James got up early the next morning, and gave orders for the digging of trenches around the camp, and for wooden stakes to be placed in front of those trenches. The Royal Guards obeyed without question, and without complaining. The other soldiers, however... to say he had mixed results from them was the most polite way he could have put it.
Some of them, the farmers and others who had dealt with dust and dirt their whole lives, knew all about digging, and how to do it; they piled the dirt in front the trenches they were digging, allowing them to put up a barricade from behind which to fire from safety, and proportionally reducing the distance they had to dig downward. He had no trouble with them. Unfortunately, others had not come from such humble abodes, and balked at being ordered to dig. He had the most difficulties with the nobility and the rest of those from the upper class, those who had barely touched dirt their entire lives and had no wish to start now.
"I enlisted to fight, not to dig... sir," a green pegasus said to him. They were standing next to part of a trench that had already been dug.
"And you'll find that your life expectancy will increase when firing from behind breastworks," James replied, frustrated. He had already gone through this twice with other ponies, who had eventually done as he had told them. They had been earth ponies, though, which had probably helped to persuade them. He was finding that some pegasi had little interest in anything on the ground.
"I," said the pegasus, pointing a hoof at his own chest, "come from a respectable family. How a commoner, as you have been rumored to be, got to be in command, much less an ape, is beyond me."
James' temper broke. "And how you aren't still in diapers crying to your mother is beyond me!"
The soldier - if he could be counted as such, which James seriously doubted - stepped back in shock. "How dare you speak to me in such a manner? You should be put in a dungeon, maybe that will teach you your place."
"And the Princess has given me control of the army... as such I am superior to you. I could order you sent to jail, something that is beyond your petty power as of now. Now, get to work, before I really do send you to a place with three squares and a bed."
"Y...y... you can't do that!"
"Right straight I can." James was about to lose control.
"Having trouble, sir?" said a Royal Guard, an earth pony, who had come up on James' left.
"Ah, yes, Guard, thank you," the pegaus said, perking up. He pointed a hoof at James. "This barbaric monkey is ordering me to dig, as if I were some commoner."
The Guard snorted. "And?"
The pegasus drew back a step. "And so, I think he has no right to..."
"He has every right. He's your commander. I heard him. He wasn't telling you to do anything out of the ordinary. Now do as he told you to do, and mind you do it quickly, or I'll see to it personally that you end up in the most despicable, filthy, bug-ridden cell back in the Canterlot dungeons."
The pegasus choked, then made a sound between a neigh and that of a bird. He looked from James to the Guard, then decided that losing dignity was better than being imprisoned. He picked up a shovel and began to dig where he was supposed to.
"My thanks," James said, relieved.
"No problem, Colonel." The Guard relaxed a little. They began to walk away from that particular site. "He was stepping out of line. Back in Canterlot, we wouldn't have let idiots like that get anywhere near becoming one of us, no matter who his father was."
"I believe you. You seem to take in the best. And I really must thank you again. If he had called me an ape or a monkey again, I would have torn him a new one."
The Guard laughed, the first time James had seen or heard one (other than Shining Armor) do so. "I wouldn't blame you. Some people don't realize what really matters." then, his voice lowering, he added, "I was one of those sent to guard the Princesses the night they came to Ponyville to see you."
James' eyebrow shot up as if on it's own accord. "Oh really?" He tried to place the face. "Hmmm... You were the one on the extreme right of the line you formed around me."
"So you do remember. I hoped you would." The white-coated Guard stopped, turned, and offered his gray right hoof to James. "I'm Silver Shield. Friends call me Shield or 'The Shield'."
James shook it. "I'm James Lavigne. Friends call me Jim."
"Pleased to make your acquaintance." They continued walking. "Wasn't sure what to take you for when I first saw you, but what you've done since then makes you an equal in my book."
James gave an elaborate bow. "Again, thank you. That's all I could hope for when I was first brought here." He then went back to business. "How are the Guards here holding up? Morale-wise, I mean?"
"We're doing well enough. The food's good, and stuff like this isn't all that out of the common way for us. We aren't just there for ceremony, you know."
"I know. Just... be careful on the actual battlefield. The enemies here aren't just petty criminals and burglars; they are willing to take life, and don't care if they lose theirs."
"I will, sir. Take care of yourself, Jim," he said, using James' nickname for the first time.
"I will."
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James had other work to do, and more orders to give. He had to find a way to slow down the enemy advance while losing as few lives as possible. The enemy's vanguard, which was about three days in front of the rest of the pack - a horde that numbered thousands upon thousands - outnumbered them about two to one... which, with the changelings lacking technology, and certainly lacking artillery, would grant the advantage to the Equestrian army... or so James hoped. He knew they had an unfortunate ability to copy someone else's form, and if they chose to act like guerillas rather than a field army, they might cause great damage and even succeed in destroying the army before it could engage them properly.
James was counting on Chrysalis' vengeful nature to make the changelings take to the field, where superior firepower could smash them. He prayed that it would.
After lunch, he went to see Silver Shield. He found him around a site for a campfire. There was no fire now, but Shield was chatting with some other Royal Guards. He stood to attention upon noticing his commander's approach, and the rest followed suit.
"At ease," James said calmly, and their saluting hooves went back to the ground. "Shield, I need to gather some Guards and some regulars" - his word for any soldier who was not a Guard - "to try to slow the enemy while we prepare ourselves on the battlefield."
"Yes sir. How many?"
"About fifty, with equal numbers of pegasi and unicorns in each."
"Yes sir." Then, looking apprehensive, he asked, "Sir, what exactly are we supposed to do?"
"I'm not ordering you to stand alone. I want you to fire and fall back. Pegasi and unicorns will play a backwards leapfrog game; one group shoots once, then falls back behind the other, and wait until that one fires, then lets them fall back, and I want the process to repeat for as long as you can make it do so."
"Ah. Makes sense. Pegasi can fly to withdraw while unicorns teleport." Then Shield frowned. "However sir, I am neither a unicorn or a pegasus. I am an earth pony."
"I know. But I need someone who can act with authority to gather them. If you can find a unicorn or pegasus in the Guard who can lead them, and who had a good brain in their skull, then you can give them the assignment."
"Sir!" The Guard saluted.
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Someone made sure James' orders were carried out; group of fifty unicorns and pegasi - some Guards, some regulars - left the camp a while later.
The next day, he began to hear reports of the fighting. "They're coming, and coming hard, sir," a tired looking pegasus trooper said, still hovering. "We're barely able to fall back in time."
James felt a little dismayed. Nothing seemed to tire or wear out the insectile creatures. "Are you at least managing to knock some over?"
"Yes, Colonel, we've hit some of them, and haven't lost anypony yet," the pegasus replied. He didn't even seem shocked that his detachment was out there killing things; he just seemed tired unto death.
"Well done, private. Get some rest, and something to drink. You've done enough for today."
"Thank you, sir." The pegasus sounded relieved. He flew off toward the field kitchen, panting heavily.
The human's problems weren't so easily solved. He needed the enemy force delayed, and he needed it delayed badly; the enemy was only a few miles away, and his artillery needed time to set up. He had deployed the army in a way he hoped would be effective; he had split the remaining Guard forces into two groups, which would have had 125 soldiers each; of the regulars, he had split into three groups, which, again, if some hadn't been sent north to delay the enemy, would have had 50 soldiers each. He had one group of regulars, supported by artillery, in the center, with the two groups of Guards on either side of them; the remaining two groups of regulars held the flanks, again supported by artillery. He had three batteries of muzzle-loaded, smoothbore guns, with four guns in each battery. The cannons could fire normal cannonballs, with explosive shells and canister to boot. He hoped it would be enough.
James' most important problem was communication; his own voice could only go so far in a battle filled to the brim with loud noise, and messengers could be killed, by accident or design, by enemy forces. He counted himself lucky he had most, if not all, of his units behind breastworks.
To forestall flanking, more trenches had been dug on both flanks of the army; deep ditches, full of anything the soldiers could find that was sticky, sap, honey, and anything the townsponies of Appleloosa could find.
It was an elaborate setup; he hoped it would serve it's purpose. He knew Equestria needed this victory. True, he couldn't hold against the enemy's main force, but he could - hopefully - destroy their vanguard, and give his soldiers, and the country, some morale and some breathing space.
From the trees in the distance, a group of unicorns and pegasi rushed toward the breastworks.
"Guards, I want you to check all of the newcomers; make sure they are who they say they are, and not Changelings in disguise!" He shouted. A number of unicorn Guards walked forward to check them.
More pegasi flew in from the north, and unicorns began teleporting in; a quick check, with magic, of course, proved none of them to be imposters.
Those who had chosen to run - some of them, to his dismay, carried wounded comrades on their backs - reached the lines not far behind their companions. "They're coming! They're coming, and coming fast!" a unicorn shouted as he ran past the commander.
He held up a hand to stop a pegasus who had a busted wing. "Are you all here?"
The soldier shook his head. "I'm sorry sir, they got two of our guys who didn't fall back in time. What they did wasn't pretty." He kept walking, presumably toward the medical tent.
James looked as his troops. He could see that they needed something to perk up their spirits; the sight of their comrades running back toward them and away from the enemy could produce a negative effect.
He walked out in front of the trenches and started speaking in a loud voice; "Do not fear this enemy. They are more machine than flesh and blood, and have no knowledge of free will and the right to choose, as we do."
He continued after a moment, after taking a deep breath, "Our enemy comes thinking they will have an easy victory, that they have only to look us in the eye to set us to flight. They are blind; I see an army of brave soldiers, willing to stand for what is right. Whose cause is the more valid; the one that seeks to subjugate, to exterminate, to trample beneath it all that stands before it, or the one that defends it's children, it's family and friends, that protects it's morals and beliefs? I know my answer; I believe you all know it as well."
"They outnumber us, that much is true; however, numbers do not tell the whole story. They are fearless warriors; we are determined and brave soldiers. There is a difference. A warrior fights for personal gain; while he fights with many others of his own kind, he stands alone in every fight. A soldier fights as part of a team; he works together with his comrades to win. You are all soldiers: this gives you the advantage over the enemy!"
Amid cheers, he went on, "We have the advantage in position and technology as well; we hold more advantages than the enemy. We will win this battle, and give the ponies of Apploloosa time to escape their tormentors, and show our enemies that Equestria will never be theirs for the taking!"
The army went wild; even the Guards cheered loudly as James walked back to the trenches and crouched, revolver out in front of him, ready to fire at the enemy.
"Now look to your weapons, and prepare youselves for the task before you!" he shouted as a last reminder.
They again did as he said, though some continued cheering even with their crossbows resting in front of them on the breastworks.
A black dot emerged from the treeline; another came, and another, then more, and more, and more, until James couldn't count them and gave up trying. The Changelings had arrived on the battlefield.
He heard something shaking; he turned to his right and saw a blue earth pony shivering, eyes wide as he saw the enemy.
James shook the pony's shoulder. "Come on, son, what will you think of yourself tommorow?" He felt it was cliched, but it was the only thing he could think of.
The pony turned to him, still shaking in great fear.
"Come on, boy, remember your home, your mother and father, all the things you've left behind, in order to protect them. They need you, and they need you now."
The soldier's shaking, though it didn't stop, reduced, and he grasped his crossbow tightly. He would fight, when the time came.
And it was coming soon; the Changelings had begun to charge; black, porous bodies rushed toward the defensive line, fangs extended, as if hungry for blood, and they ran as if they could do so forever. If they couldn't overwhelm the defenders - if they couldn't overwhelm all of Equestria - they didn't know it.
"All right boys!" James shouted as loudly as he could. "Hold your fire 'till you see their eyes; then rise and give them what they deserve!"
He looked at the cannons nearby, to his left. "Gunners, serve your pieces; fire when ready!"
They began to load, as he had ordered; they had been well drilled, and the first gun was loaded in less than twenty seconds. The gun captain didn't wait; he pulled the lanyard with his teeth.
The boom of the gun deafened his ears, and his body felt as if it had been slammed into the ground. A cloud of white smoke, easily twice the size of a cow, billowed across James' vision; the wind was blowing to the east.
A second later, a line of green - of grass - could be seen as the ball smashed into four Changelings in a row, and kept bouncing, hitting even more of them; the rest continued on, as if nothing had happened.
The rest of the guns thundered; the roar blasted James' ears. One of the guns must have loaded a shell instead of a cannonball, because he saw an explosion, and several Changlings fly away from the force of the blast. Again, the rest kept running, ignoring the casualties. Some fired green bursts of energy from their horns, but all of them flew over the breastworks without doing any damage whatsoever.
The other batteries in the army began to fire; unlike the battery in the middle, they were primarily firing shells, which tore up the enemy as they approached; black bodies flew through the air, slapping back down to earth, only to be trampled by their own comrades.
Twang! James heard a crossbow go off, and a quarrel shot out toward the enemy; it stuck in the ground not far in front of the onrushing horde.
"Hold your fire, damn it! Wait until they're closer, we have to make every shot count!" the Colonel shouted.
He saw and heard no one else fire in the next few seconds, so he concluded they had heard him. Between the thud of the gun, he could hear others - presumably sergeants and officers - yelling similar orders.
The Changlings continued their charge; they showed no fear whatsoever, and kept going, even as they were decimated by the artillery shells.
All of a sudden, James heard someone in the nearby battery - the one in the center of the line - call for canister, and he found to his surprise that the enemy was much closer than he had noticed.
He took aim, and waited... and waited... and waited... now. "FIIIIRE!"
He obeyed his own order, and fired off a round; the pistol bucked, as it had when facing the timberwolves and the Changeling ambush. The one he fired at fell; he didn't know if he was the one who killed it, as everyone else had begun to shoot.
The cannons went off at the same time, or as near to such as made no difference; the roar, for a few seconds, annihilated all other noise, except for a loud, hissing sound as thousands of small, metal balls escaped their containers and flew toward the horde.
The effect was devastating; the entire enemy front line, as far as James could see, fell, as did many of those behind them. Scores more were hit by crossbow quarrels and dropped; some were still alive, and kept trying to crawl forward.
The unwounded foes didn't slow down. James saw the Guards drop their crossbows and lift their spears. Most of the other soldiers he could see followed suit, though some still tried desperately to reload.
He fired two more shots, then holstered the pistol and unsheathed his sword. He stabbed at the first Changeling that tried to get into the trench; the sword connected, and the thing pitched dead into the trench. It's comrade, just behind it, tried to copy it's fallen companion; a sweep of the sword beheaded it, and sent it to it's death.
James stood up and backed away from the front of the trench. He swung at anything black and full of holes that was foolish enough to rush him. Three more Changelings died in quick succession. One tried to be smart, and fired a shot from it's horn. He ducked, and it missed. He then proceeded to stab it too, and, when it tried to shoot him again, he decapitated it.
He took a quick look at the line to either side of him; the ponies seemed to be holding. Then another Changeling pounced, and he met it with a sword to the stomach.
He took a deep breath, and noticed that no more enemies stood before him. He looked to his right, where there was still some fighting, and he rushed forward to aid the Equestrians.
He came upon a group of three soldiers fighting against five Changelings. He immediately reduced the attackers' numbers by one, and slashed another in the neck before the rest took notice of him. They proceeded to make quick work of the remaining foes.
He looked to his left, then to his right; few enemies were still standing. Almost all of them were on the ground, some with twitching wings, some still retaining enough energy to keep crawling forward, trying with the last of their strength to inflict damage. He had to admit, the enemy were brave. That, or the insectile structure of their society, if it could be called that, erased all individuality and made them mindless drones, uncaring or unnoticing of danger or damage. He felt it was the latter.
The last of the enemy fell. James sat down; the past - was it really just twenty minutes? It had felt like an hour - little while had drained him, and his adrenaline levels began to drop.
Slowly, the rest of the army realized that no one on the other team was left standing. They began looking for friends and comrades, hoping to find them alive.
James sat down; on the field where so much of the slaughter had occured, he could see wings flapping, and some Changelings were still trying to crawl forward.
He got up. "Take any Changelings still alive and tie them up. Make sure they cannot escape; we will march them down the streets of Canterlot, and prove that these beings are not the invincible juggernaut they would have us believe!"
Some of the soldiers shook themselves out of the daze they were in upon hearing his words, and rushed to fulfill his orders. James sighed in relief; they had won.
Then with a twinge, he remembered; every victory had it's cost. And no doubt some of the troopers under his command had been killed or wounded.
He walked back to the front line, trying to help remove the wounded.
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After an hour, the wounded ponies had been brought to the medical tent; they had suffered 23 wounded in the battle, much less than he had feared.
The Changelings had paid dearly for their head-on charge; over eight hundred of their bodies had been counted dead on the field, and twenty five - all wounded to some degree - had been taken prisoner.
He looked at a small patch of ground not far away; the dead, all seventeen of them, had been brought there. He felt a horrible sickness threaten to consume them. With great effort, he forced it back down.
Was that...? He walked over...
It was. The blue pony he had comforted just before the fighting began, the one who had been shivering... now stretched lifeless on a blanket.
James couldn't help it; he began to cry, and sank to his knees. The crying became a flood, and he stopped trying to hold it back.
After a while - he never knew just how long - he felt something rock-hard on his spine. He looked up and saw Bright Star standing there, left foreleg stretched over the human's back. He embraced the earth pony, who hugged him back. He no longer felt alone in his sorrow; he had a shoulder to cry on, to depend on when things were at their worst.
Although sadness had it's hold on him now, he felt a ray of joy tempering the pain in his heart.
He stood up, and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand; he had a job to do.
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James prayed. He prayed long and hard for the seventeen who would not be going home. He knew that, in all likelihood, most (and likely all) had not been Christian, and hadn't been baptized or been through communion, likely didn't even know of God. He prayed anyhow.
The wounded were being transferred to the Appleloosa hospital; it seemed like most of them were certainly going to make it, and magic would likely close the gap on those with more severe injuries.
He knew, on the surface, that they had won a victory. Deep down, he felt like he had failed.
You know you're not God. You couldn't protect them. It was their time to go.
But I should have done something...
He had been arguing with himself like this for a while now, and it left him feeling no better than when he had started.
Presently he heard hoofbeats, and looked up from where he was sitting to see Silver Shield, Bright Star, White Knight, and Silver Lining all standing in front of him; to his vast relief, none of them seemed to have been harmed.
"Hey Jim, you don't look so good," Bright Star said, concerned.
James grunted unhappily. "I should have done better, then they might not have died..."
"Colonel, listen to me," Shield said, with a note of authority in his tone. "As soon as I saw the Changeling emerge from the trees, I thought we were all dead. To my surprise, almost everyone is still standing, a lot more than I thought there would be." He took a step forward. "You can't stop everyone from dying. Most of us are still alive to fight again another day. And I am eternally grateful for it." He bowed, low. "You proved you know what you're doing."
"Three cheers fer tha Colonel!" Silver Lining shouted, hovering in mid air.
Almost every pony who heard that began cheering; "Colonel! Colonel! Colonel!"
James felt overwhelmed by the cheers; the soldiers really did trust him at last.
He stood up. "Thank you all, my friends," he said, and they all cheered again. "With soldiers like you, I know we can win this war." Amid more cheers, he said, "We may celebrate the fact that we made it through this ordeal at some point, but to do so without giving our respect for the dead is to dishonor their memory. We must see that they are buried with the respect they deserve, and then, and only then, can we truly be cheerful." He heard many shouts of agreement as he finished.
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Afterwards, they buried the dead; James had asked for white crosses to mark their graves, and he was not disappointed.
The funeral service was very sad; James watched as the blue pony was placed gently in his grave.
"Sir, you seem to have taken a liking to that poor boy," Shield said.
"I... I didn't even get his name." James sounded like he was talking to Shield, but in reality, he was reliving those precious seconds, just before the battle had started. "I saw him there, scared as anyone. Poor guy was shivering. I... tried to help him. I... tired to remind him what he was doing, and why. That was the last I saw of him." He felt the memory sear it's way into his brain, and knew he would never forget it.
Shield didn't respond; maybe he knew all too well what his commanding officer was going through.
After all the dead had been laid to rest, everyone paid their respects to their fallen comrades; flowers found their way onto the graves, and soldiers comforted each other on the loss. One soldier made a wreath, and placed on the grave of a friend.
James knelt, and began to pray yet again.
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That night, the camp mood was very hushed. many ate their meals in silence, without any talking.
One thing had changed; the line between Guards and regulars was gone. They sat together, without rank or borders to divide them into groups. A true camaraderie had taken hold.
James sat down at the campfire again, with the addition of Silver Shield to the group. They ate quietly, but the human could see that most of them were very happy just to be alive. Even Jack Tar seemed less grumpy than he had a couple of nights ago; however, it was still clear he didn't like James.
He shrugged. Some people really wouldn't or couldn't change. And there was little, if anything, he could do about it.
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The next day the sun rose in the sky, with hardly a cloud to create a shadow on the ground. It was as if it hadn't remembered the battle that had occurred.
James had sent a letter detailing the fight at Greenspot (as the place was known, a patch of green in the middle of a sun-blasted region; the allusion had been made from the word "sunspot") to the Princess, as well as another letter to his parents.
He had also sent a few pegasi and unicorn scouts to monitor the enemy's main army; to his surprise, it appeared they had stopped. Maybe the queen had been expecting to run over anything in her way. If so, she seemed to be shocked that someone had proved her wrong.
Unfortunately, he didn't think that would last; they would come forward eventually, and he would have to fall back, or the sacrifices made the day before would have been made in vain.
Or... he mentally slapped himself. Attacking the enemy was suicide... even if they didn't expect it.
Or was it? The Equestrian army had just effectively punched a bully right in the face; if he could follow it up...
I'm nuts. However, the more he thought about it, the more he felt it might succeed; if he could engage small enemy forces, pinch them off, and destroy them, the Changelings might pull back, giving Shining Armor more time to build his army... and postponing the retreat, which would likely have a negative effect of morale. Again, he wasn't thinking of directly engaging the main enemy force; that would be suicide with the forces he had. But a little aggression, well placed, could destabilize the enemy. And it would certainly buy more time. Robert E. Lee's aggressive defense in 1862 and 1863 against superior Union forces had made general after general fall back, with their armies following them. Surely it wasn't plagiarism to repeat the successful tactics of a general from long ago.
"Hey Jim, what's new?" Shield's voice came from outside the tent.
"Come in."
The pony did so. He looked at the map on the table, which had been donated by a pony in Appleloosa. "They seemed to have stopped for some reason."
"Yes, and I intend to take advantage of it."
"Yes sir; when do you want us to pack up?"
"Not yet, certainly." James stood up, and pointed to part of the enemy army that had bulged out - bulged south - from the rest. "I think our latest success has given the queen a slap to the face she didn't expect."
Shield smiled. "Yeah, I feel like we might just be able to win when they come again."
"I am under no such illusion, if you'll forgive me for saying so. I intend, therefore, to take advantage of our victory by following it up."
Shield drew back. "By attacking their main army!?"
James sighed. "No, I am not insane, Shield. And no, I don't intend to attack their main army. What I am going to do" - here he drew a semicircle around the bulge on the map - "is cut off this salient, and hopefully shock the queen into retreating and buying us more time to evacuate Appleloosa... and for our reinforcements to arrive."
Shield sniffed. "I don't know, it sounds pretty risky."
"And likely, the queen won't be expecting it."
"Sir, how will we get close enough to attack without being spotted?" No, he wasn't a fool.
"The army will move by night. I doubt they can see in the dark much better than we can."
"Hmm..." Shield's hoof flew to his chin. "Sir, might I suggest an alternative strategy? If that's alright with you, that is."
James sat up. "You have my full attention."
Silver Shield's other hoof moved to the map. "Maybe we can ambush them" - he moved his hoof from the army's current position to one between the two armies - "right here. Our scouts have noted natural ditches and a river here. They will have to cross here. If we move up some troops and our artillery under cover of night, we can hurt them if they move up."
"And we'll still catch them with their britches down... not that they wear any", he added, to the laughter of his new friend. "Alright, I'll buy it; it's still aggressive, and it still performs the same function. And," he said, looking serious, "If it works, I'll put a recommendation - in writing - for your promotion."
The pony jerked back, and went to all fours. "You're joki..." He looked more closely at James' face. "You're not joking in the least, are you?" When James shook his head, the stallion went on, surprised. "I never thought I might see the day where I would get a promotion for overriding a superior's plan."
"You'll get it... if your idea works." Then, standing up, James said, "Let's make sure it doesn't."