//------------------------------// // 8. Who's That Merchant? // Story: Outsiders // by JeSuisLaPorte //------------------------------// A storm’s coming, I can just feel it on the horizon. I’m still in this bed, fine and dandy but I’m not sure if I should just up and leave right now. I know I messed up big time, Lucky Clover probably won’t forgive the sheer stupidity of what I did but damn it how could I have been prepared for any of this? I know nothing about this world, I’m forced to learn and adapt on the go unlike him who’s got some experience by being here longer. I’m trying my best, but it’s become painfully evident that I’m just not cut out for this undercover mission. I just... try not to think about it. It should be easy, really. I’ve slowly forgotten what home is but damn it, I miss it still! All I have are bits and pieces, a puzzle that needs to be solved. I’m slowly recovering and with each new piece of information I recover, I feel worse about being here. So far away from home. It’s only been, like what, 2 days? I’m already feeling homesick. My nice warm bed, my cozy bedroom, and the powerful roar of the wind against my windows, even the bad stuff feel nostalgic strangely. I’d gladly take the path of most resistance to return home. Well, maybe I’m already walking down that path. Right now, I just need... to clear my mind, to dispel the stupid ideas I’ve formed earlier. Alright, there is no simulation, no other beings are controlling me. I am the architect of my own misery, the good and bad things that happen to me; they’re my doing. I’m my own master. The fact that this world was also a TV show for little girls doesn’t discredit any of what I’m doing here. Great, that helped. I should stop thinking about these conspiracy theories anymore, or else I’ll sound like a real nutjob in front of the entire town again. We can still make this work, Lucky. We’ll just find an excuse for my behavior and proceed with your plan, whatever it is. I can only hope you found one. This place is pretty and all but I don’t believe I’m willing to give up what I had in a heartbeat. I mean, I’ll miss Lyra and Heartstring when I’ll be gone but on the bright side, I’ll get to see my human friends again. I’ve rarely been forced into conversations and parties before and honestly, I think I did fairly well in them. Not perfect of course, I was pretty awkward in my own welcome party. Anyhow, I figure I should leave this bed and return to Lucky Clover as soon as humanely, excuse me, equinely possible. Yeah, don’t forget their vocabulary is different. Still, before I leave, I gotta admit this room makes me feel at ease. Warm and vibrant walls, the sun shining through the windows, it looks more welcoming than the hospital rooms I’ve been in before. Ugh, I still remember that one time I was shackled to a hospital bed in another city, 600 miles away from my hometown... Hey, come to think of it, I wasn’t born a city boy. I was in a more rural environment before I moved to the big cities in my adult years. I was infected with a virus that was relatively new to us back then. My left eye had swollen, and it got so bad that it forced it to close. I couldn’t open that eye for the entirety of my treatment, it was this bad and the doctors at my little hometown couldn’t do a thing about it. They didn’t know how to deal with that virus. The consequence? They sent me on a plane flying straight to the big city, into a hospital meant exclusively to take care of sick children. This was the only place that could heal me, and bring me out of my pitiful state. And during all this time, I was blissfully unaware of the potential implications. To me, I just had the flu and couldn’t open my left eye, that was it. And so, I was alone 600 miles away from my family in an unfamiliar hospital in a city I never went to on my own. Yeah, that’s why I felt so homesick when I was in that hospital room. They gave me like five different shots in under three minutes. For a little kid, that’s agony. I’ve gotten over my deep hatred of syringes over time, but I will admit that I still shudder whenever I have to get my vaccine. It doesn’t hurt, at first, but the pain afterward is bothersome though. I just feel irked to know my arm is being penetrated by a small, small needle. Yeah, that week spent in this hospital was a horrible nightmare. Um, luckily my dad traveled all the way to make sure I was doing good over there. He even brought me some toys so I wouldn’t be bored in that empty room. There were other forms of entertainment too. I had not thought to bring a console with me but I was lucky ‘cause there was a nice lady that went from room to room with her portable console. She’d give it to the sick children of this hospital so that they could have some fun and just forget about their current situation. Oh, how nostalgic. Funny how I look back at this moment somewhat fondly when I distinctly remember hating most of it. I couldn’t stop thinking of home, of my family, and how much I just wanted to see them again and be far away from this place. The day I arrived I was already feeling this way. I’ve changed quite a bit since then but not by much. Today, it only took me two days to bring back that sad feeling. Progress, however slim it is. But this time, I’m not sick and I’m not a helpless little kid. I can make my own decisions; and choose to follow whoever I want. My destiny is not entirely in somebody else’s hands. It’s not Lucky’s plan, it’s our plan. Anyway, time to leave. “Are you feeling alright?” Oh yeah, hospitals have nurses. This one’s a white mare with blue eyes. She’s wearing the typical attire for a nurse, a hat with a red cross and four little pink hearts on it. Her cutie mark is also that exact same motif. The Red Cross organization must not exist in this world otherwise she’d get herself into trouble just for having that motif. Well, that’s looking at it with the knowledge that this world is a little girl’s show. Maybe the rules here are different from the actual show. “Yeah, that was just a manic episode. I’m fine now.” She smiled at me. “That’s great! You can leave, we won’t hold you here any longer.” Yeah, I’m just about done with hospitals in general. I have a few bad memories about these places and frankly, I’d like to leave before they resurface. I can just feel it like a bad omen, a reminder that will break my spirit, at least for a while. Hospitals really are that good at making me feel nervous, huh? It’s not even like there’s a looming scent of death in the air or anything. Anyway, I made my way down the hallway towards the reception. There, I got to see the bright sunlight peering into the glass door, welcoming me with open arms. I was ready to go back outside and face the great humiliation that I rightfully earned when I lost my marbles. It’s the price I gotta pay for going into crackpot conspiracy theory territories. But right as I stepped outside, I saw a pegasus approach the hospital. On the slope below me, I noticed an old friend coming to check on me. Only, I could see fury in his eyes. Lucky Clover came for me, and he wasn’t happy in the slightest with my pitiful meltdown. His wings were shaking with anger, his eyes were seeing red, and his frown was noticeably bigger than any he’d ever mustered before. This time, I truly pissed him off. Just by looking at him, I began to fear that I went too far, that this was the last goddamn straw for him. If he chooses to abandon me, how could I blame him? I wasn’t ready for this, I never asked for this and all this time I was nothing but a burden to him. It must be so frustrating to be forced to work with a clueless idiot. I know, for I was in his place so long ago. Now, I’m the exact person I detested, the one who jinxes it at every turn. I-I gotta say something. Can’t just stare anymore. “Lucky, I-” “You better have an explanation for this. I’ll give you 60 seconds to give me 50 reasons not to give up on you.” Lucky Clover hissed, sprouting his wings in a fit of rage. His front hoof was stomping against the ground. Most of his anger was redirected to that hoof, to keep the rest of the body relatively calm. But I could tell it wasn’t going to stay contained for very long. So... I must admit something. I can usually tell when I’m in the wrong and admit it to myself easily. But there’s a little catch. It’s when I have to say it out loud to somebody else that I just sorta... struggle. It’s weird, I know. I can say “That was stupid of you, Daniel” no problem but to say “I know I messed up, it’s my fault” to a person, that’s difficult. I hate it even more when I know I’m in the wrong and someone has to ham-fist it into me. I’m not an idiot, I’m not a child anymore, and I can recognize my mistakes. Still, I must keep that annoyance in me while I deal with this troublesome situation. So, here goes nothing. “I’m sorry about that. I, uh, I’m stressed and on the edge all the time. I’m starting to question whether everything I see is real or not and that just got to me. I didn’t mean to cause a scene, all I know is that I’m not as confident or strong as you and I’m sorry if I seem like a burden.” Lucky Clover stood still, fury still in his eyes. The only relief I had was that he didn’t burst into flames or anything, he actually took the time to listen to me! “You ARE a burden; from the start, I've been the only one doing anything. Honestly, I don’t know if I should even stay around you anymore, you’re too volatile. But still, I can’t let them capture you so believe me, there’ll be trouble home, but not here.” He stomped towards me. My words haven’t been enough to calm things down and now I was worrying that this would evolve into a fist fight. I’m not ready for a fight, but he sure seems like he is. Fighting with this quadrupedal body is going to be tough and I don’t believe I’ll be able to win against Lucky. “Woah now, let’s slow down for a minute. I’m not trying to start a fight.” The white pegasus scoffed. “Oh, so now you’re accusing me of being a violent imbecile? You know damn well that starting a fight is a death sentence for us, I’m not stupid enough to do that. You, on the other hoof, sure seem so.” With one mighty hoof, he pushed me around mockingly. Out of the two, he was the bigger pony with the more impressive wings while I was still pretty scrawny. I guess some things don’t change even after passing through worlds and transforming into a magical creature. “Oh please, I haven’t done anything remotely stupid. I’m just a guy under a lot of pressure and all of the less-than-smart things I’ve done were born out of ignorance more than anything. If I just knew about all that, I wouldn’t have done them.” I responded, straightening my back and trying to appear bigger and more assertive which even then were overshadowed by mister English soldiers. “Ignorance? You’re talking to me, and I’ve barely been outside! I’ve stayed home for most of my life and even then; I handled the situation better than you ever did. I actually did my research before acting while you didn’t, this is not a problem you can blame entirely on ignorance. You ARE the problem, Hack.” Lucky hissed, pointing an accusing hoof at me. At this point, he was really getting on my damn nerves. Belittling me, acting as if we never had a thing going on, I wasn’t going to let him treat me like I had been useless all along! I swiped his hoof away and struck back. “How can I be the problem? I can already tell even without knowing much about you that we are not cut from the same cloth. You have more experience with stressful situations while I haven’t. I’m at a natural disadvantage and I’d like for you to stick your head out of your ass and stop placing me on the same level as you!” Lucky Clover laughed. “Oh really now? What the hay have you been doing all this time with your life? I don’t know but I can already tell that it wasn’t much or anything of note. I’ve been providing for my little brother for years, ventured out from time to time, you know just enough to understand what it’s like to be out there.” Okay, now that did it. He really stuck on my fucking nerves. “I’ve been providing for MYSELF! I didn’t waste all that time away on useless stuff. I have my priorities, even if they weren’t the best.” “You’re a liar!” Lucky shouted. “If you really were providing for yourself, then you would have handled this entire situation differently. You talk and act like a sheltered brat who received everything on a silver plate from mommy and daddy!” “Oh, that’s real nice. You know who really is the sheltered brat here? Your little brother!” ... Oh my, that wasn’t a good idea. I’m already regretting it not even one second after I said that. Lucky Clover seemed really hurt, not even angry just... hurt. It’s like I said something that he didn’t want to hear despite knowing it’s true. I felt awful, really, but I couldn’t apologize to him in time. He took off the moment I was about to take these words back. I couldn’t even go after him, he’s too good of a flyer and I’m just a novice. In just seconds, he was gone, and I was alone in front of the hospital. The only good thing about that shitshow was that nobody was around to see this. The worst of us is on full display. “Hack?” “AAaIEou?!” T-Twilight? And Rarity too? What the hell are they doing here? Oh crap, did they hear everything? Okay, they definitely heard everything, I can see it on their faces. They’re cringing, struggling to say what was on their mind. They heard our shouting match and petty insults. Shit, now I have to deal with them. Argh! I already have enough tasks to complete for the day, and one of them is going to be emotionally exhausting! “Yes? What is it?” I said, feigning ignorance. Rarity cringed, most likely trying to find a delicate way to put it. “Well, we don’t mean to sound rude, darling, but we did hear quite a bit. It was concerning, to say the least.” Concerning indeed. He’s got troubles, and I got ‘em too. None of us can really take the moral high ground here. I hope he’ll forgive me, even if some of what I said was true. “That’s none of your business in any case. It’s between Lucky Clover and me, so if you have nothing else to say... I’ll be on my way to fix this mistake.” I took a step forward, but Twilight spoke again before I could leave. “That’s good! I sincerely hope you can make amends. I’d feel guilty if I broke a friendship, even if it was accidental. And if things don’t turn out as well as you have hoped, you can always seek us for help.” That’s nice, but I believe I can solve my little “friendship problems” by myself. You two have no idea what we’re even doing. “Oh, and one more thing.” Rarity suddenly exclaimed, halting my advance. “I’m not one to pride on gossip, but I have taken a bit of an interest in you two recently. I mean, how could I not? You’re the talk of the town. It’s just that I’ve discovered you two went to the Everfree forest with Lyra and Bon Bon. Would it bother you to tell me what you were looking for? I know the place is oh so dreadful so I wondered why four ponies would even go in there without embarking on a mission to save all Equestria.” Gee, I thought she’d stop at like four different points. Still, I supposed I should have seen this coming. Our actions aren’t really done in utmost secrecy after all. Hmm, but it’d be bothersome to act without Lucky’s... Ah, to hell with him! I can make a decision without him, even if it’s an important one like that. I’m no idiot and I’ll prove to him that I can be independent! “We only went there to dig up some old books. Lyra and Bon Bon tagged along for that same reason.” The best lies are those that are mixed with the truth, only some important details are left out. “Oh, ancient books?” Damn, I just realized that Twilight is all about books and knowledge. I’m going to be harassed for quite a while now that I mentioned the books. At least, she’s not as dangerous as some of her more abrasive friends. “Yeah, remember when I borrowed a book about magic? Well, I was just curious about the old kind of magic, so I wanted to go to that old castle.” Rarity smiled, clearly getting some ideas about that old place. “Now that I think about it, there are some valuable artifacts in there. Have you seen anything of interest, more on the fashion side of things, darling?” “Uh, no.” I mean I’m a man so... OK let me rephrase that, I’m a man on a mission, I don’t really have time to look at all the finer details. Unless fashion could somehow get me home in which case I’ll learn all about it, my masculinity be damned. The white unicorn seemed somewhat disappointed. “Oh well. I suppose I’ll look into it sometime.” She shivered. “Then again, old castles aren’t really my style.” Twilight Sparkle rolled her eyes. “If you’re that interested, go look into it today, or sometime this week. If you postpone it, you’ll never get it done.” Rarity frowned. “Eh... Maybe I won’t. I’m so busy with my recent contract-” “Then why even mention it in the first place?” Twilight asked rapidly. I wanted to go back to Lucky’s place, but I was getting invested in this conversation. He could use some time alone, that’ll make my apology work better if he had time to think. That’s how it works, I believe. Well, I only have my personal experiences to work with, I’m no psychologist, after all, just a writer. A hack writer if you’re that cheesy. “I can tell you about my interests, darling. I don’t have to keep it all to myself.” Rarity said, mildly outraged. “That’s not the problem!” Twilight faced her friend, annoyed. “The problem here is that you’ve gotten us off-topic. Fashion isn’t relevant to this discussion.” Rarity gave her the cold shoulder, visibly hurt. “Ah, so books are more worthy of discussion than fashion. Hmph! Why should they be placed on a pedestal and not my craft?” “Because Hack talked about books, Rarity!” And now, should I insert a “Friendship is not Magic” joke? Anyhow, I don’t think I should stay here any longer. This is starting to feel a little personal. I suppose they won’t mind if I dip, go see Lucky Clover, and fix this messy situation. Hey, I’m really getting the hang of this! Flying is easy. It’s like learning how to walk; hard at first but then it becomes natural. Being an adult and not a child, I suppose it sped up the process like how I quickly learned how to walk in this new body. I must admit I’ll miss the ability to fly once I’m back home as a human, but at the same time, man do I miss my hands. Having no fingers is not a mild annoyance, it is constant. Being on all four, unable to feel them is just wrong. It makes me feel a bit sick to be in this body. It was worse in the beginning when I thought I was still human underneath, but since then it’s a minor inconvenience. Just a little reminder that I’m not like them. Okay, so... Lucky Clover’s house. I’m not very prepared to deal with him just yet but I know I must try before the damage gets worse. I knocked and awaited a response. My body was starting to sweat, and my legs were now moving on their own, swinging me around, unable to stay still for even a second. That awful feeling was bringing back memories, not good ones and certainly not at the right time. I could see myself again in front of a class full of children. I was small, and like them, I was a student. Just a sad little boy who hated the idea of being center stage. I’m forced into the spotlight, all eyes on me. Two different fears met, the fear of judgement and the fear of failure. Ah, oral presentations. One thing I sure won’t miss from these old days. Some kids were tougher and hid their anxiety better, others were nervous mess about to crumble under any sign of failure. These kinds of evaluations were essentially all about memorizing your text and spewing it out loud to a class that was too preoccupied with their own presentations to even care about what you just said. Like I said, not a very good time. Some kids loved field trips, others loved DIY workshops, but you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who would openly claim to love oral presentations. Stuff of a nightmare, I cannot picture myself as a teacher. That fear would crush me within a week. God damn, I still remember that disheartening moment in my life. It was an evaluation structured like a debate. An argument would be presented, and we had a week to formulate our side of the argument. I vividly remembered what mine was about. It went something along the lines of; should we pay our children for chores done at home? I was chosen to be in favor of that argument. My good old dad helped me see lots of ways in which that could be beneficial to the child in question. Stuff like “it’ll make them understand the value of money, get them to work hard to achieve something”, yatti yatta. So, then came the day of the presentation. I told my entire argument in what took like two minutes or so. And then, the other kid’s argument, the little shithead just said “What about the cost of water, electricity, taxes, etc?” The entire class decided that his argument was better. It only took him fifteen seconds to say all that. Ugh, why even bother, am I right? ... How long have I been standing here? It feels like Lucky should have answered the door minutes ago. I knocked again and... still nothing. At this point, I was getting fed up with this. I pulled on the doorknob and unsurprisingly failed to open it. Gazing through the window, I saw a note left on a table close to me. It simply mentioned going through the window on the second floor. Flying up there, I noticed it was indeed left partially open, just barely so that none may see it unless they deliberately wanted to come in. Smart Lucky. Though that probably means he’s not home which is why he’s not answering the door. Doing as the note said, I entered my friend’s home to find the place empty as expected. Down in the kitchen, there was an interesting item left on the table for me to find; the very book Lucky took from the castle. Next to it was a small note that said, “went back to the castle”. Looks like he didn’t find what he wanted from this one. Or maybe he simply didn’t want to see me. Oh well, guess I’ll read it in the meantime. Flipping through its thousand pages, I found a section that was interesting, to say the least. Starswirl the Bearded, the famous unicorn that I know nothing about. There was even a mention of a human counterpart to him, much like what Lyra mentioned with Flash Magnus. Maybe Lucky Clover overlooked an important detail in there? Okay so... apparently, Starswirl the Bearded banished three sirens to another dimension filled with, and I quote, “hairless monkeys”. Suppose there are no humans in this world, which would make sense considering their mythical status. Oh, oh! There it is! The book tells me that the old unicorn had a strange encounter with a copy of himself in that other dimension. Fascinating. His clone is described as being as old as he was, dressed in a blackish-grey robe and with a magician’s hat. Sometimes, he even dawned a dark cowl to hide his identity as he wandered these mysterious lands of humans. Hmm, that feels kinda familiar. Oh well, Starswirl discovered that these humans had no magic whatsoever, not even something that increased their strength or speed. They were all magicless beings... with one exception of course, that being himself. The human Starswirl was a magician, a real one, unlike the fairy tales we usually tell each other. In that realm, he intercepted the sirens and locked their power in necklaces to keep them in check. From what the unicorn described that human was about as powerful as he was. Starswirl the Bearded got a sketch of his human self that he kindly placed in this book. With that, I finally had a face for the name. Gotta say he looks exactly like your typical wizard, like Merlin the Wizard. So, I guess he’s this world’s version of Merlin, huh? This place seems to have a lot of fantasy creatures in it, makes sense that the typical wizard finds its place somewhere. The next entries didn’t really contain anything important to my situation, so I skimmed over them until I found something of note. Apparently, the human Starswirl just vanished one day. The unicorn searched everywhere for him. Even his followers didn’t know where he went. This marked the end of Starswirl’s legend in the pastel-colored human world. The old unicorn returned to Equestria and that’s that. Hmm, now that I’m thinking about it... There’s one person that I fully remember from my time on Earth, one whose face has not left my mind. Curious, I looked back at the sketch, especially at the face of that human wizard. He really did look familiar to me. Could it be... The merchant somehow sent me to this world through a one-way ticket, was Starswirl the Bearded? Okay, theory time. The wizard disappeared from his world and was never seen again. What’s to say he didn’t jump through time and space to land on Earth in the present time? He was here for a while, which would explain the Resident Evil getup. He could have applied some make-up to hide his true skin color, to look more like us. And since he’s a confirmed magic user, he did in fact send me here in a pony body. Now, all I gotta find out is why he sent me out here. Did he need me to do something? Hgn, hardly. I haven’t received any special directions or objectives to do in Equestria. I’m just operating based on my wants. Maybe he didn’t specifically need me. Maybe all he needed was a human willing to deal with him, to be sent here. Why? Why did he want to send a human to Equestria? Since he’s far from home, and the unicorn Starswirl found a way to reach this human world, then I’m guessing the human Starswirl wants to go here. So why isn’t he here? Does he not know where Equestria is located so he’s tossing people in all sorts of worlds until he can pinpoint his own? Bloody hell, that would make a lot of sense. Why else would he hang out on a planet he doesn’t belong to? Also, if my theory is correct, how is he going to know that I was sent to the correct place? You know what? Fuck this. I’m probably getting worked up over nothing. It’s all speculation and conspiracy theories. For all I know the merchant could have been someone or something else entirely. I’ll forfeit and go back to my original goal; that being to find Lucky Clover and make amends. Still, these books are starting to worry me. We humans have no idea that any of this truly exists while we know about all sorts of worlds. For all I know, we could be at the very mercy of a future invading species from outer space. In the end, the answer to the question of “Are we alone in space?” is a resounding NO, and that’s terrifying. I was honestly good with the knowledge that we wouldn’t run into anything whatsoever in space during my whole life. Now, that safety net is ruined forever. Enough rant, I’m going over to Lucky Clover before I blow another fuse, and cause another ruckus in town. At this point, I know I’m way too volatile for my own good, so I’ll do whatever I can to avoid a meltdown. And that’s by keeping my mind off stressful things. Flying does a lot of good to me. It’s so refreshing to soar through the skies and observe the world below me as I head towards the dark and gloomy Everfree forest. Peace and serenity, something that does not apply to the big cities. I grew up in a rural area, more in touch with nature than the gloomy metropolis of Earth. I honestly hate large crowds, and places with too many people, it just leads to an alienating feeling, you know? To have so many people before you means you get fewer opportunities to get close to some of them. My hometown was small, everybody knew each other. It’s a wonderful place, something that is very close in vibe to Ponyville. It’s honestly wonderful to be reminded of home, with the added bonus of flying. Alright, back at the old castle. Let’s settle this conflict and get back on track. I searched low and high, high and low until I found Lucky Clover in one of the upper towers, lost in his reading. “Lucky Clover, I assume you still haven’t found something useful.” My friend grumbled, raising his eyes from the book he was reading to gaze briefly at me. “There’s nothing but bitter hatred and contempt in these books. I’m afraid we only have crumbs to use as guidance.” Silence. We both knew what needed to be said. Yet, we said nothing. Instead, we looked, unwilling to be the first to open up. We couldn’t get back to work without addressing the elephant in the room, but the wound was still too fresh to pry open. “Well, uh, I-I see. I’ll look into the other books you’ve gathered then if that’s okay with you.” I said as I awkwardly stumbled to him, keeping a certain distance. “Pick whatever you want, it’ll take me too much time to look into them by myself.” Lucky muttered as he returned to his occupation. Now two meters apart, I searched within this old book about old Equestrian magic, not really knowing what I was supposed to find anymore. This entire adventure was taking its toll on us, I could feel it. The stress it caused probably took a few years away from us. More stress and I would have white hair at an early age. “Do you think your little brother’s okay? I mean, maybe he could have learned to provide for himself while you were gone.” Lucky sighed. “Maybe you’re right. I’m probably worrying too much. He’s a smart one... Who knows? He’ll probably find his true potential now that I’m away. I know I can’t babysit him all the time, but I guess this will be a learning experience for him too. Yeah, it’s actually a good thing that I’m not home.” Yeah... I guess. I won’t say anything to that, but I can safely say his animosity has left. Maybe now’s the time to say something about it. I was about to say it, but Lucky beat me to the punch. “Hey, just wanted to let you know that I... well, shouldn’t have said any of that. I didn’t mean it, I was just stressed out so, forget everything I said back there.” I nodded solemnly. “I’m taking my words back too. We’re under a lot of pressure, I know, I’m sorry I’m always causing us trouble.” Lucky Clover frowned, looking defeated. “There is one thing you said that was right, sort of. It is true that my little brother is sheltered and, that’s not good. You’ve simply said what I was thinking all this time. I’ll do something about it once we’re home. I’ll make a warrior out of him. That way, he’ll get to do whatever he wants without me.” “That’s nice. You know, after all this is done and behind us, we should hang out.” That was something I had on my mind for a while now. He’s my friend now, after all, I sure won’t let this friendship fade away once we get back home, even if we live in two different cities. “It would be nice. I could really use somepony I can confess to. It just feels good to talk like that without any shame, you know? With you, I feel like I can tell you everything. Probably because you’re a good listener.” Lucky Clover responded. “That’s funny, people always told me that. I mean, I’m not the type to start a conversation so I mostly end up listening to what others have to say.” My transformed friend smiled. “You have no idea how much that helps. Talking to somepony helps a lot more than doing some introspection. We should definitely continue our talks at home.” “Yeah, I’ll miss being so cloak and dagger though. Guess this will be my only shot at being a secret agent of sorts.” Lucky Clover now had his eyes on me instead of the book. “Maybe that won’t be it. We could always go on another mission eventually, that is if we join the queen’s soldiers.” I laughed at that proposition. “Oh come on, you know I’m not cut out for that! You’re the expert in infiltration. I’m just a rookie and even if I’m being generous, I won’t be a good soldier. I’d be rather mediocre.” Smirking, Lucky stood up. “You’ll never truly know if you don’t try. Might be worth it to give this idea a shot.” Yeah, this idea intimidates me. I’m not a good brawler nor am I a good agent. I’ll practically have to develop these skills from scratch. I don’t have any natural talent to help me out here. But if he’s really serious about joining the queen’s soldiers, eh, I might join him. “If you go, then I’ll consider it. Don’t count on me to go there alone, the humiliation will discourage me in mere days.” “It’s humiliating for all of us at the beginning. It’s also a tough endeavor, but with time, it’ll get easier. Anyway, I’m getting hungry. If you want to come get a snack with me, feel free to join me. I could always use some company.” Lucky sprouted his wings trotting towards the broken window near us. I wasn’t really hungry, but I was also tired of being alone after all that happened. So, might as well roll with it. “Sure thing, where are we eating?” Lucky smiled. “You should be asking with whom? Lyra and Bon Bon would be good picks. We just need to find a nice restaurant and then we’ll satiate our hunger, but reasonably so.” During our quick flight back to Ponyville, I just remembered about the merchant and thought I should tell it to my friend. After all, he was the reason why I’m now here and probably the reason why he was here, so I asked him if he also remembered encountering this mysterious merchant who I suspect is Starswirl the Bearded A.K.A a massive jackass. Surprisingly, he gave a weird answer. “No, I don’t think I’ve ever met a mysterious merchant like you described. But now that you’ve told me, I can see why you’re not used to this world. I had to get there physically, but not you. Of course, I don’t know the way back home which is my biggest regret so really, all the blame here is on me.” I was starting to cringe at his self-deprecating attitude. The poor guy wasn’t feeling as well as he showed. “Don’t guilt trip yourself, please. Wallowing in pity like that isn’t going to help.” “I know, it’s just that I can’t simply brush these frustrations away. I can’t stop thinking about it when I’m alone. It makes me feel like we will be lost forever.” Lucky blinked for a while, remaining silent before chuckling. “I’m being overdramatic. We have wings, we’ll find our home eventually, even if it’ll take years. I suppose the only stake here is to go back home as soon as possible.” “Aye. I guess I should improve my flying skills just in case it comes to that.” I said. Strangely, a part of me kinda wants it to come to that. I mean, flying is awesome and all; I’m not ready to give it up forever just yet. If we find a way home, I think I’ll just fly around for an hour before I jump through whatever portal will help me reverse the merchant’s spell. “Smart thinking. There’s nothing faster in this world than a good flyer. We know a pegasus in Ponyville who can fly around at light speed although a bit abrasive and with a constant need for attention.” Oh boy, I could just feel the bitterness in his tone there. He really doesn’t like these six ponies, especially Rainbow Dash. Frankly, I don’t harbor any hatred or dislike for them. I know they’re on the opposite side and all, but I understand where they’re coming from. Nobody likes a spy, especially when they’re infiltrating their society. I hope we can somehow tell them the truth without being considered enemies, that’ll be nice to finally remove the biggest danger to us with simple words. I’m no diplomat or anything, but I know I have a rather nice vocabulary. I’m sure I can manage to convince them... if I feel ready to do it that is. The mere thought of doing that stresses me out, so I’ll cross that idea out for now. “Well, there’s the restaurant. I take it I’m the one who’s going to convince Lyra and Bon Bon to join us for dinner.” I exclaimed upon noticing the very same restaurant that I previously had a meltdown at. The idea of returning there didn’t thrill me, but I also couldn’t exile myself from Ponyville out of embarrassment. I have to confront the humiliation and save face. So, going against my fears, I went to find Lyra and Bon Bon at their home. It was easy as expected, Lyra took no convincing at all and her girlfriend joined us to “protect” her. Now, I’m not used to going to eat at a restaurant with a group of people, or ponies for that matter, so this dinner promised something to spice up our mission. But now that we were all seated, I could feel it in the air. There was some tension, and I had a funny feeling it was because of me. Oh, I could see it in the waiter’s eyes, confusion and uncertainty. Better act like nothing happened. “So, have you two done something today?” Lyra asked to break the ice. “Went back to the old castle. Found some interesting stuff you might like.” Lucky said much to my surprise. He was actually responding to her instead of leaving the “Lyra business” to me. Maybe he’ll finally stop being so on edge all the time and learn to have fun while we can. It’s not every day we get to be ponies in a not-so-fictional anymore world. It was strange at first, I must admit, but I don’t care now. It’s a fun if not weird experience and one that’ll stick with me to the end, better cherish it for that. “More literature about humans?” Lyra inched closer to the stallion; eyes filled with excitement. “Please tell me there is more.” Lucky chuckled. “There’s more.” “Yes...” “I uncovered more information regarding Starswirl’s trip to this odd dominion. One in which he recounts his meeting with his human self. That was a strange read.” Bon Bon scoffed. “Must be weird to see a different kind of you. Makes you wonder if you have a doppelgänger in this other world right now.” “It’s entirely possible... if we can find physical proof that this world still exists. Remember, the last accounts we have are from a thousand years ago. Things have changed a lot since then.” Lyra wasn’t going to back down, even in the face of uncertainty and speculation. “The last known portal disappeared alongside the Crystal Empire a thousand years ago. If we can somehow bring back the Empire, we can unlock the portal and see for ourselves.” Bon Bon rolled her eyes. “If it’s been gone for a thousand years, what’s to say it will come back in our lifetime? Maybe it simply never will.” “A mare can dream, Bonny. A mare can dream.” Okay, time to take a chance and ask them. “I’m not well versed in the history of that empire; can I know what happened to it? Like, how is it just gone?” Lyra turned her attention to me, looking happy to share some of her knowledge with me again. “Well, basically, their king, Sombra, was defeated by both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna but before he was a goner, he cast a spell that made the Crystal Empire disappear. It’s been gone since then and the two sister’s efforts to bring it back were fruitless.” I saw Bon Bon raise her eyebrow a couple of times in a mocking gesture. Clearly, she didn’t believe that this empire would ever return. But just because it has a portal to the human world, I’ll side with Lyra and be a believer. “That sucks, hope it can come back one day. I mean, what happened to all the ponies in there? That’s pretty concerning.” Lyra rubbed her chin, pondering over my question. “That’s... a good question. Most ponies prefer not to think about it because... well, let’s be honest this entire situation is kind of disturbing, but it is worrying to imagine what would happen if they ever reappeared somehow. I mean, they’ve jumped through entire eras because of one mad unicorn.” Dictators also exist in this world. How fantastic, let’s hope I won’t encounter one during my stay. Right now, this all feels like a fever dream of a vacation, and I’d like for it to stay that way. And hey Bon Bon, looks like your world isn’t all sunshine and rainbows, just like us. Let’s hear you retract those statements. Lucky Clover cringed. “Such an awful ruler. Good rulers don’t need to impose their rule on others, they govern because others recognize their strength and wisdom.” Lyra nodded. “And kindness too, don’t forget that! A good ruler needs to be understanding of their subject’s situations and feelings.” I swear to God if this gets political. Our orders came soon after before the conversation could get into places I wish not to discuss. I was surprised to see that Lucky ordered something relatively light, taking bites in tandem with Bon Bon especially. He eyeballed me once he noticed that I wasn’t eating my food, pointing with his gaze at Lyra. Uh, fuck. What am I supposed to get out of that? Is he seriously asking me to flirt with her? Nah, can’t be, I’m overthinking it again. Still, just out of curiosity, I ate in tandem with Lyra to see how he’d react. Surprisingly, he looked happier. Guess I’m doing something right. Eh... I’m not getting it. Guess it’s another thing to add to the list of “weird stuff Lucky Clover does”. Such an enigmatic character. Minutes later, we were done. Our plates were devoured without mercy and after that, Bon Bon claimed she was feeling a bit tired and wanted some rest. I can relate, my belly was full, and I too wanted to find a nice place to lay down and digest. So, we parted ways. The mares heading back home whilst the stallions returned to the castle. We’ve got business there. A way home to find and theories to craft. Most important for me; I gotta figure out what’s the merchant’s deal. That bastard is not going to get away scot-free.