//------------------------------// // Our Human Levels Up And A Departure To A New Home // Story: The Human And The Well // by Zandar13 //------------------------------// ---------- 8 AM, Adrians Room ---------- I slowly stirred awake as my eyes became blinded by the morning light being filtered in from the partially opened curtains, my body tried its best to wake up but it did not want to get rid of this good feeling that last nights sleep brought. I felt rejuvenated and fresh as I finally began to actually wake up and when I moved to sit up I felt two odd things, one was that my body felt surprisingly light and two was that while I felt light I could feel something heavy on me. Well the second thing was about to be explained for the moment I sat up I heard a loud squeaking noise erupt before something slammed into my chest and clouded my partial vision with pink. “GOOD MORNING BIG BROTHER!” I heard Pinkie loudly declare as she wrapped me up in a tight hug. I slumped my head against the back wall and let out a sleepy laugh before I brought my hand up to her head and scratched her ear. “Good morning Pinkie Pie, were you waiting for me to wake up?” I groggily asked. “Sure was! I wanted to make sure your day started off with hugs and love! SO that way you won't have a sad day!” Pinkie explained as she melted at my touch while she tried to hug me. “Ohhh I love your ear scratches~” I could only smile at this adorable creature who was now my cute little sister and so I decided to give her a hug and she replied back with another one of her own “Thank you Pinkie, you know just what to do to make me smile” I quietly complimented her. “Well duh! Of course I do! My middle name is Smile after all!” she proudly said. “It is? I thought it was Goofball” I said with a smirk. “Hey! I only use that middle name on Tuesdays!” she quickly explained. I rolled my eyes at the silliness before setting her on the bed but this time I was assaulted by Artemis who patiently waited her turn. So now I was getting a tongue bath by my little timberwolf who was wagging her tail so hard I thought it was going to fly off and get stuck in Pinkies mane. “Hehehe! She must think your tasty!” “Yea- hey! Artemis! That’s my nose your licking! Jehehe! St-stop that! Ha!” I was laughing while trying to calm her down cause she was licking every single nook and cranny on my face. I could hear Pinkie giggling away as the onslaught of licks continued upon my poor and defenseless head. “AH! Ah-alright Artemis. That's enough, that's enough” I finally got her to calm down but she jumped off the bed and started playing on her own, phew! “Well, I need to take a shower so I will so you in a bit Pinkie” I said to her. She nodded and said ok before she bounced out of the room and closed the door with her tail. Shaking my head to clear my thoughts of this mornings bizarre awakening before gathering a fresh set of clothing and headed into the bathroom. ---------- 30 Minutes Later ---------- Oh my goodness that hot shower felt amazing! My whole body feels light as a feather and all that weight from the past few days feels gone! My smile was beaming as I casually strolled down the corridors to meet up with everyone in the dining hall, I even decided to bring along Artemis who was happily bounding around me with a smile on her face as well. Though a couple of the guards freaked out when they saw the timberwolf pup approach them but after a quick explanation that she was a good girl and all that they calmed down and one female guard even got a little lick on her hoof. I am glad that Artemis is becoming more sociable, I was worried for a while since whenever she was around anyone but me she would snarl and be on guard but they say that pets take after their owners and with me being the new miracle social butterfly I apparently am I suppose it is rubbing off on her. That and not being forced to kill or be killed certainly helps. So with a few more stops for Artemis to greet new ponies we finally found our way to the dining hall and was able to grab some Belgoof waffles for myself and thankfully the staff had some fish in store for Artemis thanks to Luna asking them to stock up. So I walked over to an open seat next to Pinkie and Twilight who were already deep in conversation and eating so I sat down quietly and listened in while I ate. “-and so I think those fingers of his are absolutely wonderful! Each digit is free to move around and spread across the body more easily. So if he took some massage therapy classes and trained himself he could be a big hit! And since you said it felt incredibly good to have your stomach rubbed by them and since he is apparently very good at ear scratches he could offer those kinds of services as well! Though he would have to be careful about the stomach rubs since other could interpret that action as being inappropriate” Twilight explained to Pinkie and was oblivious to my shocked face. “That is such a cool idea! He could make buckets of bits for his ear scratches alone! But then I would have to share him and his ear scratching fingers, well I am his sister so I could get it for free! Especially his belly rubs! His hands are so big and really warm, so it felt really good!” Pinkie exclaimed while also miraculously ignoring my existence. “I suppose that is also true, I wonder how it would feel to have my stomach massaged” Twilight said before she looked down and rubbed her stomach with her hoof. “Well why don't we just ask him! Hey Adrian, how would you feel about giving ol' Twilight here a tummy massage!” Pinkie asked me as she turned in her seat to look at me. Twilight snapped her head and saw me sitting next to Pinkie with my mouth open and a slight blush on my face. A blush that soon spread and infected her own face with greater intensity. “H-h-how long have you been sitting there?” she nervously asked me as she tried to hide her face. “Ah-about the time you said I should take some massage therapy classes” I nervously uttered. Now her face was fully hid behind her hoofs and she groaned. “I-I am so sorry Adrian. I didn't mean anything bad by it! Pinkie was talking about you and one thing led to another and we started talking about your ear scratches and how even Luna was willing to go to war for them and so I thought maybe if you used them for better purposes you could even have a job and well you know the rest” Twilight briefly explained. Ok, well I don't quite feel as surprised anymore but I was still a little shocked to hear Twilight wanting me to give her stomach a massage. Wait! I need to ask something! “Hey Twilight, can I ask you a serious question?” I asked. At first Twilight shyly peaked at me but she regained her composure when she saw that I was asking with a serious look on my face. She nodded her head “Well, this concerns about the stomach rubs and stuff like that. Um, well what does Equestria view the touching of anothers stomach to be? Like is it inappropriate like you were saying or is it something more intimate or something else?” I asked her. Thankfully Twilight did not become embarrassed again and took up a thinking pose and for the next few moments she took her time and thought about my question before she answered with “Well the best answer would depend on the situation. For instance, it is normal for masseuse ponies to massage the stomach as well as the rest of the body so that is ok. Usually couples or married ponies rub their significant others stomach either lovingly or to relax them as well” “I guess the only times it is considered inappropriate if a random stranger came up and started rubbing another ponies stomach for no reason. It might also be seen that way if friends start randomly doing that while in public too. So I guess that so long as the other pony gives permission, you are at home, or getting a massage then it is ok” she finished up with a nod of approval. “Phew. Thank you Twilight. I was worried that I might of accidentally did something inappropriate when I did that to Pinkie and with her being silly might not of realized what I did” I said. “My pleasure Adrian and I glad I was able to inform you of this before anything might of happened” she said with a smile. “BUT before any of that, we are missing something incredibly important!” Pinkie suddenly blurted out. “And..... what would.... that be?” I questioned. “You can't give Twilight a tummy rub first! She has yet to receive the ear scratch! That would be rude to your friend to not scratch her ear before rub a dub dubbing!” Pinkie seriously explained with a stern look on her face. Me and Twilight looked at each other and had a silent laugh between the two of us while we rolled our eyes. But that does bring up a point that I had not given her an ear scratch yet, as well as Applejack and Rarity. Guess I have another present to give to them when I get back. Deciding to strike while the iron was still hot I pushed my plate aside before I stood up and gently grabbed Twilight who let out a surprised gasp as I lifted her over the table and placed her in my lap. Her back was facing me so she turned her head around and said “Ad-Adrian?! What in Equestria are you doing!?” But I only answered her with a smile before I reached up and placed my hand on her soft head while my fingers reached out for her ear and once I felt the soft fur I began to scratch. At first I was not sure about her reaction cause she became very still and did not make a sound, I even looked over at Pinkie and she seemed just as confused and shrugged. I was about to stop and ask if she was alright when I heard her say something under her breath. “Hmmmmmmmmmmm” she happily moaned just as she started to sway a bit before she fell back into my chest with her eyes closed and happy smile on her face. I could not help but smile at her cute face and even Pinkie was grinning ear to ear. “Capture complete! Congratulations Adrian! You are now a Level Two Ear Scratcher!” Pinkie happily announced. I laughed again and wondered about the implications of being a level two ear scratcher but then that brought me back to their conversation earlier. I really do wonder if I should consider making this an actual job, I mean so far every pony and gryphon I have done this to have become super relaxed and happy. When I get back to Ponyville I will look up those massage therapy classes so that way I can offer more and possibly become even better! I laughed even more at this idea, not because it was in itself funny but just because of the thought of me getting a job as a professional ear scratcher. Oh how life throws you a curve ball time and again. But my train of thought became interrupted when I heard the sound of multiple giggles and laughters coming up beside me, so while I continued to scratch her ear I adjusted my head to pear over to my left and saw Celestia, Luna, Gilda, and Doc walking up on us. “Well, it appears that you have added another to your collection dear brother” Luna said smugly as she grinned. But once Twilight heard Luna she gasped and turned her head to see the four of them smiling at us and I could feel the heat of her face as she became more and more embarrassed. “Yeppers and he leveled up! So now he is a Level Two Ear Scratcher!” Pinkie declared. “Oh? Most wonderful then! Well with this new found power, we ask that you handle it well Adrian. I would hate to throw you in jail for the misuse of ear scratches” Celestia joked as she giggled more. “Worry not Princess! I have my own rules and standards for these. I would never think of throwing them around willy nilly!” I explained as I reached out and gave Pinkie a quick ear scratch. At this action Luna raised her eyebrow and had a questionable face. “Then what do you call your actions upon Miss Pie then?” Doc asked in Lunas place. “Well Pinkie is the exception since she cannot be bound by laws and rules” I explained again and the second I did they all nodded their head in agreement with my statement. I became slightly worried on how easily they agreed with that. “Well with that out of the way, Adrian even though you just ate would you mind if I escorted you to another restaurant in Canterlot for breakfast before you leave?” she asked. “I would be happy to Celestia, I have plenty of room for more since I usually eat a light breakfast anyway” I said and with that we all agreed to meet up front once we were ready. So after giving Twilight and Pinkie a few more ear scratches I finally got up and brought Artemis up to my room. Giving her bowl some fresh water I closed the door and headed back down and waited for the rest. It was about five minutes or so before they all, including Doc, came down and we set out for this restaurant. It was a bit of walk but it was a pleasant morning and all the ponies wandering the streets greeted us all kindly and paid proper respect for their three princesses. With a few more twists and turns of multiple streets we finally found ourselves standing outside a place called 'EHOP' but the blue sign kinda looked familiar. “Here were are! EHOP! Which stands for Equestrias House Of Pancakes!” Celestia happily explained. But in my head I was mentally groaning so loud I could of woken a bear. These similarities are going to kill me one day. But I did not say anything cause it was not their fault and it would have been rude to Celestia and probably the whole of Equestria. So with that in mind we entered and were given a booth immediately, though we had to place four tables together to make room for us thankfully though the place was nearly empty so we were not stealing them from anyone else. Once we had our seats we were about to be given our menus but Celestia stopped the staff and told them to give us the Royalty Special, with a nod they quickly got us some water before disappearing into the back. We all started to make small talk since Celestia and Luna would not tell us what the special was. “Oh my! Fate must be at work to bring us together again” I heard a familiar voice say and now sitting in the once open seat beside me was Fleur with a big smile on her face. “Fleur! It is good to see you again, I did not know you would be here” Celestia said. “And I you Princess, I rarely come here and the one day I do I happen to see you all again! Must be my lucky day!” she happily noted but I could see that she was slowly shifting her eyes to me. Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap, oh crap! “So Adrian, how long will you be staying here today before you leave?” “I, I uh, I will be leaving from the train station at ten thirty” I quickly said before I picked up my glass of water and chugged most of it. “I see! That is too bad, I would of loved to get to know you more before you left” she said. “Ye-yeah. Me too” I nervously said and with that the entire table went quiet and all eyes were on us. Oh man, oh man, oh man, OH MAN! I quickly looked around the table and the only innocent eyes were from Celestia and Twilight, the rest were smirking and grinning at me while Fleur was batting her pretty eyes at me. I had to refill my glass twice cause I kept downing the entire glass of ice water to try and cool me off, but to no avail. SOMEONE, SOMEPONY SAY SOMETHING PLEASE! “Oh! Oh! Fleur! Fleur! You wanna hear something exciting?!” Pinkie said as she pierced through the silence. OH THANK YOU PINKIE! You are the best little sister ever! “Well of course! I love to hear exciting news” Fleur happily replied but I could faintly see her tail start to swing closer. “Well this morning Adrian added Twilight here to his Ear Scratching collection and leveled up!” she said. PINKIE you are the worst little sister ever. “Ear scratching collection?” Fleur confusingly asked. “Oh yes, our dear Adrian here is quite the master of performing ear scratches and Royal Ear Scratches as well! We are most pleased to receive them” Luna added with a loving smile as she remembered the feeling. “Oh really? That sounds quite nice and amazing that even you Princess Luna approve of them” Fleur said. “You bet they are! Me, Princess Luna, Twilight, and even Gilda have gotten them and many more!” Pinkie explained. “Most impressive! But I am curious as to the collection part of this” Fleur asked. “OH yeah! Well whenever he gives a new pony an ear scratch they go under his Ear Scratch Collection! Currently he has twelve and he even leveled up to level two this morning! Soon he shall become the Master Ear Scratcher of all Equestria!” Pinkie loudly stated. I laughed and groaned at the same time after she got done with her declaration and explanation. I was expecting Fleur to question this further but when I looked over she has a smile on her face and was looking up at me expectantly. “Adrian, it would be my greatest honor to receive this marvelous gift as well. If you are willing to with me” she sweetly asked and I could see her eyes start to glisten and widen. Oh no, not the eyes! Not those puppy dog eyes! GAH! Why! Why did she have to pull those dreaded eyes out! “Give her the scratch! Give her the scratch!” I heard Pinkie quietly cheering which made me want to glare at her but I was drawn to Fleur's beautiful eyes as they stared into my very soul. I let out a sigh of defeat and I nodded yes which made Fleur let out a happy squee and she scooted her chair as close as she could to me. Letting out one more sigh I reached over and rested my right hand on her extremely soft and pleasant smelling mane before reaching out to her waiting ear and I commenced with my now famous ear scratch. She let out a now all too familiar gasp but almost as fast as Pinkie Pie she leaned into me and rested her head on my side with a mile wide smile on her face. “P-please don't stop. Don't ever stop” I heard her quietly ask as she closed her eyes and became jelly. “All right! Another successful capture!” Pinkie chimed in and added a wink to which I rolled my eyes at. But I continued to scratch the supermodels ear and all was happy, until I felt something a bit off. My shirt started to feel a bit wet and my face showed my confusion, but when I looked around I saw Pinkie, Twilight, Luna, and Gilda holding in their laughter as they stared at Fleur. So I looked down and much to my surprise I saw that Fleur had started to drool onto my shirt but she did not notice. I could not help but smile and laugh at this but I kept the laughing to a minimum while I reached out with my spare hand and grabbed a few napkins. With them in hand I brought them over and gently cleaned up my shirt and dabbled her mouth which caught her attention and forced open her eyes, only to quickly realize what she had done. She sat up as quick as a flash and had adopted a red face while she stared at the now highly interesting floor. At this the others bursted out into laughter just as the food made its way to the table, with even a plate for Fleur as well, but it took us a while to actually calm ourselves down so we could actually eat. I was laughing to much that I almost did not realize that even though she was embarrassed and stared at the floor her tail was wagging just a little bit more than before. ---------- 45 Minutes Later ---------- “Oh my goodness, I cannot eat another delicious bite” I painfully moaned out as I leaned back in my chair with a now empty plate in front of me. Basically the Royalty Special was one of everything flavored pancakes they had and I had learned that they had fifty different flavors of pancakes. So suffice to say I had plenty to eat and much more. Also to my surprise was that there was not a single pancake left on the tables, thanks to Pinkie and Lunas bottomless stomachs made out of iron. At some point the check had come and gone fully paid for so we were free to leave, though it took us all a while to actually want to move. We had finally found the will to get up and our group left and went outside and stretched ourselves out so we did not walk stiff. “Well thank you all again for indulging me in my selfishness and allowing me to join you for breakfast” Fleur said. “Think nothing of it Fleur, we are always happy to have you” Celestia responded back and turned around to leave, with most of the group following. “And thank you Adrian for that wonderful experience, though I am dreadfully sorry for my...... less than pleasant response” Fleur apologized. “Don't worry, I have had worse” I said back. Well, not exactly true but I don't want her to think and know that she was actually the worst. “Well that is good” she said before we both went silent. “Pl-please write to me, I would love to hear from you and let know if you are ever in Canterlot again” she quickly said before she dashed off and disappeared. “Got all the ladies tripping over you” Gilda smugly said with a punch to my arm. “Careful Gilda, I might have to come after you if you keep up with all sweet talk” I replied back with equal smugness. “You could not handle all of me, I play rough big boy” she said with a naughty grin and a wink. I could not help but blush a little which resulted in her laughing and flying away “Told you” “Gilda! Not funny!” I screamed as I ran after her with a bouncing, giggling Pinkie Pie. ---------- 9:50 AM, Adrians Room ---------- All right, everything is all packed nice and neat in my three chests, so now I just have to get them all to the train station and be there within the next twenty five minutes so I could be there a little bit early. KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK “Who is it?” I asked. “It's only me, Celestia” she replied. “Come in” I said. With that the tall white princess of Equestria strolled into my room with that warm smile of hers always on her face. “Are you all set to go?” she asked. “I just got done actually, had to re-arrange some old stuff to fit my new stuff. I put all the light stuff in this chest, heavy stuff in this one, and all the fragile objects into that last one” I explained as I pointed to each corresponding chest. “Good, I am glad that everything worked out” she said. “Yeah, me too” I replied back with but I let out a tired sigh much to my surprise. “Is everything alright Adrian?” she asked. I did not answer but I found myself sliding against the edge of the bed until I sat down on the ground, Celestia soon joined me as she sat next to me with concern in her eyes. “Yeah, today is the first day I have felt this good in a while and I just wanted to let that good feeling last. But now it is sort of feeling like that good feeling was like a sugar rush and now I am crashing. I am just kinda sad that the sugar rush only lasted a few hours. Well, that being said I still feel happy and good though. It's just that..... I guess I am feeling nervous and kinda frightened” I quietly confessed. “About what?” she asked worryingly. “About everything I suppose. I am nervous about going back to Ponyville and living my now normal life. Getting a job and finding a house. Scared about everything that happened while I was on this little vacation and about how it will affect the future. And I am especially nervous and scared about..... a-about” I choked on the last words. I could feel Celestia lay her head on my shoulder while she wrapped her hooves and wings around me. “I am scared about Derpy. I am scared that I will mess it up or my magic will somehow hurt her or someone else for that matter. I just feel like there is too much I don't know about and that empty feeling is scaring me. I am just scared for what the future holds for me as the only human. The only one of my kind” I started to sob a bit as I let my feelings rise in my throat. “What if I do something wrong? What if hurt her? What if I hurt my friends? What if.... w-what if-” I tried to say more but my voice was lost as I felt the first tears start to flow and I hugged Celestia closer and cried into her soft, white fur. She did not say anything but I felt her wing stroke my head while she whispered small, comforting words into my ear over and over again. We sat in silence as I cried away my fears and doubts that had risen and overflowed but Celestia remained still as she stroked my head and comforted me. Eventually I bit back the emotion and let out a few sniffles before finally calming down again. “Thank you Celestia and I am sorry for-” I tried to say before she softly bopped her hoof on my forehead while she shook her head. “Don't be sorry Adrian, it is alright to let yourself go. That is the best thing you can do instead of holding it in and letting it fester inside of you” she said before she closed the distance and hugged me again “And it is perfectly normal to be scared and nervous, especially in your situation. I am sorry that I cannot give you the solution but I can give you my council” “There will always be the what if's, every day I face them as I deal with running all of Equestria. There are always what if's that lead to disaster and that is always frightening. But that also means there are postive what if's that lead to happiness. So instead of just thinking what if you make her sad, think what if you make her the happiest mare in all of Equus” “What if you are exactly what she needs and you end up living a perfect life together. What if you end up with a family of your own in the future, whether if be by marriage or letting us adopt you” she ended that last line with a sly wink and a smile “There are so many what if's and while it can be scary, that fear should instead drive you to become better than it and conquer it” “You are most likely the greatest and most wonderful what if I have ever had. When I had first discovered that you found the books, I had so many dreadful what if's about you. What if the magic corrupts you, what if it kills you, what if another war happens. But all those have been replaced with joy and happiness as you fill the hearts of those around you with kindness and joy. Including me” she sweetly said then she proceeded to nuzzle me a bit with a joyful laugh. “So just remember that for every negative what if you imagine, there are three more positive what if's to replace it and know that you are not alone. You have all your friends to support you and can rely on, so while you may be the only human on Equestria, you will always be a citizen of Equestria and a friend to all” she finished and I could see that few tears were starting to line her eyes so I pulled her back in for another hug, one she gladly returned. I found myself smiling as I felt her warmth flow into me, whether it was her magic or just her did not matter cause I did not care. “Thank you Celestia, thank you so much for everything. I don't think I could ever repay you for your overwhelming kindness” I said. “Hmmm, well I could think of one thing that might help” she said before she whispered something in my ear. The moment she pulled away I let out a hearty laugh that made my eyes water up again but out of happiness instead of sorrow. “Very well Princess, if that is what you wish” I said. Celestia pulled away and sat down normally next to me with a content smile on her face while I flexed my fingers. Once we were both ready I reached over and let my hand flow through her ethereal hair and up to her head, once there I slowly moved over to her delicate ear and began to administer the Royal Ear Scratch. Celestia did not say anything but I could feel the happy warmth that she radiated grow in strength, to the point where she actually seemed to glow. It was so strong that Artemis who was whining at my feet had calmed down and fell asleep with a happy face. I soon felt her start to sway and her head leaned over and rested itself against my arm and her smile deepened while her aura grew and grew. THUNK I was a little surprised when I had to reopen my eyes that I had apparently closed when I heard that noise, but a quick turn of the head revealed that it was Luna who had simply become too relaxed and fell to the floor on the outside of my door frame. She quickly recovered but grew a blush since she was discovered and stood in silence until Pinkie popped in. “Woo-hoo! Another successful capture! You have the complete Alicorn Princess Set and with that bonus you have leveled up again to Level Three Ear Scratcher!” Pinkie exclaimed as she bounced into the room. At that we all laughed and continued to laugh until Twilight appeared with Flash Sentry, Gilda, and Doc. “Ah, thank you Twilight for fetching the guard. Flash, would you kindly ask a few other guards to help move Adrians, Twilights, and Pinkies luggage to the train station?” Celestia said. “Of course Princess, I shall return as quickly as possible” Flash said before he saluted and dashed off. “We apologize sister that we were a little late, but when we came across Flash Sentry some of us became..... caught up” Luna explained and she quickly stared at Twilight and flashed a smile. “I understand, well Adrian is all packed and ready to go. So let us not delay and head to the train station. I would not want you all to be late” Celestia said. “Though we would not mind if you were cause then we would have more time with you Adrian” Luna quickly added. “Aww big sis Luna, that is so sweet but I can't stick around forever or else you might spoil me too much” I replied back with. Luna pouted just before me and Celestia could laugh just as the guards showed up to help. ---------- 10:20 AM, Canterlot Train Station ---------- We had just made it to the station five minutes ago and the conductor said the train would arrive on time, so we had about ten minutes to spare for our goodbyes. During our walk over we had actually run into Raven who was out doing an errand and had decided to accompany us since it would mean Celestia would be free after this. “So you have everything? Do you need a snack or a drink or something else for the trip back?” Luna worryingly asked for the fifth time as she checked me over and used her wings to dust me off. I could only sigh at her antics, she was acting like a mother hen getting all concerned for her baby chicks. “Don't worry Luna, I am a big kid now. If I need anything I can get it on the train ride, ok?” I tried to reassure her again. But this time she looked up at me like she was going to cry just as she leaped into my arms and hugged me. “We don't want you to go! We love having our dear little brother around!” she said. Oh man, Luna you are just too adorable. “Don't worry, you can always visit me in Ponyville or in my dreams!” I said to her. “We know, but still!” she replied. “Come now sister, we must not delay Adrian” Celestia said. “We will miss you Adrian, please come back to visit us soon” Luna finally gave in as she said her goodbye. “I will miss you too Luna” I briefly said back to her while we hugged. She finally flew off and down only once Celestia gave her a little poke. “Be sure to visit the Royal Canterlot Library whenever you are in Canterlot next and be sure to take care of that book!” Raven said. “Don't worry, I will. Goodbye Raven, it was good to meet you” I said as I got down on one knee so we could hug. Finally Celestia came up, so I had to stand back up to see her smiling face again. “Please be safe and remember what I said to you and if you ever want to talk, write me a letter and give it to Spike and I will see it immediately. That way I can read both your letters and Twilights” Celestia explained before she pulled me into a hug. “Please think about the adoption, you won't have to be a prince or anything of royal status but instead just our official brother” she whispered into my ear. I hugged her tighter “I will think about it, I promise. Goodbye Celestia, be sure to look after big sis Luna for me ok?” I said back to her. She giggled at my name for Luna “I will be sure to do that and good luck in Ponyville, You have all your paperwork right? Without it you can't officially hold a job or house or anything” she asked. I quickly opened my bag and pulled out the large envelope that held everything and said “Yep, right here!” “Good, good. Well I can see the train coming. Please be sure to write to everyone here in Canterlot, including Miss De Lis alright?” she said with a wink and giggled. I rolled my eyes before I gave her a final goodbye hug. With that I let her say her goodbyes to Twilight and Pinkie as I made my way over to the female gryphon hiding in the corner of the station. “And here I thought I was not going to say goodbye” I said to her. “Yeah, yeah hot shot. Thought I would be nice to at least say goodbye” Gilda said “So, you going to be ok in Ponyville with, you know, everything?” “Yeah, I think I will. And if I am not, I can depend on the girls and my friends to be there to help pick me up. And if all that doesn't work, I could always write a letter to you and you could kick my butt until I feel better” I said with a laugh. “Your darn right I will! That and I am not letting my meat buddy be sad if I any say about it!” Gilda proudly said as she puffed up her chest. But once she came back down she had a sad look on her face and she became a bit nervous “Hey, when you go back to Ponyville. Could you do me a favor?” “Sure, what do you need?” I replied. “Well, when you go back and see Rainbow Dash, could you try and talk to her and let her know that I really am sorry for being a jerk and that I would like to be her friend again. I mean, you don't have to and blow me off, that's cool too” she tried to act nonchalant but I could see her nervousness. “I will see what I can do, Rainbow is pretty thick headed and stubborn but for my friend I am willing to try” I grinned as I finished and I could see her smile a little before she held out her claw and made a fist. Ah, hoofbump. Wait, clawbump? Bah, whatever. I bumped her before I pulled her into a quick hug, one that she surprisingly returned before she punched my arm and laughed. “ATTENTION! ATTENTION! The train to Ponyville is pulling in! Please have your tickets and luggage ready to board! ATTENTION! ATTENTION! The train to Ponyville is pulling in! Please have your tickets and luggage ready to board!” The station conductor shouted just as the train slowed to a full stop. “Well, thats me. See you around Gilda, good luck with your Uncle and I will be sure to talk to Rainbow” I said to her as I waved goodbye. I made my way back to the main group and saw the guards loading my chests and Twilights crate into the back. I would not be surprised if the crate was full of books. But I soon found myself being assaulted by the Princess of the Night again. “Please be safe Adrian and visit us soon!” She cried out as we hugged. Thanks to Celestia again, she was forced to climb off so me so Celestia could hug me one last time. I waved goodbye to Luna, Celestia, and Raven as the three of us and Artemis climbed onboard and made our way to our First Class seats. We found our seats and sat near the window and waved goodbye to them all as the train began to move away from the station. But as we moved I saw Raven start to run along side us and yelling, I could not hear what it was but from reading her lips I saw what she was asking and I laughed to myself. We soon pulled away from the station and saw the landscapes start to approach us as we began our journey back to Ponyville, back home to friends, and back home to Derpy. ---------- 10:35 AM, Canterlot Train Station Platform ---------- Huff, huff, huff. Darn it. I forgot to ask him! Now I will never know! I need to know! I slowly made my way back to Celestia and Luna who were both looking at me with worry and confusion. “Raven, why were you chasing the train down?” Luna asked of me. “Because I forgot to ask Adrian something” I explained. “What did you forgot to ask?” Celestia asked this time. “Well when I met him in the library, he left me with a parting riddle and I have not been able to figure it out! I wanted to ask him what the answer was” I said. Celestia giggled a little before she asked again “What was the riddle?” “The riddle was: Why is a raven like a writing desk?” I said. Celestia seemed puzzled by this and began to ponder it. “This is tough, what do you think Lun-” Celestia was about to ask Luna but we both saw that she was wide eyed and mouth agasp. “Why IS a raven like a writing desk?” she quietly repeated to herself, she looked exactly like me yesterday! But Celestia simply laughed before she turned and looked at the train and said “Oh Adrian”