XXX
Twilight was having a very hard time dealing with this irritating earthpony.
"Now what do you mean with 'Are you ready to go?' exactly?"
The orange pony facehooved, thus putting his sunglasses at an odd position.
"I think that question is as clear as glass. Now are you coming?"
He said and corrected his sunglasses.
"Iv'e never even met you before, how can i know your just not some creep? For all i know you could fillynap me!"
The colt sighed and smiled.
"Do i look like somepony that would do that?"
Twiligt frowned and simply replied with one simple word.
"Yes."
The colt faked a shocked expression.
"Im offended! I've been called lot's of things but never a fillynapper!"
In fact Twilight thought he looked more like somepony that would likely stab you if he had anything to gain by doing so.
"Look mister, i dont know who you are or why you are here so start talking before i close the door."
Now the colt finaly put on a serious face.
"Ok fine. You Twilight Sparkle has been chosen to aid the research of what the archeologists call "Eiraths Temple".
I am Traverse, the guide and bodyguard during the trip there.
Twilight could only think of one question.
"But who thought i would be the pony for the job?"
Traverse chuckled a little.
"You mean she didn't tell you? I thought you were her favorite student."
"Princess Celestia?"
The colt simply nodded.
"Well then what are we waiting for? We have a temple to explore."
Twilight said walking back into the library and then upstairs to pack.
"So i just had to bring Celestia into the conversation to shange your mind?"
Traverse shouted through the door opening.
"If Celestia wanted me to do it then it must be important."
She shouted back while putting a couple of book's in a bag.
"So we can finally go now? Im patient and all but this waiting is making me nervous, you should never stay in one spot for too long, it makes you an easy target for assasins."
Twilight couldn't help but find that last remark odd.
"That was a random statment."
She said.
"Yea... random."
Traverse said quietly to himself.
"Anyway are you ready to go now?"
Twilight came down from the stairs with an explorer-hat on her head and two bags on each of her flanks.
"That i am. I have everything i need right in these bags."
He looked at her bags and then at her with a confounded look on his face.
"Books?"
He said.
"You are lucky we already have supplies with us or you would be starving, but then again i suppose you practically eat books eh?"
He giggled at his own joke wich rewarded him with an glare from Twilight.
"Are we leaving or are you going to stand there and make bad jokes all day?"
Traverse pouted and turned around.
"Laughing at bad jokes is a great social skill, you should learn it. Come on follow me, and try not to fall behind."
XXX
The camp was stationed just outside the entrance to the Everfree forest, it was just three small tents placed in a circle around a small camp-fire but Twilight asumed it was a camp none the less. It was getting dark and everypony had already gone to their tents. Traverse and Twilight decided to sit around the fire for a while before going to bed.
"Wow, what glamour. You must really earn lot's of bits while doing this."
Twilight said with a sarcastic tone.
"I am, they are not. I'm hired by them so i get paid, everything they find goes to museums so they dont get any profit."
He said with a now rock hard voice.
"So your not part of their organization?"
She asked.
"If you by "organization" mean university, then no. I was just hired cause they asked for ponies with wilderness experience over in Fillydelphia and i happened to be there. This is the first time i'm a guide though so let's just see how this turns out."
Twilight found that this pony had gotten her curiosity going.
"Then what do you normaly do?"
The colt stared into her eyes with a stern expression.
"We dont talk about that. Next question."
Twilight tried to get a look at his cutie mark but it was blocked by his saddle-bags.
"Come on you can tell me, i dont judge."
The colt mumbled something but Twilight thought he said.
"That's cause you havn't heard it yet."
He un-attached his saddlebags and put them next to him, he then pulled out a small journal and a pen and started to write something. Twilight could now clearly see his cutie-mark but she was not quite sure what it meant, it was a ring with two lines inside forming a cross. Traverse had now stopped writing and looked up from the book, noticing her staring at his flank.
"Do you know what it means?"
He said.
"No iv'e never seen anything like it before. What does it mean?"
He kept his stern look and said.
"It's related to my special talent and i wont tell you what i normaly do."
He put the book back in his saddle-bags and sat up.
"I'm going to bed and so should you. We have a long trip ahead of us tomorrow and you should be well rested."
"But where am i gona sleep?" She asked him.
"The tent behind you is yours. Dont bother unpacking anything though cause we are leaving early in the morning.
XXX
Traverse really didn't feel comfortable around Twilight, she asked too much. Although he had the feeling she wasn't a bad pony he knew she was too curious for her own good and that was going to be a problem. He got up from his sleeping-bag and searched through his saddlebags until he found what he was looking for. A small case with several different parts that looked as if they could be assembled. He picked up a round object with glass on both ends and examined it closely.
"Good no rust or cracks in the glass."
He said silently. He did the same thing with the rest of the case and then put it back in the bag.
XXX
Twilight woke up from her dreams by someone shaking her.
"Come on sleepyhead it's a beautiful day and you shouldn't waste it in bed, besides we have to go soon."
She jolted up in a sitting position and found herself face to face with Traverse.
"Now that's the spirit! Get your stuff we're leaving in five minutes."
The tent was gone, they had taken it down while she was sleeping. She struggled herself out of the sleeping-bag and stood up. She saw an completely brown pony approach her from the other side camp.
"Ah Miss. Sparkle how wonderful you could join us, i am Dr. Venture Stone the leader of this excavation."
He stretched his hoof out and she shook it.
"Now we have a lot of ground to clear so i'll explain what you want to know on the way."
And so they ventured into the Everfree forest on their way to the temple.