“P-PLEASE N-NO!” A voice cried out.
“We’re sorry! We didn’t mean no harm!” another cried.
There were many voices crying out for help, some were sobbing, and others were shrieking. I could hear them all around me. They then got louder but then stopped when they sounded like they were in front of me and the voices moved somewhere else.
I tried to see where I was but couldn’t make out anything because it was pitch black. In fact, I couldn’t even feel my own body. Tartarus, I couldn’t even smell anything. It felt as if I was suspended in the air as if a unicorn was levitating me in the air with magic. Except It didn’t feel like anything was tugging me. Usually, you could feel yourself being touched by their magic.
I heard an echo of a rock in a cave followed by a hard thud and then it was dead quiet. There was no noise for a few seconds before the voices resumed, but louder and with more fear in them.
I stood there in the darkness hoping that I would wake up soon. This was nothing like my dreams from before, more like nightmares to be more accurate, at least then I could see what was happening.
A voice shrieked in front of me, but something was different this time. The voice didn’t move anywhere but stopped abruptly. Then my hooves felt wet and I thought that I had stepped in a puddle of water. My first thought was that ‘Hey! I got my sense of touch back.’ My second thought was that this water was a lot more slippery when I felt my hoof grabbing something and struggled to maintain a grip on it.
The next sound I heard was of something snapping.
What am I doing? This nightmare isn’t making any sense.
“HE GOT MAKESHIFT!!!” Another voice was heard.
Then I felt myself flying through the air towards the voice. His blood-curdling scream, along with what I felt next was enough to tell me what my body was doing.
The next sense to return was my sight and not soon after that, I woke up.
I woke up and wanted to throw up immediately after remembering what happened in the cave. Part of me wanted to believe it was just a violent nightmare, but the other part knew it did happen.
Did I really do that? Am I even capable of doing that at this age?
Just then the door to the room burst open. At that moment I realized that I was back in my room. One look at the window I could see, besides the two guards flying outside next to my window, the night sky. Something was off about the sky. Usually, it looked so peaceful and beautiful that you could stare at it for hours until you dozed off to sleep, but now the stars and moon were gone. It was pitch black, the only light that could be seen was from the torches outside. Even then it barely helped.
“My prince, what is the matter? Why do you scream!?” A female guard spoke in alarm.
Guessing when I woke up I must have screamed, causing the guard outside my room to think I was in danger. Having loyal guards around is rather nice. I keep wondering why Twilight doesn’t have any guards around her castle beside me.
I told her that it was just a bad dream. She seemed to relax a bit, but then she must have remembered something as she stiffened back up. She excused herself and closed the door. I could make out her muffled voice through the door as she called somepony over to deliver a message to my mother.
Then soon after one of the maids came in. She was dark blue and had a straight ash-colored mane. It took me a while but I vividly recognized her. She was with the group of other maids that I met when I first got here. Actually, it was more like they met me seeing as I was still a foal.
“What are you doing my prince? You should not be up. You still have fresh injuries that the bandages are holding closed.” She said in a low scolding voice. The maid closely examined my body.
Looking down at myself with the limited light in the room I could make out the bandages around my legs and chest. I could barely feel them even though they looked to be wrapped around tightly. My wings were free to move around, guess that they sustained little to no damage from yesterday. Even though I feel wide awake I also feel tired in some way. It was a strange feeling that I could not explain.
“It seems that no wound was reopened.” She tucked me back into bed. “You must not move. It has been three days since your accident and your wounds have not healed.”
What?! Three days? You must be pulling my leg.
“What do you mean?” I asked her.
“You have sustained serious wounds when you were held, hostage. They have not healed at all and despite being three days and yet they have not been infected.”
Then with a sudden blast, the door was blown off its hinges and flew through the window, nearly missing one of the guards stationed outside. Mother was there looking frantic. Once she saw me she ran over to my bedside.
“Mine Child, art thou in pain?”
I tried to wave but the maid had me tucked in too tightly. Most of my body was trapped under the blankets, luckily I could get one of my wings out. I was able to make a thumbs-up gesture with my feathers. Both mares cocked their heads in confusion at it. So then I spoke and said I was fine and did not feel any pain.
Mother relaxed and was about to dismiss the maid when I asked how Resonance was fairing. The maid, with the permission of mother, told me she had recovered within a day and was out training almost non-stop. She only stopped to rest and eat, but that was far and few.
“Resonance, hast done h'r duty well, but she says otherwise.” Said Mother.
So she feels guilty and believes that she failed in protecting. So she’s trying to push herself to get better.
“What of the guard, mother?” I asked about the guard that was in charge of us.
Mother’s attitude quickly changed. The maid beside her had flinched. I could feel the air around us getting cold. I had almost regret asking.
“Captian Reverb shall be stripped of h'r rank f'r failing to do h'r duty.”
I was about to say something but the maid spoke first.
“Do not worry. Reverb will no longer hold the rank of captain, instead, she will be demoted and serve directly under somepony else.” She explained.
Even though I only knew Reverb for a few nights I was glad to know that she wasn’t going to be dishonorably discharged. I wonder who she’ll be reporting under from now on? I hope it’s somepony who isn’t going to constantly make fun of her for failing to protect the prince while a small filly could. Or would I?
Now the next thing on my mind was ‘what next?’ Would my punishment still resume, hopefully, something less extreme, or would I resume my studies and training as normal? I looked at mothing hoping she would answer my questions.
She knew now when I had a question. She had learned to read my face without needing to look closely like others.
“Not now, Lunar. Thou must rest. Thy wounds still need mending.” She said.
Her horn flashed for a quick moment and soon other ponies came in. One look at them told me that they were the medical staff. I was surprised at how advanced medicine was despite the era’s medieval feel. While the tools still seem ancient like big saws and scissors there were some modern practices, like cleaning the wound and washing hands, or hooves in this case.
“Not good. They are the same as before.” One of the ponies who unwrapped my bandages said.
I began to bleed as if the wounds were freshly cut. My wounds weren’t deep enough that my guts could fall out, but they were deep enough that if they got infected it would be game over for me. No fourth life for me.
Why fourth life, you ask? Well, life one was before being turned into a pony, second life was being a pony, and I decided being turned into a child once again counted as third life.
“While the wounds would not have been fully healed they should have been closed up at the least. Not only is something preventing prince Lunar natural healing but magic as well.” The doctor pony said again.
“What doth thee mean?” asked mother.
“Try to levitate your child if you would.” The doctor asked mother.
Mother was hesitant to comply but the doctor urged her saying it would make the situation more clear to her. Eventually, she agreed and her horn glowed blue and an aura surrounded me but nothing happened. She looked confused at first and then she looked like she was struggling to lift something. This went on for a while and she soon gave up with a sigh of defeat.
“I understand now. Magic currently has no effect on mine child. Even mine own alicorn magic.”
“This will require further and extensive studying.” the doctor added.
“Very well.”
The rest of the night was having the doctors poke at me for hours on end. Mom stayed with me for the majority of the time but she then had to excuse herself to perform her duties as princess of the night. She apologizes to me before leaving. I was fine with her leaving. I only wish I could also leave.
Out at the training grounds stood Resonance. She was surrounded by a squad made of seven opponents. Each one was aware of her unusual strength for somepony her age and stature. None of them dared to get any closer on their own. Both opposing sides had their reasons to be training with unfair conditions. For Resonance, it was to face multiple opponents at once, and the squad’s reason was to work on their coordination. Another handicap she had was that she carried no weapons while the others had their spears.
Four of them leaped forward from behind Resonance. She heard them almost immediately and dodged to her right and hopped back to get behind them. But that was their plan, to get her attention away from the ponies in front of her. The other three from the front took the chance and dashed towards her. She took notice of them too.
“This is tougher than I thought.”
She tried to find an opening but she discovered that she was surrounded by six of them in a circle.
“I could jump up and take them all by simultaneously.”
She could pull it off. She’s done it before multiple times in the past ever since she was a cadet. She jumped high so that she could go over one of them and take them out from behind. Then she would move on to the other one by one.
It was then that she noticed that one of the members of the squad was not in the circle, he had vanished from sight. She frantically darted her eyes around her field of vision. She cursed herself because they might have expected this move from her. Performing this maneuver repeatedly in front of all the soldiers has come and bitten her in the plot.
She then saw the missing pony coming from above her. He must have flown upwards when the ponies in front caught her attention. The sounds of the others combined with the bat-ponies natural ability to flap their wings in almost complete silence made it impossible to notice. But that didn’t stop her, she couldn’t let it.
She twisted herself so that she could dodge the spear pointed at her. Once she was past the tip she could kick her opponent in the face taking him out. However, it did not go her way as the pony above her didn’t jab the spear but swung it, hitting her on the side. She was knocked out of the air and landed hard on the ground.
While the spear tip was made of a soft material the handle was still wood and that would still hurt, especially since she still had a few bruises left. She hissed in pain but was more or less fine.
The two sides came together. The one who had struck her wanted to apologize if he caused an injury but she dismissed it and said it was fine.
“It’s better for me to make mistakes here than out there.” She said offering her hoof to each of them.
Her being taken and held hostage and not being able to defend herself or Lunar had humbled her significantly. Before, she was brash and thought she could take on anything that was thrown at her. After all, she was able to take on multiple opponents at once before.
When she shook the last hoof one of them was about to suggest getting something to eat when somepony spoke. They all looked over to see it was princess Luna. They all immediately knelt before their princess.
“Rise, Subjects.” Princess Luna commanded.
“What may we do for you princess?” The leader of the squad asked.
“I am here for the young Resonance.” She said.
Resonance picked herself up and Princess Luna had the squad was dismissed. They stood back up and went off to eat. Resonance was left kneeling for a while longer. Both the princess and Resonance waited until they were sure they had been left alone. only then was Resonance allowed to get up.
“How may I be of service, Princess?” Resonance asked. She had been in the presence of the princess before but that was with other ponies whenever Princess Luna and Prince Lunar happened to pass by and when she was guarding Lunar of course.
“I have questions for thee.”
“Of course, Princess.”
When she was first brought back to the castle she was left to the medical staff to mend her injuries. One of the Captians had questioned her about who the thieves were. She didn’t have an answer and said they were ambushed when they heard the sound of wolves past the tree line. The wolves caught the attention of the captain and pressed for more. Resonance was not asked about anything else.
“I understand thee was held hostage alongside mine child? Thee has't done thy duty well.”
“You humble me, Princess.” Her pride had risen at hearing the last part. “Yes, I was held hostage but was kept in another room.”
“Oh? So thee did not stay in the same cell?”
“No, at first I was confined to a strange device and was tortured for what felt like hours.” She recalled her ears hurting so much and she could not hear well after the fact. Her hearing was temporarily damaged from the device. “Then I was brought to another part of the cave where they were holding Prince Lunar. Probably to give him a show." Luna could see Resonance recalling the events hurt and angered her, so she quickly moved on to the next question.
“One of the pathetic thieves revealed that a pegasus threw a strange rock at mine child.” There was venom in her voice at even mentioning the worm that had held her son hostage. “Did thee see who this pony was?”
Resonance recalled the pony and that the pony was a mare who had been the one keeping an eye on her, but she did not know she was a pegasus. She also recognized her as the one who knocked them out in the middle of the forest. She did recall the mare eyeing Lunar and seeing her throw a glowing stone at Lunar’s hooves.
The expression on Luna’s face changed when Resonance described the next events. She could not believe that her child was capable of doing such horrible things. The only thing that calmed her down was that Resonance said that Lunar did not recognize what he was doing, he did not even react to his own name when it was called. There was also a strange glow in his eye indicating that he may have been bewitched.
“Follow us, Resonance.” Princess Luna commanded.
The next night I woke up with no trouble sleeping. I slept like a baby throughout the day. No one was there to wake me up and that was a good thing too. Last night I was being poked in every nook and cranny I had. When it had finally wrapped up it was close to noon by then.
I stretched my limbs about and hopped out of bed. I began my day as if nothing had ever happened. I brushed my teeth and jumped into the bath. After 20 minutes had passed I got out and dried myself.
When I stepped out of my bathroom I was met face to face with the doctor from the night before. He was about to scowl at me before he froze and took a closer look at me.
“My Prince! Your injuries!”
I looked down at myself and noticed I had removed my bandages before getting in the bath without a second thought. I could not feel the wounds and thus did not think of them while taking off the bandages.
I was completely healed up and looked as if I never sustained any injury. The doctor wanted to say something but kept stammering his words.
Oh…