Blood Sands

20 years......It has been 20 years since the terrible war that had claimed the lives of over 2 million ponies of all kinds. Twilight sat in her bench outside her house, her once dark blue mane with purple highlights had now faded in color. She smiled gently as fillies and colts with their mothers and fathers walked by, she never smiled much anymore after the true horrors of war that had been burned into her soul and seeing half her friends perishing with the war.

After the war when she came home, spike the once small baby dragon, had grown since the war had lasted 5 years. She was glad to come home to him after seeing the horrors, later after 10 years he finally hugged her for the last time from living in the house with her and went on his way with his new love to start his own family, every now and then he comes over to see her with his wife and two children.

"Well... its getting late i should head on in", said twilight as she balanced one hoof on the arm rest and got up. Being only 37 years old her legs ached from the stress they had gone through during the war. She entered her house and pushed the door gently till she heard the bolt lock in place, then went to her pantery and reached in and gingerly took out a bottle of equestrian whiskey, she never was one for drinking alcohol but she decided to give it a try. She uncorked the bottle with a short pop, she still remembered the day that that this bottle was given to her as a welcome home gift from the war, after grabbing a short drinking glass she poured the amber colored liquid into the glass.

She then walked to her table in the middle of her living room and sat down in one of the chairs, her horn glowed softly and so did the small clear drinking glass with the amber colored whiskey.Raising the glass up to her lips she than took a small sip of the liquor, she winced slightly to the harsh taste almost spitting it out but instead swallowed it.The whiskey tasted oaky with a hint of caramel and despite the first taste being harsh it tasted rather delightful.Setting the small glass down twilight then scanned her bookshelves for something to read, her eyes then rested on one book and smiled gently then with her horn glowing she then pulled out the pieced together book.It was a scrapbook with her platoons picture after starying at the picture for a good two minutes she then opened the rough brown book and looked through the pictures of her past.

The scrapbook brought tears to her eyes remembering her and her friends years in the equestrian army, she absolutely hated the war losing half her friends was just too much.Twilight then closed her eyes remebering the day the knock came on the door and getting the news that she was getting drafted into the armed equestrian forces, the day.....were it all began.

5 days prior to Equestria declaring War

Solar Base Alpha 443
Location: 5 miles from the Solar Empire and New Lunar Republic border

The base was in its usual routine of drilling the soldiers, testing the weaponry, and running political status.General Headsted was going over his usual morning proceduers, he was a tall earth pony with a brown buzz cut mane and had been in the equestrian military for 8 years."God damn republic who the heck do they think they are", said the general with irritation, the new lunar republic has been threatning the solar empire for pointless reasons.The solar empire was currently in a communist regime, but not an extreme version of communism, celestia did not treat her country, the ponies, or other countries like crap she just wanted to improve and strengthen her country to the point were the country could switch over to a democracy not conquer all and spread communism.

"This day is rather beautiful, but it doesnt feel right", the general thought to himself, ever since he had gotten up this morning a sense of dread had been building in his stomach.But he just shrugged it off thinking that his senses were just working overtime from the wire thin tension between the solar empire and the republic.

"General headsted sir",the general jumped a little and turned around to see a young 17 year old unicorn with a letter floating in the air beside him."Awww...scribe apprentace Scroll its nice to see you", the general said with an enthusiastic tone, he was glad to see the young unicorn he was a smart one with a good spirit."I..its good to see you to sir...i mean general, sorry", stammered the unicorn.

"No..no its quite alright scroll, so what have you brought me today".The unicorns horn glowed slightley brighter as he levitated the letter to the earth pony, the general then grabbed the letter with his teeth and set it on his table."Thank you scroll i've always been very fond of you keep up the good work!", exclaimed the general the enthusiasm kind of startling the young unicorn."Thank you very much for the compliment general", said scroll as he saluted the general and then started to trot off from the command building.

Headsted started to trot to the table when heard the distant roar of fighter jets,"thats weird i was never informed of regular test runs on the jets", headsted exclaimed, but then the dread that had been building in his stomach since the morning lurched making his legs tremble so furiously that he had to brace himself against his desk.Then slowly he turned his head to the open door were scroll was now 60 yards from, he had also stopped and looked into the sky his expression now in utter fear.

Just as scroll was turning his head to the door, THADOOM!!!!!A missile from a jet struck right wear scroll was standing, the sharp crack of the explosion rippled through the building, the concusion sent the general flying across the room slaming against his desk.

His vision was now blurry, his ears ringing, under the loud ringing in his ears he heard the faint sound of sirens, but not fire sirens the sirens he wished he would never hear, air raid sirens.Headsted pushed himself up and braced one hoof on the desk beside him as his vision cleared and his legs strenghtend, he then walked over to the door wear he had been blown from.

Then his eyes widened in horror, the place wear scroll once stood was now a tiny crater but that wasnt what he was horrified from.Right beside the crater was the torn apart mangled body of the military courier scroll, his lower half of his body gone completely, his upper half mangled, his once enthusiastic face now mangled to the point wear you couldnt even recognize him.His intestines and other organs scattered around him and some hanging out of the body, his blood forming a medium sized pool around him.

"no..no...NOOO",headsted screamed, his stomach heaved from the sight and vomited on the ground in front of him.Overhead jets screamed through the air and he caught sight of one of them, the jet was blue and painted on the fin, the abreviation NLR.Instantly headsted new what the abreviation was and who was attacking the base the new lunar republic.He then pushed himself of the ground, his legs shaking violently but he managed to stamer to the stairs that lead to the roof of the one story command building.

Headsted made it to the roof, the sky now black and orange with fire and smoke, the wind carrying the smell of burning flesh and rubber.He was horrified at the sight:burnt bodies of stallions and mares torn apart and mangled some with no heads others blown apart, jets that tried to take off to fight the attacking ones were shot and burned on the runway before even taking off, medics scurrying and runing to count the dead and attend the wounded.

"This..this...wont be forgiven, as long as i live IN THIS COUNTRY!",headsted screamed into the scorched sky, rage now burned in his eyes, hate that will never be extinguished.The wire thin tension that had held for so long, tensions that had worried everyone had now snapped.

The war had begun.

Twilight Sparkles house

4 hours after the attack

"Hey twi wake up!", shouted spike joyfully from down below, twilight opened her eyes she just got done with a wonderfull dream, she glanced at her clock 9:00."Well i guess i should get up", said twilight as she yawned and sat up in bed, but she felt a weird feeling like something bad had happened but shrugged it off as a random feeling.

Twilight slowly walked down the stairs, her mane and tail combed before coming down for breakfast."Good morning spike", said twilight cheerfully, the purple dragon turned and smiled warmly at her,"morning twi breakfast is almost done".
She smiled back and opened her front door and took in the cool morning air, she smiled seeing two fillies playing in their parents front lawn, she always loved seeing sights like this it just makes her more happy to live in ponyville.

"c'mone twi its all done", shouted spike from the kitchen, the smell of bacon and pancakes wafting from the inside the house,"thanks spike", said twilight as she walked to the refridgerator and using her magic to grab the orange juice then walked to the table.It was now 10:30 it was a late breakfast but she didnt care.

Twilight switched on the tv, expecting the calm morning news but was shocked at what she saw instead, the news read Attack from the NLR at Solar Base Alpha 443, estimated dead 4,356, wounded 375 and counting.Twilights jaw was left open in shock and horror, memories flooded her mind when she served in the equestrian military in the griffin war.

Spike managed to stamer out words to twilight,"tw..twi..whats going on, whats with the violence", but twilight was still in shock from what she was seeing, then a video announcement came on it was celestia about to address her country.

"My fellow ponies i am here today to address that our country has been attacked by the new lunar republic, this is an act of war on equestria and will not be ignored.We are going to fight this threat head on and not lay down and die just because af a surprise attack that has devastated one of our bases.We will win this war, we will not show mercy, and we will not let them attack one more inch of our soil again.Each mare and stallion will fight bravely in this conflict, because if we loose this war it will mean the end of our country, the end of our freedom, and the end of us!!"

Celestia then walked off behind the curtains escorted by the equestrian special service ignoring the questions and cameras of the press.The network then went back to the regular news of things going on in equestria."Twi..twii are you all right?",qustioned spike, but before she could answer a knock came on the door.

Her and spike both turned and looked at the door were the knock had come from, it came again twilight found the words to answer."Ju..ju..just a minute ill be right their", twilight stamered as she slowly got up and walked to the door.Using her magic she slowly opened the door, there stood a middle aged stallion in a military uniform."Hello miss twilight sparkle",the stallion said softly."I am here to inform that you will be departing to the war in three days", said the stallion a little more roughly.

"Th..thank you sir," she said softly to the stallion feeling her legs become jelly."Your welcome, the bus to the camp will come in three days 7:00 am sharp", said the stallion tipping his hat then walking the other way.

Twilight turned and looked at spike both with fear of what comes in three days, the horrors of war will soon come back to haunt twilight a second time.