> the traveler > by AkiraRealHuman > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > The Traveler > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Somewhere within Equestria, a greenish glow is observed, within which a bipedal, humanoid figure is barely visible amidst the speckles of light surrounding it. With eyes closed, the figure remains until the green glimmers fall to the ground and vanish. His first reaction isn't to open his eyes but to reach for a curious accessory hanging from his belt — akin to an egg but dark. Within this object, a crackling sound can be heard, a characteristic signal informing its owner that the journey was a success. The human opens his eyes with a smile and looks around, but soon his expression changes to one of surprise and confusion. Very colorful he thinks, raising an eyebrow. Almost too colorful, like a cake. With short steps, the person walks aimlessly in search of something that catches his attention, he didn’t go far. Just a few meters away, he sees what appears to be a trio of very diminutive horses. As if the overly sweet atmosphere wasn't enough, these creatures seem to be plucked from the dreams of magical worlds and fantastic creatures that every person must have dreamed of as a child at least once — large and expressive eyes, fur that seems soft and fluffy at first glance, jovial and tender laughter. The human approaches the scene slowly, enough for these beings to notice his presence, but not so much as to scare them away immediately. If I approach too abruptly, they'll surely flee is what he had in his mind, so his movements were relaxed and slow. The miniature horses had finished their game and looked with curiosity at their singular spectator. Finally, much to the human's surprise, they approached, albeit timidly, yet with determined steps. "Ar... are you a human?" stammered a clearly feminine and childish voice, a filly, then. The human felt a sense of bewilderment not because he could understand her — that was to be expected — but because of what the question implied. He decided to remain silent. The girl, receiving no response, uttered more words, "Oh, right! Miss Cheerilee says that the best way to start a conversation with a stranger is by introducing yourself first. She's Applebloom," she gestured towards one of her friends. The human didn't take his eyes off her. "She's Scootaloo," he noticed the weak greeting from the mentioned one. "And I'm Sweetie Belle," all three of them took comically long breaths. "And we are the Cutie Mark Crusaders!" That action coming from such adorable creatures was more than enough to draw a chuckle from the rugged human, undoubtedly lightening the mood, but it lasted very briefly. There were only two things on his mind at that moment. First, I'm really in a fairy tale! he thought with excitement as he realized he was talking to a unicorn and a pegasus. Second, Is this a reality where other humans also exist, or have I encountered another traveler? Whatever the reason, he needed to find out. The girls smiled nervously at his lack of response, so Scootaloo nudged Sweetie Belle in his direction. At this, she shot Scootaloo a disgruntled look and turned her attention to the human, trying to get his attention. "And... What about you?" Of course, a name the human said to himself. As protocol demanded, it was time to find a name fitting for the world he found himself in. If he remembered correctly, their names were a combination of an object and a characteristic. "Hmm... mister...?" "Green Mist," he responded quickly. It seemed the most appropriate given the circumstances of his arrival in this world. "You can call me Green, if you like." The girls looked at him strangely, and Scootaloo spoke quietly to her friends. "Aren't humans supposed to have long and difficult-to-pronounce names?" "That's true," Green quickly says in the kindest tone possible. "What I told you is my pseudonym. I never liked my real name, so I avoid using it whenever I can. Anyway, why do you know so much about humans?" "Twilight" the foals said in unison. "Ever since he trotted into town, she's been nosin' around a heap 'bout humans. Well, truth be told, mostly just about the human," Applebloom made the comment, the others nodded in agreement. "He?" If there was only one, then it only made sense to Green that he was another traveler. "Another human, but we're forbidden to talk about it... but I think you should know since you're also human!" Scootaloo chirps, convincing herself, but still receives disapproving looks from her friends. "Ya come lookin' for him?" The possibility seemed to sadden Applebloom. Green shakes his head. "Ya came to do him harm?" Applebloom said with a hint of suspicion. "Of course not," Green couldn't hide a certain indignation in his voice. "I didn't even know there was another human here." "Then why did you come?" Sweetie Belle asked. "I think he got lost," Scootaloo adds. "I'm a traveler," the girls listened attentively to Green's words. "But not just any kind of traveler. My destinations aren't other countries or cities, but other worlds," he says, making an exaggerated gesture with his hands to add more drama. As soon as the human finished speaking, the faces of the fillies lit up with excitement, and they started hopping around him, bombarding him with all sorts of questions. "That's enough girls," Green raised his hands to calm them. While the gesture was adorable at first, the high-pitched voices overlapping each other in unison was more than the traveler could bear. "You can interrogate me later. Right now, I need to find this Twilight. Do you know where she is?" His only response was laughter, and the human raised an eyebrow. "Was it something I said?" "It's just that if you don't want to be interrogated, Twilight is the last pony you'll want to encounter," Scootaloo said amidst laughter. " Pony? So, Twilight is like her?" The human pointed to Applebloom with a finger. "Well, shoot, we're all ponies 'round here," she spoke. "But if you're talkin' 'bout types, Sweetie Belle's a unicorn, Scootaloo's a Pegasus, and I'm an earth pony. Now, Twilight, she's a whole 'nother story... reckon you'll get it when ya meet her." "Alright, can you tell me where to find her?" "Sure thing, c'mon along!" says Applebloom. "We'll show ya the way," gesturing for the human to follow her. Green walked behind the fillies as they chattered animatedly among themselves. To pass the time, he observed the landscape, eventually his gaze settled on a town whose center held a majestic castle. Its imposing walls reflected the sunlight in such a way that it was impossible to tell at first glance what material they were made of. The town was evidently the destination of their guides, yet he asks. "Where are we going?" "To Twilight's house," Scootaloo says sarcastically. Before the human could protest, Sweetie Belle adds “Actually, it's a castle." "We're headin' straight for Ponyville," Applebloom finally says. Green suddenly felt uneasy, but he didn't know if the reason was realizing that these ponies had a terrible imagination for naming things or that the much-mentioned Twilight seemed to be someone very important who had her own castle. > Twilight > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Green couldn't shake certain ideas from his head. If there was a castle, there could be royalty, hierarchy, monarchies — everything pointed to this being a rather primitive land. That, or this Twilight character has enough to buy castles for fun, was the less serious alternative Green considered. But the most logical thing would be to ask his companions. "Girls? what function does this Twilight serve?" "Function?" one of them says, puzzled. "That's right. It seems I'm going to meet pony aristocracy. Not the most ridiculous thing I've ever had to encounter. I just want to know who she is." "Ah," the girls erupted in understanding. "She's a princess," they declared after a while. Green came to a sudden stop. Is she one of the rulers? But it's too soon! That thought was natural, as whenever Green interacted with any ruler of the worlds he visited, things eventually became... difficult. "Is something wrong?" Scootaloo asked. "It's nothing," the traveler responded kindly. "Shall we continue, then?" Green thought it wouldn't make sense to share his tribulations. "Hold yer horses! Applebloom says alarmed, cutting off their path with her hoof. " Ya think it's smart just strollin' into Ponyville with a human like it ain't no big deal?” "And what did the human who was here before do?" "Well, he never just waltzed into town, that's for sure. He told Twilight he had some mission out on the outskirts, all solo-like." "Do you know what kind of mission that could be?" she just shrugged. It seemed Green wouldn't meet another human anytime soon. He couldn't help but feel disappointed. "Hm... for now, all I understood is that he's like an outcast." "Outcast?" Scootaloo asked, confused. "It means somepony who is isolated by others or isolates themselves," Sweetie Belle replied. "What are you, a dictionary?" Scootaloo retorted mockingly. Sweetie gave her an annoyed look. "Alright, hold up, y'all! We gotta put our heads together and come up with a plan. Scootaloo, you zip off and find Twilight pronto, you're the speediest of us three. Sweetie, you stick around here with Green," Applebloom's face reflects some anxiety. "As for me, I gotta go. Applejack starts fretting if I'm not back by now, and let me tell ya, she can be a real pain in the flank when she's fretting." True to her words, Applebloom disappeared shortly after uttering them. Sweetie Belle seemed uneasy, possibly because she had to stay alone with the stranger. Contrary to what Green expected, Scootaloo, instead of spreading her wings and fly — something Green definitely wanted to see — simply took her scooter and sped off to Ponyville. Sweetie Belle must have noticed his disappointed expression because she plucked up the courage to ask. "What's wrong?" she asked with her melodic tone. "Um, it's just... Why doesn't Scootaloo fly? I mean, she'd get there faster, right?" Green responds, still watching Scootaloo as if expecting her to take off into the sky and disappear. "Oh, that," Sweetie Belle lowers her gaze sadly. "We could say she hasn't developed her wings enough to fly." "So, foals can't fly or do magic? Do they have to grow up for that?" Green asks, but Sweetie's look tells him enough to understand the situation. "Her wings are too small to fly," she sighs heavily, then turns to Green with a determined look. "But I know she'll be able to fly someday, right?" she asks almost pleadingly. "Of course," the traveler responded quickly, though deep down he had no idea, it just seemed like the right thing to say. "So... Can you do magic?" "Of course, watch this," she says eagerly as her horn is surrounded by a green aura, the same aura visible on a rock that subsequently rises about 20 inches before plummeting abruptly to the ground. At first, the human wasn't too impressed, but he did admire the effort of the filly, who was panting and had beads of sweat on her forehead. She must have given her all for this trick. I don't know the standard of magic in this world, maybe for her age she's a prodigy, he finally reflected. "That was amazing," Green indicated with a smile. "You must be really good at magic." At this, she gifted him with a genuine smile. "Aw, thank you! Although, to be honest, I'm just learning. I bet you're better than me!" She finished with an even bigger smile, though it faded when she saw the abrupt change in Green's expression. "Excuse me?" There's only one reason she'd think humans have magic, he thought. "What do you mean?" "That your magic is stronger than mine," she said this time, not looking as confident. "I mean, if you can travel through worlds..." "That's not magic, it's science. I use this object to travel," Green finishes, presenting his egg-shaped artifact to Sweetie Belle. She looks at it with detached interest. And how do you even board that thing in the first place? were some of the questions passing through her mind, but there was also a detail that bothered her. "The other human didn't use any object to do magic... in fact, his magic is similar to ours." That did catch the human off guard, but just before he could bombard Sweetie with questions, the accessory on his belt swayed violently, emitting occasional bursts of verdigris sparks. That was the prelude to what would later be a true spectacle of purple lights manifesting in front of them; the light disappeared abruptly, and in its place stood Scootaloo, accompanied by another pony, much larger, with glistening violet fur, and a mane of blue with purple and pink streaks cascading from her forehead like an interrupted waterfall. But the most striking feature, undoubtedly, was that she had both wings and a horn. She locks eyes with the human, smiles, and trots over to him. "So..." Twilight begins, observing Green from head to toe, pausing for a few seconds at the accessory. "You're the human Scootaloo told me about?" "It's an honor to meet you, Your Majesty. I'm Green Mist, just a traveler," Green bows respectfully, but Twilight gestures with her hoof for him to rise. "You don't need to be so formal," her words seem sincere and her face is friendly. Despite being a princess, her attitude is very... approachable, green thought. "I'm Twilight Sparkle, and it's a pleasure to meet you, Green Mist," she emphasized these last words. "Scootaloo told me about you, she said you're a traveler of worlds," at that moment, Green could notice in her large and expressive purple eyes a subtle sparkle that he didn't quite know how to interpret. "Is it true?" "It's true, I..." Green was interrupted by a sharp feminine squeal. Twilight had broken all appearances and was now jumping with excitement around the human with an attitude even more childish than the girls before. Twilight comes to a sudden stop after seeing the amused looks from the others. Disguising her embarrassment, she regains her composure and addresses the girls with an authoritative tone. "Alright girls, it's late and your sisters will start worrying. It's time to go home." The girls clearly express their disappointment, but eventually they leave, saying goodbye cheerfully. Twilight turns her attention to the traveler. "Do you have somewhere to stay?" "No, but the weather doesn't bother me. Besides, you can sleep anywhere, can’t you?" Green responds hesitantly, already sensing Twilight's intention. "Nonsense, it's not safe to wander in a world you don't know," Twilight looked directly into his eyes and then gave a smile. "Let me be your host; after all, there are many things I want to ask you, and I'm sure you have many questions too. What do you say?" I'm definitely curious about the other human, thought Green, but his brow furrowed as he recalled that huge, flashy castle in the center of town. His first days in any world were always spent outdoors, interacting with the flora and fauna, but above all, away from those considered important in their respective worlds. "This is a good opportunity, and getting to know her will be a good start to understanding this world, but still..." "Princess, I don't mean to be ungrateful. The girls explained to me that the other human never approached the town, and I want to be in a similar situation, at least in the first days of my arrival. I want to be away from the public eye, and it's most likely that the huge castle visible from here is yours. Unless you have a more subtle place for me to stay, I'm afraid I'll have to decline your offer." Twilight's ears droop in clear disappointment. "Poor Spike, he'll be disappointed. I even told him to prepare something special." The situation is complex; it hadn't crossed Twilight's mind that the human might reject her invitation, and she clearly couldn't let him go unsupervised, considering the current complex situation of the kingdom. Her face lights up with what seems to be an idea. "I know the perfect place..."