What is the worst thing that you could ever imagine? Would it be the monsters hiding in your closets and beneath your beds, is it the fear of heights or drowning? Do you fear death itself? My fears are a little less substantial than that of foalish tales and the stories that parents tell their young ones. What I feared has already come to pass, the thing I fear the most out of anything else in this entire world, is being forgotten the silence of not being recognized by even what used to be your closest compatriots, it's a silence that deafens and rings throughout one's head.
I apologize for not introducing myself earlier, my name is Prince Eclipse Star, I'm the captain of the E.S. North Star and the Equestrian Navy. The first ever nautical and aeronautical ship. In much more simple terms I'm in charge of a ship that can float on the sea and take to the skies. It's a design I made myself and I'm quite proud of it. I'm an Earth Pony I have a white coat similar to my mother's and a dark brown mane, alongside my black beard and sea-foam green eyes courtesy of my dearly departed father. My cutie mark is that of an eclipsed sun over the ocean. Make of that what you will, but I believe it was a call to adventure. Three indomitable forces of nature all right there stamped upon both sides of my flank two of those forces already controlled by my very own mother, the immortal Princess Celestia, the third one beckoning like a siren's song. I knew my fate lay within the waters as soon as I knew how to swim.
However, because of the position that I was born into I knew that that fate would have to be one that wouldn't last for long. Mother grew tired of attending meetings, the pressures of the school for gifted unicorns, running the country, raising the sun and moon, as well as training her personal students at the same time. Anypony that of whom weren't blind could see that she had stretched herself far too thin. So I had slowly but surely started attending the meetings alongside her, helping her with the day to day in order to ease her burden and prepare myself for the ascension to the throne.
Looking back, I can see how mistaken I was. I was just a colt hoping to win the affections of his mother hoping to help out the best I can when she had already placed her affections in another. A unicorn by the name of Twilight Sparkle. This was the same unicorn...well....former unicorn that I had now stood across from in the throne room of canterlot castle. My green eyes holding a steely gaze with her deep purple ones. My eyebrows furrowed as I stared a hole straight through her as she readjusted herself in the throne, she took one look at me and recognized who I was immediately. Her dragon didn't have the benefit of memory at the time but Twilight did remember who I was. I walked up to her, stood even with her shrinking in the throne and I only said two words.
"Get out."
Thus the throne room was emptied. I was sat upon the steps leading up to the gilded chairs, the seats of power, the center of the nation. The thrones were empty, the room was empty save for myself and the guards that were scrambled to my position, I looked up to see a litany of spears pointed at me, the pegasai with their bows, arrows notched and at the ready. The only thing I did was kick the false ruler out of my mother's throne and proceeded to sit down and eat an apple. The guards flinched each time I took another bite of said fruit. Waiting for me to do something other than eat. I rolled the half eaten snack around in my hoof before balancing it once more and taking another bite. My gaze still lording over the guards of the palace.
Their armor was polished to the point that it was giving off a glare, and their spears were nice and shiny. Which told me one thing, they were inexperienced. A good guard will keep his armor and weapon in good condition, make no mistake about it but there has never been such a thing as a perfect spear. Spears will get dropped, tossed into the dirt, stuck into target dummies, the edges and tips of the spears will roll and round themselves out, but still be sharp enough to impale. Armor will dinged, tarnished, bumped, and dulled; however it will still be tough enough to stop a spell, arrow, spear, or hoof or claw or fist or what have you. This is something that every experienced guard or soldier will know. The perfect little soldiers, with their shiny toys, and their heavily inexperienced minds. Their show of force was one comparable to a foal waving a stick at a full grown stallion. It's cute, but at the end of the day you know who has the real power, and it isn't these guards.
The sound of multiple hoofsteps rang out through the corridors preceding the throne room and finally those big golden doors were lit up in a similarly golden aura. They were flung open to see my mother in her full glory a face I've seen very few times before because after the first time I was too scared to even try and act up around her again, not without good reason. She wasn't angry, she was livid. When she's livid she'll make a grand speech. Typically overusing the word of, and making a vague thing about her being the princess of the sun.
"I don't know who you think you are coming into Canterlot and kick Princess Twilight out of her castle but you had best be prepared to face the full face of the wrath of the sun before you experience your last moments of-" She stopped herself, when she got a look at just who she was threatening. She took several steps back before gasping, and behind her were several other alicorns. There was a dark blue one I hardly recognized beside from story books and very old paintings. Then there was a pink one who I knew very well, and there was Twilight. Twilight accompanied by several other ponies of varying races.
"Tia, why did you stop?" The dark blue alicorn asked, "Pray tell, who is this pony?"
"It can't be, it's impossible." My mother only muttered.
"My name." I began somberly, "Is Eclipse Star. I am Captain of the E.S. North Star and the Equestrian Navy. I am also the son of Princess Celestia, that of which would also make me Prince Eclipse Star and heir to the throne of Equestria." I stood up, "Ten years ago, I was given the task to chart one of the last parts of the Celestial Sea and because of a storm I was thrown off course and sent into the unknown. Therefore I circumnavigated the globe to find myself back into Horseshoe Bay. And when I returned, I found that someone besides my mother was sitting on the throne, another alicorn no less. So, mother; when were you going to inform me that you had already found my replacement?" I asked the stunned silent alicorn. The guards had now lowered their spears looking to the white alicorn for answers.
She could only look back at the eyes staring at her and then look to me, my steeled gaze upon her. She could only squeak out a measly joke. "It looks like we have a lot of birthdays to catch up on?"
Explanations and Expectations
After my mother's inappropriately timed joke the only thing filling the room at the moment was silence. I hated silence, because all that meant was there was soon to be a storm on the horizon. This is a storm that has been brewing for a quite a while, I don't know if it will reach its peak here however. The tension was palpable and mom had done a poor job of trying to relieve it. The eyes of all the ponies in this room were on her, and for the first time in a long time. She was crumbling under the pressure, I was making her squirm just as I had seen her do to others when I was attending meetings with her. I couldn't help but smirk at how the positions had been reversed for the first time in my life.
The tension in the room was broken by the cyan pegasus that accompanied Twilight back to the throne room, "Alright, if nopony is going to say it then I will." She flew right up to me and asked, "If you're the Prince of Equestria, then how come we have never heard of you?"
"That's a very good question," I replied to her, "I'm sorry I didn't catch your name, I believe it has something to do with Rainbows?"
"Yeah I'm Rainbow Dash, Wonderbolt Extraordinaire!" She replied cockily.
"The reason nopony has heard of Prince Eclipse, is because..." Twilight trailed off and approached me, "We all thought you had died, no ship could have survived a storm like that, and we found pieces of your ship that had washed ashore."
"The pieces we had lost were superfluous at best and if you recall, the North Star is a prototype Air to Sea ship, we used the winds and momentum of the storm to launch us into the sky. Yes she took some damage and we lost some of our tools, but all ships can be repaired." I explained, "Because we used the storm to launch us into the sky, we were thrown way off course from our original destination."
"Even then, it should've taken you only a few years to get back." Twilight mused.
"And we would have, however the stars kept changing on us every night after 2 years of sailing. Our navigation was thrown out the window when we couldn't find our bearings. Have you ever tried to read a book with the page order constantly changing?" I asked her.
The dark blue alicorn blushed at that. Which didn't go unnoticed by me. I held my tongue though, summoning the royal guard, the princesses and these strange mares that I didn't recognize has already caused enough alarm. Then the pink alicorn stepped forward, skepticism lining her face she walked up to me and said one thing. "Through guiding stars."
"And solar winds. I will always find my way home, no matter the challenge nor distance. That is my promise." I finished, "It's good to see you again cousin."
She couldn't help but split her face into a grin and hugged me as tight as she possibly could, "I'm so sorry!" She blurted out.
I reciprocated her gesture with gusto, "My how you've grown Cadie."
"Not as much as you have Clipsy." She used my old foal nickname. "You need to shave."
"It's not easy to find a razor and shaving cream when you're out on the ocean." I chuckled, then looked her over. "You recently had a child didn't you?"
She took a step back, "How did you-"
"I became very good at reading ponies over time, those bags under your eyes are indicative of one thing. A foal crying at random times in the night begging for their mother or father. Speaking of which, who is the father?" I asked and Cadence blushed.
"It's Shiny." Cadence said.
"Ah, The up and coming Captain of the Guard. Let's conclude our banter later. I'm sure we all have questions to be answered, especially me." I picked up my things that I had brought with me, throwing the now apple core into my saddle bags. "Shall we reconvene in another more...private area of the castle?" I asked my mother.
"Yes, lets." Was the only thing she could mutter from her state of shock.
The royal apartments were as I remembered them to be, well...almost. My apartment had been converted into an apartment for my now Aunt Luna. Whom I found out was responsible for the stars changing and throwing me off course every so often. We had assembled in the apartment of my mother, which looked more barren then I remember. After everypony was poured a relaxing cup of ginseng tea, we had sat down and started out discussions about the state of royal affairs and what had happened since I had been away. "So if I'm hearing you correctly," I started after so many things were exposed to me. "On the day of the 1000th summer sun celebration, the old foal's tale known as Nightmare Moon had turned out to not only be real, but had escaped her imprisonment on the moon. Only to be thwarted by your student and her friends after they had rediscovered the ancient weapons of magic known as the elements of harmony not only saving Nightmare but transforming her back into Princess Luna, which happens to be your sister, or my aunt. Then Twilight was assigned to stay in ponyville and learn about the magic of friendship, saving the nation time and time again and becoming an alicorn princess in the process and now you have selected her to take the reigns of this nation while you retire?" I asked.
"Um...yes?" My mother said shyly.
"No." I replied.
"What?" Twilight asked, "What do you mean no?"
"I'm going to challenge this." I replied, "Not the part about my mother retiring, but the part of leaving you in charge." I told Twilight.
"But it's already been decreed, you can't make her undecree it." Cadence said.
"And what of the High Court?" I asked Cadence.
"Um..excuse me." The yellow one who I believed was named Fluttershy piped up, "I'm a little lost here, what is the High Court?"
"Back when my mother and aunt took over raising the sun and moon and when they decided to start leading Equestria, there had to be a balance. The three pony tribes wouldn't just give away the rights to their land over to the sisters without some way to determine if what they were doing was out of line, just because you're a ruler doesn't mean you're above the law. You represent it, but never above it. So the High Court was made, that way if it was determined that the rulers were out of line in any way shape or form when it comes to ruling that they would be held accountable. The High Court consists of 99 individuals that have the power to overrule a law that is set in place by any of the princesses, 33 unicorns, 33 pegasai, and 33 earth ponies. These individuals must have stellar knowledge of the law and its proceedings. However, the only way to overrule a decision made by the princesses it must be an 75% vote and after the decision is overruled, all members involved in the decision must immediately resign and name their replacements. This is to ensure that no corruption is to take part in the next decision." I explained.
"So you're going to challenge the fact of Twilight being named Equestria's sole ruler?" The one named Applejack asked, "What did she ever do to you?"
"Nothing, Twilight is completely fine. I don't even hate nor dislike her. It's about the fact that I was prince and heir to the throne of equestria before Twilight was even made into a princess." I said.
"But everypony thought you had passed." My aunt pointed out.
"Everypony also thought that Starswirl the Bearded had died as well but he's walking around no older than he was 1000 years ago, and you resumed ruling after your...excursion and everypony thought you were naught but a tale. Would it be too far of a leap for me to resume my duties and to inherit the throne after my detour to get back home?" I asked her.
Twilight gulped, not because he was right in some senses, but because he had a point. He was a prince before she was a princess. "So you're going to challenge the decision that your own mother made?" Twilight asked.
"It wouldn't be the first time." I said as I sipped my tea.
"Excuse me, I have a question." The one that I believe was Elusive...no wait, Rarity was her name. "Now that the more modern questions are out of the way, how come we haven't heard of a prince before you went on your little...trip?"
"That's a good question, because for all intents and purposes...I just happen to be and you'll have to excuse my phrasing. I'm a bastard, my father was one of my mother's most trusted royal guards and well one night of magic and biology later, she was expecting me. I am still a crowned prince, don't get me wrong. My coronation ceremony was just one done in private as opposed to a public affair. And as soon as I was old enough to understand, I had assisted my mother in her meetings within the castle walls. I've always been there, however no one thought we were ever related everypony outside these walls thought I was mere assistant to the crown." I explained.
"How come you were never announced as a prince of equestria?" The completely pink one asked.
"Take a good look around Canterlot...how many earth pony nobles do you see?" I asked her, "If it were ever to be revealed to the public that I was a prince of equestria at that particular point in time they would have put my mother and I through the wringer. More so her because she never married my father."
"What happened to your dad?" Applejack asked.
"He died of a stroke 15 years ago." My mother explained, "He went in his sleep. Never woke up the next morning." After all the time she spent being silent. "Eclipse you can't challenge this, Twilight is ready to lead Equestria. She and her friends-"
"As selfish as this may sound I don't care what Twilight Sparkle is or isn't. Nor do I care of her friends." I interrupted her, "Twilight Sparkle is all you have ever cared for since she came into your life as a foal!" I snapped, I then realized what I had done. I finished my tea and stood up, "I apologize, I didn't mean for you ladies to hear that. I'm going to take my things and occupy a guest room for the night. Have a good evening." I picked up my things and walked out the royal apartment.
I had finished setting my things down in a guest room and had sat down on a bed, running my hoof over the silken sheets. It's been a long time since I lay in a bed that didn't rock alongside the ocean waves. I sighed and looked out the window, the sun setting and the moon rising. A sight I had seen so many times over the ocean, a relief now that I can see it over land. My eyes grew reddened and misty over the sight until I heard a knock on the door. I cleared my throat, "One moment please." I said with a shaky voice. I wiped my eyes and opened the door to reveal Twilight Sparkle standing behind it.
"Hello Prince Eclipse, may I come in?" She asked.
"Of course." I let her in the room, "I wanted to apologize earlier for telling you to get out. I was shocked to say the least when I found someone besides my own mother occupying her throne and I became very angry. That doesn't excuse me for a lack of tact and poise. So, I apologize."
"Thank you. I appreciate it." Twilight said, and her feathers ruffled.
"Can I interest you in something to drink?" I asked her.
"No thank you, the tea from earlier was satisfying enough." Twilight answered, "I do have a question to ask you, if you don't mind."
"By all means." I replied.
"Do you hate me?" She asked, "I know you said you didn't hate or dislike me earlier but your outburst earlier was making me think."
"It wasn't directed towards you." I muttered, however she seemed to have picked it up.
"What do you mean?" She asked and I sighed.
"To answer your question Princess Twilight, I hold no ill will towards you at all." I said, "In fact, if anything...I envy you."
"You're envious of me?" Twilight repeated, "But...why?"
"Because you hold my mother's attention and affections more so than I do." I explained, "And that makes me envy you."
"But...how?" Twilight could only go through the simple questions as her mind was sent reeling.
"Because...you were a unicorn, and I was an earth pony." I went over to the complimentary bar within every guest room and opened it up. Pulling out a 10 year old single malt scotch and pouring myself a glass.
"That doesn't make any sense, you're her son, her flesh and blood, you're-"
"Not capable of doing magic." I said as I finished my pour, putting the top back on the bottle, "The evidence is as plain as day, all you need to do is look around Canterlot. Eighty percent of canterlonian citizens are unicorns. Thirteen are Pegasai, and seven are earth ponies. Those earth ponies have middle class jobs, and only if their special talent is something that is associated with business. Or have things changed so drastically since I've been away?"
"Not really." Twilight answered.
"All the things I have done, graduating from the Naval Academy at the top of my class, rising through the ranks and becoming a captain, embarking on my own mission to chart the uncharted. Everything I did was a silent prayer to get my mother to notice my hard work and accomplishments, but nothing I did...would ever compare to what Twilight Sparkle did today. Never once did I hear from her lips, 'I'm proud of you Eclipse.' That wasn't the case when it came to you." I took the glass and drank the scotch. Having the soothing burn within my mouth and throat.
Twilight's ears were splayed back against her skull and neck. Her eyes as misty as mine were earlier. "So that's why you're challenging her decision. It's not based upon my ability to rule, it's because you want your mother to recognize you."
"Recognition would be fantastic, that's not what I want. I want my mother to open her eyes, and see me in the same light that she see you. I have no doubt in my mind that she thinks of you as the daughter she never had. I just want her to think of me as the son she did have." I explained, I heard drips. I looked at Twilight to see that she was full on crying at this point. "I'm sorry for making you upset I-" This time I was interrupted, by a hug. Twilight was hugging me. "Why?" I asked.
"Because I'm sorry." Twilight said, "As unintentional as it was, nopony should ever feel as if they were replaced. Nopony should have to feel bad over what they can't do or what they were born as."
I slowly returned the hug. "Thank you." I said shyly.
Twilight wiped her tears. "You're welcome." She looked at me, "Think a reintroduction is in order. My name is Twilight Sparkle, I'm the Princess of Friendship. I love to stargaze and read books. Would you like to be my friend?"
I could pick up on what she was putting down. "I'm Prince Eclipse Star of Equestria, I'm the son of Princess Celestia and Stalwart Star, I love to draw and sail. And, I would very much like to become your friend." I held out my hoof she touched it with hers.
Author's Note
I thought of the High Court because I was inspired by the Admiralty Board for the Quarians from Mass Effect. It’s a good way to ensure what decision the princess makes are for the good of all people. And as far as where they were during Nightmare Moon well that could be considered a civil war and Celestia was within her ability to do so at that time.
How I Learned To Hate Journalism
The fallout of my arrival yesterday caused a media frenzy. The titles from all over Equestria had amused me; The forgotten son, The forgotten prince, The lost royal, The bastard prince. The list could go on and on, it's not a pressing concern to me. Well not an immediate pressing concern. It seems in the time I have been away that some secrets have yet to remain secrets. The columns and headlines had never quoted anypony or creature for that matter but in was obvious that some staff had never heard the phrase 'loose lips sink ships.' I sat at my seat in the dining room surrounded by my fellow rulers and the elements of harmony. I had learned that Shining had become a very well decorated Captain of the guard as well as the prince of the recently re-emerged Crystal Empire. Putting his accomplishments on par with mine. I won't lie in saying that I do hold envy in him for that regard.
I could only chuckle as I sipped my coffee and lay a copy of The Manehattan Times on a growing stack of newspapers. I looked across the table at my mother who only looked more tired and stressed, "What happens to be so funny?" She asked me.
"Well several things for a start, but I'm laughing at the total lack of security that the staff and it seems guards seem to have nowadays." I said, "I never uttered a word of me being your son to anypony except that of the guards and every pony inside this very dining hall. There's also the obscene amount of titles that they seem to have given me." I took another sip of coffee out of my mug.
"That's what I was afraid of." My mother said, "Now that you're known to the world as my son it...complicates things."
"I don't see how, the only thing it does is throw a wrench in your plans to make Twilight the leader of Equestria. Other than that, you can still retire." I said nonchalantly.
"Tia." Luna started, "Please don't do this. Not again." She begged her sister.
My mother looked my aunt in the eyes. "But I just can't sit by-"
"That's not what I'm talking about Tia." Aunt Luna cut her off and stared a hole through her. "We can talk about this in private but not right now. Enjoy the fact that not only is your son alive but is ready to take the reins so to speak. Just look at him, what do you see?"
"I see my son." Celestia said, "I don't see what this has to do with anything-"
"Mother, I have been by your side almost since the day I was born. I have sat next to you when father died, I was sitting right next to you the day after when you had to attend to a meeting for some delegates that I don't even remember what country I was from. I was in immense pain the entire time, but I couldn't frown. I couldn't let my mask slip. I have stood next to you when you wanted me to, and at times that you needed me to. I fought and toiled to get back home to my family, and I thought at long last that...I had finally proven to you, that no matter how hard the challenge I was willing to rise up and overcome seemingly impossible odds, however. Right now the pony I see before me, is even more a stranger to me than when I had left. I had stood next to you for so long, that just for once, just once you would stand next to me." I told her.
"I...I can't." Celestia looked down. "N-Not in front of them." She looked to Twilight and her friends.
"Then when?" I left with that question on her mind as I put the pile of newspapers on my back and headed outside to the castle garden. I missed this place, I took a deep inhale of the mountain air mixing with the assortment of flowers from select countries around the world. To anypony else this would have been a dream come true, to me...it was my backyard. I sat down and reached under a rock, "Please still be here." I felt something other than a rock. "Maybe...maybe..." I pulled it out, "YES!" I pulled out a sketchpad that was wrapped in plastic. The cover was emblazoned with my cutie mark, I smiled to myself as I unwrapped it and opened the pages, the first few pages were simple things, like clouds and stick figures, but they soon became more and more complicated. My drawings were of many thing I had observed, the birds, the trees, myself. Then I flipped the page, to see what was a dark horrid blob of graphite. I remember that day, it was when I was twelve. I asked mother for a small favor.
"You want to do what sweetie?" She asked again.
"I want to make a drawing of you," I told her, "I've been getting really good!" I showed her my photos so far and she smiled.
"That is impressive, and is that Philomena?" She asked me, while pointing at the picture.
"Yeah but she wouldn't hold still, even after I asked her nicely." I pouted then looked up at her.
"Alright sweetie I'll do it, how about lunch at the gazebo? Would that be a good time?" She asked.
"Great then I can grab my good pencils!" I cheered and ran off into the castle. When I got to my room I was rummaging through my drawing supplies and looked out the window at the gazebo. Her lunch was in about an hour or so, I had time to practice. I finally found my pencils and rushed straight to the gazebo, sitting there looking at the birds and the flowers. I smiled and waited, for an hour. Then two, then two hours turned to three. Before I knew it, it was raining. Mother forgot what I asked, mother had always forgotten about me, but whatever her student did, she always had time for Twilight. Soon, the inside of me felt just as cold as the outside. Except I didn't feel wet, I felt...empty.
I heard hoofsteps behind me, "Whatever or whomever you are, I'm not in a conversing mood."
"You don't need to talk, I just want to know if you're interested in listening." The voice of my mother said. She looked down at the open sketch pad, "I remember that day, ever since then you were cold toward me."
"Can you blame me?" I asked her.
"I thought you weren't in the mood to converse." She said and I just gave her a look, "Understood. And...no, I can't blame you. Twilight and I had a conversation."
"How original." I muttered.
"She told me about what you two had talked about last night." Celestia said, "Do you really think I don't love you because you can't do magic?"
"Our history reinforces that statement. The day this happened," I gestured to the ugly page, "I had asked you where you had went, and your response was."
"I had a magic lesson with Twilight, and then we had a picnic." Celestia recalled.
"And what you said after that?"
"You should have been there..." She recalled again.
"You have no idea how much that hurt me." I told her, "So after that. I wrapped this up...and I buried it. Ever since Twilight came into your life, since she became your student, that's all I ever heard about. Twilight, Twilight, Twilight, Twilight!" I shouted. "Every time Twilight wanted something, you always jumped at the chance to give it to her. When I asked for something, I had to wait my turn. AND I WAS YOUR OWN SON!" I let my rage bubble over a bit, then stayed silent for a bit as tears started to roll down my cheeks. "I was wracking my brain for any answer that I could think of, and then it occured to me. Twilight was a unicorn, you could teach her all the things you knew about magic. While I was an earth pony, I can't levitate a rock, or teleport, or even get your attention, Twilight could do all of those things, and more."
She went to put a wing around me but I stood up, "I take it there's more you want to say?"
"You once told me that your mind was like a steel trap, you could remember how many times you sneezed on a day over 100 years ago." I said to her.
"I remember that." Celestia rose to her hooves as well, as I turned around.
"Then why did you forget me?" I looked up to her. My face entirely broken with tears and sadness.
Celestia felt her heart break, as she approached the stallion before her. "Because I was a fool, thinking that by giving you your space that you would flourish, and embrace your own path. And when you did, it didn't turn out well. But it seems I was doomed to make the same mistake over again, with my sister. And you."
"The only thing I have ever wanted to do, is make you happy. To make you proud of me." I mumbled through my tears. "To make things easier for you."
Celestia wrapped her hooves around me, "I am proud of you. I always have been, but I haven't ever told you because I thought you knew. It seems that I was mistaken. For that I am sorry."
I wiped my tears onto my foreleg, as my mother slowly brushed my long mane with her hoof. Unbeknownst to the both of us, there were reporters hiding amongst the hedges of the hedge maze, and they had heard the entire story. I only found this out later. "Mom?" I looked up at her.
"What is it Clipsy?" She used the nickname that she gave me when I was a foal.
"You do know that this isn't going to stop me from challenging to claim the throne." I told her.
"I figured that much. You want me to stand with you, I can't do that without showing bias toward one or the other. Your claim is legitimate, no matter what the marital status of your father and I was at the time. If you wish to continue, I won't stop you. But it will be the most stressful job that you will ever undertake." She warned me.
"I have had to fare rough winds, and an angry ocean. I fought and slew a kraken, while sacrificing several of my closest friends. I had to negotiate with pirates to give me a map that might lead me back to Equestria, I've dealt with angry sea ponies, indigenous tribes of savages that looked like monkeys, and then I went and fought a gorgon, just because I could. My journey had prepared me for the life of being a royal. I just never realized why I was thrown off course until now. I believe that Equestria itself was testing me, to see if I deserved the right to rule, and while I did lose some good ponies, I met and became friends with far more and of equal character." I took a deep breath and released it. "I feel as if I am ready to lead. And if I ever feel overwhelmed I know I will have good ponies willing to back me up and help me when the time is right."
"Well then, I shall not stand in your way Prince Eclipse." She bowed to me after we had separated, "May winds of fortune fill your sails to the fullest and may you find your destination, no matter what trials you may go through."
I cracked a little smile, then looked at her, "You know, I never did get to draw you under the Gazebo."
"Shall we amend that then?"
Author's Note
This isn't going to be a terribly long fic. I feel like capping it at 10,000 words or just 10 chapters. Depending on which one comes first.
