[MLP] Equestria at War: The Return of Friendship

Chapter 3: Buying the Farm

* * * 3RD POV * * *

The little town of Ponyville was but a shell of its former self, now. Most of the buildings were boarded up and abandoned, but some of them were re-opened to house the Changeling garrison that lived there. Most of the streets were barricaded by walls of sandbags, barbed-wire placements and metal tank traps, fortified against any possible counterattack by the Equestrians, not like it was even possible given their army's low morale.

Anti-tank guns, anti-aircraft cannons and multiple trucks and tanks sat parked around the area, with the Town Hall being converted into the garrison's headquarters. All over the town itself, patrols of Changeling soldiers marched to and fro with their dark-grey fatigues and helmets.

(Y/N) peeked his head over a few crates, spotting a Changeling clad in an officer's uniform hissing out orders to a squad. He ducked back behind the crates with a heavy sigh. There were far too many Changelings to be able to sneak aboard the captured train station - which they were using to bring in more supplies. He'd have to find another way to make it through the enemy lines and to Canterlot. That is... if Canterlot is still under Equestria's control by the time he gets there.

His squad was nowhere in sight. They wouldn't be, as the original objective they were after was in the former Sweet Apple Acres. Home of his best friend and Element of Honesty, Applejack.

Applejack... he could only pray to Celestia that she and her family escaped before the Changelings took over the town. But he would have to worry about that later. His focus right now was finding his squad and getting to Canterlot.

The stallion snuck his way through the town using a bush as cover. Occasionally, he'd pop his head out to look around before ducking it back into the re-purposed shrubbery. He took note of the sheer amount of Changeling tanks and armored transports being stationed in the town.

'This isn't a garrison,' he thought. 'This is a staging ground for invading Canterlot! I gotta get there, and fast!'

This harrowing thought only spurred him on further as he continued creeping through the town, until he reached a dirt road leading to the apple farm. At this point, he decided to toss his greenery, breaking into a hard gallop towards the farm. As he galloped, he passed seemingly endless rows of apple trees, most of which had died and lost their leaves and fruit months ago. This only served as a further reminder to the stallion of just how much Equestria has suffered in this conflict; for both the ponies that called it home and the land itself.

(Y/N) reached the familiar, country-style archway entrance of the farm and veered off through the arch, towards the farmhouse that stood in the near distance. He cracked a small smile to himself as he remembered the countless apple cider seasons, he had been a part of over the past years, all hosted from that same archway.

He even remembered that one time when the Flim-Flam brothers tried to take over the Apples' cider business with their automated cider-squeezing contraption. It was with the help of their friends that they were able to beat the Flam brothers and keep their farm and their business... with the added lesson of proving that taking time to do things the right way - with effort - is a lot better than the fast way.