Zero Fate

by GreyNimbus

16 — Homesick

Admittedly, that was not the most pleasant breakfast I ever had, but it'll keep me fed for at least a few hours. The coffee I ordered was too hot, it took ages for it to cool down enough to cope with my sensitive mouth. Not to mention it had no sugar. The grass nuggets left more to be desired. They tasted like baked lentil burgers, only they took much longer to chew. I haven't eaten anything so unsatisfying since I stopped my week-long fasting.

Rating: 1/4 star.

I tried concealing my disappointment until Starlight and I finished eating and left. She caught on suddenly when I tried spitting the aftertaste in a nearby bush. But no matter how much I tried, the taste remained.

"Sorry that you didn't like the food, Zero Fate." Starlight apologized. "But at least you tried something before you decided you hated it, right?"

Groaning from the unpleasant feeling of grass between my teeth, I squatted down, hands on my knees, and gathering as much phlegm as I can, I spat once more in the shrubbery, clearing yet more of the bad taste out.

I coughed a few times before standing up straight. I turned to Starlight. "Next time, can we just have breakfast at the castle?"

Starlight comes over to rub my back, hoping to ease my discomfort. "Of course, sweetie. In the meantime, maybe we could make a list of your species' dietary recommendations. How does that sound?"

I was a little surprised by the way she phrased that. Usually, it would take someone older than I look to understand it immediately, but I'm actually quite relieved. It's good to know that she's starting to treat me like an adult.

"Sounds like... cough... a plan."

Starlight gave me an approving smile before she ceased comforting me. She then continues to walk to our next destination. I swiftly catch up with her and walk with her side-by-side.

"So where to now?" I asked.

"Just one thing left on the agenda: school supplies." she proclaimed.

---

We spend the next hour buying everything I need to prepare for my first day at school tomorrow; pencils, erasers, blank paper, textbooks, etc. At first, I thought Starlight was going to pay for all this out of pocket, but she reassured me, saying that Twilight already gave her some money to go towards my school supplies. I don't like it when people constantly have to pay for my well-being. That was always the case back home with both my Mum and granny.

Finally finished getting everything ready for school tomorrow, we went back to the castle to store my new supplies in my room.

After walking around all morning, I decided to relax in bed for a while. Starlight had to go and see if there was anything that her mentor, Twilight, needed some help with. Knowing how important her work can get, I let her go without concern.

I lay my head on my super comfy pillow and decided to just relax and stay put until Starlight comes back.

---

Royal Dining Hall, 11:53 AM

Spending hardly any time searching for Twilight, Starlight heard her voice coming from one of the many rooms in the castle. She steps through into the dining hall to find Twilight sitting at a large round table. She was mumbling something while reading from a piece of parchment she had hovering in her magic. Twilight was facing away from Starlight and didn't seem to hear her enter the room. As Starlight moved closer, she noticed that Twilight was sweating and twitching her ears. She could tell that her mentor was having another one of her episodes.

"Twilight, you okay?" Starlight speaks up.

"Gah!" the princess yelped.

Twilight got caught by surprise, causing her to fall off her seat and drop the parchment. She landed on her side while the parchment floated in front of Starlight. She eyed it before helping Twilight stand back up with her magic.

"Sorry about that, Twilight. I just came to see if you had a lesson for me today. Are you busy at the moment?" Starlight asked.

Brushing herself off, Twilight finally composed herself before answering her student. "Oh, don't worry about it, Starlight. Everything's A-okay." She said nervously. "How's Zero Fate? And where is he?"

Starlight wasn't convinced by Twilight's reassurance but decided to leave it for later.

"Zero is doing just fine. He and I went to Café Hay for breakfast, but the food there didn't really suit him. On our way back, we went and bought him some supplies for school just like you asked me to. Right now, he's resting in his room. In the meantime, I thought I'd come to you for any friendship problems you might have for me to solve."

"Oh. Well, good to hear you're still eager to learn more about friendship, and taking care of your new human assistant." Twilight seemed relieved that Zero Fate was doing well, but Starlight could tell she had something more stressful on her mind.

"Twilight, what's wrong?"

Twilight was forcing a smile, trying to feign composure. But she knew eventually that it wasn't going to work on her student. With a heavy sigh, Twilight spilled the beans.

"I just got a letter from Princess Celestia. She wants to get together for dinner on Tuesday!" She said, sounding more worried at the end.

"Tuesday? That's the day after tomorrow." Starlight clarified. "But why do you look so worried?"

"Because she's asked me to host the dinner here at my castle! And I want to make sure everything goes perfectly!"

Starlight only gazed intensely at Twilight, reading her like a book that fills the void in her life.

"Are you worried about her knowing Zero's existence?" Starlight casually asked.

"No...! Not really... maybe..." Twilight's ears flopped down. "... a little."

Starlight sighed before moving closer to her mentor, putting a hoof on her withers and giving her a reassuring smile.

"You need to learn how to stop panicking over everything, otherwise you'll give yourself a migraine." Starlight teased. "If you're so worried about Princess Celestia discovering Zero Fate, then maybe you should ask for his opinion. And I'll be there with you both, cheering you on."

Twilight's frown disappeared.

"You're truly a fast learner, Starlight." Taking a deep breath, Twilight puffed her chest out. "Alright, let's go and ask Zero if he wants to meet the Princess!"

---

Zero Fate's room, 12:20 PM

Laying on my bed, I pulled out my phone and scrolled ominously viewed the latest number in my call history: My mum's number.

I know it's only been 2 days since she gave me, what was supposed to be, an impossible call, but I can't stop this sense of guilt for not telling her what happened to me. But what would you do if you were in my situation?

At first, I knew it was a bad idea to answer the phone since I could've just let it go to voicemail and listen to her message a minute later. Now the connection's gone and I have no way of contacting her ever again. No doubt she's been attempting to call me again.

I know it was hopeless to even think about it, but my instincts told me to try calling her back.

My thumb hovered over her phone number, shaking with hesitation. In a swift moment, I pressed 'call', shut my eyes tight, and brought the phone up to my ear.

The number you have called is out of your service range. Please try again later.

I groaned before hanging up and putting my phone on the end table next to my bed.

What the hell was I expecting? I don't know why my phone was connected the other day, but it doesn't matter now. At least I can still use it for its other functions.

I rolled over to my side and curled myself up into a ball with my arms clutching each other. Knowing the fact that I'll never see my family again, I feel a sharp pain emanating from the center of my chest. I noticed trails of tears running down my face and blurring my vision.

My body starts shaking uncontrollably. The familiar craving for the company of my family has returned.

I'm homesick.

I miss my family.

I miss my siblings.

I miss my mum.

I... I...

Before I knew it, my conscience was quickly being overpowered by my childish personality. Sparing myself the pain of repressed sadness, I wailed with all my might,

"I WANT MY MUMMY!!"

It didn't matter to me now how immature I was being right now. As an adult, I could handle separation from the people I love. But... that's no longer the case. I may have the memories, experiences, vocabulary, and knowledge of an adult.

But the fact now remains that I'm still just a little boy. A child who no longer has parents to care for him.

Without a parental figure to give them affection, protection, and guidance, children can easily grow up to be very unhappy. Or not grow up at all if they were unlucky.

Right now, I felt like one of those children. My family is gone, my adulthood is suspended, I'm in a world that alienates me, and now I...

That's when it hit me.

Despite my situation, I'm still here.

I'm alive. I have a new home. I'm under the protection of intelligent creatures that welcomed me.

My crying was beginning to ease, now reduced to hiccups. I was still shaking, but I prevented that by getting under the blankets. Without realizing it, my eyes got heavier, tears still leaking from them.

Moments later, I ended up crying myself to sleep.

---

West Corridor, 2:56 PM

"Now, are you sure you want to do this?" Twilight asked as she traversed the corridor with Starlight at her side.

Prior to this, the two gifted magic-casters discussed a plan to introduce Zero Fate to Princess Celestia. After a couple of hours of pitching ideas to each other, they finally came to a conclusion;

"Twilight, we've been over this already." Starlight answered reassuringly, "We ask Zero to join us for dinner, I introduce him to the Princess, then you explain how he got here, and I ask her for a solution, depending on whether or not Zero still wants to stay in Equestria, which we are on our way to ask him about."

Twilight nodded. "Yes, and don't forget that your opinion matters too. Probably not as much as Zero Fate's, but still. We both know that if it was up to you..."

"That I'd want him to stay with me... I mean, 'us'." Starlight laughed nervously. "Oh, we're here!"

Hoping to conceal her true intentions from Twilight, Starlight knocked in the door to Zero Fate's room.

*Knock, knock, knock.*

...

...

*Knock, knock, knock.*

...

"...Zero? Sweetheart?" Starlight gingerly asked. "It's just us, Starlight and Twilight. We've come to ask you something..."

...

Still no answer.

The two mares exchanged a look of worry before gently opening the door. It was unlocked. The door squeaked in its hinges, alerting the two ponies.

Once the door was opened the whole way, they scaled the room. It was only moments later that they saw a large lump on the bed.

Zero Fate was currently sleeping, yet their knocking somehow didn't wake him up.

As they quietly tip-toed towards the bed, Starlight noticed that his phone was still on, showing a portrait of his mother. She eyed the picture and then to the human, who's head she can clearly see poking out from under the blankets. As Twilight got a closer look at the slumbering human's face, she realized something and whispered to Starlight,

"Starlight... I think he's been crying."

Those words sent a shiver down Starlight's spine. She eyed her new assistant and back to the photo of his mother. Her fears were starting to well up inside of her as she whispered back to Twilight,

"He really misses his mother. Maybe... maybe he really wants to go back home after all."

This made Twilight gasp.

But this made Starlight... frown.

After just a few short days, she was grieving the thought of letting the young human, who she quickly settled into a special place in her heart, go back to where he came from.

Would she have to let him go? Could she even handle it?

Author's Note:

I had a lot of workshopping to do in this chapter, but I think I got it right in the end.

Comments

[TheHardie-Boy]

The coffee I ordered was very hot

No shit, really?

[GamerGoo]

Prior to this, the two gifted magic-casters discussed a plan tot introduce Zero Fate to Princess Celestia. After a couple of hours of pitching ideas to each other, they finally came to a conclusion;

to*

[Scorch234]

Wonder if this story will continue