Humans Back In Town
It has been one long and a very exhausting week after that first night in the mansion, wow that is cool to say, but overall a very progressive week.
Astral Odyssey was a major boon to all, to me, to the ponies in the group, and to the Mayor. Though he is still struggling to fully admit it to me, though that being said he has certainly eased his annoyance towards me and has begun to trust me a tiny, tiny bit. It certainly helped when the headlines in the next days' paper read ‘Mayor fully supports the new Astral Odyssey', which lead to his office being flooded with business ponies wanting in on the action as well. Hell, we even had several sponsors come up to us and asking if they could work with us. That one certainly threw me for a loop.
I told them to let us think about it since we were a new group and didn't want to get in over our heads by being rash and too bold. They nodded their understanding and left us plenty of contact info and benefit packages, yay more paperwork. But I shouldn't complain cause Devia makes for the perfect assistant since they can literally remember everything and can account for every single word and detail, which helped us out already twice due to two different sponsors tried to scam us with loopholes and wordplay. But Devia shut them down quickly and both were basically chased out of town.
Our first sponsor was, of course, the Wonderbolts (I still feel like Spitfire basically adopted us) and due to their partnership they greatly helped weed out all the bad ponies and advised us on which sponsorship to take. A good number of them were small shops or single brand stores, but we were able to acquire some from Canterlot, Las Pegasus, Cloudsdale, the Crystal Empire, and many others. That really helped us out by being able to spread our name out to practically all corners of Equestria.
Thank goodness that we had a mansion with room though, cause after the third or fourth day we started to take in more ponies down on their luck who saw and heard what our group was about. It was almost overwhelming to see just how many ponies had it rough here and some were so thankful they almost started praising me like I was Celestia herself. I may have gotten used to some praise and admiration, not to toot my own horn too much, but I did have to put my foot down on that one. Thankfully they were very nice and understanding, so nothing bad came of it.
Speaking of mansions, I took some time to write out a plethora of letters to everyone which included Fleur, so hopefully, I should be hearing something back soon on her thoughts. Twilight and gang were ecstatic to hear that I was doing well and I think Twilight might have even shed a tear or two cause I could see a small spot where something wet hit the paper. They also said that once they all can get a day off, they would definitely come and visit me, so I have something else to look forward to.
Other good news is that a number of ponies in my original group had found good jobs to work and were starting to save up their money, one family was even able to move out already! It was Silver String and her daughter Saccharine, Silver found a job as a candy maker and the married owners had a loft above the store, so they came to talk to me and ask if it would be alright if they hosted them, both for the job and to help. I said it was ok but it was ultimately up to Silver, who almost hugged the two to death. So they said their goodbyes and after prying off Saccharine, they walked off to a better future.
Which brings us here today, sitting in a local bakery and trying a very tasty cheese and potato bread bowl soup. “So, do you like it Maelstrom?” I asked my tail wagging daughter.
“I do! I really do!” she happily replied by taking in another spoonful.
"We agree with the little one, this soup certainly exceeds standards if even I find it good," Trixie said with her usual inflated ego.
“-We shall go ahead and add this dish to your list of acceptable foods Master-” Devia said while staring at said food.
"I am glad you like it, my husband just made it after we tasted a similar dish while we were in Fillydephia" Purple Curls, the co-owner said to us.
"I especially enjoy that it is a bread bowl, I love eating the soup-soaked bread afterward. It always has such a unique taste" I commented with a smile.
“You got that right sonny! And that bread was freshly baked this morning to boot! Only the best for our customers” said Fluff Tail, the very burly stallion, and other co-owner said.
Curls giggled with a shake of her head before she whispered in my ear “Sorry, he is trying to impress you. Cause of your group and all”
“No worries” I whispered back. This is also one small part that I guess comes with the territory, ponies trying to win you over. But I can tell he is good-hearted and will at least write their name down and recommend this place.
‘DING’ “Well hello there! What can we getcha?” Fluff announced to the new customer up front.
“Oh, looks like I need to get back to the kitchen then. Have a nice day Adrian” Curls said with a friendly smile before she hurried back.
“Hmph, her husband sure likes to express himself. Not even subtle about it either” Trixie snorted.
"It's no big deal, besides, in their eyes us visiting them almost like Fancy Pants or Spitfire coming here. So they are just trying to make sure we leave on a good note and promote them. I am almost considering it since they did build this place up from the ground with almost no money to their name" I replied.
"-But you must remember Master, you can't overdo it or else all the other ponies in town with trample right over you-" Devi told me.
“Yes, yes. I know. But it doesn’t always have to be a sponsorship you know, I can at least make posters and put in a good word for them here and there” I said back.
"-Hmm….. acceptable-" Devi commented before they made another mental note.
“Can Mae help too Papa?” Maelstrom asked with a bit of soup dribbling down her mouth.
"Of course you can," I told her before I picked her up and used a napkin to clean her up. "Whenever you feel like it, you can just jump in and say that this place is really good. And since you are so cute, they will have no choice but to believe it" I ended with a quick nose boop, which made her giggle.
“Even making your daughter advertise now? Oh, how far the mighty have fallen for our dear, dear human leader! For shame!” Trixie said with even more dramatic flair and she even tilted back in her seat, her foreleg covering her eyes.
But before I could retaliate, both Cloudhoof and Barnes bursted into the bakery and came rushing up to me.
“Boss! Boss! There you are!” Cloudhoof loudly exclaimed.
“Calm down air head, we are in a store” Barnes hushed him before turning to me “Boss, you are needed down at the train station. You have been requested by the Mayor”
“The Mayor? Do you know what for?”
She shook her head “No, it was Hatters who waved us down and told us since the Mayor was already heading over there. But it sounds like he may be meeting somepony, and probably someone important”
"That's why we should hurry boss! Who knows who it could be?!" Cloudhoof said while looking like a child the night before Christmas, or Hearts Warming Eve in their case.
“Your enthusiasm aside, we should probably be on our way and I can eat the rest on the way," I said as I stood up to leave a tip for them.
Fluff and Curls saw us begin to leave “Thank you for stopping by! Please come again!” the two said almost in unison. We waved back and began to walk to the train station, following the two fliers while I ate the rest of my soup bowl. Along the way, many other ponies waved at me and one even dropped off a business card for their novelty shop. I took a moment to appreciate how far I have come in this town and my standing in their eyes.
To be able to walk down a busy street and, while still be gawked at in a way, not stare at me like a freak or being scared that I might gobble them up like a troll or something. It is quite a breath of fresh air and it is quite enjoyable. I turned my eyes up to my daughter who is still so enthralled with the sights and sound of the city and I scratched her chin with my finger, to which she took hold of it and took a playful bite of it. I laughed while I teased my finger in front of her face while she tried to catch it again.
“So, anything new from you two?” I asked Cloudhoof and Barnes.
“Hmmm, nothing really Boss” Barnes replied.
"Same here, though I did hear about a royal guard recruiter coming either today or tomorrow," Cloudhoof said.
“Oh, thinking of joining are we?” I said.
"Naw, I don't think I would have to heart too. But could you imagine?! Cloudhoof, the newest royal guard, Protector of Royalty, Guard to the Twin Royal Sisters of Equestria!" he said with a spin and a twirl in the air.
I laughed a little before turning my head to Barnes “What about you Barnes? Do you imagine yourself in armor, protecting the Princesses?”
She took a moment or two to answer “I’m… I’m not sure boss…. Um, OH! Were here!” she quickly said before flying ahead a bit more. That was a bit of an odd reaction, will have to remember to ask about that a little later when she is alone. But I turned my gaze to the train platform ahead, trying to see if I could spot who our potential guest is. I wonder if the Mayor wants us to give them a tour or something? I guess he could since it would be a good way to show me off.
Or maybe it’s Twilight?! That could be it and they asked the mayor to get me in order to surprise me.
Hmmm, or maybe not. Cause if that was true, Pinkie Pie would of probably already of found me the second the train came to a stop and the doors opened. I wonder if its normal to not be surprised about Pinkie doing the impossible. What do you think me?
Perfectly normal Adrian.
Excellent me, so with that out of the way, let us go find out who our mystery guest is.
"Did you just talk to yourself, Papa?" Maelstrom suddenly asked which almost spooked me.
"Wha-what makes you think that sweetheart?" I nervously asked.
“Mae could tell! Mae could tell!” was all she said while she played with my hair. I mentally groaned at that, guess this is one thing a being of chaos can do. Thank you Discord.
I waited a few seconds to see if Discord answered in my head, cause I would not have been surprised if he did.
"Ah! Adrian! There you are! Over here! Over here!" I heard the rounded Mayor say, though it took me a second to find him. So we eventually made our way over to him but before I could ask anything, he said: "Why didn't you tell me sooner!"
“Tell you what sooner?” I asked in return.
“That you already knew a pony of great status and wealth!” He replied back as if this knowledge were elementary knowledge.
“Who?” I asked again but before he said it, I heard a gasp in the crowd and they parted away from the train, practically in a straight line to the Mayor and me. Man, whoever this was is probably a celebrity. Maybe it was Vinyl? That would be like her to surprise me.
“It has been a while, my dear Adrian” I heard a feminine voice say. I slowly turned my head and saw that standing at the other end of the split sea of ponies, what none other than-
“FLEUR!” I happily exclaimed as I carefully ran to her, since Maelstrom was still on my head. I was about to bend down to hug her, but I took a moment to remember how the public views her and while it wouldn’t really affect me, I don’t know how other ponies might see it. So I knelt on one knee and took her hoof in my hand and kissed it. “It certainly has been a while since Canterlot”
She almost seemed confused at the action I took before she took a look around us, or more precise, the looks of the other ponies who were staring directly at us. She seemed to giggle at this before she lifted the front half of her body up and gave me a hug. I must have babbled something incoherent because she giggled again. "Don't worry about the public eye and besides-" she whispered before returning to stand in front of me "Even if I am a celebrity and a model, I can still hug my friends" she said with a sweet smile.
Then the whole world went white as dozen upon dozens of camera flashes went off and a horde of questions started pouring in, man the paparazzi are ruthless in any world. But Fleur didn’t even bat an eyelash as she stared at me, she must be so used to this.
“I got your letter Adrian and let me be the first to say, my family owes you a great debt for using the House of Fleur for such a noble purpose and for bringing it back to life once more” she elegantly said with a slow bow. Cameras starting going even crazier now.
“I should be thanking you Fleur for keeping the mansion clean and livable, because of your kindness and generosity, you allowed all of us a nice, clean place to live in. So thank you Fleur De Lis” I responded back with a bow of my own. I glanced up and saw a slight blush on her smiling face.
"Thank you, Adrian, now, would you be so kind as to introduce me to the Mayor over there?" she gently said with a sway of her mane. I couldn't help but laugh a little but I stood up and walked in front of her as I lead her back to the jaw dropped mayor.
“Mayor, it is my honor to introduce to the supermodel Fleur De Lis. Fleur De Lis, this is the Mayor of all of Manehatten” I said and suddenly realized I don’t actually know his full name.
“An honor indeed Miss De Lis! A most stupendous and magnificent honor!” the mayor said as loudly as he could and even posed for a smile or two for the cameras.
"It is nice to meet you as well Mayor, and thank you again for calling my friend Adrian here. He is the best welcoming gift I could have thought of" she said with a sincere smile. Now it was my turn to blush a bit.
“Ahem, yes, it was, uh, a great surprise to me that the two of you knew each other already. Most ponies usually bring up that know a celebrity sooner” The mayor said with a bit of grin in my direction.
"Well, as you can plainly see Mister Mayor, Adrian is clearly not your average stallion and has a good heart to not use his friends status to brag or take advantage of, hence why this brave stallion had the courage to care for not only his friends but for complete strangers as well and start up his Astral Odyssey group to care for them" Fleur stated matter of factly and I could have sworn, the Mayor started to choke from having his hoof shoved down this mouth. A feat that I greatly enjoyed seeing, good going Fleur.
“Y-y-yes indeedly so! My city is most thankful for his kindness!” he quickly spat out. A single drop of sweat rolling down.
"Now-" Fleur said while turning to me "Adrian, would be so kind as to show me around? I would love to grab a small bite to eat" she said.
Wow, perfect timing “But of course, I actually just got done eating myself at this wonderful little bakery called ‘Fluffy Curls’, so name after the married owners. And better yet, it is not too far from here!” I loudly explained to the crowd of pen and paper, how’s that for advertisement? Heh heh.
"Sounds delightful! Lead the way!" Fleur excitingly said. I started to leave but I noticed that only Devia was following, so I looked back and saw that Trixie, Cloudhoof, and Barnes were sitting slack-jawed while staring out into space.
“Are you three coming or what?” I said to them, which snapped them back to reality and running to catch up.
“You are amazing boss! You know the famous supermodel Fleur De Lis!” Cloudhoof said.
“He certainly does, and what might your name be?” Fleur replied.
“GAH! I, um, uh, name i-i-i-is, um, ah….Cloudhoof! Yeah, Cloudhoof, heh heh” he eventually stammered out with a bright red face.
“And how about you two?” she said to the two mares.
"OH! My name is Barnes ma'am, a pleasure to meet you in person!" Barnes excitingly proclaimed.
“Hmph, if you must know. I AM THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE!” she loudly boasted as usual.
“Trixie? The traveling magician?” Fleur asked.
At this, Trixie was greatly flustered and her normal volume died down quite a bit “You…. You know of us?”
"Yes, I do! I have never seen your show but some colleagues of mine did mention your name once or twice" Fleur told her.
Trixie was visibly stunned for second before she found her strength “But of course you have! How could a mare of your standing NOT have heard of me! The Great And Magnanimous Trixie!” the show pony loudly exclaimed again with a swish of her cloak.
Fleur giggled a little before she noticed my hair going everywhere “Um, Adrian? Is there something in your mane?”
“Me! Me!” Maelstrom announced as she popped out of my nest of a hair.
“Oh goodness me! She surprised me! And, who are you little one?” Fleur sweetly asked.
“I am Mae! Mae! He he!” she declared before dive bombing my hair once again.
Fleur laughed again as she looked back down at me “Babysitting are we?” she asked.
I did a nervous laugh before I shook my head no "Nope, this little one-" I reached up and grabbed the ball of gigging fluff, letting her settle in the crook of my arm "-is my one and only daughter. Say, hi sweetheart"
"Hi, pretty pony!" Maelstrom quickly said before she started batting at my hand which dangled in front of her, like a cat.
At hearing this, I could visibly see a strand or two of her mane spring out of place and her pupils seemed to visibly shrink while her mouth dropped open. I could not help myself, I began to laugh out loud at seeing her expression. Though this time I was the only one to laugh since the others were still shell-shocked at her presence.
“Your WHAT?!” she loudly asked in a way she probably didn’t mean to.
"My daughter, my cute, adorable, snuggly wuggly daughter," I said before tickling her stomach.
“Papa! That tickles!” she cutely responded.
Fleur shook her head to try and collect herself “H-how do you have a daughter? I know it has been a while, but not that long!” she questioned. Seeing as we were pretty close to the bakery, I told her the story as quickly as I could and her face actually didn’t change all that much but the return of the Discord Face was clearly evident. Still hilarious to see.
I looked back up and was the first to open the door the bakery and saw Fluff waiting idly at the counter, but perked up at the sound of the door and began to laugh “I know we said to come back soon Adrian, but we didn’t expect quite this soon! Curls! Adrian’s back already!” he said to the back.
“Adrian? Already? I guess he really did like our cooking” I heard the mare said with a laugh. Once she was out front, she saw Fleur standing to the side, recovering. “Oh? And you brought another guest! And quite a beautiful one too! You sly stallion” she said with a wink.
With a chuckle, I said "It was a bit of a surprise as well, but she was the guest that my two pegasi friends told me about. She just got off the train and wanted something small to eat, so I brought her here!"
"Can't blame ya, sonny! That is just how good our food is! Haha!" he proudly declared.
“What is her name?” Curls asked once her husband calmed down.
“Oh! Right, sorry about that. Ahem, Fluff Tail, Purple Curls, this is the Canterlot supermodel Fleur De Dis. Fleur, these are the married owners of Fluffy Curls. Fluff Tail and Purple Curls” I again introduced. But at this, I could see their faces were visibly stunned at the fact a supermodel walked into their little shop.
“Y-you mean the top of the top, cream of the crop high-end supermodel Fleur De Lis?!?" Purple Curls exclaimed.
“The winner of the Miss Equestria Pageant five years in a row and even the Beauty Queen of six cities!?!” Fluff Tail equally exclaimed, looking almost fearful.
“THAT FLEUR DE LIS?” the two said in perfect unison as they stared in utmost shock at said mare.
“The one and only” I explained.
“Adrian, how in all of Equestria do you know THE Fleur De Lis?” Curls gasped.
“I met her in Canterlot and after we talked, we became friends is all” I simply said.
At this, I saw the couple become so physically exhausted that they collapsed into the nearest chair and developed a thousand yard stare for a while. I wanted to say something but I saw Fleur step forward while she cleared her throat.
"Mister Tail, Miss Curls, as my friend Adrian told me earlier he highly recommended this place to eat. As such, if you don't mind, of course, I would love to place my order" she calmly said with a pleasant smile.
“AT ONCE MISS DE LIS!” The two said in unison again before they just seemed to teleport into the pack and I started hearing the clatter of pots and pans while the couple yelled out different ingredients and dishes at each other. A laugh escaped my lips and was joined by Fleur.
“Think we should tell them that they technically never got your order and just got straight to work?” I asked with a laugh.
“I think they are mortified enough with just my presence” she replied back.
"Let us grab a table while we wait" I suggested and with a nod from her, we grabbed four tables and stuck them together then sat down and, with no surprise, Fleur sat right next to me. Though I think the other three were still also shell-shocked while Devia had no idea who she really was aside from being a friend to me. "So, it is always like this with you Fleur?"
"Usually, though in Canterlot my presence is a bit more regular to most ponies are accustomed to seeing me walkabout. But in every other city, most ponies bend over backward for me, react like they did, and, usually stallions, throw selves at my hooves. It is sometimes flattering, but it usually becomes very annoying since most of them are very arrogant and selfish and even sometimes rich"
“Rich stallions are sometimes the worst because they think that they are equal to Princess Celestia herself and that I am some sort of prize waiting for them. Thankfully, those are far and few between the norm of shock and aw. I hope that doesn’t bother you too much Adrian” she said to me, asking with curiously.
I shook my head “Not at all, to be perfectly honest it was one of the things I thought about when I first met you. Since I never was a celebrity or anything close to that kind of status, I’ve always wonderedhow you all do it. To be surrounded by cameras, journalists, fans of all kind, and the others. It must take a different kind of strength to do that, kinda like how the Wonderbolts do it” I told her.
“You know the Wonderbolts?” she asked.
“Yep! I actually rescued Fleetfoot from the Everfree forest, which led to me meeting Spitfire and the others. They actually did a show here and presented me as a guest speaker for my group and even helped with all the paperwork after. They even made me an honorary Wonderbolt! I really owe Spitfire a lot for all she did for me” I admitted.
"Amazing! I knew you were something special handsome!" she said with a cute face and I could see her tail swish back and forth "And back to your original thought, at first it was very scary and nerve-wracking to walk out of a building, not truly knowing what was going to happen with the crowd or that any number of them could potentially hurt my career if I took one wrong step or held my body wrong or even jump out at me"
“I almost wanted to quit because of that kind of pressure, every night I practically worried myself to sleep, even crying one or twice. But I stuck to it, luckily I had support and even hired some bodyguards to give myself some peace of mind. But I had a mentor who helped me walk through it and to learn how to simply block them out. Most days, unless I specifically address one of them, I honestly don’t even notice them swarmed all around me”
“Yet, I occasionally need to take a break from the norm and spread my legs. Which was what I was doing when I might you! My friend Fancy Pants is a very relaxed pony and knows just how to unwind from the stress of Canterlot and of high society, thankfully I was able to meet a wonderful pony who helped me unwind on a whole new level that night and the next morning!” she said with a nice smile.
"Oh? Who was that Miss De Lis?" Cloudhoof suddenly asked. Both Trixie and Barnes gave him the stink eye at his naivete.
But she laughed before answering “My dear Adrian of course! He was a gentlecoat with me and even though it was our first time meeting and even learned I was a supermodel, he didn’t change and start treating me too differently. That is something I truly look for, a pony who treats me like anyone else. Because at the end of the day, I am still a single mare in Equestria”
"Single? But I would think a supermodel like you would be drowning in stallions!" Barnes exclaimed. "I mean, you are so beautiful and strong, hard-working, have such a pretty mane, and just...everything!"
“Thank you for saying so, but I am afraid that many stallions either find me intimidating or think I am a prize to win” she explained with a sigh.
"Yeah, that is what Spitfire was saying as well. Lots of guys get scared of her, though I don't blame them cause I think she could easily give any knucklehead a black eye and a broken leg" I replied with a laugh, just imagining it.
“It must be the same for me as well, not many stallions could control themselves at the mere sight of the Great And Beautiful Trixie!” said the blue mare, with yet again another swish of her cape. Fleur was already so used to her cause I saw her quickly roll her eyes before staring back at me.
“But, enough about me, what about you Adrian? What else has my handsome stallions been up to?” she said with a certain swagger in her voice and a swish or two of her tail.
Oh boy, I kinda forgot how much she seemed to like me. “Well, uh, besides what I told you in my letter, I have been busy with Astral Odyssey this week, doing paperwork, dealing with sponsors, businesses, the works. Been certainly building up my own celebrity status, though certainly not enough to sneeze at” I said with a nervous laugh.
“But this is how it all starts though, you start off small and then with hard work and diligence, you will soon find yourself soaring through the sky, touching the stars, realizing that maybe one day, you will be up there as well, watching a younger you do the same thing and gazing at you the same way you yourself use to” Fleur stated. Even though she was looking at me with those piercing, beautiful eyes, I really took her words to heart. Would I really be like that one day?
Fleur, looking at my gaze after hearing this, placed her hoof in my hand and waited for me to look at her “You will certainly shine as bright as the sun one day Adrian, I know you will” she said with a shine of her own in her eyes. But before I could say anything else, I saw her eyes start to close very slowly while her body leaned to me while those pretty lips closed it until-
"ORDERS UP! I hope you like it, Miss De Lis!" Fluff suddenly announced which spooked the two of us that we both returned to our normal positions, the both of us sweating bullets.
“Yes, yes! I hope you all enjoy! Drinks anypony?” Curls also suddenly said as she popped up behind her husband, notebook in hoof.
“Water”
“Water”
“Apple juice”
“Coffee”
“-Nothing for me, thank you-”
“Pristine, crystal water! If you please!”
"Certainly! Be right back!" Curls said as she disappeared into the back again while Fluff set down the plates of random assortment around us.
“Enjoy! Please let us know if there is anything else we can do!” Fluff said just as his wife gave us our drinks then the two were gone in a flash.
Seconds went by and no one touched a thing, the other three in shock of Fleur while she and I stared at the now very interesting white and gray tables. I dared a glance at the mare a few times, seeing that she was doing the same with a growing blush and her tail curled up tight. So I finally exhaled a breath and took a piece of what looked like Texas toast, to which all the others followed suit in silence.
-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ 20 Minutes Later -~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~
It took us a while to finish, not that there was much to actually eat since it was all small stuff, but we just all sat silently and awkwardly, not really sure what to do. Even Fleur kept her tail curled up. But we finally got down and I went to go pay, which almost made Fleur talk but “No, no, no, no! I couldn’t make Fleur and her guests pay! Besides, this was just a welcome to Manehatten appetizer!” Fluff exclaimed.
“Exactly! I just hope you all enjoyed it!” Curls said with a huge smile.
“Yes, it was a very nice meal. Thank you” Fleur said in a hushed tone.
"We are so happy to hear you say that, and thank you, Adrian, for bringing in Miss Fleur De Lis! This is the most exciting thing ever!" Curls happily said. I gave a smile, not really caring that it sounded like she wasn't as happy to see me over Fleur but that would be selfish and a bit egotistical on my part. So we all said our thanks and left the bakery, only to wander the streets in relative silence since many ponies also recognize Fleur and began to go crazy all around us.
"Hey, Boss! Me and Cloudhoof here need to run some errands for a couple of ponies back at the mansion. So we will meet back up with you later!" Barnes said while dragging him off.
“Y-yes! The Great And Overly Stupendous Trixie has some errands of her own! I need to find a tailor worthy of making me a new and even grander cloak!” Trixie told us before running off.
Devias own inner mechanisms even began to whirl and click before speaking up “-By your leave Master, we would also like to head back and go over some paperwork, we have some new job requests for our residents-” Devi told me. I simply nodded and off they went, just leaving me, Fleur, and Maelstrom who was taking a nap atop my head.
Even now that we were alone, we still could not muster the courage to talk, so I looked around and saw a big park on our left “Hey, Fleur. Let’s uh, let’s go over here! The parks here are very nice and the leaves are super green!” I said with fake courage. But it was enough for Fleur who pleasantly nodded while keeping up her own public facade. So I lead us around the crowd of ponies and into the almost empty park, not really sure on what to do.
We walked on the path, looking up at the scenery and trees, a leaf falling on Fleurs nose which got us to laugh for a second before we looked away with renewed blushes. Our pace was slowing with each step until we finally just seemed to stop at a bench that had a few rays of sun shining through. I brushed it off for her and when I saw her take her seat, I sat beside her and began to twiddle my thumbs, my heartbeat seemingly busting through my chest.
We sat in silence for a good minute or two before I closed my and took a deep breath through my nose and exhaled, which almost seemed to startle her. I slowly readjusted my body to turn and look at her when I felt a sudden weight on my chest, I went to open my eyes but I was greeted to something soft and moist touching my lips, feeling a heated breath around my nose.
All the hairs on my body tensed up and I accidentally back up a little in surprise, but the weight on my chest leaned back with me and the pressure on my lips stayed exactly there. I opened my eyes and sawFleur, eyes closed with her lips placed firmly on mine, while the rest of her body was frozen on top of mine. I could see her own fur standing up like she was in the middle of a cold, windy day with her face as bright as a tomato. Her ears standing on edge, twitching every now and then while she breathed through her nose, her breath flowing against my skin, causing my skin to get goosebumps while she continued the kiss.
I was about to use my hand to stop the kiss but then I saw something that causes my heart to skip a beat, her eyes began to tear up and bubble down her pristine fur and I could even feel her body tremble, her lips quivering more and more after every second. I wasn't going to let myself get freaked out by this, seeing as she clearly knows what she is doing and is doing this for a reason. So instead of backing her off, I rested one hand on a hoof that was pressed into my chest and lifted the other to gently rub her cheek with the back of my finger.
My touch made her twitch and she leaned more into me for a moment before she fully backed up to sit back down, she opened her eyes when our lips were no longer in contact and we both saw a tiny bit of saliva string off our lips before being carried off by the wind that suddenly breezed by. We both stared at each other in silence once again but now we both had blossomed red and I could still see a few tears run down her face, with a bit of eyeshadow leaking.
Seeing this, I cupped her soft face in my hands and used my thumbs to gently and carefully wipe away the tears and makeup, this action caused her to close her eyes again as she nuzzled my hand in small movements. Once I dried up her eyes, I went to pull my hands back but, in almost a whisper, I heard her say “Please, just a little longer”
So I kept my hands up and gently stroked her cheeks with my thumbs and even used a finger to scratch the underside of her chin, every now and then I would wipe a stray tear away.
A couple of minutes flew by before I heard her take a deep breath of her own and she used her own hoof to push my hands away, so I placed them in my lap and waited for her. After another long, deep breath she finally reopened her eyes, which threatened to start bursting into tears again, and she said "I… I apologize about that Adrian. That was very selfish of me and I must seem like such a fool"
I went to speak up but she held her hoof up again to silence me, so I readjusted my position and decided to just wait, to which I kept my mouth shut and nodded for her to continue.
“As I told you earlier, there are days when I just wish for ponies to treat me like a normal mare, instead of this blessed supermodel, set upon a pedestal to be praised and worshiped. And while most days, I take it in stride, there are many, many times when I wish I could just yell to the heavens for everyone to just stop. Stop and treat me normally!”
“But I can’t, I have an obligation to my manager, my fans, my sponsors, to all in Equestria who look up at me and see me as this idol to look up to and respect or find inspiration. I am so many things to everyone else, but I can’t be anything to myself” she said before a few more tears began to bubble. “I was almost a complete wreck when I went to Fancy Pants and asked for a total breakdown of everything so I could relax and just restart my body, mind, and soul”
"And that is when I met you, a complete and totally foreign stallion who knew nothing of me, someone who I could be myself around to just do anything. To smile, to laugh, to joke, to talk, to flirt, anything and everything I wish I could do every day. It also greatly helped that you found me pretty and I foundyou equally as handsome” she said with a quiet laugh while tears continue to spill over “One would almost say I found love at first sight” she squeaked out before bursting into more tears, while she tried to sniffle. I reached into my bag and thankfully found some tissues, so I pulled them out and handed them to her. She mouthed thank you while she cleaned herself up a little. Her makeup was now all over the place, and while she still looked beautiful, it was very funny to see splotches of makeup here and there on her face.
I didn’t really mean to laugh during this serious moment but I had to let out a little laugh, to which she somehow summoned a compact mirror to look at her face and gasped at first but she looked over at me and saw me smiling while I laughed and began to laugh with me. I could tell she needed it after confessing everything. Once we calmed down, I took a couple of tissues and tried my best to clean her up, though she was being a little fussy now but eventually let me do it.
Once she was cleaned up she breathed in and out before continuing “So, after I met you for dinner and breakfast, I found myself thinking about you and how I acted so strongly with you. I felt so happy and all this energy just seemed to explode within me, so much so that the following week during work, I felt back in my prime and everypony knew it. I exploded back into the press and was the hot thing on the front of every paper or magazine”
“But just as fast as it came, it seemed to go away just as fast in my mind. Sure, to everyone else I was back to normal but inside I was sad that no other stallion in my mind could come close to you. And so I began to anxiously await for a letter or anything. Then in Canterlot, I began to hear a rumor about you. Some of you leading a group of homeless ponies, some that you got hurt somehow, and a few others. My heart began to race again and I wanted to see you again"
“So when your letter finally came, I read it with joy in my heart and happy tears in my eyes. At first I was going to write you back, but since you said you were living in that mansion, I saw it as a good public excuse to come see you, under the pretense of working with Equestria's only human leading an advocacy group and working with the city of Manehatten while leaving in my families former house. My publicist was through the roof with joy and so was I"
“So, when I finally saw you again, I just wanted to leap into your arms and kiss you right then and there. But you kept me grounded by being polite to my image, so I decided to wait. But just simply talking normally to you again in that bakery was enough to get me riled up again. I was secretly so thankful that your friends gave us space and when we found ourselves in this perfectly romantic spot, I had to kiss you” she explained with a heavy heart. She sniffled once or twice and dabbed her eyes with a tissue just before I spoke.
“Then, why were you crying Fleur?” I gently asked while I used one thumb to gently rub her forehoof.
“-sniff- Because I thought you might hate me for being so selfish and thoughtless for forcing myself on you like this when I know almost nothing about you. You could have a marefriend for crying out loud!" she suddenly exclaimed "You could be in love with some other mare right now and here I am trying to steal you away!" she finished by slamming both hooves into the bench, avoiding my hands. "I thought of all that, and yet…. And yet I… I-” more tears began to flow, now beginning to stain the bench a little.
“And yet I didn’t care in that moment, that one moment my whole world was you and only you, your lips, your breath, your touch, your hands, your chest, your hair, everything you were was all I caredabout. And when I broke the kiss, what did you do? You didn't slap me, yell at me, or anything like I should have deserved, instead, you gently wiped away my tears while holding me. I didn't want you to stop, I could have been happy for the rest of my life in that one moment. But I didn't want to force myself on you, to make you shoulder my burdens on top of yours, I could never hurt you" she said in a quiet voice before she slumped her head against my chest and cried a little more.
Without even thinking, I brought my arms up and gave her a soft hug while I stroked her mane. Which made her really upon up the floodgates and she poured all her feelings out against my chest while she sat in the warm ray of sunlight. I decided to stay quiet for a bit longer, wanting her to get everything off her chest and that took a little while. But I really can’t blame her, to finally find someone she truly trusts to talk about things she kept hidden deep down. I certainly know that feeling.
So I held her in my arms for as long as she needed me to, and it took a few minutes for her to calm down and took another minute to clean herself up again, as well as my shirt. Once she was fully calm, she sat back and waited. I waited until it looked like she was ready to listen, so I took a deep breath of my own.
“Thank you for telling me Fleur, I appreciate that you explained yourself instead of doing a kiss and run” I laughed a little at that “And I am really happy that you trusted me with this information, even though we literally met only three times” I said with a bit of a knowing look, to which she giggled “And well, I can’t say I am not flattered that a beautiful pony such as yourself was willing to go so far for me”
“But?” she cautiously asked.
"Ah-" I was about to say, but in reality, did I have a real reason to truly reject her? Sure, it might be a difficult relationship and we would probably not be able to see each other often, but on my part, I could just go see her at work than her at mine. But right now, I am technically single if I and Derpys deal is to be taken into account. So I could and should just say yes, and yet…
I still love Derpy, and even if it was just that cute, golden-eyed beauty, I also have Vinyl to consider. Who is also very much in Fleurs same boat, not being able to trust other stallions and being at ease with me. -sigh- I sound just like some sort of dude in an anime or something, great. But I can worry about that later.
“Adrian?” Fleur asked.
"Sorry, just had to take a moment to think over some things," I said to her.
“Are… are you in love with another mare?” she hesitantly asked.
With another sigh, I decided to just be truthful “Yes, yes I am. But we are not together anymore, we broke up when I left Ponyville because I didn’t want to hold her back or force her to choose her life and career over me. Sure, I could try and be that guy in a book or something, but real life doesn’t always work out that way”
“Especially since I would also be asking her to give up her house, her possessions, her social life, basically everything just to come and run away with me to an unknown future that held no promises except my love for her. But that would be selfish on my part, and I love her too much to take her away.And, since I am being honest here, there is another mare who is almost in the exact same situation as you. She accidentally admitted her true feelings when we got drunk one night, but she knew I was in a relationship at the time and was fine being my best friend. So, yeah. That’s me” I said while I nervously rubbed the back of my neck.
At first, I was worried how Fleur would react since she was silent and seemed downtrodden, I reached out with my hand to her when she began to giggle more and more and now I was the one sitting in silence and confusion. “Sorry about that Adrian, but I found my feelings very funny after hearing all that”
“How so?” I asked, still very confused.
“Because, even though you basically admitted that you loved two other mares, I still can’t find any reason in my heart to stop loving you as well. Silly isn’t it?” she bashfully asked me.
“Heh, well, love always works in mysterious ways it seems. And the heart wants what it wants, even if we don’t fully realize why” I simply told her.
“Very true Adrian, very true” was all she said before she quickly gave me another kiss, much to my surprise. “I propose an idea in the meantime, would you be willing to listen?”
“Yes”
“So, while I would love to have you all to myself and drop everything to devote myself to you, we both are realists and we both know that neither one of us would want the other to do that. So, I propose that we keep our friendship as it is, but with hugs and kisses now and then. So, I guess I bit like an open relationship, just not at intense” she said with a wink. I immediately blushed like crazy which got her to giggle even more.
“And who knows, maybe in the future when things settle down, perhaps I can truly be the only mare to steal you away. OH! Or perhaps we can get even crazier and form a herd! Wouldn’t that just be a hoot and a holler!” she honestly said with a laugh. Wow, first Vinyl and now Fleur? Both these girls are way more open to crazy ideas, maybe that's why I like them? Guess that means I am a little crazy too.
“So, what do you say?” Fleur asked, patiently waiting.
“I suppose we could give it a try, and we could even just call it casual dating if you like” I suggested.
“Oh yes! I like that term much better, I was actually thinking of a new way to call it since being in an open relationship sounds so naughty” she fully admitted with another round of giggles. “Sorry for laughing so much”
I reached over and gave her ear a quick scratch "No worries, I understand" I said before leaning over myself and gave her soft and warm cheek a quick peck. "I suppose that seals the deal then" too which she replied by giving me another full-on kiss on the lips.
“Deal” with another giggle.
I sighed again at her silly antics but smiled nonetheless just before I got up and stretched a little. "Well, we better get back before anyone starts to worry or starts to spread any rumors of the supermodel and the human," I said with a wink of my own.
“Yes, I suppose we should. And you, mister handsome, still owe me a tour” she told me.
"I am almost sure that you know this city better than me," I said with a smirk.
“Perhaps, but I would still love to have you guide me around” she replied with a sly smirk.
I laughed “It’s a date then”
“Yes, our first date!” she giggled like mad now as we made our way back to the front of the park, which now that I realize is more akin to a small forest.
And just as I was about to sail smoothly into the city, I felt Maelstrom slide down onto my shoulder with a big smile on her face “Lucky Papa! Lucky Papa!” she said before hugging me.
“Oh no” I groaned while my daughter and the supermodel next to me began to laugh. “What have I gotten myself into now?”
HELLO, ONE AND ALL! Thank you all so much for sticking around during that little hiatus, long story short, work made me not very creative and just plain ol' tired. For months, I was working 56 hour weeks (four 10's, 8 Friday and 8 Saturday), 3 pm - 1 am. So, yeah, not too much time to myself since Sunday was my get stuff done day. I would also love to thank you all for bringing this story up to 14k views! And to all the great people who commented, liked, faved, and even sent me a few messages, it truly makes me happy that this story is well liked.
Also, I am trying out the free version of Grammarly so if you notice a slight difference in a few things, you can blame Grammarly. I actually like it though, still some room for improvement. Then again maybe those things get fixed by paying for the premium -shrugs-
But on to the story! Quite a different twist! The return of Fleur! And oh boy, what a return she made! A very long, very wordy confrontation! But wait, there's more! The return of the herd! Dun dun DUN! Will Adrian succumb? Will Adrian be a one pony human? How does he keep his hair so straight?! Find out nex-
: ADRIAN!
Yes Twilight?
: Well, first of all. Welcome back!
Thank you Twilight
: And second, my speech is now just only 1 week, 19 hours, 28 minutes, 56 seconds!
And with that in mind, I hope to see you all once more in the next chapter! Ta ta for now!
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A HiE fic where the "OC" (riiiiight) winds up in fictionland where "he" can romance his animal waifu.
Oh, his name is "Adrian Frost" also.
8117198
Just so you know, when you signed up on this website, a list of prohibited behavior was presented right before you hit "I Agree".
Want to guess if RP is expressly banned?
I forgot he used to date Derpy.
Silly Derpy.
To answer your question:
-t time on Humand Well Z!
In my opinion, Adrian should tell Twilight of his dark half so that she would know of the situation and prepare the Elements when things gone sour.
I don't know why, but the twilight in the author comment make me think of freezer in the namek arc of dragon ball.
"In five minutes, the planet will blow !" *3episode later* "you have gained a litle more time... five minutes exactly !"
Glad to see this story still going. Keep it up.
Everyone knows herds have a 60%increase in shenanigans as opposed to monogamous relationships.... I like where this story is going~ Oh! An welcome back
YES, glad to see this story is not dead!
Now on the chapter itself, good job with this one. I wonder whats gonna happen with Adrien on his journey after this Manehatten part is done. Probably move on to new places or face off with some villains I'm guessing. Also I hope Adrian and Celestia will make up at some point later on. Keep up the good work.
While i understand what was ment this"norm and spread my legs." Just sounds wrong.
Holy poop, I've been binge reading this so much i forgot it was incomplete!
Gosh,i just got so wrapped up in it! I'm so glad to see you're still updating! Also kudos on grammarly! I got that for work recently when i was drafting some emails.
Anywho, thanks for the good read so far, keep it up! And also i love the twily bits in the author notes
Is this story dead? Cause it’s really good and I can’t wait for another chapter!
8845416
Sorry about that! Real life has kinda taken over (new job, moved practically across to the other side of the country, etc). That and I am bad at making promises, so I won't promise anything but I am trying to find a good time to do some hardcore writing time. I miss Adrian and company.
I vote to do the herding thing. Not only are the mares the type to love him regardless, but they would be a good match for each other. It would also provide endless story hooks - as the "Canterlot Snobs" lose their minds over the scandal. How dare the human poach the mare that they were chasing...?
So hows it going with this story?
I'm waiting for Adrian and Celestia to patch things up
Will you be continuing this story?
over 2 years have passed...
What will become of this?
Still alive?
Hope you continue your story I was enjoying it but life happens.
9519186
yes please let us at least see the fallout of that confrontation.
Damn. I waaaaaaaaaaant more.
Love this oh so much
Please come back >.<
10925902
You still writing? Or alive?
I miss this story
Plenty of comfort