Now before you all go nutty about Cadance acting OOC. Please do remember what story you're reading.
Begin!
What A Bucking Choice…
I never did see that hoofservant again…
Not to worry though, I was told later on that she had only been condemned to sniffing the glue products for a week…with no breaks.
On second thought that actually sounds quite dangerous, and painful, and…well, a bit over the top to be honest. But then again Mom is a pretty over the top pony.
Stopping a train with your bare hooves sorta points to that.
In any case, after doing something to the hoofservant before chucking her out the door, Mom promptly put me into that embarrassing baby pouch around her neck, smiling down at me all the while.
"Art thou feeling any better min son?" she asked gently, her eyes lidded with concern.
Okay, lie to her! Tell her you're feeling A-Oh-Bucking-K! Once she's lulled into a false sense of security, we can take the opportunity to get the hay outta this castle, if not the entire country. Just tell her you feel-
"My head still hurts Mommy."
OH FOR THE LOVE OF FAUST!
Mom smiled warmly at my words, before promptly sticking out that ridiculously long tongue and licking my forehead lovingly. To my dismay, the moment I felt the cold yet soothing touch, I pretty much collapsed in the pouch and let her do her thing.
It was so relaxing…and the maternal feeling behind it all but forced a lazy smile to worm its way onto my muzzle.
Why am I speaking like a child? I was fine a day or so ago…Hmm, perhaps my ill state is the reason behind it; perhaps being unwell weakens my true senses. It's only a theory but…hmm, it could be so. I can't think of anything else at the moment…
"Thou art so precious to us little one," Mom cooed happily, nuzzling my slightly damp forehead tenderly as she did so. "We cannot describe how jubilant we are to have found thee…we were so worried when we found thee in such a foul state."
Mom's smiled seemed to waver for a moment, a shimmer of unhappiness flickering behind her eyes. But just as suddenly as it came, it was once again replaced with an exultant disposition.
"But now Mommy has thee back!" she announced joyfully, peppering my tiny face in swift kisses, much to my mortification. "We will nurse thee back to health, sleep with thee under our wing, and never let thee out of our sight again!"
Fan-Bucking-Tastic!
"Now then," she chirped, her horn alight as the door swung open. "Thou must be hungry. So we shall take thou into the city and purchase thee a cream of ice!"
"Don't you mean an 'Ice Cream'?" I corrected, only to be quickly quelled by a stubborn expression…and a book appearing out of nowhere.
"Nay min son, it is called the cream of ice, the book say's so."
Quirking an eyebrow as Mom happily skipped down a long hallway, I looked at the book hovering in front of us and read the title.
How not to be an insane, clingy marefriend in need of some serious therapy!
By Cairiamaz.
"Oh, forgive us!" Mom spoke suddenly, the book disappearing quickly, only to be replaced by a similar looking one. "It was on offer, so we bought both...though why Tia suggested that one is beyond us."
I have no idea what just happened…
Choosing to ignore the random moment, I once again looked at the books title.
How to be the most fabulously snuggly mother in Equestria
By Big Pony Little
Fabulously…snuggly…what in the world is this straw!
I just about managed to read the first paragraph, before like the previous book, it vanished into nothing.
Are you ready to be the most snuggly, cuddly, warm and oh so fluffy mother in Equestria? Then look no further than this book. For if you follow our instructions carefully, then your adorable little foal will be literally diving headfirst to put their tiny muzzles on your tummy.
(Warning! The author of this book is not responsible for any stab wounds caused by an overeager unicorn diving horn first into your stomach! Common sense is advised!)
That was…interesting.
Mom used her weird power to open a set of great doors in front of us, before gracefully hopping in and smiling at…uh, Sunny Butt, who merely smiled back and left the room.
I'm crap with names…
Crap? I can say Crap! HOLY FAUST I CAN SAY CRAP!
It was a good day!
Unfortunately…
I could quickly feel the air around me steadily becoming colder. Yet as I looked up at Mom, all I could see was a slightly strained, if not completely frustrated grin on her muzzle.
"Good evening niece," Mom said stiffly.
Evening? We're getting ice cream in the evening…Mom's weird. Oh, wait, she said niece. Who's…
"Good evening to you as well Aunty Luna," replied a rather sweet sounding, if not younger voice.
Shimmying around in the pouch, I forced myself to sit up as best I could so as to get a good look at her.
Wow…she looks quite pretty to be honest.
She, like Mom, was an alicorn. But rather than the dark coat Mom had, she had a light pink one.
Her mane was a multitude of bright colors, most of which gave me a headache. The emblem on her flank was a teal heart made of what looked like crystal, which also appeared to be held within a gold lance. And finally, her wings seemed to have a sort of magenta hue towards their tips, which was in my opinion quite nice to look at.
What was even nicer though, was the adoring smile she had adorning her muzzle. Her eyes were purple, bright and sparkling as they looked at me.
I liked it, it made me feel warm and fuzzy.
Unfortunately, I was brought out of my trance by two snorts of hot air tickling my hair. Looking up, I...well, saw the reason why.
Mom was glaring daggers at the pink alicorn. Her wings were raised and ruffling in a...really weird way, something that my instincts seemed to recognize somewhat.
She was displaying her dominance...why. Because of me?
Then, to my surprise, the pink alicorn raised her wings as well, ruffling them ever so slightly as she gave Mom a really, really scary looking smile.
I'm pretty sure if looks could kill, the both of them would already be buried six feet under.
The pink mare seemed to ignore Mom as she made her way towards us, her attention and suddenly not creepy smile focused entirely on me.
"Hello there," she said softly. "My name's Cadance, and you must be Arcturus, right?"
"Uh…y-yes, I mean, n-no I'm Oliver, my name's Oliver Leaf."
What in the world was that all about? Why am I stuttering like a…love struck…child…Oh boy.
"Oliver Leaf?" she echoed slowly, as if testing the name on her tongue. "That's a peculiar name, though I admit I do prefer it to Arcturus."
Hah, finally! Someone in this blasted world that'll actually listen to me!
"Well WE prefer Arcturus!" Mom declared suddenly, breaking me out of my thoughts. "Tis his name now, one filled with charm and mystery. Tis quite befitting for a child of mine…"
I'm fairly sure that the other mare didn't miss Mom's deliberate use of a possessive word. But if she didn't, she had a rather funny way of showing how much she cared.
"Aunty, we don't change names upon adoption anymore," Cadance giggled…somewhat mockingly I think. "We haven't done that for well over several centuries. And nowadays it's considered quite rude to do so."
Ahh, so that explains the name chance. It's quite similar to what we used to do a few centuries ago.
Mom's expression at this point was quite thunderous, yet calm, yet also very frightening.
It made me squirm uncomfortably…
But then suddenly, a light pink glow enveloped my entire body warmly, before lifting me up and out of the pouch. Mom barely had time to comprehend what had just happened, and by the time she did…well, I was already nestled in…another pouch?
A pink pouch, once that just so happened to be wrapped around Cadance's neck.
"What dost thou think thee is doing with OUR son!" Mom demanded, her horn lighting up, a dark bluish colour slowly covering my form. But as it was about to do so…well, the glow spluttered and died.
"An Anti-Magic Foal Pouch!" Mom gasped, her eyes wide with shock…before suddenly gleaming dangerously. "Enough of this Niece! Give us back our son before we do so ourselves!"
…
"No."
"E-Excuse us?" Mom asked, stepping back as if stuck.
"I said no," Cadance repeated. "Oliver is not a toy, Aunty. He's an innocent little colt that from what I heard, ran away from you in fear, and by his appearance got sick too."
Mom seemed flabbergasted for all of a few seconds, but quickly regained her aggressive confidence and made to speak again.
"Niece, we know he is not a toy, and we know that we were overeager beforehoof. But we wish to make amends, so give him back to-"
"You still don't understand, do you?" Cadance interrupted, her face suddenly flushed with…anger? "Where's the sadness? Where's the shame. I'm not hearing any!"
Mom once again backed away, her expression while once confident, was now upset and embarrassed.
"Don't you get it, you frightened him so much that he ran away from you. He was so scared that he lied to get as far away from you as he could. And even when you found him, it was only because he was too ill to keep you at bay."
"How dost thou-"
"Aunt Celestia told me everything you told her," Cadance interrupted crossly. "You're so much older and wiser than I, Aunty. How can you act so childishly? How can you treat a colt barely out of his diapers with such negligence? He's not a toy to satiate your need to feel loved Aunty…he's not."
Damn…
I couldn't help the pang of sympathy that welled up within me, not when I saw the sheer look of anxiety on Mom's face.
"W-We know that we were neglectful beforehoof Cadance," she whispered, her lower lip trembling slightly as she looked at me. "But we truly wish to make amends. We wish to take care of him, to love him as a mother would…We even bought a book, see!"
The book from before materialized out of nowhere…but I didn't really look at it, I was too busy trying not to look at Mom's suddenly tear filled eyes.
"A book, Aunty?"
Cadance's tone was…unsatisfied, disappointed even.
"Do you really think that a book can show you how to be a mother?" she asked sceptically.
Mom looked down at the floor upon hearing this question, her eyes darting all over it as she apparently tried to find the correct answer.
"Oliver," Cadance suddenly spoke, causing me to look up at her questioningly. "Do you want to come home with me?"
"W-What?" I stammered, my eyes darting back and forth between her and Mom.
Cadance merely smiled and nuzzled me warmly, before taking me out of the pouch with her hooves and placing me in front of her.
"I promise you that you'll be well loved and looked after," she continued, her voice soft and affectionate…It made me feel all fuzzy again. "You'll have no need to be so frightened anymore. You don't even have to call me Mom if it makes you uncomfortable."
…
"I…"
"Arcturus…"
I didn't look at her, I didn't have too. I could hear the distress in her voice, I could feel the sheer desperation in its tone.
"Arcturus, look at us sweetie," M..Lu…Mom pleaded, her voice gaining a higher pitch when I didn't. "Honey please…look at us."
Sighing, I obeyed her request and turned around…though upon doing so I quickly wished I hadn't.
The fur on Mom's face was matted with tears. Her eyes were as desperate as her tone, shining and wide with fear. Realizing I was looking at her, Mom smiled a trembling smile and held out her forehooves.
"T-Thou dost not want to leave Mommy, doth thee?" she asked shakily. "W-We know that we s-scared thee beforehoof, and we a-are so s-sorry. But w-we wish to make it up to thee…and thou still loves us, no?"
…
My silence only served to worsen the situation. Cadance was shaking her head at Lu…Mo...Moms upsetting display. And Mom…well…
"How about we g-go and purchase the cream of ice?" she declared, her iris's mere pinpricks filled with desperation and fear. "Thou art still sick, and would like that, no? Wouldn't thee like that?!"
Damn Luna...
"Then we can sleep together once more! Doesn't that sound delightful min son, no?!"
…
"Oliver…"
Upon hearing her voice, I looked back up at Cadance and blinked confusedly at her open forehooves. I then looked back at Luna's request for an embrace…
It was clear to me in that moment.
I had to choose between the one that loved me, but frightened me slightly. Or the one who I knew not, yet made me feel so warm…
Between Luna's pleading expression and Cadance's soft smile…the choice itself was actually rather difficult.
Who do I choose…?
i pick cadance
cadance!
choose her!
cedence go with cadence
Oh~ I'm gonna go with... Cadance, though only because I want to see how well she does the parenting schtick. It has nothing to do with how possessive and creepy Luna was... or with how she insisted on renaming him.
I pick Cadence as well, but Luna has good intentions. She's just awful at carrying them out.
Choose both. I want to see both paths. I understand updates will be half as often, but this way, everypony wins. Please.
I'mma have to use mah brain her. Cadence. She's the one who's not actively trying to smother him to death.
Picking Luna will eventually cause some character growth(for both mother and child), but Cadance offers an alternative setting, and the promise of a potential future conflict(such as Luna getting so pissed or depressed by Oliver's choice that she turns back into Nightmare Moon). However, this is supposed to be a comedy, so I'll have to side with Luna's awkwardness.
I would like to see what Cadence will do.
LUNA! Pick Luna!
I have a feeling that no matter who he choses, everything will go to shit anyways
But I think I'll have to go with Cadence... with her being the Alicorn of Love and having taken care of Twilight as a foal? Plus the fact that Luna doesn't seem to have a clue about what she's doing.
But I'm still leaning towards the "Everything goes haywire" scenario here.
Cadance, no bones about it.
Update more or feel the wrath of a thousand feathers.
Luna because I want to see her earn some redemption for her actions and have some character development as well.
Plus she cried and that makes me really sad.
Well... shit. That is a tough choice.
Personally I pick Luna because she "found" him first but I hope by staying with her we would actually see some sort of real bond form between them...
Plus I want to see what Cadance would do if he picked Luna!
go with Cadance but let luna redemption please
Breaburn :3
Something tells me that if he goes with Cadance, Shining Armor is going to do something worse than Luna
Cadence! For the love of the love princess!
I vote for Oliver running away (More seriously) After all, in that kind of a situation, what child wouldn't? It's too difficult of a choice.
Cadence sounds like she'd be a better mother, so I'd pick her. Especially as that'd involve getting Shining Armor in on the action; would he be cold to Oliver because of Cadence's attentions going to Oliver instead of Shining, perhaps? just a thought. (also, I'm of the opinion Cadence would give Oliver a very pink room, no matter what he says. )
I vote Luna acknowledges his name is Oliver and that she's been smothering him. Or if she needs to be unable to see the obvious for some reason, Cadence.
both, they can take turns or something
Cadence…cadence… CADENCE!!! Seriously, I fell bad for Luna and all…but…well she ruin it…yeah big time.
So in case I wasn't clear I pick Cadence.
I dislike polls. You should pick whomever you wish. Luna would probably be better for humor sake, other wise, have him pick BOTH and run with. Call it joint custody!
I pick cadence for this one. Makes the most sense.
edit: I just did a count for votes....
cadence:12
Luna:3
Candance
Cadance, mainly cause she is married and Oliver will have a father figure to look up to
Mm luna for the fact it seems she desperately cares , just is inexperinced
Hm. Now I would say Luna only if there was a possibility that Cadence was actually Chryssalis, but since Twilight was described as an Alicorn earlier, there's no fear of that. I choose Cadence. Even though choosing Luna would be more fun to read about, I tend to care about fictional characters more than I should. Although we haven't seen how OOC Shining is yet, so we still have some fun potential. Also the Crystal Empire is a cool setting. This could also take place during the Equestria Games! Yes, for everyones' sakes, besides Luna's, Cadence is the correct choice.
TR;DR I say Cadence.
I vote Cadence.
I am honestly curious as to what motherly cadence looks like.
Luna, the way Oliver and Luna play game of cat and mouse amuses me, so I prefer Luna.
Cadance! Cadence! Cadence!
Luna
+1 Cadance.
Luna loves her Arcturus. Not Oliver.
Cadance <3
Luna
I will side with the majority and say Cadance, but only after Oliver tricks Luna into buying that
ice creamcream of ice.Idea: If the vote goes to Cadance (which seems likely), Oliver could talk his way out from the pouch for rides and onto her back (no accessories to hold him in place either) within a week. It's a small thing, but I'd at least like to see him get a small victory like that.
Me, I'm a very forgiving person, one who is empathetic to a fault almost. What I'd do was say I'd give Luna a second chance. Just one chance. Also, she has to stop using her made-up name for me.
Then again, I'm also not a mentally fractured little scared child, so my judgement is likely N/A.
Also, I looked up "Arcturus." Wikipedia calls it the brightest star in the northern hemisphere. That...kinda supports Cadance's argument, let's be honest.
Cadance. It would be dull if we just went through more "Luna-Crazy-Mom" without variety in our palette.
candance, she will let down her guard and then oliver can run away
Cadance -- she calls him Oliver and he has a much better shot in the crystal empire.
Luna can still terrorize Oliver in his dreams.
LUNA!
She just need a second chance!
Plz! Don't break her heart! Plz don't give us a choice and let us be loyal!
Also the story would have a better plot when you pick Luna again. and she is just inexperienced and overprotected.
luna, i think this little incursion could help her
Honestly I think neither as it would cause a rather interesting scenario. Then both Luna and cadence could fight for his affection. or better have twilight assigned as his care taker then the two fore mentioned Alicorn`s would be in a power struggle with twilight over Oliver.
Sadly I pick Luna cause she is best pony but I really want to see what Cadance would do for our hero...child...runaway that manages to say a few select bad words and gets over excited only to be placed in a child harness, oh the embarrassment to be in one of those. Be even more funny if that as he falls asleep that little music that plays in cribs starts playing.
I vote Luna.
Damm heart and its feelings…can you give us like a third option too? or maybe a bonus chapter where he choose the other one?
Also…hey! he say Luna instead of mom! he is gaining control…Cadence its helping recover who he is!