Chapter Twelve
"How can you be so sure?" Nighting Gale asked, looking up at the silent honor guard. "I mean, that looked exactly like Princess Cadence."
Silver Flash looked at her, then to Sun Guard. "Because Princess Cadence never used m lord's rank." He then looked back towards her. "Either Sir or Mister… Never High General." When Sun Guard turned around, and started to leave, Silver Flash bowing his head. "Of course, my lord. I will keep watch over the castle, until you and Lady Gale return from your search of the city."
"Wait, what?" Nighting Gale said, looking around, before trotting up next to the senior honor guard. "Aren't we going to stop that fake Princess Cadence?" She asked, lowering her voice to a whisper. "But we are going to search the city, like nothing hap-?" The thought struck her, after she voiced it. "Because it won't clue her in, that we know…"
Nighitng Gale looked up at him, as the stallion nodded. This was a classic game of deception; one he's played many times before. He found his foe, and they do not know that they've been discovered. Now, Sun Guard has to play his hoof carefully, and strike at the most opportune moment. This imposter thinks her skill is unmatched, but she has never fought one of his kind before.
"So, I'm guessing our tactic is a classic lie and wait? Let them into a false sense of security, and then strike?" She asked him, as the two of them exited the castle and walked on to the lowered draw bridge. "I'll also guess that we'll try to find Twilight Sparkle, until it's time to move?"
Sun Guard gave a nod, as he looked around the street. Canterlot seemed like any other day, if one doesn't count the wedding celebration decorations. Though, the honor guard noticed something strange, and so did Nighting Gale.
"See it too, huh?" She asked, Sun Guard nodding at the fact that they would see two of the same pony, at different ends of the street. It was rare, but both were well trained soldiers, one having heightened senses and the other was a veteran of eternal war. Nighting Gale groaned, lowering her head. "Even if we did beat that imposter, it'll take forever to find Twilight." Sun Guard tilted his head a bit, confused by her comment. "Before you start thinking about it, I really wanted to go to the after party. Even only being there, as a guard, I love parties. If I get to dance, that would be even better… Even if it's with you." The last part was said in her mind.
Sun Guard gave a light shrug, he only attended parties as Celestia's guard. Plus, he rarely attended celebrations on Holy Terra because of his duties. For the wedding's after party, he would probably had just stood off o the side, and watched. Since Nighting Gale liked them so much, he would also had taken up more patrols so that she could enjoy herself, have some fun that night.
The thought caused him to stop, making the stallion wonder why it came across. Granted, he felt good when those under his command were happy, but he's never took shifts for them. One's duty, was still their duty to do. Which makes him wonder, why did he care now and be willing to do so for Nighting Gale? She was a High General, so it was required that she performs and inspections of the guard details during Royal Occasions.
"Hey, big guy, you alight?" Nghting Gale asked, walking up to Sun Guard with a raised brow. "You seem zoned out there, partner." Sun Guard shook his head, throwing the thoughts from his mind, before nodding. "Alright, good. Now, let's go try and find Twilight." The stallion nodded, as the two of them continued walking down the street.
-Sometime Later-
"This is taking forever." Nighitng Gale groaned, as the two High Generals walked down an alley. "And the fake is probably taking part in the wedding right now, and causing hidden problems." Both of the mare's eyes were showing her annoyance. She wanted to take this threat out head on.
Sun Guard nodded, in agreement, as he eyed what was around them. They saw one of the pairs again, and followed them. When one proved to be a real one, the other High General quickly caught up to the other. Ironically, it was Nighting Gale that followed the real one, and Sun Guard was lead to this alley by a fake. He waited until the mare caught up to him, before they moved into the alleyway and started to search for the fake pony… Who seemed to have disappeared into thin air.
A sound suddenly caught Nighting Gale's attention, causing her ears to listen closer. She noticed that her partner seemed more on edge. "Caught on to it too, huh?" The mare asked, moving to cover Sun Guard's back, as he gave a nod. "Greeeat… Looks like we walked right into a trap." Six pairs of bug-like, blue, eyes started to appear within the shadows around them, both High Generals taking combat stances with their weapons. When insectoid ponies walked of the shadows, baring their fangs. Nighting Gale's eyes went wide. "C-Changelings! Sun Guard, we gotta warn the Princess!"
When she looked up at the stallion, the mare noticed he was more prepared for combat. His helmeted gaze was scanning the six Changelings around them, as if he was assessing their foes. Nighting Gale could see that he was figuring out how long it'll take for them to kill them. The moment both sides of the alleyways were blocked, she smirked and readied her moon crested lance.
"I'll take the ones back here; you take the ones in front." Her wings opened up, narrowing t fit the alley better. "Let's put that training to good use."
Sun Guard nodded, readying his Guardian Spear. From what he could tell, these were drones, probably here to try and deal with them. Not a threat, but they'll be using numbers against them. Though, who is controlling said drones was a completely different thing, and he had the strangest feeling that it was the Cadence Imposter.
The Changelings kept watching the High Generals, surrounding them ever so carefully. Both High Generals kept an eye on their own three, taking an even deeper stance when their horns started to glow.
In a split second, the six suddenly jumped towards them! Both Sun Guard and Nighting Gale lunged at them, the mare skidding under her attackers, while the stallion slammed into his. The Changelings chose then to use their magic on their targets. Unfortunately, Nighting Gale proved to be too agile, while Sun Guard's armor proved to be too thick.
When two tried to pounce on Nighting Gale, she quickly dodged to the right and rammed her lance into the first. She didn't give the second a chance to readjust, using her wings to vault up and send a hoof straight into its jaw. But she barely had anytime to prevent the third from impaling his horn into her side. Quickly, the mare slacked, in her defense, in order to slam a hoof into the third's jaw, so she could fly up into the air… Making the second crash into the third.
On the other side, Sun Guard didn't seem as troubled by the Changelings. When one of his three ran up, thinking the stallion as going to use his magic on them… They soon ended up having a hoof, his spear's but, or said stallion head-butting them; square into the head or side. Each time, Sun Guard would take a relaxed position, as if he was taunting them to attack. One fell for it, and tried to pounce on to him, only for Sun Guard to impale it on to his Guardian Spear's blade.
There, now was his time to strike for real. Fighting three would have been a problem, they would have found a flaw in his defense. Sun Guard charged forward, his spear lowered to a joust position, and barreled into the two. The one on his right tried to fly away, but the stallion threw his spear at it, and impaled the drone into the stone wall.
When the left one tried to attack, it soon had an armored hoof slammed square into its muzzle! Sending the Changeling into the other side's wall with a CRACK! Sun Guard gave a nod, pulling his spear from the Changeling's corpse, and looked towards Nighting Gale, getting quite the surprise.
Nighting Gale had one of the Changelings in a headlock, with her forehooves, the other being choked with her hind legs. Her forehooves moved to the left, the Changeling trying to resist, but it couldn't. The other was helpless, as Nighting Gale broke the Changeling's neck. "Then there was one." The mare said, leaning forward and slamming a hoof into the last Changeling's head. Once it was dazed, Nighitng Gale's repositioning herself where she held the Changeling in a headlock with her forehooves. "Alight, Bug-Eyes, start talking! What are you doing here, and what are your plans!?"
The Changeling struggled, after working the daze off, as she demanded. "And why would I tell you, pony!?" He hissed, still struggling.
"Because, if you don't talk to me?" She gained a sadistic grin, forcing the Changeling to look at Sun Guard. "I'll give you to him, and he uses that spear a lot more than he talks."
As if to take her point, Sun Guard put the tip of his Guardian Spear on to the Changeling's muzzle. Slowly, he pressed the blade forward even more, making the Changeling lean back into Nighting Gale more. "E-Even if I did talk, it wouldn't save your city!" The blade's tip caused green blood to ooze out of the Changeling's nose. "Our Queen will be victorious, and we shall drain Equestria dry of all the love within it!"
"Alright, then I guess that means you're of no use to us." She grinned, making Sun Guard raise an eyebrow at said comment.
"Wait, what do you-!" SNAP!
Nighting Gale snapped the Changeling's neck, before he could finish the question. The mare released it, throwing said corpse off of herself while standing up. When the mare noticed that her partner was giving a surprised look, she smirked. "What? Thought you were the only one with a dark side?" Nighting Gale asked, moving towards the alleyway's exit, while Sun Guard still stood there. "Well? You coming or what?"
The stallion quickly shook his daze off, and nodded. He quickly joined the mare, as they rushed back to the castle… But Sun Guard couldn't shake off how much of a turn on that was-, wait what?
The two kept running, trying to reach Canterlot Castle. Princess Celestia needed to know that the city had Changelings within its walls. That the current Cadence is a fake, and knows where Twilight could possibly be. That everypony in Canterlot was in danger. "How much time do you think we have, until their Queen commences her attack?" Nighting Gale asked, as the two of them turned a corner and had Canterlot Castle in sight.
Sun Guard shook his head; he honestly didn't know. Such a tactic had far too many variables to think of, and not even he had the time, or skill, to figure out when this Changeling Queen will attack.
Though, when the shield around Canterlot started to crack, both High Generals came to a skidding halt, and looked up… Just in time to see the shield shatter, and the entire city surrounded by an army of Changelings. "Oh… That's when." Nighting Gale's ears folded back into her mane, never seeing so many enemies before. "Looks like… We are really going to get a chance to test our training."
Sun Guard nodded, as the two took a combat stance, the Changelings starting to dive bomb the city.