The Squishy Prince- Prologue

(note: this is the prologue story of my new interactive: the Squishy Prince https://www.writing.com/main/interactive-story/item_id/2282522-The-Squishy-Princ... )

The school building in Spectrum Bay erupted in cheers and cries of joy as the school bell rang, children and teenagers practically pouring out of the building and straight over to the local fast food restaurant, Lucha Burger, causing the unfortunate manager to scream. It was the last day to buy one of their milk shakes, the Battle Royale, a combination of different flavors that proved to be really popular. Jack raced over as fast as he could, hoping to avoid the usual bullies and buy one of the shakes while he could. He managed to sneak past Gary and his crew and make it to the line. The boy bounced up and down on his toes as he waited anxiously in line. “Come on, come on, come on…”, he said to himself, hoping they didn’t run out before he made it to the front. Finally, he was face to face with the overworked manager, Ignacio, whose uniform was peppered with splatters from the shake machine.

“-huff- Hola, and welcome to -huff- Lucha Burger… Oh, it’s this kid… Would you like to-”, Ignacio was interrupted as Jack interrupted him.

“YES! I WANT THE BATTLE ROYALE SHAKE!”, Jack cried out.

The overworked manager closed his eyes and sighed in frustration. “Of course… and since you’re the mayor’s stepson, I guess you’re wanting it free?”, Ignacio asked, the boy quickly nodding his head in response. “Of course…” Ignacio groaned as he went through the complicated process of making the special shake. “So glad we’re getting rid of these things…”, the short boy grumbled.

Jack continued bouncing as he clenched his book. The school assignment for the elementary classes was to study a historical figure, the Prince of Spades, the youngest ruler in the Kingdom of Iridian, which would eventually become known as Spectrum Bay. He hadn’t really studied in truth, having spent the past week staying up late to practice for a fighting game tournament that he ended up winning. He figured that he could cram all of his studying over the weekend and catch up with Mary and Roxi.

Ignacio sighed and finally handed Jack his milk shake, causing the boy to grin from ear to ear. He smiled as he began to sip his shake and walk away when his ears were assaulted with a loud “WHAT?!”

“Sorry, but we just sold the last one. Ever. Good riddance, too. You want something else?”, Ignacio asked.

Jack couldn’t help but giggle to himself as he slurped on his shake… but once he turned to find out who was screaming, his face practically turned white. Standing there, practically steaming with her fists clenched, was a young girl with lightly tanned skin, straight, bright orange hair, freckles on her face, and a comparatively huge rear end. It was Isabella Skye, one of the most powerful young witches in the city. Jack wasn’t sure if she was part of Selena’s mean girl group (it was tough to tell), but he knew for sure that she was just as bratty and sadistic as they were, and likely just as prone to overreaction.

“What do you mean that was the last one?! Do you losers not know how to make more?!”, the witch girl screamed. As the two were causing a scene, Jack took the opportunity to try and sneak away with his delicious prize.

Ignacio grumbled, wanting to tell this Karen of a little girl off, but having enough foresight to keep his composure. “Look, little Kar- er, little girl. We only had a limited supply of the flavors to make it. Once we run out, that’s it. And we ran out… so that’s-”

Isabella suddenly turned her attention to Jack, who was almost out the door. “Hey LOSER!”
Jack stopped dead in his tracks, trying to slurp more of the shake.
“You haven’t drunk all of yours yet. Give me the rest. NOW!”, the young witch demanded.

Jack shook his head as he continued to drink. He didn’t know if he would have another chance at enjoying the shake, and didn’t want the mean girl to know she could push him around.

“I SAID-”

Suddenly, the sound of an empty cup rang out, the loud echoing slurping noise causing the witch’s face to go red with anger. “You… you really-!”

“Um, I-I *gulp* Oh jeez… I would’ve shared if you asked nicely, but if you’re gonna be stingy, then-” Jack was interrupted as Isabella reached into her backpack and grabbed her wand.

“YOU’RE GONNA PAY FOR THAT, LOSER!”, the bully girl screamed as she pointed her wand out at Jack.

“W-wait, don’t! I’m sorry!” Jack dropped his cup and tried to shield himself with his book.

“Hehe, the Prince of Spades… you do know what happened to him, right?”, Isabella asked as she put her hand on her (surprisingly wide) hips.

“N-no, I haven’t read any of it yet..”, Jack admitted, though he wasn’t sure of what that had to do with this.

“Well you’re about to find out!” Isabella raised her wand and a dark energy began to emit from it.

“For an act so selfish on this day, a curse upon thee, I now lay
The boy who one time held the throne, the fate he suffered will be your own”

Suddenly, Jack was enveloped by the same dark energy and began to feel odd… then suddenly the energy dissipated. “H-huh? What did you do to me?!”

“I just cursed you, you idiot”, Isabella laughed. “Now you’re gonna have the same fate as the Prince. Hope that shake was worth it, Loser!”

Jack gasped and turned to Ignacio. “Wh-why didn’t you do anything?!”

“My mom’s policy is, unless it directly interferes with business, to not give a shit about customer disputes. Also-” He was interrupted as he was suddenly blasted with dark magic, leaving a milkshake in his place before Isabella snatched him up.

“If you’re not gonna get me my shake, then you’ll have to do”, she said as she took a sip of her new milkshake.

Seeing as he had no one to help him here, the boy’s eyes began to water, quickly turning and running out of the restaurant while the wicked little witch stood there cackling.

In the library, Mary was sitting with her friend Roxi at a table reading some books, while several other children were scattered throughout. Suddenly, Jack burst through the doors and ran inside. “I messed up! I messed up!”, the boy cried.

He was soon stopped and picked up by Roxi’s mother, Starla. She was a somewhat chubby, dark-skinned woman, with big poofy black hair and round glasses, and she looked annoyed. “Child, what is your problem?”, the librarian asked with a stern look on her face. “This is a library, you can’t come in here running and screaming like that!”

“M-Miss Rhodes, I messed up!”, Jack cried, tears welling up in his eyes. “I-I-I-I got the last of the Battle Royale shakes, a-a-and that little witch that hangs out with my sister got mad, a-a-and she cursed me, a-a-and… I-I don’t know what’s gonna happen to me!”

Starla’s look of disapproval turned into one of empathy as she held the boy’s shoulder while tears began streaming down his face. “Calm down, now, don’t worry. You’ll be safe here.” The librarian held Jack’s hand as she led him further inside. “We’ve got all kinds of books on magic here. What kind of curse was it?”

“-sniff- I dunno… she said something about a boy on the throne and sharing his fate…”, Jack answered as he was led over to Mary and Roxi.

“Hmm… the boy on the throne is probably the Prince of Spades…”, Starla said.

“Ooh, we’re doing a report on him and his kingdom”, Roxi piped up. “The Prince of Spades was the youngest ruler of the Kingdom of Iridian, which is where Spectrum Bay sits now. He took the throne after his father, King Donovan was exiled-”

“Your report isn’t until Monday, Roxi”, Starla said, causing Roxi to blush as Mary giggled, causing Jack to cheer up while he joined in. “But you’re right. The Prince was a very young monarch, beginning his rule at the age of nine. Coincidentally, he was also cursed right when his reign began, by a powerful Luna Witch, who drew her power from the moon…”

“Why does that sound familiar…”, Jack asked himself.

“He was stricken with a condition that made his body malleable… well, like yours, Jack”, Starla said. “In fact… wait right there…”

The librarian walked over to the “off limits” aisle and began looking through the books as Jack sat down with Mary and Roxi. “So what happened, Jackie?”, Mary asked her boyfriend.

“I got the last of those shakes, and that witch girl got mad and cursed me”, Jack sighed. “She said I’m gonna have the same fate as the Prince of Spades. But I don’t know what that was?”

“Well, you might have an idea if you spent the week studying instead of playing your video games”, Roxi snapped.

“B-but I had to practice for the tournament!”, Jack insisted. “I was going up against the best in the world, and-”

“Anyway”, Roxi interrupted. “Even if you did study, you probably wouldn’t have had much luck.”

“She’s right”, said Mary. “There’s so many books about him, and a lot of them have different stories, it’s tough to tell what’s real and what’s made up.”

“Yeah, there’s definitely some historical inaccuracies that need to be addressed… I think that’s part of why they’re having us do this assignment. You know, to use our investigative skills”, Roxi said. “It is nice to see everyone here reading up on history.”

“Here we go…”, said Starla as she placed a particularly ancient-looking book down on the table. “Curses involving fate are tough to dispel, but if we can figure out what the Prince’s final fate was, we can at least help you avoid it. This is the oldest book I have on the Kingdom of Iridian, so if any of them will show what happened to him, it’s this one. Now, I’ve got some inventory work to do. I trust y’all to take good care of this.”

The kids nodded as the librarian headed off, letting them look through the book. Of course, she needn’t have worried. The library was protected by a spell, which instantly repaired any damage done to both the building and any books that entered it. Starla still wanted her daughter and her friends to be careful with her books, though. Once they got to the first page, the three children were shocked at what they found. It was a picture of a tapestry depicting the Prince and his mother, the Queen. However, it looked more like… “Jackie?”, Mary asked as they all looked it over. The boy depicted on the tapestry looked exactly like Jack. The dark skin, red eyes, straight black hair all matched up with Jack. The woman next to him, the Queen, even resembled Jack’s mother, Trish. Sandy blonde hair, dark skin tone, and even her thick hips.

“I don’t think that’s a coincidence”, Roxi stated. “Jack… I think you’re the reincarnation of the Prince of Spades. And your mom was the Queen.”

“W-wow…”, Jack said. “If I knew that, I would’ve studied harder for this.”

“Omigosh… I can’t believe my boyfriend is a prince!”, Mary squealed as she hugged Jack tightly.

“Don’t get too distracted”, Roxi snapped. “We still gotta figure out what happened to him or you might not have a boyfriend for much longer.”

“Oh, right. Sorry”, Mary let go of Jack as the boy’s deformed body slowly began to return to normal as he began to read the story of what became of the Prince of Spades…

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On this day in the Kingdom of Iridian, King Donovan sat upon his throne toying with a ring in his hand. He was a feminine, youthful-looking man with crimson hair and a beauty mark on his chin, with his jewelry likely weighing more than he did. As he sat in the throne room, the previous silence was soon replaced by the loud sound of clattering on the floor. Donovan looked over to find his wife, Queen Patricia, stomping toward him, followed by several members of the royal court. “Good morning, my dear”, the King greeted. “You’re looking rather-OOOFFF!” King Donovan was interrupted with an echoing *SLAPPP!* as Queen Patricia struck her husband across the face, knocking him out of the throne and onto the ground.

“You PIG!”, the Queen shouted. The Queen was a beautiful woman, her hair a blonde color contrasting with her dark skin. While her golden threaded dress seemed poofy at first, it was actually almost skin-tight, barely containing her generous buttocks.

“D-Dearest Patricia, what has gotten into you?!”, the King shouted as he attempted to crawl away from his wife, only for her to grab his robes and yank him off of the ground.

“Don’t mistake me for a fool, Donovan!”, the Queen shouted as she angrily lifted her husband. “I know everything! All of those wenches, the theft of our allies, and everything else!”

“-gulp- W-well, dearest, perhaps we can discuss these misunderstandings, and focus on the matters of our kingdom…”

“You mean our SON’s Kingdom!”, Queen Patrica yelled as she tossed her pathetic husband to the ground. “I have tolerated your deceit for long enough! As Queen, I hereby banish thee forevermore!”

King Donovan sat in shock. “Y-you can’t! I’m the King! There is no greater authority than mi-” Donovan was silenced by a punch right to his face, knocking out several of his teeth. “AUGH!” Donovan grasped his jaw and trembled before his now former wife and her subjects.

“I have discussed it with the court. We have decided you are to be exiled, and our son, the Prince, will take the throne. You should consider yourself lucky, Donovan.” A short, tanned woman with brown hair and pink eyes handed the Queen a cloth, which she used to clean her fist. “Had the decision been my own, your punishment would be far greater. What you are getting is far better than a deceitful slime like yourself deserves.”

“You… you disfigured me!”, the now former King screamed as he attempted to cover his missing teeth. “You’re an unhinged beast!”

“And you a sniveling worm”, the Queen replied. “You always did care far too much for your appearance… Goodbye, Donovan. The knights will escort you out.”

Donovan clenched his fist before he was grabbed by both arms by a pair of strong, armored women and dragged out of the castle. “You ungrateful wench! I’ll see to it that whelp SUFFERS! And all you can do is watch!”

The effeminate former king was then carried through the castle town before being tossed out the walls, landing face-first in the mud. Donovan weakly brought himself to his knees and watched as the drawbridge was raised, sealing him out of the kingdom he once called home. “That she-beast… mutilating my perfect face… throwing me out of MY kingdom… giving everything I have to the boy…”, Donovan muttered as he began to stand to his feet. “He could pardon me… no… he won’t…” The disgraced former King trembled as he began to walk down to the wood, where a fog began to set in. “The boy is too weak-willed. Patricia will simply use him to accomplish her own goals. He’s always been weak. The Kingdom of Iridian deserves a strong ki-EEEEEEEEEKKK!” Donovan shrieked as he walked face first into a spiderweb, flailing his arms and screaming as he tried to brush himself free. “I can’t survive out here… no, the Kingdom can’t survive without me! I-” The former King stopped as he noticed that he had waded into a gelatinous mass. He wasn’t sure what it was, but it seemed to be rising. Donovan tried to pull himself free, but he found the mass was rising. “-grunt- A slime… I thought the Sun Queen eradicated you lot. Release me at once, and you won’t suffer the same fate!” The slime didn’t seem to listen, as it continued to engulf him. “Let go of me, you filthy creature! I am still royalty!” The slime soon began to cover his torso, pinning the former King’s arms to his side. “H-help! Knights! Save me! Patricia! What was the boy’s name again… James? Somebody hel-” The former King was silenced as the slime completely enveloped him, forcing him to curl up into a ball as it began to dissolve its prey. “This isn’t fair…”, the former royal silently screamed. “I was a just ruler, wasn’t I? Perhaps I made errors in judgment… but am I not human? Someone must have turned the court against me… It must have been the boy… Yes! He couldn't wait for his time to rule so conspired to have me thrown out of the kingdom! This can’t be the end… I can’t allow this to be my end… I must have vengeance!” Suddenly, as Donovan was beginning to be absorbed by the slime, it began to change to a crimson color and take a new form, one resembling the former King, albeit much shorter and compact. The new slime creature lied on the ground for a moment before stumbling to its feet. The crimson mass soon began to shamble on, it’s face beginning to contort until a hole formed in its head and a mouth formed. “Boy… you will be mine…”

Inside the castle, Queen Patricia sighed as she looked down at the crown of her former husband when she was confronted by her advisor, Amelia. The trusted aide was a shorter, somewhat plump woman, with thick thighs, a sizable rump, and large breasts. Her dark skin tone and earth-colored hair contrasted with her bright pink eyes which were covered by her spectacles. “My apologies for troubling you, your Highness”, she said. “I know you are going through a difficult time.”

“No, it is alright”, replied Queen Patricia. “I feel much better now. Honestly, we had not been close for some time. I am glad he is gone. Knowing what he had done, I could not live with myself if such a creature was allowed to continue ruling the land. Perhaps it is best that my son did not know his father so he would not be hurt as we have.”

“Speaking of the Prince…”, Amelia began. “You are aware that he must turn 16 before he can take the throne.”

“...or take a bride”, Queen Patricia replied. “I am aware, Lady Amelia. I have already sent out messengers to several Kingdoms in preparation. I will assist my son where I can, but… There are too many painful memories for me here. And the Kingdom of Iridian must be kept prosperous.”

“Oh…” The advisor seemed confused.

“Is… something the matter, Lady Amelia?”, the Queen asked.

“I did not receive a message. Did you intend to inform me personally?”, Amelia asked.

“Of… what, might I ask?”

“I… assumed that, being the only one of nobility within the kingdom, and having proven my loyalty to the throne, that you would have asked me to take the hand of the Prince and be wed to him.” The short woman grasped her hands and looked up at the Queen, almost as if she were pleading with her.

“Oh… Amelia”, the Queen explained, “As an advisor, you are invaluable. You have helped us to lead the kingdom into an age of prosperity and helped us to make many allies.” Amelia seemed to light up upon hearing such praise from the Queen. “But the Prince is a weak-willed boy, and enemies of Iridian will no doubt view the King’s betrayal as an opportunity to strike. I have no doubt you would make a fine wife for my son, and a fitting Queen… but you are needed elsewhere.”

Amelia then scowled and stomped her feet, her hair beginning to come undone. “But… Do I not deserve more?!”, she exclaimed. “I left my own kingdom to travel here and serve Iridian, where I’ve been nothing but loyal to the throne for many years! I uncovered the prophecy of the Spectrum Knights. I helped to expose your husband as the cretin he truly was! To not even consider me as a-!” The woman gasped before clearing her throat and attempting to fix her hair. “M-my apologies, my Queen”, Amelia stated. “Please forgive me. I am… still in shock over King Donovan. To think someone I served and trusted for so long could be so cold and heartless…”

“I… understand, Amelia”, the Queen replied, shocked by her advisor’s outburst.

“I take great pride in my duties to the throne. I can assure you that, no matter who the Prince chooses as his Queen, my loyalties will forever be with the Kingdom of Iridian and its throne and I will continue to help guide them to prosperity.” Amelia bowed to her Queen, who soon smiled.

“Thank you, Amelia. We are most grateful for your service”, Queen Patricia responded.

Amelia would continue talking to the Queen for some time before making her way to her quarters. Once she closed the door, she clenched her fist and punched down at her bed. “DAMMIT!” The royal advisor grabbed a pillow off of her bed and screamed into it before tossing it back down. “All my years of service… my noble bloodline… and that dullard doesn’t even CONSIDER me to marry her weakling son!” Amelia clenched her fists and began to pound away at her bed. “Does she think my knowledge and intelligence would diminish were I to take the throne?! She can’t even bother to see if her chairs are big enough to contain her massive buttocks before she sits! She needed me to tell her the King was galavanting with other women and stealing from the commoners!” She continued to strike at her bed until she had tired herself out, plopping her rear on top of her seat as she rested… which, ironically, was almost a size too small and creaked underneath her weight. “Not to worry…”, she said to herself. “The messengers have only just been sent. It could take months for the suitors to respond. Plenty of time to think of a plan”, Amelia said to herself. “Yes, I can see it now. Under my rule and without anyone in my way, Iridian will be ushered into a golden age of prosperity, and the whole kingdom will adore me… the Prince will be there of course. He’ll learn to fall in line with the rest of them…” The advisor’s eyes suddenly went wide before a wicked grin formed on her face. “And I thought of just the person to make that happen.”

========================================================

It was late into the night when, armed only with a lantern, Amelia journeyed to the Umbra Caverns, a forbidden place far past the borders of Iridian. Under normal circumstances, it would be a dangerous trek, but Amelia knew how to avoid danger and when to put her silver tongue to use. She adjusted her glasses and inspected the different caves, looking up to find one of them with a crescent moon above. “This must be it…” As she lifted her dress, the deceitful advisor took her lantern with her as she ventured into the cave. “Hello? Is anyone here?” Suddenly, she was interrupted by a loud *CRUNCH* behind her, causing her to cry out in fear.

When the royal advisor turned around, she saw a short woman, around her own size, wearing a witch’s hat with puffy bright orange hair, lightly tanned skin, and freckles on her face, with her form being much more bottom-heavy. Another crunch rang out through the cave as the witch took a bite out of an apple. “Squeamish, ain’t ya?”

Amelia panted and brought her hand to her breast as she caught her breath. “M-my apologies… you startled me. Are you the Luna Witch?”

The witch took another bite out of her apple. “Yea. I was busy gatherin’ Lunar energy until I heard someone snooping around my turf. What you want?” The short witch took another bite and tossed the core behind her.

Amelia regained her composure and cleared her throat. The witch’s shocking appearance and odd manner of speech caught the normally dignified woman off guard. “*ahem* I have a request of you, Luna Witch. As you may or may not be aware, the King has recently been exiled, and will soon be replaced by his successor, Jack, the Prince of Spades.”

“Yeah, I know all about that”, the witch gestured toward the back of the cave and raised her finger up, causing lanterns around the cave to light up. “Fool went behind messin’ around the Queen’s back and got caught. That Prince is a lil’ cutie, though. So what, you want me to eat him or somethin’?”

“No, nothing like that”, Amelia explained. “If he dies, then the kingdom would be thrown into chaos. I need to keep him alive, otherwise he can’t hand the kingdom over to myself.”

The witch began picking the bits of apple out of her teeth. “Sounds like you got somethin’ against this kid.”

“You don’t understand!”, Amelia insisted as she stomped her feet. “Queen Patricia sent out messengers to several suitors, and despite my loyal service to the Kingdom and my own nobility, I was not even considered! If anything, she should have come to me before anyone else!” Amelia sighed as she composed herself. “I am confident that I can convince the Prince to take me as his Queen and have the Kingdom under my control. It won’t take much to have him bend to my will.”

“Hmm… I think I know what the deal is”, the witch said. “You need him out of the way, but still alive, and try to still keep him in the picture…” She tapped her chin as she tried to piece together what Amelia was asking of her. “I think I got what you’re lookin’ for…” The Luna Witch lifted herself off the ground and hovered over to a shelf, digging through several books before finding an ancient-looking tome. “Got a spell here I whipped up that makes it easier to sculpt stone, but it’ll do the job with a lil bit of reworking… but what’s in it for me?”

“Should I gain control of the Kingdom of Iridian, my first act as Queen would be to offer you a full pardon.”

“Hmm…”

Amelia saw that the Luna Witch was unconvinced. “...and I’ll make sure you receive a place among my court and protection of the royal guard.”

“Ooooh!” The short witch squealed. “That would be an upgrade from what I got goin’ on right now. Nice, cushy bed, warm baths, servants waitin’ at my every order… Not havin’ to deal with the occasional monster attack…” The witch only had to think for a second before coming to a decision. “You got a deal, sister!”

Amelia nodded, smiling as she extended her hand to the witch. “The kingdom thanks you for your collaboratio-” As the Luna Witch grabbed the advisor’s hand, she began to mutter a spell, dark magic circling both of the shortstack women’s hands before engulfing Amelia and fading away. “Wh-what did you just do to me?!”, Amelia asked as she backed away.

“Oh, just a lil’ somethin’ somethin’ to make sure ya keep up your end of the deal”, the witch giggled. “It’s a thirst spell.”

“A thirst spell… are you planning on dehydrating me?”, the advisor asked.

“Nothin’ like that. If you’re ever feelin’ like you wanna back out of our lil’ deal and try to take that lil’ cutie without givin’ me what you owe me, then you’re gonna be compelled give that kid a wedding night, and every other night, afternoon, and morning, one he ain’t ever gonna forget, if ya know what I mean.” Amelia’s eyes went wide as she stepped back while the witch cackled.

“I-I assure you, that is completely unnecessary!”, the advisor pleaded.

“Well, don’t hurt to make sure, now does it?” The witch grinned smugly as Amelia composed herself.

“As… long as you maintain your own end of the bargain”, Amelia responded. “You have nothing to worry about.”

“Oh don’t worry about lil ol’ me. Just need some time to get the curse ready. Toodaloo.” The witch waved her fingers as Amelia walked away.

“What an odd woman…”, the advisor and hopeful usurper said to herself as she exited the cave and mounted her horse, making her way back to the castle. “Well, if her reputation is anything to go by, I’ve nothing to worry about. I’ll have the Prince where I want him, and I can rid myself of that bothersome witch once and for all… Once I’m done with the Prince…” Suddenly, Amelia’s face began to go flush and her eyes began to shape into hearts. “I’ll have that boy all to myself, and cover him with kisses, and…” Amelia shook herself off and blushed. “N-no! I-I mustn’t! This must be what the Luna Witch was talking about… Something must be done about this… but at another time…”

The next day…

In the castle’s courtyard, a young boy sat on top of a stool, a crown on his head and a brush in his hand as he painted a portrait. “Lady Marjorie”, the Prince said. “Would you be able to tell your horse to stop moving? She doesn’t seem to want to listen to me, and it’s making this portrait difficult.”

“Apologies, your highness”, said a young girl on top of a white horse. She was clad in a suit of, (admittedly revealing) white, pink, and light blue armor, holding a sword with a glowing pink blade with runes carved into it. The girl, named Marjorie, her title the Knight of Hearts, was one of the Spectrum Knights, a group of girls who were chosen by one of the enchanted Weapons of Iridian. The weapons were left behind as gifts to Iridian’s royal family. Every now and again, one of them would call to one of the people of the kingdom and choose them as its wielder. Thus far, the holders had been mostly young girls and a single older girl. They were then trained to become the most elite knights of the kingdom, and destined to one day defend the kingdom of Iridian against a great calamity. While their skills at this time exceeded that of the rest of the kingdom’s knights, they still were far from ready for the threat they were fated to oppose. “You know Sweetroll can only keep still for so long until she gets bored.”

The young prince sighed as the horse began to walk impatiently. “That is alright. Perhaps I’ll finish some other time.”

The young knight lifted her leg and turned to the side before hopping off, the horse kneeling down as Marjorie brushed her mount’s face. “That a girl, Sweetroll. Go stretch your legs.” The horse whinnied as she stood up and left the two children. As the horse trotted around the courtyard, she passed by other young girls who were training.

The dark-skinned mage, Rixa, her title the Knight of Stars, was practicing different spells, waving her staff, Starshine, at a nearby mushroom. A blue magic energy came forth and surrounded it, causing it to grow and sprout legs and arms as it walked away. “Hmm… this could be useful for reconnaissance or distracting foes. I’ll have to remember this spell.”

Nearby, a chubby, pink-skinned girl pulled back the string of her bow, Direshot, before firing at a series of targets. One by one, she pulled out her arrows and fired, destroying targets of various sizes one second after another and failing to miss a single one. The ranger, Juliana, her title the Skull Knight, then reached back into her quiver to pull out another arrow, only to find nothing there. “Bothersome. I do wish I could carry more of these.”

Meanwhile, two other girls, one a fair-skinned girl with long blonde hair tied back and golden hoop earrings, and the other a taller, dark-skinned girl with short blonde hair were sparring. The shorter one, Clarebella, her title the Lightning Knight, parried her opponent’s strikes with her rapier, Thundershard. The taller one, Nike, her title the Soul Knight, repeatedly attempted to strike her opponent with a pair of daggers, collectively named Soulkey. Both of them would go at each other at a blinding speed, blocking each other’s blows every time.

Sitting on the sidelines was a massive anthropomorphic dog girl, an outlier not only in age, but sheer size as well. She was easily several times the size of the younger girls, and looked like she barely could fit through the castle doors. The canine, Lainey, her title the Meteor Knight, simply held her massive warhammer, Meteorclub, on her lap as she sank her teeth into the leg of a mutton as she watched her fellow knights.

While the other knights were busy with their activities, Marjorie approached the young monarch. “Are you feeling well, my Prince?”, the young knight asked. “What happened with King Donovan… you must be feeling overwhelmed.”

The Prince thought for a moment and sighed before cleaning his paintbrush off. “To be quite honest, I was never close with father. He kept himself distant from me… and the few occasions where I did encounter him were unpleasant to say the least. Besides, mother will oversee my rule until I am of age… or I am married.” The Prince was uncomfortable at the idea of marriage. He was still just a boy, after all. Aside from a handful of diplomatic visitations to other kingdoms with the royal advisor (and one eventful encounter with a goblin horde during said visitation), he had no knowledge of life outside the castle walls. The idea of being pushed into a relationship with someone he didn’t know seemed wrong to the young Prince. Besides, his heart already belonged to another. Although he would never speak of it at the fear of his mother’s disapproval, the Prince was already in love with Lady Marjorie. The girl was the first of the Spectrum Knights to be chosen when she took hold of the enchanted blade, Crystalheart, and used it to defend the Prince against her brother, the bandit lord, Gareth. The Prince’s heart ached knowing he could never be with the girl he loved in this life, but he was well aware of what was expected of him. The kingdom must come first.

“Well, you needn’t worry, your highness”, Marjorie said as she flicked her hair back. “No matter what happens, you can take comfort in knowing you, and whoever you are to marry, have the best knight in the land at your service.”

As Marjorie posed with her sword, the Prince smiled, feeling his spirits lifted. “Oh, wait! Stay still, if you would. I wish to make some adjustments to my painting.” The young monarch went back to his paintbrush and dipped in some paint before jumping back in shock. “Ah!” He crawled backward as his materials dropped to the ground below. “I-I didn’t paint that!”

The boy pointed his finger at the canvas as Marjorie and the other Spectrum Knights stopped what they were doing to see what was the matter. “J-Jack! I mean my Prince! What is the matter?!” The young knight girls looked over and gasped. The painting which previously depicted an unfinished image of Marjorie and her horse now showed a completed portrait of a witch. “How did-?”

Suddenly, the portrait sprung to life! “Boo!” The young knights jumped back in shock and readied their weapons as the witch jumped forth from the painting, cackling while they surrounded the Prince. “Hahaha! Got y’all good!”

“The Luna Witch!”, Juliana cried. “Don’t worry! I only need one shot to-” The chubby young knight reached back into her quiver, only to find it was still empty. “...oh, right…”

“Speak your purpose, witch!”, Marjorie cried.

“Geez, way to make a gal feel welcome”, the witch said as she flicked paint off of her fingertips. “Just came on behalf of one of your castle cronies to give the cutie a lil somethin of a coronation day present.”

“A… a present?”, Prince Jack asked, his curiosity piqued.

“Yea, someone from the castle paid me a visit and personally asked me to give you somethin’ verrrry special…” The Luna Witch smirked at how easily the boy was to fool. She didn’t want to give too much of the information away, lest the identity of her collaborator become known. Just enough to get the young Prince interested.

“Liar!”, shouted Clarabella, pointing her rapier at the witch. “There are no traitors in the kingdom of Iridian. Not any longer.”

“You should probably just leave”, Nike stated as she spun her daggers in her hands with a giggle. “We’re out of your league, old lady.”

“Ain’t foolin’ ya, huh?”, the Luna Witch then took her hat off and reached her hand in, pulling out her staff and pointing it at the Spectrum Knights. “Then why don’t ya take a shot?”

“Bork!” The giant dog girl, Lainey, suddenly jumped up into the air and brought her warhammer crashing down. “I got her Prince!”, she shouted as she began to make impact… only to suddenly be stopped by a gesture from the Luna Witch.

“Hah! I hope this ain’t the best you got”, said the witch as she flicked backward, causing Lainey to fall backward.

“EEEEEEEEEEEKKKKK!” The Spectrum Knights screamed out as they were engulfed in shadow before they were all smushed beneath the dog girl's enormous bottom! Lainey sat in a daze as the other knights squirmed and struggled underneath her furry posterior.

Prince Jack gulped as he attempted to run away, only for the Luna Witch to suddenly appear in front of him, grabbing her staff with both hands before bumping him with her wide hips and knocking him down with a “Bwomp!” The witch laughed as he attempted to scurry away, but she struck her staff into the ground and pinned his garment to the ground. “That ought to hold ya. Now let’s get started…” The witch’s staff emitted a dark energy as she began to recite an incantation.

“For the Prince’s special day, a gift upon thee I now lay,
Soft as silk and flattened as clay, let the bones dissolve away
Though he may find himself a snack, the Prince will form himself right back
Although the Prince may want to cry, he needn’t fear as he cannot die!”

The Prince suddenly felt very strange as his insides felt they were melding together and growing more soft. Before he could comprehend what was going on, Lainey had come back do her senses and stood up, freeing the other Spectrum Knights. “Whoops! That’s my cue! Later losers! ..heh… gotta remember that one.”

The witch and her staff suddenly vanished as the Knights rushed over to the boy. “Prince Jack! Are you hurt?!”

“What did she do to you, my Prince?”

“I… I don’t know…”, the young monarch said. “I feel strange… but otherwise, I seem in perfect health.”

The Knights inspected their Prince, who seemed annoyed at being handled so roughly. “Mayhaps it was merely a show of power. Meant to frighten and intimidate us and nothing more”, said Clarabella as she put her finger to her chin. “The coronation ceremony for the Prince is this day, and it’s well known that he is an easily frightened boy.”

“Right. Don’t fall for her tricks, your highness”, said Nike.

“No… I could definitely feel a powerful magic”, said Rixa as she extended her hand over to the Prince. “My Prince, you must be careful. I feel the Luna Witch has done something terrible to you.”

Suddenly, a horn could be heard throughout the castle. “Attention townsfolk of Iridian. Prepare to gather for the coronation of Prince Jack.”

“I suppose we’ll have to investigate after the coronation.” The Prince was suddenly dragged along by Marjorie. “Come along now, we must get you ready.” As the knight pulled him along, he could oddly feel his arm squishing in her grip…

Meanwhile, in her chambers, Amelia had begun on her hair as the Luna Witch appeared in her mirror. “Welp, my end of the deal’s done”, said the witch.

“I expected as much”, said Amelia. “What exactly did you do to the Prince, might I ask?”

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out soon as ya fall on him or somethin’. All you need to know is that the little cutie’s basically immortal, but everything around him’s a risk”, the witch responded. “Just remember to hold up your end of the deal, got it?”

“You needn’t worry about that… what do I call you, by the way?”, the hopeful usurper asked. “Surely Luna Witch isn’t your actual name.”

“Aegina”, the witch replied. “But don’t let no one catch you sayin’ it out loud, ya hear?”

“Understood”, replied Amelia, making sure to remember that information should she need to use it in the future. The castle’s deceitful advisor finished preparing herself and made her way to the ceremony. Once there, she stood beside the Queen, the Prince, and the rest of the royal court while the Spectrum Knights stood on each side of the throne, the townspeople slowly gathering within the castle.

As his subjects began to fill the throne room, Prince Jack grew more and more nervous, beginning to fidget and sweat. Queen Patricia looked down at her son and put her hand on his head. “No need to be afraid, my child”, the Queen said to her boy. “I will aid you for as long as you need me.”

“And I as well, my Prince”, Amelia said, lying through her teeth as she bowed.

The Prince nodded, gulping as he stepped forward and knelt down facing his mother, the Queen, who held a golden crown made just for him. “Jack Arpista, Prince of Spades, as ruler of the Kingdom of Iridian, you are duty bound to lead your people to prosperity and serve them as they will you. Do not abuse their trust in you as your predecessor has. With the throne comes great responsibility to the land and its people.”

“I-I accept the responsibility of the throne, and pledge my loyalty to the kingdom, and its people”, the Prince said as he looked up at his mother.

The Queen then placed the crown on top of her son’s head. “Then rise, Prince of Spades, and ascend to the throne of Iridian.”

The boy rose to his feet before turning to the commonfolk. “-gulp- P-people of Iridian, as your new ruler, I will ensure you are well-provided for and protected against-”

Prince Jack was interrupted as the Queen turned around and slipped backward as she attempted to return to her place by the throne… landing right on top her son with a loud *SPLAT!*, his crown clattering to the floor.

“Y-your majesty!” The Spectrum Knights ran over to the Queen while Amelia followed, though she was more curious than anything as she helped Queen Patricia up, which was followed by a gasp from the townspeople.

“My Queen, are you alright?”, Amelia asked as she aided the Queen to her feet.

“Y-yes, I am alright. Merely a tumble…” Patricia looked around and saw the crown lying on the floor, with the townsfolk looking on with their hands to their faces. “Where is the Prince? Where has my son gone?” The Queen looked around as she noticed the Spectrum Knights and Amelia blushing.

“Y-your highness…”, Marjorie stated. “Um… th-the Prince is…” She simply pointed to Patricia’s bottom.

The Queen looked over behind her and gasped. Prince Jack, her son and new ruler of Iridian, was squashed flat and plastered on her regal rump! “J-Jack! My child!” The wide-bottomed Queen dug her fingernails underneath her flattened son and began to peel him off as Amelia ran up ahead.

“-ahem- We appreciate your attendance, but we must now ask for you all to make your exit”, the advisor called out. Although the townsfolk attempted to stop and stare, the knights eventually were able to escort everyone out of the castle.

Eventually, Queen Patricia was able to peel her son off of her rear and set him down, watching in amazement as he began to reform. “Jack… my child… What happened to you?”

The boy groaned and rubbed his head. “Silk and clay… that must have been the curse…”

“Curse?”, Queen Patricia asked. “What curse?” She then turned to the Spectrum Knights, her look of concern turning to one of anger. “And why didn’t any of you do anything about this?!”, she yelled.

The young knights looked frightened until Prince Jack ran in between them. “M-Mother, please! There’s nothing they could have done! The Luna Witch was too strong! She came out of nowhere and-”

“The Luna Witch? She did this?”, Queen Patricia stopped and held her chin. “No… If she is the one who cursed you…” She turned to the Spectrum Knights and bowed her head. “My apologies, dear knights.”

“You are forgiven, my Queen”, Marjorie said. “Who is the Luna Witch?”

“She is the most powerful sorceress in the land, and an agent of chaos”, answered the Queen. “If she is the one who cursed my son with this condition, then dispelling it will not be an easy task… if even possible.” The Queen then turned to her son. “Jack, my child, what exactly was the incantation?”

“Um… sh-she said something about… let’s see… soft as silk, flattened like clay… find himself a snack… the Prince will never die… m-my apologies, mother, but I cannot remember more than that”, said the young ruler.

“Hmm… that is information enough…” The Queen then turned to the knights. “Spectrum Knights!”

“Yes, my Queen!”, the girls exclaimed as they stood in attention.
“Although you were unsuccessful in preventing the Luna Witch’s curse, you have the chance to redeem yourselves. You are to focus on protecting the Prince, until his curse can be lifted, or unless he is with someone I have authorized. Is that understood?”, she asked.

“Yes, my Queen!”

“Your highness”, Amelia interjected. “If I may, allow me to take Prince Jack to freshen up.”

Jack looked down and saw that his clothes, which he had just changed into, were now ruined. “Of course, Lady Amelia”, Queen Patricia said as she watched her aide walk away with her son, unaware that the woman she trusted most was the one responsible for her son’s plight.

“Th-thank you, Lady Amelia”, said Prince Jack. “If… if I am to be honest, I’m quite scared. I am still unaware of what else this curse will do to me… but having you here to aid me does help ease my fears.”

“My duty is to the kingdom, my Prince”, said Amelia. “I have helped to ensure Iridian prospered under your father, and I will do no different under your rule. You have nothing to fear, your highness.” Internally, Lady Amelia chuckled to herself. “So this is what the witch did… I think this will be quite amusing…”

Prince Jack walked to his quarters as Amelia entered hers for a moment. “Liked that, didya?”, said a familiar voice as the image of the Luna Witch appeared on the mirror.

“Yes, your curse on the Prince is interesting”, said Lady Amelia. “You’ve done an excellent job. All I have to do is think up a plan to either get the Prince to marry me or hand me control of his kingdom, and we’ll both have what we want.”

“You know, he’s alone right now~”

Amelia’s eyes began to shape into pink hearts and she began to sweat. “Y-yea… i-imagine the things I could do to that boy…” Lady Amelia suddenly shook her head. “STOP THAT!”

The Luna Witch began to cackle in the mirror as the hopeful usurper fumed, while in the room down the hall, Marjorie walked in to inspect the Prince. “Your highness…”, she called out.

“Oh! L-Lady Marjorie”, the Prince answered. “What are you doing in my chamber?”

“I… I wanted to thank you personally… for standing up not just for myself, but the other Spectrum Knights as well…” The young knight walked over to the Prince.

“Well… it wasn’t fair of my mother to lay the blame squarely on you and the others… as ruler I must accept the responsibilities of-” *chu* Prince Jack was interrupted as the knight girl placed a kiss on his cheek. The boy turned a bright red as he held his cheek. “L-Lady Marjorie-!”
The young knight giggled and smiled as she walked out, leaving the Prince to himself. The boy held his cheek and a smile crept on his face. Although the future looked scary for the moment, he took comfort in knowing that he would survive it all, at least until he was able to get his curse lifted. It was just up to him to help his kingdom survive as well…

Later in the day, Prince Jack had begun to get ready for his bath. The young prince sighed as he sat in the warm water. It felt oddly satisfying as his body began to soften from the heat as he slowly began to close his eyes. Seeing how easily he had been flattened under his mother’s rear, the Prince would have to try and avoid accidents.
Suddenly, right before his eyes were completely closed, the Prince noticed it suddenly had gotten very dark. He looked up and gasped as the large, bare brown bottom of Lady Amelia descended into the bath, flattening the poor boy in an instant beneath her weight. The hopeful usurper smirked as she wriggled her hips, grinding her plump bottom down on top of the boy. She had noticed that the Prince had gone to bathe without any guards or notifying anyone, so took the opportunity to have a bit of fun at his expense.

“So comfortable…”, Amelia thought to herself as she remained seated on the boy she hoped to make her husband. “He’ll make fine padding for my throne… All I have to do is formulate a plan… until then, I suppose the Prince will make for some decent entertainment…”

Suddenly, the door was burst open by Marjorie, who immediately turned red with embarrassment and covered her eyes.

Amelia blushed and covered herself. “M-Marjorie! I… What is the meaning of this?!”

“L-Lady Amelia, forgive me!”, the young knight stammered. “Prince Jack was bathing just before you had entered and he hadn’t left yet! I think you might have… erm…”

The advisor mentally sighed as she slowly lifted her rear out of the tub. It seemed her fun would be cut short. She looked inside the vessel, expecting to find the Prince flattened on the bottom. To her surprise, though, he was nowhere to be found. Could he have melted in the water?

“Lady Amelia, he’s there! On your… um…”

Amelia looked back and heard the muffled groaning of the Prince. “Oh goodness!”, she said, feigning surprise as she looked at her rear. Prince Jack had been reduced to a somewhat reddish-brown splatter, smeared across one of Lady Amelia’s wobbling buttcheeks. Unless one were really searching, it would be easy to miss him, but he fortunately wasn’t too ground into the older woman’s skin and hadn’t been given the time to set in. The deceitful advisor held back a chuckle as she dug her fingernails into her soft flesh peeling the poor boy off. “My dearest apologies, my Prince”, Amelia said as Prince Jack was slowly peeled off. “I must remember to be more careful.”

Prince Jack would soon reform and return to his normal shape, by which point Amelia had clothed herself in a gown for the night,, with the Prince quickly getting dressed as well. “Apologies again, your highness”, the shortstacked advisor said.

“I-It is alright, Lady Amelia”, the boy said nervously.

“I’ll take my leave now. Goodnight, my Prince”, Amelia said as she bowed to the young monarch.

Prince Jack blushed as he was able to see her cleavage through her gown. “G-goodnight to you as well, L-Lady Amelia.”

As Amelia left the room, Marjorie kept an eye on her. “Your highness…”, she said as she side-eyed the advisor. “I have a strange feeling about that woman…”

“W-what do you mean, Marjorie?”, Prince Jack asked. For some reason, he had a tough time keeping his eyes off of Amelia, his vision glued to the movement of her plump bottom as she walked away before she left his eyesight.

“I don’t know how to explain… but I feel as though she isn’t to be trusted”, the young knight said.

“But Lady Amelia has served the Kingdom for many years, even before I was born”, the Prince replied. “She’s been nothing but loyal to my mother and father… well, until his misdeeds were revealed to her… but she was the one who informed Mother. I know she has the Kingdom’s best interests at heart.”

“Maybe… Perhaps I’m being paranoid”, Marjorie said. “I hope I am…”

“I trust Lady Amelia… but I also trust your judgment as well, Lady Marjorie”, said the Prince as he held his knight’s hand. “After all, you saved me once again just now.”

The Prince grinned, causing Marjorie to giggle. “Hehe, that I did, my Prince.”

Prince Jack and his trusted knight, Marjorie, continued to talk up until the late hours of the evening right up until the Prince had entered his chamber to rest for the night, not knowing what dangers awaited him…