Chaos of harmony

Chapters

Prolog
Arrival and departure
Old friends and new possibilities
Memories and more
The truth behind the lies
Finding the truth and planning the future
Family matters
Holding hope
Finding family
Rushing into trouble
Deals and complaints part 1
Deals and complications part 2
An explosive reveal
L is for?
Loyal to when
Faithful Memories
Honest Memories
Choices given
Memories and hope
Generous memories
Potions and potential
More friends and more problems

Prolog

Discord sat on his throne as he looked through a script. "Oh my… such a corny story." He laughed as he flipped through the pages. "And look at this. My favorite playmates don't even get to have much fun of their own." Rubbing his chin he considered what to do. "Let's see… according to this. I have a thousand moons nap scheduled to start soon." He huffed and rubbed his chin. Well… I can't let that happen without having a little fun."

"Discord!" Celestia called.

"You're early." He huffed, much to their confusion. "Regardless. I know what's coming. And have a little deal for you."

"We are not interested in any of your deals." Luna snapped.

"It's either hear me out. Or I go with plan c." He replied flatly.

"And what is your deal?" Celestia asked.

Discord got up and stretched before popping off his claw and dropped it into a portal. "I sent my claw into another world to get something. The question is. What will it be?"

"Why are you asking us?" Luna asked.

"Simple. Anticipation of what might be coming. And I can think of a few things to take my place. Even if it won't be as splendid." He replied with a shrug. "In fact. I can think of a few things."

"Such as?" The two asked.

Discord tapped a claw to his chin. "Well… there's magic artifacts… maybe I can lead an army to Equestria…" He paused for a moment. "That's been done… oh I know."

"Yes?" They asked.

Discord smiled at Celestia as a portal appeared behind her before his claw poked out and plucked a feather from her wing. "How about I give you the choice? In a few dozen years. You can either have a son. OR… I can find one for you to adopt."

Luna blinked before laughing. "No offense sister. But I can not see you taking care of a foal."

Celestia smiled at the thought. Even though her sister had a point. The idea of raising a child was rather enticing. "The question is. When and how would this foal come?"

Discord taped his chin before grinning and snapping his paw. "Don't worry about when. But as for how. Let's just call it a miracle. Maybe one will show up. Who knows. You might even come across a stallion." The two sisters looked at each other in concern before turning back to discord. "Oh. And look at the time. If you plan to stop my play time. Best get to zapping before I get away." The two sighed before using the elements of harmony to turn him to stone.

As time passed, the threat of Discord's final trick was slowly forgotten. And as promised in a different world, Discord's claw crawled across a street to an abandoned house where a young man sat as he looked at a book. He let out a sigh unaware of the claw crawling in. After a few minutes, sirens sounded outside.

Groaning, he got up and walked to the back door. "I wish these guys would take a hint." Grabbing a can of spray paint, he made a few quick marks on the wall before walking out the back.

As he climbed up a ladder, the claw quickly followed. Once at the top he looked over the side and held a hand to his ear. After a few moments there was a muffled boom sound followed by angry screams. "Music to my ears." He laughed. "Maybe the next town will know how to take a joke."

Turning to leave to see the claw waving at him. After blinking a few times he waved back. "I've definitely been in this town too long. I'm seeing things." To his surprise, the claw started scratching something into the roof.

"If you want an escape. I can give you one and a new life."

He laughed. "Yeah right. That's not possible. And even if it was. What do you get out of it?"

The claw drummed its talons a few times before scratching. "A bit of entertainment. And as for how you get there. It's a snap."

He thought for a moment and shrugged. "I guess if you enjoyed what I just did. Then I guess I'm game."

The claw started counting down before snapping. In a flash he was gone. After a few moments, the claw snapped again and vanished.

Many moons had passed since Discord's threat. And Celestia sat on the throne looking through her papers. She let out a sigh as she set yet another request on a large stack marked denied. Looking at the next, her eyes widened in shock and fear at the name. "Guard… clear the room… no more appointments or meetings for the rest of the day."

"Princess?"

"Something came up. I can't be disturbed." She replied as she got up and quickly made her way to her room as she looked over the paper. "I thought I wouldn't see that name again." She huffed as she read the letter. As she got to her room her eyes widened at what it said.

"Time is running out princess. I have some good news for you. I found your son. You can consider him a little project for your harmony thing. But will he be blood related or adopted? Time is short for you to decide. But if you do want him to be your birth son. Know that a stallion is coming who will fit the role perfectly."

Celestia sat on a pillow as she thought about what this meant and what Discord might mean by this letter. And what she should do about this colt she would be expected to take care of.

Pacing back and forth she thought about what she should pick. Knowing Discord had given her the choice meant that there was some kind of trick to it. She was confident about it. He never was the type to be direct about his plans. And she knew her window to figure out the truth was running out.

Author's Note

This story might start a bit on the slow side. But it will pick up in action. Don't know if I'll have her send him to different towns or just to one of the towns. Anyway. Let's see what should happen.

Arrival and departure

It wouldn't be long after she got the letter that a new pony came into her life. And as any new mother would tell you. Discord's threat about chaos was an understatement. When she wasn't busy with running the kingdom, she spent as much time with him while he was still, at least in her eyes, too young to trust others to look after.

As the years passed, she quickly noticed her young colt became more interested in things that were less than what most saw as proper. Thankfully he was also advancing through classes faster than other colts his age. Especially when it came to his object manipulation magic. She eventually gave him a room of his own to use for whatever he wanted.

The major downside was that he tended to get into trouble. Between his pranks, which a hoof full of guards as well as herself found them funny. His most notable prank was painting the barracks pink. What had made the prank so special was that he did it in the middle of the day. The one guard that he tended to spend the most time with was Shining Armor.

"Hay Shining." He laughed nervously as he held a water balloon over the door with his magic. "I… I was just…"

"So… who's this one for?" Shining asked.

"Spike?"

Shining thought for a moment and moved to the other side of the door. "Fine. But if he doesn't come out. You're in trouble."

What surprised most more than anything was his bond with Shining's siblings. While Twilight was more of a classmate to him, Spike was more of a real friend. If not a rather… "helpful" friend.

Celestia started sitting back as time passed as he grew older. But their bond never seemed to diminish as he found more interests that she knew would one day call him to a far off place.

Then came the letter that gave her a grave and hopeful reminder of the times. "Sister…" She sighed as she looked out a window.

"Hay mom." The young colt said as he happily made his way over. "Are you going to go to this year's location for the summer sunrise celebration?"

"I am." She sighed before pulling him into a hug. "And I'll need you to stay here and look after things while I'm gone."

He laughed and returned the hug. "Of course mom. Besides, I have Shining Armor to help. And you got your student and the guards."

Celestia gave him a warm smile before turning to leave. "I'll be sure to let the guards know. And don't worry about day court. There's hardly anypony that comes in on the holidays."

The young colt spent the rest of the day studying up on the town his mother had gone to. Fear gripped him the following morning when he saw the dark sky. And no matter how long he kept his calm expression for the nobles that came to see him about what was happening, he worried about his mother.

And as the sun finally came up, he collapsed in relief on the floor of the mostly empty room. A part of him wanted to know what had happened. And a part of him was afraid to find out. One thing that came to his mind of what to do was getting out of the castle and unwind.

One problem… where to go.

It wasn't long before Celestia returned with her sister. A dark alicorn that as soon as Celestia introduced them went through a flood of emotions. When she was finally able to calm down the two began to bond as he helped her adapt to the changes the years that passed had brought.

Celestia smiled with pride and joy to see her sister and son getting along. However, she knew that the day would come where he would leave the castle was drawing near. And a part of her thought it was coming too soon.

The following few weeks she spent considering the best place to send him as she went through her daily routine. With each letter her student sent her however, her decision became easier and easier to make. There was just one thing she had to do before he left.

As he paced up his things, Celestia sent a message to her student.

"To my faithful student.
I have an important task that I must ask of you. A very special pony will be coming to live in Ponyville for a time. Please inform the mayor to have a house ready for him. Inform her that the crown will pay for anything needed to have it ready for his arrival next week…"

"NEXT WEEK?" Twilight repeated in shock. "Who could she be talking about to ask for something crazy like that? How are we going to get a place ready in time?"

"Didn't they just get a place fixed up the other day?" Spike replied, looking over the letter. "Oh… looks like he's somepony we know… but she wants that to stay a secret."

"That makes even less… wait." Twilight sighed before she realized what that meant. "Somepony we know… that the princess is willing to pay for HIS housing… that can only mean…"

Spike smiled at Twilight. "Isn't it great? Somepony we know from Canterlot is coming to town."

"No it's not, Spike." Twilight countered. "You remember how the girls acted when I got the tickets? Just imagine how they'd react when she finds out a prince is coming to town?" Shaking her head she sat and sighed. "They're all probably going to act the same way. I can't imagine a worse situation."

"How about them hearing our conversation?" Spike suggested.

Twilight sighed. "Yeah. That would be worse. Spike, please send her a letter for me. Ask her to wait an extra week so we can get everything ready… and to have him to wear a disguise of some kind."

Spike sent the letter and after a few moments he got a letter back. "Let's see… she says… sadly I can't delay his departure. It has been a trip that is long overdue. And the letters you and Spike sent have confirmed that Ponyville is the best place to send him for a relaxing place where he can make friends. And my sister has already left to escort him to the train station."

Twilight sighed and put the note that came with the first letter in her saddlebag. "In that case. We don't have time to spare."

Author's Note

A bit of a time lapse for this chapter because I didn't really feel like going through multiple chapters just to spoil what will happen in following chapters. Hope you guys like it. Also, name is yet to be decided.

Old friends and new possibilities

The young stallion sat in his private cart and looked through some papers his mom and aunt gave him about the town and recent events. Some of the highlights were how the group saved Shining's wedding. An event he missed due to a cold. That thing with Discord. Which explained why he was trapped in his room. And one of Twilight's friends, trying to get into the Wonderbolts.

Letting out a sigh he looked over at one of the guards that came with him. "You know. Once we arrive in town, you'll be done with your job. Right?"

"Apologies, your highness. But it's our job to keep you safe." The guard replied.

Groaning he pulled out a magic hoof cuff and snapped it in place. "Well. I've gone over these papers enough to know the basics. Best I get ready for the hoof lickers."

The guard glanced out the window and gulped at what he saw. "Yes… sir."

Once the train came to a stop. The door opened and the guards got into position, forcing the crowd to make room. Meanwhile, the young prince took a deep breath and adjusted the band a few times before reaching up to feel his horn. Giving himself a quick look over he smiled and calmly made his way out to greet the town.

No sooner did he step off the train, did he see just how quickly news spread. Considering it was a small town compared to the capital, he calmly started making his way down the isle of ponies that bowed as he passed. Once he reached what he thought was the end, he noticed Twilight with her friends.

"It is an honor for you to grace us with your visit." Twilight said respectfully as she bowed. Quickly followed by her friends.

"I'm on vacation. According to my mother. So you and the rest of the town can stop treating me like a royal." He sighed looking them over. "I don't want any special treatment. Just show the guards where to unload my stuff and… you can go back to your books… or whatever you want."

As the crowd dispersed, the girls blinked in shock as he turned to leave. "That's it?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah." He replied. "I won't bother you and your friends. My guess is mom already took care of the housing and food. So it'll kinda be like back in school." He paused and glanced over at her. "Just reversed in a way."

Twilight wisned at his words. She knew what he meant and it stung. "But… didn't your mom send you here for a reason?"

Sighing he watched as the guards were led off by an elderly mare. "Let me ask you something. Can you show me ONE pony who didn't jump at the chance to bribe you into giving them a ticket to the galla?"

"You know about that?" She asked.

"It was my idea. So… can you?"

Twilight sighed and hung her head. "No." She replied as her friends looked away in shame.

"Didn't think so." Getting up he took a few steps before looking back with a smile. "Nice job finding ponies you'd give up the tickets for though. A few more like them. And I actually might consider sticking around."

"Wait… really?" Applejack asked.

He shrugged. "I wouldn't want to get between you girls. So… I might just take the chance myself at making friends."

As he trotted off, the girls smiled and watched before turning to Twilight. "What? I was a different mare back then… I think he was in one or two of my classes."

The girls rolled their eyes and smiled before going their separate ways, leaving Twilight alone to try and remember more about him. "Something's different about him… but what?"

Later that day, the young prince sat in his living room as he looked through some papers he brought with him to prepare himself for whatever regal task he had to do. As he was looking over an updated list of laws for mates, a knock came to the door.

"Be right there!" He called before getting up to stretch and mutter. "I need a break anyway." Trotting over he took a deep breath he calmly opened the door to find a mare with what looked like a permanently upturned nose looking back at him. Looking her over his eyes narrowed. He had a feeling he knew who she was. "Can I help you?"

"I am Spoiled Ritch. Filthy Ritch's wife. And I just came to invite you to some afternoon tea at my estate." She replied. "Only the finest of-"

"Not interested." He interrupted.

Gasping in shock she huffed. "How can you not be? Us high class ponies deserve only the finest. And that includes company, food, housing and fashion."

Thinking for a moment he smiled at her. "Maybe you're right. But if one's title is SOOOO important to you. Then shouldn't you be addressing me properly? Also, I noticed you haven't bowed yet." He sighed and shook his head. "Sorry. But I don't support that kind of pony."

He slammed the door shut and started to return to his papers. Sadly there was yet another knock on the door. Sighing, he opened the door to find Spike. The drake smiled sheepishly as the prince stepped to the side letting him in. "Is it a bad time?"

"Not at all Spike." He replied, as Spike shut the door and joined him on the couch. "Come over to talk about Power Ponies? Or is it something more serious?"

Spike sat next to him and bit his lip. "Well… it's about me and Rarity."

Tapping a hoof to his chin, the prince thought for a moment. "You mean that white unicorn. I can see why you took a liking to her. She-"

"Has a marefriend."

The prince blinked in shock before looking at Spike sympathetically. "Oh… I'm sorry… how did you find out?"

"They made it official last week…" Spike sniffed. "Can… can you do anything to…"

"I'm sorry. But not even alicorn magic can do something like that." The prince sighed. "I looked."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Back when Shining and Cadence were dating. I got permission to look up spells. Heart break was one area I looked into." He replied pulling the dragon into a hug. "The only cure is time and good friends."

Spike smiled and returned the hug. "Speaking of spells… you're at a high mage level right? Know any cool spells?"

Smiling, the prince pulled away and flashed his hoof cuff. "Not to make the egghead look bad. But I do know a few that you might like."

Author's Note

Sorry to all the Rarit/Spike shippers out there. But I feel she sees him like a brother most of the time. Not to say I won't ship them in later stores. Just not this one. Also, there is a good reason for him being at such a high level. Considering that Twilight considers herself at a lover level in the show(before she gets her wings).

Feel free to make some guesses on what spells he might show Spike. Or why he's so strong. Or... you know. Anything. Heck It might end up being better than what I was thinking of.

Memories and more

Twilight sat at her desk looking through a pile of books and scrolls. "Come on. Come on. Come on." She rambled. She had a feeling she knew who he was. And not just that, but that he was somehow different from back then.

Twilight was so focused on what she was doing that she didn't notice the door open. "So… should one of us say something?" Rainbow Dash asked softly.

"I don't know darling." Rarity replied. "She seems determined."

"Do… do you think she'll be ok?" Fluttershy asked.

Applejack sighed and shook her head before moving over to put a hoof on one of Twilight's books. A second later, Twilight looked over and blinked before smiling. "Oh. Hi Applejack. Sorry I can't talk right now. I need to find out what happened to him."

The girls looked at each other before turning to Twilight. "I understand it's important to you to find out what happened to the prince. Are you sure he really changed?" Rarity asked.

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked.

"Well…" Rarity glanced at the others for a moment as they each nod. "Well… I did hear that he donated a lovely sum of bits to orphanages. And he didn't seem all that different to me."

The other girls nodded as Twilight blinked in disbelief. "But… he disregarded what Celestia told him to do."

"Right. And you didn't think Friendship wouldn't be necessary to save Equestria." Applejack teased.

"But… he…"

"Maybe he just needs some time to adjust." Fluttershy suggested.

Twilight hung her head as Rainbow landed next to her. "Look. How about one of us go talk to him?" She suggested as she looked over at her friends. "Maybe Rarity?"

Rarity shook her head. "I don't think I should be the one to do it. Besides, I need to get back to work soon."

"Me?" Pinkie asked.

"No offense Pinkie." Applejack sighed. "But you might be a bit much for him."

Pinkie shrugged and bounced off into the kitchen as the girls thought about who should go. Applejack sighed. "I have to get back to the barn and finish gathering the apples. See y'all later."

The girls waved to her as Rainbow turned to Fluttershy for a moment before shaking her head. "Looks like it's going to be me."

"Why not Fluttershy?" Rarity asked. After a few moments she facehoofed. "Never mind."

Rolling her eyes, Rainbow flew out the door.

Spike whistled as the prince cut the spell and sat next to him. "You're right. That was amazing." The dragon praised. "I feel a lot better now."

"Glad to hear that." The prince laughed as he pulled Spike close. "So… You still up to your old tricks?"

Spike looked away with a huff. "I don't know what you're talking about."

The prince laughed. "You know what I'm talking about. What was his name?... Doctor? He sounded like a great guy."

"They… haven't really done much to make it official." He laughed.

The prince shrugged. "Right. And you're not pushing them together in order to get more time off."

Spike sighed and rested his back against him. "I guess you have a point. And it's not like a mare's going to come through that door that would be both our types."

The two laughed moments before the door opened and Spoiled stomped in. "I want you to know that I have sent several-"

"GUARDS!!!"

Before she finished her rant, the mare was escorted out and warned to stay away… or else.

Inside the two laughed at what just happened. Unaware of four ponies entering.

"What's so funny?" They asked in unison. The two guys looked up as they slowly relaxed.

"Mostly a joke between two guys." Spike admitted.

"What brings you girls over?"

"We're the Cutie Mark Crusaders!" Apple Bloom announced.

"And we wanted to get to know Twilight's old friend." Sweetie added confidently.

Scootaloo sat and blinked at him for a moment before clearing her throat. "Yeah… what they said."

Rainbow shrugged. "I just came over to see how you're settling in… and see if you know why Twilight is saying she knows you. And that you changed."

The prince rubbed his chin. "Interesting…" looking away he muttered. "Thought it had worn off years ago." Sighing he smiled at her. "Just give her time. Now if you ladies don't mind. We were in the middle of talking about guy stuff and egghead things."

Groaning, the girls left. Leaving the two boys alone. After a few moments, the prince turned to Spike. "So… we're in agreement, that doesn't count. Right?"

Spike nodded. "Yeah. Totally doesn't count…" He paused and looked out toward where the girls went. "Unless you're interested in dating one of them. Maybe I can-"

The prince sighed and rolled his eyes. "I appreciate the offer. But I'm not interested in mares."

"I know some stallions."

"You know what I meant, Spike. I'm on vacation. I'm not here for dating." The prince groaned. Sighing he thought for a moment before adding. "But I might be open to helping the foals."

Spike thought for a moment before grinning to himself. "I… should get going. Pluss if you're going to help the kids. Someone has to spread the news. Right?" He announced before hopping off the couch.

"Spike."

"Not to mention filling out forms for the parents." Spike continued.

"Spike!"

Spike got to the door as he spoke. "And let's not forget-"

"SPIKE!!!!" The prince snapped without breaking his professional posture.

"Yes?" Spike asked.

"You better not be planning to use my willingness to teach to hook me up with somepony." He warned.

"Of course not." Spike replied as he slowly stepped out. Once he was outside, Spike grinned to himself. "But I can't promise the kids won't." He chuckled as he went down the street to start his plan.

Author's Note

Thanks to Spike. It seems that the chaos is going to begin soon. And chances are that somepony is going to try for something more than a date. Lol.

The truth behind the lies

Twilight rubbed the side of her head as she felt a headache forming. She couldn't explain why, but for some reason her memories of school seemed wrong. After a few moments Spike entered and smiled at her for a moment before rushing to her side. "Are you OK Twilight?"

"No Spike…" She sighed. "I need you to send Celestia a message. Ask her why it feels like I lived a lie. Why do all my memories of school feel wrong so suddenly. And why is it that I should be mad about it but feel like I'm about to burst into tears."

Spike pulled out a scroll and wrote the letter before sending it. "Try and calm down. I'm sure the princess will send an answer soon." Spike said as he rubbed her back with a claw.

"I hope so Spike. Because I don't know what to think about any of this." She sighed.

After a few moments Spike belched out a letter and looked it over. "My dear student. I must confess that what you're experiencing was expected. But I admit we hoped that it would have started sooner and taken longer. But it seems your connecting with the elements has caused the spell casted to break."

"What?!?!?!?!" Twilight shouted before instantly regretting it as she rubbed her head. "Why would she do something like that?"

Spike bit his lip and rubbed the back of his neck. "I… can actually answer that… you know how I had a crush on Rarity?"

"Yeah. You practically threw yourself at her feet." Twilight sighed.

"You were like that… times twenty."

Twilight blinked in shock as the final dam broke and she sat there in realization and memories flooded into her. Tears started to flow as the realization of what she had done and how far she's come entered her mind.

When she was no longer able to hold back, Twilight pulled Spike into a hug. "Oh Spike. I'm sooo sorry for everything I've done. I don't know what I can do to make things right."

"You can start by talking to him. You might be surprised by his reaction." Spike replied. "But… don't be surprised if he still sees you like an egghead."

Twilight giggled and sighed. "That's fair." She sighed, letting him go and get up. "But now that my memories are returning to normal. I think I should find a proper way of apologizing to him."

"So… list or chart first?"

Twilight giggled. "Let's go with a list. I'm pretty sure if you two are still good friends. He hasn't changed all that much."

"So… how he acted earlier?"

"That was just for show." She replied. "There's no way he'll stay cooped up for long."

"And you sure you won't go back to acting like you did before?" Spike challenged.

"If I do start acting like that. I have five friends and a little brother to pull me back." She replied. "No worries."

Spike let out a sigh and smiled as the two of them started the list that Twilight wanted for her attempt to smooth things over with the prince.

Cutie Mark Crusaders sat at the clubhouse and looked over some plans to get their cutie marks as they normally did around this time each day. However it wasn't easy for them to concentrate on the task. At least for Scootaloo who was looking out the window.

"Hey Scootaloo. Ya ready to join us?" Apple Bloom asked. "Or are you still trying to find something new to try with your scooter?"

"Yeah. You've been staring out that window for a while now." Sweetie added. "Is something wrong?"

"Not really." Scootaloo sighed. "I… I just can't help but to feel like we should do something for the prince."

Scootaloo's friends looked at each other for a moment before turning back to her. "Like what?" Sweetie asked.

"Yeah. It's not like we can find him a special somepony. None of us know that much about him." Apple Bloom added.

Scootaloo thought for a moment and turned back to her friends and smiled. "Well. I did hear the guards aren't on duty. We can ask them for information about him." With a shared nod, the three friends high-fived before galloping out to ask around.

Rainbow Dash sat on a cloud she had placed a few feet off the ground in the park as she read one of her Daring Doo books. Her other friends sat below talking about something involving Applejack and fancy dresses.

Her thoughts however were on the prince and how something seemed off about how he was acting. Turning the page, she continued to read as a similarity between the book and what was happening clicked.

"Though the stallion seemed strong and confident. Daring knew it was only a front to hide his loneliness. Even all the bits in the world can't take the place of a good friend. And if she was to find the temple, she would need to help him open up."

Rainbow thought about it for a moment before looking down at her friends as she thought about what she or her friends can do to help. She thought for a bit before flying down to plan with her friends. "Hey guys. I think we should come up with a plan to help the prince."

"I don't know darling." Rarity sighed. "He doesn't seem the type to want to be around others."

"That's because he was just playing a role." Rainbow replied tossing her book over to Rarity. "Like on page 689." She explained as Rarity rolled her eyes before turning to the page and looking it over. "He's just keeping the noble appearance up so others don't see how he really feels."

The girls looked at each other as they each took turns looking at the page Rainbow mentioned. After a few moments of thought they smiled and nodded before sitting down and talk about what they might be able to do to help.

Author's Note

I don't really know what more to say about this chapter. But hey, things are spicing up rather nicely.

Finding the truth and planning the future

On their way to see the prince, Rarity rushed by snatching Spink up in her magic. "Sorry dear! But I need to borrow Spike for an emergency!" She called as Spike crossed his arms and huffed as she carried him away.

Twilight took a deep breath and looked at the house the prince was staying at and gulped. She needed to talk to him. But the more she remembered about him, the more she realized what it was about him she was drawn to. Heck. For all she knew he was a dependent of StarSwirl himself. At least that's what she thought back then.

She slowly made her way up to the door. "He's been expecting you." The guard announced opening the door for her.

Taking a deep breath, she felt her heart race. "He was expecting me." An excited voice cheered in the back of her head. Twilight mentally gagged that voice as she entered the study. Looking around her eyes widened and jaw dropped. "So many books." She thought. Quickly stopping herself, she shook her head and calmed her breathing before approaching the couch where the stallion was laying back with a book resting on his face.

Instinctively she looked at the cover of the book. But to her surprise, she was unable to read it. Rage and disappointment bounced around in her skull. In her mental disorder, Twilight didn't notice that her gaze had been moving down his body.

By the time she realized what she was about to look at, she used a spell allowing her to jump back quietly and land in the corner to scold herself from even attempting such a thing. Taking a deep breath, she dropped the spell once she was ready to try again.

This time she decided to clear her throat as she approached. "Do you have a moment?"

"Yeah. I take it, you remember me now." He replied.

"Yes. About that… I… I'm sorry for how I acted."

Sitting up he smiled at her. "And I'm sorry for forcing that spell on you. But I hope you understand why we did it."

Twilight took a deep breath and sighed as she tried to distract herself with conversation. "I… I understand why you did it." She sighed. "It would have looked bad if a commoner was trying to get close to you at our age."

"Thankfully that wasn't the problem." He corrected. "Mother was worried about your education suffering. And it would've been unfair to move one of us out of the class."

Twilight sighed as her mind went over what might have been. "I… see…" after a moment of thought she slowly moved closer. "Maybe… you and I can… get to know each other? And see how things go?"

"What do you say we start as friends and see where things go from there." He countered with a laugh.

"Fair enough." She sighed. "So… what were you reading?"

"Ancient draconic magic spells for ponies." He replied with a smile at her shocked expression. "It's a bit advanced. How about you take the one on the table." He suggested.

Eagerly, Twilight turned and scooped up the book into her magic and read the title. "Ancient Equestrian magic of pre Equestria" Twilight let out an excited squeal before kissing his cheek. As soon as she realized what she did, she teleported away in embarrassment.

Taking a deep breath the prince let out a soft sigh. "I wonder if she realized what her magic was doing while we talked." He sighed as he got up. "Oh well. Time for a cold shower."

The Cutie Mark Crusaders split off to get as much information as possible and as quickly as possible. They had a feeling that their sisters would be less likely to make the first move. And if they were able to find something he had in common with one of the girls. They were certain that if they were able to set it up for them to spend some time together over something they had in common. Then love would likely follow.

Sweetie decided to try her chances with charming them into telling her like her sister would. Apple Bloom chose a combination of Pinkie's non-stop pestering and her sister's determination to get the truth.

Scootaloo attempted to first bribe one for information. But when that didn't work sighed and decided to go for a different angle for the next before she bumped into a white stallion guard that seemed out of place somehow.

"Sorry little one." He apologized as he helped her up. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine." She sniffed. "Sorry for bumping into you."

"Not at all, little one. If you don't mind me asking. What seems to be bothering you?" He asked, dusting her off.

Scootaloo thought quickly and sighed. "My friends and I are looking for any information we can about the prince." She sniffed. "It's just… we want to help him relax and enjoy his time in Ponyville. But…" She started to openly cry. "I can't find anything out about him!"

The stallion smiled softly and whipped away her tears. "Now now. Tears don't suit a brave strong lady like you." He said softly. "And don't worry. I'm sure all you need to do is spend time with him. And who knows. That might be the key to open his heart."

Scootaloo blinked up at him. "You really think him and Rainbow would get along that well?"

The stallion turned and started to leave. "Who said anything about Rainbow?"

Scootaloo blinked and sat to think about what he said. Before getting up and idly made her way in a seemingly random direction as she was quickly lost in thought about what she was just told.

The white stallion poked his head out from behind a stand and smiled at Scootaloo as he glanced past her to the high class part of Ponyville where the prince was staying. "Hope he's happy. This is a bit taboo. But…" He shrugged, and left.

Author's Note

Well... loks like the truth is out. I wonder what that will mean for the main six. And what the CMC will come up with.

Family matters

Scootaloo made her way down the street as her friends decided to head home and come up with plans to talk over at the next meeting. It wasn't that she wasn't tired or anything. It was more like she didn't want to go home. Her parents were always away and other than when her aunts visited, ponies only stayed at the house long enough to make sure she was alive.

Stopping for a moment she sat and sighed. "Shouldn't you be home preparing for hearts and hooves day?" A voice asked.

"Not like it matters." She huffed and turned away from the voice. It sounded familiar but a little off.

"Oh?" The pony asked. "And why is that? Wouldn't your parents be worried? And don't you have a coltfriend?"

"No colt wants to be with a flightless blank flank." She huffed. "And my parents are out of town."

The voice was silent for a moment before speaking. "Well. I think ponies that only see the negative will miss out on a lot." On hearing that, Scootaloo's heart skipped a beat.

"Was he saying what I hope he's saying?" She thought.

"Do you have anypony to go back to?" He asked.

"My aunts come and spend the weekend with me." She replied happily. "But other than that. Ponies mostly come to check on me now and then."

"What?" He asked. His voice was suddenly harsh and filled with venom.

"It's fine. I… I-I-I…" Scootaloo's eyes went wide when she turned and saw the prince standing over her.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Do you have your aunt's address?" Seeing her nod, he rubbed his chin in thought. "Send them a letter. Let them know you'll be staying with me until a matter with your parents is handled."

"But… but…"

Sighing he nodded. "Good point." Turning to a nearby guard, he nodded. "Luckily a few of my guards know ponies from this town. They'll take care of that for us. And send a summons for them to reply to."

"But….but…"

He turned to Scootaloo and smiled softly. "Why don't you show me where you've been staying.you can get a few things for the night and tomorrow I can have the guards gather more of your things if you'd like."

Scootaloo sat with a shocked expression on her face. "Why?... I mean. I'm practically an adult. Why would you do this for me? Why-"

The prince gently put a hoof over her mouth. "One thing I don't tolerate is when a kid is left with nopony looking over them. Not just letting the two check in on them." His hoof gently moved to her check. "Don't worry. I don't want to take your father's place. I do this in hopes that your parents make the right choice."

Scootaloo thought for a moment before asking. "And what about your other question? Why did you ask if I have a coltfriend?"

He shrugged and looked away rubbing the back of his neck. "Just that you seemed deep in thought about something. I kinda figured… either it was a marefriend or coltfriend. So…"

"Like I said before. Nopony wants to be with me because I can't fly." She huffed.

After a moment of thought. He gently pulled her close. He didn't say anything. Instead, he simply hugged her and waited for her to relax before pulling away and went with her to her house to get her things.

While Scootaloo and some of the guards were in the house packing, the prince sat outside looking at a book that had words appear from one of his scouts. His eyes narrowed as he wrote his reply and put the book in his saddlebag moments before a filly approached.

"Hi. I'm Diamond Tiara. I was hoping we could spend time talking." She said softly as she approached.

"Why?"

She blinked for a moment before sitting next to him. "Well. For one, I was hoping we could get something to eat, see a movie… see where things-"

"I'm waiting for Scootaloo." He interrupted.

"Why do you want to waste your time with that blank flank?" She laughed.

"Unless you want you and your family to be punished for your actions. I suggest you treat ponies the same way you'd want to be treated." He warned.

"But… She's a commoner who can't fly."

The prince huffed and turned to her. "Go home. And tomorrow. I want you and whoever taught you to talk about ponies like that to my house." He snapped.

Meanwhile in the house, Scootaloo directed the guards on what to pack. "So… what do you know about the prince?" She asked hopefully.

The guards paused and smirked at each other before returning to gathering her things. "He's single." The guard helping pack her Rainbow Dash merchandise replied. "But don't expect it'll be easy to hook him up with your hero."

Scootaloo giggled and thought for a moment. "Do… Do you know what kind of things he likes?"

The guard thought for a moment before picking up one of her books. "Well… he could use a reason to stop studying. Maybe you will be able to find one."

Scootaloo thought for a moment and looked at her wing before smiling as an idea came to her. If he needed a reason, and the girls wasn't it. She'd be the reason.

Once they gathered her things, the guards went outside to meet up with the prince and went with him to the house as the sun started to set.

Author's Note

I don't really know what more to really say about this chapter. Well... other than.... DT just fucked up.

Holding hope

Twilight groaned as she sat reading the book he gave her as Spike entered the room. "Hey Twilight. Sorry for not being able to help with the prince. Rarity got a last minute order and she needed my help." He stopped and blinked as he saw the dark expression on her face. "That bad?"

"Worst." She sighed, setting the book down and looked at him. "Everything was doing fine… even with my returning emotions and memories."

"So what went wrong?" Spike asked as he sat next to her.

"I KISS HIM!!!!"

As Twilight slammed her face into the table, Spike covered his face to keep from showing his smirk. Once he regained his composure, he put a claw on Twilight's shoulder. "Twilight. It's fine. He knows you care about him. And with what you two know about each other. I'm sure it'll mean that you'll be able to help him relax enough to enjoy his time in Ponyville and not stay cooped up." As she groaned he rolled his eyes. "You remember what it was like before we came to Ponyville."

Twilight sat up and smiled softly. "Yeah. And hopefully-" just then a knock came from the door.

"I got it, Twilight." He comforted before heading over to the door. Opening it he smiled at the sight.

The guard handed him a note as Twilight watched in confusion. "Well?" She asked.

"It looks like the prince has ordered… a summons for Scootaloo's parents?!" He replied in shock. "It looks like he took custody of her and is threatening to… take away custody if they don't reply and go to his house."

Twilight sat and blinked in shock and confusion for a moment as she thought about what he told her. "Well… that's…" taking a deep breath she sighed as a memory came to her. Smiling, her heart skipped a beat. "That's understandable. Honestly I'm not really surprised."

"Are you sure he's allowed to do that?" Spike asked.

"Well. He can take custody of Scootaloo for her safety." Twilight replied as she levitated over a book of laws. Opening it she scanned the pages. "And according to this. We can request a stay of adoption to send a final warning to the parents. But we'd need confirmation from Celestia to do that."

"I'll write the letter to Celestia." Spike declared as Twilight started working on the final warning.

"Thank you Spike. And can you ask the guard if they know where her parents are? That way I can send the letter to them." Twilight requested.

A couple moments after Spike sent the letter, he belched out a reply. "That was fast…

"To my dear and faithful student. Thank you for letting me know what is happening. As you remember, my son takes treatment like this very seriously. And I support his decision of actions. However, if you truly believe that you will be able to convince her parents to return home. Then I grant the request. The longest I will permit however is three weeks. Her parents are in the jungle of Zebreca."

Twilight blinked and thought about what the letter said. "That sounds familiar." She hummed as she looked at her letter. "Getting the letter there won't be a problem. But sending it by mail pony will take too long." She sighed. Thinking for a moment she bit her lip. "I'm going to regret this… but I'm going to have to ask a certain pegasus a favor."

Outside resting on a cloud over the park Rainbow Dash sneezed.

Scootaloo looked around in amazement at the room. "Wow… this is all mine?" She asked. Trotting over to the bed she took time to admire the shelves half filled with different books and games, the fully stocked desk, full body mirror, the bean bag chairs, and even a large table that sat in the middle of the room.

The prince smiled at her as he watched her zip around the room. "Yes, Scootaloo. Until either your parents show to correct their actions, or until you are on enough. This is your home." He explained with a soft smile.

"Do I have to call you dad?"

Laughing, he shook his head. "You're old enough to be my little sister. I think you calling me something like dad would be a bit awkward. Don't you think?"

Smiling, Scootaloo hugged his leg. "I guess you're right."

The prince turned as a guard approached. "Sir. Celestia requested you to wait three weeks before performing the transfer of guardianship."

Rolling his eyes, the prince nodded. "Very well. Alert me the moment news arrives."

The guard nodded and left them alone as the prince turned to Scootaloo. "Is there anything you'd like to do that others were unable to before?"

Scootaloo bit her lip and nodded. "Would you… cuddle with me?" She asked nervously.

"What?"

"I'm sorry. It's just… my friends told me how they enjoyed falling asleep in their sisters' hooves… and… I just wanted to know what it's like." Scootaloo explained before turning away.

Taking a deep breath the prince closed his eyes and mentally went over a list of historic figures, before smiling down at Scootaloo. "I would be happy to do that for you."

With a smile, the two got into the bed and with a wave of his hoof, they were tucked into the bed. Smiling, Scootaloo scooted up against him and closed her eyes as he wrapped his hooves around her as she slowly fell asleep. Smiling down at her he couldn't help but to feel for her.

Author's Note

Things can go several directions. But one thing is clear. Scootaloo's parents really screwed up.
Thoughts? And what do you think might happen in the forest?

Finding family

Rainbow Dash sighed as she entered the library with a groan. "Ok Twilight. Pinkie just told me to come here. So what is it?"

Twilight smiled and held up a note and scroll. "Perfect timing. I need you to go to this location and-"

"Sorry Twilight. I have something super important I need to do."

"It's for Scootaloo." Twilight explained, causing Rainbow's eyes to widen.

"What?"

"I need you to deliver a scroll to her parents." Twilight explained as she gathered some things for her friend's trip. "I need you to get a reply from them quickly. If they don't come to Ponyville soon. Then they'll lose their rights as parents of Scootaloo."

"What?"

"Please Rainbow. It's very important that-" Twilight started.

"No no no. I get that you want me to deliver a letter. But… I'm still a bit confused as to why we need to send it." Rainbow sighed.

"They refused to show to the prince's summons to talk about Scootaloo. Apparently their work is too important." She sighed.

In a blink only her eyes Rainbow Dash was gone with the scroll and note. Taking a deep breath Twilight looked out the now open window. "What have I done…"

Within seconds, Rainbow Dash had grabbed everything Twilight wanted her to take and shot out the window. And had gotten several miles away from town in ten seconds flat. Had she had the mental capabilities to think of anything but her mission, she would have noticed that she had broken her previous record on MPS without performing a sonic rainboom. With her speed and distance that she had traveled. She guessed that she would arrive within seconds. The one downside was that finding them might end up being the hard part.

Diving into the forest she came to a perfect landing that was confirmed by the local herbivores. "Thanks." She called after hearing their cheers. "But I have an important job to do. I need to find two ponies that are looking into the local wildlife." She explained.

A squirrel hopped onto her back and pointed down a path. Smiling, Rainbow Dash started down the path as the animals led the way. It wasn't a big deal for her to trust the animals. Mostly considering her best friend's taught her a thing or two about communicating with animals.

She took the time to look over the letter Twilight wanted her to deliver. And as she stepped out into a clearing, her blood began to boil. She scanned the crowd before stopping a zebra. "I'm looking for two ponies that are studying wildlife. Where have you seen them?"

The zebra shook her head before looking over at a hut near the edge of the clearing. "I do not. But our leader may."

Rainbow blinked in shock and narrowed her eyes at him. "One more thing… how common is it for a zebra to only speak in rhyme?"

He blinked and smiled at her. "You know of such a zebra? Then your land is truly blessed. Tell the chef of this and he will likely be able to help. But expect him to ask a favor of you as well."

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and made her way into the tent. "We have to talk, chief." She called as she entered

Several hours later the prince sat at a nearby desk looking through local legal matters involving ponies like Scootaloo. He really hated to look through such things. He much preferred more exciting things to read. But the way things stood. He didn't really have much of a choice. He let out a huff as he set yet another book to the side. From what he read thus far, the smoothest way to get Scootaloo into a safe environment… was either as a servant or a mate.

Both of which he found… distasteful. Taking a deep breath, he looked to the door as Scootaloo came out with a soft smile. "How do you feel?"

"Like this still isn't real." Scootaloo replied. "I mean. You're a prince. And I'm a flightless pegasus."

"True." He replied looking at the door. "But no kid should be forced to live alone. Regardless of who else comes to check on you. You should at least have one constant family member there to look after you."

Scootaloo hung her head and sat next to him. "I guess you have a point." She sighed. "So… I noticed a few books on spells. Do you know any that can fix my wings?"

"There's nothing wrong with your wings." He replied calmly. "They'll grow in time. But I do have a book that might help you get ready for when they grow. It's on the desk." He informed, pointing to the desk.

Scootaloo huffed and went to the desk. "Can we at least do something fun later?"

"I have a few ideas of what we can do." He replied with a smile. "And one of them is coming to us."

Rushing into trouble

Rainbow Dash made her way through the forest after telling the chef about why she was there. To her extreme pleasure. When she told him about the situation between Scootaloo and her parents, he quickly became enraged and was more than happy to not only tell her where they went. But also sent out a search party to bring them in and deliver a copy of Rainbow's letter.

Weaving through the trees, Rainbow kept an eye and ear open for them as she got closer to the last known location of the parents.

The closer she got to the location, the more she noticed something was wrong. Sliding to a halt, she looked at a plant that was at least twice her size. It wasn't really the size that got her attention or concerned her. Instead it was what she saw inside its clear pedals.

A mare? Even if it was a zebra, the fact that she was trapped inside the plant concerned her greatly. From what she can tell, the mare was being kept alive somehow by the thing attached to her muzzle. She really didn't want to know what kind of fate the mare had fallen into nore did she want to experience it herself.

Her ear twitched forcing her to react quickly and shoot into the air and to the side and out of the grasp of a vine that detracted back into a similar plant. She quickly decided to quicken her search and sped through the trees, this time making sure to avoid the large bulb-like plants.

It wouldn't be long before she found them and not in a way she was expecting.

The prince watched as the door opened as a guard entered with Diamond Tiara and her mom. "Miss Ritch. Before I get into why I called you here. Is there anything you'd like to say?" The prince asked using a hoof to slide Scootaloo behind him before softly telling her to wait for his que.

"Have you reconsidered my offer? My daughter is-" Spoiled started before being silenced with a stomp of his hoof.

"Do you honestly think I'd want my offspring to have a self-righteous mare like you as a grandmother?" He challenged.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She huffed. "I'm just a noble mare doing what any proper-" once again she was silenced by a hoof stomp.

"No self respecting noble would treat the lower class as anything less than a pony!" He spat. "Don't forget that you yourself once was a blank flank. And the money that you enjoy from your husband was first earned from the farmers of this town."

"But I..."

"Have lost the respect of the crown." He finished for her. "And your daughter is at risk of following your hoofsteps." Turning to Diamond he took a deep breath. "I will give you a choice. Because you are still young. You can either take lessons on how a proper noble would act. Or talk to your father about what your mother has been doing and teaching you. Just know. If you pick the second option. I will be sending a guard to verify that you spoke to him and find out what he says."

As Diamond thought about it her mom spoke up. "I don't understand what the big deal is." She huffed. "It's not like a blank flank is really that important."

With that the prince nudged Scootaloo with his tail coaching her to come out from behind him. Upon seeing her bothe mother and daughter looked in shock and fear from Scootaloo to the prince. "Diamond… the guards will escort you home." He said coldly. "Your mother has a lot to answer for before she will return home."

Diamond nodded and quickly backed to the door and followed the guard with her head hung and tail between her legs.

Turning to Spoiled, his eyes narrowed. "To start with. You are to serve as a worker for the lower class and as a made for the very blank flanks you so heartlessly disregard. And depending on how things go. You may be allowed to return home."

Gulping, Spoiled bowed her head before following a guard down a side hallway. After a few moments, Scootaloo laughed. "That was sooo worth it." She cheered before giving him a big hug. "That was sooo awesome. I love you!" She cheered. After a moment she realized what she said and considered if she should go for it or laugh it off.

Author's Note

Looks like Rainbow may run into trouble to complete her mission. And Spoiled may regret her choices... well... we can only hope one is true. I wonder what Dash will find though. And how low Spoiled will sink before she snaps.

Deals and complaints part 1

The prince sat at his desk as he looked over some papers while Scootaloo was in the other room looking over some books for ways to fly. All the while scolding herself about what she had said thinking that she had either done something wrong or messed things up for herself in one way or another.

The prince on the other hoof was looking over some information about the area that Scootaloo's parents had gone… When a guard came in with a letter.

"Sir. We just got a report. It seems the Element of loyalty has gone to fetch the parents herself." The guard announced.

"WHAT?!?!?"

"By… request of… Twilight Sparkle???" The guard added. Suddenly unsure if he should be worried for himself of whoever the prince decided to turn his anger on.

Taking a deep breath, the prince gathered his things and calmly stacked them in a pile before turning to the guard. "Then tell Twilight that for her reckless actions. She can play nanny for Scootaloo until I return."

"Sir."

The prince glared at the guard who got the hint and fled before he was forced to join her. Rolling his eyes the prince turned to a box and slid it into his saddlebag before calling over Scootaloo to give her the news.

Not long after he explained what was happening and how what he was doing was different from what her parents did, Twilight arrived. Taking a deep breath he glared at her before sighing and moving to leave. Only saying, "I expected better from you."

Rainbow made it to a temple where she saw some of the biggest and toughest two legged creatures she had ever seen. Cat-like and dog-like ones walking around with hardly a care in the world. What was more surprising was how oddly clear their ranks were. It looked like the less they covered themselves, the higher their statis.

As one that only had a loincloth on passed her, a second observation was revealed. The type of clothes also showed how well endowed they were.

She took a deep breath and calmly made her way through the camp. Acting like the big shot she felt like back home. Thankfully it seemed to work as if it didn't, then she was in trouble.

"Hay, you!" She called, catching the attention of one of the guards. "Where can I find your leader? I need to talk to him about something."

The guard blinked at her before pointing to the tent behind him. "What does slut want with-" was all he got out before finding himself on his back and cupping his crotch.

"Never call me that again." She spat as she stood on his chest, looking down at him. As an after thought she looked at his shocked comrade. "How quick did I just take him down?... you know. For my personal record."

"Five seconds."

She smiled and hopped off the guy as his buddies snickered at him. "Not bad. But you guys could use some work." She pointed out as she entered the tent. She had a job to do. And hopefully the leader was the talking type.

As she entered the tent her eyes locked onto the two ponies that she was looking for. The father was locked in a cage and mother was on a leash. She had to admit that a part of her was happy to see them like this. But if she was going to finish her task. She had to avoid doing anything that would end up having her join them.

She looked up and saw two males sitting on some nice looking chairs. They didn't look pleased that she was there. She bowed to them calmly. "Apologies for my treatment of your guard." She started. "But I came a long way on a time-sensitive mission. I request a moment of your time."

The two males look at each other for a moment before smiling. "Speak." The dog growled softly.

"The princess of my land was informed of the mistreatment of a child and sent me to fetch her parents." She explained, pausing to smirk at the mare. "I have to admit. This looks like a pretty fitting punishment."

The cat leader looked her over before speaking. "Is that so? Tell me. Why should we not have you join them?"

"Because if I don't return home. The prince will likely send a search party. Or even an army." Rainbow suggested. "And I don't think either of us want a war."

The dog rubbed his chin. "True. But we can't simply let you go after trespassing and assaulting our guard."

"Maybe if they knew how to talk to a mare. They wouldn't get their flanks kicked." Rainbow huffed. "But heck. Maybe I can help whip them into shape."

The cat smirked and walked around her as he looked her over. "Well… not that you don't have a point. But I can think of a few other things we can do."

As Rainbow jumped to the side and gave the cat a threatening glare, the dog got up and walked over. "You did trespass and attacked one of our subjects. Unless you want to be given a more severe punishment. You should consider your options."

"Fine." Rainbow huffed. "What are my options?"

"You drink a potion we were working on, you work in the dog kennel. Or you can gather some erbs for us." The cat replied. "And before you pick. I should warn you. The erbs won't be easy to get."

"And why is that?"

"Because the erbs we need are inside a large plant surrounded by vines." The dog explained.

She thought about it for a few moments and considered her options. Taking a deep breath she looked at them before she replied.

Author's Note

Time for the fun to start is coming soon. Question is. What is Rainbow going to pick? And why is the prince so desperate to get there quickly?

Deals and complications part 2

The prince made his way to the location Rainbow had gone. His eyes narrowed in anger as he tried his best to calm himself before arriving at the neighboring kingdom. He needed to get Rainbow Dash back before something bad happened. But he didn't want to start a war with the friendly locals that lived in the area.

As he traveled he thought back to the talk he had with Twilight and Scootaloo.
He sat and waited after telling Twilight about what had happened and what had to be done, and watched her as she considered what should happen. By his request, Scootaloo sat in on the conversation in concern for her mentor.

"I'll get the girls and-" Twilight started.

"No!" The prince snapped. "You might have read several books on the nation. But the area she went to is only kept on select books that are forbidden from students." Taking a deep breath, he sighed. "That and you mares are in far greater danger than I would be alone."

"Does that mean?" Scootaloo asked.

"I'm afraid so, Scootaloo." He sighed. "I have to leave you here. But I promise to return with Rainbow Dash… and maybe your parents." He paused and looked away muttering. "Not likely."

"Then I'll look after her while you're away." Twilight sighed.

While Twilight and Scootaloo got everything together for her extended stay, the prince went to his room and started getting his things together before gathering a few artifacts and some of his home made tools. Prince or not, he still had a way of making a blast of a situation.

Twilight sat in the study and found as she tried desperately to read any book he had. However, every word looked like symbols she had never seen before. Glancing over at Scootaloo, she blinked at how easily, her jaw dropped at how easy it seemed she was able to read it.

"Scootaloo? How are you able to read that?" She asked.

Scootaloo looked up at her and smiled. "He gave me permission to read it." She explained. "There's an enchantment on the books so only ponies with permission can read them."

Twilight sighed and set the book aside. "I guess I don't deserve to read them after the foolishness of what I did." She thought for a moment before picking up a note and started to read it.

"Dear Twilight. If you're reading this, you likely discover that you can't read any of the books. And yes, you can consider this punishment. However to be fair, I did leave something you can read. It's on the refrigerator."

Getting up she rushed into the kitchen and quickly found the scroll stuck to the refrigerator door. Taking it off the door she opened it and looked it over. Her jaw dropped at the first line.

"Daily checklist of things to do while I'm away."

Taking a deep breath she sighed and rolled her eyes with a soft smile. "He knows me all too well." She sighed before looking it over. A small part of her was dancing and getting excited about how well he knows her. But she knew she should keep that part of herself under control while others were in the house and decided to focus on the list.

A few days passed before the prince arrived at the home of the nation's leader. After a short explanation and meal, the two agreed that it would be for the best that he go into the forest and find her and if possible, any missing citizens.

He calmly made his way into the forest and smiled as he activated one of the artifacts. After a few moments his suite slowly shifted to a jacket. Taking a deep breath he smiled and ran a hoof over the jacket. "Much better." He sighed as he looked around at the growing number of odd looking plants.

Taking a deep breath he tapped on another artifact that lit a path through the trees. Letting out a sigh, he sped up his pace.

With the added help of his artifact, it wasn't long before he arrived at the temple. Within moments guards surrounded him and escorted him to the chiefs.

Once in the room he blinked in shock at seeing Rainbow sitting at the side of the leaders like an obedient dog on a leash.

"Explain yourself." The cat hissed.

Taking a deep breath the prince smiled at them before setting his bag on the ground. "I heard of your lovely village and wanted to come see it for myself. And retrieve the pegasus that you have on a leash."

"We're honored for the high praise towards our land. But why would we hand over who has willingly given themselves to us?" The dog replied.

"Perhaps we can talk about that over a cup of Equestria's finest tea." The prince suggested pulling out a tea set from his bag.

Author's Note

Not really much to say about this chapter. Question is... what does the prince have up his sleeve? And how long will Twilight last before losing it? Or what will be the final peace that has her go Twinanas?

An explosive reveal

The prince sat and smiled as the two sat holding their plates. As soon as they touched the handles of their cups he spoke. "I'll be leaving with the three ponies you have in your possession." He informed, before sipping his tea.

Freezing, they glared at him as the dog growled. "Who do you think you are to make such outlandish claims?"

"What makes you think we'll let them go? Or you after such threats for that matter?" The cat hissed.

"Simple." He replied calmly. "Neither of you can move without setting off the spell you just triggered." Glancing over his shoulder he added. "And the guards won't come closer without putting themselves or you at risk."

"Who are you?" The dog growled.

"You may call me… Rave. Now unless you want to be stuck like this. I suggest you take my deal." He replied, fanning a pair of glowing wings. "As you can see. I have plenty of spells at my disposal."

After a few moments they huffed and nodded. "Fine. Take them." The dog huffed.

Rave got up and went over to fetch Rainbow's leash before getting Scootaloo's parents. On his way out he whispered into the dog's ear before exiting the den. No sooner did he step outside that he heard the cat shout, followed by the tray and cups shattering.

Pulling down a mask he started to make his way home as a pink cloud expanded over him from deep in the cave covering the village.

With his mission completed, and a threat neutralized, he started for home. Hopefully the long walk would be enough to clear some heads and give them time to warn Scootaloo's parents before they get what's coming to them.

Twilight watched as Scootaloo hovered in place reading another book. She felt cheated out of venerable information while she watched another reading books she was forbidden from knowing the context of.

"Scootaloo? Do you think he made it so YOU can give permission for me to read one of these books?" Twilight asked hopefully.

Scootaloo thought for a moment before shrugging. She went back to her book. "Sorry Twilight. He didn't tell me about any books I'd be allowed to let you read…" after thinking for a moment she smiled and pointed to one that was under the couch. "You can try that one if you want."

Without hesitating, Twilight scooped up the book and opened it. Her smile quickly turned to shock at the first words on the page. "Prince Rave's private diary…" letting out a squeal of excitement, she quickly turned the page before whimpering at unreadable words.

Letting out a huff, she turned back to the front page and looked it over again. "Prince Rave's private diary. Only those I permit or already know of the events, may read what is within."

Blinking in realization, she thought for a moment and flipped through to a date she remembered.

"Dear diary: today that girl came over again. She had a crown she made herself. I couldn't bring myself to turn down her gift. She has already given me several other things she made. True each time she gets better. But I don't have much room or need of them. But it makes her happy. And she does have a cute smile. So for her. I will take every gift."

Twilight sniffed and smiled before turning to another date.

"Dear diary: today was the first day the girl didn't bring me a gift like most weeks. But instead, she brought over a purple dragon. She called him Spike. And surprisingly, the little guy was extremely smart for a baby. I had made it my mission to keep tabs on him till he's old enough to send me letters himself. Hopefully he'll be a good distraction for her so mother wouldn't have to get involved."

She gulped at reading those words. She remembered how much she wanted to be with him more than anything. Even now she wanted to be at his side. To hear his praise. Even for him to scold and punish her. But did he simply stay in contact with Spike and her brother to keep tabs on her? Or did he have feelings for her too at one point?

She hated how she acted. If only she had been more mature about it. Or at the very least had not gone overboard. If she had only acted more normally. Maybe they would have been together… then again. The princess wouldn't have put that spell on her. She wouldn't have drowned herself in her studies. And she wouldn't have made the friends she has.

She felt like her heart was torn in two. Wishing to go back and change the past to be with him, and being grateful for the friends she has now. If nothing else. She had a chance to fall in love with him all over again. And even though she already had a head start on the matter, she was grateful for the chance to do it right and maybe even get him to fall in love with her. Without hesitation, she dropped the book and sped off not noticing the final words he wrote before Scootaloo shut the book.

"Dear diary: mother put the spell on her today. And now she is like a different mare. My heart breaks when I see her like this. I'll ask mother to transfer me to another class. Less I ask for her to undo the spell. If only to see her smile again."

Author's Note

I was considering on how far to take the tea part. But I think I chose a nice direction. Now for the trip back and to decide on what he should to to them. Or if I should to a time jump. Either way, two ponies are going to be punished. And one might get rewarded.
Thoughts?

L is for?

The prince sighed and made camp before tying Scootaloo's parents to some trees and turned to Rainbow who sat next to an already made tent. Taking a deep breath he went over to her and pulled out his tea set and fixed her some special tea and put it in a bowl for her. "Drink up Rainbow. Your friends need you to be clear minded." To his dismay, all she did was look between his legs then at him. Sighing, he thought for a moment before smiling as an idea came to his mind.

Dipping his dick and balls into the bowl, he sat back and motioned for her to "get to work". As he expected, she happily started licking and sucking the moisture off his balls before she started licking his dick. He had a bad feeling that they may have done more damage to her than what first appeared. He quickly thought about how best to help her, or at the least, get her sane enough to properly get the help she needed.

Once she got him at full mass, he pushed her back and dipped his dick into the bowl, making a mental note to get a bigger bowl in case he needed to do something like this again. Once she saw his dick start dripping, Rainbow went right back to licking before taking the tip into her mouth.

It didn't take her long to deep throat his length. Biting his lip, the prince put a hoof on her forehead. She was surprisingly good at it, but he had to keep control of the situation.

Pushing her off, he pointed a hoof at the bowl. "Drink. Or no more diick." He ordered.

Whimpering, she turned and started lapping up the tea. The prince took a deep breath and went into the tent to start fixing up his sleeping area. He hoped that by the time he was done, she would at least be sane enough to not be a horny breeder. Then again… she'll probably still be horny. But at least she should be sane enough to not beg for dick.

Poking his head out of the tent, he saw her sitting with the bowl in her hooves and downing the rest of the tea.

Turning, Rainbow held up the now empty bowl with a smile. "Fuck… now?" She asked.

Seeing his plan was working, he smiled and sat in the doorway. "I don't know. It sounds like you don't really want it."

"Me… good girl… please… fuck…" She panted.

Tilting his head, the prince thought for a moment. "You seem hesitant. Maybe if you can speak clearly. And answer a few questions. Then I'll fuck you." Rainbow worked her mouth a little with a nod. "Good. First, what are the names of you and your five friends?"

Rainbow blinked and tilted her head. "Bitch, dick, balls, feet, hooves and ass?"

Sighing he shook his head. That was definitely not her talking. Maybe if he bought himself some more time. He'd start seeing the real her. "Let's try another. What is your dream for the future?"

"Being masters loyal breeding bitch." She replied quickly. After a second, the prince saw a small gleam in her eye at one word.

"Oh? And what does being loyal mean to you?"

"It means… means…" Rainbow paused and looked blankly at him for a moment.

"Have some more tea. It'll help you relax." He instructed. He smiled as she turned and refilled the bowl before drinking it. "If you're feeling better. Want to try again at answering the question?"

"It means… staying true to those you care about…" She replied, rubbing her head. After a moment, smiling, she turned to him. "It means staying true to your word, and being good to your master."

"One last question. Would you rather be a breeding mare or a member of the Wonderbolts?" He asked.

Stopping, she blinked in shock. "What?"

"If you want me to take you as a breeding bitch. Then know you may never fly with the Wonderbolts. But if you want to fly with them one day. Then prove that you are a mare of unwavering will and mind." He instructed.

Rainbow sat and thought for a moment. She honestly wanted to fly with them… at least a part of her did. But another part wanted to feel him ravage her. No… that wasn't right. She did want to be a Wonderbolt. To be with her friends. And… him… the son of Celestia. Maybe…

"Do you think?... I can be your personal Wonderbolt?" She asked, pressing against him. "Maybe… we can just… rut from time to time. You know. Just to help each other." She offered, stroking his length with a wing tip.

The prince looked off to the distance in thought before entering the tent. "You still have a ways to go before becoming a Wonderbolt. But…" He paused and looked back at her with a smile. "You did a good job at recovering from what they did. I guess I can reward you somehow. If you can handle it."

Rainbow smirked and followed him. "Challenge accepted." She laughed, following him with a swish of her tail.

Diary entry:
Mother brought me to see the pegasus city today. It was very high and the clouds were far apart. Mother explained why each cloud was separated from the main body. Turns out they're homes. Who knew. Anyway, I saw my first competition there. I don't know why ponies were calling her the name they did. But there was something about her that made me feel… seen. I hope she never losses.

Author's Note

I thought it'd be nice to add more diary entries. Who knows. Maybe there'll be more entries like this. Or I'll switch it up to flashbacks a few times.

Loyal to when

The prince sighed as he stepped out of his tent and stretched before looking back into the tent at the tied and gagged mare inside. "Maybe I was a little unfair goating her into that bet." He mused. "But hopefully that spell gave her a dreamless sleep."

Adjusting his golden band, a pair of wings appeared on his back, letting him fly up and scan the area. "Looks like it's still a few days trip. Less if I can get them to cooperate with me."

Landing, he adjusted the band again, making the wings vanish. Re-entering the tent he sat next to Rainbow as she opened her eyes. Removing the gag he waited to hear what she was going to say.

Rainbow worked her jaw before smirking up at him. "Ok… I deserve that. You going to let me up now?"

"Are you going to go for my crotch?"

"Only if you want me to." She teased. "Not that I don't mind how you tied me up. But… I might have shifted in my sleep… and…" Rainbow trailed off as a shiver ran through her body.

Tapping the rope, the prince had it come undone. "There. Now you can-" He started before getting cut off with a wing across his face.

"You need to tighten your straps better." Rainbow huffed.

"I think we can agree that if I did that, the retention would smell like your juices." He replied before leaving the tent. "There's a river not too far from here. If you need. You can wash up there."

"That's not going to help." She muttered as she kicked out of the rope. Getting to her feet, she made her way out of the tent and helped pack up. "By the way… about yesterday…"

"Never happened, just between us, it was a hallucination from the drugs they used." He finished. "Take your pick."

Rainbow sat and rubbed her head. She didn't know how to explain it but… a few things were bothering her. "Maybe I'll go wash up after all." She sighed before flying off.

Looking over at Rainbow, the prince dropped some apples next to the parents before making his way to the river and sitting behind a rock. After a few moments he asked. "You ok?"

"I… I remember everything…"

The prince hung his head. "It's over… you don't need to worry about-"

"YOU DON'T GET IT!" Rainbow shouted. "My life is over. I'll never be a Wonderbolt! I'll be kicked from the weather team! I… i…"

There was a moment of silence before he heard her face plant into the water. Taking a deep breath he spoke. "That drug they used… I read that it can take between months to years to break free from." He tilted his head as if thinking about something. "Never heard of you that did it as fast as you."

"So?" Rainbow sighed. "They… broke me…"

He was silent for a moment before speaking. "I heard there was once a confident mare who didn't let something as small as a crash stop her. She got over her pain quickly, and learned to fly even faster... And outshined them all."

Rainbow looked at her reflection in the water for a moment before smiling. It was weak, but she still felt like her old self was coming back. Getting out of the water she shook herself off. "You got a point. I CAN get past this. I WILL be a Wonderbolt and I WILL be the best." She paused for a moment before turning to him nervously. "But… you know… just in case they don't take me?"

"Normally I wouldn't use my position to influence such matters." He pointed out. "But if they turn you down for something you were unable to control. Then I will personally see to it that they get rung up for it."

The two smiled as they returned to get their things together before continuing their walk. Rainbow kept a few steps behind him as she tried to put her thoughts together.

"What would Daring Doo do in a time like this?" She thought. She quickly shook her head as she realized where her eyes were drifting to. "Get a hold of yours Dash." She huffed. "He's a prince… you're…" She huffed again. "Besides… he's Twilight's stallion… I hardly know him… right?"

Groaning, she rubbed her head as she looked back at him. She couldn't help but to have the feeling whatever was done to Twilight… may not have been an isolated incident. "Who are you?"

Rainbow had to figure out what was going on, fight the feelings she had, determine if they were her own or the drug, and figure out if she still had a chance at being a Wonderbolt or if she should find a different line of work.

Diary entry:
Today I saw that mare again, she was sad. I sat behind some bushes and talked with her. It wasn't hard to learn why she was crying. Later, mother was more than willing to punish the teacher for not stepping in for her. I also learned she had another friend that had struggled. It must have been hard for her to be so strong for so long. Perhaps Mother can do an investigation on that school. Maybe our next visit can be one of the small towns I've heard about.

Applejack sat in her room looking through one of her old books. She didn't know why. But something had always bothered her about them. Some reason, she had stopped using that book. Some reason, that held her back from looking at it. She took a deep gulp. She had a bad feeling if she opened it. Not only would she discover the truth. But long forgotten and locked away memories would flood back into her.

Opening the book, her eyes widened in shock at what she saw. And she reflexively threw the book away and grabbed her head as she was assaulted with memories. Had anypony been on the farm at that moment, they would have rushed to help. However, she had to push through the pain and memories alone.

Author's Note

Rainbow Dash is learning the truth as is Applejack it seems. But what really happened back then? Bonus chapter coming up with a backflash of the prince involving somepony. How difficult should the girls be I wonder. Ideas?

Faithful Memories

The prince made his way through the streets with Celestia as he looked around at all the new sights. It was amazing. The books didn't give this place justice. The cloud pillars were amazing up close. Celestia smiled and watched as he examined his surroundings.

"Come. We have a few stops before the meeting." She instructed. "You can look around after we check in with one of the weather factory workers."

"Who is that?" The prince asked as he examined a flower patch. "And why can't I look around while you do that?"

"You need practice in communicating with important ponies. And the weather teams are one of the important groups you'll need to speak to." She replied. "It may even help your magical studies in cloud manipulation."

The prince blinked as an idea came to his mind. "Then… how about if you talk to the head worker, and I'll talk to one of the others? That way I can get the full story without them treating me like… your son."

Celestia thought for a moment before nodding. "Very well. I recall seeing a young pegasus fly to the factory. Likely visiting family. You should try talking to them."

Nodding, he motioned for the guard to stay back as he flew off to find the pony.

Landing on a large cloud, the prince heard sniffling from behind a lump of cloud. "Is somepony there?"

"What do you want?" The voice snapped.

"Is something wrong? It sounds like you're crying." He replied sitting with his back to the cloud.

"I'm fine." The voice huffed.

"Did… did somepony hurt you?" He asked.

"No… and I didn't hurt myself either…"

"So… you didn't cra-"

"DON'T SAY IT!" The voice pleaded.

"You know… I had an accident a while back. It was embarrassing. But… while other kids were laughing. The adults stepped in and-" He started.

"Well they were laughing too." The voice admitted. "They called me Rainbow Crash."

The prince thought for a moment. "Rainbow?... well… I recall seeing a rainbow. It might look like they are… falling to the ground. But I like to see it the other way around."

"What do you mean?"

"Rainbows come after the rain falls. So… the rainbow is the color and beauty racing into the sky." He explained.

After a few moments laughter came from behind the cloud. "That is soooo corny." After catching their breath, the pony sighed. "I feel a lot better. Thanks. Name's Rainbow Dash. Future Wonderbolt and Equestria's next best flier. What's yours?"

"Rave…"

Time passed as the two talked on the cloud, sitting next to each other she answered any question he had. And he shared suggestions and tips on how she can better her chances at fulfilling her dreams. The two felt like they were becoming great friends.

The two started talking and laughing about other things. At some point they started going back and forth about which Wonderbolt was better at what and who would win in a fight. Which somehow resulted in a wrestling contest that ended with him pinning her on her back. The two laughed as she tapped his leg. "Ok you win." She replied before sneaking a kiss on his cheek. "I swear that nopony else will ever beat me."

Getting off her he blinked and put a hoof to his cheek as he felt a stabbing in his heart. "Great… but… why the kiss?"

She shrugged. "Teacher said it's a pegasus thing. Something about promises and vows. I haven't gotten that far in the book. It's mostly boring junk." She admitted. "But we don't get many options in jobs so… till I become a Wonderbolt. I'd rather be on the weather team than the other."

"What is the other job?"

She huffed and looked away. As she was about to reply, a group of colts flew over. "Hey look. Crash actually found somepony who'd bother being around her." "Yeah, maybe if she does up her feathers a bit. He might take her one day." They laughed as they passed.

The prince made a mental note to have those guys punished later. But for now, it seemed he got his answer. Turning back to her he thought for a moment before kissing her cheek. "I promise. If the day comes and the Wonderbolts refuse you for any reason. Then I will find a job that's for you." With that the two sat and looked out over the clouds as they talked about clouds and how they react to different magic.

As the sun started to go down. The two waved farewell before going their separate ways. Stopping a few feet away, he looked back with a sigh. "If nothing else. Remember what I said."

The next day, the prince saw the mare passing by and glanced at him before turning away and flying off. Letting out a sigh, he looked at Celestia who shared a sad expression on her face. "Maybe… we should go to a different town." She suggested wrapping a wing around him and pulling him close.

Later that day the prince wrote in his journal about the past few days, separating each day as if he wrote it that day. Sighing he looked out the window. "I really wish I had more time in the day to keep track of all this." Looking back at his journal he held his hoof over it, causing the pages to glow for a moment. "Maybe when they start to remember me… they can read and know the truth."

He pulled out a small box and opened it revealing a small star shaped purple gem, a tan crystal sun and a red feather pin. Letting out a sigh, he set a blue feather. "One day…"

Author's Note

I thought this chapter would be a nice test to see what folks think about it. Also I thought it'd be an interesting take on why Rainbow is so against Zephyr's advances, as well as a few other things seen in the show. With a bit of a twist.
Hope you enjoy. Also, question posted in previous chapter is still active. There is a good chance for AJ to have a past that will be far different from the show. Or perhaps even one of the other main six. So many options. *evil grin*

Honest Memories

Rainbow Dash felt trapped in her own mind. As her body went through the motions of following the prince and his orders, meanwhile she drifted from her body to the depths and back again as she fought to regain full control of her body. Each time she fell into the fog of her mind, images and voices came to her. To her surprise, they weren't ones from the cave.

One spot she kept returning to was a cloud that seemed to talk to her. It was the same cloud from her dreams. But now… it seemed different. It's voice sounded… more familiar.

She sat on the cloud as she wondered if it was best to stay in this place. "I mean… I'm wondering if it's worth the pain of fighting through the fog just to be forced back here." She sighed. "I… don't know how many more times I can take the embarrassing crash."

"It's not always easy to get up when we fall. But it is when we hit our lowest that our true strength is revealed." The cloud stated. "It is in these moments that we must remember that it's it's with the rainfall that the true beauty rises up-"

"Shooting across the sky as a beautiful rainbow…" Rainbow finished with a sigh. After a few moments, a soft blush crossed her face. "It's kinda funny… I kinda feel like I've heard that before."

"Perhaps you have. Maybe that is why you don't want to leave."

Rainbow blinked and looked back at the mound of cloud before getting up, unaware of her body's change as she made her way to the other side of the cloud before gasping in shock at what she saw… a lone feather sticking out of the cloud. Narrowing her eyes at it, she spread her wings.

"I am Rainbow Dash… I am the fastest pegasus in Equestria… I am the element of loyalty…" She said picking the feather up and fixing it to her main as her body returned to normal. "And I will regain everything that was taken from me." Looking up at the fog for a moment she wade her chances before looking at the wall of clouds in the distance. "Time for a bit of cloud busting before I go."

The prince looked around the town with the princess as she went over some matters that he definitely didn't care much for. But he had to at least stay for a majority of it so he knew the basics of how the town worked. At least that was the plan.

"Why don't you go check out the nearby farm." Celestia suggested quietly. "I have a feeling this will be a while."

"Thanks mom." He whispered back. "Maybe I might find a new friend."

She gave him a sad hopeful smile as he ran off before calmly turning her attention back to the assistant Mayer.

It didn't take him long to find the farm and start making his way to the barn. It took him even less time to ditch the guards and vanish into the trees to explore. "We are so fired." One of the guards sighed as he saw the prince's tail vanish into the trees.

After a bit of exploring, he came up to an odd looking house. What was odd about it was that it was in a tree. "Wow… I've heard about these… but I never really seen one before."

"Ya like it?" A voice asked behind him.

Turning, he saw a mare with a soft smile. "Yeah. I always wanted a treehouse… but it's not really something a noble should really be focusing on." He sighed.

She blew a raspberry at that. "Hogwash. Ma said that us kids should be able to enjoy life. Just don't let it get in the way of helping your family." She thought for a moment and looked from him to the clubhouse. "Ya know… normally I don't allow boys in my clubhouse… but y'all seem like one of the good ones. Want to look inside?"

"It would be an honor my lady." He replied with a bow.

"Just call me Applejack." She laughed. "What's your name?"

He bit his lip and looked away for a moment before smiling back at her. "You can just call me… prince."

She raised an eyebrow at that for a moment before shrugging and led the way. "I got some snacks inside. Hope ya like apples."

The prince smiled and followed her into the clubhouse where they spent a few hours talking about family as they ate. It wasn't long before the conversation shifted to family matters and farm life.

"Ya know. Sometimes I feel like my brother doesn't listen. He just keeps talking without giving others a chance to counter him." She sighed.

The prince thought for a moment before smiling at her. "He's your older brother. I'm sure he just wants to share his knowledge with you. Maybe you can have a talk with him and your grandma about the communication problem."

She thought for a moment and smiled. "Ya know what?... That's a good idea. Granny is always looking after us. She'll know how to handle it." She paused for a moment as she looked at a box in the corner of the clubhouse. She quickly went over and dug through a box.

Sipping some apple juice, the prince watched in interest as she pulled out a small box and brought it over. "What's that?"

"An Apple family tradition. I remember granny said that I should give it to somepony I would trust with my heart… or something like that." She replied, setting the box down. "And you're the first honest colt I met. I can't think of any pony outside of my family I'd trust my life with more than you."

"But we just met."

"That don't matter." She countered. "Y'all been honest from the moment we met. Plus, granny said I'm a good judge of caricature."

The prince looked at the box before slowly opening it to reveal an apple shaped rainbow wooden carving. "Thank you." He sighed. Slipping it into his bag, he looked out the window at the setting sun. "I should go."

"Y'all stop by sometime. Yeah hear."

The next day, he wrote in his diary after setting the apple in his box. "I know mom means well. But I'm beginning to wonder if seeing new ponies is really worth it. At least Spike and Big Mac are willing to keep the secret and keep me informed about how their sisters are doing… Soon we'll be going somewhere near the town. Maybe… I may be able to find answers there."

Author's Note

Dash seems to be battling with a few things. And it looks like the apple family has a connection to this... I wonder what's going on. Who all knew him? Do any of the girls have something that might help them remember him? How will they fix the damage that's been done? And how long till one of the girls snaps? Lol

Choices given

"...and that little ones is why you never pull on a cat's tale." The cat explained as he sat proudly.

The fox rolled his eyes before smiling at the three ponies. "Look. The point is, we're here to help the prince. And figure out basically the same thing as your sisters."

"Ya mean, why none of the girls remember him?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Exactly." The fox replied. "Any questions?"

"Can you help Scoots fly?" Sweetie asked.

The fox smiled and brushed up against her. "Such a sweet child. Don't worry. We can do that easily."

"Yeah. We just need a little something from you first." The cat added.

"And what's that?" Bloom asked.

The fox turned to Bloom with a smile. "For you to become my…" He paused and tapped his chin. "What's the word I'm looking for? Not quite a wife… but a…"

"Mistress?" Sweetie gulped.

"Close enough." The fox shrugged.

"And what about you?" Bloom asked the cat.

The cat thought for a moment. "I actually need two things. One from each of you." He replied motioning to Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. "Part of your family's orchard…. And for Scootaloo to… become queen."

"What!?!?!?!" The three gasped as well as Twilight who had just arrived.

"Oh look. The stalker arrived." The fox teased.

"First of all, I'm not a stalker." Twilight huffed.

"Not any more." The cat laughed.

"Second… what do you mean for her to become queen?" Twilight asked, glaring at the cat.

Thinking it over he shrugged. "Ok. Maybe queen is a bit of a reach. How about… giving birth to the prince's child?"

"But… isn't he going to be my dad?" Scootaloo asked.

"According to the law… there's nothing wrong with it." The fox pointed out.

"In fact it's rather common for royals to mate within their family." The cat added. "More so for the adopted family."

The three girls looked to Twilight who blushed and looked away. "They… do have a point. It's actually why Celestia wanted to adopt me at one time."

"Would the prince still be able to marry Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo asked.

"Who?..." The cat asked before waving it off. "Oh yeah. Sure. So do we have a deal?"

Sweetie bit her lip and looked off towards home as did Bloom. "We can still be with our families… right?" Sweetie asked.

"Sure. You'll just be spending a lot of time with us." The fox replied.

"What would you do with the trees?" Bloom asked.

"Mostly make rum and other drinks. But don't worry. The trade off will be worth it." The cat replied.

"I doubt it." Twilight huffed. "You sound more like a conman to me."

The cat smirked. "Conman, trickster. I've heard them all. Heck, my grandfather was once a king thanks to his tricks."

"Who or what are you?" Twilight asked as her horn started to glow.

"Here we go again." The fox sighed.

Rainbow landed on a cloud as she looked over the beauty of her mental sky. It felt like forever since she felt this calm. Sitting back, she glanced at the mound of cloud behind her. She wasn't sure if it'd work. But then again. It did help her before.

"So… I cleared the sky." She sighed happily. "In record time, might I add… is there anything I'm forgetting?"

There was a moment of silence that caused Rainbow's ears to droop before a response came. "Maybe not something. But somepony."

She let out a relieved sigh. "You know… it's kinda funny. Twilight's the brainy one. And here I am. A mare of action. Talking to a mental recreation of a childhood safe place."

"Is that all our time was to you?" The voice asked.

Rainbow thought for a moment and hung her head. "Up to now… I thought so… but… I'm starting to remember this place better. I… remember…" She gasped as her eyes shot open. Turning she saw a young colt smiling at her. Her heart raced as her wings quivered.

"You know what you have to do." He said looking at the cloud.

"But you…"

"You don't need this place any more." He countered. "Not when our time together has returned to you."

Rainbow got up and looked at the cloud before turning to him. "There's one thing I regret not doing."

"Save it for the real thing." He laughed. "Now hurry before that weird smoke comes back."

"Right." She sighed remembering that she still had to deal with. To be honest, she didn't know if she was under the influence or if her body was getting tired of not scratching that particular itch. But whatever it was. She was going to take care of that… later. For now, she flew into the air and came back down, clenching her eyes closed as she impacted with the cloud.

Opening her eyes, Rainbow smiled at seeing the prince sitting with his back to her. But found at seeing who he was with.

"Mental note. Prison is too good for these two." The prince thought as he sat and listened to the couple talking about something they called a changeling and how they thought about hooking their daughter up with it. "Can I get Auntie Luna to blast them to the moon? Or maybe some remote island?"

Rainbow wondered if she should feel pity for him for having to deal with them alone. Or angry with them for… everything basically. Rainbow sat next to the prince, deciding that for now at least, it was best to get them home.

Author's Note

I aimed this chapter around the two because I have an idea for something later. Though I may have given a fairly big hint. Don't worry. The twist will come.

Memories and hope

"And now we're all acquainted." The fox sighed. "Shall we go over the reason we're here?" He asked, smirking at a guard that seemed to have been acting like he wasn't there.

The girls blinked in shock and confusion as the cat snickered at the show before turning into a monkey that landed onto Twilight's back and stuck a finger in his ear as if he was digging for something. "You mortals are so fun. Can't even tell when a God is standing three feet in front of you."

"I don't get what you mean. Are you guys gods?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Technically no." The fox replied. "At least not compared to the stallion that has been watching us."

"I was beginning to wonder when somepony would notice me." The stallion laughed as he stated before making his way over removing the armor. "And before I forget. Please tell your brother thanks for making the armor lightweight. It's much better than back with the three tribes."

"I will…" Twilight stammered in shock before his words registered. "Wait… THE THREE TRIBES?!?!?!?!"

"Folks. We just lost Twilight." Scootaloo sighed as Twilight teleported in front of the stallion and fired off a list of questions that included and mostly centered around her idle.

"She does realize that knowledge isn't always a good thing… right?" The fox asked as the three girls shook their heads with a sigh.

"That's Twilight for you." The monkey laughed as the girls nod in agreement. "If there's a chance to hear about history, she forgets the rest of the world exists."

As Twilight continues to bombard the por stallion with questions, the rest of the group laughs at the show as the stallion seemed unaffected by the questions.

Rainbow followed the prince as she mentally prepared herself to confront him about her feelings. However, she knew it wasn't going to be easy. For two big reasons. One being the fact that she was fighting the effects of the poison was used on her. And the other is a growing itch she knew ment her body was ready for more than just having a male friend. A concept she hated before going on this mission because it meant that she wouldn't be able to practice like she loved and even if she was able to get into the Wonderbolts, she'd be forced into a desk job or worse, time off.

She shook her head as thoughts of being a housewife nursing a baby flashed through her head. What aggravated her more was that she didn't exactly hate the idea. And instead accounted it as being the effects of the poison. She knew it was a matter of time before she gave into her desires. At least until she was able to get to Twilight or Zecora to help with a cure.

Blinking, as the thought crossed her mind. She noticed a landmark that she recognized. "Looks like we're close to Zecora's house."

The prince stopped and looked back as he thought over their options. He recognized the name. And knowing how zebras were known to have knowledge about potions and cures. It would help having her Rainbow take care of her condition.

On the other hoof however, she might insist on tending to the other two. Which he considered was a waste of erbs. Not only that, but he preferred to not fully undo what happened to them.

With those thoughts, he decided… "You should go see your friend while I take these two into town." Rainbow nodded and quickly flew off as the prince got a feeling she was hoping to go alone. He smiled and made his way down the road as he considered his thoughts and feelings about the girls. "Maybe I should prepare for the coming holidays now that I'm living in Ponyville."

Celestia sat and smiled as she looked over a group of animals. Noticing the prince dashing off with a group of rabbits, as a knowing smile crossed her face. "Some day."

The prince laughed as he jumped around with the rabbits till a soft voice caught his attention. He couldn't help but to follow it. It wasn't long before he arrived at a lake where a yellow pegasus was humming softly. He blinked in shock before ducking into the bushes.

Hearing the movement of the bushes, the pegasus turned to look at the pushes. "H…. Hello? Little friend? Don't worry. I won't hurt you."

"Sorry." The prince called out nervously. "I didn't mean to interrupt your singing."

Realizing the voice was from a pony, she was about to step back in fear before stopping herself as a question came to her mind. "Why are you hiding?"

The prince sighed. "It's because it's better that you don't see me. Maybe you might remember me… even if it's just my voice."

Sitting on the grass, she tilted her head in confusion. But a part of her was relieved that she got the chance to imagine he was a fluffy animal. But she couldn't help but notice the pain in his voice. "Is something wrong?"

"No… not really." He sighed. "Just something I have to deal with on my own." He explained as he relaxed against a tree.

Sitting on the other side of the tree, she looked to the sky and sighed. "I don't mind. Even if all I can do is be there as emotionally support." She paused for a moment and looked at a rabbit that nodded at her before hopping over to the prince.

Taking a deep breath he held the rabbit close. "I don't really know how. But a spell my mom put on me turned into a curse." He sighed.

As time passed, the two talked as their moods shifted from somber to joy as they ended up laughing before calling it a night and going their separate ways.

Back in his room, the prince placed a flower in his box and smiled at his growing collection of memories and hoped the mare's he met would be able to come up with something similar.

Author's Note

Looks like Twilight may have found a new crush. Lol

Any thoughts on how things will continue with Rainbow? Or if the others might start remembering?

Lastly. Had to add a heartwarming moment for the prince. At least he had a chance to open up to somepony. Maybe they'll be able to do it again.

Generous memories

Rarity sighed as she sat in her boutique as her least favorite local customer went on about every reason the prince was being a discreditation for nobility. It seemed to become a growing routine for her to come and complain as she waited for her dress to be finished.

“I'd love to sit and listen about the reasons you dislike the prince…” muttering “for the umpteenth time.” Before smiling and adding. “But I do have other outfits to make. And a strict timeline to keep.”

Spoiled rolled her eyes. “That's another thing. He doesn't seem to understand how important time is to nobility and upper-class ponies like us.”

Rarity took a deep breath and smiled at her. “Like I said. I need to focus on my work now. So…”

“Well it can't be as important as-”

Rarity cut her off with a stomp of her hoof. “Do not speak of my customers or dresses in such a dismissive manner again or else.”

Spoiled narrowed her eyes. “Or else what? I am a highly respective-”

“I have connections with boutiques all across Equestria. Not to mention famous ponies and companies that require a fancy new look from time to time. And need I remind you of the dresses I make for ALL the princesses? How about the countless events I was personally asked to host by the princesses?” Rarity snapped, causing Spoiled to step back in shock and fear. “So to answer your question. What can't I do?... oh. Silly me. I almost forgot my connection with the Wonderbolts.” She laughed as she levitated over a jacket with an unmistakable emblem on it. “Good thing I finished this one early.”

On that note, Spoiled quickly fled in fear of her reputation being… spoiled.

A few moments later a pegasus stallion entered and looked over his shoulder at the fleeing mare before turning to Rarity, pondering if he should ask what happened.

“It's nothing you need to worry about Thunderlane dear.” Rarity laughed, quickly reverting to her cheerful tone. “Now why don't we get you in your new vest and see if it still fits. Or did you put on more muscle without my knowledge?” She teased.

He laughed and looked himself over. “Nope. Same size I was getting that vest for the dance.”

Rarity giggled and passed him his jacket. “Well then. Do take care. And feel free to tell your fellow Wonderbolts to stop by sometime.”

With a nod he gave her his payment before leaving her to collapse in exhaustion as she magically locked the door. “I'll just… take a short break before getting back to work.”

While Rainbow made her way to Zecora's house, Applejack and Fluttershy sat at the barn.

“Are you sure Applejack?” Fluttershy asked nervously.

“It ain't like I haven't thought it over myself.” Applejack sighed. “I've been having… glimpse of what felt like a life I lost.”

Fluttershy bit her lip before looking at her friend. “I… I know what you mean.”

“Ya do?”

“It's like there's something important that I didn't remember coming back to me.” Fluttershy replied. “And… I think the prince was a part of it.”

Applejack thought for a moment before getting up. “There's one way to be sure.” She explained as she made her way to the barn.

“What's that?” Fluttershy asked, following her.

“Granny stashed some things from when I was a filly.” Applejack explained as she went to some boxes and started digging through them. After a few moments, she pulled out a box and opened it before gasping in shock. “Flutters… get the girls.”

As the prince thought about the next holiday Ponyville was preparing for, he had a feeling things were going to get complicated quickly. However, his attention was drawn to some bushes where two wooden dogs came out with hunger and lust in their eyes.

A smirk crossed his face as he pulled out a bottle from his robe. Seeing this the dogs stopped at the sight of the bottle. “Oh? You know what this is? Good. Sadly I can't let you kill these two. But if you play nice, I may be convinced to let you have fun with them.”

The dogs looked at each other for a moment before laying down in submission to him. Putting the bottle away, he ordered them to gather some of their friends and wait near the edge of town. But warned them not to touch anypony unless he says so.

As they vanished into the trees, a group of ponies rushed over and quickly took the two parents into custody. One of the stallions, a white unicorn, approached him with a smile.

“Long time no see your Highness.” The stallion greeted with a bow.

“You don't have to be so formal with me Shining.” He laughed. “It's good to see you too.”

Shining looked over the two parents and held back his urge to slam them into the nearest solid object. Taking a deep breath, he let the guards lead the way back to town as he stayed back and talked with the prince. “Spike filled me in about what happened since you arrived in town.”

“Anything interesting while I was out?” He asked.

“Other than your friends stopping by and Twily going nuts over most everything revolving around you? Not much.” Shining laughed.

The prince thought she would become a problem if he didn't find a way to ring her in somehow. On the other hoof, there were his friends. Knowing those two, they can cause him trouble or set things up in his benefit.

A smirk crossed his face as the possibilities crossed his mind. Then again, they might be able to speed up Scootaloo's recovery a bit.

“Something on your mind sir?” Shining asked.

“Just thinking of a few things I may do back in town.” The prince replied as the town came into view.

It seemed like any other day in the big city while the royals were at a big meeting, the princess knelt down and whispered in the prince's ear. “This is going to be a long day. Get out while you can.”

“But.”

“There's a tailor across the street. Go.” She whispered before nudging him to the door.

Taking the cue to leave, the prince slipped out and snuck past the guards before making his way to the shop his mom mentioned.

Once inside, he calmly made his way down the aisle. As he was looking at one of the outfits, a worker stepped up to him with a disapproving glare. “Can I help you?”

The prince raised an eyebrow at him. “Yeah. Can you show me where the good outfits are?”

The stallion hissed in disapproval. “What would a commoner like you know?”

“Clearly more than you.” A mare huffed as its owner approached.

The two looked over seeing a unicorn approached, turning her nose up at the outfits. “I hoped at least one of these outfits were of decent quality.”

“What do you say we get out of here and find a better place?” The prince asked as he went past the worker and to the mare.

“If I had the fabrics, I'd make you a vest fit for a colt with such a lovely coat.” She sighed.

Rubbing his chin, the prince smiled and motioned to an old workshop. “Why don't we see if they have something you can use?” He suggested while quietly hinting to the worker.

Once inside, the mare went right to work on measuring and working on his vest. While she worked, the filly happily talked to him about a lot of random stuff. Mostly about clothes and classy stuff.

After she finished, the filly smiled as the prince showed off the vest. She let out a sigh, “If I had better material, I would have made you a better vest.”

“I think it looks splendid.” He countered as he ran a hoof over the leather.

“Thanks. My name's Rarity.” She said softly.

The prince smiled. “I'm…”

Author's Note

A lot happened in this chapter. And a lot seems to be coming for the main six. Also... I thought it was about time we had a bit of putting Spoiled in her place. Lol

As always. Feel free to comment.

Potions and potential

Rainbow knocked on Zecora's door before nervously looking back up the path to where she left the prince before turning to see her friend. “Sorry to bother you Zecora. But I need your help and no offense. But I don't have time for rimes or riddles.” She explained before pulling out a pouch, passing it to her. “I need you to whip up an antidote.”

“A potion of desire I see. To raise one's fiscal need.” Zecora explained. “To quench such a fire is indeed a task. One that can't be taken fast.”

“So what can you do to help me?” Rainbow asked.

“Few things I know are stronger than lust. And one can form by showing trust.”

Rainbow groaned and facehoofed. “Let me guess. You're telling me to give myself to someone I love?” She asked. One look at Zecora's face gave her her answer. “Sorry Zecora, but I don't see that happening any time soon. Especially considering that every time I get close to a stallion, I have to fight to keep myself from bending over in front of them like a dog in heat.”

Zecora thought for a moment before putting together a potion. “An aid you seek. To help when you feel weak.” She explained bringing the potion over. “The effects won't last long. So only use it if all else goes wrong.”

Rainbow thanked her and after grabbing the potion, she flew off eager to make it back home where she thought it'd be safe.

Applejack sat in wait as Fluttershy went to get two of their other friends. She bit her lip in thought as she looked into her old box. A part of her hoped her friends didn't have similar boxes at home. Because it would mean that her fears were true. What bothered her most about it was Twilight.

As if on cue, the girls arrived with mixed expressions. While Pinkie mostly looked like her normal self, other than a very slight concern. Twilight looked like she was holding on by a thread. Rarity looked like she had doubts about herself. Even Fluttershy was starting to question what was real.

“What did you call us here for?” Twilight asked.

“I think I have an idea on what's going on. If I'm right… Then something big is happening.” Applejack replied. “Do any of y'all have a box from your fillyhood?”

The girls looked at each other before pulling out a box from their saddlebags. Each of them set their boxes in front of themselves and looked nervously at them. “Honestly darling… I haven't looked in this for years.” Rarity sighed.

Each of them shared a glance before opening their boxes. As soon as they looked inside their own box, the girls experienced a headache… ExceptforTwilight, who covered her mouth in shock.

The girls moved away from their boxes and looked at Applejack and Twilight in shock and confusion. “What does this mean?” Pinkie asked nervously.

“It means we knew the prince as foals.” Twilight shakily replied as she levitated a flower tiara From her box. Holding back tears she smiled softly as she brought it to her chest and held it close. “I don't know if or why you don't remember him… but looking back. I feel ashamed of how I acted.”

“Y'all think the reason we can't remember might be a side-effect of whatever spell was casted on you?” Applejack asked.

Twilight thought for a moment and shook her head. “No… I think it's more likely the spell was casted on him to likely remove him from my memory. But something probably went wrong and it went out of hoof and made it so any mare outside his family would forget him the moment they're a preset distance from him. And our headaches are a result of reconnecting with him. Most likely-”

Applejack cut her off with a hoof. “We get it. Spell was messed up and we got caught up in it. So what do we do now?”

Rarity glanced back into her box and groaned. “I don't know about you. But the more I try and look at it, the easier it gets.”

“How poetic.” Twilight pointed out with a smile. “As long as we take our time looking back into our time with him. We shouldn't have much of a problem.

With a nod, the girls decided to attempt to remember what happened slowly as they did their best to get to know him. After gathering their boxes they agreed to move to town where if something happened they'd have a friend there to look after them.

As they arrived in town, the prince handed the parents over to the guards to lock up before making his way home.

Thankfully the path they took was close to his home. Otherwise there would be a greater chance he'd run into…

“Look Silverspoon. It's the prince.” Diamond Tiara cheered as the two quickly made their way over.

Taking a deep breath, he turned and smiled at them. “Hello. Can I help you?”

Diamond opened her mouth about to ask him something before quickly looking around before turning back to him with a soft smile. “Do you think… we could come over for dinner sometime?”

Silverspoon smiled hopefully at him and nodded in agreement. “Mom and dad said if we had a chance to, we should have a meal with royalty.”

The prince thought for a moment before smiling and patted their head. “Sorry girls. But right now isn't a good time. But I promise that when I'm ready, I'll put together a meal for the kids of Ponyville.”

“Really?” Silverspoon asked in hopeful shock.

He smiled and nodded before making his way into his home with a sigh. With the problem couple taken care of for the moment, now he had to take care of the potential disaster.

To his delight, Scootaloo was doing fine and his two old friends were behaving themselves.

Seeing her “adopted” father enter the house, Scootaloo jumped off the couch and to everyone's surprise and delight, flew over landing in his arms. “Welcome home.” She cheered.

“It's nice to see you too, Scoots.” He laughed, giving her a hug before setting her down. “Keep up your practice and you'll be flying alongside your idol in no time.”

Scootaloo beamed with pride and excitement as she pranced over to the couch as the prince joined her before glancing over at the fox and monkey. “So what brings you two after all these moons?” He asked.

“Mostly because we missed you.” The fox replied. “But we sensed something was happening and wanted to see what the hype is about.”

Both ponies look at each other in confusion before turning to them. “What do you mean?” Scootaloo asked.

“Sorry. No spoilers.” The monkey laughed. “But it is nice to see our friend growing his family.”

Scootaloo giggled and nuzzled up against the prince. “It might just be temporary. But it feels nice knowing I have somepony who won't leave me home alone for months with only letters to hug.”

“Speaking of which.” He commented with a smirk. “How would you like to be my official daughter?” Scootaloo blinked and looked at him as several emotions and thoughts rushed through her head. Smiling, he nodded. “I don't want to get your hopes up. But after what you've been through and what I saw. There's a strong chance I'll be able to make it happen.”

“When?” She asked as her existent grew.

“Soon. First I'll need you to be brave.” He explained stroking her mane as he casted a spell that put her to sleep. “Hopefully Aunt Luna will be able to send her support with your aid.”

Shining Armor growled as he pushed the two parents into a cell with a huff. “You two better be glad you're too far out of it you didn't hear what the guards were saying about you.” Turning to leave he kicked the cell door closed before stomping out.

Dear diary: today I managed to slip past the guards again. I think Shining is taking it as a personal challenge on how good his training is doing for the guard. Well… challenge accepted. Anyway, I saw a party going on in town and slipped in. Overall it was a good day. Even got a party present as a bonus.

Author's Note

Rainbow seems to be getting better or at least she now has aid for her condition. And the other girls are putting the pieces together.

I wonder how Luna fits in to the prince's plan to adopt Scootaloo. And what condition her birth parents will be in when the big day comes.

Author's Note

I thought I'd try mixing things up with two new characters for the story. Who knows they might be hiding a few secrets that will be touched on in latter chapters.