Canterlot Hospital for the Mentally ill

     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.