Casus Belli I: Shining Armor`s Last Battle

Chapters

Epilogue: The Cradle of Power
Chapter 1: War Stories
Chapter 2: No Warning
Chapter 3: An Oncoming War
Chapter 4: Break Down of a Hero
Chapter 5: The Siege of Canterlot
Chapter 6: The Last Princess
Foreword
Chapter 7: Never Retreat, Never Surrender

Epilogue: The Cradle of Power

It`s been a long time since Chrysalis saw her army in the shape it was now. The changelings were strong and their numbers endless. Not long ago her army consisted of two to three hundred half-starved individuals, which were also decimated by her failed attempt to invade Canterlot Castle on the day of the Canterlot Wedding. Now it was a unity of thousands of subjects eager to revenge their fallen brethren and to fulfill any orders given by their queen.

The failed attack on Canterlot. The queen distorted her face in anger due to her memories of this day. Everything was perfectly planned… and still she lost the battle. In search for a food source for her kingdom she thought that the love of the captain of the royal guards, Shining Armor, for his fiancée princess Cadence would give her enough power to overcome Celestia and feed her subjects from the emotions of the Canterlot inhabitants.

She lost many good soldiers infiltrating the castle and preparing the attack. When one of her agents was discovered the royal guards knew something was wrong. As a response to this new threat Shining Armor created a force field which didn`t allow any changeling to enter or to be inside the Canterlot Castle. Chrysalis, who needed all her power to ban Cadence to the Canterlot dungeons shortly before that, was nearly torn apart by this spell. Only her magical abilities saved her from death and allowed her to be inside this harmful atmosphere.

And then the fateful day of the wedding. Chrysalis had drained a lot of power from the love of Shining Armor. Maybe she was too confident. An old friend of Cadence nearly uncovered her secret but Chrysalis took care of her. Or so she thought. This young pony Twilight Sparkle managed to free Cadence and to interrupt the wedding. When Chrysalis` identity was uncovered she knew that there was only one way left to win. She ordered all her troops to attack Canterlot Castle immediately.

It was an unfavorable moment to commence the attack. Even though she could disable the force field by taking control over Shining Armor her army was not yet ready, not fully prepared for the assault on the heavily guarded castle. The only hope was the moment of surprise. But this was not enough.

The energy of love, which made Chrysalis even strong enough to defeat Celestia was used against her. While she was coordinating the attack this Twilight Sparkle pony could free princess Cadence again. And then this Cadence was strong enough to bring Shining Armor out of his apathetic state. Together they used the endless energy of their love to recreate the force field. The weakened changeling forces, who had suffered heavy losses overwhelming the royal guards, were no match for this kind of energy. When the force field came to life again Chrysalis and her forces were pushed out of Canterlot castle. The attack had failed. And all that because of this so called Princess Cadence. Chrysalis defeated Celestia, defeated the Elements of Harmony but Cadence was strong enough to overcome her by using the power of love, the same power that made Chrysalis nearly invincible.

She lost two third of her army that day.

After the failed attack she returned home with the remains of her beaten troops. The situation seemed hopeless. Not only was there no food left, no chance to recover the strength and the losses, no she also lost nearly a complete army and the remaining forces would not even be strong enough to conquer a city like Manehatten. But instead of dying of starvation her subjects became stronger and repopulated. The army grew again, the new soldiers were stronger and larger than the old ones who were defeated by the power of love.

Love… All the changelings thought that love as the strongest emotion is the key to feed their entire population and to gain might and power. But there was one emotion even stronger than the love of Shining Armor and princess Cadence. From this emotion the changelings fed now and recovered fast. This emotion was hate: Chrysalis new undying hate on princess Cadence.

Yes, Chrysalis would use this hate to destroy Canterlot. And to destroy Cadence.

Chapter 1: War Stories

“Listen here you mules. Ever since earth ponies and unicorns are allowed to join the royal guard our army became weaker and I have the impossible mission to make you greenhooves into stallions that earn the terminology “soldier”. Since the changeling invasion…. YOU THERE IN THE SECOND ROW, WINGS ARE FLAT ON YOUR BODY WHEN A CAPTAIN GIVES HIS SPEECH… anyway since the changeling invasion there was no real threat to Canterlot. Do you know why? Because every foe shits himself when he sees the brave stallions of the royal guard. But by the look of you I would say you couldn`t even bring an earthworm to shit itself. What are we gonna do about that?” The royal guard captain, a pegasus pony of course, faced a scared unicorn private in the first row.

“We will train to be good soldiers. We will be teached how to attack our enemies and how to defend our princesses. We will learn…”, the private replied.

“Wrong answer!” the captain screamed.

“The first thing you will learn is the history of our great general Shining Armor. Why? Because you can`t be a good soldier unless you are dedicated to this job like he is. You will be ready to give your life and the lives of your fellow stallions to safe the princesses. You will learn to face death without questioning the orders of your superiors. And when you die on the battlefield you will receive the greatest honor of them all. The death in your duty to protect princess Celestia! Do you understand that?”

“Yes, captain” the privates replied shy.

The captain, a veteran too old to fulfill the duty of the royal guard himself, used the motivation speech from old times. Nowadays there was no real danger for the guards. Merely police than soldiers only a few lost their lives since the great changeling invasion. And of course the royal guard was nowadays much more than Celestia`s bodyguards. They were responsible for the wellbeing of all Equestria as well as the safety for the two other princesses Luna and Cadence. But the captain knew his privates. He knew what he had to say to reach them and to prepare them for their duty.

“You all know Shining Armor. A brave private once who was one of the best in the whole battalion. When general Nightfall went rogue with three battalions of the night guards to help Nightmare Moon overthrowing her sister he was one of the first who volunteered to fight outside of Canterlot to delay Nightfall`s army. And after the ambush he was one of the last who returned into the safety of Canterlot Castle, two wounded royal guards on his back. For this heroic act he received the Golden Hoof and was promoted captain immediately. Do you believe in general Shining Armor?”

“Yes, captain!”, the privates replied. Even though this reply was still as silent as their first one some of the recruits had shining eyes hearing the heroic war stories of their leader.

“After that he fought in many smaller battles. Thanks to his tactical understanding only a few fellow stallions died in this time. But then came the changeling invasion under Queen Chrysalis. The changeling invasion was on the day of Shining Armors wedding. Do you think he invited them?”

“No, captain!”, the privates laughed.

“The changeling invasion was a hard time for us. Chrysalis and some of her agents infiltrated the palace right before our eyes. Believe me privates, I was there. When the force field broke down no one was prepared. We lost so many brave stallions that day. We failed our duty to protect Canterlot and the princess. It was a dark day for the royal guard.” The captain remained silent for a few seconds remembering the time and paying once again respect to all his fallen friends. “When all seemed lost Shining Armor recreated the force field. This time it was filled with the wrath of the royal guard. This time it was stronger than before. Strong enough to defeat Chrysalis and her army and push them away. For good! Shining Armor defeated the whole changeling army and left them shattered so that they will never threaten Celestia again. Do you believe in general Shining Armor?”

“Yes, captain!”, the privates replied. All of them had shining eyes now listening to their superior officer and his stories.

“Shining Armor protected Equestria from all foes. And he will protect it in the future too. From now on it is your duty to help him with that mission! So let me ask you. Will you fulfill your duties as royal guards? Will you protect Canterlot? Will you protect the princesses? DO YOU BELIEVE IN OUR GENERAL?"

“Yes, captain!”, the privates shouted.

“Shining Armor is a hero and a true leader. Under his command the royal guard fulfills its duty. Under his command Canterlot will not fall. Und his command WE WILL SUCCEED! So follow the orders and the rules of the royal guard for the glory of Celestia. AND WHAT IS THAT FIRST RULE?”

“NEVER RETREAT, NEVER SURRENDER! OUR LIVES FOR THE PRINCESSES”, shouted all the privates enthusiastic.

“Good, good”, the captain smiled satisfied, “and now move your plots to the training fields!"

Chapter 2: No Warning

Defending all of Equestria made it necessary to split the royal guard up. While the most famous elite-guards stayed directly in Canterlot Castle to defend their princess all the other soldiers were split up in five battalions. Each battalion had a camp outside the castle to protect their assigned territory. Lieutenant Light Wave, commander of the 4th batallion, asked one of his captains to show in his office.

“Captain, I asked Lieutenant Solar Storm from the 5th battalion for food three days ago. Last time he had problems with logistics I sent them food immediately. And now I want this favor returned, but the food didnt show up yet even though Solar Storm promised me to send it right away. Do you think he didnt sent it?”

“No sir, lieutenant Solar Storm is a stallion of his word. I am sure he sent the food. But we haven`t heard anything at all from the 5th battalion since the answer to your request.”

“That is very strange. Send a group of pegasi to his camp. I want to know what`s going on there.”

“Right away, lieutenant Light Wave”

Even though the lieutenant was worried about the 5th battalion and the low food reserves in the warehouse the life and duty of the other royal guards of the 4th battalion went on. Cannon Powder, an old veteran from the changeling invasion, went outside the camp to meet with his companion for the guarding post this night. As he feared he was assigned to a stallion which he had never seen before.

“Must be one of the greenhooves from the training area…”, Cannon Powder whispered to himself. For an old veteran like him it was always a risk being assigned to new recruits, even in this peaceful time. Smiling about the things Cannon Powder would do to the greenhooves if he found him sleeping on his duty he went on to make acquaintance with his new partner.

“So you and I are assigned to guard post 22 in the northern woods. I have never seen you before, do you came with the last shipment of new recruits? Which captain are you assigned to?”

The stallion didn`t answer Cannon Powders question. He just looked at him with a face showing no emotions.

“Ah I see. Youre so new here that you didnt even remember the basics. So here is a tip, never forget again which captain you are assigned too. If I would be a superior officer and you couldn`t answer that question for me we had a new pony to pull the “apple” carts. The horse apples carts. Get it?”

Still no response from the stallion.

„You know, greenhooves, I remember a guard who had a cutie mark just like you.... I mean it must have been similar to yours, we all know there are no two identical cutie marks in the world. He was a heroic captain who died during the changeling invasion. This is a good sign, maybe you will have a straight career like he had… well except of his death of course.”

The stallion`s face still showed no emotions but he turned his front completely towards Cannon Powder, seemed kind of he wanted to hide his cutie mark from the old veteran.

“All right then, lets get into our position. Not that somethings happening and we can`t alarm the camp. Shining armor would personally kick my plot. You know, maybe the changelings return this very night” joked Cannon Powder and walked to their assigned guard position. The stallion behind his back smiled for the first time this evening. But it was no friendly smile.

“We have surrounded the 4th battalion and our agents infiltrated the camp successfully. Give us five minutes to bring the artillery in position then we are ready for the attack. Our agents are in position and will take out the guarding posts. There will be no warning for them, my queen”

“Good, general”, Chrysalis smiled, “let no one escape to warn Canterlot. Kill them all!”

“Yes, my queen. We will not fail you. We will take this camp like we did with the other three” the changeling general replied. Then he gave the sign for the agents in the camp to take out the guard posts.

Chapter 3: An Oncoming War

“Its been a long time since we heard a status report from battalion one, two, and five. Shining Armor will not be amused if those lieutenants dont fulfill their daily report duties only because there`s currently no known threat.”

The canterlot captain looked to his fellow stallion.

“I would understand it if one camp would have been silent, but three of them? I think there are problems with the messenger routes. Maybe high-water or something…”

“Dont be foolish. The messenger are pegasi, they dont care for highwater or anything else. There is another problem with the battalions… we have to inform the general.”

A messenger from the 4th batallion just arrived at that moment. “Well at least there are two camps still working” the captain said and went on to meet the messenger. “So how are you holding up? Solved the food problem?”

“Captain, the 4th battalion is fine and ready. The problems are all solved.”

“Glad to hear that. Got any news from other battalions? We didn`t receive a status report in days. Except the 3rd batallions and yours of course.”

“Yes sir, we just received a message from battalion 5, they`re fine too” the messenger replied.

“Well thank Celestia, those are good news. You know I just told my fellow stallion over there that there has to be a problem with the messenger routes. And he said he thinks that the camps are under attack, can you believe that?” the captain laughed, “who should attack us? The dragons honor our truce. The diamond dogs are too stupid to organize an army like they did under sovereign Wulf and the changelings were torn apart from general Shining Armors energy shield. Yes this shield killed a lot of those worthless bastards. They will never recover from this day. And you should see her queen Chrysalis flee from the energy shield. Worthless coward! No they wouldnt attack us either.”

After his speech the captain looked in the eyes of the messenger. But instead of the expected amusement the captain only saw glowing hate.

“No one makes fun of our heroes. No one insults the queen like that.” The messenger growled and attacked the captain.

The captains fellow stallion watched the scene from his guard post. He didnt hear the conversation but he saw the attack on the captain. Quick as the wind he grabbed his gear and run to assist his friend in the fight against the messenger.

Due to his training the captain was able to survive the surprise attack of the messenger. There was no time to wonder what couldve caused this messenger to go berserk. He quickly remembered the basics about fighting stallion to stallion and used them to block the attacks. Only a few seconds later his fellow stallion joined the fight. Together they managed to gain control of him but the messenger didnt gave up that easy. There was no reasoning with him, this stallion was completely crazy and dangerous. The captain just hoped that they could overwhelm him before anybody got killed.

General Shining Armor who was just about to visit the guard post to get information about the missing reports from his battalions saw the fight by the gate. Three ponies of his royal guard were fighting with each other and two of them had the rank of a captain. What a shame! While he approached the gate Shining Armor thought of a good speech that would bring professionalism back to these soldiers.

When he reached the battle ground the messenger recognized him immediately.

“You…,” the pegasus growled with eyes full of hate.

“What`s going on he….” Shining Armor wanted to ask but before he finished his question the messengers rushed towards him and tried to bite his throat. Now with their general in danger the two captains of the royal guard lost all restraints and attacked the messenger together.

Deadly wounded the messenger broke down on the ground. His eyes were still full of hate and focused on Shining Armor. In the moment of his death the messenger changed somehow. On the ground right in front of Shining Armor was now a dead changeling corpse. Suddenly Shining Armor realized the whole situation. Battalions are not responding, messenger didn`t return from their routes and now there was a dead changeling. Not the weak type he encountered on his wedding. This changeling fought against two of his best royal guard captains. If all changelings are now as strong as this one here….

“Send group of pegasi to the 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th battalion immediately! They shall recon the camps. Tell them to prepare for hostile encounters on their way.”

„Mylord, theyre dead. The camp is burning. The corpses are burning. Theyre dead... all of them. The changelings did it, I could evade an attacking group of them, but the others werent so lucky.... Mylord the camp was completely destroyed. This wasnt a rampaging group of changlings. This was an organized army, a planned attack. The whole 4th battalion is gone.” The returning messenger was in a bad shape. Still he was better off than his fellow stallions because he should be the only one who returned to Canterlot this evening.

Shining Armor looked to the messenger. He saw the shock of this discovery in the pegasus eyes. He saw the wounds from the changeling attacks on the pegasus body. This messenger wasn`t lying. There was a war coming on, and general Shining Armor just got the information that he had already lost a large part of his army.

“We have to assume that there is only the 3rd battalion left outside of Canterlot. We need those troops inside the castle! Send also messengers to all the cities in Equestria. They have to be evacuated immediately, we can`t provide protection anymore. I want all the guards mobilized and on full alert. I want the castle to be prepared for an attack. Evacuate all the fillies and the mares to the royal palace and get your stallions into position. I have to inform the princess about this.”

The messenger who was sent to the 3rd battalion found the camp in good shape. When he entered the office the lieutenant couldnt believe the message he was hearing. An immediate pull back to the castle would mean abandoning the camp and all the resources in the warehouse, just taking the soldier and the basic war gear with them. This sounded like a very bad joke. But then he saw the royal seal on the messengers necklace. This seal proved that this messenger was not only sent by the royal guards but also with Princess Celestias specific permission. He immediately called for his captains to organize the march back to Canterlot.

The entry of the 3rd batallion in Canterlot was a never seen before event. All the mares and fillies who received the call for evacuation just a few hours ago stood by the streets to watch a whole battalion of royal guards moving inside the castle.

“Why should I leave my home?” a mare asked her friend, “Look at these stallions. Look at their numbers. No one will defeat this army. We`re in no danger. And this is only one battalion, as far as I know the royal guard has five of it, right? No one will stand against Canterlot. All this commotion for nothing.” But her friend stayed silent.

As the last soldiers entered the castle Shining Armor gave the order to close the gate and to barricade it. Suddenly he heard a screaming from the crowd of ponies.

“No, dont close the gate! My son is still out there. Dont close the gate yet or else he can`t come into the castle. Just leave it open for a few minutes, he will enter any time.”

Shining Armor looked to the guards in the gate tower.

“There is no one out there mylord. Our forces and the civilians entered the castle completely”, the guard replied.

“No! No, you must be mistaken. My son is still out there. He is a grey pony like his father and a soldier like you. He is an earth pony and cant fly over the walls. He was stationed with the 5. battalion in the camp outside Canterlot. He… he promised me to come back just in time for Hearts and Hooves day. He will enter the castle in a few seconds, youll see. Let that door open!” a mare left the crowd to face Shining Armor.

He slowly walked to the crying mother. “Mam, we have no survivors from the 5th battalion. I´m afraid your son gave his life in his duty to safe princess Celestia. I am very sorry for your loss.”

“No he is still out there, returning any second to his mother. He promised me to return just in time for Hearts and Hooves day, not like his father who didnt return from his guard post after the changeling invasion. No, my son will return, youll see. He promised it. He prom….” ´

Some caring neighbors brought the mare back to the crowd where she broke down crying. Shining Armor returned to his soldiers.

Chapter 4: Break Down of a Hero

“What`s with Ponyville?”

”Im afraid Ponyville is overrun, princess. It was in the area of battalion four. We sent out Spitfire from the Wonderbolts to warn them and to recon the area. She didnt return. I assume that there are no survivors left. The villagers, the mare, the Elements of Harmony, Twilight… they`re dead.”

“You don`t know that, general” Celestia replied. “The Elements of Harmony are still alive I can feel it. We have to save them! They will be a powerful addition to your forces and maybe even our last hope against our enemy. Prepare my guards, I will supervise the evacuation of Ponyville by myself.”

“But princess, this is far too dangerous for you. I will send another messenger…”

“Spitfire was one of the best messengers you had, general. Do you want to sacrifice more of your soldiers? I and my personal guard will penetrate the changeling defenses and evacuate the Ponyville villagers. Prepare my guards. This is an order!”

„Yes, princess“

What else can a general of the royal guard do when he receives an order from his princess than to follow this order strictly? Soon thirty of his best stallions stood in full war gear at the palace door. Shining Armor wanted to escort his princess personally, but the circumstances made his absence from Canterlot impossible. He looked at the captain of the elite guards. Yes, this was a brave stallion and a honorable soldier. The princess would be in good hooves. Relieved of his heaviest doubts but still not fully confident Shining Armor returned to prepare the defense of the castle. Celestia and her bodyguards lift off to save the Elements of Harmony and the villagers of Ponyville.

Apple Jack tossed the last apples into the bucket. “What a fancy time were living in” she spoke to herself. The barn was full of apples which waited to be processed to the apple cider Sweet Apple Acres was famous for. But in the last days there were no customer from outside. Even the always-thirsty soldiers from the near encampment didnt show up for a long time. And there was this bunch of refugees showing up in Ponyville. All of them seemed shocked and mumbled of a changeling invasion in Manehatten, can you believe that? A changeling invasion! They must have drunk the wrong cider Apple Jack thought. Suddenly Rainbow Dash showed up and told her from an immediate meeting at the towns square.

There had been never so many guards in Ponyville before. On her previous visits the princess only had some bodyguards with her, but today it was nearly a whole army. The major shook her head. And then this emergency meeting which all the villagers had to attend immediately. What was going on here?

“Citizens of Ponyville, we are under attack. The rumors about the changeling invasion are true. I am here to evacuate you to Canterlot Castle. With the help of the Elements of Harmony there is still a chance left to evade the war. Thats why I would like them to return with me to the castle immediately. My guards will supervise the evacuation of the villagers. Theres no time to waste. Apple Jack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash come with me back to the cas…. where is Twilight Sparkle?“

„Princess, Twilight left some hours ago to go to Canterlot. She wanted to inform her brother about the refugees… didn`t you see her on your way here?” Spike asked the princess.

Suddenly Celestias face changed. Hopefully her faithful student was safe and not a victim of a changeling ambush. Without Twilight Sparkle the Elements of Harmony couldnt work. Without the Elements of Harmony the war was lost...

”No, I didnt meet her on my way. She must have taken another route. What refugees are you talking about?” Celestia asked Spike. “We have some refugees from Manehatten. They told us that they were survivors of a terrible attack. We didnt believe them… oh no” Spike suddenly realized that the unbelievable stories about the slaughter and the destruction of Manehatten and its citizens were not some crazy ponies` fantasy, those stories were real.

“Manehattan came under attack? How many ponies have we lost? How many.... I have to speak with those refugees immediately!“ Celestia said shocked.

The refugee group was small. Some old stallions, some mares and four fillies. The youngest of those fillies couldnt be much older than two years. In contrast to the other refugees who were obviously shocked and trembled in fear of the changelingss wrath they experienced in their lost town, the young filly stood calm and looked at Princess Celestia with it`s deep eyes.

“Oh my, what did this baby had to see when Manehatten was attacked. Which family members did it lost. Can you imagine this horror? No wonder it is so apathetic” Celestia said with a brittle voice. “Come young filly. I will bring you personally into safety. You`ve seen enough horror for a whole lifetime”. The princess put the filly on her back, ready to bring the Elements of Harmony and her young subject into the safety of the castle.

“Citizens of Ponyville. Gather only the necessaries you need for the march to Canterlot. My guards will ensure your safety on the way ba….” Celestia stopped in the middle of the sentence. She felt a pinch in her neck and now a growing paralysis in her body.

"What happenend?” she asked herself before she broke down to the ground. The toxin worked fast within her royal blood.

The soldiers only saw the filly biting their princess’s neck. Without hesitation they charged on the little pony, which stood no chance against the attacks of the elite guard forces. Deadly wounded it fell of the back of the princess. Before the body hit the ground the corpse lost its form. Instead of a dead filly the guards looked on the remains of a small changeling agent lying beside their dying princess.

“Find Twilight Sparkle!” Princess Celestia ordered with her last breath. Then she was gone.

Alone in his chamber Shining Armor prepared the spell that would protect the castle from the enemy forces. He had used the spell before. It was a force field which didn`t allow any changelings inside. The only changeling who was strong enough to penetrate it was Queen Chrysalis herself. With anger and shame he remembered her last effort to invade Canterlot. How she used him. How her forces ambushed the royal guards. Only with two of the three most important ponies in his life it was possible to overthrow her forces and to win the battle. Only with the help of Cadence and Twilight victory was possible that fateful day.

“Oh Twilight, I wish you were here to assist me. I need your advice. I need your company”.

Surpressing the bad memories and the overcoming feel of loneliness Shining Armor concentrated to use the magic spell once again. A strong force field appeared around Canterlot. The castle was safe. For now.

„Brother you have to stop this“, Twilight shouted while rushing inside Shining Armors office.

“Twili, I`m so glad to see y…”

“I just saw the battle preparation. I heard the soldiers talking about an enormous changeling army. We have refugees in our village that told us from endless numbers of changelings. The royal guard has lost so many stallions. You don`t stand a chance! You have to surrender the castle to the changeling army before they kill everypony!”

“Twilight we still have a chance left. You have to use the Elements of Harmony to protect our castle. And with the force field….”

“You dont understand, brother. We cant use our magic against a whole army. Even the Elements of Harmony arent that strong. The war is lost, dont you realize it? You have to save the ponies inside the castle. You have to….”

Suddenly one of Celestia`s bodyguards entered the room.

“General….. we failed. We failed our mission. We failed you. The princess…. It was an ambush. None of us had foreseen it. The princess… the princess is dead.”

After this report the guard left the room. A cold silence was the only thing he left with Shining Armor and Twilight Sparkle.

Princess Celestia was dead.

“Oh my… not princess Celestia” Twilight said with tears in her eyes.

He failed his duty.

“Brother, you have to stop this slaughter. Send a messenger to negotiate the capitulation of Canterlot. There is no chance left you will win this battle!....”

The sworen oak to protect the princess with his life. He broke it!

“….You can save the ponies in this castle. You can save the ponies that aren`t dead yet. You have to stop this slaughter. You have to end this war. There is no victory for you in it. Shining Armor, negotiate the capitulation! You have to stop this now!”

Princess. Celestia. Was. Dead.

Suddenly his face changend into a grimace of hate. „What are you here for? Are you here to spy our defenses? Do you want to talk me down and weaken my efforts to defend this castle… or are you here to kill me like you`ve killed the princess. WHAT ARE YOUR ORDERS, CHANGELING?”

“What are you talking ab….” replied the pony who pretended to be Twilight Sparkle before Shining Armor brought his hooves to her throat.

“You threaten my country”

“Brother what are you doing, you`re killing me” groaned the false pony.

“Youve killed my soldiers. Youve killed my friends”

“Shining Arm…. pleas...”

“Youve killed Princess Celestia. YOUVE KILLED MY SISTER TWILIGHT” Shining Armor cried with hate. The pony in his hooves trembled in her last seconds of life. Then the trembling stopped.

Even though he could see the death in the eyes of the pony pretended to be his sister, she still didn`t change back.

Suddenly he realized that he was inside Canterlot, inside the force field he created some hours ago. No changeling could have entered it at least without being detected. The general held the real Twilight Sparkle in his hooves. He just killed his own sister.

Shining Armor broke down. And so did his force field.

Chapter 5: The Siege of Canterlot

“Captain the changeling army arrived. They prepare for the assault.”

“I can see that, private.”

“But why let the general the force field down?”

“I don`t know private. It will most likely be a tactical maneuver.”

“Tactical maneuver? He makes the castle vunerable against their artillery attacks. Doesn’t he see the army right in front of our gates? Where is he?”

“Thats what you will find out, private, because youll report the changeling arrival to the general immediately.”

“But where should I look for….”

“Private, if I knew that I would give him the report myself. And now search the castle and don`t come back until you found the general!”

“Where is Shining Armor? We need his orders now" the lieutenant told his captains. “Have anyone of you seen the general?”

“No, lieutenant, I sent a guard to report but the general is not in his office. We can`t find him anywhere…”

“Thats it. Ill take command of the defense until the general returns to his duty. Move the forces to the gates. We will hold them off at the very entrance of our castle.”

“Lieutenant, Princess Celestia has fallen. The force field is down. The general is gone. Do we… do we have any chances left?” one of his captains asked.

The royal guard lieutenant didn`t reply to that question. But his silence was answer enough.

The changeling attack was devastating. Heavy artillery brought down every defenses and barricades the royal guard built in the hours before. Soon it was a fight stallion versus changeling. The changelings were due to their new found power equal even to the best royal guards. It was raining dead pegasi guards from the skies. The unicorn guards behind the lines overused their magical skills until they suffered deadly exhaustion. And the brave earth pony guards in the first lines of defense were torn apart by the endless waves of attacking changelings. It was a lost cause.

The battle raged on. Canterlot was filled with blood, debris and bodies of fallen ponies. Due to the absence of Shining Armor the royal guard lieutenant coordinated the defense. Even though he did his best his skills could never compare to the tactical genius Shining Armor. The soldiers fought with fury and anger. They were ready to die to redeem for their failure of protecting Princess Celestia. But even this heroic attitude couldn’t stand against the hate of Queen Chrysalis.

A field hospital was established in the Canterlot Garden. This garden was probably the largest in Equestria but it was overcrowded with wounded stallions in no time. A group of volunteers under Princess Cadence leadership tried to help those ponies in their fight with death. But even though she was a princess with magical abilities Cadence couldnt do much more than watching those brave soldiers die. Canterlot wasnt prepared for such a thing. There wasnt enough medical equipment. There wasnt enough skilled personal. Most of the volunteers didn`t have any medical background. The only thing they could do was to be with the dying ponies, holding their hoove when they fade away.

The northern gate was protected by Luna and her night guards, still decimated by the treachery of general Nightfall years ago. Luna fought with the wrath of Nightmare Moon, but still she and her forces were overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of the changeling army.

Soon the defense lines were overrun. There was chaos and confusion in the royal guard forces that fought shattered over Canterlot a hopeless battle. When only a handful of his royal guards remained captain Armor Shard gave the order to retreat to the last defense line, the royal palace. Princess Cadence and most of the mares were already evacuated in the palace, but all the wounded soldiers who could not walk by their own had to be left behind. Luna still fought against the invaders, but her force got weaker every second and her night guards fell one by one.

Chapter 6: The Last Princess

The situation in the palace was desperate. The evacuated ponies filled out every room in the overcrowded building. Only the entrance area offered some space where captain Amor Shard`s stallions rested and licked their wounds. Some other guards had reached the palace also just in time before it got cut off from the surrounded forces in the city. Armor Shard knew that the forces in the city were doomed to die. And when the changelings had finished them they would come back to slaughter the rest. He looked in the eyes of the privates. They knew what he was thinking about. The lieutenant was gone. The fellow captains were trapped inside the city. It was now Armor Shard who had command over the whole Canterlot army from which only a few dozens wounded and exhausted soldiers was left.

Suddenly they heard screaming from outside. The changelings had reached the Royal Garden and began to slaughter the wounded ponies. Some of the slightly wounded stallions tried to defend their helpless brethren but their effort was in vain. To break the will of the defenders or simply just for the fun of it nearly the whole field hospital was wiped out by Chrysalis` army. Beside the screams of the dying soldiers the ponies in the Royal Palace also heard the laughter of the changelings.

„Those heartless monsters“ Rarity said silently. It was probably the first time she wasn`t exaggerating a bit.

“All is lost…” a mare cried.

“No it`s not!” Rainbow Dash took off to speak to all the ponies in the entrance hall. „We will not give up now! There is still hope left.“ She encouraged the crowd beneath her.

“The force field is down. Celestia is dead. Which chance do we have against this army. They will overwhelm us. What shall we do when they attack this castle”, a scared filly cried.

“Then we will hold them off!” Shining Armor appeared on the top of the stairs, wearing his best armor. His sudden appearance was very imposing and gave the remaining ponies a bit of light in this time of darkness. His soldiers looked at him with hope, Captain Armor Shard with relieve. The general was back!

“But how can we stand against this army, general?” a wounded guard asked out of his desperation.

„We must use the elements of harmony. They will defeat them! No one stands against this kind of power. We just need to get Twilight and then…”, Rainbow Dash answered instead of Shining Armor.

“Twilight is dead.” Shining Armor spoke silent but for everypony to hear.

Rainbow Dash landed beside her shocked friends. All hope, all enthusiasm was vanished from her face.

Suddenly the hidden entrance was opened and six night guards carried a wounded Luna inside the entrance hall. The six guards was all that’s left from the northern forces, all the others gave their lives to secure the evacuation of their beloved princess. When the ponies saw their bleeding princess even the glimmer of hope they got from Shining Armor`s appearance was lost again. Nopony spoke a word, the entrance hall was covered in a cold silence.

Shining Armor saw the desperation of the ponies. He saw it in the eyes of the mares, he saw it in the eyes of the fillies. He even saw it in the eyes of the remaining royal guards. He knew that they would only have a chance if he could encourage them again. In this state of mind his remaining forces would be dead in seconds. Without hope even the strongest pony could never win a fight especially not against a hate-driven army of changelings.

“The attack of the changelings on Canterlot was a catastrophe. We lost so many ponies out there. We lost soldiers, we lost friends, we lost family members… and we lost our princess. The changelings conquered the castle and trapped us here in the royal palace. We have no army left and most of the cities outside the castle were destroyed. There is no help coming for us.” Shining Armor spoke out the hurtfull truth.

Most ponies left their heads hanging.

“But we are still alive! We have still two princesses who rule their subjects. This palace was built to withstand every attack. As long as we barricade us inside this building we will have a strategic advantage. When they charge through the narrow entrance doors their numbers will mean nothing. We can hold them off here in the entrance hall. And when the night comes we will use one of the secret tunnels to evacuate the princesses, the mares and the fillies.

Once we`re outside Canterlot we will move from city to city. We will recruit soldiers from the survivors. We will send messengers to the dragons and ask them for assistance. Once we have every capable stallion under arms we will return and revenge our brethren. We will take the castle back! We will take Equestria back! We will defeat the changelings!”

All the ponies looked now at the general. This plan could actually work. There was still hope left.

“We are the royal guards. We are the best trained soldiers in Equestria. As long as we live we will defend the princesses. The changelings took us by surprise, but that will not happen again. It is now up to us to recover and to overwhelm our enemies. We just have to hold this line some more hours. In the night we will move out of this palace. And when we return there will be no mercy. The changelings will pay for this!”

Yes, they would return with army. They would defeat their enemies. They would avenge their fallen friends. The royal guards forgot their exhaustion and their wounds. The general was back and they would follow his orders. Only a few more hours and they could leave the castle to recover and to prepare themselves for the counterattack.

“The royal guards will defend Princess Luna and Princess Cadence! We will hold this line! There is no retreat, no surrender!” The royal guards mobilized their last forces to scream: “Yes Sir! We will hold this line. Our lives for the princesses.” But the six night guards stayed silent.

Slowly lieutenant Dark Arrow approached Shining Armor. “Shes dead, mylord” he said with tears in his eyes. The head of Lunas bodyguards stayed with his princess until the end. Now even the hero of so many battles who fought his brethren in the war against general Nightfall`s forces without showing any emotion was overwhelmed by his tiredness and the failure of protecting his princess. Luna passed away. Cadence was the last remaining princess.

The hall was silent once again. When their lieutenant let his tears flow it looked for a short time as the will of the remaining night guards broke down. But after one minute mourning for Princess Luna lieutenant Black Arrow turned himself towards his remaining soldiers. His face was full of hate for his foes, his tears now flew in anger not in desperation. “WE WILL HOLD THIS LINE! OUR LIVES FOR PRINCESS CADENCE” he shouted and his fellow stallions joined in in his war cry.

“Theyre coming” a royal guard shouted. Chrysalis army was finished with the city. Now they laid siege on the royal palace. Shining Armor went to one of the barricaded windows and looked on the enemy forces. Even though they also suffered heavy losses in the battles Chrysalis` forces were still large in numbers. Motivated by the fact that they were close before victory they thirsted for the order to commence the attack. But Chrysalis had other plans. She wanted to humiliate Shining Armor and the royal guards a last time before erasing them completely.

“Shining Armor, long time no see” Chrysalis laughed. “I know that youre barricading yourself with your forces in the palace. You see that your situation is hopeless, do you? But I am a merciful queen, thats why I want to negotiate your capitulation. I personally guarantee safety for all the mares, the fillies, the soldiers and for you. You can leave this castle unharmed. All I want in return is Princess Cadence.“

All eyes were now on Cadence who mourned over Lunas body. Even though most ponies knew that Chrysalis offer was a trap and that no one would leave the castle alive if they would trust it some ponies had a strange look in their eyes. A look that said that they`re ready to sacrifice a princess for their own safety. Some royal guards moved nearer to Cadence to protect her in case of an attack from the crowd.

“Queen Chrysalis, we will never sacrifice a princess. As highest commander of the royal guards I deny your offer. If you want peace then gather your troops and leave this castle and Equestria for good” Shining Armor replied to Chrysalis.

Chrysalis laughed. “I knew you wouldn`t give up that easily. So I prepared a little surprise for you.”

The changeling army divided and in the middle of the changelings were hundreds of ponies. Most of them were civilians from the attacked cities but Shining Armor saw also some fellow stallions from the royal guard, most of them were wounded.

“Shining Armor, for every ten minutes you refuse to hand over your princess I will execute 100 of her subjects. Starting now.”

She gave a signal to her soldiers and 100 prisoners were forced to walk to the entrance of the palace. Shining Armor recognized one of his captains under them. The brave captain looked in the eyes of his superior. There was no accusation, no distrust. “It was an honor to serve with you, general” he said before he and the 99 other hostages received the deadly blow.

“I cant let this happen. I cant let her execute those ponies. As the last princess I am responsible for them. They`re my subjects now.” Cadence stood behind Shining Armor and had watched the whole scene. “I will give myself to Chrysalis in exchange for the safety of the hostages. Open the doors and let me out” she whispered to her gentlecoat.

Shining Armor looked at his beloved Princess. He didn´t only swore an oak to safe her when hed entered the royal guards, no he also swore to protect her from all evil when hed married her. Seeing her ready to sacrifice herself for the safety of her subjects inflamed his affection to Princess Cadence, his beloved mare, more than he could bare.

“I will never let you go, my princess“ he said softly. Then he went to his soldiers.

“What shall we do, general?” one of the privates asked. Shining Armor hesitated. Was he ready to sacrifice himself for his beloved princess? Yes, he was. But was he also ready to sacrifice the lives of all his fellow stallions. The lives of the hostages? The lives of the mares and the fillies. Was he ready to sacrifice everything just to fulfill his oak?

With a last look on princess Cadence he went to the doors. Beside the love for him he also saw desperation in her eyes. She knew what was going to come.

Foreword

Casus Belli will be a series of fics about war, treachery, loss and honor. Since “Shining Armor´s last Battle” is the first of this series and also my very first written fic ever it will be written very poorly. Unfortunately English is not my mother tongue so I can`t use stylistic elements like I would like to. Since this story was written without editing or surveillance of another person it contains a lot of errors and grammar faults. I am very sorry for that, but I hope you can enter it anyway.

For me it was very nice to create this story and to write it down, even though it is basically a sad story about the horror of war in Equestria. If you like the idea of this story and also the style of narration I would be very happy to expand the series Casus Belli and tell you not only from Shining Armors last battle but also from the battles he had before.

The known characters of this story are built on the characters of season I and season II of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.

This story is dedicated to all the great artists, musicians and writers who make this fandom so unique. I love you guys!

Also dedicated to the creators of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic who brought us the show that fascinates us the most with its unique characters and lovely animations.

Last but not Least: This story is also dedicated to Princess Luna, who is undoubtedly the best pony ;).

Written by: Martin Bauman. Frankfurt am Main, Germany. 30th Sept. 2012.

Edited by: MS Word Spell check …

Chapter 7: Never Retreat, Never Surrender

Shining Armor opened the gate and faced Chrysalis, who was standing on the other side of the entrance plaza. She smiled confident, but Shining Armor wasnt here to negotiate. Behind him his army of brave stallions regrouped to battle formation. Every stallion was eager to give his life in this last battle to revenge the fallen princesses and to safe the last one, Princess Cadence. It was a last attempt to win the battle, to free the prisoners and to defeat Chrysalis. So brave, so heroic and still this effort was in vain against the endless numbers of Chrysalissubjects.

Shining Armor looked a last time to his stallions, to see in their faces. They were ready, no one stayed behind in the false safety of the palace. Even the wounded ones stayed in line, suppressing their pain and their disabilities to fight side by side with their brethren. He nodded to lieutenant Black Arrow and to captain Armor Shard. They nodded back.

“Never retreat, never surrender! Our lives for the princess.” whispered Shining Armor to himself.

Then he led on the attack.