With the location of the Nightmare Cult’s hideout given to her by the now deceased prisoners, Celestia ordered an immediate counterattack. It would be an operation off the books, never to be recorded or remembered in history; it would quick, quiet, and forgotten. Princess Celestia ordered her troops, both Solar and Lunar, to be equipped with Class S weaponry which was only to be used during war.
Celesta herself brought in armor and weapons she had not used in centuries. Besides Lightbringer, she also carried a golden glaive that held the symbol of her cutie mark on both ends of the steel. It was known as Sun Striker, otherwise known as Lámlia in the ancient tongue. Discarding her regalia, she had chosen to wield the swiftest of her armors that was made by the legendary smith Helmfaestys. It was like having a second golden skin: one that could reflect nearly all weapons and magic. It was sleek, curved in the right places, and heavily protected in her sides.
Even before orders were issued, it was clear what they were going to do. Nopony dared to argue with a princess, whose anger was shining as bright as the sun she wielded. Taking direct command over a company of three hundred soldiers, they flew by wing or by pegasus-drawn chariot in the direction of the Everfree Forest under the cover of the night. Landing a couple miles outside of the town, she ordered her unicorns to prepare transportation runes so that the rest of their forces could arrive. At the same time, she cast a powerful illusion over their base of operations, so that nopony could stumble upon them.
As the company of prepared warriors waited for their comrades to join from Canterlot, Princess Celestia stared into the Everfree Forest where, hidden in the dark woods, the Nightmare Cult’s base of operations was located. How foolish of her not to realize they would operate all these years in the very location she had banished her sister. If it were any other day, the memories that she once treasured in the past with these woods and their surrounding lands would have brought both joy and sorrow to her mind.
Instead all she could think about was her daughter, lying in a hospital bed thanks to the very hooves of these monsters who would be delivered into the river of Styx from her very blade. None will live. None. I will end this cult once and for all, like I should have done years ago.
“What is the plan of attack?” asked Shining Valor as he walked toward her side. Despite being well into his retirement, his eyes still held the same vigor he once had in his youth. Dressed in his favorite purple and white armor, he had two silver bladed cutlasses with purple guards that held his family’s signature star symbol as pommels.
“I’m going to cast a very powerful and dangerous spell that will cause chaos in their ranks,” muttered Celestia, closing her eyes. “I will lead our troops through the front gate while you lead a platoon of fifty through the back. There is a secret passageway you can use that I remember. Slay every one of them.”
“Every one of them?” asked Shining Valor with wide eyes.
“Every stallion, mare, and foal,” muttered Celestia, growling. “This is not a battle, this shall be a purge. I will wipe this accursed cult from my lands. I have seen too many die and suffer for their insanity and I almost lost my daughter because of them. I will burn them all.”
Shining Valor said nothing. He only closed his eyes and sighed, “Princess Celestia, we will do as your order, but know this. At some point in your life you will regret what you did.”
“Noted. Issue orders to some of the Lunar Guards to move out and kill any sentries in the forest,” ordered Princess Celestia.
Shining Valor bowed and left, his words hollow in Celestia’s ears.
When a full legion of guards arrived, Celestia gave them their orders. Many were not pleased with the idea of the entire extermination of a group, even if they were a terrorist cult. That’s when she told them of everything the cult had done since its formation. Every grim, dark, and uncensored version of events that they believed were different or never heard of such incident at all. After her tale, the voices of dissent grew silent, replaced with hardened stares that better fitted these veterans.
Like a silent army of panthers, the first group swiftly moved through the forest following the instructions that Princess Celestia had given them. In less than two hours the entire castle was surrounded. Any cult sentires that were discovered were swiftly and unceremoniously dealt with before they could raise any alarm..
Despite having only a single rope bridge that could only support a very few number of guards at a time, Princess Celestia already had a plan to correct this for her unicorn and earth pony troops. They stood waiting for the signal from Shining Valor’s team to know they were in position as well. For a long time there was no sound from any of the waiting forces. Many of the soldiers around her were silently muttering prayers, asking for strength for the coming battle and forgiveness for the coming task.
Celestia only wished for the strength; she had no need for forgiveness.
Finally, they heard the three cries of a raven, and Celestia went to work. To the surprise of her forces, she walked calmly out into the open clearing before the bridge without a shred of fear in her eyes. Two Nightmare Cult guards, who wore the armor of the lunar guards a thousand years ago in undoubtedly some perverse worship to her sister, spotted her in disbelief. Naturally, they shouted warnings to the archers and guards near the castle who started to mobilize. They then charged at her, weapons ready to take her head as they screamed praise to Nightmare Moon.
Princess Celestia gazed upon the two lazily and raised Lámlia high above. In a single swipe, their heads detached from their bodies and landed beside her on opposite sides, their blood splashing her hooves.
With those two taken care of, she then began to glow with a red aura that emitted heat from her body. All stood to watch as flames began to dance around her like a tornado, even her eyes and mane were burning with fire. If anypony was to look down from the sky, they would see a mini-storm of embers dancing in circles around a demi-goddess.
Gritting her teeth, Celestia summoned her spell to take shape and the flames rose above her head. They soon came into the form of a giant three-eyed phoenix which gave out an eardrum-ruining cry of rage. Before the Nightmare Cult could do anything, the phoenix charged to the front gates and exploded.
Following that came the cries of agony and a cry to attack by Celestia.
The cult stood no chance after the spell that Celestia launched. Nearly half their members were wiped out by the explosion and fire, their bodies burnt to the point where their bones became ash. Armored pegasi flew down from the air, firing their lighting bolts from their crossbows or digging their spears into the flesh of the nightmare worshipers.
Just as ordered, their armaments were not just turned to those wielding weapons, but also those without. Nopony was spared in the aerial assault. Celestia and a few unicorns cross the bridge and placed the teleportation runes on the outskirts of the castle, allowing them to teleport their troops without crossing the bridge. Pushing the doors open, Princess Celestia and her guards entered the castle.
That’s when the massacre began.
For in this slaughter in fire, there was no spared. Mothers tried to shelter their children before they were stabbed. Old ponies who did their best to defend their people in the name of their imprisoned princess were cut down like weeds. Young colts and fillies cried over their mothers bleeding bodies before they had their throats sliced. Many more screamed glory in the name of Nightmare Moon, throwing everything they had against the cursed sun princess. It would be their last thoughts before the mithril blades ended their existence.
No pony, however, was more of a demon then Princess Celestia. Any pony she saw bearing the symbol of Nightmare Moon she killed without hesitation. Be it by sword, spear, magic, or even crushing a cultist’s head underhoof. Her fury was insatiable.
No casualties on her side occurred that night. There were no known survivors on the other side.
When at last the flames had died out, when the sounds of steel against steel were silent, and the cries of mercy were no more, only then was their a great moment of quietness before the dawn broke into the morning sky.
A great blood red dawn.
***
Celestia didn’t dare open her eyes and look upon her student’s face. She didn’t need to because she knew she had forever broken the image Twilight had of her. Like Shining Valor said, there came a day when she regretted what she did and she would forever more. For many months afterward, she had nightmares of every soul she had slain, hearing their pleading cries in her sleep. Visions of her slaying all in her path were as vivid as her own reflection in a mirror.
It was the night she had darkened her soul. It was the night she had gone against everything she believed in. Some of the soldiers who were part of that slaughter forgave her before handing in their resignations. Most would continue to serve her and would forever be loyal, but they never forgot that night.
She had just been so angry. So worried about Sunset and what happened to her. Celestia would have only feared what would have happened if she had lost her daughter. No matter what she did in life, she would never be able to make it up to the souls of those who died that day, nor to the ones who were forced to end them. It would be the final nail in the coffin that would descend her to Tartarus when she died, of that she had no doubts.
She heard the sound of hoofsteps slowly walking towards the door. Looking up and opening her eyes, she saw Twilight walking towards the exit, but she stopped just as she opened the door. Slowly, she turned around and, with tears in her eyes, whispered a sentence that shattered Celestia’s soul.
“How could you?”
And with that she left.
Celestia, after checking if the room was still soundproof, began to cry.
She was not the only one. Because a purple alicorn also cried. She cried for Sunset. She cried for her mentor. She cried knowing that things would never be the same again.
Her world had just been shattered by the very pony that built it for her.