The Monster and the Crystal Prince

by Revenant Wings

Chapter III - Meeting with the Crystal Prince

Douglas lay awake in bed most of the night thinking.

His biggest problems right now were facing potential punishment from both Captain Gleaming Shield and Prince Tempo. He’d been caught fighting within a week of his arrival, and who knew what that meant for his position among the guard? Not to mention the fact that Princess Celestia had arranged for him to come up and had likely given good reports about him, and now those reports were about to be shattered in a matter of days.

But he soon decided that whatever punishment came his way he would take in stride – he could always find another position and place to live somewhere if it came to that – and turned his thoughts to Storm Shield. To think he could escape the ridicule of Canterlot by transferring! Instead, all he found was a place where they didn’t just mock him but used physical humiliation as well. Douglas felt that ruined his pride more than any stallion underestimating him and beating him in combat could ever do.

By the time the morning came, he was depressed enough he’d considered sending mail to Princess Luna saying he’d welcome the career discussion meeting again and looking at a general office worker or paymaster position. He dragged himself out of bed and headed over to the showers, mercifully empty of other ponies, and washed himself off and made his way down to the cafeteria to get some breakfast and think it through.

The cafeteria was once again filled with the sounds of laughter and conversation, but this time there was no silence that greeted his arrival or looking his direction. In fact, most turned away and kept from looking in his direction too long. Some even flinched or jumped backwards as though he might pounce on them.

Douglas decided the ridicule was worse than being avoided. At least if they spoke to him he could confront them. But now it was all in body language, something which could be attributed to an unconscious reaction rather than conscious thought, even if it was the latter that caused it. Douglas got into the breakfast like with the others and tried to mind his own business like nothing was wrong.

By the time he’d nearly gotten to the head of the line, Gleaming Shield had entered, wearing a light blue metal breastplate and hoofguards, armor of the elite Crystal Guard, and was looking around. As soon as she’s spotted Douglas she trotted over to him.

‘I would like to speak to you in my office, Lieutenant,’ she said, firm but calm.

Douglas looked around. ‘...right now?’

‘Preferably.’ Her tone became softer. ‘Though, if you wish to eat, we can do so after breakfast.’

Douglas looked around. He didn’t want to be reminded of the others avoiding him, and so when Gleaming Shield turned to leave he followed her in step. As he left, he saw Storm Shield looking in his direction and laughing, sure he was about to get in trouble; Douglas was pretty sure of that himself.

Douglas followed Gleaming Shield up to the fourth floor of the building and over to an open door with a sapphire-colored plaque reading “Captain of the Crystal Guard”. In the door was a simple wooden desk, pictures of former captains, and three symbols for the princesses and the prince, the crystal heart in the center and easily the largest of the three.

Gleaming Shield went around the desk and sat down on a pillow facing Douglas before motioning for Douglas to sit on the pillow opposite her. Douglas sat and crossed his legs before looking solemnly at Gleaming Shield.

‘I heard there was a fight in the training center last night,’ Gleaming Shield said calmly. ‘Please explain what happened.’

Douglas gulped even though his mouth felt dry. ‘I went to the training center after dinner to do my mandatory workout. I did the same thing back in Canterlot anyways so it didn’t really bother me. However, a few stallions lead by Storm Shield came in and started mocking me, which they have been doing for the past week. They said I was a monster, then challenged me to a fight while continuing to mock me.’

‘And what happened during the fight?’

‘Storm Shield knocked me over once, let me get back up, then knocked me over again. Then when he tried knocking me over for a third time, I grabbed his hoof to throw him off me and kicked him to push him away.’

Gleaming Shield nodded and went silent in thought for a moment.

Douglas didn’t move. Despite her more petite figure than most of the Guard downstairs, Douglas could see the muscles in her legs and was well aware of the magic of unicorns that made her still a formidable fighter. He hoped he wouldn’t startle her and cause her to lash out.

After a while, Gleaming Shield spoke. ‘It’s a more likely story than what I received from Storm Shield himself late last night.’

Douglas allowed himself to take a deep sigh almost out of relief. ‘Storm Shield came in, Captain?’

‘Said he went into the training room last night for a while. You were on one side and he on the other, but when you saw him, you ran at him and kicked him hard.’

Douglas shrugged. ‘I still have a bruise on my chest if you want to see it as proof.’

‘I don’t need any proof. Prince Tempo himself came in this morning and told me what happened when I mentioned the incident to him.’

‘...he did come there, ma’am. Storm Shield was ready to launch himself at me. I put up my fists in case he did, but the Prince came in and stopped it cold.’

‘Prince Tempo said you had fought well, but your methods were... unorthodox. What say you to that?’

‘I might have been more vicious than was necessary for the fight. But I suppose I was blinded by anger.’

Gleaming Shield placed her hooves on the desk. ‘Fighting is a good way to release energy, but not a way to take out anger. Anger will cloud your thoughts and make you act rashly. Perhaps try things on a dummy if you need to take out anger.’

‘Beg your pardon, but that’s what I had been doing before Storm Shield and his companions provoked me and challenged me.’

Gleaming Shield exhaled loudly. She was silent for a few moments more, not looking at Douglas directly but at her desk or the floor. ‘Has he bothered you at all today?’

‘I had barely gotten to the cafeteria where he was when you pulled me out. I don’t think there’s exactly been enough time for him to do much of anything.’

Gleaming Shield nodded thoughtfully. ‘Prince Tempo sent a new order as to your position and hours.’

‘A new order, ma’am?’

‘The prince said he deemed it necessary. You were originally to go on street patrol for a few weeks and then see if you were to start night patrol.’

‘I would like that, ma’am.’

‘Why?’

The answer shamed Douglas before he even said it, and he lowered his head in shame. ‘Because that way I could show the others I’m capable.’

Gleaming Shield allowed a small smile on her face. ‘We know you’re capable. That’s why you have the rank you do. But the guard isn’t for showing off. It is about protecting the populace and maintaining their safety.’

Douglas nodded.

‘That being said, the prince’s orders are that you are assigned to palace guard duty.’

Douglas looked up, now fully at attention. ‘P-Palace guard?’

‘Did you work in the palace guard in Canterlot?’

‘Yes, I did. That was my former position; not directly overseeing the princesses, but the palace grounds.’

‘Then you will have a lot to learn. However, His Majesty manages all that himself. You have orders to meet him this morning in the palace. Breakfast will be served there.’

‘Yes, ma’am.’

‘Right, then. Go on, leave your things here for now, and follow Gilded Armor to the Prince’s palace. It’s possible you report to Prince Tempo from now on instead of me.’

Douglas nodded then got up and left the room. He left his things in his room and followed one of the guard assigned to take him to the Crystal Palace. Douglas walked through the streets of early morning with nothing but a black collared shirt and white undershirt, another pair of dark blue jeans and his black boots, feeling underdressed for yet another meeting with the Prince.

---

Instead of following him into the palace, the Guard escorting him saluted Douglas and left him at the entry to the lift, leaving Douglas alone in the mostly empty streets. Douglas walked into the lift on his own and pushed the button for the main hall, noticing a hole placed just above the button. The platform rose and Douglas endured a few seconds of silence until the lift stopped and the doors opened onto the main entry hall of the palace.

The muted purple Earth pony Guard with light blue armor that had met him at the station when he first arrived was waiting for him inside the entry hall. ‘Douglas?’ he asked. ‘Come with me; Prince Tempo is waiting for you.’

Douglas followed the Guard into the next chamber and up the steps to the throne room. He knocked the three times once again, then opened the door without waiting for a reply but did not go in. He motioned for Douglas to enter, who walked slowly into the room, then closed the door behind him and walked away, leaving Douglas standing at one end of the hall.

The hall was mostly silent. Prince Tempo was sitting on one of the crystalline thrones on the other side of the room reading a small book aloud. Douglas at first thought that Prince Tempo was speaking complete and utter nonsense. The more he listened, however, the more it did start to sound like a language, but one that Douglas knew none of.

‘Vires amicitiae et virtutis amor. Fortitudo duce cum virtute et pietate ductus est. Ita principem locum obtinet, et discant homines sperent in eo omnino.’*

The Prince looked up from his book and stared at Douglas, who had not taken a step further since entering the room and still stood by the door unsure of what to do. The alicorn smiled.

‘You asked to come in,’ he said evenly, ‘so why didn’t you enter?’

‘Uh... actually you called me in here, I think. And when I came here you were reading and I thought I had disturbed something.’ He was silent for a moment and Prince Tempo was beginning to open his mouth to speak when he realized he’d forgotten something. ‘Your Majesty,’ he said quickly.

Prince Tempo stopped himself short and laughed. ‘I thought I said you didn’t need to call me “Your Majesty”,’ he said calmly. He closed the book and set it on one of the “arms” of the throne. ‘I was simply passing the time anyways.’

Curiosity took over fear and confusion and Douglas pointed to the book. ‘If you don’t mind me asking, what is that book you were reading from? I understood none of it.’

‘It was a manifesto written in the old Equish and created by a philosopher long ago on how to rule,’ Prince Tempo said.

‘So it was not some sort of black magic?’

Prince Tempo looked at Douglas curiously. ‘What do you mean?’

‘I thought it was an incantation of sorts. I did not recognize the language.’

Prince Tempo nodded thoughtfully. ‘You will learn some of it eventually. But first, I did call you in here and I wish to discuss a few things with you.’

Prince Tempo walked down the steps and over to the door on the right side of the throne room. Douglas followed him and was led to a circular room with a tray of coffee and biscuits with butter on a table between two plush armchairs, one pink and one red. Prince Tempo sat in the pink armchair and motioned with a hoof for Douglas, somewhat confused, to sit in the other one.

‘I figured it would possibly be more comfortable this way,’ Prince Tempo said as Douglas sat down.

Douglas didn’t know how this exactly made things more comfortable figuratively, looking at the reclining figure of the pink alicorn across the table from him, though the chair was of fine quality.

‘Now, what do you think of the Crystal Empire so far?’ Prince Tempo asked.

Douglas was caught off-guard by the question. He’d expected a sort of job interview or information about a department transfer or something. ‘Oh. Well, um, it’s rather beautiful. But I’ve been in the barracks most of the time so I don’t really know.’

‘Understandable,’ Prince Tempo said calmly. He levitated the cup of coffee closest to him and took a sip of it. ‘I hope you shall become better acquainted with it in the following weeks and come to accept it as your home. You’ll be out walking the streets often with your job. How do you like your coffee?’

Once more, Douglas was taken off guard by the question. He was used to the formal meetings of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna; Prince Tempo was being rather more casual than he had expected. ‘A little milk and sugar, I guess. I don’t normally like the taste. But, I would like to ask you about my—’

‘We’ll get to that in a moment,’ Prince Tempo said patiently as he poured a little milk and two scoops of sugar into Douglas’ coffee and stirred it while taking a sip of his own. ‘But first, help yourself to a biscuit and tell me why you decided to join the Guard.’

How much the Prince knew about his past that he revealed to Celestia, Douglas didn’t know. ‘I was rescued from a world beyond the mirror by Princess Celestia and her guard,’ he said. ‘Conditions were... not good for me back home, and I came here.’

‘The letter from Princess Celestia didn’t sound like that decision was of your own volition,’ Prince Tempo said.

The whole time they had been speaking, Prince Tempo had kept a warm and ingratiating smile on his face and his purple eyes never left Douglas. Douglas became unnerved by the near unblinking stare and the relative casualness he talked about such things. ‘No, it was not,’ Douglas said. ‘I was nearly dead. But Princess Celestia and the Guard rescued me and helped restore me to health. When it came time for me to get a job here after my citizenship test, I chose to return the favor and join the Guard.’

‘A noble decision,’ Prince Tempo said. ‘And one that seems well-chosen; Princess Celestia and Luna sent up positive reports of your loyalty, integrity, and demeanor.’

His voice was smooth and soft, definitely masculine but at the same time warm and inviting. Douglas was not sure, but felt quite certain that Prince Tempo probably wasn’t going to punish him. He relaxed a little and picked up a buttermilk biscuit sitting on the table and took a sip of his coffee.

‘Why did you decide to take me on up here?’ Douglas asked, deciding to throw a question back. ‘As you may have guessed from Storm Shield, my appearance hasn’t exactly been... well-received.’

‘Princess Celestia says the citizens down there called you a “monster”, yes? I’ve heard the legends, yes, long before Storm Shield was even born. But she also said you were quiet yet kind, fearful yet loyal, hesitant yet tenacious, and solemn yet intelligent and eloquent. Your University grades and your reports from fellow guard members confirmed that.’

‘But why pick me? Why not someone else from down below in Canterlot?’

Prince Tempo stared at Douglas for a minute before a smirk came on his face. ‘You needed the change. You needed to get away. You needed the new start. I was willing to offer that.’

Douglas was unsure of what to think. Prince Tempo sensed his hesitation.

‘You lack something most have: a cutie mark,’ he continued. ‘A cutie mark shows what a pony’s talent is. Once a pony finds their talent, their calling, they are mostly content with their lot in life. Oh, of course, they are subject to jealousies, greed, disputes, and the like. But, on the whole, they’re a happy folk and easy to please once within their element. But you don’t have that certainty.’

‘But how does that relate to your decision?’ Douglas pressed the issue.

‘No other guard would be searching for another position,’ Prince Tempo said. ‘They would be content where they are. But you... as Prince of a place that runs on love and safety and comfort, powered by the Crystal Heart, it would not be fair if I were to take someone else instead of you and give them the chance at the life they want over you, and leave you stuck in a position where you may be content but your circumstances prevent you from ever fully realizing that.’

It was... a strange logic. But Douglas could see the reasoning behind it. Prince Tempo didn’t do it for personal gain even though that was a certain benefit if the University got funding, but because he actually genuinely cared about everyone that dwelt in the Crystal Empire.

‘Which, I suppose, brings us to the subject of your transfer,’ Prince Tempo said. ‘I am extending a job opportunity to you to work not as a mere Guard anymore, but part of the elite Guard that is responsible for me personally: a Palace Guard and escort to the Prince.’

Douglas nearly spat out his coffee. He managed to gulp it down, and managed to make his whole mouth feel dry as a result. ‘...you what?’ he squeaked out.

‘Is that not to your liking?’

‘But again, why?’

‘Based on your previous reports, you have the discipline and order for a Palace Guard.’ Prince Tempo took a calm sip of his coffee and smiled at Douglas again while holding out his left front hoof with a flourish. ‘I recently lost a Guard due to one retiring, and I need to fill the position.’ He repeated the gesture with the right front hoof. ‘You need to get out of the barracks before you’re devoured alive by politics and irrational ponies. It sounds like a win-win situation to me.’ He calmly and smugly put his hooves back in place on the chair.

The offer was near irresistible. Douglas would get away from Storm Shield and whoever else would treat him like that, and he would get to be part of the prestigious and elite Palace Guard as a personal guard to the Prince. Moreover, being close to the Prince, he would likely be treated with respect instead of fear and have a good-paying job.

‘All I need is your acceptance,’ Prince Tempo said silkily. ‘You say “yes”, you undergo a mild psychological examination and you are clear for service. You would live here in the palace in a special dormitory with the other guards, be assigned time on-duty and off-duty leisure time, and receive expert medical care. But the choice is yours; either you stay here and serve me as my Guard, or you go back to the barracks and deal with the likes of Storm Shield.’

Douglas felt his palms sweating. He wanted to say “yes”, but something about the gleam in Prince Tempo’s eye made him feel uneasy. But he only hesitated a moment.

‘...of course,’ he said. ‘I... I want to be a Palace Guard.’

Prince Tempo grinned. ‘Excellent! Follow me; we have delayed breakfast just a bit, but nothing too major.’

Douglas moved out of the way as the rather large alicorn – he came up to Douglas’ chin as opposed to Celestia and Luna who barely made his neck – walked through the door and out onto the balcony. Douglas followed him out and down the staircase, but they went through the door underneath the balcony and immediately found themselves in a large dining room with large bowls of food.

‘Please, sit.’

Douglas looked around. There must have been thirteen chairs. ‘Where?’

‘Anywhere you want.’

Douglas felt the prince watching him as he selected his chair. There were six chairs on either side of the table, but one chair sat at the head. Douglas thought about sitting in the prince’s chair, but restrained himself. Instead, he sat at the farthest chair from the head on the right hand side.

Once Douglas had chosen his seat, Prince Tempo picked up the chair from the head of the table in his blue aura and placed it on the opposite side and sat down in it so that he was sitting next to Douglas.

‘…what was that for?’ Douglas asked, rather confused by the display.

‘The psychological examination: a simple character assessment. You passed.’

That didn’t clear up any of the questions Douglas had in his head. ‘But how?’

‘There are six chairs on either side. Each represents a rank. Meanwhile, there is the chair at the head of the table. That represents my seat, the seat of power and leadership.’

‘But how does this relate to character?’

‘I cannot have a guard be cocky enough to think he belongs in the head, nor one rebellious enough to sit on the left side.’

That made some sense, but Douglas decided not to question any further.

A few other guards came out from the door to the hall with the staircase. ‘Are you done with the assessment, Prince?’ their leader, the muted purple earth pony from before, said.

‘Yes. You are all free to join us.’

Eleven other guards – six female and five male; four unicorns, four pegasi, and three earth ponies – came into the room. Each sat down at the table in no particular order, and settled themselves down to eat, picking and choosing from the various items available. Douglas would have started serving himself if Prince Tempo didn’t tap his hoof on the table four times and immediately gained the attention of the other guards.

‘Attention, members of the Royal Guard. I would like to introduce our newest member. Please welcome Douglas to your ranks.’

The eleven ponies raised a hoof and put it to their foreheads. They all looked at Douglas and chanted as one: ‘Welcome to your new family. We are your new brothers and sisters. We shall stand firm together in the companionship of common purpose.’

A smile appeared on the alicorn’s face. ‘Excellent display,’ he said. He turned to Douglas and motioned for him to serve himself, continuing solely to him. ‘As they have said, we are like family. We are each other’s brothers and sisters. I find that when my guard are close companions they perform their job better and communication increases.’

As breakfast went on and servers brought out large trays with serving spoons, Prince Tempo introduced the other members of the Guard to Douglas. The only one he could remember right away was Crystal Barrier, the muted purple pony he’d met at the train station. Once all had been introduced, they were welcomed to eat breakfast.

Douglas looked around the table, then over to the Crystal Prince. No one was scared of him. No one was afraid of him. He talked with some of the ponies nearby, including Crystal Barrier and a red-colored mare named Ruby Rose and learned a little about their backgrounds and reasons for joining the Guard, which were similar to his in the “wanting to return service via duty to Equestria” part.

And once, when he looked towards Prince D’Amore Temporus, he saw him lift his glass and give him a conspiratorial smile and wink in his direction. And Douglas began to wonder if there wasn’t a further reason for accepting him as a new Palace Guard, one that the Prince had neglected to mention.

---

When breakfast was done and the guards were all heading back to their posts, Prince Tempo motioned for Douglas to follow him once again. Douglas followed him out and back into the throne room, half expecting to go back to the tea room. But instead of going to the tea room they had been before, the Prince took a left and went to the other door.

This room looked more like a war room, with an elaborate desk, shelves of books on either side, and plenty of seating for visitors or meetings. Behind Prince Tempo stood the three symbols of the sun, moon, and crystal heart marks of the three rulers of Equestria, with the crystal heart the largest much like in Gleaming Shield’s office at the barracks. A large window overlooked one of the main roads of the Crystal Empire and let in plenty of natural sunlight, now up and somewhere out of vision of the window.

Prince Tempo went around behind the desk and bid Douglas to sit across from him once again. Douglas picked a seat that would more or less fit his height and sat down in it. Prince Tempo shuffled through a few papers and arranged himself so that he was leaning on his hooves slightly over the desk.

‘Before we begin,’ the prince said, ‘I was wondering what the circumstances of the fight in the training center were.’

Douglas gulped. ‘They mocked me. They wounded my pride. They said nasty things about me because I was human. I couldn’t take it anymore.’

Prince Tempo nodded. ‘So, why did you fight? What reason did you accept the challenge?’

‘Out of anger, and of revenge.’

The alicorn gazed intently at Douglas. Douglas found it uncomfortable, and felt as though the prince was staring into his soul and peering what whatever he found in there. Douglas didn’t know himself what lay in there, making it even more uncomfortable.

‘Is there anything else you have these feelings towards? Perhaps where you came from?’

The gentle manner in which Prince Tempo was speaking made it even more unnerving to Douglas. ‘Perhaps,’ he said guardedly. ‘Perhaps… I should like to go back and show them how I’ve become, maybe use my skills to fight back.’

‘And what would that give you?’

‘A sense of peace. Of knowing I did what I could.’

Prince Tempo got up from behind the desk. ‘There’s something I would like to show you.’

Douglas followed the alicorn through the halls back to the lift to the entrance. But this time Douglas watched as the alicorn bowed his head and shoved his horn into the hole above the button. The alicorn’s horn glowed and the lift started to rise even more. Douglas braced himself as the lift went higher and higher until it eventually stopped and the doors opened.

Douglas was led into a large, long hallway. On the other side of the lift entrance was a set of stairs, while doors populated hall until it ended in a large double door made of crystal. Prince Tempo led Douglas to the double doors and opened it to reveal a large room filled with the deep blue crystal and a familiar object in the center.

‘The mirror…’ Douglas said. ‘I remembered it being transferred here.’

Prince Tempo nodded. ‘It was placed here for safekeeping. The Crystal Empire is more heavily guarded than Canterlot is. Princess Celestia chose to move it, I chose to shelter it.’

‘But… why are you bringing me here?’

‘If you wish to go back, you may step through.’

Douglas looked from Prince Tempo to the mirror, then back to Tempo. ‘Just… right now?’

‘Of course.’

The calmness in the alicorn’s voice set Douglas on edge. ‘You can’t guarantee me returning to where I came from.’

‘No, I cannot.’

‘Then, why do you offer this to me? Is this punishment for something I’ve done?’

‘No. But you’ve already seen what happens to people in your place, I’ve heard.’

Douglas flashed back to the barren wasteland and the pit filled with burned bodies torn apart by gunfire. He nearly vomited where he stood.

‘Is that worth getting revenge? To be cast away like they were?’

‘I will not be cast away…’

‘But with training in the University, you can set the frequency to go back. You can return and become like a ghost, like one brought back from the dead. You have the power to change it. To show them they are flawed. Would that not be worth it?’

‘You wish for me to leave?’

‘No. I simply want you to consider the consequences.’

Despite his awe at the mirror, Douglas was soon wracked with hatred upon seeing it.

‘Take me away from this thing!’ he cried out. ‘I don’t want to be reminded of what I’ve seen! Of what could have happened to me!’

He fell onto the floor and covered his head with his hands. ‘My hatred burns ever more at them for what I’ve seen, and yet I do not wish to end up like that! I have already suffered too much. …perhaps it’s better that I go back, that I shall not have to endure the pain again.’ And he wept.

It was a strange thing to Douglas that he was crying. Not that he had not cried before, but of what he was crying about. This place he had entered, with all the problems he had encountered, was still better than there. He did not cry for the fact that he could not go back without being killed, but because he did not want to. His thoughts of revenge felt futile as he stared and remembered what they had done to his kin, and he found himself mourning his lack of strength and will to fight, a far cry from what had been done the previous evening.

A hoof fell gently on Douglas’ shoulder. He looked up to see the Prince sitting on the floor much like a cat, one of his front hooves gently patting his shoulder. The Prince smiled at him.

Douglas whimpered and his face fell back to the floor. ‘I am nothing but a refugee without a place to call home.’

Prince Tempo placed a hoof to Douglas’ chin. He gently raised Douglas’ head up, and soon the rest of his body followed until he was kneeling on the floor facing the Prince. ‘You have a home,’ the alicorn said soothingly. ‘And you have a family now.’

Prince Tempo placed a hoof around Douglas, who fell forward into the alicorn’s embrace. It wasn’t long before Douglas felt something soft and feathery surround his back, pulling him closer to the alicorn. The pink coat was soft and Douglas resisted pulling away, merely leaning on the alicorn’s chest as he tried to calm himself down.

‘“Vires amicitiae”.’

The words stunned Douglas out of his reverie. ‘…what?’

‘“Vires amicitiae”,’ Tempo repeated, his voice soft and slow. ‘‘With friendship comes strength’. I know you feel week, but give us another chance. Perhaps you can make some connections here, and your strength shall return.’

Douglas nodded. ‘I can try.’

Prince Tempo released his wings from around Douglas and let him go. Douglas stood upright and brushed himself off, smoothing the wrinkles from his shirt.

‘I will have to tell Gleaming Shield that another change is taking place,’ Prince Tempo said. ‘You are to stay here with the other members of the Royal Palace Guard, and you will be among the entourage that joins me in going around the city and being among the populace.’

Douglas nodded. ‘If I may ask what brought about this change, your majesty?’

Prince Tempo turned slightly so that Douglas could see his side. ‘Do you see my cutie mark?’

Douglas nodded. The bright blue crystal heart and gold adornments were not so easily missed.

‘Celestia commandeers the sun. Luna commandeers the moon. I am in charge of love. A strange talent, to be sure, but it is through a kind of love – platonic love – that keeps everything in harmony, from the sun and the moon to simple bonds between two ponies.’ Tempo straightened himself out. ‘I sense it’s been a while since you had that bond.’

Douglas said nothing. But when the Prince offered him another hug, he accepted it immediately.

Comments

[Death2205]

I like it

[Slslslfkfjgnngjf]

That blank spot says "They're not married here."

[222leslie222]

aww you made him a wimp

[Even Evil Has Standards]

But what if someone sat on the left side out of choice and wasn't rebellious?

[rikithemonk]

The gentle manner in which Prince Tempo was speaking made it even more unnerving to Douglas. ‘Perhaps,’ he said guardedly. ‘Perhaps… I should like to go back and show them how I’ve become, maybe use my skills to fight back.’

‘But with training in the University, you can set the frequency to go back. You can return and become like a ghost, like one brought back from the dead. You have the power to change it. To show them they are flawed. Would that not be worth it?’

In a totalitarian state based on 1984, like his world seems to have been modeled after, he would be fertilizer within three hours. One thing humanity is extremely good at is eliminating problems once they've determined play time is over.

That being said, I'm liking this fun story. So far, well done.

Monk
“Because we killed all of the monsters we ever ran into, save for ourselves and Death. What better way to respect death than to give it the form of the only monster we could never kill?" - WhatMustIDo