Portunes was enjoying his lunch when a commotion rose up, many Deers went towards the commotion to check what was going on, and just like any good guard, Portunes took a look at his lunch and sighed with disappointment, picked up his helmet, asked the waiter to make his meal to-go, and then left to check on whatever was happening.
"Move aside, Guard coming through," Portunes's voice rose above the crowd as he pushed his way through the small sea of Deer, making his way to the front in order to see what was going on.
"Put down your weapons! These are my guests!" Portunes froze as a familiar voice rose from the front of the crowd before he quickly started pushing Deer to the side, moving forward quicker and faster.
"You know as well as everyone, No Deer is allowed in or out of the City without express permission from the Guard," Another familiar voice spoke and Portunes had to shout over whatever crowd remained in order to stop the foolishness that was happening.
"Beech! Tell your Stags to lower their weapons now!!!" Portunes shoved the last of the Deer to the side and finally saw what was going on.
Captain Beech, Captain of the City Guard, Had his guards pointing their weapons at a teenage Deer and two other creatures he's only seen in books and Historical Documents.
"Portunes! Great, I need you to tell this Guard to let me and these two in," Portunes looked at the teenager, his Prince, and felt his back twitch at the thought of needing to deal with whatever the King would do to him if he ever discovered what happened here.
On second thought, it is not IF he discovered, but When...
"Captain Portunes, Still on Babysitting duty I see," The Green-Armored Deer turned his head to look at a slightly younger Guard covered in an Orange set of armor.
"Still threatening Children, I see," Portunes bit back before he turned to the other guards, "I said lower your weapons, this Fawn is your Prince," Portunes watched as many of the Guards quickly lowered their weapons and stopped pointing them at his Prince.
"You know the rules, Portunes, No Deer is allowed out of the city without express permission from the guard," Beech said with a smirk, his spear still pointing at the Prince and the two Ponies.
"I permitted him! Now lower your spear before I lower it for you!" Portunes glared at Beech for a few more seconds before the Captain of the City Guard scoffed and put down his spear.
"Good, Now Portunes-" "Not now Bramble," Portunes interrupted his Prince, feeling a pang of guilt as he looked at the young Deer before he turned back to the crowd of onlookers.
"Back to where you came from! Show's over!" And with grunts and grumbles of disappointment, the crowd of Deer turned away and returned to what they were doing.
Portunes turned back to his Prince and the two Ponies behind him, "Bramble, do you understand what you just did? No, never mind that. You three, Follow me," Portunes waited for his Prince to start following him before he started leading them to the Castle.
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Cadance couldn't help but stare in awe at the sight of the buildings in front of her.
It would be a disservice to even call them buildings, they looked like Giant Trees, with the buildings being carved into them like giant intricate wooden statues.
"I'm sorry you two had to see that," Cadance turned to look at Bramble, the young Deer looking up at her as he spoke, "I didn't think it would be such a big deal..."
"What's done is done," Bluey spoke up, Causing Cadance to smile at her cousin's faint attempt to cheer up the young deer in his own Bluebloody sort of way, "What I'm more interested in is you being a Prince,"
"Oh, That..." Bramble looked away before he mumbled, "I didn't think it was important,"
Bluey sighed at that, he seemed to be doing that more often, "What do you think would have happened if we didn't immediately come to the Gate and a Guard spotted us?" He asked.
"Umm, He would have taken us to the Gate?" Bramble guessed.
"I would have put the two of you under arrest for trying to fawnnap the Prince," Portunes said, his back still turned to the three Royals.
"WHAT?!" Bramble yelled.
"But we weren't trying to Foalnap anypony," Cadance said, "We were looking for Thicket, and Bramble was the first Deer we've seen,"
"But they don't know that," Bluey said, "They see two foreign strangers hanging around their young Prince, In an area where none of them should have been. Let me ask you this, Cadance, What would you do if you've seen Starlight Glimmer walking down the corridor of the castle?"
Cadance raised an eyebrow at the question her cousin asked, "I would say hello?"
Bluey continued, "And if you've seen her walking down the castle corridors a year ago?"
Cadance took a moment to think over the question before the realization hit her, "I would call the guards, Someone broke into the castle,"
"Exactly." Bluey nodded at her answer before he turned back to Bramble, "A Prince isn't just some fancy title you put in front of your name, You are much more than that. You are both an asset of the Crown and a bargaining chip, your actions could dictate the lives of thousands. If a Deer your age spilled a cup of Water on a random Griffon, it could start a small argument but ultimately end up with nothing more. If a Prince like you spilled a cup of Water on a Griffon, It would be sensationalized in headlines and news stories all around the nation, 'Prince Bramble humiliates innocent Griffon, do the Deer have no Shame?' An action you might think little of, could down the line, start Wars with thousands of lives on the line,"
"I wouldn't go that far, but what I think Bluey is trying to say is that being a Prince means you need to follow certain rules that might seem stupid but are still important," Cadance chuckled to herself, "I still remember when I first got my horn, I accidentally set somepony's hat on fire, If Princess Celestia hadn't stepped in to defend me, I might have made an enemy with the Mayor of Chicacolt,"
"You remember that, right Bluey?" Cadance smiled at her cousin.
"Nope," Cadance's smile disappeared as she stumbled at her cousin's blunt answer.
"That's stupid," Cadance turned back to Bramble as he kicked the dirt in front of him, a small smile climbing back onto her lips.
"That's called being an adult," Bluey said, the small weird bird on Bramble's head chirping in agreement.
"Being an adult is stupid," Bramble said as he made a face that made Cadance want to squeeze his cheeks.
"We're here," Cadance closed her mouth and swallowed the quip she was about to say as Portunes spoke up, causing the royals to look in front of them.
Surrounded by a wall of living wood, Stood what Cadance could easily say was the largest tree she had ever seen in her life. As wide as a tower and taller than 100 meters!
She had seen Giant Sequoia trees before, and none of them came close to the size of the tree in front of her.
Around the trunk was a walkway that took the group high above the other trees in the forest, before they reached a door in the tree.
"Royal Guard Captain Portunes! Accompanying Prince Bramble and two others" Portunes yelled as he knocked on the door, "Requesting permission to enter!"
Cadance stared at the detailed carvings on the door, her eyes mesmerized by the artwork in front of her.
After a minute, the Door opened from the inside. "Do not speak unless permitted," Portunes turned to tell Cadance and her cousin, "Show your respect to the King," He told them before he walked in.
"Again, I'm so sorry for all of this," Bramble quickly bowed to the two Ponies before he walked in after Portunes.
Cadance took a deep breath, turning to look at her cousin, "Okay, This is it, yes? Who would have guessed we'd meet with King Aspen on the first day," She smiled at her cousin only to stop as he stared blankly at her.
"You jinxed it." He sounded defeated as if Cadance's words just killed any hope he had of the meeting with the King going smoothly.
And with a blank look on his face, Prince Blueblood walked into the Castle Tree of Thicket.
Cadance gave her wings one last stretch before she too walked inside.
And the door shut behind her.
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"Who does that stupid Green-helmet think he is?" Down on the ground, behind the houses and alley, walking the perimeter of Thicket, Captain Beech scowled as he moved.
"He hasn't been following the established law, Why does he get to be Captain of the Royal Guard, lazing about all day doing nothing while I need to actually work!" Beech scowled under his Orange Helmet, kicking a nearby wooden box and breaking it under his hooves.
"Eeek!" he froze as he heard someone behind him. Turning around quickly, he pulled out his Spear and pointed it at the Wooden Box he just kicked.
He held his breath as the planks of broken wood shuffled before a Pink pony emerged from beneath the planks, coughing dust out and shaking the crown of flowers on her Raspberry Mane, As she opened her Green eyes, she froze as she came face to tip with Captain Beech and his Spear.
"Pleasedon'tkillmeIdon'twanttodie!" The Pony cried loudly before closing her eyes and waiting for the inevitable impalement.
"Who are you?! Why are you here?!" Beech yelled at her, the pony shaking as she answered.
"I- I'm Gloriosa Daisy, I'm looking for the heart of the Everfree- Eeek! Please don't hurt me I'm too young to D-D-Die!!!"
Beech stared at the scared mare in front of him before a thought came into his head, A thought that might just earn him his well-deserved promotion and get rid of Portunes all at once.
"You're not with the other two ponies that came here, are you?" He asked the Pony, who shook her head as tears rolled down her face.
"And nobody else knows you're here?" He asked again, receiving another shake from the Mare.
"And you want to get your grippy little hooves on the Heart of the Everfree? Truly?"
"I- I'm sorry! I- I don't know what else to do!!!" Gloriosa cried only for a leg of soft brown hairs to shush her.
Gloriosa Daisy opened her eyes to see Beech close to her face, "Please, Don't cry, someone might hear you," He smirked as he helped pull her up, "Let me help you,"
Gloriosa paused, "Y- You'll help me get the Heart of the Everfree?"
"Of course," Beech smirked at her as he started to chuckle.
If Gloriosa Daisy wasn't too busy being afraid, she might have heard the sounds of a hissing snake.
"Let us steal the Heart of the Everfree, Ms. Daisy!"
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Prince Blueblood bowed his head as he stood in front of the Gold and Red Throne inside the castle of living wood.
"Ahh, Ponies, How long has it been? Has Celestia finally taken notice? No... It's not that, You aren't Celestia, neither of you are, Ahh, Why have you come here? Introduce yourselves." Sitting on the throne was the same deer that appeared in Cosmos's memory, but his identity was where the similarities ended.
If the Deer from the memory, the same one that Luna spoke of in her drunken stupor, was Elegant and Charismatic, clean and focused, then the Deer in front of him was his husk, a senile old man barely able to keep his eyes focused on them before they wandered to his Son.
Wrapped in a Red Robe, his green eyes struggling to stay focused, a large white beard covered the front of his face and hid his mouth, Aside from the golden rings on his horns that acted as a crown, the only accessory he had was a thick necklace of gold around his neck, with a glowing Red Heart made of Crystal in its center.
"Your Majesty, it is my deepest Honor to meet you, I am Prince Blueblood Platinum of Equestria, and with me is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza of Equestria, We are-" "SILENCE!"
Silence Followed as King Aspen glared at the Unicorn, "Did you say Platinum?"
"Yes your Maje-" Blueblood was interrupted as King Aspen rose to his hooves, covered in golden shoes, pointing a leg at him as he shouted.
"Guards! Get them out! OUT! And never allow them to return!!!!"
The Decrepit old king yelled at the two Ponies who stared at him in shock, "OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Father no! At least let them ask their question, hear them out!" Bramble stood up in order to try and stop his father.
"Bramble?" King Aspen's mood seemed to take on a switch as he returned from the furious King back to the old man from before, "Oh my sweet Bramble, How long have you been here? No, That's the question I want to ask-" King Aspen rocked his head from side to side, as if trying to clear cobwebs from his mind, "Ah yes, My Son, My dearest and most precious Bramble, For you I will do anything," King Aspen tried to smile lovingly at his son, but to the onlookers, it looked like someone stretched his lips in the vague approximation of a smile.
"You," The king turned to the Unicorn Prince, "Speak, ask your question, You can thank my dear Bramble for granting your cursed blood this opportunity, Platinum, for there will not be another..."
Prince Blueblood took a second to organize his thoughts before he spoke.
"A bit over one thousand years ago-" He was interrupted by King Aspen raising his hoof.
"Stop," He ordered him before he turned to Portunes, "Captain Birch, take Bramble and this... Pink Princess, and leave me. I shall speak with this Platinum privately, Do not return until sunset,"
"As you command, Your Majesty," Portunes bowed his head, "Bramble, Mi Amore Cadenza, come. The King wished for privacy,"
"But-" Bramble tried to argue, but one look at his father told him this was not the appropriate time.
"Will you be okay here?" Cadance asked her cousin, who nodded silently for his reply, not taking his eyes off the Deer King, "If you're sure," Cadance bowed to the King before she joined the two Deers before the Door closed behind them.
Leaving King Aspen and Prince Blueblood alone.
"Now, Blueblood Platinum, Descendant of the Cursed House, Speak," King Aspen said once only the two of them remained in the throne room, his voice ringing around the hollowed tree in a booming echo.
The Red Crystal Heart on his necklace started glowing as vines tipped with sharp thorns burst out of the floor and wrapped around the Prince, their sharp edges pointing at his face as green liquid dripped down and splattered on the floor, leaving a quiet hiss as it melted into the wood.
"Or Begone,