Canterlot Besieged
“The only thing required for the triumph of Hatred and its company of evil is for good ponies to do nothing.” – Sir Storm Chaser
Time stood still. Amassing outside the gates of the great city was an army that had henceforth been unseen by ponykind. Near the foreground of the mass, on the precipice of what would become the spearhead of the first onslaught, hovered an equine figure that demanded the attention of the forces behind her. Malevolent Hatred, the most sinful and ravenously vicious of all ponies, beckoned different members of her force to her flanks. Clad in midnight blue armament her generals seemed to quake beneath her very presence. Amongst these military minds was Regal Glory, once a member of Celestia’s own court and ex-Captain of the Guard, yet he too could not help but wane in stature beneath the visage of Hatred. To cause such veteran ponies to defer from their prideful stances made it clear that Hatred lacked fear in its entirety, and furthermore that she was ready to lay siege to the Equestrian capital.
Meanwhile, deep within the capital itself, Celestia stood upon the gilded balcony that led out of her throne room. At her side were the current Captain of the Guard, First Dawn, and Captain of the Weather Corps, Storm Chaser. The scene laid out before them was blatant in its intent, yet the will of Celestia demanded that Canterlot stand against all opposition.
“Dawn, how long would you wager they’ll wait before they begin?” The words themselves rang clear, cutting the sinister air about Canterlot as if the Queen’s voice alone wielded a keen blade.
“Perhaps an hour, maybe two,” said First Dawn, “she’s been conferring with her division commanders, so the first drive at the gates cannot be far off.”
“Then we are left no choice but to strike first,” said Storm Chaser, his tone a bit melancholy, albeit direly urgent.
Celestia’s response was clear and decisive, “Yes. If we wish to have hope of withstanding this we must make ourselves the more aggressive side. Dawn, ready your finest ponies. You shall lead them in from the woodland in the East.”
“As you wish my Queen,” was all Dawn had for response before turning about and calling after her subordinates.
“And as for myself, your highness?” Chaser’s words were eager, though it was hard to cut through the outward shell of his tone to detect it.
“You have few ponies left, Captain. The engagements we have instigated in hopes to stay this day have left the Weather Corps with less than ten ponies to weather another assault… I’d prefer you to stay at my side for the time being, lest Captain Dawn and her forces fail to thin the enemy ranks enough to stave off a full scale siege.”
“As it is your wish I shall adhere to it, but I must impose upon you, my Queen, that if Dawn receives no support from the remaining members of the Corps she will surely be beaten down. Malevolent Hatred has power enough to command the weather with her great magic, and still there are countless pegasi amongst her ranks to aid in total air dominance. If I do not go forth…”
Before Chaser could continue her Royal Highness broke his statement in two, “I care little for what your opinion on the matter is, Captain. Should we fail to achieve victory in this first engagement and I allow you to go out and take part in said failure then we would be left with even fewer members of the Weather Corps to defend the rest of Canterlot. I shall not allow this city to fall because of me making the mistake of putting all my forces into one assault. Now be silent, I wish to see what Dawn can accomplish.”
“Mistress! Mistress Hatred! From the East! Forces from Canterlot are upon us from the East,” cried Regal Glory, his tone a deep bass that resonated within the forces around him.
“Really now? Lead your ponies through the ranks and relieve our Eastern Flank. I want YOU to put down Celestia’s feeble attempt to take us so quickly.” Hatred’s words were such that even the grass about her fell dry and withered, its very vitality sucked away by her breath.
“Yes Mistress.”
“ONWARD! Leave nothing left! Destroy them like the filth they are!” Dawn’s normally reverent demeanor had broken some time ago, near the start of the attack. Her forces had taken the Eastern flank of Hatred’s army by surprise and come out on top thus far. Several attempts at a counterstrike were put down by her impressive magic and fierce tactics of the Royal Guard, but something seemed amiss.
“Captain, despite our having the upper hand the force seems to be in continuous and organized retreat… this is not like Hatred’s prior tactic of overwhelming us with sheer numbers and brute force,” said a subordinate during a slight delay in the warfare.
“Indeed… you never saw combat beneath my predecessor’s command, did you?”
“No, I’m afraid not Captain. Why do you ask?”
First Dawn pointed, then, across her own forces to a looming Pegasus that had been steadily closing the gap between himself and the front lines. “That is why. Tell your fellow ponies to prepare themselves for the worst. We have much left to do.”
“Aye Ma’am,” responded the Guard member, but before he could reach more than ten officers of the Guard… Regal Glory made his move.
High above the forces of Hatred, Regal Glory looked on as Dawn conferred with a young member of what was once his own force. He kept his steady pace, however, aware that if he made his actions too blatant it was likely that First Dawn would respond with preeminent force. As such, he waited to rest above the varied lines of combat, the very threshold over which the two forces were fighting. It was then that he made his move, his own forces still some fifty yards to his rear.
Rearing up as if upon a platform in the sky, Regal Glory shot skyward with a blazing tenacity; HIS specific warfare had been initiated. Once he rested above the cloud cover he angled himself appropriately, and rocketed forth from the densely packed clouds. As he left the once relatively calm plumes of white they changed rapidly. Warped by his capacity as a Pegasus to control storms and the very speed at which he travelled, an immense funnel cloud began to descend upon the middle ground on which both forces were clashing. Yet, Glory’s onslaught had yet to come to fruition.
Few ponies ever exceed a very specific speed when it comes to flight. Fewer still can exceed it on command. Still, Regal Glory was one of the few. Some 1000 years before Rainbow Dash was even a thought, a sonic boom was witnessed in Equestria, but this one had malevolent intent. The golden coloration of Glory’s coat left the wave of sound a brilliant amber hue, much like Rainbow Dash’s coat left her sonic “rain”boom a myriad of colors. The wave of sound rupture as Glory was but feet from the ground, and as such it left countless members of the Royal Guard unconscious, still more deaf, and even more totally confused. In the confusion the great warrior pony began laying a one man siege upon Dawn’s forces, tearing massive rifts in her once orderly ranks and causing total mayhem on HER side of the battle.
“Damn him! I should have expected this!” Her words were filled with self-regret as dawn launched herself forward as magically endowed rocket heading straight for her one time commanding officer.
Contact was made seconds later. At a distance some 1000 yards from her resting place at the rear of her ranks, First Dawn slammed horn first into Regal Glory. On any other day the great knight would have somehow withstood the vicious attempt on his life, but with his vision skewed by the mass of ponies and attention upon wreaking further havoc in the enemy ranks, his guard was not prepared for the rocketing body of First Dawn.
For a second time that day time stood still for First Dawn. All sounds of combat left her as she flung the dying stallion to the ground before her, allowing her to gaze upon the fruits of her assault.
Amidst the chaos and successful disarray he had caused, Glory felt a sudden pain in his chest. His once grounded hooves left the ground without his command and a warmth had filled his lungs and mouth. Before he could react he found himself splayed before his most loyal follower, or at least that’s what she was before he left the Royal Guard. Still, what was more strange was that her face was unaffectionate, its structures instead filled with a deeply rooted resentment that was palpable, its very starkness filling the air about him. What had happened? What was going on?
“I… I s-see,” the words came out with a fine spray of saliva and blood as Glory realized what had unraveled. As he gazed upon the alabaster finish of Dawn’s horn through streams of crimson blood and cracked armor, it sank in. The warmth in his lungs was the blood gushing into them; the heat in his mouth was likewise a mixture of his own blood and saliva. He had been struck down by the one he left in his stead, and rightfully so. He had no regretful tears to shed or any words more to say, and even if he did they would not have graced the light of day as he died right then, lying before his student of years passed.
Time removed itself from its once frozen state as First Dawn gazed down upon her adversary. Once an idol, but now a dead pony, she knew there was no more to be done or said here. As such, she turned to the Royal Guard about her. With a bright flash of light from the now crimson tip of her horn the maladies associated with Regal Glory’s fated attack (save for those killed) were wiped clean from those they afflicted.
“And now, we take on Hatred!” The cry of First Dawn rang forth across the entirety of the Guard, and further still into the depths of Hatred’s ranks. With renewed vitality the Royal Guard pressed deep into the opposition, and with no commander the forces of Hatred left little opposition in their way.
“Mistress, reports declare Regal Glory dead at the horn of the Royal Guard’s commander. What will you have us do?”
“Begin the siege upon Canterlot. Gather all Unicorns to the front and make ready all the Earth Ponies and their catapults… I have business to attend to in the East.”
“Yes, Mistress.”
Spurred on by high morale and the fact that they faced little resistance, the ponies of the guard rushed forth into the depths of Hatred’s forces, and for the time it looked as if Sir Storm Chaser was grievously mistaken, but none could have foreseen the downfall to come.
Somewhere far off towards the frontal columns of Hatred’s forces a separation had begun. The main body broke away from the forefront of the divisions, leaving only infantry in the way of the Guard. Still, the columns that broke away lacked a decisive figure – Malevolent Hatred. It was no sooner that First Dawn recognized this than Hatred herself stood before the Captain, her presence heralded by a deep green flash of light caused by the immensely powerful mare’s teleportation spell.
“You will no longer impede the advance of my army. Now bow DOWN,” with that an immensely brilliant and intense flash ruptured from the horn of Hatred and before any response could be given from Dawn or her fellow guard ponies a bolt of green lightning coursed through the body of the Captain, killing her without fail. And with the same suddenness as her appearance, Hatred disappeared in a flash of brilliant green light.
“My Queen… it has been done…”
“I know. Furthermore, the siege has begun.” Celestia looked on gravely at the beginnings of the siege, her tone reflecting the disheveled nature of the buildings and houses being laid to waste by Hatred’s first wave of boulders and fiery wrath. “To think she would continue Nightmare Moon’s plans for upheaval…”
“My Queen, the “why” is not important now, it’s how we react that is. Look,” Storm Chaser proceeded to point across the now crashed gates of Canterlot to the battle being waged by the remaining members of the Royal Guard and the dwindling army of Hatred that was left to stay their advance, “they cannot continue on alone. Will you give me permission to take to the skies?”
“There is little else that we can do to save Canterlot. I shall begin diminishing their forces from here as best as I can with my spells. May you fly true and without fear, Storm Chaser. Perhaps I should have adhered to your word sooner.”
“Perhaps, but for now I’ll end this were it stands.”
Malevolent Hatred gazed upon the main tower of Canterlot’s massive citadel and rested her glance heavily upon the “Queen” which banished her idol to the heavens for an eternity. The hatred that soared from her began to take on a metaphysical state, forcing the earth about her to crater beneath her presence. She turned then to her forces. Now through the gates and laying siege by catapult, magic, and at last on hoof, she had little to do but wait for the guards still left in Canterlot to be decimated. Then she would at last bring to fruition the will of the one she idolized so deeply. Yet, glancing once more at the castle, Hatred saw a curious shape take to the skies above the battle unraveling below. Still, the security of her victory was, to her, entirely sound.
The firmament above the great battle being waged in Canterlot proper saw the gathering of the last few members of the Weather Corps. Upon gossamer plumes of thin smoke and relatively calm clouds of white hovered some of Equestria’s most powerful Pegasi: Cloud Blitz, Arctic Breeze, Lightning Clash, Thunder Tracker, and their Captain, Storm Chaser. The words spoken were few and only verified what had to be done. The remaining Corps members were to build the storm of the century and use it as Canterlot’s final attempt at victory.
The five members of the illustrious Corps took flight in opposite directions, yet they all angled for the stratosphere. Up into the highest portions of Equestria’s skies they defied the vision of any below as they worked from the top down to build a force of nature unseen prior too or since its creation. The resulting weather system that lay over Canterlot was described by survivors as a “hell in the heavens.” This “hell” spiraled wildly above Canterlot, it’s intensity increasing until it finally let forth a torrential downpour over Canterlot, leaving the flaming rubble of the progressing siege to only simmer as its flames were doused.
Lightning, too, leapt forth from the gargantuan mass of clouds as if it were a sentient force of its own beset upon the forces of Hatred. The lightning alone would clear some fifty percent of Hatred’s forces within the city, while the storm itself stretched magnificently to the battle outside the gates to strike down some five hundred remaining members of the opposition, leaving the Guard able to aid in the combat to ensue once more within the gates.
It was after the first wave of lightning that the Weather Corps descended from the withering heights of its handiwork. Each member rode upon large masses of cloud cover plucked from the furious system raging overhead, and each in turn rushed into the fray, cloud and all, to further decimate Hatred’s army.
Sadly, few members of the corps would live on through the entirety of the combat. Cloud Blitz was struck down by stray catapult fire. Arctic Breeze moved for Hatred herself, only to be beset by Hatred’s few remaining Generals. Thunder Tracker was snatched up by the joint effort of many unicorns, all of whom went down with him as he forced the cloud accompanying him to erupt in a grotesquely large form of ball lightning. The two remaining members, Lightning Clash and Storm Chaser, would see the battle through and march not only themselves, but the full weight of the tempest behind them all the way to Hatred.
Malevolent Hatred had recognized defeat as imminent when the first wave of lightning began to crush her forces. The downpour about her no longer seemed to be simple rain, but the joined defiance of all who remained to face her. The saturated air about her smelled not of the victory she anticipated, but of blood, death, and defeat.
As Hatred stared onward the remaining two members of the corps advanced upon her, and from the rear the last hundred or so guard members trotted with what energy they had left to seal off escape. Her chance at victory was lost, and its likelihood of recurrence was all but dashed as well. Her final moments were near, she knew that much, but she would not leave this plane without a fight.
“For high crimes against all of Equestria and in turn countless war crimes as well, we demand you lay yourself before the mercy of her highness, Queen Celestia, at once,” was the sentence uttered from the mouth of Lightning Clash. His fierce white coat glared with a certain dominance while he spoke, and it was clear he had power enough left to at least give Hatred reasonable doubt about lashing out… but said doubt seemed to lack presence within Hatred’s mind.
“You filthy little worm.” The words struck Lightning Clash cold, and the accompanying boulder that lurched out from its resting place in the rubble would also strike him dead. With one problematic pony out of the way, Hatred began using her immensely powerful casting to its fullest. About her began to swirl copious amounts of rubble, all of which was large enough to leave anypony unconscious at the very least. As the whirlwind of rubble lashed out at Storm Chaser, the cloud surrounding him began to reveal its full capacities under his control. With no more than a small head gesture or flick of his wing the condensed mass of electrified water ruptured forth with bolts of blue-white lightning that shattered anything he perceived as too close.
“Malevolent Hatred, for your callous treatment of Life, total recklessness towards ponykind, and murder, I hereby sentence you to burn like so many of those you yourself have slaughtered!” With no more to be said he initiated a series of immeasurably graceful yet impossibly quick wing beats that seemed to cause the whole of the tempest overhead to come crashing down in a towering mass of total devastation over Malevolent Hatred. The resulting singular thunderclap echoed across all of Equestria, and its reverberations were still so loud as to return to their origin several more times.
As the hazy remnants of the immense storm left the ground upon which they cast only Storm Chaser stood, bloodied and weak, in the wake of his own efforts. The bodies of Lightning Clash and Malevolent Hatred had been thrown by the blast of lightning and wind countless miles away and into the sea.
Finally, with the threat of Hatred no longer looming on the horizon, Celestia descended from her Citadel to view the destruction firsthand. Her own great magical prowess would help rebuild the city of Canterlot and just as well it would go on to allow prosperity in the lands yet to be discovered by the ponies that remained after the war.
Storm Chaser also plaid a role in Equestria’s rebirth. He would rebuild the Weather Corps and as a result create a weather system favoring prosperity over all of Equestria. To this day he overlooks the masses below from his countless roosts in the gossamer clouds above, thankful for what fervent life has crept up from the destruction and chaos that occurred almost 1000 years ago.
-End-
