//------------------------------// // Chapter 15: Suitors (Golden) // Story: Mother Celestia // by jl7895 //------------------------------// Cadence and I looked out into the group of 20 suitors staring back at us. There were mostly unicorns, a few pegasi, an earth pony or two, a griffon, and a zebra. I’ve always liked zebras because of their little couplets they spurt out. I looked at all the mares and compared them to Angel and I would much rather have her over every mare here. Celestia gave some speech that I was half listening to. Something about how we will choose one mare and one colt to marry us. We couldn’t marry until we were out of High School, so at least we got two years to get to love the person. We were taken to the grand ballroom for a little get to know party. It was weird going into the grand ballroom and not see the dinner tables set up. The dinners moved from the royal dining room to here when I was in the fifth grade because it accommodated more ponies. I look over to the corner where the foal’s table is usually set up and thought about the first night I met Cadence. She was such a happy and energetic pony. She is the pony that would try and be friends with you because she didn’t know you. Granted, if she did get to know you and she ended up liking you, she wouldn’t talk to you again, but that was everypony. I really am lucky to have met her. I decided to at least talk to the mares, maybe play along a bit. It really was just so that my mom doesn’t yell at me with her Royal Canterlot Voice. It scared me a little at first. It was like she was herself. The first mare I approached was a white unicorn with a dirty blond mane. I figured that if I was going to pick somepony new, she was at least going to look like Angel. “Hello, I’m…” “Like oh my god!” And it begins. “Am I like the first mare you talked to? Does that mean that you like like me more than the other mares?” “Well…” “OMG, you do. I knew coming here was a good idea. My name is Starlight Secret.” “I’m going to go the other way,” I said while backing away from her. “Bye wubby.” “Picked a real winner there didn’t you, mom?” I said under my breath. I looked around the room and saw that most of the other ponies are talking to some other pony, except for two. There was a colt standing next to the punch bowl and a mare sitting in the corner. I figured that I should let Cadence deal with the colt. As I got closer I realized that she was reading a book. “What are you reading?” I said. She looked up and I noticed that she was wearing glasses over her green eyes. “Just the new Doctor Whooves book. Do you read?” “Just started. I read the one where the Cyber-Ponies are introduced.” “That’s one of my favorites!” She said as she stood up. She was taller than most of the other ponies, but still came up to my chin. “I’m Emerald Chamber.” “Golden Shield. So, why are you here reading and not socializing?” “I’m not vary social. I have a few friends at home, but that’s about it. I don’t really get out that much, and that’s how I like it.” “So what are you doing here?” She didn’t answer and started to blush. I realized that she was getting a little uncomfortable and decided to let her be. I told her that she could go back to her book. I started to walk around. “Whoa, you’re chi is completely off,” a mare said to me. She was yellow earth pony with a messy mane. “Concentrate with me.” She closed her eyes and started to balance on one hoof. “Hi…” I said with a bit of confusion in my voice, “I’m Golden Shield.” “Star Dancer Moon Beam” She said without opening her eyes or breaking her concentration. “That’s…interesting…” “I picked it. My parents put something on my birth certificate and told me I could pick my own name when I could talk. Those were my favorite words.” I slowly walked away while she was talk and now doing yoga in the middle of the room. When I turned around, I was face to face with the zebra. “Sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going.” “It’s alright, I completely understand You’re getting away from the situation at hand. That one doing yoga is a little odd And a little turn off, if I might be so broad.” “I always love how you do that. Do you take the time to figure out what you’re going to say or does it just come natural?” “It just comes natural to me And all other zebras, as you can see. Pundamilia is my name And the princess of zebras is what I became.” “Pan…Pud…do you have a nickname?” I said as she chuckled a bit. “Milia is what I am called by my friends I think you can call me that when this conversation ends.” “Are you saying that you just want to be friends?” “To be honest Golden Shield As the truth cannot be concealed. I’m not really attractive to ponies at all But my parents made me come here, if I can recall.” “To be honest with you, I don’t really want to be here either. I’ve been with this mare for over a year now. The only reason why I’m here is because my mom is making me.” “Well, at least you know you’re going to break nine hearts instead of ten But I have a feeling that something will go wrong again and again.” “Well that makes me feel great. I think I should at least try and meet the other ponies.” I walked away and started to think about Angel. Even with all these other mares, just begging for my attention, I could only think about her. I really didn’t want to be here. I looked at the door and thought how easy I could just walk to the bath room and Captain Iron Side might just stop me and ask for my help. It seemed like a perfect plan and Captain Iron Side might lie for me. I had a clear line for the door. I walked as fast as I could, but was stopped by a light blue earth pony. “Hi,” She said as she jumped in front of me, completely blocking my path, “My name is Chatter Box. I’m an earth pony, as you can tell, from Manehatten and I’m 17 years old.” “Hi, Chatter Box. I’m…” “Oh, I know who you are. You’re Prince Golden Shield, Princess Celestia’s adoptive son. Oh, sorry. Do you not like to be called adoptive? I had a friend like that once. She said that she didn’t care, her parents loved her just the same. Come to think of it, I still have that friend. She’s a really nice mare. I wish that she could be here. She would have loved Canterlot. I know I do. I have since I was a filly…” I lost track of what she was talking about and eventually it was just white noise. I saw Cadence from across the room and mouthed “Help me” to her. She too was stopped by a suitor. I’m not sure what he said, but she was blushing by the end of their conversation. She then bumped into the griffon and I ran to save her. Griffons are known to get angry at the drop of a hat. That and their sharpened talons makes them extremely dangerous creatures. There was nothing worse you can see in an infirmary than a pony who was attacked by a griffon. When I saw Cadence bump into the only griffon here, I thought that was the last time I was going to see her in one piece. I jumped into action and ran over to her. I grabbed her arm and pulled her away from where I thought the griffon was going to swipe. “Are you alright?” He said “I’m fine,” Cadence said. She turned to me and smiled. “You can let go now.” I didn’t realize that I was still holding onto her until she said that. “Sorry, just acting on instinct.” I let go and walked away, but I lingered a bit. Whenever Cadence or I didn’t want to be in a certain place, we would always stay close to each other, so we would always have somepony to talk to. I was hoping that she would get the message and ask me to stay with her. I tried again for the door, but I was stopped. At least I was away from that talker. “Hey,” Another mare said as she pulled me aside. “I just wanted to say, that was very brave of you.” “Thanks. It’s what I do.” “Is that what your cutie mark stands for? Are you protector of royalty?” “Yeah. I actually got it from saving her.” “It’s a little ironic, don’t you think? Usually a brave and noble knight saves the damsel in distress, not the prince.” “Well, this isn’t exactly a fairy tale. I’ve actually been thinking about joining the royal guard after high school.” “I think you would cute in guard’s armor. I’m Star Darling.” There was something that I like about Star Darling. I couldn’t really put my finger on it. It seemed more like she wanted to be friends instead of trying for something. I spent some time talking to her, mostly making fun of the more outrageous personalities here. Suddenly, we heard somepony play a saxophone. We gathered around him and watched him play. He said something about Cadence picking him. “Another egotistical suitor,” A dark blue unicorn said after the audience disbanded. “Just like all the rest.” “I don’t think all of them look that bad. I mean there’s that one.” I pointed to a colt talking to the griffon and pushing up his glasses. “Why else would he be here unless he wanted to get into her pants? And by the way, if you ask me to marry you, I’m probably going to say ‘no’. I don’t need some prince to decide if I’m pretty there ten other pieces of plastic.” “My name is Golden Shield, by the way. What’s yours?” “Night Shade.” “That’s how a normal conversation should go.” “Fuck off.” She walked away from me, but that was the plan. I don’t really associate with the negative types. There’s just something about them that makes me feel so depressed. I plunged my hands into my pockets in hopes of strolling out of the room as if I was a cartoon comic character, but I felt something that wasn’t in my pocket before. I took out a note and unfolded it. A key with “332” inscribed on it and picture of one of the mares was in it. Meet me in my room at 10. Don’t be late… -XOXO Vyxsin I looked up and saw the mare from the picture across the room. She was a red unicorn in a revealing black dress. She looked at me and winked. I gulped and tried not to make eye contact the rest of the night. The next two ponies I met were twins and they were just like Starlight Secret, but a little less dense. They were in perfect sync with each other and could even make a sentence by switching off words. “And by the way,” the one named Ruby said, “If you pick one of us…” “…you’re going to get both of us.” Sapphire I was finally finished with meeting all the mares. There were some ponies left in the room, but most had left. I found Cadence who was talking to a rather nice colt. She told me that he already had a mare friend and really wasn’t interested in Cadence. While I was happy for Cadence, I secretly wished that at least one of the mares had a colt friend or something. There was Night Shade, but I might just pick her to see how she reacts. I realized that it was almost ten and thought that Vyxsin was probably looked out of her room. I walked Cadence to her room and then went to room 332. She was sitting outside her room wait for me. “I knew you would come!” She said as she stood up and threw her arms around me. “Well this is the only copy of the key that we have.” “I wish I would have known that before I gave it to you. Do you want to come in?” “Sorry Vyxsin, but I have a mare friend.” “Aw, it’s cute that you’re already calling me your mare friend. Now come on, big boy.” “No, I really do have a mare friend, and I’m sorry, but I’m staying with her.” “Alright Prince, I’ll play your game for now, but know this:” She got closer and closer to me and soon grabbed my hands. “I always get what I want. And what I want is you inside me when this week is over. Trust me, by this time Sunday, you’ll be begging for this flank.” She put my hands on her flank. She kept them there for what had to be the longest thirty seconds of my life. When she finally let go, she turned around and went into her room. There is no way Angel is going to hear about that. I walked back to my room thinking of Angel the entire time. When I opened my door I saw Angel sitting in my window. “Speak of the Angel and she will come.” We laughed and then she came into my room. We hugged each other. She wrapped her wings around me, which would bring me closer to her. “Before you say anything, Shining already told me everything.” “How did he find out?” “Cadence told him.” “How did he talk to Cadence?” “Hi, Golden!” Soarin’ faintly said from the ground. I always forget how good a pegasus’s hearing can be. “So, you know about the other mares?” “Yes,” She said with a bit of fear in her voice. I knew what she was afraid of. She said it on the balcony. “Then I think you’ll be pleased to know, you look so much better than all of them combined.” “Damn straight. But I’m still afraid that you’re going to leave me for one of those mares. Why wouldn’t you? You probably have them eating out of your hands. You really can have any one of them and you have to pick one of them.” “I told you before. I don’t want any other pony I want you. Cadence and I are going to be busy this entire week and we need your help. You, Shining, Octavia, Spitfire, and Vinyl need to find some way out of this. But if you ever need to talk to me…” I walked over to a desk in my room, took out a sheet of paper and put a spell on it. I then leaned out my window and did a special whistle. A few second later Philomena landed on my shoulder. “Do that whistle and Philomena will come. Write on this paper and give it to her. It won’t burn, the spell will make sure of that. If you want to erase something, than just rub it with your finger.” “Are you sure this will work?” “Why wouldn’t it? Who would suspect little Philomena here of passing notes.” “Okay. I love you, Golden.” “I love you too.” We kissed and she left my room as quietly as she could. I didn’t hear the guards, so I assume that she was able to make it off the castle ground. I went to bed shortly after and fell asleep easily. For some reason, I didn’t feel worried about this week. Maybe it was because I knew my friends would find some way to get me and Cadence out of this.