//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: Fog of War // by Teal //------------------------------// Chapter 6 Colonel Newman sat inside a large tent, thankful for the shade it provided him against the hot blazing sun. Provided by Princess Celestia as a replacement for the equipment they had left behind, Newman was thankful to have had a place to protect him from the weather. By now, he and his regiment have adapted to life in this strange new world. Although they haven’t met the populace of Equestria, since they choose to camp slightly away from the nearest town, explanations from Twilight Sparkle gave them a view of their nation, through her words. From what she explained, Equestria seemed new yet similar at the same time. Newman found it quite strange how their world and this new one seemed alike, as some aspects of culture and development seemed familiar. Aside from the magic and strange new creatures, Equestria seemed to be a copy of their own world. A world that was peaceful and tranquil. At least it used to be till he read the morning paper. Holding a copy of the morning newspaper, which was sent to him earlier this morning, Newman looked at the bold letters printed in front of it and sighed. ‘WAR!’ It read in capital letters. This was why Celestia brought them here; this was the threat that loomed around. She could sense it brewing and now it was upon them. A war between the Griffons and ponies. If he was back in his world, he would most likely think of this as nothing but a farce. Ponies and Griffons fighting? Unthinkable! But now, trapped in a world where the dominant beings where these creatures that he thought existed only in fairy tales, all of these things were now real. Yet he surprisingly took it all in with ease. Whether it was because he was cool most of the time or just plain crazy, he didn’t know. All he knew was he was determined to get his men home, no matter what. But the only thing that promised them a possible way home held him to a promise. A promise in which he would help them in the war, while they would do their best to find a gateway home. So now this war must be fought before any of them could get home. He just hoped no one would get home too early through the alternative way. “Well, it looks like the Princess’s prediction was right.” Sgt. Johnson, who was standing behind him, said. “Yeah…” Newman replied. “…now, all we can do is wait for her orders. For all we know, she could order us to fight the entire enemy army, seeing that this nation has no armed force at all.” He said, remembering the earlier conversation with Celestia. From the papers Celestia sent to him the day before, Newman learned the poor and shameful state of the Equestrian military. Despite having kept up with modern weapons and technology, Equstria seemed to lack decent tactics and commanders. They may have used guns and cannons, but their guidelines seemed to suggest the usage of tactics that were more effective for swords, bows and arrows. If they wanted their army to survive a battle, then the first thing they must do is change these tactics. But it wasn’t just tactics and doctrine that were a problem, as the very army Equestria had seemed to be nothing more than a group of guards. Which was true, as the entire Equestrian Amred Forces was composed of eight hundred Guards, who were in charge of protecting their capital city and their leaders. There were some Guard units that were sent to conduct some policing actions in some parts of the nation, but none of the operations that the Guard conducted were equivalent to fighting large battle, which this war called for. If the nation had any hopes of winning this war, then an army who could fight it needed to be trained from scratch. Which was the job of Newman and his regiment. “Probably…” Johnson said. “…but I doubt it that we would immediately see action. Didn’t the Princess say they live an entire ocean away? So that would at least give us enough time to train a half decent force. Besides, with you training one brigade of them, then we’re sure to make the best fighting force this land has even seen. “Now don’t get over optimistic now, what makes you sure that I will be able to train them to be the best soldiers in this land?” “Doubtful, aren’t we?” Johnson said, shaking his head. “Now come now, Colonel, we all know you’re one of the best commander and instructor back in the entire Army of the Potomac. Like, look at this here regiment, you managed to turn this regiment of misfits to a proper regiment, trained to follow every command and stand tall in the face of the enemy. The young men here were trained under you’re guidance to become proper soldiers that even the regular army would be proud off.” “Yes…but this here aren’t men…their ponies…” Newman grimaned. “Colonel…” A young lieutenant said, peering through the tent’s flaps. “…there is an officer here, who says he was sent by Princess Celestia. He is asking permission to see you, should I bring him in?” “Yes, yes…” He said, nodding vigorously, wanting to know what the Princess had sent one of her officers to them. “…send him in.” The young lieutenant nodded and soon disappeared. Soon the flaps of the tent opened to reveal a white furred winged pony, who wore a golden plate of armor on his chest and had a golden helmet to protect his head. The pony walked inside and approached Newman before stopping and standing still. He then raised his right hoof, keeping his balance with only three hooves, and gave him a sharp salute. “Lieutenant Feather Wing, sir.” He said, with a strong and enthusiastic voice. Newman wasn’t good at telling the age of ponies, but if his guess was right, this pony was still young. Maybe fresh out of some kind of academy, if they had one of those here. “At ease, Lieutenant.” Newman said, gesturing for him to relax. “Do you have any news for me from the Princess?” “Yes, sir.” He said, still beaming with excitement. “I have been dispatched by the Princess herself to give you your orders. The Princess states that you should prepare your regiment to move out and march towards a camp that is being made near the town of Ponyville. You would then join the encampment, where you and your soldiers will help train the first batch of volunteers; Princess Celestia has told me that you are already aware of the training objective.” “I am to accompany you and your regiment as a liaison, between you and the Celestial Guard, and I must say, after seeing your camp and soldiers, sir, it would be an honor to serve under you. Starting from this point onward, I take orders from you, sir” “Well, it’s glad to see that you’re very enthusiastic about this, Lieutenant, it’s always good to see an officer with a lot of energy in him. It’s also good to have a liaison between you nation and my regiment, it would be a great help.” He was about to offer his hand for a shake, but decided against it, not knowing how ponies do handshakes. “I am glad to have you here with us, Lieutenant...” Newman continued. “Now, you said we were going to go to a camp near Ponyville, right? Well, you won’t happen to know where Ponyville is do you? We aren’t well knowledgeable of the territory and might get lost on the way.” “Thank you, sir and do not worry. I have orders to show your regiment the way, as soon as you are prepared.” Feather Wing said. “Alright then…” Newman said, before turning towards Johnson. “…sergeant, call upon all company commander and tell them to head to my tent. I want this regiment ready to move out as soon as possible.” “Yes, sir.” Johnson said, before saluting and heading out, in search for the company commanders who were scattered in their camp. This left Newman and Feather Wing in the tent, to talk about the path they would take to get to the new camp. The men begun to fall in to the sound of the drums, as sergeants and officers organized by company, making sure that every man was accounted for. The regiment had already packed up their tents and made sure that they have all their equipment and supplies with them. Soon the regiment formed up on the dirt road, the sun beaming down upon them. Every man stood shoulder to shoulder, as the entire regiment formed a column of fours, their blue uniforms blending with each other to form one long rectangular formation that stood on the road. The colors, a beautiful combination of red and blue, stood in the center, as its guards stood proudly as they protected their nation’s symbol. Behind the formation of blue, stood a company of green cladded men. These were the sharpshooter under Captain Wilson, who was now attached to the regiment and took commands from the Colonel. In the front of the column stood Lt. Colonel Warren, who he waited for the colonel to arrive. Like any other officer of his position, he was in charge of the regiment when the colonel was gone and made sure that everything was always fine and dandy within the regiment. Although some may call him a colonel, they only do so for simplicity, seeing that his rank is slightly lower than colonel. His job was to transmit the colonel’s orders and act as the second in command. Newman soon came into view, as he walked towards the front, with Feather Wing on his right. As Newman approached, Warren gave him a salute which was received by Newman and replied with by a salute from him. Giving a smile, Warren looked up as he felt the cool and refreshing breeze upon him. He then looked towards Newman, smile still plastered on his face. “A beautiful place, Colonel, if I don’t say so myself.” He said, admiring how peaceful and relaxing it all was. After walking through war torn fields, with grass bloodied by the men who died, and seeing destroyed homes, it was a great relief to have a change of scenery. Sure, there were peaceful places like this back home, but war was always across the horizon. Here, war has not tampered its soil. He just hoped that it would stay that way. “Yes, yes it is.” Newman said nodding, as he stood beside Warren. Now, both Warren and Feather Wing flanked him, as he stood in between them and in front of the regiment. “Are the men ready?” He asked. “Ready as always, colonel.” Warren said, knowing that every command made by the colonel would be followed whole heartedly and with great haste. “Alright, move them up.” He said, patting the man on the back. “Yes, sir.” He said, as his hand moved swiftly towards his saber. Pulling it out, its metal glistening under the sun’s rayshe pointed his sabre forward. He then drew a deep breath and gathered all the energy within him, preparing to bellow out the orders. “220th Pennsylvania, forward…” Warren shouted his command. The orders echoed, as other soldiers and officers repeated the last word till the entire regiment was saying it. “Forward!” They echoed. “…march!” He finished, as he and Newman took the first steps forward. Feather Wing was slow to catch up to these events and was behind one step at first, but he was soon sync with the rest of the regiment. Officers kept their men in check, making sure that no one was being left behind. They kept the line straight and made sure that there were no gaps forming. It would make a terrible sight if it happened and would make them look clumsy. But of course, none of that happened. For everyone here were professionals, having this formation drilled in their heads, and by now, they had perfected the art of marching. If they were in a parade, people would look in awe at how neatly organized they all were. The sound of equipment clanking echoed as they marched, but this was soon overpowered by the sweet tunes played by the instruments they had with them. The regimental band played their drums and fifes, creating sweet music that filled their ears of everyone who listened as it flew through the air. It kept the march up beat and made sure that the men weren’t bored and left without entertainment as they made their way through the road and towards the nearby town named Ponyville. As they went on, Warren’s mind started to drift to the many thoughts were circling in his head. Although the breeze was nice and cool, blowing away the sweat on his face, it still would have been nice to have his horse with him. Like most officers, who had the rank to command a regiment, he and the colonel usually rode on a horse when on a march. Sadly, during battles, the horses would have to be left behind the lines, seeing that they didn’t want their trusty steed to die due to a bullet. It was also done to prevent sharpshooters marking the officers as a target, as a mounted officer stuck out in a large group on a battlefield. When the regiment was brought upon this new world, the horses were left behind, much to Warren’s dismay. Well maybe it was a good thing, seeing that this world, or at least this nation, was ruled by ponies. It might not have been good for relations when they see men riding their brethren. “So, Lieutenant…” Newman said, his voice interrupting Warren’s thoughts and causing him to snap back to reality. “...do you have any idea why the Princess appointed you as our liaison? Surely you must be a special member and has great talents, to be assigned to fulfill a great task like this.” Looking at the white pony, Warren could see the he was flustered by the compliments. He was waving his head left to right, trying to gather his thoughts, after that compliment. “I’m sorry, sir, but I don’t think I’m that special.” Feather Wing admitted. “Oh, come now…” Newman insisted. “…surely you’re good at something, seeing that the Princess herself chose you.” “Well…” Feather Wing’s voice trailed off. “…there was that one time I served under Captain Shield, where I acted as his aide-de-camp and galloped across the camp to dispatch his orders. But that job wasn’t special, seeing that the buffalos weren’t much of a threat and only attacked an outpost once.” This caught Warren’s interest. “Wait…” Warren said, finally joining the conversation. “…Buffalos, a threat? I thought this nation hasn’t been in war for centuries. Now you’re talking about Buffalos and stuff.” “Well…” Feather Wing explained. “…it is true that we haven’t been at war for over five hundred years, that doesn’t mean we haven’t had any threats and such. One of the threats is the Buffalos, who try to push ponies away from their desert homes. I served in one of the companies, of the Royal Guard, that were in charge of keeping the frontier safe. But other than receiving a commendation for my organizations skills, I don’t see anything special about me.” “Huh, funny…” Warren said, looking towards the Newman. “…their frontier with Buffalos sounds like the West and the Indians to me.” “Yes, yes it does…” Newman said, nodding. “….and Lieutenant, I think there might be something special about you.” “There is?” Feather Wing said in surprise. “Yes. You said you were commended for being well organized and that you served as an aide-de-camp?” “Yeah…” “Well there you go. With organization skills, you can help keep track with supplies and since you were already an experienced aide-de-camp, then that would mean you would know which dispatches are important, and are of utmost priority, from those which could be spared later. To me, that sounds like experience that a liaison needs.” “You really think so?” Feather Wing said, looking up. “I know so.” Newman said with a warm smile while Warren nodded. The regiment continued to march through the road, till they got their first glimpse of the town of Ponyville. Its cozy wooden houses rose from the ground, making it look like the homes they left behind, as the large and tall town hall stood high above, making it visible from a great distance. Other than the fact that the town was mostly made out of wood and hay, it looked no different from an average home back in their country. “Welcome to Ponyville.” Feather Wing said, as they entered the town. The town had already been bustling with activity since the start of the day, as neighbors went outside to talk about the sudden occurrence of the declaration of war and the camp being built at the town’s outskirts, earlier. This meant that most of the residents were outside and were able to see the weird uniformed creatures that marched into their town. Some were scared and galloped away in fright, locking themselves in their homes like they usually do. From past experience, many residents knew that hiding was the best solution, knowing that the ‘Elements of Harmony’ led by Princess Twilight Sparkle, would resolve any problem they encounter. Disasters had hit this town may times and the best way to respond to it was to stay in their homes and wait it out. So many ponies ran in panic and slammed the doors shot behind them, hoping that the creatures wouldn’t go looking for them and would soon go away. But there were some residents who were curious as to what these creatures are and decided to stay. They stood on the sides of the road and watched as the column of blue cladded creatures pass by them. Seeing that the creatures weren’t attacking, they concluded that they weren’t a threat. So they decided to act civilized and calm. They watched in awe, as the creatures marched by. They started to wonder and watched them in great fascination. These were creatures new to their eyes and were never seen before. They started to wonder what they were and why they were here. Seeing that a member of the Royal Guard was marching with them, it signified that the government was well aware of their presence. But that didn’t answer the question of what they were and why they were here, so they continued to look on and wonder. One particular pony, a mint green unicorn mare, had a huge grin creeping on her face. Excitement filled her veins as she jumped in joy and happiness. Looking towards her companion, a cream colored pony, she shouted in glee. “I knew it! I knew it! I told you, I told you all. They do exist!” Feather Wing noticed the stares they were all getting and gave Newman an apologetic look, as he felt ashamed for the actions of the ponies. “I’m sorry, sir...” He began. “…for the reception of you and your regiment are getting.” “Oh, don’t worry about it, Lieutenant.” Newman said, shrugging it off. “It’s not like weird creatures march down your town every day. Besides, if I saw a strange creature walking down my town, I would stare too.” Feather Wing smiled and nodded, as he guided Newman, Warren and the rest of the regiment through the streets and to the other side of town, were the camp was located. They soon arrived at the location of the camp, having passed the crowd of onlookers, and marched to the point they were assigned to. “Regiment…” Warren’s voice echoed. “…halt!” The entire regiment stopped, to stand in front of the camp in which they were supposed to stay. But when Newman’s eyes fell upon it, shock and confusion filled him. What lay in front of him was not a camp, it was a disaster. “W…what is this?” He shouted. “Don’t know, but it sure looks like a stampede ran all over it…” Warren muttered as he shook his head.