The Grim Forest was a place shunned by most ponies. The forest canopy was so thick, that it was pretty much night below it at any time of the day. Fearsome predators roamed it, some of which could eat a grown stallion in a single bite. Even some flowers here would try to kill anypony getting near to it.
It was one of Starswirl favorite place. It was full of wonders, especially now in spring, and what was almost as important: here was nopony who would bug him. Well, apart from the one or the other predator. But just a little demonstration of his magical strength was need and they'd fled in terror. Sadly, he couldn't do that with arrogant nobles, who believed they could boss him around, self-proclaimed prodigies, who wanted to be his students or mares, who believed, that he needed a wife.
At least once in a month he came here. “For fresh ingredients he needed for his job” was the official reason he gave, if asked why. It was not completely untrue. He always gathered some herbs he used for his tea and this tea was remarkable at calming his nerves. Without it, he was sure, that either Princess Gem Crown or more likely her daughter Platinum would have found an unpleasant demise through his hooves. Only thinking about those narrow-minded, arrogant ignoramuses could kill his mood.
Lucky today he had better things to do than to bother with those, he had found tracks of a creature unknown to him. He followed them silently using a spell that enabled him to see with almost no light. With his magic he had muted the bells of his cloak and readjusted his glasses, that would protect him from magical gazes. He also watched his surroundings closely, to prevent himself from falling victim to one of the more stealthy predators.
The shape of the tracks reminded him vaguely of those of a wolf but they were too far apart from each other. From this he guessed, that it might be walking on two legs like a minotaur.
The search took him more than an hour. He had already given up, because the night was approaching and he got tired. But right before he could cast his teleport spell back to his chambers in the castle of Princess Gem Crown, he heard something that sounded like an outcry of frustration. He sneaked into that direction and found a creature sitting on a trunk in a clearing next to a fireplace, where it tried to make fire at the moment.
At first glance it resembled a hornless minotaur. It had torso, arms and hands that where somewhat similar, but of a far narrower build. It was covered with fur of different shades of brown and a head roughly of the same size like a minotaurs. That's where the similarities ended. The hind legs were far longer an ended in clawed paws. The end of its long tail was impatiently beating against the ground. It had a pair of bat wings that were resting on its back. A dark brown mane framed its face, which had a muzzle with big fangs protruding from it. A golden amulet hang around its neck.
Its exotic looks, although intimidating, fascinated Starswirl. Dozens of questions invaded his mind, that wouldn't leave him alone, until they were answered.
Since it used fire, it had to be sapient so Starswirl decided that talking would be the best way to get his answers. He lifted his muting spell of the bells so it wouldn't panic, that he appeared out of thin air and hold a shield spell right under the tip of his horn, just in case. He walked towards the creature, the ringing of his bells heralding him. It looked quite confused at him and after some moments stood up to take a defensive stance, at least Starswirl assumed it to be one.
“Hello traveler, my name is Starswirl,” he said “I'm not here to harm you. May I take a seat? If you want I could light the fire for you.”
“Uhm...” it answered obviously baffled “Sure, why not. My name is Scorpan.” The voice sounded male so Starswirl classified him as such.
Starswirl took a seat to the left of Scorpan. He focused and a small flame appeared in front of the tip of his horn. It slowly levitated towards the firewood and soon a nice fire was burning. While the flame descended Starswirl didn't beat around the bush and started his questioning, “I've never seen a being like you before. May I ask what kind of species you are and where are you from?”
“Why aren't you scared?” Scorpian asked back in a voice of complete confusion.
“Well, I feel a bit of fear. It is a normal reaction of ponies to the unknown, especially if the unknown has sharp teeth. But I'm won't let it stand in my way to learn. With knowledge most fears shrink and new opportunities arise,” a wicked smile crossed his face. “Additionally I'm not as harmless I might look like. I think I could stand my ground, if I have to.”
Scorpan looked away. “No, you couldn't,” he whispered so low and barely moving his lips, so that Starswirl almost didn't hear it.
“Pardon?”
“Nothing, I said nothing.”
“Why shouldn't I be able to?”
Scorpan needed some seconds. Then he took a deep breath. “Well,” he made a short pause looking at Starswirl, “you see my touch kills magic. I can destroy magic by looking at it. The shield you have prepared wouldn't even slow me down, your attack spells would fall apart before they reach me. Your power is meaningless against me.”
Starswirl gulped, and backed away unconsciously. His subconscious wanted him to run, or even better to teleport away, it was the only way to be save. The only way to survive. But his wits told him, that if Scorpan has told the truth, he wouldn't escape if Scorpan didn't want him to. Running away would just cost him the opportunity to find out more about him. It took all his willpower, but he forced himself to stay. Now was his turn to take a deep breath, trying to calm himself. “Maybe, I can't fight you,” he smiled again, trying to look confident, “But do I have to? You haven't attacked me yet, why should you now?”
Scorpan blinked. A couple of times. He also tried to say something, but aborted it several times right after his lips had parted. After maybe a minute he finally got some words out: “You are the bravest person I've met in my life.”
Braveness and foalishness are far to often the two sides of the same coin came to his mind, but he suppressed this line of thought and forced himself into another direction by asking, “I thank you for your praise, but may I ask you again? Where are you from?”
