“And we thank thee once again, Ponies of Equestria, for thy praise as thy new rulers! We shall forever be grateful to thee, and endeavor to rule thee with kindness and justice!”
The huge crowd of ponies let out a roaring cheer as the new High Prince and Princesses of Equestria left the balcony and went back into Canterlot Castle. Aecorum was in the middle as always, and in the hall were dozens of servants, guards, and nobles, all fawning over the three alicorns. The new rulers simply nodded and smiled on their way to the newest addition to the castle: The Hall of Resolution. It was more like a small antechamber than a hall, and was only to be entered by the three alicorns to use as a quiet place to discuss matters of supreme importance. As they finally made it through the doors, Aecorum shut the curtains on the windows and sighed, lowering himself on an elaborate wooden chair, covered in dark green-blue silk.
“That was excruciating.” He rubbed the back of his neck with his hoof.
“Oh, come now Aecorum, it was not all that bad.” Celestia smiled and sat on her own chair, a slightly smaller one with lighter wood and gold silk.
“Although,” Luna settled into the deep blue silk that covered her chair “I have to admit, my voice is a little hoarse.”
“I know what you mean; mine is slightly worn out as well. It makes me feel so…I do not know how to describe it, almost hypocritical to speak to them like that.”
Celestia raised an eyebrow “What do you mean? Hypocritical to whom?”
Aecorum took off his crown and looked at his reflection in the titanium “Hypocritical to myself. I always wanted to protect the ponies and keep all creatures safe but this…” He used his magic to almost toss the crown on the nearby table “This is not exactly what I had in mind. I always thought of each pony in Equestria as my friend, not my lesser, and now I cannot treat them as such.”
Luna nodded “I understand what he means, Tia. Ever since we signed the Terms of Abdication I have felt like I was trapped in another body, being forced to carry out the wishes of somepony else.”
Celestia sighed “I know, I know…I would be lying if I said that I have not felt strange throughout this transition, but I know in my heart that this is best for everypony.”
Aecorum laughed “Always the wise one, eh Tia? Sometimes I wonder which one of us is the elder pony.”
All three alicorns laughed and Aecorum spoke again “But in all seriousness, I know that this is truly what is best, it is simply my stubborn side rearing again.”
Luna smiled slyly “You are always stubborn. Some might say you are as…Unchanging as the sea, perhaps?” Celestia and Luna laughed and Aecorum rolled his eyes at the bad pun.
---
Fauntleroy knocked fiercely on the door to Aecorum’s private study, his glare harsh despite the wrinkles that had begun to line his face. He was almost eighty years old now, but age had not dulled his wit or political prowess, and as Aecorum opened the door he bowed with a sneer.
“If I may beg audience with His Excellency?”
“Of course, Fauntleroy, come in.” Aecorum motioned in and shut the door as the white unicorn entered “Is something the matter?”
“Quite frankly, yes.” Fauntleroy turned to face Aecorum and hardened his glare “Why do you never follow Royal Protocol when it was stated quite clearly in the Terms of Abdication that you must?”
“What do you mean? I have followed Royal Protocol to the letter for the past fifty years.”
“No. You have not. Why are you not speaking to me in the Royal Canterlot Voice?” Aecorum opened his mouth to protest but Fauntleroy began pacing and continued “Why, when I entered the room, you did not address me with my full title? I have seen you breach Protocol time and time again, and it has gone beyond simple ‘forgetfulness’ or ‘adjustment’ as the former and rightful King Basileus has stated.”
Aecorum rolled his eyes “This again, Fauntleroy? You know just as well as I do that the transfer of power was not my idea, I did not even wish it in the first place.”
“Voice! The Royal Canterlot Voice! Use it, Your Majesty!” He spat the honorific title out.
Aecorum felt the anger rising in his throat but he fought it down and used the Royal Canterlot Voice “Very well, Prince Fauntleroy, have it thy way! But we fear that perhaps in the privacy of our study, the Royal Canterlot Voice may do harm! Behold the window!” He raised his hoof as he spoke to show that the window was shaking due to the excess volume.
Fauntleroy’s face hardened “The window can be replaced. Protocol must be followed in all instances.” He took a step towards Aecorum “And I know that you have been walking through the city in broad daylight with no escorts and greeting anypony that happens to cross your path, with no regard to Protocol!”
Aecorum fought harder against the anger “So thou art saying that we must give up our ponies entirely? We happen to enjoy our walks; it helps reconnect us with the populace!”
“What you do or do not enjoy is beside the point! If you want to walk, take the escort! If you want to ‘reconnect with the populace’, hold open court!” Fauntleroy and Aecorum were now inches away from each other’s muzzle.
“Why must we be sequestered in an ivory tower?! Was the abdication not an attempt to bring us closer to Equestria?!” Fauntleroy’s mane blew due to the volume and he almost toppled over.
“NO! I do not know what possessed the King to give you the throne, but it certainly was not to give you a larger circle of friends!” Fauntleroy spat the words out at the almost seething stallion in front of him.
Aecorum grit his teeth and lowered his voice to a threatening whisper “Listen to me, you stubborn little pest. I have been fighting with you for fifty years over trivial minutia that never matters to anypony except you, and I have given in to you every time. Do you see the lump of metal I have got stuck around my horn? I am telling you this once, and only once: I will not let you shut me up like a wild beast inside a cage, no matter how gilded it may be. Oh, you can try all you like, but I will find a way around you in enough time, Lord Fauntleroy. There is no power in this world that can trap me forever.”
He towered over Fauntleroy and stared him right in the eye. “Do you want to know why I bring in the tides, and not Celestia or Luna?” He glared and lowered his voice even more so that it sounded like it was laced with ice and a shadow seemed to cover the room “Because the ocean is who I am. I can be warm and inviting, calm and reasonable, but I can also be cold, harsh, and wild. I can even be dangerous. But do you want to know what I really am? What really makes the ocean just like me? I am persistent, unchanging, and stubborn. Do you know what that means for you and your ‘protocol’, Lord Fauntleroy?” He took a step closer and spoke through his teeth. “No matter what you try to do, I. Will. Not. Be. Stopped.”
---
Aecorum looked out over Canterlot from his bedchamber’s balcony, and smiled slightly. In the past few decades he had often wished that their old castle could have become the new capitol, but he had grown to love Canterlot, and they did get to visit the Castle of the Royal Alicorns whenever they wished as a sort of summer home. He spread his wings and was about to take off when a series of knocks came to his door. He sighed and walked over to it, preparing his voice and opening the door.
The guard bowed “Forgive the intrusion, but the royal messenger has urgent news for you.”
“We see. Send in the messenger at once.”
“Of course, Your Grace.” He was only gone for a moment when he brought back the pegasus messenger, who also happened to be the grandson of Swift Wing.
“What is thy message?”
The messenger bowed and said “The noble stallion Lord Fauntleroy has requested you come immediately to his manor.”
“Why dost he wish us to come?”
“He is dying, and he wishes to speak to you before he departs from this world.”
---
Even though the estate of Lord Fauntleroy was almost twenty miles away from the castle, Aecorum made it there in a matter of ten minutes, practically dragging the royal escort behind him. He was announced to the household as he entered and was immediately shown to a set of large double doors, intricately carved and gilded with gold and precious gems. Aecorum waited as one of his guards knocked and was answered by Fauntleroy’s granddaughter, Former Glory. She motioned inside and only nodded to the Prince of the Sea which would normally call for a punishment but he could see her eyes were raw with tears and smiled sadly for her. Aecorum walked into the dark-lit room towards the enormous bed in the direct center and stood a few feet behind the unicorn doctor attending the aged Fauntleroy. After a moment Fauntleroy noticed the prince and motioned feebly towards the door.
“Leave us, I wish to speak to His Majesty in private.” Everypony in the room except Aecorum left and as the doors swung shut Aecorum walked over to the bed.
“We art most grieved to hear that thou art dying, Lord Fauntleroy.” His voice was slightly quieter than it usually was. Fauntleroy began to laugh as heartily as he could and Aecorum’s face grew increasingly quizzical.
After about a minute Fauntleroy spoke “I should think that on my deathbed I would be more forgiving of protocol. Speak to me however you wish, Aecorum.” He waved his hoof dismissively, albeit weakly.
Aecorum smiled slightly as he pulled up a chair and sat down “That is the first time in the ninety years we have known each other that you have ever called me by name.”
“Forgive me for correcting, but I believe we met ninety-three years and six months ago.” Both stallions laughed at this and silence fell as neither one could really figure out what to say. Aecorum shifted to get more comfortable in the chair and Fauntleroy’s breathing became labored for a moment, but settled again.
Fauntleroy chuckled slightly “I never thought it would be so excruciatingly mind-numbing. Dying, I mean. Of course, you will never have to experience it, will you?” He turned his extremely wrinkled face towards Aecorum.
Aecorum smiled “No, not in the same way. But I am reasonably certain that I will die eventually, at the end of all things.”
“Yes, as will Celestia and Luna.”
“True. Why did you not ask them to come? They have known you just as long as I have.”
Fauntleroy leaned back further into his pillow and softly sighed “I could say that I did not want to appear weak in front of beautiful mares, or that at least somepony had to rule while I passed on, but I would be lying. Do you want to know the real reason why I only asked you to come here?”
Aecorum nodded and Fauntleroy continued “The real reason is that,” he coughed for a few seconds before sighing again “You were the only one who disagreed with me.”
Aecorum chuckled incredulously “What?”
“It is true, it is true.” Fauntleroy laughed with Aecorum “I did not spend nearly as much time with them as I did with you, simply because they followed my rules while you,” he pointed a hoof at Aecorum and smiled wider with a devious glint in his eye “You just kept arguing every point with me. And for every rule and protocol I devised, you found some loophole to crawl through and vex me.” He playfully poked Aecorum’s chest.
Aecorum smiled “I always thought you created the rules just to irritate me.”
“I suppose that was always the nature of our little game, each one trying to outthink the other. But without even realizing it our constant battles led us to this.”
Aecorum leaned his head on his hoof “And what is ‘this’?”
“Here I am, at the end of my life, and of all the ponies I have known and all the connections I have made in my long life, I chose you to share my last moments with.”
Aecorum straightened up as the weight of what Fauntleroy said sank in. Fauntleroy nodded and smiled “Yes, you. I wanted to say my last goodbye to you above my children, my grandchildren, and even my darling wife.”
“Fauntleroy, I…I do not know what to say.”
“That is new.” Fauntleroy started coughing furiously and Aecorum walked over directly beside him “I do not have much time left. There is something I want to tell you before I go.” His voice was weak and he motioned Aecorum to come closer.
“What is it?” Aecorum spoke softly.
Fauntleroy whispered “There was a reason why I fought so hard to make you a king.” He started coughing again, and Aecorum lightly touched Fauntleroy’s shoulder with his hoof. Fauntleroy stopped coughing and put his hoof on top of Aecorum’s, looking into the alicorn’s eyes “It was because…” His voice was getting weaker.
“Easy, Fauntleroy, save your strength.”
“You…You deserved it. You always deserved the highest recognition of anypony in all of Equestria. No matter what I said, or did, I…” Fauntleroy coughed again “I always respected you. In my eyes, you were always King, and I wanted everypony else in the whole world to see you the way I did. I was just so proud and stubborn that I went about it the wrong way.” He leaned back into his pillows and shut his eyes. “My time is ending. I can feel it.”
Aecorum swallowed a lump in his throat and smiled “You served Equestria well throughout your whole life and I was honored to know you. I…I will miss you very much, Fauntleroy.”
Fauntleroy smiled and relaxed further “Farewell, Ocean King.” His voice faded and his chest stopped rising.
“Farewell, my friend.” A single tear rolled down Aecorum’s cheek as he touched Fauntleroy’s horn with his own and smiled sadly “Go in peace.”