The Alpaca Prince

Chapters

Mwah! MWAH!
Eyes
The Pond
So Long, Farewell

Mwah! MWAH!

The Alpaca Prince
Part 1 -- Mwah! MWAH!

Twilight murmured quickly through her flashcards, one hoof tappity-tapping the perfect floor in front of her. She’d asked Princess Celestia why an Alpaca Prince had to stay with her at Castle Friendship-- something about current generations of rulers meeting to establish long-lasting friendships. It hadn’t made Twilight feel any better. That and the books in her library hadn’t exactly helped either.

Alpacas were fierce, fluffy warriors from the far northeast, steeped in tradition and forged in the frostbite of war! No country’s army had ever invaded Alpacastan and lived to tell the tale. Their slash-and-burn tactics bled armies out as they crossed the tundra-landscape. Falling back, burning resources as they went would starve their enemies away and… and it sounded so terrible! Twilight didn’t know what she was supposed to do with a young warrior prince from a land like that!

And yet, the son of the Grand Alpacan Highlord, King Fluffington, was to stay with Twilight during trade disputes being held in Canterlot. She gulped again, slip-slip-slipping through her flashcards.

The sudden BOOM-BOOM-BOOM of a heavy hoof on her front double doors made her smooth her dress. The first meeting of royalty from two countries was private. Twilight would’ve surrounded herself with friends (and guards, frankly), but the occasion called for solitude. “Come in!” she called.

K-BASH! The doors flung themselves open as the massive fluffy fury that was Prince Cudfellow made himself known. “Greetings to you, Princess Twilight Sparkle!” the mass of fur with four legs and a face entered. The purple mare couldn’t help but stare. “I am to be bringing good tidings, and hullo’s of friendshipness!” his Equestrian was thick, but commendable. It was only proper to speak in the local language, after all.

“G-greetings, Prince Cudfellow,” Twilight bowed a bit as she spoke. “Welcome to Equestria, I hope you had a good journ-EEP?!” The alpaca prince pulled nothing less than a TREE from his massive, fluffy exterior and dropped it on the floor at Twilight’s hooves. Fifteen feet long, it rained pine needles in all directions.

“I bring you Alpacan tree gift of Friendship!” he boomed, looming over her. Reaching, he seized her by the ears and she screeched. “Mwah! MWAH!” he kissed both her cheeks and then released her. Blood pounding in her ears, Twilight reeled a little. Shaking the dizzy out of her skull, she smiled politely. “It is big! Furry! And strong! Like Alpaca!” he thump-thumped the tree twice with his back leg.

“Th-thank you!” Twilight rubbed her reddened ears painfully. “Thank you very much!” Using her magic she stood it upright and against a wall. Using a holding spell she left it there like a Hearths Warming tree and swept the needles aside with a phantom breeze spell. Coughing twice, she offered him a thick book on a royal pillow. “Here, a book of Equestrian history, written in your native tongue.”

“Oooh!” the Prince ejaculated, leaning over it with interest. “How thoughtfully!” he said. “I am to be knowing we are good friends, Twilight Sparkle Princess!” he said, taking it and vanishing it into his fur. “You are very attractive in the face spot, just as Father said.” He gestured to her grandly. They turned to walk and Twilight felt her cheeks pinken a little. Not every day a mare got complimented by a foreign prince. “May we eat? Long roads make hungry bellies!” he said hopefully.

“Oh yes, yes of course. Dinner is already prepared” Twilight leaned around him to see if he had any followers or servants. “Erm, were you travelling alone?” she’d prepared for an entourage of twenty or so, but… didn’t see anyone.

“Father and I take different roads when arriving to pony lands,” Cudfellow said, pausing here and there to select the proper equine words. His accent was thick and exotic, but Twilight was patient with him.

“Weren’t you afraid of getting kidnapped or something? You’re in a foreign nation, after all!” Twilight said, aghast. Whoever heard of Royalty travelling unguarded.

“Father has his servants, I am travelling to lonely road,” the Prince said, gesturing vaguely outside. “But no creature would attack Cudfellow, I am steel wool!” he puffed himself out a little as they walked and Twilight was suddenly reminded of a pufferfish. When he was almost round, he exhaled and returned to his usual (wooly and strange) shape.

“Here we are!” Twilight gestured. A grand supper had been laid out, and a certain purple dragon was waiting in a tailed coat and top hat. “Ah, this is Spike, my personal assistant. Say hi, Spike!” Twilight said, glad this was going somewhat smoothly.

“Hello, Prince Cudfellow!” Spike piped, twirling his fake mustache a bit. Welcome to Equestri-AHHH!?” the Prince SEIZED him by the ears, hauling him into the air. “Ow! Ow! OW! What’d I say?! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” he bleated as the Prince mwah-mwah’d either side of his face and dropped him.

“Hullo purple Spike assistant!” the Princess said jubilantly. “Greetings to you from the Alpacastan mountains of dread and hellfire!” he boomed. “Where the dragons breathe winter and the pony folk dare not tread!” he slapped Spike’s back, knocking him down.

“Ewwww, Alpaca slobber!” Spike moaned, rubbing his face feverishly. Twilight hip-bumped him, her perfect-fake-smile cracking a little. “I mean uh, nice to meet you!”

“L-let’s be seated then, I’m sure you’re hungry!” Twilight said quickly. Spike grabbed the end of the tablecloth, scrubbing his face and moaning.

Prince Cudfellow seated himself, then looked startled and jumped up again. His cheeks were red. “Ehhh! Ladies first to do the seating,” he apologized. Twilight giggled behind her hoof for a moment, moving gracefully and sitting in her usual place at the dinner table. She eyed the spread carefully. Unsure about a foreign Prince’s tastes, she’d had Spike make a little bit of a lot of things. He steepled his hooves briefly, as though in prayer. Ohh, thought Twilight, how noble and stoic of h-- “GRACEFUL!” he boomed, then seated himself.

Spike sat next to the Prince, between he and Twilight. Standing in his chair because he was too short to reach the middle of the table, he pawed for the bowl of spiced rice in the middle. His foot slipped and he fell sideways, straight into the Prince’s fur. “Ah! AH! AHHH! AAIIEEEE!” Spike’s entire body vanished into Cudfellow’s fur. “Twiliii-i-i-i-i….” his voice faded with distance and the purple mare jumped to her hooves. It sounded like falling down a well!

“Oh let me, let me…” the Prince set his corn-on-the-cob down, reaching into his own body mass. Rooting around a little, he pulled Spike out and set him down. The baby dragon was holding a bronze short-sword and wearing welding glasses. “Oop, I was to be wondering where those went!” he took the glasses and shoved them into a different pocket of his fur.

Twilight frowned, taking the sword from Spike. “Armed, Prince Cudfellow?” she asked suspiciously. “At the dinner table? At a foreign dinner table, no less?”

Cudfellow looked embarrassed, standing and coughing, looking to one side. “Erm, forgive me Princess. Tales of Mighty Twilight Godslayer Sparkle resonate through Alpacastan. It is for my protection!”

“From what?” Twilight put it to one side, in an empty chair. It gleamed menacingly.

“From you, of course,” he swallowed like she might pounce on him at any moment, sweat beading on his forehead. His fluffy head tilted like this was no new news to her. “Twilight Sparkle stops the pony in the moon, trumps chaos gods, helps choke out the swarm and ascended to godhood! Did you not? Suppose you grew displeased with myself? I would be helpless in the facing of your fury!”

“I… er-well…” Twilight had never heard it put like that.

“Are you not Equestria’s mightiest warrior-Princess?” the Prince said, leaning at her with a sort of morbid curiosity on his face.

“I-uhm,” Twilight slowly sat down again, not really sure how to take that. It hadn’t really occurred to her that international attention might blow her victories out of proportion like that. Godslayer? Warrior Princess? “W-well, I prefer books to battle,” she tried to change the subject.

“Pen is mightier than the sword, pony-sayers said,” Cudfellow seemed a little more at ease, but kept glancing at his bronze shortsword. Twilight gingerly returned it to him. Their eyes met for a moment, and he knew it was not to be seen again. “Thank you. I do not think I could hurt your beautiful face, Princess Twilight, but it does not make my manhood feel so shriveled before you when I carry sharp thing to defend myself,” he articulated carefully. Leaning just so, he shoved the weapon into his fur and fluffed it accordingly. “Erm… juice?” he offered awkwardly, picking up a jug.

“Yes, please,” Twilight said wearily. Spike was still getting hairs out of his mouth and ears. She flicked him with a grooming spell and he sighed in relief. The Prince was afraid of her, it seemed. Well, hopefully she could change that during his stay. She decided right then she would have to make sure they were good friends before the negotiations in Canterlot were over. Her reputation as the Princess of Friendship was at stake!

End of Part 1

Eyes

The Alpaca Prince
Part 2: Eyes

“I wonder how the children are doing?” King Fluffington thought aloud, adjusting the cards in his hoof. He looked across the table at Celestia, who sipped her tea idly and then took two cards to replace her old ones. They shared a knowing smile. No doubt there was a fiasco of ‘cultural exchanges’ going on even as they spoke. “My son was very eager to meet your warrior princess, Twilight Sparkle.” He smirked, pushing forward a golden amulet and three blue chips.

“Less warrior, more worry wart,” Celestia admitted with a tinkling chuckle. She called his bet, putting down her cards. “Her heart is big, I’m sure they’ll get along just fine.”

“My son is a bit… bombastic, are you sure they’ll be okay together alone?” he fanned out his cards. Celestia shook her head with a sigh. Under all that fluff she could never read him during cards. Taking off her crown as payment she put it playfully on his head. She knew he would give it back before night’s end, it was just a game between them. She glanced at the seven foot buster sword next to herself, admiring the keen edge and wonderful rune work. An heirloom of his no doubt.

“I’m sure they’ll be fine, let us worry about ourselves. You visit so seldom anymore, Fluffington,” Celestia let her tail drag over the table as she walked past the table and behind him. “Troubles in the northeast?”

“Oh no, no I assure you,” his face was red, though he did turn to paw at her a little. His eyes trailed up the length of her gorgeous tail to her rump, then quickly jumped to her face. He knew that look, and it colored his cheeks.

The sun touched the horizon.

Giggling in a feminine way, she played with one of his ears, then kissed either of his cheeks as was expected. “May I?” she asked with a filly-like smile.

“Oh yes, of course,” King Fluffington said, flattered all the more. Settling onto his belly, he nodded for her. Celestia stepped up onto his back and settled on him like a great white swan in a nest of blissful fuzziness. Her hooves found his shoulderblades and rubbed idly. He purred despite himself.

“So, what can Equestria do for Alpacastan, huhm?” Celestia murmured in his ear. “We spent the day renewing all of our older trade agreements. Is there… anything else?” she said softly. The king’s coltish grin split his stoic exterior before he could stop himself. “So fluffy,” the alicorn chuckled happily, settling atop him as he flipped over on his back. His floofy bangs fell back to reveal his silver eyes. They twinkled.

=-=-=-=

Twilight found Prince Cudfellow pawing through a bookshelf the next morning she saw him. He turned and brightened when he saw her. Shifting her weight quickly, she leaned forward when he took her ears and mwah-mwah’d her face in greeting. “Good tidings, my purple house-wren!” he said. “We are to explore roundabouts today, yes? Excited!” he told her. “I slept well, and I hope you too?”

“Oh yes I did.” Twilight said, smiling. “Sounds like fun! I’ll show you around town, maybe to the park!”

“I would be most honored!” it was strange to hear him perfectly articulate some sentences and not others, but Twilight knew the poor Prince had probably been taught certain phrases and told to use them often. It was kind of cute, really. Giving Spike free run of the castle (“Yesssss!”), the Prince and Princess set out.

Some ponies stared, others pointed, and a reporter or two came up to them almost before they’d gotten out of Twilight’s front yard. “Princess Twilight, Princess Twilight, how is the summit between Equestria and Alpacastan going?! Are any trade pacts breaking because of the Northeast pass freezing over in certain areas?! How is Princess Celestia going to handle the upturn in crude oil pricing?!”

Twilight’s muzzle rumpled. “You should probably ask Princess Celestia those questions,” she said in mild annoyance. “Seeing as I am not present at these negotiations. I am merely hosting Prince Cudfellow here at Castle Friendship.” It did sound like babysitting when she put it that way, but neither she nor the Prince were ready for the political arena yet, so Celestia’s ‘meet and greet’ was probably for the better anyway.

“But how will Equestria maintain a healthy economy with Alpacastan’s vice grip on Ironwood and certain minerals?!” the second reporter looked genuinely panicked.

“…buying local goods,” Twilight decided carefully. Both reporters blinked twice, and opened their mouths to question further, tape-recorders hovering in front of them.

Prince Cudfellow was not pleased with the interruption. “Coming through, coming through!” he POOF’D himself up like a puffer fish, his fur almost completely round. “Come along, Princess!” he called over his shoulder. The reporters were oh-so-gently floof’d aside as the two of them continued down the street. Both reporters stared after him, completely cowed at the display. Twilight followed quickly, hiding a smile behind a hoof. This was funny! She decided she really did like the Prince right then.

When they were safely away the Prince deflated to his normal shape. “Such rudeness!” he said conversationally. “I should bite their cooches!”

“What?!” Twilight jerked to look at him.

“Their cooches!” he repeated, touching his face. “This is cooch, yes?”

“Cheeks, Prince Cudfellow. Cheeks.” Twilight giggle-snorted before she could stop herself.

“What did I say?” he asked, cocking his head.

Twilight decided not to answer and coughed twice, spotting Fluttershy on the sidewalk with a basket of groceries in her mouth. Waving her over, the purple more introduced her. “Prince Cudfellow, this is my friend Fluttershy. Say hullo?”

“Hullo, friend!” the Prince took her hoof and kissed it politely. (Twilight had asked him not to grab anypony else’s ears like hers)

“Oh, uhm, hullo…” Fluttershy said meekly, ever-shy at meeting someone new. “Prince Cudfellow, from Alpacastan?” she asked.

“That I am, yes,” he nodded.

“I uhm… I admire your country’s… uhm…” she paused to think for an awkward moment. Alpacastan was a terrifying tundra of jagged mountains, deadly ice-waters and winter dragons. “Policy on furs,” she decided with a gulp.

“Oh yes yes,” the Prince said knowingly. “Alpaca fur grows and sheds so rapidly, we thought to share it with less furry creatures! So we do not hunt the life of the wild to stay warm.”

“You share your own fur?” Twilight looked at the expanse that was the Prince’s fluffy body.

“Oh yes, yes. We are to be shedding anyway, but we make for nice beds and wigs and such!” he articulated as best he could. “You may have alpaca-fur pillow on your bedtime, Princess! Perhaps I may see your bedroom sometime.”

Fluttershy’s eyebrows LAUNCHED about three inches, and Twilight looked at the yellow mare helplessly. “Oh my…” she mumbled. “Are you two, uhm…?”

“N-no! I promise!” Twilight said quickly, red-faced. “Th-that’s not something we normally do in Equestria, Prince Cudfellow. L-let’s go. Nice to see you Fluttershy!” she herded the Prince along, smiling awkwardly at her friend.

“He’s very fluffy…” Fluttershy mumbled, smiling a bit before getting her grocery basket and continuing on her way. “How nice…”

“Can I ask you a personal question?” Twilight asked as they at last came to the bowing bridge. “I’ve been wondering it since you arrived, actually.”

“Oh yes, ask of me anything!” they paused to look at their reflections in the river below the bridge. “I am having no secrets from my kind warrior-Princess.” He gave her a genuine smile and watched her cheeks color.

“…how can you see?” she leaned, pawing at the massive eyebrows. Fur tufts covered his forehead and met his muzzle, obscuring his eyes.

“Oh! Haha!” he reached up, tousling his bangs a little. “Alpacastan is very cold, one learns to keep face covered, especially the eyes, to blot out the icy bite of wind!”

“What color are your eyes…?” Twilight reached and lifted at his bangs a bit.

The Prince yelped, leaping back with a scarlet face. “Why Princess! The scandal!” he said with a shriek. Twilight’s stomach sank. Something cultural had just crashed into her, she knew it. The Prince chuckled nervously. “Erm, erm, you could not know I am thinking.” He cocked his head, looking at her. “Er… how does one say…?” he thought for a long time. “Loving… time?” he said to her. “Alpaca look into alpaca eyes during… ehhh…”

“Intimacy?” Twilight offered miserably, humiliated at herself and red in the face.

“Yes, yes!” they shared a long, very awkward silence. “Erm… my eyes are grass-colored,” he offered. “Sh-shall we to the park, then?” he said, hoping to push the awkward moment away. Twilight quickly agreed, and they were away.

End of Part 2

The Pond

The Alpaca Prince
Part 3: The Pond

“Thanks, see y’all again soon!” Applejack waved happily to her last customer, a nice brick-colored stallion who’d bought a nice baker’s dozen of red delicious apples. Why, if she was lucky, she could close up an hour or so early today and have some free time.

Well, she thought that before the stampede happened. A monstrous rush of panicked earth ponies stampeded into the Ponyville market, shouting and throwing bits and buying up everything they could. “Equestria’s economy is in danger!” somepony shouted. “Princess Twilight says buy local!” Another mare was frothing at the mouth.

Applejack glanced at Cherry Joe, who quickly replaced his 1-bit sign with a 10-bit sign. The apple mare eyed the crowd with a cocked eyebrow and a frown, but the crowd swept over them both none the less. She wasn’t about to ask what they hay was going on, nor did she really care a this point. Ponyville had seen chaos gods, floods, famine, and Celestia knew what else. A sudden mass buying spree didn’t strike her as particularly bad. And if Twilight was behind this, well…

“I’ll take ALL your granny smith greens!” the first stallion to arrive said, slamming his bits purse in front of her. Applejack obliged with a basket to go with them.

“Gimme every mcintosh you’ve got!” another mare rushed up to her, saddlebags already bulging with other goods. Applejack passed them to her, taking the bits as she went.

This continued on, back and forth, until Applejack was quite sold out. Reaching into her saddlebags, she produced an earth pony-designed bottle rocket. Tugging the string, she launched it into the sky where it went off like a cannon shot. Plenty of ponies ooooh’d apprieciatively (because c’mon, who doesn’t like fireworks?), but Applejack was only hoping for one pony’s attention.

Miles away, Big Mac looked up from his apple basket-pushing and toward Ponyville. He saw the apple-shaped spray of sparks in the sky. The stand had sold out? Wow. Murmuring to himself he got a barrel of red delicious and golden delicious. Mounting them on the hooks where he usually had his saddlebags, he started towards town at a quick pace. If some kind’a buyer’s spree was happening, they’d have to take advantage while they could.

=-=-=

“How strange! Birds on water!” Prince Cudfellow watched a family of ducks swim by as he and Twilight rested by the lake. Strangely, nopony else seemed to be in the park. It was such a nice day too, and the purple mare hadn’t spotted anyone. Deciding not to worry about it too much since she was playing hostess right then, she smiled and nodded to prince Cudfellow. The birds quack-quack’d along, and he leaned out over the bank to get a better look. “Most times we must drilling for the fresh water, Alpacastan’s water bodies are still,” he told her.

“Oh really?” Twilight asked, “Equestria’s mostly temperate, so we enjoy ponds like this all the time.” She spied Big Macintosh galloping by on the far end of the park. “Wonder what he’s up to, rushing around like that…?” she mumbled.

“Huhm?” Prince Cudfellow turned his head to look, and the shift in weight sent him into the water. Sploosh! “Wha-hah?!” he garbled, then sank like a rock.

“Prince Cudfellow!” Twilight leapt to her hooves in horror.

“I am not swimming!” he garbled to the surface, flailing wildly. “Aid! Aid!” then he sank and bubbled to the bottom.

Twilight backed up a few steps, then LEAPT out—onto dry land. Face-planting into sand she groaned, rubbing her face.

“I am not in the amusing,” grumbled Prince Cudfellow. His expanse of fur had absorbed the entire pond, all the fish in it and he had expanded to the size of a house! “Halp, Princess Twilight…” he groaned, little stubby legs flippity-flapping on either side of him. “I am to be begging you, yes, halp,” he sagged, panting.

Twilight gaped at him, unable to believe it. Was it alpaca magic?! Remembering herself at last she jolted forward. “D-d-don’t move anywhere, I’ll help you just hang on!” she ran a quick circuit around his massive wet shape. The smell was terrible! Lifting a hoof to her face she covered her muzzle with a groan. Wet alpaca was not the best. “Hang on!” she repeated.

“I am not to be having a stopper, dry me!” Cudfellow bleated, flailing his stubby legs back and forth.

Twilight nodded. Coughing, she came around to his front again. “One drying spell, coming up!” she ignited her horn, gritting her teeth and pointing it at him. A massive set of hands gently wrung the prince out, sending fish and debris in all directions. Then they turned into a hairdryer and WHOOOOO’d at him, sending his cheeks flapping back and forth. POOMPH, his fur stood on end with static. He stood there, frowning, looking equally as un-amused as when he was wet. The hairdryer morphed into a lightning rod and ran itself along his back a few times. Discharges and bolts of electricity danced across it until his fur laid normally again.

Prince Cudfellow worked his mouth a few times, but otherwise looked as good as new. “Very good!” he sat on his haunches to clap for her. “Very good indeed, yes!” Twilight let out a tired huff, wiping her brow. Then she saw all the objects littered around that had come out of the prince’s wooly expanse.

A bronze short sword, bola’s, three day’s rations, a bedroll, bullseye lantern, three pints of oil, candles, chalk, a crossbow, a leather helm, three books, a dirty magazine, a half-eaten (ruined) candy bar, a pillow, paper, quill, yellow inkwell, a foldable chair, a circlet, a royal crown, oak steak, a morning star, wallet, condom, four sorts of currency, a newspaper, a chess set, scattered art supplies, and a rather impressive array of keys. Twilight stared awkwardly as the Prince began repacking himself with all his items. “You keep all that with you all the time? It must weigh a ton!”

“It is not hurting one to be prepared, Princess,” Cudfellow said seriously. “At least I am not having to bathe while I am here, yes?” he snickered good-naturedly. “Princess Twilight has scrubbed me down well and good!” Twilight rolled her eyes with a smile. He stabbed himself in the breast with the oak steak to hide it in his fur, threw away the candy bar, and finally was done. “Forgive my messy fallingness,” he said politely.

“It’s no problem,” Twilight said with a little giggle. “At least you didn’t get hurt,” she wondered, not for the first time, how strong the prince may have been under all that fur. Weighed down by that many objects there was no telling.

Sitting by the lake (which Twilight passed a few spells over to clean the hair out), they exchanged small talk for a few hours. Sunbathing, watching clouds, lying on their backs to worship the sun with their bellies as they spoke.

“I am not to be bothering you for too much longer, Princess,” Cudfellow said, turning on his side. “Father will no doubt be done with his summit soon and—“

Swiff-Poof!

Both of them flinched as a scroll arrived by magic, marked with the royal seal of the sisters. “Oh! It’s a message from Princess Celestia!” Twilight sat up to take it out of the air and unfurl it.

“What is it saying? I cannot read your equine-speak,” Cudfellow leaned, but it all looked like neigh-neigh-neigh to him. “Be sharing?” he asked.

“Yes, of course,” Twilight read aloud for him.

Princess Twilight,

I hope you and Prince Cudfellow are doing well together and getting along. I believe at this point the trade summit has reached a climax after mounting tensions and a vigorous back-and-forth exchange concerning Alpacastan's thrust into Equestria. Northeastern winds were cutting off trade routes between our nations for certain goods, but I am sending a team of specialists to heat things up in the proper areas. The Alpacci king has personally ensured that the pass into Equestria will be maintained once it is warmed up properly. We’ve agreed to share the pass as a nomare’s land and use it for trade routes and other ‘cultural exchanges’ only. Happy Day, and a political victory for both sides!
King Fluffington will come to Ponyville tomorrow afternoon to pick up his son, please be sure he has a good time until then. I’m very proud of you for hosting him for me. I thought it would be best if both countrries’ ‘budding royals’ met and interacted as soon as they could.

Very Pleased,

Celestia

“Well she sounds happy,” Twilight concluded, scratching her head a little. “Princess Celestia doesn’t usually write so informally…” she eyed the looping letters, angled and a little trembly for the day Princess’ usual hoof-writing. She must’ve been very tired after hours and hours of empire-molding negotiations.

“I am to be glad-having that our parents are getting along so well,” Cudfellow smiled.

Twilight laughed some, “Princess Celestia isn’t my mother! She’s my teacher!”

“Oh? Oh!” Prince Cudfellow scratched his chin. He’d heard so much about Warrior Princess Twilight Sparkle, how had he passed that bit up? “You are not daughter of the gods, then?”

“Oh no no,” Twilight said, “Princess Celestia is my mentor. She taught me almost everything I know in the areas of advanced magic!” The Prince’s blank expression said he’d only understood half of what she said. “Uhm… Celestia teaches lots… high-end school?”

“Ohhhh, I see! You are ehm… ehm…” he fished for a word. “Prodigy!”

“Protégé,” Twilight nodded, for he’d been quite close. Well she was sort of a Prodigy but that sounded like bragging...

“Pretty Purple Princess Prodigy Protégé!” he mwah-mwah’d her cheeks with affection. Twilight blushed, but nodded and let him take the lead as they started down a walking path around the park.

End of Part 3

So Long, Farewell

The Alpaca Prince
Part 4: Farewell

When the third day of the alpaca prince’s stay had reached evening, king Fluffington was well on his way to Ponyville with his entourage. There were twenty alpaca to guard and keep him safe, and they were all packed up and ready to leave. With a series of scroll cases packed in his fur (each with a renewed treaty or agreement), he’d called the trip a great success. Ponies on the road gave his highness a wide berth, and when they reached the train station Princess Celestia and Luna were there to see him off.

Rearing up a bit, Celestia grabbed him by the ears (as was alpaca tradition), and kissed either of his cheeks. He chuckled, lifting and kissing both Princess’ hooves. “Perhaps I will return again sometime soon. I have never experienced an Equestrian Hearthswarming holiday. Maybe my son and I will come back then?”

“We would be honored to receive you,” Celestia smiled. Luna nodded gaily in agreement. “Thank you for coming in such a timely way so that none of our treaties or trade agreements expired. Farewell!”

“Farewell!” Luna echoed.

Without warning the gathered crowd of ponies broke into song. Fluffington chuckled in delight as the fanfares lit up the entire train-station and much of the street. Such a delightful culture!

So long, farewell, we hope to see you soon!
So long, farewell auf wiedersehen, adieu
Adieu, adieu, to you and you and you!

The twenty-strong entourage of his majesty blink-blinked as they received flower wreaths, fruit baskets, and greeting cards to see them home. Confetti rained from the sky where waiting pegasi threw hoof fulls of the stuff. Fluffington belly-laughed, getting onto the train and onto his royal car. He stuck his head out the window to share a private smile with Celestia:

So long, farewell, auch wiedersehen, good night.
I hate to go and leave this pretty sight!

Celestia tittered in delight at his word. The train hissed to life, lurching forward and down the track. Walking to the edge of the platform she lifted a hoof to wave, smiling from ear to ear. When the train had passed beyond the tunnel and out of sight, the fanfare died down and everypony returned to their usual activities. The day Princess felt Luna’s presence by her side and sighed in a rather heart-aching sort of way. Her dark-toned sister studied her, shared a moment of realization, then chuckled her approval.

The sun has gone to bed and so must I
So long, farewell, auch wiedersehen, goodbye

Luna smiled in a rather knowing way, touching her sister’s shoulder as Celestia dipped the sun below the horizon. She gave an alicorn-sized yawn. Luna couldn’t blame the poor thing, she’d been seeing to King Fluffington’s every need even outside negotiations for the past three days. The white alicorn yawned aloud, leaning on Luna.

Goodbye

Luna led her beyond the palace gates and to her bed, where she slowly sprawled out on her back when a feminine moan of exhaustion. Visiting foreign royalty was so exhausting, it… it really was…

Goodbye

By the time Luna had gone to the doorway, Celestia was already asleep.

Goodbye

Luna clicked the door closed and went about her evening duties, smiling softly.

=-=-=-=

“Erm, I am supposing this is goodbye then, Princess Twilight Sparkle,” Prince Cudfellow said, staring at the ground and pawing at the train platform’s floorboards a few times. “I am most honored to have stayed with you, yes, and perhaps visit again someday?” he asked.

“You are always welcome at Castle Friendship, Prince Cudfellow,” Twilight smiled. She’d grown very fond of the Prince in three short days, and had even redonned her gown to see him off at the train station. King Fluffington and the entourage were waiting for him. “Here,” the purple mare turned and offered him a rather deadly-looking kitchen knife (the biggest one from her knife block). Somehow it seemed more meaningful to give to an alpacan prince than a handkerchief or something else. It was an excuse to see her again, certainly.

He beamed at her approval, scratching the back of his head before taking it from her. “Here,” he fished into his fur and retrieved his prized bronze shortsword. “It will keep you safe, even your beautiful face spot,” he smiled.

“Thank you,” Twilight said, chuckling a little. “It was wonderful to meet you.”

“Father says we may have the return time of months, for your cold-time holiday?” Cudfellow said it like a question. “For the fireplace heat?”

“Oh, Hearthswarming?” Twilight perked up a little. “That would be nice!”

“I am thinking so also, yes,” he shifted his weight to grab her ears, but she touched his shoulder to stop him. “Uh?” she leaned and gave him a quick, chaste kiss of affection.

“Safe journey,” Twilight said with a smile.

“Y-yes,” the Prince stuttered, little hearts blossoming around his head and popping like bubbles. “F-farewell, Warrior Princess Twilight.” He bowed, and she returned the bow until he got onto the train. The door automatically slipped shut behind him. He went to the nearest window, pulling it down so he could lean out. “Goodbye!” he shouted as the train screamed and started forward.

Twilight waved, her cheeks still flushed at the thrill of the kiss. As the train moved faster and faster the wind made Prince Cudfellow’s bangs flap about, exposing his eyes. They were a beautiful meadow green. “Goodbye!” Twilight shouted once more before they’d pulled away.

THE END