//------------------------------//
// Under New Management 
// Story: The Royal Canterlot Family 
// by CartoonNerd12 
//------------------------------//

King Button Mash was looking over the reports he had received from the harbor master and was troubled. According to the harbor master, the ships came in, but the cargo they carried always seemed to come up short and that there wasn't enough for trade. He made a decision that he would have to personally inspect the holdings of the ships that brought in the cargo.
But there was a problem. Button knew he couldn't leave his castle without getting behind on other royal business that needed to be taken care of. Then, when Snow Pea walked in with a budget report she finished, he got an idea.
"Here you go, Dad, and I double-checked my calculations to make sure it was right." She smiled, but upon seeing the excited look on her father's face, she became concerned. "Daddy, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, sweetheart, but I fear that Marendelle won't be if I don't look into this right away." He held up the reports for her to see.
"Oh, no, what happened?"
"For the past few weeks now, trade has been becoming less and less. If our subjects lose the commerce we receive, Marendelle's businesses would go bankrupt, our ponies would have to leave, and the entire kingdom goes into ruin."
"But don't we have the gem mines to use for emergency funds?"
"Yes, but that won't help get our ponies the things they need. That's why ships bring in all sorts of goods that we can't get here on the island. But since there's a shortage happening, I must find out what is going on so Marendelle can receive the right amount of trade again."
"But, Dad, you can't just leave the castle unattended!"
"And I won't be. That's why you'll be acting as regent until I get back."
She gaped and sputtered, "But, Dad, I can't! I mean, I knew I was going to be queen someday, but for it to happen this soon…"
"You won't be queen yet, Snowy. This is only temporary until I get back. Besides, this is good practice for all of us. We need to see how much of your training has impacted you, and if there is something we have missed, we can make sure to correct it so you will be the best queen you can be when the time does come."
"Are you sure?"
He gave a firm look, "Snow Bright Belle Pea, you have defeated the Windigos and in doing so, you fulfilled the prophecy that was given to you. You are a brave and intelligent princess. And while it is a heavy burden to bear, you would make an excellent queen someday."
She felt overwhelmed by her father's kind words, "Oh, Daddy… Really?"
He smiled, "Every word. I know you still have doubts about taking this job, but I did, too. And if I'm being honest, I still do. Every day, I wonder if I made the right choice, hoping I didn't make a terrible mistake that could hurt my kingdom. That is why I am taking matters into my own hooves by facing this trade problem head-on, but I need you here to take over matters while I'm gone. Can I count on you?"
She gave a determined look and bowed her head, "I would be honored to accept this great responsibility."
He beamed with pride.



"Let me get this straight. We have to take orders from Snow Pea?!" Skater questioned when she, her brother, cousins, her parents, and her aunts and uncles met in the throne room. Button had told them what was happening and that Snow would be left in charge while he and the other parents would be gone.
Scootaloo rolled her eyes as she told her daughter, "You would have had to eventually. Snow Pea was always going to be the next queen of Marendelle and as her family, you would have been part of her royal court just as your father and I are part of your uncle and aunt's court."
"Hey, I'm not complaining. I think it's cool that my cuz gets to run the entire kingdom." she smirked.
LB smiled, "That means my curfew can be extended!"
Sweetie frowned, "LB, just because we're leaving your sister in charge doesn't mean you should disregard the rules your parents set before you…"
Button spoke up, "Actually, honey, as long as our daughter is regent, this might be a good time for her to practice her law-making skills. And if she feels she can extend her sister's curfew…"
"Button! Are you saying we should just let our children do whatever they want?!"
LB, the twins, and Apple Butter shouted gleefully, "Yeah!"
Rumble, Pip, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo cringed at that.
Button turned to Snowy, "That all depends on you, Snow. You'll be in charge of the kingdom and your sister and cousins."
Snow turned to her relations as they flashed innocent smiles at her.
She addressed them, "Look, guys, I will still uphold the rules and laws my parents have created but… Just this once, LB, I'll let your curfew be extended by half an hour, but no more than that. Got it?"
LB sighed, "Okay…"



"Snow Pea will be in charge while your parents will be gone?!" Rock Salt gaped when LB went to tell him the news.
"Mm-hmm. Dad made her regent while he, Mom, and my aunts and uncles go figure out what is happening with the cargo that the ships bring into the docks. But Snowy was kind enough to extend my curfew," She batted her eyelashes at him, "…giving us more time to spend together."
Rock gave a smirk as they moved into an embrace.



Snow Pea sat on her father's throne. She felt uncomfortable sitting in it as she knew that she wasn't queen yet and it felt that she hadn't earn being in this spot.
"Your Highness?" a page called out and stood right in front of her.
She snapped out of her thoughts and addressed him, "Forgive me. My mind wandered for a bit. Now please tell me what is on today's agenda, royal page."
The page cleared his throat as he got out a list, "You must inspect the royal guard this morning, then to the kitchens to approve of the lunch and dinner menus for the next few days, then there are papers to sign…" He kept on listing her duties while she gave a large sigh.



LB tiptoed into the main hallway as she quietly snuck into her dark bedroom. She gave out a sigh of relief before the room suddenly lit up and she turned to see her sister by her nightstand lamp, giving off a scowl.
"You were supposed to be back by eleven."
LB sheepishly grinned, "I didn't mean to be five minutes late."
"Five minutes?! Try fifteen! Do you know how worried I was?!"
LB's face sagged before hanging her head.
Snowy continued, "I let your curfew be extended to thirty minutes, and you miss it on the first night I've become regent! If Mom or Dad ever found out about this…"
"Are you going to tell them?"
Snow frowned, "I don't know. As regent, it's my duty to report in anyone who's broken a rule or law. But as a sister…" She sighed and held her head.
LB softly said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause you such worry and for putting you in this spot, but it's not like I've done anything wrong…"
Snow gaped, "Lil! You are in a serious relationship with a colt! And you were gone longer than thirty minutes! What if something had happened to you?!"
"But you know Rock Salt would never-"
"That's beside the point! Yes, Rock Salt is a good colt, I know that, but what if he had to leave you alone for a bit and some creep came up to you…"
"Alright, I get the picture."
"That's why I would have called for the knights to search you if you hadn't come back in another ten minutes, but I hoped you were just caught up in whatever you and Rock did tonight. Incidentally…." she eyed her, "what did you do tonight?"
"Um…" LB stammered, "…nothing much, just went rock climbing on…" She gulped, "Bony Rock…"
"BONY ROCK?! Are you crazy?!"
"Rock and I thought it would be fun."
"There's nothing fun about Bony Rock! You could have hurt yourself or worse!" She muttered, "I expected better from him."
Her sister heard that and firmly said, "I was the one who made my coltfriend go."
"But he still went, didn't he? Did he even try to talk you out of it?"
"Once. But I convinced him there was nothing to fear. The skeleton ponies wouldn't attack because that part of the legend has already happened thanks to the sleeping curse."
"It wasn't the skeleton ponies I was worried about! That is a very dangerous place to go to!"
"So?! You already took a risk with your life! Why can't I do the same?!"
"You think I wanted to plunge Equestria into an eternal winter or to stop time?! If I hadn't come back, LB, guess who would be standing in for Mom and Dad while they were gone? You. You think being a ruler is simple? Just make some laws and let everything run by itself? There's much more to it than that, just be grateful you'll never get to experience it."
"I've always known you, Mom, and Dad had a hard job taking care of our kingdom. Why do you think I was always happy to be the youngest?"
"Well, maybe…" Suddenly, she felt a sneeze coming on, "A-a-a-achoo!" Then she coughed.
LB looked on with concern, "Snowy? Are you okay?"
Snow then collapsed, causing her sister to gasp and rush to her side to feel her forehead. LB cried, "You're burning up!" She quickly went to pull her rope to summon a servant, who went to get the royal physician. He had Snow Pea brought to her room, where he examined her.
LB asked in worry, "Is she going to be all right?"
The physician nodded, "Yes, everything is fine. The crown princess just has a slight cold. As long as she stays in bed to rest and drinks fluids, she'll be back on her hooves within a week."
Snow coughed out, "A week?! But I got a kingdom to run! Dad, Mom, Aunt Apple Bloom, Uncle Pip, Aunt Scootaloo, and Uncle Rumble are gone, so there's no one who can take over!"
LB unsteadily said, "That's… not true."
The physician told Snowy, "Yes, Your Highness. Princess Little Button can handle affairs while you rest."
"But she hasn't had formal training! LB, you can't be serious about doing this."
"I won't be alone. I'll have the twins and Apple Butter to help me."
Snow grumbled, "That's not reassuring…"
"Don't you trust us?"
"It's not a matter of trust. It's a matter of making sure things go the way it should."
"Relax. We'll make sure that Marendelle doesn't fall into ruin."
Snow thought, I really hope not.
	


Skater exclaimed as they were walking out of the dining hall after breakfast, "I can't believe Snowy got sick!"
"And after her first day as regent!" Apple Butter proclaimed.
Roller Blade inquired, "So now it's up to us?"
LB nodded, "Yup."
Butter pointed, "But we don't know anything about running a kingdom!"
LB gestured, "Come on. Among the four of us, how hard can it be?"
But from the moment they walked into the throne room, the castle pages swamped the group, asking them random questions like if the rumors about Snow Pea being sick was true or who was in charge now.
"ENOUGH!" LB shouted at the top of her lungs, causing the entire room to be quiet. "Listen up. Yes, Snowy is sick, which means me and our cousins have to take over until she gets better."
The nearest page cleared his throat, "With all due respect, Your Highness, but maybe we should wait until your sister's better for her to take care of things."
Skater objected, "And let all that work get piled up?! Even if Snowy got better, she would likely get sick again or worse! All because she would get stressed from finishing it! No, we are going to take matters into our own hooves!"
Another page spoke unsteadily, "It's just… none of you have the experience or training of the work that'll be required of you to do…"
LB took a breath, "I am well-aware that as the spare, I wasn't taught the royal protocol that my sister and father have been. But as a princess of Marendelle, it is my duty to help my sister in her time of need, and while our parents are out, some pony has to make sure that things are going as they are."
The pages gave looks of uncertainty until the head page addressed her.
"We await your command, Your Highness."
LB gave a put-off look, but then with a determined face, she said, "Give us the first order of business."



"I tell you, brother, LB gave us too easy an assignment." Skater motioned as her and her twin walked to the harbor.
"I know, right? How hard can it be to christen a ship?"
The harbor master spotted them and went to them. He was an elderly unicorn with some build left in him as he said, "I was told that Princess Snow Pea was unwell. Please give her my best when you return, Your Highnesses."
"We'll do that, harbor master, but where is this ship that needs a blessing from royalty?"
"Right here," he pointed to a ship docked in the harbor. "And here is the bottle that you need to use." He magically gave it to Roller.
Suddenly, a unicorn stallion came swinging down from the mast of the ship and landed on the dock in front of the twins.
"Ah, excellent timing, Chip."
"Of course, Uncle. I couldn't miss my own ship being launched, now could I?" he glanced at Skater and flashed a grin.
She questioned, "Your ship?"
"Indeed. Captain Chip, at your service, milady." he bowed and took her hoof to kiss it, but she swiftly moved away before his lips could touch it. He looked up with puzzlement, "Have I offended you, milady?"
"You can stop with that 'milady' nonsense. I may be a princess, but I'm just filling in for my cousin right now, so if you would get back on your ship, we can send it off."
"As you wish…" He seemed disappointed as he went back on the ship.
Roller whispered to his twin, "I think you hurt his feelings."
"Well, obviously." she hissed.
"Just what was so wrong with him being friendly to you?"
"It's just… too soon, okay?"
"Oh… you mean what happened last summer and the summer before that?"
"Yes. I already broke up with two coltfriends. I don't need to go through another hopeless relationship. It may have been easy for our parents and our aunts and uncles and our cousins, but I can't seem to find love like them…" She sighed before turning to the ship, "As representatives of the royal house of Marendelle, we hereby christened this ship, the S.S LEGENCY!"
There was cheering from the crew as Roller Blade took the bottle to hit it against the ship as it broke on impact.
The harbor master exclaimed, "And now to launch the ship!" He started performing a spell, but his magic started going out of whack. As soon as his magic beams hit the water, it started rising, taking the ship with it. The water rose higher, causing the docks to flood and the ship to start riding the flood waters. The harbor master ran off to get to high ground while the twins went into action. They flew up to the panicked crew as their captain tried to get the ship under control, but the water started flooding the village.
"Throw the anchor! Somebody throw the anchor!" Chip screamed.
"On it!" Roller went to throw it, but it didn't go as expected.
Skater went to grab onto the helm, but Chip still held onto it.
"Let go!" she ordered.
"Hey! I'm the captain of this ship! And I won't be ordered about by some princess that doesn't acknowledge common courtesy!"
"Listen, buster! I don't let anyone kiss my hoof! He's got to be some pony that's special to me!"
"Does that count for your brother?!"
"No!" she tried pushing him off, but he stayed.
"Then what's your problem?!"
"If you must know, I was already in two relationships that went south on me and I don't need another one like them!"
"Is that all?"
She gaped, "'Is that all'?! You obviously never dealt with a broken heart before!"
"That's where you'd be wrong, princess! I had many mares breaking my heart! None were right for me! But then I go and see your beauty and I fall all over again!"
"You'll change your mind before the month is up!"
"Somehow, I doubt that…" he stared her down.
That caused her to tremble as he kept staring at her.
Rumble noticed the two locking gazes and called, "Uh, excuse me, I don't mean to interrupt but we're about to-"
The two shouted at him, "Will you just stay out of this?!"
"I would like to, but you need to see where we're going!" he pointed.
They gasped as they turned to see the palace.
Inside, a maid was tending to Snowy when she saw the water and ship outside the princess's window. She gasped, shouting, "Your Highness! There's a ship and it's about to crash into the castle!"
But Snow was out of it as she muttered in her sleep, "Oh, that's good…" She snored away.
The maid rushed out of the room.



LB scowled at the twins in the throne room, "We're lucky that the spell was temporary and the water went back down before the ship hit the palace and got back to the harbor on its own. If Snow Pea or our parents ever find out about this…" She shook her head. "She was right. I don't understand the pressures of the job, but I'm starting to… Something can easily go wrong, and it is up to the king or queen to make sure that disaster can be averted as much as it can. Rock was pretty upset that his business got waterlogged and now he's going to have to dry it out. That counts for half of the businesses here on Marendelle.
"Thankfully, every pony knows it was an accident and are willing to stay quiet for my sake so Mom and Dad don't get upset with me when they come home."
"Upset with what?" a voice called out.
LB stiffened as she turned to see her parents, aunts, and uncles at the doorway. The twins and Apple Butter did the same.
LB quickly thought of something and said, "Upset that… Snow Pea came down with a cold and I had to take over for her."
Sweetie exclaimed, "What?! Oh, no! Poor Snowy!"
Button inquired, "Is she all right?"
LB nodded, "She is. She just needs rest."
Sweetie sighed in relief. Button looked around the room before addressing his youngest, "Well, LB, I can see you have done an excellent job keeping things on track while your sister was incapacitated. I'm very proud of how you stepped up to the plate even when it wasn't requested of you."
"Oh, but it was, Daddy. I am a princess, and a princess must always serve her family in any way she can."
Sweetie touched her heart in awe before hugging her daughter, "Well said, Lil, well said."
Apple Butter and the twins watched the happy exchange when Butter noticed somepony behind her parents and asked, "Who's that?"