//------------------------------//
// Discussions 
// Story: Pantheon, the Artisan of Baking 
// by Hawattie 
//------------------------------//

	Pantheon spent the next several hours describing Runeterra to Twilight Sparkle to the best of his abilities. While he was no scholar, Pantheon did know the goings-on of most of the world due to overhearing conversations in the hallways of the Ministry of War. The mare was especially interested in the different types of magic Pantheon had seen during his many battles.
Rainbow Dash and the other two mares, Pantheon had learned their names to be Rarity and Fluttershy, left about half an hour into the discussion, citing other responsibilities.
Midway through a description of the spell Ryze had used to send him to Equestria, Pantheon happened to glance out the window. "Damn," he said, taking note of the sun's low position in the sky. "Is it that late already?"
"Yeah, time sure flies when you're having fun." Pantheon raised an eyebrow at the mare.
"You and I have very different definitions of 'fun'," he commented.
Twilight raised her hooves defensively. "Hey, learning's fun. Fighting's barbaric."
Pantheon slammed a fist down on the table. "You take that back! Fighting is the most glorious and honorable..."
"Brutal, pointless, uncouth..." Twilight cut him off. Pantheon angrily reached for his spear, only to find it hovering out of his reach in a purple glow.
"Why you little...!" Pantheon stood to grab his floating weapon, only for it to jump further out of reach. Giving up on catching the flying spear, Pantheon turned to glare at Twilight. "Give me my spear so we can settle this like men."
"Do I look like a man to you?" Twilight deadpanned.
Twilight's blatant statement of the obvious did little to deter the warrior. "No, but..." On the other hand, the door to the library slamming open to reveal a small bipedal reptile carrying a large paper bag completely derailed his train of thought.
The reptile carried his load over to a shelf before noticing the scene he had just walked in on. "Am I interrupting something?" he asked. Pantheon and Twilight shared a look.
"No," they said in unison. Both returned to their seats and Pantheon's spear returned to its place on the table. The reptile shrugged and continued carrying the bag into the next room. "Pantheon and I were just having a... discussion about the, ah, merits of different pastimes."
Pantheon picked up his weapons. "Indeed we were," he agreed, "but I really must be going. I have to find a place to stay before nightfall."
"Oh, you could stay here if you want," Twilight offered, motioning deeper into the library. "I always have a room ready in case a friend needs a place to sleep."
Pantheon was taken aback by the offer. The average person on Runeterra would never offer their home to someone they hardly knew. It seemed the ponies of Equestria were much more trusting. "You are most generous, Twilight Sparkle. It would be my pleasure to spend the night here. I assure you I will begin searching for my own residence first thing in the morning."
"Take your time," Twilight said. "It's really no trouble, and I know Spike would enjoy having another guy around to talk to." It took a minute for Pantheon to realize that Spike was the reptile he'd seen earlier. He thought the name seemed rather ill-suited to the lad, seeing as how he didn't have a single spike on him. Then again, Spike had sounded rather young; he might acquire some as he grew.
"Spike should be making dinner now," Twilight said, interrupting Pantheon's train of thought. "I'll go let him know to make some extra food and that you'll be staying with us for a little while, then I've got some important research to do for the Princess. Feel free to read anything you find on the shelves."
After a moment, Pantheon decided that reading sounded like an excellent way to both pass the time and learn about the world he found himself in. He didn't usually turn to books for information, finding first-hand accounts to be much more accurate, but it would do in a pinch.
A few minutes of searching yielded a reasonably sized tome entitled, "The Modern Day". Pantheon carried the book back to his chair and began reading.
The first few chapters detailed the increasing industrialization Equestria was going through, notably mentioning the innovations in fusions between magic and technology. Pantheon felt the progress to be a good thing, so long as the ponies never took their innovation to the extreme that the city-state Zaun had back on Runeterra.
Following the description of the modern industry came a summary of the political changes enacted over the past decade. This section didn't particularly interest the warrior, so he skimmed through most of it.
Then, in the chapter about the re-introduction of Equestria's second princess a name caught Pantheon's eye. Twilight's name. He quickly reread the passage to make sure he hadn't misread it.
"Upon Princess Luna's return, she was still possessed by the evil being which called itself "Nightmare Moon". While severely weakened by her millenia-long banishment, she was still able to prevent the sun from rising, continuing her attempt to shroud the world in eternal night. With the royal guard in disarray, six young mares from Ponyville, the sight of Nightmare Moon's return, led by Princess Celestia's protege, Twilight Sparkle, ventured into the infamous Everfree Forest in search of the fabled Elements of Harmony. The six were able to find the Elements of Harmony and harnessed their power to return the Princess of the Night to normal."
Pantheon turned back to the table of contents, looking for other mentions of the Elements of Harmony. He found what he was looking for and went to the appropriate pages to continue reading about his host's accomplishments.

~~~

By the time Spike announced that dinner was ready, Pantheon had read through everything the history book, and two others, had to offer on Twilight's accomplishments. He marveled that such an influential person would act so... normal. On Runeterra, someone with a tenth of the mare's accomplishments would seek to use them to their own advantage.
That Twilight was effectively a national hero and was content to stay as a librarian for a small town spoke volumes to her character.
The mare in question was already busy eating by the time Pantheon had returned his books and entered the kitchen. "This smells delicious," he said, gazing at a bowl of pasta drenched in some sauce he didn't know the name for.
Spike swelled with pride at the compliment. "I hope you enjoy it," he said.
Pantheon took a seat and dug into the food. It was every bit as delicious as it smelled. "So Twilight," Pantheon said between mouthfuls. Twilight continued eating, but the swiveling of her ears signaled that she was listening. "I was reading some books and they mentioned you a couple times." He paused to finish his meal in one great bite. "For someone so averse to the concept of fighting, you're not afraid to get down and dirty when your world's safety is on the line."
Twilight took her time chewing her food. "Just because I don't like the idea of fighting for fun doesn't mean I think it's unnecessary," she finally said.
"Ah, you're one of those 'only if I must' types," Pantheon surmised.
"Is that a bad thing?" Twilight asked.
Pantheon shook his head. "Not necessarily," he said, thinking of the various reluctant heroes he'd had the honor of fighting  with and against. "I tend to get along well enough with them, so long as they're on my side. The ones who weren't, well, I won't go into any details but I didn't ever have to interact with them for very long."
"That's... nice." Twilight pulled off a remarkable Fluttershy impersonation, obviously uncomfortable with the subject. Luckily, Spike came to her rescue by changing the topic.
"So Pantheon, why are you wearing that helmet while you eat?" he asked.
Honestly, Pantheon hadn't even realized he was still wearing it. He was just so used to wearing it that it felt unnatural when he removed it. "Force of habit, mostly," he said. "I made it my business when traveling Runeterra to always be ready for combat. I keep it on because it feels more normal that way."
"That seems counter intuitive," Twilight remarked. "And uncomfortable." Spike nodded his agreement.
"It is," Pantheon agreed. "But I've grown used to it, and I would not be here talking to you if I did not wear my armor at all times." His hand unconsciously rubbed a scratch in his breastplate over his heart where an assassin's blade had once struck him while he ate. Needless to say the assassin had not lived for very long after that.
Conversation died off after that. Once they all finished Spike collected the dishes and started washing them. "I want to thank you again for letting me stay here tonight," Pantheon said.
Twilight rolled her eyes. "And I'll tell you again to think nothing of it," she said, leading him out of the kitchen. "Come here, I'll show you to your room."
The room they entered was sparsely furnished, with only a bed, a nightstand, and a single bookshelf. "It's nothing much, but..."
"This will do rather nicely," Pantheon cut Twilight off. "It is far nicer than many of the places I've slept in. And, honestly, I prefer my furnishings to be sparse. There's less to distract me that way."
"Well I'm glad you like it." Twilight smiled. "Good night, Pantheon. I'll see you in the morning."
"Good night," Pantheon said, then settled down for his first night in a new world.