//------------------------------// // Princess Cadance's Advice // Story: Young Love // by Amethyst Flower //------------------------------// When Silver Rose went down to dinner, Roseluck and her flower friends, Lily and Daisy, were already eating at the table. As usual the three were all being dramatic. "And then, he broke the daffodil in half!" Daisy was exclaiming in her raspy voice. Lily gasped, and put her greyish raspberry hoof to her light amber colored mane covered forehead. "That is horrible!" she exclaimed. "Why would he do that?!" Roseluck shrieked. Daisy shook her head, sending her green mane flying. "I don't know, but it was terrible!" Silver Rose couldn't help but roll her eyes as she sat down at the table and picked up her spoon. "So, how are you?" Lily asked, giving Silver Rose a sweet smile. "I'm good," Silver Rose said, eating a spoon of sunflower soup. "I went shopping with Rarity today." "Oh, you mean that lovely mare who runs carousel boutique?" Lily asked. Silver Rose nodded. "Where'd you go?" Daisy squeaked. "To Canterlot. We attended an art gallery and then went to some stores," Silver Rose said. "How lovely!" Lily said. "Were there flowers there?" Daisy chirped, as she ate her soup. Silver Rose scrunched up her face, confused as to why Daisy would ask a question like that. What is with these ponies and their obsession for flowers? she wondered. "Um, no. It was an art gallery, not a flower shop..." "I think she meant flower paintings," Roseluck said. "Oh," Silver Rose said. "Then yes." "Speaking of paintings, are you done with that lily of the valley painting, I said I'd pay you for?" Lily asked. Silver Rose gulped guiltily. She hadn't even started on the painting Lily had requested. She had spent all week working on the dress for Roseluck's award ceremony. She had been announced Equestria's florist of the month, and would be going to Canterlot for the ceremony. It was a big deal, and the dress had to be perfect. "Um, actually... I... I haven't started on it yet," Silver Rose admitted. Lily's eyes widened. "Oh, well, that's okay, I guess." "What for painting are you working on now?" Daisy asked. Roseluck's friends knew that Silver Rose was always working on some for project, and it was usually a painting. "A flower, a sunset, a forest?" "Actually, I'm working on something a little different this time," Silver Rose said, unsure of how much she should reveal to these mares. They weren't' exactly crazy about anything that didn't' have to do with nature. They were even a little unsure of how they felt about magic, even though it was something every unicorn possessed. The three flower ponies looked surprised. "Different can be good," Daisy said, as she was the most open-minded of the group. "It depends what kind of different is happens to be," Lily objected. "I personally find things a little frightening if they're too different." As the two continued to argue about whether different was a good or bad thing, Roseluck asked, "So have you been thinking about your goals for the upcoming school year. Last year you mostly just had your nose in a book." Silver Rose was surprised. She hadn't expected the subject of school to come up. "I actually haven't thought much on it," she said, truthfully. "Well, you should. You need to make some friends this year. You're not going to be in school much longer, and all these years, you still don't really know your classmates," Roseluck said. Silver Rose turned to look at Daisy and Lily as they bickered. She wasn't so sure that she wanted close friends. She had her best friend from school, Boysenberry, and she had just become friends with Rarity. Who else did she need? Weren't two friends enough? "I think I'm fine," she said, turning back to Roseluck. "You don't need to worry about me." "I'm serious, Rosey," Roseluck said. "You need to get out more." "I went to Canterlot with Rarity today. What more do you want?" Silver Rose asked, confused as to why her sister was bringing this up now. "Well, you obviously have a lot of time on your hooves if you're thinking so much about Mom and Dad." Oh, so that was what this conversation was about. That made a lot more sense. Roseluck continued, "I'm just worried about you. A pony can't just spend all of their time painting in their room." "Does the fact that I just got back from Canterlot with Rarity mean nothing? Because I literally just got done saying that happened," Silver Rose pointed out. She was a little frustrated. She knew that Roseluck was just trying to look out for her, but why did it matter so much if she thought about their parents? It wasn't like they were banned or something. They just weren't living with their children. "I know you were with Rarity today. But it was at an art gallery," Roseluck said. "So what if art's my life?" Silver Rose snapped. "Flowers are all you can think about!" Lily and Daisy stopped their arguing to turn and stare at the two sisters. "Did she really just say that?" Lily whispered. Daisy just gave a slow shrug. Roseluck gave Silver Rose a hurt look. "I'm sorry," Silver Rose sighed. "I didn't mean that. I guess I'm just tired." She got up from her chair. "I'll be in my room." "What about your sunflower soup?" Roseluck asked, once again looking out for her younger sister. "I'll eat it!" Daisy volunteered, reaching across the table to grab the bowl of soup. "She can have it," Silver Rose agreed, before dragging herself up the stairs. She would have prefered to teleport, but she didn't feel like making a scene in front of Roseluck's old fashioned friends. When she got to her room, she immediately began to work on her painting again. "Maybe Roseluck is right," she said aloud, as she gave her painting a sideways glance. "Perhaps I should work on being more friendly." Sure, she had Boysenberry, but Silver Rose hardly ever got to hang out with her, as she was always so busy with her life and her other friends. This year is going to be different, Silver Rose promised herself. Wearing her fancy velvet forest green dress, that Rarity had made for her, Silver Rose sat patiently in Celestia's royal carriage, beside Roseluck. It was the day of Roseluck's award ceremony, that would be performed by Princess Celestia, herself. Apparently flowers were a big deal to the ruler of Equestria. Silver Rose couldn't believe that she was actually flying in one of Princess Celestia's carriages. It was golden with purple plush seats. Several times, Silver Rose had shrieked and clung to her sister, as she wasn't used to flying, and the carriage was open. "I absolutely love this dress you made for me," Roseluck said, as they flew into Canterlot. She giggled. "Now I'll look like I actually belong here, unlike last time." "Oh, it might not be quite that good," Silver Rose said, a little insecure. "Canterlot ponies are incredibly judgmental." Roseluck waved it off. "Well, I love it anyways." Suddenly she exclaimed, "Oh, look! We're about to land! Isn't this thrilling?!" Silver Rose swallowed nervously and tried to ignore the large knot that was building up in her stomach. "Um... yup... sure is." The truth was, Silver Rose hated heights. Sure, flying in Celestia's carriage, pulled by white pegasi guards, was awesome, if only it weren't quite so high up in the sky. She peaked down over the edge of the carriage and immediately wished she hadn't. Everything looked like a little map, with amber colored patches for fields, green for the forests, and grey for the towns. They were so high up that if something went wrong and they fell, they would surely die. Silver Rose's stomach lurched as she felt the carriage begin to dip down. We're gonna crash! We're going to crash and die! her brain screamed, as she squeezed her eyes shut. She wracked her brain for any possible elevation spell. Come on, I have to know something that could save Roseluck and me if we crash! Roseluck laughed. "Why do you look so worried?" Like always, Roseluck got lucky and seemed to be having the time of her life -and they weren't even in Canterlot yet. "I - I h-hate heights..." Silver Rose managed to gulp. "It's not that bad! Just throw your hooves up in the air, and shout Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!" Roseluck shouted as they flew down to land. "I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die!" Silver Rose whispered to herself. With a thud, the carriage hit the ground, in front of Celestia's castle. "You can open your eyes," Roseluck laughed. Silver Rose peeked one eye open, gave a sigh of relief, and opened her eyes completely. "Thank goodness," she breathed, as she slowly got out of the carriage. Celestia's castle was an awesome sight, and even though she had seen it before, Silver Rose couldn't help but stare in amazement. The brilliant white and gold towers, spiraled up wards. The occasional purple stripes and pink flags added an extra bit of color. She smiled when she saw the two golden flowers that were atop two tall peaks of the castle. "Remember when you said you wanted your own castle?" Roseluck asked, hopping out of the carriage. "I still do," Silver Rose laughed. "But you'd have to be a princess or at least married to a prince," Roseluck pointed out. Silver Rose smirked. "It could happen." She almost burst into laughter at the thought of her being a princess. When she had been a very little filly, she had often dreamed of it, but now she only joked about it. "Which one?" Roseluck asked, unable to control her laughter. Two Canterlot ponies, who were passing by, gave the two sisters critical stares. "You becoming a princess or marrying a prince?" Silver Rose shrugged. "Either one I guess." "We'll have to talk to Celestia about that, after the award ceremony," Roseluck joked as they walked up to the gates. To the guards, she said, "Roseluck the florist, with her sister Silver Rose, here to see the Princess Celestia." The unicorn guard nodded, and opened the gates. Silver Rose couldn't help but stare at his metal armor and wonder why he needed so much armor when he was just guarding the palace gates. He certainly looked handsome in his uniform, but was it really necessary? Well, I suppose Shining Armor, head of the guards, knows what he's doing, she decided, without giving it another thought. Her heart raced. Prince Shining Armor wouldn't be here would he? Everyone knew that he was the most dashing of all stallions, and Silver Rose had actually never seen him in person. It was only more perfect that he was married to the Princess of Love, Mi Amore Cadenza. It would be wonderful if Silver Rose could talk to her, especially with her new found interest in the subject of love. They walked to the castle gardens, where the award ceremony was going to be held. There, rows of wooden chairs were lined up on the grass. Princess Celestia was talking to some guards. Silver Rose couldn't quite get over how majestic the ruler of Equestria looked, with her white coat, flowing blue, green, and pink mane and tail, and angelic wings. Roseluck cleared her throat and bowed low when Princess Celestia turned around. Eyes wide with admiration, Silver Rose bowed with her sister. Celestia smiled. "Ah, Roseluck, welcome again." "Thank you, Princess Celestia," Roseluck said. "I see you have brought your younger sister along again," Celestia said, turning her eyes to Silver Rose. "She wouldn't have it any other way," Roseluck said. "She is proud of your work?" Celestia asked, with a warm smile. Silver Rose wondered if it were common for princesses to talk about ponies as if they weren't even there. "That and she loves castles. She wants one of her own," Roseluck said, shooting Silver Rose a teasing glance. Silver Rose blushed when Celestia laughed. It was like a peaceful river running over smooth rocks. Why did Roseluck have to bring that up? Silver Rose wondered, ruefully. Is she trying to embarrass me? "Well, the guests and other florists should be arriving any moment," Celestia said. "You two make yourselves comfortable. You can sit in one of the front seats, if you'd like." Roseluck nodded, and walked over to one of the front wooden seats, with Silver Rose following her. Little by little, the guests began to trickle in through the gates, and took their seats. Silver Rose stared at all of the Canterlot ponies' fancy attire. It was a simple florist award ceremony, and they were going all out. You could tell which of the ponies were from different towns. Suddenly a tall white unicorn stallion with black mane and tail walked in. Silver Rose's jaw dropped a fraction before she quickly snapped it shut, remembering that she was in public. He was very handsome and rather young looking. "Who is that?" Silver Rose asked Roseluck. Roseluck turned around in her seat. "Who?" "That stallion," Silver Rose said, pointing quickly to the unicorn. "Oh, that's Black Marble. I think he's the son of one of Dad's business associates," Roseluck said, in an off-hoofed manner. "He's beautiful," Silver Rose whispered, not loud enough for anyone else to hear. Just then, a thought struck her. "Wait, is Dad going to be here?" she gasped. Roseluck's jaw tightened. "Probably. He needs to maintain his popular status, and not attending an award ceremony given by Princess Celestia wouldn't be good on his record. But... Silver Rose, if we do see him, I need to warn you about something. He -" She was cut off by Celestia who cleared her throat and tapped a mic that stood in front of her. It screeched a little, causing the princess to chuckle. "Welcome, every pony, to the Equestrian Florist of the Month Award Ceremony," she greeted. Silver Rose wondered what Roseluck needed to tell her. Deciding not to worry about it, she turned her head a fraction, to see Black Marble, who sat several rows away on the opposite side. She suddenly saw a white unicorn stallion with dark blue mane and tail and mustache. He wore a crisp black tuxedo and a monocle. She let out a gasp. Father! she thought excitedly. She hadn't seen him for quite a few years. He looked exactly how she remembered; fancy and rich. But wait. Who was that mare with him? Silver Rose felt her chest tighten. Beside her father stood a tall, elegant unicorn mare with a white coat, pale pink mane and tail, and a cutie mark of three fleurs-de-lis flowers. She let out a quiet giggle and leaned in to Fancy Pants. Silver Rose's teeth grinded together. Why is he with another mare?! her brain screamed. The two hurriedly took seats near the front right row. Celestia continued with her speech, "This month's florist happens to be Miss Roseluck from Ponyville. Let's give her a round of applause for her outstanding floristry work!" Applause sounded from the crowd, as Roseluck stood and walked up to the front, beside Celestia. Roseluck was then presented with a large bouquet of white roses. "Thank you so much, ponies, for voting me this month's Equestrian Florist," she said, wiping tears with a dainty white hanky. "I cannot tell you how much of an honor this is." Silver Rose tried to smile and clap her hooves with the rest of the ponies, but she couldn't stop staring at her father with that model-like mare. After Celestia made a long speech about how flowers were a big part of Equestria, the ponies were excused to dine, from the tables that were set up, and mingle. Roseluck went over to Silver Rose. "I tried to warn you..." she said, regretfully. "I'm really sorry, Rosey." "Who is she?" Silver Rose asked, trying not to cry. This wasn't fair. Now her hopes of her parents getting back together would never happen. "She's a model named Fleur Dis Lee," Roseluck said. "Points that her cutie mark is a flower?" Her voice rose up to a high pitched squeak on 'flower'. "Yay," Silver Rose grumped. Roseluck sighed. "I wish there was something I could do." Silver Rose shook her head. "It's okay. This is your day. Enjoy it. No need to be dragged down by my useless hopes." She swallowed. "I'm going to go get some punch." She got up to head over to one of the refreshment tables. She was glad that she had chosen to, as Roseluck was soon surrounded by a swarm of ponies. "Punch please," Silver Rose said to the server pony. He nodded and scooped her a cup of blood red strawberry punch. Silver Rose took the small crystal glass and took a sip of the sweet drink, before nearly choking on it. Princess Cadance! "Oh dear, did I miss the ceremony?" Cadance asked, rushing over to Celestia, with Prince Shining Armor behind her. "I'm afraid so," Celestia said. "But you can still talk to the florist. She is over there... surrounded by that group of ponies." Princess Cadance laughed. "Perhaps I shall wait." Her laugh was different than Celestia's. It was more bubbly, like she was the happiest mare alive; but not Pinkie Pie bubbly. Her pink coat and blue crystal heart cutie mark made her look the love expert she was. Her gently curled purple, pink, and yellow mane and tail was flawless, and her golden crown shown bright. Shining Armor was just as swoon-worthy as every mare said. He was tall and had shaggy blue mane and tail. His bright blue eyes and armor suited him well. Cadance looked around. "Shining Armor, I think I would like some punch. Come with me?" she requested. Shining Armor smiled charmingly. "Of course, my dear." Silver Rose gulped nervously. The Princess of Love was going to stand right next to her and get some punch! Should she saw something? Should she bow, like she did with Celestia? The filly was so lost in her worries, that she barely heard Princess Cadance when she asked, "Is something troubling you, young mare?" Silver Rose's legs wobbled. "Um, n-no ma'am... uh, Princess Cadance... Well, um... actually... I..." she stammered lamely. "Cadance, are you teasing this filly?" Shining Armor asked, coming up, from behind Cadance. "No, of course not!" Cadance flashed a smile. Shining Armor looked to Silver Rose, causing her heart to beat so loudly, she didn't see how the whole party of ponies didn't hear it pounding. "N-no, s-sir... She just asked if something was t-troubling m-me..." "I can sense a pony in need of help when I come across one!" Cadance insisted. Shining Armor shrugged and got two glasses of punch. He used his magic to hand Cadance one cup, before he headed off to talk to some other ponies. Cadance took a sip of punch. "Now, dear, would you like to talk to me?" Silver Rose followed the princess over to a pink butterfly bush. "Can you really sense when a pony needs help?" she asked, finally managing to find her voice without stumbling over her words. Cadance nodded with a smile. "Part of it is just observation, and part of it is my love instincts." "Oh," Silver Rose said. She swallowed nervously as her face flushed red. "I actually really hoped to t-talk to you today," she admitted. "Is that so?" "Well, you're the princess of love... and lately I've been thinking a lot -my sister says too much- and I just thought maybe you could help me..." Silver Rose said, unable to believe that she was actually saying this. "Who is your sister?" Cadance asked, seeming genuinely interested. "Roseluck, the new Equestrian Florist of the Month," Silver Rose said, rather proudly. "Oh, how lovely. I would like to congratulate your sister sometime today, if I get a chance," Cadance said, glancing at the large crowd that surrounded Roseluck. She turned back to Silver Rose. "So what is your name?" "Oh, I'm so sorry! I'm Silver Rose." The young unicorn felt ashamed that she couldn't even think properly enough to give the princess her own name. "That is a beautiful name," Cadance said. "I love roses, they're so romantic." "Thank you," Silver Rose said. "And me too..." "Now," Cadance said, taking another sip of punch. "What can I help you with?" "Well, probably nothing... but, well, I've been thinking a lot about love lately. My parents parted a long time ago, and now they both lead separate lives. I was hoping that there was some way to maybe get them to love each other again, but today I saw my father with another mare," Silver Rose explained. She let out a small sigh. "And when I asked my sister about true love, she said she doesn't really think it actually exists." "That's too bad," Cadance sympathised. "I'm sorry, I wish I could help you with that. Sometimes ponies are just selfish, and decide they don't want to live with each other anymore. But you know, that doesn't mean you should give up on love completely. I don't like to be rude, but I think your sister is wrong. I believe in true love, obviously, and I think that it's something any pony can have if they care enough." Silver Rose beamed happily. "Thank you, Princess Cadance. I'm glad I could talk to you." "I'm glad too. And remember, always pursue your dreams, no matter what any pony thinks," Cadance advised. She looked into the crowd and said, "Well, it looks like Shining Armor is motioning for me to come, so I must go, but it was nice being able to help in the little bit that I could." Silver Rose nodded, and watched the princess as she walked over to her husband. Princess Cadance is right, Silver Rose decided. Just because love didn't work for Mom and Dad doesn't mean that it won't for me. I shouldn't give up my new found dream just because of the choices my parents made.