In Times of Warby Th4ackChaptersChapter One - LeavingChapter Two - The BattleChapter Three - The Bearers of Bad NewsChapter Four - Epilogue Chapter One - LeavingIn times of war... Pointless death, pointless destruction accomplishing our temporary objectives achieving nothing Painful wounds, painful goodbyes Iron, steel and lead colliding Ending hostilities, but causing more. Celestia and I were sorrowfully staring down at the poor stallion who had to leave his family. His wife begged us and pleaded for us to change our minds, but we unfortunately had no choice. He had to leave, we needed every warrior we could get our hands (hooves in Celestia's case) on. This man had been part of the Royal Guard for many years, well before Celestia and I were even engaged. Now that we were an official couple, we performed royal duties together, and this case was no different. This stallion was going to be sent to Canterlot to help defend against the upcoming changeling attack, we received word they would be upon us within hours. He had to leave his family behind, and had to make his final goodbyes soon. I wished there was another way, truly, but there was none. We needed him with us to defend against the storm. One of our best guards, one of our most loyal, and equally loyal to his friends and family, was about to be yanked from them for who knows how long. His wife was absolutely bawling. She lied there on the floor, crying, and staring up at us with her red, teary eyes. "Why are you doing this?" She sobbed. "Why must you take him away from me, from his family!? You're abandoning us!" I had no idea what to say, so I kept my mouth shut. I thought about saying something, and was about to choose some of the most carefully chosen words I had ever said, but Celestia spoke up first. "I... We..." She paused, looking at me with much sorrow in her eyes. She somehow had refrained from crying, but you could see the pain this was causing her. "We didn't mean to do this, especially on such short notice. Your husband has been with the Guard for so many years, and is one of our most experienced soldiers. We know how much you love him, and how much you both care for each other." This was very true. Every time Celestia and I took the chariot to Ponyville to visit Twilight Sparkle and her friends, we always saw those two walking about, talking about the latest gossip, guard news and general family business. We thought it was really cute, they seemed inseparable. I always told Celestia it reminded me of us, as long as we didn't have any royal paperwork to file. She would always laugh and blush at the comment. These times are of course, much different. The attack was imminent, and we all knew that the ruthless changeling queen and her army would show no mercy. This mare was dealing with so much right now, and we were trying to be there for her. "We had no idea an invasion would be this soon, ma'am." I stated, relieving Celestia of this very painful conversation. "We tried the best we could to repel it, but the changelings are soon going to be on our front doorstep. We need all hooves on deck if this can be stopped. I'm sorry, but your husband needs to help us. There is no other choice." Perhaps I should have worded that a bit less bluntly. The mare looked to us, eyeing us one by one. She then eyed her husband, who nodded softly to her. She then looked back at us, an intense frown forming on her face. "What if he chose to stay here, with his family!? He could help guard us and keep us safe!" She yelled, tears still forming. Celestia looked like she was going to speak, but the guard spoke instead. "Berry, honey, I need to go. Equestria is at stake here, and I need to help protect it. What would it be like if we lost our Princess? The whole country would be in chaos! I love you, but I have to go..." He said, the last part almost in a whisper, but heard by everypony clear as day. "But I love you! I don't want to lose you!" She shouted, causing her two fillies to look at her confused. She fell down, more tears streaming from her face like Neighagra Falls. The guard went to try and comfort his devastated wife. "I love you, you know that." He reassured her, a stray tear falling from his eye. "I would never abandon you, the most beautiful mare I put my eyes on." He smiled. This was painful for all of us. "But I need to go. It won't be forever, I can promise you that. Even though it may be like I'll be gone forever, I'll come back, Celestia as my witness." He pointed at Celestia, who looked at him briefly, before looking back down. She nuzzled her face into my chest. I gave her the best hug I could muster in return. I was there to comfort my wife, and he was there to comfort his. "It's your job to protect the family until I get back. You're a strong mare, we all believe in you. If you can get through this, you can go though anything the changelings dish out at us." He looked down at the two fillies, next to their mom, confused and worried about her. "Daddy's going away for a while, kids. It's your job to protect mom. Make her feel better if she gets sad, and wait until I get back. Daddy will come back, I promise you." He smiled, the fillies still confused. He gave them each a hug, and told them to behave while he was gone. He looked at me next. "So when does the next train to Canterlot leave?" He asked, further driving his wife to tears. The kids tried their best to make her feel better, and it seemed to have worked, somewhat. Their innocent smiles seemed to have been just the trick to get the mare to stop her sobbing. So as not to upset his wife, I leaned into his ear and told him, "in about an hour. If you make it to the station soon you might be able to catch it." Celestia looked up at him. "We will get the rest of the troops garrisoned in defensive mode, to protect the castle and the city. This will be our final stronghold against the queen." She whispered, the soldier nodding. "Alright". The guard said. Not long after he said this, another guard bursted through the door behind us. "Celestia, Tyler! I bring grave news." He announced to the room. "What is it?" Celestia and I asked in unison. "Fillydelphia is in ruins! The changelings leveled the place!" "Did you evacuate everypony?" The Princess asked calmly, so calmly my jaw dropped somewhat. "We believe so, yes." "You believe so!?" I almost shouted at him. "Everypony should be safe and sound, not assumed to be safe and sound." "Sir, we did the best we could to evacuate everyone." He assured. "The changelings overwhelmed us. Forgive me for saying this, but if they fought this hard for a city like Fillydelphia, imagine them trying to take over Canterlot!" "If we have high enough defenses, we just might be able to turn the tides." Celestia said, everyone in the room looking at her. "So what do you suggest we do, Princess?" The guard asked, looking at both me and her. I figured it was obvious, that we go aid Fillydelphia before the battle, but she had something else in mind. "We need to tighten our security around here. If they can easily take over that city, we need to make sure Canterlot is on high alert at all times." She said, without any stutter in her voice to speak of. "Um, honey?" I say, a little worried about her course of action. "Don't you think we should help the ponies in Fillydelphia a little bit before the fight?" "We can, and will, but only after we win the fight, sweetie." She said, a small glimpse of a smile on her face. She abruptly changed back to her battle-ready face. "If we lose Canterlot, we will instantly lose this war. We must defend our castle, and the ponies around it, at all costs." "I uhh... I understand." I said, understanding her point, but disheartened that the poor ponies in that city would get no help whatsoever, at least for a while. They wouldn't stand a chance against the changeling army, as Fillydelphia was more of an office city than anything. Both Celestia and I knew that the defenses of that city were lackluster, to say the least. Canterlot had a lot more robust of a military system, but we still needed as many troops as possible to defend it, hence why we were here. "So give the order to head to the train station?" The guard asked Celestia for confirmation. She sighed a sigh of pure grief. She knew the choice she made would determine the fate of the city, if not Equestria in its entirety. "Yes." She confirmed. "Yes, Your Highness!" He saluted, rushing outside to tell the other guards her orders. We both looked at the guard, and his family. They all knew what would happen next. "We're very, very sorry that this happened," she paused, looking at the mare. She appeared to be keeping her composure together very well, with the aid of the two fillies next to her. "But," she continued. "This war cannot be won if we don't get as many guards as possible to Canterlot at once. That city will be our last hope if we are to succeed." "I..." The young mare stuttered. "I understand what you mean, Princess." She said, looking up at Celestia, smiling, even through all of her tears. The two mares hugged each other, smiling as the guard and I looked on. "We would never ask you to do this if the situation was different." I assured them both. I looked at the mare, who was keeping her composure much better than before. She looked back at me, the tears now dried away from her eyes. "Once this fight is over, we will bring your husband back. We will win, and he will return, I promise you." I said, trying to make her feel better. "Everything will be back to the way it was before, and you could have your normal lives back again." Celestia said, smiling to the now comforted mare. The children gazed up at the tall alicorn, who they most likely never even saw this close before. One of them spoke up. "Please keep daddy safe." She said simply. They had faith in the Princess, they believed in her. A stray tear fell down Celestia's face following the request. "I will, child, I will." She said, smiling down on the two fillies. This was a solemn promise, a promise approved of by the Princess. The two fillies smiled weakly, then darted back over to their mother. The same guard opened the door again, but appeared to be more relaxed. He stepped inside, and looked at the Princess directly. "Your Highness, are we ready to leave?" He asked emotionlessly. He at least appeared to be emotionless, although he could have been doing a successful job hiding it. The Princess stood up, and beckoned us to follow her out the door. "Goodbye Berry, goodbye kids." The guard we came here for said, weakly. He slowly stepped out through the doorway. As we closed the door, the poor mare who had been sobbing for so long called out, "Wait!". We stopped as she reopened the door, and handed her husband a spear, dagger and golden helmet, signature pieces of equipment used by the royal guard. "You forgot these." She said, weakly smiling at her husband. The guard took his belongings, and kissed his wife goodbye. "Goodbye hun, I'll be back soon." He promised. "I know." She said simply, closing the door behind her gently. We marched off to the train station, with one of our best soldiers now in tow. Author's Note The first chapter of three. Enjoy! Chapter Two - The BattleThe changelings had stormed the castle early, much earlier than anticipated. The citizens of Canterlot were quickly evacuated right before the fight began, and once the massive shadow of changelings emerged, and made its way to the city, the closer death seemed it would be. Fortunately for us, Twilight Sparkle and her friends were already there, prepared to fight them off with us. It was a sight for sore eyes, finally seeing the Elements of Harmony in action. With one huge blast of magic energy, the queen was quickly blasted out of Equestria. With such a strong power on your side, it really does make you feel special. Unfortunately, the rest of the queen's army was not as easily driven out. They attacked the city with so much force, they easily overran many of our barricades. One of those barricades was assigned to the guard we were instructed to protect. The barricades closer to the castle had hardened Royal Guards protecting them, and you could see the experience these guys had. They swatted the changelings away like flies. All except for one: the soldier we needed to protect. He was no where to be seen. Best case scenario, he had deserted us. Worst case scenario, he had been overrun. Even with the massive amount of soldiers at his command, a few changelings were able to make their way past his troops. They flew as fast as they could away from his barricade when they found most of their friends had perished trying to overwhelm the barrier guards. It looked like they were trying to storm the castle head on. They almost made it to the castle door, but our defenses were too strong for them, and we crushed the weakened army with ease. We lost a few brave men, but they lost scores more. The victory was decisive, Canterlot had been successfully defended. An hour later, once the all clear was given, many ponies returned back to the city. Many were assigned to clean up the dead bodies of fallen changelings, a job I wouldn't wish on anypony. A few of the guards stationed at Berry's husband's barricade decided to investigate where he had left, and if they found him maybe charge him for desertion. I decided against doing that, but went to join their search party. Celestia kept true to her word, and went to Fillydelphia at once to help them rebuild. I decided to talk to the guard who was supposed to be second in command, but once it was clear his commanding officer had vanished, was promoted. "So he just vanished right in front of your face?" I asked him curiously. "Kind of," was his reply. "He was about to attack a changeling charging at him. One was about to attack me, so I had to look away for a few moments." He paused, looking down at the spot we were at. We were standing right in the middle of the cleaned up barricade. He pointed his hoof at the spot where he was. "I was standing right there." He confirmed. "Once the changeling attacking me was dealt with, I looked back where he was to see if he was okay. He was gone, and the changeling with him was gone, too". "Hmm..." I pondered, trying to think. A guard that was standing near us called out to the guard next to me. "Hey, Stardust! You have some extra weapons and armor stockpiled over here, should I clean them up?" He asked. "Extra weapons and armor? We didn't have any laying around before." He said, turning around to face the other guard. "Where is it?" "Over here, sir." The guard said, pointing down. We walked over to him, and sure enough, three pieces of guard equipment were laying on the ground, perfectly lined up. A spear, dagger, and golden helmet. Not much of a stockpile, if you ask me. However, it was the same exact equipment Berry had given her husband before the battle. "Stardust, you said that both him and the changeling vanished, right?" I asked. "Yep, haven't seen either of them since the battle ended." He replied. "That changeling must have cast a spell, teleporting them to another location. That explains why we haven't seen them since." I concluded. "But why would his equipment still be here?" The second guard asked. "He must have fought that changeling with his bare hooves if that was the case". "The changeling must have known that he would need it, so the spell would forcibly remove his equipment from him." I assumed. "Your guess is as good as mine, boss". Stardust replied. "I don't know anything about changeling magic, aside from that it lets them change into any form they want." "With all due respect, sir." The second guard said to Stardust. "Everypony knows that". "Get back to work, Private." Stardust commanded. "We have a city that needs cleaning, and our orders are to clean it. Let's hop to it!" Stardust and the other guard went back to work, and I needed to inform my wife about this ASAP. Author's Note The second chapter of three. Much less lengthy than the first. Regardless, enjoy! Chapter Three - The Bearers of Bad NewsA lengthy search for the missing guard yielded no true answers. He was MIA for days, with no other clues as to how he vanished. The only things left behind by him was his gear, that was it. There were no shouts for help, and no dead changeling; just one missing changeling, and one missing guard. And where either of them were was anypony's guess at this point. Celestia and I did not want to be the bearers of bad news to his family. They still were waiting, patiently for our arrival, with their husband/father in tow. They had faith in us, and we just may have failed them. What was the most scary thought though, would be if we did randomly find him. While there was a possibility that this would be the stallion we were looking for, he could very well be the missing changeling, disguised as the MIA guard. It would be quite challenging telling them apart. When no new leads on the missing guard case turned up, Celestia and I made an agreement to go tell his family what happened. We would tell them about the war, and who the obvious victor was. We didn't even know if they knew it ended yet. But the main reason of us being there would be to tell them that their husband and father was missing in action. He could have potentially been kidnapped by a changeling right before the fighting would have stopped. We brought his helmet with us, to maybe help explain what had happened. Celestia and I were walking to the family's house, who were eagerly awaiting our return. We decided against taking the royal chariot to go here; it would be too fast of a travel. We needed some time to think about what we should say to them. "So what should we tell them?" I asked. "That their father is missing, presumed to be dead? Seems too blunt of a statement to me." "I agree," she replied. "We should try to let them down easily, and first tell them about the victory." "It won't be much of a victory to them once we tell them what happened to the guard." I mumbled. "We don't know entirely what their reaction would be, sweetie." She said. "They, the wife especially, might end up handling it pretty well. Besides, we don't really know if he died." "Let's hope they stay as calm and collected as they were when we first left that house." I said. "I just hope we don't have as dangerous of a conversation with them this time." I paused, looking up at her. "How come the few times we went to this house, we've always had to deliver bad news to them? Can't we just stay there and have some tea or something?" I asked her. "Tyler, you know our schedule wouldn't allow that." She said, somewhat disheartened. "We've been extraordinarily busy for a while now, especially after the attack on Canterlot." This was very true as well. After the battle, we had been constantly moving about, giving aid to anypony in need. We have both been making frequent stops to the city of shambles previously known as Fillydelphia, providing assistance. Many other cities had also been hit by the changeling army, cities such as Manehattan and Las Pegasus. None of the destruction matched that of Fillydelphia. Why would they attack a city like that with such ferocity, and send maybe half of what we were expecting to Canterlot? "Celly," I said to her. "Do you have any idea why they would destroy Fillydelphia like that, but not attack Canterlot with anywhere near as much force?" She looked down to the ground as we walked. "You have to remember that they tried to take over our city once already, and failed." "But why Fillydelphia? Why not another city like Manehattan, Vanhoover, or even Ponyville?" "Perhaps it was to cripple our businesses and economy. It would have been a much easier target for them to take control of, the events that transpired earlier proving that." She looked up at me directly. "I had thought about sending more troops there, especially since that we easily had enough to defend ourselves in Canterlot." "It's a little too late to have thoughts like that now. What happened, happened, there's no changing that. All we can do is rebuild, and look forward into the future." I said, trying to encourage her spirit. "It's a good thing that no pony that lived there was seriously injured. We had to hospitalize a few, but for the most part everypony was safe and sound." She said. This made me feel better, a little bit. I had always wondered how many managed to escape before the attack began. No pony before her had given me a clear answer for some reason. Of course we still had to deliver that bad news of their husband/father's disappearance to the guard's family. This would be the hardest news to deliver by anypony, to anypony. We continued walking, and could see the family's house in the distance. I hesitated to go there, but like having to send him away from them, there was no choice. We felt the wind shift, now coming from the north much stronger than before. We looked over the horizon to see a storm brewing. Dark clouds, moving at a pretty fast speed, seemed to be somewhat chasing after us. Under all of those clouds, a figure seemed to be approaching. Celestia and I stopped to get a better view. "Did the weather ponies schedule a storm? That must be one of them now." I said to Celestia. The figure was now galloping, full speed ahead. It looked like it was trying to outrun the clouds behind him. We could see some of his facial features as he raced toward us. I recognized that gray coat and purple mane from anywhere. It was the guard. "Is that him?" I asked, squinting to get a better view. "It... It has to be. It's either him or the changeling, and there's only one way to find out." She replied. She started to walk forward towards the sprinting figure, with an almost hypnotized look in her eyes as she trotted. "What if it's the changeling?" I asked, warning her of a possible impending doom. "That's what I'm concerned about." We walked cautiously, towards the approaching figure. He still galloped toward us, full speed. He had a look of pure concentration on his face, like he was trying to accomplish a very important goal. "If it's not him," she whispered to me. "Just play along. We might be able to force him to show his real form." "Got it." I replied. He stopped in front of us. It looked just like him, same mane, fur color, eyes, everything. Either this was him, which we both were doubting, or it was the changeling. He took off his helmet (which we were wondering why he had to begin with) as a sign of respect to address his commanders. "Greetings, Princess. Hello, Tyler." He said, blankly. At least he (or it) knew our names. "Where were you? We searched all over Equestria to find you!" Celestia said to him. He was about to speak, but I decided to ask him about his equipment he now apparently had. "And why do you have your helmet? It's supposed to be right here." I asked, showing him the helmet with "his" initials on it. The helmet he currently had had no initials on it whatsoever. "That filthy changeling casted a spell and teleported me somewhere far away, somehow causing my equipment to vanish. I had to scavenge some old worn down equipment, and had to repair it myself." He handed me his helmet. It was an official Royal Guard helmet, but it was much more worn down than the other one. It appeared to be an older type than the currently issued helmet, so this gave me even more doubts than I had before. Celestia noticed my concern, and also examined the helmet carefully. She had her doubts too, from the looks of it. "Did you recognize where you were when you teleported?" She asked him. "I did not. It was unlike any other place I had been to before." The guard replied. "I see..." She said, before glimpsing at me as I gave her the helmet. "Umm... That's mine." The guard said to Celestia. You do NOT address royalty that way. "Excuse me?" Celestia said, in an offended, but baffled tone. The guard looked around, frantically. "Uh, I mean uhh... Keep it, it's yours." He said, smiling worriedly. "Uh-huh." I said, not believing what I just heard. "Well, then. Mister Guard," I continued. "Don't you think you should go reunite yourself with your family? I'm sure they're ready to see you." Celestia gasped, and looked at me, then at the guard, smiling at the both of us uncomfortably. "Guard, please excuse us for a moment." She nervously chuckled, dragging me away from him. We were far away from the guard when she finally released me from her grip. "Are you CRAZY!?" She angrily whispered. "You are putting that family in grave danger by doing this!" "Celly, I know what I'm doing. Once we expose this guy as a real changeling, we'll be able to capture him, and then maybe find the real guard." "If this family gets injured, I... I don't even know what I would do!" She almost shouted. "We already have evidence that supports the theory that he is a changeling." "I know, but we have to be sure." I said simply, then starting to walk over to him. She followed, fuming until we got close to him. "Alright, guard. Ready to go see your family again?" I asked, smiling. We heard thunder clap from the distant storm, that was rapidly approaching. "We should also take some cover from the storm." I said. "Yeah." He said, seemingly unsure about this. We made it to the family's house, and I knocked on the door. The guard's wife, the mare who cried non stop, opened it. Celestia and I smiled at her, Celestia's smile was more forced given her concern. "Honey, you're back!" She shouted happily. She hugged and kissed him, Celestia and I eyeing each other uneasily. She leaned back to the doorway, still smiling away. "Who the HAY are you?" The "guard" asked her. This had confirmed it, he was definitely a changeling. The mare jumped back in shock at the words. "What? Don't be silly, honey, you remember me!" She smiled, trying to shake off the words. "Who is this?" He asked Celestia and I directly. We frowned at him, mentally telling him that he should know who this mare was. "Oh, yeah! You're uhh... Uhh..." He paused, putting a hoof to his chin. "Alright, that's enough of this." He said, in a voice much different than his normal one. We were blinded by this green light that somehow emitted from this guard's body. I pushed the mare back into her house, slamming the door shut to keep her safe. When our vision was repaired, we saw a changeling snarling at us. He was definitely a changeling, we can confirm that. "DEATH TO THE PRINCESS!!" It screamed. It pulled out the guard sword it had in a scabbard on its side. The princess prepared her magic to defend herself against the attacker. We heard a mighty battle cry, and we looked up. Charging at it the same direction the clouds came from, another guard, matching the same look as that of the real guard, charged toward the imposter. He galloped at ludicrous speed toward us, a speed I considered near impossible to achieve. He leapt into the air, and tackled the confused changeling. He tried restraining the creature, causing it to nearly stab him. He dodged the attack, and Celestia with her magic, disarmed the attacker. An assassination attempt on the princess had been successfully averted. The changeling was then hoof-cuffed. This was the first changeling to be captured alive by anyone in Equestria. "Well, we know who the real guard is now." I said bluntly. The true guard reclaimed his sword, and bowed. "Here to serve you, your Highnesses." He said, smiling weakly. "You... You're alive!" Celestia gasped, a hoof over her mouth. "How did you-". "I'm sure you heard this from the imposter, but he teleported us away from the battlefield, to some rural area by Ponyville." He explained. "We continued to fight there. Somehow my armor was gone, as well as my weapons. We fought with our own bare hooves. I got him pinned to the ground, before he teleported again, just taking himself away this time, leaving me alone on the outskirts of Ponyville." "So that's why he had different armor than you. He was telling the truth when he said he needed to scavenge some for himself." I said to him. "That would have to be the case, though I don't know where he would find some." He replied. "It was an older helmet type, but was still an official Royal Guard one." I beckoned Celestia to show him the helmet, which she did. "I see. As I was saying, after the fight, I contacted Twilight Sparkle, who apparently had left the battlefield right after she defeated the queen. We talked, and taught me a spell on how to teleport far distances. After many days of practicing, I finally got it down pact, and decided to teleport home. I said goodbye to her, and teleported here. Then I saw you all in conflict with the changeling here." He said. "Ah yes, and as for the changeling..." Celestia said, looking angrily at the creature. Her horn glowed, and soon the changeling vanished. "Where did he go!?" I shouted, thinking he escaped again. "Don't worry, honey. He's just been sent to the Canterlot dungeon for who knows how long." She said, grinning. "Good, as long as we have that creature under control, I am a happy man." I replied. "If you two don't mind, I should return to my family. The missus hasn't seen me in days. I'm sure she's worried sick." "Very well, guard. We hope to see you soon." Celestia said. The guard then marched over to his front door. Thinking victory was ours, we both turned to each other and smiled. "You know, I probably could have defended myself against the changeling even if the guard didn't come here." She said, smirking. "I figured you could." I smiled back. "That's kinda why I just stood there." "Let's just give him the credit that he "saved" me, alright sweetie?" She said. "That's alright with me." I replied. Presently, we heard someone yell inside the house. We jumped and looked to the source of the bloodcurdling screams. We ran as fast as we could to see what the commotion was. The door was wide open, the guard had obviously entered inside. Thoughts rushed through my mind really fast. What just happened? Was someone hurt? Did someone get attacked? Was there a possibility that this guard could have been a second changeling? If so, why would he save the Princess? We entered the house, only to find the two staring at each other, terrified. The mare was holding an umbrella she appeared to be using as a weapon, and breathing really heavily. The guard was trying to calm her down, explaining that he was the real guard, that he was her real husband. "Come on, honey. How would I remember you if I was a changeling?" He asked, trying to make her relax. "Put down your weapon, I'm home." "You can't be my husband!" She shouted, pointing the umbrella at him, accusingly. "You have to be one of those changeling things!" "Ma'am, it's really him." I stated calmingly. "He can't be! Not after what happened!" "He saved the Princess from being killed," I stated. Obviously, this is somewhat of a lie, as she said she was more than capable of defending herself, but he did try to save her, and restrained the changeling before any harm could be done. Her eyes widened as she dropped the umbrella. "Is... that true?" She asked the Princess. "It certainly is. Why would a changeling save me, out of all the other ponies of Equestria?" Celestia asked her. "I... I don't know..." She said, trying to put the puzzle together. She looked at the guard. "Honey, is that you?" she asked like a little schoolfilly. "Berry, I'm home." He said, calmly. The two embraced each other warmly, both of them having doubts they'd see their significant other ever again. But, here they were. Together, after a war that nearly separated them, forever. The mare started crying as she held her husband close. "T-thank you... for everything, you two." She smiled through her teary eyes. "Thank you, for bringing him back to me." "We promised you we would bring him home" Celestia said, smiling. "And... and you kept it." The mare could barely contain her joy. "All I can really say is... thank you very much. Equestria is very lucky to have rulers like you." It was hard to take that compliment without my heart exploding. I never considered myself a ruler of Equestria, at all. I just considered myself lucky. Lucky to have fallen in love with Celly. Lucky to have married her. And lucky to be in a world as wonderful and caring as this one. And even when we had to defend ourselves using weapons instead of words, we still came out on top. I regretted having to banish the queen, and having to cause her army to be destroyed. But she sent out her troops to destroy us, and friendship itself. What else were we supposed to do? Author's Note The third chapter. Expect a small epilogue after this, so enjoy! Chapter Four - Epilogue Chapter Four - Epilogue Recommended listening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMhqRXvl-oo Celestia and I watched as the final building of the now repaired city of shambles, Fillydelphia, was finished. Hundreds of ponies were gathered around it. They waited patiently for the final brick, of the final building to be placed. Once it was, there was partying, dancing and cheering. At long last, Equestria had been rebuilt. The attack was history. "So, that's it. That's the last one." I said, staring up at the tall building. This building was not only an office building, but the first floor of it was a memorial and museum, dedicated to those who fought at the first and second changeling attacks of Equestria. "Yep, hard to believe the city wasn't like this a mere two weeks ago." Celestia said. "But we persevered. We saved Equestria, and friendship itself in some aspects." I replied. We stepped inside the museum. It included photos of the damage caused by the changelings. The destroyed buildings, rubble scattered here and there, and even a damaged flag of the united Equestria, still flying over a destroyed building. That flag was currently displayed on a wall. "I heard about this flag." I said, staring up at it. "They called it the Spirit of Equestria. It was still flying, even after the changeling army had decimated the place, beaten up, but still flying proudly." "It's a symbol of patriotism, something most citizens have in this country. This country defends love, freedom, and friendship especially. These three things make life worth living, especially if you have lived for as long as I have." The princess looked at me. "I've seen many things, Tyler. Many beings who love and believe in the power of friendship. But I've also seen many things who hated friendship and love, for various reasons. They all had their reasons, but had one thing in common." "And what was that, love?" I asked her. "They all wanted total control of Equestria; to shatter all remnants of love, friendship and freedom. They wanted to bend, and twist it until it was but a shadow of its former self. It would be filled with vile hated, prejudice, and no friendship to speak of. It would all be ruled by a single, cruel and careless leader. "I just want what's best for my subjects, and I believe that love, friendship, and the freedom from all distress is what is truly best for this country, and all the ponies that live in it." "Love, friendship and freedom were alive in my world, but they seemed to have been overshadowed by fear and hatred." I told her, holding her hoof gently. "Hatred and fear were much more widespread in my old world than here. Constant fighting, constant killing, and most of it for a lost cause. We sometimes tried to end things peacefully, but most of the time disagreements ended with fighting. If that world was like this one, we would probably be major allies with each other." I explained to her. A world like this was just the place I needed. It was a place full of love, kindness and happiness. And in times of war, all that friendship helped them rebuild. Author's Note A small epilogue to help complete the story. That's the end of "In Times of War".
Chapter One - LeavingIn times of war... Pointless death, pointless destruction accomplishing our temporary objectives achieving nothing Painful wounds, painful goodbyes Iron, steel and lead colliding Ending hostilities, but causing more. Celestia and I were sorrowfully staring down at the poor stallion who had to leave his family. His wife begged us and pleaded for us to change our minds, but we unfortunately had no choice. He had to leave, we needed every warrior we could get our hands (hooves in Celestia's case) on. This man had been part of the Royal Guard for many years, well before Celestia and I were even engaged. Now that we were an official couple, we performed royal duties together, and this case was no different. This stallion was going to be sent to Canterlot to help defend against the upcoming changeling attack, we received word they would be upon us within hours. He had to leave his family behind, and had to make his final goodbyes soon. I wished there was another way, truly, but there was none. We needed him with us to defend against the storm. One of our best guards, one of our most loyal, and equally loyal to his friends and family, was about to be yanked from them for who knows how long. His wife was absolutely bawling. She lied there on the floor, crying, and staring up at us with her red, teary eyes. "Why are you doing this?" She sobbed. "Why must you take him away from me, from his family!? You're abandoning us!" I had no idea what to say, so I kept my mouth shut. I thought about saying something, and was about to choose some of the most carefully chosen words I had ever said, but Celestia spoke up first. "I... We..." She paused, looking at me with much sorrow in her eyes. She somehow had refrained from crying, but you could see the pain this was causing her. "We didn't mean to do this, especially on such short notice. Your husband has been with the Guard for so many years, and is one of our most experienced soldiers. We know how much you love him, and how much you both care for each other." This was very true. Every time Celestia and I took the chariot to Ponyville to visit Twilight Sparkle and her friends, we always saw those two walking about, talking about the latest gossip, guard news and general family business. We thought it was really cute, they seemed inseparable. I always told Celestia it reminded me of us, as long as we didn't have any royal paperwork to file. She would always laugh and blush at the comment. These times are of course, much different. The attack was imminent, and we all knew that the ruthless changeling queen and her army would show no mercy. This mare was dealing with so much right now, and we were trying to be there for her. "We had no idea an invasion would be this soon, ma'am." I stated, relieving Celestia of this very painful conversation. "We tried the best we could to repel it, but the changelings are soon going to be on our front doorstep. We need all hooves on deck if this can be stopped. I'm sorry, but your husband needs to help us. There is no other choice." Perhaps I should have worded that a bit less bluntly. The mare looked to us, eyeing us one by one. She then eyed her husband, who nodded softly to her. She then looked back at us, an intense frown forming on her face. "What if he chose to stay here, with his family!? He could help guard us and keep us safe!" She yelled, tears still forming. Celestia looked like she was going to speak, but the guard spoke instead. "Berry, honey, I need to go. Equestria is at stake here, and I need to help protect it. What would it be like if we lost our Princess? The whole country would be in chaos! I love you, but I have to go..." He said, the last part almost in a whisper, but heard by everypony clear as day. "But I love you! I don't want to lose you!" She shouted, causing her two fillies to look at her confused. She fell down, more tears streaming from her face like Neighagra Falls. The guard went to try and comfort his devastated wife. "I love you, you know that." He reassured her, a stray tear falling from his eye. "I would never abandon you, the most beautiful mare I put my eyes on." He smiled. This was painful for all of us. "But I need to go. It won't be forever, I can promise you that. Even though it may be like I'll be gone forever, I'll come back, Celestia as my witness." He pointed at Celestia, who looked at him briefly, before looking back down. She nuzzled her face into my chest. I gave her the best hug I could muster in return. I was there to comfort my wife, and he was there to comfort his. "It's your job to protect the family until I get back. You're a strong mare, we all believe in you. If you can get through this, you can go though anything the changelings dish out at us." He looked down at the two fillies, next to their mom, confused and worried about her. "Daddy's going away for a while, kids. It's your job to protect mom. Make her feel better if she gets sad, and wait until I get back. Daddy will come back, I promise you." He smiled, the fillies still confused. He gave them each a hug, and told them to behave while he was gone. He looked at me next. "So when does the next train to Canterlot leave?" He asked, further driving his wife to tears. The kids tried their best to make her feel better, and it seemed to have worked, somewhat. Their innocent smiles seemed to have been just the trick to get the mare to stop her sobbing. So as not to upset his wife, I leaned into his ear and told him, "in about an hour. If you make it to the station soon you might be able to catch it." Celestia looked up at him. "We will get the rest of the troops garrisoned in defensive mode, to protect the castle and the city. This will be our final stronghold against the queen." She whispered, the soldier nodding. "Alright". The guard said. Not long after he said this, another guard bursted through the door behind us. "Celestia, Tyler! I bring grave news." He announced to the room. "What is it?" Celestia and I asked in unison. "Fillydelphia is in ruins! The changelings leveled the place!" "Did you evacuate everypony?" The Princess asked calmly, so calmly my jaw dropped somewhat. "We believe so, yes." "You believe so!?" I almost shouted at him. "Everypony should be safe and sound, not assumed to be safe and sound." "Sir, we did the best we could to evacuate everyone." He assured. "The changelings overwhelmed us. Forgive me for saying this, but if they fought this hard for a city like Fillydelphia, imagine them trying to take over Canterlot!" "If we have high enough defenses, we just might be able to turn the tides." Celestia said, everyone in the room looking at her. "So what do you suggest we do, Princess?" The guard asked, looking at both me and her. I figured it was obvious, that we go aid Fillydelphia before the battle, but she had something else in mind. "We need to tighten our security around here. If they can easily take over that city, we need to make sure Canterlot is on high alert at all times." She said, without any stutter in her voice to speak of. "Um, honey?" I say, a little worried about her course of action. "Don't you think we should help the ponies in Fillydelphia a little bit before the fight?" "We can, and will, but only after we win the fight, sweetie." She said, a small glimpse of a smile on her face. She abruptly changed back to her battle-ready face. "If we lose Canterlot, we will instantly lose this war. We must defend our castle, and the ponies around it, at all costs." "I uhh... I understand." I said, understanding her point, but disheartened that the poor ponies in that city would get no help whatsoever, at least for a while. They wouldn't stand a chance against the changeling army, as Fillydelphia was more of an office city than anything. Both Celestia and I knew that the defenses of that city were lackluster, to say the least. Canterlot had a lot more robust of a military system, but we still needed as many troops as possible to defend it, hence why we were here. "So give the order to head to the train station?" The guard asked Celestia for confirmation. She sighed a sigh of pure grief. She knew the choice she made would determine the fate of the city, if not Equestria in its entirety. "Yes." She confirmed. "Yes, Your Highness!" He saluted, rushing outside to tell the other guards her orders. We both looked at the guard, and his family. They all knew what would happen next. "We're very, very sorry that this happened," she paused, looking at the mare. She appeared to be keeping her composure together very well, with the aid of the two fillies next to her. "But," she continued. "This war cannot be won if we don't get as many guards as possible to Canterlot at once. That city will be our last hope if we are to succeed." "I..." The young mare stuttered. "I understand what you mean, Princess." She said, looking up at Celestia, smiling, even through all of her tears. The two mares hugged each other, smiling as the guard and I looked on. "We would never ask you to do this if the situation was different." I assured them both. I looked at the mare, who was keeping her composure much better than before. She looked back at me, the tears now dried away from her eyes. "Once this fight is over, we will bring your husband back. We will win, and he will return, I promise you." I said, trying to make her feel better. "Everything will be back to the way it was before, and you could have your normal lives back again." Celestia said, smiling to the now comforted mare. The children gazed up at the tall alicorn, who they most likely never even saw this close before. One of them spoke up. "Please keep daddy safe." She said simply. They had faith in the Princess, they believed in her. A stray tear fell down Celestia's face following the request. "I will, child, I will." She said, smiling down on the two fillies. This was a solemn promise, a promise approved of by the Princess. The two fillies smiled weakly, then darted back over to their mother. The same guard opened the door again, but appeared to be more relaxed. He stepped inside, and looked at the Princess directly. "Your Highness, are we ready to leave?" He asked emotionlessly. He at least appeared to be emotionless, although he could have been doing a successful job hiding it. The Princess stood up, and beckoned us to follow her out the door. "Goodbye Berry, goodbye kids." The guard we came here for said, weakly. He slowly stepped out through the doorway. As we closed the door, the poor mare who had been sobbing for so long called out, "Wait!". We stopped as she reopened the door, and handed her husband a spear, dagger and golden helmet, signature pieces of equipment used by the royal guard. "You forgot these." She said, weakly smiling at her husband. The guard took his belongings, and kissed his wife goodbye. "Goodbye hun, I'll be back soon." He promised. "I know." She said simply, closing the door behind her gently. We marched off to the train station, with one of our best soldiers now in tow. Author's Note The first chapter of three. Enjoy!
Chapter Two - The BattleThe changelings had stormed the castle early, much earlier than anticipated. The citizens of Canterlot were quickly evacuated right before the fight began, and once the massive shadow of changelings emerged, and made its way to the city, the closer death seemed it would be. Fortunately for us, Twilight Sparkle and her friends were already there, prepared to fight them off with us. It was a sight for sore eyes, finally seeing the Elements of Harmony in action. With one huge blast of magic energy, the queen was quickly blasted out of Equestria. With such a strong power on your side, it really does make you feel special. Unfortunately, the rest of the queen's army was not as easily driven out. They attacked the city with so much force, they easily overran many of our barricades. One of those barricades was assigned to the guard we were instructed to protect. The barricades closer to the castle had hardened Royal Guards protecting them, and you could see the experience these guys had. They swatted the changelings away like flies. All except for one: the soldier we needed to protect. He was no where to be seen. Best case scenario, he had deserted us. Worst case scenario, he had been overrun. Even with the massive amount of soldiers at his command, a few changelings were able to make their way past his troops. They flew as fast as they could away from his barricade when they found most of their friends had perished trying to overwhelm the barrier guards. It looked like they were trying to storm the castle head on. They almost made it to the castle door, but our defenses were too strong for them, and we crushed the weakened army with ease. We lost a few brave men, but they lost scores more. The victory was decisive, Canterlot had been successfully defended. An hour later, once the all clear was given, many ponies returned back to the city. Many were assigned to clean up the dead bodies of fallen changelings, a job I wouldn't wish on anypony. A few of the guards stationed at Berry's husband's barricade decided to investigate where he had left, and if they found him maybe charge him for desertion. I decided against doing that, but went to join their search party. Celestia kept true to her word, and went to Fillydelphia at once to help them rebuild. I decided to talk to the guard who was supposed to be second in command, but once it was clear his commanding officer had vanished, was promoted. "So he just vanished right in front of your face?" I asked him curiously. "Kind of," was his reply. "He was about to attack a changeling charging at him. One was about to attack me, so I had to look away for a few moments." He paused, looking down at the spot we were at. We were standing right in the middle of the cleaned up barricade. He pointed his hoof at the spot where he was. "I was standing right there." He confirmed. "Once the changeling attacking me was dealt with, I looked back where he was to see if he was okay. He was gone, and the changeling with him was gone, too". "Hmm..." I pondered, trying to think. A guard that was standing near us called out to the guard next to me. "Hey, Stardust! You have some extra weapons and armor stockpiled over here, should I clean them up?" He asked. "Extra weapons and armor? We didn't have any laying around before." He said, turning around to face the other guard. "Where is it?" "Over here, sir." The guard said, pointing down. We walked over to him, and sure enough, three pieces of guard equipment were laying on the ground, perfectly lined up. A spear, dagger, and golden helmet. Not much of a stockpile, if you ask me. However, it was the same exact equipment Berry had given her husband before the battle. "Stardust, you said that both him and the changeling vanished, right?" I asked. "Yep, haven't seen either of them since the battle ended." He replied. "That changeling must have cast a spell, teleporting them to another location. That explains why we haven't seen them since." I concluded. "But why would his equipment still be here?" The second guard asked. "He must have fought that changeling with his bare hooves if that was the case". "The changeling must have known that he would need it, so the spell would forcibly remove his equipment from him." I assumed. "Your guess is as good as mine, boss". Stardust replied. "I don't know anything about changeling magic, aside from that it lets them change into any form they want." "With all due respect, sir." The second guard said to Stardust. "Everypony knows that". "Get back to work, Private." Stardust commanded. "We have a city that needs cleaning, and our orders are to clean it. Let's hop to it!" Stardust and the other guard went back to work, and I needed to inform my wife about this ASAP. Author's Note The second chapter of three. Much less lengthy than the first. Regardless, enjoy!
Chapter Three - The Bearers of Bad NewsA lengthy search for the missing guard yielded no true answers. He was MIA for days, with no other clues as to how he vanished. The only things left behind by him was his gear, that was it. There were no shouts for help, and no dead changeling; just one missing changeling, and one missing guard. And where either of them were was anypony's guess at this point. Celestia and I did not want to be the bearers of bad news to his family. They still were waiting, patiently for our arrival, with their husband/father in tow. They had faith in us, and we just may have failed them. What was the most scary thought though, would be if we did randomly find him. While there was a possibility that this would be the stallion we were looking for, he could very well be the missing changeling, disguised as the MIA guard. It would be quite challenging telling them apart. When no new leads on the missing guard case turned up, Celestia and I made an agreement to go tell his family what happened. We would tell them about the war, and who the obvious victor was. We didn't even know if they knew it ended yet. But the main reason of us being there would be to tell them that their husband and father was missing in action. He could have potentially been kidnapped by a changeling right before the fighting would have stopped. We brought his helmet with us, to maybe help explain what had happened. Celestia and I were walking to the family's house, who were eagerly awaiting our return. We decided against taking the royal chariot to go here; it would be too fast of a travel. We needed some time to think about what we should say to them. "So what should we tell them?" I asked. "That their father is missing, presumed to be dead? Seems too blunt of a statement to me." "I agree," she replied. "We should try to let them down easily, and first tell them about the victory." "It won't be much of a victory to them once we tell them what happened to the guard." I mumbled. "We don't know entirely what their reaction would be, sweetie." She said. "They, the wife especially, might end up handling it pretty well. Besides, we don't really know if he died." "Let's hope they stay as calm and collected as they were when we first left that house." I said. "I just hope we don't have as dangerous of a conversation with them this time." I paused, looking up at her. "How come the few times we went to this house, we've always had to deliver bad news to them? Can't we just stay there and have some tea or something?" I asked her. "Tyler, you know our schedule wouldn't allow that." She said, somewhat disheartened. "We've been extraordinarily busy for a while now, especially after the attack on Canterlot." This was very true as well. After the battle, we had been constantly moving about, giving aid to anypony in need. We have both been making frequent stops to the city of shambles previously known as Fillydelphia, providing assistance. Many other cities had also been hit by the changeling army, cities such as Manehattan and Las Pegasus. None of the destruction matched that of Fillydelphia. Why would they attack a city like that with such ferocity, and send maybe half of what we were expecting to Canterlot? "Celly," I said to her. "Do you have any idea why they would destroy Fillydelphia like that, but not attack Canterlot with anywhere near as much force?" She looked down to the ground as we walked. "You have to remember that they tried to take over our city once already, and failed." "But why Fillydelphia? Why not another city like Manehattan, Vanhoover, or even Ponyville?" "Perhaps it was to cripple our businesses and economy. It would have been a much easier target for them to take control of, the events that transpired earlier proving that." She looked up at me directly. "I had thought about sending more troops there, especially since that we easily had enough to defend ourselves in Canterlot." "It's a little too late to have thoughts like that now. What happened, happened, there's no changing that. All we can do is rebuild, and look forward into the future." I said, trying to encourage her spirit. "It's a good thing that no pony that lived there was seriously injured. We had to hospitalize a few, but for the most part everypony was safe and sound." She said. This made me feel better, a little bit. I had always wondered how many managed to escape before the attack began. No pony before her had given me a clear answer for some reason. Of course we still had to deliver that bad news of their husband/father's disappearance to the guard's family. This would be the hardest news to deliver by anypony, to anypony. We continued walking, and could see the family's house in the distance. I hesitated to go there, but like having to send him away from them, there was no choice. We felt the wind shift, now coming from the north much stronger than before. We looked over the horizon to see a storm brewing. Dark clouds, moving at a pretty fast speed, seemed to be somewhat chasing after us. Under all of those clouds, a figure seemed to be approaching. Celestia and I stopped to get a better view. "Did the weather ponies schedule a storm? That must be one of them now." I said to Celestia. The figure was now galloping, full speed ahead. It looked like it was trying to outrun the clouds behind him. We could see some of his facial features as he raced toward us. I recognized that gray coat and purple mane from anywhere. It was the guard. "Is that him?" I asked, squinting to get a better view. "It... It has to be. It's either him or the changeling, and there's only one way to find out." She replied. She started to walk forward towards the sprinting figure, with an almost hypnotized look in her eyes as she trotted. "What if it's the changeling?" I asked, warning her of a possible impending doom. "That's what I'm concerned about." We walked cautiously, towards the approaching figure. He still galloped toward us, full speed. He had a look of pure concentration on his face, like he was trying to accomplish a very important goal. "If it's not him," she whispered to me. "Just play along. We might be able to force him to show his real form." "Got it." I replied. He stopped in front of us. It looked just like him, same mane, fur color, eyes, everything. Either this was him, which we both were doubting, or it was the changeling. He took off his helmet (which we were wondering why he had to begin with) as a sign of respect to address his commanders. "Greetings, Princess. Hello, Tyler." He said, blankly. At least he (or it) knew our names. "Where were you? We searched all over Equestria to find you!" Celestia said to him. He was about to speak, but I decided to ask him about his equipment he now apparently had. "And why do you have your helmet? It's supposed to be right here." I asked, showing him the helmet with "his" initials on it. The helmet he currently had had no initials on it whatsoever. "That filthy changeling casted a spell and teleported me somewhere far away, somehow causing my equipment to vanish. I had to scavenge some old worn down equipment, and had to repair it myself." He handed me his helmet. It was an official Royal Guard helmet, but it was much more worn down than the other one. It appeared to be an older type than the currently issued helmet, so this gave me even more doubts than I had before. Celestia noticed my concern, and also examined the helmet carefully. She had her doubts too, from the looks of it. "Did you recognize where you were when you teleported?" She asked him. "I did not. It was unlike any other place I had been to before." The guard replied. "I see..." She said, before glimpsing at me as I gave her the helmet. "Umm... That's mine." The guard said to Celestia. You do NOT address royalty that way. "Excuse me?" Celestia said, in an offended, but baffled tone. The guard looked around, frantically. "Uh, I mean uhh... Keep it, it's yours." He said, smiling worriedly. "Uh-huh." I said, not believing what I just heard. "Well, then. Mister Guard," I continued. "Don't you think you should go reunite yourself with your family? I'm sure they're ready to see you." Celestia gasped, and looked at me, then at the guard, smiling at the both of us uncomfortably. "Guard, please excuse us for a moment." She nervously chuckled, dragging me away from him. We were far away from the guard when she finally released me from her grip. "Are you CRAZY!?" She angrily whispered. "You are putting that family in grave danger by doing this!" "Celly, I know what I'm doing. Once we expose this guy as a real changeling, we'll be able to capture him, and then maybe find the real guard." "If this family gets injured, I... I don't even know what I would do!" She almost shouted. "We already have evidence that supports the theory that he is a changeling." "I know, but we have to be sure." I said simply, then starting to walk over to him. She followed, fuming until we got close to him. "Alright, guard. Ready to go see your family again?" I asked, smiling. We heard thunder clap from the distant storm, that was rapidly approaching. "We should also take some cover from the storm." I said. "Yeah." He said, seemingly unsure about this. We made it to the family's house, and I knocked on the door. The guard's wife, the mare who cried non stop, opened it. Celestia and I smiled at her, Celestia's smile was more forced given her concern. "Honey, you're back!" She shouted happily. She hugged and kissed him, Celestia and I eyeing each other uneasily. She leaned back to the doorway, still smiling away. "Who the HAY are you?" The "guard" asked her. This had confirmed it, he was definitely a changeling. The mare jumped back in shock at the words. "What? Don't be silly, honey, you remember me!" She smiled, trying to shake off the words. "Who is this?" He asked Celestia and I directly. We frowned at him, mentally telling him that he should know who this mare was. "Oh, yeah! You're uhh... Uhh..." He paused, putting a hoof to his chin. "Alright, that's enough of this." He said, in a voice much different than his normal one. We were blinded by this green light that somehow emitted from this guard's body. I pushed the mare back into her house, slamming the door shut to keep her safe. When our vision was repaired, we saw a changeling snarling at us. He was definitely a changeling, we can confirm that. "DEATH TO THE PRINCESS!!" It screamed. It pulled out the guard sword it had in a scabbard on its side. The princess prepared her magic to defend herself against the attacker. We heard a mighty battle cry, and we looked up. Charging at it the same direction the clouds came from, another guard, matching the same look as that of the real guard, charged toward the imposter. He galloped at ludicrous speed toward us, a speed I considered near impossible to achieve. He leapt into the air, and tackled the confused changeling. He tried restraining the creature, causing it to nearly stab him. He dodged the attack, and Celestia with her magic, disarmed the attacker. An assassination attempt on the princess had been successfully averted. The changeling was then hoof-cuffed. This was the first changeling to be captured alive by anyone in Equestria. "Well, we know who the real guard is now." I said bluntly. The true guard reclaimed his sword, and bowed. "Here to serve you, your Highnesses." He said, smiling weakly. "You... You're alive!" Celestia gasped, a hoof over her mouth. "How did you-". "I'm sure you heard this from the imposter, but he teleported us away from the battlefield, to some rural area by Ponyville." He explained. "We continued to fight there. Somehow my armor was gone, as well as my weapons. We fought with our own bare hooves. I got him pinned to the ground, before he teleported again, just taking himself away this time, leaving me alone on the outskirts of Ponyville." "So that's why he had different armor than you. He was telling the truth when he said he needed to scavenge some for himself." I said to him. "That would have to be the case, though I don't know where he would find some." He replied. "It was an older helmet type, but was still an official Royal Guard one." I beckoned Celestia to show him the helmet, which she did. "I see. As I was saying, after the fight, I contacted Twilight Sparkle, who apparently had left the battlefield right after she defeated the queen. We talked, and taught me a spell on how to teleport far distances. After many days of practicing, I finally got it down pact, and decided to teleport home. I said goodbye to her, and teleported here. Then I saw you all in conflict with the changeling here." He said. "Ah yes, and as for the changeling..." Celestia said, looking angrily at the creature. Her horn glowed, and soon the changeling vanished. "Where did he go!?" I shouted, thinking he escaped again. "Don't worry, honey. He's just been sent to the Canterlot dungeon for who knows how long." She said, grinning. "Good, as long as we have that creature under control, I am a happy man." I replied. "If you two don't mind, I should return to my family. The missus hasn't seen me in days. I'm sure she's worried sick." "Very well, guard. We hope to see you soon." Celestia said. The guard then marched over to his front door. Thinking victory was ours, we both turned to each other and smiled. "You know, I probably could have defended myself against the changeling even if the guard didn't come here." She said, smirking. "I figured you could." I smiled back. "That's kinda why I just stood there." "Let's just give him the credit that he "saved" me, alright sweetie?" She said. "That's alright with me." I replied. Presently, we heard someone yell inside the house. We jumped and looked to the source of the bloodcurdling screams. We ran as fast as we could to see what the commotion was. The door was wide open, the guard had obviously entered inside. Thoughts rushed through my mind really fast. What just happened? Was someone hurt? Did someone get attacked? Was there a possibility that this guard could have been a second changeling? If so, why would he save the Princess? We entered the house, only to find the two staring at each other, terrified. The mare was holding an umbrella she appeared to be using as a weapon, and breathing really heavily. The guard was trying to calm her down, explaining that he was the real guard, that he was her real husband. "Come on, honey. How would I remember you if I was a changeling?" He asked, trying to make her relax. "Put down your weapon, I'm home." "You can't be my husband!" She shouted, pointing the umbrella at him, accusingly. "You have to be one of those changeling things!" "Ma'am, it's really him." I stated calmingly. "He can't be! Not after what happened!" "He saved the Princess from being killed," I stated. Obviously, this is somewhat of a lie, as she said she was more than capable of defending herself, but he did try to save her, and restrained the changeling before any harm could be done. Her eyes widened as she dropped the umbrella. "Is... that true?" She asked the Princess. "It certainly is. Why would a changeling save me, out of all the other ponies of Equestria?" Celestia asked her. "I... I don't know..." She said, trying to put the puzzle together. She looked at the guard. "Honey, is that you?" she asked like a little schoolfilly. "Berry, I'm home." He said, calmly. The two embraced each other warmly, both of them having doubts they'd see their significant other ever again. But, here they were. Together, after a war that nearly separated them, forever. The mare started crying as she held her husband close. "T-thank you... for everything, you two." She smiled through her teary eyes. "Thank you, for bringing him back to me." "We promised you we would bring him home" Celestia said, smiling. "And... and you kept it." The mare could barely contain her joy. "All I can really say is... thank you very much. Equestria is very lucky to have rulers like you." It was hard to take that compliment without my heart exploding. I never considered myself a ruler of Equestria, at all. I just considered myself lucky. Lucky to have fallen in love with Celly. Lucky to have married her. And lucky to be in a world as wonderful and caring as this one. And even when we had to defend ourselves using weapons instead of words, we still came out on top. I regretted having to banish the queen, and having to cause her army to be destroyed. But she sent out her troops to destroy us, and friendship itself. What else were we supposed to do? Author's Note The third chapter. Expect a small epilogue after this, so enjoy!
Chapter Four - Epilogue Chapter Four - Epilogue Recommended listening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMhqRXvl-oo Celestia and I watched as the final building of the now repaired city of shambles, Fillydelphia, was finished. Hundreds of ponies were gathered around it. They waited patiently for the final brick, of the final building to be placed. Once it was, there was partying, dancing and cheering. At long last, Equestria had been rebuilt. The attack was history. "So, that's it. That's the last one." I said, staring up at the tall building. This building was not only an office building, but the first floor of it was a memorial and museum, dedicated to those who fought at the first and second changeling attacks of Equestria. "Yep, hard to believe the city wasn't like this a mere two weeks ago." Celestia said. "But we persevered. We saved Equestria, and friendship itself in some aspects." I replied. We stepped inside the museum. It included photos of the damage caused by the changelings. The destroyed buildings, rubble scattered here and there, and even a damaged flag of the united Equestria, still flying over a destroyed building. That flag was currently displayed on a wall. "I heard about this flag." I said, staring up at it. "They called it the Spirit of Equestria. It was still flying, even after the changeling army had decimated the place, beaten up, but still flying proudly." "It's a symbol of patriotism, something most citizens have in this country. This country defends love, freedom, and friendship especially. These three things make life worth living, especially if you have lived for as long as I have." The princess looked at me. "I've seen many things, Tyler. Many beings who love and believe in the power of friendship. But I've also seen many things who hated friendship and love, for various reasons. They all had their reasons, but had one thing in common." "And what was that, love?" I asked her. "They all wanted total control of Equestria; to shatter all remnants of love, friendship and freedom. They wanted to bend, and twist it until it was but a shadow of its former self. It would be filled with vile hated, prejudice, and no friendship to speak of. It would all be ruled by a single, cruel and careless leader. "I just want what's best for my subjects, and I believe that love, friendship, and the freedom from all distress is what is truly best for this country, and all the ponies that live in it." "Love, friendship and freedom were alive in my world, but they seemed to have been overshadowed by fear and hatred." I told her, holding her hoof gently. "Hatred and fear were much more widespread in my old world than here. Constant fighting, constant killing, and most of it for a lost cause. We sometimes tried to end things peacefully, but most of the time disagreements ended with fighting. If that world was like this one, we would probably be major allies with each other." I explained to her. A world like this was just the place I needed. It was a place full of love, kindness and happiness. And in times of war, all that friendship helped them rebuild. Author's Note A small epilogue to help complete the story. That's the end of "In Times of War".
