Chapter 9
When I woke up, I was still in the Royal Infirmary. It was late in the day and the room was filled with the sound of rhythmic beeping. As I opened my eyes, I saw it was also filled with ponies. Luckily, I knew all of them. Sadly, there weren’t many.
Twilight was there, right by my side. Philomena was perched on top of the IV stand. Bunny was seated next to Hammer with Cotton Tail on her lap, looking very sad (she was three now). Then there was Luna and the last pony I wanted to see at that moment.
“No. Get out.” I pointed at Celestia, who was crying.
It was the first thing I said to anypony and it got a startled reaction from all of them. They all looked back and forth from each other to me with expressions of bewilderment. I, on the other hand, only glared at the largest one in the room who stared back at me. It was obvious, I had broken her heart. I didn’t care.
“Honey, please, you’re hurt and need some rest,” she tried to calm me down.
“No, I just need you to GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!” I yelled at her again. She looked like I had just slapped across the muzzle.
“Christopher, stop this. You should not speak like this to your mother.” Luna was trying to play peacemaker.
“That. Is. Not. My. Mother.” I was nearly growling. “No mother would lie to her son for twelve years. Now, GET OUT!” She didn’t move. She was too stunned by what I said. “Fine, then I’ll leave.” I started yanking wires and tubes, setting off alarms as I did.
All around the room, ponies were telling me to stop, Dust Bunny was practically begging me to. Celestia simply stood and left without saying a word. As soon as the door closed, I laid back into the bed again. I picked up an apple from the table and brought it to my lips. Just before I took a bite, it was transformed into a pinecone.
“What in Tartarus is wrong with you?!” Twilight screamed at me. “Can’t you see you broke her heart?”
“Yeah, can I have my apple back now? I’m still hungry.”
The pinecone was levitated out of my hand, turned back into an apple, and rocketed back at my face. It missed by less than an inch and exploded against the wall. “Your mother is dying inside and you’re more concerned about an APPLE?!” Twilight screamed at me.
“I already told you, that’s not my mother. That is my captor.” Twilight was seething. “Did she tell you she could have sent me back?” That got her to stop yelling.
“Wh-what do you mean, ‘back’?”
“Back, home, Earth, to my own kind.” I stared at her, deadpan.
“You-you want to leave? You want to leave Equestria for Earth?” All eyes were on me.
“I… I’m not sure.”
Cotton Tail jumped from her mother’s lap and climbed up onto my hospital bed (specially made for my anatomy). She then stood on my hips and placed her front hooves on my chest. “Please don’ go, Chris.” Her quivering lips and teary eyes weren’t playing fair. “I love you.”
“I know that, Fluffy Butt,” she giggled at my nickname for her, she always did, “but it’s not that simple.” I cradled her in my arms and tickled her belly eliciting copious amounts of adorable giggles.
“Then I believe you have some thinking to do,” Luna said as she stood from her seat. “Now, if you will excuse me, I must tend to my duties. Christopher, I am glad to see that you are alright.”
“Thanks, Aunt Luna, and you’re right, I do some thinking to do.” I lifted Cotton Tail up where she was levitated out of my hands and floated back over to her parents who had also stood up from their seats. She was placed on her father’s back. “If you will all excuse me, I would like some time to myself.”
They all filed out of the room, Philomena had perched on Luna’s back for a ride. Twilight looked back over her shoulder at me as she walked. She looked very concerned, bordering on worried. She turned and continued to walk out, an apple floated over to me surrounded in a familiar purple aura.
*****
I didn’t talk to Celestia for two weeks after the incident. She tried to bribe with gifts and treats left with the guards outside my room. She left notes and even had Philomena fly in letters through the open door to my balcony. I wasn’t having any of it. I gave the treats to the guards and sent the notes and letters back, unopened and unread.
She went about her daily duties, wearing a proverbial mask the whole time. Celestia showed a smile and a nod, she greeted everypony she saw. However, whenever she wasn’t on her throne, everything was different. Her mane didn’t float and her coat didn’t shine. With her head hung low, Celestia haunted her own halls.
Twilight came by almost every day. She was trying to play peacemaker. It was tearing her up almost as much as it was Celestia. She felt that since she was the one who brought me here, it was her fault that the princess she loved like a mother and the one she thought of as a cousin were hurting so much. It wasn’t.
Twilight was also trying to convince us both not to blame her friends for what happened. I pointed out that I didn’t beat myself halfway to death. I understood why it happened, but I wasn’t exactly ready to forgive them any more than I was Celestia. Though, them I was at least willing to talk to.
After two weeks of avoiding her and ducking into random halls and doorways, I had made my decision. Actually, it was quite a few decisions. After Dust Bunny woke me and tip-hooved around any touchy subjects, I made my way to the dining hall, which came as a bit of a shock to Bunny as well as the guards.
I walked in and ignored Blueblood’s look of utter disappointment and took my seat near the alicorns. Both watched me intently, but Celestia’s look was one of hope and desperation.
“I’ve come to some conclusions. One, going back to Earth would be no good,” Blueblood groaned, “Since I don’t even remember what my last name was or even what city I lived in, I would have no home to go back to, besides, they’ve probably already declared me dead already. Two, I’m not ready to forgive you, yet, but I think I get why you didn’t tell me. Three, in one week, I will walk right out the front gates of the palace and into the city. I’m tired of being hidden away like some foals soiled sheets. So either you let the citizenry know about me ahead of time or when I do walk through the gates, I might just keep on walking.”
“Of course, Hon-“
“Don’t. We are way too far from back to normal for you to call me any cute little nicknames.” I glared at Celestia as I stood to leave. “We may get there again, but not right now. If anypony needs me, I’ll be in the gardens.”
Celestia watched me leave. She as happy I had decided to talk to her, but sad that I wasn’t calling her ‘mother’. She had a little bit of hope in her heart again. Not much, but enough to get her mane to float a little on its own again.
I rested under a tree on a blanket, reading a book, Dust Bunny was sitting nearby. I kept telling her that she didn’t have to, but she insisted on being there for me. Luckily that meant that Cotton Tail would be dropped off after her daycare.
I heard the sound of heavy hoofsteps, but since I didn’t smell cake frosting, I knew it wasn’t Celestia. I looked over my shoulder and saw Luna approaching.
“Miss Dust Bunny, leave us please.” Bunny bowed and left. It was time for her to meet Cotton Tail at the gate anyway. “Christopher, may we talk?”
“Of course, Aunt Luna.” I put down my book and slid over on the blanket I was sitting on.
She sat next to me. “I am certain that your decision to stay was not one that you came by easily, but I am happy you did. I have come to grow quite fond of you nephew and would be very saddened to see you leave.”
I chuckled, “I love you too, Aunt Luna.”
She smiled, “I have come to ask that, maybe you could take it easy on Sister.” I shot her a look out of the corner of my eye. “I know what she did was wrong, but you must see it from her side.”
“I know, she wanted a child but no longer could have any. Then, out of nowhere, I come along. Alone and with nowhere to go and nopony to care for me, she decided I could be the child she never had and she couldn’t bear to lose me. I get it.”
“No, in fact, you do not. Celestia had always wanted a family, ever since we were foals and she would cradle a doll Father made for her everywhere she went. After our parents moved on to the next realm, Celestia thought she might finally be able to have that family she so craved since she would need a stallion to be her king. Sadly, every suitor seemed to only be interested in her for her crown and their chance for a piece of that crown. Sadly, before she could find one that loved her for her, I lost control of myself to Nightmare Moon. When Sister banished me, she no longer had the option to create the family she so craved. Her crown weighed too heavily for her to think of herself anymore. Then, the day came where foals were no longer an option. I believe, if it weren’t for her taking on occasional apprentices, she very well may have gone insane with loneliness.
I tried to hide the single tear that fell down my cheek. I knew she had hurt, but I never realized it had been that much or for that long. “I knew she wanted a kid of her own, I just didn’t realize it was that severe.” I looked at Luna’s face and caught the tear that was falling from her eye.
“I have never been as eager as Sister for offspring, which is fortunate since my window for such things closed while I was still in exile.” I placed an arm around her withers and she leaned her head against mine.
After we had sat there for a while, I came to another decision. “Okay, I’ll take it easy on her, but I’m still upset with her. She should have told me years ago that she could have sent me home. I deserved the chance to choose for myself.”
“On that, we are in complete agreement.”
“Excuse me, Chris,” Bunny politely interrupted, “but Princess Celestia has asked for your presence in the throne room.”
I stood up from the blanket, after taking my arm back. “Fine, but only if I get to take this little chunk of cuteness with me,” I responded as I snatched Cotton Tail from her mother’s back. “You’re coming with me, Fluffy Butt.”
As soon as I entered the door to the throne room, I was ready to leave. Celestia was too quick for me though and had already slammed the doors shut behind me. If it weren’t for Twilight, Spike and Cotton Tail being there, I would have had some very choice words for the others present. Those others being the rest of the Elements of Harmony as well as their little sisters.
Upon seeing me, the little foals started to cower behind their sisters. “Relax, I already have a snack,” I told them as I held Cotton Tail up with one hand. For her part, Tail played dead while I pretended to take bites out of her. I know it was in poor taste, but I was still a little pissed at them all and felt a little payback was in order. Besides, the look on their faces was priceless.
“Chris, these mares are here to speak with you about what happened two weeks ago,” Celestia informed me.
“Alright,… Mother.” Once again, Celestia caught the word, though this time, I had meant to say it. Her mane and tail, which she had been forcing magic through in order to keep it floating like normal, began to blow in a nonexistent wind all on its own again. “And what would my little attackers like to discuss today?” I placed Cotton Tail on the floor and she galloped over to Spike to play.
“Well, I don’t think there is any need to address us so rudely,” Rarity objected.
“Really? So you’re saying you all didn’t attack me unprovoked two weeks ago and put me in the infirmary, granted it was only for one day, but it was still the infirmary.” Rarity’s ears, as well as the other four guilty parties, folded against their heads.
“Hey, you attacked us,” Rainbow Dash tried to offer as a defense.
“Trust me, ladies, if this young colt had really attacked you, none of you would be standing here now.” King Gurfon announced as he stormed in through the double doors at the far end of the throne room.
“Uncle Gurfon!” I rushed over and hugged the large griffon.
“Uncle? Princess, are you and… him…?” Rarity began to ask.
“No, we are not involved romantically and never have been,” Celestia answered diplomatically. “King Gurfon has been visiting monthly to provide the prince with the meat his body requires. In order to protect my son from harm or panic,” she shot a warning glare at the five mare and three scared fillies, “we have kept the true purpose of the king’s visits secret. To aide in this endeavor, rumors have been allowed to circulate.”
“So ya’ll’ve been keepin’ his existence secret fer years? Why? If he’s s’posed ta be Prince of Equestria, why not tell everypony?” Applejack asked the very question I’ve been asking for years.
It was Twilight who answered. “When I brought him here fourteen years ago, nearly everypony who saw him was afraid of him. The fact that Chris is an omnivore doesn’t help either.” She turned to look at me as Gurfon and I approached. Cotton Tail galloped back to me and I plucked her up from the floor and cradled her in my arms again and tickled her soft tummy. “But look at him. Chris would never hurt anypony if he didn’t have to. That’s why none of you were hurt in the fight, and believe me, he could have hurt all of you very badly. He’s been trained by the best since he was just a little colt.”
The white foal unicorn cautiously walked up to me. I looked down at her with one eyebrow raised. “This is our fault,” she indicated the other two fillies, “we’re really sorry we called you a monster and thought you were gonna eat us.” The yellow filly and the orange one also came up and apologized.
“I can’t stay mad at such little cuties. You three are forgiven.” They all bowed and backed up to their sisters again, clearly not convinced that I wasn’t going to hurt them. “Besides, it’s you older mares I’m mad at.”
Celestia came down from her throne and stood beside myself and Gurfon. “Indeed, you five attacked a sapient creature without provocation or attempt at peace. Even forgetting that it was your own prince you assaulted, there is no excuse. You must be punished.” All five lowered their heads in submission. “Prince Christopher, what do you feel would be an adequate punishment for these ladies?”
“I feel…” I let it hang in the air for a little while, savoring their building worry, “that they should not be allowed to leave the palace until I do.”
Nine female voices all chorused, “huh?!”
And so the torture began.