//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: Lesson One // Story: Refracted Love // by Silentpegasus //------------------------------// Chapter 3 Lesson One Geode and Twilight made their way through the quiet streets of Ponyville just as the stores were opening up. Geode donned his scarlet cloak that Cadence had given him the previous morning. The colt had been in difficult situations before when he was trying to sneak by some ponies. Yet he couldn’t stop his teeth from chattering as the two unicorns made their way to the school house. He saw multiple ponies arriving at the school being greeted by a maroon Earth Pony mare with a pink mane and three sunflowers with smiling faces on them as a Cutie Mark. Twilight and Geode made their way to the door and were greeted by the mare. “Morning Twilight.” She said with a warm smile. “Morning Cherilee.” The maroon mare then shifted her gaze. “This must be Geode.” The colt nodded his head and gulped. “He’s a little shy.” Twilight said with a smile. “Perfectly understandable. I was nervous on my first day of school too.” She said with a warm smile. Twilight gave Geode a reassuring pat on the back as he walked inside with the mare. Once he was inside his gaze fell upon a group of fillies and colts sitting at desks talking and laughing with one another. “Alright my little ponies, settle down. We have a new student joining the class today.” The ponies stopped talking and gave the teacher their full attention. “Allow me to introduce Geode.” “H-hello.” He said with a small nod. “Why don’t you tell us a bit about yourself?” The mare suggested. “Well, I’m from the Crystal Empire.” The group of fillies and colts let out a collective gasp and began whispering to one another. A light blue Pegasus colt raised his hoof. “Yes, Rumble?” “If he’s from the Crystal Empire then why isn’t he sparkling?” “I’m not in the empire right now and Crystal ponies sparkle after they discover their special talent.” Geode said as he looked at his blank flank. He looked to the back of the room to see three fillies high hoofing. “That’s very interesting Geode. Take a seat next to.....Applebloom.” She said as she pointed to a yellow Earth pony filly with a red mane that was being held back by a bright red bow. Geode let out a sigh and made his way to the back of the class and took his seat next to the filly who was smiling at him. Geode ignored the pony and faced the front of the class where the teacher began to write numbers on the board. “Okay class let’s continue with our multiplication tables.” She said as the class let out a collective groan. Geode took notes and paid close attention to the numbers being written on the board. “If you practice enough then you’ll be able to multiply three hundred and six by four thousand and eight.” The teach and the students let out a collective chuckle. “One million, two hundred twenty-six thousand, four hundred and forty-eight.” Geode answered. “I’m sorry what was that?” The teacher asked. “The answer to that question is one million, two hundred twenty-six thousand, four hundred and forty-eight.” The ponies looked at him and back at the mare in surprise. Cherilee pulled out an abacus and took a few minutes to calculate it. “That’s.....correct.” She said in amazement. The class’s jaws dropped and looked at the scarlet colt in surprise. “Geode where did you learn to calculate mathematics like that?” “I'm staying in a library so I’m around math books.” He said with a shrug, The mare was cut off by the recess bell chiming in the room. The ponies eagerly got to their hooves and made their way outside carrying their bag lunches. Geode did the same and found a warm rock out in the courtyard to sit on. He pulled out his lunch and looked at the odd sandwich. He shrugged and scarfed the food down and pulled out a magic book that Twilight had lent him from the library. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Across the courtyard Applebloom, an orange Pegasus filly with a purple mane and a white unicorn filly with a curly light purple and white mane were sitting under a tree giggling to themselves. “I can’t believe it! A Crystal Pony in our class! Maybe he can help us get our Cutie Marks.” The unicorn squeaked in delight. “Settle down there Sweetie Belle. We don’t know anything about him.” Applebloom said as she raised a hoof. “What’s there to know? He seems like a cool guy.” The Pegasus said as she sipped on her juice box. “I’m with Scootaloo.” Sweetie Belle answered. “Heads up Crusaders. Trouble ahead.” The yellow filly pointed over towards the crimson colt. Geode stopped reading as he saw two shadows appear on the edge of his book. He looked up to see two Earth pony fillies smiling at him. One was grey with her mane in a braid and was wearing a pair of blue rimmed glasses. The other was bright pink with a purple mane with a white stripe running through it that was kept in place by a tiara sitting on her head. “Can I help you two?” He asked as he raised an eyebrow. “We just wanted to extend an invitation to be part of the cool pony club.” The pink one said with pride in her voice. “I’m Diamond Tiara, the Queen of the club and this is Silver Spoon second in command.” She said as she pointed to the silver filly. “What does this club do?” He asked as he raised an eyebrow. “All the cool things to do in town.” Silver Spoon added. The pink filly cast an icy glare at three fillies making their way over to them. The three fillies had less then pleased looks strewn across their faces. “Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in. A trio of blank flanks.” Tiara said with a laugh. “Why you-” The orange Pegasus stammered. “Yawn. I have no time for you three talentless hacks. Why don’t you just go and see if you can get your Cutie Marks in being invisible?” She said with a cruel laugh. “Hey! What’s your problem?” The fillies looked up to see the crimson colt with a frown on his face. Even though he was just a colt, Geode was easily taller then the fillies by a good five inches. “We’re just making sure you don’t go making friends with the wrong sort of ponies.” Silver added. “I think I can tell the wrong sort for myself and you might want to get those glasses checked because incase you haven’t noticed, I’m a blank flank too.” He said as he pointed to his back thigh. He then looked at the pink filly. “And you. What gives you the right to make fun of those three?” The three fillies had now noticed that the other ponies had grouped around them. “Th-they don’t have talent!” She stammered. “So? It doesn’t mean you’re better then they are. They can do anything, while your skills are already set and locked in place.” The crowds jaws hit the ground at the words. “Just because they don’t have a talent now doesn’t mean they won’t ever have on and who knows? Their talent maybe greater then all of ours combined.” He said as he picked up his book and started to trot away from the crowd. “Y-you’re just a big nerd!” Tiara yelled. Geode looked back at the mare and smirked. “Wow, that was brutal comeback.” He said with his voice dripping in sarcasm. “I think I might die from those words. Wait I feel something....yep I’m dying.” He said as he clutched his chest and ‘died’ in a dramatic fashion. The crowd erupted in laughter as the two fillies stared at him with daggers in their eyes. Geode ended the charade and got to his hooves. “In all seriousness, you two need to grow up.” He said as the recess bell rang and the ponies made their way back into the building and took their seats. The rest of class dragged on as the teacher continued to ramble on about the number system. Out of the corner of his eye, Geode noticed that several ponies were glancing at him from time to time. He shrugged it off and turned back to his workbook. The final bell rang and the ponies hastily exited the building. Geode did the same only to be stopped by three fillies with smiles on their faces. “Can I help you three?” “We just wanted to say thanks for sticking up for us.” Sweetie Belle said with a smile. “Oh that. Forget about it.” He said with a shrug. “Why did you help us out?” Scootaloo asked. “I just can’t stand ponies like that.” The three fillies gathered in a huddle and whispered to one another. Geode cocked an eyebrow as the fillies nodded and broke the huddle. The three had wide grins on their faces as Applebloom walked forward. “We wondering if you’d like to join the Cutie Mark Crusaders.” The yellow filly said with a smile. “The what?” He said in confusion. “We’re on a crusade.” Scootaloo interjected. “To find our special talents!” Sweetie Belle added. Geode let out a sigh and looked at the fillies with a blank expression on his face. “No thanks.” The fillies dropped their jaws in surprise. “Why not?” The three said in unison. “I’m not what you’d call a team player.” He said as he made his way back into town with the ponies following him. “But, you don’t have your Cutie Mark and we don’t have ours. We could help each other out!” Applebloom said. “I’m guessing you’re Applejacks little sister?” “Y-yeah, how’d you know that?” “Take a wild guess partner.” He said in a southern accent. “Oh the accent.....Hey! Are you making fun of the way I talk?” She said as she narrowed her eyes. “No, I was stating that you and your sister have similar speech patterns.” “The same what?” Geode rolled his eyes and let out a sigh. “You both sound alike.” He said as he continued to walk down the road. The fillies chased after the colt who let out a groan. “Listen I appreciate the offer, but I’m better on my own.” “You like being alone?” Sweetie Belle asked in confusion. “It’s the way I am and how I live.” The fillies looked at one another in confusion and sadness. “I’ll see you three around.” Geode said as he headed towards the library. The colt opened the library door to see Twilight sitting at her desk rifling through some papers. She looked up and smiled at the colt. “Hey Geode, how was your first day?” “Adequate.” He said in a flat tone. “If you need me I’ll be upstairs doing my homework.” The colt said as he ascended the staircase. Twilight smiled and returned to her work. Five minutes later a familiar maroon mare trotted inside with a smile on her face. “Hello Cherilee, what’s up?” “Oh nothing much I just had a few questions about Geode.” She said with a smile. “Like what? Did he do something wrong in class today?” “Quite the opposite. Geode is a borderline genius.” The lavender mare looked at the school teacher in surprise. “I gave a hypothetical math question and he solved it in ten seconds flat.” “What was the question?” “What do you get when you multiply three hundred and six by four thousand and eight?” The lavender mare thought for a moment and pulled out her abacus and began to calculate. “It’s one million, two hundred twenty-six thousand, four hundred and forty-eight.” “That’s what Geode said. Only he didn’t use an abacus.” “Are you telling me that he calculated that answer in his head?” The teacher gave her a nod. “That’s almost impossible. How can he be that smart?” “He said that you had math books here.” “Yeah, basic arithmetic and a few others, but nothing that complex.” She said in surprise. The two were cut off as they heard the door close upstairs. Geode looked at the two mares in confusion. “Hey Ms.Cherilee.” “Good afternoon Geode, how was your first day?” “Can’t complain.” He said as he descended the staircase. “Hey Twilight, do you have a map I can use?” “Yeah sure. There are a few in the drawer. Why do you need it?” She asked as she pointed to the cabinet on the far side of the room. “I’m still getting used to the town and I don’t want to get lost.” He said as he took the small map. “I’m going out for a bit.” “What about your homework?” “It’s done. Check it if you want, it’s on the desk upstairs.” He said as he trotted towards the door. “Be back by dark.” Twilight said as the colt walked out the door. Twilight looked at the mare in confusion. “What is it Twilight?” “What did you assign them for homework?” “To read chapter three in the text book and answer questions one through twenty-six. Why?” “He came home five minutes ago.” The two mares walked upstairs into the colts room and found the pages of paper sitting on the desk. Twilight levitated the paper over to the mare and looked at her in anticipation. “Are they correct?” The maroon mare scanned the page and looked at the mare in surprise. “Yes, I knew he was smart but not this smart.” She said in surprise. Twilight rubbed her chin as she thought. “So what do we do?” “Nothing right now. Keep a close eye on him, I’ll do the same.” She said with a nod. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Geode looked at the map as he made his way through Ponyville. He reached the center of down and scooped up a small pile of dirt. He let it fall to the ground and brushed his hoof off. As he continued through the town he marked certain locations on his map. The crimson colt made his way to the outskirts of town where he saw a vast orchard holding thousands of the red fruit. His eyes boggled at the sunlight reflecting off the apples. The colt then heard a loud noise coming from behind him. As he turned around he felt a large wooden barrel collide with his face and pushing him into the ground. The barrel smashed against a nearby tree stopping it’s movement. One end opened up and three fillies came pouring out of it in a dizzy state. “What happened?” The orange filly asked as she tried to regain her balance. “I think we hit something.” The white Unicorn said as she shook her head. The three fillies then heard a low groan coming from a small rut in the dirt. “Uh-oh.” Applebloom said as they trotted over to see a half buried crimson Unicorn colt. Geode opened his eyes and dug himself out of the small patch of dirt that surrounded him. As he shook his head he noticed three fillies running up to him. “Are ya okay?” Applebloom asked as they approached the colt. Geode shook his head and looked at the three fillies with a blank expression. “Yeah, I’m fine. What were you three doing in that barrel?” He asked as he looked at the wooden cylinder laying against the tree. “We were trying to get our barrel rolling Cutie Mark.” Scootaloo added. Geode looked at them in confusion. As he took a step his hooves collapsed beneath him and he felt his face hit the dirt. The fillies quickly rushed over to him as he got to his hooves for a second time. “I’m fine. I just need a minute.” He said as he started to pant. “We’re really sorry we hit you and-” “APPLEBLOOM!” A familiar voice yelled. “What in tarnation are y’all doing?” Her eyes then fell upon the crimson colt who looked at her in confusion. “Geode? What are ya doing out here?” “Just walking around and getting used to the town.” He said with a grin. The colt took another step and he staggered. “You okay hun?” She asked as she noticed the large black and blue bump on his head. “Yeah, I just-” “It’s out fault!” Applebloom interjected. The orange mare and red colt looked at the three fillies in confusion. “We were in that barrel and we accidentally hit him.” The mare looked at her younger sister with a sour look on her face. “What have ah told ya about looking where you’re going. I have to lecture Rainbow Dash about this twice a week. Ah thought my own kin would-” “If I may interject. I wasn’t paying attention, so it’s partially my fault.” He said as he rubbed his head. “We’ll worry about that later. Lets just get some ice on that bump.” “Trust me I’m-” “Twilight will bite my head off if I don’t do something. So quit yer yapping and follow me.” She said in a stern tone. The red colt gulped and followed the orange mare back towards the house. Geode noticed a large red stallion hauling a plow in a fresh patch of dirt. As they entered the farm house the sweet smell of animals and cinnamon filled the room. He sat on the couch as the orange mare trotted into the kitchen and withdrew an ice pack. The three fillies sat on the couch next to him with concerned looks on their faces. “Better?” She asked as the colt levitated the ice pack on his head. “Yeah, thanks.” He said as he let out a sigh. “I take it your a friend of my sisters?” “Well-” “You bet!” Scootaloo answered. Geode looked at them in confusion. “He totally told off Diamond Tiara today.” “You mean that bratty pink filly that call’s y’all blank flanks and what not?” “Yep. That’s her.” Sweetie Belle said with a sigh. The mare smiled at the colt who still had the confused look on his face. “Any friend of Applebloom’s is a friend of mine.” She said with a smile. “Ah gotta get back to work. Y’all play nice now ya hear.” She said as she trotted out the door. Geode looked at the fillies in confusion. “Why did you guys help me out?” “You stood up for us back there. Us blank flanks gotta stick together.” Sweetie Belle said with a smile. “Thanks.” He said as he let out a sigh. He removed the ice pack and got to his hooves. “Where are ya going?” Applebloom asked. “I need to do something.” “What?” “I want to get a layout of the town and the outskirts.” He said in a flat tone. “We have one of those!” Applebloom interjected. Geode looked at the filly in surprise. “It’s at our club house.” The other crusaders looked at the farmer in surprise. “We could show ya if ya want.” “I guess.” He said with a shrug. The fillies trotted ahead and whispered to one another. “Why did you invite him to see our secret Crusader headquarters?” Scootaloo asked. “Ah figured if he saw our club house then maybe he’d wanna join.” She said with a smile. The two fillies had a wide grin on their faces. Geode paid little attention to the fillies conversation. The crimson colt focused on the ground and payed close attention to the path and the feeling of the dirt crunching beneath his hooves. “Here we are.” The colt looked up to see a pink wooden club house built into a tree. The fillies led the colt inside their club house. Geode looked in surprise at the wooden interior. There was a podium, a ladder leading up to an observation deck and a few poster hung up around the room. “This is the Crusader Headquarters.” Sweetie Belle said with a smile. “How many of you are there?” “Just the three of us in Ponyville and Applebloom’s cousin is working on the Manehattan branch.” Scootaloo added. Geode looked around the place and noticed the fine wood work. “Mind telling me why you guys have a bulls eye in the middle of the floor?” He asked as he looked at a painted on target. “That’s our thinking spot.” The white unicorn said as she sat down and had a blank expression on her face. “It’s where we come up with all our genius plans.” “Like that barrel idea?” He said with a smirk. “Okay, so not all of them are genius.” Scootaloo said as she rolled her eyes. “You guys said you had a map?” “Right here.” The crimson colt looked over to see the yellow filly pointing at a crude drawing of a few landmarks. A big red X was drawn over the library. Geode face hoofed at the sight. “Ugh, I knew this was too good to be true.” He said under his breath. The colt then looked to see the three fillies smiling at him. “What?” “Do ya wanna join?” “I already told you three I have no interest in joining your club.” He said in a flat tone. The fillies looked at him in surprise. “B-but, we showed you our club house and-” “I never said I was gonna join.” He said as he let out a sigh. “Look, you three are nice and all, but I’m just a lot better off on my own.” The colt opened the door just in time for his face be met with a flying water balloon. Geode wiped the water from his face to see four colts standing in a row. “A vast ye scurvy dog! Ye gone and hit the recruit!” Geode looked in surprise as he saw a white earth pony with a brown spot on his head talking with an accent to the other three colts. He was donning an eyepatch and a pirate hat. The other was a blue Pegasus colt with a red bandanna tied around his neck. The other two were unicorns. One was a rusty yellow and was the tallest one of the group with a snail as a Cutie Mark. The other was a dark green and was a bit more portly. He had a scissor mark on his flank. Geode watched in confusion as the four colts made their way up to the red unicorn. “Who’re you?” He asked as he wiped the water from his face. “I be captain Pip. This be me first mate Rumble and our two deck hooves Snips and Snails.” The earth pony said with a grin. “Ye showed courage today on the battlefield against the pink Kraken and the grey menace.” Geode looked at the costumed pony in confusion. “You mean those two bratty fillies?” The four pirates nodded. “Aye! I’d like to have ya on our crew.” The colt said with a laugh. Is this guy for real? Geode thought as he let out a sigh. “As I just finished explaining to theses three, I’m not interested in joining a club.” He said as he looked back at the fillies. “Believe me when I tell you that I’m doing you all a favor when I say that staying away from me is for your own good.” The unicorn side stepped the group and continued on his way leaving the other ponies with confused looks on their faces. The red colt pulled the map he was using before and marked the school house. The red colt finished marking the map and made his way back to the large tree in the center of town. As he opened the door he saw the purple dragon putting a few books away on the shelf. The colt nodded and quietly made his way upstairs. Geode rolled the map up and hid it underneath his mattress. The red colt laid back on his bed and let out a sigh. It’s for their own good that they leave me alone. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Back at the farm Applebloom was sitting at the dinner table with Applejack and the rest of her family. Applebloom sat in silence as she poked at her food. “What’s wrong sugar cube? You barely touched yer supper.” The orange mare asked with a concerned look on her face. “Nothing. Just trying to figure something out is all.” “What?” “You know Geode right?” The mare nodded. “Well, since he doesn’t have a Cutie Mark I thought we’d invite him to join the Cutie Mark Crusaders.” “That’s mighty kind of ya.” “Ah know, but he refused. Pip even asked him to join his pirate crew and he turned them down too.” The mare raised an eyebrow at the statement. “Why would he go and do a thing like that?” “He said he was better off on his own and that he was doing us a favor.” She said with a shrug. “Keep in mind that Geode is still new. He’s probably just shy.” “He didn’t seem that way when he stood up to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.” The filly left the conversation at that and dug into her food.