Chapter 7: Function one
When Green woke up, all he saw was darkness, so he had to rely on his other senses. He could recognize footsteps of quadruped beings, which confused him in their rhythm, proximity, and number. He focused on his sense of smell and could detect the scent of fried food, although this smell was more vaporous and clean. Still, it helped him understand that he now had a bag over his head.
Now he felt ashamed. He was sure that the magic of these beings wouldn't be able to affect him, at least not internally. Inducing a forced sleep was, moreover, a dangerous skill. At least from what he remembered, the unicorn who did it exerted herself greatly. Could any unicorn with a bit of effort do it? Or was she special, and he should only worry about her? Perhaps Green wouldn't come out of this situation unscathed. He had been careless and underestimated magic. Right now, he didn't know how dangerous it would be for him or where the limit was, and he feared that this uncertainty would lead him to make mistakes.
As the human continued to advance, he suspected they were venturing even deeper into that sinister forest, as the footsteps of his companions swayed unsteadily. In the distance, he could hear small creatures retreating from their presence and even some following them. Moreover, he could feel the hostility of the place increasing with every step they took.
Unexpectedly, the sound of the rushing winds ceased abruptly, as if it were a dull blow, echoing inside. The steps of the others finally ceased, and the next thing he felt was a wobble that made him fall backward onto the ground. Shortly after, someone slid off the bag he had on, allowing him to see his surroundings. They were in a cave with stone walls adorned with torches emitting orange and gray hues.
"I hope you slept well," came the same voice Green had heard before falling asleep. Green lifted his head, and as he set his eyes on her shining silver fur, he remembered the events of the previous night. She was the one who had managed to put him to sleep. "Because I'm sorry to say that it will be some time before you can rest again. Of course, everything will be more comfortable if you answer a few questions now," her eyes had a special gleam to them, and Green immediately knew that this pony spelled trouble. "I suppose that's a yes, right?" she concluded in the absence of a response.
The human merely scanned the cave with his eyes. The only exit he identified was blocked by a couple of pegasi; he imagined this was because they were the fastest.
"What do you want?" Green said without making eye contact.
"Very well, I think we're starting to understand each other. We don't have to be enemies; you just had bad luck," she said with a melodious and even relaxing voice. Then, she sat in front of him and rested her hoof on his chin, lifting it so their eyes met. Without removing her hoof from Green's face, she used her magic to remove her hood. Accompanying her silver fur was a black mane so bright that it was visible even against the backdrop of the night. "As a gesture of trust, I'll tell you my name. Call me Eclipse. I hope we get along and who knows? We might even develop a nice friendship," the human recognized this crude attempt at manipulation. Making someone vulnerable feel secure usually makes them more submissive. Green had decided to play along. "Now, let's start with the basics," she said after a few seconds. "Why have you come to this world? What are your objectives?"
It's time to make my move. I'll play with everything they supposedly know about me, the human thought, devising a plan. "I'll be honest with you. Earlier, I said I came here by accident, but that's not true," Green's words immediately caught Eclipse's attention, a fact that didn't go unnoticed by him. "The truth is, I came to search for something."
"Isn't it someone?" she interrupted. "If it's not for a certain being, I don't find anything worth the journey, if they're not random as you said," Green continued.
"Well, there is a connection. What's worth the journey is the thing that the person you're looking for has. Do you understand what that means? We can help each other," he explained.
"What are you looking for? And how could we help you, and vice versa?" Eclipse inquired.
"The other human has an accessory. I've come to take it from him," Green replied.
"You're saying he also has one of those strange devices that allows you to travel between worlds? I find that hard to believe..." Eclipse expressed doubt.
"Accessories can come in many forms, and some can be very subtle, like a ring, a necklace, or a bracelet," Green explained, noticing the doubt in his captor's eyes. Everything was going well. "But no matter what form it takes, an artifact can detect another. I can use it like a radar and know its exact location."
"I think I understand. You give us his location, and in return, we help you defeat him so you can take that thing from him," Eclipse concluded.
"Exactly. If you let me access my accessory, I'll give you his position so you'll believe me," the human gestured with his hands, which were restrained by the ropes.
"Sure, and then you'll use your little toy to attack us," Eclipse said, slightly annoyed. "Nice try, but it's not up to me to decide that. We're just passing through; we'll continue moving through the darkness in a few hours. Save your plans for when we reach our destination."
"I don't think that's a good idea. You could be in danger right now. And when you realize it, it will be too late for all of you, and for me too," the human knew that doubt was still present in Eclipse's eyes. He needed to be more aggressive and pressure her so she wouldn't think too much. "Just as much as I can detect Tofi, he can detect me. Who knows? Maybe he's heading here right now," Green heard one of the ponies let out a mocking laugh.
"Let him come then! We're not afraid, right boss?" exclaimed one of his captors, looking at Eclipse, but he was surprised to see genuine concern on her face.
That concern undoubtedly set off a chain reaction, and now all of her minions looked nervously at each other. One of them even glanced at the exit, unable to decide whether to run out right then.
"Fine! Tie up all his limbs, but leave one hand free!" Eclipse shouted with resignation. Her companions rushed at Green and, in the least delicate way possible, pinned him to the ground, restricting all his movements except for one of his hands.
"Now we'll put the accessory in your free hand. Don't even think about doing anything! We have you surrounded from all angles," Eclipse warned. The human nodded.
Even with an uncertain look and her horn glowing to defend herself, she gestured to one of her guards to hand over the artifact. He approached trembling and placed the object in Green's palm. Barely upon contact, an invisible field spread at lightning speed, paralyzing everyone it reached immediately.
Green let out a deep sigh. The accessory, sensing danger, instinctively reacted upon touching his hands. It's a characteristic of that small consciousness it possesses, and it acted on its own to protect him. They had named that mechanism "effect," and it's often unpredictable. The drawback is that it consumes a lot of the accessory's charge, but that's not a problem when he still had so many days in that world.
One of the them on top of him had a knife at his waist, and with his free hand, Green managed to grab it and cut the rest of his ropes, albeit with some difficulty. After getting up and dusting himself off, he looked around. First, he found Eclipse, her face reflecting surprise, with her eyes wide open. It seemed she realized something had gone wrong, though it was only for that brief moment. After receiving this kind of "effect," she wouldn't know what was happening anymore; she wouldn't be able to think, feel, or even age, even if he left them like that for eternity. It's as if time stopped for them. The faces of the others were peaceful; they didn't notice anything. Good for them, thought the human.
Green felt his heart pounding, and he felt the sweat dripping from his forehead. He knew exactly what he had to do now; he had done it countless times, and yet he couldn't help but feel anxious. He took slow breaths to calm himself and closed his eyes. Slowly, peeking out shyly, the human felt excitement; it was finally the time.
He opened his eyes and walked until he stood in the center of all the paralyzed ponies. When he lifted the accessory, it opened like a shell, revealing a small white crystal with dark inclusions inside. It was rhomboid-shaped and was attached from one of its corners to a golden tripod that tied it to the accessory.
After finding himself free, this opaque crystal began to emit a white light, the same happened to everyone present in the cave except for Green. When the brightness had enough strength, all the bodies connected in a single halo of light as if it were a chain made of smoke. With a sudden movement, similar to that of a fisherman when an especially large fish falls into his hook, the crystal absorbed all the lights illuminating the cave at that moment, including the torchlights, leaving everything in sinister darkness.
The process in which the light trails entered the accessory led to its closure, and it all lasted less than a second, but for Green, it felt like a lifetime. At that precise moment, a whirlwind of sensations entered his being forcefully, and during that eternal instant, he saw names, experiences, emotions, catharsis, and tragedies. Green not only saw their lives; Green didn't just see their lives; he lived them and ended them together. Now, Green not only knows this world, he is part of it. He knows that the princesses bring day and night, what cutie marks are, all the kingdoms that exist, all the history there was, and most importantly, he now knows that it was Princess Luna who handed him over.
But there was something more striking, and that was Twilight, who is not only the princess of friendship but also the sister of the captain of the Royal Guard. Her parents also held important positions, she is the bearer of the element of magic, and she has saved Equestria countless times with her friends.
"How interesting you turned out to be, my host," Green remarked.
The human tried to make his way towards the only visible light, the moonlight, but something collided with his foot and nearly knocked him over. When he looked down, he could see the motionless body of what must have been one of these ponies. Nothing new, thought Green. It wasn't unusual for the bodies to remain after executing the "function one" of the accessory. Were they dead? No, that ability didn't kill, or at least not objectively, as they were still breathing and their brains were still receiving signals; they were just empty.
The human activated the accessory to act as a flashlight and could observe what was left of his captors. Their colors were now more subdued, and they had lost their cutie marks. That was very interesting to Green, but his curiosity was cut short by a gut-wrenching scream that echoed throughout the cave.
With all the haste he could muster, Green turned towards the direction of that scream and found, to his misfortune, that Eclipse had resisted the "function one" and was now looking around with complete horror. What the hell is happening with her?! Green thought desperately. His accessory didn't have much charge left, but even so, he didn't expect to find someone capable of enduring it so soon. Who the hell are you? Green thought, this time frustrated.
The unicorn quickly directed her gaze towards the only source of light in the cave and found the figure of Green. Without hesitation, Eclipse cast the most powerful spell she knew. Her eyes filled with rage as she clenched her jaw, grinding her teeth. When Green saw this action, panic seized him.
Seeing that horn glow, Green felt incredibly vulnerable, and in a desperate move, he forced his tense muscles to make a violent shake with the accessory towards the unicorn, releasing a green halo from the object at full speed.
The impact was deafening and accompanied by an unpleasant crunching sound of something breaking. Eclipse fell to the ground, and all she could do then was let out a scream of pain, but the pain didn't compare to the fear. I must be dreaming, she repeated in her mind. It's not possible that what I think happened just happened, she said to herself in anguish, but these thoughts were interrupted when a white cloak enveloped her, paralyzing her.
"Sorry," was the first thing the human said when that white cloak turned towards him. "I realized I could have paralyzed you from the beginning. What I did was excessive," the human apologized again, directing his gaze to the unicorn's face and then to her forehead, where there were jagged edges and splinters in what was once a horn. "I am truly sorry." Green wasn't sure if Eclipse had heard any of his words because she didn't react to anything he said; she just stared into space with a lost look. The human sighed deeply. "I don't have time to deal with this now" The white cloak crackled with static, and then the sound of crackling electricity filled the silence along with screams of pain. After this, Eclipse fell to the ground with a dull thud.
The human had no idea how resistant these creatures would be to his electric discharge, so he used a lot of voltage just in case. Now he had to do something with the other bodies to avoid uncomfortable explanations.
When Green turned around, he saw something that made his skin crawl: the gaze of all those ponies lying on the ground was now fixed on him. The shock of this sight made him pale to the point where his legs gave out, and he fell to the ground.
"It's impossible," Green thought. Never in all his travels had he seen anything like it. For him, there shouldn't be anything within those ponies. They should be incapable of reacting to anything, they shouldn't have the strength to do so, and there shouldn't be anyone to do it, whoever moved their eyes wasn't them... he didn't know what it was. A very unsettling thought invaded his mind, and he forced himself to close his eyes. He didn't know how long he stayed like that, but he only opened his eyes when he heard the sound of hooves behind him. When he turned, he saw the blurry figure of Eclipse running towards the forest at full speed.
He jumped up and ran in the same direction, but when he reached the entrance of the cave, she had already disappeared. His paranoia returned with greater force when he realized his mistake. How foolish of me! If these beings manipulate the weather, then they must have ridiculous resistance to electricity in case of being struck by lightning. The information he had received with the accessory was not enough to fill in all the gaps. With a sigh to calm his unease, he turned around, determined to finally do something about the other bodies.
He picked up the bag that had been placed over his head, avoiding looking at the eyes that were still fixed on him, and with a motion of the accessory, caused them to rise and transform into small marbles of their fur color with a streak for their mane. Then he stored them in the bag.
Exiting the cave with the bag in hand, Green had to use the accessory to detect and navigate past the various creatures of the forest and thus venture even deeper into its thickness. It was a more arduous journey than expected. The path he had chosen was as winding as a snake, with twists and turns. At some point, he came across a river and thought it was the perfect place. He filled the bag with stones and tossed them into the water, watching as they slowly sank in a macabre, bubbling descent. It was just a formality, to make Green feel better about himself. Even if someone found that bag, they would never understand the meaning of its contents.
Now, he trusted that Twilight and company would find him sooner or later if he stayed in that cave. Nevertheless, he didn't want to leave any loose ends. In the Everfree, the weather is unpredictable, right? After thinking this, he shot a tiny bolt that expanded into the clouds, causing them to grow larger and darken. Too bad I can't use this trick in this world, Green said to himself, knowing that pegasi had some relationship with the weather, but not in this forest.
In a few minutes, the rain would start, and Green wanted to be back in the cave before that happened. He also wanted his tracks to disappear to avoid any uncomfortable questions. And he wanted to sleep.
Two hours passed since Green entered the cave and settled down to sleep when once again, the accessory woke him up, this time to inform him that non-hostile presences were approaching. Green assumed it was Twilight.
Shortly after, he heard murmurs and hurried footsteps around him. When Green turned around, he saw Princess Twilight giving orders to soldiers. When she realized the human had awakened, she hurried over to his direction.
"Green Mist, are you alright? You had us worried!" Twilight said, genuinely relieved.
"How is Zecora?" was the first thing Green asked.
"She... she's fine," Twilight said, her expression of concern fading as she smiled. "Thanks to you, she told us everything, and I appreciate it." One of the guards approached the princess.
"The area is clear, Your Highness. It's safe to leave," he said, stepping back with a bow. Twilight looked at Green for a few seconds.
"Did they hurt you?"
"No, although I don't remember everything very well," Green said, placing a hand on his neck.
"Don't worry, it's all over now," the same guard approached Twilight again, but this time whispered something in her ear that Green couldn't hear. This put him on alert, and he nervously scanned the area for any indication that might incriminate him. "A squadron will take us to a safe place. Just focus on resting now; we'll worry about the rest tomorrow," Twilight said, reassuringly. Green felt relieved by her words until he processed their meaning.
"Wait, a safe place?" he asked.
"That's right. We won't allow this to happen again, so you'll be taken to the castle. I'm sorry, I know it's not what you wanted."
"It's ok," Green replied.
Twilight then gestured for him to follow her, and on the way, Green found what appeared to be a kind of carriage tethered to two pegasi.
"Are we going to fly?" he asked anxiously.
"Well, I thought you wouldn't like teleportation, because... you know... the accident," she said softly, with some embarrassment.
The journey was silent and somewhat uncomfortable, but quick. Green supposed Twilight wanted to give him time to rest.
As soon as they got off the carriage, the guards surged forward, positioning themselves in a defensive formation to escort them safely. Green was thankful that this happened in the early hours of the morning, with no onlookers around.
Upon entering the castle, their footsteps echoed through the hallway. They proceeded to what seemed to be a small living room with a quite comforting view, surrounded by an enormous library.
"I'm sorry, despite the castle having several guest rooms, none of them have mattresses. In fact, most of them are completely empty," Twilight said, laying out a blanket. "So tonight, you'll have to sleep here. I hope that's not too much of an inconvenience."
Green received the blanket from Twilight's hooves and sat down on the sofa. "Don't worry, any place will do just fine," he said. "By the way, do you know what time it is?"
Twilight turned towards a wall with a clock, and despite having symbols Green had never seen before, he could interpret them, and it was...
"It's four fifty-three," Twilight said. "It's quite late already, I'd better let you get some sleep. If you have any trouble, don't hesitate to let me know. After all, my room is just a few meters away."
"Thank you, and goodnight, Princ... Twilight."
She held a small smile. "Goodnight, Green," she said before entering a room next to the lounge.
Green waited for a few minutes, not wanting to disturb his hostess, before getting up and heading to the library, making as little noise as possible. His goal was to find any book that discussed Equestria and its history in general. He rummaged through all the titles until he found a large tome called 'Dauting text of the Equestrian History and practical japery by Colonel Sassacre's.' That guy definitely knows how to attract readers, Green thought as he took the book and headed to a table with a strategically placed lamp for reading. He opened the book to a random page and began his reading.
This was the sensation he missed most in all his travels. Despite the 'function one' allowing him to know the world, this feeling at the beginning remained only as a distant memory that emerged more with each passing second, with every glance, with every experience he had in this place. What best evoked this sensation was reading about the aforementioned world. It was similar to the feeling of hearing a beloved song again after many years, but having forgotten it. It evoked a sweet nostalgia.
After a couple of minutes during which Green was quite immersed in the book, reliving things he always knew, only that he didn't remember. "The elements of harmony," "wendigos," "Discord," "nightmare moon" all these words resonated in his head like a familiar tale, but for the first time read, and he loved it.
"I've never seen somepony reading a book so passionately," Twilight interrupted his reading, Green didn't notice her because he was too focused. "Well, besides myself," she continued.
"Twilight, I thought you'd be sleeping," he said, closing the book.
"That was the plan, but I noticed the light from the window," she explained, pointing at the lamp and then the window next to the table.
"Hm... oops?" Green said, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Sorry, I didn't realize I was right next to you."
"It's okay, I wasn't really in the mood for sleep anyway," she spoke with an upbeat tone. Then, she glanced down at the book Green had in his hands. "Sassacre's Dauting text of the Equestrian History and practical japery," she said, reading the title of the book. "This book brings back memories, but honestly, it's not a very good reference for Equestria's history."
"Oh, well, I wouldn't know. I just wanted to see what the book was like. The truth is, I can't read them," Green thought a little lie wouldn't hurt; it would be too suspicious if he also knew the script, making it seem like he already knew this world like Tofi and was trying to deceive them. "I'm looking for patterns so I can read them later."
"What patterns have you discovered? If you don't mind showing me, of course," she finished with a bit of shyness, which Green found adorable.
"Of course, no problem," he pointed to some symbols in the book. "These ones here are present in all the words, alternating, so they must be the vowels or something like that. I've recognized these ones, am I right?"
"Not at all, those are the vowels. You know, you're really good at this. I'm impressed that you could figure that out in such a short time."
"It's just experience. I've done this countless times, although I still have a long way to go before I can even understand a single word."
"I have an idea!" Twilight exclaimed with excitement. "Oops, sorry," she retracted, surprised by Green's reaction. "What I meant to say is that I could teach you the basics. In fact, I'm certified to teach in schools," she finished with a proud expression.
"I'd like that, thank you, Teacher Twilight?"
"Just call me Twilight," she said, conjuring up a quill with her magic. "Alright, let's begin."
"Wait, you won't feel comfortable if you're standing," Green looked around for another chair, but the only one present was the one he was using at the moment. "Darn it," Twilight was about to object, but she was interrupted. "You sit on the couch; I'll take my chair."
"It's not necessary, I..."
"I insist, Twilight. The idea is for the teacher and student to be comfortable," she nodded with a smile.
They spent a good part of the night, and Green quite enjoyed the lessons despite already knowing the topics. Time flew by as Green enjoyed Twilight's company, pretending a bit of incompetence to make the moment more enjoyable. Throughout the process, Twilight showcased her immense love and passion for teaching, feeling delighted in these moments to the point that she unknowingly ended up exhausted and fell asleep on the couch.
Green was reciting some simple verses when he saw her there, sound asleep. He checked the clock and it was already six-thirty in the morning. Seeing Twilight shiver a bit from the cold, Green handed her the blanket she had given him; after all, he didn't need it.
Taking advantage of her sleeping state, Green wanted to try something. He knew it was unnecessarily risky, but he couldn't leave the doubt lingering. He took out his accessory, exposing the opaque crystal once more, and a white mantle quickly covered the princess's figure. After a couple of seconds, the device only emitted weak sparks and closed abruptly, as if a fisherman's net had torn because the fish was too big. It was obvious that Twilight wasn't just any pony, and the accessory wouldn't be able to absorb her essence so easily. The same would likely apply to the other princesses, though there were still some loose ends with other ponies, and Green wondered what that might entail for him. He decided it was best to sleep for the moment.
78 days remain.