//------------------------------// // Chapter 13 Wedding day part 2 // Story: Life,Death,and Rebirth // by Shadow-Dancer //------------------------------// Chapter 13: Wedding Day Part 2 During the Invasion, there was shouting lots of shouting. The shouts of panicked civilians, shouts of the wounded and dying, shouts of orders to fall back and protect the castle. I remember these thing like it was just yesterday. That day many of the guard fell in battle sacrificing their lives for their country. Sometimes I wonder if the survivors are the unlucky ones while the fallen are given a long deserved peace, the survivors fight on, dying from the inside as time flows on. Back to the invasion, where was I… There. Once the Changelings rushed in they attacked with a ferocity have seen in some of the younger brasher terrorists, and for a second I was surprised. Before then I foolishly thought I would never have to draw arms again, thinking that the world was peaceful like a fairytale where the good guys won and everything was fine, I mentally cursed myself for that presumption, I was a Marine I was trained not to make assumptions. I was back in reality and took the spear in my magic and jumped into the fray, letting my close quarters combat training kick in and the training I received for fighting in my current form. I stabbed at one lunging towards a stunned Gleaming Shield catching it in the neck and with a pull to the right the creatures green blood gushed out. I felt the familiar feel of adrenaline start to make its way through my body and jumped to another enemy that one of my allies were fighting. I repeated this many times learning that the bug like bastards were vulnerable at the bending of the joints and between the layered plates of chitin along with the eyes. The knowledge helped me kill them faster, but there were a fuckton of the bugs and only a couple hundred of us so we had to retreat to the castle. The events blurred together, I found myself at one point pulling a bleeding Gleaming Shield with my magic as I combated the enemies with a dagger in my mouth after my spear had snapped. In the next moment a pink explosion blasted all the bastards away from us knocking them unconscious or even dead, I did not notice however that my wings and canines were visible once more and it seemed the guards did not notice it or chose not to worry about it while we were trying to help the wounded until the medic’s arrived. I was dressing a wound on a injured pony when my adrenaline faded and I felt a lot of pain then passed out. Celestia’s POV I woke up in the Canterlot hospital in a special wing reserved for myself and Luna, incase we were injured. A wing where we would not have to wait to get medical attention in the rare cases we did need it. I quickly did a self assessment in my head on the damage the Changeling Queen did to me when we faced each other in that unfortunately short duel that ended with me on the ground, my horn and some of my fur charred and after a few sentences unconscious. I looked around my bed and there stood Luna and Twilight Sparkle. “Where is Marcus,?” I asked looking at my sister and student. “Sister you should get some rest, before you go to him.” Luna replied, “Where. Is. My. Son!?” I demanded my mane fluttering around me like it was in a storm. I knew Luna was just concerned for my health but I didn't care. I wanted to see if my son was okay and that was that. I knew he was posted as a guard during the wedding but not whether or not he was caught in the conflict, or if he even survived it. I quickly shook that thought out of my mind. I lost Marcus’s father, Jonathan but I refused to even believe I lost my son as well. My Sister and student backed up a few steps their ears pressed back to their skulls, seeing this reaction I calmed myself down, and my expression went from anger to worry, “Sorry Luna, Twilight, but I just don’t want to lose my only son even if he doesn't see me as his mother. His father, my husband is dead and I-I just don’t want to lose one of my only links to him.” Somewhere during my apology I broke down and cried, I could not find the strength to compose myself , I have repressed my sorrow and heartache for almost a millennium, my husband and only son was in another dimension and I could do nothing to see if they were still alive. I could only hope that I would get to see them one day in the future, but I still would miss out on raising my own son. It was why I decided to start taking a student to learn under me, after the first hundred years of my sister’s banishment and ninety years after my husband went back to Earth with our child.  I felt my sisters wings wrap around me as I wept. I was there for what felt like an hour before I calmed down enough to go out in public.  “Luna may you take me to Marcus, please?” I then looked towards Twilight “Twilight go talk with your friends I will meet you in the Canterlot archives this afternoon” Luna silently nodded and motioned for me to follow and Twilight left to see her friends, we exited the room and made our way through the halls to the Castle’s hospital, where many of the Guards and some civilians laid down injured, and others in body bags with their families mourning. About five or so minutes latter Luna lead me to one of the rooms and the doctors nervously stepped out of our way, letting us enter. In the room laid my son still unconscious his spells of concealment broken, revealing his wings and the omnivorous set of teeth set in his mouth. He was covered in many nearly invisible scars that one would have to search out to find, while the deeper cuts were stitched closed. One of the doctors walked in and bowed. I put on a false smile and asked, “How severe were this one’s injuries?” “The patient was covered in multiple shallow but bleeding cuts all over his body, along with some deeper cuts on the right side of his barrel, left foreleg, belly and chest. To put it simply he was  It is a true wonder that he didn’t go unconscious sooner from the pain alone. Anyways, for now the patient is stable and should make a full recovery. “Thank you doctor, I wish you well in your work, give me a report on the injuries and deaths as soon as you're able.” I then walked out the door having put off my duties as a ruler off long enough. A little part of me was confused when the doctor did not seem to question his wings and horn along with his teeth, but that minuscule amount of confusion was overshadowed by my own relief. Shadow Dancer’s (Marcus’s) POV (Half an Hour later) I woke up to a high pitched beeping and some nearby voices, my eyes were assaulted by light when I first opened them. Trying again, my surroundings were blurred and the light was only slowly dimming as my eyes adjusted, once the process finished I looked around see that I was in a peach colored room with some tables, cabinets and that overly sanitary smell. It took me a moment, but I was able to recognize that I was in a hospital room, then  the memories of the battle that I came out of flashed before me and I remembered my injuries. I craned my head to see some of the cuts or at least the scars left by them. The doctor that apparently was nearby realized I was awake and said, “Don’t move too much or you could tear your stitches, that could get you very well killed. Oh before I forget the princesses visited you an hour ago.” I just nodded in response, I really did not want to move in the first place, and not really knowing how to respond to that last statement. All in all being in a hospital with nothing to do and nobody to talk to is quite boring, so when I heard that Twilight was outside wanting to visit, I jumped at the chance to have a conversation partner. In fact I think that when I acknowledged that I wanted to see her, the doctor recoiled a little. The doctor recovered and just shook his head in response before opening the door, and letting Twilight in. Twilight came in with a small worried frown and the fur under her eyes was matted, her mane disheveled, to this I responded gently with one of the most used phrases on any planet, “Everything alright there Twilight?” Twilight looked up at me and took a deep breath,shifting her weight from side to side , “When I heard that you were in the midst of the battle against the Changelings I worried. When I heard that you were in critical condition I almost panicked, Now that you're stable and awake I am between hugging you and waiting till you are better before I hit you. I-I really don’t know how to feel or respond.” I smiled, “I would prefer to pick the first option to start, if you wouldn't mind.” Twilight laughed and trotted up to me a small grin on her face, and got on to her hind legs and reached out to give me a hug. I returned the effort by scooting back onto my ass and hugging her. We sat there for a few seconds before releasing each other from the hug. Twilight continued as her small grin grew into a smile, “Thanks I needed that, I’m just glad you're alive, I’ve known you for what less than six months now and I could not cope with the idea of your death.” Twilight started to tear up again, “It would be like losing any one of my other friends.” I saw her tears and wanting to stop them I replied, “Twilight, you've been a great friend so far, and my first friend since I arrived here. I am humbled that you worry about me and don’t want to think about the possibility of my death, but you’re focusing on what ifs that I plan on not happening to me for a long time. As cheesy as all hell this is, you need to remind yourself that I’m currently alive and I sure as hell don’t plan on rolling over any time soon.” I really don’t know how the hell my small rushed and poorly executed speech brought back Twilight’s smile, but it did and I was grateful. After Twilight was done over thinking the what ifs we chatted about a variety of things from her ventures to some spells and theories that I did not quite grasp the full concept of. But I still treasure every moment of it, right to the point that the Doctor told her that visiting hours were over and Twilight left. One thing was for sure she left smiling .