BNS Chapter 2 — The first tourist

Sitting at the small train station, Alan was in a confused state. He still couldn't believe what was happening. Suddenly, his stupor was interrupted by an old voice from the side.

— This is the first time i see someone thrown out of the train with such zeal. What have you done, mister?

Alan looked back and saw an elderly pony, with a calm look.

— I... well... Let's just say, i had a little emotional "outburst" that some peop... ponies didn't really like.

— Hehe, i didn't think that such a thing can happens.

The old man was clearly amused.

He glanced at Alan and introduced himself.

— My name is Doc, Doc Paper. I follow this station and sell train tickets. Which, to be honest, happens very rarely.

— Nice to meet you Doc. My name is Alan, or you can just call me Al. And em...

— Mmm?

— Well... Can you tell me where this train was headed. Where am i. And... Do you have a mirror?

The old man first looked at him in surprise, then laughed and answered.

— Ha-ha. You took a train and don't know which one? You're the weird one don't ya?

Alan just smiled shyly, and Doc continued.

— Well, this train went from Appleloosa, straight to the Crystal Empire. Along the way, he stops at such famous places as Ponyville, Canterlot, aaand... here – Rockville in Stone Acres, he-he. Though, usually, visitors to our lands are not a frequent event, heh. Oh and yes, you can find a mirror in my sales booth.

Saying this, the elderly pony pointed to a small gray building in the station. Al was caught off guard by the familiar names he had seen on MLP, but he quickly pulled himself together and headed towards the booth.

«I need to control myself and be consistent. What we have? Obviously, i am in a different world, and it looks like this is the world from the show "My Little Pony" that I am watching. I also turned into a pony, which means that now i would not hurt to take a look at myself.»

Entering Doc's booth, Alan looked at himself in the mirror.

— Oh, i look pretty good, don't i? It looks like i am an earth pony... I have a rather masculine appearance, deep blue fur, red eyes, and a black mane. But why is my hair... I mean, my mane is tied in a ponytail, am i a damn soccer player or something like that? Damn no!

Al awkwardly removed the mane fastener with his hooves and let it go. His mane dangled behind his back, fluttering slightly in the wind.

— Now we are talking. Damn, i'm hot, even by human standards, he-he.

Taking a half-side pose in front of the mirror, he admired himself until he heard a voice that seemed to have poured Al with water.

— City people are definitely strange. I didn't think ya needed a mirror to pose. (giggling)

— Um... He-he...

«Fuck, what a shame, what a shame!»

Alan was embarrassed that he was caught off guard, but when he was about to answer something, he noticed a sign on his side.

— This is... My Cutie Mark!

Hearing Al's exclamations, Doc said.

— I must admit, that your cutie mark is as weird as you are. I've never seen anything like it.

— Really? Well... i guess it is.

Al was not very surprised, as he himself thought that his cutie mark must seem unusual to the locals. It depicted a human hand holding a small Galaxy, like a cloud, which had a shape resembling a heart.

«This cutie mark gave the answer to the question, whose body is this, mine or someone else's. Obviously, the local population cannot have such a cutie mark, which means that this body belongs to me. But the meaning of this sign, i have yet to find out.»

— Listen, Doc. How can i get to the nearest settlement? And is it there at all?

Doc smiled and answered.

— Hah, of course there is, though very small. So you won't find it on the map. Follow this path behind the station and you will get there in no time.

Glancing at the path indicated by Doc, Al thanked the old pony, and said that he would visit him again, headed towards the settlement.

— Although i am a little familiar with this world, but all my knowledge is limited to six seasons of the show, and the first episode of the seventh. And I'm not sure what time period i am in now, and whether the events of the show correspond to what is happening here. But one thing i know for sure, judging by what Doc said, the train was on its way to the Crystal Empire, which means this is at least after the third season. But then again, if only the events of the show are real.

Finally, the first building came into view. It was a large gray building, built of uneven blocks of stone and a thatched roof. There were neat paths in front of this building, and in general, the building created the appearance of an educational institution.

«Is this some kind of university, or the home of an eccentric aristocrat? There seems to be no one around, hmm...»

Alan walked past this building, and finally got to a small and modest town, whose houses were similar in style to the previous building. There were very few houses, no more than twelve residential ones, and a small number of various establishments.

In the center of the town there was a large white crystal, around which were placed arrow signs with inscriptions. Coming closer and reading all the inscriptions, Al was more or less able to figure out where and what was. Most of all he was interested in the name - Rock Farm.

— A familiar name. Isn't that where the Pie family live?

— That's right, they are the main owners of the rock farmlands on our outskirts.

A voice sounded behind Alan. He turned and saw a brown pony in front of him, wearing a farm hat.

— My name is Rocky Charge. Local chef and baker, nice to meet ya.

— Alan, or simply Al, i um... Tourist. Also glad to meet you.

Rocky looked at Alan in surprise and answered happily.

— Tourist? In our town? Really? Why didn't you say this before? We haven't had any tourists for about... Um... Honestly, I don't remember having them at all, which means that you are the first in my lifetime, ha-ha! And how do you like our modest town?

Alan was amazed at the pony's joyous enthusiasm, and not wanting to upset him, he answered.

— Well, i just arrived, and haven't had time to look around yet, but so far, everything looks very peaceful. I especially liked this crystal in the center of your town. This is Selenite, right? It's very rare for it to grow to such a large size.

Hearing this, Rocky's eyes widened slightly, and he asked in surprise.

— Have you studied the stones?

Al thought for a while, and answered.

— Well, i have some knowledge, but nothing serious. I have learned many things in different spheres for my work, but my knowledge in Petrology and Gemology is the weakest among the rest.

— How interesting, ha ha! Then, would you like to improve your knowledge in this "sphere"?

Alan thought again.

«Well, knowledge is never superfluous, plus i get to know better about the structure of this world, because i'm not sure if all my knowledge can be applied here.»

— I think I would not mind learning something new. I have always loved to study, and therefore, i will only be glad.

Satisfied with Al's answer, Rocky said happily.

— Good good! You know, i think i can find you a good guide with whom you will be interested. She is a great specialist, and literally in another week she will receive a rocktorate in stone sciences at our rock university! I am a good friend of their family, so i can easily negotiate with her.

— Wow, you are so kind to me sir, and we just met. I'm kind of embarrassed now, to be honest.

Al said with some awkwardly, which made Rocky laugh and answer.

— Don't worry so much! Still, our town has almost nothing to brag about, and this is the least that I can offer a tourist. Besides, you know a little about stones, and that means a lot to us. And yet, you inspire some kind of close feeling ... as if ...

Suddenly, Rocky glanced at the city clock and screamed.

— Holy Stones! It's already fourteen o'clock, my break is almost over. So, Al, you can walk around and see the town for now, i'll tell about you the pony i was talking about. So be there in about, um... an hour and a half, yeah! Wait here in an hour and a half, and she will meet you.

— Okay, Mr. Rocky, i will definitely come.

— Great! Oh, and do not forget to visit my bakery, i assure you, you will not find better pastries than mine!

Alan smiled and answered laughing.

— Heh, I take your word for it, Rocky. I will definitely come to you for a snack.

Hearing a positive response, Rocky ran to his store with a satisfied smile. Alan stayed by the big stone, and, looking at the trail of the pony who had gone, and thought.

«He's quite active, isn't he? To be honest, everyone in this world is really very friendly and positive. This is so unusual. But... nice.»

Alan couldn't help but smile as he thought about it. Returning his gaze to the signs, he chose one of the interesting directions and went to inspect the small sights of the small town, continuing to reflect on his position and further actions.

— What do I need to decide first? Hmm...

«Well, i think it should definitely be a residence issue. I have no idea where to stay for the night. This leads to another problem, the availability of money. From what i remember, there is something like an Egalitarian community in this world, which means that everyone does what they want and what they can do. Since i am skilled in a wide range of different professions, making money should not be a problem. Perhaps i can even create here an analogue of the company for which i worked in my world. I think this will also be a kind of know-how. Unless, differences in physiology or the structure of the world will hinder me. Plus there are other laws of physics. They were ridiculously rubbery on the show.»

— By the way, there is magic in this world, right?" Damn! What a shame that i'm an earth pony... Although...

After thinking a little longer, Al began to think about possible solutions.

«In general, what is the difference between earth ponies and unicorns? If the whole point is only in the presence of a horn, then there should be no problems with mastering magic, but if the difference is in the body itself ... then this will already be a serious problem.»

«But I doubt the bodies of ponies are that much different. The episode with Tirek clearly showed that he was drawing out magic, regardless of whether you are earthy, pegasus or unicorn. I believe that the pony's horn acts as a conductor of magic from the body outward, and the thoughts as something like programming and shaping.»

— EXACTLY!

«If that's the case, then all i have to do is create an external conductor, the main thing is to find the right material! If i can get the earth pony to extract magic, even if only a little, i am sure it will be an extremely useful discovery and will create a furor. I can make a decent amount of money selling the guides i have developed. The main thing is to find... materials...»

— Well, yes, i don't know anything about this world, but i'm already planning to sell something that doesn't exist yet. He-he, typical human.

Mumbling under his breath, and continuing such deep reasoning, Al finally bypassed all the most interesting city places. The only place he hasn't visited yet is Rocky's bakery. He decided to save it for later. Plus, he had no money yet, and he did not want to impose on a free snack, taking advantage of Rocky's kindness. Glancing at the city clock, Al said.

— It's almost time. I think i will wait the remaining minutes at the central crystal.

And so he did. Time flew by quickly. Alan looked at Selenite curiously, trying to find any differences from what he knew in his world, but found nothing. Unless the shade of the crystal was purer than he was used to seeing.

— I wonder if Selenite is also used here for making art items, or figurines with decorations?

— Yes, Selenite is often used for carving sculptures and figurines. But they do not make jewelry out of it, since this material is too soft and quickly loses its shape.

Calm and monotonous female voice tore Al from his thoughts. He turned around and saw a calm mare in front of him. She had gray fur and a dark purple mane. She wore a navy blue dress and had shadows on her eyelids the same color that her mane. From the look on her face, it was difficult to understand what she was thinking.

Alan immediately recognized this pony since she appeared on the show. He stood rooted to the spot, and looked at her with round eyes, as he did not expect to meet her here, and even so soon. His reaction did not go unnoticed. The mare did not express any emotions, but slightly tilted her head to one side, which immediately brought Al out of his stupor.

— I'm Maud, Maud Pie. And I don't bite.

— Oh yes, hi. Forgive me for being so frozen. I was just lost for a second when i saw you. By the way, my name is Alan, or simply Al.

— Why?

The filly asked, in the same unemotional voice. Alan tilted his head to one side, not quite understanding what the question was after he introduced himself.

— Why... What?

The mare replied calmly.

— Why were you lost when you saw me?

Alan finally understood the question, and with a gentle smile, looking into her eyes, he answered.

— All because of your gaze. I have never seen such beautiful and expressive eyes. Like two beautiful Aquamarines that look at me, and with their radiance completely deprive me of the opportunity to look away.

Maud's eyes widened a little, but her overall expression did not change. She lowered her head slightly, looking at the ground, and seemed to think a little.

Alan tried to accurately express his thoughts about her, and to divert suspicions from the fact that he already knows her. But when he saw her reaction, he began to worry a little that nothing came of it.

— Um... Is something wrong? Sorry if i said something wrong, it's just that sometimes i am not too restrained when expressing my thoughts.

The mare shook her head from side to side, and also answered monotonously.

— No. In fact, this is the most beautiful thing anyone has ever said to me in my life. So you can say i was lost too.

Alan sighed relaxed inside himself, and said with a smile.

— Is that true? It seems like until today you have met either blind or very shy to talk ponies. Because this is simply impossible not to notice.

When he said this, Maud slightly averted her gaze, and a small, barely noticeable smile could be seen on her face.

— By the way, as i understand it, you are the same pony that Rocky told me about?

Maud nodded her head and answered.

— Yes, he told me that he met a tourist in our city, and this tourist turned out to be an interesting guy who understands stones. Therefore, he asked me to show you our interesting rocks places.

— Ha-ha, this Rocky's assessment of my persona makes me blush.

Maud stared at Alan and answered calmly.

— I agree with Rocky. He really found an interesting guy.

It was extremely vague, but Al sensed a slightly unusual note in Maud's speech. He didn't quite understand what it was, but it didn't seem like it was bad.

— I'm glad to hear that i'm making a good impression. So, miss Pie. Where do we head our way first?

— Mines.

The mare answered briefly, and turned around and added.

— Follow me, you will like it.

Alan was surprised by such a short answer. Knowing Maud, these should be far from ordinary mines. But he did not elaborate, as the intrigue added interest. He just shrugged and followed her.

* * * * * * * * * *

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