A nightly guardian

Chapter 2

Food

Luna and Lyra had moved from the small back room, to the Princesses private study. Tt was much more comfortable for the both of them there. There was a fireplace, two sofas, a small table and a small lift for food. The two mares had decided to have a little snack, while Luna took a break from her story. Lyra had noticed that there had been two other doors. One had a big C, while the other, the biggest of the three doors, had a giant Z on it. She assumed that they stood for "Celestia" and "Zeo".

The study was surprisingly well equipped. To the left of the fireplace, was a door that, as Luna had told her, led into a bathroom, as well as a bedroom. Lyra wondered how long the Princesses usually stayed down here, while Luna was ordering some food through a small device. It was attached to the wall next to the lift, and looked like a pipe that ran up the wall and into the ceiling.

"So Lyra, what do you want to eat?", the Princess asked, pulling Lyra out of her thoughts.

"Oh... ehm... A mixed salad would be nice."

Luna turned to the pipe again, and ordered a salad for Lyra. Only moments later the small lift came down, and she took out a tray with two bowls. She set one on the table in front of Lyra, with her salad, while she herself started to eat a vegetable soup. For a while the two of them just sat there, and Lyra was wondering where the journal had gone, that she had seen earlier.

"Well Pri... ehm Luna. So that human stayed with you?", she finally asked.

The Princess had asked her to call her by her nameonly, since she was not too fond of titles.

"Yes. Zeo stayed with me for a very long time. But still, we decided he should have his own room after a year or so. Some Ponies had started to gossip, you see."

Lyra was a little shocked at that statement. A Pony and a human? Was that even possible? She opened her mouth to ask Luna, but thought better of it. Even though the Princess was treating her more like a friend, then like a subject, she was still a Princess. Being respect-less was the last thing she wanted to be.

"I can see it in your eyes. You want to know if they were right in their assumptions. But seriously, that would be telling the end before you have read the whole novel. I will not confirm, or deny anything at this point though. I must admit that I was hesitant to tell you about him at all, but I can see that your interest in this story is purely out of curiosity. He was very curious himself, so I bet he would have enjoyed your company...."

Again Lunas eyes grew distant as she began to remember the events from so long ago.

After their conversation on the balcony, Luna and Zeo had gone to sleep, since it had been pretty late already. Luna had performed her duty of letting the moon rise, and Celestia had promised to take care about setting it in the morning, so she could go to bed early.

Zeo woke up ahead of Luna that morning, but he had a big problem. Not only was one of Lunas wings lying over him like a blanket, but he also had the feeling that he would have to relief himself soon. That was an awkward moment for him, since he had absolutely forgotten to ask about the facilities the day before. Not to mention the shock when he had actually awoken next to her. His still half asleep mind had jolted completely awake, to find Lunas muzzle only inches from his face.

He gently began to tickle Luna, under her wing. Before long, the Princess began to laugh her way into wakefulness. Looking at Zeo, a little puzzled, the dark blue mare folded her wing to her side again. She looked a little embarrassed, that she had actually covered him with it. Giving a long yawn, she asked him why he had woken her up.

"Well... I kinda have to take a leak. Mind telling me where the restroom is?", he asked, blushing a little.

"Take a.... oh!"

Realization dawned on Lunas face.

"I planned to get a private bathroom soon, but for now I guess you will have to use the one that I share with Celestia. Just go out of the door and down the hall to your left. You can't miss it. It's the fourth door to the right.", she explained, before resting her head on a pillow again.

Putting on his jeans, Zeo left the room and walked down the left hallway, just as Luna had described to him. The only problem he encountered was... that there were two more of those Ponies standing in front of the door, denying him entrance. Furthermore they actually tried to restrain him, and they did a pretty good job at it.

"Hey, let go you two! I just wanna go to the restroom! Hands off!", he shouted, while he used his good right arm, trying to keep those Ponies off of himself.

One of them hit the cast around his left arm during the struggle, and Zeo screamed in pain as he went down to his knees. He didn't even care about the two Ponies, that now pressed him against the wall, pinning him in place. He just clutched his arm. The adrenaline rush from the night before had blotted out most of the pain, but now it hit him with full force. What added to his dismay, was that he had not been able to hold his water due to the pain. An uncomfortable warm feeling ran down his legs. He had wetted himself at his age...

"What is all this commotion about?", another Pony asked loudly, as it stepped out of the bathroom he had tried to enter earlier.

Other then Lunas mane, hers was pink and flowed in a non-existent breeze. Her eyes were a light pink, and she understood the situation in an instant.

"Your majesty, we found this creature sneaking around. It wanted to get into your bathroom, but we denied it entry. If you wish, we will bring it outside.", one of them responded. A female from the sound of it. Zeo was still unable to tell the difference, just by physical appearance.

"I don't think that will be necessary. Release him. He saved my sisters life, and is staying with us for a while.", the new arrival told the pair, who immediately let go of him.

After they had retreated a few steps, the big Pony approached him, and Zeo put his hand over the cast protectively.

"Looks like you had a little accident there. Let me help you with it.", she said, and Zeo could only stare in awe, as her horn began to glow in a gentle golden light. The wetness that had run down his legs, vanished as if it had never been there.

"I apologize for that. Next time, just use this bathroom if you want to relief or wash yourself. You do practice regular hygiene, don't you?"

"Of course! I wash myself every day!", Zeo replied once he had found his voice again. Even hinting that he did not care about his personal hygiene made him angry.

The white Pony did not react to his outburst in any way. It just gave him an approving look and left, closely followed by the two others. Reluctantly Zeo opened the door to the bathroom, and stopped in awe once again. He had expected anything, but not what he had actually found. Sure there were things he recognized, like a big tub to take a bath in, or a basin where one could wash his hands ... But... there were pedals on the ground, instead of wheels next to the tap. Well it only made sense, he supposed. They didn't have fingers after all. Taking a washcloth from a shelf near the door, Zeo stepped in front of the basin. As he still tried to find out how to work it with his feet, his gaze fell on the actual toilet...

"Oh you GOTTA be kidding me!", he muttered under his breath. There simply was a porcelain seat, that was surely not made for a humans backside. At least, he noticed, there hang a roll of toilet paper next to it. Using this strange toilet however, would prove a challenge indeed....

Taking off his jeans and underpants, Zeo went on about cleaning himself as best he could. If he managed somehow, he would get a plastic bag later, and take a bath, but this would have to do for now. Still, controlling the water with his feet was more then difficult. The pedals were small and round, so barely the front half of his feet fitted on them. What was worse, was that they needed quite the amount of strength to be pushed down.

After what felt like ages, Zeo had finally finished to clean himself up, and threw the used towels into a basked, next to the tub. This was how he did it back home anyways, so he supposed that it couldn't be so much different here...

"OK, I guess I am humanizing these... damn it's still hard to call them Ponies... I mean for goodnesses sake, at least Luna and that other one are as big as fully grown horses!", he muttered under his breath, while trying to figure out how he would comb his hair....

But then he remembered. He had actually planned to stay at Thomas's house, since his friend had turned twenty-five and was celebrating the whole weekend. Going back to the room he had come from, he found Luna still fast asleep on the bed. Zeo rummaged in the inner pockets of his coat for a moment, and finally produced his toothbrush, some toothpaste and a comb. He cursed a little, when he noticed that he had actually forgotten to pack his razor, but that couldn't be changed now.

Stopping for a moment, before he went back to the bathroom, Zeo stepped out onto the balcony for a cigarette. In the light of day, he could overlook the whole city, and make out it's inhabitants.

"So I really have ended up in a world full of hors... ehm Ponies... Sounds like a bad SciFi novel, in which evolution took a different course. But what about the glowing horns? Luna mentioned something about magic yesterday, but that ...."

Zeo shook his head. He was in a world that looked pretty much medieval, in aspect of their technology level, and that was inhabited by TALKING Ponies.... Would actual magic be that absurd then? He thought back to his father, who was surely close to a nervous breakdown by now. Putting his cigarette in between his lips, Zeo extracted his Smart phone from his jeans pocket.

"No signal, huh? Well that would have been too much to ask for I guess...."

Almost throwing the now useless phone away, he stopped himself. There still was the manual charger he had in a pocket of his coat. Sure, it would take ages to charge his phones battery up with it, but at least it was something familiar. Tapping the screen, Zeo removed the screen lock and browsed through some of his files. There it was. Out of a habit he had started to record each and every call he did, or received. As he continued to browse the contents of his eight GB SD-card, he looked at the clock in the upper right corner of the screen.

"No... that can't be right. Nine thirty in the evening? It's broad daylight buddy!", he said, talking to no one in particular.

Dismissing it for the moment, he flipped the remains of his cigarette off the balcony, and put his phone in his mouth, as he looked for his headset in his pocket. As he had finally found it, he plugged it in and selected the integrated MP³ player, while walking back to the bathroom. Soon the melodic voices of his favorite musicians sounded through the headset, making him feel a little more at home in this strange place.

Half an hour later

Zeo sat on a sofa that was standing on a far wall of Lunas room, and read a book he had gotten from one of the shelves. The shock that he might have to stay here for the rest of his life, was just now settling in, and he wanted to be prepared if that was the case. Apparently the land he was in was called Equestria, but he could barely find any mentioning of any other nations. Sure he had found a reference to the "Griffin Empire" and the "Canine Coalition", but that was about it. Apparently all Ponies lived in Equestria. That made him smile a little, since equus was the Latin word for horse....

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Luna stirring in her bed. Putting the book aside, Zeo approached her.

"Finally awake sleepy head?", he asked good natured.

"Is it night time already?", she asked, shielding her face with one of her hooves.

"Well obviously not. I can't tell you what time it is though, since I think my cellphone is broken."

"Your what?", she looked up at him, through half closed eyes.

Taking it out of his pocket, he showed his cellphone to her.

"This is a cellphone. I usually can use it to talk to other people with it, but I can't get a signal here. It has many other functions as well, and one of them happens to be telling the time. But the clock inside is malfunctioning I think, since it shows me it's still around nine in the evening.", he explained.

Luna ,however, just looked at the small white rectangular object curiously.

"Is that some kind of magic? I didn't know you could use magic.", she finally said.

"Magic? Well you see, this is not magic, this is technology. I mean, you h... ehm Ponies have it too. I saw some in that bathroom. You even have electricity."

"Elec... what?"

"Well you know... the stuff that illuminates the room when you press a button?"

"Oh, no. Those are enchanted candles. They don't actually burn, not to cause a fire. I have no idea what that electri... Well, what that is supposed to be.", Luna said a little irritated.

Shaking his head, Zeo tried to clear his head.

"Aaaannnyyyyway, Luna, how about we get something to eat? I am practically starving. Also, I think I will need to wash my clothes and get some more. I can't walk around in these for the rest of my days, now can I?"

Slowly getting up to her hooves, Luna stretched on the bed. The way she did it, kinda reminded Zeo of a cat he had once seen. How she raised her hindquarters into the air, while bending her head low.....

"I guess if I am up, I can eat a snack. By this time, the breakfast table should still be ready so come on and let's eat.", Luna said, trotting out of the door.

Zeo obediently followed her through several hallways and down a flight of stairs. It just now occurred to him, that he was actually in a royal palace. The place was huge, compared to the three story house he had grown up in. Not to mention that everything looked so clean and tidy. The stares he received from several of the Ponies that lined the hallways, were annoying him a little, but he thought that it might just be because he was hungry. As soon as he had gotten .... some.... thing...

But he could not even complete that thought. As Luna opened a huge double door, there were at least thirty Ponies sitting at a huge table, in a room that was big enough to fit his whole house in there several times! The white one he had seen this morning, was sitting at the far end of the table, and looked at them now.

"Ah, finally the guest of honor has arrived. I thought this might be a nice little something to show my appreciation for what you did, and to apologize for what happened earlier.", she said with a smirk, or at least Zeo thought she was smirking.

Since Ponies facial features were so different from what he knew, he couldn't be sure. Luna looked at him, as if she wanted to ask about it, but he waved his hand to show her that he would explain later. Right now, all that mattered to him, was getting a bite to eat and a coffee. The other Ponies in attendance, watched him curiously without saying a word. Apparently none of them had ever seen a human. Taking up a seat next to a fairly startled Unicorn, Zeo checked what was available on the table.

Letting his hunger get the better of him, he grabbed some bread, a small plate with butter and a knife. The only problem was, that he could not see anything to put on it. Addressing Luna, who had set down next to him, he scratched his head.

"Ehm... I don't mean to sound rude or anything, but is there no cheese or anything to put on the bread?"

The Princess stared at him, tilting her head. Waving a hand, Zeo decided that these Ponies most likely didn't even know what cheese was. He looked around once again, and spotted a pot with soup in it. Gesturing to one of the other Ponies he asked it to pass the pot to him.

The Pegasus was shocked to be spoken to this casually, and gave Celestia an angry look. The Princess of the sun however, just shook her head, and let her horn glow.

"You must apologize, if we seem unwelcoming or rude to you, but a creature like you is no common sight here.", Celestia said, setting the soup down in front of him with her magic.

"Seeing talking ho...", he shot a glance at Luna, who shook her head in disapproval.

"I mean... to see talking Ponies, isn't an everyday thing for me either.", Zeo said, shrugging.

"You take that quite well, creature", another Pony, with gray coat, mane and tail said.

"Well thank you, but I have a name you know. Zeomak Seline Salchar, but it's OK if you just call me Zeo. Most people do that.", Zeo said sarcastically.

"I am sure Platinum did not mean to insult you... Zeo. So, what are your plans now?", Celestia addressed him.

Luna was a little uncomfortable. Her sister had gathered all the former leaders of the tribes, including some of their prodigies. Did she want to show Zeo to them, as some kind of abomination, or did she want their opinion on his behavior? Celestia had not been very fond of the idea, that Zeo slept in her room, nor that he was to stay in the palace at all. Ever since she had found out that part of his clothing was made of skin, her opinion seemed to have formed.

Zeo took a bowl, that stood next to his plate and filled it with some of the creamy soup. On trying it with a spoon however, he frowned.

"What is this?", he asked disgusted.

"It's Dandelion soup. One of our chefs specialties.", Luna explained.

Putting down his spoon, Zeo stood up. The look of resignation on his face was unmistakable.

"OK, I've seen enough. I thank you for the attempt to provide me with a meal, but I guess I prefer to prepare my own food. If you'd show me where the kitchen is, I will get to that right away.", he said with a sigh.

"Is there nothing here, that you would eat?", the big white Pony asked him, looking a little disappointed.

Just then he realized, that Luna and that other Pony were the only ones present that had wings and a horn. The others had only one or another, while some had neither.

"Look.... I know Ponies are vegetarians, and I respect that. I could even accept that I have to eat that way for a while , but things like hay....", he pointed at a plate on the table.

".... or Dandelion soup, are no food fit for humans. I would really appreciate it if you could just show me the way to the kitchen."

Luna got up and started walking, but Celestia stopped her with a wave of her hoof.

"I will show him Luna. I'm eager to find out more about him anyway.", Celestia said, trotting to Zeos side and leading him outside.

Once they were in the corridor, she turned towards him, a stern look on her face.

"I think I never introduced myself. My name is Celestia. By the way, you never answered my question. What are your plans now, that you are stuck here in Equestria? And what did you mean, when you said you could accept living as a vegetarian for a "while"?"

"Well... The thing is, I am a human. I am no herbivore, nor am I a carnivore. I am an omnivore! I eat meat AND vegetables. I need it to sustain myself. The food you have presented in there, might be delicacies for your own kin, but I can't eat that. As for what I plan to do for now, I think I will stay at Lunas side for now. I have no other choice really. Maybe I can find something I can do to earn a living, but I kinda doubt that you guys need a human nurse, or electrician.", he said frowning.

"So you will kill in the future, to get yourself some meat?", Celestia asked concerned, while they started walking.

"Don't get me wrong. My kind CAN go without meat, but I can't. So yes, if I have to, then I will. Just know that I don't take any pleasure from it.", he tried to explain to Celestia, who was avoiding his gaze.

"I will not tolerate you killing my Ponies to eat them. You know that, right?", she finally asked.

Zeo stopped for a moment, a look of disbelief on his face.

"As if! Meat is not meat. I have never tasted ho... ehm Pony meat before, but the mere thought of eating another intelligent being, makes my stomach turn! So no, I'd never harm any of them, unless they try to harm me. I'd usually go fishing or try to get me something else."

"Good. Just don't expect me to let you use the royal kitchens to cook it. I don't want the smell in the palace. So if you HAVE to do it, then do it outside somewhere."

"I understand.", Zeo confirmed, feeling like a pet that is being told not to pee on the carpet.

After a while, they arrived in the kitchen. This place was definitely medieval. The stoves were heated by fire, while there was not even a fridge. All the supplies he found, were stored in a cupboard that had some ice for cooling at the bottom. This method of cooling however, would not keep things fresh for long. At least he found some things he could use to make himself a decent meal.

Celestia watched as that "human", looked around the kitchen, checking the stocks. The cooks were already out, so she wouldn't have to worry that he would decide to cook one of them. To her surprise, he waved her over after putting some things on a table.

"I can't cut the ingredients with my arm like this. Could you do it for me, if you don't mind? I think I can handle the rest.", he asked, gesturing to the things he had laid out on the table.

Onions, garlic, some noodles, carrots and two jars of milk. One of them obviously had gone bad a long time ago, since it seemed to be solid. One of her servants would have to answer to her, to have stored something that had gone bad with the rest of the good food.

Lifting the jar with her magic, she wanted to throw it into a waste-bin, but Zeo stopped her.

"Wait! That's not bad. It may not be top quality, but it's still cheese.", he said, and plucked it out of mid air.

Not commenting on this, Celestia grabbed a knife in her magic, and cut the ingredients Zeo had prepared. She cut them quick and roughly, earning her a frown from Zeo.

"You really suck at this, you know?", he teased, scratching his neck.

"Then why don't you cut it yourself? I don't have time to cook for you. I have a kingdom to rule, and I have guests!", she finally snapped at him.

"Now now. No need to get angry at me.", he tried to calm her, while he took the ingredients and put them into different bowls.

Lighting a fire, he took one of the frying pans that hang over the stove, and put some butter in it. Celestia could not see how he had lit the fire, but she had heard a scratching noise right before the flames had risen.

forty-six minutes later

Celestia was slowly getting the general idea of what the human was doing. She had wanted to leave originally, but he had asked her to stay, since he needed her help to lift a pot into the oven, and out again. Celestia had to admit , whatever it was that he had cooked up there, certainly did smell good. Noticing her gaze, Zeo took a plate and put some of the stuff on it, handing it over to her, along with a fork.

"I really shouldn't....", she said, but Zeo waved a hand.

"You know, I lived off of this stuff for about three weeks once. If I can get the ingredients somewhere, it's a nice dish. Besides, it's completely vegetarian. Oh, and if you don't like the cheese on top, just take it off.", he added, and started to eat his own share.

Reluctantly, Celestia dug her fork into the strange mess of noodles, hot milk and spices. The taste that exploded in her mouth, was enough to make her eyes widen. It was intense, and yet not unpleasantly so. Even the..."cheese", was not too bad. After she swallowed, Celestia stared at her plate.

"I knew you'd like it.", he said, chuckling with his mouth full.

"I... I admit, that it is ... good.", Celestia added, taking another mouthful.

The two of them ate in silence for a while, until Luna came into the kitchen, a look on concern on her face.

"What is this smell?", was the first thing she said.

Zeo only gestured to the pot that stood on the table, while chewing. Carefully Luna approached it, sniffing at the strange looking mess. Then she looked at her sister, who was looking much more relaxed then before. Suddenly Zeo held his own plate in front of her.

"If you don't mind using the same plate as me, your welcome to try it.", he said.

Reluctantly Luna took a bite of what was left on his plate, just to spit it out again immediately. Looking a little disappointed, Zeo looked at the piece Luna had spat out.

"I know it's not the best I ever made, but it surely isn't THAT bad."

"Garlic... I hate the taste of garlic!", Luna said, while washing out her mouth in the basin.

Celestia and Zeo laughed.

Luna could only stare at them. Apparently all her worries had been for nothing.

"Well... Ehm... So Zeo... you said you wanted more clothes, right? I think I can do something about that. The royal dressmaker can surely prepare something for you.", she said, before picking up the jar of milk and pouring herself a cup.

"Dressmaker... are you serious? Well OK, but I don't want to end up in a "dress". Just plain pants, a few shirts and maybe socks will do."

"Maybe you should give him what you are wearing, so he has a template to work with.", Celestia added.

Zeo blushed a little.

"Running around naked, is not really normal for me....", he stammered.

"You don't have to. Just wear your coat while he works on your new clothing. Would that be sufficient?", that was Luna, who already knew that Zeo felt uncomfortable when he was naked.

He thought for a moment, before nodding. There was no other way, unless he wanted to run around naked. Well even if he was to run around naked, it would hardly matter. These were Ponies, not humans. Walking around naked in front of animals would not be too much of an embarrassment after all, he guessed.

Twenty minutes later

A blue coated Pony was working on him with a measuring tape, while looking in awe at the clothes he had worn up till now.

"And you really want copies of these? I mean they are so plain! It's almost an insult to ask me to make something like this! Especially the color! I mean... you would look simply gorgeous in something... yeah... pink maybe?"

Zeo looked down at the Pony, narrowing his eyes.

"Pink.... you gotta be kidding. Any color but PINK!", Zeo said, a little angrily.

He had emptied the pockets of his jeans, and wore all his belongings in his coat pockets now. The marble floor beneath his feet felt cold, since he had also left his shoes and socks behind. Luna noticed her companions discomfort pretty quickly.

"Is anything the matter? It's not the lack of your clothing, is it? I thought we had agreed that your coat would have to be enough for the time being.", she inquired.

"No. It's.... well I'm just not used to walking barefoot on a stone floor. It's a little cold, but I can manage.", he responded, just to find himself enveloped in a pale white magical aura. Luna lifted him onto her back.

"Don't think I'll let you ride me all the time. You are quite heavy.", Luna clarified, while they made their way to their shared quarters.

Present day

A question interrupted Lunas storytelling.

"How do you know all of this Luna? I mean, most of the time you were not even there, yet you tell this story as if you never left that humans side.", Lyra wanted to know.

It had gotten pretty late already, and she didn't know how long she would be able to hold her eyes open. Her parents awaited her at home for dinner this evening as well.

"Well... you see... Celestia and Zeo told me many of these things later on. Zeo even wrote them down in his journal, while Celestia kept me informed out of habit I think. For her, at least in the early days, Zeo was suspicious, and potentially dangerous. That is why she kept a vigilant eye on him. More then once did she come to me, and told me what she had observed, but that is something I will tell you later. For today, Lyra, I think you should go home. It's pretty late already. But before you do, please take this. Your royal permit is only for today, so I think this will prove useful.", Luna said, levitating a small silver card over to her.

Enveloping the card in her own magic, Lyra began to inspect it. It had Princess Lunas royal seal emblazoned on the front, instead of Princess Celestias, but there was another difference. Other then the one she wore around her neck, that had a date stamped on it's back, this one had a word instead.

Permanent

Her muzzle hanging open, Lyra stared at it for a moment, and then at the Princess.

"Are... are you sure?", Lyra asked in disbelief.

Luna nodded in agreement.

"Yes I am. I enjoy your company, and I would like you to have all the time you need for your research. That's why I gave you that permit. It allows you to go everywhere in the archives, just like my sisters does, but since it is permanent, it also enables you to use one of the guest rooms on the lower floor. So if you get caught up in your research, you don't have to worry about how to get home. But I believe, you are expected somewhere today, as your father told me earlier."

Lyra hugged the Princess, and ran out of the study, not able to believe that she had just received a permanent permit to the royal archives! Her father would totally freak out when he saw this.