It has begun.

"I'm aware."

Are we going to sit around mewling helplessly like a kitten for its mother?

"I almost killed my adopted daughter, and sent hundreds of ponies to their deaths."

That you almost did. You also almost made a pony kill herself. Remember when I had to clean up that mess?

"Are we doing the right thing here?"

When you are fighting against a legion of pure evil, there is no right or wrong. Only survival. You abort all honor, all fear, and all pride. For the only thing that matters to you now is saving this planet.

"We took it too far, we are dealing with a world that has not seen war for over a millennia."

You've seem to have forgotten that I don't exist for emotional support and pep talks. I'm here to tell you to get up off your sorry ass and fight until Denthar lies dead at your feet.

---

Twilight and her team retreated to their designated position at the palace gates. She kept shouting motivational things to her friends, but she was just as panicked as they were. So far the Anti-Air guns on the outer wall have kept the dragons at bay. The enemy airships kept their distance from the city. Everything was going well.

Until a single dragon broke through the guns and launched a fireball from its mouth into the middle of the town. While Twilight and her team were a good distance from the explosion, they could still see body parts sail through the air as the fiery ball tore ponies to shreds.

Nothing, nothing could have prepared them for such chaos. Discord would be in paradise here. The noise was too much. The sirens, ponies shouting orders, the roar of jet engines as the Air force swooped in to intercept the dragons.

"Twilight!" Rainbow Dash called over the radio. "What do we do?"

Too much, it was too much. Twilight didn't respond to any of her friends. Her legs locked up and she shut her eyes tight, trying to block out all the noise.

She finally managed to look up to see the air force had diverted the horde to the side, away from Cantorlot. One problem solved. The whole city fell deathly quiet, which Twilight embraced the silence. She looked back towards her friends, each one of them badly shaken but not injured thankfully.

"Is everypony alright?" She asked to be sure.

Her friends gave a shaky nod. Twilight herself was breathing heavily. Rainbow Dash trotted up to the alicorn.

"It's alright Twilight, we're all alive. Scared out of our minds, but alive." She said reassuringly.

"So what now?" asked Applejack.

Twilight was clueless as to what to do next. The attack had gone as quickly as it had came. She gave a final sigh of relief and looked towards the aerial battle that was now far in the distance. Streaks of blue against jet black.

Right now Twilight wanted to fall to the ground and sleep for three months, but she knew that wasn't an option when orders came through the radio.

"This is Command to all units, enemy ground forces are making their way up the mountain. Do not let them enter the palace at all costs."

---

"Orders have been sent ma'am."

Luna breathed a sigh of relief. The first wave hadn't done that much damage to the city and the last shipment of refugees had been sent to the northern mountains, avoiding the legion of Hallowed destined for the Crystal Empire of course. With enemy air support occupied away from the city was a plus, so far everything had gone their way.

The princess looked out the viewports and down towards the city. She desperately wished she could go out there and comfort her subjects, she could only imagine the Tartarus that had descended upon them. Luckily, casualties were at a minimum. Though the thought of any of her ponies dying was enough to make Luna sick.

She went deep into thought. There was a small window of time to talk to her sister and Guardian. She pondered for a moment as to what to say to them. When she was satisfied she turned to the pony next to her.

"I have important business to conduct with Guardian and my sister. You have full command now General Stormchaser."

The stoic general fired off a salute before giving orders for squad rearrangements.

Luna exited the room and strode quickly down the palace halls towards her sister's bedroom. When she reached it she raised a hoof to knock but hesitated. The distress Celestia was in had frightened her. Never had she witnessed her invincible big sister break down like that.

The Night Princess breathed deeply and knocked on the door. It was now or never.

Luna waited patiently for a response. When one wasn't to be found, Luna slowly opened the door.

"Sister?" She called out, and gasped at the state of the room.

The left wall had a huge hole in it, at the base of the hole were the splintered remains of a dresser, as if the wardrobe had been repeatedly smashed into the wall. The covers and sheets had been torn off the bed and lay a smoldering heap on the ground. The grand chandelier that used to hang above the bed had been decimated, shrouding the room in darkness But the thing that caught Luna's eye the most was the alicorn that lay silently sobbing into her pillow on the bare mattress.

"Tia..." Luna approached very cautiously, should she anger the destructive force that was her sister and share the fate of the dresser.

"Luna, please I beg you, leave now."

All hope had faded from the younger alicorn. There was no way Celestia could lead an army like this. To see the all mighty Sun goddess in such a way put a nail in Luna's heart. A look of of utter defeat crossed her face, "Very well." She said closing the door behind her.

The fact still remained that Luna couldn't keep leading solo. Perhaps Guardian was in a much better state. However, seeing Celestia had planted seeds of doubt in her mind. But she had to at least try.

---

Guardian didn't really have a bedroom, but he instead turned a guest room into an office of sorts. It wasn't hard to find, the room was close to the library. Guardian had been brushing up on the one-thousand years he wasn't around. She quickly found the office and knocked on the door.

"Guardian? Are you in there?"

No response. She knocked harder.

"Guardian, please I understand you may be distraught but this is important!"

Still no answer. She tried the door but it was locked with magic far more powerful than her own.

She stared at the door, trying to figure out a way to open it. There wasn't anyway to break it, who knows what enchantment were installed.

"Please! I can't do this alone!" She screamed.

The door still stood, unmoving, it's stillness mocking Luna's despair.

Fine then. The only option left was to suck it up, command alone, and hope they didn't all end up slaughtered. As Luna turned around to leave, she came face to face with Guardian. Her eyes widened with surprise. She was used to him popping in unannounced but it was his eyes that were startling.

His eyes were cast down, unable to meet Luna's. His face bore the look of a farmer who lost his entire crop to parasprites. "Hello Luna." He mumbled. The princess knew he wouldn't be any help either. But she had to try.

"Guardian, please I need your help. Commanding solo has proving to be more than difficult and I need...."

Her voice died in her throughout as Guardian raised a single, metal hand to silence her.

"I'm afraid I won't be of any use to you now. Please reassume your position."

Luna was fed up with this. The world was being overrun with evil and this is what deities do?

"Now you listen here. I know what happened this morning was certainly unpleasant but-"

"Unpleasant?" Guardian snapped, "Try almost killing my own family!" He looked Luna right in the eye. "You and Celestia are like my daughter's, the closest thing to a family I will ever get! And twice now I almost threw it all away."

"Neither time were your fault!" Luna insisted.

"Not my fault?!" Guardian said through clenched teeth. "I am held responsible for my actions. Releasing The Overlord was my doing and I let my emotions get to me!"

He paced back and forth, waving his arms in the air, "I have never been happier than the Times I spent with you two. When the Changeling Wars began I almost lost you two! That make it three times!"

"Enough!" Luna shouted in the Royal Cantorlot Voice, "What happened prior to that war was something nopony saw coming! You cannot possibly blame yourself for that."

Guardian shoved Luna to the ground. The alicorn was taken aback by the action. The deity proceeded into his office and slammed the door loudly behind him.

That was that. If Luna had to save the world on her own then so be it.

Author's Notes:

Tension, it's all about the tension.

I suppose the reception this story has been getting is pretty bad. It's getting there though I promise.