The Cost of War

by Nugget

Rating: teen
Tags: Princess Celestia, Sad, Anthro, Princess Luna, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Alternate Universe, King Sombra, Royal Guard
Length: 1278

General Sabaton worked under Princess Celestia since the start of the Second Great War. He recalls the time he saw her when she wasn't trying to show any might or bravery for her ponies.

Based on the alternate dimension of King Sombra within "The Cutie Re-Mark."

In my years of working under her command, Princess Celestia had always been a beacon of strength and hope for Equestria and it's military. However, during the Second Great War, I saw something no other pony got to see. It's a side of her I will never forget.

Based on the song "The Last Stand" and other various references by Sabaton.

Published 2017-08-27 23:20:07 UTC
Last updated 2017-08-27 23:20:07 UTC

The Last Stand

Excerpt from the journal of General Sabaton...

I saw fear in the trembling eyes of a mighty ruler.

It’s like staring into the destruction of an entire society, where no hope lives and despair is a part of your reality. That’s what was within those pale eyes of Princess Celestia. Staring at them for too long could send pure, dreadful terror running through the nerves of any pony at this moment.

In her lifetime, my princess never witnessed the fall of Canterlot, being taken over by the army of King Sombra. The princess, in pure shock, never had to evacuate from her city in defeat. At the same time, amid all the chaos and hopelessness, the alicorn never thought or wanted to leave her military behind.

If it was up to her, she would sacrifice almost anything to stay and fight until her last dying breath. The love and passion she constantly displays for her troops can only be matched by her willingness to give up what she can to keep herself on the frontlines of war. However, Princess Celestia was a leader at the end of the day, so her army couldn’t afford to lose her as well.

They couldn’t afford the death of another princess. Prior to the start of the Second Great War, Princess Luna’s life was unexpectedly taken. Under the orders of King Sombra, a rogue group of crystal ponies managed to poison a drink served to the lunar ruler. Within a couple of hours, she died peacefully within her sleep, to the alarm of her sister, the guards, Canterlot, and the rest of Equestria itself. Once the news broke, so did the line between Equestria and the Crystal Empire.

King Sombra attacked when the nation fell into sorrow.

Like a raging storm filled with fire and ash, The Tyrant from the North hastily pushed his military into foreign land. What seemed to be within a blink of an eye, he managing to roll his armies through the valleys north of Canterlot. The capital was his first major objective, hoping to capture it before it was fully fortified by the Equestrian Military. To his advantage, the blitzkrieg worked.

King Sombra’s military caught the Royal Guard off by surprise. It was only a month after the war began and the capital of Equestria was under siege by a force mightier than what they expected! In short, the army of Equestria, in cooperation with the Royal Guard, had barely any firepower. They only had enough to do one thing…

...retreat.

They were at a huge disadvantage when it came to the number’s game. According to an estimate I read; For every guard or troop under Princess Celestia, there were about forty or more under King Sombra’s. Therefore, rather than fight it out and risk the lives of those serving under loyalty to the princess, versus the cruel, senseless, and downright sickening act of mind control used by The Vengeful King, I called for an order of retreat.

To her sorrow amid all the disorder from war and her personal loss, Princess Celestia had to agree with such a call.

The princess knew she needed to get out of Canterlot, proceeding east towards Manehattan. I then ordered a battalion to stall the advance of King Sombra’s forces temporarily, buying us time to aided in the princess’s escape. Once the word was sent to command that she was safely within the catacombs of Canterlot Mountain, the 189th Battalion, under the command of the noble Major Lucerne, retreated towards the castle.

It was there they would make their final stand.

With their numbers dwindling to no more than two-hundred mighty Royal Guards, the major did what he could against the inevitable defeat marching to his doorstep. Rather than surrender his troops and regrettably forfeit his command, along with his honor, dignity, and valor, Major Lucerne stood fearless at the front of his formation inside Canterlot Castle’s main courtyard.

He unsheathed a sword, Dawnbreaker, and shined it in the light. The commander wanted his remaining troops to witness his will to sacrifice his own life for the right of others to live. According to various reports, he shouted, “The light and power of Celestia will guide us! Whoever shall believe in the warmth from her love and grace will only know the truth of her kindness and goodwill, thus be blessed with strength mightier than a lion! Those who follow the darkness and hate will only be serving a weak purpose under Sombra!”

The major wanted to fire up his troops. With a single quote, him and his guards proclaimed to the masses, “Celestian Mit Uns!”

Celestia’s With Us!

The complete outcome from the stand was unknown, but some say most of the guards didn’t make it. Last I heard, directly from the princess, only a few survived. Somehow, within the conflict, Dawnbreaker escaped the fight and was carried into the catacombs. A few weeks later, it was presented to the princess, however she refused to take her weapon back.

Before she left the castle during the siege to Canterlot, Princess Celestia handed her sword over to Major Lucerne. She couldn’t bear the thought of leaving her fellow brother and sisters in arms behind. Therefore, the alicorn placed her own weapon into the hands of her commander, proclaiming, “Take this. Let them know I’m there in spirit and will. I’ll always fight for them. May my strength and courage show them true valor, so they may take and use it to gain passage into Valhalla with honor.”

To see her sword returned to her caused overwhelming sadness to ripple through her body. This was all that was left from their bravery. Two-hundred guards stood strong for her. Now, their existence was wiped away from the fog and brutality of war. This sword was no long a weapon to Princess Celestia, but instead a symbolic item. It represented the brave stallions and mares who gave their lives to help further others.

Deep within those catacombs, the princess turned to me and said, “Take this sword and wrap it up in the finest cloth you can find. Afterwards, I want you to protect it. This sword remains to be the only representation of their memories. We need to preserve it the best way we can.”

All I could say to her was a sharp, “Yes, ma’am.”

I glanced at her eyes once more and saw that fear slowly drift back to sadness. She then turned away from me walked to her quarters. I could only assume my princess wanted to go there and cry by herself, away from the ponies who needed her strong image more than ever before. I also assumed she looked up towards the heavens, asking for the war to end sooner so peace may be restored once more.

The conflict has already taken too much from her personally. From her sister to the ponies within her military, Princess Celestia seemed to had enough. Yet, the fight for Equestria had to continue. More blood had to be shed and more bodies had to fall. But at the end of the day, I’m sure she will continue to pray for peace.

...

Now that I think about it, I think we all could pray for peace as well.

Author's Note

Dear Reader,

Thank you for reading the story. There are probably a few spelling or grammar errors within the narrative that I didn't quite catch. Therefore, if you find one, please PM the corrections to me instead of commenting about them. I'll be swift to fix them!

Thank you!

Nugget