Every Prince Deserves a Princess

I awoke several hours later to the harsh rays of dawn creeping through the nearby curtains. The deep blue, loosely-woven material did little to block out the sunlight as my auntie rose her flaming globe up into the sky. I watched with weary eyes as the gigantic ball rose above the horizon, gradually spreading light across Equestria and signaling that a new day, full of new opportunities had begun. Many found it symbolic, inspiring, and beautiful. I found it absolutely obnoxious.

The dark alicorn curled around me barely shifted as she instinctively turned her face away from the offending warmth and light, instead tucking her muzzle in close to my belly. Why she had literally decided to accompany me into her bed, I would never understand, but there she was, lying close to me in an almost protective position. Admittedly, it was somewhat nice, and did help me to sleep after the previous night's traumatic events... but it still seemed odd. She had literally no reason to go the extra mile, nor did I have any reason to acknowledge it unless prompted. Fortune clearly favored me, as the frigid cow often slept through the entire day. No thank you or acknowledgement would come from me, unless it was forced. Even then, she would be hard-pressed to get me to admit to any of it.

Slowly, I rose from the goose-down comforter below me. I had elected to sleep above the covers due to sheer exhaustion, and such a move had been my best idea all day. Luna's bed was one of the most comfortable I had ever slept in, and well befitting for a princess of the night. I made a note that I'd have to bamboozle my way into her chambers more often, and hopped off the raised platform and onto the ground. A heady mixture of incense assaulted my senses as I took in a deep, cleansing snort, gathering phlegm before I spit it out the nearby window and onto the streets far below. Hopefully, it hit some peasant meandering about at that ungodly hour. After all, it seemed they needed reminders for something so base as taking a shower.

Navigating Luna's room was a chore, and one that I feared I wouldn't have been able to accomplish without my cutie mark. Throw pillows, telescopes, books, tables, crystal balls, and other ridiculous paraphernalia lay scattered haphazardly atop a garish purple and star-patterned carpet. Sweeping curtains running from ceiling to floor, walls of dark beads separating various sections of the lavish chamber, and burning pots of incense and black flames completed the mysterious and obnoxious atmosphere in a way that screamed only 'Luna'.

Nopony else would live like this, and clearly, nopony else would take it this seriously. There was a reason that no guests were allowed in my smaller auntie's room... which I supposed made me quite privileged. The thought brought the smallest of smiles to my face as I headed for the door, not bothering to spare the sleeping pony another look. I considered sliding open the curtain to let more sunlight in atop the pathetic lump curled upon her bed, but decided against it. I set out with the goal of making the day at least semi-decent. With the promise of riches and subterfuge awaiting, the odds seemed stacked high in my favor.

Some ponies did a double-take when being met with something they simply could not believe. That day, I found myself doing a quadruple take, with my eyes performing a fifth pass over the rumpled parchment soon after. He had to be kidding. This had to be some kind of a joke. Only two known cave networks near Canterlot were condemned, and neither one was an option for exploration. The first was underwater. Far underwater, and completely uncharted. No theorized list of resources within, no note of the supposed dangers provided... the entire place had only been marked as having killed several would-be spelunkers and cave-divers. Much too dangerous and vague to be worth anything, or so I figured from an initial glance. The other option was arguably much worse.

Option two was located deep within the Cradlebrook Forest, a good mile outside the city's walls. The forest itself was issue enough, quite easily giving the Everfree a run for its money. The vegetation was hazardous, the air quality poor, and the inhabitants either insane or suicidal. The tiny, scribbled-in note beneath the location's name upon the map only confirmed my suspicions that Moss was out of his mind. In an elegant, feminine scrawl, the word 'Chimera' was written in bright red ink. There was no way anypony could be allowed to go near there.

Not legally, anyway.

Magical screens had been erected around both areas, triggered to alert Celestia herself if anypony dared cross the boundaries. The barriers were quite obvious, and carried a spoken warning as anypony foolish enough to defy them approached. Usually, it would be enough to do the trick... but I knew ways around such things. Only the higher-ups and members of the royal family had been given clearance to trespass in such locations by using a counter spell. That meant that if Moss was to risk his neck and go into these deathtraps, I would have to accompany him at least to the entrances. Finding somepony who would follow him farther in and be unwilling to rat us out was a near necessity... but running down the list in my mind produced almost nothing. I had no option but to hope that he would be willing to enter alone after all, once I got him inside. Part of me knew that it wouldn't work out that way. Another part of me didn't really care. After all, if we were to do this, we would do it by my rules.

I gathered up the maps before me, one of the areas surrounding Canterlot, and another showing what little was known of the interior of the second cave. As I began to slip a bind around the second scroll, something caught my eye. Notes had been made about the cave itself within the margin, all about what had been found in the few trips made inside by royal guards. Bones, boulders, some oddly-named varieties of plant, and... corundum dust. Pure corundum was a magically vulnerable gemstone, and one often used in catalysts and powders. Its hardness made it notoriously difficult to crush, and it was often even harder to find at all. If the notes were correct, and the cargo so noted did indeed exist somewhere deeper inside the cave... then the opportunity was too good to pass up, chimera or no.

I finished binding the scrolls and slung them into a saddle bag at my side, a renewed vigor in my breast after having seen opportunity on a scale that rarely showed itself. I set out at a brisk pace and headed for the staircase at the end of the hall, nearly bowling over some other nobles in my haste. The couple tittered and scoffed, but I didn't even take the time to slow down and properly sneer at them. There was money to be made.

"But sir, he isn't due to be released for another two ho-"

"I do not care. Open this cell door, or you will be fired and subsequently slain." I puffed out my chest, glaring daggers at the insubordinate guard standing before Moss' new little home. The little scamp himself stood just behind the bars, watching with an amused expression as I towered over some young, useless pegasus in gold armor. The guard stood shaking in his spot, unable to move for fear of defying me. As I reached my hoof back for the rapier hanging next to my saddle bag, the colt squealed and turned, frantically jamming the key in the lock. That never got old.

"A-alright! Alright! I'll let him go, b-but you need to fill out the proper paperwork for tracking purpose-"

"You will fill out the paperwork. I have far more important things to attend to. Forge my signature, and make it convincing. I have not the time for your regulations and stupidity. If any word comes out that I skipped out on the process, I will find you... and those looking for your body will not," I finished with a twisted grin, absolutely loving the power I had over the quivering ball of feathers. He simply slid the cell door to the side before he nodded, on the verge of tears, and ran for the dungeon staircase. Was that really the best auntie's guard had to offer?

"Thanks for the save, fatass. What's got you moving so quickly this morning?" Moss walked out of the cell, wringing his hooves as he approached me with a yawn. His mane was more disheveled than usual, and the dirt stains all over his fur made it quite obvious that he had slept on the floor, rather than the small bed provided to him.

"Opportunity. Address me as 'Prince', you knave. I have the maps and clearance, though I will be forced to accompany you on this misguided adventure. There's corundum within one of the cave networks you were eyeing."

"I know," he replied with a toothy grin as he began to walk toward the stairs, away from me.

"You know? What the hell do you mean 'you know?'" I inquired as I began to follow along behind him.

"I mean, I know. Why do you think I'm asking for your help? I have my ways of getting information... and speaking of getting things, we need to stop by mi casa before we head out. I'm not going in unarmed."

I blinked in confusion as we began to ascend the staircase. I decided to take position beside, and then before him, leading the much smaller pony toward my room and hoping he wouldn't question the change of direction. "Your home? I was under the impression that the street was your home."

"I have a slab of cardboard and a travel sack to call my own, under a bridge. It won't take long... and the gate's that way, chubs." He stopped on the spot and pointed, an eyebrow raised at me as though I was some sort of colossal idiot.

"I'm well aware, skin-and-bones. However, If I'm going to be traveling with you, however briefly, you will be cleaning yourself up. Come. You may use my facilities but once, for the sake of my olfactory processes." I turned once again and began to walk, hoping that he would follow without protest. He did.

"Sweet. I don't really see the point, but I won't argue. You do realize I'm going to get dirtier than your morals by the time I get in and out of that sweet, jagged little hole?"

The way he said the words sent a chill up my spine, but I chalked it up to Moss simply being... Moss. For all of his idiosyncrasies, obnoxiousness, and general filth... I was almost beginning to not want him slaughtered mercilessly, sometimes.

"Cleanliness is godliness. Get going." I stood on my hind legs, holding the door for him as he slipped inside."

"I'll be just but a moment, good sir," he sang, mocking my accent as he headed for the bathroom. I followed him inside and took my spot on the couch, letting my thoughts wander as the sound of water hitting the floor began to tap out a rhythm within the other room.

I stared down at the hilt of my rapier, running a hoof over its mirrored blade. The guard was an alloy of gold and other, harder metals, inlaid with several sapphires around a large, diamond-cut amethyst in the center. The gemstone caught the light from the nearby candles, turning the crystals a deep reddish color as I stared down into the brilliant surface, seeing a warped version of my own face reflected back up at me. A second image slid up beside my own, its expression somewhat curious.

"Whatcha got there, boss?"

I didn't answer, and instead turned my head back to look at the offensive little creature, where I found a stallion almost worthy of respect for his looks alone. There stood Moss, his mane still wild, but clean. The sweeping spikes and unkempt, swishy strands between almost seemed to shine in the light, completely absent of grime and dirt. His coat was equally spotless, to the point that the white nautiluses upon his flanks almost seemed to glow. Without his vest, his skeletal frame was amplified, the wet, deep green fur clinging to his lithe but powerful muscles. He was truly a strange pony... underfed, but reasonably built. Clean, but messy in his own way. Tolerable at the moment, but stealing a scone from the coffee table uninvited, and dancing out of the way as I aimed a slap for his face.

"Oi!"

"Too slow. You can't expect me to make you money on an empty stomach. C'mon, let's roll." He popped the rest of the substance into the air and caught it in his mouth, in a most vulgar and unsophisticated display. I shook my head and began to follow, before I noticed that his ratty vest lay slung across a chair on the other side of the room.

"Hey! Get your filthy rags out of my room. It's much to cold to travel without them, anyway."

Moss simply shrugged and continued to walk out the door, leaving the garment behind. "I'm used to it, and it's reason to come back." He offered a cheeky grin and disappeared from sight, around the corner and into the hallway.

I didn't quite understand the meaning of his words, nor did I care at the time. I simply snorted and grabbed my traveling cloak, along with a spare. His talents were no good to me if he was dead, after all. With one final check of the maps, I sheathed the rapier at my side, secured my saddle bags, and trotted out the door to meet up with the earth pony, who was heading for the castle gates. This would turn out to be an interesting day indeed...