Every Prince Deserves a Princess

A prevailing numbness was all that I could feel. A shrieking beep was all that I could hear. But the things I saw... those horrible, menacing things that I saw...

Flashes of fangs, an azure, arterial spray painting my vision with blood of deepest blue. Glowing, unnatural magenta eyes bearing down upon my mind, their gaze so strong that it seemed to possess weight. I was trapped in a swirling void, an unending blackness- the abyss of an induced dream. Perhaps my mind was being controlled... or perhaps my body was, instead. Either way, all that filled my ears, provided I still had them, was that shrieking, unsteady beep.

My eyes slowly opened, confirming my continued existence. Slowly, gradually, my surroundings began to make sense, and the beeping became less of an annoyance, and more of a saving grace. The heart monitor continued its steady rhythm, reminding me that I was alive. I could barely remember anything from the previous... hour? Day? I couldn't tell how much time had passed. My muscles ached, my mouth was dry, and the vast majority of my body was sore. I made an attempt to sit up, only to be pushed back down by a blindingly bright white hoof.

"Rest, Vladimir. You had quite a hard fall."

Before me stood two white alicorns, though in time, the fuzzy outlines merged into one. I blinked a few times to regain clarity of vision, and took in the form of my Auntie. Never before had I been relieved to see the doting sow, but this was a happy exception. I took her hoof in mine, rubbing my larger hoof against her own.

"Auntie... what happened...?"

"You passed out, and Luna brought you here. I came as s-"

"I meant in general," I croaked, my voice coming out somewhat raspy and harsh. Where were my servants? Such negligence was completely unacceptable, even while I slept...

"Ah. We are... still piecing that together, I believe." Celestia leaned closer, sitting upon the side of the strangely large hospital bed. I must have been in the royal infirmary, as was proper. At least my station was still being recognized. "You most definitely slayed a changeling, and we have evidence that there was more than one. The 'dead' guard's companion may be running around as well, and needs to be found as soon as possible."

I shifted uncomfortably, looking up at the strangely-postured alicorn. She lacked her usual jewelry, the odd appearance making her look a bit younger than usual. She had a certain sadness hanging about her features, though all things considered, I could hardly blame her. I was quite sure that I looked a mess as well, so I was in no position to judge. Well, aside from my position of usual superiority, that is.

"Auntie... I-I found a... a hair. Almost silken to the touch. Some sort of mist-shrouded demon commanded that changeling. Whether it was another, or some manner of beast, I cannot be sure. Something has come calling, and we are all in danger."

Celestia listened intently, her expression neutral. She took several moments to collect her thoughts before responding, as her wings curled back into her sides from their erect position.

"I see. I shall inform the guard, a-"

The guard. "Shining Armor. Where...?"

Celestia reached down and rubbed my hoof, trying and succeeding to silence my outburst. "On your other side, my nephew."

I slowly turned my head, somewhat apprehensive as to what I might find. Buried beneath a pile of blankets, flowers, and surrounded by 'Get Well' cards, lay the fallen captain of the day guard. Needless to say, no such things were around my bed. His face was covered on one side, wrapped with thick swathes of gauze and covered by medical tape. His pallor looked quite... off, though I couldn't put my hoof on it. He seemed lifeless, though his chest did indeed continue to rise and fall, as the heart monitor, hooked to him instead of me, acted as yet more reassurance that he was very much alive. Even so, the sight was unsettling at best.

"He'll make it, yes?"

"He will. You saved his life." Celestia shifted once again, looking incredibly uncomfortable as her voluminous flank spilled over the edge of the bed. "Some think you a part of the assassination attempt... but I am fighting such rumors tooth and nail."

I blinked in surprise. I had thought Celestia of all ponies would have believed such things, given how I had ranted about Shining Armor to her in the past. Perhaps family ties did mean something...

"Auntie... we need to speak, and soon."

"Why not now? We have the time."

"...I am not ready." Despite the opportunity, despite the clear show of support, I could not bring myself to discuss my Cadenza with Shining right there. If he woke... if he knew... then perhaps he would begin to believe that I was, indeed, his attempted assassin. Though I hated him like a brother, his ire was not something I wished for, despite our differences.

"Very well. I need to look at his wound again. Whatever that poison was, I sincerely hope we need never see it again." Celestia rose and walked to Shining's bedside, where she began unwrapping the dressings upon his cheek. I rolled over to watch, though my mind was screaming at me to turn away.

"Bloodlet Moss. My... partner told me as much."

"Your partner?" Celestia sang, giving me a cheeky grin.

"Not like that, you nonce."

"If you say so," she replied as she peeled off the gauze. Beneath the wrapping, Shining's cheek was marred by several angular stitches. The flesh of his cheek had been eaten away, and skin had quite clearly been grafted from somewhere else upon his body to fill in the holes. The resulting bulge was quite ugly, but nothing compared to the light pink and sickly yellow fringes surrounding the flap of skin. The stitched wound almost looked infected, with the skin discolored and almost bubbly patches of the normally smooth surface near his jawline. I could only look for mere seconds before my stomach began to turn.

"Whomever is responsible for this is a monster. Between this, stalking my dreams, and making an attempt upon my life..."

"He will recover in time, and so will you. You need fluids, rest, and company, no matter how much you may protest the latter. I believe I should let this wound air..." Celestia took a seat beside Shining and began to stroke his mane, earning a groan from the behemoth of a stallion. Shining Armor stirred, and slowly began to wake as my mood worsened even more. It was only a matter of time before Cadenza would arrive to fawn over him...

"Mmmngh... Tia? Vlad...?" he weakly inquired, only his eye moving about as he spoke. His voice sounded distorted, as though he was speaking around several cotton balls. A part of me couldn't help but feel for him, though another began to regret saving him. My every obstacle, right before me and incapacitated. Without him, my place in the palace would have been unchallenged... but I had to have a heart. A heart that had gotten me nowhere.

"Shhh, my captain. Rest your cheek. You are safe. Vladimir saved you," the alicorn said, continuing to lightly stroke Shining's mane. The stallion's eye teared up as he looked over at me. Wordlessly, he mouthed 'thank you'. Had I been conflicted before, it was nothing compared to what I'd felt in that moment. For the briefest second, it all felt worth it. I knew such a notion would change again in time, but then, I was content to watch what might as well have been mother and daughter, locked in a worried embrace.

Without my Auntie upon the bed, I suddenly began to feel cold, and subsequently, bitter.

"Where is Moss?"

"The stallion you invited as a representative? My sister said that he departed to prowl the palace for the other changeling. We haven't heard from him since."

"He saved my life, as well," I said with a sigh. "I would like for you to invite him to the palace, if at all possible. Offer him a position among my bodyguards. His homelessness will be solved, I will be well-protected... and perhaps he and I can make progress with this entire mystery. After all- he has seen what I have seen, and he knows where other patches of Bloodlet grow around Canterlot."

Celestia paused to consider my words, playing with Shining's hoof as he concentrated on breathing and looking incredibly weak. After a rather obnoxious amount of time, she nodded, as though agreeing with herself. "Very well. Once you are well, I would like for the two of you to gather as much of this 'Bloodlet' as you are able to, so that we might fabricate preventative measures. It is too deadly a weapon to ignore, and if our unknown enemy plays to employ it, we need a leg up on them."

I heaved a sigh, knowing that any attempt at resistance would be met with blackmail. Then again... was it such a bad thing? I was being entrusted with an assignment, and an important one, at that. It was quite literally a first, and one that I would not pass up. Perhaps public opinion of me would shift, once I was outed as the true hero I had been in the past weeks...

"It will be done. I am leaving," I stated plainly. I tried to sit up, only to feel a rush of blood pooling in my forehead, prompting me to lie back down almost immediately. I summoned up my strength and tried once again, glaring daggers at Celestia as she simply watched. Finally out of the bed, I began to head for the door, sparing one last glance at my Auntie and the prostrate knight. I gave each a nod in turn, and headed out through the door, into the hallway.

So much had stopped making sense within the past few days, and so many questions were left unanswered. The throbbing within my skull only made the scenarios all the more confusing, and I walked slowly toward the winding stairwell, mulling over all that I had seen and done. Times were changing, and I was changing with them. What I wanted in life, what I stood for... everything had changed, and I wasn't sure of the answer. I also wasn't sure whether or not I liked that.

As my hooves depressed into the plushy, cranberry carpet of the long and lonely hallway, I spotted the silhouette of somepony standing at the opposite end. The figure stood still, looking over something within its hoof before heading down the stairs at borderline unnatural speed. With an extreme sense of foreboding, and very little common sense, I picked up my gait into a gallop, and pursued.