The Siege of Canterlot

“Take cover!” Shouted someone to my left. A moment later, as I looked over, he charged and pushed me over to the ground. I heard ponies scream in pain and terror as a flaming rock hit the wall where I had stood only a moment ago.

I opened my eyes. I saw the strange pony that had saved me scream into my face. He looked frightened, not that I could blame him. I could not understand a single word he said as a ringing spread in my ears, getting louder and louder with every passing second. The stranger then stood back up, turning towards the crater in front of us. I was practically deaf, but you don’t need to have ears to hear the horrors of a battlefield. You don’t hear them, you feel them.

I attempted to scramble back onto my feet. As I did, The stranger jumped forward into the burning crater in front of him. I froze as his body disappeared in a bright orange flame.

’Why?’ I thought, ’Why would he save my life right before taking his own?’

I got back onto my feet, looking around myself. I felt my heart pounding in my chest. Around me the fighting still took place, though it was horribly one-sided. Wherever I looked, it was one or two ponies, backs to the wall, fighting off at least 10 of the changelings.

I looked down to see my sword lying on the ground, right in front of me. I kneeled and picked it up with one hoof, looking at the blade of the weapon. The previously clean and new-looking blade was now covered in dust, with several blood splatters on it as well. I turned my head to the left slightly to see the body of the Lieutenant from before. He was dead. I felt my heart skip a beat as I looked at his corpse, hearing a scream from behind me as a pony was struck down by the changeling swarm. I felt pain, horror, sorrow...I felt it all.

I had to get out of there.

I looked at the gigantic crater once more. It had caused a large fire, one big enough to block the entire path along that side of the wall. I turned and ran off to the other side, my target being the first stairs down the walls I would encounter.

The stairs were not far away, only about 400 meters, but the way there was also crawling with more and more changelings. I took a deep breath, tightened my grip around my sword and charged forward. I had no time to lose.

I dashed forward, towards a fellow pony that was fighting off two of the beasts. With my speed and the element of surprise, I managed to stab one of them in the neck, delivering a killing blow. As the other one screeched and turned to attack me, my comrade made his move, stabbing his spear into the left eye of the remaining Changeling. The Changeling stumbled, screeching in pain as he finally collapsed to the floor. As the spear was pulled out moments after, the Changeling laid silent, dead from the fatal blow.

“Thank Celestia...” Said the stallion, saluting me as he breathed heavily. I nodded at him before continuing down the wall. I could see the nearest staircase down the wall not far away, but the path there was filled with changelings. I noticed the stallion from before following close behind me, his long, bloody spear at the ready. The two of us were heading straight into a group of three changelings, who themselves began flapping their insect wings as they buzzed straight towards us. I threw my sword forward, successfully managing to penetrate one of the foe’s skulls, causing him to fall to the ground immediately. I threw myself to the ground, barely avoiding the two other changelings as they flew right over my head. I stood up as quickly as I could and pulled my sword out of the now dead enemy’s skull, hearing the screech from behind me as my unknown ally impaled one of the Changelings with his spear. The remaining Changeling, however, managed to strike him, knocking him to the ground. He tried to get back up as the Changeling stood on top of him. He screamed for help, held out a desperate hoof towards me as the Changeling dug his fangs into him.

I turned away, attempting to mute his screaming within my head. It was too late for me to help him.

I arrived at the staircase with facing little resistance after this encounter. I looked around, checking left and right, as well as the sky for Changeling attacks, but it all seemed clear. And so, I proceeded and sprinted downstairs. I was out of breath, but I had to get out, I had to get off those walls.

When I was halfway there, I stopped to briefly catch my breath. That was when I heard a familiar voice shout my name.

“Brass!” He shouted. “Brass, get the hay down there!”

I looked over into the city to see a white-coated stallion stand atop a hastily built barricade in the street. It was my old friend Cobalt. We two first met in Elementary School, where we would somehow always cause trouble in some way. When we grew up, me and Cobalt agreed to join the army together, and so we did. However, we were split up into different regiments after we finished our basic training. I had not heard much of him since. Already thought him dead, to a degree. For 6 years I had not seen him. Wish we’d have met again under... better circumstances.

“Cobalt?” I shouted back at him, resuming to sprint down the stairs as fast as I could. “Cobalt! Cobalt, thank Celestia, it’s you!” I said to him as I ran towards him and the barricade.

I was not as welcome as originally thought, though.

Multiple soldiers appeared from behind the turned over waggons that formed the barricade. They pointed their swords, spears and bows towards me, one of them shouting “Halt!”.

I did as he asked, and stopped right away. Cobalt still stood on the barricade as before, his spear in his right hoof, though not lowered and pointed towards me, like the others.

“Who are you?” Asked the same voice.

“I am the Commanding Officer of the 24th Royal Infantry Division.” I replied. “They call me Brass.”

“Is that so?” The voice said before a pony showed itself from behind the barricade. The stallion wore the armour of an officer, though I couldn’t see any insignia on it telling me his exact rank. “And what tells us you’re not just one of the changelings, huh? One of those beasts?” He pointed up to the wall where the fighting was still occuring.

“Why would any Changeling bother to disguise when arriving in such overwhelming numbers, and in a full-out attack?” I replied, stepping closer to the barricade. “Besides, how would I remember Cobalt’s name if I really were a Changeling?”

Cobalt and the other ponies on the barricade turned their heads towards the Stallion. We both stared each other down, and I could see him thinking, reconsidering his options.

“Fine. Get a move on.” He said, the soldiers on the wall lowering their arms in response.

I walked up to the barricade, climbing it with the help of both Cobalt and one of the soldiers who lended me a hoof. At last me and Cobalt stood face to face. I just wish the reunion would have lasted longer.

“How come you are here, Cobalt? I thought you were deployed in the east? I heard rumours that...that your unit had been cut off and...destroyed.”

Cobalt sighed in response. “That’s only partially true. We were indeed cut off by the Changelings. We, like many before us, walked into a trap. Although we managed to defend ourselves against the first ambush, we were still encircled. In the end, our Commander gave us the order to attempt a push through the Changelings, in order to escape the encirclement and retreat back to friendly territory.” He paused, turning his head towards the walls. I could see the horror in his eyes, the things he must have witnessed back then. “We took heavy casualties.” He said in a monotone voice, still looking towards the wall. “We managed to make it in the end but...only me and 4 others survived. The rest...” He paused again, sighing as he looked back at me. “Bless their souls.”

“I’m...sorry to hear all that, Cobalt.” , was all I said. I was not particularly good at showing compassion in times like these.

“It’s fine. We have other things to worry about now, anyway.” He replied, both of us turning towards the walls where the last remaining soldiers were being overwhelmed. It was a matter of minutes, perhaps mere seconds until the swarm would come crashing down on us.

“Everpony! Get ready!” Shouted the stallion from behind, still wearing the officer armour.

“No...” I mumbled to myself. “No...No.” I mumbled again, louder this time.

“What?” Asked Cobalt, turning towards me.

“This is suicide.” I said out loud. “Suicide!”

The others froze and stared at me. I looked around. Some of them were scared, others angry.

“I’d prefer you shut your mouth and stay calm before you get us all killed.” Said the officer.

“Getting us killed? Me?” I asked as I approached him. “Have you not seen what happened up those walls? Have you not heard the screaming? Not seen the death and horror?” I asked, visibly intimidating him as I stood in front of him.

I turned around to speak to the others. “The Changelings are superior in numbers, and they will use that advantage against us, as they have on the walls!” I spoke to them. “If we want to survive, we need to get out of the street, out of the open, and defend ourselves in a confined space.”

The soldiers looked at each other with raised eyebrows and unsure looks. “And where do you think would be a good place to hold out then?” Asked one of the soldiers.

“Look around.” I replied. “We’re surrounded by buildings. I suggest we barricade ourselves in a building, 3 ponies each.” The soldiers nodded, more confident in my strategy by now. “If you see any ponies still hiding inside their homes, tell them to get a weapon and be ready to defend themselves.”

“Sir, yes, Sir.” Replied the soldiers.

“Let’s go then. Cobalt, you are with me. The others, spread out in groups of three and barricade yourselves as well as you can. Be quick, we don’t have much time left.”

“Your strategy is going to get me and all my men killed!” Shouted the officer behind my back. “Why didn’t you just leave us alone?”

A big, loud explosion suddenly erupted, as yet another rock hit the walls. Me, Cobalt and the officer all watched as the main gate to Canterlot crumbled and, eventually, came down. The walls had been breached, and the Changelings had officially penetrated our first line of defense.

“Well, if you don’t like the strategy then you are more than welcome to stay here and hold them off.”

Me and Cobalt turned tail and sprinted towards the nearest building in the street, just a few meters away. I opened the door, ringing a small bell as I did, and entered the room, Cobalt close behind me. We both inspected and looked around the room for a very brief moment. It was a Bakery.

It was then that we heard one more wave of screeching from the Changelings. Me and Cobalt hastily dashed back and forth, picking up chairs, tables, planks and anything else massive that we could use to barricade the door and the big store window. Just when I was about to turn back from the window to get another piece of wood, I froze at what I saw outside. It was the officer. He still stood outside, in the middle of the street.

“Come get me then, you monsters!” He shouted at the Changelings. “Come on!”

Cobalt walked up to the window as well, both of us silently watching the lonely officer out on the street.

“Get me, already! Come on then!” He shouted at the Changelings again. Through the door of the store we could hear the buzzing of Changelings become louder and louder, as the Changeling swarm came close.

The officer began to walk backwards slowly, horror scarring his face from one moment to the other.

“Dear...Celestia...” He said, dropping his weapon out of fear. “...Save me.”

I looked away from the window, knowing what was about to happen. The room went dark as the Changeling swarm outside covered up the sun. The terrified screaming of the officer was cut short as the Changelings made short work of him. Instead of his screaming, I could hear a large number of screeching and hissing.

I looked back to Cobalt who still stared out the window. His jaw had dropped in horror and shock. He slowly turned towards me, a terrified look scarring his face.

“What are we gonna do...?” He asked me, his voice quiet and weak.

I sighed quietly, thinking. What should we do? What could we do, anyway? We had lost the walls already, and most likely all of my unit along with it. Was there still hope? Still a chance of victory?

I lifted my head and looked over to Cobalt. “We’re gonna do what we do best: Fight.”