Once upon a time, in a great land called Equestria, there lived a wise king and a beautiful queen. Their names were King Sombra and Queen Celestia. They worked together to rule Equestria and make sure there was always peace and harmony. During their time together, they had six sons, two of which were adopted and four that were related to her by birth.
Prince Discord was her eldest son. Sombra and Celestia adopted him when they found him alone on the streets of Canterlot one day. He was a draconequus which is a creature made up of all sorts of different animals. He was always causing mischief and playing pranks on the castle staff as well as his family. Nevertheless, his family was more than accepting of him despite his appearance.
Prince Fancy Pants was her second eldest son and he was one of Queen Celestia's birth sons. He was refined and proper and always wanted to live up to his status as one of the Princes of Canterlot. He was careful to know the formal greetings and the proper way to drink tea. He always wore a suit and a monocle around his eye. He was very outgoing and would always be the first of Celestia's son to greet any visitors.
Prince Spike was the middle child and he was found as an egg on the doorsteps of the castle. When he hatched, Celestia and Sombra decided to adopt him and raise him as a prince. He loved to help other ponies and was very kind to everyone around him. He was much different than what ponies expected of dragons and the ponies of Equestria quickly learned to love and respect him as their prince. His appetite proved to be pretty big, but his heart was even bigger.
Prince Soarin was her fourth son and he just loved to show off. He loved the Wonderbolts and wished he could join them, but his princely status got in the way. He was a very gifted flyer, nevertheless, and tried to show it off when he got the chance. Despite his attitude and overconfidence, he was an amazing pony that you could always count on when you needed him.
Prince Cheese Sandwich was the second youngest. He threw the parties for the kingdom and never missed out on an opportunity to have fun. He found many things funny and could laugh when the rest of his brothers couldn't. His parties were considered the best in Canterlot and his best pal was a rubber chicken named Boneless.
Prince Flash Sentry was the youngest of his brothers, but he never let that get him down. Some of his interests lied in protecting and helping other ponies. He always loved to watch the royal guards practicing for their missions.
All six princes were gathered together in front of their parents, expecting them to deliver an announcement. Celestia had asked her sons to meet her there to tell them some very crucial information they would need to know.
"Good afternoon, my sons," Celestia greeted warmly.
"Good afternoon, mother," Fancy Pants returned.
"Hey, Mom," Soarin said. "So... you called us here because you had an announcement to make?"
"That is correct," Sombra replied. He straightened up and looked at his sons very gravely. "Your mother and I have been discussing some things and we've been debating on this decision for a while now."
"First, your Aunt Luna will be coming over to visit and she'll be bringing your cousins," Celestia declared.
"Aunt Luna?!" her sons exclaimed.
Celestia's sons loved it when Aunt Luna came to visit. She was very joyful and her attitude never failed to amuse them. They remembered playing games with her a lot as colts. Aunt Luna could be very competitive, but she was a good sport. She would congratulate the boys when they won.
"Spectacular!" Fancy Pants spoke. "It is always lovely to have Aunt Luna over at the castle."
"Why are you telling this now?!" Cheese Sandwich shrilled. "I haven't even started planning her welcome party!"
Celestia stifled her laughter. "It's alright, Cheese Sandwich. There is no need for a welcome party. I've called Aunt Luna over because I need her help this week."
"Great! A week!" Cheese Sandwich breathed in relief. "That should be enough time to set up a welcome party!"
"We can't wait to see Aunt Luna, but what exactly did you need her help with?" Flash wondered.
"Ah, yes," Celestia remembered. "You see, I need her help with the suitors that will be arriving the same week."
The boys were horrified. "WHAT?!" they shrieked.
Sombra seemed as if he had been expecting this reaction from his sons. "I'm sorry, boys, but this is an ancient law," he said solemnly. "We are not allowed to defy it. The law says you are only allowed to marry a mare of royal status. Your future wife can be a princess, a noble, a regent, or even a duchess. But as much as it pains me to say, your wife cannot just be anypony you meet. It must be a mare of royal status. I'm sorry, but this is the way it must be."
"Aw, come on, Mom and Dad," Flash said. "This isn't fair to any of us!"
"I wish it could be different, boys," Celestia claimed sincerely. "I don't want you to have to go through this either, but we have no choice."
"When I married, I always imagined... it would be... you know, for love," Cheese Sandwich admitted sadly.
"So did I, mother," Fancy Pants agreed.
"I don't want to marry a stranger, Mom!" Spike exclaimed. "This isn't how I want my wedding to be! This isn't how any of us want our weddings to be!"
"We don't want your weddings to be this way either," Celestia said. "Trust us when we say that... but there's nothing we can do."
Soarin was furious. "It's not fair!" he hollered.
"Mom, I refuse!" Discord agreed. "I don't want to marry anypony! This arrangement is just downright unacceptable!"
"Boys, we have to---" Sombra started.
"I don't care about some ancient tradition or whatever!" Discord continued. "I care about my life! I want to have my fun, Mom! I don't want to be tied down in a loveless marriage for the rest of my life. Why, that's a fate far worse than death!"
"Boys, if you'd just listen to---" Celestia didn't get to finish either.
"You can't just expect us to marry a mare we just met!" Flash argued. "None of us want that!"
His brothers nodded and made sounds of agreement.
"I refuse to---!" Soarin began.
Sombra was fed up. "Boys! That's enough! Perhaps you all need some time to think about this. Dismissed!"
The boys just stared at their father aghast. The tone he had just used was something they'd never heard from him before. Sombra held his dark gaze making the boys veer back.
Soarin finally yelled out in rage and flew out of the room. Discord snapped his fingers and teleported away furiously. Spike sighed and began to trudge out of the room. Fancy Pants stalked out of the room in a huff. Cheese Sandwich slinked away from his parents sadly. Flash was about to follow his brothers out, but the sound of his father's voice made him stop in his tracks.
"Flash?"
Flash Sentry turned around. "Yes?"
Sombra beckoned to a hallway. "I would like you to follow me."
"Okay," said a confused Flash.
Celestia nodded to her husband with a smile as Sombra and Flash left the throne room.
Flash and his father were walking down a long hallway with paintings hanging on the walls. Each painting was a picture of a previous ruler in Equestria. Flash noticed this and looked around at the kings. They each wore a crown with jewels inside. They were all richer than everypony in Equestria combined. But Flash noticed none of them smiled either. The life of a royal looked like luxury, but it was actually confinement. Flash assumed all of them looked so miserable because they had no choice but to be in their position. They must've been forced into an arranged marriage as well and crowned by force. They had it all, but none of them smiled.
"Do you know who these ponies are, Flash?" Sombra asked him.
Flash nodded. "These are the previous rulers in Equestria. I've seen this hallway many times."
"Flash, what do you notice about each ruler?" Sombra questioned.
"Uh... they all wear a crown?" Flash guessed.
Sombra chuckled heartily. "That is true, but that is not what I hoped to show you. You see, Flash, each ruler has a quality that makes him a great leader. Not a one is better than the rest. They all have their flaws and great qualities, but they were all amazing rulers. I expect you will do the same when I step down."
"I know," Flash replied. "I'm... I'm still unsure about being the heir to the throne. There's so much pressure. I know that heirs have to choose a good mare to wed because she'll become the queen. But... I don't know if I can handle it. I've never thought of myself as a good pony to be king. I'm not like you."
"I'm not asking you to be me," Sombra said in surprise. "I'm asking you to be you. That's all Equestria needs. Trust me, I know you can handle it. Mom and I talked for a long time about which one of you boys should be the future king. We decided on you because... well, Discord is out of the question with his love for mischief and his chaos powers."
Flash laughed. "That's true."
"Fancy Pants would be a great king as well, but he'd be a little too uptight about his principles and keeping his status," Sombra continued. "Spike is very kind and chivalrous, but he is more of a follower than a leader. Soarin wouldn't want the pressure of the entire kingdom on his shoulders and he's a bit too reckless to settle down as king. Cheese Sandwich... well... Cheese Sandwich..."
"It's okay, Dad," Flash said. "I know what you mean."
"That's why we were thrilled when your mother and I considered choosing you," Sombra told him. "We know you're a great leader as well as selfless and brave. We all believe in you. It's time for you to start believing in yourself."
Flash smiled a little. "Thanks, Dad. I'm still nervous to be the king, but as long as my family is there to support me, I think I can do it."
"I know you can do it," Sombra said.
Flash leaped forward to give his father a hug.
"And you'll have your future wife by your side to help out as well," Sombra reminded.
Flash's face fell. "Ugh, don't remind me."
Sombra sighed. He knew that his son hated to be forced into a loveless marriage and Sombra hated to do it to him just as much if not more. "Goodnight, Flash Sentry. I will see you tomorrow morning."
"Yeah, see you tomorrow," Flash said.
Sombra looked back at his son one last time before hesitantly leaving him in peace.
Flash looked up at all of the pictures one last time. The bold colors on the painting made them beautiful and bright, but the frowns would always bother him. The kings always looked unhappy in their positions and it didn't help to ease Flash's nerves.
Flash Sentry sighed as he left the throne room to get ready for bed. Flash gritted his teeth as scenarios of his marriage played in his mind. He felt cursed.
Throughout the week, Celestia and Sombra reminded their boys consistently of their marriages. Their attitudes towards it didn't change, but they became more mellow and accepting as the week pressed forward.
Little did the princes know of the fate that awaited them. Things seemed grim at the moment, but they had no idea what was in store. Fate always had a funny way of doing things.