The Royal Gourmet

by Octaviafan

2: Family Reunion

Chapter Two
Family Reunion

Cherry Pie was not tired anymore, but in the utter silence that seemed to pervade the room after he had finished reading, Derpy's chewing reminded him that he had not eaten since last morning. All of a sudden he was VERY hungry, so he took the bowl of oatmeal from the tray on his bed and ate. The sensation was glorious! He finally had food in his stomach. Not only was it nutritious and filling, but he also found that the oatmeal was superb. There was just enough cinammon and honey to be a good flavouring, but not so much that they blocked out the flavour of the oats. The oats themselves were cooked to a perfect consistency: cooked through, but not too soft. Cherry Pie was absolutely amazed! He had not expected an inn to provide such high quality of food, but, then again, Aleburn's odd behaviour might have had something to do with it. As Derpy finished his muffins, she said:

"See ya' at the party!"

Then whisked past him, and flew out the window. He watched her disappear into the distance and silently wished for a pair of his own wings so that he could fly, too. He was pretty tired of walking everywhere, for the going was pretty slow. Sighing, he told himself:

"Better stop dreaming and get going. Remember, you don't even really know where you are, and if you don't get going soon, you'll be late for the festival."

Knowing that if he was late, things would probably not end well for him (for though the princess was ultimately kind and good, one did not show up late after receiving a personal invitation from her) he gasped, picked up his bags and left his room.

When he reached the lobby, he hoped to thank Aleburn for his hospitality and to praise him for the excellent oatmeal. However, Aleburn was not there. In his place stood a beautiful, pale golden unicorn, with white mane and green eyes reminiscent of Aleburn's. As he approached the counter, she greeted him with a smile.

"Good morning! Sleep well?"

He nodded. "Yes, but where's Aleburn? I wanted to thank him and compliment him on the superb oatmeal."

A look of concern crossed the other unicorn's face as she said "Aleburn is... Upset, so I'm standing in for him up front for a little while. I am his sister, Champagne, and actually," she stated matter-of-factly, "I do all the cooking around here."

She smiled as he beamed at her. "Really?!" He asked. "Well in that case, thank you for the oatmeal, Champagne. It was simply divine! I really couldn't believe it when I tasted such quality food from an inn, but you... You two really do run a quality establishment! Are there... just two of you?"

"Yes, it's just the two of us here, haha. And thank you very much. People don't usually appreciate my cooking here."

She beamed at his praise, and it was clear to him that what she said was true. She didn't often hear from others how amazing her cooking really was.

"Well," he said, proudly, indicating his cutie mark: A golden spoon and knife, crossed, "In Equestria, I am a well renowned gourmet. I make my living determining which foods are best at festivals and fairs, and you can rest assured that your oatmeal would most certainly have received a ten."

Champagne couldn't help but blush at his glowing appraisal of what she thought was probably her most plain dish. "Oh? You're a gourmet in Equestria? Well, my brother and I are particularly adept at brewing fantastic drinks. While my brother specializes in lagers and ales, I tend more toward fine wines. Particularly the sparkling variety."

At this, she motioned to her flank as she turned, displaying her cutie mark: A delicately tipped champagne flute, filled with a finely bubbling fluid about the same colour as her coat.

"What are you doing here in Seaport, anyway?" As she said this, Aleburn came through a door behind the counter wiping his face with a handkerchief, but upon seeing Cherry Pie, froze for a second, then covered his face and darted back through the door, almost slamming it behind him.

"I... I got lost," said Cherry Pie, his eyes still on the door. "And wandered all the way to the sea, then the hippocampi guided me here."

Champagne sighed. "You'll have to excuse my brother. He just... well, I couldn't tell you what's upset him, so." She said this so benignly, he was sure she wasn't being completely truthful, but he decided not to pry.

"Well, I have to go. I received a personal letter from the Princess, asking me to judge at the Canterlot Harvest Festival. I don't know what will happen if I'm late, but I'm sure it won't be good. But, before I leave, I'd like to buy another mug of that amazing cider from Sweet Apple Acres."

As he spoke, he withdrew his purse from his saddlebags. Champagne told him the price and he gave her the required bits. Drinking down the cider, he thanked her for the chat and exited The Nautilus, thinking perhaps he'd return one day, as Champagne watched him go with a sad little smile on her face. As the exit swung closed behind him, Champagne turned to the door and said "You can come out now." The door opened and there stood Aleburn, looking for all the world like a timid colt. Seeing him look like this, she almost teared up and said "Oh, my poor baby! Come here." She drew him into a tight hug, and they didn't let go of each other for several minutes. "It'll be alright, Aleburn. The day will come when you catch somepony's eye. Maybe we'll get more business, then!"

He smiled up at her and said "You really think so?"

"I know so." she said, lovingly.

---

Cherry Pie wandered through the town looking for a place to find a map. Eventually, he found a place that sold maps, and, he couldn't believe his luck when he did, found the only map of Equestria that included the small nation he currently occupied. After buying the map, he took it outside to study it for a bit. He must've studied it for at least an hour, wrestling with himself on whether or not to use the more direct main roads, when he realized he could probably cut the travel time in half if he just found a boat to take him. He knew there were rivers in Equestria, and most of them were quite deep and wide enough for a ship to travel on.

"Let's see... I know there's a shipyard along the river in Manehattan, and after studying the map, I know that that particular river opens to the sea within the boundaries of this kingdom. If I can find a boat to take me there, I can go to the airfield and find an airship to take me to Canterlot! It's Brilliant! Fast, too. I can't believe I didn't think of it first thing!" He folded the map up and put it carefully into his saddlebag, then headed down to the docks to search for a ship, laughing at himself.

He got lost more than once while searching the docks. The going was slow and very frustrating. He had to constantly watch out for sailors moving crates and barrels, making sure he didn't bump into them and cause their cargo to smash on the wooden planks or accidentally roll into the water. He walked around in circles like this till finally, sweet relief filling him to the brim, he saw a small ship flying Equestria's colours.

Arguing with the captain (an earth pony whom Cherry Pie could've sworn was part mule) for what seemed like ages, trying to barter passage on the ship, which did happen to be headed back to Manehattan after this trip, was torture. Finally, he pulled out his letter from the princess, showed it to the captain and exclaimed "It is imperative that I arrive in Canterlot before the Harvest Festival starts, and I don't have much time to get there! This is a personal request by Princess Celestia that I be there."

Upon seeing the letter with the Royal Seal, the captain finally caved and grudgingly allowed Cherry Pie to board his ship, warning "But I don't want ta hear no whinin' an' ya better not cause me or me crew no grief!" Well, at least he had passage to Manehattan. He spent the rest of the time until the ship's departure watching the crew come and go, unloading cargo, bringing more aboard and the like. It was pretty boring.

Finally, it was time to leave. Cherry Pie sighed with relief to hear the captain announce the launch. It seemed to have been forever since he came aboard. The trip itself was uneventful, although he did get a little seasick. He spent most of his time in an out of the way spot towards the ship's aft, gazing at the horizon, which helped a little with his upset stomach. They reached the mouth of the river just after the sun had set, and the captain decided to drop anchor for the night. There were a few extra hammocks belowdecks, so he decided he'd sleep down there. The language of the crew as they prepared to retire reminded him why he had opted to stay above decks, away from the crew, during the day, and he took comfort in the thought that he wouldn't have to sleep with them another night.

Aleburn and Champagne were in his dreams that night. Sea Breeze and Clam Bubbles were there, too. That's all he could remember when he woke with a start. He rolled off of his hammock and, except for the soft thud of his hooves against the wooden floor, silently climbed the stairs to the deck. The moon was bright, but low in the sky, and the eastern horizon was beginning to lighten. He looked down at his reflection, but it wasn't there. Instead he saw Sea Breeze, but when he blinked, she was gone, and an image of him stared back, confused.

"A fine mornin it is, too." A gruff voice said from behind. Cherry Pie started and looked back, but it was only the captain.

"Yes... It is, Captain. What are you doing up right now?" He asked.

The captain's laugh was a short bark. "Soon as the sun rises, we'll weigh anchor and set up the river fer Manehattan. Should be there by midafternoon, I reckon."

They sat in silence, watching the moon set. Just as the last bit of moon was swallowed by the sea, the captain left the gunwhale. Heading below decks, he yelled at the sailors, telling them that they were to weigh anchor at sunrise and to move their lazy plots. Cherry Pie couldn't help but chuckle at this, as he headed to his spot at the back of the ship so as to be out of the way.

Thinking about what the captain had said, he remembered that most departures from the Manehattan airfield occured before noon on a typical day. He would have to stay with either his parents or his twin sisters. It had been such a long time since he had seen any of them, he realized he missed them quite a lot, actually.

He thought of his sisters, Fugue and Nocturne. They had been inseparable since their birth, and even now still lived together. Being the talented musicians that they were, they were often out of town on some gig or other. Fugue sang and Nocturne played the harp. It was almost impossible to tell them apart, otherwise. Once you got to know them, you realized their personalities were quite different, and their cutie marks were different as well.

In a way, the two seemed just to be paler versions of himself. They were pale pink, with manes and tails that were mostly mint green, with a little pink mixed in. Cherry Pie wondered what they had been up to lately. He hadn't even received a letter from them in quite a while, but that might be because he was always on the move, so he couldn't blame them.

After thinking of his sisters for a while, his thoughts turned to his parents. They had been high society unicorns and were quite proud of the achievements of their children. His father, Indigo Spark, had been a teacher at the Canterlot Magic Academy. In fact, it had been a story he had told his children of one of his students that inspired Nocturne to pick up the harp. Shortly thereafter, she had proudly displayed her brand new cutie mark, a complicated string of eighth notes on a musical staff, to them.

Now, though, instead of teaching fillies and colts, he gave lectures at the Manehattan University on the more delicate intricacies of magic to older unicorns who wanted to understand their magical nature more thoroughly. Although his special talent wasn't really magic, the little ways he had learned to relate magic to it had allowed him to excel at many different kinds of magic, and it was all because his understanding of the workings of magic was so vast.

While Cherry Pie's father was quiet and reserved, his mother, Burning Star, was boisterous and sometimes obnoxios, but she was one of the kindest ponies he had ever known. She was a white unicorn, with green eyes and a bright, coppery mane and tail. She was deeply into fashion but had no talent for design, which devastated her as a filly, but when she discovered her talent for cooking, she was so delighted she decided she'd just have to make do with looking good.

Cherry Pie was often amazed to find that, for all the time she spent in the kitchen, the fancy gowns and dresses she wore around the house never seemed to have a single grease stain or food spot anywhere on them.

The trip seemed to go on and on, but now there was scenery to watch as they sailed past on the river. They had a good tailwind, which allowed them to make good time, even though the river was flowing against them.

Finally, the familiar spires and towers of Manehattan came into view. It wasn't quite as big as Canterlot, but it was getting there. Cherry Pie had the unexpected rush of relief that told him he was home, in familiar territory, where he could easily find a friend or family member if he needed help with something.

The sun wasn't setting, and the sky was still a regular bright blue, but it was definitely on it's descent by the time they pulled into port. He thanked the captain and asked how much he owed for the passage. The captain thought about it and said

"It'll be 25 bits, if yeh please."

Cherry Pie produced the 25 bits and gave them to the captain, saying "Thank you again. Goodbye!"

He trotted down the gangplank and into the familiar streets of Manehattan to see if his sisters were home... They weren't. He hadn't really expected them to be, but he had hoped to see them again. It had taken him perhaps 10 minutes at an easy trot to reach their house, and he stopped on their doorstep to take a breather. He decided he'd just walk to his parents house, since it was almost all the way across town from here. He had plenty of time, anyway. Besides that, he didn't want to be too out of breath when they answered the door.

After a few minutes of resting, he got up and began walking in the direction of his parents' house. The walk took him almost half an hour, but while he walked, he thought of some of the beautiful songs his sister's had written. Some of their music had even been recorded on vinyl! His parents had all of their records, and his mother often played them at her social events. All of a sudden, he remembered the rendition the duet had done of their mother's lullabye. It was even more relaxing when you added Nocturne's harp, and as he lapsed into memory, he sang softly to himself while he walked.

"Hush now, quiet now. It's time to lay your sleepy head.
Hush now, quiet now. It's time to go to bed.

Drifting off to sleep, leave exciting day behind you.
Drifting off to sleep. Let the joy of dreamland find you!"

He hummed the improvised ending Nocturne had written that played after the vocals were finished, and he found himself at his parents' front door. Knocking three times, he waited for one of them to answer.

It was his mother who answered, and she nearly dropped the layer of cake she was carrying! Quickly, she set it down on a stand near the door, and pulled him into a tight hug. She called out to his father, and then said "We've missed you, so!"

Comments

[Octaviafan]

Sorry for the misaligned chapter names. I decided this was gonna get too long before Cherry Pie actually got to Canterlot, since I wanted to make the chapters not be too huge of a difference in size. I assure you the REAL name of the chapter is Family Reunion.