Killer of Killers

About an hour after Twilight's return to the castle, Bastian found himself onstage with the Princess of Friendship herself introducing him and explaining that he was willing to answer any questions the crowd had for him. After that, she passed the spotlight to him and walked offstage to prepare her parchment and quill for the upcoming interviews; this was another reason she'd wanted this meeting - he'd answer questions while also letting the townsfolk become accustomed to him. So long as he didn't do something wrong, she'd get lots of information!

"So... yeah." Bastian began a bit awkwardly; he never really was one for big introductions like this. "Like she said, my name is Bastian Kuroyama, and I'm willing to answer any questions you may have. Ah, yes, you in the back."

"Do you eat ponies?" The stallion asked. Bastian chuckled; of course that would be one of the first questions he'd get asked.

"No, I do not." He replied. "Humans like me are omnivorous, but can survive on a plant-based diet. I actually prefer this kind of diet, since eating so much meat has actually been linked to medical problems among humans." Bastian shrugged nonchalantly. "So no, I'm not going to go running around trying to devour you."

"Where are you from?" A mare in the middle of the crowd asked.

"I came from a place not on a lot of maps; it was a small village between a forest and the ocean. That's all I really remember of it, since I left there when I was still young to get away from my father."

"Why did you leave?"

Bastian's face darkened. "Two reasons. One, because that man had no right to call himself a parent, let alone my father. He happily locked me outside the house in the middle of winter and refused to feed me in an attempt to get rid of me." The crowd gasped at this, horrified one could be so cruel to their own child. Bastian's face softened a bit, however. "And two... I met a man named Alphonse. He was only visiting for a few days to try and get some information for his job, but when he found me, he saved me from a life of crime and actually fed me." Bastian chuckled. "With that one meal, Alphonse was more of a father than my biological father ever was. The moment I was done eating, I swore my life to him in the hopes of paying back what he'd done for me."

"What happened to Alphonse?" was the next question. Bastian's expression darkened again, though this time with a hint of sadness.

"He's dead. Murdered." Again the crowd gasped. "Once I found out, I was devastated. I spent the next six years of my life hunting his killer down to make him pay." Bastian took a few deep breaths to avoid letting out any malicious Nen; he didn't want to be responsible for what might happen. Once he calmed down a bit, he picked another pony to ask a question.

"Do humans have magic?" One pony asked, a little frightened by the story and wanting to change the subject. Bastian internally debated between saying 'no' and telling the truth, but eventually chose to be honest. If they found out he'd lied, they wouldn't be as trusting, and in a strange world like this - no matter how harmless it seemed - he did not want to be mistrusted.

"Well, I don't really know if it counts as magic, but with enough training, we can learn how to manipulate our own life energy for a variety of purposes. We like to call it Nen." Bastian held up his hand and focused some aura into it. The crowd gasped, amazed. While Bastian was a bit surprised they could actually see what he was doing, he remembered seeing several unicorns lifting and moving objects with this 'magic' of theirs. If their 'magic' was anything like Nen, then that might explain why they could see it...

Letting the aura fade, he lowered his hand. "Any other questions?"