The War of 1002

by Fireheart 1945


Chapter 27; Lunar debout

National Act Number 1861; I, Princess Celestia, and my sister Luna, announce the foundation of a Grand Army of the Kingdom, with the intent to defend and protect Equestria and all it's inhabitants from the invading forces which threaten our country.

This act will come into effect immediately.

- Announced in Equestrian newspapers in November 1002 (Equestrian calendar)

As the snow began to melt, James drafted yet another request for supplies and food; it would be needed, if he was to get the army he had been promised. The success of the winter campaign had restored the morale of his forces, and they often sang as they drilled, even with cold winds still blowing about. "The Battle Cry of Freedom" had been adopted very quickly, thanks to Silver Lining's friend in Manehattan; he could hear it being whistled even now. With a smile on his face, he finished the letter, put it in an envelope, and got up to deliver it to a mailpony. He opened the door; the cold was embracing. As a Mainer, he was used to cold winters.

A commotion met his ears, and he turned to his left; a black, bat-winged stallion descended from the sky. One of Luna's own guards, he thought as the pony noticed him and flew over.

The Lunar Guard saluted. "Sergeant Star Blaze, at your orders, General."

At least Celestia didn't demote me after my outburst about Blueblood, James thought. "Good. What news do you bring with you?"

"Sir, the Princess of the Night has ordered a battalion of the Lunar Guard to report to you personally; they will be here by nightfall."

"Excellent." That was what he had been hoping for. Something caught his eye; a soldier had shaken his head. When he saw that his commander had seen him, he tried to act as if he had done nothing notable.

Racism, or at least a fear of thestrals. He was pleased he had been able to remember a name that at least partially fit the trooper before him. That would do nothing to resolve the situation, however. I'll have to think of something. "That is well appreciated, Sergeant. I'll ensure that you and your cohorts have space, food, and dwellings of their own."

"Much obliged, General. Princess Luna will be coming with them."

Uh-oh. History had many instances where a politician had screwed up a war, not to mention that the Princess would be putting her own life at risk; if she lost it... Her people will lose hope. I cannot allow that to happen. What he said aloud was, "I see." I'll talk to her about that when she gets here.

To his surprise, Star Blaze made a motion with his hoof that could only mean, come closer. James leaned in closer, whereupon the Night Guard whispered, "Believe me, sir, I sympathize with you in that regard; her Highness puts herself in danger in doing this, but none of us were able to convince her to do otherwise. And... If you've met her, you'll know that she can be... difficult to argue with."

By that, you mean that she frightens you to death, and that uses the Royal Canterlot Voice if you annoy her enough. It was the obvious translation. Having not seen Luna since first arriving in Equestria, he hadn't gotten to know her as well as her sister. That seemed like her; she was mysterious, like the moon she controlled. "In any case," he said, lifting himself back to full height, "I'll make sure that you receive a rest; you must be tired, flying all this way."

Star Blaze nodded. "In daytime, too. I could do with some hay right now."

"Any news on when - ugh, do I really have to use his title? - Prince Blueblood is joining our forces?" he asked.

"He will be coming in a few days, sir; his carriage is currently on it's way."

As I suspected; he didn't leave his pro-noble attitude behind him when he left. There was nothing he could do about it. "Gooood," he said. "I'm sure we'll get along." Not a chance. Waving that thought away, he pointed to the mess. "You'll find something to eat there."

"My thanks, General." The Guard trotted away, his belly grumbling once where James could hear it.

What am I going to do with this prince? Nasty thoughts about his soon-to-be fellow General came to the surface; he allowed himself a few seconds of this, then cleared his head, walking back to the cabin.

To his further annoyance, the fire in the fireplace had gone out while he was gone. With anger, he went to the task of re-lighting it, eventually succeeding, and threw another log on the blaze to ensure it didn't go out prematurely this time.

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James' own stomach groaned an hour later. He made his way to the mess hall (actually, it was a large tent, but few bothered to make the distinction between that and an actual building) and got himself some mashed potatoes and a couple apples, then sat down at one of the tables.

He chomped down on one of the apples; the satisfying juices flowed down his throat as a pony walked up and sat down on the opposite side of the table, facing him.

It's Star Blaze. He lowered the apple - he naturally felt silly leaving it in his mouth - and looked up. "Yes, Sergeant Blaze?" The pony looked troubled; a discontented expression was evident on his face.

Star Blaze leaned in. "Sir," he said, sounding discouraged, "I ask that you ensure that I and my fellow Lunar Guards are treated fairly by the other ponies in the camp."

I should have figured. "What happened? I know that thestrals don't exactly have the best reputation, but..."

"I'm glad to see that you know the name for our subspecies, sir," Star Blaze said, nodding. "Anyway, it was nothing I haven't dealt with before; nasty looks, muttering as I passed by somepony, and other similar things."

"If you are used to these insulting gestures, then why are you so bothered now that you come before me?"

The Lunar Guard looked indignant. "One Royal Guard accused us Lunar Guards of being carnivores," he said, his voice shaking.

James raised his eyebrow. "Do you do eat meat, or have your subspecies ever done so?"

"No... well.... maybe a very, very long time ago, well before Equestria was founded. But in the last one thousand, five hundred years or so, that certainly hasn't been the case. Just because some of us have fangs doesn't mean we actually eat other living beings."

James nodded. "I wouldn't have much of a problem if that was still the case, as long as sentient creatures were not on the menu." He pointed to one of his own molars.

Star Blaze looked concerned. "Are humans carnivores?"

"Obviously we do not receive all our nutrition from that; otherwise, you would not have found me eating plant matter." He empathized this by taking another confident bite of the apple. Once he had swallowed it, he continued, "We are omnivores. And, for the record, we are the only sentient species on our planet, and I have not eaten meat since arriving in Equestria, though I've had to take vitamins to keep my health up."

Star Blaze studied him closely for a moment, then nodded. "Okay. I can live with that. At least we have an understanding, then."

I hope we do. James took another bite of the apple, finishing it off. "I believe that your performance in the field will be conductive in ensuring that you receive the respect you and your fellow Lunar Guards desire. You have something somewhat beyond what the others are fighting for, after all; otherwise, this conversation would not exist."

"Thanks, General, I appreciate this."

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Back in his cabin, James had set up his hammock, and was enjoying a rest; his hat was over his face as the hammock swung gently back and forth.

A loud, sudden sounding of trumpets made him sit up in surprise; his kepi flew across the room, slamming into a wall and falling to the floor.

He got up, walked over to the hat, dusted it off, and replaced it on his head. Looking out the window, he saw that the sun was almost gone from the horizon. It was later than he had thought it would be. The trumpets sounded again. Rousing his brain, he remembered that Star Blaze had said that Princess Luna was coming, with a sizable number of her guards. It was only prudent that he be there to meet them.

He walked outside. A chariot was descending from the sky, followed by hundreds of Lunar Guards. In the chariot itself stood the midnight-blue Princess herself, looking down on the base.

The chariot landed. Mane billowing in some non-existent wind, Princess Luna stepped down from her transport; James noted that the shoe she had stepped on and crushed had been repaired or replaced. Four Lunar Guards descended around her, spears at the ready despite the lack of any danger being evident.

She saw him; it wasn't as if he were inconspicuous, what with being the only bipedal being present. She nodded in his direction, and began walking toward him; her Guards followed, on the alert.

"Greetings, General," the Princess said regally. "It is a pleasure to see you again."

"Thanks, Princess, same here." James looked back at his abode. "Maybe it would be best to continue this conversation in my cabin."

"Yes, it might; it is rather cold this fine night."

Like you didn't help with that last bit. He decided it was best not to say that out loud; he was already feeling guilty about thinking it. "Right this way then," was what left his lips instead. As they walked, the army gathered around them, cheering both of them;

"Hurrah for the Princess!"

"Three cheers!"

"Yippie-kai-ayyy!"

"You seem very popular with the common soldiers, James," Luna remarked.

"Not as much as you are." He stopped, opened the door, and allowed her to walk in first; her Guard followed, one giving him a look - of curiosity or menace, he wasn't sure - before following his companions. James went in last, closing the door behind him.

"Well then," he said, making his way over to the table and sitting down, "I suppose you're here to take command of the Army of Eastern Equestria?"*

"No," Luna responded, "not exactly. I will be leading my own Night Guards into the battles to come. You will be allowed to advise us on the best courses of action."

Oh boy. James sighed loudly. "This is what I was afraid of." After pause, he went on (though he avoided her eyes), "The risk to your own life is far too great."

Although he wasn't looking at her face directly, he could almost feel the heat coming from it. "We have heard identical words from our subjects back in Canterlot," Luna said firmly, with a regality he didn't much care for, "and our answer is the same as it was then; we will take to the field."

He switched to angry French; "Ecouterez-vous moi?"* he snapped. Looking at her directly this time, he saw that she was somewhat taken aback by his response. He decided to take advantage of it, returning to English; "You're too valuable to your country to risk your life, and let me repeat that last one, life, on the battlefield." He got up and stood up straight. "Hundreds, even thousands, of soldiers can lay down their lives and the war will go on, but the instant you die the momentum would shift against us; your people would lose hope, and the enemy would be bolstered by their victory. This isn't just about you; the entirety of Equestria hangs in the balance, and your death - or that of your sister, Celestia - is a price we cannot afford to pay."

Luna tossed her head; "We must be seen to act, to lead our people in this time of crisis."

"Then act from the capital; will it take a Griffon arrow the chest to get you to see reason? That, I fear, would be the end; of your life and of Equestria as a sovereign nation."

To his relief, she seemed to consider what he was saying. Her guards had looked slightly aggressive for a moment, then, seeing that their Princess was not about to order him arrested, they returned to their neutral stances. At last, Luna said quietly, "but I control the moon; how could an army of Griffons compare to that?"

"Unless you insist on sending the moon crashing on top of a Griffon army - which would in all likelihood destroy all life as we know it on this planet as well - I see no usefulness in that fact, your Highness. And, as first the Changelings and now the Griffons have proven, magic in itself isn't enough."

For a moment, their eyes met in a contest of will; Luna backed down first. "I at least insist on being somewhere in the vicinity, so that my little ponies may see me among them."

James considered this. It was less than he'd hoped for. "I guess you could watch and command from some vantage point," he said at last, "but you will not enjoy the spectacle."

"I... I know." Her head fell a little. "You may not know it, General, but it is my responsibility to protect ponies in their dreams. These past few months have been... very frightening in that regard."

I didn't know she could do that. That aside, he could see where that would produce stress; a dream becoming one of battles, bloodshed and death. It couldn't be easy. He shrugged. "I'm sorry. If the griffons and changelings hadn't invaded, this war wouldn't have come."

She nodded, unhappily. "Yes, I know. It's... overwhelming. I..." Tears started to from in her eyes. "I can't... help them. I have to watch as horror after horror fills their dreams, as terror overtakes them, as the most nightmarish things happen, and I can't do anything to stop it. It's... too shocking. After viewing some - no, all - of these dreams, I feel like throwing up."

James nodded in sympathy, waiting for her to recover after this... information.

Luna wiped the tears from her eyes with her hoof. "Anyway," she said, clearly trying to escape her own memories, "I know it would be dangerous for me to stay here, but it wasn't just my idea; my sister wants to make sure you and Blueblood get along, at least for the first few days."

"Ugh," James muttered. "All right, as long as you aren't in personal danger, you can stay for a few days. Not that I have the authority to stop you, but I won't complain as long as your life is not at risk."

She nodded. "That's all I can ask for, I suppose. But now, to the war itself; what are your current plans?"

James pointed to the map. "This the current location of the base. Unfortunately, even at full capacity, it won't be able to house fifty thousand troops; more like eight thousand. We'd have to move at some point anyway." When he saw the look on her face, he realized he wasn't going over the information she wanted. "Oops, sorry. I was going over the construction plans for the base with Blue Fur this morning." He cleared his throat. "We'll hold a massive numerical advantage, with forty to fifty thousand soldiers against four to five thousand of their own, so I've outlined the plans for the offensive as such." He moved four blocks, with two going one way and two the other, with a fifth in reserve. "We'll hit their remaining two forces in the field and drive northeastward, toward their border, reuniting before we get there and marching en masse for their capital. If all goes well, the army should be in Gryphos within a month, maybe two, and the war will be over."

"Hmmm." Luna rested a head on her foreleg, looking it over. "It looks good on paper, but you don't seem to have assumed anything about their reinforcements."

"I did; they won't have enough. They can't muster anything more than ten thousand before our counter-invasion, and I can't see how they could save their bacon, even with the advanced arms they carry; and even that lead won't last long, as Equestrian scientists have made a musket that ponies can use, and from the reports I have received, breech-loading artillery units are even now in production. Unless they have an outside ally to help them, we'll defeat them, considering average intelligence on both sides and a superiority in numbers on our own."

Luna thought about it. "What if they use the same strategies that we did during the winter?"

"That's what the reserve units are for; to take care of such pests, and to reinforce the boys on the front line if we need them."

After a few moments, Luna nodded. "This plan may work."

"I hope so. How goes the fight with the Changelings?"

"Not as good as the fight over here. It's not so much that they are beating us as the fact that they are avoiding us as much as possible. We can hardly catch them, and when we do, our troops just end up fighting a very small number of them at any one time. Shining Armor is understandably frustrated."

James nodded. "I would be, in his place. An enemy that avoids battle at all costs is one that is the most difficult to defeat. But in a way, that's good. They don't have enough drones to fight us directly. For now, that's good enough. When the Griffons are knocked out, we can bring everything back west, find them, and crush them once and for all."

"I hope so."

"However, first we need to clear this pass." James brought his right index finger down on a point not far east of the fort's location. "That will allow our troops to get through intact."

Luna lifted her head. "I will deploy the Lunar Guard to clear the Griffons."

"How many did you bring with you? Because the birds have around two hundred and fifty troops guarding that pass."

"We... er, I, have brought four hundred of the best Guards in Equestria; I'm sure they will have no trouble."

"Yeah, and whenever someone says that, it means that trouble will happen."

Luna giggled. "Oh come now, James, you aren't superstitious, are you?"

"Just a little. Enough to take precautions. In any event, we have to clear that pass, immediately."

"I insist we wait until nightfall."

"Uhh... it is nightfall. You control the moon, remember?"

The Lunar Princess pouted. "Hilarious. But I suppose the point is taken. My Guards can go to work at once."

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Star Blaze took his place in the line. So far, the stay in the fort hadn't been all bad. Meeting a species that had been long considered dead and gone, eating the food, getting a good rest; it had been all good. It didn't quite make up for getting the cold shoulder, especially by the regular Royal Guards, but it was what he'd got. And it wasn't as if he hadn't dealt with similar situations before.

Going into a full-blown battle, though, that was new.. as was the firearm he shouldered instead of his usual spear. It was much heavier than his old weapon, and was much more complex to use.

At least his fellow Lunar Guards were beside him, all brothers in arms, all tied together by bonds unbreakable. Long time rivals of their daytime counterparts, and often mistrusted by other ponies, the Lunar Guard needed to be as close-nit as it was.

A company of regulars and Royal Guards protected the flanks of their advance. From what he had heard, it was supposed to promote unity. From the expressions he and the other Night Guards got, it wasn't working.

No matter. The battle tonight wouldn't be focused on fighting each other, but the Griffons. He could count on that.

He glanced backward; on a hill, observing the action, Princess Luna was watching them. His heart soared; with the Princess on the Night watching, it was impossible for things to go wrong.

That reminded him of something he had heard about their human commander. It had been told to him by one of the few ponies, a regular, who hadn't been too afraid or upset to talk to him. According to camp rumors, Brigadier James Lavigne had denied that the Princesses were deities to Celestia's face. A few thought of him as godless, but from what the regular had told him, the General was part of a monotheistic faith that denied the existence of all other gods. In that case, it was understandable, but it troubled him a little. He shoved the thought aside; surely the Princesses didn't care, otherwise the human would not be in overall command.

Of course, one part of his brain said quietly, that could just fuel his own arguments.

He shoved that down too, and this time, nothing but a determination to do the job as best as he could taking it's place.

"You know what to do, gentlecolts," Captain Moonshine said, marching in front of the units, "we are going to take that pass, and we will hold it against anything this side of the sun and the moon that tries to retake it." He looked up at something or someone behind the troops - probably Princess Luna - then, nodding in what was probably a response to a signal, shouted, "Forward!"

At a quick pace, the line moved forward as ordered; muskets over their shoulders and fully loaded, the might of Equestria seemed incarnate in the soldiers taking part in this battle. For once, cold looks and teasing were nonexistent. The moon shone brightly on the regiments, with the stars playing secondary roles in the great play in the sky. Here and there, a cloud blocked a piece of the atmosphere, but they were not enough to keep the moon's light from reaching the ground.

Before he knew it, he was at the bottom of a massive hill, hundreds of feet in height, covered in grass. at the top would stand the Griffon detachment... if it had detected them. So far, the lack of artillery (on both sides; General Lavigne and Princess Luna had agreed to cancel the planned bombardment in exchange for the element of surprise) and any ranged fire gave the doubt to that last.

Finally, near the top, Star Blaze felt confident that they would catch the enemy asleep in their beds, awakening to find the guns of the Equestrian army in their faces.

"Who goes there?"

That simple sentence destroyed that hope. Captain Moonshine drew his sword. "Advance! Clear this pass of the enemy!"

With loud battle cries - the enemy sentry would have alerted his comrades in short order anyway - the Equestrians charged. The Griffon who had challenged them fired a musket shot into the air, and was promptly dead in short order, with the captain having slain him personally.

The shot awoke the Griffons; they poured out of their tents, grabbing weapons as they did so and chattering away in various languages. But the human had had the right of it; they were so taken by surprise at the nighttime attack that they were disorganized. Officers ran around, giving orders to troops that they didn't command, and here and there an enemy soldier would duck back into his tent, either hoping this attack was a bad dream or else overwhelmed by fear.

Most, however, chose to fight, however poorly and unorganized they were. Scattered matchlock and musket shots (as well as the occasional crossbow quarrel) rang out in the dark. Screams pierced the night. An Equestrian soldier shot a Griffon, then drew his spear and slew another, only to be struck down himself; he fell, curling up in terrible pain.

Star saw an important-looking Griffon, drew his musket, took aim, and fired. The enemy soldier, whoever he was, dropped instantly. Another charged him. As a subspecies of the pegasi, however, he was able to quickly fly into the air, and the enemy warrior's sword missed him. He brought the butt of his weapon down on the Griffon's head, and the soldier fell to the ground, clutching his head.

"I take it you won't be offering me anymore trouble?" Star asked, a hint - just a hint - of menace in his voice.

"Awwwwwww," the Griffon groaned, still holding his head in his claws, "no, I won't, damn it!"

Star took the soldier's weapon. All around him, the battle - if battle it could be called - was being won. Despite the will to resist that many of them had, they had never gotten the chance to form ranks and fight in an organized fashion. Although some of them kept fighting, more and more were either running or flying away, and even more surrendering, spitting curses at their captors, but all the same going into captivity.

This battle was over. But, as Star Blaze watched the enemy flee, he knew there was an entire campaign ahead. Again, no matter. He had confidence that he and his companions - whether they were from the Lunar Guard or not - could handle it.

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*Note, I was not trying to copy Altoid in naming James' army this. But "The Army of Northeastern Equestria" lacks the dramatic flair of what was chosen, and no other choice seemed adequate.

*Note, the French means, "Will you listen to me?"