Hello everyone. Here with another chapter of The Best of Friends. Not gonna lie, I wrote most of this stranded in an airport because I missed a connecting flight. So that was pretty fun! I wish you all nothing but the best and have a wonderful week!
Chapter 10
Anxiousness, excitement, fear. Eric was plagued with these sudden waves of emotion as he paced up and down a small corridor nestled just out of sight of the main balcony of Canterlot castle. He knew this day was coming for well over two weeks and assumed his nerves would have more than enough time to acclimate to the situation. But that was not the case.
“Eric, please relax. There is nothing to be afraid of,” Twilight voiced from his side. It was a little hypocritical of the mare to tell the human to relax, as a few quick snippets of her freakout from the new library opening flashed across her mind. But this wasn’t about her at the moment, it was about her friend. And as the Princess of Friendship, she was going to do everything in her power to help him through the day.
“Besides, you don’t even need to say anything. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are going to be the ones doing all the talking. All you need to do is just walk out onto the balcony and give a few waves and that’s it. Shouldn’t be more than a minute or two.” Twilight’s words seemed to do the trick as Eric let out a heavy sigh.
“Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m fine for the most part. I’m just always like this a few minutes before I have to make a speech or am the center of attention,” he said before snatching the purple pony into a hug. The quick hug didn’t last for more than a few seconds, though it was something Eric truly needed at the moment. It was just a little more reassurance about the biggest decision of his life.
“Thank you again for helping me out and being here for me today, Twilight. It really does mean a lot,” he added with a smile. Twilight was more than happy to return the sentiment with a smile of her own. However, the moment between the two friends did not last for much longer as Aileron appeared from around a corner of the hallway and towards the other two occupants.
“Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are almost to your que. Are you ready?” With a reassuring pat on the back from one of Twilight’s wings, Eric steeled his nerves with a nod.
“As ready as anyone can be when marrying into royalty.” There was a brief pause in the man’s words before his lips morphed into a small grin. “Don’t worry though, Aileron. I will give you some pointers for when it’s your time to tie the knot with Sparkles over here.” To his credit, Aileron barely reacted to the jab. The only indication was the briefest of smiles before he resumed his natural guard-like demeanor. However, Twilight couldn’t help her cheeks flush a bright red from the teasing comment.
“Eric! Don’t joke about stuff like that. It’s still too early to even be thinking about marriage!” Twilight retorted, her wings and fur fluffing up in a sign of embarrassment. Surprisingly, Aileron was next to join in on the fun.
“Don’t worry Eric. I will be sure to give you some pointers on how to make foals in the future,” he quipped, stunning the human for a second before he burst out into a fit of laughter. During the last two weeks, Twilight and Aileron had been helping Eric prepare as much as they could for the upcoming announcement. It was during this time that Eric had relayed his story about Luna to the two. Eric just didn’t think it would be used against him so soon, though it was more than warranted and needed at the moment.
After recovering from his fit of laughter Eric knew it was time. Aileron led the two deeper into the hallway, before stopping for a moment and holding up his hoof.
“Alright, we just wait here for the cue,” the stallion said, poking his head around the corner as he listened intently to what was being said. He didn’t have to wait long before his ears picked up a familiar line, knowing there were only a few seconds left.
“And so, it is with our greatest honor that we introduce everypony to our fiancé and future King of Equestria, Eric D. Lancer!” Wasting no time, the trio of individuals walked out onto the balcony, with Aileron taking his place alongside Copper and the other guards stationed behind the princesses and Twilight taking her place next to her mentor and Luna. Eric however, was led to stand in front of everypony, taking in the full scope of what it will mean to be a king. Roars of cheering and stomps of applause deafened the air around Canterlot. If anypony were talking to Eric, he would have no inclination of a conversation taking place. He could barely hear his own thoughts over the noise.
Doing what he had rehearsed, the human raised his hand and began waving towards the massive crowd with a smile on his face. To be honest, the experience wasn’t exactly what he was expecting. The sheer magnitude of the turnout of ponies and other creatures blinded his sense of anxiety and fears to push forward more prominent questions needing to be answered. Before he could even begin to address any of his questions though two wings were draped along the human’s back by Celestia and Luna. They continued to wave along to the crowd and reporters for another minute or so, seemingly unfazed by everything that was happening.
“It must just come with experience,” Eric thought, before his thoughts were once again interrupted as the two mares leaned forward and graced the human with a kiss on each cheek. This act was a complete surprise, as he had not been forewarned of any displays of public affection. However, in the moment of flashing cameras and thunderous applause, a warm feeling of content flooded the human before being brought back to the situation by several reporters rushing the balcony. Of course, they were easily intercepted by the contingent of guards stationed on the balcony, but both princesses thought it was a good time to take their leave. With a final wave to the crowd, everyone atop the balcony made their way back inside. The walk was held in relative silence, with no words needing to be said. It was a relief to Eric, and both Princesses knew he needed some time away from everypony else.
Arriving in front of Luna’s door, Twilight quickly launched herself at the human and pulled him into a hug. Eric wasted no time in returning the friendly gesture as he wrapped his arms around the mare with a chuckle.
“Thank you for everything today, Twilight. You really helped me out of a rut earlier and I’m glad I know I have your support,” he said, before releasing the hug and turning towards Aileron.
“And thank you for helping out earlier too, Aileron. It really does mean a lot to me. I knew Twilight picked a good stallion the first time I met you,” he teased one last time. Celestia and Luna couldn’t help but giggle as Twilight once again fluffed up her wings and fur in a display of embarrassment. Aileron offered his outstretched hoof, which was promptly shaken by the human before Twilight and Aileron took their leave. This left only Celestia, Luna, and their Fiancé standing in front of the door before Luna took the initiative. Opening the door, Luna all but magicked the poor human from the hallway and onto the bed before gliding over to her spot and wrapping her hooves around him.
“EEEE! We are so happy Eric! Tis a glorious day! Our status has been made official. In but a few months times, we will be wed!” Luna couldn’t help but giggle once again in pure ecstasy. Despite the tabloids painting Luna as a bit of a loner, Luna had always wanted a husband. Her banishment to the moon had affected the poor mare in ways she did not care to state. Suffice to say, she was overjoyed when Eric agreed to be her cuddle buddy from time to time. And now, she had access to him 24/7. She never had to be alone again. The sheer thought of the situation caused the mare to break out into a giggling fit as Celestia made her way over to the bed before plopping herself onto the mattress with a groan.
“Ugh, despite how long I have been doing this, formal events always seem to take a toll on me,” the older mare grumbled. She was pleasantly surprised when a hand began to slowly run along her mane and behind her ear, giving Celestia a bit of tender loving care.
“I understand completely. I’ve never been one for formal events or being the center of attention. It just adds unnecessary stress. Granted, now that our relationship is public, I am probably going to have to deal with that a lot more.” From her splayed out position on the bed, Celestia offered the man a sympathetic smile. It was small moments like this that reminded the mare what her friend was giving up. Sure, he was getting some good perks out of it. But being in the game so long, Celestia knew that most of the perks a pony would consider when crowned king would turn into annoyances the longer they are alive. And yet, Eric knew this. The two had conversed many times on the subject of immortality and the mare’s views. And suffice to say, she would gladly live the simplistic lifestyle if she could.
“Fear not our dearest Eric. We will do our best to shield you from the stressors of royalty. We also hate being the center of attention,” Luna added with a shudder. Thoughts of her time directly after Twilight had saved her from the Tantibus swirled in her mind. She remembered all of the stares and gossip being spread about her in the castle. When she would walk into a room, everypony would grow silent, doing their best to avoid the gaze of the Lunar Princess and limit interactions with her to a minimum. Even after finally reuniting with her sister, Luna was still alone. That was until Eric had befriended her.
“Thank you Luna. I know you and Celestia are going to do your best to accommodate me. So I will do my best as well to acclimate to my new role in life. Besides, if I'm going to be helping you two out in your royal duties, I will need to get over the awkwardness of being stared at by strangers,” Eric stated with a small chuckle. The last sentence brought up a quick thought with the Solar Princess.
“That reminds me, Eric. Your throne was completed a couple of days ago. With the announcement of you being our fiance complete, I will have a few ponies bring it upstairs and set it up next to Luna’s and my throne. Feel free to join us at court in the morning. I’m sure it is going to be a rather eventful day,” Celestia said. She knew the throne room would be packed to the brim with ponies and creatures alike doing everything they could to get information about their soon-to-be husband. To be honest, she wasn’t looking forward to playing a thousand questions. But it was a necessary evil, and one that would go much smoother if Eric was with her.
“I don’t see a problem with that. There are probably going to be a bunch of reporters there too trying to get the latest scoop of how I managed to woo the two most beautiful mares in the world.” Although the last comment was cheesy, Eric received two playful wing jabs from each princess.
“Oh ho ho, look at Mr. Smooth Talker over here,” Luna retorted. Eric, Celestia, and Luna let out a hearty laugh at the comment.
“Careful Eric. If you keep this up, Luna might not be able to keep her hooves off of you,” Celestia playfully quipped. The younger sister balked at the mare’s statement, pulling the human into an even tighter hug.
“Ha ha Tia. You are never going to let us live that down, are you?” And as the only appropriate response the elder sister could make, Celestia stuck out her tongue in a childish manner.
“Ok, calm down you two. You already know that I forgave Luna for that little joke. Besides, I think we have a bigger problem to address right now.” A loud grumble gave way through the room, prompting everyone to chuckle.
“We see. So tell us, future King of Equestria. What is it that your stomach desires?” Eric could only grin as he knew exactly what he wanted.
“Well, there is this really great pizza shop downtown.”