• Published 17th Sep 2018
  • 5,398 Views, 499 Comments

Prince of Errors - David Silver



All I want is a place where I fit in. Where people are happy to see me and I'll always have a part to play. Is that so much to ask? HiE, Ponified

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7 - Enough!

"It went fine."

Pinkie looked skeptically at that, a brow raised as she leaned in dangerously close. "Just 'fine'? Rarity's rarely alright with just 'fine'."

"She gave me a big tip, so I think she was happy." The prince of errors shook his head. "Anyway, that's done."

"Ooo, great!" She pronked in place with a broad smile. "Isn't it fun?"

"What's fun?"

"You know, being all these different ponies and trying all these different things." She gestured wildly as she spoke, trying to pantomime too many things at once. "That has to be kinda fun. I've tried disguising as a pony before, but never being them. That's, like, a whole other level."

He felt a refusal hot on his lips, but it didn't make it free, considering instead. "Well... sometimes... It was nice seeing Fluttershy and, you know, helping her?"

Pinkie tilted her head. "You didn't mention Fluttershy! You took pictures of her and she liked it?! Wow, you are good." She reached to patpat at his shoulder rapidly. "Ooo, Ooo, take a few of me!"

"I don't have a camera," he reminded, eyes half-lidding. "I'll go get one, maybe in Manehatten."

"Oh, alright... Wait a second!" She pounced in front of him, cutting off his retreat. "You can't go yet!"

He glanced to the other ponies wandering past. They were ignoring him. He was just a dull grey mistake and had no room in their lives. They didn't care that Pinkie was speaking loudly at him. "Why do you care?"

She threw a leg over his withers. "Because you're a friend, duh. A friend who needs my help."

He pushed against her with a frown. "A friend who needs help, or a friend you like getting help from? You've been giving me jobs without a break."

Pinkie allowed herself to be pushed free and plopped down on her haunches. "Well, gee, sorry. I didn't mean... How often do you usually do these things?"

He huffed softly at her, turning and plodding a few steps. Ponies swerved to avoid bumping into him, but made no mention nor paused. They didn't even complain about his sudden hindering presence. "As often as I have to, which is usually not that often. Maybe three times a week? You beat that in about a day!"

Pinkie's ears sagged, but only for a moment before they perked back up. "Well, then the answer is clear."

"It is?" He eyed her skeptically, bracing for shenanigans.

"You need a day off." She casually wrapped an arm around him. "You've been a busy boy, working so hard. You have bits, go on, relax. Go watch a movie or eat some sweets." She leaned in closer. "Maybe find a sweet to enjoy it with." Her brows waggled suggestively.

He snorted at that, wrenching himself away. "That would be very unlikely. She'd wander off the moment I stopped talking to her."

"Well, then keep talking to her?" she said it as if it seemed an obvious answer. "Works on me! Now go, have fun, and I'll come find you tomorrow, but no jobs until then, alright?"

She pronked away without missing a beat, leaving him there. He could wander away, he realized. He could just get a train ticket to anywhere and be free...

"Hey," came a male voice.

The prince jumped in surprise. People were not supposed to talk to him first! He wheeled in place to see the voice had come from... a human? "The hell?"

The human chuckled softly. "Language. This show's TV-Y, don't forget."

The prince pointed at the human. "It's also full of ponies and absent of... humans?"

"I'm an exception." He shrugged softly. "Name's Jake. You are?"

Jake? It was an almost painfully normal name compared to the more overtly meaning ones of the ponies. "Hey, uh... Jake." He circled the reasonably slender and fit human. "You can see me?"

"Either that or I'm talking to myself again." He put a hand on a hip, turning to keep the prince in view. "I do that sometimes, but this isn't one of those. You make a deal with the words?"

"Words?"

"Text, words, whatever you wanna call it." He waved it away. "It's how I got here."

The prince could remember the text messages that led to his coming. "Oh yeah... that guy. Is it even a guy? I never saw them, just words."

"That's how that works." He casually reached to muss up the prince's grey mane. "So why are you looking so down?"

"I don't know you." He reached up to smooth his mane back down.

"Until you do." He shrugged, looking confident in his logic. "You didn't say your name."

"Pinkie says I'm the prince of errors." He shrugged a little. "What's the point in the original? I'm not that anymore."

"Error?" He seemed to consider that a moment. "Is that why you're greyscale and everything?"

"Hey, Jake," greeted Carrot Top as she wandered past towards something.

"Hey!" He enthusiastically returned, waving before she was gone.

The prince sagged a little. For just a moment... "So they can see you?"

"Huh? Why wouldn't they see me?" He crouched a little, putting himself more on the prince's level. "I saw you just fine."

"Most don't," he grunted out with a little acid in his tone. "So, uh, were you a fan of the show before you started living in it?"

"Oh man, number one fan." Jake jerked two thumbs at himself. "I was so excited to be here, I was a bit of a spazz, but that's worn off and they didn't throw me off a cliff, so that's a win, right?"

The prince could easily imagine someone wanted to chuck Jake off a cliff. "Yeah... I don't have to worry about that though."

"Yeah?" Jake rose up to full height. "You good with people?"

He couldn't resist the bitter laugh that spilled out of him. "N-no. No... Look, uh, Jake? Don't you have things to do?"

"Well, yeah." Jake gestured broadly at the prince. "But I don't get to talk to a fellow human that often, even if you have hooves at the moment. That happens. Twilight still thinks I'm overdue to fall on all fours one way or another."

The prince's ears splayed off to the sides a moment. "So, uh... You from modern day, smart phones and Internet for everyone?"

Jake shook his head. "I had a flip phone, didn't have money for a Blackberry or whatever."

The prince placed Jake about ten or so years before him. "Huh, interesting... Never heard of an iPhone?"

"They turn you into a phone?" His brows went up together. "Freaky."

The prince smiled a little at that. "Not quite, just Apple being Apple."

"Apple makes phones? Man, what am I missing...?" Jake pointed with both hands. "The Apples around here mostly make apples, and that's alright."

"Hey!" came a chorus of three younger voices. The crusaders rushed up to Jake and began to circle him.

"It's time," called out Scootaloo.

"Let's embark," agreed Sweetie Belle.

"Yer not doin' nothin' anyway, why're you late?" chastised Apple Bloom, bumping into him to get him moving.

"Alright alright, see you later, man." He was shepherded away by the foals to whatever crazy adventure they had in mind.

The prince huffed softly, watching the first human he'd spoken to in ages just wander away at the behest of the fillies. "Figures..." Even when someone could see him, they'd wander away.

With a little sigh he started towards a restaurant he could see. He had bits, as Pinkie had reminded him. He was going to at least have a nice dinner and maybe do some pony watching. Not like they'd notice him staring.


"You have to meet him," begged Pinkie Pie, her forehooves pressed together.

Rarity tilted her head. "Why didn't you just bring the stallion over then?"

Pinkie thrust one of her hooves behind her head, laughing nervously. "Well, today's his day off."

"That makes it a perfect day for a little meeting." She tossed her head towards the spa, her finely done mane bouncing. "We could make an event of it if you think we'll get along so famously."

Pinkie huffed out dramatically. "I promised him I wouldn't bother him today, but you two really should meet."

"Well, at least tell me what the dear looks like." She fluttered her lashes at Pinkie. "Is he handsome?"

"He's cute." She bounced in place.

"You say that about most stallions," noted Rarity with a single fine brow raised. "Can you be more specific?"

"Well, he has a grey coat." Rarity gestured for Pinkie to continue. "Darker grey mane." Rarity tilted her head, but kept gesturing for continuing. "Cute wings, normal size."

"Oh, a pegasus then?" Rarity smiled a little. "And his wings are properly grown in, that's nice."

"He has a spired horn right here." She thrust a hoof up at her forehead.

Rarity blinked softly, growing confused. "Pinkie, dear... darling... That isn't how ponies are built. Well, except the princesses, and he's obviously not one of those, being a 'he', dear. Does he have a horn, or does he have wings?"

Pinkie frowned at Rarity. "Hey, you've met a boy prince before and you know it!"

Rarity thought to the two princes she knew. One, Prince Blueblood, was not a 'proper' prince, and she didn't like him anyway. She shook her head in distaste. The other, Prince Silver Watch, was... "You have a point, but he's an exception. There's precisely one of him."

Pinkie rolled a hoof. "Not anymore. I met another, and he needs our help."

Rarity raised a brow. "Needs our help how?"

Pinkie glanced around nervously. "Well maybe I'm jumping to conclusions, but you should meet him at least. He's... uh..." she looked around, but there was no hint of him in Carousel Boutique. "Around town somewhere."

"That's not much to work with." She hopped up onto a stool. "If I see a grey on grey prince wander in, I'll be certain to greet him properly. It would only be proper, of course."

Pinkie huffed softly. "Look, he has a hard time talking to ponies. He's like... Cranky Doodle, without yelling so much."

"Is he that bad?" She resumed her seamstressing. She had work to do and felt she could concentrate while chatting idly. "Does he freeze up, or just avoid entering the conversation to start, dear?"

Pinkie tapped at her chin, realizing she wasn't entirely sure, since she had just pounced him each time. "I'll have to watch him more carefully... I think he's scared of what ponies will think of him."

"Does he have something that would make ponies not want to think kindly of him?" She worked the clothes through the sewing machine with the soft thwip-thwip of the needle working through it. "Bad habits I should be aware of?" Her snout wrinkled. "Don't tell me he's full of himself like some princes."

"No no no! Not like that." She waved her hooves wildly. "He's quiet, and, um..."

"So he's shy? Well, that's alright." She nodded softly. "Shy is a thing you can work on. Why, just ask Fluttershy. She's made considerable efforts in defeating that portion of herself. Quite laudable, really."

Pinkie sprang to her hooves. "If I bring him over, you'll say 'hi', right?"

"Of course, darling. Not saying hello would be quite rude." She adjusted the clothing in the machine, making another row of stitches carefully. "Perish the thought. Just bring him by and we'll see what he's made of."

"Pony parts," answered Pinkie with a raised brow. "What else would he be made of?"

"Pinkie, dear... never change." She chuckled softly as she pulled the dressed up to inspect meaningfully. "I really should focus on this. Is there anything else I need to know of?"

"Nope." She pronked towards the door. "Good luck with the dress!"

"Thank you, dear." She slipped the dress back into the machine as her magic floated over some gemstones to add some highlights. "I almost have this..."

Author's Note:

What, a chapter without a mission in it? Is it possible?! Clearly this is a typo.

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