Christmas Day
"Right this way, ladies! I've something to show you." The Doctor proclaimed, leading the group of ponies to a blue box labelled "Police public call Box". Few ponies have seen it, and fewer have been inside, including 4 currently in his party. Sworn to secrecy, they vowed never to speak of this strange blue box, lest the evils of this world, or others, get a hold of the raw power held within. For this was no ordinary box...
He motioned his friends to come inside with him and Derpy, only to receive confused looks on many of the ponies' faces save the Princesses and Twilight, whom only exchanged knowing looks with one another. "Uh Doc, hate to burst your bubble, but there ain't no way we'll all fit! Why, it's smaller than an outhouse with Big Mac in it!" Applejack exclaimed.
"You will be pleasantly surprised how much room is inside, my little pony!" Celestia spoke, her sister quietly encouraging the rest to follow The Doctor and his companion inside the Box.
What beheld them on the inside left them awestruck. Oohs and ahs were exchanged at the enormity of the machine. "This, my ladies, is the TARDIS!" He motioned his hoof to the wonderful contraption surrounding them. "Time And Relative Dimension In Space: T-A-R-D-I-S. Me and her have shared a lot of memories over the years..." His eyes became glossy, no doubt reliving some of those memories in his head for a moment before shaking himself back to reality. "I have something to share with you all. It might give you some hope your kind desperately needs right about now." His expression turned sombre just for a moment, before his smile came back and he began to lead the way down a corridor nearby.
Twisting and turning, they finally stopped in front of a futuristic looking door, with various symbols etched above it. Using a panel nearby, The Doctor opened the door into a dark room. He motioned them to follow closely, shutting the door behind them. "What you are about to see is a fraction of one of my memories from Earth."
"Woah, woah, woah. Slow down there, what do you mean 'Earth' ? You mean that weird place that Twilight went to with the Hugh-Manns?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Yeah, aren't you a pony, like the rest of us?" Pinkie questioned as well, causing small murmurs of agreement to form among the rest.
"He's not. Nor is he human." Luna spoke. "He is called a Time Lord: a very ancient race of beings whose origins even us Princesses will never be told." She said.
"I do hate to interrupt, but why is that, Princess? If you don't mind me asking, I mean." Rarity exclaimed.
Almost afraid of answering, the Princess of the Night turned to The Doctor for sign of approval. He nodded, allowing her to continue on. Luna sighed, downcast. "It is because they do not exist anymore..." This revalation caused the ponies to gasp.
"Y-you mean, t-they're..." Fluttershy uttered.
"Dead? No, just... Lost. The Doctor won't talk about what happened them other than to have him tell us that and only that, no matter how many times me and my sister implore him to. If not for us, then for him." Celestia grabbed her shoulder, comforting her sister.
"Yes," The Doctor spoke again "I am the last of my kind. A title I bear with a heavy heart." He stated, looking at all the sad faces around him yet again.
Though, I consider myself more pony than Time Lord now. He smiled when his eyes came across Derpy, who amongst this exposition never once stopped smiling that sweet smile she always did to cheer up her beloved.
"Today is not about me though. It isn't even about you, but it is about the hope that Humanity has shown me, and that is something I think you all need to see." Suddenly, a console appeared near him, allowing him to input some numbers amd data in order to activate his memory. A hologram appeared, showing the date he inputted into the console. It read "December 25, 1914; The Christmas Truce" A few more inputs lit up the room with grids of light, preparing to cast a hologram of that fateful day.
Mere moments have passed, when the background changed and all around them images of soldiers and trenches appeared. Gunfire and explosions started to complete the gruesome battlefield, before the once frozen holograms sprang to life. The horrors that the ponies were witness to made some gag and others look around in utter shock.
Quiet until now, Starlight spoke up. "T-this is what you wanted to show us? This is what is supposed to cheer us up?! This is a-a slaughter! A bloodbath! How is all this-" she motioned to the bloody conflict surrounding them "-supposed to cheer us up!?" She stamped her hoof down in anger. A few seconds of silence passed, Starlight still waiting for a reply. "WELL!?" She yelled, patience running out. Suddenly, the sounds of destruction stopped, and the ponies turned their eyes towards the soldiers. They weren't fighting, and they looked as confused as the ponies observing the scene.
"Why did they all stop?" Twilight asked, looking around for an answer. Her answer came, in a faint but distinct sound coming from across the battlefield in the opposing trenches. It sounded like... Singing?
"There is your answer, Starlight." He pointed to the groups of soldiers rising from the Enemy trenches, unarmed and singing. The other soldiers thought it was a trick, still keeping their fingers on the trigger of their weapons, ready for battle to start up again in a moments notice. That is, until one single word was uttered: Christmas.
That one word caused all the sergeants to order their men to stand down. Once they did, they noticed there was no threat. "On this day," began The Doctor. ", I was reminded of the power humanity had. In one of their darkest hours, the Central Powers and the Entente lowered their weapons to celebrate their version of Hearth's Warming. It was a holiday called Christmas, and it was so powerful that it stopped the Great War."
He sighed. "The reason I showed you this, is because even though I am in another dimension unable to return to my own plane of existence, I am still reminded of Humanity, this time in the form of you ponies."
He smiled, ending the simulation. "Hope is just a small song away. That was the lesson I learned that day, and I see the same dejected and broken spirit here and now, that I saw all those years ago. The Storm King destroyed a lot, but you can rebuild!" He smiled at Applejack and Rarity. "You can reestablish order! Give hope to those who need it." His gaze settled on the three Princesses, bowing in respect and them bowing in return. "You can give what you can, even if it's a small joke or smile!" He giggled, turning to Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. "Nothing is stopping you from doing your best, even in times of duress," He motioned to Rainbow Dash, giving her a hoofbump mid-air. "And most important of all, nothing will stop hope and love from prevailing." The Doctor trotted over to his beloved and gave her a loving kiss. Trotting back, he put a hoof on Starlight's shoulder. "Never forget that." He looked at all of them in turn. "You all have the ability to give hope. Don't stop yourselves from remembering that."
And thus, they all celebrated in the confines of the not-so-small Police Box, playing games and smiling, forgetting the troubles outside its doors, even if just for a day...
The story is done! Sorry about the delay, everything is fixed and I was able to finish a day earlier than expected in light of recent events. If you enjoyed it, let me know! We needed something this in my opinion. There is too much negativity in the world, so lets have a smile, even if it's for a day! 
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While I do not think that the Storm King implemented scorched earth tactics — conquest was his goal, not mindless destruction — this story has a original and interesting concept. Good for you.
8660531
Thank you! I was going for a more serious portrayal of what happened considering some of the dark tones from the movie. it's the first real defeat I've seen compared to the others, which seem small in comparison. Either way, I'm glad you like the story!
8660622
On the pain of sounding like a jerk, I shall inform you that while it is more serious, it is not more realistic. Why bother to invade a kingdom when all you'll have left to rule over are ashes? Some destruction will be present, sure, but overall it won't be major (the Canterlot Castle is only one building, and it was repaired instantaneously). I do have an idea for making it sound more serious and yet stay true to the portrayal in the movie. Scene of the ponies being enslaved were present, right? You could capitalize on the mental trauma such an experience would no doubt leave, although I don't know how that would fit in with the Christmas Truce.
P.S. I really don't want to sound like an arrogant jerk, but I do recognize that my impersonal sounding writing style doesn't help in that aspect, so I'll reiterate the fact that your one-shot was original, and I liked it.
8660634
Hey, you don't sound like a jerk and made some valid points! but(as a counter argument) if he were to conquer, then there could be two ways: hostile takeover, such as storming the capital and seizing total control, or show of force. I went with the latter in this story. Freezing all Princesses in a prison of stone, stealing their magic, and enslaving the ponies all gave me an idea for the brute force concept. I just kind of experimented with the darker aspects of the movie, and what it could have entailed in the other parts of Equestria. One such thing was the fuel needed for their airships, which didn't rely heavily on wind power and more on motor power. Thus the Dragon Lands concept was born. If he needs fuel, then why not take from a plentiful resource? While it is true we saw the castle completely repaired, what of the capital itself? Not much is shown, so on my part, an assumption was made on the state the city itself would be in.
His intentions, in my opinion, seemed more on obtaining power than conquering a nation so I tried to go for a dark tone.
Thank you for the criticism though, I appreciate what you had to say so I might make some edits to this story in the future.
8660647
Yay! I can participate in a discussion!
So, this is a "What if?" story, then? Maybe you could add an alternate universe tag, although this fic is near borderline standards for that tag.
For this argument, I'm assuming that a "show of force" entails quickly and utterly decimating a (major) population center with overwhelming force as a threat to use against a nation in order to intimidate them into surrendering.
Now, I shall present my counter argument. I'm not sure whether or not a show of force tactic is wise when facing a nation like Equestria. From the looks of it, Equestria is the MLP world's America, basically the No.1 superpower. It would only serve to anger the population and unite the nation even more against the Storm King, and it would probably become something like the King Sombra timeline from the season 5 finale. Is that why so many cities were destroyed? I can't imagine destroying every city is good for anything, even for a show of force.
P.S. More information on the kind of "show of force" would be welcome, if it isn't a bother.
P.S.S. I'm not an expert at all concerning these kind of things, so my opinion is that of a layman's.
8660679
Yeah, I love discussions like this! One such show of force that I noticed is upon arriving, they (tempest and the Storm Kong's army) immediately take out the governing powers as well as the most powerful sources of their magic. Now, I'm not saying they destroyed many cities, but major ones that could oppose them, such as Manehatten or Las Pegasus and even Ponyville. Another thing to keep in mind is the Equestrian population, save for the Mane 6 and the Princesses, are not used to these kinds of threats. As ponies, they are a herd society so if the leader of the herd for lack of a better name, is taken away, many will not have the ability to rise up. They will be devastated their leaders are gone, and won't be able to rise up. Compared to the mob mentality us humans have, they won't be inspired to take up arms, even if they see someone such as the Mane 6 fight against the opposing power.
8661552
So, it's like a show of force to the population, not the government, in order to reduce post-invasion resistance? In that case, I just saw the Wikipedia page for "show of force" and it says it's a preventative measure, as in warning the enemy not to wage war on them, so if that definition holds true then what you're describing technically isn't a show of force, since it's the opening move of a war. Rather, I think the Storm King used "shock and awe", along with the first move being a "decapitation strike". If so, I wouldn't advise destroying Manehattan, Las Pegasus, etc., since the cost-benefit ratio of destroying them would be unjustifiable compared to simply taking out any military presence (which I doubt they have) there and enslaving the citizens like in Canterlot. That'll lower their morale plenty enough, not to mention the fact that they can't fight in the first place, being enslaved.
Also, I don't really have a headcanon yet concerning pony mentality, so I can't really think of something to counter that part argument. Besides, there's the fact that we can only guess about the mentality of sentient pastel-colored ponies, although I do think that what you're saying about ponies is quite realistic. But, but, I think that as time passes on, they'll eventually regain their strength of will, and the resistance will start getting stronger. I think the scene when the Mane 5 learn that Twilight was captured is a pretty good example of a group rallying themselves after being demoralized, although it'll take some more time with the general population.
P.S. I'm noting the fact that while I'm trying to think realistically, realistic thinking tends to falter when faced with plot convenience.
8663443
Very true about the destruction of cities so you have me on that! Either way, I hope it's a good read to others as well as yourself!
8664300
While it wasn't my usual cup of tea, it was still a thought provoking read nonetheless, as our discussion can testify.
So, I take that this is the end of our little discussion? If then, I thank you for it; I don't really have anyone to discuss matters such as these with, and it feels refreshing to talk about things for a while.
Still, if you're up for it, I'm up for a discussion at any time, whether it be about military tactics or headcanons. After all, I gotta have something to do while trying to search for interesting docs to read, right?
8664609
Well, I am in the process of editing some chapters for some of my fics and could always use "fresh eyes", so to speak. If that's something that piques your interest, I could always use advice involving headcanon as well as proper military tactics! Fair warning though, most of the fics I am currently working on are crossovers so if that isnt your cup of tea, I understand.
Just go ahead and either send me a PM or a comment if you'd like to help! No guarantees ill be able to respond immediately, due to my current work schedule but ill try my best!
The Allied and Axis powers were in WW2, in WW1 it was the Entente: Britain, France, Russia (and others) against the Central powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire.) Just so you know.
8754811
Thanks for giving me the heads up! When I have some free time to edit, ill go ahead and change that!
To think what would have been if the Truce lead to true peace
Great story.