//------------------------------// // Books, Wars, And A Human To Wine And Dine // Story: The Human And The Well // by Zandar13 //------------------------------// “You certainly have been busy as of late Adrian. I take my sights off of you for only a moment and you find a book I have not been able to procure in many, many years” Celestia said to me as I held the newfound book in my hands after Celestia had teleported it over from my desk. “I don't understand... how do I have it? I never read or opened this one up before like I did with the crimson book” I questioned as I tried to figure out this puzzle. “Hmmmm, let me ask you something. Do you know of Blood Binding upon older books?” she asked of me. “Yeah, Cadence explained that to me when I first showed her the first book” I said back. “Good, well since you know about this then my next question is did you happen to find your way into the Canterlot Library anytime today?” she asked again. “Yes I did but only for a short while and I don't.....” I paused as I rewound my memory to back when I met Raven, well stumbled into her and I was buried under the mountain of knowledge and stories. The papercut! “The papercut!” “The papercut?” Celestia repeated in confusion. “Yes! When I hid in the library I accidentally bumped into Raven Desk and the huge stack of books she was carrying fell on me and when I tried to clear them away I remember getting a papercut! I never saw the book but I must of cut my finger on it during the confusion” I explained. “I see, most interesting and how delightful that you met Raven. She is of great help to me and I could never thank her enough for all the hard work she does for me” Celestia lamented before eying the book I held again. “Well, accident or not it seems that you were meant to find this book and the others that come after it” I glanced down at the book again to reexamine the mysterious cover and what these books truly mean and why do I get this ominous feeling of dread coming off of it now? “Celestia? Is there something wrong with these books?” I tentatively asked her. “What do you mean by something wrong?” she replied. I gulped as I tried to find the right wording to these feelings “Well, when I first showed the original book to Cadence she seemed.... scared. Of not only the book but when I showed her I could do Dragon Fire and then when I found out about the secret talks between you two about these books I felt like something was wrong. And even now, when you took on a serious face the second you showed me this book” “I don't know what it is but I have this feeling of dread now and I want to know why? Are these books truly that dangerous?” I asked her with sincerity. But I was only met with silence as Celestia was drawn into her mind in search of an answer for me and though the waiting ate away at me, I needed to give her time to properly explain. After everything back on Earth and about my mom, I just hope that this new book will not hold a dark past that will loom over me as well. After another minute or so of thinking Celestia looked at me and in her eyes I could almost feel the blunt edge of time, that has taken its toll on her, reach out to me in sorrow. “There is not a simple answer to that question Adrian. So I will start this story when Star Swirl the bearded began this journey many, many years ago” she took a quick breath and almost seemed to brace her body before speaking again “Back then, Equestria was a very different place. Full of danger and wonder and unexplored areas to discover, land and magic wise. We are at peace today only due to the hard work and sacrifices my own subjects had to endure” “At the time, Ponies, Gryphons Dragons, Merfolk, and the outcasts were all vying for land and resources, whether it be for the good of their kingdoms or simply for their own greed. It was full of chaos and death as we waged war and devised treaties countless times all in the name of our kingdoms. During this time my father, King Solar Flare, used all his power alongside my mother to try and make peace but was sadly rejected” “I do not fully know the reason why but the fighting swelled to such proportions that before we knew it, we were engulfed by the flames of war with all of Equestria at stake. Thankfully this war did not last longer than six days and a peace summit was called. Though none of the members were happy about the divide of land, they eventually agreed and left to cultivate the war ravaged lands they fought for” “It took many years before the first remnants of Canterlot sprung from the mountain thanks to my father and it was during the early years of his reign that we began to hear dark rumors of a potential second war. Though we much later found out that it was only a small faction of rebels that tried to kindle the flames, it was still serious news. To try and prevent war we devised a plan to have a representative talk to the many races and try to understand them” “That is where Star Swirl comes in, at the time he was a young and powerful unicorn mage who was growing in fame due to his unique way of thinking and usage of magic. So my father tasked him to become Equestria's representative and seek out the other races and learn all he could from them, in hopes to foster permanent peace. While he prevailed in his original task, he had also taken on a secondary, personal agenda and that was to also learn about their magic” “That secondary task resulted in The Five Mystic Book of the Stars. Legendary books of power that hold the true essence of pure magic developed from the many races. But at the time we saw no harm in this knowledge and saw it as a way to educate others to show them the normal side of the other races. But soon we came to see these books as a curse” “Due to the books being made public and having multiple copies made of them, we all came to understand and coexist together. But to others, this was a means to an end. It all began when the Changelings began to secretly invade the other countries and continuously feed and feed until they killed their victims. But at the time we all thought it was the other races and war threatened us all once again” “But my father personally vouched for our citizens on multiple occasions and due to his actions had upset the Dragon King Bahamut, thinking my father was wounding his pride as a dragon or some silly nonsense. In order to prevent another battle they instead hosted a duel and if my father won the dragons would back down and return peacefully, if not they would invade” Celestia took a long breather but how the story was leading, I had a feeling something bad was going to happen next. “It was a fierce and terrible battle and had permanently scarred the area we know as the badlands and unfortunately the battle was won by my father and resulted in the Dragon Kings death” she explained with a heavy heart. But instead of going on, she paused again and had started to tremble for a moment before calming herself down. Was she..... was she scared? What happened? “But due to his injuries, my father had succumbed to his wounds in a few short days and had died peacefully in his sleep” she finally uttered out. Oh no! This is terrible! No wonder she hates these books! I moved to hug her again but she held up a hoof to stop me and shook her head, though I was reluctant I took my seat and let her continue. “It was a huge loss to us all but thankfully his sacrifice had convinced all of Equus that it was the Changelings that had killed. So they were officially banished to the far ends of Equus and that is where they had stayed until recently. Due to the power of these books they were deemed far too dangerous and the official order for all copies to be burned were sent out. The original five were sealed away using my mothers magic and were spread across Equestria, never to be found again” she finally finished with a last breath. “That is.... until I found them” I sadly said as I held the book that had caused so much misery and death. “Yes, it would seem that they have found a new master. For what purpose I do not know and it is because of that unknown is why I am scared” Celestia said. Without thinking I held the book out to her and bowed my head “I am so sorry Celestia, I should not have these. I would gladly give these back to you if you wish” I exclaimed. I heard her move closer and I imagined that she was lifting her hoof to take the book but instead she gently pushed the book back down to me before lifting my head up. “Do no be sorry Adrian, for whatever reason my mothers magic has allowed you to see these books and learn their secrets. Though I am a little frightened of their potential misuse, I trust my mother and I trust you Adrian” she explained in a very caring voice just as she nuzzled my head. “I only ask that you keep the knowledge within these book to yourself. Due to the magic spell on them, only the one who found them can read them. Any pony else who tried to view the book will see blank pages” “What about the other three?” I asked. “They will remain hidden until you find them, the moment you unlocked the first book the series became bound to you and you alone. So, I ask you Adrian. Will you keep the hidden secrets within these tomes to yourself?” Celestia asked me with all her heart. I could see her eyes plead and whether she is doing it on purpose I could almost feel a weighted air surround my body. “I promise Celestia, I will protect what your father did” I said to her with a smile on my face and in that moment I could see all the weight on her shoulders lift and she leaned and fell into a hug with me. “Even from Twilight?” I jokingly asked to try and relieve the stiff air. I heard her laugh as she hugged me “Especially from Twilight, you know how she loves her books” Celestia played right along which helped her mood. After one last hug we broke apart and I looked over the book again and sighed. “Whats wrong?” “Oh nothing, just kinda wondering when I will stop getting such earth shattering surprises” I said with a nervous laugh. Celestia smiled and offered another small laugh “Well at least this will keep you distracted from your worries” she said. “True and now I have a quest to find the other three now as well!” I happily exclaimed. She was right, focusing on these will help relief some pressure from my mom and stuff. Not by much but enough. “Where is Luna? I could really go for some ice cream and cake right now” “Agreed, especially with that cake!” Celestia agreed with such a happy tone that reminded me of Pinkie. As if on cue I heard the door smack open and in came our entourage of silly ponies, all carrying various amounts of sweets and various shapes, sizes, and color. Though I think Pinkie and Luna had indulged themselves already cause they both had a crazed look in their eyes and had frosting smeared all over. “BIG BROTHER! SWEETS!” Pinkie quickly yelled before bombarding me with a whole tub of chocolate ice cream and a half thing of vanilla cake. Luna tossed over two whole cakes at Celestia who caught them both with her hooves and I saw a small smile creep on her face. Pinkie and Luna then went back to eating their share just as Twilight and Gilda walked in with only a small amount of goods. “Yeah, tried to stop them. She tried to bite me. So I stopped caring. Cookie?” Gilda said in a very, unamused tone as she offered me a chocolate chip cookie. After I happily accepted it she dug into her bag and ate one for herself. I looked around and saw my two sisters eating away like no tomorrow while Celestia had a crazed look in her eyes as she slowly took her first bite of cake. Twilight simply stood behind me with her small piece of cake. I could only laugh as I took my bite of chocolate ice cream. ---------- 30 Minutes Later ---------- “Uuuuuuuuuggggggggghhhhhhh” I moaned out loud as I lay on the crumb riddled floor, surrounded by two very full and belly bulging Princesses who moaned just as equally and more. Pinkie was using my tummy as her pillow and was knocked out, which surprised me cause I thought all that sugar would of allowed her to open a portal to another dimension or something. Twilight and Gilda had joined us on the ground except they were happily full and not in pain. “So, feeling better dude?” Gilda asked as she playfully punched my arm. “Well, I have replaced the emotional pain with physical pain. So in a way yes and in another way no” I lazily explained as I felt the ice cream, cake, and cookie mixture in my stomach churn and hopefully settle. “Hey, what are friends for?” Gilda sarcastically said which made me groan weakly at her. “Princess Celestia! Princess Celestia!” I heard a male voice call out. “Princess Celestia! Oh sweet faust where is she?!” the voice called out again. The sound of metallic hooves echoed in the hall outside as it got closer and closer and as quick as a flash the guard came and went by the door followed by a sudden halt, which was met with armor clashing on the ground. Sounded like he was stumbling to get back up but soon he came to attention at the door and saluted “Princess Celestia! I have what you asked..... of..... me....” the guard slowly came to a halt as she took in the sight of all three Princesses laying on the ground, in a slightly un-royal manner, groaning and covered in cake and ice cream along with the pink party pony, a gryphon, and me. His jaw was hanging loose and his eyes were blank, yep we broke him. Seeing as his shocked state would prevent any further viewing until he snapped out of it we decided to quickly clean and using their magic all the trash and dirty spots were gone and we were all clean as a whistle. Celestia walked up to the guard and smiled “Yes Flash Sentry? You have something to report?” she calmly asked. His eyes came back to life and he sprung backwards since he was in close proximity to her and took a moment to readjust himself. The look of shock still hung on his face but was now mixed with confusion as to how and why we were all clean and standing up. But Celestia coughed and he brought his attention back to normal and saluted “Ma'am! I have those train tickets you requested. The train will be departing at ten thirty in the morning. First Class” Flash Sentry said in a stiff voice as he handed over the tickets. “Very good, very good. Thank you ever so much for helping me with this little endeavor. Anything else to report?” she said to him. “No ma'am!” he swiftly said. “Alright then, you are dismissed then. Have a good day” Celestia said with a smile. He nodded, dropped his salute, and was about to turn when he got a good look at Twilight and I think he blushed a little before he zoomed off. Uh oh! Somepony has a crush! But before I could even plan on any teasing Celestia walked up to me with tickets in hoof. “I made special reservations for you three on the train tomorrow. I hope you don't mind” “Ce-Celestia! You didn't have to you go out of your way for us!” Twilight stuttered out with a red face. “I insisted. Besides, I like to spoil ponies now and then” she winked at us which made us laugh as Twilight became even more flustered. I would like to tease Twilight about Flash but I think she would faint so I will save it for the train ride in the morning. Luna yawned rather loudly which drew all attention to her “My apologies, we have been staying up much later than normal these past few days. I am going to take a nap before my duties tonight” she said in a sleepy voice. “Go go Luna. It would be bad if you fell asleep while on duty again” Celestia said but that last remark made Luna huff. “Well we are not sorry that we found the perfect nap spot while doing our royal duties. We will see you all in the morning” Luna said before teleporting away with her magic. “Speaking of time, I cannot believe how late it has already gotten! We should go and grab ourselves a bite to eat and I have just the thing!” Celestia said to us. “Oh? What do you have in mind?” I asked her. “Well you have not eaten out in Canterlot yet and I would be a terrible host if I did not at least show you one good place to eat in my town!” Celestia explained. “So lets get freshened up and meet in the foyer in twenty minutes” and with that we all went our separate ways and got ready for the night. ---------- 25 Minutes Later ---------- Gah, can't believe I was a bit late! But Artemis was being really clingy and did not want to let me go, while it was adorable and I would of loved to play with her I had to meet up with them up front. Thankfully I was actually the second one down there, Pinkie told me she got there fifteen minutes ago and was bouncing and waiting for us. I still cannot believe she has not exploded due to how much energy those sweets gave her. Pinkie Magic. But soon enough the other three showed, thankfully Doc allowed Gilda to accompany us tonight or else she would be stuck here going over stats and data and blah. I am glad I am going back out cause now I can actually look around and enjoy my surroundings. It was like Celestia said, the whole city looks expertly chiseled out of stone and made into marble, big shiny marble. “Miss Twilight! Miss Pie! Hello again!” we all stopped as we got greeted by a deep voice, so we turned around and saw two unicorns standing side by side. On my right was a fairly big stallion with a blue mane and wearing a monocle and a black tuxedo while on my left was a very pretty mare with a white coat and pale pink mane and her beautiful light purple eyes drew me in right away. “Hello there Fancy Pants! Nice to see you again!” Twilight greeted him. “It is my honor to see you again. And you as well Miss Pie, last time I saw you was when two of you popped out of my hat!” he casually said. I looked over at Pinkie with a raised eyebrow and a questioning look. “Oh yeah! That was fun! And kinda scary, but mostly fun! But don't worry, there is only one of me now!” Pinkie said to him. “Well that is a worry of my chest indeed! And I see you are traveling with Princess Celestia as well!” he did a small bow and received one in return by her. “Hello Fancy Pants, it has been a while since I have gotten to talk to you. How goes your business?” she asked. “Oh quite well, quite well indeed! Thank you for asking, and might I ask who is that standing there?” he asked while looking at me. I was too busy staring at the pretty mare too notice. “Ah! This is my very special guest, his name is Adrian Frost and he is a human being from another world!” she explained to him. “Another world?! My, that is impressive and quite surprising! Are there any others like him?” he asked. “Unfortunately no, he arrived here my accident and we have not been able to find a permanent way for him to get back yet. So he is the only human on all of Equus” she said. “Oh dear, well my boy my name is Fancy Pants and I just want to welcome you to Canterlot and let you know that if there is anything you need just let me know” Fancy extended his hoof and it took me a moment before I realized it but I quickly shook it and smiled. “Ah you don't have to worry about him! He has me to look after him and besides! I think he enjoys the view” Pinkie jested as she subtly hinted to the mare. I could feel my face blossom in red and even Gilda gave me a playful punch. Finally once the mare stopped giggling she offered her hoof “My name is Fleur De Lis and I am honored to meet one such as you” she introduced. I got down on one knee and gently shook her hoof before placing a small kiss on it. “The honor is all mine Miss De Lis and I do apologize for staring. That was rude of me” I said with a nervous chuckle. Her face blushed a little at my action “Oh don't worry about it, I am used to it since I am a supermodel after all” she explained. “Your a supermodel? Wow! That is amazing! But now I don't feel quite so silly for staring at your beauty” I sputtered out with only a hint of red on my face. “Well I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't not catch your eye though I do feel even more pretty now that I catch the eye of the only human in all of Equestria” she said with a tiny giggle. “Ah ah ah! Careful dude, you might make the stallion jealous if you continue to flirt with her” Gilda pointed out which made me blush more and the others gave out a soft laugh. “Oh don't mind me, where is your group heading anyway?” Fancy asked. “Well Fancy, we are actually heading to Pon Appetit! I wanted to show Adrian here a good meal before he leaves tomorrow” Celestia explained. “Oh, your leaving already? But we just met dear!” Fleur said with a smile as she took a few steps toward me. “Yeah, I was sorta on a vacation and I have to get back home” I explained. “Well what are we waiting for! Me and Fleur here were actually heading there as well for dinner! I would be honored if we could join you Princess” Fancy politely asked with a head bow. “I would be delighted to have the two of you join us, is that all right with you all?” she asked us and none of us had objections and so the seven of us began walking down the sunset street. We all made small talk though Fleur and I mostly talked to each other, mainly about her job. From the sounds of it a supermodel is almost exactly the same and just as stressful as a supermodel back on Earth. “Ah, velcome to Pon Appetite. How may ve serve you tonight?” said the front greeter. “Hello there, table for seven if you please” Celestia said. The greeter bowed and looked behind him and after doing a silent conversation with two waiters he smiled as he turned back. “Your table vill be ready for you shortly. If you vould follow me please” he grabbed several menus as got off the front podium and led us through the fancy restaurant. Though we soon became the central attraction and the talk of the place. Probably for several reasons, two princesses, a gryphon, Fancy, a supermodel, and of course me the six foot five tall human. “And Princess, ve vill fetch a chair for our minotaur guests for the tall one” “Thank you very much, he will be glad to be able to sit normally” she informed him. Once we reached our table it only took a minute or two before I saw a unicorn waiter levitate a big chair for me to sit in and I thanked him for doing so. “Velcome once again to Pon Appetite! My name is Valter and I vill be your vaiter tonight. Vhat sort of drinks can I start you off vith?” he asked. Celestia ordered us all a fine wine to celebrate my first night here in Canterlot. With that Valter.... Walter took off and we all picked up the menus and started to browse. Though I was hardly looking at the menu cause I was extremely nervous due to Fleur sitting down next to me and I could faintly smell her perfume. “Adrian my boy! Pardon me but may I ask you a weird question?” he asked. A weird question? OH GOD I hope he does not ask why Fleur is sitting next to me and not him. Not like I knew anyway but STILL! “I am curious as to what you eat” PHEW. Thank goodness. “Oh, well I eat sort of everything since humans are omnivores” I explained to them and I wish I had not cause my whole table was now staring at me with wide eyes. “So.... you do eat meat then?” Fancy asked again. GAH! Why did I have to say I eat meat in front of them! Now they think I will eat them or something! “Y-yes I do but I also enjoy fruits and vegetables and breads and sweets and many other things besides meat!” I quickly explained “Awesome! I got myself a meat buddy!” Gilda happily said from across the table. “I see, well if you want Adrian we can get you and Miss Feathers a menu that includes meats as well” Fancy informed me. I nervously looked around the table but due to the meat talk my stomach let out a growl and I became flushed. “I will take that as a yes then” “N-no! You don't have to! I mean, I don't want to make you all uncomfortable with the smell or anything!” I quickly said. “Adrian, you do not have to worry about us. Yes we were surprised about the meat but most restaurants here in Equestria do try to offer meat menus for the few races that eat it. Have you been holding back on a count of us this whole time?” Celestia asked me and I took another look around before I nodded my head. “Adrian! You didn't have to do that! You need to keep up your diet!” Twilight exclaimed. “I'm sorry everyone. I just felt like it would have been some sort of taboo here and I felt like you might of looked at me differently if you found out that I ate meat and I was worried that you might of thought I was going to eat you or something” I nervously explained. “Oh, you did not have to worry about that! Yes I will admit that we might have been a little wary but you are our friend and don't want you to suffer!” Twilight said. “Are you sure you will all be alright with this?” I asked again. “Yes, please go right ahead dear. I will not mind and besides, like you said you eat both right? If you want we could always share a salad” Fleur offered. I smiled and took a few deep breaths. “Alright, if you all insist” I said and once Walter returned Fancy asked if he could retrieve the other menu for Gilda and myself. Gilda also swapped seats with Pinkie on my other side cause she wanted to sit next to her new meat buddy. Once the new menu came me and Gilda looked through and saw that the meat menu was not that large anyway, I felt a little better. The only two dishes that sounded decent was a meat lasagne and something that sounded close to a hamburger but did not have as much meat as the pasta dish. So I got myself a lasagne with garlic bread and was going to order a salad but Fleur said that we could split since she ate little as per her diet. So the small talk began once again but now Fleur, Fancy, and Gilda were all asking me about myself and stuff back home and soon it became a Q&A all about me! So after about a hundred questions our food and wine were served to us and let me tell you what, it felt amazing to be able to smell meat again! I never realized how hungry I was until that first waft of air hit my nostrils. But Celestia proposed a toast so we all grabbed our glasses. “To our new dear friend Adrian, may he be happy and joyful while he is in Equestria” Celestia said. “To Adrian!” we all cheered and clicked our glasses before taking our first drink but just as I was about to I felt my right hand feel something fuzzy, I glanced down and saw that Fleurs tail was curling around my hand for a few seconds before dropping back down. I looked up and saw Fleur giving me a sly smile before taking a sip. Feeling my face warm up I downed half my glass before I dug into my meal with a quietly giggling Fleur next to me. ---------- 1 ½ Hours Later ---------- “and so then I told him 'the fly appears to be doing the backstroke sir'” I finished up my joke and the whole table erupted into laughter and if we had not finished our plates they probably would have been sent flying due to Gilda smacking the table. “So yeah, suffice to say I did not get a tip that night” “Oh goodness gracious my boy, that was a most excellent story. I have not had a good laugh in a while” Fancy said as he finished up his glass of wine. Once our laughter died down we finally got the bill and it was a weird sight to see two rich people arguing over the bill but eventually they split the bill fifty/fifty. What was also weird was that whenever I had my right hand down at my side Fleur would stealthily wrap her tail around it but would let it fall when I brought my hand up to eat or drink. But as the night went on I had gotten used to but decided not to say anything so I would not encourage any further behavior, though that being said I should of just kept my hand on the table the entire time. Once the bill was paid and we gave our thanks and very generous tip we wandered outside and began our goodbyes. “Princess Celestia, Adrian. It was a pleasure having dinner with your party tonight. It was most informative and entertaining!” Fancy complimented. “It was my honor Fancy Pants and I am glad to have met you as well Fleur, it is so interesting to meet so many different kinds of ponies and their kind of jobs” I told the two of them. “The honor was all mind, knowing that my newest fan is the one and only human in all of Equestria. That makes you a celebrity handsome” Fleur graciously said. At this point my face was in a permanent blush so the compliment did not really show. “Well we best be off, another busy day awaits us both! Til next time!” Fancy waved goodbye before he began to walk off alone. Fleur pulled out a small business card and handed it to me “Whenever you are in Canterlot again or if you simply want to talk here is my card. Don't be a stranger handsome” Fleur said with a wink before she stood on my knee and gave my cheek a quick kiss before joining Fancy. I remained still on my knee as I held her card in my hand and simply stared into the night sky. “Oh man! You big stud! You got yourself a supermodel!” Gilda wrapped her front leg around my neck as she leaned against me. “I don't know how you do it much you are a lady killer!” Twilight giggled but cleared her throat to catch our attention “I am just happy that you didn't flirt back with her, since you are thinking about Derpy back home” she informed me. “BUT you do look adorable now that your have that permanent blush on your face” and with that all the girls started laughing and giggling while I adopted a pouty lip and annoyed look. But I know of a way to get her back. “Well, mighty rich coming from you Twilight. After all you pretty much had that guard earlier swooning at your hooves, what was his name? Flash Sentry?” I smugly said and now her face was starting to match mine. “Oh yeah! And especially after he saw you laying all pretty like on the floor with the rest of us!” Gilda chimed in. “With all that delicious ice cream and cake!” Pinkie joined in but the moment she said it I bursted out laughing due to the dirty image I was getting but I decided to withhold that information. But it was unnecessary anyway cause Twilight was now hiding behind her wings. “He is a handsome young stallion Twilight and Royal Guard as well! It would be a good match!” Celestia said and I think I saw Twilight cringe and used her hooves to pull her wings further over herself. “Uh oh, I think we broke her” I commented and after seeing her whimper behind her feathers we all silently laughed. “All right, that is enough teasing for one night. Twilight, you had best get up so we can head back to the castle. We are going to have an early day tomorrow so we need to be heading to bed soon” Celestia said. Twilight remained silent but eventually she unfurled her wings and quickly walked in front of us but tried to look prideful. Though it did not last long due to Gilda and Pinkie catching up and started talking, leaving me and Celestia in the back of the group. “It looks like I have to thank you again Adrian” she said to me. “For what?” I asked. “For helping Gilda along with her rehabilitation. She had certainly calmed down thanks to Dr. Feathers but her personality seems to have improved since meeting you. I would like to think that her and Rainbow Dash can become friends again in the near future. Losing a friend is always hard and something painful, so to see her like this makes me proud. And what about you Adrian? How are you feeling?” she asked of me. “I am feeling pretty good, a little.....no ALOT flustered after meeting Fleur but pretty good. It was a big shocker to learn about the history of those books and about your family. Oh and speaking of which, do you mind if I ask something?” I asked her in return. She smiled and nodded “What was your mothers name?” “Oh yes, I never did say during my tale. Well her name is Harmonia, Queen Harmonia” she replied. “Queen Harmonia. She has a beautiful name. King Solar Flare, Queen Harmonia, Princesses Celestia, and Princess Luna. That is quite a family name” I said. She took a moment to ponder this but I saw her smile spread a little more. “Yes, you are quite right. I never actually thought about it like that. I guess my family has quite the flare in naming” she said back. We simply smiled at each other as we all walked together back to the castle. Once we reached the castle Celestia bid us good night as she retired to her chambers for the night. The other two decided to follow suite and we all climbed up and went to our rooms, well after I was forced to tuck in Pinkie Pie and give her a good night kiss twice due to wanting one on each side so that no matter what side she turned on she knew that each one was equally loved during the night. Ugh, it was so disgustingly sweet that I could not help but smile a mile long. So once that cute heart attack was done with I meandered back to my room where I discovered two dark passengers waiting for me. “Welcome back Adrian, we hope you had a pleasant time?” Luna asked. “I did, though it was full of its own flustered moments as well” I groaned. “Oh, do tell Adrian. Do tell” Nightingale said. “Well I met Fancy Pants and Fleur De Lis and I don't want to assume but I think Fleur was flirting with me during the entire thing” I told them both. “Ah, so that explains the lipstick upon your cheek” Luna commented and the moment she did I brought my hand up to my cheek to cover it up. “THE WHAT?!” I exclaimed before I scrambled into the bathroom and looked into the mirror to see that a light purple shaded pair of lips were indeed on my cheek. “That was there all this time?!? Why didn't they say anything! Not even Celestia said anything!” I turned on the hot water and began cleaning my cheek first before washing the rest of my face to try and calm me down, the laughter in the other room was not helping. “Well, not that we are not happy to see such activity. We hope that you have not forgotten about Miss Derpy?” Luna asked. I quickly turned off the water before heading back out with a flushed face. “Of course not! I would never do that to her!” I exclaimed to the grinning pair and I realized they set me up. I groaned and face palmed but I felt something poke my stomach, looking down I saw a smiling Luna in front of me. “We know Adrian, we know. We just felt like teasing you upon knowing that a supermodel was flirting with you. But we are curious as to how she was flirting since you did not have a positive time last time a mare attempted to flirt with you” Luna asked. “We-well, she did not mind that I was staring a bit and she told me she felt a little prettier knowing that the only human in all of Equestria thought she was pretty. But during dinner she sat next to me and she would gently curl her tail around my free hand and then when we left she gave me her card and kissed my cheek goodbye” I explained. “Well, well, well Adrian. You certainly know how to attract a mare, but I am guessing you don't know the meaning of a mare wrapping her tail around you, do you?” Nightingale asked me. I shook my head. “Simply put, it is a sign of affection almost exactly like a cat but normally that is done when you have been dating a while or are married. Tail wrapping on first meeting means she really must like you” she explained. UGH. I could not get a single girl to bat her eyes at me on Earth but the moment I come to another world full of talking ponies now I have A SUPERMODEL hitting on me?! GAH! I planted my head in my hands and groaned again. “Are you feeling well Adrian?” Luna asked. “Just thinking on how weird it was that on Earth I could barely get a girl to look at me but the moment I go to a new world I get a supermodels attention. I don't know if the weirdness is normal for me” I said to them. The two of them chuckled which only made me groan louder “I would not worry about it Adrian, if anything it shows you that no matter where you look you will always find someone to turn to and let you know that you are not alone. That goes for me as well, I will always be here to talk to whether it be in real life or in your dreams” Nightingale soothingly said as she flew around me in a circle. I let my hands drop as I thought about that and I could not help but smile at the thought so when she passed in front of me again I quickly snatched her with my arms and hugged her, which was met with a surprise squeak. I love that sound. “Thanks Nightingale, I am really happy that we are still friends” I said to her. “Well, you didn't really leave me much choice. And while we are on the subject, my paperwork is all set and I am still responsible for all of Ponyville with Princess Luna's blessing” Nightingale explained. “Cool! Glad to hear it, well I better let you go and do your job then. Thanks for coming around and talking Nightingale” I said as I waved her off. She waved me goodbye before she flew off into the clear and still night air. “And thank you as well Luna for letting her keep her post in Ponyville, I would have been sad to see her go because of me” I told her. “Think not of it Adrian, we were happy to let her continue her good work. Just make sure you don't use her as a snuggle pillow again” Luna smirked as she said that. Geh, guess she knew about that. Heh heh. “I will do my best, well I had best get off to bed as well. Hopefully I can get to sleep tonight, I need it” I yawned louder than I meant to and I could feel my body start to drift off but I shook it off. But Luna saw this and next thing she did was charge her horn and gently tapped it against my forehead. “There. That should help you get to sleep and have happy dreams!” Luna exclaimed. “Geez Luna, I feel like your spoiling me now” I teased. “Anything for our dear little brother, anything” Luna happily proclaimed before wrapping me in a hug. “Well we best be off, we feel like tonight is going to be a good night” “Take care Luna, I will see you in the morning” I said as I waved her off this time and soon I was alone with a sleeping Artemis who was curled up on the bed. So I changed into my night wear and did my business in the bathroom before I softly climbed into bed as to not disturb her. I could feel my drowsiness start to take over but I smiled as my eyes began to close and drift off. Tomorrow is going to be the big day. Tomorrow is when I will hopefully start my normal life in Ponyville. Tomorrow I am go to see her. Tomorrow I will finally see Derpy again.