//------------------------------// // Bonus chapter 3 // Story: In the Royal Guard // by J8ck78 //------------------------------// As the Guards entered Platinum Square, a Unicorn Guard scanned them all with his magic and ushered them in. Several other Guards fired back at the Changelings while others protected some regular ponies huddling into a semi damaged building. In the center around a statue of Princess Platinum sat Captain Shadow and a few other Officers. "Captain Shadow!" said Flower as they walked up She looked up and nodded in respect when a Changeling landed in front of them and laughed in their faces. It got into a attack stance when it was zapped with more electricity then needed and turned to ash on the floor. David landed, his storm cloud out of lightning and useful only for rain now. He smiled at the ash pile on the floor before joining the rest. "Staff Sergeant, what did you get?" asked a Officer "These ponies, a few more en route, and the whole city is a big old Discord festival. I can't tell who is who, what is what, but I do know we've lost control of the market sector, the park, and at least five housing squares." "What about the populace?" asked the Officer "Hiding, running, fighting. The Changelings seem to be having more fun terrorizing them then feeding." "Hmm..." pondered Shadow, "We may be able to use that to our advantage." "Captain?" asked Charger "We got a message of another holdout near the Royal Canterlot bank." said Shadow A bunch of snooty ponies ran their to protect their bits. Foals." "We're gathering up a convoy to move out there and try and bring them back." said a Officer "There's at least one Royal Guard Squad of four, and the Bank's security." said the second Officer "We get there, extract them, bring them here and fall back to the palace." said Shadow, "Canterlot is too big to defend with our current numbers. We'll hold out until reinforcements from the surrounding cities." "Ma'am." said a Guard listening in, "That's where the Changeling Queen is located. Wont she be of a threat?" "With the weapons we got inside that Palace." exclaimed David, "I don't care what, we'll avenge Celestia in a matter or minutes if she tries anything stupid." "We move in three!" said Shadow "Unicorns, man the carts and provide covering fire, Earth ponies, pull the carts. Pegasus will provide cover! David, your squad is on point in the lead cart." "Will do." said David, "My squad! Let's get saddled up!" As they moved, Crescent flew close to David. "Hey Sarge, anypony see Spirit?" "Still in the palace last I heard. Hope my old buddy is okay." "And Filly?" asked Crescent "Knowing Filly, she's probably having fun with the dang Changelings for all I know!" David was worried for his friend and adoptive daughter, put he put those thoughts aside. Worrying about them would not help them in anyway and he had a objective to complete. The convoy was made up of five horse drawn carts, each pulled by a single Earth Pony Guard. Two Unicorns sat in it to provide cover fire while Pegasus flew above each one to cover it from the air. A Pegasus below was to guide the convoy to the bank, and he saluted to David to show he was ready, and David returned it. The Staff Sergeant looked it over and turned back to the scene before him. They hadn't even started and already they were under attack. He pointed his hoof forward and quickly head butted a changeling before bucking a second. A third came at him before Crescent tackled it midair while two more trying to sneak up on him were blasted by Starlight and Flower. He looked to see what looked like a Pegasus being chased by two Changelings, but as the Pegasus drew near, he knew it was a fake and punched it to the ground, his suspicions true when it reverted back. As the other two attacked, he grabbed each one in a wing and pile drived them into the ground. "Where did you learn that?" asked a Guard "I took level three Advanced Guard fighting tactics!" said David He leaped back up and rejoined the fight in the air. Charger lead the convoy through the streets, using all his strength to keep it going. The Pegasus Guard kept a quick speed, but was smart enough to not fly too far ahead. Suddenly, outside Chargers right eye came a frantic Unicorn mare. Charger slid to a stop to try and help her when she punched him right in he face. He fell to the ground and looked up as Starlight and Flower blasted the Changeling with two rays of magic. He stepped back up and adjusted his jaw when David flew into his face. "We stop for nopony! Got it!?" Yes sir Staff Sergeant!" said Charger starting off again The Convoy picked back up speed while the Changelings swarmed above. The Pegasus and the Unicorns kept them off as much as they could but a few still got through by sheer luck or sneaky tactics. Some disguised themselves as Guard and rode up next to the carts, only to attack their "comrades" before fleeing off. Others were more bold and attacked the Earth ponies driving them, but the Guards were smarter than that and trampled them when they tried. A few even jumped onto the carts themselves to try and attack the Unicorns inside. Charger himself felt one get on as he rode through the winding streets and turned to see it change from a Guard pony into a Changeling. "Flower! Starlight! Look-" He never finished as the Unicorns behind them zapped the Changeling from existence. He smiled and returned to his drive. Up ahead was a small bridge that ran over the Canterlot canal. David signaled for the Pegasus to move up and cover the bridge as they started to cross it. As he did, he flew over the bridge itself just as the cart carrying his squad passed over before he was hit in the back. He saw for a split second the green fire fire of the Changeling comet before impacting through the bridge and into the water. Every Guard pony looked in through the hole. A bubbling came from below before David emerged and delivered a swift punch to the Changeling before climbing out of the water. His adversary floated to the bottom but he had bigger problems: His wings were covered in a thick, sticky green goo and he couldn't fly any more. He looked to see only his cart had made it over the canal and the rest had failed. "Find another crossing and get to the bank! My Squad will continue this way!" he ordered "Yes sir!" said the other Guards as they took off for another bridge route Crescent flew down next to him as he rejoined his Squad at the cart "You okay Sarge?" asked Crescent "Yeah I'm fine." said David looking at his wings, "Won't be flying much though." "Sarge, they got the cart." said Starlight David looked to see a burning hole in the rear of the cart, making it useless now to carry anymore ponies. "Flower, send a message to the Captain. Convoy lead damaged and cut off, rest of the convoy taking route B to the bank. We'll continue on hoof. David out. Send it." "Yes sir!" said Flower He grabbed a discarded sheet of paper and a pen and wrote it down. He zapped it with his magic and the message disappeared, teleported directly to Shadow. "Let's move Guard! We got a mile in between us and-LOOK OUT!" Changelings dove in for the attack. Crescent and David flew into the air, with David crashing back to Earth. Shaking his head, he turned around and joined Charger in bucking any that got passed Crescent. Flower and Starlight fired at any they could see, but the Changelings were everywhere. One landed near David, who smashed it with his wings, covering the Changeling with the goo that was on his wings. "Try and get out of that ya freak!" The changeling stood up, the sticky goo slid down and off his body with ease. "Of course." said David before grappling with it Flower shot down two more Changelings before looking toward Starlight standing over two defeated ones. He went back to aim at another one when he was tackled to the ground. He looked up to see a dark smiling Starlight standing over him before that Starlight was blasted into a building. The real Starlight ran up and helped Flower to his feet. "This is getting ridiculous!" said Flower Crescent impacted next to them, knocked from the sky. "Tell me about it." he said, his eyes rolling around A Changeling landed before them but was instantly squished by Charger. "This is fun." said Charger Staff Sergeant David walked up breathing heavily before being bucked away by the apparent real Staff Sergeant. The phony one was thrown through a window and crashed to the floor. "Nice move Sarge." said Charger David smiled before he was hit in the head with a heavy brick. David suddenly reverted to a Changeling and fell to the floor. The real Sergeant David, the one who was knocked into the building, walked up. "Keep on your hoofs Guard." he said, These things love to play mind games." He finished as he grabbed one with his wing and smashed it to the ground before stomping it from existence. "Let's move!" He took off toward the bank with his Squad in tow. "Sarge, have you fought these things before?" asked Flower "Nope! Just using what I learned in training!" "What's that mean? I don't remember Changelings in training!" yelled Charger "Exactly! I have as much experience fighting these things as you do!" he said cheerfully