"A walk?" Ebah asked, looking rather confused by my proposal as he raised his brow at me. "Walk to where, exactly?"

"Just around town." I replied, doing everything I could to hold back my smile. I was failing, but I was still trying. "We thought that you could use some time outside of the castle. And what better way to do so than by going for a simple walk." I continued, not wishing to reveal why I truly felt he deserved some time outside. "We can go around the city with you, we can show you some of the sights. We could even-"

"Okay, the 'we' shit really needs to stop." He interrupted, reminding me of my mistake. "Not only is it annoying, but it's getting really confusing in this context."

Swallowing my pride, I nodded. "You're right. It does need to stop." I submitted, hoping to make some headway in my new attempts to bond with him. Besides, I really should work more on my speech. While it may be more modern than it once was, It still needed some work. "I apologize."

Ebah nodded approvingly. I still find the thought of befriending my child to earn his trust both bizarre and unnecessary. No mother should have to earn their child's respect. If anything, it should be the other way around! But, I also understand that Ebah is a special case. If I wish for him to see me as his mother, I have to start somewhere. Though I can't say that I trust Garnette entirely -I'll admit, I have some suspicions of her relationship with my son- but Ebah trusts her. So, at this point in time, she was my only ally.

I probably would have remained lost in the confines of my own mind a bit longer had my train of thought not been interrupted by the sound of somepony whistling and waving a hoof in my face. "Earth to blue horse!" He spoke. Not too loudly, but in a raised tone. "Looking to book an appointment with your reality as soon as possible, if you'd please!"

I blinked a few times, bringing myself to regain focus. "Yes, of course." I said with a bit of a forced laugh. "My apologies, Ebah. We should get you ready to start the day." I froze, trying to figure out if my use of the word 'we' was appropriate in that statement.

Ebah seemed to notice my look. And as if reading my mind, "That time was fine." He said, allowing me to wear a less forced grin. "You did good, child. Now go get yourself a cookie while I get ready."

I nodded and turned around to leave. "Very well, I shall see you shortly." I started walking down the halls, only to come to a complete stop not even a few seconds later. My eyes became wide as my brain tried to process how that interaction just ended. "Wait...What just happened?"

I turned my head to see Ebah walking toward my chambers. I wasn't sure how to react to that, but I didn't have time to. My attention was drawn to a new sound coming from a few feet to my right. Re-angling my neck to face the source, I spotted one of my own thestrals smirking. I could only assume the sound was him struggling not to laugh.

His attempts no longer became a struggle upon noticing my glare. His smile fell and he went back to his blank expression without so much as blinking in defiance. This helped to restore some of the dignity I felt I had lost during my moment of confusion...which now haunts me again, as I still can't seem figure it out.

Typically, I'm not one to care about what people think of me as a person. I do, however, care enough about my appearance to at least make an attempt to look decent. Not perfect, but presentable. That being said, I'm currently looking myself over in the mirror in the woman's bathroom. My hair is long and all over the place, really need to get that cut. My fur is...still almost ash gray. Hard to tell when you're dirty when you already look like you walked out from a burning building. Lastly, my vest was still good as gold.

I remember getting a lot of shit from my friends for wearing this damn thing. Not because they didn't like it, but because it was blue. I hated the color blue and I made sure to emphasize that whenever I felt the need to. This led to a lot of people asking me the same fucking question over, and over, and over again. 'If you hate blue so much then why are you always wearing it?' Cause I look good in it motherfucker! And I make blue look good too!

That little flash to the past aside, I needed a haircut. There might be a place in the castle for me to have that taken care of, but I feel like that would be some high-end, salon-type of deal. Not that I wasn't used to salons. My aunt use to own one and she was how I got all of my hair cuts and coloring done for free. But, it's more of the high-end thing that freaks me out. Two hours sitting in a chair for a job that only should have taken two minutes. Not to mention that they would probably charge triple what a decent barber would! And that barber works hard for his shit!

Continuing to look over myself, I am reminded of a routine I used to have. Every morning I would wake up, process where I was, then walk to the nearest mirror to assess the damage from the night before. I remember my human face as if it were right in front of me; My light skin reflecting whatever amount of light hit it, my long hair always pushed to the side, the blood-shot look in my eyes, the scar on my left brow, even the freckle on the right side of my face just above my upper lip and his brother just below my lower lip.

I remember the little hairs that would grow on my cheek. I had a decent hairline going down my jaw and to my chin and even a subtle goatee. However, I always got these randomly placed long black hairs coming out of my cheeks and it used to piss off everyone to no end. A few of my friends hated them so much, they would tackle me and attempt to pluck them out with their fingers! I got them to back off by telling them I would shave it eventually, but I never got around to it. Mostly because I just didn't want to. Their OCD got a laugh out of me.

Anyway, I've spent enough time staring at myself and thinking about random stuff. Using a hoof, I played around with my hair until it had a spiked look to it. It didn't look great, but it was the best I could do for now. With that out of the way, I was ready to go outside and-

Make your escape!

I felt my body freeze for a second there, my mind becoming a playground of thoughts as a realization dawned on me. "I am going...outside." I said to no one in particular, still rummaging through ideas. "I'm going outside!" I repeated in a raised tone, not caring if someone heard me or not.

The only thought left on my mind was getting the hell out of here. Everywhere I went, everything I did up until this point, there were constantly eyes on me. I don't doubt there will still be eyes, but losing them will be so much easier in a crowded street. I just have to time it right...

"Ebah!" I turned my head to the door upon hearing the woman's voice on the other side. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, I'll be right out!" I answered, looking back to the mirror one last time. "This is your chance." I muttered to myself, "Don't fuck this up."

Not the most motivational speech ever given, but it would have to do. Leaving the confines of the bathroom, I met up with the woman and we began the small trek to the main entrance. We exited the castle, which landed us on a small walkway that lead to a drawbridge. Beyond that, the city I didn't even know I was in.

During my lessons with the woman, I learned about this city. However, I never paid any attention to her words. The only thing I remembered was that it was called Canterlot. It still bothers me not knowing if cantering is something that only ponies and horses do. I'm not even sure what cantering looks like.

We stepped out onto the bridge and made our way to a small road that pointed us right toward the massive city. I had to stop as I looked out at it. This place was fucking huge! And it made the first city I was in look like a mud hole in comparison.

There were long, clean roads that divided the town into several sections. Each building was massive and had rooftops that appeared to be lined with gold. I may be wrong about that last part, but that's what it looked like to me. Ponies in fancy suits and dresses walked down the streets with elegance and grace. These guys...had it made! Everything surrounding them was large, radiant, and shiny! It was just awesome looking, I have no other way to describe it. It was...I just...I...I blinked and the city I saw before me had changed drastically.

It was dark, the skies filled with dark clouds and lightning. Thunder cracked with each flash of light that shot down from the sky. Every road and every building was burning right before my eyes. Meteors rained down from the heavens, crashing into the earth below with a loud 'Boom', tearing apart anything in their way before leaving a massive crater in their crashing point. That beautiful city I once saw just moments ago was gone in an instant, reduced to a state of chaos and panic.

I was stunned, I couldn't move.

What the fuck is happening?

I tried to do something, anything, but my body wouldn't listen me. All I could do was watch the scene before me, unable to put a stop to it. I kept hearing people screaming from every direction, but no one ever came near me. They just left me to suffer in my statuesque state during this literal apocalypse. A strange sense of satisfaction washed over me as I observed the carnage. For some reason, this felt right.

My head moved on its own, looking down at the ground below me. It was cracked and grey and it looked like their was a pool of magma cascading beneath the surface. That was the first thing to catch my attention, the second was how long my hooves were. My head was easily five feet, if not more, from the ground.

Again, my head moved against my own wishes, angling itself upward back toward the sky. There must be a fire or something directly behind me, cause I swear I can see flames right above my head. I saw my horn start to glow. It started off dull, but got brighter, then brighter, then brighter. It was like it was charging, like it was going to- "Ebah!"

I blinked again, letting go of a breath I didn't realize I was holding as the world seemed to correct itself. I found myself panting and sweaty, feeling like I had just run a marathon in the desert. I barely had time to recuperate before I was lifted off of the ground and cradled like a baby in the woman's hooves.

"Mine son! Are you alright!?" She asked, not giving me a chance to answer before sounding off again. "Are you sick?" She placed a hoof to my forehead, pulling away almost as quickly. "You're burning up!"

I wanted to say something, but I was finding it oddly difficult to speak, or even form a single word for that matter. "We knoweth not what hath happened. Thou hadst becometh still and did cease breaths. We fear'd the w'rst!" There's that fucking 'we' shit again...Wait, did she just talk all like...Like, medieval and shit? "We shall receiveth thee to the castle infirmary betimes!"

Snap out of it, she's going to take you back!

I felt my eyes widen and I instinctively started to struggle, kicking out of her grip only to fall to the ground and land on my back. It's weird to feel pain in an appendage you've never had before, but it's even more weird yelling something like this out loud. "Ow, my fucking wings!"

The woman looked down at me with a panicked expression, still freaking out over whatever happened earlier. "Ebah, we has't to receiveth thee to a doct'r! thou art sick!"

I was picked up again, this time with voodoo. I struggled as much as I could as she carried me back toward the castle, my mind spasming from how close I was to freedom before managing to do the one thing I told myself not to do.

You better think of something, fast!

If you thought your nightmares were bad before...

Fix this! NOW!!!

"Mom, please!" The woman froze, becoming completely still as she held me in front of her via pony-witchcraft. I don't know why those words came out of my mouth, but they worked...kinda. Might as well bullshit my way through the rest of this! "Look at me, I'm fine." I assured her.

The expression she wore was a enough to tell me that she didn't believe me. She shook her head, shooting me a stern look. "Nay, thee needeth to seeth a-"

"Trust me!" I began, "I'm fine." Again, she fell silent. This time it seemed as though she were waiting for an explanation. I put on a nervous look to stall her while I put together a convincing story. "I just...I'm not used to big cities, you know?" I said, doing my best to keep up my now shy persona. "It freaked me out a little bit, but I'm alright now! I promise."

The woman looked unsure about what to do. She placed a hoof to my head again. "Thee feeleth not warmeth anym're." She said, as if to convince herself that there was nothing wrong with me. "Art thee sure thou art good now?"

"Getting a little annoyed with how you're talking." I remarked, watching her expression turn deadpan. Whether it was because of what I said, or her own mistake, I couldn't figure out. Nor did I care. "Other than that, I'm fine."

She turned away from me, closing her eyes and clearing her throat before redirecting her sights onto my still floating form. "If you are certain...We can continue with our walk." Thank all that is mighty and- "But should you have another one of those...moments, Please let me know so that I may help you get through it."

As much as I'd like to tell her to 'Fuck off', I was willing to say anything just to get back on track. I might not get an opportunity like this again! I have to grab it by the balls and hang on for dear life. "Oh-okay! I'll let you know next time."

Still holding me in her magic, she pulled me into her hooves for a hug, which I had to return in order to keep her on my side. If you're going to play the role, you might as well play it right. She finally set me down-Thank God, I was getting nauseous- and we continued where we had left off.

I would see flashes of the city burning as we approached it, each lasting only a second, just long enough for me to make out the scene, but I kept my cool and reminded myself of the task at hand. I don't know why I had that little freak out earlier, nor why I keep seeing it, but I didn’t have time to dwell on it.

As we got closer, ponies started to see us. They would stare for a few seconds, then they would bow. I'm sure they were just being a bunch of kiss-asses to the woman, probably because they know how bipolar she is, rather than doing it out of obligation or respect. Still, it was pretty cool though.

It's not like they were bowing to me, but it kinda seemed like it since I was with the woman. It made my insides feel all warm and tingly. I suddenly got the urge to order someone to bring me a sandwich just to see if they would. But, I refrained. Assassin’s and royalty go hand in hand and the last thing I wanted to do was piss off the wrong person. At least, I didn't want to right now. Give it about five, ten minutes, I might change my mind.

Every pony we passed continued to follow this little process and the woman was pretty much just ignoring them, looking ahead with a smile and not a care in the world. When she finally said something, she was addressing me. "So, my child. Is there anything in particular that you would like to see?"

Thinking back to earlier, I figured now would be as good a time as any. "A barber." I said, ruffling my own hair a bit as I replied. "This is starting to get on my nerves."

"Why didn't you say something earlier?" She asked with a raised brow. "We have many hairdressers within the castle that could fix your mane."

"I prefer something a little less high-end when it comes to...a lot of things actually." I answered honestly, "Some place small and underrated. That's where you can truly find the best of the best."

"If you say so..." She said skeptically. "There aren't many of those types of businesses here, but I think we can locate at least one barber."

The search took a little longer than expected, but I wasn't complaining. It was nice to be out an about. It would be even nicer if I could find a goddamn opening to abandon this blue bitch, but no luck so far. If she wasn't looking at me, other ponies were, despite their 'respectful' gestures.

We finally found a small building in town, and by building I of course mean we found what looked like a rundown shack with a barber's pole hanging by the door. The woman didn't want me to so much as look at that place, but after a bit of convincing, we made our way in.

A small bell rang as we entered, alerting whoever dwelled inside to our presence- or so I thought. The inside was in better condition than the outside. Not by a lot, but it was still an improvement. The area was pretty small, everything was right in front of us. To the right was a counter with a bell on it. Said counter also harbored an old stallion with fur kinda like mine, but lighter. His mane was pure white, his face covered in wrinkles, and wearing coke bottle glasses like you wouldn't believe.

To our left was an old black chair sitting in front of a large, dirty mirror. Beside the chair was a cart with a bunch of supplies on it. That's pretty much the ins and outs of this place. Aside from a door behind the counter, which probably led to the old man's room, there wasn't anything else going on here.

Having gotten my fill of the place, I walked up to the counter, angling my neck uncomfortably at the old pony...who appeared to be asleep...or dead. I couldn't tell if he was breathing or not. "Hey, you alive up there?" I got a rather loud snore in response. "Guess that answers that question."

I could hear the woman walking up to the counter, stopping once she was right behind me. I watched one of her hooves nervously reach out to the counter, hovering over the bell as she looked down at me. "I'm not sure if this is a good idea."

"What's the problem?" Honestly, I knew the problem. But I was in too deep now and my pride wouldn't let me just up and quit on Mr. Old & Moldy.

"What's the problem!" She said as if she were completely dumbfounded as to why I would ever ask that...Not that she didn't have the right to. "Look at this poor stallion." She went on to say, pointing her already outstretched hoof at the sleeping pony. "He's ancient! And those glasses! He can't possibly see his own hoof in front of his face!"

I let out a defeated sigh, mentally thanking the gods that she had 'convinced me' not to follow through with this guy. He'd probably cut my jugular just trying to FIND the scissors. "Fine! I'll wait until we get back to the castle."

I heard the woman let out a relieved sigh before we exited, being careful not to wake Old Man River.

The trip away from that old shop proceeded as expected; more walking, more ponies bowing, more not finding any breathing room to make a run for it. However, I was mapping out as much of the area as I could in my head. But Canterlot is a big place and I have a terrible memory. I'd have to dedicate all of my thoughts to one path and how to use it well enough to get away. All I need is something to catch her attention, something to distract her long enough for me to high tail it out of here and get the fuck outta dodge.

"Perhaps we could stop at a local bakery?" The woman suggested, glancing down at me with a smile. "I know of a place nearby that Tia sends orders to quite frequently."

Celestia ordering from a bakery...and apparently very often... "Explains her fat ass."

I heard the woman snort, apparently holding back a laugh. It's not too often that she laughs at anything I say, so this was a little unexpected. Usually she just tells me to knock it off. She took a breath and forced a stern expression to her face. "That wasn't funny."

"Neither is inhaling cake, on the daily." I quipped, falling back onto my path of self-destruction. "But it looks like your sister didn't get the memo."

Again, she snorted. Was she actually enjoying this? "Stop it!" She said playfully, giving me a light shove. "You're being rude."

"And you're still laughing!" I pointed out, to which she responded with...submission???

"Okay! Okay..." She said, not trying to hide her smile anymore. "It was pretty funny, I'll give you that."

Either I'm crazy, or she is...

Okay, I just realized what I said there and it was stupid. Very stupid. That statement shouldn't exist, nor be uttered by any creature, living or otherwise.

I let out a sigh at my own mental quandary. "You know what, let's go check out that bakery."

"Wonderful!" She exclaimed, moving slightly faster. "Stay close, I shall lead the way."

Picking up the pace, I glanced upward. The woman staring straight ahead, walking with purpose. She wasn't even glancing in my direction. I turned my head from her and started scanning the area, hoping to find an escape route while her attention was directed elsewhere. Then again, she might notice if I slip away. If I'm going to do this, I'll need something much more distracting.

I felt my frustration grow as I continued to be met with nothing to use to my advantage. There was nothing going on, no ponies needing help, no little girls stuck in a well, no nothing! It's pissing me off!

The sound of something sizzling below me caught my attention. I looked down, just barely spotting a chunk of black, smoking grass below my hoof. The realization came and suddenly I had the answer. My anger was my ticket to freedom! A nice change of pace, seeing how it's usually what gets me in to trouble, rather than out of it.

Being much more focused than I have been in a very long time, I searched these Canterlot streets with my eyes, a newfound sense of hope filling the void in my chest. I spotted a pony-powered vehicle moving pretty fast through the street and...immediately questioned myself on whether or not that was considered immoral or if it was a form of slavery...

I shoved those thoughts aside, getting my head back in the game as I focused on the vehicle. Glancing up, I made sure that the woman wasn't looking at me before I began. My attention back on the vehicle, I filled my head with thoughts of everything that makes me mad. Alarm clocks, crying babies, living babies, stubbing your toe, pacifists, onions, my mother-

There was a small explosion that rang through my ears mercilessly. As painful as the sound was, it brought me a massive amount of joy. Like magic, the vehicle had burst into flames, with the pony pulling it going into full panic and breaking into a sprint as if to outrun the flames. The harness holding the pony to the ball of fire behind him snapped and he got away. This left the vehicle to its own devices; Such as twisting, falling, rolling, and eventually crashing into the side of a building.

I stared at the wreckage, part of me proud of what I had done, another part of me stuck in a state of 'How the fuck did I just do that?'. It's not too often that I surprise myself, but each time there always seems to be something breaking.

Regardless of how I felt at that moment, my plan was working. The crash had gotten everyone's attention and they were all charging in to put out the flames. Including- "Ebah, stay here!" The woman all but yelled at me before flying over to the now-burning side of this building. "Is everypony alright?"

She became lost in the crowd, putting her out of my sight and out of my life! With a little bit of pep in my step, I charged the opposite direction of the crash, making my way as far away from her as possible. I made it a good few blocks down the road, making sure to turn every so often. I can’t make it easy for anyone who would come looking for me.

Each step -or gallop, depending on how you look at it- I took became a statement. I felt alive, accomplished, and ready for anything. For a while there, I thought I'd never get out of that castle. Sure, the guards didn't so much as blink, but I don't doubt that they'd stop me if I tried to leave. I could fly out of one of the many balconies, but I still haven't learned how to use these wings. At this point, they're just for show.

What really surprises me though; I'm out here running my ass off and no pony seems to care that I'm an alicorn. There weren't a lot of ponies out here, but still. Then again, they are pointing their noses up really high for some reason...Are they brain-dead? Or are they blind and following the light of the sun?

Hold on...Now that I think about it; How many ponies here are even aware that I exist? Like seven, minus the castle staff? I'm basically a grey man. Not that I'm complaining, if anything it's a blessing that ponies don't know I'm technically that blue bitches kid. Otherwise, they'd rat me out in a second. Just to be safe though, I'll have to cover up the horn or the wings. Or both, fuck it! I can do what I want!

I can't wait to find a...find uhhh..."There's a problem with this plan."

No there isn't!

Keep! Moving!

"Keep moving, okay..." I said, annoyance evident in my tone. "Moving to where, exactly!?"

We will figure that out later!

All that matters now is escape!

Move your ass!

I breathed a heavy sigh, mostly because I was getting tired from running, but continued my aimless journey to freedom. All that confidence I had just moments ago had pretty much dried up at the realization of how much I may have fucked myself here.

No! This is a good thing! I've made it living on the streets before and I can do it again. This way is better; I'm my own boss, I can go where I want, whenever I want. The only bullshit I have to put up with is my own, and there will be no more of this 'I wanna be your new mother. Give me a chance. Let me help you.' crap! This is a better alternative, where I am free to do as I please once again. It's not like there's anything back at the castle worth more than a kick to the ass anyway.

Celestia has caused me nothing but problems since I started talking to her. The woman is a bipolar, mentally unstable psychobitch, and I'm pretty sure that Blue Ball prick lives in there somewhere. Then Garnette is-...

...

You know those moments when you think of something and suddenly your entire reality just shifts? And you swear on your own life that you just heard a dinner plate shatter against the back of your head; You didn't feel it, but you heard it. Then the world around you starts to spiral and nothing makes sense anymore. That's how I feel, right now. And all because of that fucking vampire!

My hooves stopped dead in their tracks, tearing through the grass as my body came to a grinding halt. What I felt when I concluded I was wandering back into homelessness was nothing compared to this. What was once just a simple pang, 'Oh shit, this is gonna suck', morphed into something along the lines of, 'I just can't fucking do it'!

"Son of a bitch!" I yelled, earning a few gasps and disgusted looks in my direction. I didn't care though, I was pissed! Finally, I had the opportunity to get away. I took it and I was home-free to Fuckoffville, only until I remembered that I let myself care about someone! "Motherfucker!"

Knock it off, you're drawing too much attention to yourself!

Forget about her!

She's nothing!

She's a mutant horse!

Keep moving!

Just leave!

Every voice in my head was sounding off, telling me to let her go and to leave this place. But, I can't. I just fucking can't now! I don't know why I feel so attached to that mare, but I am and I don't want to leave her. Yet, at the same time, I don't want to stay at that damn castle either! It's like an over-sized prison cell!

I can't go back! I can't leave! I can't stay there! I can't be away from her! I need to run! I need to find her! I need to get away! I need her help! I-I..."I have...the biggest fucking headache..."

Well, that was unexpected. I thought to myself as I put the finishing touches onto the once damaged building with my magic. I had managed to disperse the crowd before I started repairs. Needless to say, it was pretty easy to send them away with a fire licking at their expensive toys. All I wanted was to reward my son for defending an innocent pony, to take him for a walk and tell him how proud I was. But, no! The universe just has to stick a thorn in my side every step of the way,
doesn't it.

I couldn't hold back the growl that worked its way from my throat as I finished repairing the building. The frustration of these past few days were starting to catch up to me. Why can't I get a break? One good thing, that's all I ask! Is it really so much after all I do for my little ponies?

I sighed, taking in a deep breath afterward to calm myself and clear my head. Those were not the thoughts of a princess. Those were the thoughts of a selfish child and I am better than that. I let out my breath, feeling myself slowly easing away from the stressors that plague my mind.

Feeling a little more relaxed, I looked over the building. It was repaired in full. The same couldn't be said about the vehicle, but there was simply no way of fixing a pile of ash. I found myself wondering what could have caused that fire. Furthermore, how come ponies didn't react to it until the last second? It's almost as if it just appeared out of thin air...

Never mind that, I have a son to get back to. Turning around, I marched back to my previous spot, eyeing it curiously as I noticed a distinct lack of an adorable, grey, alicorn colt. I felt panic rise up in my chest, my heart picking up in speed and strength as I started to trot faster to our spot.

My panic started to dissipate as I drew closer though, spotting him nearby. He was walking out from between two buildings across the street, only a dozen or so feet from where I told him to stay. I couldn't help but to smile as I relaxed once again.

All of this fluctuation between angry and happy cannot be good for my blood pressure. I mentally joked to myself, giggling a bit as I came upon my rather...distressed child.

I gave him a concerned look as I kneel to his level so I may see him better. "Ebah, are you alright." I couldn't see his face, his head was looking down. But his entire body looked flushed of color. "Ebah, speak to me me."

He was quiet for a moment, but finally responded. "Can we go home?" He asked, his voice sounding weak and...defeated? "I think I've had just about enough of this town for one day."

I almost didn't know how to react. I have never seen him in such a vulnerable state. Where was the yelling, the swearing, the usual loud-mouth and cocky attitude? I think I'm more terrified of him now than I was when he threatened to skin me in my sleep. He seems so emotionless, numb to the world.

How I feel though doesn't matter. What matters is that my son is asking for my help. For once, he has come to me for aid and I will not let him down! "Of course we can." I said, laying down to make the next part easier for him. "Climb on my back and I'll take us home."

To further my surprise, he didn't argue. No words of reject were exchanged, not even a dirty look upon my request. Instead, he slowly climbed up my body and laid with his head nestled just above my wings. I was starting really worry now. This isn't natural. Not for him.

Wasting no time, I focused my magic and teleported us back to the castle. We were right outside of the front doors and I wasted no time entering. I felt him shudder as I walked us into the main corridor. He took in a sharp breath as well, almost sounding like he was hurt.

This is so unlike him. He seemed fine for a majority of our trip, minus his episode when we stepped outside. I knew I should have just rescheduled when he started acting funny. I should have seen something like this coming. And after that fire started; He must have been terrified, and I was so wrapped up in handling the situation that I didn't stop to see how he was reacting to it!

What kind of mother doesn't make it a point to check on her child first; To be absolutely sure that their son is safe and sound in both body and mind when put into a dangerous situation? Apparently me...

What kind of parent am I? I mentally asked myself, feeling ashamed for falling short in being this poor colt's caretaker. I'm sure any other mother would have grabbed their child and ran. I could have done that as well, but I have a responsibility to protect my ponies. I can't just turn my back on them. I will, however, have to pay more attention to Ebah. But, at the same time, I need to keep our relationship developing at a slow pace as to not scare him off again.

For the first time ever, he has willingly called me his mother! He found a way around that spell I cast, causing him to replace my name with 'mom', by calling me 'woman' -whatever that is- but today he did it on his own terms! That must mean that I'm doing something right. In his eyes at least, I'm making the proper approach.

Maybe today was a fluke, but it bothers me. Something bad could have happened to him while I was off trying to handle that fire situation. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that something did. But, I didn't even see him run off to hide during the fire. Who knows what could have happened to him!

I just don't know what to do...Perhaps there's something in those parenting books Twilight sent that could enlighten me. I'll have to read through them again to see if I missed anything. That's a job for a later time though.

I know if I ask him what's wrong, he will not tell me. Despite how he may be acting now, his stubbornness is endless. I'll have to find a different approach. "You mentioned earlier how you wanted a haircut." I said, hoping that the old subject would draw him back out of his shell. "Is that something you are still interested in?"

I felt him squirm some against me before answering. "Yeah, why not."

It was sad how often I found myself in this room. These blue dark blue walls that surrounded me were becoming the bane of my existence, the balcony across the way mocked me with with its temptations of freedom laying just beyond my reach. This desk, I made a habit of sitting on, became the throne of my demise. This mirror, resting on top of my throne, bore to the me reflection of a broken man...with a pretty cool haircut.

As expected, what should have only taken a few minutes had been stretched into several hours! From washing, to envisioning, to conditioning, to drying, to actually cutting, back to washing, then drying again and styling. Not that I wasn't pleased with the results, but I may have scared off a few of the hairdressers with a few short words and a nasty glare. I'm sorry, I don't like sitting around for hours at a time. Especially for a job that could have been done three hours ago!

What was once a rats nest, became something I couldn't quite describe. I liked it though. It was still pretty long on top, and in the back, but it was trimmed up nicely. The sides of my head had been shaved to almost nothing. Then they gelled it to give it a spiked appearance. The process seems simple enough, and it is. Which is why I was so pissed at all of them when I left to see that the sun was already going down!

Turning around, I looked back at the woman, who had been observing me the whole time. "I cannot say that I am displeased with it." She said, squinting as she eyed my new hairdo. "Nor can I say that it's fitting for a prince."

"I like it." I said with a shrug.

She smiled, her eyes going back to their proper state. "I guess that's all that matters." Moving closer, she looks over herself in the mirror, straightening her crown with her voodoo. "It's about that time." She said almost sadly. "Are you sure you can handle being here by yourself? I could always summon somepony else. Or maybe Garnette would-"

"I'll be alright." I interrupted, having gotten an earful about all of this during my trip to the castle salon. "The poor girl needs a day off and I'm more than capable of watching over myself."

"Speaking of her;" The woman took a step back from the desk, her attention moving to me. "I am aware of what happened in the showers the other night."

Two things caught me off guard here. One; that she had any knowledge of that, period. And two; That she said that with a smile on her face. I was about ready to come un-fucking-glued on Princess Fatass. Aside from Garnette and I, and that douchebag I roasted, she was the only one who knew about it!

"I am gonna fuck-" I unwillingly went silent as a blue hoof pressed against my mouth, cutting me off mid-threat.

"Ebah, I am not mad." I felt my face contort from confusion, only being able to offer a questioning hum as a response. "You acted not on your own terms and defended a pony."

"You also didn't gloat about your act of heroism, which tells me that you didn't do this for attention or praise." The woman removed her hoof from my mouth before continuing. "You did it out of the kindness of your heart." She went on to say, giving me a look I couldn't quite Identify. "It was an audacious move, attacking a pony with nothing but a bar of soap and a sock." She said with a giggle. "But, valiant none-the-less...That night also shows that I will need to bump up your magic studies."

"Oh joy..." I added less-than-enthusiastically, earning another giggle from her.

"What I'm trying to say is..." There's that look again. "I'm proud of you."

I...I uh...No, dammit! There aren't...There aren't tears in my eyes!

I blinked hard, doing everything in my power to keep these dreaded feelings from showing. This shouldn't be affecting me as much as it is! Fucking hell, what's wrong with me!?

"Ebah...you're crying?"

"No, I'm not!" I snapped, not bothering to look at her as I continued to fight off whatever it was that was trying to force its way out of me.

"No pony has ever said that to you before, have they?"

"That's irrelevant!" I yelled, unsure as to why I was even doing it. "I don't care what people think about me!" I was in full defensive mode, rambling on for no good reason. "If they wanna judge me, go ahead! But they don't know me! You don't know me! You're all just-"

I didn't get to finish my seemingly pointless rant as I was picked up and pulled into the caring embrace of the woman. My head rested on her neck as she held me in place, stroking my hair and softly shushing me. "It's okay, dear." She whispered, "No pony is judging you."

What a crock of shit!

No one here likes you...

They're giving you dirty looks behind your back and you know it.

We stayed that way for several seconds; Her holding me and me just breathing heavily into her. It was on her terms that we finally separated. She held me up with her hooves tucked under my...armpits? Is it still considered an armpit? Anyway, she help me up and stared into my eyes, a look of worry very much present in her features.

"Perhaps I should cancel night court." She suggested, placing me back down on the desk. "One night won't kill the nobles, no matter how much they may act it."

It's a nice gesture, her wanting to keep me company, but I wasn't feeling it. "No, you've got shit to do." I pointed out, not trying to start an argument this time. "I'll be fine for one night."

"Ebah...I don't want you to-"

"I just need some time alone, okay?" I urged, really not wanting to deal with her while I'm like this. "Now go, before you piss off those uptight pricks."

The woman let out a sigh, looking upset that I was sending her away. "If you say so." She said, giving me a quick nuzzle. One which I didn't really fight her on. "I'll be back as soon as I can. I promise."

She finally turned tail and went off to work, leaving me to my own devices. There were several thoughts that were plaguing my mind right now; What was up with that whole 'burning city' thing I saw earlier? Why didn't I leave when I had the chance? Why did I let myself get attached to someone? Why are all of these weird feeling starting to surface all of a sudden?

All of these questions were sending my head through the ringer and I couldn't come up with a clear answer for any of them. The only conclusion I could come to was that I had died and this was hell; Being stuck in a place that was forcing me to deal with things I've never had to face before. A place that made me feel like an even bigger outcast. A place where nothing I say matters because I'm just a stupid kid...

I looked back at the mirror, immediately disgusted with my own appearance. I could feel the blood rushing to my face as a certain amount of rage started to build up inside of me. I couldn't stop myself. I swung a hoof into the mirror, breaking it into countless glass shards that would now decorate the top of the desk and even some of the floor.

Author's Notes:

Woo, another chapter! Imma warn everyone, I'm gonna be very busy, very soon. First off, I have work now. Secondly, I'm still working on my next surgery to have these damn tumors removed. They're really dragging this out and making it an even bigger pain in my ass.
Despite my current/upcoming downfalls, I hope that everyone is still enjoying the story and will continue to do so with future chapters.
Once again, a big thanks to

DekaSkittalz

for editing. I don't know what I would do without you buddy! XP
And, as always; If you're enjoying this story, slap that LIKE button like a bitch! Feel free to share with your friends and leave comments below! Comments make me feel special :P