//------------------------------// // The Traveler // Story: the traveler // by AkiraRealHuman //------------------------------// Somewhere within Equestria, a greenish glow is observed, within which a bipedal, humanoid figure is barely visible amidst the speckles of light surrounding it. With eyes closed, the figure remains until the green glimmers fall to the ground and vanish. His first reaction isn't to open his eyes but to reach for a curious accessory hanging from his belt — akin to an egg but dark. Within this object, a crackling sound can be heard, a characteristic signal informing its owner that the journey was a success. The human opens his eyes with a smile and looks around, but soon his expression changes to one of surprise and confusion. Very colorful he thinks, raising an eyebrow. Almost too colorful, like a cake. With short steps, the person walks aimlessly in search of something that catches his attention, he didn’t go far. Just a few meters away, he sees what appears to be a trio of very diminutive horses. As if the overly sweet atmosphere wasn't enough, these creatures seem to be plucked from the dreams of magical worlds and fantastic creatures that every person must have dreamed of as a child at least once — large and expressive eyes, fur that seems soft and fluffy at first glance, jovial and tender laughter. The human approaches the scene slowly, enough for these beings to notice his presence, but not so much as to scare them away immediately. If I approach too abruptly, they'll surely flee is what he had in his mind, so his movements were relaxed and slow. The miniature horses had finished their game and looked with curiosity at their singular spectator. Finally, much to the human's surprise, they approached, albeit timidly, yet with determined steps. "Ar... are you a human?" stammered a clearly feminine and childish voice, a filly, then. The human felt a sense of bewilderment not because he could understand her — that was to be expected — but because of what the question implied. He decided to remain silent. The girl, receiving no response, uttered more words, "Oh, right! Miss Cheerilee says that the best way to start a conversation with a stranger is by introducing yourself first. She's Applebloom," she gestured towards one of her friends. The human didn't take his eyes off her. "She's Scootaloo," he noticed the weak greeting from the mentioned one. "And I'm Sweetie Belle," all three of them took comically long breaths. "And we are the Cutie Mark Crusaders!" That action coming from such adorable creatures was more than enough to draw a chuckle from the rugged human, undoubtedly lightening the mood, but it lasted very briefly. There were only two things on his mind at that moment. First, I'm really in a fairy tale! he thought with excitement as he realized he was talking to a unicorn and a pegasus. Second, Is this a reality where other humans also exist, or have I encountered another traveler? Whatever the reason, he needed to find out. The girls smiled nervously at his lack of response, so Scootaloo nudged Sweetie Belle in his direction. At this, she shot Scootaloo a disgruntled look and turned her attention to the human, trying to get his attention. "And... What about you?" Of course, a name the human said to himself. As protocol demanded, it was time to find a name fitting for the world he found himself in. If he remembered correctly, their names were a combination of an object and a characteristic. "Hmm... mister...?" "Green Mist," he responded quickly. It seemed the most appropriate given the circumstances of his arrival in this world. "You can call me Green, if you like." The girls looked at him strangely, and Scootaloo spoke quietly to her friends. "Aren't humans supposed to have long and difficult-to-pronounce names?" "That's true," Green quickly says in the kindest tone possible. "What I told you is my pseudonym. I never liked my real name, so I avoid using it whenever I can. Anyway, why do you know so much about humans?" "Twilight" the foals said in unison. "Ever since he trotted into town, she's been nosin' around a heap 'bout humans. Well, truth be told, mostly just about the human," Applebloom made the comment, the others nodded in agreement. "He?" If there was only one, then it only made sense to Green that he was another traveler. "Another human, but we're forbidden to talk about it... but I think you should know since you're also human!" Scootaloo chirps, convincing herself, but still receives disapproving looks from her friends. "Ya come lookin' for him?" The possibility seemed to sadden Applebloom. Green shakes his head. "Ya came to do him harm?" Applebloom said with a hint of suspicion. "Of course not," Green couldn't hide a certain indignation in his voice. "I didn't even know there was another human here." "Then why did you come?" Sweetie Belle asked. "I think he got lost," Scootaloo adds. "I'm a traveler," the girls listened attentively to Green's words. "But not just any kind of traveler. My destinations aren't other countries or cities, but other worlds," he says, making an exaggerated gesture with his hands to add more drama. As soon as the human finished speaking, the faces of the fillies lit up with excitement, and they started hopping around him, bombarding him with all sorts of questions. "That's enough girls," Green raised his hands to calm them. While the gesture was adorable at first, the high-pitched voices overlapping each other in unison was more than the traveler could bear. "You can interrogate me later. Right now, I need to find this Twilight. Do you know where she is?" His only response was laughter, and the human raised an eyebrow. "Was it something I said?" "It's just that if you don't want to be interrogated, Twilight is the last pony you'll want to encounter," Scootaloo said amidst laughter. " Pony? So, Twilight is like her?" The human pointed to Applebloom with a finger. "Well, shoot, we're all ponies 'round here," she spoke. "But if you're talkin' 'bout types, Sweetie Belle's a unicorn, Scootaloo's a Pegasus, and I'm an earth pony. Now, Twilight, she's a whole 'nother story... reckon you'll get it when ya meet her." "Alright, can you tell me where to find her?" "Sure thing, c'mon along!" says Applebloom. "We'll show ya the way," gesturing for the human to follow her. Green walked behind the fillies as they chattered animatedly among themselves. To pass the time, he observed the landscape, eventually his gaze settled on a town whose center held a majestic castle. Its imposing walls reflected the sunlight in such a way that it was impossible to tell at first glance what material they were made of. The town was evidently the destination of their guides, yet he asks. "Where are we going?" "To Twilight's house," Scootaloo says sarcastically. Before the human could protest, Sweetie Belle adds “Actually, it's a castle." "We're headin' straight for Ponyville," Applebloom finally says. Green suddenly felt uneasy, but he didn't know if the reason was realizing that these ponies had a terrible imagination for naming things or that the much-mentioned Twilight seemed to be someone very important who had her own castle.