Author's Note

The broken English in David's dialogue is intentional.

Chapter 4

"They turned their desks into a trigonometric war room, poring over equations scrawling ideas on blackboards, evaluating their work, erasing it, starting over."
-- Margot Lee Shetterly

"Over here."

I walked away while coughing bitterly. It drained my strengths, I couldn’t attempt an escape in that position.

"Need water-" I sputtered in my native language.

I tried using expressions and a few words for her to understand me, bad for me it was in vain.

"Don't worry, stay calm and everything will be fine! After all, you are next to the most powerful unicorn in Ekustria!"

"What-the damnit," I lowered my head in disgust and clenched my fists intending to stay awake.

Worst of all is the unpleasant feeling of sweat and blood inside my suit. Outside it was scratched and very dirty, the symbols on it were almost visible. For all this trip I have been trying to accommodate this better, I swear that if I would not die of thirst, it was going to be from an infection.

We arrived at what seemed to be the outskirts of this town where a purple wagon was behind an oak tree.

"Why do I have-cough-a bad feeling about this."

"Alright, we're here."

With a gentle pull, I headed towards the car with trepidation.

"Welcome to Trixie’s wagon lilaihtimam."

She opened a small door on the back, where a wooden flask was hanging from a coat rack.

I immediately leapt in and grabbed the flask.

"HEY, HOW YOU DARE TO PUSH THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE!"
I ignored her and opened the flask, continuing to drink large amounts of the semi-bitter water. The rash in my throat disappeared, and I could finally rest momentarily.

"STUPID ANIMAL! That was the best shwaih I-Trixie had there! Ughhh, why did Trixie offer to help......"

She quickly organized the little mess I left at the entrance and sent me daggers as she pointed inside of the wagon.

"Come on in, Trixie’s patience is not really on mood.....Celestia, please help me."

I coughed a few more times as I covered myself with an arm. When I lowered it, I noticed a small red spot on the white nylon surface.

"Blood-" my coughing interrupted my mumbled thoughts.

"Hey- are you feeling good," the unicorn approached me calmer and looked with concern, "Trixie is now talking to a lilaihtimam, it's official, I'm going crazy."

"I don't know- if that's crazy," I said wearily.

She stopped, and took three steps back while blinking quickly, "Trixie is hallucinating too?"

"What are you talking about?"

I turned around and raised an eyebrow, "now what."

The unicorn was shaking, and its pupils turned into pinpricks.

I passed my tied hands in front of her sight with a frown. I jerked back and stayed quiet while watching her. Could it be that this is normal in their biology? Crystal Rose did nothing like that since she met me.

At that moment I thought of escaping as she is in this state. Perhaps I would have escaped if I didn’t continue with the chains.

My suspicions pointed to the key in her cape, maybe it's disrespectful to lift it, I mean, they seemed to not have a concept of decency for a sapient species, but then again, it must be a cultural thing, and they are mini-horses, ponies.

Ponies, that fits right.

The unicorn started saying things under its breaths.

"This can't be real," she started as she analyzed me, "you can really talk!"

"I can speak very little you language, but I assume my language sound like, well, language."

"What-what, this can't be happening to me," her ears pressed against her head, "that-that didn't sound like a language."

"Than?"

"Yeah-yeah, you sounded like an animal," she pulled and sat on her haunches, “a lilaihtimam."

I facepalmed, "Can someone tell me they mean with lilaihtimam! Everybody been saying same word."

"Like an ape, uhhhhh I don't know how to explain it, that's what they told me," she paused and frowned, "no, I'm sure I'm imagining that you're talking to me."

I shook my head, "listen, I'm not an uhhh ape to begin, I'm human, if you don't believe can you please take chains off me!"

"Not an ape, a lilaihtimam!"

"Ju-just do it alright, take them off please, I'm not to...attack you or like that."

She bit her lower lip, "yeah-if you're real, then you're a demon from Tartarus!"

"A what of what?" I lowered my voice a bit as I knelt, "You can trust, just take off chains, and we both solve in civilized manner."

"How can I solve something with an animal!"

"I am not an animal of everyone on this planet! I should be one who loses control!"

She tilted her head, "what?"

"Damnit, just take chains off me."

She hesitantly got close and made a small, silver key to appear out of nowhere. She looked back into my eyes and sighed.

"You promise me that you won't... eat Trixie or something."

I deadpanned, "just do it!"

With her magic, he removed the padlock and the chains came loose. I took off the metal collar and the handcuffs on my own, beginning to stretch and yawn.

"Yes finally!" I raised my hands in victory, "well, thank you for putting price on life, but I to go."

"What hey!"

She ran ahead of me, and stood still, blocking my path, "why did you do that!"

"You let me out," I crossed my arms, "I get out of here now!"

"I don't understand," she stomped a hoof, "besides, you know that's the direction of the port right?"

"Ehhh," I jerked back a bit, "I didn't understand that very well."

She huffed, "You, you're going back to the port, the place where ughhh Trixie doesn't have to explain that!"

"Aha," I scratched my beard and knelt, "listen, there something important I left back, I to go back to town."

"I-" she stuttered, "no, we have to go now!"

"I think not if you move please!"

"No, besides what is so important that you want to return to that unpleasant port!"

"Mind your own business."

"It is Trixie's business," she ran ahead of me again, "listen I need to take you to somepony, and I don't think you want me to use my magic again."

"What are you-" my eyes widened and my fists clenched, "it was you right! You were making me feel -cough-cough- damn you!"

"Please, at least tell Trixie why do you want to go back ther-"

"No," I interrupted snappily, "you tell me where do you want me go and who do you me to see, I'm not animal!"

"You'd be surprised," she said under her breath, "Fine, but then you have to tell me why you want to come back."

I snorted, "fine for me."

She turned to look at her wagon and sighed, "You see, I have a debt that I have to pay to someone in............"

8 days ago….

A newspaper slammed a table. The lavender alicorn’s mane is dishevelled as she is trembling from excitement.

"Look at this!" she exclaimed, startling Starlight and Spike who were lazily eating their breakfasts.

Starlight had bags under her eyes, the last night was rather..... memorable to her-

-//-

“Wait what alicorn is? What Starlight or Spike is? And how you know that part if you weren’t ther-”

“Don’t interrupt Trixie while she is telling a flashback!”

-//-

Spike rubbed his eyes and lazily drifted towards the newspaper.

The Ponyville New Times

The geographical survey has released several documents drafting from some mysterious ruins in the south of the bone desert. The princesses Celestia and Luna publicly announced that they were going to bring to light all the data they had on these ruins made in the past. The perfection impressed scientists and magicians in the old ruins, and the amount of metal found among the stone that is believed to support structures like in modern buildings. An even more impressive piece of information was the discovery of a magic dead zone, an event that has not occurred since Equestria was first invaded. Princess Luna said privately that she believes this dead zone has a connection to the mysterious meteorite that fell a couple of days ago in the Celestial Ocean……….

"Aaaand...... is that supposed to be something good or bad?"

Spike blinked owlishly as he started drinking his coffee again.

"Good!" Twilight shouted again, "this," she pointed to the newspaper, "this changed history! Do you know the implications behind this, somepony built this mega construction using iron before it was discovered!....... or at least when we thought that they discovered it."

"Twilight," Starlight began, "why are you showing this to us?"

“Because,” she tapped her hoof on the table, “I need somepony to help me investigate this.”

“I’m out!” Spike and Starlight said in unison.

Twilight rolled her eyes, “I’m not talking about you, but about, you know…”

“I know what?”

“Trixie,” Twilight stated bluntly.

Starlight lowered her coffee and tilted her head, “are you going to ask Trixie to help you with something.”

“No-no,” she interrupted, “you are going to tell Trixie to help you with something, she is still being reformed after all and she is your friend.”

“Twilight, I don’t think this is a good idea,” Starlight said, “plus what do you want her to do, to sail across the ocean to look for a rock?”

“No,” Twilight brought a map with her magic, “I need her to go here.”

Starlight trembled a bit, “Puerto Caballo? That’s a town for the outlaws.”

“But it’s the closest port to the location where the ‘light’ was seen.”

“The light?”

“Yes, I investigated a little bit more about this ‘meteorite’ and the night when it landed, a red light momentarily illuminated the sky.”

“Do-you-think it could be an alien?” Spike said quivering, “or maybe a giant lizard monster that just woke up from the ocean!”

The two remain silent for a few seconds, “Spike, you need to stop reading so many comics at night.”

Starlight turned to look at her friend, “so you think that…. Whatever that thing was could have ended up in Puerto Caballo?”

“It could, but that’s up to Trixie to find out.”

“.......and that’s how I arrived here.”

I raised an eyebrow, “I’m going to be honest you, I didn’t understand almost anything what you just talk.”

She frowned, “y-you, did you understand at least what I have to pay!"

Tapping my chin, I placed a hand on my back, “you never talk about a pay.”

“Ahhhhh!”

I rolled my eyes and started jogging towards the town.

"I will not waste more of my time."

The unicorn turned and galloped from behind.

"Hey! We have a deal”

I slowed down and started walking through the tropical bushes, "of course we have."

She awkwardly backed off, "what's that supposed to mean?"

"You'll see when I show it to you."

I silently made a complete turn around the town’s walls, and stayed hidden behind a tree as I looked at the port.

"There it is, the Intrepid."

I considered my options. I could say that at least 7 pegasi were around the capsule.

The interesting thing is that each one of them was wearing golden armour with a Roman-style helmet. Maybe if I approached and tried to reason with them was my only option to reach it. They had swords, an advantage over me in every way. I tried to look up a little longer, and my eyes fell on three other boats just like the one I got here.

"How am I going to know which is which, come on when I'm going to have at least a bit of luck..."

A gallop came from behind, the blue unicorn looking very irritated, "what do you think you're-doing."

She suddenly lunged towards me, pushin me back in the process.

My first reaction was to glare at her, and just as I was about to say something, she quickly shut me up by putting a hoof over my mouth.

"Shhhhhh silence," she tried to look towards the harbour carefully, "the Royal Guard arrived before me."

"What-what is the royal guard?"

"Shhh lower," she motioned for me to follow her, "they can not see you, if they do, they'll surely take you straight to the dungeons in Canterlot!"

"So they are the local law enforcement," I snapped my fingers while adorning a smile, "perfect! Maybe if I explain my situation to them, they-"

"No no! If you try to get close to them, they will surely imprison you! You are a smart lilaihtimam!"

I groaned, "what is a lilaihtimam."

She shook her head, "that doesn't matter now okay, you just can't get close to them, after all, that thing could be the meteorite-"

She stopped and turned to look at me with an expression of horror, "what-what-what you-you-you-you er-is an ... alien ... that's why you wanted to go back to you-you-you. thing..."

"I huh."

"Of course! That explains why you can speak, you had to take the form of an animal when entering our planet."

"What! That not make sense, I'm human!"

"Exactly, you magically shapeshifted."

I swore that at that moment I was about to hit someone, "no, you misunderstood me, this, body is that of a human!"

"Huh?" she tilted her head a bit, "what did you just say?"

"I-I, this what-"

"What was that! Who's there!"

Our mouths closed automatically and she leaned a little closer to me, "listen, please trust Trixie this time," she paused as we both moved in unison, "accompany Trixie to Ponyville, there is an alicorn that can help save.... whatever that is. "

I raised an eyebrow, "and how do you know that?"

"I just know! She was Princess Celestia's student."

"Princess Celestia?" That name finally rang out and a smile appeared on my face, "She is the leader of Equestria right?"

"Not only her, Princess Luna and Princess Twilight as well, but not many ponies know the latter is a princess."

She paused, and turned to look at me confused, "how do you know about her?"

"Someone told me about them, except that Twilight."

She was suspicious for a moment but decided to shrug it off, "look, I can take you to one of the princesses."

"If you can do that! I-I would be perfect!"

"Yeah, Trixie is always right about those things," she said proudly as she started to slow down, "I guess you want to meet our leaders right?"

"Yes! That would be amazing."

"Of course, you can convince them to stop following you just because you're an alien and help you get back to your planet," she finished awkwardly, "if that's what you want and are"

I chuckled, "that might do the trick."

"And Trixie can finally pay her debt," she said while jumping excitedly.

"Wait, how far is that Ponyville from here?"

She became upset because of those words, "at least a week."

I cursed under my breath. That seemed like a long time to be away from the Intrepid, he was afraid that they might use their energy on the hood and possibly damage the contents of it. The other way was to simply turn me in, but I could end up in this 'Canterlot,' which eerily sounds like the castle of Camelot in the old King Arthur story. Surely that place is a kind of Area 72 for this world, a desolate, high-security prison where they keep 'paranormal' things.

I shuddered at that thought. My decision was already obvious, "I accept."

"You accept!" she brightened at this, "of course you would accept! Who wouldn’t accept something from Trixie.”

"So.... almadélfous taxidióhirin"

I nodded once, "almadélfous taxidióhirin."

"And Trixie, what is almadélfous taxidióhirin?"