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// tr 
// Story: Book 1 - The Behemoth came to Canterlot 
// by Equimorto 
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"It's all chromatic aberrations running on hard cardboard in the metanarrative layer," the odd bug-like creature said. She looked like a very large stick insect, her legs just a bit wider in proportion, though her neck more closely resembled a pony's and her head was almost fully that of one. She wore shades over her eyes.
Shining stood silent in front of her for a few seconds, as a light breeze coming in form a window somewhere down the corridor pushed the door behind him to open a little wider. Finally, he settled onto one of the many questions whirling about in his mind. "How did you get in?" 
"The door was open," casually said the other. She titled her head slightly to the side, studying the stallion.
"No it wasn't. I locked it. I had to unlock it just a moment ago to get into this room again, and there's no other copy of the key in here except for the one I have with me." Shining's expression was perfectly flat, likely a result of many different emotions all trying to warp it in different ways and all evening each other out.
"Oh." The creature cocked her head to the other side. "The window was open?" she tried. 
"It wasn't. But even if it was, why is it closed now?"
"Oh," said the creature again. Then she slowly began to move back on her six legs. Up until she reached the wall. And then up the wall. And then on the ceiling, moving backwards towards the door.
But before she managed to reach the exit, Shining closed it shut. "Who are you?"
The creature put on a disappointed pout. Then, looking away from the closed door and towards Shining, she asked, "Would you believe me if I told you I am the Raven?"
"I have no idea what that means." Shining turned towards her. "Who are you?"
"You know Rarity?"
Shining blinked. "Yes?"
"Imagine a set of two mirrors endlessly reflecting off of each other, and there's a wig that looks just like her mane taped around one of them." As she said that, her two frontmost legs rose up to accompany her words with gestures.
"That makes no sense and still doesn't answer my question." Shining kept staring at her, a more aggressive edge entering his glare.
The creature awkwardly gave a fake cough into her tarsus, eyes darting nervously from side to side. "Do you ever fall through a portal while hiking and end up on the other side as something other than a horse, and also as a different biological sex?"
Shining took a step closer, though his expression softened a little. In a calmer tone, he asked, "Who are you, and what are you doing here?"
"Uh..." The creature looked back towards the exit. "Time travel?" She suddenly transformed into a tiny bug and slid underneath the door. Then, on the other side of it, the heavy resounding of her steps signalled she had taken on her larger six-legged form again. "And tell Celestia it will be very not nice of her to drop me like that!" she yelled, her voice growing more distant as she frantically rushed away from the room.