Hard Choices

by SilentGhost

Rating: teen
Tags: Tragedy, Princess Celestia, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Alternate Universe, Sad, Other, King Sombra
Length: 4902

Sombra's invasion sends Equestria into chaos, there is too much death...this has gone far enough.

It’s been a year since Sombra’s reign was once again reignited. He wasted no time raising an army, using dark magic to recapture and brainwash his crystal subjects.

Sombra's army reigns in a new era of terror in such a short amount of time. There is no negotiating with him, all he wants is suffering. Celestia watches as neighboring nations fall, but how far is she to go when all else fails?

Based on the idea a friend and I had about the war against Sombra turning Equestria into the wasteland we saw on screen. My first one-time story, I hope I did okay and may you enjoy it.

Published 2016-01-02 01:10:03 UTC
Last updated 2016-01-02 01:10:03 UTC

Was It Worth It?

Was It Worth It?

“This has gone for too long… “

It’s been a year since Sombra’s reign was once again reignited. He wasted no time raising an army, using dark magic to recapture and brainwash his crystal subjects. His capture of the north within hours was...surprising, to say the least.

The Griffons stood no chance, runes can only work so many times, their power is nothing compared to unicorn magic. Hit-and-run aerial attacks are their greatest offense, their claws serve as natural weapons that are absolutely lethal. Defense was practically close to unheard of in their military, merely attack and pray you hit something.

Magic orbs designed to explode in close proximity to an enemy, ancient and deadly magic. Took the Griffons out of the sky before they even knew what in Tartarus happened. Left them to defend themselves against the strength of his force, close combat can only do so well against crossbows and unicorn magic.

By sunset, they took the entire kingdom. The Griffonian empire’s flag burned and replaced with Sombra’s, no griffon was spared. I can only hope some made it to safety…

<<~~*:*~~>>

The air was filled with the ashes of burning buildings, making it close to impossible to breath even through a wet cloth. Griffonia’s capital glowed under the light of livid flames, as the sounds of warfare, explosions, and screams of innocents echoed in the snowy valley.

Cerric’s eyes burned from the hot ashes, trying his best to keep from inhaling the cinders by holding a wet cloth over his beak. It was only a few hours ago he was looking up at the night sky, at the infinite multitude of little shining dots. Now he finds himself running after his older sister through noxious fumes.

“Slow down, Levora!” He coughed, eyes hard to keep open as he tried to follow the dark silhouette in front.

The sounds of heavy wings sent chills up Cerric’s spine. He knew they were being followed, there was no need to turn back to see who it was.

“Cerric! Just keep running and hurry u -AAH!” Levora was unable to finish that sentence as a armored soldier rammed into her from above with deadly speed. The griffon’s back arched downward, her spine snapping with a dull crack.

The young griffon dug his claws into the iced over gravel, skidding to a stop in front of his sister’s killer. The armored griffon looked through the green slits of its helmet with rage-clouded eyes that burned a heinous green. Another griffon landed behind the first, donned in the same obsidian black armor as the first and stared at the first griffon’s murdered victim before focusing on the paralyzed Cerric.

The idea of griffons joining that demon Sombra was almost insane to think of the possibility. And yet, here was that tiny fraction that allowed the possibility to occur, standing in front of the young one. But perhaps...they didn't join willingly?

The armored griffons moved with stern silence towards Cerric, with deadly intentions as proven by their last victim. The obsidian armor faintly reflected the burning fires that surrounded them, the soldiers underneath unflinching at the burning cinders and noxious fumes.

“No...no!” Cerric screamed as he coughed, the hot ashes burning his throat. His claws dug into the hard ice-covered ground in a vain attempt to escape.

The assimilated soldiers followed in silence, the one closer extending a claw with lightning speed towards the young Griffon.

A wave of unfathomable pain washed over Cerric as the assimilated soldier dug his sharpened claws into the back of the young griffon’s neck.

“No!” Cerric screamed, “Please, let me go!”

With a ready stance, the soldier with all his increased strength launched his young victim into a wall. The fire weakened wall crumbled under the griffon’s momentum. The sounds of screaming echoed from inside the building as burning flames enveloped the griffon.

“Help...PLEASE HELP! AAAAHH!”

The screams were silenced as the building collapsed under it own weight, a plume of smoke rose into the dark night as dark silhouettes ascended from the scene, flying quietly towards the city center.

<<~~*:*~~>>

Wherever he stepped, the crystals grew. It was like a harbinger of death, a black growing mass of obsidian crystal. Some say you could see the rage in his eyes from miles away, you could say it’s true. I stood fearlessly against those unwavering eyes, and the dark magic held behind them.

He slowly made his way towards the more militaristic Minotaur nation, thanks to their scouts in Griffonia they had time to prepare. It worked...for about two hours, until Sombra decided to “help out” a...surprisingly generous amount. The East Wall was destroyed in a flurry of mountain rock and obsidian crystal.

<<~~*:*~~>>

The legion of Minotaur soldiers in iron-clad armor waited in the snowy field, unwavering in stance as the blizzard raged mountainous valley. The 7th battalion was just one of many that stood watch over the many mountain passages that led to their capital, Imperial City. By the fire of many torches, their flickering orange light illuminated an army of one thousand strong.

General Asteras Steelhide stood above his soldiers, watching from the steep cliffside into the barren field of ice just beyond the mountain peaks. Visibility was short of only one mile, Steelhide could only grind his teeth at this disadvantage, but the weather plays for neither side, and is likely also causing the enemy trouble. That thought left him only partially discouraged him but he hid it well.

“General Steelhide.” His second-in-command, Temarun Swiftrunner, approached.

“Ah, commander.” Steelhide boomed, “Have you found anything?"

“Nothing to suggest an invading force within our area.” He informed.

A low hum emanated from the general’s throat. “This pony of old is crafty, he could be employing invisibility spells. Continue your reconnaissance, report immediately any changes your squadron spots.”

The commander saluted with a forearm across the chest before scaling down into the valley below.

The general crossed his arms behind back, looking from above the platoon of soldiers still in rigid formation in the valley below.

An army of one thousand of the finest soldiers the minotaur nation had to provide. He had faith in the soldiers he commanded, but it wasn’t the thought of his army failing that made him have doubts. If King Sombra was anything like before his destruction...a long night approaches. His last wave of terror had sent minotaur-controlled territories into turmoil, ultimately focusing his attack on the capital and spread chaos throughout the north.

It seems history is about to repeat itself.

A budding of obsidian crystal had grown at the edge of the cliff, and seemed to grow in a very slow fashion. It was the sign, the sign that he was near. This storm wasn't making it any easier to spot the evil unicorn. Nevertheless, the air produced an eerie energy, as if something was to happen.

“Soldiers.” The general commanded, “The time has come! Battle stance!”

With a single unified grunt, a thousand spears were readied, their personal weapons of choice hung tightly at their side or sheathed in leather and metal covers. Archers in the higher portion of the valley pulled an arrow from their quiver and held the string back.

“General.” Swiftrunner stood rigid in front of his commander. “I’m sure you’ve seen the crystals?”

“Aye.” Steelhide eyed the growing shard, with more growing on the cliff’s walls and path. “He’s near.”

In a sudden burst, the valley below was filled with dark smoke. The light of the candles was extinguished, leaving the soldiers and their general in confusion.

“Sombra.” His commander said through gritted teeth.

“Soldiers of Imperial City, stand your ground!” He shouted, “Aye, it is him. Commander Swiftrunner, I need you to go back to Imperial City. Alert High Councillor Ideo of our situation and tell him to regroup all squadrons within the city. ”

“...Sir?” He questioned.

The earth rumbled underneath the heavy hooves as a black cloud appeared in the horizon. The sound of screeching and yelling echoed into the valley. The budding crystal shot into a massive pillars in front of the general, along with other massive shards in the valley.

The cloud of smoke settled, an army of soldiers stood confused among themselves. Some looked up to their commanding officer while others prepared for the inevitable conflict that was to occur

He wasted no time responding. “I'm an old man, Swiftrunner. I've seen my fair amount of battles in my youth. There is an acquired sense of knowing when your time comes...your time hasn’t come yet. Now go, that’s an order.”

“...Yes, sir.” He saluted, the clopping of his hooves against the hard rock of the valley echoed through the valley.

The general watched as his second in command sprinted toward Imperial City. No time to watch him disappear from his sight though, there were greater things to take care of. With a forceful grunt, Steelhide jumped over the edge of the small cliff he stood on, careful to balance himself as he controlled his descent down with his hooves.

“Soldiers of the minotaur nation.” He yelled, “Today we defend ourselves from the tyranny of an ancient evil. He has destroyed our beloved work once, but no more! Today we protect the capital in the name of our high king!”

A roar of cheers erupted from the soldiers, weapons in hand.

“This old man can still work miracles…” He smiled wryly at his thoughts before again looking serious. He turned toward the frozen wasteland in front of him, the moving cloud closer than before. “Soldiers! Positions!” He yelled, unsheathing the broadsword that was strapped to his back.

The legion of soldiers followed their given orders. Shield bearers took to the front of the battalion, their large iron shields shook the ground as they were slammed down in a overlapping formation. they held their spears over their shields, adding offense to defense as they moved forward.

With a steady and uniform march, they made their towards the enemy that barrelled at them with seemingly reckless haste. General Steelhide remained at the back of his battalion, allowing his archers to have a clear view of his commands. with a rise of a hand, his archers that numbered in the double digits readied their massive bows, loading the strings with a pair of iron-tipped arrows.

With a single rehearsed resounding, the shield bearers stopped and planted their shields in the ground. The battalion was to hold their ground at the mouth of the valley with the archers providing support. It was a readied silence that swept over the battalion, spears in the horizontal position, ready for the forward assault from the rumbling cloud of ice that hid their enemy’s numbers.

Steelhide continued to hold his arm high, eyes squinting as he made waited for the right moment to let hell tartarus break loose. Only a half-mile away now, the cloud had grown twice its size but still hid the entirety of Sombra’s army.

Almost…

the muscles in his arm twitched, anticipating the signal.

Almost…

The cloud roared towards the valley, the stomping of hooves shook the ground.

Almost…

From above the battalion, a squadron of griffons appeared, meant as a probable surprise attack. Their obsidian armor hid them well against the dark background, but still discernible front the swirling blizzard clouds.

Steelhide remained unfazed by this surprise attack, it was actually too expected as this was a common griffon tactic. Their methods of attacks were all too well known to this old general. “Soldiers! Above!” He shouted.

The Minotaur soldiers in the rear and middle of the battalion looked upwards gripped their spears tautly, tracking the griffons and repositioning their spear accordingly, they were trained for this sort of attack and responded with uniformity. It was only until the last second the griffon squadron pulled up from their diving run. Some were able to escape their demise while others became impaled by one or more spears, which easily cut through the griffon’s armor.

They writhed underneath their armor plating, hoping to free themselves but only allowed the serrated spear tips to dig deeper into them and become fully impaled. They screeched and flailed around until they succumbed to their lethal impalings or choked on their own blood, the warm fluid of life trickled down a short length of the spears before freezing in the cold wind.

Their failed distraction allowed Sombra’s army to approach even closer. The cloud has dissipated, revealing an army composed of ponies and griffons, each decked in obsidian armor and short spears. At the rear of his thousands strong army was the master behind it all. King Sombra stood atop a pillar of black crystal, watching with ethereal eyes and a wicked smile.

His army had approached close enough. Now was the time

With a forceful throw of his arm to his side, Steelhide’s archers released their arrows into the air with a almost flat arch. The remaining griffons that circled above the battalion were caught in the flurry of iron projectiles and fell to the ground hard.

the wave of arrows remained unhindered, losing only a small quantity to impaling the griffons. with whistling speed, their arched towards the ground to their targets. The soldiers at the front of Sombra’s army were quickly downed, stopping abruptly as arrows penetrated their armor and killed on impact.

Sombra’s army neared the steadfast minotaur army with reckless intent.

“Now is our moment…” Steelhide whispered to himself. “For Imperial City!” His raised his sword high. A single combined yell emanated from his soldiers as they braced themselves.

The two armies collided with destructive force. The shield bearers and front spears held their ground as archers provided some relief by continuously launching arrows. Unicorns began using their magic, with griffons and pegasi attempting to attack from above.

The battle raged into the night, major casualties ensued soon into the battle as unicorns lobbed explosive orbs of magical energy like artillery into the minotaur ranks and attacked from their flanks by dropping large rocks from above.

<<~~*:*~~>>

This hybrid combination of tactics proved to be fatal and sent the minotaur army into chaos. Let’s hope they had a quick death, those lot…

The interior was soon stormed by his amassed army, now also composing of griffons and minotaurs who he managed to force under his control. There’s some dark magic in these helmets, archaic and deeply ancient dark magic...but I’ll admit, it can really mess up your day.

Imperial City was in flames by night, the flag torn and replaced by the time Luna raised the moon. At that point, Equestria was still oblivious to the danger that loomed, as was I. Something was...different, though. I should’ve known to heed my own gut.

It was only during my rising of the sun did I hear of this onslaught Sombra had begun. To say I was terrified is to put it in the lightest sense. There was a jumble of feelings I had experienced within a span of two seconds before I had to formulate a plan.

Why I hadn’t felt Sombra’s power earlier is truly beyond me, even a god can miss things. Nevertheless, it was time to fortify and prepare for the worst. The fortification of outlying cities for the worst was a high priority, starting with Manehattan, Baltimare, Fillydelphia, Vanhoover, etc.

<<~~*:*~~>>

“Uhh...your Highness?”

“Hm?” The princess turned her attention to the generals. “Yes, yes I heard...continue with the fortification along the northern front.”

Her generals and captains of various colors looked at each other in confusion. “Your Highness, are you well?”

With a deep inhale and controlled exhale, Celestia placed a hoof to her forehead. “I’m sorry, General Rose, I’m…” She sighed, “I’m just a little distracted, is all.”

“Perhaps a small break is in order, Princess.” Shining Armor suggested.

“Perhaps so.” The princess agreed, tapping a hoof on the marble table. “We return in fifteen minute’s time, you’re all dismissed.”

The group of ponies stood and saluted the princess, some making conversation between each other as they left the war room. The door closed shut with a quiet thump, leaving the princess to her thoughts.

She sat staring at the old, yet pristine, map of Equestria. Small figurine pieces littered the map, signifying enemy movement and fortifications. Red figurines that were meant to be Sombra’s army dominated the northern and eastern portions of the map. This was to be a real battle on two fronts should Sombra choose to send all his forces into Equestria.

Celestia sighed once more as she stepped out of her seat and looked through the multi-colored stained glass the war room’s wall. Her mind raced, but her thoughts were not on the war. The Summer Sun Celebration was supposed to happen three days ago, instead it was cancelled in part of Sombra’s attacks.

“Legends say…yes, only legends...” She thought, the moon rising from the horizon still bore the mark of Nightmare Moon’s banishment, the darker outline like a daily reminder.

This was not to happen, nothing feels...right, as if there was something to happen but never did. there was an air of...ancient magic, almost too familiar. Celestia felt something was wrong for many years, but countless searches through the Magical Archives yielded no clues as to what this...aura, for lack of a better term, might be.

“It all began on the day of...Twilight, Twilight Sparkle...was that the young filly’s name?” The princess thought back to that day. Yes, there was definitely something that day, something was supposed happen, like a...missed opportunity, a difficult feeling to describe most definitely. “I wonder what happened to that mare. Most likely she still resides in Canterlot, she definitely showed promise.”

the princess returned to reality as the war room door opened with a quiet creak.

“Princess, are you ready to resume?” Shining armor held the door open, the other generals waited patiently behind him.

“Yes, yes let us continue.” She responded, clearing her throat and took her seat on the marble chair.

The others quickly took their seats and quickly went to business. “Okay, as mentioned before before our small break, Sombra’s forces are moving along the northeastern front. that would put Baltimare as the most likely target…”

Celestia listened to the conversation, adding her two cents every now and then, giving approval or disapproval when deemed necessary. But in the back of her mind, she thought over everything that has happened, the air of difference still lingered in her mind. This was not supposed to happen.

<<~~*:*~~>>

Nevertheless, my assumption was correct. Being a god allows you the ability to view the timeline from a distance, but to directly interact with or otherwise is out of the question. There was...a splitting, for lack of a better term some years ago.

It seemed to have been around the time that lavender filly was attempting to crack that dragon’s egg. I’m sure my ponies didn’t feel such a sensation, but...it was an empty feeling, a missed opportunity among the universe. Something was to happen in that very moment that failed to occur and sent the universe into this alternate path.

Only recently did i find myself closer to solving this mystery. It was in the hidden archives of the Canterlot Library that there was a missing scroll. It was Starswirl’s time travel spell, quite powerful but only allowed the user to travel seven days back in time. Multiple attempts on Starswirl’s and my part have resulted in less than…”adequate” attempts, to say the least.

For somepony to actually...I believe I’m getting wrapped up in this. I need to focus if I am to end all this…where was I-oh yes, the fortifications.

With the fortifications in place, we expected the worst to arrive from the Northeast. Sombra wasted no time in moving to his next target after the fall of the minotaur nation, his plans on seeing Equestria under his rule etched into his mind. With prideful ego he sent the minotaurs and griffons under his command to guard their respective nations in case of any...resistance, leaving his army of ponies to move forward.

When the Equestrian military faced Sombra’s army, it was in the barren wastes outside the Crystal Empire...and that is where we would make our stand...

<<~~*:*~~>>

The masked and mindless soldiers of Sombra’s army marched through the snow-sprinkled ground with perfect uniformity. The feathers attached to each helmet moved in synchronicity, no wind to have them wave about but instead a swirling sky of dark clouds that set the mood.

Princess Celestia stood upon the angled rock, her army of gold-plated soldiers behind her with spears in hoof.

One by one, each row of Sombra’s army started into a sprint towards the opposing side. Their rage-filled screams broke the silence of the barren and snow-covered waste.

“Right out the gates…” The Princess scoffed. Her demeanor quickly turned, and with the baring of her teeth and straightening of her hoof, the battle began.

With a throw of the Princess’s hoof, pegasi immediately began to take to the skies, taking formation. Ponies on the ground readied their spears and charged forward, mixing their screams with the enemies. Together they collided with the enemy at the center of the battlefield, a cloud of loose snow erupted upwards as the two sides collided.

When spears broke, they resorted to hoof-to-hoof combat. While the armors of both sides provided ample protection, the powerful downthrow of an earth pony’s hooves were enough to break bone. Aerial dive bombs from pegasi featured a rise up to five hundred feet into the air and a wing-assisted dive bomb towards an enemy. The combined force was intent on severing spinal columns and did so with relative ease if performed correctly.

“For the princess!” A triad of Celestia’s ponies ran through enemy ranks, quickly dealing with those that dared to stop them. Their focus on Sombra, who watched with a wry smile and calm stride through the dense cloud.

His crimson horn covered in bubbling magic, a pillar of rock lifted him high off the ground. With a coarse laugh he watched from the top of his pillar as the triad of golden-armored ponies were thrown back from the explosion of rock.

<<~~*:*~~>>

Over the next several hours, I did battle among my ponies. Those who thought themselves brave enough to take a shot at me were severely burned or vaporized in a beam of pure solar energy. It would be a lie to say I was having a bit of fun, but it was still my duty to protect the ponies under my command.

I watched and fought as the battlefield was filled with the sounds of screams, clashing metal, explosions, and magic attacks. The best of my ponies were relentless, unfaltering at the enemy’s advances and responded with ever-increasing force.

For hours, the battle was at a stalemate. As more soldiers from both sides joined in on the battle, more casualties ensued. My attempts to hit Sombra with a magic attack proved fruitless, his use of the rocks and crystals on the battlefield proved to become annoying. I had to restrain myself, though, my higher attacks had the calculated risk of causing major collateral damages to my ponies.

I had a feeling Sombra was up to something when he left the minotaur and griffon masses of his army. The minotaurs and griffons took Manehattan, Fillydelphia, and Baltimare within a two hour timespan.

Casualties ranged in the thousands, the cities were destroyed following his path of destruction. I could feel my blood boiling, those were innocent civilians that he killed. Anyone could see they were not soldiers, but Sombra knew what he did and ordered so without a single second thought..

<<~~*:*~~>>

With eyes that radiated magical energy, Celestia thrust herself with a mighty flap of her wings towards unicorn atop the obsidian pillar. Tears flowed from her eyes, the thought of those innocent ponies…

“MONSTER!” She screamed, throwing head forward and unleashing a single beam of radiant energy.

“Oh Celestia…” With the bubbling of his horn and a flash of purple light, pillars of jagged rock and crystal rose around the unicorn. “I can sense your hatred…”

“Those lives were innocents!” She screamed, “You knew they were innocent!” The pillars crumbled as Celestia fired another intense beam of plasma towards the unicorn, who once again narrowly avoided it.

“Yes, you are correct.” He chuckled deeply, “Those were lands that should be rightfully mine.” He circled the alicorn, a knowing grin on his face. “I have cleansed those lands of the...disgusting filth they held. And I will gladly do the same to Equestria.”

<<~~*:*~~>>

“Over my dead body…” Celestia watched the unicorn as he circled her like prey.

“How about a deal, hm?” He faced the alicorn, “You surrender...and I have your head!” A quick charge of his horn sent a beam of bubbling energy towards Celestia.

Celestia’s horn became engulfed in golden light as she conjured a transparent barrier of energy in front of her. The shield took the brute force of the unicorn’s attack, the force of the beam causing the alicorn to skid several feet backwards.

In a flash of light, the barrier and its conjurer disappeared. In another flash, Celestia went of the offensive and fired a beam of plasma at the unicorn, only to have it blocked by a wall of obsidian crystal.

“I will have your head, Celestia!” Sombra threw his head upward as he conjured jagged pillars of crystal underneath the alicorn’s feet.

“And I will never surrender…” She said through gritted teeth, “Now suffer!” Taking to the air, the princess unleashed a volley of magical beams. With speed and grade she avoided Sombra’s counterattacks.

“I must…it is the only way.” She looked towards the war-torn battlefield. Soldiers from both sides still fought around the battling alicorn and unicorn tyrant. bodies of both sides lined the ground, unmoving and some in pools of blood. “This has gone for too long…”

With a single flap of her wings, Celestia flew out of Sombra’s range and watched the battlefield from high above. She closed her eyes, focusing her mind and channeled all her energy into her horn.

One by one, Celestia’s soldiers disappeared in a flash of light, leaving Sombra and his assimilated army of ponies to look up at the goddess. Sombra watched through furrowed brows as the clouds parted and revealed the red sky along with a second sun.

Celestia's body absorbed the energy of the sun like a battery, becoming more luminous with every passing moment. Her mane and coat glowed brighter than the brightest white, dwarfing the sun’s brightness by comparison as her body became engulfed in the sun’s plasma.

To say what would happen next was all speculation. Celestia focused her mind, conjuring up the necessary protection spells in order to prevent any mishaps. Legends have told of this spell, dubbed “Her Sword” by those who have heard but never seen such raw celestial power.

For Celestia, she had performed this once before and preferred her own name for such power, a more fitting name.

Judgement.

It was a cylinder of pure solar plasma, drawn directly from the sun she lowered and raised every day. Hundreds of thousands of tons of solar plasma focused within a one mile radius and burned with the temperature of the beam ranging from a few thousand degrees at its surface, to millions within its center.

With the adjusting of her horn, her protection spells were all in place. Her concentration and power were focused on one spot on the ground. With a single thought, she released all the stored energy.

And the world went white.

<<~~*:*~~>>

Celestia strode through the flat and barren wasteland, head low and silent. She lost count of how many days have passed, they were not of importance anymore anyways. The land was utterly featureless save for the occasional dead tree and small boulder. The golden jewelry that adorned her hooves and neck were missing, melted away by the intense fire of Judgement.

“I suppose I skipped a few protection spells.” She thought to herself earlier, with no avail to her saddened state.

“Was it all worth it?” She asked herself countless times before.

There was too much death that Sombra caused, it had gone too unnoticed in too short a time. Was there any way to avoid this? most likely not. Should Sombra be allowed to continue with his plan, a world of despair Equus could have been.

Hopefully those she managed to teleport away will fare better than what might have been. She knew it was the right thing to do, but in the recesses of her mind, she questioned her actions. With the wind at her back, she trotted through the wasteland in any direction, merely following the wind currents.

The landscape looked all the same, save for what appeared to be a crystal table in the far distance some time ago. Two ponies and a smaller creature stood by the table, they talked back and forth, maybe shouting, but the wind drowned out their words.

it was probably a mirage.

Author's Note

Last story of 2015 and a stepping stone for 2016

Let's hope I did good, and as always if you see any errors please feel free to leave a comment.

Have a great 2016! :twilightsmile: