Oh Celestia, I'm so nervous! Is Mother going to kick me out when I get there? I hope not... I'm sure Solus would want me to get along with my family, especially my sister. He looked so excited when I told him...
Unless...
He knew that Cadance could become an alicorn, what if-
No! He isn't like that! He helped me, comforted me, lo-
He's here for me, not for her.
"Shining?"
Uh? Oh! He was talking!
"S-sorry, I was just thinking about...stuff", I answer lamely.
He smiles. Order, his smile is so warm and bright...
"It's fine", he says with a wave of his hoof. "I was just asking if you felt alright?"
"If I...? Yes, yes I am!", I reply hastily.
He lifts an eyebrow, just slightly.
"Oookay, if you say so. But Shiny, just one thing: you don't need to hide things from me, okay?"
I nod weakly.
"Okay."
We fall silent. Not an awkward silence, more like, what was it again? Oh, "companionable silence"! That's it! I don't really like my lessons with Lady Verse, but I want to be as, uh, as eloquent as Solus! If I'm not, he'll think I'm stupid!
A few minutes later, the carriage stop, and the door is opened by a pegasus guard.
"We are here, Sire", he says, bowing his head.
The guard then deploy the steps and Solus and I get off. Solus turn to me and smiles reassuringly.
"It's going to be fine, Shining."
I smile back, weakly. I really hope he's right. We walk to the entrance, where the guard knock on the door. A moment later, a frantic servant open the door.
"What is it? We are not receiving visitors!", he says angrily.
"Hold your tongue, you're in the presence of the Prince!", the guard snaps back.
The servant looks down and sees us, which make his eyes widen up even more than they were. He bows, but only slightly.
"I'm dreadfully sorry, Prince, but we really don't have the time to entertain...Lord Armour?", he asks.
"Y-yes! What's going on?"
I'm getting real worried. I've never seen the servants so... frightened?
"You don't know?", he asks incredulously.
"We know that Lady Velvet is giving birth", Solus intervene, "is there anything else to know?"
The servant bites his lip, clearly unwilling to answer. He looks at me, his eyes full of sadness.
"I'm sorry, my lord, the delivery... the physicians had to resort to a caesarean section..."
A what?
"Bring us to her, now!", Solus commands.
"Of course, Your Highness!"
"Solus? What's going on?", I ask while we run toward my mother's bedchamber.
He looks at me quizzically, until a look of comprehension enters his eyes.
"Shiny, a caesarean... it's a last resort, if they had to..."
No.
"I'm so sorry. I hope I'm wrong..."
No...
"We're here, Your Highness!"
Nononnono...
"Shiny...?"
Mother?
I go to her side, where a few unicorns are bickering about what to do. About what, I don't know, but I don't care. She looks awful, sweaty and pale, her coat lacking its usual lustre and her mane is a mess of tangles.
"Mom?", I ask in a strangled whisper.
She smiles weakly, her eyes, tired and glazed over, full of love.
"I...am so...sorry...I should not...have asked...so...much. I just...wanted...you to be...great...", she says in a raspy voice.
"M...mom?", I choke out, fighting back my tears.
Suddenly, a foal's cries ring out, a sharp contrast to the silent room.
"Ah! I did it! She breathes!", one of the bickering unicorn crows.
"Let...let me...hold her...", Mom says in a whisper.
"Oh, uh, of course!", he says, using his magic to give her the foal.
"Shiny?", Mom chokes out. "Meet your...sister...Twilight...Sparkle..."
"Hel-sniff-he...Hi...", I say, choking on nothing.
I won't cry, I can't cry...
"Please...help her...Shiny...?"
"I will! I swear I will! I'm so sorry for-"
"It's...okay..."
Suddenly, I grow aware that Solus is bickering with the physicians, and not that quietly, either.
"Just do it, dammit!", Solus grounds out, clearly exasperated.
"But Your Highness, this procedure is highly dangerous-"
"I. Don't. CARE! I order you to do it! NOW!", he shouts, stomping his hoof strongly enough that I feel the vibration.
"V-very well, my Prince."
He goes to the other side of the bed and lean towards Mom.
"Lady Velvet, the Prince intends to enact a procedure which-"
"I'll give him my power so he can heal you", Solus interrupts.
What? Why would he...?
"Your...Highness...why...?", Mom asks.
"Why not? How could I live with myself if I didn't try to help when I could?"
Mom doesn't seem to understand, but smile nonetheless. She nods slightly. One of the physician takes the foal -Sparkle- away while the one who was by Mom's bedside lights up his horn. Solus does the same, though his is much brighter, enough so that I have to shield my eyes.
Then the light form a stream, starting from Solus' horn, going through the physician's before splitting up in several strands that wraps around and seep into Mom's body.
Is he really going to save her? Can he?
This goes on for what seems an eternity before the physician speaks up.
"Prince, we can't...continue...", he grunts, his eyes screwed shut with effort, his whole body shaking and drenched in sweat.
"Shut. Up", Solus replies, not looking any better.
"But-"
"Shut-arrgh!"
The stream flickers.
"If we continue, she'll drag us down with her!"
"No! Shut up! I won't-", he stops, choking, tears running down his cheeks. "I won't let them down again!"
The stream suddenly vanishes.
"NO!", Solus shouts at a deafening volume.
I look down to Mom.
"Mom?"
I poke her foreleg, but she doesn't respond.
"Mom?!"
I climb on the bed and push on her shoulder, trying to wake her up.
"Mom! Please, wake up!"
I feel a hoof on my wither.
"Shiny, stop..."
I ignore it, continuing to try and wake her up.
"Mom, wake up! MOM!"
Somepony hugs me, pinning my forelegs to my barrel.
"Stop, Shiny, it's too late. I'm sorry."
"No...she can't...can't..."
I try to fight back the tears, but before long I'm sobbing uncontrollably.
"I'm so sorry, Shining."