Vámonos, Equestrian Exploradora!

by Autum Breeze

Prologue

I walk passed the memorial statue and stop by the bus stop, sling my bag off my back and put it and my shopping bags down by my feet and stretch.

Man, that was a good day. I glance down at my shopping bags, specifically the ones holding my new Pokéball Plus to go with the Nintendo Switch and Pokémon Shield currently in my backpack.

Despite being hesitant to buy the new console due to its steep price and the rumors the game is actually bad, the game literally being the only reason I’d have to buy the Switch, I’ve given in a bought them.

Of course, yesterday being Black Friday certainly helped push that decision, since the Switch and game were far less expensive that day than they would be any other day.

Of course, I still ended paying more since, even at its cheapest; the Pokéball Plus was another $59, which did not please me considering it had already cost me over $300 for the Switch and game, not to mention $29.95 for the Switch Membership.

I sigh. I’m honestly starting to wonder if it’s all worth it.

One things for sure, I’m not buying the Let’s Go games to get the special G-Max Pikachu and Eevee in game. I’ll just get copies on loan from my local library. I shouldn’t need to play more than a few seconds, a couple minutes tops, of the games for the save data to count, right?

Opening my bag, I pull out my Switch and turn it on, intending to see if I can at least send Mew in without needing the internet to connect first.

“Hand over that Switch and whatever else you have of value and you won’t get hurt.”

I’m pulled from my inner thoughts and turn to see some guy in a black hood and pants standing there.

I glance around, realizing no one is walking close by, so likely haven’t noticed this.

“Are you serious?” I ask, annoyed.

I literally was finally able to relax for the first time since I heard about the Black Friday sales. All week I’d been anxious, going back and forth in my head whether or not to finally get the Switch and Shield since they’d be so cheap compared to normal, to the point it was driving me crazy.

Then, once I get them, I learn I need to buy more stuff just to use the online features AND that if I wanted Mew at all, I’d need to buy the Pokéball Plus, since there would be no Mystery Gift of it, at least not for a while, and I’d wanted Mew right from the beginning of the game, so I’d been running around the City and going by bus after bus, searching every gaming store I knew and regularly frequented just to see who had the better deals, all the while worried I’d be too late and they’d be sold out.

And now, finally, when I have everything at long last and thought I could actually relax, this asshole just walks up to me and expects me to let him mug me, bringing all my negativity back in full force? Is he fucking serious!

He nods. “If you don’t want to get hurt, you’ll do as I say.”

I look him over. The hoodie isn’t very big and hugs his body pretty well, as do his pants. It doesn’t look like he’s concealing a weapon, as they’d show up pretty well, but, then again, I could be wrong.

“I’d really advise against that,” I say calmly, though am unable to hide my annoyance from my tone. I’m really not in the best mood for this.

“No, I’d advise you not to resist and just had over that Switch and anything else you have of value,” he says and I feel a small glimmer of vindictive joy at the annoyance now in his tone. “You don’t know what I can do to you and you don’t wanna know.”

My annoyance turns into an outright glare. “Okay. How about no?!”

His mouth twitches. Clearly he thought this would go faster, assuming that, just because I’m a Pokémon fan, I must be a pushover and would cower at the first signs of danger.

Bad news for him, as, when I’m angered, I become a hard ass that made my parents so worried, they pulled me out of my first high school and put me in a better one because they were scared, if pushed too far, I’d actually put someone in the hospital or worse.

And he already caught me on a day where I was in a bad mood.

I indicate around us, specifically the stores and cafes across the street and the cars that were starting to drive passed now the traffic lights were green.

“You really didn’t think this through too well, huh?” I say sternly. “You do understand the number of witnesses that will see what you’re doing, right? All I have to do is get their attention and it’s all over for you.”

He snorts. “Please. Do you know how long it would take for the police to get through the traffic to get here specifically?”

Well, yeah. Target’s not too far off and one of several of the police stations here in the city is less than a five minute walk. Does this guy not understand basic geography?

Besides, just because it would take the police time doesn’t mean certain witnesses wouldn’t hurry over to try and help me. He really doesn’t get it, does he?

Looking him over, he seems pretty normal. He doesn’t seem like he’s a homeless guy trying to steal some spare cash, just some asshole who thought he could take advantage of someone he assumed was a helpless otaku.

“So, what’s it gonna be?” he asks, reaching into his hoodie’s side pocket, clearly thinking my wearing glasses means my eyesight isn’t good enough to tell there’s nothing actually in there. “You gonna give me your stuff, or do I have to hurt you first?”

“I have a better idea,” I say, leaning down, putting my Switch back instead my bag and reaching into it, “how about I don’t AND YOU FUCK OFF!”

I yank upwards, swinging a 1.25L bottle of Pepsi I’d bought, holding its top end in my hands while using the rest like a blunt weapon.

Sure, water or any liquid doesn’t sound like it would be all that painful if it hits you, and you’d be right. Unless there’s a lot of pressure behind it, liquid hitting you isn’t a big deal; it just splashes you and gets you wet. No biggie.

But, when a liquid is held in a casing and that casing is slammed into you with enough force, believe me, it hurts. Learned that the hard way when a two litre bottle had fallen off a shelf and hit me in the head. I’d almost blacked out.

The guy quickly backs away as I swing the bottle like a manic.

“You picked the wrong guy to fucking mess with, asshole!” I rush him, ready to beat the living tar of the guy, who’s face shows he’s realized how much he screwed up. He probably thinks I’m a psycho.

However, just as I lunge forward, intent on giving this guy a lesson and beating his won’t soon forget, my shoe catches on a piece of the pavement jutting out and I feel myself falling.

I blink, before feeling confused. Why am I still falling? I feel like I should’ve hit the ground by now and this guy should’ve been all over me.

I blink again as I realize… the guy’s gone. In fact, everywhere is gone.

Looking around, everything is blue… cartoonish blue— and why is the wind blowing so strongly against my face?

Glancing down, my eyes widen in panic and I scream, my voice far higher pitch than I know it should be.

I’m hundreds, if not thousands of feet in the air and I’m falling, fast.

The ground is far off, but it’s coming closer pretty damn fast.

“Ayúdenme!” I scream, before my face goes blank. The heck? Did I just shout “Help me” in Spanish. The fuck would I do that?

Suddenly, I feel a heat in my pocket and reach down, taking note my shorts have changed from khaki shorts to simple brown ones and… my skin is tanned?

I shake my head. I can worry about skin care later. I need to figure out what to do before I go splat!

In my pocket I feel my hand wrap around an uneven shape. Pulling it out… I blink in confusion. It’s a pink crystal? This is making less sense by the second.

“Help!” I scream, holding my arms up as if it will somehow save me as the ground is mere second away from embracing me.

I brace myself, shutting my eyes, hoping it will be quick.

I wait… and wait… um… shouldn’t I have gone splat by now?

Slowly opening my eyes, I see my face is mere inches from the ground… but I’m not meeting said ground.

A warmth in my me makes me glance up at my hand. The crystal is glowing.

I blink, glancing around. I seem to be out in some kind of meadow… though I don’t know where I am aside from in some cartoon world.

I look to the pink crystal, feeling like it’s why I stopped falling. and smile, heaving a deep sigh. “Phew. Muchas gracias, cristal…” I frown. Okay, this is getting weird. “Um, can you put me down?”

Without warning, I drop, being able to catch myself by putting my free out to stop my face meeting the ground.

I stand up, finally able to take a moment to think… before my face blanks. I feel… different. Namely there is something missing down below and I’m kinda panicking that it’s just gone.

“Okay. Okay. Calma. Calma… I’d be able to be calm a lot easier if I’d stop fucking speaking Spanish without warning!” I yell, grabbing my head and wringing my hair.

I take a few deep breathes, trying to think. Okay. So, some guy tries to mug me, I trip… and suddenly I’m a girl, Hispanic I’m guessing and falling through a cartoon sky.

“I… don’t suppose you can tell me where I am?” I ask, holding the crystal in both hands.

It glows, an image appearing before that… causes more confusion. It looks like a bird’s eye view of me going out wider, but all I see are meadow, meadow and more meadow.

I sigh, before frowning, putting my hand to my throat. “Well, can you show me what I look like at least? I need to check something.”

That something being I think I recognize my voice now and the brown shorts, pink shirt and orangey-brown shoes with frilly yellow socks are definitely a giveaway, but I need to be 100% sure here.

The crystal glows and a mirror appear on the ground, giving me a view of myself. “Gracias,” I say, before wincing and move over, looking into my reflection.

The face that looks back is not my own, but that of Dora Marquez from Dora the Explorer. That definitely explains the voice, as it seems to be the more current voice for Dora.

I step back, taking a shuddering breath.

“Okay,” I say slowly. “That explains the random Spanish. It does not, however, explain how it happened or where in the bloody world I am, but it isn’t either Dora’s world.” By that I mean I’m not in the ordinary Dora the Explorer world, Dora’s Explorer Girls’ world or Dora and Friends’ world.

I sigh, looking to my back and am surprised to not see Backpack there.

I cock an eyebrow. “Huh. Was honestly expecting to see Backpack here. Damn. I was kinda hoping she’d be there so we could ask Map directions.”

Glancing around, I sigh, before noticing there’s a cord around the crystal, like if I was going to wear it. “Wait. This is the Wishing Crystal. But, didn’t Dora give that away during her Birthday Adventure? And shouldn’t my voice be the one from back then, not the current one?”

I put a hand to my head. This is too much to take in all at once. I need rest before I can really think properly.

Putting the crystal around my neck, I blink, before frowning. “I wish I was back home and normal again?”

Nothing.

I sigh. “Well, it was worth a try. And it’s not like I’ll learn anything just standing around here. Vámonos, I guess.”

I start to walk, before something slams into me, knocking me back.

I fall to the ground, bracing myself with my arms.

Pushing myself up, I look back to see… Starlight Glimmer.

Okay. Starlight means I’m in Equestria. That opens a whole other can of worms of questions, but I can at least work with that.

“Sorry,” Starlight says, holding out a hoof… before raising an eyebrow. “Um, what in Equestria are you?”

“No estoy segura,” I shake my head.

She just stares back at me. “Huh?”

I shaky my head, lifting my hand to take her offered hoof, before I freeze in place. Starlight’s mane.

Season five mane. Season five mane! My eyes are wide with panic. This is Starlight from before the season five finale. Shit. Not good. Not good at all.

“What’s wrong?” Starlight takes a step back, my expression clearly worrying her and she looks behind herself, maybe thinking I see something.

I run. I don’t say anything. I just launch myself up and run in the opposite direction.

I dunno why I’m in Equestria, I’m currently in the body of a either seven or eight year old and I doubt I can defend myself against pre-season five finale Starlight unless I actually knew how to use this crystal.

“Huh? Hey, wait a second!” her voice calls from behind me.

Not a chance, Glim Glam. Sure, I like your character nowadays, but that’s not the current you.

There’s a flash and I skid to a halt as Starlight is now in front of me.

She looks to me with concern and a slight bit of annoyance. “Hey. It’s rude to just run off on somepony like that. What’s wrong? I can tell something’s scared you… whatever you are.”

I gotta get outta here. I gotta get outta here!

Suddenly, I feel a warmth around my neck that’s spreads throughout my body and there’s a blinding flash.

Blinking, as stop running as I try to get my eyes to readjust… only to be met by the eyes of none other than Twilight Sparkle, who is standing by a book shelf in what is clearly her castle, a book she must have been about the to put on the shelf hovering in place.

I grin sheepishly, shrugging. “Um… Hola?”