Theories and Early Mornings
A knock sounded throughout Treader's home. It was a peculiar sound, he never had visitors at his home, especially at this hour of the morning.
“I wonder who that could be,” he mused as he rolled out of bed and walked to the door, all the while the knocks became more frequent and impatient. “Alright! alright I'm coming!” he shouted. The knocks subsided and Treader had half a mind to ignore them and go back to bed, but his curiosity was piqued enough for him to crack open the door and assess the newcomer. “Who are you?”
“Names are unimportant,” the stallion said. “I have been going house to house in search o-”
“Whatever you’re selling, I don't want it.”
“But this is di-”
“Yes it is. Usually you scum have the decency to wait until morning!” Treader shouted.
“I'm not here to sell you anything, but instead ask a question.”
“I'm also not interested in your religion.”
“What do you know about magic?” The stallion asked, forcing his question through the cynicism.
Treader stared at the stallion, unsure whether he should be offended or amused.
“Young colt. How could I know anything about magic? I am an earth pony.” The stallion said with a condescending tone in his voice.
“Then I will be on my way.” The stallion abruptly turned around and trotted off of the porch.
As Treader watched the stallion walk off toward the next house he shouted, “Wait!” His own volume surprised him. “Why
do you ask?”
The stallion galloped back to the door. “I am beginning my studies into theoretical magic and was wondering if you had any knowledge of the subject, but seeing as you are not a unicorn, I won't bother you any longer.”
“Now wait just a minute. I never said I wasn't interested, you just walked off assuming I wasn't because of my mention of being an earth pony.”
“So do you know anything about magic?” The stallion asked hopefully.
“Nope,” Treader answered bluntly. “But that does not mean I can't learn along with you. Why don't you come in and have a seat. I feel as if this will be a long discussion.” The stallion obliged and walked into the small house. A single candle on the table was bright enough to light up the small kitchen. Treader took a seat, and the stallion sat on his opposite.
“What are you looking for?” Treader asked as he rested his chin on his hooves.
“Somepony to mentor me through theoretical magic.”
“Why didn't you go to someone more personal. I don't even know you.”
“No pony close to me has the slightest idea what theoretical magic is, nor do they want to know. I was at a loss, and so I decided to go knocking around on doors in the middle of the night. I figured somepony was bound to be willing to assist me.”
“And that somepony would be bound to want to take advantage of you,” Treader said with a raised eyebrow. “Didn't that cross your mind at all?”
“Sometimes we have to take risks in order to succeed in life.”
“Indeed we do, but this was not worth the risk.” Treader rubbed his forehead. “Nevertheless you are now here. Let's hear what you have to say.”
“Excuse me?”
“What is your story, why are you wanting to pursue theoretical magic to begin with?”
“I want to try new things,” The stallion said bluntly. “I want to branch out and be able to do lots of different things, plus theoretical magic interests me.”
“You like to do things on a whim, don't you?” Treader asked. “Have you ever stuck to something in your life?”
There was a long silence. Treader's blunt question was a shock to the stallion who sat across from him.
The question was unsettling for the stallion, that much was obvious by the way his air changed from self confidence to almost total doubt. “I... I don't know.”
“What do you mean?” Treader asked. “Can't you remember anything you have followed through on?”
The stallion let out a sigh. “Not that I can remember. Most of what I have done was prescribed to me for me to accomplish. Nothing was seemingly insurmountable, nothing was difficult, but I never pushed myself. I want to try to accomplish something that I never have and that I know I might not be able to accomplish. I want to prove to myself that not everything I do is mediocre. I know I want to do better, and I want to prove it to myself.” The room grew silent once more. The gravity of the stallion's words made everything seem much different than before.
“And so you went looking for a mentor along this street at this horrendously early hour?” Treader asked as he stood up from the table and walked to the stallion's side.
“Well... yes.”
“We have to go,” Treader said as he picked up the candle and walked to the door. He looked back to the stallion who remained sitting at the table as if Treader was still talking to him. “Well?” he asked. “Aren't you coming.”
“Yeah, I'm coming,” the stallion said as he rose to his hooves. “Where are we going?”
“To the university library. There is a good amount of research on the subject there,” Treader said as he opened the door to his home and began walking down the street, the stallion by his side.
“Why are you doing this?” the stallion asked. “I thought you didn't know anything about magic.”
“This isn't about magic, this is about learning lessons in life. Had you not come and knocked on my door at that ungodly hour I never would have thought twice about theoretical magic. It just wasn't something that interested me, but your drive to learn is something that I just cannot describe. It isn't optimistic, you understand the risks involved, but you decided to go out on a limb and try something you have never done before. If you are willing to do something as outlandish as that, then why shouldn't I as well? This will benefit the two of us, so why not learn it together?”