//------------------------------//
// Justice 2 
// Story: Damocles, God of War. 
// by BrickHoof12 
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Thousands of years ago, during his reign as Emperor of Roam, Damocles had been adamant that he would rule his empire his way. He would not be forced to bend to the will of others, making decisions based on what others decided was appropriate. He was used to doing things his way, with no others to answer to.

Then that day happened and he was forced away from his heavenly empire and into a deep sleep. In his absence, Roam had fallen and other, lesser kingdoms, had risen in its place. 

For a time after, there was war and strife, each kingdom vying for more power than the others. Blood was shed and the people suffered. 

Then his sisters, in all their glory, swept away the misery and terror and established a new empire, Equestria.

Of course with this new rule came new laws, new ways of doing things, violence was becoming less the solution and more the problem. 

He supposed that was why he was so often at odds with the eldest of his two little sisters. Things were not done in his way anymore. Disagreements could no longer be solved with intimidation, insults could not be answered with a blade and enemies were more often talked into submission, rather than beaten under hoof.

He was still getting used to the idea of these nonviolent solutions, so when he was eventually approached by his sweet sisters about dealing with the threat in the North his way, well, he had positively glowed with anticipation.

Of course just because Celestia had asked him to do this for them, did not mean she was comfortable with the idea itself, no matter how necessary she realised it was, a fact that was made doubly clear as she sat across from him in her personal chambers.

Celstia was often a difficult pony to read, thousands of years of politicking and royal duties had made her a master of her emotions, only ever showing what she wanted to be seen.
On this occasion however, in the aftermath of his rather disappointing encounter with the crazed Crystal King, her emotions were plain to see.

Anxiety was the emotion of the day as she sat sipping at her tea. He watched as she would glance every so often at the crystal crown sat on her desk, a souvenir of his time spent with Sombra and a symbol of his victory.

"You have not spoken for a while sweet sister, perhaps you would tell me what troubles you so I may help you over come it"

The sound of his voice seemed to startle her out of whatever deep thought she had trapped herself in, her eyes blinking away the thoughts before focusing on him. She sat straighter than she had been, trying to show a stronger front behind which to hide her feelings from him.

"I'm not sure I know what you mean" she said in what was obviously a poor attempt at a lie. 

"Your tea, though you give the appearance of drinking it, has been cold for at least the last half hour"

"Perhaps I like cold tea" she said, raising her eyebrow in challenge.

"Only creatures from the darkest pits of Tartarus could ever like cold tea" he said with visible discomfort, his muzzle scrunched up in disgust.

Celestia giggled despite her attempts to do otherwise, the sound made Damocles smile.

"Your laugh has always been a shining point in my life" he said contently.
"Goddess of the Sun indeed"

"Now tell me, little sunshine, what troubles you so?"

Her laughter trickled away and with it her whole form seemed to sag. 
"Did we do the right thing?" She asked, her voice was barely audible and if he had been a normal pony he may not have heard it at all.

"You refer to King Sombra?" He asked with a raised brow. He was not surprised that this had come up, he had expected it even, it was something that had obviously weighed on his sisters mind since the event two weeks prior. 

"I just feel we didn't put in enough effort to find an alternate solution"

Damocles stood and moved to sit beside his sister, draping his wing over her in a display of affection only reserved for his sisters.

Celestia took a deep breathe and leaned into her brothers embrace, the act of receiving a hug from someone bigger than herself was a rare treat for someone as tall as herself, rare being that it only ever happened with Damocles.

"Wearing the crown is a heavy burden, my Sunshine, those of us in positions of power must do all we can to protect the ponies we love, even commit acts that leave us feeling cold inside"

He used his other wing to wipe a stray tear from his sisters face, shushing her quietly whilst nuzzling the top of her head.

"How do you do it?"

"Do what?" He asked curiously.

"How do you slay your enemies without it effecting you, your always so detached from such things"

Damocles looked away towards the bay window, staring out towards the distant mountains and fields that surrounded Canterlot, he let out a sad sigh and closed his eyes.

"Before you were born, I asked Father the same question, do you know what he said?"

Celestia shook her head and it was only because he felt the movement that he knew she had answered at all.

"He said, 'family above all, blood before water'"

"I knew what he meant, but for a long time I didn't full grasp the sentiment"

Damocles smiled, then opened his eyes and looked down at Celestia with so much love in his eyes it took her breath away.

"Then you were born, and I finally grasped how important those words were, that day you came into the world, I was filled with such joy and such a sense of duty, that I realised I would never let anything happen to you, that feeling only grew larger when little Luna was born. After that, killing my enemies was no longer a burden, but a responsibility"

Damocles' smile turned to a frown, his eyes glazing over as he looked to events of the past.

"I kept that promise for a long time, fighting enemies from far off places all to ensure you were both safe, I even created an empire solely for the purpose of your safety, and then that awful day happened all those years ago and I broke, sealing myself away from any further pain but at the expense of my sisters, all that you have suffered as a result of that selfish decision is my fault, I cannot apologise enough for such an error"

Celestia let out a chocked sob and wrapped both her wings around her brother in a tight squeeze that would have left other ponies gasping for air.

"It was not your fault Damocles, you could not have foreseen such treachery, a thousand years of pain could not equal what you felt in that single day"

Damocles felt his heart squeeze and a deep heat, as if the sun itself were but inches from him, filled him from mane to hoof, bringing him such a sense of utter love and joy that even his niece, a being of love incarnate, might be overwhelmed by it. 

His sisters meant the world to him, they were what kept him grounded, a physical representation of what bound him to this world and they're safety was his obsession. Many torments had been thrown their way during his absence, many pains and sorrows. But with his awakening came a new power in this modern age, one that would bring the horrors of an eon of wars down upon the heads of any enemy that stood against his loved ones.

And should a single hair be harmed upon his sisters heads, then he would unleash all the power he kept controlled deep down inside.

And the world would break.