Prologue-The State of the World
...In 2019, our world changed. The ponies of the world of Equis discovered Earth and humanity. We thought we could have peace with them and that we could learn and benefit from each other.
We were wrong.
They began a war against us, and as of now, that war has claimed millions of human lives across the globe, with countless more undergoing forced Conversion. But we fought then, and now we continue to fight. This war is for our existence as a species, and there will be no surrender, as if we surrender, we lose our destiny and our world to an evil of the greatest scale.
I have the utmost hope that we will push forward, despite all we have endured, and we will triumph.
May God help us all.
John Bowers, President of the United States, in an address to the United Nations Security Council.
"This is an emergency broadcast from the United Nations in Geneva and New York City. Our world of Earth is being invaded. Projected paths in the Western Hemisphere include the United States Eastern Seaboard, including Virginia, Georgia, and North and South Carolina. Residents of these areas are advised to evacuate immediately. The Eastern hemisphere projected paths include Amsterdam, London, Berlin, and Murmansk. I repeat, there in an imminent invasion of Earth. All people in paths of invasion are advised to evacuate and arm themselves as heavily as possible. Stockpile supplies and medicine. Seek shelter with other evacuees and proceed to your nation's nearest military extraction point…
...That was two years ago, folks. Two fucking years we've been at war with the ponies. I can count the cities we've lost. Richmond, Atlanta, Charleston, Amsterdam, the list goes on and on. But listen up, humanity. We've not going to surrender. We're going to keep fighting until we've won and those ponies won't fuck with us ever again. Good luck to us all. This is Henry Dawson, running your favorite podcast, We'll Make it Through. I'll see you on the far side, people."
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Equestria, Equis dimension.
Ponyville, Castle of Friendship.
Twilight Sparkle stared out her bedroom window into the night sky, at the lights of Canterlot in the distance. She shook her head dejectedly, and looked back towards a pair of wall calendars mounted above her bed. They were filled up, every day marked with an X. A third one, already partially filled, was next to them. Twilight sighed, marked off an X on that day's box, and collapsed to the floor. She knew what she was counting. The days the war had been going on. And every day that passed dragged Twilight deeper into despair. Her letters to Celestia went unanswered, and her brother and sister-in-law had sealed off the Crystal Empire in protest to the war. Luna had long withdrawn from the public eye, leaving nothing in her stead. And Celestia...had grown delusional with conquering humanity and forcing conversion upon them. And nearly everypony in Equestria agreed with her.
"Skies above harmony…" She murmured, looking at photos on the wall in her office. They were of various Ponyville residents, some in family portraits. Many of the male faces had been blacked out, meaning they were dead. A few were whited out, meaning wounded. A final three were missing or captured. And among them…
"Flash." She whispered. Twilight's personal guard and close friend had been drafted a year earlier, and just yesterday she had gotten the news he had gone missing in action during the Battle of Atlanta. Every day she missed him more. She then remembered Spike. He had taken it the hardest, as he looked up to Flash a great deal. He had locked himself in his room and cried for three hours after hearing the news. Twilight had taken it significantly worse, but she hadn't shed a single tear. Twilight brushed across Flash's photo gently, as if hoping she could hold him again before collapsing into bed and falling asleep instantly.
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West Virginia, United States, Earth
Fort Adrian-Smith, Main Comms Center
As the night wore on, several US soldiers monitored their computer stations at the main area. Many of them were on the verge of falling asleep at their posts until one of them gave a confused and surprised cry.
"Hey, what's up?" The soldier next to him said.
"I've got an incoming comms request to Major Roberts." He replied. "MTAC code name is Exigent 2-1."
"I'll go get Major Roberts."
The other soldier left, and was soon replaced by a man in a suit and flak vest.
"Sir, do you know what this is?" The operator asked.
"Put it through." Roberts said, opening the MTAC feed.
"Exigent 2-1, you were marked KIA during the battle of Atlanta." Major Roberts said.
"Not true." A distorted voice replied. "I have intel regarding Equestrian defenses in Atlanta, and a high-priority target in need of extraction. Send a team to the Atlanta armory, grid 12-43-67. Be advised, the ponies are looking for my target."
"Who's the target?" Roberts asked.
"Flash Sentry, a Lt. Colonel in the Equestrian army and personal guard to Princess Twilight Sparkle." Exigent replied. "He's defecting to us with a large dossier on their defenses built on the Eastern Seaboard."
"Roger that." Roberts said. "We'll scramble a Ranger team immediately."
"I'll see them on the far side, then. Exigent out."
Roberts nodded and tapped into his tactical pad. Accessing his roster of available squads, he tapped on one marked "Whiskey". Four images of soldiers came up, each one with a name and rank, and their current assignment.
GSRG David Ramirez-"Doze"-Squad leader-Ft. Alpha Sierra
CRPL Allen Baker-"Patch"-Medic-Ft. Alpha Sierra
CRPL Troy Casey-"Ace"-Support Gunner-Ft. Alpha Sierra
PRV1 Ryan Cleven-"Cav"-Operator-Ft. Alpha Sierra
Roberts slid a bar across the screen, and the displayed text on the bar changed from "INACTIVE" to "ACTIVE". Then, a comms request appeared from David Ramirez.
"This is Whiskey Squad." Ramirez said. "Major Roberts, what's the op?"
"Sergeant, I need you and your team in the Tac-ops room immediately." Roberts said. "High priority."
"Roger that, on our way." Ramirez said as the comms signal ended.
