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.”
GASP!
Thorax! She wants the cocoon!
I admit to being rather curious about that experience myself.
Part of me hopes Luna really does just want to learn about Thorax, to help befriend him/practically be part of the family. Another part wonders if she just wants a chance to show Thorax that she's a normal pony who has a personality beyond "Princess," as Celestia already had a chance to do. Yet... the more cynical part of me thinks she doesn't trust Thorax, and she's basically interviewing him to ensure another Changeling infiltration does not occur without her knowledge or possible intervention again.
"There’s more to life than just surviving." Cruel regimes tremble at such simple yet profound statements. Chrysalis's certainly does. Not that Thorax would even dare to conceive of where he'll end up at this point in his life.
As for the visit with Luna, it will be very interesting indeed to see what comes of that discussion. Looking forward to finding out.
8319497
You are a horrible pony and have a very dirty mind.
Oh, wait... that might be me instead. Nevermind.
8319654
Hey now! I happen to be very proud of how horrible I am.
I just happen to prefer being horrible with others who are just as horrible.
Oh dear... Luna is going to eat Throax alive! The ships are going to sail next chapter!
Oh wow that is a really good point he made there, i never thought of it that way...
Oh my god that lampshade though! It's beautiful...
You forgot the closing quotation mark here, to signify the end of Celestia's talking.
8319587
Why not both?
Watch out, Thorax. You thought hanging with Celestia was intimidating? You ain't seen nothin' yet.
And gosh darn it, I've been hanging around the shippers among us too much because my mind was totally toying with the idea...
8321020
Eh, I don't think she was very intimodatinf in this chapter, more pleasant company than anything.
8321164
It wasn't in this chapter that I was referring to, it's the private chat later, where Luna wouldn't need to keep up appearances for the sake of public view so much. Besides, Luna tends to be more of a serious mare than her sister, so she does tend to come across as more...harder to approach than most. I know I'd be far more intimidated by having a one-on-one chat with her than I would Celestia.
Ahh, I always love seeing this story. Thorax really does shine here.
Edit: I honestly can't wait to see Thorax's take on kingship. All your rules are gonna change, buddy!
Uh oh!
Unlike... Others? I interpreted this in a sort of bad way (darn you and your story Scyphi!). It sounds like she's going to interrogate him, though I'm pretty sure with the lightheartedness of this story, that's not how it will go.
8321179 it seems 8324775 cites you as the reason Luna makes them uneasy here. How does the defense plea?
8324202
Any answer I have to that edit would probably be spoilery, but yes >:)
Also thanks! I'm really glad you think so highly of our lost little changeling's misadventures
8324783
Hmm...well, I'd like to point out that, in my story, Luna has still been pretty benevolent towards Thorax, she just wasn't immediately upfront about it, and was cautious about settling certain points first.
But that's my story. Things have been going a little...differently there than they have here.
Although, while we're on the subject, I would just like to say that, had I not been already well into writing my story at the time, I probably would've modeled my portrayal of Thorax off your own, as I adore how you write for the character.
8325496
Speaking of brooding siblings and everyone's favorite channeling. I think this may be of interest to you especially regarding your upcoming chapter. http://www.equestriadaily.com/2017/08/discovery-family-releases-highlights.html
8373588
Before I click on that link...is whatever it is spoilerish in nature? Because over the years, I've found the marketing teams behind MLP are really bad about spoiling too much, and I've found that sometimes the best way to combat it is just to steer clear of their attempts.
That said, if it's in regards to certain episodes not-yet aired for the present season, I am already aware enough of them.
8374065 Oh I am sorry it just conforms a Thorax related information that I thought would relevant enough to use as talking with Luna & Thorax upcoming one on one discussion. Though if you have watched this week's episode "Triple Threat", Thorax mentions and foreshadows said issue. I just felt this episode and the upcoming one draws several paraells to past character relationships. That is all I will be saying. Also yeah, the episode sypnopsis for the past several weeks are reallly misleading and have actually lead to fans misinterpret them. Divisvely so at times.
8377119
Not for me. I'm...pretty good at...filling in the blanks. It's...actually kind of a curse. But basically, it seems I can catch onto patterns and clues in storytelling that apparently most others miss, and that allows me to figure out the little twists before everybody else does. There have been times where I see something coming a mile away in a movie, and when everybody else around me didn't, I'm all like, how could ya miss it? Because it seems obvious to me...
But I'm rambling, so in short, the more spoilers I get, big or small, the more I can figure out whether I mean to or not...and obviously the more I figure out, the less I can enjoy the episode because I already have it figured out in advance. And there's not much you can spoil in MLP before it hits "too much," so I try and avoid them as much as possible...my preferred tactic is to just stick with a list of episode titles (and even that can be enough to figure out key details of an episode). But thanks for trying anyway, I know you were just trying to helpful, really.
Finally someone says it. Flurry has a changeling for a big brother. That is so amazing. WHY can’t the show do stuff like this? Seriously, the fandom comes up with some amazing stuff.
9224338
Also Luna just outright stated he is 14 and too young to enjoy alcohol.
Eat grass, ponies!
Side story. We... need a side story for this.
Yeah I also kind of forgot that Gustav is here I think he lives here but I'm not really sure
Well it looks like everybody is enjoying their meal for dinner including thorax lol but it looks like Luna wanted to ask a lot of question about thorax and how he been doing and everything which it will be an interesting conversation between them