A loud gasp for air followed by a pathetic whimper was what greeted me when I woke up from my most recent nightmare. I was no longer surprised by them, they had been a daily occurence for over a week now. Not always the same topic, but probably just because there were too many for them to chose from. Dragging myself out of my bed I looked around the sleeping hall.
It was the place where my regiment of the royal guard was supposed to sleep, though now it felt unnervingly empty. As I looked around I saw that a majortiy of the beds no longer had personal possesions beside them, which meant that the assigned pony had not just woken up before me, but was no longer at all using the bed.
I shrugged, unable to do anything about it now, and dragged myself to my amour, using my magic to put it on and make sure it was in perfect position. I sighed at the knowledge that today it would finally see use, though I doubt that it will be helpful. I left the hall and quickly made myself toward my position, the same it had always been and yet so very different. My golden door awaited me, to be guarded with my presence, and wih my life.
Normally there would be two of us, but it seems my fellow guard has decided to take leave, not that I really had gotten a chance to know him anyway, over the past week those guard had ben switched around more often then I could care to remember. As I stood there, proud but dreading every passing second, a pony came by not too long into the day. His cutie mark made it obvious he was a messanger, though the fact that he was still working made me bow for him in respect as if he was some noble.
He looked at me, his slightly older eyes showing some form of pitty as he stoped in his tracks and right infront of the door and spoke, to me.
"I think she would understand if you were to leave, even I am not planning to stay here once they breach the walls. There is such a thing as loyality, but she wouldnt want ponies to throw away their life needlessly."
I grunted, he was not the first to tell me this, though there was a good chance he be the last. My horn glowed and opened the two big doors and I nodded my head for him to enter. He sighed and continued on his path, doing his job just the way I did mine.
I did not close the doors,I wanted to hear the report. Celestia would be able to see the doors open very clearly, so if she wished them to be closed she would have voiced it. Though, seeing her in her throne, the normally calm and wise face distorted with uncertainty and what I think to be fear, she might not even have strengh to talk. The pony I had let enter bowed before the queen and quickly begann his report.
"The assult started an hour ago, and the most outer wall was captured without much of a fight, being too understaffed. The inner wall is now being attacked, though the ponies manning it have been discussing to open the gate. Within five hours it is expected that the first of Luna's forces will reach the palace entrance..."
There was utter silence as the princess did not even seem to take notice, as if lost in some internal struggle or thought. The messanger stood still for a few moments, befor bowing once more and quickly leaving the throneroom the same way he had entered. Glance at me with his pitty filled eyes as he left, leaving me once alone on my guard.
I felt strange standing there, turning his words in my head as I welcomed any distractions from the other thoughts that plagued my mind. Finally shaking my head to clear my mind and once more taking up a tall and proud stance I noticed that the doors were still open, having forgotten to close them.
Feeling curious I glanced inside once more, and there she was. Still thinking on that throne, still looking terrefied, but this time she was actually doing something. Infront of her were hovering round stones, each approximatly the size of a pony head. She seemed focused on them, at least as focused as her mind had been on anything the past few days.
I wondered what they were but felt a strange and powerful sensation emitting from them. If Celestia had bothered to bring them here they must have a purpose I assume. For a moment I felt almost giddly at the thought that she had a plan, that finally she would accept her position and face her sister. But then I heard a cold and sad sigh and the stones fell to the floor with a loud clank sound. They rolled over the floor a little, coming to a hault off to both sides of the room.
Suddenly she looked up, her eyes focused right at me as I stood there, frozen in terror. She said nothing to me, and then her expression once more glazed over with that lost terror. She had not even closed the doors, leaving me very disheartened as I returned my attention to the hallway infront of me, using my horn to lock the doors shut as I continued to guard them.
The messanger pony never came back, probably seeing no reason to continue informing a pony that was so obviously disinterested. For the rest of my guarding time there was utter silence, as I stood there with unease in my body. Not to long ago I would have been bored out of my mind, but fear seemed to have pushed away those feelings. Instead I felt suprisingly calm the longer I stood there.
Some ponies talk about making peace with yourself when you have to die, accepting the fate and simply going the easy way. I would not say I was at peace with death, but I just refused to die cowering in fear. If I was going to die, it would be as the one pony in this damned city that remembered his oath and believed in the Celestia that had made our life so easy for so long.
And then the silence was broken by clattering noises of metal against metal. The first pony to be seen was Luna, or that what some now dubbed Nightmare Moon. She had indeed changed since the begining of this war, her coat had become darker till it rivaled the black nightsky, her mane that of the star filled sky itself.
Her personality, some say that she was still the kind and loving pony who had been forced into this revolution, others that she a crazed abomination who took pleasure in the harm of others. As she walked toward me, beside her showing themself the royal Luna guard, I wondered which of the two to expect.
Luna smiled, warm but terrifying at the same time, and nodded toward me.
"Please open the doors for us, I want to give my sister a visit." She grinned now "Everypony ells in this town has been so nice to step aside for us, do you really want to ruin the nice opinion I have of Canterlot?"
As I looked at her crazed grinning expression I tried to understand her. It was obvious that she enjoyed this position, her eyes glimmering with joy at the feeling of power and control. But I also know that she did not start this revolution for her own gain, nor that she ever intended to go this far.
I had seen Celestia change as things went on, the way she withdrew herself and broke under the pressure of her own guilt and fears, becoming so much less herself. And Luna probably had to face even worse things then her sister had, but to change like this? I almost wondered if it even still was the same pony infront of me.
Suddenly there was more clinkering as the guards beside her shifted uneasily and some started to use their horns. I could feel the magic glow surrounding the doors, trying to open them and finding the resistance of a spell I had taken hours to cast. It would take them at least a few seconds to break it.
The magic disapeared, and with more shifting another pony came to he front. Suprsingly enough he was not one of Luna's guard, his attire more fitting to that of an aged and reknown general, the youngest aged general I had even seen. Even more suprisingly enough, I knew him.
"Starshine, the one pony in Celestia's castle to still be on duty..." He sighed, heavily. "I was always so glad you were guarding this place, out of harms way and safe. Please do not throw away the chance life has given you. Simply walk away."
There was silence, even Luna seemingly willing to respect this moment, I guess she had no reason to rush anything when they had already won. I however had my eyes locked on that earthpony general as I tried to convince myself that he was right, I really wanted to trott away.
"This door is guarded by the royal guard of Celestia and will not be opened to traitors. I love you... brother, but just as you have your duty I have mine."
My brother looked furious at this, his face contorting with a mixture of anger and fear, his eyes glancing back at the guards who were more then willing to make me step aside. He leaned in closer, his words steady and in control, but his eyes pleading.
"This is not me asking you to, this is more ordering you! Step aside little bro, Celestia is a tyrant and traitor to her subjects, including you. No matter how much you want to, she is not going to win this war!"
There was silence once more, and suddenly the general trotted past me and toward the door. That moment his front hoof passed my backhoof everything seemed to slow down, I shifted my weight and stance as I turned around. Growling as I saw terrifying flashes of recent events come back to my eyes, and leaped forward at my own brother. Bringing my hoofs down on his head and face I struck him with all of my pent up anger, punishing him for all those things that happened, because if he had not been, they would not have.
It was only a fraction of a second that I had time to do this, the moment my second strike landed on his mark I was blasted off him by Luna herself, the force of the blast pushing the air out of my body and throwing me against the golden door, making it creak and buckle from the pressure. It took me a moment to recolect myself and by the time I had rissen up I could feel a poudle of blood form in my mouth, glancing over at what I hoped was my unconcious brother and back at the very angred Luna guard, and moon goddes herself.
There was no question about it, these would be the last moments of my life.