[MLP] Equestria at War - Book 1: The Return of Friendship

Chapter 1: A Different Era

In a void of eternal darkness... a feminine voice speaks out.

'For years, they have kept the magic of friendship safe and brought harmony to these lands... but now... the world has been thrown into chaos by greed, politics, and the intoxicating hunger for power. Those who once fought for friendship were torn apart; each one forced to fight on their own, in their own way.'

'This world is doomed to extinction if the current course is held. These heroes... they must be reunited if this world is to be saved.'

'But, in order to reunite... they must first remember what it is that they lost. This is where our task lays...'

Equestria was always changing back then... it wasn't long after they stopped a jealous unicorn named Starlight Glimmer from altering the course of history itself when everything changed for the worse.

Nopony expected the Changelings to still be much of a threat when they invaded Equestria's borders. Worse still, nopony could comprehend the new, mechanical machines they used to attack: Armored vehicles capable of destroying whole buildings... firearms that could break through the strongest magical barriers.. the Changelings returned on a whole different level of technology matched by none else.

If the Changelings weren't bad enough, Princess Luna fell to the corruption again, returning as the Nightmare Moon after a falling out with her sister; both under the immense pressure of the Changeling's merciless advance into their home.

She gathered the down-trodden Thestral ponies of Equestria and revolted against her sister, breaking away and claiming the eastern parts of Equestria for themselves, vowing a rule of night and darkness eternal.

It has been a few years since the invasion began. Equestrian forces have since undergone their own rapid technological evolution to be on par with the Lunarists and the Changelings.. but with the war split on two fronts on either end of the country... it is loss after loss for the fatigued Equestrian armed forces. Most of Equestria's territory is in the hands of the enemy... and the military is on the back foot. The heroes of Equestria have since gone their separate ways... each forced to follow their own path in this war.

Twilight Sparkle - Element of Magic - The smartest mare known to many, a powerful alicorn princess, and the Element of Magic. (Y/N) had known her since she first arrived in their hometown of Ponyville as a unicorn. When Luna revolted and the Changelings invaded, she was the first of the group to leave. Her new duties as the Princess of Friendship forced her to return to Canterlot and assist her mentor, Princess Celestia, with royal duties in the absence of her corrupted sister. As the war raged on, her duties went from Princess of Friendship to a military researcher and advisor... her lessons on friendship were replaced by lessons in military strategy and research.

Rainbow Dash - calling upon the Element of Harmony she represented, Loyalty - was the second to leave. She was immediately called away with all the Wonderbolt teams to fight against the Changelings. It was rough saying goodbye to her friends - especially (Y/N) - but they all wished her luck nonetheless and hoped that she would be okay. She knew that she had to stay loyal to Equestria, even if that meant fighting on their behalf. Her days of aerial stunts and showmanship are over... replaced by her days as a fighter pilot for the Equestrian Air Corps. After all... what use are pegasi stunt flyers in a world of motorized aircraft and anti-air weaponry?

Pinkie Pie - the Element of Laughter - left with Rainbow Dash. Such a poor, optimistically naive mare... she was certain that all it took was a little bit of laughter and joy to stop the Changelings. That was not the case. Her upbeat attitude and friendliness helped her rise through the ranks of the Equestrian Army, where she now sits as a military officer commanding regiments along the western front. The conflict and fighting had taken a heavy toll on her personality, taking away much of the joy that she once represented and loved. I suppose not even the Element of Laughter can keep a smile after reading the casualty list of ponies, every day, for years..

Applejack - Element of Honesty - left after the first year or so. When the war started taking a turn for the worse, her older brother, Big Macintosh (Big Mac for short), was drafted to fight on the western front. She had to return to her home in Sweet Apple Acres to run the farm in his absence. It was hard work gathering up apples and crops without Big Mac, but her remaining friends always did their best to help as much as they could. She always tried her best to keep her chin up for her friends and her little sister, Apple Bloom. Fortunately, the introduction of more modern farming equipment made her job a little easier. She now spends her days tending to the farm, which sends most of its crops to the soldiers fighting on the frontlines now.

Rarity - the Element of Generosity - decided to close her boutique in Ponyville and moved to Canterlot to help the war effort. Her eye for detail and the finer things in life had to be put on hold. There's no point in making fabulous, one-of-a-kind outfits when the country needs standard-issue uniforms far more. She oversees the production of most of the Equestrian armed forces attire, including winter gear. Her generous nature is being pushed to its limit in order to try and help every soldier fighting.

Fluttershy - Element of Kindness - left with Rarity to help her with her efforts to the war. She had lost touch with many of her forest critter friends, who all fled south to get away from the fighting. While she may no longer be able to spread kindness in a world that's grown cold, she still tries little gestures throughout her days just to try and bring some warmth and happiness to a country that's long forgotten about it.

Trixie Lulamoon - otherwise known as the Great and Powerful Trixie - had a rocky start to her friendship with the other mares given her past mistakes, but they eventually warmed up to her and gave her a second chance of true friendship. Sadly, she was unable to make good on her promise to do better as war broke out soon afterward. Her magical abilities weren't strong enough for her to get drafted as part of the Unicorn companies, so she instead devoted herself to the morale of Equestria. She put all her effort into the most extravagant and amazing musical shows to the population of Equestria, aiming to take their minds off of the conflict, at least for a little while. However, each day as the news about the war gets worse, she finds herself in doubt more and more about if she'll ever see her friends again.

Princess Luna - now Nightmare Moon - was at odds with her sister in the early days of the war. Princess Celestia believed that the spirit of friendship and happiness would end the war before it could get any more ugly... but her more material-minded sister felt that Equestria needed soldiers and modern military equipment to beat the conflict, not happy feelings. The fallout turned explosive with Princess Luna gathering up all the Thestral - bat pony - populations around Equestria and splintering off to the east, determined to protect Equestria in her own way.

Princess Celestia... she tried so, so hard to keep her ponies together as the world began to fall apart around them. Eventually, Luna's secession to the east and the ongoing stress proved too much to bear for even the great alicorn. She sent word to Princess Twilight Sparkle - her protege - requesting her assistance with matters. She spends many of her nights looking over the ever-closing Changeling frontlines wondering what happened to the magic of friendship that she and so many others sacrificed much to bring forth.

And then there was (Y/N) (L/N). He had been the best friend of all the mares and, despite not having an Element of Friendship himself, helped them keep their heads high and focused as the war raged on even when they left one by one to answer the call. But... when Fluttershy and Rarity left for Canterlot, he felt alone. He spent several months living on his own in Ponyville, watching as the town became more and more bleak... and quiet... as ponies were drafted one by one. Thus, it was no surprise when eventually... he was called up, too.

He left to join the Equestrian Army, unsure of himself or what would happen in the future. He only wished he had his friends back. Alas, his wishes went unanswered. He would spend many months training and learning to fight the Changelings like so, so many other ponies around and before him. It didn't take long until the stress of the conflict made the memories of his friends fade. At one point, he had wondered if the magic of friendship even belonged in this world anymore.

It was with this same thought that lingered in the back of his mind as he and his squad jumped out of the back of a transport plane and parachuted down into Ponyville, once the hometown of him and his friends, now occupied by Changeling forces as they continue their endless push towards Canterlot.

And it would be through the winds of fate... that he would happen to be blown off-course and land deep in the Everfree Forest during a night-time mission...