".And by substituting in that e to the power of n is equal to cos n-theta plus j-sin n-theta, it is clearly evident that e to the negative j-pi is equal to negative one, which we can rearrange to form the ever famous identity of e to the negative j-pi all plus one equals zero. From here, we can apply this to-"
"Hello Mister Writer!"
Good afternoon, Pinkie. How have you been?
"I've been fantasta-super! What about you?"
Ah, I've been home these past few days. Every three weeks my school allows the students home for a weekend to unwind. Which has been really appreciated.
"Well that's good! You always need to unwind, especially when you're watching Rainbow Dash do her flying because then your neck gets twisted in really odd ways."
So I can imagine.
"So anyway, I was talking to the others about me coming every week to learn more about your culture and stuff, and Fluttershy said she would like to meet you and learn some also!"
How nice. I would be agreeable to that.
"Well she's here!"
"Um... Hello..."
A pleasure to meet you Miss Fluttershy. I apologize for the intimidating temperament, especially as you cannot see me. I know how timid you are.
"Oh no, it's not a worry, I just hope I'm not intruding or anything."
Not at all, I'm just whiling away the time before I go catch my train.
"Train? Are you going somewhere?"
Indeed. Back to my dormitories. My school term is nearly finished, which is a relief.
"I see. What is your school like?"
Hmm... That's quite an interesting question... Tell you what, Pinkie says you'd like to know a bit more about my world, so why don't I answer your question with a story?
"That would be lovely, but I wouldn't want to be bother..."
As long as I don't take three hours, it won't be.
***
It was founded about 500 years ago by King Edward the Sixth. In the human world we have royal monarchs as you would the two Princesses, but as humans have limited lifespans, we change monarchs every now and again. King Edward was very young when rose to the throne - in pony terms he would still have been a young colt. And yet, during his first year on the throne, he instated a school for the intelligent children who would otherwise have been unable to afford education. That said, nowadays most education where I live is free, but this was a long time ago. He was young, and his constitution was frail, but he was a caring monarch, going out of his way to do as much for the country as he could. It's a shame he passed away only years later, at the height of his adolescence.
"Oh my, how tragic. But he sounds a lot like Princess Celestia."
Quite. The school used to be located in the main city, but after a few years it relocated into the countryside. A few years after that and it relocated again even deeper into the middle of nowhere. But fortunately by that time, the country was developed enough to have good transport links, so it wouldn't be a problem. Originally, the site where the school used to be has since been converted into a different school - one for veterinary sciences.
"That's incredible, you have separate schools for that?"
In the human world, humans often take on the same tasks, jobs, and talents. And so yes, we do have dedicated places for passing on those skills. Think of it as a cutie-mark enhancement center, if you like. Of course, my school is not like that. It is more of a bridging between the school that fillies and colts would go to in your world and the higher-levels of education like university. You might call it a high school?
"I see. Yes, we call them that here in Equestria, but universities are only for unicorns. In fact, most ponies finish their primary education and that's it."
That's an awful shame. Did you go to high school?
"Yes, I did. You know the story of how I met Rainbow Dash and earned my cutie mark. Well, that flight camp was arranged by the three-stage school in Cloudsdale. Rainbow was only in middle school at that time, however."
Ah, I see. Well, what differentiates my school from most others is the uniform. We kept the same traditional overcoat and shirt from centuries ago. As a result, the entire uniform looks medieval, and to an outsider, rather ridiculous. That's the school in a nutshell.
***
I would probably say that the human world is actually very close to the pony world - we live in houses in cities and towns, each person has a job they do, and so on. The only real distinction is that obviously various utilities and living instruments are more geared towards bipedal, fingered use. For example our stairs would probably be different in terms of size, and our doors would be shaped differently too.
"I could imagine. I don't know what humans look like but Pinkie tells me you look a bit like a horse but standing upright, and with a flat face."
That's not entirely incorrect, but there are some differences in shapes and sizes here and there too.
"So do humans have cutie marks?"
Sadly no, we don't have anything to tell us what we were meant to do. That's mainly the reason people go to school here, so they can find out what they're good at or what they enjoy, as well as picking up the skills needed to do that. We just trundle along, trying what we can. A lot like the three tykes you have to deal with Ponyville.
"I see. And so have you decided what you want to do yet?"
Not entirely. I'm almost going to university, and I've decided what I want to study, but I still don't know what my true calling in life is. It's a lot harder when you could technically have any option open to you. Ponies are somewhat limited in their species and whatnot. The human world is much wider, but it's also much more integrated. Thus, your options are far wider.
"What's the animal life like in the human world?"
This is an awkward question to answer. As far as I know, they're the same. We probably all have the same various different types of animal, such as dogs, cats, lizards, birds, bears, etc.. The only difference that really comes to mind is that horses and ponies in the human world don't look very similar to you and your friends.
"What do you mean?"
Let me try this... Pinkie Pie, stop playing Minesweeper for a second and come here.
"What's the dilly-o, daddy-oh?"
This is what a pony looks like in the human world. Describe it to Fluttershy.
"His face is really long and goofy looking, and his eyes are tiny! Also his mane and fur look really boring. His legs are really skinny and his body is really fat. Other than that, he looks just like us!"
"So ponies in your world don't talk and such?"
Nope. Think of them as like any other animal in your world, and think of humans as your equivalent in your world. I know it's kind of weird to get your head around, but that's just how it is.
"I think that's incredible, though. Your world is almost exactly like ours, just with a slightly different life chain."
When you think about it like that, it really is quite something, isn't it?
...I must thank you, Fluttershy.
"O-Oh, really? N-no, it's nothing... I... I'm not even sure what I did."
The best phrase I can find would be "opening my mind's eye". I'm not normally a deep thinker.. This has been one of those few times I've thought beyond my senses. It's not too bad every now and again, to lose yourself in the deeper meanings of life.
"M-my... How philosophical..."
Maybe it's just Pinkie Pie wearing off on me? Haha, oh well.
***
"...And that's the best thing about animals! It's just such a shame you're not an animal person..."
I'm sorry Fluttershy. I'm barely a people person.
"I don't think so. You listen very well to what people say, and you always have an interesting opinion of your own. I think you just have your own way of showing it. Some of the animals I deal with, they don't behave like normal animals, but you just need to know how to respond to them. Maybe Pinkie Pie knows how to respond to you."
Maybe indeed.
"Hey Mister Writer! You're smiling! See, what did I tell you, doesn't it feel great? When you smile, it makes you happy, and when you're happy that makes everyone else happy, and when they're happy they smile, and it's a whole big loop of happiness and smiles!"
Haha, you could probably get a doctorate in Happyology. No, that doesn't sound right... Joyology?
"What about Smile-ology?"
That's worse than "happyology." But it'll do.
***
Well, that's all my bags packed. I need to go now, I'll barely make the train at this rate. That also means laptop off. Sorry to cut our playdate short, Pinkie.
"It's fine, I got to see you smile, which is great! You also met Fluttershy and seemed to make good friends, which is also great! So I'll see you next week!"
I'll probably be busy gearing up for exams, but I can make time for you, Pinkie.
"Bye!"
"...However, due to the principal argument needing to lie between positive and negative pi, when the values for theta are solved algebraically, they do not produce results within this region. However, by investigating the graph, we can use trial and error to approach a numeric solution..."
She's right. It's been a while since I've sincerely smiled our of happiness. And it feels so good I just want to do it some more. I wonder what she's going to surprise me with next week...
***
Confound these ponies, they drive me to smile.