• Published 10th Mar 2014
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The Monster of Canterlot - drnkntst



When a human child appears in Equestria, somepony will have to take him in.

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Chapter 45

Chapter 45

It had been a week since Fluttershy and I started dating, and everything was going great. Though, the same thing had happened with Rose, so I wasn’t exactly letting my guard down. Which, I’ll admit, was terribly unfair to her. I’ve known Fluttershy for nearly a year now, and Twilight had known her for even longer than that, not to mention everypony else, especially Rainbow Dash, and not a single one of us think Fluttershy would, or even could, do anything to hurt me. Maybe, someday, I’ll get over it. Until then, I will simply have to focus on treating Fluttershy like a princess. Well, the way a non-royal would treat a princess anyway.

This morning was the big day, though. Today was the day that the team heads off for the Equestria games in the Crystal Empire. I had decided to be there to see them off and had spent the previous night at Twilight’s place. Right now, however, I was standing on the train platform with the team leaders standing beside me.

“… and no matter what place you may earn in the end, I believe I speak for all of us in the palace when I say how proud I am of each and every one of you. You have all put in a tremendous effort thus far and I know for certain that when all is said and done, you will have shown us all just what you are made of. Just remember to go out there, give it your all and have fun.” There were some cheers from the gathered crowd. “And now that the official stuff is out of the way, I going to say, off the record mind you, that the Ponyville team is the best there is and you’re going to blow them all away!” This time there was an uproar. I turned to Rainbow, who was right beside me, “I think that worked.”

“Ya think?” She chuckled a little. “Alright, everypony, you heard the prince, now load up and kick some flank!” More cheers came before ponies started to fill the train cars. “Nice speech by the way,” Rainbow told me as she hovered. She decided to go when Fluttershy came up to me. “I’ll see ya when we get there.”

“Oh, um, are you not going with us?” Fluttershy asked with disappointment evident on her face.

I knelt down and placed on a hand on her shoulder. “I wish I could, Shy, but I can’t show favoritism to any one team,” I gave her a gentle kiss, “even if that team does have my favorite pegasus on it.”

She giggled. “Isn’t that favoritism?”

“Well, I figure, if nopony sees anything, then I haven’t shown anything.” Suddenly, a shadow fell over the train platform. Looking up, we saw a huge airship hovering overhead. “Well, that’s my ride. I’ll see you soon.”

Fluttershy gave me a kiss and a hug. “Alright, be safe.”

“I don’t think there’s a safer place on Equus for me to be. Mom and Aunt Luna both are already on board along with a platoon of unicorn, pegasus and night guards. As for you, though,” I booped her nose with a finger, “there is a squad of earth pony guards, plus Twilight and the rest of the girls. We both couldn’t be in better hooves.”

“Ahoy, your highness!” came a call from the airship.

I looked up and waved, “I guess that’s my cue. I’ll see you soon.”

Fluttershy and I kissed again. “Until then.”

Reluctantly, I stepped back from her, spread my wings, which made her blush as always, and leapt into the air and made the short trip to the airship. Once I was aboard, the large engines were spun up, and we began our journey to the Games.

*****

“Is something the matter, Honey?” Celestia asked. She, Luna and I were standing in the corridor that led directly to the royal box. Already seated in said box were the duke and duchess of Maretonia, the delegates from Saddle Arabia, who always reminded me of horses from Earth, and Blueblood. I was having some trepidation about going out before so many ponies, griffons, and other species.

“I’m, uh, just nervous is all.”

Celestia nuzzled me, “I understand. Though you have absolutely nothing to be nervous about. Luna and I will both be there, along with Cadence and Twilight.”

A large talon came to rest on my shoulder. “Don’t forget about your favorite uncle,” Gurfon stated.

The support was making me smile, but I was still having trouble. “And just think about how fair Fluttershy will appreciate you overcoming your anxiety in order to support her,” Luna whispered in my ear.

I was suddenly very certain that I should be out there with everyone else. “Alright, let’s do this.”

Celestia nuzzled me and then kissed my forehead, “You just come out whenever you’re comfortable, Sweetie. We’ll be right there.”

“Thanks, Mom, I’ll be right behind you.” She smiled at me before walking out of the corridor with her sister and Gurfon. “Some prince of Equestria I am,” I said to myself, “a crowd of a thirty thousand plus and I’m shaking in my shoes. Come on, this is no different from Ponyville or Canterlot, even though the crowd is bigger than both cities populace combined. Now pony up and get your flank out there.”

I could hear the announcer, also known as Shining Armor, introduce the others, “Please join me in welcoming our beloved rulers, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna! Also, from the Griffon Empire, King Gurfon!” The crowd roared with cheers and stomps. I figured it was now or never and stepped out into the royal box with as much poise as I could muster. The cheering slowly quieted down as I waved to the crowd. “And please give a very warm welcome to Princess Celestia’s son, Prince Christopher Sol!”

Luckily for me, there were quite a few ponies from both Canterlot and Ponyville out there, and one or two from Appleloosa, and the cheering didn’t die down all the way. Thanks to them, plus a few other Elements, I was soon receiving as much applause as the princesses. So, with a wide smile on my face, I took my seat next to Gurfon. Celestia and Luna sat in the middle of the top row in thrones marked by their cutie marks. Cadance sat to the left of Luna and a throne for Twilight sat empty on Celestia’s right. She joined us soon after, shortly before the opening ceremony.

The opening ceremony. I had only heard about it from first hoof accounts and books, and only ever seen it in pictures and some of Celestia’s projected memories. While I always enjoyed those moments, as well as almost every other moment with my mother, holographic birds-and-bees talk was beyond traumatizing, nothing beats the real thing. I was literally on the edge of my seat as I watched all the different teams entering the stadium, each in their own way, followed by a Wonderbolts fly-by. I just couldn’t stop myself from standing and cheering like a foal at a circus parade.

Then came Spike’s big moment. He was actually picked to light to torch because he had essentially saved the whole Empire by getting the Crystal Heart to Cadance who in turn used it to banish Sombra forever.

Sadly, the little guy was having trouble with his flame. It seems he was having as much of an issue with the crowd as I was. The only difference was I only had to take a seat, he had to basically open the Games single clawedly. Luckily, we both had somepony like Twilight in our lives. I’ll leave out the details and simply say that the torch got lit.

After the opening ceremony, the stadium cleared out, as this was all that was happening today. The next three days were all the events with the fourth being the closing ceremonies where the overall medal leaders would be named. The city that won that honor was given a plaque saying so for the city hall to keep and got to hold a trophy that would pass the winning city of the next Games. The whole thing was very exciting.

Once the crowd had thinned, Twilight went to meet up with her friends. I and the other princesses went to the palace to have dinner as a family. Of course, Gurfon was there, as was Bunny and her family. Blueblood, however, had decided it was more important for him to find some… companionship for his stay in the Empire.

“Mom, where’s Willow? I thought she came here with us,” I asked while Cotton Tail happily munched on her dinner while sitting on my lap. I had jokingly placed my own plate on her head as a joke, but it had somehow become stable enough in her fluffy mane that that just became the way I was going to be eating tonight.

“She did,” Celestia replied, “but she was having stomach trouble and had to return to Canterlot.”

“Yes, apparently she was eating too much,” Cadance said with a bit of a sneer. Her disdain was understandable consider what happened to her during her wedding a few months back.

“Wait, she was feeding... on ponies?” I was shocked and a little hurt. Yet another individual I placed my trust in who let me down. I was beginning to think I couldn’t trust anyone.

“No,” Shining Armor spoke up while stroking Cadance’s withers, “she was basically being force fed love and happiness from the local atmosphere.” I could only stare at him in confusion. “The Crystal Heart absorbs, magnifies, and then disperses it out across Equestria. Being this close to it, especially during the Games, …she was about ready to pop.”

“Hmm… I wonder…”

“What is it, Nephew?” Luna asked.

“Well, I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with all the changelings for a while now and I think this might be the answer.”

“I am not allowing that bug queen into my city!” Cadance slammed a hoof down on the table. The ears on all but the alicorns, flattened against their heads, even the guards.

Speaking of guards, there was this new guard that I just didn’t like. He was the only one who wasn’t a crystal pony, but was instead a pegasus. I don’t know why I didn’t like him, but I really, really didn’t like him. I know it isn’t fair to judge somepony without getting to know them, I just couldn’t help it.

“No, of course not. I hate the queen as much as you do and would happily allow Applejack and Rainbow Dash to use her for target practice. Unfortunately, removing the queen, means extinguishing an entire species. In a way, all of her minions are her slaves. She gathers positive emotions and then disperses it amongst the rest. A single changeling can absorb those emotions too, but they have to be pretty powerful for the individual to get a useful amount. If we placed them somewhere close enough to the Empire, they could feed without ever interacting with a single pony.

“And what makes you an expert?” Cadance was clearly upset by this conversation.

“Not only have I been speaking with one, but I’ve also been in the hive and seen it for myself.”

“Then you above all should know that the queen is too dangerous to be free to left to her own devices!”

“I never said we release her. I’m saying that maybe we could set something up that would give the other changelings a chance to experience life for themselves without being under control of someone else. We could still keep the queen locked up.”

“We need to keep them all locked up, not bring them closer to my citizens. Ponies tend to panic when they think something is going to hurt and/or eat them.”

“You think I don’t know that!” my wings flared involuntarily as my scar burned on my chest. All eyes were wide with shock and on me. Gently, I placed my plate on the table, stood up, set Cotton in my seat, and left the room saying, “I apologize for my outburst. If you’ll please excuse me.”

*****

Thirty minutes later found me wallowing in self-pity in my room, which was right next to Fluttershy’s. I had tried to convince her to simply stay with me, but we just weren’t quite there yet. We were close though. For right now though, I was happily settling for simply having her sitting on the bed next to me.

I was simply sitting on the edge of the mattress with my head buried in my hands. I couldn’t believe what I just did. I snapped at one of the few ponies that had always treated me as an equal and she wasn’t even saying anything against me. I had gotten so defensive so quickly… and for what? I guess to prove I can be a real plothole sometimes.

I was feeling pretty darn low and Fluttershy was doing her best to console me by quietly rubbing my back with a hoof while her wing was wrapped around me when we were interrupted. The door was thrown open and a purple alicorn stormed through it.

“What the heck is your problem?!” Twilight’s hooves made the crystal floors ring as she stomped. I didn’t respond but kept my face in my hands. “Hey, I’m talking to you! Or are you going to just yell at me too?” I shook my buried face. “Then say something.”

“Twilight, please,” Fluttershy pleaded.

“No, I want to know what he was thinking. You don’t get to just yell at my sister-in-law and then pretend nothing happened. What did she do to make you so angry?”

I could only shake my head again while mumbling, “nothing.”

“So you were being a jerk to her for what? Fun?”

“Twilight, stop,” Fluttershy asked again.

“You have any idea how upset Cadance is right now?”

“Twilight,” Fluttershy tightened her grip on me.

“Why are you being such a jerk?”

“Twilight!”

“What? I want to know what’s making him so angry that he just lashes out and thinks it’s fine. Talk to me, Chris. What are you so angry about?”

“Everything!” Twilight flinched as if I had actually tried to strike her even though the only movement I made was raise my head from my palms. “Every single day, I am reminded of how this isn’t my world. Before, I was okay with it, thanks to how supportive my pony family’s been. But now that I have alicorn blood, I’m always on the verge of blowing up at somepony.” I took Fluttershy’s hoof into my hand. “Sometimes, the only thing I can do to hold on, is to think about the filly I love,” I kissed Fluttershy on the cheek. “Obviously, that doesn’t always work.”

“I, uh, I see. I didn’t realize it was all this hard on you.” Twilight’s face went from angry to sympathetic very quickly. She then changed to simply upset. “That still doesn’t excuse how you acted in there.”

“No, no it doesn’t,” I admitted. “Look, give me a couple minutes, and I’ll go to her room and apologize. After that, I’ll probably spend the rest of the Games, with the exception of the relay, in my room.”

“What? Why?” both mares said in unison.

“Because I don’t want to miss Fluttershy’s race. Also, I don’t want to lash out at anypony else.”

“Then I’ll stay with you,” Fluttershy said as she nuzzled me.

“No, Flutters, you should go and enjoy the Games with everypony else. Don’t you worry about me.” I brushed her mane aside and kissed her forehead. “Besides, I’ve still got Rocky here,” I pointed over at the little basket he normally slept in, only it was empty.

“Oh, sorry, he came into my room and fell asleep on my pillow.” She giggled a little at the tiny squirrel’s antics. “Um, did you really mean that? What you said before, I mean?”

“Absolutely. *Kiss on her right cheek* Every. *Kiss on left cheek* Word.” I finished with a deep kiss on her lips. I could hear her soft moan in appreciation and wished I could stay there for a few weeks longer. “Alright, wait here for me, I need to go talk to Cadance and apologize for being a complete jerk.”

And that was the start of my first Equestria Games.

Author's Note:

Sorry for the long delay. My work schedule changed dramatically and I'm still trying to get used to it.