(a picture of my little bugo)
All was quiet on the first day. I went into work knowing about the whispers that a New Revolution was stirring up in the underbelly of Canterlot. My wife at the time Blood Moon, a bat pony, was talking about it, not in depth. I think she knew a bit more than she let on but held back because I was Celestia’s head science stallion and her former student.
It was very normal at work, just a few of the bat pony guards started to get nervous, like something was coming. I was optimistic that if something were to start, Celestia would clean it up quickly. Boy was I very wrong.
I went home that day from work in the lab, ate, and tucked Dox, my little adopted changeling, into bed before heading to bed with Moon.
(a picture of my little bugo)
This day will live in my memory as one of the worst days in Equestrian history. I left home without seeing Blood Moon or Dox. I had assumed Moon went to drop Dox off at school early, so I didn’t think much of it at the time.
I went to work, but it wasn’t long until I heard it loud and clear. The ground shook from an explosion just a bit too far away for me to hear right before fighting broke out in the halls. Bat ponies were fighting the guards. Some of the night guards started to help the bat ponies fight the royal guards. I ran for Princess Celestia’s throne room to warn her, but it was too late. The bat ponies were already there along with a few night guards to help them. I did my best and helped Celestia and what remained of the royal guards to get out of the castle.
We fled to Ponyvill where we explained to Twilight what had just happened. We quickly created a defense between Ponyvill and Canterlot, and it wasn't a moment too soon. Right when the first cannon fired at us from a troop heading towards us, we had just finished the trenches.
We found out later that the troop was called the “Night Terrors”. With them was my wife, but I didn’t know that at the time.
(an image of the troop that survived the war. My wife is on the far right.)
They had brought a lot of cannons and were firing at us almost nonstop. We were worried we would not be able to give Celestia and Twilight enough time to get reinforcements. We held just long enough for a group of Pegasus, led by Rainbow Dash, to counterattack and push them back far enough that the cannons were useless. This only angered them. They built their own trench as more bat ponies came down from the mountain. We found out later when a letter arrived from Spike, who had been in Canterlot on different duties, saying Luna had staged the revolution and wanted us to come quietly into the hooves of the New Lunar Republic (NLR). She told us that she was just trying to prove Celestia needed to up the defense. Celestia did not take that lightly.
Twilight was worried about Spike, but Celestia calmed her down before we had to sleep. Good thing there were volunteers in Ponyvill to help throughout the night. They called themself VFD (The World is Quite Here), I still need to find them and ask them about that.
I found out through a VFD member that Blood Moon didn’t make it to Ponyvill. I had to move on for the moment, the time for love was after the war.
We were able to create a bomb that would be deployed by one of Ponyvill’s old planes that they use to use for transport goods. It helped push the line back and gave us time and space to breathe. Somehow Celestia managed to get one of her council members from Canterlot to Ponyvill. His name was Watermelon Rat. I didn’t trust him, but I had no options.
The NLR pushed back but was quickly squashed by our new member of the team. He helped improve the bomb and developed bombing techniques to maximize destruction. The stallion was crazy but good. I later coined the term Solar Empire (SE) and told Celestia about it. She liked the name so it stuck.
The days were so slow they almost seem to blur into each other like melted cheese. I would wake up, and help plan another attack with Celestia and Twilight. We would get good ground before slipping again. This happened over and over again. I think the only reason we kept the front lines up was because of Watermelon and Red Flux.
A side note to mention is I kept loading the cannons wrong. I blew up a few doing that. Ops. ^^
Got to wonder if that’s why I haven’t been deployed back since day 5.
The day right before the war ended. The NLR pushed with everything they had. Watermelon was trying his best and Red Flux was in the hospital at the time. We were so in need of help that I was deployed as a platoon leader. When the NLR ponies got close enough, we charged at them ourselves.
We killed a lot of ponies that day. I killed a lot of ponies that day. I’m not proud, not even happy about it, but I thought it was the right thing to do at the time. That was until I saw her standing across the battlefield from me.
There she was, Blood Moon, standing across from me. Blood coated her armor. Mine was too. We were lost in shock and horror. In that moment, all I wanted to do was curl up into a ball and die right on the spot. But another emotion came through and saved me. Love.
We ran to each other and took off our helmets. Without a word even spoken, we kissed for the first time in over a week.
That was the best kiss I think I’ve ever had. I didn’t want that moment to end. All I wanted was for the war to end so I could hug my wife again without having to immediately dodge an incoming bomb from the NLR.
We got out of there without a word before the bomb dropped.
I now write this, sitting on the trench of the NLR as Celestia and Luna talk about an agreement in no man's land as the NLR called it. Right now I’m eating a sandwich with my wife next to me.
I think you might be wondering what happened to Dox. I am too. Just give me a sec to ask Moon.
. . .
OK, so apparently Luna has him somewhere in Canterlot Castle. I hope to the pony reading this will take away that war is never good. No one ever wins in war. It’s a game only one side losses a bit less.
I hope you take away that love is stronger than anger. That Friendship is magic.