A group of ponies were making their way to enter the palace, as they were so stealthy and very slickly and sly, and were really good in their job: knocking out every royal guard they encountered and leaving no tracks. Once they were finally inside, Silent Dagger, the unicorn leader said, “Ok, boys, according to our spies hidden in that party, the target must be in the third floor, next to Princess Celestia’s room. Just remember, he’s supposed to a human, which is some kind of furless monkey-like or ape-like creature with clothes, well, whatever it is, except he possesses no magic and is still a kid. In case he wakes up, he probably won’t fight back, giving us the advantage we need. Now, let’s go!”
A group of five ponies started to look for the target. With the surprise element by their side, no royal guard stood a chance to stop them, until they were finally in front of the door, as one of the ponies looked at it and said, “Wow! Even Celestia’s little pet know how to live!”
“You idiot! According to our spies’s information, she sees that thing as her son.”
“Well, what was I supposed to know?!”
“Wow. That mare really needs a husband. Like seriously.”
He then chuckled, “You’re right about that!”
“Shhhhhh! Okay… now, on three. One… two… three!”
They opened the door very quietly, but when they were inside, they found nothing on the bed.
“What? Where is he? Where is that… thing?” one of them asked.
“Shut up! Now start looking!”
“Psst! Hey! Look there!”
They kept searching the room until one of them noticed a strange creature standing on the balcony gazing at the stars. Bowen looked exactly like they were told, a human wearing clothes that looked really weird for a creature like that to wear, even shoes, until they got a closer look without being seen.
Bowen really loved this peacefully quiet and calm night. It was so beautiful, even after her mother left him in the bed, but he needed to watch it one more time. While feeling satisfied, he finally proceeded to go back to sleep, and as he stood up and turned around before tucking himself back underneath the blankets, he then went back to sleep, until four shadowy figures appeared towards his bed, until Bowen woke up once more and suddenly saw 4 unicorns standing in front of him, and as he stared at them for some seconds, he finally found his voice and screamed, “MOMMY! HELP! MOMMY!”
Bowen kept screaming until he noticed one of the ponies’ horn glowing with a devious smile.
“Hahahaha, scream all you want, kid! Nopony will hear you! Now, come here!”
He used his magic to levitate him inside a sack.
“HEY! LET ME GO! YOU CAN’T DO THIS TO ME! DON’T YOU KNOW WHO MY MOMMY IS?!”
Bowen continued struggling inside the sack, as he was more scared than ever. Unfortunately, his screams were not going to help him since the bag was also covered in a soundproof spell.
The ponynappers then took him outside to the entrance of the palace and met up with the rest of their crew.
“We have it, boss! And oh yeah! He is everything we thought. He really is one of his kind, and maybe we will get a fortune for him when the big guy hears about this!”
“Excellent!” Silent Dagger said, as he put the sack holding their hostage on his back. “I knew meddling with that pathetic unicorn prince would pay off some day!”
Silent Dagger couldn’t believe how lucky he was. He always expected to get some information about the royal vault or maybe the location of royal jewels, but this thing was even better! Because in case they couldn’t sell him for a good price, he could always expect a good ransom from Princess Celestia herself!
“CANTERLOT’S TAVERN AND PUB, a few hours before Bowen’s birthday party…”
Blueblood was already drunk from a couple glass pints of rum and trying to forget “his bad luck” that lost in his thoughts, he started to murmur, “*hic*… Stupid monkey colt, it thinks it’s better than me… *hic*”
“Hey Blueblood, old pal, what are you doing? You are a mess there, buddy.”
Blueblood turned to see who it was and saw his pal Silent Dagger, who was a rugged looking stallion with dull gray fur, and a dark arctic bluish gray mane and tail, both of which were stylized somewhat. He had thick black eyebrows, and a faint beard along his muzzle, resembling a five o'clock shadow, a dark bluish gray shirt underneath a black leather vest with a chain necklace underneath his shirt, and his cutie mark was a dagger piercing through a bleeding heart with a dark green snake surrounding it. Blueblood knew this pony since long ago because he’d always help him to get the best mares the money could buy, Blueblood smiled and said, “Silent *hic* Dagger, my pal, it’s so good to see you.”
Silent Dagger then replied, “I think the same, dude, but don’t you think it’s too early to get drunk like this? Is there a problem you want to share with your pal?”
“A problem? *hic* Yeah… you can say that. That thing is a problem, a problem I have been having since 10 years ago,” Blueblood replied.
“Really? Tell me, what is it?” Silent Dagger asked.
“I can’t tell you. It’s a secret and to *hic* be honest, it’s too embarrassing as well,” Blueblood said.
“Come on, Bluey. You know you can trust me. I promise I will not tell anypony,”
“I don’t know… *hic* my auntie would kill me if I say something,” Blueblood said.
“Princess Celestia?” Silent Dagger asked
“*hic* Yes,” Blueblood replied.
“In that case, I double promise to not tell, c’mon! Trust me,” Silent Dagger said.
“....you really promise to not tell anypony? *hic*”
“Absolutely,” Silent Dagger said.
“Ok... *hic* everything started 10 years ago when my Auntie...”
“Ok, let’s go. We need to get to the zeppelin and escape to Canter Creek,” Silent Dagger said.
“Yeah,” everypony cheered.
When they were about to exit the palace with Bowen in the soundproof sack on Silent Dagger’s back, they suddenly heard something. It sounded like a glass breaking in pieces. When they turned to see, they saw a little grayish purple unicorn filly. They somehow knew who she was, Princess Celestia’s top student, Twilight… something. It seemed she woke up in the middle of the night for a glass of cold water.
Before any of them could say or do something, she screamed in panic, and then the muggers screamed back, before Twilight screamed again, and then the muggers screamed again for the final time.
“Let’s go!” Silent Dagger screamed.
They all started to run, since they needed to get to the port before reinforcements would arrive. Everypony suddenly started to wake up and ran to see who was screaming. Princess Celestia was the first to find her, “Twilight! What is going on? Why are you screaming?”
The rest of the ponies started to arrive as well, which was Twilight’s parents, Cadance, Shining Armor, Sweet Rose and her daughter, and the rest of the guards as well.
Twilight then replied, “There… There were ponies here a minute ago… they looked so mean. They also had something in a sack. I think they stole something!”
Everypony gasped, until Shining, after hearing that explanation from his little sister, said, “Muggers? It’s been ages since a pony was that crazy enough to steal something from the palace. Don’t worry, Princess Celestia. I assure you that we will capture them and… Hey, has anypony seen Bowen?”
Everypony then looked around. Shining Armor in fact was right. Twilight’s scream somehow woke up everypony, and he knew Bright long enough to know he wasn’t normally a heavy sleeper. Celestia’s eyes widened to impossible levels of concern, until she started to feel very cold, “Oh no!”
She immediately started to run over to her son’s room.
“Aunt Celestia, where are you… NO!” Cadance realized as well what happened and flew after her aunt.
Celestia looked at all her night guards lying on the ground unconsciously while flying to her destination, with her worries only increased at this sight. When she arrived, without saying a single word, she kicked the door open and went inside Bowen’s room, but when she got in, a terrible sight caught her eyes. He wasn’t there, until she then felt even more colder at that moment. With little hope, she started scream, “Bowen! Where are you, sweetie?! Please come out! I if you are still here… PLEASE COME OUT! THIS IS NOT FUNNY, SWEETIE!”
There was no answer, at that moment Celestia felt more scared than ever. While she didn’t want to accept it, but knew what happened, using her Royal Canterlot Voice, she said, “CAPTAIN! YOU AND YOUR GUARDS! COME HERE NOW!”
Dozens of pegasus, earth pony and unicorn guards, along with Captain Silver Spear, came out to her call and waited for her orders.
“What is it, your highness?!” Silver Spear asked.
Celestia then spoke in her regular tone, “It’s urgent! My son has been foalnapped! You and your guards search every corner of Canterlot! But with no exception! If anypony asks why, tell them that it’s a national emergency. But bring me the ones responsible! I want them alive! Now go! Hurry!”
“Yes, your highness! Right away!” Silver Spear replied, and then turned to his guards nodding his head in confirmation as every guard began searching for Bowen.
Celestia somehow remained in the room, because she needed to calm down while Sweet Rose and Twilight’s parents comforted their princess. Cadance entered the room and saw the empty bed as well while both the little fillies hugged the mare and cried together realizing that Bowen might be dead or really lost, cold and scared in the wilderness all by himself. Cadance covered her mouth with her one hoof and started to cry, “No... but how?”
“I don’t know, but I just hope they can bring my little one back alive. We must wait now and have faith that Bowen will return. I just have a few hunches that he will.”
Celestia was so desperate to find Bowen, in her mind there was only regret, she still remembered what she told to her son some hours ago, “I told him he would always be safe inside the palace and by my side. I’m a terrible mother! Please don’t let my happiness leave me again!”
In their zeppelin, the muggers were now far away from Canterlot and on their way to Canter Creek.
“Hahahaha! We did it, and nopony is following us, see? That’s the good side of being prepared, now we go to Canter Creek and become rich, but in case we don’t, well, let’s just say that we will have to write a letter to our pretty Princess Celestia!” Silent Dagger said.
Everypony on the ship then cheered and started to drink rum.
Bowen was in a little cell, crying. One of the ponies came with a couple of apples and a glass of water. He then removed the lock and put the food inside.
“Eat it up, freak. The boss needs you healthy to sell you at a good price at the auction,” he said.
“Why… are you doing this to me?” Bowen asked.
“Because we like money,” the pony replied.
“When… When my mommy find out what you did,” Bowen sniffed. “…she will be angry.”
The pony then laughed rudely, “Wake up from your little happy world, kid! Nopony is coming for you. You are alone now.”
Bowen didn’t eat anything, he just remained there, thinking about his family and hoping for his mother and her guards to come find and rescue him.
Back in Canterlot, Shining Armor came back with a squadron of guards, until Princess Celestia walked over, “Any news, Shining Armor?”
Shining Armor then shook his head and replied, “I’m sorry Princess Celestia, but there’s still no sight of Bowen or the muggers, wherever they are, it seems they’re no longer in Canterlot.”
After hearing those word, Celestia’s heart started to crack. Every minute that passed, her son was more away from her, she was going to go out again, but one second before that, a pegasus royal guard appeared and said something to Shining Armor, until Silver Spear immediately told the news to the Princess.
“Princess Celestia, we’ve been informed a high speed zeppelin flew out Canterlot about one hour ago, it seems they were heading to Canter Creek. Captain Silver Spear and our fastest guards have been already sent after it, and with hope, we will catch it before they reach the checkpoint.”
Once Celestia heard where her son was heading, her worries increased, if they managed to cross over the checkpoint towards their destination, there was no way she could find him, Equestria wasn’t exactly in the best terms with other kingdoms beyond the borderlands.
“Very well. Go join them, but bring back any survivors. Either my son or the culprit!” she said, and then Shining Armor went off to join the captain and the other guards.
Some hours later, Bowen kept crying, except he was cold, hungry and alone. Feeling reluctant, he took one of the apples, it tasted good, but it didn’t compare with the ones her mother had at home, because she always brought them from a place called “Sweet Apple Acres”. He kept eating it, but he wasn’t in any position to complain, until he then heard the mean pony coming again, screaming, “*hic* WHY DO I HAVE TO FEED THE KID AGAIN?! *hic* I WANT TO KEEP DRINKING!”
Indeed, it was the same pony again, but this time, he was really drunk, and he once again brought another two apples and glass of water. He then unlocked the door and threw the food inside, but the water spilled.
He then chuckled, “HERE YOU GO… *hic* FREAK! ENJOY! HAHAHAHA!”
He then closed the door and “locked” the lock again, but he was too drunk to notice it didn’t make the click sound, but when Bowen somehow noticed it, the pony exited the room. Bowen went to the door and checked to see if the lock was unlocked, but as he saw the lock fall off… IT WAS! He thanked his mommy and opened the door very slowly, and then he exited the room, trying to not make any sound.
When he looked outside, he found everypony else on the ship was either sleeping or just drunk, using his abilities of playing hide and seek and some of Shining Armor’s agility lessons, he somehow managed to get in the driver’s room without been spotted, before he saw only one pony inside, which was the driver. He went inside without him hearing him, and as his mom told him, he looked towards his suroundings and found what he was looking for, a metal stick, until he grabbed it and started to approach the driver who was muttering something. “Why I had to be the driver this night! I wanted to drin....”
He was then grabbed on the neck by something that felt like a pair of tiny legs, and then was strangled by a rope, before he was knocked out by a strong hit in his head, but as he released the helm, the zeppelin started to go down. Ok, maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to do that, Bowen thought.
Bowen immediately locked the door and tried to drive the ship, until soon he heard many ponies gathering outside the door.
“HEY! WE KNOW YOU ARE IN THERE, KID! LET US IN!”
Bowen didn’t pay any attention to them, but he did his best to keep the zeppelin leveled up in its normal position but it was already in vain, since it was going down. Everypony started to hit the door. Until it was a matter of time before they got in, Bowen released the helm and prepared for their entrance. When the door gave up, with the metal stick in his hands, he jumped and hit the first pony he saw in the face, he started to deliver swings with the stick, hits and kicks to all directions while the zeppelin keep descending.
“YOU LITTLE TWERP, I’LL TEACH YOU A LESSON!” Silent Dagger said, as he held Bowen with his magic, but before he could do something to the boy , the zeppelin crashed with the ground with small explosions, before everything went black.
Captain Silver Spear and his squadron of guards arrived at the scene until they saw the explosion and went to investigate.