Forefront was struggling. But no matter how much he fought, it only made things worse as he got more and more stuck in the slime that held him and his fellow guards firmly to the ground like flies on flypaper.
Considering the circumstance, it was kinda ironic really...
'How could this have happened? How? I told them they were safe. I said everything was fine and that we were ready for anything. Why weren't we ready?!?'
It was the day of the wedding between Captain Shining Armor and Princess Cadance. The Captain's magical shield was in place and everything was peaceful and quiet. It had seemed like the perfect day for every guard around Canterlot to let their guard down and perhaps join the festivities.
Then all of a sudden, there was loud crashing sound and magical shards of the very shield that was protecting Canterlot was suddenly falling from the sky. Hundreds of flaming green missiles then rained down onto the streets and buildings, revealing themselves to be monstrous Changelings.
Forefront did his best to rally his fellow guards to fight back this new menace and save as many citizens as they could. Bravely they stood their ground as the Changelings advanced on them.
Within just minutes, he, along with most of troops, were completely neutralized. Now tied down and glued to the ground he and his friends were forced to watch helplessly as the monsters relentlessly chased and fed off the civilians.
“HELP! SOMEPONY SAVE US!!”
Forefront saw a family of ponies fleeing into an ally, only to be trapped in a dead end as Changelings soon cornered them. Fueled the urge to come to their aid, he simply wasn't able to get loose. He heard their desperate pleas for help but could do nothing as their panicking screams slowly faded in the darkness of the alley.
“You... You monsters!”
“What'z wrong pony...?”
Forefront's ears twitched at the hissing sound of a Changeling landing before him, joined by two others. Their glowing blue tinted eyes glaring amusingly at him.
“Iz the poor little guard pony ztuck?” it taunted. “Too bad...” The changelings all laughed. As they did, more Changelings arrived and surrounded him. “Zoon all of Canterlot and itz poniez will belong to our Queen. All your love iz ourz!” the Changeling hissed with a delightful grin.
“Never...” Forefront growled. “Canterlot will never fall! I swear on my family that you will be cast out!”
The Changelings went silent for a moment. “Your family?” the one Changeling asked before suddenly laughing again. “You muzt really love your family, don't you? Perhapz you would like to zee them again?”
Forefront's eyes widened with horror. “No... You wouldn't...”
“Oh, we would...” Suddenly, two more changelings arrived, carrying two struggling ponies. A mother and her daughter. “And we have.”
“FOREFRONT!”
“LILY?!! CUTIE!!!”
“DADDY! SAVE US!”
“YOU MONSTERS! LET THEM GO!”
“We'll let them go...” the Changeling grinned. “...when we're done.”
The changelings surrounded Lily and Cutie, their horns glowing a sickly green color as a vaporous form began to emit from both Lily and Cutie. The vapor floated upwards and spread out towards each changeling below, who sucked it in with such delight.
As it happened, both Lily and Cutie started to feel weaker. An enraged Forefront struggled more violently now. He knew what was happening.
“CELESTIA CURSE YOU ALL!!!” He watched with horror as his wife and daughter's coats turned from their healthy natural color, to that of a gray and lifeless one. “NO!!! CUTIE! LILY!”
“Daddy..?” Cutie uttered weakly before finally collapsing on the ground, her body completely still and motionless as the Changelings continued feeding off her last remaining love.
“Cutie...” Forefront's lips trembled as tears of grief streamed down his eyes.
“Front...” Forefront now looked to his loving wife in horror. She was barely recognizable now as her shriveled body was barely able to support her. She tearfully looked to him with bloodshot eyes, begging to be saved.
“You promised... How could you let this happen..?” Then she too fell over, her eyes rolling back inside her sockets as the Changeling continued feeding.
“Lily...” Forefront sobbed. Seeing his wife and daughter lying lifeless on the ground, he gritted his teeth in rage as fire was burning in his eyes. “BY LUNA, I'LL END YOU ALL!!!”
All the changelings around him transformed into his wife and daughter, laughing wickedly at him. Forefront's anger was completely extinguished and he lost all his courage.
“WHAT'S THE MATTER HERO?” they all cackled in unison. “DON'T YOU WANT TO SAVE THE ONES YOU LOVE?”
“Stop...” he begged.
Their taunting cackle continued to echo relentlessly around him. He tried to shut his ears but was unable to silence them. He pressed his head painfully against the ground in grief and shut his eyes as he couldn't bare it anymore.
“Stop it... Please... I beg you... STOP IT!”
“Forefront! Wake up!”
“Wha- What?” Forefront looked up and noticed one of the 'Lily' Changelings charge towards him.
“WAKE UP!”
Forefront woke up flailing with a loud fright.
“Front?! Thank goodness! Are you alright?”
Forefront panted heavily and frantically looked around. There was no invasion. The Changelings were gone. He was home. He was in the bedroom. In his bed with-
“LILY!!!” Forefront quickly embraced a now frightened Lily. “I'm sorry!” he cried. “I'm SO sorry I couldn't save you!”
“Front! Calm down!” Lily pushed Forefront off her and looked him in the eyes. “I'm alright! Look at me! I'm alright! It was all a bad dream!”
Forefront calmed down. He breathed slowly now. Sweat was running down his forehead. It had all been a terrible nightmare. None of that happened. Nopony was injured. His family hadn't beenm pulled out of their home and fed upon in front of him. It had all been a nightmare.
While relieved, he suddenly buried his head in the bedsheets and cried.
“Front?”
“I failed you...”
“What?”
“I failed you Lily. I failed you and Cutie. I promised you that you two would be safe. That there was nothing to worry about.”
“What are you talking about Front? What do you mean you failed? I'm right here! Me and Cutie are still here! Look!” She pointed out the window. “Canterlot is still here!”
“But not because of me!” Forefront yelled. “I didn't save the day. None of us did. The Royal Guards of Canterlot didn't save the wedding! We were utterly useless!”
“Front!”
“We're Celestia's Royal Guard! We're supposed to be Equestria's finest! We swore an oath to protect the princess and everypony in Equestria!” He tearfully looked at his now trembling hooves. “It was our duty! Why couldn't we save the day? All that training... All those studies... What has happened to us?”
“Front...” Lily gently wrapped her hoof around his shoulders and pulled him into a hug, gently rubbing his mane trying to comfort him. “What happened Front? What did you dream about?”
“Lily...”
“Please Front? Tell me. It'll help.”
Forefront was silent for a brief moment before sighing. “I... I dreamed about the invasion. About how the Changelings took us all by surprise and captured me. Except I now saw you and Cutie... I watched as they...” he chocked and sobbed on her shoulder.
“That never happened Front. We locked all the doors and all the windows. We locked and bolted everything and hid. They never found us.”
“They could've found you! They could've taken you both! They could've-”
“But they DIDN'T!” She again looked him firmly in the eyes. “Front! They didn't get us! They didn't get me and they didn't get-”
“Mommy..? Daddy..?”
Both Forefront and Lily were surprised to see Cutie standing by the now open door, carrying her favorite doll and rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
“Cutie?”
“I heard daddy yelling... It woke me up.”
“Oh Cutie...” Forefront got up, trotted over and hugged his daughter. “I'm so sorry I woke you sweetie.”
“Why were you yelling? Did you have a bad dream daddy?”
Forefront sighed. “Yes Cutie... Daddy had a bad dream.”
“Was it about the 'bug ponies'? I dreamed about them too.”
“You did?” asked Forefront surprised.
Cutie nodded her head but smiled. “Uh hu! They scared me but then you came and chased them away. You were my hero.” She hugged him. Forefront suddenly felt his heart ache. “Did you chase away the ones in your dream too? Is that why you were yelling?”
“That's enough Cutie...” said Lily warmly as she too got up and joined them. “Daddy has had a rough day. Come. Let me tuck you back to bed. It's late and you really need to get to sleep after everything that has happened.”
“Okay mommy. Night daddy! I love you!”
Forefront watched silently as Lily led Cutie back to her room. His mind now drifting. His daughter's encouraging words stung him greatly. It stung him because he knew from that moment that he had failed her. He had her as a guardian.
Even during Canterlot's darkest hour, he didn't have the strength to save his own little princess.
“She sleeping now Front.” said Lily as she soon returned to their bedroom. “She is so adorable the way she... Front? Are you alright?”
“Did you hear that?” said Forefront, barely looking at her as he kept staring in the direction of his daughter's bedroom. “She said I chased them away...”
“Front...”
“I'm a hero to her.”
“But isn't that good? Don't you see? She looks up to you and believes in you.”
“But... I'm not a hero. After everything that happened I don't think I can even be called a hero. Let alone a Royal Guard.”
“Front..?”
“If she knew what really happened, what would she think of me then? About us? The Royal Guards of Canterlot. The pride of Princess Celestia who failed to save the day.”
“What would she think when she learns that the only reason she's even around today is because of Princess Cadance and Shining Armor?!”
Lily gasped. “Front! She would never-”
“She would, Lily!” he said. “She would learn that the Royal Guards of Equestria are totally and utterly useless...”
Lily could not believe what she was hearing. “Front... You're NOT useless.”
Forefront sadly lowered his head and sighed as he made the hardest decision in his life. “I can't do this...”
“Front?”
“I'm sorry Lily... But I can't risk letting her feel ashamed of me.”
“Wha... What are you saying?”
“I... I quit...”
“What..?”
“I'm quitting the Royal Guard...”