The Formula for Love

by MegaTJ

The Fashion Algebraist and Historian

The Fashion Algebraist and Historian

The long whistle of the Ponyville Express echoed throughout Trottingham Station. The train slowed to a halt in front of its platform. The whistle caused a young unicorn to jump and fumble with some of his luggage. He looked around, as if realizing for the first time he had been standing on Platform 12 for the past ten minutes. His start made his glasses slip down the bridge of his nose. He pushed them back up with his hoof and returned his gaze to his things. Counting his bags and suitcases once more, he turned to face the train, where other passengers were already boarding. Using a levitation spell, he picked up his things, walked up to the conductor standing by the open passenger car door, and, after the conductor stamped his ticket, climbed aboard. He had cut getting on the train close, for the conductor was already calling for any last second boarders.

The gray pony walked through the train, wondering just where his overnight room could be. “Hmm…”, he hummed to himself over the noise of the other travelers, “Just where can room 14 be?”

He followed the numbers of the cars and quickly figured out that they weren’t in numerical order, but numbered in accordance to class, size, and car location. “The number fourteen”, he concluded, “must be in the midsection, high class and must be of a moderate size.” Satisfied with the complex algebraic solution to his fairly simple problem, he turned back around and proceeded to car number 5, where room number fourteen lay in wait of his arrival. The unicorn ignored the conversations of the other passengers, keeping careful to mind his own affairs and to keep his luggage from bumping into anypony. He reached his room, a fair-sized, two benched compartment with tiny bunks at the top.

A loud “thud” echoed around the little room as he dropped his luggage. The world beyond the window hadn’t started moving yet, so the young colt used his magic to levitate the bags to the left top bunk. They landed with a softer thud, and he turned to the door.

“I haven’t any reason to leave my compartment at the moment. I wonder what I could possibly do to pass the excess time”, he pondered to himself.

He turned back toward the window and gazed around until he became familiar with the room. On the other side of the windows, he saw the busy crowd of Trottingham tourists and business goers swarm the other platforms. He breathed a sigh of relief. No longer would he have to put up with the crowded city.

“I was promised Ponyville would be a small, quiet town”, he said to the window, “I just hope my new employer hadn’t said that only to appeal to me.”

That thought gave him an idea. From the top bunk, he levitated two of his suitcases down. He opened one, revealing a neat stack of scrolls and memos. He took one of the scrolls from it and replaced the case. With the scroll still in the air, he opened the second one. In it was a deep purple dress he had nearly finished a few days before. He turned it over and over, inspecting it for damages and deficiencies. It had a white, cotton trim and he ruffled the rear of it into a ballroom-like fashion. He made a shawl for it and fastened it with a clasp boring a round cut emerald. He used some of his magic to create a white, wispy lightning bolt emblem in the green gem. It was still a work in progress, and he hoped to have it finished completely over the next week or so.

He laid the dress on the right bottom bunk and opened the scroll he was levitating. He had read it over and over and over again, but he couldn’t just seem to believe what it said. It was a dream of his to escape the overbearing rule of his parents to live a subtle life in the more rural areas of Equestria. He managed to do so when he sent of several letters of requested employment and got one back from the one he had actually really wanted. He read the note again.

In very neat hoofwriting, the letter said:

Dear Linen Fiber,

It is my pleasure to inform you that I accept your request to work in my dress shop. Your résumé has detailed everything I need to know about you to determine that you are the perfect pony for the job. I thank you so much for applying. As a token of my gratitude, I have arranged to have you moved to Ponyville via the Ponyville express. I have also asked one of my friends to spruce up a three bedroom home for you. The ticket and the first month’s rent for the apartment will be placed on my tab, so do not fret if your money situation is not in the most desirable condition. I hope to see you very soon.

Sincerely yours,

Rarity

P.S.: I will be greeting you at the Ponyville train station the morning after your departure. Be sure to look for me. I will be wearing a stunningly fashionable sunhat.

He had read the letter several times just that day. It was so nice to have a pony be that generous to him. From the letter alone, he had come to admire his new employer already. He knew the Carousel Boutique quite well, as his family’s own dress shop imported many materials and designs from the Ponyville shop.

From the front of the train, the whistle rippled through the cars. The room jolted forward as the brakes released and the train started moving forward. Linen placed the scroll back into its suitcase. He put the bag onto the bunk below his storage bunk. Outside, the sun was setting. Most ponies told him that having to travel through the night on a train would be uncomfortable, but Linen loved the idea. It was an adventure for him, especially because it was at night.

Just as he was preparing another levitation spell, somepony knocked on his door. Startled, he jumped and turned to see a silhouette on the other side of the distorted glass door. He slid it open, revealing a young, lavender unicorn. Her tail and mane were dull sapphire blue with rose and violet streaks. Her Cutie Mark was what Linen could describe as a sparkle sort of shape surrounded by smaller ones. She smiled.

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything”, she said.

“Oh, no, not at all”, Linen replied in a slight Trottingish accent, “I’m not pursuing anything important at the moment. Er…May I help you?”

“Yes, I am Twilight Sparkle.” She peered into the room. “I was told I could find a Linen Fiber here?”

The gray unicorn was slightly unnerved at the fact that this complete stranger knew his name and was looking for him. “I am Linen Fiber.”

“Oh, that’s great!” she cheered. Luckily, no pony was in the hallway to hear. By now the train was swaying with its growing speed, and it was getting difficult to stand. “May I come in?”

Linen thought for a second. Well, she seemed nice enough. And her smile was genuine. He stepped aside and beckoned her in. “Why yes, please do.”

She sat on the empty bottom bunk. Linen closed the door and sat opposite of her.

“Miss Sparkle”, he began.

“Please, just call me Twilight.”

“Twilight…” Linen mulled over his words, trying to choose them so as not to sound impolite. “If I may ask, what may I help you with?”

“Oh, how rude of me”, Twilight stated, “I was looking for you as a favor for somepony. You see, I had a small conference in Trottingham and I received a letter from one of my friends in Ponyville.”

Linen’s ears perked up at the sound of the town. He was now giving Twilight his full, undivided attention.

“She told me that you would be taking the same train with me back home and asked me to accompany you on the trip”, Twilight explained. “To make you feel comfortable for the night. I understand this is your first big move.”

Linen already knew who Twilight’s friend was from the beginning. He could easily put two and two together. “I thank you both for the gesture, Twilight, but it shan’t be necessary. I am already quite content. I will thank Rarity when we arrive tomorrow.”

Twilight’s expression drooped somewhat, just to where Linen could barely detect it.

He quickly made up for his mishap. “However, if you would like to stay and keep me company, I would much appreciate it. I can’t logically think of any situation where travelling with somepony wouldn’t be fun.”

Twilight brightened back up. “I was hoping you would say that. The ticket Rarity bought for you covered a room this big so that we could share it. She told me not to go through the trouble of getting a ticket and asked me to look for you. It was her treat for me.”

“Hmm…I see”, Linen could feel his face heating up. He turned to the bunk on which he threw his suitcases. He levitated them back up to the top one and arranged them in a neat fashion. He levitated a new one down and made his way for the door. “Please excuse me, Twilight; I must go find a washroom in which to change.”

Twilight shot him a confused glance. “Change?”

Linen sighed to himself, this was going to be embarrassing. “I usually wear pajamas to bed”, he explained, nodding to the setting sun on the other side of the window. “I am aware that most ponies don’t wear clothes, but I am rather…conscious of the action of changing in front of a lady. It’s more polite for me to change elsewhere.” His face was really hot now. He was trying to fight the blush down, and was losing badly.

Twilight stifled a small laugh. He sounded just like Rarity! “It’s okay, Linen. You can change in here. I’ll wait outside.”

Before he could protest, Twilight was already sliding the door open. “Just call when you’re finished”, she chimed over her shoulder. The door slid close with her magic.

Shrugging, Linen resumed his levitation. He unzipped the bag and pulled out his favorite pair of pajamas, a deep void purple button down shirt with hundreds of stars on it with a matching set of pajama pants. He used his magic to quickly wrap himself in the garments. When the last button was fastened, he called for Twilight. “Twilight, I’m finished!”

The door opened, and Twilight entered again, this time, with several bags of her own. She was lightly blushing. “I left these out in the hallway. Guess I was too worried over if I could stay to remember them.”

“Would you prefer a top bunk, or a bottom one?” Linen asked. He nodded to his suitcases to the top, ready to move them.

“I’ll be fine with a bottom bunk. I don’t like the idea of falling off of something that high in my sleep.” Something on the bed caught her eye, and she turned to inspect it while Linen had his back to her.

“Completely understood”, Linen replied, putting his overnight bag with the others. He turned to see Twilight levitating his dress in front of her. His face instantly went ten shades of red. Only his family knew that he made dresses! How could he be so careless?

“Wow!” Twilight exclaimed, “It’s beautiful! Linen, did you make this? Are you a dress maker?”

Linen bit his lip and swallowed the lump in his throat. He removed his glasses and pretended to clean the lenses. After he put them back on his face and calmed down a spell, he finally replied. “Y-yes, I did, and I am.”

“When Rarity said she needed help around the boutique, I wasn’t aware she needed this kind of help.” Twilight glanced at him and saw how nervous he was getting. The beads of sweat across his red nose were very noticeable. “There’s no need to get so embarrassed. Trust me when I say that it’s perfectly normal for a colt to design and create dresses.”

“I do believe that is true myself. It is only…no pony outside my family knows that I am a tailor. I’m not ashamed of it in the least, I…”, Linen replied, his voice breaking off.

“Oh, I see. You just don’t have many ponies with this in common, is that it?” She glanced at the dress.

“I suppose that is the closest explanation…I feel better now…so that must be accurate…” Linen agreed.

Twilight changed the subject back to the dress. “How long have you been working on this”, she said, rotating it with her magic.

“The total time is currently three weeks, four days, ten hours and thirty-five point eight seconds”, he said proudly. “It’s my best record to get a dress of this quality to this point of completion.”

He approached and admired it with Twilight.

“It’s very pretty. And looks comfortable”, Twilight observed.

“I will admit this dress does have one of the best visual attractions out of all of the others I have made. And you are very correct; this dress is very comfortable indeed.” It took a second for him to realize what he had just said. His face once again became dark red. He dared to look at Twilight, who of which was giving him a very confused look.

Before she could ask, he decided to explain. “During my dress making process, I don’t make use of a dress figure, instead, I form it around my very body, to ensure a comfortable and accurate fit. I only do this until the main design is finished. I add the finer details later.”

Twilight replied, “That’s a very unique way to make a dress. Rarity will be impressed. I mean, making a dress using by using your own body, that’s amazing!”

Linen forgot all about his embarrassment. “You really think so?” he asked excitedly.

“Absolutely! It can’t be easy making a dress like that; you must have been practicing for a long time to accomplish it!”

“In my opinion, it’s the best and only way to create an ensemble. Though, you’re the only pony that knows of it…”

“It’s really amazing…” Twilight said to comfort him. That’s when she noticed the emerald. “Wow, this emerald is really beautiful! Hmm…What’s that inside it?”

It took Linen a moment to realize what she was asking him about. “Oh! You’re referring to the lightning bolt. It’s a skill I that I have learned with some experimentation. The lightning bolt is a carefully cut opal gem. I used a self-crafted Ghosting Spell to insert the opal inside the emerald after I shaped it”, he explained.

“You made a new spell just so you can make your dresses better?”

“Well, yes, I have. There are actually several spells I’ve created for tailoring. It’s definitely not simple, and I’ve nearly fractured my horn a few times”, Linen explained. “Dress making is my lifelong passion; I’ve worked my entire life to achieve the skills I have now.”

“You’re really dedicated to what you love, huh?” Twilight finally set the dress down.

“I am. That’s why I’m moving to Ponyville. My parents, well, they are considered by many to be imperious. I left so I can lead my own life, in self-created comfort.” Linen adjusted his glasses and levitated the dress’s suitcase down. He picked up the dress and carefully placed it back into the bag.

Twilight disappointedly watched him zip it back up. “Have you given any thought to what you’re going to do with it?” she asked.

Linen saw her expression and knew what she meant. He wasn’t a liar, so he said, “I was planning to sell it upon its completion. I’d hate to let it go, but I have no use for it. I won’t ever wear it.” Linen watched Twilight’s expression drop further. A tiny “oh” escaped her lips and Linen smiled warmly. “Twilight, do you really like the dress?”

The lavender unicorn nodded. “I do”, she replied, “It’s very, very pretty.”

He smiled wider as he picked the bag up and placed it with her things. “Then it’s yours.”

“But you said it isn’t finished, besides, I don’t have the mon—”

He interrupted her, “It is my gift to you. Anypony who admires something to an extent such as yours should have it. It is enough pay for you to appreciate my work the way you do. And as for the dress’s final details…” He quickly unzipped the bag once more and removed the dress. Unclasping the front, he slipped it onto Twilight and levitated a green spool of thread and a sewing needle down from his supply bag.

“Now don’t struggle…” he said.

Twilight wouldn’t have been able too if she tried. The shock from what had just happened was a lot to take in. Linen used the thread and stitched, in very neat cursive, Twilight’s name near the rear trim at the bottom of the dress. He pulled the needle and unused thread loose and put them back in their respective bag. He took one long look at the dress and the shocked unicorn wearing it.

“Something should be changed”, he said, taking a deeper look, “It isn’t completely you just yet.”

Twilight remained silent. She was now coming back to her senses but still couldn’t talk.

He looked for several more seconds before he finally realized what it was. He focused his energy into his horn. When it started glowing, and when he had Twilight’s Cutie Mark pictured in his head, he touched it to the emerald. The emerald glowed faintly. The gem inside started to change shape. It slowly transformed into a magic sparkle, nearly identical to the one on Twilight’s flank.

“Voila! Perfection in its shining moment!” Linen announced to Twilight, “Yes! The dress suits you well! Very beautiful indeed!”

Twilight blushed. “Thank you. Thank you very much”, she said, “Is there anything at all I can do in return?”

He shook his head and reorganized his bags. “Twilight, I meant what I said. You needn’t repay me. You’re my first actual friend. That is already more than I could ask for.”

Twilight wanted to ask, but didn’t want to butt into Linen’s life. She could wait for him to open up more first.

Linen sighed. His satisfaction was clearly evident across his face. He grinned very widely at Twilight. Before either of them could even think about their next words, another knock came through the compartment’s door. It slid open to reveal a pale yellow Pegasus.

“I hope I’m not intruding, but I’m here with the dinner trolley. Are either of you ready for dinner?”

Twilight glanced at the other unicorn. “I’m starting to get hungry. I guess I’m ready.”

Linen nodded. “As am I. A wholesome meal is definitely what I could use at the moment.”

The Pegasus nodded, and disappeared again behind the door. She slid it completely open and carried in on her wings two piping hot plates of spaghetti and wheatballs. She walked to the window and tapped her front hoof against the wall. A collapsible table fell from it and she placed the two plates on top of it. The unicorns watched her trot back to the trolley and bring back two glasses of water.

“I hope you enjoy your meal. If you would like anything else, please do not hesitate to ask.” She bowed politely and left the two alone to eat.

Linen sat down and gazed at their dinner. “It looks delectable.” He looked to Twilight. “Shall we eat?”

Author's Note:

The first installment for my fifth story arc. Updates can be found at my FanFiction profile. (Link in my profile)

A little about the OC:
Linen has several speech patterns based upon the situation he is in. His more intricate vocabulary becomes present when he is nervous and is offering explanations. You may notice there are many mixes of the way he talks with Twilight, depending on how comfortable he is with what subject.