“Ah, there he is what did I tell you.” The young stallion gestured to a figure in the distance, approaching the small village. “Reliable as the seasons this guy. I told you I wouldn't have to travel alone.”
His mother, News Teller was a levee containing his excitement, “We didn’t doubt you about him passing through, but you can’t just invite yourself to accompany somepony during their travels.”
“I’ve known Shannon for years, I’m sure he won’t mind.” As far back as his memory could go in fact.
While it wasn’t a lie, “Meeting him a long time ago is not the same as knowing him for a long time,” the total of their interactions couldn’t be more than an hour.
His father, Bank Teller was a diversion canal allowing a safe vent of his son’s growing desire. “I just wanna hear this, Shannon, say he is fine with having you. Then you can get this wanderlust dealt with so you can come home and focus properly.”
Running ahead to greet him, “Good afternoon Shannon. How are the roads treating you?”
“Good afternoon to you Story Teller. It's been peaceful as always.” He’s this old already. It’s nearly been a generation.
“Sorry to hear that.” A hero needs trials to overcome.
News arrived, “Surprisingly few ponies here know you Shannon, yet my son thinks you would be willing to let him travel with you.”
“I don’t mind. But, what about you? You hardly know my character.” Aside from the one source.
“Story is known to embellish both the good and bad of a ponies character, and I’ve only heard good things.” Not surprising seeing as nearly everything he knows he was told. Not many pony would talk about their flaws.
“If you don’t see a suave criminal commit a crime he’s just a charismatic fellow. It’s all about perspective. You ponies are an optimistic lot.” Wouldn’t put it past these ponies to hug a manticore.
News handling the conversation, “I would imagine we appear optimistic.” A lot of elderly are distrustful since the Nightmare Moon incident though. “Best not keep him waiting Story, go get your things.” Story galloped towards home. He was finally going to leave.
Bank finally throwing in his 2 cents, “He packed the night before you arrived,” finishing with a smile, “nine days ago.”
News got serious now that the minor was gone, “You like to pass straight through without talking to the locals and are unfond of your peaceful journeys. An anti-social old fellow who goes out looking for trouble. Sure sounds like somepony feels they’ve lived too long.”
Shannon confirmed for her, “You are not wrong.” Almost sounds not right. She might make the faulty logical jump.
Bank showed his special bonds, “Story grew up only knowing peace. We appreciate that you are willing to aide him in his desire to see the world, but he doesn’t need to see all of it.”
“No worries there. If I can pursue trouble and find nothing for this long, it's probably not there.” That or I am incompetent.
News knows violence, “Oh, I can assure you it is.”
“Where?!” The Griffins made no move on Equestria despite the internal conflict.
News refused to disclose information actually being pursued, “Don’t need you going there with my son. You should try conversing with ponies in the future, you might learn something.” Story returned ending that route of conversation
Shannon was rather done with the parents, “Glad to see you are all set. Let’s head out.”
Bank gave his forecast, “You won’t reach the next village until well after nightfall if you leave now. You can stay the night here.”
“I have neither the desire nor the capitol to sleep in the pony settlements I visit. Enjoy the rest of your day, as for me and your son, the road beckons.”
---
They were setting up camp within earshot of Equestria’s Eastern Ocean. “I never got a chance to ask with you passing through so quickly. How are you going to make a name for yourself? You don’t have an earth pony’s strength, pegasus’s flight, or a unicorn’s magic.”
“My kind uses the knowledge of the radix to accomplish our goals.” It helps if I have a proper read on the situation. Cowardly griffins can’t be bothered to test Equestria. After a short while of no comment Shannon continued.
“If I were to ask you to alphabetize all the words in your favorite story I would wager you get a word put it in a general location and later go back and compare words until you were sure they were where they needed to be.”
“Yeah something like that.” Don’t know why I would alphabetize the words in a story though.
“Radix tells us that we only care about the letters not the words as a whole. Go through the words looking at the last letter and group them in order of the alphabet. Gather your stacks in order and move on to the next letter and repeat until you reach the first letter. They will be alphabetized and you never even compared the words.” Reactions to radix from the youth were always a treat.
Story was underwhelmed, “That’s certainly a neat trick, but I still don’t see how it will be useful to defeat your foes and help you make a name for yourself.”
I guess he can’t grasp how amazing radix is, “I have an alternative if Radix fails. A gift from when I met the two princesses long ago.”
Story lit up when he heard that, “Why didn’t you say that from the start?” A hero bestowed a magical weapon from the princess is story material.
“I think it's time we go to bed.