//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: The Vanhoover Bastion // Story: [EaW] Harmony's War // by Flying Dutchpony //------------------------------// ”Dear diary, It has now been over a week since the changelings attacked. A lot has happened since then, but I finally caught a break to write it up. Soldiers have been trickling in from the frontlines for days now and the changelings are nearing the city. The military has decided to fight for Vanhoover and the city is being turned into a fortress. Volunteers are using rubble from destroyed houses to barricade the main roads and setting up barbed wire. The barricades also had wooden and concrete contraptions. Librus explained to me that these were to stop changeling armour. He has, like a lot of others, volunteered for the army after the first bombing. Although in the case of Librus, that mostly meant shooting practice after work, since he can’t leave his job. I see him less and less. Sometimes he sleeps at city hall. I know I have to be there for him, but it is hard to go on mostly alone. Today, I also put Rasp on the train to Tall Tales. I already miss her, but sending her to her aunt was the best option.  They are trying to evacuate as many children as possible, but the railways are in high demand to ship in supplies and troops. The harbour is full of damaged ships from changeling naval bombers, it barely has space for freighters to offload. Princess Celestia speaks a lot on the radio about the cruelty of the changelings and how all of Equestria needs to stand against them. On the hoof it brings me hope that the rest of the world will stop this madness, on the other hoof her words seem so different from the past. I fear that the world I once knew might not return. Yours faithfully, Diamond Harmony.’’ Princess Luna looked around her headquarters, a converted office room in Vanhoover’s city hall. Radios, typewriters and other machines were organised throughout. A big map of Equestria hung on the wall opposite the door, with a frontline continuously updated by her staff. In the middle of the office a detailed map of Vanhoover itself was rolled out on some tables. Big red arrows indicated likely routes of advance into the city and blue was used to indicate strong points to halt them. Luna sighed while looking over the map. Celestia had insisted that they’d stay and fight to the last pony, but she was rerouting supplies to other areas. Her sister deemed Vanhoover a lost cause, a way to stall Chrysalis’s armies. She gestured Librus to come over from his desk. The earth pony had been an important assistant ever since she came. More and more of Luna’s already undermanned staff were re-deployed to other fronts and the Vanhooverian took a load of the work on himself. “Princess?” He asked, moving up next to her. Luna noticed the bags under the stallion’s eyes. He was working too hard. “Situation report Librus, how are our supplies?’’ Librus shook his head. “Not good enough by a long shot. We have rifles and ammunition now, but we lack heavy weapons. Artillery, anti aircraft guns, mortars, machine guns,’’ he summed up. “And ponypower of course.’’ Luna nodded, “I see.’’ It is worse than I hoped, but we have some surprises of our own. “What about the special package from the east?’’ She smiled mischievously. Luna had to pull a lot of strings to get it done without Celestia catching wind of it, but she expected help any day now. “Yes, the volunteers from Stalliongrad will be here today.’’ Librus sighed, walking towards the map of Equestria, showing the northeastern provinces striped to signify disputed territory. “Are you sure they can be trusted, your highness?” The pony had expressed his concerns about letting the communists in multiple times, but Luna was convinced she needed them. “Their chairman promised the ponies he sent were veterans and that they were under strict orders to behave themselves.’’ Luna levitated some red plastic pony figures onto the Vanhoover map. “We can also increase our firepower by disassembling naval guns, I have been told.’’ Some wooden ship figures, surrounded by a dark purple glow, levitated from the harbour area to Alicorn Square on the map. Librus nodded. “Now what would you do as the changeling commander?’’ Luna put a hoof under her chin, staring at the map and the figurines that were hastily painted black to represent the changelings. Cut off supplies as much as possible. Tire the city out and use bombs and artillery. But that would be a lengthy process. “Surround the city…’’ Luna started, moving some of the black forces in a circle around the urban area. “Then deploy artillery to shell the city along with bombers if I have them.’’ The pony nodded approvingly and seemed to smile, he was enjoying the thought exercise and frankly, Luna was too. “But you need to hurry, since Equestria will get stronger by the day.” “What if I just attacked relentlessly with conscripts to keep the pressure up, while my best divisions just pushed south, not bothering with the siege?” Luna shuddered a bit from such a ruthless suggestion. “Now you’re thinking like a changeling.” Librus replied. “We shouldn’t rely on the enemy to value the lives of their soldiers.’’ He sighed and then gave the alicorn a serious expression. “Or those of our civilians.’’ Luna closed her eyes, but the memories of that first air raid didn’t go away. They won’t stop. They won’t stop until they’ve destroyed us all. “We have no choice Librus, you know that.’’ The stallion’s response sounded cold and calculated. “I know, but how many ponies would prefer surrender to all the destruction that will happen? If I were the changelings, I would win by demoralising the opponent.’’ Luna shuddered. He’s right. “Let’s not surrender then.” She answered simply. It was the only answer she could think of, since surrender was not an option. Luna wouldn’t let anypony live under that maniac Chrysalis and her tyrannical oppression. Librus’s reaction didn’t make the alicorn feel better. “Easy to say.’’ The stallion looked over the map again. “We have prepared, but I wonder how it plays out…’’ ~~~~~~~~ Three days later, sundown ~~~~~~~~ Corporal Valiant of the 2nd division, nicknamed ‘Equestria’, peered through his binoculars. On the horizon the Changelings had dug in. Artillery emplacements, field encampments, the lot. The unicorn held down the looking glasses and instead focused on the soldiers next to him. They were in one of the buildings on the edge of the city, part of the most forward defences, so that others could respond. Judging by the belongings they found when they moved in, it used to be someone’s house. Poor souls. Let’s make sure they at least have somewhere to come back to. He had four stallions with him, two on the machine gun, one riflepony on the radio and a field medic. Together the squad had fought from the border all the way to Vanhoover. It had been defeat after defeat. One day they had no ammunition, the other day there flanks were rolled up. Always outnumbered, out supplied or outmaneuvered. I’m tired of running. Valiant smirked, feeling on his back to check if his rifle was still there, which it was. “Corporal?” Private Nimble Sprint, on the radio, spoke up. “I got a transmission, the other outposts are reporting movement, they’re asking us to confirm.” So much for a break. Valiant nodded and grabbed his binoculars. By Celestia. The Changelings were mounting a full scale offensive! He tried to count the amount of trucks that were heading towards the city, but there were too many. “Tell command they’re here Sprint. And grab your rifle. It’s time.’’ His soldiers didn’t need an inspiring speech, they had enough of those. Their people were at their back and the enemy was in front of them. That was all that mattered. The corporal looked towards the changeling artillery. They were starting their bombardment. “Alright, ready the machine gun, let’s give these changelings a warm welcome to Vanhoover!” The gunner looked back and nodded grimly, putting the automatic weapon’s safety off. Artillery shells started to explode around the city, but by now Valiant’s squad barely flinched at the sound. The changelings were getting closer and the corporal could now distinguish the individual figures on the back of the open truck heading straight towards them. Just a few more moments… An explosion blocked his vision. A mortar shell had hit the truck and its engine was on fire. The bugs were getting out quickly, and started to run and fly towards the city and the cover there. They were in for quite a surprise. “Ready weapons!” His squad prepared to fire, Valiant himself kneeled down in front of one of the windows and readied his rifle. “Steady.” The bugs were almost in range. These didn’t seem like the ones they fought earlier, disorganised and almost suicidal. They must know we’re here, why are they charging like this. No time to think. Valiant had one of them down his sights “FIRE!” Three rifles fired their shots, while the machine gun opened its barrage of death. The changeling Valiant aimed for went down and he loaded another round into the clip, aiming at another one. The machine gun was making short work of these. No sudden moves now, scumbag. He pulled the trigger and moments later, another target was down. Valiant reloaded again, but all of them were already dead. He peered over his sights. Although their part seemed safe for the immediate future, the sound of gunfire betrayed that the fighting had reached the city. “At ease gentecolts. It looks like the rest of them didn’t want to face us down.’’ His machine gunner seemed to come down from sort of adrenaline rush and was still in the zone. The loader was looking at a medaillon of his family. Sprint went back to the radio to check in with command and he saw Amble Lance, the medic, look at the changeling bodies scattered not even closer than 50 metres from their location. “They were meatshields Corporal.” Amble’s voice revealed a sense of pity for the bugs. “So it seems. Poor bugs. Let’s prepare for the real deal then.” Valiant gave a confident smile to each member of his squad. The battle of Vanhoover had begun and they were right in the middle of it.