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// Aftermath's Addendum: The Battle of Yonderhill 
// Story: The Story of a Yonderhill Pony: The Battle of Yonderhill 
// by gmoyes 
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At first glance, the Battle of Yonderhill is much like the other battles involving the small towns of north-western Equestria. Due to the Changelings’ need for prisoners for love extraction, work camps and hostages, the Changelings needed to force our soldiers to surrender more often than wiping them out to the last pony. This was accomplished by developing a doctrine focused on armoured spearheads into the Equestrian lines and cutting them from supplies and reinforcements. It often led to situations that looked like old castle sieges, though often the only walls involved were the metal armoured Panzers. While our heavily armoured Cerberus tanks were more than capable of beating Panzers in a fight, they more often than not never got the chance to get to the battle in time to break the siege. The Changelings had infiltrated communication lines to cause confusion and delay, while lack of railways and good quality roads in the Equestrian countryside meant that vehicles had to drive for hundreds of miles over untamed land. Terror bombings and infiltrations added to the stress of the defenders, often causing them to surrender without the Panzers having to actually enter the town.

Yonderhill was in a similar situation, Ms. Green’s summary was rather textbook to the Changeling doctrine. But there are a couple of key things to note. First of all, the Hearthswarming Ceasefire and the Battle of Galloping Gorge happened immediately before between the Changelings’ 4th Panzer-Division and 34th Jäger-Division and our 4th ‘Highlands’ Onhooves Division. I’d like to clearly point out that while the ceasefire did leave our soldiers’ guard down to an immediate Changeling attack and breakthrough over the gorge, the majority of the Changelings who directly partook in the ceasefire were not the ones who attacked. They were sadly arrested and presumably executed once they got back to their own lines for affiliating with the enemy. But there were a few enterprising Changelings who took advantage of the partying over campfires and hot cocoa to infiltrate the 4th Division’s headquarters and sabotage their communication equipment once the festivities were over. Then in the early Hearthswarming morning, the Changelings had their Jägers fly over the gorge to establish a bridgehead for the Panzers to come over and annihilate the unprepared 4th Division. We had a giant hole in our frontline, and because of the sabotaged equipment, nopony knew about it. 

The other key factor was that the Galloping Gorge was one of the last lines of defense before the Shire River and the famous Shire Defensive Line. If the Changelings could push their advantage, they could cross the Shire River before the rest of the Equestrian Army could fallback and reinforce the Shire Line. If the Changelings were to pierce the Shire Line, it would allow them to press onward towards Canterlot and the heart of Equestria. 

The only thing in their way was Yonderhill. It is the largest town in the Galloping Gorge area and home to about 20,000 ponies and at the time held a reserve force of a couple thousand soldiers. Caught by surprise and surrounded on all sides, and faced with a force of greater numbers than the entire civilian population of the town, Yonderhill should have fallen immediately. And it would have, if it weren’t for the efforts of Major Red Flag rallying the defenders and having the luck that a large supply convoy was held up in town before it headed to the frontlines. And while Major Flag managed to radio out to Equestria High Command about the attack, besides sending a couple of squadrons from the Royal Air Force for air support, there would likely be no reinforcements coming in time to relieve the siege. 

However, Major Flag was given one task: hold the Changelings at Yonderhill long enough for the Equestrian Army to fall back to the Shire Line. A monumental task, a suicidal order, and morally questionable in risking the lives of thousands of civilians. But it risked the fall of the Shire Line and the entire war if not done. So, Major Flag raised one of quickest and proportionally largest militias of the war, doubling the number of defenders throughout the siege. These ponies, postal officers, police, doctors, weather teams, craftsponies, townsfolk, are all heroes of Equestria who gave their lives so that others may live. I wish I had a copy of the Major Flag’s rallying speech, it must have been legendary.

Beyond the volunteers, the supply convoy meant the militia was well equipped, especially with six 2-pounder anti-tank guns and two Bofurs Anti-Air guns that could threaten the Changelings’ Panzers. By barricading the roads and fortifying hard points like the hospital, post office and town hall, they tried to last as long as they could. Another factor in the defenders’ favour was that the unprepared attack on the Ghastly Gorge and the rush to Yonderhill meant outpacing their supply chain. Overextended and keeping to the doctrine of preserving civilian lives, the Changelings drove straight into town expecting minimal resistance. The first wave was quickly stopped by the defenders’ anti-tank weapons and Molotrot Cocktails. Even after the town hall was captured and there was an official surrender on the evening of the 10th of January, there were still several pockets of defenders fighting. These were quickly stamped out the next day.

The official casualty reports are spotty, but it is estimated that between 2,000 and 4,000 ponies died in the siege, but had cost the Changelings at least the equivalent amount of soldiers as well as almost forty Panzers. The air skirmishes were better recorded, with both the Royal Air Force and the Luftwaffe losing a couple dozen aircraft to skirmishes.

In the end, while the Changelings succeeded in capturing Yonderhill, Major Red Flag accomplished his goal of delaying the Changeling advance long enough for the defenses at the Shire Line to be established. The sacrifices of all the ponies of Yonderhill will be remembered, including the sacrifices made by Ms. Green.