We landed on the outskirts of Canterlot at the stroke of two o’clock am. When the rest of the battalion had landed, I grabbed Darkside and the company commanders to go over the battle plan.
“Alright,” I said, pulling out the map, “Lunar Storm and Lightning Strike, your troops will be our fronts. After we leave the train station, Lunar, your troops will watch the front-left, looking our for ambushes or sneak attacks from the alleyways in front of us. Lighting, your troops will do the same, but yours will be on the front-right. Do you understand your orders?”
“Yes, sir.” they both said in unison.
“Good, go inform your troops of their objectives and plan things with your squad leaders. When you’re finished, come to the head of the battalion and we’ll all address the troops.”
They saluted and flew back over to their companies. I turned to Captains Nightmare and Crescent Moon, “Nightmare, your troops will be clearing the buildings as Lunar’s troops go past them. Crescent, your’s will do the same, but on the other side. Do you understand your orders?”
“Yes, sir,” Crescent said.
“Understood, sir,” replied Nightmare.
Turning to Captain Moondust, “Moondust, Colonel Darkside told me that your troops are the best trained at air combat. So I want your troops in the air, flying above us, keeping a lookout for any troop massings or possible ambushes being set on us. I want us to to keep as many troops alive as possible, so I want any possible ambushes sniffed out ahead of time so we can be prepared for them. Understood?”
“Yes, sir. I’ll go inform my troops of their duties.”
Turning to Darkside, “You, Colonel Darkside, will be next to me. In the middle of the four companies on the ground. Is that understood?”
“...Yes, sir.”
“I’m sensing hesitation, colonel. Please, speak your mind.”
“Why are you trying to keep me safe? I know that you care about my son and husband a lot-”
“This has nothing to do with Solstice or Blackout,” I said, cutting her off. “I’m not trying to ‘keep you safe’, you’re the ranking officer to these soldiers and they need the commander that they trust with their lives in the middle to direct them in a chaotic situation. I also need a capable leader next to me to give me their assessment on the battle at hoof. You wanted to be in the thick of things, fighting with your men; then that’s where you are.”
“Okay, I understand now. Thank you, Francois; for putting your personal feelings aside in favor of what was best for the battle.”
“You’re welcome. Any questions?”
“What will you be doing?”
“I’ll be scanning possible ambush areas with my magic for any unicorns that may be concealed themselves. Now let’s go get our troops ready for this battle.”
“Yes, sir,” Darkside said as she started walking back to the head of the battalion.
When we got back, we waited for a minute or so while the company commanders finished speaking with their squad leaders.
When they had come back to the front and stood next to me, I stepped up and spoke the the battalion in front of me, “Francois Battalion, today is the day. This is where we enter Canterlot and fight for your freedom. Our objective is to move through the streets that lead from the train station until we get to the castle. From there, we will meet with Moonlight Battalion and storm the castle. Is everypony ready?”
A roar was the reply from the soldiers in front of me.
“Good, then let’s go! FOR THE THESTRALS!” I shouted.
“FOR THE THESTRALS!” replied the battalion as we ran toward the train station.
When Lightning’s battalion entered the station, they encountered minimal resistance. With it being three AM, there weren’t too many guards around. Unfortunately, one of the unicorn guards was able to send off a signal before one of Lighting’s men skewered him with his spear.
“Get ready everypony. We’re gonna hit some heavier resistance from here on out.” Darkside said from next to me.
“Alright, let’s get out of the train station and get into formation out on the street. Moondust Company, get in the air and start looking for ambushes and troop massings.”
They did as they were told and moved quickly out of the train station and got into position. As we stepped out onto the street, I looked up to the castle and saw that mother was not at her normal post at the top of the castle. I only hoped that meant that she had either turned in early, or was waking the castle to warn everypony else.
I shook myself out of my contemplations of the castle when we stepped out into the street, the sounds of battle elsewhere in the city telling me that the other battalions hadn’t been so sneaky.
“Alright, let’s stick to the plan, Lightning and Lunar Company, up front and keeping a watch on the alleyways. Nightmare and Crescent Company, start clearing the buildings.”
We went down the street, making sure there were no guards hiding in the stores that lined the street. I started scanning the alleyways after Lightning’s and Lunar’s men passed them. It started off well, but as we got closer to the castle, one of the soldiers from Moondust flew down to me.
“I’m seeing an ambush being set up on Lightning Strike’s side at the next alleyway. I can’t tell exactly, but it looks to be about thirty soldiers.”
“Understood, get back in the air and we’ll think of something,” I replied.
“Battalion, HALT!” called out Darkside.
Lightning Strike and Lunar storm came over to us, “What’s going on? Why are we stopping?” asked Lightning.
“Just got word that an ambush is being set up next alleyway. Lunar Storm, I want your troops to combine with Lightning Strike’s for now. Both of your companies together should be able to take them down with minimal losses,” replied Darkside.
“I’m coming with you guys, the unicorns will have an advantage on you, but I should be able to take them down while they’re distracted by your troops,” I said.
“Okay then, let’s do this.” Lunar Storm said.
I moved to the front with their strongest soldiers and stepped towards the alleyway, spear at the ready and casted a light spell that illuminated the alley. As I did so, some of Moondust’s soldiers swooped down and took down four of them, but at the cost of one of their own. Angered at one of my soldiers being killed before my eyes, I unleashed a torture spell at the soldier as the soldiers next to me charged into the alley.
“KILL THEM ALL! BUT LEAVE THIS ONE TO ME!” I bellowed out, walking behind the soldiers towards the guard that was writhing in pain on the cobblestone pavement. As I got closer, I saw that it was Sergeant Steel Sword. I started to laugh at the sight of him, twisting and rolling on the ground in agony.
“Well, hello again Sergeant. You must fancy yourself strong to have taken out one of my thestrals, don’t you? Well now, you get to suffer before you die.”
Spear in hand, I lifted it and stabbed it directly into his right side where his wing met his torso. I slowly pressed it deeper until I hit bone. He screamed in pain and I laughed again.
“This is only the beginning, Sergeant,” I said as I started to work the spear back and forth inside him, slowly ripping and tearing the muscle, tendons and flesh that held his wing to his body.
One of the squad leaders walked up to me, “Sir, the alley is clear and…” he trailed off, seeing my expression and the pegasus I was torturing.
“Good, let me finish up here and I’ll be right with you,” I replied, still working the spear.
As he ran back to the others I leaned down to Steel Sword, “I guess today’s your lucky day. Your suffering will end here,” I said, pulling the spear out of his side. “Say hello to Twilight Sparkle for me,” I said, raising the spear and stabbing down through his eye.
I went back to formation and we kept going until Captain Moondust flew down and said, “One of my scouts has seen that Starlight battalion is having trouble with some pegasi guards, what should we do?”
Darkside responded for me, “Take the two squads with your best air-to-air fighters and assist them with the pegasi, then return here.”
“Yes ma’am!” he said as he took back off.
We continued down the road, clearing out buildings, sniffing out ambushes, and working towards the castle, albeit slower than we had been, until Moondust’s soldiers returned, minus their leader.
“There were more pegasi guards than we originally expected, Captain Moondust, while directing us where to go, was stabbed from behind.” explained one of the soldiers.
“Damn it, I didn’t want to lose any commanders. Who’s the second-in-command?” I asked
“That would be me sir,” said the soldier that had landed in front of me, “Lieutenant Nightshade.”
“Alright Nightshade, time for a field promotion. You are now Captain Nightshade and you are the company commander. Get your soldiers back in the air and-”
“FRANCOIS MIDNIGHT!” called out the voice of the one pony I didn’t want to see in this battle: my mother, Princess Luna.
“Francois Battalion, stand down!” I called out.
I stepped forward and saw my mother, dressed in gold armor, looking ready for battle.
“Francois, what are you doing?”
“What does it look like I’m doing, mother? I’m taking Canterlot and the throne. And I’ve convinced the Thestrals to help me. In return for their help, I’ll repeal the law that you won’t fight, the law that keeps them underground.”
“Why are you doing this Francois? I thought I raised you better than this. What happened to the sweet little foal that I knew?”
“I’m doing this because I’m sick of living in Celestia’s shadow. She banished you once for trying to take your rightful place on the throne. She did the same to me, but I’ve realized our mistakes. I can’t do it alone, I needed an army, and here was one, readily available for me.”
“It seems that you take after your father a little too much…” she said, trailing off.
“My father, my father, my father! You always say ‘my father’ but you won’t tell me who the FUCK he is and what he did!” I shouted back.
“You want to know what he did? Fine, I’ll tell you. Are you familiar with The Crystal Empire?”
“Nothing other than the little I read when I was a foal. What about it?”
“Your father was a unicorn, just like you. A very charming stallion that lived in the Crystal Empire.”
“What does this have to do with me taking after him?” I snapped impatiently.
“I’m getting to it, Francois,” she snapped back. “As I said, he was a very charming stallion, but like you, his charm hid an evil that I didn’t know existed until after you were conceived.”
“What did he do that was so evil? And where do I come into this?”
“He killed Cadence’s parents and took forceful control of the empire. The only reason Cadence was spared was because she was visiting Canterlot without his knowledge. Celestia and I defeated him, but he took the entire Crystal Empire with him. A few months after the battle, I found out that I was pregnant. And I vowed to not let you go down the same path, but it seems that I have failed in doing that.”
“It would seem so. Will you at least tell me his name?”
She didn’t answer, only closing her eyes and lowering her head as if she had just done something shameful.
“Why did you never tell me this sooner, mother?” I said, starting to move closer, my spear in hoof. “Do you know the saying, ‘those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it’? How could I learn from what I didn’t know?”
She looked up, “What are you talking about?”
I continued to move closer to her, “Maybe the reason I followed my father’s path is because I didn’t know what he had done, so I was fated to repeat it.”
“What are you trying to say? That it’s my fault?”
“I’m not saying it’s just you, but you were gone for eight hundred years before Celestia banished me, perhaps she is to blame. Maybe even more so than you,” I said, continuing to move closer until I could touch her.
“I- I don’t believe that. You made this decision yourself, it has nothing to do with me or Celestia.”
“Who are you trying to convince? Me? Or you?” I said, readying the butt of my spear.
“NO!” she suddenly screamed out as she shot a spell at me, sending me through the front window of one of the stores on the street.
“Okay… That’s NOT what I had in mind,” I muttered as I picked myself up off the floor of the store I had just been thrown into.
“Francois, the only pony to blame for the evil and hatred you feel in your heart is you. Not me, not Celestia, not even your father. As much as I wish that it would not come to this, I must do what is best for my sister and my subjects,” she said, rising into the air.
“And what is that? Continuing to oppress an entire RACE!? The Thestrals are ponies with wings, just like pegasi, but they’re forced to stay underground under threat of execution! And you just let it happen!” Darkside yelled out.
Mother had no response to this, she just kept looking at me as I climbed out of the window.
“I’m sorry mother, this is the way it has to be.” Then, turning to my soldiers, I called out, “Nightshade company, GROUND HER!”
In unison, Nightshade company took off from the ground, spread out and surrounded my mother. As they moved in to swarm her, she started firing spell after spell to try and take them down. But the numbers game eventually caught up with her.
The soldiers, swinging their swords, were eventually able to hit her wing close enough to her body that she fell out of the air and landed hard on the cobblestone street.
“Mother, if you can’t beat a single company, you have no chance against me and my entire army, and neither does Celestia,” I said as I stood over her.
My gloating was cut short by another spell that sent me flying again, this time, I hit the brick wall of one of the buildings.
Groaning in pain, I slowly got up, “Okay, now I’m mad! Lightning Strike, Lunar Storm, and Nightmare companies, TAKE HER DOWN! Wound her but do not kill her!” I called out.
The three companies had her surrounded again, but this time, to my surprise, mother unleashed a spell that sent half of them flying upwards and the other half into buildings just like I had been.
“What was that you were saying about ‘not taking down a company’?” she said with venom in her voice.
“Even with you as powerful as you are, a spell like that took a lot out of you. Nightshade company, move in!”
For the second time, she was surrounded, and again, she unleashed a spell that sent my troops flying. I was ready for it this time, as soon as she finished casting, I charged in, spear at the ready to try and knock her out before she could injure more of my troops.
What I didn’t expect was for her to swing her front leg and connect with my jaw, which sent me sprawling on the ground next to her.
She stood over me and picked up my spear, “Francois, this is going to hurt me for many centuries to come, but this is what must be done to protect the ponies of this nation.”
I flipped onto my back and started to crawl backwards until I hit the wall of the building behind me.
“Mother, please, I’m sorry! I’ll call off the attack, I’ll surrender to the authorities, whatever you want! Just please don’t kill me!” I said, babbling like a lunatic.
“Too late for that now, I’m sorry,” she said coldly, raising the spear. I closed my eyes and waited for the end
“YAAAAAAAHHHHH!” I heard somepony yell out. Followed by the sound of blow after blow. I opened my eyes to see Darkside fighting spear to spear with my mother. I took this chance and levitated a spear to me.
I started to move around behind my mother and waited for an opening.
“What makes us second-class to pegasi? Why are we forced to live underground, at least tell me that!” Darkside said while fighting.
Mother didn’t answer, only kept blocking and awaiting her own opening in Darkside’s defense.
I continued to stealthily move closer behind mother, when I saw an opportunity, I took it. I swung my spear and it unfortunately connected with the end of her spear.
“I knew you were there, you’ll have to be better than that.” she said.
Cursing myself, I continued to swing and mother continued to dodge and block mine and Darkside’s every move.
She could feel us weakening, but it seemed like she was only toying with us, which only made me angrier.
What happened next was both good and bad. The bad was that my anger blinded me from seeing mother’s spearhead stabbing forward, piercing my armor, and stabbing into my ribs. The good was that while that happened, Darkside swung her spear and caught my mother in the side of the head. This knocked her into a daze which allowed me to swing my own spear and hit her in the head again, causing her to fall over.
Darkside didn’t take any chances and continued to hit mother in the head until she quit moving, but also knew to stop because of my previous order to not kill her.
“Quickly, get her restrained and put her into the prisoner tent back in the camp. Put a silencer on her horn too so she can’t use magic,” Darkside ordered. “Get a medical team up here too for the injured soldiers.”
“Yes, ma’am,” replied Crescent Moon as he went to relay the order to one of his squad leaders.
After mother was restrained and flown back to our camp, we waited for the medical team to arrive. Luckily for us, I was the worst injured, and even then, the armor had taken the worst of it.
“Alright, if everypony is good to go, let’s get to the castle. We have a tyrannical overlord to topple!” Darkside called out.
Her response was a deafening roar from her battalion as they started to march towards the castle gates to meet up with the rest of the thestral army.