//------------------------------// // Story Time: Part 1 // Story: Worlds in Words // by Ravenmane //------------------------------// I waited patiently for Twilight and the trio of fillies. Pinkie, who was once flopped on my lap, now sat on her haunches beside me, waving at them occasionally. “So,” I said as I turned to look at Pinkie, “you know everyone around here?” She returned my look and nodded. “I know everypony,” her grin faltered for a moment, “and now I know every human I suppose.” She now smiled broader than ever. “Then what can you tell me about Twilight, just give me the short version if you can.” “Sure thing, y’see Twilight’s a super smarty pants unicorn from Canterlot. She can do all sorts of amazing magic, and once she even tried to figure out what I call my Pinkie sense.” “Pinkie sense?” “Yep, a bunch of little feelings I get from time to time. Each of them means something different.” “Okay, care to give me an example?” “When my tail gets twitchy it means something’s gonna fall.” The rational side of my mind was screaming ‘this makes no sense’ while the creative side was reminding it that I got here by means of a book. The rational part of my mind had been at it for far longer than you could imagine; losing ground with every passing second. “So, what did Twilight find out about your Pinkie sense?” “That she just has to accept that it happens to be right.” Pinkie stared at my goggles. “Why are you wearing those?” “I’ve been underground for a long time and the sun’s really bright. They’re so I can adjust better.” “Cool, I mean they just look cool. Not the whole living underground thing. That just sounds silly.” I smirked, “so says the pony with a mane and tail that look like cotton candy?” She giggled, and by the time she had recovered the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Twilight were just a few feet from us. “Awww,” said Apple Bloom disappointedly, “Pinkie found him. Ah wanted to surprise her.” Pinkie got up and noogied Apple Bloom. “Don’t worry, I coulda found him easy, but you guys attracted Lyra.” She pointed a hoof to Lyra, currently trying to hide behind a bush. Twilight and I locked eyes, her skeptical look meeting my deadpan stare. I didn’t want to, but it was the minty green unicorn trying to hide herself in a bush that kinda killed my emotions. “Ummm hello,” said Twilight cautiously. “There’s no way to escape her is there?” I pointed to the bush now actually hiding Lyra. “I mean she’ll just stalk us wherever we go now right?” Twilight rolled her eyes. “How did you get here? And more importantly how did you show up in the Everfree Forest?” “I’ll give you the short version,” I looked around to all of them, “all of you gather around for story time.” I waited for each of them to sit down near me, save for Lyra in her bush. “Now it might be hard to believe, but I got here through a book. I found it in a library in a city deep underground. I was with a team and we found the city underneath a desert.” Apple Bloom raised her hoof. “Yer sayin a book in a lost city led you here right?” “That’s right, but it’s a little stranger than that. I have a book like it on me so just a moment.” I took my bag off and rustled through it. Past vegetables, hard tack, some empty books, and a thick blanket I found the red covered book, my way back to the city. I showed them the unassuming book. “This book takes you back to the library where I found the book that sent me here. According to what the team and I had translated, the library I sequestered myself in is on the island Neref, at least that’s what we think it was. Our maps are crude at best, as are our translations of the civilization’s language.” I opened the book and showed them the panel that led back to the library. “Touching this panel leads back to where I lived while in the city.” My vision started to grow hazy as I adjusted to the sunlight, so I had to remove my goggles. The sun, though still bright, was not as blinding as before. “So what you’re saying is that you aren’t from this world,” Twilight said as she tried to grapple with the concept, “and that you came to Equestria by touching a panel in a book like this one right?” I nodded. “The book you used to get here is in a city deep underground where you lived for a while,” she glared at the goggles, “long enough to need something for the sunlight.” “Precisely, I tried to simplify it as much as I could but that’s basically it. Personally, I’d love to figure out how to make a book like this one so I don’t have to travel through the forest to get here. One of the journals I translated said that linking books like this one are written so that one can get to a specific point; as opposed to going from the source book’s location.” “Ah’m completely lost now,” said Apple Bloom as she rubbed her head. “Yeah, let’s go crusaders,” replied Scootaloo. “It’s not like we’ll get our cutie marks from listening to them talking about books.” The three fillies left, heading back towards the town. By this point Lyra had moved from her bush and made her way over to us. She stared at the book in my hands and reached to touch the picture on the page. I had to slam the book closed before she could touch it though. “Why did you do that?” “You might get lost,” I reprimanded, “confused at the very least.” Twilight furrowed her brow. “Yes, but you said that we could get back. That there’s a book like this one in the place you lived in.” I glared at her. “Do you want to return in the depths of the Everfree Forest and have to make your way back?” “No, I guess not, but what do you want me to do? The girls said you wanted to talk to me.” “I wanted someone like minded enough to tell me about this world.” I looked over to Lyra, “they also told me about you and your obsession with humans.” Lyra tried to shy away. Now I looked over to Pinkie, who was trying her best to look like she was learning something. “How about you Pinkie, did you learn anything?” Pinkie put on a thinking face, like she was trying to figure out some of what I said. “A little, thanks to Twilight though.” Twilight blushed a little. “Anyways how about we go to the library and talk things over. You can get to know Equestria better and I can get to know about humans and this book thing better.” Pinkie gave an ear-to-ear grin, “and I can get a party set up for Nick here!” I paused, giving Pinkie a skeptical look before I spoke up. “Everyone wins I think?” Lyra, now moving out of Twilight’s shadow, spoke up. “Actually I’d still like to know about humans if that’s all right.” I sighed. “Fine, just not right now okay?” Lyra nodded with unbridled energy. “I can’t wait to get started!” Twilight looked a little disappointed. “Sorry, she got kicked out of school for her theories about humans.” “Yeah, but now I can actually learn about humans from one. Take that everypony who questioned me!” I could’ve found a snarky comment to say but Twilight looked a little taken back so I refrained. “I know what it’s like, being rejected for a theory so I can see where you’re coming from Lyra. However,” I got up and slung my bag over my shoulder, my things back inside it. “I’ve been on both sides of the argument so I can see their point too. You need some proof if you’re going to propose a theory, no matter how off you may be when you find the conclusion of your study. Now then, shall we?” The three of them got up, Pinkie galloping off immediately. “Hope you’re ready,” Twilight explained, “she’ll tell everyone in Ponyville before too long.” “That’s the town right?” “Yeah,” interjected Lyra, “I’m going to get my notebook and a couple pencils. Honestly a human, nopony’s going to believe it!” She beamed and trotted off, a spring in her step. I gave a skeptical look to Twilight, “she got kicked out of school?” Twilight nodded, “nopony believed her. I think she might have been onto something but some evidence might’ve helped her case some. I was there when Princess Celestia kicked her out.” Story time was far from over…