I let out a satisfied groan as I sat down. My shoulders and back ached from all the effort I put in. Trixie had screamed for only the first couple of seconds before calming down. Then she had enjoyed herself beyond belief. The residents had looked up as we soared past and smiled or waved. It was a regular occurrence when someone with wings took their friend for a flight.
So now I sat at a fountain bench, looking across the crowded place as Trixie was setting up a small impromptu show for the populace. Kids loved the firework display, parents enjoyed the compelling stories. It was all around a good time as I saw her in her natural element. I'd seen what happened in Ponyville, it actually sickened me that people would ridicule someone for how they acted on stage. Though that wasn't the first time I had met Trixie.
I stood in Equestria for a bit before closing my door as I went back inside. It had been an odd morning, a unicorn had tried to break through my door. The good news was that she didn't even scratch my door or the paint of my house. Bad news was that my lawn was ruined, the grass was either frozen, burnt to a crisp, or sogged with water to the point it was a swamp. There was even a poor baby dragon looking battered and beaten by my door.
I opened my door that morning and he was the first thing I noticed. So like a responsible adult I kidnapped him, by carrying him inside. I found a small room just off the kitchen. So I set him up in a nice warm blanket and a ham sandwich sitting on the end table.
Slowly I walked back to my front door to see a large coalition of rainbow energy before it shot towards me. I simply closed my door and heard the solid smack against it. I held up my hand and counted down the fingers before opening the door to see not a scratch on it. I smirked before looking towards the six ponies. They weren't the politest ones around but they were apparently national heroes. So they got off on being rude to newcomers.
This was the week after I had first stepped into their world. Ponies seemed nice enough when there wasn't any sign of a threat. I did seem a threat but the elements were out of town at the time for one reason or another so the populace just sorta looked at me and offered a guard as sacrifice for sparing their lives. I had found it unnecessary and that I'd rather be friends. The mayor who had dressed in black robes and held a book labeled. '101 Ways to Appease Strange Monsters!' I raised an eye at the title but she and the whole town waved it off as they dealt with some kind of disaster every Tuesday since they were founded. So the town had co-authored the book.
Fluttershy was the only one still there and had found me to just be like all her animal friends. She even brought me a plate of raw fish. When I declined and said I needed it cooked to eat it she happily went off as the citizens started dispersing. That was also the first time I dealt with Lyra....
Back to the initial flashback, the elements had returned and convinced the town and Fluttershy I was some sort of dimensional monster after I had taken Spike in. It was odd that they thought treating a kid for injuries for being used as a battering ram made ME the monster.
After the smoke cleared they all gasped at seeing me standing there with the door open. "So you guys gonna explain why you tried to destroy my house?"
They just looked at each other before forming a huddle outside my fence. It was rather rude of them as I walked towards my garden hose. If they wanted to play hardball I'd happily join in. So with a quick twist the water filled the hose before I walked towards the group. Fluttershy seemed to shy away from the group as they were talking about setting me in the royal dungeons for study and disturbing the peace.
"Disturbing the peace? Yeah no, bad stupid ponies." They all turned towards me right as I pulled the trigger. Water shot out and soaked them immediately as they slipped and got pushed away towards the other side of the road. All of them making noises of distress before I ended the stream with a huff. "That's for shooting at me and ignoring me. Now behave or else I'll take drastic measures."
I walked back and shut off the hose before heading back inside as I slammed the door. It had rubbed me the wrong way to see them react as if I was the bad guy for fixing their mistake. I walked through the hallway and randomly punched a door. It swung open quickly as a few yelps sounded from within. I peered through the frame to see a group of foals all huddled together a few feet away from me. I eyed a few before a small teal filly looked up with wonder in her eyes. "Do it again! Do it again!"
I raised a brow before closing the door. I waited to the count of five before opening it again. "Boo!"
Several colts and fillies screamed as they ran towards the school a few hundred feet away. The small filly from before stood there with stars in her eyes. Literally somehow her pupils had turned into stars. It kinda freaked me out before I reached a hand to boop her. "Stop that."
She blinked as her nose scrunched up before she gave an adorable sneeze. "Stop what?" She looked up at me and tilted her head in that adorable way all kids with questions do.
I clutched at my chest before groaning as I slumped against the door. Slowly sliding down it before ending up at her level. "Being too cute." I flopped down on my back halfway out the door.
I closed my eyes as I gave a dramatic and epic death scene. As my tongue flopped to the side all I could manage to say was, "Bleh." I laid there twitching slightly to make a convincing body.
Well at least to me it was, the filly just giggled before poking me in the ribs. I didn't wince but it tickled so much that I had to resist the urge to laugh. "Mister you okay?" I heard the giggle in her voice and held still for a few more seconds. The next jab was a bit less forceful as she echoed herself. "Mister wake up." There was that joyful tone again.
With a groan I slowly started to sit up, tongue hanging out as I looked towards her. "Braaaiins!" I snatched her before applying tickles to her sides before setting her down after a small fit of giggles and she almost kicked me in the jewels.
Both of us were out of breath and smiling like a pair of fools before a cough alerted us to about a dozen guards standing near us. None of them seemed hostile and most had a grin as they eyed me up. The commander seemed to eye me up before noticing the hallway. He raised an eyebrow before leaning to the side and then back.
"Um sir, could you please stop using a dimensional door?"
I looked at the door before stepping out and looking behind it. It seemed like the back of any door. "Neat." I looked back into the hallway before closing the door. There was a click before it faded away. "Wonder what it'll do to me."
The guards looked at me a bit confused as the filly giggled and pranced around me. I touched my ears and looked at my hands but shrugged before looking at the guards. “Sooo there an issue or no?”
The captain shook his head before sitting on his haunches. “Well according to the laws, no there isn’t but you are an unknown species that appeared through a magical door. Sooo we will kinda have to ask you to come with us.”
The filly frowned as she looked between me and the guards. “Nu, you can’t take him. He’s silly and my friend.” She stood with her legs spread apart and in a fighting stance between us.
I looked down at the filly before looking at the guards and shrugged. “She is the boss here not me. I am just the wayward traveler. Though I don’t know how to get home....” Everyone blinked as the door reappeared suddenly and swung open. I looked at the guards and shrugged before closing it again. “Well that answers that. So do I have to go with you?”
“Well no but it would put a lot of citizens at ease if you did.” The captain responded as I just noticed the massive crowd gathered a ways off. It was a bit shocking to see they were more curious than anything. The buildings hinted at a more modern and industrialized area then Ponyville.
“What year is it?” I asked while looking at the various races, I noticed a few gryphons and minotaurs. A thestral or two with bedhead stalked in the shadows of a few alleys as I eyed the shadows.
“It is currently A.N. 973. Why do you ask?” The guard had a bit of a confused expression as I began walking with him.
“No reason, just forgot was all.” I responded but my mind was racing because the last thing I knew was that it was L.R. 1. “Let me say goodbye and I’ll go with you.”
The guard nodded before waving a hoof as he walked off. I knelt down to the filly smiling as I ruffled her hair. “Well this was fun and I promise to be back sometime soon. The name is Richard.”
“That’s a silly name mister. I’m Trixie!” She smiled and held up a hoof, which I bumped happily before standing up.
“I’ll see ya later.” I left with the guards and answered a lot of their questions before returning home that day.
Over the next few weeks I had made quite a name for myself in Manehattan. I had made friends with a lot of people and knew it was my kind of place because they didn’t judge me. My friendship with Trixie has grown over time and I had happily shown her and a few of the others my home and a few of the safe worlds.
“RICHARD!” I jumped as I looked towards the mare yelling in my ear before groaning.
“What Trixie?”
“Trixie is ready to return home. This place has made up for the false promise earlier today. Now take us back.” She seemed right prissy as her nose waved in the air. Though I rolled my eyes before taking us home, losing the wings as the door shut behind us.