//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: A Locked Heart // Story: Tumult // by Shattered Heart //------------------------------// "M-M-MALTY IS A PRINCE?!" the Crusaders shout at once. What are they yelling about? "WHOA! YOU! HOW?! WHAT?! HUH?!" Rainbow Dash babbled, not making any sense. What exactly is every pony making such a big scene about? Suddenly seeing Twilight finally I wave to her, her eyes widening, and one eye twitching. "HUH?! You're a PRINCE?!" Why is every pony saying that suddenly? I sign to her that I have no clue what she is talking about. "What? Look in a mirror! Look there!" Twilight requested. Looking behind myself I saw a tinted glass that showed my reflection. Ah, So that's why every pony was freaking out. I have a horn, and wings now. Wait. What? Suddenly words start flowing into my head, my mind must be forcing myself to define and explain myself the situation using the books I "adapted" to. Alicorn, only few in existence, immortal, almost ageless, and the most powerful form a pony can possess. A sign of royalty. As the words finish explaining I suddenly hear screaming and shouting. "He grew wings! He really is a monster! Run!" A pony in the crowd that formed in front of my face had shouted. "But didn't Princess Twilight grow wings?" Another had asked. The crowd began to talk all at once standing before me. "He can't possibly be a pony, could he? He isn't like us..." Feeling the weight of their words my eyes feel heavy as my neck begins to sink. Twilight running to my aid had held my shoulder and before I knew it the two of us were at her home once more. Looking around I saw nopony else, it was just us two. Feeling distraught I laid on the floor not wanting to move. It was bad enough that the local ponies were gossiping about me, but now they are fully convinced that I am a monster. "We need to get you to Princess Luna & Princess Celestia, Spike take a letter!" Twilight had commanded, speaking to Spike, almost instantly the dragon wrote, lit the letter, and then belched a new one. Such strange magic. I wonder if I can learn it. But then again I have no mouth... Or do I? I did eat that apple somehow. As Twilight opened the letter a flash of light blinded me, possibly them too. By the time my eyesight came to, I was in an unfamiliar place with Twilight who was now wearing a crown of some sort & Spike, in front of a purple Alicorn and a white Alicorn. "Princess Celestia & Princess Luna, this is Tumult, he has a strange ability to absorb books, and inherit knowledge, some books have even changed his body," Twilight began to explain to them ,"He was originally an Earth Pony, however due to him absorbing, or as he calls it 'adapting' to a book of simple magic, he grew a horn. He was incapable of writing, and understanding us until he 'adapted' to certain dictionaries. After just now adapting to a book about flying, written by Rainbow Dash which was meant for a flightless filly Pegasus, he had grown wings. Although I have yet to see it, we had heard he also had transformed into a dragon pony of some kind to defend 3 little fillies from Timber-wolves." The white one, I am assuming is Celestia began to get off her throne and walk towards me, her gaze looking intense. "You are quite the anomaly... What was your name young stallion?" Celestia had confronted me. I had stated that my name was Tumult, “Tumult... Twilight Sparkle, call Discord." Twilight looked at Celestia with uncertainty, but nonetheless began to make her horn and crown glow. With a big flash of light a creature that I had never seen before appeared before me. The creature 'Discord' began dancing about hugging every guard and Princess he saw, and patted Spike on the head. He began making fun of my face, when he saw me until Celestia got his attention. "Discord, I will ask you this once and only once, did you bring this stallion here?" Celestia asked angrily. "Why now why would it be ME?! I have never seen this face in my life! And I don't quite enjoy being blamed for something I didn't do!" Discord argued back. Celestia however was not convinced, she stated that my name was a synonym for Discord, and that it was too much of a coincidence. Twilight then explained why I chose my own name, Celestia still didn't seem convinced. Discord however began to chip in his own thoughts, “Well looky here, I'm telling the truth, and you don't believe me, I suppose we are at an impasse." Celestia had looked angrily at Discord, yet Discord still didn't back down. Discord must be some sort of even plain to be able to stand up to a princess the way he is. Discord then stated, "Alright I'll tell you what! I'll try to peer into his head and see what is up." Celestia agreed, and Discord pulled out a chainsaw, I began to run, but I was already tied to a 2 ton dumbbell I had not been chained to before. Celestia calling out to Discord to stop playing around Discord tapped a single lion paw onto my forehead. Feeling myself becoming lost in my own conscious Discord suddenly lets go of me. "Oh my," He stated, “This is rather more serious than I thought it would be, this stallion here. His whole body is emanating with some sort of chaos magic, just like me. His powers feel more restricted than mine though." Celestia and Luna began to look at each other in concern, but Discord wasn't finished talking ,"The only thing I found very odd though is that I couldn't see into his memories, his heart is locked away, somepony must have locked it, buried the key, then built a house on top of the key and moved in. As my dear FRIEND Pinkie Pie would say. But I can tell you one thing, he is no normal Alicorn. He merely has the body parts of a unicorn and Pegasus. Unlike you princesses that have all that magical Alicorn power, he simply seems to have the flight of a Pegasus and the normal magic of a unicorn. " Princess Celestia, Discord, Princess Luna, and Twilight began to talk amongst each other. I was left out of the conversation though I was the topic, so naturally I felt left out. Looking to my side I saw Spike who was reading another comic book, "What?" Spike asked looking at me in confusion, "Ah this always happens, so I bring a lot of comics so that I don't get bored. They'll probably just dissect you or something to get to your heart, and find out about you," Spike suggested. I felt uneasy, I could have gone without hearing that. WHY did he tell me that?! Spike then pushed a comic to my face, "Here, you can read it just don't make it disappear like the other one. “I look at the comic book and read the title 'Ponypool kills the multiverse.' "You see this hero is an Anti-hero, people love them! They are heroes that do heroic deeds in non-heroic ways! In this issue he kills all the super heroes and villains because he thinks he can finally die if there is no one else alive. He has this healing factor thing that lets him survive anything! He can even survive death!" I began to read the comic, and I got to say I enjoyed it, though it seemed rather... Dark. Suddenly a flash of light appeared and another Alicorn was brought, "Princess Cadence is now present!" The pink Alicorn stated with a smile, walking towards to Twilight. They do some sort of weird dance, and begin talking. After a while Princess Cadence walks towards me," I hear you have some problems? My name Is Cadence, you must be Tumult. That's a lovely scarf you have there," the princess began to make small talk with me, she was probably trying to get me to feel more comfortable, which was a nice change of pace. "I'm going to do a little spell that will allow us to find out who you are okay?" Princess Cadence stated. I nodded my head in agreement, and he horn began to glow a pink heart of magic suddenly formed and it floated until it touched the tip of my horn. I began to hear a voice. Before I knew it I was saw a door, through the door's keyhole I can see a glimpse of images, but I can't see what is really going on. Suddenly the heart shaped magic appeared, as it touched the door, the door burst open. I had suddenly covered my face. No. I don't want to see it. I think I know something, my mind doesn't know it, but my body is telling me not to look. No. GO AWAY! My eyes turning away from the door I see a sentenced formed across some sort of screen. "You knew I loved her right?" Turning away from the door I crouch and hold myself feeling as though I'm in a nightmare. Before I know it I start hearing voices echo, “Cadence! He is in pain! Stop!" That's Twilight's voice! I find myself on the floor, yet again for how many times in a week? I don't know why, but I feel maybe the floors are in love with me, which is why I find myself on it so often. The floor was very wet. Cadence began rubbing my face with a napkin and apologized to me. Twilight began explaining, “At first you were just staring into space, then you looked like you were scared of something, after that you just laid there on the floor shaking like a leaf, begging for something to go away." Cadence apologized once more, Celestia had suddenly appeared before me, apologizing as well. "Perhaps you aren't quite ready to face whatever lies beyond that door. We shouldn't force it, and I truly apologize for it. Anyhow with those wings and that horn all we can really do is make up a story, saying you are some sort of prodigy and that you had become a prince. That way you won't be seen as a monster" Looking at Celestia, I look back at Twilight, who explained to me that she had told Celestia about the gossip that was spreading around Ponyville. "It's the only real way to explain the wings and horn, unless of course you can hide it? After all you have to live with that body, and who knows what others may think," Celestia explains. Hours pass and I find myself inside a guest room of the Canterlot castle. Twilight being next door to me, had suddenly come in, most likely to talk about what is going to happen. "So how do you like your room?" She asks. I state that it's much better than the hospital bed's room. "Are you excited to become a Prince tomorrow? All my friends are coming to congratulate you," Twilight says. I sign to her that I feel that I may have cheated in becoming a prince, and am undeserving of the title, Twilight then explained, “Well maybe someday you will earn the title, then you won't feel so bad about it. You aren't really a prince, you are just, pretending so that the others won't hate you." Twilight is right I suppose. Suddenly I noticed something Twilight was looking at me a lot, then at something else, then back at me. I ask her if she had a question, due to Twilight's shocked face I assume I was correct and ask her to tell me the question. Twilight then asked, “What was it like, when Cadence put you under that spell?" Gathering my thoughts I prepare to tell her. "It felt... as though my heart was being torn apart over and over again. As if my heart was just one big object that can be torn so much, yet still be torn no matter how little or weak it got," I explain. Twilight looked sad and leaned into me with a hug. I don't know why, but suddenly I felt something in my chest hurt. Her kindness was hurting me, yet I didn't mind. It was nothing compared to the pain I felt in that. Heart of mine. Feeling my face getting wet I looked up at the ceiling to check the leaking roof, but there was no hole to be found. Touching my face I see that I have indeed shed a tear or two. This wet hoof of mine shows my first ever memories of shedding tears, which are only shed during happiness or sadness. So why do I feel like i'm feeling both?