Cereal

        Making my way back into the Everfree was surprisingly harder than getting out. With no significant landmarks to rely on, getting lost was easier than not. The only difference was in lighting, which I assumed got darker as I traveled farther inwards.

        Trudging along, I discovered that my hooves didn’t actually seem to touch the forest floor. It was strange. I could still feel the ground (somehow through my hooves) though I didn’t leave any tracks, and I seemed incapable of stepping on things too close to the ground, such as crunching leaves and thin twigs that could go snap! at crucial moments. I recalled what ‘John’ said I would be when he sent me to Equestria, a story that was becoming increasingly convincing. After a few moments of thought, I remembered what John had claimed. A word stood out to me. The name of a creature in one of the silly games I played years ago, Puzzle & Dragons. It was a puzzle based (duh) RPG style game, and one of the monsters that you could get was a kirin, though the name was a bit different (Incarnation of Kirin, Sakuya). Seeing as I wasn’t a hot anime girl (dammit), I didn’t really have much to go off of.

Kirin. Whatever that is, I seem to be one. I ducked to avoid a low hanging branch and hiked on, tripping on a root. Apparently I didn’t leave tracks with only my hooves. My face left a nice clear imprint of the fool who wasn’t watching where they were going on the damp forest floor.

Spitting dirt, I got back to my feet/hooves. Walking had left me with nothing better to do than to think. However, I got so absorbed in my own thoughts, I didn’t realise when I had wandered off track. Initially, I had planned to walk in a straight line to the castle. And now look where I am. Great.

I was surrounded by trees, because I was in a forest. One of the trees stood out though. It was in the way I supposed lead into the center of the forest, with darker shadows and more ominous noises emanating from the general direction. The special tree seemed to have a glow to it, and a walk around to the other side of the tree quickly revealed it to be a tree hut, like Zecora’s. It obviously wasn’t Zecora’s, however. It lacked the tribal masks and strange potions. It also lacked a zebra.

Peeking in through one of the window, I spotted a pony with a coat of blue so light it was almost white, something akin to Snowdrop’s (you know her). The pony’s mane, however contrasted with its coat, being a dark shade of blue streaked with purple and hints of red. It’s cutie mark depicted a star with waves behind it and sparkles all contained inside a flat-bottomed pan, the waves and star like some kind of astral bacon and eggs. The pony seemed to be cooking, picking ingredients off of a shelf next to it with a purple-blue aura. The pony’s build revealed it to be a she, though I could be wrong. It certainly wasn’t Big Mac, though. She hummed a wordless tune as she cooked, swaying her body to the melody.

But the most prominent feature was the smell. Suddenly, I was hungry, and I wanted nothing more than to barge in there and take the food, no matter the cost. The grass on the forest floor just wasn’t as good as a classic home-cooked meal. I was about to knock on the door to the tree-den when I hesitated. What if she’s an evil enchantress… That’ll put me in trances… And if I look into her eyes.. Okay no more. The food smells too good to pass up, anyways.

Is it worth your life?

Yes.

I knocked. A surprised eep! came from the other side, followed with a plop as something large was dropped into the pot. I heard the clip-clop of hooves approach the door, and the door creak open. A navy-blue eye peered out.

“Hello?”

“Oh, um.. Hey there! I smelled the food, and uh..” Shoot. I can’t just ask her to give me, a complete freaking stranger, food. Great job, me. What next?

“Oh, but you must be starving! Especially if you could be attracted by my cooking.”

A good natured laugh followed that made even me grin. The door swung open the rest of the way to reveal a unicorn mare wearing a brilliant smile. Having nothing to say to that, I smiled graciously and walked in, making sure to wipe myself off outside first.

My jaw dropped as I walked in. “It’s bigger.... On the inside?”

“Excuse me?”

“I mean, your house didn’t exactly look this big from the outside.”

“So..?”

“Hmm. Never mind. Forget I said anything.”

“Okay then.” She answered with somewhat of a nervous smile.

The inside was indeed bigger than the outside, though the difference was barely noticeable. I estimated the outside diameter was only at about 200 meters, while inside it looked around 250 to 300 meters in diameter. While that was strange, it was even stranger the way that my host mare had just waved it off, as if differences in space were normal.

Which reminds me…

“I’m sorry, but I seem to have forgotten to ask for your name. I hope you will forgive me.”

The mare laughed again, though this time dismissively. She sure loved to laugh.

“It’s quite fine. I don’t have visitors often anyways, so manners sort of go out the window. The folks back home called me The Gypsy, but you can call me Terra. Terra Lulamoon. What’s your name?”

Her introduction was tinged with sadness, while not lost to me, was eclipsed by the other revelation that came with her name. I tried not to stare. Lulamoon? As in Trixie Lulamoon? A distant ancestor? I had never liked Trixie as a character. To me, she simply looked like a character who boasted with nothing to back herself up with. A silly wanna-be. Someone whose ego had grown faster than their IQ.

I’m in the past now. I can change things. I can make it so that Trixie was never born, either by killing this mare, or saying just the right words so that she will never have children.

But what will happen then? As far as I can tell right now, everything is as it should be. What if I change something and the future is disrupted? What will happen if-

“Umm… Sir? Are you awake?” Pan stared at me with a mix of concern and fear. Endearingly, the majority of her expression showed concern.

“Ha. Sorry” I gave my head a light shake. “Only half. Awake, that is” I added when her face showed confusion.

“Ha-ha. Funny. You still haven’t answered my question.”

        “You can call me…” I trailed off.

Wow. I don’t know what to say. Do I tell her my real name? Will she be suspicious? How does the naming around here even work? Is she even supposed to know? What could it cause?

Terra started to look impatient, so I decided on the safest path I could think of. A fake name, maybe even an alter ego. A nom de guerre. But what? My eyes scanned the room.

Think, quick! Ponies’ names consist of usually two words, while any one of the two can be a conjunction of words, they usually include adjectives somewhere. FlutterSHY, RAINBOW Dash, Twilight SPARKLE. Oddities still exist, such as Rarity, a single word name and not a conjunction, and an adjective. Names also pertain to the character. Rainbow Dash is fast, Fluttershy is, well shy. What do I have? Antlers, and an annoying nub of a horn right in front of my eyes. Nub of a horn. Nubhorn? Damn, that’s just plain bad. But I have nothing else.

“You know, if you didn’t want to tell me, you didn’t have to-”

        “Nubhorn. Yes, that’s my name. Took me a while to remember it, sorry.”

        “What- How do you forget your own name?” she asked, looking flabbergasted. You know the look that only ponies seemed to be able to pull off? Yeah, that one.

        “I’ve been traveling alone for a while, okay?” Which was true, though only for a short while.

        “Huh” she huffed. “Well, you might as well fill yourself up and begone then.”

        Her rapid change in demeanor was a surprise. Her voice was tinged with anger and a bit of sadness, none of which would have been evident unless you knew what to look for. Her frowning face and downcast eyes revealed that my assumptions weren’t wrong.

Wow, I winced. Was I really offensive? Are names really that important?

Well duh. She’s your host. She’s obliged to know who she lets in and out of her house.

A bowl of stew was held up to me in that purple-blue aura of hers and placed onto a nearby table. I followed the delicious food.

        Before I could dig in, a twinge of guilt held me back. Here I was, a guest who had just irritated their gracious host, and I was about to eat her food. Free food too. She didn’t even to ask me to go on a quest or clean up for her or something. Screwing up the courage, and whatever scarce word I could think of into an apology, I opened my mouth.

        “Look. I’m sorry. I think we both know that Nubhorn isn’t my real name. However, names have power, and as a wanderer, I’ve been trying to be free. I apologize.”

        She glared at me a while before replying. “I told you my name. I don’t see how this is fair, seeing as you now have ‘power’ from knowing my name and I still don’t know yours. But.” Her glare softened, “I can understand how you feel. I wandered here myself, and built this home all alone. I’ve felt the freedom you have before, but manners are always worth something.”

        “Again, I have to say I’m sorry. I can forget your name if you want, but my name is something a little too personal for me to share.”

        Her eyes softened some more, with a hint of amusement in them. “Well, it's fine I guess. Keep your name, and keep mine while you’re at it. I don’t mind. I also don’t mind that I’ll have nothing to call you from now on but Nubhorn.” She said the last part with a teasing tone. To my credit, I took it in stride.

        “Well, Terra, it does seem so. It will be a name hard to forget, for this is the nubbiest of horns within miles.” I gave her a mock bow. “Deer of the nubbed horn, Nubhorn at your service.” If I could keep my name from her, keeping my.. Species a secret won’t hurt. What she doesn’t know, she can’t miss.

        Terra giggled at my bow and returned it, with her own introduction. “It is indeeed an honor, dear deer Nubhorn.”

        I grinned at that. “Well played. I don’t think I can follow anything up to that.”

        “Don’t bother. I often find I simply too smart for most ponies. And deer, it seems.”

        “Yeah, yeah. It must be because of that bloated head of yours.”

        “Why, me? Surely not!”

        I promptly spat out the broth in my mouth I was drinking and choked as the soup entered my windpipes which had opened from my laughter.

        Terra got up, a worried expression on her face, mingled slightly with laughter and a certain degree of smugness.

“Are you okay?” she asked as she gave my back a solid thump!

        I raised a hoof, signaling that I would be fine. After another half-minute of coughing, I had finally recovered enough to speak again. Afterwards, we sat across from each other at the simple table in contented silence. Every so often, I stole a glance at Terra to make sure I wasn’t unintentionally snubbing my host. She wore a satisfied smile as she stared out a window.

~

The day went on as we occasionally chatted until I felt that I had already spent too long in one place. Over the hour or so I had spent there, I had fully rested and eaten my fill in that delicious stew of hers. I wait a moment and broke the silence.

“While I have enjoyed your company immensely, it is time for me to go.I want to make it to the Castle of Two Sisters before sundown.” It was already high noon, the harsh midday sun’s rays barely reaching through the thick canopy.

        “What?” Her mood suddenly reversed. “I- I thought-”

        I was stunned for a second, then immediately felt guilty. From the looks of it and from what she said, she had been living all alone for a while now, with no company save for the occasional monster. But I can’t stay.

Why not? A part of me asked.

I- Well, I have things to do. If this is indeed Equestria, I want to see the world. Travel every nook and cranny. It is ancient Equestria, anyways. I want to see what I can do, and while I cannot prevent the Trixie problem, I would like to stop others from plaguing the Mane Six. I want to leave a mark, no matter how small.

Then let her have a happy last few moments. Yet I still have to leave soon. If I stay a night to keep her company, she would become too attached. Heck, I would too.

Two outcomes here. I stay or I leave. Oh boy. I want to leave, but I don’twant to make her feel bad. That means I can either make her glad to have me leave, or I can leave with a ‘happy farewell,’ however it is that people do that. This isn’t gonna be easy, is it?

“Don’t misunderstand. I appreciate all the help.You probably saved me from death-by-starvation back there and I can’t thank you enough. It’s just that I want to explore the world. I come from a distant land, as a.. deer.. I would like to explore Equestria, see the sights.” I took a deep breath afterwards, in what would have looked like a convincing distressed sigh. A weak excuse, but hopefully still semi-convincing.

        She looked at me with sad eyes. Yet she still smiled, however sadly. “I guess there’s no convincing you otherwise. I know a determined look when I see one. Had one myself, actually. That was years ago.” Her gaze turned from the ground to me. “The least I can offer is to guide you to the castle. After all, the Castle of Two Sisters, while far away, is still part of this forest. I’ve even seen it a few times, back when I was looking for a place in the forest I could settle.”

        I looked into her eyes, stunned at how willing she was to help. Her determination shown in her eyes, and I was amazed at how this mare pretty much offered her life to lead me through the Everfree for Pete’s sake. I didn’t even ask her to. I considered convincing her otherwise, but decided not to. She knew what she was doing. I could see all that and more in her eyes. I knew there was no talking her out of it, she already knew the dangers. Heck, she lived in danger.

        I could in bow my head in thanks, “It honors me that you would be willing to risk so much-”

        “Ah, shove it. I haven’t been out in a while anyways” She interrupts me with a grin, “It wouldn’t hurt to get me some fresh air anyways.”

        I look at her open windows, but decide to stay quiet.

        “Besides, seeing as you somehow managed to stumble all the way to my house, it looks like you don’t know your way around here.”

        “Once again, I appreciate the offer, but-”

        “I’m going.” She states this with a slight amount of annoyance in her voice. That’s the end of that discussion, it seems.

        “Uh. Thanks.”

        With nothing else to say, we set out.

~

        “Supplies?” Terra snorts, “We are herbivores. In a forest. The castle is only about an hour’s walk from here anyways. Why would you need supplies?”

        “I don’t know,” I admit, “but maybe we should have brought something. Like weapons, freshwater, or a first-aid kit”

        “First-aid? What’s that?” She tilts her head questioningly.

        “A healing kit of sorts.” I say, berating myself for the slip-up. Drug trip or not, I have no idea what that revelation will cause. Humans and zombies might start springing out of the ground, or Terra might just stare at me like I was crazy and I would lose my guide.

        “Never heard it called that before.”

        I give a nervous laugh. “Yeah, I guess it’s just deer slang.”

        “Well, you guys are weird.”

        “Why? The name makes sense.”

        “Sure the aid part does, but where does first come in?”

        “First refers to it being the first thing you use to cover up a wound or something similar. The aid is obvious, and it is usually all contained in a carry-around kit, because we don’t have magic, hence the kit part.”

        “Huh. Still weird though.”

        “Yeah, yeah, keep talking” Then a thought returns to me. “Even though the name is weird, it doesn’t excuse the fact that we don’t have one”

        “We’ll manage.” Was her only reply.

        Staring at her incredulously, I trip over a particularly large stone on the ground.

“We’ll manage?” I pick myself up and protest. “Is that how you’ve lived in the Everfree all these years? By managing?”

She just shrugs in response. “We’re at the river.”

The sudden change in subject causes me to look over. The river that the mane six had crossed so long ago in the second episode of MLP stood before me. Without a flamboyant purple leviathan to stir up the river, the water was surprisingly calm. According to the midday sun, the river flowed smoothly from West to East, where it would empty off into an ocean who knows where. Lacking the giant sea snake, the water was, however, still quite murky, to the point where the bottom wasn’t visible. In fact, I couldn’t see past about two feet into the water.

With no way to judge the depth and my previous encounter with water in mind, I wasn’t too eager to dive on in and paddle to the other side. Terra obviously had no problem with it, as she immediately jumped into the water with a splash, a large amount of which managed to hit me, and paddled across. Once on the other shore, she looked around in confusion and spotted me on the opposite bank.

“Water (what are) you waiting for?!” She yelled across to me.

“I can’t swim!” I hollered back.

“What?!”

“I! Can’t! Swim!”

“WHO SAYS YOU NEED TO SWIM?! THE WATER ISN’T EVEN DEEP!”

At this point my throat was horse (hoarse, haha get it?) and I decided that drowning would actually end the throat torture faster than continued ‘conversation.’ Testing the river with a hoof, which worryingly couldn’t touch the bottom, I steeled myself and jumped in.

I panicked for a second, kicking my hooves and flailing uselessly around in the water, though my legs soon found purchase in the river bottom. The river was similar in depth to the pond I had encountered hours back, my entire length barely able to reach from surface to bottom. Using my forelegs for balance, I slowly waddled my way to shore.

“You can’t swim?” Terra asks me the moment I reach the other shore. She wore an amused smile on her face, though she winced a little, probably from a throat sore from yelling.

“I can’t exactly tread water with hooves like this, can I?”

She starts to laugh, but soon breaks down coughing. It makes sense, since she had lived alone most of her life, she probably couldn’t take too much yelling. As a psychologist, I normally spoke in a quiet calming tone, but yelling was a challenge. We both took a long drink of the cool river water to soothe our aching throats. The murkiness didn’t really matter with throats as dry as ours.

“Let’s.. Not do that again.” Terra says between coughs.

“Yeah.” A thought hits me. A stroke of inspiration between hacking coughs. “Maybe it won’t hurt to just magick me over next time?”

“Oh.”

We simultaneously facehoof, a dull thunk sounding through the forest.