//------------------------------// // 1: A letter of Note // Story: The Royal Gourmet // by Octaviafan //------------------------------// Chapter One A Letter of Note It was about three quarters of the way through Summer, now, and the day was absolutely gorgeous. There were wildflowers blooming along the trails, and berry bushes were still producing full tilt while overripe fruit that had already fallen to the ground made the air sweet with the scent of their juices. The temperature was perfect for walking with a full load, even though the wooded area was rather moist. For some reason, there weren't even very many insects in the air, which struck the traveler as odd, but for which he was grateful. Cherry Pie was walking along one of the many roads between cities, as he usually was, and looking as -well... foreign, as he usually did. Which is odd, to say the least, because he was born and raised in Manehattan. At this very moment, he was walking down what appeared to be a recreational hiking trail, which didn't bother him in the slightest. He avoided the main roads as much as equinely possible (too many ponies and not enough wilderness). He also at this very moment had NO idea where he was. The trail was getting narrower, but the air was somehow more fresh as he pressed through the Foliage. He started to feel a gentle, cool breeze against his face and, all of a sudden, the trees opened out onto a scene he had never seen before in his life: A wide, rolling meadow of tall, yellow-grey grasses and beyond that, a great swath of sand which sighed as it was kissed repeatedly by the greatest body of water he had ever seen. "Oh, bother!" He exclaimed. "I really have outdone myself this time. It's a miracle I ever reach ANY of my appointments on time." As he began walking down towards the water to have a closer look, he muttered to himself "I shall have to invest in a cart with a chauffer who knows where he's going one of these days, so I don't keep getting lost." As he drew closer to the water, he recalled some obscure text he'd read in his father's library a couple years ago. "Oh, this must be the ocean! Funny, I don't remember ever... Am I even in Equestria anymore?!" He took off his dark blue fez and ran a hoof through his watermelon-coloured mane concernedly. Either way, he had heard good things about the ocean, and decided he wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to take a dip while he was here. So, with some difficulty, because he was so clumsy, he removed his saddlebags and bright blue pinstripe vest. He really was a strange sight to behold. Although he was a Unicorn, his mane and tail were messy, his coat was a bright candy-apple-red instead of the pastel colours that usually composed the coat of a unicorn, and the hair just above his hooves was untrimmed. He stood there for a minute, reveling in the feeling of the breeze blowing through his mane, the pink contrasting beautifully with the green. His bright red coat glistened in the Summer sun, as though he really were a candied apple. "Ah, It's nice to get those bags off of my back!" He stepped into the water. It was cool, but not unpleasantly so. It was the perfect thing to rejuvinate him for his attempt to re-enter Equestria. He lingered there for what must have been an hour, paddling in the gently lapping waves before finally clambering back out onto the sandy beach. He located his things back where he had dropped them, and lay down to dry off in the sun. The sound of the waves against the sand, coupled with the warmth of the sun and the memory of a lullaby his mother sang to him when he was just a little colt, lulled him to sleep When Cherry Pie woke, it was dark. Wow, he thought. I must have been more fatigued than I had first imagined. As he stood and brushed the sand from his coat, mane, and tail, he grumbled to himself "Well, I'd better start some sort of fire, if I'm to stay out here tonight. I don't fancy the thought of traveling in the dark, especially in unfamiliar territory that may or may not be Equestria." He thanked the stars that Luna and the Moon were close to full tonight. He could see enough to meander across the beach and back and forth through the meadow collecting driftwood and tinder for a fire, the moon reflecting majestically across the calm ocean waters. Luckily, his magic allowed him to gather what looked like enough for the night in just one foray and bring it back to his little spot on the sand. What he did not see were the sets of curious eyes peering at him through the surf. He was a little too hungry to be very alert about anything else right now, and all his thoughts were on his stomach as he sifted through his saddlebags looking for his spice kit, cookware, and the fresh exotic grasses and fruits he always carried when he travelled. He finally found what he was looking for and, kicking himself for not having done it sooner to aid in his search, carefully set up his firepit with some of the wood he had gathered and ignited it with a spark of flame from his horn. He had only recently learned that he could use magic to start fires and still needed some practice. He was successful at lighting the campfire, but being the klutz that he was, also managed to set his mane on fire. Panicking, he galloped toward toward the sea, tripping over a rock in the sand at the edge, and dousing half his body in the bitter water. Spluttering but relieved that the fire on his head was out, he started to rise... And came face to face with the strangest creature he had ever laid eyes upon! The creatures eyes were a greenish-yellow colour, which made them almost seem to glow, for it's coat and mane were of subdued blues and greens. It looked much like a pony, but there was just something not right about it. After scrutinizing the creature for a second, he realized what seemed so off. Where it should have had hind legs, it had a tail like that of a fish! At this realization, Cherry Pie was spurred into action. He stumbled backward several steps, tripping over the same blame rock he had tripped over before and landed right on his rump. To his surprise, the thing began to laugh! This was followed by several other laughing voices not too far from him. The laughter, though, was not maliscious. The laughter of the thing was so sweet and joyful, he could not help but blush and turn his head away. The laughter died after a few seconds, and the thing spoke. Again, it's voice was not harsh or scary as he had expected it to be, but sweet and full of laughter, as if this creature was freedom and happiness embodied. "Hello, I'm Sea Breeze! What's your name?" He was so shocked still at the creature's appearance that he couldn't speak. His eyes, wide with wonder, darted from her face to her tail and back again. "Oh, silly," she chuckled. "Don't tell me you've never seen a Hippocampus before!" "Hippo-What-us?!" he cried. He'd never even heard of one up until now, let alone SEEN one. "Hippocampi, silly! We're ponies of the sea!" Sea Breeze could hardly believe that this stallion who had seemed so at home in the sea had never seen a Hippocampus. The idea was just so foreign to her. She spoke to ponies of the land and sky all the time, but this Unicorn didn't have the slightest idea what *she* was? Very strange, indeed. "You know," she said, "you still haven't told me your name." With this she gave him the most delicate smile she could; he was so cute when he got flustered! It worked. He blushed so the freckles on his cheeks disappeared into the red of his coat and said, "Ummmm... It's Cherripmmmf." "What?" Sea Breeze said, cocking her head as if she hadn't heard correctly. Cherry Pie let out a huff and said "My name's Cherry Pie." Sea Breeze beamed and said with a little more enthusiasm than was totally necessary "Well, nice to meet you, Cherry Pie! It sure is a strange turn of events that we'd meet here! You know, my friends and I were just having a little vacation here in this little bay... lagoon... thing, and allofasudden YOU show up and start swimming around with us and we thought for sure you were one of the sailor ponies, but when you didn't notice us we decided you couldn't be and all that because sailor ponies *always* know when we're around and then you got out of the water and went to sleep and didn't move for hours so we decided to watch you and make sure you weren't dead and sure enough you started moving again eventually just like Clam Bubbles said you would and then you started wandering around and we had no idea what you were doing until you finally came back and your mane started shining the orange light and now we're talking!" Saying all this in one breath, the hippocampus finally had to stop. Cherry Pie was absolutely shocked by the story he had just heard in only about 10 seconds. Sea Breeze took another very deep breath and was about to launch into more dialogue when she suddenly found a hoof in her mouth. Another Hippocampus, who Cherry Pie guessed was Clam Bubbles had stopped her. "Ha ha... Well, you certainly can see who the chatterbox is in our little group here. I'm Clam Bubbles, by the way. You know it's pretty laughable that you were planning to camp here overnight, when there's a settlement only about another mile down the beach. You might be able to find a place to stay there. Come with us! We'll show you the way!" As she said this, she removed her hoof from Sea Breeze's mouth, who gave her a hurt look as if to say "Hey, I was gonna say that!" Cherry Pie wasn't exactly comfortable following the Hippocampi to... Wherever it was they were going to lead him, but he had to concede they were right. He really didn't like the idea of staying out in the open at night the way he had been about to. "Alright, lead the way." He said. So, he put on his vest and fez, put on his bags, and walked along the shore while the Hippocampi swam in the glassy, black sea next to him. They continued like this in silence for what seemed like a long time, but couldn't have been more than fifteen minutes, when lights started to come into view. "See?" said Sea Breeze excitedly. "I told you there'd be a settlement soon!" Clam Bubbles gave her an exasperated look, but let the statement slide, anyway. It took a little while for Cherry Pie to realize it, but most of the the lights were actually over the water. Though the settlement looked to be of moderate size, the port was enormous! When he had lived in Manehattan, he thought the airfield there had been big, but it really couldn't compare to the size of this seaport. There were ships of every size and shape flying the standards of more nations than he had ever even heard of! "What's wrong?" Clam Bubbles was ahead now, looking back at him. Without realizing it, he had stopped in awe to take in the sight. He cantered up to her again and said "Nothing, I've just never seen anything like this before." Sea Breeze jumped in, saying "Really?! This place has been here for years. The citizens aren't very imaginitive, though. The name of the town is... Um... What was it again, Clammy?" Clam Bubbles sighed. "Please don't call me that, Sea Breeze. It's Seaport." Turning back to Cherry Pie, she said "Though my sister and I disagree on many things, the ponies of Seaport really are an unimaginitive bunch, though many of them are capable of producing great works of art." They walked on, exchanging pleasantries. He told Clam Bubbles stories of Manehattan, which they had never heard of, and of his travels throughout Equestria. Clam Bubbles told him stories of her home, which was built at the base of a reef not far from Seaport. Some of the older buildings had been absorbed as the reef grew and were covered with corals and other organisms. For this reason, it had come to be called Coral City. The population was mainly composed of Hippocampi, but it was still part of Neptune's empire, so there were a few other sentient sea beings that lived there. Things like merfolk, and even a Sea Serpent, who lived on the outskirts of the town and served as a sort of sage. She often traveled far away, bringing wonders from distant realms that she sold sometimes outside her home. She produced displays of magic at the festivals as long as she wasn't away, and many times could be found telling the children tales of her travels in the far reaches of the sea. By the time they finished talking about their hometowns, they had reached the edge of Seaport, so they had to part ways. "Maybe we'll see eachother another time." Clam Bubbles said, sadly. "I was starting to get to like you." "Yeah... Me too." said Cherry Pie. They swam towards the docks to talk to a group of gruff-looking sailor ponies, one of which looked to be wearing an eyepatch, but Cherry Pie really couldn't tell from that distance. He turned and followed a path up to the town. After wandering in the town for a few minutes, he came across a sailor who didn't look like he wanted nothing more than to bite off somepony's head, which was a relief, so he said "Hi, there. Can you tell me about Seaport? I've never been here before and I'm looking for a place to stay the night." After looking him over for a moment, the sailor said in a gruff, but relatively friendly voice "Never been before, huh? Well, by the looks of ya, you'll want to try the Nautilus, up the opposite side of town from the port. Bar doesn't usually get too rowdy, and the owner's a decent pony. Unicorn, like yerself. He'd be right pleased t' see ya, matter o' fact. Not many unicorns come round here, ya know?" Thankful at hearing this most friendly advice he dipped his head to the sailor and said "Thank you, but... what do you mean, the bar doesn't usually get too rowdy?" The sailor gave a hearty laugh and said "Mosta the sailors tend to stick 'round the bars and inns closer t' the sea, see?" "Ah. I'll bear that in mind. Thanks again, and... Well, have a good night." The sailor turned back to the stack of barrels he had been examining and said "Ye have a good night, yerself, friend." Cherry pie found The Nautilus without too much trouble. It was one of the larger structures in town, and about as far from the port as one could get while still being in the city. As he entered, he guessed he had arrived on one of the quieter nights. There was just a small assortment of ponies in the lobby, nurturing drinks in various sized mugs and tankards. As he approached the bar to ask for a room, the owner, a golden brown, white-maned, green-eyed unicorn like the sailor had said, beamed at him and exclaimed in a rich, booming voice. "Wehell, look what we have here! We don't see many unicorns here in town. Pleased to make your acquaintance! I'm Aleburn. What's your name and what brings you to The Nautilus, greatest inn and finest distillery in all of Seaport?" Cherry Pie wasn't too surprised at the robust greeting, and figured it was best not to appear anything but confident in this town so he said "Nice to meet you, Aleburn. I'm Cherry Pie, and I'm just looking for a place to stay the night." At hearing his voice, Aleburn's ears perked up and his eyes took on a curious light. "Oho! Do my ears deceive me or am I detecting a bit of Manehattan's refined accent on your speech?! Come from Equestria, eh? I must have news! I haven't received a shipment from Equestria in quite a while. Tell me about my beloved Manehattan!" That this unicorn also happened to be from Manehattan DID shock Cherry Pie and he stammered "I-I-I... I actually haven't been to Manehattan in quite some time. I usually travel between cities judging at cooking contests for various festivals, and searching for new tastes and cultural experiences." At this, Aleburn looked a little crestfallen, but perked right back up and said. "No problem, let me give you a drink and you can tell me about your travels! We may be the best distillery in Seaport, but that doesn't stop me from importing some other good stuff. Have you ever been to Ponyville? My last shipment included some cider from Sweet Apple Acres, and let me tell you, it is absolutely AMAZING!" Having never been to Ponyville, Cherry Pie's curiosity was piqued and he had to try it. They talked and talked until he let out a huge yawn and said. "Well, I really have to get some rest. You don't have a vacant room, do you, Aleburn?" Aleburn chuckled, saying "Yes, I do. I've enjoyed our little chat so much, I'll let you stay free of charge." And, as Cherry Pie pulled out his money to pay for the delicious cider, "No need to pay for the cider, either." The other unicorn put on a cheesy grin as Cherry Pie eyed him suspiciously. "Well, if you insist, I'll bid you goodnight." Aleburn told him which room was his and gave him the key, after which he tiredly climbed the stairs, found his room, and passed out on the bed without even removing his vest. The next morning, he woke up still tired. He had no idea what had made him wake up, but he was sure it was something. Then he looked out the window. A grey pegasus with a straw-coloured mane was hovering outside his window! What made this particularly odd was that the pegasus' yellow eyes were not pointing the same direction. She seemed to be expecting him to open his window, so he did so, albeit cautiously. As soon as the window was wide enough for her to fly through, she whizzed past him and crashed onto his bed. "What in blazes are you doing?!" Cherry Pie cried! "You'll destroy the place! You do realize this is rented property, right? What were you even doing watching me sleep, anyway?" Derpy Hooves began bouncing up and down on his bed and said, in a voice that seemed a little too happy for such a benign statement "You've got MAIL!!!" She stopped bouncing and reached into her bag, pulling out a very official looking scroll, tied with a purple ribbon and sealed with a beautiful insignia set in red wax. At that precise moment, Aleburn entered the room, levitating a tray laden with bran muffins, cinnamon-honey oatmeal, and another mug of the cider that Cherry Pie had enjoyed so much the night before. "Breakfast! Oh..." He said, with that same cheesy grin he had worn the night before. The grin slid from his face as he realized that they weren't alone in the room. He set the tray down on the bed as Cherry Pie regarded him with uncertainty in his eyes. "Aleburn... Thank you very much, but bringing breakfast to my room was hardly necessary. Why are you being so nice to me?" Aleburn flushed and his eyes took on a look of consternation as he turned his head away. "I, well... Uhh, you see... You didn't...?" Then he noticed the scroll that Derpy was still holding, gasped, and said quickly, as much to change the subject as anything "A letter from Princess Celestia!? You'd better open it right away and see what it says! It could be REALLY important! I'll just, haha, leave you to that, shall I?" He sped out of the room, slamming the door behind him, and leaving Cherry Pie confused and a little concerned. He looked to Derpy, but she wasn't paying attention. Having noticed the muffins, she had dropped the letter and was happily chowing down, so he grabbed the mug of cider and the message from the princess, took a sip, unsealed the letter, and began to read. Dear Cherry Pie, I am writing to personally request your presence at the Royal Canterlot Harvest Festival. I would greatly appreciate it if you would do the honor of leading the panel of judges over the cooking contest as chief judge. I have heard great things about you, including that your talent for judging taste rivals that of my personal chef himself. So, obviously, nopony else will do. As always, your devoted ruler, Princess Celestia Cherry pie finished his Cider, and realized that he suddenly wasn't very tired anymore.