Red, White and Orange

Chapter 3: Runaway Prince

Smokey stood in the doorway, watching the two share their happiness and excitement together, confused as ever. "Dad? What happened? are you both okay? Why is mommy crying?"

Shinings ears perked up, hearing his voice come from behind him, and quickly turns his head, not letting cadence go. "Oh, uh, nothing Smokey, we just... got cold?" He mentally facehoofs.

"Oh, Shining, you can tell him, its not like we can keep it a secret from him forever. or at least nine months," Cadence finally broke the hug, and trotted to Smokeys side, crouching down to his level. "Well, you see... mommy has a foal growing in her tummy. and in a while, that foal will be your little brother, or sister," She tried explaining to him in the least scientific way possible, with a smile.

"A new little sibling! this is wonderful!  And that's how my old mommy and daddy..." He cut off, as memories flooded back through his head like a waterfall "Mommy... and daddy..." He said again, sitting down, feeling his heart drop, and stomach flip. Tears formed in his eyes, one slowly tracing a clear line down his left cheek, now beginning to sway.

Cadence rushed to his side, using her hoof to support his weight. "Oh, honey..." She sat beside him, lifting him into her lap, holding him close to her belly with his soon to be little sibling, Stroking his mane lightly.

Smokeys hoofs held her arm close to his body, as he was previously, and opens his eyes, realizing a new feeling he never felt with his old parents. An actual bond with a parent.

Shining rushed out of the room, Cadence scolding him on the way out, but not daring to let go of Smokey. Rolling her eyes, she rubbed his back lightly. "don't worry, sweetie, i'm still here for you, my dear."

His mind was racing with the memories of his sister, and he felt another new feeling he's never felt before. Anger. He was angry that Midnight left. Angry that he would have a new relative to replace her. They were trying to replace Midnight! He remembered that night in the hospital when he first met shining.

"How would you  like a new mommy and daddy?" is what he remembered him asking, clear as day. How could he not see this that night? That they were trying to replace his whole family! Smokey, slowed his breathing, his breaths becoming heavier. He flapped his wings aggressively, Cadence dropping him, surprised.

"Smokey! What's wrong?"

"You can't replace Midnight!" Were his last words to her, before bolting for the door, running under Shinings legs, who came back to the room after a few minutes with a box of tissues now on the floor from being dropped.

"What'd you say to him?" Shining looked confused, and shocked at his behavior.

Cadence didn't say anything, before pushing past him, running after Smokey "Smokey! Stop! I'm not replacing anyone, I just want you to be safe, and live a good life!"

Smokey ran out the front gates of the castle, bursting through, pushing the two guards over with the door as they opened.

Cadence stopped at the entrance, seeing Smokey run away, too far to catch by now, sitting down, as her eyes swelled with tears.

Shining followed up behind her, his eyes also wide with shock. He realized how much he wanted to raise the colt, but wasn't aware of how much he meant until he was gone.

The colt that they knew for a short time, but loved for all of it, was gone over the horizon.

After running for a while, he took a break by the canterlot library, previously inhabited by Princess Twilight Sparkle, to rest. His endurance was surprisingly high, along with his stamina. He didn't go inside, but he just laid himself across the mat in front of the door, as the sun was being lowered. He looked towards the castle, hoping to see Princess Celestia on her balcony. Luckily, there was the glow of her horn lowering the son, while she stood on her balcony. Smokey stood, waving at her, Hoping she saw him.

She glanced at the faraway colt, and waved back, smiling, not paying any mind to what he could be up to, and continued with her work, the sun disappearing over the edge of the earth it seemed. She looked back to see the colt still looking at her, and decided that she would ask him a couple questions. Like, who was he? what was he doing alone in Canterlot?

Smokey stood, and stretched, shaking the dirt off that he got on himself while he was resting. He began to walk in the same direction he was heading when he arrived there, until a large flash of light appeared  in front of him, nearly blinding as the Princess of the sun stood in front of him. His first instinct was to bow, so that's what he did.

"No need for that young stallion," She said with a chuckle.

He raised, embarrassed, and laughed a little. "good evening princess," He smiled at her.

"What is your name?"

"My name is Smokey Glacier."

"And who are you with?"

"I came here alone from the Crystal Empire."

Celestia cocked her head. "Crystal Empire? Whatever made you run from home?"

"It wasn't my home, I was just there temporarily. I originally lived in Ponyville."

"Well, would you like me to take you there? We need to make it quick if so. The skies aren't looking too good, and the weather ponies are all going to sleep soon."

"Yes please, Princess!" He trotted to her, and another beam of light nearly blinds him, feeling himself fly through air at the speed of light, suddenly feeling earth beneath his hooves. He looked around, seeing that the Princess teleported him to Ponyville. "Thank you, Princess!"

"No worries, Smokey Glacier. Now, I must return to Canterlot for my royal duties. And nice scarf," She said with a smile and wink, her horn lighting up, sending her away in a ball of light for the third time, and was gone within a second.

Smokey turned, realizing it was the street he grew up on. Well, that was easy. Now he needed to find the house he grew up in. After a few minutes of searching, and saw the house of where him and his sister would shelter, more than live in. If you could even call it a house. The thoughts of his sister rushed in his head faster, this time more painful, and thorough. He saw himself under Midnights wing, falling asleep, and her kissing his forehead. The burning sensation returned to his heart, and this time his eyes too.  Ducking his head, he began sprinting down the road, the hot tears streaming down his cheeks, along with the cold rain stinging his face, as he tried to keep his head low. Suddenly his hoof came down on his scarf, sending him flying face first on the dirt road. Rising up again in front of a house, the library in the not to far away distance, he looked down, feeling his muzzle flowing blood, a small pool around his hooves, being washed away by the rain.

The door to the house he landed in front of suddenly opened, a white unicorn with a pair of purple lensed glasses on, a wild mane, teal and blue like shining armors, but less saturated. "Woah! kid! What are you doing?" She rushed out, levitating him, onto her back, and rushing back inside, setting him on the couch. "Who are you-" She cut off, seeing his scarf. "What the f... heck are you wearing?" She needed to watch her language in front of his age.

He looked at her funny? "What the heck are you wearing?" He said, pointing at her glasses.

"Don't touch my shades, kid. Anyways, who are you, and what're you doing out at this hour? You look like you're, like, five. and its raining! Not to mention you're nose! Oh Celestia, your nose!" She sighed stressfully. "Hold on, I'll go get one." She left the room, returning shortly after, with a blanket and a box of tissues, ripping it open, and placing the box in front of him. "Plug your nose up with these, so you don't get my floor all bloody, please?" She placed the blanket over his back.

Smokey quickly wrapped the blanket around himself, still shaking from cold, and devastation. "Th-thank you miss," he said, quickly stuffing a tissue into his left nostril. "What's your name?"

"I'm well known as DJ Pon-3 mainly, famous DJ, heh, don't mean to brag or anything but I'm kind of a big deal. But my real name is Vinyl Scratch. Now you tell me who you are."

"Well, I'm Smokey Glacier, this is a scarf my sister gave me, and I ran away from the Crystal Empire."

"Uh huh... Well, I'll tell you what, kid. You tell me all this later, when I'm not too busy to talk. You can stay here for the night if you want, and I will be working on a new remix, there's a guest room down the hall next to the bathroom, if you get hungry, just... Ask my roommate for something. Her name is Octavia, but she'll be fine if you just call her Tavi. It's Sunday, right? Yeah, it's Sunday. You go to school right? Tell Tavi to take you to school in the morning. Goodnight, Smokey Glazy."

"Uh, my names Smokey Glac-"

Vinyl cut him off with her bedroom door, as she left to go to bed.

"Huh... She's funny," he thought, once she was gone. He was so tired, that when he blinked his eyes, he nearly dozed off immediately. But once he laid his head down, he was out.

“S-sissy? P-please wake up! This isnt a funny joke!” The colt cried over his sister laying in the hospital bed, as the heart monitors beeps increased in speed, the colt trying his best to hold the flow of his tears back, but failing as the doctors ran into the room. “M-midnight! Get up!” The colt sniffled as tears ran down both of his cheeks and onto the mare, who's eyes opened halfway.

“I… I am awake, Smokey… just… not for long…” The mare in the hospital bed said weakly. “You… have to promise me something, Smokey…”

The colt sniffled, nodding Quickly.

“Be great… get your cute mark when you are sure of what you want to do the rest of your life... ”

“If I get one”

“When you get one,” Midnight protested against his statement, lightly placing her hoof over his.“You may think you aren’t meant to have one, but I bet you, you will have the most meaningful cutie mark in your class,” she said, her voice quieting. "Here... You can take my scarf to remember me by..." She removed the black scarf she was wearing slowly, and laid the soft strip of fabric in front of him.

“I-I will!” his voice was getting choked up, and shaky, knowing these were their final seconds together. He sniffled again, picking the scarf up, and throwing it over his shoulders, tying it how he's seen her tie it for the last year.

“One more thing Smokey…”

“Anything!

“Make… mom and dad… proud… I love you, brother… ” The mare spoke, as the heart monitor stopped beeping, being replaced with a loud ring throughout the room with her hoof still in the colts, as the grip loosened and her hoof dropped limp, beside her body on the bed.