Alternate Beginnings: Year Two

by Doug Graves

18 Hall of Lords

Princess Celestia's eyes narrow almost imperceptibly as she looks around the room. Doug appears deep in thought while the rest of Herd Apple look around at each other. Applejack is trying to suppress her nervousness and doing a poor job. Rarity is gleaming with excitement, focusing on Princess Cadance. Rainbow is glancing between Applejack and Doug, trying to place her feelings. Fluttershy has nearly hid herself behind her mane, watching Princess Celestia's mane wave back and forth. Pinkie Pie's gaze is wandering around the room, initially excited but starting to quiet down as she sees the serious expressions on everypony's face.

This is not going how she had predicted. Well, not exactly; she had correctly anticipated the response of each pony. It is like they are being influenced by something else. She will have to find that influence and quick; there are no magical influences affecting anypony, and she does a subtle scan to double check.

Doug asks, "Princess Celestia, may I speak freely?" At her nod, he turns to Princess Cadance and continues, "So, I have a few questions, if you don't mind. First; when you, Princess Cadance, join the herd, where would you rank? And, would you want to join immediately, and attempt to foal this year?" He pauses, scratching his chin with his free hand. Princess Celestia stays silent, looking over at Princess Cadance as he continues, "And, if you did join, would you stay in Ponyville? Would you want to stay in Ponyville? Can you perform your royal duties here, or would we be expected to move?"

He blanches as he considers his next question, glancing between Applejack and the pink alicorn, "Would... would you, Princess Cadance, prefer to have a stallion that is dedicated to you and only you?"

Princess Celestia clears her throat as Princess Cadance says, "Doug, I would never want to come between you and your herd." She stops, looking over at Princess Celestia.

Princess Celestia adds, "What Cadance said is correct, of course. Doug, know that Cadance and I would be happy to comply with the choices you and your herd make. Would you like some time alone to think about Cadance's herd application?"

Doug nods, looking over to Applejack to see her mimicking his action. He says, "One final question; do you have any other options?" Princess Celestia nods, Doug continuing, "Yes, I think that would be good." He stands, walking out of the room with the rest of the mares following him. She can hear him say, "Alright, first, I think the decision needs to be unanimous," before they all walk out and she stops attempting to listen to their conversation.

Celestia smiles to herself. She has been able to get everything back on track. The herd would reach a consensus, allowing Cadance to join. They might each be a little unhappy with the decision, but their desire to please their Princess would overcome any objections they had. At least, if their union produces a foal. Celestia frowns to herself; normally, her ability to read these sorts of situations gave her at least some portent of what the future held. But when she tries to look forward, she sees nothing. A worried look comes over her face as she realizes: any time she tried to predict Doug's actions, she came up with nothing. She couldn't foresee his interactions with his mares, with Cadance, or with herself.

Celestia looks over at Cadance, seeing a worried look in her eyes. The pink alicorn says, "Did you notice it too?" Celestia stares at her impassively as Cadance continues, "I felt nothing coming from him. Well, that's not entirely true. I felt pity, a desire to make things better but a knowledge of what those actions would entail for the others around him." She lowers her gaze to the ground, "I think he will say no."

Celestia goes to reassure her, "But, I know the mares in his herd will come to a consensus. They will allow you to join, or at the very least stud with him."

Cadance looks over at Celestia, "Do you? I can see the deep connection between him and his mares, some stronger than others. I see the barest whispers of something growing now between me and him, but it isn't love, not yet. He doesn't show the same desires, Auntie. He doesn't want you or me in that way; not as a jade doll, not a token of his power or conquest."

Celestia slowly nods, "Now that you mention it, I have had an extremely hard time reading his responses, predicting his next actions. I fear it is because I do not know him well enough; after you've seen so many ponies, you start to get a seventh sense of how they will react. With him? I have no basis to draw from, much like I am trying to predict a dragon that is growing up around ponies." She smiles as she thinks of the dragon youngling her youngest student hatched.

Celestia and Cadance quiet down as Herd Apple makes their way downstairs. She notes the relief on each mare's face, though Rarity looks sad, or maybe disappointed. Celestia straightens up as Applejack moves forward.

The earth pony hesitates slightly before announcing, "Princess Celestia and Princess Cadance, with all due respect, we, as a herd, have chosen to decline Princess Cadance's request to join Herd Apple." She takes an unsteady step back, Doug moving over and placing a hand on her neck, rubbing her encouragingly.

Applejack takes a deep breath, moving up again, "While we know it would be easier on those involved, we are also uncomfortable with studding Doug to Princess Cadance. We are open to other avenues, and should it become the only option - that is, if joining the herd or studding Doug to Princess Cadance becomes the only available option for her to conceive, we are open to reconsidering."

Princess Cadance breaths a sigh of relief as Princess Celestia takes a long look at Applejack. The mare quails under her gaze, moving back slightly towards her stallion. Princess Celestia smiles and Applejack relaxes, the alicorn saying, "Applejack, thank you for your honest consideration and evaluation. We will discuss what other options that my niece and I are able to take, ones that will not unduly disrupt your herd. But first, I would like to talk with Doug, alone, if that is acceptable with all of you?"

Doug looks hesitantly at the mares in his herd. Each gives a slow nod, Applejack saying, "That is fine with us, Princess Celestia, of course we trust you."

Doug moves over, following Princess Celestia as she walks outside the front door. She sits down, looking up at the moon, as Doug sits down next to her. She looks over at him, inspecting his face before her eyes move down at the rest of his body. Doug sits in silence, watching Princess Celestia as she observes him, trying not to fidget. She says, "Something happened tonight, Doug, that has not happened in a long time."

Doug starts, "Princess Celestia, I am-"

Princess Celestia raises a hoof, silencing his reply, "Please, call me Celestia. I did not bring you out here to change your mind, or to coerce or blackmail you into allowing Cadance into your herd. I wanted to say, I was surprised by another's actions, and I wanted to know your reasons behind not allowing Cadance."

Doug looks over, "How did you know I was the one who did not allow Cadance in?"

Celestia smirks, "Until now? I didn't." She winks at him, "But, I'm not here to play games. Much as Pinkie Pie would claim otherwise. I just know how each of my little ponies would act in this situation. Something else happened that changed their minds and, well, you are the only such impetus nearby."

Doug looks up at the sky, leaning back, "Well, I hope you are ready for a bit of a rant. I'm afraid I haven't been able to formulate my thoughts into a formal speech."

Celestia smiles, settling down so her barrel rests on the ground, "Please, take your time, I'm sure I'll be able to follow you."

Doug lays down on the ground, enjoying the cool feeling along with the warm air. "Well, to answer your original question, about the herd's decision. Each mare was willing to go along with it, at least initially. They all expressed a desire to see you and Cadance happy, especially if it works and she conceives. Each of them had their own reservations, and were not really inclined to share those thoughts, at least not until pushed. None of them wanted Cadance to take me from them, but I'll get to that possibility later, and my thoughts on how many mares should be in Cadance's herd."

Doug pauses, collecting his thoughts. Celestia prompts him, "What sort of reservations did your herdmates have?"

"Well, Applejack was concerned with two things. First, where would Cadance rank in the herd? She was worried how it would look if Cadance, being an alicorn and a princess, came into the herd either as the junior mare or as only senior to Pinkie Pie. On the other hoof, she would probably have been okay with Cadance becoming second mare, but she, Applejack, would not have wanted to give up her spot as lead mare. But, second, she was also thinking, where would Cadance want to be? She was worried that Cadance would be willing, initially, to accept whichever spot she was assigned, but Applejack was afraid that Cadance, again being a princess and an alicorn, would feel more suited to take a leadership position in the herd. I know Applejack likes running things, and has no trouble playing second fiddle to those she trusts, but I think in this situation she would be uncertain. It takes time to build up that relationship after all."

Doug takes a deep breath, thinking over his reasoning. "Rarity was the one most in favor of Cadance joining the herd. In my opinion, however, it was for the wrong reasons. She saw the status that adding a Princess would bring to the herd and hoped to ride those coattails."

Celestia asks, "Coattails?"

Doug says, "Oh, it's a human expression, it means to use someone else's success to further your own. It refers to a clothing style that had long ribbons of cloth, or 'tails', that came off the back or sides. One would grab onto those coattails in order to be dragged along."

Celestia smiles, "And you saw that as not a valid reason for wanting another to join the herd?"

Doug thinks for a few seconds before shaking his head, "While I can understand the sentiment and desires behind it, no, I don't think it is a good reason. I think Rarity would ultimately end up doubting herself. She might wonder if her new fame and status, should she obtain it, is because of the beautiful work she does or if these other ponies are only humoring her to further their own goals. She wants to be the kind of pony that others look at, a trendsetter, and this would be a hollow way of achieving that."

Doug sighs, pausing a few seconds before continuing, "If any of the mares were openly against the idea, it would have been Rainbow Dash. She was worried about me being taken away from them, of Cadance deciding that she needed more time with me, or that I should spend more time with her, Cadance's, foals. She values the time we spend together and probably gives prospective mares the hardest look of any of us. She wants to make sure that everything is for the good of the herd."

Celestia nods, "She is devoted, almost to a fault. And Fluttershy?"

Doug considers, "Well, Fluttershy would have been the one that went along with it the easiest, but also would have been the most negatively affected. She already is pushed to the sidelines a lot of the time. She doesn't have a foal yet, she isn't as close as Applejack and Rainbow, or have the same loving yet antagonistic relationship that Applejack and Rarity share. She is close to Rainbow, but has a hard time making the same effort to really know the others. Adding Cadance would only complicate things more; sure, it would take the spotlight off of her, but I don't think she is better left in the shadows."

Doug sighs, thinking how to explain the last mare. "Pinkie Pie... well, I think she would enjoy being with Cadance. From the little I've seen or heard, Cadance is a truly loving mare, and Pinkie would compliment her well. I don't think Pinkie Pie would mind if Cadance joined or not, the mare truly enjoys life no matter what happens. But that isn't enough of a reason to add Cadance to the herd."

Doug shifts, moving his hands to the back of his head, "I saw how each of my mares would have reacted, but ultimately I made the decision based on my own reasons. While I don't doubt that Cadance is a wonderful, loving, and caring mare, I don't know her. Personally or as royalty. I don't want to start something so serious with a mare I barely know. For a similar reason I don't consider studding an option. If Cadance had another pony that she would share the duties with... I mean, I'm sure you could hire a nanny or two in order to help her fulfill those duties. But I would feel a lot better about it if there was another pony involved." He sighs, pausing a moment before saying, "I recognize that it would be her right, her choice if she did want me to stud with her. However, that isn't a decision she should make now, not coming off of this. She needs somepony just as devoted to her as to the foal that, I hope, would be theirs."

Doug looks to the sky again before continuing, "Which brings me to my second objection about herding, I think that Cadance needs a stallion to her self. Not to be greedy or anything, but because she needs somepony who is as devoted to her as I am to my mares here. If taking care of a low magic unicorn foal has shown me anything it's that I would be woefully unprepared to take care of a normal unicorn foal, much less an alicorn foal. But, I think when Cadance gets more involved with her duties as a Princess and a leader she won't be able to give the foal the attention it deserves, and I would not be able to fill that gap." Doug goes silent, the two staring up at the stars.

Celestia ponders before responding, "Doug, thank you for taking the time to talk to me. Ultimately, I think you made the right call, not that you need me telling you this. Cadance expressed to me a similar concern as to your feelings, and I am glad that you spared her the distress. While I believe that you could have worked things out, it would have been too fast, too much."

Doug stands, brushing himself off as Celestia gets to her hooves. The dust on her coat seems to stay behind as they walk to the farmhouse. Doug opens the door for her and the two walk in, looking at the arrayed ponies. All of the mares seem tired, sitting around with eyes drooping. Cadance, meanwhile, is snacking on an apple, a smile on her face. Celestia begins, "While I know it is late, there is one more matter that I want to bring up. If Doug does not intend, at this time, of siring with Cadance or myself directly I was hoping to observe the next time that you all do. I understand that you will not be attempting for foals this year. Please, let me know next year or whenever you all make the choice to continue growing."

Celestia smiles at the assembled ponies, levitating an apple to herself as Cadance stands, following her to the door. Celestia turns, saying, "Thank you all again for your hospitality. Good night!"

Cadance smirks at Celestia as the two teleport back to Canterlot Castle, winking at the alicorn, "So, Auntie? How was Doug? Enjoyable enough?"

Celestia grins, "Oh, I'll get you back for that, I know you have a crush on that stallion handling this. You know we just talked."

Cadance's smirk fails to go away, "Yes, but I can see how your connection to him has strengthened. Again, how was he?"

Celestia looks again to the moon, "I learned a lot from him. I think enough to reliably predict him. His lack of magic makes things a little more difficult to get a read, but with time it will be there. Hopefully we have enough."

Cadance nuzzles Celestia as the two of them break away, heading towards their separate rooms. "And your student?"

Celestia raises an eyebrow, "The faithful or the firebrand?"

Cadance laughs, "The latter, I doubt even you could get the former to notice him." She laughs to herself, "Well, outside of being a fascinating creature to study and document."

Celestia shares a smile while she ponders, "Hmm, I may assign her to work on his foals. We can see where it takes them." She takes a bite of the apple, thinking to herself, 'these are very good, I should talk to the cooks about procuring more.'

Comments

[everydaygamer]

Well that's a reasonable outcome for the situation, still promises of the possible arrival of a certain 'firebrand' has me excited for the future.

[Heidao]

Glad for the outcome, it leaves room for the future
So, Sunset didn't leave yet or never will? And right there in the end is their out, if Celestia wants those apples, others will follow, and if it means cutting the Rich's out as the middleman, the threats will hold less water.

[AnormalUnicornPony]

Now if Shining wasn't dating her before he probably will be now.

[TwistedSpring]

Did they forget about the deal made with filthy? He cant sire anything out of his herd for 5 yrs

[DarkPhoenixx]

10063816
Ponyville mares. Doug cant try to bring in to herd, or sire any foals w, any Ponyville mare (except Pinkie Pie but he has to wait till after heat season). Also it wasnt made w Filthy Rich....it was made w Spoiled Rich.

[Jack-Pony]

10063816
What is Spoiled going to do if Celestia or Cadence insists? If they ordered him, he would be compelled to obey. You can't say no to a member of royalty...not without joining the eight-pound weight loss program.

[f0st3r21]

She’s going to unleash Sunset Shimmer upon Doug? And then try with Twilight if she fails to seduce him? Celestia’s character here is devious, and I like it.

[MurderP0n7]

mmm it would have been interesting to see Big Pink in the Harem