//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: A Basic Guide to a Nymph's Basic Needs // Story: How to Raise a Changeling Queen // by Captain_HoneyDew //------------------------------// Were Celestia not so concerned for Twilight’s well-being, she would have found the scrunched up expression on the nymph’s face to be just as adorable as it was yesterday. However, the Princess could not help but peer over her cup of tea at the young Queen with anticipation as they sat in Celestia’s private dining quarters. Twilight was warily sniffing and poking at the plate of hayfries and bowl of alphabet carrot soup served before her as the Princess and her guards watched closely with bated breath. Only to wilt when Twilight blanched at the food and push her plate away with a low buzz while she leaned away from it. “I don’t understand, my research indicates that these are the most popular foods foals in her age group find enjoyable.” Mirror Scry frowned, levitating a few notebooks out and flipping through the pages. Twilight decided to further disprove the unicorn guard’s research by climbing off her cushion, trotting over to Celestia’s much bigger cushion, and clumsily forcing her way under Celestia’s wing via nuzzingly. After yesterday’s event of Celestia hiding Twilight’s incomplete change to mimic pony form, it seemed as though the nymph enjoyed being under her wing. So much so, that even after being put into a new bed that Celestia had ordered for her, Twilight had snuck into Celestia’s at one point during the night to dive under her wing and use it as a blanket. Which made for an interesting morning when Celestia woke to find herself laying on her side, and with a lump curled on top of her, comfortably wrapped under her wing with just a nose peeking out. She found that she strangely did not mind it too much. Especially considering how she was the only pony that Twilight knew and was comfortable with, it was only logical that the nymph would seek comfort from the Princess. However, that was an entirely different case than the current predicament. Celestia frowned, taking the soup bowl and spoon in a magical grasp as she lowered her tea cup. Ladling a little bit of the soup and lightly blowing on it, she tried to float the spoon over to Twilight’s face when it was sufficiently cooled, “What’s wrong? You don’t like it?” Twilight merely scrunched up her face even further, turning astutely away from the threatening spoon of carrot soup letters, and pressing herself further into Celestia’s wing as far as she could. “Carrot soup is very delicious though.” Celestia said, lifting the spoon up to herself, “I myself enjoy partaking it every so often.” To prove her statement, she daintily sipped the soup and exaggerated a hum of appreciation. Twilight however, like yesterday when they served an array of foods for her to try, did not look convinced as her scrunched up expression remained while staring up at Celestia. The Princess merely sighed, floating the soup bowl back down onto the table before taking a slice of canteloupe. “How about this instead? It’s good for you.” She sang, even giving the slice of fruit an enticing little shake. It seemed enough to elicit Twilight’s curiosity, as she leaned forward to give the fruit a quick sniff. Though she immediately turned away with a huff. “Please, you must eat something Twilight.” Celestia frowned, “You haven't eaten anything since we’ve arrived yesterday.” Almost immediately upon their return to Canterlot, Celestia had requested lunch to be served in the dining area that was adjacent to her bedroom, (which she had not frequented for its’ proper usage and instead, ate at her work desk). She had also sent word to chef asking if they could serve something appropriate for little fillies. To answer, the chef had sent a whole feast fit for the entirety of the royal guards while confessing that he had no idea what little fillies were interested in cuisine wise, as his specialty relied on fine dining. It mattered little though as Twilight was not interested in any of the food to Celestia’s great concern. The nymph had spat her food out when trying a dish of asparagus, drizzled in some sort of grand vinaigrette. Though Celestia felt as though she should have known better than making Twilight try something most foals ventured away from. Knowing better the second time, the Princess had opted for something a little easier for Twilight’s apparently picky taste buds. Instead, she was met with Twilight wiping her tongue after being served mashed sweet potatoes. After nearly two hours of trying to get Twilight to eat, Celestia had given up. She sent the food away to be served as leftovers instead, hoping that dinner would be better and that Twilight would have worked up an appetite. To no avail though. Twilight still did not look hungry, and was seemingly bound with an endless amount of energy to refuse any sort of food. If anything, she seemed more cautious as she poked and prodded at every dish placed in front of her. Celestia feared that it would only be a matter of time until Twilight attempted to feed on somepony, draining them of their love and leaving them to illness. The Princess hoped to find some other source of food before then, and to prevent Twilight of getting to a point of near starvation. Though, the young changeling Queen merely grinned up at Celestia, showing off her dimples in perfect contentment, ignorant of Celestia’s worries. “Perhaps we’ll have better luck when I return with that book about Changelings, your highness.” Mirror Scry suggested, “Hopefully it’ll have an answer to other sources of food that can be provided.” Celestia sighed, “That would be most helpful, thank you.” She paused, staring down at Twilight in thought as the Princess took a sip of her morning tea. “And if you could, would you mind picking up a few foal books for her?” Scry’s eyes brightened at that, “But of course!” She exclaimed with a nod. “I’m certain I can compile a list of books that would be most beneficial and entertaining to foals of her age group. Oh! Perhaps I should obtain a few books on basic magic spells? She already is quite exceptional with that luminesce spell you showed her, so I’m certain that she’ll be able to perform-” Swift Strike snorted, “You can’t be serious Scry. No foal wants to be cooped up studying. The little miss is at the age where she needs to go out and waste energy.” Mirror Scry turned her head with a small scowl, “Speak for yourself. I was more than happy to stay inside and be read to at her age.” She stated, levitating a pocket watch out to check the time. “Your Highness, I’m sorry to say but it’s time for you to begin morning court.” Celestia frowned, glancing down at Twilight as a bit of anxiety rose. She didn’t want to leave the nymph Queen just yet. “Please don’t worry your highness, and just continue on with your duties for the day. I’ll be sure to take care of her.” Mirror Scry assured. Despite her guard’s words, Celestia could not help but feel reluctant and apprehensive regardless. It was only just yesterday that her guards had learned of the existence of Changelings, and while she was relieved to find them accepting of Twilight and of Celestia’s decision to search for the young Queen’s hive, she was not comfortable leaving Twilight with just one guard. However, her guards had a point when mentioning that they could only rotate their shifts to individually watch Twilight while the other two stayed with Celestia; as protocol demanded, requiring at least two of her personal guards to accompany her at all times, while four other standard royal guards would already be waiting to stand guard. Although, if she were being completely honest, she couldn’t help but feel a sort of emptiness at having her usual number of personal guard surrounding her cut by half. It wasn’t that she felt less safe, but one grows accustomed to having a certain number of familiar faces accompanying her for most of the day. Having to grow used to the absence of her fourth guard, Taut String, after her request for maternity leave (which Celestia was overjoyed to hear about) had been… an interesting adaptation. Now, she supposed she would have to get used to having only two familiar presences to accompany her throughout her royal duties. Besides, were Taut String still on duty, Celestia would have assigned her to accompany Mirror Scry to watch Twilight regardless. And she could not neglect her duties as Princess, even if she wanted nothing more than to be completely focused on the young Queen. So she had no choice but to agree with her guard’s suggestion of rotating shifts to look after Twilight, ensuring that she had at least one pony watching over her. Evidently, they agreed that it would be easiest if Mirror Scry watched over Twilight for the day while she went to search for the book on Changelings. “Yes… Of course.” Celestia nodded as she got up, eliciting Twilight to follow her movements with an eager look. “And if anything happens or if you come across any problems-” “Then I’ll be sure to handle it.” Mirror Scry said as they all walked with the Princess to her bed chambers adjacent to her dining quarters. Celestia hesitated, “Yes… Of course.” she repeated, her steps slowing as they crossed her room which was far too large for one pony (even for one her size) and far too simple. Spartan. Empty. The only noteworthy items that took up space were; a large nearly circular bed with light blue sheets and numerous cushions of white, gold, and light pink centered in the room, a work desk at the far right corner, and a large book case filled with political and cultural literature. There were about a dozen knick knacks here and there, some were gifts that had accumulated over the years, others were small tokens of the few friends that Celestia had made. All organized, uniformed, and proudly shown individually. Now, on the far left corner opposite of her desk, there was a small semi circle bed with dark purple sheets and white pillows, brought in yesterday for Twilight at Celestia’s request. Though, the area still remained barren. Perhaps some shopping was needed, it would not do to have nothing around to entertain the nymph. Twilight seemed to be content with her current levels of joy at the moment though, by weaving through Celestia’s long legs and attempting to keep up. Only to run face first into Celestia’s foreleg as they came to a stop, causing her to quickly backpedal with a shake of a head. “Oh my,” Celestia lightly gasped in concern, taking a few steps back and lifting the same leg up as she craned her neck down to be at eye level with Twilight. “Are you okay?” Twilight brought a hoof up, rubbing her face for a moment before grinning up at Celestia, showing off her well-being. Celestia lightly laughed. Twilight really was adorable. That only made the princess frown though, as she knew that time was pressing her to return to her duties. “I’m sorry Twilight, but I need to perform my duties now. I’ll be back for dinner though okay? Mirror Scry will take care of you until then, so try not to misbehave.” Twilight merely tilted her head in confusion, though happily chirped regardless. Celestia hesitantly smiled, glancing up to Mirror Scry with a small nod before turning around and opening her doors. Stone Wall and Swift Strike immediately flanked her as she walked out, though quickly noted that Celestia was glancing back at Twilight. Who was already trying to happily trot after her. Until Mirror Scry held a hoof out to stop her, “My apologies little miss,” She said, using the title that Swift Strike had bestowed upon Twilight. “But you’re going to have to wait until the Princess comes back later in the evening.” Twilight blinked, slowly turning her attention from the unicorn guard over to Celestia who had stopped in the doorway. The young Queen decided to try to take another step toward her anyway. Only for Mirror Scry to press her hoof against Twilight a little more firmly, causing the nymph to grumble and warble in annoyance as her two front wings sprayed outward and bristled as she glared at the guard. Scry’s ears splayed back over her helmet as she could hear Celestia and Swift Strike chuckle to themselves while Stone Wall politely coughed. “Now Twilight, don’t be rude.” Celestia said, turning around and craning her neck down. “I’ll only be away until the evening.” Twilight blinked again, knitting her brows in contemplation as her pupils shifted back and forth between Celestia’s eyes. “.... e-v-ing?” Twilight mistakenly sounded out. Celestia beamed. She knew that changelings, as a species, had exceptional learning rates when it came to language for some reason. She had witnessed it first hand during negotiations for a cease fire with two hive queens, Queen Apis of the Apini hive, and Queen Luciolinae (who had insisted on being called Linae for short) of the Lampyridae hive. Prior to the talks, it was evident that the Apini Hive had only spoke in Prench at the time, while the Lampyridae hive spoke Canternese. It also seemed like that changelings had their own language as the two were able to communicate with each other outside the pony languages. Regardless, they somehow understood what every pony was talking about regardless of a language barrier, (like how Twilight seemed to have an idea of what Celestia was talking about for the most part) and managed to convey a request without a translator. After indulging them on their request to stay for a day though, both queens and a few of their changelings suddenly became semi-fluent in Equish. So Celestia knew that language would not be too much of a problem for Twilight. It didn’t lessen the amount of joy in her heart upon hearing Twilight speak for the first time though. “Yes, the evening.” Celestia nodded, making sure to carefully enunciate the time. “That’s when the sun will be down.” Twilight glanced out the window before pulling her attention back to Celestia and pointing her hoof toward it. “Eve-ing?” She said more than asked, as though demanding that Celestia lower the sun now, a detail that she must have learned after witnessing Celestia raise the sun and lower it yesterday. Celestia seemed to understand what the nymph was conveying and laughed, shaking her head. “I can’t do that just yet Twilight. At a later time.” Celestia noticed a floating pocket watch in her peripheral to indicate the time and inwardly sighed. “I have to go now. I’ll see you in the evening Twilight.” She said, carefully backing out of the doorway while keeping her attention on Twilight, as though to make sure the nymph didn’t follow. “E-ven-ing.” Twilight repeated, crouching her chest to the ground as she looked up at Celestia with expectancy and garnering endeared giggles. “Yes, we can play in the evening.” Celestia agreed easily, “Bye bye.” She sang, waving a hoof toward Twilight, slowly magicking the doors to close. Confused, Twilight straightened up and mimicked Celestia’s action with a head tilt until the doors shut. Celestia sighed, feeling a little guilty for having to trick the nymph like that in order to leave. She was already a few minutes behind schedule as is though, and she feared that if she indulged the nymph anymore then she would no doubt call for the rest of the day off. “Right then,” The Princess nodded as she and her guards turned to start their way down the hall, “We can continue on our discussion from yesterday in regards to starting a search for Twilight’s hive as we make way to court.” She informed the two. “One of you can fill Mirror Scry in when we return.” Swift Strike nodded, “That’s fi-” A loud warbled buzz shrilled into the air along with a rumbled chirp, interrupting Swift Strike and causing Celestia to snap her head toward her closed bed chambers in concern. The sound persisted even after a minute, and Celestia nearly turned around as worry filled her at Twilight’s distress. “Your highness,” Stone Wall quietly said, jostling Celestia’s attention. “Mirror Scry will take care of her.” “I-” Celestia’s eyes flitted over to the doors of her chambers, Twilight’s crying still crooning past the barriers, before hesitantly nodding. “Y-yes. Right. Of course.” She said, mostly to assure herself with a nod, before she slowly returned to her trot down the hallway. She continued casting fleeting glances back to her chambers though, as they got further and further away from the dimming sounds of crying. It wasn't until they reached the stairs at the end of the hallway, did the sounds of dismay cease, and Celestia let go of a relieved breath she didn't even realize she was holding. “Fifty bits says Scry is pulling her mane out by the end of the day.” Swift Strike said, glancing to his co-guard. “Eighty bits.” Stone Wall said coolly with his face stoic as ever, “Twilight likes her by today’s end.” “Ha! The little miss? A fo- nymph? Taking to uptight, bookish, no-fun-allowed Scry?” Swift Strike rhetorically asked as they descended the spiraling staircase, “You’re on.” Celestia gave a suffering sigh. She was aware that her personal guards enjoyed making bets with each other as a means to entertain themselves, there wasn’t much to do when one was required to be on the job nearly 24/7. And while she was typically amused by their bets, even adding her two bits here and there, she wasn’t certain how to feel about them doing so on the nymph that she had taken responsibility for. “Guards.” She called, causing them to snap back to attention, “What can you recall about what I’ve told you about Changelings yesterday?” The two were silent for a moment, a short lull in the air that was usually filled by Mirror Scry’s generously wordy answer filling the space between them until Swift Strike coughed awkwardly. “Not much is known about them, your highness.” Stone Wall filled in, beginning to summarise the short history lecture Celestia had provided to them yesterday when they finally got a private moment. “They feed on the love of ponies and maybe other races in order to survive, but in turn make their hosts immensely physically weak and mentally strained. There have been some cases where ponies had been bedridden for life, unknowing of the world around them.” “W-Which is why the hunts for them began, despite most of the hives going into hiding.” Swift Strike chimed in, but paused in confusion. “I don’t get it though. You said that the changelings had already gone into hiding before the hunts for them began?” “Truthfully, I’m not certain as to what drove the Changelings into hiding the first place,” Celestia confessed, “I know that hunts began when two of the hives had started attacking ponies again.” She hesitated for a moment, her thoughts returning to Twilight in concern. The idea of her ponies… hunting for a nymph as young as Twilight made the hairs on the back of Celestia’s neck stand. She shook her head, casting her mind from such thoughts before continuing on, “You two, and Mirror Scry for that matter, are no doubt aware of the Crystal Empire, the land of which Princess Cadance is meant to rule over.” She said, knowing such information was privy to those she could trust. The two nodded. “Before the disappearance of the Crystal Empire, the Crystal Ponies had been continuously and routinely attacked by the seven Changeling Hives, as the empire had an abundance of love. Seemingly one day, for seemingly no reason, the attacks had come to a halt.” Celestia said with a reminiscent tone, “The empire was at peace for a century or two until it was once again attacked by the Rhithrogena hive.” The image of the changelings shifting their form by breaking from the back of a pony husk flashed in her mind, causing her to shudder for a moment. She was gladdened to find that Twilight did not have to change form in such a manner. “The empire was familiar with dealing with changelings, however at the time, the Princess was pregnant with Cadance and the Prince was… zealous in his protectiveness. So the hunts began.” Celestia solemnly confessed, her horn glowing as she discreetly casted a small sound barrier spell around her and the guards to keep their conversation to themselves before they reached the bottom of the stairs. “The hive was driven to extinction after the… execution of the Queen, and the Empire found peace…. Until Sombra came. However that is not the subject matter at hoof.” She said dismissively. “After the disappearance of the Crystal Empire, the attack from the changelings and Sombra was still fresh in many ponies minds at the time. And, Equestria was... on edge to say the least. Every pony was paranoid, and scared about getting attacked. So when ponies in Saddle Arabia found changelings from the Culicidae Hive decades after, the hunts for changelings as a species began.” Celestia hesitated, continuing on in a lower tone. “I did nothing to stop them. It wasn’t until there was a request for cease fire from two of the more… reclusive hives sent my way that I began to step in.” “Reclusive hives?” Swift Strike asked, “Forgive me for not understanding your highness, but just a moment ago you said that the seven hives routinely attacked the Crystal Empire. What do you mean when you say, reclusive?” Celestia nodded, “Out of the seven hives, there were only three that were more…” She paused, trying to think of a suitable word, “Peaceful, in their feeding; the Lampyridae hive, Apini hive, and the Coenagrionidae Hive. They only took small amounts, and on occasion there would be a few ponies that would fall ill, however it was never serious and the ponies would recover within a week's time. Their feeding periods were quick though, and their changelings were nearly never spotted. It wasn’t until I met with two of the queens, who had confessed to their infiltrations that we even learned that there were seven hives and the names of each of them, or that there were even such a thing as ‘peaceful feedings’.... Though they refused to explain how they did so.” Celestia added. It would be nice if she could learn of this ‘peaceful feeding’ method, so she could teach Twilight. “Before the peace talks, nopony had ever seen or heard of any of the changelings from those hives.” She finished “And the other four?” Swift Strike continued Celestia lightly winced, “The other four… were more aggressive in their feeding. The ponies left ill for life were ones that had fallen victim to them.” She paused in her musings, “The Rhithrogena hive and Culicidae hive were the ones that had fallen during the hunts, and if memory serves correctly, the Vesicatoria hive had been dealing with rapidly declining numbers during the peace talks. I highly doubt that they had survived considering how Queen Linae and Queen Apis spoke of them. The Chrysothemis hive should be the last of the aggressive ones, however I have not seen them since the hives went into hiding before the hunts.” “So… Twilight might belong to one of the four hives?” Swift Strike asked tentatively. “Since it sounds like the Vesicatoria hive has probably gone extinct.” “Precisely,” Celestia nodded, “And while I sincerely doubt that Twilight’s mother is Queen Linae of the Lampyridae hive, I would be remiss if we did not check simply because they do not have similar features.” Swift Strike nodded, “Okay. So where do we start?” Celestia frowned, “I do not know. After the peace talks and the hunts had ceased, Queen Linae and Queen Apis of the Apini hive had immediately gone back to their hives and into hiding. And I hadn’t seen them since, save for a brief mention of odd, black chitinous creatures, that I assume were from the Lampyridae hive, from a few ponies having fallen into illness a few centuries ago during an illness outbreak in a village. Much less anything from the Coenagrionidae hive and Chrysothemis hive for the near past millennia. Which is why I am hoping the two of you, and Mirror Scry of course, can help me.” “Of course your highness, anything.” Stone Wall said. Celestia smiled in gratitude, “I confess that… I’m not familiar with ponies I do not frequently meet, making it difficult to know which soldiers are trustworthy to such privy information as I have given to you.” She said, “Much less those who would be absolutely fine with knowledge pertaining to the changelings, which is why I’m incredibly grateful to find you three so accepting of Twilight. So, Stone Wall if you would, please compile a list of soldiers you believe are capable and have the personality to go on a search mission for Twilight’s hive. It would be most beneficial to have at least a dozen ponies, broken into teams of three, as I wish for this to remain as discreet as possible.” “Consider it done.” Stone Wall nodded, having two or three ponies come in mind. “Swift Strike and Mirror Scry will have to help you with this, as a few will need to research more about the hives and plan before hoof whether it is safe to explore or to deduce the location of the hives.” Celestia continued. “Well, Mirror Scry has always been the brains of an operation.” Swift Strike confessed, “So I guess the researching part will be left to her. I guess I’ll be leading the search teams when they’re deployed then.” “I’d appreciate it.” The Princess said with a nod, just as they finally reached the court. “And if you could deploy to the area of which Twilight was found as soon as you can-” “Don’t worry your highness, you can count on us.” Swift Strike grinned, eliciting a nod of confirmation from Stone Wall. “Thank you.” Celestia sighed before entering court. Court went by just like every other day, with nothing unusual occurring. Petitioners came by and went, nobles asking for an increase to their wealth in a roundabout way, teachers with requests for some extra school funding, ponies with feuds demanding for an answer or compromise, officers humbly asking for a few guards to be deployed in whatever area they were stationed at…. During that time, she could not help but worry about Twilight and how Mirror Scry was watching over her. By the time lunch came, Celestia could only sigh and hang her head in relief as the doors to the court closed. “Your highness,” The chef bowed as a trolley of food was catered to her while a table was set up. “Today on the menu is stir fried spinach and mushroom topped with lavender pollen, Avocado salad with balsamic dressing, and lightly roasted tomatoes and cucumber drizzled in garlic lemon sauce and olive oil, complete with feta cheese.” “Thank you Chef Bean Stalk.” Celestia smiled. Glancing down at the fine dining meals in front of her, her mind wandered back to Twilight, wondering if she was eating the food sent her way. The Princess inwardly sighed. Chances were likely that Twilight, like this morning, was refusing to eat. … Or perhaps she would enjoy her food and Celestia was missing out on Twilight smiling widely to show off her new found dimples and- Celestia suddenly snapped to attention, realization slamming down within her mind like a weighted ball. Fangs. Twilight had fangs. Canines How in Equestria did Celestia overlook such a thing? “Chef Bean Stalk?” Celestia called “Yes, your highness?” The chef asked “Who is usually in charge of meal preparation for the Griffon Dignitaries when they visit?” He fidgeted, “That would be Chef Ramming Seas.” “If you could, I’d like to have a talk with Chef Ramming Seas.” He stayed in place fidgeting, causing Celestia to turn in question. “Is something the matter?” She asked “N-No. It’s just. Well.” He stammered, glancing around suspiciously before lowering his tone. “It’s just my personal opinion your highness, but I really don’t think it’s a good idea for you to meet her.” He said, causing her to slowly arch a brow. “Oh?” “Well you see, she’s not really the type of mare that a pony of your stature should speak to. She’s ah- there’s really no delicate way of putting this, but she’s an…” He took another wary glance around before lowering his tone even further. “Ex-pirate.” “Is that so?” Celestia asked with interest. Chef Bean Stalk nodded gravely, “Yes. So she has accumulated many rather… horrid mannerisms over the years. Why, the fact that she cooks meat and fish is just one of the many-” “I would like to speak with her.” Celestia decided, causing the chef in front of her to splutter. “I-I… Beg Pardon?” “I would like to speak with her at her earliest convenience.” Celestia repeated. “I-I…” Bean Stalk’s mouth kept opening and closing in disbelief before finally, he shut his jaw with a click and bowed. “Of course your highness.” He said before leaving to search for the other chef. She nodded to herself in approval, a small smile on her lips as she magically grasped her utensils to begin picking her food to eat. Swift Strike though, who was parked at the foot of the dais with Stone Wall, turned a curious glance toward Celestia when the three of them were alone. “If I may ask your highness, but is there a particular reason why you asked for Chef Ramming Seas?” He asked, “Will the Griffons be returning for another visit soon?” Celestia shook her head, “No, but I would like to try something only Chef Ramming Seas would be capable of, as it requires meat or fish to be cooked.” Swift Strike and Stone Wall, having both been exposed to Griffons eating various amounts of times, didn't seem to mind the mention of meat as most ponies would. However, Swift Strike still could not help but be confused about why the Princess would need such types of food. Before he could ask, Chef Bean Stalk had returned with a coral colored, unicornian mare with a blue mane whom had a scar dragged across her muzzle. Celestia assumed this was Chef Ramming Seas and smiled. “Chef, thank you for coming so quickly.” Celestia began. “Yeah, of course.” Ramming Seas waved off, “Not like I could refuse right?” She laughed jokingly. Celestia nodded, though glanced over to Chef Bean Stalk. “Thank you Chef, but that would be all.” “I… Of course.” He said with a bow, excusing himself once more. The moment it was just the Princess, her guards, and Ramming Seas, Celestia casted the sound proof spell once more as she turned to the chef with a smile, “So Chef, I heard that you are in charge of the meals for the visiting Griffon dignitaries.” “Oh yeah, sure.” Ramming Seas nodded. “Might I ask, how did you learn how to cook for them?” The chef let out a boisterous laugh, “I can’t say that it’s the most interesting of backgrounds.” She stated, “I visited Griffonstone a few times during my traveling days. Made a few friends. Nice fellas. I tried to convince them to tag along with me for a while, but they said that unless I can promise meat for them, then they couldn’t. Ended up meeting their mothers and learning how to cook. Next thing I knew, they ended up being guinea pigs for my cooking for two years.” Celestia nodded, “Have you ever cooked for young ones before?” The chef perked up, “Only as much as the next chef.” “Do you like them?” The chef laughed once more, “I love the little ones! Kids, foals, chicks, they’re all just delightful little tikes.” Celestia noted the complete lack of xenophobia in Ramming Seas’ statement, and allowed a small smile to form as she took a sip of her tea. “I’m sure you’re aware of the little one I’ve taken under my wing since yesterday.” “Who in the palace isn’t?” “She hasn’t taken to eating since our arrival.” Celestia easily continued, not noticing the look of horror on the chef’s face. “I believe it’s because-” “Your highness, you ought to be ashamed!” Ramming Seas angrily admonished, eliciting an amused brow to arch from Celestia. “Foals her age need to eat properly! She’s at the age where she needs to grow and-” “She’s not a foal.” Celestia interrupted. “She’s a nymph, and I believe that’s why she does not particularly enjoy pony food.” The chef knitted her brows in confusion, “A… nymph?” Celestia nodded before she quickly summarised changeling eating habits and side effects of them feeding off of ponies. It didn’t take long for her to finish, and by the end of her explanation, Ramming Seas had a thoughtful look on her face. “I don't know how to teach her how to feed on the love of ponies without causing harm, much less how I would feed her, but I think having physical substance should at least suffice.” Celestia said. “Hmmm…” Ramming Seas hummed in contemplation, “Well, I don’t mind whipping something up for her tonight. I do have to ask why you think she’d like meat though.” Celestia sheepishly glanced off to the side, “... She has canines.” Ramming Seas blinked, staring at the Princess for a moment before chuckling with a shake of a head. “Well shoot Your highness, I’m surprised you didn’t think about it any sooner then.” “It wasn’t something that came to mind until recently.” Celestia confessed as the doors opened for the herald. “Well you can be certain that I’ll have a few dishes for her to try by dinner.” The chef said, wrapping their conversation up with a small bow. “Thank you.” Celestia nodded gratefully, “Please bring them up to my chambers if you could, I’ll be certain to notify the guards posted at the entry of the stairwell.” She finished, disabling the soundproof spell as other ponies came to clean up after her. “I’ll send it the moment the moon rises.” From then on, Celestia found herself slipping back into the typical routine of political duties. Listening to a petitioner’s request, attending cabinet meetings with her council members, reading and signing paper work that required her immediate attention. Just her usual day, up to when it was time to lower the sun and return to her chambers. And, as per usual, she found herself inwardly groaning at the fact that her chambers were on the next floor, making it a requirement to climb those horrid stairs every evening. She racked her brain trying to figure out who in Equestria had the brilliant idea of putting her chambers so far away from the main part of the castle. Blue Print…? No… Archi Tect? It was certainly some pony who should have consulted her first before finalizing the location of her chambers so she could have turned the thought down and be rid of trotting up those dreaded stairs. … That was a lie. Chances were likely that she was consulted about the location of her chambers, and after consideration, she had agreed to it. She could not remember the specifics of the discussion since it was so long ago, but it was nye impossible that she didn’t have some form of responsibility in the finalization of her room being so far away… forcing her to walk quite a bit before being able to relax. Perhaps she should consider implementing a teleportation circle to her room She mentally sighed, knowing fully well that she would not. Especially considering that the trek up the stairs and down such a long hallway is usually her only way to get any form of physical exercise for her legs from her normally long hours of sitting. … This was likely the reason as to the location of her room now that she thought about it. The teleportation circle would not be created. With little effort Celestia magicked her doors to slowly open as Stone Wall and Swift Strike took their positions by the entry way. Before she could open them wide enough to begin stepping in, she was immediately attacked by Twilight. Or, her foreleg was rather. Twilight, still donned in her incomplete unicorn form with an outfitted cape draped across her back, was tightly wrapping all of her legs against Celestia’s, a large smile engulfing her face as her wings happily vibrated in a blur. “Eve-ing!” She proclaimed in excitement. And Celestia could not help but to be warmed at the action. “Why good evening Twilight,” Celestia greeted, taking hold of the nymph in her magic to levitate her off her leg and up to her neck to properly hug. “I take that you missed me.” Twilight lightly chirped as though in agreement before nuzzling further into Celestia’s coat. The Princess smiled as she carefully walked into her chambers, still holding Twilight against herself. “I missed you too. I hope you behaved yourself for Mirror Scry.” “Well,” the unicorn began as she stepped forward, “Besides a few minor hiccups and more than a dozen mispronunciation of the word evening, I would say that the little Miss was most excellent in her behavior.” “You were able to calm her after we left?” Celestia inquired with a bit of concern. Scry nodded, “Yes. Though I admit that I felt out of my comfort zone at the time, but it was quickly settled with an explanation of where we would be going and doing for the day.” Celestia arched a brow at that, glancing down at a widely grinning Twilight. Recalling the morning of meeting Twilight and their quick lesson, Celestia suddenly was no longer surprised at how an informative lecture was able to placate the nymph. “You’ve got to be kidding me…” Swift Strike mumbled from his post. “Little miss,” Scry called, craning her head down as Twilight leaned her head back to face the guard in an upside down manner. “Why don’t you show the Princess, Swift Strike, and Stone Wall the book her highness wanted? Then we can show them the books you got afterward?” Twilight beamed, letting go of Celestia (and eliciting the Princess to gently let her back down to the floor) as she scampered over to her small bed where a dozen or so books were scattered about. She clumsily stood on her hind legs, almost slipping as she leaned on the surface of the low bed. Knitting her brows, her tongue peeking out at the side of her mouth, she scanned over the many covers and shuffled them about before finding what she needed. With a smile, she leaned forward to carefully grab hold of the book in her mouth, and proceeded to drag it off (along with a bit of her bed sheets). Her head jolted down from the drop in weight, but Twilight persisted in keeping hold of it, no thanks to the help of Scry’s pastel green magic glow barely taking hold of the book, and proceeded to clumsily trot back to Celestia with a smile. Celestia wasn’t sure she would ever see a sight more adorable than the nymph proudly handing her the book by standing on her hind legs while using Celestia’s foreleg to balance against. “Thank you very much Twilight.” Celestia beamed, taking hold of the book in her magical grasp and allowing Twilight to properly show off her pointed teeth before getting back to all four of her hooves. Though, the princess immediately frowned when she realized just how thin the book was. “Is this really all we have to Changelings?” Celestia asked Scry who nodded solemnly. “I scoured through as much as I could and that was all I could find. Of course, I will continue searching to see if there is any more, but as of now.” Scry gestured to the book. Celestia lightly sighed, “Thank you Scry. I’d appreciate all the help.” She said just as a slew of trays came floating in. “For now, you may return to your post. Stone Wall and Swift Strike should fill you in on what we discussed pertaining to the search for Twilight’s hive.” “Of course your highness.” Scry lightly bowed. She gently patted Twilight on the head to bid her a good night, before exiting the chambers just as Ramming Seas came into view at the door frame. “Chef, please. Come in.” Celestia motioned, magicking the doors to the dining room open. “Thanks.” Ramming Seas nodded, floating the trays over to the designated area as her eyes caught sight of Twilight. Immediately, the chef beamed, “And this must be the infamous Twilight Sparkle! You didn’t cause another commotion today did you?” Twilight for her part, seemed torn between confusion and shyness, as she had barely backed away to hide under Celestia while tilting her head curiously toward the Chef and the food floating by. “Don’t be shy! Let me see your whites!” Ramming Seas said, exaggerating a wide smile for Twilight. “Pleeeeeeeease!” A small smile crept up on Twilight’s face, finding the face amusing as she looked up at Celestia as though saying, “Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” Celestia chuckled at the display, looking down at Twilight and lightly pushing her toward the Chef with a wing, she nodded in agreement as she smiled widely herself. “Yes Twilight, pleeease.” She lightly sang. Twilight, being a somewhat easily amused nymph, giggled at the alicorn and unicorn’s silliness as she tried mimicking the two. “Peeeeeaaaas!” She repeated, unable to pronounce the word fully without having grown all her teeth. At her attempt, she dropped her chest to the floor as she wiggled her flank in excitement, thinking that this was a game. “Ahhhh! There they are!” Ramming Seas gruffly laughed, dropping her own chest to the floor as she playfully gestured punches and ruffles to the nymph. “Those are mighty canine’s alright!” Twilight squealed in delight as she attempted to dodge the Chef’s hooves, jumping back and side to side with a happy buzz. “These teeth are definitely going to tear right on through what I have prepared for her.” Ramming Seas nodded, having already finished setting the dining table up. “Come! Come! Let’s have her try some!” The chef beckoned, walking toward the dining room as though she were familiar with Celestia’s chambers with a small bounce in her step. Twilight looked up to Celestia, as though to ask for permission to follow the Chef. Upon seeing a nod, Twilight eagerly trotted after Ramming Seas, mimicking her posture and bounce. Following along, Celestia couldn’t help but giggle at how adorable it was to watch Twilight try to mimic the chef. “Here we are! Down you go!” Ramming Seas said, patting the only small, foal sized cushion. Twilight mad a move to unexpectedly listen to the Chef, but was stopped by Celestia. "Now Twilight," Celestia said with a light warning tone, "You need to change first. We don't want a repeat of yesterday." She said, remembering how Twilight had decided to change back to her changeling form on her new cushion, leaving it wet and causing Celestia to cast a drying spell. The nymph paused before chirping in agreement, spreading her legs just a little further apart before shaking her body. A light mist procured off of her, along with her unicorn form, to reveal her changeling body before she plopped right down to her designated seat and look up at Ramming Seas as Celestia gently magicked Twilight’s cape off to reveal her four, bug like wings. Ramming Seas didn’t even bat an eye, “Right then! Since I wasn’t sure where this little tyke’s tastes laid, I went ahead and made a generally popular dish the chicks over in Griffonstone like.” She began, glancing over to Celestia who was taking her own seat. “It’s called a Hamburg Steak. The reason why it’s so popular with the little ones is because of how rich in taste it is and how soft it is. You barely even have to chew it. Parents like to cook it too, because it’s easy to hide vegetables in it.” Ramming Seas laughed, uncovering the dish to reveal a patty in the shape of a star drizzled in tomato sauce, accompanied by flower shaped carrots. The design and smell seemed to peak Twilight’s interest if her perked ears and little nose wiggle as she sniffed the food were anything to go by. Carefully, Celestia magically cut a bit of the food with Twilight’s utensils, and hovered it in front of her. Another sniff or two, Twilight deemed the smell passable enough to at least open her mouth and allow the food to enter. As Celestia fed her, Twilight slowly chewed… a process that soon became faster as she smiled. After swallowing, Celestia waited with bated breath as she examined Twilight’s features, analyzing whether or not the nymph liked it. To her immense relief, Twilight happily chirped as her wings buzzed in approval before opening her mouth for another serving. “Thank you Chef,” Celestia sighed as she obliged to the young Queen’s demand, “I didn’t think Twilight would ever get around to eating.” Ramming Seas laughed with a shake of a head, “Of course she would! It’s just a matter of finding something suited to her tastes. The little ones have picky buds you know, they only become more lenient with age and steady easing.” Celestia nodded in agreement, “Once again, thank you for helping me with this chef. If you don’t mind continuing on with this position.” “I’d be honored.” “Wonderful. If you could speak with Mirror Scry on your way out, she’ll confirm with you and inform you of anything else you wish to know about Twilight.” Celestia smiled, “I look forward to what you have planned for breakfast tomorrow morning.” Ramming Seas bowed with a small smile on her face, “You got it. I’ll be sure to make something this little one will enjoy.” She said with a ruffle to Twilight’s head. Twilight merely preened under the attention, puffing her chest out in pride and sitting as tall as she could. Though she quickly realized something was missing as she suddenly frowned and looked up at Celestia, her mouth opening in a request for another serving of the food. The two laughed at the sight as Celestia indulged the young Queen while Ramming Seas bowed once more to dismiss herself. “Have a good night Chef.” Celestia politely bid, though her attention was still held by Twilight. “Do you like it?” she asked, feeding Twilight another serving as Celestia served herself with the dish prepared for herself. Twilight happily buzzed, opening her mouth wide and engulfing the food off the fork. Celestia merely chuckled, her eyes flickering over the changeling’s body and noting a bit of dust and dirt on her carapace… then frowned. “How did you get dirty?” Twilight tilted her head in confusion, a small - seemingly innocent - smile on her face as she looked up at Celestia. The Princess gave a small frown, dreading the idea of having to give Twilight another bath in memory of yesterday evening. While the process of it was incredibly easy, getting Twilight to come out of the bath tub proved most difficult. What was supposed to be half an hour of bathtime at most ended up taking the better part of two hours as the nymph had staunchly refused to get out even when the water started to become cold. It wasn’t an event Celestia was keen on repeating. ...Perhaps a shower would do? Recalling how ecstatic Twilight was when the bathtub was simply starting to run water made Celestia quickly perish the thought. … Then again… Celestia glanced over into her bedroom chambers where the book on changelings was left. If Twilight took a bath, Celestia could always take that time to read what little there is to the species. She stared at the book for a few more seconds, until the other books that Twilight had procured came into Celestia’s peripheral and a small smile graced across her muzzle. “Nevermind that,” Celestia said with a headshake, “You’ll just have to make do with a nice brushing.” She said with a smile. Twilight tilted her head in confusion, her eyes curiously looking up at Celestia as though saying, “Brushing? What is this ‘brushing’ you speak of?” which merely elicited a giggle from Celestia. There was plenty of time tomorrow to read the book on changelings. “Why don’t we read some of your books that you brought back while we brush you? Hm?” She asked, bringing a hoof up to gently boop Twilight on the nose with. A wide, tooth smile stretched across Twilight’s cheeks as she chirped with a delighted buzz, warming Celestia’s chest at the sight of the expression. “But we need to finish all our food first, okay?” Celestia pointed out before lowering her head and whispering a conspiracy, “We can’t read on an empty stomach.” She said, playfully nuzzling Twilight and causing her to giggle in agreement.