Caethil moved with absolute determination. As his frantic steps echoed off the cold stone he wondered if he was too late. The castle could have already fallen, surrounded by the bodies of countless stallions and bucks, a victorious pair of siblings standing over the ashes of what used to be Equestria. He pushed the thought away. If he was to be one more thrown onto the pile, then so be it. The others may have been content to sit in the armory and wait for the deer to roll over them, but he was not. He'd hesitated once before, and it had cost him dearly. No more.

Behind him, keeping pace with ease, a contingent of fifty-three Whitetail Loyalists scanned the roof tops and alcoves for any sign of deer presence. Caethil considered it a small miracle that so many were still willing to follow him after the rumors of what had happened to the soldiers under his command once Corvalix had found them. His name had been dragged through the mud, publicly scorned as a traitor and a coward by the puppet Chancellor and his so-called Whitetail government, used by the senior-most officers of the Capital Guard as an example of what could happen if one did not believe in the nebulous 'cause' of deerkind. In truth he did not care what happened to any who would follow such cowards. Let them be cast into the deepest, coldest depths of the beyond! He thought only of watching Corvalix beg for his life. If others were willing to take up arms for his cause then he would welcome them as brothers.

"Brother-Sergeant Pinnidaal, take point! Find us somewhere to make ourselves useful!" Caethil ordered. A small hill rose above the expansive, palace-like mansions of the financial district, topped with a gazebo of painted oak and thin curtains. A low fence surrounded it on two sides, its gate left swinging in the chill wind. Perhaps it used to be someone's private escape, a slice of serenity in lot after lot of marble statues and opulent gardens. It would serve their purposes now.
He held out his hoof, giving his soldiers a moment to rest as Pinnidaal surveyed the area. The premature onset of night should have made his task difficult, but something brilliant was shining in the distance. There could be no doubt as to where the battle's front lines were.

"Looks like it's a relatively focused fight," Pinnidaal said. "We're still too far to see in any real detail, but I believe the zebras are making up the bulk of the western defenses. The ponies must be situated around the castle itself. Some sort of barrier spell out there too, looks like pony magic."

"And the redtail?" Caethil asked.

"Like ants on a sweet roll. Damned lot of them swarming in from all sides. Climbing the walls, even." Pinnidaal jumped back down. "Up to you where we go, Brother-Captain."

Caethil considered his options. Part of him wanted to find the quickest route to the back lines and make an attempt on the lives of Corvalix and his murderous sister, but they would no-doubt be under heavy guard. Force of will alone wouldn't help his small band smash through Exemplars and Imperial Protectorate magii, nevermind confronting the ruling siblings themselves.

"We'll support the zebras for now. If we can help them roll up the western flank then we may have a clear shot at disrupting the bulk of the redtail formation in the center. But wait for my signal before making yourselves known; we will hopefully be attacking from an ambush position, and I intend to make the most of it. Understood?"

The others nodded, triangular neck banners flapping behind them.

"Then let us be off. Keep your wits about you, and call out any officers you see. Perhaps we can strike the redtail a wounding blow or two. Sana'liisi Whyytalia!"

"Whyytalia hwah!"

"--up right this instant, Krosus! Get up!"

Tercio groggily came to, his vision swimming and his ears ringing incessantly. He was lying on his side, arm over his head, covered in debris. Blood trickled down the side of his face and dripped onto his chest plate and pauldron. As his sight focused on the flickering torch light he realized that the entire foyer was filled with grey dust that whipped around with the suddenly frigid air. Chunks of stone, shards of colored glass and discarded weapons littered the room, while the silhouettes of several ponies lie still on the ground with twisted limbs and crushed bones.

"What happened? Where...where is..." His eyes fluttered as he struggled to stay awake. Stonewall stomped a hoof and shook him roughly.

"Don't you fucking pass out on me again, Praetorian! You do not have my permission to die yet, do you hear me?"

Tercio managed a weak reply and tried to push himself up, but Stonewall was already dragging him to the nearest column. He found himself propped up in a sitting position seconds later. A pleading wail came from somewhere further into the room.

"Just...stay here until you're not on death's door, Krosus." With that, Stonewall galloped away. A sudden coughing fit managed to bring Tercio back from the brink of unconsciousness, but in doing so made him acutely aware of the coarse, foul taste on his tongue. He reached for his flask and soon spat out a mouthful of water and dust, then gulped down the rest until he was sated. The memory of what had happened came back in bits and pieces; the cries of the wounded as he was dragging a pair of earth ponies inside, then a shouted warning from a pegasus look-out above them. There had been a loud crash, followed by numerous others before anyone knew what was going on. Something had flown at him hard and fast enough to send him sprawling to the floor. He reached up and felt the dent in his helm, still littered with flecks of debris. He'd been lucky, and exceptionally so. The pools of blood seeping out from under the chunks of black, jagged rock to either side of him marked the ends of those who had simply been standing in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The deer must have finally brought up their strongest siege weapons. Everyone knew it would happen eventually, and pegasus strike teams had done their best to keep the crews preoccupied, but it seemed they could not stop the bombardment indefinitely. The gaping holes in the castle entrance's nearest wall spoke to the sheer destructive power of the redtail weapons.

"Come on, push!" Strained voices sounded from behind him. Tercio forced himself up to one knee, only now realizing that his lower legs were slick with small streams of blood. His skin had been punctured or gashed in several places, and he quickly looked himself over; thankfully none were life threatening. He pulled stone splinters out with a curse and tossed them aside, then stood up on unsteady legs. A bright point of light bounced and moved ahead, and as he hobbled closer he saw the unicorn responsible. It was a welcome bit of fortune.

"Polaris!" Tercio called out. Now he could see several others standing together, pushing against a boulder so large that it took him by surprise. It must have easily been twice his size. Just how powerful were the redtail weapons to toss such a thing?

Polaris turned at the sound of his name, giving a visible sigh of relief as he saw Tercio approaching. "Thank the gods, I'd feared we'd lost you as well. Hurry, we could use your aid."

Tercio wasted no time in doing as he was asked. He found a spot in the middle of the group and pushed on a three-count. Rimeberry, Aspen Tenor, Portly and Thunderburst shoved as hard as they could to either side of him, while Polaris used every bit of his magical ability to try and heft the stone even a little. It budged ever so slightly under their combined effort and scraped along the tile for a few inches before they had to rest.

"Damn thing landed right in the middle of us," Rimeberry said between heavy breaths. "Saw Bear and Diomodes get out of the way, back into the hallway area, but the brothers are trapped on the other side of this thing with the princess. Haven't heard from them yet."

The deer weren't waiting for them to recover. The sounds of battle were far closer now, and Tercio saw several of the Lunar Praetorians take off at high speed with swords clutched in their mouths and wing blades at the ready. If they'd gotten involved, then there was likely only a single line of defense left. The bulk of the Praetorian Guard was beginning to form a defensive shield wall at every point of entrance, pila tucked against their sides as supervising officers ordered them where they were needed.

"We can't stay here any longer," Polaris said. "We need to get the princess out of here and back to the armory as soon as possible. We don't know how long it will take for the deer to load another volley."

"Agreed," Tercio said.

"We have to get this damned thing moved first," Thunderburst added. "So push!"

Once more the stone trembled and dragged just a bit, this time far enough to open a small gap between it and the store room beyond where the wounded had been under Celestia's care before the bombardment had started.

"Princess! Princess Celestia, are you there?!" Polaris called out. The moans of gravely injured soldiers answered him, and he felt his heart jump into his throat in a moment of panic. "Princess!"

A brilliant light flashed into being, then subsided to a yellow glow, casting moving shadows across what little of the room he could see. "Polaris? I'm fine, but Marrus and Remedius are hurt!" The light grew closer, until Celestia was partially visible. "What happened? Is everyone okay?" she asked with concern heavy on every word. Small splotches of blood marred her breast collar, and her flowing mane was speckled with dust and pieces of rock.

"Most of us," Tercio answered. "Bear and Diomodes haven't shown up yet, but Polaris thinks they managed to avoid the assault. Stonewall is busy with the other Praetorian units. They weren't so fortunate." He felt a sudden jolt of sorrow as he imagined the missile landing slightly to any other direction. It could have taken him in an instant, or worse yet taken her. He swallowed it down and stuck his hand through the gap, managing to get it nearly to his elbow. "I'm glad you're alright." He felt her armored foreleg clasp it against her chest. The world seemed to stop, if only for a heartbeat, before he had to return to bracing himself for another shove.

"We need to get these wounded out of here, and quickly," Celestia said. "Some may still make it if we hurry."

"What of Marrus and Remedius?" Aspen Tenor asked.

"Conscious but unable to move on their own. I think Marrus has some broken ribs, possibly a broken wing as well. Remedius took a sliver of stone to the knee of his right hind leg and his face is peppered with cuts. He's been trying to bandage his brother up since the impact. Please, you have to help them."

Agonizing minutes passed as they struggled to unblock the store room. Another round of relieved, exhausted cheers went up as Bear and Diomodes returned looking no worse off; they'd been cut off from the hallway, they explained, by an overturned brazier that had threatened to set fire to a side room. They joined the others in their efforts, and soon there was enough space to allow the wounded brothers to be brought to a waiting apothecary.

Celestia spoke with Remedius for a short time, then briefly lifted herself above the chaos to survey the destruction that had been visited upon her family's centuries-old home. An entire section of the front wall was gone, along with the circular stained glass window that had been an iconic part of Canterlot Castle's visage for just as long. Where once there was beauty, now only a rough hole marred by blood met the gaze of any who looked upon it. In truth the princess did not mourn the damage, for walls and windows could always be rebuilt, but the lives of those who--

"Get down!" a pegasus guard shouted, hurling himself into the path of a veritable cloud of arrows and darts that sprang up from the darkness beyond the front lines. He slammed into Celestia's armored waist hard enough to send her crashing to the ground with a surprised shout. At nearly the same time a barrier snapped into place over the hole in the wall and caught countless missiles, but the sheer volume of fire meant that not all were stopped. Those that managed to pass through slammed down on the tile like hail stones, skittering and bouncing at all angles while the Praetorians threw themselves out of harm's way.

Once the all clear had been given Celestia untangled herself from the stallions she'd crashed into, finding an impromptu wall of shields separating her from where the rain of arrows had landed. The throbbing pain along her sides was the least of her concerns, and she quickly set about making sure no one else had been hurt. She silently cursed herself; what a stupid idea, silhouetting herself for the deer to make an attempt on her life! Fate had been merciful, it seemed, for there did not seem to be anyone lying still with arrow hafts sticking out from their bodies, and for that she was infinitely thankful.

"Sincerest apologies, Princess, but I did not see an alternative. I did not harm you, did I?" The Praetorian responsible for saving her bowed deeply before her. Gouges in his armor showed where he'd narrowly escaped an early demise.

"I am fine, I assure you," Celestia answered sincerely. "I am the one who should apologize, Centurion. I was reckless in my actions." She bowed in turn with a hoof over her chest. "Thank you. Now go, your stallions need you, my friend."

The Praetorian saluted smartly and returned to his unit just as Stonewall came trotting over. He grumbled something under his breath about the mess the foyer had become and took his place at Celestia's side. "Princess, with all due respect, perhaps you--"

"I know, Stonewall," she stopped him with a tone that was harsher than she'd intended. "I am well aware of what a foolish move that was on my part. I was not thinking clearly."

The old stallion cocked an eyebrow. "I...wasn't going to put it that way, but so long as we're on the same page I'll hold my tongue." He kicked the broken shaft of an arrow out of his path, its crystalline head scraping along the ground before coming to a rest near a support column. "I think now would be a good time to reconsider staying here. Covering two entrances is a difficult prospect at the best of times, but with the entire front wall practically torn asunder this position has become untenable. The redtail clearly have control of the area around the castle, and the longer we stay here the more likely this place is to come down on top of us."

The roar of combat made it difficult to argue. Loathe as she was to abandon her position, Celestia knew that she'd pushed her luck to its breaking point already. Staying any longer would only lead to more death, and possibly her own capture.

"Unfortunately I can see no other option," she said. "Order the Praetorian Guard to push out until we've cleared the length of the castle. We'll need time to get the redtail off our scent. Polaris, make sure Marrus and Remedius are in apothecary care before we leave, and tell the medicae officers to bring the wounded to the armory as soon as they can. The rest of you are to stick close to me."

"Yes, Princess," they said together.

"Thank you. Stonewall, do you have anything further to add before our departure?"

"Not at the moment. We'll keep an eye out and--"

"General Stonewall, sir!" an officer from another unit came galloping over and skidding to a halt.

"What is it, Prandius?" Stonewall asked impatiently.

"It's the redtail, sir. They've ceased their advance and are flying a flag of parley."

Stonewall looked to the princess disbelievingly. "Apologies, Princess. I'll be just a moment." He could hardly believe what he'd heard, and soon he'd pushed past the soldier to get a view from the side entrance. "That can't be, why would they possibly give up their momentum?"

"I couldn't begin to say, sir," Prandius said as he followed Stonewall. "They've erected a magical barrier and are formed up behind a rough shield wall."

Stonewall took a cautious couple of steps through the gap in the wall, emerging onto the grass where several Lunar Praetorians took up positions around him. They were bloodied to the last, but showed no signs of exhaustion. Beyond the spiked barricades and arrow-riddled scorpio towers there was indeed a long line of deer who were standing in place in a rough approximation of a testudo formation. Missiles continued to rain down on them from afar, and though the occasional deer fell they made no attempt to retaliate or retreat. A semi-circle of dead ponies and scattered zebras marked where several squads had attempted to push forward but had faced overwhelming odds.

A large white and blue flag fluttered above the middle of the deer army and gently bobbed in place, suspended in a magical field. What were the deer up to? Stonewall intended to find out. It was only a short trot to the commander's post, but the field was so filled with detritus that it was difficult to simply move from place to place.

A senior officer from the Royal Guard was speaking with a subordinate as he approached. Neither of them had been immune to the melee that had claimed so many, and both had bandages soaked in healing potions wrapped around their forelegs. The younger of the two was the first to notice Stonewall, and salutes were rendered his way in short order before the subordinate galloped away yelling for the archers and scorpio teams to cease fire.

"Talk to me, Sanguine Citrus," Stonewall said. The command post was little more than a lean-to set up against the far side of a wooden barricade, reinforced with spare infantry shields lashed to the posts with rope. Discarded bandages littered the ground and a trio of melting candles on a small table provided the only immediate light.

Sanguine Citrus, one of the Royal Guard's most experienced soldiers, gave an upturned hoof shrug. "Either I've lost my mind or the deer have finally backed off. Difficult to see a thing in this premature night. Damned if I know what they're up to, sir." The airy, refined tincture in his voice spoke to a wealthy upbringing.

"Bring me up to speed; anything strange happen before or during the retreat?" Stonewall asked.

"We were bracing for another push. The redtail had just landed their first and so far only volley of siege stone, which caused quite the mess."

"I'm aware," Stonewall said flatly, still covered in bits of debris.

"Yes, I would imagine so, sir. They took out one of our arrow towers and our last remaining ballista, not to mention the poor bastards operating it. At least it was a quick end for them. More than I can say for most." Sanguine Citrus swept a hoof along the battleground, from the defensive line down the path to the secondary gate where the deer were now waiting. "We'd been managing to keep the deer back with Praetorian support, but just barely. When they started bringing up a large number of Exemplars I was sure they were massing for a final push, but instead they simply fell back under partial cover of magic and shield. Queerest thing. I was tempted to let our ranged weapons pick them apart, but we're dreadfully low on arrows and bolts as it is. More to the point, sir," he said, "common decency would dictate we cease our assault if they're looking to speak with us."

Stonewall almost wanted to laugh at the thought. "They wouldn't provide us with the same courtesy. I'm relatively sure they flew a flag of no quarter, the murderous whore-sons."

"Perhaps," Sanguine said, watching the enemy in the distance, "but that's what separates us from them, now isn't it? Equestrian ideals and all that. Call me optimistic, but if we can find a resolution to this war without further bloodshed then we owe it to ourselves to hear them out, however briefly."

The more he thought about it, the more Stonewall was glad for a temporary reprieve. If the deer really did want to talk then that was all well and good; he still intended to get the princess as far away from the castle as possible, and quickly. Let the deer speak with an interpreti if they so chose. For all he or anyone else knew it was nothing more than another redtail attempt at misdirection.

"Do you have anyone you can send as mediators? I can offer a couple of Praetorians as escorts if you need them."

"Some, yes, but I may just take you up on the offer," Sanguine Citrus answered. He pulled a rolled-up length of parchment from under his yellow-gold cloak and quickly checked over a list of names. "There's a small contingent of Whitetail Loyalists who have been serving under my command at the behest of General Tinctio Solis. If I may ask, sir, have you any idea of the general's whereabouts?"

"Where else? He's at the armory." The other senior officers, of course, had thought Stonewall mad for choosing to return to the castle rather than wait with them. He did not think less of them for it, but patience had never been his greatest virtue.

"Right, I suppose that makes sense. But yes, the loyalists. Thus far I've had them serving as arrow and pila support. I'm hesitant to send them out to speak with the Cervidaens, if I'm honest. It's possible there's too much bad blood between them, and if someone loses their head, figuratively or literally..."

"Yeah, I get it," Stonewall said. "Do you have any stallions who speak deertongue?"

Sanguine shook his head. "Afraid not, sir. We had two earth ponies, transfers from the Marestopholous post, but they were unfortunately lost when the southern reach collapsed."

Stonewall rubbed the bridge of his muzzle. Could nothing go to plan for the whole damned day?

"I might have a few Praetorians who can do the job if no one else can. Give me a moment and I'll bring them to you."

"Yes, sir, thank you. I'll prepare an escort squad immediately."

Not many Praetorians were fluent enough in the deer language to act as interpreter for such a potentially important meeting, and Stonewall quickly went through the list of those he could call upon as he began to return to the castle. Indominus from 2nd Barracks? No, he'd been wounded early on. Sapphirus had crushed by the siege volley. Stomach-churning mess, that one. Headwind was uninjured, as far as he knew. Between him and Setting Star there was likely to be enough knowledge to carry a conversation...

"That won't be necessary, my good Imperator. Or is it Imperator-General now?"

Stonewall stopped in his tracks.

"Equestrian ranks do confuse me so; they are neither elegant nor intuitive. Much like Equestria itself, wouldn't you say?"

He let out an annoyed grumble under his breath and wheeled around. The visage of Empress Elinwynn looked down upon him, armor shining with inner magic and golden antler decorations swaying in the cold breeze. That same self-satisfied smirk, infuriatingly omnipresent, waited for him to respond. Stonewall shot a look to Sanguine Citrus; the other did not seem particularly thrilled either.

"What do you want?" he asked. He had little time for her, and even less patience.

"You're not surprised by my presence, good sir Stonewall? I would have thought this would be a cause for some celebration. After all, your Empress has arrived!"

"That would imply that you're actually here. We both know you're not, so let's cut the crap, shall we? I should have known you'd pull this little trick at some point."

Elinwynn frowned. "You ponies are so morose. Can't even let me have a little fun, can you?"

"We've known you can project a vision of yourself since you decided to toy with a Legion scouting party. Maybe if you would have kept from waving your proverbial cock around and just waited for the ambush you would have kept it a secret. But you didn't, and so I'll ask again: what do you want?"

The image of Elinwynn faded slightly as she appeared to look off to one side. Wherever she was, something must have been splitting her attention. "You've always had a sort of brutish charm about you, Stonewall. I dare say seeing you hover over the good princess like a hawk was part of the fun of visiting the castle." Stonewall didn't bother to reply, which seemed to visibly annoy her. "Hmmph. Fine, then. We can converse another time."

"Don't count on it," he stated in a matter-of-fact tone. "Is there anything else? Because I'm quite busy winning a war right now, and it looks like your bucks aren't particularly interested in fighting at this moment."

"I suppose there is one slight issue I'd like to discuss. I..." She paused momentarily, seemingly struggling against something with a hoof to her head. She gritted her teeth, shook her head, and then continued as if nothing had happened. "As I was saying...I must insist that I speak with Celestia directly," Elinwynn said.

"Not happening," Stonewall snapped back. "You speak with me or you don't speak at all. Although, since you're here and not wasting her time directly, I can only assume you're having a little trouble locating her. Not so easy without that little pendant, now is it?"

Elinwynn seemed genuinely amused at that. "I will admit her ability to conceal her life force is quite a fine trick, but that is not the reason why I chose to make myself known to you. Rather, there is a matter of some lives hanging in the balance. Several thousand of them, in fact."

"We are not afraid to die for Equestria, you vile--"

"Not your lives, my blustery friend, but those who are, shall we say...somewhat averse to combat." Stonewall kept his reaction neutral, but he had a good idea what she was referring to. "It was quite difficult to find, of that I can assure you! I believe in giving credit where credit is due, and to that end I really must congratulate your unicorn magii, or whatever it is you call them, on their skill at creating such a masterful illusion spell."

It had to be a bluff. There was no possible way she'd discovered the civilians! The finest minds in Equestria had spent decades crafting and perfecting a way to conceal those tunnels.

"I have no idea what you're on about," he bluffed.

Elinwynn scoffed in annoyance. "Oh come now, Stonewall. I hadn't expected you of all ponies to be one to waste my time with falsities." She put a hoof to her chest in a dramatic display of being wounded. "After all this time, all these months of fighting, you still don't realize that I do not make idle threats? I am a doe of my word, above all else. Allow me to state this as clearly and succinctly as possible, then: I am in possession of the citizens of Canterlot. A great many of them, in fact."

Stonewall felt his stomach drop.

"As such, the flag flying from my armies is not in jest," she continued. Her almost carefree nature was gone now, replaced by a stern demeanor. "Tell Celestia that I wish to speak with her. Immediately. If she refuses, there will be a heavy price to pay." Her voice was unnaturally deep and rough as the ultimatum came, and despite the pitch-black night Stonewall could have sworn he saw something in her eyes. Something dark and worryingly familiar. "Oh, and lest I forget: do not think to escape. I am aware of your precious armory, and if you think I am about to let the princess slip away then you are sadly mistaken."

"How do I know you'll not simply kill her the moment she makes herself known?" Stonewall asked. He felt his pulse beating through his body, his mind already running through ways to avoid complying with Elinwynn's demands. Try as he might, he could not find a solution that would keep the civilians safe. At this point he had to assume the royal bitch wasn't bluffing.

"You don't," Elinwynn answered simply. "As you've no doubt seen for yourself we have more than enough bucks and equipment to take the castle by force and kill everyone inside. Even if your precious princess manages to escape, the city will be ours to do with as we please. We can wait out any paltry resistance your forces at the armory might attempt to put up.

"No, I am offering you a way to bring this war to a close while saving what little remains of Equestria's pride, and more importantly, I'm sure, its people. I will give you a short time to discuss this with her. Should she remain stubborn, I will begin executing civilians until she acquiesces. Do not try my patience." The image of her began to fade, slowly scattering into a snow flurry of glittering magic. "Go, Stonewall. I shall see you both very soon."