Celestia stared in surprise, as did Twilight.

"Is... is that-" Twilight began.

"A Devil Fruit?" Silas asked, arm still outstretched. "Yes."

The Fruit itself looked like a large lime, colored a light shade of brown and covered with small black swirls. Everyone present could tell that, despite its lackluster appearance, this object contained power... and lots of it.

"This Devil Fruit I only found a short time before arriving here." Silas explained, looking down at it. "In the nearest town I was able to find a book listing known Devil Fruits. This specific one is a Paramecia-class known as the Earth-Earth Fruit, and allows the user to assimilate with and control dirt through touch. In other words, if someone eats this Devil Fruit, they can control the very ground they walk on, even to the extent of manipulating entire islands."

The Princesses' eyes bugged out upon hearing this; one bite and they could control the earth itself? This went beyond mere Alicorn magic.

"If... If it's so powerful, why haven't you eaten it?" Twilight finally managed to ask.

"I already ate a Devil Fruit; nothing can handle possessing two Devil Fruits at once without exploding." Silas replied calmly, still offering it to the celestial alicorn. "Therefore, I can't eat it."

Celestia finally got her brain working enough to light her horn and take the Devil Fruit in her magical grasp. Her horn flashed as she summoned a small chest and placed the Fruit inside before magically locking it and teleporting it into the royal vault - guarded by several platoons of soldiers at all times and a series of locks. It was nigh-impenetrable.

"Now then..." Silas said, adjusting his fedora. "Was there anything else you wanted to speak to me about?"

Celestia shook her head after a split second of hesitation. "No, that is all. Thank you for your time, Silas... and your show of trust towards us."

Silas smiled and tipped his hat brim towards her before turning and leaving, Twilight at his side.

After a minute, she sent a messenger to summon Shining Armor. When he finally arrived, he snapped to attention.

"Captain Shining Armor, I will need you to send out troops to create an outpost near the Everfree Forest... If more humans like Silas appear and have less-than-pure intentions, then we will need ample time to prepare." Celestia turned her gaze to the doors Silas had just left through. "He has shown no ill intent, but he is clearly a powerful fighter. If the stories he has told of his home are true, we would be hard-pressed to stand against his enemies."

Author's Note

Sorry it took so long to update; my only excuses are life and apathy. Life for kicking the crap out of me, and apathy due to monotonous college.

I'm also sorry that the chapter seems to short, but I didn't have a whole lot of inspiration for this one... I mostly wanted to let the fans know this story isn't dead, and that the plot-relevant Devil Fruit has been decided.

Just a warning: might take a while before I update again.