//------------------------------// // Chapter 32; The Siege of Trottingham // Story: The War of 1002 // by Fireheart 1945 //------------------------------// The withdrawal from the battlefield where so many ponies had given their lives to protect their country was hard, in more ways than one. It took hours to round everyone up, and then another half hour to begin marching. Soldiers uncounted turned to look briefly at the hill where their final stand had taken place. Doubtless many were thinking of companions slain in the fighting, of horrors beyond the imagination of a civilian, wondering what had happened to the spirits of those they were leaving behind. Scouts reported no immediate pursuit, so the Equestrians took their time. James was plumb tired anyway, and most of his soldiers were in the same state. No ammunition, carrying thousands of wounded soldiers and dragging now only symbolically useful artillery with them, the army would not, could not, move fast even had it wanted to. On many faces, the only feature was an ominous stare, with the feeling that the one bearing such a mask must surely be looking through the landscape and through other soldiers, not at them. They were in no condition to fight anytime soon. The numbers were still coming in, but the casualties, needless to say, had been the highest of the war so far. Over fifteen thousand ponies out of forty thousand had been killed, wounded, captured, or missing. They'd given better than they'd got; they always had. Some estimated enemy casualties to be thirty thousand or more, out of fifty to sixty thousand. But, out of ammunition and supply, the only good the Equestrian army could do was retreat and hope for the best in the defense of Trottingham. Scarred from shrapnel and hits from a warrior's sword he hadn't quite managed to block in time, James could only pray that the defenses around the city could withstand a siege. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "General, 3rd Corps is approaching from the north, just a few miles away." The Guard looked tired, but bore a smile he didn't even try to hide. Shining Armor didn't blame him. The battle had been pure hell, and it was good to know that they weren't alone in surviving. "Sir," a regular coming up to his other side reported, "Artillery has only five rounds per gun, and most of our troops have three or fewer shots for their weapons. Food is critically short, and we have well over three thousand wounded who need immediate attention. Reinforcements beyond 3rd Corps are not expected." Shining sighed in exasperation. Having to abandon the camps had really hurt the army, but nothing could be done about that now, and trying to pack everything in the chaos of the retreat would have been, to put it mildly, a very bad idea. "In that case, prepare to move out as soon as 3rd Corps gets here. In the meantime, eat the grass if you're hungry." Ponies could, of course, eat grass, but hay was much more refined and was generally, assuming proper storage, more hygienic. "Right away, sir." As his subordinates left, Shining positioned himself on the road and stared northward, watching for James and 1st Corps. They weren't long in coming; over a hill a mile or so away, the battle flags of the various regiments forming the Corps appeared, battered and shot up, but still waving proudly. Royal Guard armor shone brightly in the rays of the setting sun, giving an impression of an invincible, victorious force. Unfortunately, Shining reflected, he knew better. As they got closer, he noticed something... different about the approaching troops. At first, as he put his hoof to his chin, he couldn't figure out why; they were as tired as anyone else in the army was after a two day fight, probably more tired considering that they had fought longer than the rest of the army, and their clothes and armor were filthy. Their belt pouches, normally full of ammo, were empty, and they looked as lethargic as the soldiers they were about to join, worn out and in no condition to do anything but sleep. Then he brought his hoof down, stomping in in the dirt; he had it. They carried an air of pride despite their disparaging looks; they hadn't had to fall back with the enemy on their heels, instead giving them a kick in the teeth before withdrawing, and thus giving themselves some breathing room. Flags flying high, III Corps began to ascend the hill, it's bipedal commander in the lead. Shining smiled to see that his friend was still alive. James looked tired unto death, and his uniform was covered in dirt; it would probably take days to wash it clean. When the human reached the crest of the hill, the two generals stood there for a moment, looking at one another. Then they ran towards one another and embraced. "Thank God, you're alive," James blurted out, standing back up after a few seconds. "There were a few times I thought I wouldn't be." "Well, we're both still standing, so that counts for something." James' face twisted in a grimace. "Too many are dead, and still all too many after that are injured, some so badly that they'll lose something. Putting a hand to his chest and staring toward the horizon, he added, "there will be a reckoning for this." Shining Armor didn't reply, but he too watched the sun set, nodding in agreement. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Where on Earth is Prince Blueblood!?" James demanded. "Sir," answered the Royal Guard before him (he had a New York accent), "he's still in Trottingham proper. That's the only official word I got." "Blast it," James growled, slamming his fist down on a nearby tree stump; that did nothing more than hurt, and only made him all the more angry. "That was the only official word," the Guard added. "Rumors are, he's lodging a court martial for someone, and that it's either you, Shining Armor, or both of you." "That brat is trying to get us arrested?" Somehow, given the situation, that was more funny than infuriating; James let out a belly laugh at hearing that. "I know. Hardly fair sir, considering all the trouble you both went through to get us out of that mess alive." Any respect the Guard had had for the Prince was gone now, after leaving his own soldiers to die. "If you told me to arrest him this instant sir, I would do so." James thought about that. All things considered, he had wanted to do that the instant his troops had caught up with the rest of the army, but more important things had taken up his time, like trying to figure out how to shelter the troops so that at least they could expect some decent cover from the rain, not to mention adequate food; an entire field of grass had been consumed in mere hours, and since then there hadn't been an hour where some soldier hadn't come up to him saying, "General, we're hungry," or something of the sort in a pitiful voice. It was enough to bring him to tears. What do you want me to do!? he wanted to ask every time; logistics were a mess, and food hadn't yet reached the front - or what miserably tired to pass for it. Even more heart wrenching were the cries of the wounded. Misery had an iron grip here. Without tents to shelter them, they had to endure whatever the weather had to throw at them. Pegasi were trying to keep the sky clear, but they were hungry and tired, and their spirits were dampened. Every so often a miserable groan or moan would rise from where the injured where made to lie, tearing at the hearts of those who heard them. Ugh, what am I supposed to do? I'm just one man! Turning back to the Guard, he could see he was awaiting an answer. Sighing, he shook his head. "That would create as many problems, perhaps more, than it would solve. And it won't get us the food and shelter we so desperately need." He grabbed his canteen and took a long drink; for once he wished he hadn't sworn off alcohol altogether. replacing the cap, he continued. "It would be more useful to transport the wounded back to the city; at least they'll get better treatment and dwellings there. Please see to it." "Yes sir, I'm on it." After the Guard left, James swallowed what was left in the canteen; at the very least the army wasn't - quite - short on water. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bright Star marched sullenly into a village not far from Trottingham, hard, unfeeling hooves clopping on the stone path, gun over his shoulder. He was one of thousands trudging through the town, trying to get back to the city, back to the extensive fortifications around it. One of the village mares approached him. "Where do you think yer goin'? Why r' you going back 'stead o' the other way? You..." "Look here lady," one of the ponies in his squad interrupted, "you might not know it, but we just got out of the grinder, and we're lucky to be alive. If I were you, I'd worry about leaving before the stinking birds get here." "How rude!" "I don't care. Use your common sense." The mare let out a screech. Bright could care less; the soldier who'd done the talking sure didn't. The mare tried complaining to everyone, soldier or not, who would listen. None of the soldiers did. They kept walking. Another mare was more infuriating. "Cowards! Your mothers would be ashamed of you! Curse you all!" "My mother doesn't have a trash compactor for a mouth," a soldier yelled back. The outraged scream the mare made upon hearing this was more funny than anything else. Before long, the little village was out of sight, but many of the townsponies had decided that it was indeed better to leave rather than stay and face the conquerors. They dragged carts full of belongings behind them, and some took their children and a few saddlebags full of possessions; a few took nothing but their families, the young among them confused and worried, asking their parents why they had to leave, and with so little stuff. That night, civilians and soldiers mingled; the army had little shelter for their own, and food was short, but they shared what they had with the people and especially with the foals. Bright Star sat down under a tree and looked up into the night sky. The stars held no answers. Curse you, he thought angrily as he stared up at them. You hold nothing, nothing at all, that can help us now. He had always looked up at them in wonder, as if they truly had the knowledge of the universe. The war had shattered that illusion, shattered it forever; those magnificent lights in the sky were only that, nothing more. Fires arose from the gatherings of ponies; it could hardly be called a camp. From there, what little proper food anyone had was being cooked; more often, whether soldier or civilian, they fed on grass and water alone. Is this it? Is this the poverty we'll be reduced to? Or will it be worse? That's nonsense, a rather weaker but more reasonable voice in his head said. We'll get our tents back when we reach the city, and we'll have food to eat as well, not to mention ammunition and supplies. It was hard to convince himself, seeing all the hardship and turmoil that was right in front of him. Nonetheless, it was something to hold onto, something to hope for. It was better than giving up to despair, that was certain. He was innocent, innocent of a great many things. But not of war, not anymore. When wars had been mentioned in textbooks in school, they had portrayed most of them as heroic struggles against evil, with the good guys coming out on top. While that may have been true - or true enough - it didn't come close to revealing the full story. It was also about death, of loss, of hearts breaking, rending in two from all those taken by the storm. Oh, mother, I hope this cruel war will be over soon, so that I can come home and never leave you again, His mother wasn't here. His comrades and brothers in arms were. He gathered up his meager possessions - his matchlock and spear, a few cartridges he had managed to scrounge from those who would never need them again, and a few, tied up pieces of actual hay - and walked toward one of those campfires, hoping to get at least some comfort there. "Hey, Bright," Silver Lining called as he approached the fire, "find anna thin' more ta eat?" "No, sorry, just a few blades of grass and hay," Bright Star answered, placing what he had on the ground. "It's not like there's anything else, not with the battle and... it's results, a few days ago." "Results?" White Knight exclaimed. "You for real? That was murdah, nuttin but." "If you mean murder of both sides, then you're right," Silver Shield said as he sat down on a rock. "The Griffons and their little pets got a hell of a beating." "Not to rain on your parade, Sergeant," Bright injected, "but we didn't come off any better than they did." When no one answered, he looked around. "Where's Jim?" "He's too busy trying to organize things and get us supplies to come tonight, and he probably won't be showing up the night after, either, poor kid," Shield replied, looking down. "'Poor kid?'" Bright echoed. "Shield, most of the ponies in the army are hardly in their twenties; I wouldn't be calling anypony "poor kid'". "James isn't a pony, as he makes clear. And I've got the right to call him kid." Shield laughed. "I have the right to call all of you kids. I've been busting criminals and serving Her Majesty since you were in diapers, not to mention having to fight in this war." After a few seconds of silence, Silver Lining quipped, "Ya don' have tha right to say it o' me; I've been sailing for Her Majesty." "Where, in the Royal Navy? We barely have one!" "Not in that navy, no, but in the merchant marine, aye. I've seen storms no pegasi could o' made, seen people washed overboard, even seen death a few times." The pegasus' voice grew quiet as he said that last. "Was ne'er pretty. An' since comin' inta tha army, it's gotten worse. Can't tell when it'll end, even if we do throw the bastards back in front o' Trottinham." "Feels like it'll go on forever, is what it does," Shield said after a while. "It can't!" Bright shouted, shocked. "Who says it won't?" "But... but nothing would be left of either country!" "Underscores what I've been saying, doesn't it?" Bright decided to just stop talking, knowing he wouldn't win this one. "Anyways, thank God we're all still here." Shield picked up a few blades of grass and chewed on them. "What did you just say?" Bright asked. "Don't you mean, 'Thank Celestia' or 'Thank Luna?'" Shield swallowed his food, then shook his head. "Never saw either of them offer us divine aid during the fighting." He picked up a pebble, and placed it on the ground in front of him. "If our beloved leaders - and I'm not saying that in sarcasm, honestly I'm not - were truly the goddesses we believed - that I used to believe - they were, the enemy would have been crushed" - he stomped on the pebble with his right front hoof - "like that, and in less time." He lifted the hoof; his hoof was barely scratched, while the pebble had been pulverized. "And, between you and me, I've met the solar princess quite a few times. She's motherly and loving - not to mention mischievous - but she doesn't know everything, and doesn't pretend to. It was her personality that chiefly earned her my loyalty, not the beliefs we were brought up with." "Well, okay..." Bright said, hoof to his chin as he processed what he'd taken in. "Well, what abou' Nightmare Moon?" Knight asked. "Don't call her that," Shield said fiercely. "Not where she or her Guards can hear you. She hates being called that, except on Nightmare Night, and she's touchy about that too. I haven't met her more than a few times. She's more... absolutist and old fashioned, but she cares about everypony too, even if she goes about it a bit less motherly than her sister. That said, she's having trouble fitting in; being gone a thousand years means a lot of changes, not the least being that almost everyone you ever knew is long dead, and technology and magic has come a long way since her time." "Yeah," Silver said, "I'd hate ta be in 'er position, tha's fer sure." "Well, religion aside, what're we going to do?" Bright asked. "'What are we going to do?'" Shield responded. ""We'll do what we can, how we can, the best we can. Anypony - anyone - does less is a slacker or a traitor. You all joined the army for reasons of your own; some of you may have thought it meant you'd be able to date some mares back home, or maybe it would make you famous enough to be recognized. Those reasons, as I'm sure you've all learned by now, don't mean a thing anymore. What matters is survival, of us and our kingdom. And we'll manage, I swear to God and to all of you, right before me now, that I will do everything I can to bring our country out of this darkness, come hell or high water." Everypony else at the fire nodded in agreement. Although there was no official bonds between them, they were all connected by the friendship they had forged in the conflict, as brothers in arms. They would all do the best they could for one another, and for any of their comrades. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- James was exhausted by the time his troops finally arrived at Trottingham. Thousands and thousands of civilian refugees followed him and his equally tired troops; many were just children, their cries and misery tearing at his heart and all the hearts of those who heard them. They should get some shelter and food where they're going. For that matter, so should my soldiers. That was what he told himself, anyhow. And, for a wonder, he was right. The defenses of the city had been drastically improved since he'd last been here; massive earthen forts ringed the town, connected by an elaborate trench system. Banners depicting the two Royal Sisters circling a globe, the banner of Equestria, waved above the forts and from the high places in the town. Luckily, forewarned of the refugees streaming into town, preparations had been made for their arrival and care. The sick were directed to various hospitals, and those who were hungry - the majority - were brought to feeding stations. Everyone in the town had pitched in to help; even the nobility and the rich were playing a part, although considering the alternative - being arrested or harassed by soldiers, not to mention the anger of the townsponies - it may or may not have been out of the kindness of their hearts, or perhaps not that alone. And, at last, the army was receiving the goods it needed to continue the fight; food, drink, ammunition, tools, and weapons were flowing in, and even a few replacement troops were arriving every day. With that more or less settled, the question in his mind was how to defend the city properly. "It's going to be hard to defend every angle of the city at once," he said to Shining Armor three days after their arrival in the city. They were both in a town saloon, drinking apple cider (James praised God it wasn't alcoholic) and trying to discuss ways to defend the city. "Best I can figure, we can fit maybe a thousand soldiers in every fort, and stretch the rest best we can in the trenches between them. The problem with that is if they concentrate on one area, we'll have... problems, to say the least." "That's an understatement." Shining took a long draft of cider from his mug before setting it back on the table. "It would be disastrous. What I think is, we should focus our strength where they are concentrating. that should halt any attack they make." "This won't be an open battle, not like most of the others we've fought." James took a sip from his own beverage. "It'll be a siege, each side trying to out-mine and out-position the other. They'll dig sappers trenches to approach safely, or more safely, at any rate, if they're smart. I'm hoping they won't be, but relying on stupidity from your enemies doesn't pay off, not enough to make it worth the risk." Shining thought about that for a little while. "They don't have the troops to block off the entire city; we should be able to get a steady flow of equipment and food." "Yes, but you aren't counting the people inhabiting the city; I don't know exactly, but I'd say there are probably over five hundred thousand, not counting soldiers and refugees. Feeding them and our army will be a challenge." "Many of them are evacuating as we speak, I don't think it will be that hard." James shook his head. "Even if two fifths of them leave - and I doubt that we'll manage that - that will leave hundreds of thousands of mouths to feed every day. It will be a difficult task. And the city is only about a mile behind our defensive lines; if they breach it, they'll be able to seize control, and I don't want to think what will happen to the population then." The white stallion threw back his head in dismay. "You don't think they can get that far, do you?" "If they can take one of our forts, I fail to see how we'll be able to keep them out of the city, this side of an urban battle, which would be harmful for the people living here." "Guh!" Shining drained the mug he was holding, then set it down. "Another one, please," he called to the bartender. When the new mug arrived, he picked it up and said, "I don't even want to think about that." "I don't either. I think we can keep a good-sized reserve in the city itself to plug holes, though obviously keeping them hidden from aerial scouts would be difficult." "Which is why I can't agree with that stratagem, James. It would put innocent ponies at risk." "Alright, alright," James said, waving his hands in the air, "you've made your point. But it's the easiest way, unless we dig tunnels under the city, which would take time we don't have." Shining drank a bit more cider, then made as if to continue, but then a pegasus messenger raced into the saloon. "Sorry to interrupt, but Fort Liberty has reported being under bombardment; it's the one we took this past winter." "I remember." I remember all too well was what went through his mind. "And?" "And our scouts have informed us that a significant portion of the enemy troops have bypassed the fort and are heading this way." James looked at his fellow general. "Well, that ends the argument. You'd better lead me back to my maps, so you can show me." The soldier nodded. "Right away." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "They're coming from here," the messenger said, pointing at the appropriate area with his hoof, "and here," he added, repeating the gesture. "They're flanking us from north and south," James noted. "I'd better send a recall to the troops at Fort Liberty; they'll be trapped otherwise." "At once, sir," the pony replied, and, without waiting for orders to do so, raced outside, unfurled his wings, and flew off toward the northeast. James didn't spare more than a few seconds before looking at the map again. "All things considered, and with reasonable reports from our scouts, they have about twenty to twenty-five thousand troops, not enough to envelop our twenty thousand completely. And it'll be hard for them to attack any one position without weakening another part of their forces." "They'll have enough to block us from getting supplies," Shining Armor put in. "And I don't like the looks of the reports; they have a lot of artillery now." "We have bigger artillery; have you seen how big the fort guns are? And we'll be fighting from behind cover; they'll have to cross open ground, which is being watched day and night by sentries and scouts. That said, this probably won't be the easiest task in the world." "How long do you think we can hold?" "Hopefully for a while. The food that has been stockpiled should last us and the population at least a month. Meanwhile, if they cut off our supply lines to the south, we'll do what we can to retake them at night, and supply the city so." "Is there anything we can do to protect the civilians?" "We have anti-air cannons in each fort, and we have enough shells to throw at them to prevent any effectual bombardment of the city without taking at least one fort, and even then, we could use artillery to keep them from advancing easily even if they did take one." "Can't afford to take chances here." "I'm not trying to. But we have what we have, so we have to make do with it." James shrugged. "It may or may not be enough." I hope to God it is. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fort Celestial stood on the eastern edge of Trottingham's defenses. Made of earth and reinforced with wooden timbers, it was a strong position indeed, and that would have been true even without the massive, 15 inch cannons on it's walls. White Knight was impressed. In Manehattan, everything was done with speed, with impatience showing itself most noticeably when there was a delay. Even by that town's standards, these fortifications had gone up quickly and very efficiently. Equestria may not have seen war for a thousand years, but it's minds were still adept at protecting themselves and their country. Hooves on his matchlock, he scanned the horizon. The enemy hadn't shown up quite yet, but it was only a matter of time. Scouts had confirmed they were coming. The only thing he and thousands of other soldiers could do was prepare and make plans. He saw nothing all that interesting. Part of him was ashamed for wanting to see something, another was sick of being bored. And... A burst of black smoke a few miles to the east, followed by a dull boom seconds later. The shell passed overhead and blew up in an empty field, but everypony had heard the whistling it had made. He threw down the gun and lifted a spyglass to his eye. There, in the distance, a cannon, manned by Griffons, had been set up. And, as he looked around, he could see more of them close to the first, ready for firing. "The birds are here!" he shouted. Another projectile, this one a solid cannonball, streaked by and landed in the rear of the fort. Already the defenders were running to their battle stations, guns and crossbows at the ready. Artillery crews began loading their monstrous pieces. BOOM! Knight's ears screamed in protest of the roar that ripped through them, greater than any other gun he had heard in this war. The shell that left the barrel, already distant, sounded like a far off freight train. Far away, the shell blew up just behind the enemy battery. It wasn't a total loss; the explosion wounded several of the enemy gunners, and a caisson, apparently full of ammunition, detonated spectacularly. More shells landed around the battery, flinging dirt skyward. Then one shell managed to land between two guns, destroying them both and wiping out their crews. Several ponies began to cheer. Knight wasn't among them. The reason why was another projectile, this one a large rock, slamming into the fortress wall. That was enough to shut everyone up. He heard another loud roar, much farther way and to the south. Fort Nightfire had woken up and was firing at the invaders. Moments later, Fort Shadestar to the north opened up as well. They weren't firing at the battery that had begun the hostilities, and with reason; more artillery of various types had been brought up and were firing away with everything they had. The siege had begun. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Anything yet sir?" Captain Nightshade asked. "Actually, yes," James answered disconcertingly. "They've begun digging trench lines toward us. That isn't good at all." "They'll bring their artillery up even closer, and in better positions." "Well, yes, that's a probability." James lowered the binoculars. "I'm more worried they'll use them to dig into our own trenches, or close to our own, in order to bring up a strong attack force up relatively unscathed." "That's... devious, sir." Nightshade, a Lunar Guard, looked unhappy. "I wouldn't have thought of that. What can we do?" "Best thing would probably be snipers to knock out the troops doing the digging. Artillery wouldn't have much effect, and we don't have any weaponry that can fire at an angle high enough to ensure hitting them. The only other thing I can think of is that we could send raiders at night to wreck what they've done, but that won't work more than a few times before they start guarding themselves better. Curse it, they aren't playing stupid, as much as I wish they would be. Or, and this could be dubious on my part, we could dig trenches to meet theirs, but I doubt that would work, it would be too easy for something to go wrong with that plan." "If you want, sir, the Night Guard can do the raiding. We're trained in stealth." James nodded in approval of the captain's initiative. "That's very generous of you, captain, but there aren't enough of you to go around." Nightshade smiled, or rather, contorted his face in what an ignorant person might mistake for a smile; his fangs were bared like those of a vampire or a wolf. "Their fear of us would make up for a lack of numbers on our part." "Well, yes, there's that." James went back to studying the enemy sappers. "Still, like I said, they'll get used to it after the first few times we pulled it off, and then it would get harder. This is going to be... different from the other battles we've fought, captain, less outright battle and more an elaborate dance. We'll be trying to divert them from being able to get into our lines, and they'll be trying to slide this way and that, digging trenches and bombarding us every so often. And I don't think they'll launch an all out attack initially, it'll probably be a few weeks before they try anything like that." "Cowards." "Cowards, or people who've finally been taking their lessons?" James shook his head. "The Griffons are, from all accounts, a rather arrogant and touchy race. They've taken quite a while to learn that victory won't be as easy as they thought it would be, as much from stubbornness as anything else, but they've learned, or learned some of the lesson, anyway. We have a fight on our... appendages," he finished lamely after noticing the Night Guard's hard hooves. "Not the open kind of fight I'd prefer. There's more honor in that." "You're likely to have your honor tested by the end of the siege, captain; I didn't say they wouldn't hit us hard. The question is when, where, and how." "Worthless mercenaries. We would've won if not for them. Gold-bricking thieves," Nightshade snarled. "Believe me, I feel the same way. Well," James said, putting the binoculars into his pocket, "we've confirmed what they're doing. And this probably won't be the only such trench they'll be digging." "Unfortunately I am forced to agree with you, General." After a few seconds of silence in the darkening night, the Lunar Guard asked, "Sir, how did someone as young as you become so knowledgeable about war?" "Reading." When the pony's face showed disbelief, James explained, "I've read innumerable books on the subject for years. And sieges were among them; the Sieges of Vicksburg, Atlanta, and Petersburg, all from the Civil War; the Siege of Leningrad and the Battle of Stalingrad - yes, that was the name of the city - and multiple other battles from many, many wars, including both the First and Second World Wars." Nightshade looked astounded. "How many wars have you people fought?" "Many. I don't know just how many." "Why?" "Well," James sighed, "for one thing, magic is almost non-existent on our world, and any 'real' magic involved was manufactured in evil ways, by selling one's soul to get it. You probably don't comprehend everything that I'm saying, so I'll clarify; we cannot control the weather at all, except through dubious methods, like dropping ice cubes into clouds and things like that. We cannot levitate objects, so we have to use either machines or strong backs to carry heavy loads. And we cannot use anything other than scientific knowledge to make them grow. That, and pray to God." Nightshade said nothing. "And, of course, many times the world has been hostile. In the earliest times we needed clothes" - we wouldn't have needed them, if not for Original Sin - "to ward off the environment, and to conceal our private parts. Before people started living in cities, and even a long time after that, wildlife was - are, still, today - ruthless in search of their own food and resources. As a result, people had to be ready for conflict at any time. And, frankly, some people thought it was easier to take what belong to someone else, or to conquer other people, for the sake of the community as a whole. Since the foundation of the United Nations - and organization of nations dedicated to trying to keep world peace - and the end of the Second World War, which was ended by a new and devastating weapon that endangered the entire world, we haven't had all that many large conflicts." "Still seems like a dangerous world to live in." "Not always. My country hasn't suffered a foreign invasion since 1942, so I grew up in a peaceful environment." Peaceful in regards to war, at least. "Hmm. I wonder how other species in your world see yours." "Humans are the only species in our world intelligent and developed enough to speak in complex sentences and build civilizations; everything else has an animal level of intelligence." Nightshade looked incredulous. "How did that happen?" "God's will. I don't have another explanation." "Hmm." "History aside, our focus should be on the here and now; the Griffons want this city. Our job is to show them that isn't going to happen." Pointing at the trench some distance away, he added, "and I would be grateful if you could gather a group to do what you can to their works. And gather up as much intelligence as you can." Nightshade saluted. "As you wish, sir." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was a rainy night as another bombardment came in. The thunder of bursting shells and of the defenders' reply was loud even from this distance. Star Blaze had other, more immediate things to worry about... like the raid he was being sent on. Other Night Guards had been gathered together; there were about thirty or so here and now. Captain Nightshade wasn't kidding around. "I'm not going to say this is going to be easy," he was saying now. "It won't be; there'll be pickets and sentries to watch out for. I expect you all to use everything you learned in training to get out of this alive. Use the shadows, keep your breathing down, and make sure you don't get spotted before the assignment begins. Understood?" Star nodded and saluted, as did everypony else. "Excellent. Now get out there, and teach the enemy why the should be afraid of the night." The captain was the first one to crawl out of the trench and begin the dangerous mission. The advance was slow. Star had to make sure his hooves didn't step on or break anything, and doing so meant going slow. He ducked behind trees, crawled through a small field on his belly, and had to halt once or twice when he heard voices. Luckily the enemy sentries were none too bright; they didn't seem to care how much noise they made. Heated discussions were easily heard. Star almost instinctively brought a hoof to his mouth as he silently gagged at the arrogance of one of them. He was more than a little frustrated by the time he got to the rendezvous point; it had taken him longer than it should have to get there. At least I wasn't the only one who was late, he thought. Indeed, a few members of the raiding party we still absent. The captain wasn't among them. "What kept you?" he furiously asked the last few ponies as they finally arrived. "Sorry sir, met a party of Diamond Dogs. Had to get rid of them and hide the bodies, and it took a while." "Still not an adequate excuse. Still, at least you're here." Nightshade peered out from behind a tree at the trenches the Griffons had been working on. "Looks like they're still digging. There's quite a few of them shoveling dirt, and a few, but only a few, guards watching them." "Anything else, sir?" another thestral asked in a whisper. "Yes... I can see Changelings... no, wait." Nightshade stared at what had caught his interest. After a minute, he turned back to the others. "They've got ponies working for them!" No one said anything loud, but the little noise available said all there was to say. "Are they working willingly, captain?" "No, looks like they're being forced." Nightshade looked even more angry than his soldiers, and he let everypony know the reason; "This will make coming back a lot harder. Those civilians don't know how to move quietly and stealthily like we do, and they might end up giving us away." "You can't just abandon them, sir!" "I know, and I'm not going to; still, this is... unexpected." "What are your orders, sir?" Star asked quietly. "We do what we were going to do; smash up the trenches if we can, knock out some of the guards, and break anything even remotely useful to them. And we'll take whatever intelligence we can gather back to the city." He turned around, looking back at the enemy. "When I give the word, go; strike like the hammer of night itself." The next five minutes were tortuously long. Star felt his heart go out to those poor luckless ponies forced to work against their will for the enemy. This is what we'll be reduced to if we lose. We can't afford to lose. "Now!" Nightshade hissed suddenly. Each thestral left the rendezvous point, each heading off in a different direction. Star crept downward through some tall grass, trying to ensure he wasn't spotted. Somepony apparently hadn't been careful enough; he heard a Griffon call out "Hey! You!" He bit his tongue and waited. "Get back to work, you lazy nag!" To add emphasis to his words, the Griffons snapped off a shot towards one of the prisoners. The bolt landed near the civilian pony he had been talking to. "I'm trying," the mare retorted, voice displaying how exhausted she was, "but we've been workin' all day!" "Would you rather sleep forever? You work till we tell you to stop. Otherwise, you'll regret it, and you family will too, in short order." The Griffon dragged a claw in a cutting motion across his neck. Star Blaze was so blinded by fury he almost forgot his training. With a maximum effort, he remembered what he was supposed to do. He crawled forward, inching closer to the offending guard. No one else seemed to notice him. The guard took no notice; he was watching the captives work, making sure they continued to do what they were told. In a brief moment that seemed to last a lot longer than it did, Star leaped up, drew his left hoof over the guard's mouth, and cut his throat. The sentry grabbed at his neck as he fell, but the only sound he could make was a gruesome gurgling noise as he expired. "Hey, Whitefeather, what's gotten into you?" This. Star drew his crossbow from his back and shot the other guard in the face. His target was dead before he hit the ground. "What the... Agggggggghhhhh!!!!!" The third guard was yanked backward, something ran over his throat, and he toppled as well into the dirt. The shape of a stallion arose from where the guard had been standing. "Good to see a friendly face," the other soldier said, in a loud whisper. "Likewise," Star whispered back. "Wha... what happened to the guards?" the same mare as before, green with a pink mane, asked, in a normal, wondrous tone of voice. "Don't worry; you won't ever have to listen to them again," Star answered as he walked forward. The mare stared for several seconds, then clopped her front hooves together in joy. "You're real soldiers! Our soldiers! Thank Celestia you've come!" I don't know who you should be thanking, but I don't see the Princess anywhere. "How many more of you are there?" The pony before him stopped celebrating and looked around; other forced laborers had stopped working and began to approach. "There are maybe thirty of us here," a stallion answered. "And I don't know how many are back in the barracks," he added, pointing a hoof eastward, "but I'd say probably a hundred of so." "Errrr. That makes things harder." He kicked at the ground. "We'll do what we can to bring you back with us, we're just here to smash up everything to do with digging." "Not like they didn't force us to do that for 'em," a ragged stallion from the group answered, The effort to force back his anger took everything he had. After a moment, he regained control. "We'll take you with us anyhow; I'm sure our commanders can find a way to get you food." "Oh, thank you, thank you!" the mare said, kissing the ground at his hooves. "But my foals..." "We'll help them too, I swear to you here and now." "I swear it too," said another voice, and Star whirled around to see Captain Nightshade. "We'll find them, and bring them back. Can you tell us where they are?" "Back in the barracks; the guards said they'd starve them if I didn't work and do as they said." "Trust us; we're the Lunar Guard, we know the night in ways you never will. We'll find a way." Nightshade turned to Star Blaze and the other Guards, including several who had shown up after the three sentries had been taken out. "Take them back to the city, and see if you can't arrange transport for them, in order for them to escape." "Right away, sir." Star saluted. To the civilian ponies, he added, "I want everypony to follow me, in a straight line, single file, and I want total silence on the way there." He got eager nods in return. Now I have to hope I can get them back safely. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- James waited as cannon fire continued to either side. So far, he hadn't been able to see much through his binoculars; the moonlight wasn't enough to illuminate what was happening. All he could see was scattered movement in the darkness, dark shapes making sudden and sometimes violent movements. "Hard to tell what's going on," he said to no one in particular. No one was around to hear him say it anyway. After a while he heard something in the bushes behind him. Faster than he knew it, he had his revolver out and ready to fire. "Who's there?" A figure rose from the bushes and clumsily walked forward on two legs. As the figure came closer, James realized it was a Lunar Stallion, front hooves up in the air in a gesture of surrender. "I'm not here to harm you, General," the soldier said, "just to give you word on the mission." "Sorry, you can't be too careful," James said as he replaced the gun in it's holster, and the Guard nodded before returning to all four hooves. "What's going on? I can't see anything from here." "We're doing just as you ordered, sir; smashing up their equipment and raising hell. But there's been a complication." "Uh oh." "Indeed. We found some civilian ponies forced to work for the Griffons. They were forced to dig the trenches, and I wouldn't doubt they were forced to work on building defenses for them." "Slavery!" James hissed furiously. The specter of it had long faded from America, but it's foul taint had been resurrected here as if by necromancy. "Yeah." If James was outraged, the Guard was several degrees past anything rational. "Wouldn't break my heart to wipe every stinking bird in the world off the face of the earth." "I doubt that would be possible. But I suppose I will have to draft a new proclamation." When the soldier looked at him, expecting a further answer, he gave one, though not the immediate one the trooper undoubtedly hoped for; "I shall write it down, then call for a truce with the Griffon army. I'll present what they've done, and issue the punishment I have in store for them for it." "Sir, forgive my saying so, but how do you propose to do that?" "By threatening to put a Griffon prisoner to work for every pony forced into hard labor against their will." Having satisfied the Guard, James added, "Are the captives being brought here?" "Yes sir; a certain Star Blaze should be leading them here at this moment." "Ah, good. Make sure those poor people get some food, drink, and some rest." The soldier saluted. "Never had an order I wanted to obey more, sir." He didn't wait for an answer, but galloped away. James turned back to the action. It was all too likely he would get more reports soon. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ More explosions came from the east, north, and south. James sighed. It was an almost constant reminder the city was under siege. It had been three days since the raid, which had been pulled off successfully; the only casualty among the Night Guards had been a wounded leg. They had brought back all the fugitives safely, including two foals, which had enraged everyone who'd heard about it. The former prisoners were, in many cases, half starved, and their bodies gave every indication that they had been made to work beyond their limits; some of them had been moved to the hospital, including the mother of the two rescued foals. If the Equestrian army had needed a tonic for defeat, it had received one. The news spread throughout the army and the city. Knowing their fate if the enemy were to be victorious, they acted with immense courage. In many cases, injured gunners kept fighting, firing their pieces as long as their bodies were able to perform even the smallest of actions, and soldiers hit by snipers often had to be dragged away from their posts, insisting they could stay and fight. There hadn't been any major assaults, which wasn't surprising. He hadn't expected anything different. That wasn't to say the siege wasn't intense. In addition to bombardment, Griffon warriors would attempt to fly over the city. At first he had feared they were going to be dropping bombs, but instead they threw down little pamphlets and leaflets; they all claimed that resistance and flight were futile and that the city and it's defenders would do well to surrender. They promised food and provisions for all who gave themselves up. So far, nothing had come of that, and most of the propaganda ended up in the trash, where, as far as James was concerned, it belonged. Already, the supply lines to the south and west had been cut. Each night, ponies would go out and clear the route of enemy soldiers; the enemy didn't have enough troops to encircle the city in an iron grip, and they were driven away relatively easily. Each morning, though, they would come back and cut the route again. With supplies already getting shorter, this was no laughing matter. Some equipment and supplies could be brought in at night, yes, but not enough to completely replace that which was used up. James drank from his canteen; the water was cold, but enjoyable. At least the defenders had plenty of it to drink; underground wells supplied the bastion with enough water to feed the inhabitants and the army. "General." James looked to his right to see an earth pony regular, an orange-brown stallion. He nodded, gesturing for the soldier to continue. "A Griffon with a white flag came through our lines. He say their commander wants to speak to you." James thought for a minute about sending the enemy soldier away without any reply whatsoever. Then he shook his head. "I'll meet with him, but tell him, no tricks. I'll be along in a bit." "Yes sir." As the pony trotted away, James thought long and hard about the meeting he was about to attend. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hundreds of soldiers from both sides growled and hissed at one another as James Lavigne and the Griffon general met in the center of the circle. James spoke first; "I suppose you're the enemy commander." The Griffon nodded. "I am General Grayfeather of his Majesty's armies. In the name of the king and the gods, I demand you surrender yourself, your army, the city, and it's inhabitants at once." "I will do no such thing; who are you to demand things you don't deserve?" Grayfeather shook his head. "The ponies have gotten the best of the world and its riches and resources for too long. Now it is our turn to take command of the heavenly bodies and take the destiny of this world in our claws. You have the choice, human; you can surrender, and remain alive, or you can try futilely to fight, and be killed. It's your decision." Shining Armor stepped forward. "Who do you people think you are?" "We are your masters, or will be. Give up now, and we won't be as harsh as we will be otherwise." Shining made a disgusted face. "You are despicable!" "Hardly, not when I speak the truth. His Majesty will take these lands; you have the choice of giving up and living to see another day, or fighting and being punished for it." "You worthless scum!" Captain Nightshade, who'd accompanied the party, hissed angrily. "I won't be giving up anytime soon, and your choice of labor is one of the many reasons why!" Grayfeather shrugged. "We have the land, and it's people; we have the right to demand things of them. And the reason they were put to work was to punish you for fighting against us. Now, I repeat my previous demand; surrender immediately, or you and the rabble you call an army will suffer the consequences." "Enough." James heard the entire crowd gasp. "No. That's my answer. You think you can take the world by storm, and command the world?" Shaking his head violently, James went on, furiously; "I vow, I will not stop fighting until this land is either free of you, or I have died trying to make it so, and not only will we drive you out, we'll destroy the tyrant calling himself king in your capital and bring him to justice for what he has done!" Grayfeather hissed. "You dare insult me and our king?" "Your king is a tyrant unfit to rule." Grayfeather started to draw his blade, but managed to halt the motion. "For that, human, I will take you alive, and see to it that his Majesty punishes you for your insolence." "He will not have the chance." James turned to his own soldiers. "Well boys, do you want to live the rest of your lives as slaves to these invaders?" he shouted. "NOOOOO!" The unanimous roar came from almost every Equestrian throat. The ponies further began jeering at their opponents in true contempt. "What makes you think we'll ever bend the knee to you people?" Captain Nightshade demanded to know. "We'll thrash you if you try coming any further!" "And while we're on the subject, General," James said, turning back to the enemy commander and transforming the Griffon's title into one of contempt, "I have a demand of my own to make; you will not enslave or otherwise force or threaten, or coerce ponies, prisoner of war or civilian, into hard labor." "You have no right to make demands of me, human!" "And yet I'm making them. Hear me; for every pony forced to work against their will, a Griffon prisoner will be put to hard labor." "How dare you!" "I dare because that is the punishment I will enforce if you continue forcing ponies to slave for you. And furthermore, if you seek to break the established laws of civilization as well of those of war, don't be surprised if we respond in kind. This is the only warning I will give on that score." "You have no power to make those demands of us, and I can assure you, if you carry it out, your sentence will only be worse." "I repeat my first answer; no. If I see you on the battlefield, General, we'll do everything in my power to end your reign of terror." Defiant catcalls from the pony soldiers added to the weight of his words. Grayfeather looked around; his eyes blazed with rage, but it was obvious he wasn't going to pick a fight here, not where he would likely lose his life almost instantly. "Very well, human, and all you ponies; you've chosen your fate. You won't enjoy it, I assure you." Turning back to his own soldiers, he made an angry gesture. "Return to camp; they'll see your claws unfurled soon." He and his cohort walked away. James watched, his own anger and energy dissolving slowly. The... meeting, if it could be called that, had taken a lot out of him. He felt a hoof come down hard on his left shoulder, and turned to see Shining Armor beaming at him. "That was one of the bravest things I've seen you do." James shook his head. "it's nothing compared with what we have to do. And I was only telling him what I was thinking, what most of us feel they deserve. I said I would defend this city; I intend to do just that." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Curse you all, why haven't you made any progress?" Grayfeather demanded. "General, you seem to forget they have bigger guns than we do," answered a colonel in the king's service. "And they defend their positions like heroes. They won't budge, and it's not because of any lack of effort by the boys." The General walked over to a tree, or rather, what had been a tree; Equestrian return fire had reduced it and the nearby forest to splinters and twigs. In the distance, but close enough for him to feel angered by the force of it's defiance, stood Fort Celestial. It had withstood fierce punishment; many of the walls were badly damaged, and the area around it had taken a pounding as well. The real problem was a lack of heavy artillery on his part. Despite digging trenches to position his guns, ballistae, trebuchets, and catapults closer, they had failed to silence the defenders. And, as the colonel had pointed out, the ponies had larger guns in the forts than he did. His artillery crews had suffered heavy casualties, and much of their equipment had been destroyed. And it wasn't just the fortress guns returning the fire; the Equestrian army's regular batteries would fire as well, adding to the destruction. It wasn't seven days after the meeting with the Equestrian commanders, and already much of the woods in which the Griffon army and it's mercenary allies had taken shelter in was smoldering wood. He forced himself to calm down. It really wasn't the colonel's fault. "Aye, Colonel, you're right. But we need to be doing more." "What do you suggest, sir?" another officer asked. "I've run out of ideas." "Hmm..." He looked around. Many Minotaurs and Diamond Dogs were standing close by, sheltering in what was left of the forest edge. The Minotaurs had practically no discipline whatsoever, but at least they could fight, and fight well. The dogs, on the other hand, had disappointed him in every engagement; if it wasn't discipline that was the problem, it was outright cowardice. Most of them had probably thought the war would be a cakewalk. Grayfeather had thought that too, but the reality had forced practicality on him in a hurry. The difference - besides the fact that he was in charge - was that the dogs never seemed to learn. They would go into every fight promising success, only to break those promises on coming into contact with the enemy. Worthless. If they're not digging for gems, they're... He stopped suddenly. "Digging," he whispered quietly to himself. "Sir?" "I wonder..." He turned to a group of dogs hiding behind one of the trees. "You there! Yes, you," he added, when they looked confused. "Come over here at once!" "Yes, master?" one of them said in the whining sort of voice all Diamond Dogs seemed to possess. "I want to know; how soon can you dig a tunnel under the fort you see over there?" the General asked, pointed to the offending structure. "Hmm..." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "General, it ain't safe for you up on them walls," a soldier called to James. "Reckon you'll get a sniper shot through yer fool ear." "I have to know how the battle is progressing, soldier." It was now eight days after the meeting. A lot had happened since then. Repeated raids had struck the enemy, but the Griffons and their mercenaries were on their guard; it was getting harder and harder to catch them by surprise. The enemy was also being more and more aggressive in their digging, and their guns were creeping closer and closer to the five eastern-most forts. It wouldn't be long before they would be firing from almost point blank range. The birds had also stepped up their efforts to cut off the city. They were pulling combat troops from areas where they weren't immediately needed and using them to block off the supply routes. It was getting harder to supply the city and it's defenders. It was almost suicidal for refugees to try to escape; after a group of them were captured, most didn't bother trying to flee anymore. In short, they'd done a lot of damage to the enemy, but the enemy had begun to choke them. It was a matter of time before a major engagement took place. "Sir?" Wow, am I tired of that honorific. "Yes?" "You know them water bowls we done set up?" "Yes, I remember; I ordered them placed there." "Well, some o' them have started ripplin' and there ain't nothin' causin' em." "Well..." James had expected the enemy to make an effort to dig under the forts and undermine them; the technique for catching them was almost as old as the existence of medieval castles. He hadn't expected them to have come so far so fast. How can they have dug so far so fast?! It would have taken them at least three weeks to have made any reasonable progress, and that's assuming they started the day the siege opened, and I find that unlikely. I can't... "Oh..." "What is it, General?" "Diamond Dogs. They can dig insanely fast." He looked eastward. "Yes, that's it. They're terrible warriors, but they're masters at digging underground. The Griffons got some good use out of them at last." "Not so good fer us, if that's the case. How do we stop 'em?" "Gather some gunpowder. And get me someone good at engineering; we'll need them if we're going to find that tunnel and destroy it." "Yes sir." After a while, the pony returned with a comrade. "You wanted somepony good at engineering, General?" "Yes. If you were trying to dig a tunnel under this fort from somewhere over there" - here he jerked his thumb to the east, toward the assumed location of the digging - "where would you have begun, and what course would you have taken?" "Hmm..." The pony, a blue one with a cream mane, stepped onto the walls, a hoof to his chin as he thought. At last, he said, "I would have begun someone in that direction" - he pointed with a hoof at the approximate point - "and I would have gone straight from there to somewhere in the center of the fortress. This is my belief where they would dig, considering my experience as a miner and an engineer. Of course, that's not counting any obstructions they would have encountered, like underground boulders and other hazards." James nodded. "Thank you, corporal." The pony looked confused. "Sir, I am but a simple private." "Who just gave me something useful. Consider this a field promotion, and if you turn out to be right, I'll make you a sergeant once this whole mess is over." The blue stallion saluted energetically. "Yes, sir!" "Now, let's get going. We'll have to dig fast to counter them." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rock dug his claws into the dirt, digging as straight a path as he could through the earth. He was a young Diamond Dog who'd been drawn into the soldier's life with promises of gems and diamonds aplenty. So far, all he'd seen was death and destruction, and hard masters. Oh, a few gems had been given out, but more often the Griffon commanders showed what to him seemed to be ingratitude, cursing him and others like him for supposedly slacking off in battle. He wasn't ashamed of flight when it was necessary, but the Griffons didn't seem to understand. Well, whatever. He was doing something he knew how to do. The earth crumbled away under his assault, as it dig before his comrades. From the rear, a Griffon shouted, "Work faster, curse you! We're almost there!" Rock had to agree, however upset he may have been at the tone of his master. Two days of digging by Diamond Dogs was enough to have come close to the fortress. It was only a matter of time now... Suddenly there was an all consuming roar; the walls shook intensely. Rock stopped and tried to look for a way out of the earthquake, but before he could do so in earnest the ceiling began to cave in. He had time for one short howl before he and everyone else present were buried under stone and earth. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- James watched the earth rise around the site of the blast; dirt and rock streamed skyward from the enormous explosion, with brief streaks of fire illuminating the site. "Well, corporal, I have to hand it to you; you did a good job digging a tunnel parallel to theirs. The explosives we set have done the rest for us." "Thank you sir. Nothing like seeing your own work... speak for itself," the blue-coated engineer said humbly, watching the detonation. Some of the rubble was just starting to come down. Here and there, what appeared to be bodies also began falling to earth. James tried hard not to notice. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "What in the name of the gods just happened!?!" General Grayfeather exclaimed, watching the straggling bits of earth fall to the ground. "I'm not sure sir," a lieutenant remarked, off-color; perhaps he feared being punished for the failure. The General turned to him. "Care to hazard a guess?" "The only thing that comes to mind is that they somehow detected the tunnel being dug and made one of their own, using explosives to blow up our own." The General thought about it. "How would they have found it?" "I don't know sir. I'm only a lieutenant after all." "Not anymore, captain. You've probably summed up what just happened about as well as I could have." The other Griffon looked stunned. Then, at last, he said, "Thank you, sir." "Don't mention it. But I expect results to be earned from that promotion as well." Then, as he walked away, the general thought to himself, We'll just have to continue as we would have, I suppose. I just hope we can do this. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shining Armor felt exhausted, a feeling with which he had become all too familiar with the past couple of weeks. As more explosions sounded in the distance, he sat down in a trench, drinking water from his canteen, surrounded by countless soldiers. His hooves were chipped, his normally well-kept mane and tail were dirty and ragged, and his coat was no better. Not that his mane could be easily seen; he wore his armor more often than his usual colorful uniform these days. Shells came in from the north. Fort Shadestar wasn't quite as battered as Fort Celestial, but it wasn't in prime condition either. The walls were rugged, and the garrison was suffering from lack of sleep. Shining himself had a five o' clock mustache and beard growing, one he intended to shave as soon as possible. In all likelihood, he wouldn't get the chance until the siege was over, one way or another. The unremitting roar of the fort's cannons in response, and those of smaller, regular guns boomed in response. Much of the surrounding terrain, formerly great forests and beautiful little ponds, had been torn up badly, and almost nothing remained of most of the trees that had grown there. Pitiful stumps and little puddles of water were the only reminders, along with the many, many craters, that a great ecosystem had once been fruitful here. He lowered the canteen from his lips, savoring the water it had brought to them. He climbed the stairs up to the top of the fort's walls, and saw the devastation for himself. It scarcely registered against how tired he was, after all the detonating shells and the almost all-consuming reports of the fighting. "Wow, Captain, you don't look too good," one of the old stallions from the Royal Guard mentioned, looking more amused that anything else. "You don't look all that well yourself, Bright Eye," Shining retorted, but just as the soldier hadn't been mocking, so his own words lacked any heat whatsoever. The other stallion shrugged. "However bad off we are, the Griffons have got to be worse off." Even through the exhaustion, Shining doubted that. The enemy had all the time in the world, were getting plenty of supplies, and had plenty of food to sustain them, not the carefully hoarded rations the Equestrians had to subside on. For the umpteenth time, an enemy shell blew up against the walls of the fortress. Neither stallion paid it much mind. It hadn't penetrated, and it hadn't inflicted casualties, so it wasn't worth worrying about. More projectiles, less well aimed, streaked by overhead, falling into the earth behind the fort and coming to rest in the mud. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- General Grayfeather pounded the table with his fist. Two and a half weeks into the siege, and he was no closer to winning it than before. Although work continued on the trenches, it was getting harder to do with snipers taking shots at the sappers every chance they got, and when artillery was firing everything it had at them. He had managed to cut off the supply routes, that much he had accomplished. But the city and it's defenses stood resolute and undaunted. The underground wells supplied the city with water, enough so that they wouldn't need more of it for months. He didn't have months. In truth, this army was the Griffon kingdom's last hurrah. Although he was getting replacements, he felt like telling them to go home the moment they arrived; many were hardly out of adolescence, and others had no training whatsoever. There were plenty more griffons who might be brought into the battle... if the clans had seen fit to release them to the King, and they hadn't. If he lost here, he would deserve whatever the king had in store for him. And while his army plunked away at the defenses here, more ponies were being recruited into their Grand Army of Equestria; he had to bring the siege to a successful conclusion, and soon. "Hmmm... underground wells..." He hadn't considered using the dogs again, not at what they were best at, since the debacle several days ago. Perhaps it was time to start thinking of it again, in a less direct manner. "Lieutenant!" he called. The officer at the door of the tent stepped in. "Yes sir?" "I want every dog you have to begin digging for the underground wells located on the map I shall give you," the general said. "I want their supply of water cut off entirely." "Yes General. I'll gather them up immediately." "Good." Hope began to swell in him once more. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "No sir, I'm sorry. The Prince isn't here." The regular in front of him really did look sorry. "Well then," James said quietly, instead of screaming, Where the hell is he!?!, "I need to find out where he went." The soldier pointed a hoof westward. "Probably snuck out with the refugees before the siege started." That would be just like him. "In that case, I suppose I have no further business here." "I really am sorry you didn't find him, General," the trooper stated, truly sounding sympathetic. "I wanted him to get what he deserved. A lot of my buddies went into the battle at Sugar Cane, and too many of them never came out." James took his hat off his head for a moment. "I'm sorry to hear that." "You're not the first to say it. But thanks." James tipped his hat in a farewell and walked down the street. He'd hoped to find Prince Blueblood at the address he had just visited, hoping to give the cowardly noble his just desserts. That wasn't going to happen, not now, at least. He made his way toward city hall; the high tower on it's roof provided a good lookout point. Before he could do anything, though, a tired pegasus landed on the balcony. "Sir, just got word; the wells aren't giving us any water anymore!" "What?" "Couldn't believe it myself. I don't know what's gone wrong, but..." "Without water, we're dead." James pounded a fist on the railing, which was a mistake; he cried out and waved his hand around in pain. "Blast it, how did it happen?" "I don't know, sir, but you might want to check it out yourself." "Alright, I will." Following the pegasus, he was lead to one of the town wells. A crowd of ponies, mostly civilians though several soldiers were mixed in with them, had gathered round. Two of them were obviously trying to make to thing work. "Don't matter how many times we lower the thing, it always comes up empty," one of them said, "and for one of them, the rope musta snapped." "It did?" The two repair ponies turned around, looking surprised to see him, but they remained professional. "Yep. Here it is," one of them, a unicorn, said, levitating the rope toward him. James rolled the rope up until he reached the severed end. All it took was one glance to see the rope hadn't just snapped; the edge was too neat to have simply given way under pressure. In fact, it looked almost as though it had been cut by a sword... "You," he said, pointing to one of the soldiers nearby, "Can you gather a group to go down the shaft and find the cause of this?" "Yes sir, I will," the soldier responded without hesitation. "Good." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Half an hour later, a group of thirty soldiers and a rope ladder were present. James sent down a pegasus first, to make sure the way was clear. Before the group could even begin lowering the rope ladder, a frightened scream could be heard distantly from inside the well. The pegasus zipped out of the hole with a speed that would have made Rainbow Dash jealous. "General, there were Griffons down there, waiting for one of us to come down there!" "Are you alright?" "Yeah, just got the scare of my life is all. I could see a tunnel, so they must have dug to that point, then stopped up the water with a large boulder." "Ohhhhhhhhhh..." James muttered. This was an unexpected problem. Without water... He tried thinking of a way to force the enemy away, to un-stopper the blockage. Of course, the method he'd just tried was of little use, since the enemy could kill any soldiers he sent down there one by one. Maybe we could dig a tunnel down there ourselves... Within seconds, he dismissed the idea. For one thing, Diamond dogs dug faster than any pony could hope to match. For another, he'd be giving the foe yet another way into the city if he lost the tunnel to the Griffons. At any rate... "I want this well blocked. I want as heavy a rock as you can find to be placed on top of this and the other two wells. I don't want them climbing up there." His soldiers nodded in earnest. They knew what was at stake. The civilians, however, were less understanding. "How will I be able to get water if all the wells are all stopped?" a mare's voice asked. "Our foals will die of thirst!" "We need water!" "I know, I KNOW," he said, waving his hands to try and calm the crowd. "I know you all need water. But you wouldn't be getting any of it, not with the enemy having dug down there and blocked it off. I'll try to come up with a solution, but in the meantime, just remain calm." He gestured to the contingent of soldiers, who all nodded and followed him out of the square. "Sir, what are we gonna do?" one of them asked a few minutes later. James sighed. "I don't know; the answers I can find aren't encouraging." He turned his head to the east. No doubt the enemy were celebrating their success. He could only hope he and Shining Armor could find a way to restore the water supply. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- They couldn't. "I can't think of anything we could do that wouldn't put the city in danger," Shining Armor remarked despairingly to James. "I can't think of anything useful either. And, like the inhabitants of this city said, it's not just the soldiers who need the water." James plopped himself down in a chair. "Then-" "'What do we do?'" James said, forestalling the question. He sighed. "Nothing other than either die one by one or withdraw." "No." Shining now sounded absolute. "We aren't abandoning the city. That would leave countless innocents at the mercy of the Griffons." Would you rather lose the army and the town? James thought, but didn't speak aloud the words his heart said so clearly. "I guess we could try to keep up the defense for a while, but hundreds of thousands will be thirsty while we do so." "You would leave this city to be butchered?" Shining turned toward him, anger glistening in his eyes. James shrank away from him momentarily; that had been unexpected, and unexpectedly furious. "They won't murder the inhabitants," he pointed out. "If we continue to try fighting without repairing the wells sufficiently, or get water from another source, we'll lose the army and the city anyway. If we retreat now, we can return to fight for the city another day, when we are strong." "But there are hundreds of thousands of innocent ponies here! We can't just abandon them!" "Did I say we would? We'll take as many as we can with us." "How? The city has been cut off!" "We'll gather everything we have and throw it against the west or south; they don't have the strength to stop the entire army from breaking through their troops there. And we'll leave a rearguard to cover our retreat, giving the population time to evacuate." "That's cowardice." That was something James had never expected to come from any friend of his. He stood up. "If you think trying to save lives is cowardice, then -" "What?" the white stallion asked, getting up in his face. "I told the truth there." In a terrible, quiet yet enraged voice, James asked, "Do you dare call me, I who have shed blood fighting for your country, who trained your troops and lead them in combat, for your cause and for your freedom, I who lead from the front, and have suffered the same shortages as the soldiers I led... Do you dare, after all that, call me a coward?" "Maybe the shoe fits, considering what you're proposing." "Says the one who trusted the words of a giant insect over his own sister!" Shining stiffened. "Who are you to bring that up? You and your show, you were spying on us all!" "How was I supposed to know you and the others were real? You appeared on a television screen, and for all I knew you were as fictional as elves, orcs, and dragons are in our literature." Before either of them could continue, a soldier ran into the tent. "General, I must report a breach in Fort Nightshade." "Hmmm?" both of them responded, looking away from each other. "Uh..." Obviously, the pony hadn't expected to find the two commanding generals at each other's throats. Still, he managed to recover his composure. "Fort Nightshade has suffered a critical breach in the north-facing wall; if an enemy shell comes in from just the right angle, the fortress could explode." James looked back and forth from the soldier to Shining. At last, he said, "Whatever our squabbles, we have a war to fight, and soldiers to look after. I suggest we investigate this matter at once; our fight here has nothing to do with the boys holding back King Raniero's armies." Shining slowly nodded in return. "Yeah, the lives of our troops counts for more. I'll be blasted if I put our disagreement before my own troops." "Alright." To the confused and worried messenger, James added, "Lead us there." "At once, your Excellencies." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------