The Royal Guardian

Chapters

Return to the Castle
Changeling attack
A trip through the snow
Meeting the Queen

Return to the Castle

Chapter 1: Return to the Castle

In the Royal Canterlot Guard, there is a position of great importance. Established by the great Queen Faust herself, his task is to advise and protect the Princesses of the Day and Night. This solitary soldier, a unicorn, was the most trusted of Queen Faust’s inner circle. In his time of service, he helped overthrow Discord with the assistance of the Elements of Harmony; He defeated assassination attempts from the Griffon Kingdoms and the First incursion by the Changeling Empire. He also took up the most somber task of fighting the enraged Princess Luna, then Nightmare moon, weakening her for Celestia to banish her to the moon for a thousand years. But while he is a great warrior, he is also a great diplomatic mind. He brokered peace between Equestria and The Crystal Empire, and mediated the debate over the establishment of the cross roads town Ponyville, a major Equestrian trade and farming center residing in a nook directly in the center of the former Earth Pony, Pegasi, and Unicorn kingdoms.

He is the Royal Guardian, branded with a seal of the Sun and Moon crossed with a quill at the right, and an assassin’s blade at its left. His uniform consisted of brown knee-high boots, with the leg of his loose fitted White pants, the leg tucked into his boot. His belt was two toned, with gold slowly changing into ebony, the strap hooked into the gold buckle to symbolize the unification of day and night. The majority of his clothing was hidden by the long navy blue oat, adorned with golden buttons, fastened to the 2nd from the top where the royal pendant, so that his personal emblem, or “cutie mark”, as it was called by citizens (he hated that term with a passion), were visible. Over his hands he wore leather gloves stamped with the cutie marks of Princess Luna on the right, and Celestia on his left. His gloves radiated with the aura of his magical energy, and his face was covered with a grey metallic mask with a stoic expression. The mask had two purposes: Conceal his face from attackers, and provide a binocular sight ability by the use of special lenses built into the eye sockets.

Flanked by the captain of the guard himself, Shining Armor, and Celestia’s favorite student and keeper of the Element of Magic, Twilight Sparkle, the Royal Guardian was making his way to the royal chambers. The light purple hue of the evening skies pierced the stained glass windows of the great hall, bathing the three in the glory of Equestria’s evening skies. In a few hours night would fully captivate the skies over the empire. But the gravity of the Royal Guardian’s latest mission demanded that both sisters be present to hear his report. As they approached the door, the guards that stood before it saluted and pushed the large blue glass paned doors open. Shining Armor led them through the door then went no further, his sister and Guardian continuing on. They quickly crossed the large hall, bathed in the waning light from the large windows at either end, and exited onto the large balcony, where Celestia and Luna were waiting.

“Princess Celestia! Princess Luna!” Twilight sparkle called, before hugging them both as they turned to face them. The Royal Guardian simply chuckled and removed his mask; revealing caramel eyes set in an equally brown face. He ran a hand over his short curly dark hair, which despite constant grooming was constantly curling up and looking unkept from the constantly wearing his mask, which was now clipped to his belt under his coat. As the princesses finished their greeting with Twilight Sparkle, the Guardian bowed, a friendly smile creasing his lips.

“Good evening, Princesses.” He spoke calmly, Luna, the smaller of the two royals, squealed and ran to him, leaping into his arms and giving him a huge hug. The Guardian had to step back with his left foot to keep from falling onto the floor, but reciprocated the hug, holding her tight as Celestia and Twilight shared a laugh.”

“She’s been counting the days you've been gone, Paladin.” Celestia said, her tan skin covered in a long white gown. Though she was countless centuries old, the princesses appeared to be no older than 28 and 13 respectively.
“I…I’m honored” –he coughed, chuckling as he pecked Luna on the forehead and set her back upon her feet. Luna brushed off the bottom third of her knee-length gown with her hand then smiled up at Paladin with a toothy grin.

“What do you have to report, Paladin?”

Paladin’s voice became more serious. “We followed the recorded path of Queen Faust’s journey to the Crystal Empire and…”

“And?...” Luna’s pale blue eyes were glistening as she smiled hopefully. “Did you find mother?!”
Paladin shook his head and patted Luna’s head as Twilight took over. “Princess Celestia, Princess Luna…” Twilight’s tone was somber as she spoke “We found….we found…”

As her voice failed her, Twilight quickly flipped open the book she had been clutching to her chest. It was a collection of photos and notes from the expedition to find Queen Faust and the remains of her expedition. She quickly flipped open the page and showed the princesses. On it was the image of a fragmented gold crown encrusted with ice and snow. Luna gasped, covering her mouth, while Celestia closed her eyes, a solitary tear running down her bronze cheek.

“That fragment was the only definitive piece of evidence showing that the Queen took that path. We tried to fan out and search the other sights…but the weather was getting worse, and we had to abandon the site before the snowstorm became too heavy for us to fly out.” Paladin said. His right hand was resting on Luna’s shoulder, who was clutching tight to him her quiet sobs muffled by his coat.

“There was something else Princess….When we arrived, Changelings were searching the area too. We don’t know if they were looking for Queen Faust too or the remains of their fallen leader, but I incapacitated them before they could alert anyone we were there. Shining Armor had them locked up in the dungeon for questioning.”

The news brought Celestia and Luna back to reality. It had only been a few years since the Changeling empire, lead by Chrysalis herself, had renewed tensions with Equestria with a bold infiltration effort during the wedding of Shining Armor and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. Since then, “The Second changeling War”, as people were starting to call it, had seen sporadic
incursions along the shared northern border to the now vanished Crystal Empire.

“I’ll be heading back there in three days time to inspect the outposts and check a few more of the former base camps of her majesty’s expedition”

Paladin’s announcement drew a soft whine from Luna.

“Do you have to leave so soon? You just returned.” She looked up at him, her pale blue eyes staring back into his.
Celestia added her own concern. “It’s admirable that you’re keeping up the search for mother, but surely you would spend a few days at home with us. It can be rather dull not having you here.” Celestia spoke a yawn escaped her lips.

“I want to get back up there before the storm gets worse. Even with all our new technology, I don't trust it in a snow storm.” Paladin replied. “You need to get to bed as yourself little one, the sun won't rise without you”

Celestia rolled her eyes as she headed Paladin’s words. As she walked towards the exit her sister crossed the distance between them and hugged her tight. They exchanged good nights before parting, Luna beginning her task of raising the moon, as Celestia approached the guardian, who was now leaning against one of the pillars, his arms crossed as he looked at her; His trademark smile back on his lips.

“I’m not as little as I used to be, Paladin.” Celestia quipped as Paladin lifted her cheek so that they were looking eye to eye.

“Princess, when you’ve lived as long as I have, everyone is a child in comparison.” He kisses her forehead, making the older princess smile. She hugged him softly. They stood there in the embrace for a little while before Celestia felt her eyes getting heavy. She parted from him and covered her mouth as another yawn escaped her lips.

“Go to bed little one, I don’t want another repeat of the last time you woke up late to raise the sun.”

“Please, don't remind me. Mother was furious, said I caused a mass panic that the world was coming to an end.”

“I was the one that caught it the most. I believe her words to me were: “How could you let her sleep in so late, the sun should have been up three hours ago!” Paladin imitated the queen’s voice as he spoke, making Celestia chuckle.

“If it wasn’t for you I'd of been grounded for the rest of my life. You’ve always been there for us Paladin, thank you.” Celestia gave one final hug and a peck on the cheek before she retired to her chambers, leaving the Royal guardian to watch as Twilight Sparkle marveled over Luna as she made the moon rise with her hands. In his countless years of service, this scene had repeated itself many times with many subjects. Soon Luna would be raising the moon with only a thought, just as her sister raised the sun in the eastern skies. While there was no doubt that Twilight would not be alive to see this momentous occasion, Paladin would be there to celebrate just as he did with her sister so long ago.

Changeling attack

Chapter 2: Changeling attack

A few days later

Canterlot training grounds

The orange glow of mornings light bathes the Canterlot training ground as the clang of metal hitting metal echos through the trees. In the dusty circle ground out from years of training soldiers in the art of battle, the Royal Guard commander Shining Armor was locked in a heated battle with the Royal Guardian himself. Though not an official part of his task as the Royal Guardian, Paladin insisted on training and sparring with the Guard Commanders to keep their skills sharp during the down time before combat missions. Although his training methods were chastised by the Queen for being too dangerous, Paladin touted that no guard captain had ever perished during training…

Yet.

The kit the two warriors wore mirrored their their fighting styles Paladin’s coat was removed, crumbled in a heap to the side of the grounds..Paladin’s chest was protected by a metallic chest plate with his personal emblem stamped over his heart. His wrists and feet were covered in a pair of gauntlets and greaves that went from his feet to his knees. The metal was padded underneath with wool to soften blows. In his left hand he carried a 10 inch long, 2 inch wide dagger that was retractable. This design made the blade easy to store when he needed to sneak around, yet easily unsheathed when it came time to fight. In his right hand was one of the newest weapons in the Canterlot arsenal: a six shot revolver, plated in steel with a four inch barrel. The handle, made of wood, was glowing orange with magic energy in paladin’s hand. The revolver required no physical ammunition. Instead it shot bolts of magical energy at an amplified rate of the wielder’s choosing. However this required a pause between six round shots so that the weapon could cool and recover some of the spent magical energy from the user’s own magical reserves.

While Paladin’s kit was built for speed, Shining Armor’s kit by comparison was built to withstand the mightiest of blows. He was covered from head to toe in gold plated steel, the front of his armor was painted in royal purple, with his own personal emblem: A magenta six pointed star on a dark blue shield, with three light blue stars above the shield, stamped in the center. on his left forearm he carried a large shield stamped with the insignia of the Equestrian flag, and in his right hand was a large dual edged sword.

Paladin was standing in a defensive stance, the blade held horizontal with his gun arm braced against it. He blocked a heavy blow from shining armor then propelled himself to the left, out of the way of another heavy swing. He points his revolver at Shining and squeezes off three rounds. The large orange bolts bounce off of his adversary’s shield, but knock him off balance from the force of each shot ricocheting off the shield. When Shining Armor stumbles backwards, Paladin strikes. He sprints forward, and leads with his right knee as he jumps into his staggered foe. With a loud bang, Shining armor’s shield is knocked backwards into his helmet. With the shield pressed against his head, he falls to the ground with Paladin descending upon him, blade pointed downward and aiming to deal a killing blow. A mere inch before the blade makes contact with Shining’s unprotected head; a magical barrier stops any further forward progress. He’s forced backwards, landing on his feet in a defensive stance once more.

“Come on, boy. Get up!” Paladin taunts. “The power of love may of stopped that walking cheese block but it’s not gonna stop me!”

Shining Armor became enraged at Paladin’s disrespect. He spat on the ground and charged at him. He roared out a battle cry as he ran, sword held above his head, the steel glinting in the sunlight. Paladin chuckled and stood firm as he approached, his weapons down at his side. Before Armor could strike him down, he disappeared in a flurry of sparks, appearing behind him. Shining spun around with his swing, attempting to cleave off the Royal Guardian’s head. But his swing is stopped cold as Paladin raises his arm out to meet his, the loud clang of armor against armor echoed through the quiet grounds.

Shining’s sword flew into the air behind him as he lurched back and grabbed his right wrist in pain. He cursed himself and looked up in time to see a steel covered fist impacting his chin. In the brief moment that Shining was preoccupied, Paladin had already turned around and thrown a savage left uppercut, knocking Shining Armor off his feet and into the air. With a smirk, Paladin turns around and walks toward his coat as Shining armor slams into the ground on his back. He groans in pain as Paladin chuckles, the few guards that had gathered to watch applauding as Paladin placed his weapons back into the holsters on the sides of his belt.

“So, that’s the famous Paladin.” One of the guard whispers to the group with him.

“Yeah that’s him, the Queen’s chosen guardian. Rumor has it he’s the oldest known unicorn in existence.” The second one says

“Bullshit, there’s no way he’s a fucking unicorn.” The third one said

“Do you SEE wings on his back, dipshit?! Last I checked all the Alicorns have wings.”

“So riddle me this, how does a unicorn live as long as Queen Faust?!” the third one yells. Their argument catches the ear of the Guardian, who sighs and yells over to them.

“Hey! Shouldn’t you three be doing patrols instead of arguing like a bunch of housewife’s over today’s newest gossip?!” The guards realize they had been heard and stammer to attention, saluting the Royal Guardian before heading on their way.
Paladin shook his head as he threw his coat over his shoulders. “Your guards sure do like to talk, Shining Armor. “ He looked over to the Guard Captain as he had finally found his feet, a thin streak of blood running from the edge of his lip down his brown chin. His blue hair with a single sky blue streak was tussled and matted with dust and sweat. He rubs his sore jaw with his left hand as groans softly in pain.

“They also know the definition of “sparring”. Despite being the Captain of the Guard for five years Guardian, he still wasn’t used to the, in his own words, insane training regiments of the Royal Guardian Paladin. The motto of Paladin’s training was that sparring was only beneficial when it mimicked the real thing. Despite knowing this, and getting stronger himself, Shining had only a fraction of the strength and skill that his “mentor” had possessed.

“I didn’t kill you so you’re fine.” He chuckled and turned to face Shining Armor. “Besides, you did better this time. It only took me 15 minutes to beat you this week.” He wiped his brow off and chuckled as Shining sighed.

“You know it’s not easy to explain to Cadance why I come home bruised and bloody after “training” Shining sighed. “And Twily’s giving me a hard time as it is about getting rest.

“Oh please, I trained Celestia AND Luna this way and they didn’t bitch this much.”Paladin snickered and leaned against one of the training dummies as Shining’s jaw dropped.

“You…what?!”

Paladin nodded. “You heard me, I trained the princesses to fight just like this. Their mother even came down to watch.”
“T….that’s insane! How did you not kill them?!” Shining yelled.

“Well for one thing Celestia and Luna don’t complain like you do.” Paladin scoffed, making Shining Armor growl. He then smirked and crossed his arms.

“So you spent five minutes of your morning beating up on little girls in front of their mother?”

Paladin looked up with a scowl, then stepped forward. Shining Armor, sensing he’d touched a nerve, took a step back as the Guardian through a punch but stopped just short of hitting him. He pointed a finger at him as he spoke.

“I’ll have you know Celestia lasted three hours in training before I finally beat her the first time.” Paladin turned and walked towards the stairs leading away from the training ground as Shining Armor called out.

“A…and Luna?”

“She actually beat me…and she was the mortal equivalent to three years old at the time.”

Shining stepped back as his jaw dropped for the second time that day. He had just learned that the Princesses he was sworn to protect had not only survived longer than him in combat, but one of them had actually defeated the man he found impossible to beat in battle when she was only in diapers. As Shining gathered his gear from the training room floor, a guard ran across the marble bridge to reach them.

“Guardian Paladin, Captain Armor!” He called out, panting hard from the long sprint in full armo. “The…the…”

“Take a deep breath and then speak, soldier.” Shining spoke to him as he put his helmet back on his head.

“The Changelings have attacked outpost 17!”

“Outpost 17…. That’s near the crown fragment we found…The Changelings are looking for Queen Faust’s body!” Paladin yelled. He turned to Shining Armor. “Get your sister, get her friends, find the elements, and get em on a flight to stalliongrad. I’ll go on ahead and secure the area. We cannot let the Changelings dig up that site!”

“Yes Sir!” Shining Armor began to rush away before a thought stopped him in his tracks, he turned to ask just how Paladin would be getting to the Mountains above Stalliongrad when he saw the man was gone, and scorch marks were the only things left of his presence before them.

Elsewhere…

The mountainous regions that bordered Equestria’s North were unforgiving. Blinding snowstorms and bone chilling cold made getting lost certain death. The rough terrain and constant threat of avalanches made exploration the area treacherous for even the heartiest of climbers. But while the natural dangerous of this mountains were bad enough, the constant threat of Changeling incursions were more than enough to keep the local citizens off the mountains. But for a chosen few, traveling up these mountains were a necessary evil. Thus was the case for the Royal Guardian, who teleported into the ankle deep snow. He took a quick look around before reaching into his coat and donning his mask.

“I hate this place.” He sighed and teleported again, this time onto a nearby tree limb. He leaped from tree to tree, his steps light enough to leave the snow covered branches undisturbed. Using Magic, the Guardian pierced the blinding snow, scanning the area ahead for any survivors to rescue or enemies to do away with. After a fifteen minute trek, he came to rest at the base of a hill where the outpost station was located. The brick and mortar building was heavily damaged, smoke pouring from the windows. Impact wounds on the walls signified that changeling Artillery was sued to soften up the small band of soldiers inside before the attack had been launched.

Paladin warped to the top of roof, landing without a sound. He crouched down and quickly navigated to the northern side of the outpost, looking down into the small valley. Orange wisps flicked in his peripheral vision as he adjusted the magnification of his telescopic lenses to their maximum setting. He slowly panned his head left, and then right, where he spotted two soldiers, both female, dressed from head to toe in warm clothing stamped with the equestrian military insignia, tied up. Surrounding them where over two dozen beings, their arms and legs riddled with holes, their grey skin making them appear like phantoms in the snow. They were clothed in black leather armor around their vital areas. The one that appeared to be their leader wore a helmet adorned with horns. Though the snowstorm made it impossible to hear the conversation, the body language made it obvious this was more than a simple investigation. One of the soldiers shook her head no to a question, and green magic surrounded her. She was tossed towards a group of the enemy soldiers, who began to descend upon her, pulling at her clothing as she shrieked for help.

“Fucking vultures…” Paladin muttered and drew his weapons. He teleported towards the girl and landed between her and her attackers, the force of his teleportation knocked them back as he cast a time-slowing spell at the same moment. As the assailants fell back in slow motion he drew his revolver and fired, knocking the center advisory back off his feat. He dashed forward and swung his blade as he propelled forward, driving the blade of his dagger through his opponents throat. Fluorescent green-colored blood spewed from the wound as he turned on his heel, now facing left he put a magical bullet through the head of the second enemy soldier, knocking him forward into the snow. As he fell Paladin dashed over his body and used his magic to pull the third soldier towards him. He ducked below the flying soldier and stabbed upward, through the chest plate of his armor, piercing his heart before kneeling down, blood spattered on his mask as the soldier landed on his dead partner. He turned to quickly observe his work as his spell wore off, and the three remaining soldiers gathering themselves as Paladin wiped away blood that had splashed on the lenses.

“I thought you walking cheese blocks fed on love? Last time I checked violating a woman out here in the snow didn’t count.” He roared before quickly putting a bullet in the three remaining soldiers. They fell to the snow as the remaining changelings gathered around him.

Paladin prepared to fight, as the leader of this raiding band, appearing to be female herself, stepped forward.

“You’re a long way from your blasted castle, Guardian.” The woman spoke, her voice tinged with an odd buzzing tone, like it was a mix of human and insect.

“This is a treat, one of you vermin actually know who I am.” Paladin chuckled and took an offensive stance. “Do your people still tell the story of how I massacred a division of you monsters at Trottingham during the first war? How I moved like the autumn winds through your forces, or however that damned tale goes.” His words dripped with anger as he yelled.

“You dare stand before us and brag of how you killed my people?!”

“I’m not bragging, I’m just telling what I’ve heard you maggots say about me.” He shot back and stood normally. “Now I’ll give you one chance to explain what the hell your doing out here destroying our outpost and I might let you live.”

The Changeling lieutenant chuckled and drew her sword. The blade was curved and jagged, pointing it in Paladin’s mask-covered face. “You know very well why we’re out here or else you wouldn’t be here, insolate fool. We know the Queen Faust is buried out here, and we’re going to take her for one of our own. We’ll use her to reap chaos and destruction across your lands, and take Equestria for our own!”

Paladin shook his head and smirked, though the mask hid his expression. “And since when do you things know how to raise the dead?”

“Are you so sure she’s dead, ‘Guardian?’”

The lieutenant’s claim took Paladin by surprise. Was she really claiming that the Equestrian’s long lost ruler was somehow alive under the snow? His thoughts were disturbed as the sound of crunching snow caught his attention. Two changelings had their swords drawn and were swinging towards his head and back. Their blades were met by the orange glow of a barrier spell, which made their blades ricochet backwards. As they readied for another attack, a nova of magical energy exploded around him, knocking the group around him back into the snow, blood oozing from wounds on their body as they passed. Paladin stretched and walked towards the fallen leader, her armor torn at various points as her blood stained the front. He lifted her off the ground with magic so that they were eye level. Finding the Lieutenant dead, he swore to himself and dropped her back to the snow.

He put his mask back in his coat and turned to the tied up woman before him. He used magic to free their arms and legs. The red haired soldier ran to her friend and embraced her as the green haired soldier stared at the man who saved them.

“T…Thank you, sir. Thank you!” She sobbed as Paladin approached and wiped her cheeks clean with his glove.

“Think nothing of it, now tell me what happened.”

“T…there were five of us out on patrol when these things surrounded us. They kept asking us where the Queen was….we kept tel…telling them we didn’t know…The lieut…the lieutenant then told them to t-take us…” The red-haired soldier closed her eyes and whispered to her friend to stop, but she continued on. “They took the captain first….they made us watch….They…” the girl’s speech dissolved into tears as her friend held her tight. The green haired soldier kissed her forehead and rubbed her back, whispering to her that they were okay now. Paladin gave the girls their space and began searching the bodies for any useful information. Behind him the two girls seemed to be in an argument about something.

“B-but how do we know he’s not one of them?!”

“Ruby, he just saved our lives,

“B-but….”

“Something you ladies need to tell me?” Paladin was looking over his shoulder now as Emerald stood up.

“Before the attack started, we found a cave entrance packed with snow, and another crown fragment buried outside it.” Emerald reached into her left pants pocket and pulled out a rounded gold piece, with a small sapphire embedded within. Paladin teleported to her and took the piece from her hand, studying it closely before looking at the girl. .

“T-tell me you remember where you found this…”

“We have a map hidden in the outpost. If it didn’t get destroyed in the attack, it’ll lead us right to it.” Ruby said, joining her partner.

“Okay…” He slowly approached the two soldiers. Ruby gripped her friend’s shoulder, fearing the worst. When Paladin was inches from them he put his hands on their shoulders.

“Show me...” he said before teleporting with them back to the outpost.

A trip through the snow

Chapter 3: A trip through the snow

Outpost 17
Stalliongrad Mountains

In its heyday, the large one story building known as Equestrian defense post 17 housed 50 soldiers with orders to keep watch for any movements by changeling forces in the aftermath of their repeated incursions. Today, the structure’s walls were riddled with impact wounds from changeling artillery. The inside was a mess of rubble and twisted metal from beds and equipment. In the central bunk room, where Paladin was assisting Ruby and Emerald with their search for the map, personnel effects were strewn about the floor. Bunks that were close to the wall where either broken in half or tossed about the room from the force of the explosions or thrown towards the room interior. The roof was riddled with holes, allowing snow to fall into the room as the three dug through the piles of clothes, papers, and snow.

“So, how long have you two been out here?” Paladin asked as he sifted through a pile of what turned out to be nothing but letters and pictures.

“I’ve been up here for about a year, but Ruby had just transferred in from duty in the Everfree forest last week.” Emerald said as she was digging through a trunk.

“Go to the mountains I said, it’d be a do-nothing assignment I said…I’d get to drink hot cocoa with Emerald I said.” Ruby muttered to herself as she searched under what was left of her bunk.

Paladin chuckled as he moved over to the back wall when he stepped on a piece of parchment. He reached down and unfolded it, finding a map of the patrol route, with a red circle around a rock formation half way up what appeared on the map to be a steep cliff. He folded the map and held it up. “Found it.”

Emerald and Ruby sighed in relief as Paladin put it in his jacket pocket. He looked out of one of the holes left in the wall as the wind began to howl. “Oh great, the storm’s getting worst.” He picked up a scarf from the floor, horizontally stripped blue and white to signify night and day, and wrapped it around his neck, the two ends draped behind his back. “Do you guys have a radio up here? We need to have some way to contact the airship when it comes in.”

“Airship?” Ruby’s eyes lit up as she stood. “Help’s coming?”

“Yeah, the wielders of the Elements of Harmony are on their way to assist us.” Paladin moved away from the hole and walked back to the center of the room. “Now, about that radio?”

“It’s in the observatory, but…” Ruby started in a quiet voice…

“It shorted out two days ago, and we haven’t been able to get it working again.”

Paladin let out a long sigh and cursed. “How the hell did that happen?” Emerald and Ruby looked at each other then looked away. Paladin put his hands on his hips and narrowed his eyes. “Well? Out with it.”

Emerald sighed and looked up at the Guardian. “Ruby and I were on watch. I was trying to get up and get my drink from ontop of the radio and…accidentally…spilled it all over the back …”

Paladin shook his head and slapped his hand against his forehead. “Brilliant… well, let’s go get it fixed.”

Exiting the central bunk room, Emerald and Ruby lead the Royal Guardian down the hall and to the right, entering a spacious room. Maps of the Stalliongrad mountain range and Equestria were on the walls on the left hand side from the entrance. In front of them was a large rectangular cut out that could be used for visual inspection of the area. In front of the cut out where a series of tables, with notepads and binoculars set up for soldiers to record what they saw. On the right hand wall, directly in front of them was a large square box. In front of it was a small metallic device, with a large square block on top of it. Paladin walked over to the tables in front of the observation window and picked up a pair of binoculars, while Ruby and Emerald set themselves upon the task of taking the radio apart to inspect it for any damage.

“Oh thank Celestia, It’s only a burned out magic core. Ruby can you get one from the supply closet?”

“Yes Emy.” Ruby jumped up and quickly crossed the hallway into the supply closet as Paladin chuckled.

“You two are surely an item.” He quipped. Emerald blushed but continued to inspect the radio for anymore damage as Paladin spied a lone changeling skulking through the woods. He saw his dead comrades and stopped cold, turned on his heel, and got into a full sprint back into the forest.

“Shit…Emerald…we have a problem.” Paladin put the binoculars down and reached into his coat and pulled out his mask.

“Tell me about it, the transistors got soaked as well, this relay coil has to come out too.” Emerald turned her head towards the hallway and yelled “Ruby, bring the spare radio parts box from the top shelf, I’m gonna need everything in there!”
Paladin leaned down and whispered into Emerald’s ear. “One of the stragglers found his dead comrades and bolted for it. We have to get after him before he comes back with friends.”
Emerald turned white as a sheet. The thought of another changeling attack after what she had just gone through frightened the young soldier.

“N-no no way, there’s no way me and Ruby can go back out there again!” She yelled as Paladin grabbed her shoulder and pulled her away from the door. He put his finger to his lips in a gesture to keep her voice low.

“Ruby can stay behind and fix the radio…” before Paladin could finish Emerald pushed him away, fear overtaking her face.

“Are you crazy?! She’s already scared out her mind as it is there’s no way we can-“

“Will you keep your voice down?!” Paladin implored of her in a quiet yet authoritative tone. “The airship should be here within an hour or two, I promise nothing will happen to your girlfriend."

The slight blush on Emerald’s face was now as red as an apple. “I h-have no idea what you’re talking about!”
Paladin stared at her with the universal look for “Oh please”, before he reached into his pocket and pulled out a photo. The image was of the two girls, Ruby in an emerald green dress, and Emerald in a ruby red dress. They were embracing each other as they looked into the camera, warm smiles on their lips. Ruby’s head rested against her partner’s chest as Emerald leaned hers down so that her cheek rested on the top of Ruby’s head.

“So this picture from the Gala means absolutely nothing, huh.” Paladin scoffed

“Th…there’s a reasonable explanation for that.”

“Emerald, there’s nothing wrong with loving another woman. I’ve been around the block more than once.” Paladin placed a hand on her shoulder “I promise, on my life, that no harm will come to your partner. But here’s where we stand: This storm’s kicking up something fierce. Even with a map, I don’t have the knowledge of the terrain that you have, especially in these conditions. You’re the only one that can lead me to that cave.” Emerald looked down then nodded slowly. She moved away from Paladin. “I need to go talk to Ruby.” She stepped out of the room and crossed the hall. After a heated discussion, Emerald came back with a pair of goggles on her head. In her hands was a wooden cross bow, with a quiver of bolts on her back as Ruby followed her with the box of radio parts, a sorrowful look in her eyes.

“We’ll be back in a few hours Ruby, I promise.” –Emerald slung her cross bow over her shoulder and held the girl in her arms. “We’ll stop them before they even reach the outpost.” Ruby silently nodded, looking up her lover’s shimmering eyes.

“Promise me you’ll come back soon.” Ruby asked in a soft voice. Emerald nodded and placed a soft kiss on Ruby’s lips.

“We’ll be back before you know it.” Before departing on their journey, Paladin drew his revolver and placed it on the table.

“It works just like a crossbow, point and shoot. It has six shots in it, but with magic it’ll recharge after a five second delay.”
Ruby nodded and placed the box she was carrying on the table next to the gun. “Please Hurry.”

“I’ll be back in a flash.” Emerald blew her lover a kiss before she was teleported with Paladin into the forest. Paladin slipped his mask on top of his head and pulled the scarf up over his mouth for extra warmth.

“We’ll find the lone straggler, then head out for the cave, understand?” Paladin pulled the mask down over his face as he summoned a vision spell to see clear as day through the swirling snow.

“Yes, Royal Guardian.” Emerald replied as she pulled her goggles down over her eyes and yanked the hood of her jacket over head.

“A simple yes will do, you don’t need to be that formal out here.” Paladin chuckled as he buttoned the top two buttons of his coat. “Now, let’s get to work.”

“I’ll lead.” Emerald loaded five bolts into her crossbow and started off, the Guardian following behind.
The winter storm was beginning to pick up with intensity. The swirling winds whipped at their garments, making Emerald shiver despite the thick garments she wore. The thick flakes of snow that fell from the sky cluttered their vision before they were wiped away by a glove-covered hand. Emerald had her head on a swivel as she led the way, scanning the tree line for any sudden movement. Paladin stood behind her with his right hand in his coat, clutching the handle of his blade. His left hand swung free as the soft crunch of boot on snow was the only sound the two warriors made. In fact the only words Emerald spoke during the first half hour of their journey was to inform Paladin that was she was turning right to follow a set of boot tracks not yet covered by the falling snow.

“So…where do you hail from Emerald?” Paladin asked to break the silence.

“Phillyinnapolis.” The girl replied.

“Ah, big race town up there, isn’t it?”

“I guess.” Emerald quipped.

“Ah…” Paladin could practically feel the restlessness from Emerald’s quick, cold responses.

“Ruby’s probably got the radio fixed by now, from the papers I saw she’s a master engineer.” Paladin patted her shoulder. “Following in her darling’s footsteps I presume.”

Emerald stopped, turned around and shoved Paladin with her right hand, knocking him to the ground.

“Will you just shut up?!” She screamed. My best friend from the academy got her damn head chopped off right in front of me. I almost watched my girlfriend get raped, and here you are dragging me out here while poor Ruby’s defenseless trying to make small talk and find some damn cave!” Tears began to well in Emerald’s goggles and fall down her cheeks in a trickle. She removed them and the tears streamed down as she dropped to her knees and sobbed. Paladin scrambled to his feet and removed his mask. “Look, I’m sorry war sucks, but I hope you didn’t join the military for the benefits!” He shot back.
“I joined to help people!” She jumped up, tossing her crossbow to the ground. “I joined the military to be a difference maker, not be cannon fodder against the damn changeling army! And I sure as hell didn’t agree to share my life story in exchange for you saving my life!” Emerald shoved Paladin again then balled her left fist, throwing a punch that was stopped by the palm of his hand. He squeezed her fist, making Emerald wince in pain then shrieked as she threw another punch that was caught by his hand.

“Listen to me, child.” Paladin spoke softly. “I know you’re trying to put on a tough front, but now is not the time to vent all your frustrations! We are on mission to kill the remaining Changeling elements and find whatever is in the cave you marked! Now unless you want to return to your precious Ruby in a damn pine box, I suggest you screw your head back on soldier!” Paladin shoved her away and turned away from her, dusting the snow from his coat. He sighed and pulled his mask back over his face “I know how it feels to watch people die. I know how it feels to leave a love one’s side to go fight. It sucks. You worry about them all the time; you pray they’re going to be alright. But you cannot lose your head when-

“Get down!” Paladin was shoved to the ground as a green bolt of energy streaked past his head and landed in the snow. Emerald grabbed her cross bow and kneeled down in front of him, quickly scanning the area. She spotted a glint of an iron barrel as a changeling soldier ducked down behind a boulder on the small hill to their right. Emerald closed her left eye and took aim at a small crevice where the soldier’s back could be seen. She pulled the trigger and the bolt whistled out as it streaked towards its target. A few seconds later, a half human, half insect scream was heard as they watched the soldier jump up, clutching the bolt in their back. Emerald smirked and fired a second bolt which struck the target in the side, making it fall to the ground.

Paladin jumped up, brushing snow of his body as he turned around as the girl stood, smiling as she held the cross bow over her shoulder triumphantly.

“Consider ourselves, even.” She cracked a smile for the first time in a long, long time.
Paladin chuckled. “Good hunting, now let’s see what your kill was worth.”

Meanwhile…

Ruby was hard at work, changing out the waterlogged, or rather Cocoa logged, pieces of equipment with fresh parts from the box to her left. The wool gloves she was wearing could easily damage the parts, further complicating matters. But Ruby had the advantage of being a unicorn, and by using her magic, she was assembling the radio without even having to touch the parts. With the installation of the new magic core, the radio hummed to life to Ruby’s cheers. She sealed up the back when the soft thud of boots on snow made the young woman bolt upright. She could hear her own heartbeat as the footsteps became louder. Her body quaked as the thought of the changelings finding her by herself in the outpost. She grabbed the gun and ran back into the supply closet, shutting and locking the door behind her. She braced herself against the back shelves, clutching the pistol in her left hand as she heard voices.

“You’d think the Equestrian Army would have better cleanliness standards than this.” A Canterlot accent echoed through the halls.

“I’m sorry they couldn’t take the time to tidy up to your standards, Rarity. They were too busy being blown up!” A tomboyish voice replied to the first.

“I hope nothing too bad happened to them…I mean, they could have made it to safety, r-right Rainbow Dash?” A soft whisper followed the first two.

“Take a look around Fluttershy, does it look like they made it to safety?!” The one called Rainbow Dash answered, making the soft voice whimper, finishing with a quiet “meep”.

“Rainbow!” A calm female voice reprimanded the tomboyish one.

“What?! Look around Twilight. The entire place is bombed out; if anyone was in here they’re probably dead.” The one called Rainbow dash said.

“But this place looks deserted…Where are the bodies? Shining Armor said the Royal Guardian was supposed to be here.” Twilight wondered as a country accent joined the chorus of voices.

“Maybe he took the survivors back ta town already. Maybe he’s already gawn.” The voice said.

“Speaking of gone, where’s Pinkie Pie?” Rainbow Dash questioned.

“She’s probably off exploring, again.” Rarity’s voiced hinted of annoyance the echo of footsteps became louder.

“Hey, someone’s been here, see? Someone was workin an ta radio before we got here!” The country voice exclaimed. Ruby gulped and inched back further, causing a stack of pans to clatter down on top of her. The voices outside stopped as they heard the commotion. One of them began to jiggle the handle on the door.

“Wh-what the hay?! Why’s the door locked?!” Rainbow Dash pulled hard on the door then banged her fist against it. “Open up in there!” Ruby scrambled to her feet, and wrapped both hands around the gun. She held it tight and pointed it towards the door as the handle was engulfed with the purple wisps of magical energy. After a few seconds delay, the lock clicked, and the door slowly opened. When the door swung open half way, six bolts of magical energy whizzed by Rainbow Dash’s arm, head, and body, making her jump back as the other women ducked. Enraged, Rainbow dash propelled herself forward with her wings and grabbed Ruby, slamming her back against the back shelf. The force of the impact knocked the shelves off their supports to the floor as Ruby cried out in pain.

“Please don’t hurt me! I’ll tell you anything you want, I swear!” Ruby pleaded. Rainbow either didn’t hear her or didn’t care, and balled up her right hand into a fist and pulled her arm back. Ruby yelped and closed her eyes, turning her head to the side in preparation for the incoming blow. Before Rainbow Dash could strike, a purple energy field wrapped around her arm and forced it to be still.

“Rainbow Dash, stop!” Twilight yelled and pulled the girl away as Ruby slumped to the floor.

“What?! She shot at me!” Rainbow Dash whined.

“She probably thought we was one of them changelings, poor thing” Applejack brushed past her seething friend and kneeled down next Ruby. “We’re sorry about that sugarcube, Rainbow Dash can be a mite rash sometimes, but she’s a good friend. Now how about ya tell us yur name?”

“R…Ruby….” She whispered.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that…”

“She said her name was Ruby.” Fluttershy said.

“Fluttershy, Darling…how did you hear her?” Rarity was dumbfounded. The girl’s voice was barely higher than the howling wind outside, yet Fluttershy had heard her clear as day.

“Oh..well, uhh… dealing with the animals for so long, my ears kind of got tuned to picking up lower sounds I guess.” Fluttershy explained as Applejack was helping Ruby to her feat.

“I…I’m sorry for shooting at you Rainbow Dash…I…I thought you guys were changelings.” Ruby kept her eyes low as she spoke. Rainbow Dash huffed and then unclenched her fists.

“Yeah, and I’m sorry for Almost decking you one… Just make sure you look before you shoot next time.”
Twilight rolled her eyes at Rainbow’s half apology. It would have to do for now.

“Come on Rainbow, let’s go stand guard. No sense standing in here yapping when changelings could pop up any second.”

Applejack had an ulterior motive for pulling Rainbow Dash back outside. The girl was in still steaming after her near death experience. She hoped getting some air outside would clear the girl’s mind. Rainbow Dash grumbled, but followed Applejack back towards the entrance. The three remaining Elemental users followed ruby into the observatory. From there, Ruby expected to see the large iron hull of the Equestrian’s new airships, the symbol of the rapid technological growth experienced over the last few years. Instead, the clearing was empty. The snow was beginning to fall harder, and the wind was making the trees wave back and forth as the storm intensified once more.

“H…how did you all get up here? And aren’t there supposed to be six of you?” Ruby asked, turning to face the group.
Twilight, who was seated in a chair directly in front of her, spoke first. “We had to teleport…and then climb our way here. The storm was too bad for us to fly.

Rarity, who was sitting in the chair next to her, had one leg crossed over the other, and her hand sitting in her lap, would speak next. “There are six of us dear…Pinkie Pie…urm…wandered off once we got to the top of the ridge… She said she was going to find a bathroom, and never came back.”
Ruby was dumbfounded.” B…bathroom???”

“We told her to go on the ship, but she said she could hold it.” Fluttershy added.

Twilight brought this part of the conversation to a close. “Pinkie is…odd, but she’s resourceful. I’m sure she’ll find us in due time. I know you’ve had a rough time of it all…but do you think You can tell me what happened here?”
Ruby cringed, and then let out a sigh. “We were out patrolling in the forests. It was Me, Emerald, Commander Blaze, Wind surfer, and Moondancer. We were scouting out the eastern overlook when We came up to a small rock formation. The commander always thought it didn’t look natural.”

“What made it seem out of the ordinary?” Twilight asked.

“Well rocks weren't weathered at all. They looked smooth, and they were warm to the touch.”

“Ruby, why didn’t any of you tell the expedition team about the site?”

Ruby looked off to the side, shame washing over her face. “The Commander thought it was a changeling trap… we would have destroyed it, b-but then…”

“Then what, darling?” Rarity spoke. Ruby’s body was beginning to visibly shake as she continued her story.

“M-m-moondancer…he tripped and fell on something. He was always doing that. We had a laugh. But when he got up, we saw the gold piece..”

Twilight reached into her coat pocket as Ruby spoke, and pulled out a similar looking gold piece. It was a curved piece of gold, with a orange jewel embedded in the center of it. “Ruby, did the piece look something like this?

“Yes! Like that…except this piece had a blue gem embedded in it. A-after we found it all of a sudden we heard a series of loud booms. We looked up, saw the streaks of artillery heading towards the outpost. The Commander ordered E-emerald and I to h-head back and help the others, while they went to silence the guns.”

“What happened next?”

Ruby began to rock back and forth in her chair. The fresh memories of the battle came flooding back to her mind. A tear ran down her cheek as she quietly spoke “We started running back… The explosions were getting louder and louder the closer we got…t…then….” Ruby broke down into sobs. “We got captured b-b-by the changelings. They kept asking us about the Queen. Emerald kept telling them we didn’t know…then they marched the commander out in front of us…they asked us again…then…then…”Ruby broke down into tears. She buried her face into her hands as she wept. Fluttershy, who was still standing in the door way crossed the room and hugged the girl tight as she began to cry. Twilight gripped the gold piece in her hand. Her body burned with Anger at the mere thought of the horrors this girl was forced to witness.

“We’ll make them pay Ruby, I promise.” She growled. Rarity nodded in agreement. Her hands clenched together in her lap. Fluttershy released the girl, but kept her hand on her shoulder to sooth her as she slowly calmed herself. She wiped her eyes clean as she sniffled.

“If it hadn’t been for Paladin, we would have been dead or worse.” She sighed.

“Where is he now, Ruby?”

Ruby stood and walked over to the map of the area. Her eyes glossed over it quickly before finding the overlook at the very edge of Equestrian territory. She picked up a marker pen and circled the overlook “Paladin took Emerald with him to the overlook. He seemed pretty excited about it...”

While Ruby was retelling the events of the day, Emerald and Paladin were on the move once more. Emerald had her crossbow slung over her right shoulder as she took the dead soldier’s weapon for her own.. The weapon’s stock was about three inches long, narrowing as it melded into main body of the rifle. The iron barrel was secured at the one third, half, and three quarter mark of its thirty seven inch length. She slipped her finger against the trigger guard as she examined the sights. The weapon’s magic core was exposed; the lyrium crystal suspended in a glass enclosure was faintly glowing.”

“For a bunch of insects, their weapons are pretty advanced. They’re almost on par with ours.” Emerald remarked. She funneled magical energy through her hands into the gun to charge the magic core. Paladin nodded as he was examining their map. He noticed that the tracks where following the exact path leading to the rock formation on the northern overlook. The overlook just happened to rest directly on the border with changeling territory. In the pit of his stomach, Paladin had a bad feeling about this. It didn’t make sense that a piece of Queen Faust’s crown would be found so close to hostile lands. If the site they were going to was the final resting place of the long dead queen, how did she end up here? The original route of the expedition into the Crystal Empire wasn’t supposed to lead them anywhere close to where the second crown piece was found. What were they doing out there?

“They’re changelings they probably copied our technology using spies.” He said quietly.

“Now you’re the one being emotionless.” Emerald chuckled she stopped at the foot of the approach to the over look and stared up at the large formation ontop of it. The large rocks were arranged in a dome, with a single entrance blocked by a large build up of snow blocking the only entrance. The structure radiated with a faint spiral of energy orbiting clockwise around it.

“ That…wasn’t happening when we were here earlier…” Emerald’s eyes were large as saucers as she observed it.

“It’s reacting to my presence.” Paladin said in passing as he began the hike to the top.

“And how do you know that?!”

“Call it…a hunch.”

End Chapter

Meeting the Queen

%Chapter 4: Meeting the Queen%

The winter storm that was blanketing the area in white had begun to pick up. The winds howled through the trees, rocking the limbs back and forth. The large flakes of snow swirled around the Guardian and his assistant as they made their way on top of the cliff. Despite the poor visibility, the large rocky dome stood prominently. Red streaks of magical energy swirled slowly around it. The rocks were smooth in appearance, the edges interlocked in each successive row. The rocks appeared undamaged, despite the scorch marks covering the top and sides from artillery bombardments. The entrance was rounded at the top, and measured 5 feet wide by 9 feet high. There was snow packed in the entrance to dissuade intruders.

“T…this is incredible.” Emerald stood with mouth agape. Her weapon slung over her shoulder as she stared up at the 100 foot high structure. She stood at the landing of the overlook as Paladin continued on. He stopped short of the magical barrier and extended his right hand towards the swirling mass of energy. When he touched it, the swirling mass stopped moving, and then slowly increased in intensity, radiating heat that melted the snow in front of the entrance before discharging in a flash.

Emerald was dumbfounded. “W-What just happened?”

“The protection spell on these rocks is an old one. Not many magic users know how to summon it properly. It acts as a shield, revealing itself only when certain individuals close to the summoner are near.” Paladin stepped inside, then did a double take. “It can’t be…”

Emerald peered over Paladin’s shoulder then gasped. Laying on a stone alter in the cave was a body, clothed in a long white gown. The body appeared to be that of a female in her thirties, her long flowing red hair spilled out around her head and half way down the side of the gold altar embedded with rubies and sapphires.

“P…paladin…is that….”

Paladin removed his mask as he nodded. Emerald dropped to one knee to show reverence to their seemingly fallen leader, as Paladin approached the altar. His face took on a solemn look, a single tear streaking down his face as he stood next to her. He then dropped to a knee, and clasped her left hand with his own as he stared at her emotionless face.

“F…for a two thousand year slumber, you look pretty good” he chuckles. “Did you enjoy your trip to the Crystal Empire? I hear it’s beautiful this time of year. We all missed you, poor Luna stood at the entrance to the castle for two weeks waiting for your return.”

Emerald looked up from her crouched position as confusion took over her mind. She could faintly make out Paladin’s voice over the sound of the wind rambling on to the woman on the table as if they were having a friendly chat.

“P..paladin, who are you talking too?” She calls out as his voice becomes deeper as he begins to choke back a steady stream of tears.

“We searched the entire mountain range for you, my Queen…. The Crystal Empire sent out its own scouts, but the weather got so bad… and then when the Empire disappeared, we were so swamped trying to contain the hysteria.” Paladin buried his face into the crook of the woman’s arm, sobbing openly as his words failed him. Emerald, whom he had all but forgotten, crossed the room and rested her right hand on his shoulder.

“She was special to you, wasn’t she…” Emerald inquired. Paladin shot up when he heard Emerald’s voice. “You can think whatever you want.” he brushed her hand from his person as Emerald huffed and put her hands on her hips.

“Paladin…”

“What?!” He yelled as her turns on his heel and faced her. “Yes. She was special to me! More special than anyone I’ve ever met! She was charming, she was kind, she was a just ruler, a good friend, a wonderful mother…” Paladin’s voice trailed off as he heard a soft crunch in the snow. He looked over Emerald’s shoulder but saw nothing. He then heard a second crunch, from behind them. He turned around and gasped as the Queen who was thought dead was very much alive.

“It’s been a long time, My Guardian.” She stood before them, her baby blue eyes were heavy from sleep, yet her trademark smile was still present on her lips. Paladin dropped to one knee and bowed his head in a gesture of respect for his queen. Emerald, overcome by the situation, falls to the snow covered ground, unconscious.

“Is she alright?” The Queen asks as Paladin stands and turns to find Emerald passed out.

“I think so…” Paladin scratches his head. “The sad thing is, between her and Ruby, she’s the stronger of the two. Now, your highness, we should move you to safety as soon as possible. Every changeling in the area probably saw that little light show when the barrier went down.”

As paladin spoke, the queen’s magic began to flow around her in red tendrils,that covered her entire body. The tendrils weaved themselves together tightly before dispersing, leaving behind a blood red colored plate armor covering the queen’s vital areas. Buckled to her right hip was a 3 feet long, double sword, with a saw tooth formation going down the back of the blade. In her left hand was a large triangular shaped shield, stamped with the quill in the ink bottle symbol that was stamped in the center of the breast plate.

“Well, at least I’ll get to stretch my legs a bit.” The queen chuckled as she drew her sword and began to walk towards the entrance. Paladin chased after her, pulling his mask down as he did.

Meanwhile, back at the outpost the others were starting to get worried about the status of their friends, especially Pinkie Pie. The wind and snow where creating near-whiteout conditions. Worse, the sun was setting, meaning there would be two to three more hours at the most where a person would be able to safely navigate back to safe ground. However, navigating on foot would not be a problem for the pastry chef, as the loud hum of airship engines could be heard over head. The sound of the engines confused the other elemental users. The harsh cold of the Stalliongrad mountains were enough to freeze magic coils solid. If the engines didn’t freeze, then a pilot would surely crash into the mountain from the combination of the blinding snow and the gale force winds. But as they looked out the window, the unmistakable pink hull and purple awnings that shaded the decks, stamped on top with the image of three large balloons that was the “party ship”, were clearly visible as it landed in the snowy valley.

Ruby was dumbfounded. “Where did she go?”

Applejack, who seemed unfazed by Pinkie’s latest act of randomness, spoke up “The bathroom.”

The last inhabitants of Outpost 17 quickly rushed outside as the gangplank of the vessel fell to the ground, creating an entrance ramp onto the ship. Standing atop of it, was the most peculiar looking woman. Her pink curls escaping in all directions under her snow cap like the excess icing on a cupcake. Her oversized pink coat was lined with confetti and streamers, and the words “party animal” where scribbled in white letters along the front. Her snow pants were at least two sizes too big, yet the bagginess of her attire didn’t hamper her movement as she bounced up and down happily.

“Pinkie Pie?!” Twilight was stunned as she spoke. The girl was only supposed to go to the bathroom, but in that time she had somehow managed to go back to town, get back to the ship port, and retrieve her flying machine all in the span of a few hours.

“Hi twilight!” Pinkie pie bounced down the gangplank and hugged her friend. “Sorry it took so long, I had to go really really bad!, but I couldn’t just go out here because it was so cold and I didn’t want to get caught by changelings, so I went back down to Stalliongrad! I tried to use the bathroom in the inn but it was smelly and not very clean, so I thought “Hey, the ship’s bathroom is really really really clean, I’ll just go there! So I did, and then I thought “Hey, it might be cold on the mountain and we might need a warm place to sleep, so I…”

“Brought the ship to us.” Twilight finished her friend’s sentence. Pinkie nodded her head vigorously as she released her friend and took a look around. Her trade mark smile quickly disappeared, as she saw all the bodies strewn on the ground.

“Girls, what happened here?” Pinkie asked.

“Them Changelings really stirred a nest this time. They attacked the place lookin for the Queen’s grave…they really did a number on the place…” Applejack pointed towards the devastated Outpost, still standing despite being riddled by impact wounds. Pinkie’s jaw dropped as she saw it. While the memory of their only tangle with the changelings was distant in her mind, seeing their handiwork first hand still sent a chill down her spine. Looking down at one of the body of a fallen Equestrian guard soldier, her armor shredded by blades and punctured by bullet rounds. Her cheeks were stained with dried blood and tears. From the evidence, this woman’s death hadn’t been easy. This sight brought profound changes in Pinkie Pie. Her poofy hair had become matted down in long strands; her happy expression had changed as well. Her teeth were gritted, and her blue eyes narrowed. Her breathing became more ragged, and in her right hand formed a vorpal blade almost out of thin air.

“Who…did this…” She breathed.

“There was a huge flash of light over the trees.” Rarity said, shivering from Pinkie’s transformation. Before they could warn her of Paladin and Emerald’s own expedition, she was gone in a flash.

“Twi…should we….”

Twilight Sparkle was already in a dead run into the forest towards the flash, hoping to arrive there before Pinkie…or rather, “Pinkamena”, arrived first.

“R…rarity? W-who was that?!” Ruby stuttered out. Rarity was shaken out of her daze and looked down at the girl.

“A monster, Ruby. A monster….”

Meanwhile, the cliff the Queen had sought refuge on was being besieged on all sides by a legion of changelings, who had been attracted to the flash of light from the protective barrier’s dispersal. As they began advancing onto the cliff, a crimson streak arced through the surrounding army, and in the blink of an eye, a hundred of them had been killed instantly, and hundreds of others were tossed aside by the shockwave that came after. As the smoke cleared from the entrance, Queen Faust walked out, smirking with her sword drawn. She was flanked by the Royal Guardian, whose weapons were sheathed for this encounter, and a thoroughly stunned Stalliongrad Ranger in Emerald, eyes wide and mouth gaped open as the queen strode amongst her enemies.

“Well, this is quite the welcome party.” Queen Faust chuckled as she took a defensive stance, her shield side forward, with her left arm held close to her body so that the shield covered her vital areas.

“I told you they’d seen your little light show.” Paladin said, drawing his weapons, he stands with his dagger collapsible dagger held horizontally in front of his body. In front of them were over 300 changelings, the head of them standing in front of his ranks. He was a giant of a man, standing at over seven feet tall. He held a large double sided Axe in his hands. His muscles were finely tuned, threatening to burst through his plate armor. He laughed as he saw Emerald cowering, waving her gun side to side as she tried to line up a target.

“So, the secret of the Equestrian tomb has finally revealed itself to be nothing but a little girl and her two brats.” He snorted. Queen Faust gritted her teeth as she gripped her sword tight in her hand.

“We’re more than a simple group of children. I am Queen Lauren Faust of Equestria, to my right stands the guardian of the crown, Paladin. To my left, stands a ranger of the Great Stalliongrad Rangers. You are trespassing on our lands and killing my people indiscriminately. This is tantamount to war. You have until the count of three to take your troops out of my country and never return, and I might consider not storming your lands with the full might of the Equestrian Army!”
The giant and his cohorts laughed at the three warriors standing before them. “You think that you three can stand against the likes of us? We walk among your people unseen. We’ve already breached your pitiful defenses, and soon, our glorious queen will take your lands and your pitiful race slaves for our will. Yet here you are, making arrogant threats like you still have some sort of high ground left to stand on.”

Paladin had heard enough of this. He teleported from the queen’s side and appeared behind the leader. He stabbed his blade through the soldier’s legs, making him howl in pain. The soldier fell to his knees as Paladin drew his revolver and shot him three times in the head. The soldier’s blood splashed on his hands, coat, and mask. He turned around and stood his ground as the massive changeling army began to charge at them, weapons drawn and shouting in rage

“Now you can stretch your legs!” Paladin roars as he spins around, unloading pistol rounds into the advancing soldiers. Emerald lay down prone as the shots from enemy soldiers whizzed by her head. She shot back at any enemy she could see as she slowly crawled forward towards a large stone. Queen Faust sprinted forward, shield first at an oncoming changeling and rammed her assailant in the gut. The changeling gasped and lurched forward as it was lifted off the ground as the queen raised her shield. With a smirk, the queen aligned the tip of her sword with the changeling’s temple, where the lid of the helmet bordered its forehead. She thrust forward hard, impaling its skull on her sword’s blade, before emitting a pulse of energy from her shield, tossing the lifeless corpse back into the charging ranks.

“Whoa!” Shouted Emerald. She watched in awe as Queen Faust’s blade burned red with her magical aura as she held it high above her head. With a horizontal swing, she fired a crescent blade of magic that sliced her enemies in half.

“Very nice my queen, now watch this!” Paladin flipped backwards to avoid a heavy swing of an axe from a charging enemy. Then, as his feet touched the ground, he blinked forward and appeared behind a line of ten changelings. His blade was dripping with blood as he turned around to watch his targets fall dead. He then turned to the right in time to see a changeling swinging for his head. Paladin managed to throw his blade up in defense, but the force of the swing ripped his flimsy blade from his hand. But before the changeling could finish off the disarmed royal guardian, the warrior found himself staring down the barrel of a gun as Paladin unloaded a slug at point blank. The force of the shot at that close a range caused the fallen changeling to flip backwards, landing on the snow face down. With his foe dispatched, the royal guardian searched frantically for his blade as Queen Faust leaped in front of him and unleashed a volley of red tendrils that impaled the enemies descending upon them.

“Losing a step, my dear Paladin?” The Queen chuckled then she dispatched a changeling with a diagonal slash down through its right shoulder.

“Says the woman who’s been asleep for four thousand years!” Paladin shot back as he picked up his blade. He looked up quickly to see a changeling sneaking up behind Emerald as she took potshots at the soldiers that tried to swarm her position. Gripping the handle tight, he pulled his arm back then threw it in Emerald’s direction. When the girl saw the blade hurtling towards her head, she screamed and covered her head just in time for it to graze her coat, and impale the changeling behind her in the thigh. When she heard the scream of pain, emerald turned over onto her back, pointed her rifle at its chest, and fired, the bolt piercing her enemy’s vital organs as it passed through.

“Good shot, child!” The queen exclaimed. But their work was far from over. A hundred more changelings were charging up the hill at them. Emerald joined her fellow fighters as they stood in front of the opening to the rock structure, weapons drawn and held tight.

“My queen, you need to…” Paladin began

“No.” she placed a hand on his shoulder and shook her head. “As the Queen of Equestria, it is my duty to go out fighting.” The queen responded, and prepared to charge into the horde before them…

Suddenly, Darkness would envelope the land. Changeling and Equestrian alike where blinded, except for Paladin, who had muttered a spell to allow him to see through the darkness. With this new vision, he could see that the changeling warriors had stopped in place, caught in confusion over what was happening.

“W.what’s going on?! It was afternoon not five seconds ago” Emerald shrieked.

“Child…there are some things you’ll learn to be glad you’ve never seen.” Paladin spoke. Shortly after the room got dark, a soft, maniacal laughter pierced the eerie silence. Then came the voice…

“Giggle at the ghosties…” the voice said. A rush of wind followed, whipping at the tails of Paladin’s coat. The Queen held her weapons tight, and Emerald clutched her weapon for dear life, her hands shaking, and her knees buckling together.

“Crack up at the creepies…” The voice came again, followed by an innocent chuckle. Paladin watched as the girl appeared with his back towards him. The vorpal blade was shining in his dark vision, though to those around him there was nothing but blackness. Then, she disappeared again.

“Snortle at the spookies” The voice range out a third time, followed by the sickening sound of blade tearing flesh. Paladin watched as she slashed and stabbed through a platoon of changelings. Their blood splashed on her body, a demonic smile creasing her lips. Cries of agony followed each swing, as this mystery girl slaughtered changelings left and right. Some of the soldiers were swinging at each other in the darkness in a vain attempt to halt this merciless attack.

As one changeling, a young male soldier, tried to fly away, it shrieked in terror as its left wing was held tight in the pink haired assassin’s firm grip. With one hand, she slammed her prey to the ground with one hand, then tore the wing off. The changeling’s cry actually made Paladin shiver but he continued watching as the girl stabbed her blade into the man’s back, and then twisted the blade as she pulled on the wing simultaneously.

“Don’t cry little one, I’ll make you feel so much better…soon.” She laughed then left the solider on the ground wincing and groaning in pain.

Paladin finally had to stop watching this wholesale slaughter. Most of the Changelings were either flying or running in terror away from where they thought the attacker was coming from. He used this confusion to his advantaged and dashed towards the girl as she stood over another male solder. She was licking the blood from her blade as she stood over him, giggling like a child playing with their first teddy bear. Before she could strike him, Paladin tackled her to the ground, pinning her blade hand to the ground as she kicked her feet at his stomach, trying to pry herself away and finish her work. With his right hand free, Paladin grabbed his revolver and spun it so that the handle was forward and swung hard, pistol whipping the girl across the face. With one swing, he managed to knock her unconscious, and the evening light returned to the forest. Strewn along the ground were the bodies of over 200 changelings who were either writhing in agony, or dead outright. The remaining survivors had already bolted, flying or running for the safety of their own borders.

“P..paladin, who is that?” Emerald asked, her body shaking still.

“It’s a long story.” Paladin said as he lifted the unconscious girl into his arms. “Right now, we need to start heading back. If that brute was to be believed, then we have to mobilize the defenses in Stalliongrad before these things start pouring over the mountain in force.”

Author's Note

Sorry for the delay but real life came calling, but I'm back again!