Every bloodline has four members that are remembered long after their death.
The First, The Best, The Worst, The Last.
Those were the words Chancellor Cheesecake told Prince Cocytus Platinum all those years ago. Those were the words that were stuck in the head of the Young Unicorn who walked beside his brother, hiding in the shadow of his father.
Princess Amore needs to be rid of.
Those were the words Queen Gaia Everfree spoke as she cursed the world for bringing the monstrosity that was Perfection to life; those were the words that caused the Young Unicorn to ask himself.
"How can we be safe if these evils will continue to haunt us?" He asked as he walked around the site of a monument that would later be given the name of Ponhenge. "Even when we banish them, we're merely delaying their return!"
Above the Young Unicorn, a mass of colorful magical spices and powdered gemstones floated, taking the form of a Spirit to communicate from far away with the young magician.
"Such queries shall thee guide upon a dark and dreary way, Young Stygian," The Spirit spoke as her false form lounged in the air above, swirling with ancient magic, "It were wise to set thy mind at rest concerning such matters."
"But..." Stygian sighed as he lowered his head in shame, "You're correct, Cosmos, as usual, my foolishness has gotten the better of me..."
The spirit's false form lowered to the ground, a long blue claw made up of swirling dust moved to gently grab at the Unicorn's cheek, a pair of false yellow eyes staring into the Pony's clear blue.
"Prithee, do not speak so disdainfully of thyself, mine most dear companion," Cosmos said as she gently caressed the Unicorn's face, wiping away at a tear that threatened to escape his eye, "Thou art yet mastering the fashions of the world; I have faith that one of thy wit shall find a remedy to the plight thou dost encounter."
"Yes..." Stygian nodded his head, staring deep into the Spirit's false eyes, "If I can't make sure that the evil will not return, then I'll just need to think of a way it'll never be able to come back!" He jumped in place before he began to pace around Ponhenge.
"I have so many ideas I need to try out!" The Young Unicorn called out to the Spirit, "Thank you so much, Cosmos! I don't know what I would have done without you!"
"I am fully persuaded that thou wouldst have wrought some remedy, nonetheless." Cosmos told the Unicorn as she turned to look at the sky, "The hour groweth late, and one would not wish to linger so far amidst the mountains as the moon doth ascend the heavens."
"Yes, you're right." Stygian nodded at the Spirit, "I shall be going then. I will see you again soon, Cosmos."
"As thou oughtest, Stygian."
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Blueblood Platinum woke, covered in a sheet of sweat, his breath heavy and laboured, as if he had run an entire marathon.
He looked down at the amulet holding the two shards of the Spirit, his mind wondering why he didn't find himself inside her prison this night. Instead, seeing her in that dream, speaking in some fancy English, with that skinny Unicorn.
"I know that voice." Blueblood said to himself as he tried to imagine the source of the voice in his mind with the pony in that dream, "No. It's not him." he shook his head as he banished the thought.
"It has to be something with this manor..." He stood up and walked outside of the tent, through the veil of willow-like leaves, and stared at the old manor that still stood over a thousand years later, a hoof moving to hold at the amulet.
"Was that a memory of hers?" He asked out loud, waiting for a reply.
"We only know what you know, you know that, right?" A Harpy resembling a Scarlet Macaw told him as his ethereal form appeared to stand beside him, like a ghostly companion.
"If you don't know the answer, then what good are you?" Blueblood scoffed as he turned back, ignoring Macaw's own scoff as he once more disappeared.
Blueblood walked through the willow-like leaves once again before entering the tent, only to freeze as he stared inside.
"...Where's Aspen?"
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Prince Bramble laughed joyously as he ran through the forest, jumping over roots and skipping across rivers. The forest moved to construct a path for the Prince, keeping him safe from the dangers that would await him around the corner.
He passed by a Manticore tied up in a net of vines, roaring angrily as it tried to swipe its claws at the Prince. He skipped by a nest of owls, which decided to fly above him, following the prince as the birds told him of what was ahead.
He passed bushes of berries and trees of fruit, nests and burrows of many a critter and beast, all the while following the words of the forest, making his way towards where his Father went.
"He's investigating what happened with Mom," The Prince told the grass and the trees, "I need to be there, I want to know what he'll find!"
"Mommy is sorry, Bramble, but I am going to have to ask you to die."
Bramble shook his head as he focused on running through the forest, following the trail his father made. The memories of that day repeated in his head like a siren's song, beckoning him further and further into questioning the world around him.
"If I can figure out what's happening with Gaia, Father might allow me to leave the forest, to see the outside world for myself!" He thought to himself as he jumped over a bush, finding himself entering a large clearing of the forest on the other side, a large willow tree standing before him, its leaves acting as a veil, hiding the other side of the clearing from view.
"We made it!" Bramble said with cheer as he turned around to talk with all the animals that followed him, "We-" He paused as he looked at the animals that ran with him.
They refused to enter the clearing.
Flying Squirrels climbed up trees to wave him goodbye, owls and bats landed on branches to keep an eye on the prince, skunks poked their heads from beneath the bushes to say farewell, but none of them dared enter the clearing.
"What's wrong?" He asked his friends, "Why aren't you coming?"
"It's terrifying." One opossum said to him.
"It's cursed!" A bright-eyed fox yelped.
"It's scary!" A small mouse squeaked.
Similar words came out from the other animals, all giving words of warning and excuses for why they couldn't follow the Prince any further.
The most noticeable warning came from an old Great Horned Owl.
"That land is a place of death." He told Bramble, "Only ruin will come from venturing deeper." The Owl's yellow eyes seemed to pierce into the deer's souls as he spoke, "It would be wise to leave this land, Young Lord, lest you incur the ire of the restless who dwell beneath."
Those words were no doubt meant to dissuade him from continuing, telling him that it's dangerous, that it'll be safer to just give up and head back to Thicket.
Bramble instead turned away from the animals and walked deeper into the clearing, passing by toppled piles of ancient brick and broken marble, granite slabs, and forgotten rubble.
"If I gave up on what I wanted to do just because it was dangerous, how can I even dare to call myself a Prince?" Bramble asked himself.
"Cadance didn't give up when Gaia captured her, so neither will I!"
In that moment, the veil of leaves moved aside as a figure walked out to see what was going on.
"Aspen, is that you-" Prince Blueblood Platinum froze as he locked eyes with Prince Bramble Everfree.
"..."
"What are you doing here?" The Unicorn prince asked as he stepped out of the veil of leaves and walked closer to the Deer, "You should be in Thicket, it's not safe here!"
"I know! I just- I need to know what happened here, too!" Bramble tried to explain to the other prince.
"And I need you to get back to Thicket before anything happens to you," Blueblood told the prince.
Bramble expected to look at the Prince after hearing those words, and see the same expression all the older deer gave him when they told him that the world outside the castle was dangerous.
He expected to see the look of someone who expected to be listened to simply for the fact that they were older, that they supposedly knew better.
Instead, he saw genuine worry.
Not worry about getting put in trouble should his father discover what was happening, but worry about his health.
Worry about his life.
"What happened?" The young Prince asked, worry in his voice as he looked around the Unicorn, "And where's Dad?"
"Bramble, I need you to go back to Thicket right now-"
"What happened?!" Bramble interrupted the Unicorn Prince, "Tell me what's going on!" He yelled, his breath leaving quickly.
"Bramble, you need to calm down and listen to me," Blueblood placed a hoof on the Deer's shoulder and turned his head to look at him, "I want you to take deep breaths, okay?" He asked of the Deer, who nodded along as he followed his instructions.
"Good, now I need you to go back to Thicket and get a message to the guards, okay?" Blueblood asked the Deer, "Tell them to get as many available guards as they can, and to bring medical supplies with them as well."
"I'll get a bird to deliver the message," Bramble swallowed his saliva, "Where's Dad?"
"Bramble-"
"CALVIN!" Bramble yelled, a small orange bird chirped back from the edge of the clearing, "TELL PORTUNES TO BRING AS MANY GUARDS AS HE CAN! AND HEALERS TOO!!!" He yelled at the bird, which responded with a chirp before flying off.
Bramble turned back to Blueblood, "Let's go."
"You're either going back to Thicket, or you're staying outside." Blueblood told the Deer.
"My Dad is in danger-"
"You're not going-" Blueblood tried to tell the Prince, only for the young deer to do something unexpected.
"I am Prince Bramble of Thicket and the Everfree!" The young Prince interrupted the Unicorn, "With my authority, I am ordering you to let me accompany you in search of my father, King Aspen Everfree!"
Prince Blueblood stared blankly at the Prince, the two royals locking eyes for almost twenty seconds before Blueblood turned away and- "Dammit... Fuck! GOD FUCKING DAMMIT!" He turned back to the Deer, "SHIT! FINE! But you are to stay close and do exactly as I say, understood? I do not want any insubordination here." He glared down at Bramble.
"The moment we walk into that Manor, I am your commander, and you are a soldier. My word is law, and your Royal Authority is null. I will not be hearing any arguments, am I understood?" Blueblood told the young Prince.
"YES SIR!" Bramble shouted, his eyes hardening into focus as he stared into the Unicorn's glacial orbs.
"Good! Stay half a step behind me at all times, do exactly as I say, and most importantly-" Blueblood grabbed hold of the Prince's shoulder, "If I tell you to run, even if Aspen or I are in danger, if we may die, no matter what- When I tell you to run, you run, and you do not stop running until you reach Thicket, am I understood?"
"But if I-"
"Am. I. Understood?" Blueblood squeezed Bramble's shoulder.
"Understood... Sir," Bramble said quietly, nodding his head.
"Good, now follow me." Blueblood turned around and began to walk back in the direction of the Willow-like tree.
Bramble followed the prince, walking through the veil of leaves and exiting on the other side of the tree to see a large manor, standing surprisingly stable despite one thousand years of abandonment.
"Remember," Blueblood said as he paused before entering the manor, "If I tell you to run away, you are to abandon me, abandon Aspen, abandon your horns if they stop you." He turned to look down at the Prince, "As long as you make it back safely to Thicket, then abandon everything that's hindering you."
Bramble wanted to argue; he wanted to tell the Unicorn that he won't abandon his father, or him, or anybody else. But when he looked into Blueblood's eyes, all his arguments fell silent as he once again saw through a facade of cold authority, seeing the warm worry that he hid underneath.
"Yes, Sir." Bramble nodded as he took a deep breath, a resolute ember beginning to burn behind his eyes.
Threatening to burn into a bright fire of unwavering determination.
And with no more words needing to be said, The Two Royals stepped into the long-abandoned mouth of Platinum Manor.