Casus Belli I: Shining Armor`s Last Battle

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.