School was going great. Aside from my usual problem classes of flight and magic, I was doing spectacularly well. Social studies, history, math, basic P. E., and literature were a breeze. I still haven’t made any new friends since Diamond Heart, but I was fine with that.
Recently, about halfway through fourth grade, mom and dad started letting Skyla and me walk home from school without them. Skyla missed walking with them. She said that she didn’t like walking home without them and, more importantly (in her eyes), she couldn’t get any snacks on the way home. We still got our 10 bits daily for lunch from mom and dad, and Skyla still spent all of hers on lunch, while I still spent only half my bits, unless I had to spend more. My stash of bits was getting larger and harder to keep hidden. We’re going to be learning about things called banks soon in social studies. I’m not sure what those are, but something in me says that I need one.
Skyla and I took different routes home. She often headed straight home, sticking to the way we’ve taken for years. I preferred to walk with Diamond Heart to her house, where we would say our goodbyes and I would walk home.
The path to Diamond’s home took us through the cheaper area of the market. Until I came through with her, I’d never been there before. It wasn’t as nice looking as where I usually went, but it had a different feel to it that wasn’t bad. It was like the difference between standing up properly and laying down casually. The more I came through here with Diamond, the more I started to like the feel of the area. I didn’t stop anywhere though, as I was busy walking with Diamond.
Today’s walk with Diamond was going as normal, with me helping her figure out problems from some of our classes. Today, it was a bit of Equestrian history. “So it was unification, then Celestia and Luna showing up, then Discord’s reign, then Nightmare Moon, the Diamond Dog war, Minotaur conflict, Griffon negotiations, and Deer trading routes.”
“That’s a lot” Diamond said. “How does Ms. Tomes expect us to memori-”
I cut her off with a hoof to her mouth. “Shh. Do you smell that?” I had caught a whiff of something in the air. I sniffed the air until I was able to pick out the direction it was coming from. Diamond caught it as well, and while neither of us were Skyla, we knew it was something tasty.
Our search for the strangely savory scent’s source showed us to a somewhat shady side street. Fortunately, it wasn’t far from the main path we took, and not too far in either. We found a door, and next to it was a sign that said “Mr. Slice’s Pizzeria”.
“Pizzer- Pizzari- Inova, how do you say that word?” Diamond asked me.
I studied that word for a while. It had that strange feeling of familiarity to it that many things did to me. “I don’t know. How about we ask whoever’s inside? And we can find out what this scent is.” That scent was also strangely familiar. It wasn’t a dangerous one.
Diamond thought for a bit. “Alright. You first.”
“No, you can go first.”
“No, you.”
“How about you?”
“Nah. Perhaps you?”
“I’d be honored to let you go first.”
“The honor would be mine, princess.”
She was getting serious. “Then as princess, I ask you to go first.”
“I thought princesses would lead others, not follow.”
“No. You can go first.”
“No, you.”
“No, you.”
This went on for a few minutes. At some point, things changed
“No, I will.”
“No, I will.”
“No, I will.”
“No, I will.”
“Alright Inova. You said you’d go first, so go ahead.”
I was about to counter her when I realized she got me. I hung my head in defeat and turned to the door, a sign on it saying ‘Open’. I took a breath and pushed it open, a bell ringing as it opened.
Not long after Diamond and I let the door close behind us, a tan earth pony stallion came out from the counter to our left. He sat facing us, so we couldn’t see his cutie mark. “Hello. Can I help with anything?”
I looked towards Diamond, to see if she’d ask the questions. She put a hoof on my muzzle and turned my head back to face the stallion. He kept a decent amount of distance between us and felt friendly. It seemed I would be talking to him too.
I sighed before asking “what is this place?”
“This” the stallion said as he held his forelegs out “is my pizzeria. My name is Sliced Cheese, but please, just call me Mr. Slice. I make pizza.”
“What is pizza?”
“Hmm. I can’t really explain it that well, so how about I let you two try some?”
I looked to Diamond, who simply shrugged. I turned back to Mr. Slice. “Sure. Nothing fancy though.”
“No problem. Just take a seat and I’ll bring you some sample pizzas.”
As Mr. Slice went back behind the counter to our left, we walked forward and looked to the right. The floor was a dark tan wood, the tables were mostly deep red, and the chairs had similarly colored cushions on black frames. There were also booths, with dark green benches around dark green tables. Off in the corner opposite the entrance, the floor went down a couple steps, where more booths were, along with a big green table with a variety of differently colored balls on it. The whole place was well lit, but not bright like outdoors. It was a muted light that felt both welcoming and relaxing.
Diamond and I found ourselves a small table with four chairs and sat at it. I could see now that the table top was a lighter wood than the floor, and that was true for all the tables. We took our saddlebags off and set them on another chair. Not long after we sat down, Mr. Slice came over with a couple small glasses of water. “Your samples will be done shortly.” I nodded in response as I took a sip of my water. It was good water.
It wasn’t long before our samples were brought out, Mr. Slice not only giving them to us, but also taking a seat with us. The samples were no bigger than Mr. Slice’s forehoof, and they looked to be some kind of bread with a red sauce and melted cheese on top. Each one was cut into four sections, and were steaming a bit. Diamond and I each took a slice of our samples and put them in our mouths whole. The slices were small enough for that.
As I chewed, the flavors of the pizza made themselves known. The bread part was very nicely seasoned, the red sauce was tomato sauce, and the cheese was delicious. I chewed until the piece was little more than mush, at which point I swallowed it. I felt the heat in it spread through my body quite nicely.
“So, how is it?” Mr. Slice asked.
“It’s delicious” I said. “I’ll have to get mom and dad here sometime.”
“Just your mom and dad?” Diamond asked me. She had a second sample slice in her hooves. “Why not Skyla?”
“She’d eat half of everything, then eat the other half. Have you seen her eating at lunch?”
“Yeah. She gets a bit more than everypony else, but you both get 10 bits every day for lunch, so she can get more.”
“She uses all 10 bits at lunch. I eat less at lunch to save money. I always have. I still have five bits on me. Say, what can I get for five bits here?”
“You could get a medium pizza with up to two toppings, or three small pizzas with one topping each, normally two bits apiece. Do you want to bring some small pizzas home for your family to try?”
I thought it over. I really did want to bring some home for mom, dad, and even Skyla to try. I also liked bringing home leftover bits to put away. I took the second slice of my sample and put it in my mouth. It was then that my mind was made up. “I’ll take three small ones like the sample.”
“Three small cheese pizzas it is. And you?” Mr. Slice asked Diamond.
“I don’t have any bits” Diamond said.
“Then how about I give you some samples for home?”
“Really? I can bring some to my parents?”
“Yes, you can.” I was liking Mr. Slice. He’s both friendly and nice. Very generous as well. “I’ll even give you both another sample for free.”
“Really?” I said. “Thanks, Mr. Slice.”
“No problem. Get your bits ready and I’ll get your pizzas ready” Mr. Slice left us and went back behind the counter, where we could see the kitchen. I didn’t look there for long as I opened my saddlebags and fished out my leftover bits. All five were there, and I put them on the table. I also ate my fourth slice, leaving the third one for now.
After all my bits were out, Diamond and I watched Mr. Slice work, and we also saw his cutie mark: a slice of pizza, though it looked to be from a larger pizza than what Diamond and I got. We watched him spin and toss the dough, press it out to the right sizes, spread the sauce, put on the cheese, and put the pizzas into an oven. He wasn’t done though, as he accidentally answered a question that was starting to form in my head. He was folding up some flat boxes, which looked big enough for our pizzas.
I finished the last slice of my sample right as we got our pizzas, each one individually boxed up. The boxes were plain white with no marks or prints on them. “So, how do we get these home?” Diamond asked him.
“On your backs. Just put on your saddlebags and I’ll help you fillies with the boxes” Mr. Slice said as he collected the five bits and Diamond and I put our saddlebags on. Once we had our bags on and were standing on the floor, Mr. Slice started stacking the boxes on our backs. Diamond got her three sample boxes before I got my three small boxes and sample box. They were balanced quite well. The only thing I really noticed was the warmth of the bottom box’s pizza. As we left, he said “have a good day” and waved to us. I nodded back and wished him a good day too as we left.
We were quick to get back on our route towards Diamond’s house. We filled the time and distance with talk about the pizzeria. Diamond thought the place could have been brighter, but I found the slightly darker color tones to be rather comforting. We did disagree on a few things, but we both agreed that the pizza itself was tasty. Eventually, we got to Diamond’s house, where we nuzzled before parting ways. We normally hugged, but our backs were occupied and would have made that unwise. “See you tomorrow, Diamond.”
“See you, Inova” Diamond said before going inside. On the way home, I was deep in thought. I had to figure out how to get inside without Skyla smelling the pizzas. She had no idea what pizza was, or even the notion of what it was, but she would know at first sniff that it was food. If I went in the front door, she’d be on me in seconds. If I went in the back door, I’d only have a few seconds more. I knew mom and dad would be home, and Skyla would probably be doing her homework, complaining and dragging it out.
I finally settled on a plan right as I approached the house. I made my way to the front door along the crystalline path as quietly as I could, a task not made easy with hooves. The steps up to the front patio were a bit of a challenge, considering the pizzas on my back. I did make it up though, without a single pizza sliding out of place.
Step 1: done.
After I reached the front doors, I did something that happened a couple times per week: I knocked. Mom and dad always opened the door on my right, so I pressed up against the left door. Sure enough, that pattern held true and the door opened. After a few seconds, dad stuck his head out and looked around it didn’t take him long to see me.
“Oh, hello Inova” he greeted me before sniffing the air. “It smells like you’ve got something there.” His voice had dropped quite a bit, presumably to keep Skyla from hearing him. He also lowered his head to mine. “What is it?”
“I’ll share later” I assured him. “For now, I need a bubble to block the smell, and perhaps quiet my hooves. Can you help?”
“Of course” dad said, his horn glowing with his magenta magic and a bubble forming around me.
Step 2: done.
I walked inside, my hooves making no sound at all. Dad and I made our way to the fridge. Everypony aside from me called it an icebox though. I liked what I called it though. It sounded cooler. Dad put a bubble up around the fridge, took the pizzas off my back, and put them in with his telekinesis. I still had to get that down. Almost all the unicorns in my classes could do it with ease, and those that couldn’t do it with ease could still do it. I could only manifest a glow around my horn and a trace of one around an object. If I tried really hard, I could make an object move a very little bit.
Step 3: done, and some sorrow achieved. Magic sucks when everypony but you can use it. Even more so when you’re an alicorn.
“Do you have homework, Inova?” dad asked me. Since Skyla and I shared most of our classes, he already knew the answer.
“Yeah. I’ll get started on it” I replied before going over to the living room, where Skyla was at the coffee table trying not to do her homework, a pencil rotating in her telekinesis. I felt more sorrow at my lack of magic skills kick in. I sat down next to Skyla, pulled out my homework with my mouth, snagged the pencil from her magic with a forehoof, and set to work. I made sure to put a wing up so she couldn’t copy my work.
Mom showed up a moment later, and she jumped a bit at my presence. “When did you get home, Inova?”
“About 10 minutes ago. I’m almost done with my math homework.” I felt Skyla trying to look over me, and I pushed back a bit before mom moved her back with her telekinesis. I now had both sorrow and thankfulness at the same time.
“I didn’t hear you come in though.”
“Dad can tell you more than I will. Just be sure to soundproof the space when you talk to him. Oh, could I get my homework bubble?”
“Sure thing, Inova” mom put up a light blue bubble around me with her magic, tinting everything outside it with its color. From outside, it was more solid looking. I could still be seen easily enough, but what I was writing was harder to discern. It also quieted everything outside of it. I could still hear things, like Skyla complaining, probably about how she couldn’t get my help now. Not that I’d help her anyways.
I got through all my boring homework in less than an hour, at which point the bubble still held up. I looked at it and my sorrow returned. Since my homework bubble was basically a privacy bubble, I curled up on the floor right there after putting everything away and let some tears quietly flow, partially out of frustration, partially out of sadness, both stemming from my lack of magical capabilities. The bubble, while it did basically give me the privacy to cry alone, also cruelly reminded me of my suckiness with magic.
I think I may have cried myself into a nap, because the next thing I was aware of was mom gently shaking me. “Are you okay, Inova? It looks like you’ve been crying.”
“It’s nothing” I told her as I stood up.
“It’s your magic again, isn’t it?”
“Yeah” I conceded. “I try my best to use it just like every other unicorn and Skyla, but I can’t even lift anything. I’ve seen second graders use telekinesis, but I have so much trouble even just getting something small to shake a tiny bit.” And now I could feel the waterworks starting back up. “Why am I so bad at magic?”
“Perhaps you’re just a late bloomer with your magic.”
“World record late bloom then.”
“Inova, I know you’re smart” mom lay down and draped a wing across me. “I know you understand how magic works. You are at the top of your magic class when it comes to understanding how it works and even grasping more advanced material.”
“But I’m at the bottom because I can’t do anything with that stuff.”
“Well, I can’t argue with that. But I just know you’ll figure it out at some point. Maybe it’s part of getting your cutie mark.”
“Maybe.” I could see the value of getting my cutie mark, and I think one of my classmates has theirs already, but I just didn’t care about it as much as everypony else. “Are there late bloomers for cutie marks?”
“Oh, yes there are. I heard about one pony who didn’t get hers until she turned 15 years old and had a foal.”
“What was her special talent?”
“Being an excellent mother.”
“Do you know who she is?”
“I believe she delivers the mail in Ponyville. Maybe you could ask your Aunt Twilight about seeing her?”
“I could.”
“That’s more like it. Now come on. Supper’s about to start” something dark pink rocketed past us at high speed and blew our manes into mild disarray. “And there’s Skyla. Shining did tell me about you bringing something home that smelled good. I want a full explanation about it before we eat.”
“Oh come on!” Skyla almost shouted from the table. That earned a small chuckle from mom and me.
“Up and to the table, Inova. You don’t want to keep Skyla waiting, do you?”
“Yes and no” I stood up and made my way over to the table, taking my usual spot at it by Skyla. Mom and dad joined us soon after.
“Alright Inova” mom started. I felt like I was on trial. “You brought some food home for us tonight. Shining doesn’t know what it is, I don’t know what it is, and Skyla doesn’t care what it is. Enlighten us.”
As mom demanded, I began enlightening my family. “After school, I was walking with Diamond to her house, as usual. Along the way, I caught a whiff of something. Diamond smelled it too. We followed it to a door in an alley. We went inside and it turned out to be a restaurant. Diamond and I got free samples of the food there, and we liked it. Oh, the owner called the food ‘pizza’, and it was delicious. It’s cheese and some kind of seasoned tomato sauce on a round bread. It’s great when it’s fresh from the oven. Anyways, we were also offered some to take with us. Diamond got three more free samples for herself and her parents, and I bought three small ones and got an extra free sample pizza. We then left. I walked with her to her house, and then came home.”
Mom and dad paid attention to me, while Skyla looked kind of frustrated with some thoughts of hers. Dad was the one to break the silence. “So, where is this place? And who’s the owner?”
“I’m not going to tell you that” I said.
“And why not?” he sounded serious.
“So Skyla doesn’t go and eat the place out of business.”
Mom sighed. “if it were anypony else you were talking about Inova, I’d send you to your room with no supper.”
“Hey!” Skyla said.
“However, I won’t do that because, as much as I don’t like you saying that about your sister, we all know you’re being honest. Now then, I’ll go get the pizzas from the icebox. Inova, who gets the sample size?”
“I would say Skyla gets it, but that’s both mean and not my plan. I get the sample one, since I had one earlier.”
Mom went to the kitchen and got the pizzas, still in their boxes. She put one in front of each of us, and as I told mom, I got the smallest box. Once they were all in place, she opened them, revealing the pizzas inside. It was then that I realized a small hitch in my plan to introduce the family to the greatness that is pizza.
The pizzas had been in the icebox, and were now cold.
I looked up from my pizza and realized that mom and dad were watching me, waiting for me. Skyla was trying to get to her pizza, but one of dad’s shields was holding her back.
I picked up a slice of my cold pizza. “It was warm earlier.” I put the slice in my mouth and for the second time today, I was amazed by pizza. “It’s still good when it’s cold. I like it this way.”
“Really?” Mom and dad studied theirs and took a slice in their magic before taking a bite. Judging by their faces, they liked it.
In the time it took mom and dad to finish half of their pizzas, I finished my sample one. Skyla had her whole pizza down when they had just finished their first slice and I was only starting to chew my second piece. I expected no less of Skyla.
“So these are also good when they’re warm?” mom asked me.
“Oh yes. I wouldn’t reheat cold pizza though. If I want a warm pizza, I’ll get it fresh. Besides, the place has a nice feel to it. And no, I’m still not telling you where it is.”
“I thought so. Skyla, since you’re already done, you can go back to your homework.”
“Do I have to?” Skyla almost whined.
“Yes, young Princess. Now go.”
“Alright” Skyla slowly made her way away from the dinner table. After seeing that she was indeed gone, dad set up a bubble.
“Now that the room is soundproofed, could you tell us a bit more, Inova?” dad asked me.
I began spilling more details to mom and dad. I told them about Mr. Slice, the pizzeria’s location, and what it was like inside. I even told them that pizzas could be customized with various toppings.
After they both thought for a bit, dad spoke up. His voice was mocking seriousness. “Inova, Cadance and I will conduct an “official” investigation into Mr. Slice’s Pizzeria ourselves. It will be conducted during school hours tomorrow, so neither you nor Skyla will be present. This is to remain confidential, so you are not allowed to tell your sister about it. Can you keep it a secret?”
I smirked. “Keep what a secret?”
“That’s my little Princess” dad said before he officially bought my silence on the matter with a slice of his pizza, which he floated over to me. I ate it at a pace Skyla would describe as ‘fairly slow’, but I enjoyed each bite of it.
“You know Shiny, I think we’re the only ones who can really say that. “My little Princess”. Truly, a unique blessing” mom said.
“You’ve made that observation a few times every month for a few years now.” The conversation between them was getting a bit mushy, so I finished off my bribe and left the dining room, passing Skyla on the way to our room. Tonight, I was going to draw something. Perhaps a throwable shield?