Her lungs burned as she forced herself to breathe. The shock ebbed, being slowly replaced by a searing pain across the whole of her being as she continued staring to the eerily calm face of her sister.

A sound from far off, tapping against a steel door. Her ear twitched slightly at the otherworldly noise. She noticed a warm dampness across her cheeks as she attempted to reconnect her mind to her surroundings. Her attempt was noble, but futile, her mind insisting on replaying the battle over and over.

An explosion from somewhere behind her. Celestia turned her head towards the sound, looking away from what remained of her sister for the first time. The door stood for a moment before slowly tipping forward, landing in the room with a dull, echoing thud. A smoky haze hung in the room, punctuated by the acrid smell of burnt metal.

Six heavily armored ponies rushed into the room, the blurred visage moving slowly across her sight as though she were in a living dream. It struck her as odd how these heavy-troopers—the elite of the Equestrian military—more resembled machines than living, breathing ponies. As many times as she had seen these uniforms in the past, Celestia had never given any thought to the lunacy of normal ponies wearing 300 pounds of armor magically imbued to have the weight and movement of a second skin.

She had already forgotten why they were there—why she was there. Celestia turned back to face forward and was greeted with the grim reminder of the situation. The tears stopped immediately as the motherly bond between mentor and apprentice shattered under a deluge of voracious rage and lament. Hundreds of joyful memories of her faithful student evaporated from her recollection, being overshadowed by a heavy cloud of hateful anger. Celestia’s body heated quickly as the powerful emotions overwhelmed her, the tears clinging to her face beginning to evaporate. Taking a deep breath, she did everything within her power to reign in her magic.

Twilight...

She barely noticed the shouts or the sound of the seventh pony entering as her mind weathered a storm of intense, divergent emotions. She could barely hear the voices behind her. The sound was distant and distorted, like listening to a conversation from below the surface of a pool.

A pounding sound, more voices. Celestia remained still, staring to her sister’s face.

What did she do to deserve this?

She heard the heavy, metallic hoofsteps of the soldiers moving away, leaving the room.

So many battles, so much experience... only to be taken in such a trite manner.

Someone touched a hoof to her shoulder, startling her out of the trance of her sister’s demise. She looked to her right to see the weathered, tan face of General Falx standing near her. His mouth moved as though he were speaking, but she couldn’t make out the words. She returned her gaze to Luna.

A single tactical error... A foalish oversight...