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// Interlude of the Starry-Eyed Prince 
// Story: For the Good of Your Kingdom 
// by RinieandCoby 
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	There’s something peculiar about growing with someone your entire life. Not necessarily a friend, but a pony you’ve know forever. Even though you have no knowledge of the history you share with said pony, he or she has been around for as far back as your memory can reach. It’s just known that the two of you have known each other since birth and that family circumstances have led to your lives being entwined. That was my relationship with the daughters of the highly esteemed Essência family.
The Essência family castle sat on the outskirts of the Everfree forest, a marshy environment that was strangely eerie yet beautiful at the same time. The treacherous wood terrified you as it drew you in with its strange magic and fascinating creatures that inhabited the tall swaying grass, weeping willow trees, and mysterious fairy rings surrounding the oddly luminescent waters of the swamps. Always sweltering hot no matter what time of year you decided to visit, there was a clearly marked royal pass through the forest which led you to a cavern that illuminated itself at the presence of visitors. After following the cavern trail for a good two miles, the grand Victorian masterpiece emerges, completely untouched by the moorland dross that surrounds it. Shimmering like a raw diamond unearthed from the deepest of coal mines, the most precious gem of all safe inside the castle walls.
Once a quarter, our families would come together for a grand banquet to celebrate the peace between our two kingdoms. We’d alternate the banquet location for each visit but I always preferred feasting in their home to the stark, oppressive silence of a feast in mine. Nocturnes and Aurora, Equestria’s king and queen, were wonderful ponies with joy and understanding in their hearts, and while I could say the same of my mother, Davina, Bronsen, my father, was a stark contrast to the Essência patriarchs. Nocturnes and Aurora had three daughters that were unanimously adored throughout their domain. The eldest daughter was being trained to manipulate the position of the sun in order to control the length and warmth of days. She was renowned as the radiant Celestia, future soliterraneous goddess of Equestria. The baby of the family was little Luna, who Aurora referred to as her, “adorable dark angel,” and under the tutelage of her father, she was learning to manipulate the small, interstellar rock for which she was named. I enjoyed the company of both Celestia and Luna, they were my only friends, but the sister between them had sparked inexplicable feelings inside of me that I could not comprehend until I was years into adolescence.
At the very sound of her name, my heart would pound in my chest, much like the ocean waves she sends crashing into the shores. It was impossible to speak to her without mapping out an entire dialogue in my head first, and even then it didn’t matter. She was always cordial, but she was also distant, before I was ever aware of my deep concern for her, she already knew of it, and even through my uncertainty about these emotions, I was certain she didn’t feel the same for me. Though my desires were unrequited, I couldn’t help but admire her ethereal, oceanic mane, her vibrant peach coat, those delicate lavender stockings on her hooves, and her mesmerizing amethyst eyes. For me, there was no looking away when my Marina entered a room. Even when her eyes met mine and her expression would shout for me to look at anything else, I could never ignore her. From an early age, she was my world and her happiness became my purpose in life.
Anything her precious, golden heart desired, I would make it my business to retrieve it, no questions asked. Her smile was rare but it was angelic, it was something to long for, so captivating it had a Helen of Troy effect on my very being. Going to war to win even a glance from those entrancing eyes of hers was something I’d gladly do without any hesitation or a single request from her perfect lips. I would have gladly volunteered to lay my life on the line just to feel the light, gentle touch of her dainty hooves against my face. In my mind there was no mare that could ever compare to my Marina. Nopony was more poised, nopony was more graceful, nopony was more refined, elegant, beautiful, and nopony could throw a room into absolute silence from amazement the way she did. No mare had her same presence, when she was in a room she commanded your attention, and I had never heard a more soothing voice than hers in all my life. It was as if every word she spoke was swathed in velvet, and I hung on every word my aquatic goddess blessed my ears with.
Of course, this was information confined to my mind and my mind alone, but even silent self-kept secrets have this odd way of becoming obvious to others. The Essências knew of my undying fervor for their middle daughter, which only grew as the two of us grew older. Of course, my parents knew as well, my mother was always gentle and sweet whenever she’d suggest that maybe there was another mare for me. She always meant well and I honestly wish there was a way to shake the hold Marina had on my soul, but regardless of my efforts, I couldn’t help but be drawn to her even more. My father, ever the opportunist, saw no problem with me doting over a prized daughter of Equestria. 
As time continued to pass, he purposely scheduled two years’ worth of quarterly banquets at our castle, so that Marina could experience the luxury a future king had to offer her. I didn’t entirely understand until he requested my presence in his study late one evening. He stood with his back turned to me as he looked out over our kingdom full of despairing ponies.
“Sombra,” he said, “how would you like for Marina’s family name to be replaced with ours?”