“Pleeease, Dad? Just one more story? I promise I’ll go straight to bed after!”

“Alright, alright dear, one more. And don’t talk too loudly now, your sister is asleep.”

“Okay, I’ll be super-duper quiet, I promise.”

“That’s what I want to hear. Now, where did I put that book… Ah, here it is. This is one of my favorites.”

“What story is that one? I’ve never seen that book before.”

“Oh, I thought we’d change the status quo a bit and read something entirely new tonight. I just found this one not too long ago in one of my old pocket dimensions.”

“Is it good?”

“One of the best.”

“It’s not… y’know, a kissing book?”

“A what?”

“A kissing book. Y’know, when the guy and the girl get all lovey-dovey and kiss and it’s super yucky and stuff.”

“… Did your Auntie Luna teach you that word?”

“Uh-huh, she said she doesn’t like kissing books either. She likes stories where somepony has to solve a mystery. Is this a mystery book?”

“Haha, no dear, I’m afraid it’s not a mystery book. Or a kissing book, either.”

“So what is it about?”

“Well, how about we open it up and take a look? Ahem… Once upon a time, there was a great, old king-”

“Is this gonna be a story about some old guy?”

“Concord, I’m not going to be able to finish this story tonight if you keep interrupting me. And I don’t think he’s that old… Well, maybe, the book doesn’t exactly say.”

“Sorry, I’ll be quiet, promise.”

“Thank you. Now, let’s see here… The king had a shining castle, a massive expanse of land, and the power to do anything and go anywhere he wanted… But even though he had everything he could ever wish for, he had never had a true friend to call his own.”

“He’d never had a friend? Ever?”

“Not even one.”

“That sounds terrible…”

“Mmhm… And because of that, the king was selfish and unkind to his subjects, because he didn’t understand the importance of friendship like everypony else did.”

“What happened to him?”

“Well… One day, two princesses came to his land.”

“Two princesses? Like Mama and Auntie Luna?”

“Just like them. The two princesses told the king that he must step down from his throne and learn how to make a friend, or they would cast a powerful spell and turn him into stone for the rest of eternity.”

“Wow… And what did the king do?”

“The king was reluctant, and even laughed at the princesses’ proposition at first. He couldn’t fathom why making a friend was so important, but because he didn’t wish to be turned into stone, he obliged, and stepped down from his throne.”

“So then what happened?”

“The princesses assigned a pony to keep an eye on the king. A young pegasus, who would make sure he wouldn’t cause any trouble. The king laughed at her as well, convinced he would send the pegasus back to the princesses after she failed to convince him to change. But no matter what the king did, the pegasus did not leave his side.”

“She sounds very brave.”

“She was… The little pegasus’s determination was so strong, in fact, that the king decided to pretend that he had changed for the better, as all of his previous attempts to make her give up had failed. Of course… the pegasus eventually found out, and she was heartbroken, because she truly had believed that the king had changed.”

“That’s terrible that’d he trick her like that!”

“It is… So the pegasus told the king that they would never, ever, in a million years, be friends. And the king simply laughed her off again. He still had all his power and his kingdom, what did it matter to him that he’d lose the one friend he’s ever had. And yet…”

“And yet?”

“And yet, the king found that he couldn’t walk away. He’d realized, in that moment, that he truly did come to care about that little pegasus. He did, after all that time, come to think of her as a friend.”

“Ohhh, I get it now.”

“So, as it turns out, the king truly was changed after all. He apologized to the pegasus, and she forgave him. And because he was so moved, he gave his kingdom to the princesses so they could rule instead of him, and he never hurt or tormented anypony ever again.”

“Wow… that’s was a nice story…”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it, love… Now, how about we get you to bed, hm?”

“Yawn… Dad? What happened to the king after that?”

“After what?”

“After he became good…”

“Well, the book ends here, but I think that he and the little pegasus would probably still be friends today, if they weren’t fictional characters, of course.”

“Do you think he lived happily ever after?”

“…Yes, Concord, I think he did. Sleep well now, my little prince…”

This mini-fic turned out to be way longer than I meant whoopsies

Got one more dadcord doodle for y’all! I’ll be switching back over to more cuphead and bati