The Chef & The Moon
The sounds of pots and pans clattering and the collection of happy ponies chatting about sweet merriment could be heard from the restaurant sitting pretty in the middle of the busy street in Canterlot Square. The lights shining from the windows of the building lit up the packed, snow-filled streets with a calming glow as the evening started to set in. The assortment of smells coming from the door whenever a pony or two would leave or enter the building entranced anyone close enough to smell it.
Anyway, that's probably what an outside spectator would be thinking.
Right now, I was trying my best to fight off an oncoming headache. I've stuffed myself with painkillers, and I'm backed up on orders far beyond what I'm comfortable with on days like these. I almost feel entitled to complain about the rise in popularity. Hearth's Warming is approaching quickly, and it's making ponies want to go out to treat themselves to something tasty, of which I have many. It's currently Friday, and it's the last day we're open for the season.
That means that right now, my restaurant is the cornerstone of Canterlot activity.
"Giddy, extra cheese, extra mushroom on order 985!" One of my servers, Chatter Batter, hollered across the kitchen to one of my chefs. The teal blue stallion at the receiving end of the order was darting back and forth between grills, sweating profusely. Multiple spatulas and ladles hovered in his purple hue of magic, and he had several small notes slipped behind his left ear and tucked behind the other was a pencil.
At the sound of Chatter's voice, his ear twitched ever so slightly for just a split second. Then, almost faster than I could see, he quickly jotted down something on one of the notes with his magic. He may be stressed, but by the grace of Celestia, that kid is good at what he does. Hired him only about half a year ago, right after he graduated from Canterlot Academy. He was damn eager to dip his hooves in practical work, and so far, he's delivered in boatloads.
Giddy Giggles was not my only chef today by far. I had to call in all able employees I currently had available as soon as I saw how many ponies were actually stopping by. By 1:00 PM, the restaurant was practically packed, and we had to unblock the staircase to the second floor of the place, and about half an hour later, everyone I had called for showed up. It was enough to make a grown man cry. Celestia bless the work ethic here in Equestria.
I was standing opposite Giddy, currently whipping up some Butternut Squash soup while sometimes peering up and looking over my shoulder, keeping a keen eye on all the orders going to and fro like a hawk. Checking the food quality going from grills to plates, ensuring the workspace remains clean, etc. I trust my cooks, but on days like today, something always happens.
"Violet, get those paninis back in the oven; they're still fucking raw!" I barked at the mare who was trying to sneak an early order, glaring at her. Not on my watch, you're not.
The poor mare looked mortified as she hurriedly shoved the tray back into the oven. "Yes, boss! Sorry, boss!"
I shook my head, a smirk forming on my face as I resumed my task. I added some small pieces of excellently cut garlic and red chilies into my soup while whisking vigorously. A pleasant aroma wafted upwards into my face, and I took in the smell as I gauged what else needed to be added. Finally, I decided on another teaspoon of crème fraîche and a dab of olive oil to complete the dish.
I stepped away for a moment and spotted Chatter about to head out the door with some more trays of steaming food on them.
"Order up!" I called to her. She stopped briefly and maneuvered the plates on her back to somehow not topple over as she turned her neck to glance at me over her shoulder. "All full here, boss. Gonna have to wait for the next poor soul to walk through these doors."
I made a mock crying face. Unamused, she resumed her circus act, pushed the doors open, and headed into the restaurant with the smorgasbord on her back. As soon as the doors went up, I heard the loud chatter of a large number of ponies in the restaurant seep through for a short moment.
Shrugging, I turned on my heels to quickly add soup into four different bowls for an order before adding some cut pieces of dill on top of each one to give it some contrast. The soup was thick and creamy. I could feel the flavor profiles of the dish on my tongue just by looking at it, and I had to resist the urge to dip my finger in and taste it.
I went to wash up the used whisks and ladles and poured the remaining soup from the mixing pot into a serving bowl so it could be more easily accessible for servers on the go. After cleaning up the pot, I quickly dried my hands on my apron and went over to give them a nice wash in the sink to rinse off the excess grime and other suspicious substances to prepare myself for my next craft.
Just then, Breezer, one of my servers, came busting through the kitchen doors. "Jean, some ponies want a word with the head chef!"
My brow arched. "Critic?" I asked as I turned off the faucet. Not now, please.
"No. Well.. uh, I don't rea- ugh, just please follow me." His head vanished back inside the restaurant. Okay, I'll bite.
On my way out the doors, I almost had an accident with Minuette, another one of my servers. She was on her way back inside the kitchen with empty bowls and plates balanced on her back precariously and several held in her magic, and she yelped when my crotch almost smashed into her muzzle. I screeched to a halt and danced around her, trying to look suave. Nailed it. I made a mental note to label the doors with 'in' and 'out' at some point.
I was now out in the restaurant proper, and I took in the sights while trying to see where Breezer went. Families and friends filled every table we had available with ponies of all colors and sizes, though most were unicorns. Canterlot is all about unicorns. A self-service bar was located between the seating areas and the kitchen doors, which ponies could use for special orders which were mostly pizza-related. It was a warm and welcoming sight, and I couldn't help but smile with pride, my headache momentarily forgotten.
I caught a glimpse of orange in my peripheral view and saw Breezer's orange flank disappearing up the stairs. I made my way past the bar and took to the stairs to follow.
I walked up the steps two steps at a time, and when I got to the top, I caught parts of a conversation happening not far from where I had emerged from. Breezer was standing next to a table to my right, looking back and forth between two unicorn stallions having a discussion. He didn't seem like he knew what to do.
"I just... I don't understand! You must be positively daft to propose such a statement!"
"How rude! I assure you, dear sir, I am convinced you are in dire need of medical care if you are seriously suggesting that I am in the wrong here!"
I approached the table cautiously as the two white-coated stallions continued their quarrel while I was trying to figure out what they were talking about. Breezer nodded his head sideways toward them while looking me in the eyes. I gave him my best 'are you shitting me' look I could before taking a deep breath and clasping my hands together.
"Gentlecolts! How are you finding your meals this evening?" The stallions took their eyes off each other and directed them at me as I declared my part in this conflict. "Mr. Pants, a pleasure as always." I nodded at the stallion to my right.
"Ah yes, quite! Good to see you again, dear Jean," Fancy Pants greeted me with a hoof, and I shook it. He cringed slightly as I let go. "but please, call me Fancy."
I nodded and smiled. This is why I prefer to be behind the kitchen doors. I hate having to force a smile or be polite when I don't really feel like it, but at least with some of my customers, it wasn't as hard to do. Mr. Pants being one of them. He's a decent dude and a loyal patron
The stallion to my left perked up. "You must be the head chef. Good! Now we can settle this!" I turned over and took in the stallion before me. He was a similarly white stallion, but his mane was long, blonde, and natural. Around his neck was a bowtie-collar combination and his cutie mark was some sort of compass.
I stood there nervously smiling at the stallion and fiddling with my fingers, waiting for elaboration. Hey, at least it's not a critic. I thought. Taking the hint, the stallion addressed me further. "As the maker of this dish, please tell this... fool across from me that his eyes have yet to firmly adjust. This pudding; It's clearly white with hues of yellow swirls accenting it."
What?
Fancy Pants butted in. "Now, Jean, surely you must agree that this pudding is distinctly black and blue. Yes?" He looked at me expectantly. I blinked.
Baffled at the unexpected turn this had taken, I could only stare at the dessert while trying to force my brain to work. I was looking at my Black & Blueberry pudding. The majority of the contents were jet black pudding and blue swirls of food coloring with a flavor of blueberry. "I, uh.. what?"
"See? He is clearly as confused as I am! Cease this nonsense!"
I blinked again. My eyes darted to Fancy Pants, and he was gauging my reaction. It's clearly black and blue. What the fuck is he on about? I thought. No matter how much I looked at it and turned my head around it, it simply remained as it was. Black and blue. As if reading my thought process, Fancy Pants smirked.
Slowly I turned back to the confused stallion and put on my best orderly voice. "I'm sorry, sir, but this is Black & Blueberry pudding. As you can probably tell by the name, the pudding is black and blue." I said matter-of-factly. The stallion then sputtered incoherent gibberish as he tried to form a response. Fancy Pants and Breezer just nodded sagely next to me.
We had gained the attention of several ponies, and they were all stifling their laughter as the white stallion questioned his reality and possibly his corneas.
That was... interesting.
I returned to the kitchen from my bizarre experience and felt my headache growing in volume. My hands were covering my face, and I tried to rub my fatigue off as much as possible. My kitchen staff eyed me like I was crazy as I beelined past them and headed straight for the back door and out into the cold snow, in which I had the intention of dunking my face in.
I opened the door heading into the small hallway leading to another door that would take me to the outside seating areas for staff only. Opening the second door, I noticed that the whole area out back was covered in a layer of fresh snow and still falling from the darkening skies. Stepping down the steps, I took a deep, long inhale through my nostrils. Big mistake.
I winced and coughed upon my nose being assaulted by the smell of a lit cigarette. Then, off to my left, I heard a raspy voice. "Hey, boss. here to admire the view, or are you joining me?" I glanced over and saw Sugar Plum, my server and pastry chef combination, who decided a second cigarette within a half hour was somehow an appropriate choice. She wiggled her eyebrows at me as she leaned against the wall.
Fucker snuck off again. "Oh, you know, I just figured I'd find a brick wall to slam my head against. Why are you out here again?"
"Why do you think? Dealing with snobby flank kissers all day wears me out." She said while taking a rather large pull of what was left of her cigarette. "Just give me a minute." She blew the hot air out in a thick cloud of smoke. She was obviously exhausted, evident by the visible bags under her eyes that were slightly darker pink than the rest of her coat.
I sighed and made my way over to her by the far wall and leaned up against it right next to her, and crossed my arms for warmth. "Yeah, well, after today, you can probably stock up on those cancer sticks as much as you want," I pointed at her pack of Mareboro's. "today's been fucked. But at least we all get like half a month's salary just from today."
...
"Give me one of those."
Sugar scoffed. "Oh, you're gonna lecture me, and then you start too? Hypocrite."
I raised my hand into a fist and made a cranking motion with my other hand next to it. Slowly, my middle digit raised to proudly present itself to the mare. She rolled her eyes as I kept on the show.
"What can I say? It's been a long day. Give me a break."
"Put that thing back where it came from if you're not gonna use it for something useful." She teased, and her horn lit up. Her pack of Mareboro's was surrounded by a crimson hue of magic, and the pack opened, fishing out the very last cigarette inside. She flicked it over to me, and it bumped against my chest before bouncing off, but I clumsily caught it before it plunged into the white abyss beneath me. Slipping it into my mouth, it instantly lit courtesy of her magic. "Thanks." I nodded.
I took a pull, and the end of the cigarette lit up. "So, how are you doing? I heard Giddy mention you and Cog fought again." My eyes noticed movement by her hooves as she tried to cover up a subtle bruise on her front hoof.
"I'm fine." She turned her face away from me. Oof. Didn't take a genius to guess she wasn't fine, but I wasn't going to pry.
Quick, change of subject. I took another pull. "Well, you better join us on Sunday for the Hearth's Warming party. Everyone's gonna be there, and we could use someone to keep us in line so Giddy and I don't burn down half of Canterlot." I bumped her flank playfully with my leg and chuckled.
She finished the rest of her snipe and turned her face back to me again, smirking. "Heh... we'll see. Not sure what I'll be up to this weekend. Thanks for the invite, though." She said before stumping it in a nearby ashtray that hung off the wall. That's good enough for me. My heart went out to the poor mare; I could tell she was going through it. Her face had fallen as soon as I had mentioned Cog, and I felt like shit about it.
I pushed myself off the wall, taking another long inhale, letting the toxic air invade my lungs before puffing it out in a large plume of smoke. "C'mon. Let's get your mind off the depressing shit before it rubs off on me. What better way to distract yourself than to suffer with your pals in there?" I pointed towards the door.
She snorted, her hot breath visible in the cold weather. "Alright then, you big ape. Ladies first." She teased, presenting the way to the door for me first.
"I'll toss you."
"You wouldn't."
...
...
...
"Okay! I'm going!" She yelped as I reached to pick her up by her tail. I continued to reach for her tail playingly as I chased after her the short distance back to the door.
When Sugar and I walked into the small area between the back door and the kitchen, I noticed she was a bit puffy around her eyes and slightly red around the edges. She probably excused herself because she needed some time by herself to get some emotions out when nobody was paying attention. I also couldn't help but notice she was stuck to my hip like glue as we walked back into the kitchen after wiping our feet and hooves on the carpeted entryway.
I put my hand on her neck to provide some unspoken support, and she flinched ever so slightly at the touch. However, she relaxed pretty quickly and glanced up at me with a thankful smile.
I smiled back and scratched her absentmindedly while we walked together toward the kitchen.
Opening the door, I noticed an alarming number of my staff gathered by the door leading into the restaurant, peeking through the small gap. They were all stacked on top of each other somehow in impossible positions to allow everyone to see into the restaurant and look at... whatever they were looking at.
Before I could start to question what they were all doing there, I was quickly made aware of a burning smell coming from the grills. I saw that a few tofu patties were turning black, and black smoke was coming from one of the ovens.
"Hey, hey, HEY! What the fuck are you all doing?!" I shouted as I bolted across the kitchen and tried to salvage as much as possible before the smell carried into the restaurant. The entire peeping crew by the doors yelped and fell on top of each other at the sound of my voice and they all scrambled to get untangled. Meanwhile, I got to work with quickly flipping the tofu patties over, but they were already way past being salvageable. Shifting my attention, I went to the oven to turn down the heat and went into a coughing fit once I opened it and was assaulted by the smell of burning pizza.
"The fuck has gotten into all of you?!" I shouted at them while removing the stone-hard pizza from the oven. I swore explosively as I burnt the tip of my finger that slipped through the dishcloth I was using to hold the tray with and dropped the pizza on the table with a hard 'thunk' for my staff to observe. They were all looking at each other nervously, and some of them were stealing glances back at the doors. Giddy approached me with a sheepish smile.
"Heh... sorry about that, boss, but you gotta see who just came in! This is really, really bad!"
"No, Giddy, what's really, really bad is the severely burnt food! Just because I step out for a few, it doesn't give you excuses to get lousy." I pointed at the rock pizza, and his head sank.
Sighing, I started to walk over to the doors to the restaurant. "Honestly, dude, we get important douchebags in here all the time; what's got you all so jumpy all of a sud-" I froze mid-sentence as I peeked out to see what the guys were fussing about. My mouth fell open.
Okay, maybe their reactions were justified.
I was looking directly at the topic of many debates and conversations I had been part of for the past few months; Princess Luna in the flesh. The newly reformed princess was seated by the window with two royal guards in dark lavender armor, one sitting next to her closest to the window and the other sitting opposite the two.
I also noticed that the seats on each side of the Princess were vacant, giving her a wide berth.
Ever since her reformation by the Elements of Harmony six months prior, nobody had seen the princess anywhere. It was like she had just appeared and then simply disappeared again just as quickly. Word had gotten out, of course, and media from all over Equestria were stationed near the castle at all times trying to get the latest scoop, though news never reached the outside about the princess. After about 3 months of nothing, the last crew had left.
And now here she was, exactly as described in the picture books about the royal sisters, sitting in my restaurant.
"So uh... That's Princess Luna, isn't it?" I asked stupidly to nobody in particular. My staff had mostly gotten back to what they were previously doing but a few had remained by my side, namely Chatter and Minuette. They were supposed to be anywhere but right here, inside the kitchen.
"What's she doing here?"
"We're doomed!"
I moved away from the door and pushed the two ponies further into the kitchen. "Would you guys be quiet?! Why is nobody out taking orders?"
They both looked nervously at each other. Minuette's lip trembled and she uttered, "b-but it's Nightmare Moon."
As if on cue, a cold breeze flew by the room causing everyone to shiver. I glared at her. "Of all the... If none of you are gonna behave like adults then I'll have to take this one." I threw my arms out in a 'what the fuck' motion. There's that headache again.
I untied my apron and tossed it in Minuette's face. I turned quickly on my heels and took a deep breath before opening the doors.
Stepping out into the unexpected, I noticed that most of the lively conversations had turned into whispers, and most, if not all the attention in the building was on Princess Luna. At least until I stepped out. The princess herself was looking my way as I tried to casually make my way over to her, the words of my staff lingering in my mind. Does this mean trouble? I know she's supposed to be reformed, but what is she doing here? Is she just here to eat?
When I got to the table, I noticed her guards tense up and stared me down as if ready to strike at any wrong move. They both had bright coats, although one was a mare and the other a stallion. The only other differentiating feature I could tell from glancing at them was that the stallion's ears had weird tufts at the end of them. I directed my attention back to the princess.
"Good evening, erm, your majesty," I said with an awkward bow, unsure whether or not I should've done that. It ended up looking half-assed as a result.
The princess eyed me curiously before my world exploded. "A fair evening to thee as well. Are we correct to assume that thou is the owner of this establishment?"
She practically howled into my face in what I can only describe as what being next to a sonic boom would feel like. The room shook at the volume of her voice, and I had to cover the ringing in my ears. The rest of the ponies in the room had the same reaction as I did, though they were not directly in the line of fire as I was. I also heard a faint crash coming from the kitchen.
The female guard next to her coughed lightly into her hoof and addressed her. "Princess, remember, mind the volume."
A look of realization seemed to cross the princess' face and she quickly looked over to her guards. They looked understandably distressed, albeit in controlled distress. I guess this was not a first-time occurrence.
Her head whipped back to me. "Our apologies, good sir." She said to me at a much more acceptable volume. "We are still adjusting to the customs of this modern age."
I smiled awkwardly, unsure how to address her or much less how to even speak to royalty. My ears were still ringing, and I was surprised that I could even hear what she had said. "T-that's quite alright, your majesty. I am indeed the owner. Welcome to the JeanDélicieux. Can I take your order this evening?" I asked her with as much professionalism as I could, although my voice did break halfway through.
A look I couldn't quite place came across her face, and she sadly cast her eyes to the ground. I noticed movement behind me and cast a quick glance to see that my servers had resumed their duties.
"Indeed. We wouldst not expect any more than so." She said, barely above a whisper this time. Her eyes met mine once more, "Doth the name Cibus mean anything to thee?"
My brow shot up. I'd heard the name before, indeed. The very street we were on was called Cibus, and I remember the previous owner of this place mentioned the name once or twice when we were handling the contract. If I remember correctly, he might have owned this place at one point. In any case, definitely an important pony to have a street named after him, much less in the center of town. It piqued my interest.
"I believe I've heard the name before, yes. Why do you ask, your highness?" I asked. As mentioned before, I have never been in a situation where I have addressed royalty, so I tried to just channel my training from talking to the elites that would sometimes frequent. They're not too far off, I suppose.
A small smile touched her face. "Forgive us. We only ask out of curiosity. We wouldst not expect old Cibus to still own this restaurant all these years later."
While talking with the princess, I noticed that my initial 'fear' of her was misplaced. Aside from the explosive first contact, she wasn't exactly intimidating where she sat. She was sitting at the table awkwardly, as she was quite a bit bigger than most normal ponies were. It was like watching a filly trying to fit into a foal chair. It was pretty hilarious.
Aside from that, I could tell she was a bit uncomfortable. Many ponies seemed to be afraid of her, reasonably so. She used to inhabit the villainous Nightmare Moon, the thousand-year-old tale that was told to scare little fillies and colts into not eating too much candy. Outside of that of course there is the whole 'banished to the moon by her sister' thing because she tried to take over the throne.
I knew better, of course. Being somewhat educated in Equestrian history, I knew it wasn't as black and white as it seemed. Nothing is. I had a suspicion that the princess was also aware of the discomfort of the ponies around us since she seemed to deflate when she noticed several customers had left as soon as they could when her attention was on me. Other than all of that, she just seemed... sad.
I snapped back to attention when I realized I had been staring at her. The guards were eyeing me warily as if trying to read my thoughts.
"I'm sorry, Princess. May I ask how you knew this Cibus?" I inquired.
Luna smiled warmly. "Indeed. He was our dearest friend before our banishment."
Oh.
"He and his soulmate were part of the founders of this fine city a long time ago. He was the pony responsible for the construction of this very building, which we frequented often." She told me. She wasn't looking directly at me. It was as if she could see something I could not and was re-experiencing moments that were far older than I could imagine. I shivered at the thought.
"You frequented here? I wasn't aware of how ol-" I stopped myself from almost insulting her. "I-i mean, I didn't know this place existed back then." She didn't seem to be fazed by it. Dodged a bullet there. The male guard shifted in his seat, though.
"It is so. Our friend Cibus had the finest dining in all of Equestria! We heard it was still operational and simply had to see it ourselves. Although it doth not look quite as we remember." She commented as she looked around.
Go figure. Obviously, the place has undergone some renovations in order to not crumble into a pile of rubble over the past thousand years. I would have never guessed it was that old, though. Speaking of old, I noticed that her accent was a bit dated. I had no issue understanding her though, so I didn't want to comment on it.
At her comment, I quickly looked around as well. It was a fairly quaint place. Aromatic candles hung from the walls to spread a faint smell of ginger and pine throughout the building due to the season. There were tables for two, four, and six spread out along the walls and in the middle of the room, utilizing the space as much as possible. All of it had a rustic design making it feel very homely.
While she was taking it all in, she noticed the surrounding ponies still kept their eyes on us and whispered quietly amongst themselves. Ah yes, this feels familiar. I thought.
"We must apologize for unsettling thy patrons as we have. It was not our intent." She said sadly.
I shook my head and waved my hand dismissively at the crowd. "Not at all, Princess. I've seen it all before, trust me. It gets better with time."
She looked at me curiously. Then her eyes started to drift up and down, sizing me up. I casually put my hands in my pockets and allowed her to take me in. Yes, I know I'm handsome.
"Thou hast also been outcast?" She asked hesitantly. I shook my head.
"Nah, I wouldn't say that. As you can probably tell, I'm just a bit different. Nothing wrong with that, but it doesn't stop ponies from staring, unfortunately." I tested the waters to see how she and her guards would react to me not using her title. Nothing.
"Indeed. We wouldst not want to assume thee to be different, however. Where dost thou hail from, if we may ask?" My favorite game of Q&A had returned. Yippee.
"I was born and raised here in Canterlot. My mother came to Equestria many years ago against her will due to some magical accident. We never figured out why." I said offhandedly. "Oh, and before you ask, she was already pregnant with me when she got here," I added.
Luna looked surprised. "Is that so?" She suddenly perked up. "Oh! Our humblest apologies. Introductions hast not been made! Good fellow, our name is Luna. As for thou?" She held out her hoof, presenting it to me with a small smile.
Oh fuck oh shit. Do I kiss it? Do I shake it? I know she's more accustomed to old ways but was it customary to kiss a hoof of royalty back then? If I shake it and she isn't used to that, is she gonna be upset?
Not wanting to stand there too long, I took a knee and tried to play it as safe as I could. Worst case, if I kiss it she'd only be confused, right? I took her glass-covered hoof gently in my hand and leaned in to give it a light peck with my lips. I looked into her eyes and responded. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Princess Luna. My name is Jean."
I heard ponies gasp around me, and I tried to gauge her reaction. Her face split into a large grin.
"Oh, most joyous of days! Thou knows of our old customary royal greeting!" To her credit, she only half deafened me this time. I guess the excitement got to her. I did fall on my ass at the force of her voice, though.
Luna slapped her hooves on her mouth and got off her seat to help me up. She smiled sheepishly as she offered me her hoof. I took it while thanking her as she dragged me to my feet. Quite effectively, I might add. She's strong.
"Our apologies again, dear Jean. It is an esteemed pleasure to greet thee. We hast not had that experience in... quite some time." She said while lightly kicking the ground the same way a filly would when embarrassed about something.
A smile formed on my face, and I tried to ignore my worsening headache caused by the ringing in my ears. "Pleasure is all mine... and don't worry about it."
I like her.
For the next fifteen minutes, Luna and I would talk about whatever and she was quite engaging in conversation. It was awkward to have the whole place pretty much listen in on everything we talked about initially, but things were finally starting to calm down.
After the ponies had seen the princess helping me up after falling over and hearing of her insecurities about being different, they seemed to slowly ease up. Eventually, the place started to liven up again. My servers were back into full action again, and things were running smoothly. Ponies would never fully stop looking over their shoulders to catch a glance at a princess of Equestria, though, which I guess I can't judge them for.
The ponies upstairs had no idea this was all even happening for the most part. Only when they came down to leave were they made aware of Luna, and they froze up for about five minutes before moving again. Same reaction every time. It was never not hilarious.
It wasn't until a few ponies had migrated upstairs that some them had come down to investigate. And by 'investigate', I mean peeking from behind the corner of the staircase and then hiding when the princess would look their way.
The slight pause in time did allow my staff to complete every single order tough, and we were finally given a breather. Although some of my cooks would occasionally peek through the doors to the kitchen to see if I was still alive or not.
Some things just never change.
I had gone back into the kitchen after excusing myself for a moment to check on the state of my employees. Surprisingly, they were back to one hundred percent, and even Sugar was looking better. Takes your mind off it when you occupy yourself, huh?
She saw me coming in while doing dishes and smirked at me while making a witty remark about me hitting on the princess. I sat down on her flank to use it as a chair while rubbing my sore legs as a response, ignoring her protests as she tried to shake me off.
Luna herself was quite the character. She told me of the time she had spent in the castle for the past few months trying to learn how the modern age functioned. She still spoke in her ancient way but told me she was still working on that. After we talked about that particular subject, she attempted and failed to mimic how I spoke, which gave me a good laugh. It was only after all these months spent with only her guards and her sister that she felt somewhat comfortable coming outside and trying to be social. I respected her for that, and I could relate.
Her guards remained as stoic as ever and were just staring blankly at nothing mostly, though it was clear they were listening in. Their ears went back and forth between Luna and me as we chatted; it was adorable. Occasionally they would scout the area for potential threats before returning to their guarding.
Luna also expressed sadness for her departed friend, Cibus. He had been a very close friend of hers, and apparently, she had very few of those, even back then. Meanwhile, during her reminiscing, she moved to stand up, feeling pretty eager to walk me around the restaurant to explain how things looked from what she remembered all that time ago.
Her male guard had quickly fallen in step behind her while we walked, but his female companion had opted to stay at the table to hold down the fort. While walking around the first floor, Luna may or may not have snuck a few slices of pizza into her magical grasp to hide behind herself while we walked past the bar. I didn't say anything, but her horn remaining active until we returned to her table was a dead giveaway.
She also pointed out how I could improve my establishment. Her advice was... aged. She suggested I add some iron maidens to decorate my walls with and put gargoyles on the roof to serve as protection. How would I even get stuff like that?
At some point, I felt I had held her up for quite some time, and my legs were starting to cramp up from standing over her table for so long.
"It's been a pleasure chatting with you, Princess, but I should be getting back to my duties. Would you like to order something, though? I would be delighted to make it for you personally." I offered as I tapped the menu that was still unopened on the table in front of her. Her eyes found it, and she smiled.
"Of course, dear Jean. We wouldst love to try thy fine dining! Our apologies for keeping thee this long. Shall we see..." She mused as she opened the menu and tapped her chin while browsing its content. Her eyes immediately darted to one pictured item in particular.
"Huzzah! We shall take thy Black & Blueberry pudding, as it matches our complexion!" She exclaimed loudly with a hoof raised. I smiled and nodded, taking her menu.
From up above, I heard a crash and what sounded like a cat choking on an air horn.
I held the door for the ponies leaving the restaurant and wished them all a happy Hearth's Warming and happy holidays as they went past me into the evening street. There had only been a few ponies left by the time the clock hit 8:00 PM, and I was honestly just ready to collapse where I stood. I was in good spirits, though. The day had taken a strange turn, but I can't say I didn't enjoy it.
The white stallion from earlier had left a few hours prior with Mr. Pants while Luna and I had been talking. He looked deep in thought, and Mr. Pants seemed to be trying to get his attention, but the stallion's gaze remained blank. I shrugged at the scene.
Luna was still inside. She had remained for the past three hours ordering meal after meal, determined to 'taste them all' as she said. Who was I to complain? I got to cook for a princess, and by all counts, she seemed to love all of it. I take pride in that. She first ate an entire lasagna by herself, then moved on to tofu burgers, hay fries, pudding, soup, fruit salads, and a large selection of desserts prepared by myself and Sugar Plum.
She did share with her guards eventually, though. The poor things were practically drooling before she realized their suffering, and she had reluctantly offered them to partake in the onslaught. Her male guard seemed to protest at first, but after some convincing from the female guard, he relented.
The term 'eat like a princess' has been proven to be utterly bogus because Luna was anything but graceful. She ate her food as if it was the first decent thing she had eaten in, well, a thousand years. I didn't mind at all because, again, it just meant she liked the food, and that was good enough for me. However, some of the ponies in my restaurant were probably scarred for life at the sight of her swallowing a foal-sized pudding whole.
She was the last in the line of the ponies making their way out and I was holding the door for her with a smile. It was sad to see her go. She was the first guest in a long while that had had such a positive influence on me. Even my staff warmed up to her eventually. I had to force Minuette with me at some point just to get her to stop pestering me with questions about her.
Luna stopped in front of me before and bowed her head gently. "It has most certainly been a wonderful night out. It is with a heavy heart that we leave thee, Jean. We wish thee a blessed Hearth's Warming with thy loved ones." She said as she went past me out the door before turning back to me.
"We wouldst like for thee to visit us at the castle at thy own convenience," She started, and I felt my mouth open. "we have more stories we wouldst like to share with thee, dear Jean, and we wouldst like to hear thy own some more if thou doth not mind?"
It took me a while to find my words through my shock. She just invited me to the royal castle. "I-I uh... Are you sure that's okay?"
"But of course! It is our home after all." She winked. "We may invite whomever we please! We also believe thee can teach our kitchen staff a thing or two about fine dining." She added with a chuckle.
It wasn't hard to get a read on Luna after spending a little time with her; she was a mare of my own heart. I was feeling kind of bad for my initial reaction to seeing her because I think what she was really looking for today was some sort of comfort. A comfort she wasn't able to find much after her return, so she came to a place she remembered most fondly.
We could only relate to the whole 'we're different' thing, but beyond that, there is so much more to her that I just found endearing. I would happily spend some more time with her. Let's not forget to mention that just the idea of me teaching royal chefs how to make food was hilarious to me but I could also picture the idea of me working at the palace one day in the future...
One step at a time, though.
"Then I think I'll take you up on that offer," I winked back. "Take care of yourself, Princess, and have a safe trip home." I gestured to the still-falling snow coming from the night sky above.
"Verily!" She exclaimed with a raised hoof and waved her wing at me. She turned away to begin her journey back to the castle and addressed her guards. "Come along then, Iridescence, Silent Knight; let us return to the castle with haste before our coat grows to compensate for the cold!" She said, shaking off the snow that had already started to pile onto her.
"Yes, Princess!" They said in unison before marching off behind her. I watched them go for a moment, leaning out the door with a warm smile before I brought the door back in with me, flipped the sign to 'closed', and locked it for the season.
I was wrapped comfortably from head to toe with warm winter gear as I walked down the newly plowed pavement at a casual speed, just taking in the sights of Canterlot. The cold still hanging in the air was nipping at my nostrils when I would breathe; it was the only thing keeping me awake at this point.
The city was a lovely sight at this time of year, with decorations hanging from everywhere you could hang things and lights of all colors as far as the eye could see.
It was like Canterlot itself had been wrapped in a Hearth's Warming gift.
Canterlot Castle was the cherry on top, though. The tall spires were wrapped in spiraling lights and decor as if they were Hearth's Warming trees, and they even had massive stars on the very top that shone brightly and frequently changed color. That was only what I could see from where I was at, though. I'm sure the rest of it was in a similarly impressive state, as well as the inside of it.
My thoughts quickly shifted to Luna. I wonder how she's spending her holidays? I thought. I didn't know how they used to do it back when but since this was her first one in a while, I assumed her sister would help her get adjusted. I dreaded how it would eventually be like for me to actually go over to the castle to claim that I was 'invited' by the princess. I'd probably look deranged. I'd cross that bridge when I got to it, though.
Just across the street from me, I saw a group of colts and fillies playing in the snow, making show ponies and throwing snowballs at each other. I even saw one of the colts try to do the 'fortnight' dance that was pretty popular currently. I wasn't even going to try that one, much less was I able to in my human form. I chuckled to myself at their antics and felt a slight twist in my throat before I crossed the street toward the next junction.
My home came into view as I turned off the main road leading to my restaurant and sighed happily at the sight. Finally, I can go to bed. I think I'll just hibernate this year.
It was a simple two-story house. Nothing too fancy, as I only really had myself to care for now, and I honestly didn't need anything too crazy. I was comfortable with my space and had more than enough room for some guests if needed. Speaking of guests, my mother and her pony husband, currently living on the west coast of Equestria, were coming over to celebrate Heart's Warming/Christmas with me. My mother was very adamant about remembering her old traditions even though they seemed pretty much identical from what she told me, aside from a few key differences. The name being one of them.
I couldn't wait to tell my surrogate father about today. He was always a good listener, and for as long as I can remember, he was there for my mother and me. I hadn't seen them since... well, last Hearth's Warming. Just wait until I told him a princess of Equestria invited me to Canterlot Palace! He'd always take an interest in what I was doing, and I honestly couldn't ask for a better father figure. His advice over the years has been the most useful in my life.
I reached my front door and started to fiddle with my keys when I heard the sound of galloping behind me. Turning around to face the sound, I immediately saw Sugar Plum racing towards me, a scarf lazily hanging around her neck and a beanie almost covering her eyes.
She was bleeding from her nose.
"P-please, let me in!" She half shouted half whispered as she put on a burst of speed once she had gotten my attention. My eyes widened, and I rushed the key into my lock before I turned it, threw the door open, and held it for her. She crashed inside my foyer and I slammed the door shut behind her, locking it again. I reached for the curtains covering the window next to my door and peeked out behind them.
From around the corner, Sugar had just emerged from, a grey unicorn stallion came forth. His face was twisted in rage, and he was swaying slightly. He was looking around with gritted teeth, and I heard him shout unintelligible words that I'm sure would have set me off were they not shielded by my window. He stomped his hoof on the ground hard, causing snow to kick up from underneath him.
I felt my blood boil at the sight of him. Fucking scumbag.
After a few moments of looking around while shouting and some lights had turned on in my neighbors' windows, he angrily turned back the way he came, almost tipping over in his stupor, and vanished behind the corner.
I stepped away from the window and turned my attention to the mare splayed out on the floor next to me. Blood was running from a gash on her snout, and it was starting to form a small puddle on my floor next to her face. She was sobbing.
"Shit, hold on." I hurried into my kitchen to grab some tissues from the counter and returned just as fast as I went and sat down next to the mare. Gently, I used my hands to lift her head into my lap and tried to keep her still so I could treat her. "I'm soo-hooo-ryyyy!" She cried while I was frantically trying to wipe her wound, being careful not to hurt her. I don't know if she was apologizing to me for getting blood all over my entryway or... some other reason.
"Shh, it's okay. You're safe here." I put some tissues on her gash and pressed down on it after wiping her face a little and held it there while she continued to cry. I used my other hand, which wasn't currently occupied with applying pressure to stroke her neck. She stiffened at my touch. I winced. "I'm gonna kill him," I said through gritted teeth.
"D-don't. It's the h-holidays..." She hicced through her sobs.
This mare... "That doesn't make it right, and you know it!"
"P-please... just n-not tonight, okay?"
I sighed. There was no point in escalating things. She had clearly been through enough tonight, and Cog had left anyway. I grabbed another couple of tissues, tossed the soaked ones I had been using off to the side, and continued adding pressure to her wound.
"Fanks." She croaked nasally through my pinch on her snout. I snorted at the sight.
"Anytime. Though I wish we could hang out under different circumstances than this." Through her sobs, I saw a faint smile, but she quickly corrected herself and went right back to feeling sad again.
Her sobbing had mostly died down to hics and whimpers at this point. I gently stroked and scratched at her neck, and she finally started to relax a little bit. I gently removed her beanie and scarf without shifting her too much or causing my pressure on her snout to be taken off. I can't hold her like this all night.
"Here, hold this." I gestured to the tissue I was squeezing. Her hoof gently took it from me, and she pressed down while I carefully removed myself from under her. "I'm going to get some stuff for your boo-boo. Sit." I pointed at the floor with a finger, clearly indicating that I would receive no argument from her.
She nodded and sat up a bit while I quickly went into my bathroom to collect some medical supplies from my cabinet. I grabbed a large band-aid, rubbing alcohol, and some more tissues. She might need stitches, but for now, this is the best I can do for her.
Walking back into the living room, I noticed that my command had apparently gone right out her other ear because she had now moved to my couch, which just happened to be as far away from my front door as possible. I wasn't going to comment on that; I understood why. She just sat there while holding on to her muzzle for dear life, waiting for me to come join her. I sighed and made my way over to her.
I sat down next to her and gestured for her to lie down on her back in my lap. She did as I requested, and I started to carefully remove her bloody tissues. They came off with a 'slck' from being stuck to her snout and blood was starting to flow again from her still-fresh wound.
I got to work wiping off most of what I could before dabbing some rubbing alcohol on the worst parts of it with a cotton pad. She winced at the dabs, and her hoof slammed against my couch as her mouth opened in a silent scream before she bit down on her bottom lip to stifle the pain. "Sorry." I apologized.
Tears had started to roll down her cheeks again. I was unsure if it was from the pain or... the pain. I don't think the wound was very deep, but it was pretty nasty. It started by her lip and ran up to her nostril.
That asshole probably punched her. Hard.
"Alright, this is the best I can do for now," I said as I applied the strong band-aid on her snout after wiping the remaining blood, making sure it did its job. The adhesive stuck to her quite well, and from what I could tell, no blood was leaking out or seeping through at the moment. She just nodded and closed her eyes while I resumed petting the pony in my lap. I ran my hand through her mane and reached her ears which had started to twitch from my attention.
"Thank you," She said to me after sighing shakily. "I know I'm not the best at expressing it, but I appreciate it more than you know." Her eyes opened again, and she looked into mine with her brown and puffy ones. A small smile formed on my face and I put my other hand on her cheek. She nuzzled it gently and I stroked my fingers on her cheek, wiping some of her tears away.
"Hey, don't mention it, okay?" I wasn't going to pretend I knew what she was going through, as I had no idea. I didn't have any words of wisdom for her, nor did I have any advice on how to deal with all this. All I could do was sit here and be her nurse/teddy bear and offer her my ears if she ever needed them. Or my hands.
She looked hesitant for a moment and looked like she was thinking something over. She closed her eyes again and swallowed before opening them and looking at me.
"Can I sleep here tonight? I don't want to go back home."
Duh. I nodded. "Of course. You don't even have to ask." I chuckled and nodded my head toward my room. "Go ahead and take my bed. I have a mattress I can use. I'll bring it in after I get a fire going."
Her eyes widened and she shifted uncomfortably. "No! I can-" She started before I gently put my hand over her muzzle, being careful not to hurt her snoz. I shook my head 'no' and after some squirming, she relented. I pointed to my bedroom door with a stern digit, silently ordering her to heed my words.
"Fine." She lifted herself from my lap and flopped onto the floor, almost without catching herself. I'm sure the adrenaline she had been feeling from earlier had worn her out to the point where she didn't have much fight left in her because she was usually much more stubborn to deal with than this. She turned and walked shakily towards the door leading to my bedroom before stopping and looking back towards me over her shoulder.
"Jean, I-" She started, but I raised my hand to silence her.
"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone," I said before standing up from my couch and collecting all the waste. "You don't have to thank me for being a friend, Sugar. Go on, go get some rest. We'll talk more tomorrow."
She smiled tearfully and nodded before trotting into my room. After vanishing behind the door, I heard the sound of my bed squeaking and chuckled to myself, an image of her flopping into my bed entering my mind. Finally, I could take a moment to reflect on everything now that I was by myself. What a mess...
I took the blood-soaked tissues littering my foyer and tossed them into the bin in my bathroom with the rest of my cleaning supplies. I'll clean the floor tomorrow, I thought. I went to the sink to wash my bloody hands and made a mental note to get a wet towel for Sugar to wipe her face, ears, and neck, as she probably looked horrible from my touch. I hadn't really paid much attention to anything but her injury while treating her, plus it was pretty dark inside my house, the only illumination being the decorative lights coming in from outside through the curtains and a lantern on my living room coffee table.
After the third round of vigorously rubbing soap on my hands and washing them as best as possible, I slapped my still-wet hands to my face. I rubbed my eyes carefully, trying to work out everything in my head and what I would have to deal with tomorrow.
I doubt Sugar would even want to press charges. She's too stubborn, and I'd bet she's afraid of it too. I'd have a good talk to her in the morning about it, but for now, I'd let her sleep. She needed it, and so did I. On the bright side, however, I don't think she needed any more convincing to come to our holiday party now, as I would try my best to keep her here over the weekend.
I looked into my reflection, and my ugly mug stared back at me. My eyes were baggy and my hair was messy, a clear indication that I needed a good, long night of sleep. I was still wearing my work uniform, and I cringed a bit when I noticed the bloodstains that had managed to get on my white collar and sleeves. Looking down, I saw some had gotten in my lap while treating Sugar. At least I'll have time to wash that out over the holidays. Thinking back to my meeting with the princess again, I snorted.
Hey Luna, since we're friends now, can you do me a favor and give us some good dreams tonight? I joked.
I blew some hot air into my mirror, causing the face staring back at me to vanish behind a cloud of hot breath on my cold mirror. "Just another day at The JeanDélicieux."
Stats
Page generated in 0.03 seconds
Total duration
981 users online
1,659,342 hits today, 2,244,100 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
> . "Come along then, Iridescence, Silent Knight, let us return to the castle with haste before our coat grows to compensate for the cold!"
Oh hey, wasn’t expecting that crossover.
I need a sequel man! :'(
Oh the image is made by a AI? It’s kind of interesting the pony on the left when zoomed in has a reflection of a different part of town.
Interesting short story here. Do you plan to continue with one more chapter for the human to help his friend?
cutie marks are so good, you get a guaranteed to fulfill you career path, here on earth we have to guess and hope
I ended up liking all the original characters, I hope sugar Plum gets justice
11442161
Yeah, the prompts were pretty colorful and that's putting it lightly.
Thanks for reading, I'm definitely inspired to add more to my library and it might mean coming back to this even if it is a separate story entirely.
This was a fun read, I wouldn't mind reading a continuation of this
Bro, that was one of the best stories I read in a while!
11442225
I second this. Maybe an overly zealous Luna gets incensed at seeing Jean and a mare she assumes is his paramour assaulted by some blaggard, and has him arrested? The blaggard, not Jean.
Typos spotted:
wisps instead of wisks
costumers instead of customers (the most common typo on FiMfiction)
woup
costums
costumary
11442368
Thanks pal. It seems going over it countless times doesn't always guarantee it's gonna be fail-free
11442225
11442283
Thanks guys, very happy you liked it!
I really enjoyed the beginning and middle, but that last section feels like a different genre from the feel good rest of it. Yes I picked up and the bread crumbs from the smoke break, but still… what a shift in tone.
Would love to see a sequel to this
Very good. So good that I forgot it was a one shot while reading it.
This was rather enjoyable!
11442122
Got me too!
forgot I like to give my thoughts on this Cog guy. I won’t be surprised if the reason why he hurt her is likely due to drugs or a mental issue that had changed him completely. There is a friend I know who has this friend whose husband who once was the nicest guy in the world but one day... he lost himself due... to someone bad at work giving him drugs and completely changing him... he is still in jail but hasn’t been the same since...
Sugar’s life situation reminded me of my friend’s friend story. It’s a lesson that you should always be careful not to hang out with the bad crowd but also don’t take something that will ruin your life and harm your family. Whatever is going on with Cog is likely very bad to the point of what we saw Sugar running for her life. The man needs to call the guards or else someone is going to get hurt.
Damn, I really loved it. Could be a big story on its own, a lot of things in motion. Fricken love it, a sequel would be great!
This was wonderful. You capture the environment and stress that comes with running and working in a restaurant.
And the part with domestic abuse made me tear up a bit.
Happy Holidays!
Adding this to my stories to keep my eyes on list.
Aside from a few minor typos keep up the great work.
Oh this was wonderful and I so look forward to more to come. I know I am not the only one who wishes Cog to get his just desserts maybe some help to get off the sauce. But he needs to be punished. A mare beater is not cool in my books. 10 outa 10 keep the literary gold coming!
Seize
to take hold of, suddenly or forcibly; grasp
cease
come or bring to an end.
Wait, is he a Pony or a Human?
11443856
He's a human, just referring to him being built differently than a pony.
Hey Luna, since we're friends now, can you do me a favor and give us some good dreams tonight? I joked.
And the Princess of dreams did hear his prayer and seeing the dreams of the mare Suger was greatly wroth by what she saw. And the screams of the one called Cog were heard throughout the city that night. 🌑
A pudding, an apple. My pudding, mine apple. Thy pudding, thine apple.
11443624
11442485
11443481
Thanks to all of you for the kind words, very happy you're enjoying the story!
Honestly, the only I disagree is the fact that he used tissues for a bleeding wound that required him to apply pressure and for her to possibly get sitches.
Personally I would've gone and got paper towels and them grabbed bandages when I got the medical supplies, but yet again this could just be a me thing
Gordon Ramsay vibes
It might not be up to Sugar Plum to decide whether or not to press charges. She'll have to go get that wound checked out at the hospital, and they are going to ask questions. If the doctors/nurses suspect domestic abuse they're going to tell the guard.
Snow ponies. As much as I hate that dance, I'm curious what the quadrupedal version looks like.
Excellent start, I love the tone, and your Human protagonist is both likable and a bit of a jerk, just as one would expect a chef to be!
Quite looking forward to reading more!
Yup. Like this one already.