor found the tope-colored venue he sought for.

            As he pushed open the door to the Ponyville Dance Club, the DJ, a white unicorn with shocking blue hair, pushed past him, nodding to him and mumbling a nearly inaudible “excuse me”.

            He entered the comparatively small foyer, as the majority of the building was reserved for the club itself. The door to the club itself was directly in front of Doctor as he walked in. There were two sofas set adjacently to the left of the door, and on the other side was a small desk, behind which stood a gray, bored-looking pegasus.

            An excited unicorn, mint green in color, stood across from him, the obvious excitement practically radiating from her standing in stark contrast to the bouncer’s (or receptionist’s) disinterest.

            Noticing that she was nearly finished reserving a table, Doctor walked up beside her and nodded politely.

            When she had finished, she began walking away, a spring in her step. Doctor approached the desk but, as soon as he said the words, “a table for two”, the green filly did a double take and turned to face him.

            “Aw, are you finally going on a date? Who’s the lucky filly?” she asked, beaming.

            “Oh! No, not quite. Just dinner with a friend,” Doctor responded, flabbergasted.

            The unicorn, Lyra, as Doctor recalled, sensed his confusion. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she apologized, still smiling. “I’m just… sorry, I’m just excited.”

            “What’s the occasion?”

            She sighed, somewhat dreamily. “My first date. With my… fillyfriend.”

            “Oh, well that’s very sweet. I’m very happy for both of you,” he said, smiling softly.

            She giggled. “Thanks. I’ll see you around! Maybe tonight, even!”

            He nodded and waved as she trotted out the doorway.

            He turned back to the listless pegasus, whose eyebrows were now raised, although his mouth was still set in a flat line.

            “Table for two?”

            Doctor nodded.

            The pegasus took up a pen in his mouth and scribbled on the piece of paper on his desk. “Lucky you, looks like a quiet night,” he said, scanning the list of reservations. Normally, every table in Ponyville’s most popular (and only) club would be booked by noon; at the moment, however, it looked as though it would be half as crowded as it usually was.

            “Well that’s nice to know,” Doctor said.

            “M-hm. Hope some more partiers come in though, Vinyl likes a bigger crowd.”

            “I’ll put out the word,” Doctor assured him, turning to the door.

            “Great. Have a nice day,” the pegasus replied lethargically.

            Doctor entered the street once more, now, once again, with nothing to do. He breathed out loudly. It wasn’t often that his project’s progress would be hindered by anything, but when it was, he often found a lack of things to do. He scolded himself, as every time this happened, he swore that he would make more friends or pick up another hobby. He never did, simply reverting back to his cellar-based undertaking whenever he had the chance.

            Maybe he could try painting or writing, maybe he could take up an instrument, or, remembering what Big Mac said, possibly even work on another project, one that would benefit Ponyville and its residents.

            He shook his head. His aspirations were distant and lofty enough; he couldn’t afford distractions.

            Or at least that’s the excuse he used.

            Either way, he decided that he would head back to his house. A nap couldn’t hurt, and he had more than enough time before dinner. Nagging thoughts told him that he would need to come up with something to do tomorrow as well, but he pushed most of them aside.

            Besides, he supposed that there was no use in worrying too far into the future.