//------------------------------// // Learning // Story: Thicker than Water // by FoggyHunter //------------------------------// Chapter 4: Learning Twilight Sparkle was having an ok day, in comparison to other days she's had. The purple unicorn with the magenta streak in her mane was spending her day researching some odd thing or another, which would come as no surprise to those who knew her. Spike, Twilights baby dragon assistant and close friend, was busy napping in his bed on the upper level of the tree library, which Twilight used as her home. Twilight could still hear the green and purple reptile softly snoring as she telekinetically flipped the page of the book she happened to be reading at that time, her purple horn and the page glowing slightly. It was a lazy afternoon outside and the sunlight leaked through the windows to reveal the dust that hung in the air. To Twilight, it was the perfect setting for a good study. It was, until she heard a light clop on her door. Twilight sighed as she marked her place and closed the book. 'Ah well,' she thought, 'the book isn't going anywhere.' Somehow this didn't comfort her as much as she wanted as she trotted to the tree library door. As she opened the door, she was surprised to see a familiar yellow pegasus, who rarely visited the library. "Oh, hi Fluttershy, how are you doing?" "I'm fine thank you," Fluttershy replied, but then said nothing else as she stood there quietly, darting her eyes nervously back and forth. This behavior had Twilight, for lack of a better term, very creeped out. After a few awkward seconds Twilight then inquired, "Uh, do you need help with anything?" "Oh no, it's just… there's somepony I want you to meet," Fluttershy answered, unable to conceal the amount of effort it took to say that one sentence. Twilight was immediately overcome with worry for her friend. "Fluttershy, is something wrong? Who is this pony? Where is this pony? Did this pony do something to you?" Fluttershy was taken aback by the sudden barrage of questions coming from the purple unicorn. "Oh no Twilight, it's nothing like that. Everything's fine. Oh! That's right! I still need to introduce him to you. He's right h…" Fluttershy turned to see her companion but was surprised to find nopony behind her. "Wha?" was all Fluttershy could say at that moment, overcome with confusion. Now Twilight was really worried. "Fluttershy, are you sure you're ok? It's not like you to pull pranks." Twilights eyes widened and then narrowed with suspicion. "Did Pinkie Pie set you up to this?" It was not uncommon for the said hyperactive pink pony to pull a prank or two. "What?" Fluttershy asked, still confused as ever, and then said in a pleading voice, "No, it's not like that. He was right here just a minute ago, where could he have gone?" This time it was Fluttershy's words that were tinge with worry. "Over here," Twilight heard an unfamiliar male voice, from inside the library. Both pegasus and unicorn looked back into the tree/library with surprise. What Twilight saw was something that she had never seen before in her wildest dreams. She then proceeded to scream her head off. ---------------------------- Trevor had to put some serious effort in order to not face palm at that exact moment. Meanwhile, the voice in the back of his head was laughing its ass off, if it had an ass. 'Look at her face!' it yelled between guffaws, 'Fucken priceless!' The purple unicorn tried to find some way in her delirium to escape this new found horror, but only managed to gallop headfirst into the wall next to the door, knocking her out cold. "Twilight, what's wrong? What's going on?" Trevor heard a young and worried voice from upstairs as a short, purple and green reptile came running downstairs on two hind legs. The reptile took one look at Trevor with its green reptilian eyes, and passed out. The voice in the Traveler's mind proceeded to laugh even harder. Fluttershy was already bending over Twilight's unconscious form with worry. Her experience with injuries and how to treat them took over as she discovered with great relief that her friend was not seriously injured; just a large bump on the side of her head where it connected with the inner wall of the tree. "I suppose that could have gone better," Trevor said aloud, "Is she alright?" "Yes, she's fine. She's just going to be a little sore when she wakes up." The yellow pegasus then looked at the human with a confused look and asked, "H-how did you do that?" "I suppose you could say that becoming unnoticeable is but one of my many talents," Trevor replied as he looked about the inside of the tree while also unconsciously scratching the small patch of hair on his chin. He saw from the outside that this tree also doubled as a usable building due to the many windows and balconies that were carved onto the trees large trunk. With a look inside the library, Trevor could see that the wood had a pink hue to it as well as many bookcases carved into the wood surrounding him. There were stairs carved into the side of one wall that lead to an upper level of the library which was clearly visible from the bottom floor. It was also quite roomy within the tree/library. Fluttershy was not quite sure what he meant by 'unnoticeable'. After all, how could anypony not notice some…thing like Trevor? However, the whole otherworldly aspect of the Traveler made her decide not to question it. "How's Spike?" Trevor asked. Fluttershy was surprised that the Traveler knew the young dragon's name, but then remembered that he also knew her name as well for what seemed like no particular reason. She was going to ask about that but decided to focus on Spike instead. "He's fine, too; just a little shocked. I'll take him back upstairs so he can rest in his own bed." With that, Fluttershy delicately wrapped her for hooves around the unconscious reptile and lifted him up as she took to the air. While holding the baby dragon as one would hold... well a baby, the pegasus flew upstairs and gently placed him in his small, dog-like bed. Meanwhile, Trevor, with as much gentleness as Fluttershy, picked up the purple unicorn and carried her in his arms towards a nearby couch. To the Traveler's surprise, the unicorn was much lighter than he expected. He laid her on the couch with the unicorn lying on her left side, her legs pointing out towards the middle of the room. Had it not been for the rather large bump on the side of her head, one would have thought she was peacefully sleeping. 'She probably will think this is just a dream,' thought Trevor. 'Heh, she's gonna be in for a real surprise then,' said the voice. 'That was extremely mean, you know; jumping us short range like that.' 'It was worth it. I wish we had a camera right then. That picture would have kept me laughing for weeks.' 'It was also careless, what if that young dragon wasn't so young?' 'Come on, you know I'm good with fire.' 'There are more ways to be killed by a dragon than with just fire.' The voice was about to make another retort but was interrupted when Trevor turned his attention towards the many books that were littered throughout the bookshelves and floor. 'You know, we could make great use out of the local power that flows through this world,' Trevor thought as he picked up one of the books that read 'Beginning Spells' on the cover. 'I believe the locals call it "magic".' 'Seems like a waste of time,' retorted the voice, 'I already have enough power for the two of us.' 'But we have limited ways of tapping into that power. I think expanding our repertoire wouldn't be such a bad idea. We could even gain teachers here.' 'And what makes you think any one of these… things will be willing to teach you?' the voice said with annoyance. 'The only ones that can use this power, from what I can see, are the ones with the horns. What worries me most about them is that they are very strong of mind, which means they would be dangerous enemies.' 'All the more reason to befriend them,' Trevor thought plainly, carelessly flipping through the contents of the book he held. Most of the 'spells' listed were for either entertainment, or trivial problems that could be solved easily without magic. 'Light Flare,' Trevor read, 'Dancing Sparks, Low Level Telekinesis, Stain-b-Gone?' 'Useless, every one of them,' spat the voice. 'You have to start somewhere,' Trevor coolly replied. "Oh, you can read too?" Trevor looked over towards the source of the soft voice to see Fluttershy standing a few feet away, her wings folded to her sides. It took a second for the pegasus to realize the implications of her statement. When she did, she blushed deeply while unconsciously trying to hide behind her mane. "S-sorry, that was rude of me." "Not at all," said Trevor, another one of his signature smiles spread across his face, "I am still in many ways a stranger to you. I do not blame you for being surprised of my abilities." 'Heh, if she only knew,' spoke the voice. It was at that moment that Twilight stirred slightly. "Maybe I should find someplace to hide so that you can ease in our introduction. The last thing I think she would want is a second bump on her head." Fluttershy merely nodded her affirmation. With that, Trevor wandered into another room of the tree, which looked like a kitchen from what the Traveler could tell. He decided to wait there. ------------------------------ Twilight's nice day of study was long gone. In its place was confusion and pain; lots of pain. The purple unicorn awoke to find herself on her downstairs couch and an excruciatingly painful pounding in her skull. "Ugh," Twilight gave a groan of pain, "My head… what happened?" "You galloped full speed into a wall, Twilight." Twilight swiveled her head (causing another shot of pain) to see her friend, Fluttershy, sitting close by, looking worried. "What? Why would I…" the memories before her blackout suddenly came back as her eyes just as suddenly widened. "Fluttershy, it's not safe here! We have to go! That thing may still be here!" Twilight was about to get up but winced when the pain in her head brought her back down on her rump. Fluttershy tried her best to soothe the pained unicorn. "It's alright, there's no danger. Your head must hurt a lot. Give me a second and I'll get something for you. Where did you put the medicine kit I gave you?" "It's (wince), it's in the kitchen, first upper cabinet to your left." Twilight responded through gritted teeth. When Fluttershy said there was no danger, the purple unicorn assumed that the creature had left. While the yellow pegasus flew into the kitchen in order to fetch the needed items, Twilight tried to rake her still beating mind over what had just occurred. 'What was that thing? Did it actually speak? Not only that, but it actually spoke our language. How is that possible? This may mean it is intelligent, but where did it come from? It may have come from the Everfree Forest, but then why are there no previous records of it that I have seen. I have never seen anything like it in any records that I have read. I'm going to have to research this and contact Princess Celestia (wince). Once my head stops hurting, that is.' As Fluttershy trotted back into the room, a white box with a red cross on it in her mouth, Twilight suddenly remembered something. "Spike! Where's Spike! Is he alright!" Fluttershy put the box down in order to say, "Yes, he's fine. He's upstairs tucked in his bed, still sleeping." Twilight breathed a sigh of relief, but then winced again as another shot of pain arched through her skull. After opening the box, Fluttershy used her hooves and teeth to open one of the small bottles that were in the first aid kit. She then brought up a small spoon that she had held in her wing and with one hoof poured the medicine carefully into the spoon that she held with the other. "Here," She said in her soft voice, "take this, it will help." Twilight took the spoonful gratefully, but soon regretted it as the medicine was extremely bitter. Noticing her friends rather sudden spluttering and coughing fit, Fluttershy brought out another bottle with a little bee printed on it and said, "Oh, sorry, I forgot to warn you. Here, this will help with the taste." Twilight swiped the honey bottle from Fluttershy's hoof, opened it quickly, and then drank the entirety of the bottles contents with relish. "Ah…" Twilight sighed with relief as both the pain in her skull and the bitter taste in her mouth was swept away. "That's much better." "I'm sorry about him scarring you so much, Twilight. I guess I didn't really think what your reaction to him would be." Twilight looked at her friend right then with a look of absolute shock and confusion. "Are you… talking about that thing that was just here?" Fluttershy then took on an uncharacteristically serious look as she said, "I don't think he would like being called a thing. He's actually very kind and I thought you would like to meet him." Fluttershy then returned to her shy self as she said, "I suppose I thought wrong, sorry Twilight." 'Great,' thought Twilight, 'now I feel guilty. How do I go about this?' This new predicament was completely out of Twilight's range of experience. Then, sighing in defeat, Twilight said, "Ok, I guess I can still meet it- I mean him." Fluttershy immediately brightened up and said, "Oh good." She then turned towards the kitchen. "Ok, you can come out now." If ponies could pale, Twilight would be ghost white right now. 'It's. Still. HERE!?' The purple unicorn found herself taking in a sudden intake of breath as the thing ducked through the archway that lead to the kitchen. Mind you that the archway is about one and three-quarter times taller than a normal pony, if not more, and yet this creature still had to duck in order to pass through it. Twilight felt her gut clench up in instinctual fear as the creature rose to its full height and she tried her best to take in its appearance. First from the long hind legs that it stood on that could out stride any pony, to the large chest and forearms that (according to Twilight's first paranoid observations) could crush any unlucky pony that got too close. The fact that the creature wore clothing completely escaped her during her fearful examination of the newcomer. Then she saw its eyes; those kind, emerald, white flecked eyes, and it was as if all of her fears just melted away. In place of her fear, Twilight now held only curiosity for the newcomer. "Twilight," Fluttershy said, "I would like to introduce you to Trevor the Traveler." -------------------------------- Trevor and Fluttershy both winced slightly at the sudden barrage of incomprehensible questions that flew from the unicorn who had just jumped to her hooves. Trevor also heard a groan of annoyance from the back of his mind. The seemingly unending barrage of questions only stopped when Twilight was forced to take a breath. Trevor took this opportunity to stop the purple unicorn from unleashing any more unintelligible questions. "I can understand that you have a lot of question, but at the rate you're going, I can't understand a single one. Please slow down a bit." Twilight was about to protest when Fluttershy lightly pressed her hoof to the unicorn's mouth. "Please, Twilight," said Fluttershy, "if you continue like this you'll have trouble breathing and that wouldn't be good for your health." The pegasus removed her hoof from Twilight's mouth who then proceeded to take a deep breath. "Alright," Twilight began, "I'm calm now. But I still have questions for you." The unicorn indicated the Travelor with one of her front hooves. "The main ones being: who are you? What are you? Where did you come from, and why are you here?" The newcomer gave her a kind grin as he said, "I do believe Fluttershy here has already told you who I am. My name is Trevor, though I have been known as the Traveler in many places. As for what I am, my species call ourselves humans. I would rather hold off from answering the rest of your questions until those you trust most are brought here. It's a long story and I'd rather not have to tell it more than necessary." Twilight was frustrated with this answer as it actually told her nothing of this new intelligent species that has appeared in her home. "I understand." said Fluttershy. Then she turned to Twilight and said, "Does that sound reasonable enough to you?" "I suppose…" gritted Twilight, still feeling resentment for not getting a full answer upfront. "Great, I'll go get the others." Before Twilight could protest, Fluttershy had flown out the door and was already away. Now here she was, stuck in her own home with a complete stranger that had refused to answer her questions without her best friends' audience. Yep, that perfect study day she had just five or so minuets ago was definitely out the window. "So, who are these others?" Trevor asked. 'Great,' Twilight thought with a sigh, 'now he's asking questions.' "They are close friends of ours. Ponies I would trust my life to, so don't think about doing anything that would hurt them, or you will have me to deal with." 'Heh, oh how intimidating coming from a purple unicorn that's half our size,' Trevor heard a mocking voice from the back of his head. Trevor merely gave his trademark smile while saying, "I wouldn't dream of it." With that Trevor took a seat on the couch that Twilight had jumped from and continued to look over the book he still had in his hands. "H-hey, that's my book!" Twilight blurted out. Trevor took one look at her and she instantly wish she hadn't. To Twilights credit, however, she did stand her ground. "Forgive me; I was under the impression that this was a library." Twilight was surprised by this response. It held no mocking tone or sarcasm; it was completely sincere from what she could tell. Twilight felt sheepish right then. "Well… it is. It's just that, well, that book was a gift from my parents, when I first began to study magic." 'Wait,' thought Twilight, 'is he even capable of understanding the concept of sentimental value?' "I see," said the Traveler, "I apologize; I did not realize it was that important to you." He then held out the book towards Twilight in an offering manner. "Oh no, it's ok, really. You can read it if you want." It was at that moment that Twilight noticed how the Traveler held the book. At the end of his arm where a hoof would normally be for a pony, he had instead a fleshy stump with five appendages that grew out parallel to each other. It reminded her of Spike's claws, which is why she instantly understood how they worked. "Thank you," said the human as he returned to reading the book over. There was silence for a time as Twilight had set her rump down in order to wait for Fluttershy to get back before Trevor spoke up. "Twilight, are you familiar with magic?" Twilight instantly perked up at the sound of her favorite word. "Of course, I have studied magic since I was a little foal, and I am even the prized pupil of Princess Celestia herself," the unicorn said with pride. It never occurred to her that this newcomer may have never heard of Princess Celestia. "I see," Trevor said in deep thought before continuing, "has there been record of anyone that could utilize magic without the aid of a horn?" Twilight looked with puzzlement at the newcomer as she did not expect this question what so ever. "Um, not that I know of; the only creatures capable of using magic in all of history are unicorns, besides the Princesses themselves." "And I suppose they have horns, too?" Twilight nodded. "Hhhhmmmm… I'm still not clear on what magic is, exactly. Could you please explain it to me?" "Certainly," Said Twilight cheerily. This newcomer was turning out to be good company after all. The unicorn cleared her throat and began. "Equestria is infused with an energy that flows through every living being on the planet. Each living creature adds to this energy simply by living. The older the creature is, the more energy it may receive or give off. However, only unicorns are capable of consciously detecting this energy and are thus the only creatures that can tap into the energy. Both the energy itself and the process of taping into that energy is called magic. The Princesses where the first to discover magic and thus were the first to unlock its secrets. Also, because they are the oldest among us in Equestria, they are the most powerful." Trevor digested this information before asking, "I noticed that Fluttershy was able to hold objects in her hooves without the aid of gripping appendages." Trevor held up his hand for an example. "How does that relate?" "That is due to a universal spell that was cast by the Princesses during our first creation. Every pony that is born in Equestria, whether unicorn, pegasus, or earth pony, is instantly granted the power of close range telekinesis." "You say that only unicorns are capable of detecting magic?" "Correct" "Well, that may have been true before I came here." Twilight gave the Traveler a confused look while saying, "What do you mean?" Trevor looked the purple unicorn straight in the eyes and said, "I can feel the energy you have just mentioned flowing around us." Twilight looked shocked and voiced her apprehension. "What, how can that be? Only creatures with magic-infused horns can detect the magical energy, and the only creatures with those are unicorns and the Princesses themselves." Trevor merely shrugged before saying, "what can I say? I can definitely feel the energy around me, but it doesn't seem to want to go through me. It's difficult to explain." The unicorn looked at Trevor with suspicion before saying, "Prove it." "Hm?" "Prove that you can feel the magic by using it." "Ah, but you see, that's the thing a wish to learn: how to use all this energy." Trevor spread his arms wide to indicate the invisible force that flowed around them. "Use the book then." Twilight indicated the book the human still held in his hand with a hoof. "It was designed to teach spells to foals, I'm sure you can handle it. If, that is, your claim is true." 'Sounds like a challenge,' Trevor heard the voice from deep within his mind. 'I can feel the magic, but I have no idea how to focus it,' thought back Trevor as he read from the book to find a suitable spell. He decided to go with the basic illumination spell. 'The fact that it says a horn is required to channel the energy may be an issue as well.' 'It says that only because the locals have never heard of anyone else using magic. It wouldn't be the first rule we've proved wrong. This energy, however, is disturbingly similar to the warp.' This bit of information also troubled Trevor. However, an idea struck him. 'If it's so similar, maybe you can focus the energy while I try to use the spell.' There was silence for a moment before the voice answered, 'that might work, let's try it.' Twilight was feeling triumphant as the Traveler had yet to show any magic prowess for the past two minutes. She was about to voice her triumph when Trevor casually raised his right hand, palm almost parallel to the ceiling. To Twilights amazement and disbelief, the hand began to glow much like a unicorn horn. The glow had an almost red tinge to it as a small ball of golden light began to form right above the Traveler's palm. Trevor's eyes, which were previously glued to the book, now looked at the phenomenon that was occurring right above his own hand. Trevor gave a proud smile at what he had just accomplish~ BOOM!! The ball burst into pure energy with a bang, sending Trevor, the couch, and a few books that were lying around flying. Twilight gave a yelp of surprised as she jumped back instinctively from the blast. Trevor landed on his back just a few feet from where he was sitting. "Ow," Trevor muttered as he brought himself back into a sitting position. "Oh my gosh, are you alright?" Twilight exclaimed worriedly. "Yea, I'm fine, just a bruised back and a bruised pride," Trevor responded flatly. Twilight sighed with relief, and then realized that she was genuinely concerned for the human. Why? She pushed the question aside knowing that concern was just her nature, along with most of ponykind. "Well if it helps in any way that was magic you performed, just not quite the way one would normally perform it. I assume you were attempting an illumination spell?" "Yea," replied Trevor, "how did you know?" "Magic is my specialty; I would hope that I am capable of recognizing simple beginner spells. I think you focused too much energy into it. That would explain why it, you know…" "Exploded in my face," Trevor finished as he sent a mental jab towards his mind companion. 'Well how was I supposed to know there was a limit to how much energy you should use?' retorted the voice. "Twilight, what was that?" called a worried (and yet somewhat familiar) voice from upstairs. Spike looked at the carnage from his perch on the upper level of the tree/library. Books that had been neatly piled were now scattered about the room and the couch was lying tipped over some feet away from its usual spot. "Holy guacamole," exclaimed Spike, "what happened?" Before anyone could answer, Spike noticed the Traveler. He then passed out, again. Only this time he was now plummeting from the upper level of the library towards the lower, head first. Twilight screamed in dismay as her best friend fell to a most certain bone crushing end. Her mind locked up, unable to take any command to save her precious baby dragon, but Trevor reacted faster. The Traveler outstretched his hand towards Spike and the baby dragon in turn slowed its decent to a stop right above the hardwood floor of the library. Twilight had used telekinesis enough to know what was going on, but her mind still reeled from what was happening. There was no magic glow surrounding Spike or the Traveler's hand to indicate magic was being used, and yet there her baby dragon was, floating in midair as if something was holding him up from below. Spike was delicately laid on the floor as Trevor's arm lowered. Now there was no doubt in Twilight's mind that the Traveler was responsible for this miracle, but she still had questions. "How?" Twilight first muttered. "Hm?" "How did you do that? I know it was you, because it certainly wasn't me. You didn't use any magic from what I could tell, so how did you do that?" Trevor gave his trademark smile before saying, "Another one of my many talents. There are more ways of doing things than with just magic. I'll have to explain it when everybody gets here." Again Twilight felt a hint of irritation for not being given a straight answer, but then realized that this newcomer had just saved her most trusted assistant and best friend's life. Twilight trotted over to the resting baby dragon to check that he was not hurt in any way. When Twilight made sure that Spike didn't have even a single bruise she said, "Well, I don't know how you did it, but thank you. I'm not quite sure how I would have gone on without Spike." "My pleasure," Trevor responded. 'Well that's certainly one way to gain someone's trust,' said the voice. 'Definitely not the way I would have wanted,' replied Trevor. He then got up and walked towards the couch. With a huff, he lifted the couch and brought it back to its rightful position. "You know, you should consider installing some railing up there. I'm surprised something like this hasn't already happened," said the Traveler as he sat back down. "You're right," Twilight replied while telekinetically bringing Spikes bed down from upstairs, "I just never thought about it since the only time Spike is asleep is either in his bed or on my back." Trevor chuckled lightly at the thought of the baby dragon riding Twilight like a warhorse. Though she was horse like, if somewhat smaller, she was definitely not suited for war. Looking back at his mind scan of Fluttershy, the ponies had no concept of war. In a way, he envied them for their peaceful ignorance. Twilights had laid the small bed in a corner of the room and was now telekinetically lifting Spike towards it. "The young one certainly can sleep," Trevor thought aloud. "He has to," returned Twilight as she tucked Spike into bed, "He is still a baby. He will need the sleep if he is to grow into a strong dragon." "And when he does, what then?" Twilight looked back at the Traveler as sadness began to form on her face. "I never really thought about that. Dragons take decades to fully mature, I'm not entirely sure I will still be around when that time comes." Trevor noticed the unicorns sadden mood and tried to comfort her as best he could. "Seems to me that you still have plenty of time to enjoy life as is." Trevor's statement was rewarded with a weak smile. "I suppose your right," Twilight said with a nod. Trevor knew it would be better to change the subject, so he did. "If you don't mind me asking, what's with the tattoo-like mark on your… hind quarters? I noticed Fluttershy had something like that too." Twilight looked towards her flank and the purple six pointed star with surrounding sparkles that rested there. "Oh, this? This is called a cutie mark. All of pony kind get one when they discover what it is they wish to do for the rest of their lives." "I don't suppose the mark represents what it is you do." "That's right, mine represents my love for magic." Then there was the sound of a very large growl which surprised both Trevor and Twilight. It took a moment for the Traveler to realize that the growl had come from his own stomach. For the first time since she had met him, Twilight actually saw Trevor blush, if only slightly. "Heh," spoke Trevor sheepishly, "I guess I haven't eaten in a while." "And from the sound of that growl I can assume you are quite hungry, one second." Twilight trotted towards the kitchen but then stopped right at the archway. She turned her head back towards the Traveler and asked, "Uh, what does your kind eat, exactly." "Oh, this and that. Fruit would be fine," answered Trevor, a little hesitant to tell the pony that his kind also ate meat. Twilight put a hoof to her chin in an inquisitive manner. "Fruit, hm. Ok I think I have something." With that, she disappeared into the kitchen. Trevor sat back down as he watched Spike sleep peacefully, completely unaware of the danger he had just gone through. 'It was funny the first time, but it's gonna get annoying real quick if the little guy keeps feinting whenever he sees you,' commented the voice. 'Remember that he is still a baby. He hasn't exactly experienced as much as the others.' Trevor thought back. 'At least, I don't think he has.' 'Uh huh, and what, exactly, is there to experience in this boring place. This place is nothing but peace and sunshine. It makes me sick.' 'Well I think a little peace and sunshine is a nice change of pace.' Trevor tilted his head back while breathing a content sigh. 'By the way,' thought the Traveler, 'we are going to have to practice magic outside from now on.' 'Ah, what da matter, afraid you're going to damage something?' said the voice in a mocking manner. 'I can tell that Twilight is the type to get attached to books. That was evident enough just from the book I was holding. I personally don't want to do anything that would piss her off. It's as you said, unicorns would make dangerous enemies.' 'So you're going to start kissing her little horse-ass just so you don't have to put up a fight. Dam you're pathetic.' Trevor merely sighed again and replied, 'Think of it as you will.' Twilight returned from the kitchen while a levitating a small basket. When she put the basket down, Trevor saw, to his delighted surprise, that it was full of ripe, red apples. "Here you go," said the unicorn, "will these do?" "Well now," said Trevor as he picked one of the apple up, "I haven't had one of these in a while." Twilights eyes went wide with surprise. "Oh, you have apples where you come from?" "In some places, yes," Trevor answered before taking a bite from the ripe, juicy fruit. When he did it was pure bliss. He savored every part of the sweet, delicious fruit with each bite. Twilight saw the satisfied look in Trevor's face and knew she had made the right choice of food. "I take it you like it?" asked the unicorn. "Yes, definitely," replied the Traveler before taking another bite. He swallowed that mouthful and said, "I'll be honest with you, this is the best apple I have ever eaten." "Really, then you should thank Applejack when she gets here. She and her family grew every apple in Ponyville." "So that's what this town's called. Huh, I never thought to ask." Twilight took an inquisitive look towards the Traveler before saying, "you really are a strange one." "I would think my looks would tell you that," replied Trevor as he finished the apple he had in his hand and picked up another one. Twilight noticed that the apple he had finished still wasn't completely gone. "You don't eat the core?" Twilight asked. "You do?" Trevor asked back "Well of course, why wouldn't I?" Trevor shrugged, "It was always too tough for my taste." Again Twilight gave him an inquisitive look, but this time with a smile. "You really are a strange one." Trevor merely replied, "Yep." It was at that moment that Fluttershy swooped through the door, surprising both of the residents. "Hello, are you two getting along?" Both Trevor and Twilight gave Fluttershy a smile. "Yes, we have been getting along just fine. In fact, Twilight here was just teaching me a bit about magic." "Really," said a surprised Fluttershy, "can you use magic?" "I think he can," entered Twilight, "but his first attempt at it didn't end too well." Trevor chuckled sheepishly as Fluttershy's eyes suddenly widened. "Oh right, I almost forgot to warn you. The girls are on their way and I think you should hide so that you don't startle them. Oh, well not that your scary or anything, it's just… uh…" "I understand," Trevor said, saving the yellow pegasus from having to scrounge up an excuse for her statement. "I do believe enough peop- I mean ponies have gone unconscious for one day." Twilight found herself blushing with embarrassment when she looked back at her failed escape. Trevor got up and began to return towards the kitchen when Twilight stopped him. "I don't think the kitchen is the best place to hide when there are more ponies coming. Why don't you try the basement?" Trevor shrugged his shoulders and said, "Sure." Twilight lead the Traveler through the kitchen and to a door that was on the far side of the room. She opened the door with her magic to reveal a stairway that went down quite a ways. Without a second thought, Trevor bent through the door way and began to descend as Twilight closed the door behind him. The basement, according to Trevor's observations, had to easily be just as large as the library above. Like above, book cases lined the circular wall, but carved from stone this time instead of wood. Large roots could be seen running through the walls in between the bookcases. The staircase ran along the wall and lead towards the bottom. There was plenty of illumination from crystals above that seemed to have their own light source. Trevor also couldn't help but notice that the staircase, like above, had no railing of any kind. 'These ponies sure don't have any concern with basic household safety,' thought Trevor. As he reached the bottom of the basement, he noticed that it resembled some sort of mad laboratory. Different machines with random buttons and lights filled the bottom floor, and there even was a large tank filled with some green liquid. 'A unicorn that practices both science and magic,' said the voice in Trevor's head, 'who would have guessed?' 'The two subjects have been known to contradict each other in many other worlds. Perhaps to the inhabitants of this world, magic is a science.' 'I still don't like how this magic energy feels so much like warp energy," said the voice, a slight tinge of worry quite evident. 'Let's just hope that's a coincidence,' thought back Trevor. Yet somehow, deep in his gut, he knew it wasn't. --------------------------- Meanwhile, upstairs, Fluttershy and Twilight were just greeting their friends. First to come in the door was a tan earth pony with a blonde mane and Stetson hat named Applejack. Her cutie consisted of three red apples in a pyramid like pattern. Next to arrive was a white unicorn with her lavender mane and tail set in a fancy twirl and having a layer of mascara around her deep blue eyes . Rarity's cutie mark consisted of three light blue diamonds. Then the last two came dashing into the library at roughly the same time. One stopped to a rigid standstill while the other, that happened to be flying in above the first, came crashing into a pile of books as the rest of the ponies cringed at the site. The pony that came to a standstill was the pink earth pony that Twilight had suspected of pulling a prank earlier that day. Pinkie Pie did not stay still for long as she began to hop around the library in excitement. Her mane and tail were in their usual poofy style while her cutie mark consisted of three party balloons, one yellow and the other two blue. The pony that had flown (crashed) in dug herself out of the books to reveal a sky blue pegasus with her ragged, rainbow colored mane and tail. Rainbow Dash's cutie mark consisted of a white cloud emitting a rainbow colored lightning bolt. "Fluttershy-said-this-was-important-how-important-is-it-important-enough-to-have-a-party?" Pinkie Pie said in her hyperactive, high-pitched voice. "Calm down now, suga'cube. I dun think it calls for anythin' like that," Applejack said in her deep southern accent. "Twilight, darling, what is this all about? Fluttershy refused to answer any of my inquiries before going off to find the rest of our compatriots," Rarity stated in her more posh and regal tone of voice. "Yea, Twi," piped up Rainbow Dash in her slightly hoarse (no pun intended), tomboyish voice, "what's this all about?" "Now calm down, girls," Twilight said pleadingly, unable to fully cope with the questions being thrown at her. Now she understood what Trevor felt like when she first talked to him. "Did Fluttershy explain to any of you why this meeting was called?" They all shook their heads. "Sorry, Twilight," came Fluttershy's soft voice, "I didn't think I had time to give them the details." "It's alright, Fluttershy, I'll just have to do it." Then Pinkie Pie began to shake violently and uncontrollably. Her friends instantly recognized it as another one of her precognitive twitches. When the shaking stopped Pinkie Pie gasped and said, "That's the same twitch I got that predicted that Twilight would accept my twitches without knowing how they worked; another doozy. Something really-eally big is going to happen, something nopony would ever expect in a million-cabillion years!" "That may have to do with why I called this meeting." Everypony looked at Twilight with surprise, all except Fluttershy. "What do ya mean, Twi?" asked Applejack. "Well, there's somepony I would like you all to meet, the only thing is that he's actually…well… not a real pony." Again, everypony except Fluttershy looked at Twilight with surprise and confusion. Rainbow Dash spoke next. "Whoa, hold on a sec. If he's not a real pony, then what the heck is he?" "Well, I know it may not help much, but he calls himself a human." The ponies' confusion only deepened. "And what, in Equestria, is a 'human'?" Rarity asked. "Well, it's hard to describe, but that's what he is. I think it would be easier if you saw him then me trying to describe him. The main thing that I can describe him as is big, almost as big as a manticore." This brought a gasp of fear from many of the ponies in the room. "But not nearly as ferocious, of course." Twilight blurted, trying to ease the worry she had just mistakenly caused. "If it helps in any way," piped in Fluttershy, "he is actually very kind." "I concur with Fluttershy," Twilight said next, "once you get past his…otherworldly looks, you will discover that he is very friendly. I personally believe this is a great discovery as he is a completely new intelligent species never before encountered by ponykind." "OOH, so he's, like, an alien?" Pinkie Pie asked excitedly. "I suppose, yes." "WOW, that sounds COOL! WHERE-IS-HE-WHERE-IS-HE-WHERE-IS-HE-" "He's in the basement," Twilight said, unable to take any more of the hyperactive pink pony's chanting. "But I think it would be better if he came up here." "Twilight, dear, are you sure this is safe? Is this 'human'…civilized?" Rarity inquired nervously "From what I can tell, yes. He can even speak our language, perfectly." "And how is that, exactly?" Applejack asked next. Twilight's eyes widened then as she realized she never thought to ask. "Honestly, I don't know, but he said he would explain everything once you all got here." "Well what are we waiting for," exclaimed Rainbow Dash, ever the pegasus to look for a challenge, "bring him up here." "Alright," Twilight said hesitantly, "but prepare yourselves, girls, for you are about to witness a being the like of which you have never seen in your wildest dreams." They all nodded. "Alright, Fluttershy, call him up." Fluttershy nodded and flew over to the kitchen where she opened the basement door and called down: "Ok, Mister Traveler, we are ready to see you know." Trevor prepared himself for the absolute freak-out that was undoubtedly to come as he ascended the stairs. As he reached the kitchen, he saw Fluttershy nod to someone in the main room before hearing Twilights voice. "Ladies, I present to you Trevor the Traveler." 'Great,' thought the voice, 'now we're a circus act.' Trevor ignored the voice as he picked up another apple from a nearby basket, and entered the main room. ------------------------------- Somewhere, many miles into the forest known as Everfree, wandered a scared and lonely deep blue unicorn with a silvery white mane and tail. On her flank showed a star wand with a stream of blue, sparkling magic emitting from its tip. Trixie had been wandering through the Everfree forest for several months now, which was actually quite a feat for any pony considering how dangerous the forest was. This didn't matter to Trixie as she was cold, scared, lost, and alone. She had managed to survive thus far by the off chance of finding berries that weren't poisonous. She had thus far fended off predators using her show magic that was based primarily on illusions. But now she was at the end of her rope. Exhausted, she collapsed in a heap, not caring any more what would find her and end her miserable existence. What found her, however, was not there to end her. Trixie felt a presence, a very strong presence. She looked around as best as her tired eyes could, but saw nothing but the damned, murky trees. 'Young one,' she heard a deep voice in her head, yet it sounded far away. 'Young one,' she heard the voice again, only this time closer. 'YOUNG ONE!' Trixie jumped to her hooves, despite her exhaustion, as this time the voice sounded like it was being yelled right into her face. She looked about franticly, but found no pony. "Wh-who's there," Trixie called out timidly. "I AM HERE," answered the voice, 'AND I HAVE COME TO OFFER YOU POWER' "Why?" shouted the frantic unicorn, "Who are you? What are you?" 'I AM A BEING BEYOND YOUR GREATEST FANTASIES, AND YOUR GREATEST NIGHTMARES.' Trixie felt completely powerless in the presence of this voice. It intimidated her to no end. "Wh-what do you want with me?" 'YOU WERE ONCE CALLED THE GREAT AND POWERFUL. I AM HERE TO HELP YOU REGAIN THAT TITLE. SAY THE OATH, AND YOU WILL BE GIVEN POWER BEYOND YOUR WILDEST IMAGINATION.' "What," Trixie exclaimed in confusion, "what oath? I don't know any…" Trixie stopped as somehow she now knew the oath the voice spoke of, as if she had known it all her life. It appalled her. It sounded so vulgar, so barbaric. 'THERE IS ONE WHO HURT YOU, WHO HUMILIATED YOU, WHO STRIPED YOU OF ALL THAT YOUR LIFE WAS WORTH.' Trixies eyes widened, then narrowed with hate as she gritted her teeth. She knew all too well who he spoke of. "Twilight," Trixie muttered through her teeth as if the very name held the plague itself. 'DO YOU WISH FOR VENGEANCE AGAINST THE ONES WHO HAVE WRONGED YOU?' "Yes," spoke Trixie. 'DO YOU WISH FOR RESPECT?' "Yes!" 'DO YOU WISH FOR POWER?' "YES!" "THEN SPEAK THE OATH!' Trixie raised herself onto her hind legs, threw her front hooves towards the sky, and screamed: "BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!" Then everything began to change. And Trixie, smiled.