My brother sent me a letter a few months ago when he was stationed in Applewood during the Coltfoalnian Campaign. It was the last letter he sent to me before he went missing. I rummaged my belongings to find the letter and once I found it, a reread the letter.
Hi Brother,
I received your letter yesterday, don't worry I'm fine and dandy here with my boys from home. I'm in Applewood, by the way. Applewood! The place where Marelyn Maneroe and Chris Hoovesworth do their movies! Fantastic right? I hope you don't get jealous. I know you've always wanted to go here since you're still a colt. Worry not, little brother! coz I'll take you here when this whole war is done for.
Turns out, the 35th division(my division if you didn't know) is about to have a rumble with the 13th and 14th Panzer Divisions known to our boys at the front as 'Pharynx's Tormenting Twins'. Very fitting. I believe you've heard about the news of Blueblood's defeat in Vanhoover and Salt Lick City more than a month ago. Just so you know, they were the hammer in those two battles. However don't worry, right now we've stocked as many AT rounds as we can and we'll bust those changeling tanks in record speed. Their units had special insignias to distinguish them and the other changeling units. I've seen their insignias, they look sick! I had my unicorn buddy draw them for you at the back of the paper.
Anyway, enough about me. How's the farm? I hope you no longer mad about taking my chores there! Do tell me about everything interesting happening at the farm in your next letter. I'd love to hear it. Sorry bud, I gotta pen off(not because I don't know what to write!). Anyway, give my prayers to Ma and Pa. I promise that all of you don't need to fret about me. I'll be heading home in one piece after I get my souvenirs from Vesalipolis.
Your big brother,
Greengrass
That was the last letter I received from my brother days before he was reported missing. A week after my brother's disappearance, Princess Celestia had passed a decree to begin the fourth recruitment drive or conscription drive from my point of view and that was when I got drafted into this war. This letter somehow appeared in my bag when I was unpacking moments after I arrived at my barracks. Maybe Pa slipped it in. But I digress.
The two insignias that I spotted engaging the Ponyville Garrison were the exact if not much neater compared to the horn drawn drawing. Unsurprisingly, other ponies noticed that too and they immediately broke the news to the other uninformed recruits. Of course, some were trembling out of fear, some were confident like my brother and some were deadpan about the news.
*******
It was 11 PM and engagements at Ponyville still hadn't waned. In fact, the battle was in full swing as I heard the thundering sounds of artillery bombardment getting more and more intense. One can only wonder the agony the Ponyville Garrison was under. The whole garrison was in full alert and the trenches were filled with soldiers watching the light show at Ponyville helplessly.
The High Command had decided to not send reinforcements to Ponyville and the defenders there was ordered to delay the changeling advance for as long as possible to make more time for the Canterlot Garrison to prepare for the inevitable.
However, the Ponyville Garrison could only hold for so long. After three perpetual days of fighting, they finally broke. General Applejack had ordered a retreat to Canterlot while she and her few elite comrades acted as a rearguard and to hod the changeling advance while the rest of the garrison retreated. The whole operation only took a full day.
After the battle, the 13th and 14th halted their advance. Probably to lick their wounds and to wait for the arrival of the also crack Jägers, specialized primarily in urban combat and close-quarters combat and the elite Queen's Guard.
They finally resumed their advance to the Jewel of Equestria a day after the arrival of the Jägers and the Queen's Guard. They were accompanied by an artillery bombardment and a large air wing of bombers, close air supports and fighters.
Our morale had severely plummeted after the shattered Ponyville Garrison arrived to merge with our garrison and it depleted further at the sight of the large army heading towards the capital all eager to conquer the majestic Equestrian capital. However, it was relieved when the Royal Sisters announced that they will be personally involved in the imminent battle along with their veteran group of Solar and Lunar Guards.
*******
We waited in our trenches and pillboxes as we braced the deafening artillery bombardment. I was stationed at the inner city defences. Thankfully, the changelings did not target the city yet, most of the bombardment was aimed at the unfortunate ponies at outer defences.
Five minutes after the bombardment, machine gun and small arms fire were heard throughout the entire city. I could see the whole battle happened in front of my very eyes as I was stationed at an elevated position of the city. Explosions and tracer rounds were clearly seen searching for its target. However, the changeling panzers spearheaded through the line breaking any effective resistance it faced in a quick stroke. Soon, the outer defences finally succumbed to the sheer firepower of the changeling army in a mere hour.
The tanks did not stop there, they continued to push forward and overrunning the stubborn defenders at the edge of the city and began to push into the outskirts. More and more reserves were activated and sent to halt the changelings from advancing deeper into the city. I could only watch hopelessly from my post along with other ponies stationed with me. Dozens of half-tracks, trucks and tanks rushed to patch up the holes in the front only to be target practice for the changeling aircraft. Anti-aircraft sites were rendered useless against the numerous changeling aircraft due to their lack of mobility and agility. The Equestrian Royal Flying Corps(ERFC) were still an hour away to have any impact on the ongoing battle. Until the arrival of the ERFC, we were to beat back the changeling advance while being picked off from the sky.
As casualties mounting on both sides, the battle was not going well for the Equestrians. The changelings finally arrived at my part of the front. I had to duck several times to avoid any changeling shots. The gunshots were deafening as if they almost pierced my eardrums. Every time I pop back up from my cover to find a target, I was forced to duck again. Suddenly, an explosion blew about four meters in front of me. I was thrown to a wall and was concussed for a good minute. Fortunately, the sandbags in front of me had protected me from any shrapnel. Then a changeling emerged from the blown-up cover. I quickly grabbed my Lavender Rifle and aimed at his shoulder. I dare not to kill any creature regardless if it's a changeling or a pony. I pulled the trigger and a loud bang followed it. The changeling fell and was screaming in pain. Only to be silenced with a bullet in the head. Another pony had killed it mercilessly as he continued firing at the deceased with his automatic rifle and emptied an entire magazine on the dead changeling. "Die you merciless bug!" the pony shouted as he finished his magazine. I watched the scene with horror after witnessing the irony of the situation.
As I recovered the changeling attack still hadn't wavered instead it got more intense. the panzers began to outnumber the defenders and the line was nearing its breaking point. Some ponies began to flee to the next defensive line. I was about to follow suit until a large blast blew up behind me. Then I looked to the back of me and saw hundreds of Royal Guards consisted of earth ponies and unicorns blasting the changelings with their magical weapons. I then turned to the sky above and saw Princesses Celestia and Luna charging the changeling army supported by an army of pegasi Royal Guards and the thestral Lunar Guards, all armed with magical weapons except for the princesses. Princess Celestia was wearing a helmet gold in colour much like her regalia and a golden breastplate with her cutie mark on it both looked like they were enchanted by some protection spell. Princess Luna also wore a helmet and a breastplate with her cutie mark on it. But it was dark blue in colour and her breastplate was much more similar to the armour her Lunar Guards wore. Together they attacked the changeling army by blasting rays of magic blue and yellow in colour to the surprised changeling attackers.
As the princesses and her loyal well-equipped guards finally intervened, the line began to recuperate. Hundreds of ponies arrived to reinforce the nearly broken line and some of the fleeing ponies returned to join the fight. The changeling attack was almost blunted. It was until the Queen's Guard arrived in their multitudes. They were armed with magical weapons too. But instead of firing violet magical pulses like the Royal Guard ones, it fired green ones much like their queen's magical aura. I was shot by a magical weapon at one of my back hooves. I was picked up by a medic and was tended about 100 meters from the battle. The battle was still raging even if it's evening and the princesses were forced to leave and recover after their armour was nearly broken as the result of constant hits from the magical pulses and armour-piercing bullets, they also had to return to raise the moon and set the sun. But the Royal Guards didn't leave and continued fighting. As the medic tended me, I could see the beautiful yet terrifying colours of green and purple magical pulses firing at each other and yellow and red tracer rounds going out and about followed by several orangish-yellow coloured blasts.
The battle slowly faded until it finally ended at around 10 PM then I was transported to a field hospital at the Castle Courtyard when it was safe to move around. After I finished my surgery, two medics lifted my stretcher and put me on a somewhat comfortable bed in a space in the courtyard that was filled with all kinds of wounded soldiers. From there I saw heard disturbing sights and sounds. It was much more prominent than it was when I was at the front as gunfires drowned those sounds. At my left, a pony was sleeping with a bandage on one of his eye and an amputated hoof. At my right, laid a pony with his forehead wrapped with cloth and a stitch on his left flank. He's also looked like he was shellshocked as he was looking everywhere with a fearful demeanour. I tried to sleep but was unable to after hearing all sorts of screams, groans and wails.
One of my comrades visited me and he told me that the changeling attack had stopped at the whole city. He explained that Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns became the "Jägers Grave" as many Jägers died trying to clear out the area filled with ponies armed with shotguns (the weapon that the changelings didn't possess somehow) and machine guns. Fighting took place in classes, halls and courtyards and the ponies managed to hold back the changeling attack.
He also said that the area at Restaurant Row, the street filled with 5-star restaurants became the "Panzer Scrapyard" as many changeling tanks and half-tracks were destroyed by the lurking ponies armed with anti-tank rifles, grenades and anti-tank guns. Many changeling mechanized and armoured columns were ambushed by the Equestrians hiding in every nook and cranny in Restaurant Row.
Besides, the ERFC finally arrived at 5 PM and managed to stave off the changeling aerial attacks and gave the much-needed air support for the battered Canterlot Garrison. Although we managed to hold the attacks of the day, we were besieged in the city with the changelings controlling all entrances to the city in front of us and the gigantic seemingly impassable for non-pegasi ponies Mount Canter behind us. It was only a matter of time before the changelings managed to wring every ounce of strength from the garrison.
The changeling would try and try to break the Canterlonian defence for more than a month only to face defeat after defeat and sustaining heavy losses and casualties. It was when Queen Chrysalis had finally reached her breaking point and ordered the Changeling Supreme Command to capture Canterlot be it by hook or by crook. From that point on, the changeling had begun to use extreme measures to neutralize the Canterlonian defenders and to reduce their mounting casualties.