Parents' Night Out

The cold air tears at your lungs as you sprint through the dark night towards the gently lit castle in the distance. Anger guides your hoofsteps and clouds your thoughts.

How could your parents do this to you? They should love each other, and you’ve come to find that loving someone is so easy. They must not be trying hard enough, or maybe they don’t care anymore. Your young mind has difficulty sorting it all out, but you know one thing for sure. You have to get to Cadance. She’d have an answer to all of this madness. It feels like she’s the only one that cares about you. Like she’s the only one who even listens.

Your father's call for you to come back has slowly faded into the rhythmic pattern of your hoofbeats. This part of your neighborhood is foreign to you, but if you just run toward the castle for long enough, you should get there. Right?

You turn down another street as you hit one dead end, then another. Slowly, the houses around you begin to look more run down, and the lawns more unkempt. You don’t remember going through this part of town before, and certainly not at night. It’s a little worrisome, but you have a mission, and it drives you forward.

Focusing on your breath, you push past the burning in your legs.

Once you get into the main city, it should be a straight shot to the castle, you coach yourself. The way there is still fuzzily etched into your mind. Once your class visited the castle on trip to meet Princess Celestia. You hope your memory is still crisp enough to get you there.That’s all you have to work on/

Leaping over a low, well-worn fence, you run through a backyard to find a street that doesn't cut you off your path. You’ve never trespassed before either, but this is a night of firsts. It’s too late to stop now.

Once you get back to the street, you at last spot the main path into the city.

You stop to catch your breath and bend forward, panting heavily. Only now, with your home far behind and the crisp night air biting at you, do your thoughts finally compose themselves.

Is this really the best thing to do? Your parents are going to be really worried. Your mom doesn’t even know you’re gone, so your dad will have to be the one to tell her. She might be scared. They might both feel pretty hurt. Well, maybe that will teach them a lesson though. This might be what they need to learn to love each other again.

You think of your princess of love, and think of her smiling at you approvingly. Yes, Cadance would be so proud of you for this. She would be so happy that you were trying to get your parents back together again, just like she would. Plus, you’ll probably only need to stay with her a night or two. Then you can go back and everything will be just like normal. Just like it was before the fighting. Everypony can be happy again, including you.

You hear the flapping of wings overhead.

Crud! That might be the night guard. If you get found alone in this part of town, they’ll just take you back home. Then, all of this would be for nothing!

Quickly, you jump into a nearby bush and hunker there, waiting. You barely even move, and strain your ears, trying to gain some sort of clue as to who the approaching pony is.

The flapping slowly moves closer to you. You try to hold every breath in for as long as possible, try to make the pounding in your chest be quiet. With a soft whoosh, you hear something land behind the bush.

Stay perfectly still, now. Perfectly. Still. Maybe the guard didn't see you.

Silence fills the frigid air as nothing happens.

Go away, you stupid guardpony. Leave. Please. You have to get to Cadance.

After what feels like an eternity, a quick gallop and the flapping of wings signals the departure of the other pony. You let out a deep, stale breath. That was way too close. You have to get moving now, before somepony else can find you and spoil your plans.

Nodding to yourself with determination, you again start to follow the path into the city. This will make everything better, you tell yourself again. This will fix things. You just have to-

The sound of hoofsteps behind you snaps you out of your thoughts.

You stop, frozen, breathing hard again. Silence surrounds you, no sign of the phantom steps.

Must just be the wind or something, you tell yourself. You’re acting like a scaredy cat, hearing things that aren’t there.

You once more continue down the dark path towards the castle, at a slightly faster trot this time.

Again, the quiet night is pierced by hoofsteps behind you. You spin to look back, only to be greeted by the night air, and nothing more.

"Hello?" you call.

The empty night doesn’t respond to you. Maybe you should have brought a flashlight or something to light your way. Other than the castle, you can hardly see anything without the light from the houses. There’s nothing you can do about it now, though.

Keep moving. You’ll be there soon.

Galloping down the path, you keep your ears pricked at careful attention. At first, there’s nothing at all, then...

There it is again!

You turn as quickly as you can, your back hooves kicking up small clouds of dust as you skid to a halt. This time, you’re not alone. The shadowy figure of a large stallion stands in the path behind you. Your breath catches in your throat, but it quickly turns to anger again. It’s your dad, it has to be. He’s following you!

"Leave me alone, Dad,” you shout at the shape.

There’s no answer.

Rather than waiting for your father to recollect his thoughts, you turn back to your intended route and begin to trot away, head held high.

The figure remains silent, but by the sound of his hoofbeats, he’s continuing to follow you. That’s not good, why doesn’t he say anything? Quickening your pace, you try to elude your unwelcome guest. But with every step you take, he easily matches your speed.

"Leave me alone!" you shout over your shoulder.

You break into an all out sprint as you see the city lights slowly approaching in the distance. If you get into the city, someone can help you, maybe. You can convince them that this stallion is a danger to you or something, that he’s lying if he says he’s your dad. You can manage a lie like that, right? Sure you can. But you have to get to the city first.

The gallops behind you begin to come nearer and nearer, getting faster in their rhythm. Buildings rush past you as you run. You feel a burn of exhaustion and protest in your chest as you breathe hard, painfully. Ducking and weaving in and out of alleyways, you see sanctuary become closer and closer with each stride.

The stallion is hot on your tail as you try to lose him. With every turn, he follows. With every leap over a fence, he leaps with you. Edging ever closer. None of your dodging is doing you any good, but you have to try! You have to escape!

Juking into an alley, you run unexpectedly into a dead end. Oh no, are you trapped? You look around and find that there’s no other way out. You try to climb up the tall brick wall, but you can't find any holds. Your hooves scrabble noisily and uselessly against the surface. Putting your back against the wall, you turn to find the shape of the stallion there. You watch as your stalker slowly approaches you. Suddenly, that shape doesn’t look so familiar anymore.

“D-dad?”

"Isn't it a little late for someone so young to be out this late at night?"

Your heartbeat speeds to dangerous levels as you feel sweat run down your face. This is definitely not your dad. You’ve never heard this voice before. Why is he following you? Why is he approaching you? This isn’t a guard, this isn’t...anypony you want to be around.

“U-uh…” you stutter out.

He snickers at the way your voice squeaks.

"It would a shame if something terrible happened, if you got found by the wrong pony."

There’s something ominous about the way he says that, almost like he’s teasing you. You don’t know what he has in mind for you, but you can tell right away that it’s not good. You shouldn’t be here. You shouldn’t be here alone.

"Cadance! Help!" you burst out.

It seems silly, but you’re overwhelmed by fear, and it seems like the natural thing to do. You need her to be here. She’s always here when you need it most. You find yourself calling her name once more. You scream into the darkness.

The stallion just laughs at your cries.

"Cadance? Princess Cadance? You think the young Princess will save you? You must be delusional kid."

Light illuminates his forehead, and you see he’s a unicorn. A steady glow surrounds his horn and spreads to your body. You kick your hooves futilely through the air as his magic lifts you off the ground.

Turning your head, you refuse to look at your attacker. Maybe this is all some horrible dream. Maybe if you shut your eyes, maybe if you don’t see any of this, you’ll just wake up.

"Now be a good boy... and be quiet."

His magic rotates you through the air, your body dangling like a helpless kitten. You hear him making quiet ‘hm’ noises as he circles you like a shark, and you realize he’s inspecting you. You feel so exposed there, but there’s nothing you can do but cover yourself with your hooves. As you try to do that, his magic jerks them away. It’s obvious he wants to see all of you.

He laughs, and you feel him approaching, getting closer to you.

"No... don't,” you whimper.

All at once, he pushes you back into the brick wall, making your head collide with the hard surface. You choke on your own breath and cough from the impact. You’re held there, dangling, completely unable to defend yourself.

Why is this happening? Why is he doing this? All you wanted to do was get to Cadance, but now?

You open your eyes to find the dark shape looming over you. You can see his face illuminated in red from the light of his horn and see nothing in his eyes. No life. No thoughts. Just bottomless darkness, like the night surrounding you.

Stars fill your vision, and you feel the impact site on your head get warm. You’re so dizzy. You can’t defend yourself, can’t do anything.

A hoof slowly moves up your leg, inching its way towards…

You should fight. You should stop this. But you’re so dizzy. You can’t see. You’re paralyzed as he strokes his way up the inside of your thigh. Through your haze, you can see the stallion lick his lips.

There’s nothing you can do. He’s going to hurt you.

All at once, a glowing light blue aura fills the alleyway. Through slitted eyes, you can see a second shape take form behind your attacker.

"Let him go. Now."

The stallion looks over his shoulder, grunting in surprise and confusion.

The pink shape glows with greater intensity, and moves towards you. Like some sort of angel sent from a radiant heaven, Cadance gracefully floats into the alleyway.

Something inside you tightens and grows warm. She came for you. You called for her, and she came.

The stallion lets go and you fall to the cold ground with a thud. Even as the air is knocked out of your lungs, you still manage to call out her name one more time.

"Cadance!"

The princess lowers her head and her horn emits a glow, far brighter than the glow of your attacker’s horn. It surrounds the dark shape still towering over you, and, gradually, the stallion rises from the ground, kicking and struggling. You hear him make soft grunts of exertion as he tries, and fails, to free himself.

You scramble to sit up a little, but the world still spins as you do. So you sit there, staring, as Cadance levitates him higher and higher. Looking up at the stallion that touched you, you see his eyes widening with horror. Then, his head arcs back and his eyes bulge as if he’s being squeezed tightly in a vice. His breath makes a crackling noise, like he’s attempting to speak.

"Cadance... what are you doing?" you wheeze out.

She glances down at you for an instant, but then goes right back to focusing on the hovering, contorted-looking stallion.

"Nothing, Anon. Just teaching him a lesson," she says lightly.

Tears run down his face.

Even after what he did, you can’t see him like that. You can’t see that look of hurt in his face, the way his mouth opens and closes like a fish thrown on land. You move to Cadance’s side, looking up at her with a pleading gaze.

"No more... please. I can't watch anymore."

The light from Cadance's horn intensifies.

"This is what you get for hurting my Anon," she hisses.

"Cadance? Stop... I think you’re hurting him."

"He hurt you Anon, didn’t he? This is only fair."

You reach back to touch where you hit your head. It hurts and when you pull your hoof away, there’s blood on it. Cadance looks down and sees your stained hoof.

Her eyes shine white in the moonlight. The stallion gives a sharp whine of pain.

"PLEASE! STOP! I'LL BE GOOD, I PROMISE! TAKE IT AWAY!" he shrieks.

It’s like she didn’t even hear him.

"Cadance. Stop. I think he’s learned his lesson."

You tug on her hoof. She doesn't respond, and you tug a little harder with the same effect.

"Cadance!" you finally shout. “Stop!”

Like you’re waking her from sleep, Cadance’s eyes return to their normal state and she lowers the stallion back to the ground. He instantly curls into a ball and begins to shake and sob uncontrollably. The lot of you stand like that for a moment, a frozen scene, with only the sound of his sobbing breaking the still of the night. Then, at last, Cadance approaches him a few steps, leering down at his crumpled body.

"Don't let me catch you again,” she says calmly.

Then, she turns away and begins to walk back to you. You stare up at her in utter shock. Is this the power of a princess? It’s...terrifying.

She covers you in her wing and offers a comforting smile, as if none of this had just happened. You see worry in her face, affection. It’s like she’s a completely different pony now.

"How much does it hurt? Did he hurt you anywhere else?"

You swallow hard and manage to talk normally. Barely.

"I'm okay... but is he going to be okay?"

You point at the stallion crying in the alley. She looks at him with disgust.

"Oh, he'll be fine. Don't worry about him."

Looking up at Cadance, you realize you’re seeing a side of her that you haven't seen before. It makes you feel funny inside, and not the good kind like before. It makes you feel like you should run away.

"Uhm. How did you find me?" you ask.

"Oh, I’ve been watching over you since you left your house,” she says, almost nurturingly. “I wanted to make sure you would be safe tonight, so I stayed close to you and followed you from the air. Just to watch over you and protect you."

"Then... when I hid in the bush."

She nods to you.

"I thought you might have been hurt, so I came down to check. I lost you when you got into the city. If you hadn’t screamed my name... I might never have found you. I'm sorry I couldn't get her sooner, Nonny."

"I-it's okay.”

Sure, you feel grateful but all of this feels...strange. Why do you feel so strange? Cadance moves her wing from around you and lowers her body a little in a crouch. She nods towards one of her shoulders with her muzzle.

"Here. Climb on my back,” she says. “I'll get us to the castle."

You want to hesitate, think this over, but you also really just want to get out of here. Now. Carefully, you lift yourself onto the alicorn's back and wrap your front legs around her neck.

“Holding on tight?”

You nod.

“Then here we go.”

She breaks into a gallop, wings extended. Then, with a few effortless flaps, she lifts her hooves and takes off into the night. The cold air flies past your face as the ground slowly becomes farther and farther away. The buildings begin to shrink as you come closer to the large full moon.

Suddenly, the night doesn’t seem so empty anymore. It seems almost wondrous. For an instant, you forget everything that happened only moments ago.

"Wow... this is so cool."

Cadance smiles as the two of you soar towards the castle. Holding yourself close to her keeps you warm against the freezing wind, and you hug her tightly, your small body drinking it in.

She increases her speed and swoops down low over a pond outside the castle. The calm water speeds past you and reflects the image of you and Cadance, like a shimmering mirror. Reaching out a hoof, you dip it into the water, creating a wake that ripples through the glassy surface. Fish leap out of the water, following you and the princess, suspecting your disturbance is the sign of a midnight snack.

A smile crawls across your face. The first smile you’ve allowed yourself since you last saw her.

With a flap of her wings, Cadance begins to ascend higher into the sky and towards one of the tallest towers of Canterlot Castle. As she nears a balcony, she slows down and hovers. With practiced care, she lowers her hooves onto the stone, and lands with not even a bump to jostle you.

"Here we are, Anon,” she says in a sigh. “Head inside, it's cold out here."

You don’t need to be told twice, that’s for sure. You trot quickly inside and out of the biting evening air. Behind you, you spy Cadance, stopping to look over the balcony at the quiet city of Canterlot. It’s like she’s overseeing everything below her.

As you enter the warm room, you can guess by one quick glance that it must belong to Cadance. It would be impossible to forget that she was a princess in here. Marble floors, golden trim, and one of the largest beds that you’ve ever seen in your entire life… it’s a room truly worthy of royalty.

You eye the bed a little longer than any of the other features. The frigid air has left you worn and tired, and the ordeal from before still has your head swimming. And it just looks so warm and relaxing. Without a second thought, you move to the bed and curl up over the covers.

You’re pleased to find that you were right. It's so soft and comfortable that you feel yourself instantly at ease. The mattress magically adjusts itself to the shape of your body, even as you move.

Right away, your eyelids droop and your body struggles to fight against the inertia of tiredness. The impact of all your running hits you in a steady wave and exhaustion overtakes you. You allow your eyes to close and, at last, you feel as if your escape is complete.

The city of Canterlot is quiet and calm this evening. You can barely even hear any crickets from everything you see below the tower.

Perfect. Less of a chance for witnesses that way.

If Celestia found out you’d used that spell... there would be much more work to do than just a simple censor of the news. For now, you just need to make sure nopony knows where Anon is.

You have him now, here, which means you’re halfway done. All you have to do now is keep him.

You turn your back on the quiet city and enter your room. In the low-lit chamber, you find Anon quietly sleeping on your bed.

The sight warms your heart. He deserves to sleep peacefully after everything that he was put through tonight. It was all your fault, too.This wouldn't have happened if you didn't lose him in the city. You are the reason why he was almost raped.

The payment to that stallion was high enough where you figured he would act more professionally. You told him to scare Anon, make him feel frightened and vulnerable. There’s being overzealous with your work and then there’s… this. If you’d known, you would never have hired him. You should have stuck closer to him, if you hadn’t been there, there’s no telling how far he would have taken it. And he hurt your dear little Anon. It’s your fault he was hurt.

Then again, you were the one that saved him, too. You’re kinda like his guardian angel this way, and you can definitely use that to your advantage. Besides, you shook that stallion up good. He deserved every bit of what he got.

Using magic, you tuck your covers up around Anon’s chin. You pull your curtains closed and slowly tuck yourself in bed next to your love. Wrapping your hooves around him, you hold him closely. You won’t let that happen again. No outside help now, no one but you and him. Always.

Smiling to yourself, you mutter the words that you've been dying to say to Anon.

"You're mine now."

A knock on the door to your bedroom jolts you awake. You jump up and look around, but find that Anon still rests peacefully beside you. You give him a loving smile, then quickly pull the covers over him, hiding his precious little form. It’s a sweet thing to wake up and find that it’s not just a dream.

"Who is it?" you call.

"The royal guard, Princess. We have a few questions to ask you."

Oh no! They couldn't have found out, could they? Not yet! Still, the room is nearly pitch black, and Anon is hidden under the covers. They shouldn’t be able to see him. You chew your lip, but ultimately decide that you should be fine. For now.

You open your bedroom door and step outside into the corridor. The guard gives you a polite bow.

"How can I help you?" you ask.

"I'm afraid that the colt that you babysit, Anon, has gone missing. His parents are very worried about him and they’ve asked us to conduct a search. I just wanted to ask you a few questions to see if it could help us in any way."

So they didn’t see. They’re just curious. Good.

"Of course,” you say, looking as concerned as possible. “Ask me anything. I hope I can be of some assistance."

You watch your breathing and keep eye contact. Communication training was standard for an alicorn princess. Sometimes you have to know how to tell a good lie, and now is the best time ever to flex your skills.

"When was the last time you saw Anon?" he asks.

You pretend to think it over carefully.

"Well, I was over at their home the other evening. I tucked Anon into bed, then his parents stormed in. They were yelling at each other and... well, I made the argument worse. Afterward I left and came back here to the castle."

He scribbles some things down on a pad of paper.

"Alright,” he says with a sigh, seeming to accept your explanation. “Do you know of any places that Anon would hide if he were upset or angry?"

You think to yourself again.

"Not really. He never actually left the house. He was always very well behaved when I was over there."

"Alright."

He takes some more notes before returning his attention to you.

"Last question. Do you know of anypony who would want to hurt Anon? Or anypony that he would go to if he needed help?"

"I...don’t think so. He said he didn't have any friends at school, but he never mentioned bullies. Why? Do you think he’s hurt?"

You feign horror, pressing one hoof to your cheek. The stallion sighs and stores the paper in his bag.

"To be honest, we don't have anything to go off of, Princess. No trail. No motive. Nothing. Normally we can at least follow hoofsteps or ask some of his friends, but he has literally disappeared. We aren't sure what to tell his parents."

Perfect. All according to plan. Hide your emotions Cadance. You’ve got to completely sell this lie for it to stick.

"That's horrible! Could you please keep me informed of the search as well? I'll see what I can do to help find Anon."

The stallion smiles at you, probably admiring how a princess like yourself can care so much about a pony she barely knows.

"Thank you for the offer Princess, but your studies come first,” he pauses, and you think he may pat your shoulder comfortingly, but he doesn’t dare touch you. “We've been able to find plenty of foals before and we’ll find this one too. It's just a matter of time. We will keep you informed of our progress though."

You nod, pretending to sniff back tears of worry.

"Alright. Thank you very much."

"Sorry for disturbing your slumber. Have a pleasant evening."

"You too."

The guard gives you a farewell nod and then descends the stairs, leaving you alone with your thoughts. You wait until he’s completely gone before you turn back to your room and your sweet little sleeping partner. You shut the door behind you, and quietly turn the lock.

It's only going to be a matter of time until they start putting the pieces together. Tomorrow you will have to ensure Anon doesn't want to go back. You’ll ensure he will be yours forever.