//------------------------------// // Chapter 26: The Royal Canterlot Wedding; Part 1 // Story: The Centurion Project // by TheEighthDayofNight //------------------------------// Journal Entry Day 1310 Sewing is a really good skill to learn, but man does it get rough when you don’t have the tools you need. You’d figure that cloth stores would have remained untouched, but the savages who typically roll through old towns razed most of them, and the cloth is all ruined; either soiled or burned. I’m just lucky that some of the thread and needles survived. My food will last two more days, and it’s looks like rain, so water should be good, so these next couple days, I am on a clothing hunt, because wearing a chopped up, resewn wedding dress for pants is one of the single worst experiences I have had in months. I just wish my old pants hadn’t got soaked with oil, that was a fire in the making. Elias's jaw stretched wide in a yawn as he trudged through the hallways on his third attempt to find his room. It was rare that he got so tired that his vision blurred, but after the three days of no sleep he had, he welcomed even the shortest of naps, night terrors be damned. The winter had been, as promised, a hard one, filled with every type of training imaginable as the guard forces were brought up to snuff for the royal wedding. Each day started two hours early, a time Elias already spent training, but now it was in groups, with brutal sparring sessions followed by intense physical workouts. He could spend the rest of his life counting, but he knew he would never begin to reach the number of push-ups and sit-ups he had done, and that wasn’t counting the laps of the city they had been forced to run. With all of the exercise, Elias found that he had no need for winter clothes, as he was reduced to a puddle of sweat after each brutal exercise. Unlike many of his fellow guards however, Elias didn’t complain, and he never quit. Each exercise was met with his usual stubbornness, and avoidance of failure. As a result of his hard work, the cafeteria had begun giving him double portions to keep up with his ravenous metabolism. When that wasn’t enough, Book Binder had to go out of her pocket; she refused to let Elias cash in his paychecks for additional food, citing that he needed to save the money for his “future”, and she bought a portable stove and refrigerator, along with a well-stocked pantry worth of food that kept Elias’ weight up. He was easily eating five full meals a day, and even then, Elias often felt hungry as his frame grew more muscular. He had started receiving odd looks from many of the guards, mostly the mares, but some of the stallions as well. He couldn’t place the emotion in their eyes, and so, he ignored it. Besides the physical punishment, Elias felt that he had made social improvements as well. He and Book Binder had taken a step back together, sitting down to formally discuss how to move forward with the trial parenthood. He had made her promise not to try and force him into anything that would make him uncomfortable, while also pushing them back a step in the process. In exchange, he would never try to push them away. The measure had bought breathing room for Elias, and he felt freedom around the pair of ponies, rather than a need to constantly remain on guard to ensure that he wasn’t becoming soft. He, Luna, and Nightshade had gotten closer as well, with the three sharing the occasional card game as the pair of ponies introduced him to their world of betting. He quickly learned not to accept any bets, as the pair used non currency exchanges to force him into awkward social situations, to “further his pony culture education” as Luna put it. One bet was about whether or not Celestia would wear socks in public on a particularly cold day. Elias had bet the long odds that she would, and it bit him in the ass when both Luna and Nightshade bet against him. Nightshade’s payment had been simple; she had enlisted a promise to help her in the future as she tried to “win her stallion”. Luna, on the other hand, had forced him to participate in a “cuddle session”, where a large group of ponies that she had found across Equestria did nothing but curl up together in a pile, with him at the base as they fell asleep. They would occasionally whisper to each other, nuzzling and cuddling as they tried to merge their fur with his skin. His only comfort had been that Luna, Book Binder, and Night Flash had been directly beside him the entire time, something that helped less and less as several days passed without break. Elias only remained silent in his suffering to avoid getting involved in something worse. For his silent patience however, he had been “rewarded”, and spent a few extra days off with Book Binder. The mare dragged him around Canterlot, taking him to different stores and restaurants as she treated him like her "baby boy". Occasionally, Luna involved herself, and while he despised all of their attempts to buy him socks, Elias found that he enjoyed having the alicorn around, especially when she had treated the four of them to an orchestral concert. Fitted with new, warmer clothes, the outdoor concert had still been chilly, and Elias was able to fall back on his pony culture lessons to sit comfortably with the three, warm and covered in fuzz as he listened with rapt attention. He had never been to a live concert, and recorded music fell quickly to the wayside as well. The experience was more than fun, and Elias had managed to secure a promise to see another following the wedding. Luna had given him an odd look when he had asked, but she had seemed happy to say yes, so Elias didn’t think too hard on it. He found her behavior a bit off, but it was nothing compared to the way some of his friends had been acting recently. Scarlet Shield’s previous interest in human culture vanished overnight, replaced by complete silence from the pony. He still brought maps and strategy guides to the lunch table, but his heart didn’t seem in it, and when Elias tried to press on him to see what was wrong, the pegasus became defensive, pushing Elias away as he ate quickly, leaving early to “train”. One night, Elias had followed Scarlet around, and found that the pegasus was going to the library. Some snooping found him researching different species of creatures, but for what reason, Elias didn’t know. Once he found that the pegasus wasn’t doing anything wrong, per se, Elias left him be, still curious at the sudden change in his personality. Thinking of the devil, Elias spotted the crimson colored pony standing with a twitching Night Flash just outside of Luna’s bedroom. Elias yawned widely and rubbed his eyes as he began making his way down the hallway. Since it was the day of the wedding, all of the guards were supposed to be on duty in shifts, but some mysterious threat had dragged the Royal Guard to the Everfree, so the Lunar Guard was picking up the slack. Elias sent a mental curse at Captain Armor; he now had extra motivation to brawl with the Solar Guard captain, he just had to find a way to ambush the unicorn… Night Flash spotted him, and Elias heard a sharp whimper as the pegasus rushed away from his post. “Red, you’ve got to help me,” he pleaded, his hooves beating on Elias’ plated chest. “I forgot to use the bathroom on the last break, and that was six hours ago! Can you take my spot? Please, I just need a few minutes!” Elias opened his mouth to turn the pony down, they only had half an hour until the next shift change after all, but the pony whimpered again, and put on his best pair of puppy dog eyes. His fluffy little ears slipped free of his helmet and pinned down, completing the ensemble of adorableness. Elias sighed and rubbed his eyes with the knuckle of his thumb. “Fine, just make it quick, I need to get some sleep or I’m going to drop.” Night Flash's face lit up with gratefulness and he gave Elias a quick hug before he sprinted away, rocketing around the corner toward the infirmary. Elias snorted and shook his head, wondering if Scalpel would actually let Night Flash use his personal restroom. Elias drew a pilum from his weighed down shield. With the high alert status the wedding brought, he was wearing all of his sheathes, and each was carrying his full capacity of pila. His scutum held four, while two more were strapped to his back in a sheathe that Anyon made. They had only worked together on Elias’ smithing skills one more time after Hearth’s Warming. Neither had the free time to fit anything else in. While Elias and the rest of the guard was busy training, Anyon was busy crafting hundreds of new weapons, and pieces of armor to meet the demand of a small influx of new trainees. When Elias had commented that the outpouring of work seemed to be more than the demand, Anyon had waived him off, claiming that it was from some secret project the princesses had commissioned. Elias stumbled his way over to Night Flash’s post. Leaning against the wall he closed his eyes and sighed. Even as physically fit as he was, his legs had begun hurting after the third throne room guard duty in a row. He had no idea who Princess Mi Amore Cadenza was, but the pony better enjoy the hell out of her wedding for all the pain it was putting him through. Elias could already tell that if he didn’t have knee issues before, he would now. His joints were incredibly stiff, and he briefly wondered Book Binder knew any pain relief spells. Anything she tried couldn’t possibly make things any worse. Scarlet cleared his throat, and Elias cracked open an eye to look at the pony. Scarlet shifted nervously, then turned to look at Elias. “You can go sleep if you want Guardsman. I can keep watch just fine until Night Flash gets back.” Elias snorted and shook his head. “We both know that isn’t how this works Scarlet. Two guards, at Princess Luna’s door, at all times. No more, no less.” Scarlet’s tail flicked. “It will only be for a few minutes,” Scarlet replied. “I certainly won’t tell anypony.” “Neither will I,” Elias said, “because I’m going to stand here and do nothing until Flash makes it back.” He gave Scarlet a curious look. “I’m surprised that you’re trying to convince me to play hooky Scarlet. You’re usually a proper guard who follows all of the rules, shining his armor till it’s like a mirror, and sucking up to Nightshade to get some extra good boy points.” Elias had meant it as a joke, but as the words came from his mouth, he quickly noticed that Scarlet looked very uncomfortable. The pegasus flinched and faced forward again, occasionally shooting a nervous look at Elias. The human sighed and mentally smacked himself as he straightened, pushing back from the wall. The pair stood in silence for a moment, then Elias turned to Scarlet. “Scarlet, look…” He scratched his ear as the right words failed to rise to his tongue. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean anything by that, I don’t even know why I really said it.” The pegasus didn’t look at Elias as he fidgeted nervously. “It’s fine Guardsman, let’s just focus on our guard duty.” Elias frowned as the pegasus refused to look at him. Sweat rolled down Scarlet’s forehead, and the pegasus seemed to quiver in place. Elias made note that the pony hadn’t used his name either. That meant something was wrong, and Elias intended to find out what. “Scarlet, did I do something?” Elias asked. “You’ve been acting a bit off lately, is something happening outside of work?” The pony began to fidget more. “Nope, just the usual,” Scarlet said, chuckling nervously. “The usual being…?” Scarlet waved a hoof. “It’s nothing Guardsman, don’t worry about it. Let’s just… wait until Night Flash comes back.” Elias frowned, but turned away from the pony. He kept one eye latched onto the pegasus, and though Scarlet pretended to relax, Elias could tell that he was tensed up, ready to do… something. Elias kept a loose grip on his pilum, his suspicion rising. Before things could escalate further, Night Flash poked his head back around the corner and trotted quickly back toward his guard position. “Thanks Red!” the pegasus said cheerfully. “I don’t think I would have lasted much longer, and I don’t think Captain Nightshade would have appreciated it if I made a mess right outside Princess Luna’s room.” Elias nodded silently as he stepped away from the post, and Night Flash slid back into his usual position. As he moved, Elias glanced at Scarlet to find that the pegasus looked like his normal self, no trace of nervousness or fidgeting whatsoever. Elias scratched his ear, then yawned. Maybe it was the sleep deprivation. It wouldn’t be the first time he hallucinated things. Night Flash, noticing his weariness, snorted, and waved down the hallway. “Go get some sleep Red; Book Binder should be getting off shift at the same time you are, and I’ll be by in a few more hours. Maybe we can get some doughnuts together after the wedding!” Elias nodded tiredly. “Sounds like a plan to me. See you in a few Flash.” The pegasus nodded and offered up one more bright smile before he slipped into his normal guard demeanor. Elias gave him a small, two finger salute, then began to turn to go to his room, only to be shoved against the wall as an explosion rocked the castle. The human grunted as his head smacked into stone, but his helmet caught the worst of it, and Elias was able to push himself up straight. He looked back to Night Flash and Scarlet to ask them if they were alright, only to find that Scarlet was gone, replaced by a black shelled, blue eyed, pony looking thing. Night Flash was already standing off against the creature, his wings flared high as he snarled and growled. The pony-thing hissed and sprang at the pegasus, its bug like wings buzzing as it attacked. A second later the creature's head rolled up to Elias’ foot as the body hit the ground with a thud. A torrent of green goo flowed like molasses-thick blood, staining the carpet. Night Flash grimaced hatefully at the creature; his wing blades covered in goo from the powerful cut. Elias nudged the head with his foot as he stared at it with disgust. “What the hell is this thing?” Night Flash frowned, turning away from the creature. Raising his hoof, he pounded on Luna’s door. “It’s a changeling, just like the ones you studied Red.” Elias stepped around the changeling’s head as he scanned each side of the corridor. He thought he could hear shouts, but everything felt muted. “So that’s what they look like,” he murmured, his eyes glancing back to the decapitated body. “The bestiary didn’t include a physical description.” Elias matched Night Flash’s frown, his mind alight as he stared at the corpse. One question in particular burned in his mind, and he couldn't help but ask it. “So where’s Scarlet?” Night Flash’s frown deepened. “I don’t know, but we need to find out what’s going on.” He banged on Luna’s door again. “I thought Princess Luna was a light sleeper, but apparently that rumor isn’t true.” Elias raised a fist and slammed on the door at the same time as Flash. “Princess!” he called. “There’s something going on out here, and we need you!” There was no response, and despite pounding as hard as he could, it felt like his knocks were soft. Elias pressed his ear to the door, and motioned for Night Flash to bang it again. The pegasus did so, and Elias quickly noticed that the sound was being choked off. Elias tried the handle and found the door locked, something that never happened. Luna always kept her door unlocked so that if anyone needed to get in, they could get in at any time of night. The doorway had a series of spells that would tell her of unwanted intruders, and in the worst cases, if the guards outside were dead. The fact that the door was locked was a serious issue, one Elias needed to remedy. “Move back,” Elias said as he took a step away from the door. The human braced his shield against his shoulder, and then, touching his heels to the wall opposite the door, he charged at it. The door frame crunched under his momentum, and the door slammed into the wall as Elias staggered into Luna’s room, quickly catching his balance. Three changelings surrounded Luna, pinning her to the wall above her bed in a disgusting green goo. The window opposite her bed was in gleaming pieces, and sunlight drifted lazily through the flowing purple curtains. There was no sound in the room, and the changelings were so focused on their target that they didn’t notice the shift in light, nor the human behind them. Elias rushed the two on the right, while Night Flash leaped at the one on the left. A pilum tore through the skull of the first changeling, and Elias’ shield crunched against the nose of the second. The bug’s mouth opened in a hiss, and a hoof swung at Elias’ chest, but he swatted it away as he unsheathed his gladius in a wide swing. The changeling took a step back and reared up to trample Elias. Its last mistake. Feather opened a wide hole in the creature’s belly, and it stared at him in shock as it fell over in a fit of convulsions. It died as Elias began to cut away the goo that suspended Luna, with Night Flash joining him silently a moment later. With the death of the spell casters, the unnatural silence in the room vanished. Elias worked as quickly as he could to cut Luna free from her slimy prison. Though it took them a bit of work to cut through the strange substance, Elias and Night Flash managed to guide Luna down from the wall within minutes. Elias scooped up a pillow, then tore off its pillowcase as he cleaned the alicorn’s horn of goo. She smiled gratefully at him. “Thank you, Guardsman Bright, Guardspony Flash,” she said as she looked at the rapidly cooling bodies with disgust. “These vile creatures attacked me while I slept, and I am most glad to be rid of them.” She spat on the leftmost changeling, then straightened and looked to Elias. “What is the situation Guardsman? Is this an isolated attempt on my life?” Elias looked to Night Flash, and when the pegasus had no answer, he shrugged. “We don’t know Princess. We felt an explosion, and then Scarlet turned into a changeling. We were trying to wake you up when I realized that sound was being dampened.” He motioned toward the destroyed door, which was hanging loosely on its hinges. “When I found your door locked, I broke it in, and then you know the rest.” Luna nodded and frowned, motioning for the pair to follow her into the hallway. “I know not what has emboldened these would be assassins, but rest assured, we shall get to the bottom of this.” As soon as Luna stepped into the hallway, a pair of changelings attacked the princess. Instead of defending herself like Elias expected, Luna simply shrieked and fell back, with both of the changelings landing firmly on top of her. Elias and Night Flash leapt into action. Elias grabbed one by the neck, exposing its throat so that Night Flash could cut it open. The second changeling hissed at them, and jumped away from Luna, trying to run away from the pair of guards. It didn’t get far before a pilum tore through its foreleg. The creature let out a cry of pain as it collapsed to the floor, clawing at the long spear embedded in its body. As Night Flash helped Luna up, Elias stepped up to the wailing changeling. The creature stared at Elias with fear in its blue eyes as he approached, scrambling at the carpet to find its footing. Feather tore a small hole through the base of its skull, and the creature stopped moving. “I think it’s safe to say this isn’t isolated,” Elias said, tearing his pilum free. Elias wiped Feather off on his tunic, then slid the blade back into its sheathe. He ripped the pilum free of the changeling next, stopping for a moment to inspect the head for any damage. Night Flash scooted into the hall, his wingblades still at the ready. While he kept an eye down the corridor, Luna rubbed at her chest fluff, trying to remove some of the goo that was sticking to her fur, to no avail. As she waved her hoof in disgust, she nodded. “I concur,” she said. “We must locate Captain Nightshade and organize my forces to repel this nuisance.” She snorted as she looked at the bodies decorating the corridor. “I doubt that the changelings have assembled in any great number; likely this is a minor incursion by one of the queens to inspire fear in us, no more.” Night Flash chuckled nervously as he stared out a window. “Princess, I think this is a bit bigger than a “minor incursion”.” Elias sheathed the pilum and walked to stand beside Night Flash, his eyebrows raising as he saw what the pegasus was staring at. Luna quickly followed suit, and her jaw dropped. “By the Keepers…” she said softly. He hadn’t noticed it at first, mostly due to the changelings that were attacking them, but the hallway was dimmer, with the normal light streaming through the windows startlingly absent. A glance outside showed that a cloud of black bodies was blocking the sun as the changelings shot rays of green into the city. There were easily thousands of the beasts. Elias sighed, knowing full well that the day was only going to get longer. Elias took a step away from the window, scanning the silent hallways as he drew a pilum from his shield. “We need to get moving,” Elias said to the pair of stunned ponies. “Flash, we need to get Princess Luna to a safe room.” Night Flash blinked, and his shock disappeared as his serious guard persona re-asserted itself. The pegasus pressed himself to Luna’s side, wrapping her barrel in a wing as he looked to Elias expectantly. The human moved straight, going past Luna’s door toward the end of the hall. He began to go to the left, but Luna stopped them. “This way,” she said as she shook herself free from her stupor. “It will be easier to cut through the training grounds to the gardens.” Elias shook his head. “There’s no safe room there, and even if there was, it’s far too exposed.” “There is a room nopony knows about,” Luna replied. “I made it myself, and we will get there faster. It has additional arms that we can use to drive away these foul invaders.” Elias opened his mouth to protest, only to be interrupted by a chestnut colored mare dressed in a maid outfit bolting around the corner of a far hallway. She sprinted blindly toward the trio, with two changelings hot on her tail. Her shrill cries caused Elias to snap into action. A pilum left his hand as he ran forward, closing the distance between them. The javelin cut the air beside the mare’s head as she screamed in terror, and one of the changelings caught it in its snarling mouth. The second changeling switched targets, its malicious blue eyes locking onto Elias as the human overtook the maid. Feather sung free of her sheathe and the gladius cut toward the changeling. Elias swung at the creature’s right flank, and when it dipped to the side, he rushed forward, using his shield to bash it into the wall. Its skull crunched against the unforgiving stone, and the changeling offered no defense as Elias cut the head from its shoulders. He had only a second to retrieve his pilum when another bug rocketed through a window, leaping at Elias with teeth bared. Feather fell from his grasp as Elias dropped onto one knee, raising the pilum in the air. He let the momentum of the changeling impale its shelled body on the tip of his spear. It shrieked and writhed in pain, trying to escape. Its wild flailing threatened to rip the pilum free of his grip. Not content to concede control of his weapon, Elias yanked the changeling within swinging range, then he began pummeling the dying creature with his scutum. It took four hits for the creature to fall silent, and a fifth to remove it from his pilum completely. Elias felt emotionless as the pulped corpse fell to the carpet. He quickly snatched up Feather, then retreated back toward Luna. Luna was holding the maid, comforting her with soft whispers as the earth pony wept loudly into the alicorn's chest fur. Elias heard another window crash, and three black-shelled bodies tumbled into the far end of the corridor. Elias scowled as they gave a wordless shout and began to charge at him. “We need to get moving,” Elias said. “Holding them here won’t last long.” Luna nodded, and she scooped the maid onto her back. Night Flash pinned himself to her side once more as they retreated, running toward the infirmary while Elias held the line. Another pilum vanished into the air, and like its compatriots, a changeling died as the projectile tore through its throat. The other two hesitated their charge momentarily, and they looked back to their twitching friend. It allowed Elias to start a charge of his own and close the last few feet between them. He held the hilt of his gladius, preparing to pull it free. First, he struck out with his shield, covering the width of the hallway with fast moving steel. Elias was lucky enough to catch the first changeling, and he pinned it to the wall with the face of his shield. In the same motion, Feather came free of her sheathe and bit into the second changeling’s face. The creature screamed in agony as it collapsed, clutching at its destroyed eyes. Elias ignored it as he dragged his gladius across the pinned changelings throat. As its eyes bulged and it gurgled for help, Elias savagely plunged Feather into its exposed rib cage. The creature stared at him in shock, then the light died in its eyes. Elias let it fall to the floor. Momentarily ignoring the still shrieking changeling, he braced his foot and ripped his pilum free of the first changeling’s corpse. As Elias jogged toward the infirmary, he stopped only long enough to finally silence the blinded changeling. Elias approached the corner that led to the infirmary, only to find Luna pushing back toward him as a green bolt of magic scorched the wall behind her head. The sound of more windows breaking reached Elias’ ears, and he pushed her down the opposite hallway toward a window as he spun on his heel, blocking another green bolt of magic with his shield. A changeling impacted the steel boss a moment later, and Elias pushed back with a growl as it tried to reach around to tear the shield away from his grasp. Elias flipped the pilum in his grip and raised it over his shield, stabbing down. A cry followed, and the pushing stopped. Elias poked his head over his scutum and found that a fresh corpse sat before him, while another changeling disappeared down a side hallway. With no obvious threats, he let his shield drop to his side. Elias moved back toward Luna, who was holding two ponies on her back; the maid, as well as an injured unicorn butler that was clutching at a wound on his foreleg. Elias gave her a nod as he dipped down the hallway leading toward the infirmary. Flash faced off against a pair of changelings, while a bright blue unicorn in a torn black suit shot shards of ice at a crowd of the bugs waiting in the cramped hallway. Why they didn’t try to fly and shoot back, Elias didn’t know, but he wasn’t complaining. With a roar he raced forward. Night Flash saw the human coming from the corner of his eye, and he stepped back in time for Elias to charge by and slam like a battering ram into the unprepared changelings. Sacrificing personal protection for locking down the hallway, Elias changed his grip on his scutum, holding it longways along his arm. He then used his pilum as a spear, jabbing into the wall of changelings that jeered and hissed at him as they tried to press forward. “Go protect Princess Luna!” Elias shouted over his shoulder. Elias closed his eyes as a beam of green energy grazed his cheek. He hissed in pain as he took a step backward, letting the front rank of changelings fall forward in the sudden vacuum. Elias then pushed forward again, crunching muzzles as he stabbed the bugs at his feet to death. Then he was back at it, stabbing into the black wall that slowly, but crushingly pressed against his shield. Elias could almost feel Night Flash’s hesitation. He took a second to glance over his shoulder, unable to wave the pegasus away. “Go damn it!” Elias yelled at him. “I can hold this for longer than you think. Get to the princess, make a plan, then come back and help. If you’re afraid of me dying, then moving fast would be advised.” Night Flash sighed, but nodded and whirled around, taking the unicorn with him. Free of distractions, Elias dug in his heels as best he could in the carpet and fought. The narrow hallways worked in his favor, and since he was wider than the average pony, and by result, changeling, Elias was easily able to make their numbers mean nothing. His pilum rose and fell as the bodies began to stack themselves on the floor. Two minutes later found Elias a few feet back, but no less resilient in the face of his foes. His face stung as blood dripped from his cheek. His arms and calves were burning from the exertion of holding back a wall of furious opponents, but the numbers of changelings fell dramatically. Some began to run away, likely trying to find a way to attack Elias from the rear, while the rest simply died, either meeting the tip of his pilum, or via trampling as they tripped over the bodies of their fallen brethren. Night Flash leaped over Elias’ head and slammed down in the center of the remaining changelings. They hissed in terror as the pegasus spun in a circle, the tips of his wing blades scratching the walls as he let his wings extend to their full length. Goo spattered the walls in long arcs as the changelings died without any defense to the whirling pegasus. Their strength broken; Elias made short work of the remaining bugs in front of him while Night Flash ran down a pair that attempted to flee. Elias spit on one of their bodies as he rested his hands on his knees, panting hard as he found a breath he had been lacking a moment before. Night Flash gave him a nudge toward the far corridor, and they walked quickly back to where Luna was waiting with a small group of civilians. They had been busy apparently, and their group now consisted of a trio of unicorns, including the ice casting pony, as well as a pair of pegasi, all waiting in a circle around Luna. Some held minor wounds, but none as serious as the pony laying on Luna’s back. The maid had dried her tears and ripped her dress to shreds as she tried to staunch the wounds of a Solar Guard with a gaping neck wound. From a glance, Elias knew the pony was already dead. His eyes were vacant, and his chest was still, despite the maid doing her best to dress the still seeping wounds. Elias sheathed his pilum and passed his shield to Night Flash. He then gently grabbed the Solar Guard, lifting him from Luna’s back. Elias laid him on the floor as the maid burst into tears, hiding her face with her hooves as she looked away from the dead guard. The human grimaced at the blood on his hand as he looked at the paling body. He bit his tongue and wiped the blood off on the carpet, rising from his crouch. He took his scutum back from Night Flash, then turned to Luna, whose eyes held a haunted gaze as she fixated on the guard. Stepping in front of the body, Elias said; “Princess, we need to get moving. You said we can get to your safe room through the gardens?” Luna blinked, then looked to Elias slowly. He saw the faintest trace of tears in her eyes, but those rapidly disappeared as her gaze hardened. “They will pay for this,” she said coldly. “Later,” Elias replied. “My job is to make sure you are safe and secure first. Then we worry about the rest.” Elias drew the remaining pilla from his shield, as well as the ones from his back sheathe, then passed them out to the pegasi and unicorns. They all exchanged nervous looks as Elias gave them instructions. “Stay close to Princess Luna, and try to stay behind Guardspony Flash and I.” Elias kept his eyes up, watching for more changelings. “We’ll try to do most of the fighting, but you’re going to have to fight at some point. Just stab and pull,” he said, jabbing his last pilum forward. “That’s all you need to know about fighting with a spear. Don’t fall down, and move back if you get pressed too hard. Most of all though, stab and pull.” The unicorns gulped, but all of the ponies held the javelins as firmly as possible as they looked down the hallways, trying to find the courage they would need when the fight inevitably came. Elias looked to Night Flash. “Stay near Princess Luna,” his eyes fell on the other ponies. “I don’t think that we have any changelings here, but the enemy can look like anypony, so I want someone I trust on her like glue.” Night Flash nodded silently. He was at Luna’s side in an instant, and his wing covered the princesses back, as well as the maid weeping softly between her wings. Elias tuned his ears outward, and he quickly caught chattering coming from both of the hallways they had tried to go down. He motioned silently for the group to move away from the infirmary, and with Night Flash and Luna in the lead, Elias covered the rear, prodding the ponies to move faster as they trotted through the castle. A pair of changelings came from the direction of the infirmary. Simultaneously, five of the rotten bugs walked into the hallway in front of Night Flash. They all chittered with a noise that vaguely sounded like laughter. Then they charged forward. Elias took a split second to weigh where his pilum would be best used, and then the javelin was away, killing one of the five. He quickly turned on his heel to fight the pair charging his back. The first changeling had long enough to bite into his arm, but a nasty punch to its overlarge eye made the beast hiss and fall back, leaving a pair of softly weeping bite marks behind. Elias used his scutum like a club, warding away both of the changelings as they hissed and stabbed forward, trying to gore him with their horns. One overextended, and Elias drilled it in the throat with his knee, drawing a wheeze from the creature as its windpipe collapsed. Now one on one, Elias was able to block an attack long enough to pull Feather free, and he amputated the changeling’s foreleg. Goo painted the floor, and a stab in the eye put an end to the changeling. The other one Elias left to die, unsympathetic as its face turned blue, and then purple. He walked calmly toward the ponies, where Night Flash was cleanly finishing off the last changeling. The pegasus scowled hatefully at its body, but he stepped back to Luna’s side quickly. Elias frowned when he realized that the alicorn hadn’t yet fought one of the changelings, with magic or otherwise. Clearly, she wasn’t one of them, they had found her being attacked in her room after all, but was something wrong? Had they poisoned her? While concerning, they were questions that would have to wait. Another trio of changelings charged around the corner, followed swiftly by seven more. They were being slowly overwhelmed. Joyed shouts echoed in his ears as more changelings poured in from the direction of the infirmary. Elias eyed a closed door, then the rapidly filling corridors. There was nowhere else to go. Elias pushed the ponies that were hold his pila toward the approaching changelings while he planted his left foot firmly, then kicked at the door jam with his right. The wooden door resisted his first kick, but on the second it shattered open, and Elias shouted for everyone to get inside. As the first pony slipped past him, he dove into the fray, shoving back one of the pegasi while he tried to reach the second. In the moments of brief struggle, the blue and white pony had gotten dragged through the changelings’ ranks, and a pair of them were already coating the pony in goo as they dragged him away, kicking and screaming. Feather rose and fell like an axe. Changeling goo painted his body as he killed the vile creatures, one after the other. Yet he grew no closer to the pegasus, and the pony fell silent as the bugs dragged him around the corner toward the infirmary. That didn’t stop Elias from trying to reach the pony, and only when he felt somebody tugging on his tunic did he fall back. Night Flash and Elias held the line as they pushed back toward the open door, blood flowing freely as the number of combatants began to wear on them. First Night Flash, then Elias fell back into the room, and the door slammed shut behind them as the unicorns pressed on it, grunting and growling as the changelings tried to buck it open. Elias pushed the ponies out of the way, then threw his full weight against the wooden portal, bracing his shield against the door to give him a wide area to push with. He looked with wide eyes over his shoulder at the ponies, and did a quick head count. Two were missing now, one unicorn, and one pegasus. The blue unicorn looked terrified, but he did his best to straighten, his horn aglow as he prepared more spells. The pegasus just looked tired, and he eyed the door nervously as a nasty crunch echoed through the wood. Elias’ mind raced as he tried to figure out a solution to the trap they found themselves in. He looked around the room, quickly spotting the window behind them. “Night Flash, Princess Luna, you can carry everyone out,” Elias said, one of his heels slipping momentarily after a nasty hit from the changelings. He tried to pretend he didn’t see a new crack in the door. “Fly them below the window, then Flash can come and get me. We’ll get out of this yet.” Night Flash nodded and, opening the window, grabbed one of the unicorns. The other pegasus joined him, and they carried the pony outside. Elias waited for Luna to join them, but the alicorn remained still, staring at him as the door jumped under his arms again. Elias grit his teeth as he pressed Feather into his right hand. On the next kick, he let the door open just a little, long enough for him to stab a changeling in the eye. The creature shouted in pain, and the door slammed closed as he used the sudden change in momentum to press back hard. When he looked behind him again, Luna was still standing still, staring at him. “Princess,” Elias said through gritted teeth. “Now really isn’t a good time to stand around. You’re the boss, but I need you to help Night Flash out.” Elias heard an audible gulp from her. “I… I cannot fly… currently,” she admitted, seemingly embarrassed. Elias was momentarily distracted by that revelation, and as a result, he wasn’t prepared for the next buck. A large crack appeared in the door, and a changeling blindly fired a bolt of energy into the room. It scorched the wall, drawing a shriek from the maid, and Elias shouted in frustration as he stabbed at the changeling. “You rotten fucks aren’t getting through me!” Elias shouted as Feather tore through the creature’s muzzle. “So do us all a favor, and die!” He drew Feather back and chopped down, severing a limb that had poked through the open door jam. It was enough to cause the changeling to withdraw, and Elias managed to shove the door closed once more. The changelings shouted in frustration, and the bucking resumed as Elias held fast with renewed vigor. He glared over his shoulder at Luna, watching as Night Flash and the pegasus grabbed the maid from Luna’s back. “What do you mean you can’t fly?” he growled. Luna raised her nose in the air. “I do not need to explain myself, suffice to say that my pegasus magic is… otherwise occupied. That is all you need to know Guardsman.” Elias wanted to snap at the alicorn, but the door in front of him required his full attention. He waited until Night Flash came back before he said anything else. “Flash, grab Princess Luna and get her outside, then get everyone else. I’m last.” A green flash crept under the door, and he briefly smelled something burning. Large cracks coursed through the door. Elias glared at them hatefully. “And be quick about it!” he shouted as Night Flash unceremoniously grabbed Luna’s hoof, dragging her to the window. Elias briefly heard Night Flash give her instructions on how to hold her wings. Just as they leaped from the window the door exploded. Elias slid back, trying to get his shield up as a changeling pounced on him, its fangs reaching for his throat. Feather ended that threat quickly, and Elias shoved the body off his chest as he rolled to his feet. The ice casting unicorn stood stoically at his side, throwing a spear of ice at the changelings as they flooded into the room. It impaled two of the creatures, making them pause long enough for Elias to get a firm grip on his scutum and gladius. He charged forward, chopping down, and severing the horn from a changeling’s head. It collapsed with barely a whisper as its brain split in two. Elias dipped under a hoof aimed for his head, and he chopped Feather into the back of the offending changeling’s neck. As he ripped the sword free, he blocked a bolt of magic with his shield, staggering back as the force was distributed across the boss of his scutum. As Elias reset his feet, he only had time to notice the trio of changelings, horns alight, as they sent an enlarged bolt of magic at his chest. His shield took the worst of the magic, but some still coursed into his limbs, sending light spasms through his body. It was more than enough to put him off balance, and the force of the second magical bolt sent him flying backward. His hip cracked against the windowsill, and Elias flipped head over heels as he fell out the window with a shout. The drop was shorter than he imagined it would be, but as his back slammed into the ground, Elias could only feel the lack of air in his lungs as it was ejected by force. Feather clattered from his grip as he clawed at his chest. His mouth flapped as he tried to draw breath. He felt his throat tighten, felt his chest convulse in pain at the air that just wouldn’t come… Night Flash rolled Elias onto his side, and the pegasus did his best to massage the human’s back through his armor. Elias took several gasping breaths as his lungs began to function again. As his mind got the oxygen it had been so desperately calling out for, Elias noticed a buzzing in his ears, and it wasn’t tinnitus. “Pila,” Elias croaked. Night Flash frowned at him in confusion, then turned away, snatching one of Elias’ pila from the ground where the other pegasus had dropped it. Elias shoved Night Flash out of the way and flipped, using the momentum behind the motion to send the javelin into the air. His aim was slightly off, but the spear still tore through the chest of the changeling that had begun climbing out the window. The corpse hung limply from the sill, and Elias motioned for Night Flash to help him stand. He was mildly surprised when Luna was at his side first, staring at him with worried eyes as she helped him to his feet. “Are you alright Elias?” The human nodded silently as he continued taking deep breaths. His chest was in agony, but it was nothing compared to his lower half. The second he put any weight on his right leg, he nearly collapsed as pain lanced down the limb. He felt the bones near the joint of his thigh grind against each other as he fell against Luna. Elias grimaced at the pain, trying his best to ignore it. “Leg’s broken,” he stated flatly. “Flash, give me another pila, I’ll use it as a walking stick.” The pegasus passed the weapon to Elias, but as the human made to walk with it, another hiss came from the window as a second changeling stuck its head out. The pilum went into the air, the aim better as it went through the creature’s jaw, snapping its mouth shut. It slumped on top of its friend, and Elias shook his head when he realized that he was out of pila. He should have brought more. He sighed and leaned heavily on Luna. “Guess that means your leaving me,” Elias said as nonchalantly as possible. A quick glare from Luna and Night Flash told him that they wouldn’t follow his plan. Elias sighed. Of course not. He looked toward the trees that signified the entrance to the garden. “Then I guess we'd better get moving before more of those stupid bastards try climbing out of that window, or heaven forbid they do the smart thing and remove the bodies.” Elias heard chattering above them and saw a third changeling attempting to climb over its brethren, but the bug got stuck, and decided to just chitter loudly at the ponies below him. Elias nudged Luna, and the alicorn held onto him with her wing as they limped their dwindling group into the garden. Elias had no idea if anyone else realized that they were missing another unicorn. The ice caster had still been up there when he was forcefully ejected from the room, and was likely dead if the Solar Guard was any indication. As they limped into the tree line, Elias briefly wondered if he should be thinking about any of his other friends, but as the multitude of fears rose in his mind, he squashed them all with brutal focus. He knew two were alive, and even if he was injured, he would keep them that way.