Older men declare war. But it is the youth that must fight and die.
-Herbert Hoover
12 miles south of Baltimare 10:08 PM
After a brisk three hour march, the combined forces of pony and marine had come to a stop twelve miles away from Baltimare. Tomorrow they would finish the journey and rendezvous with allied forces outside the city. The army was positioned in an open field, small campfires dotting the landscape. There were three defining groups of soldiers that formed within the main body. In the center, the veterans of the Ponyville skirmish or, the old breed, had gathered their bivouacking gear and settled down to enjoy one another's company. To the left and right were the new recruits who kept to themselves or in this case, their own species. Rainbow Dash and some of her troops were listening in on the veteran group who were laughing heartily and telling stories.
"Oh man, and then there was this one time..."
"Hey Jerry, tell the one about the chick with the umbrella. Yeah, that one!"
"... so I told him to blow it out his ass! Ha ha ha!"
Rainbow Dash was both interested and dumbfounded. How could two significantly different races get along so equally with each other? She bet even the human recruits were just as confused.
"I don't get it captain. Look at them, they're so... happy." Said Pvt. Sunny Breeze.
"I know. It just doesn't look natural." Said Rainbow.
Silver Sparks, Rainbow's lieutenant, trotted by stealthily.
'Snap'
Looking down, he noticed he'd stepped on a twig, attracting the attention of a few others, including captain Dash.
"Where do you think you're going lieutenant?" Asked Rainbow Dash.
"I'm heading over there ma'am. It's just too quiet for me here." He said, pointing to the group of happy soldiers.
"Oh, okay then. Make sure your back before dawn when we reset the marching column." She ordered.
"Yes ma'am."
One of the guards, Leafy Green, spoke up in a disgusted tone as he walked away.
"He's an odd one, ain't he?"
Rainbow Dash looked over with doubt.
"I don't know. They do look pretty comfortable over there."
And they were. Silver Sparks walked into the small encampment eyeing every single campfire and saw the same result every time. Smiles, laughs, and an equal share of ponies and humans surrounding each other, enthralled in the warm company of their new buddies.
This was where he belonged.
"Hey lieutenant, come over here!"
Perking his head up, he saw a small group of ponies and marines gathered around a spit cooking soup. They were waving him over as if he was with them at the battle of Ponyville.
"Oh, okay!" He said, trotting over with a goofy smile.
He sat down next to the most welcoming soldiers, one of which was the human that called him to their group.
"Hey, I'm lieutenant Harding." He said, sticking his hand out to be shook.
"Hi, I'm Silver Sparks."
The mare to his left slapped him on his back and spoke happily.
"Pleased to meet ya' Sparky, I'm Swift Wind!" She said.
This was Shining Armor's second-in-command!
"Nice to meet you too lieutenant."
"Oh for the love o' Celestia, just call me Swift Wind!" She scolded.
"Alright. Pleased to meet you, Swift Wind." He corrected.
"So tell us, why in the hell are you guys camped all the way over there?" Harding asked.
Silver Sparks glanced in the direction of his unit.
"I don't know. They think I'm being weird for coming over here. Maybe they're just scared." He said.
"Scared? Why would they be scared of us?" Said Swift Wind, wrapping her forelimbs around the shoulder of Harding and the human next to her playfully, who in turn started a chain in which the rest of the soldiers in the group followed suit.
This would have been a perfect moment for a photo. The small ensemble of soldiers were all locking legs, in the human's case it was arms, and were all smiling at him. Silver Sparks replied sheepishly, still enjoying the moment.
"I wouldn't know." He said with that same goofy smile plastered on his face.
Little did he know, everyone in the picture-perfect group would all be dead in the next few days.
____________________________________________________________
Battle of Baltimare Day 1-8:45 AM
In the trenches west of the city, captain Applejack and her small battalion of ponies had just arrived from Canterlot. They trotted into the makeshift dug-outs and made themselves at home. Applejack was especially nervous. The small firefight being fought between the unicorns and the changelings from the front of the trenches had her on-edge. It was a one hundred yard stare from her end of the trenches to the outskirts of Baltimare and the ponies stationed here before her had battled it out between the changelings for every inch of it.
The one hundred yards separating them was nopony's land.
"We're gonna have to go out there soon."
Applejack looked away from the barren landscape to see who was talking to her. It was one of her sergeants, Iron hoof, and he was staring solemnly at the battlefield in front of them.
"Yep. Lets just hope we don't run into any changelings on the way in." She replied.
"No doubt we will. Look at their positions. They're everywhere." Said Iron hoof.
"Ah don't think we'll have anything t' worry 'bout. Those humans should be here soon. Ah've heard they've got some kinda weapon that can throw tiny bits of metal at the speed of light. Ah bet they can take down anything coming their way." Applejack said.
Iron hoof suddenly adopted a look of disgust.
"Bah! Everywhere I go I hear about these 'humans'!" He said angrily.
"What about 'em?" Asked Applejack.
He looked away from his commander, donning a look of sadness and longing.
"Where were these humans when Las Pegasus was ransacked? My entire family has gone missing, probably dead. All because we couldn't get there in time. Then along came the humans to "save the day", well then where were they, huh? Where were they when my family needed them and their fancy weapons most?" He angrily inquired.
Applejack now understood his hatred toward the humans. But even still, this was no reason to hate them. They had fought for Equestria, and for all she knew, died for Equestria.
"That still ain't no reason t' hate them." She said.
"How could I not?" He asked.
Sergeant Iron Hoof was shaking his head in disbelief and on the verge of tears, probably upset from bringing up the loss of his family.
"Ah know yer upset but tell me something, how many humans have you met?" She asked.
"Well..." He trailed off, realizing his mistake.
"That's what ah thought. You cant judge them for what they weren't there for. Wait till they come along. Shouldn't be long now." She said, turning her head back to the field in front of her.
______________________________________________________
Battle of Baltimare Day 1- 9:34 AM
The 1st marine division wasn't far off, including the ponies that accompanied them. The two races, all fighting under the same banner, marched toward the sounds of chaos and were less than a mile away from the changeling-held city. They passed by debris and bodies on the road, a clear sign the war had claimed these parts as well.
"Damn, look at this. Whaddya make of it cap?" Asked lieutenant Harding.
The soldiers passed by fallen ponies, their bodies covered in the dust and decay that had accumulated over the few days they had laid there. But something was off about these. They were joined by smaller ponies, some carrying luggage and stuffed animals in their cold, dead hooves.
These were deceased civilians, and their children that had died with them.
Ross just kept walking by, not bearing the stomach to look.
"Dear god, these are civies." Said Avery.
Rainbow Dash looked on in horror. Who would lack the soul to kill innocent ponies?
"Take a good long look guys. Might give you second thoughts about surrendering." Said Sgt. Courtland.
"These were probably killed by a changeling war party when they tried to leave the city. They must have been ambushed when the fighting broke out." Guessed Shining Armor.
Without noticing, Tears had formed at Rainbow's eyes. She had lost all complexion and began silently crying to herself.
"You okay captain?" Asked Silver Sparks.
"Yeah, I... I'm.." She couldn't find the words to describe how she felt. It was just too heartbreaking to see ponies killed like this in cold blood. Not even the foals were spared. She could only look away and retain the minuscule amount of dignity she had left by not showing any tears.
"Eyes up! Friendlies ahead!" Yelled captain Ross.
Ahead of the troops was a small barricade manned by a few guard ponies that were waving them down.
"Over here!" One of them shouted.
The captains halted their units and ran up to the small position.
"Thank Celestia you guys got here when you did. We're gonna need everypony we can get for the assault on the city." Said one of the guards in a sigh relief.
"Yeah, well you can thank us later. Where do you need us to be?" Asked Ross.
The pony pointed to a location not to far off dotted with trenches and palisades.
"That's where the main assault is taking place. The general will probably want to see you three beforehoof though."
"Got it. Lets move it out!" Yelled Ross back to the troops.
The army trudged into the encampment, awaiting the charge that would most likely lead them to their deaths.
Not too far off, Applejack heard shouting within the camp. Looking over to the commotion, she realized that the reinforcements had arrived.
And with it, the humans.
She trotted over to get a good look at them and locate her friend to find out what she'd gotten herself into.
"Lets move! Into those trenches!" Yelled one of the humans.
Aside from the ponies, the human soldiers streamed into the camp wearing combat uniforms that carried all sorts of gadgets that she'd rather not know the purpose of.
She straightened her stetson hat and trotted over to the arriving army.
"Rainbow? Where are ya?" She shouted.
She was met with ignorance as the army glumly filed by her. As soon as the humans cleared out, either in the trenches or near the commanders tent, she finally saw her rainbow maned friend.
She was crying.
Galloping over to find out what had stirred her up so much, Applejack noticed the toll this war had already taken on her. Her hooves were dirty from the march here and her mane was even more frazzled than usual. Not to mention the tear streaks that covered the lower portion of her face.
"Rainbow, are ya okay?" She asked, drawing nearer with every gasping sob she heard from her friend.
Rainbow Dash looked up and saw the familiar face of her honest companion and almost collapsed. Luckily Applejack was there to catch her if she did.
"Oh Applejack, it's terrible. I, I cant even begin to..." She buried her face into Applejack's fur.
One half of her wanted to look at her and say 'I told ya so' but she decided that now wouldn't be the best time. She finally realized the truth about what she was so hyped up about.
War is tartarus, violent and bloody. It didn't care what it consumed in it's gaping maw or whomever it took. It just killed relentlessly and unforgivably.
"Ah know, it's alright." She said, stroking the back of her friends neck.
But it wasn't alright. In a few minutes she and her compatriots, including Rainbow, would have to venture out into the barren field in front of them and fight for a city controlled by a merciless enemy. Rainbow had stopped crying by now and looked up at her friend.
"Thanks Applejack, I needed that. But, don't tell any of the girls okay? That would kill my reputation." She said between sniffles, wiping the tears away from her eyes.
"Heh, you got it." Said Applejack.
"Hey Rainbow, over here! And bring what's-her-face with you!" Captain Ross called over to them.
The two trotted over to meet Ross, Shining Armor, and the other commanders who had gathered in the generals tent. They all stood around the table, speaking to one another and eyeing Ross with curious looks. The general spoke up, interrupting the incessant chatting floating around the tent.
"Alright, listen up everypony, and human." He said.
The commanders leaned in, taking in every aspect of the battle map.
"In a few minutes, we'll charge out and take the outer defenses of Baltimare. They've heavily fortified the outskirts and will fight furiously. You must do the same. Captain, uh..." The general paused, waiting for the human to introduce himself.
"Ross, sir." He said.
"Captain Ross. I understand you have weapons that are able to shoot fire over their positions?" The general asked, curious to see if the rumors were true.
"Yes sir, our M252 mortars are capable of firing explosive projectiles in a fixed ark over their defenses. They should prove useful in softening up those sally-ports I saw coming in." Said Ross.
"Excellent. This is the moment of truth everypony. Today is the day we take the fight to these changeling invaders. Your dismissed." Said the general, moving around small figurines representing different battalions on the map.
Everyone stepped outside and glanced at one another. This could be the last time anyone saw each other before the attack.
"Good luck you guys." Said Rainbow Dash.
Ross looked down and grinned at the rainbow maned pony.
Though not another word was said, they all noted the lingering sense of camaraderie in the air.
The commanders nodded at each other and left to address their units.
Ross, Shining Armor, and Rainbow Dash all stepped into the trench that their soldiers had filled not long ago to give them the details on the task at hand. They looked anxious and almost eager to get it over with.
"Alright, bring it in guys."
The soldiers leaned their heads in as far as they could in the crowded trench to hear what their leaders had to say. Shining Armor was the first to speak.
"In a few minutes, we're gonna have to leave this trench and take the fight to the changelings. They're expecting us, so we'll be under heavy fire for the most part." He said.
Ross cut in.
"Now keep in mind, there'll be no cover for at least a hundred feet so move fast and keep your heads down. There's gonna be a lot of fire in the air and I don't need it tearing your faces off." He noted.
Rainbow Dash winced at his description.
Changelings can shoot back? She thought.
She hadn't seen a changeling fight with anything but it's bare hooves.
"Courtland, I need your men to set up the mortars a few feet behind our current position and pepper them with mortar fire until we get about fifty feet in. Then, I want you to pack up your gear and haul-ass after us. Got it?"
"Aye skipper."
"Good. Get to it." Ross ordered.
As the men left to set up the mortars, Rainbow Dash looked at her troops. They watched her with anticipation. All the other captains had given out orders but her. She could only look away, resentful of the events to come.
"We're good over here sir!" Yelled Sgt. Connolly.
Ross stood on an elevated position in the trench began to speak to everyone.
"Listen up! The signal to go is gonna be a whistle! When you hear it, move-"
A loud ring filled the trenches, effectively cutting Ross off.
"That's the signal! Move!" He yelled.
A wide array of battle cries could be heard as the armies of Equestria scrambled out of their dug-outs and rushed the changeling positions a hundred yards away. The Pegasi took to the skies while the main infantry lumbered forward. In an instant, the dry air around them was quenched with plasma bursts. Human and pony alike fell left and right, and all Rainbow Dash could do was watch as she flew right into the slaughter.
"Lets go get the bastards!"
"Don't stop! Keep Moving!"
"Just keep- ARRGH!"
"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!"
Rainbow hovered low alongside Applejack as the previous human occupying the space had fallen to the ground just moments ago.
"Oh jeez, this isn't good Applejack!" Yelled Rainbow.
"Just keep moving and we'll- oh Celestia look out!"
A large plasma burst fired from a particularly large changeling barely grazed overhead, consuming the troops behind them in a fiery blaze. Rainbow looked back to check on the soldiers behind her only to find nothing but a gaping hole in the formation, a huge pile of soot, ash, and body parts in it's place.
And then the mortars began to fall.
"Aw shit, short rounds!" Yelled Pvt. Mueller
But that was all he could squeeze out before a shell struck home, and cut him clean in half.
"Oh man, getting killed by friendly fire ain't sittin' pretty with me at the moment!" Yelled Avery.
The army reached the halfway mark and the mortars ceased, providing the humans and ponies a short break from the hellish fire they were receiving a minute ago. Applejack just kept running, trying to ignore the dead and dying all over. After all, it was the only thing the soldiers could do to not get killed.
Run. Run and don't look back.
"That's it, we're almost there!" Shouted Shining Armor.
The changelings in front of them snarled, and braced themselves against the coming storm.
'WHAM'
The two armies slammed into each other as the ponies and humans poured into the enemy positions. The Pegasi dove into the trenches, pounding the changeling infantry into the ground. For a moment, there was no battle. Only a bunch of winded soldiers trying to stand back up and get their weapons together. Ross shook his vigorously, attempting to clear his head after banging it right into a changeling's iron breastplate.
"Oh, my head- Shit!" Ross yelled, picking up his gun and slamming the butt of it onto the changeling's head.
Underneath his cracked helmet, the changeling officer's head began bleeding profusely.
Kill confirmed.
Private Sunny Breeze broke through the hailstorm of fire directly into the lances of the changeling soldiers waiting for him on the other side of the trench. With a burst of confidence, he activated the weapon on his side and lunged into his patient enemy.
"I've got you now-"
Sunny Breeze rammed head first into a large changeling and fell to the ground, helpless. It was then that he realized that the lance mechanism on his breastplate had malfunctioned, and he was about to die. He glanced at his unreliable weapon and then up at the lumbering behemoth that was about to crush his skull in.
'Fwump'
Sunny Breeze opened his eyes and to his surprise, the changeling before him had hit the ground, blood leaking from the small hole in his head.
"Don't worry, I got your back!" Said his savior.
Looking up, he realized that the pony he now owed his life to was in fact, a human. The one thing he so underestimated earlier was now reaching down with those alien fingers of his and helping him up.
"Th-Thanks. I-I owe you one!" Sunny Breeze stuttered, standing up and rejoining the fight with new found respect for his two-legged companions.
Applejack stumbled over an equally surprised changeling regular. Both tried to stand back up but were pushed down by the scuffle occurring around them. She managed to recover her senses and get on her hooves.
She stared face-to-face with the changeling she had tripped on moments ago. It stared back. A memory from her childhood popped into her mind in the few seconds it had to materialize.
"Alright Applejack, this is yer first day so ah don't expect you to knock off all the apples. Kick as hard as you can. Make yer granny proud."
"You got it granny Smith!"
Without hesitation, Applejack spun around, reared back, and kicked the changeling soldier as hard as she had ever bucked any apple tree. It fell to the ground squirming in it's death throes, the blood leaking from the new hole in it's face.
And behind the fallen changeling stood a traumatized Rainbow Dash, staring at the carnage in front of her.
"Applejack, you just-"
"Behind ya!" Shouted Applejack.
Rainbow Dash spun around and was greeted by the sight of a rushing changeling lancer, poised and ready to strike. Without thinking, she released the lever-action on her own weapon and shut her eyes.
'shink'
Rainbow felt a warm substance hit her body. Upon opening her eyes she gazed at the poor changeling soldier that stood impaled on her lance. He sat there and stared at her with a look of sadness. His lower lip quivered slightly as the changeling slowly realized what had just happened. The soldier's eyes rolled up inside his head and he collapsed, bringing Rainbow's lance with him.
"I.. I did that..." Rainbow muttered to herself.
She tugged the lance out of the soldier's body and turned around to look at her friend, perhaps seeking some sort of approval. Applejack was too busy to notice. Another group of changelings had joined the fight and she was killing them left and right. Applejack brutally crushed the bodies of all those unfortunate enough in reach of her hind legs. Silver Sparks hit the ground ten feet from her, the attacking changeling rearing up to deal the death blow.
"No!" Rainbow yelled, spreading her wings and taking off.
In a flash, she'd zipped over the lieutenant and speared the changeling through, his body flying into the wall of the earthen defenses. It hung there, pierced by her lance and swung like some twisted marionette. She looked back and saw her lieutenant get up, nod, and rejoin the fight. Rainbow pulled and snapped her lance in two, the part still embedded in the changeling left him hanging on the wall of the trench. The battle raged on, leaving no one idle. The sounds of combat could be heard all over, including a loud popping noise. Rainbow Dash looked down the line of changeling barricades and saw the most brutal fighting Equestria had ever seen. One soldier, a human, was cornered by two changelings with drawn lances.
"Oh shit, NO-"
The man was cut short, the two lances impaling his neck and left eye socket. Two more humans arrived and raised their metal tubes to their shoulders.
What are they doing? They'll get killed! Rainbow thought.
In an instant, the ends of the tubes lit up in bright flashes and the two changelings were ripped to shreds.
Rainbow gawked. She'd never bothered to ask what those odd contraptions the humans carried around were. She figured they were of some importance but not like this. To possess so much power in such a compact weapon was frightening to her.
"C'mon we got this!" Yelled Sgt. Avery.
The changelings were scattered and in disarray. With most of the commanding officers killed and their main force routed, the surviving changelings fled deeper into the city. The remaining equestrians and humans shouted and cheered, relieved the battle was over and done.
"Haha! Run you bastards, run!"
"We did it! They're running!"
"Holy crap, I cant believe we made it!"
Captain Ross knelt down and smiled, too tired to celebrate standing up. Applejack sat in a corner covered in blood and sweat, looking at a dead human who's legs had been severed. Rainbow couldn't do anything. She just didn't have the energy. All she could do was stare. Stare at the horrible truth laid out in front of her. There was nothing 'cool' about war. War was just murder. It was a nightmare glorified on some stupid propaganda poster. Rainbow sat on that thought, the sound of the severed lance breaking off the wall and the dead changeling falling to the ground with a sickening 'splat' could be heard in the background.
Shining Armor trekked across the city outskirts, looking for wounded. He'd already come across countless dead bodies and three wounded soldiers. All three made it out, carried by the new stretchers they'd acquired earlier. He was about to retire to find Ross and the other commanders until he heard an all-too-familiar sound.
The coughing and sputtering of a wounded soldier.
Shining Armor furiously searched the piles of the dead until he saw movement under a dead pony. He carefully rolled the body over and was welcomed with a saddening sight. The broken, frail body of lieutenant Harding.
"Oh Celestia, Harding." He said.
Harding looked up and stared blankly at Shining Armor. His mouth moved, but the blood that filled it wouldn't permit words to leave. Shining Armor lowered himself next to the wounded human. He held Harding in his forelimbs, prompting him to look up.
"Just take it easy Harding, MEDIC!" He yelled.
Harding looked at Shining Armor with pale eyes and began to attempt speech.
"M..mom...momma.." He tried to get out, the blood flowing out of the corners of his mouth..
Shining Armor dared not speak.
"They..they're killin' me momma..."
Harding exhaled and went limp. He was dead. The corpsman arrived with medical supplies but was too late. Shining Armor closed Harding's eyes and gently lowered his head, leaving the corpsman to deal with the body. The humans always pulled the metal tags off of their fallen allies necks. He never really understood that but went along with it anyway. Trotting back, Shining Armor found Ross coordinating troops to secure areas that the changelings could mount a counter-attack in.
"Good, I need you guys to- oh, hey." Said Ross, noticing the weary pony captain.
"We need to talk." Said Shining Armor.
"About what?"
"Harding, he... he's dead." Shining Armor said, lowering his head.
Ross adopted a melancholy look and sighed.
"Shit, well.. I'll talk to the guys about it. A lot of people are dead." Said Ross.
"Alright then, I'm gonna go find the others. See how they're faring."
Ross looked up and called out to Shining Armor, remembering something he meant to tell him earlier.
"Oh uh, the general radioed in. He says the other countries are on the move and are closing in on numerous cities. The Germans and the British'll be here soon." Said Ross.
"The who and the what?" Asked Shining Armor.
Ross realized he'd never told the ponies anything about the other humans. Aside from Americans, the ponies knew next to nothing about human ethnicity.
"Just two other human armies from two different human countries."
"Oh, okay." Shining Armor deadpanned, walking away to see who was left after the attack.
________________________________________________________________
Canterlot Castle 11:45 AM
Major Ingram and Celestia were huddled together by a heavily detailed map of the city of Baltimare and beside them were the remaining elements in Canterlot. Pinkie had gotten bored and began pestering the military advisors around her while Twilight and Rarity stood idly by, waiting for something to happen and a chance to give helpful input for the princess. Fluttershy's innate sense of medicinal skills got her a position in the medical wing. She sat on a bench, fiddling with some documents stating medical procedures.
"We've managed to secure the areas here and here." Said Ingram, pointing to two different locations on one side of the map.
"When your armies arrive they'll most likely be coming in from the south, or in this case the other side of town. We can use that to our advantage." Said Celestia.
"Yes, we should be able to surround them by then and without a supply route they'll have to surrender." Said Ingram.
Rarity cut in, giving advice she thought might help.
"Oh, but if you looked more closely you would notice that there's a small pass west of the southern routes into the city. They would still be able to replenish supplies and send reinforcements unless we hold that road." Rarity said, adding a small wink.
Ingram squinted and looked at the map with extreme intensity. His eyes fell upon the faded markings of 'Cherry Drop' pass, a small path used as a tourist stop for travelers and saddle-packers.
"Dear god, if you hadn't seen that... well, it could have put the whole campaign in jeopardy." Said Ingram.
Celestia smiled and spoke in a warm voice, one she had not used in a long time.
"Excellent job Rarity. I knew your attention to detail would help us here."
"Oh, thank you princess! Thank you!" Rarity said, feeling privileged that the princess would speak so highly of her.
Twilight stood by, not doing anything in particular. She no longer yearned for the attention of the princess but instead earnestly waited for news of her brother.
"Rarity, if you would please step over here and assist me in pointing out-"
Ingram was cut off by hissing static coming from the radio next to him.
"Oh, hold on." Ingram said, picking up the receiver.
The new radio had a speaker ability, added so that the receiver didn't have to relay the message over to the group.
"This is the royal Canadian infantry corps in sector-'BOOM' -shit! Get up Mills, and keep shooting! In sector bravo 2! We're getting hit hard by changeling infantry and- what the, they're coming over the walls- AAAAAAHH- AAAHH-"
The radio was silenced save the eerie static that replaced the cries of the soldier on the other end.
"What was that?" Fluttershy nervously questioned.
"That was the Canadian garrison sent to reinforce Appleloosa after it was lost. They reached the town earlier today and reported that everything was fine." Said Ingram with a grim voice.
Are.. are they okay?" Asked Twilight.
"I, I don't know." Said Ingram.
Pinkie's hair had deflated and Fluttershy was cowering behind Angel who had stealthily snuck aboard the carriage to Canterlot.
"We'll have to send reinforcements at once." Said Rarity.
Ingram stared at her sadly.
"We cant."
"Well, why not?" Asked Rarity.
Ingram was quick to reply.
"We have no one left to send."
___________________________________________________________
Battle of Baltimare Day 1-2:01 PM
After assessing the damage, the captains reported into the general stationed at the camp north of Baltimare. Ross and Shining Armor were redirecting the wounded back to camp and placing sentries to ward off any counterattacks and take any prisoners that chose to give themselves up. Rainbow Dash and Applejack sat in the company of each other next to a few other troops, all exhausted from the fighting that had ensued earlier that day.
"And then they killed him. Just like that." Said Rainbow Dash.
Applejack felt sympathy for her friend. Being thrust into war with a gung-ho attitude was a sure way of getting disappointed, let alone scared to death.
"It was terrible Applejack. I didn't know it would be so horrible."
Applejack looked over and stared at Rainbow with a stern face.
"That's exactly what Ah've been tryin' to tell ya Rainbow. War ain't a game." She said.
"But how did you do it? How could you just murder those changelings like that?" Asked Rainbow.
Applejack sat on that question for a second.
How was I able to cope with it? She thought.
She hadn't even noticed how easy it actually was for her to kill those soldiers earlier in the fight.
"Well, ya see... I thought about mah family and what would happen to them if those changelings would'a gotten their hooves on 'em. Ah saw what might become of Apple Bloom and everyone else and Ah just couldn't have that."
Rainbow understood. She didn't really have any family to fight for save a few relatives living in Cloudsdale. Applejack had family all over Equestria. Celestia knows what might've happened to some of them already.
"Yeah, I get it." Rainbow said, lowering her head.
Suddenly, troops started crowding around an area not too far from them. Curious, Applejack and Rainbow stood up and trotted over to see what had happened.
"I say we kill those no good sons-of-bitches!"
Ross and Shining Armor were standing by a group of three changelings, presumably prisoners who had given up and turned themselves in. They were horribly frightened, the ever-growing crowd of humans and ponies surrounding them and spouting words of hate.
"We oughta cut off their heads and string 'em up!"
Ross intervened and stepped in front of the prisoners.
"Everyone shut the hell up! We're not gonna kill 'em."
The troops grew quiet and stared at the changelings with disgust.
"Private Santana! Take these three to the camp and don't let anything happen to them." Ordered Ross.
Santana replied with resentment.
"Yes... sir." He reluctantly said.
"And if anything happens to 'em, it's KP and latrines for a month!" Said Ross.
Santana marched off with the three changelings begrudgingly, muttering hateful words under his breath.
"Alright, nothing to see here!" Yelled Swift Wind, trying to disperse the crowd of angry soldiers.
"Yeah, we don't need everyone crowding one spot. Lets not give the changelings that are still fighting a chance to catch us with our pants down!" Said Ross.
The troops fanned out, settling in varied positions along the line.
"Do You think they'll come at us tonight?" Asked Shining Armor.
Ross looked at his compatriot and chuckled lightly.
"Probably." Said Ross as he walked off to write the after-action report.
______________________________________________________________
Battle of Baltimare Day 1-6:43 PM
Ross stepped into the tent of the pony general and saluted.
"You wanted to see me sir?" Ross asked.
The general looked up and acknowledged Ross.
"Ah, yes. It's good you've come. We need to discuss something." He spoke with a thick Canterlot dialect.
"Of course sir." Ross said, sitting down in a small chair in the corner.
"I understand you and your soldiers have fought long and hard for the outskirts of Baltimare just as much as mine have, but I have one more task to ask of you." He confessed.
"I.. Yes sir." Ross said, holding his tongue
"We have received word that there is in fact a small path west of here that could grant the changelings tactical superiority over us. I need you and your soldiers to secure it for the arriving armies. Captain Shining Armor will hold the outskirts in your absence. You may take one battalion to assist you. Who is it you request?" The general asked.
Ross thought intently. He needed to pick a strong captain, one who was able to keep his or her head physically and mentally during the fight earlier that day. Normally he could depend on Shining Armor to fit that description but seeing as though he was now out of the equation he needed to be smart.
He decided.
"Captain Applejack sir."
"Good. You must leave at once. Your departure will make the remaining garrison weak so time is of the essence. Good luck captain." Said the general, looking down at his maps.
Ross lifted the flaps on the tent and realized something.
I didn't see the prisoners when I came in. He thought.
"Um, general?"
The old pony looked up.
"What happened to the prisoners that came in today?" Ross asked.
The general adopted a look of sympathy. But for who Ross did not know.
"Oh, I thought you had heard. They attacked the poor fellow guiding them and killed him. They managed to get away before we could reach them. I'm sorry for your loss." He said.
Ross couldn't believe what he'd just heard. He made Pvt. Santana take them. He felt like he killed the poor kid himself.
"I.. I'll inform the men. Thank you sir." Ross said, leaving the tent.
Outside, Ross shuddered as he took a deep breath. He started walking, trying to hold back the tears and thinking of a way to break it to the tired soldiers back at Baltimare.
Both of the attack to come, and their fallen comrade.
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