"And if you divide the number of magic per second by the distance-"
"Oh, I get it," Twilight said. "I thought you didn't go to unicorn school?"
"I don't," Draco laughed. "I read it somewhere."
Twilight scribbled the last of her answers down and hopped down from the bed. "Wanna play book fort again?" she asked with a smile.
"Nah," he said. "We did that yesterday."
"So, what do you want to play?"
Draco scratched his chin, then fiddled with his newly-growing teeth. They felt a bit pointier than his other eight. "Maybe… wanna play tag?"
She shrugged. "Not it."
"Not it."
They giggled, then he counted down with his finger.
"Not it!" they shouted in unison. "Not it! Not it! Not it! Not it!"
"Come on, one of us has to be it!" Draco laughed.
"Not it! Not it! Not it!"
Twilight grinned, then quickly tapped him. "You're it!" she giggled as she galloped out of the room.
"Hey, no fair!" he shouted as he ran after her.
He dashed into the hall, his feet sliding down the carpet as he turned a corner. Twilight got a head start, but he was much faster than her. He caught up quickly, reaching out to either grab her tail or tap her back. She glanced back, seeing Draco stretching his arm as he came closer. Her horn glowed faintly, and in a flash she was heading the opposite direction.
Draco halted and looked the other way, just in time to see Twilight blow him a raspberry.
When did she learn that?
He snapped out of his thoughts and bolted after her. Chasing her through the castle, Twilight kept using her magic to teleport behind or away from him. She would run to give her horn a rest, and vice versa. He chased her for over half an hour, up and down the different floors and various wings. He dropped to his knees, panting and sweaty.
When Twilight didn't hear Draco behind her, she peered over her shoulder, surprised he still wasn't after her. She panted lightly as she trotted back the way she came. The young prince was on his back, his chest heaving quickly. She giggled and walked closer, standing over him with a victorious smile.
"Give up?" she smirked.
Draco panted, covering his face with his elbow then laughing. Twilight understood why when she felt his hand tap her shoulder. "Tag."
Twilight giggled and sat next to him. "I'll take that as a yes."
"Where'd you… learn that spell?" he asked.
"Cadence taught me it," she replied. "Last week."
"I'm still… faster than you," he chuckled.
"And I'm still better at magic," she countered. Draco sat up and rested his chin on his knees.
"But you have a horn!" he laughed. "And I can't use magic anyway!"
After catching their breaths, they went to their seperate rooms in the castle. Draco brushed his teeth, changed into some pajamas and waited eagerly for his mother. He looked at the clock, gasping when it read 10:33. Just as he went for the door, a unicorn guard entered the room.
"Your mother will be working later than usual, Prince Draco," he said. "She says to sleep for now."
"But… but she promised to read me a book…" he trailed off. "Okay. Goodnight, mister."
The guard nodded, leaving the prince to himself. Draco went to sleep without his mother's wing draped over him. The blankets didn't feel the same as her soft coat, and their smell reminded him of nothing. He tried hard to fall asleep, but the more he tried, the more he tossed and turned. He groaned loudly, throwing himself onto the pillows.
Draco stared at the ceiling, focusing on nothing in particular. He imagined looking up at his mother, seeing that warm, gentle smile. She would sing him a lullaby, or read him a book, or simply just lay next to him. With his mother in mind, his mind slowly slowed, and his eyelids weighed heavily.
"Jro terekto! Igalo dosh nokar pojinet!"
"Galt, galt! Makti!"
"Unegt Doshu'um!"
"YAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"
"Dush, dush, dush! Erega jrem sobalka firow!"
"Jra elska nega-AH!"
"Indonug! GRAAAAA!"
A large figure broke through the metallic wall, carrying a furry and bloody creature over it's shoulder. It tossed the body to the side and came over to the crying child. When it came closer, a terrifying metal mask was visible. Blood trickled out of an opening. Beside it, a smaller figure with vines and vegetative armor covering it's form grabbed him.
"Demila, acketol tur gont utamen norago."
The smaller figure shook it's head. "Gra. Endo itroen konako poqut nimif, Gonak."
A loud roar made them turn towards the hole in the wall. A massive horde of black creatures, snarling and drooling saliva mixed with blood, came sprinting for them. The larger figure put one hand forward. It glowed with a ball of energy that blinded his vision.
The entire horde vanished, as well as most of the burning trees behind it. He pulled him under his arm, just as five other men landed in front. They charged into the outside, where burning forests and bodies of two kinds layed about. Most were mauled and half eaten, others burning.
"Draco! Draco wake up!"
They fought through thousands of black monsters, yelling and roaring as their weapons cleared a path.
"Draco! Draco!"
More people were waiting for them, but they were all killed as the eight of them ran into a cave.
"Princess, is everything-"
"Bring me a doctor!"
An enormous tree in the distance, burning the brightest in the vast forest, tipped to one side. The grand tree toppled over, creating a shockwave that knocked others over. Then, they rocketed into the stars.
Celestia cried as her spells did nothing to stop her son's shouting. He spoke words that were incomprehensible to her, and all she could do was let the doctors wheel him away while he thrashed violently. She waited for two hours, waiting for any news on how he was. She saw him have nightmares. He would always cry for her whenever he had them.
But she never heard him scream. He never shouted senseless words. She had to admit, he'd been acting strange as of late. He constantly leaped up and down the steps, he ran through the streets of Canterlot often, and she even saw him jumping across rooftops. He promised not to do it again, but she could see the need in his eyes when he looked up high.
Even with his abnormal behavior, nothing could have hinted to something like th-
"Princess."
Celestia shook from her floor-bound stare and stood up quickly. "How is he?"
"He's fine. Calmer than before, but his brain activity is a bit strange," Dr. Injection sighed.
"What does it mean?" she questioned further. "May I see him?"
The doctor chuckled softly. "You're the princess. You don't have to ask me," he smiled. "But, there's something I need to tell you."
"What? What is it?" she nervously asked.
"When we were checking on him, we noticed something about his teeth," he began. "Most ponies have around 24-28 teeth."
"How does this relate?" she deadpanned.
"We had a dentist pony come in and check. She moved her hoof wrong, and three of his teeth sunk into her hoof." Celestia's eyes widened. "She's fine now, but from what it looks like, he has more canines than a manticore, which is at least 26-34"
"You're not saying-"
"Meat, is a part of his diet," he concluded. "And by the number of teeth, it's his main and maybe favorite food."
Celestia kept silent in shock, then trotted into the emergence room to see her son. He layed on his side with his back to her, his breathing making it obvious he was awake. She sat down next to him on the bed, nuzzling his cheek softly.
"Mommy, my teeth hurt," he mumbled. He shifted onto his back, a sad frown on his face.
Celestia used her hoof to gesture for him to open up. She stifled a gasp when she saw twelve sharpened teeth next to his flatter ones. "Are okay, besides your teeth?"
He nodded softly, hugging her just like any other time he was scared. She rubbed his back softly, rubbing her cheek on his. "I don't wanna go to sleep," he whispered. "I saw more monsters."
She sighed, giving him a kiss on the top of his head. "Don't worry. You won't be seeing anymore," she whispered softly.
She rocked him gently, humming to him his favorite lullaby.
"Golden slumbers kiss your eyes,
Smiles await you when you rise.
Sleep,
Pretty baby,
Do not cry,
And I will sing a lullaby.
Cares you know not,
Therefore sleep,
While over you a watch I'll keep.
Sleep,
Pretty darling,
Do not cry,
And I will sing a lullabyyyy."
She could hear his soft snores, and she held him closer. "I promised not to let anything happen to you," she whispered. "You'll be okay, Draco."
"You'll be okay."
Commander Silver grunted as he threw his uniform beside his bunk. "Did ya hear about the Princess' colt?" he heard a guard ask.
"Yeah, my marefriend told me about it," he heard Lieutenant Shining Armor say. "She said she's never seen the princess so upset."
"Well, her colt did wake up screaming and kicking around, not to mention going on about crazy stuff," the guard said.
"Which is why I expect you both to be ready for Contingency Delta," Commander Silver called. "That colt's been acting up lately, and I want the two of you ready for anything."
The other stallion saluted, but Shining Armor shrugged. "I don't see how much harm one colt can do," he said. "Do you think that's necessary?"
Silver walked over to the Lieutenant, towering by a good head. "Yes. We have no idea what he is, and since the princess is so blind to see the potential danger, we have to make sure he doesn't hurt anypony, should he totally lose it," he said in a calm, but intimidating tone. "Is that clear, Lieutenant?"
Shining stood straight and saluted. "Yes, sir!"