The Battle For Canterlot

To anypony that reads this.

The changeling army just overtook Canterlot. I am one of the few remaining soldiers that hasn’t been captured or killed. All my friends are dead, captured or MIA. I am writing this in the old Canterlot mines with my partner Mezzo Forte. I can hear the changeling army marching overhead, murdering raping and killing all civilians that tried to run and hide. This may be the last time I will ever be heard from.
-LtC Raging Bullet
Canterlot Battalion

-2 weeks earlier

“What do you mean Changelings started firing on us?” Captain Strong Hoof asked. Captain Strong Hoof was the commander for the Canterlot Battalion

“We were doing our normal patrol route of the edge of the Everfree forest when we heard shots fired. We ran for cover but one soldier was wounded…” Private Iron Mask said, looking at Strong Hoof for permission to continue.

“Continue Private,” Captain Strong Hoof said.

“The four of us that weren’t wounded ran for cover and got our rifles out when the Changelings charged out from the forest. When the Changelings got to the wounded soldier, the lead Changeling pulled out his handgun and just shot him in the head.”
Captain Strong Hoof took a minute to let it all sink in. He then walked over to a map of the Everfree Forest and told the Private to mark where the attack happened. After the Private left, Captain Strong Hoof raced over to Princess Celestia to inform her of the attack.

“So what you’re telling me is that a Changeling group attacked and killed some of your soldiers?” Princess Celestia asked.

“Yes ma’am. I rushed over here as soon as I found out.”

Princess Celestia paced the room thinking of a way to deal with the situation. “Okay, I want increased patrols of the Everfree forest and an increase of soldiers to patrol the perimeter of Canterlot and all entrances to the city.”

“Right away, ma’am.” Captain Strong Hoof saluted Princess Celestia then left.

The next couple days went by without anything wrong, until a caravan of Equestria Arms on its way to Canterlot was attacked. The guards of the caravan were the first to be picked off by the Changelings high powered rifles. The drivers of the caravan were quickly captured and the arms of the caravan disappeared.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE CARAVAN ‘DISAPEARED’!” Strong Hoof yelled angrily at the messenger.

“I don’t know sir; the caravan just disappeared off the trail. No bodies or wreckage was found, but we have reason to suspect it was the changelings doing.”

Strong Hoof pondered the idea, then it hit him that if this was a changeling attack then they are trying to weaken the Canterlot Battalion. Fear struck over him that if the changelings were behind this they now have very powerful weapons.

Crimson Caravan woke up in a bamboo cage in a deep dark cave; he could hear screams of agony all around him and could see the boxes of arms he was supposed to be delivering. He looked over to his left and saw the driver of the other carriage laying there not moving. His eyesight eventually cleared and he saw slashes all over the drivers body and somepony slit his throat. He had a deep chill when he realized that the same thing would probably happen to him.

The cage door opened and somepony told him to get out. He was marched to a small room with a single chair. The guard told him to sit down, so he did. Then somepony stuck up behind him and tied him down. A little while later, a guard came in and started to interrogate him. “Where were you headed?” a deep gruff voice asked him.

“Fuck you,” Crimson Caravan said.

The guard took out a knife and stabbed him in his leg. A fiery jolt of pain shot through his leg as he started bleeding. “Now I am going to ask you again, where were you headed?” he asked again.
“If I tell you I am still going to die anyway.”

And with that the guard took the knife and twisted it to dislocate his knee joint. More pain shot through his leg as he started bleeding more. “This is the last time I am going to ask you where were you headed?” the deep voice asked for the third time.

“CANTERLOT! We were delivering the arms to Canterlot!” Crimson finally said.

“See that wasn’t so hard” the guard said in a nicer tone and started to walk away.

“Hey what about me?” Crimson yelled. The guard quickly turned around and slit his throat. With Crimson spurting out blood from his neck the guard turned around and walked away.

Captain Strong Hoof was sitting in a chair loading and unloading his sidearm. He was all out of contingency plans; the changelings were picking off his soldiers faster and faster with their weapons. Then an idea struck him, he called all his soldiers back to Canterlot for an important briefing.

“Soldiers, I called you all back for a final contingency plan. We are going to wall off Canterlot from the outside world.”
That got many gasps from some of the soldiers. “But, sir, how will we get supplies in then?” a soldier asked.

“I know how to, but now one but the top of the command chain is going to know,” with that Strong Hoof dismissed the soldiers and they all left the building.

The next couple of days Strong Hoof was supervising the construction of the brick wall that would soon block off the entrance to Canterlot. While the brick wall was being built, the walls surrounding Canterlot were reinforced with steel. Once the wall was finished and Canterlot was sealed off from the rest of Equestria, Strong Hoof ordered 24 hour patrols of the walls.

Strong Hoofs idea to get supplies in and out of Canterlot was through the old Canterlot mines. He gave the suggestion to Princess Celestia and asked for a map of the mines so he could plan the fastest route through the mines. He had only his most trustworthy soldier on the transportation detail, Raging Bullet, and his best friend Mezzo Forte. Raging Bullet was lower than Strong Hoof, but he trusted Raging Bullet completely. So, when Raging Bullet asked if his best friend could help out, Strong Hoof knew Raging Bullet wouldn’t have asked if he wasn’t completely certain that Mezzo Forte could help. Mezzo Forte was not a soldier but a civilian willing to help out, and with the recommendation of Raging Bullet he would soon help Raging bring in supplies from outside of Canterlot.

“So Raging Bullet says you can be counted on?” Strong Hoof asked Mezzo Forte.

“Raging Bullet and I are very close friends he has looked out for me and I look out for him.” Mezzo Forte said.

“Raging Bullet is the one pony I can count on. If he says you can be trusted than I can trust you to keep this a secret” Strong Hoof said.

“My lips are sealed. Besides I want to help out in any way I can and when Raging asked if I wanted to help him supply runs I jumped on board.” Mezzo Forte said.

“Okay then welcome aboard. I will have Raging Bullet come get you whenever we need you two to do a supply run” Strong Hoof said.

“Yes Sir!” Mezzo Forte said.

Everything was going great with Strong Hoofs plan, soldiers and civilians were kept safe, and thanks to the bravery of Raging Bullet and Mezzo Forte, were able to bring in supplies from outside the city.

-Day of the Attack

This day started off like any other. Shops were opening for the day, soldiers were marching the streets and children went to school.

All of a sudden, yelling was heard outside the wall. Soldiers saw the changelings charging. An alarm started blaring signaling that Canterlot was under attack. Soldiers started mounting the machine guns and getting their rifles ready waiting for the signal to fire. Then Captain Strong Hoof came up “FIRE!” he yelled.

Gunfire started blazing as machine guns fired at anything that was moving and the sharpshooters picked off the ones farther back. No one was prepared for what they saw over the horizon. Three fully loaded tanks came up over the horizon. The machine gunners directed their fire toward the tank, but it was futile the bullets just ricocheted off and bounced back. Then, the first tank fired blowing up one of the machine gun nests, the soldiers were vaporized immediately. Then, the second tank fired and took out a section of the wall. The wall came down with the sound of bones cracking beneath the wall as soldiers were trapped beneath the rubble. Now, with an opening available, the changelings were able to charge through. As soon as the changelings came through, they were met with a firing squad. Strong Hoof was doing whatever he could to keep the changelings at bay while Princess Celestia was escorted by 15 armed stallions to her bulletproof chariot and flown out of Canterlot.

In the caves of the old Canterlot mines, Raging Bullet and Mezzo Forte could hear the gunfire up above. “Stay here while I go check things out” Raging Bullet said to Mezzo Forte.

Mezzo Forte nodded and Raging Bullet raced to the secret entrance to the Canterlot mines. He got his rifle ready but was not prepared for what he saw. There were all his friends lined up and a changeling behind them with a pistol killing each one of them with one shot to the head. Then he saw Captain Strong Hoof struggling to get free. When the changeling guard saw this, he took out his knife and stabbed him in the back. He fell over on the ground and started to bleed out on the cobblestone streets of Canterlot. Raging Bullet saw that and ran back to Mezzo Forte. “We need to leave NOW!” Raging said.

“Why? What is going on?” Mezzo Forte asked.

“It’s a fucking changeling invasion, they are being merciless to all soldiers and if they find you helping me you will no doubt be killed” Raging Bullet said. “I am going back to try to create a diversion while you get out.”

“I am not leaving you” Mezzo Forte said.

“What? No, you have to leave.” Raging said.

“How about we wait until night and fight back?” Mezzo Forte asked. “I have already lost all my friends and family. You are all I have left and I’ll be damned if I let the changelings take my last friend” Raging Bullet said.

“Well I am going on a mission to take Canterlot back with or without your help, so what do you say are you in?” Mezzo Forte asked.

“I am in,” Raging Bullet said. And with that they waited until night to attack.