Zero Fate

by GreyNimbus

15 — Breakfast with my Favorite Pony

Author's Note:

I know this chapter took longer than any of us expected, but I've been taking a break from the fandom for most of this year. But I've finally got this next one published and I even made a fresh, new title cover. I hope you guys enjoy both.

A long night, a new memory.

After spending the rest of the day showcasing my phone to Starlight, we had a late dinner and went to bed. It took a lot longer than I anticipated to explain how all the features worked, but I had to constantly remind her that I just own it, not created it.

For dinner, both of us excused ourselves while Twilight and Spike had their dinner before us. A couple of hours afterward, Starlight snuck into the kitchen and heated up the leftovers before bringing them back to my room.

Not wanting to keep us both up too late, Starlight decided to call it a night at around 10PM, according to the clock on my phone. As she tucked me into bed, she told me that we'd go shopping for school supplies in the morning since tomorrow is the day before my first day back at school.

Something I still wasn't keen about.

---

Sunday, 8:27AM

I managed to get myself out of bed before Starlight could wake me up. I wanted to show her how she doesn't need to look out for me all the time.

While I'm getting dressed in my new clothes, courtesy of Rarity, I played a song on my phone to get me in a brighter mood.

Still slightly struggling to put my pants in thanks to my still-recovering leg, I brought myself to bed, hoping it'll be easier to fit through them. After enough time and effort, I was finally wearing my new pants.

After going through all that, I felt like such a loser.

*Knock Knock*

"Come in!", I called out. Stepping through the door was my new attendee and guardian, Starlight Glimmer.

I smiled as I jumped off the bed and ran towards her with my arms spread. Starlight prepares for my affectionate assault as she catches me in a tight embrace.

"Good morning, my little assistant." she coos.

"Morning, Starlight." I said softly as her fur brushed gently against my face. Not wanting to make our morning hug too brief, I close my eyes and sigh in comfort. Starlight caught on to my intent and sat on her haunches, getting herself more comfortable for a gesture that she too didn't want to end so soon.

As I close my eyes, I usually see obscure darkness.

But something was different.

The whole world was covered in white.

Stars...

Yes, white stars. Many of them.

Even now, they continue to wisp around me, coating me with their warmth.

But what could it all mean? Better yet, why is it happening to me?

It's like I'm in a dream. A dream that you never want to wake up from.

Time seemed so slow now. The stars slowly start to gather together at a single point in front of me. I start to move my imaginary hands under the reunion of stars, wanting to hold them. As they come together, the stars start to form in a shape that seemed so familiar, but new to me at the same time.

A symbol I now have hovering over my palms. A mark of a purple and white star with two blue glimmering streams.

Starlight Glimmer's Cutie Mark.

I stare in awe for a moment as I begin to realize what this symbol means to me: it is my beacon of hope. My lifeline. My second chance.

It represents my adoration for Starlight and everything she has done to change me into who I am today.

And somehow, I feel like I've always known that, even from the beginning. That's probably why I drew her Cutie Mark on paper by memory alone.

I was finally slapped back into reality after catching my breath for burying my face in Starlight's chest fur. I sighed dejectedly before gazing up into her eyes.

There, gazing back at me, were those big, full, luminous eyes of a loving, caring mare.

"You okay?" she asked sweetly.

I squinted slightly, trying to hold back my tears. I forced a smile as I tightened my embrace, seemingly catching her by surprise.

"Never been better. Literally."

---

After our long morning greeting, Starlight and I got ourselves ready for another trip into Ponyville. We also decided to have breakfast in public since Starlight thought it would be a good excuse to see more of this fine village.

I decided to not use her as my crutch today, as my legs were nearly healed 100%. She agreed to let me walk on my own. There were a few noticeable wobbles in my movements, but it's nothing that time won't fix.

On our way to Café Hay, our destination for breakfast, we passed what looked like a huge ditch just sitting in the middle of a wide area. The ditch wasn't that deep, but it was big enough to fit one of these... Ponyvillian houses.

Despite my overwhelming curiosity, I continued walking at a leisurely pace, unfazed by my realization and the deserted scene we just walked past.

A couple of hundred meters later, we made it to Café Hay. There was outdoor and indoor seating in the form of bales of hay and giant mushroom tables. There were also flowers in small vases in the middle of each table.

We stopped at an empty table and took our seats on our hay bales. Not the most comfortable thing for a fur-less creature like myself to sit on, but I'll suck it up. Finally making myself comfortable, Starlight and I picked up the menus that were under the vase.

"Order what you're in the mood for, Zero. My treat." Starlight said.

"Thanks."

Opening my menu, I can see very few varieties of food to order. Kind of disappointing since I've been to cafés with menus fit for a restaurant. Let's see what we got anyway:

Sandwiches - 3 bits
Cucumber & Cheese
Daffodil & Daisy
Tomato & Lettuce
Hay & Grass

Okay, I'll pass on all of those. Hell, the last option will just end up choking me instead of feeding me. Also, I thought tomatoes were poisonous to equines. Why are they serving it at a café? Maybe it doesn't apply to this colorful race of talking ponies. I bet they could probably eat meat if they wanted to. What else do we have here?

Sides - 2 bits
Hay Fries
Grass Nuggets
Potato Gems

Well, I guess I should go for the Potato Gems since it's the only thing on the menu I can stomach. But I might need something to wash it down, just in case.

Drinks - 2 bits
Water (Free)
Orange Juice
Tea
Coffee
Cola

Nope, still disappointed. But you can't have everything. But maybe I should go for the healthier options. I admit I wasn't the healthiest ever since I started living independently, but I had the willpower to stop if I went too far. I'm not gonna self-destruct my body's health again.

"Starlight, I'm ready to order."

Looking up from her menu like a spy, she glances at me, making me feel unsettling.

"Uh, what are you looking at me like for?" I asked, shaking in my itchy seat.

Slamming her menu on the table, she opens her mouth abruptly and spoke as if she was trying to read my thoughts.

"Do you eat hay?" She asked.

After all that suspense, that's all she wanted to ask me? Or maybe she just wants me to play along with some sort of improv.

Let's test that theory.

"Who are you asking? Me or the guy with the long face over there?" I said comically, eyeing the waiter taking another customer's order.

Starlight briefly turns her attention to the nearby waiter before she and I both shared a quiet laugh. I think Starlight found it funnier than I did. A joke like that would usually be considered funny to those with low standards for humor. But it seems ponies in Equestria would find anything funny. I hope I'm not bragging about my sense of humor, but I'm really funny only when I'm not trying.

After Starlight's laughter finally died down, way before mine did, I gave her a straight answer. "Well, I know that hay is a type of grass. Humans can digest grass, but with hay, it's just not possible."

"Are you sure?" she asked, raising an eyebrow in doubt.

"Yeah, why?" I asked, wondering if something I said was amiss.

"Remember that sandwich Twilight made for you? That had hay in it."

I was a bit shocked to know that my appraisal on that sandwich wasn't misplaced. That crunchy fries-looking stuff was hay!

"Is that what that crunchy stuff was? Well, I guess deep-fried hay is an exception, then."

"Looks like it."

Just in the nick of time, the waiter I previously made fun of finally arrives at our table.

"Welcome to Café Hay. My name is Savoir Fare and I will be your waiter zis morning. Are you two ready to order?" the waiter said in a strong European accent.

"Yes, can I get a cucumber and cheese sandwich with a side of hay fries, please?" Starlight said.

"Of course. And vat vould you like to order,... sir?" the waiter asked me while writing down Starlight's order on a notepad. I'll ignore that 'sir' comment since he doesn't know any better.

"Can I please get a coffee and a side of grass nuggets?"

"Zertainly." he says, now writing my order too. "Iz zere anyzing else?"

"Nope, that's everything. Thank you." Starlight confirmed.

"Very good. I'll be back wiz your order momentarily."

And with that, the waiter storms off inside the café.

---

After several minutes of waiting for our order to arrive in silence, I was pondering on a new topic to continue our conversation on. Most of the time, during my stay in Equestria, I'm usually the one who had to answer questions about myself and where I came from. I hardly had any time to ask some questions of my own. Now I think it's about time that my patience gets rewarded.

"You know..." I started, taking away Starlight's view from the surrounding scenery. "You've asked me so many questions, I almost have nothing left to tell you. But I still don't know much about you."

"Oh..!" Starlight exclaimed, realizing how much she's been neglecting to sate my curiosities. "Well, what would you like to know?"

I already know about her backstory, something that I'm actually grateful for because it brought me closer to her, but I don't know anything about her interests.

"Let's start with something simple; what are your hobbies?" I asked, leaning on the table with a smile.

She scratches her cheeks, delaying an answer. Did I ask her an embarrassing question or does she actually have to think long and hard about it?

"I like learning magic, board games, botany, and... kites." she said nervously.

I wasn't sure what to expect. But I was not expecting that kind of answer.

"Kites, huh? That's, um... I'm sorry, I've got no comment."

"What's the matter? It's not weird to you, is it?"

"Not at all! It's just that... it's not what I expected. I mean, I mostly expected the other stuff you like, but where I come from, kites have been out of fashion for years."

"Oh." she sighed.

"But learning magic; that actually piques my interest. Do you think I could learn magic too?"

Starlight froze at my question. I was a little mind-blown myself. It never occurred to me until now if it was possible for an alien to learn magic in a world that's not their own.

"That's actually a very good question. Do they have magic back in your world?" Starlight asked.

"The closest thing we have to magic are illusions. But they're usually just smoke and mirrors. Nothing compared to what you and Twilight have shown me."

"Then how would you like to find some answers after your first day of school tomorrow?"

I stood up from my seat in excitement and a cheek-aching smile on my face. Could it actually be possible for a human to use magic? Do I have what it takes? Too many questions, so much time.

"You really mean it!? I can use magic as you can!?"

"Easy, Zero. We don't even know if it's possible yet. But it's worth giving it a try. And I'm sure Twilight would be more than happy to help out too."

Barely able to contain my excitement any longer, I rushed over to Starlight's side of the table and gently tackled her in a tight embrace. She gently rubs my back in response to my affection.

"Thanks, Starlight. I love you." I whispered.

"I love you too, Zero. Just remember, you'll have to wait until after school before I could even teach you anything."

"You promise?"

"As long as you don't tell anypony that I like kites, then sure. I promise."

"My lips are sealed."

"Good boy. Now get back to your seat before our order arrives."

"Yes, ma'am."

Comments

[Accurate Balance]

Ooh! It's back!

[GreyNimbus]

10259918
Yeah, and it's here to stay. I'm just a bit slow.

[BestinDworld]

So when is our protagonist gonna call starlight mom?

[GreyNimbus]

10260403
I'm still debating on that.

[GreyNimbus]

10273415
No, it's satay.