//------------------------------// // One day in the castle // Story: The misadventures of Light Heart // by Light Heart101 //------------------------------// As soon as I left the hospital I went to check on Scootaloo. She was a little bandaged up, but it was good to see her in good spirits. Dash was talking to her, so I played a little joke and said that Dash was leaving the Wonderbolts to take care of Scootaloo full time. The looks on their faces were priceless. If we weren't in a hospital then Dash would have probably tossed me in the lake. After my little joke, I made my way back to my house. I wanted things to go back to normal. Unfortunately, I didn't get that. I found two royal guards in front of my house. For a moment I thought that they were going to try arresting me again. I desperately wanted to put that past me. "Uh, I already got my proof of innocence. You two can go now. Sorry if a school teacher waisted your time." That didn't keep the guards from stopping me. "Sir, Princess Luna has asked for you to come with us." My eyes widened as they said that. Why is it that ever since I became an alicorn my life has been a rollercoaster? I had to ask questions. "What did she want. I doubt that I'm going to be her pupil, the night shift is my brother's gig." "There is a press conference considering Luna's... autism. Since you were a part of her reveal she wanted you present." I gave a tired sigh as I knew that I had to be there. "Please tell me that I don't have to pay for the ticket. I'll have to pull some money out of my savings." "All of your expenses are covered for this trip. Princess Luna has made sure of it." Now that was a surprise to me. "This isn't coming out of taxes, is it?" "I can't answer that sir. Our job is to escort you." I gave up. I was going to Canterlot, one way or another. Well, if those boys were going to escort me, I might as well give them a laugh. "I thought your job was to keep my dad away from Neighsay." One of them nearly gave a snicker as the other one spoke. "That's your brother's job. I pity him." I chuckled a bit at that comeback. "Well, as the princess of not being a princess I give him my blessing and free health insurance, he's going to need them both." Both of the guards were now doing everything they could to look professional and failed. I smiled a bit knowing that I got a couple of guards to crack up, and I wasn't going to stop. By the time we got to Canterlot, I had both of them rolling on the ground in laughter. I also came fifty laws that sounded funny, but would never get passed in any sane country or small village for that matter. I felt a little awkward when we got out of the train. I had some bad memories of this city as a child, but I was hoping that my troubles with Neighsay were over. One thing I remembered was that everybody was scoffing at me and my dad and calling us commoners. Now ponies here were still staring at me, but now they were whispering about my wings and my cutie mark. Now I had one goal when I was being escorted to the castle, and that was not to mess anything up. I'm afraid of what would happen if I did something that would get ponies mad at me. All I had to do was to not draw any attention to myself, obey whoever's in charge, and try not to talk much. Sounds easy, right? For those of you who wonder why I joke with the guards, it's because Book is technically one. He prides himself in his training. I can't tell you how small I felt when I walked into that castle. I'd describe what it looked like, but you've seen other ponies write about it by now. I'm going to spare you the details about the palace and go straight into what happened there. The guard escorted me into the throne room. There was a large crowd of the press gathered in front of the throne. There was a table set up to the side with a lot of royal ponies who I can't recognize. At least the main six were there. I know most of them fairly well. I knew Applejack because she has a rather large family. I always enjoyed walking by and having a small chat with the apples. I had to give a lot of credit for my business to Pinkie Pie for her constantly helping me with keeping track of all of the birthdays and holidays for me. What? She's my main customer. I also knew Twilight and Rarity from them buying toys for Flurry and Sweetie Bell, but it's always business with them. Rainbow Dash... well, you've read that chapter. She looked annoyed from having to leave the hospital for a dumb meeting. Fluttershy was the only pony I didn't know as well as the others. We've never talked to each other and she's never bought anything from me. The guards lead me to a seat at the table. I was glad I was at the end of it, but I could tell that a lot of ponies were staring at me. I couldn't tell you how awkward I felt sitting there. I carefully turned to Pinkie and tried whispering to her. "Was this a black tie event? Are they going to ask about my messy hair, because I can't change it." Pinkie giggled a bit. "Don't worry silly. It's just a press conference about Luna having the same mental handicap as you." "Actually there are quite a few ponies who have it." I tried explaining. "Well just kick back and relax. Luna gets to do all of the talking while we watch. Popcorn?" I turned to see a large bowl of popcorn in her hooves. Well, the first rule about Pinkie Pie is to never question her. As We snacked on popcorn a hush came over the audience. "What? Is there a rule on no outside food and drinks?" As soon as I said that I watched as Celestia and Luna walked out, and the eyes were still on me. I gave a nervous chuckle as I shoved the bowl back to Pinkie. "I'm just going to stop talking." Both of the princesses rolled their eyes a bit at me, solidifying my silence for the rest of the interview. However, it seemed like they both were hiding a small grin. It was at this point that I started noticing how uncomfortable Luna looked trying to answer everything. Whenever she spoke it was in her stern an unemotional voice. She had a large stack of notes that she kept referring to and whenever something seemed to catch her off guard Celestia would step in. Now, I'm going to skip the majority of the interview, mainly because I had a hard time paying attention. What? You try sitting next to the element of laughter and pay attention to a long speech. I think I can remember a few of the questions from the reporters, mainly concerning me and the incidents surrounding my transformation. Luna gave a frustrated sigh as she spoke. "I can guaranty that he is a real alicorn. My sister has already proven it, and it will be posted in his permanent file. Even though he's only a toymaker and autistic, I'm certain that he'll do many wonderful things for Equestria." "But I thought only mares could become alicorns." I would argue with that reporter if that wasn't my belief before I became one. What? I still had a lot of questions about alicorns that I needed to have answered. Another reporter brought up another question that I wanted to know the answer to. "Your Highness, there were reports of somepony trying to arrest him without proper evidence. Can you confirm why he was released?" Luna looked a little ticked when that topic was brought up. "In spite of the fact that he wasn't an official officer of the law he still managed to obtain a license to arrest him. We are now implying new laws that will require a proper investigation before an arrest can take place. Mr. Heart had agreed to drop any charges as long as two restraining orders were in place. Mr. Heart will not be answering any questions." You don't know how much I wanted to say 'thank you' right then. at that point, Celestia stood up. "I want to thank you all for coming, but we have a meeting that my sister and I must attend to. I hope you all have a wonderful day and thank you for coming." I was a little surprised when she ended it rather abruptly, but I guess that's the price for royalty. I was surprised that they punched my ticket to Canterlot only for me to sit in a boring press conference. As I got up to leave I was confronted by the guards. "Excuse me sir, but you need to come with us." "One, is that the only line you guys know? Two, was I supposed to wait for something?" "The princesses want to have a word with you." My heart dropped again. "This isn't about the popcorn, is it?" "As much as that made it one of the most interesting press meetings we've ever attended, it's not that. Our orders are to take you to them now." "This was more fun when we were cracking jokes on the train." "We're on duty now sir. Please come with us." Now, my brother has explained to me how the royal guards work, in spite of the fact that he has never explained where they are when Equestria needs them. At least Book has found some good excuses. Basically, the guards follow orders to the letter, in spite of the fact that they tend to slack off when nopony is watching. So if they wanted me to go with them I had no real choice. They took me to the dining hall where the princesses were talking to each other silently. I still need to ask Twilight what it was like to be called to them like that for the first time. I stood silently by the door until they noticed me. Luna looked a little embarrassed as she turned to Celestia. "Did Twilight use to act like this?" Celestia giggled a bit. "All of the time. I could sneeze next to her and she'd panic. Come on in Light Heart. Have a seat." I cautiously made my way over to them. "Your Highness, is that about the popcorn?" "As amusing as that was, no. This is about a different matter." Celestia started explaining. "You are not the first pony to question their transformation. I had barely become an adult when my sister and I was transformed. Starswirl himself was the one who taught us about the trials we'd have to face." Suddenly I realized where they were going. "Wait! Are you saying that I'm going to be outliving my family, and their great-grandkids?" Luna chuckled a bit. "No. That's something that's between me and Celestia. What we are trying to say is that other ponies will come to expect more of you, even when you know that you aren't capable of living up the such a high standard. It's like every time we get beaten by a villain they expect us to be gods and smite them." Celestia sighed a bit. "What we are trying to say is that there may be times when our kingdom might not have Twilight to look up to. Their minds will go to the pony who they think will be able to lead them, and that's you Light." Why is it that every time I think that my life can't get any weirder I'm proven wrong? It took me a minute before I could speak. "Are you nuts?" I think I'm the only stallion who asked them that, and now that I think about it, I should have kept my mouth shut. Luna rolled her eyes at me as she got up from her seat. "We are just stating what they are going to do, not what we are going to do." "So they are nuts?" Yeah, that was my response. By the time she walked up to me, she had a rather serious look on her face. "Why don't you keep in mind that I'm autistic and I was just a kid when my sister and I took the throne?" My jaw was now on the ground. "I thought that becoming an alicorn wasn't an instant promotion to royalty! You seriously want me calling the shots?" Luna deadpanned before speaking. "No. I wasn't ready when I took the throne, and that was why my sister did most of the political stuff while I focused on security. I wouldn't dream of forcing all of this on you in one day, and I truthfully think that you serve Equestria better as a toymaker then a prince." Celestia took this time to step in. "My sister has talked to me about her idea, and I think it's a good idea. Twilight had years of friendship lessons and education to help her become a princess. If something was to ever happen to us then they might default to you to lead them. If that time ever comes we want you to have the tools to lead them." I can't tell if that was better or worse then automatically being a prince. "Wait! You actually want a guy with a teddy bear for a cutie mark to take prince lessons?" "Admittedly, I think that this is one of my auntie's lapses of judgment, but it's an order." I turned around to see price Blueblood behind me. The only reason I know about him is that everybody in the country has heard of the most unique Galla that ever happened. Then again... this was before Discord showed up for one. I've never been to one because of how boring I've heard they are, but if they are now as fun as I heard they are then I've got to ask Book for tickets. As I turned to the princesses I saw Celestia with the gentle smile... does she even not have one of those on her face? I think I've mentioned the same smile several times now. Luna looked irritated as she spoke. "This was the only prince that wasn't busy. We just want you to learn the basics... Which is more then what this prince can teach you." It was at this point where I became worried about my well being. He was looking at me like a jeweler looking for any flaw in a gem, only I was a lump of coal. "You are a pure blooded commoner. This will take a lot of work, but fate chose you to be an alicorn. A real prince holds himself with dignity and poise, not like he's some cowardly weakling. Your mane is a mess. When was the last time you've been to a proper barber." "About a month ago. They say it's so thick and shaggy that all they can do it trim it." "Shameful. Your accent has a light southern tone. We'll have to fix that. You see the thing about being a prince is how ponies see you. You need to be seen as a part of the upper crust. Any sign of weakness can lead to your downfall." It was at this moment that I realized something. There was something dangerously wrong with him. He either had to be a changling or... "Is that a woman's suit?" "What?" "Are you wearing woman's clothing?" "I think you are mistaken." "Dude, my parents taught me how to tell the difference when I nearly asked for one when I was five. That's a woman's suit." "Clearly your commoner ways haven't taught you how to distinguish a formal suit. Auntie, may you please tell him that he's wrong?" I turned to see Celestia trying not to laugh, and failing. "That IS a woman's suit." Luna started laughing as well. "Dear nephew, dost thou jest with us?" He started looking ticked. "That's not true! I bought it by mail from that bearer of harmony from Ponyville, and it said it was the hottest fashion for the workplace." I started laughing at this mistake. "Dude! She doesn't make men's clothes unless you special order them in person." Celestia was still stifling her laughter as she tried speaking. "What is the name of this line?" At this point, he opened his suit to not only reveal that the inside of it was pink, but the tag on the side said 'Miss-terious' in that color. As the three alicorns (including me) were now laughing our hearts out Blueblood was trying to hold on to what little pride he had left. "Yeah... It is mysterious because the buttons are on the wrong side." Celestia was trying to talk through her tears. "It had shoulder pads and everything! None of that tipped you off?!?" "It's a foreign style of a suit! Now if you excuse me, I just had something come up." As he stormed out the three of us kept laughing. It was at this point when I started to see them like ponies, and not princesses. As we all finally stopped to catch our breath I had to give one more joke. "You know... I was starting to stress out about this whole prince lessons... but this helps a little." Luna chuckled a bit as she stood back up. "I see why Celestia keeps him around. His antics would make the greatest of the ancient jesters turn in their bell-tipped hats." Celestia stood up as she straightened her crown and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Trust me when I say that he's a good foreign ambassador. Well, I guess you'll be stuck with teaching Light the basics sister." As Celestia walked out it left me and Luna, both with scared looks on our faces. "Well, looks like another rough night for me." "Sorry." She sighed a bit. "Don't be. You'll need this in your life if things go south. Now about your apparel, there's no way you're getting a crown since you are not an official prince. I found that it's easy to let the stylists do what they do best and just learn to deal with it. Side Trim, he's yours." As soon as she said that a pony with a white coat and a fancy orange haircut. She wheeled in a barber's chair and a tray full of equipment. She cringed a bit when she looked at my hair. "Oooooohhhh... I'm going to have my work cut out for me today." I spent the next half hour in the chair, sitting still while she pulled and trimmed my hair. I was glad when Luna came back. "Alright. I grabbed a short nap and hopefully, it will help me last the day. How does Light look?" Side spun my chair to face her. "Tell me what you think." I could tell by Luna's face that she wasn't impressed. "Nothing's changed." "I know. This alicorns mane is a hopeless case. I gave you my best." She walked out looking rather frustrated at me. I had to lower my head a bit. "Sorry about that." Luna sighed. "Don't be. I guess it's just a part of you. Well, I guess I'll show you the day court." She led me down the winding hallways while explaining some of Celestia's daily routine. I used to joke about how political people always hire other ponies to do stuff for them because they are lazy, but the truth is that they just don't have time to do it. It's a busy job with a lot of stress in it. It makes me wonder if that cake vault is real. If I had to do this full time then I'd want a lot of cake to ease my nerves. The court was set in the throne room. Celestia was talking to ponies one at a time trying to help them with any issues they were having. It was mainly stuff like issues with more common problems like road near a house or building needing refurbishing, issues with certain failed claims, and other stuff like that. I was surprised by how many of the people were just here to get an autograph from her. Luna explained how many laws she had to keep memorized in order that she treats her people fairly. To me, it seemed easy, but there were so many times when a law came up which I had no clue of. I've never kept up with politics in my life. Why couldn't Book have become an alicorn? Or Magic Weave? She's smart, for the second youngest sibling, and knows a lot about the law for some reason. After that, they took me into a real meeting. It had to deal with a tax on the gemstone trade with the crystal empire. Now, this was when any sound reasoning left me. I can't tell you how much of that went over my head. I'm decent at math, but I now know why the super complex equations in algebra keep showing up. Not only was I dealing with law and math, but these ponies were trying to predict the future. It was a pure nightmare. I truthfully thought that I was going to get away from just watching this go down, so why did some Einstine in a tux have to speak up? "So, what does Mr. Heart have to say on the matter?" The look on my face resembled a deer in the spotlight. "Uhhhhhhh..." Luna was quick to step up. "Light Heart is here merely to observe and learn." "Well, if he's learning, then he should be able to give a full input." "That's a bit much to expect of him on his first day!" "If he's an alicorn then he should be expected to know these things. Otherwise, this toy maker will merely be the end of Equestria!" I don't know what was worse, the fact that he said that, or the fact that the others were agreeing. I tried to think about what I could do to add any input, but I had no clue what to do. This was too much to do at once. How was I supposed to do all of the math in my head, make sure I was within the bounds of the laws that I don't even know, and try to predict how it could change everything as we know it. I can do one thing at a time. That was how I managed my booth. I make toys, and then I sell them. I made things simple in order to make a living. I tried working at a restaurant once and had ten non-consecutive nervous breakdowns. I think ponies are hesitant to fire an autistic kid. I'm glad I moved to Ponyville, but now I'm getting mad at those wings again. I felt like I was failing everybody when all I could do was stand in silence. I was too... dumb to understand what to do. How was I supposed to live up to the princesses? At that point, I don't know what possessed me, but I ran out. I was so mad at myself for messing up... and being dumb. It's times like this where I can't control myself and lose my mind in a whirlwind of depression. I had to find a place where I could be alone, and my mind turned to one place. I found out that my dad has written in my story that I locked myself in a broom closet... and that was the school, but I found another broom closet in the castle. No matter where you go you'll always find one. I don't know why I hide in those. Maybe it's because it's the closest thing that I can find that resembles a normal closet. Whenever I wanted to hide from the world I'd hide in my bedroom closet. I don't know how long I was in there, but I didn't have any plans on leaving. After a while, Luna teleported in the room. I thought that she'd be ashamed at what I did, but she seemed more worried than anything. "Light? Are you alright?" I couldn't dare to face her. I could only give a small whisper that could be compared to Fluttershy's voice. "I'm sorry. I can't do this. I'm not smart enough." I heard a soft sigh as she lifted my chin up with her hoof. "It is I who should be sorry. You'd think that I of all ponies would have realized how hard this would have been for you. I never was a fan of those meetings either. I guess I forgot that not everybody has the experience that I have." "How was I supposed to understand all of that?" "It took years of training before I became used to it. I didn't take you to those meetings to answer their questions. I wanted you to see what one has to learn for this. Many ponies want the crown, but don't want the responsibilities that come with it. I just wanted to show you a glimpse of what you'd have to deal with if anything ever happens." "But I'm not strong enough to do it. How did you manage the crown back then?" "I had my sister. She said that it would be wise to surround ourselves with wise ponies to aid and guide us. Twilight has her friends to aid her, and if the weight of the crown ever falls on you then I'm sure that you will find ponies who you can trust to aid you." I scoffed at myself a bit. "Imagine a prince locking himself away in a closet." Luna smiled a bit. "I used to run into the woods, but I'd only hide about ten feet into them before I got scared." Luna spent the next hour talking about some of the ponies in her life that helped her and her sister in their early years. She told me tales of the pillars of Equestria and the wisdom that they left for her and her sister. She mainly talked about Starswirl, whom she had often given grief over his lessons. She told me that his hair used to be as long as his beard before he started training her. After that Luna lead me back to the throne room. Her sister looked relieved when she saw me walk back in. "I'm glad to see you back here Light." I lowered my head a bit. "I'm sorry if I had let you down." "You haven't. I am more upset with the noble who didn't understand my orders. I hope that you can forgive us for this incident." I sighed a bit. "I do, but I think I'm a far ways away from becoming a prince. I think that I'll be a better toymaker for now." Celestia nodded as she stood up. "I agree. I didn't make Twilight a princess because she became an alicorn, but because I thought that she was ready. For now, live your life. If Equestria ever needs you then we shall call for you." I gave a weak chuckle. "If Equestria needs me to save it, then it'll have reached a new level of desperate." "Before you leave, it has come to my attention that I must ask for your services." I bit my lip a bit as I tried to think about what she'd ask of me. Considering the fact that she sends her pupil on dangerous missions that hold the fate of Equestria, I wasn't liking my odds of what she'd ask of me. "W-what do you need?" She gave a bit of a nervous grin as she spoke. "Have you heard of Flurry Heart?" Remember when I said how I knew Twilight? "You want a gift for her birthday, right?" Luna gave a nervous chuckle. "We were hoping that you could help us out with that." I smiled a bit, knowing that I could handle it. "I'll mail a couple of gifts to you." Luna quickly raised a hoof. "But we haven't told you anything about her." "Where do you think Twilight gets her gifts from? Even then, I can always check with Pinkie." As I started walking back to the train I gave the castle one last look. I knew that I was years away from ever being able to help them, but I also prayed that if it ever happened I wouldn't have to face it alone.