As our carriages made their way to the Canterlot Castle event hall, everyone was chatting amongst themselves while I looked out the window aimlessly. I pretty much tuned out everyone else as I stayed in my own little world, but then…
“So, Devin, are you excited?” someone asked. I turned around and saw that it was Princess Cadance that was addressing me.
“Excited? For what?” I asked, not knowing what she was talking about.
“Your coronation, of course! You and Uncle Calvin are going to be crowned as princes next week.”
“We were just talking about it,” Aunt Vanessa added.
“Well considering the fact that I wasn’t listening, it makes sense that I didn’t hear you guys mentioning it,” I thought.
“So, are you looking forward to it?” Shining Armor asked.
“Absolutely not!”
“Oh, no. Not you again.”
“Go ahead. Tell them. Tell them that I’m not looking forward to becoming a prince.”
“I am not telling them that!”
I cleared my throat and put on a fake smile. “Uh… yeah! Definitely. I can’t wait!”
I ignored my inner voice’s angry objections at what I just said and watched as my relatives smiled in satisfaction.
In all honesty, I really wasn’t looking forward to being a prince. Not because I hated the idea, but because I was scared. I never liked drawing too much attention to myself, and I’ve seen the way people hound celebrities back in the human world. I just wouldn’t be able to handle all that attention. On top of that, would I have to make some big decisions as a prince? Probably not, since there’s Celestia, Aunt Luna, and my dad, but there’s always a possibility.
My official status as a prince wouldn’t make my life at school easier, either. As it was, everypony there was already pining to be my “friend” for their own obviously selfish reasons. Once news of my coronation gets out, it’ll only get worse.
But I had to do it. I couldn’t be selfish. I couldn’t let my father down. In a way, he had it worse than me. As Celestia’s husband, he’ll most likely be expected to fulfill royal duties just like Celestia. Not only that, but he’d probably get a lot of criticism from all the suitors that tried and failed to win Celestia’s hand in marriage. If he was willing to go through such a dramatic change and face all these difficulties, I should be willing to do the same.
Right?
The carriage finally pulled up to the event hall, and as we left, I heard Grandpa talking about how hungry he was, a comment that Grandma rolled her eyes at. Several minutes later, everyone was gathered around at the dinner table. Dad and Celestia sat at the head of the table, while everyone that was in Dad’s party sat at one side of said table, and the members of Celestia’s party sat at the other.
With everyone seated, Grandpa stood up and clinked his drink to get everyone’s attention.
“I’d like to thank you all for attending this celebration of the marriage between Princess Celestia and my son, Calvin. The first course is about to be served, so feel free to dig in!”
As if on cue, the royal chefs walked in and served the food. Since the staff consisted of ponies, humans, and even some griffins, there were plenty of options for everyone. While everyone else chose big meals, I just went for a sweet potato casserole, and I kept to myself as the others talked.
Before I knew it, Grandpa stood up again and called everyone’s attention.
“Before we continue with the dinner, does anyone have some special words to say to our happy couple?”
Princess Luna was the first to raise a hand. “I have a few things to say,” she said with a smile as she rose from her seat. Once she was standing up, she took her glass and held it up to her chest. “First of all, Celestia, I want to tell you that I’m immensely happy for you. You’ve been a much happier pony since you started seeing Calvin, and now that you’re married, I know that nothing but good things will come your way. I think I speak for all of us here when I say that you both deserve each other, and we’ll always be here to support you. And to Calvin, treat my sister right, you hear?”
Everyone at the table laughed as Luna sat down. The next person that had a few words to day was my father’s best man, his old college roommate. It was a standard best man speech. He said that was happy for dad, he made a corny joke, and he said some heartfelt things. I pretty much zoned out through most of it.
Next was Grandma. She stood up from her chair and smiled softly at Dad. “Calvin,” she said. “I just want you to know that I'm so proud of you. Seeing you sitting next to your lovely wife just makes me the proudest mother in the world. To Celestia, you’re a very kind, sweet, and lovely young lady, and I have no doubt in my mind that you two will cherish each other for the rest of your lives.”
Everyone aww’ed at Grandma’s speech, and Celestia chuckled when Grandma mentioned that she was a “young” mare despite the fact that Celestia was several times my grandmother’s age. Even I cracked a genuine smile.
Grandma was probably more supportive of Dad’s marriage than anyone else. It was no secret that Dad and Grandma were really close. Her relationship with Dad was near identical to my relationship with him; if he was happy, we were happy, and that was all that mattered.
The only difference is that I still felt that angry part of me clawing at my mind.
“Thank you, sweetheart,” said Grandpa. “Those were some lovely words. Now, does anybody else have anything to say?”
We all looked at each other and shook our heads, but then Grandpa looked at me.
“How ‘bout you, Devin?” he asked. “You got any special words?”
And just like that, all eyes were on me. I shrank in my seat as their gazes pierced through my skin.
I couldn’t say anything. I couldn’t risk giving that voice in my head a reason to provoke me. If that were to happen, who knows what would follow? I may just say something foolish or hurtful and not only make an ass out of myself, but embarrass Dad, too.
“I… don’t really have much to say that hasn’t already been said,” I said quietly.
Grandpa smiled. “Oh, come on, Devin. I’m sure you at least have a good joke or two. You always were the funny man in the family.”
That couldn’t be further from the truth. Grandpa just had this weird thing where he’d laugh at whatever I said, like every sentence I uttered was the greatest joke in the world.
“Don’t pressure the boy, Derrick!” Grandma scolded, and I let out a sigh of relief.
With the speeches overwith, everyone got back to eating, and after what felt like hours, everyone moved to the dance floor to see Dad and Celestia’s first dance as a newly married couple. The DJ picked a slow, intimate song, and I watched from the back of the crowd as Dad and Celestia seemingly glided across the floor in each other’s arms.
I was particularly fixated on the smile that Dad had on his face, and it eased the unpleasant feelings that were inside of me. I was reminded of the reason why I was willing to go through all these changes. I wanted my father to be happy. At that moment, I began to feel like everything was going to be okay.
But then…
“Ugh, just looking at this makes me sick!”
No! Not now! Not when I was just beginning to accept this! Why did that part of me have to come back?
“Go away!” I thought furiously.
"Who does she think she is? Who told her that she could just barge in on my life!?”
“Just shut up!”
“She had no right to force my dad into uprooting his life and mine just so we could live with her. Selfish bitch!”
“That’s not how it happened! That’s not true!”
My head began to ache, and I sat in a nearby chair, rubbing my temples and trying to force that voice out of my head.
Dad and Celestia continued to dance until the song ended, and it was time for them to cut the cake. While some guests really wanted a slice of cake, others just wanted to get back on the dance floor. After pondering it for a moment, I decided that a slice of cake would help to ease me a little. Once I got my slice, I went back to the chair that I was sitting in and took a seat as I watched everyone else dance to their hearts’ content. I even saw Celestia dancing with Grandpa while Dad danced with Luna. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight. Dad and Grandpa were never very good dancers, a trait that I had, as well.
Within minutes, I finished my slice of cake, and I got up to throw away my plate. Once I threw it in the trash can, I turned around and walked right into someone that happened to be standing behind me.
“Oh, man. Sorry about that,” I apologized as I rubbed my nose with my eyes closed.
“Don’t worry about it, Devin,” they said.
Hang on… I knew that voice.
I looked up to see who was speaking to me, and sure enough, it was the one pony I hadn’t said a word to in months.
Celestia.
My pupils shrank in shock and I stepped back a little, and the mare merely smiled warmly at me. “My, my. You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“A ghost? More like a demon.”
“Goddamn it, be quiet!”
“Anyway,” Celestia continued, “I came to you because I was wondering if you’d like to dance with me. I thought this would be a nice bonding moment for us.”
I was surprised by the gesture that Celestia was making. I had never expected her to ask me for a dance, and I considered taking her up on her offer.
“Not even if we were the last two beings in the world.”
“Will you just-”
“Devin?” Celestia said with a concerned look. “Do you want to dance?”
“NO!” I snapped, making the princess flinch and reflexively back away from me, looking down at me with a hurt look in her eye. “I mean, no thanks,” I said in a calmer voice, looking away from her. “I’m not much of a dancer, so I’d rather not go out there. Thanks for the offer, though.”
“Okay, I understand,” said Celestia. She looked down at the ground for a brief moment, and then she looked back up at me. “Devin, is something bothering you?”
“Yes, and if you look in the mirror, you’ll find out what that something is.”
“It’s nothing. I’m fine,” I said dismissively as I turned around to leave, but Celestia put her hand on my shoulder.
“Are you sure? Because before now, you haven’t said a word to me for months, and-”
“I said I’m fine!” I said angrily as I swatted her hand away. I heard Celestia gasp, and I immediately realized what I did. I dared not to look back, because I feared what her expression would be. Would I have been staring at the gaze of an angered and offended princess, or would I have been facing the hurt look of a saddened and rejected one.
“Oh… alright then,” the mare said emotionlessly. “I’m sorry for being so pushy.”
I then heard her walking away from me slowly, and it was then that I realized how badly I messed up. I had hurt Celestia’s feelings, and all she did was ask me for a dance.
The voice in my head was able to take over for one second, and in that one, short second, he made Celestia feel hurt on what was supposed to be a happy day for her.
“Ah, that felt good.”
“That felt horrible!”
“She deserved it.”
“No she didn’t!”
“I was definitely in the right.”
“No I wasn’t!”
I shook my head violently and left the hall, hoping that the lack of music outside would help to clear my head. I looked up at the rest of Canterlot Castle, and I decided that it would be best for me to go in my room. It was better to be in there than at the reception, where I could possibly make a scene.
After ten minutes of walking through the empty castle halls, I finally reached my bedroom. Once I was inside, I kicked off my shoes and lied down on my bed, looking up at the ceiling. At that moment, all of my concerns came rushing at me, one after another.
Having to move to another world,
Having new family members,
Having to go to a new school,
Not having any friends,
Having to deal with being royalty,
And above all else, having a princess as my stepmother.
I couldn’t take it anymore. All these changes were happening too fast, and I just couldn’t handle it. I gripped the sides of my head tightly and pulled at my hair in desperation…
And then the tears came.
I started to sniffle as the streams of tears flowed down the sides of my face. All the emotions that I kept inside of me for all these months finally took their ultimate toll on me, and they flowed out as I laid there on my bed in a quivering mess. I had no idea how long I had been there. Time was a secondary concern to me as I continued to cry, staining my pillow with tears.
All of a sudden, I heard several knocks on my door, and I raised my head in surprise when I heard them. I looked up at the clock that was hanging over my bed and saw that I had been cooped up in here for twenty minutes.
I wiped my eyes and composed myself before answering. “Who is it?”
“It’s Celestia,” I heard from the other side, and I froze when her voice hit my ears. “May I come in?”
I stayed in my bed, unsure of whether or not I should let Celestia come in.
“Devin, please let me in,” she said pleadingly. “I just want to talk to you. Everyone’s asking where you’ve been, and they’ve been getting worried.”
They were worried? I didn’t think that anyone would notice if I was gone.
I braced myself as I waited for that voice to come back and say something, but surprisingly, I didn’t hear a thing. I wondered to myself why I couldn’t hear it, and then I looked down at the pillow and saw how stained it was. I said hesitantly as I placed my hand on the pillow, and the second I did so, I felt a shiver run through me, like I had touched an ominous, cursed object.
It was like all my anger had left me.
Despite that, though, I still didn’t feel like talking to Celestia at the moment, or anyone else for that matter.
I needed to be alone.
“Now’s not a good time,” I said. “I don’t feel well.”
“Oh…” Celestia said dejectedly. “Okay, then. I hope you feel better.”
The next thing I heard were hoofsteps that got less and less audible as they continued.
I let out a deep sigh and changed out of my suit, deciding that I wasn’t going to return to the reception. After getting into some more comfortable clothes, I decided to go back to bed and take a nap.
I was woken up by several knocks on my door, and I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes as I got out of bed. I looked out my window and saw that the sun had already set and that it was well into nighttime. “Who is it?” I asked.
“It’s Dad,” I heard from the other side.
“Coming,” I said as I trudged towards the door and opened it.
“Hey there, champ,” Dad said as he saw me. “You okay? You just left the reception and no one could find you for a while. Celestia said that you weren’t feeling well, so we just decided to let you rest for a while.”
“Is it still going on? The reception, I mean.”
“No, it just ended. Grandma, Grandpa, and Auntie Vanessa went home, and Twilight, Cadance and Shining Armor will be staying here till morning.”
“Okay,” I said absentmindedly.
Dad gave me a concerned look “You alright, Devin? Is there something you want to talk about?”
I shook my head.
“If there’s something bothering you, you can always tell me, son.”
“I’m fine, Dad. Really. You don’t need to worry about me.”
“Well, if you say so. I’ll let you get some rest. Don’t forget that tomorrow’s Monday, so don’t stay up too late.”
“I won’t.”
Dad smiled at me and ruffled my hair. “Good night, son.”
“‘Night, Dad,” I smiled back.
I shut the door and walked back to my bed. Talking to my dad always made me feel at least little better, but when I climbed back under the covers, I realized something that soured my mood again.
I had school tomorrow.