Arrival and Acquaintance
After much ceremony and fanfare, it was of little surprise that six ponies would seek respite from the enduring crowds in the comfort of their hometown. However, news seemed to travel faster than the various means of transportation from place to place in Equestria, so no solace could be found. Upon arrival in the town of Ponyville, the swell of ponies on either side of the railroad tracks seemed to reach up in an effort to dislodge the decelerating locomotive from its set path. Feeling the forward jerk of inertia as the train screeched to a halt, Rainbow Dash bumped her head into the back of the seat in front of her.
"Ugh!", she shouted as she rubbed her head, "No good, lousy...", and cut off in innate frustration. She looked outside the window of her train car, and to her dismay, everypony waiting outside stared back at her with eager, anxious expressions. She nervously smiled and waved back at the myriad ponies awaiting the arrival of the six heroes of Equestria. "Twilight...", she said, stuttering over her dread of the situation, "...I think we're gonna have a bit of a rough time getting to your house."
Twilight, with her cheek bunched up on her hoof, glanced out of her own window. "I wish they would show their admiration by going home and leaving us be. We've already been hassled by hundreds of ponies in Canterlot, and things aren't looking too much brighter here at home." Rainbow Dash nodded her head in agreement.
"I, for one, don't mind being adored and admired in the least bit. If the citizens of Ponyville wish to congratulate us on our victory over Chrysalis, I don't see a problem with ruffing my way through the crowds." Rarity, dressed up in a dress of her own design, walked down the aisle of the train car with a refined air of dignity and honor. The rest of them simply rolled their eyes in playful banter. They dismounted the train, and headed off to face the impending wave of ponies. As the tide of fans hit, numerous questions were flung from every direction: How did you all do it? Is anyone hurt? What remains of Canterlot? Did the wedding proceed as planned? No answers were given in response to these queries, and the six friends tried their best to hurry through the crowd to Twilight's house. However, just as the end of the crowds was in their view, the Mayor of Ponyville stopped them in their tracks.
"Oh my goodness!" She seemed out of breath. "I thought I wouldn't get a chance to speak with you all." She paused again to catch some air.
Applejack raised her eyebrow in disapproval. "I'm mighty sorry, but we really just wanna get home. We've had a rough time with other ponies trying to give us their thanks, and we'd really appreciate if y'all'd just let us through." She started to go around the mayor, but she put up a hoof to block her path.
"All of you, I need to ask a favor." The crowd of ponies was beginning to migrate toward the now stationary heroes.
Fluttershy spoke in a more hushed tone than usual, "What is it that you want us to do?"
The mayor gestured to a pony walking down the streets of the town. He didn't seem to be part of the crowds that caked the roads. "I don't know who he is, but he arrived here in Ponyville just after you departed for the Royal Wedding in Canterlot. He's been looking for you, Twilight Sparkle", she said as she pointed her hoof at Twilight. "I don't know exactly what he wants. He said something about studying abroad from Canterlot University, and how he knew you were doing the same. I thought perhaps you knew each other, so I let him stay in your house."
Twilight's eyes widened. "You let him into MY home?! What were you thinking?! I haven't ever seen him before in my life!" She ran passed the mayor and straight home, with her friends not too far behind. When she got there, she burst into the door to find something surprising: not a single thing in her house appeared to be touched or disturbed. The door to her bedroom was even in the exact same open position she had left it in before she left. After thoroughly inspecting her house, she breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness he hasn't touched anything." She ruffled her eyebrows. "Let alone eaten anything. Not a single bit of my food's been touched."
Rarity spoke up. "I still think it rather appalling that a strange colt was in your house without your permission. Quite rude of the Mayor to just offer him a place that wasn't even hers."
"Oh well", Twilight said, "At least nothing's wrong with my house." She looked out of the window to see purple and pink hues in the sky, dotted with a few sparkles of distant starts here and there. "I think it'd be great...", a yawn interrupted her sentence, "...if we all got some sleep. I'm completely beat from everything that's happened. You all can stay here to sleep if you don't feel like walking home."
"Thank you kindly, but I think I'd better head back to the farm. Big Mac, Granny Smith, and Applebloom will wanna see me after everything that happened." The other ponies gave similar reasons for heading home.
"I must attend to Sweetie Belle..."
"Angel needs to be fed..."
"I find clouds more comfortable than trees..."
"It's been three whole days since I've had a cupcake!"
Twilight smiled at Pinkie's response, and bid her friends farewell. She climbed the steps to her bedroom, closed the door behind her as she entered, and passed Spike's empty bed, staring at it with some degree of worry. She finally collapsed onto her bed, paying no heed to the neatness of the sheets nor to the position of her pillow. Staring out into the night sky visible from her window, she drifted to sleep.
* * *
There seemed to be a figure in the distance. It looked to be a tall spire, faded by the color of an oily shadow. Twilight began to run toward it, not knowing why she did nor what the figure was. As she approached it, its form began to assume a more definite shape. It looked like a tall pillar with four sharp edges, with a square pyramid mounted on top. Its size began to become increasingly apparent the closer Twilight got. It was enormous, higher than the highest spire in the Canterlot Palace. Suddenly, she felt the splash of water on her hoof. She stopped, and looked down to see that a vast lake surrounded the obelisk. In the water, she could see all of her friends, some images of them bickering fiercely, and some yet of them having wonderful fun together. She looked up at the obelisk to see a bright, blue light shining from its tip pointing down at her. She heard her name whispered in her head.
"Twilight.......Twilight.........I'm coming for you very soon." She looked back down into the water to see an image of herself as a filly, releasing Spike from his egg during her first magic examination. It then changed into an image of herself turning gray as Discord almost triumphed over the six's friendship. She looked back up at the obelisk, and shouted, "Who are you?!" The obelisk, though void of any means of expression, seemed to narrow its gaze at her.
"I am the essence of perfection, the being void of error. I am the burden of a troubled memory, and the torture of genuine terror." Twilight felt a crippling sensation of extreme emotional trauma, followed by a euphoric sense of elation, then the two feelings mixed into one another into something she couldn't begin to describe. The obelisk's telepathic voice lowered in pitch. "I grow tired of Celestia's preventative measures. Tell her....that a Friendly Stranger is not as far from her land as she thinks." Twilight collapsed into the water, the resulting shock waking her up.
***
The daylight poured itself through the bedroom window. 'What a weird dream', thought Twilight. It hardly seemed as though much time had been passed in sleep, yet the full cycle of night-to-day had occurred. "Good morning Spike, I..." She cut herself off when she realized that Spike's bed still lay empty. She sighed and looked down at the floor, eventually resolving to exit the comfort of her sheets and step down upon it. Drudging down the stairs and over to her desk, she was startled awake by the fact that her quill wasn't in her ink well. Instead, it lay flat upon the desk, with several pieces of parchment scattered about below it. She shook her head when she realized that she hadn't checked her desk last night when looking for discrepancies in her house's order. She let out an exasperated huff, and approached the clutter of parchment. The contents of the papers gave her another shock: they were filled with lines of mathematics that were so complex, she couldn't even comprehend them. Using her magic, she lifted the papers into the air and examined each one closely. She was able to distinguish an order to the lines of equations, and deduced that whoever wrote them was trying to solve a problem. She looked at the bottom of the last page, and it ended in an equals-sign and a question mark. Apparently, the skilled mathematician hadn't been able to come up with a solution to the conundrum that filled every white space of fourteen pages of parchment. 'These must have been written by that strange pony who the Mayor let into my house', thought Twilight. She took a moment to look back over the papers. A feeling of slight admiration sprung up inside of her. Even though no solution was found, the pony who tackled this problem was very intelligent indeed. There were several symbols and concepts that Twilight had never even laid eyes on.
The sudden sound of a bump at her door made her drop the papers. She turned toward the door, and heard the muffled voice of a colt on the other side. "Ouch....ugh." She raised her eyebrow, and made ready to open the door, but it opened before she could even take one step. A blue magical film surrounded the door as it swung open, and a white pony stepped in with blue magic surrounding his horn. He was scrunching his eyes closed rubbing his head; Twilight guessed he had been distracted, and ran into the door. He opened his eyes and did a double-take when he saw Twilight, dropping more papers he was carrying with magic. His eyes give her a start, for they were of a beautiful emerald-green.
"Oh my.....I....uh", he started backing out of the house, "I didn't realize you'd returned. My greatest apologies." He made a hasty bow, and hit is head on the door frame on the way back up. "Ouch! S-sorry Twilight Sparkle, I'll leave promptly." He turned to collect the dropped papers, and made a fool of himself trying to bunch it all together. Twilight, still somewhat dumbfounded, at last came to speak.
"Wait! Are you the pony who's been asking for me?" She stepped up behind him. He turned around, still somewhat flustered.
"Uh....yeah. You are Twilight Sparkle, correct?" His face was still rife with embarrassment.
"Yes I am, and may I ask who YOU are?", she gave him an up-and-down glance, then stamped her foot towards him, "You, who think you can just enter anypony's home whenever he feels like it?"
He backed away even further. "Wait! I'm sorry, just let me explain. My name is Euclid." He gave a slight bow of the head. "I'm here from Canterlot University on a study-abroad program, like you are." His white hoof raised up to point at Twilight. "I'm the top student in my particular area of studies, and the Princess found it acceptable for me to pursue these studies on my own in Ponyville. She told me that her best student, one named Twilight Sparkle, was doing the same thing, so when I arrived, I asked the mayor here if you were present. She told me that you were away in Canterlot on account of the Royal wedding, so she offered me your house for a place to stay..."
Twilight sharply interrupted, "Which is exactly what the problem is! I never gave the okay for that to happen, so you're essentially an intruder!" Her voice became more and more irritated.
"Actually, I've only used your house for my works, as you've seen...", he glanced around Twilight at the pile of scattered papers on her floor. "...but I went to a local establishment in order to compensate you. I've bought a new stack of parchment." He set the disorganized clump of parchment on the doorstep in front of Twilight.
Twilight's anger began to fade away. She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. "I'm really sorry, I've just been really stressed lately. In case you haven't heard, Canterlot was almost overthrown by a swarm of changelings. That, and my baby dragon, Spike...", she glanced at her bedroom door, "...he's awfully sick. I had to leave him with an expert doctor in Canterlot."
Euclid's fear subsided a bit, and he relaxed. "I'm very sorry to hear that. You'll be happy to know that I've been staying elsewhere. I had no intention in staying in a lady's home without her leave. I simply needed some parchment to work out a few of my problems, and I've purchased enough of it to replace that which I used, and some for my own future use. I can see that I've upset you, so I'll get out of your mane." He began to turn to depart.
"Wait.", Twilight said. "Why don't you come in?" She smiled a little bit. "I'd actually like to hear about your studies. It's always nice to meet a fellow scholar."
Euclid smiled back a charming, well-tempered smile. "Are you sure? I don't want to be a bother."
Twilight's smile expanded into a sincere grin. "Of course! You've sparked my genuine interest." She walked in with Euclid following behind, picked up the blank pile of parchment, and closed the door. "You see", she said, "I love anything having to do with math, science, or magic. I looked over your papers, and I can't even understand half of the math on them! Are you a mathematician?"
"Why, yes. See my cutie mark?" He showed her the side of his flank. Upon it was some odd equation that Twilight had never seen before, which looked like this:
*
"What is it?", asked Twilight.
"It's called the Star-Swirl Zeta Function. Developed by the great mind of Star-Swirl the Bearded himself." His eyes began to light up. "It has to do with a strange realm of mathematics called complex analysis. It's astonishing he knew anything about it, because few pony mathematicians even know how to do complex computations in the present time."
Twilight now seemed lavishly interested in Euclid's cutie mark. "That's amazing! I thought Star-Swirl the Bearded was only a wizard! I had no idea he was a renowned mathematician!" Her eyes were now just as lit up as Euclid's.
Euclid chuckled a bit. "Actually, quite a bit of math goes into the practice of magic. You, for example, must have a profound understanding of the subject. Celestia told me that you were the most skilled unicorn in perhaps all of Equestria."
Twilight blushed slightly. "Well, I don't know about ALL of Equestria, but I am taught directly by the Princess. She doesn't do that for just any unicorn. But to answer your question, no. I'm afraid I don't really have as tight of a grasp on math as you might have."
"That doesn't really mean you don't understand it. A unicorn of your caliber certainly has some sort of innate understanding about the mathematical and scientific natures of this world." He looked up at Twilight's telescope. "I had noticed that we share a common interest in the celestial bodies that hover in the night sky."
Twilight's voice revealed her excitement. "Oh my goodness! You like to stargaze?!" She let out a small squee. "There's nothing quite as exhilarating as seeing a comet pass the view of your telescope is there?" A giggle escaped her lips, but she quickly quelled it.
Euclid bent his knees a bit in an ecstatic display. "Or when you finally discover a realization about a particular subject that just screams, 'Aha! I have you know!'" He let out a giggle similar to Twilight's, but deeper in inflection. He straightened his composure and looked down at Twilight. "I'm really glad I've had the pleasure of meeting someone like you, Twilight Sparkle. I didn't think I'd ever meet anypony so special and intelligent. Usually, anytime I try to engage in conversation with any other pony, I have to limit my eloquation." He smiled. "Don't you just hate it when nopony knows what you're talking about?"
Twilight remembered just a month before, when she had tried to describe the Wingpower Gauge to the Pegasuses, nopony knew what she was saying until Spike dumbed it down for them. "That is the story of my life!" She burst out into laughter, and Euclid joined her. "You know, I'm kind of glad you came by, Euclid. Would you like to meet my friends?"
Euclid smiled. "I'd like nothing better, Miss Twilight Sparkle."
*This is actually called the Riemann Zeta Function. It extends the Zeno's Dichotomy Series into a complex argument.
The Beginning of Something Troublesome
Twilight and Euclid, after stopping and having a nice brunch at Horte Cuisine's restaurant (thereby having a perfect opportunity to discuss topics of scientific interest and the like), made their way to Fluttershy's house. As they left the urban confines of Ponyville, the land surrounding them began to settle into the form of untamed rolling hills, with wildflowers and endless seas of grass blanketing the terrain. Birds of various colors became more frequent in their flittings from tree to tree, and in their warble of miscellaneous chorus. Squirrels scampered across the fields, badgers poked their heads out of their burrows, and butterflies hovered above patches of colorful flowers. Cutting clear across the horizon, a soft, lovely voice sang a melody among the disorganized harmonies of the birds chirping. Euclid's ear stood erect, and he stopped dead in his tracks.
"What is that illustrious noise?" His eyes were fixed in the direction from which the song was coming.
"That's Fluttershy", answered Twilight. She nudged him along. After the song continued to crescendo as the pair got closer to its origin, Euclid began humming along to the melody. He could now make out the lyrics of the serenading tune, and found himself singing along as if the song were innately familiar.
In time, immemorial, the songs of songbirds sing
To Love equestratorial*, the air of summer clings
Inward and Outward, the chorus is the same
The Melody of Nature has Universal acclaim
The time approaching autumn is the season's formal leave
Progression, top to bottom, is a spider's natural weave
I will, in time, understand why the coming of the cold
Gives way to something greater.....birth, and rebirth a hundred fold.
Euclid harmonized, stanza by stanza, with the pony whom he hadn't even met. Twilight just listened in amazement to his surprisingly lovely voice. His singing was causing the myriad animals to congregate around the dirt path leading to Fluttershy's house. Most of them began joining in on his harmony. Around a bend in the road, the full view of the singing pony's house rolled out from behind a tree. The flying, yellow pony hovered here and there, continuing in her melody with the animals about her. That is, until she spotted Euclid and Twilight. She realized then that this strange, white unicorn was the voice she'd heard from the forest. She promptly ceased in her singing and drifted to the ground.
"Oh, I'm sorry." She looked down at the ground and blushed. "I was singing to myself." She didn't look back up.
Twilight walked over to her, while Euclid stayed somewhat behind. Twilight turned to him and whispered, "She doesn't warm up well to strangers. It's best if we take it slow." Fluttershy scraped her hoof nonchalantly across the dirt. "Hey, Fluttershy! Don't mind us, we were just listening to your amazing song."
Fluttershy shrank back into herself. "I know. I...I didn't think anyone was around."
Twilight raised her eyebrow. "But this colt...", She gestured to Euclid, "...was harmonizing with you. Didn't you hear him?"
Fluttershy gained the courage to look up at Euclid. His warm, friendly smile seemed to curb her nervousness. "I did, but it was just so perfect, I couldn't let the moment pass by, so I just kept singing." She smiled a little bit. "I really like your voice", she said to Euclid. "Can you sing for me again?"
"Why, of course. Could you start the song again, so I could remember how it goes?" He and Fluttershy began to sing yet again, this time making it through the whole song. Twilight simply sat to the side, and enjoyed the performance. When the two finished, a circle of animals had amassed around them.
"Oh my!", said Fluttershy. "I think my animals like your singing too!" Now an expansive smile stretched across her face. "May I ask your name, mister..."
"Euclid. Euclid Forbes is my name. A pleasure and an honor to meet one of such skill in the vocal area as you." He made his bow, which seemed to be a habitual action of his. "And I presume that you are Fluttershy?"
Fluttershy bowed back in return. "Yes, that's me. A pleasure to meet you as well." Angel, which had been resting on her back, hopped down to inspect Euclid. The bunny sniffed at his right hoof, his pink nose vibrating back and forth like bunny noses always do. Eventually gaining enough courage and apparent positive impression, Angel hopped up on his back, and began to sniff his blue mane. Fluttershy giggled. "I think he likes you, Euclid."
Euclid turned to face Angel, who was now bumping his foot on his back. "You're certainly a cute little fellow." He turned back to Fluttershy. "I assume he's your pet? He strikes me as the feisty sort."
"You'd be correct to say that. He's not always the best behaved bunny." Angel simply shrugged his shoulders. "It's so wonderful to see another pony who's good with animals! I bet you have a pet of your own!"
He shook his head. "Unfortunately, I don't have enough money to support both myself and a pet. If I ever did have one, though, I'd probably want an owl." A feeling of exhilaration welled up in Twilight's chest.
"I have a pet owl!", shouted Twilight. She realized she had blurted that out at a loud volume. More quietly, she stated, "His name is Owlowiscious."
Euclid smiled that charming smile. "You'll have to take me back to your house sometime so I can meet him." Fluttershy had a sudden moment of realization.
"Hey, are you the pony who's been staying in her house while we were at the Royal Wedding?"
"Not exactly. I haven't been staying there; I've got my own place, but I am the pony who everypony thought was staying in Twilight's house."
Fluttershy's wings started flapping, and she ascended into the air. "Oh! You have your own place? Maybe....I hope you wouldn't mind if.....if I dropped by sometime? I mean....if that's ok..."
Euclid stepped back. "I'm afraid I don't have much room for any other pony in my house." He looked at the ground. "But, if you wanted to get together sometime, I'd be perfectly okay with that."
A huge, open-mouthed smile stretched across Fluttershy's face. "That'd be wonderful!" She did a small twirl in the air, then realized that she might appear to be too excited. She landed on the ground in front of Euclid. "I mean....that'd be wonderful."
"Excellent. I'll drop by sometime later so we can plan something out." He turned to depart. "It was nice meeting you, Miss Fluttershy." Twilight was about to follow, but a yellow hoof turned her around. Fluttershy's eyes were glimmering.
"Isn't he perfect?! I can't believe he actually wants to hang out with me later!" She started prancing in place, letting out a soft squeal of joy. Twilight furrowed her eyebrows.
"What's your deal, Fluttershy? You aren't saying that you like Euclid are you? Like....LIKE like?" There was a hint of jealousy in her voice.
The prancing pony could hardly talk. "I.....I don't know.....but.....well....Yes!" She shouted the last word aloud. "I really think I do like like him Twilight! Oh my gosh, I don't think I've ever felt this way toward anypony! It's so strange, but so exciting!" She flew up into the air. "I'll see you later, Twilight!"
"Yeah...later.", Twilight grumbled under her breath. She headed down the path to catch up with Euclid.
"She's a nice pony.", said Euclid, who was still humming the song he had learned. Twilight raised her eyebrow.
"Just warning you, she can be a bit of a scaredy-cat. She's essentially afraid of her own shadow."
Euclid chuckled. "I can picture that."
"Anyways..." Twilight stretched this word out, "...I guess we could go meet Applejack. Her family owns Sweet Apple Acres, the apple farm in Ponyville. She lives with her brother, Big Macintosh, her sister, Applebloom, and her grandmother, Granny Smith. You won't find a more hard-working and dedicated group in all of Equestria."
Euclid stopped humming. "I've heard of Sweet Apple Acres. It's the place that economically established Ponyville." Twilight nodded her head. "I've also heard that the Apple family almost lost it about six months ago."
"That's correct. A couple of brothers named Flim and Flam came into town during Cider Season, and had an incredibly efficient cider pressing machine. They almost won exclusive cider sales rights in Ponyville." Twilight smiled. "But they were hassled out of town because of their machine's low cider quality."
Euclid seemed surprised. "Low cider quality? I've purchased cider from Flim and Flam before, and I daresay it was some of the most amazing cider I've ever tasted. The Apple family's cider must be absolutely delicious."
"When did you have the chance to buy their cider?"
Euclid pulled out a strange device from inside a saddlebag he was carrying. It had several buttons scattered across it, with numbers and math signs printed on the buttons. A logo bearing the silhouettes of Flim and Flam lay in the corner. "It's called a calculator. The two brothers held a technology convention in Canterlot about four months ago, and they were selling this." He put it gently back into his bag. "It was the only one they had, so I begged the princess to revoke my food expenses at the University and spend the money on the calculator instead. She was gracious enough to buy it with her own money and give it to me. It helps me perform mathematical computations rather quickly."
'There seems to be no end to how amazing this colt is!', thought Twilight. They continued to walk until they came to the bridge that crossed the brook that partially circled Ponyville. They took a side-road leading straight to Sweet Apple Acres. The sign suspended over the gate rose up over the horizon into the pair's view. "Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres, Euclid!", said Twilight as they passed through the gate's opening. Before long, after walking through the rows of apple trees, they came to the quaint red barn that sat alone on a hilltop. Twilight spotted Applejack bucking the apples out of trees not to far away.
"Hey Applejack!", shouted Twilight. "Come meet the new pony in town!" Applejack turned around and noticed the two standing next to the barn.
"I'll be there in a jiffy, Twilight! Just let me get these apple baskets full, and I'll be right over!" She continued to buck trees. Euclid hurried over to her.
"Here, let me give you a hoof with that." He picked up a basket with his magic and carried it over to an un-bucked tree.
Applejack chuckled a bit. "Ho there, skinny. Don't strain yourself." She began to walk over to help him get the apples off of the tree, but Euclid delivered a clean, strong shot with his back hooves squarely into the thick of the tree trunk, and every single apple came tumbling down from the branches. He started picking up the ones that hadn't landed in the bucket. Applejack stood there dumbfounded. "Well how do ya like that? I never would of guessed you were a strong pony, with that flimsy frame and whatnot." She offered her hoof to Euclid. "I'm Applejack, proud member of the Apple family. Pleased to meet you, uh....."
Euclid shook her hoof fervently. "Euclid. Euclid Forbes. Mathematician and student at Canterlot University. It's an honor to meet an owner of Sweet Apple Acres."
"Well, I never knew a strong unicorn could ever exist. I'm mighty pleased to discover one!"
"You'd never guess it, but before I became a math major at the University, I worked on a farm." Twilight, who was by now beside the two conversing ponies, had a look of surprise on her face. "You see, my father is a very important business pony in Canterlot, perhaps the most important. In my early years, he tried to teach me the ways of society and grace. Day in and day out, I would undergo instruction on how to properly use utensils, vocabulary, and manners. The results of this still cling with me today, but right around when I turned six, I decided that the life of an aristocrat didn't suit me. I told my father that I wanted to go and make something of myself, with my own two hooves. My mother was appalled, but he thought it was a capital idea. 'After all', he always told me, 'I started out with nothing but a boarding house and a job on the farm, so I can appreciate what I have today. I want the same to be true for my son.' So he got me a job on a farm not too far away from Canterlot, and I worked there for about twelve years." Euclid smiled at this fond memory. "One day, I came back to visit my family, and my father was considering passing down his company's title of CEO to me. At the time, I knew nothing of how to run a company, so I seemed a little panicked when he made the proposal. He simply laughed and told me that there was no worry to be had. He would simply enroll me in Canterlot University to educate me on the principals of business leadership. It was during my first semester at the University, in my accounting class, that I discovered my innate abilities in mathematics."
Applejack spoke up. "Wait, wait, wait! You didn't discover your talent until you were...", she paused to make counting gestures with her hooves, "...eighteen years old?!"
Euclid could see where this was going. "That's correct."
Twilight made a proper deduction. "So that means that you didn't get your cutie mark until you were eighteen?"
Euclid blushed a little. "I'm afraid so. It was a bit of a problem during the first week of school. Everypony laughed at me, and called me the usual name of 'Blank-Flank'. It was even worse, considering that nopony has ever heard of somepony not having their cutie mark even at that age. Everypony was convinced that I was worthless, and that I had no talent. It was rather discouraging, but for the sake of my father's approval, I went through with the schooling. One day in accounting, there was a statistics problem that the professor had written on the board, and when she gave the answer, it differed from the one I had gotten. We got into an argument in front of the whole class, and it ended when I reiterated a fundamental mathematical principle that completely nullified her answer. It was astounding, because the answer she gave was the one given in the textbook. I was taken to the dean of mathematics the following day, and he looked over my work. The problem I had solved pertained to a certain method of generating wealth within banks, and the dean had the solution I had given patented under the name "The Forbes Principle of Investment". I went straight home to my father and told him the great news, and he actually held a formal celebration for my success. During the celebration, my cutie mark appeared. My father still utilizes the method in his financing department to this day." He held his head high with pride and honor.
Applejack, thoroughly impressed with this new pony, nodded her head in admiration. "Well I'll be. I guess I'm friends with a genius. I never thought I'd be interested in something like that, but the fact that you started out nitty and gritty actually inspires me. I'd hate to ask, but would you mind helping my finish my chores this afternoon? I could always use an extra pair of strong back legs."
Euclid's heart jumped at the invitation. "It's been four years since I've performed good-old-fashioned labor! I'd love to help out!" Twilight tried to say something, but before she could, Euclid and Applejack were out at the trees. She plumped down into the dirt and groaned. After about two hours, Euclid returned with patches of mud all over his body. Applejack followed not too far behind.
"Yeehaw! It's been way to long since I've had a good round of wrestling! I didn't think a girl could be so strong in her upper body." He gave Applejack a wink.
Applejack playfully punched him in the shoulder. "Maybe you'd better not assume so much, or so little, of me next time."
"I'll be sure to keep that in mind." Euclid looked over and saw Twilight asleep on the ground. He giggled to himself. "I think we'd better be going. She still has a few more ponies for me to meet, I'm guessing." He walked over to the slumbering pony and softly nudged her with his hoof.
"What?! Huh?!" Twilight looked up at the messy Euclid. "What happened? Why are you so muddy?"
"Oh nothing. Applejack and I wrestled with each other, but it's no big deal." He turned to Applejack. "I'll see you around, Miss Applejack." He genially waved his hoof.
Applejack waved back. "Y'all come back now, ya hear!" Twilight and Euclid eventually disappeared over the horizon. Big Macintosh walked up behind Applejack. She turned to greet him. "I just met the most amazing pony!", she sighed. "He's strong, hard-working, smart, and he can wrestle like no one else's business."
Big Mac eyed his sister suspiciously. "You let another male pony wrestle with you? You can hardly stand it when some admirer of yours tries to shake your hoof."
"Just what're you sayin'? Euclid helped me do my chores, and we topped it off with a little ol' wrastle, nothing more." She started to walk away. "Don't you go thinkin' that I like, like him just because we experienced physical contact." She looked at the ground in doubt.
"Whatever you say, sis."
Twilight took Euclid back to her house for a few hours so he could rest and wash up. "This next pony we're meeting...", said Twilight, "...has REALLY high standards. I wouldn't dare cause her to make a bad impression of you just because you're a little muddy."
Euclid thanked her and headed into the shower to clean himself up. Twilight sat at her desk and began to write in her diary.
Dear Diary,
Today, I met the most amazing pony I think I've ever laid eyes on. He's handsome, smart, and has a voice like a gem. He's genuinely kind to everyone he's met, and has a way with making friends. I'm introducing him to all of my friends today, hoping that they'll all accept him readily and with open arms. I just hope not too readily. Fluttershy says that she likes-likes him, and he wrestled with Applejack. Applejack NEVER lets boys wrestle with her. He's in my shower right now. Can you believe it? The perfect colt, in my shower! I'm literally FREAKING OUT right now. I've never felt so interested in anypony before. I've never been so glad that somepony has been in my house without my say-so. His name is Euclid. He's a mathematician at Canterlot University. He's so smart, he has an actual economic principle named after him. I mean, duh, he developed it, but still. He's apparently the son of a wealthy business pony from Canterlot, and he'll be getting his father's business pretty soon, I'm guessing. It's weird to think of myself without the last name Sparkle, huh? Twilight Forbes. Not exactly the name of a skilled unicorn is it? Still, one can hope.
Euclid stepped out of the shower, clean as a whistle. "Ah, it's certainly refreshing to be clean again. Have you ever noticed how liquid travels down you skin, and it follows the paths of its indentions? I've always wondered if there were some mathematical rule that determined the curvatures and lengths of them. It'd be amazing if something like that were present in our biology." He went on like this for a minute or two, with Twilight practically drooling over his intellect.
"Well, I suppose it's about time for us to go to Rarity's house. She's a fashion designer." They walked out the front door. As they descended the steps in front of Twilight's house, three fillies bumped into Euclid's side, knocking him over.
"Oops, sorry mister." The three young ponies without cutie marks struggled to lift themselves off of the crushed genius. "We were just trying to get to my sister Rarity's house. I guess we didn't see you walking there." Euclid lifted himself off of the ground, and actually gave a smile to the three fillies.
"That's quite alright. No harm done, so don't you worry about me." He dusted himself off. "I say, did you say that you were heading to Rarity's house?"
The orange Pegasus spoke before Rarity's sister could. "That's right! We're the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and we're having a sleep-over at Sweetie Belle's house!"
The third one with the country accent chipped in. "We're gonna find our cutie marks tonight! I just know it!"
Euclid laughed to himself. "Would each of you be so kind so as to join us? We were heading to Rarity's house ourselves."
"Sure mister!", said the one apparently named Sweetie Belle. "What's your name, anyhow?"
"Euclid Forbes. Charmed to meet you. And yourselves?"
"I'm Sweetie Belle!"
"I'm Applebloom!"
"I'm Scootaloo!"
Euclid bowed. "I see you all have yet to gain your cutie marks." The three looked down at the ground. "But no worries. It's no shame to not have one yet. I mean, take me for example. I didn't get my cutie mark until just a few years ago." The Cutie Mark Crusaders gasped.
"How old were you?!", asked Applebloom.
"Eighteen years old." Yet another gasp ensued. They started chattering words of admiration, and gathering closer around Euclid. "Now, I believe we all have to go to Rarity's house, so off we go!" The fillies began to hop and jump out in front on the path to their destination. Euclid, looking somewhat silly, did the same. The girls took right to him, and they soon started to play a friendly game of tag on the way. Euclid pretended to not be able to catch any of them. They squealed with laughter. Twilight's intense admiration of him was growing exponentially. They came to the large, extravagantly colored abode, and knocked at the door. Twilight got a shock when Pinkie Pie opened the door.
"Omigosh, Twilight! It's so great to see you here! I was getting outfitted for a dress, because I was looking at the clothes I usually wear, and I was just like BOR-ING! So anyway, why are you here?! Are getting fitted for a dress too-", she cut off with a large gasp when she saw Euclid. "OMIGOSH! A pony I've never met before! You must be the new pony that's new in town! I love making new friends!" She then decided it would be appropriate to sing a random song in order to secure a relationship, which she did. After the laborious performance, she seemed to be out of breath. "So -gasp- what's -gasp- you're name -gasp-?"
"My name is Euclid Forbes." He seemed pleased by the flamboyant nature of this new acquaintance. "And your name?"
"My name is Pinkamena Diane Pie! Pleased to meet you!" She then proceeded to shake his hoof faster than the speed of sound. "You wanna know what my process is for becoming friends with a new pony? Meet somepony new. Introduce myself. Sing random song out of nowhere. And then..."
Euclid jovially interrupted, "Become instant best friends?"
Pinkie Pie's eyes dilated to the size of milk saucers. "CHECK!" She jumped up into the air and tackled Euclid with a hug. He started laughing with her, and gave her a giant hug back.
"I say Twilight, this one is certainly quite the charmer. I can't remember the last time I met somepony with so much life and vigor. It's something I no doubt value in a pony." Rarity, hearing the commotion combined with Pinkie's distinctive laugh, decided to poke her head out of the door and see what all the hubbub was about. She saw Euclid and stepped toward him.
"I say, who is this handsome devil you've brought to my boutique, Twilight?" She raised her hoof delicately to introduce herself. "My name is Rarity. It's quite pleasant to meet you."
Euclid properly took her hoof gently, and raised it to his lips to give it a soft peck. "Likewise. My name is..." Pinkie Pie cut him off.
"Euclid! It's Euclid Forbes! And he's the BEST. PONY. EVER!" She started jumping up an down, still in a sense of euphoria. Rarity's eyes mimicked what Pinkie's had done a moment ago.
"Did you say your last name was Forbes? Forbes?!" Her breathing rate started going up.
"Why yes, Euclid Forbes. Perhaps you know my father?"
"Know him?! I ADORE him! Your father is none other than the most illustrious, most charming, most sophisticated pony in all of Canterlot! Who could not know who Fancy Pants Forbes is? Oh my goodness, I had no idea that he had a son! Fleur de Lis must be your mother then, I presume?!"
Euclid again smiled his devilishly charming smile. "You would presume correctly."
"Oh my word, talk about a fashionista! She shows up at the premiers of every major fashion designer in all of Equestria! Just half a year ago, I myself was in Canterlot. I was staying in a suite in the castle, and I got to meet her and Fancy Pants! She later invited me to the fall seasonal presentation of Hoity Toity, and it was absolutely glamorous!"
"During my younger years, when I lived in Canterlot, Fleur would always put emphasis on how important it was to dress properly and make a good appearance for yourself. Following that advice has led me into the fortumes of some pretty advantageous situations. Besides, I think it's a mark of self-respect to show that you care enough about yourself to compose yourself properly at all times necessary."
Rarity giggled. "How sincere and polite you are! Those are words of a pony with a true appreciation for fashion, like myself. I couldn't agree more! Why don't you all come inside?" She gestured to the door.
The troupe of miscellaneous ponies made their way into the extravagant boutique. Euclid immediately made his way over to the colt suit section, and began browsing through the various shades of black between which nopony ever made much distinction. He held one up with his magic. "I do believe this one to be befitting of my form and color agreement. May I try it on?"
"Why, of course! Go right ahead.", said Rarity. Euclid stepped into a dressing room, and made short work of applying the layered vestment to his person. He walked out in a highly ceremonial fashion and puffed out his chest, showing off how good the suit actually did look good on him.
"Marvelous! Why, it looks better than I would've thought!", shouted Rarity. "You are certainly a colt with a good eye for an outfit." Twilight agreed and went over to fix his crooked bow tie.
Pinkie Pie bounced over. "It sure does look fancy pants!" She giggled at her comment. "Ha! Get it? You look fancy pants, and your dad's name is Fancy Pants!"
"If I could...", said Euclid, "...purchase this fine piece of clothing from your lovely establishment, I'd be a very satisfied pony. I think I'll be needing it for a little something I want to do later tonight." He winked at Twilight. She read perhaps a bit too much into this gesture, and her legs almost went limp.
Rarity led him over to the payment counter, and the exchange of suit for money was made. "What occasion beckons for you to dress up so formally, Euclid? Anything I could possibly attend?"
"Why of course! I was indeed planning on holding a nice dinner at a local restaurant with Twilight and her friends. What better way to consolidate our meeting than all meeting together? I say we meet at Horte Cuisine's establishment at seven o' clock sharp, if that's convenient for everypony." He turned to Rarity and Pinkie. "Would you two do me the honor of attending?", bowing as he said this.
"With pleasure!"
"You betcha!"
"Capital! I'll see all of you tonight. Would you two mind telling Applejack and Fluttershy that I wish them to attend as well? I didn't think of doing this until just now, so I didn't get the chance to tell them. Farewell Miss Pinkie Pie, and Miss Rarity." He and Twilight left the Cutie Mark Crusaders with Pinkie and Rarity, and departed the boutique.
"Isn't he just heart-stopping, Pinkie Pie? The son of my favorite pony in all of Canterlot, and he has a proper appreciation for fashion. That, my dear, is my kind of colt."
"I think he's super cute!", squealed Pinkie Pie, who got a few seconds of air time in the accompanying leap.
"Alright, Euclid, we've got one more pony to meet. She's a bit of a tom-boy, but she's one of the most loyal ponies I've ever had the pleasure of calling a friend. If we just walk around Ponyville for a minute, and keep an eye on the skies, we'll be sure to spot her." Sure enough, after a little while, the two spotted a flash of blue speeding through the clouds. "Rainbow Dash!", shouted Twilight. "Do you have a minute?!" The blue streak halted, and the true form of the speedy Pegasus came out of the blur. She bolted over and landed in front of Twilight.
"Hey Twilight! What's up?" She looked at Euclid. Her countenance shifted from friendly to hostile. "Hey! Aren't you the pony that was intruding in Twilight's house?! You do know that you can't just waltz into somepony else's house and-"
"Rainbow! Calm down, it's okay. He hasn't been staying in my house."
"What? But didn't the mayor let him in without your permission?"
"Yes, but he was considerate enough to stay elsewhere." She looked at Euclid and smiled. "He's quite the gentlecolt."
Rainbow's mood relaxed. "Oh. Heheh, my bad." She scratched the back of her head in half-embarrassment. "My name's Rainbow Dash!" She shook Euclid's hand. "I'm the Pegasus in charge of the weather in Ponyville. It's nice to meet you!"
"Likewise. My name is Euclid Forbes, and I'm here on a study-abroad program similar to Twilight's. I say, you seem to be a rather skilled Pegasus. Would you mind performing a few acrobatic displays for me?"
Rainbow's face erupted into a smile and her eyes glimmered. "Would I! Just sit back and relax, Euclid, 'cause you're about to witness one hey'of'a show!" She shot into the air and started to twirl around and shoot through packs of clouds. Euclid's eyes darted here and there, and a smile began to grow on his face. After much entertainment, she decided to finish the performance off with a Sonic Rainboom. Euclid started cheering ecstatically and jumped up and down. Rainbow landed in front of him, and brushed off her wings like it was nothing. "So, what'd you think? Pretty awesome, huh?"
"Awesome?!", shouted Euclid. "That was absolutely spectacular! That had to have been the most exciting thing I've ever seen! It's a surprise you aren't part of the Wonderbolts!"
Rainbow Dash's heart jumped. "You know about the Wonderbolts?"
"Oh, I don't just know about them. They're my favorite Pegasuses in all of Equestria! They don't let just anypony join their team, but I think you'd more than qualify for admittance."
Rainbow punched him on the shoulder. "Aw, you flatterer, you. I've always dreamed of the day when Spitfire flies up to me and says, 'Hey, we think you've got what it takes! Would you like to be part of the Wonderbolts?' And of course, I would scream 'YES!' It'll be so awesome!"
"I think it'd be pretty spectacular to witness someone of your caliber flying with the Wonderbolts. Sometimes, I wish that I was a Pegasus, just so I could fly around with them. Oh well, a wish it is, and a wish it will remain."
Rainbow Dash blushed. "Well, if you'd like, I could fly you around for a minute. I'm sure you'll love it!"
Euclid stepped back. "Well, I wouldn't want to trouble you with that sort of request. Thank you very much, but I can't ask that of you."
Rainbow stepped toward him. "You don't need to ask." She stepped up beside and him and motioned for him to hang on to her torso. Somewhat embarrassed, Euclid wrapped his arms around her. "Hold on to your horses!" Rainbow took off faster than Euclid expected.
"Hey!", yelled Twilight, irritated at being left behind. The pair soared through the air at amazing speeds. Rainbow Dash, aware of Euclid's tightening grip, made a large effort to fly as fast as she could, thereby maximizing the force with which Euclid had to hang on. A bit confused at this sudden surge of affection for a pony she'd just met, her flight wasn't the most steady. It promptly ended when she crashed into a tree. When she opened her eyes, Euclid was resting on a pair of branches, and she was resting on him. She blushed again.
"Oops. Sorry about that, Euclid." She made no effort to move off of him. Euclid simply laughed and offered her a high-hoof. She happily slapped her hoof against his, and joined in his laughter.
"No worries, Rainbow Dash. That was an exhilarating experience, to be sure." He looked down at the distant ground. "If you could humor me for a bit longer, and fly me down." Of course, Rainbow was happy to oblige. When they landed on the ground, Twilight was still waiting for them.
"About time.", she grumbled. "Euclid, you are aware that it's almost ^:30, right? You've got to get ready for the dinner." Euclid gasped.
"Oh, of course! How could I forget?" He looked at Rainbow. "Rainbow Dash, you certainly are one of the most exceptional ponies I've ever met." This statement made Twilight cringe. "I'd greatly appreciate it if you would join me at Horte Cuisine's restaurant here in about thirty minutes. I'm having a little dinner party with Twilight and all of her friends. What do you say?"
"You can count on me to be there, Euclid!" She took off in flight. "I've gotta go get ready, but I'll see you there!" She waved as she soared away. When they were out of sight, she let out a little squeal. "Oh my gosh, he's so.....so....perfect!" She reveled in the fact that she could still feel his hooves wrapped around her torso.
***
The evening sky covered the land in a lovely shade of navy. A few stars were starting to show themselves behind the blanket of darkening canvas. The town of Ponyville, still awake in the young evening, was alight with spots of lantern light and candle fire perforating through series of windows. Ques of ponies formed up and spilled into the streets from the doors of several eateries, each pony paired with another, be them spouses, girlfriends, boyfriends, family, or close comrades. The new pony, accompanied by the six heroes of Equestria, strolled down the streets in his dashing formal attire; his companions had taken a moment to compose themselves in each of their respective beautiful dresses designed previously for the Grand Galloping Gala. As they approached their destination, several bystanders began to flock around them. Lyra Heartstrings and Bonbon had enough initiative to make some conversation with the group.
"Well, well, who's this charming colt?", asked Bonbon.
"I've never seen you around before. Are you new in Ponyville?", continued Lyra.
"That I am, ladies. And I've had the pleasure of meeting these six fine mares. I suppose I can add two more to that list." He smiled at the two inquirers. "May I ask your names?"
"My name is Lyra Heartstrings. I sell instruments at my shop, if you'd ever like to come by."
"And my name is Bonbon. As you can tell from my cutie mark, I'm a connoisseur of candy and sweets."
"Pleased to meet you two. My name is Euclid, and I'm a mathematician at Canterlot University. I'm out to diner with my recently acquainted friends, so we'd better get a move-on, but it was nice meeting you, indeed. I hope to see you two again soon." With that, the group walked on. Rainbow Dash leaned in to whisper to Fluttershy.
"Isn't he just incredible?! It's like anypony he meets just automatically loves him! I wish I could do that to other ponies."
Fluttershy giggled. "He's certainly quite charming. And attractive. And just plain wonderful!"
Conversation in this manner continued until the seven friends arrived at the restaurant. Having a reservation, there was no long, dreary wait in store for the ponies, so they were promptly shown to their table. After much deliberation and scanning of the extensive menu, they all decided on their respective meals of choice and called over a waiter, after which, the period in which the ponies would await their order's arrival began. The sociable aspect of the occasion started out friendly and well-mannered. Euclid would expound on his many common ventures and encounters in life, and as was the accepted custom, everypony appeared amused and entertained by his anecdotes. After a good amount of these stories, he found himself to be rambling, and invited others to put forth their stories. Oh, the grand tales of Discord, Nightmare Moon, and Queen Chrysalis spilled forth in extraneous detail, but still Euclid delighted in hearing such stories of grandeur and adventure. Still more conversation was put forth by varying less-adventurous expeditions, such as a full lecture on Rarity's trip to Canterlot, and the whole fiasco surrounding the studious nature of Twilight, namely how she had put all of Ponyville in turmoil with her Want-it-Need-it spell, and how she had spent an entire week fretting about a visit from her future self, only to repeat what her future self had done. This positive attitude continued well into the meal, and would have lasted had Rarity not taken such a bold step as she did.
"Oh, you are an absolute delight, Euclid! I do hope that one day, I might be permitted to be the proud bearer of the surname Forbes." She playfully nudged him with her hoof.
Applejack put down her fork. "You, Rarity? Peeshaw. Euclid wouldn't put a ring on your horn if he were given all of his father's money and promised immortality as compensation." Rarity dropped her fork in response.
"And just WHAT do you mean by that, Applejack?!" Her eyes narrowed at her offender.
"All I'm sayin' is that you're more trouble than you're worth. Euclid deserves someone who can love him without bein' so dadgum fussy. And we all know that ain't you." Without a word, Rarity rose from her chair, quite in tears, and rushed out of the restaurant with some degree of attempted composure. Euclid looked at Applejack with a raised eyebrow. He began to doubt his positive impression of her.
"Hey, what was all that about?!", said Rainbow Dash, in a raised voice. "Why do you always have to raise a fit about Rarity?! Why can't you just shut your bucking mouth for one second?"
Applejack stood up and put her hooves down on the table. The fellow diners seated at neighboring tables began to turn in their chairs to view the commotion. "Why can't SHE shut her mouth? Everything she says is all 'oooohhhh, look at me. I'm a fancy unicorn who's better than everypony!' Sometimes, ponies need to be put in their place!"
Fluttershy tried to maintain peace. "Um.....I think everypony should calm down."
Applejack turned to her. "And that includes you, Miss I-can't-go-two-minutes-without-crying-about-something!" This, of course, caused Fluttershy to quickly fly out of the room in tears.
Pinkie Pie entered the fray. "Hey! Rainbow Dash is right! What is your deal?!"
"I don't need your help, Pinkie!", growled Rainbow.
"Oh my gosh, I'm only trying to help, and all you do to push me away! What is wrong with everypony?!"
"Maybe if you didn't follow me around like a child follows her mommy." (mommy, of course, said in a mocking tone). Before Euclid could even get a chance to speak, the three remaining ponies all abandoned the table in a huff, leaving Twilight and Euclid staring at each other in shock and confusion. Everypony in the restaurant slowly turned back to their own plates. The waiter walked up to the table.
"Iz zer a problem here?", he asked in a French accent.
"No, we were just leaving.", sighed Euclid. "Come on, Twilight. We'd better get home." And with that, they left.
After some distance, the two ponies came upon a small, dilapidated shack that looked as if it were about to fall apart. Euclid stood in front of the door, and before entering, turned to speak to Twilight. "I'm so sorry that your evening has been ruined. I didn't expect everypony to fight like that." Twilight sighed and looked at the ground.
"It wasn't your fault Euclid. Don't feel bad." Her voice gave away that she was on the verge of tears.
"Hey...". Euclid put his hoof on her chin and raised her head up so that her eyes met his. "...what's the matter?"
Tears poured from Twilight's eyes. "I think my friends are all in love with you. That's why they were all fighting."
"Twilight, I asked why YOU were crying." His eyes glimmered that green emerald sheen.
She couldn't keep from stuttering over her sobs. "I....I don't....." She tried to delay her response, in hopes that Euclid would cease in his endeavor to discover her reasons for being so morose. "I love you too, Euclid, and I'm afraid that you love one of the other ponies instead. I've never been good enough for any colt because of my nerdy tendencies and uptight attitude, so why should I expect somepony to start loving me back now?" She tried to break away from his grasp, but he stopped her and turned her head towards his.
"Twilight, you can stop worrying now." With these words, he leaned in and kissed her.
* This is a play on words of the word "Equatorial", which, in a homogeneous sense, can mean "Around the world, or Universal". "Equestratorial" makes the word apply more to the My Little Pony Universe.
A Bitter Well of Contempt
The same area lay before Twilight's eyes: the odd forest surrounding the still lake. The same obelisk stretched upward from the lake's center, emitting the same beam from its peak. "Twilight...", it whispered. She felt drawn to the monument, taking small, yet steady steps toward the lake. Again, just as before, she looked down into the reflective surface of the water, only now she saw nopony but Euclid. A shadowy memory occurred to her of the kiss they had shared that night, and the scene played out in the water. Twilight reveled in the display, but fell into disgust and horror when Euclid's face appeared to blacken and mould into a shapeless form. The Obelisk let out a deep, resonant tone that reverberated in her ears. "I grow impatient. Celestia must know of my return." A bright red shockwave erupted from its peak, throwing Twilight back a few feet. "Know this: whether or not you inform her of me is irrelevant. I simply wish you to have a fair chance at resisting me for a short while. However useless such resistance may be." The same feeling of euphoric trauma washed over Twilight as she awoke yet again.
***
"Ugh...how weird can dreams get?" Twilight staggered out of bed, groggy and grumpy. The strange sight of Spike's empty bed started to become a regular part of Twilight's usual morning picture. Even though the dream didn't mean anything more to her than the first, she couldn't shake this odd sense of dread that blanketed her mind. The voice of the obelisk still echoed in her head, not in words, but in its general tone. So deep and dark; it seemed almost terrifyingly hypnotic. With a few vigorous shakes of her head, these dis-settling thoughts evaporated into the usual morning routine. She started when she heard the noise of clattering pans in her kitchen, and half-ran, half-staggered downstairs. Her worry subsided after waves of a pleasant odor permeated her nostrils. She soon found herself within the kitchen, staring upon the somewhat blurry figure of Euclid juggling plates, pans, and culinary concoctions with his magic. He turned around and smiled warmly.
"Good morning, sleepy head. I just felt like making breakfast, and I thought, why not make it for the most wonderful pony in all of Equestria?" He set everything down for a moment, and walked over the drowsy, yet incredibly happy mare. Although some might find it somewhat hasty, Twilight hoped that he would kiss her again. The weight in her chest got heavier and heavier as Euclid got closer and closer, and eventually, her wish was granted. He leaned in for a second kiss, and this time, Twilight leaned forward to meet him. It seemed so odd. Their first kiss had seemed so perfect, so serene, so wonderful; yet this one seemed awkward and clumsy. 'Oh well', thought Twilight. 'It'll become more refined with continuous practice.'
"So, what were you so kind as to prepare me for breakfast, Euclid?"
He walked back over to his work. "Oh, just a bit of this and that. I threw together some stuff that I thought would go well together." He held up a spoonful of the material and tasted it, tilting his head back afterwards as if in thought of any necessary additional ingredients or seasonings. He pulled out a jar of some herb and dashed the dish with just a small bit of it, then returned it to its place. The morning commenced in this manner, happy, giddy, and just plain wonderful. The two sat down to a scrumptiously prepared meal, of course spending more time in infatuated conversation than in focusing on consumption. Twilight could care less about the food that sat on the plate in front of her, for the colt of her dreams sat just a few feet further away. Her thoughts floated over the other ponies and their acerbic words towards each other the night before. While this wonderful colt in front of her gave her the highest sense of elation she'd ever felt at the present moment, a shadow of dread crept over her heart. Her friends had never said such things to each other, not even when they had been corrupted by Discord. She came to the conclusion that Euclid was such a jewel of a pony, it was of no coincidence that mares would bicker and argue over his affections.
After about half an hour of intellectual conversation, Euclid stood up from his seat and started to head to the door. "I'll see you later, Twilight. I have some business of my own to tend to." He turned before departing completely. "I love you, Twilight Sparkle."
"I love you too, Euclid.", said Twilight, flushed and blushing. He bowed and exited the house. As he walked through the streets of Ponyville, every citizen therein found it absolutely necessary that he or she should give formal greeting and salutation to him. Shops had just begun opening their doors for the daily customers, and Euclid made sure to stop every single one, either introducing himself to the keepers he had yet to meet, or simply giving a "Hey there" or "How are you doing today?" to ones he already acquainted. He headed for the bridge that crossed over the circumventing stream and took the path leading to Sweet Apple Acres. Passing through the entrance gate, he inhaled the fresh scent of apples drifting in the air. He walked though the orchard until he came to the same red barn he'd seen the day before, and started looking for Applejack. This didn't prove to be a difficult task, as the sound of hooves against tree trunk echoed from a nearby location. He followed the constant report to the sight of a lovely orange mare bucking apples out of trees, as expected.
"Hey there, Applejack!", he shouted. Applejack looked up from her work to see him approaching.
"Oh, hey Euclid." Her voice reverberated with a melancholic tone. She looked at the ground in obvious shame.
"What's the matter?", asked Euclid.
Applejack looked up, seemingly on the verge of tears. "I'm so ashamed of myself. I've never said anything so awful to my own friends. They're practically my family!" With this outburst, tears began to flow forth from her green eyes. Euclid put his hoof on her shoulder.
"Applejack, it was just a fight. Friends get into fights all the time."
"I know, but not fights where we're trying to tear each other's feelings to shreds!" Her downpour continued with increasing severity. Euclid wrapped his arms around her and softly stroked her hair. She responded by throwing her arms abound him and sinking her cries into his shoulder. He could feel her shaking sobs against his own body. She did nothing to protest this unexpected, yet entirely wanted physical contact. She eventually calmed down, but she still clung to his frame, which felt much stronger and sturdier than she had assumed. He eventually pulled back far enough so that they could look at each other while still embracing.
"Don't worry about it anymore, Applejack. I still love you." His green eyes stared intently into the pair that now stood widened and surprised.
"You...you what?" Her receded tears of sorrow started coming back in the form of shock and joy.
In the same manner he had done with Twilight, his lips came forward and locked with Applejack's. Her entire person went limp for one moment, then immediately burned with interior passion, spurring her to kiss back full force. The act ceased as suddenly as it started, and the two stared at each other with deep longing. This time, Applejack made the initial move, and the two ensued in the same duplicitous act of ecstasy.
"You know, I've been absolutely dying for another wrestling match.", said Euclid after the second bout had ended, the statement being punctuated with his signature smile.
Applejack was sweating and shaking by this point, but she simply smiled back. Something inside of her, some old notion of loyalty and honor to her friends tried to oust the feelings of lust that surged through her entire being, but her feelings for Euclid consumed her. "I'd be happy to oblige, lover boy." Euclid looked up at the red barn atop the hill.
"I think I know a perfect place to have our match." He nodded his head in the direction of the barn, and Applejack giggled and blushed. The two interloped ponies made their way to the appointed location, and made certain to shut the door securely behind them.
***
Rarity stood over her finished work, scanning it for any errors. "Ah, this dress has turned out to be rather lovely." Having made the dress in an effort to make amends with Applejack, she wanted to be entirely sure of its quality. She lifted it it up with her magic, put a thin plastic shroud over it to keep it clean, and began to walk out the door. She was interrupted, however by the sound of sobs approaching her house. Before she could reach the door, a soft, meager knock struck its frame. A stifled, "Rarity", soon followed. It sounded like Fluttershy. She set the dress down on a table, went over to the door, and opened it to the tear-drenched pink-haired Pegasus.
"Oh Rarity, it's awful! Just awful!", she sobbed. She threw herself upon the speechless designer, and continued to heave out her sorrow.
Rarity began to pat her back in an effort to comfort her. "Why, Fluttershy, what ever is the matter?! You're positively drowning in your own tears! What's this all about?"
Fluttershy tried to hold back her crying, and made an effort to speak without stuttering so much. "I....I went ov-over to Applejack's place to....to try and apologize, and you just......you wouldn't believe what.....what.......". With this last word, she slurred back into a fit of tears.
"Now, now, Fluttershy, just calm down and tell me what happened. What did Applejack do?" Rarity was now eager to know what sort of atrocious act the farmpony had committed against poor, innocent Fluttershy.
"I just.....I just can't even begin to describe how bad it made me feel towards her! I never want to speak to her again! Oh Rarity! She and Euclid....were...."
Rarity's heart sank. She was terrified of what she might have to hear. She hoped with all of her heart that Fluttershy wouldn't tell her what she thought she was going to tell her.
Fluttershy sighed. "I walked up to the red barn, because I thought she might be there. I didn't see her, but her hat was laying on a stack of hay right outside the door. Naturally, I assumed she might be inside, so I walked over to the door. But before I could open it, I heard her voice come from inside, along....along with Euclid's. I didn't presume the worst at first, but when I listened for a moment, I could hear.........things.......things I don't want to describe.......coming from inside." Her eyes watered up again, and it took every ounce of her being not to break down again.
Rarity's cheeks were flushed with anger by this point. Her eyes were just as teary as Fluttershy's, and her lips were tightly pursed. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing would come out. Seeing her in mutual distress, Fluttershy couldn't help but to start crying again, which set Rarity off into crying as well. The two mares hugged each other and wept for a considerable amount of time.
"Oh, Fluttershy! It'd would've been much better had that stallion never even come to Ponyville! How can such a horrid pony be the son of such an illustrious one as Fancy Pants?" Their depression was interrupted by the approach of said horrid pony. He had the suit he had bought from Rarity with him. Rarity narrowed her eyes as he got closer.
"Well, well, well! Speak of the devil, and I mean the DEVIL himself!", she huffed at Euclid.
Euclid stopped walked toward them. "I beg your pardon?" His voice seemed confused, but Rarity pressed on.
"Don't act all innocent of the matter at hand you dastardly wretch of a colt! Why don't you just take your little show on the road, and leave us simple Ponyville mares out of your foreplay?!" Her voice still shook with sobs.
Euclid started to shrink down from the yelling pony. "What are you talking about, Rarity?"
"You know very well what I'm talking about! You and that country bumpkin going about and trampling everypony's feelings is what I'm talking about!" Rarity could hardly speak without exploding into pure rage.
Euclid ruffled his eyebrows. "Rarity, I can't help it if you all feel this way towards me, and I'm sorry it's causing all of you such pain, but I won't have you going off at the mouth about Twilight like that."
Now Rarity was the one confused. "Twilight?! Twilight too?!" She was downright appalled. "Oh you bastard! You disgust me! Go back to your father and tell him that he ought to be ashamed to have ever conceived such a lowly, loose nag!"
Euclid's eyes burned with anger, but he held his composure and began to walk away. Before he left, he turned back to Rarity. "It really is a wonder why Twilight associates herself with ponies who speak so ill of her behind her back. If you think I'm lowly for loving Twilight instead of you, maybe you should take a look in the mirror and reevaluate who you believe is unworthy of love." With this, he departed. Rarity ran back to Fluttershy.
"We must find Pinkie Pie, before the little brute lays his hooves on her unsuspecting heart, too." Rarity and Fluttershy made off quickly for Sugarcube Corner.
Meanwhile, Euclid galloped around town in search of Rainbow Dash. She was easy to spot, thanks to her streaks of rainbows that she left behind. "Hey Rainbow Dash!", he called. "It's me, Euclid!" Rainbow stopped dead in her tracks and zoomed down to meet him. A look of repressed excitement crossed her countenance.
"Oh, hey Euclid! Whatcha need?"
"Nothing really, I just wanted to know if you could fly me around again. If it's not too much trouble, of course. I found it rather exhilarating." He smiled at the susceptible mare, who had a huge grin on her face.
"Oh my gosh, of course! Just put your arms around me, and get ready for takeoff!" She turned her back towards Euclid and assumed a stance that led Euclid to wrap his arms around her torso, as instructed. Rainbow Dash took off, and flew extremely high up into the clouds. She decided after about fifteen seconds of ascension that she'd gone high enough, and began to cruise slowly through the atmosphere. Euclid looked down at the world around him, which made him dizzy for a moment, but he then turned his head back towards Rainbow, who was looking straight back at him with dazzling eyes and a soft smile. She landed on a cloud, and let Euclid settle on top of her. "If you don't want to fall off of the cloud, just lay on me, and you won't." Euclid smiled at this obvious flirtatious action. He accepted her proposal and lay with his weight equally distributed over her body. The two were silent for a few moments, just staring at each other, both of them blushing ever so slightly.
"You know...", said Euclid, "...I really enjoy the view of the ground from here. I wouldn't mind staying up here for a little while."
Rainbow Dash's blush grew even deeper. "Not a problem, Euclid, just let me know when you want me to fly you down." She started to see the absolute ludicrous nature of her rash actions. She had spoken to this stallion only twice, both times within one day, and now he was poised over her body atop a cloud. She wondered what had gotten a hold of her senses, and why she couldn't help but be irreversibly attracted to Euclid. Too embarrassed to speak, though, she remained silent, even as he made the move to kiss her. The feelings of desire inside of her inflamed as his lips met with hers, yet unlike Applejack, her sense of discomfort didn't altogether vanish. In fact, the way her feelings surged made her feel even more uncomfortable, and she tried to pull back from the kiss. Euclid stared at her in shock and surprise.
"What's the matter, Rainbow?" His voice sounded even more like milk and honey than it had before the kiss.
"Oh, nothing." Her eyes couldn't seem to meet with his. "I just don't feel like now's the right time."
His eyes were constantly searching for contact with Rainbow's. "Look at me, Rainbow Dash." She indulged herself one moment of eye-to-eye contact with Euclid, but in that one moment, her feelings overcame her sense of rationale. The deep green, beautiful sea that surged behind his stare swelled into her soul like the waves of an oncoming tide. She pulled him in for a kiss this time, and the satisfaction she derived from it completely quelled any resistance she previously held. After quite a few hours of pecking and cuddling with each other, the two lovestruck ponies descended the sky and landed on the ground in front of Twilight's house. Euclid looked inside to see that Twilight was staring out the window, and had happened to notice them. He gave her a smug smile, reached his hoof behind Rainbow's head, and pulled her in for a long, drawn-out kiss. Rainbow smiled and flew off after telling Euclid that she'd be seeing him around. Twilight couldn't believe her eyes. Her heart was torn in two pieces, and completely trampled by this heartless, careless colt she had dared to hope for in love. Euclid smiled at her, and began to walk down the road to his house. She tore herself away from the window and began to throw books off of the shelves, and collapsed onto the floor, shaking and shuddering with heaves and sobs of tears. She looked out her window, up into the stars. The billions of twinkling little specks of light offered some form of comfort, but it was choked out by the black void that lay just behind them. If only Spike were here to comfort her, she thought. He'd be able to snap her out of this miserable state, and be able to talk some sense into her. She'd only known him for two days, anyways, so why was she crying so heavily over his deceptive affections? Why did she love him with her entire being without even entirely knowing who he was? None of these thoughts comforted her in the least bit.
"Why......why did I have to fool myself into thinking that somepony would actually love me? Think next time, Twilight! THINK!" She yelled and chastised herself in this manner until the sun fell behind the horizon. Alone, dilapidated on the hard, wooden floor, Twilight looked back on her past, seeing no moment of greater longing nor hope than Euclid's kiss had given her. Now, that memory lay in tatters, along with her feelings, her resolve, and her air of confidence. The darkening sky started to take its toll on the poor mare, and she tried despondently to keep herself from drifting into sleep, but the atmosphere of nighttime overtook her. Nodding into a half-dream, she heard a voice that seemed distant, and very, VERY familiar.
"Twilight, Twilight, Twilight. You knew this would happen, yet you proceeded with daft intentions and a weak-willed heart. I could say that I know how you feel, but let's face it: you and I both know that this would never happen to someone as illustrious as myself. So why do you do this to yourself, my dear? Why do you persist in being these pony's friend when all they do is make your life miserable? I'll give you some good advice, so you'd better listen up. When a deceptive lover chooses one of your peers, why not get revenge instead of wallowing in tears?" A flamboyant laugh soon followed.
