The regular click-clack of the train was constant as it moved through the Atlantean countryside. Untouched farms and buildings dotted the landscape. Cows and sheep wandered in their pastures, while their owners herded them to lakes and streams for sustenance.
Crimson walked towards the rear of the train, past his friends - and to an extent, his family. Platinum and Southern Lights were teaching an interested Mirage to play poker. Treetop had dozed off in the sleeper car. Other officers waved to him as he passed them him the dining car, then went back to their food. Some of the more musical ponies played their instruments.
On the flatcars, lined up behind the diner, new artillery was packed butts to nuts. These pieces were rifled - a significant advancement over the smoothbores AREA employed - and came complete with special rounds and crews trained to use them. The big guns were breechloaders as well, which improved their reloading time by several minutes. This train was hauling a fully stocked unit of 12.
Artillery Captain Twister walked up from his spot near the nearest gun’s breech. If it weren’t for this breeze, we’d be sweating buckets out here,” he commented. “But my boys don’t feel like moving in there with you guys.”
“Is it a rookie thing? The Second has been through quite a lot,” Crimson replied.
“Most likely. I mean, you guys have been in this since the war started! You have experience. On the other hoof, my artillery crews are ragtags from those who couldn’t run the distance but could haul huge loads. The difference is huge.”
“You really want to know why we’re still around? It isn’t just the experience. It’s because we’ve become a family over this last year and a half. We’ve been in and out, assisted Changelings, rallied behind each other, and held the line because the guy next to us is like our brother. It’s a bond that shines best in war. Camaraderie is like no other bond you feel.”
“I believe you.” Twister looked at the blurry grassland beside the speeding train. “But can my unit do the same?”
“I’m pretty sure you will. You have to if you want to win.” Crimson smiled. “We all do.”
Twister looked from the grassland to the shiny green artillery and back again. “It’d be a shame if this area was in the warzone. Such a pretty place to live.”
Crimson squinted as if he could see trenches and smoke-belching cannons, thousands of struggling ponies, and the flags of Atlantis and the Dominion on opposite ends of the field, all under a dark, smoldering sky. “Yeah. This place would be desolated.”
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General Silvercrest grinned from ear to ear as the long train pulled into the Athene Plateau rail yard. The Second Coastal was finally reunited with AREA, and they’d brought some new toys. During the relative peace while they waited, the army had retaken the lines to the west and south, while the actual Atlantean Army wrested control of the eastern and northern lines. Guerilla warfare seemed to be the best tactic the regular army was capable of using - unlike standard defensive works and firing lines, the Atlantean Army followed in the hoofsteps of their predecessors 300 years ago, mirroring the hit-and-run the long-dead revolutionaries had so well perfected.
As the regiment departed their ride, the artillery was unloaded by ramp and wheeled into position. Twelve rifled cannons were ready to move out before the accompanying soldiers.
Treetop saluted Silvercrest when they met face-to-face. He still had a limp from his flight at Whitecap Point, as did Crimson, but he still needed to report in. “Ma’am, everything and everyone has arrived safely. What do we do next?”
He’s more straight to the point now. His solo expedition must’ve done that, Silvercrest thought. Clearing that from her mind, she said, “It’s good to see you in one piece, Colonel. I trust you’ve learned why Earth ponies don’t fly?”
He chuckled. “Yes, ma’am, I did.”
Silvercrest had to laugh. “Alright, we have a list of tasks longer than the damn ocean is wide. Sarge has kept them off the Highlands, so that part’s cleared, but we still need to wipe the Inland Swamp and mop up in the Canyon.” As she spoke, Sarge had approached from behind the general. Acknowledging him,she said, “Sarge will take the Swamp. I’ll head toward Port Snowfall, where they’ve most likely gained their best hoofhold. That’ll leave you to deal with the Canyon. Can you do that, Treetop?”
The colonel gulped. “General, the Canyon is seventy miles long, flows west to east, and is home to rapids that rival the Neighagra Falls in Equestria. I need more than one regiment to take it, and a couple of actual medics would be invaluable.”
“I know. Which is why I’ve elected to give you the Third Coastal and two of the nurses from the hospital tent. The Third is fairly green, but it did well here. You’ll meet up with the Canyon Rangers from the Highlands and sweep east. Lethal force is authorized, as per usual.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Sarge held Treetop back after Silvercrest left. “I was worried you’d been killed, brother.”
“You too, Rolling. I guess it comes with the army, huh?”
“Just don’t try to be a Pegasus, Treetop, and you’ll be fine.”
“I know, Rolling. I may be the little brother, but I can handle myself.”
As the colonel walked back to rejoin his regiment, Sarge whispered to himself, “That’s what worries me.” He turned to his own part of AREA to prepare for the campaign on the Swamp.
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Rose Thorn wiped the sweat off her brow with an old, dirty rag for the last time. She was overseeing the transfer of hospital supplies from the train to her workspace. Dozens of new blades, a restock of her entire medicine cabinet, and clean towels were just some of the items Nautinia was finally able to send, and she was prepared to hoard them if it became necessary. In the meantime, she had to make sure everything was accounted for while packing for a trip. She and another nurse had been chosen to accompany the two regiments assigned for the Canyon, so Rose had to transfer all the paperwork to her second-in-command.
The paperwork itself took five minutes. The rest of this past hour was making sure her protege was doing it right. Once Rose was satisfied, she left the hospital tent and packed her bags. She slept alongside the Second and Third Coastal so she could be up and early with them. Operation Highland’s Edge began tomorrow.
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Crimson watched Athene Plateau recede quickly behind the train, which had traded its flatcars for coaches to accommodate two regiments. They’d only been there a single day and were already moving onto new places. He knew many of his friends felt the same way. But they had a duty to follow and a nation to defend. War did not concede to personal wishes.
He turned around as the door behind him slid open. Treetop and the pink Unicorn nurse were there. The colonel grinned devilishly and left the two alone after a moment. They were paralyzed, unsure of what to say.
Finally, Crimson couldn’t take it. “Warrant Crimson Dawn, at your service. What’s your name?”
“Nurse Lieutenant Rose Thorn,” she replied softly. “I saw you at Emberforge. All of your friends looked ready to fight to the death, but you didn’t. You wanted to go home, see your family. Who was it that saddened you so?”
“My sister. She wants to join AREA and fight alongside me. I’m just glad she’s underage, and will be for another three and a half years. This war is not how I imagined it. I lost Bats in my first real battle. I lost North at Emberforge. I may lose South, Platinum, and Mirage during the campaign now. I don’t want to lose Crystal.” Crimson stared ahead, keeping his eyes on the long iron rails behind the train. For a moment, all the two could hear was the steady clacking and smoky fire from the engine.
“Where did you live before the war?” Rose asked.
“Summercrest. It’s a small town by Cape Lune. You?”
“I lived in Port Snowfall. I was filling in for my father on a merchant mission to Haven Cove when the Dominion took the north.”
“Was it nice up there? I’ve never been to the Northern Run coast.”
“It was cold in winter,” she admitted, “but the trees appeared to have frosting. I always loved dancing in the snow, huddling around the fire, skating across the frozen bay. It was the perfect setting. Now it’s all gone, forever tainted by Jagged Edge and his armies. If Pacifica was any indication, Snowfall never had a chance.” Her gaze fell to the floor as she spoke.
“You helped Phoenix Darkwings, right?” Crimson asked. Rose nodded, recognizing the Pacifica filly’s name. “She’s the reason we keep going. Why we can’t stop. Why we’ll push the Doms all out of Atlantis for good.”