What is Love?

Cavendish was a great man with extraordinary singularities — His voice was squeaking, his manner nervous. He was afraid of strangers and seemed embarrassed to articulate with difficulty. He wore the costume of our grandfathers, was enormously rich but made no use of his wealth... He lived latterly the life of a solitary, came to the Club dinner and to the Royal Society: but received nobody at his home. He was acute, sagacious, and profound, and I think the most accomplished British Philosopher of his time.

• Sir Humphry Davy

The rulers of Equestria and the six mares who represented the Elements of Harmony were enjoying a casual stroll through the gardens, watched, of course, by a small contingent of guards who did their best to remain unobtrusive.

It had been a day since Cadance and Shining Armor left for the first stop of their honeymoon in Hoofalulu, and Celestia had mostly recovered her composure, assured by the presence of her sister and her closest friends, not the least of whom was Twilight Sparkle.

Light conversation carried throughout the group -- Pinkie bounced while monologuing about how Rainbow Dash could do a Sonic Rainboom going up now, complete with plenty of pony-supplied sound effects, while Applejack tried to warn her that Dash’s head might explode if she kept going; Princess Luna happily chatted with Rarity and Fluttershy about the fashions of days long past while Rarity speculated that it might be time for them to make a comeback -- when the group stopped to observe a particular formation of sunflowers and moonflowers in the middle of a tranquil pool of water that served as the garden’s new centerpiece.

It was a piece particularly dear to Celestia. Entitled “The Sisters Reunited” it was moving art, literally. The sunflowers would bloom and track her sun across the sky from morning to evening, and the moonflowers would do the same throughout the night, while the color of the water reflected the color of the sky above. But what made the arrangement most special to her was what it had been designed to do in the twilight hours when both were in bloom.

In the mornings and nights the sun and moon shared the sky, it became obvious that the flowers had been planted in the ancient symbol of the sisters circling each other in endless procession. Indeed, if one had the patience, over the course of a full day it was possible to see the ripple of the flowers' movement almost seem to animate the picture.

At the moment, though, her flowers were halfway through their journey from east to west and Luna’s remained fully closed.

Celestia stood in front of the display with a gentle smile on her face, thankful to both the gardener for his creation and Twilight for returning her other half. As Luna trotted up to join her, Celestia stretched her wing around her sister, holding her close, as Luna began to nuzzle her now taller sister’s neck.

Of course, the moment of perfect tranquility had to be interrupted with a small pop not unlike the sound of a teleport, and the dull thud of a body hitting the ground behind them.

Startled, the group began to circle around the mysterious apparition as the guards rushed over to do the same.

Nopony knew what to do, just staring at the body in confusion. Even Pinkie was quiet for once.

A single hoof twitched, and the visitor slowly raised his head and looked in as full a circle as he could manage.

“Big feller, ain’t he?” muttered Applejack.

I have never been good with crowds. I have never been good with people in general. Women terrified me. The entire span of my life, long as it was, was spent a bachelor.

To say I was terrified now, newly arrived in the afterlife (I was unprepared to call it heaven or hell), surrounded by a circle of what I somehow instinctually knew to be intelligent beings of mostly the female persuasion, in a completely unfamiliar body, was an understatement.

The fact that I appeared to be in the company of Skinfaxi and Hrimfaxi did not help.

Were the Norsemen right?

The absurd thought jolted through me, accompanied by an almost giddy panic. I couldn’t be in Valhalla. I had never fought a battle in my life. So where was I? Aelfheim? Vanaheim? Where were all the other spirits of the dead? Why were they all... horses?

I began frantically rehearsing my introduction in my head as they stared at me, shaking nervously with the profound anxiety I always felt with more than a single person looking at me, and I found my mind racing off on bizarre tangents completely beyond my control.

My name is Henry Cavendish... I began to myself.

A full three minutes passed, no pony saying a word except the duo of guards asking the Princesses if they required assistance.

After raising his head and seeing the circle of ponies surrounding him, the newcomer, an oddly large and lanky gray earth pony, had seemed content to close his eyes and lay shaking on the ground.

“It does not seem he wishes to introduce himself to us, sister.” Luna ventured, searching for some comment that would break the silence that had come over them.

Pinkie took that as her cue.

“Hi mister! I think you’re a mister, right? Gosh, you’re tall. You must be new here. Because I know every pony, and I mean... wait, we’re not in Ponyville. And I know everypony in Ponyville but I don’t know everypony in Canterlot so you might not be new here. But I’ve never met you before because I sure would remember meeting somepony so big who isn’t the Princess, so that’s great! My name’s Pinkie Pie, by the way. Sorry I left my welcome wagon in Ponyville so I don't have any cake, but...”

She continued her rapid fire rambling and eventually cartwheeled off for a short musical number, but everyone else was too busy observing the stallion to pay her much attention.

Eventually, Princess Celestia took it upon herself to kneel down, and she gently laid a hoof on his chest to try to stop his panicked shaking.

“Please, be calm. I am Princess Celestia of Equestria, one of the rulers of this land. You are... not one of my little ponies, but if you come in peace, then you are welcome here. Tell me, are you well?”

“What do you mean he’s not one of...” Twilight began, before the visitor went absolutely rigid and opened a single eye once again.

He took a deep breath.

“Myname’sHenryCavendi-ouch!”

Silence resumed its reign.

“Did he just bite his tongue?” Rainbow Dash asked, peering down at him in disbelief.

He continued his shaking, though not as hard as before.

Great, all that time rehearsing and I’ve already botched it.

“Um. I don’t think I can get up.” He finally said.