It had only been a few short hours since the little Ice Cream Shop Incident, after me and the Princesses had our fill of cookie pizza(and a bath after being covered in ice cream), we went our separate ways for the day. Celestia wanted to take the rest of the day, where she wouldn’t have to deal with politics, to herself, and Luna wanted to go take a nap. So a guard was told to lead me to my room, and I got to a few hours before dinner in isolation.

After that, I was pretty much going to be left alone after I was shown where my room was. It wasn’t too different from the guest room I stayed in at the Crystal Empire, even if it was a bit less shiny, and a bit more pink than purple in some areas. It was kinda funny, given that Princess Cadence was pink, you’d figure she’d be the one to have everything nice and pink, but instead it was Celly and Lulu who had the pink, white, and golden castle. The room was bigger than the Empire’s guest room, and fancier looking than my room in the Empire as well…

Well, this is home now, for the next couple of years, this is home, and… I think I’m gonna take a step outside. Sure, in here, my guards left me alone, but I want to go explore this whole castle. Being a prince may sound cool and all, which it is, but I really just wanna look around. Fortunately I am a creature that ponies love to welcome with open arms, and will happily greet me upon laying their eyes upon my hideous face! Without thinking much, I trotted up to my bed and hopped up on it. Man, this sucks. A whole city to explore and I couldn’t without having at least a small battalion of guards with me to make sure I don’t get assaulted for being a bug.

And that didn’t even stop me from being assaulted by an ice cream shop owner.

You know what? I don’t care. I’m going to go out, I’m gonna go get acquainted with the natives. I can’t expect to live here happily if everybody hates me, so I’m gonna go out, no guards, and go on a stroll. If something goes wrong, whatever, if somebody calls me what can equate to an Equestrian slur, then it doesn’t matter. I don’t want to be cooped up in this room all day because I look like a monster… Hopefully this goes well. If I had hands still, I would’ve clenched them into fists, before hopping off the bed and heading towards the door.

My first step out of the castle was surprisingly easy. Yeah, I had a singular guard, Sharpened Dagger(which is as close to no guards as he was letting me go outside the castle with), but after a couple of requests, said guard agreed to stay hidden unless somebody actively tried to kill me. So I trotted out the final gate that led to the rest of Canterlot, and took a moment to relish the breeze. The type of breeze that felt nice and refreshing on a warm day such as today, but not chilling to the bone. You know, today was a pretty good day to just wander around; not a soul will ruin this day for me. Every other pony I passed had glared at me like I was a piece of shit that they had just stepped in, but it didn’t matter.

“Sir,” Sharpened Dagger dropped in out of… wherever the heck he was hiding. My personal guard handed me a little pouch, with a strap that fit nicely around my neck, and kept it right below where my neck connected to the rest of my body. I took the pouch in my magic and put it on. “Princess Celestia informed me to hand you that pouch whenever you head out of the castle. Think of it as an allowance; your own personal funds, if you will.”

“But…” I opened the pouch, and it revealed a couple handfuls of golden coins. “Do I really deserve a personal fund?”

“I believe so. You are the Princess’ ward, as such, you should have your own personal fund.” I raised an eyebrow.

“You’re not just saying that because you’re my guard, are you?”

“No sir,” I squinted at him. “From what I have observed so far, you aren’t too bad for a Changeling, in fact, I would say you act pretty similarly to some of the shyer foals I’ve seen in my time. You certainly weren’t what I was expecting when I heard that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna had adopted a foal from the Crystal Empire, but I am giving you my word as your personal guard; you’re a good foal if nothing else. So you should be allowed to treat yourself.”

Sergeant Dagger saluted me, before disappearing from sight. I stared down at the money pouch, before shrugging. Well, I might as well see if there’s anything cool I can buy with my… money. Man that is weird, to have money of my own for simply being a thing that exists.

I don’t like that.

As I continued down the street, I walked past a duo of ponies, one was playing a guitar without any fingers, which was already really impressive. The other was a dark blue stallion, a pegasus, who was singing, their voice was incredibly beautiful, and the song a nice little song. There was a hat on the ground, with some gold coins in it. The song sounded like the chorus of their little song had just begun. “Bird’s eye view, awake the stars ‘cause they’re all around you.” The stallion sang. I couldn’t help but close my eyes and sway my head side to side as the chorus progressed.

It was a nice little song.

On the second chorus, I couldn’t help but join in. I opened my eyes, and the two ponies I was listening to kept on performing,,even after noticing I had joined them, up until we had finished singing what was probably the last chorus. The stallion nodded to me, and I nodded back. Without hesitation, I took out at least a third of the bits out of my money pouch, and deposited it into the little hat on the ground; I didn't even need to be fluent in Equestrian body language; I knew what the hat was for.

A few other ponies joined in before the song reached its conclusion. None of them cared that I was a changeling; they just wanted to harmonize with me. Eventually though, the song did end, and everybody went about their business. And for that one moment, where nobody cared about what I was also ended. A unicorn, who had wrapped an arm around my neck while we sang, glared at me and wiped her leg off like it had been drenched in mud.

While the moment lasted, it was pretty nice.

“Say, ain’t you a changeling?” the guitar player, an orange pegasus mare, asked while the stallion drank from a bottle of what was probably water. I slowly looked up at the pegasus, and nodded.

“Yeah… is that a bad thing?”

“No, I’m just surprised. I heard so much about changelings, about how vicious y’all were during the invasion, and then in front of me, is a changeling that seems… to be the exact opposite.” The mare pointed a hoof at the hat. “And that amount of bits… are you certain you want to give us that many? I know we’re trying to get some extra bits, but surely that is too much. I don’t think bits come easily to changelings, after all.”

“I gave you that amount of ‘bits’ because I felt like you two deserve it,” I pointed at the stallion. “Your voice is as smooth as butter, and I love it,” I pointed at the mare. “And I can tell that you’re good at what you’re doing too; I’m saying it as it is. I liked the performance, I loved it actually.” I slipped some more gold coins into the hat before taking my leave. Both the mare and stallion smiled and waved as I continued on my way.

There wasn’t much of a need for me to stick around. I love the performance, but I want to keep walking around.

As I walked on through Canterlot, I passed by a little wagon with a stage attached to it. On the stage stood a unicorn. They looked about ready to start some kind of performance, so I trotted on over to get a better look.

“Behold the Great and Powerful Trixie!” I stopped the wagon, where the unicorn, on closer inspection, I now know is a mare, wearing a magician’s hat and cape, shooting off fireworks for… nobody. Well, the ‘Great and Powerful Trixie’ sure does know how to make an entrance. So I figure I might as well sit and watch. I sat down in front of Trixie, and she seemed to stop and blink at the newest member of her audience, before shrugging. The showmare threw down a smoke bomb and teleported in front of me.

“So a Changeling has traveled a long and great distance just to watch Trixie? The Great and Powerful Trixie? Well, Trixie supposes she can pull out her greatest trick?” Trixie then took a step back and tripped on her cape. Trixie yelped, expecting to hit the ground.

“Careful!” Trixie stopped as a sickly green hue surrounded her form, and tilted her back onto her hooves. I sighed in relief; Trixie’s fucking heavy!

Trixie blinked a couple of times before sighing. “Trixie would like to thank you for the assistance… she has been going for a few days without any food and-“ I put a hoof on her nose. “What are you doing?”

“You said you haven’t had food in a while?” Trixie nodded. “C’mon, let’s go get some daisy burgers. I’ve been meaning to try some, and I think that you could use the food.”

“Are… you sure? Would you be willing to help Trxie?” Oh boy, multiple answers

“Yes and yes, I’ve got quite a lot of bits on me, and it doesn’t sit right with me; leaving you to starve. Show business sucks, huh?”

“Trixie loves putting on a show. She likes to entertain ponies, especially with her magic. Trxie has… been running low on funds after a recent scandal. Ponies like to refer to Trixie as the ‘Lame and Powerless Trixie’ after what she has done in Ponyville.”

“Meh. Past is the past. C’mon, let’s put some food in your stomach.”

Trxie wrapped her legs around me. “Trixie Lulamoon would like to thank you, Changeling!”

We had stepped into the burger joint, I let Trixie order, as the employees weren’t giving me very friendly looks. None of them said anything, but I could tell they wanted to yell at me. I mean, Trixie wasn’t getting any friendly looks either, but serving a Trixie was better than serving a freak. So I found a spot to sit. I took my seat and a cup floated over to me. I saw Trixie standing next to the soda machine, waving me over. I nodded and trotted over and got my drink:

Plain old water. Water is the best drink.

After we got our drinks, our order name was called out, and the two of us went back to our table. It was pretty hilarious, the slim looking mare in front of me had a pile of burgers, a cup of ketchup, and a pile of fries. I only had a small daisy burger and a small amount of fries(I needed the rest of my stomach for later. Luna said she would have a surprise for me done after she took her nap).

I took my first bite and my eyes widened. Holy crap that is very similar to an actual burger patty! Tasty, juicy- jesus, did these ponies slip some fucking cocaine into my sandwich? Like this is amazing! Screw my town’s local joints, Equestrian daisy burgers are where it’s at! Trixie had a similar reaction to me, because she took one slow bite of her first burger, and her eyes bulged. Then she swallowed the whole thing in one bite and began to shove another one down her throat.

Trixie wiped her face with the bun of another burger and ate the whole thing too. I like this woman.

“So, how did you, a Changeling, get into Canterlot without getting chased out immediately?” Trixie asked after downing her entire cup. I grinned, now I could lie or tell the truth. Either of which would be really funny. So I took a fry, slowly bit into it, and looked Trixie in the eyes.

“I’m actually a prisoner of war. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are holding me for ransom. They wanna lure my Queen out to try and capture her for questioning…” Trixie gasped. “But then they figured out that I’m barely past a decade old and felt bad for keeping me locked up in a dungeon. So as long as I’m under a guard’s watch, I can wander the streets of Canterlot. Granted, most ponies hate me, so I don’t know why I'm allowed to wander around the city, but I can.

“Also Celly and Lulu might’ve adopted me.” Trixie’s eyes began to expand and it was hilarious.

“So, you’re actually a prince?” Trixie asked after recovering from the shock.

“In a sense, but I don’t like to be seen as a prince. Most ponies wouldn’t accept that, and it would look kinda bad on the Sisters. I like’em too much to try and ruin their reputation by making it seem like they’re easy to mind control,” I finished off my burger and sat back in my chair. “Celestia hasn’t said anything about making an announcement about this whole thing, and I hope she doesn’t. I wouldn’t like the attention I got for being a prince.”

“But… that’s just about every colt’s dream, and you’re living it!”

“I mean, being a prince by technicality isn’t the same as being a prince by birth right, or anything. Celestia likes me, but I’m not sure if she actually loves me in that sense; they way you’d love your own child. Besides, being a prince sounds like a pain in the ass. If I weren’t a changeling, most ponies would be trying to kiss me arse twenty four seven, and I wouldn’t be able to just ‘talk’ with anybody. That’s what the Princesses go through everyday, and I know that’s starting to wear on them.” Trixie blinked, before quickly downing the rest of her food.

“Trixie sees. Well, the Great and Powerful Trixie would like to thank you. As soon as she is able, Trixie will repay you for feeding her.”

“Nah, no you aren’t. In fact,” I magicked off my coin pouch, there was still a considerable amount in it. Like over half the pouch was still full. I’m not familiar with Equestrian money, but I can assume somebody can live off of this for a little bit. Then I handed it to Trixie. “Take the whole thing. Spend it on food until you can score a big show somewhere. And before you protest, I ain’t going to let a friend starve while I get to live in a castle all day.”

“You… consider Trixie a friend?” I nodded. Trixie then gave a great and powerful squeal before magicking me up and pulling me in for a bone crushing hug,

Eventually me and Trixie had to part ways for the day, Trixie wanted to have another go and put on a show later tonight, and I have to be back before dinner. But there was still quite a bit of time before I absolutely needed to start heading back. I kinda stumbled here and there, because Trixie had hugged me so hard that she managed to squeeze the feeling out of one of my front legs. Trixie was really excited about the prospect of being my friend, like a dog who just met its owner after three weeks.

Anyways, I’m just wandering around Canterlot aimlessly. Taking lefts, rights, diagonals, going in any direction really. It doesn’t matter.

As I continued down the street I had just turned onto, I quickly took notice that this was the same street where I had been assaulted by a shop owner. Well, there’s that one place advertising daisy burgers, so I can go there instead. I trotted past the ice cream shop, and immediately the door opened. I halted and stood where I was. With Celestia and Luna being preoccupied, this guy could do whatever he wanted now…

It was the goddamn shop owner.

“Where do you damn bugs keep coming-“ the owner stopped when he looked at me. “Great, you’re bucking back! Look, I don’t know how you managed to mind control the Princesses, but you aren’t fooling me, you stupid bug. I know you’re manipulating them into thinking you’re a good changeling, but your tricks won’t work on me, you freak! Let me tell you something true, something you cannot deny because you, yourself are a changeling:

“There are no such things as good Changelings, bud. So scram before I throw another good ice cream scooper at you.” I simply nodded and walked past the store owner without batting an eye. Just treat him like Prince Blueblood, ignore him, and the problem will fix itself… hopefully. That method of problem solving seemed pretty bad for solving situations recently.

“Wait!” I froze mid stride. Somebody had walked out of the ice cream shop holding a journal in her magic. “My name is Hot Scoop, journalist for Equestria Daily. You’re the Changeling that Princess Celestia has claimed to have adopted. I just got done talking to the owner of this lovely establishment, and I would like to hear your side of things, changeling.” The shop owner was blowing steam. “May I take up a bit of your time to interview you?” Hot Scoop asked with a shining smile. “We can even discuss this over some ice cream if you’d like.”

“I can answer some questions, just not over ice cream. Me, Luna and Celestia had so much cookie pizza in the palace, that I don’t even wanna look at ice cream,” I burped with a nervous chuckle. “so… what are these questions you’re gonna ask me?” I asked as we looked for a bench, far from the ice cream parlor, to take a seat.

“How did you, a Changeling, manage to get into the custody of the crown?”

“I got found in the Crystal Empire and Celestia and Luna thought I looked cute.” That was technically true; Celly has made it abundantly clear that she found my stupid face adorable. And I’m pretty sure Luna does too. I was being ‘truthful’ because I don’t think letting my, now, ‘subjects’ know that there’s multiple universes is a thing I should be doing. Especially without asking Luna or Celestia-

I’m becoming a good politician; I’m lying through my teeth.

“I’ve just noticed that you don’t refer to Princess Luna, or even Princess Celestia by their titles. Is there a reason for why? Do you still have loyalty to your Queen?”

“Well, I have no Queen, and Celestia and Luna seem to prefer it when they aren’t referred to as princesses all the time. They may be nigh immortal, but they’re still people. A fancy title and the ability to raise celestial bodies doesn’t change who they are to me. Okay, maybe I am a tiny bit scared of what Luna or Celestia can do to me if they wanted to, but they’re still just a couple of ladies to me, who seem to like me to some extent. Heck, I spent the last… six hours on a train with Celestia and used her as a pillow.”

I stopped. “In… in other words, I’m comfortable around them, to the point where I don’t see them as princesses. They’re just my adopters, and I actually love them a lot. So they’re just Celly and Lulu to me,” the journalist brought her hooves up to her cheeks as she ‘awed’ at that.

“Oh dear Celestia! I did not think I would live to hear a Changeling, a Changeling, refer to the Royal Sisters by nicknames! That is adorable!”

“Sir,” the journalist looked up from her journal, and I snapped up at Sergeant Dagger. “It is time to return to the palace. If we leave any later, you’ll be late for dinner.” I nodded to my guard as he turned to walk back to the castle. I trotted up to the side of my guard, he kept his gaze set straight, his expression dead serious.

“You know, that journalist is going to spin a lot of your answers to put you in a bad light, correct, Nogla?”

“So? Everybody already doesn’t like me,” I paused, taking a moment to relish in the quiet street we were on.

“I’m not an idiot, and I’m not naive to what journalists do; I’ve seen enough of those to know that they aren’t out to keep the public informed. Hot Scoop wants to make a quick bit, and I can’t fault her for being on the grind. Painting me in a bad light would probably sell for a lot, especially with a title such as ‘Changeling Mind Controls the Royal Sisters in its First Step in Conquering Equestria’ with tag lines such as ‘revenge for the Royal Wedding?’.”

The road slowly gave way to a more… wild looking area, where there was more grass, bushes, and even trees as I spoke. This place was… nice and peaceful. “Do… you not care about your reputation? Surely as a prince-”

“I barely even register as a prince in anybody’s eyes, so I’m not a prince. Yeah, the country’s diarchs treat me like their son, I think, and have legally adopted me, but I’m just some stupid bug that they felt sorry for. And what kinda fucking reputation do I have? Even after I stuck out my neck for that shop owner earlier, he still hated me because I’m a Changeling. Hell, it’d be god damn better if I wasn’t legally a prince, because now everyone thinks I’m mind controlling their princesses!” I kept my tone flat.

Sergeant Dagger came to a halt, and stopped to look at me. His gaze kept on me as I kept on walking. “Not everypony thinks that, Nogla. I know you’re not; you seem to genuinely seem to enjoy being in the Princesses’ company, not for food, but because you like being around them. Believe it or not, both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna have some experience in negating any mind control that you’re capable of. They have to in order to be able to run a country for as long as they have.”

“Come, sit on this bench with me, and let’s have a chat.”

“What about getting back to the palace for dinner?”

“I feel like your mental health is more important than getting you back home in time.”

“I’m doing fine, Dagger.”

“You’re not fooling anypony, Nogla. And you definitely aren’t fooling two mares, who have had thousands of years to learn pony body language. While you aren’t a pony, even I can tell that you aren’t doing well mentally. I’m no therapist, so I cannot fully assist you, but I am here if you need to talk. Heck, I’m willing to bet that Princess Celestia has a degree in psychology.”

“Only a couple dozen, Sergeant,” Celestia’s voice stuck out in the quiet atmosphere like… well, a bird’s song. Her voice was just pleasant to listen to.

“Your highness,” my guard bowed.

“At ease, Sergeant. If you wish, you may return home for the night. I can handle things with Prince Nogla from here.” Sergeant Dagger nodded before taking his leave.

Oh god no.

Celestia had led me over to a picnic table, she looked hilarious while trying to sit at said table by the way. The way her legs pretty much took up the entirety of the underside of the table, while the table itself barely came up past her stomach was pretty funny. Luckily, I got to relish the funny scene since Celestia was giving me a concerned look, that made me really not want to look her in the eyes. If anything, I want to go hide in a bush and never come out.

“So… how was the last two hours after we split up?” I asked.

“It was quite lovely, I got to catch up on some reading…” Celestia reached across the table and set a hoof on my shoulder. “I heard what you said, everything. From how you were only adopted only because I, and Luna, had felt sorry for you. About how you do not see yourself in such a positive light, and I did not need to be told to know about that either. So I would like to ask, why do you think Luna and I have gone out of our way to spend some time with you even before you were adopted?” Celestia cocked her head. “Because I was simply going to adopt you to keep you safe during your time in Equestria.”

“I dunno, to make sure I wasn’t some deranged lunatic, or lying to you before you adopted me. I’d like to make sure the ugly bug horse I’m adopting isn’t a psycho-”

“What did I say about putting yourself down, Nogla? Do not call yourself ugly. Ever. You are a handsome, adorable little changeling. I don’t want to hear any buts either, you may look odd, but you aren’t ugly,” Celestia said sternly. She sighed and dropped the stern expression before giving me a sad, but confident look.

“You’re a pleasant colt to be around, Nogla. While your language… is a bit crude at best, and vulgar at the worst, you’re a good colt. I don’t approve of how you’ve managed to gain an affinity for alcohol at such a young age, but-” Celestia magicked me over the table and into her forelegs. “I like you, Nogla, you seem to have a sense of humility, and didn’t let the notion of becoming a prince get to your head. After you made the mistake of helping to fuel the flames of a conflict, you’ve held back from responding. You’re willing to admit your wrongs and correct them.”

“I still called the shop owner a ‘fucking donut’. That definitely didn’t help make the situation, from earlier, any better. I didn’t correct myself very well, did I?”

Celestia shook her head. “You simply need to break that habit. Worry not, I can assist you in breaking any bad habits that you have!” Celesita rested her chin on my head.

“But you still managed to stop before you could say anything more. Something far worse than calling somepony a donut…” Celestia paused. “What does that mean by the way? I am quite curious, and I've never heard the word ‘donut’ be used as an insult.”

“I called the shop owner an idiot when I called him a donut.”

Celestia snickered. “I need to write that down somewhere. Faust knows I need it for when I get… some less sensible individuals during Day Court.” Celestia then nuzzled the top of my head. “Do know that myself and Luna do indeed love you, and wish the best for you.” I melted into Celly’s embrace and let out a sigh. “And worry not, in time, I’m sure my little ponies will begin to accept you for the pony you choose to be, not the ‘pony’ that you are.” Celestia’s wings flared.

“Come, let us return to the castle for dinner. Luna will be angry; she’s trying her hooves in cooking again,” Celestia said with a grimace.

“She sucks at cooking, doesn’t she?”

“Well… let us just say that she had tried to cook some soup and burnt the ingredients, the broth, the pot, and the stove she cooked on. Luna enjoys cooking, and you living with us might have resparked that enjoyment, but do know that most of the meals she cooks… will be very, very well done.”

My eyes widened. “Can’t we get daisy burgers instead? I had some earlier, and they’re great.”

“Perhaps another time… Lulu gets upset when we choose fast food over her cooking.” Celestia laid me out on her back. “Worry not, we shall get daisy burgers another night. I will admit, I prefer them to hay burgers, though Luna would beg to differ.”

With that, Celestia then shot off into the stratosphere at terminal speeds, and I didn’t scream like a little girl while holding onto her neck.

*clip clop*

My eyes shot open and the slight chance that we are on something I can walk on. Okay, I don’t want to learn how to use my wings; I’m scared of heights, how fun! I hopped off of Celestia’s back while laughing, I stumbled here and there as I spun around to face the solar diarch. “That was fucking awesome! Can we do that again?” I swung an arm to the side and stumbled again. “Oh man, that made roller coasters seem lame!”

“I take it that you want to learn how to fly even sooner, now?” Celestia giggled and folded her wings. “Of course we can go ahead and do that every now and then. Though, I am not quite sure if my guard would appreciate me taking off to the sky as fast as I can, with the new Prince riding on my back. I fly much, much faster than most of the guards as is, and my guards would rather be able to keep me in sight when I leave the castle.”

“They also probably wouldn’t like seeing me ride on your back. Imagine the scandalous articles! You adopt a prince, a changeling no less, and immediately have him ride on your back! What’s next? I get another kid to pop out of you?” Celestia’s cheeks flared up.

“Nogla, that is the type of humor I would expect from Luna!” She laughed, and put me on her back(not in that way, you pervert).

“Sister! Child! Hurry up before your food gets cold!” Luna shouted- no, blasted from inside the palace. My ears started ringing from the sheer volume.

“Speaking of which, let’s not keep her waiting.”

I stared down at my plate of ashes, it smelled good, but I think the only thing edible on here was the garnish, which was just lettuce and apple skins. I looked up from my plate and Luna happily ate her ‘food’ and Celestia did her best not to gag as she shoveled piles of ashes into her mouth. Somehow neither of them were gagging, so I guess ashes can’t taste that bad. I took an apple skin and gnawed on it.

“So, Tia, are you enjoying my culinary efforts?”

“Of course, Lulu. This is the best apple pecan salad I have had in a millennium,” Celestia said. Pausing to take a sip of water. “I must say, I do especially like the pecans you’ve chosen. They are very well roasted, and add a nice crunch to the dish.”

Luna raised her head in pride and she turned to me. “Well Nogla, how are you liking your salad?” I dumped the entire pile of ashes in my mouth. Oh god this tastes fucking awful! Celestia took notice of my discomfort and her horn glowed- oh, the ashes are gone from my mouth. Thank Celestia for that, that’s a popular saying, right? I grabbed my water cup and took a small sip and nodded. “Delicious!”

Luna glared. “You hate it, don’t you?”

“Okay… yeah. It was burnt to a crisp and then some. Like I think you managed to burn ash. Which is quite impressive since I think that might be your sister’s thing.”

“I thought I would try to grill the salad, that it might give it a nicer texture.” Luna sighed. “Perhaps I should take up cooking classes again.” Luna laughed. “I suppose it was a pretty dull moment of mine, thinking that grilling vegetables would end nicely.”

“Think the chefs would get angry if I were to try my hands in cooking? I think I can save tonight’s dinner.”

“Oh please, you shouldn’t even know how to cook. You’re a child!”

“Care to bet, Lulu?” I asked with a smug grin.

“If you can make an actual meal that tastes good, I will do whatever you wish for twenty four hours.”

“If I lose?”

“I get to dress you up in whatever outfit I like, and you have to wear it for twenty four hours.”

“Alright. Where’re the kitchens?”

Celestia showed me where the kitchens were, and I had gotten to work. With the help of the chefs, who mostly just pointed out where everything was for me, I decided to just make a bunch of Irish dishes from my home. Irish coffee(I was allowed to use actual whisky, score!), mashed potatoes, Irish stew without any beef, and some apple slices for dessert. I’m not my mother when it comes to cooking, but I think I picked up a thing or two. Anyways, the kitchen staff were willing to lend me a cart to move my dishes easier.

I pushed the door open, and Celestia and Luna were chatting away about their days tomorrow, and both snapped up at the stupid little Changeling with a cart of food. “Finally! I am famished!” Luna clapped her hooves as I moved the cart up to the table and started to distribute the contents evenly amongst the three of us. Celestia eyes the coffee very closely, and proceeds to take a sniff. Her eyes squinted before she looked up at me.

“You put whisky, cream, and sugar into coffee?” Jesus, she picked that up from just smelling the coffee? That’s really cool.

“Only a really small amount. It shouldn’t give you much more than a very light buzz,” Luna took a sip or her own coffee, and her eyes widened.

“That is good,” Luna sighed in content before glaring at me. “But how did you get a hold of whisky? And you best not have made yourself a cup.”

I slowly magicked up a nice, big cup of apple juice and took a sip. “Nah, I don’t like coffee that much anyways. Irish coffee’s great, incredible even, but I like something sweeter.” Luna and Celestia, in sync with each other, then took a spoon full of stew, and I grinned. “So, did I win the bet?” I asked with a grin. Before I could open my mouth again, Luna picked up her whole bowl and drank every single drop, ate every bit of filler in the soup, and licked her lips. To my surprise, she didn’t get a single drop of anything on her coat, the table, or the floor.

Celestia took a more ladylike approach and continued to calmly put spoonfuls in her mouth…

Then Celestia brought the bowl up, disregarding her spoon, to her face and stuck her snout in it. Slurping and chewing noises soon followed.

“Okay Nogla, you win,” Luna said with a sip of her coffee. “For the next twenty four hours-”

“Can I get you to let me drink some of that coffee?” Luna shook her head.

“Even under the circumstances, I will not allow any underaged drinking under this roof.”

“Feck.”

Celestia belched, her face covered in soup and potatoes. “Excuse me, but I think I need you to teach my chefs the recipe for all of this,” she eyed me. “How do you know how to cook?”

“Ma’s homemade cooking. Once a week, the whole family, as in me, my brother and my mother, all get together and eat some of ma’s cooking. I tend to help her out a lot… and I picked a few things up, and even made a few dishes myself. Just be lucky I didn’t make any fries, you would not, I repeat, would not be able to stop eating them.”

“If your current record states anything, I believe if you made hay fries-”

“Oh hell no! Those aren’t proper chips! That’s it, I’m going to make you some actual chips!” I hopped out of my seat and stormed towards the kitchen.

One batch of chips lasted approximately two seconds(after their first bite) between both of my adopters. In fact, Celestia demanded more chips.

Author's Note

Welp. One week of hyperfixation on writing, editing, and scene planning done. imma go eat chicken.

thx for reading btw, tell me how you’r liking the story so far!