Guardians

I awoke to the sound of fierce knocking around five thirty. I got up stretched my wings and opened my door. The pony I saw standing there was one I thought would never come to speak with me.

"What do you want Filthy?" I asked.

"It's my daughter, she's been taken!" he panicked.

I was wide awake now, "By who?" I demanded.

"The changelings, they left a ransom note." He pulled out a piece of paper from his saddlebag.

I took the note from him and read. "Filthy Rich, if you want to see your daughter alive again, destroy the elements of harmony and bring me the remains, twenty miles west of Ponyville. Come at dawn. Chrysalis."

"I'll help you get her back. Not because I like you, but because I can't let the elements be destroyed." I said.

"You are the last pony I would ever turn to, but you're the only one who actually stands a chance against those… creatures." He spat.

"One thing concerns me though. Why would the changelings leave a note?" I stated.

"They are crafty creatures, they probably want to hold me for ransom." He said.

"I better be going, I have no time to lose." I said, before grabbing my swords and flying out the window.

It felt odd flying for the first time in a month, yet strangely comforting. I flew to where the changelings were supposed to meet Filthy, and landed when I saw the massive airship.

"They were definitely planning something." I said, sensing the hundreds of dark forces. I saw Queen Chrysalis exiting the air ship. "What's she doing?" I asked.

The next thing I know several zebras ambushed me, using their mystic abilities to subdue my own magic and strength. I could hear Chrysalis. "Good work, now that we have him, nothing stands in our way. All I we have to do now is drain him of his powers." She said.

A changeling came up to me, it bit me instantly letting go, hissing in pain. "His powers are too much for us to handle, my queen." I heard a changeling say.

"They drain ponies of their power by biting, they're just like vampires." I thought.

"We do have the zebra's plan B." Queen Chrysalis laughed.

A liquid was poured down my throat. I went completely unconscious, unable to see, feel, or hear anything. When I woke up, I was surrounded by changelings. "Where… am I? Why can't I move?" I asked.

"It does not matter where you are." I heard Chrysalis say. "As for your inability to move, we have poured paralyzing manticore venom down your throat. It has entered your bloodstream and will keep your body and magic in a weakened state." She laughed again.

"Why not just kill me?" I asked, hateful to my capturers.

"I did consider it, but I decided it would be best to keep you weak, and feed off your love of Celestia." She explained.

"How did you catch me?" I asked.

"The zebras were ever so helpful, making a potion of unconscious. You were out quite a long time." She said. "Pity, I thought you would be a bit more challenging."

"What about Filthy's daughter?" I asked.

"Yes, what about my daughter?" I heard Filthy ask.

I was surprised to hear him. "Filthy? What are you doing here?" I asked.

"We had an agreement." Chrysalis said. "If he got you to fall for our trap, we would release his brat, and spare them."

"FILTHY, YOU TRAITOR!" I yelled. I was more angry at myself for falling for such an obvious trap.

"Where's my daughter?" he asked again.

"DADDY!" a mare yelled. I couldn't see her too well.

Filthy ran over to the cell his daughter was in. "Release her and let us go! We had an agreement!" He yelled.

Chrysalis smirked. "You really thought we would let you go?"

"We had a deal!" he yelled again.

"You shouldn't make deals with the villains, Filthy." I said, bitter.

Several changelings attacked him and through him in the cell along with his daughter. "TRAITORS!" he yelled as Chrysalis and her minions exited the room.

"Your one to talk, you just put everypony in Equestria at risk." I said.

"I will do anything for my daughter." He argued.

We were quiet for a couple of hours before I decided to ask a question that had been on my mind. "The note was a fake, wasn't it?" I asked.

"Yes, it was the only way I could think of tricking you." He answered.

"Why would you agree to betraying everypony?" I asked.

"I told you already, I'll do anything for my little Diamond Tiara." He said.

"I understand. I would do the same for anypony." I said.

"Really?" he asked quietly.

"Yes, I can't let an innocent pony die or any creature, whether it's a bear, dragon, or anything else. I am a very noble being." I said.

"But at the gala I saw you, singlehoofingly take down fifty or more changelings." He said.

"I'm not usually the one to kill, but I had no choice. It was either them, or us." I said.

He paused, before speaking again. "I know what I did is unforgivable, but if we can get out of here, we might be able to save everypony." He said.

"I can't really do anything but talk, the venom is preventing me from moving." I said.

"Manticore venom only lasts for about a day. A guard will have to give you more." He explained.

"When?" I asked.

"Soon, you were passed out for a while."

"Let's not speak anymore. A guard might overhear." I stated.

"Agreed." He said.

We waited for what seemed like hours, before a lone changeling guard walked in carrying a bottle. He walked over to my cell, opened the door, and walked inside. "Time for more venom." It said.

I was lying on the floor, most of the paralysis had worn off, but I still had limited mobility. When the changeling got close enough, I used my unparalyzed wing to knock the creature into the wall. I then proceeded to get up and stumbled to the wall where the changeling lay dazed. Using my wing to hold it against the wall, I used my hoof to uppercut the changeling, breaking its neck. I hobbled out of my cell and over to a nearby table, which had a key to the cells, and my swords. "Amateurs." I said, before freeing Filthy and Diamond.

"Your daughter looks weak. Let me carry her." I said.

"No, don't overexert yourself." He stated.

"Why, I thought it wore off after a day?" I asked.

"Manticore venom does paralyze you for a day, then it begins wear off. But if you overexert yourself while the venom is still in you, it changes from a paralyzing liquid to a toxin able to kill a dragon in two hours." He explained.

"How long does it take to kill a pony?" I asked.

"Let's just say a tiny part of that time." He answered.

"Then we need to rely on stealth." I said.

I poked my head out the door, seeing an empty corridor with a window. We walked over to the glass only to see that we were miles above the plains.

"How are we going to get down there?" Filthy asked, he was carrying his daughter on his back.

"I don't know." I answered.

As we were trying to figure out how to escape, a changeling turned the corner. "The prisoners have escaped!" he hissed once he saw us. I realized I couldn't sense the changeling, probably due to a side effect of the venom.

The two of use turned around to see the changeling army blocking our path. The sea of creatures parted, letting their queen through. "Even when paralyzed, you insist on fighting." She asked. She lunged herself at me. I used the one free hoof I had to draw my sword and block her attack.

"You were going to keep giving me venom so I would stay weak. Little did you know, I can be as clever as you." I said. I pushed her back to her previous spot.

"Why are you saving him?" She asked. "He betrayed you."

"He only wanted to save his daughter, somepony he cared for, that's a worthy cause." I said.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" she yelled, lunging at me once more.

I felt the emotions building up inside me, not like at the gala, this was pure rage. "YOU MANIPULATE OTHERS TO DO YOUR DIRTY WORK! YOU TAKE THE THINGS WE LOVE THE MOST! AND YOU JUST DON'T CARE! YOU SICKEN ME!" I yelled, using the royal Canterlot voice. Light started spinning around us all and the entire airship, engulfing everything in a white light. My vision cleared up, and I saw the airship crashed in a river, but no changelings. Filthy and Tiara were a few yards away from me. I felt faint. I collapsed, hearing rumbling across the ground.

I woke up in a teepee, like the Native Americans had, all alone. I got up and exited the teepee, seeing a tribe of buffalo, Filthy and Tiara nearby.

"Ah, Blade." Filthy said. "Good to see you up. Allow me to introduce you to chief Thunderhooves."

A large, dark brown buffalo approached me. "Good, your awake, that venom almost killed you." He said.

"How long was I out for?" I asked.

"Three days." Thunderhooves said.

"We need to get back to Canterlot!" I said, panicked.

"We didn't want to move you. We wanted to wait until you awoke before taking you anywhere." He said.

I looked towards Filthy, who explained. "I asked him to take us to Canterlot once he found us. He told me that you and Tiara wouldn't make a trip like that in your conditions."

"So, now that I'm awake, we can leave now?" I asked.

"Yes, we have made the preparations already. Strongheart and I will be accompanying you; we wish to aid you in this fight." Thunderhooves said, Strongheart was a small orange buffalo beside him..

"Alright, we'll go talk to the princess." I said.

We spent the next three days heading for Canterlot. Filthy and Tiara had a difficult time keeping up. On the third night, Canterlot came into view. I stopped however.

"Why have you stopped?" Filthy asked.

"Something's odd." I said looking in the direction we came from.

"Let's rest here for tonight; we can go to Canterlot in the morning." The little, orange she-buffalo, Strongheart said.

"But Canterlot is in sight!" Filthy said outraged.

"Think of it this way Filthy. If we go to Canterlot now, we'll look weak and tired, we've been moving for three days straight." I said knowing Filthy's public appearance was everything to him.

"Let's set up came." Filthy said.

"He didn't even need time to think." I thought, slightly chuckling to myself.

We set up an area for the night. Filthy, Strongheart, and Tiara fell asleep, but I stayed awake, something was amiss, and Thunderhooves was just observing me.

"We saw that flying machine appear out of the sky, you seemed to be the one who made it appear." He stated.

"Why do you think that?" I asked.

"You seem to possess a power that few can match. I want to know what you plan to do with it." He said.

I just continued to stare off into the distance, "I plan to fix everything the changelings have done." I responded.

"So you are a protector, a hero, and a loyal friend to all you meet." He said.

"Not all. I use to be like that, but now I don't know who I can trust." I said.

"You can trust those whose pictures you hold in that emblem." He said.

"How… did you know?" I asked.

"It was open when we first found you, you have many good friends." He stated.

I sighed, "Thanks. So why do you want to fight the changelings?" I asked.

"The creatures you speak of have destroyed our friends in Apploosa, and many buffalo lives were lost." He stated.

"I always despised those who harm others, whether it be for enjoyment or personal gain. The changelings do it for both reasons." I scowled.

"What told you there was something amiss?" he asked.

"It's strange, I have multiple abilities to sense danger. I can sense the presence of certain creatures, such as changelings, and I get random visions of the future, but this, it's as if something is telling me not to proceed." I explained. "It's not changelings, and I didn't get a vision."

"Could it be natural instinct telling you not to go?" he asked.

"No, it feels like someone is telling me not to. I know it sounds unbelievable, but I assure you, if we are to rush, we may be dead." I said.

We fell asleep, no sound could be heard, but my mind was active. The sun came up, and we all awoke well rested and energetic. "Let's get going." I said. We began heading towards Canterlot, getting about halfway there before a loud crumbling sound could be heard. The others kept moving while I flew up, to search for the source of the sound. I instantly saw what had caused the noise, the very ground was falling in on itself. I flew down to the rest of the group, "RUN! THE GROUND IS COLAPSING!" I yelled.

They began sprinting towards the city, the collapsing ground quickly catching up. "Faster!" I yelled.

Tiara, who was still slightly weak from imprisonment, tripped and fell. "DADDY!" she yelled.

"Keep going, I'll get her!" I yelled to Filthy, flying towards the mare, who was stumbling to get on her hooves. I saw her fall into the pit.

"NO!" I heard Filthy scream.

I accelerated towards Tiara, catching her in my fore-hooves. I flew upward carrying the earth pony back to her father, who, along with the two buffalos, had reached safety. The ground stopped collapsing, and all three of them were staring at the dancing lights in the sky. I put Tiara down, landing a few feet away. "Let's go." I said.

We continued to head towards Canterlot, running into no more problems along the way. We finally reached the gates, where Shield, Celestia, and all my other friends were standing.

Twilight was first to run up, "Where have you been?" She asked, crying.

"Are you ok Twi?" I asked worried.

"Yes, I'm alright. I thought you were gone forever, right after our friendship started to rekindle." She said. "I'm just so glad your back."

"We found the ransom note from the changelings, and rushed to the area, but when we got there, we saw a flash of light, and you, along with the changelings, were gone. You've been missing for a year now." Shield explained.

"A year?" I asked. They nodded. "I must have sent the entire ship forward in time somehow."

"I'm just glad your back." Twilight said.

"Me too, I'll need to figure out what happened." I said.

"There's something I want to say first." Filthy stated. "I betrayed you all." He admitted.

"Betrayed?" Celestia said.

"Yes. The changelings took my daughter and made me a deal. If I got Blade to fall for their trap, she would be free, but they tricked me.' He said.

"HOW DARE YA, TRICKIN BLADE." Applejack yelled, Papyrus holding her back.

"Filthy, I'm surprised." Celestia said.

"I don't blame him. He only wanted what was best for his daughter, misguided as it may be." I said.

"How can you defend him?" Blaze asked me.

"Because I would do the same for any of you." I said.

Diamond Tiara ran up to Blaze. "Oh, Blazing Dawn, I didn't know you were here." She said, acting flirty and trying to fix her mane. He just walked away, obviously annoyed.

"She really is a brat." I thought.

Filthy continued to speak. "I was wrong about Blade, he is a pony who is very trustworthy." He said.

"Thanks Filthy, but you nearly hoofed over victory to the changelings." I said.

"I know, and I want what's best for my daughter, so from now on I'll support any decision you or Celestia make." He said.

"What happened to the changelings?" Dash asked.

"I'll start from the beginning." I said. "Filthy, can you help me explain what happened when I was out?" I asked.

"Of course." He said.

I spent the next several minutes describing what I could remember, being captured, the venom, escaping, and the buffalos. Filthy explained what had happened when I was unconscious.

"You sent the entire changeling army forward in time, and you were still being affected by Manticore venom? Do you know how dangerous that is?" Twilight asked.

"I knew how dangerous it was to overexert myself, but I didn't mean to send us all through time." I said.

"You're lucky the buffalos showed up." Lunar said. "Manticore venom is more potent the harder you work."

"Yeah, I have Chief Thunderhooves to thank for saving my life." I said turning to the buffalo Chief.

"Why are the buffalos here though?" Rarity asked.

"We wish to aid you in this war." Thunderhooves said.

"Why now? Why not when it started?" Celestia asked.

"We are a peaceful kind, but Filthy told us the changelings are going to destroy everything. We will fight to keep the land we live on safe." He said.

"We would be glad to have you as our allies." Luna said.

We said our temporary goodbyes and everypony left. Filthy took his daughter home, Thunderhooves and Strongheart took a zeppelin back to their tribe, the only ground route was collapsed, and all the others went back to the castle. I on the other hoof, went flying for a while, I was a little rusty. I met with the princesses, Lunar, Blaze, Shield, Fleur, and the elements, in the castle's main hall later that evening.

"So what has happened, since the last time you saw me?" I asked.

"The changelings were brought forward in time with you, so they haven't attacked lately." Twi said.

"And the all the damage done to Canterlot and Ponyville has been repaired." Applejack added.

"That's good, but the changelings are missing. They could be preparing an attack at any moment." I said.

"That's true." Celestia said. "We must prepare also."

"I'm more than prepared." I said, looking at the emblem I had around my neck.

Celestia pulled me over to the side, away from the others. "You kept that?" she asked, shocked.

"This emblem has worked so far. It gave me the strength I needed to fight the changelings. I knew even though you weren't there, you had my back." I said.

"It means so much to me that it helped you." She said.

I was taken back, "Do you love me?" I asked.

"Maybe." She answered vaguely, before she walked of.

"Is that a yes? And I thought girls on Earth were confusing." I thought.

Shield walked over to me, "Hey Blade, I have a really big favor to ask." He said.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I want to marry Fleur." He said.

"That's great!" I said. "But how does it involve me?"

"I want you to be the best colt." He said. "I just need time to get the ring. Can you distract Fleur so I can go get it?"

"Sure thing." I said, before he proceeded to leave.

"Where's Shield going?" Fleur asked when I joined the rest of my friends.

"He said he had to check on something at the guard tower." I lied. Applejack looked at me suspicious.

"Did he tell you when he would be back?" She asked.

"It should only take a few minutes." I said. We continued to speak about various things until Shield returned.

"Fleur, I have something big I want to ask you." He said.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Will you marry me?" he said, pulling the ring out of his bags.

Fleur was crying. "Yes." She said happily.

The rest of my friends congratulated them. It was getting late, so we all went home, after a quick celebration.