Prince of Errors

by David Silver


12 - Calling In Help

Pinkie bounced left and right around the studying Twilight. "He's super nice, but also kinda sad, and he needs your help!"

Twilight kept a lone ear trained on the bouncing pink mare. "Slow down, Pinkie. What does this pony need help with?"

"Everypony forgets him!" She bounced in place. "It's super sad!"

Twilight frowned a little. "You didn't forget him. Maybe he's just not being assertive enough?"

"No no no, I mean..." She huffed out a sigh. "Not like Fluttershy unseen. We're talking... next level! Like he could walk right through here right now and you wouldn't notice. He could take a book you weren't reading, next to you, and you wouldn't notice."

Twilight hiked a dubious brow. "I'd notice if a pony was taking one of my books."

"Not him you wouldn't!"

"Why is he taking my books?"

Pinkie threw up her forehoves. "He's not taking your books! He's a good pony. He's also kinda an alicorn prince."

Twilight's brows lowered. "We have exactly one of those, and that one is a country and an ocean away at the moment. Wait, is this one human, or used to be human?"

Pinkie rolled a hoof. "Make room for two, and this one's right here in Ponyville, and needs your help. Also, yes. How'd you know that?!"

Twilight shook her head slowly. "I really think you're confusing ponies."

"I was just talking to him!" She bounced in place. "C'mon, Twilight. You know I don't make these things up."

Twilight looked ready to argue that, but past lessons surfaced within her and she let out a slow sigh of a breath. "Alright, what does he look like?"

"He's about normal sized." She held up a hoof to her own head's height. "But he has wings and a horn. Neither work. He's all grey and stuff, darker in the mane than his fur. His eyes are a pale grey, but he's a good pony, not creepy like he probably sounds like."

Twilight frowned, a new frown, one with thought. "He has non-functional wings and a horn that doesn't work either?"

"Not a bit, but it gets better." She clip-clopped her forehooves excitedly. "He can become other ponies if they need him to be there. While he's being a pony, he can use what they have. So if he was, um, Applejack, he would be strong and good at farm stuff, or if he was Rarity, he could make dresses and his horn would work. Odd thing is he usually still has the other parts, even when he's--"

Twilight popped a hoof in Pinkie's mouth. "Slow down there. If he's a pony with the wrong parts, wouldn't other ponies notice that right away? How could he pretend to be anypony if he always has the wrong parts?" She hiked a brow at Pinkie. "This is sounding very unlikely at best."

Pinkie put her hooves on Twilight's arm, drawing Twilight's hoof from her mouth. "It's true! I've seen it! He pretended to be me to take care of the twins. Poof! Just as pink and bouncy, but he had a horn right here." She pointed to her forehead, hidden behind fluffy hair as it was. "Not a single pony noticed or cared. He's a good foalsitter, by the way."

She shook her head slowly. "I'll... talk to the Cakes."

"You do that." Pinkie nodded with rising certainty. "You'll feel... wait. They won't know what you're talking about. I mean, what are you going to ask?"

Twilight rolled a hoof. "If they remember you ever having a horn?"

"They won't."

Twilight frowned a little. "Then what about the last time you foalsat?"

"I foalsit all the time, Twilight." Pinkie crossed her arms as she sat on her haunches. "That won't help either."

Twilight let out a slow breath, almost silently counting. "Alright... so what, exactly, are you suggesting?"

"I want to bring him here, to you, so you can talk to him."

Twilight nodded uncertainly. "Why didn't you just do that in the first place? It's not like I would be opposed to meeting a new pony in general."

Pinkie raised a hoof. "Because there's a good chance you won't see him! I mean, if he talks, you'll see him, but you won't see all of him at the same time, like how he has a horn and wings. Rarity couldn't even force herself to see both at the same time, it was crazy!"

"And you see him... how?" She poked Pinkie lightly in the chest. "You're sounding a bit more crazy than usual, Pinkie, and you've set that bar fairly high."

Pinkie shook her head, mane bouncing in the motion. "Look, it's... just pretend it's what you call 'Pinkie Stuff'. I need you to trust me, Twilight. Just trust me."

Twilight sagged at that, a little smile spreading on her snout. She set a hoof gently on Pinkie's shoulder. "Alright... I'll put all logic to the side where it belongs in these situations. I trust you, Pinkie. What do you want me to do?"

Pinkie echoed the smile with budding hope. "Thank you!" She glomped onto her friend and hugged her tight. "You're the smartest pony I know and he really needs your help! Being forgotten by everypony you know, minus me? That's just mean."

Twilight nodded with obvious uncertainty. "I could... imagine that would be difficult. So where is he?"

Pinkie pointed off in the direction of the town. "I bet he's relaxing and waiting for me to mess up and not get you to see him. He's so sure you won't be able to."

Twilight rose to her hooves, her magic closing her book lightly. "Well, let's go surprise him then. You can spot him, right? So bring me to him and we'll see what's going on."

Pinkie pronked in place with a big smile. "Yes! Let's go!" She began bouncing forward towards the exit. "We'll have this little curse tamed in no time at all, with our combined might."

Twilight followed behind with an arched brow. "I'm not sure any of the words you just used were quite appropriate, but I'm here, and I'll do my best." Even if she wondered if Pinkie was having one of her flights of fancy. Really, as if ponies wouldn't notice an alicorn walking among them. The very idea was ludicrous, and involved ponies who were not Pinkie acting illogically.

Spike noticed the two walking past his room and poked his head out at the two going down the hallway. "Headed somewhere?"

Twilight tossed her head at Pinkie. "We're going to visit an alicorn that nopony apparently notices."

Spike blinked softly at that. "Huh... weird. I'm pretty sure people would notice that."

"But they don't!" cried Pinkie with a little snort. "Wanna come see too?"

Spike shrugged softly. "The comic will still be there. Sure, show me this princess that nopony else sees."

"Prince," corrected Pinkie. "It's a he, and he's a nice pony, just, you know, kinda cursed? But with all of your help, we'll fix that!" She resumed her forward pronking. "First step, getting you there. He'll be so surprised when you start talking to him. It'll make his day!"

Spike took flight, easily keeping pace with his hooved friends. "Prince huh? Like that Silver guy?"

Twilight hike a hoof towards Pinkie. "Smaller, closer to Pinkie's size, by her report."

Pinkie bobbed her head. "He looks like any other pony, but more grey, and he has wings and a horn. Oh, and neither of them works, but who's counting?"

"You are?" He hiked a brow at Pinkie.


The prince floated placidly on an inflated raft in the water. He trailed a hoof gently through the water, bobbing and splashing placidly. Ponies were all around him on every side, but they ignored him. Even when they were in a rush, they tended to swerve around him.

It was rare that a pony bumped through him, though it did happen, sending his raft bobbing in a new direction. His life as a grey blob was peaceful, if nothing else. He could watch all the other ponies enjoying the pool, safe in his little bubble of anonymity and unimportance.

His hoof was bumped from below. A pink head rose up with it parked right on top of it. Pinkie grinned at him hugely. "I brought a friend!"

He yanked his hoof back in surprise, blinking at his sudden visitor. "Oh, Pinkie. Hi?" He glanced around and spotted the other pony, and her dragon friend easily. "They're not looking this way," he noted. Both Twilight and Spike were chatting with one another, casually ignoring them as ponies tended to do.

Pinkie thrust a hoof up out of the water and wave wildly, water splashing about in the motion. "Twilight! Over here!"

Twilight perked up at her call and wandered towards the edge of the pool. "Pinkie, come out of the pool and show us that friend of yours."

"He's right here!" She grabbed his raft and started swimming to the edge of the pool, dragging him along.

Spike lifted his shoulders in an emphatic shrug. "Nice raft, but doesn't it belong to the hotel here?"

The prince had a developing soft spot for Pinkie, and seeing her pout like that made him sigh. "Hey."

Both Twilight and Spike snapped their attention on him with the word. Twilight blinked. "Oh, hello there. I hadn't noticed you before." Her eyes wandered over him curiously. "You are as grey as she reported."

Pinkie climbed out of the pool. "It's more than that." Water ran free of her, leaving her amazingly dry in just a moment. "See, he has a horn and wings."

Spike pointed. "He sure does have a horn. So, a unicorn huh?"

The prince stepped carefully from his raft up onto the pool's side. "Close enough." He fluttered his wings as if daring either of them to even notice the motion.

Twilight nodded at him. "Pleasure to meet you, Mister...?"

"Error."

"Prince of Errors!" sang out Pinkie with a smile. "Prince, Twilight, and Spike."

"I know them, hey." He nodded towards either of them.

Twilight's eyes were intently examining him. "He seems like a perfectly standard unicorn to me..."

His smirk grew deeper as he spread his wings out wide, forcing other ponies to veer around them.

Pinkie groaned with frustration. "Twilight!"

Spike shrugged at it. "So, uh, Pinkie said you were cursed?"

"Just a little." He sat down, wings still spread, and brought up two hooves close together. "Don't worry, you'll forget about it."

Spike hiked a brow. "Yeahhhh, I don't think it works that way."

Twilight blinked, her frown remaining. "You appear to be healthy to me. Can you describe what the problem is, exactly?"

He sighed gently. "I could, but you'll forget it." He saw Pinkie looking at him pitifully and huffed. "Fine. As soon as you stop talking to me, you'll forget we said anything at all."

Twilight arched the opposing brow that Spike had up. "I find that hard to believe."

He went quiet.

Pinkie knew what he was doing and jumped at him. "No! Don't do that!"

Twilight tilted her head at Pinkie. "Pinkie, you're extra bouncy today. Where is that pony you were going to take me out here to see?"

"Yeah." Spike shrugged. "I wanted to see an alicorn that wasn't super sized."

"I'm not super sized!" hotly defended Twilight with a dark blush.

"You got bigger when you got the crown." He waggled his brows. "I think it comes with the territory."

Pinkie sagged against the prince, knowing in her heart that their thoughts had already slid right off of him onto other things. She sighed miserably even as she squeezed him. "I'm not giving up. You hear that? We'll fix this!"

He put one arm around her, gently hugging back. He didn't like seeing her so... sad. "Hey, look. Don't be sad. I'm not... that bad off. I have you as a friend, right?"

She brightened at the thought, squeezing him all the harder. "Yeah! We'll figure this out!"