The train slowed as it pulled into the station atop the mountain Canterlot called home. Laud stepped out with Lyra at his side, admiring the view of the wider Equestria afforded by the great height. "Your world is a good one. Let's do our part to protect it."
"You sound so serious." Lyra shook her head. "Relax. We have good ponies to do that for us. Now, where is it..." Her eyes scanned over the city before thrusting a hoof out. "There we are! Stallions and Bucks." She was pointing to a three story structure about a city block away.
It drew Laud's attention to the city itself instead of looking away from it. He could see that Canterlot was a city. It emphasized that Ponyville was not. Ponies were everywhere, mostly unicorns it seemed. Many were dressed, also unlike Ponyville. Refined culture? "Why doesn't the seamstress, Rarity, operate here, where her talents look more immediately in demand?"
Lyra wriggled her nose as she began to trot forward. "You want to visit Rarity's Canterlot shop? We could do that."
"No need, that explains my question nicely." Laud easily met her stride, walking swiftly with her. He watched the road and the situation. Ponies had noticed him, but were not reacting, not overtly. He could see them subtly avoiding crossing his path. They were doing their best to not interact with the strange creature while not making a scene about it.
At least until a young pegasus flew directly at him. It seemed the youth of the ponies lacked much of the 'innate' fear of the unknown of the adults. That was a trait humans shared at times. "Heya!" the flying colt squeaked out at Laud, looking excited. "You're a funny looking minotaur. Where are your horns? Did something happen to your tail? Did that hurt? Are you hurt?" His speech was rapid and energetic and his little wings buzzed, allowing him to hover as he spoke.
Laud smiled at the child. What else was a proper reaction to the innocence of the young? "Hello, little one. I am afraid we have urgent business. To answer your query, no, I am entirely well."
Lyra waved him away. "Nice to meetcha, colt, but like Laud said, we gotta go, appointment with a royal sister and all."
"Ohhhhh." It seemed the concept of a royal appointment wasn't entirely foreign to the young one. "Good luck!" And off he went, buzzing over the crowd.
Fortunately, that was the only obstacle between them and that store. The building was well-lit, with a bright sign that advertised itself in bold and clear letters. It proudly proclaimed the ponies to be operating at a technology level of at least 3. That matched most of what Laud had seen. He had seen no aircraft more advanced than a slowly drifting balloon and not a hint of a computer. Still, they had electricity and weren't afraid to use it. They had steam technology, medicine, and other conveniences that they used to build their peaceful world with.
A pity his own people made use of up to level 10. "Miss Heartstrings--"
"--Lyra," she quickly corrected. "Friends don't go tossing 'misses' and 'misters' around. What's up?"
"Your people seem to be well advanced, commercially." He stepped towards the front door of the place, his eyes wandering over the items being offered in the windows. Most were household items. "Do you know where in here we'd find the protection?"
"Nope, but I know how to find out." She skipped ahead, the door opening with her glowing horn. "Hey!" Her sudden call summoned a waitstaff, dressed in a stiff-looking outfit. "We're looking for a little something to protect the ole' noggin' from unicorn magic." She pointed at her own head as she spoke. "Whattaya got?"
The mare gave a thoughtful hum of consideration. "That would be on the... second floor." She pointed up. "Would you like me to show you there?"
"Please." Lyra bobbed her head before looking back at Laud. "We're off."
It turned out that ponies had escalators. The pegasi avoided them more often than not, but since most of their customers were unicorns, that seemed like a non-issue. Laud would have strode up the moving stairs, but their help seemed in no hurry, so they waited for her to arrive at the speed of the transportation. The shop-tending unicorn mare trotted away on the second floor. "Let's see here. Home security--" She pointed down aisles as she went. "--personal security, jokes, ah, unicorn protection." She entered the aisle with a little smile. "Are you new to Canterlot, sir? As a rule, we mind our magic. You must have heard some wild tales."
Lyra waved the idea away. "He's not scared of unicorns. He just likes being prepared, is all."
Laud gave a slight nod in agreement. "Unicorns have, thus far, been polite." So far he could tell... That was the worst part about magic, especially anything that reached into one's skull. Could you even trust yourself to know when it happened? "Thank you."
"A pleasure!" She gave a bright smile. "Just call if I can assist in any other way." And off she went, pleased with herself for a job well done.
Lyra rose up to two hooves, her horn glowing as she started plucking down boxes to inspect. "Oh wow, they have way more options than I was thinking. Here I was, imagining a few circlets and helmets."
Laud was doing much the same, turning boxes this way and that to read what they claimed to do. "The quality of some of these seem... dubious." He saw too many key words that implied, to him that they were being marketed towards the gullible and paranoid, rather than someone with a legitimate concern. "While others look outrageous." He held up a box that had a picture of a nervous-looking pony covered from their fuzzy ears down to their hard hooves in a crazy matrix of glowing lines. "Rated at 900 thaums of protection?"
Lyra pointed at the box Laud was holding. "900?! That's some serious gear you're holding. That means it takes 900 thaums of magical pressure from a unicorn, like me, to get one thaum to apply to you. That's a lot of roadblock to anyone thinking about doing anything magic to you." She squinted at it. "You'll make a sour impression if you show up looking like that though."
"This I agree with." He set the box down. While having firm protection against magic would be ideal, he had contacts to make and positions to secure. "At least I understand the labeling. What would you say then is 'adequate' protection?"
Lyra fell to all fours. "Mm, well, Two will annoy a unicorn, four or five will make sure both you and they know something's going on and give you a chance to react. Ten and up is where you want to get to actually stop stop a unicorn, though it depends on what unicorn. I mean, Starlight or Twilight? They're going to blow through most of this, and that shouldn't even be a surprise." She flashed a grin at Laud. "All you need to stop me is to ask nicely. Buds don't use magic on buds when it's not wanted." She peered up at where he had picked up the last box. "Also, that is way out your budget, probably."
Laud glanced at the price before quickly agreeing. "Yes. Let's aim for something in the five to ten region. Knowing someone is attempting to enchant me and having a chance to react would put me at ease." He saw a much smaller box that showed a prim and proper unicorn mare with a necklace around her neck. She looked calmly confident with a little smile. "This one is rated at eight, and looks far less obvious." He looked down at its price and saw that it was more bits than he had... "Pancreator above..." The first word was in English, it had to be. The ponies had no word for God.
Lyra peeked where he was looking. "That looks nice. How much do you have? I can help." Her horn glowed as she pulled free a bag of jingling coins.
A noble borrowing money from a commoner? What a situation he had found himself in. Still... "Thank you." He pulled out half the money he did have. "I will return it when I am able."
"Don't even worry about it." She fished out enough coins to make up the difference. "Consider it a gift, between friends, maybe more?"
Laud paused. The hints were too many and too obvious. Lyra favored him. How deep did that favor run? Was she courting him? Was she simply being friendly? Was it polite to ask? "Lyra, I am a stranger in your land, unused to its customs. Allow me to be forthright and hope that you will be in kind. What manner of friendship are you desiring?" She was turning a deep shade of red right through her mint green fur even as he asked. Her nonverbal reply was quite a statement.
"Oh, you know... I mean..." She waved a hoof in the air a bit wildly. "You know..." She was entirely tongue locked. Suddenly she let out a loud laugh. "Well, we should go buy this little bauble!" Her horn snatched at the box, making it float over her. "We don't want to keep Princess Luna waiting!" She half-shouted, clearly deflecting the situation.
On one hand, Laud wanted to press on that, on the other, perhaps that was unwise... "Yes, we should focus on our meeting." There was time to confront Lyra with personal affairs when they were not engrossed in matters of the state. They approached the counter and Lyra set the box down. Laud nudged it towards the smiling stallion that stood there. "I'd like this."
"A fine choice." He didn't seem to be looking at it particularly closely. He collected the bits for it and deposited it into a mechanical cash register. "Did you find everything you were looking for?"
Laud snapped his fingers. "I had almost forgotten. I would like a small trinket, a gift for Princess Luna. Nothing extravagant, just a polite gesture."
Lyra hopped at that, her ears training on Laud. "I almost forgot." She fished out the coupon she had snipped earlier. "Here. Good for a few flowers with a purchase."
The stallion reached for the coupon and nodded. "Well, here's your receipt. Go ahead and pick out a few. Good luck." He gave a soft nod and his eyes wandered to the next pony in line.
Laud did not further intrude on the busy pony, nor did he rush for the flowers. He took a few steps away from the register to let it be used, then ripped into the package he had just purchased. Inside, in a velvet box, was the necklace. It had a fine silver chain and the crystal was teardrop shaped. It was an off-blue color that Laud didn't mind terribly.
"Let me get that." Lyra's magic wrapped around the necklace, but doing little else. Lyra frowned at it. "Wow, it works..." She visibly struggled, grunting as she undid the latch on it and slowly snaked it around Laud's neck. She sagged, panting. "That is way harder than I thought it would be."
It was hanging limply around Laud's neck, not latched. He quickly remedied that with his deft fingers. Fortunately, the magic of human fingers did not qualify for interference. He felt better already, seeing Lyra struggle to just affix the necklace to him. "I feel as if I had been naked all these months. It is good to have that resolved. Lyra, will you help me select the proper flower?"
Lyra blinked softly. "Well, I don't know Luna's personal tastes... We should get her something light and tasty."
Tasty? He opened his mouth to ask about that when he remembered who, or what, he was talking to. She was a horse. She was a very intelligent and magical horse, but still a horse. The flowers were not decorational. They were a snack. "Right." It wouldn't be too odd. To arrive with some finger foods or sweets was far from an unknown gesture. Its reception could be valuable. If she ate it without delay, she trusted him, or her own fortitude. If she shied from it, she feared poison.