Prince of Errors

by David Silver

11 - Not Your Place

The prince awoke the next morning in a bed that was not his. It took him a moment to remember where he was, and what he was. He was a little filly that belonged there and he was not intruding. He slipped from bed and fetched one of many ribbons to place in his mane.

Hoofsteps marched just outside. "Ya up, Apple Bloom? Yer off today, on account of Big Mac. Enjoy that!"

He heard Applejack walking away and smiled a little. A day off as Apple Bloom? That didn't sound so bad... He made his way downstairs and enjoyed breakfast. Granny Smith was there, Applejack was already gone.

The older mare was watching him. "Bad mane day?"

He peered at her with some confusion. She casually bent her head down, grabbed a mirror from nowhere in particular, and held it up for him.

While his ribbon was in the right place, the rest of his mane was not. It looked like, well, he had slept and not brushed it, which was true. "Oh..."

"Will you let your granny take care of it?" She set the mirror down and soon had a brush wielded menacingly.

He tilted his head a little. "Sure." He hopped down and hopped right up onto the chair she was on, sitting down right between her legs. Her forelegs came around, holding him in place as she began working the brush through his mane.

"Ya know, Apple Bloom'd sooner catch fire than let her granny fuss over her like this." She kept working though despite having just called him out.

He tensed with worry. "Oh, uh, that was a right tasty dinner, and it was, uh, silly ah me, so..."

"So this is your way of saying thank you, is it?" She worked through a small knot before continuing, gently brushing at the prince while holding him steady. "Ah ain't that daft, Missy. While ah appreciate a chance to do this again, who's mane am I brushin'?" She arched a brow softly. "You one of them changerlin's?"

That was a possible excuse, filled with more questions he couldn't answer. "Ah ain't nopony. Don't worry, Apple Bloom's fine and will be back soon."

"Hmm..." She gently nudged him down. She set the brush down and replaced it with the mirror once more. In it, he could see that his mane was sitting the way it should once more, bed head removed nicely. "That better be true. Don't worry an old mare."

Was he being accepted at his word that easily? "She... asked me to cover for her."

Granny arched a wrinkled brow at that. "Did she? She up to trouble? That figures..." She hopped down from her chair lightly and began a slow walk towards the kitchen. "You see her, you let her know she better tell me what happened. Ah won't tell her sister if she fesses up."

He nodded quickly. "Will do!" He fled, unnerved by being spotted like that. Would she remember him if she saw him outside of his guise? The odds were still against it. There was a good chance if she saw too deep, the guise would be ripped away and he'd be left reeling and forgotten.

"Psst!"

He came to a stop as suddenly as he had started running. He was on the road towards town and the hiss had come from the right. Peeking, he saw a familiar filly with a big ribbon waving at him. There was Apple Bloom. He approached her with an unsure smile. "Oh, hey there."

"Wow." Apple Bloom was looking him over intently. "Ya really do look like me."

"Ah am you." He reached and booped her little snout.

"Well, uh... can ya stop now? Ah'm back." She smiled a little. "Thanks though. Everything work out?"

He felt the color draining away as she shrank in his view. She had officially ended his duty and his curse apparently accepted the request for her to retake her life. He was a big grey mistake.

She turned and resumed her walk to the house, entirely forgetting she had been in the middle of a question. He was left alone by the roadside with nothing but his share of bits from their failed time with Cranky. He never did get a share from the apples, but he did get that dinner... That counted, he supposed.

Oh yeah! He hurried after Apple Bloom. "Hey, one thing!"

"Huh?" She looked over her shoulder at him. "What's up?" She was looking at him as if she had no idea who he was.

"Your grandmother knows. Tell her why you stepped out and she won't tell your sister."

Apple Bloom's eyes widened with obvious fear. "Oh! Um... Shoot..." She kicked at the dirt lightly, then resumed her trek, forgetting the prince was there or speaking to her.

Would she even remember his warning? He wasn't sure, but he had at least tried. That would have to do. He ambled back towards town, thinking about his place in the grand scheme. What was pushing him along. What was behind the curse and what was its end game?

Was he a good thing, or a bad thing, or just... a thing? With a shrill cheer, he saw Scootaloo and Sweetie zip past on a scooter towards the farm. From his larger vantage, it didn't look nearly as terrifying as it had felt in person. They paid him no mind, racing right on past the monochrome pony towards their friend without hesitation.

"How'd it go?" Pinkie was there. She hadn't been there a moment before.

He jumped back a step. "Hey! Um, went fine. Apple Bloom's not in trouble, I think..." He wasn't sure how it'd go with Granny... "Granny Smith noticed me."

Pinkie tilted her head. "That's good, right? Or is it bad?"

"She noticed I wasn't Apple Bloom but not what I actually was. Pretty sure she thought I was a changeling stepping in for Apple Bloom."

Pinkie turned for town, pointing the way. "Well, that isn't that far from the truth. She's a smart mare, and it all worked out, so why complain?" She began trotting alongside him into Ponyville. "I was... thinking, you know, about you, and me, and... I won't keep pushing you."

He smiled a little. "Thanks." But... "What will you do then?"

"Be your friend?" She jumped sideways, thumping against him. "If you want a job, you ask, and Pinkie will provide." She clopped her hooves mid-jump. "Just like that. Until then, I'm just a friend you can talk to who won't forget you're still there and still an amazing pony. Now about your little 'curse' thing..."

He raised a brow with clear uncertainty. "You found out something, or you have some kind of crazy plan?"

"Well..." She bounced ahead of him and turned in mid-air to land facing him. "You don't want to talk to Twilight, so how about an honest and good pony that surely won't make it awkward."

His brows fell. "No. Applejack is not going to have an answer."

"Why not!?" She bounced in place, frowning a little.

"She's a farmer." He tapped his forehooves together. "She knows apples." He tapped his hooves again. "Did I mention she's a farmer? What's she going to do, make me some cider to forget the problem? Maybe buck the curse away?"

Pinkie snorted softly as she sank to her haunches. "Are you sure we can't try Twilight?"

He hiked a brow. "Tell you what. How about a challenge?"

She perked right up, bouncing to her hooves. "I'm ready!"

"Go ahead and talk to her. Tell her about me. If she ever even approaches me, like this--" He waved a hoof over his dull grey body. "--then maybe she has something to add. If not, well, you tried, and I guess thanks for that."

Pinkie's ears danced atop her head. "Alright, that sounds... fair. Okay Dokey! I'll tell her about you and she'll get curious and find you and then we can get to the curse fixing."

He put a hoof on her withers just before she could jump away. "Before that, I want to know why I am what I am before we just... fix it. Maybe I'm just not getting how it's supposed to be."

"Wow." She grinned as she began bouncing around him in a happy circle. "That's a really mature way of looking at it. You got it! I mean, I wouldn't want to 'fix' this if I could do that. I'd be all over the place, being different ponies and brightening days. You know you really saved Apple Bloom's rump."

"She doesn't even remember it," he sighed out with a frump, resuming his slow walk back to town. "She walked away, right in the middle of our talk. She's probably forgotten she ever met me."

Pinkie flinched back a little. "Well, alright, I might not like that part... Still, I like your attitude, keep it! We'll work together and figure this out, promise." She vanished in a puff of pink smoke, likely searching for Twilight, or so he figured.

Odds were, she would not be able to find him even if she did listen to what Pinkie said and wanted to do so. He was the animation error, present but unseen. There but entirely non-canon. He smirked a little, wondering what he could do if he wanted to be a bad person. He could cause no end of trouble...

And get mostly nothing for it. It would be a destructive and lonely life he would lead.

Or he could hang out with Pinkie.

That didn't sound so bad. He mosied to the spa, his right hindleg kicking a little. All that physical work had left him stiff and sore. Maybe spending a few bits on some attention would be nice... If they didn't forget he was laying there on the table.

He sighed at the front of the day spa, pondering how wasteful it would be to even try. Food and a place to sleep, those were safer. Ponies didn't need to remember you past getting you what you asked for, then they could just forget you and nopony was hurt in the process. He shook his head, deciding to try it anyway. "Nothing ventured..."

"Hello!" chimed Aloe at the front Desk. Had she seen him?! He was suddenly nudged out of the way by Mayor Mare.

"Yes, hello. I have a big meeting today and I simply must look my best."

"Oh, absolutely. You come this way." Aloe gestured to the side and led Mayor Mare away, leaving the front room entirely empty, if one didn't count the prince, and no one had.

He sank to his haunches with a thump, frowning at where Aloe had just been. That hadn't gone very well. There was a bell on the desk. He reached for it and rang it with a gentle chime.

"Yeah!" Bulk Biceps poked his head out of another room into the main room, looking around without seeing the prince. "Yeah?"

The prince considered his options. Did he want the loving attention of Bulk Biceps? That could be terrifying, or not. He wouldn't be there if he didn't make ponies feel good... "Hey."

"Oh, hey!" Bulk Bicep's eyes fell to the prince, suddenly seeing him. "Here for a massage?"

The prince smiled nervously. "I don't want anything too rough, please. Just something to work out the tension from a hard day's work, and maybe a relaxing steam after that?"

"Not rough, alright..." He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around a hoof, then repeated it for the other hoof, giving himself boxing mitts of towels. "Ready! This way."

The prince followed him with a little nervous laugh. That promised to be an experience of some sort, though he wasn't sure if it would be one he would treasure or not.

If it turned out poorly, maybe he would stop if the prince just got really quiet. He had a safeword, and it was mum.

Author's Note:

Sorry for being late today. At least it's still today, yay!

Comments

[Dravkwn]

Mum's the word. I do hope his situation improves. It is almost heartbreaking atm and keeps making me think of Background Pony.

[badninja]

Why do I think only Pinkie and Discord will be the only two who will ever fully know about our poor Prince? I hope this massage helps him.

[Not so New Brony]

Looks like the curse didn't affect Granny Smith all the way through or her perception is sharper than most folks.

Or Pinkie is truly related to the Apples and Granny Smith has some of what lets Pinkie perceive the Prince as he is.

Or I'm just looking too deep into the rabbit hole.

[David Silver]

9306164
She spotted Apple Bloom acting funny, but not who she was. (She did ask though).

[tsaukpaetra]

*marks Granny Smith with a small red exclamation mark* there's two. She'll likely remember that, if not him specifically. Let's see if we can reach critical mass!