//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 Let's Talk About Daddy // Story: My Daughter Chrysalis // by Scarheart //------------------------------// This is what I've been able to wrap my head around so far in regards to How Things Work Around Here: Magic, magic, and more magic. Magic is apparently in everything, everywhere, and saturating my body even as I speak. It started absorbing itself into my pores the moment I set foot on this planet. Everything seems to have some sort of origin tied to magic and whatever this weird glue is making the impossible things possible is getting into me and there is nothing I can do to stop it. Keep in mind, I'm paraphrasing everything Celestia told me. I didn't even mind the fact she spoke to me like I was five. There was just a lot of crap to take in and the princess adjusted how she spoke to me based off my reactions. She's very good at reading body language. Staring and blinking incomprehensibly is a dead giveaway. At least she didn't have to resort to baby talk. Apparently, Equestria is located somewhere in a dimension nestled between dreams and reality. Celestia even suggested so far it might be possible for me down the road to acquire some sort of magical ability, though she had no idea what it might manifest itself to become. It might not even happen. Magic, it seems all starts with a thought for the sentient creatures on Gaea. Allow me to get into the details in regards to Equestria and her inhabitants. Here's the notes given to me: The majority of her population consists - as stated earlier - of ponies. Specifically, there are three tribes; the Pegasus Tribe, the Unicorn Tribe, and the Earth Tribe. Each tribe has unique talents suited for the tasks they excel at. Firstly, there are the winged pegasi, equines of the skies who shape the weather through the magic inherited in manipulating the skies and providing the correct weather for the seasons. It is their job to ensure just the right amount of rain falls upon the land. It is the pegasi who make sure each day is scheduled for its allotted amount of sunshine or cloud cover, depending on the meticulate and complicated schedule planned ahead in seven year cycles. If a particular summer day is too hot, they set aside a certain amount of rainfall aided by thick clouds to cool the skies. They bring in a breeze to blow away the humidity. Equestria is never too humid nor too dry. Nor are the winters too harsh, though there have been instances where blizzards have gotten away from the usually watchful pegasi. Usually this is due to the weather system backing up and needing to be 'aired out', requiring a full purging of a very complex and intricate system still considered to be in a state of development centuries after its first crude implimentation. Secondly, there are the horned unicorns, ponies who excell at magic and provide for the realm the magic and enchantments needed to keep things running smoothly. Thousands of years ago, their grasp on magic was vast and an art unto itself. Before the first war, unicorns were indeed powerful sorcerers and magicians, capable of wondrous deeds. These days, they are but a far cry of their former glory, with most of the old magic forgotten. Most scholars are unicorns and many of those who peruse the old tomes seek the old magics. They provide the means of power in creating wonderous machines to allow for other ponies to enjoy creature comforts, always inventing, always trying out new things even as they seek out the past. All unicorns have a level of telekinisis, allowing them to levitate objects of various sizes, depending upon the will and magic pool of the individual. Through their skill, many of the discovery in alchemy and metallurgy and other sciences have led to the creation of towering cities of steel and concrete in the newest settlements and cities (like Manehatten). Though this has never been exclusive to unicorns, but most major discoveries in magic and science can be attributed to a unicorn. Most doctors, for example, are unicorns. Thirdly, there are the earth ponies. Gifted with neither wings nor horn, they are still gifted with magic for coaxing the most from nature, be it through mining or farming or other means of working the land. It is mostly through the efforts of these most common of ponies there is food for every pony and a heavy export of grains and fruits and vegetables to other nations. More than a few rulers owe their thanks to the farmers of Equestria during times of famine and hardship. Earth ponies are usually hard at work, building houses and tilling the land and helping establish new communities along the borders of Equestria. Even as the population expanded and new towns sprouted up along the furthest reaches of Equestria's borders along the vast wilderness. Out there, far from the protection of controlled weather and the long arm of the nation's rulers, it is the earth ponies and their rugged toughness taming the wilds and making homes for others to settle within. By all means are they far from the least of the three tribes. All though most records were lost in the century with which the spirit known as Discord was first defeated, the power of King Sombra was quelled, and perhaps most tragically, the rise and fall of Nightmare Moon, it can be certain the greatest constant of Equestria has been in the form of Princess Celestia, the Lady of the Sun. Her true age is unknown to all save herself and no one has dared to pose the question. As much a mother to her subjects as she is a monarch, she ruled what was supposed to be a diarchy for a thousand years alone and without the most important pony in her life. Without complaint she ruled, offering her wisdom as she more or less allowed her subjects to rule themselves, allowing them to progress and grow so long as they obeyed the laws and did all things good and just. She openly loved her subjects and in turn, they responded with adoration. For a thousand years, she gladly raised the sun each morning, only to sadly set it each evening and bring forth the moon from beneath the horizon, facing the stark reminder of a sorrowful battle. Yet she still did it with love. It was her actions so long ago that split the fabled Elements of Harmony into six pieces, forever severing Celestia from them. A thousand years passed and Nightmare Moon became lost in legend, a truth turned to myth. The tale is well known, has been documented in more recent times of the return of Nightmare Moon and the revelation she was in fact the younger sister of Princess Celestia. Equestria, after so many centuries, was presented with the second half of the diarchy in the form of Luna, the Lady of the Moon. The Harmonies had their keepers in the form of six mares, two representatives each of the pony tribes and had vanquished the evil thing that had made Princess Luna into Nightmare Moon. That was copied from one of the more recent textbooks, not unlike what a kid going to middle school might find. After reading it - at Celestia's prompting - I figured to ask if the heavenly bodies dictated her powers or if it was the other way around. I poured over the book after listening to Celestia (bless her heart) explain to me the general overview on how things work with magic. I'm pretty much sure I've got a good idea I have no damned clue. At all. No, I'm not a very smart guy. Rather, it takes me some time to figure things out. It might be a little on the slow side, but eventually technical stuff (I think magic falls into the realm of techno jargon) sinks in. So far, my introduction to Equestria and her magic has been confined to the three tribes as well as the examples of all three combined. Namely alicorns like Princess Celestia. They are powerful. Duh. When you can walk into a room and feel the sun in the example of one alabaster being with wings and a horn and she knows she's hot... That did not come out as I intended. I just face palmed myself. This is going to take some getting used to and the bad jokes have got to stop! As I was saying, it's as though she is the living embodiment of the sun. Her immortality is tied to the star. She's linked to it and it supplies her magic. Her duty in 'raising' the sun is as much philosophical as it is a means of invigorating her, though the means behind which she came to be seems to be as much a mystery to herself as anything else. Celestia does remember her parents and her cutie mark appeared when she first tried to raise the sun some centuries ago (she refuses to say how many). Needless to say, she has an enormous pool of magic to draw upon, mostly due to her link to the sun and her years of study and practice in magic has honed her mind into a wellspring of skill unmatched (or so she tells me). Luna is only slightly less powerful than her sister, but she has a bit of a disparity of having spent a goodly amount of her time physically merged with the moon for a thousand years. How the hell does someone get sent into the moon for ten centuries? Honestly, Luna spent so much time as part of the moon with no food, no water, and nobody to talk to. I wanted to ask how the ordeal affected her on a mental level (if all this was true). Even if Chrysalis solidified my own belief in magic, imagining any living being confined with no contact with another living thing for a thousand years is still incomprehensible. So does that mean they are spirits as much as creatures of the flesh? Are they magical manifestations given physical form? Apparently the answer is all of the above. I don't know how or why my brain came to this conclusion, but the reason behind Celestia and Luna's markings on their flanks is what ties them to the two objects rotating in the sky. Once they developed their singular talent, it became a part of who they are. Only alicorns can have that sort of ability from what I was told as they represent the pinnacle of pony power. They're so rare there are only four in all of existence, though Celestia thinks there might be a few more out there in the world, hinting only a small portion of the world is known. Naturally the conversation after the first hour steered towards changelings and how love (and other emotions) empower them. Where rest can recharge a unicorn's natural magic reserves, a changeling requires feeding upon emotions to recharge their own pool. Also, emotions from feeding can heal wounds. That was a lesson for another day. Remind me to ask Chryssie about it. I sure hope she's got a decent grasp of her own species by now. You know, I think I read that somewhere on the internet some years ago. I queried Celestia about that. Imagine my surprise when she told me she's spent years using human minds to work out her own theories on changelings, using their brains and repositories for her own storage of hypothosis and thoughts. A lot of it she admits freely as conjecture and speculation, but she's also more than content to let them think it's their own ideas. It keeps her thoughts and ideas out of the hands of potential enemies on her world while supplying creative humans with a means to vent out their creative juices. At least until she was able to get a hold of a few changelings for a better understanding of them. The little buggers are elusive and damn nigh impossible to catch. She also used this impossible little trick with the help of her sister to slowly indoctrinate humanity with the idea ponies were not only real, but pushing for an eventual contact. It's one hell of a Jedi mind trick. I still don't believe it. You can't make subliminal suggestions on humans who live in another dimension. Can you? "I'll tell you more as we come to know each other," she assures me, finishing her tea. "I'd like to get your take on a few things as I've never really had somepony to talk to in regards to your history. I've been watching your race for a very long time, ever since Starswirl spent time on your world as a human." "Merlin?" I guess. She smiles. "Did Luna tell you about him?" "A little." Celestia nods, pouring herself more tea. She notices my empty cup. "More?" she offers graciously. Before I can say no, my cup is brimming with steaming hot liquid. I don't know why I don't like tea. I prefer coffee. Politely I smile. Inwardly I sigh. "You're not a fan of tea, are you?" she asks, assuming a wounded air. Oh, crap. I just hurt her feelings. I stammer like an idiot, trying to squirm my way out of the hole I unceremoniously dug myself. "This is the finest tea in my personal stock," she says, her lower lip quivering, eyes moistening. Her ears have flattened out behind her, that lovely mystical mane of tri-colored etherial beauty deflating a bit as her teacup hovers in front of her, drawing to her chest almost in a protective fashion. "I only share it with those I would hope to consider a friend." Oh. My. God. A pathetic sound gurgles from somewhere from my throat in some semblance of a pathetic excuse for an apology. Michael Andrew Spriggs, congratulations! You've just made an ass of yourself by committing an extreme diplomatic faux pas. Look at the princess cry! You made her cry, you insensitive son of a bi - "Gotcha!" she giggles at me suddenly. I stare at her, not knowing if I should laugh or yell or just sit there like a slack-jawed dumb mute. Option number three seems to drown the other two out. Meanwhile...Somewhere I'm not... Chrysalis fidgeted, staring at her notes while chewing on the end of her pencil. On occasion she would look at the back of Twilight's head as her instructor explained in painful detail how casting a spell wasn't just a matter of thinking of something and doing it. She had read about this portion of magic application in each of the dozen books the purple mare had provided for her to read for the past week. Seated on her haunches at a desk in a conference room near the palace library, the changeling was not uncomfortable as she was curled up on a lounge, the desk angled in front of her while a cup of water rested on a level portion of her work station to her left. Of course it made perfect sense to get the sequence of correct thoughts and process in line before unleashing a spell! Magic required thought and concentration and in proper order of alignment and especially for the most complex of spells. Her mind fixated on the memory of earlier that morning, her father growling like a grumpy bear just woken up at hibernation at the stallions. She had no idea he wouldn't even suffer the courtesy of waiting twenty-four hours! Still, afterwords she laughed it off, knowing she would get him back for it. Now that he was here and looked to be around for a good while yet, there was time to wait and return the embarrassment tenfold. For now, she concentrated on the multiple tasks Twilight Sparkle had insisted she do while at the same time listening to and making notes of her droning, purposefully dull lectures. It was cleverly designed to see if a student with potential in magic had the acumen to concentrate and focus on a monotone voice. She had been levitating things with her mind since she was a filly, she reminded herself as Twilight droned into the mental acuity required to handle multiple details at the same time. Hearing her mentor say something interesting, her pencil popped from between her fangs and began scribbling while the shape-shifter shifted a strand of her silky hair into her mouth, chewing out of lack of mental stimulation. As she did that, she levitated a book to her right and referenced the chapter Twilight had memorized and was practically repeating verbatim. Chrysalis absolutely adored Twilight Sparkle. Ever since she had seen her first episode of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, she was determined to become every bit as good a mistress of magic as the lavender lady. Twilight was tapping her chalkboard for emphasis with her chalk as she warned her student of how important safety was when preparing to use magic. From her perspective, she understood the reason Twilight had a checklist for the checklist to make sure she didn't forget to make the checklist (the changeling admitted to herself she made that up, but Twilight was very detail oriented to the point of obsession). When class was not in session, it was fun to learn new things! When sitting at the desk and being required to retain information and listen to instruction, it was flat out boring. Strange how that worked out. It was just the way Dad described his days in school. It was as if her teacher decided to turn on boring mode when it was school time. Chrysalis understood the reason for her instruction as she certainly did not want to be responsible for unnecessary destruction. The darker magic was off limits to her, anyways. Of all the teachers who would eventually teach her the really cool stuff, Luna had informed her when Twilight Sparkle felt she was ready, Chrysalis would soon get a taste of the fun stuff! Right now, she was stuck with the practical aspects of magic application in everyday life. The thought elicited a sigh of resignation as the young changeling dutifully scribbled more notes and referenced her book for good measure. Though seven or six years younger than Twilight, Chrysalis felt like a mental baby when it came to knowledge. The lavender alicorn was a walking, talking library. Smirking to herself, she shifted in her seat as Twilight finished her lecture, assuming a triumphant air as if she had just easily and convincingly fleshed out the origins of all magic given the relative comprehension of her lone student. In fact, the lesson for the day had been about the separation of earth, wind, fire, and water when using transfiguration spells. Chrysalis consulted her notes, her pencil a flurry of scribbling activity. Without thinking, she had created several paper airplanes to amuse herself while her friend had been lecturing. Twilight turned to see a silent dogfight between half a dozen paper gliders chasing each other over the changeling's head. Multitasking came easily to a creature who would one day be responsible for the lives of thousands, so having six individual objects acting as though they had minds of their own came easily to her. "Am I boring you?" she asked in a small, teasing voice. "I thought my lessons were important to you." Her faint smile betrayed her amusement. She knew her student is preoccupied. "Oh, but they are!" Chrysalis felt a bit shame-faced, her ears going flat as she assumed an equally hurt expression, but more for guilt. "I'm just trying to apply the suggestions you gave me and keeping my mind active," she replied sullenly, drawing a circle on her desk with a hoof. Her tail swished in shame. "You're not boring. The lessons are. They're important I know, but they're also boring. Please don't take it the wrong way," she insisted apologetically. "I love having you as a teacher, I really do. I just want...more." Twilight tilted her head to one side, the gears in her head turning, clicking quickly as she filed her student's response away for future reference. She offered a warm grin. "Fair enough. I know you're smart enough to follow what I'm saying to this point and you've come a long way since we first sat down three weeks ago. Your grasp and understanding is good. Maybe I'm not challenging you enough, Emerald. Challenge accepted." Her student beamed up at her. Oh, Chrysalis hated being in her unicorn disguise, but only because it reminded her ponies were terrified of her true form and of changelings in general. The tolerance for them was only ever so slightly above zero. There was little difference between that form and her normal one. Still, it was fun creating a persona and a background for Midnight Emerald. She rather liked the name and her appearance was unique enough so she could maintain her own identity. Understanding the reason behind the requirement took a whole day of sitting with Celestia (she was terrified of her and especially Luna) and Twilight Sparkle (she almost wore the purple mare like a security blanket while in the room with Celestia). She clutched her little plush Twilight Sparkle unicorn plushie the whole time as a double bit of security. A recent memory flared to mind... It was the most terrifying day of her life. Less than three days removed from her daddy's presence, Chrysalis had never felt so alone in her whole life. The reason why her meeting took all day was simply the fact she was a miserable wreck, crying frequently for no apparent reason. Crying for daddy in front of Celestia and Twilight was, looking back also one of the most embarrassing days she could remember. Feeling the sudden brush of soft wings enclosing around her body and drawing her to a welcoming bosom was unexpected as the Princess of the Sun drew her in and cooed like a mother to her foal. Chrysalis wondered about her real mother for the first time. "Do I have one?" she remembered asking Celestia one day. "A mother, I mean?" It had been a week since coming to Equestria when she asked the day half of the diarchy as they sat down for tea. Celestia wanted to have a weekly progress report with the changeling so she could see for herself how Chrysalis was adjusting to her new life. They were out in the garden, safe from prying eyes and allowing the shape-shifter to assume her normal figure. It was a typical mid afternoon day with summer fading and the first touches of autumn beginning to grace the leaves in the trees. "I should imagine so," Celestia said after a moment. "Your race are quite secretive. Perhaps even more so after your former did what she did." The princess was very careful not to implicate the young Chrysalis at fault for the invasion long ago. Chrysalis winced, but nodded. She was aware and painfully so. "Are you all right?" Twilight asked her suddenly, her face right in front of hers. "You spaced out on me there, Chrysalis." The changeling shook herself to the present, blushing furiously. "It's nothing," she muttered, her ears drooping. "I'm just thinking about how much the Princess scares me." The mare sighed and plopped down next to the student who once tried to take her brother and now looked up to her as a heroine. "You've been preoccupied all day. You want to spend time with your dad, don't you?" A gentle and understanding hoof settled on Chrysalis' shoulder. A little smile creased her features as she turned her head towards the only pony in Equestria she regarded as a friend. Twilight Sparkle was the only one willing to accept Chrysalis as a friend, having overcome her own lingering thoughts from the invasion. Celestia had urged her to consider reaching a hoof out to Chrysalis. The mare was so alone in the world where she was born. She needed love if she was going to grow. The other five Bearers for the most part were not yet comfortable with Chrysalis, though Fluttershy seemed willing to give her a chance. They didn't hate the shape-shifter, but they still had no reason to trust her. Chrysalis was, well...Chrysalis. Naturally Rainbow Dash was the most openly hostile towards the changeling, growling and yelling and waving a hoof under her bewildered target's chin. Applejack had to restrain her friend and was a bit more diplomatic by simply saying to Chrysalis she was going to have to earn the trust of ponies. She had put on her bravest face that day, saying nothing and looking at each speaker as they addressed her. "I'm never going to fit in around here," she whispered to Twilight, tears forming in her eyes. "Was I that terrible? Was I that bad a pony?" A sniffling of her nose and pitiful expression prompted the alicorn to wrap her hooves around the changeling and give her a reassuring hug. There was a knock. Fleur de Lis entered as the door squeaked open. She noted the two mares sharing a comforting hug and gave anther huff. "Lady Emerald, I thought we agreed you would think positive thoughts, yes?" She slowly walked, her eyes training on the six oddly folded pieces of paper chasing each other in the air. "What is this?" Chrysalis followed the mare's eyes up and giggled despite herself. "Paper airplanes. Daddy taught me how to make them." "Ah, Monsieur Spriggs is a most unusual creature. I had the pleasure of making his acquaintance before he started a fight with one of the Night Guard." Twilight smiled at her friend. She and Fleur weren't close, but they knew each other enough to decide a casual friendship was worth investing in. Fleur wasn't a flashy sorceress, but she was a very efficient one, almost as meticulate as the alicorn. Almost. The white mare came around the desk opposite from Twilight as she settled at the student's shoulder. Absently she gave Chrysalis a peck on the cheek, greeting her informally as if she were in Prance. Her main focus was on the young changeling's notes, eagerly pouring over what was written down. "Excellent organization. Much better, yes? You have learned much under Lady Twilight's detailed instruction." A wry smile was thrown at the alicorn, who returned with a sheepish one of her own. "I can't help it," she defended herself. "My student has a complex mind and she needs to be challenged." Fleur focused on the silent Chrysalis, who was sniffling still, but wore a little smile growing slowly over her frown. "You met my daddy?" she asked Fleur. "Indeed! These humans, they are very tall. Not minotaur tall, but easily intimidating. I think I shall be his guide while he is here." Fleur nodded to her audience of two. "Are all human males as skinny as this one?" she asked Chrysalis. "Daddy's always been thin," replied the changeling. "He jogs every other day." Twilight perked up in interest, her horn flaring as a quill and parchment appeared in front of her. Maybe Chrysalis was going to offer more tidbits of human society. Even if it was something as casual as staying in shape, she wanted to add to her steadily growing stack of notes in regards to one human named Michael Spriggs. She was starting to put together a profile of the human as his adopted daughter let out bits and pieces of his personality. From what she gathered, he was a private man, quiet for the most part, but adaptable to his environment. He preferred solitude and shunned cities and kept most of his past to himself. The human did not mind talking about his childhood and offered a little about his military career. There was about a four year gap in his life he preferred not to talk about. Chrysalis knew, but she refused to tell anypony, knowing how painful that particular collection of memories were to him. Still, she was able at this point able to get at least some idea of this human's demeanor. She had no idea what to make of him at this point. There wasn't enough information to make a safe analysis of his psychological profile. Twilight jotted down a couple of notes before dismissing the sheet to where the others were stacked in her personal study. Spike would spot it arrive and straighten it properly. He was a great number one assistant, after all! "His visa is good for two years," she commented out loud. "Plenty of time to ask him questions and get his opinions." Twilight was musing to herself, but also to the two mares in the room. "Maybe this will be a great way to see how humans interact with other species!" "Two years?" Chrysalis blinked. "Daddy is staying for two years?" "Well, I don't know," the alicorn said, thinking about it as she spoke. She glanced at Fleur. "From what Princess Celestia told me, he's just here to make sure Chrysalis -" "Lady Midnight Emerald," the white mare corrected with with a delicate smile. "- gets established and comfortable. As for if he wants to stay past that, it's really going to be up to him. He might want to go home after that and be with his own kind. From what I understand, humans are social creatures, but without the herd mentality prevalent among ponies in general." Twilight kept forgetting to use Chrysalis' pony name in the palace. It was probably the worst kept secret, but the staff and guards were trustworthy for the most part to not run into the city and return with a crowd loaded down with torches and pitchforks. The changeling was not exactly popular. Fleur de Lis reminded her while beaming mischief. Nopony cared in the palace. Celestia and Luna were usually on the spot with selecting tolerant staff who would deal with all sorts of sentient beings. Ponies like Steel Jaw were exceptions. "I hope he stays," Chryaslis muttered, her paper airplanes suddenly dropping as she eased off her magic, her horn's glow dying out. "I hate it here. I don't belong." "Non, non, non!" cried Fleur sympathetically, adding her own hoof to the young changeling's shoulder. "You do belong. Twilight is your friend, oui? I should like to be your friend if you would let me. You're a charming, beautiful girl with a terrible temper," she added the last part as a tease to pull a smile from the sad mare. Twilight grinned, nodding. "Give it time. Maybe your dad will be able to help you make that transition from living on his world to living on your world. I'd like it if you would just talk to me." "Where's Daddy now?" she asked, sniffling as she blinked at Twilight. "With Celestia?" Fleur nodded, maintaining her warm smile. "He is currently having late morning tea with her in the Diamond Wing. I believe the display room, to be specific. She's had your father watched all morning, despite Luna's guard selected to escort him. It proved to be a most fortunate thing as I arrived in time to stop a fight. Monsieur Spriggs is quite the hothead, non?" "He's protective of me," Chrysalis mumbled with a slight blush. Her head tilted down as she stared at her desk. A smile formed. "I wondered why I felt him getting upset at something." She was not referring to her butt incident from earlier, though the comment made her again think back to that moment. "What is he sensing now?" Twilight resummoned her quill and paper. Chrysalis cocked her head slightly to one side as she mentally felt for her father's emotions. "Confusion. Baffled confusion," she mused aloud. "Just like when I tried to explain how my magic works to him. It's adorable." Twilight threw a questioning look at Fleur. The white mare shrugged. "Perhaps she is trying to explain to him how our world works." "Hmm," the alicorn tapped her chin with a hoof. "I guess that would make sense, considering his world doesn't have the benefit of magic. His society's idea of magic is its technological development and its application. Magic is a fairy tale to humans, so when one is thrust into a world that basically runs on magic, I think I can get the idea of how it can be confusion." "How so?" asked Fleur curiously. "Well," Chrysalis cut in apologetically. Twilight smiled at her and nodded for the shape-shifter to continue, "I've seen how advanced human technology can be. They can do things through mass production that makes the best factories and mills in Equestria look like a turtle with no legs. There is a massive telecommunications network around the world and people can talk to each other in seconds from opposite sides of the planet. Humans don't have any natural or magical ability to fly, but they discovered a way to make machines that can carry them into the clouds. They've ridden on the creations of their minds into doing things they would have thought impossible a thousand years ago, five hundred years, ago, a hundred, and even twenty. Humans are constantly trying to invent new things to do everything better. Imagine if you will if either one of you were to placed in a world where magic is the driving force of society and not technology. Ponies seem to have a haphazard grasp on machines and engines, but it's all adapted to work through magic. I mean, you guys still are trying to take human inventions you've taken from Earth and ponify them for easier use. I still can't figure out how some things look like they're still made for humans." Fleur de Lis looked appropriately impressed after the changeling's description of human society's ingenuity with science and technology. It was a brief rundown, but the intelligent mare was easily able to draw comparisons between technology and magic. She chuckled, covering her hoof over her mouth as Chrysalis finished her last sentence. "Visual appeal," grunted Twilight, herself unsure as to exactly why that was. Maybe she should start looking into that particular phenomenon? "If it looks good as is, why change the appearance? Ponies aren't known for changing what they think isn't broken." It was a lame excuse, but it got her to start another train of thought. Chrysalis found herself laughing as she could already see the idea forming in her mentor's mind. "Humans have used their minds to overcome their physical limitations. Their ability to create and think is what has made them the dominant species of their planet." "I know, I know," said the alicorn. "I could devote a few centuries to them and still keep finding something new to explore." "Shall we continue talking about Monsieur Spriggs over lunch?" Fleur de Lis suggested. "I am famished and would love to discuss more on the subject of this mare's adoptive father." She indicated Chrysalis with a gentle squeeze, then retracted her hoof as she awaited an answer to her invitation. "Talk about Daddy?" queried Chrysalis. The idea of gossiping about her dad was oddly appealing. Fleur's muzzle was in her ear. "I want to know every little secret about him." "Fleur!" Twilight cried out before starting to giggle. "Oh, not that way, Lady Twilight!" said the white sorceress, waving a dismissive hoof. "Princess Celestia has asked - as I have already told you- me to be Monsieur Sprigg's guide during his visit here. The more I know about him, the more useful I can be. I also wish to avoid any faux pas with him. Misunderstandings to most troublesome to deal with and a waste of time. Oui?" Chrysalis was absolutely mesmerized by her Prench accent. "I am an absolute professional to my duties." "Lunch sounds good," agreed Twilight as her stomach preceded her vocal assent with its own protest. She blushed, placing a hoof to her belly. Chrysalis felt much better with the light-hearted banter. "I'd like that," she said, turning her head to both mares on either side of her and grinning. "Come, fille," Fleur stood elegantly, sighing pleasantly, "Chef Nom Delish, such a silly name he has, non? He shall fill our petite tummies with his delicious food!" Chrysalis grinned, shaking her head at the irony of the statement. For a mare who hung around a stallion by the name of Fancy Pants, who was she to talk? Still, tongue-in-cheek names seemed to be the norm for Equestrians, even if they translated oddly in other languages. "Can we invite my dad to eat with us?" she ventured cautiously. Twilight nodded. "I don't see why not. I can ask someone to check and see if the Princess and your father wouldn't mind joining us for lunch." "What's the deal with Nom Delish's name?" Chrysalis asked Fleur curiously. "It has a different meaning in my country of origin." "What is it?" Fleur laughed as the three mares started for the door. "Do you really wish to know, my fille?" "You've got me curious now, Miss Fleur." Laughing quietly, the mare opened the door with her magic, holding it open for her young companion and her alicorn friend. "If you say the words, it almost sounds as if Nom Delish is not very delicious." The three mares laughed merrily on their way down the hallway.