//------------------------------// // The new (and only) Man in town part two // Story: The man from the woods // by Jimbob //------------------------------// I stood there fidgeting with my watch. "Alex will you calm down?" Twilight was getting annoyed with my fidgeting "I am calm! You calm down!" I stated a little too fast while still fidgeting with my watch. I continued to blather on trying to keep my mind of the upcoming situation "I mean you're not the one being introduced to entirely new species, I think I've earned a right to be nervous" I had always had a bit of stage fright, not that I made an idiot of myself in front of people but the capacity to be judged by some many people for just a few words scared me. And the fact that the Princesses had lead us straight to the town hall for a meeting about me really wasn't helping. I heard a stomping of hooves coming from behind the curtain I was currently standing behind, well more like hiding. "And here's our guest" I heard Celestia say "That's your cue" Twilight whispered while pushing me towards the curtain. My legs locked up "Ok I don't think I can do this" I said desperately "Don't worry you'll be fine, the ponies here are really friendly" she said while still shoving me towards the curtain "No wait please!" too late, she shoved me onto the stage. Momentarily blinded by the bright lights I shielded my eyes before looking at the crowd. An inaudible whimper escapes my mouth; so many ponies, so much color. So many eyes, so quiet. Carefully stepping towards the mic, with Celestia and Luna looking on with kind eyes, I made my move "H-Hello" I said weakly, silence greeted me 'You fucked it up, should've said something better should've-' "Hello" A child's voice answered me. I looked into the crowd and saw a small white unicorn with a pink and mulberry colored mane waving at me. Another voice said hello, then another and another until the whole room was filled with hellos. A relieved smile broke across my face, I hadn't fucked it up! I wasn't feared! And best of all I wasn't being hunted! "Perhaps you should introduce yourself?" Celestia mumbled while just barely moving her lips, as the last of the hellos withered off, I returned to the mic. "My name is Alex, I'm a human, and uh I'm not really from around here" I smiled sheepishly while several ponies raised their hooves. I looked over at Celestia who nodded encouragingly, I pointed at a gray mare with blond hair and swiveled golden eyes. "Umm yes you?" "Do hew-mans have muffins?" she asked perplexed "Um yes we do" she seemed very pleased with the answer and sat down. I pointed at another pony this time it was a stallion with pine green fur and dark blue hair. "Yes?" "What do humans eat?" I fumbled a bit for a answer, part of me had already made the connection that ponies don't eat meat and probably aren't the best of friends with carnivores. Cleverly worded lie go! "Oh a human will eat just about anything, within reason of course" ha! Eluded it "What about meat?" I spluttered, was this pony trying to cause problems for me? No, he just looked curious. More clever lies! "There have been some documented cases of it" Like McDonald's commercials. A ripple went through the crowd, they didn't seemed scared maybe just...... Nervous? Yeah nervous. The small unicorn that said hello raised her hoof, smiling I pointed to her "What's your question Miss?" She giggled slightly at the 'Miss' part "What's your Cutie Mark?" I blanked; What the blue fuck is a Cutie Mark? I turned to Celestia for some help "A Cutie Mark is a special mark that tells ponies what their special skill is, like mine which is the sun for raising the sun" She said gently. "I just thought those were tattoos" I mumbled filing this information away for future questioning I turned back to the crowd "Umm well I don't have one." A Shockwave of gasps rolled through the crowd, as I got looks filled with strangely enough pity. The little white unicorn spoke up "But how do you know what your special skill is?" She asks with big puppy dog eyes 'HNNNNNNGGG' "Humans just tend to do what they like or what they're good at, if they're lucky" "Oh, that's weird" "It's normal where I'm from" I was about to answer another question when Celestia interrupted me "Don't worry my little ponies there will be plenty of time to ask him questions later, but for now I think he could use some rest" Sensing Celestia regaining control of the crowd I waved to the ponies while walking behind the curtain. I was surprised at the amount of hoof stomping I got. I collapsed into a chair as soon as I was backstage. Twilight walked- or is it trotted?- up to me "See that wasn't so bad" She said with a smile "For you maybe! I just met an entire towns worth of people in like a half hour, and I'm completely alien to them. Did you hear some of those questions?" Twilight frowned "The questions they asked might have been common knowledge for you, but for us ponies you're something new to be investigated and documented." There was a fire burning in her eye's and nervousness in mine "Could you not talk about me like I'm a science experiment?" "Oh sorry it's just.... There's some much to learn! A new species with a new culture and new technology!" Her eye's lit up again "You really dig science-y stuff don't you?" She looked confused "What's not to like?" "Math, big words, genetic manipulation that splice gives scorpions wings." "Flying scorpions?" "Where!?" I joked, while she just looked at me like I was an idiot. A fanfare of stomping was heard and Celestia and Luna walked backstage. "Well I'd say that went well, would you?" Celestia asked me "Better than I thought it would, I figured that I'd be chased back into the forest" Luna looked slightly offended by that statement "Why would though be chased into the forest?" "It's what humans would've done" and then we would have bombed the forest and then quarantined the forest to try to figure out what exactly it was that we had bombed. "That doesn't sound very friendly" Yeah as a whole I was describe the human race as not friendly "It's not, but I digest-"Twilight interrupted me "Digress" "Bless you, so now what?" Twilight was looking at me like she couldn't decide to be confused or annoyed. Celestia smirked "Now it is time to, as Pinkie says" A blur of Pink shot out of a paint can "PARRTTY!" I fell back in my chair and scooted back into the wall "How the hell did she fit in there!?"