Praxilus had never wanted to be a soldier. The long days, dangerous work and rigid lifestyle, he'd heard, was the polar opposite of the senate chambers. Within the ancient walls of the governmental rotunda he'd been free to test his mind, not his body, against the others; from new and inexperienced politicians, like himself, to the seasoned veterans and the elderly life-long appointees. Each of them had their own unique way of thinking, their own goals and aspirations to be poked and prodded with a deft hoof. Figure out what made them tick without revealing your own weaknesses -- a task that at times felt seemingly impossible -- and you gained a leg up on the competition. Maneuver your way swiftly and intelligently enough, and even the seat of the chancellery was within reach. "The Greatest Game", as it was known to those who played it, was something that one could spend an entire lifetime perfecting, only to see it all come tumbling down in an instant. That thrill, that danger, was one he had eagerly accepted. It had been a chance to carve his name into the annals of history itself, alongside beloved chancellors like Colis'a'lix the Wizened, Tal'dier of the Midlands, and the great Fenlyys, Chosen of the Ancestors. Every school fawn and warrior buck knew their names, and for a time he had imagined himself joining the ranks of the revered.

The dream was no more. Gone was the quick wit and sharp tongue he had employed against his compatriots, replaced by grueling repetition and a stomach-churning fear of the inevitable that only grew worse with each passing moment. Grunting with exertion, and sweating despite the cold, he lifted another heavy stone ball with the aid of a unicorn who had not bothered to share his name. It bobbed in the air, suspended in twin green and orange auras of magic, then fell heavily into the bucket. A pair of earth ponies yanked on a cord, pulling the taut rope away and letting the arm spring into the air. The catapult bucked on its mounting as the projectile arced up and away, disappearing over the side of the city along with dozens of others. Set, load, release, time and again.

A roar echoed through the valley, tinged with the unmistakable crackle of deer magic. Whatever it was, it had been powerful enough to send an electric shiver down his antlers and through his body. He shuddered to think what surge of ethereal might could cause such a thing. Judging by the unicorns of the catapult teams, to the last wincing in momentary pain, he was not the only one.

The Equestrian officer in charge of his siege weapon, an older stallion he'd come to know as Decimedius through the soldier's brief conversations with junior commanders, galloped to the rim and peered into the valley below. Whatever he'd seen caused him to lift a foreleg in surprise.

"What is happening?" Praxilus asked in heavily accented Equestrian. His grasp of the language had improved considerably thanks to his confinement in Marestopholous, but he still struggled with more uncommon words. Thankfully, Decimedius was a decidedly succinct individual.

"None of your damned business, whitetail," came his reply. Praxilus did not prod further. The stallion's body language said plenty: eyes darting between the valley and the gate, tail flicking up in a common sign of worry, jaw set with uncertainty and determination in equal measure. To Praxilus' trained eye, Decimedius might as well have been wearing a sign announcing his doubts. Something was not going to plan. "Redouble your efforts, all of you! I want to see those ropes charring wood by the time we're done here!"

A signal horn called out, and the ponies all around him went into a frantic, coordinated flurry of motion.

Set, load, release.

"Keep moving! Do not stop for the wounded lest you join them!" Brother-General Corvalix urged his soldiers forward through the crash and shudder of a veritable hail of stone, standing tall despite the danger. Every available magii was focused on keeping a barrier in place between the redtail forces charging up the Coriander Road and the murderous bombardment raining from above, though even the most adept among them could not hope to stop everything. For every missile that shattered against magical resistance another would make it through. The projectiles bounced off rock walls and rolled down the mountain path, and the deer could do nothing but push through it.

Elinwynn was still with them, fully committed to the attack now. Her own magii combined with her somewhat weakened abilities had proven to be enough to keep her from immediate harm, and she wordlessly followed behind her brother who was pouring every ounce of power he had into the shield. Within the span of minutes they had charged half way up the road, passing through and taking temporary shelter in the short tunnel that led to the expansive, winding path to Canterlot. It was a cold, bleak climb, but the sight of the city above drove them onward. Soon they would be within its confines, and there the ponies would have no place to run. Elinwynn intended to find Celestia if it meant tearing the entire place apart, brick by brick.

A crowd of deer recoiled as a volley found its way into their midst, spraying everyone and everything around them with blood and viscera. Those not killed outright were hurriedly thrown over the side to clear the path. Better a quick end for them than to suffer and impede those who followed. Corvalix caught a catapult shot with his magic and flung it back with all of his might. It bounced off the underside of the city and fell uselessly into the valley far below.

"Fael'kiis Equestrii!" he swore in frustration. His only consolation was the sight of the city gates nearing ever closer. He was close enough to make out the shadowed forms of ponies manning the ramparts. They were waiting for him, bolt-throwers at the ready. Fine, then. Let them resist. Once the city was his, he would personally cut down every last Equestrian that had taken up arms against him!

Princess Celestia stepped onto a balcony overlooking the rear quarter of Canterlot, her first breath of fresh air in what she was sure must have been hours. It was cool, and crisp, and it helped clear her mind in its own small way. The sounds of battle were growing ever closer now, with the thump of catapults and the thundering of thousands of deer who were intent on destroying everything she cared for. She had felt the wall of magic that had so devastated the front lines -- felt it intensely, like shards of ice growing along her spine. Elinwynn and her brother were far more powerful than she had thought, even for a race so gifted in the ways of magic as the deer. That moment had been a stark realization: drastic steps needed to be taken, for the strength and skill of the Equestrian military on its own would not be enough, despite the aid of their zebra and loyalist whitetail allies. Even now reports were coming in of the main battle line shattering like marble, unable to withstand the gaping wound that had been torn in their formations. The leaders of the Guard factions were trying their best to regroup and rally the survivors, but it was difficult at best to communicate with them when they were spread amongst the forest and snow-covered hills. No, she could not stand by and hope for it to resolve itself. Not anymore.

Imperator-General Stonewall approached with a solemn look. He carried a stack of parchment at his side, each stamped with a wax seal from his fellow senior officers. "I've spoken to the others. None of them are particularly thrilled at the prospect of it all...but desperate times, and all that. We've got every pegasus we can scrounge up meeting on the castle grounds as we speak. Once you're ready we'll cease use of the catapults. Torches are already being passed out, though we'll have to settle for a few per squad at most."

"Thank you, Stonewall," Celestia said quietly. The sun was still high in the sky, bright and cheerful, as if it were any other day. The clouds set in place earlier had long since parted, leaving a drifting patchwork that provided naught but passing shade. Basking in its reassuring warmth, she wondered if she had it within her. It would be the greatest test of her abilities since the destruction of Secundus so many years ago that had forever locked away a portion of her magic. Would she have anything left after today? Then again...there wouldn't be an 'after today' if she let Canterlot fall.

"If only Luna were still here," she said. Her heart ached for her sister just as it did the day she was banished. She turned to Stonewall, her armor glinting in the light. "I don't know if I'm doing the right thing. If we don't stop the deer soon after then we're going to be putting our own forces at a disadvantage for the rest of the fight."

Stonewall considered his words. "Princess, if the deer break into the city then we're looking at fighting in the cramped confines of the streets, or even room to room. I'd say that's a pretty damned big disadvantage to begin with. This is our best chance to bring this whole battle to an end, but I will not force you to do something if you do not want to."

The Cervidaens had broken into a battle song, still too distant to be understood, but its very presence announced that they were eager and ready in spite of the violence that was being brought down upon them. Elinwynn was clearly not going to back down, no matter the cost. Perhaps, she thought with a profound sadness, the time had come to take the same stance.

"Very well," she said as resolutely as she could manage. "You may give the order, General Stonewall. I shall begin immediately."

Stonewall saluted her smartly. "As you wish, Princess." He paused, then approached and placed a hoof on her side. "None of this will live through this day without our own scars, be they physical or otherwise, but the important thing is that we will live."

She did not answer him as he galloped back to the command room. With a deep breath of mountain air she steadied herself as best she could, calling upon every last bit of her power, gritting her teeth at the jolt that shot through her and wrapped her long horn in layer upon layer of magic.

"No more," she said determinedly.

Higher and higher he climbed, pushing his body harder with each step. The shadowed rim of the city gradually gave way to the rough skyline of silhouetted Equestrian buildings, distant figures flitting from place to place, while the kicking, rocking shapes of siege weapons defiantly thrust into the air like the heads of a hydra before being drawn down again. One last corner, carved into the side of the mountain, was all that stood between Corvalix and his target. The grand final stretch of the Coriander Road, lined with striated grey and white stone, was torn apart in moments as the deer lifted torso-sized tiles from the surface with their magic and held them out in an impromptu and last-ditch attempt to keep any more shots from reaching them. Losses had been high ever since they'd begun their push, especially among the leading whitetail fodder, yet acceptable and expected. Corvalix reassured his bucks that they were close, and encouraged them to charge onward, but it was beginning to reach the point where every loss was being felt.

Then, seemingly all at once, the bombardment stopped. Not a single catapult fired into the massed deer, and for a time there was only the sound of countless hooves pushing forth. Corvalix breathed a sigh of relief and ordered the barrier to be dropped. It would give the magii precious time to recover their strength. He did not know what had caused the ponies to cease their assault, but he was not about to question it. Perhaps their weapons had finally run out of ammunition. He used the break in the action to rally his soldiers for the final push.

"One last trial lies between us and vengeance, my brothers! Crack open the gates and slaughter anyone who resists! For the glory of the Empress!" He waved his sword above him, but as he did so he suddenly became keenly aware of something that was amiss. The shadow of the city seemed to grow, inching its way over the ground and up the cliff face. It was slow, almost imperceptible, and for a moment he thought he was simply imagining things.

The collective confusion of the deer turned to panic as the light of mid-day quickly faded from the sky, rapidly darkening to twilight as the sun straddled the horizon. It plunged from view seconds later, pulling the shroud of night over the land. Corvalix heard the cries of those who had lost their purchase and tumbled over the side, entire squads worth of crystal plate smashing against rock far below, and he yelled for those within range of his voice to slow down and watch their step. Alarmed whispers came from all around him; the sun had vanished, a sure sign of the anger of the ancestors, they said. It was an ill omen, others insisted. No one dared to float a weapon beside them, lest their magic make them targets for the Equestrians that were surely waiting for the first sign of their enemy. The fact that the ponies weren't firing on them was cause for disquiet and trepidation. What were they waiting for?

"Do not fear, soldiers of Ochrourus, for it is naught but Celestia's trickery. Keep your wits about you, and refrain from any magic until I say otherwise," Corvalix said, firmly but quietly. A terrible unease sat in the pit of his stomach. The catapults had been murderous in their effectiveness; ceasing their use and plunging the world into purest shadow served no purpose but to give the deer a reprieve and allow them to move unseen. And unseen they were, for the sudden onset of nightfall had rendered them unable to see more than a few paces in front of them. No fires burned on the Equestrian side, no points of magic glowed from horn tips. "Brother-Sergeant Klithyyl, are you still with us?"

"Yes, sir," a voice answered him.

"Where are our torches? We need them immediately."

"I'm sorry, sir, but we weren't expecting to fight in the dark. They're likely to be further down the path, with the rest of the supply wagons."

Corvalix bristled with annoyance. "Then go back down and get them! And hurry it up!" He heard Klithyyl turn and head back against the mob of soldiers all around him, cursing as he ran into bucks one after another with a clatter of armor and rattling of antlers. "We're going to need them once we get into the city," he said aloud, knowing his sister would still be close behind.

"An amusing parlor trick, nothing more," Elinwynn said, sounding unperturbed by the last few moments. "If this is the best Celestia can do then I doubt we've much to fear. This was her grand plan? To cause us slight inconvenience?" She scoffed in amusement. "How droll. I'd expected at least a beam of scorching light. Perhaps she thinks us likely to stumble into the abyss like so many panicked vermin." A frigid gust blew in from the east, strong enough to cause her to have to lean into it to stay upright. The sudden lack of sunlight had turned the air bitingly cold. Her breath came out in puffs that were quickly blown away by the wind. "We've not much further to go. Be prepared for the ponies to fire upon us once more."

Corvalix turned back to the cadre of officers surrounding him, quickly issuing orders as the deer readied themselves for the penultimate stage of the battle. Before he could finish there was a sound of something passing by just over the road. Many somethings. "Brace!" he yelled, causing the deer to duck down and make themselves as small as they could. He waited for the inevitable crash and thunder, the screams of the dying...yet there were none. The sound intensified overhead, causing confusion but nothing more. It seemed the ponies couldn't hit a damned thing in the dark.

Finding no resistance, he ordered the bucks back up and the steady march to Canterlot continued once more. The gusting winds turned to a steady howl, blowing snow and dirt down from the cliffs above to sting his face. He could just barely make out the shape of the city's entrance ahead, tall arches flanked by ramparts. The flitting sound picked up again, and once more there was no resounding impact of stone on stone. Corvalix found himself bewildered. Perhaps it was the pegasus ponies gathering information on him, or setting up for an attack from above. The flying vermin had been a non-factor for much of the battle; if they were relegated to flailing sneak attacks under cover of night then they were hardly worth considering at all. Let them claim a few bucks, should they so choose. Victory was in sight and growing ever closer. He kept the gates squarely in view, focusing on them like a hunting timberwolf as the wind continued to pick up. He did not mind it. The ponies wouldn't be able to use their ranged weapons in such weather, not with any real efficiency.

"We're almost there, prepare to wield your magic on my order," he said. The message was passed down the line, with each sub-commander having to practically strain himself to be heard over the gale. Those atrocious gates were nearly within range of an arrow's flight, but billowing grit caused it to flicker from view. It grew difficult to see in short order, nearly disappearing entirely. The surrounding area became illuminated for the blink of an eye, taking him and the others by surprise. The bright flash hurt his eyes and made him turn away for a short time. Had that been lightning?

"Above!" someone shouted, pointing to the sky. Fleeting, darting figures skimmed along the craggy mountainside and shot by just out of weapon range.

"Stay yourselves," Corvalix said, but the murmur of doubt had started to spread. There were pegasi everywhere. Hundreds of them, cloaks noisily flapping in the air like waving banners, and more were coming every second.

"It could be a distraction," Elinwynn offered, nearly at a yell, turning her head against the wind. "Don't let them take us for fools! They know what happens if they attempt to send the winged ponies against us! We'll respond if necessary, but getting inside the city is all that matters!"

A distant roar caught Corvalix's ear, like rumbling thunder, but it did not fade. Instead it grew, slowly but steadily, and with it came a terrible wind that he was barely able to stay upright against. He tried to get his second in command's attention to no avail, for the other was fully preoccupied with attempting to secure a stack of spears slung across his back. Another flash, closer than the first, silhouetting a dark form he could not make heads nor tails of. It was followed by another, then several more in rapid succession, and in that moment he felt his heart jump into his throat.

Out of the night came a towering whirlwind, like a living thing made of churning black clouds. It crawled over the mountain slope not five hundred paces ahead, gradually descending towards the road, sucking up and spitting out boulders as if they were mere acorns being cast aside by a petulant fawn. The front of the deer column was beginning to break as the foremost of their number were pulled into the vortex with screams that were lost to the howling wind. Surprise turned to fear as panicked soldiers tried to run back down the path, only to run into those behind. They shoved one another out of the way in desperation, a full-scale retreat now taking place among the whitetail lead and much of the redtail close enough to be caught in the mob. Any loss of a hoof hold quickly resulted in being hurled over the side, be it by the storm or by one's own compatriots. The entire attack was crumbling before Corvalix's very eyes. Smaller, lighter figures were briefly visible at the tornado's edge, winged shadows that were moving at impossible speed.

"No! We have come too far!" Elinwynn stomped her forelegs in anger, hard enough to lock her knee-blades into place. She turned to the magii that surrounded her, half a dozen in total, and grabbed the nearest one by her antlers. "Put an end to this nonsense, and do it now! I will not let the thrice-damned Equestrians deny me my victory!"

"I-I don't know if we can, my Empress!" the doe said apologetically. She glanced at the whirlwind that was coming ever closer, her eyes wide with fear. An entire squad of conscripts was lifted into the air and disappeared into the darkness. "We've never seen--"

"I don't want excuses, I want compliance!" She shoved the doe back and pointed to an officer that was awaiting her command. He was outwardly calm, but his eyes betrayed his true thoughts. "Form a line along the road! Not one step back, Brother-Captain! Anyone who attempts to retreat is a coward and a traitor, and is to be executed on the spot!"

As the soldier carried out her will she flashed her barrier spell into being. It was quickly reinforced by the magii, and though it did little to stop the wind it was at least sufficient to keep her safe from the debris that was swirling around with increasing intensity. Rocks, discarded weapons and other detritus skipped off the shield with bright flashes of magic. No catapult could possibly hope to hit her in this wind. Many others seemed to agree as crackling domes sparked to life all along the line. Several of them were snuffed just as quickly as the wind took hold of more and more soldiers and tore them away. Any semblance of an organized retreat was soon gone, with a crushing wave of bodies now pouring down the path. An entire formation of Exemplars held steady, pushing back and ignoring the cries of those who sought refuge. Weapons lifted from scabbards and were thrust into the masses to little effect.

"Elinwynn, this is madness! We must fall back! We can regroup in the valley!" Corvalix pleaded. Arrows and spears were being hurled at the storm in desperation. An occasional pegasus could be seen plummeting away, shot out from the funnel like a falling star with a short-lived trail of muted color following in its wake. It did little to slow the inexorable advance of Equestria's greatest defense. "Listen to me! We can't stay here!"

She whipped around and shoved a hoof against his chest plate, her face mere inches from his. A ferocity burned within her eyes unlike any he had ever seen, like a rabid animal thrashing at the end of its chain. "I am not abandoning this position! This is the only chance we will ever have at defeating that fucking self-righteous whore spawn, and no one, not even you, will deny me what is rightfully mine!"

She spun back around and yanked open a satchel that hung at the closest magii's side. Bandages and healing potions poured out and were lost in the wind. "Empress?" the confused doe asked, not daring to move. Elinwynn did not answer her. Instead she produced a single glass vial, holding it before her in a cloud of magic. The potion within swirled and sparkled with pink and purple hues, vibrantly bright against the unnatural darkness of premature night. She stared at it, stared into it, for several pounding beats of her heart. The cork stopper was yanked from the top, and before anyone knew what was happening she pressed the glass to her lips and drank the concoction down in long gulps. The doe panicked, trying to pull the potion away despite the consequences. "Empress, no! You mustn't!" She succeeded only in drawing away the empty vial, a terrified expression plain for all to see.

Corvalix felt a chill come over him, worse than any wind or blowing snow. He grabbed his sister by the shoulders and lifted her off her forelegs in sudden panic. "What have you done?!"

The fire in her glare had not lessened. With abject horror he saw the black tendrils of dark magic seep into the whites of her eyes, turning her vibrant emerald irises a ruddy greenish brown like a dying forest. "I have done what you will not: whatever it takes."

With a passing thought she shoved him back, sending him roughly into a large boulder. He struggled to stand again, unable to find purchase against the wind of the encroaching storm. Ignoring him, Elinwynn found the object of her desire in the distance, nearly half way back down the road, in the form of an entire supply wagon loaded with emerald flame and explosive pots. Two bucks were hitched to it, each attempting to keep themselves upright and holding a tightly wrapped tarp in place over the precious cargo. Magic winked in and out of existence as they split their concentration.

Elinwynn levitated them and the cart with a shout of frustration, ignoring their attempts to detach themselves from the harnesses, and dragged them through the air. She struggled with the immense rush of power that now coursed through her veins, her magic whipping furiously with ethereal bolts of energy that caused the cart to tumble and dip, a corner of the tarp splitting open and dumping several earthenware containers onto unfortunate deer below. Plumes of bright green fire burst forth and were fanned by the fierce winds while those in the cart's path tried to dart out of the way. Still focused entirely on her spell, Elinwynn shook off Corvalix's concerned demands that she cease whatever it was she was planning. Soon he would see why she was the only one fit to rule Cervidae, for it was her will that moved nations! If she could not dispel the storm with magic, then she would cut it off at its source!

It did not take much longer for Corvalix to catch on to what she was doing. He pushed his way past her while the cart floated further away, grabbing the attention of the senior Exemplar who was trying to hold back a mob of Cervidaen regulars. "Let these bucks through, Brother-Colonel!"

"I'm sorry sir," the middle-aged stag replied, "but Empress Elinwynn has ordered--"

"I know what she ordered, and I'm countermanding it! If you or your soldiers slay one more buck then I will personally see to it that your command is a short one! Do you understand?" He pointed his sword at the whirlwind that was growing yet closer. "Either you move, or we lose this fight!"

A brief internal struggle played out in the officer's eyes before he relented. "As you wish, sir." He yelled to the line of elites staggered to his right. "Break formation! We are to regroup further down the road!" The tide of bodies broke through immediately in a full-scale retreat. It was not a second too soon.

The cart full of Cervidae's most fearsome weapon disappeared into the swirling clouds, instantly shattering the pots and disgorging their incendiary contents with a flash of heat and a roaring explosion that bulged from the funnel before being pulled back in. A shock wave blasted by and green flames lit the night, rapidly growing from the storm's center until the entire thing was naught but a pillar of fire. In the blink of an eye the storm expanded nearly twice over. The unfortunate bucks at the front of the column were overtaken, swallowed wholly and lost to the hellish thing it had become. It slowed to a near stop, spitting bright embers from all directions.

No, not embers, Corvalix realized, pegasi.

There were so many of them, as if someone had knocked over a bee hive. They shot away from the inferno, trailing smoke and otherworldly fire from their bodies. Some managed to stop themselves from burning, yet many more twisted and screamed as they were consumed from muzzle to tail, coated entirely in the thick mixture that made the weapon so effective and hard to extinguish. They fell from the sky like shooting stars. Some tumbled to the ground and lay still. Others disappeared over the side of the cliff, lighting the rough stone face all the way to the ground.

Corvalix looked in horror to his sister. She stood unmoving, staring at the scene before her in a way that chilled him to the core. She did not express concern, anger or sadness. No words of triumph, no grand declarations. Instead she simply watched, her face a mask of uncaring determination. Her antlers glowed brightly, joined soon after by the magii around her, and together they created a wall of magic that shoved the fiery cyclone back up the path. Without any pegasi to strengthen it the storm began to lose its ferocity, but it did not have to last long. It swept over the ground, leaving burning swirls in its wake, and engulfed Canterlot's gate.

"Advance," Elinwynn said, turning her head to face Corvalix with the same horrible emptiness. "Now."