The sound of metal sliding against concrete echoed down the tunnel, and a pinprick of light shined through the darkness. A moment later, a dark grey earth pony with a cutie mark depicting a blue shield and a pair of crossed lances poked his helmeted head through the hole, carefully looking around with sharp golden eyes.
Finding nothing of note, Long Lance, taking care to prevent the twin lances he had mounted on his sides from scraping against the edges of the entrance, slid through, allowing himself to land in the murky, smelly water of the sewer. He took a few steps forward to make room for his companions.
The second member of the squad, a white unicorn with a cutie mark of a single spear enveloped in a red magical aura, followed after him. Holstered at his side was a steel sword, but as a designated battle-mage, it was strictly a backup weapon. The tip of his horn lit up once he reached the bottom, illuminating their surroundings with a soft, white light.
A grey pegasus, with a cutie mark of a pair of binoculars, was the last one in, his wings flapping softly as he hovered a few inches above the water. There was a large, wicked-looking crossbow mounted on his back, aimed over one of his shoulders. A long, steel mechanism ran along his neck, ending in a wide trigger hanging just in front of his mouth, which would fire the crossbow when bitten. A chain of bolts was draped down his left side, leading to a satchel filled with reloads.
“Celestia, that’s ripe,” the pegasus complained, waving a hoof in front of his muzzle.
“Oh, shut up, Farsight.” The unicorn rolled his eyes. “At least you don’t have to walk in it, ya little priss.” Farsight glared at Spearhead, but the mage turned to face Long Lance next. “Why are we down here, sir?” he asked bluntly. “The changelings are topside. We should be up there fighting!”
“Yeah! I’m with Spearhead, what’s going on?” Farsight demanded, darting over to hover next to the unicorn.
Lance sighed upon hearing their words. These two aren't fit to guard a whorehouse, let alone do anything worthwhile inside of it. “Because, if you hadn’t noticed, we’re getting our flanks kicked at the moment. The streets are too dangerous, and we need to get back to Canterlot Castle and link up with the rest of the Guard. The Princesses will know what to do.”
They both gave him skeptical looks. "But this doesn't seem right," Spearhead argued. "It feels like we're running away."
"Look, newbie," Lance growled. "Let me tell you something. We're the Royal Guard. We protect the Princesses and Equestria. Our job is to fight, and fight hard. But that's not enough. We have to fight smart, too. Right now, fighting smart means not getting captured or killed, because we're not useful to anypony if we can't fight."
Farsight snorted. "What do you know about fighting, you old fossil?" he demanded, darting forward and locking eyes with Lance. "You know what I think?" He jabbed Lance in the chest. "I think you're just too scared to fight, so you came down here to hide."
It was the worst thing he could have said. With an enraged roar, Lance charged and slammed Farsight into the wall, pinning him there with a foreleg across his throat. "Listen here, you little shit," Lance hissed, ignoring Farsight's choking and widened eyes. "I have served in the Guard for almost thirty years. I was a member of Princess Celestia's personal detail for ten of those. The only reason I'm not anymore is because once you're too old, they kick you out. Oh sure, they call it 'reassignment', and it's not the 'official' reason, but an 'old fossil' like me just isn't good enough, now is he?" He increased the pressure against Farsight's throat, drawing a desperate whimper from the pegasus. "I have forgotten more about fighting than you will ever know, so don't you dare suggest otherwise."
He felt a hoof clap down on his shoulder. "Lance," Spearhead said firmly. "He's choking. Let him go."
Looking back to the pegasus, Lance saw that he was correct. After a moment, Lance abruptly released his hold, allowing Farsight to fall onto his haunches and start gasping for breath.
"What the hell was that?" Farsight wheezed, giving Lance a furious stare.
"Do not call me a coward. Do not call me old. And do not question me again," Lance said forcefully. "I won't tolerate it. If you refuse to follow my orders, you can go topside and get rounded up like everypony else. Otherwise, keep your damn mouth shut."
Farsight looked like he had more to say, but wisely decided against provoking Lance a second time. After staring him down for a few more moments, Lance finally backed off, facing the other two stallions. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths to calm himself down before speaking again.
“Alright,” Lance said at last. “These sewers connect to every building in Canterlot. As long as we head north and follow the biggest tunnels, we should be able to find an exit close to the castle. We don’t know for sure what’s down here, but if we try and move topside the changelings will definitely find us.
“Now, next thing to keep in mind. The changelings—and bear with me here—can change their appearance. That means they can impersonate and confuse us. That means we stay in a tight formation, understand? And, if it comes down to it, we have the security question. Everypony remember it?"
The two guard ponies nodded in response.
“Good. I want Farsight to stay in the back and pick off anything that moves. Spearhead, stay in the middle and keep that light up. I’ll take point.”
The two acknowledged his orders and gave him a salute as they readied their weapons. After looking over his subordinates for a moment, Long Lance gave another nod and turned to face the dark tunnel.
Like he'd told Farsight, Lance had been in the Royal Guard for years, but admittedly the job was relatively cushy most of the time. Sure, they all went through the same drills and training, but Equestria hadn’t been at war for centuries, and so actual combat experience was virtually nonexistent.
So, despite all his years of service, Lance couldn’t help but gulp as he took the first step into the unknown. The magical light from Spearhead helped to chase away the darkness, but it only traveled so far. He winced when the ‘clop’ seemed to echo for miles down the tunnel, but there wasn’t much that could be done about it.
The trio took up a steady pace as they marched down the tunnel, unable to conceal the sound of their movement no matter how softly they stepped. After a few minutes of uneventful travel, the squad became comfortable enough to start paying attention to their surroundings.
The Canterlot sewers were a veritable maze, a continuous spider’s web of tunnels that spanned the entire city. The passages all tilted downward, angled toward the center, where there was a massive drain that tunneled all the way through the mountain to the bottom, where the water would eventually be emptied into a river that flowed out to sea.
Currently, the guards were walking downhill, and if Lance was correct, they would have to cross over the mouth of the central drainage pipe, then it would be an upward trek to the castle. Hopefully, it really would be that simple.
“These tunnels are a lot bigger than I thought they’d be,” Spearhead said lowly.
“Yeah…A claustrophobe would be comfortable down here,” Farsight agreed, somewhat nervously.
The unicorn looked back with a raised eyebrow. “You aren’t scared, are you?” he said with a grin.
Farsight scowled. “I don’t like being underground, alright? It’s a pegasus thing.”
“If you say so.”
"Wait," Lance said, stopping and turning to face Farsight. "You're claustrophobic?"
Farsight glared. "No, I'm not!" he growled. "I just don't like being underground. But I'll be fine."
Lance took a moment to study Farsight, and noticed that his breathing was a bit faster than it should be, a telltale sign. "You should have mentioned this sooner," Lance snapped. "If you'd told us you were claustrophobic, we wouldn't have come down here!"
"I am not claustrophobic!" Farsight almost shouted. "I told you, pegasi don't like being underground! When was the last time you heard of a pegasus working in a mine?"
"I don't care why," Lance said harshly. "But if this is going to be a problem—"
"Lance!" Spearhead interrupted. "Leave him alone! Farsight's fine. He's just nervous. We all are."
Lance and Farsight glowered at each other for a few more moments, before Lance snorted and turned back to continue walking down the tunnel. The soft flapping of wings and the steady clopping that followed a moment later assured him that his squadmates were following.
"So uh, Long Lance," Spearhead said tentatively. "Tell us about yourself. Where are you from?"
Lance looked back with a raised eyebrow. "Where did that come from?"
"Well, you've kinda taken charge here, but we don't know anything about you. We're just curious, and we're gonna be working together, so it couldn't hurt."
Lance sighed. "Listen. I'm not looking for friends. Right now, we're in a world of shit—literally—and this is not the right time to be talking about this. Focus on the mission."
Spearhead looked angry, and was about to respond until Lance abruptly came to a stop. Listening intently, the three stallions all heard it at the same time: the high-pitched chittering noises, not unlike those of crickets, that changelings tended to make.
“Changelings,” Lance whispered. “We need to take them out quietly.” However, he was at a loss on how to actually do it. He couldn’t see without Spearhead’s light, but that would give away their position if they got any closer, and the changelings could alert their brethren if they spotted the guards.
As he lacked any ideas, he looked to his companions. He was unimpressed by them so far, but they might surprise him. “Any ideas?” he asked quietly. Farsight shrugged, his expression still sour, but Spearhead looked contemplative.
“I might have something, sir,” he said hesitantly. At Lance’s questioning look, he elaborated. “There’s a spell, called Cat's Eye, that should give you low-light vision."
"That sounds pretty useful. Why didn't you mention it sooner?" Farsight asked.
"I'm not very good at transformation magic, and those kinds of spells take a lot of juice. I won't be able to make it last very long, and I'll have to rest a while before I can cast it again," Spearhead explained.
“Any danger?” Lance asked, sounding a bit apprehensive.
"No, it's safe," Spearhead assured him. "Those types of spells have fail-safes built in, so you won't go blind or anything."
“Alright…Looks like our best shot.” Lance nodded. “Okay, hit me.”
Spearhead nodded, and the light at the tip of his horn went out, shrouding them in darkness. A moment later, his horn lit up with a crimson glow, just bright enough to illuminate Spearhead's face, scrunched up in concentration. After a few seconds, Spearhead tilted his head down to aim his horn at Long Lance’s face, and a nebula of red sparkles enveloped the earth pony’s eyes. Lance felt nervous for a moment as he felt his eyes twist and morph. It felt strange, but not painful, and it was over in a few seconds.
Lance blinked a few times, and as he looked around he noticed that the tunnel seemed to take on a dim, blue glow, illuminating his surroundings. It wasn’t anywhere close to broad daylight, perhaps more akin to a night with a full moon, but it would suffice.
Spearhead, for his part, looked tired, but his horn lit up again a moment later, illuminating the tunnel for the other two stallions.
“Whoa…” Farsight said in awe. At Lance’s questioning look, he elaborated. “Your eyes,” he explained. “They uh, well, they’re slitted. They look like a batpony’s."
“Hurry up!” Spearhead hissed. “You don’t have long!”
Shaking his head, Long Lance turned and quietly trotted forward, marveling at the way he could see into the even the darkest crevices now. Is this how Luna’s night guards see all the time? he wondered.
A few moments later, and Lance reached the next corner. Carefully, he craned his neck to look around, and was met with the sight of a pair of changelings, looking bored as they watched either side of the tunnel.
Counting on the darkness to protect him, Lance slowly crept forward toward the one closer to him, the creature's sky-blue eyes closely scanning its surroundings. The earth pony frowned, as he needed an opening unless he wanted to lose the element of surprise.
He got it a moment later, when the changeling’s eyes closed as it suppressed a yawn. Seizing the opportunity, he charged, closing the distance quickly and impaling the changeling on the tip of his lance. The creature emitted a strangled cry as the point dug into his throat, and it struggled in vain to free itself.
Lance jumped back a moment later, wresting the weapon from the changeling’s throat just as its companion whirled around to investigate the noise. They were too close together for him to build up the momentum necessary to stab the second one, so instead he spun around on his front hooves and bucked it directly in the face. A sickening ‘crack’ rang out as the changeling’s neck snapped, and it landed flat on its back in the murky water a split-second later.
Long Lance panted as he recovered from the brief skirmish. “Okay, all clear!” he called toward his companions. Just in time too, as his vision went dark again as the Cat’s Eye spell wore off. A few seconds later, and the soft light of Spearhead’s horn relit the tunnel as the two arrived.
Farsight gave a whistle as he spotted the two dead changelings. “Nice one, sir!” he said appreciatively.
Long Lance wasn’t amused. “This isn’t a joke!” he hissed at the pegasus, who darted back a few feet in surprise. “I just had to kill two ponies-changelings-whatever, and you're treating it like a game!"
He was ready to tear into the pegasus some more, when Spearhead put a soothing hoof on his shoulder. “It’s alright sir,” he said calmly. “You did what you had to. It was them or us, and you made the right choice.”
Lance couldn’t help but frown. Spearhead was uncannily good at detecting the real issues. But, despite his reassurance, he still felt troubled by his actions, but he resolved to hold himself together until they were all out of this mess. He gave his companions a jerky nod and gestured for them to keep pressing on.
After a few more minutes, Lance was—to his surprise—feeling a bit bad for snapping at Farsight. The pegasus had meant well, after all. He might have come across as crude, but he'd made an effort at least, which was more than what Lance had done so far. Sighing internally, he decided he'd at least try to keep a handle on his temper, even if he was too proud to actually apologize.
After a few more minutes, Farsight abruptly broke the silence. "What's that sound?"
Spearhead frowned. “I don’t hear anything,” he replied. “Sure you’re not imagining it?”
“No, I hear it!” he insisted. “Sounds like a waterfall.”
“Ah. That must be the central drain,” Lance chimed in.
“Well, then why don’t we hear it?” the Spearhead asked.
“Because pegasi have better ears,” Farsight said with a smirk.
“Don’t have better brains though,” Spearhead retorted.
“Shut up, you idiots!” Lance snapped. Their little spat had been rising in volume. “You want every changeling in Canterlot on our flanks?”
The two of them fell quiet after that, though they still exchanged glares every so often. But true to Farsight’s word, the earth pony and the unicorn soon began picking up on the same sound. Eventually, the volume had increased to that of a steady roar, at which point the trio stood at the end of the tunnel, the wastewater under their hooves draining into the wide, dark abyss underneath.
There were other tunnels all around them, a stream of pony refuse gushing from each one. About twenty feet overhead, the ceiling consisted of a steel grate, rays of sunlight creeping in to illuminate the chamber. Lastly, there were a series of catwalks crossing over the drain to connect the various tunnels together, ensuring that maintenance ponies could travel throughout the area to make necessary repairs. Unfortunately, they must have been slacking off recently, as most of the catwalks were in a particularly sorry state. The one directly in front of them, leading to the opposite tunnel that was their goal, was covered in rust and riddled with holes.
"Not even a damn guardrail," Farsight snarked.
Frowning, Lance put his front hoof on it, and immediately leapt back when the metal groaned under the strain.
“Careful sir,” Spearhead said with a grin. “This armor doesn’t do shit against gravity.”
“Your grasp of the obvious is inspiring,” Lance said dryly. “So, who volunteers to cross the ridiculously unsafe catwalk first?”
Unsurprisingly, there were no takers, as he only got a pair of flat looks in response. “Well, I can’t do it,” Lance complained. "Earth ponies weigh too much. Suggestions?"
“Could Farsight fly us over?” Spearhead asked, glancing at the hovering pegasus curiously.
He shook his head. “Don’t think so. I’m pretty quick, but I can’t carry a lot of extra weight, so Lance is right out.”
“Great.” Lance sighed. “Well, I guess we don’t have a choice. I’ll go over first. If it holds we know it’ll support Spearhead, and Farsight can just fly over. See, this is why I’m in charge. Nopony else has any initiative,” he complained.
“What would we do without you, sir?” Spearhead asked cheerfully, patting him on the back. “Now get out there and see if the lowest bidder built to last!”
Lance shot him a dirty look before turning to face the catwalk. He cautiously took a step forward, and winced when he heard the catwalk screech in response. However, when the metal didn’t give, he took another step, and eventually had all four hooves on the fragile construction.
He carefully made his way across, flinching with every groan of the ancient metal, but at least it seemed like it would hold under his weight. However, any hopes he had of an uneventful journey were dashed when a loud screech rang throughout the room. At first, Lance thought that the catwalk had given way, but then he realized that it had sounded more organic in nature. The source of the screech identified itself a moment later as a mirror image of himself charged out of the darkened hallway in front of him.
“Farsight! Shoot it! Now!” Lance shouted desperately, knowing perfectly well that the catwalk wouldn’t be able to support the both of them.
A sharp ‘thunk’ rang out a moment later, and the steel bolt bounced off the floor next to the changeling, who paid it no mind as it stepped onto the metal catwalk. It made it only three steps before the catwalk emitted its loudest screech yet, and Lance’s stomach dropped out from under him as the catwalk collapsed.
Both Lance and the changeling screamed on the way down, plummeting into the dark abyss that the pony knew stretched for miles. He knew he wouldn’t survive the landing, and Lance closed his eyes as he awaited his death.
However, a pair of strong hooves wrapped around his midsection a moment later, slowing his fall. “Gotcha!” Farsight grunted, his wings burning from the strain as he attempted to lift them both.
Lance struggled and whinnied for a moment as his heart raced, but he forced himself to remain calm as Farsight strained against gravity in an attempt to save his life. The pegasus panted and heaved as he tried to gain altitude, but it was slow going. They gained a few feet, and Lance could see the edge of the concrete ledge in the distance, where Spearhead was watching helplessly.
“Too…heavy...” Farsight panted, dropping by a few inches. The earth pony squirmed in response. Lance liked to think of himself as a courageous stallion, but when faced with the prospect of falling to his death, he didn’t exactly welcome the idea.
“Farsight!” Spearhead called desperately. “Hold still for a second!”
The pegasus didn’t acknowledge the request, but seemed to oblige, leaving the two of them suspended in midair. A flare of red light followed a moment later, and a bolt of magic struck Lance squarely in the face. He blinked furiously as he tried to clear his vision, then had to suppress the urge to release a decidedly non-masculine giggle as his entire body started tingling.
Then, his stomach lurched as Farsight suddenly shot upward by a few feet, accompanied by a loud ‘whoa!’ from the surprised pegasus. Both of them were confused, but didn’t question it as Farsight quickly took advantage of the lightened load to fly back to solid ground, letting Lance down next to a relieved-looking Spearhead before touching down himself.
Both of them panted in exhaustion as they tried to get their heart-rate back into the two digit range. Farsight only seemed to be a bit winded, but Lance was visibly shaking as he stared down into the chasm that had nearly claimed his life. For the first time in his long career, Lance had truly thought that he was about to die. It shook him to the core.
“What was that?” Farsight spoke first, mercifully breaking Lance from his reverie. Fortunately, it seemed that neither of them had noticed his condition.
The unicorn gave a sheepish smile and rubbed the back of his head. “Featherweight Spell,” he explained. “Cut his weight in half for a few seconds.”
“Y’know, that would’ve been really useful at the ‘hey, can we maybe fly across?’ stage,” Lance snapped, torn between thanking Spearhead and smacking him upside the head.
“Well, sorry sir, but that spell is usually for luggage and stuff!” Spearhead said defensively. “I wasn't even sure if it worked on ponies. Besides, it’s a magnitude spell.”
“Meaning…?” Farsight asked.
“Er…Have you ever heard the saying ‘the candle that burns twice as bright lasts half as long’? Magnitude spells are like that. If I lowered his weight enough for you to carry him, it probably wouldn’t have lasted long enough to get him across."
Lance eyed the unicorn suspiciously for a few more seconds, before giving him a grudging nod. “I guess that makes sense. Thanks for saving me. Both of you.”
“You’d have done the same for us, sir,” Farsight said confidently. “Er…If you had wings, anyway.”
“Yeah, that’s what frie—er, squadmates are for,” Spearhead agreed.
Lance raised an eyebrow as he looked at the both of them for a long moment. “You know what?” he started. “You had it right the first time. That’s what friends are for.”
Both stallions beamed at him upon hearing his words, and Lance smiled in turn, before frowning as he turned back toward the chasm. “But, we’re still in the same boat as before, only this time without the catwalk,” he groused.
However, before the squad could begin contemplating their situation, they were rudely interrupted by a loud collective battle-cry. Looking around in worry, Lance’s heart skipped a beat as he laid eyes on the source. A whole squad of changelings, nine in all, had arrived in the chamber from the tunnel across from them, apparently investigating the noise from before. In perfect sync, the group took flight, buzzing across the chasm toward the trio of guard ponies with glowing horns and readied weapons.
“Fabulous. I forgot my life sucked for a moment,” Farsight deadpanned.
“Damn it,” Lance cursed. “Farsight! Get up high, try and draw some of them off!”
“Uh, sir, I’m good but not that good!” Farsight said worriedly, but extending his wings nonetheless.
“Just keep them busy!”
The pegasus gave him a quick salute and took off, barreling straight through the group of changelings. “Come and get me, ya damn roaches!” He cackled.
In response, four of the changelings were briefly obscured by flashes of magic, and emerged as near-perfect replicas of the pegasus. Now in disguise, they tore off after him, unable to match his speed but intent on outmaneuvering him.
A crackle of magic came from Spearhead on his right, and Lance turned just in time to see a streak of red magic burst from the tip of his horn. The changelings saw it coming, and scattered to avoid it. This had the effect of breaking up their formation, however, and they continued to advance in relative disorganization.
Two of the changelings returned fire with spells of their own, sickly-green bolts erupting from their crooked horns and aimed at the two flightless stallions. Lance gave an alarmed shout and dived to one side, one of the bolts leaving a scorch-mark where he had been just a moment before.
The changelings landed all around them while they were down, and when Long Lance stood back up, he found himself surrounded by what appeared to be a group of three white unicorns, identical to Spearhead in everything from color to stance.
For a few seconds, Lance just stared them down, the unicorns holding his gaze with a similar look of confusion and worry. At first, Lance was on the verge of panic, terrified that he'd accidentally kill the real one, but he then noticed out of the corner of his eye that there was another white unicorn a few paces away, standing apart from the ones around him, and being confronted by a pair of grey stallions armed with melee weapons that looked remarkably similar to what Lance was carrying.
Assuming that the real Spearhead was the one facing down the copies, Lance roared and charged the fake ones standing around him, driving his left lance into one's chest. He felt a momentary burst of panic upon seeing that the blood was red, rather than green, but when the creature emitted a loud, feral screech that was unmistakably not that of a pony, Lance breathed a sigh of relief.
He yanked the weapon out and allowed the changeling to slump to the ground, the creature's illusion flickering and fading as it died. In response, the other two unicorns shouted in anger—these actually sounding like those of ponies—and simultaneously began charging crimson magic into their horns. Lance eyed them warily for a few seconds, and when they fired the spells in perfect tandem, he knew with near-certainty that they were fakes.
He strafed to the left to avoid one spell, and narrowly avoided the second by crouching, allowing it to streak overhead and singe his withers. He quickly leapt back up into a combat stance and charged again. The two white-furred replicas separated to either side of his charge, the perfectly symmetrical movement once again betraying their true nature.
They thought they were in the clear, but Lance locked his left fore-hoof in place, abruptly spinning himself to face the changeling on his right. Using the momentum he'd already built up, he resumed his charge and drove a lance through the creature's neck, silencing it almost immediately.
Before he could turn around, he cried out in agony as he felt hostile magic tear through his body, almost like an intense electrical shock. His muscles convulsed uncontrollably and his vision began to fade, but after a few seconds the pain lessened to a dull throb. Forcing his shaking legs to continue supporting him, Lance clumsily turned himself around to face the final unicorn, its glowing horn promising another painful spell in a few moments. Lance prepared himself for a hasty charge, but he noticed at the last moment that the changeling's rear was to the chasm.
He took this in and almost immediately decided on a course of action. When he moved, rather than attack head on, he went left, the changeling's next spell streaking past and striking the wall. Lance turned to face the unicorn's side a moment later, then ran toward it. The changeling, seeing this coming, took a few steps back, seemingly to allow the stallion to run right past.
It was exactly what Lance had been hoping for. As he neared the unicorn, he locked his hooves in place, sliding against the floor and slowing himself down. He came to a stop a few inches past what he had been aiming for, but he was still close enough to finish the job. He turned to face the wall, putting his rear to the changeling, and bucked with his hind legs, catching the surprised unicorn in the face and knocking it out cold, sending it over the edge and into the drain below for good measure.
The last one dispatched, Lance turned back toward the other group, but to his surprise he was met with the sight of another unicorn, face contorted in a snarl, and his glowing red horn inches from his face. Lance's first instinct was to deck him, but logic told him that he'd already defeated the others, so this one could very well be his friend.
"How old is Princess Celestia?" Spearhead asked abruptly.
Lance blinked. "4,250," he answered.
In response, Spearhead gave a relieved smile, and the spell faded from his horn. The number was completely made up, as nopony actually knew exactly how old the princess was, but it was the answer that the squad had agreed on earlier for their security question.
"I'm guessing that was your doing?" Lance asked, gesturing at the pair of twitching changeling corpses behind the unicorn.
Spearhead nodded. "It was easier than I thought. I didn't feel bad about firing lethal spells at you," he joked.
"Yeah, and stabbing you in the neck was oddly therapeutic too," Lance retorted. "But either way, you're preferable to a changeling."
"I should hope so," Spearhead huffed.
"Have you seen Farsight lately?" Lance asked next.
Before Spearhead could respond, a familiar shout rang out, and Lance looked up just in time to see Farsight hurling toward him. Lance had barely processed this before the pegasus slammed into him, breaking his fall but sending them both crashing painfully into the wall.
“Owwww…” Lance moaned as he attempted to untangle himself from the disoriented pegasus. Overhead, two identical Farsights laughed derisively as they watched the two struggle against each other.
"Found him," Spearhead said wryly.
“Sorry about that sir,” the pegasus groaned as he stood back up. “One of them hit me from the side, threw me off.”
Lance stood back up, eying Farsight warily. When Farsight returned his attention to the hovering changelings above, Lance reached out and poked the pegasus' side. The hoof passed right through the armor, revealing it to be an illusion. With a loud yelp, Lance instinctively lashed out with his other hoof, striking the disguised changeling in the face and knocking it out cold.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Spearhead demanded.
"He was a fake," Lance explained, turning to face the lingering changelings up above. "But they must be too, so where's the real one?" Fear gripped him a moment later. If all three of the pegasi he could see were fakes, what did that mean for the real one?
However, before he had time to consider this, the two Farsight clones split up and dived toward Spearhead and Long Lance. In response, Spearhead's horn crackled with sinister crimson energy while Lance waited until the last moment to lower his rear legs, angling his lances up toward the pegasus.
The fake pony was unable to stop in time, and impaled itself on the end of Lance's weapon, convulsing and twitching before it died, the illusion fading a moment later and revealing the battered changeling underneath. Lance shook the thing off his weapon with some difficulty, and turned to face Spearhead.
The unicorn was keeping the changeling at bay by firing spells at it, but he was quickly tiring and was so far unable to land a hit. A moment later, when the unicorn's latest spell flew wide, the changeling immediately took advantage and dived in, putting its back to the unicorn and bucking with its rear legs, catching Spearhead in his side armor with a loud 'clang' followed by a scream of pain.
Lance would have none of it. His hooves thundered against the floor as he charged after the changeling, his muzzle bared in a snarl. The changeling realized its mistake a split second before a lance was driven through its eye and into its brain. The room fell quiet, the sounds of battle fading and leaving only the pants of Lance and Spearhead to supplement the constant roar of the waterfall.
The unicorn collapsed in a heap, but Lance was at his at his side within moments. "How bad?" he asked urgently.
“Ribs hurt. Might be broken,” Spearhead managed. "Get the armor off. Hurts."
It was no wonder that it did, considering how deep the dent was. Giving Spearhead a nod, Lance slid the golden armor off, the unicorn grunting in pain as it ground against his ribs. He set the cuirass aside a moment later, and examined the stallion's side. A massive bruise was already beginning to form, which didn't bode well, but there wasn't much that Lance could do for it at the moment.
Right now, he needed to account for Farsight. Now that the changelings were taken care of, he was able to pay better attention to his surroundings, and it wasn't long before he spotted the glint of gold armor nearby. Lance made his way over, rolling the body over onto its back. He recognized Farsight's face immediately, and much to his relief the pegasus was still breathing. However, his eyes were then drawn to the sizable dent in the helmet covering his forehead. Lance quickly removed the helmet to relieve the pressure, revealing Farsight's longer-than-regulation white mane.
"Hey, Spearhead!" Lance called out. "I found Farsight. He's out cold but still alive. Can you wake him up?"
“Yeah, just a second,” Spearhead hissed as he tried to stand up. Lance quickly moved to stand next to him, allowing the unicorn to lean against him for support. The earth pony led him over to Farsight, and Spearhead leaned down to touch his glowing horn to Farsight’s forehead.
“Huhzawhat?!” The pegasus blurted out, a flap of his wings putting him back on his hooves, only for him swoon and stagger a moment later. “Oh Luna, that hurts,” he whined, clutching at his throbbing head.
At Lance’s questioning look, Spearhead shrugged. “I said I could revive him, not that I could heal his concussion.”
Farsight glared daggers in response, still rubbing at his head.
“Hey, don’t blame me!” the unicorn said defensively. “I’m not a healer. Most unicorns know a revival spell though. It’s pretty standard first aid stuff.”
“I’d have rather stayed unconscious,” the pegasus grumbled.
"So, what happened to you?" Lance asked.
"Uh...It's kind of hazy, but I'm pretty sure I shot down one of the changelings, then the other three came around and knocked me down. I don't really remember anything after that," Farsight replied with a frown. "Sorry about that, sir."
"It's fine," Lance said immediately. "You bought us enough time, and I'm just glad you're okay." That earned him a smile from the pegasus.
“Anyway, where to now, boss-pony?” Farsight asked.
Lance frowned in response. They still had no way across, as far as he could see. Unless…
He looked up at the ceiling, where the steel grating separated the sewer from the streets above. “Could we use that grating as a bridge?” Lance wondered out loud.
“Uh…maybe. Want me to fly up and check it out?” Farsight offered.
At Lance’s nod, the pegasus took off. Spearhead snickered a bit at Farsight's staggered flying pattern. Seemed he was still a bit dizzy.
Farsight made his way slowly around the edges of the grating, taking note of how it was bolted to the concrete. It wasn’t one solid piece, instead being made up of several rectangular sections, all bolted together. The pegasus nodded to himself a moment later, and darted back to hover in front of his commander.
“So, how’s it look?” Lance asked.
“If we loosen some of the bolts in the middle, part of the grating will come down. It should be long enough to cross the chasm,” Farsight said proudly.
“Okay…And does anypony happen to have a wrench?” Lance asked dryly. Farsight’s face fell in response.
“Uh…I can loosen them with magic, but I’ve gotta get in close for that,” Spearhead suggested, glancing at Farsight.
“Are you saying I need to carry you?” Farsight asked apprehensively. "I already said—"
“You were able to hover with Lance, and he’s a lot heavier than me,” the unicorn pointed out. “I only need a couple minutes, if you go straight from one to the other.”
The pegasus looked conflicted, before giving a slow nod. “Alright, let’s go for it." Farsight flew over to Spearhead and gripped him around the middle, only for the unicorn to yelp in pain.
“Argh! The ribs! Watch the ribs!” he cried out, causing Farsight to back off.
“Sorry! Sorry!” he said quickly. “Uh…what if you rode on my back instead?”
“That would be better,” the unicorn said flatly. In response, Farsight removed his crossbow rig to make room and laid down on his stomach, allowing the unicorn to awkwardly climb on and straddle him.
“Not…a…word!” the pegasus growled as he stood up, cheeks burning furiously.
“Hey, we all have to take one for the team once in a while,” Lance said with a smirk, quirking an eyebrow suggestively.
Farsight and Spearhead both shot him death glares, and the pegasus flapped his wings slightly harder than necessary when taking off, spraying Lance with murky water.
After wiping his scowling face clean, Lance watched in interest as the pegasus and unicorn neared the grate. Spearhead’s horn glowed crimson for a moment, and the first bolt loosened and fell off. The two performed this action a total of eight times, and as the last one fell, a loud groan echoed throughout the room.
The center of the grating squealed and begin to give way, and Farsight and Spearhead gave an alarmed shout as they darted away. They were just in time, as the section they had disassembled came crashing down a split-second later, and Lance jumped backward with a curse as the edge slammed into the floor in front of him.
Squinting across, Lance grinned triumphantly when he saw that the plan had worked. They now had a clear way across to the other side. He glanced to his right just in time to see Farsight landing, and the trembling unicorn practically oozed off the pegasus’ back, eyes wide with fear.
“Never again,” he vowed.
“Never again,” Farsight echoed, still blushing.
“Alright you two, suck it up and move out,” Lance sniggered. “Good work, by the way.”
“That grate made a lot of noise,” Farsight pointed out. “We might get visitors soon.”
“Great. Another fight when our unicorn has broken ribs and our pegasus a concussion,” Lance said flatly.
“Speaking of which, I need a little help here,” Spearhead grunted. Catching his meaning, Lance trotted over and positioned himself at Spearhead’s side, allowing the unicorn to shift some of his weight onto him. It was slightly awkward, but necessary if they wanted to make good time.
After waiting for Farsight to recollect his crossbow, Lance ordered him to take point while he and Spearhead brought up the rear. Lance couldn’t help but feel nervous as he stepped onto the makeshift bridge they had created, but it was definitely a lot sturdier than the catwalk had been, so his fears were laid to rest.
They reached the other side without incident, and Spearhead lit his horn up again as they left the sunlit chamber behind. Lance had to admit, no matter how good he was in a fight, he wouldn’t have even made it past the entrance without that light spell.
"So...let's try this again," Spearhead said after a few minutes. "Lance, want to tell us a little about yourself?" Farsight also looked back with interest.
Lance stared at them for a few seconds, before ultimately deciding there was no harm in it. “Alright. I grew up here in Canterlot, my family has a history of military service so I was always interested in the Guard, and I’m pretty good at it. That’s it, really.”
“Wow. You actually answered." Spearhead laughed. "I mean, it wasn't much, but it's something."
"Sure he's not a changeling?" Farsight asked skeptically, giving Lance an experimental poke. He earned a swat for his trouble.
"Who cares? I like this one better anyway."
"I'm surrounded by idiots," Lance grumped.
"You know you love us, sir," Spearhead said lightly.
Suddenly, a loud ‘rush’ echoed through the tunnel, and a long stream of bilge water erupted from one of the holes cut into the curved ceiling, landing mere inches from Farsight. The pegasus leapt away with a loud yelp, managing to avoid the worst of it.
“Celestia, I hate this place,” he grumbled. “Is it too late to go back up and surrender?”
“Stop complaining,” Lance chided. “They’re probably planning to turn everypony up there into pleasure slaves.”
“And what would be the downside?”
“Friction burns?” Lance guessed.
“Uh...moving on. What made you join the Guard, sir?” Spearhead asked.
“Well, like I said, I was always interested. They’re doing some good in the world, you know? People look up to them for what they do, and I have respect for that."
"Fair enough. Lot of ponies join up because of that."
"Any other questions?"
"Yeah, I've got one," Farsight answered. "Why do you fight with lances? Most guards use swords or spears."
"Yeah, I've never even seen a real one before," Spearhead added. "The royal armory only stocks the ones with the blunt ends, for the jousting competitions."
"Well, for starters, these are a lot older than they look," Lance explained, rolling his shoulders to draw attention to the weapons. "They've been in my family as long as I can remember. Dad said they belonged to my grandfather, and I just thought they seemed really cool.
“I ended up playing with them a lot, usually without my parents knowing since they were antiques and all. I'd get them from the attic and sneak out, then practice charging at stuff. I got pretty good at it, but anypony can beat up a scarecrow. Of course, being young and stupid, I didn't realize the difference at the time, and one day I snuck out with my dad’s armor to enter myself into a jousting tournament. I was only twelve at the time, but since most of the royal guards are pegasi or unicorns, as an earth pony I was big enough to pass myself off as an adult.”
“Ha, wow. I bet I can guess how that turned out.” Farsight snickered. “You got your flank kicked, didn’t you?”
“'Course I did. All those stallions were twice my age, and unlike me actually had training,” Lance replied. “But I didn’t give up, even when I got knocked on my haunches a dozen times over. Eventually, I figured out that I could use my smaller size to my advantage.
“The next round started out like they all did. Me and my opponent waited for our cue and then charged at each other. But at the last second, I ducked, and the tip of my lance caught the other stallion on the calf. He stumbled and fell, and I managed to stay upright. It was a dirty move, but I still won the round.”
Spearhead whistled. “There aren’t many colts who can say they beat a royal guard in jousting."
“No kidding. Anyway, at that point the judges finally figured out there was something fishy going on. They had me brought to them and my armor removed. Earth pony or not, without the armor on I was clearly underage. I was disqualified, obviously, but that didn’t matter because when the armor came off, I noticed that I’d gotten my cutie mark.” Lance was openly grinning at this point, as were Farsight and Spearhead.
“Well, isn’t that something,” Farsight remarked. “And here I was, thinking you wouldn't be able to break a rule if the Princess herself ordered you to.”
Spearhead snickered and Lance rolled his eyes. “I was young once too, you know."
"Yeah, back when Nightmare Moon was banished," Farsight joked.
Lance gave him a glare in response, but to Farsight's surprise, he looked away a moment later, almost shamefully.
Spearhead noticed too. "Ignore him, sir. He's an idiot," he said apologetically. "Even if you are getting on in years, you're still pretty damn fit. You handled those changelings like a pro."
Lance sighed. "You remember what I said earlier about serving in Celestia's personal guard? I meant what I said. They don't say it to your face, but once you hit forty or so, they find some convenient excuse to send you away, and the replacement is always in his twenties. It happens to everypony who gets that far, no matter how good they are."
"Well, that's dumb," Farsight declared. "You kick flank! I mean, I was too busy trying not to die to see much, but you smacked those changelings around like toys."
"Yeah, I guess. Still, I have to wonder sometimes,” he confessed. He paused to step around a particularly large pile of refuse, trying desperately not to imagine what it was composed of.
"You shouldn't," Spearhead insisted. "I mean, even if you are getting old, that just means you know the ropes. Like, back there at the drain, you were able to tell us apart from the changelings, even though they looked just like us. You knew what to look for. And the security question was your idea too."
Lance straightened up a bit. Spearhead had a point—youth wasn't everything, and came with problems of its own, such as inexperience and brashness. Looking back on it, he was starting to realize just how much the three had depended on one another. Without his experience, Spearhead and Farsight would have just been captured like everypony else, while Lance would have fallen to his death or been killed by the changelings.
"And...sorry about calling you a fossil earlier," Farsight said sheepishly. "It was pretty mean, and I was wrong about you being a coward too. You haven't run away even once since we came down here."
"It's fine," Lance dismissed, although he did warm up a bit after hearing the words. "Besides, I was pretty hard on you too." Farsight unconsciously rubbed at his bruised neck, causing Lance to wince internally. "But, let's get back on topic. I told you my story, so what about you two? How'd you get your marks?"
Spearhead and Farsight exchanged a glance, and the unicorn cleared his throat. “Well, mine wasn’t quite as exciting as yours. As a colt, I was always really interested in magic, but the normal household spells unicorns are taught were boring to me. I wasn’t good enough to get into Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, but that didn’t stop me from trying to learn more.
“I ended up practicing levitation a lot, since that was one of the only spells I was good at. My dad was a blacksmith, so sometimes he’d have some projects laying around the house. I used to practice my magic by throwing spears, trying to hit a bullseye. I figured that magic was like lifting weights, and that the more I practiced, the stronger I'd get. Anyway, it was hard at first. I spent weeks just trying to build up enough force to get the spear onto the target from a decent range. Eventually, I got so frustrated once that the magic just kind of exploded out of me, and I hurled the spear and nailed the target dead center. But it didn’t stop there. It went all the way through the target, the block of hay behind it, and finally stopped halfway through the fence around our yard.”
He chuckled nervously. “Never did manage a propulsion spell that strong again, but it did convince me that maybe battle magic was my forte. When I noticed my cutie mark a few seconds later, that cinched it for me.”
"Must be nice having a cutie mark like that," Farsight commented. "I mean, it's a glowing spear. Pretty easy to figure out what it means, unlike that abstract crap some ponies end up with."
Spearhead grinned. "I guess so, but it also kinda means I'm only good at one thing. Anyway, what about you? How’d you get your cutie mark?”
Farsight’s ears went flat, and he looked away before mumbling something incomprehensible.
“Huh?” Spearhead prodded, only to get the same result. He was about to try again, before Farsight finally spoke up.
“I got it for…bird watching,” he muttered, cheeks burning.
“Bird watching?” Spearhead repeated, raising an eyebrow.
“Yes, bird watching, okay?” he blurted out. “Mom always liked watching birds, and so did I but I’d never admit it. She always dragged me along with her and tried to teach me things. I never cared about it that much, but I did like watching the scenery, trying to pick out small details, pony watching, that kind of thing,” Farsight said in a rush.
“Well that’s…interesting,” the unicorn said lamely. “Er, how’d you end up joining the Guard, then?”
“Well, I just liked flying, but I didn’t want to be a weatherpony. I hate the static shocks you get from messing with clouds, and I wasn’t very good at it anyway. I thought about the Wonderbolts, but I was nowhere near good enough for that. The Royal Guard was my next choice. I was only planning to stay on for a couple years at first, but in training I turned out to be pretty good with a crossbow, so I decided to make a career out of it.” Despite Farsight’s embarrassment, there was a clear note of pride in his voice.
“Well, we don’t judge,” Lance cut in. “Everypony gets their cutie mark in a different way. Just because it was a bit…unexpected doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing.” Spearhead nodded in agreement.
“Aw…Thanks guys,” Farsight said sheepishly, giving both of them a smile.
“Doesn’t mean we won’t make fun of you though,” Lance added, with a positively evil grin.
Farsight’s ears went flat upon hearing that, and he started to look regretful.
“But it’s all in good fun, right?” Lance prodded, giving Spearhead a stern look.
“Yeah, all in good fun,” the unicorn agreed. “Besides, you’ll get plenty of dirt on us if you stick around long enough.”
“I can only hope,” the pegasus grumbled, although he didn’t quite manage to hide his smile.
"So, what about family? Lance?"
"My parents are still alive, but retired. I have a sister too, we send letters every once in a while. What about you?"
"My parents, and two brothers," Spearhead replied. "One's eight years old. His name is Valiant Heart, and he wants to join the Guard too. He's kind of scrawny though, so he's got a lot of work to do, but I told him I'd help him work out when I get leave."
"What about your other brother? What's his name?" Farsight asked.
"Arcane Starlight. He's only a couple years younger than me, and he's going to school. Wants to be an enchanter. He's pretty good at it, from what I've seen."
"Like, for magic objects and stuff?" Farsight asked.
"Yeah. Like wagons that pull themselves, or self-cleaning dishes. Only problem is, they have to be enchanted individually by skilled unicorns, so they're kind of expensive and hard to get. He wants to figure out a way to streamline the process and make it possible to mass produce them."
"That sounds useful," Lance observed. "It'd make farming a lot easier if the equipment did some of the work by itself."
"Yeah, that's the kind of the thing he has in mind," Spearhead agreed.
"So what about you, Farsight?" Lance asked.
"Well, my dad wasn't really around, to be honest," Farsight admitted. "Mom was though. She's still back home in Las Pegasus. I've got a few friends there, but I haven't seen 'em in a while. Got a marefriend too, but it's nothing serious. I like her and all, but we don't get to see each other often enough."
"What's she like?" Spearhead asked. "And how much are you paying her to pretend to like you?"
Farsight glared in response, causing the unicorn to chuckle. "Seriously though, tell me about her," Spearhead persisted.
"Alright, fine. Her name is Heat Wave, and she's a pegasus like me. Despite her name, she actually isn't a weatherpony. She's..." Farsight trailed off, his cheeks turning red.
"Go on, you can tell us," Lance encouraged.
"She's a dancer," Farsight admitted.
The other two stallions blinked. "What's wrong with that?" Lance asked.
"Like...exotic dancer," Farsight clarified.
"Oh."
"Yeah."
"So...do you mind at all?" Spearhead asked.
Farsight shrugged. "Not really. It's not like she actually sleeps with anypony. Besides, she is pretty hot, and it brings in a lot of money. It just makes for awkward dinner conversation."
"Interesting," Spearhead mused. "Lance and I might have to drop by sometime. Maybe get a private dance," he said with a cheeky grin.
Farsight glared at him and jabbed the unicorn in his sore ribs, earning a pained yelp. "Hooves off my mare," he growled.
"Children please, daddy is very tired," Lance said wryly.
Farsight gasped in mock-horror. "Spearhead, I'm scared! Lance just made a joke!"
"Does daddy need me to get him his special bottle?" Spearhead asked with a smirk.
"I don't drink on duty," Lance said dryly.
"Hey, look!" Spearhead said, pointing a hoof forward. Following the gesture, Lance's eyes widened when he saw the tiny pinprick of light at the end of the tunnel.
“Alright, double time it, soldiers!” Lance barked. Both of his companions gave shouts in acknowledgement, and the two grounded ponies thundered down the tunnel, as quickly as Spearhead's injured ribs permitted them, while Farsight zipped along behind them.
About a minute later, the trio emerged, and Lance had to restrain himself from releasing a joyful shout as they finally exited the sewer. Ahead of them were the outer walls of Canterlot Castle, the palace itself nestled further up the mountain. Much to their worry, the gates had been blasted open, but there were no ponies or changelings in sight.
Unsure of what that meant, Lance took a cautious step forward, looking around for any signs of life. They could still hear ponies screaming in the distance, but nopony nearby. The squad leader frowned, considering his next move.
That was when the ground started shaking, and Lance and Spearhead stumbled as they tried to remain on their hooves. “Hey, look!” Farsight shouted, pointing a hoof toward the castle. Following the gesture, Lance and Spearhead gasped at the sight.
A swirling field of pink magic was building up around the castle, crackling with energy as it slowly grew in size. It then faltered, drawing in on itself for a moment, but then exploded outward without warning, sending a massive wave of magical power in all directions.
“Hit the deck!” Lance bellowed, leading by example. The other two followed, but none of them were able to tear their eyes away from the spectacle.
The wave of magic tore past, passing through the guards harmlessly, although each was flooded with a sudden sense of compassion and contentment. After the magic passed through them without effect, the three of them climbed to their hooves and galloped toward the street, watching in awe as it picked up every changeling in sight and hurled them away from the city like ragdolls.
It was over in seconds. A battle that lasted hours had been ended in the blink of an eye. The fires still burned, and the prisoners still had to be liberated, but they had won the day.
"Well...That was convenient," Spearhead said dryly.
“What...in Celestia’s name...was that?” Farsight said in awe.
“Spearhead?” Lance prompted. If anypony knew, it would be their unicorn.
“I…honestly have no idea,” he admitted. “I’ve never felt anything like it, but it was…powerful. It almost felt like a magical shield, but somehow…more. Sure did feel good, though.”
“Yeah, it really did,” Farsight agreed. “Like flying for the first time.”
“Or casting your first spell,” Spearhead added.
Both of them looked at Lance, who cocked an eyebrow. “What am I supposed to say? That it was like growing my first crop?”
They rolled their eyes, then observed as the royal guards in the area were freed and began to help restore order. “So…what now?” Farsight wondered.
Silence reigned, but Spearhead sighed. “I guess we should help out,” he grumbled, looking at Long Lance for confirmation.
"Nah, we need to get those ribs looked at," Farsight said, pointing at the nasty dark spot on Spearhead's side.
"What about your head?" Spearhead asked with a grin. "You're actually talking sense, and that has me worried."
Farsight glared. "One more shot like that, and I'm going to break the other half of your ribs," he threatened, but his slight grin ruined the threat. "Besides, Lance is the one in charge, so what's it gonna be?"
The squad leader stared at them for a moment, then snorted. “Nah, screw that. I just want a drink. You two with me?”
Farsight and Spearhead stared at him for a moment, disbelieving, before breaking out into broad grins. “Right behind you sir,” the pegasus chirped.
Lance give both of them a small smile. “I know this good place a few blocks from here. They give a discount to royal guards. You know, if it hasn't been burned down anyway."
Just like before, Lance led the way, but paused as he looked back at his companions. “I just want to say, it’s been an honor working with you two. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“We couldn’t have done it without you, either,” Farsight said modestly. “If it hadn’t been for you, we’d have just been captured in the first five minutes, like everypony else.”
“Or, Farsight and I would’ve killed each other,” Spearhead added.
“Still, this is the best damn squad I’ve ever served in,” Lance said, grinning at both of them.
“Don’t get all mushy on us, sir,” Farsight smirked. “It’s kinda weird when you aren’t being a jerk.”
Lance raised an eyebrow. “You know, I was gonna buy the drinks, but since you made that comment, now you’re gonna do it.”
“Much better!” Spearhead said cheerfully. “Lead the way, sir!”
Lance chuckled in spite of himself, and he resumed the trot toward the bar he had in mind, his new friends following in his wake.
Author's Note
Internet cookies to anyone who spots the references!
