After making sure everypony had their belongings together, and explaining to the guard ponies that Adrian had been asked to come with the elements by the princess, the golden carriage was airborne yet again, with the six ponies, baby dragon, and human inside.
Gazing over the landscape, Adrian thought of how far away from home he was. What if I never get back? I can’t even remember where I live… The stress finally catching up to him, tears welled up in Adrian’s eyes. Only two ponies noticed this, the other four too deep in conversation.
Applejack looked at the human out of the corner of her eyes. She couldn’t tell if Adrian was crying, or whether some rain had leaked into the carriage. If he was crying, she should do something about it. Applejack knew she hadn’t been the kindest pony to the human, but her first instinct was not to trust the human. And her first instinct was usually right. So, Applejack elected to ignore the human, turning her head to the window.
Fluttershy, however, knew immediately that Adrian was in need of comfort. She had had a near mental break down when she had moved from Cloudsdale, so the timid pony felt she knew what he was going through. Her natural kindness taking over, the pegasus shuffled over to Adrian, wrapping a wing over his hunched form. Startled by the sudden touch, Adrian looked up. Fluttershy simply smiled, and pulled him closer.
“Shh…it’s okay.” Fluttershy quietly reassured Adrian, rubbing her wing up and down his back. Quietly, Fluttershy hummed tunelessly as Adrian sobbed into his hands. After a minute, the tears stopped flowing, and Adrian just sat, listening to Fluttershy’s humming, the pitter patter of rain, and the quiet conversation four of the friends were having.
“Fluttershy?” The yellow pegasus barely heard Adrian, but she stopped humming and removed her wing. Straightening, Adrian turned to her. “Is-is that offer still up?”
Fluttershy thought for a moment, trying to recall what he was talking about. Offer? ...oh, him staying with me! “Of course it is.” At this, Adrian grinned and extended his hand.
Fluttershy tentatively shook his outstretched hand. “It’s a promise.” The human said, grinning despite the tear marks running down his face.
“A Pinkie Pie promise?” Fluttershy said before she could stop herself. Adrian wouldn’t know what that is! Adrian, however, grinned even more.
“Why not? How does it go?”
“Um, y-you say ‘cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye’” Fluttershy said, making the accompany motions to the chant.
“All right, cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my OW!” Adrian had made the same mistake Twilight had made on her first Pinkie Pie promise: touching his eye BEFORE closing his eyelid. Fluttershy giggled, as the four ponies conversation stopped at the humans yell.
“What happened?” Rainbow Dash asked, hoping nothing bad had happened to Adrian.
“Oh, heh heh, Adrian pulled a Twilight.” The pegasus stated, trying to contain her giggles.
“Hey!” Said unicorn shouted, not thrilled at being synonymous with that mistake.
“Oh, did he make a Pinkie Pie Promise?” Pinkie Pie paused just long enough for Fluttershy to nod, “You HAVE to keep the promise now, or else!” The pink pony ran up to the human, and gazed threateningly into his eyes.
The human furrowed his brows. “And what if I don’t?”
“Trust me, you don’t wanna do that. Right, Applejack?” Rainbow Dash turned to the apple pony, who looked a little green around the gills.
“…I don wanna talk ‘bout that.” Applejack bluntly said, positioning herself away from the group.
“That bad?” Adrian looked questioningly at Twilight.
“That bad.” The unicorn replied.
Turning, Adrian noticed his only male companion wasn’t faring much better than Applejack had when she broke her Pinkie Pie Promise. The baby dragon seemed to be half asleep where he sat, glazed over eyes looking at Rarity, who was currently spouting all sorts of technical details of some dress she was working on.
“-And then there is the hemming to consider. I’m not quite sure how much it should be drawn up. I always go for a half inch, but that may not be enough for this dress. What do you think, Spike?” The dragon let out a grunt, which seemed to serve as an acceptable answer to the unicorn, who turned back to the drawing in front of her.
Taking pity on the poor dragon, and seeing Rarity wasn’t about to stop talking for the foreseeable future, Adrian stood(this really WAS a big carriage) and, making sure the fashionista was glued to her drawing, prodded the dragon until he seemed to get out of his stupor. Waving away from the chattering pony, Adrian motioned for Spike to follow.
Checking to make sure the unicorn hadn’t noticed anything (she hadn’t), Spike walked over to the empty spot next to the human.
“Thanks a bunch.” Spike sighed as he slid down the plush seat.
“No problem. Guess everyone needs a break from their girlfriend every once in a while.” Spike immediately blushed, his whole face seeming to go red.
“Wha- she- wh- huh ?” The dragon managed to sputter, eliciting a grin from Adrian.
“Dude, a blind pony could see you like her.” Adrian decided to switch pony in for person, seeing how he was part of a vast minority now.
“She is pretty… pretty, isn’t she?” Spike said heart in his eyes. Adrian just sighed.
“Dragon, when’s the last time you did something WITHOUT one of these girls with you?” He wasn’t a genius, but Adrian could tell when someone needed male bonding time. Call it a special talent he had.
“It’s Spike, not dragon, and it was- um, uh…hmm…” Spike put a hand to his mouth, trying to recall he hadn’t been with one of the elements on a trip.
“Exactly. Spike, next time things get quite, if I’m still here, you and me are going out for some MALE bonding. Okay?” Adrian put his hand on Spikes shoulder, making sure he had made his point clear.
“Sure, Adrian. But can we bring somepony else with us?” The dragon moved Adrian’s hand, not so much because he didn’t like the gesture, but it felt so darned…weird.
“Who?” Adrian asked after a moment’s hesitation: he had been wanting some bonding time with a real live dragon.
“Big Macintosh.” The moment the name was out of Spikes lips Applejack sat bolt upright, and ran to stick her face not an inch away from the dragons face.
“NO way is mah brother gonna be spendin no ‘quality time’ with this here things, Spike. So jus’ forget about it.” The apple pony stared into the frightened baby reptile’s eyes, making sure she was clear.
“Actually Crabapple, I think that would be a great idea.” Now Adrian was just TRYING to get Applejack to blow. And judging by the look on Applejacks face, it had worked. Before Applejack could show the human just how she had won the title “Best bucker in Equestria” (not exactly the best title for the award), a voice emanated from the front of the chariot.
“Please take your seats. We will be landing in Canterlot soon.”
* * *
After making sure Applejack and Adrian were walking as far away from each other (with Fluttershy and Rarity near Adrian, and Twilight and Rainbow containing Applejack), the group began their way inside the castle.
Adrian’s jaw had dropped the second he had gotten out of the carriage, and remained lowered. Twilight couldn’t help but grin: this must have been just how she had looked when she had first taken a tour of the castle. The many royal guards eyed him oddly: why was this nopony with the elements of harmony, and why did the princess herself want to see him? Luckily, Adrian hadn’t needed to explain himself so far.
“You might want to close your mouth dear; you’re going to swallow a fly if you don’t.” Rarity said, taking the grandeur of Canterlot. It was so good to be back in a world where elegance and poise were so common. Schemes were already hatching in the unicorns mind, mainly involving shopping sprees and fashion shows.
But the ivory ponies’ daydreaming was cut short when she spied a certain stained glass window: six ponies surrounding a draconequus. Had they already gotten to the Princesses throne room? Rarity hadn’t even noticed.
“The Princess shall be with you in a few moments. Please, make your selves at home.” A unicorn guard addressed the group from the empty throne, nodding to the elements, and walked off (not without casting a suspicious glance at Adrian, though).
With no other ponies present, the group relaxed. Rainbow Dash took Applejack over to a secluded cove, and soon there were muffled shout coming from both of them: something about “A good for nothing…”, and “The mack daddy of all bad”. Twilight sat herself down and began playing a game of magic tic tak toe with Rarity, the seamstress asking Adrian what he liked to wear. The human only half heard her, as Fluttershy and Spike had been telling him about Discord, and what the Princess was like. And Pinkie was off doing her…Pinkie things.
After about ten minutes, Twilight and Rarity’s heads jolted up, sensing the magic the Princess continually created. Eyes widened, the purple unicorn said “The Princess is coming!”
The scattered group ran back to form an organized group, Applejack somehow right next to Adrian. Before Adrian could suffer more than an elevated heartbeat, the doors behind the throne opened, and the group gazed upon Princess Celestia.
Adrian was at a loss: this HAD to be the coolest thing he had ever seen, a horse with both pegasus wings and a unicorn horn, even beatin out a real dragon on the coolness scale. And her mane! The only thing he could equate it to was pure sunlight, the way it seemed to move with a will of its own. Seeing everypony bowing, Adrian decided to do the same.
“Thank you, my little ponies. Please, no need to be so formal with me. You needn’t bow.” The princesses melodic voice resonated through the chamber, a benevolent smile on Celestias face. The princess’s eyes slid over the group, but stopped and widened when they reached Adrian. “And who might you be?”
Adrian just stared at the Princess, until Applejacks forceful hoof reminded him to speak. “Um, I-I’m Big Pecks, your majesty.” Celestia chuckled under her breath.
“I can see through the illusion, ‘Big Pecks’. Really Twilight, I’m surprised you put such a weak spell on this being to disguise him.” Princess Celestia gave her star pupil a playfully condescending look. Even though she had known the Princess long enough to know when she was joking, Twilight stilled looked away embarrassed.
“I knew you would see through it, your majesty, but we needed Adrian here to hide until we could see you.” Princess Celestia smiled.
“Twilight my dear, there is no need to be so formal with me. As to me knowing about your friend’s situation, I do not actually know everything. I am just as confused as you about why, uh, what is your true name?” The princess turned to the human.
“A-Adrian.” He said in a voice so low even Fluttershy’s keen ears had trouble hearing. How the princess heard him just lends to her power.
“Well Adrian, I know I have never seen one of your kind, and I have been around for a while,” The princess grinned as she descended the steps of her throne, to stand level with the group. “Now, I would like to know everything I can about you, so I may decide what to do with you, and move on to far more pressing matters.”
“Well, I’d like to tell you about me, but…” Adrian looked down to his bare feet, to both give his neck a break from looking up to make eye contact with the alicorn, and to hide his face, “I can’t remember much more than my name.”
The ruler of Equestria just smiled at the human. “I believe I can do something about that, my good…what is your kind called?”
“He’s a human, Princess. And before you do any magic on him,” Twilight stepped closer to her beloved mentor, “It seems that he’s covered with Discords magic.”
“Twilight, I am thousands of years old, I rule the largest nation in the world, and I have defeated Discord before, when he was at his fullest. I can handle whatever Discord has put in this young man.” With that, the Princess lowered her head so her ivory horn was touching Adrian’s forehead. A surge of magic quickly passed from Celestias horn into the human’s skull.
Suddenly, a barrage of images flooded Adrian’s mind: other humans, a large yellow house, his school. Within a matter of seconds, Adrian regained every last thing he had ever known. Adrian gasped as one particular image struck: a television, with several now familiar looking ponies surrounding a logo that said, in pastel pink: My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.
“I remember.” Adrian dramatically stated, opening his eyes to the nervous group. Even Applejack seemed to have hint of concern in her eyes, despite her feelings towards the human.
“Well, don’t keep us in suspense, tell us about you!” Rainbow Dashes impatience got the better of her. She hadn’t wanted to draw the human’s attention to herself. After all, he was so cool: the way he seemed to take everything in stride, even his messed up, scruffy mane looked awesome! But Adrian looked directly into Rainbows eyes, eliciting another blush.
“Well… the last thing I can remember now before getting here is this weird dream. There was this weird voice coming from nowhere, so I tried to find where it was coming from. The voice kept telling me I was getting closer, so I just walked towards it. Then…I felt like I was falling. The very last thing I can remember is this weird head smiling at me, and saying ‘Oh, this is gonna be too good!’ It had these weird eyes, and two different horns.”
“…Yep, sounds like Discord to me!” Pinkie said, remembering the wonderful weather they had had that day.
“Anything else? Anything that might be connected with how you got here?” Twilight asked, taking a step towards the human.
“Well…this is going to sound weird…” Adrian trailed off, trying to figure out how to put the fact that he was somehow inside a children’s television show.
“We won’t’ judge you.” Fluttershy stated, her eyes shimmering in the settings suns light.
“Bear with me, but you guys are…