Letter 9: The Pony Cult
As the war continued, General Gustavus' position slowly shifted from merely supporting southern (western, from his perspective) Griffon troops to a more pivotal role in overall military strategy. As Equestrian forces continued to gain ground, the more inexperienced or incompetent griffon commanders needed additional soldiers and supplies routed through Gustavus, who continued doing his job with the utmost quality. It was during this time that he made contact with an unknown group of ponies living somewhere in the central Haysead swamps.
The ninth∗ of Gustavus' letters is translated as follows.
My dearest Guinevere,
I continue to bear unpleasant news. The pony forces have recaptured Rambling Rock Ridge and continue to advance southward. I fear that my colleagues' inexperience may be our downfall. Judging by my continued communications with Garrowind, his forces appear to perform the worst in each battle, retreating early and often without reason. I do not believe that he understands the requirement of sacrifice in this war, and his refusal to act decisively may soon turn the Haysead Swamps into a true battleground. I remain safe for the moment, however, so fear not for me.
I continue to operate from the mine encampment. Cleanup operations were completed just this morning, and I am proud to declare that my new location has allowed me to command my forces most efficiently. Additionally, I find myself somewhat entranced by the mystery this place offers. Judging from the recovered weaponry and the few carcasses that escaped complete consumption by the swamp beasts, I believe that this outpost was initially manned by Equestrians, who were attacked and forced out by another group of ponies weeks before our warriors even landed on the continent. They were driven off by masked warriors with primitive bows and a strange manner of stone-edged clubs. Of course, judging from long-rotted corpses, I would have no way of knowing this had these same warriors not arrived at the gates of the camp.
When we cleared the quarry near the camp of vines and detritus, we found a curious door at its base, hidden by rubble and overgrowth. Upon forcing our entrance, we discovered an extensive cave, with walls lined with glittering crystals and strange paintings prominently featuring an odd design made of multiple concentric circles.
Not two days later I was awoken near midnight to the presence of said clansponies, all with their primitive weapons and wearing wooden masks. I assume this clan made the markings in the cave, as their war masks featured the same concentric circles around their viewing holes. They spoke no language we understood, but shouted and waved their clubs until we drove them away. The incident occurred two days ago, and we've seen nothing of them since.
I send Genoa my deepest condolences. My influence could not protect her tom from the call to arms, but I have organized his delivery to my camp. I give to her my promise that he will be out of harm's way. Give her and her chicks the warmest of embraces for me, my sweet.
All the love in the skies,
Your Gustavus
∗ : Curiously, due to multiple confusing references and implications present in many of General Gustavus' letters, many historians, including this author, believe that one of Gustavus' letters is missing somewhere between his fifth and eighth letters, making this letter the tenth, not the ninth.