Twilight’s P.O.V.
Looking around the small clearing the first hints of Celestia's sun had begun passing through the forest's canopy where the human had felled the trees, opening the area to the skies. The sun settled on the face of the creature, highlighting the strange proportions that were so unlike anything she had ever seen before, but in some ways so similar.
Watching over him I could see emotions running over his face one after another and they seemed so familiar to me. Fear, happiness, sadness and anger were so easily distinguished from each other on the sleeping humans face as he dreamed.
Honestly he’s not that bad looking, for a weird bipedal creature. I slapped myself across the face with a hoof. Nope! Where the hell did that come from?
As I sat there confused about that thought the human started to wake. He shook his head and slowly opened his eyes. After wiping the sleep from the corner of his eyes he looked over me and with a jump yelled at me.
“Ahh! Tiny purple horse!”
“Not this again! Mr. Hayes, would you calm down?” I said with a slight annoyed tone at this conversation starting again.
“It can talk! Wait… ohh yeah sorry. Umm Twilight was it?”
“Yes Mr. Hayes. I am Twilight Sparkle, alicorn princess of Equestria and once again I am not a horse!”
“Alright sorry Princess, so what did you want with me anyway? It’s not everyday you run into equine royalty in the middle of some super dark forest.”
“Well I was sent here by my friend and fellow Princess, Celestia due to an event that happened nearby. A bright light was seen and it was preceded by what felt like an earthquake. On the way to the site I found you due to hearing a loud crack noise which I assume came from you cutting that tree and lighting it on fire.” I explained while pointing at the still smoking tree trunk in the centre of the clearing. “I must ask was the earthquake and light caused by you?”
There is no way this is unconnected and anything capable of the things I’ve seen is probably very dangerous. I must handle this carefully.
“No idea Princess, all I know is that I was standing at my front door hearing a voice that I couldn’t see and next moment I was in this white void with another voice that offered by somewhere that I could make friends because I couldn’t go back to my own world.” he answered with a look of frustration on his face.
Wait did he say another world? That would explain why he doesn’t look like anypony else here. Well he does have a passing similarity to a minotaur but he is definitely less muscled. Ohh I have so many questions to ask, but where should I start? Huh, why does he look scared and why is he backing away?
Snapping out of my thoughts I see the human back away slowly with a look of pure terror on his face as he looked at me.
“W-Why are you looking a-at m-m-m-me like that Princess? You’re scaring me.”
“What do you mean, I’m just looking at you normally. I was just thinking of all the information you hold about another world. What sort of technology do they have? How is your government structured? Are there ponies like me there or are all the inhabitants human like you?” I rattled off in a matter of seconds, not noticing that my mane had become skewed and my left eye was twitching.
“Stay away from me!” he screamed and curled up in a ball, his entire body skaking.
Ohh I did it again didn’t I? This always happens when I get too excited about learning. I thought back to other times I had become too excited and guilt flooded by mind. Ok, I need to apologise.
“I’m sorry Eric, I can call you that can’t I?” He nodded, his body still shaking in fear. “Ok good, Eric I’m sorry about that. When I think about things I haven’t learnt yet I tend to get a little over excited and get carried away, but I promise I’m not going to hurt you.”
Not that I could get close enough with that Tartarus-damned shield in place anyway.
I watched as the human began to visibly relax, his shaking stopping and eyes slowly turning towards me, fear still present in his eyes but it was slowly ebbing as I stood there smiling softly at him.
“O-ok Princess. Just please don’t do that again. That look on your face was terrifying.”
“I’ll trying to keep my enthusiasm in check next time Eric, and you can call me Twilight. This title still feels new to me and I can’t quite get used to everypony I know calling me it.”
“Thank you Prin-Twilight, so umm what are we meant to do now? I can’t answer your questions about what happened when I arrived. All I know is that I woke up in some big crater and then got lost in this forest.” He explained with an apology in his voice.
“While that is the major reason I was sent here, now that I know the result I don’t believe that I’ll need to find the site of your entrance. Celestia sent me here because she knew I would be able to travel much faster than anypony else, but she also sent a contingent of Royal Guards to check the site. Surely they have unicorns with them that can scan the area for the magic that brought you here.”
“Umm that still doesn’t answer what we will be doing next, as comfortable as this tree and grass is I would rather find somewhere else to be than a dark forest.” Eric said while running his fingers through his hair, dislodging a few twigs that had been caught in it as he slept.
“Yes we should probably leave, there is a path not far from here that will lead us out of the forest. Normally I would teleport us out but that won't be an option unless you can turn off that shield which you don’t seem to even know how that works. It would seem we will have to walk back to Canterlot. Before that though there is something I need to ask you that has been weighing on my mind since we spoke last night and it is very important.”
“I’ll try to answer your question as well as I can.”
Eric’s P.O.V.
Panic ran through my mind again as she prepared to ask me a question with apprehension obvious on her face and her ears pinned back to against her head.
Ohh God, what does she want to know now? Should I be scared? What if I give the wrong answer? She might try to attack me or tell her Princess friends and they will attack me.
With those thoughts in mind I waited for her to ask the question.
“Umm what kind of foods do your kind eat? I noticed you have canines when we were talking and those are usually found on carnivores.”
Ok, I have to be super careful about this. Horses on Earth were herbivores so she will probably be afraid of any carnivorous animals. Wait, humans are omnivores. Alright, if I explain it to her carefully everything should be ok.
“Thats easy Twilight, humans are omnivores so we can survive on the same foods as most herbivores and carnivores.” Twilight began to show a little panic but I continued. “While we can easily survive on meat due to needing a steady amount of protein in our diet we can also rely on other sources like eggs, tofu and peanuts. Among other things.” She visibly relaxed after I explained the alternatives to eating meat.
I think that worked out, at least she doesn’t look like she is going to run away any time soon.
“Ohh that's such a relief. I thought you were a carnivore and that would have caused all kinds of problems.” She said with a slightly happy voice. “Well now that we have dealt with that we need to leave, Celestia will want to know about all of this as soon as possible.”
Ohh right, Twilight is a Princess but she is still the subject of this Celestia. But if they are both Princesses shouldn’t they be the same rank?
“Hey Twilight, before we leave. You said that you’re following Celestia’s orders to come out here but you’ve also said that you are both Princesses. I’m not sure about how things work here but why are you following the orders of someone who is the same rank as you?”
“Well Princess Celestia has been a ruler for a lot longer than me. I haven’t even been a princess for a full year yet, whereas she has sat on the Equestrian throne for over a thousand years. Not to mention she raises the sun so she is more like a goddess than a Princess.” Twilight explained simply, like it was common knowledge.
“Ok I call bullshit! Over a thousand years and raises the sun? You’ve talked about magic and I’ve seen you with that horn, so ok I can accept that. But a being that lives for thousands of years and controls a star? I’m seriously calling bullshit on this.”
“It’s true! Doesn’t your planet work the same way?” she asked, confusion etching her features and voice.
“No, Earth and the other planets in our solar system revolve around the sun, not the other way around and no one can control the sun.”
“Fascinating and a bit terrifying. Anyway, we have to leave. I’m sure you’ll have much more to ask about but we really have to go while we still have sunlight to move through.”
Looking up I could see the sun in the centre of the sky. Still not sure if I can believe this moving the sun crap. It has to be midday already. Wow, we must have been talking for ages.
I moved towards the direction Twilight had indicated the path was in and watched to make sure the small purple pony princess was following me.
“Alright Twilight.” I said with a apprehensive grin on my face. “Let’s go see this sun moving Princess of yours.”