A Thin Red Line
The weather felt great. Bright, and yet, cooling breezes that cools the furs of a pony. However, the atmosphere stank of grim dullness, of sulking solemn, and if one had a really good nose, a miniscule, slight stench of death.
The equine ponies went about with their daily affairs but in tension of war. News have long spread that the nation's military have been suffering defeat after defeat, tails between its legs, beaten by the Sombrarian invaders.
Sombra reappeared on the frozen outskirts of the Crystal Empire with a hulking size of an army. With a mighty voice, he announced their presence, and began siege of the city. In less than a few weeks, half of his invading army has split up to invade the separate bordered land of Equestria.
The Sombrarians were unstoppable as they attacked everywhere. They were like a mirror-entity of the Equestrian Army but much more deadly. In weeks, towns and cities fell to King Sombra's army. They were so successful that they have sent a separate invasion force to invade another continent, while still invading Equestria and the Crystal Empire.
And a runner has returned from that continent, bearing news.
"We were annihilated"
"WHAT?!" King Sombra exclaimed, and the courier flinched at the hallowing deep voice, "explain, you insolent unicorn!"
"They descended upon us, in colorful uniforms of red, white, black, whatever they wear," the unicorn spoke in frightful breaths as his legs shivered slightly to the deadly glare of the king, "with weapons that exploded like thunder, of fiery fire and smokes."
With that, he dropped an object in front of him.
It had a structure of a short pole but a hole has been dug in its tip, where the front of a sharp pointy head would be. The king inspected it closer and saw the hole ran as deep as the pole's body went. From the front to the back, was a thin body and as it went to the end, its structure became wider downwards, which it ended with a flat vertical surface. In between the thin circular barrel and the boxy part, was some kind of mechanism he has never seen before. A metallic semi-circle structure looks to be welded into the bottom of the center area, which surrounded a curved piece of metal sticking just out of the bottom. Along one of its faces were more metallics, with what appears to be a duckish looking hammer along with a spanner.
"This is one of the weapons they use, your majesty."
"And how exactly, did this weird weapon beat back an entire force of unicorns?" Sombra questioned but decided to extinguish his apparent anger. Being temperamental in a situation like this wouldn't do well not just for his ability to think straight, but also the morale of the troops. The courier's eyes shifted into fear at the question, but it looked like fear of the weapon, not of Sombra.
"We were all stunned, the enemy just stood in front of us, shoulder to shoulder, in a tightly packed formation style that we employ as well, and as we shot volleys of magic shots at their ranks, their entire rank exploded into thick smokes that clouded the field. It sounded like a thousand firecrackers going off at once, but as soon as it happened, the men in our ranks started to drop," the unicorn retold the events of the battle. As he did so, he lifted one of his front legs to show it bandaged.
"When I was treated, the surgeon pulled out a metallic ball out of my leg. It's probably a projectile. This weapon must have been a projectile weapon." He then tapped his chest armor, "some of our troops were even found hit squared through their chest armor with the same kind of ball."
"Which one, the Goldensteel armor, or the steelwicks?"
"Goldensteel, your Majesty."
"Weapons that pierce Goldensteel?" Sombra muttered. He began to imagine the power of the weapon that pierced Equestria's gold armor, "well done on your report, soldier. Take a meal and shower, you deserved it."
Sombra had written to his heading commanders across the Equestrian continent to be on guard for anything related to the reports. He still had the weird pole thing with the deep hole in its front. At one point, he tried to fit arrows in it, thinking of it as a quiver, but he could only fit one arrow. He fiddled the weird metal curve point sticking out of the bottom of the weapon and found it oddly sensational, good for distracting his stresses.
Now, his troops often see him with the weird pole thing. The weird pole thing floating beside him in his magical grasp.
"Your Majesty, I deliver to you a dire report!" the courier caught Sombra out of his fiddling of the weird pole thing.
"What of? Speak in detail, Winding Acres," Sombra inquired, floating the weird pole his other side.
"The armies at Baltimare have been defeated, they retreat now to the fortifications at Manehatten -"
"When since did this happen?" Sombra interrupted.
"About two weeks ago, your Majesty, according to the runner that just came recently," Acres answered, "he mentions of the army being beaten by foreign soldiers."
"Foreign soldiers?" Sombra raised an eyebrow. He moved the weird pole thing again, giving it a twirl in the air.
"Does he report of the nature of the enemy?" He inquired. Acres gave a sharp nod before replying,
"Yes, your Majesty, right about the same as the report I gave you. Brightly colored uniforms, not even a single protective armor, and that pole thing."
"So it appears, that Equestria has an alliance that up to now, I have no knowledge of."
"Acres, write a letter for me. Address it to Scarlet Knife." Sombra waved the weird pole thing about, before continuing,
"Tell her, to march to Ponyville,"
"and raze it."
On the streets of Baltimare, thousands of red-clad humans move about in organized chaos. A group of them conversed with two important figureheads of Equestria.
"Once again, General Wolf, we express our deepest gratitude for what your troops have done in Equestria, so far." Princess Celestia expressed with a deep bow of her head. Princess Luna, beside her, followed stead. In front of them, are human men in brightly colored uniforms. Red above, beige below. Epaulettes in nice, bright golden color, hard cotton lined their clothing from the center of their collars to the bottom of their upper dress, poked through small slits lined the same way. Buttons, apparently. Following that lining is a strip of yellow-golden color. The rest of the top are just bright red. On their heads they wore triangular but flat hats, with some of them having white rims, others with yellow-golden.
General Wolf gave a casual wave of his hand, "Speak none of it, except of the King's grace that we're here."
General Wolf appeared to be a young man, according to the lack of wrinkles on his face. Like the rest of his men, his hair is groomed neatly, dark brownish hair slicked backwards. He slid his hand over it before donning his tricorne. Placing his hands behind him, but with an expression of a mostly indifferent man,
"Half of my forces are being moved to the Crystal Empire to help your neighbor. According to the report given to me, the city right there is about to capitulate." With that said, he points to the train just a few distance ahead of them. Thousands of men, the ponies addressing them as 'the Redcoats', are formed up and boarding the train, "let's hope this train of yours moves quickly. Overwork it if needed."
"Here's hoping the troops don't freeze to death," one of his officers piped in. Celestia gave an assuring smile to the officer, "Fear not, I'm sure Lord Armor and Princess Cadence will provide for them."
"They better do. Sending half of my troops to some frozen waste has already cut our capabilities to fight here," Wolf cut in brusquely.
"Our troops will cover for whatever gaps in your lines are needed, General," Luna spoke, hoping to ease him. Wolf however, gave her a slight frown, "with pointy sticks and fairy dust, I'm sure they'll be helpful yes."
"General, while we may be more..," Luna gestured aimlessly with her foreleg, "primitive in terms of Military, we are still capable of fighting the enemy and -,"
"Your capabilities," Wolf gestured with his fingers, ", will be sure to assist, and by the King's grace I am to take the Sombrarians by their teeth if I have to." Wolf finished with combative temper.
Their exchange was interrupted by a redcoat.
"Sir, reports from one of our scouts," saluted the redcoat.
"Carry on Private." The redcoat unrolled the parchment and read the contents,
"Equine garrisons of Apple Loosa and Dodge City have been overthrown by Sombrarian forces. Sombrarians number at about four thousand. This is an estimate." The redcoat paused before continuing,
"The enemy marches now, without any rest, towards a town the locals call, Ponyville. The town has a minuscule garrison, they stand no chance."
"Sergeant Repontirre," The redcoat finished with a roll of the parchment. Wolf nodded and waved him away, "thank you private, return to your post."
With the Private dismissed, the general returned to the Princesses, "planning must begin immediately. With what little I know from the map provided by your troops, the distance we have to cover to get there is significantly longer than the distance from Apple Loosa."
"Sir, I'll get the men organized," a man standing by his right, spoke up.
"Immediately, Lambert, time is being wasted even now," General Wolf waved for him to carry on, and the Lieutenant General left in a jog. Wolf turned back to Celestia, "Princesses, you are not required to, but should," he emphasized, "meet us in the planning room. We're dismissed." Wolf said, and everyone behind him moved to their respective posts. Before Wolf could leave, however, Luna caught his attention,
"Hold on, general," Luna made a gesture of one of her leg towards a weapon on the left of the General's hips. It's small and short. It had a curved grip at its end, a circular thin band of golden surrounding a curved bar protruding from the grip. From the grip extended out a small barrel. "May you perhaps, have a few of your men demonstrate your weapons?"
"PRESENT!"
The officer shouted, and the men leveled their muskets, pointed at the row of golden armor.
"FIRE!"
The air crackled as thick smokes exploded from the smoothed-bore barrels of the muskets. The surrounding spectacle of ponies was caught shock by the noise, some even covering their ears. As the smoke cleared, the spectacle gathered near to inspect the target. Once golden gleaming armor, now riddled with holes front and back, dents, and if one would to look hard enough, the set of armor would appear to have dulled just a bit.
"As the men have demonstrated, a concentrated volley fire can cause great damage in enemy ranks." Wolf tapped it just lightly, and it fell off its pole. He regathered everyone's attention,
"One hole, " he fingered one, "is the firepower of one musket. But to maximize firepower, we use them in formations, as mentioned earlier."
"How accurate are these 'muskets'?" Luna queried, but Wolf gave a slight shrug.
"That is why we use them in formations." By the time Wolf replied, the redcoats were done reloading and held their muskets at a ready.
"I assume these weapons don't require much effort to learn? No offense intended."
"No, and yes," Wolf straightened himself, with his hands behind him.
"It only takes weeks of training to train soldiers in usage of Muskets, from single," Wolf paused and gestured to the formation, "to formation."
"Come, just for flair's sake, let's do one more volley." He waved for everyone to clear the range. Taking his position, he signaled for the officer to carry on.
"Make Ready! Present!"
...
...
"FIRE!"
---
"General Wolf's attitude stinks," Luna said as she walked besides Celestia. The hallway echoed with the clopping of their hooves. However, Luna walked temperamentally.
"Calm down sister," Celestia pleaded. They paused in front of a double handled door, and Celestia gave her one more pleading look, "just let me do the talking."
Before pushing it and attracting the attention of the room's occupants. Humans in their red uniforms with badges and lanyards, stars and stripes denoting ranks, swords and flintlock pistols at their hips, and sticks to push the battle pieces on the planning table. With them, Equestrian soldiers that were familiar to both of the Royal Sisters. Captain Marsh Hoof, a unicorn, stood just between two Earth Ponies, his subordinating officers. The three of them gave the customary 'salute-to-the-royal-sisters' and the sisters returned the gesture.
"Good evening to the both of you." General Wolf greeted indifferently to the royal presence. "Thank you for joining us, but we were just about done."
"Your highness, if we may?" Hoof gestured to the table. Celestia nodded to him.
"Of course Captain."
"King Sombra's Chief Commander, Scarlet Knife, is marching half of her army towards the areas," General Wolf circled a few settlements on the map, but in particular, Ponyville.
"Of the plains around Ponyville. They are marching too quickly, they'll likely tire out by the time they reach the tracks, here," He pointed to a big green open field just outside Ponyville.
"Scouts reported that they started their march as soon as they concluded their fight with the Equestrian garrisons at Apple Loosa and Dodge Junction. Scarlet's formation suffered only minor casualties, but they spent days on those sieges." Wolf poked at the mentioned towns on the map.
"The distance we have to cover is longer than what they have to cover, but this is a prime opportunity to kick their teeth in and turn the war around in this continent's favor."
"Just one decisive blow, and the war is ours," one of General Wolf's officers added in.
"Only for this continent," another muttered, abeit too low for anyone to hear.
"So I've ordered the men to march out of Baltimare, and to form up on the outskirts of Ponyville. They're already on their way, in fact." General Wolf waved his hand in the air in a dismissive manner, "Have your army stand-in for Baltimare, or whatever."
"The Spears of Canterlot have went with them, your highness." Captain Hoof added in.
"I will emphasise," General Wolf tapped his stick rapidly on the table, "that although these lands belong to Equestria, this battle is ours to command," Wolf waved his stick haphazardly to his retinue of officers.
"As it has been, General. We won't interfere too much," Celestia replied with a bow of her head.
"Very good. Now, there are a few other concerns to address," Wolf returned to the map and circled a gray looking area.
"While half of the enemy forces are marching towards us, the other half is marching towards a rock farm right here. Captain Hoof has already assembled a blocking force there," Wolf trailed his stick along a river separating slightly, the patch of solid land and the rock farm,
"This whole river is shallow, so they can cross, so expect combat here." Wolf detailed and returned his stick to the plains outside of Ponyville, and trailed it along the path towards the expected side of the enemy, "their forces are about a day apart. So, we defeat them at Ponyville, then march around, attack their other half from behind while they engage the blocking force at the rock farm."
"Why are you so sure that your men can win at Ponyville?" Luna interrupted. Wolf gave a slight frown in response,
"Scarlet's men are exhausted, they are in no condition to fight an organized battle," Wolf said while slightly fidgeting with the flintlock pistol at his hip,
"and if that's not enough, then a line of musket fire will stop them in their tracks."
"If that's still not enough, then bayonets will do," Wolf finished.
"Assuming the men don't run first," One of his officers piped, which made a few of them chuckle.
"They probably will," Wolf joined in, adding more to the laughter.
The room's double doors burst open, slamming against the walls as an Equestrian soldier ran in, panting heavily, coat shined with sweat, posture appearing to be on the verge of collapse.
"Captain Hoof!" The soldier cried out. Hoof waved him over and the soldier dropped his muzzle at Hoof's ear to whisper. It was only for a moment before the Captain dismissed him. He looked to General Wolf with worry.
"The.., path out of Baltimare to Ponyville has been blocked by an avalanche."
"What?!" Someone uttered as the room fell into mutters. Wolf took a moment to ingest the information, and looked back at the map, poking it furiously.
"Sir, we cannot reach Ponyville in time. Please order the troops back."
General Wolf kept his attention at the map. While this was happening, Celestia and Luna stood silently, as if being background props. Just as soon as Celestia was about to speak, an idea triggered in Luna's thoughts,
"We use portals." The jumbled noise of the room fell silent as everyone turned heads to her.
Captain Hoof and his other two aides nodded in agreement, but the redcoats just stared confusedly.
"Portals?" An officer repeated. Captain Hoof decided to take the conversation.
"Magic Portals. A method of transportation that our military regularly uses. It's basically two points of entry, like a door opposite another door, but Portals can connect long distances and are conjured by our unicorns. But this requires unicorns and the proper equipment at each point of entry, as they have to conjure the entry points."
"Fortunately, the garrison at Ponyville has a few unicorns specialized in creating magic portals," Captain Hoof continued, "but if we are going to use magic portals, someone will have to notify them. I can get our fastest Pegasus dispatched to Ponyville immediately, right now."
"Whatever it is, do it," General Wolf approved immediately.
"Excuse me, then," Captain Hoof bowed slightly before cantering out of the room. General Wolf turned to his men.
"Lieutenant General, recall the troops."
---
The plains outside of Ponyville was full of scrub. Uneven ground everywhere, only interrupted by a train track lined towards a station in Ponyville. A mountainous area blocks one side of the plains, and a dense forest blocks the other side quite near the tracks.
"This is ridiculous," Wolf utters, "We have a bunch of Sombrarians marching one way, and another marching towards us." Wolf threw his arms sideways in slight frustration but resurveyed the field with a spyglass.
"See down there, Lieutenant General," Wolf pointed ahead, Lambert beside him with his own spyglass, "the topography of the ground ahead is nastier." Wolf collapsed his spyglass,
"The Sombrarians are coming from there, they'll suffer from the terrain."
"Do we attack them, General?" Luna inquired. The dual Princesses volunteered to join the battle alongside the Spears of Canterlot. In battle armour they gleam in the sunlight. Luna, in bright light blue pieces of armor. A light blue piece of chain mail envelops her from the neck down to her chest, where over it covers a thick armor piece with the Equestrian symbol upon its centre. Along her back are two layers of the same chain mail but in larger pieces to cover her form. Knees of her front legs are protected with layers of padded leather and around the rest of the four of her legs, simple cloth underneath with more chain mail worn over. Above a layer of comfortable linen rests a steel helmet with a long and big red brush that poked out of the top of the helmet drawn downwards in a curve to the back of the helmet. The protective pieces of the helm covered her cheeks and a forehead guard in a well-curved piece with a rectangular protrusion that covers the bridge of her face. Her hooves are covered in steelish armor pieces. Celestia wears the same set of armor, but in shining golden.
"No, pointless," Wolf said with a pull of his spyglass. He surveys the field again,
"We're outnumbered, but we have firepower superiority." Still looking through the spyglass, he pointed again, this time to a small area of woods nearby the expected position of the incoming enemy. From there, he moves his finger to the train tracks leading from beside the woods.
"Look there, Princess. They have to cross THAT, to deploy on the fields." Wolf explains, "Lieutenant Colonel Croy will deploy his artillery, three guns to our left, pointed towards the bridge." He clasps the spyglass shut. "The rest of the guns will set up on our right beside the mountains,"
"Gun them down while they march up. As they establish themselves, artillery will continue to pummel their lines."
"I'll have the guns set-up immediately, sir," Croy dismissed himself and jogged away to his men, "THE 10TH ARTILLERY, WILL SET UP THREE GUNS BESIDE THE TRAIN TRACKS!"
"Infantry, in ranks of two," Wolf continued, "will start from beside the mountains and stretch all the way to the edge of the forest." He gestures in a line with his finger, from the mountain, to the forest.
"I want the excess to form up behind the 10th artillery, and act as the reserve line." He added.
"Also, the men will load two musket balls," He added again.
"Two musket balls, sir?" An officer repeated.
"Two muskets balls." Wolf repeated. He turned slightly and pointed towards the forest, "I want the 78th and 79th Highlanders formed up along that side."
"Sir," the officer saluted and went to organize the left side. Wolf looked to his other side and addressed another officer, "Colonel Murray, you go too."
"Alright sir," Colonel Murray began to leave but turned about for just a short while, "Eh, why do I have to stand beside the skirts, again?" He chides, gesturing towards the direction of the forest with his palm out, "you even placed Jameson there."
"Because I tell you to do so. So stand beside the skirts, damn you." Wolf dismissed him with a grin on his face. He turns to look at Luna and spoke,
"You and your troops can form up behind the left of our frontal formation."
"We'll stop the Sombrarians when they touch spears with us," Luna exclaimed with a proud hit of her chest armor.
"Yes yes whatever, dismissed with you," Wolf impatiently waved her away. As he instructed the other officers, the air cracked with the sounds of cannon fire.
"FIRE!" A voice echoed from a few distances from the left of Wolf, from behind the front line. A volley of cannon fire resounded and fire expanded from their barrels. After-smoke immediately started to clog the field. In the distance, the powerful impact of cannon balls echoed.
The horizon filled first with the sounds of marching hoofs, then, it filled with the sight of the enemy Sombrarians. Wolf pulled out his spyglass and surveyed the enemy.
It is a whole, colorful herd, of Unicorns. Most of them are weaponless, saved for their dangerous horns, some levitating with them crossbows. Gray pieces of armor clad the majority of the troops, and at the left of their establishing lines, a few formations of unicorns in golden pieces of armor. As the Redcoats spectated the enemy, Wolf made a mindful remark,
What a colorful organized bunch.
He noticed the nature of their formation.
"Tell Croy to fire on their right, that means the left from our perspective." He instructed for someone to send the message. He pointed to the 'right' of the enemy lines and detailed, "they see the lack of men on our left, and they seek to sweep down the hill to smash through our lines."
Along the lines, near the forest, the Equine soldiers stood in a thick formation behind the Redcoats. Captain Marsh and his two aides stood in a short line of three in front of their men. The Princesses, in respect, stood beside their formation, each on either side. The equine soldiers were dressed in the same way as their leaders, but in dull bronze color and held pikes that reached as high as two pony heads above them, as impossible as it sounds for them to hold long pointy sticks in-between one leg.
Captain Marsh has a slight alteration to his gear, in that he wears slightly brighter colors of brown and red. The big brush on his helmet is instead colored in deep green. Clasped to the left side of his chest armor is a short sword with a heavy curve slid in a sheath that followed his mainly brown-colored armor.
His lieutenants wore a same set of gear. Dark blue colors all-around with red brushes on their helmets. Both of them held halberds, instead, in the same impossible fashion as the rest of the formation.
What blatant display of social-class.
Captain Hoof heaved a heavy breath.
"You're nervous, Sir" one of his lieutenants remarked.
"Yeah, I am." Hoof fidgets in his spot, "I haven't seen combat before."
"You'll be fine sir."
"We'll be fine," his other lieutenant jumped in, "I mean look in front of us, there's a whole line of redcoats standing there," he pointed towards with a hoof.
"Don't depend on them like that. If they break, they'll collide right into us," the other disagreed with a hushed voice.
"Makes sense, but why are we deployed like this, again?"
"Poke their backsides, maybe."
"Wheeling to the right, RIGHT WHEEL!" A whole stretch, from the edges of the mountains to the edges of the forest, dozens of rectangular formations of troops started to rotate in a march, taking the utmost right-end of each formation as a rotating point. The sounds of marching in a slow, melodic beat until everyone merged their formations into one single combined line. Now stood a thin red line, from mountain to forest.
"Dress, RANKS!" The redcoats arranged themselves accordingly. The grass beneath them rustled as they shuffled into a neater line, keeping their heads locked to the left.
"Front attention, HUT!" Snapping their heads to attention, they change musket arms, from left to right, and rest the stocks on the ground. Everyone snapped to a rigid stance, heels together, muskets held close to the right of their bodies at parallel.
And then they stared ahead, awaiting the enemy.
"So these are the foreigners," muttered a strong feminine voice as she looked at a line of soldiers in bright red uniforms.
Scarlet Knife, the Chief Commander of King Sombra's unicorn army. A devilishly red mare with a nearly shaven off brown mane. A fitting raggedy brown cape tied about her neck that reached all the way to the half of her hind legs covered most of her form, save for the front legs holding the saddle strings of her mount..
Her bright green eyes surveyed the line of strange red-clad creatures on the opposite of the plains. Some kind of weird bunch of structure behind their lines go up in fire and smoke. Each time that happened, her troops were hit with large metal balls that created big ditches in the ground. Anyone hit by these travelling balls of death are mangled apart, splattered, lose a limb, or just drop dread. And as a ball would hit the ground, it would bounce off from the impact and travel even further down her lines, mowing down any unfortunate pony standing in the way. The casualties are already increasing at a steady and dangerous rate.
She studies the enemy formation. But all she could see was a line formation, with a small formation of Equestrian soldiers. According to the flags they flew, they appear to come from the royal city of Canterlot, the Spears of Canterlot. An elite formation of Equestria's army. She returned her attention to the line of red.
Is this the army that crushed Hoofstrong's army? She wondered.
Looking through a spyglass, she sees weapons held beside each men in the thin red line. They don't look sharp. This must be the weird weapon described in the report from King Sombra. The weapon that crushed their forces in the continents far away.
She looked to her troops, instead, and sees a few formations already dwindling to a fraction of their size, no doubt to the explosions from afar. Nothing to worry about, she thinks to herself. We have far bigger numbers.
"Arrange the troops on our right in dense column. Push through the enemies' right." She instructs somepony beside her. As the addressed pony saluted her and left, another mare approached her,
"Scarlet, the troops are ready to attack."
"Prepare to march," Scarlet declared, "for King Sombra, we shall crush that thin red line!"
"Fix, your, BAYONETS!" A shout ordered, and the line filled with the sounds of sharp blades leaving their sheaths. Clicks echoed as the bayonets were fixed to the bottom of the front of musket barrels.
"Shoulder, ARMS!" The soldiers in the line picked up their muskets, holding them by the butt of the stock in their palms, resting them against their shoulder.
"The entire line will advance thirty paces!" And the line marched forward to take up their new positions. It wasn't very far, just thirty paces closer to the enemy. They stop after a few steps.
Whatever marching did, it triggered the entire enemy line to move towards them. The Sombrarians from afar, screamed in jumbled war cries, slurs, motherly insults, and indecent sex jokes.
"Front rank, advance by a line!" The front rank of the two-men deep line took a single step forward.
"Arms at ease!" On that command, the soldiers repeated the process of pulling up their muskets in a reverse order to rest the butts of the stocks on the ground.
"Attention at front, HUT!" Once again, they snapped to a rigid stance, heels together, muskets held close to the right of their bodies at parallel.
"That's a lot of drills done in a measly minute." one of the Equestrians remarked from behind the red line.
"Tell me about it," another reciprocated.
The Sombrarians stopped their march. By a soft echo of a shout from the distance, the unicorn enemies lowered their heads, their horns pointing towards them as cannon shots continued to pummel their lines.
Their horns lit up beautifully in a collage of magical colors as deadly magic bolts flew from their ranks. Bolts hitting the ground left small scorching marks in the dirt, a telltale sign of the magic bolts' burning element. But their ragged volley was pointless. The redcoats are far out of range as they looked on in startled awe but stood still. A seemingly long duration passed before the Sombrarians resumed their advance. Wolf surveyed the enemy through his spyglass and noted that their movements are getting more disordered with each step. The terrain was definitely doing its job.
Finally, the Sombrarian line stopped their advance.
The Sombrarians can now see the faces of the men in the red line.
The Sombrarians appeared to be in mid-preparation of another magic volley, but instead of a counteraction, the red line simply stood still.
"Prepare!" Someone from the Sombrarian lines shouted, and they levelled their horns at the Redcoats.
"Aim!" Human faces stared into deadly glowing horns.
"SHOOT!" The entire front line of the Sombrarian formation, three ranks deep, lit up in blinding magic, dangerous magical bolts hit the red line. In just a second, many redcoats dropped to the ground, some still and dead, while others moaned in agony, entry wounds smoked and the grass around was scorched.
"Form Ranks!"
As the enemy prepared for another volley of crossbow arrows and magic, Wolf's men made ready.
"Make READY!"
The front rank of the entire red formation knelt down sharply, muskets held at their sides, primed to fire.
"PRESENT!"
The redcoats leveled their muskets in the general direction of the enemy. Arrows flew from crossbows, sharp sticks stabbing the ranks.
"PRESENT!"
As muskets were leveled, primal magic blasted the lines, magical explosions creating slight holes in the red ranks. Discipline kept the men in check as they stood strong and defiant against enemy firepower.
"PRESENT!"
Finally, in the smoke of confusion, with the power of authority, James Wolf issues the most important military command of his career.
"F I R E !"
The air crackled with the tremendous thunderous sound of a massed musket volley. Thick smokes from exploded gunpowder immediately clogged the entire battle line. None of the men flinched from the exploding gunpowder.
"Fire! FIRE!"
"FIRE! FIRE!"
"F I R E!"
The volley proved devastating, a mile-wide burst of concentrated fire. Sombrarians dropped dead in the breath-clogging smoke. The ranks of the enemy were shocked dazed, their senses leaving the world momentarily, staring blankly ahead at the red men. Their commanders desperately tried to reform and get their bearings. As the reserve line of redcoats marched in from behind the front formation, another shout from the red line cried out.
"Charge, your, BAYONETS!"
HUZZAH!, the redcoats cried out as they stood to assumed bayonet stances, ready to meet the enemy head on, with thousands of poking steel. The Sombrarian line started to shoot back, but this time with no volley, no coordination. A random few burst of magic along the lines, the majority of them still recovering from the thunderous sounds and the thick, gunpowder smoke covering everyone's vision.
A chilling trump of music pierced the air, a loud and terrifyingly drawn-out low note of a bagpipe.
"DRAW SWORDS! CHAAAARGE!"
Then the highlanders unleashed a demonic cry and drew their broadswords, swords that could slice a man in half. With streaming plaids, bonnets and steel swords, they ran to the enemy lines, ferocious screams and steel swords frighteningly gleaming in the sun's reflection. Bagpipes following behind playing a continuous quick pitchy tune. With the highlanders leading the charge, the entire line reciprocated.
"Company, CHAAAAAAAAARGE!"
HUZZAAH!, they cried out as they rushed with their bayonets piercing ahead. The Equestrains attached to the redcoats followed beside with their spears leveled at their shoulders. As the wall of bayonets drew closer, a fur-chilling fear engulfed the opposition.
The Sombrarians broke.
The entire line turned and fled in the opposite direction of the thin red line. If pegasi were to observe the field of battle from above, they will see a colorful herd of ponies running away from a thin red line.
The Battle of the Plains of Ponyville lasted barely fifteen minutes.
The sun sets, the light recedes into darkness, and the night crickets. But the field is emblazoned with death. Peasantry and soldiers mingled about to remove the corpses of war. Lanterns swung and flickered in the dark. A man of authority stood at a distance in contemplation with his subordinate.
The crickets of night drowned his thoughts. They started to fizzle, static, into likeness of musket fire of a distant past. Of cannon fire like furious thunder. Of trampling hooves of cavalrymen. Of the trumpets of war, and the cries of authority, and agony. The field of death in front of him morphed into a plain desert, with armies as big as the other trading musket fire like a gentlemanly disagreement turned tavern fight. Cannons punched one another with the fury of a drunken man with an ancient ideology. Cavalrymen trampled about in organized dismay as they maneuvered to dodge and flank. Echoing shouts of authority cried out in command to control the brawling heat of battle. The sand blows up in his face.
Wolf's body shook from the chilling cold night. His breath sharped a pitch. He blinked heavily to bring himself back to the current reality. He felt his face for any injuries but could only feel the short scar that ran across the bridge of his nose. He pulled the collar of his undershirt to check for injuries, but could only see the wide scar that ran across his chest. He looked around him, and found that he's back in the Plains of Ponyville.
"Sir? Are you alright?" Lieutenant General Lambert inquired him out of his stupor.
"..Yes, thank you." Wolf muttered towards him before looking back to the field of battle.
"These talking horses," Wolf sniffed, "strange folks in a stranger land."
A redcoat carrying a body tripped over another laying body. The unfortunate man fell face first into another body.
"Strange places invoke change, but these horses are unmoving in their ways." He pursed his lips tight as he continued to simply observe the aftermath of battle. It is not Wolf's first time, but there are some things in life a soul shouldn't get used to. At least, in his perspective.
"Change happens to improve, but this nation has not." A ponyvillan heaving a body slung over its back, trotted carefully, making sure not to step on any, not even a nail.
"They will lose the Arms Race." Wolf disapproved.
"Sir?" Lambert responded.
"It's war, but a bigger war is approaching." Wolf looked on with a grim look, apparently ended with conversations, silently declaring the need to stand in mute contemplation. Silent contemplation indeed turned time passage of a long wait akin to awaiting mess hall. The common image of a chattering Mess Hall conflicting with Wolf's observation of common men gathering dead men.
"May god bless."