Son of the Sun

Nick was treated with care for the rest of the day, being given cream for his burns, a bath, and treats whenever he gained the will to ask.

Today was a good day for him.

Even if that pony had...been hurt. But, he was okay! C...Celestia said so.

Now, after a day of minor pain and major stress-relief, he was off to bed.

And, once again allowed to stay in Celestia's room.

Yet, she didn't nearly choke him as they strode to her bed because she never got in bed.

She simply put him under the covers, pat his head, then replied with eyes twinkling of fire how she'd roast him alive were he to leave the room.

So, he didn't dare think of getting up from bed. At all.

...

Until those armored hoovesteps withdrew from earshot.

Then, he decided to spring out of bed, intent on leaving this place. He would find his brother, then they would run. Run far away from this place! Maybe they'd find their mom, too. They'd be a family again.

Nick was so eager to be out of here that he'd forgot how Celestia was more cunning, manipulative, and simply more experienced than his child brain could understand.

Somepony not even above double digits in age was fully willing to escape the clutches of somepony hundreds of times older than he.

And, this fact somewhat dawned on Nick when he saw armored hooves standing at the door, ready to order him back to bed as soon as the door even budged.

But, Nick wasn't like Celestia. He didn't plan his next move. He ran with the events that unfolded.

And, he might not know much when it comes to magic, but he did have a spell he'd been working on.

Cracking open the door with his magic, he asked the pony who stared at him through the crack, "Can I come out now?"

The stallion only half-chuckled before entering the chambers to let the kid know, "You'd best get back in bed. Before I stuff you in one of the pillow cases."

Nick put a hoof out towards the stallion, and got only a shrug as his opposition's response.

The guard was having none of this...whatever was happening, so he marched up to sling the disobedient colt back into bed.

As he reached down to pluck Nick up, Nick's horn lit up, forming a small ball of light pointed at his now-worried target.

Within an instant, the Pegasus guard held up his hooves to suggest with a hint of fear in his voice, "N-now...uhm, Kindle. Kin. D-don't do somethin' that'd put you on your mom's bad side. We both know how she is."

Nick's eyes narrowed, and he fired out a volley of magic sphere, each with enough force to break bones.

The guard clutched his ribs, groaning as he hit the floor in a pained daze.

Nick threw the door closed as he slipped past the guard into the hallway, and then ran off.

Unsupervised. Into the castle. He hoped to find his brother. He hoped to escape here soon.

He hoped not to run into his 'mother'.