Veni, Vidi, Deus vicit
- John III Sobieski, after defeating the Ottoman forces.
Canterlot had seen better days. Though a perceptive observer might attribute this to the two hundred thousand strong army clearly trying to gain access into the city defended by only twenty thousand of the Royal Guard. In truth, nobody in Equestria had seen the rise of Saddle Arabia to such heights coming. And now for that laxness they had been pushed back to Canterlot. But the Royal Guard were certainly giving a good show of themselves. Having held off attacks from all conceivable directions for over three months. For the garrison and citizens of the city the war had lost all meaning besides a desperate fight for survival. They had lost all cares for why and how this had started. That was irrelevant when any pause could mean the death of them all. Though the defenders were not without hope. Celestia and Luna had fled the city before the siege. Promising to return with a relief force as long as they walls could be held. And so they did. They endured three months of bombardment, assaults, starvation, disease, and all manners of magical attacks. But the Saddle Arabians could not find a foothold in the city. Though they could not hold forever. Each day they lost more and more Royal Guards, and the Saddle Arabian hordes seemed numberless.
The sun rose once more on the battered walls of Canterlot, many dead sprawled out before them. Jagged holes had been blasted in them by the Saddle Arabians but the Royal Guard had plugged every gap. As day began in earnest gunners manned cannons on both sides and began to bombard each other once more. And Saddle Arabian infantry sallied forth to try and take the walls once more. A siege tower was able to reach the walls and a gout of Saddle Arabian Janissaries surged forth to assault the defenders. But they were quickly bogged down by Royal Guards moving forth to stem this hole. Slowly the Royal Guards were able to push them back to the siege tower. A cannon was lugged over and it shot the siege tower, collapsing it and killing all inside it. Pegasi took to the skies and attempted to gain aerial superiority but a combination of Royal Guard pegasi and crossbow fire kept them from establishing dominance. The Saddle Arabian attack faltered at this, and horns blew from the Saddle Arabian lines, signaling them to pull back. And another wave moved forward to continue the assault.
But as midday arrived a lull descended on the battlefield as the Saddle Arabians moved more troops up to assault the walls. And in that lull something could be heard, ponies on both sides strained to hear what it was. And what they heard confused them all.
Suddenly a massive horde of cavalry poured over the northern ridge, close to the walls and angled themselves towards the Saddle Arabians. They had ornate armor and wielded a nineteen-foot long lance made of wood as red as blood and capped with a fine steel head. Two wings could be seen on their backs and the combined sound of them moving through the wind made an unsettling, wooshing noise. As they closed they lowered their lances into a rapidly moving wall of spiked death. The Saddle Arabians were completely caught off-guard and tried to shift to this new threat, some unicorns attempted to raise barriers but it was too late and the Winged Hussars slammed into their side. The sheer weight of the impact smashed anything in their way. With many being impaled by the lances in horrific ways. As the lances broke from the impact they drew their sabers and some drew flintlock pistols as all three thousand of them hacked their way into the Saddle Arabian lines. Their sabers ripping hunks of flesh from any they bit into. Saddle Arabian pegasi attempted to get around the formation but all attempts ended in failure as they were hacked apart. And as this grueling scene unfolded the song could still be heard, a brutal hymn of war.
The enemy completely crumpled under this assault. They were demoralized from three months of bloody fighting and couldn't take it any more. Despite their best efforts the Winged Hussars had broken them. Many threw down their weapons and fled, seeking refuge far from the wrath of these devils. The Saddle Arabian commander, Mustafa Pasha, rushed out onto the field in an attempt to rally his troops. And many did rally to his banner. Forming a large square meant to hold off the charge. But the Winged Hussars saw this and formed up once more. They retrieved extra lances and once more prepared to charge. With a cry of, "Deus Vult!" they slammed into the square they broke them once more. Their unbelievably long lances allowing them to hit them before any enemy pike could touch them. And once more they hacked their way into the Saddle Arabian lines, brutally cutting down any who stood in their way. The wings on the back of the Hussars protected their backs from any attempts to hit them from the rear and their armor blocking the rest against the Saddle Arabian weapons. Some of the Hussars rode around the side and unleashed fusillades of pistol fire into the Saddle Arabian rear. Soon enough the enemy had been bloodied to the point that no pony could keep their spirits up and they fled the field, being cut down as they went by the Winged Hussars. Many pegasi attempting to escape were shot down. The Canterlot garrison had, at this point recovered from the shock of their sudden saviors and had sallied forth to wreak vengeance. Reaping a bloody toll as well. Through this the music still played, it's song being heard well over the din of battle. Almost as if it were the anthem of these mysterious cavalrymen.
By the time the slaughter had finished the losses taken by the Saddle Arabians were so great they would never recover. One day later Celestia and Luna returned at the head of a great army one hundred thousand strong and pushed them back. Putting a swift end to the war. And it had all been made possible by the mysterious Winged Hussars, who disappeared as soon as they arrived. The only proof of their attack were the piles of Saddle Arabian corpses littering the field and the broken lances. Nopony knew where they came from and where they left for. In memory of these mysterious strangers a statue of one of them was constructed in the center of Canterlot, celebrating the miraculous victory at Canterlot.
