//------------------------------//
// Chapter V 
// Story: The Royal Guard 
// by Jacob562 
//------------------------------//

	Thunder Clop woke with a start. A sickly claw held him down into his bed, and another covered his mouth so he could not yell. Above him hovered two changelings, evilly smirking down at him. Suddenly T.C. felt very strange... he could feel his emotions start to change. He was angry (but not the kind of angry he had expected), he was sad, he was scared and paranoid, but wherever he searched for his courage, or compassion he could find none. As T.C's positive qualities faded  from him the changelings seemed to grow stronger. They began to salivate over him and continued to feed on his love. T.C. became angrier and angrier, his hatred for these vile creatures filled up the spaces where his love had once been. He began to struggle but the changelings held him in place feeding off that last of his goodness in his soul... but they took too much. 

Thunder Clop has never experienced this kind of rage before. It consumed him, he didn't know what he was doing, suddenly he was free and he vented his new found fury on the changelings. He pummeled them. They tired to change into new forms but T.C. was too fast. His full fury unleashed and he beat them mercilessly with his bare hooves. Thunder Clop was unsure how long he fought the changelings, he only saw red, but when it was over they both lay beaten and broken upon his bedroom floor. As they passed into unconsciousness T.C. felt his positive emotions returning to him.

By the creator what have I done!? he thought, disgusted by his own use of excessive force. I didn't know I had it in me.... it was like I was nothing but hatred, no love at all... The Princess!

Thunder Clop bolted from his room just in time to see a massive magical blast push the entire changeling army, along with their vile queen, out of the city. He paid it no head, the only thing that mattered to him now was Princess Luna's safety. He galloped as fast as he could up the stairs, even using his wings in parts to help boost his speed. He burst through into the receiving room and then through the doors into what he thought would be the princesses bed room. "Princess Lu......na?" He started as a shout but trailed off.

He was in an office, a magnificent office. Like his the walls were lined with book shelves and guarded by suits of armor. Unlike his office were the statues, tapestries, paintings and ornate furniture. There was a massive desk in front of a beautiful stained glass relief of the princess. The ceiling was painted to look like a summer's night complete with a field of stars and a full moon from which hung a silver chandelier with blue flames that cast a soft glow over the office. On three of the walls were doors, the one T.C. had come through was situated in the middle directly across from the desk. On his left the door was shut, but the door to the right was slightly ajar, and from inside another soft blue glow seemed to emanate.

Thunder Clop approached the door as quietly as he could as he got closer he began to make out the sound of heavy relaxed breathing. He nuzzled the door open slowly. Inside he saw Luna fast asleep. She was stretched out on the bed only half under the covers and one foreleg was hugging a pillow. T.C. couldn't help laughing and had to stifle his giggle, at the sound Luna mumbled something he didn't catch and rolled over. She then continued to sleep peacefully. Thunder Clop slowly backed up and left the Princess's office, much quieter this time. Clearly he thought the changelings did not make it this far up the tower.

But what were they doing here in the first place!? Thunder Clop could feel his anger returning as he went to find one of the day guards. It did not take him long to find a guard and get a situation report. He listened intently as the guard told him how the changeling queen had impersonated Princess Cadence and enslaved Shining Armor and how Twilight Sparkle was able to free the real Cadence who was able to defeat the evil Queen.

"Why did nopony come and warn us!?" asked T.C. angrily.

"My apologies sir," Said the guard pony "but the order was for Princess Luna's tower to be sealed off. Two of our best guards were sent to inform you, and a platoon was station out side the hall."

Those two changelings must have impersonated the guards sent to inform us thought T.C. "Very well then," said T.C. "thank you for the information."

Since it was only a short time before when Thunder Clop normally began his night, he decided to wait in the Princess's receiving room, so that he could discus what had happened. He waited for nearly two hours though for the princess to wake up, below in the palace gardens he could hear the wedding celebrations resume and when he gazed out side his the windows he could see squadrons of palace guards trotting or flying through the streets of Canterlot mopping up the last of the Changelings. Several times guards where sent to him for new orders. He had several maps brought to Luna's receiving room and began to orchestrate the movements of the guard from there.

So busy was he with his work that he did not even notice when Luna finally did enter the room. "What's the matter T.C.?" She asked playfully, "are your own quarters no longer adequate?" 

Suddenly she noticed the serious looks on the guards faces and took a closer look at the documents "Oh my," she gasped, "what has happened? Is everything all right?" Thunder Clop sat down next to Luna and told her everything, the changeling queen Chrysalis, how Cadence was imprisoned and freed, even about the two changelings that managed to ambush him while he slept. 

"I am glad you are everything turned out alright then." Luna said once T.C. had finished. "and that you are unharmed.:

"Well I for one am furious!" said Thunder Clop, "This whole thing has been a huge embarrassment for the palace guard. We should have noticed a change in Cadence, we should have had spells prepared to combat the changelings shape shifting, and most importantly we shouldn't have allowed Shining Armor to take on the burden of the magical dome singlehoofedly.

Luna took him by the hoof and sat him down on the couch "There is nothing we could have done," She sighed, "none of  us could have seen this coming. It was an unfortunate event, but everything has turned out for the better, the enemy has been defeated!"

"Forgive me princess," Started Thunder Clop again, "but everything has not turned out for the better. Massive holes in our security have been exposed. The whole palace was put in harms way and there was nothing any of us could do to stop it. We failed you.... I failed you. I am not fit to be your captain..." T.C. couldn't look Luna in the face, it took all of his will power not to cry in front of her, or his troops.

Luna pulled Thunder Clops head up so that he met her gaze. "Captain Thunder Clop, T.C., do not say such things. The very fact that you care so much means that you are more fit than anypony to my captain. Yes mistakes were made, but as I said nopony could have foreseen this outcome. We were, all of us, deceived, there is no shame in that. The fact that you try even now to preserve my safety even after the danger has clearly passed only goes to further reassure me that you are the right pony for the job." She paused for a moment and then turned to adjutants and soldiers in the room. "Leave us for a moment." She demanded polity, and the other ponies began to file out of the room.

Luna waited until she and Thunder Clop were alone. "My hand maidens told me that you rushed to make sure I was fine." she said.

"I was only doing what I thought was right." he said.

"Normally my bed chamber is forbidden," She said now holding her head high and used just a hint of the Royal Canterlot Voice, "there was a time, long ago, when an intruder may have even been executed for such boldness."

Now Thunder Clop looked panicked, "I am sorry Princess, I, I didn't realize." Luna glared at him. Thunder Clop continued "Prince..." 

"How many times must you be told," started Luna, feigning anger, "call me Luna."

Thunder Clop's tenseness melted away, Luna had only been teasing him What an inappropriate time for such a game he thought, but then realized, that he did feel much better all of a sudden. He watched as the princess began to giggle at him.

"You, of course, will not be executed," she said, "In fact I am touched by your concern for me." She stood up "I must now attend to my niece's wedding celebration. I think I will be fine without my escort tonight, and the guard will need their captain to organize them, but please try and stay calm, I believe the worst of this event is long over." Then Luna did something T.C. was not expecting at all, she pulled him into a tight embrace and whispered a "Thank you." into his ear, and then, she was off. Thunder Clop sat dumbfounded for a moment or two, then called for an orderly to help move his documents and maps back to his own office, it was going to be a long night.