Overcoming Oceans

Your Earth Pony hooves numbly clop against the cobblestone-dotted ground as you pelt through Ponyville‘s bustling street. The muted clatter of the saddlebag you’re wearing does little to help the situation. Ignoring the sweat trickling from your brow, you race around the next corner, the local train station finally coming into view.

Thank goodness you made it on time; you know what your girlfriend’s like when you’re late. You shouldn’t’ve overslept.

Hmm. Your girlfriend. You've been with her for two whole months, yet you still can't get your head around how you managed to land a pony like her.

Upon reaching the station platform, you get the strangest feeling; there’s nopony else on the platform with you, and your train - according to your girlfriend at least - is due any minute now.

Hold on, she isn’t here either. Are you even at the right platform..?

A rising sense of panic stirs within your chest. Oh no. Did you miss it!? Did you miss the train!?

“There you are! Over here!”

Your ears twitch. Your heart skips a beat at the sound of her voice. Well how about that. You’re in the right place after all. Thank Celestia for that!

Turning towards the wonderful sound, you’re immediately met with a bright flash of purple. The unicorn of your dreams appears from thin air - teleportation is her favourite method of quick transport - and lovingly hugs you at a moment’s notice, her violet face adorably snuggled within the crevice of your neck. Upon instinct, you nuzzle Twilight Sparkle in return, letting that fuzzy hum of bliss resonate in your chest. In doing so, you can’t help but notice she used the lavender-scented shampoo this morning.

You‘re no emotional expert. In fact, you’ve not really felt this way about a mare before Twilight came into your life. But you‘d happily call the dizzy feeling true love. Couldn’t be anything else, really.

You release your grip on her before it gets too awkward. Not that she’d mind; she’s fastidious about schedules, about lists, about facts and theories, sure. But when it comes to something as beautifully intricate as love, she takes leave of her schedules and numbers and logic, letting her own passionate feelings take precedence. It’s one of the few times she lets her instinct take over from her calculative side.

“I didn’t keep you waiting long, did I?” you ask.

“Not at all,” she chirps, her deep violet eyes glistening with excitement, “You arrived at the exact time i predicted. So, are you ready to finally meet my brother and sister-in-law? I can't wait to introduce you both!”

She finishes with a high-pitched "Eeeee" sound to punctuate her enthusiasm. You’ve heard stories about the ponies Twilight claims she’s related to, judging by her well-established connections with Princesses Celestia and Luna (you recall both princesses sending ‘get well soon’ cards to Twilight when she was sick that one time) , you have no reason not to believe her.

“And by brother and sister-in-law,” you slowly hazard asking, your eyes cast towards the near-cloudless sky, “you mean the prince and princess of the mythical Crystal Empire?”

“Or just, you know, my brother and my sister-in-law. It’s how I've always thought of them.”

“Ah, no pressure then,” you sigh. To be fair, you had plenty of time to prepare for this meeting. And it's not even supposed to be formal - just a vacation with Twilight's family. But the pressure that comes with you, an earth pony from a lakeside shack, meeting two rulers of a long forgotten empire and approaching them as the lover to their younger, much-loved sister…

A familiar purple hoof reassuringly grasps your equine shoulder. “You’ll be fine. They‘ll love you almost as much as I do, trust me.”

“D’aw, thanks Twilight,” you return her calming embrace with a hoof of your own. But something’s not right. Something you can’t quite put your hoof on… “Oh, where’s Spike? Is he not coming with us?”

Twilight shakes her head, “I needed someone to look after the library and do a few odd jobs while we’re away. Right now, he’s re-arranging the whole library from alphabetical-by-title to alphabetical-by-author.”

“Why’s that?”

“He laughed at your sexy-name again.”

You suppress a chuckle; half from the thought of a tiny grumbling dragon moving books from one end of the library to another, half from recalling the fact that Twilight’s taken to calling you ‘cuddle-fish‘ recently. She has her own reasons for calling you that.

Before long, the distant grind of metal and the hiss of steam beckons your attention. You glance around the station platform as the train - with only two carriages - draws to a stop before you. The only two ponies on the platform are you and Twilight. Before you can remark upon this, one of the train carriages open their doors. A pretty-looking train conductor pokes her head out from the door directly in front of you. You’re mildly surprised to recognise her as a crystal pony.

"Twilight Sparkle plus one?" the gemstone-infused mare asks. Twilight nods politely, prompting the conductor to step aside and grant you both access to the humble train’s cabin. “Next stop, Horseshoe Bay!”

When the doors close behind you, you're instantly enveloped by the warm, well-refined decorations inside. Banners bearing the seal of the Crystal Empire hang alongside each polished window, four comfortable chairs are placed around an ornate table in the centre of the fairly spacious cabin, not too far from a push-tray - manned by another crystal pony - containing cups and cutlery, sweets and other nibbles.

But what catches your attention more than anything else? The two extravagant ponies taking up two of the aforementioned chairs. One of them, a bleach-white stallion, blessed by a two-toned blue mane, turns his head upon noticing you enter.

“Twily!” he briskly gets up from the chair, nuzzling Twilight in a friendly greeting, “Nice to see you brought your husband along for the ride, Twi!”

Husband!? Wha-!?

The stallion bursts into laughter when he sees the blank look on your face. “Ah, I’m just kiddin’,” he extends a fetlocked hoof, “I’m Shining Armor, it’s a pleasure to meet ya! Twilight’s told me so much about you…”

As you shake hooves with the cheerful, hardy stallion, you can’t help but notice he stands slightly taller than you, and as well-built as you’d expect from Twilight’s stories about him serving as a Canterlot guard. Why he’d give up such a position for a role as an empirical prince… well, you’d do the same thing, honestly.

“-and do a little shake!”

You and Shining turn back towards the two fully grown mares giggling like fillies. Twilight’s sense of youth begins to surface from meeting her old foalsitter, perhaps even her oldest friend.

You’ve never seen a princess this closely before, you admit. Everything about this royal specimen demonstrates what a princess should be, from the smoothness of her violet, rose and pale-gold mane to the greatly softened cerise of her coat. Her very presence betrays a sense of pride and strength behind her grace and beauty. You could tell she was the leader of an Empire for a reason.

Oh geez you’re standing in front of a princess right now! Quick, do that thing ponies do in the presence of royalty.

Upon instinct, you lower your two front hooves and dip your head into a bow. “Ah, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza!” you cheerfully exclaim, “It’s an honour to meet you!”

You look up from your bow to find Twilight Sparkle and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza exchanging split-second blank looks. You sense the proverbial record-scratch sounding inside your head; oh no, you didn’t mispronounce her name, did you!?

And then the two mares, both unicorn and princess, start another melodic round of giggling. Er…

“You don’t have to bow to me,” she chuckles, “you’re Twilight Sparkle’s boyfriend! And that makes you an honest-to-goodness friend of mine!”

Did you hear that right!? The train’s only just set off, and already you’re being told you’re a friend of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Prince Shining Armor.

“Oh!” you say rather dumbly, feeling a blush of mild awkwardness as you pick yourself up off the floor. “Thank you, Princess Mi Amo-”

A royally-decorated pink hoof cuts you off; “Please, just call me Cadance. No need for the whole ‘princess’ song and dance here.”

“Well in that case,” straightening yourself out, you introduce yourself the old-fashioned way, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Cadance!”

You extend your hoof in expectation of a friendly hoof-shake. Instead, Cadance smirks and whacks your hoof with a solid bro-hoof.

Yup. You’re going to get along with these two just fine.