BuggyCYOA

by Equidaeon

Sweetcorn Delight | Parts 122B - 138

The journey to Ponyville is uneventful and peaceful, surprisingly so to you. Giving it some thought, you realize that you don't feel worried about Notaulix being back home by himself now.
You know that for the most part, he's back up on his hooves now, so to speak, and can take care of himself while you're gone.

As you approach the outskirts of Ponyville, you take in the sights and sounds of the daily activities taking place there.
You can see several ponies walking about, doing their business, while various pegasi fly around from one place to the other. You also see the marketplace set up and at peak activity, as it usually is in the early afternoon.

After being greeted by a few ponies, who you greet in turn, you immediately go to work seeking out the usual buyers of your goods.

The first stop you make, and your most frequent customer, is a particular stallion who specializes in potions, tonics and other such things.
Today, however, he proved uninterested in the particular herbs you brought to him, and instead expressed interest in the mushrooms.
With a little conversation, you end up agreeing on selling them for 8 bits, which are added to your bit bag.
Having done your business there, you depart from the apothecary stallions shop and back out into the quaint streets of Ponyville, in search of your next customer.

While walking down the street, you watch as a familiar blue blur fly down one of the intersecting streets in front of you.
You weren't completely confident on who you may have just seen at first, until you see the rainbow-maned pegasus mare slowly flying backwards, and looking in your direction.

"Anon! This is perfect timing!" Rainbow Dash calls out to you, before she turns her attention back to the direction she was flying in.
"Hey G! Come over here!" She yells.

Confused, you continue walking towards Rainbow Dash, who gracefully lands on the ground as you draw close.
Right before speaking up, you instead come to a halt as you see a griffon appear from around the corner of a building.

"What's up? Is there someth-" A griffon with a female voice begins to speak, before being cut short as she turns her head and notices you, letting out a squawk of surprise.

"Hehehe! Gilda, this is Anon. Anon, this is Gilda." Rainbow Dash says, introducing each of you with a gesture of a forehoof.

"Uh... Nice to meet you, Gilda." You say, feeling slightly unsure of yourself as you resume walking to close the distance between the two.

"Y-Yeah... Nice to meet you too..." Gilda says, sounding somewhat distracted as she looks at you with eyes full of surprise.

Coming to a stop in front of Rainbow Dash and Gilda, you find the situation to be a bit awkward as Gilda takes in your appearance, studying you from head to toe.

"So this is the human, huh?" Gilda asks as she locks eyes with you.

"Yep! The one and only in all of Equestria!" Rainbow Dash responds with pride.

"Wow..." Gilda murmurs as she begins to circle around you, in an effort to examine all the things that you're wearing.

"So like I said Anon, this is Gilda the griffon. We go back a looong ways, but we haven't seen each other in over a year. I was so surprised when she showed up to visit in Ponyville today! Isn't that awesome?" Rainbow Dash says.

"Oh really? It's always nice to meet up with old friends again." You say while watching Gilda complete her circle around you, then coming to a stop next to Rainbow Dash again.
"...Maybe getting ahead of myself there. Are the two of you friends?" You ask.

"Sure we are!" Rainbow Dash proclaims. "We had a little falling out a few years ago, but all that's in the past now. Isn't that right, Gilda?" She adds.

"Heh, yeah... Old stuff." Gilda says, looking away with a bit of a guilty expression.

"Aw, don't feel that way, G. You know we're still best friends." Rainbow Dash says, while giving Gilda a comforting pat on the back with a forehoof.

"I know." Gilda says with a smile.
"A-Anyway!" Gilda snaps back to attention, her plumage puffing out slightly in embarrassment as she looks back up at you.
"What do you do around here?" Gilda asks you.

"Well, you see... I explore the Everfree Forest in search of valuable things to bring back. Plants, herbs, mushrooms; things like that." You answer the griffon.

"You WHAT?!" Gilda cries out in surprise. "B-But that's some real dangerous stuff out there! Why would anyone do that?" Gilda questions you. You can't help but feel a faint smirk of amusement form at her outburst.

"Because nobody else does." You bluntly respond. "It's where I found a purpose for myself in this world. Sure, it's dangerous out there, but it's... not quite as bad as it's made out to be." You continue.

Silence falls between the three of you as Gilda simply stares up at you, mulling over your words in her mind.

"Anon has a really important job! If it wasn't for him, there's a lot of rare medicinal thingies that wouldn't be available for everypony." Rainbow Dash speaks up.

"Really?" Gilda says, turning her attention back to Rainbow Dash.

"Mhm! He's kinda like a local hero!" Rainbow Dash says with pride.

"I think that's taking it a bit far, Dash. I'm no hero... But yeah, that's what I do. Just returned from a trip this morning, actually. I was just on my way to sell the last bit of today's haul." You explain.

"Oh! Well don't let us hold you back any longer, Anon. Besides, Gilda and I were doing our own thing too." Rainbow Dash says.
"Let's go! We still need to track down Rarity!" Rainbow Dash says to Gilda before taking off into the air once more.

Gilda turns to follow her, spreading out her wings in preparation to fly, before pausing.
You watch as Gilda looks back and forth between you and the direction Rainbow Dash took off in, as if conflicted over something.

"Later." Gilda finally says before taking flight herself, leaving you alone.

You continue on your own way while thinking about your unusual encounter. At the very least, you can honestly tell Twilight Sparkle that you've met a real live griffon now.

Back to the task of selling your remaining herbs, it doesn't take you very long until you find an interested mare who offers you 6 bits, giving you a total profit of 14 bits.
With a job well done, you begin meandering the streets of Ponyville as you think about what sounds good for dinner, along with anything else that you can think of to do while you're here.

You decide to wander over to the busy marketplace, in order to see if anything in particular jumps out at you as a good idea for dinner.
Passing by each stall, cart and wagon, you weigh your options until you see the mare selling sweetcorn.
Immediately, the perfect dinner for the evening forms in your mind, one that you think Notaulix would enjoy.
After shopping around the marketplace, you end up with six large ears of sweetcorn, a bundle of green beans, a half pound chunk of hard parmesan cheese and a stick of butter.
In total, you spent 7 bits on your purchases, leaving you with about 44 bits left.

Having concluded your business in the marketplace for today, you depart from the busy activity there and wander back into the quiet streets of Ponyville.

The streets of Ponyville with all its sights and sounds give way to the humble dirt road that you're familiar with. Having nothing else that you want to do in town today, you begin your walk back home.
Your short journey is uneventful, with only the peaceful scenery of late autumn surrounding you, full of rustling leaves that will no doubt all be on the ground soon.
Upon your home coming into sight, a sense of anticipation builds within you for a delicious dinner and time to relax.

Stopping to check the mailbox once more, which remains empty, you walk up the front steps onto the porch, before letting yourself inside.

"Welcome back, Anon!" You hear Notaulix call out to you while you're locking the front door.

Turning around, you find the changeling's head to be poking above the sofa with a big smile, while waving a forehoof at you.

"Hey there." You wave back to Notaulix. "How's everything been while I was gone?" You ask as you walk into the living room.

"Everything has been fine." Notaulix answers.

"That's good." You say as you approach the kitchen area. Glancing over at Notaulix, you find him to be snuggled under his blanket with an open book to read. He continues to look at you with a happy smile.

You smile in return before taking off your backpack and setting it down against the kitchen island.

"Once I get my stuff put away, we have something to discuss." You say to Notaulix while walking back across the living room to the front door.

"Okay Anon." Notaulix says in response as he watches you move past him again.

Back at the front door, you remove your coat and hang it up on a metal hook, followed by taking off your boots.
You then walk over to your room and return all of the gear hanging off of your belt back to its place in the closet, with the exception of your bit bag.
Following that, you make a stop at the bathroom to both relieve yourself and clean up a little before you return to Notaulix.
Returning to the living room, you pull up a chair to the small table and sit down.

"What did you want to discuss, Anon?" Notaulix asks you.

"Your payment, of course." You say while removing your bit bag from your belt.

"Payment? What do you mean?" Notaulix asks, cocking his head in confusion.

"Well, you did good work out there in the Everfree today. I sold what we harvested today for fourteen bits. It's only fair that you get your share." You explain to him as you grab a few bits from the bit bag.

Unsure of what you meant, Notaulix watches as you place 7 bits down on the table in front of him, which he alternates between staring at, and back at you.

"Anon... I don't want these." Notaulix says to you with a frown.

"Huh? Why not? You earned them." You ask.

"I have no use for these little golden coins. But you use them. You use these coins to care for me, and buy delicious food for us to eat, and a saddlebag for me to wear. You need them, not me." Notaulix begins to explain.
"Being able to work with someone who saved my life, feeds me amazing food and love, and allows me to stay in a warm, dry home is all the payment I could ever want." Notaulix continues, his smile returning.

"I can appreciate that viewpoint Notaulix, but when it comes time for it, don't you want to have the opportunity to buy whatever you want after we get you introduced to the ponies?" You question him.
"Besides, it would just feel wrong to me for you to do your part and not get payed for it." You add.

"That does make sense, b-but..." Notaulix stutters as he appears to become deep in thought.

You patiently sit and wait for the changeling to continue, but it quickly becomes obvious that he doesn't quite know what to say next.
Notaulix occasionally fidgets around as he looks at you before looking away, clearly agitated.
As much as you want to repay Notaulix monetarily right now, you can tell that he really doesn't want any bits at the moment. A solution crosses your mind, or at least a temporary one.

"How about this: For now, I'll just keep track of how much you've earned, and count it towards paying back the things I've bought for you, like your saddlebag. Would you be agreeable with that?" You ask Notaulix, breaking the silence.

Immediately, Notaulix's ears perk up before eagerly responding. "Yes, I would like that, Anon!" He says.

You nod your head in agreement. "Cool. So, once that's been done, we'll talk about this again, alright?" You say to Notaulix.

"Okay." Notaulix agrees, now looking very content.

"Great! Anyway..." You glance at the clock as you begin speaking. It's still relatively early in the afternoon, with several hours to go until the days over.
Despite that, you're already a bit hungry, since you started the day out with a light breakfast and have not eaten anything since then. You imagine that Notaulix likely feels the same.
"...When would you like to eat dinner today? Are you hungry?" You ask Notaulix, focusing your attention on him once more.

"I am a little hungry. We can enjoy dinner whenever you want it, Anon." Notaulix responds.

"Whenever I want, huh? Sounds good. We don't want to eat dinner too early though, it isn't that late in the day yet. How about in an hour or so?" You suggest.

"Okay Anon." Notaulix says, nodding his head in agreement.

You nod your own head a few times in unison, soon finding the two of you staring at each other with nothing to say.
Notaulix eventually turns his attention back to his book, leaving you to your thoughts.

Taking note of the coolness of the house, you turn in your chair in order to look back at the fireplace behind you.
You consider for a moment if you want to get a fire started this late in the day, but you decide against it, as the house still has enough residual warmth in it to keep you comfortable enough until tomorrow.

Straightening your posture back out, you stare down at the floor by your feet as you try and think of something to talk about.
There are many questions floating around your mind regarding Notaulix and his hive that you would like to ask him, but you question yourself if certain subjects would be appropriate to ask about or not.
Thinking back to your past conversations, a particular topic comes to the forefront of your mind.

"Hey, I have a question about something." You say to Notaulix.

"What is it, Anon?" Notaulix asks while setting his book down once more.

"It's about love; or at least what love is to a changeling. How do you know when there's love for you to consume? Can you see it? Or hear it? Feel? Smell? Or..." You trail off, unsure of how to best articulate your question.

Notaulix gives you a gentle smile before answering. "Love and its many forms is something that us changelings can sense when it's directed at us." He says.
"Besides being a source to feed from, we are also able to use that sense to try and determine how someone currently feels." Notaulix explains.

"Wait a moment... Are you saying that you can sense my other emotions too?" You ask, feeling slightly disturbed at the thought.

"Only love." Notaulix plainly answers.

"Huh? What do you mean, then? How can you tell how someone feels just by love alone?" You question the changeling.

Notaulix pauses as he thinks about how to explain the subject better to you.

"It's... Difficult to describe. This just comes naturally to us, we don't have to think about it." Notaulix says.

"Oh, well... That's okay, I think I get the idea." You say to him.

"No, no, I want to explain it to you, Anon!" Notaulix reassures you.
"Maybe... Maybe imagine this? Imagine that you knew someone was your friend, but after you said or did something, you knew that they were less of a friend, even if that friend never said something, or showed any reaction." Notaulix explains.
"Soooo... Feeling the strength and type of love change can tell us a lot about what someone is feeling. Does that make any sense, Anon? I don't feel like I'm doing a very good job explaining... I'm sorry." Notaulix says with a disappointed look.

"I think you're doing just fine. I'll admit that it's a strange concept, one that's difficult for me to imagine, but I more or less get what you're saying." You say to encourage Notaulix.

"Really? You do?" Notaulix asks while his expression perks up.

"Sure I do. If nothing else, it's really quite impressive that you have such an ability." You respond.

Notaulix's ears perk up as he smiles at your praise, while looking very proud of himself.
"Thank you, Anon." Notaulix happily says.

You nod your head a few times while pondering over what Notaulix just told you. Not long after, a new thought pops into your mind.

"Hm... I have a new question now." You say.

"What is it?" Notaulix asks you.

"If you were to run into one of your own who is transformed, how are you able to identify them?" You ask in return.

Upon hearing your question, a sort of blank expression grows on Notaulix's face, morphing into one of slight confusion as he cocks his head to the side.
You patiently wait for what you thought would be a simple answer, but the seconds tick keep ticking on by as Notaulix considers your question.
After several changes of head position, and a few flicks of his tail, Notaulix finally turns his attention back to you to deliver his answer.

"I.... I don't know, Anon. I never thought about that before." Notaulix says, his ears drooping to the side as he does so.

"You don't know? But... How do you not know something like that? Doesn't that cause problems when you live with a bunch of your own kind who can also transform?" You question Notaulix.

"It was never a problem. Because transforming without a reason to do so was forbidden, my hive brothers and sisters were very rarely ever transformed." Notaulix responds.
"Because of those efforts to conserve what little magic we had, it must have been considered unnecessary to teach such things to everyone. I'm sure those who traveled outside the hive in groups knew." Notaulix continues.
"Yes... If all of us needed to know such a thing, our Queen would have taught us." Notaulix concludes.

"Right, I didn't consider the restriction that you had back home... Sorry about that." You apologize.

"It's okay, Anon." Notaulix reassures you. "Why do you ask such a question? Do you think there is a changeling living in this town?" Notaulix asks you.

"No, I've never suspected that. Although I guess that doesn't rule out the possibility, does it?." You answer.

"I don't know how, but if I ever think that there is one of my kind nearby, I will let you know." Notaulix says while giving you a reassuring smile.

"Alright, I'll count on that." You say, giving Notaulix a smile in return.

Afterwards, you and Notaulix take some time to discuss the day together, or more specifically, the time spent in the Everfree Forest.
The discussion is both fun and engaging, especially for you. You never realized it was something that you wanted, but it feels good to talk about your experiences in the forest with someone who shared them with you, and understands.
Eventually, the growing hunger between the two of you shifts your focus to that of filling your bellies with something delicious.

"Well, I think it's about time for some dinner. What do you think?" You ask Notaulix.

"Yes, dinner would be great!" Notaulix agrees.

"I'll get right to it then." You say as you stand up and walk over to the kitchen area.

Notaulix quickly comes out from under his blanket and clambers off the sofa before moving over to your side. "What can I do Anon?" He asks, eager to help.

"I don't think there's anything for you to help on this one. We're having a pretty simple dinner tonight." You answer Notaulix while digging into your backpack.

"Oh..." Notaulix says, sounding slightly disappointed. "Can... Can I still watch you cook?" He asks.

"Of course you can!" You say to Notaulix, who gives you a big, happy smile in response.

Notaulix watches with eyes full of curiosity as you pull out the things you purchased from the marketplace one by one.
"What are those things, Anon?" Notaulix asks you.

"This is sweetcorn, and these are green beans." You answer while holding out an example of each vegetable for Notaulix to look at.

"S... S-Sweetcorn? Are those like a dessert? Like a cookie?" Notaulix asks with a hint of excitement in his voice.

You chuckle before responding. "No, they're not nearly that sweet. In this form, it's more or less considered a vegetable. You eat these things." You say while pulling back the husks, revealing the bright yellow kernels hiding within.

"Wow..." Notaulix quietly says as he stares at the ear of corn like it's an object of wonder.

You put your examples back on the counter before returning to the task of unloading your backpack.
However, that simple task is interrupted when you suddenly hear knocking at the front door, startling you both.

"W-What should I do, Anon?" Notaulix quietly asks you.

"Go and hide, I'll take care of this." You answer him in hushed tones. You begin to move towards the front door, when a thought crosses your mind...
"Wait a moment." You say as you turn your attention back to Notaulix, who stops and looks back up at you.
"There's a chance this might be a griffon, so... You should actually go somewhere you can transform, just in case." You tell Notaulix, his eyes widening as you do so.

"A-A-A Griffon? B-But...! What room should I go to?" Notaulix asks you, clearly a bit distressed now.

"Go to my room and wait there. You should transform just to be safe; use the closet for that. Also, take your books with you." You quietly answer him before walking over to the low table and picking up the books on the Everfree.

Returning to Notaulix's side, you both walk out into the hallway. Glancing to the left, you note that there doesn't appear to be anyone trying to look through the curtain covered windows flanking the front door.
Notaulix opens the door to your room and quickly moves inside, before turning around and taking the books you were carrying from you with his magic.
After giving him a nod, you close the door while leaving it slightly ajar so that Notaulix might hear any potential conversation.

Turning your attention back to the front door, you approach it while digging the appropriate key from your pocket. Once there, you unlock the door and prepare to open it.
Opening the door, your suspicions are confirmed as you find yourself staring at Gilda, the griffon who you met just a couple hours ago.

"H-Hey..." Gilda stutters while giving you a small wave, looking slightly embarrassed as she does so.

"Gilda? This is a surprise. What brings you here?" You ask the female griffon.

"Sorry to bother you, Anon. I didn't think you were gonna answer the door... Am I interrupting something? It sounded like somebody's here already. I-I could come back another time, or..." Gilda trails off.

"Oh, uh..." You pause as you quickly try and think of what to say. You can't believe that she could have heard you inside, you were trying to be quiet! You wonder if you've severely underestimated a griffons ability to hear.
Awaiting your response, Gilda stares up at you, her amber eyes filled with curiosity.

"...not really. I was just moving some things around before I get a start on making dinner." You answer her, hoping to change the subject.

"Dinner, huh? You have that this early?" Gilda questions you.

"Only on days like today when I've been out in the Everfree. You work up a hunger out there when all you've had is a light breakfast." You respond to Gilda, giving her a friendly smile.

"Oh yeah, for sure. Anyway... I was wondering if you had a moment to talk; maybe tell me a thing or two about exploring the Everfree Forest?" Gilda asks.
"N-Not like I'm some kind of dweeb who thinks that kind of thing is really cool or anything..." Gilda comments, looking slightly flustered as she rubs the back of her head with her talons.

Feeling very stuck in the current situation, you rack your brain for a suitable way out.
You wouldn't mind inviting Gilda in for some chit chat and sharing of your Everfree stories. However, you and Notaulix are still ill-prepared for a situation such as this, especially one involving another griffon.
Thankfully, a potential compromise quickly comes to mind...

"That does sound nice, but I'm pretty tired out after working out there today. I don't think I'd be a very good host at the moment, sad to say." You answer Gilda.
"But!" You quickly add before the griffon can respond. "I have to ask, are you staying somewhere around here?" You ask her.

"Yeah, I'm staying at Dash's place. Why?" Gilda answers.

"Tell you what; how about we meet up somewhere tomorrow? Would that work for you? That way, I'll be all rested up and have the whole day available." You suggest to Gilda.

"Sure! Got any ideas for when and where?" Gilda asks, wasting no time in her response.

You pause to consider your options before answering. "Sugarcube Corner, sometime early in the afternoon?" You respond.

"Deal. Thanks for taking some time out of your day tomorrow for me, Anon. I really appreciate it." Gilda says while gently scuffing one of her hind paws against the porch decking.

"It's no problem, really. Besides, you aren't from around here, are you? The least I can do is indulge you with some conversation and stories that you won't hear anywhere else." You say with a gentle smile.

"I used to live around here, actually. Long time ago, but..." Gilda trails off, turning her head away from you as she does so. You notice the same look in her eyes that she had around Rainbow Dash earlier.
"W-Well that doesn't matter anymore! It's really not interesting." Gilda abruptly speaks out before turning around.
"Don't let me keep you from dinner any longer. I'll see you tomorrow, Anon. You better be there!" Gilda playfully says, spreading her wings as she jumps off the porch and takes flight.

You stand in the doorway for several seconds before stepping back inside and closing the front door.
Gilda seems like a nice, if somewhat strange griffon, you think to yourself while locking the door.

Turning around, you look down the hallway as you take in a deep breath before letting it back out. You begin to refocus your mind now that your unexpected visitor has departed.

The first thing you do is walk down the hallway to your bedroom. Once there, you open the door you left ajar in order to check in on Notaulix.
You expected to find Notaulix hiding, possibly in the closet. What you didn't expect to find is Notaulix comfortably lounging on top of your bed in his griffon form, looking perfectly calm.

"Who was it, Anon? Was that the griffon?" Notaulix asks you.

Feeling a bit caught off guard, you simply stare at the scene before you in mild confusion, while watching the occasional swish of Notaulix's lion tail.

"Anon?" Notaulix says to you with slight concern.

"Uhh... Sorry, yeah. That was the griffon; her name is Gilda. Apparently an old visiting friend of one of the ponies I know." You respond.

"Dash? Is that the ponies name?" Notaulix asks, cocking his head slightly as he does to.

In the back of your mind, it occurs to you that this particular mannerism reminds you of a giant parrot, making you smile.

"So you heard all of that, huh? It's Rainbow Dash, actually. Lots of ponies just call her Dash or sometimes Rainbow though. She works with the weather patrol; nice mare once you get to know her." You answer him.
"With that being said..." You quickly add. "You've kind of surprised me here, Notaulix. I expected you to be hiding, or at the very least not out in the open like this." You continue.
"What made you decide to lay right here on my bed?" You ask Notaulix.

Upon hearing your question, Notaulix's calm demeanor shifts to one that is slightly nervous, even fearful.

"I-I'm sorry for laying on your bed without permission A-Anon. I..." Notaulix stammers as he stares at you.

"Hey, it's okay! I'm not upset at you or anything over something like that!" You tenderly say to Notaulix while gesturing defensively with both hands.

"R... Really?" Notaulix quietly asks while holding his body still in anticipation of your answer.

"Yes, really. I'm just curious why you decided on this course of action, that's all." You reassure the transformed changeling.

Notaulix visibly relaxes as he lets out a sigh of relief. "Thank you for not being mad at me, Anon. I... chose to stay here to try and be brave." Notaulix says as he locks eyes with you.

"Brave?" You repeat.

"I want to be more useful to you, Anon. I know that I'll need to be brave in order to meet the ponies and not betray my transformation." Notaulix explains.
"So that's why I wanted to be here on your bed. And... And also... Your bed is so nice and comfortable and amazing; it makes me feel safe." Notaulix admits while looking away.

You consider Notaulix's reasoning for a moment, before approaching the side of your bed.

"That's very thoughtful. I'd say all things considered, you did good." You say to Notaulix, much to his joy.

"You really mean that, Anon?" Notaulix asks with a happy expression as he looks up at you.

"Of course I do." You respond, followed by reaching out and giving a good back scratch.

Much like last time, an involuntary shiver runs down Notaulix's spine as you scratch along the length of his back, in addition to his plumage puffing up. As you do so, Notaulix closes his eyes and enjoys the treatment.
You keep this up for a minute or two, until you conclude by giving his back a few firm pats with your hand.

"Mmmhh... Thank you, Anon. That felt nice." Notaulix quietly says as he lies motionless on your bed, eyes still closed.

"You're welcome. Now then... It's time to get back to making dinner." You say as you turn around and begin making your way out of your room.

However, once nearly past the threshold of your bedroom door, you stop when you hear Notaulix call out to you. "Anon?" He asks.

Looking over your shoulder, you see that Notaulix has rolled over onto his side and is looking at you. "What is it?" You ask him.

"I was wondering... You said that you don't need my help to make dinner today, so... May I continue to lay on your bed until dinner is ready?" Notaulix asks you.

"Any chance you can get, huh?" You tease Notaulix. "That's fine with me, I'll come get you when it's time to eat. Also, it's safe for you to transform back to your normal self now." You add.

"Okay Anon, thank you." Notaulix says before relaxing once more and resting his head on your bed.

With that, you depart from the comfortable changeling, closing the door behind you as you make your way back to the kitchen.
Once there, you waste no time filling up a large and medium pot with water, which get placed on the stove top to begin heating up.
While you wait for the water to come to a boil, you husk the sweetcorn and prep the green beans. After giving both a rinse, you place the sweetcorn in the large pot, and the green beans in the medium pot.
With both vegetables in the heating water, you place a lid on the medium pot before turning your attention elsewhere.

Grabbing the half pound chunk of hard parmesan, you spend the time to finely grate it into a small pile, which you then spend several minutes chopping with a knife until you are left with something close enough to parmesan powder.
Not long after finishing that task, the lid on the medium pot begins to rattle, steam hissing out from around its edges as it comes to a boil. For now, you simply lower the heat and leave it be.
The sweetcorn eventually comes to a boil, which you allow to cook for a few minutes until you turn off the heat.

Now that both vegetables are done, you decide to go get Notaulix, as your meal is more or less ready to eat.
Arriving at the door to your bedroom, you grab hold of the handle and open it. Looking inside, you find that not only is Notaulix still in his griffon form, but it looks like he's fallen asleep!

Feeling amused, you step up to the side of the bed that the sleeping changeling is resting on in order to wake him up.
Taking one of your index fingers, you lean in and guide it towards Notaulix's griffon beak, which you proceed to gently poke.
After a few pokes, Notaulix begins to stir, subconsciously bringing one of forelegs up to brush away whatever is bothering his beak.
You wait for a moment to see if he wakes. When that fails, you proceed to poke his beak a few more times, stifling laughter as you do so.
The poking is cut short when Notaulix suddenly opens his beak enough for the tip of your finger to fit inside. Before you even realize what happened, you find your finger to be firmly caught.

While not painful, the action catches you by surprise.
You gently tug in an attempt to remove your finger, but it does not release. Thankfully, this proves to be enough to rouse Notaulix from his slumber.
Notaulix's eyes open and quickly focus on you. Not long after that, he notices that he happens to be holding your finger captive, much to his confusion.

"What are you doing, Anon?" Notaulix asks after letting your finger go.

"Trying to wake you up." You answer with a chuckle. "Come on sleepyhead, dinner's ready." You say to Notaulix before turning to depart.

"Yay! I'm ready for it!" You hear Notaulix say behind you, along with the sound of him climbing off of your bed.

On your way back to the kitchen, you hear Notaulix turn to walk down the hallway, followed by the sound of the bathroom door closing.
In preparation for dinner, you bring out some butter along with salt and pepper, which you set by the powdered parmesan that you prepared.
As you bring out two plates, Notaulix enters the room, happily trotting up to you in his natural form.

"Do you need help with anything, Anon?" Notaulix asks you.

"Well, let's see..." You briefly pause. "How about you get some water ready for us to drink at the table?" You suggest.

"Okay!" Notaulix responds before immediately getting to work on his task.

Meanwhile, you work on putting the finishing touches on dinner. Starting with the green beans, you pick up the pot and bring it over to the sink, where you carefully make use of the lid to drain the water out.
Once the hot water has been drained, you put a slab on butter on the green beans, along with a little salt, pepper and parmesan powder. You stir everything together as the butter quickly melts.
Following that, you fish the sweetcorn out of the large pot, placing three ears onto each of your plates.

While you work on buttering up each ear of corn, Notaulix comes trotting up to you. "The water is ready! What should I do now?" He asks you.

"Go ahead and get comfortable, I'll be bringing your plate over in a moment." You say to him.

"Okay Anon." Notaulix says before walking away to the sofa.

You give each ear of sweetcorn a thorough dusting of powdered parmesan, which readily sticks to the buttered surface. Next, you divide up the green beans into equal portions on each plate.
After placing a fork on each plate, you grab both of them and walk over to the small table in front of the sofa.
Notaulix watches you in eager anticipation as you lower his plate to him, which he takes hold of with his magic.
Pulling up a chair and sitting down, you watch Notaulix carefully examine his meal, occasionally giving it a quick sniff.

"What is this, Anon? Did you cover the sweetcorn in something? It smells nice... And... What are these?" Notaulix asks while gesturing at the green beans with his fork.

"Those are green beans with butter and some light seasoning. The sweetcorn has a light coating of butter which I covered with powdered parmesan, which is another kind of cheese." You explain.

"C-Cheese! Anon, I want to try it!" Notaulix exclaims. "How do I eat the sweetcorn?" He asks you.

"It's simple. You pick it up and eat it; just like this." You answer before demonstrating. With your plate resting on your lap, you pick up a warm ear of corn by the ends and bring it up to your mouth, where you take a big bite from it.

The sweetcorn lives up to your expectations, creating a delicious, buttery pairing with the rich saltiness of the parmesan cheese.
After observing you for a short period of time, Notaulix can no longer wait as he sets down his plate before using his magic to pick up an ear of corn to begin eating.
Knowing that Notaulix understands the concept now, you focus on your own food as you chow down. You find the green beans to taste especially good today.

However, after a few minutes have gone by, it occurs to you that you haven't heard any reaction or compliment from Notaulix yet...
Turning your attention back to Notaulix, you discover your changeling companion to be facing a problem that you would have never thought of.
Despite his best efforts, Notaulix's prominent fangs are proving to be a hindrance when it comes to eating corn off the cob in the same way that you or the ponies do.
You can see that he's getting some of it, but it appears to be a real struggle, one that is frustrating the changeling to a degree.

"Hey, hold on a minute." You say to Notaulix, grabbing his attention.
"Sorry about that... It didn't even cross my mind that those fangs of yours might get in the way. Would you like me to cut off those kernels for you? That way you could just eat it with your fork." You suggest.

Notaulix's ears droop in embarrassment upon hearing your suggestion. "If... If it isn't too much trouble, I would like that, Anon. It tastes so good, I want to eat it!" He says.

"It's no problem, really. Look! It'll just take me a moment." You say as you set your plate down on the table, before taking Notaulix's plate back over to the kitchen.

Once there, you take hold of a knife and separate the delicious corn kernels from the cob. You end up doing a somewhat messy job, but you complete the task within a minute or two.
After taking a moment to rinse off your hands, you return the plate to Notaulix, who immediately resumes eating from it.
As you sit back down in your chair, you watch how Notaulix's ears perk back up, coupled with the occasional twitch and buzz of his wings.
With the plain evidence of Notaulix's enjoyment filling you with a sense of satisfaction, you pick up your own plate and get back to eating.

Sometime later, the two of you find yourselves quietly relaxing in comfort after a good dinner. Notaulix enjoyed the green beans, but the parmesan corn was by far his favorite.
Leaning back into your chair with your hands behind your head, you take a moment to reflect on the day and all the things that you did.

Comments

[Blaqwolf0303]

Pootis Bird

[kitsune5000]

Cute.
Anon seems to treat Notaulix like a child.

[Obsidian Shard]

Man, for a split second there I really thought he just accidentally bit the tip of his finger off. That certainly would have been one hell of a situation to have to resolve/explain, lol.

[Morphy]

10924746

Well, in many ways this nieve changeling is. Yes, he's intelligent but lacking in wisdom that only comes from living in pony society. I also feel Notaulix is a bit on the young side, although I could be wrong. Maybe like some animals, changelings grow up fast? Also being so small with the large eyes in comparison to humans, it's hard not to. Heck, everyone is child-like compared to a human unless you're an alicorn or a minotaur.

Kinda surprise he hasn't pet more ponies. The temptation would be far too great for me-- I think Fluttershy and Pinkie would be the obvious about enjoying it while Rares would get all haughty and complaining about messing up her coiffed mane (but not-so-subtly wanting more)... such a drama queen, heh. Not sure if RD would just bite him like a cat after "too much"?