Chapter one: A rushed future
“It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.”
It was early in the morning when Bright Hoof woke sound of the morning horn. He quickly noticed his damp mattress, and remembered where he was.
It had been three days... three days since they departed the last military base on Equestrian territory, and set off into the no-man’s-land that was this swampy landscape.
His bedding was already wet; his coat messy, his armor covered in mud. Looking around him, Bright Hoof honestly couldn’t imagine how the Princesses had ever thought that this territory would be fit for anypony to inhabit. There were flies everywhere that would get into places you absolutely did not want them, everything around smelled like decaying plants, and even the road (if you could call it that) was completely waterlogged making a simple day of marching an extremely tiresome experience.
Bright couldn’t even imagine how tough it must be for the stallions pulling the carts, which held weaponry, food, medical supplies and tents, as well as their all-so-important officer who could not, of course, afford to get his hooves dirty.
He looked around; there was muttering everywhere, somepony let out a loud yawn while others were already getting into their armour.
This would all be a lot less work if we could just leave the armour off, he thought to himself. But no. This may be land claimed be nopony, but he knew from scout reports that there were clusters of Zebrican scouts keeping an eye on them. His good friend Solitude had left just yesterday for another scouting mission trying to keep a tab on all the Zebra forces in the area.
Solitude always in the shadows spying, whereas Bright Hoof was always in the heat of an argument, or in a fight for that matter. He supposed it fitted the situation; Bright being a Centurion for the vanguard of the legion. First into a fight, last to walk away. And Solitude an Optio with the Speculatores, a special operations squad. Sneaky fellows, but darn handy to flank the enemy and stab them in the back or scout the area to make sure you were not cut open in your sleep. Bright couldn’t stop thinking about how quickly things had escalated. One moment, he and Solitude had just been living their lives in the royal capital of Canterlot; two very different ponies from different backgrounds, unified by the dream of serving Equestria on the battlefield.
Then, before they knew it, they were sent off to fight the Zebras.
Looking back, Bright Hoof remembered the day that they graduated. He had honours from the Royal Canterlot Academy for advanced military strategy, launching him straight to the position of centurion. Solitude had a straight-A record from the Military Academy of Stealth and Reconnaissance. Bright may be higher ranked than Solitude, and stronger in a fair fight, but warfare was not about a fair fight. And Solitude had a mind that he could not match, even though it hurt his pride to admit it.
“Everypony get out of there! What are you, a bunch of mares!? Do I need to come in there and comb your mane for you?”
Rudely awakened from his morning slumber, Bright Hoof looked around him. Everypony was already getting into their gear and moving out into the faint daylight shining through the treetops.
He quickly put on his armour and took his position at the entrance of the tent. At the sound a horn he let his men outside.
The air was just as humid as it had been for three days straight now. Around the encampment he saw emptying tents, and ponies forming up on the road in front of him. Bright still found this to be an impressive sight to see, all these individual ponies, united in a single cause. Being centurion of the first cohort, he led his century to the front of the road. At least one advantage of being the first in the fight was being able to walk on a road that hadn’t yet been completely trampled to pieces ,Bright thought while his hooves sunk into the moist earth as he walked his century to the front of the road.
Glancing to his right, Bright Hoof saw his second in command, Aria, a unicorn mare with a brown coat and blue eyes. She was carrying the cohort’s banner, A golden Princess Celestia circling round a black Princess Luna with a golden number one embossed at the bottom.
Aria was quite a sight to see in armour, and Bright may have lost concentration while looking in her direction.
“Feeling a bit dreamy today, centurion Bright Hoof?” Aria joked.
“Not at all,Optio Aria,” Bright Hoof quickly responded. He looked away in no particular direction, just observing the surroundings.
“Good,” said Aria, “because the scouts still aren’t back to give their report.”
Aria was right, Bright realised. The scout patrol should have been back to join the rest of the Legion in the march today. I hope nothing happened to them, he thought. No... Solitude is a master of getting out of sticky situations. If anyone can keep his century alive and well, it’s him.
The horn blew three times to signal that the days march was going to commence. And as one well oiled machine, the legion, led by the first cohort, began the long march forward into unknown lands. Further towards an enemy that is, without a doubt, waiting for us, Shining Hoof couldn’t help thinking.
The day’s march went as anypony would expect. The ground was wet, and the further they progressed the wetter it got. It got to the point where extra stallions had to be picked from the 10th Cohort to help push and pull the carts with supplies through the thick mud.
On top of all that there were the flies to worry about. Huge, nasty, buzzing, biting bastards. Bright Hoof almost asked Aria to electrify them off of his tail but then figured this would probably deal more damage than it would fix. Also, there was still no sign of Solitude and his reconnaissance unit anywhere, for the entire first half of the day. This was quite strange, seeing as they should have been able to move faster than the fully loaded Second Legion.
At midday, Bright Hoof heard an order from the back lines and saw the 3rd Speculatores Century was send into the dense forests. They are sending a rescue party?! I should be out there looking for him not trotting along this darn road! Bright thought, but he quickly regained his senses. Equestrian military was all about discipline, he knew this all too well as he had had his fair share of discipline on the academy, and the marks to show for it... Bright could appreciate the harsh ways of the legion, and he knew that he as centurion was now expected to keep his century in line.
Bright looked around him Aria was walking proud, banner high but the rest of the century looked exhausted and downright agitated. Bright hoped that he would not have to discipline anypony from his century anytime soon, but he knew that when the time came he would have no choice. “Without discipline there is no order, without order there are no legions, without legions Equestria might as well accept filthy zebra on its lands!” The words he had heard so many times on the academy crossed his mind as he saw the 3rd Speculators century disappear into the trees. I just hope everything is all right, Bright though as he marched his century forward down the empty road.
As the sun at long last started to sink on the horizon, as if princess Celestia had purposely left it in the air longer to extend the duration of their march the signal sounded for the Second Equestrian Legion to hold and make camp on a open field. As soon as Bright Hoof had escorted his Century to their designated site and ordered Aria to insure nobody wandered off, he went in search of a scribe which he quickly found. “Centurion Bright Hoof, First Cohord, second Century” Bright stated as he was approaching the scribe, I wish to have information about the whereabouts of the 2nd and 3rd Speculator centuries. “On what grounds if I may ask”, the scribe asked with an undertone a little too arrogant to be polite.
That was the last Bright Hoof could handle that day, he swung his head back and grabbed his mace with his mouth in one smooth movement and pushed it under the scribes throat, “I am not the kind of pony you want to piss off right now.” Bright Hoof sneered at the scribe. "So if you would be so kind to just tell me what you know?" But before the scribe could say anything a horn sounded that could only mean one thing. A horn sound that he had to memorise a 1000 times in the academy, one long stretched sound. “attack incoming”
The whole camp was in motion, ponies who had just taken off their helmet were now rushing to put their armour back on as Centurions and Optios yelled orders everywhere: “Form up!, Forward!, protect the flanks!”. Bright Hoof rushed to the edge of the encampment where engineers had just started to construct boundaries for the night and saw groups of ponies dressed in Speculatores gear appearing from the forest looking behind them as if they were being chased. Some were clearly wounded and in panic, while others kept formation and tried to block incoming projectiles that looked like slingshots the best they could with their small triangular shields as they appeared from the dark forest.
Then Bright Hoofs saw his friend Solitude emerge from the darkness in the middle of a small group of ponies backing away slowly shields raised to the forest, carrying the subtle banner of the Speculatores century in his mouth, Sharp edge sticking out, ready for battle.
Solitude looked away from the forest for one second to check the distance to the encampment where he saw multiple centuries of legionnaire ponies form up, rectangular shields in one solid line and swords in their mouth. “50 meters”, Solitude shouted, as a stone nearly hit him in the face and landed next to him in the muddy grass. He then looked forward again as he saw a group of Zebras in black and brown war paint charge from the forest edge strait to their position, lances pointed towards the small group of ponies. " Loose formation on my mark!” Solitude shouted as the Zebra party rapidly closed in on their position. ”Now!” And on that mark all ponies broke formation and dashed in different directions.
The zebras, now having lost a solid formation to charge on did not hesitate for a second and charged after individual ponies. One charged right past Solitude and hit a pony who had just dashed to the left right in the flank with the lance attached to his side, there was a distinct crush as the lance pierced deep in the ponies flank and shattered bones in its path. Solitude quickly swung his banner round slashing the hind legs of the Zebra now facing with its back towards him. The sharp point of the banner severed skin, arteries and tendons as it went through covering the ground with blood. The Zebra tried to jump away out of shock and fell to the ground. Solitude put his hoof on the zebra’s head and pushed it down in the mud with a satisfying crunch.
Around him Solitude could now see multiple ponies in hoof to hoof combat with the zebras dodging stabs from the lances attached to their sides as well as the swords in their mouths. Only just in time did Solitude see another zebra charging in on him from the dark swamp he quickly readied himself for impact raising his shield and banner. this is not good ,Solitude thought, as he noticed his hoofs had sunken 3 inches into the mud. One fraction of a second later the lance of the zebra hit his shield and pierced it causing the tip to dig into his side with a painful stab. Solitude quickly swung up his standard and pushed the point under the zebras helmet piercing his head cutting through the skin and bone and coming to a stop with a faint "dong" as the standard its point had broken trough the scull of the zebra and hit his helmet on the other side. Blood flowed down the gaping hole as the zebra fell on top of Solitude pushing the spear even further through its head.
Pumped with adrenalin Solitude tried to push the zebra off when he realized the weight of the dead zebra had pushed him even further into the thick mud. “Not good....” Solitude muttered, as he saw yet another zebra approach, lance at the ready and seemingly eager to avenge his fallen comrade. Then a horn sounded, not a pony horn but a more harsh tone, gazing up he saw the zebra retreating into the forest as he heard hoof steps behind him.
He looked up and saw the all familiar sight of a wall of rectangular shields closing in on him and in between them his friend Bright Hoof. “Medic!” Bright Hoof yelled as he broke formation and approached Solitude. “I hope it’s nothing too serious” Bright asked with a smile on his face as he approached his old friend. “I am better off than the poor souls who took a fancy to me.” Solitude remarked in return as he tilted his head to the zebra on top of him with the standard pierced trough his head and the one laying a few meters away with both of its hind legs nearly severed from the body and head pushed deep into the mud. “Medic if you don't get your lazy ass over here this instant I will personally insure you are the one to burn the zebra corpses tonight!” Bright Hoof yelled over the field as a medic pony approached. “Well then, we will see each other when you are fixed up, now if you don't mind I have some zebra wounded to clean up!” He added with a small smile on his face.
“Century, Advance!”