The Problems of Alicorns

Prologue

"Get her!" a guard shouts behind me.

"Don't let her escape!" a different guard hollers.

'Run!' I think, my hooves already drumming against the cobblestone street.

I've just escaped from the castle prison, my bags all but empty. They have little in them: some accessories I've brought to remind me of my past life, a book about edible wild plants, and a clipping of an apparently golden gladiola plant. It isn't anything special, but I couldn't help but take a bit to remind me of my sisters and my silent revolt. My friends have no idea where I'm going; one of them thinks I'm still imprisoned and will be for life. As much as I want to, I can't go back. It would put them in danger, and I can't do that. Not to my friends. "I'm sorry," I whisper, knowing my friends can't hear me, but wanting to say it anyway.

My bright red mane streams behind me, easily visible in the lightening sunrise, and although I'm still small and young for alicorn standards, I'm rather fast. Regardless, I hear the guards catching up to me. 'Just a little further, Sun Swirls! Come on! You can do it!' I think, panting. My goal is the forest that keeps getting closer. I can feel the drumming of the guards' hooves behind me, and I can feel their breath on my flank. "No!" I shout desperately, springing into the air. It seems to catch them off guard, as they skid to a stop and look up at me. I can go faster flying, but a few of the guards are pegasi. Once they get over their shock of how fast I've taken off, they spring into the air and fly after me, but I've gotten a good start and have flown far enough that it might take a while for them to get to me. The guards start making arrows shoot at me, and while none of them hit and stick, a lot of them skim. I get cuts all over, and blood starts staining my bright yellow coat. Cursing, I quickly descend into the trees, watching as the light I can see gets dimmer through the leaves. Most ponies are afraid to go in here, probably because of it's reputation. It's called the Everfree Forest, and many say that ponies who go in never come out. In my case, it will be true because I will never come back. This place is no longer home. It stopped being home when my sisters found me out and the princesses threw me in their prison.

I land and keep running, dodging trees and leaping over bushes. After a while I realize I can't hear the guards coming after me anymore. I breath a sigh of relief and more or less collapse on the ground. The sun is coming up; my sisters will be asleep, as will my parents. Pretty much all of the ponies in the kingdom will be. The more I think about it, the more I remember I need to sleep. I put my head on my hooves with a sigh and fall asleep.

~~~~~~~~~

I wake up, and for a moment, I don't know where I am.

Then I remember last night's... escapade. I'm filled with relief at the fact that after all these years, I have escaped from my sisters.

I have escaped my horrible nightmares and kingdom, thinking I never would.

I have escaped Cryptia, when no pony else has been able to.

And now...

I am free.

~~~~~~~~~

I journey through the Everfree Forest, picking only things I have found are edible in my book, traveling by day as everypony in Cryptia should be asleep. It takes forever, and I could speed my progress up with a teleportation spell, but I haven't learned it yet. My parents taught me and my sisters much, but they hadn't gotten to that yet. Finally, after what feels like a month, but I think is barely two or three weeks, I can see a tower of a distant castle. My heart leaps in relief, and I try as fast as I can to get there, pushing myself harder each day to get closer, and every day it does. I can imagine a nice family there, taking me in and caring for me like my parents never did. Or at least, somepony like that somewhere around there.