//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: The Eighth Element?! // by PaisleyPerson //------------------------------// Chapter 1 “Charcoal? Chaaaaarcoal?” “Five more minutes,” the young destral groaned, snuggling further down into the cozy embrace of the sheets. “Unbelievable,” a sparkly blue stallion rolled his eyes. “They say you’re a prince, but you remind me more of Sleeping Beauty.” “Woof?” The crystal destral was soon joined by a young timberwolf puppy, a blue carbuncle gem encrusted in its chest plate. The stallion sighed. “Alright, Brambles. Do your thing.” “Ruff!” The pup gleefully pounced the sleeping green pony, attacking him with leafy licks of affection. “GAH! Brambles! Alright, enough! Get off!” Prince Charcoal Stormwood finally sat upright in bed, shielding his face from the pup’s slimy tongue. “Morning, Sunshine!” Shift crazily grinned, his giddy, lopsided smile plastered on his face as always. “What’s the big idea, Shift?” Charcoal groaned, flopping back onto the bed. “It’s too early for this.” “Aw, come on, Princey! It’s a beautiful morning, and you’re wasting it away, all snug and curled up in bed.” “Well, I’m up now. And don’t call me that.” Charcoal drowsily removed the covers, and stepped onto the polished hardwood floor. He’d been living at the Everfree Castle for two months now, but he still woke up a bit disoriented until he remembered that this was not his old bedroom above his parents’ shop, but rather his own private chamber in the palace. “As you wish, my liege,” Shift unsteadily bowed before righting himself and bounding after Charcoal, who was headed for the washroom. The green stallion did, however, attempt to swat his friend before entering and shutting the door behind him. Shift just laughed. “Aw, come on, Char. You know it’s all in good fun.” “Sometimes I think you have too much fun.” “Well, after all those years of being an emotionless changeling, I’ve gotta let it out somehow.” “Fair enough.” Charcoal then proceeded to stuff a toothpaste-covered brush in his mouth. “Ya know,” he mumbled through the paste, “you should use that energy somehow. Maybe we’ll make you the royal event planner or something.” “Nah. Parties are more Pinkie Pie’s department. Besides, a royal event planner wouldn’t get to hang out with Prince Charcoal all day.” After scrubbing his teeth and gargling some disgusting concoction, he moved on to combing out his long-ish brown mane. “Well, you can’t really stay in this limbo, either. I mean, you must have something better to do than waking me up at the crack of dawn.” “It’s eight, thank you very much,” Shift grinned. “Hey, that’s it! I can be your royal waker-upper!” “Yeah, I don’t think so.” Charcoal was still dragging when he came out of the bathroom. “Perk up, kid!” Shift was bouncing around with so much energy he was approaching Pinkie’s level. Watching him made Charcoal feel tired all over again. “Oh good, you’re up.” The orange-coated and green-maned thestral known as Fink waltzed in the room without so much as a knock. Fink was also a former changeling, but unlike Shift, his personality hadn’t changed much. He was still impassive, serious, but perhaps a bit more thoughtful than before. The biggest physical difference between the two now (besides breed) was that Fink had a cutie mark. Chrysalis’ original hive hadn’t had the chance to find their destinies while under her rule, so they started off as blank flanks. Fink found that he happened to be particularly talented with fire dancing, or at least using it to send and receive mail. Now a scroll half-engulfed in his green thestral flame stained his hide. Since it appeared, he had been assigned as Charcoal’s personal secretary by Princess Essence. Not that Charcoal couldn’t write for himself... Shift, on the other hoof, had not yet found his special talent, and spent his days hanging around the prince and pestering him, or as Shift insisted, just trying to be helpful wherever he could. Charcoal didn’t mind his company, but he sensed that Shift was becoming restless without any real duties. “Don’t you guys have anything better to do than wait for me to wake up?” Char chided, standing at the center of the room and nodding to Brambles. The timberwolf obediently collapsed, his jumbled wooden limbs beginning to crawl forth and weave around Charcoal’s body. Only when the timberwolf had transformed into Charcoal’s complete set of royal armor did the prince move on to join Fink at the entryway. “Not when an urgent letter needs to be delivered, I don’t,” Fink removed a scroll labeled with a bright red ribbon from his saddlebags. (Red ribbons were universally understood to be priority mail.) “Here. It’s from your parents.” “My parents?” Concern now played on Charcoal’s face as he stopped in the hallway, levitating the scroll in a light green-blue aura. “They okay?” Shift did him the courtesy of settling down for the time being. “They’re fine, just reminding you to come to Ponyville for Soarin’ and Rainbow’s practice.” “That’s all? Then why would they mark it as urgent?” “Probably because you’re already late, Mister Lazy Flank,” Shift chuckled, nudging him out the door. “Ease off, will you? I’m not feeling too hot this morning.” He hadn’t wanted to say anything, lest Shift increase his pestering, but the moans and gurgles erupting from his stomach were becoming harder to ignore. “You’re probably just hungry.” Thankfully, Shift didn’t pay it much mind. “I guess you’re right.” Charcoal was by no means convinced with this explanation. These weren’t hunger pains. It was more like... dread? Anxiety? But what was he worried about? There were no big meetings planned for today... “Come on. We’ll pick up breakfast before we head out.” Charcoal quietly nodded as Fink took the scroll back for safekeeping. This just gave Char another reason to grumble. “And why can’t I handle my own mail?” Fink just shrugged. “This is what they pay me for.”