The Five Year Struggle...

It was raining outside, again. Fat rain drops slapped against the window as I sat on the couch, flipping through the various channels. Applejack was laying on my lap and I was absent-mindedly stroking her mane as she lazily watched TV with me. In the other room, I could hear Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash playing Minecraft on my laptop, screaming about Endermen and Creepers. Twilight had her nose buried in a novel I had laying around. The novel so happened to be Star Wars: Death Troopers. I was very surprised when Twilight came up to me, levitating the horror novel in her telekinetic grasp, and asked if she could read it.

That was about three hours ago, and she hasn't put it down since.

"I enjoy a good fright every now and then. I don't read dictionaries constantly, you know." She said to me as she opened the book and began to read.

I had no clue where Rarity had gone to, nor Fluttershy. The two were most likely playing dress-up with my cat. Just the other day they came out with my cat stuffed in a frilly dress. The fat cat looked more pissed than I had ever seen him as he struggled in their grasp. Regardless, it gave us all a good laugh and soon the cat was released from his cloth prison.

As I was channel surfing, blips and small segments of channel audio was heard.

"Buy now!"

"--Is made when--"

"--Tonight at nine--"

"War outside of Saint Louis--"

Wait a moment. Back a channel.

"At the moment, US troops are engaging with unknown hostiles outside of Saint Louis. The conflict began about three hours ago and hasn't stopped since. Reports from the front are that the hostiles are non-human. We were given a picture of one of the hostiles that was killed earlier. It seems to be equine in nature, but also insectoid. The picture is shown here."

A picture of a Changeling popped up on the screen. Applejack and I both gasped, causing Twilight to look up from the book before her.

"What's wrong?" She asked. I looked at her, then to the screen.

"American troops are fighting Changelings right now." I said with wide eyes. Twilight's grew in size also as she looked to the screen that was now showing combat footage from a news helicopter. Hundreds of Changeling drones were engaged with American infantry and armor. Explosions from tank and grenade blasts tore the ground, sending humans and changelings alike into the air. Suddenly, the camera shifted and a changeling sneered right into the camera, tearing it and the operator off and threw the cameraman to the ground. The camera impacted with a jolt and watched as drones attacked and swarmed the helicopter, sending it tumbling out of control and crashing into the ground with a mighty explosion.

By now, the others had joined Applejack, Twilight and I in the living room, eyes glued to the screen, fright dancing in each of their eyes.

"They're here for us..." Twilight said grimly. I've never heard her tone go that dark so fast. Applejack rested a calming hoof on the unicorns' shoulder.

"No they ain't, sugarcube. Heck, they probably don't even know where we are. We're here in, uh...what is this place again?" She asked me.

"Delaware." I replied.

"Delaware, and they're over here in Saint Louis. We're safe." She said with a warm smile. Twilight looked from the earth pony to the TV and sighed.

"I hope you're right Applejack." Then she looked to me, determination in her eyes. "Promise me you'll keep us safe if we're found by Chrysalis." I stammered a bit, taken aback by the sudden request.

"I promise to keep you all safe." I said. "No matter what."

***

A couple days later, the girls and I were playing a game of Battleship. I had to keep Rainbow Dash from hovering next to me and help the girls cheat.

"Stop RD. It's not fair to cheat." I said with a frown.

"Oh, get over it. It's just a game." She said with a grin. I looked at Twilight who had a hoof to her chin, eyes scanning the possibilities of where my ships were.

"Uh...D-Five?" She asked. I sighed and picked up the four red-pegged Aircraft Carrier.

"You sunk the USS Yorktown. I said sadly. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie gave a victorious cheer and Twilight smiled.

"Looks like I'm winning." She said, the smile continuing.

"Yeah, just you keep smiling. USS New Jersey fires at C-Five." I proclaimed, folding my arms and smiling smugly. Twilight scanned her board and her eyes went wide and her smile faded.

"You jerk, you sank my battleship!" She said with a frown. She levitated the ship piece off the board as I laughed.

"That's the power of three, sixteen-inch turrets for ya'!" I said. Twilight tilted her head.

"Sixteen inch turrets? Something that small is that powerful?" She asked. I simply shook my head.

"Oh no. Sixteen inches is the length of the shell fired from the turrets. The turrets, on the other hand, are large. Very large. Two in the front, one in the back, each with three cannons, which fire a sixteen inch shell." I said, digging up the WWII knowledge I had. Twilight's ears flipped to the sides of her head and she gulped.

"That is powerful." She said looking down at the board. "I only have one ship left now. Good luck trying to find it." She said looking up at me.

"Challenge accepted." I said smugly.

"I'm bored. Is it alright if I indulge in some television?" Rarity asked politely.

"Sure Rarity." I said as I concentrated on the game. Rarity nodded and walked out of the game room and into the living room. I could hear the TV come to life, and a few seconds later, a gasp.

"Everything alright in there?" I asked. Silence followed. "Rarity! Is something wrong?" I asked again. The other girls looked up at me, slight looks of worry present.

"Can everypony come in here, now?" Rarity asked, fright in her voice. Immediately, the girls and I entered the living room. Rarity looked at us and pointed a hoof at the TV. "Read the headline..."

My eyes looked at the screen and read the words in large text.

President has ordered mass detainment of ponies. FBI assigned to clear towns and cities of any ponies within the East Coast.

A sob was heard and I looked at Fluttershy. She was on the ground, head in her hooves, crying.

"T-They're going t-to get us!" She cried. I knelt down and ran a hand along her mane, trying to calm her down.

"No they're not Fluttershy. It would literally take them months to find any ponies. The East Coast is large and heavily populated." I said trying to calm her down. She looked up at me through her mane, eyes red with tears. Her voice was broken and shaky.

"A-are you s-s-ure...?" She asked. I nodded, giving the warmest smile I could muster. She lifted her head, sniffled a bit, and wiped away her tears with a hoof. Suddenly, the 'Breaking News' tune rang out from the TV. We all looked to the screen and gawked at the new headline.

West Coast Under Siege. Cities from Portland, OR to Los Angeles, CA are under attack by Chrysalis and Changelings. Above the headline, new combat footage from an Infantry helmet camera showed a platoon of Army be obliterated by a massive blast of green, changeling magic. A quick pan over later, Changelings took form of some troops and began back stabbing them as the troops were fooled by the Changelings' disguises. The footage switched to the camera-dome of an Apache attack helicopter as it approached the San Fransisco Bay. A swarm of Changelings rapidly approached the Naval fleet anchored in the water. Anti-Aircraft guns and Flak cannons filled the skies with shrapnel and tracer rounds. The swarm flew through the curtain of ammo, some falling as they were hit, others avoiding the blasts and bullets. The swarm began an attack on an aircraft carrier, swarming all over the flight deck, taking out personnel on board. A fire exploded from the bridge, billowing out of the windows in thick black smoke. Klaxon alarms and sirens wailed loudly as the hangar bay on the carrier erupted in flames also, tiny flames jumping into the water. The flames turned out to be pilots and others, all being baked alive by the burning jet fuel. Some were unlucky, and instead of splashing into the water, they were swept away by a small group of Changelings.

Total war rained on the screen.

A dark, gloomy feeling befell the room, and I switched off the TV.

"Let's just hope they stay over there. Alright girls, time for bed." I said turning to them.

Tears ran down their eyes. A pang of sadness sliced through my heart as I watched them weep.

"You'll still protect us, right?" Pinkie Pie asked, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. I put a hand to my heart and nod.

"I swear to you all, that I shall protect you from harm." I said chivalrously.