When The Eagles Go Marching

by Wanderer101

Bears of Southern Equestria

When I first heard about the appearance of a portal in the southern part of Equestria I like many Equestrians couldn't help but think 'here we go again'. Equestrians were no strangers to strange happenings. It seemed like every few months or so some ancient evil had returned or some other malady threatened Equestria or the world. In Ponyville things of that nature happened every other week which was a national joke. Things always went more or less back to normal after a few days so other than some initial interest I didn't pay it much attention.

As we all know it didn't go away after a few days. If anything it grew in scope. On the southern least populated part of Equestria a portal to another world had opened up. A world that had been ruined by war and turned into a barely habitable nuclear wasteland. This portal just so happened to appear near the capital of one of the more powerful states existing in this wasteland; The New California Republic or NCR as they are typically called.

After sending in a couple scouts the NCR was ecstatic at the idea of finding a pristine world on the other side. A military expedition was quickly put together and sent through. The NCR Congress went through dozens of proposals on what to do with the new world they had access to. Heavy resource collection operations, colonization, some even wanted to just abandon their old home entirely and move here. Unfortunately for the NCR their plans could not come to fruition. This 'new frontier' of theirs was already taken.

The first meeting between pony inhabitants and NCR Ranger scouts was peaceful. The one leading the scouts was Ranger Sutton, commander of the expedition. Ponies that met him that day said he had a 'hard look' and that he looked like he wished for nothing more than for them to 'go away'. For this many would try to label Ranger Sutton as a racist but there is something many forget.

Ranger Sutton was a patriot. He loved the NCR and was a strong supporter of its expansion. You must remember that the NCR was in a post-apocalyptic wasteland and was arguably the only bastion of true civilization in the land. Hostile mutants killed those who ventured out into the wastes and gangs of raiders would attack towns. In his mind the NCR needed to succeed in order for humanity to prosper instead of simply clinging to survival. The NCR’s discovery of the portal to Equestria had opened up numerous doors for them. Doors that were suddenly slammed shut when they discovered this almost heavenly land was already taken by an industrialized state no less. To him it seemed we ponies had sentenced humanity to a slow march to extinction.

The NCR was not eager to go to war. They were already gearing up for a war on their own world against a faction called Caesar’s Legion. The last thing they wanted was to be in another one against an alien power that could very well outmatch them. Not only that but the NCR’s people were growing weary of its government’s expansionist tendencies. A war in which they were the imperialist aggressor would not sit well with them.

After a quick scramble to assemble resources that Equestria would find valuable (gold, advanced technology, weapons) the NCR purchased a sizable part of Equestria’s sparsely populated southern coast. Gateway City was part military base and part city. The NCR had spent a lot of resources building it. Too much some in its Senate considered. Most citizens, correctly, believed that it was to show off and impress Equestria.

There were no ramshackle shacks or tents in Gateway City, only brick or concrete buildings with each more grand than the last. The city was powered by the few working fusion generators the NCR had and the military base had three rare VB-02 Vertibird VTOLs. These rare aircraft were taken in a fight against a highly advanced government remnant known as the Enclave and the NCR lacked the ability to make more.

The troops that were a part of this 'expedition' were the best equipped in their entire military. Every trooper was armed with brand new Service Rifles fresh from the factories in the Boneyard and the first NCR Motorized Battalion consisting of old trucks and motorcycles patrolled their new lands. All these gifts came at a cost however.

Unlike other states in the NCR the 'Equestrian Expedition' was under indefinite martial law. The NCR Military handled all criminal cases and other duties that by all rights should have been dealt with by civilian law enforcement. NCR citizens had long heard rumors of the abuses their troops would commit in occupied areas. They had brushed them off as enemy propaganda or the tall tales of Mojave & Baja natives. After living under martial law and watching how their soldiers conducted themselves the NCR civilians could deny it no longer. Their soldiers were awful peacekeepers.

The NCR Military treated them like they were junior soldiers. Citizens of the Equestrian territory were typically drafted for labor or light military service on the spot. Shop owners would regularly have their stock 'requisitioned' by the military with little to no chance of reimbursement. Crimes were punished with either forced labor, conscription, or death with absolutely no kind of due process or consistency. When discontentment began to grow among the populace the military responded with their usual tactic of cracking down further.

One prominent Gateway City resident is reported to have said "I would fight for Caesar or the Great Khans in a heartbeat if I knew this was the alternative."

Both the Shady Sands government and NCR military were becoming increasingly unpopular in the Equestrian Territories. With this rise in discontent towards their own government the people of the Equestrian Territories began to look outward. The adjacent Equestria was an eye opener for many NCR citizens. The peaceful harmonic lifestyle of the average Equestrian was very appealing to NCR citizens. Especially to the hundreds of workers who had been brought through the portal to work on farms or in mines.

Another nation that had an effect on the NCR civilians was the United States. When they heard of the arrival of the Americans many in the NCR feared a return of the Enclave. NCR military officials even went as far as to propose an alliance and coordination with Equestria’s military in order to preemptively strike at what they believe is Enclave Remnants who are here to conquer this world. While Princess Celestia was reluctant to go war she did agree to lend support if this ‘Enclave’ made trouble.

It was these horror stories told by the NCR that attributed to Equestria's reluctance in establishing diplomatic relations with the United States. Even after the Junta was deposed and it became apparent that this US was not the Enclave of their world Princess Celestia still chose to observe the small nation. It was only after the US requested to use Canterlot for a formal peace summit for the human nations and the US' liberation of Mareland that Celestia realized the US was a nation that valued Harmony.

Unlike Equestria the NCR was unable to see this. Word of ‘Enclave Remnants’ in Equestria had already spread back through the portal to Shady Sands. Debates raged in NCR Congress on what was to be done about these Enclave in their ‘New Frontier’. The more hawkish senators called for immediate war against the US. The moderates however said that the NCR was unable to wage war on that scale yet so proposed that they expand the infrastructure of the Equestrian territories in order to build a better base to attack from. This bill swiftly made it through Congress and called for the industry and infrastructure of the Equestrian territories to be expanded in order to attack the Enclave in the future. Shipyards were erected to build transport vessels to carry their troops, more advanced tech from vertibirds to power armor were brought over. Civilians were drafted to expand the territories’ garrison.

All of this build up continued even when it became apparent, to both the government & civilians, that the United States was not the Enclave. Information that this US was from the year 1984 and had absolutely no similarities to the organization so hated in NCR society. Despite this the buildup did not stop. The revelation that the US was not the Enclave was brushed over in Shady Sands with it merely being given a passing mention in the NCR Congress. It became apparent to the civilians and soldiers that their government wanted a war. Calling the US the Enclave was just a convenient excuse to take more land. This turned out to be the final straw.

Just before the Territories was scheduled to receive a new battalion of Elite Rangers they made their move. The Rangers arrived at the military facility containing their portal to Equus to see things had changed. A new flag now flew over the ramparts. The Rangers were told not to approach or they would be fired upon. As the Rangers wondered what was going on a long line of unarmed people were being sent out the facility gate. The leader of this party was Military Governor Colonel Jameson with Ranger Sutton nearby. The two of them were brought before the NCR Congress to explain what happened.

Congress was stunned as the Colonel told them how almost the entire population including many of the soldiers rebelled. He and his loyalists were swiftly disarmed and sent back through the portal after being told in no uncertain terms that the Equestrian territories were now an independent nation: The Union of Free Beings and its President David Carolla, who was the territories liaison to Equestria, while willing to form positive relations would not accept NCR soldiers on Union land.

Congress was furious at this ‘succession’ attempt and swiftly sent troops to retake the facility. This proved to be a poor decision. The NCR was fearful of other wasteland factions attempting to take the portal away from them with one known as the Brotherhood of Steel being chief among them. It was this fear that motivated them to turn the portal facility into the most fortified place in the wasteland. Machine gun bunkers, trenches, barbed wire, landmines, artillery positions with preset killzones, and legions of reprogrammed robots. Several NCR battalions attempted to take the facility and only 32 made it out of the meat grinder. The NCR Congress reluctantly recognized the independence of the Union after this mishap and the Union stated that it was more than willing to destroy the portal behind them if the NCR got close to taking the base. The Union was more than self-sufficient by this point and even if it wasn’t both Equestria and the US would not let it fall.

Trade between the NCR and Union continued though tilted heavily in the Union’s favor. In exchange for resources, which the NCR had become very dependent on, the Union would receive advanced technology like energy weapons, fusion cores, robots, and power armor. The Union then traded these pieces of tech to the other nations on Equus increasing its standing & influence. The sale of several vertibirds, suits of power armor, & robots to the United States gave the Union an entire airforce overnight with the US paying for it with 100 F-86 Sabres and 100 UH-1 Huey helicopters.

News of the Union’s independence spread through the wasteland. Many had heard of the portal but the NCR’s defense of it kept many from trying to take it. The Union declaring its independence had led many wasteland powers to attempt to establish relations with it in the hopes of securing even a small portion of its riches. Official Union policy was to have limited presence on their old world but they still heard many factions out.

First was the Brotherhood of Steel who approached the base in full power armor though under a white flag. The Brotherhood attempted to get the Union to accept Brotherhood protection in exchange for access to the portal but the Union didn’t budge. The Union had made sure to let the Brotherhood know that they weren’t something you could just knock over with power armor & laser rifles. The Union’s new UH-1s were performing patrols while the Brotherhood visited and the meeting was held in a garage where US bought Sherman Tanks were on full display. Since that display of power the Brotherhood only showed up with things to trade, usually technical data and a piece of tech they were willing to part with.

To the Union’s surprise Caesar’s Legion actually paid them a visit. Legion Frumentarii approached the gate in full uniform while carrying a white flag. Union soldiers almost shot them anyway but ultimately decided to hear them out. The Frumentarii said that Caesar had noticed how they seceded from the NCR and offered to sign a non aggression pact. As long as the Union didn’t give military aid to the NCR the Legion would not bother them. President Carolla immediately recognized this as a ploy by the Legion to the Union from giving material aid to the NCR. He still signed the non aggression pact though since he had no interest in trading weapons to the NCR. Last thing he wanted was to give the NCR more guns.

At the outbreak of the Great War the Union joined the then United Ponies Alliance, which became the Alliance of Harmonious Nations, to help defend Equestria from the Changeling hordes. Because of this Equestrian-Union relations remain quite positive to this day.

My Time Among Bears by Fireheart, Royal Equestrian Publishing, 1036 ALB

Comments

[Fireheart 1945]

May I ask where I can find the NCR mod for EAW on Steam? I've looked for it under "ncr equestria at war," "ncr expedition," and simular stuff, but I can't find it in the Steam workshop for HOI4.

[Wanderer101]

10735257
That's because its already included in the Base EAW. It was from an April Fool's Update which was a collaboration between multiple mod developers.. EAW added the NCR to the custom options. In Old World Blues there was an option to allow Equestria to invade the NCR and for the Kaiser from Kaiserreich to replace Caesar. Kaiserreich... got nothing (as far as I know).

If you want to play as the NCR go to the custom options and turn them on.