A Guard for The Princess

It was now morning. The sun is shining, and the Changelings are waking up. Inside the shack, Proteus is the first one to awaken from the morning light. It had only taken a month’s time for him to get used to falling asleep at night again, rather than sleeping in the morning. He and Selene were still locked in a lover’s embrace, and he does nothing to separate himself from her. Looking down on the Queen, he could finally see what she looked like when asleep. When they slept apart, her back was always turned to him, now, her head is resting right on top of his chest. He smiled as he admired her; she was a beautiful sleeper, very peaceful and calm.

The noises coming from the awakening Changelings reached Selene’s ears, as she slowly woke up. She lifted her head up, almost poking Proteus’ eye out with her horn. He wasn’t angry, he simply laughed at the near disaster that could have been. She herself was embarrassed at the situation.

“Good morning.” Proteus said, still laughing.

“That could have been messy.” she said with a smile, “Are you okay?”

“Never been better.” He goes back to the loving look he was giving her seconds before. “How are you feeling today?”

Selene began to reminisce about the night they shared, as a grin creeps along her face. She buries the side of her face into his coat, reveling in its softness.

“Much better, thank you.”

“I suppose you’d want me to do this for you every year now, huh?” Proteus said, in his half joking, half serious tone of voice.

“Hmmm, I don’t know…” Selene climbs a bit to his face with a look of seduction. “Who says we have to wait a year?”

They chortle as their lips meet once again for a kiss. After last night, they both know what exactly stimulates the other when it comes to the art of lip locking. Proteus holds her, as she maneuvers herself all the way on top of him. But then…she stops. Removing her lips from Proteus, she stares down on him. He looks upon her, and notices that her expression that once displayed affection has been replaced by an expression of sadness. He caresses her cheek.

“What’s the matter?” he asks, “What’s wrong?”

She rests her forelegs on his chest, and lays down on his body. While the love is still in her eyes, she is also troubled.

“This was…everything I imagined…” she says, “But…I don’t expect this to last.”

“Why not?”

“Look at us, Proteus. You said it yourself, what this is…what we’ve done…is wrong.”

“But…you wanted this. You wanted us to be together, despite what we are.”

“I know, but now that I have it…I don’t know how much longer this can continue.” She rests her head on his shoulder. “What are you going to tell your mother?”

“Nothing.” he replies, “She can’t know what we did.”

“I’m sorry.” she says with sorrow in her voice, “I made you trade one secret for another.”

“You have nothing to apologize for, Selene. This was my choice.”

“Do you regret your decision?”

“Not even a little.”

He brings her face to his, and gives her a small peck. She smiles at the gesture.

“When this is all over…when everything goes back to normal…are you going to leave?”

This question gives Proteus pause. He hadn’t thought about things returning to a normal state. After what has transpired in practically his whole life, all the events surrounding, and involving him, have been everything but normal. But, what if he is accepted back in the guard? What if he is cleared of any charges, and is free to live without being hunted? Is he just going to get up and leave Selene? After what has happened, he doesn’t feel like he can leave her.

“I’m not sure.” he answers her.

“If you did, I wouldn’t blame you.”

“Why would you say something like that?”

“You deserve to be happy.”

“So do you.”

“But…not with me. I adore you, Proteus, and I am grateful for what we have now. But out there, they won’t be so forgiving. You deserve to be with somepony…normal. So, when you leave, I will not be mad, or upset, I won’t even protest. I will simply let you go.”

Proteus couldn’t believe what she is saying. She was the one that wanted this relationship to happen. She was the first to show any kind of affection for him, and he was the one saying that it would never be. Now here they are, after finally making love after weeks of hesitation and doubt, she is the one who is waiting for the day their relationship ceases to exist.

He holds her close to him, looking deeply into her beautiful blue eyes.

“If that day ever comes, I want to know that I did all I could, to make our time together memorable.”

A tear goes down Selene’s cheek; Proteus catches it with a hoof.

“It already is memorable.” she whispers.

He goes in for another passionate kiss. As he rolls on top of her, the magic green bubble from last night forms around them.

This is the fifth hospital visit Twilight has had in the past few months. Each one has been more uncomfortable than the last. Each one has been unfruitful; the Doctors have been doing blood test after blood test, and they still do not know what ails her. She’s never alone on these trips though, she’s had Spike help her brave the trip. She could always count on Spike to be at her side, especially now that Proteus has gone into hiding. She misses her son greatly, he has been visiting her every few days, and each visit has always been a blessing to her.

After some more blood work, and an X-Ray scan by the Unicorns, Twilight and Spike her finally called into the office of the Head Doctor. She’s never been in this area before, and somehow, despite the walls of encyclopedias, and awards this particular stallion has gotten, she feels more uncomfortable than ever.

“I’m afraid I have some bad news, Ms. Sparkle.” The Doctor says.

“What is it?” Twilight feels Spike put an arm around her, preparing for the news.

“The results have come in, and…it seems that you have some form of cancer.”

Twilight and Spike are frozen with fear. Cancer? Her? She couldn’t comprehend it. She had been so careful to avoid illness and diseases such as this. Did she get careless?

“H-How?” Spike demanded of the Doctor, “How did you miss something like that, until today?!”

“I don’t know. It was some kind of strain that we aren’t even aware of. We didn’t catch it until…” he pauses.

“Until what?” Twilight is on the verge of tears.

“Until it was too late.”

As tears pour from Twilight’s eyes, Spike is enraged. He approaches the Doctor with harmful intentions, but Twilight holds him back. He looks at her, as his angered state dissipates into one of sadness.

“How long?” Twilight asks.

“A few months…maybe less.”

“There’s got to be something you can do! Some kind of cure?!” Spike shouts.

“I’m sorry son, but at this point, there’s nothing we can do, but wait.”

Spike picks up Twilight, staring at the Doctor with absolute resentment. He carries her out the door, and out of the Hospital.

“Those punks don’t know what they’re talking about.” Spike says, “You’ll get better, they’ll see...”

“Spike…” Twilight says softly.

“I’ll show them how wrong they are…”

“Spike.” She gets his attention this time. He looks at her, he is crying. The pony who has raised him since birth, one that he considers his mother, is dying. Only now, has the reality that he will last many years beyond her passing, has hit him like a ton of bricks. He falls to his knees, embracing her tightly, sobbing.

“It’s not fair…” Spike says, “It’s just not fair…”

“It never is.” she tells him, “Take me home, Spike. I need to rest.”

He gets back up, as he carries her through town. The eyes of many ponies fall on the sight of him holding her, as he walks to her house.

“What do we tell the others?” he asks.

“I’ll tell them tomorrow. Arrange them to come by here.”

“And your parents?”

She pauses at the thought. She hadn’t spoken to them in years. She knows that they reside in an old ponies home in Manehattan, away from her presence.

“I'll send a letter tonight.” she replies.

“And… Proteus?” he asks.

“I’ll tell him the next time he comes here.” Twilight notices Spike has stopped not a few feet away from the house. “What is it?” She looks in his direction and sees her; Princess Luna, standing before them.

“Hello, Twilight.” Luna says, trying to sound friendly. Spike steps forward in intimidating fashion. “Wait! I’m not here to fight. I just want to talk.”

“It’s okay, Spike.” she assures him, “We’ll talk inside.”

Spike sets her down in bed, and places a sheet over her body to keep her warm. He turns to see Luna, waiting for him to leave. He walks down the steps slowly, never failing to break eye contact with the one who struck his surrogate mother, and betrayed his best friend. As soon as he is out of sight, Luna turns her attention back to Twilight.

“What are you doing here, Luna?” Twilight demands of her, “Come to apologize for your lies?”

Luna ignores her question that is filled with seething hate. Chuckling it off like some kind of poorly told joke.

“I see you are feeling unwell. My apologies.”

“I don’t need your sympathy Princess, I just want my son back.”

“Yes. No doubt you have some arrangements to make.”

“You watch your tone, Luna.” Twilight says, with a glare in her eyes. “You insult me in my own home again, and I won’t hesitate to have Spike throw you out in the dirt!”

“Calm yourself, Twilight. I didn’t come here to fight you.”

“Then, what are you here for? It’s obviously not to feel sorry for me.”

“I came here to find out where Proteus is.”

“How should I know? I haven’t seen him since his birthday.”

On a good day, Twilight could lie her way out of any situation, but on this day, she is too weak to make her lies sound convincing. Luna can see right through her.

“Don’t lie to me. I don’t like it when others lie to me.”

“The feeling is mutual, Princess.” she says ‘Princess’ with a high amount of utter contempt.

“It still doesn’t change the fact that you know where Proteus is. I can see it within you. How long has he been coming down here, bypassing my guards, and visiting you in your home? Does he know of your illness?”

Twilight is silent, while Luna smiles.

“Wouldn’t you like to see him, before the end?”

As much as she should be mad at such an obviously condescending question, she had to admit that she is right.

“If I tell you, will you promise not to hurt him?”

“I have no intention of hurting your son, Twilight.”

“I’ve heard that before.”

“Now, answer my question. Where is your son?”

The Changeling army has significantly improved in their training. What was once an army of inexperienced and uncoordinated goons has finally become a formidable fighting force. Though they have not faced a real threat, Proteus is confident that when the time comes, they will be ready for anything. Afternoon is slowly approaching, and Proteus, pleased with the Changelings progress, has decided to call it an early day. Right now, he has an idea.

He approaches Selene at her throne, shooing away any stray Changelings so that they don’t hear what he has to say.

“Selene, I want to see my Mother today.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem.”

“The thing is…I want you to come with me.”

Selene pauses. Meeting Twilight Sparkle? The mother of Proteus? The fact that he is even asking her is both pleasing and also very worrisome.

“A-Are you sure?” she asks, “What about Guards?”

“They won’t be a problem. There’s an entrance in the back that we can use.”

“That may work for one, but for two…”

“You can disguise yourself. Transform into a Ponyville citizen, and tell the Guards that you want to visit her. I’ll sneak through the back, undetected.”

He seems to have the bases covered, she had to admit. Still, doubt lingers inside her mind. However, this seems to be as good as a time as any to finally meet her.

“Okay, fine.” she says, shaking her head in disbelief that she’s agreeing to this. “But, we can only stay for an hour; two at the most.”

“You won’t be sorry.” Proteus says, ecstatic that she’s agreed to come with him.

After saying goodbye to the Changelings for now, the two fly out of the cave, and into the afternoon skies. It’s a pretty warm day, but it’s also very nice. Proteus cannot wait to see his mother again, hoping that she’s feeling much better. Halfway through the trip, he turns to look at Selene, and sees her descending down into the Everfree Forest. Confused, he follows her down.

Upon landing, he sees the unmistakable look of nervousness on her face. A bead of swat drops down her brow. He’s never seen this before; she’s terrified.

“Hey, are you alright?” he asks her.

“I’m fine…” she says with hesitancy, “I’m just…nervous, that’s all.”

“What’s there to be nervous about?”

“She’s your mother. I bet she’s judgmental. What if she doesn’t like me?”

“Don’t think like that. She’s one of the most likable ponies in Ponyville. She’s going to love you.”

“Are you sure? What did she think of my mother?”

“They didn’t get off to the greatest of starts. She did try to take over Equestria, you know.”

“The Changelings told me about that.”

“But, after that, when she ended up with our father, she became much nicer. That’s what she told me. Mom saw her as a friend after that. Look, there’s no need to be worried about what she thinks. I’ve already told her about you, and I’m sure she’s just waiting to finally meet you.”

“You won’t tell her about…” she motions to herself and him, “This…right?”

“No.” he responds, “I don’t think she’ll understand. I’ve told you before, she can’t know.”

“Okay.”

“So, have you figured out a disguise yet?”

“I have one. I’ve used it before a few times, actually.”

“Really? Let me see.”

Selene nervously shuffles around a bit, as if she doesn’t want to show him her disguise. Before she could respond to his request, they hear a twig snapping in the forest. It was definitely the sound of something or somepony stepping on it.

“Did you hear that?” Selene asks.

“Yeah. I don’t think we’re alone.”

They hear rustling in the bushes, the flapping of wings, the galloping of hooves, but most noticeably, the clanking of armor. Proteus knows this noise all too well. He turns back to Selene.

“Run!” he yells.

Suddenly, Emerald Blade charges from the bushes at the two. They move out of the way of the rampaging Guard, but he ignores Selene, and repositions himself to charge Proteus. He slams into him, bringing him to the ground.

“Proteus!” Selene screams.

“Stone Shield! I got him!” Emerald Blade yells out.

His moment of triumph is interrupted by Selene knocking him off of Proteus’ body. Proteus gets up, and the two run for it.

“We have to fly out of here!” Selene says.

“No, they’re in the skies too! I can hear them!”

Suddenly, four more Guards, this time Pegasi, come flying down in front of them. They have no choice. Proteus and Selene charge them, and fight. Learning from Proteus' training, Selene has proven to be a match for the two Pegasi she’s fighting, bringing them down with calculated strikes. Proteus takes down his two Guards as well. He turns to see her attempt to deliver a killing blow.

“No!” he says, “Don’t kill them!”

She reluctantly follows his command, and they take off running again. It’s the same routine for miles, until they reach a rock face. They dive behind it, hiding from the Guards.

“There’s too many of them.” Proteus says, “We can’t fight them all.”

“What do we do?” she asks.

Proteus thinks for a bit, until the answer finally hits him. He looks at her, with a serious face.

“Go.” he tells her.

“What?”

“You can teleport. Go back to your hive.”

“I’m not going to leave you here!” she yells, “I can teleport us both back to the cave.”

“No!” he shouts, “They are going to keep on following us, and we’re going to end up leading them right to the cave. Do you want that?”

“They can fight!”

“I don’t want anypony getting hurt or dying because of me, especially you.”

“I’m not going!” She determined to stay. So much so, she holds Proteus tightly in her forelegs.

“You have to. It’s me they want, not you.”

“I don’t care.” she’s almost crying, “I don’t want to lose you. Not now!”

“You’re not going to lose me. I have to settle this. If I don’t, it’s going to be like this forever.” He looks into her eyes. “I’ll come back for you, okay? When this is all over, I’ll return.”

She can see the look on his face. He’s going out there, with or without her permission. She cannot do anything but accept his decision.

“You promise?”

“I promise.” he leans in, giving her one final kiss, before separating himself from her. “I love you.”

Selene’s eyes go wide in an instant. Those three words have just changed everything. She watches him leave her position, and head out for the open. She gets up to follow.

“Proteus!” she yells to him.

“Go!” he yells back to her.

“I have to tell you…”

“There’s no time!” he interrupts, “Go! You can tell me later!” She’s still not moving. “GO!”

She flinches at his massive shout. She slowly nods, understanding what she has to do. She shuts her eyes, and in an instant, she flashes out of sight. Proteus sighs in relief, happy that she is out of danger. Just then, more than a dozen Guards close in on his position, ready to attack. Proteus raises his forelegs up in surrender.

“I give up!” he says, “You win. I’m turning myself in.”

The Guards look at one another in confusion, suspicious that this is a trap. Stone Shield comes flying down; the last one to arrive. He approaches Proteus cautiously.

“Hey, Captain.” Proteus says with respect in his voice.

“Private.” he says back, with a little less respect in his tone.

“How are you?”

“Been looking for you for the past month. Otherwise, I’m good.” he says with a great deal of sarcasm. “Where’s the other one?”

“What other one?”

“The Changeling. The others said that they saw her. Where is she?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“You damn well do!” Emerald Blade shoots back, “I saw her with my own eyes! Hell, she tackled me off of you!”

“What do you mean?” Proteus said. “I pushed you off. You must be getting sloppy.”

Emerald Blade is about to strike him. Stone Shield raises a hoof.

“Enough, Lieutenant.” Stone Shield says. Emerald Blade backs down, obeying his superior’s orders. “I guess we’re going to have to find out ourselves.”

Stone Shield looks at a few of the Guards. He motions them to take a quick look around, before looking back at Proteus. The two look at one another, almost as if they are in the mother of all staring contests, to see which one is the most intimidating. Finally, the Guards return.

“No sign of anypony else, sir.” The Guard says, “Empty as a barrel of drunken cider.”

“I told you. It’s just me.”

Stone Shield sighs; He motions to another pair of Guards to wingcuff Proteus. They do so without any hesitation.

“Proteus, by decree of Princess Luna, we are placing you under arrests for assault, and attempted rape.”

“You know me, Stone Shield. I would never do that.”

“Anything you say or do, can and will be used against you in the presence of your Royal Highness.”

“Please, you have to know something is up.”

“You will be held captive, until the Princesses have decided what your punishment shall be.”

“Come on, Stone Shield! Don’t believe Luna’s lies! She’s playing you!”

“Shut up!” Emerald Blade shouts. He delivers a powerful blow to the back of Proteus’ head, effectively knocking him out cold. “That’ll keep him quiet, till we get to Canterlot.” He looks at Stone Shield, and notes the look of deep thought on his face. “You alright, Captain?”

“Y-Yeah” Stone Shield snaps out of it, “Let’s get him back to Canterlot.”

The Guards carry Proteus all the way back to Canterlot Castle. The Recruits on the training ground, ones that considered Proteus their friend, see him now in chains, being carried unconsciously through to the dungeon below.

They carry him to the last dungeon chamber at the far end, the same one where he was taken to when he struck Stone Shield during training. More importantly, it’s the same chamber where this whole thing began, the same chamber where one Royal Guard fell for a Changeling Queen. They take the chains off him, and fasten him with whole new ones; attached to the floor, and a neck chain attached to the wall. As they fasten the last of the chains, he begins to drift back into consciousness. They put the last shackle on his neck, and bolt out of the room, like he was going to go into a homicidal rage.

Proteus fully awakes to find himself in the chamber. He doesn’t move much to realize that he is now chained to the floor. He sighs, not out of disappointment that he’s there in the first place, but that the Guards consider him dangerous enough to be locked up.

Luna is awoken from her afternoon sleep, by the sounds of knocking on her bedroom door. She opens it up to see Stone Shield.

“Your Majesty, we have captured Proteus.”

“Where is he now?”

“In the dungeon chamber.”

“Good.” She gets out of bed, putting on her royal garb. “I will go down and visit him myself.”

“With all due respect, princess, he tried to take advantage of you. By rights, he extremely dangerous.”

“Are you arguing with me, Captain?”

“No Ma’am, I’m just suggesting that you bring assistance with you.”

“Duly noted.” She is obviously disregarding his suggestion, as she pretties herself up for the prisoner downstairs. Stone Shield watches her, confused about her behavior. She looks back at him, eyebrow raised. “Is there anything else, Captain?”

“No.” Stone Shield says, “I’ll leave you to it, then.”

He exits her chambers. As he slowly walks through the hallway, the words that Proteus said to him echo through his mind. When he first got word of Proteus’ crimes, he didn’t believe it himself. He always thought of him as a fairly level headed pony, even if he did have a bit of a anger issue at first. He saw the damage that he allegedly did to Luna, and was nearly mortified that his friend, who not a month before, was a friendly colt, who dreamed while looking at the night sky, would do such a thing. Not to mention, he surrendered himself to the Guard.

Something was up. Luckily, there was more than one Princess still up and about.

Proteus was awaiting Princess Luna’s arrival. There was no way she would pass up the chance to see him again, after a month of being away from her. He counted the seconds until that door would open, revealing her lying face to him. Everything that he has wanted to say to her swirls in his head, wondering what he would say, and how it exactly would come out. He could yell and scream at her, or he could be calm, but condescending.

The door opens, he looks up, and he sees her; Luna, all smiles and love on her face, as she closes the door, locking it with her magic.

“Proteus!” she says happily, “It’s so good to see you again.” Proteus says nothing to her, only staring. “It’s been a long time, how have you been?” Still nothing. “It wasn’t easy finding you, you know. All that time, the Guards thought you simply disappeared off the face of Equestria.” She caresses a hoof on his chin. “But, I knew you were out there.” She gives licks to his cheek seductively, she has obviously missed his touch. “The Guards tell me you were with a Changeling; one that appeared to be a Queen. You want to tell me about her?” Proteus doesn’t. She chuckles. “Well, if you don’t...we’re going to find out anyway. We know where they reside. All it takes is one order, and my force will be raining down on that place like it was nothing.” She sees the worried look on his face. This surprises her. “Why so worried? There’s nopony you fancy living in that cave, is there?”

He continues to be silent. Inside, though, he’s glad that she doesn’t know who the Changeling Queen really is.

“By the way, you can thank your mother for revealing your location. It wasn’t easy.”

She sees Proteus having a look of shock on his face, thinking that she did the worst to his mother.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t hurt her. I can’t do any more damage than the cancer has already done.” Proteus goes wide eyed. He didn’t know. “You didn’t know? I’m sorry, but it’s true. Twilight is dying. The Doctors didn’t catch the cancer until it was in its advanced stage. They don’t know how much longer she can last.” She sees tears well up in her former lover’s eyes, trying not to break down in sobs and screams. “Do you want to see her again?” He looks up at her. “I can make it happen, but you have to do something for me.”

He listens in to what she wants. In an instant, she gets close to him, holding him, caressing him lovingly, and grazing her muzzle against his.

“I want you to be mine, once again. I know that I have hurt you, and I’m sorry for that. I’m also sorry for lying to the guards about you. I just want things to be normal, like they once were. I’m willing to try again; to love you for who you really are, not because of your heritage. I can change, and I’ll do it all for you. Oh Proteus, can you ever forgive me?”

She invades his mouth for a deep, long kiss. But, it’s not like how they’ve kissed before. She’s doing all the work, while Proteus does absolutely nothing. She tries harder to get a response from him, but nothing is working. Finally, she separates herself from him, as she looks into his eyes. No longer could she see love in them, like she did when he first laid eyes on her. Instead, all she can see is anger. He looks into her soul, as if he plans to set her aflame with his mind alone.

He responds. It’s not much of one; as it only contains one word. However, that one word causes her to freeze in place at its mere utterance.

“No.” he says, in an eerily calm tone of voice.

She’s in utter bewilderment at his response. She surely thought that would work, that he would be back in her bed, and that he would see Twilight again, before the inevitable would come. Why? Why didn’t he?

She could not respond back to his answer, she could say nothing. She turns away from him, and walks right out the door, slamming it shut.

The moment she is out of his sight, out of her range of hearing, Proteus collapses onto the floor, breaking down in tears. The thought of his mother dying shatters his heart into millions of metaphorical pieces.

“Mom…” he quietly says to himself, “Please, forgive me.”

Selene sits at her throne, pondering the events of the day. What should have been a pleasant visit to see Twilight, ended up with Proteus captured, and taken away from her. She could have taken them all on, but she would have done so with fatal consequences. But, one thing still lingers within her; he said that he loved her. She can’t decide if he really meant it, or if he only said to keep her from following him. He couldn’t really have meant it, how could he? After all, she’s his half-sister, and they started the day saying that what they had couldn’t last. But, what if he did mean it? What if he planned on staying with her, and living the rest of their days together away from judgmental eyes? She loved him more than anything in all of Equestria, be he doesn’t know that her love for him started long before their meeting in the forest.

“Your Majesty?” A lone Changeling asks at the foot of her throne. She does not answer him, still engulfed in her thoughts. “Your Highness?” There continues to be no response. “My Queen!” She suddenly snaps out of his, looking directly at the Changeling with a startled expression. “What are we going to do?”

He face transforms from a look of confusion, to one of determination, and also of rage. She rises from her throne, and walks down to the Changeling.

“Get all the Changelings here.” she commands, “Each and every one of them. I want them in lines of forty. Put the strongest in front, and the weakest in the back. If there’s a problem, report directly to me, and I will take care of it. We’re moving out in an hour.”

“My Queen? Where are we going?”

“We’re going to Canterlot.

“What for?”

“We’re going to get our King back.”