Login

The Prince of Ponyville

by Kavonde

Chapter 14: The Prince Gets a New Perspective

Previous Chapter Next Chapter

"Where are they? They should be here by now!"

Shining Armor paced in a nervous frenzy across the mouth of the small cave they'd found on the far shore. Outside, the storm raged deafeningly. The wind shrieked with ear-piecing volume, carrying frigid spikes of hail that sliced coldly into his exposed fur. Cacophonous thunder was a constant background rumble, occasionally punctuated by sharp and bone-rattling detonations that split the sky overhead.

"Storms like these are rare and deadly," Zecora noted softly. "And they carried burdens rather heavy."

"So what are you saying?!" the knight demanded, wheeling on her. "Just speak Equestrian! No rhyming! What are you trying to tell us?!"

"Easy there, hoss," Applejack said as she put a gentle hoof on his foreleg.

He shook it off and took a step towards Zecora. She sighed. "Calm yourself, and shout no more. I'm sure they remained on the far shore. When the storm clears, they will arrive. But if they try to cross now, they may not survive."

A growl rose in Shining's throat, but he stopped himself before he could retort. "I'm sorry. I'm just... "

"I understand; she is your wife," Zecora said, smiling softly. "You worry for the love of your life."

"Yes."

"I'm sure they're all just fine," Pinkie Pie told him confidently. "Dashie's way too smart to try flying in this storm. I bet they're all sitting in a nice, toasty cave just like this one. Only they'll have food, since the saddlebags are all with them." Her stomach rumbled, and she patted it sadly. "Maybe we should've had lunch before we crossed the river."

"How long d'ya reckon this storm'll last, Zecora?" asked Applejack, staring out into the tempest.

"It shall not remain this strong; it will wear itself out before too long. The rain, however, may last for days. Long will such weather often stay."

Pinkie frowned. "I hope Prince Bluebie remembers to bring my umbrella."

Shining, standing beside Applejack at the mouth of the cave, sighed. "I feel so helpless."

"Ain't much even the Captain of the Royal Guard can do about a wild storm in the Everfree."

"Yeah, I know. It's just... " He shook his head. "I don't know, it's stupid. Cadance can take care of herself. And hay, so can Twiley. So can all of you. But, you know... " He gestured at the sparkling shield emblazoned on his flanks. "I protect ponies. It's not just my special talent, it's... who I am. But when something like this happens, where I can't do anything about it, or even come up with a plan so somepony else can do something about it... it's frustrating."

Pinkie laughed. "Wow, you and Twilight really are related, aren't you?"

"Yeah, we're both a little control-freaky sometimes." He allowed himself a grin. "We kinda got it from Mom."

"Really?" asked Applejack. "I met yer folks at yer wedding, an' yer mother seemed like a real peach."

"Oh, she is. I love her, don't get me wrong. She's the best Mom anypony could ask for. She's just... organized. Really, really organized." He shook his head, smiling. "Our folks run a book store in Canterlot. Dad's the salespony; he's always been really outgoing, everypony likes him, and he's always got a ton of recommendations for customers. I mean, he's not a hardcore egghead like Twiley, but he loves stuff like thrillers and fantasy and biographies... just about everything. Mom handles the actual business stuff. They're a good team, but... well, Dad and I aren't allowed in her office when she's not there, ever since she had to go to Manehattan for a week and we, uh, tried to run things for her. But she and Twiley are like peas in a pod. Most of the time."

"Whatcha mean?"

He shrugged. "Oh, you know. Nothing big, just... as Twiley got older, she and Mom would get into arguments every now and then. Mom wanted her to get out more, and make some friends, and start dating... you know. Typical teenage filly stuff." He pitched his voice upward. "'You're never going to meet a nice stallion--or mare, I certainly won't judge--if you have no life outside of home and school!' Twiley hated that lecture. And then Dad would point out that he met Mom at college, and... that never really ended well for him."

He smiled at the memories. Mom and Dad had needled eachother a lot, but then again, they genuinely seemed to enjoy it, and almost every "argument" ended with one or the other saying something clever enough to make them both burst into laughter. That sense of humor had rubbed off on their children; Celestia knew, his willingness to banter with Cadance was probably half the reason she fell for him. And he and Twiley still loved picking on eachother whenever possible.

And that turned his thoughts back to the matter at hoof. Cadance was trapped in the storm, and Twiley, wherever she was, was going to have to wait even longer for her rescue. He sighed and turned from the cave's mouth. "Well, I know it's early, but we should get some rest. I'm sure Cadance and the others are doing the same. Once the storm settles down, we'll get somewhere open to make it easier for them to find us."

The others murmured agreement and tried to find comfortable spots to rest on the bare rock. Shining turned back to the raging tempest outside and settled down, his thoughts and prayers going out to his beloved wife. Be okay, he thought. I'll see you soon.


Shining grunted as a hoof shook him awake. He opened his eyes, blinking them clear, and turned to the offending zebra. "The storm has abated, at least for now. Shall we move out, that we may be found?"

The sun must have set already, making it nearly pitch black outside, but the wind was finally still and everything was quiet save for the continued, mellow tapping of rain. He nodded and stepped into the drizzle, his horn glowing as brightly as he could make it. He stood their patiently and let the cold rain wash the sleep from his eyes, trying fruitlessly to see any sign of his wife against the gloom.

In the cave, Zecora roused the others from their sleep. They all gathered behind Shining, staring silently at the blackened sky. Long minutes stretched into the better part of an hour before Pinkie finally broke the silence with a thoughtful hum. "Maybe... maybe we should move away from the cave?"

Applejack nodded. "It was awful foggy over here before. Might still be; hard to tell, dark as it is."

"Yeah, okay," said Shining distantly. He led the way to the rounded cliff that dropped into the marsh, and stopped in surprise. The wetland was all but gone; the river had flooded, rising almost to where the ponies now stood. Only a few stubborn trees still rose above the water; everything else had been drowned or swept away. Broken tree trunks and thick branches had clustered together at certain points, while others drifted downstream at a quick but stately pace. The air here was still and empty of any any noise, even the low buzzing of insects.

"A dam upstream must have broken free," Zecora observed. "Flooding the valley with water and debris."

Shining stared at it with his mouth agape. "This is incredible. How can a single storm do all this?"

"In Equestria, you are spared from nature's true might. You had no idea what a true storm is like."

"Horseapples," breathed Applejack, stepping up to the edge. "Remind me to bake Rainbow Dash an' her weather team a nice, big apple pie."

"I still don't see Cadance," Shining said, casting his eyes around. He tried to keep the worry from his voice. In truth, he was barely keeping a lid on his rising panic. "Cadance!" He shouted. "Cadance, we're here!"

"Daaaaashiieeee!" called Pinkie Pie. "Ohh, Daaaaashiiiiiie!"

Zecora put a hoof on her shoulder. "Shouting may not be wise, I fear. We do not know what else may be here."

"Smart pony-thing," someone agreed. They turned to find a tall, bipedal creature with gray fur, clad in clothing of some strange, brown material. It leaned easily on a spear, grinning at them with distinctly canine features. "Never know what trouble you get into near river at night."

"Who are you?" Shining Armor asked carefully, stepping between the creature and his companions.

"Dane. Who you?"

"We're travelers from Ponyville. We're sorry to intrude on your lands, but we're on a very important mission, and we were separated from our companions by the storm."

The diamond dog nodded. "Big storm. Nasty. Flood whole valley. That why we here; to see what float to top."

"Well, we sure don't wanna get in yer way," said Applejack, tipping her hat. "So, how 'bout we jus' let ya'll get to work, an' we'll jus' mind our own business."

"Ahh, but we find things floating to the top already," Dane grinned. "Ponies, so rare in Everfree Forest. Very useful."

Pinkie gulped. "Y-you want us to pull your carts?"

"For awhile, yes. Then we find other uses."

"Diamond dogs from Equestria are different from these," Zecora told her quietly. "In comparison, they are sweet and cuddly puppies."

"Your vest," Shining observed. "I've seen material like that before. The griffons make armor out of it."

Dane nodded, his wicked grin spreading even further. "Many uses for pony."

Shining Armor looked at his companions. He felt surprisingly calm. Wild storms, he could do little about. Changeling queens, he could only plan for. But this? This he knew.

He allowed himself a quick smile before focusing his magic into a solid beam and striking Dane in the chest with it. The diamond dog let out a surprised yelp as it was launched into the darkness beyond. Immediately, hunting howls and barks went up all around the group. Shining frowned and cast another spell, creating a dome of magenta energy around the group.

"We're going to need light," he told Zecora. "Do you have anything?"

"There is wood aplenty, but it is soaked. Lighting it may be beyond our hope."

"Just grab as much as you can, and I'll try to ignite it. Pinkie-" He paused and grimaced as a hail of dense, round stones pelted his shield, sending ripples across its surface. "We can't go forward. When I release the shield, find us the largest and most buoyant log you can. We'll have to try and cross back to Cadance's side."

"Okey-dokey-lokey," Pinkie said seriously.

"Applejack... ready to fight?"

She grinned. "Born ready."

"Okay." Another wave of sling bullets slammed into the barrier, and he forced more of his will into reinforcing it. "Zecora?"

"I have enough for a decent fire, but I'll have to add more or it will expire."

"Keep it going, no matter what. I've got a feeling these things can see in the dark, but we sure can't." He took a deep breath and waited for the next volley. "Get ready!" he said as it hit, and then he dropped the shield and focused another blast of magic, this one pure heat, on the pile of kindling Zecora had built. Steam hissed as the damp sticks burst into flame, but at least they were burning. Using his telekinesis to build a makeshift torch, he charged towards the diamond dogs, Applejack right behind him.

The first one he found, a fat, stocky creature with tusks that rose to almost cover its eyes, barked in surprise as Shining closed in on it. He slammed a shoulder into its stomach, bowling it away like a ball. Applejack spun on her front hooves and bucked the next one, smashing it into a tree ten feet away. The dogs howled, and Shining heard the tell-tale whirring of slings being wound up; he quickly created another dome around them, just in time to deflect another volley.

He dropped the shield a moment later and charged again. Dismally, he noted that the sticks he'd grabbed were already beginning to sputter and burn low. "We're going to have to fall back to the river soon!" he called.

"Gotcha!" shouted Applejack. He heard another slam and pained yelp behind him as she leveled another of the creatures.

"This is stupid!" growled a diamond dog he couldn't see. "Release the hounds!"

"You are the hounds!" Shining protested.

Howls went up from the diamond dogs' ranks. They were met a moment later by more howls, though these sounded... strange. Warped, somehow, as if being emitted from something hollow and wooden.

"Timber wolves," he heard Zecora gasp. For once, she didn't finish the rhyme. And that, more than anything else, made Shining start worrying.

"Those don't sound like timber wolves!" Applejack protested. "We hear 'em aroun' Sweet Apple Acres whenever zap apple season's about ta start!"

"Don't argue with me!" the zebra snapped. "Hurry! We must flee!"

Shining bumped against Applejack as he began backing away. "We need to go anyway, the torch is almost out. And whatever's out there... "

"Yeah, okay" Applejack nodded, joining his retreat.

They were nearly at the shore when the creatures burst from the treeline.

There were three of them, and they were huge. Nearly the size of an average home in Ponyville. Despite the darkness and the lack of moon, he could see them clearly, thanks to the emerald light blazing in their eyes and shining through cracks and openings in the twisted, thorny vines that formed their skin. Calling them "wolves" was like calling a saber toothed tiger a cat. While their forms were canine in nature, their heads were long and narrow, like a crocodile's, and covered with spikes that jutted forward at random angles. More spikes stuck out of their gnarled bodies at every angle imaginable.

The diamond dogs fell back, cackling and yipping, while the timber wolves pawed the ground and growled a challenge. Shining and Applejack turned to eachother, gulped, and broke into an open gallop for the shore. "Pinkie! Log! Now!"

"I'm trying!" she called from somewhere beyond their vision. "All the good ones are tangled up!"

"Willing to settle for mediocre!"

Applejack shouldered him as they ran. "Shinin', yer shield!"

He turned and nearly froze. The first of the massive wolves had already closed the distance, and its thorny fangs glistened with some equivalent of saliva. Acting quicker than he could think, he created a triangular barrier inside the thing's mouth. As its jaws started to snap shut, the sharp-edged shield bit into its tongue, and it yelped in surprise and fell back.

They reached the shore a moment later, and Shining wasted no time before spinning about and creating another dome, this one barely large enough to contain the group but significantly thicker. A moment later, a timber wolf's paw smashed into it from the side, nearly knocking the him off his hooves.

"I can't hold this for long!" he shouted.

"Pinkie!" called Applejack. "Got a log yet?!"

"Maybe! Just... one... " She grunted, and there was a loud crack followed by a splash. "Oh, come on!"

"What?!

"Um... need a little more time, sorry!"

"Time... is kind of at a premium," Shining gasped, pushing everything he could into his spell as another of the timber wolves batted experimentally at the shield.

He heard Applejack gasp, and looked up. Two of the wolves seemed intent on them, but the third one...

"Pinkie!" he shouted. "It sees you!"

"Um... wow," she said with quiet awe. "And I see it. Um."

"Get out of there!"

"B-but what about you guys?!"

"We'll... be fine," he lied. Another blow from one of the wolves made him sag to his knees.

"I... I'm coming back for you guys! Pinkie promise!"

"Jus' go!" yelled Applejack.

Pinkie made a reluctant sound, but a moment later they heard a splash as she dove beneath the water. The third wolf continued staring after her for a moment, then turned its attention back to the group.

"Find Cadance," Shining whispered, more a prayer than an order. "Just... find Cadance."

One of the wolves lay down and began gnawing idly on the barrier. The pressure and sawing motion made him sag even further.

"Think she'll be okay?" asked Applejack, settling down beside him.

"Yeah. They're... focused on us now."

Zecora moved beside him. "Do not give up hope, valiant knight. Diamond dogs take prisoners; we shall survive at least this night."

"Prisoners? No." He shook his head weakly. "Not... gonna be made into some diamond dog's underoos."

"You surrender?" called a scratchy voice from somewhere behind the massive wolves. "Give up, we not let timber wolves eat you! Promise!"

Shining reached for every ounce of strength he could. "Call them off!"

The diamond dog whistled sharply, and the timber wolves turned towards the sound, panting eagerly. "Go back to camp! Food there!" Suddenly seeming more like cheerful puppies than gigantic killing machines, the wolves bounded away happily, leafy tongues wagging.

"Okay!" called the diamond dog. "Let down shield! You prisoners now!"

"No tricks!" Shining yelled back. "Come closer so we can see you!"

There was some growled discussion from the darkness. After a minute or so of debate, punctuated by a heavy slap across someone's jowls, a half dozen of the creatures stepped into the meager light cast by his barrier. "Okay! You happy now?"

"Yep," Shining said, releasing every ounce of magical power he had left into his shield. The dome exploded, magical heat and concussive force erupting from it in every direction. Shrieking diamond dogs were hurled into the sky, their fur singed or burning, and for a brief moment, it seemed that all of Everfree was lit as bright as day.

He turned to his companions. "Run," he told them. And then he swayed and collapsed.


He awoke once again to a hoof shaking him roughly. "It's too early, Cadance, just let me... " He opened his eyes and blinked. Pinkie Pie, her poofy mane damp and tangled with leaves and sticks, was staring at him with concern. Behind her, the first rays of the morning sun were piercing the thin canopy of gray clouds that lingered from the storm.

"Shiny, are you okay?"

"Pinkie?" he asked blearily. He looked around and was surprised to find himself lying just a hundred or so feet from where he'd fallen, concealed partially by a dense bush dotted with red berries. He could clearly see the scorch marks and crater left by his spell. "What happened?"

"I was kinda hoping you'd know," she said. "There was this big explosion, and that made this big wave, and all of a sudden I was on the other side of the river and hanging from a tree and really needed to take a nap. Once I woke up, I swam back over here, and then I saw your head sticking out of a bush. Where are AJ and Zecora?"

"I don't know," he said honestly. "I passed out. They must have dragged me over here, and then... I don't know. Maybe they had to run, and didn't get to double back yet."

"I hope they're okay."

He nodded. "Me, too. Did you... see any sign of Cadance?"

Pinkie chewed her lip and shook her head. "Um... I did find my umbrella... "

"You don't think they tried to cross during the storm, do you?"

"I... Dashie's too smart for that... I think... "

Shining sighed. "Damn it. Damn it all to Tartarus. What do we do now?"

"I'm not normally the pony who comes up with ideas. But, um... we need to find AJ and Zecora, right?"

"Yeah... but... " He sighed again. "Cadance. If she still hasn't found us, something bad must've happened. She could be hurt. Or... or worse."

Pinkie looked up. "Cast your tracking spell on her!"

"Huh?"

"Your tracky-findy-spell! That only works if the pony you're following is alive, right?"

He shook his head. "You're thinking of Cadance's spell that points directly at the target. Mine just follows tracks. And if she was swept into the river, it's not going to work."

She frowned thoughtfully. "But... then, you can use it on Zecora and Applejack, right?"

"Yeah, but... "

Pinkie turned to face him fully, and put a hoof on each of his shoulders. "I know you're really, really worried about Cadance, and that's good, because you're her husband and you love her and it'd be weird if you weren't. But she's a big, powerful princess now, you know? Like you said, she can totally take care of herself, probably even better than the rest of us. Plus, she can use her spell to find you, right?"

"Only if she has something that belongs to me."

She tapped a hoof over Shining's heart. "Does that count?"

He blinked at her. A small smile spread across his face. "Maybe, yeah."

"So, let her find you. She can be in charge of finding Bluebie and Dashie, and then they'll come lookin' for us. But we have some friends that only we know might be in trouble, and only we can help them."

Shining gave her a long, considering look. "No wonder you're one of the Elements of Harmony. You might act a little strange... uh, no offense... "

"None taken!"

"... But you're still a hero." He touched his forehead to hers. "Thank you."

She giggled, turning bright red. "Aww, it's nothing! This exact same thing happened once when Fluttershy used this scroll of Control Weather and Twilight was all upset that it was totally ruining her encounter, so she had us all get separated by a big flood. And then, that one time, Dashie ran up and chopped the bad guy in half with one hit, and Twilight was so mad that she made rocks fall on us, but Rarity had stolen a wand of Stone to Mud so we all just got really, really messy."

He blinked at her. "Okay, you're going to have to tell me about your campaign."

"Really?!" Pinkie cried, bouncing into the air. "Well, gee, maybe I should tell you about how our characters all met! See, Twilight really wanted to make sure we didn't meet in a tavern, but then Dashie's barbarian... "

Shining nodded along, only half-listening but enjoying the company. His horn glowed as he searched the area for his friends' tracks, and it didn't take long before he found them. Okay, he thought to himself as he and Pinkie set off. Celestia, I'm going to try and save these two. Could you do me a favor and keep an eye on Cadance? And Rainbow Dash. And... okay, even Blueblood.

Keep 'em safe, Celestia. I want us all to come back.

Next Chapter: The Prince Gets All Washed Up Estimated time remaining: 4 Hours, 50 Minutes
Return to Story Description

Login

Facebook
Login with
Facebook:
FiMFetch