"Riolu, why are you staring at Celestia?" A voice beside Riolu spoke.
Riolu directed his gaze from the white pony and turned his head to see Spike.
"What? Oh, sorry. I was…whispering to myself." Riolu mumbled.
"Um, may I come in?" Celestia spoke up from the doorway.
"Of course, Princess Celestia. Please forgive me for the wait. You may come in." Twilight spoke quickly as she gestured her hoof to the inside.
"Thank you, Twilight." Celestia smiled as she softly galloped into the house.
"You're welcome." Twilight grinned happily as she bowed her head low.
"Well, Twilight," Celestia spoke as she neared a bowing Riolu, "It seems that you have a new addition to your house. What is your name, little one?"
Riolu looked up at the Princess and stared once again at her in awe. Her mane was long and flowing, and her eyes looked as if they had the sun raging inside them.
"Uh, my name is…Riolu." He finally answered.
"Riolu? That's a nice name. Tell me, Riolu. How has Twilight been treating you?
A part of Riolu suddenly awoke with a despicable grin. This had started to get very interesting.
"Well, if you must know," Riolu smiled, "Twilight here has been a great host, and a brilliant caretaker."
"Thank you, Riolu." Twilight grinned.
"But," Riolu added, "There are a few how you say, flaws, in her care taking. Now, I don't mean to be rude or anything, but the basket me and Spike slept in was too cramped, and she could of at least given us a few more blankets to keep us from shivering in the cold."
Twilight blushed in embarrassment as Celestia's eyes locked onto her gaze.
"Really," Celestia stated, "Is this true, Princess Twilight?"
"Yes, Princess Celestia." Twilight sighed.
"Twilight, you know you should of thought about that. Be aware of your friends, and don't leave them out in the cold." Celestia spoke softly.
"You're right," Twilight mumbled sadly, "I guess it was my tiredness that got the best of me. I was planning so much on throwing Riolu a party to welcome him to Ponyville, that I was sleep deprived."
"You were planning on throwing him a party?" Celestia questioned.
"Yes, Princess, and it was quite a fun party if I might add. Wouldn't you agree, Riolu?" Twilight replied as she turned her head to Riolu.
Riolu stared at Twilight with a hint of guilt in his gaze. He really did not put that much thought into it before.
"Yeah, it was pretty good." Riolu replied with a bit of sheepishness.
"Well then," Celestia spoke up, "That's good to hear. Thank you Twilight for throwing that for Riolu. Now, is it alright if I ask a few questions?"
"Thank you, Celestia," Twilight grinned, "And sure!"
"Wonderful," Celestia whispered loudly, "Now Riolu, where exactly did you come from?"
Riolu stared at Celestia with a tinge of anxiety in his eyes. He was still unsure about answering that question.
"Give me an example." He coughed.
"An example? Okay, have you come from anyplace that seems a bit odd in comparison to this place?" Celestia questioned.
Riolu's inner being had smiled with cleverness. There was a loop hole this time.
"As a matter of fact, I have. There's a forest just on the outskirts of this town. It seemed odd enough for me." Riolu directed.
"You mean, the Everfree?" Celestia asked promptly.
"If that's what you guys call it, then yes." Riolu answered respectfully.
"I see now," Celestia whispered, "Care to take us to the place that you remembered going to?"
Riolu gulped in fear at hearing those words.
"You sure? There are some creatures in there that you may not want to tangle with." He stated.
"No need to fear about that," Celestia smiled, "My chariot will make sure that we all have a safe journey."
"We all?" Spike interjected nervously.
"Of course," Celestia replied, "You two are his caretakers as of now. It would be the responsible thing to do, Spike."
"Well…okay then." Spike sighed.
"So, Riolu. What do you say? Are you up for a little journey?" Twilight asked happily.
Riolu thought to himself as the concept floated in his mind. There was nothing else to do as of now, and he seemed to not have that much of a choice.
"Sure, why not?" He spoke at last.
"Excellent choice, my little Riolu. We can leave right now if that is okay with the three of you." Celestia smiled.
"Just hold on for a minute, Celestia. We need to get a few things before we go." Twilight spoke politely.
"I understand. I will be waiting outside in the chariot." Celestia nodded empathetically.
"What do you need?" Riolu questioned once the front door had closed behind Celestia.
"Just a map in case we get lost." Twilight replied smoothly.
"Okay then," Riolu stated, "Where exactly is the map?"
"Upstairs," Twilight replied as she galloped toward the steps, "You and Spike stay down here, while I go retrieve it."
"Sure thing." Riolu nodded in acceptance.
An awkward quietness had then followed once Twilight's hoof steps vanished from Riolu's ears. Riolu now listened to the breeze that blew outside as well as Spike's breathing. It was quiet, but not silent.
"So, Riolu. Did you sleep well last night?" Spike spoke out loud all of a sudden.
Riolu stared at Spike with peculiarity in his gaze.
"Not really. Why do you ask?" Riolu questioned.
"No reason." Spike coughed.
Another awkward quietness had followed that was now filled with the breeze from the outside, and an odd breathing sound from Spike. It was as if he was pondering something that was making him worry.
"Riolu, did you happened to hear anything out of the ordinary last night?" Spike questioned.
"No, though I did have a weird dream." Riolu replied calmly.
"Oh, alright then," Spike whispered, "what was the dream abou…"
"Hey, guys! I got the map!" Twilight's voice erupted from the top of the stairs.
"Awesome," Spike grinned, "So, are we all set?"
"Yep! We're all set!" Twilight grinned as she trotted down the steps with the map held in victory.
"You ready to go, Riolu?" Twilight and Spike questioned as they started heading toward the front door.
"Yeah, I guess so." Riolu mumbled as he headed toward the door along with them.
"Perfect! Alright, guys. Celestia is a very formal pony. So be on your best behavior on this trip to the Everfree." Twilight notified.
"No worries, Twilight." Spike reassured as he grabbed ahold of the handle and opened the door to the outside world.
"Alright, Riolu. You can do this. Just try your best to not let any of them know about your old world." Riolu whispered to himself.
And with that said, Riolu took a deep breath, and made his first step into the journey back to the Everfree.