The mind is a fragile tool; put it under enough strain and it will shatter like glass. The greater the mind the greater the fall.

“Luna,” Twilight silently trot up behind the night princess, a cautiously low tone to her voice. “what exactly are you doing?”

The Princesses horn was alight, magic pulsing through it like a generator. Her eyes were firmly shut in concentration. That same concentration was swiftly broken upon Twilight's interruption, causing her magic to fade and all progress reverted. “What is it Twilight Sparkle? Can you not see that we are in the middle of a delicate process?”

Twilight looked sheepishly away from her, looking around as if some excuse were to come flying in to rescue her. “I- I was just…  curious. I let it get the better of me sorry. What spell was that you were doing, if you don’t mind me asking? I’ve never seen anything like that before.”

Luna rolled her eyes rather subtlety. “If you must know we are trying to tap into the consciousness of our foe so that we may attempt to in some way alter the battles course. Indeed we are quite useless lying in this tower, so we thought this would be the best option without our sisters interference. Unfortunately we are having trouble distinguishing his mind among the many other who storm the city. We can’t get a lock on him.”

Twilight hadn't come across such spells, but this seemed like one of those Princess of the Night things. The whole dream thing and all. “Yeah, I feel a bit useless up here as well. Do you know why we’re being kept here?”

“We often doubt our sisters judgment, but I feel she has some reason behind her actions. She wasn’t you kept safe, and if that means keeping you from the battle entirely then that is the price she is willing to pay.”

“But surely I would be more use down there with her.”

“As would we, but our sister would not risk it. Your friends are there of their won free will and would not stop them, but she cares to dearly for you to take the risk. Twilight we hope you understand.”

She couldn't help but question her, question herself, but it met no aid. Twilight would simply have to cope with the isolation, even if it meant her friends would be in danger. “I still worry for them. I know all my friends are strong, especially Dash, but I don’t know if they’ll…   make it. We haven’t seen Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash for days, what if they never arrived at the crystal Empire?”

“Twilight!” Luna found it necessary to use the Royal Canterlot Voice briefly, and it certainly silenced the mare in front of her. She took a deep breath before speaking again. “Your worries are understandable, we feel your concern and your thoughts, but this is not the way to go about this. Your friends are the strongest group of ponies we have had the honour of meeting. They’ll make it through his Twilight Sparkle and so will you. There is no need to be paranoid.”

“But-“

“We swear if we hear the word ‘but’ one more but then we shall cast you from the tower and be rid of it now.”

Twilight was silent for much of the evening following.

Everything seemed to be going too well in their favour this time. Celestia could not shake her suspicions; they were too great to be ignored. A mere few hundred ponies sent against them, drawn right into the line of fire. It was a killing zone. Did they consider a soldiers life to be so meaningless, was it simply hey were sent here to die. Both options sent chills down the princess’s spine and sickened her thoughts.

“Look out!” The cry of one of the guard was heard before he was impaled through the chest by an incoming spear, his limp body falling to the ground. From the skies came the last of Azzal’s legion of Pegasi Axillaries, elite and deadly. They soared over the walls, disorientating the defenders and drawing their fire away from the walls. Among them was the commander himself, Azzal Khan. Why he risked his life on such a trivial attack was a mystery to her, but none the less she planned to counter with whatever she had to spare.

The Pegasi Guard of Canterlot, a gleaming rain of gold and silver. Celestia sent forth her own personal guard to deal with this new threat and dispose of it. Azzal would never live to see another day if they could help it. The clash in the skies was a wild one, smoke chocked the air and disrupted visibility. Enemies would appear out of nowhere without warning. Azzal and his troops where quick and maneuverable, but Celestia’s guard hit hard and strong. The battle began to tip back to the favour of the defenders.

Azzal’s forces were wearing thin. He had but a quarter of his Pegasi remaining, the rest brought low by the bows and spears of the guard. Looking back to the gate he could see that his distraction may have just been enough, the gate finally beginning to weaken after constant hammering. Hopefully Dellas hadn't fallen just yet.

Azzal ordered the retreat, pulling back the remaining air forces before they were utterly wiped out. Let them keep the skies, we shall have it all in the end. The gate was on the verge of collapse, and only now did the defenders realize their error. Shinning Amour and Celestia had turned all focus to Azzal and his infernal air raid, distracting them from the battle bellow. By now it was already too late, the gates went crashing down.

Dellas was quite happy just to have survived that first ordeal, but now that they had finally succeeded they were in no shape to fight their way inside. But from the skies cam the muffled call of his commander, an order yelled through his mask.

“Get your troops out of there! Retreat to the walls!”

The general did not waste another second, turning on the spot and commanding his troops to fall back as fast as their hooves would carry them. At this stage he didn't care about consolidating the advantage or enforcing strategy, he was far more focused escaping with his life.

Shining Armour stood by the gates in a small state of confusion, yet a new sense of determination. The enemy was outnumbered, broken and fleeing. Now was the perfect opportunity to finally end this. Applejack stood next to the general with a confident look on her face, ready to finish off the job. The stallion turned and addressed his guard.

“Alright Gentlecolts, you have fought bravely, you have stood at the edge of defeat and you have brought it crashing down! Now earn your place in history, for today we end this!” A mighty cheer was handed down the lines, their moral building as their victory seemed to draw closer. “They shall answer for their crimes by Equestrian law! They shall be imprisoned here and we shall have victory!”

“To victory!” Their voices were heard as far as the valley far below, their cry of war one of utter surety. Shining Armour placed his purple and gold helm on his head once more and gripped his sword in his teeth. Together they charged, galloping hard towards the lower city and towards the enemy.

The narrow streets of Canterlot were still blanketed with fire and smoke, and yet still they charged on. Some 500 soldiers moving like a tide of clashing bronze. But then they came to a sudden halt, their general raising his hoof and calling the ranks to stop.

On the road stood a lone figure, his cloak billowing in the breeze and his coat illuminated by the firelight. As he stood forward Shining could now make out exactly who this was.

“Come to surrender!? Good, my soldiers hate getting their hooves dirty!” A few mixed chuckled were heard among the guard, but they were uneasy and full of doubt. Azzal seemed undeterred by the force ahead of him, taking the intimidation in his stride. His presence brought a certain disturbance among the troops, almost as if he always had something planned up his sleeves.

The he began to applaud, a slow and droned applause that sent a few murmurs through the confused defenders. As he spoke his words were still slightly dulled by the mask that he was confined to don. “Bravo…  bravo General. You have played your part brilliantly. Now I think though it’s time to liven thing up.” He signaled with his hoof, the guard surrounded in mere seconds. From all corners they seemed to come, lying in wait for just the right moment. Azzal had been wise to keep the majority of his force back, the enemy would simply fall into his jaws like a fish to bait. Now the odds had turned indefinably, there was no last stand to be had here.

Shining Amour did not speak for a long while, nor did he give any orders. His troops simply feel into a disorganized formation, their worst fears realized. Applejack stood firmly at the captains side, ready to go to the death if the need called for it. “Come on then, bring it on ya halfwits!”

“AJ, stand down.” Shining put a hoof on the mares shoulder, her posture suddenly falling as the weight of the situation began to fall on her. “I know.”

If you listened carefully enough you were even able to hear the slight sounds of chuckling from the Khan as he watched the tragic display play out in front of him. “Throw down your weapons, you shall concede to our command. We shall storm the palace and we shall finish this once and for all…”

Next Chapter: Fall of Canterlot Estimated time remaining: 39 Minutes