Chapters Joining The Lunar Republic
After dark we attacked. General Pinkie walked off to scout the area with two majors for backup. After announcing that the area was clear, we followed behind her. We got to Canterlot Castle easy as pie, we took out any lone guards we found and finally made our way to the top. We burst into Celestia's quarters and started shooting down any guards that were around. I flew up towards a Corporal and shot him down. I was nearing the door to Celestia's sleeping quarters when a cry of mixed fear and pain echoed around the room. I thought it was just another Solar Guard and continued to the door when I heard Bolt Chaser yell
"General! General! Say something!" A feeling of dread washed over me as I turned around.
There was General Pinkie, lying on the floor, wincing in pain. I gasped as blood started to flow from a bullet wound on the General's left side. General Pinkie lost consciousness not long after.
"We need to get out of here!" Bolt Chaser exclaimed!
Joining The Lunar Republic
Recruiting General Shortsnout
Bolt lifted General Pinkie onto his back, we looked for reinforcements and figured that we were the only survivors. Bolt and I flew through the onslaught of solar guards. Him, with General Pinkie on his back and me, covering him with my rifle. We somehow made it back to Fillydelphia, where we had taken refuge, and brought the General to the Medical Bay. We soon received terrible news, we had been hoping that others had made it away and fled before us, but, as it turns out, we were the only survivors in our regiment.
"Well Corporals," The General's personal assistant boomed, "With the power vested in me, I hereby promote you to Sergeants!"
We stared at each other, our mouths open in awe. The assistant pointed his hoof towards the door, and we left at once.
"Wow Sergeants!' Bolt exclaimed as we left the medical bay, "What's next?" He asked me.
"I think Lieutenant, I might be wrong though," I replied, excited.
"Acts of heroism sure fling you through the ranks don't they Lightning?" Bolt added.
"Yes they do," I replied again.
The very next day they had recruited a new general, he had a German accent and was very harsh.
"Yu don't like it? Yu can leave yu dirty solar scum!" He screamed at an unsuspecting Private when he complained about the blandness of the food.
The next week was worse. He seemed to have grown accustomed to the camp life and he thought of different ways to torture the soldiers.
"Am I in Tartarus?" Bolt grumbled.
"No, but I can't imagine Tartarus would be much worse!" I replied.
Joining The Lunar Republic
Life at camp with General Pinkie
I woke up that morning feeling groggy and tired but nevertheless, I sleepily followed Bolt Chaser to the mess hall for breakfast.
"How are you not as tired as me?" I asked groggily.
"What can I say? I'm used to it." Bolt Chaser replied.
After we ate General Pinkie stepped up to the podium.
"Everypony!" She shouted, "I have planned a surprise attack on the Solar Empire on Wednesday!"
We all groaned, it was Monday and some had arrived the day before, like me. We trained for the rest of the day and when we finally ate and went to bed, I was so dead tired that I fell asleep before my head hit the pillow. We got up the next day and trained again, this time training our rifles and practicing throwing fake grenades. Finally, Wednesday rolled around and we grabbed our guns and packed our grenades in our saddlebags. We then marched from Fillydelphia to Canterlot and took a few trains on the way. General Pinkie loaded her gun and headed to a small clearing where we could set up a makeshift camp to wait out the rest of the day. We took turns standing guard as the others ate and rested. Once my turn to guard came around, I loaded my gun and headed to the concealed entrance to the clearing. I saw Solar Guards roaming the forest where the clearing was. I reported this to General Pinkie and she said to get everyone into this completely concealed cave that was covered by vines. The Solar Guards entered the clearing but didn't see the Lunar Republic soldiers hiding in the trees. They shot the guards with poison darts and stole their armor. We all donned their armor to stand guard in case more came to look for the other guards. Then, when it went dark, we attacked.
Joining The Lunar Republic
Life at camp with General Shortsnout
General Shortsnout was a nightmare!!!!! He sent us on weekly raids and had us working our flanks off for nothing! We hadn't been to battle for a long time and the midnight raids left us tired and grumpy. The lack of battles diminished our spirit and left me and Bolt bored and irritable. We played cards with soldiers from other regiments, swam in the river, and grew crops. The older soldiers used the sickle and hoe to clear and till the fields, some volunteered to dig trenches and fill them with water, some fertilized, and some planted and harvested, like me and Bolt!
"I wish Earth Tiller was here," I told Bolt, thinking of my little brother, "He was amazing in the fields, his cutie mark was a hoe and he was an earth pony, known for tending the land."
"I bet he misses you too Lightning," Bolt replied.
"My older brother, Blueberry Pie, he was with us," I said hollowly.
"But that's good isn't it?" Bolt asked.
I sighed, "He was captured,"
Bolt gasped, but decided not to pursue the subject, he got up and trotted away.
Soon after, I got up and before I was halfway to the field, General Shortsnout appeared in front of me.
"LIGHTNING, YU IS LAZY!!!!" he screamed, "I BEEN LOOKING FOR YU FOR 'OURS!"
I gulped as I looked up into his face. He scared me with his piercing yellow eyes. He screamed some more as I ran back to the field.
These 5 months were going to be long ones.
