Celestia and Zodiac had finally reached the entrance to the castle where the evening duties were about to take place, but these were different evening duties that Celestia and Luna had to take care of. Anyway, the carriage had landed in front of the entrance to the castle where unbeknownst to Celestia her sister Luna was awaiting for them because she had a sense that something had happened to her nephew while he was in school, Celestia hopped out of her carriage with Zodiac still on her back, grabbed his saddle bag, and then walked in front of the guards that flew her carriage.
"Thank you for the support guards, you make unhook yourselves and go on with your evening duties now." Celestia said.
"Yes your majesty, I hope your son gets to healing soon." one guard said referring to Zodiac, he heard this and turned to the guard that referred to him.
"Thank you guard." he said with a weak smile.
"You're welcome kid." said the guard as he and the other guards undid themselves from their harnesses that they strapped themselves into when they were flying the carriage, meanwhile Celestia and Zodiac walked inside the castle as Celestia slammed the doors shut and started down the corridors into her house part of the castle, she then looked back onto her son looking concerned about him.
"Zodi, you want to tell me what happened today dear?" she asked.
"I...I don't w-want to r-right now." Zodiac sobbed
"Zodi, come on dear, you always talk to me or Aunt Luna whenever something bad happens to you."
"Mom, this was totally different."
"How different?" Celestia asked.
"Well, there was a colt named Thunder Clash, he somehow heard about me and knocked me onto the floor because he thought I was doing something to him."
"Just as I thought!" said a sudden voice from the very end of the corridor, Celestia and Zodiac looked over and saw standing at the far end opposite from their side of the hallway was Princess Luna with a concerned look of her own.
"I had a feeling something bad happened to you Zodi, and it look likes I was right!" she said running up to them.
"Aunt Luna I...." Zodiac was soon yanked off by Luna's blue aura he soon felt himself being hugged tightly by her.
"I'm so glad you're safe, but we must get you healed." Luna said.
"Aunt Luna, I'm fine." Zodiac said.
"Not from that black eye and blood stained nose you're not." Luna responded.
"Aunt Luna..."
"Zodi, she's right, we must go and heal you this moment." Celestia said as they walked towards the direction to the room where most of the small medicines and healing remedies for small injuries were kept.
"Okay now you want to calmly tell me what happened?" Celestia asked as she was cleaning the blood stains of Zodiac's face with a warm wet cloth, Luna had managed to lift the swelling on his black eye up a little bit to where he could see a little better, but it was still red and purple and was going to be like that for the next couple of days.
"Okay, again, there a colt in school named Thunder Clash and he thinks that he's in charge of the whole school but every time a new colt or filly joins the school, he goes and picks on them because they don't fit what he wants or he gets jealous because they're getting all the attention because he thinks he should have it all to himself."
"I see." Celestia said as she went over to grab a dry cloth to wipe off the water on his face.
"Well how did come to this?" Luna said rubbing his back.
"It all started just after the lunch bell rang, I was walking behind the rest of my class to the cafeteria with my lunch bag in tow, as I got close to the edge of the lunch line and walk in for the students who brought their own lunches, I soon felt something trip me over and make me fall. I saw that what tripped me was a black hoof and then I heard somepony laughing at it, I looked up and saw him staring at me evilly and then he picked me up and smashed me into his face."
"Is that how you got this black eye sweetie?" Celestia asked.
"Yes, mom." Zodiac answered.
"Well I'm going to have word about this if he ever does this again." Celestia said.
"But mom, he......"
"Zodi, I promise you everything is in good hooves, so don't worry about a thing." Celestia said.
"Mom..."
"Zodi, that's enough." Celestia said.
"Sorry." Zodiac said.
"Good, now come on, it's nearly time for your preening." Celestia said lifting him onto her back with her aura.
"Zodi, I'm really hoping you do something next time so that this doesn't happen again." Luna said watching him leave.
"I will Aunt Luna." Zodiac said.
"Farewell, for now." she said departing for her side of the castle, "bye sister."
"See you later Lulu." Celestia said walking in the direction to her chambers with Zodiac in tow.
It was nearly 10 after 7 in the evening as Celestia plopped herself onto the floor where her giant pillow sat and a warm fire was lit and burning in the fireplace. She had managed to take Zodiac off her back and place him in front of her.
"All right son, go into the bathroom and take off your clothing." Celestia said.
"Yes mom." Zodiac said back walking into the bathroom and closing the door using every bit of his strength. He unzipped his wonderbolt-like outfit and took it off but managed to keep his hoof shoes on, he then went back outside into the bedroom where Celestia waited for him with a smile.
Zodiac walked towards his mother and crouched himself snugged close to her chest to get comfortable and ready for his evening preening, Celestia wrapped her forehooves around him while he spread his wings up to her snout.
"Okay hold still sweetie." she said as she opened her mouth, as she pulled the first feather out from his wings, he still thought about everything Thunder Clash had said to him earlier, what if he was right about everything?
"Zodi, are you still upset about what happened at school?" Celestia asked while gently pulling another feather from his wings.
"I can't get it out of my head." Zodiac answered, "What if he's right, what if I'm not meant to be a prince?"
This stopped Celestia in full force, "Did he really say that?"
"Yes he did." Zodiac answered with tears going down his face, Celestia looked down at him saddened that anypony would be that cruel enough to even say something like that. She pulled him closer to her and kissed him on his forehead while keeping him hugged and warm in her forehooves.
"Now, Zodi, you know you shouldn't let anyone say get to you like that, you may have been nothing to him, but you know what you are to me and your aunt?" she asked.
"What?" Zodiac asked back.
"A handsome prince." she said with a smile, Zodiac could now start feeling a warming trend start to develop in his heart, he knew that he had a mother that loved him and an aunt that would be willing to risk her own life to save him due to the fact that she helped him heal his eye even though it was still black from the punch that Thunder Clash had caused, so this warmed him up even though he was still feeling down and hurt over what Thunder Clash had said to him.
"You're right mom." he said.
"That's good to hear, now how about giving mommy a smile." she said, Zodiac refused, luckily, Celestia had a solution for that because she wanted a smile and she was going to get one from him whether he wanted to or not, so she gave a playful evil smirk, this scared Zodiac.
"M-m-Mom, why a-are you looking at me like th-WHOAA!!!!" he screamed as he soon felt himself being pulled by Celestia's aura, he now found himself locked and trapped in the grasp of his mother's forehooves with his back snugged against her chest, he tried to free himself, but Celestia's grasp on him was firmly in place and she was much stronger than he was, so there was absolutely no chance of even thinking about trying to break free.
While Celestia still smirked down at him evilly, Zodiac could soon feel her hooves starting rubbing up and down his sides and his tummy, he soon started snickering, he was very ticklish and Celestia knew it.
Finally Zodiac could hold it in any longer, "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA MOOOOOMMY STHAHAHAHAHAHAP IIIIITTT HAHAHAHAHAHAHA, PLEAHEHEHEHEHEHEHESEEEE STAHAHAHAHAHAP!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Tickle, tickle, tickle Zodi!!!!!!" Celestia exclaimed, it went on like this for another two to three minutes until Celestia stopped, Zodiac stopped to catch his breath.
"Finally." he said, but Celestia gave yet another playful evil smile, "Oh it's just beginning." she said placing a hoof on him.
"WHOA!!!!" Zodiac said, he was now finding himself on his back with his front hooves curled up and his back hooves doing the same as well. Celestia had her forehooves wrapped around him once again, only this time she wasn't going to preen him, but rather do something that was even more laughable for a child than ever.
"You can't escape the wrath of the tummy monster she said, Zodiac started giggling as Celestia took in a very heavy deep breath then she lunged at his belly and blew a raspberry on it, making him laugh again. One raspberry, and another, another, at least 10 to 15 times Celestia was blowing raspberries on his belly with him laughing the whole time, finally she stopped and let him catch his breath once again, after he had caught his breath, Zodiac pounced onto her back and stood his front hooves on her head, he was now cheerful again.
"Don't you worry mommy, I'm going to be the best prince you'll ever see." he said taking her crown of her head and placing it on his, Celestia looked behind her and smiled while raising an eyebrow. Because of the fact that her crown was so big for a small head like his, it slipped down off his head and landed in front of his eyes, Celestia chuckled.
"You've still got a ways to go dear," she said using her aura to take her crown off him and put it back on her head as Zodiac jumped off her back and snuggled next to her chest again, Celestia wrapped her hooves around him again and pulled him closer while using her magic to pop a blanket and pillow and tuck him in, "but I know you'll become a great prince for Equestria one day, now get some sleep."
Celestia then looked at him happily, closed her eyes, and started singing him a lullaby.
"Hush little baby, hush now it's fine."
"For now and forever, you are mine."
"Sleep now and dream on about your life."
"And dream on will you in your sleep, sleep tight."
As soon as she finished, she opened her eyes and saw Zodiac was sound asleep.
"Sweet dreams my love." she whispered.