"-and that's why the nobility in ancient Bitaly thought the planet was banana shaped," I explained. Diamond and I were walking around after school and she had some history class questions.
"Really? I guess limiting pegasi flight routes could lead to that. Was Bitaly also the place with the whole sheep bladder and earthquake thing?"
"No, that was the Minotaur Kingdom. They got rid of and banned all sheep, saying sheep bladders caused earthquakes. Nopony knows how they reached that conclusion. That lasted until the next earthquake, which was followed by the populace overthrowing the king at the time, which was the one after the one that banned the sheep."
"Oh, I see. . ." She slowed down and sniffed the air. "Do you smell that?"
I stopped and sniffed the air. Whatever it was, it smelled good. "Yeah. . . Wanna go find it?"
Diamond smirked. "Am I talking to Inova or Skyla?"
"Inova. Skyla would have just started following her nose immediately." After a bit of sniffing and searching, we came to an alleyway that was slightly spooky looking with how the shadows cut across it. "This looks dangerous. You should go first."
"You're the Princess and a leader, so you should go first."
"You know I can't run if things get bad, so you go first."
"You're immortal, so you won't get killed. You first."
"No, you."
"No, you."
"No, you."
"No, you."
"No, you."
"No, you."
"No, you."
"No, you."
"No, you."
"No, I will."
"No, I will."
"No, I will."
"No, I will."
"No, I will."
"No, I will."
"Alright, you can go first."
"I will!" I'd only made it ten feet into the alley when I realized what had happened. "Hey!"
"You. . . You volunteered." It was difficult to stay upset at Diamond for her trick, especially when she was struggling to hold back her laughter. "Don't worry, I'm right behind you."
I wanted to argue the point, but decided against it and kept going forward. It wasn't long before we came across an open door with the good smell coming out. The inside had dark wood floors, green cushioned furniture, and red brick walls, all in stark contrast to the bright shiny crystalline Empire outside. It all felt very comforting and inviting in a way nothing else in the Empire did. There were even a few ponies casually chatting and eating inside, which somehow made it feel more welcoming than the decor already did.
To the left from the entrance was a kitchen, and behind the counter was a tan earth pony stallion with a white and brown mane. "Hello," he happily greeted, then he seemed to realize who I was. "Princess Inova. What brings you and your friend to my pizzeria?" His voice had an accent to it that seemed to just fit with the atmosphere.
"We smelled something and got curious," I explained before looking around as an idea came together in my head. "What can we get for five bits?"
"Two personal pizzas or a small pizza. What topping would you like?" He gestured towards a chalkboard with a list of things that could go on the pizzas.
Diamond was at a bit of a loss of words. "Uhh. . . Well. . . I think. . . But maybe. . ."
I gave Diamond a simple question. "Do you even know what pizza is?" I didn't know, but I'd gotten the basic idea pretty quickly from some of the decor and what the ponies were eating when we came in.
"Well. . . No, I don't."
"It's from Bitaly," the stallion explained. "I actually grew up there, and I moved here with my family a few years ago. I'll make some cheese pizza for you two, since it's your first pizza. Two personal pizzas or one small?"
"One small one seems good," I said. "Diamond, the bits are in the front of my right saddlebag." I stood still as Diamond went through my neatly organized bag, pulled out the bits, and paid the stallion. "Thank you, Diamond."
"Go take a seat and I'll have it out when it's done," the stallion said before he started tossing some dough.
I led Diamond to a table in the middle of the area, we got our saddlebags off, set them in some empty chairs, then sat in the other two chairs. "Let's talk about something else," Diamond suggested. "How have your court sessons been going?"
I told her about my latest venture in the dealings of court: writing legislation. It was agonizing in a way I thought writing couldn't be, and was a pain in the neck for me, especially since I still couldn't levitate a quill long enough or precisely enough to write even a decent piece of pretend legislation. Writing that stuff hurt in a way that nothing else I wrote did.
My tale of mental and neck pain came to an end with the arrival of the food. "One small cheese pizza. Enjoy!"
I looked at the pizza. It was still steaming and it was cut into six slices. Thanks to a lifetime of living with my sister, I was quick to grab a slice and take a bite.
It was truly simple, no more than warm bread, seasoned tomato sauce, and melted cheese. However, with that first bite, it suddenly felt like finding something I'd missed for a long time. It was a strange feeling, but one I didn't think about for long as I devoured the delicious pizza.
"Are you sure you haven't been influenced by your sister?" Diamond asked as I worked on my second slice.
"Hm?" I paused to ask.
"I've never seen you this happy about food before."
"Oh please." I swallowed the gooey goodness and contently exhaled. "She's just happy to eat anything. I'm more of a. . ." I waved a forehoof around as I tried to find the word I wanted.
"Connoisseur?" The stallion suggested.
"Yeah, maybe that. It's just the good stuff I get really excited about." I thought about what else to say, but nothing came to mind, so I went back to my slice. The fact that I didn't have more bits with me was disappointing, but there was nothing I could do about it.
Mom was busy helping Skyla with what looked like history homework when I got home, so as quietly as my hooves would allow, I slowly sneaked away and into my room. Once I quietly closed the door, I let out a sigh of relief and turned around to go to my desk.
"Hey, Inova," dad said.
My yelp of surprise was incredibly dignified and refined, and nopony would change my mind on that. "Dad! What are you doing in my room?"
"Would you believe me if I said I was meditating? I don't know how you came up with it, but your room is actually quite relaxing." He stood up from the rug in the center of the room and sat down on one side of the corner sofa. "Maybe it's because of how organized and clean you keep things in here."
"Like Aunt Twilight?" I teased. Her organization system was much more complex than mine, but I did manage to puzzle some of it out during my summer trip.
"Maybe. So, did you go do something with Diamond?"
"We found a pizza place."
He looked surprised. "There's a pizza place in the Empire?"
"Yeah. It's pretty good."
He did some exaggerated stretches. "You know, I think I could go for a walk. Want to come with me?"
I picked up on what he was really asking. "Sure."
"And I want you to trot as fast as you can all the way there."
I was suddenly less excited about the walk. "Okaaay."
After a few minor wrong turns, we arrived, and I was happy to sit down while dad went to the counter. My hooves and legs felt fine, but trying to navigate and failing to not trip wore me out.
"Prince Armor, welcome," the tan stallion said. "What would you like?"
Dad looked over the menu for a bit. "Inova, what toppings do you want?"
"Uhh. . ." I wasn't expecting to be called on. "Not too many?"
"One small and one personal pizza, with mushrooms, spinach, and peppers on it."
"Eleven bits," the tan stallion said.
Dad paid and came over to me. "Mr. Slice seems like a good stallion."
I raised an eyebrow. "You know him?"
"No, he has his picture and name on the wall by the menu."
I looked over and saw what he was talking about. "Oh."
"So, how's Diamond doing?"
Dad and I came home full and happy. Mr. Slice's pizza was even better with the toppings on it. Neither of us finished all of our pizzas, so we made the daring and dangerous decision to bring the leftovers home. Dad kept the pizza box in a solid bubble shield so the smell wouldn't reach Skyla as quickly, nor would she be able to see it.
Mom gave us a curious look when we arrived. "And where have you two been?"
"Look at what Inova found on the way home." Dad made the shield transparent enough for mom to see the box with the leftovers.
Mom blinked owlishly at the pizza. "We have such a place here?" She quietly asked.
"Yes. Inova and I aren't hungry, so we're giving you the leftovers."
"I'll add it to our supper then." Mom took the box and dad dispelled the shield. "By the way, has Inova had any of her daily training?"
"I had her trot as fast as she could all the way there and back. She tripped up twice each way."
Her expression brightened at the report. "That's an improvement. Good job, Inova."
"Thanks," I tiredly said. Being very full of delicious pizza made the trot home more physically tiring than the trot out, and the falls I took didn't help. "I'm going to go study some school stuff." I went to my room and did just that.