Chapters A letter appeared before the two rulers of Equestria. It bore the seal of Stabalia. Celestia sighed and opened the letter.
"IRON HOOF!!"
Those two words were written large enough that nothing else fit on the parchment. Lna sighed before summoning a scroll and quill. She hating wrote a reply.
"ART THOU ASKING FOR A WAR, MIDNIGHT MOON AND NOON SUN? THOU SHOULD RULE WITH LOVE AND TOLERANCE!!"
She hoofed the parchment to her sister who nodded her head. She sealed it with their royal seal and sent it off.
In Stabalia
A scroll appeared before the three members of the Royal Family. It bore the mark of the Celestial Sisters.
"Dear, it's just going to say 'do you want a war? Rule with love and tolerance'. Of course, it will change slightly, depending on who wrote it. Why open it?" Midnight Moon asked her husband.
Noon Sun looked at his wife, who nodded. Without opening the letter from Equestria, he wrote his own and sent it away.
"Daddy, must you and the Celestial Sisters fight? You say you don't want a war, yet you keep agitating them. Why don't you try to come to some sort of agreement? They can rule their way and we can rule ours." Princess Sunrise Glow said.
Noon Sun looked down at his daughter. He was not ashamed to say that she was the most beautiful mare he had ever seen, which was hard to do. His wife was beautiful, but they both agreed that Sunrise had long ago surpassed her beauty. Sunrise's coat was a pink so light that it almost appeared white, and her mane and tail and tips of wings were a few shades darker.
"Sunrise, it isn't that simple. We let the silly disagreement get between us. Even if we both agreed to leave each other alone, it would still leave us at unease with one another. Though I may know of one way to fix that. Your mother and I discussed it, and we agree." Noon said to his daughter.
"Really? What is it?" Sunrise asked. At that moment a letter appeared before them.
"One moment." The King said as he read the letter. "Celestia agrees. Sunrise, you are to be married to Princess Celestia's nephew, Prince Blueblood!"
"Oh my gosh…Daddy no! Just no! I don't know anything about him!" Sunrise protested.
"Darling…" Midnight began. She was interrupted by the throne room door opening.
"My dearest Princess Sunrise Glow! I am here to pronounce my love and adoration to you! Your beauty is incomparable, and your grace like…" the poor stallion didn't get a chance to finish before a cranky father teleported him away.
"Did I mention it would help stop that?" He asked through gritted teeth.
"It just isn't fair! I don't even get to chose who I marry! Daddy, Mother, please! I beg of you, do not make me do this!" A very upset Alicorn begged her parents.
"I'm sorry, Sunrise. Our decision is final. You are to marry Prince Blueblood. Pack your things, we leave for Canterlot tomorrow." Midnight Moon said. She watched as her daughter raced to her room with tears running down her cheeks.
Canterlot Castle
"You WHAT?!" Blueblood cried. "I will not marry a pony any lesser than I am!"
Celestia resisted the urge to strangle her nephew. "Maybe it's just torture to do this to a pony. No pony deserves to be stuck with Blueblood for an eternity. Still, Noon Sun knows what Blueblood is like, and he must have told his daughter before she agreed." She thought. But what she said out loud was: "Blueblood! It's for Equestria!"
"I don't really care, to be honest, aunty." Blueblood said.
"BLUEBLOOD!" Luna shouted in shock. "HOW IS IT THAT THOU CAN CARE SO LITTLE ABOUT THY HOMELAND?!"
"Well, Auntie, I want to watch you two kick Noon Sun and Midnight Moon's flanks and take over their land. That way, as one of your immortal heirs, I am sure to inherit a bigger portion of land." He explained, slightly scared of his aunt's angry shouts.
Celestia groaned. It really was their stupidest idea to make Blueblood immortal. At least Twilight, Cadence, and Shining Armkr were also immortal heirs.
"Blueblood, why don't you go prepare for her arrival tomorrow?" Celestia asked as calmly as she could.
"Tell me this much, how much less good-looking than me is she?" Blueblood asked.
"Blueblood! She is beautiful! Now go make sure she has one of the best rooms in the castle! And I mean the best open one!" Celestia said as her patience grew thin.
"She's probably a hideous hag." The Princess barely heard him mumble. They sighed in unision.
"Oh hi…Blueblood? Are you alright?" Cadence asked as she passed her cousin.
"Ask our ever so loving Aunts." He mumbled sarcastically. He stomped off and shouted at servants with his head held low and his ears turned angrily.
"Um…Celestia? Luna? What was that about?" Princess Mi Amore asked.
"We found a way to settle our differences with Stabalia." Luna announced.
"That's wonderful! Why did that upset Blueblood?" Cadence asked.
"Well…King Noon Sun came up with the idea. Blueblood and his daughter, Princess Sunrise Glow are to be married." Celestia announced.
"WHAT?!"
Celestia sighed "why are we the only ones that think this is a good idea, Luna?"
"Celestia! You can't arrange marriage and expect them to be happy together!" Cadence cried.
"Well the only way that she would be okay with marrying him is if she was like him." Luna countered.
"No pony is like Blueblood." Cadence thought.
"If it is alright with you, auntie, I'll take care of her room." Cadenza said. Her aunts nodded and she went and had to stop Blueblood from preparing the worst room in the castle.
Author's Note
YAY! You read my story! THANK YOU! YOU ROCK READERS!
Sunrise Glow groaned as she stood by the train station. Her parents had insisted on getting there early. They had learned about her ability to stall on her first day of school. Sunrise had managed to get to kindergarten an hour and a half late. If she was a normal kid, the she would have missed the whole day, but she had a million servants bustling her about. Sadly, her parents were not to be stalled that day.
"I still say this is a bad idea." Sunrise mumbled.
"Sunrise! Why can't you just cooperate? It's for Stabalia!" Midnight Moon almost whined at her daughter.
"Whatever, Mother, but I think this is another attempt to get at Celestia and Luna." Sunrise grumbled.
"Whatever it may be, you are going through with it!" She cried out at her daughter, who didn't even flinch under her mother's angry gaze.
"Fine." She mumbled at stared at her surroundings. Then the Pegusi decided it would be a good time for rain.
"UUGGHH!" The princess groaned.
"Why does everything have to happen to me?" She wondered. She tried to destract herself by watching ponies pass by and papers blow. She hated this part of town. It was where the Earth Ponies lived. Sunrise had heard that in Equestria, the races lived together in harmony. That was not how things were in Stabalia. She was convinced that the races living together were simply rumors. In Stabalia, the Earth Ponies had the best housing and gardens, but the place was filthy and no pony cared to clean it up. The Pegusi had great weather, and they had soft furniture, but their hosing couldn't stand a storm, for they were made of clouds. And, though not so much as the Earth Ponies, their part of the town was filthy. The reason for this was that Pegusi were lazy (though they wouldnt admit it) by nature. The unicorns had decent weather most of the time. Their houses were made more for style than anything else. They had by far the cleanest part of the city. The three Alicorns were the royalty. In Sunrise's opinion, the way things were set up here were unfair.
"Darling, the train is here!" Her mother called to her.
"UUGGHH! I. Don't. Want. To. Go." She responded through clenched teeth.
"Sunrise Star Glow. Do not make a scene. Get on the first class car in a regal manor and do not say another word about how much you hate this!" Her father commanded quietly but firmly. His orange magic put a tiara on Sunrise's head. He watched as she lifted up her head and walked onto the train. her eyes seemed to dare anypony to get in her way. Despite her beauty, she had acquired her father's stubbornness and could produce glares almost as menacing as Noon Sun's.
"What will we do with her?" Midnight Moon asked.
Noon Sun merely shook his head and boarded the train with his wife in tow.
on the train, only a few minutes from Canterlot
"I don't know why you're so worried, Sunrise. I have met the lad before! He is quite the gentlepony! A fine match for any mare!" The king said in a desperate attempt to cheer up his daughter.
"Yeah. I just wish I was the pony that got o decide wether we were right for each other or not." She complained. She refused to face her father, and rather opted to stare a the beautiful countryside.
"Dear, just behave. No matter what, you will have to marry Blueblood, so at least pretend you want to! Otherwise the pegusi will schedule a hurricane." Her mother said. Sunrise knew that neither the Unicorns or the Pegusi's homes, or the Earth Ponies' gardens could survive such a storm.
"You wouldn't." She said with a gasp.
"As I tell Celestia and Luna, rule with an iron hoof. I will destroy those peasants if you do it behave." Midnight Moon said it as calmly as if she was offering to by her a new sweater.
Sunrise knew she was serious. "Fine." She said and attempted to stop a tear from escaping her eyes.
blueblood, Celestia, Luna, and Cadence awaiting the train
"For the love of your Luna's Stars and Celestia's Sun! Would you two please call it off!" Blueblood wanted to shout, but he was too prideful to do so in public.
His two aunts adverted their gaze. Celestia chose to help a pony, who had dropped her bags, magically before responding. "Just get to know her, and if you still feel this way then I won't make you marry her. But I'm confident enough that I bet you twenty bits that you'll be alright with her."
"Thank you! And you're on!" He said.
"This is so wrong!" Cadence thought as she spotted the incoming train.
"Oh! The train is here!" Luna said excitedly.
The train stopped and Cadence saw an orange stallion, a silver mare with a black mane, and a beautiful pink Alicorn emerge.
"That's my fiancé?!" They said in unison as they spotted each other.
"I thought that he would at least be an Allicorn!" Sunrise Glow thought.
"She's beautiful!" Blueblood thought. Try as he might, he couldn't see a single flaw in the Alicorn before him. He silently hoofed a bag of bits to his aunt.
"I thought you might!" Celestia said with a smug grin.
"Celestia!" Cadence whispered and nudged the princess's leg.
"Welcome to Equestria, Midnight Moon, Noon Sun, and Sunrise Glow!" Celestia said warmly. Her gaze fell on the pink mare before her, and she was taken back by her beauty. Just a glance and she was stunning, staring at her had no words.
"Thank you, Celestia. We re honored to be here peacefully." Midnight Moon replied. She sounded truly glad to be there, but Sunrise knew better. Her parents were planning something worse than arranging her marriage.
The royalty rode to Canterlot Castle on Earth-bound chariots pulled by Earth Ponies. Sunrise was shocked by the amount of guards Celestia had ordered to protect them.
"Princess of the Sun, if it is not too bold, why do we has so many guards?" Sunrise Glow inquired.
Celestia smiled at the Alicorn. "First, Sunrise Glow, my name is Princess Celestia. We are both princess so you can just call me Celestia. Second, the arguments between your parents and Luna and myself have caused some unease towards Stabalians." Sunrise was shocked at how warm and friendly Celestia's voice was.
"Oh." She answered, suddenly struck shy. Rarely was she corrected kindly, or even spoken to kindly. When her parents treated her lovingly, she knew that they wanted something or they were in public.
"Celestia, may Princess Sunrise Glow and I go tour Canterlot in one of the chariots? It would be a good opportunity to show her around and bond with my future cousin!" Cadence asked cheerfully.
"Don't you think that she and Blueblood should go?" Celestia asked.
"Being stuck with Blueblood immediately after getting here is a good way to scare her off." Cadence aisle red to Celestia.
"If it's alright with her parents, it's fine with me." Celestia said. With the consent of the two other Alicorns, cadence and Sunrise boarded the chariot.
"And tell Shining that I love him when he gets here!" Cadence threw over her shoulder as the two mares drove down the street.
"Where would you like us to take you, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza?" One of the drivers asked. Cadence noticed more pegusi and unicorns in armor following them.
"Oh…just drive us around. Me and Sunrise are going to have a little bride chat. First piece of advice, watch out and make sure a changeling doesn't kidnap you." Cadence said the last part as a joke and she put up a spell so that no pony could hear the two princesses talk. It didn't stop the princess from hearing the guards chuckling.
"I don't get it. Is that some kind of joke in Equestria?" Sunrise asked.
"Let's just say that your wedding can't turn out as strangely as mine did!" Cadence chuckled.
"So, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, are the races separated here?" That one question had been gnawing at the princess's mind since they arrived.
"No, they all live amongst one another here. Otherwise they are weaker. Is it true that they are separated in Stabalia?" Cadence asked. All the reply she got was a nod of the head.
"By the way, please, don't call me Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. I prefer just Cadence. Can I call you Sunrise?" She said trying to get a bit of conversation out of this quiet mare.
"Sure! I guess we're both the same rank." Sunrise said. Scadence suddenly blushed. "What?"
"Um…well… when Celestia said that you two were the same rank, it was kind of a lie. Yes you bear the same title, but she rules a kingdom. She and Luna by all rights should be queens." She said.
"But…we're the same rank, right?" Sunrise said.
"Not really. I rule the Crystal Empire. But I'd still rather you didn't call me 'princess'. We are going to be friends and I don't think using titles helps that." Cadence said.
Cadence was an expert on emotions, and she saw sorrow and fear carefully hidden behind Sunrise's calm expression. She dropped their eavesdropping spell.
"Guards, would you take us to the palace please. I wish to continue our talk inside our rooms." Cadence said politely.
"Yes, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza." They replied and turned the chariot.
"Sturdy Knight! How many times must I tell you to call me 'Cadence'?"
"At least once more, your highness." One of the ponies pulling the chariot replied. Cadence rolled her eyes.
at Canterlot Castle
Blueblood merrily walked down the halls of the palace. What reason had he to be anything but merry? He was going to marry the one mare that surpassed his good looks. And when they were married, he would become heir to Stabalia! And he would gain part of Equestria! It was almost too good to be true.
Almost.
What Blueblood hated is that he still wasn't receiving much of Equestria. He had found his aunts' will, and they had him down for a very small part of the Everfree Forest. He was sure that it must have been a typo. Was he not the most handsome and refined stallion in all of the world? This will said that the elements of harmony bearers were to become immortal and receive land. They were to receive more than he was! It 'wasn't fair.
"When I'm king of Stabalia, I'll declare war on their land." Blueblood thought.
"Prince Blueblood, can I speak with you a moment?" The voice of King Noon Sun said. Blueblood followed him into the King's chambers.
"Blueblood, I am so glad I chose you to be our son-in-law! Sunrise Glow is so excited! I can't tell you how glad I am to have an heir like you taking over after I'm gone!" Blueblood's pride inflated even more each word that the King spoke.
"Thank you, Sire!" Blueblood replied.
"If it is alright with you, I'd like to have little chats about this time everyday." The king said.
"Certainly, King Noon Sun."
"Oh, and one more thing. Please call me Noon Sun." The king said. As Blueblood walked out, an evil grin found its way onto King Noon Sun's face.
"Why don't you want to marry Blueblood?" Cadence asked bluntly as soon as she and Sunrise Glow were in their chambers.
Sunrise's ears flattened against her head. "Oh…what makes you say that?" She asked with nervousness in her voice.
"Darling, I'm the princess of love. I know true love when I see it, and you aren't truly in love with Bluey."
Sunrise snickered a bit at Blueblood's nickname. "Wait! You're princess of love? Can you make me fall in love with…Bluey?"
"WHAT? You want me to make you love a pony? No way. You have to tell me why first, and make it a really good reason." Cadence replied.
"Well, if I don't pretend to love Blueblood and be alright with marrying him, my mother and father will schedule a hurricane that will practically destroy all of the buildings in the city, and several ponies would die as well." Sunrise felt a tear slide down her face.
"That's a really good reason, but still no." Cadence said.
"why not?" Sunrise asked.
"Because, I can't misuse my powers. Changing somepony's emotions is a very serious thing. I won't make you love him, but I can help you, I'll try to get Bluey's manners to come out, and I'll help you learn to stay on his good side. that is the most I can do." Cadence said.
"Oh, alright. Aren't we having dinner with everypony tonight? I don't know what to do, I wish that I didn't have to do this." Sunrise's face drooped to a pout.
"Don't worry, Blueblood nearly flipped when he first saw you, and tonight you will look glamorous! I know a pony that will have you looking pretty as a picture." Cadence announced. "I'll make sure that Blueblood loves you so much that it won't matter what you think of him."
Rarity carefully examined the young mare before her. She was very beautiful, but she could use a little work. "What were you thinking?" she asked.
Princess Cadence smiled. "It's just a dinner between royalty, but we want to make a good impression on Princess Sunrise's new fiancé.
Rarity's face took on a thoughtful look. "I must admit, I've worked with none prettier than you, Princess Sunrise. You're beautiful inside and out, I can tell by how you responded to Sweetie Belle's... helpfulness. Who is the lucky stallion?"
"Prince Blueblood." Sunrise answered.
Rarity turned an angry shade of red. "Why that ungracious ruffian! You have to be joking."
"I wish." Sunrise blurted, and then stuffed her hooves over her mouth.
"Well, we'll just have to make Princess Celestia see how wrong it is for you to marry him. I'm guessing it's an arranged wedding?" Rarity asked, and continued after Cadence nodded. "I agree with the makeup, but I'll have to make the dress. Oh you will be simply stunning!"
Sunrise nervously followed the energetic unicorn into the workroom. Rarity's magic made the room into a creative chaos as her blue aura carried things about and prepared Sunrise for her evening. Measuring tapes flew all around her, and then the hair brushes. three brushes whisked through her mane while two whisked through her tail. The whole time pins and needles flew around, and fabrics shot across the room. Gems seemed to randomly appear, only to be whisked to some other location where Rarity needed them. Makeup floated over and applied it to the Princess's face, and magic tugged her hair into different hair styles. Poor Sunrise had to use all of her willpower not to move. Finally, Rarity let all of her items float back to their places. The newly finished dress placed itself on the Alicorn.
"Here we are! A new dress, makeup, and hairdo." Rarity said, levitating a mirror for Sunrise.
"You look beautiful!" Cadence declared.
Sunrise merely stood and gaped.
Author's Note
Sorry about the LONG absence. I'm so so so so sorry!
Thank you to TheKitten for reminding me that people were waiting for an update!