An Elite Guardian

"'SHORE UP THOSE DEFENSES, DON'T LET THE BATS IN!" I yelled at the guards in the main hall of the castle. It had been a few hours since Luna revealed herself, and her thestrals had attacked. She hadn't done the cliche of going through a monologue, and I had no idea why she was doing this, but she had teleported away just before an explosion occurred behind me in the theater. The Shadow siblings, fortunately, were able to get most of the civilians out, and Lone teleported me and those on stage out just before the explosion happened, and we made our way to the castle.

As far as I knew, most civilians who hadn't been captured had mad their way to the castle, and were currently under the protection of myself, the freakshow battalion, the defense forces, with Fluer here as well, and the Shadow Siblings. The thestrals had been hammering the crudely and quickly made defenses since the whole thing began. I find it a wonder we are alive.

"Sir," two stallions in my battalion yelled, using their magic to repair a makeshift blocker on one of the windows, as we had just repelled an aerial assault.

"Sparkle, what are our numbers?"

"Declining, sir," Twilight reported with a salute. "The defense forces have taken thirty percent casualties, seventy five percent of which are deaths or severely wounded to the point they can't fight again. Our battalion has taken ninety percent, almost all being because gear not being maintained. Most were wounded, but not severely so."

"Damn," I muttered. "Supplies?"

"Not many rations, sir," Twilight replied. "Most of the food in the pampy stuff nobles like, though, and we've taken it saying it's part of the city defense."

"And those who spoke out against it?"

"Threatened to be sent out to the thestrals. Nothing afterwards."

"Good," I said. "If they aren't willing to become what they call peasants to help stop this war, they are of no worth to us right now." Here, an explosion rocked the castle. Yeah, turns out some mind fucked unicorns were with the group. "Damn it." I turned to one of the ponies, a defense force guard wearing armor colored white with pink highlights. "You, tell the marksmen on the roof to aim for the unicorns outside We won't last long with them out there!"

"Sir," he replied, saluting, before running off.

"I swear, when i see Luna, I don't care if she's the princesses sister," I muttered. "I'll rip her head off for betraying her country."(1)

"I'm tempted just to try that because she's with the fucker who killed my brother," Twilight said.

"Then contain it until we can beat her," I said. "Rage is both a weapon for us and the enemy."

"Yeah, I know," she said as Lone came up.

"Ruso, the guards in the west corridor report thestrals massing just outside their door."

"Tell them to prepare the offensive spells my unicorns have training in, and to roast the bats alive if they get in."

"Right," he said, nodding. "By the way, Fleur wants to speak with you. She's in the war room."

"Understood," I said, nodding. "Sparkle, until I return, you are in charge of defenses here."

"Copy," she said, saluting, and I made my way to the war room, which was a the heart of the castle. It was a five minute walk at my speed, and upon my arrival, I saw two guards, one of my battalion, one of Fleur's, both unicorns, standing outside.

"She's expecting you, sir," my guard said, to which I simply nodded, and walked inside.

"You called for me, Fleur?" I asked the alabaster unicorn.

"I did," she replied, nodding. "You know, the only reason we have a chance is because you were able to stop Princess, or Queen, rather, Luna from fully charging the explosive."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"The bomb used was meant to grow in power as unicorns or alicorns fed magic into it. If it had been any bit more powerful, it would have taken out the brace that holds most of Canterlot's weight now."

"So, they were trying to plunge us towards the ground?" I asked. "A creative move, for sure."

"Yeah, it was," my comrade said. "Now, seeing as how that plan failed, they're trying to take the castle."

"If they want it, they'll need to kill me and those under my command," I said. "My kind would never go down in the sidelines, and every one of my soldiers is willing to give their lives if it means killing the traitor and Sombra."

She sighed. "I suppose that's as good as we're going to get. But to the reason I called you here, Ruso." She lit her horn, and a table in the center of the room lit up, with a model of Canterlot on it. "As far as we can tell, the thestrals are putting all their numbers to taking the castle, the exceptions being Luna's guard." Again, a sigh. "I just can't believe Midnight was the traitor, and Luna."

"That can not be fixed now," I said, studying the map. "Where is the ex-princess?"

"I don't know," Fleur said. "Best guess, she's somewhere at the back of her forces, wanting to be here as soon as possible once the castle falls. And with the reports I have, it will fall."

I was silent, my arms crossed, as I looked at the map. "Can you put a projection up of where the known thestrals are outside the castle?"

"I don't see why you need it, but yeah," Fleur replied. With that, she pulsed her magic, and red shapes appeared on the map, each around the castle.

I studied it, looking for anything I could use. "There," I said, pointing to what I recognized as an alleyway close to the castle. "Are there any hidden passages that lead there?"

The unicorn looked at me with confusion. "Why?"

"Simple," I said, going to and leaning on the table, which creaked under my bulk. "They are focusing on offense? I will show them the error of their ways."

Miles away in the north

Celestia was exhausted. She and the forces with her had been fighting Sombra's forces for the better part of three days, with multiple casualties, mostly on her side, her soldiers not wanting to harm those being controlled.

She had just knocked out a group of four ponies when she heard a familiar laughter, one tinged with darkness.

"And the sun continues to try to rise in the night," Sombra said after his laughter as he strode out of a nearby dust cloud, an etheric, dark sword in his magic. "Why do you continue to resist, Celestia? You lose ground every battle we have. If not, then we'd be at the Empire, or not here at all."

Celestia glared at him, and summoned an etheric bo staff, as she was hoping to bring Sombra in, his horn either removed or equipped with a nullifier ring, so that he could pay for his crimes. "I still do so to protect my subjects from you."

"And a fine job you've done there," Sombra taunted. "Your soldiers are the ones dying here, not mine. And even then, when you return to Canterlot, you will find not but ruins," he said in a gloating tone. "My thestrals should be destroying it any hour now. And no, the pitiful forces you left behind won't be able to stop them. Just like you won't be able to stop my newest weapon."

With that, he teleported away just before Celestia was hit y a blue beam of magic with black highlights. She was sent flying, stopping only when she hit a rock, the only reason none of her bones being broke because of a spell she had cast earlier. Still, she was dazed, and shook her head to clear it. When she looked at where the beam had come from, she was horrified to see a familiar pink pony with tricolor mane and tail, wearing the same armor as Sombra's soldiers minus the helmet, her horn lit with a blue and black flame, her eyes, the whites, to be accurate, all green, and her wings were flayed out, making her look much bigger then she was.

"No," Celestia whispered in fear as she looked at her niece impale one of her soldiers with her corrupted magic just before Cadence looked at Celestia.

"Hello, auntie," Cadence said, her voice dripping with venom. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"