Tales from the Unification War

“I was barely eleven years old when I was conscripted into the Nokshire army. In those days, most farm families in Nokshire couldn’t afford to buy their own food, so we hunted wild game a lot. So like most kids born on farms, I was reasonably skilled with a bow, and that’s why we were pressed into service as archers in the king’s army. I was assigned to a brigade with quite a few other kids my age. Some a bit older, some even a little younger. At the time, we were all rather excited about it. After all, what boy doesn’t dream of being a soldier in the king’s army? And being a soldier was basically the best paying job you could get in Nokshire.

“After about two months of inadequate training, we were sent out on our first combat assignment. We’d received word that Equestrian Royal Guard forces were marching towards us, and we could expect to engage the enemy in less than a day. Still, we were excited, because we had these ideas in our young minds that war was glorious and heroic. But then, we heard the thundering sounds of hooves approaching us, and saw the approaching pony forces. Most of us had never even seen a pony before. And now here we were, facing them, about to kill them or be killed ourselves. They were an intimidating sight in their armor. They were better equipped, much better trained, and had more experience than we did. Any ideas we had about the glory and heroism of war were quickly replaced by pure fear. We were terrified now.

“We’d been told that ponies tortured captured human soldiers for fun before killing them. And that unicorns had invented spells specifically intended to cause pain without killing, just so they could amuse themselves by torturing captured humans. But even with that in the back of our minds, the prospect of imminent death is just too frightening for children as young as we were, and the urge to live one more day, just too powerful. We surrendered without firing a single arrow.

“The ponies took us to the Equestrian city of Trottingham. But it turned out we were the first child soldiers they had encountered, and they really had no idea what to do with us. Given we were just children, they didn’t want to house us in a normal prison. They ended up housing us in a barrack style building with bunk sleeping arrangements that had a large fenced in yard around it to prevent escape. That turned out to be a good arrangement, since it allowed us to stay together, instead of being separated from the only friends we had now. But still, we were terrified about the prospect of being tortured.

“I think it was the next day, that Princess Celestia herself came to see us, and I bowed so low that my head was on the floor. It’s not cause I felt any sense of reverence for her at the time. It was because I was terrified of her, and hoped that if I appeased her, she might have mercy on me, and not allow me to be tortured. She seemed rather confused by this, and ordered us all to stand.

“Looking back on that meeting now, the main thing I remember, is that Princess Celestia was angry. That’s really not even a strong enough word. She was furious. Not at us, but at King Bridrick for using child soldiers. She spoke to us in a kind and loving way, and assured us that we were going to be treated well, and none of us were going to be tortured. But neither was she going to let us go and allow us to return to Nokshire until the war was over. That, she said, was for our own safety, because King Bridrick would have had us executed for surrendering to make an example of what happens to soldiers who don’t fight. And so, at least for now, we would have to remain in Equestria as war prisoners.

“Now the facility they housed us in officially became known as the Child Soldier Detention Facility, but we just called it Camp Pony. It was run by a brown earth pony stallion from the Equestrian Royal Guard named Captain Silver Shield. He was a bit of a disciplinarian, as I guess can be expected from any officer in a well organized army, and didn’t tolerate any misbehavior or disrespect from us kids. He said we’d come in as soldiers, and so that’s how he was going to treat us. But he was also fair, kind, and genuinely cared about our wellbeing, and we knew we could talk to him about anything and he would listen and try to help, even if the only way he could help was to offer words of encouragement. He kept us on a strict schedule, and made us do work, although it wasn’t any work that we farm kids weren’t used to doing. Mostly landscaping, maintenance, cooking, and cleaning. And he instilled in us the values of discipline, hard work, and self-confidence.

“Now In those days, most humans had never attended formal school. We simply learned whatever we could working in the real world. Princess Celestia thought this was unacceptable, and so she required us to attend school. They brought in a light blue unicorn mare named Miss Penquill to teach us.

“At first, we hated attending classes. But Captain Silver Shield made us do it anyway. I remember when Miss Penquill gave us our first reading assignment. None of us knew how to read or write, and the letters on the paper all looked like a bunch of gibberish strung together. It seemed to me, that it would be impossible that we would ever be able to make sense of any of it. But, we learned, and I remember the great feeling of accomplishment and self-confidence that came with being able to read and write. She also taught us math, science, and other academic subjects. All of us developed a great deal of respect for Captain Silver Shield and Miss Penquill. They taught us that the world was a better place than what we had been lead to believe. That through education, hard work, discipline, and belief in our own abilities, we could make it a better place.

“As the months continued to pass, more child soldiers flowed into Camp Pony. Of course, the new arrivals were always very afraid. But those of us who had been there for awhile comforted them, helped them adjust to the routine, and assured them that life at Camp Pony wasn’t really all that bad. It wasn’t long before there were well over a thousand of us kids living at Camp Pony.

“Finally, the day came when Captain Silver Shield barged into the barracks in the middle of the night, startling us awake as he announced that the war was over, and we would all be going home soon. I remember how surreal the moment seemed. It had been four years and three hundred and fifty six days since we had been captured and brought to Camp Pony. None us thought the moment would ever come. All of us cheered in excitement about finally going home. Although, at the same time, we feared what we might find when we got there. Also, it was a bittersweet moment. We had all grown rather fond of each other, and we had grown rather fond of Captain Silver Shield and Miss Penquill. The thought of all of us going our separate ways, but at the same time, finally going home to our families, was a bittersweet pill to swallow.

“We all said our goodbyes, and eight days later, I was reunited with my parents, and my little sister, who actually wasn’t so little anymore. It had been exactly five years and fourteen days since I had last seen any of them. Slowly, over the next several months, we were able to resume something that resembled a normal life. When I had been captured and taken to Camp Pony, I was a boy. But when I was finally able to return to my family, I was a man.

“Thirty years later, a couple of us decided to plan a reunion of all of the child soldiers that had been held at Camp Pony. We held it in Trottingham, at the very same location that Camp Pony used to be. The buildings had since been torn down, the fences removed, and an outdoor park had been built in its place. Captain Silver Shield and Miss Penquill both attended the reunion as well. Even Princess Celestia surprised us with an unannounced appearance. Seeing everyone from those days again brought back memories, both good and bad. Memories of both joy, and pain. But the reunion was one of the happiest days of my life.” -- Qeric Ybigorin, as recounted in an interview for the biography “We Were Child Soldiers”, Royal Equestrian Academy Press, by Professor Hoofstorian

Historical note: Qeric Ybigorin later attended the Royal Equestrian Academy, and went on to become one of the designers of Canterlot, and one of architects of Canterlot Castle, and several other prominent Canterlot buildings.