I stood watch on top of the town’s lumber wall, lance in hoof and crossbow strapped across my back. The wall had been erected a few yards away from the first houses. It was built around an even older wall of granite from a bygone age. Every breath I took scratched at my throat. It was colder than any wintry season the weather teams could have hoped to create. The odd weather patterns of the Everfree ensured that it not only rained, but it also snowed—sometimes at the same time. Because of this, ground around the wall had been reduced to little more than a slurry mess of mud and half-frozen soil.

It had been two days since the manticores had been predicted to attack. From my vantage point on the wall, I could see the beasts gathering about half a mile away from the town in a small clearing near the main road. Every so often, I dared to peek through my spyglass to get a more detailed image. Every time, I saw them moving in what looked like formations.

That made no sense.

I stopped for a second and looked skyward. Thick black clouds still blotted out the sun. The atmosphere was starting to get to the other guards, most of which were unicorn and earth ponies. They weren’t as accustomed to the cold as pegasi were. At least it wasn’t raining yet.

I heard the sound of hooves coming up behind me. I turned around to meet Blitz. Rather than holding his spear out like he was supposed to, he had it strapped on his back, on top of his crossbow. I noticed he had bags under his eyes and looked paler than he should have. “Blitz, you okay?” I asked as I moved closer.

He smiled and nodded. “I just couldn’t sleep last night. Not with all that infernal roaring.”

I felt myself scowling. For two nights, the town had been assaulted by the manticore’s ear-splitting roars. Many ponies, like Blitz, had found it near impossible to sleep, so they hadn’t. After two days, it was starting to take its toll.

I gave my friend a pat on the shoulder and smiled. “Don’t worry, our shift’s almost over. You just try and get some rest then.”

“But the captain wanted us to watch Amber and Titus again,” Blitz replied.

“Weren’t they sent on another scouting mission under heavy guard?” I asked. Blitz nodded.

“Don’t you find that weird? He sends them out on scouting runs, yet he feels they can’t be trusted while in the main encampment?”

Blitz only gave a shake of his head. “Bonaparte, everything about this situation is weird: manticores not attacking, scouts going missing, and those infernal roars. It’s almost like the monsters are wearing us down.”

I nodded. Blitz sighed. I gave him another quick pat on shoulder and returned to my patrol route. Blitz hesitated at first, but turned around and went on his own.

An hour passed, and my replacements finally showed up. They too looked no better than Blitz or I did. I gave them a shake wave and jumped down from my position. Hitting the muddy soil caused a few drops of it to splash on my face, but I wiped them off quickly enough. I made my way to the rest of the garrisoned guards near the wall. Why we hadn’t settled into some of the houses near the town’s square was beyond me, but I guess being close to wall mean faster mobilization if and when those half-lion freaks decided to attack. Amber and Titus conversed with Rosovyy near an extinct campfire. Rosovyy had her axe holstered across her back, almost as if she expected to be thrust into combat at a moment’s notice.

“So, the rock farm’s been in your family for two generations?” I heard Amber ask Rosovyy as I approached the sitting trio. They had no tent set up yet despite the threat of a sudden downpour or blizzard.

Rosovyy nodded. “Da. My family originally hailed from Stalliongrad. We moved here after ancestor ran afoul of some of the seedier elements of city. He was rough stallion, so he started the farm.”

“Not to sound like an ass or anything, but your farm seems to have seen better days.” A meek smile formed on Amber’s lips. Titus gave her a jab of his elbow. She yelped before glaring at him. “What was that for?!”

Titus glared back at her. “I wouldn’t go complaining about Rosovyy’s farm if I was you. I have seen your ancestral home, and it’s an even sorrier mess.” He smirked and pointed a hoof at me. “Besides, we at least had our own room to sleep in. Bonaparte and Blitz had to share the living room.”

I turned to the side and spotted Blitz. He was keeping surprisingly quiet. It likely had to do with him having little to no energy to argue.

“True,” Amber replied. She turned to face me with a playful grin. “I did offer Bonaparte the chance to share my room, but he refused.” She pouted her face at the words. “I wonder why?” I rolled my eyes and took seat in the middle of the group, a healthy distance away from both Amber and Titus.

Before any of us had a chance to say anything, a loud thunder echoed across the town. Seconds later, rain and small pellets of hail started to pour. Rosovyy lifted the hood on her Manticore pelt and carried on as if nothing was different. Amber quickly lit her horn and moved a large umbrella to her position. Titus simply stayed on the ground, taking the rain and hail as if it was something soothing while Blitz, while looking miserable, didn’t really move.

“Oh boys,” Amber said in a sing-song tone. “Why don’t you both come and stay under my umbrella?”

Blitz scoffed and simply put his helmet back on. I looked to Amber and sighed. I moved next to her and took a seat set to her. She scooted over to give me enough room to comfortably sit, but kept pretty close.

“So, what’s the situation out there?” I asked Amber as I removed my helmet.

Her expression dropped. “Not good. Those manticores are just standing there congregating. I’ve never seen them do that. It’s almost like they are being led by something, or somepony.” She grew rigid at her last word.

I felt my brows furrowing as I took a deep gulp. I brought a hoof to my face and tried to wipe away some of the sweat now forming on my face. Though my mind raced trying to put together the pieces of what Amber had said, I was far too tired to do so properly.

“You worry too much,” Blitz said to Amber in as cheery a tone as he could muster. He winced every time a small pellet of hail struck his helmet. “Manticores are dumb. They don’t have the capacity to think rationally.” I rather large chunk of hail struck his helmet, causing an audible clank. “Damn this freaking hail!” he shouted to the heavens. Soon as he did, the hail stopped, but the rain intensified. He sighed.

“Say, Blitz, you should consider getting some shut eye,” I said.

“Sleep, in this rain?” He let out a restrained laugh. “Good one there bud.”

“I agree with Bonaparte,” Rosovyy said. “You need sleep. Come.” She scooted over. “Lay down next to me. Pelt should provide some warmth.”

Blitz’s cheeks reddened at the invitation. “Uh… Thanks, but I think I’ll just lay here.” Blitz fell on his knees and placed his head on a small folded cloth bundle. One minute later, he was already starting to snore.

Rosovyy sniggered. “Blitz reminds me of older brother. Always used to say he was the tougher of us both, but always turned out to be big baby.” She grabbed the pelt with her teeth and yanked it off of her body. “Evenfd whenfd hefd saidfd hefd wantedfd nofd helpfd, Ifd helpedfd.” She gently draped the pelt over Blitz’s slumbering form. She sniffed once and took a seat next to Titus, who smiled at the company.

The four of us talked for the next hour, trying to pass the time however we could. The rain soon turned to snow. Titus and Amber visibly began to shiver. Rosovyy scooted up to Titus, offering her body warmth to the changeling. I chanced a glance at Amber, and saw her teeth chattering and her wings vibrating. She soon crossed her forehooves to try and keep warm.

An idea popped into my head, one that made me blush. Amber must have noticed this, because she turned to face me with a smirk and a sly look. I quickly glanced away as I built up the courage. What am I thinking? I thought to myself. She’s a changeling! Still… she is really is someone I feel…

I heard her giggle. “So, the quiet treatment huh?” She quickly turned to face in the opposite direction, eyes closed and nose up high. “Fine. Be that way!”

I sighed one last time. Tossing caution to the wind, I wrapped my hoof around Amber’s body and brought her right up to me. To say she was shocked at first was an understatement. I tried to keep my gaze away from her as long as I could, but my sight constantly drifted back to meet her… beautiful sapphire eyes…

A few seconds after my move, she gave me another mischievous grin. Then, it morphed in a genuine beam. Her eyes softened, and something in her very being changed. She let her head rest on my shoulder and closed her eyes, enjoying the moment.

Then, I heard hoovesteps approaching me from behind. I quickly let go of Amber and turned around to face Captain Shining Armor. He looked at me for a second and grimaced.

“Ah, the prince finally joins us. Come, sit down and rest, you grump,” Rosovyy said as she beamed at the captain.

The captain shot Rosovyy an icy glare. “Tell me, Ms. Rosovyy, if you knew there were hundreds of pony-eating manticores surrounding you, would you sit down and ‘rest’?”

“Yes,” Rosovyy replied without any sign of hesitation. “It is impossible to fight if you are tired. Only those who are well rested ever make it anywhere in life.”

The Captain looked as if he would reply to Rosovyy’s statement, but in the end sighed and sat down next to Bliz’s still sleeping form. He took off his helmet to reveal heavy bags under his eyes.

“Sir, have you slept at all in these last two days?” I asked him.

The captain turned to gaze me before shaking his head. His sight settled on Amber. “Ago’dotis, let me ask you a hypothetical question. Say you found the perfect someone for you—” he shot me a quick glare before returning his gaze to her “—one that makes you feel complete, safe, and happy. Say you decided you were willing to spend the rest of your days with that someone.” His face turned steely. “Now tell me, how would you react if a bunch of love vampires crashed your wedding, imprisoned your fiancé, and attacked your ruler?”

Amber lifted her head off my shoulder and audibly gulped. Still, she managed to keep a smile on her muzzle. “I guess I’d be mad at those love vampires.”

“Now, imagine that the leader of these emotion vampires did things to your mind, made you see and feel things that weren’t yours.” The captain’s face turned to a glower. “How would you react?”

“I guess I’d be pretty sore about it,” Amber replied nonchalantly. She stared at the captain for a few seconds before sighing. “Captain, I know what Chrysalis did to you—”

The captain finally snapped and stood up. “Oh, you know what she did to me, do you? You know how she tried to make me see my wife as a monster? How she brainwashed me into loving her instead? How she tried to corrupt my very being with promises of a better future as king of her hive? Even worse, she made me consider killing—” he paused as he put a hoof over his face. He took several deep breaths as he slowly slid his hoof down his muzzle. “What you think you know about the invasion is only a fraction of the truth. Your kind wronged me and I…” he trailed off for a second before shaking his head. “Forget it.” The captain’s disposition changed all of a sudden. He went from pure rage to an almost somber state. He walked into the rain without another word.

And just like that, complete silence fell over the group.

By the fourth day of the ‘siege’ I didn’t know what to expect anymore. The constant roaring in the distance, the night raids on our supplies, the killing of our scouts when they approached the manticore gathering. It was clear the monsters had the capability to sweep through us like a pile of leaves.

So why weren’t they?

The rain and snow continued, but now we had a tent that Rosovyy and Titus had erected. It didn’t keep out the cold though. Everywhere I turned, I saw my fellow guards strained near their limits. I was constantly reminded that our situation was deteriorating by the hour. That thought only brought up the terrifying implication that our manticore foes knew what they were doing to us.

After another twelve hours of sentry duty on the wall, I headed to the tent for a few hours of rest. Soon as I entered, I came face to face with the captain. To say he looked worn-out was an understatement. The bags in his eyes seemed even larger than before. His hair was unkempt and shaped to the form of his helmet. He looked me in the eye with what almost amounted to some paranoia before turning back to face Blitz and Amber. She was starting to look worn as well.

“—Ago’dotis, I’m still waiting on your answer,” Blitz continued. “What’s the procedure your kind has for handling prisoners?”

Amber brought her hooves to her lips and blew on them a few times before looking up to my friend. “Unlike Equestrians, changelings have no set laws for prisoner handling. Our race isn’t known for that kind of warfare.”

Blitz rolled his eyes at the answer. “Right.”

Amber ignored his gesture and continued answering nonchalantly. “Changelings do not focus on militaristic might. We focus on intelligence gathering, infiltration, and socio-political manipulation. We fight only when we have no choice. If there are prisoners during any fighting, they are converted to the changeling cause. Afterwards, they are released into the populace to serve as covert agents or sources of love for agents on the field.”

Blitz gave a single laugh as he glared at Amber. “So, let me see if I am getting this right. You turn prisoners against their former comrades, all so you can bleed every bit of love from the populace you are attempting to invade?”

“You got it all wrong, Blitz. We do not ‘bleed entire populations dry of love.’ That’s a waste of resources.” Amber’s tone was rising. It was clear she was struggling to keep her voice even. “We find ways of keeping that population as productive as possible, for as long as possible.”

“So, you farm us,” Blitz said.

“Farming!?” Amber slammed her right hoof on ground “Listen here, Blitz, You’re pushing your luck with me as it is!” She let out a snort as she turned to face the captain. “My kind does not farm yours! We try to coexist, living among you in relative peace. We only take what we need to survive, no more, no less. That’s how it’s been since before recorded history.”

“So you admit to deceiving Equestrians in order to feed on them?” Captain Shining Armor asked.

“I don’t think Amber really said that, sir,” I said.

“Oh come on, Bonaparte! Amber here just plainly admitted to her kind living among us and feeding off of us like parasites!” Blitz replied, getting up and walking next to the captain. It was then that I noticed the bags under his eyes to be deeper and darker than even the captain’s.

“I never said that!” Amber said. “That’s something you Equestrians are assuming!”

“So you’re not admitting that your kind brainwashes entire populations into giving you their love freely?” Blitz asked, a smirk growing on his lips. “Yeah, you’re absolutely right. That certainly isn’t farming. Farming involves caring—working the land and its resources for the betterment of all. What your kind does is conditioning.” He scrunched his snout.

“You-you’re wrong, Blitz!” Amber stuttered out.

“Then what’s the truth?” Blitz asked.

“Changelings… We-we… well, we…” Amber started, but kept on stuttering. Blitz’s smug look was actually getting to her. Seeing her in this no-win situation reminded me of my childhood, how I was always stuck in situations just like this one. I couldn’t let Amber suffer that.

I opened my mouth to try and support Amber, but I was cut off by Titus, who has just walked into the tent alongside Rosovyy. “Changelings ‘condition’ a population to be twice as loving as they would normally be. This ensures enough energy to siphon for an entire group of changelings while the populace is left in relative peace and prosperity.”

Amber turned to give Titus a slight glare. “ ‘Conditioning’ isn’t the exact word I would use, Titus. It doesn’t help our cause here.” She sighed. “But in a way, that’s the most accurate way to put it.”

Blitz scoffed. “Condition or not, you still trick good ponies into feeling love that isn’t there, all in an attempt to feed.” He shook his head. “That only makes things worse.”

“You’re being too narrow-minded!” Amber said as she looked around. “Changelings and Equestrians share a symbiotic relationship. We make you all happy, and in return, your love feeds us. No pony gets hurt, and everypony is happy. The end!”

“It’s still wrong,” Blitz interjected. “It’s still like being farmed!”

“It’s not farming! It isn’t ‘conditioning’ either!”

“Then it’s herding,” Blitz quickly replied. “You round up the ‘mindless’ flocks of ponies, fill them with fake love, and then harvest them when they’re ripe.”

“That’s not it either!” Amber quickly retorted. Her tone started to grown uneven.

“Then its hunting!” Blitz barked. “You hunt us for our emotions!”

I couldn’t let this go any further. “So now you have something against the griffons?” I asked.

Blitz turned to face with a shocked look on his face. “Wha—No! Of course not! Darn it, Bonaparte! You leave Hilda out of this!” A blush started to grow on his face. I had struck a nerve.

“Griffons readily hunt cows, ibexes, deer, and buffalo. Heck, I’ve even heard rumors of some of them hunt ponies!”

“That’s just a rumor, and you know it!” Blitz pointed a shaking hoof at me.

“That’s not the point,” I said. “The point is that you are championing the idea of changelings being these evil creatures just because they consume love. Yet, when I bring up a species that actually consumes other living beings as a comparison, you suddenly change your tune.” I shook my head. “Blitz, didn’t you learn anything in school? Our world works because there is a circle of life. To survive, we must consume other living things. Ponies eat plants, which might I remind you, are still living things.” I turned to Amber. “Changelings, however, don’t actually eat us. Sure, they can harm us if they really wanted to suck our love dry, but as far as I can tell from history, that’s never happened.” I turned to Captain Shining Armor. “If anything, changelings have found a way to live outside the circle of life, because they don’t need to actually eat other living things to survive.”

“That isn’t entirely true,” Amber interjected. “While we can eat an almost entirely vegetarian diet like ponies, most of us prefer to have proteins in our diets as well. Many changelings eat fish and other insects to get such proteins.” Amber smile and placed a hoof on her shoulder. Her eyes said all the gratitude her words could never fully convey.

“Wa—ho—” Blitz stuttered for a while, but once my words sunk in, he shook his head and crossed his hooves. “Just whose side are you on?!”

I had a witty reply formed, something along the lines of “I’m on the side of reason!”At the last second, I choked. I said nothing else as Blitz continued his attack.

“Whatever the case may be about changeling nutrition, it doesn’t change the fact that you deceive populations all in the attempt to feed.”

“Oh, like what we do is any more wrong than making false promises to clean up crime or help out towns when nature decides to toss a tantrum,” Amber replied. “While I do admit that deceiving ponies into feeling extra love may be morally wrong, we aren’t making them slaves! That love is genuine love; it isn’t an illusion or a deception.” She leaned closer to Blitz this time. “If anything, we are making ponies lives better!”

“That still doesn’t change the fact that you changelings are a scourge on this world,” Blitz said. My eyes widened at his words. How could he say such things about them? It wasn’t at all like him to just snap like this.

Amber’s face contorted into a visage as hard and cold as the captain’s. “You… you close minded… BIGOT!” She slammed her hoof on the ground. “How dare you treat us like this?! We were given the task to help you bring our rogue queen to justice by your princesses, a job we intend to see done!” She let out a snort. “If we wanted to, we could just leave. We could walk out of here and let you fail at your mission. We coul—” A hoof fell on amber’s shoulder. She turned to face the owner. Titus only shook his head, his expression somber, but resolute. At this, Amber sighed and glared one last time at Blitz before sitting down.

Titus looked to Blitz in a surprisingly neutral manner. “The invasion of Canterlot happened because most changelings have lost their way. Our entire race has fallen under the rule of Queen Chrysalis. She is the one that’s leading us to ruin.” His face grew hard and cold at the mention of the queen. “She doesn’t care about love or its importance to our society. She doesn’t care about fostering it and ensuring it is ever present. All she cares about is extracting it all without thinking about the consequences. As we speak, she is ravaging thousands of years of my culture. She’s is the real enemy, not the changelings.”

Blitz took a step back at Titus’s words. He tried to form some type of retort, but he could only stutter words that didn’t really form any coherent statement. Finally, he just sat down in defeat.

The captain turned his gaze to Titus’s. “Chrysalis will always be the real foe. But the rest of your kind—” he turned to gaze at Amber. He seemed ready to finish off his words, but instead shook his head. Without another word, he stood up and left the tent. Blitz, after a few seconds of hesitation, also stood and followed after the captain. He turned to me and motion to follow. But I only gave him a glare. He sighed and took off after the captain.

Titus sat back down and sighed. I turned to Amber and saw her shaking with a mix of fear, indignation, and coldness. I turned towards the tent’s exit and found myself scowling. A creeping rage was building in me, and I need a way to calm it before it consumed me. Without really thinking about it, I placed my hoof around Amber again to try and keep her warm. She flinched for a moment, but then gazed at me with eyes that slowly filled with tears. Before I knew it, she had cradled her head on my chest and started sobbing. It was the first time I had seen a changeling cry.

A mighty roar echoed across the darkness. I pulled out my spyglass and took a quick peek at the manticores. Just as they had done for the last four nights, they had their largest members roar non-stop. I put the spyglass away and tightened my fetlock’s grip on my lance.

It was almost three in the morning. My shift wouldn’t be over until six. Five hours of rest and it was back on the wall for another twelve hours. I was starting to envy Amber and Titus. Compared to the rest of us, their recon tours, while certainly more dangerous than standing guard on the town wall, left them plenty of time to rest.

I yawned, letting my mind wander momentarily. Every step I took drove me deeper into exhaustion. It felt as if I would just drop dead at any moment. I stopped for a moment to try and shake the drowsiness out of my head when a wonderful smell caught my nostrils. I followed the smell, and quickly came to a small cabin that had somehow been built into the wall itself. I considered turning around, but the aroma was just too enticing.

I opened the door and walked into the cabin. Instantly, I was welcomed by warmth that cradled me like a mother cradled her newborn foal. There was a cozy fire raging in the nearby chimney, and a small wooden table that had seen quite a few seasons. Sitting there, beckoning me was a plate of the most delicious curry-covered pile of steamed vegetables I had ever seen. My mouth instantly watered at the sight. Without hesitation, I took a seat and dove into the meal.

“How are you enjoying the meal, sweetie?” a charming voice cooed from the cabin’s next room. I momentarily stopped to try and figure out why the voice sounded so familiar. I put the wayward thought out of my mind and kept eating.

“Easy there, Honey. You don’t want to spoil your appetite for dessert,” the same charming voiced cooed, which was soon after followed a giggle. It was the giggled that made me look up from my warm meal. Look right into her eyes.

Amber wore the cutest pink apron I had ever seen on any mare as she smiled at me with a sly yet oddly beautiful beam. Seeing her caused me to recoil in shock. I tripped over the chair and fell smack on my bottom. I moved to rub my rump, and when I turned back, Amber was on top of me, looking into my eyes with her… amazingly gorgeous sapphire eyes.

“What are a—” Amber placed a hoof over my lips and giggled. Before I could register it, she removed her hoof and moved in to…

“Wake up!” I heard a harsh bark, followed soon after by a pair of hooves shaking me as roughly as they could manage.

I shot open my eyes and came face to face with Captain Shining Armor. His brow was so creased that I didn’t think it was possible for him to smile, even if he wanted to.

“What…?” I mumbled as the captain picked me off my kneeling position.

“What were you thinking!?” he shouted directly to my face. “Sleeping on the watch? What if there had been an attack just now!?”

I shook my head, the images of my dream coming back and mixing in with the captain’s yells. If was almost like a cacophony of thoughts that drove my already fatigued mind to the brink of snapping.

Before I had a chance to really process it, the captain snatched away my lance, his eyes never once leaving mine. “You are relieved of duty,” he said in a cold, almost poisonous tone.

I said nothing. I only saluted and made followed the command. A part of me felt glad that I could not get some proper rest, but another berated me for having screwed up my job. Before I could really ponder as to why, a third voice brought up an old question, one that had bugged me since it had been uttered. I stopped in my tracks and turned to face the captain just as he started his walk.

“Captain, sir… Why did you not stop Blitz from saying those things?”

The captain halted. With a quickly turn, he faced me, bitter smile on his lips. “I let him ask because it was a question I wanted an answer to as well,” he sniggered. “Now I know what to do with Chrysalis when I got my hooves on her neck!” He grinned soon as the words left his mouth. “Then, once I’m done with her, I can finally exile every last changeling to the Badlands!”

I gulped. “Sir, I can understand why you would hate Chrysalis. But why do you hate all changelings?”

The captain scoffed. “I hate them because they stand for something I’ve come to loathe above anything else: deception. The day of my wedding, I nearly lost it all because of them—Twilight, Cadence, Celestia, my country, and myself.” He gritted his teeth. The glow in his eyes started to intensify.

“But they aren’t inherently evil! I mean, look at Amber or—”

“I’ll only say this once. You are not allowed to like that changeling.” The captain’s face grew grim. “She is a turncoat, remember?”

Without really thinking it, I blurted out my words. “She betrayed her kind to aid us. I can’t explain why, but just being around her eases me and makes me feel like nothing bad can happen. I’ve never felt like this about any mare before.” I sighed. “I… I don’t know, sir. She’s just… different!” I placed a hoof on my head, which was starting to ache. “She… she just is, alright!” My anger towards the captain was surging. All the grief and misery of the last five days slowly bubbled to the surface.

The captain moved up to me and grabbed me by the neck of my armor, bringing me nose to nose with him. “What makes you think she isn’t just using you? What makes you think that she won’t toss you away once she has what she wants out of you?!

I slapped away the captain’s hoof and glared daggers at him. “I highly doubt Amber’s going to stab me in the back, sir!”

The captain scoffed. “Good Celestia! She’s already got you under her spell!”

“I’m under no such thing!”

“Who is to say she doesn’t’? Think about it. She got you to trust her and Titus, got you take the two of them to our capital, and even got you to walk them right up to the palace! Think of how much damage she could have done to us!”

“But she didn’t! She gave her aid to our nation when we needed it most. She warned us of an ever greater threat, and she even went so far as to lead us to it!” This time, I pushed the captain. “It seems to me like you’re letting your own bigoted beliefs dictate your perceptions of the changelings!”

The captain punched me across the muzzle. I tasted copper and glared at Shining Armor. Without even thinking, I lunged, knocking him to the floor, where I delivered two punches before he shoved me off to the side of the wall. The fall knocked the air right out of my lungs. When I opened my eyes, the captain had jumped right on top of me. He delivered several blows to my face, denting my helmet and causing my muscles to tighten. As I gazed into his manic grin, I noticed the once faint dark purple glow in his eyes had intensified.

As I struggled to break free, I could see my own vision start to tint a dark purple. I could feel heat rushing to my face and I gritted my teeth. I wanted to tear Shining Armor apart with my bare limbs. I wanted to destroy him completely and leave nothing!

He placed both hooves over my neck and started to push down with all his might. I could feel my neck starting to strain as the flesh was pushed down. I turned my gaze to the side and saw my spear lying but a few hoofs away from me. All I had to do was reach for it with and drive it through Shining Armor’s neck. As the thought of his blood staining my face raced through my mind, I could feel the corners of my mouth rising. The taste of copper in my mouth was starting to taste absolutely delici—

Something grabbed hold of the captain by the chest and shoved him away. It was a black figure larger than Shining Armor himself. Instinctively, I lunged for my spear and moved to drive it right through Shining Armor’s heart.

A pair of black hooves wrapped around my neck, holding me back as the zenith of my rage bubbled over. Then, the owner of the hooves stepped forward to wrap me in an embrace. A warm sensation spread over my very being. Whatever rage I had been feeling slowly started to dissipate.

My savior released the embrace, but kept both hooves on my neck. I saw into her sapphire eyes. Two small waterfalls poured out of them. I let go of my spear as I returned her embrace. I shifted my gaze to Titus, who was still holding a thrashing Shining Armor down as best as he could. The captain’s eyes only seemed to grow brighter with every passing second.

I tried to recall what had happened to me, but all I could remember was being consumed by an unfathomable hatred. But then I felt the warm embrace, and a new thought entered my mind: This feeling… this bliss—I don’t ever want to give it up.

Shining Armor let out a primal yell, and using a powerful telekinetic spell, shoved Titus right off him. With a hop, he was back up again and snarled as his death-glare set on me. He lit his horn again, and wrapped his magic around the hilt of his saber.

A cacophony of roars louder than any before it erupted in the distance. He took this as a sign and lunged directly at me. Thinking as quickly as I could, I took off my helmet and used it to parry the first blow. When he rounded for a second one, I ducked and slammed my helmet on his head so hard that I floored him. He did not get up.

Up to this point, I had expected my fellow guards to race to either aid me or the captain. Instead, I saw just why they had not done a thing. They were too busy slaughtering each other. I saw in absolute horror as an earth pony guard pushed his partner into a lower spiked wall. He smiled as his comrade squirmed in agony. A unicorn, shoved an earth pony guard away and used his magic to set him ablaze. A pegasus grabbed a unicorn by his forelegs and shot up into the air. Second later, The unicorn plummet back down to earth. I did not see it, but the sound of a sickening splat left no doubt in my mind as to what happened.

I fell on haunches as I saw the debauchery before me. “No… Stop this…” I gritted my teeth as I felt the urge to vomit. “…please…” I slammed my hoof on the ground “STOP THIS!” My throat vibrated as the cold stabbed my vocal cords, forcing tears to my eyes.

“Shut up, flying filth!” One of the unicorns on the wall replied before shooting me with his crossbow. The bolt buried itself on my left wing, causing me to stumble into the floor screaming. As I fell on the ground, I saw the townsfolk. They too had taken to killing each other. I saw how Rosovyy tried to stop them, only to be pushed and shoved back constantly. She couldn’t stop crying.

“Bonaparte!” Amber cried out as she grabbed hold of my neck. Slowly she helped me to my knees. Another primal yell reached my ears. I turned my attention to the source. It was Blitz. He had his saber wrapped in his magic, galloping towards Amber at full speed.

He swung his weapon, aiming for Amber’s neck. At that instant, time seemed to stop. My mind raced, battered by the conflicted emotions it tried to process.

On the one hoof, there was my best friend, the pony I had shared years of my life with. The one pony who knew my hopes and dreams, whom I had laughed alongside, cried alongside, and bled alongside. The brother I had never had, and that in some ways I loved just as I had once loved my own parents.

Then there was Amber. Even though she wasn’t even a part of my species, she had become something I was willing to lay my welfare to protect. In the short time we had known each other she had become more than just my friend, more than just my comrade. She has filled me with a joy that I had only experience once in my life, fleeting as it had been. She was precious to me, far more than all the treasure in this world. Yet, I hesitated to accept my own emotions towards her. What I felt for her terrified me. Yet, I could not deny it.

No… My mind finally caught up to the events before me. In that split second, it made its choice.

I moved my head down and bit on the hilt of my saber. With one swift motion, I drew it out and lunged at my friend. My blade pierced his thick Royal Guard armor, stopping him in his tracks. A thin trail of blood ran down the blade, dripping near the hilt.

My friend grabbed hold of my head as he looked into my eyes with a manic grin. “Damn you… you changeling… lover” with one final breath, he pulled on my head, driving the blade through him. Blood splashed on my face. For the third time, I tasted blood. I let go of the saber and Blitz hit the ground, grin still plastered on his face.

The world became little more than a hazy blur as I fell on my knees again. The last of the guards killed each other, and the town went up in flames behind me. I felt two pairs of hooves pick me up. The first was Amber. The expression of her face could not be described. Next to her was Titus. On his back was the still unconscious Shining Armor. Titus gave me a stern look, but then his eyes widened to the size of tea plates. Whatever he yelled, I could not make out. I chanced a gaze back at what had caused him such horror. My own eyes widened as I saw Rosovyy being overrun by her fellow townsfolk. She kept waving her hoof forward, mouthing what I could only assume was the word “run.” Seconds later, we lost sight of her as a mob of crazed townsfolk rushed us. More roars, and a mob of manticores broke down the town wall as if it was made of cardboard.

Titus and Amber grabbed hold of me. There was a bright flash of light, and then darkness. There was only one thought running through my mind: I killed my brother.