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// Chapter 6: The Calm Before the Battle 1/2 
// Story: The War of the Equestrian First Reign 
// by Creative Charmer 
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It had been around three months since the completion of the Southern Equestrian Sentry Posts, and as luck would have it, there had not been a single intrusion into Equestrian territory during that entire stretch of time. This lack of activity did not lessen the vigilance of the pony soldiers. They were always on duty, as having even one pony slacking off could bring about disaster if a disturbance did indeed arise. Most soldiers were stationed up at the tops of the sentry posts, with routine marches up and down the connecting bridges of the towers all day and night. Nopony relented in keeping a watchful eye for any sign of movement in the barren lands that lie opposite of their glorious nation.

Though times had been peaceful and uneventful for the Equestrians hitherto, it would be on this very day that the might of the ponies(mostly Hurricane's pegasi) would face the first true test of their capabilities in warfare. The perils faced in days past were considered great threats to the existence of the ponies, such as goblins, Thunderbirds, and most of all, the Windigos. However, once this new foe made its appearance, the ponies would witness a threat much more deadly and much more real than they could ever expected to come against. Still, no matter how powerful or dangerous and adversary may appear, the military ponies of Equestria would not falter in keeping their home safe, or protecting the many innocent ponies that live within their nation. However, bravery alone does not guarantee a victory, and the Equestrians were about to learn that lesson in a way more difficult than any one of them could ever perceive...



The sun had descended from the upper atmosphere, completing its day-long duty and allowing the moon to take its place as the rightful illuminator of the nighttime sky. The sentry posts stood as monoliths in the dark, keeping their everlasting vigil at the egress of the desert. As dark as the night was, the collimated rays of the crescent moon lit up the rears of the towers that faced the motherland. From this side, the gleaming sentry posts resembled beacons—beacons which symbolized the bright future envisioned for Equestria by all ponies. Catching even a glimpse of this glistening light would be nothing short of inspirational to any and all inhabitants of the glorious Equestrian nation, for the faith held by the ponies in their own land and the people behind it could only push Equestria even further into the prosperous nation it was destined to become. The sentry guards maintained this belief adamantly, confident in their growing country and in their own abilities to defend it most definitely—even on days and nights of silence and inactivity, as it had been for the entirety of their duration stationed at the sentry posts. But, even though all appeared peaceful at this current place in time, it was not to last, as no later than the quarter-point of the moon's journey through the darkened sky would the harmony be utterly shattered by the unknown force making its way to the Equestrian border...

Though the many lights placed about the towers assisted in the observation maintained by the sentry guards, the fog that had recently drifted in hindered the vision of the guards to a great extent. Because of this, many pegasi had been ordered to move out into the fog, each holding a lantern, and produce a gust of enough strength to disperse the fog so as to return the proper rate of productivity to their nightly duty. Unfortunately, this simple task was not going as smoothly as would be expected: an air of uneasiness had settled amongst the ponies—feelings that something felt much ore "off" than was the norm for sentry post guard duty. Some took the sudden murkiness as a sign that a significant occurrence would take place this very night, and for those who holds the job of a guardspony, only trepidation would be their neighbor.