> To Guard is to Protect
>  by TJHoofer
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1: The Reason to Guard
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“...And then I let him have it!” yelled a unicorn guard named Power Bolt proudly as he punched the air in front of him. Everypony around him laughed, stomped and clapped their hooves while raising their drinks in a great cheer.

“Hear hear!” yelled the pegasus guard next to him, Sharp Lance, as he too held up his mug full of cider. 

“HEAR HEAR!” everypony in the Royal Guard cheered in unison. 

It wasn't that long ago, when on the very day their respected Captain of the Guard Shining Armor was about to get married, an unexpected Changeling invasion of Canterlot suddenly occurred. 
The surprise attack came completely without warning. The magical shield that was meant to keep threats out collapsed utterly. Without the leadership of both the princess and Shining Armor, the armed forces were quickly overwhelmed and incapacitated. All resistance was neutralized, leaving the terrified and helpless citizens of Canterlot completely at the mercy of these loveless creatures. 

Even the Elements of Harmony, Equestria's greatest hope, had been subdued and captured.

All seemed lost, until the Changelings and their vile Queen was unexpectedly expelled from Canterlot by the strongest magic imaginable.

The Magic of Love!

The love between Shining Armor and Princess Cadance was so strong, it rejuvenated their strength and gave them the power to defeat the Queen and save the whole kingdom from a terrible fate.

The wedding soon proceeded as planned after that. Once husband and wife were pronounced, everypony in the Royal Guard saw fit to celebrate their victory and toast for 'Prince' Shining Armor and his beautiful wife at nearest local cider tavern just outside the Royal barracks.  

“This sure has been one Hay of a day!” Sharp Lance laughed. “Great story by the way! I guess you really showed him, huh?” 

“Hehe...” Power chuckled. “Yeah! That Changeling creep will think twice before tangling with one of Princesses' Royal Guards ever again!”

“Long live Canterlot's finest! Long live the Royal Guard!” yelled Sharp, raising his mug.

“LONG LIVE!” everypony cheered.

“Long live the Royal Guard..? Don't make me laugh.”

The laughter and delightful cheering was suddenly silenced as the sour voice of a pegasus stallion guard, sitting by himself at the counter, caught everypony's attention. 

“Something wrong Forefront?” asked Power.

“Something is wrong alright...” Forefront glared at him. “...and I'm looking at it right now.”

“Excuse me?”

“You! Everypony! All of you sitting here! Laughing... Drinking... And talking as if this day was like any other! As if this day was the best day ever!?”

“What are you talking about Forefront?” asked Sharp bewildered. “Our Captain just got married and we stopped a Changeling invasion.”  

“We? Is that how it was? 'We' stopped it?” Forefront growled before angrily taking a sip of cider. “Yeah! We really 'showed' them...” he mocked, slamming his mug on the counter, spilling his cider all over it. “Give me a break!”

“Seriously Forefront, what's up with you? Why are you acting like this?” 

“Why am I acting like this? We just got invaded during our Captain's big day! And you're all not at least upset about it?” 

“Why would we be upset? Captain Armor and Princess Cadance vanquished all the Changelings. Sure, everything seemed bad at first but Love was on our side.” Power then raised his mug. “Love and the WILL to fight on!” 

“HEAR HEAR!” everyony cheered loudly. Forefront however wasn't thrilled about it one bit. 

“Love..? Will...? Yeah right... More like 'luck.'” he said sarcastically while taking another swig from his mug. “And where would we be today without luck..?”

“Aw come on Forefront! Lighten up! This is a celebration! At least join in and toast to our Captain and his new wife. Wish him good luck on his new Royal assignment that is marriage.”

“Hear! Hear!” everypony cheered.

Forefront sighed. “Very well...” He raised his mug in the air. “Cheers to our Captain Armor and his new wife, Princess Cadance!” 

“HEAR HEAR!” 

“May Celestia and Luna bless them!” he continued. “May they watch over them and defend them better than WE did!” He finished his toast with loud chug as he emptied the mug. 

There was no cheer as everypony in the bar was now quietly staring at him. 

“Equestria's finest? Hmph! Equestria's joke is more like it..." he muttered bitterly beneath his breath. "Hey Barkeep!” Forefront placed a Bit on the counter before the bartender. “For the spill.” He then got up and headed for the door. “See you around guys...”

“Wait! Where are you going?” asked Sharp, causing Forefront to stop short halfway through the door. 

“Home.”

“But the night is still young and we're headed for the party at the castle later on. Come with us.” 

“No thanks...” Forefront sighed. “I... I need to get home. And if I were you, you would do the same. Good night.” With that, Forefront left the tavern. As everypony watched him leave, they couldn't help feeling there was something terribly wrong with him. 

“What do you suppose got into him?” asked Sharp.

Power sighed while taking a sip from his mug. 

“Power?”

“Do you remember why we became Royal Guards, Sharp?” 

“Why? To defend Canterlot and princesses of course!” The two guards stared silently at eachother before realization finally hit Sharp. 
“But what happened today was unforeseeable! Nopony expected a Changeling attack!”

“No Sharp...” Power sighed while taking a sip. “We didn't...”

*****

"...But we should have."

Slowly trotting home, Forefront stopped a brief moment as he could still hear the cheers and laughter emanating from the castle, as the happy newly weds danced and enjoyed themselves along with family and friends and loved ones. 
He quietly wished the Captain a happy life with his new wife.

As he continued walking home, he couldn't help but think to himself. 

'How could we let it happen? How could I let it happen? And why couldn't I stop it?'

He then stopped and looked questionably down at his uniform. 

'Am I fit to even wear this? Am I even worthy? Are WE worthy? What has happened to us?'

He then noticed one of the many statues that decorated the city streets. This one in particular was a decorated Canterlot Officer, a Stallion renowned for his acts of bravery in the line of duty. A guard who once served the princess and Equestria with pride and accomplishment. 
A pony Forefront had looked up to since he was just a colt and was the sole reason to why he became a Royal Guard. 

Forefront took off his helmet and, with all of his might, threw it angrily at the statue.

CLANG!

*****

As Shining Armor and Princess Cadance were preparing to set off from Canterlot on their long-awaited Honeymoon, Forefront had reached the front door of his home, only to find himself just standing there and staring at it. He didn't have the strenght to open it. He was scared. 

How could he face them? He made a promise, only to fail them when they truly needed him. 

With a quiet sigh, Forefront gathered his courage, opened the door and marched inside. 

“Honey? Is that you?” A mare trotted out of the living room and approached him in the hallway. It was his wife Lily Pond. 
“Honey! You're home early. I thought you would be celebrating with your friends at the castle. Is everything alright?” 

Forefront said nothing. Instead he just looked at her with a sad expression in his eyes.  

“Honey? Front? What's wrong? Did something happen-” 

Suddenly, Forefront lunged forward and embraced her in a big hug, holding her tight. He wanted to hold her forever. He wanted to never let go. 

“Front?! What's gotten into you? Wha-?!?” Without warning, Forefront planted his lips onto hers and gave her his most passionate kiss. 
“Front..!” Lily blushed. “What was that about?”

“I...” Forefront swallowed. “I just... I just wanted you to know that I love you very much. And that I would never let anything happen to you. You or little Cutie...”

“Front...” Lily gently stroke his cheek and looked him in the eyes. “If it's about the Changelings... I'm fine. We both are. You came by here earlier to make sure we were, remember?”

“I know. I'm just... I'm just glad you're still safe...” 

Lily smiled and embraced him passionately.

“Daddy?” 

Both Forefront and Lily looked up at top of the stairs as the voice of a little filly caught their attention. 

“Cutie!” 

Lily let go of Forefront as he hurried to meet the young filly who was happily rushing down the stairs towards him.

“Daddy! You're home!” Cutie jumped off the stairs and into his forelegs, embracing him in a big hug. “Did you have fun daddy? I missed you.”

'To guard is to protect...'

“It's okay now sweetie...” replied Forefront as he tearfully hugged his daughter. “Daddy's home.”

'...but what good is a guard that can't protect?'





> Chapter 2: I Failed my Princess
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

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...”





> Chapter 3: Who Can We Count On..?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

One week later...

Celestia's sun shined brightly in the sky as pony stallions pulling a golden wagon arrived through the gates of Canterlot. After a week of peace and relaxation, the happily married couple, Shining Armor and Princess Cadance, were returning from their Honeymoon.  

“Sure is nice to be back in Canterlot again.” said Cadance as she gazed out to towards the beautiful city. It was hard to believe that nearly a week ago, it all probably would've been gone had she and her new prince not stopped the Changelings and their vile Queen. She rested her head gently on Shining's shoulder while still looking out. “But I will always cherish the memories of our Honeymoon.”

“Me too.” Shining Armor smiled. “It was a very joyful and memorable experience. Especially after that whole Changeling incident.” 

“No way! I was just thinking that too.” Cadance laughed. She snuggled against Shining's mane. “We truly needed a time away together. Are you sure you can't wait until we get to the castle? I heard Twilight will be there to meet us.”

“I wish I could, but this really needs to be taken care of. It's... rather personal.”

Cadance didn't say anything, but nodded. 

It didn't take long before they arrived at the Canterlot Royal Academy. This was the home and learning facility for the Royal Guards of Canterlot and their new applicants. Already it showed sign of activity as trainees busily marched up and down the square under the directions of their drill instructors. 
As Shining looked out, he couldn't help but remember back when he first arrived at the Academy. To join the guard had been his life long dream and he really enjoyed his time there as a trainee. Sure it was hard, but he never gave up and ranked far beyond everypony else in terms of marks and achievements. 

It was these accomplishments that led him to becoming a respected Captain of the Guard.  

“I won't be long, honey. You and Twilight have fun.”

Cadance blew him kisses just as the doors closed and the wagon sped off. “We'll be waiting!”

Once the wagon had left, Shining turned around to face the Academy. He took a deep breath and exhailed calmly. He was going to enjoy this.

*****

Forefront arrived outside the Academy, just as Shining Armor stepped inside the building leading to his office. He sighed heavily as he knew he had to do this. It was for the best. For him. The Guard. For Lily. And Cutie... 

*****

Shining Armor opened the door to his office and stepped inside. Everything was exactly how he left it.  “I sure am going to miss this place...” He sighed as he closed the door.

While he was still technically a Captain of the Guard, he wasn't going to be for much longer. Now that he was married to royalty, his position had been somewhat elevated. Now it was time to... 'clean office' as it were. 
Shining trotted over to his desk and reached for an old photo of himself as a young recruit. He gazed upon his younger self and couldn't fathom it had been that long. It seemed like only yesterday when he got yelled at by his drill instructor. 

To think that he would go so far and wed a princess. That was something he never really expected. 

KNOCK! KNOCK!

Shining snapped out of his private thoughts as he heard the sound of knocking on his door.

“Yes? Who is it?”

“Sir? It's Forefront. I...”

“Forefront!” Shining Armor delightfully exclaimed. He quickly got off his chair and pranced over to open the door. 

“I'm sorry to bother you Sir, but-” He didn't get to finish as the door to Shining Armor's flew open. 

“Just the stallion I wanted to see!” Shining grinned.  

“Sir?” 

“Please! Come in and be at ease.” 

Forefront did as Armor asked. He was expected? He couldn't help feeling nervous about Armor's rather cheerful behavior. Perhaps he had a really good Honeymoon? In some cases, it usually meant that somepony was in trouble and the officer was being 'nice' to soften the blow. 

“Sir? May I ask what this is about?”

“I've been hearing things about you, Forefront. Many interesting things.” Forefront gulped. “And so there's is something I've been wanting to give you since I came back.”

Shining had probably heard of his attitude towards the Guard in the tavern that night during the wedding. Or maybe he was finally fed up with the disappointment of the Guard and needed somepony to blame. Whatever the reason was, nopony would act this nice without having some kind of punishment hiding behind their backs.

“Wha- What is that Sir?”

“This!” He got off his chair and stomped slowly towards him, grinning slyly with suppressed excitement. “Lieutenant Forefront! You...” 

Forefront brazed himself.

“...have been PROMOTED!”

“What?”

“You've been promoted! To Captain!” Shining laughed heartily while slapping him comradely on the back. “Isn't that great?” 

“I...”

“Here! This is for you.” Shining handed him a small black box. He opened it and Forefront was rendered completely baffled.

It was a medal. But not just any medal. It was a star-shaped lavender emerald, decorated with in gold lining attached to light blue moiré that was embroided with the seal of Celestia. 

“Sir..? This is...”

“The Purple Star! The highest and most decorated honor anypony can receive. And you have earned it.”

“I have?”

“I've talked with many of your fellow guards and they all tell of how you handled the Changeling incident. It is only fitting that a stallion of your caliber should receive such a decorative position. You've earned it.”

“Earned it? I don't...”

“For your actions in the line of duty. I heard you performed gallantly in the defense of Canterlot against the Changelings. You put yourself on the line for the safety and well-being of Canterlot and it's citizens. I'm proud of you Front. You are a hero!” 

Forefront gazed upon his medal. “I... I don't know what to say Sir...”

“I knew you would like it.”

“I wasn't aware that the Royal Guard had a history of rewarding failure.” 

Shining blinked. “Say what?”

Forefront suddenly closed the box with the medal still inside and handed it back to Armor. “I'm sorry Sir, but I can't accept this. I can't.”

“What?” Shining was rendered nearly speechless as Forefront placed the box in his hoof. “Front... I don't understand-”

“You see Captain... The reason I came here was so I could give you this.” He handed Armor the letter. Armor levitated it in front of him and opened it. He studied it carefully and then froze.

“Front... This... This is a-”

“Letter of Resignation. I'm leaving the Guard. For good.”  

“You're QUITTING!??” Armor exclaimed. “But why??”

“I can't do this anymore. I don't want to become another embarrassment to a garrison that already has such a long history of failure to its name.” 

“Embarrassment?? Failure??!?” Armor was completely taken aback by that. “Explain yourself Front! I don't understand! This doesn't make any sense. Why in the name of all Equestria are you calling yourself an embarrassment? And how can you call Celestia's Royal Guard, which both you and I serve with such loyalty and dedication, a failure?”

Forefront took a deep breath and sighed. “Because Captain... We ARE a failure. We failed the Princess. We failed Canterlot. We failed Equestria! The wedding is proof of that.”

Shining tilted his head, more confused than ever. “And what exactly did the wedding prove if I may ask?” 

“That we can't defend ourselves! That we can be easily taken without so much as a fight!”

“What?!!” Shining dropped the letter in shock.

“We knew about the threat! We knew Canterlot was in danger! We knew and yet-”

“Front... What happened at the wedding... It wasn't anypony's fault. We were all taken by surprise!”

“But we were supposed to be prepared! We knew about the threat and yet they still got to both you and Princess Cadance! We were supposed to keep you safe!”

“Front! Nopony saw that coming. I never saw that coming. The responsibility is all on me! I should've seen it before it was too late.” Forefront closed his eyes and looked away.
“Front...?” Shining calmly approached him. “What is this really about?”

“Captain...” Forefront sighed. “The only reason why Equestria has remained safe for so long has not been because of us!” He tried to hold back the tears. 
“Whenever a monster or a foreign power threatened us, our Princess was the one who faced it!”

Shining Armor said nothing. It was true that Princess Celestia protected her subject on more than one occasion. It was her duty as ruler of Equestria. 

“All the Royal Guard has ever done, was stand around and look pretty...”

“Front!”

“It's true captain! All we do... is nothing! We stand around and pretend to be soldiers! We might as well be overgrown foals with wooden swords!” 

“Front... You can't be-”

“We're not guards, Sir! We're a JOKE!”

“FRONT!” Armor angrily raised his voice. “That's enough! How dare you? In all my years as Captain of the Guard, I have never heard anything like this before! I can't believe you are actually standing here and telling me, to my very own face, that the Royal Guard... is a JOKE?!”

“Because we are!” 

Armor went utterly quiet at that response. He was now seething with rage. How could he say this to a superior officer? 

“If I get dishonorably discharged for it, then I welcome it. Because it's the truth...”

“Front...” Armor's voice now trembling with suppressed anger. “You don't mean that! This is Celestia's Royal Guard you're mocking! Your very own comrades! These guards and their predecessors have served and protected Canterlot ever since its founding! It has a long and proud history of faithful dedication and service to her Majesty, the very Princess responsible for the Royal Guards' creation! How DARE YOU accuse it of being a joke?”

“Because...” Forefront trembled. “...When we allow ourselves to saved by the ponies and the Princess we're supposed to protect, we might as well be a joke...”

Shining Armor suddenly said nothing. He somehow couldn't respond to that. 

“Answer me this Sir; how many successful combat missions have we actually had?”

“We... I...” As he thought about it, he realized the Royal Guard hardly saw any action at all. In fact, most of that was handled primarily by Celestia herself. 

“Exactly Sir. We're trained to protect the Princess and the kingdom against any threat. Instead, we leave it in the hooves of our fair Princess and some inexperienced CIVILIANS!”

“You best watch your tongue, Front!” Shining glared at him. “One of those civilians happens to be my sister!”

“Sir, I... I mean no offense.” Forefront paused a moment before continuing. “But that is not the worst part of it...”

“There's more?”

*****

One week earlier. the wedding day...

Forefront and group were huddled in a corner as Changelings continued to rain from the sky. They had done their best to clear a lot of the party guests and civilians from the streets, but many were still helplessly being pursued and cornered by the enemy. 

Forefront knew they had been completely caught off guard and silently cursed himself for having let his guard down that early.  

“What shall we do?” ask one panicked guard. “They're everywhere!”

“Be brave soldier!” said Forefront. “Canterlot is counting on us! This is the kind of thing we've trained for!”

“But Forefront... Most of us aren't even present and we're too scattered around the city. And without Captain Armor how can we-”

“Courage soldier!” yelled Forefront. He then sighed. “You're right though... I admit that our only hope now lies with Princess Celestia and the Elements-”

“Forefront!” Two more guards came galloping towards them. “Bad news! We've just learned that the Princess has been neutralized!” 

“What?!? You better not be pulling my leg!” 

“It's true! She's imprisoned in the wedding hall!”

“The Princess..?” one trembling guard uttered. 

Forefront sighed. “Then our last hope lies with the Elements...”

“More bad news!” more guards arrived. “Captain Armor's sister, Twilight Sparkle, has been captured along with her friends while trying to reach the Vault! The Elements have been taken!” 

Everypony was silent. They could not believe what they had just heard. Even Forefront was unable to understand it. “Even the Elements are captured..?”

“They were our last hope...” a pegasus guard said, falling down on his haunches with his hooves wrapped around his helmet in utter despair. 

“That's it! It's over!” A unicorn guard suddenly lamented. “Game over man! Game over! It's everypony for themselves man!” He was about to make a run for it until Forefront intercepted him. 

“Pull yourself together!” Forefront slapped him. “So what we don't have the Elements?! You're a Royal Guard of Canterlot for crying out loud! We are Equestria's finest! Have you forgotten that? We swore an oath to protect Canterlot, its citizens and the Princess! It's our DUTY to fight back!”

“But... But I never thought I would do any 'actual' fighting!” 

Forefront blinked. “What?!??”

“I only joined the Guard because it sounded like a really sweet deal!” 

“Me too!”

“And me...”

Forefront couldn't believe his own ears. And these ponies actually had the guts to call themselves guards? He looked out across the infested streets of Canterlot and the destruction. This was a lost cause.

He then thought about his family. 

About Lily. 

About Cutie. 

“When I became a guard, I promised on my honor and my family that I would defend them and this city!” Forefront suddenly stepped forward and drew his sword. “If I must do it alone, then so be it. If anypony here has the heart and courage to fight with me, then come. Or you can just hide here like the cowards you are.” He glared at them. 
“Do you really want to bring shame to that uniform? That uniform is Canterlot! It is Equestria! Do you really want to disgrace it? Because I will not! Not again! Not this time!” 

While it wasn't his longest speech, it was enough to fuel many of his troops with the smallest ounce of courage they would need. They mustered their courage and drew their swords. Then, with roar, charged forward towards the approaching Changelings.

“FOR CANTERLOT! FOR EQUESTRIA!”  

*****

“We lasted less than five minutes... We didn't even stand a chance...” 

A shocked Shining Armor said nothing.

“And when I thought our last hour had come, you and Cadance saved the day. We were happy. I SHOULD'VE been happy. But instead I knew. In my heart I knew we had failed. We failed and only dumb fortune had saved us. Sir..? How can you look at me and call me a hero after that?”

Shining, still at a loss of words, now turned his sights down to the floor. He didn't know what to say. 

“So..? My resignation?”

Shining glanced at the open letter still on the floor. “I... I need time to consider it. I need to think before I can give it my hoofstamp of approval. You may have my permission to take a leave of absence... You can wait a few more days, right? ”

Forefront sighed, but nodded. “Yes Sir. Thank you Sir...” Forefront then took off his helmet and solemnly placed it on the desk. “Here... I won't be needing this anymore.” He then saluted Shining and left his office. “It's... been an honor Sir...”

As he was just halfway down the hallway, Shining Armor suddenly rushed after him. “Wait! Front! Where are you going?”

“Home... To be with my family. If I can't protect them as a guard, then maybe I can protect them as a husband and a father.” He then stopped and sighed heavily.
“I'm sorry about this Captain. But when Equestria was in its darkest hour, WE were its ONLY hope...” He turned his head towards Shining. A tear ran down his cheek. “If Equestria can't count on us to save it without the Princess and the Elements, then who can it count on..?”

Shining Armor stood by the doorway and watched as Forefront trotted slowly down the hallway. He then glanced back at the empty helmet and the black box on the table. 

He trotted over and now just found himself silently staring at them. 

'Yes Front... Who CAN we count on..?'






> Chapter 4: I Married a Failure?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The trip back home was slow and painful, as an emotionally upset Shining Armor dragged his hooves along the busy streets of Canterlot, thinking about the conversation he had with Forefront just an hour earlier. As much as Shining wanted to disagree with him, he couldn't help but realize that he may have had a point. 

Was the Royal Guard useless? Was it really nothing more but a big joke? That all it ever did was stand around and look pretty while the princesses did everything, giving it's citizens a false sense of security?

'That can't be true...' Shining thought to himself, gritting his teeth in frustration. 'We're the Royal Guard! Our mission here IS serious! We're not meant to simply decorate the castle. We're important! We're-' 

“Sir!” Shining snapped out of his track of his thought process as he noticed a stallion guard opposite of him salute him. “It's an honor to have you back at Canterlot, Sir!”

Shining hesitated a moment before returning the salute. “Y-yes... Thank you. It's good to be back.”

“The Royal Guard hasn't been the same without you.” The guard smiled and went about his duties. 

“You!” Shining suddenly called out to him, causing him to stop. “What's your name soldier?”

“Me Sir?” the guard replied. “It's Lance. Hard Lance.”

“Tell me, Hard Lance... What do you think of the Royal Guard?”

Lance blinked. “What do I think of the Royal Guard, Sir?” He was puzzled about the question but answered anyway. “I think it's the best thing ever.”

“Really?” replied Shining with a questionable look. “It's really the best?”

“Yes sir!” Lance beamed. “Being a Royal Guard is absolutely the best choice I ever made. Protecting the castle, guarding the princess-” They then noticed two mares trotting past them. The mares shot them an alluring glance and giggled as one of them winked at Lance, causing Lance to blush and his tail to wag. “- Getting the girls...” he sighed. “Girls always love a stallion in uniform. Just like yours did.”

That last remark by Lance made something snap inside Shining. “Are you saying I married a princess because of my uniform?”

“Of course.” 

“Really? So if I was an ordinary pony, I wouldn't have a chance with the ladies, let alone a princess? Is that what you're implying?”

Lance then realized he spoken out of turn. “Oh Sir, I didn't mean-” 

“You think this is a cushy gig, don't you? Look pretty and get the ladies?”

“Sir?”

“Be honest with me!” Shining narrowed his eyes. “You joined the Guard because it sounded easy, didn't you?”

“Easy?” Lance started to sweat. “Sir... What do you mean? Are you suggesting that I only joined the Royal Guard because it sounded easy? I never said that! I only said it was the best.” 

“The 'best'?” Shining narrowed his eyes. “Tell me, how many battles have you seen?” There was a quiet moment. “Well?”

Lance thought about it. “Um... One. The wedding incident-”

“And did you still find that being a guard was the best thing ever?”

Lance didn't answer immediately. “Uh... Of course! I mean... we won, didn't we?”

“We did win, yes...” Shining nodded. “But did we win because we are the best? Did we win because we gave it our all?”

“Uh...”

Shining then pushed his muzzle against his and angrily stared him down. “If the enemy were to appear before you right now, would you have the courage and strength to face it? Would you risk your life and defend the ponies around you?”

Lance grew weak in his legs. “I... I... Uh.”

“We don't wear this uniform because it makes us look pretty!” Shining growled. “We wear them because we are the Royal Guard! We are SOLDIERS!” Tears began to well up in his eyes. “We're not toys to be pushed around!” 

“Sir... Captain, I-”

“THE ROYAL GUARD IS NOT A JOKE!!” 

Breathing heavily and seething with anger, Shining suddenly noticed ponies around them had stopped whatever they were doing and were looking at them with a mixture of confusion and concern. He then saw the fear in Lance's eyes and realized what he was doing. He backed away.

“I'm sorry...” He shamefully turned around and continued home. “As you were... 'soldier'.”

Lance just sat on his haunches and silently watched as his captain trotted away, wondering just what had happened. 

*****

Back at the castle, Cadance was having a pleasant conversation with Twilight. Twilight had arrived with the Ponyville train the night before after immediately receiving a letter from both her and Shining about their trip back from their honeymoon. 

They sat in the living and were enjoying a nice cup of tea while Cadance regaled her new sister-in-law with her stories.

“Really?” Twilight laughed. “He really did that?”

“He sure did.” Cadance giggled. “You can just imagine how embarrassed he was.” Both mares shared a heartily laugh. Once done, Cadance dried her eyes and sighed. “Poor Shining... I don't think he'll ever forgive me for telling you that...”

Twilight too dried her eyes and smiled. “So I assume you two had a wonderful honeymoon then?” 

Cadance giggled. “We sure did Twilight. We really needed one, especially after that whole 'Changeling incident'.”

“I can imagine.” Twilight nodded. “That sure was a close call. To think that you were trapped in those caverns all that time...” she shuddered. “It must've been awful!” 

“It was...” Cadance was quiet a moment before her mood lightened up again. “Not a day goes by that I'm truly grateful you found me and brought me back to my Shining.” She leaned over and hugged Twilight. “Thank you.” 

Twilight blushed and smiled while hugging her back. “It was nothing Cadance. I-”

Both mares ears perked as they heard the sound of the front door opening. They both leaned back on their pillows and watched as Shining Armor entered the room. “Honey... Twilight... I'm back.” 

Both mares got up to greet him. 

“BBBFF!”

“Hi Shining!”Cadance trotted over and hugged him with Twilight close behind. “So? What did he say?”

Shining didn't say anything.   

“Well? Don't keep us in suspense. How did it go?” 

Shining still said nothing. Nor did he smile. Instead he sighed and walked straight past them without a single word towards the bedroom, slowly dragging his hooves behind him as he did.

“Shiny?”

“What's wrong? Did something happen?” Twilight teleported right in front of him, looking him in the eyes with concern. “BBBFF?”

Again, Shining said nothing. He casually trotted past her and into the bedroom, closing it behind him and locking it.

SLAM! CLICK!

“What on earth was that about?”

“I don't know Twilight.” a concerned Cadance then narrowed her eyes. “I going to find out.”

“I'll come with.”

Using her magic, Cadance unlocked the door and marched inside with Twilight close behind. They found Shining standing in front of the bedroom mirror, looking at himself. 
He wasn't smiling. Instead he regarded his reflection with a look of great disappointment. 

“Shining?”

“Locked doors usually means 'do not disturb' honey...”

“Shiny! What's going on?” Cadance trotted up to him. “This morning you were all excited, but now you look as if your favorite hoofball team lost. What happened?” 

“What's this?” Twilight asked as she suddenly eyed the letter sticking out of his armor. She grabbed it with her magic.

“Twily! No! That's-”

Shining tried to stop her but Cadance blocked him. Twilight brought the letter before her, read it and gasped. 

“What is it Twilight?”

“It's... It's a letter of Resignation.” She gave it a quick read. “A Royal Guard just quit.”

“WHAT!?” Cadance snagged the letter. “Who's quitting?”

“Somepony named Forefront.”

“Forfr-?” Cadance read the letter and held her mouth in shock. “Lieutenant Forefront?!?” She looked at Shining in shock. “The stallion you were going to promote?”

Shining quietly moved away from the mirror and sat down on the bed, hanging his head. “Yes...” 

“What?!” Twilight exclaimed in surprise. “That was the stallion you were talking about this morning? 'That' Forefront?”

Shining nodded.

Cadance sat down beside him with a look of concern. “Have... Have you-?”

“Not yet.” answered Shining. “I have yet to stamp it to make it official...”

“And are you?” asked Twilight. 

“I... I don't know...” He sighed. “Maybe..?”

“Shining!” Cadance exclaimed. “You can't be seriously considering that. You spoke so highly of him and what he did during the Changeling invasion.” 

Shining sighed. “Yeah...”

“But... But WHY? Why in the name of Celestia is he quitting?” 

“He... He said he was useless.”

Both Twilight and Cadance were confused. “What?”

“That's what he said. Useless.” Shining sighed. “He said that he and the Royal Guard were useless.” 

“WHAT?!?” Both exclaimed loudly. “USELESS??!” 

“No. Not just useless. A joke. He said the Royal Guard was a big joke.”

“A JOKE??!” Cadance yelled with a hint of anger. 

“Shining! That's crazy!” Twilight argued. “You always spoke highly of the Royal Guard! To join it was your dream! Why would he say that?” 
Twilight suddenly turned around and headed angrily towards the door. “The nerve of that pony! Where does he live? I'm going to give him a piece of my mind!”

“Twily!”

“How dare he insult you and Celestia's Royal Guard! Has he no respect?”

“NO!” exclaimed Shining, using his magic to close the door, preventing her from leaving. “Twilight, don't!”

“But BBBFF...”

“I appreciate what you're trying to do, but don't. He has every reason to say the things he said.”

Twilight was at a loss for words. Even Cadance was surprised by this.

“Shining?”

“I... I think he's right...”

“WHAT???!?” 

“SHINING ARMOR!?!” Twilight yelled. “What are you saying? Are you seriously agreeing with him?!” She shook her head. “No! No no no NO! BBBFF! The Royal Guard isn't useless! Nor is it a joke!!” 
She jabbed her hoof at him. “YOU'RE not useless! YOU'RE not a joke!”

“Twilight, please...” Cadance held up a hoof to calm her and directed her attention back to Shining. “Honey, I still don't understand. Why would he say these things?”

“He claimed the Guard was unable to save the wedding. Changelings invaded the kingdom and the Royal Guard couldn't stop them.”

“Shining... That was nopony's fault.”

“No... It was mine.” 

Both Cadance and Twilight gasped. “Shining..?”

“I'm their Captain, for Celestia's sake!” He gritted his teeth. “My duty was to the Royal Guard. My job was to prepare them for something like that. Instead I failed them. I failed Canterlot. I failed Forefront!” He sadly looked up at Cadance. “I failed you...”

“Honey...” Cadance tried to comfort him as he hung his head in quiet shame. “You're the best Captain the Royal Guard ever had. How can you sit there and tell us you failed them? That you failed us? I know for a fact that I didn't marry a failure.”

Shining glanced up at her. “Really? Not even because I look handsome in a uniform?”

Cadance was surprised by that but smiled. “You could've been a royal janitor and I STILL would've married you!” She hugged him. “I'm your wife, Shining. The Princess of Love, remember? I wouldn't love you because you looked pretty in a uniform. I would love you for who you are. And what you are, is not a failure.” 

“Thanks...” Shining hugged and, perhaps for the first time since his meeting with Forefront, smiled. “But this is still a very serious matter.”

Cadance released him from her hug and looked at him. “You mentioned something about him being right?”

“I have a feeling the Royal Guard have not been taking their duties seriously. And that Forefront is aware of this.” Shining sighed. “He fears for the safety of his family and believes that nopony but you, Celestia, Luna...” He glanced at Twilight. “...Twily and her friends are the only ones keeping Equestria safe. If you're not around, who can Equestria turn to when the Guard is the only one left? How can Equestria feel safe when not even the Guard can defeat enemies who threaten us?” 

Cadance and Twilight shared a look of concern.

“I guess this really is a serious matter...” replied Twilight while scratching her head worried. “What can we do?”

Cadance pondered for a bit and then looked to Shining. “Do not approve that letter just yet, Shining.” She then turned to Twilight and got up. “You go and speak to Forefront, Twilight. Talk to him and try to convince him to remain with the Guard.” 

“Where are you going?”

“I'm going to speak to aunt Celestia about this.” She opened the doors and marched out. “The reputation of the Royal Guard is at stake and we have to save it!”  


> Chapter 5: Who Protects the Princess?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hallway castle guards straightened up and saluted as Princess Cadance marched towards the throne room of Princess Celestia, with a serious and determined look in her eyes. All the way to the castle she had been thinking about her and Twilight's conversation with Shining Armor.

'Aunt Celestia needs to realize how serious this matter is!' She glanced at some of the guards she passed by. 'By Equestria, these are her personal guards! She must've noticed something was wrong!'

Upon finally reaching the throne room, Cadance used her magic and threw the doors open.

“Aunt Celestia! I need to speak-” She paused as the throne was empty apart from two unicorn guards standing next to the door. “Aunt Celestia?” She set her sights on one of the guards. “You there! Where's aunt Celestia?”

The guard saluted “Your Highness! Princess Celestia is in the gardens having tea with Princess Luna.”

'Of course...' Cadance groaned. 'It's tea-time! How could I forget?' 


“Shall we escort you to her?” 

“No need, thank you. I know the way...” She was about to leave, when she suddenly found herself glancing back at the guard. “Um... Excuse me. What is your name?”

“It's Strong Shield, your Highness.”

“I just want you to know, that you all are doing a marvelous job.”

He looked at her rather puzzled.

“Protecting the princess and Canterlot is an important and selfless task. And you and everypony here should be commended for it.” 

Strong blinked. “Uh... Thank you.”

“I mean it! I don't know where any of us would be without the tireless efforts and undying loyalty of the Royal Guard. Having you all here makes me, us and everypony in the city feel at ease, knowing that if anything were to happen to us, you'll be here to continue the fight and defend us when needed.”

“Uh...” The guard didn't know what to say. He then began to blush slightly as Cadance suddenly raised her hoof and guided his gaze at her, looking him straight in the eyes. 

“Believe me when I say that you and everypony in service to the crown are just as important to Canterlot and Equestria than me, Celestia, Luna or the Elements combined. And what happened at the wedding was nopony's fault. You all did your best. Very few ponies would.”

The guard was now speechless.

“Remember that, please.” With a gentle smile, she pulled away and headed out. “Thank you for listening. I'll leave you to your duty.”

As Cadance disappeared down the hallway, Strong Shield just stood there trying to understand what had just been said to him. A mix of emotions went through his mind as he did a little soul searching, while the other guard in the room called Sharp Point came over to him.  

“What was that about?”

“I... I need to go!” Strong suddenly handed his spear to Sharp and quickly cantered off, leaving Sharp looking very confused. “Take over for me a bit, will ya?”

“Where are you going?”

“To the training room. Somehow guarding our all-powerful Sun Princess suddenly doesn't sound so easy anymore...” 

As Strong Shield rushed in the direction of the training room, he didn't notice Cadance hiding behind a column watching. She sighed as she started to question her doubts about Forefronts accusations. 

Clearly this was a problem...

*****

It didn't take long for Cadance to finally reach the gardens. As always, the day was bright and peaceful. The perfect day to spend the time outside with a warm cup of fresh tea and let the stress of running a kingdom melt away for but a brief moment. 

“I really hope aunt Celestia can help...” Cadance spotted some more guards patrolling the garden and sighed. 'I must confess I never really thought that much about our guards. And the more I think about it now, I realize that we may have unintentionally been taking away their responsibilities in defending Equestria. We settle the more serious matters while they more or less just stay behind to keep the peace and maintain order. We barely give them a chance to join us in battle. It's not fair. Not to them.'
She then stopped for a moment. 'I suppose it's because we love them and don't want to them get hurt. Many have family and nopony should ever suffer the burden of losing a loved one in service. Even though they knew what they signed up for...'

Taking some moments to briefly admire the architecture, Cadance finally spotted Celestia and Luna. What puzzled her was the large amount of guards already present. Looking closely, she noticed that one group were Canterlot soldiers while the other were Luna's own night guard.
They were all facing eachother, perfectly still with a serious look in their eyes.

'Must be a training exercise.' Cadance thought to herself with a smile. 'Good. I guess aunt Celestia and Luna took the Changeling threat really serious and are now not taking any chances. I'm glad they at least still see them as real soldiers and not oversized toys to move around.' 

She trotted up to both sisters and cleared her throat.  

“Aunt Celestia! I must speak with you! I-”

“Hush...” 

Cadance was slightly taken aback by Celestia suddenly shushing her. She then noticed that Celestia seemed to be in deep thought. Even Luna seemed to be seriously focused. Cadance quietly looked on, pondering what was going on until Celestia finally spoke out.

“3F to 5E.” 

At that moment, a Canterlot guard started to move in an unusual pattern and approached a Lunar Guard. The Lunar Guard then calmly stepped aside, nodded and left as the Canterlot guard took his spot.

“Check!” Celestia smiled.

“Shoot...” Luna cursed. “Let's see...”

Utterly confused at first, Cadence took brief look down on the ground and noticed patterns on the grass, all of them a perfect square. Upon realizing what she was seeing, she rolled her eyes and sighed. 'You've got to be kidding me...'

“Aha!” Luna laughed. “I've got you this time sister! 3C to-”

“AND JUST WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING?!” Cadances' loud and sudden outburst threw off Luna's concentration. 

“-To... 2D!” Her Lunar Guard obeyed and moved to the marked square. “Wait! NO! Don-” But it was too late. She facehoofed and moaned as her guard moved away from a perfectly planned position and instead made herself vulnerable. 

“Bad move Luna.” Celestia grinned playfully. “6D to 2D” Luna groaned as her vital 'piece' was removed from the 'board'. “Check!” Celestia grinned. “Looks like I'll win again...”

“Gah! Cadance! You made me lose focus!” Luna frowned at her.

“I'm sorry aunt Luna, but this is important...”

“Cadance!” Celestia beamed. “I'm so sorry, I didn't notice you! This is a surprise. We kind of expected you and Shining Armor sometime later this evening.”

“I know aunt Celestia and I'm sorry for arriving unannounced. But something important has come up and I need to speak to you. Both you and Luna.”

Celestia and Luna shared a look of concern. “What is it?” asked Celestia.

“Did something happen during your honeymoon?” asked Luna. She then narrowed her eyes and anger seemed to build up in her voice. “Chrysalis! The Changelings... Did they-?”

“The honeymoon went just fine aunt Luna! And no Changelings are involved in this. This is a matter that may affect us and the future of Equestria.”

The sisters shared another glance of concern. “Well don't keep us in suspense. Tell us.”

Cadance was about to speak, when she noticed the guards. “I will, but in private. Please?” 

Celestia nodded and looked to the guards. With one silent nod, everypony but Luna dispersed and went back to their duties.   

“Now then... What is it that's so important?”

“Before I start, may I ask you something?” 

“You may.”

“What were you two doing just now? It looked like you were playing Chess, but with-”

“-Our guards?” Celestia couldn't help but giggle a bit. “We were, yes. Sorry about that...”

“My idea I'm afraid...” Luna answered somewhat sheepishly. “I got tired of doing it the old way and suggested we'd make it more interesting.”

“So we made our own chessboard and used our guards as pieces.” Celestia smiled. “Pretty clever, don't you agree?”

Cadance said nothing but frowned and trotted past them, looking over the 'chessboard'. “Nice to see you two are putting the Royal Guard to such fine use...” 

Celestia and Luna noticed a rather disapproving tone in her voice.

“...All that training and education sure did pay off, didn't it? You must be so proud of them...”

“Is something bothering you, Cadance?” asked Celestia. 

“As a matter of fact, something IS bothering me! A LOT in fact!” She turned around and faced them. “You're playing games using our soldiers!”

Both sister looked confused. “And..?”

“This is not what the Royal Guard is meant to do!!”

“Cadance! Calm down.” Celestia replied concerned. “I'll admit using our guards to play a game seems a bit... unorthodox, but it was just harmless fun.”

“Besides...” continued Luna. “...we didn't force them into it.”

“But you asked them, right?”

“Yes, of course.”

“If a princess asks a soldier to do something, how can he possibly say no?” She then glanced down on at the real chessboard and levitated a pawn. “Then again, I suppose the Royal Guard are more preferable to you as toys than real soldiers...”

“WHAT?!” That last remark by Cadance upset Luna. “How dare you accuse us of-”

“Calm down, Luna... Cadance, is there a point to this? If you came here to accuse us of mismanaging our guards, then we apologize. We won't do it again.”

“Actually...” Cadance sighed. “...that's not the reason why I'm here.”

“Then what?”

Cadance used her magic and materialized the letter she had borrowed from Shining and levitated it over to them. “Here.”

“What is this?”

“Read it.”

Celestia took the letter and started reading. 

“What is it sister?” asked Luna. 

Celestia lowered the letter once finished. “It's a Letter of Resignation...”

“Resignation?”

“That's right.” replied Cadance. “A Resignation! A pony named Forefront has decided to quit the Royal Guard!” 

“Quit?” Luna seemed surprised at first. “So? What's so odd about that? It's not uncommon for a guard to resign...”

“Would you like to know the reason why?” Cadance narrowed her eyes at Luna, who still seemed unaffected by the news. “He's quitting because the Royal Guard is USELESS!”

Celestia and Luna gaped, dropping the letter. “What..?”

“And not just useless...” she continued. “...He says it's a JOKE!!”

“A-a joke..?” Luna stammered. She looked to Celestia. “What is this nonsense?!!”

“Cadance...” Celestia cut in. “The Royal Guard has served Canterlot and Equestria loyally for as long as I can remember. It has a long history of accomplishment and dedication. Why would anypony go about and call it useless?”

“Or a JOKE?!” exclaimed Luna. 

“Because of the wedding...” Cadance sighed. “The Changeling invasion. We were all caught by surprise and neutralized. And the Royal Guard could do nothing to stop it.”

“Indeed...” Celestia cringed as she recalled that fateful day. “That was a terrible experience for all of us.”

“Not ALL of us...” Luna huffed. “I wasn't around for it...”

“But in the end you and Shining Armor saved the day. Even if they didn't manage to drive away the Changelings, the Royal Guard still did their best.”

“To somepony that BEST wasn't good enough!” Cadance argued. “Forefront is practically accusing the Royal Guard of being soft and incompetent!”

“Incompetent?” Luna fumed. “How dare he..?”

“That is a very serious accusation, Cadance.” Celestia narrowed her eyes. “I know for a fact that the Royal Guard have ALWAYS shown competence and dedication in service of Canterlot and Equestria!”

“Really?” replied Cadance. “Name one battle they've won without any of us!”

“Why the battle of...” Celestia was about to name the battle before remembering. “No wait, that was me. The riot of- no... that was me as well. Um... Well there was that time- No, that was-” Celestia pondered for a bit when her eyes suddenly widened and realization hit her. 

“Tia?”

“I... I suppose I handled everything...” 

“What?” Luna gawked in surprise.

“But regardless, the Royal Guard was always present!” Celestia quickly pointed out.

“Doing 'what' exactly?” Cadance asked her. “Keeping the peace and relax while you did all the work?”  

Celestia was quiet for a moment before looking sheepishly away. “I... I just figured I could handle it better...”

“Sister..?” a visibly surprised Luna confronted her. “Do you mean to tell me that you have protected all of Equestria BY YOURSELF??! Our soldiers did NOTHING???!”

Celestia bit her lips. “Um... They had my back...”

“This is exactly what I'm talking about, aunt Celestia...” Cadance sighed. “The Royal Guard has seen so very little action they've come to the conclusion that their real purpose here is to decorate the castle. That they aren't meant to do any real fighting because WE do it for them!”

“I don't believe it!” Luna argued. “I refuse to believe that our guards are mere decorations unable to fight!”

“Then perhaps we need a test?” Cadance pondered. She then narrowed her eyes as she got an idea. “Luna? Do you still master the illusion spell?”

“Of course. Why?”

*****

Nearby just outside the garden, two Royal Guards, a pegasus and an earth-pony, were calmly going about their rounds and enjoying the calm and cloudless day. 

“Such a glorious day, isn't it Star Cloud?” asked the earth-pony guard.

“It sure is Beach Head.” replied Star Cloud. “All thanks to our Sun Princess-”

“HELP!”

The ears of both stallions twitched as a cry for help suddenly called out from garden. “What in Equestria..?” exclaimed Beach Head.

“Help us! Guards! GUARDS!!”

They both immediately rushed into the garden, following the desperate cry for help. The moment they arrived, they were met with a frightful sight. Princess Celestia was lying on the ground, unmoving and unconscious. 

“HELP!”

They then turned their heads and were even more shocked as they saw Cadance being pinned down by the Queen of Changelings herself, Queen Chrysalis!

“At last I shall have my revenge!”

“What the-?!!”

“How did she get in here??!” shouted Star Cloud.

“Guards! Thanks goodness!” Cadance tearfully cried out to them with relief. Chrysalis turned her attention towards them and growled. “She was disguised as Luna. She has already taken out aunt Celestia. I'm too weak to fight! Help us!” 

Chrysalis moved away from Cadance and confronted the already terrified guards. “You plan to interfere?” she cackled. “Pathetic foals! I'll drain you both with an inch of your lives!” 

The two guards gulped and began to back away. 

“Please! You're Royal Guards of Canterlot! Save us!” Cadance pleaded.

“Go get her Beach Head!” said Star Cloud. 

“What??!” Beach Head exclaimed. “Why me?!!”

“You already have a sword. Mine is in the shop!” 

Beach Head noticed much to his misfortune that he was the only one armed. “But... But I-”

“I'll be right behind you! You can take her!”

Swallowing nervously, Beach Head drew his sword and held it firm between his teeth as he slowly approached the Queen. He took his time, switching his sights between her and Celestia, praying that any second now the Sun Princess would wake up and save the day. 

“What's wrong soldier?” Chrysalis laughed. “Aren't you going to stop me? Don't you care for your precious Princesses?”

Beach Head swallowed hard. He knew there was no way out of it. He mustered whatever courage he had and charged at her. “HAVE AT THEE, MONSTER!” 

The Queen snarled and bared her fangs at him. Before he could even deliver a single blow, Beach Head froze and dropped his sword. He was then swatted to the ground and pinned by the Queen. She leaned over his cowering form, drool dripping from her sharp fangs. 

“Star Cloud! Help me!” 

Star Cloud didn't move. With his friend down and helpless, he didn't know what to do. His legs were shaking. “D-don't do it!” He threatened weakly. “O-or y-you're gonna r-regret it-”

Chrysalis roared at him. Star Burst turned pale white and dropped down on the grass like a stiff goat.   

As the Queen drew her attention back at him, Beach Head closed his eyes and cowered in fear. “No! Please don't!”

“That's enough!”

Suddenly, everything got quiet. Feeling nothing happening, Beach Head opened his eyes. He was startled to see Chrysalis still on top of him, but now she looked disappointed. 

“That's enough, Luna. Let him go.” 

'Luna..?' He recognized the voice and saw to his surprise and great relief Princess Celestia getting up from the ground unharmed. 
There was then a flash and Queen Chrysalis disappeared. In her place, Beach Head was surprised to see Luna now standing over him. She moved away from him and allowed him to get back up. “Princess Luna? What..?”

Soon more guards arrived, having heard the commotion. 

“Everything is alright, my ponies.” said Celestia. “False alarm. Return to your posts.”

Confused at first, the guards soon left as quickly as they had arrived with no questions asked. Beach Head trotted over to Star Cloud and helped him as he woke up. “I don't understand...” He looked to Princess Luna. “What happened? Where's-?”

“As you were.” said Luna, her disappointed look unchanged. “And thank you for your participation. You've been very helpful.”

“Participation?” replied Star Cloud just as confused. “I don't-”

“I said: AS YOU WERE!”

The two guards said nothing. Realizing they'd more than likely failed some kind of test, they turned around and left the Princesses. Celestia helped Cadance up and both shared a look of concern. There was no doubt about it now.     

“Sister...” Luna muttered. “We need to talk.”

“I know Luna-”

“RIGHT NOW!” 
> Chapter 6: Why We Are Useless
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Looks like this is the place...” 

Twilight double-checked the address to confirm that she had indeed arrived at the right location. She was only a few steps away from knocking on the door to Forefront's house. But now she had just been standing there in deep thought. 
Recalling the events that lead her to this place, Twilight took a deep breath. “Okay Twilight... Just relax. Just go in there and see if you can talk some sense into him. Don't say or do anything rash...”

With that, she raised her hoof and gently knocked on the door.

*****   

Inside, Lily Pond was busy in the kitchen preparing dinner. Although “busy” was more of an understatement. Normally she found cooking to be the most joyful part of her day. However today it wasn't. 
She silently stood by the kitchen counter and weakly sliced a carrot. She had just recently heard the news about the resignation from her husband and she hadn't taken it well. As much as she loved him, the thought of Front throwing away his life and career was difficult to bear. She remembered back when the Royal Guard was his dream. His burning passion. And now, that fire wasn't there anymore. He had lost faith in the Guard and the faith in himself... 

KNOCK KNOCK!    

Lily was pulled out her depression as she heard a knock on the door. She set aside her appliances and trotted out of the kitchen. She was surprised to see the familiar lavender unicorn standing before her when she carefully opened it.

“Hi! You're Lily Pond, right? This the residence of Lieutenant Forefront?”

“Yes, it is...” Lily answered while feeling a bit nervous. “Um... Aren't you Twilight Sparkle? The sister of Captain Shining Armor?”

Everything seemed to go quiet as Twilight sensed an uneasy presence in the air. She took another deep breath and put on the best smile she could. “Yup. That's me...” she grinned while at the same time nervously rubbing her foreleg, followed by a brief moment of more silence and more awkward smiles. “Um... How are things?”

Lily quickly realizing that this probably wasn't social visit. “Fine. Just fine. Just not...” she sighed. “...good. If you don't mind me asking, what brings you here?”

Twilight's smile then faded. “I think you know what...”   

Lily's ears dropped but politely stepped aside and opened the door all the way up. “Please, do come in.” Twilight gave her a polite nod as Lily invited her in. “I take it you're here about my husband?”

“Yes. I know it's sudden, but Princess Cadance insisted I come here.”

Lily suddenly looked awfully concerned. “A- Are you here to tell him that Captain Armor has accepted his resignation?”

“No. He hasn't decided yet.” Twilight assured her. “I'm just here to talk to him and see if I can change his mind. And perhaps figure out why he's doing this.” 

“Really? Thank you!” Lily was now suddenly overcome with joy and hugged her. “I don't know what to do, Twilight! My husband has all but simply lost his faith in the Royal Guard! He thinks he's useless! That everypony in the Guard is a joke! He truly believes the Royal Guard doesn't have the strength to defend us anymore!”

“That's utter nonsense!”

“That's what I keep telling him!” Lily cried as she released her. “But he won't listen! He really thinks he's better off being here protecting us as a husband and father! He doesn't want our daughter to grow up knowing her favorite soldier failed us!” Her lips were trembling and tears began running down her cheeks. “*Sniff!* That he, a proud Lieutenant of the Royal Guard, failed us all in our darkest hour...” 

“Lily Pond...” 

“I'm sorry... *Sniff!*” Lily wiped the tears from her eyes. “It's just so hard to see him like this. He's hurting so much and he doesn't realize he's making a mistake.”

“Lily, I'll try and talk to him. Where is he?”

“He's picking up our daughter from school. I believe they'll be home any minute...”

*****   

Meanwhile outside... 

“Race you to the door, Cutie!”

“Weee!”

Both father and filly, returning home from school, galloped as hard as they could towards the front door. It looked pretty even about halfway, but then Front started to pant and slow down, allowing his daughter to pass him and reach home first. 

“Yay! I won!”

“Wow! You've gotten a lot faster.” Front panted, obviously pretending to be tired. “Phew! You must be the fastest filly in all of Canterlot!”

Upon hearing that, Cutie just giggled. “No I'm not! Silly daddy!”

“Oh yes you are. In fact...” Front pulled her close and playfully rubbed her mane with his hoof. “I believe my little Cutie is the fastest filly in the world.”

“Really?” Cutie beamed while straightening her mane back.

Front smiled. “I'm sure of it. I'll bet you'll grow up to be a great racer one day.”

“Na ah!” Cutie shook her head. “When I grow up, I'm going to join the Royal Guard and become a soldier, just like you daddy.” 

Front froze upon hearing Cutie say that.

“What's wrong daddy?”

“Cutie...” Front sighed. “The Guard... It's not really that exciting...” Cutie just looked at him confused. “I mean... You're still young. And you don't need to follow in my hoofsteps.”

“I don't?”

“No Cutie.” Front mustered a smile. “Believe me. Being a Royal Guard is really not that glamorous. Too many responsibilities and not much fun.”

“But I would get to do a lot of good, right?”

“Well...” Front didn't know what to say. As much as the Royal Guard had failed him, he hated crushing her dreams. On any given day, he would've been overly proud of her decision. But now after the wedding? 
He didn't have the heart to tell Cutie the truth. Seeing that look in her eyes, he knew she still saw him as a hero. He couldn't bear the thought of seeing her disappointed. Instead, he decided to change the subject. 

“Tell you what, Cutie? How about we get inside and meet mommy. She's probably made dinner and it's getting cold the longer we stand here.” 

“Oh no!” Cutie yelled. “Quick daddy! Let's hurry inside!” 

Front couldn't help but smile and breath a quiet sigh of relief. He knew it would take a while, but hopefully with enough time and patience, his little princess would eventually forget the Royal Guard and find her true calling. 
To become somepony who wouldn't be let down by the one thing she loved...

“Hi mommy!” Cutie called out as she and Front entered inside.

“Cutie? Front! Honey, you're home!”

“Sorry if we're late. I-” Front's smile faded as he spotted the familiar lavender unicorn beside Lily. “...I see you have company.”

Twilight put on her smile and approached them. “Greeting Forefront. And you must be Cutie. My name is-”

“Twilight Sparkle. Yes, I know you from the wedding. And... those other events...”

“Twilight Sparkle..?” Cutie blinked confused at first before quickly realizing who she was. “Wait! I've heard of you! You're Twilight Sparkle! The hero of Equestria!”

“Hero?” Twilight started to blush. “Me? Really?”

“Yeah! You defeated Nightmare Moon. Took down Discord. And helped my dad get rid of all those mean bug ponies from Canterlot.” 

“Bug ponies..? Oh! You mean the Changelings. Yes, that's right.” she blushed even more now. “Well... To be honest, my brother and Cadance helped a bit too.” 

“You're my hero! Just like my dad. He's my hero too. Right daddy?” 

Front didn't respond.

“Daddy?”

“Honey?”

“Lily? Would you and Cutie start dinner without me?” Front locked eyes with Twilight, who now didn't blush anymore as things started to take a serious turn. “I believe Twilight needs to have a talk with me...”

Lily nodded. “Come Lily. You heard your daddy.” She gestured Cutie to follow her into the dining room. They both passed Twilight, with Lily giving her a pleading and hopeful look. 'Good luck...'

Once they were alone, Twilight decided to get to the point. “Front? I-”

“Please... Not here.” Front interrupted and opened the front door, gesturing Twilight to follow him.  Once they both were outside, Front closed the door and made sure they both were far enough away that Cutie and Lily wouldn't hear them.

“Front... I've spoken with my brother. I-”

“I know why you're here, Twilight Sparkle. And you can save it. I've made my choice.”

“At least take a moment and explain to me why. You owe my brother that much.”

“I've already told him my reasons for quitting. I don't see the need to explain myself any further than that.”

“That the Royal Guard is useless? That it's a JOKE?” Twilight could barely hold back the anger that was slowly building up inside her. “You should've seen how he looked when he got home. How could you say those awful things to him?”

“It's the truth...”

Twilight now got even more angry. “THE TRUTH?! HOW DARE YOU!?!” she fumed. “The Royal Guard was my brother's dream! Ever since I was little, he always talked about joining them and how they represented everything that made Equestria great!” She pressed her snout angrily against his. 
“HOW DARE YOU SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT TO HIS FACE?!!”

Front looked away but stood his ground. “Of all ponies, I figured you'd probably understand...”

“WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN!?” Twilight was literally seething with fury, causing Front to recoil slightly. Realizing she was letting her anger get the better of her, Twilight eventually calmed down and backed away. “Sorry about that...” 

Front regained his posture, but still didn't look at her.

“Please Front. Look at me. Tell me why. Why do you believe the Royal Guard is useless?!”

Front sighed and finally looked at her. “You know why just as much as I do. You saw it yourself.”

“Saw what? I don't understand. What are you talking about?”

“You obviously don't remember me, but I've met you before. I was there in Ponyville that night. That night when Princess Luna returned. Except she wasn't Princess Luna, she was-”

“Nightmare Moon...” Twilight gasped. “The Summer Sun Celebration! You?”

“Yes. I was one of the guards assigned to oversee the ceremony. Our job was simple; just stand there, look confident and wait for Princess Celestia's arrival. Sounded simple enough. Instead, Nightmare Moon showed up and threatened to cast the entire land in eternal night.” He closed his eyes and clenched his teeth as he remembered. 
“I... We tried to stop her. But...” He remembered when he and his fellow guards attempted to seize her, only to be forced back as they got hit by a barrage of lightning she magically summoned. All three were knocked away, lost altitude and fell to the floor. He remembered lying there, shaken and confused as he watched Nightmare Moon fly out of town hall in a puff of smoke, laughing at them as she did. 
“...She tossed us away like we were nothing... Our princess was gone and we failed to apprehend the one responsible.”

“Front...” Twilight placed a hoof on his shoulder. “That wasn't your fault. She's an alicorn. Her powers were way beyond yours.”

“That's no excuse!” Front shouted. “The kingdom was in peril! We were the only hope left!” He then paused and calmly breathed as more memories surfaced. “Shortly after we fully recovered, I saw the look on everyponies faces. Even though they never said it, we could clearly see what they were thinking. We failed them. After being berated by the mayor for our incompetence, we hurried back to Canterlot to warn Captain Armor about the situation and rally as many we could to confront Nightmare Moon. To take her down and force her to reveal where Princess Celestia was. But then... Just as we were about to head out...”

He paused. Twilight quickly realized what he was referring to. “The sun rose...”

“Yes...” Front lowered his head. “First there was a blinding flash of light in the direction of the Everfree Forest, followed closely by the rising sun. Seeing the sun rise after such a dark and terrifying moment in our lives was a miracle. I was relieved. When we all learned how Nightmare Moon was defeated, I was both impressed and happy. But at the same time...” He raised his head back up, but now his eyes were watering up. “...I was ashamed.”

“Ashamed?”

“We didn't save Equestria. Equestria was saved by the very ponies we had sworn to protect. Do you have any idea how that feels?”

Twilight was quiet for a moment and then her ears dropped. “I... I had no idea. I'm sorry.”

“Don't!” Front yelled. “Don't say you're sorry! You did nothing wrong! You saved us! You did what you had to do. I can't hold that against you or your friends. It's just... The way we were defeated... It showed everypony how weak we are. That without the princess, we're nothing...”

“Front!” Now it was Twilight's turn to yell. “That's not true! Princess Celestia trusts you all to protect Equestria!”

“Then she's a FOOL!!”

Twilight fell back on her haunches in shock. “Lieutenant Front!??”

“I... I...” Front's eyes widened. He couldn't believe what he had just said. “I'm sorry... I just...” There was a moment of silence. Front then shook his head and looked away. “You know... Nightmare Moon wasn't the only threat we failed to stop.”

Twilight, having gotten over her shock, listened to what he said and quickly deduced who he was referring to. “Discord..?”

“Yes... The spirit of Chaos himself...” Front narrowed his eyes and then closed them while gritting his teeth. “The day that monster broke free, we were assigned to evacuate as many ponies we could to get them away from the chaos that was spreading out from Ponyville. I was part of a group tasked to guard a small herd of Ponyvillians. Stallions. Mares. Foals... Then suddenly that Discord showed up and used his magic to torment every one of them. We tried to stop him, but his chaos magic affected everything around us and used it against us. We couldn't do anything. We were forced to watch as he mocked us while harassing the innocent. I never felt so helpless in my life...”

“No ordinary pony can truly stand up to him.” said Twilight. 

“Except you...”

“HEY!” Twilight took offense to that. “Don't say it as if me and my friends had it easy! We nearly failed all of Equestria!”

“But in the end, you didn't.”

Twilight was now more confused than angry. “Do you wish we failed?”

“No!” Front replied. “Of course not! My point is that even when you ultimately succeeded, even when Princesses were still with us, we failed. The Royal Guard failed. It doesn't matter if the foe was stronger than us or that we were completely out of our league. It's how EASY we were taken down.”

Twilight said nothing.

“If a band of Diamond Dogs suddenly decided to attack us now, they wouldn't find taking Canterlot difficult because we wouldn't give them a challenge! They would just push us aside!” He turned around and faced her, approaching her as he kept talking. 
“The only real challenge around here is Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadance...” He stopped only a few inches from her face and narrowed his eyes. “And you...”

Twilight gulped.

“You six have managed to do what we couldn't!” Tears started to build up in his eyes. “And because of that, the Royal Guard has officially become the joke of Equestria. You might as well just take our jobs and spare us the humiliation of being saved by six inexperienced little ponies, who spend more time reading books, tending farms, caring for animals or throwing parties. WHO IN THE HAY NEEDS US?!”

Twilight looked into those angry eyes of his. “We need you...” she whimpered.

Front sighed. “If you believe that, then Equestria is truly doomed...”   

Twilight's ears dropped. Such sadness and hurt feelings. This was a soldier who had been severely wounded. Not wounded in battle, but in spirit. His pride and confidence had been severely injured and she had inadvertently been the cause of it.

“Now if you'll excuse me. I'm going in to have dinner with my family.” Front turned around to venture inside. “Please tell Captain Armor I'm sorry about turning down the promotion and that I'll be waiting for my resignation to be approved.”

Twilight watched as Front walked away. She had to try and convince him to stay. There had to something that could change his mind. 

Just then, she remembered the promotion. “Front! WAIT!” Twilight's yell caused Front to freeze just as he was inches away from the door. “Front... Don't you see? If you stay and accept your promotion, you'll become a Captain.”

“So?”

“You can reform the Royal Guard. Make it better. The way you want it to be. This is a golden opportunity for you, Front. You can't turn away from that.”

Front thought about it for a moment and sighed. “It's not that simple Twilight...”

“What do you mean? It's perfectly simple!”

“No it's not. It's a matter of PRINCIPLE and HONOR!” He turned around to face her. “Even if I accept the promotion, it'll be for all the wrong reasons. As a soldier, it has to be earned. And I don't feel I've proven myself enough, or earned the respect of our ponies to even wear the title of Captain.”

“But...”

“My mind is made up.” Front opened the door and ventured inside. “If the Royal Guard needs a new Captain that much, then they'll just have to settle with somepony else. Because I will not be there when the new threat to Equestria arrives. No. I'll spend that time I have with my family and know that I at least didn't fail them in the end.”     

With that, Front closed the door, leaving Twilight sitting there on her haunches, trying to figure out what went wrong.

***** 

“Front!” Lily happily exclaimed as Front entered the dining room. 

“Dinner is getting cold daddy.” said Cutie. “Where's Twilight?”

“How did it go? What did she say? Did she-” Lily's smile faded as Front's expression was not a cheerful one. “A-Are you going back?” 

Front shook his head. “No. I'm sorry Lily. I can't do it.”

“Oh Front...” Lily's heart sank upon hearing that and tried not to cry as they ate.

“Mommy?” Cutie saw the sadness in her mother's eyes and was confused. “Is something wrong, daddy? Where's Twilight?”

Front smiled at Cutie. “No honey... Nothing's wrong. Twilight just needed to talk to daddy. That's all...”