Whatever miniscule inch of free space that had remained on the board was now forever erased. Every corner of the board was invaded with various equations so complicated it would melt anyone’s brain who was not trained to witness such scientific beauty. They all seemed so drastically different yet all connected through some strange wire of logic at the same time.
The hand at work belonged to a truly massive humanoid salamander. His height was just shy of 5 feet tall, and that was when he was sitting down. He settled on a small crate that was surprisingly durable, capable of supporting his weight with little to no trouble at all.
He had been slaving away at the multiple boards, computers, and papers for several days on end. Several broken pencils and chalks were proof of the extensive research he had been conducting. The chalk currently in his hand was reaching the end of its life, its usefulness nearly snuffed, yet, the salamander’s pace had yet not slowed down. Unfortunately…
*CRACK*
The miserable piece of chalk broke off, falling into an endless abyss. A deep growl of annoyance crept up the salamander’s throat, his patience had been waning for the last hour or so and only its final sliver prevented him from breaking into an uncontrollable rage and demolishing his meticulous work.
“Princess Twilight Sparkle! I require another chalk!” Saying that title brought a sour taste to the salamander’s tongue, a hint of embarrassment rushed across his mouth. He was not one to refer someone of authority by their title, yet he felt compelled to speak this monarch’s name in full.
Not a moment too soon, the door to the basement flung open, allowing light from up above to pierce through the darkness, dispelling the blackness from the room if only for a moment. Standing in the doorway was a tiny figure, at least compared to the salamander, standing at a height of 5’5, a measly five inches higher than him when sitting. However, despite her short nature, she radiated out an aura of control and dominance mixed in with kindness and compassion. Maybe that’s why he felt compelled to refer to her as she was supposed to, because the aura she radiated demanded such.
“Newtralizer, you’ve been stuck down here for days, hardly getting any sun, don’t you think you need to at least get some fresh air.”
As soon as the sentence left her lips, Newtralizer could do nothing but cringe. He despised the name assigned to him by those wretched mutant turtles, but the beings in this universe brought nothing but shame to his original name whenever they attempted to pronounce it. It was utterly horrifying. So he had to compromise with the unconventional name. He also loathed it when Twilight said that he needed to get out and get some fresh air. But such things were trivial when you are attempting to return to your home planet that doesn’t even reside in this universe.
“I said this one and a million times, I am in no need of ‘fresh air’ as you call it.” He scoffed, snatching the chalk she held in her hand and returning to his work, not even batting her an eye. “All I need is to return to Salamandria.”
His progress was halted when Twilight gripped his arms, forcing him to gaze into her eyes. “Come on Newtralizer, I know you want to go home, but that doesn’t mean looking away for a second would make all this go away.” She winced as she stepped into something she had now knowledge of and desired not to know of. “Plus this place can really do with a reorganization.” She muttered.
Not wanting to disrupt the work he had accumulated, Newtralizer lightly dislodged Twilight from his arm and set her down to where she wouldn’t trample on his precious progress. “With all do respect Princess, but every second I spend outside is a second wasted I could use to work.” He then moves onto another board, this one completely untouched, to continue. “And I know where everything is, so a reorganization is a useless waste of time.” He dismissed her suggestion of tidying up.
Twilight pouted, she had dealt with natural blockheads throughout her career as a Princess of Equestria, and even before, but Newtralizer was a special blend of a blockhead. It was as if you blended iron and quartz into one small compressed block and then you stuffed it into the most durable rubber. She had tried breaking into Newtralizer, but he’d either cut it off by changing to a different topic, going back to his work and ignoring her, or throwing her out.
But today, she would get him out of this basement and out of the castle even if he beats her teeth out in the process. “Please Newtralizer, all my friends are anxious to meet you in person. Meet the alien salamander from another universe.” She tried to bribe him with her friends.
However, the glint in his eyes remained as motionless as his head. “I don’t need to occupy my company with your friends. They’ll hold me back.” He responded.
Twilight then attempts to get him to face him by way of moving his face with her hands, but he budged not even a little. “I promise you, you’ll enjoy it.” She promised the salamander.
Swatting her hands off his face, Newtralizer gritted his teeth in annoyance. “Can you please leave me to my work.” He pleaded with the princess, his patience waning with every passing second.
This time, his head was turned to face her with her magic rather than her hands, bringing his amphibian eyes to meet her mammalian eyes. Eyes that sparkled with the most pathetic beseeching eyes he has ever witnessed. “Please.” Was all that squeaked through those pitiful lips.
But it was all she needed to pull Newtralizer over the edge. “Fine, fine, I will meet up with your friends, but only if you will leave me to my work.” He bargained.
But the bargain wasn’t what Twilight quite had in mind. “How about every other day, you come out to socialize with my friends.” She suggest.
That ‘no’ was dancing on the tip of his tongue, ever so tantalizing, begging him to say it. But his incredible foresight and prediction told him that saying ‘no’ would only backfire on him so spectacularly, that he wouldn’t see it coming. “Alright, every other day.” With that, Newtralizer stomped his way outside of the basement and the castle, desperate to get this over with.
Unbeknownst to him, however, Twilight sported the largest grin she’s ever sported for a long while. She had done it. She had chipped into that dense rock inside his head. It was a depressing beginning given her track record, but a beginning nonetheless. Now all she was required to do was strike that small chip until she breaks it. And she was ready to keep on striking.
Author's Note
I know the ending is a bit muddled and rushed, but that's because I'm tired and I wanted to get this out as soon as I possibly can. I'll try to edit it later on.
