009
I woke up, but couldn’t move, or open my eyes, but knew that I was in a bed. I heard some ponies walk into the room, surround me and start talking. “What do you ponies believe that we should do about him?” I recognized this later as Princess Celestia’s voice.
“We can’t do nothing! He took out six of my best guards like they were ragdolls, and the other four have resigned and most likely won’t come back. And he isn’t even scratched.” This was Shining Armor.
“Red Wing, huh? That name suits him, considering that he was covered in blood.” I didn’t recognize this voice at all, but it continued talking, “I had tried entering his dreams over the night to find what made him act like that, but he didn’t dream.”
“I think that it was due to me,” Cadance said. “I said something that offended him, and he stormed off. I tried using my magic to calm him, but it just got worse.”
“I agree with your concerns, but with his father, if he were to do something similar, or was in a rage like that, I don’t know if all four of us could restrain him,” Celestia said.
I shifted, grumbled, and sat up at this point, realizing that I was finally awake and recovered enough to move. “What? Where am I?” My stomach grumbled when I said this, and I was slightly confused as to why I was hungry. To my knowledge, I had just eaten, yet I was hungry enough that I felt like I could eat an entire buffet of food.
It was the one that I didn’t know that spoke up, “You are currently in one of the rooms that guests to our kingdom use when on royal business, and it sounds like you are hungry. Want to get some food?” I looked at her, and noticed that she, as well, was a unicorn/pegasus. This one, however, had midnight blue fur, and her mane and tail where like Celestia’s, where it moved, yet the air was calm.
“Sure. It’s weird though, I just ate.” I got out of bed, and had slight trouble standing, as the exhaustion and hunger truly set in. The dark pony saw this, and acted to keep me up.
“Actually, you ate that sandwich about 18 hours again. It’s nearly been a day,” Shining Armor corrected. I was in disbelief because it felt like only a few minutes ago.
My stomach growled again, causing me to forget about time. “Don’t worry,” the unnamed pony said. “I’ll take you to the kitchen, and we can ask the staff to make you something.”
Celestia moved closer to this pony and whispered in her ear. I don’t know what it is with ponies, but I could hear their conversation. “Luna, what are you planning?”
“Relax sister. I plan on watching him, and possibly keep him in line. I think he would be a good student.”
“And what makes you think you can take him as an apprentice?”
“What’s wrong with having a student? You have one.”
Celestia was about to speak again, but I interrupted her, “Do I get a say in becoming a student?” I asked.
Celestia, and who I now believe to be another princess named Luna, stared at me with disbelief, along with Cadance and Shining. “You could hear us?” Celestia asked.
“Yah,” I confirmed.
“But we were whispering at a volume that you can’t hear unless being spoken too,” Luna said.
“Really? Because I could hear it like you where whispering it really loudly. Shining, Cadance, couldn’t you hear them as well?” The two shook their heads. “Weird.” I shrugged and dropped the subject.
Celestia and Luna didn’t drop it as quickly, as they continued to whisper to themselves. “Do you think he was telling the truth? Or do you think he was reading our lips?”
“A very young age to be able to read lips already, but not impossible. And based off of our volume, I doubt that he can actually hear us.” Celestia commented.
I found that Cadance and Shining were also whispering among themselves, “Wow, to think that he could hear what they were whispering.” Cadance said.
“You don’t actually believe him do you?” Shining.
“Well it would make sense. He did hear us when we were at your house.”
I decided that I didn’t like being talked about. So, I started to the door, still hearing there conversations.
“If he was reading lips, then we should make sure that he is, either not in the room, or turned away from us if we talk about important topics.” Luna.
“Shining, he heard us at your house, he probably could hear us now.” Cadance. There was a pause from her as she looked for me to confirm, or so I think. I was almost at the door, and wasn’t looking at them. “Red Wing, where are you going?” she asked, realizing where I was. The others turned to me, realizing that I wasn’t next to Luna or the bed anymore.
“I’m hungry,” I stated simply, allowing them to believe what they will. Exiting the room, I heard only a single set of hooves follow me, and soon Luna had caught up to me.
“You realize that you are heading in the opposite direction from the kitchen,” Luna said.
“No ma’am, I did not,” I responded, remembering that Daddy told me to be on my best behavior around the Princesses. I turned around, and started walking the other direction. “I’m not trying to be rude here, but what are you, Celestia, and Cadance. I mean you are a unicorn, but you are also a pegasus.”
Luna chuckled, “We are Alicorns. It is just one of the many symbols that we are Princesses.”
We traveled to the kitchen in relative silence, only the sound of our hooves and the occasional growl of my stomach would eco throughout the hall. Upon reaching the kitchen and entering, I saw a magnificent sight to my hungry eyes: 60 cooks rushing around, each one either floating dozens of ingredients, or carrying pots full of food, flying to grab ingredients for the ones carrying pots, or cooking food. There was food, in cabinets, on shelves, and on all of the stoves and in the ovens. The entirety of the 30 foot by 50 foot floor was dedicated to either cooking, preparing food, or moving from oven to oven, stove to stove.
We were not noticed within the kitchen for a good two, three minutes, but as soon as one of the ponies did notice us, she bowed and yelped out, “Princess Luna! Forgive our previous ignorance of your presence! We did not realize that you were here! What may we get you?” Her yelp brought our, or rather her, presence to the attention of all the cooks, who also bowed.
Luna chuckled again, this time at the reactions of the cooks, “Rise,” she said passively, “It is not I who is requesting food, it is my apprentice here, Red Wing, who is.”
“Yes Princess Luna,” she said, rising, then turning to me. “What may I get you?”
I wasn’t focused on her currently, as I was facing Luna, “And who said that I would accept becoming your apprentice? I don’t think that I did.”
“Well, it’s either that, or we can put you in a prison cell for attacking our guards,” Luna countered.
“You won’t do that,” I protested.
“Oh, and what makes you think that I wouldn’t?”
“Because, and I quote, ‘all four of you wouldn’t be able to…’”
Luna cut me off, realizing where this was heading, “Okay, we will talk about this later, right now we have some food to get you.” She looked at the cooks in the kitchen, most of whom had stopped what they were doing to watch us. The cooks scattered and resumed their cooking, all except the one who originally stopped. I realized that I was hungry, my stomach growled again fairly loudly.
Turning to the pony who was waiting patiently to know something she get me, “May I please have a sandwich, and some soup?” I asked politely.
“Of course,” the cook said.
“Thank you,” I somehow managed to thank her before she rushed off to fill my order. It took less than five minutes for her to fly back with the requested items in her two front hooves. I thanked her again, but had trouble taking the items. I ended up taking the plate with the sandwich in my mouth, and the soup in one of my hooves.
Trying to move caused the sandwich to almost fall off of the plate, and the soup to spill, so Luna grabbed them in her magical grip, and floated them to a table in a room not too far off, but was still separate from everything.
As I ate, Celestia walked into the room, along with Cadance and Shining Armor. By the time they walked in, I was already finished with the sandwich, and half the soup was gone, yet it was only three minutes since I started eating. Luna spoke to the three quietly, and due to my position, I could not see them. “He heard us speaking about his rampage. He must have been awake during that time.”
“And why didn’t you sense that he was awake?” Celestia asked.
“Because he didn’t dream,” Luna defended herself.
“And how do you know this?” Shining asked.
“Because I called her out on it when she tried to pass me off as her apprentice.” I had just finished my soup, and was still facing the other direction.
“So you can hear us,” Cadance pointed out, “I knew it.”
“So when will you free my Daddy?”
“When we are done re-investigating his charges, then we might be able to let him go.” Celestia.
“Wait, his father is in prison? Why?” Cadance.
“His father is charged with fraud. I have imprisoned him on this charge as he disappeared for seven months, after ‘Selling’ paragliding lessons. However, I am forced to re-investigate because he has claimed that he solved that problem by refunding or adding lessons for free,” Celestia stated. “I have also made sure that his needs are met, and he is also receiving better meals. If I truly have falsely imprisoned him, then I want him to be in a good mood.”
“Back to Red Wing, we need to figure out what to do with him,” Luna said, “I still want to make him my apprentice.”
“Do I still get no say in it?” I asked, interrupting their conversation and putting me back in it.
“You do, but think about it. If you don’t become my apprentice, you won’t have a place to stay, or anything to eat,” Luna countered.
“I can always go home,” I countered right back.
“Luna what are you…” Celestia started, but Luna stopped her.
“Good luck, your house is in Ponyville. That is about 1000 miles from here. A train costs around 200 gold pieces, and I doubt you even have 100. And walking brings you close to the Everfree forest, and without the protection of a train, you might get attacked by a wild creature on your 14 day hike with no food. And at your age, I doubt that you are able to fly.”
“Daddy would get mad if he learned of this.”
“And who says that he will? We are very good at covering up events.”
I thought about this for a while before answering, “I doubt that you would let a six year old actually wander aimlessly without food.”
“Try me.”
I thought once more, and wondered if she was bluffing. I looked at Celestia, Cadance, and Shining, who all looked doubtful and worried, “What about them,” I pointed the three out, “They don’t look supportive of this idea.”
“My words and decisions are final, and going against them, even if the one going against it is also a princess, it is considered treason, and they will be put away.”
I thought for the final time on this subject. Celestia looked like she was going to say something, but Luna always stopped her. Finally, I gave in, “Fine, I guess that I will become your apprentice.”