//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4:Manehatten 
// Story: The Unicorn Wars: Equestria 
// by Constellation 
//------------------------------//




I stood on the bow of the ship 'The Sun's Dawn' a transport ship from Spurlin to 
Manehatten. The journey had taken almost three months and every pony on board was 
longing to get off, and kiss dry land. I was no acceptation, every day I stood in the same
spot, looking east as the ship rocked on the waves, finally on the 7th day of Winter's Frost,
in the 58th year of his majesty's reign, I saw land on the horizon.

"Land, ho!"The mare in the crows nest shouted.

As I continued to stand there my fellow squad mates came stumbling up the stairs and
onto the deck, along with the other three squads on board.

"Finally,"Pvt. Ice Heart said, She was the only female in the squad, and the one that 
most openly hated sailing."Land."

"Oh well,"Pvt. Swift Steel sighed, he should have joined the navy, not the army."I liked the trip."

I was about to say that he should have joined the other branch of the military when I
was cut off by the corporal.

"What kind of army stallion prefers the water to land?"Cpl. Iron Hide asked.

"My kind."Swift Steel Answered, then added."Sir."

"I always said you where weird."Pvt. Fire Ball said.

"Hey,"A shout from the captain of the ship turned all heads toward him."Go below beck,
you're all getting in the way of the crew."

After that we all went down below deck as the captain ordered. The tight cramped inside
of the ship made me a little claustrophobic, but the ship touched down only a few hours later.

As I stepped off the gang plank I took my first look at the small colony of Manehatten.
The town had nothing but a wooden wall going around it for protection, the gate didn't look
very strong, and there was a hole facing the west. But the town didn't look like it had been
attacked, at least not recently. The town center was full of stalls trying to sell there goods,
foals playing in the streets, and mares drawing water from the well. 

The ponies seemed relieved that there where new guards in the small town, even though
they clearly hadn't been attacked in quite some time, but just the presence of extra guards
makes one feel safer.

The Pvt. continued to lead us through the streets as we went toward the barracks, the 
cold winter wind blew through the street sending a chill down my spine.

There was a sweet smell in the air coming from the bakery, the beautiful sent wafted 
through the street as we went filled me with memories of home, at that point I wanted to
walk into the bakery and buy my favorite sweet, a sweet roll baked and covered with honey 
and chocolate.

I snapped out of my thoughts as we rounded the next corner, I then noticed the large
barracks at the end of the road, the white stone shined in the sun, its golden rays making it
glow.

"Alright,"The Pvt. said."you will all be in the forth bunk room, third door down the hall
to the right."

"Thank you privet,"The sarge said."you're dismissed."

"Yes Sir."The privet saluted then turned and walked toward his next post.

We all unpacked then nothing else was done that day until supper, we all gathered in the
mess hall to have the meal, nothing special, it was only barely better then the rations on the
ship.

"Attention,"The commander of the guard, Commander Golden Hammer said."Today we will
welcome the new boys from command to Manehatten. But tomorrow Hail Storm Squad and
The Blazing Hooves Squad will be transferred to fort Sun Guard."

The last part caught my attention, my squad was Hail Storm, and we where being already deployed
to a front line fort. A fort that had been attacked a lot if the news paper was right.

I looked at Maximus and saw the look on his face, he was thinking the same thing I was,
this was not looking good, nether of us wanted to be on the front so fast, but here we
where.

Are squad went straight for bed, if we where moving in the morning (3.00 am) then we 
needed all the rest we could get. But I took the time that night to write a letter home, so did
Maximus I noticed.

To: Mom, Dad and Iron Hoe.

From: Nova.

Dear mom, dad, and bro, I just wanted to write you all a quick letter, to tell you that I
have been given a posting. Me and Maximus are being posted at fort Sun Guard, don't worry
we will be fine. The trip here took three moths so I wasn't expecting to be given a posting so
soon, but they must really need ponies on the front right now. But enough of that, let me tell
you about my squad, there's Maximus, Sargent Steel Hoof, Corporal Iron Hide, Privet Swift 
Steel, Privet Ice Heart, and Privet Fire Ball. there all really great, the sarge can be a bit of a, 
well, a Sargent, but the corporal is a nice guy, Swift Steel is a bit privet he hardly talks but 
when you get to know him he's not that bad, Fire Ball is just the opposite he never shuts up
he always has something to say, but he's not like mean or anything. Now for Ice Heart, well
she's not very sociable, and I don't know much about her, other then she was raised in a
military family. But that's about it, I cant wait to here from you soon.

Love: Nova.

After I finished writing my letter, I put it into a envelope and wrote the address on it, and
placed it at the bottom of my bag so I could send it out before we left in the morning.

But rest didn't come tonight, after I drifted off into sleep a siren blared and I was siting
up not sure what to do.

"Grab your gear,"The Sarge yelled."That's an attack siren."

Instantly I was on my hooves and was in uniform, my musket flew into my magical grasp
and then I was following Maximus and the Sarge out the door.

Outside was chaos, every pony was running around trying to get to their station. the Sarge
noticed something that I missed because we were now running down a street toward the 
west, then I remembered. The hole in the wall was being attacked when we got there, the 
four defenders were way out numbered, and the first wave of earth ponies where almost
on them, then I heard a order.

"Firing wall!"I was in the front, so I dropped to my belly next to Maximus."Aim."I raised my
Musket over the unicorns who had thankfully heard their saviors and had dropped to the 
ground."Fire!"

As the order rang out I pulled the trigger, sending the hammer to make a spark on the 
dry gun powder in the hallow steel pipe.

*Bang*

The weapon jerked in my grasp as the ball of lead was sent from the pipe at unknown
speed. Then in the same second the first wave of enemies fell, but the next was till coming.
As that thought passed through my head, the first four solders fired their weapons.

*Bang*

"Reload!"The Sargent shouted.

At that order the first four stallions fell back down. As I finished clanking the ram rod
down the barrel the sarge moved on.

"Aim!"He shouted again."Fire!"

*Bang* The guns sang in harmony.

Shouts and screams where heard from the dying stallions, even as the solders in front
of us fired there guns, blood covered the battle field and all I could do was to continue firing.