"SHIT! DAMN IT ALL!"
Lucky me that I learned the fucking Privacy Spell.
"I should have been more careful! Now Mac is out there doing stars know what because I was too surprised to say anything and to stupid to see it coming, and I can't do anything about it!"
I bury my face into my pillow and let out out a scream of pure frustration.
"I've been so arrogant...did I really believe I could play them all like that?"
I shake my head.
"I let the fact I'm an adult in a kid's body get to my head. It was so easy to manipulate them, because they only saw a somewhat precocious foal. But of course they'd catch on, and me, in all my glorious drunkenness caused by my 'achievements' , would be none the wiser about it."
*sob*
"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry, Mac..."
*sob*
Knock-knock
"WHO THE FUCK IS THIS? CAN'T THEY REALIZE WHAT A FUCKING PRIVACY SPELL MEANS?"
Oh, whatever! S'not like being a whiny little bitch is going to help anyone...
I rub my eyes and clear my throat before I remove the Privacy Spell.
"W-what is it?", I call out.
"Lord Armour has returned, Your Highness.", a muffled voice says.
Shiny?
"Bring...bring him to my bedroom."
"At once."
Ugh, I hope everything went well for him at least.
He soon enters and I close the door behind him, reapplying the Privacy Spell.
"Hi, Shiny, how did it go?"
He smiles.
"It went well! Your teachers are way better than mine!"
"That's good to-", I stop short when I notice something on his cheek. "Shiny, what's with the patch?"
"Oh, t-that? I just hurt myself on the way to the Castle and Mister Compendium insisted on treating it."
"Oh, uh, I fell, um, down the stair. Yes, the stairs!"
Yeah, doesn't that sound sincere and something I've never heard before.
"Shiny, lay on the bed beside me."
"Uh, okay?"
He does so, and when he does I look at him, dead serious.
"Who?"
"W-what?"
"Who did this to you?"
"N-no one! I swear!", he replies, his eyes looking anywhere but at me.
"Shiny, please, tell me."
He turns his head away.
"Why? It's fine..."
"Fine!? It's not fine!", I say, standing up on the bed. "I won't let anyone hurt my friend!"
Again.
"Please, Shiny, I don't want you to be hurt like this."
"It...it doesn't mat-"
"Yes. It. Does."
He finally looks back at me.
"Why?"
"Why what?"
He stands up.
"Why do you care?!", he shouts. "What have I done to deserve your attention?! I'm just a stupid, useless-"
"Shiny-"
"I am! I can't even love my own mother!"
He promptly places his hooves on his mouth, falling on his backside.
"Is that who did it?", I ask.
"It doesn't matter", he says, shaking and with tears in his eyes.
I give him a hug.
"Yes it does. Of course it does!"
"Why? I'm j-just a stupid little colt, whose mother doesn't even love him."
Shit, what do I say to that?
"I...I don't know what to say to that Shiny. But I can with certainty say that you are worth it."
"Why?"
"Call it an intuition, but I just know that you are capable of great things, Shining Armour. You just have to believe in yourself."
"But-"
"No but", I say in a soft voice. "It's my fault that your mother hurt you anyway."
"No it's not! She does it all the time!"
What.
"What."
"Uh, I mean..."
"Shiny, that's not normal. At all."
"But father says she loves me!"
"Of course he would! What kind of father let his son believe he's unloved?"
"So not loving her doesn't make me a bad pony?"
"It's...it's complicated. You only have one mother, after all. But you shouldn't allow yourself to be hurt."
"What do I do then?"
I hoped that I would never have to hear that kind of despair in a child's voice.
"I...don't let her hurt you. She doesn't care about you? Then don't care about her expectation. Continue to learn and grow, not for her, but for yourself. Is there a dream you wish to make true, Shiny?"
He blushes. What? Why?
"Um, yes..."
"Well, you, uh, don't have to tell me. But pursue it. And if your mother can't be proud of you for doing so, that's her loss. And I'll always be there to help you."
Hopefully I won't mess up. Again.
"O-okay. I... I won't let you down."
I shake my head.
"No, Shiny. That has to be for yourself. I can be proud of you, but I can't let you do it for me. Do you understand?"
"I have to do this for myself...if I want to grow?"
"Yes. To grow into a stallion that can love himself without depending on the approval of others. Not that you shouldn't seek it, but you shouldn't need it."
"I understand."
I smile a little.
"Good."
I look at the window.
"Um, the celebration will start soon. You should head back home."
"Oh, yeah. Um, I'll...see you later?"
"Yes, and don't forget what I said. Don't try to provoke your mom needlessly either."
"Okay! Bye!"
And like that he leaves the room.
I hope I didn't mess up even more. If only I had someone to ask for advice...
"Prince, Cadance has returned."
What is she going to say? I hope...
*sigh*
"Show her in."
Cadance steps in and I re-cast the spell.
"Solus, is something wrong?"
Am I that easy to read?
"I...I messed up, Cady."
She hops on the bed and place her hoof on my shoulder.
"What happened?"
"I made a mistake. I thought I was cleverer than everypony and now...now Mac is getting trained to become my weapon."
"Y-your weapon?"
"Yes, because a slave obviously can't be allowed any free will! Stupid, stupid, I'm so...stupid!"
"Do you feel sorry?"
"Wha-of course I do!"
"Are you going to fix your mistake?"
"I-I'll try to!"
"Are you going to apologize?"
"Yes! Of course!"
"Then what's the problem?"
"What's the-I betrayed Mac!"
"You didn't mean to."
"That doesn't change anything!"
"Yes it does! Those who...who hurt me, they wanted to hurt me. You didn't."
"That doesn't make it any less my fault!"
"That's not what I mean. They wanted to. You didn't, and you're going to do something about it. That's where you're different."
Am I...?
"Cady...where did that come from?"
She smiles.
"I always tried to help the others when they came back, even the older ones. I always knew when they felt bad and I had a talent to say the right thing."
"Do you think you could use that talent to help ponies become friends?"
"Uh, maybe? I never really tried."
"You should. I've got a feeling you'd get your emblem with that."
"Really?"
"Yeah." I shake my head. "Thank you, Cady. I have to go. I was waiting for you so you'd be ready for when Mac comes back..."
"I'll take care of him, don't worry. Go."
I obey her and proceed to go to the celebration.
I really chose well. After all, Kindness is empathy and the will to act upon it, and true Love only blossoms between lovers who understand each other. Cadance is a shoe-in for the Element of Kindness.
Hopefully. Maybe I just made another mistake...
No. Believe in your friends. That's the whole point of the Magic of Friendship, right?
At least I won't cause a commotion for once. I'm on time, properly dressed and I didn't do anything in particular. The food is exquisite as always and it's time to mingle.
Except seemingly Velvet won't let Shiny near me. Bitch.
Maybe I wouldn't turn him against you if it wasn't so easy!
"Your Serene Highness, what a pleasure it is to see you..."
I think I'll rip one from Vader's book:
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
I hate nobles. I loathe them. I'd rather take a dip in a volcano than talk to them.
Would that kill me? Probably. If it didn't...
Yeah, no, got enough nightmare fuel as it is.
Bed! YES!
Wait, Cadance first, bed second.
"Hi, Cady."
"Solus?"
"Yeah? Who else would call you that?"
"The feast is over already?"
"Yeeeess? What is it, you're worrying me."
"Mac isn't back yet!"
...
What.
What. The. Fuck.
I run to the window looking over the courtyard. I open it, looking for...
There! A red speck slowly moving!
I jump.
"Solus!", Cadance cry out.
I open my wings and glide over to Mac.
Oh, shit. He's panting and sweating like there's no tomorrow and his eyes are glazed over.
"Mac, stop!"
He doesn't stop. It's like he didn't even hear me!
"Mac, I order you to stop!"
He falls over, barely moving.
"Hey, why did you do that?", a voice says.
I look over Mac's body. It's full of bruise and cuts and blood.
"Why!? He's just a child, damn it!"
"So? I told you I was going to break him down!", Iron Rod replies.
"Then you'll stop!"
"Why? He's just a slave!"
"BECAUSE I SAID SO! I DON'T WANT A WEAPON, I WANT A COMPANION!"
"But he's just-"
"ARE YOU TELLING ME YOU ARE NOT FIT FOR THE TASK?"
"N-no!"
"THEN YOU WILL PROVIDE ME WITH THE GREATEST WARRIOR THERE HAS EVER LIVED! STRONG! DETERMINED! CLEVER! AUTONOMOUS! ARE YOU UP TO THE TASK?"
"Y-yes Sire!", he says, saluting.
"Then you will do so! From tomorrow onward, you'll treat him like your own son. He'll be your pride and joy. Succeed, and you'll be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams."
"Yes, Sire! Understood, Sire!"
"At ease. You're dismissed."
He quickly leaves, clearly completely flabbergasted at how a kid manged to brow-beat him like that. I turn to Mac, leaning over him.
"Mac?"
He doesn't respond, still panting and now shivering because of his sweat and the cool night's air.
"Don't worry, you'll be fine, I pro-", I choke, being unable to say that word. "Hold on."
I lift him with my telekinesis, channelling a bit of warmth inside the magical construct. I tow him behind me, running to get to the Court Physician.
"Will he be alright?"
"He should be. He has a severe case of exhaustion as well clear sign of a severe beating, but nothing I can't fix."
My shoulder sag, finally allowing myself to breathe easy.
"Thank you, sir. I'd like to stay with him for a moment."
"Of course, Your Highness."
He leaves, closing the door behind him.
"Mac...I'm so sorry. I didn't mean-no, it's my fault, and you have every right to refuse, but please forgive me."
I grab my head, lowering it against the bed.
*sob*
"Solus..."
I quickly look up.
"Mac?"
"Solus...you swore..."
"I-I know, I'm sorry, I'll do anything."
"You're still...alive?"
"Wha-what are you talking about?"
"Ma always...said that an oath to...Harmony...can't be...broken."
"Really?"
"How...are you still...alive?"
"I didn't intend to get you hurt! And I tried to help you! Too late, but I still did..."
"But...you...abandoned me."
"I did. I'm so sorry. You won't have to endure that again, I'll make sure of it."
"Promise?"
"I...yes. I promise."
"Okay..."
"I'll see you tomorrow, okay? I'm sure Cady will be glad to know you're okay."
"Cady..."
"Yeah. Sleep now, you need a good night's rest."
"...kay."
He nods off.
I'll be more careful in the future Mac, that I can promise without second thoughts.
"Your Highness?"
Proper?
"Yes?"
"Your Mother wants to see you."