A New Beginning: Time of Rebellion.

The impact of the charge had created devastating losses for both sides. When they had leapt from the trench, a third of them didn't have bayonets!

Numbers worked to their advantage. Overpowering now with over 600 ponies, this battle would end soon with good strategy. They were out-skilled but had soldiers available. While the two armies were battling, the ponies on the ends of the trenches which hadn't been put into battle knew what to do. Circling around, a charge from behind tore through them, The New Equestrians army clearly took this win. "Retreat!!" A horn blew, whatever ponies that were alive turned tail and ran. An estimated 800 survived, nearly half of them wounded. They didn't stop firing though. Seizing the chance to wound them even more, random shots flew out, barely killing ten of the fleeing soldiers. A costly battle though. Around 1,000 of their own had been killed, leaving them with roughly 2,000 left on this side. Large amounts of bodies lay dead, the agonizing screams and groans of the wounded filled the air. Blood was everywhere. It would take days to recover.  The only reinforcement they would have would be thousand or so who signed up in ponyville.  But it would take days, weeks perhaps of hard training before they could be thrown onto the front lines.

Over the years, ponyville had gonna from a small town to nearly three times it's size. The Everfree forest had been fought back, hundreds of houses were in there now, shops, industries. It wasn't a bustling city but it was getting close. Yet this made the monsters more vicious. A lot more. A pony was likely to die every week with the chances. But it provided space which was needed. Ponyville had blossomed, they say, when the princess's of friendship ruled. But those six hadn't been seen in forever, no pony from that time was still around. Their used to be an old castle there, where some believe they had lived. But it disappeared one day,  and after that the princess's were soon lost to history, labeled "unreal and a myth"

Midnight Shadows eyes fluttered, her mind spinning. Laying on her side, a light layer of dirt over her, it took a few seconds to piece together where she was and what had happened. Quickly, her hooves searched up and down her body "Phew..No damage.." Groggily sitting up, the dark blue mare shook herself to get all the dirt off. Wrapping her magic around the musket, she floated it over and got up to her feet. Battle...Over?! How long had she been out! And how did these ponies get out off he trenches in a jump?! Placing her hooves on the side of the trench, midnight had to kick and use her magic to help herself get out. Panting, she picked up the gun and trotted off to the command tent, located forty or so feet away from the cottage. It was...Wasn't what she was expecting.

Around ten feet high, twenty feet wide,  the tent was a mottled gray and green. Four ponies inside, sitting around a table. "If we move forces here...We will be dangerously low here...We need more troops! Scouts have seen the buffalo with their armies! With how low we are now another attack will not be held here!" A light red hoof pounded on the table, blue and pink bobbed.

"Ehem.."

Four heads spun to meet her, she knew them all personally.

The one who had pounded her hoof, General NightRose, a name that fit her looks. Sweet yet deadly. She had grown up in the same town as her and galaxy. They had been ok friends as fillies. Her parents lived in the same town still. NightRose was very friendly, except when you questioned her command. A thorny rose was her cutie mark, she says that it was earned after jumping giving a rose to someone as she was filly.

Next to her, "Phoenix" was all he went by. Orange earth pony with a firery mane. Very smart yet weak when it came to battle. He never gave away where he came from, but the unicorn was very skilled at commanding. His cutie mark couldn't be seen, having a bullet tear threw it in a battle, after the bandage had been taken off, the fur grew back, a horrible scar remained. But his cutie mark never returned. His name actually came from his love of phoenixes, not his looks!

Across the table was blueshadow. Bulky chin and known to be quite a hard-ass. Mean, grumpy, coming from canterlot itself. He was the son of a rich family. But when the rebellion had started and word got out, he had abandoned everything to come join the ranks!

And last but not least, "Toxic" A snow white mare and a vibrant green mane. Quite like NightRose. Her name came from two thins. The fact half her body was burned off, and her looks. Toxic didn't like talking about her past, but as a filly she had fallen into hot toxic waste. The fur on her back two legs, around her cutie mark and stomach had been burned off. It had grown back but very thinly, the skin could be seen if you looked hard enough!

"Midnight? What're you doing here...I thought you were out. We got a letter you had been knocked out by the explosion!" Phoenix said surprised.

Shaking her head she chuckled lightly "No I came here cause my brother assigned me here. I guess I'll help you all with deployment and running things. There's a lot of casualties after that bat-"

"We know. Medical ponies are treating it now. Don't you worry. But we need to talk to your brother about what we will do. The battle over there by Sweet Apple Acres ended not long ago. The family is not happy with how it ended. There's less then three hundred soldiers there. And here we are stretched so thin. Another well placed attack and were done. The soldiers know this, they grow weary. The recruits in ponyville will take days to train, but another attack before that.." Toxics voice filled with sorrow "We should strip ponyville of supplies and leave..."

"You can't possibly mean that! So many ponies have died here! You want to say they fought for nothing?! We stay Toxic, you know Galaxy will say the same thing!"

"Yes but we don't have a big enough army!! It's not even five thousand! With the ponyville division it's just three thousand five hundred about. The celestial army dwarfs us with nearly ten thousand! We've dented them but our scouts report their whole army is days away! We cannot hold off another skirmish!" Blueshadow argued

"We fight. We will until the last pony! This isn't a joke Blue-"

"What? Midnight scared to admit she lost, again?"

Biting back a remark the memory of why he would ever say that to her flashed in her eyes.

It was a few months ago, fillydelphia.

She had been assigned to get the city people to join their cause under any means necessary. After several failed attempts she had gone to the lowest of low...Blackmail...But even that didn't work. However, she lied to everypony, telling them it was going well, pride would never allow her to admit it. Blue had found out though...

"I know you're lying. Why can't you just tell us?"

"You don't understand! Please"

"I'm telling Galaxy about this...Maybe then he'll realize I should be by his side helping him lead!" He was gone soon, leaving a crying mare curled up in a ball waiting for the truth to hit everypony .  Never in her life had she heard Galaxy voice get so loud...The look of distrust and shame for lying about something so big...He hadn't stripped her of her title but that small look of distrust was always there...Haunting...Reminding her off how she had failed and lied..

Midnight blinked, shaking her head "You know that doesn't matter right now! Shut up Shut up!!" A layer of magic coated her horn, the mare huffed, turning around "We aren't leaving ok? End of discussion.." Her voice seethed with anger.

How dare they?! After everything they had done! Taking a town was going to require sacrifices! All of them didn't seem to realize this! Ugh she wouldn't allow them to lose...

Heading back to the trench, she gulped. Looting a dead body was disgusting, but she needed the supplies. Moving over a dead body, the mare picked through him with her magic, gagging at all the blood and bodies everywhere. Picking up a saddlebag from a soldier, a pistol and some food, the mare sneaked off far to the right. She was going to fillydelphia.

Where was she...

Midnight had begun walking right if the cottage and trench, trying to veer all the way around both camps, then continue towards fillydelphia. Rolling out the old map, the dusty paper crinkled as she unrolled it. Blowing off the dust, Midnight looked   Down with a groan. This was over a hundred years old! It looked how Equestria did before the "boom" time. She could use it though...

After an half an hour of looking, she discovered that instead of going to Fillydelphia, a nearby town would be quicker and easier. Though there was only one close enough...Appleloosa.The ponies there were rumored to have been put down, the town burned and ransacked. They had rebelled, rumor had it, yet Celestia had quickly smashed it, wiping everypony out then cutting off all mail. The skies there were patrolled too.

From a small town, it grew to become a massive center of trade and industry. Apples sold by the thousands every day! But no one had heard from them in weeks.

All this thinking and walking was getting to her. Fatigue began creeping up on her,  going almost a day without sleep.  Having run around, battle,  and nearly die twice was tiring. Her eyes slowly closing on herself. Slumping forward into a bush, blackness swept over her.

~~~~

Hours later...

Midnight woke with a painful groan, rolling onto her side, feeling soft hay underneath her instead of the bush she had passed out on. A slight pain ran up her left back leg at the movement, a bandage wrapped around. Lifting up her head midnight examined the room with sleepy eyes. It was a shed...Or a shack of some sort. Hay littered the ground,  a few farming tools hung on the side. Old wood walls, the roof caved in slightly.

The door opened, a small figure standing in the doorway. A filly obviously. Squinting from the blinding light she lifted a hoof to cover her eyes "W-Who are you? Where am I?! What have you done to my leg?!"

The filly turned her head to look outside, nodding. Then, she took a step towards her. "Great! You're awake!"

She could just make out the filly. Earth pony, with A lovely red body, a long purple and pink name. Nice blue eyes. Kinda cute for a filly..

Midnight say up, brushing hay off of herself. Dried blood could be seen on her bandage...Though she didn't know why. When had she gotten injured? Looking up again, a mare stood by the fillies side now, staring at her silently. Breaking the sudden silence with a cough, she asked her questions again "Who are you, where am I, and what have you done with my leg?" Her voice was more harsh then she had intended it to be.

Getting a better view of the mare, midnight wanted to take back every word. She. Was. Gorgeous!!

A dark purple coat, almost grape, complemented with a dark pink mane. The tail was long, touching the ground. Groomed perfectly. Her mane curled around her neck, falling an inch or so above her eyes. A little messy though. Midnight felt her cheeks starting to lightly burn. Get a grip Midnight! You'll be gone before the hour is over..

"Just call me Graperose. Though I must ask you the same thing! Who are you and what is your business on my property?"