The Everfree Lord

by Organic Construct

First published 19th of October, 2013

The Everfree Forest holds dangerous secrets and ancient powers. Most of these are best left forgotten. However, a few don't want to be.

A mysterious entity awakens from a long slumber. Unique to this world, this being must face suffering from its very nature. Some will seek to use this nature for good and others for ill. In a new world, opportunity abounds, but so too does adversity.

The Everfree Lord I

The Everfree is beautiful at night. The luminescence of a gibbous moon barely breaks through the canopy in the few areas where this natural ceiling happens to thin. Where the light does manage to fall to earth, the flora and nocturnal fauna of the place are cast in silver and shadow. The only other source of light is the occasional, brief, yellow glow produced by the hovering lightning bugs as they seek their partners.

These gentle sources of luminance are more than sufficient for the nocturnal denizens of this place. The rodents scurrying through the leaf litter that has fallen from the canopy above. The owls that move so silently and gracefully through the cool night air. The cockatrice that seeks to petrify any who would trespass and threaten its chicks. The manticore that prowls on silent paws as it seeks its prey. The bats that have finally emerged from their cavernous homes to feed on the insects that rise as the sun sets. To these and many more, the light is perfect in this gentle, ephemeral form.

Within the bounds of the forest stands an abandoned, derelict ruin of a castle that seems to bathe in the moonlight. Long ago, the castle had been home to a pair of brave alicorns that dared to face Discord. Until recently, it had been the resting place of the seemingly inert Elements of Harmony. These had been retrieved by six brave heroines, and they used them to stop one of these alicorns from bringing an eternal night to the land. In fact, they had battled the corrupted alicorn of night within these very ruins.

Known to none but the alicorn sisters, there is a hidden chamber beneath the castle. This chamber is the only part of the castle that has escaped the decay that time brought on the rest of the once-proud structure. Within this chamber, on an altar hewn from stone, rests a slumbering figure. The barely perceptible rise and fall of its chest is the only sign that this is a resting place and not a tomb. A very fine layer of dust coats the figure, but this is to be expected when an undisturbed object does not even so much as twitch for over a millenia.

Ever so slowly, the being's breathing increases in frequency and depth. Then, something happens that has not occurred since the being was laid within its hidden resting place. Its body shifts in a manner outside the simple drawing of breath. A barely noticeable twitch of a finger, but a movement nonetheless. After regenerating, recuperating, and resting for well over a thousand years, the creature's mind finally stirs.

~~~

Adrian groaned as consciousness returned to him. The first thought to cross his groggy mind was how stiff his muscles felt in spite of how well-rested his mind felt. Even shifting his head was an annoying chore. As his mind became more lucid, his senses hit him with several revelations in quick succession. It felt like he fell asleep on solid rock. His eyes slowly opened, but revealed nothing other than darkness. His mouth felt slightly dry. The air around him was chilly. Though, the most disturbing thing had to be the silence. Combined with the chilly air, it seemed nigh upon oppressive.

He must be in Kole's basement. Though, why his friends placed him on the stone floor rather than the couch is beyond him. Silly bastards were probably too drunk to think that clearly. Hell, they'd all gotten pretty drunk as Kole's twenty-eighth birthday celebration had carried on. Adrian's brow furrowed as a confusing realisation hit. He'd been drunk. He should be suffering a hangover, but he felt fine other than a slight case of cotton mouth.

Adrian rolled over to get to his feet. The dust lifted from his form as it shifted more than it had in a very long time. He yelped as he rolled over the unseen edge of the altar, and gravity did as it is wont to do. He grunted as his body thumped against a solid, stone floor. Fortunately, the fall had only been about half of a meter, so he didn't suffer anything other than annoyance and confusion. He knew very damn well that there were no stone blocks in Kole's basement.

"The hell's going on here?" His brow furrowed as his voice echoed back to him slightly. Alright, now he was pretty bloody worried. Kole's basement did not have an echo.

Adrian quickly got to his feet and settled in a crouch. Other than the sounds of his movements and breathing, the space he was in remained completely silent. Adrian patiently waited for his eyes to adjust to the dark. They didn't. There must not have been enough light for him to see at all. He cautiously rose to a full stand. Nothing lashed out and the silence remained unbroken. He slowly shifted one foot forward while never lifting it from the ground.

Gentle, blue light filled the room as a circle of runes light up. Adrian jerked backwards, the back of his left leg bumping the altar as he did so. His eyes quickly adjusted and he opened them to examine his surroundings. The light was emanating from a circle of runes surrounding the altar he had recently fallen from. Other than the circle and the altar, the room was an austere cube of stone.

He stared at the runes. They were definitely unnatural. Adrian puzzled over them briefly. He crouched down to examine one closely. The light didn't seem to be coming from any source other than the rune itself. He was able to feel the smooth, cool stone floor beneath the rune as he slid his hand over it. His hand hid the rune as he covered it, so it wasn't some projected nonsense.

Where the hell is this light coming from? he thought to himself. No projection. No bulb. No LED. It had lit up as he moved. Correlation does not always mean causation, but he was fairly certain that was the case in this instance. They were clearly motion activated. Perhaps they were meant to light the room up for anyone who came to look at the altar... No, they would be coming to look at him.

Adrian sighed. He figured that most people would start panicking or trying to rationalise it as a dream at this point. He did neither. Panic was beneath him, and this was clearly no dream. He was far too lucid for it to be one. He cast his mind back over his recent memories to occupy his mind with something other than the nagging urge to panic. He'd attended Kole's birthday celebration and got plastered. The alcohol may not be in his system now, but it had certainly affected his memory of that night. One thing he did foggily remember was a flash followed by pain. That certainly did little to cast light on the situation.

Adrian focused on the positives of his current predicament. He was alive. His clothes had not been removed, and they were undamaged. He was now able to see. He didn't appear to have any physical injury. All things considered, he was doing well... Other than not knowing where he was. He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. He'd had enough of thinking. It was time to act.

He scoured the walls for any sign of an ingress that could be used to exit the chamber. He found no sign of any seams that would betray any type of door. He snorted. This was going to be a bit harder than he'd hoped. He started rapping his knuckles against the wall as he pressed his ear up to it. He repeated this action on a few wall sections before hearing what he was hoping for: the dull thump of sound waves passing through solid stone before transitioning into open space. As he examined the wall he found a miniscule seam that he had missed in his original search. The seam betrayed a rectangular doorway with a semicircle at the top that would be tall and wide enough for him to pass through comfortably.

He took a step back from the wall before driving his shoulder into it. He didn't notice the slim tendrils of glowing energy that briefly flowed from the stone into his shoulder. Adrian barely managed to retain his balance as the door unexpectedly fell into some slot that had apparently been beneath it the whole time. He briefly pondered how it had remained suspended, but the question faded from his mind as he took in the hallway before him. It went on for maybe five meters before it ended in an ascending, winding staircase. More of the glowing runes were placed intermittently every meter or so. Strangely enough, they were at waist level rather than eye level.

With all due trepidation, he made his way towards the stairway. As calm as he may have seemed, he had still awoken in a strange place without any knowledge as to how he had gotten there. He was giving the circumstances all the caution and consideration they were due. It would seem his caution had been unnecessary, for he made it to the staircase without anything untoward happening. He allowed himself to relax the slightest bit. If there had been any traps or alarms, they likely would have been in that hall. Emphasis on likely. He certainly wasn't about to let his guard down completely.

He slowly made his way up the spiraling stairs. Thankfully, the glowing runes were also present on the stone walls of the stairwell. He didn't walk long before he came to a horizontal, stone slab impeding his progress. He braced his shoulders against the stone and shifted his stance to prepare to heave upwards. With his face down-turned, he again missed the very faint glowing tendrils that flowed from the slab to his back. With a grunt, he heaved upward. The stone groaned as it shifted upwards. His leg muscles protested as he struggled against the oppressive weight of the stone slab. He felt it start to come back down in spite of his efforts. He would not be bested by a rock. With one final snarl, he thrust upwards and flipped the stone slab out of its resting place.

Adrian immediately regretted his decision. The loud slam of stone on stone filled the air. He cursed internally. That had been the first truly, utterly stupid thing he'd done. He had allowed the exciting proposition of impending freedom to skew his judgment. He remained silently crouched as he listened. The only sound to reach his ears was the faint, muffled sound of cricket chirps. The air was still chilly, and the cold began to creep through his thin dress clothes. He hadn't noticed that the air in the chamber and stairwell had been stale, but he certainly did now. The fresh air that flowed from above was a stark contrast to the musty air that he had habituated to. After remaining crouched for around a minute, he decided it was relatively safe to move.

With the coast clear, he took the final few steps up the stairs. He found himself within the ruins of what must have once been a throne room. The top of the stairs had fed onto a dais upon which he now stood. Two thrones sat side by side behind him. Sections of the ceiling had collapsed, and he could see moonlight streaming through the missing sections. The moonlight served to illuminate the tattered tapestries and pennants that hung between the columns embedded within the walls. Partially rotted, wooden double-doors stood in the wall on the far side of the throne room.

He calmly strode towards them. There was no sense in running. He would conserve the energy until he actually needed it. Better to have the energy later than be found wanting due to stupidity. One of the doors already stood open. He grinned. That made things far easier considering the fact that the hinges were heavily rusted. The doors may have been rotted, but they were still thick. Bursting through them would have been a pain.

The doorway fed into a hall that stretched from left to right. The right side led to a dead-end with a window facing out, while the left ended in a staircase going down. He hugged the left wall as he made his way towards the stairs. Though the castle may seem abandoned, he was not going to risk surprising any squatting residents.

This stairwell was designed as a back-and-forth rectangle rather than the circular design that he had gone up before. His mind wandered as he started creeping downwards. As far as he knew, there were no ancient, ruined castles in the United States. This place bore none of the signs of a ruin converted into an attraction. There were no cordoned off areas and there was a slight coating of dust on each step he traversed. He didn't want to think he had been taken from the United States. Perhaps he had been kidnapped and brought to Europe. This seemed unlikely. Who would kidnap an American and drag them to Europe simply to leave them lying in a chamber beneath a ruined castle?

He briefly paused as he considered the possibility of amnesia. He continued onwards. He didn't feel like any of his memories were missing. Every paper he'd read on the subject claimed that people suffering from amnesia almost always had a nagging sense that their memories were missing. He had to consider amnesia unlikely. There was no point in asking these questions now. It was still slightly, slightly possible that Kole, Grant, Havel, Amber, and Emmy were simply fucking with him. Though, this entire situation did seem a little ridiculous for a prank.

The staircase ended on one of the upper ends of a t-shaped set of stairs that he presumed would be found in a welcome hall. Two windows near the main doorway allowed some moonlight into the hall. He still didn't see anyone or detect any sound that would betray movement. He made his way to the center of the t-shaped stairs and paused once he reached the bottom. The small welcome hall had three doorways excluding the entryway. He made certain to keep an eye on each of them as he silently strode towards the main door. Thankfully, it was partially open as well.

His eyes widened once he stepped through the slightly tight opening. The castle had either been built within a forest, or a forest had grown up around the castle as it decayed. He supposed it mattered little which. There was a bit of clear space in front of the castle before it gave way to a canyon of depth indeterminable from his current position. Beyond the canyon, the clearing once again gave way to to thick forest. As he looked back, he noticed that the castle seemed rather small from the outside. He chalked it up to a simple matter of perspective. He couldn't be bothered to ponder spatial conservation at the moment.

He spotted a bridge leading over the canyon. This bridge fed into a sort of overgrown, makeshift path that led into the forest. Overgrown and makeshift it may have been, but it was still a path. Paths leading away from castles often mean people. People often mean information and resources. He considered a darker thought as he made his way towards the rope bridge. Mayhap the people he found at the end of this path were responsible for his current situation. What would happen should they be displeased that he was awake and wandering about? Well, they had yet to kill him when they certainly could have. He decided it was worth the risk.

He felt uncomfortable as he looked down into the deep canyon below. Some type of mist was actually obscuring his view of the bottom. It seemed he was destined to remain ignorant about the depth of this canyon. He warily placed a foot on the first step of the bridge. He slowly shifted his weight onto the foot until more than half of his weight was concentrated on it. The bridge barely even so much as creaked. Apparently, it was far stronger than its appearance suggested. He made his way across the bridge and was impressed when it didn't even sag when he reached its middle. Whoever had built this had done so with a mind to make it last. He grinned. Now he knew he was no longer in the States. His people didn't build anything of quality like this anymore. He sniggered at the internal joke as he set foot on solid land once more.

The self-same forest he had seen from the castle now loomed before him, but the path led straight into it. He intended to follow it. He couldn't help but notice that the night became gloomier as he stepped beneath the boughs of the trees. The foliage was serving to block most of the moonlight he had been relying on before. However, the path was still visible, so he still had a course to follow. His footfalls were muffled by the dirt of the path, but they did not go unnoticed.

He listened to the sounds of night as he walked. The chirping of crickets. The distant croaks of frogs. The occasional rustle as he happened to startle some small prey species. Though he made certain to watch his surroundings, he did occasionally let his eyes linger on the brief glow of an airborne lightning bug. He was somewhat surprised that they were active in spite of the chilly weather. He'd only ever seen them on warm summer nights while he had lived in his childhood home. When a slight stab of yearning pierced his heart, he realised that he had missed their soft glow.

The path eventually came to a point where it was bisected by a river. This was a true impasse. The river would not be moved, so he had to find a way around, swim across, or turn back. Adrian cast his gaze up and down the river, but no obvious bridge or fording presented itself. The river seemed calm enough, but there was no way in hell he was going to soak his clothes by attempting to swim across. He considered the matter for a few moments before sighing despondently. Attempting to find a bridge or fording might prove fruitless. With a final, exasperated sigh, he turned to face the forest he had just come from. He supposed he would simply have to take the least disagreeable prospect: turning around and searching for another path.

Adrian froze. The sound of something large rising from the water reached his ears. He could hear the sound of water falling from whatever had just risen from behind him. Adrian's mind started racing. Move? Flee? Fight? As his mind raced over possible options and their consequences, the strangest thing happened.

"What's got you troubled, little guy?"

The flamboyant voice had come from above and behind him. He twisted his head around very slowly. What he saw from the corner of his eye almost broke him.

He, based on the voice, was a serpent who had a portion of his upper body poking from the river's surface. He had purple scales with lighter scales on his stomach and neatly-styled, bronze-coloured hair. He had a mismatched mustache; one segment was the same bronze as his hair while the other was purple and curled for part of its length. Most of his mind had ceased functioning, but enough remained for a question to form from the most base part of his sanity: why would a reptile have hair? And very nice hair at that. The serpent was currently looking down at Adrian with a curious look on his strangely expressive features. Adrian's deadened mind registered that the serpent's facial expressions were anthropomorphic.

Adrian twisted his head back around and rubbed his palms against his temples. Unfortunately, he had already concluded that he was not dreaming. He had no history of mental illnesses, so he doubted he had simply gone crazy. That meant that the creature behind him had to be real. Adrian inhaled deeply before dropping his hands to his sides. Well, the impossible creature had asked him a question and there was no point in being rude.

Adrian turned to face the serpent and said, "This blasted river blocks the path, so now I have to turn around and waste precious time and energy going back the way I came."

The serpent looked surprised as Adrian spoke. "Oh, my. You can speak! Well, how delightful. I am Steven Magnet. You are?"

Adrian raised an eyebrow as the creature revealed his name. He had not expected the serpent to have a name, let alone one so mundane. "Adrian Lord. Pleasure."

Steven smiled and lowered his head closer to Adrian's level. "You mentioned wanting to cross the river. I could facilitate that for you," he said with a smile.

Adrian lifted his eyebrows before he said, "You have my attention, Mr. Magnet."

"Well, I lift sections of my body above the surface," at this point he lifted several lumps of his body above the water's surface to demonstrate, "and you simply hop across. Easy, no?"

Adrian's eyes narrowed in confusion and a smidgeon of suspicion. "You would do this for a stranger. Why?" He kept any hint of suspicion from his voice. He didn't want to offend this creature if his intent proved honest.

"Not so long ago, a very kind and generous stranger came through and fixed my damaged mustache at great cost to herself. Her generosity inspired me to help others where I can," he paused for a moment, "Plus, I seldom see anyone pass through the Everfree, and I like to help those I can. It encourages conversation," he said as he cast his eyes upwards and waved his hand noncommittally.

"Everfree?" Adrian's voice was heavy with confusion.

Steven focused his gaze on Adrian once more. "Why, the Everfree Forest, of course. Surely you know that you're within the bounds of the Everfree."

Well at least he knew the name of where he was now. Little help that did him though. He'd never even heard of an "Everfree Forest" before. That wasn't to say it didn't exist. Adrian wasn't exactly a student of geography.

"Honestly, I had no clue where I was, but, thanks to you, I do now." Adrian allowed a pleased smile to form on his features and said, "By the by, I would be happy to take you up on that friendly offer."

Steven gestured with both arms towards the exposed lumps of his body, "After you."

Steven's scales were somewhat slick, but this proved no trouble for the traction provided by Adrian's dress shoes. He managed to hop all the way across without missing a step.

"You have my thanks, Steven," Adrian said as he turned around to face the serpent.

Steven grinned, looking rather pleased, "It was no trouble at all. If I may be so bold, where are you off to that you would risk traversing the Everfree at night?"

The word "risk" caught Adrian's attention in full, but he decided to ignore it for now. He'd ask later. For now, he at least owed the serpent some honesty. "I only just woke up in a hidden chamber within a ruined castle in the direction I came from. I honestly have no idea where I am nor where I'm going. I was just going to follow the path until I reach civilisation," Adrian gave a noncommittal shrug, "Not really sure what I'm gonna do after that though."

Steven seemed to be considering him in a new light. "You say you came from the ruins of the castle of the alicorn sisters? How interesting."

"Alicorn?"

At this interrogative, Steven acquired a concerned look. "You don't even know of the royal alicorn sisters that rule Equestria?"

"Equestria?"

He scratched his chin with a claw as he said, "You really aren't from around here. Alright. Let me catch you up to speed. Hold any questions until the end of the monologue, please." Steven cleared his throat. "You are in the Everfree Forest which lies within the borders of the land of Equestria. Equestria is ruled by the two alicorn sisters; one of who controls the sun and the other controls the moon. What you claim to have come from is the ruins of the castle they once used long ago." When Adrian remained silent Steven said, "I'm done."

Adrian started with the most confusing bit. "What is an alicorn?"

Steven looked slightly embarrassed, "Ah, yes, you had asked that earlier. Well, alicorn are ponies that bear the horn and magic of the unicorns, the wings and atmospheric magic of the pegasi, and the vitality and biomagic of the earth ponies. A jack-of-all-trades, if you will."

That explanation revealed more to Adrian than the serpent realised. Adrian fought the urge to grind the heels of his palms against his temples once more. If the serpent was to be believed, and Adrian could see no reason why it would want to deceive him, then he was currently in a land ruled by sentient ponies. That little sanity breaking piece of information didn't even take into account the existence of unicorns, pegasi, and magic. Magic!

"By "ponies" you mean quadrupedal, equine creatures, correct?" Adrian hoped that perhaps the creature was using some unknown, local vernacular.

Steven looked slightly confused as he said, "I don't know of anything else one would describe as a pony."

Adrian suppressed a sigh. There went that hope. So, he was in a land of ponies, ruled by magical ponies who happened to control the celestial bodies themselves. Adrian briefly worked his mind around the idea. All things considered, he was chatting with a river serpent named Steven. Magical, sentient ponies seemed less sanity breaking in that light.

"Thanks, Steven. You've been a marvelous help."

Adrian's eye almost twitched as the reptile blushed. "Oh, you're too kind. I was more than happy to help. However, I suppose it is time we part ways. All good things must come to an end. If you're ever in the Everfree, feel free to visit me for a pleasure chat. I seldom get visitors I can have a proper discourse with. Tah-tah."

"Farewell," Adrian said as he watched the serpent duck beneath the surface of the water and slither upstream.

Adrian managed to make it a dozen steps before he slumped against a tree. The enormity of what he had just seen, and talked about, had finally caught up with him. His breathing began to accelerate as his heart raced. He closed his eyes and clutched as his throbbing heart. Giant river serpents with hair and anthropomorphic features. Sentient ponies. Unicorns. Pegasi. Magic. Those glowing runes must have been fueled by magic. A part of his mind that wasn't freaking out had come to that conclusion. Adrian focused on it and he almost immediately calmed.

"Acquire. Assimilate. Adapt." He centered his mind by repeating that short mantra a few times. He had acquired information and now, like it or not, he had to assimilate it into his world view and adapt to it. All of these things were real now. He would simply have to deal with it. No sense in allowing himself to be reduced into a gibbering heap by the reality he found himself in.

A rustle in the foliage to his left caught his attention. Whatever had disturbed the vegetation was far larger than a simple prey species. Adrian's mind snapped back to Steven's mention of "risk" and he silently cursed himself for forgetting to ask about it.

Adrian slowly drew away from the tree. He forced himself to remain calm even as he spotted the glowing tapetum lucidum of two large eyes staring at him from the foliage. That was when he noticed something he would have noticed had he not been on the verge of panicking earlier: the forest was silent and still. No insects. No nocturnal birds. Nothing but the very low growl that began emanating from the hidden creature.

Adrian slowly turned to face the bush. It was around eight meters from him. That would be plenty of space to respond with should the creature start to char―.

The thought died in Adrian's mind as the nightmarish creature revealed itself with a roar and a thunderous charge. Adrian almost couldn't believe it. He was being rushed by a manticore. A monster of legend. A being that would devour him if it managed to kill him. Adrian didn't hesitate for a moment.

He charged.

The manticore roared in surprise as Adrian slammed into it and wrapped his right arm around its neck. His left hand gripped his right wrist tightly and he started to squeeze with the wrath of a demon. The manticore started to flail and thrash in an attempt to dislodge him. The manticore tried to swipe at him, but he was in an awkward spot for the creature's reach. Try as it might, the manticore could not manage to strike him with its claws. With a frustrated roar, it whipped its stinger towards its clinging assailant. Adrian tightened his grip further and savagely rolled to his right. The manticore felt a brief surge of surprise before a dull, wet crack filled the cool night air.

Adrian released his grip as his roll landed him on his feet. The manticore fell to the ground; its severed spinal column unable to deliver any neural signals from the brain. Adrian tilted his head to the right a tad as he briefly observed the fallen predator. He was confused. Considering the mass of muscle around its neck, his weight shouldn't have provided enough torque to snap its spinal column. Seeing as no obvious solution presented itself, he put the issue aside as yet another idiosyncrasy of this world. He'd only taken a few steps off the path to meet the manticore's charge, so it'd be easy to return to it and contin―.

A rustle sounded from the bush the manticore had just come from. Adrian immediately whipped his gaze towards it. Adrian's eyes widened as a creature smaller than the manticore revealed itself. He felt a brief flare of surprise followed by burning curiosity and confusion. Steven had told him that sentient ponies exist, but he hadn't mentioned zebra ponies.

The Everfree Lord II

Adrian scrutinised the miniature zebra. The top of its head, not counting its styled mane, only came up to his upper thigh. Its enormous, expressive eyes gave away many more of its emotions than a human's smaller eyes. Golden jewelry wrapped around its right foreleg and neck, while two hoops dangled from its ears. The only other adornment to be found on its small frame was a small, brown satchel hanging around its neck. He could tell that it was similar to a zebra, but the colour scheme was strange. There was no true black in its coat. It had a bit of white in its mane and tail, but otherwise, its coat had large sections of grey with smaller sections of darker grey. This darker grey also served to break up the white sections of its mane and tail. It also had a strange, mirrored, spiral marking on its hindquarters that seemed to be a natural part of its coat.

The zebra looked from the manticore to him and back again a few times. Its face flashed through a few emotions in rapid succession: confusion, concern, slight fear, wonder. Once again, Adrian briefly marveled over how expressive those eyes were. Finally, its eyes settled on him. Adrian pondered how to proceed without scaring it, but his thoughts were cut short by something that, in hindsight, should not have surprised him as much as it did.

"A monster lies dead on the forest floor. Was it you who killed this manticore?"

Subconsciously, he had kind of been expecting her, he assumed it to be a her based on the sound of her voice, to have some degree of sentience, but he still felt surprise as she spoke. Adrian's mind locked on something he should have realised at the river: the sentient beings of this strange place were speaking English... Adrian immediately suppressed the maddening line of thought. Acquire, assimilate, adapt.

As he broke his mind's focus on the fact that she was speaking in English, it picked up on another little quirk. "Was that a rhyme?"

Adrian caught the slightest grin form on her features as she said, "Your powers of observation are surely sublime. Yes, I do indeed speak in rhyme. Now, will you answer my question past? I would like to have an answer at last."

Adrian shook his head to clear it. "Ummmm, yes. Yes, I did."

She seemed to consider his answer for a few moments. Adrian wondered what she was thinking. Did this impress her? Was she scared of him because of this? Was she merely thinking up her next rhyme? She never broke eye contact with him during the few silent seconds that stretched between them.

"Will you reveal to me your name, and is there truth behind your claim?"

Adrian looked at the manticore briefly before responding, "I am Lord, Adrian Lord, and yes, I broke its neck as it tried to sting me with its tail."

She looked over the manticore again, this time taking note of the awkward angle of its neck. "Most would have turned and fled, yet by your work it now lies dead. Why would you face a beast so feral, and risk yourself to mortal peril?"

Adrian shrugged. "It charged me. It was a quadruped and would have easily ran me down." Adrian idly cracked his fingers one by one as he continued, "My only options were run and die or fight and maybe live. I liked the "maybe live" option more than the one where I wound up dead."

Zecora smiled and a brief chuckle escaped her. "You are an interesting one, Lord. You seem the type to choose the sword."

At her use of his last name, Adrian realised something. "You have my name but have yet to give me yours."

"Zecora is my chosen name. Hiding it was not my aim."

Adrian allowed his gaze to wander back to the path a few steps away. "Well then, Zecora. How much further would I have to follow this path to reach civilisation?"

Zecora glanced to the path before returning her gaze to meet his own. "You would arrive by morning in Ponyville. But, do you truly want to travel still?"

Ponyville... Really? To each their own. "Why would I stop?"

"Fearsome things stalk this place by night. Things to make a manticore seem a mite."

Adrian's face twisted up a bit. "If such dangerous things are lurking about, then why are you out here?"

She used her left foreleg to open the satchel. He was close enough to see the faintly glowing flowers contained within. "For these lunar blossoms, I have come. To dangerous denizens, I shall not succumb."

Adrian raised an eyebrow. "Seems a bit dangerous for nothing more than a pretty flower."

Zecora laughed lightly. "Powerful potions, these flowers do make. They are certainly worth the risk I take."

Adrian's mind wandered back to the fact that magic exists. "These... Potions. Do they have real, tangible effects?"

Zecora looked at him strangely. "These flowers do more than they seem. In the right potion, they help others dream. Some potions cause others to shrink or grow, and others cause one to move very slow."

Adrian just smiled. Magic and functional potions. This world was getting better and better by the moment.

"Potions aside, I need to continue because I have no supplies, and I'd rather not remain in one place if nightmares really are stalking about." Adrian dipped his head as he continued, "You've been very helpful, but I think it's time I start moving again. Thank you for the information about the town and farewell."

Adrian turned to return to the path.

"You do not have to roam, for I invite you to my home."

Adrian immediately stopped and turned to face her. With a hint of incredulity in his voice, he spoke, "What? You would open your home to me? I just snapped a mythical predator's neck," he gestured towards the corpse for emphasis, "And you're just going to welcome me into your home, just like that. Is self-preservation a foreign concept to you?" Admittedly, he hadn't really expected to break its neck. He had expected it to come slightly off balance so he could wrestle it to the ground for a potential choke-out.

This fact seemed to matter little to her, for her smile now held some trace of confidence and playfulness. "You claimed to act in self defence, so attacking me would make little sense. Small in stature I may be, but I do live in the Everfree."

Well, if she was certain. Adrian only had to consider the matter for a moment. He really didn't want to travel by night. Zecora clearly had to have a special set of skills to survive in this place. She'd probably be able to keep him away from danger for the time being. At least until daytime. She was offering him shelter. He'd be able to get a good night's rest and continue onwards in the morning. Her offer was laden with nothing but wins. The choice was simple and the answer quickly given.

"I'd love to."

Zecora's smile brightened. "I am glad you chose to stay. Now, follow me and do not stray."

With those words spoken, she started walking away from the path. Adrian immediately started following close behind. He was somewhat surprised that she didn't follow the trail, but she was the resident here. Who was he to question her methods? He had to occasionally dip his head to avoid a low hanging branch, but otherwise, her choice of path was not proving too difficult for him. Adrian made certain to keep his wits sharp and his senses sharper still. The thought of being stalked kept him on edge in spite of his new-found guide.

They had been traveling for around ten minutes when Adrian decided to break the silence. "So, how far from here is your home?" The words were quietly spoken. There was little sense to be had in being unnecessarily noisy.

"My home is closer than you know. I suppose you might not see it though. Take a closer look around, and by your eyes it shall be found."

Adrian's eyes narrowed the slightest bit in a reflex of suspicion. He hadn't spotted anything remotely like a home. He focused his attention on where Zecora was leading him and immediately understood how he'd missed it. Standing before him was a tree adorned with what could only be described as tribal decorations. Coloured glass bottles hung from various branches. Adrian could only assume they contained special ingredients or potent concoctions. From there, his eyes wandered to the large mask leaning against one of the tree's exposed roots. It was oversized even by his own standards, let alone a creature Zecora's size. A smaller mask hung right above the entrance.

Adrian snorted in amusement. "How on earth can you live in the small space provided by a hollowed tree?"

With a voice heavy with amusement she replied, "My home may seem small from the outside, but you should step within before you decide. Though it may not seem it, based on sight, even you will be able to stand upright."

Her words held a knowing edge that Adrian did not fail to pick up on. It was for that reason that he did not call her statement into doubt. After all, she lived there. She was bound to know its dimensions better than he. Even with all this reasoning, Adrian still couldn't suppress the inkling of disbelief that welled from his core. Well, they were within a few meters of her home already, so he supposed he'd find out soon enough.

Zecora extended a foreleg and pushed the door open. She turned her head around to look at him before nodding her head toward the open doorway. She stepped through the ingress, and Adrian ducked through without hesitation. As per promise, he found himself able to stand upon entering her home. A brief sense of confusion went through him. The space was indeed larger within than it had seemed from outside. Adrian had ignored it as a matter of perspective at the castle, but now it seemed a more pressing concern. Evidently, the dimensions of structures in this place were not consistent within and without. Adrian tacked this up as another idiosyncrasy of a world of magic and English-speaking creatures.

Adrian stood in the doorway, uncertain of what to do, as Zecora removed her satchel and placed it on a nearby surface. The space was rather nice and homey. The center of the room being dedicated to a cauldron which Adrian assumed was used for her potion crafting. Containers of varying size, shape, and colour hung from the ceiling and rested on nearby shelves. More tribal masks hung from various points on the walls. Candles, located at intermittent points along the wall and on shelves, provided all the light that the room needed. The final thing of note was a bed located in a hollow opposite the entrance. He guessed that the small hollow served as her bedroom.

Adrian took a single step forward as he said, "Nice place. You weren't kidding about it being larger than expected." He stretched his arms upwards and placed his palms against the roof before letting his arms drop to his sides.

Zecora turned her attention to him. "At first glance, my home unnerves you not? To me, that reaction means quite a lot." A smile formed on her features and she gestured around the space. "Welcome to my humble home. Feel free to explore and roam. Though, I must ask for your care as you do, for I would hate to have anything broken by you."

"Ah, never fear. You have my word that I won't damage a thing throughout my stay." He made certain to flash a reassuring smile to show his sincerity.

Zecora returned his smile before turning her attention back to the satchel and extracting the gently glowing flowers. Their light was less apparent in the candlelit room than it had been in the moonlight outside. She set them down near the satchel, presumably to dry, as she said, "Would you care for some tea? Your acceptance would mean much to me."

Adrian was somewhat suspicious of the potentially dubious tea preferences of an equine, but decided he would at least try it. She clearly held some desire for him to accept. He doubted she would force the matter, but he didn't want to offend such a benevolent host. "Certainly."

She smiled at his response and went about gathering various containers from around her home. After acquiring everything she needed, she began mixing various amounts of clear and coloured fluids into a single, larger container. Adrian watched in fascination. Customarily, he'd only ever seen people boil leaves in water or use a prepared powder. This was a strange, new style to him. Finally, she added a small, fabric pouch to the solution she had mixed. Adrian briefly pondered how she would go about boiling the tea. He watched as she retrieved a small stone from under the cauldron and dropped it into the container with a few whispered words. After that, she simply placed the container aside.

Adrian had ignored quite a bit of sanity devouring occurrences today, but this small matter finally stirred him into action. "You're not going to boil the tea?"

Zecora turned her attention from the container to him. "That stone contains shamanic magic from my land. It can be slightly warm or hot as a brand."

Adrian's eyes widened as he turned his eyes to the container. He had learned that magic was real in this world, but this was the first time he had actually seen evidence of its existence. One of the adjectives she had used to describe the magic caught his attention.

"Shamanic magic?"

Zecora seemed to think for a moment. "Shamanic magic draws from the world around. Within the unicorns themselves their magic is found."

Adrian felt slightly pleased. At least the magic of this world seemed to follow the general patterns described in the fables of his world. Shamanic magic involved the natural world around the user. From what he'd learned of them, unicorns seemed comparable to wizards. Adrian felt a slight bit of curiosity. What of the other types of magic? Necromancy? Sorcery? Demonology? Healing? The tantalising prospects of this world drew a grin onto his features.

His thoughts were broken as he noticed a slight glow emanating from an object in his peripheral vision. He sharply turned his head towards the source. He didn't even raise an eyebrow as his eyes took in the faintly glowing tea container. That certainly had not taken long.

Zecora acquired a bowl and uncapped the tea container. A faint steam rose from the neck as she did so. She quickly poured the gently steaming tea into the bowl. Adrian was confused as to how she could lift the hot container before the obvious reason dawned on him: hooves. She placed the bowl aside and upended the container over the pit beneath the cauldron. The glowing heat-stone fell through the container's neck and into the fire pit below.

Adrian was impressed. She had managed to do all of this within four seconds. He watched as she returned the tea container to a shelf and picked up two cups located on the same shelf. Again, he was impressed that she was able to balance the two cups on one hoof and simultaneously walk smoothly on only three limbs. It was only when she placed the cups down next to the bowl that Adrian suddenly had to resist the urge to slap himself on the forehead. He should have offered to help her. He was a horrible guest.

If Zecora was displeased that he hadn't offered, she didn't betray it in any way, shape or form. She simply scooped the contents of the bowl into each cup and pushed one cup towards him. She gestured for him to sit and he complied. Adrian looked at the concoction with as neutral an expression as was possible. It was maroon of colour and quite opaque. He lifted the cup to inhale the vapours rising from the liquid's surface. It certainly smelled nice enough. The scent was reminiscent of Southern sweet-tea with a strange hint of something similar to mint. Adrian looked up to see Zecora sipping at her own already. Well, no sense in being a coward. With that thought, Adrian took a tentative sip of the tea.

It was delightful. It was sweet with the barest hint of a bitter undertone. He could think of no beverage that he had ever tasted that would serve as an analogue to the flavour currently coating his tongue. He raised his eyes from the cup to find Zecora staring at him.

Adrian smiled. "Very good." He took another sip to emphasize his point.

Zecora smiled. "I am glad that you approve of my tea." At this point her smile shifted into one betraying a degree of playfulness. "Though, I wonder if you are indulging me."

Adrian easily registered the playfulness in her expression. It still amazed him that her face was so good at expressing emotions in such an anthropomorphic nature. There were a few slight differences, of course, but the similarities were still uncanny. Almost unsettling.

Adrian allowed the left side of his mouth to curl up. "To be honest, I was worried that our obvious physiological differences might lead to a... Difference in tastes."

At this, Zecora laughed. Adrian had to admit that he liked her laughter.

After a few more sips, Zecora broke the silence with an inquiry. "From what place have you traveled afar? I can not help but wonder what you are. I have seen many things, but none like you. For what reason are you traveling through?"

Adrian took another sip of the tea before beginning. "I really don't think the names of any locations from my home would mean anything to you. I kinda suspect I'm no longer anywhere near it. My only reliable memory ends on a night spent celebrating with friends," he paused to take another sip. "Next thing I know, I've awakened in a hidden chamber beneath the throne room of a decrepit castle within a place called the Everfree Forest. Now, I'm just trying to get out of this forest and into civilisation. From there, I'm hoping to figure out how the hell I got here and if there's any way for me to return home."

He left out the very fuzzy memory of blinding light and pure agony. He wasn't even certain the memory was real. So much of this was frustrating and confusing, but it was his reality now. He fully intended to suck it up while simultaneously figuring it all out.

Zecora seemed confused for a moment as she regarded him. "Why would you awaken in a hidden place that has been abandoned by every race?"

Adrian shrugged. "Hey, if you know the answer to that, you're better off than I." He chuckled with a hint of forced mirth.

A silence grew between them as they continued sipping at the beverage. Soon enough, Adrian found himself tilting the cup back to drain the last of its contents.

He gestured towards the bowl and asked, "May I?"

Zecora dipped her head in affirmation, and Adrian refilled his cup.

The silence was not awkward, so Adrian felt no desire to break it. However, he was quite curious about his host. "You mentioned that civilisation is quite close, so why do you choose to live in such a dangerous place?"

Zecora refilled her own cup as she responded. "Many ingredients of my craft are found in this place, and the forest holds a certain calming grace. I do not feel at home amongst others of my kind. They only serve to clutter my mind. The presence of guests, I do enjoy, so long as they do not annoy."

Adrian could certainly understand her reasoning. Not every being from a social species desired or needed the presence of others of its kind. "I can understand that. My younger brother's always kinda been similar. Never interacted with others much and never really sought anyone out. He always seemed satisfied with reading books and the like. That isn't to say he couldn't interact with others; he was actually quite good at it. He just simply preferred his own company. Much like you."

As a comfortable silence stretched between them, Adrian allowed his eyes to wander over the room. As his eyes passed over each container, he pondered what its contents could do. If Zecora was to be believed, each of her potions had actual effects. Effects outside of standard biological and physiological response to a substance. His eyes wandered over the single bed again before a realisation struck him. There was only one bed. Well, he could certainly make himself comfortable on the floor. All he'd need is some kind of covering.

Adrian gave Zecora a sincere smile. "Thank you for opening your home to me, and I certainly don't mean to sound ungrateful, but I only see a single bed. I'll gladly sleep on the ground, but I would love to have a spare blanket, should you have one," Adrian said as he drank what remained of his tea.

Zecora regarded him with some small degree of amusement and confusion. "A problem I do not see. You shall share the bed with me."

Adrian choked as the surprise caused him to inhale rather than swallow. Zecora moved to help him, but he lifted a hand. She stopped. He was surprised that she did so. He hadn't figured that a cultural gesture like that would have meant much to a being without hands. Still, an expression of worry was plastered on her face as he struggled to recover from inhaling tea.

"Are you certain you need no assistance? I fear harm may come from insistence."

Adrian nodded briefly. The coughs were already subsiding.

With the cause for concern fading, Zecora narrowed her eyes the slightest bit. "What caused you to choke on your drink. It was something that I said, I must think."

Adrian took a few deep breaths as the urge to cough faded. He silently scolded himself. Of course there were cultural differences between them. He'd become so comfortable with all of their similarities that this one difference had caught him completely off-guard. "Sorry. The offer took me by surprise. Bit of a cultural difference is all."

At this, Zecora's expression became one betraying curiosity. "What does the offer mean to you, that it would cause a reaction so undue?"

Yeaaaaaaah, no. Adrian was most certainly not about to go explaining human mating customs to a miniature zebra-thing. Not if he could help it. "Don't worry. It wasn't an insult. Again, let's just call it a cultural difference and leave it at that."

Zecora's curious expression remained and she even cocked her head to one side. After holding the gesture for a few moments, she shrugged. She shrugged. The mini zebra shrugged. Well, at least she wasn't planning on pursuing the matter further. Adrian was definitely going to figure out why these alien beings shared so many cultural gestures with humans. For the first time, he briefly doubted himself. Perhaps he really was insane and simply trapped in his own mind. It would explain the language and cultural mirroring going on. But then that would imply his subconscious wanted to bed a horse... Hell no. He was definitely not in his own head. Fuck that. No.

"You never really confirmed my suggestion, and your reaction calls you into question."

Damn. She was sharp. He hadn't actually thought about the matter. The bed looked kind of small... The floor would probably be more comfortable. Yeah. Floor. Definitely floor. He had trouble sharing a bed with his own kind, let alone some alien sentient. Well, at least he could respond with logic and reasoning.

"Your offer, while kind, isn't really for the best. The bed is rather small and I am relatively big. I honestly think the floor would be better. Plus, you've already opened your home to me. I wouldn't feel right if I caused you any discomfort in your own home." He immediately realised that he should not have said that last sentence. If she so desired, she could use it against him with a claim of―

"A guest sleeping upon the floor? The thought discomforts to the core."

Adrian used all of his willpower to suppress the desire to kick himself with the foot not stuck in his mouth. Though, all things considered, he really had stepped right into that one. As he actually considered the matter, three choices sprang to mind: backpedal like an idiot, simply refuse, or accept it. The first option would sting at his pride. The second was incredibly rude... Adrian briefly considered the third path. Would it really hurt? His legs would dangle off the end, but he had slept through worse before... Blast it all! They were all disagreeable, but the third seemed the least so.

As he withdrew from his own mind, he realised that Zecora had been staring at him throughout the three seconds he had spent thinking. "Fine. But, should my presence cause any discomfort, do not hesitate to say so."

Zecora smiled cheerily. "Your concern for my comfort does impress. I knew a kind heart you did possess."

Adrian couldn't help the small, humble grin that formed on his lips. "I try."

Adrian yawned. It was only after the gesture was finished that he realised that he was actually tired. How strange. He had only woken up a few hours ago. There was no way he could already be sleepy again. Whatever. He could only hope that these short times of wakefulness would not become a trend.

Zecora gave her own adorable yawn in response to his own. Evidently, he wasn't the only one who was weary. "We both seem to need to rest. Perhaps now the time is best."

Adrian watched as Zecora stood and moved towards her bedroom. He didn't follow immediately. In spite of his acceptance, he still didn't truly want to go through with it. Zecora stopped as she seemed to notice that he wasn't following. She turned and looked at his seated form with a raised eyebrow.

"Do you plan to sit there throughout the night? Some might consider that a slight."

Her words held no malice, but the insinuation of insult was there. Adrian quickly rose to his feet and walked towards her at a calm pace. Bah. Screw culture. Most human cultural trends were shit anyway. The only considerable exceptions being some forms of intelligent entertainment and a few culinary styles. He may have been overlooking a few, but, at the moment, his brain couldn't be bothered to create a compendium of cultural traits he considered noble.

Zecora smiled as he followed her. She hopped up onto one side of the bed and he hesitantly sat on the other. It was softer than he had expected it to be. A pleasant surprise. He slowly laid down while making a point to keep his back to Zecora. He could feel her shifting about as she got comfortable. He had made certain to leave at least three quarters of the bed to her. She may have insisted on this, but he was not going to punish her for it. Plus, it was kind of nice.

"I wish you pleasant dreams to come. To sleep," at this point the sound of a yawn emanated from behind him before she continued, "I shall soon succumb."

"Good night, Zecora."

Adrian's mind wandered as it is wont to do before surrendering to sleep. This actually wasn't so bad after all. He'd had a German Shepherd as a kid. He'd fall asleep curled up next to her every night that he could. It had taken him a long time to get over the insomnia that sleeping alone caused him. The small, warm form at his back was immensely comforting. He actually had to resist the desire to press into her. It was only now that he realised how much he had missed this sensation. In that moment, he came to a decision. When he got back to his own world, he needed to adopt a dog. It was with that thought that his mind released its hold on the waking world.

The Everfree Lord III

Adrian was slow to wake. He spent a moment in the strange fog that stands between the land of the slumbering and the world of the waking. As he passed through, various sensory reports began to flood his brain. There was some kind of hair or fur in his face. He was still in semi-formal dress. A strange, earthy scent flowed into him with each breath. He was laying on something soft. Not to mention the core of warmth he could feel on the front of his torso. Even with a muddled mind, he still realised that something was off.

He forced himself to remain calm as his mind cleared and his recent memories recollected at the forefront of his thoughts. The memories rushed through in an instant. Ruins. Castle. River. Serpent. Manticore. Zecora. Tea. Slumber. Awakening.

He opened his eyes to see that slightly familiar, monochromatic mane. The dim, early morning light spilling through the window above her bed served to illuminate her form enough for him to see. He had to resist the urge to jerk away as he realised the position he was in. Somehow, during his sleep, he had managed to roll over and curl about her form... Adrian spared a moment to internally curse the fact that her general build was vaguely dog-like. A particular cliché sprang to the forefront of his mind: old habits die hard.

Thankfully, his left arm wasn't under her neck. Thank God for small fortunes. That would have made it tediously difficult to rise without waking her. He moved incredibly slowly as he drew his form away from hers. Based on the very dim nature of the light entering through the window, he predicted that it was probably very early morning. Well, he hadn't been awake long before going back to sleep. He was actually surprised that he had slept as long as he had, all things considered.

Once he was on his feet and a few steps from the bed, Adrian performed the best action of the morning: stretching. As he stretched, his back released a few muffled pops. He hadn't slept curled up in quite some time. He was simply thankful that his back wasn't sore. That would have been just his luck; him having to walk through the forest with a sore back.

He spared a glance back at Zecora's slumbering figure. She looked so peaceful. She had been immensely kind to him. Why? The question truly bothered him. He could have been a monster waiting to strike for all she knew. Very few humans would have been as friendly with some alien being that came through and killed some massive predator without any natural or artificial weapons to speak of. Was she an anomaly or was this normal for her species? Blast it all! This place was proving to be a bloody enigma. Every single source of answers proved to instigate ever more questions. Ah, well. No sense in clinging to questions when there was little chance of an answer in the present moment. With that thought, he pondered what to do next.

He had memorised that route she took from the path to her home, so he could easily make the return trip alone. There was no sense in waiting around for her to wake up, and he certainly wasn't about to disturb the rest of such a kind hostess. His tread was silent as he moved across the room. He lifted on the door firmly before opening it. With the weight on the hinges reduced, it opened near silently. Adrian looked back at Zecora's sleeping form once more and whispered, "Thanks," before closing the door behind him.

He looked at the tree-home as he stepped away from it. Yep, the volume of that room far exceeded the volume of the tree. What a strange world. With that confirmation out of the way, Adrian started following the trail back to the path. As he stepped over roots, around undergrowth, and under branches, he pondered what the people back on earth would do if they had access to the physical law that allowed this open defiance of dimensional engineering. His mind skimmed over the various military, civil, and cultural benefits that could be derived from such a thing. The darker parts of his mind pondered how easy illicit operations would become. Illegal psychoactive drugs, torture spaces, bodies; all could be easily hidden. So many possibilities for an open mind...

He lost focus on the matter as the path came into sight. He increased his pace and made it onto the path without a hitch. Time to see this "Ponyville" place. With that thought, he began his noble trek beneath the boughs of the Everfree.

~~~

Adrian had to admit, if it weren't for the leafy foliage above his head, the sun would've roasted him by now. He'd been walking for a good half-hour or so, and, even with his sleeves rolled up and the patchwork shade gliding over his figure, he was still uncomfortably warm. He'd always bore a small degree of enmity for the sun. The only time he really enjoyed it was during the winters of his home state. Even then, only particularly chilly days served to give much relief.

Other than the stifling heat, not much had actually gone wrong throughout his journey. No monsters. No disasters. No accidents. Nothing untoward at all really. That's right! Adrian Lord always looks on the broight side o' loife. The internal joke made him chuckle aloud in spite of his heat induced discomfort. One must find joy where they may.

In all actuality, the Everfree was still a beautiful place in the day. The enchanting manner in which isolated sunbeams managed to pierce through the foliage. The barely perceptible breeze that would occasionally rustle the canopy above. The calls of the various birds he sometimes saw flitting through the branches. The chit-chattering of squirrels as they chased one another for reasons unfathomable to him. Adrian passively delighted in all of these things as he walked. The forest just seemed so very alive in a way that it could not be in the night.

Adrian quickly ceased admiring the Everfree as its edge finally came into view. As he approached it, he realised something unfortunate: he was about to lose his shade. He supposed that's what one gets for taking something for granted.

Adrian squinted for a brief moment as he stepped into the direct sunlight streaming from above. After a brief moment, his eyes adjusted and he took in the sight before him. Most of the nearby area was simple grassland, though he could spot what looked like the work of an agricultural society in the distance. Specifically, he could see what looked to be a few farms and maybe an orchard. Truthfully, it was difficult to tell from this distance.

Something in the periphery of his vision caught his attention. He turned his head to focus on it and raised an eyebrow as he spotted a relatively nearby cottage bordering the Everfree. Admittedly, it seemed rather... Earthen. More like a hobbit-hole than a true cottage. This did nothing to deter the smile that formed on Adrian's face. These were the first signs of civilisation he'd seen outside of ruins. Zecora's company had been nice, but a hermit does not a civilisation make. Not by definition, at least.

Adrian cautiously made his way towards the cottage. It was relatively close and sating his curiosity wouldn't cost too much time. As he drew nearer, more details became readily apparent. A small brook flowed beneath an arch near the cottage. This arch seemed to be part of a small path that led up to the somewhat small entrance. Birdhouses of varying design, colour, and build were scattered throughout the surface of the home and the surrounding area. He even spotted a few songbirds flitting about. What really caught his attention was the... Pegasus hovering above the ground while watering some suspended flowers. It bore a yellowish coat and pink mane-tail combo.

By this point, he was close enough to hear the gentle tune it was humming to itself. The tune was quite beautiful. His silent approach actually stalled as he slowed to take the sound in. Though he had been thinking of the being as an "it", he was now fairly certain "it" was a "she". Few males could hum in such fine soprano tones. And, though he had no evidence to say otherwise, the concept of a male being butter yellow and pink did not seem "correct".

Adrian was about to make his presence known, when the pegasus evidently decided that the angiosperms had been watered enough and turned around. She briefly gasped as her eyes quickly took in his large form before settling on his eyes. Quickly getting over the slight surprise, she formed a small smile before speaking, "Oh my. I've never seen an animal quite like you before."

Adrian couldn't help but give his left brow a slight raise. Evidently, she believed him to be a mere animal. This could be fun. He decided to briefly play along, for her surprise would no doubt be delicious.

She continued talking as she hovered about in a circle to inspect him. "You're a pretty big fellow, aren't you? Are you from the Everfree?" She finally landed in front of him and turned her head upward to look him in the face. "Why aren't you saying anything? Are you okay? Your voice isn't hurt, is it?" She paused for a moment, "Can you understand me?"

She was absolutely adorable. Adrian had to actively resist the urge to snap her up and squeeze her against him. Strange. Zecora hadn't caused this kind of reaction in him. Then again, he had met Zecora after almost being mauled, killed, and eaten by an enormous, mythological predator straight from the nightmares of his ancestors. That would indeed serve to downplay any cute factor Zecora may have had.

Adrian returned his wandering focus to the expectant pegasus before him. He briefly considered continuing to play dumb before discarding the idea. He was already bored of this waiting game. The time was now. He formed a smile as he answered her questions in quick succession, "I suppose I am. That's where I came from, but it's not my home. I didn't want to. I'm a little warm but fine otherwise. My voice is fine. I can indeed understand you." It was only then that he noticed that a look of fear had entered her eyes. He started to stretch a hand towards her head.

She squeaked and leapt back the moment he moved. She blushed ferociously before attempting to hide her face behind her long mane. Only a single eye remained visible in the crack formed by the part in her mane.

Adrian immediately pondered how he had unduly intimidated her. His posture was relaxed. His smile hadn't bared his teeth. He hadn't made any sudden moves. The severity of her reaction seemed a smidgeon... Excessive. Were all of her kind like this, or was this just her reaction as an individual? Blast it all! Yet more questions that needed answering! Would they ever end?

Even through this internal rage, he still managed to pick up her now-muttered words. "O-oh... Oh my... Y-you're not an animal," she seemed to shrink in on herself further, "I-I'm sorry..."

Okay... Now he was definitely glad he hadn't prolonged his trick any more than he briefly had. She already seemed on the verge of tears. It was high time for some calming and reassurance. He wasn't certain how much more of this he could take without feeling like some monstrous villain.

Adrian's expression softened into a sincere, relaxed smile. He made certain to keep his voice gentle and steady as he spoke, "Don't worry, little one. No offense was meant nor taken. However, if you really want to apologise, you could start with your name."

Her posture relaxed the slightest bit and she started to lift her head again before apparently thinking better of it and stopping. "Fluttershy..." Her voice was still rather subdued, but at least she wasn't stuttering anymore.

"Fluttershy," Adrian let a very light laugh escape him, "What a fitting name." He crouched down to her level, to which she responded by lowering her head even more, before asking, "Would you like to know mine?"

She responded with a barely perceptible nod, yet still refused to meet his gaze.

Adrian wasn't having any of it. He extended his hand very slowly and, with a curled index finger, lifted her chin until her gaze met his own once more. "I'm Adrian. It's a pleasure to meet you, Fluttershy."

He withdrew his hand, yet her head remained lifted. Adrian couldn't help but feel a twinge of satisfaction with this small progress.

She still seemed reserved even as she said, "That's a... Erm... A very nice name," a look of restrained curiosity formed across her features, "You mentioned that you weren't from the Everfree. If you don't mind telling me, where are you from, Mr. Adrian?"

Adrian couldn't help but lift an eyebrow. "Ah, don't bother with the honorifics. Adrian is fine." He paused very briefly to consider his answer. "To answer that question: I come from... A very different place. I don't think its name would mean anything to you."

Her eyes started to fall again, "Oh... I'm s-sorry I asked."

Adrian immediately backpedaled, "No, no, no. The question wasn't offensive. It's just... My species has explored much of the topography of our world, and we've never even encountered a trace of anything like the things I've seen here. I don't think I'm on my own world anymore. I'm not even certain I'm in the same reality."

She gave him a very uncertain look before saying, "Ummmm, I have some more questions for you, if you want to come inside and answer them, of course."

The invitation caught him off guard. He wanted to get to the town as soon as possible, but answering a few questions certainly couldn't hurt. This was a chance to finally get some answers for himself. Plus, she seemed nice enough. "If you're willing to answer mine, then I'll do the same with yours."

~~~

Her home was, in a word, cozy. Small living room. Basic furnishings. The ceiling was a bit low, but he didn't have to duck his head for much. The signs of her fondness for animals were as abundant within her home as they were without. Bags of feed laid against a small shelf. A few small birdhouses were strategically placed here and there. Even the beams of the place seemed to be designed to allow climbing creatures easier transit. As a side note, he mentally tucked away the fact that this building was stubbornly ignoring the rules of dimensional construction. Though he could not be certain, he suspected this would be a recurring theme in this strange world.

"Welcome to my home. I do hope you like it." She looked back at Adrian as he examined her quaint abode.

Adrian continued to take in the details of the place as he answered, "It's cozy. I see you have a fondness for animals."

She hopped onto a sofa-like object and gestured for him to sit beside her. "Oh, I simply love all of my animal friends. My cutie mark was born of my love for animals both big and small."

Adrian had been accepting the offered seat as she spoke. The moment the word "cutie mark" passed her tongue, he could have sworn he felt his eye twitch. "Okay, the first question is mine, as it is related to a something you just mentioned. What is a "cutie mark"?"

She looked surprised for a moment before schooling her features. "Well, a cutie mark is this symbol," at this point she gestured at the image of pink butterflies on her posterior, "that a pony gets when they find their natural talent."

Adrian simply nodded in acquiescence as he said, "Alright, next inquiry is yours."

She took a few moments to think before she simply asked, "What are you?"

Adrian had to admit that the question was a good one to start with. He was also impressed that she had hardened the nerve to voice such a question. Though, maybe questions like that weren't frowned upon here. Either way, he responded, "As you are a pony, I am a human."

A look of concern crossed her face, "I've never even heard of "human" before."

""Humans", and I'd be impressed if you had. My turn again. Is your timid nature indicative of your species or is it semi-unique to you as an individual?"

At this, the slightest blush crossed her features, as though her shyness itself was cause for embarrassment. "No, I'm considered a timid pony. Ponies have lots of different personalities."

"I suppose our species are alike in that regard." This world had its share of oddities, but it possessed disturbing similarities to his own.

"If you came from the Everfree, then where are you going?"

The questions snapped Adrian from his thoughts. "Oh, I was following a path. I've been trying to reach civilisation since awakening yesterday. I spotted your cottage after exiting the forest, and you pretty much know the rest."

She looked down at her hooves briefly before lifting her gaze to meet his own. "You said you didn't think you were from this world. Do you know how you got here?"

Adrian's smile shrank the slightest bit. "I wish I did. That's why I'm heading towards civilisation. Hopefully, I can figure out how I got here, if there is a reason for my presence, and, most importantly... If there is a way to return to my home." The fact that he had to say "if" terrified him. What if he never returned home?

Fluttershy seemed to note the dim spark of fear in his eyes, for a look of concern crossed her face. No pony could fake that kind of hidden worry. It was worry one didn't want another to see. She had doubted the sincerity of his claims, but those doubts were quashed. He was scared, alone, lost. "Oh my, you poor thing."

Adrian resisted the instinct to flinch as she wrapped her forelegs around his torso. She bore the scent of one who cares for animals, but the scent didn't carry the vile nature it sometimes did. It was actually somewhat reminiscent of a well-maintained petting zoo. Strange that his mind focused on her scent rather than the rather impromptu hug. His mind had always diverted his attention to mundane things when something awkward occurred. His mind passively noted that hugs were yet another cultural similarity his kind seemed to share with theirs.

However, Adrian did indeed flinch when something hard and round thumped against his lower back. Fluttershy released him and made an "Eep" of surprise at his sudden motion, and Adrian simultaneously whipped his head about.

Standing before him was a rabbit. Adrian stared into the rabbit's eyes with an expression of surprise and curiosity.

"Oh, Angel, it's you. Say hello to Adrian," Fluttershy said with a smile in her voice.

Angel took a hesitant move backwards as Adrian continued to stare at him. The rabbit seemed strangely uncomfortable beneath his gaze. To Adrian, it seemed the rabbit was trying to decide whether to stay still or bolt away.

Fluttershy seemed to notice that something was off with the rabbit. "Are you alright, Angel?"

Adrian turned his gaze back towards Fluttershy, and Angel immediately took the opportunity to rapidly hop away.

Fluttershy called after the rabbit, "Angel! Wait!" When the rabbit ignored her and continued out of the small building, a look of concern washed over her face. "Oh my. I don't know what got into him."

Adrian simply shrugged. The rabbit was probably simply afraid of something it had never encountered before. The rabbits of home were flighty creatures, stood to reason their analogue in this world would be as well.

He felt a tap on his leg and turned his attention from the rabbit's point of exit to Fluttershy. "You said you wanted to find a way to return home. I think I know somepony who can help you, if you want."

At this, Adrian's spirit rose. Any help would be nice. It wasn't like he knew what he was doing. "Who?"

Fluttershy smiled as she hopped off the couch-thing. "A friend of mine in Ponyville. She's so smart and well read. If anyone can help you, it would be her."

"Excellent. If you describe her to me, then I'll just be on my way."

Fluttershy laughed gently. "I think I'll take you to her instead, that is, if you don't mind my presence."

Adrian was stunned for a brief moment. This little creature intended to walk, or perhaps fly at walking speed, all the way to that town just to help him. He recovered and said, "Are you certain you want to go out of your way for me?"

Fluttershy only continued to smile as she donned some type of strange saddlebag sans-saddle. "I would love to help you. Plus, I do need to get fresh vegetables for some of the animals."

The fact that she had another objective in this trip served to placate his concerns. She was a kind soul, and he would hate to inconvenience her. Even if she was willing to be inconvenienced.

Adrian rose to his feet and followed Fluttershy as she exited her home.

~~~

Adrian admired the little town as he and his pegasus guide drew ever closer. Fluttershy had already told him much about the town, and the friend they were going to meet. They had chatted about his awakening and subsequent journey through the Everfree, but, now, all of his attention was reserved for the town and its surrounding fields and orchards. It seemed to have the design of an Old World hamlet. Even from this distance he could see the thatch roofing and painted wooden walls of the homes. They seemed small, but Adrian knew not to let that deceive him. Their interiors would likely be larger than their exteriors.

He saw the small, brightly-coloured forms of what he could safely assume were ponies. He couldn't really tell what any of them were doing, but the movement and life of the place were encouraging to him irregardless. All in all, it seemed like a sleepy, little, rural town where everyone knows everyone.

It didn't take long for the pair of them to make it into the town-proper. The buildings were spread out and seemingly built without a firm plan in mind. He could see a general pattern in the way most of the buildings faced, but the overall geometry of their layout seemed to vary.

Eventually the pair reached the market. Some of the business buildings bore signs telling of their wares, while others had been completely constructed with their product in mind. Various stalls were set up, and the largest concentration of the residents seemed to be moving through this area. This concentration served to produce a gentle chatter as ponies bought, sold, and shared pleasantries. Adrian passively noted that they used some type of golden coin for currency.

Adrian had noticed that a few of the residents stared at him as he and Fluttershy walked by. This was only compounded by the spike in the number around him. He even heard one pair whispering once he and his guide passed. It probably didn't help that he was completely conspicuous. He towered over every pony he passed. On average, the tops of their heads were only a little above his navel.

"Howdy there, Fluttershy," a single voice called through the general chatter.

Adrian turned his gaze to examine the source of the accented voice. The mare had an orange coat and a blonde mane and tail that were decoratively tied near their ends. Strangely enough, she was wearing a Stetson. Evidently, their two races had similar tastes in hats. He also noticed that she was standing behind a stall that doubled as a transport for her wares, apples.

Fluttershy waved before approaching the stall, and Adrian tailed her. Fluttershy was going out of her way for him. A small detour to chat with a friend was a negligible price to pay.

"Hello, Applejack." Fluttershy's voice was gentle but still managed to carry over the softer chatter in the air.

"What's the strange critter with you and why's it all spiffed up?" Adrian hadn't put any thought into the matter of clothes, but, now that she mentioned it, this "Applejack" was the first pony he'd seen wearing any clothing, even if it was merely a hat. This served to make him feel fairly self conscious before he shook off the feeling.

Fluttershy shook her head as she said, "Oh, no, Adrian isn't one of my animals. He's a human. He wears clothes because... Actually, I don't know," she turned her face towards him, "Why do you wear clothes?"

Adrian briefly considered how to explain the cultural significance of clothing to a race of equines. His train of thought was broken when he noticed Applejack was staring at him expectantly.

She looked him up and down skeptically. "Never heard o' no "human" before."

Adrian made sure to speak in as casual a tone as possible for comedic effect. "I'd be delighted if you had. Well, I suppose that would actually depend on who you met. I'd be kind of miffed if some unsavoury scoundrel had made the first impression for me," Adrian paused for effect, "So, this your apple stall then?" He noticed that a few ponies looked surprised as he spoke. Considering the circumstances, they, like Applejack, had likely thought him to be some animal of Fluttershy's.

Applejack literally shook her head to recover from her stupor. "Well I’ll be. You really aren't a critter. My apologies, and welcome to Ponyville. And yeah, this here stall is property of the Apple family."

Apparently, these ponies had a familial structure rather than a herd structure. Adrian tucked that little detail away into his memory.

Applejack's continuation came a moment later, "By the way, what brings you two to Ponyville?"

Fluttershy gestured towards him as she spoke, "I'm bringing him to Twilight. He's from another world, and he so desperately wants to go back. I thought she might be able to help him."

Applejack took this information rather well. "Oh. Well then, I suppose I'll wish you the best o' luck, Adrian. I do know I'd want to return home if I found myself in a right strange world."

Her sympathy caught him by surprise. "My thanks, Applejack."

Her smile was warm. "Ah, it was my pleasure. Don't you worry. If anyone can help you out, it's Twilight."

Surprisingly, it was Fluttershy who piped up, "It was nice seeing you Applejack, but I think Adrian is more anxious to go than he's letting on."

Adrian's mind raced. How had she seen through him. He was indeed anxious to get to his potential ticket home, but he'd made absolutely certain to not betray it in action or word. He hadn't thought she'd be able to read him like a book. Especially when he was actively hiding his feelings. He was definitely going to avoid underestimating these ponies from this point forward.

Applejack nodded her head. "Well then, don't let me keep you. It was nice meetin' you, Adrian."

Adrian dipped his head. "Farewell, Applejack." Though he had only briefly met her, he got the impression that, if he got to know her, he would like her as an individual. Ah well.

Fluttershy said her farewells and Adrian once more began following her towards Twilight's home.

"Best o' luck!" The call came from a waving Applejack.

Adrian returned the wave as he and Fluttershy went on their way.

"You have interesting friends."

Fluttershy smiled. "Yes, Applejack's very nice. She's an honest, hard-working pony. She and her family own the Sweet Apple Acres orchard outside of town."

"Reminds me of my friend, Havel. He came from a farming family. They grew apples, much like your friend. He was a tough, honest guy. I miss him already."

Fluttershy gave him a sincere smile. "I do hope you can get back to your world as soon as possible. I know I'd hate to be separated from my friends, both pony and animal."

It didn't take long for the pair to get within eyesight of the town library. Had Adrian not already seen Zecora's living house-tree, he might have thought the idea of a living tree building to be impossible. He stared at the building for a moment. Within was a pony that might be able to help him return home. To return to his life. But what if she couldn't?

He hesitated and his pace slowed to a stop.

"Adrian?"

Adrian shook his head and looked at Fluttershy, who had stopped a few paces ahead. "Sorry. I got wrapped up in some doubts."

As he caught up to her, she spoke, "Don't worry. I'm sure Twilight will be able to help you. You'll be home in no time. I promise."

With those comforting words battling the dread creeping into his mind, he followed Fluttershy as she approached the door to the library. The ingress to his fate. With every step, a silent, comforting mantra played through his mind: Acquire. Assimilate. Adapt.

The Everfree Lord IV

Adrian hesitantly followed his pegasus guide into the, for lack of a better term, "treebrary". Though he felt the desire to hesitate, he ignored it. Either this "Twilight Sparkle" could help him, or she could not. One way or another, he was going to find that answer. He was no coward to back down from the possibility of failure or disappointment.

His immediate notice was of the spacious nature of the interior. He'd taken to not thinking of the buildings as "physics defying". The physics of this world were clearly different from the physics of his own. Considering the fact that he was now a temporary visitor in this world, it didn't make much sense to think in the physics of his own world anymore.

As Fluttershy had said, the structure was indeed a library. Books of varying size and format lined the bookshelves that circled the room. The shelves themselves were carved out of the interior of the tree in ovals that were around 0.25 meters away from one another. The only furnishings of the room were a table in the center and a podium of sorts off to one wall. The only other structures of note were a few windows and a stairwell that seemed to lead towards the boughs of the tree. The windows made sense when he considered the fact that they weren't likely to have lighting based on electricity and fire in a tree seemed like a horrendous idea.

Adrian's eyes immediately picked up on the two living occupants of the room. One was an owl that happened to be sleeping while perched on the podium. Adrian spared the barest moment to admire the cliché of an owl in a library. The rest of his attention immediately diverted to the anthropomorphic lizard standing near one of the shelves with books grasped in its claws. Adrian estimated that the little fellow, spike crests included, would likely only come up to his upper thigh. It was currently concentrating on what it was doing and had its back to the pair.

Fluttershy lifted her voice as she greeted the lizard, "Hello, Spike."

Spike returned the greeting without turning, "Hey there, Fluttershy. I'll be with you in a moment. Just gotta get these books back in their spots before Twilight comes back... Annnnnd, done." With that said, he turned around.

Adrian could tell by the voice that the lizard was male. This somewhat surprised him, considering the lizard's purple and green colour scheme. However, it didn't surprise him enough to miss noticing the fact that the lizard boy's eyes had widened the moment he'd spotted Adrian. "Fluttershy, you didn't say anything about a lizard."

Fluttershy turned her gaze on Adrian. "He's not a liz-"

"Hey! I'm a dragon, not a lizard!" The little fellow had interrupted Fluttershy, and he seemed quite indignant about being called a "lizard".

Adrian immediately put up his hands in a placating gesture. "Sorry. No insult was meant. I'm kinda new to this whole shebang."

His expression immediately went from angry to curious. He quickly looked Adrian up and down as he approached. "What are you?"

Adrian, with his motion-sensitive peripheral vision, noticed the little shift in Fluttershy's expression as Spike worded the question so boldly. So, the question was considered rude. He supposed he'd make a point of remembering that. "It's rude to ask someone what they are, but I did call you a lizard. So, I suppose all's fair. To answer the question: I'm a human, and my name is Adrian." Adrian extended his hand, "Pleased to meet you."

The little dragon put his claw in Adrian's hand. "Oh, well, ummmm. I'm Spike. Good to meetcha."

At this range, Adrian noticed that the dragon had the slitted eyes of a reptile, but had a coloured iris and white sclera rather than the full-colour sclera of most creatures. The second thing he noticed was the fact that, even though his fingers were entirely scaled, he had sharp, claw-like fingertips. He had no doubt that those could do some nasty damage to his clothes and skin. Adrian immediately decided to keep from angering the little fellow, if he could.

Fluttershy slowly shifted from hoof to hoof as she spoke. "Excuse me, Spike, but do you happen to know where Twilight is?"

Spike finally turned his attention to something other than Adrian. "Oh, she went to get quills." He shrugged. "She should be back pretty soon. Why do you need her?"

Adrian rubbed the back of his head. "I'm actually the one who needs her." Adrian decided to just fire off the short version of his predicament. He wearied of explaining things to every new individual he happened to encounter. "I am no longer in my own world, and I desire to return to it."

Spike recoiled comically. "You're an alien! Have you come to suck our brains out and turn us into zombie servants!?"

Fluttershy giggled as she noticed Adrian's unamused expression. "No, Spike. Adrian is friendly."

"Maybe that's what he wants you to think..." He glared at Adrian with an accusation of treachery in his eyes.

Adrian shrugged and allowed his face to take on a grim, robotic facade. "I can't prove I'm not an alien bent on zombifying all sentient life in this world." He broke the dour expression by smiling in good humour. "But, I do hope you'll take me at my word when I say I'm not. I mean, I haven't attacked anyone even though I've had quite a few chances to already."

Spike seemed to consider this fact.

Fluttershy giggled at the dragon's expression of concentration. "Oh, Spike. Adrian doesn't want to hurt anypony. He just wants to go home, and Twilight's the only pony I can think of that might be able to help him."

It wasn't three seconds after she spoke that the door behind Adrian and Fluttershy swung open and a voice called, "Spike. I'm ba-..."

Adrian turned to find a light-purple pony with a dark purple mane containing a section of adjacent stripes of alternating colour. She had the saddlebag-like things on her sides. He could see the fluffy tip of a quill protruding from the lidded lip of one of the bags. Her face slowly lifted until her eyes met Adrian's own.

Adrian grinned. So this was the face of the individual that shou-... would be able to help him get home. "Twilight Sparkle, I presume."

She remained in her stupor for a few moments before rapidly shaking her head. "Wha-... Who... Who are you?"

Adrian turned his gaze towards Fluttershy when she started speaking. "Twilight, this is Adrian. Adrian, Twilight."

Adrian returned his attention to Twilight and dipped his head. "You're sharp. You canceled out that "What" quite tactfully even while surprised. However, it doesn't bother me. I'm a human."

Adrian could almost see Twilight's mind racing behind her eyes. "Human? I've never even heard the term before." She seemed genuinely concerned by this lack of knowledge.

Adrian chuckled. "You and everyone else, it would seem." Adrian continued quickly. "As much as I love chatting in doorways, can't we move to a table to talk?"

~~~

It took a minute or so for them to find a seat around the table. Twilight had sent Spike to make tea. Fluttershy had taken her leave to do her shopping. Now, it was just Adrian and Twilight seated at the circular table. Fortunately, sitting cross-legged placed Adrian on Twilight's level.

Adrian smiled. "Isn't this better?"

Twilight just stared at him with open curiosity in her searching eyes. "You said you were human. I'd never even heard the word "human" before now," she paused for a moment to lock her eyes on his, "Where in Equestria are you from?"

Adrian chuckled. "Straight to the point, eh? I can admire that. Alright, down to business. I'm not from "Equestria". Humans are native to a different world altogether... A very different world. That's the reason why I’ve come to you." Adrian forced himself to stop. It would be so easy to fall into a monologue.

"You come from another world..." Excitement sprang onto her features. "You're the first interplanar traveler I've ever met! What's your world like? How did you get here? What are your people like? What kind of magic do you all have?"

She paused for breath, and Adrian took initiative. "I'm not an "inerplanar traveler" of my own will. My world is very different, and we'll leave it at that. I have no clue how I got here. I'd rather not voice my opinions on the other members of my species. Oh, and our world has no magic."

She looked like he had reared back and struck her with a closed fist. "N-no magic. How?"

Adrian shrugged. "Magic is the stuff of childhood fables in my world," Adrian took a moment to chuckle, "Imagine my surprise when I learned it actually exists here."

Twilight looked down for a moment before lifting her gaze once more. "Why don't you want to talk about your world and why do you not want to talk about your people?"

Adrian chuckled drily. "The answer to both is related. Let's just say, my world isn't all that nice of a place and a lot of my people aren't all that nice either."

She took a few moments to process this. Adrian read the emotions that danced across her face. Disbelief. Dread. Pity. Wonder. "You said that you came to me specifically. Why?"

Adrian shifted his weight to get more comfortable. "Well, I mentioned not having "traveled" by my own will. I didn't come here of my own volition, and I have no idea how I might go about getting back. Fluttershy brought me here with the implicit hope that you would be willing, and able, to help me go home."

Twilight's countenance turned uncertain and entirely too hesitant for Adrian's taste. "I could try to help you if there weren't two problems. The first being that interplanar magic is dangerous, unpredictable, unwieldy, and fueled by chaos magic, which I can't use. The second being that it has been completely illegal since the reign of Discord."

Adrian took a brief moment to adapt to this information. So, the magic that could help him is dangerous and illegal... Brilliant. There was also one tiny snippet of information he was uncertain about. "Was this "discord" a pony, or does it refer to an anarchistic period of your history?"

Twilight smiled. "Discord is a draconequus that ruled Equestria in chaos before Celestia and Luna vanquished him."

Adrian raised a brow. "A draconequus being...?"

It took a moment for Twilight to catch on. "A draconequus is a type of chimera and one of the few creatures capable of channeling chaos magic."

Adrian's hope flared. "You said interplanar magic involves chaos magic, yes?"

Twilight caught the train of thought and her expression took on a note of concern. "Discord, like all draconequus, is a notorious trickster and seeking help from him would be unwise. Even if he is undergoing reform..."

Confusion flashed through Adrian. "Discord "is"? Undergoing reform? I thought the sisters vanquished him."

Twilight smiled sheepishly. "They didn't truly destroy him. They turned him into stone with the Elements of Harmony."

Adrian rubbed his palms against his temples. "If he's now stone, then how is he being "reformed", exactly?"

"He broke free from his prison and I, along with my friends, used the Elements to trap him again. Then, Celestia decided to free him in the hope that we could reform him into a force for good."

Adrian just stared blankly for a few seconds. "So let me get this straight. Discord rules over the land with chaos and, presumably, suffering for Lord only knows how long. The sisters use these "Elements of Harmony", which I would love to have explained to me by the by, to turn him to stone. He breaks free. You and a few of your friends use these Elements to reseal him. Then your monarch frees him again in the hope that he can be reformed. Is that right?"

Twilight smiled enthusiastically. "That's a good summary."

Adrian stared at her smiling face and once again pondered the sanity of this world. "Like it or not, this Discord fellow seems to be my only chance to return home. Sine he's "undergoing reform", perhaps you could test his kindness with the test of returning me?"

Twilight stared at Adrian in the same sanity questioning manner he had probably been staring at her. "Discord is a semi-reformed trickster, yet you would trust him to help you."

Adrian sighed. "I just want to return home. I don't care how."

Twilight frowned in confusion. "Earlier, you said your world wasn't a nice place. Why do you want to return so badly? Was it nicer than this world?"

Adrian pondered the matter briefly. He actually hadn't seen enough of this world or read enough of its history to know the answer. However, she seemed to still be trying to get him to answer questions about his world. If she really wanted to know, he supposed there was no problem in telling her. He doubted that his world could be that much worse than this one.

"Tea's ready!"

Adrian had to resist the urge to jump as Spike called out. He entered the main room with a tray holding a tea pot and cups on saucers.

Twilight smiled graciously as the dragon placed the tea set on the table. "Thank you, Spike."

Spike performed a brief, informal bow. "My pleasure."

Adrian watched as the little dragon began moving books and placing them on, presumably, their appropriate shelves. After a moment of this, he returned his attention to Twilight. "So, about those "Elements of Harmony"."

Adrian twitched involuntarily as the tea set began to glow. He'd seen one or two unicorns in town using magic to lift things, but this was his first time seeing it up close. Adrian watched as the tea pot was lifted and its contents poured into the cups.

Twilight lifted one of the saucers with magic and set it before him. "The Elements of Harmony are old and powerful relics discovered by the Princesses. They were extracted from the Tree of Harmony and used to counteract Discord's raw chaos magic." She paused to take a sip of her drink. "They embody the pure spirits of the different aspects of harmony: generosity, kindness, laughter, honesty, loyalty, and magic."

Adrian regarded his own cup before sipping at its content. It was undeniably good, but wasn't quite as good as Zecora's. "So, about talking to Discord."

Twilight frowned. "You never answered my question about whether your world is better or worse than ours."

Adrian sighed. "I honestly don't know enough about your world to make a comparison. I've only been conscious for two days, and only a fraction of one has been spent near any community." Adrian spent a moment thinking. "Do you happen to know the crime rates in the major cities of your first-world countries?"

Twilight simply raised a brow in response. Now that was a gesture Adrian certainly recognised. "What is a "first-world" country? Do you have more than one world?"

Adrian chuckled. "A first-world country is a country that is more technologically and economically developed than others."

Twilight seemed to consider this matter. "Most of our major cities suffer around forty cases of thievery every year. A-are you alright?"

Adrian had been taking a sip and choked at this revelation. "Forty!? What about your murder rates? Rape? Arson?"

Twilight balked. "Those crimes are so rare that we don't even have rates for them."

Adrian slowly put the cup down, shook his head, and clutched at the table with his free hand. "Impossible. You're just misinformed."

Twilight immediately showed signs of immense irritation. "I happen to be an extremely well-read and educated student of Princess Celestia herself! I do not appreciate effectively being called "ignorant"!"

Adrian met her gaze. He could see the burning confidence fueling her annoyance with his accusation. "I'm sorry. I just... I'm having... Difficulty with accepting this." Twilight relaxed as she noticed his subtle signs of distress. "In the country I come from, these crimes are fairly common in every major city. Especially in some of their really bad sectors."

Adrian heard the sound of a book thumping against the floor behind him. He turned his head to see Spike just staring at him.

Adrian's peripheral vision caught Twilight's shudder. "That's... Horrible."

Adrian chuckled. "Well, that answers that question. Your world is definitely nicer than mine. Well, at least your country is nicer than mine."

Twilight stared in disbelief. "How can you just accept that so easily?"

Adrian shrugged. "It's just a part of life. We do what we can to stop it, but these things happen." He lifted his cup and took a sip. "Soooo, about talking to Discord..."

Twilight snapped out of her stupor with a shake of her head. "You still want to go back?"

"Of course. I have family and friends back home. My life is there. I have duties. I can't remain here."

Twilight seemed to consider this. "If you're certain, then we could get Fluttershy to send Discord a letter for you."

Adrian hummed for a moment as he thought. "I think I remember the way back to Fluttershy's cottage, and I would hate to inconvenience anyone further." He dipped his head towards Twilight. "Thank you for all of your information and assistance."

Twilight beamed. "My pleasure. Best of luck with getting Discord to help you."

Adrian uncrossed his legs and rose to his feet. "Ah, yes. The tea was very good, Spike."

The dragon turned from his task to smile. "Well, I'm glad you liked it. Sorry about suspecting you earlier."

Adrian gave a terse laugh. "Don't worry about it. I would've suspected me too."

With that said, he let himself out into the streets of Ponyville. Thankfully, they were relatively clear, and he only got a few stares as he followed the path that would, hopefully, take him back towards Fluttershy's home.

Adrian couldn't help but feel a surge of hope. He finally had a plan of action, and it had only taken a visit to a single town! Surely fortune was smiling on him this day. With any more luck, the letter would take no more than a day or two to deliver and he could be home within a few days. He briefly pondered whether or not anyone would believe that this had actually happened to him.

Before he knew it, he was already on the edge of town, and he most certainly recognised the path as the one his guide had taken him along. With a certain briskness in his step, he quickly strode along the path. At its end: his access to the one lead he had.

~~~

Fluttershy shifted in her seat as Adrian finished telling her what had transpired between he and Twilight. "So, you need me to send a letter to Discord asking him to help you."

Adrian nodded once. "That's the gist of it, yeah. Would you be willing?"

Fluttershy smiled endearingly. "Why, of course I would." She seemed to hesitate. "However, it will take two or three days to reach him. I'm sorry."

Adrian couldn't help but smile in giddiness over her agreement. "Don't you worry. I'm just happy that you're willing to help me at all. If I just showed up in some random place on my world, I'd likely be killed or at least ignored."

Fluttershy seemed to pale and Adrian smacked his palm to his forehead. "Sorry, Fluttershy. I shouldn't have said that."

"I-i-it's no problem. I just can't imagine living in a world so... Scary. And that's where you're going back to..."

Adrian snapped his fingers to get her attention. "Let's just forget I ever said that."

She nodded. "I'll make sure the letter goes out tomorrow morning." Again, she hesitated. "Where are you going to stay while you wait for Discord? You came from the Everfree, but your home isn't there."

Adrian stiffened as he actually thought the matter over. "I honestly don't know. I suppose I can sleep on the forest floor. Actually, sleeping in that forest seems like a poor idea. Maybe in one of the fields near town. I honestly don't kno-" The thump of a hoof being firmly stamped against a couch cushion cut him off.

Fluttershy brought her face uncomfortably close to Adrian's own. "Nopony will be sleeping outside if I can help it. You will stay here, if that's okay with you."

Though the words were spoken softly, Adrian could almost feel a palpable force behind them. That didn't even take into account the disconcerting pressure held in her gaze. He couldn't help but feel that not being okay with her "suggestion" might not bode well. He seriously doubted she would press the matter if he challenged, but he truly did have nowhere to go. To flat out deny her insistence would be utmost foolishness. He'd have to spend a few days sleeping out in the open, and Lord knows it would rain knowing his typical fortune.

Adrian shrugged. "If you say so."

The pressure in her presence immediately lifted. "Oh, I'm so happy. I can't wait for you to meet all of my animal friends." She paused to cast her gaze about the interior of her home. "That's strange. I could have sworn a few of my friends were here earlier. Even Angel is gone." She seemed mildly distressed by this.

Adrian placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm certain they're fine. Honestly, I think it might be my fault."

Fluttershy looked confused. "Why would they stay away from you?"

Adrian dropped his hand to his side. "Well, there were no animals around the last time I visited either. Correlation doesn't always mean causation, but I'm inclined to think there's a link here. As to why they're avoiding me," Adrian shrugged, "It's beyond my ken."

Fluttershy looked concerned. "That's odd. Normally, my friends aren't afraid of anypony, and Angel is almost fearless."

Adrian shrugged again. "If I'm unnerving your friends, then it might not be wise for me to remain here."

Conflicting emotions flashed across her face. "No, you're just new to them. You just need to stay for a day in order for them to get used to you. That's all."

Adrian was skeptical of this. However, he wasn't the one with a mark on his hindquarters indicating an empathic understanding of animals. Plus, if things don't work out after a day, then he could go back to the original plan of just roughing it for the remaining day or two. He'd been through worse back home.

Adrian dipped his head. "Thank you for opening your home to me, and for the aid you have given me without desire for compensation."

She lightly blushed. "It's my pleasure to help anypony in need."

"You have quite the kind heart."

She tried to hide her face behind her mane. "That's why I'm the Element of Kindness."

Adrian blinked. "Wait, Twilight told me the Elements were relics."

Fluttershy tilted her head ever so slightly. "The Elements are relics, but they can only be used by ponies who embody their nature. You've met Twilight and Applejack. They are the Elements of Magic and Honesty."

"Huh, so that's how they work. Your world never ceases to fascinate."

She smiled. "I'm happy that you find our world interesting. It's a shame that you're going to leave so soon, but I know I'd want to go home too."

Adrian shifted his weight subtly. "Yeah, who knows how long I've been gone already. My family and friends are probably worried about me." Adrian decided not to mention the nagging fear that time may flow differently here. He didn't need to worry her with possibilities.

Fluttershy rested a hoof on Adrian's leg. "I promise that I'll make certain you have the best time possible while you wait for Discord to come. I'd hate to have you constantly thinking of home."

Once again, the depth of her kindness caught him completely off guard. She'd helped him, opened her home to him, and worried about him without a trace of a hope for compensation forthcoming. He had nothing to offer her, yet she showed him unbelievable care and kindness. Hell, humans were rarely this kind to their own species, yet she was doing so for a completely alien being.

Adrian's voice was firm. "Should you desire anything from me, do not hesitate to ask. I will do anything you request. You have my word."

Fluttershy nodded in response. "It's getting late. Just let me get some spare blankets and you can sleep wherever you like."

Adrian looked towards the window and, sure enough, the sky was beginning to show the colours of dusk. He was honestly surprised that so much time had passed already. It seemed only a few hours ago he had departed from Zecora's home.

"That sounds wonderful. Thank you."

Fluttershy hopped off the couch and made her way upstairs to retrieve the blankets. Adrian took the opportunity to think about where he'd like to sleep. He'd probably just sleep on this couch. It was relatively comfy. It would be a little small, but far more comfortable than the wooden floor. He spent another moment truly appreciating how nice it was that he wouldn't have to sleep in the elements. He'd done it a few times while minimalist hunting with his father. It hadn't been a terribly pleasant experience. Especially when it had rained on the fourth night. Now that had been a particularly sobering and unpleasant experience.

The soft sound of hoofsteps on wood drew his attention to the stairs. As promised, Fluttershy had returned with a couple folded blankets on her back. Adrian immediately regretted not offering to help her carry them down. He resisted the urge to smack his forehead in order to avoid having to explain why he'd done so. First Zecora. Now Fluttershy. He was just being an ass in regard to not offering to assist others as they did things for his sake. Well, it hadn't been intentional either time, but the fact that he was being so unconsciously ungrateful irked him.

Adrian quickly deiced that this time he would apologise for his callousness. "I'm terribly sorry I didn't offer to help you carry those. I don't know what's wrong with me."

Fluttershy smiled as she transferred the blankets from her back to the couch with a flick of her body. "Don't you worry about one thing, Mister. You're my guest, and I'll make certain to care for you as long as you're here."

Adrian regarded the blankets before staring her in the eyes. "I know I've already mentioned it, but I am eternally grateful for your kindness. You have no idea how much your care means to me."

Fluttershy merely smiled in response. "Is there anything else I can do to make you comfortable."

Adrian dipped his head. "You have done exceedingly more than enough for me. Thank you."

Fluttershy yawned adorably. "Well, if there's nothing more I can do, then good night, Adrian."

"Good night, Fluttershy."

Adrian watched as she made her way to the stairs and ascended them. After a moment he unfolded the blankets and placed one beneath him while covering himself with the other. He spent some time mulling over the events of the day. Overall, it had been far more productive than he had ever imagined it being. He briefly wondered how long such fortune could last. Eventually, his mind began to slow. His last conscious thought for the evening was the smiling face of his most gracious hostess.

The Everfree Lord V

Adrian groggily awoke to vaguely familiar stimuli. A soft surface beneath him. The feel of twice slept in clothing against his skin. The warmth of a blanket covering most of his form. The multiple masses of pressure and warmth pressed against him here and there. His dulled mind fancifully danced over ideas as to what those little weights of warmth might be. The matter certainly didn't seem all that important... That is, until he fully awoke.

Adrian's eyes snapped open as the potential danger of these mystery lumps finally dawned on him. The first thing he noticed was that the room he awoke in was rather dark. However, the dark did not manage to fully impede his sight. As he cast his gaze over his body, he saw what appeared to be various curled up... Animals? It was certainly hard to tell in the dark, but he did recognise the white fur of a rabbit that was resting squarely on his chest. Evidently, he had been far less threatening to them in his sleep. It seemed that Fluttershy had been correct after all.

Adrian mulled over the idea of moving, but the various small creatures nestled against the blanket looked too comfortable. He drew a deep breath before allowing himself to completely relax on the couch Fluttershy had been so kind as to offer for a sleeping place. As per prediction, it had been a bit small, but it was still comfortable irregardless.

As he laid in the dark, Adrian spent the time thinking over his situation. He had a few days before he could expect to meet this Discord and be sent home. The problem with that being he had no idea what he was going to do to fill that time. He'd probably do what he could to help Fluttershy. It was the least he could do to repay her kindness. Perhaps he could meet some of her friends. Spending some time in the library didn't sound too bad. He could also explore the Everfree if he so desired.

With the matter of activities out of the way, his mind turned to a rather unpleasant stimulus that he wasn't certain how to address: the feel of worn, sweated-in clothes against his skin. Walking around in the sun hadn't done his clothes any favours. He'd probably have to manually wash his clothes in a river. Fluttershy could probably provide him with soap, if she was amicable to the idea of giving some to him, of course. He'd probably handle washing his clothes before anything else.

His mind played with other, unimportant matters until he noticed the lighting in the room begin to change. He turned his gaze to the window conveniently placed above his resting place. He watched as the colour of the sky shifted with the imminent rise of the sun. He knew that the beautiful, dark blue would soon make a glorious transition to rich orange once that celestial body made itself known.

He turned his gaze towards the rabbit as it was the first to begin shifting in preparation of waking. Slowly, its eyes opened. It stared him in the eyes for a few moments before it stood and stretched with a yawn.

Adrian gave the creature a smile. “Good morn'.”

The rabbit, unsurprisingly, did not offer a response other than to stare at him for a brief moment before hopping to the floor.

With the noise of Adrian's words, the other creatures sleeping against him began to stir. With the light of a now-rising sun, he could easily see a few rodents and a single red bird. Adrian froze as he felt a smooth, sinuous form shifting against his left leg. He slowly sat up and watched as a snake slithered from beneath the blanket near his feet. He was unsurprised that the serpent was already able to move efficiently. His body heat had likely made him an excellent thing to sleep near. He was more surprised by the fact that it had chosen to rest near him. The creatures of this world were obviously far more trusting of man than those of his own.

With the creatures going their own ways, Adrian finally rose to his feet and stretched. The delicious sound of cracks emanated from his spine and a few of his joints. With that done, he sat back down on the couch and waited for his hostess to awaken of her own accord.

As it turned out, he didn't have to wait long before he heard the fall of hoof against wood. If that wasn't telling enough, then there was also the sound of gentle humming to go by. As she was a caretaker of animals, he fully understood why she would wake with the rising sun. He watched the foot of the stairs as he tracked her descent with his hearing.

She almost recoiled as she took the final step and noticed Adrian sitting and staring. “Oh, my. Have you been awake long?”

Adrian shrugged. “Not too long. Maybe half an hour. Probably less.”

She sighed in relief. “Thank goodness. I thought you'd been waiting on me for a long time.” She paused. “Come to think of it, I didn't even ask if you were an early riser.” Her cheeks flushed. “How silly of me.”

Adrian waved his hand dismissively. “Think nothing of it. You owe me nothing, yet you've offered much. For this, I am indebted to you.”

At his words, she blushed. “Well, I couldn't just let you sleep outside. You only have your clothes to protect you.”

Adrian hopped on such a segue. “Ah, yes. Speaking of clothes, I find mine in need of a wash... Along with my own person. I was wondering, and I do hate to impose any further on your kindness, if I could use any soap you have to spare.” A thought struck him and he hastily continued, “But don't let me take any if it's your last.” He figured she'd likely be too sweet and kind in that regard, and he refused to inconvenience her to that degree, even if she was willing.

She giggled, presumably at his flustered politeness. “You can certainly have some soap. I don't mind. Just wait a moment while I go get some.”

~~~

With soap acquired and in hand, Adrian was now staring into a section of the stream a respectable distance from Fluttershy's home. He touched the water and sighed. It was chilly. Adrian lamented what he was about to do as he stripped out of his various garments. He briefly hesitated as he looked down at his boxers. He'd never stripped completely bare out in the open before. He was hesitant.

With a final steeling of will, he pulled his boxers down and stepped into the water. It only came up to his mid-thigh, but it would suffice. Before he could even think of hesitating, he dropped his entire body into the water. Surprisingly enough, it wasn't as chilly as he thought it should be. The water actually felt comforting. Something strange welled in him as the water seemed to caress his form. He shook off the weird sensation. He hastily lathered his hands with soap and began scrubbing down his body with his hands. With the scrubbing done, he dunked beneath the water again. Once again, that strange feeling of rightness washed through him. He stood above the surface once again and shook his head to clear it of water.

“Excuse me, but do you need something to dry yourself with?”

Adrian's heart skipped a beat. Various expletives raced through his mind as he rapidly processed the situation. The ponies certainly didn't wear clothing. None of them had seen a human before, and it was quite safe to assume they had no concept of his culture. He'd only seen a bare few minimum elements of clothing, and none had covered posteriors. With that split second reasoning, Adrian calmed himself and overrode his sense of modesty. He wouldn't be flaunting himself, and he certainly wasn't going to abandon clothing, but there was no sense to be had in overreacting to being seen uncovered. At least, not in this world.

In spite of that logical assessment, Adrian still struggled to keep his voice steady. “That won't be necessary. Thank you though.”

Fluttershy seemed concerned for a moment. “But, how are you going to dry off?”

Adrian's lower legs were beginning to feel slightly uncomfortable, so he stepped out of the water. “I don't have fur to retain water. That makes drying incredibly easy. Still, thank you for your concern.”

She giggled. “Oh, how silly of me. I hadn't even considered that. And, you're very welcome.”

Adrian sat down on the grassy shore to dry off as he watched her go about her morning chores for the animals. He had to admit that he was surprised. Many of the animals that she cared for were wholly undomesticated back on his own world. The birds were the most surprising. The mammals he could understand, but avians and reptiles had a relatively alien set of instinctual responses. In a strange way, it kind of made sense. Almost everything else in this world defied expectation, and he probably shouldn't expect the animals to be any different.

The morning sun was fairly weak, but he was still drying at an acceptable rate with the relatively warm air around him. Adrian grinned as he reveled in the feeling of being clean. He spent a few moments enjoying it before he began the arduous process of cleaning his clothing without even a washboard to aid him. It was no easy task, but one by one he went through each article of clothing and cleansed it thoroughly with soap and water. It gave him a certain appreciation for people who had to clean their clothes without the use of industrial-age tools.

As Adrian stared at his clean, wet clothing, a thought dawned on him. His only clothes were soaked. He'd have to air dry them. Air drying took considerable time... Adrian sighed as he stared into the depths of his own lack of planning. He should have at least washed them first and then himself. Sometimes he managed to surprise himself with his own lack of awareness and general stupidity.

He continued mentally scolding himself as he hung the items on a nearby tree branch. With the rising sun striking them, and the relatively balmy air, it would maybe take them an hour and a half to dry. That meant an hour and a half of nudity. Hopefully, nothing untoward would happen before his clothes finished drying.

To his great fortune, nothing particularly bad happened while he waited. Fluttershy came by to chat for a bit. That situation was still mildly awkward to him, but he did his very best to suppress his discomfort. She had informed him that she had written the letter, and it had subsequently been picked up by the mailpony. They had then proceeded to chat about mundane matters. They shared a little about one another's childhoods, and they each talked about their friends and family. After that, she had let him be, and he patiently waited for his clothes to dry while admiring the simple beauty of the world around him.

Adrian sighed in relief as he pulled on his clothes once more. Boxers. White undershirt. Purple dress shirt. Black pants. Dark leather belt. Black socks. Black dress boots. Thin, black tie with subtle, purple, floral accents. With the eldredge knot of his tie complete, he felt whole once more.

Adrian made his way back towards Fluttershy's home while keeping an eye out for the self-same mare. Now that he and his clothes were clean and dry, he fully intended to do whatever he could to repay his hostess for her considerable kindness. When he failed to find her outside, he approached the door to check within. As he approached, he pondered whether he should knock. He invested a moment or two in thought before deciding on being safe over sorry. With that reasoning in mind, he rapped his knuckles against the door.

He heard hooffalls within before Fluttershy opened the door. She giggled lightly. “You know you don't have to knock.” Her expression shifted for a moment. “Oh, my. Unless it's a custom of yours, of course.”

Adrian couldn't help but laugh over the irony. He'd just defied one of his culture's major customs, and she was worried that she'd just insulted one of them. “Oh, no, it's not a custom. I just wanted to be as polite as possible.” He grinned. “I would hate to come across you at an inopportune moment.” The joke would be lost on her, of course, but it was still worth a smile.

His mind snapped back into focus as he recalled why he'd been searching for her. “Ah, yes. Fluttershy, is there anything at all that I ca...” He allowed the sentence to trail off as he felt a peculiar tremor pass through the earth. He couldn't explain why, but it felt familiar somehow. For reasons unknown, these light tremors were filling him with the oddest feelings of endurance and strength.

“Adrian?”

Fluttershy's questioning tone snapped his focus back to her. “Do you feel that?”

A look of concern crossed her face. Her tone was sincere and curious as she asked, “Ummmm, what should I be feeling?”

Adrian shifted his feet. “The tremors. They're so gentle but definitely there.” Even though they were so light, she should still be able to feel them. It confused Adrian that she couldn't.

Just as quickly as the tremors came, they faded. The peculiar feelings went with them as they ceased. Adrian gave the mysterious feelings some brief thought before giving up. There was no readily apparent answer, and he doubted one would make itself known at the moment. It was best to just move on.

“They stopped.”

Fluttershy looked at him curiously for a few moments before smiling. “Well, I'm glad they weren't a problem. Maybe humans are just more sensitive to vibrations than ponies.”

Adrian was legitimately surprised that he hadn’t even considered that. He would need to stop thinking in such an ethnocentric manner for the few days he would remain here. It might lead him to do or say something particularly embarrassing. He certainly didn't want to leave that impression behind.

“You're probably right. It's usually the opposite back on my world. Humans are particularly dull to the signs of nature. Other living things are far more sensitive to the environment than us.” He shrugged. “It's a little weird, to be honest.”

Fluttershy smiled endearingly. “Maybe this world is doing you some good after all.”

Once again, her insight nearly stunned him. He'd merely thought it a matter of being different species. Maybe she was right. Maybe it was the environment that was shaping him like this. There were so many unknown variables here, and he wasn't exactly comfortable with how little he actually knew.

Adrian focused his attention once more. “Speaking of “doing some good”, I was wondering if there was anything at all I could help you with.”

Fluttershy tilted her head as she seemed to think. After a moment, she righted her head and gave a perky smile. “I'm sorry, but I can't think of anything. I've already finished all of my morning chores.”

“Are you certain? I feel rather poorly for having nothing to offer for your kindness.” Adrian sincerely wanted to repay her.

She smiled sweetly. “Yes, I am.” She paused for a moment. “I know. If you really want to repay me, you can come into town with me. I'm having lunch with Rarity, and I would love for you to meet her. She's eloquent, thoughtful, and sweet, and I know you two would get along so well.”

Adrian immediately saw a problem. “I noticed currency was being used for transactions when we went to Twilight's library yesterday. I do not have any.”

Fluttershy only continued smiling. “Oh, don't worry. It will be my treat.”

Adrian resisted the rather powerful urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. Her idea of him “repaying” her was her treating him to lunch and him meeting a friend of hers. Somehow, that didn't exactly seem like repayment... However, there was something in her gaze that gave him a nagging suspicion that denying her request would sadden her. A compromise formed in Adrian's mind.

Adrian put an edge of stubbornness into his voice. “I'll come with you to meet Rarity. However, there will be no treating, and this doesn't count towards repaying your kindness.”

A rather disturbing realisation dawned on him as he realised why he was so readily able to deny her offer. He wasn't hungry. His mind raced as this surprisingly mundane thing started to instill a mild panic into him. He hadn't had anything but tea in close to two whole days, and he wasn't even remotely hungry. Adrian's mind raced over fearsome possible explanations. Within a split second, he forcefully calmed himself with an interior repetition of his favourite mantra: Acquire. Assimilate. Adapt.

“Is something wrong?”

Adrian cursed himself for not being able to hide his reaction quick enough to avoid worrying her. “I just realised that I haven't eaten in almost two days, but I don't feel hungry. Humans usually feel hungry within a day if we eat nothing. It was kind of concerning, but I don't really feel ill in any other way. I should be fine.” This assurance was intended to comfort himself as much as it was to comfort her.

“Oh, my. Are you sure you're feeling well?” She flapped her wings and gently rose to Adrian's level. Once there, she pressed her forehead against his own. He recognised this as an archaic way of checking temperature. Her fur was also quite soft. It made him wonder what her feathers felt like. “You don't feel warm.”

Adrian couldn't help but chime in, “We're not the same species, so our natural temperatures may be different.” He almost immediately regretted saying that as she stared into his eyes with worry written on her face. “Don't worry. I'm fine. If I start feeling ill in any way, you'll be the first to know. Okay?”

That promise seemed to assuage the worst of her worry. “Alright. You probably know yourself better than I do.” Her voice betrayed her lingering disquiet.

Adrian could see that she still seemed unsettled. He leaned forward and nuzzled his forehead against her own. “Don't you worry. We humans are tough.” As he withdrew his head, Adrian's mind was roaring in confusion. The most pressing matter was figuring out where the bloody hell that nuzzle impulse had sprung from. It was out of character, and, based on Fluttershy's surprised expression, she thought so as well. “I'm terribly sorry. I don't know—”

“Please don't worry about it. It was... Nice.”

Adrian sighed in relief. “I'm glad it didn't put you off. I have no idea where that came from.” In actuality, he had a nagging suspicion that it was connected to his childhood habit of rubbing his forehead against the family dog's when he and they were playing. This brought with it the disconcerting idea that he subconsciously thought of her as an animal. That didn't sit well with him. There was no way she, and the rest of her kind, were anything less than sapient creatures. It somewhat disgusted him that some part of his mind might be thinking that way.

Fluttershy gently landed once more. Adrian couldn't help but notice her rather enigmatic smile. He decided against prying into it.

“So, now that we've determined that I am not dying, when is Rarity expecting you?”

“Lunch isn't for another two hours. We have plenty of time.”

Adrian almost immediately pondered how to spend two hours. He'd fully been expecting to assist Fluttershy by performing chores of some sort. With that course denied him, he now had to find some other way to fill his time, lest he perish of boredom. He honestly wanted to visit the library. He could easily spend two hours there and then meet Fluttershy at whatever place they were going to for lunch.

“Where, exactly, are you meeting Rarity for lunch, and how would one go about getting there from, say, the library?”

She giggled. “We're going to meet Rarity at Cornerstone Cafe. From the library, just head east. It's not very difficult to spot.”

“Does the sun rise from the east in this world?” He had to admit that he was rather proud of his brain for thinking of that.

She nodded.

“Excellent. Should you have need of me, I do believe you know where I'll be.”

She smiled in amusement. “I hope you have fun.”

~~~

Adrian had no trouble in getting Twilight to let him read in the Golden Oak Library. In fact, she seemed positively pleased by the idea of it. After she'd finished setting him up with his first book, she left Spike in charge so she could get some reading done in her study. Adrian made sure to ask Spike if he could say something when two hours had passed. The little dragon was curious, so Adrian explained his noon plans.

Adrian started with an introductory history book and had spent around forty minutes reading it. It had been enlightening. With information gleaned from the book, Adrian came to the conclusion that this world had far more fantasy themes going on than just magic, semi-sapient animals, and mythical creatures. The very history of these ponies was like a fantasy novel. It certainly made reading about it interesting.

Adrian placed the history book down with a sigh. He cast his eyes about until he spotted Spike adjusting books. “Excuse me, Spike.”

He responded without taking his eyes off his work. “Yeah?”

“Do you have any books on interspatial travel and or chaos magic.”

Spike momentarily froze in a manner telling of discomfort and surprise. He responded as he continued placing books. “No, we don't have books like those. Ponies can't learn chaos magic and interspatial travel is fueled by it. Sorry.”

“No worries. I just wanted to have an idea of what I should expect.” Adrian paused to think for a moment. “Would you happen to have any books covering the various types of magic found in this world?”

Spike pointed to a shelf to his left. “Now, that we do have. The Compendium of Magic by Starswirl the Bearded. It's the thick, blue book down there.”

Adrian recalled the name from the history book he had just finished. Starswirl had been a powerful mage and a magical experimenter of the highest order. A book written by him on the topic of magic was likely worth reading. Adrian rose to his feet and retrieved the book. Well, it was more of a tome really. “Thanks,” he said as he returned to his seat on the ground near the table.

“No problem. Just let me know if you need help looking for anything else.”

Adrian inhaled deeply as he opened the expansive book. “I'll keep that in mind.”

The tome was deserving of its thickness. Adrian poured over the sorcerous magic of unicorns, the shamanic magic of the zebra tribes, and the very small section devoted to explaining the basic mechanics of chaos magic. It even included a detailed explanation for the passive magic of this world and how it made itself known in a wide variety of living things. He learned much about the basic and advanced mechanics of these varied fields of magic. A fascinating topic had been Starswirl's hypothesis for why unicorns were incapable of using chaotic or shamanic magic.

Adrian sighed as he closed the tome. He now theoretically understood how to use sorcery and shamanic magic. The emphasis being on “theoretically”. Sadly, the book hadn't really explained how to use chaos magic. Starswirl himself had seemed to only have a tenuous grasp of its basic nature. One thing Adrian noticed was a lack of any mention of healing magic. He was heavily skeptical of the idea that no species had attempted to use magic to accelerate healing.

Adrian turned his gaze to the library clock. Based on the position of its needles, the time was 11:43. He was glad that the ponies had already developed such a tool. The clocks were even designed in a manner similar to those found back on his world. He'd been surprised when he actually focused on the clock and realised that their world apparently shared a near identical time keeping system with his own. He'd smacked himself on the forehead for not considering that variable before sitting down to read that history book.

Adrian returned the book to its shelf and nodded towards Spike, who was in the process of reading a comic of some kind. “Hey, Spike. I'll be going now. Give my regards to Twilight.”

“Will do. Have fun on your date.” There was mild playfulness in the dragon's tone.

Adrian froze mid-step near the doorway. “'Tis not a date.”

Spike chuckled and flicked to a new page. “Sure. Sure.”

“I intend to leave this world soon. I would not toy with an individual bearing such kindness in their heart.” His voice was calm but carried a subtle edge.

Spike gave a noncommittal shrug. “I was messing with you. No need to get upset.”

Adrian blinked rapidly as his mind cleared. He was talking to a rather young individual. It was highly unlikely that he had implied an insult of character. He wondered what was wrong with him today. First an impulsive nuzzle, and now an equally impulsive spike of aggression. Something was off. This was highly unusual.

“I'm terribly sorry. See you around.”

Spike nodded in his direction. “Apology accepted. See ya.”

Adrian mumbled to himself as he walked east from the library. “Ugh, what is wrong with me today? My mind is on the fritz. Reacting so to mere child's jest.” He paid little attention to the strange glances he received for his mumblings.

Some unknown part of him was still nagging on about it, so he reassured himself by reasoning why this was not a date. He was simply going to meet a friend of Fluttershy's. He wasn't even going to be eating. That thought served to bring back the disconcerting memory of his complete lack of hunger. He gently sighed as he thought about how outright strange that was in connection with all the other weirdness going on. As he mulled the morning over in his mind, he was able to casually list a few more peculiar occurrences than he would have liked. First was the chilly water not being as biting as it should have. Then those peculiar tremors. Not to mention the odd and foreign feelings that accompanied both of those events. The aforementioned lack of hunger. Of course, the rather impromptu and unexpected nuzzle. Now, a bout of restrained aggression at what was effectively a child's joke. None of these things were natural for him.

He continued to reason as he walked. Surely there was some logic behind this. As he had concluded long ago, he had no history of mental illness. Well, that was excluding the entire situation he found himself in. He still wasn't perfectly certain that this wasn't some terrible trick of the mind. This world seemed too fantastic to be real. However, only madness lay down that train of thought. As he thought about the symptoms, he realised that it was almost like his own personality was being temporarily overridden in short bursts. That was, of course, impossible. Dissociative identity disorder was one of many mental illnesses he did not suffer. There had to be an explanation. There was always an explanation.

He almost came to a stop as the collective enormity of all these individually minor occurrences became apparent. There was something seriously wrong with him. The scariest part being, he had nobody to turn to for answers.

When he detected the faint signals of oncoming panic, he clamped down his will and forced his mind into a steely stillness. He was in control. He would remain in control. Whatever the source of these unnatural things, he would best it. It would have to physically destroy his mind before he would ever willingly concede. There was simply no way he would allow himself to devolve into insanity. With those comforting thoughts, he relaxed into a placid calm.

He put the matter completely out of mind as a building, with a sign proclaiming the title “Cornerstone Cafe”, came into view. It seemed a nice enough place from the outside. He maintained his calm as he approached. He was not going to allow any weirdness to overtake him during this meeting with Rarity. Nothing untoward would happen. He would not allow it.

The Everfree Lord VI

The interior of the restaurant was pleasantly cooler than the sun-heated outside world. The interior was vaguely similar to what one might have seen upon entering a cafe back home. Adrian admired the familiarity of the structure as he cast his gaze about for the particular ponies he was looking for. Windows were spread throughout the place, to provide light and a view, as were a few small booths and tables. Of course, everything was miniaturized in order to accommodate this world's smaller residents, but that was to be expected. The place was certainly a cozy, little eatery.

The general chatter that had been floating through the air transitioned into muffled murmurs as his presence was noticed. He wasn't singularly surprised. His height made him stand out in a rather unfortunate manner, as it had in the market. He did his best to appear at ease while ignoring the shielded words of his “admirers”.

His height actually served to his advantage as he easily spotted Fluttershy with an unfamiliar pony. The unidentified individual was doubtless to be Rarity. She bore a white coat with a stylised, purple mane and tail. She, like so many others, was watching him curiously. He noticed the sharp blue of her eyes as he briefly returned her gaze.

Adrian lifted a brow as a server approached him. “Hello… Would you, er, like a seat?”

Evidently, word had spread that he was no mere animal. While the attempt at acting courteous and natural was flawed, Adrian did appreciate the effort that the poor server was going through.

Adrian gently smiled at the poor pony before him. “Thank you, but I've come to meet a friend who just so happens to be sitting over there.” With a gesture he indicated the table at which Fluttershy and Rarity were seated.

The server almost completely hid his surprise, but Adrian was a perceptive fellow. “Ah, one moment then, if you would be so kind. I just need to ask them if they, er...”

“Want me there?” Adrian chuckled at the server's discomfort.

“Yes. Thank you for understanding.” To his credit, the server was taking this all in stride as best he could.

Adrian patiently waited as the pony walked to their table before briefly conversing with them in hushed tones. After a brief moment, the serving pony waved him over with a foreleg. Adrian did not hesitate at the invitation. The ponies gradually returned to their own conversations as his novelty wore off. He clearly wasn't about to do anything particularly exciting or dangerous.

Rarity put on a smile as he finally got close to the table.“Ah, so you are the peculiar individual that dear Fluttershy has spoken so highly of. It is a pleasure to finally meet you.”

Adrian could almost feel the propriety in her voice as she spoke. Her manner of speaking betrayed the eloquence of one familiar with the styling of an upper class. “The pleasure is mine. I'm relieved to hear that I have made a good impression thus far. If all goes well, then that trend will continue.”

Fluttershy seemed pleased that he and Rarity were getting along well right off the bat. “Thank you for coming. It means a lot that you're getting to meet my friends before you go.”

Adrian smiled winningly as he said, “Ah, it would not become me to deny the only request given by such a gracious hostess.” With that said, he took a seat next to the table. It was a little small, but not particularly uncomfortable.

Adrian noticed that Rarity's eyes clearly held a certain something or other. He could almost feel her evaluating his bearing and manner of speech. He hoped he was behaving satisfactorily. Doubtless, she at least had some appreciation for his own semi-formal wordings.

Rarity seemed to suddenly relax, as though coming to some unknown conclusion. “Well, I'm certainly relieved that you were raised with good manners. If only more of the natural inhabitants of this world were more like yourself.”

Fluttershy nodded in agreement. “Oh yes, Adrian is very well behaved. Even my animal friends realised it after a little while.”

Adrian grinned. “My ego can scarcely take anymore stroking, so let's turn the limelight on another.” He gestured towards Rarity. “What do you do for a living, Rarity?”

She beamed winningly. “I just so happen to be the finest seamstress and fashionista in all of Ponyville. Speaking of, your garments are beyond fascinating.” She had clearly been examining what he was wearing as he approached the table earlier. “The precision of the stitching and the design suggest masterful work. Though, that seems only fitting for one who was so clearly brought up around high culture.”

Adrian was about to respond when Fluttershy, unexpectedly, beat him to it. “Adrian said that he was raised in a rural place. He didn't grow up in a fancy city.”

Rarity seemed taken aback. “Oh, pardon me. I did not mean to presume anything about your upbringing.”

Adrian waved it off nonchalantly. “Don't fret. I'm very difficult to offend.”

Rarity let out a small sigh of relief. “It seems my own manners are poor at the moment.”

Fluttershy reassured her with a touch. “Adrian is very nice and understanding. I'm sure he doesn't mind at all. Isn't that right?” She turned her eyes towards him.

He dipped his head. “Of course not. I'm simply glad you didn't look on me with horror, disgust, or disdain when you first saw me.”

Rarity seemed further relieved. “I will admit that your height was rather intimidating at first. Fluttershy's description of you as a 'gentle giant' was exceedingly accurate.”

Fluttershy reddened before seeming to notice something behind Adrian's back. “I wonder what's going on out there?”

Adrian turned his head to see armoured ponies wandering through the streets in pairs. Strangely enough, they all bore blue manes and coats of white or grey. Their armour was golden in colour and fit each pony well. These were clearly trained, outfitted soldiers or guards.

Rarity piped up with an answer. “How odd. It would seem that the royal guard are here in Ponyville. I do wonder what they're here for.”

Adrian had his suspicions but sought confirmation. “I take it these royal guards are in service to the alicorn sisters.”

“Indeed,” Rarity seemed more than happy to answer, “they protect the Princesses and anyone important to them. It is most curious that they would be here without the sisters.”

Adrian had a creeping suspicion as to the reason for their presence. He sincerely hoped his instincts were wrong for once. This had never happened before, but there was certainly a first time for everything.

One of the guards noticed Adrian and casually motioned towards him with a tilt of the head. A little too casually for Adrian's taste. His partner briefly glanced at Adrian before nigh imperceptibly nodding. Adrian tensed for the briefest moment, but the two of them proceeded on their way without further incident or acknowledgment. Maybe this was the day after all.

“...alright, Adrian?”

Fluttershy's partially heard inquiry snapped Adrian's focus back to the two ponies at hand. The server was back with a pad and quill in his possession. He had clearly taken orders and was awaiting Adrian's. “I'm fine with just water. Thank you.”

“As you will.” He scribbled something down before dipping his head and leaving.

Fluttershy still seemed concerned. The look in her eyes was utterly unmistakable. Rarity seemed rather curious as well.

Adrian gave the pair a reassuring smile. “Sorry about that. I was just distracted by their armour. My apologies.”

Rarity seemed to buy his excuse, but Fluttershy still betrayed a certain degree of uncertainty. “Are you sure? You were awfully focused on them, and you tensed up for a little bit.”

Adrian was partially disturbed that she had noticed such a subtle change in his bearing so quickly. He was about to respond when he felt a peculiar tingling sensation all over his skin. Adrian startled, but it faded just as quickly as it started.

“Are you quite alright, dear? You seem fidgety. Is something making you uncomfortable?” Rarity's voice held a note of concern.

Adrian was touched that a being he had just met was already concerned with his well being. “Don't fret. It was just a weird sensation. Nothing to fret over.”

Neither of them seemed singularly convinced. Adrian was about to try to reassure them again when he suddenly got the sense that something wasn't right. He felt like something was coming. Something potentially dangerous.

Fluttershy's eyes widened for the briefest moment and a look of shock appeared on Rarity's face. It didn't take a genius to realise that something was going on behind him, yet again. He now understood why some people liked to sit with their back to a wall and their face directed towards an entrance. He turned completely around in his chair. The sight before him was interesting, to say the least. More guards had appeared and were flanking a rather large pony just outside the entrance to the Cornerstone Cafe. In fact, this particular individual was nigh upon the size of an actual horse. Based on the presence of large wings and a horn, he presumed that this was one of the alicorn sisters. With her white coat, golden adornments, and flowing rainbow mane, he highly doubted she was the sister of the moon. That meant she must be Celestia.

Adrian briefly pondered why he ever doubted his instincts. Fortunately, she was currently distracted by a conversation with what appeared to be the cafe's owner and the adoration of the few ponies in proximity to her, excluding her attentive guards. Adrian could tell that she was only giving those around her a part of her attention. Her eyes were roving through the cafe. He had no doubt as to what, or who, she was searching for.

“Princess Celestia herself is here.” Rarity and Fluttershy both turned their attention to Adrian. “I highly doubt she chose this place without due cause.”

Fluttershy seemed happy. “Wow, you're getting a personal visit from Celestia. How nice.”

It was at that moment that the aforementioned alicorn finally spotted him. Her eyes widened in an instant. It was as though she hadn't actually expected to find him in such a place. She turned her attention back to the manager and politely finished their conversation. He bowed before granting her passage into the cafe. Two guards accompanied her within. To the surprise of no individual present, she moved straight towards the table Adrian was presently occupying.

Adrian briefly pondered fleeing, considering her retinue of guards. However, he had always stood by the idea that only the guilty run. He was guilty of nothing. There was no need to flee.

She paused for a moment. “My little ponies, there is nothing to fear. We are not here to bring conflict. Please, continue enjoying the food provided by this fine establishment.”

Adrian hadn't even noticed the tension that the ponies were feeling until it lifted. With that selfsame tension lifted, nearly every pony present bowed to their ruler before doing as she said. Adrian did not fail to notice that the hushed whispers were back in force.

Celestia continued until she arrived at their table. “Fluttershy. Rarity. Adrian” She dipped her head to each in turn.

Fluttershy and Rarity rose from their individual, equine genuflection. Rarity was the first to speak, “It is such an honour to see you here, Princess.”

Fluttershy merely nodded in agreement. The collective attention from every pony present seemed to make her mute. This came as no surprise, considering her timidity.

“The pleasure is mine, my little ponies,” she turned her full attention to Adrian, “And my reserved human guest.”

Adrian waited for her to continue, but she seemed to be expecting something. He decided that a greeting was in order, at least. “Greetings, Princess Celestia. To what do I owe this pleasure?”

Her features betrayed a hint of amusement before she schooled them. “I came to speak to you, but would prefer to do so privately.”

Adrian got the impression that this was no mere preference. It felt more like a suggestion and a rather firm one at that. From the looks on their faces, Fluttershy and Rarity apparently got the exact same impression.

Rarity cleared her throat. “Is he in some form of trouble?” Her words were slightly strained.

Celestia gave her and Fluttershy a reassuring smile. “He is most certainly not. I merely need to speak with him alone. I assure you both that he will be perfectly safe in my presence,” she turned her gaze on Adrian, “You have my word.”

Adrian clapped his hands to gather attention, causing the guards to flinch and enter slightly more defensive stances. Celestia seemed unperturbed. Adrian turned his attention to Fluttershy. “Thank you for inviting me to lunch with you and Rarity.”

Fluttershy smiled shyly. “Thank you for coming. It was very nice.”

He turned his attention to Rarity. “Meeting you was a delight. I look forward to when next we'll meet.”

Rarity smiled back. “Oh, it was a pleasure to meet a gentlecolt like yourself. I wish you the best.” She looked pointedly between him and Celestia.

Adrian considered the word “gentlecolt” weird, but it made sense when taken in the context of their society. He still felt odd about being referred to as a horse. He shrugged off the unwelcome feeling. He might have to get accustomed to that for now.

Celestia's pleasant demeanor never faltered. “With that, I must bid you both farewell.” She discretely winked at them and quietly said, “Don't worry. I'll take good care of him.”

Adrian finally rose from his seat. Celestia was very nearly at eye level with him. It felt weird to not have to look down after having to do so for so long. His full height seemed to make Celestia's guards slightly uncomfortable. Their discomfort was discreet and very near unnoticeable. It was only their eyes that betrayed them in any way.

Celestia's next words were quietly uttered. “Walk beside me, but don't make contact.”

Adrian subtly nodded. He'd save his questions for when they were talking in private.

~~~

It took some time for Celestia, and her entourage, to walk through town. It seemed that the rulers were much beloved, considering the number of ponies that came to pay their respects when they saw her. A few were clearly still nervous about the large, scary being calmly standing next to her. Most seemed to consider him harmless while he was with the Princess. Of course, all of this admiration served to slow their progress. Adrian had to admit that it was rather nice to see a leader that was so clearly admired and loved by their people. Given the bright nature of this world, he had to believe that political corruption was highly unlikely. Adrian jealously considered what such good rulers could do for his own world.

Eventually, they reached an edge of Ponyville that was unfamiliar to Adrian and continued along the path that led to outskirts that were unknown to him. She ordered her guards to follow a good distance behind them. They followed her orders without question, but Adrian highly doubted that they approved of her being effectively alone with him.

When the guards were far enough away, Celestia broke the silence, “I can scarcely believe that you're awake. My sister and I thought that you never would.”

“Are you the ones who put me in that chamber?”

She nodded. “Indeed. We thought it best to keep you somewhere secret and safe.”

He sighed. “How long have I been… Slumbering?”

Celestia seemed to hesitate before answering, “A very long time. Millennia, at least.”

Adrian briefly admired the countryside as his insides roiled in fear and desperation. Adrian's mind lingered on the possibility that time flowed at the same rate in both worlds. That would mean that his entire family was long dead and gone. His home was probably gone. His life was effectively gone. Even all memory of him would be gone. He had to hope that time passed differently here. Otherwise, his world might be unknown to him now.

He needed to distract himself. “How did you know my name?”

Celestia seemed amused, and vaguely surprised, by such a mundane question. “Twilight Sparkle is a student of mine. She sent me a letter containing details about you and your plans. Imagine my great surprise when I realised exactly who she was trying to describe.”

Adrian chuckled grimly. “The realisation couldn't have taken too long. It doesn't seem that there are too many of my kind around here.”

“I suppose not.” Celestia paused in her step for a brief moment before resuming her steady stride. “Discord will not be able to help you return to your world.”

The sudden declaration caught him unawares and his heart leapt into his throat. “Why?”

Celestia seemed solemn as she regarded him. “He was indeed the one who brought you here. Not too long ago, my sister and I secretly convinced him to attempt to send you back. He could not.” She stared straight ahead as she finished shattering his hopes.

Adrian could scarcely believe what he was hearing. “That's impossible. If he brought me here, then he should be able to send me back.” It was a struggle for him to remain calm.

Celestia took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “You are not of this world. You have no magic of your own. Your body turned into a sink for magical energy the moment you entered our world.”

Adrian stopped walking. “I don't understand.” In fact, he did. So many mysteries were resolved in mere moments. He wanted her to be lying. He knew she wasn't.

Celestia clearly heard the silent desperation in his statement as she turned to face him. “My sister and I were there when Discord drew you into our world. The first magic you absorbed was the massive amount of chaos magic that Discord had used to summon you. You then started draining magic from your surroundings, including us and the Elements. It was like an implosion of magic with you at the center.”

Adrian's voice was flat, “That must have been unnerving.”

Celestia closed her eyes. “The worst part was your screaming. It carried over the roaring torrent of magical energy being drawn into you. It was the scream of a being caught in agony beyond comprehension.”

Adrian couldn't physically support himself as the crushing weight of this realisation bore down on his mind. He sank to his knees before coming to rest on his calves. “I absorb the chaos magic that would otherwise send me home.”

Celestia simply bowed her noble head. “I am so sorry.”

The only way to return him to his home would not work. He was trapped here. There was no way out. All of his efforts had been in vain. He repeated his favourite mantra in desperation. Acquire. Assimilate. Adapt. The last part was proving difficult for him at the moment.

Adrian could have sworn he felt the exact moment his hopes truly died.

He looked up at Celestia in despair. She simply stared back. Even through his mental anguish, he could recognise the empathy in her eyes. She seemed to truly comprehend the depths of his suffering.

He reached out a hand. “Please, I need to be sure.”

She sighed before extending her horn towards his hand. Wisps of what appeared to be magical energy began flowing from her horn to his hand before she'd even made contact. The wisps became tendrils as she drew nearer. The tendrils became a stream within a few centimeters of his palm. His skin began tingling when her horn made contact. He finally understood the sensation of powerful magic being drawn into him directly. She withdrew her horn.

His voice was flat. “If this world is full of magic, then why don't I constantly feel that?” The question had no energy behind it. He had asked it simply to fill the crushing silence.

“The traces of magic you are constantly absorbing are too weak for you to feel. It seems you only feel when magic is used on you directly or when you touch something that is filled with powerful magic.”

Adrian realised that she was probably correct. Even if it was merely an educated guess, it matched the situation closely enough. However, he couldn't bring himself to care all that much. It didn't really matter to him now. He lifted his head and met Celestia's eyes with a vacant stare.

She seemed so sad. “I am sorry you had to learn this from me. Truly, I am. However, I wanted you to learn this from me, rather than from Discord. He may be reformed, but he is still a trickster. He may have convinced you to do something foolhardy.”

Adrian almost managed to force a smile. “I suppose I owe you my thanks for that small grace.”

Celestia smiled for him. “It would be strange to accept thanks for causing you such suffering.”

Adrian sighed and stood up.

Celestia took a single concerned step towards him. “Are you feeling alright?” Her question was tentative.

It needn't have been. He'd simply had enough of moping. This was his reality now. He just had to adapt. He drew on his inner reserves of willpower and forced the mountain of despair from his mind. He, not his emotions, was the master here.

“What now?” His voice carried renewed strength.

Celestia seemed pleased by this change of pace. “That, Adrian, is entirely up to you. Several paths lie before you and the impetus to choose one lies with you.”

Adrian grinned. “Well, that was appropriately cryptic and lacking in details.”

Celestia lightly laughed in relief at his display of humour, sharp as it may have been. “I suppose so. Do you want to continue our walk as we talk about your options?”

“That sounds utterly delightful.”

Adrian caught up to Celestia in a few steps and the pair continued their walk. Adrian had failed to notice that the guards had stopped when he and Celestia had. He only realised this when he saw that their distance had not changed throughout that unusual exchange. He was impressed by their ability to remain stationary in spite of his, admittedly peculiar, behaviour. He had clearly been correct when he had considered them to be well trained.

“As far as I can perceive, you have three paths available to you.” Celestia's voice was far more at ease now that such unpleasant topics were behind them.

“Oh? Let's hear them.” Adrian was truly curious as to what she had come up with.

“Firstly, you could remain in Ponyville. This, of course, would have its collection of problems that you would have to overcome.”

Adrian hummed. “I don't think I have enough knowledge or resources to survive such a path. Actually... It seems as though I don't need to eat or drink, so I would technically survive.”

Celestia seemed mildly surprised. “Twilight failed to mention that detail about you.”

Adrian chuckled. “Yeah, I only realised it fairly recently myself. I probably should've realised it earlier, but, hey, I had a whole new reality to process.”

Celestia smiled. “That does make sense. So, are you considering that option?”

Adrian shrugged. “It's not really viable. I have nowhere to stay and I don't really want to mooch off the kindness of others.

Celestia nodded. “Very well, then. Let's move on to your second option: wander the wilds of this world and survive as most life does.”

Adrian considered the option briefly. It didn't take long for him to realise why this was a poor idea. “I drain magic from things. Who knows what kind of unintentional mischief I could get into?” He idly cracked his knuckles as he continued. “I'd rather not go wandering about when I'm still not sure what kind of effect I might have on this world.”

Celestia seemed pleased by his response. “Well, it seems that you have naturally come to the option that I had so hoped you would choose. You will come to Canterlot as a guest of the royal family. That is, of course, if you find this agreeable.” She seemed to be hoping he would, based on the hints that leaked through her otherwise placid expression.

Adrian gave the matter all due thought. It seemed to be the best option, but there were still a few minute details he needed to inquire about. “What, exactly, would this entail? I'd rather not be experimented on, if I can avoid it. I also did mention not wanting to mooch off the kindness of others.”

Celestia's smile had a touch of sadness. “Twilight had told me that your world is such a grim place compared to ours, but to think that you would be worried about such a thing from one offering help. It fills me with sorrow.” Her expression truly showed a small hint of reserved pity for him. “No. There will be no experiments that you yourself do not request or agree to. You will also not be coerced to do anything that you do not wish to, so long as you are my guest.”

Adrian drew a deep breath. “Sorry to be so suspicious, but it's as you say. My world isn't so nice. It doesn't help that this world is still so unfamiliar to me.” He cast his eyes to the sky above. “So much is similar. So much is different. It's taking all I have to sort it all out while remaining sane.”

“Well, I believe you have done an admirable job thus far.” Celestia smiled as he turned his face towards her. “Your endurance in the face of uncertainty is certainly inspiring.”

Adrian couldn't help but chuckle. “Well, thank you. There is little sense in moping over what was and is. When one faces adversity in the present, then it is best to take action towards making a better future.”

“You are quite wise, Adrian. You also seem to be good and kind.” Her voice was gentle. “I would like to give you your best possible chance in this world. You would be provided with a place to stay and anything that you should request, within reason. You would be protected from any who might wish to harm you. You would be allowed to learn and adapt to your new home at your own pace. As such, I must ask: will you come to Canterlot?”

Adrian shrugged. “I meant to ask when you first mentioned it. What, exactly, is Canterlot?”

Celestia had seemed taken aback by his shrug, but she fell into laughter as he asked his question. “I am sorry, Adrian. I do not mean to laugh at you, but rather at myself. Canterlot is the capital city of Equestria.”

Adrian smiled. “So, I've been invited to the capital city of Equestria by one of its rulers.”

Celestia seemed amused. “Yes, it certainly seems to be so.”

“Well then, I'm not one to turn down an invitation from royalty. Plus, I'd rather stay near the individuals who seem to know anything at all about me.”

Celestia beamed. “I will gladly take that as a yes. Oh, Luna is going to be so surprised when she wakes up. I certainly know I was when I realised that you were finally awake.”

Adrian turned his gaze upward. He had a place to stay. He would be protected from any who might “harm” him. He was still uncertain about who would want to harm him, but it stood to reason that someone might. Most importantly, a capital city would likely have a significant library that he could use to learn about this world. Maybe those same books might give him a hint as to a way for him to return. Adrian felt his hope rekindle from that small ember.

The Everfree Lord VII

Adrian stared out of the window of his cabin aboard the Friendship Express. He felt that he was growing accustomed to the naming scheme of this world. He had barely even flinched when he learned the name of the train that would take him to the capital. He considered this something of a triumph considering how fiercely his instincts initially wanted him to cringe with each ridiculous name he learned. This wasn’t to say that he wanted to become comfortable in this place. He still needed to return home, after all. He admired the passing landscape as he pondered this, and other less interesting matters. Such as the fact that he was forced to slightly bend his legs to fit in the seat.

His roving thoughts were disturbed by an unexpected knock on the door. He lazily turned his head and waited for the unknown individual to enter his cabin. It took him a few brief seconds to realise why they were not entering. He resisted the urge to smack his forehead in frustration.

“Come in.”

The door slid open. He was not singularly surprised to see Celestia on the other side. He was still uncertain as to why she had insisted on traveling on the train with him. When he asked earlier she had simply assured him that it would put her mind at ease. He hadn’t wanted to pry the reason out of her at the time, and he still felt no inclination to attempt it.

Celestia stepped through the doorway while sporting a pleased grin. Adrian immediately felt the very light tingling caused by his proximity to such a potent wellspring of magic. He only hoped that she couldn’t feel him leeching her magic. They were both aware that he couldn’t help it, but for some irritating reason, the very idea that she was aware of it seemed far too intimate for his tastes. As much as he wanted to know, the thought of bluntly asking her was too much for even his prodigious lack of social tact. He ignored his internal strife over the matter and gestured towards the seat opposite him.

She took the invitation to sit. “With you not responding to my knocking, I was starting to think you had fallen asleep or were otherwise indisposed.”

Adrian shrugged and tried his best to simply ignore the tingling sensation. He would have to get used to it sooner or later. “My apologies. It’s a bit of an old habit from my world. We typically simply enter after knocking, unless the occupant requests otherwise.”

Celestia seemed to consider this. “Many ponies do the same. Waiting to enter is simply a habit I have picked up after a long lifetime.”

Adrian allowed a few traces of a coy grin to appear on his otherwise placid face. “I don’t suppose you have any interesting stories related to why one would develope such a habit.”

Celestia laughed as she shook her head. “None that I would readily share in this setting, I am afraid.”

Adrian briefly chuckled before returning his gaze to the passing landscape outside of the window. It was quite the aesthetically pleasing view. “So, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”

Celestia idly waved a hoof through the air. “I wanted to ensure that you were doing well. I realised that I did not know whether or not you were prone to motion sickness.”

Adrian couldn’t suppress the grin that betrayed his amusement. She had been consistently observing him from the moment they’d met. She seemed to be possessed of the idea that he would break at the slightest provocation or disappear if left to his own devices for too long.

Adrian lifted a brow. “Really now? I don’t think you’re being entirely honest with me, but I’m sure you have your reasons. Even if those reasons don’t include my tendency, or lack thereof, for motion sickness.”

He simply hoped they wouldn’t come back to bite him in the arse.

Celestia simply waved a hoof in a dismissive gesture. “You are quite the perceptive one. You are correct in both of your suspicions, but I ask you to trust that I bear you no ill will.”

Adrian gave a coy grin and a dismissive wave of his own hand. “I would be doing my best to not be here if I suspected otherwise.”

The slightest trace of unhappiness passed over Celestia’s face before it resumed its usual cheer. “As you seem to not be suffering from any motion sickness, I suppose I will leave you be once more. Do not hesitate to call should you have need of me,”

Adrian dipped his head in what he hoped was a display of gratitude and acknowledgment. Celestia seemed to consider it such, for she beamed in return before rising from her seat. “Farewell, Adrian.” And with that, she magically opened the door and proceeded to exit the cabin. The brief use of magic in his general area caused his skin to tingle for a moment.

Adrian resumed his admiration of the rolling countryside and distant mountains. He wondered what Canterlot would be like. It would likely be far cleaner and safer than any capital city back home. As he was unique in this world, he would likely be getting quite a few passing glances and stares. Would they be using a lot of magic in the city? He hoped that none would be used too near to him. The discomfort of absorbing magic had not diminished with time. He would also likely be meeting with Luna. He wondered if she would be anything like her sister. He figured she would probably be equally benevolent at the very leas-

The door of the cabin suddenly opened once again. The pony on the other side was clearly a stewardess, based on her uniform. She had a goldenrod coat and a well-groomed, light-yellow mane and tail. The dark orange of her eyes became apparent to Adrian as she immediately locked her gaze with his. For a brief instant, he thought he saw a spark of excitement in her eyes before she quickly closed them and gave a winning smile.

She took a single step into the small space. “Is there anything I can do to make your trip easier, Lor- sir?”

Already disquieted, Adrian immediately noticed her little slip up. Before reacting, he forced himself to calm down. While his instincts were never wrong, they weren’t really screaming any danger signals. It was more like a general feeling of unease. Her little mistake was innocuous in its very nature. She had probably just worried about offending him with some expression and changed to something more neutral.

“I’m fine. Just a little curious as to what you were about to call me.”

Her smile failed to waver. “Oh, it was nothing important, sir. It was just a little slip up from being tired. My apologies.” She cast her gaze about the space, seeming to search for something. “Well, so long as you are certain that you are doing fine, sir. Allow me to fix that drape over there and I will be on my way.”

Adrian could see nothing wrong with the drapes, but he nodded in consent nonetheless. He watched as she crossed the small space. He noticed as she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye as she passed. She stood on her hind legs and used her forehooves to adjust the drape. Adrian considered it peculiar that the drape on his side had been the one in need of adjustment. Seeming satisfied, she dropped back down onto four hooves, but slipped and stumbled right into him. Adrian immediately felt the tingle of magic where she was pressing against his leg and lower torso. He swiftly helped her right herself so as to break physical contact.

She grinned at him with a pleased expression. “Oh, my. How embarrassing. Thank you so much for your help, sir.”

Adrian shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. Misfortunes happen.”

She started to leave the room, but paused just as she was closing the door. “That they do, sir. Like the misfortune of being unable to find you all this time, Lord Naught. But, I do believe fortune has shifted in our favour.” She smiled at him and slid the door closed.

Adrian hadn’t expected her to close the door so quickly. There was no way he was just going to let her go after that little event. He immediately darted the short distance to the door and swiftly slung it open again. His momentum carried him right into the hall. He looked up and down the linear corridor but could spot neither hide nor hair of her. He clicked his tongue in annoyance. He hadn’t pinned her as the type to be able to disappear in mere moments. He briefly considered a more intensive search, but quickly abandoned the idea. If she had disappeared that swiftly, then there was no way that he was going to easily find her. He closed the door and returned to his seat.

He fumed in silence as he thought over what she had said. She had indicated that some group had been trying, and failing, to find him. She had also referred to him as “Lord Naught”. This probably indicated that they knew something about him. He wasn’t sure what, but he had to consider the slim chance that their knowledge might include some way for him to return home. He sighed. It seemed a fairly desperate hope. A more pressing cause for concern was the unknown reason for their search. He wasn’t exceedingly worried, because, had they wished him harm, the “stewardess” had been in the perfect position to try something.

He briefly considered calling on Celestia, but discarded the idea. He could not prove it, but he was inclined to believe that she had suspected something like this might occur. That would explain her desire to be in relatively close proximity to him and her earlier visit. Celestia hadn’t been open with him. He saw no reason to be particularly open with her. He would deal with this matter on his own. He was trapped in his own web of thoughts until he felt a shift in the train. He immediately noticed that the mountains were now practically upon them. It would seem that they would be arriving in Canterlot shortly.

He attempted to relax and mentally fortify himself for the upcoming deboarding and subsequent travel through Canterlot’s streets. In spite of his efforts, he still couldn’t shake his instinctual unease. He wasn’t particularly pleased by this fact. His instincts had never betrayed him, after all.

A tunnel or so later and the city itself came into view. Adrian took a brief moment to truly appreciate the fact that the entire structure was situated on the side of a mountain. He sincerely hoped that the place was supported by good architecture and sound construction rather than magic. Too much magic could make things difficult. However, he had to consider this unlikely, seeing as Celestia would have been unlikely to overlook such an important detail.

The place seemed… Colourful. The various buildings, towers, and spires all seemed to share various hues of white, gold, purple, and pink. It was quite the sight with the sun shining off of it. He could see the small shapes of pegasi flitting about in the air above the city. He could also see some ponies milling about on the grounds below, but could not differentiate earth pony from unicorn due to the distance. The ponies seemed to be taking full advantage of the decent weather as they went about their various tasks. The place was clearly busy and alive, as befitting a capital.

As the train grew ever closer, it became more and more difficult to suppress his nerves. This was a new environment. He would know nothing of his surroundings. He knew nothing of the culture of the area. He was even slightly worried that even the cosmopolitan residents of Canterlot might be unnerved by his unique presence. He was also unnerved by the possibility of accidentally interacting with anything magical in nature. He didn’t want to cause any damage to the city or its residents. This step into the unknown made him nervous, even if he would be damned before he showed it. Admittedly, some of that nervousness was excitement at the prospect of fresh knowledge and new experiences.

He slowly repeated his mantra under his breath as the train began to slow for its eventual stop at the Canterlot station. He twitched as he heard a knock at the door. He had to suppress a laugh at how jumpy he was in spite of his best efforts. He grinned because he bore a fair idea of who was on the other side.

He made certain to keep his voice level. “Enter.”

The door opened and Adrian’s skin began to tingle as Celestia entered the space with a smile plastered on her face. “Hello, Adrian. As I am certain you can tell, we have arrived.” She seemed exceedingly pleased by this development.

Adrian grinned for a moment. “I noticed.” He knew that this dry humour was an attempt to mask his own insecurity, but it did help, in its own small way. “What happens now?”

Celestia seemed prepared for this question. “Normally, royal guests are escorted to the palace by the guard. You are something of an exception due to your unique circumstances.” Celestia’s smile widened. “It may attract some attention, but I will be escorting you personally.”

Adrian raised a brow. “Are you certain that you want to waste your time escorting me on foot?”

Celestia gave a single wave of her hoof. “Nonsense. It would be a delight to escort you in person, as I take the safety of my guests very seriously.” She gave an amused smile. “A select few guards will also be traveling with us, as my guards also take my safety very seriously. A little silly, but I like to make them happy when I am able to.”

Adrian smiled and shrugged. “So long as you’re certain. Admittedly, it will be nice to have you there. I find the guards to be somewhat stoic.”

Celestia actually laughed a small amount while covering her mouth with a wing. It did not take long for her composure to return. “All pleasant amusements aside, are you ready?”

The question made Adrian realise that he would eventually need to leave the relative comfort of this cabin for the uncertain city environment. He cracked his knuckles and neck before standing. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

Celestia seemed pleased. “Excellent. Let us be on our way.” With that she exited with Adrian following behind. “Now, try to avoid coming into direct contact with me. I am using a glamour to mask my appearance, but your presence alone is enough to force me to actively maintain it. Your direct touch will certainly nullify it. My ponies would also consider it strange to hear you refer to this facade by my name, so please avoid doing so. For now, I am Juniper. As much as I love my little ponies, I would like to reach the castle before nightfall.”

Adrian was distinctly amused. “I had been wondering about that. Glad to see you thought of something.” He himself suddenly thought of something. “Why don’t I see this facade? Is it selective?”

Celestia seemed satisfied about something or other. “No, this spell does not allow any normal sight to penetrate it, whether I desire it or not. I was not absolutely certain before, but it would seem that your abilities prevent you from being deceived by magical illusions.” She allowed a small smirk to flit across her features. “You seem to only get more and more fascinating with each new thing I discover about you.”

Adrian let the comment slide, as they had exited the train car and stepped into the gentle bustle of the station. He noticed that three guards had joined them the moment they exited. Each variety of pony was represented in the three of them. All had a certain aura about them that made Adrian wary. He quickly recognized it as the aura of hardened warriors. They had seen combat, in some form or another. Adrian turned his attention from them to his surroundings.

The station itself was fairly interesting. It seemed to follow the colour scheme of the rest of the city. A feature that leapt to Adrian’s attention was the patterns present on some of the nearby rooftops. Some had a checkered pattern. Others possessed a swirling pattern. These features were distinct enough, from the buildings back home, to draw his eye first. The station itself had a fairly normal roof pattern, arched windows, and a large clock on the exterior.

Ponies of various appearance and race were walking around, chatting with one another, and a few were embracing the former train occupants. Adrian smiled. Underneath the abnormal surface, it was very much like a train station back home. His smile turned into a neutral expression as he noted that many ponies were taking notice of him. Some even briefly whispered to their companions. Adrian immediately shrugged it off. He had known that this was likely to happen, and most of the ponies didn’t pay him mind for long. Most of them seemed to be fairly comfortable with the unknown, and were only satisfying a brief curiosity. This was as he had hoped.

As his small party moved through the crowd, he made sure to not bump into, or draw too near to, the disguised Celestia. In spite of his focus on this task, he did notice that one pony had been tracking him longer than the rest of the crowd had. This was very slightly unnerving, but he may have simply been a visitor to the city who was less accustomed to strange creatures. It may have even been the guards that drew his attention. Adrian decided to let the matter go, as it didn’t seem to matter that much.

They quickly cleared the crowd, leaving the staring pony behind. Adrian was fully satisfied when the pony did not make any move to follow them. The streets themselves were somewhat less crowded than the station’s platform. He still got a few curious glances, but the mobile nature of his surroundings caused them to dissipate faster than they had at the station. He noticed that quite a few of the ponies wore fairly elegant garments and accessories. A few even seemed to have an air of smugness about them. He could feel his ire building. Superiority complexes were one of a few things that could get his blood boiling.

Adrian almost stopped moving as he felt some strange connection flare to life. It took him a moment to realise that it felt very similar to the same sort of “rightness” that had taken hold of him while he was submerged in the river near Fluttershy’s cottage. As his anger gave way to curiosity, the feeling of connection faded away. He felt brief concern that the feeling had returned when he had gotten angry, but hastily dropped the matter. There was too much else to focus on at the moment and he was unlikely to reach some epiphany from the limited information he had. He figured that there was little sense to be had in worrying about it.

He almost flinched as Celestia spoke. “Pay them little mind. They are harmless, for the most part. I would rather they not behave so, but they are young and ponies will be ponies.”

He hadn’t realised that he was broadcasting his feelings so strongly. “I suppose you’re right. No sense in getting disgruntled over harmless snobbery. Best to save such feelings for real problems.”

She seemed to be satisfied by his reponse, given her pleased expression. “Indeed. You are as wise as I gave you credit for.”

The buildings continued to follow the same colour scheme throughout, but a few sported an additional colour every now and again. The structures all had varying designs and architecture, however it all seemed to work together in an organized type of chaos. The city had not been designed to be completely homogenous, and that suited Adrian’s tastes just fine.

“Putting aside a few misguided residents, you seem to be enjoying your surroundings. I do hope you like Canterlot thus far.” She smiled as he turned to look at her. “Perhaps you could even see it becoming something like a home.”

Adrian couldn’t help but smile. “It is quite the city. I could definitely see this as a nice place to be.” He paused for a moment. “Thank you for inviting me to stay here, Juniper.” He had technically avoided lying, but he did not enjoy skirting so close to the act. While he could see this as a nice place to stay for a while, he still had his lingering hope of returning to his own home. He was truly grateful for what she was offering him, but he just couldn’t see himself accepting this place as his home.

She seemed amused and pleased in equal measure. “Think nothing of it. I only ask that you voice any concerns, wants, or needs with myself, my sister, or anypony representing us. We will discuss more about that later. For now, let us enjoy the journey.”

For the most part, it was quite the enjoyable journey. The weather was agreeable, if a smidgeon too warm. The environment was new and held fascinating sights at every turn. They even passed a few shops that had very agreeable smells emanating from them. He still felt no need to eat or drink, but he was glad that he could still enjoy the scent of food. Passing by clothing stores gave Adrian a fair idea of what ponies in the capital considered to be fashionable. Many of the articles and accessories seemed like ponified versions of various modern human fashions. Adrian figured that if convergent evolution was a thing, then so too could convergent fashion be a thing. He noticed that rationalising this world was growing easier. What he wasn’t sure of was whether or not this was a good thing.

“The castle draws near. We are just about home.” There was a note of relief in Celestia’s voice.

As per her words, the castle drew into sight as they rounded a bend. The first thing Adrian noticed was the moat and open drawbridge. They seemed almost comically stereotypical for a castle. He did find himself admiring the idea of having the waterfall feed into the stream that served as the moat. The trees and gardens leading up to the bridge were a welcoming touch. The castle itself was a fairly impressive affair. He had seen it from afar, but all of the details of its craftsmanship became apparent from this perspective. The castle had a number of different towers and spires of varying height. Many had the same strangely patterned roofs that the city buildings had. Much like the city, the castle itself seemed like organised chaos. He suddenly realised that navigating this place might be a tricky prospect at first.

He felt the light shock of magical energy as Celestia gently tapped him in the side with a hoof. “Well, what do you think of Canterlot castle?”

Adrian immediately became concerned. “What of your glamour?”

Celestia merely smiled in a frustratingly serene manner. “I would not worry. Few ponies draw this near the castle without invitation.”

He took a moment to observe his more immediate surroundings and noticed that she was correct. The only ponies in the area seemed to be either servants maintaining the grounds or guards patrolling them. “Ah, nevermind then. The moat and drawbridge are a bit much, but I do very much like the overall aesthetic. I especially like how the castle is integrated with the mountain itself. Very impressive.” He scratched at his head. “I only worry about getting lost in there.”

Celestia chuckled lightly. “It took a considerable deal of talent and magical effort to build this castle on the mountainside. I am glad you appreciate it. In regard to your concern, do not allow its appearance to fool you. Navigating the castle is quite the intuitive matter.” She grinned mischievously. “Even should you lose your way, you would not have to worry about starving to death.”

Adrian couldn’t stop the grin that spread across his face. “True. Very true. If you say its intuitive, then I’ll just have to trust you. It is your home, after all.”

Celestia looked straight ahead with a look of suppressed pride on her face. “Indeed. I do hope that it will feel like a home to you as well, in time.” She paused for a moment. “I am also quite glad that you are starting to trust me more.”

Adrian suddenly felt a slight twinge of guilt over not trusting her with what happened with the “stewardess”. However, he stood by the conclusion he had made then. Trust needed to be a two way street, after all.

Adrian looked down at the flowing water as they passed over the drawbridge. It fed right into a waterfall plunging off the mountainside. He figured that it would be best to avoid falling in. He briefly envisioned himself plunging to the ground below. He wasn’t too worried about the possibility, as the drawbridge was quite wide and the current was clearly not overwhelmingly powerful.

They passed through the arched ingress that led into the castle grounds. The grounds were an impressive sight. The various gardens and statues spread throughout all begged for his attention. He could see a hedge maze in the distance. He also spotted an especially lush garden in the distance. The grounds themselves seemed to be quite the place to explore, given enough time.

Celestia seemed to notice him slowly looking around. “These are the castle grounds. I enjoy spending time in some of the secluded reaches of this place, when I am able.”

Adrian nodded. “I can imagine. Being the leader of any large body seems like quite the draining task.”

“Yes, I will admit that it can be quite the heavy task, but I do love my little ponies and enjoy doing what I can for them.”

Adrian had to admire her sincere love for her subjects. It was somewhat impressive to see a ruler who actually cared for those beneath them.

They soon entered the castle proper. The hall that they initially entered seemed vaguely familiar to Adrian. It took him a moment to realise that the hall was very similar to the one in the ruined castle of the Everfree. Of course, this version was better maintained than the other. Seeing the inside led him to start imagining what that old castle had looked like when it had been lived in.

Celestia’s voice snatched him from his musings. “This is Primrose.” She gestured at a nearby pony in servant’s attire. She had a pale fuchsia coat and rose quartz coloured mane and tail. Her eyes were a dark pink. “She will be escorting you to your quarters.”

Adrian smiled. “I suppose you couldn’t keep escorting me forever.” He bowed his head in respect and gratitude. “Thank you for personally escorting me thus far, Celestia. You seem a kind and good ruler. A unique treasure among my kind.”

A look of surprise crossed her face and Adrian could have sworn that he saw her lightly blush for a moment. “You were a delight to accompany. Please, do not hesitate to speak to a servant should you find your room dissatisfactory in any way.” One of the three guards whispered something to her. “Well, I am afraid that this is where we must say our farewells. I must prepare for the coming night. I do hope you enjoy your time here, Adrian.”

Adrian smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring fashion. “I don’t see that becoming a problem. Do what you need to do and don’t worry about me. I can manage.” He gave a short wave. “Farewell, Celestia.”

She smiled and dipped her head. “Farewell, Adrian. We will meet again soon.” And with that she took her leave with the three guards tagging along with her.

A faint voice snapped his attention from watching Celestia’s departure. “Shall I take you to where you will be staying, sir?”

Adrian turned to face Primrose. “Ah, yes, absolutely. Thank you for taking over as my escort.” He scratched at the back of his head. “You can call me Adrian, if you want. “Sir” is fine too, if that’s what you’re comfortable with.”

She dipped her head. “I will keep that in mind, sir. Please, follow me.”

~~~

A single pony bearing a goldenrod coat knelt before three others. “I have met with him and confirmed the truth. We have found Lord Naught. He is heading towards Canterlot as we speak. He may yet be here already.”

The two to either side looked to the pony in the center. Her voice was smooth and beguiling as she spoke. “Are you absolutely certain of his identity?”

She did not hesitate for even an instant. “He perfectly matches all details listed in the tome. He was large and donned in strange attire. His very touch left me feeling slightly disconnected from the earth, even though I am an earth pony. I would bet my life that it is truly him.”

The pony on the left spoke, his voice sonorous in spite of his thin frame. “I do hope that you were certain to ensure that he was made aware of us.”

She felt insulted by the questioning of her competence, but she held her ire. “Absolutely. He did seem slightly confused when I used his name and revealed our search, but I still have no doubt. You would not either, had you been with him yourself.” Her voice gained a wistful edge. “I only wish I could have lingered at his touch.”

The pony in the center smiled and turned to face the tome laid out before them. “Our Lord has finally come for his court.” She slowly bowed her head. “All for Naught.”

The other three immediately bowed in turn. “All for Naught.”