>It's been two weeks since you accepted the offer to live in the castle
>You were scared at first, but the Queen gave you time to adjust.
>You like her, she's so nice to you. You don't think you deserve such treatment from Royalty, however
>You still remember waking up that first day living here, or rather, being woken up by one of the maids
>You were terrified. You thought she had come to take you back to the building so you ran
>You ran until it hurt, and found yourself in the library
>You'd stayed there for hours, hiding from ponies you thought wanted to take you
>You'd been found by Gleaming Shield after she'd been informed of you gone missing
>She had also explained who was in your room and various other castle inner-workings
>The maid even apologized for scaring you, so she couldn't have been bad, right?
>The days following made you apprehensive to say the least; King Solaris had made true his promise to talk to you more
>He asked you many questions about yourself, and you answered to the best of your ability
>One question in particular, you half regret telling him the answer to
>After revealing you ate meat he was scared
>Not for himself, of course, but for his family
>While you were a nervous wreck, you managed to convey that you don't eat sentient things
>Or, more closely to how you worded it, you 'don't eat things that talk'
>You still try not to eat a lot of meat if you can help it, and when you do, you make sure nobody can see you. They might think you're a monster and put you back in the building
>Even now only the King and Queen know you eat meat
>The next week and a half you'd spent learning about Equestria with Celestia and Luna. They'd even toned down the excitement and you'd learned a little about them as well and vice-versa
>They still wanted to play with you a lot but you don't think you should be playing with Royalty
>And that brings you to today
>You'd been sitting outside in the garden thinking about all the things that have happened so far when you heard Celestia's voice calling your name
>"Anooooonnn!"
>Was it time for another lesson?
>You hear another voice call out "There he is, Tia!" It was Luna's
>You turn your head away from the calm scenery and see the pair of them running towards you
>You're used to this by now, and you don't think they would hurt you intentionally, so you just let it happen
>The duo barrel into you, Celestia latching onto your shoulder and Luna burying into your stomach as you fall back onto the grass
"Hey, guys. What's up?"
>You try not to be so casual with them but they don't like it when you treat them like Princesses. No need to give them a reason to hate you
>Luna lets out a muffled squeal and starts trying to talk through your stomach
>"hm phm mph mh mhp!"
>You start laughing at the sensation and Celestia giggles at her sister's failed attempt at speech, only then does Luna realize what's wrong
>Lifting her head up she clarifies
>"Come play with us!"
>Oh, this again. You wonder if you should tell them you shouldn't play with them again
"Look, Luna. I don't think I should p-"
>You're cut off with a glare from Celestia
>"Anon, there's nothing wrong with playing a game with us. Just because we're princesses doesn't mean we don't want to play with you. You're our friend."
>The world stops, and so do the words that were forming in your throat
>You're their friend? But you're just a common person! There's nothing special about you..
>Not knowing how to feel, you simply hug the two of them, a small smile creeping its way onto your features
>"You're so silly, Anon. Tee-hee!" Luna blurts out
>"Now are you going to come play with us or do we have to drag you?" Celestia now
>You cringe when she says drag you but quickly realize she's joking
"Sure. What did you have in mind?"
>Luna starts yelling again
>"We're going to play Apologies!"
>You've.. never heard of that game before
>"She means 'Sorry'. Do you know how to play?"
>You catch a fleeting memory of playing a game called SORRY with a couple of your friends one time
>Is it the same game? This land is surprisingly identical to Earth more often than not
"I might, but can you show me anyway?"
>They adopt a look of sheer joy as they push you back to your feet and lead you back to wherever it is you're going
>While you're being led away you're unaware of the two regal ponies watching from the balcony overlooking the garden
>Lumina wears a soft smile while her husband wears a worried frown. He didn't like the idea of Anon being alone with his little girls
>"I think he's finally befriending them. Isn't it great?"
>Lumina glances to Solaris and he shares an uneasy smile with her
>"Yes.. It's wonderful, darling."
>With a 'tch!' she responds with her head up and away
>"You're just upset our little girls won't be spending as much time with their father."
>A look of guilt flashes across the King's face for but a moment
 
>Celestia and Luna had led you back into the castle, through a few halls, and back towards where your rooms are located
>They finally pull you into Celestia's room after they have a silent argument who's room is to be used
>Sitting down on the floor, Celestia magics over a board game that looks almost exactly like the one you remember, but the pieces on the front look like chariots instead of weird spire things
>After a quick explanation of how to play, you work out that it's exactly like the one you remember from home
>You really hope you win so you pick your favorite color, green.
>Time to get serious.
>After an especially annoying start up, you each finally have a piece on the board, though you got a lucky draw and landed on Luna's blue piece, sending it back to start
>With a triumphant smirk you wait for Celestia to make her move
>Drawing the card reveals a lucky number 11 and the color drains from your face
>Giggling at your expression, she swaps her piece -which had just passed your home point- for yours, putting her only about 6 spots behind her goal
>This was going to be a long game
 
>15 minutes later and things are fairly even
>And by fairly even you mean you're losing
>You have one chariot in your home, and two out on the board. The closest chariot to your home is about 15 places away, and the other is on the other side of the board with Luna's piece
>You need to watch out and hope she doesn't send it back to start
>You have yet to release your 4th chariot because your draws aren't all that lucky
>Celestia has 2 chariots in her home, and only one piece on the board, directly out of the start thanks to Luna, with her 4th piece being in the start itself
>Luna is the closest to winning, with 3 pieces in her home and the last 1/4th of the way there
>Or it would be if you hadn't just drawn a 3, allowing you to bump her piece back to the start again
>Not this time, missy.
>You give off a sarcastic "Soorryyyy" and almost shrink back when you see the look of righteous fury in her eyes
>It's dispelled by how cute it looks, though
>...
>You will never say that to her as long as you live
>Celestia's light tittering snaps your attention back and you remember it was her turn to move, not yours
>You let out a sheepish smile and apologize, much more sincerely this time
"Sorry, Luna. I guess I got caught up.."
>She seems to accept it, but still harrumphs at the situation
>Your ego is a little damaged, but it comes out fine enough. Honest mistake
>After another 10 minutes of vicious battling Celestia manages to come out on top
>She gives off a victorious "Yes!" followed by a bit of prancing around nodding her head back and fourth and spinning in place
>You and Luna grumble quietly to yourselves about her showboating but are cut short by a quick knock on the door
>"Your highnesses, dinner will be momentarily." comes the muffled speech through the solid wood
>Is it that late already? You must have spent a long time sitting outside. Now that you think about it, you're starving..
>"And Queen Lumina would like it if Anonymous were to make an appearance as well."
>What?
>As the sound of hoofsteps fade away you're snapped out of your food daydream by Celestia jumping onto your neck
>You ball up as fast as you can and put your face into your legs, it being instinctual by now. You're still not used to ponies general behavior let alone filly behavior.
>You sit up when you feel legs squeeze the sides of your neck and two hooves resting on top of your hair
>Luna is giggling, so Celestia must be making funny faces behind you while you can't see her
>You look down a bit at the thought of them laughing at your expense, but quickly snap out of it
"Celestia, what are you doing?" your voice rings out, drenched in confusion
>"Hitching a ride! Duh!"
>Her sentence ends with more childish laughing
>Your hand meets your face, something you'd never understood why people did until now.
>You'd carried Celestia on your shoulders with Luna walking next to you, both of them laughing the entire way to the dining room
>You also made her get off before you walked in. You didn't want to get Celestia in trouble or you, for that matter.
>You stay quiet most of the meal, hoping nobody would put the spotlight on you
>Your hopes are short lived
>Halfway through Queen Lumina turns her attention to you
>"So Anon," she begins
>You look up, not wanting to be rude
>"How are you finding your stay here?"
>Frightening
"It's nice. The guards are intimidating and it's tough to find some things, but other than that it's great."
>You pause with a smile
"And the lessons I've been taking with Celestia and Luna have been fun. Thank you for letting me learn with them, Mrs. Lumina"
>You had learned early on that she prefers not to be called 'Queen' Lumina unless her title is absolutely necessary
>She nods sagely before responding in kind, >"You're quite welcome, Anon. I wouldn't dream of withholding knowledge from anypony, especially one who lives under my roof"
>She flashes you another gentle smile, making your cheeks burn from embarrassment at the seemingly special treatment, before continuing
>"Speaking of my little Angels, did you have fun playing with them? They are quite fond of you, you know. You should play games with them more often"
>Shocked, you can't respond but you hear Celestia and Luna pipe up from next to you, both embarrassed beyond belief
>"Mmmoooooommmmm!"
>It's accompanied by both fillies covering their faces with their hooves and looking down
>You chuckle and smile at them before you begin eating again
>Today was pretty good.
 
>A week passed by without much happening outside you, Celestia and Luna taking lessons and playing games.
>Gleaming Shield even came by to see you!
>She said she was sorry she hadn't visit sooner but she was swamped with all sorts of paperwork and the like from all the arrests on upperclass citizens or something like that
>You didn't mind though, you just really missed her
>She was pleased to find you liked it here and were friends with Celestia and Luna
>That was two days ago, however, so she's not here until the next time
>You weren't sad about it, though. You had Celestia and Luna to keep you company now. You were even warming up to the maid that came by every morning.
>Everything was looking up
>Until one morning, the worst thing ever happened
 
>You are Celestia and Anon is being unreasonable
>You and Luna have been far too busy befriending Anon to have any tea parties, so now you're trying to convince him to join in on the newest one
>It's failing miserably
>He keeps saying no because it's "too girly"
>The gall! Tea Parties are highly sophisticated, not "girly"!
>You pull Luna into a huddle and try to think of something that would convince him, both of you voicing options and shooting them down just as quickly
>"I can hear you, you know."
>You suddenly realize your huddle is only 2 paces away from him. He's looking at you with exasperation
>At this rate you'll never get him to join your Tea Party! This is definitely not good..
>An idea clicks in your head
>You've seen Mommy convince Dad to do a lot of things by turning on her charm, you should do the same!
>You look to Luna and give her your best 'stay back, I'll handle this' face. She gets the message
>Sauntering over to Anon, you sit next to his leg and hook your forehooves over it before laying your head down on him
"Annoon, will you please have a Tea Party with us?"
>You flutter your eyelids for effect while speaking
>He looks confused
"For me?"
>That's right, give him your pout. Daddy never wins against this!
>"Celestia, I'm not having a Tea Party with you. It's way too girly for me, plus you've got Luna to have it with."
>Drat!
>Now you're officially out of ideas
>Unless.. nono, that's way too mean! You can't just manipulate someone like that! But..it -is- for the Tea Party. Just once won't hurt, right?
>Well, here goes nothing.
"I- I thought you said we were your friends!"
>You try your hardest to start crying, your voice wavering
>You look up to his shocked face and press on
"Y-you said that you like p-playing w-with us!"
>It starts out strong but ends barely above a whisper
>His expression changes to one of guilt
>"I do! It's just that Tea Parties are really girly and I'm a guy, I can't do that!"
>You bury your face into his side, tears soaking his shirt
"So you d-don't want to play with u-us because we're g-girls?"
>You let out a sob
>"I-i-it's not like that! It's just, uh, that I-.."
>You hear him sigh
>Gotcha.
>"Fine.."
>Yes!
 
>You are Anon again and you can't believe you agreed to this. You think you've been tricked
>You're sitting down across from Celestia and Luna, two of their stuffed animals on either side of you
>To your left is a grey owl, with little spots of white on it's chest and wings and a tuft of white feathers right below its neck
>On your right is a fuzzy Hippo, you think it is. It's all grey and fairly fat
>There's a plastic saucer with plastic teacups in front of both of them, your side in much the same fashion
>There's a teapot made out of, you guessed it, plastic sitting in the middle of the small table
>Oh yeah, and everything is pink.
>What did you do to deserve this?
>Nothing, that's what. You silently hope Gleaming Shield comes to help you out of this predicament
>Celestia and Luna are positively giddy on the other side of the table, their own plasticware in front of them
>"Now, Anon this is a formal event-" you roll your eyes "-so you are to address us as Miss or Madame."
>"Mr. Willow" she says, gesturing to the owl "shall be addressed as Sir or Mister, likewise for Mr. Muss."
>You nod your head, if only to speed this embarrassing time along
>"Proper manners are to be used at all times and table talk is to be kept friendly"
>You don't know who would be mean at a Tea Party but you nod nonetheless
>"Any questions?"
>One
"When is this over?"
>Luna interjects with her hoof in the air, the other held to her chest
>"When the Tea is gone!"
>You have adorable friends
>Not that you would ever tell them that
>"Begin!"
 
>5 minutes later and you find that this actually isn't so bad
>Your friends back home always said this was so lame, but it's actually pretty fun
>You can't let anyone know you think so
>"Another crumpet, Sir Willow?"
>That was Luna, as she magically places another crumpet onto his saucer, making it a total of 4
>You don't care much, considering you put one on there as well.
>At least there's actually tea, or these things would be really dry
>The tea is nice, not bitter and not too sweet.
>You wouldn't mind drinking it more often, truth be told
"Madame Luna, how do you feel about more tea?" you say, noticing her cup is empty yet again
>They are pretty tiny cups
>"Oh I would love some, Sir Anon!"
>Smiling she holds out her cup for you to pour more into. You happily oblige
>"My, Sir Anon, did you see the sunset yesterday? Positively marvelous, wouldn't you agree?"
>You turn to Celestia and give your best small talk face, it's not that good, but it'll do
"Why yes I did, Madame Celestia, and I must say the shades of red and orange displayed were splendid!"
>Picking up fancy words from all this is fairly easy
>"Oh, but I think the full moon two nights ago was so much better, don't you think so, Sir Anon?"
>You're not one for night time, but you don't want to disappoint Luna
"As a matter of fact, I do, Madame. The soft light that was provided by the moon that night was wonderful, lighting up my room but not making it too bright. It was truly beautiful"
>Luna smiles at you
>You know that Luna loves the moon, much like Celestia loves the sun
>Hearing it complimented must be nice
>Before anyone knows it, the tea is depleted and you almost wish for it to be refilled just so you can have a reason to keep talking like this
"Well it looks like that's it, girls"
>A look of sadness overtakes both of their features for a moment at you let it known the tea is all gone
>It's quickly replaced by a anxious smile from the both of them
>"Anon, that was fun! We should have another one soon!"
>You want to, but you're not ready to let them know you're eager for it
"Sure, if that's what you want, Luna. You're my friend, I'll be there for you."
>Luna squeals in excitement before jumping over the table and landing in your lap, giving your midsection a squeeze
>Celestia does likewise, but stands up on your leg to hug your neck
>You have amazing friends
 
>It's been a month since that first tea party with Celestia and Luna
>Since then you'd taken to eating with the whole royal family, and playing more often with Celestia and Luna
>They're your best friends in this world
>You'd also thought you were going to die when a guard yelled at you for walking in a restricted area. You haven't seen him since, though most guards look the same so you don't really know
>Gleaming Shield visited a few more times, and you even had a present for her the last time! You went digging for some gold a couple weeks ago and even found a nice green gem
>You got Celestia and Luna to help you make it all into a necklace for her using their magic, with Mrs. Lumina's guidance on the design
>Magic is so cool. You wish you could use it.
>The design of it was fairly simple. It had a gold chain mixed with a bit of silver steel for durability
>The pendant that it was strung through was a simple gold-rimmed shield identical to her cutie mark, with the center of it being a brightly polished emerald
>She was so thankful for it and you felt good making her so happy
>3 days ago you, Celestia and Luna skipped lessons to watch the fireworks
>You didn't ask what they were for but they were breathtaking, and you ended up holding the two of them close to you while scratching their ears. They both ended up falling asleep against you. Carrying them to their beds was a chore
 
>That brings you to today
>Today's activities find you playing Hide & Seek with Celestia and Luna.
>You're keeping it outside so you don't get in trouble like last time. Luna had knocked over a vase and now none of you can run around inside the castle
>You were 'it' first, and you found Luna hiding in a bush, so now it's her turn
>As soon as Luna turns around to start counting, you pick Celestia up and run as fast as you can
>The maze is off limits, much like inside is, but nobody said the other side of the castle grounds was
>Changing your course Celestia seems to pick up on your idea and leans forward shouting "Onward, my trusty steed!"
>You almost point out that you're not a steed, but decide against it, complying with her order instead
>Her giggling makes it worth it
>Rounding the final corner you see the castle training grounds the guards use
>There's only a few guards so it looks safe enough
>Clutching Celestia close to your chest, you jog past the guardsponies as they wave at you and salute to Celestia
>Even when they're being friendly they're scary. Suppressing a shudder you press on, walking past a stand for holding spears
>You find a nice group of bushes nearby and point to them
>Celestia nods her head vigorously at your non-verbal suggestion
>Stopping next to them, you go in first, lying on your back in the middle of a particularly big shrubbery
>Celestia slides in from the small hole you left and pushes the leaves back until they look natural again
>You scoot over as much as you can for her to lay down too, but are stopped when she puts a hoof on your arm
>"No need, Anon. We could mess up the bush like that."
"Then ho-"
>Your half-asked question is answered as she climbs onto your stomach and lies down, forehooves held gently to her chest and hind legs falling on either side of your body
>You feel the temperature in your cheeks rise and look away, opting to scan outside to see if Luna is near
>She isn't
>After a minute of silence, Celestia decides to break it with a soft whisper
>"Anon?"
"Yeah, what's up?" you whisper back
>"Could you.." she breaks off into mumbles and her cheeks set ablaze with a deep scarlet
"I can't hear you, Celestia"
>"Tia" she corrects you
>She and Luna had been trying to get you to call them by their nicknames, Tia and Lulu for a week or so
"Fine. Tia. I still can't hear you."
>The exasperation in your voice is evident
>"I- I said can you scratch my ears again..?"
>You deadpan
>That's what she wants? Why didn't she just say so?
>You let out a chuckle and move your hand to her head, her eyes tracking your hand with each movement
>Before you can place your fingers on her ear however, you're startled by a familiar voice just outside the bush
>The hand you had above Celestia's head slams onto your mouth to help quiet your breathing
>You don't need to though, because when you look out the bush who other but Gleaming Shield is sitting there, trying to push her head in
>"Hey, Anon! Good evening, Princess Celestia."
>She dips her head a little after addressing the pony sitting on you
>"What are you guys doing?"
>"We're playing Hide & Seek! Lulu's 'it' so we're hiding in the last place she'll think to look!"
>Celestia's donning a devious smile. She must really like outdoing her sister
>You look to Gleaming Shield again about to speak but notice something green swinging around under her head
>It's your necklace
"Oh, you're wearing the necklace we made!"
>She looks down at it, her smile growing
>"Of course I am, Anon. I never take it off! Hehe!"
>Hearing her say that makes you feel warm inside
>You don't get a chance to share your happiness as you hear Luna's voice coming from behind Gleaming Shield
>"What are you doing, Gleaming Shield?"
>Darn, you thought you had a good spot, too
>You hear Celestia mutter something under her breath and Gleaming Shield takes her head out of the bush
>"Hello, your highness! I was just, uh, inspecting..the..bushes! Yes! Have to make sure nopony can sneak in the castle from under them!"
>"..Anon and Tia are in that bush, aren't they?"
>You let out a sigh, but you can't be mad at Gleaming Shield. It's not her fault.
>Climbing out of the bush, Celestia doesn't let go, mumbling something about "it's not fair" while clinging to your torso
>Luna grins triumphantly while Gleaming Shield lets out a meek apology
"It's alright, you didn't know. Anyway, it's getting a bit late, don't you think? Why don't we all head back inside the castle?"
>Murmurs of agreement ring out from all but Celestia, who stays quiet
>Looking down you see she's staring off to the side with a small frown
>She's usually not this sore about being found. You'll have to see if there's something bothering her later on
>At the end of the day, you got Celestia to cheer back up and you had a wonderful dinner
>Heading back to your room, sleep found you quickly