The Guard die standing. It is how it has been since the Guard's inception, and will remain so for eternity.
Xavier doesn't want to die; the Emperor of Man couldn't possibly want his followers to throw themselves to death on the enemy.
Twilight Sparkle has been Princess Celestia's student for a long time, and has gotten fairly decent at reading her. And Celestia has been showing signs that the three-way negotiations between the Griffons, Equestria, and the Silithid Empire have not been going well. War brews, and Equestria stands to be the battlefield.
Two people. Two wars. And no one wins.