Life for Twilight Sparkle couldn't have been better, she had a whole groups of friends, Equestria was faced with massive dangers less and less each day, and she was, like always, Celestia's favorite student. She couldn't help it, she was giddy. Mostly. Something had been nagging at her for ages, it wasn't like she could put her hoof on it though. She often sat attempting to figure it out, but currently, she was having her favorite sandwich, a slightly toasted dandelion and tomato sandwich.
The crunch of the dandelions filled her mouth along with the slight tang of the tomato, and she looked out over the buildings of Ponyville with somewhat of a sigh. It was a typical day, and various ponies wandered the town, stopping at stalls or the stores. She looked up at the weather pegasi who were clearing the skies for the day. It looked like it'd be another summer day, although a slightly troubled one for the lavender mare. She frowned as she took another bite.
Something felt quite off, and she knew what. Off in the distance, a figure was leaping into the air and disappearing before reappearing several yards ahead in the direction it jumped. No one else had noticed, largely because it was still very small, and also because they weren't as focused as Twilight. She jumped up with a start and almost knocked over the table. After a quick apology to the waiter, she leapt out of her seat and went galloping towards the slowly approaching figure. It looked like it was coming from the Everfree towards Fluttershy's cottage.
She raced past the bend and almost bowled over her shy Pegasus friend, apologizing as she ran past the cottage before finally stopping near the figure. A large ape-like stature without any hair except that atop its head, the figure looked directly at her with one eye. On its body it wore dark clothes, ones that might have infuriated Rarity if she saw them, and a red article adorned its chest. It stopped and looked at her, murmuring to itself, "There are more here, but... What are they?"
She stopped, she didn't quite understand it, not because of its language, but what it was referring to. It had spoken to her, quite the opposite, it was clearly talking to itself. A brief glow of yellow from its eyes and Twilight stumbled back, she had blanked out and ended up in a complete different standing position. The figure looked frustrated. "No..." it muttered.
Twilight blinked, why was it speaking in such a broken way? It was clearly capable of thought and communication. Maybe something was wrong with it? That had to be it! She let out a small squeal of delight. That was what had been missing, science, and a challenge! Twilight finally stopped and tapped the figure with her hoof and motioned for him, she was guessing it was male, to follow her.
"Its this way," she said, motioning a hoof again. The figure paused and squinted at her with a frown. Twilight's breath hitched. She couldn't be sure he would follow. After a moment or two, he nodded and started following her. With a relaxed sign she turned around and made towards the library, having him follow behind her. The ponies in town would likely accept as normal, considering what Ponyville faced here and there.
She was right, no one said anything as she was followed by the figure up to her library. She opened the door and immediately made towards her roll of parchment on a podium of sorts. Spike was out for the day, so it was up to here to wrote the letter to the princesses about the new arrival. The real question she had for herself was how to describe the figure to the princesses without a picture. She could send one, but the princesses needed to see this in person. It was very curious, at least in her opinion.
Dear Princess Celestia and Princess Luna,
Today I encountered a bipedal creature, much like a Minotaur but not as muscular nor broad, if anything it looks like it could be a primate of some sort, but not one that I know of. I know they're not in Wild Green's Encyclopedia of the Natural Animals of Equus, because I've read it over many times. No whatever they are either went extinct long, long ago. I would like you to come see this creature at your first chance.
Forever your student,
Twilight Sparkle
She sent it off to the princesses, looking around the room for the creature. It seemed to be looking at the books and its body was glowing an odd color. It wasn't inherently odd, considering unicorns and magic, but she was still confused. Other than teleportation, it hadn't show other magical abilities. Hopefully going unnoticed, she cast a spell, one intended to analyze the creature's magical abilities. After a second or two of her horn glowing faintly, she stumbled backwards in shock.
The creature had no magic, not anywhere in its body. There was a literal 100% lack of magic in its body, which would have been impossible. Star Swirl and various other ponies had proved that a living thing needed magic, no matter how small an amount, to survive! She cast the spell again, and again. No matter how many times she cast it, the result were the same. This creature wasn't even alive by her world's standards, but here it was, moving around as if it were actually alive! Even if it were dead, magic would have been present.
Twilight was forced to reevaluate the existence of life and magic as connected. This creature disproved what had long been considered magical fact in her world! She immediately felt both completely euphoric and terrified. Euphoric, because here was something new and unknown! Terrified, because, well, it disproved half of her world's previous sciences. Oh, she'd give it that, it was going to help them make significant advances just by existing. However, she'd be forced to rewrite many of her idols theories and experiments!
"How can you even exist?" she shouted at the creature, her mane starting to look frazzled, "You completely upset the laws of this world! Nothing about our world suits you as far as I can see!" Twilight shouted, yes, she could be overreacting, but if her suspicions were correct, her entire scientific field would be put into question.
The creature looked at her quietly, not fully registering her, before suddenly reaching into it's pocket and pulling out something wrapped in a small white-colored bag. Without a word, it pulled it out revealing some sort of food. It chomped down on one of the balls on the stick. She watched still frazzled as it ate the rest silently before putting it in the bag and looking back towards the books, that odd glow returning to its face.
"Do you even understand me!?" Twilight shouted. The creature remained motionless, but its head dipped momentarily. Twilight's eyes widened, it did understand but something else was wrong here. After a few more moments, during which Twilight had successfully calmed herself enough to not go full on fire-rage unicorn, the creature grabbed a book and looked at something in it.
"A map of Equus?" she muttered. The creature's original glow disappeared and it looked down at the map intently before setting it on a nearby table and starting towards the door.
A moment of hesitation before Twilight blocked it, "You're not leaving until I figure you out!"
The figure stopped and looked at her with a glare, noting her obvious determination, before finally turning around and sitting down on the floor, pulling another bit of food from its pocket in silence and starting to eat. She looked at it in curiosity, "How did you even get here?"
Author's Note
That folks is where I end this chapter.
Twilight Sparkle was still attempting to study the now rather frazzled creature in her lab. It had nodded in agreement, and albeit a few attempts to escape, was well mannered. It had only done so when the needles had started approaching, and its not like she was going to do anything with the saw she couldn't fix later. It hadn't let her use either one though, and she was rather disappointed when the Princesses arrived.
She was staring at the saw in a sad silence and when Luna arrived, she instinctively grimaced, knowing exactly what the young unicorn had attempted simply from stories. Luna quietly made a note to have someone inspect Twilight's lab as a safety precaution. "Twilight?" the lunar princess called out from the doorway. She was quickly greeted by a rather loud explosion and a miffed lavender pony.
"Hello, Princess Luna," Twilight said, looking back to the no longer strapped down creature. It looked a bit angry, but nothing portrayed the idea of it attacking them. Twilight glared at for a moment and the creature huffed and walked past both of them. It disappeared into the kitchen, looking a slight confused at the presence of a kitchen in a library, and they heard the sound of it digging about. Twilight mused it was probably for food of some sort and began talking eagerly, "I'm so glad you came!"
The science-crazy unicorn practically dragged Luna down the stairs into her lab. After a few minutes, during which Luna looked around and personally classified Twilight as a mad scientist, she yelped in glee. Twilight now held a rather large stack of papers in her hand, which she quickly hoofed to Luna. The lunar princess blinked at the evident organization. Alphabetical and even then by rate of importance for the specific note.
"Twilight," she muttered, "how badly have you treated this creature?" she could hear various grunting and groaning noises coming from the floor above, evident the creature was doing something. As unnerving as it was, she kept her attention on Twilight. The lavender pony seemed to have been pondering her question.
"Not badly at all, it always stopped me when it felt... uncomfortable," the unicorn frowned, and looked rather frustrated, "I couldn't complete my analysis," she blinked forlornly at the half finished diagram, a few tools laying around that made Luna wince at the concept. She flashed her horn, making the tools disappear and giving a relieved sigh.
Twilight was now practically dragging Luna, who had been distracted by her task. "It doesn't show any abilities in magic, in fact, it doesn't have any magic itself!" she motioned to the creature that was eating a sandwich with one hand and making notes on a floating map. It seemed to be noting specific places nearby.
"No magic? But, how is it..." Luna muttered quietly, looking at the notes in her magic's grasp. They said nothing about how the creature managed its current actions, and the lavender unicorn was positively giddy.
"This would redefine life!" Twilight squealed, "It'd put me in the books with Starswirl!"
Luna frowned, looking at the tests. Despite what Twilight was going on about, she recognized the way some of the magic was interacting with the creature. She and Celestia had found old texts from before Discord's reign, impossibly far back. However, the deaths of these creatures was recorded by themselves, and they had gone extinct millennia ago. The ruins still existed, but nothing truly substantial beyond that.
She nodded at Twilight, "Indeed, you should bring it to Canterlot so these studies can continue," Luna hinted. She also had other ideas, there was a certain set of ruins beneath the city, deep in the caves, where what seemed to be a large library and possibly even city was. It was very deep underground, and pictures hinted at why, but they couldn't discover what had both caused these creatures to go into a frenzy and die off, or why the ruins were located in such places.
The creature in front of her peered at her with one eye and then started towards the door. Twilight almost made to stop it, but the lunar princess shook her head. It walked out the door, before leaping upwards and continuing what Twilight had seen before, teleportation. Luna was in awe, and she took off following it through the air as Twilight followed on the ground.
The creature seemed to be headed towards a small wagon-house, rolling towards town. With a loud thud, it landed on the ground, and a pony wearing a large hat adorned in stars leaned her head out, glaring towards the noise. "Who dares disturb the Great and Powerful Trixie?" The light blue mare demanded.
The creature stared at her, looking as if it were analyzing her. She grinned, "A new act for Trixie's show! Trixie could easily use you in the show!" The wagon stopped and she climbed out, "Trixie hasn't seen anything like you before, you'll be new!" Luna watched the mare walk up and poke the creature, a 'Human' if those archaeologists were right, and its eye flashed yellow, and the creature dropped to the ground as the mare looked around before dropping as well.
The creature got up and started walking away as the mare pulled herself off the ground, "What did you do to me?" she demanded, suddenly clasping her hoof over her mouth, "What... why am I talking like this?" she looked evidently confused, "Why am I wearing this stuff? Am I some sort of showpony?"
The creature left the very confused mare and started back towards town. Luna frowned, what it had done was something odd, possessing the body of another creature, however temporarily, was typically deemed impossible. Free will would out, as Starswirl had noted. After leaving the creature with Twilight, she teleported back to Canterlot, in particular, the throne room.
The current noble glared at her as she pushed him out with her hoof as hard as she could before shutting the doors. "Sister, we may be seeing some... odd, events. Important ones, " she said, trying to process how to state it, "Nothing malevolent, but rather, possibly it could be beneficial."
The solar diarch looked at her sister with hints of amusement, "Why is that?"
"A human has returned."
