//------------------------------// // 9. The Immortal Sisters Part 2 // Story: Dear Small Pony Book // by Carapace //------------------------------// Dear Small Pony Book, Thank you for being patient in awaiting the continuation of my tale once again. As you might imagine, being in the presence of the Immortal Sisters on top of my usual duties as Flurry Heart’s favored changeling and foalsitter have required the bulk of my attention over the course of this visit. With that said, a lot has happened, so I will have to cover the most important things. That alone will make this a multi-part entry, a series if you will. After the successful execution of the Canterlot Castle Cookie Caper—Princess Celestia’s choice of name, not mine—it was time for us to dine with the Sisters. It was hardly the first time I’d dined with the Royal Family, as Princess Cadence and Shining Armor were always quite generous with their time and often insisted upon the company of myself and Sunburst, but this was the first time enjoying dinner in the company of Princesses Celestia and Luna. In their own home, no less. We dined in what could only be some grand dining hall, where they must have held countless parties and meetings with dignitaries of nations I hadn’t even heard of. The table was long, stretching perhaps twenty or thirty ponies’ lengths from end to end, and was made of solid mahogany. Though my grasp of pony economics is cursory at best, I could glean from what I’d heard from the guards stationed around the Crystal Palace that such furnishing came at great cost. Though given the castle the Sisters reside in, I would venture a guess and say that they might shrug off the cost in the same manner others might converse about the weather. Then came the food. The staff ponies wheeled forth metal carts bearing trays of steamed vegetables, salads of dandelions, daisies, and flowers I’d never seen before, what looked to be an onion soup, and a rather interesting looking dish which Sunburst informed me was called a quiche. It was, for any pony, a veritable feast. For a brief moment, I thought that I might need to see about using one of my benevolent hosts for a donation after their meal. The last of the staff ponies had broken off from the rest of the group as they approached the Sisters, instead wheeling his cart around the table until he came to a stop behind my seat. He met me not with fear or nervousness—not by appearance or when I tasted the air around him—but with a polite bow of his head as he lit his horn and floated a dish covered by a metal dome over to rest before me. With a deft flick, he pulled the metal dome away to reveal my plate and the meal that awaited me. My ears stood up straight. A wide grin spread across my chitinous face. “Fish!” I cried, sniffing at the steam wafting from the delicious meat. I could smell the vegetables awaiting me on the side, but my eyes nearly crossed at the sweet, delectable scent of cod. Pan fried, I believe, judging by the presence of butter and herbs in the mix. “As A la Cart promised,” Princess Celestia replied, the merry twinkle in her eyes betraying her amusement at my reaction. “Do let me know how you like it. He confided in me that he was quite curious as to how your tastes might differ from ours, so there was a bit of … guesswork involved. Guesswork or not, it was a gesture I could appreciate wholeheartedly. It smelled delicious, Small Pony Book. Almost as much as love from my generous hosts, though unable to hold a candle to that of Princess Cadence or the Sisters. Still, in my experience, something that smells so lovely could only be good to eat. Though Shining Armor has made note of some forms of poisonous plants and flowers, so perhaps I should amend that to mean “things that smell lovely that come from the kitchens.” Unless of course, someone used one of those poisonous flowers in the ingredients. That was rather insidious of me to mention, far too like my kin. I do apologize Small Pony Book. Please do not fear. In any case, I opened my mouth and bared my fangs, then made as if to lunge upon the meat, but stopped short at a look from Princess Cadence. Slowly, I remembered her instructions from prior lessons. Diving face first into my food was rude in pony society. It was proper to use the little metal things—forks, knives, and spoons—to eat. Carefully, as if lifting one of those fragile little glass bulbs from the Hearth’s Warming tree, I picked up the pointy one—the fork, I believe—and used a side to cut off a portion of delicious cod from the rest. I speared it on the prongs, then brought it to my lips and took a bite. There are certain things I’ve eaten that have come close to love. I thought the steamed fish served in the Crystal Empire was the epitome of any solid food I might eat, that I would never find something that would come so close to love in taste. I was so very wrong. I must have devoured it as if it were a salmon I’d caught from the stream, with all the fervor of a ravenous changeling, because my plate was availed of its bounty in mere seconds, even the vegetables didn’t last longer than the few seconds it took my tastebuds to register that they weren’t meat, but still carried valuable nutrition. When I raised my head and licked my lips clean of the remnants of my meal, I found myself met with a pair of amused looks from the Sisters. I sheepishly ducked my head and gave a nervous chitter. “Excuse me,” I mumbled. “Pray, do not apologize on our account,” Princess Luna drawled, her lips curved into a vulpine smile. “A la Cart will be positively delighted to hear that our grand-niece’s favored changeling devoured his experimental dish with a fervor matched only by the Gryphon ambassador and his family.” Princess Celestia came to my aid. “Oh, come now, Luna. He’s hardly as gauche as Steel Talon.” She cast a wink in my direction, then said, “I believe dear Thorax bears more kinship with our friends from the Wyvern Kingdom. You remember Nikita of the Craggy Peak Den, don’t you?” “Verily, though he was a terrible cheat at card games in our younger days, was he not?” “He was. Though we managed to out perform him in that regard, as I recall …” My head spun as they launched into a recounting of events from centuries, even millennia long passed. Things which I doubted written history held record of, though I could at least take solace in the fact that my hosts and Sunburst looked just as confused as I felt. On cue, Princess Cadence met my eye. She gave me the same dazzling smile that always made my wings buzz and my tongue flit out to catch the tiniest of tastes of love radiating from her, then shook her head and mouthed, “Don’t worry about it.” I let out a breath. Confirmation was good. It meant that I wasn’t the only one, which also meant that I would not be pulled aside for a Lecture so I wouldn’t do something like cocoon Flurry Heart when it was time for her nap again. That had been a particularly lengthy one, in no small part because I had been so very adamant in my way. Princess Luna’s eyes turned toward me again. “I will confess, I do have questions regarding your kind, young Thorax. If you do not feel it uncomfortable to discuss, of course.” Blinking, I considered the prospect. I supposed it couldn’t hurt to answer a question or two. After all, I did the same for Princess Cadence and Shining Armor when we were in the Empire. Why not the Sisters? I smiled. “I don’t mind. What were your questions?” She fluffed her feathers, leaning forward to prop her chin upon her hooves. “Your diet, for one,” she said, her eyes flitting to my plate then back to my face. “Changelings feed primarily on love, do they not?” “We do.” I nodded slowly, furrowing my brows. “It’s the best thing for us, really. But not the only thing we eat.” “That was my question, actually. You require only love to live, yet you eat fish, meats, and vegetables. An omnivorous race, as it were. I’m curious as to why you do not simply stick to whichever is most convenient.” I opened my mouth to answer but paused in thought. It was a good question, admittedly. There was a simple answer, of course, but hardly satisfactory—and I had the distinct feeling that “because we just do” would be disrespectful even in Equestria’s more lax culture. There was, however, a deeper answer. One that could make her see in her own terms. “Ponies can eat grass, can’t they?” I asked. Princess Luna arched a brow but nodded once. “Yes, we can.” “You receive all the nourishment you require to live from it and water, right?” “Correct. Why do you ask?” “For the same reason you ask about us feeding on love—grass is everywhere, it’s far more convenient than growing crops or baking.” I tilted my head, sweeping my hoof out over the table. “Why don’t you just eat that instead of bothering with all of this?” Silence reigned over everyone, save for my overlady as she giggled and played with her carrots. I watched as my hosts tapped their hooves against the table, Sunburst bobbed his head while he considered the pros and cons, and Princess Celestia simply smiled and nibbled on a lettuce leaf. Princess Luna, on the other hoof, held my gaze. She steepled her hooves, regarding me as if I held some great mystery behind my eyes. Slowly, a smile began to tug at her lips—a genuine smile, not the teasing grin from before. “I would hear your reasoning,” she said. “I believe I know it, but I would hear yours.” My ear flicked at her tone. “Er, well, there’s more to life than just surviving,” I replied. “If I wished to simply survive, I could probably subsist on the love of Princess Cadence, Shining Armor, Sunburst, and Flurry Heart, and do petty errands around the Empire. But … as much as I do crave it, I also enjoy dining on fish. And sweets. It reminds me of when I would hunt and forage for food with my kin when we didn’t have … a source of love.” If she thought anything of my little slip, she did not react. Rather, she laughed—Princess Luna threw back her head and let out such musical laughter that it filled me to the brim with joy and love, my favorite dessert when granted their sweet nectar. “More to life than simply surviving,” Princess Luna repeated. “Bravo, young changeling. You are indeed young, but wise in your own way, aren’t you?” I felt my cheeks flush. “I-I simply do as I am asked, Your Highness. I am grateful to be allowed to stay with Princess Cadence and Shining Armor, and enjoy the benefits of life under Equestrian rule.” “Indeed. You are quite the interesting colt, I must say. Quite interesting.” Her smile took on a calculating edge. A lump formed in my throat. I attempted to swallow it and found it a mix of my own slime and saliva. “Are there other questions you had for me?” “Yes, of course.” Teal eyes gleamed. “Though not regarding your race as a whole.” “Oh?” I blinked. “What then?” She paused a moment to take a bite of quiche and chew on it thoughtfully. She swallowed it down, then replied, “You have already spent hours with my sister. Now, I request your company.” My eyes darted from her to my hosts, who simply smiled and nodded in prompting. “Uh …” “On my balcony,” Princess Luna continued, “we will sit beneath my stars and converse. We will take tea together if that is to your liking. I would offer something stronger, but fourteen is far too young for such things.” “I do enjoy tea, but … I’m sorry, I’m confused. What exactly do you want to talk to me about?” Her eyes twinkled like the stars in her night sky. “You, my dear colt,” she replied softly. “I wish to speak to the changeling my niece and her husband speak so highly of, and my grand-niece sees as a loving, doting caretaker. Or perhaps, a relative of sorts.” A teal glow surrounded her cup of wine. She brought it to her lips and took a small sip, it did nothing to hide the pearly white teeth in her smile. “I wish to speak to you so I may understand.”