Lone Prince

by georgethemonkey

In the Hooves of Enemies

I was back at the Hive Kingdom, only, I was smaller, Mother liked me, and Father was still alive. I looked around, I was beside Father, in the smallest of the three thrones, my father in the second smallest. He looked aver at Mother, standing in front of us, out of her throne.

"Daku, we need to tell you something..." She started

"We're having another child in the family, you're no longer going to be a lone child anymore." He smiled, and I smiled with him, I had always wanted a sibling. I always imagined what we might do together as siblings, but there was more.

"Son, this means you have to start battle training." Father said with all due seriousness, I knew this day would come, but with me having a sibling, it was my duty to serve and protect, considering it built trust within the Hive. It also lessened the need for Hive Mind, which forces subjects to obey your will, so long as there is no competition.

"OK, I will do my best, I won't disappoint you, Dad." I said in earnest, I knew I would keep that promise.

"I know you will, Son, I know you will."

I woke up suddenly, water dripping off of me, the memory fading away softly. I was in a tent, presumably near the border where I was beaten by six guards I could have killed. I mean, I could, but that isn't the exact impression you want to leave with three princesses you are visiting during war. I looked around, I was tied to the pole holding up the tent, which was rather thin, and facing away from the entrance. I looked at the pony who rudely threw water on me, he was almost as dark as me, minus the shine, and he was wearing gold armor rather than the silver the others had. He gave me a disgusted look and grunted.

"What are you doing here?" He growled

"Well, I was having a nice stroll in the desert before I decided to visit the neighboring kingdom's border. I smiled, this was what I liked best, ponies are told not to abuse prisoners, so we Changelings take great pride in how mad we can make a pony.

"Ok, next question, where is your army?"

"I think I left them by my invisible battle ram, or was it near the oasis?" I smiled at the aggravated look on his face, then I laughed when he turned to his fellow guard and told him to question me. The other fellow came up to me and planted himself..

"I appreciate the humor, but we have business to attend to, so answer staight" He said with a slight grin on his face.

"Fine, but could you loosen this knot on my hooves?" I said as charmingly as I could, The pony shook his head, and looked at me with more seriousness.

"Why are you here?" He stated plainly.

"Finally, a proper question that I feel like answering" I laughed, then I took on the same seriousness, " I'm here to deliver a message from my Queen"

The guard seemed confused, "Why send you? Why not just a foot soldier?"

I growled at this, "To show the sincerity of her offer, why else?"

This is probably another way for her to attempt to get me killed, tell them that, they probably wouldn't have a problem helping her.

The guard seemed to consider this, then he stepped out of my sight, though I could sense him and his comrades talking before he left. I waited for a while, I think it was about an hour or so, and I was pretty bored. I started changing my shape, often to one of the Princesses and guards, once for fun I did Shining Armor. This happened for about another hour when one of my guards yelled out.

"STOP THAT!!!!!!!"

"I'm bored!" I replied.

"The lieutenant is coming!" he sighed exasperatedly.

"It's been too long!" I groaned, just then the same black pony from earlier stepped in my view, looking even angrier than before.

"We've been told to escort you to the Princesses camp, but we are not releasing you, in case you try to escape." He finished haughtily. I said nothing to this, this was what I wanted, kind of. I'll see the Princesses, give them the letter, then go back home, hopefully. They put my hooves in chains and lead me out of the tent, which was surrounded by more tents, nothing special or particularly interesting. All four started flying, the lieutenant jerking me ahead, and we flew in a Northwestern direction. The landscape changed little, grass, small bushes, perhaps a hill here or there. The wildlife was just as sparse, which was probably why the ponies chose this as their defended border, so none of their precious creatures get a scratch on them. This ponies need more backbone to them, then maybe they could be something to be feared. We flew for three miles when we got to a large mass of tents with one very large tent that took up about half the space in the field. We circled about four times over the entirety of the camp before landing in front of the largest tent.

Must be some kind of code, better note that.

We waited for a guard to step out, actually four of them, and they all escorted me in a box-like formation.

Eight ponies to escort one Changeling? Have they heard about me, then?

It was disturbing, all the security, it was either they were this tight, which would make escape hard, or they heard about my arrival. That would make them even more cautious then usual. Hopefully, it's the first, if the latter, then I'm screwed. I looked around as I was brought to the apparent meeting area, it was a simple hall, if you could call it that in a tent. Near the end was a little table with battle positions on it, but, could that be right?

Could the ponies really have pushed us back to our border?

I changed my focus, finally, to the.....

WHY ARE THERE FOUR PRINCESSES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!??????????

I couldn't believe it, how could have another Alicorn rise without the whole of the Hive hearing about it? I studied all four Princesses, there was Celestia, white with the ridiculous multi-colored mane of hers. Then there was Luna, blue with a darker blue mane, not much of a color spectrum, but better than Ceslestia's. There was....um.... Cadence, yeah, this would be the second we would have with her. She was pink with the swirling purple, pink, and yellow mane. These ponies need to go through a major makeover, look more regal. Then there was this new one, purple with a darker purple mane, not that bad, about a six out of the ten scale of powerful looking.... wait no, she's smiling, make that a three, Luna being a seven. At least she can make you not laugh, the others not so much. However, not all ponies can incinerate you as fast as they look at you, so respect is due.

"Princess Celestia, it is nice to finally meet you." I said with a bow and practiced smile, Celestia and her sister looked unamused, Cadence looked pissed, not without reason, I was the one who hid her in the caves under the Canterlot Castle. The new Princess seemed like she was surprised at my size, probably she doesn't realize who I am, and how big we Royals can be.

"As well, Prince Daku, now, we were told you carry a message from your Queen?" Celestia gave the formal response, but with something more than the normal formality, almost like as if she was wary.

"Yes, " I pulled out the message from my mane, releasing the magic on it to hide it and set it on the floor, "She wishes for a negotiation between you and I." I watched as one of the guards grabbed it and offered it to Celestia, and as she was reading, I looked behind the Princesses......where I saw a hostile-looking light blue pegasis glaring at me from behind a curtain. She had a rainbow mane, but brighter then Celestia's, more vivid. We started a stare-off, neither of us willing to break the showdown, when Celestia cleared her throat and set the letter beside Cadence, who read it and.....smiled.

Oh for the hive's sake! What did Mother send me into!!

I stood still, eyes focused on Celestia, she was giving me an almost pitying look, she then spoke.

"Did you, read this? Before you delivered it?" She asked, warily, the same look on her face.

"I don't tend to enter my queen's business, I'm just the messenger." I said, worry shoring up on the sides of my mind.

"Well, according to this, your also the negotiation." She said.

"WHAT!?" I screamed, earning the guards to step closer to me.

I'm an idiot! Charging into enemy territory with a letter Mother made herself? OF COURSE!!!

Celestia continued, "I know you may not believe me, but, according to this, your Queen is willing to give up you to save her kingdom, and she will stop her raids on our Kingdoms."

I looked down, I had nothing to say, what could I say? "Oh, hey, that won't do you any good, my mother hates me so you will be doing her a favor, then she will kill you all"? Yeah, that would go down well, not like they would execute me soon afterwards. So I just stayed silent, and I stayed silent as they sent me further out of hearing distance with my escort. Cadence seemed to be personally enjoying this, but then she looked not very happy after Celestia said something, which Luna agreed to, and the pathetic purple one nodded to it as well. I stayed still and quiet, and I was currently planning to keep that going for the next several years when I heard a commotion from ahead but coming closer. I looked up and saw that a yellow pony with pink hair was being pushed towards me by an orange pony with yellow hair, who was in turned being pulled away by the blue pony from earlier. They were making slow progress, it almost made me smile, the guards around me certainly did. When they finally made it to me, the orange one let herself get dragged away, the yellow one seemed frozen, all the more so with me looking at her, and the blue one seemed to be measuring me for battle. I looked down at the yellow one, and I think she was talking, but not making any sound, then she looked at me expectantly.

"I didn't get that?" I said, which seemed to make her all the more nervous. I sat down and sighed, one of my guards gave me a look that was between aggravation and exasperation. I shook my head, and then Celestia summoned us back, when I looked where the yellow pegasis was, she had already made a beeline for her friends.

Well, I shouldn't expect any different.

Celestia and her fellow Princesses were standing when we came back. Celestia looked as if she had a great plan, Luna looked like she was copying her sister, the purple one had a nervous smile, and Cadence looked as if she was almost.....repentant? that was weird, one little talk from the other princesses and she changes her mind? I don't think that's likely, but as we came closer, the Princesses looked at me with that pitying look again. I really wished that stopped that, I'm a prince!

"Well, according to the conditions your Queen gave about your capture, we are to keep you in our dungeons, she also stated not to torture you for information." Celestia stated plainly, but with that cursed smile.

Good one, Mother

"So? Does that mean you will then? Or even better, will you just execute me to save you the trouble of holding me?" I said, almost mockingly, i was feeling pretty alive at that moment. Actually, I think I was hoping for that last suggestion. I waited as Celestia shook her head, looked at the purple princess, then looked back at me.

"No, actually, I think we will put you in our temporary prison here, and while your there, Twilight and her friends will keep you company." Celestia said, almost too happily

"And who are they? The Royal Prison Guards?" I asked, then I saw the purple one step forward, and she smiled.

"No, it's me." Princess Twilight said.

Comments

[Frostling 02]

I really like where this story is going. Daku might as well have been like "I'm in the company of a princess now? CRAP!" Of course, I'm keeping it kid friendly.