Changeling Victory

The year is 1020, in the world of Equestria at War, an alternate universe version of the world of My Little Pony that sees technology at roughly the level of WW2 and a darker tone. After Chrysalis' plot to replace Princess Cadance and infiltrate the royal family was discovered in 1002, Chrysalis was forced to flee with her tail between her legs.

Ten years later in 1012, a large-scale war would launch between the newly reorganized Royal Changeling Heer and the Equestrian army. The Changelings achieved total victory, but not without significant cost for both sides. Though the Changelings were definite victors, the death toll for ponies was around 12 million, both civilian and military included. On the Changeling side, the death toll was around 1.5 million soldiers and 400,000 civilians. After two years of brutal fighting, an unconditional surrender was signed by the only remaining member of Equestria High command, Prince Blueblood, effectively ending Equestria's existence as an independent political entity.

Being that Equestria's population isn't exactly huge to begin with, the loss of twelve million lives is felt deeply. The population's widescale will to resist has largely been crushed. Entire villages in the North West lay abandoned, being resettled by the victorious Changelings and their veterans.

To make matters worse, Changelings now oversee the governance of all their new territory personally, with Changeling war heroes like Trimmel and Jachs directly governing certain territories (Jachs oversees Canterlot, and Trimmel oversees the former Crystal Empire).

The Royal Changeling Heer's presence has not diminished, as Chrysalis perhaps rightly fears that despite the utter desolation of the pony population, that there is a very real risk of revolt, whether on a small or large scale, by their pony subjects.

Moderates such as Marsilio and Jachs believe the Changelings need to treat the ponies firmly but fairly as subjects and harvest Love sustainably for the Changelingia state to survive, but hardliners like the Queen's Guard, and members of the Changeling Intelligence Agency VOPS ultimately have more influence.

The ultramilitaristic, prideful and supremacist leanings of most of the Changelings means that life for the average pony is now quite dark. Though small victories like Marsilio's Seaddle accords have prevented the Changelings from outright draining ponies to death, the fact remains that large numbers of ponies are still abducted and molested by Changelings, that large amounts of ponies are taken as forced laborers in the factories that supply the ever growing Royal Heer, and that Chrysalis' thirst for dominance and her pride means that her efforts to completely erase Equestria's legacy and ensure her Pax Chrysalis lasts for eternity are likely to continue unimpeded.

Princess Twilight Sparkle disappeared, and nobody knows where she is. Celestia and Luna both vanished, and it is believed the Goddesses were likely somehow put out of commission by Chrysalis herself.

Large monuments to the Changeling fighters and occupiers now decorate the Equestrian landscape, banners of the Changeling flag adorn barracks and towers all across the country, and ponies spend every day fearful for their freedom and lives.

After the initial Changeling Victory, mock trials were held for many Equestrian High Command on falsified charges of war crimes, leading to high ranking members like Soarin', Fast Clip and Prince Blue Blood being executed publicly in occupied Canterlot during Chrysalis' inaugural victory parade, which featured rows of her beloved Panzer IVs, Panthers, Tigers, and Stugs.

Most of the Mane Six have vanished. The only two whose locations are known are Applejack and Rarity. Applejack leads an agricultural cooperative forcibly established on the former territory of Sweet Apple Acres by Ponyville, that uses slave labor to produce massive amounts of food to feed the Changeling populace (as both traditional food and love is needed to fuel Changelings).

The reason Applejack has done this is simple. She realizes the situation is impossible to win, and she'd rather oversee the ponies personally so she can do them small kindnesses and make sure things run smoothly,, better that than leaving it to some Changeling overseer, in her point of view.

The other known factor is Pinkie Pie, who, since the war, has become something of a reclusive alcoholic. She moved out to Manehattan to live in utter seclusion from the former friends she had failed to protect.

The rule of the Changelings is completely totalitarian. Though they do not have ever present surveillance (as the tech simply isn't there for it, nor is the numbers), the fact Changelings can flawlessly shapeshift means that VOPS planting the simple paranoid idea that every neighborhood is infiltrated does most of the work of keeping the ponies compliant, even if VOPS actually rarely sends agents outside of large population centers, as their numbers are strained as it is, ruling over such a large tract of land now.

The Royal Changeling Heer is the standing army of Greater Changelingia. It is essentially an alternate universe Wehrmacht, and so they feature tech similar to late-WW2 Germany, their Panzer corps utilizing Panzer IVs, Tigers, Panthers, Stugs, etc.

The Changeling Heer wear their iconic uniform and Stahlhelms in its deep gray, with officers wearing the iconic peaked caps.

The Changeling Heer has around six million active army personnel, 500,000 navy personnel, and 600,000 air force personnel split between pilots, air crews and Fallschirmjagers.

The current standard issue rifle of the Changelings is the Sturmgewehr 15 or STG-15, an improved version of the earlier STG-13 featuring a more ergonomic design, threaded barrel for muzzlebrake or suppressor attachments, and a scope mount.

There is a small continent of occupied ponies that serve in the Changeling army, in a group called the QPVC, or Queen's Pony Volunteer Corps, they are collaborators who fight for the Changeling cause, and having images of ponies in Changeling uniform is useful propaganda for the occupation.

Because the Changelings were victorious, they have continued developing their technology, for example, standardizing on the jet fighter the Sv.262 "Schwalbe" and creating enormous armored blimps carrying artillery batteries and entire battalions known as Leviathan-Class Air Fortressers.

Is it worth noting that while the Heer is very similar in many of its beliefs, designs and actions to the Wehrmacht, they are not technically "Nazis" as no such ideology as National Socialism exists in the world of Faust - rather, the Changelings are simply racial supremacist militants of an autocratic nature. The distinction is minor, but the point being that if you called them a 'Nazi' they wouldn't know what you meant, and if you called them a Fascist they'd think you are referring to the niche ideology of Beakolini in Wingbardy.

The most elite and zealous troopers of the Royal Heer are the Queen's Guard, hand-picked for their devotion, brutality and zeal. Many Queen's Guard previously served in VOPS, the intelligence agency of the Changeling state.

• Setting: Equestria at War (EaW) is an alternate universe of My Little Pony, set in a 20th century-inspired world, on a planet called Faust. Unlike the peaceful and colorful tone of the original series, EaW is defined by industrialisation, global tensions, ideological conflicts, and war. Technology mirrors early to mid-20th century Earth, with the dawn of armored warfare, combat planes, mass industrialization and common electricity.

Equestria has been at peace for nearly a thousand years, but after a failed attempt by Chrysalis to capture Canterlot, tensions are rising. Changelings rapidly militarized in secret, their technology similar in function and form to German WW2 equipment. Equestria has been forced to attempt rapid modernization to keep up.

Faust is home to several magical beings, such as Alicorns, Unicorns, Dragons, and deer.

Across the ocean on the continent of Griffonia, racial tensions exist between the pony colonists and the Griffon natives.

To the South, Zebrica has exploded into a series of wars, with empires vying for control, and new ideas taking hold. That's not to mention the nation of Chiropterra, a remaining and rapidly expanding nation of Thestrals that adhere to the ancient Lunarist religion.

This world uses a custom calendar. Years are counted from the banishment of Nightmare Moon: year 1 ALB (After Luna Banishment) begins at her exile. Her return happens in 1000 ALB. Any year before the banishment is marked as BLB (Before Luna Banishment).

Faust is a planet divided into three major continents: Equus, Griffonia, and Zebrica. Equus is the Northwestern positioned Continent, Griffonia is North Eastern, and Zebrica takes up almost the whole Southern hemisphere.

Equus is a large western continent split between a cold mountainous North and a warmer South. It is home to Equestria, Crystal Empire, Stalliongrad, Changeling Lands, Nova Griffonia, Olenia, the polar bear nation, and Pingland.

Equus has a primarily temperate climate in the center, with forests, rolling fields, and good amounts of rainful.

The southern coast of Equus is defined in the South West by deserts and mountains, as well as the presence of the Buffalo tribes, and the South East, defined by jungles and swamps,

Equestria's starting position at the date 1007:

• Location: The entire bottom two thirds of the Equus continent • Population: Sixty-three million • Government: At the time of 1007 ALB, Equestria has been under the peaceful rule by the two Alicorn Princesses, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. The world is changing rapidly however and the continued state of this is not guaranteed. • Army: 1 million active personnel total, with about 500,000 in the Equestrian Army, 75,000 in the Royal Guard, 75,000 in the Air Force, 200,000 in the Navy, and 150,000 in the Equestrian National Guard. The entire military recently underwent massive modernization, with the introduction of standardized firearms.

Vesalipolis is the capitol of the united Changeling Hives under Chrysalis. While even twenty years ago, Vesalipolis was typical for a Changeling hive, with biological spires composing the vast majority, things have changed since the failed attempt to take Canterlot.

A rapid program of industrialization took place. The primary hive structure of Vesalipolis was destroyed entirely. In its place was new construction, an enormous city built out in a circular pattern around one central point, a triangularly arranged pony spire poking far into the sky, of glass and concrete and steel, the Queen's Spire. Above the base's rows of shiny windows was a huge metal emblem bearing the coat of arms of the Changeling united hives.

Around the Queen's Spire, well-planned sectors were built. Industrial sectors with factories that pump out Panzer IIs, IIIs and IVs by the dozen, arms factories, agricultural sectors, and more. Commercial districts featuring large screens covered in Changeling propaganda down narrow streets of uniform buildings.

Then there was the residental sectors. The rapid industrialization of Vesalipolis was not without cost - the increase in density and quality of life caused Changelings to swarm into the city, and as such, dozens of new tenement apartment complexes fill the residential districts, which remain largely cramped, though the problem is not as bad as it once.

The known sapient races of Faust are as follows:

Ponies - quadrupedal, adaptable, and coming in four main varieties, Earth Pony, Pegasus, Unicorn, Thestral, with their Goddesses being unique beings that possess both a horn and wings, called an Alicorn. Ponies have hooves and fur, with their hair being known as a mane.

Griffons: Quadrupedal, feathered, clawed quarrelsome, industrious, griffons are industrious and warlike. Many new ideas come from the Griffonian continent, such as the birth of Fascism in the Kingdom of Wingbardy or the outline of the concept of Democratic Socialism as done by the Griffonian Republic.

Changelings: Intelligent quadrupedal beings that vaguely resemble ponies but with some more insectoid features, Changelings feed on love and that has long put them in conflict with the other species of Faust.

Penguins: Bipedal feathered birds, In the arctic reaches such as in the very north of the Equus continent, there is a history of intelligent Penguin tribes banding together to form a coherent political government.

Polar Bears: Quadrupedal (although can stand bipedally for extended durations) bears that are highly intelligent hunters with a storied history of their own civilizations on the continent of Equus.

Hyenas: Bipedal, nomadic canids from the continent of Zebrica, Hyenas are known for their relatively shorter lifespan than many other beings on Faust, their spiritualism, their tenacity and their fun-loving nature. Hyenas tend to travel nomadically and in packs, with the only vestige of permanent Hyenan civilization being the nation of Hyenia in the South Eastern part of Zebrica. Hyenas tend to adhere to a pack hierarchy based on strength, and are matriarchal in nature, with the alpha female usually leading a pack.

Horses: Quadrupedal, taller than ponies. Horses are native to the land of Zebrica, more specifically the Arabian peninsula, where their nations have long been set to internal conflict. Horses are not magically inclined the way ponies are, and therefore are a much more industrial society akin to other non-magical races. Horses are tall, averaging 6-7 feet in height, nearly double the average size of ponies.

Yetis: Bipedal furry white apes, the Yetis are perhaps best known for their most famous ruler, the storm king, a militaristic tyrant who took over much of Zebrica at one point. Yetis have a poor reputation among other races primarily due to the era of the Storm King, but many underestimate their intelligence and resolve.

Deer: Deer are quadrupedal and native to the lands of Olenia on the continent of Equus. Culturally deer are similar to ponies, and the crystals that compose their antlers allow deer to channel magic in a similar way to unicorns.

Llamas: Intelligent llamas are known to exist in the lands of Llambet, in Zebrica

Zebras: Quadrupedal, the dominant race by sheer number on Zebrica, Zebras are highly spiritual and empire builders, with Zebra Empires like Colthaginia and the recluded tribes of Azir representing some of the earliest established civilization on Faust.

Hippogriffs: Similar to Griffins but with much more aquatic features, hippogriffs are found primarily on their island off the coast of Zebrica and around their capital, Mount Eris.

Cats: Bipedal, intelligent and fiercely independent, the cats native to Abyssinia on the Zebrican continent are a force to be reckoned with. After being nearly wiped out by imperial colonizers sent by ancient pony Kingdoms across the ocean on Griffonia, the cats have formed a fervent and insular community in the deserts that define their homeland. One of the few purely carnivorous species on Faust. The body plans of the cats of Faust could be described as anthropomorphic, with paws yet an upright body structure.

Dragons: Bipedal, ancient, powerful, the dragons have long lived on their island off the coast of Equus and in the Badlands on the continent proper. Dragons are haughty and fiercely independent and rarely live among anyone other than their kind, which is part of why Spike's presence is notable in Twilight's life, as he's a rare dragon that has chosen not to live among his own.

Macaws: Bipedal sapient Macaws are not uncommon across Zebrica, known widely for being skilled sailors and especially effective privateers.

Diamond Dogs: Native to Diamond Mountain on Griffonia, though groups of Diamond Dogs are not uncommmon sights outside these territories, Diamond Dogs are Bipedal anthropomorphic dogs that are known for their dishonesty, thievery, and sly nature. Diamond Dogs have long ruled over Diamond Mountain and it is not uncommon to see slaves of other species being used to mine in their mines or as unwilling partners of their nobility.

Minotaurs: Minotaurs are bipedal, bull-like and extremely powerful, known for their warrior culture, hard work and exceptional longevity, Minotaurs live primarily in Asterion at the Southern tip of Griffonia.

Ghouls: Not necessarily a distinct species, but in the far Northern peninsula atop Griffonia lies the Dread League around Magehold, a place where time is seemingly frozen as powerful Necromancers and Vampires live isolated there raising an army of undead legions in preparation for their final war against the living. These undead minions are 'ghouls', risen corpses. One reason they are notably listed despite ghouls being of any possible species is it has been noticed that the Dread League has sometimes risen ghouls of extinct species.