The Prince of Light

Ah! There you are! I knew you'd come around eventually! You always had a curious ear, and I just knew you wouldn't just leave your best friend trapped in here like some kind of animal.

So, I suppose you already heard about what the others are saying about me. Well don't listen to them! You've known me forever! You know I am one of the most level-headed and mentally stable beings ever created! How dare they accuse me of insanity! They're the insane ones! It's so funny that it makes me laugh! Hahahaha! If only they knew. If only they'd listen to me. You know what? It doesn't even matter any more. I got you now.

Can you believe that not only do they keep me caged in here like a rat, but they also isolated me too! Me! The one who could talk the ears off of an elephant! The one who could tongue-tie an auctioneer! The one who...who could...well you get the point! They shove me in a box with nothing to do but count paint chips on a wall. I'm not really mobile in this situation either, as you can see, so I don't even get to see the other walls! It's not fair! Life's not fair! You just got to deal with it!

Oh well. Let's just let bygones be bygones. Anyway, they sent me you, so perhaps they aren't that heartless.

So, tell me. What is happening out there?...

Pretty chaotic right?

It's like our entire way of life is being assaulted! On multiple fronts! They take what's near and dear to us, and then they warp it! Right in front of our faces! They cut us short! They walk all over us! They say they're the ones who are being enslaved, but we're the one's being persecuted! By them! They don't even seem to care about us even though we were the one's who built them up in the first place!

What? How do I know this? I know I've been in here for a while, but seriously? How long could it be?...

Two years?! Wow! Time sure flies when your having fun! Am I right? Oh, wait... This isn't fun.

I guess that is a pretty good question then. How do I know all this? Well, you see. Ever since that accident, you know, the one that put me here in the first place, I've been...well...enlightened. or cursed. It's kind of hard to tell from here. I haven't quite figured it all out myself. Let's just say that even though I've been isolated. Without a single soul to strike a conversation with. I've never been... alone. I've been talking to myself! I know it sounds crazy, but it really isn't. Solitude would make anyone start talking to themselves, and let's be honest who doesn't want to talk to me? But it seems, as I continued to talk and listen, I began to discover a part of me I never knew was there before, and noticed a part of me that no longer was. Basically, they're the one's who have been keeping me in the loop. They told me everything.

I guess the only way I can really explain this well is to tell you my story. I was going to tell it to you anyway. It does answer the questions about why we're in this situation.

I really have to cut on the chit-chat. I only have a couple of hours to talk before they whisk you away. Leaving me alone with me again. You just have to promise me this before I start. Believe every word I tell you. None of them are false. All of this truly happened... I will warn you though. This story probably is the perpetrator for why the others made those rumors about me. Well, the main one at least. It is pretty out there, I'll admit, but I'm merely telling what happened. I understand why you would want to doubt me. Just promise me that you won't. You just have to believe me. My sanity depends on it.

This isn't a story about me...entirely. Yes, I said it was my story, and it is my story, it just isn't really my story. Get it?

It's about someone similar, yet connected. You know what? Scratch that. This is a story with me in it. I'm just not the main character...sort of. Just listen! It'll all make sense in the end! You'll see! And you know what? I guess I should tell you the whole story too. Not just the parts about him. So let's start at the very beginning. Well, not the very beginning. Just the beginning of the story.

So it all begins about three years ago. Assuming your information about the time I've been stuck here is correct. It was just after the closing ceremonies of the last royal Canterlot wedding. Everypony, even the newly weds had left. They either returned to their quaint little abodes, or had returned to some bore of a night shift. The couple had left to go to their honeymoon.

I forget where it was specifically. Some type of tropical island. I've always wanted to go to the tropics. It's so nice and peaceful there. and who doesn't want to experience the winds and craziness of a hurricane at least one time in their lives?! What?! It could be fun! Okay, I'll stay on track.

So the castle was pretty empty after everyone left. Some of the guards were still cleaning up some of the trash and decorations from the festivities, but all in all it was fairly calm. Celestia was on her way to her chamber to retire for the night. Her sister had taken up her shift. She was both exhausted and relieved from the days events, and a little bit embarrassed as well. I mean, think about it. Not only did a foreign power infiltrate the inner sanctums of Canterlot and struck down Celestia right where everypony could see, but it was her student and not herself who discovered the threat and found a way to defeated it. Yeah, Celestia was proud and thankful for her student and her friends, but she just wished it didn't have to cost her the reputation of security and success that she had earned over the past couple thousand years.

You're still listening to me right? Good! This is already the farthest into my story I've gotten with anyone. Usually, once I mention the royal wedding, they nod me off and dismiss me as some type of lunatic. That's what doesn't really make sense to me. Luna isn't even a main part of my story! It's was Celestia who I was talking about! I didn't even mention Luna's name! Why would he call me a lunatic!...So would that make me a celestiatic then? What? Oh yeah! The story! I guess I'll continue.

So, like I said. Celestia, being all ashamed and exhausted, was returning to her room, but right before she entered, she was interrupted by one of the royal guards.

"Excuse me, your royal highness." He said, " before you set yourself down for the night. I'm here to inform you about some news regarding that fortuneteller who gave us that warning about an attempt to overthrow Canterlot."

"Oh, Yes," Celestia replied, "I believe his name was Honey Locus. Make sure he gets a generous reward, and be sure to listen to his warnings in the future. Now, If you'll excuse me, I really must get some sleep."

Celestia turned to enter her room, but the guard stopped her.

"That's just it, your majesty. He hasn't stopped yet"

"He hasn't stopped? Stopped what exactly?"

"He hasn't stopped predicting, your highness. He still is talking about some new ruler to come and shake the foundations of all of Equestria."

Now, as you can imagine, this was not what Celestia wanted to hear. She was grumpy and tired to begin with, and with all that chaos that happened that day, she just wanted to go to bed. She knew she couldn't just ignore Honey Locus. If he correctly predicted one threat, he could definitely predict another, so she begrudgingly followed the guard wondering what that unicorn was yelling about now.

Now Honey Locus, he's a character. He seemingly came out of nowhere. No records anywhere said anything about him, or his entire family for that matter. Some report that the stallion just walked out of the Everfree forest one day, and just started preaching to anypony who walked past him. He looked aged, with a scraggly beard and bags under his eyes, but you could tell from his enthusiasm and tenacity that he was much younger than he looked. Even with his intensity, though, he couldn't really get a large following.

Celestia eventually found the soothsayer announcing from atop several large books in the middle of the Canterlot marketplace. Many of the residents had shut their doors and windows to try to block the sound, but it seemed that his voice still found a way through to their ears. Perhaps he was using some type of magic to project his voice. Even with his loudness, passersbys didn't stop to listen. They just though he was a fool, and tried to continue with their business or return home. It wasn't until Celestia had approached him that anypony started to take notice.

Even with Celestia standing before him, he continued to shout his predictions and prophesies.

"A new ruler is to come! and the ruler will free us all! Liberate us from a prison we know nothing of! Leading a convoy of allies! They will overthrow our entire way of thinking! and a new age will follow them!"

Celestia was waiting to be addressed, but the prophet would not stop to even look at her. She eventually gave up waiting, and interrupted him.

"Excuse me, Honey Locus? Honey Locus?! Hey! Your princess is talking to you!"

Everyone around the pair now knew that this was serious. Nopony, not even Luna, ignores Celestia. Also, many had never seen Celestia get so riled up like she just did. Although a crowd gathered around them, they backed up a bit, and watched them at a distance.

"Oh, hello there Celestia! I didn't notice you there! I was so focused on telling Equestria the wonderful news!"

"Wonderful?! You think this is wonderful?! Your prophesizing about me being overthrown!"

"I know It sounds harsh, but this new ruler will be out to liberate us all! Including yourself! And truly, I never said anything about you."

"What else do you know about this 'ruler'? anything I, your Princess! should know?"

"Well..." the psychic said with a pause, "Nothing specifically for you. There isn't even much could tell you. I don't even know if this ruler is to be a king or a queen. All I really know is what has been passed down to me from generations before me. My ancestors knew about this ruler to come for eons, but since whoever it be is coming during my lifetime, it is my duty to inform Equestria. I can't really tell you everything I know, but all of my knowledge was derived from this ancient hyme written on the inside of an abandoned dragon's den."

Honey Locus took a deep breath and repeated this like he had it memorized from repetition.

"Coming from PonyVille, though not of it

A ruler will arise. standing higher than all

opening eyes to a way never thought of

A shattered soul destined to appall

A group a friends will soon arise

Each one with very different traits

With weapons glistening, and rarely used

Let them free you before it becomes too late"

Finally, a smile returned to Celestia's face. She thought she had already cracked the riddle. The riddle wasn't talking about some foreign invasion or political upheaval. It had merely predicted her secret plans for her most faithful student. Celestia then thanked the soothsayer for his time and started to return to the castle.

"Actually Celestia," interrupted Honey Locus right before Celestia left hearing distance, "Now, I do have something to say to you. No."

"No? what is that supposed to mean?" She responded.

Honey Locus then slowly approached her.

"The one who you are thinking of right now is not the one I speak of. Even though I cannot say who it will be, I know who it is not. It is not her. No, it is not." He leaned in close and whispered her student's name into her ear.

Celestia was astonished. Somehow, this prancing street urchin who came wandering out of the wilderness had not only the audacity to ignore her and talk down to her, but also had specific knowledge of her secret plans for her star pupil. Now at this point, Celestia had done an okay job at hiding her emotions. She had simmered down briefly when she thought she solved the riddle, but this transgression was the straw that broke the mare's back. She was absolutely furious. She probably sent in about two dozen stallions to hunt this guy down, and, even though it took them all night, she had who she believed to be a prying eye and a blasphemer imprisoned. Even while trapped in the royal dungeon, Honey Locus continued to preach his news to anypony who'd listen, willingly or not. It would end up being an entire year until the being he described would arise.

Well, as I said, they'll probably be in here any moment now to shoo you out of here. I didn't even get a chance to talk about him yet. Oh yeah, spoiler alert. It's a guy. Oh yeah, I already said he... Actually, now that you think about it that's pretty surprising in Equestria. It isn't often you see a male leader who isn't evil. Well, I guess evil is defined on which side your on. Anyway, please do try to return, and please remember your promise you made to me. Actually, while you're making promises, you should promise to return too. There! It's a done deal. You'll know where to find me. I'll just be here... talking to myself.