Twilight was going about her activities in the usual way, when she went out to her mailbox to get her postage. As she sorted through the different bills and junk mail she came across something she didn’t expect. There was a thick envelope with the royal seal on it. This was surprising since usually if one of the princess wanted to contact her they sent her via dragon fire or personal messenger. So expectedly she was rather dubious about this parsel. She figured that she should open it to see what's inside. The letter read as follows:
Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle,
As we are aware of, the are only four alicorns in existence, none of which are male. Unfortunately, we have received news that Princess Cadence is barren. Also, even when Luna and I took mates ( information I give to you in the highest confidence) we were unable to produce any Alicorn offspring. Since you were not born alicorn, we hope you are able to produce alicorn offspring. Luna and I sent messages to a few stallions we think would suit you. Please come to Canterlot to see these fine stallions.
Signed,
Princess Celestia
"So they want me to reproduce the entire Alicorn race?!' Twilight remarked.
Twilight then began to look through the different items in the envelope. Enclosed, were pictures of about a dozen stallions clipped to a sheet telling the princess about their hobbies interests and other things one would find on an standard online dating profile page. As she stood there, looking through the different sheets, a white unicorn with purple mane passes by.
“Hello Twilight. Say, what is in that envelope?” said Rarity.
“Nothing!” She said as she tucking the envelope and its contents under her wing.
“Okay then…” Rarity replied. She kept on going about her business, despite her friends odd behavior.
With that, Twilight began to mumble something like. “How does she expect me to make such a grand commitment with stallions I hardly know…?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A train, traveling to Canterlot, speed on steel tracks shining in the noon sun. As the train was pulled along, a door to one of the emptier cars slid open and a mare in a thick body covering shall, large brimmed flowery hat, and horrendously unattractive sunglasses walked in. Twilight, the mare under the costume, sighed and took of her disguise, that she put so so none of her friends noticed her leaving. As she took of her hat and suddenly Pinkie Pie then leaped out of her hat and screeched “WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!!?!!”
The surprised Twilight screamed and fell on her back, causing the papers tucked under her wing to fly all over. One of the leafs of paper then slowly floated down and landed on Pinkie Pie’s muzzle. “Oooohh who’s this good lookin’ stallion?!”
“Umm.. NOPONY!” Twilight exclaimed, as she used magic to gather all her papers back under her wing.”
“If he’s no pony, why don’t you want anypony to know your going to Canterlot to meet him? Unless...” Pinkie pie then learned at Twilight. “You're an assassin masquerading as Twilight and that’s the pony you're going to kill!”
“Pinkie, I’m still me.” She said with a deadpan expression.
“Then prove it!” Pinkie said as she pressed her muzzle into her face.
With the straightest face ever, Twilight says. “The secret ingredient in your sister rock candy is rocks”
She then backs up and says. “You win this round, Twilight-Assassin, but I got my eye on you” Then she proceeded to put her hat down her entire body, just disappearing under the head wear.
Twilight then sighed and looked through the papers one ,more time.The rest of the train ride to Canterlot was blissfully uneventful. Soon enough, the train pulled into the station, and Twilight started trotting towards the castle.
Luna and Celestia were waiting in the ballroom. She then bows herself to the princess, which gracefully bow back.
Celestia then smirks and says, “Greetings, Twilight. Have you looked over the profiles of the stallion’s I have sent you?”
“ Yes Princess, but...” She said as she looked up into her former mentors eyes. “I’m not sure if I’m ready for a romantic commitment like having a child with a stallion I’ll hardly know...”
Celestia quietly chuckled for a moment and then said “Twilight, I’m not forcing you to marry him right away, you’ll have as much time as you need to get to know him.”
Twilight then hung her head. “I’m just not sure if I’m comfortable dating with this much pressure on me.” She said. “I mean you're asking me to persevere you entire race.”
Luna then spoke up, “We truly are sorry for the stress we must put you under. But as we have explained, there is no other alternative.”
Twilight sighed, “How long until the stallions arrive?”
“Within the week,” Celestia answered. “We have provided rooms in the castle to house you and your suitors as they court you.”
Twilight sighed again and nodded at the princesses, and was then lead to her room by a guard.
~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, in the Canterlot Royal Library, a stallion with a pale yellow coat, scanned selves upon dust covered shelves of books with intelligent brown eyes. He wore a nice brown sport coat that covered most of his midsection comfortably. His golden magic aura surrounded his long slender horn as he removed a book from the shelf, with an aged leather binding and yellowing pages.
He blew the dust of the front cover of his chosen book so he could see the title, which he read to himself. “A Guide to Courting and Chivalry,” He then turned to the front page and read. “First printed in Ice Point City, on the fourteenth day, in the first month, of the eighth year of the reigne of our monarch, Princess Platinum.”
He smiled and thought to himself, Something written to help the suitors in the old unicorn court would certainly help me in my endeavor.
In fact, Goldheart, the stallion in question, was one of the ponies selected by Princess Celestia to be one of Twilights suitors. He was not one of the first choices, he didn’t particular come from a noble family or have good breeding. But he was known to be scholarly and intelligent, which they thought Twilight would like...
