Deadlines and First Encounters

'Careful... Careful...' Pencil Point silently chanted to herself as she walked on the streets of Ponyville. A stack of papers, a few small jars of paint and a filled inkwell were placed on her back, being held in place by a soft, purple glow of magic. A light purple saddlebag hung from the filly's side, stuffed with quills and paintbrushes of all kinds. The filly had just returned from a trip to the store, having ran out of supplies for her latest project.

Pencil's magic was trained for lifting papers and pencils and other art materials due to the years of practicing her art skill. It was far from ready to hold the weight of so many materials, but the unicorn filly wouldn't take any chances. She persevered, cautiously taking one step to another. At this rate, it would be evening before she could reach her home.

'Deadline... 3 days... Need to get materials home...' The wheat-colored filly was already tired and aching for a break. If she hastened, she could reach Sugarcube Corner with enough time to spare for a quick snack. She seemed to brighten at the idea of getting some sugar. Sugar was always good for work. She broke out into a light trot, the stack of materials on her back dangerously tilting back and forth.

~~~OC: Logik~~~

"This is amazing. Of all the things that could have been achieved, I never believed that a simple experiment such as this one might have yielded such incredibly informative results... To think of what this can do to the world of arcane arts and sciences, and to the world in general..."

Logik muttered to himself quietly as he furiously scribbled down data after data in his journal as he walked through the streets of Ponyville floating said journal in front of him with his magic. After he had recently finally achieved the result that he had been looking for in his various experiments and studies, he had decided to head towards his home in order to delve more into the subject with a more proper setting. However, the original destination had been forgotten, and the Unicorn was now simply wandering through the town with just about no idea of anything that was happening around him, completely preoccupied with what he was currently doing.

Suddenly, without any warning, the stallion bumped into another pony with quite a bit of force, as he had been moving forward at a relatively fast speed before the sudden stop. His concentration broke for a second from the sudden impact, but soon enough, more by instinct than by anything else, he was once again able to make use of his magic, and instantly shot out a levitation spell to catch whatever might have fallen from both ponies. This has been happening much too often... I know that must be true if I am unconsciously training myself to handle these situations...

Looking up to see who he had bumped into, Logik saw that the pony in question was in fact a young mare, maybe a little younger than him and seemingly tired from overworking herself. Looking at the items that he had caught, the Unicorn also saw that he had been able to grab a variety of drawing and writing utensils, including his own small journal and pen.

"I-I'm s-so sorry! A-are you okay!?"

In a matter of seconds, Pencil Point was sent backwards and onto the hard ground of the Ponyville streets. Her eyes were shut, expecting her materials to start pelting her. She waited a few seconds, but the pelting never came. Opening her eyes, she was greeted by a light gray stallion. There were numerous materials levitating nearby him. The filly sighed in relief.

"Oh thank goodness..." She said, standing up. Her materials were safe, no bits gone to waste. Although, they were currently in the possession of a stranger.

"Um... I'm fine. Thank you for saving my materials." The filly eyed the stallion. She'd never seen him around Ponyville before. Maybe he was a newcomer? She wasn't entirely sure. Then again, she didn't know that many ponies.

"May I please have them back now? I'm... kind of in a hurry..." She asked, turning her attention to her materials. How he was able to catch them so quickly was a wonder.

"Oh thank goodness..."

Logik watched the mare as she stood up, still quite nervous on how she might respond to the sudden disturbance. Oh, please don't be mad...

"Um... I'm fine. Thank you for saving my materials."

Logik nodded. "Y-your welcome." He noted the mare giving him a strange look, observing him. His nervous state became slightly worse, and he truly hoped she didn't mind terribly much that he had almost just sacrificed all of her materials. Some ponies would have already been furious at this point, and the Unicorn was somewhat relieved that nothing of the sort had happened so far.

"May I please have them back now? I'm... kind of in a hurry..."

"Oh, y-yes! O-of course." Logik floated the materials that he had gathered back to the mare, but then noticed the amount of weight that was seemingly being held in the pony's saddlebags. "Um, d-do you need a-any help with that?"

Pencil Point tilted her head, seeing the Stallion stutter a few times. He seemed a tad anxious, but she couldn't blame him. First encounters were never good on a pony's nerves.

"Sure, that would be great! Um, if you're alright with it..." She felt a bit sheepish at the idea of making somepony she'd only just met do a favor. She got about half of her materials from the stallion, having to place them back on her back because of her stuffed saddlebags. She got her magic to hold onto them again, this time with relative ease.

"Oh, and my name's Pencil Point, by the way. It's nice to meet you!" She smiled and began to walk. It was difficult focusing on the spell and carrying a conversation. Multi-tasking was never a skill Pencil was very good at. But her parents had once told her as a foal that it was rude not to pay attention to company.

"Sorry for asking so suddenly, I just need help carrying the other materials until I reach Sugarcube Corner." She explained, "I'll be able to reach my house more quickly once I stuff myself with sugar!" She paused, realizing what she just said. Her confidence slipped, beginning to be replaced by embarrassment. Admitting her love for sweets was easy, especially when Sugarcube Corner was included, but saying that to somepony she had only just met made her look like some sort of glutton.

"Sure, that would be great! Um, if you're alright with it..."

"O-of course! I'd love t-to help." Logik stopped levitating some of the materials he was holding as the mare took half of them, and he grouped the remaining items together to make them easier to keep track of. She's not upset. That's good.

"Oh, and my name's Pencil Point, by the way. It's nice to meet you!"

"It's nice to m-meet you too, Pencil Point. My n-name is Logik." The Unicorn began to walk alongside Pencil Point as she began to lead the way through various streets towards her set destination, the work he had been previously occupied with forgotten.

"Sorry for asking so suddenly, I just need help carrying the other materials until I reach Sugarcube Corner. I'll be able to reach my house more quickly once I stuff myself with sugar."

"I see..." Logik did not believe it to be a good idea to rely on sugar and caffeine in order to get through day-to day activities, though he did not mention the subject, as he fully well knew that everypony had their own ways of getting through life. Examining the objects that he was levitating more closely, the Unicorn could see that the materials that were being held were almost exclusively used for drawing, defeating his earlier assumption that the mare might have been a writer.

"S-so you are an artist?"

Pencil Point remained silent as they walked, still embarrassed about the earlier comment about sugar.

"S-so you are an artist?"

She seemed to have snapped out of her silence, a bright grin on her face. "Oh, yes! Yes I am! Well, not really. I'm still kind of training. But I plan to be one in the future!" She said, suddenly enthusiastic. She took a few minutes to talk about her favorite artists, how she wanted to visit the Canterlot Art Gallery and visit many other art shows that weren't even announced in Ponyville yet (Apparently her father had enough connections to such information), and how she was planning to make a huge project to test out her newly acquired 'brush techniques'.

"...And with these new brushes, I can definitely-" She stopped, finally noticing her rambling. She hadn't given the stallion a chance to speak! That was definitely rude. The filly hoped that he wasn't too irritated by her blabbering. She gulped down whatever string of words she had planned out, deciding to continue a proper conversation instead of her previous self-indulgent chatter.

"So, um, do you like art too? You seem like a pony who enjoys creating things. Or maybe do you prefer magic?" She was still curious of the unicorn stallion's magical ability. Pencil had never met a unicorn with such reflexes, and mastery to boot. The idea of asking her companion to become a sort of magic mentor crossed her mind, but she dismissed it until further notice. Sure, magic was convenient, but it wasn't necessary for making art. Still, she was aware that it could benefit her in the future, but she wasn't just going to ask somepony to become her mentor out of the blue.

"Oh, yes! Yes I am! Well, not really. I'm still kind of training. But I plan to be one in the future!"

Logik opened his mouth to respond to Pencil's sudden outburst, but before he could she resumed speaking in a very enthusiastic manner, talking nonstop or a few minutes about various aspects of art and the different future plans that she had relative to her skill. The Unicorn simply nodded through this rant whenever the mare made an important point, understanding most of what she had to say.

"...And with these new brushes, I can definitely-..."

Logik looked over at the mare when she suddenly stopped talking. At first he thought that something might be wrong, but then he dismissed the idea as he realized that she had simply stopped her ramblings presumably for his sake.

"So, um, do you like art too? You seem like a pony who enjoys creating things. Or maybe do you prefer magic?"

Logik faced forward again as he answered the question. When he spoke, his stutter was gone, but he still spoke in an overall quiet or nervous tone, as a shy or solitary pony might have talked. "Well, I have tried my hoof in developing traditional art in the past, though I don't believe that I was ever much good at it... I would say that I do appreciate art in general though. However, my actual skillset does lie in magic; I have been studying and experimenting with magic since as long as I can remember, developing new forms of it and new ways to use it... It is really what I do on most days."

Pencil Point smiled. "Well, I'm sure you did fine. Art, unless done for professional reasons, can be made any way one wishes. There's no such thing as good art or bad art. Ponies just prefer different art and artists." She recalled these words from a friend of her parents, who often visited to work for the visual aspects of her father's business. He was a nice fellow with great skill.

"Hey, if you still have a few of your old pieces, I'd love to see them!" Pencil always enjoyed seeing the art ponies made. It allowed her a quick glimpse to who they were and how they felt. It would definitely be interesting to see what Logik had made in the past, but she doubted he still had his old works.

"I have no wonder though, why are you in Ponyville? Sure, it's a nice quaint little town. But it's not very abundant in aids for magic research. Except maybe for books. I think Canterlot would have better equipment and references. Since, well, I expect they have tons more unicorns there." The filly questioned, crossing the streets.

A cart quickly drove by, narrowly missing the two unicorns. Pencil gave a small cry in surprise, taking a step back as the cart rushed past. Her magic weakened for a moment, losing its grip on a small jar of paint. The jar hit the stone streets, breaking and splattering paint everywhere. A few ponies nearby complained, having some paint covering their hooves. Pencil's ears flattened on her head as she apologized to the ponies, watching as they continued their way.

"Uh... I don't suppose you know any cleaning spells?" She chuckled nervously, looking at the paint-covered portion of the street and their paint-covered hooves. Sugarcube Corner probably wouldn't want paint on their floor.

"Well, I'm sure you did fine. Art, unless done for professional reasons, can be made any way one wishes. There's no such thing as good art or bad art. Ponies just prefer different art and artists."

Logik thought about that statement for a few seconds. "Yes, I suppose that that can be considered true in many cases..."

"Hey, if you still have a few of your old pieces, I'd love to see them!"

Logik chuckled slightly. "I might have taken up on that offer, but, sadly, I don't believe those pieces still exist. Or, if they do, I do not know where they might be."

"I have to wonder though, why are you in Ponyville? Sure, it's a nice quaint little town. But it's not very abundant in aids for magic research. Except maybe for books. I think Canterlot would have better equipment and references. Since, well, I expect they have tons more unicorns there."

"Well, I was born in Canterlot, and have lived there for most of my life. I fully realize that resources for science and arcane study are abundant there, but...well, problems arose there concerning my aptitude, and so I decided to live in Ponyville for the time being, possibly permanently."

Suddenly, soon after the Unicorn finishes speaking, a cart, seemingly out of nowhere, drives straight past the two pones, barely a foot away from slamming into them. Logik heard Pencil Point let out a cry of surprise, and he himself quite quickly stepped back and floated the materials he was holding away from the cart's path. The cart passed within less than a second, and not long after it did so Logik heard glass shatter on the ground near him. He looked over to the sound, and saw that one of the jars of paint which Pencil Point had been holding had fallen onto the street, causing the paint contained inside to splash onto the stone that made up the street and the hooves of some of the ponies near them. The ponies that had been within range of the sudden event looked somewhat annoyed when this happened, but continued doing whatever they were doing beforehand soon enough.

Pencil Point chuckled somewhat nervously, and spoke to Logik. "Uh... I don't suppose you know any cleaning spells?"

"Um, well, I suppose I do." The glow of the Unicorn's horn intensified, and seconds after it did so the paint on the ground slowly began to dissolve, quickly shrinking into nothingness. Logik cocked his head once he finished his spell, looking over the ground to make sure all of the paint was gone. "I believe that should fix the problem..." He turned his gaze to look at Pencil Point. "Are you okay?

Pencil Point seemed surprised how the unicorn was able to make the paint disappear so quickly. Then again, she probably should have expected it since Logik had already told her he was experienced with magic. But still, a cleaning spell that efficient?! She had to find out where he learned it. It'd definitely save her flank during her projects and from her mother's constant complaints.

"Where did you learn that?" She asked, paying no mind to the paint that was still on her hooves. She'd gotten hold of a number of cleaning spells, but most were either too complex for simple stains or had to take control of a cleaning supply. A spell that could make messes disappear in an instant seemed a bit too good to be true after all the books she'd read. Or maybe it was just her terrible sense of choosing books?

"Where did you learn that?"

Logik found Pencil Point's amazement in the spell he had just performed somewhat amusing, though he had to admit that the said spell wasn't used too commonly by the average pony. The Unicorn thought about her question for a second, attempting to remember from where he had learned the spell in question. He had learned many different spells from a large variety of sources: instructors, books, experimentation, observation, etc., and sometimes it became hard for him to remember the origin of some of the spells that he knew.

"Well, if I am correct, I believe that my old teacher actually taught me that spell, though where he had originally found I do not know."

"Well, if I am correct, I believe that my old teacher actually taught me that spell, though where he had originally found I do not know."

Pencil's ears flattened. "Oh, okay." She said, disappointed that she couldn't get a reference for the spell. It would've been interesting to learn such a spell, even though it'd probably take her weeks with her level of magic. Oh well, she'll just have to keep searching then. At least now she knew such a spell existed. 'I should probably search in the library. I'll drop by tomorrow!'

"Well, let's continue on. Sugarcube Corner shouldn't be too far now." She shook off the previous disappointment, returning to her usual smile and firming her magic onto the pile on her back. She continued her trot, crossing the road. Her hooves left a few drops of paint.

"Oh, okay. Well, let's continue on. Sugarcube Corner shouldn't be too far now."

Logik nodded. "Of course."

He continued to walk alongside Pencil Point once she began trotting at a light pace towards Sugarcube Corner. Logik could now recognize the surroundings around him, and could tell that the pair was already nearly at the popular bakery. The Unicorn may have only been in Ponyville for a short time, but he had already visited Sugarcube Corner a handful of times, and was quite eager to get a taste of the pastries that it introduced.

The walk was silent, Pencil not having a topic in mind. They passed a few streets, took a few turns, and there it was. Sugarcube Corner, standing out against its surrounding buildings with its sugary decor. It looked more like a gingerbread house ready to be eaten than a building for a bakery. Pencil Point could feel a grin creeping up onto her face as they neared the confectionery.

"Well, we're finally here!" Relief and hunger seemed to wash over her like a tide as they stopped in front of the front door. The sweet smell of pastries and sugar wafted from inside, increasing the filly's hunger the instant it hit her nose.

Pencil turned to her companion. "Thank you for your help, Logik! I very much appreciate it. Um... Would you like to join me as well? Or are you busy?" She asked, taking the other half of the materials from the stallion and placing them with the rest of the materials. She planned on putting these on the table she'd take, a nice little break from the slight aching on her back, coupled with sweets. She was excited, but wouldn't mind having company.

Logik thought about various ways on how to continue his research once he had the time as he followed Pencil Point as the two ponies slowly approached Sugarcube Corner. When the Unicorn saw the establishment, he couldn't help but grin slightly. The bakery always made him smile a bit whenever he saw it, just because it looked so out of place where it was. The two ponies approached the front door of the building, and as they neared it Logik could already smell the scent of fresh pastries rolling outside from the interior of the establishment.

"Well, we're finally here!"

"Indeed, it seems so."

"Thank you for your help, Logik! I very much appreciate it. Um... Would you like to join me as well? Or are you busy?"

Logik shook his head. "It is not a problem, I was glad to help. And I would be happy to join you, seeing as I have no...overly important business to attend to." The Unicorn allowed the mare to take the rest of her materials from him, and he opened the front entrance of the building once she had done so. "After you."

Pencil chuckled. "Well, aren't you a gentlecolt?" She entered the building, noticing how there didn't seem to be a lot of ponies. The filly took a vacant table, just nearby the counter. She put the materials at one side, luckily occupying only a portion of the table. She arranged them a bit, making sure that if the table moved, the jars and ink wouldn't immediately fall over.

She lined up, relieved to see that there were only a few ponies in front of her. Looks like she wouldn't need to wait for long. "Hey Logik, anything in particular you want to eat?" She asked, seeing a small sign that had a list of the available treats.

"Well, aren't you a gentlecolt?"

Logik grinned shyly at this, and once Pencil Point had entered through the doorway he followed her into the establishment. The mare quickly approached an unoccupied table near the bakery's counter, placing all of her gathered supplies on its surface and then rearranging them so that they would be safer from the danger of falling. She then proceeded to get into the small line that had formed in front of said counter, and the stallion followed her there.

"Hey Logik, anything in particular you want to eat?"

"Not entirely. I will have whatever you would like to order."

Pencil pondered a bit, watching the sign. "Hmm... Well, I'm in the mood for some cake. Sugarcube Corner always makes such interesting cakes; they always announce a new cake each week along with their other pastries. You gotta love the variety of this place." She said, watching as a pony finished ordering. The pony at the front of the line handed over the bits, taking their order and walking to their table. Only a few more ponies to go.

Pencil stood there, waiting. The Pegasus up front seemed to be making a pretty big order with how long he was taking. 'Might as well pass the time with a short conversation' She thought. "Hey Logik, I seem to recall you saying you came from Canterlot." The filly said, turning her attention to the stallion, "Were the ponies there really as uptight as they say?"

"Hmm... Well, I'm in the mood for some cake. Sugarcube Corner always makes such interesting cakes; they always announce a new cake each week along with their other pastries. You gotta love the variety of this place."

"Indeed so. I have only visited this establishment a handful of times, though every time I have been here I must say that I have never regretted it."

Logik waited in line with Pencil Point as they neared teir place in the front, listening to what the other ponies ordered and watching them as they continued on their way. Some of the ponies went straight to a table found inside the bakery, while others simply took their orders in a package and left.

"Hey Logik, I seem to recall you saying you came from Canterlot. Were the ponies there really as uptight as they say?"

"Well...yes, fairly so. That is only the Canterlot upper class, though. But then again, most of the city's population is upper class. That is part of the reason why I left, really."

Pencil seemed to show pity. "Must've been one heck of a foalhood. I probably would've left too. I've only met pompous ponies at Art Shows. Always rubbing their works into other ponies' faces and avoiding critique." She mumbled, a tinge of venom in her voice.

After another pony left, there were only 2 costumers before it was their turn. The pony up front seemed to be having trouble with deciding, ending up having to choose most of the menu. From no, to yes, to both, the pony continued to stack boxes upon boxes of pastries on the counter.

The pony up front finally finished, ending up having to carry a load of pastries. A kind by-stander came and assisted him, bringing a huge stack of goods out of the bakery. The stack kept threatening to fall, causing a handful of nearby ponies to move to the sides along with their food. Luckily, the two ponies were able to bring the stacks of pastries out of Sugarcube Corner without dropping anything. Only one more pony to go.

"Must've been one heck of a foalhood. I probably would've left too. I've only met pompous ponies at Art Shows. Always rubbing their works into other ponies' faces and avoiding critique."

Logik nodded. "Indeed. In my experience, I have seen that Canterlotian(?) celebrities have always been the worst..."

The Unicorn watched as the pony at the front of the line finally attained his order and left Sugarcube Corner with the help of a stranger, carrying what looked like his weight in pastries. Wow. I'm fairly surprised the staff here was able to make so many pastries so quickly...

A few minutes flew by, and Pencil Point was finally at the counter. A grin flew to her face, only to fade as she stared at the empty glass casing. A light cerulean mare wearing a yellow and pink apron shook her head in dismay, telling the filly the bad news.

"What do you mean they're sold out?" Pencil made a pitiful face, her ears flattening on her head. The mare explained how the last few costumers had bought and actually reserved a number of pastries, due to the many celebrations going to be held at the Town Square that evening. The rest were being shipped to other towns. The mare's husband and employee were already busy working in the kitchen, attempting to finish the orders on time while taking care of twin foals, apparently. It would take a while before they would restock.

With a look of pure disappointment, she turned to Logik. "Looks like they aren't restocking any time soon. Sorry for wasting your time." She frowned.

Within a short period of time, the line that had formed in front of Sugarcube Corner's counter had shortened considerably, and the pair of ponies were able to take their place directly in front of said counter. Once they had reached this place, Pencil Point began to give an order to the mare behind the counter for the both of them.

"What do you mean they're sold out?"

Logik cocked his head and frowned slightly when he heard this sudden outburst, and he listened to the counter operator's story as she explained to the two ponies that the bakery was fully out of stock for the time being. Well that is indeed a shame... The mare finished her story with an apologetic expression, and when she did Pencil Point looked back to Logik, giving her own expression of disappointment.

"Looks like they aren't restocking any time soon. Sorry for wasting your time."

Logik nodded to the statement with the slight remnants of a frown still on his face. "Indeed that appears to be the case. We cannot really do anything to change that at this moment, though. And don't you worry about it. Wasted time is but a small problem that I may experience." The Unicorn gestured to the art materials that were still resting on the table nearby. "Well, since it appears that we cannot gain what we have come here for, do you think that you will still need help with your materials?"

"Well, since it appears that we cannot gain what we have come here for, do you think that you will still need help with your materials?"

Pencil Point looked over to the table of materials, trying to form a decision. It was nice to have a companion, and he didn't seem to mind wandering around and helping her. But still, she'd took up enough of his time.

"Oh, it's fine. I can handle it on my own." The filly replied, trotting over to the table and using her magic to levitate it all onto her back. Recalling the focus she had before Logik came to help, she held a firm grip on the stack. She turned her attention back to the light gray stallion.

"Thank you for your help, Logik. I'll see you around." She smiled, before heading out of the establishment. It was going to take a while for her to reach home, especially without a sugar boost, but hey, at least she made a new friend.