A Tail of Difference.

After mumbling every foul word he could think of that would fit Amaterasu, Leo had ended up in the garden by the much larger spirit now walking away to leave him at the mercy of his mother and possibly potential mate whom she deemed very unworthy of his love, but it was his choice and she had no say in the matter. Both mares glared daggers up at the boy as he shrunk to his bipedal form.

While the case of pranking the perverted princess was spreading across the castle, Faust was busy keeping her daughter at bay after finding out what the mischievous spirit had done. She was going to punish him for escaping the castle again, but first she had to deal with the matter at hoof.

"Are you. . . happy with yourself?" Faust asked, turning to her eldest daughter who had fire raging in her eyes and possibly a mane to go with it.

Leo merely smiled at the queen and scratched the back of his head.

"Honestly. . . with everything I have done to other ponies and how well my tricks have turned out, I feel that I could have done worse to Celestia," he admitted, chuckling lightly, much to Faust's surprise. As for the molesting princess, she was now grinding her teeth and had her mane ablaze. Perhaps as a teenager with nothing to do, he was more than satisfied with the attention, because he rarely got his mother to talk to him. As the only child of his species, it was hard to be seen the same as the others and given the same things most children get from their parents.

"This is not okay," Faust told him sternly, holding part of her daughter's mane after it returned to it's normal state. "This is going to take weeks to remove. She won't be able to leave the castle without everypony laughing or looking at her awkwardly."

"I think its a good look on her." He laughed.

"My mane was perfect the way it was originally!" Celestia barked, causing the young prince to flinch and retreat a little as she towered over him.

"Do you have anything to say to this? Anything at all?" His mother asked, but she was not in high hopes of her young pup showing a little maturity and accepting responsibility.

"Should I raise the dead for the princess of goth?" Leo asked, before falling over in a fit of laughter.

He held onto his sides and guffawed at Celestia for her response being a rage-filled scream before storming back into the castle, but not before looking back and yelling:

"You better punish him or I will. And I promise you that he will not be the same!"

As a result, the queen of equestrian was left alone with the laughing prince wiping tears from his eyes and picking himself up, with her pondering how she could properly punish the boy. She sat comfortably and rested her gaze on Leo or stared off at the guards soaring by as the flourish of his tails filled her mind. No words were exchanged, only little bits of her silence such as sighing and staring at him disappointedly. Leo wouldn't have cared if someone else was like that, but this was his mother who looking at him so. This went on for an uncertain amount of until she stood up, draped a wing across his shoulders said with a gentle voice:

"Leo, come with me. We need to talk."

Her words sank deep into the depths of his mind and he could feel the wonderfully soft wing pulling him close to the alicorn as they walked inside. Faust sighed deeply and nuzzled, unsure of what she could say to the boy that would help him mature a little see things her way slightly. She did have to give him credit though, nopony had the courage—or in this case the balls—to prank the very princess that has her eyes and, surprisingly, her heart, on him. She was feared for a reason.

Stirred by the short walk they made to the throne, Leo began worrying that the alicorn was going to really give him a fitting punishment. He returned to reality though when Faust sat with him on the throne and took off her crown. After enjoying a couple minutes of silence and no one to come barging in, especially Blueblood, she looked down at him and asked in a soft tone:

"What am I going to do with you?"

"I thought that was established when you adopted me?" He initiated a chuckle, but it was stolen by the sadness in her eyes as she held him closely.

"Leo, I need you to start acting like a prince," she said seriously. Leo took a few moments to collect his thoughts and actually ponder what she meant.

"You're fifteen years old now and going into high school. Yet you act as though you're ten, and that cannot keep going on." She continued. "I need a grown stallion here to take care of things while I am away, but I have to rely on Celestia and Luna while you go about making trouble."

Leo remained silent but twiddled his fingers as she went on lecturing him.

"I know it's part of your nature, but I really need you to mature and be the responsible one." She took a breath, thinking about how she could convince him. "Luna focuses on her video games and Celestia concentrates on. . ." She blushed and had Leo say it for her.

"Getting in my pants."

"Exactly." She groaned.

"So is this another talk with my mother or the queen?" Leo asked bravely, surprising the alicorn so much that she flinched and retracted the comforting wing she had on his back.

"Of course this is a talk with your. Every conversation we have is!" She proclaimed in a very hurtful tone, nuzzling the boy deeply as he looked."

"It doesn't feel like it," he sighed, resting his chin in his palm. "We never spend time together. You're always busy with nobles or spending your free time with Discord."

"But Leo, we. . ." Faust stopped with a blank page for a mind, closing her eyes and exhaling disappointment at her obliviousness to the boy's antics. Of course, he would spend most of his days pranking everyone around the castle or spending time with his friends, because the only time she gives him attention is to help, teach, or punish him.

She knew perfectly well now Leo was not acting out to be a punk. He was still a child and he wanted his mother's love and attention, and she had been failing miserably at it so long as she had work on her mind, which was all the bucking time.

"It's fine," Leo told her as he stood up to walk away. "I'll go apologize to Celestia and clean any mess that was made in her bathroom."

On his end, his mind and heart was already deprived of hope. With an impossibly stubborn alicorn for a mother, who only focuses on her job rather than her family, Leo was eager to get away before any tears were shed behind his glasses. However, the first step down those stairs was stopped short by Faust standing up and putting both wings around him. Silence reigned as he felt the warmth of her lips on his cheek.

The troubles of his indifference had been a very long journey for the queen; probably more difficult than accepting that she will never see her fox sister ever again. But as she had expected over the years, the life of mother was harder now with the pressures she'd yet to reveal to Leo.

Both the kitsune and alicorn stood still in the quiet light of that empty throne room in the middle of the castle. Much of their embrace was comforting, and even a little heart-wrenching for them. There was a moment of regret on both ends as he turned to the mare.

She clenched her teeth, for her pup to be in tears, by her own mistakes, was a sting worse than leaving her daughters.

"No, none of that," she cooed, licking the tears off his cheeks before pressing her head against his and whispering:

"Hey. . . I'm sorry. I've let my work best me and relied on the others to help you. And that isn't right of me; there are things a mother must do herself, and I know you need much of it because—"

"Because I'm a fox," he interrupted, stepping away to face her properly and get the matter of his problem out there in a stern voice:

"I don't understand, mom. I don't understand why you are so adamant about keeping me safe. I can grow to the size of a house and use my powers to defend myself. So why is it that you are afraid of me going out alone?"

Sighing again, the queen of equestria put her wings on his shoulders. "Honey, you are the last of your kind. You are so special that words cannot describe the meaning of your purpose here. But there are bad ponies out there, ponies that could take you away from me."

Leo groaned. "I don't see the point in anypony wanting me. I'm just a kid who got the title of prince because you adopted me."

Faust smiled, giving the boy a genuine laugh. "Do you see other ponies that can verbally communicate with animals?"

"No,"

"What about ponies who can run at impossible speeds and leap from building to building?"

"There aren't any."

"Or give life to plants?"

"Hey, that was an accident!" Leo barked, but she was right. Only he could do those things; sure he was similar to Fluttershy in animal communication, but only he could understand what they have to say.

"No, that is how gifted you are." Faust pointed out with a hoof on his chest. "Your mother's gifts were given to you, and those are just a few to the many things you will do when you're older. You have so much potential, and I don't others to use you or hurt you for it. You're part of a much bigger picture that will be revealed in due time, but for now. . . I want you to come to me when you're in need of my attention."

"That's easy for you to say," he sneered.

"No, because I'm going to listen from now on." Faust continued, ignoring his sarcasm. "I've ignored you for quite some time and it's going to stop. Starting now, we're going to interact. . . as mother and son."

Hearing those words, Leo took a breath—noticed with trepidation in how uneven he took in that air—and grinned up to his mother as she took him for one more hug.

"I'll drop my work to the secretary," Faust continued. "And we can find things to do. Just give me some ideas after you go apologize to Celestia."

He paled and shivered at the idea of seeing his perverted friend as the grin his mother wore became something of evil smile. It was just how he had expected to be punished, but he didn't think she would make him.

"So do I have to go to her room? Because you know how she gets when it's behind closed doors," he said, eyeing the corridor that was occupied by a certain pony spying in the shadows, her lust-filled eyes the only part of her to be seen as she giggled lustfully. "She's even watching us right now."

"Yes, and you must be her servant for a whole week," she added, and his eyes grew to dinner plates. "That means cleaning her room, cooking her meals and anything she desires."

She turned to said pony with a malicious glare. "And you will not try anything with Leo. He is still too young and I don't want you taking his purity."

"I can't make any promises." Celestia giggled, winking at the nervous teenager who had already shrunk to a normal sized fox and hid behind Faust.

"Oh you will abide to this rule," the queen threatened. "Because if you don't, then I will personally see to Leo having a mare his age. And I'm pretty sure you don't want Sweetie Belle to win."

"You know!?" Celestia barked.

Faust nodded gleefully and nuzzled Leo. "Of course I do. Why do you think I allowed that sleepover for tonight?"

"Mom!" Leo yelled, returning to his bipedal form as Faust laughed at them both.

"So you do have a crush on her." Faust confirmed, watching her pup turn red while Celestia growled dangerously and approached with ill words.

"Why wasn't I informed of this sleepover?" the perverted princess snapped, glaring at the boy as he gave her a bemused look.

"Because you would try to get in the same bed with me."

"But you've slept with Luna!"

"No," he shook his head. "I've napped with Luna, and all she does is cuddle."

Celestia went to remark on the things he'd done in the past with Luna, such as the kiss he received last year and how unfair it was, but to everyone's surprise, a large explosion shook the castle and one draconequus could be heard screaming across the entire kingdom. Said scream echoed so far that it reached Sweetie Belle's ears as she sat on Amaterasu's back for the trip to Canterlot.

"What was that?" Faust asked, and then the bulb clicked.

She looked down to her son who was smiling sheepishly, and asked: "What the hay did you do?"

Leo was about to answer, but the victim of his second prank stormed into the room and glared at the boy with the intent to kill. He approached quietly while carrying guards who were stuck to him by the various flavors of gum on his body.

"Exploding gum, my dear boy." Discord said frustratingly, towering over the kitsune.

Uh oh Leo expected severe punishment from the spirit of chaos, and cringed for it come. But the only thing he received was a pat to the head and a chuckle from his uncle.

"You're lucky I'm married to your mother," Said Discord, grinning maliciously. "But just so you know, you have declared war with the king of pranks."

"You've got gum in your nose. . ."