Equestria Invaded
When Fluttershy finally landed after her eight-hour watch shift, her wings were droopy and her eyes were tired. Even after two years, she wasn't used to doing this much flying. Completely spent, she trotted slowly back towards the center of the encampment. Even in her tired state she couldn't help but remain alert on her way back to her small tent. If she had learned anything in the two years since the start of the war, it was to always be aware of your surroundings.
It was early evening. The sun was setting and mares were watching as their foals finished their games before returning home for the mandatory curfew. The first night watch would be starting soon. Fluttershy was glad she had finally been switched to the daytime watch. Six months of sleeping during the day and flying all night had left her feeling lonelier than ever. Not that she felt any less lonely now. But she liked feeling like she was on the same schedule as every pony else. Fluttershy was nearly to her tent when she saw that some pony was waiting for her outside the front flap. It was Big McIntosh. Fluttershy smiled weakly as she approached him.
"How are you doin'?" he asked softly.
"I'm alright. Maybe a little tired," Fluttershy replied, downplaying her exhaustion. "Are you getting ready for the nighttime patrol?"
"Yep," he said, nodding.
They stood facing each other for an inelegant moment before Big McIntosh excused himself. Fluttershy entered her tent and after removing her Guardspony's uniform, she undid the braid in her mane and the braid in her tail. The Aerial Forces were all offered the opportunity to cut their manes and tails short when they were forcibly conscripted. Those mares who wished not to do so were made to keep their hair braided at all times while on duty.
Fluttershy flopped down onto her bed and allowed her wings to spread out. They were aching terribly; it had been windier than usual. Winter was coming early that year – the Pegasi had seen to that, per the Princess' orders. It was supposed to give them an advantage.
She tried to fall asleep, but insomnia was getting the best of her. Frustrated, she sat up. It had been sweet of Big McIntosh to come say hello before he started his patrol. But every time she saw him, Fluttershy felt like crying. She tried not to stare, but his missing leg was just too obvious. He had returned home to Ponyville injured after only fourteen months of service. His back left leg had been lost in hoof to hoof combat with a patrol group of Chameleons. Big McIntosh spent the next four months in a deep depression until Ponyville was evacuated into the Evertree Forest, along with the rest of Equestria. Every pony, from Fillydelphia to Los Pegasus, was ordered to seek refuge in the ominous forest. The invading forces were too strong, and the Front Line had been pushed back too far to ensure the civilians safety any longer. Once the Ponyville settlement had settled in, the Night Watch was formed. The Watch kept a look out for anything strange in the forests. It was mostly older stallions, or injured ones, such as Big McIntosh, although there was the occasional mare as well.
Fluttershy noticed that after he had joined the Watch, Big McIntosh's outlook had improved greatly. It made her happy that he seemed to have found a purpose again. Still unable to sleep, she slipped out of her tent and went off looking for Big McIntosh. (One of the only perks of being part of the Aerial Guard was that Fluttershy was exempt from the curfew.) She thought she would join him on his patrol for a little while, and hopefully then she would feel sleepy enough that she might be able to sleep in late the next morning. It was going to be her day off, after all – the first one in three weeks.
It didn't take her too long to find him; she knew his patrol route by heart. They walked in silence, keeping their eyes on the forest at all times. Fluttershy enjoyed just being in his company. Even without his back left leg, he was so big and strong, she felt safe just having him nearby. When she started to yawn, she took it as her cue to take her leave. Fluttershy gave Big McIntosh a gentle nuzzle before heading back to her tent. Finally feeling her exhaustion catch up to her, she drifted off to sleep without any trouble.
When she finally poked her head out of her tent the next day, the sun was already high in the sky. Fearing she might be running late, Fluttershy quickly trotted off in search of Pinkie Pie. Fate had it that they both had the same day off, so they decided to meet for lunch. It wouldn't be anything extravagant. Rationing kept the ponies' meals from being too exciting. But Fluttershy was eager to see her friend again after so long.
Pinkie Pie had been the only one of her friends to stay in Ponyville after the war began. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were both forcibly conscripted into the Aerial Guard while Rarity and Twilight Sparkle were drafted into the Magical Guard. When Big McIntosh was drafted, Applejack had volunteered for service on the Front Line so that she could serve with her brother. Pinkie Pie was left in Ponyville, working at Mr. and Mrs. Cake's bakery, which had been contracted by the Palace to provide rationed bread to the whole community. She also helped out at the Apple Family Farm as often as she could; with both their hardest workers gone in the war effort, they were having a hard time keeping up with the demand for food.
Fluttershy found Pinkie Pie in the center of the Ponyville encampment where they both had been living for the past six months. Pinkie Pie was jumping up and down with excitement, which made Fluttershy smile. One of the reasons she had been looking forward to their meeting was that moment: she knew it all it would take was one smile from Pinkie Pie's face and all of her stress about the war would melt away.
"Fluttershy!" Pinkie Pie yelled, still bouncing. "I'm so excited!"
"I'm happy to see you too," Fluttershy replied softly. "How have you been?"
"Great!" Pinkie Pie said, smiling. "Let's go get some food. I'm starving!"
They made the short walk over to the mess tent. After they had their lunch rations, they found a couple seats in the corner of the tent where they wouldn't be bothered too much.
"How have you been?" Pinkie Pie asked enthusiastically as she ate her salad.
"I've been doing well," Fluttershy lied. She was not enjoying herself at all. But she didn't want to burden Pinkie Pie. "How about you?"
"I've been doing well too!" Pinkie Pie said between bites. "We've finally found the perfect way to cook bread in the new stone oven last month, so it's been going really well now!"
"That's wonderful," Fluttershy commented. She paused before asking, "Have you heard anything from the others?"
Pinkie Pie nodded. Fluttershy knew that if any pony would know, it would be Pinkie Pie. "I just saw Rarity last week!"
"Really?" Fluttershy asked with surprise. "Where is she working?"
"In the Manehattan encampment a few miles from here," Pinkie Pie replied. "She's helping with making the uniforms and saddle bags and stuff like that for the ponies on the Front Line! She's been helping to improve the uniforms too!"
"Wow," Fluttershy breathed. She hadn't seen Rarity in over a year. For a while, they were both stationed in Manehattan, but Fluttershy was transferred back to Ponyville around six months before the evacuation. She hadn't seen Rarity since her transfer. "Have you heard from anyone else?"
Pinkie nodded again, the pink curls of her mane bouncing happily as she did so. "Twilight Sparkle is going to be here in a couple weeks!"
"What for?"
"I heard she has some new defense techniques she developed that she's going to teach to the Ponyville Magical Guard," Pinkie Pie said as she swallowed the last of her salad. "She's doing a lot to try and help the Magical Guardsponies who are on the Front Line."
"Hopefully we'll get to see her when she comes here," Fluttershy said quietly. "I haven't been able to see her since in almost two years."
They spent the rest of their lunch talking about more pleasant things. When they parted ways, Fluttershy started for the edge of their encampment. Carefully, she waited for the gap in the Watch before slipping out into the forest. Quietly, she made her way to the tree line. It took an hour or more, but she eventually reached the edge of the forest. Relieved to have made it without any trouble, she looked out at the field in front of her. It was empty, save for the few Buffalo camps near the tree line. Beyond them, she could see the Front Line. The magic used for defense left the area hazy. And the Pegasus ponies had been sending rain clouds to the enemy's side of the Front since the start of the war, so it was always easy to tell how close they were. You just had to look for the rainclouds. In the last few months, however, the clouds were starting to get too close for Fluttershy's comfort.
"Welcome, Fluttershy," Chief Thunderhooves greeted in his low, booming voice as he walked over to the tree line from the nearest Buffalo camp. He was very imposing; his presence still made Fluttershy quiver a little.
"Good afternoon, Chief Thunderhooves," she replied quietly, still looking out at the horizon.
"The violence is worsening of late," the Chief commented. "We fear the Front Line may not last for long."
Fluttershy did not respond.
"Winter is coming," he continued, his voice somewhat despondent. "We may not be able to last a winter that arrives this early.
"The Pegasi are making the winter come early this year," Fluttershy informed him. "Princess Celestia asked us to."
Chief Thunderhooves snorted. "Is she wise to ask such a thing?"
"I don't know," Fluttershy said, mostly to herself. The Princess had requested the winter come early because during the previous winter, the cold weather had been a big boon to the ponies' war efforts. The invaders came from a hot, arid climate. They were cold-blooded, so the cold weather did not agree with them. It had forced their temporary retreat during the previous winter. Fluttershy doubted they would be so lucky this winter.
Lizards and Chameleons and Geckos. Just the thought of their scale-covered skin made her mane bristle. They had come to Equestria from Reptilia. They didn't seem like a big threat in the beginning, but the ponies soon regretted underestimating the invaders. Their siege against Equestria had been brutal. The ponies held out for eighteen months before they were forced to retreat into the Evertree Forest. After six months in forest encampments, spirits were low, and hope was all but gone.
An explosion sounded loudly in the distance. Fluttershy squinted her eyes at the bright flash of magic that followed.
"The shields are beginning to fail," Fluttershy whispered.
Chief Thunderhooves snorted again. "Let us hope for all our sakes that winter comes quickly."
Thank you for reading the first chapter of this story~! ^^ I hope you enjoyed it! Please leave a review if you feel so inclined. I always found it annoying that there are never any long-term villains on My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. (At least, not in the first two seasons that I've watched on Netflix...) The second chapter is coming soon.