//-------------------------------------------------------// Battleground: Equestria -by Dat Dash- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// Prologue //-------------------------------------------------------// Prologue When the aliens came, they came not from the depths of Tartarus, nor from beyond the stars, nor from beneath  the sea, but from another dimension. They came for war, conquest, and extermination. These aliens... They were not like any creature we had ever seen before... The best way to describe them is that they were most like monkeys, except with no tail, no hair, save for on the tops of their heads, and stood six feet tall. Another difference is that unlike us ponies, the creatures wore clothes regularly. But the worst part is... these aliens were sentient. They called themselves "humans," and claimed to come from a world called "Earth," a world that, as far as we can tell, was plagued with famine, poverty, and violence. Their world also seemed to be running out of natural resources, which means that Equestria was their safest bet for survival. But then they saw us... CANTERLOT ONE DAY BEFORE THE WAR BEGAN EARLY MORNING It was a historic day for Equestria. For today was the day that Princess Celestia would meet with the aliens, and discuss plans for an alliance. The throne room was empty, except for the princess herself, who was waiting for the alien leader to show up. Celestia wondered what they could want. Food? Shelter? Money? It was all a mystery to her. Just then, one of the royal guards trotted in and said, "The alien leader has arrived, your Highness." "Excellent," replied the princess. "Bring him in." And the throne room door opened, to reveal the alien leader. He was apparently old, as evidenced by his bald patch on top of his grey-haired head. He approached Celestia with an air of confidence about him. He held out his left appendage and said, "My name is Chancellor Michael E. Grant, leader of the people of Earth. It is an honor to meet you, your Majesty." Celestia was confused. "What is... that appendage, and what does this gesture mean?" "Never heard of a handshake?" he replied. "It is a simple gesture of greeting on our world." "I'm afraid I can't return the gesture," the princess explained. "For, you see, I have hooves, not hands." "I see," said the human leader. "But anyway, to business. You see, our world, Earth, is a bleak place. People are starving and poor, and resort to crime to survive. Our natural resources are running out. We need access to your natural resources." "And in return?" "The knowledge that you saved an entire people from extinction. You are a wise leader, Princess. Surely you know that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." "No." "What?!" demanded the human leader. "You don't get something for nothing, Mr. Grant." It was then that he pulled a small black object from his pocket and aimed it at the Alicorn of the Sun. "Big mistake," he said. And before the princess could so much as ask what was in his hand, she fell to the floor, dead, a hole punctured in her head, just below her horn. Just then, the royal guard returned. "Is there anything I may--" He then noticed Celestia's dead body. "You... bastard!! Do you realize what you've done?!" "Yes," the human leader replied, "I have guaranteed the survival of my race. Yours, on the other hand, is an obstacle to our survival, and therefore will not be as lucky." And he aimed the black object at the guard, who fell to the floor just as easily as the princess, an open wound gaping in his chest. //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 1: The Resistance Begins //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 1: The Resistance Begins PONYVILLE ONE DAY BEFORE THE WAR BEGAN MID-AFTERNOON Word had spread quickly about Celestia's death at the hands of the human leader. Now, whenever somepony saw a human, they ran as fast as they could, fearing for their lives. Some escaped, others, not so much. Local mailmare Derpy Hooves had been one of the earliest casualties. She wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but she delivered the mail with unparalleled efficiency. She was missed nonetheless. However, one pony wasn't going to stand for this. Her name was Twilight Sparkle, and she was an alicorn princess, the Alicorn of Friendship, to be exact. She had been in battle situations before, namely fighting off a squad of Changelings at her brother's wedding and a fight with Lord Tirek. But this was different. Her enemy was an entire race. She had to get the ponies of Ponyville together to fight this threat. And she knew just what to do... All was quiet in Ponyville. Everypony had stayed in their homes, for fear of death at the hands of humans. As they cowered in fear, a familiar voice rang out throughout the town. "Good afternoon," it said. "This is Princess Twilight Sparkle speaking. All I ask of you at the moment is your attention." Ponies across the town slowly got up out of their houses and into the streets. After all, if the Princess of Friendship was giving an address, it must be important. "I know we're all upset about the death of Princess Celestia, and we're all fearing for our lives, all because of these humans. But that's the thing. If we don't fight back, we'll all be destroyed. That's what they want. "They also want to suck our world dry. You all remember what happened with Tirek, right? He wanted all of our magic for himself. Well, it's the same thing with these humans. But the difference is, they want our resources, not our magic. "Well," said Twilight, "I'm not going to let that happen. Those humans have been nothing but trouble. We have to fight back. We have to survive. "Now, who's with me?" There was an awkward pause. Then. suddenly, a cyan pegasus with a rainbow-colored mane flew in and said, "I'm with you." Then, a orange earth pony with a blonde mane and a stetson said, "Ah'm with ya." "I'm with you as well, darling," said a purple-maned white unicorn. "Oooh! Oooh! Me! Me!!" said an energetic pink earth pony. "Um," said a yellow pegasus with a pink mane, "I'm with you too, if that's okay." This was all that the ponies of Ponyville needed. The entire town suddenly erupted in a single, united cheer. "Alright, then," said Twilight, "From this moment forward, I hereby declare Equestria in a state of war against the human race."