Victorian Wolf

With my pride intact, such as it was, I was escorted (much to my chagrin) to one of the guests' quarters. Somehow, I'd gone from being naked and tied to a stone slab, to being in my own room invited to a dinner with the Princesses. I didn't know which was worse at this point.

The room was as one would expect from a room in a castle. Primitive, but classy, much like rich people in terms of personality. The walls were nothing special, just carved stone. No paint job, no wallpaper. Though the roof had a tapestry, but I couldn't make out what it was. The furniture was like that of what I'd seen on t.v. It was like those guys you'd see at the introduction of a movie or episode; he'd be sitting in a chair with a red, black or brown robe on, a book in one hand, a glass of wine in the other. He'd be sitting by a fireplace, sometimes with his back turned to it.

I wanted to say Mahogany chair, but it didn't seem descriptive enough. The bed was much the same. A four poster bed with drapes overhead. My things were sitting on the end of the bed, standing out like a steel blade among wooden swords. I approached it and discovered what looked like a change of clothes beside my bag. Given that I was still naked, I was not looking forward showing up for dinner with a boner (due to cold of course).

The clothes were initially black, save the shirt which was the standard off-white. There was a tie to go with the piece. I almost wondered if other humans had been here before. Then again, having never seen the show, I couldn't tell what their fashion was like. I was just glad there weren't any frills. Overall, the clothes were a good fit, even the in-seam. It was like they'd been especially tailored for me. Given that the clothes were shaped to fit a human and not a pony, that was likely the case. They better not have touched my junk while they were taking my measurements. I thought as I did up the tie. I walked over to the mirror that was by the door. I looked good in this.

Something caught my eye though as I observed my profile. Something was off, but I couldn't place it. It was staring me right in the face, but I just couldn't see it. I decided to leave it be for the time being. Perhaps it would come to me later. I took a few more seconds to straighten up my tie before I concluded I was ready. Seeing myself like I was, I took a moment to reflect on the issue.

"Why am I bothering to dress up for these ponies? Not like I care about what they think of me. Guess I'm just hungry. It won't kill me to play along for dinner. Fuck, I feel like a doll in a dollhouse. Those Princesses are the snotty kids who like to play dress-up." I fell back onto the bed and sighed.

"It won't always be like that though. I'll either go home, or I'll be blacklisted by PeTA." I concluded before I heard a knock on the door. "Who's there?!" I asked.

"My name is Proper, Sir. I was instructed to guide you to the Dining Hall. We'll head there when you're ready." my guest sounded like an Englishman, but I knew better. He was a Butler, that much was obvious. I rose from the bed and approached the door, opening it. The face of a beige pony in a penguin suit greeted me. He had a grey mane and tail with a moustache that covered his top lip. He looked at me with a mixture of curiosity and fear. Word about my encounter with the Diamond Dogs must have spread already.

"Lead the way." I simply said.

The silence turned out to be more annoying than the prospect of conversation with these ponies. The Dining hall was exactly what it sounded like. A single hall meant for the single purpose of dining. A large wooden table roughly three meters wide and a mile long was what I sat down to. Celestia and Luna sat at the end of the table, Twilight to Celestia's right. I expected to dine with just those three at least, a couple of nobles at the most, but I noticed what I deduced to be the Mane six seated along either side of the table. Then there was a small gecko sitting at the table too. There were several places between me and them. I chose to sit at the opposite end of the table.

Celestia had decided to waste her time in introducing the five strangers to me, as well as their pet lizard. The orange mare sitting closest to me was Applejack. She was easily the most distinguishable of the five due to the large hat on her head. I was no expert on pony fashion, but it seemed to suit her all the same.

Next to her was a cyan Pegasus with a chromatic mane and tail. I knew her name before it was uttered to me. Rainbow Dash, easily the favourite among my friends, with the timid animal-savvy Fluttershy running a close second. Said Fluttershy sat to Luna's left, never having made eye contact with me. Left to her was Pinkie Pie, the only one smiling at the situation, at least until we made direct eye contact. It was interesting watching her hair deflate like a balloon. The action earned a moment of pause with the introductions.

Then there was Rarity, the fashionista. Given her disgusted look towards me, I hoped to god that she wasn't the one who took my measurements and did my clothes. Finally, the pet. Spike had very few resemblances to a Dragon, save the strange coloured scales and the ability to breathe fire. He had no horns. Some might argue that the Spines would be proof enough, but spines were common among reptiles. Every time I looked at him, I thought Spyro would be disappointed.

I didn't deign to respond with my own name. I'd already given it to Celestia and Luna once. If they felt these seven would need to know it, then they could tell it.

It had been ten minutes since the introductions had been made in vain. The ponies refused to even twitch, save Celestia and Luna. Rainbow Dash seemed to be having trouble keeping still, but she was trying nonetheless. I just leaned back in my chair, using the arm to rest my own on so as to support my head. I closed my eyes and just tried to go to sleep. The boredom was tiring to no end.

Sleep was not to come to me as Celestia chose to break the silence with a subject that had some semblance of importance. "I took the liberty of having the Chefs cook us some of everything, as I didn't know what you ate. Would you care to enlighten us?" she asked.

I opened my eyes and looked at her for a few seconds while I chose how to answer. "I'm an Omnivore, which means I can digest basic fruits and vegetables, but not plantation such as flowers, grass or hay. Although Rose petals seem to be an odd exception. On top of that I can also eat meat, but since your kind are herbivores, that's unlikely to be on the menu." I replied, saying no more on the matter.

"So he speaks." Rarity said with an unamused tone to her voice. I gave her an unamused look in return.

"Not to bigots." I replied, closing my eyes and my mouth afterwards. All I heard was the mare stumbling over her own words, no doubt unused to being treated in such a manner. Perhaps these ponies were nobility after all. The gentle snicker from across the table shot that theory to hell.

"Must you be so rude, Alan?" Celestia spoke up. My eyes made contact with her own and we just exchanged eerie glances toward each other for another minute. "You don't like us." It was more of an observation than a question, but I felt compelled to answer.

"I don't." I replied.

"May I ask why that is so? Have we done anything to make you hate us?" she asked.

I hesitated to answer. I couldn't tell her it was because of a TV show. "You mean besides tying me up in a dungeon before?" I retorted.

The Alicorn seemed to falter at my statement. "I'll admit, there is cause for you to dislike us for that, but your hatred seems to stem from further back. I'm certain our kind have never met, so what could we possibly have done that could make you hate us so much?"

The question was a good one, of that there was no doubt. My answer did not come so easily to me as the others. "It's difficult to explain." I replied. I could tell immediately that Celestia's plan was to try and remove my hatred, for she offered me a way out of the conversation.

"Say no more then. Perhaps in time, you'll find a way to answer the question. For now, let us eat." As if to impress me, the cooks emerged from the kitchen doors carrying the trays of food on trolleys. The timing was too perfect. We were served our meals at the same time, with a sort of buffet along the table in addition. The lids came off and I found my mouth watering at the smell of the food. I hadn't realized how hungry I was until that moment.

I did notice however, that the kitchen staff were nervous about getting too close to me. They served me my plate with reservation, as if I would snap and bite their hooves off if they got too close. I almost considered teasing them, but I didn't want them to shit themselves and stink up the dining room. That being said, I wasn't going to put their minds at ease either. A few of the braver ones who came too close (or my view of too close) received direct eye contact with me. I felt like I had the power to petrify all I saw. In a way, I did. The ponies went still as statues for the better half of a minute before backing away slowly.

"Alan, please. Don't be so cruel to the staff. They no doubt worked hard to make the meals to your liking." Celestia chimed in, breaking the spell I had over them.

"The fearful often provide quality offerings to those they perceive as dangerous. In the hopes that I don't decide to eat them instead. Nevertheless, I shall spare them further fear. I do not eat raw meat. And pony is not a digestible source of food for me." I said. Some of the ponies seemed to release the breath they were holding in.

I took a deep breath through the nose and found myself suddenly very tired. The events of the day seemed to be catching up with me. I let the air out of my lungs and turned to the still slightly nervous staff, who stiffened at my gaze. "...Thank you." I said before observing my plate to see what was edible. There were; apples, pears, bananas, grapes, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, some lettuce, tomatoes. Virtually a fruit and vegetable salad was before me. I found all but the lettuce and tomatoes enticing. I never liked them much.

I looked back up to my hosts and saw them eyeing me strangely. "What?" I asked.

"I'm surprised to hear you thanking somepony." Twilight uttered.

"I give credit where credit's due. As Celestia said, these ponies no doubt did their best to cater to my needs. A sign of gratitude is the least I can offer in return." I said, giving her a moment to ponder my words. "Besides, one must know me before they can be surprised by what I do or do not say." I added. I heard a grumble come from the lavender mare.

Silence fell over the dinner table as we all ate. At least I was silent. None of them dared interrupt my meal. No doubt some of them wanted to though. With every passing minute, I found my eyes growing heavier. A yawn escaped my lips and I instinctively covered my mouth. With my meal finished, I slid back in my seat and rested my head on my hand. I didn't expect to get any sleep, but I thought I'd try nonetheless. As it turned out, I did sleep.