The sound of hooves upon tile floor echoed throughout the dead silent building. The guard’s first day guarding this building wasn’t going very well. He couldn’t even find the room he was going to guard on this day. He levitated the paper with the room number on it, checking it for the second time this minute. 299. The black stallion glanced over at the nearest door, checking the number which happened to be 241. It was quite a ways down the hallway, but the unicorn could manage. Although, he did need to speed up; the first patient he was guarding was a dangerous pony that killed pegasi and earth ponies, for he felt they were inferior to unicorns.
The complete stillness of the hallway was enough to make one want to turn tail for fear it was haunted. The young guard glanced at the paper again, this time reading what was written below the room number.
299
Name: Night Shard
Gender: Male
Parents: Unknown stallion, unknown mare
Hospitalized for: Killing pegasi and earth ponies: only unicorns should guard this patient
Note: Princess Luna is visiting all patents today; your help would be very welcome from the princess
The guard looked ahead, still seeing a nearly endless hallway, and then looking to his right at the nearest door number. “280, alright, I’m close...” he murmured picking up his pace to get there faster, for he was ready to leave this horrid place. A scream echoed from above him, making him cringe and fold his ears back. It was stifled with a crash and then a thump. He tried not to think about what had happened up there.
His blue eyes made contact with the end of the hallway- an elevator- and he sighed in relief. He looked left at the door marked 299 and took his spot at one side of the door, the side facing the endless hallway. Soon, (or an hour, it is quite hard to tell with no sky to look up at) another guard - a white one - came rushing down the tile floor, scrambled to his post, and put his helmet back on. The guard was very obviously spooked by this place.
The spooked guard carefully took out a spear and levitated it next to him in a defensive position. The first guard then did the same, but he put it in a neutral position, facing upwards. The first guard sighed and began to try and comfort the scared stallion with small talk. “Uh, hello...?” He jumped and squealed like a filly, and the first guard used all his might to try and not laugh.
“Oh, uh, hi... I-is this your first t-time guarding? It’s muh-mine...”
“No, I used to guard the throne room is Princess Luna...” He cleared his throat. He was never good at talking, and was usually shy. “I’m Starry Night, by the way. What’s your name?”
“Milky Way... Heh, I guess we were meant to meet up.”
Starry Night beamed at his new friend. “Yeah, I guess we were!”
Milky Way smiled, and Starry saw him become less and less tense as the minutes dragged on.
After at least thirty minutes of waiting and talking, the sound of hooves on tile once again heard, and Starry turned his head and put his spear in an attack pose. He rested as he saw Luna’s flowing mane come into view from the darkness, as well as some ponies who worked at the hospital. “And now, and last patient on this floor, number 299, Night Shard,” one of the workers said to the princess as he opened the door with a rusty key he was holding in his hooves. Luna nodded at the two guards, and Milky beamed. They entered, growling echoing out of the room and into the hallway. Starry Night and Milky Way began to follow, but a female worker stopped them.
“I really think you should stay outside, this guy is one of the craziest ones we got in this nuthouse. Only people who work here – aside from princesses – can enter. If he does get out, aim to kill,” the blue pegasus mare whispered to the new friends, ushering them back into the dark.
Milky had a growing expression of sadness on his face, and Starry was just plain offended. “This isn’t right! I used to be part of the royal guard for Luna, I-“
“Well, you aren’t now! Buh-bye!” And with that she slammed the door in his face. He folded his ears back, remembering the incident that had gotten him demoted to guarding doors in a mental hospital.
“Aw, cheer up, Starry,” Milky comforted. “At least we were acknowledged by Princess Luna!”
“Yeah, I guess... But I used to guard Princess Luna in her throne room, along with the bat-ponies. I guess I just feel like I should keep protecting her,” Starry responded, blushing a little.
“Oh, it’s ok, I can relate.” Starry glanced over at his friend, expecting him to explain. “Oh, uh... I’d rather not talk about it...”
Starry Night nodded, and got back to his post at the side of the door. Milky Way soon followed.
Yelling echoed from the door, as well as some crashing noises. Starry resisted the urge to break down the door and check on the Princess of the Night, but common sense stomped that thought out. The worker pony had just said only ponies who work here and Princesses are allowed in that room. Starry decided to follow the pony’s rule, so he stayed put, no matter how much yelling came from the door.
After three minutes of yelling, a giant CRASH boomed out of the room, making the door swing open and hit Starry Night straight in the nose. A small crunch showed that his nose had been broken by the iron door, and he groaned in pain. Blood dribbling down his neck and onto his armor, he pushed the door out of the way to see an enraged Princess Luna standing in the doorway. She seemed to be sad and angry at the same time, tears rolling down her face like streams, yet she had anger plastered on as her expression. “Princess Luna!” Milky Way screeched. “What’s wrong?!” She responded with a scream and a slap to Milky Way’s muzzle.
“LUNA!” Starry Night yelled, jumping on her back. He thought she was turning into Nightmare Moon once again, the first time after her reformation. Luna snarled and threw him off her back, and then blasting him with a beam of magic.
Milky Way began to run over, but was knocked back by the deranged Luna. He landed in the padded room, where two dead ponies lay, and a mean looking unicorn stood. “Heh, you’re a unicorn, I won’t hurt ya. Just stay in here, and you’ll be fine,” the unicorn said, pinning the guard down with surprising force.
Meanwhile...
Starry Night tried his best to block Luna’s shots, but some got through and burnt him badly. Luna tackled him with all her weight, and Starry gasped for air. “Never underestimate the PRINCESS OF THE NIGHT!” She screeched, building up power in her horn. “You don’t know how much PAIN I went through for my son! And what happens? He gets into a mental hospital for killing earth ponies and pegasi!"
Before Starry could respond, a beam of magic was shot straight into his chest, burning his fur and killing him instantly.
Chapter 1 Part 1, The Hospital
The Solar Princesses stood in front of the two lesser princesses, that being Cadence and Twilight Sparkle. “Now, you both know that ruling a nation is hard work, Cadence more so, since she ruled the Crystal Empire,” The rainbow-maned alicorn said to the shorter alicorns. “And since Cadence and her husband were ruling the Crystal Empire, it’s now up to Prince Shining Armor and Prince Blueblood to take over the Empire during this special day.”
The white alicorn’s sister watched the smaller alicorns carefully. She wasn’t so sure they were ready to take on Equestria for a day just so her sister could go and get a hoof-i-cure. But, this did have some upsides to the Lunar Princess, like getting to see Equestria in daylight, which would be pretty fun, yes? Perhaps even helping mentally disabled ponies at the nearby hospital...
“... are you ready to take on this challenge and face it with honor?”
“Yes, ma’am!” The younger princesses yelled. The Solar Princess nodded, and the Lunar rolled her eyes.
“Celestia always makes this to formal,” Luna murmured to Cadence and Twilight once Celestia was out of ear-reach. “Just make sure not to destroy life as we know it, alright?” Twilight giggled and nodded.
“Don’t worry, Luna, we’ll be fine, you just have a relaxing day!” Twilight responded as Cadence trotted away. “Wait for MMEEE! You know I can’t fly yet!!!!” The lavender alicorn screeched, running toward her former foal-sitter with her wings open. Luna giggled.
I think my pony skills are getting better, she thought to herself, opening a window and flying outside. I think it’s time I met ponies who need me. To Canterlot Hospital for the Mentally ill! She screamed in her head, dive-bombing to the street, much to the surprise of some snooty ponies taking a walk.
“Princess Luna!” Luna turned to see a little earth pony filly no older then four run up to her. “You raise the moon every night, right? That’s sooooo cool!” After she had said that, she jumped straight on Luna’s flank in a hug.
“Dream Sparkle! You get over here this instant!” Another earth pony, who Princess Luna assumed was the filly’s mother, shouted. Once she got there she pried off the filly from Luna’s flank and made the foal sit down. “This is a princess you’re talking too! Show some respect! Now apologize!” The filly sluggishly got to her feet and murmured an apology.
“Dream Sparkle,” Luna said, keeling down to Dream’s level. Dream glanced up with her eyes beginning to fill with tears. “I have a day off today, so you can talk to me all you want.” The mother looked shocked.
“Buh-but princess! You’re a... Well, princess! Minors shouldn’t be able to talk to ponies like you!”
Princess Luna glared at the mare. “If I say your filly can talk to me, she can talk to me, got that?” Luna said in a deathly quiet voice. The mare flinched.
“Y-yes, princess...”
Luna nodded and looked back down at the filly, who was bouncing around and chattering, vaguely reminding Luna of Pinkie Pie. “And, and if you weren’t a princess, what would you do?!”
“Shush, you’re being watched... Or that could just be me...” The alicorn whispered, glancing around at Canterlot ponies that were stopping their stroll to see a hyper filly and a princess walking together. “And I would work in a mental hospital.”
“Blech, why would you want to work there? It’s full of... Odd ponies!”
“Well maybe when you’re older, you will understand. You’d better go; it looks like your mother is calling you.” Dream glanced behind her and saw her mother beckoning with one of her hooves.
“Awwww, but MOOOOOOOM!” Dream stomped her hooves on the ground, making more ponies stare at the group of a wild filly and a princess.
“No ‘buts’! Now come with me, we have to get you a shot.”
“No! Mom, shots hurt! MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!”
Luna chuckled as she watched the crying filly get dragged away to get a flu shot. “Poor filly... Heh.” She took to the air again, looking at the ground for the mental hospital she was going to visit. “Ah, there it is,” she said, diving down and pulling up at the last moment, and then landing softly. She was greeted with a pony in a uniform, who she assumed worked at the hospital.
“PRINCESS LUNA...! Oh, um... hello, princess, ma’am,” the pegasus shouted, but correcting herself when Luna flinched. “We’re glad you could make it to Canterlot Hospital for the Mentally ill! I’m waiting for my partner to arrive, so we can take you on a tour of the building, but he isn’t here yet... So we’re going to wait inside. Please come with me!” The pony began to trot to the entrance and Luna followed with enthusiasm.
Once Luna’s eyes had gotten used to the dim light, she looked around at- unsurprisingly- a waiting room. Chairs lined the left and right walls, and a small desk stood near the back left of the room. On the back right wall, two double doors stood. They had no windows, and Luna suspected that that’s where the patients were kept. The walls were a sickly yellow, with some of the paint peeling off revealing mold.
“Oh, uhm... Lovely...” Luna murmured as the worker lead her to the left side seats.
“Thanks, but it looks a whole lot better once we get to the patients rooms,” The pegasus said, sitting down just after Luna did. “My name’s Sky Cloud, by the way,” Sky shyly spoke, stretching out her hoof expecting Luna to take it, which she did.
“And I’m sure you know who I am,” Luna laughed.
“Of course! Who could forget the Princess of the Night?”
“A lot more ponies then you think...”
“Oh, uh, I-I’m sorry...”
“No no, it’s alright, I’ve gotten used to it.” Luna smiled. It seemed her pony skills were getting sharper.
As their conversation got more into Equestrian politics, the front door opened, showing a frazzled looking earth pony stallion with a brown body and a darker brown mare and tail. “I’M HERE! I’m here... whew...”
“You’re late, Dr.! Princess Luna is already here!” Sky Cloud shouted, making the ponies at the desk jump. “Please, let’s go, Dr. Whooves, before night falls, you know how some of the patients get when night falls...”
“I know, I know! Don’t get your cutie mark in a knot! I’m here, so let’s go. Good afternoon, Princess Luna,” Dr. said, bowing to the alicorn, but quickly getting back up. “We have three floors to cover today, so let’s get going, hmm?”
The night princess stood up and followed the two workers to the double doors at the back right side of the room. Sky Cloud pressed a button, and the doors slowly swung open, revealing a long, low-lit hallway that seemed to stretch to infinity. Cold air blasted Luna’s muzzle, making her shiver. “Get ready, Princess Luna,” Sky whispered as she walked through the doors and into the hallway. “It’s going to be a long day.”
