//------------------------------// // July 1st: Discord to Pay // Story: Fillysburg // by Peace Wave //------------------------------// Celestia's sun broke quietly on the horizon, it's beams peeking through the branches of the multitude of trees that sprouted throughout the land. Such serenity was only broken by the clopping of hooves, the rattling of pots and pans, and the soft crackle of ovens cooking morning breakfast. Mares and stallions conversed, with coffee cups in hoof and rifles slung behind their backs. They all wore uniforms of soft yellow, with buttons that resembled suns. Suddenly, a Solar scout darted out from a nearby edge of forestry. Attached to her side was a flagpole, which flew a magnificent banner of yellow and orange, with the symbol of the Army of the Solar Empire adorning it. She dashed through the massive field of tents and wagons before finding her way to the headquarters of General Twilight Sparkle. She stopped and saluted the soldiers guarding the tent. "I have an urgent message for General Sparkle!", she said, forcing out the words through heavy breathing. The scout mare entered the tent to find a purple unicorn in elaborate garb, sitting at a desk, a plethora of papers and maps strewn about atop it. The two saluted one another. "At ease, Private Shoeshine. What news do you bring?" "General Sparkle, I must report to you that Spitfire's cavalry have engaged Lunar forces in the fields outside of Fillysburg. Brigadier General Spitfire is unsure how many rebels there are, but she's in need of reinforcement as soon as possible." "Thank you, Private. Send word to Brig. Gen. Spitfire that General Heartstrings is on her way with her corps. We need Gen. Spitfire's troops to hold as long as she can until we can get the whole army up there. I'm certain that she's encountering the front of the whole of the Lunar army." "Yes, ma'am!", saluted Pvt. Shoeshine, before she dashed out of the tent. Gen. Sparkle then turned away, a look of thought locked on her face. "This battle that has begun......it could be the victory we need to turn the tide. Or....it could be the defeat that may spell doom for our cause..." She donned her hat and buttoned up her coat. "We will fight here, and we must win here." The blasting of cannons rumbled the once quiet fields, as smoke soon fogged the land in a hellish haze. Through the files of fencing, two lines of soldiers had aligned. One wore a uniformed cream yellow, the other. mismatched, variant shades of blue and purple. The Solar cavalry, all pegasi, had their backs to the small town of Fillysburg, and were slowly losing ground. Nonetheless, they were digging in their hooves and hitting the intense wave of Lunar forces hard. The bullets whizzed around, like an angry swarm of parasprites. "Keep the guns hot! Hold them off as long as you can!", screamed a fire-maned figure, as she flew behind her battered ranks, "General Heartstrings and her troops will arrive at any moment!" Load. Aim. FIRE. Load. Aim. FIRE. Fall back. This was the pattern that Spitfire's forces was using, trying desperately to slow the Lunar assault as long as possible. At that moment, a sight that sent General Spitfire into an almost euphoric state of relief appeared: Gen. Heartstrings had arrived, with her corps right behind her. The mint-green pony trotted over to Spitfire, who had landed to meet her. The two saluted. "Good to see you again, Spitfire. Of course, I'd prefer a less....volatile situation for us to converse, but that can wait for another day." "You wouldn't believe how relieved I am to see your troops come, Lyra.", Spitfire responded. "Gen. Spitfire, can you give me a quick briefing about what led to this clash?" Asked General Heartstrings, as she observed the fighting occurring. "Well," said Spitfire, "Some of our scout pegasi had spotted the rebels coming this way. We decided to encamp in town, and act as a line of defense. As you can see, they certainly did come here." "Indeed, they have. That's just the front of their army," said Gen. Heartstrings, who had shuffled to keep her footing as a cannonball shell exploded not too far from her, "Your colts and fillies have fought unbelievably valiantly today. My troops will take it from here. Fall back to the north end of town and help to defend the train depot. We've got a massive fight coming here, and the next day, maybe two, could decide the war." "Thank you, Lyra. Now, I've been informing everyone in command that there are some excellent ridges and hills to the southeast of town. We can set up our lines down there, take a position on high ground; and when the rebels attack us, it'll be Discord to pay." General Heartstrings nodded in agreement, overlooked the smoky battlefield once over, then turned back to Spitfire. "Well, Spitfire. I'll see you down the line." The two saluted one last time, and went their ways. Throughout the afternoon, as Spitfire's cavalry pulled out of the action and reformed to the north of town, General Heartstrings' troops battled the oncoming rebel assault. General Heartstrings moved up to her lines, and was giving orders personally for the defense. "Forward! For Celestia's sake, forwar-". She slumped over, collapsed, and died, killed instantly by Lunar musket fire. As both massive armies flooded into the fray, The Solar army fell back through town, and positioned themselves into a well-entrenched line, running from Colt's Hill, down along Saddletery Ridge, and down onto a small rocky hill called Little Round Trot. Meanwhile, Lunar troops organized themselves about a mile away, directly across the Solar lines, along Hayminery Ridge, up through the town of Fillysburg itself, and finally ending a short distance east of the town. As night fell, and the first fighting subsided, the lines had been drawn. On Hayminery Ridge, behind a seemingly endless line of encamped Lunar soldiers, an orange-coated, blonde-haired mare overlooked the field before her, using the small glow of moonlight to see, conscious that soon, it will be soaked with blood. At that moment, a solemn, firm red stallion walked up beside her. "Well, Mac. It seems we have begun a massive battle here," said General Applejack. "Indeed, A.J.", He responded. "I feel like this is simply divine intervention that we have met the enemy here on this land. I feel like this shall be the final battle. If we win here, then the war is over, and The Lunar Republic will be freed. I feel that the time has come", said Applejack. "Yep. Well, my troops are ready for a fight. The morale is high.", answered Big Mac, "goodnight, general." "Goodnight, Mac." With a soft salute, they parted. As Big Mac went to his tent, Applejack remained where she was, contemplating. "Here we are. Two years of bloody war could end in the next day or so. We are here. Ponyville is here. All of the Lunar Republic is here. Are we ready? I think so. The time has come. Our time has come." She looked over to the nearest Lunar flag. Even in the darkness, she could see the symbol of the New Lunar Republic, waving softly in the evening breeze. "We are ready."