First Checklist Item [Misc Journal Shenanigans / Action]

[fourthgenerationprincess]

[ In the middle of the day, Luceti is treated to the following eloquent series of letters: ]

DDDDD

[ So this is what happens when a hoof gets ahold of a drawing-to-text synthesizer. This is followed by a voice post about three minutes later: ]

... triangle, a couple of straight lines, and a square have to do with...

[ Several minutes pass, and then a video materializes. The viewer may be greeted with a pair of huge, intense violet eyes. ]

A-ha!

[ The sight of this particular creature might seem out of place to anyone who doesn't know Pinkie Pie or Rainbow Dash. You can now see a purple pony with a horn protruding from her mane. The horn is bathed in a magenta glow, as is a pointy stick that is way too close to the camera. Like mankind before her, Twilight is learning how to use tools. ]

Hi, um... anypony who's watching this! I'm Twilight Sparkle, and... I don't recognize these woods at all. [ She looks around, probably for the umpteenth time. Twilight's found herself deep within the forest, to the southeast. Not that she knows this. ] It doesn't look like any part of the Everfree Forest I've been to. [ A cloud parts and the sun shines in her face through the unseen treetops. Twilight shields her face with a hoof. ] Oh. Actually, I guess I could...

[ She looks back at herself and spreads her wings. Not her small Luceti wings, though. A huge pair of alicorn wings, of the same purple as her fur. She prepares to take off, then remembers the journal and hits it again with the stick. Video feed switches off. ]

---

[ Following this recording, the population of Luceti may witness a purple shape flying around the sky, observing the village from above. She'll circle a few times, trying to orient herself, before deciding to alight in the fountain square.

Two areas will grab Twilight's interest fairly quickly. First, she'll see her coronation outfit in the window of the clothing shop. She'll find this strange enough to go inside and consider buying it.

The other building she'll notice is the library (with a squee of excitement). Good luck extracting her from perusing the many, many, many tomes that now litter the floor. This is why Twilight needs an assistant librarian. What she wouldn't give for Spike right about now.

Feel free to interact with her in the square, at the clothing store, in the library, or in the air: she's several yards up but not out of shouting distance. ]

Comments

[Action]

[tailasoldastime]

[It will not be difficult for Twilight to bump into a rather large fellow non-human making his way through the shelves. Since he was here to see Belle, he might as well stay and practice his reading, right?]

Message me for retconning if Belle already has this volume with her.

[fourthgenerationprincess]

[ Twilight's made a sufficient amount of progress in her chaotic wanderings that, at this point, she's looking for a particular book. One that was in her library at home. If these books really are being taken from shelves of other worlds, maybe she'll find it.

She's taken a few books with her from another room. The Beast might recognize one of them.

By this point she's met a fair number of odd creatures in Luceti, most of them hue-man, but this one is hairier than the rest, and larger. Far larger than Twilight's 3-feet-odd-inches height. She stops just to look at him for a moment when she first sees turns a corner and sees him. ]

Pffff if she does neither Beast nor I know about it XD

[tailasoldastime]

[He continues to sift through, the idea of finding a book becoming more and more overwhelming as he sees just how large most of these are... d'oh, this is his problem every time...

But then he gets that familiar feeling that someone is staring at him, though it's been a long while since it has last happened. He automatically stiffens his back and then slowly turns around... oh. A pony? Another one, like Pinkie or the rainbow one or that one who offered him apple sweets. He is just staring back now unconsciously - after so many months of seeing them, the idea of purple and pink horse creatures still takes him by surprise...]

C-can I... help, you?

[fourthgenerationprincess]

[ Twilight shakes herself alert. ] Oh! Sorry. You're just really... tall. I'm glad to see another reader in here, though!

[tailasoldastime]

Uh... r-right. I l-like, to read. [Not... always true, but he doesn't want to break this pony's enthusiasm. He turns back to the books he's attempting to choose from, letting out a soft groan.]

You can say it... I look different. [He is too used to her reaction... his height surely is not the only reason why she was staring.]

[fourthgenerationprincess]

You look impressive! I'm just glad I'm not the only one around here who's not a human. Besides my friends, that is.

[tailasoldastime]

I am human! [His body turns around sharply as he flexes back defensively, hair raised. It happens before he even knows it.]

[fourthgenerationprincess]

[ She backs up. ] I'm so sorry! I didn't know! [ Twilight's seen all of about five people here so far, and is now thinking she shouldn't have started mark generalizations yet. ]

[tailasoldastime]

[Hearing her apologetic voice snapped him out of it, and his eyes widen as his face drops. Oh, what has he done? He didn't mean to get that angry with her. Oh no... now what does he do?

Slowly he starts to relax his body and hunches over. He looks down while speaking in a low, regretful voice.]

I'm sorry.

[fourthgenerationprincess]

[ He backs down quicker than Twilight expected, so she cautiously steps forward again. Her books have fallen to the floor. ]

I guess I just didn't know some humans were so... big. And hairy. I only just met any of you today.

[tailasoldastime]

They... they a-are not. I... I am a... a...

[Desperate to do something to distract himself, he bends down unceremoniously to pick up some of the books.]

[fourthgenerationprincess]

[ Twilight can tell he's troubled by something she's said. Rather than push the issue, she uses her magic to lift some of the books. ] Here. Let me help.

[ She looks at him warily. ] What's your name?

[tailasoldastime]

[He freezes when he sees a few of the books near him glow and lift off the ground. Magic? He looks up and sees her horn doing the same. Unicorn... now that he thinks about it, he does remember Rainbow Dash saying a long time ago that they could use magic...]

I... I'm... [He shifts his attention from her horn to the ground.] I-I'm... Beast.

[fourthgenerationprincess]

[ Twilight knows the etymology of that word, but she's not about to judge by name. After all, the ponies of Equestria are rather... literally-named. She gives him a reassuring smile. ]

It's nice to meet you, Beast. My name is Twilight Sparkle. I'm an alicorn of Equestria.

[tailasoldastime]

[He lifts his head in small surprise over her quick return to kindness. But deep down he finds it relieving... it changes the subject.]

An... a-li-corn?

[fourthgenerationprincess]

Yeah! I'm like a unicorn with wings. See?

[ She spreads her not inconsiderable wingspan for Beast to see. ]

[tailasoldastime]

[He steps back slightly and stares at the wings. Those are big, even bigger than the Rainbow pony's wings.]

I... I had n-never heard of an... a-li-corn...

[fourthgenerationprincess]

There's not very many of us. [ She folds them up again. ]

Maybe I'm sort of like you! I haven't seen very many humans that have so much fur.

[tailasoldastime]

Huh? I... uh...

[He holds out his paws, gazing at them before resting them again.] I-I... I don't think so.

[fourthgenerationprincess]

Well, all four of the alicorns of Equestria are princesses. Are you a prince?

[ Wild guess. Seriously. ]

See icon

[tailasoldastime]

[He freezes immediately upon hearing that. How did she know?]

[fourthgenerationprincess]

Uh...

[ She eyes him warily. Is he gonna freak out again? ] Sorry. Is that a "no"?

[tailasoldastime]

[He slowly rolls his eyes toward her, keeping his expression for the most part... oh, he did not mean to provoke that reaction... but should he say yes?]

[fourthgenerationprincess]

Or... maybe they call rulers something different? Where I'm from, princesses rule over kingdoms and empires. Celestia and Luna also have the powers to raise the sun and moon, so between us we might be some of Equestria's most powerful magic users, too.

[tailasoldastime]

Huh? Oh, uh... no, they... they do that... wh-where I'm from.