The human woke up violently in the middle of the night, his face covered in sweat. One of his trembling hands reached for the bedside table, and as soon as he opened his palm, the artifact flew towards him as if it had a magnet, the intense heat inside causing the human to drop it. As it hit the floor, it shook violently, emitting green and yellow sparks.
Green closed his eyes and pondered, his heart pounding forcefully against his chest. What could have disturbed you so much? he questioned himself, looking suspiciously at the accessory. This question made more sense than one might expect. While the artifact wasn't alive, it did possess a small consciousness; it could interpret what was happening around it and transmit to the traveler, as if they were his own, its emotions. And fear was what it transmitted at that moment.
Knowing he wouldn't be able to sleep feeling so vulnerable, he left the guest room, trying to be as careful as possible not to wake Zecora. He traversed the hallways, his eyes landing on that bookshelf from which Twilight had previously taken a book to show him a map of her world. Somewhere in that wall, there was something that filled him with unease.
His eyes scanned the spine of each book in line until he felt a lump in his throat upon seeing one of them in particular. He picked up that book with its blue cover and incomprehensible golden letters, and the first thing he noticed was that its weight was abnormal compared to its size. Furthermore, its structure was not cardboard or even paper. It wasn't a book but a case.
The human cautiously opens it and sees its contents: inside lies a dark pony-shaped necklace with a red crystal embedded in the middle. His attention is broken when the accessory begins to sway rapidly and emit green and black sparks. That's the same reaction it had with Twilight, Green thought, looking curiously at the amulet until he noticed a rather important detail he had overlooked: it possessed both wings and a horn.
"their magic must have something," he said quietly, only to be interrupted by a familiar voice.
"So, the human in solitude has found something to delight," said Zecora, dressed in pajamas and wearing a serious expression. "Of course, I don't mean to intrude, but what keeps you standing upright?"
"Oh, hi Zecora... you see, I couldn't sleep," the human said without moving a muscle. "So I thought maybe if I looked at your books, it would help me sleep, even just by looking at the pictures, after all, they're incomprehensible to me."
"Well, there lies the doubt that I have spun, for that book by coincidence, you haven't come upon," Zecora pointed with her hooves to the book he was holding.
"Well, I..." the human began, clearly uneasy.
"Do not worry, I am not vexed," she said with a comforting smile. "I simply want to know how you came to this text. You can trust me, for as far as I can see, what you have done is not amiss to me... I just want you to tell me the truth..." The human didn't quite understand why it had such an impact on him that Zecora didn't end that sentence with a rhyme. He looked into her eyes, which seemed to plead with him, and even within that, he sensed empathy.
The human sighed bitterly before responding, searching for the right words in his mind before speaking.
"Sorry for lying to you, Zecora. It's just that sometimes they can't quite understand my accessory, and I prefer to omit some details. In fact, the more I tell them about it, the weirder they find it," he said, pointing to the accessory. "Actually, it was that which couldn't sleep, not me. You see, I have a connection with it... I wouldn't be able to explain it, but what I can explain is that it protects me, and I protect it," Green observed the artifact with a weary expression, as if such a conversation were a common practice. "I woke up because it warned me that there's something particularly dangerous in your home, and that somehow frightened my accessory, and therefore me too."
"The truth, if I must be sincere," she chuckled, "Your object now seems stranger, I fear. No need to divulge more of your culture's lore, some things I'm certain I'll never fully explore."
"Thank you, Zecora, for your calm disposition, in your world, I'm sure you're known for your vision," Green attempted a poor imitation of her voice, and they both laughed at the result. Though deep down, the human was pleasantly surprised and relieved that Zecora was so open-minded, as Green still had memories of thousands of situations where such misunderstandings escalated into very unpleasant situations.
"Well then, if you'll allow me..." She approached, extending her hoof. Green understood instantly and handed over the ‘book’. "Don't worry about any ill feeling that may ensue, in my room, I'll keep it safe, that's my cue," she said. The human nodded, and Zecora, satisfied with his response, headed to her room. Before closing the door, she gave him one last look. "See you in the morning, or what's left before we part ways anew."
The next morning, the human woke up peacefully as the sun's rays gently caressed his eyes.
"Damn it!" Green exclaimed, shielding his eyes with his forearm, tired of the sun's accuracy. Defeated, he decided to sit up on the bed. At that moment, the image of an opaque blue alicorn came to his mind. Green was never very good at remembering dreams, but he recalled the words she had dedicated to him: "So you're the human that Tia's student wrote to us about. Let me warn you that from now on, we'll be watching you." It wasn't difficult to figure out that she must be one of those princesses Twilight mentioned.
The human, unsure of how to feel after the unexpected nocturnal visit, made his way to the main hall. There he found Zecora reading what appeared to be a newspaper, holding a cup of tea with her hoof and taking small sips. Green noticed her deep in thought, which caught his attention.
"Good morning, Zecora the zebra," he greeted her. She reacted with surprise to his words, apparently too absorbed in what she was reading.
"Good day, Green Mist, the human," she replied, regaining her characteristic smile. "Awake with the sun's first ray, I had no idea you rose so early to start your day," she added, quickly getting up to fetch another cup. "I know it might sound foolish, given your nature, but would you care to join me for breakfast, a pleasant venture?”
"Of course, Zecora," he replied. She poured him a cup of tea, and the human took a small sip, noticing its smooth aroma. His enjoyment was evident on his face, a fact that didn't escape Zecora's notice.
"I'm glad you like what I've prepared, the joy on your face is clear, it seems the taste has delighted you, my dear," she remarked before returning her attention to the newspaper.
"Is that like a newspaper?" Green asked after a moment, gesturing to the papers she held with her hooves.
“I agree with you, my friend. Having tea with the paper is what I recommend, it’s relaxing after a day that's tough, a moment of peace, that's enough”
"May I see it?" the human asked, and upon Zecora's affirmative response, he looked at the newspaper. It depicted what seemed to be... a pony guard? The context suggested that he was being interviewed at that moment, and although the writing was incomprehensible, like all the writing in this world, the headline indicated a sense of urgency. "What happened?"
Zecora gave it a quick glance.
"Persistent searches around Equestria, guard tracks, disenchanted hysteria," Zecora explained.
"So, disappearances?" Green's eyebrows rose in concern.
"Intruders enter houses, rumors propagate, suspicion inflates, fear exacerbates," Zecora elaborated. Her words had a curious effect on Green. It was a complete dichotomy that this colorful and fantastic world was not immune to tragedies like kidnapping or disappearances. To shake off this feeling, the human decided to spend the rest of the morning discussing with Zecora how he should behave with the princesses.
After breakfast, Green was tidying up the table when he was interrupted by the sound of someone knocking on Zecora's door.
"It's Twilight and her friends, I'm fairly certain, off to see the princesses, they seem quite certain," Zecora said, heading to open the door with the human by her side.
Twilight was the first to greet him. "Zecora, Green Mist, hi!" she said, looking quite anxious. "The princesses are waiting for you. Ready?" Green let out a deep sigh before responding.
"Yeah, let's go," he said, turning to Zecora and gesturing with his hand, which she interpreted as a goodbye. "See you later, Zecora."
On the way, Twilight was the first to break the silence. "Before that, I'll introduce you to my friends. I told them a bit about you, and they're eager to meet you."
"Alright," the human replied. He had completely forgotten about that detail, but he didn't see any problem with it.
They ventured further into the eerie forest and spotted a group of five ponies and what appeared to be a baby dragon gathered under one of the trees, chatting animatedly among themselves.
"Hey, girls!" Twilight called out, catching their attention and causing them to turn in her direction.
Green observed them approaching in silence, and as they drew nearer, he could identify them based on the description Twilight had given him the night before. The dragon was unmistakable, while the white unicorn, the only one wearing a dress with highly feminine features, must be the ‘the fashion lover’. It wasn't difficult to suppose that the pink-maned pegasus behind her was the ‘overwhelmingly adorable’ pony. Green had a bit more trouble differentiating between the pair who eyed each other challengingly. However, recalling that one loved work and the other sports, he deduced that the orange-hatted, serene-looking pony must be the ‘work enthusiast’, contrasting with the confident, more haughty attitude of the blue pegasus, who radiated self-assurance, making her the ‘competition enthusiast’. Supposedly, there should have been a wild party lover, but Green couldn't spot anyone else.
"Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie! Twilight told me a lot about you. She says you're a dimension traveler! Is it true? Is it true? Is it true?!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed at an astonishing speed, bouncing around him in an extravagant manner that left the human wondering where she had come from.
"Uh... well..." The human tried to respond, struggling to grasp what was happening.
"And you're here to see the princesses, right? That's awesome! You must be somepony really important for the princesses to come see you so quickly. Although, I can tell you're a bit tense," Pinkie said, touching his arm. "Is it because you're going to see the princesses? Don't worry, they're super duper mega ultra incredibly awesome. I know a hairless monkey like you will get along just fine with them."
Uh... did she just call me a hairless monkey? The human barely had time to process Pinkie's words before the others chimed in.
"Pinkie!" they all exclaimed in unison, causing her to stop in her tracks.
"Oops! Sorry!" Pinkie added, then swiftly darted away from the bewildered human.
"Sorry about that," Twilight said, looking a bit embarrassed. "When she meets new ponies, well, in your case, humans, she just can't help herself."
"Don't worry about it. So, she's the party lover then?" Green asked, to which Twilight nodded. Now that Green had shaken off the initial surprise, he realized that what he felt towards Pinkie now was more like curiosity. "So, I guess Twilight already told you a bit about me, right?" he asked, addressing the rest of the girls, who nodded. "Anyway, nice to meet you all. I'm Green Mist, a traveler of worlds." They responded to his greeting and then introduced themselves. As expected, their names were mostly a combination of names and an adjective, and at the moment, Green didn't bother to remember them.
They walked through the forest, with Green and Twilight leading the way in a single file. Behind them were the ‘fashion lover’ and ‘the adorable one,’ engaged in a conversation seemingly led by the unicorn, and Green thought she caught something like, "I find it outrageous that I'm the only pony who's going to present herself to the princesses with a decent appearance."
Further back, the two ‘competitive’ ones were engaged in a staring contest, with the orange one emerging victorious, leading the blue one to start protesting.
At the very end of the line was the small purple dragon, alone, more concerned with looking around and making occasional jokes.
And pinkie? Well…
“And that's why you should label the salt and sugar for making cupcakes!" Pinkie finished telling her curious story of how one day, mistaking salt for sugar, she nearly destroyed the bakery where she works and bankrupted its owners. After saying this, she disappeared to go bother one of Twilight's other friends.
"You do have... peculiar friends," Green remarked, mainly referring to Pinkie, the only one whose name he remembered after such an unusual introduction.
"I have to admit that my friends are quite special," Twilight said with a smile. "But they're very nice. You should get to know them better; after all, you're a bit reserved."
“You're right, sorry, I was just lost in thought," Green is still nervous about the princesses.
"Understood, if you want, I can accompany you..."
"It's not necessary," the human interrupted, then turned to the unicorn and Pegasus. "Can I ask you something?" Twilight also approached, that will make things easier anyway, Green thought.
"Of course you can, dear," the unicorn spoke quite pompously, while the Pegasus hid behind her. "What's the matter?"
"Well, you see, yesterday I met some fillies, and you both remind me of them. Also, Twilight mentioned that they had older sisters. Are you by any chance them?" he asked. This time, the timid Pegasus found her voice.
"I... in my case... you... are you talking about Scootaloo... right?" the Pegasus stammered quietly. This prompted Green to step closer. "But I'm not, um, her relative. However, Rarity, on the other hoof..."
"My Sweetie Belle mentioned you to me!” the white unicorn exclaimed with quite a bit of excitement, interrupting the Pegasus. " Oh... I'm terribly sorry, dear..." she said, turning to the interrupted one.
"Oh. Don't worry, Rarity," she replied, hiding behind her mane.
"I'm Sweetie Belle's sister. Do you remember her? That adorable little one you said had fascinating magic?" the traveler knew she would be her sister, but with the Pegasus, there was reasonable doubt.
"Yes. I ask because you look a lot like her, although the other fillies..." He's interrupted by another voice.
"One of 'em oughta be my sister," the farm pony interrupted. The others, seeing that the human had become more comfortable, began to approach. "I'm Applebloom's big sister," Green thought that, recognizing the pony's accent.
"And you could say Scootaloo's like my sister, even though we're not blood-related, but ya catch my drift, right?" the blue Pegasus spoke this time, looking a bit embarrassed for some reason.
Now all of Twilight's friends were asking the traveler various questions, some quite creative, like "What do dimensional travels smell like?" (It's not necessary to say who asked this). But there was still one being who, despite getting a bit closer, still kept their distance. Green approached the small purple dragon with subtle movements.
"And you are... Spike, right?" The young dragon didn't seem too surprised that the human approached him.
"That's right. And you're the reason I had to have dinner alone yesterday, aren't you?" Ouch, now I understand why this being is called that Green thought, although Spike spoke these words with a playful smile.
"I'm sorry, I just thought it would be prudent not to show myself too much. It was a somewhat selfish decision on my part."
"Don't worry, after all, thanks to you, yesterday I was able to eat all the gems I wanted without Twilight saying anything, so I'll let you off the hook this time," he said with a friendly face and a teasing smile.
"If you want, I could repeat that anytime you want. I think just telling Twilight that I'll answer all her questions will make her follow me through thick and thin," the comment elicited a small laugh from Spike.
"Then I guess it would be convenient for us to be partners," he said, extending his claws in a greeting. The human accepted, noticing his resistant yet smooth scales, a very odd sensation to feel indeed. "One question: What was your name? I don't remember."
"Call me Green Mist."
"You know? You're nicer than you seem at first glance. No offense."
"Oh, thank you. I think," Green replied. "And no offense neither, but I almost thought you didn't speak," the young dragon just chuckled at this remark.
"I understand. It's just that sometimes I feel like the girls forget how dangerous this forest can be. It's best to have somepony keeping watch so that nothing strange approaches."
The human felt more and more comfortable in Spike's company. On the way, Spike told him that he was Twilight's number one assistant, that he loved eating gems, and that he hung out with a pony named Big Mac and "something" called Discord. He even invited Green to one of "his games," but the human politely declined, not knowing much about what he meant.
The rest of the journey proceeded without complications for about twenty minutes until they reached the edge of what once was a castle, now nothing more than ruins. However, that wasn't a reason to not loom majestically like a sinister shadow as they approached. Two guards in dark golden armor stood watch at the entrance of that relic.
"We have received orders from the princesses to escort you to the castle," one of the guards spoke to the group. "Please follow us."
"Just in case you're wondering, this isn't the real castle of the princesses; they just wanted to keep your arrival a secret for now," Twilight said, walking alongside them.
They advanced until they arrived at a grand hall which, unlike the exterior, didn't seem to be falling apart at first sight. At the back, two thrones held two beings that could only be described as goddess.
The younger had an elegant and serene presence, her blue coat speckled with stars matching the array of banners behind her. Her mane was a cascade of shooting stars, flowing with a life of its own. Adorning her chest and hooves was a majestic armor with lunar motifs and platinum reflections.
The elder was the first of the two to rise.