In the waking world, Kali was still fast asleep. She was curled up in her seat, snoring softly and occasionally flicking her tail. She smiled through her dream, and seemed to mouth something. In her dreams, she was the intrepid explorer, off to find the most wild creatures in the furthest reaches of the world. The jungles were hot and humid, but she persevered.

"The jungle holds many dangers," she informed the pony behind her. "Especially, the snakes. And oh, do they have snakes here." She grinned. Her voice did not seem to match her, as she spoke more like a pony than a zebra and her native accent was barely there. The pony behind her nodded amd adjusted their wide-brimmed hat. Mouistere dripped from the leaves above and fell to the ground and onto the two equines below. "Infact, here's one of them. Quiet now." Kali knelt down close to the ground and the pony did the same. A [i]huge[/i] snake was coiled up in a pit just ahead of them, and the zebra looked down at it in wonder. "You see, this is a- AAAHHHH!" She began, but she was cut short by her own screaming as the ground she was on shifted and she tumbled down into the pit. Her companion reached a hoof down to help her, and she look up at them but their face was hazy and impossible to make out. They were too late though, and Kali landed in a heap at very edge of the pit. The giant snake moved slowly and lifted up it's head and turned to face her... With the head of a pony?

"Hey, you awake?"

Kali nearly jumped out of her seat. She squeezed against the wall of the train and looked at the equally freaked out train conductor. The train had stopped and sunlight filled the empty car..

"I, uh... Sorry ma'am, it's just that... This is your stop. Manehattan to Ponyville, right?" he said.

Kali nodded. "Uh, yes. Sorry, sorry. You just gave me quite the fright, I was in the middle of a dream and.. Nevermind." She smiled and slowly got out of her seat. "Uh, thank you." She nodded and walked past him, making sure to grab her suitcase and drag it out onto the platform by her teeth. She was back in Ponyville, and by tonight she'd already be leaving again. She sighed, and continued on to her home to prepare for her new life.
---
Kali stood among the crowds of ponies in Ponyville square, happy to be cleaned and fed. She was nearly exploding with excitement, but she reined it in. Princess Twilight was standing on the stage with the expedition leaders. Soon enough, Kali would be following one of these leaders on her journeys as an Explorer! The Princess finished her speech and one of the guards stepped up to read off names. She was evidently part of the third team of explorers, "Clipper Team", and they were to meet up in the Ponyville library.

She trotted off to the libray with her saddle bags filled with her books and journals bouncing by her side. The door was slightly ajar, and she smiled. The other Explorers must be there already! She entered and heard someone talking very sternly. A unicorn was staring an earth pony in the eyes, explaining the dangers of the journey ahead. She took a step back when he stepped back from the earth pony, giving her a good look at his face. She stopped herself from making a sound, didn't want to offend the poor stallion.

[i]Well then. That looks... Painful,[/i] she thought. She smiled weakly. "I've come in at the wrong time, haven't I?" She gave a nervous chuckle and entered. "I take it that you are the other Explorers?" She surveyed the room, studying each pony (and non-pony!) that she'd be traveling with.