A Guard for The Princess

Princess Luna and Queen Selene; not a few hours ago, they were enemies, ready to kill each other without hesitation. But now, at this moment, they are sitting together in a hospital waiting room, awaiting the fate of the stallion that started this entire story. Both sat there in shock at what had happened, both sat there afraid that he wasn’t going to make it. His wounds were unimaginably bad; it was almost a miracle that he was standing for as long as he was before keeling over.

The waiting room was packed to the brim with other ponies, suffering from injuries sustained from the attack by the monsters of Tartarus. There were ponies groaning in pain, wailing even, some louder than the crying fillies who made off with just a scratch. It was hard to think about anything with such noise, but the Princess and the Queen sat there, like they couldn’t hear anything but their own thoughts.

Princess Luna hoped that the barrier made by the Unicorns will be able to hold, until Celestia arrived to place the finishing touches. Her mind then dwindled to Celestia, and what had happened between them outside of Canterlot. She was caught off guard by her sister’s actions to keep Proteus and Selene together, despite the fact that they were breaking a law that was written in stone many years ago. She didn’t understand why Celestia would do that, and go against her own moral code.

Selene, on the other hoof, couldn’t be bothered to think about such things. All she had on her mind was Proteus. When they brought his unconscious body into the hospital, the Doctors gasped in fright at both his condition, and the fact that she was a Changeling. Luckily for them, Proteus’ health came first, as he was immediately placed onto a gurney, and into the emergency room. After a couple questions, she withheld from telling them that she was his sister; Luna was nice enough not to blurt it out. The Princess was certain Selene was still very much angry with her, and doing something like that would only exacerbate things. Since then, Selene sat there, her hooves shaking like they were freezing cold, but the weather wasn’t the problem; it was that it had been hours, and no news about his condition had been disclosed.

The Queen had to think of something else, something to take her mind off her terrified state, but it couldn’t be helped. She would think about all the good times she shared with him, but it would only lead to the now. What she isn’t aware of, is the Princess looking right at her, wondering what to do next.

Luna looked at her for what seemed like minutes, she could see the dread surrounding the Queen of the Changelings. As her stare becomes increasingly longer, she starts to feel something for the mare that she thought she wouldn’t…concern. The very mare that she shot a blast of magic at, is now sitting before her, nearly in tears at the possible loss of her love. She shouldn’t be feeling this way for her; why would she? Selene stole Proteus away, and not only that, but they are sibling lovers. But, why does she feel this way?

Slowly, Luna reaches a hoof out, resting it on Selene’s shoulder. In a knee jerk reaction, Selene shrugs off the shoulder, broken from her thoughts, and glaring into the eyes of the Princess of the night.

“Don’t touch me.” she growls at Luna, “I won’t forget what you have done. To him…AND to me.”

“Selene.” she says softly, “I don’t want to fight you. Not anymore.”

“None of this would have happened, if you didn’t betray him.”

“If I didn’t, you wouldn’t have met him.”

Selene scoffs, refusing to see her point. “I’ve met him before all this. I was just…waiting for the perfect moment.”

“Really?” Luna was interested in this development. “He's never mentioned you, prior to a month ago.”

“That’s bec…” she stops, changing the subject. “Why are you even talking to me?” she scoffs.

“I'm curious." she says. "Am I not allowed to be interested in Chrysalis’ daughter?” she asks.

“You stopped being allowed when you tried to kill me in front of everypony in Canterlot."

“I wasn’t trying to kill you. Merely wound you.” she tries to chuckle it off, but Selene was having none of it. “Besides, Proteus…” Luna ceases that thought, thinking about the condition that he is in now. She clears her throat, and much like the Queen, tries to change the topic of discussion.

It’s quiet now between them. Neither of them knowing what to say to the other. Selene chortles.

“I guess it’s hard to talk about things, without bringing him up.”

“Yeah. It is.” Luna agrees. She looks around the waiting area, finally noticing how loud everything is. “Selene…” The Queen looks over at her. “In all seriousness, I really do want to talk to you.”

“Then let’s talk.”

“I prefer someplace quieter.”

The two walk around the hospital, finding a room that will suit their standards for ‘quiet’. After minutes of searching, they find a room. Selene notices Luna locking the door with her magic, preventing anypony from getting in.

“What's with the secrecy? Trying to actually kill me, this time?”

“No. I’m not.” she shakes head, along with rolling her eyes.

“Then, are you going to apologize?”

“In…” Luna pauses, “In a way…” She looks around the room. “You may want to sit down for this.”

“I prefer to stand, thank you.”

“Suit yourself.” Luna sighs, “I…want to tell you about…myself. Explain a few things, about what happened.”

“What is there to explain? I already know the story between you two.”

“It goes much deeper than that.” She sees Selene cock an eyebrow. “A long time ago, your father and I were…involved.” Selene immediately sits down on the floor. That caught her attention fast. “He was my personal guard for a year, then…one thing led to another, and we both realized that we were more than just Guard and Princess…we were in love. That’s when I made my first mistake.”

“What did you do?” The story is very interesting to Selene, she had no idea about any of this.

“I told him that I wasn’t in love with him. That what we had was nothing more than a fling…a midnight tryst if you will. The thing was…I lied.”

“Why?”

“I’m an Alicorn, Selene. I will live for thousands of years, while he would have grown old and died in front of my very eyes. The thought of that scared me, more than you realize. So, I lied…and that crushed him. Eventually, after months of silence, we agreed to be friends, but that love in his eyes, the love that I would see in him every day that we were together…was gone. Until his death, I was always still in love with him, but his heart belonged to another…your mother. I had no ill will towards her. From what I was told, when she was with him, she was a kind, merciful Changeling, and her death was as tragic as his.”

Selene hangs her head down. She never knew her mother, and the thought of that made her very upset. She looks back at Luna, and notices that it is becoming harder to tell the story as she progresses.

“For the next eleven years, I have tried falling in love a few times. There were many potential suitors, sure, but none could ever make me forget. Then, I met Proteus. I was always aware of his existence, but I never met him until that one night. The moment he looked at me, the moment he looked into my eyes, that same look, the one that Strong Heart would give me whenever he used to look at me, was there. For him, it was love at first sight. For me…I saw a second chance.”

“Let me guess…you traded one lie for another, am I right?” Selene asks cynically. Luna doesn’t argue with her. Her eyes begin to water.

“When he came of age, I pursued a relationship with him. I tried to love him, I really did. But…he just wasn’t…him. I had hoped that one day; I would fall in love with him. I was willing to spend however long it took, to find out if I could. But, I messed up. He found out, he got angry, and he left…and fell right into your hooves.”

Luna stared into Selene’s eyes. Both sadness and jealousy linger into her stare, but not hatred.

“When he was gone, I began to feel angry. Not only at myself, but also at him, and I wanted to get him back. I wanted him back into my forelegs, back into my bed, and I was willing to do whatever it took to make him mine once again.”

“You became obsessed…” Selene begins to figure her out.

“Yes; and in my obsession, I became somepony that I didn't want to be. I created a grand lie, one to make all of Canterlot turn against their former friend. And after a month, he came back to me. But then, when I saw him, there was no more love in his eyes. It was like his father all over again. The thing was, I would eventually see it, but not for me…for you. His own sister.” Luna’s tears pour out of her eyes, as she begins to break down crying. “I was so angry, that I wanted to hurt you, to take you away from him. I became the thing that I swore I would never become…a monster!” She falls to the ground in sobs. “I’m scum! I don’t deserve anypony! I’m a liar and a fraud that won’t let go of the past! It’s just….just…” She puts her head down on the floor. “I miss him so much!”

Selene could only look on at the once powerful Princess, sobbing on the hospital room floor. She doesn’t know what to do, or what to say. For once, she doesn’t feel any resentment towards her; instead, she feels…pity. The Queen gently picks Luna off the floor, facing her. She holds her close to her face, and gives her a form of comfort that the Princess of The Night did not expect…a gentle kiss on the lips. The kiss immediately stops her tears from flowing, and her eyes close at the warm feeling that Selene is giving her. The Queen could be using her powers to calm her down, she doesn’t know, but it’s a small comfort nonetheless.

After a short while, Selene breaks the kiss, and Luna looks at her in surprise.

“Do you pity me?” Luna asks.

The Queen slowly nods her head. “I also understand you. I too know what it’s like to be obsessed.” She embraces Luna, holding her tightly to her body. “One day, you will find somepony you will love, just as much as he loves you. You will cherish each and every moment you will share with him, and you will honor the memory of my father…by letting him go.”

Luna rests her head on Selene’s shoulders, sharing the embrace with one of her own. Selene can feel Luna nod her head in compliance to her request.

“But Proteus is off limits now. Understand?” she says half-jokingly, but also very serious. Luna laughs in response, and Selene feels another nod on her shoulder.

“Thank you.” Luna says, “I don’t care what you are, as long as he is happy.”

After a few more seconds of embracing, the two head out the door, back into the waiting room. As night falls, the head Doctor finally exits from the emergency room. Luna and Selene are almost the only ones left in the waiting room. They see him approaching, and they immediately stand up, waiting for the news.

“He’s stable.” he says. The two sigh in relief. “He was cut up pretty bad, anypony else would have died from the amount of blood he lost, but he has a strong heart.” Luna smirks at the comment. ‘He’s in recovery now, under a deep sleep. It’ll probably be until morning, before I can allow any visitors. Sorry, Princess.”

“It’s quite alright.” Luna replies, “We will visit him tomorrow.”

“One more thing Doctor.” Selene says, “Did Princess Celestia bring Twilight Sparkle here?”

“Of course. She was adamant about keeping her safe during the battle outside. Unfortunately, no visitors are allowed to see her at this time, apart from hospital staff, of course.”

Selene nods, in understanding. She and Luna walk out the door. Outside, it’s calm and serene, definitely not how it was a few hours ago. It seems that all is right with Equestria at the moment. The battle is won, and Proteus is alive.

“I have to go now.” Luna says, “Much to do at the castle, I’m sure.”

“I’ll go check on my army. See if they’re okay.”

“Alright. I’ll see you soon.” Luna takes off, leaving Selene behind. She looks back at the Hospital.

It’s the middle of the night in the recovery room. Proteus is fast asleep. Most of his right side is in bandages, and an IV is in his foreleg. Nurse Redheart walks into the room. She looks at the sleeping colt, making sure his bed in comfortable and his bandages are on tight.

The Doctor walks into the room, surprised to see Redheart there.

“Nurse Redheart? I thought you left.”

“No, I had to make sure this patient was okay.”

The Doctor smiles, understanding. “Ah, I see. Hard to believe he survived all of that. He must have some friends in very high places, if I do say so myself. The Princess and a Changeling brought him here personally.”

“Really? Well, I guess they care about him a lot.”

“It sure seemed like it. That Changeling, though. There was something familiar about her.”

“What do you mean?”

“The weirdest thing, over twenty years ago, I had to extract a dead Changeling foal from Queen Chrysalis. She looked very much like that filly. I must be imagining things.”

“That is strange.” Nurse Redheart admitted, “At least the patient is okay. By the way, where is Twilight Sparkle? Princess Celestia wanted me to make sure that she’s comfortable as well.”

“Forgot the room number, huh? I don’t blame you, since all the craziness that happened. It’s down the hall, in room E-3. When you’re done, go home and get some rest. You look tired.”

Redheart laughs as the Doctor walks off.

Moments later, Redheart walks inside room E-3, where she sees Twilight Sparkle asleep in her bed. There’s a heart monitor attached to her chest, and an IV in her foreleg. The side of her bed had dozens of cards, hoping for a speedy recovery, a small stack of books that look as if they had been open and read many times, and her left foreleg is clutching a raggedy looking doll made of wool, with buttons for eyes. Redheart approaches the sleeping Twilight carefully, attempting not to forcefully wake her up. She pats her pillow, making sure it’s nice and soft, and moves her blanket up her chest a little more, to keep her warm.

She then places a hoof along Twilight’s cheek, caressing it gently. Twilight exhales a breath in comfort at the touch.

“Twilight?” Redheart says softly.

The unicorn eventually awakens, seeing Redheart at her side.

“Nurse Redheart?” she says groggily, “What’s the matter? Is something wrong?”

“Twilight…” Redheart says again, “Don’t be afraid of what I’m about to show you.”

“What are you talking about/” she sees Redheart turn to the door, locking it with magic. “Wait…you’re not a unicorn. Who are you?”

Slowly, Redheart transforms into her true appearance…Selene. Twilight gasps at the sight of her, but doesn’t scream.

“Shhhhh…” Selene says, holding a hoof up to her lips, “Don’t be scared.”

“I’m…I’m not.” Twilight admits, “It’s you. You’re the Changeling Proteus had been talking about.”

“My name is Selene.” she says, “Proteus is in the room down the hall.”

“What?” Twilight says in a panic, her heart monitor spiking. “What happened to him?”

Selene puts her hoof on Twilight’s chest, giving her a small bit of relaxation.

“He’s alright. He got hurt in battle, but he’ll pull through. I need to you to calm down. I’m not supposed to be here.”

Twilight calms her heart down to a normal rate. She breathes a sigh of relief that her son if okay.

“Proteus told me you were sick. Is everything okay?”

“No.” Twilight shakes her head, “I have…cancer. He doesn’t know. I was going to tell him the next time he came to visit.”

Selene widens her eyes, and they start to water with tears.

“How long do you have?”

“Not long…” she replies, “The Doctors said that I could go at any time.”

“Is there anything I can do? Maybe I can…”

“No.” Twilight interrupts, “I just want to see my son again.”

“He should be awake soon. I’m sure he’ll want to see you when he does.” Selene tries to assure her. “Just hang in there.”

“I appreciate your kindness.” Twilight looks closer at Selene, noting her appearance. “You know, you’re really pretty.” Selene blushes, which brings a smile to Twilight. “Your mother was pretty too. I can see why he likes you.”

Selene is surprised at Twilight’s statement. Does she know that she and Proteus are involved?

“Twilight, I…”

“It’s okay.” she says, “I knew he was in love with you. The way he talked about you, it was all too obvious to me how he felt about you.

“I’m very sorr…”

“Do you love him?” Twilight asks, “Do you love my son?”

She can see it in Twilight’s eyes; she knows that Proteus and her are related, worry begins to set in her stomach, but she cannot lie to his mother. She sucks it up, and says…

“I do…” Selene responds, “I love him more than anything. I know I shouldn’t, but…”

“What do you mean?” Twilight wonders.

“Because of who I am! Because Strong Heart was my father, just as he was Proteus’! It’s forbidden. I know you probably don’t approve of it, but…”

Twilight places a hoof on Selene’s shoulder. The Queen looks at her, and sees a gentle smile grace her sickly, yet still beautiful face.

“Is he happy?” Twilight says.

Selene smirks, as a singular tear rolls down her face. She nods, confirming Twilight’s question.

“That’s all that matters.”

“But…it not normal.”

“His life never was normal.” Twilight freely admits, “He was conceived in abnormal circumstances, he was raised in abnormal circumstances, and everypony saw him as abnormal all his life. I guess…somehow…you are the one thing that’s normal to him.” Twilight chuckles, “I want you to do something for me.”

“Anything.” Selene says.

“When I’m gone, I want you to take care of him. Things are about to be very difficult for him, and I want you to be there when it does.”

“I will.” Selene says, “Twilight…can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“You’re the only one I know that met my mother. How was she?”

“Truthfully?” she asks. Selene nods. “Our first meeting wasn’t exactly ideal, but when I finally got to know her…she was wonderful. And you remind me of her.”

“Thank you.” Selene smiles, “I’m sorry that I couldn’t have met you sooner.”

“I’m sorry he couldn’t have met you sooner.”

Proteus didn’t wake up for four days. He had his share of visitors, though. Twilight’s friends, Spike, Celestia, Selene, even Luna; they would come by to check on his condition. Though the doctors expected him to wake up much sooner, his recovery was faster than they anticipated.

Then, the day came when he finally woke up. The real Nurse Redheart was doing some inspections on his bandages, when he shifted from his position, groaning as he did it. Immediately, Redheart went straight for the Doctor, so he could be there when Proteus woke up. His eye opened slowly, the bright light from the day bleeding into the room, and into his eye.

“Good afternoon, Proteus.” The Doctor said cheerfully, “How are we feeling?”

Proteus noticed that he could only see out of one eye. He places a hoof onto the bandage wrapped around his head, covering his right eye.

“What…what happened?” he asked.

“You were injured. Princess Luna and a Changeling brought you here.”

“Both of them?” he queried.

“Yes. They were very worried about your condition.”

“And what is my condition, exactly?” He noted half his body still covered in the bandages.

“Your wounds were pretty bad. There will be some definite scarring when they fully heal. You may not be able to see much from your right eye. The only thing that was only partially damaged was your right wing, so you will still be able to fly.”

“Well, there’s that.” Proteus jokingly responds, “I guess…having scars won’t be so bad."

"You're very lucky, having friends like that. You even had quite a lot of visitors."

"Really?" He looks over at the table next to him. On it, are a variety of cards and roses, with balloons that have big 'Get Well Soon!' messages on them. He smiles at the items, glad that everypony still cares about him.

"How long was I out, Doc?”

“A few days.”

“A few days?!” Proteus practically yelled, “Where are my friends? Are they okay?”

“As far as I know. They came to visit you, while you were asleep.”

“And what about my Mother? Twilight Sparkle, is she here?”

The Doctor paused. He looked nervous about what he’s about to say. “Yeah…she’s here, but…”

“But what?”

“Her condition has gotten worse when you were out. It’s only a matter of time when…”

“Where is she?”

“She’s in room E-3, but….”

Proteus had no more time being stalled by the Doctor. He wasn’t going to let his injuries hold him back from leaving the room. He flings himself free of the straps, ripping the IV from his foreleg in the process. The Doctor and Redheart try to get to him, but he pushes them back. His struggle to get up was difficult; he was still in a lot of pain. He fought through it for each step, as he made his way out of the room.

Though the room that was holding his mother was only a few feet away, for him, it felt like miles. He trekked through the hall with great conviction. A couple of stitches on his side break, and he bleeds a little through his bandage.

“Proteus, I need you lay down!” Redheart shouts.

“I’ve been lying down for four days!” he shouts back, “You’re not going to stop me!”

He gets to her room, and bursts through the door. On the other side, are her friends. Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Spike. The all turn their heads from Twilight’s bed, to look at him, wide eyed in surprise.

“Hey guys.” Proteus said with a weak smile.

Redheart and the Doctor finally caught up to him.

“Proteus, we need to get you back in bed, now!”

“Let him stay!” Applejack said. The two stop at her words. They don’t move an inch to stop Proteus.

He walks over to the bed, past the others to look upon his mother. She is asleep, but her heart rate is weak.

“Can I…have a moment, you guys?”

“Sure thing, darling.” Rarity said, “Come on girls, and Spike.”

They form out of the room, each on offering their words of condolences to Proteus. All Spike could give him was a light pat on the back before following suit. The door shouts, leaving Proteus alone with his mother.

“Mom?” he whispers to her, “Mom, it’s me.”

Her eyes open gradually at the sound of his voice. She turns to him, and she smiles softly.

“Proteus? Is that you?”

“It’s me, Mom. I’m here.”

She looks at his bandages. Though Selene told her that he was injures, she still wasn’t expecting him to be in the state that he was in.

Oh, my son.” she puts a hoof on his cheek. “My little colt. What happened to you?”

"I'm alright, Mom. It'll only be for a couple more days. You'll see."

"No..." she says. "I won't."

His lip quivers in sadness, seeing her accepting of her fate. A tear rolls down his cheek, and onto Twilight’s hoof.

“Don’t cry.” she tries to calm him.

“I can’t help it.” he says. “It’s in my nature.” he chuckles, as more tears exit from his ducts.

“When you cry, it makes me want to cry.” she says, as a small tear forms in her eye.

“I know. I just….” He quickly puts his head on her chest. “I don’t want you to go!” he shouts, sobbing.

“Shhhh…it’s okay…” she strokes his mane, “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Yes you are…” he says, “You’re leaving me. I don’t want to be alone.”

“You won’t be alone, Proteus. You have your friends…you have Selene. It’ll be okay.”

“Did…did you meet her, when I was out?” he says, in between sniffles.

“I did. She was very nice.” she said. “And very pretty.”

“Yeah….” he smiles, “She is…”

“Proteus…”

“Yeah, Mom?”

“No matter what happens…you will never be alone. I’ll be right here…” She moves her hoof to his forehead. “And here…” She moves it to his chest. “You know that, right?”

He nods in understanding. “I wish I never joined the Guard. I could have stayed with you, we could have caught this early, and got rid of it before it got worse, I could have…”

“Don’t say such things. There was nothing you could have done. Some things just have to happen, even when you don’t want them to.”

“But…I should have been there. I should have been there to protect you, like I protected you from those colts! I wanted to be there for you, but I…”

“It’s all in the past now.”

“I…” he sniffles, “I’m going to miss you.”

“I know.” She says. “I made a lot of mistakes in my life, Proteus. Many ponies can attest to that. But…raising you…was the best decision I ever made.” Her words envelop his heart, and a lump forms on his throat. He can barely talk without bursting into tears. She continues to stroke his mane gently. “Now that you’re here…I am complete….”

“I…I love you, Mom.”

“I love you too…Proteus…..”

Her words trail off, as she closes her eyes. Her strokes of his mane become slower and slower, until coming to a complete stop. Her breathing slows, and finally, she lets out one last breath, exhaling for a short while, until stopping. Proteus hears her heartbeat go to a crawl, and like everything else, it stops.

“Mom?” he asks her. There is no response. “Mom?” He asks again, still nothing. Her hoof that was on his head, falls onto the bed. He raises his head up to look at her. She looks as if she’s in a deep, peaceful sleep. Only she is not sleeping at all. “Mom?” He continues to call out to her, but he is getting no response. It is only after moments of saying her name that the reality begins to set in.

Twilight Sparkle, his mother, and friend to all ponies…has died.

He says nothing, going completely silent. He doesn’t scream, or bawl, or even audibly cry. He unplugs the now flat-lined heart monitor, stopping it's nearly never ending beep. Tears still stream down his face, as he kisses her on the cheek, and raises the blanket up to cover her entire chest, leaving the head exposed. He tucks her in, like she was merely taking a nap, and patting her pillow to make sure it’s soft for her head. He looks down, noticing her doll had dropped on the floor. He picks it up, and places it at her side, where it belonged. Afterwards, he calmly exited her room, and into the hallway.

Her friends stand in the lobby, quietly awaiting Proteus’ return, if he should return at all. Fluttershy is the first to see Proteus emerge from the hallway, hanging his head down to the floor, as he makes his way over to them. Fluttershy taps Rainbow Dash, and subsequently, the rest look up to see him. They get up from their seats, and make their way over to him.

He stops when he sees out from the top of his eye sight, the hooves of Twilight’s friends. He looks up, and scans their faces. As he continues to look at them, the looks on their faces change, when they realize what has happened. The last face he looks upon, is Spike, who immediately starts to cry when finding out the truth.

Proteus suddenly collapses onto the floor, his attempt at keeping a straight face has failed, and he begins sobbing hard into his foreleg. The others kneel down beside him, also in tears, trying their best to comfort him, but it’s no use.

It was the saddest day in all of their lives.