//------------------------------//
// Chapter 14: In Three Day's Time 
// Story: The Elements of Earth 
// by Tyler-the-Brony 
//------------------------------//

	Ponyville was gone now, or at least it was to all the ponies that saw it. Luna had held the town as long as she could, protecting it by herself until the last train had passed safely through her protection and into Celestia’s. Luna had sacrificed herself to capture by the Changeling’s and Discord to allow Cadance, Cheerilee, and Big Macintosh to get on to the last train, temporarily allowing herself to tap into the power of Nightmare Moon again.

Nightmare Moon would forever been seen throughout Equestria as a Hero from now on for what Luna had done that day with her power. Luna had managed to raise the entire power of the Everfree Forest to her side with Nightmare Moon’s help, the once malevolent being now wanting nothing more than to help the subjects who now admired her.

Luna had driven Discord and Chrysalis herself back for more than 20 hours consecutively before at last collapsing due to her immense exhaustion. Luna was currently being held deep with the confines of the Everfree forest, guarded by a large number of Changelings even though she no longer had any magical energy left.

Celestia had openly cried at her sister’s fall. Celestia had then begged the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony to not let the same thing happen to anypony else. So far, thanks to the help of the Elements and the revival of some of Equestria’s stronger fighters, Canterlot was managing to hold on. For how long this would last though, nopony knew.

With the arrival of Cadance in their midst, Shining Armor was reinvigorated to double up his efforts with his shield charm. Many of the children had also helped to inspire the fighters, being deputized as nurses or allowed to visit their family members to inspire them. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had almost refused to let their sisters go upon finding out they had now returned to Equestria. Spike was nearly as firm on that issue with Twilight. None of them could deny that the Bearers were needed once Chrysalis and Discord personally arrived outside Canterlot though.

The Changeling’s shift in power had caused them to appear differently now. Instead of black and green as they once, they were now blood red with the accumulated love they had taken. They also no longer had the holes in their beings, Celestia explaining the holes had represented their starvation before now. The Changeling’s were a horrifying sight to behold now, appearing in battle to almost be small evil Alicorns.

Discord’s appearance too had shifted, reflecting the Changeling’s rise to power. Discord’s appearance always reflected the beings that were most in power, his face representing the top being in power, always being a horse before now. Discord’s face was now a representation of the Changeling’s though, giving him an even more gruesome appearance. Discord himself had also grown visibly larger due to the great ability with which to unleash his chaos. Discord was now more than twice the original height he had been when Luna and Celestia had defeated him.

Once the fighters who had yet to gleam Chrysalis and Discord personally had seen them, they realized the true purpose of this war. They were fighting monsters, monsters that would destroy everything and anything anypony cared about in Equestria.

On the second day of their arrival, Discord and Chrysalis rose to the top of Shining Armor’s shield to make an announcement to the entirety of Canterlot.

“Greeting’s Canterlot. Or should I say ‘Most of Equestria’, as all you lovely ponies have been so kind to gather in your capital city by now?” Discord began, booming his voice and laughing mockingly towards the crowds gathered below.

“Defeat is inevitable. We have the Princess of the Moon, your Elements of Harmony tire, and the shields raised by Celestia and Shining Armor are not nearly as protective as you believe them to be.” Chrysalis continued, stomping on the top of the shields and mildly cracking them to prove her point.

“We will give you three days to surrender to our rule. If not, we will have all our forces gathered here to destroy your precious Canterlot once and for all!” Discord announced, laughing as maniacally as he ever had.

“We will consent to take prisoners of those who surrender, but we will not allow any who do not to remain here. You will be banished from Equestria much as we were, and none shall ever see you again. You have heard your choices. Choose wisely ponies.” Chrysalis finished, taking to the air again with Discord by her side.

The news of the entire enemy army coming to Canterlot greatly worried many ponies and would have caused a riot were it not for Cadance. Though continuous use of Cadances’s love spell was tiring, things would be far worse without it. Once Cadance had finished her spell, Princess Celestia stepped up to make her own proclamation.

“My dear subjects. You have all heard what Discord and Chrysalis said. I will not restate it for you. I merely let you know that I will not begrudge a single pony that does choose to surrender to them. I will understand any reason, whether it is overwhelming fear, or a need to protect your family. I will stand and fight to protect my birthplace, but I cannot demand or ask any of you to do the same anymore. This war has been far too hard on far too many of you already. Choose what you wish to do and act respectively. That is all I wish to say to you. I thank you for listening.” Celestia announced, shocking many ponies by not asking anypony else to stand by her in the final assault three days from now.

“Princess, I cannot believe you did not ask a single other pony to stand by you.” Twilight stated, still in awe at her teachers bravery.

“Twilight, I have lived for a very long time. I have asked very much of my many subjects. I have never faced a threat like this though. I will not face this threat as the Princess of Equestria, like I have all other times before now. I will face this threat as Celestia, proud daughter of Canterlot, prepared to die to save what I see as the most important thing. I will not see the ponies down there as my subjects anymore. I will see them as ponies and friends who I would risk anything and everything to protect. That is my way, and I will follow it to the end.” Celestia explained to Twilight, speaking as she had not ever in all her life. 

“Well, I for one will stay to fight. I returned to defend Equestria as best as I could, and I do not intend to forget my words.” Twilight replied to Celestia, standing as though she had just now gotten her second wind.

“Ya can count on me too Princess. Ain’t no point in one o’ tha Elements staying if we all don’t stay.” Applejack added, taking a place next to Twilight.

“Applejack’s right. We must all do our very best.” Rarity spoke up, coming to stand on the other side of Twilight.

“Rainbow Dash has never run away or given up before now, and that’s not going to change in the slightest!” Rainbow yelled, landing next to Applejack.

“I’m not the Fluttershy everypony in Ponyville knew anymore. Equestria needs a warrior, and that’s what I’m going to be.” Fluttershy announced as she landed next to Rarity.

“If I want to throw an after-war party, I’ve got to be here after the war. I’m staying too.” Pinkie Pie said, coming to stand next to Rainbow Dash.

Celestia smiled down at her little ponies, glad that she could still call them that for as different as they were now. Many more ponies on the balcony came to assure Celestia that they too would stay to fight, Cadance and Shining Armor included amongst their numbers.

“Aunt Luna sacrificed herself to let me come here to help. I won’t ever forget that.” Cadance spoke up, looking as she had when she had last faced down Chrysalis on her wedding day.

“Well, I can’t exactly call myself a proper stallion if I abandon my wife and little sister here now can I?” Shining Armor added, moving to stand between Twilight and Cadance.

Down below the balcony from where Celestia spoke and her bravest ponies joined her, her bravery would in turn spurn a whole new army, revitalized by the words of their Princess, their friend, and their protector. Not a single pony would move to abandon Canterlot, the last place ponies had left to call their own in this terrible war.