The Lost Prince of the Stars

by OscornBrony

Chapt. 5 Generosity & Honesty

‘One day, one day I’ll be able to do a job the way I planned it without the pain and trouble of making a simple and stupid mistake.’’ I panted as I ran down a new street.

The streets here were just about impossible to navigate. They seemed to go absolutely nowhere. ‘I’m about a hundred percent positive that I’m running in circles.’’

This proved to be true when I rounded another corner to see the two guards start running down an alley I was sure I went down earlier. At the sight of this, I quietly turned around and carefully trotted down the street away from where the guards went. ‘On the other hoof, that was easier than I thought.’

‘Now what were those guards talking about? It was about some guard who almost brought down Equestria? Time to find more info.’

One hoof at a time, that's how I worked my way through the castle's detention center.

In the end, I checked every single newspaper I could find. Most of them talked about an incident that happened to Luna. And that was plenty of information. Now I just needed to find where they kept the documents on prisoners and the crimes they have committed.

Then, I will end him.

‘This is just too easy. I’ve been busting into buildings for weeks now. The only difference here is the place. I could do this with my eyes closed…’

“HOLD!”

The cry came from behind me, so I did the natural thing and turned around. Standing about ten feet away was the snow white stallion who wore the purple armor of the current Captain of the Guard.

The first though to cross my mind was, ‘You got to feel sorry for that guy's dignity when he wears that armor.’ The second was more like, ‘STUPID! STUPID! How could I have been so stupid! This is a prison, not a clock tower! Of course it would actually have security, and a good one at that.’

Once you get into one of these situations there is always one thing you can do.

I lifted my front right hoof in a salute to the figure. Then putting my voice in a gruff tone, “As you were Captain. You may go and resume your duties.”

The Captain did a double take as he leaned back with a face of confusion showing under his helmet. That gave me the chance I needed to turn and run. ‘Forget Kung-Fu. When going up against a guard, I believe that Flee-Fu is the way to go.’

I let another grown escape as I lay in the pile of luggage on the platform of the train station in Ponyville.

‘This has got to be one of the worst days of my life. This day officially marks the spot right under the day that my dad…’

‘Alright, SOPPY STORY TIME IS OVER! I've got to get up and find Apple Crumbs’ relative. What was her name again,…Applejack, yes that was it, Applejack.’

I worked my way to a standing position and then began to tread forward, out of the train station and down the street. Where was I going? The answer to that was quite simple…I had no idea, and in my state of sick, I can’t really say I cared.

I don’t know what was stranger, my odd problem with motion sickness, or the fact that about five minutes after I walked out of the station, some random pink earth pony trotted right up beside me and started to talk very fast to me in the tone of voice that suggested we were long friends.

“Hi there! My name is Pinkie Pie! I haven’t seen you around here. What’s your name? Why do you look like that? Where are you from? Why do you look as if you just fell out of Cloudsdale? What brings you to Ponyville? Is it usual for your eyes to drift around, glazed over, like that?”

She kept asking many questions but didn’t give me time to respond. In truth, I don’t even know what she said after that eye remark. I just didn’t feel like talking about my disheveled appearance, which covered about fifty percent of the questions she asked.

When I say I didn’t know what she said, it's somewhat of a stretch. I do remember the very last thing she said, “…do you?”

The worst part about the last thing she said was… it was the last. She stopped talking so I could answer the question. The question I didn’t even know what it was about.

‘Alright, this shouldn’t be too hard to figure out. About half the questions I remember were about my present appearance, so the question probably has something to do with that. I don’t want her to think I’m always like this, so my answer would be something along the lines of…’

“No. Definitely not. I’m like this just because it happens.”

I expected a nod of understanding, or a giggle of amusement. What I was not expecting was what I can only explain as a complete change of personalities.

Her pink fluffy mane flattened into a smooth flow as if she had just stepped out of a pool of water. Then her eyes welled up and tears began to fall at a rapid pace.

“Y-you d-don’t like p-p-parties!? How can y-y-you just be like that?!”

‘Parties? How did she go from talking about my appearance to parties? And in the same breath no less.’

I couldn’t help but feel sorry for what I said. We may have been complete strangers, but I don’t like seeing ponies cry. I often find myself in a situation in which I’m pounding a few muzzles in but that is because they attack first. “Please excuse what I just said. My mind blanked out on me and…”

It was then I noticed that she was no longer besides me, and instead the only proof that she was ever there was a path of salt water that went off into a bakery.

‘Next time this happens I think I’ll pretend to be a mute. Now where is Applejack?’

‘This seems a little too familiar. Running down twists and turns in an unknown area, with a purple plated unicorn on my tail.’

We kept running and running. My luck had held this long and I hadn't come across another guard, but I can’t count on it staying that way.

I rounded yet another corner, but this one was different, it was a dead end.

I ran for another few strides and brought myself to a stop. I closed my eyes and listened to my follower's hooves coming down the hall. I heard them round the corner as I tensed. The sound of them trying to stop quickly reached my ears. ‘Sorry comrade.’’ I thought before releasing as big of a buck as I could manage.

‘Note to self, don’t buck somepony when they’re wearing armor.’

All in all, I managed to take down the Captain of the guard. But now my back hooves were utterly killing me! Why do I have to be so foolish? Armor has the tendency to be sturdier than an uncovered hoof.

It took ten painful minutes of walking to find the list of prisoners. But when I did find it, it seemed well worth the time and pain. The list had names, cell numbers, info on the prisoner, and the crimes they were in for.

There were only five names on the list. One black mailer, two thieves that attempted to break into a jewelry store, and one pony that was caught forging the royal seal. The last pony on the list was named Star Spell. Once a Sergeant in the Royal Guard, being held in cell number nine for the crime of…’the attempted murder of Princess Luna?!’

‘That crosses a line. Looks like I’ll be leaving a silver coin in cell number nine.’

I just about forgot the pain I was in from the impact with the guard. When somepony is a problem to Luna, then they’re a problem to me.

I walked past cell one, ‘Should I speak to this Star Spell before doing my duty?’

Cell two, ‘What purpose would that be for?’

Cell three, ‘He might not know of the crime he committed.’

Cell four, ‘Fat chance of that, how do you not know about nearly killing royalty?’

Cell five, ‘The fact that he nearly did it proves that he had to have a good amount of preparation.’

Cell six, ‘Does somepony with those crimes really deserve a chance to try to explain his actions?’

Cell seven, ‘I don’t think so.’

Cell eight, ‘I guess that settles it, no explanations from him are necessary.’

I stopped outside cell nine and turned to face the pony inside.

At first I didn’t see anypony. The cell was dark and it took me a second to see the figure under a blanket in a corner.
“There you are.”

At the sound of my voice his head came out from beneath the cover and tuned in my direction.

At this I could see several things. One, they put a metal band around their horn, probably a horn lock to prevent them from casting spells. Two, he had an expression on his face, as if he had suffered a great deal of pain in a recent amount of time. The third thing I noticed was also the one I was most shocked by.

There was a faint aura coming from his eyes.

I’ve seen this aura many times. I've seen it every time I looked at either of the princesses as well as many times on my travels across the world. It was from my connection with the Elements of Harmony that I’ve been able to tell what ponies were able to use them. In the darkness of the cell the aura seemed to shine, not with one but two colors. Purple and orange, two elements, generosity and honesty.

‘What kind of an assassin holds the power to use those elements?’

‘I’ll say one good thing about my encounter with the pink pony, it seemed to help clear up my sickness.’

About five minutes after that uncomfortable scene, I found myself in a market place buzzing with activity.

There were stalls that seemed to sell any food item you could possibly imagine. If it grew, there seemed to be a stall that had it. Celery, carrots, oranges, pomegranates, they were all there. And yes there was an apple stand as well.

And who do you think was the pony behind the stall…I have no idea because there was nopony behind the piles of apples.

‘Apples but no Applejack, or any Apple. If they’re not here where would they be? Apple Crumb always keeps to her apple stand like a fruit bat to a fruit.’ This just didn’t seem to make sense. Unless…

I turned to a green maned pony at a carrot booth. “Excuse me, I was wondering if that apple cart is the property of the Apple family. Or better yet, if you knew where I could find the Apple family?” She looked up at me with a friendly expression, one I paid no heed.

'Personal rule number two, be kind to all around you, but don't let them get close to your heart unless you want it to be broken.'
"Yes." She said.

"Yes what?"

She seemed a little put out from the little emotion I put out but she pointed at two different directions as she answered.

"Yes, that is the Apple family stand and yes, I know where you can find them. Applejack, the one that runs the booth had to leave early to comfort a depressed friend named Pinkie Pie, so if you want to talk to them, you might want to try Sweet Apple Acres."

"Thank you."

I turn and begin to walk to the farm when a great blast came from over head. I looked up and about fell to the ground as I saw the one thing I've learned to fear in my many years of travel. A shock wave of rainbow colors, with a streak of color fading towards a large gingerbread house bakery.