//------------------------------// // Advice From a Princess (Edited 3/7/16) // Story: The Prince of the Night // by keaton-furman-prower //------------------------------// As the curtains fell to the floor, uproarious applause dominated the entire hall. The audience rose from their seats, moved to tears by the beauty of the play, the hope and determination they had seen, and the impressive performance the ponies on stage had delivered. Perhaps none more so than Lucian. As a few tears made their way down his cheeks, his thoughts drifted to the past. In his youth, the night had been nothing more than the time ponies used to sleep, unable to see the value of the things it brought. Similarly, winter was nothing more than a time when ponies locked themselves in their homes, not leaving any more than was necessary. And yet, when Luna returned after her centuries of banishment, she had been shocked to find that ponies now enjoyed the night as much as the day and winter as much as summer. And while Lucian was happiest about the night, he couldn't help but feel happy that the blessings of winter had been found as well. “That was so beautiful,” he said as a couple more tears ran down his cheek. “I-I-It was!” said Pinkie, tears gushing from her eyes like a broken faucet. “It gives me so many feels!” “Eh, it was alright, I guess.” Lucian and Pinkie turned towards Rainbow, visibly shocked by her comment. “All right?!” said Pinkie. “That was the most beautifully emotional storytelling of all time! How can you not say anything other than alright?!” “I dunno,” said Rainbow. “The whole story seems to be written to make ponies feel sad about the filly, and then get all happy when she finally finds her place. I mean, a little blind filly who manages to do something amazing despite her disability? It’s the most clichéd story ever!” As Pinkie and Rainbow began a fierce argument about the merits of the story, Lucian simply looked away, deep in thought. So Rainbow thinks the whole story is cliché? Well, I guess I can see why ponies would think it was that way. But is it really cliché if it actually happened? After reuniting with the others backstage, Rainbow, Lucian, and Pinkie praised their friends for the job they had done. “You girls really put on an amazing show tonight,” said Lucian. “It was pretty good,” Rainbow said nonchalantly. “Omigosh! That was so super-rifically amazing you girls! It was totally beautiful and so full of emotion and inspirational and I loved it!” said Pinkie. “Um, that’s... nice,” said Fluttershy, slightly unnerved by Pinkie’s overly enthusiastic praise. “Aw, shucks,” said Applejack as she returned her mane to its normal ponytail. “We were just doin' our part to put on a good show.” “Regardless, your praise is greatly appreciated,” Rarity said as she removed her fake wings and jewelry. “I must admit, I did make quite a spectacular Princess, if I do say so myself.” “And a beautiful one,” added Spike, his gaze fixed on Rarity. “Well, I guess we all did pretty well,” Twilight said as she undid the color-changing enchantment on Rarity's mane. She then removed her own disguise, first by removing her jewelry, then her wings, and then undoing the color-changing spell she had cast upon herself. As the blue in her mane and coat disappeared, she turned towards Apple Bloom, who had finished taking off her fake wings and was trying to comb her mane back into its normal shape. “Did ah do good too?” she asked. “You did awesome, little sis,” said Applejack. “Totally!” said Scootaloo. “You did an awesome job, Apple Bloom!” “I’d definitely say you put on a great performance,” Twilight said as undid the color-change spells on the little filly’s coat and mane. “I have to admit, I was kind of apprehensive about letting you three perform, given your... last performance.” The three fillies shared a few awkward glances with each other, remembering the time they had attempted to gain their cutie marks in the performing arts. Lucian, on the other hoof, stared at them with curiosity. “What do you mean by that?” he asked. “Well, they thought that they could get their cutie marks by appearing in their school’s talent show,” explained Twilight. “Oh really? How did that go?” Before Twilight could speak, three little voices screamed out “AWESOME!” at the top of their lungs. “We got a prize for bein’ the best comedy show of the night!” said Apple Bloom. “Even though it wasn’t the prize we wanted,” said Sweetie Belle. “But we won, and that’s what matters!” said Scootaloo. Lucian stared at the crusaders, trying to understand how they could be so happy at having won the wrong prize. Before he could say anything, however, Spike burped out a burst of magical fire, revealing a scroll. “Twilight, I think the princess sent you a letter!” Surprised, Twilight picked the scroll up in her magic grasp and began to read. As her friends watched expectantly, her eyes widened as she realized what the message was. “It’s not from the Princess,” she said. All around her, ponies gave gasps of confusion as they wondered who else could have sent the letter. “At least, not Princess Celestia,” Twilight continued. “It’s from Cadance.” “Princess Cadance?” said Rarity. “Whatever could she want?” “Apparently she wants me, Spike, and Lucian to meet her and Shining Armor later today,” she said. Her eyes then widened in excitement. “Oh my gosh! You’re gonna get to see Shiny and Cadance, Lucian! Isn’t that exciting?” “What?!” he said in shock. “Why me?” “Well, maybe they want to meet you,” said Twilight. “I mean, you have been staying with me for a while, so they probably want to get to know you.” “You mean like when a mare gets her parents to meet her boyfriend?” asked Sweetie Belle. At least half the ponies present began to freak out. “What?! No!” said Twilight. “It’s not like that at all!” “Sweetie Belle!” said Rarity. “Lucian is most certainly not interested in Twilight!” “Don’t go making things up, little filly!” said Rainbow Dash. “Rainbow Dash's boyfriend is cheating on her!” yelled Pinkie, causing everypony to stare at her in shock, and in Rarity's case, anger. Meanwhile, Lucian tried to process what Sweetie Belle had said. Boyfriend? Yes, that was the word she had used. Admittedly, she probably hadn't meant to imply that he and Twilight were dating, but that didn't make the implication any less prevalent. “Well, it’s probably official Canterlot business,” said Lucian. “After all, she’s a princess, so she must have her reasons.” He looked at Twilight worriedly, as if to ask her for help. While she was confused for a moment, she quickly understood what he was trying to say, and so began to elaborate. “Oh, of course! I mean, Shining is the captain of the guard, and Cadance is a princess! I think they're probably really curious about what he can do! As Twilight finished talking, the other ponies calmed down significantly. “Well, I suppose that makes sense,” said Rarity. “Yeah, it does,” said Rainbow Dash. “Sure,” Twilight said nervously. “Okay, so we should go see Shining and Cadance then,” said Spike. “But don't forget to say hello for us!” said Pinkie Pie. “Especially since we haven't seen those two since the wedding,” said Applejack. “so we've all been wonderin' how they've been.” “Um, I've really missed them,” said Fluttershy. “So, if it's not a bother, tell them we'd like to see them again soon.” “Don't worry, we will,” said Twilight as she, Spike, and Lucian marched off towards the door. The others waved at them with big smiles on their faces, too distracted to notice Rarity trotting up to Rainbow. “You were cuddling him, weren’t you?” she said. “Yep,” said Rainbow. If anypony had seen them, they would have suspected very little, due to the fact that their smiles had not faltered in the least. “You do realize that I’m going to do terrible things to you, right?” said Rarity. “And it was totally worth it,” said Rainbow. As Lucian and Twilight walked towards the room specified by the letter, Lucian began to feel doubts. While he knew both Cadance and Shining Armor quite well, he had only ever talked to them before his unfortunate accident. Thus, as far as they would know, he would just be some pony who was living with their sister, which would open up a whole different sort of problems. The little unicorn filly's words suddenly returned to the front of his mind. While he had never thought much about the possibility of forming romantic bonds during his time as a stallion, there was no denying that it had always been there. Rainbow Dash and Rarity had made sure of that. And then there was the fact that he had always found himself caring very deeply for Twilight's well-being. Admittedly, anypony would be able to care for their friends, but he felt it to be... different. “Here we are.” Lucian's thought were interrupted as he stopped in front of the doors to Princess Cadance's quarters. It was now time for them to meet him, even if they technically already knew each other. As the doors opened, they were greeted by the sight of a large white unicorn stallion with a blue mane, and a pink alicorn mare with a purple, pink, and yellow mane. They smiled at the two ponies and one dragon who had just arrived, who smiled back at them in turn. “Shiny!” Twilight said excitedly, as she ran up and hugged her brother. “Twiley!” said Shining Armor as he returned his sister's hug. They remained in each other's embrace for a moment before Twilight broke off and moved towards Cadance, stopping right in front of her. “Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake, clap your hooves and do a little shake!” As the two mares chanted their little poem, they performed each of the accompanying moves. They then laughed and hugged each other. Spike snickered slightly at the display of immaturity, but Lucian simply smiled. “Do you really have to do that?” asked Spike with a raised eyebrow. “Well, seeing how she could be a changeling in disguise, it's better to make sure it's really her,” said Twilight. “That's definitely true,” said Cadance. “And it's also a lot of fun!” As the two mares laughed together, Shining Armor turned towards Lucian. “Hello, I’m-” “Princess Luna, turned into a stallion, currently living with Twilight in order to adjust to your new body and and make friends while doing so?” For a moment, Lucian merely stared at Shining with his mouth wide open. As soon as he got over his shock, however, he began to speak. “You mean Celestia told you?!” “Well, of course she did,” said Cadance. “I mean, we are family aren’t we?” “I guess so,” said Twilight, who seemed surprised, but not shocked by the revelation. “If Princess Celestia were to tell anypony about what happened to you, Lucian, wouldn’t it be somepony she could trust with the secret, like Cadance and Shining Armor?” Lucian looked at Twilight, his shock having given way to annoyance. “She didn’t actually have to tell anypony, did she?” The other ponies, as well as Spike, looked at him in confusion. “You all right, Lucian?” asked Spike. “Yeah, I’m all right,” said Lucian as the clutched the open door in his magic grasp and shut it behind him. “I simply didn’t imagine that my sister would go around telling ponies about what happened to me. Twilight and the others stared at him in confusion at his comment. However, after a brief moment they shrugged and began to walk towards the living room. “So, how has it been?” asked Shining, hoping to ease Lucian's tension. “It's been nice,” said Lucian. “It's kind of hard to believe I ever lived at the palace nowadays.” “I guess that means you get along pretty well?” said Cadance, looking at the two visiting ponies with interest.” “We sure do!” said Spike. “Lucian fits into our home perfectly well! I mean, he's practically part of the family now!” “Oh, I wouldn't say that,” said Twilight. “Although, since Cadance is his niece, and she's Shining's wife, I suppose he is, technically speaking, part of the family.” “Well, I guess that's true,” said Lucian. “And, of course, I could always be your replacement father figure or something.” “Are you kidding me?” said Spike. “You're a thousand years too old for that, grandpa.” “What did you just call me?!” Lucian yelled angrily as the others burst into laughter. “So, you and Twilight,” said Cadance. Lucian turned towards the pink alicorn, who was staring at him with a slightly mischievous look. “What about me and Twilight?” he asked, slightly suspicious as to his niece's motives. “Oh, nothing,” she said, maintaining her coy smile. “It's just that you two get along so very well.” “Well, of course we get along well,” he said. “We're roommates, it's what we do.” Cadance took a cursory look around, quickly confirming that Twilight and Spike were too busy talking to Shining in the other room to listen in on their conversation. She then looked back towards Lucian. “Look, Lucian, if you don't want to talk about it, I understand. I just want to make sure you know what it is you feel.” Lucian stared at Cadance in surprise. “What do you mean?” “Perhaps you haven't noticed, Lucian, but my cutie mark is a heart,” said Cadance. “I can tell a lot about what other ponies are feeling, sometimes even more than even they themselves can. I feel that you and Twilight have a very special connection, and I want to make sure you can react appropriately.” “What does that even-” Before he could continue, Lucian stopped. He turned his gaze towards Cadance's cutie mark. He then began to ponder what she had said. In a few seconds, the gears connected in his head. “You're not saying...” “Yes, I am.” Lucian shook his head in shock before continuing. “Look, Cadance. I know Twilight and I are close. But we're just friends, nothing more.” “Lucian-” “I mean it,” said Lucian. “There is really nothing going on between us. And besides, I'm supposed to be a mare, am I not?” At this point, Cadance burst into laughter as she held onto Lucian to avoid falling over. “Oh you silly colt,” she said, her voice full of amusement. “What does that even have to do with anything?” “I’m not a colt,” said Lucian, clearly exasperated at this point. “In fact, I'm not even a stallion! I'm a mare who got stuck in a stallion's body! I never had any sort of feelings for mares before this! And the only pony I ever loved was a stallion!” “So? Many ponies like both mares and stallions. I can tell you about several of my past romances-” “Moving on!” Lucian said quickly. “I certainly don't want or need a special somepony right now. I mean, things are confusing enough for me as is with my transformation and everything. I already get plenty of attention from Rarity and Rainbow, why would I want more?” The pink alicorn couldn't help but giggle. “Aww, you're such a player!” “Cadance!” said Lucian. “I mean, they're both pretty attractive in their own way, but I'm just not interested in them or anypony.” “So, what are you going to tell them?” “I don’t know,” said Lucian. “I’ll figure it out later!” “You mean like how you’ll figure out how you feel about Twilight?” Lucian tried to answer, but found himself unable to say anything. Even after all the time he’d spent with Twilight, he still didn’t like thinking about how he felt for her, especially given how unsure he was as to why he was feeling that way. Cadance seemed quite aware of this, as she soon began to speak. “My point is, Lucian, that you can't simply bury your feelings forever. Sooner or later you're going to have to confront them. Maybe you felt differently about Twilight when you were a mare. Or maybe deep down you always felt this way about her, and you just started to notice after spending a lot of time with her. Regardless, you’re going to have to decide what she truly means to you.” Lucian looked down, not wanting to look at Cadance. He began to think about Rainbow and Rarity. He thought about how intent on getting him to notice them they had been. How they felt about him, and how he'd never been able to feel the same way about them. He then began to think about Twilight. She had offered him a place in her home, helped him keep his secret hidden from everypony else, and helped him make friends. There was no doubt in his mind that she was a true friend to him. Even so, he wasn't entirely sure he could ever consider her anything more than a friend. “If you need to think about it, that's fine,” Cadance said suddenly, snapping him out of his thoughts. “But the sooner you decide, the better it will be for everypony involved.” As she gave him an encouraging smile, the young princess left the room to join her husband and sister-in-law. After a brief moment of contemplation, Lucian sighed and followed her.