//------------------------------// // Betrayal // Story: (SiC) Part 9 - Sailing Through The Storm // by Brian Jacko //------------------------------// Princess Celestia and her guards walked through the town back to the castle. Her guards were heavily armed and they were wearing their shiny golden armor, along with their fancy helmets. The guard's eyes darted from left to right and every sudden snap of a twig beneath their hooves caused them to raise their weapons. Tonight was a high alert night and nights like this were becoming more and more common. Random death threats through letters and possible rumors were becoming so frequent that it didn't even phase the most powerful princess. What bothered her was what might happen when one of these attacks may actually occur, and she sensed that it would only be a matter of time. Princess Celestia looked around at the trees for a moment as a fairly strong gust of wind made the branches on the trees move as if they were dancing. "It's a beautiful night, isn't it?" she asked. There was no response from her guards. "It sure is nice to get a small break from all this rain. I am aware that we'll be getting more storms again." Celestia looked at her guards, but they did not respond. She spoke a little louder this time. "Did you all like Twilight Sparkle? I think she is a great young mare. How do you feel about her?" The Princess cheerfully asked the guards, feeling hopeful that she might be able to start a conversation with them. "Shhh!" one of the guards whispered. "Not now, my princess. We need to keep our eyes as well as our ears open to our surroundings." The tip of the guard's horn lit up and he used it to produce a shining light that illuminated the pathway. The princess sighed. "Fair enough." She focused her attention on the dirt trail that meandered gracefully before her. Tomorrow, she was going to make a surprise visit to the fillies and colts dying in hospitals. Even though visiting them made her sad to see little ones suffer, it made her heart glad that she could try to make their day brighter one smile at a time, and she knew that those with positive spirits had a better chance to recover and live. Maybe she could come up with new, clever ways to bring joy in their lives, but for now, being outside was nice because for every second she was away from that near constant pile of negative letters on her desk made her feel more at ease. Perhaps she would take a bath tonight, or maybe she would ask her servants to prepare her most favorite late night snack of vegetable soup. The stress in her life often made her lose her appetite during appropriate meal times which made her crave meals later on. The princess continued to think about how she could unwind until she heard a loud sound. Everyone stopped when they heard the snapping of many sticks. Someone or something was coming at them. Was it a timber wolf? An attacker? The guards raised their weapons and turned all their focus to where the sounds were coming from. A pony dressed in black came charging out from a bush. "Death to Celestia!" he screamed as he charged forth with a weapon. The guards prepared to take down the threat. A Pegasus pony sitting in the trees above them was waiting for just the right moment to strike. Once the pony saw that the princess and her guards had their focus locked on the distraction, the pony quickly swooped down and slashed at Princess Celestia, aiming for her throat. In her peripheral vision, Celestia noticed the shadowy figure and stepped to the side, but the blade still slashed against the side of her face. "Be gone from here!" Celestia shouted. She used her magic to create a burst of light that lit up the entire surrounding area. The guards turned their focus to see a fleeing Pegaus pony in the distance. They turned once more to see that the attacker wearing black was gone. He was simply a distraction for the other to attack. Princess Celestia's chest rose and fell as the adrenaline pumped through her veins. She looked down and picked up the assassin's sword with her magic and watched it slowly drip with her own blood. She gently put her hoof to her cheek and then examined her blood stained hoof. "My Princess! We must get you medical attention immediately! That is a grievous wound on your face." The princess's breathing became relaxed and more consistent as she regained her thoughts. "I'm fine. We will get this wound cleaned and I will be okay." "Our apologies for not being able to protect you well enough," one of the guards said. "It's not your fault. How could you know something that sneaky would happen?" she responded. "Let us move on and get you the care that you need." The guards picked up the pace with the princess, still eyeing every little thing that they passed. The princess and her guards arrived at the castle. Prior to the gate opening, they signaled with their magic that the princess needed immediate medical attention. The gate opened and the princess was instantly greeted by one of her holistic doctors. He already had all of his first aid kits out and a bottle of colloidal silver. He examined the cut on her face and then carefully began checking if there was any foreign objects trapped within the wound. "It looks like a clean cut," he said. He opened up a bottle of colloidal silver and poured it over the wound; the liquid streamed down her cheek and splashed against the floor. He then took a sterile cloth and wiped it over her face a few times. "It's a fairly deep wound, but it should heal up perfectly fine with a few steri-strips. He opened up one of his first aid kits and carefully began placing a few over the wound. "So, what in Equestria happened to get such a nasty gash like this?" "I was attacked," she replied. "What!?" Who in their right mind would attack a princess as peaceful as yourself?" he asked as he placed another strip over the wound. "I have no idea. I assume it's the ponies who I've angered because of my religious beliefs and the laws that I refuse to pass." "I'm so sorry to hear that. Even as a non-believer who doesn't agree with everything you do, I hold a tremendous amount of appreciation and respect for you, not because I work for you and am treated so well here, but because I feel that you are genuinely a good, caring leader that always has good intentions even when things don't always work out right." The doctor put the last strip on her wound and took a step back as he examined the placement of the strips. Celestia blinked her eyes a few times as she thought about what he said. "Thank you for your honesty; I can't please everyone. Is there anything I should do to help this wound heal sooner?" The doctor pushed his spectacles up on his face and smiled warmly at her. "Just get lots of rest and eat right. I already have you on one of the most nutritious diets one could imagine." "Thank you," the princess said. She turned to leave until her doctor called out. "Princess?" "Yes?" "Please be safe and don't hesitate to call me at anytime if you need me or have any concerns about your wound. I'll keep monitoring it everyday to make sure it's healing properly. By the way, did you enjoy hearing Miss Sparkle speak? I remember how excited you were about that event." The princess nodded her head. "Thank you, Doctor, and yes, I most certainly did. Twilight was very nervous at first, but she was very brave and talked about very sensitive topics that were brought up. She continued to talk about her beliefs regardless of the loud, obnoxious comments that were shouted at her from the audience. You two would get along so well together with your beliefs on medical ethics and holistic treatments. I know you couldn't be there for the event, but I'll send you a recording of the event later. Have a good night." "I look forward to seeing it. Good night, Princess," the doctor said before turning to leave. Celestia noticed her guards talking together and heard them mention something about finding those two that attacked her in the woods. She turned and headed towards the stairs that led to her bedroom. When she got to the door, two of the guards guarding her bedroom bowed before she entered. "Please," the princess said as she raised her hoof in the air. "I do not like to be bowed to like the other princesses; a simple head nod will do." She stared at them for a moment. She sensed that one of them felt a bit off to her and did not look right. The princess entered her room and closed the door. She walked over to the mirror and looked at herself. She especially looked at the glaring wound on her cheek. This was the first time anyone had tried to assassinate her. She knew this time would come and that this would probably not be the end of the attacks. The princess looked at her desk that was piled with letters from organizations and politicians. She felt so disconnected from this world. She felt detached from the other princesses and no longer wanted to live in this castle that was filled with spectacular opulence. If she could have things her way, she would be living in a small, humble home in the wilderness. The other princesses were out tonight and wouldn't be back home until tomorrow, so she was not in the mood to read any of these letters tonight since many of them would require a discussion with the other princesses. She walked over to her window and looked out at the night sky. She made a wish that she could truly make this world a better place and that her favorite student would be safe. She sat down at her desk and began writing a letter to Twilight. She smiled as she wrote great words of encouragement and appreciation to a pony that she loved as if she were her own daughter. She stopped and dropped the quill when she heard a sound. "Who is here?" she asked out loud. There was silence. Normally, the princess would have ignored something like this, but she felt slightly paranoid because of what happened earlier today. She walked around her room and checked under her bed, behind the curtains and under tables. There appeared to be nothing in the room until she walked over to her closet. She put her ear to the door and used her magic to amplify any sounds that might be in there. To her horror, she could very faintly hear something inside there breathing. She used her magic to signal to the two guards outside her door that something was wrong. Within an instant, the door to her room opened and one guard came in. "What is the problem, Princess?" "Something is inside that closet," she replied as she pointed with her hoof. "Are you serious?" the guard asked. "Are you sure you're not having a bad dream? We have at least one guard guarding your door all day. It is virtually impossible for anyone other than yourself to come in here." "There is someone in there," she said again. "I'm not kidding." The guard knew that the princess would occasionally pull very playful pranks to get them to laugh once in a while, but she did not appear to be joking around at all. The guard blinked his eyes several times as he stared at the door. He made his way slowly over and opened the door quickly. A spear was thrown from inside and shocked the guard. Thankfully, Celestia was ready and used her magic to stop it midair just inches away from the guard's eye. It was a bit ironic that the princess was the one protecting her guard from danger. The guard bravely ran inside and began fighting whoever was in there. The princess used her magic to shine a light inside the closet. Her guard was already losing the fight and was pinned down to the floor. The attacker had a sword and was ready to put an end to his life until the princess threw the spear with her magic and knocked the weapon from the attacker. The attacker was stunned for a moment as he looked for his weapon. Now was her guard's chance to strike back. Her guard shook the attacker and punched him in the jaw. He got up and violently slammed the pony against the wall before forcefully shoving the pony out of the closet. The attacker landed in front of the princess, totally disarmed and helpless. Her guard grabbed his weapon and put it near the throat of the intruder, waiting for her command. "Kill me!" the pony on the floor shouted. "Get it over with!" The princess raised her eyebrows. "If you know anything about me or my history, I came to power never having to take a single life, and I intend to keep it that way. I'm a pony of peace and will not end your life since I spare all those who have done wicked things or have had cruel intentions, but you will certainly be punished and interrogated." "I'd rather die!" the pony shouted at her. "Well that's just too bad now, isn't it?" The princess began to remove the attacker's mask with her magic. "Who are you, anyway?" To her surprise, it was one of her guards. Not just any ordinary guard, but one of her most trusted and beloved guards. Despite the anger that she felt, it broke her heart to see this because she once had very good memories with him. "Why?" she simply asked. "Why do something like this?" "I was bribed and promised rewards that I could only dream of," the former guard admitted. "I am a scoundrel and a coward. I planned to kill you in your sleep and escape through the window." "I am more curious to know how you actually managed to get in here. Wait," the princess said as she thought to herself. "I sent my magic to both guards standing outside my door. Why did only one come in to help me and not the other?" The princess walked over and looked out the door. He was gone. "He let me in when you were away." The princess put her hoof to her forehead in distress. This was by far the most chaotic night of her life. Now, she didn't know who to trust since some of her very own guards were trying to kill her. The guard holding the pony down asked, "What should I do with him, my princess?" Celestia snapped out of her thoughts. "Take him to our prison and lock him up. I'll have to deal with this another time." The guard used the tip of his spear to poke the side of the pony on the floor. "Get moving!" The former guard instantly got up and walked out the door with his head down. "I will send up extra guards and we will capture that coward who allowed this pony to enter your room and then fled." "That is fine, but as long as you are there with them, I will feel safe. For you are the first pony who actually put their life at risk to protect me and I appreciate that. I'm no longer sure how many of my guards would do something like what you did, and I don't even know if more will turn on me. You will be especially rewarded. Now, get him out of my room; I need to sleep. The guard almost bowed, but remembered that she didn't like that. He simply nodded and left the room with the attacker. The princess closed the door and locked it. She didn't feel safe, not even if she had the entire royal army guarding her room because all it took was one traitor to have just the right opportunity to strike at just the right moment. She knew that when her time would come, it would come, but tonight was the closest she had been to death yet. The wound on her cheek was simply a taste of dancing on the edge of life and death. If the sword had cut her throat, that would have been the end of her life. She told the guards that she wanted to sleep, but she was too paranoid now. She probably wouldn't sleep tonight and she paced around her room, thinking about what had just happened. Was that attack in the woods planned by someone, or was that just a random attack by some crazed individuals? Either way, the princess's mind was starting to make her very afraid. She got down on the floor and prayed. "Dear Father, my time will come when my time will come. It matters not if I die peacefully, or a violent, cruel death. I thank you that I have been spared tonight and I pray for the safety of my most prized student, Twilight Sparkle. I feel that she will be a great leader one day and I can only hope that she will take my place. I'm not a perfect ruler; I've made countless mistakes, but I try so hard to keep this world right while keeping things fair for as many ponies as I can. Please, my wish is that you may not allow harm to come to Twilight and that this world can accept and know Your peace. Thank you that no one got seriously hurt tonight, and I pray for my enemy's hearts to change. Please help me to sleep, I have so much to do tomorrow and I haven't had good rest in many weeks. In Jesus's name I pray, amen." The princess opened her eyes and stood to her hooves. She was still a bit shaky knowing that ponies were literally trying to kill her, but she took a deep breath and put her trust in the God who watched over her. The princess couldn't sleep now because of the anxiety in her mind and the tension in her body, so she went over to her desk and finished writing that letter to Twilight Sparkle. Tick, tick, tick. The sound of her elegant clock made her feel drowsy. The princess got up and walked over to her bed. She used her magic to levitate the dark purple bed covers and laid in her bed. The bed covers gracefully fell upon her body like a manta ray descending into the sea. She used her magic to dim the candle lights in her room and stared at the ceiling. "Tomorrow will be another day; what it will bring, I do not know, but I know that You are good and worthy of praise, and I will meditate on that thought tonight." Celestia closed her tired eyes and said, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me besides still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. You are the resurrection and the life. The ones who believes in you will live, even though they die." Celestia took a deep breath and fell asleep.