Canterlot burned.
Its walls, once a pristine white, were now stained a dirty black from the rising pillars of ash. Ponies could be seen rushing frantically to and fro, desperately trying to quell the flames. But, despite their efforts, a building would erupt in flame as soon as another was extinguished. The unicorns had better luck as they used magic to make large swaths of the desolation simply disappear. But whenever one made themselves known, they were dive-bombed by changelings. Pegasi were quick to intercept, but they were blown out of the way by a nigh-suicidal lack of abandon as their enemy plummeted to the ground.
But this was just a background to the main event as huge balls of fire were hurled from menacing machines of war. Towering feats of engineering, they eclipsed those below them in their looming shadows. And underneath them was an army, one that looked on with lust in their eyes, quickly advancing toward the great walls of Canterlot. An allotment of creatures, there was even a few ponies mixed in with the motley host as they advanced under the cover of smoke and ash. The sound of their charge was like a great thunder as it eclipsed the crackling of the fires. Those that could fly took the air and met the ponies atop crumbling battlements. Those that could not instead headed toward where the bombardment had succeeded, and the great barrier that hindered them was nothing but a ruin.
The defenders tried to stop them, but were viciously ripped apart by hulking gryphons, or burnt to a crisp by arcane powers. Inside Canterlot proper, they focused on nothing but destruction, pouring through the streets like a flood. Massacring whoever they could find, the horde went further and further into the city. The few places that had survived the siege unscathed were set alight as explosives were hurled into them, sometimes accompanied by the screams of those within.
The unchecked rampage wasn't to last long though, as soon a detachment of ponies appeared. Unlike those encountered before, these ones were outfitted in splendid golden armor and marched calmly, seemingly oblivious to the scene around them. They were soon noticed, and with a piercing screech of rage, gryphons descended upon them, soon followed by their allies.
But these ponies stood fast, and a nimbus of light appeared around them. With no time to stop, the gryphons crashed into it and were sent careening off to the ground, a loud snap making it clear why not all of them got up again. Seeing this, the others were more cautious and lances of magic were soon speeding toward the ponies. They hit against the shield in a display of fireworks, doing little more than forcing the pillagers to look away lest they be blinded.
But then the shield faded, revealing the ponies inside looking none the worse. "For the princesses!" one of them cried, and they charged forward. Galloping over the dead and dying gryphons, mangling them further, they slammed into the invaders. Feathers flew and blood was spilled as they carved into them. Changelings tried to jump onto them, but with each attempt they simply slipped past, crashing into the ground. Gryphons slashed at them, but their armor stopped almost all their attacks. Magic was flung at them, but it was stopped in its tracks by trained unicorns. They assaulted the invaders, with bladed wings and magic they cut at their foes, knocking them to the ground and slamming into them with powerful hooves. Nothing could stop them, and they slowly pushed forward into the throng.
An enterprising pony, covered in a dark cloak that revealed naught but his hood, gave out a cry, and a dark light emanated from his horn, pushing the golden soldiers back. As one, the attackers fell back. The gold ponies tried to follow, but the cloaked one had stood his ground, maintaining a barrier that stopped them giving chase. The unicorns began to attack it, their shining magic a stark contrast to the darkness. And the others, bereft of the ability to assist, contended themselves with checking the bodies of the fallen. Not one of their number lay dead, instead, they went among those they had defeated. A few of them clung to life, and it was swiftly crushed out of them as gold-clad hooves mercilessly stamped down on their necks.
While this grim work took place, the dark barrier fell, and the cloaked pony slumped. Breathing heavily, he weakly raised his head, and he glared with hate-filled orbs that glowed with unnatural light as the golden ponies slowly approached, wary of any final gambit.
"This isn't the end. He will rise again," he said calmly. Then he summoned up what he could, pooling it at the back of his throat, and spat at the ground before them. It didn't cow them, and the last thing he saw was hoof slamming into his face.
Miles from Canterlot, Princess Celestia marched at the head of her guard. Beside her, the captain of her guard, Gold Hoof, struggled to keep up. A fairly old unicorn, he was a fine leader but even a young pony would have balked at her speed. She had set a harsh pace, but was sadly aware that they wouldn't reach Canterlot before its fate had been decided.
Using the little strength she had remaining, she had teleported a few of her guard, covering the great distance in a blink. She could only hope that it would stave off some of the destruction. There wasn't anything else she could do to help her city directly, but had a twofold purpose as she marched.
The first was strapped to a wagon, the weight of it causing the ponies who were unlucky enough to be pulling it to strain visibly. It was both the reason for their slow progress and her present lack of energy. It was the petrified form of her fallen foe, Discord. A disgusting abomination made up of a random assembly of creatures, he was the reason for the unrest in Equestria. Through coercion and trickery, he had rallied an army with little purpose beyond sowing anarchy and destroying all that her sister and she had worked so hard to create.
He was harmless now, and most of his army had scattered, devolving into the disparate tribes it had been formed from. But if his remains fell into their hands, it might be enough to hold his army together through its death throes, albeit as a symbolic piece. And even Canterlot was not too high price to pay to prevent that. The tools of her victory were with them too, although they would be useless to any but her or Luna.
Her capital aside, her second goal was within her reach. Zebras, from the southern deserts of Equestria, had been razing villages as they pleased. They had roamed unchecked while Discord reigned. Her guard had been too stretched to stop them and Discord had not cared about, or perhaps encouraged, their barbarousness.
The band they were about to fall upon was one of the biggest groups, and had just started to head in the direction of Canterlot. It was a safe assumption that they meant to unite with what was left of Discord's army there, Celestia was eager to stop their rampage and weaken the siege on Canterlot in one swoop.
"Princess?" Gold Hoof said, knocking her out of her dark thoughts. Looking around, she saw some of the scouts were in front of them. They seemed tired, and Celestia could hear them wheezing. She regretted driving them so hard. But the end was upon them, and she hoped they had enough in them for one more attack. She motioned for him to continue.
"They're just up ahead. Once we crest this hill, we'll be upon them," Gold Hoof said. Her scouts had rejoined their brethren, and Celestia could hear them all readying themselves.
"Has my sister reappeared?" she asked. Luna was not with them. She had disappeared after Discord was defeated. An odd occurrence, but Celestia had no time to deal with Luna's squeamishness.
"No, Princess. She has not been seen," he replied. "Shall we attack?" he seemed ready, but Celestia had seen him toss worried glances back at the ponies under his command. It was unfortunate, but time was not on their side. Both finding Luna and proper rest would have to come later.
She nodded, and Gold Hoof barked out an order to move. A few remained, staying back to guard Discord. Once they were upon the hill, she could see them. Sticking close to the borders of the Everfree forest they rushed toward Canterlot. In a prime position to intercept them, her guard had already begun charging down.
Whether it was the clang of their armor as her guard galloped or just bad luck, it didn't take long before they were spotted. With shouts of warning to their fellows, the zebra turned to meet them head-on. Even among Discord's army, they looked out of place. Covered in tribal markings and strange golden adornments, it was easy to distinguish the zebra from any stragglers they had picked up. It saddened her, but Celestia could see some of her own ponies among the mass. It was evident that at least a few were unicorns when her guard started to be harried by magic.
Unmoved from her position atop the hill, with none but Golden Hoof staying with her, Celestia began to involve herself. Although far from her strongest, she was easily able to blanket her forces in a covering of light, watching as the incoming projectiles were simply absorbed by it.
With Celestia's visible support to egg them on, her trained ponies crashed into the zebra. Far less armored, and thus far lighter, some of them were outright crushed upon contact with her guards. Some savagely attacked, falling upon their pursuers with what weapons they had. And some guards were taken down by the, often staying down as their armor was ripped off them. The others tried to help, but by the time they knocked the zebra off, there was nothing left but a bloody mangle upon the ground.
But for the most part, the zebra were losing. Cut down and stamped to lifelessness, the band of marauders quickly dwindled. None ran, although the chance presented itself. But it made little difference as their numbers were quickly cut down. But one small group was holding its own more than others, with more than a few armored corpses around it.
At their head was a unicorn with a black coat, a color Celestia had rarely seen on a common unicorn. He'd managed to hold back her guard, and the last of his group, surprisingly more traitorous ponies than zebra, flocked around him. With black magic emanating from him, any who approached were quickly consumed by a dark cloud. Those who backed away were quickly released, but any who pressed on soon fell, unmoving, to the ground.
Celestia headed toward the unicorn, him and his small group now the only ones putting up meaningful resistance. She stared at him, and fear sparked in his eyes when he saw her approach. Golden light began to form on her horn and she saw him panic. For a moment, all his magic disappeared.
Then, it came again, enveloping the survivors in a dark mist. Before Celestia attacked, it began to move. Like a great cloud except it moved against the wind, rushing away from them at a great speed. Celestia sighed, and her magic dissipated.
"He was a powerful one, probably leading this group," Celestia said. Looking around, she saw Gold Hoof was nearby. "How many escaped?"
"Only those ones, princess. The rest stayed till the end."
"Hopefully stopping this group will make the difference for Canterlot," Celestia said. She saw her ponies could take no more, and even she was in a poor state to do much else. The dead littered the area, and the living were gathering their fallen comrades for burial. Seeing their flagging moral, Celestia gave out an exclamation.
"Discord has been defeated and harmony restored to Equestria. Even with the deaths today we should rejoice for the lives we have saved!" Even as she said this she knew it would do little to ease the pain of those who had suffered during these terrible times. But the greatest threat to ever face Equestria had been defeated and, eventually, they could rebuild.