"Just look at it, Krosus. This is what Equestria has become. What a fucking mess."

From their place on a balcony overlooking Canterlot, Stonewall and Tercio watched the seemingly unending stream of refugees from the north continue to pour into the city. They lined the cobblestone paths from the entrance gates all the way down to the base of the mountain and into the valley below, where the combined forces of the 1st, 2nd and 4th Equestrian Armies were filling every available clearing with tents and military supplies.

The numbers of civilians in need of assistance was so great that nearly the entirety of the Royal Guard had been tasked with sorting through them. Names and addresses were jotted down into thick ledgers by no less than thirty scribes who waited at long tables just inside the entrance, with each family or individual assigned to their new, temporary homes elsewhere in Equestria. Those unable to travel further due to sickness or disability were permitted to stay in Canterlot, at least for the time being. Various homes and businesses had volunteered to take in those in need, with an incentive of coin reimbursement being provided by royal mandate.

For the majority of northern Equestria's citizens, Canterlot would not be their last stop. Their sheer weight of number made such a thing impossible, which meant that the southern towns and villages would have to pick up their share of the burden. That, in turn, meant reshuffling trade and supply lines, sending pegasus scouts and representatives to find places to house everyone, turning up medicinal potion production to unprecedented levels -- nevermind reaching deep into Equestria's coffers to find the funding for it all.

To make matters worse, the sudden removal of thousands of ponies from Marestopholous and the surrounding area had resulted in flaring tempers and stubborn refusals to leave. Numerous fights had broken out since the evacuation order, some of them involving weapons, which meant that even more of Equestria's already strained military had to be devoted to peacekeeping. Combined with the conscription of all able-bodied stallions just days prior, some ponies just couldn't handle it anymore and had fallen into deep depression or outright suicide.

Even if Elinwynn didn't order her armies to push into Canterlot, there was a very real possibility that Equestria could tear itself apart from the inside.

"These poor bastards have been cold, tired and hungry for days on end, and now they're starting to realize that they're only halfway done with it. Never thought I'd see the day when we were in a full-scale retreat. After the thrashing we gave the whitetail I thought it was only a matter of time until they surrendered," Stonewall said.

He took a drink from the leather flask at his side, then passed it to Tercio. The alcohol warmed their insides and provided a much-needed bit of relief from the constant stress they'd found themselves under since things had started to go poorly for the war effort. With tensions at an all-time high Celestia had been assigned four personal guards at all times, double what it used to be. More shifts, longer shifts, and constantly being on guard had left everyone feeling exhausted and frustrated.

"Wishful thinking in hindsight, eh Krosus?"

Tercio shrugged. "It seemed logical at the time. Who could have predicted Elinwynn would be behind all of it from the very start? Played us for fools to the very last."

"She'll get what's coming to her, gods willing." Stonewall looked around to make sure they were alone, then said, "I want you to be honest with me: how is Celestia holding up? She puts on a brave face for us, but you're in a rather unique position to see her with her guard down."

"I'm not sure what there is to tell. She worries herself nearly to the point of sickness, and she's barely slept in at least a week. Just yesterday she refused to eat, saying that she couldn't partake in such extravagance while so many ponies went hungry. I'm afraid there won't be anything left of her, mentally or physically, by the time the redtail arrive."

Stonewall let out a long breath. "I was hoping for some better news."

"Aren't we all?" Tercio said, taking another swig and letting it burn down his throat. "What of our defense of Canterlot? Has there been anything set in motion?"

"We've got a plan coming together, but nothing set in stone as of yet. In theory we've got a very defensible position here." Stonewall stuck out a hoof, pointing to the valley entrance far below Canterlot that was straddled by mountain peaks. This was the only major road to or from the area, used by traders and travelers alike. It split into several smaller paths through the patchwork of clearings and copses of trees, passing through the shadow of the city, before reforming into a forked road that would lead further south.

"The mouth of the valley is the logical defensive point, so we'll mass our forces to cover it. Cervidae's numbers won't count for quite so much if they're funneled into a kill zone. If we can hold there, then all the better. If not, there's a second point we'll regroup at.

"The deer can't fly so we don't have to worry about aerial assaults, thank the stars, which means that they'll have to take the Coriander Road if they hope to reach the city." He swept along the winding path from the valley up to the base of Canterlot Peak, where a smoothed stone path snaked along the cliff faces and disappeared into several short tunnels. "Most of it is exposed from the side, so if we set up catapults and archers facing toward it we should be able to inflict significant losses on the pronged bastards while they're unable to return the favor. We might even be able to stop them there."

"And if we don't?"

"That's the part we're still working out," he grumbled. "Canterlot's gate isn't made to resist siege weapons for any extended period of time, and the streets are laid out for convenience and attractiveness rather than defense. If they deer break through we're going to be in a whole world of shit. Doubly so for the civilians. There are tunnels that lead to shelters within the mountain, so we can move them if we need to -- and we'll probably have to do just that -- but I still don't like it. Canterlot may have less population than Marestopholous but we're still talking about stuffing several thousand ponies into glorified caves. They'll have a few days worth of supplies at best."

"I don't suppose anyone has told the good people of Canterlot that they're next on the evacuation list..."

"With the state this place is already in? Shit, you can imagine the chaos. We need things to calm down for a while before we even think of letting them know. I'm supposed to meet up with Thistle Thrush and Calonius later; I imagine we'll discuss it in greater detail then." A flight of pegasi passed overhead, their golden Royal Guard armor glinting in the scattered sunlight. The patrols around the greater Canterlot area had been nonstop for days on end. "Before you go, Krosus, there's something I wanted to ask you. It involves a somewhat drastic change of position."

"Of course, sir," Tercio said, wondering what it could be.

"You know me -- I don't particularly care for beating around the bush, so I'll get right to the point. Celestia has asked me to assume the role of Acting General of the Praetorian Guard for the coming battle, and it's an offer I don't take lightly."

It was surprising news to be sure. Typically the Praetorian Guard lacked a general, instead leaving the sub-divisions to cooperate as smaller, separate units under the banner of the 105th. For such a small, tightly knit group it served its function well enough.

"I imagine you don't, sir. There hasn't been a Praetorian general for, what...at least two hundred years?"

"Something like that," Stonewall said with a shrug. "It was a toss-up between myself and Imperator Iron Hide, and honestly I would have preferred if the princess had chosen him instead, but that's not my decision. Celestia thinks I can lead us against the redtail, should they manage to get that close, so I'll just have to trust her judgment and try not to screw things up."

"Well for what it's worth, sir, I think you'd make a fine general, and I know the others would say the same."

"Hmm. Maybe. I guess we'll find out, won't we?"

"Suppose we will," Tercio said. "Looks like I have more reason than ever to call you 'sir', eh?"

Stonewall snorted. "One day we'll break you of that habit, Krosus."

"So you say." Tercio raised the flask and tipped it in Stonewall's direction. "To your promotion, General." Stonewall grabbed it and took a drink of his own.

"Thanks. Just don't congratulate me yet, it's gonna be a real pain in the ass to organize everyone so quickly without half of you falling on your own blades in the process.

"Obviously this leaves a gap in the command structure, so until this war is over I'm going to be assigning Polaris to the position of Acting Imperator. He'll be your new go-to if you need anything."

Tercio couldn't help but feel just a little disappointed. "As you say, sir. Polaris is a good soldier."

"He is, but believe me when I say that it was not an easy decision choosing him over you. You're a capable soldier in your own right, and since you've taken on Imperator training you've proven to be exceptionally gifted in training the new recruits, but I'm not convinced you're real leadership material just yet. Ultimately Polaris has more experience being in command, so I chose him. Like I said, it's only temporary. You're still an Imperator-in-Training as far as formality goes, you'll just be under Polaris' command. I expect you to finish pushing those fledgling Praetorians through their training, and don't think they'll be held to any lower standard just because we're in a rush."

"They'll be ready, sir."

Stonewall slapped him on the back. "That's what I like to hear. I know you and Polaris have had your issues, but he's a good stallion and he trusts you implicitly. Help each other out, and when we've swept the deer back to Cervidae we'll all gather 'round to get piss drunk together." A chorus of horns announced the arrival of the senior command cadre at the castle's main entrance. Stonewall took a moment to look himself over, then placed his helm upon his head. "Here we go. Form up with the others and be ready -- and try not to trip over yourself when Phalanx arrives."

It was a cold morning in Evinwiir, cold enough to cover the battle-scarred city in a gossamer shroud of delicate ice crystals. The wind had died down for the first time in days, leaving the air silent and still, broken only by the occasional chirp of winter birds or the distant voices of whitetail going about their business. Already the expansive capital was being prepared for the arrival of the first redtail settlers in generations, an event that was sure to bring much fanfare. Distantly related families would finally be reunited, old wounds would begin to mend, and the deer would be one people again...under the banner of Cervidae, of course.

Empress Elinwynn smiled to herself. What had once seemed like such an impossible dream had finally come to fruition. What she wouldn't have given to see the look on her mother's face when the deer reclaimed their rightful place in the world. That genuine, warm glow of a job well done. Her mother had been a strict doe, certainly, but under the harsh facade there was a thorough appreciation for striving to better oneself and the redtail as a whole.

"One day, my little Empress," she would say over her favorite breakfast of oat porridge and wild berries, "one day you will have to carry the burden of deerkind upon your shoulders, and when you do, you must always remember that history will only judge you if you fail. Seek every advantage, no matter how petty it may seem to others, and when the time comes to be decisive you will do so without fear. Common folk, royalty, even entire nations -- all can be played to your whims."

How right she had been. With the support of her dear brother, Elinwynn had seen Cervidae cleansed of opposition to her word, down the very halls of her keep.

Now with Whitetail subservient to Cervidae in all but official order, and the traitors and dissenters dealt with in a fitting manner, she was free to focus entirely on Equestria and its pompous, self-important "princess". Behind Celestia's regal visage, she knew, lurked a long history of inaction and blatant favoritism toward the inferior whitetail and their false, now defunct government. Whitetail had been an ally of convenience for generations, too caught up in own its continuing struggle with Cervidae to notice or care that Equestrian settlers had slowly pushed north into territory that used to belong to the deer. History ledgers had noted that tensions between Whitetail and Equestria were tense for several decades after, but then fell off to practically nothing. That was the truly insidious thing about Celestia: she could simply wait out any political strife, and as old leaders died and new ones assumed control their grudges would fade into obscurity. Celestia could afford to play the long game, maneuvering on time scales that would have seemed impossible to others.

She was a disease upon the world, a black rot that that would continue to consume and destroy unabated, slowly but surely, until nothing remained of the once proud deer but poverty and civil strife. That would all change very soon.

"Empress, your carriage escort is ready. We may depart at your earliest convenience." A young doe bowed as she spoke, holding a foreleg out in a placating gesture.

"Thank you, Felawil," Elinwynn said, looking into a tall mirror one final time to make sure everything was in place. Her sapphire plate quinndryll covered her from muzzle to short tail, each segment intricately detailed with gold and silver etchings against the dark blue background. It was immaculately fitted, thick enough to stop the sharpest of blades but light enough to have no ill effect on her considerable magical talents. On each shoulder pauldron the crest of Cervidae glowed with a blue-green aura, and a shimmering cloak of golden thread hung loosely from her neck guard down to her knees, secured by a silver clasp.

She considered the sheath at her side that contained her family's heirloom blade, as fine a design as had ever been created. It had been a symbol of power for hundreds of years, yet had never tasted the iron tang of blood. How fitting, then, that its first victim might very well be a self-styled goddess.

Perhaps instead she could force Celestia to surrender. A humiliating defeat followed by servitude to the Cervidaen Hegemony...that was a fate far more fitting for one who had sat by and watched as thousands suffered under her careless rule.

"Brother-General Corvalix is reportedly on a steady march to Canterlot, Empress," Felawil continued. "If we make haste we should arrive just before he is within striking distance. If you have any final requests before the journey then I shall see to it that they are fulfilled."

Elinwynn tapped a hoof as she thought. "Just one. Tell the good Chancellor Vinawyll that I am holding him personally responsible for what happens in Whitetail while I am away, and that includes the actions of the senate. That should keep him in line."

"As you wish, Empress. I will relay the message as soon as you are comfortable and on your way."

Minutes later, as the royal caravan departed Evinwiir, she gave a final look to the nation that was now properly within Cervidae's control. Deerkind would remember her for ages to come, and she couldn't have been prouder of her accomplishments.

Elinwynn the Liberator.

Perhaps the ponies would come to know her as Elinwynn the Conqueror instead.

That, too, suited her just fine.