With a loud thump, Trash landed on a bush that absorbed his mighty impact and threw him up and to the side. He sailed through the air before crashing to the ground with an oof. "Don't know how pegasi do it..." He sat up, putting a hoof to his spinning head. "Down."

"Why were you on my roof?" A mare with a monocle over an eye was peering at the dishevelled Trash. "You don't appear to be anypony I hired to work up there."

"Oh, no, no ma'am." He dipped his head towards her, almost falling over with vertigo. "The name's Trash Prince and--"

"--What an uncouth name," she spat, face twisting with disgust. "Were you trying to rob me?"

"Huh? No. I was trying to--"

"--Get off my lawn." She pointed towards the street. "Hoofer, dear, assist this... gentlepony on his way."

A butler stepped forward with a formal bow at the same time. "With me, Sir." Those were the last words he had to say for a while, grabbing Trash with magic and yanking him into the air easily. Hoofer marched with firm steps towards the edge of the lawn and his magic winked out, dropping Trash onto the sidewalk outside their property. "Good day, Sir."

Trash picked himself back to his hooves. "Well, I never," he said, affecting the tone of a bothered aristocrat. His lazy smile revealed he wasn't actually feeling it. "Time to go home." But he didn't get far before remembering. "Where is she?" He had spent much of the night up there, considering ways to get down until he dared to make the jump.

Which he had made! He nodded with satisfaction at that. Still... He craned his head around as if a soaring bouncing bunny could come into view at any moment. But there was no sighting of her by the time he reached the castle, not that he got inside it easily.

There was Celestia, at the top of the steps. She was speaking with a guard idly, at least until Trash came into view, then her gaze turned towards him with obvious irritation. "We need to speak."

"What's up, Auntie?" He kept his trotting gait, approaching her as any other pony. "I'm ready for the afternoon class."

"That isn't the problem, for a change." She let out a little breath and turned towards the inside. "Follow me. I'll be in the third." The guard nodded at her as if that were clear and she began to walk. Even at a stately walk, her long legs helped her move at a decent rate.

Trash trailed along after her, one ear askew. "Something wrong?"

"There is." She nodded to a passing pony. "We will speak of it in a moment." She shared no other words until they reached the named sitting room. Celestia gestured towards it. "Have a seat. We need to talk."

"Sure thing." He settled on the cushion lightly, his horn glowing as he snatched a cookie from one of the many trays of snacks there, nibbling on it idly. "What's going on, Auntie?"

"You." She leveled a hoof at him directly. "I had wondered how you always seemed to be practically buried in jewelry despite my tightening your allowance, but theft?"

He suddenly coughed on his cookie, the poor baked treat falling from his numb magic. "What?!"

"Do not try to prove otherwise." She wagged a hoof lightly. "We found the stolen property inside your room, reported fresh from a pony. I'm not interested in wild tales of courtly intrigue, either. You aren't nearly involved enough in court for anypony else there to have an interest in you." She drew in a heavy breath, her large form swelling noticable before it escaped her. "Golden Lash, is this what I have taught you?"

"No! No, of course not, Auntie." He shook his head slowly. "I am no stealer! My hooves are clean."

She glanced at his hooves, scuffed as they were from his night spent on a roof and crashing into a bush and walking home across a city. "I see... I received a report that you were found perched on a noblemare's roof just today. An innocent mistake, I gather?"

He went rigid, and that was apparently enough of an answer for Celestia. "It's too much, Golden Lash."

His teeth clenched. Again, his dead name, thrown in his face. A moment of fury washed over him, impotent as it was. "Stop calling me that."

"I will stop calling you anything." She pointed towards the door. "I have done my best to educate you and shelter you, but you do not listen. You begrudge my presence. Fine. Leave." She pointed more firmly. "You are hereby banned from the castle. Your jewelry is being confiscated, to be returned to their rightful owners."

The world was spinning. "But... most of that's already mine..."

Celestia hiked a brow at that. "I have a hard time believing that right now. For now, leave. If we haven't found the proper owners in 6 moons' time, you can petition then. Until that day arrives, I want to hear not a single word more about it. I am very disappointed in you, Golden Lash... Some advise me you should be thrown in jail." His ears flipped back and his breath caught. "Out of respect for your mother, I will not do that, this time. Go."

"Alright..." He rose to his hooves, the cookie abandoned on the floor. He had no desire for it, or anything in that moment. "I'm going..." He turned to go, but something tugged at the base of his tail. Glancing back, he could see Celestia's magic grasping at the ring near the base of his tail. "You got that for me," he got out quickly, sounding more choked than he had intended.

"I did... I hope you find your own path. Perhaps this is for the best, away from me." She looked away from him, her magic releasing the ring. "Some ponies can only blossom away from the sun."

For the second time of the day, he was kicked out. The guards at least were happy enough to let him walk out on his own hooves, but were just as inflexible about him leaving. One of their horns glowed as a small bag came into view. "Princess Celestia said this is your last allowance."

He accepted it between his two forehooves, sitting there at the top of the stairs. "Thanks..." His last allowance. He was really on his own. He had been cast out onto the streets of the city. Standing up stiffly, he started down the stairs that felt like they could give way at any moment. No, those were his legs. "I didn't even do it..." He could guess what had happened. He had little else to do than muse on how it all happened.

Trash could imagine some of the jewelry Angel had stolen laying there for Celestia, or maybe some of the maids, to find. Freshly taken from some mare, just the day before... And he wasn't there to defend himself, being dropped on a roof to wait miserably.

"Angel..." She had cost him dearly. He clenched his teeth with impotent rage, but he slumped as he passed through the gates of the castle proper. "Angel..." She didn't... realize what she was doing was wrong. Not that this helped him... He couldn't quite muster full and proper anger at her. "Where even are you, Blingmomma?"

An upturn of nobles, or so he called them, their noses held up high, marched past him into the castle, paying him even less mind than usual as if they somehow knew he had been just cast out. They didn't so much as glance at him.

He wasn't part of their circle anymore, not that they ever really enjoyed having him there to begin with. "Right... right... Keep it calm, man... You have contacts." He had friends outside the castle. It was time to pull a favor or two. "Where are you?" he grunted, clopping the ground with his right forehoof and starting to march away from the castle, tail lashing behind him.

"I don't know if I'll hug you or choke you when I find you, but where are you even hiding?"

Angel thumped against the wall and reached for the wooden shutters, pulling them open to gain access to the window, sliding it open a moment later. "Angel home," she called with a smile. It was only that moment she realized it was her home. She had found a good place, with good people, a good person specifically. "Trash?" She threw herself inside, squirming through the hole into the darkened room.

There was no Trash there. Perhaps he was at a class or something equally boring. Poor Trash. "Stupid boss pony." It was her fault he had to do those things. She turned instead to the mirror and gazed at herself, glittering with her newfound treasure. A massive green emerald on a platinum chain dangled around her neck, shining brilliantly. "Good hunt..."

She reached for it and ran her fingers along its delicate edges and bold great gem surface, but there was something not quite right... "Show Trash." Yes, she had to show him the result of her magic. That would make it better! She hopped to the door and burst through it into the hall. A guard was there, as usual, but he wasn't ignoring her.

"Angel?"

She nodded at him. "Where Trash?"

"Miss Angel, Princess Celestia requests your presence."

Angel recoiled a few inches. The boss horse?! What good could come out of that? Still, she was the boss... "Where?"

The guard began to walk. "This way." He didn't say why or what for, he simply walked. The guards were so formal that way. Angel walk-hopped in the slow way that didn't carry her past him. Why did they have to walk so slowly?!

At last, he reached a door flanked with two other guards and he pointed inside. "She's inside, seeing other ponies. Go in and wait for her to call you."

"Wait, yes." Not that she wanted to wait, especially for the boss horse, but she was the boss... Angel approached the opening double doors, revealing Celestia already mid-conversation with several snooty ponies with shinies. worn.

One of them, a mare, noticed Angel right away. "Look at that. You're quite the extravagant creature."

The stallion inclined his head. "I say... that looks familiar..."

Celestia cleared her throat into a hoof. "That is Angel, a tsuki in our care. I would speak with her, after we finish our conversation. Angel, where did you get that?" Surely there was no way Golden Lash could have afforded such an obviously expensive piece.

Angel inclined her head faintly. "Angel magic show Trash." She nodded softly as she settled to wait on her belly, watching the ponies.

"I... see..." Celestia turned back to the other ponies and they resumed their conversation of some boring pony matter that went right over Angel's head. Something to do with land somewhere? The two left with smiles, apparently satisfied with whatever had been agreed on.

Angel sat up on her haunches, seeing the conversation was over, and Celestia was coming closer. What did the boss horse want? Angel remained quiet, allowing Celestia to speak, or leave. Leaving would also work.

She didn't leave. "That pendant, did Golden Lash give it to you?"

Golden Lash? Oh... "Not name."

That only made her frown. "So, yes then? I will need that back." Her magic made it vanish right from around Angel's neck. "I'll see it gets back to its original owner. Angel, you are hereby set free. I was a fool for even allowing this game to proceed as far as it has. If you would like assistance in reaching your people, I will gladly assist--"

Angel's fur stood on end. "Mine!"

"No."

For once it was she, Angel, that had been stolen from. It didn't feel all that great, but the boss pony looked capable of fighting her for it, and winning. "Mine..." she repeated, but in more of a petulant whisper.

"You are no longer Golden Lash's ward. He has no power over you. Go in peace."

Author's Note

Oops, well, that could have gone better. What will the two of them do now?!

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