My name is My Foal or Foalie to some ponies. I was getting used to my first week of becoming 14 and I gotta say, for a 14 year old, I'm pretty mature for someone this age. Anyway, mom, dad, and I were invited to Canterlot to celebrate my first week of being 14. I've been to Canterlot before, and I've been treated the same way I'm being treated in the Crystal Empire. Loved, cared for, etc. My only complaint in Canterlot is... Him!
"Ready to see everypony in Canterlot, son?" Dad asked as we sat in a carriage.
"No" I said flatly.
"Why not?" Mom asked in shock. "The last time everypony saw you, you were 10."
"I don't like Prince Blueblood. He always has to prove that he's better than me, not to mention that he's a pompous ass--"
"Honey!" Mom scolded, cutting me off. Well its true. Every time I bump into him, he always carries this competitive mood with him and always tries to make himself look better than me. Although I get a laugh out of it because he always ends up looking like a fool himself. Mom laughed softly. "Don't worry My Foal, Prince Blueblood won't be bothering you today" she said assuringly. Good, because every time I see that stallion, I always have the feeling that I want to knock him somewhere.
When we arrived, we stepped out of the carriage and walked down the halls of Canterlot. I remember being so nervous when I first set foot in Canterlot. I don't even want to imagine what would happen when my 7 year old self bumped into Prince Blueblood.
"Princess Cadance!" Twilight's voice rang through my ears. I watched as mom approach Twilight.
'Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake, clap your hooves and do a little shake!' The two recited a nursery rhyme that they say when they see each other. Plus the little dance movement they have to perform while saying it.
"Hey, my VBFF! (Very Best Friend Forever)" see, this is what I don't understand about Twilight. And to this day, I still don't. When she saw me at the young age I was before being officially adopted, she insisted that I call her 'Aunt Twilight', then when I turned 12, she had me call her 'Cousin'. The minute my voice deepened due to my growth, she has been calling me VBFF ever since. What am I missing?!
"Hey Twi" I said with a smile. "I thought you were in Ponyville."
"I was" the alicorn beamed. "But after hearing that you were arriving, I just had to come!"
"What about the others?" I asked.
"That's the thing... Only I can see you. But I'm sure you'll be able to see them!" I'm sure I will. Twilight turned to her brother and smiled. "Hey BBBFF!" I stepped aside and watched my VBFF embrace her brother. "Oh hey, Foalie, my parents are here" Twilight said.
"Grandma and Grandpa?" I asked, shocked.
"Yes!" she said excitedly. Oh I was excited to see them, but I only had one problem. I turned around to make sure my parents weren't looking. Thank Celestia they were talking to each other. I leaned close to Twilight.
"Can you promise me something?" I asked her.
"Sure what is it?" She asked.
"Can you have them not bring up... That time?" Twilight laughed.
"I'll try, but I must warn you, it's impossible for them not to bring it up."
"Twi, it's the most embarrassing thing!" I said, trying to keep my tone a whisper.
"What are you talking about? It's cute."
"No it isn't" I retaliated.
"If it makes you feel better, you can ask them how my brother met Princess Cadance."
"I've been their adoptive son for 7 years, and not once did they ever mention that."
"Let today be the first" she grinned. I'm just hoping that their story is more embarrassing than mine. The four of us walked down the hall and saw Princess Celestia approaching.
"Hello My Foal" she said in a motherly tone.
"Hello Princess" I said, bowing.
"You don't have to be formal with me" she assured. She turned to Twilight and Shining Armor. "Your parents are here, and they're waiting for you." As we were led down the hall, all I could think of is 'I just know they're going to bring it up.' We eventually reached a room and when Princess Celestia opened the doors, there was Twilight's parents. Twilight, mom, and dad went over to embrace them while I stayed out in the hall.
"Aren't you going in?" She asked.
"I would, but they always bring up... That time" I said. Princess Celestia looked confused. I'm surprised she hasn't heard that story yet.
"What time?" She asked.
"You'll know when they say it" I said. "They say it's cute, but I say it's embarrassing, humiliating, and..." Grandpa's voice cut me off.
"Hey! There's My Foal!" He exclaimed. 'Here we go'. I entered the room wearing a smile so fake, it didn't fool everypony. "Come on Foalie, now why do you have to hide from us? There's nothing to be shy about!"
'Here it comes...'
"Why I remember the time when you first met us, you were so shy,"
'Oh my God, here it is!'
"...you wanted to hide in the first spot you saw. And that spot happened to be the balcony. You thought we couldn't see you past the glass doors." Everypony in the room laughed, even Princess Celestia. "He... He... He opened the glass doors, steps out into the balcony, and stayed there thinking we couldn't see him. He even tried to lock it, but he only jiggled the doorknob" grandpa laughed.
"...uncalled for" I said, finishing what I was saying to Princess Celestia. I can't believe they find this cute. Well hey, that was years ago, so I should get over it, right? Nope. Not in a million years. I won't consider it a bad memory though, that's for sure.
"You're right, My Foal, it is cute" Princess Celestia laughed. I groaned and lowered my head to hide my look of embarrassment from everypony. Once I felt that my embarrassment was gone, I glanced up again.
"Hey Mom? Dad?" I asked. "How long are we staying?"
"A week" mom answered. Well since that story is out of the way, I should have no problem staying with the family. For the next hour or so, we exchanged jokes, stories, and interesting events that happened. However, one question entered my mind.
"Hey Mom? Dad?" I asked.
"Yes?" They responded in unison.
"I know I've asked questions where your answer was 'I'll tell you when you're older', and now since I'm older, there's one question I've been wanting to ask: How did you meet?" Everypony except dad laughed.
"Now son, I don't think that..." Grandma cut him off.
"Oh nonsense Shining Armor, let your son hear this" she said.
"See Foalie, when Twilight was just a filly..." Grandpa began.
"Now wait a minute dad" dad said as he approached him. "I don't think my son is ready to hear this story."
"Shiny, let our son hear it. I think he should" mom said sweetly.
"But Cady..." He said. Twilight approached me happily.
"When my BBBFF was just a royal guard and I was just a filly..."
"Now wait, Twily..." Grandpa stared at dad with a glare. Shining Armor stayed put, having to listen to his own story. Twilight looked around the room.
"Can I tell him, please?" She begged.
"Of course, dear" grandma said. Twilight turned to me, excitedly and begun the tale.
Flashback
Shining Armor was walking through the gardens of Canterlot feeling proud of himself. The achievement: Helping a lost filly find her parents. After all, Canterlot is a big place. As he walked through the garden, a voice called for him.
"Shining Armor!" The royal guard turned his head and saw another fellow guard approach him. "Sir, we have found a foalsitter for your sister" he said. "Highly recommended, in fact, she could even make the most stubborn foal in existence be a well behaved one."
"That's great, who is she?" He asked.
"Princess Mi Amore Cadenza" he answered. Shining Armor began to shake his head.
"No, no, no, no" he said. "No."
"Come on sir, you asked for a foalsitter, and we found one."
"A princess? You got a princess to foalsit my sister? What will her parents think?"
"Well it wasn't easy, but all you have to know, is that they accepted and now she is on her way here."
"I don't know..." Shining Armor thought.
"Sir, relax. It's not like you're going to get married and have foal. Or maybe adopt one."
"You're right. How long until she's here?" He asked. The guard glanced at a clock tower and smiled.
"I say..." He purposely stopped. Before Shining Armor could question him, a carriage being pulled by two female Pegasi guards landed. The guard stood next to the carriage and used his magic to open the door. "Milady" he said with a smile. Shining Armor's eyes widened at the sight. Stepping out of the carriage was a pink alicorn mare with violet eyes and her mane and tail of the same three color pattern of pink, purple, and yellow.
"I hear you have a child for me?" The mare asked.
"I... Uh... What...?" Shining Armor asked, his heart beating at a fast pace and his face growing bright red.
"She's referring to your sister, don't worry about it" the guard laughed.
"Look at tough Colt Shining Armor being red as a strawberry!" A guard behind him shouted.
"Somepony's in love!" Another shouted.
"Go get her, tiger!" Another teased.
"Get back to your posts!" he said, turning around. When he faced them to tell them that, the red of embarrassment on his face was still there. The three guards laughed and walked away. "The nerve of those three" Shining Armor sighed to himself. He didn't hear Princess Mi Amore Cadenza nor the remaining guard approach him from behind. Matter of fact, he didn't even hear the carriage fly off.
"Can you show me to child?" Princess Mi Amore Cadanza asked. Shining Armor cried out and turned around, face becoming a more brighter red.
"Uh yes, of course." Shining Armor began to walk unsteadily down the garden and into the castle.
Present
"You never told me you had an accent before" I said to mom.
"That's because you didn't ask" mom answered with a smile.
"I didn't think it was a good idea to ask at the time" I retaliated. Princess Celestia glanced at a clock and smiled.
"I'd love to stay and hear about it, but I have royal duties to attend to" she said. We bid goodbye to her as she left. Dad turned to his sister.
"Wait a minute, you were in your room at that time, how did you know about all that happened?"
"Because I told her" a voice said from the side. Shining Armor turned his head and gasped. It was a royal guard. "Princess Twilight" he said, bowing. "Do you mind if I continue the story? I witnessed a lot that happened" he said.
"Of course" she said happily.
"Dad, can I leave? The story gets more embarrassing from here" dad complained.
"Stay... Put" grandpa said with a smirk. Making sure he didn't go anywhere, grandma used her magic to hug and hold her son close to her. I couldn't help but smile at the predicament dad was in right now.
Flashback (Royal Guard's POV)
I could not help but smile at the sight in front of me. My comrade was blushing intensely as the foalsitter I hired talked to him. Every question she asks causes Shining Armor to give the same response... ("I... Uh... What?"). I mean who gives that answer when somepony asks another "When is your birthday?" There is no denying it, Shining Armor has a crush. When we approached Twilight's room, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza was the first to enter. It was clear to me that Twilight was expecting her. I turned to Shining Armor who was shaking like a leaf.
"Well I must be off. Royal guard duties you know?" I asked.
"No wait, you can't leave me here" he begged.
"What?" I asked.
"Don't do this to me."
"Do what to you?"
"Leave me with her."
"Shining Armor, you are a grown-ass stallion. Let this be your opportune time to get yourself a mare friend."
"But she's a Princess. And I'm not fit for her."
"You don't know that." From inside the room, we could hear a conversation. I trotted over to the door and pressed my ear against it.
"I could perform love spells" Princess Mi Amore Cadenza's voice said.
"You can?!" Twilight's unmistakable loud excited voice squealed. From beneath the door, was a glowing light. "Wow" I heard Twilight's voice say with amazement as the light died down. "Let me try, let me try!" I laughed at her excitement but stopped when a burst of green light shot through the door.
Present
"Wait, wait, wait" I said, laughing. "Your mane got burned off?" I asked dad.
"This is why I didn't want to be here" dad said with embarrassment as everypony laughed. I could see that he was trying to hold back a laugh while trying to look disappointed. Grandpa was giving dad an angered look. Dad turned to grandpa and looked at him oddly.
"What? So I decided to laugh at my own embarrassment. What's the deal, dad?"
"You told me that you lost your mane from protecting Princess Celestia from a ball of incoming green flame. Now I'm hearing that what actually happened was Twilight used her magic to burn your mane by attempting to conjure a love spell."
"Look dad, it was the best way to hide my embarrassment."
"And you did a good job with it too. But I bet you didn't know we would find out."
"We?" Grandma asked. "I actually knew about it" she laughed as she headed to the door.
"Wait a minute, come on... You knew?" Grandpa asked shocked. Grandma laughed at grandpa's reaction. "Wait a minute honey why didn't..." His complaints disappeared down the hall. The royal guard to us and saluted.
"I should get going" he said. With a bow, he left the room.
"So that's how you met?" I asked.
"Pretty much" dad said with a smile. Twilight then jumped for joy.
"Come on VBFF, let's go to the castle garden!" She used her magic to grab me. I hope this relationship between us doesn't turn sour. Because it'll be a pretty ugly sight if it does. I'm better off calling her 'Cousin' anyway. Mom and dad were the only ones left in the room.
"So what now?" Dad asked.
"Well, you seem to like your own story" mom said with a smile.
"Yeah... I was caught" dad laughed. He then thought for a minute. "You know, I'm planning to tell him how I proposed to you."
"I want to be there when you do" she said.
"I want you there when I tell it."
"And I want your parents there to hear the story too."
"Oh Sweet Celestia."
"What?" Mom asked.
"Dad found out about the burning of my mane. How will mom react when she finds out that...?"
"Then I want to see the look on your face when she does."
"If you say so" dad sighed.