Two months after the conflict, the Changeling had managed to advance into central Equestria and the Crystal Empire.
The little filly no longer went to school during this time of conflict, and she and her mother stayed at home in their small town on the outskirts of Vanhoover, reassuring themselves that this area was insignificant for the Changeling, and that if they arrived, they'd get through without stopping.
Apart from the anxious climate, life wasn't too bad for wartime, supplies were holding out and food and basic necessities were still available. But all that didn't prevent a few scares.
One day, a Changeling bomber passed right over their home, but fortunately its target was not the small town but an industrial plant further away.
Flak and artillery fire could be heard in the distance, and the front was getting dangerously close to home.
The Equestrian and Crystal armies were struggling to contain the rapidly advancing Changelings.
But it wasn't all bad news: many countries were directly or indirectly supporting Equestria.
On Equestria's own continent, Yayakistan, which had rearmed and modernized since the civil war with the Jak clan, had just declared war on the Changelings, entering in the Equestrian alliance known as the United Pony Alliance.
As a result, the Changelings were forced to divert troops to the north of the continent to support their northern possessions annexed earlier this year.
Other nations supported Equestria without entering the conflict: Hippogriffia, the nation of hippogriffs, led by Queen Novo, who sent many military and medical supplies to Equestria. Followed by some of the nations of the Griffonia continent, the land of griffins. One of the countries most involved in this aid to Equestria was the new republic of Aquilea, which had just declared a second republic after a revolution against their monarchy.
Other good news was short-lived. In fact, within a week, New Mareland marines had launched a daring assault on Hjortland, the capital of occupied Olenia, without encountering any outright resistance, but the assault was repulsed in the following weeks by a Changeling Kommando and Olenian militias.
The conflict continued unabated in Equestria, which was only retreating, Arcadia had fallen and the city was in the neighboring region to the west of Vanhoover, and to the east, Arconage had fallen.
For the Changeling, it was clear that the objective was Vanhoover and its harbor, to enable supply by sea.
In the town, the military authorities had prepared defenses in advance of the war, and Equestrian troops were arriving in increasing numbers every day before and during the invasion. The Equestrian high command knew that if Vanhoover fell, the entire north-west would be lost, as there were no major defensive towns to block the advance towards Canterlot to the east and Las Pegasus to the south. Between the west, where Vanhoover was located, and the Bales and Canterlot regions, there was a wide open plain, perfect for Changeling blitzkrieg.
The most dangerous thing for Vanhoover at the moment is the Changeling air threat, which frequently bombs the area around the town, particularly the industrial zones. Despite fierce defense by the Equestrian flak and the few Equestrian air forces in the area, they alone cannot counter the entire Changeling air force, the main air force being mobilized on the central and northern fronts.
Since the beginning of the invasion, it has been impossible to calculate the exact figures, but civilian losses have been piling up, the result of aggressive Changeling tactics aimed at paralyzing the entire civil war effort in aeras near of the conflict zone.
The Equestrian government hasn't quite got used to the idea, and neither have the princesses, but the Changeling have made up their minds that the war will be total and merciless. Ready to take their ultimate revenge on Equestria, ready to make any sacrifice, their philosophy and fanaticism is simple: win or die.
Another war was going on in parallel with the other, the propaganda war on both sides.
On the Changeling side, fanatical nationalist slogans about Queen Chryslis appeared:
"One people, One Hegemony, One Queen"
could be read on propaganda posters in Vesalipolis, the Changeling capital.
On the Equestrian side, there was anti-changeling propaganda like posters showing Queen Chrysalis standing in the shadows above Equestria with large text saying:
"She watching you"
"Beware of changeling spies".
There were posters to reassure the pony population, including a series aimed at countries involved in the conflict in addition to Equestria.
A poster showing a pony wearing an Eqestrian uniform recognizable by the sun and moon symbol on it, with the text:
"This creature fights for harmony".
Still with the same text, different portraits could be seen, in particular:
- A pony in a light-brown uniform more suited to a warm climate, with a flag on the uniform - the Equestrian flag with horizontal purple lines, the flag of New Mareland.
- A griffon wearing a sky-blue uniform with a fleur-de-lys symbol and a red-and-blue flag, representing a griffon soldier of the Republic of Aquilea.
- A yak wearing a horned helmet with an almost medieval armor, representing a soldier from Yakyakistan
- A pony in a very light blue-purple uniform with a huge heart surrounded by stars as a symbol on the uniform, this time representing a crystal pony
One afternoon, a pegasus rang the doorbell of the young filly's house, who had just celebrated her first wartime birthday.
The young pegasus was a postmistress who delivered the mail, but the unusual hour of the visit intrigued the filly's mother.
A feeling of anguish suddenly overtook her when on the pegasus' bag she saw the logo of the Equestrian armed forces.
The pegasus handed her a letter accompanied by a medal, a medal encircled in gold with a sun and moon in relief at its center, one overlapping the other and vice versa from top to bottom.
After handing over her mail, the pegasus flew off and disappeared into thin air.
The mother returned to her house, opened the letter and began to read.
The intrigued little filly went downstairs from her room and into the kitchen where her mother was, and saw her mother in tears, a letter in front of her and a medal on the table.
She asked, "What medal and letter did the letter carrier bring? Why are you crying, Mom?".
The mother said nothing, taking her filly in her arms.
The filly said in a thin voice marked by growing sadness, "Did they kill Daddy?".
The mother sobbed back, "Yes, my child, they killed your father".
The sun set, marking the end of that fateful day, Friday October 13, 1011.
What an atrocious war that made the mothers tears and killed fathers of little angels.