Siege of Canterlot
Day 1: The Ultimatum
Canterlot's fortifications had miraculously been finished upon the arrival of Mustafa's army, prompting half of the defenders to withdraw in reserve (20,000 in total, 10,000 in reserve). However, they would face an army 10 times larger (200,000 in total) with 150 bombards and experienced engineers.
Green stared blankly at the scene before him, as he saw an ocean of reflective equines slowly enveloping their perimeter and cutting off their escape. The beginnings of a siege. Green's eyes briefly wandered when he noticed several bombards being positioned atop the nearby hills.
"Sir? We've received a letter from the besiegers." A general crept up, passing a letter over Green's shoulders. "They're the same ultimatums which all the forts and castles along the way received." The general informed as Green began scanning through the letter. It was a demand to surrender; appealing to spare the city's inhabitants if they surrendered it peacefully.
"...The same demand they gave to Perchtoldshoof?" Green raised a brow as he began scrunching the demand. "-The same castle whose civilians were massacred?" Green growled and threw away the demand, tossing it over the walls. The general lowered his head in condolence.
"What shall we tell them..?"
"...Tell them to take it from our cold dead hooves... But even then, good luck! Because we would've glued it to our cold dead hooves..."
Day 2: Initial Hysteria
Every Republican soldier had their heads down and barrels flat; the periodic sounds of bombards roaring and shots trailing with smoke through the air constantly reminding them of their situation.
The bombard's projectiles would hit the walls, however, thanks to its modernisation, the walls would stand firm and not collapse, much to the surprise of Mustafa and his engineers who expected them to shatter like the previous ones on other forts.
The Republicans would not have the opportunity to relax, however, as the shrapnels of the volleyed projectiles would occasionally shred an entire section of the castle battlements; turning the surrounding into a thin mist of blood and gut.
Several projectiles would also land onto the city proper, as the tallest buildings would be annihilated by Mustafa's bombards, sending bricks and glass raining down onto the streets. The architecture of Canterlot worked against its earth-pony refugees, as the unicorn's buildings were tall and 'magnificent'; making them an easy target for the attackers.
The civilians within the city panicked, as nowhere was safe. The buildings? They would collapse. The streets? Raining glass and bricks. Underground? The cellars were already packed. The earth ponies could only scream and run around aimlessly; the blood of their fallen having been smeared all over the streets.
The day would end with no buildings taller than the walls remain standing.
Day 3: All Heads Tucked
BANG
A building shook as a shot landed near it, causing the inhabitants to drop down to the floor. Inside, a huddled filly shook violently, despite being held by his mother.
BANG
"Don't worry filly... Mommy is here..." The mother soothingly cooed, running her hoof along the filly's mane. In response, the filly slightly calmed down; ceasing his rapid breathing.
But then... A sharp whistle tore through the air; heading straight towards the aforementioned building
"INCOMING!!!"
CRASH
The pair had little time to react, as the walls in front of them shattered, sending several ponies who had been lining up against the walls to burst outwards from the force; splattering blood all over the trembling pair and the opposite wall.
Even as dust clouded their vision, the pair could see the opening before them. Bits of clay and dust flaked out from the cracks, the larger chunks bouncing past them.
When the dust subsided, it revealed the two shaking ponies covered in blood and debris. Everything around them had been annihilated, and they could see the smoke trails of where the projectiles had come from. The filly was too broken to cry, whilst the mare was too devasted to scream.
"IT HIT THE CHURCH ORGAN! PULL OUT ANY SURVIVORS FROM THE RUBBLE!" A voice broke the pair from their shock, followed up by noises of rocks being thrown side and smashed.
Everypony were in fear. Nopony was safe. Everypony was cornered. Nowhere to escape. Everypony knew there was no surrender. They would fight like cornered beasts. Nothing to lose. Everything to gain.
Day 4: Routines. Routines. Routines.
Rimpler galloped along the lines to ensure defensive integrity; always encountering the same depressed and demoralised faces. He found it strange that the crystal ponies weren't assaulting their defences.
BANG
An ear-splitting explosion suddenly rang out, briefly stunning Rimpler who sat under the inclines of the parapets. A shower of splinters and earth quickly followed as the palisades above splintered from the projectile's force. Meanwhile, the soldiers nearby who had been hugging the earthworks tried desperately to remain on their hooves despite the violent shaking.
"Solaris damn it! They're shooting at us now!" A fuming sergeant grunted as he readjusted his helmet and gestured his soldiers to follow out the foxholes. "Go grab an engineer!"
The privates nodded, galloping straight towards the engineer camps to procure more logs per procedure. Rimpler quickly shook himself from the shock and galloped up the parapet, trying to spot any incoming assaults.
Rimpler threaded carelessly, allowing several splinters to lodge into his hoof painfully during his perch, but the adrenaline muffled his pains. He became utterly disappointed but relieved to find no advancing units.
"Head down marshal!" The sergeant yanked Rimpler's head down, impaling more splinters into said marshal's neck and chin. This time, however, Rimpler registered the pain.
Rimpler cringed from the backflowing pain, however, remained professional and coherent. "Did you order-"
"-yes, they're informing the engineers of a breach." The sergeant interrupted, slowly lifting his hoof off of the marshal's head.
"How goes the sentries?" Rimpler slowly began pulling out the splinters individually from his chin, but in doing so impaling more on it due to his splinter-filled hoof.
"It's seeing as much as you are now." The sergeant boredly replied, helping Rimpler in pulling out his splinters. "Rare to see a shard land on us though."
Rimpler's eyes wandered as his sergeant hurriedly pulled his splinters, and in the distance, he could spot several lines of trenches zig-zagging towards their parapets. "Careful on the pulling, you're tearing more skin than wood." The sergeant promptly slowed and began methodically pulling the splinters whilst Rimpler stared towards the distant clouds. "...Rainclouds." Rimpler mentally noted, as it would mean the ground would become muddy.
"You noticed the clouds as well?" The sergeant muttered as he continued to pick out Rimpler's splinters.
"Aye, seems like we will get some rest tomorrow." Rimpler smiled, as he also hoped that the rain would disable Mustafa's bombards. "It'll be stupid for them to attack tomorrow!" Rimpler assessed; slowly walking back into headquarters to brainstorm a way to improve the morale for the rain to come.
Day 5: Dark and Suffocating
CLANG
A rocky protrusion shattered off the wall, dusting and tumbling to the ground.
CLANG
The iron head of the pickaxe caved into the wall, wedging off a chunk of rock to join its dusty brothers.
CLANG
The final swing flattened the wall; the lower chunks collapsing to the ground.
The miners dropped their tools, falling to the ground in exhaustion. Sweat drew clear lines on their faces, as it wiped off the dust that covered them. Periodic coughs echoed in the tunnels, as dust entered their lungs. Their only light came from dimly lit candles, whose light would reflect off their crystal skins to barely illuminate the tunnel's walls with varying colours.
Behind them stood a diligent engineer who held a knotted rope that extended to the entire length of the tunnel. Once he ran the knots over his hooves, he looked up with a malicious smile.
The exhausted miners turned to see the contorted expression; the candles barely lighting up his face.
"...Is it-?"
"Directly below the enemy." The engineer nodded knowingly, as the miners cheered with the last of their energy.
Several barrels of explosive crystal dust rolled in from behind; fuses already attached and following the length of the rope. "Let's just hope they explode this time." The engineer shrugged, whilst the miners groaned in acknowledgement.
"Too expensive... Too rare... Too unreliable... But it's the only thing we have..." The engineer evaluated, aa he glared at the miners who were greedily eyeing the barrels. "My entire year salary... In half a barrel of this dust..." the engineer absently thought, even as he scolded his miners for doing the same.
"Careful there chief, else we will have to poke out your eyes." A miner heartily remarked as he realised the engineer was eyeing the powders as well. Slow laughter quickly followed as the engineer blushed away in embarrassment.
Same day: Afternoon: Siegers
Rain befall the entirety of Canterlot, drenching both siegers and defenders alike. The bombards were hauled under shelter to avoid the ran whilst the soldiers lied down on the muddy, wet soil vertically opposite to the Canterlot parapets.
Countless shivered in their positions; the cold being unbearable and the nervousness destroying them. Long gone were the sounds of bombards roaring; the assurance that the defenders wouldn't counter-attack or be at peace. The ground slowly consumed them, as the mud and their natural weight sunk them to chin levels.
A soldier nervously glanced back; not committing with a complete turn to avoid scrutinisation. He could barely see his officers standing with their forehooves scanning their lying formations. Then, his eyes met an officer's own.
Sudden heat and sting radiated in the glancing soldier's head, as he quickly glanced back forwards and hoped the officer wouldn't notice.
"Eyes front private, there's nothing to worry about." The officer unexpectantly assured, "These mud ponies will never expect an attack with these conditions!" Several murmurs of agreement followed as the soldiers discussed the new information with their comrades beside them.
Meanwhile, the corporals and sergeants along the line waited nervously for the signal; hoping that the explosives would work.
Mustafa stood idly with his two servants who held his umbrella and map, whilst his chief engineers informed him of how long the fuse was. He began glancing at the parapets. "...Any second now...."
Same day: Afternoon: Defenders
All was quiet in the pillboxes; the usual noise of bombards firing and bolts loosening replaced by a hypnotising sound of rain hitting the roof. The ponies inside silently lit up joints and lazily observed the attacker's trenches through the sights.
"All's quiet today," The corporal huffed; expelling the pink gas that quickly escaped through the sights.
"Didn't notice." A private boredly replied, as his squad quickly pondered if he didn't realise due to his high.
Suddenly, a private began frailing his hooves in the air, as if to grab something just out of reach. His squad slowly turned to witness his actions.
"-Imma grabbin' the skies! Ahm-ah reachin' the clouds!" The frailing private enthusiastically announced; moving his hooves in a way that it looked like he was grabbing onto a rope.
"Looks like somepony doesn't have tolerance." The corporal and the rest of the squad chuckled, as the frailing private began standing on its hindhooves to touch the ceiling.
"Hey look! He's tryna push the ceiling now!" A private mockingly pointed, as the frailing private had stopped and begun pushing up the ceiling; as if to raise it to the skies. "-What an idio-"
The ground shook violently, as the dry surface soil and the muddy underneath intermingled to create a wave of dirt and debris. The ground lept up; sending everything on top to chaotically explode upwards. Everypony not immediately killed by the blast saw dirt and wood line the clouds which were strangely at eye-level. They didn't even have time to realise that this was what the pegasuses saw every day, as they plummeted to the ground, landing on the muddied ground lined with wet splinters.
The surviving ponies groaned in pain, as the mud and water oozed into the openings and cuts which the splinters made; the rain doing very little to clean the wound, as it would instead carry the dirt into the open wounds.
Among the survivors was the corporal, who immediately ignored the pain to survey the damage. "5 pillboxes and an entire edge of a parapet..." he vaguely deduced, as the rain, dirt and pain impeded his vision. Then, he began hearing the sounds of fast-approaching hooves from behind.
"Must be the reserves and engineers... Thank Solaris for their quick respon-" The corporal stopped himself, as he realised the sound of approaching hooves was opposite from the sights of the pillboxes. He was facing the pillboxes sights.
The corporal rapidly turned around; ignoring the pain and cold. His heart stopped once noticing a horde of silhouettes clearly defined among the rain and darkness. A stray bolt sliced his ears.
"AHHHH!" The corporal screamed out in pain; immediately covering his mouth with his hooves for the mistake he had just done.
"FOR AMORE! FOR VENGENCE!" The distant silhouettes shouted, as several more bolts pierced through the rain; landing their mark on the corporal's upright (and twisted) torso.
The first assault had just begun.
The First Assault of Canterlot: The Breach
The republicans futilely jostled in the mud and splinters; their bodies having been buried by the earth which prevented their movement. They could feel their heads stinging with heat from their nerves; despite the cold, oppressive rain.
The shouts from the incoming attackers accelerated their struggles, as the republicans violently threw off the debris; impaling themselves mortally in the process.
The first republican stood; sword firmly held in hoof and his helmet tilted on. He shook violently from the cold, pain and shock, but even before he could collect his mind, a sword crashed down upon him, prompting him to block it with his own in turn.
His sword shook violently on top of him, despite him using both hooves to support his sword. As the crashing swords lowered, the shattered republican could see the attacker's face despite the darkness; his eyes glowing with anger, with teeth grinding together to form dust.
Suddenly, the weight from the blow was removed, causing the republican's sword to swing aimlessly over the crystal pony's head and land beside him. Using the opportunity, the crystal pony quickly swiped at the exposed earth pony's neck, causing blood to spurt all over the already-drenched attacker.
Similar scenarios played out across the small front, whilst the unaffected pillboxes neighbouring the breached site rushed towards the ruin to delay the assaulters.
Several heroic republicans held multiple attackers back, as they fought them off despite being injured and surrounded. However, their bravery would be in vain, as they would be quickly annihilated by a volley of bolts; their body becoming more akin to an echidna after a barrage.
Mustafa's officers tried desperately to order an advance, however, their soldiers were uncontrollable; their propaganda having backfired in advocating for bloodlust and vengeance against the Equestrians, as their soldiers were more focused on killing than exploiting a breakthrough. "Soon..." they thought, "...they will send a reserve to plug the breach...
The First Assault of Canterlot: The Response
A runner galloped tirelessly through the rain and dark; occasionally tripping on unnoticed rocks and sticks. He could feel his legs tearing and his hooves cracking from the strain, however, he galloped ceaselessly, as he knew the importance of his mission.
His pace hastened once noticing the silhouettes of the temporary headquarters; its dim lights unmissable from the contrasting void-like darkness. Once he was close to the entrance, the runner slammed past the split sheets of the tent, causing him to tumble straight into the table at which both Rimpler and Essie were using.
"Well ain't that just great..." Rimpler groaned, sliding his hoof through his face. Essie meanwhile stared blankly at the dazed runner.
Rimpler faced the runner, who was now gasping for in exhaustion. "...Well?"
"THEYHAVEJUSTDETONSTEDAMINEWHICHHASEXPOSEDAGAPWITHINOURLINEWHICHTHEYARENOWEXPLOTING!" The runner wheezed.
Rimpler blinked. "...What?"
The runner breathed in deeply, "ATTACK! ON! POSITIONS! FACING! PALACE!" he frailed desperately; breathing violently whilst doing so.
Essie's and Rimpler's expressions immediately turned to worry, as they faced each other expecting a response from the other.
After a few seconds of awkward staring, Rimpler turned towards the gasping runner. "What are the damages so far?"
"-They have detonated a mine and took out an entire chunk of pillboxes." The runner placed a hoof on his chest; feeling the calming rising and falling of his chest.
Rimpler turned to Essie, pointing a hoof at him. "Tell our reserves to assist in battle, also take the runner with you." Essie nodded, whilst the runner groaned, planting his face into the ground.
Rimpler quickly galloped out, glimpsing Essie pulling out the runner's head before leaving entirely. He prayed he wasn't too late.
The First Assault of Canterlot: The Delay
A flow of attackers from the breach was met by a wave of desperate defenders, as the republicans threw themselves against the lines to futilely hold their defences which were now nothing but a mound of rubble.
The incoming attackers were peppered by bolts from the still-intact adjacent pillboxes, but it did little to break their morale. There was no strategy, coordination nor order; the battle had devolved into a riot, as all semblance of a frontline vanished due to the rain, darkness and anger.
Streams of blood and red-stained mud was littered across the battlefield, with puddles of watered-down blood having soaked the majority of the soldier's hooves.
Casualties were high for the Republicans, as they had no energy to run, and were surrounded by the scattered attackers who took no prisoner.
Mustafa's officers tried desperately to rally several clumps of their soldiers to attack neighbouring positions, as they moved up and down the scattered battlefield ordering the soldiers with threats of treason and insubordination.
Meanwhile, the republican officers foolishly ordered their soldiers to counter-attack, as they deluded themselves that taking back a ruined position would be worth abandoning their current ones. The lack of discipline, experience and tactic led the officer's ponies to become embroiled in the same chaotic fighting, as their lack of coordination in synchronising their attacks allowed Mustafa's troops to reorganise and encircle their rag-tag foes.
As more and more pillboxes began to vacate, the entirety of the meticulous defences adjacent to the palace began to crack, as Mustafa's officers realising the republican's abandonment of their intact pillboxes and parapets, quickly rushed in with their troops to occupy them.
It was around this time when Rimpler arrived with a detachment of reserves hauling a ballista each. He and his soldiers stood at the gates atop a hill looking over at the chaotic battle unfolding across them. They could barely make out anything due to the darkness, but they could clearly see the site in which the mines were detonated in, as the parapet's silhouettes were irregular compared to its adjacent ones.
An officer approached the squinting Rimpler, tugging the ballista behind him. "What shall we do?"
"...We advance."
"ATTACK! ATTACK! FOR THE REPUBLIC!" An officer bellowed to his soldiers, as he charged with his sword waving; leading his men in the front.
It did not invoke confidence in his soldiers, however, as the officer was pushed back into his squad by a barrage of bolts. The unfortunate pony behind him was left motionless, as his hooves instinctively reached out to grab his officer's fall to only witness his pain-ridden face.
"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! ATTACK!" A distant officer berated; who was also quickly shot down by an accurate bolt.
"COME ON! COME ON! MOVE!" Another officer ordered; this time from the back, as they had left from the furthest pillboxes to 'assist' in the fighting. In all honesty, the defenders were itching for a decisive fight; a decisive battle that would lead to the total collapse of their enemy forces and end their boring, static siege.
As the reluctant soldiers who had just lost their officer galloped past the inclines towards the battle, they glimpsed the wave of their comrades joining the fray chaotically, as they immediately lost cohesion and formations when charging down the incline.
The closely following officer quickly caught up and began witnessing the same phenomenon, so stopped to think of the situation; raising a hoof to halt his and the other leaderless squads atop the incline.
"Out squads are disintegrating into easily destroyable individuals... But why?" The officer pondered, as he scanned the dark battlefield.
"The rain perhaps? The darkness obviously. How about the officers?" The officer looked around, attempting to spot another officer near him. Luckily, the officers of the republican army were distinctively dressed, as their riding breeches were skinnier than the normal saggy breaches which hung on their hooves. Unluckily, they were all dead, or painfully gasping for air, as several well-aimed bolts had pierced their chests.
"Are they... Targetting the officers intentionally?" The officer suddenly realised, as he immediately ducked; foreseeing a bolt which would narrowly miss his head.
"THEY ARE TARGETTING US FROM OUR THIN BREECHES! SAG THE-" The officer's warning was abruptly interrupted by a bolt through his heart; making his stagger weakly and wince at the wood stump. His last vision were of his soldiers; visibly terrified and fearful that they would be next.
Their worries were dashed quickly by a bolt wooshing over their heads, prompting half of them to flee whilst the rest charged down the incline.
A battle between the undisciplined and bloodthirsty; hopers and revanchists; recruits and veterans. It wasn't even close. The first line of defences facing the palace fell, and their 'counterattack' merely wasted valuable lives.
But the second line held firm, and soon, the reserves would arrive.
The First Assault of Canterlot: The 'Reserves'
Despite the time passed, the battle raged on. Sporadic fights continued to litter the battlefield; however, began to slow down as the last clumps of Republican soldiers were slowly cut down by the outnumbering forces of the Empire.
"Where're our reinforcements?!" A corporal yelled aimlessly; parrying a swing that appeared in his blindspot, forcing him to twist his torso violently to meet the blow.
"-How 'n Tartarus will I know?!" A sergeant cursed back; swinging his sword wildly whilst back-peddling to meet the corporal's back. Quickly, they became surrounded.
"Damn Solaris... Why can't I fly?" The corporal gritted, as he and the sergeant circled around with swords pointed forwards; skimming over the faces of the soldiers who had surrounded them.
Suddenly, a crossbow materialised amongst the surrounding soldiers, prompting the corporal to duck; sending the bolt straight towards the exposed sergeant's back.
"ARRGH!" The sergeant growled furiously, as he forcibly snapped the bolt and threw it aside; gritting his teeth angrily at everypony present. He threw a quick glare at the corporal but quickly refocused to intimidate the surrounders against an attack.
"Come on! Move! I ain't got all day!" The sergeant motioned his enemies forward with his sword, prompting a soldier to parry it off his hoof, as the sergeant had briefly loosened his grip to gesture with his sword. The sergeant blankly stared at his vacant hoof. "Oops."
The corporal glanced back; noticing the sergeant's lack of sword. "Oh for Solari's sak-"
"AHHHHHHH!" The sergeant childishly screeched as the crystal ponies lunged forward; immediately shut his eyes to not witness his death. He attempted to fall backwards but was stopped by the corporal who had also leaned back against the lungers. "NO! NOT LIKE THIS!"He prayed.
Unexpectantly, the sergeant felt a splatter of blood coat his face, which made him stagger back and rub his hooves over his face in disgust. As he did, he could also hear the distinct noises of swords and spears clattering on the ground.
He shivered violently as some of the blood spilt into his mouth; the grotesque metallic flavour of another creature's blood making him want to purge his stomach to rid himself of the texture.
Quickly, the sergeant forcefully opened an eye to see where the blood had come, and to see why his enemies had quieted down. To do this, he placed a hoof above his eyes to prevent any blood from entering it.
"What the-...?" His eyes widened as he took in the scene before him. What he saw was a bolt from a ballista that had seemed to have annihilated the lunging crystal ponies, and knocked out the rest.
He could see the broken swords and spears scattered around him and flinched fearfully once realising a spear's tip had dangerously landed close to him. "A little to the left, and it could've ended me!"
Suddenly, the sounds of groans and gurgling behind him caused the sergeant to wheel and stumble in horror. His face turned green, and he placed a hoof on his mouth to hold back a vomit; having momentarily forgotten the foreign blood on his hoof.
He saw the corporal holding a sword that had lodged itself deep into his neck; desperately holding it in place as his exposed wound bubbled with blood in his attempt to breathe. As the sergeant collapsed from his hooves, the corporal turned painfully to meet his watering eyes.
His blood-shot eyes stared desperately into the sergeant's own; internally screaming and pleading for help. But the sergeant could only watch on helplessly; shivering so violently that the blood that had stuck to his coat began jumping off.
When the corporal finally collapsed, the sergeant began to tear uncontrollably; making no noise, and still shivering violently. His eyes began to wander off to the surroundings; noticing the countless silhouettes of familiar wooden stumps littering the battlefield.
As he observed further; throughout the entirety of the battlefield, he stopped at the place where their reserves were meant to arrive. He then finally realised what their reinforcements were. "No..." He mumbled.
He saw a line of ballistas; its shape unmistakable even at a distance, and it seemed poised to fire another volley. The sergeant looked around numbly as he saw the crystal ponies retreating chaotically, and his fellow ponies scattering hysterically.
"So is this how a soldier dies..?" He chuckled, "...Killed by the ponies he protected?" He collapsed on his back; crossing his hooves comfortably and laying peacefully on the blood-soaked soil.
Eyes closed, he began humming a familiar melody; one sung by mothers to comfort their children. He wiped his tears. "Guess I won't be coming back home 'ma...."
The day was saved.
The First Assault of Canterlot: The Aftermath
"WHY DID NOPONY TELL ME?!" Green demanded, as he threw a cup at the gathered officers in frustration.
Several officers ducked unprofessionally, whilst the rest flinched. "-You were asleep your highne-"
Green glared daggers at the officer speaking; silencing him. "...What did I about my titles..?" Green growled chillingly; tilting his head towards the offending officer.
Said officer shrunk in Green's glare, whilst the rest surrounding him distanced themselves. "To not use any..." he squeaked.
"Sir-, it's very compassionate of you to lead your ponies to battle, but it's also very foolish..." Rimpler chimed in, stepping forward to avert Green's glare.
"You've already lost both hind-hooves, and I fear that you'll lose something far more important if you were to lead personally..." Rimpler reasoned, as his eyes began to wander towards a shivering Little, who was terrified of his brother's sudden anger.
Before Green could lunge or accuse Rimpler of a treasonous interpretation of his health, he traced his field marshal's stare back to Little. He froze.
Little had been sobbing quietly in the corner; her noises having been overpowered by Green's wrath. Her continually wiping of her eyes and face had horribly swollen them; making her look miserable. Green stumbled, as he felt his stomach churn and burn with guilt.
"-I..." Green shuddered, as he attempted to step forward, but instead collapsed on the floor; completely forgetting he could not rely on his back hooves.
"It's your duty to lead, but it's also your duty to survive; for the republic... And for those who care for you..." Rimpler hesitantly finished, as he and the officers began leaning towards the door.
Green stared at Little in disbelief; his eyes wide and expressions unmoving. He sharply turned towards the officers with a murderous growl. "...Get out..." The officers heeded immediately, as they all scrambled out of the room; shutting the door loudly in their exit.
In the absence of the officers, Little's sobbing became unmissable; causing Green to turn back towards his little sister with worry and guilt.
"S-sister?" Green hopefully asked, as he slowly approached her. "Are you alrigh-?"
"GET AWAY!" Little screamed, covering her face with her hooves. As far as she was concerned, this pony wasn't the Green she knew and loved.
Green stumbled, then took a step back. Then another. Then a few more until he hit the wall behind him. He shook his head slowly in denial. "I-... I need to... I need to do something..." Green sputtered and he quickly left the room; his eyes still wide and face unmoving due to shock.
He tried to run; but again realised his useless, limp hind hooves. He tried to cry, but his face wouldn't respond to his will. He tried to scream but feared it would upset his sister further.
And so, he laid on his stomach, looking soullessly forward with unblinking eyes. "What have I done..?" he mumbled emotionlessly, as a stray tear rolled down his cheeks.
"What of the casualties?" Mustafa distractedly inquired, as he ran his hooves over the map displaying a top-down view of the assaulted area.
"Very little Marshal, but most importantly, the ponies got it worse." An officer answered enthusiastically; expecting the siege to follow their previous successes.
"...How did we not achieve a breakthrough?" Mustafa accusingly glared at all the officers gathered, as he could not believe his soldiers were routed from a successful assault from a mere volley of ballistas.
Several of the officers glanced at each other implicatively; expecting somepony to 'own up' for their sake. Until finally, an officer stepped forward.
"Our soldiers were more focused on killing than assaulting Marshal." The officer explained, "The soldiers who captured the pillboxes were also destroyed by the bolts."
"Preposterous! Then how are they planning to defend now without those bunkers?!" Mustafa scoffed; doubting the earth ponies would be so short-sighted.
"-Yes, about that. The earth ponies were also shooting at their own soldiers." The officer began to smirk, "-So if they are already helping us by killing themselves? -why wouldn't they help us by destroying their own defences as well?" He shrugged with a grin.
Mustafa stared with disbelief at the officer, as he at least expected their earth pony foes would be militarily competent based on their victory against the pegasuses, yet the reports before him spoke the opposite.
"Ahem!" An officer coughed, breaking Mustafa's stupor. "What are the plans now Marshal?"
"Oh yes! -Well we've lost the elements of surprise with the mines, and they would most likely fortify the palace walls further." Mustafa began to move pieces on his map, prompting the officers to lean in to better observe his actions.
"-Any footholds in their defences are gone, and our miners will require at least a fortnight to detonate an entire line of defences..." Mustafa toppled a model of the walls around Canterlot, whilst pushing several figures of soldiers into the city proper.
"Of course, we will resume bombarding the city once the rain subsides to continue the pressure." Mustafa looked up towards the officers, who all nodded in response.
"Once our sappers finish their works and detonate their entire line, we will send in our troops to entrench around their inner defences." Mustafa placed a piece resembling a king in the centre of the city and began surrounding them with pawns.
"-then, they will have no have no choice but to surrender..." Mustafa knocked over the king and placed a pawn above it symbolically. "And if they don't... The starving serfs in the city will hand over their heads for food..." Mustafa maniacally grinned; but hid it from his officers.
"But gentlestallions, remember. We're here to threaten a surrender; not to commit a massacre, so once you reach their walls, you must tell your soldiers to halt." The officers all hummed in agreement, yet internally, none had the intentions to uphold them.
After all, why dissapoint the soldiers?
Phase 2: Starvation and Desperation
Diseases rampant,
Buildings fragment.
Sleepless nights,
Constant frights.
Our hunger's unbearable;
Our conditions are terrible.
When grass disappeared,
Suddenly rats appeared.
Dubbed the 'land fish',
They quickly became a dish.
Devoured at sight.
No matter the blight.
Once, we were all smiling,
But now, we were all reviling.
Every pony for themselves;
Stocking their own shelves.
The streets flow with invisible blood,
The corpses of the fallen hidden in the mud,
The rain continues to fall, purging the ground.
Both water and shrapnel fall; scattering around.
The once-mighty army of the rebels now dread,
Their morales having bled.
The entire city shakes;
both mentally and physically,
Tunnels are dug, and buildings are toppled.
The once-mighty city, now in shambles.
Everypony inside, awaiting their fate.
- An unknown Unicorn mage -
A pair of pickaxes dented the earth in front of them; their wielder's hooves not being the familiar crystal, but fur. Candles were held close; dangerously near the miner's eyes due to their lack of reflective surfaces.
They weren't being led by an expert; instead, they relied on their ears to locate the noise of the hostile miners. Most were new, and many more were unfamiliar with mining; yet, they had volunteered in droves, despite their hunger and tiredness.
There were countless times when the miners never came back; many having been buried alive or simply left to die by exhaustion. The conditions were abhorrent, and the mortality rate high, yet, the volunteer's morale remained; aware of the importance of their job.
Counter-mining they called it; a way to counter the enemy's monopoly over the underground, and to make the enemy's miner's lives as difficult as possible.
At first, they had massive success; discovering numerous networks of tunnels and diffusing or disarming the explosives in them. However, their success wouldn't last, as the Empire's sappers quickly noticed, and dug deeper tunnels in response; hoping to discourage the inexperienced miners of the Republic through difficulty and risk. Unluckiley for the Empire, the Republic valued sacrifice.
Green stopped at his sister's room; contemplating his decisions. He had selfishly neglected his duty as a leader; entrusting his responsibilities of inspiration and leadership to Rimpler who lacked popularity.
He had done this to formulate an apology, however, had squandered his time; making it all a waste. In his frustration, he had rolled up to his sister's room several times, however, did not have the confidence to confront her every time he did so.
This was one of those times, as his hooves refused to respond and open the door. He faced downwards; staring at the gaps between his two forehooves. He began to sob quietly.
"...So pathetic... So weak... So selfish..." He wiped his eyes and closed them; raising his head to prevent further self-loathing. "What would Harold say?"
He attempted to remember a quote in Harold's book; one which mentioned how a leader should act in times of great stress, sadness and strife.
"Everyone sees what you appear to be, few experience what you really are." He remembered, and began dissecting its message.
"My soldiers are depressed, demoralised and in miserable conditions... Just like I've shown myself to be in..." Green lowered his head.
"Our city is starving, and nopony will save us..." Green lowered himself; folding his hooves. "Our empire sees this too... Our appearance is weak..." Green began gritting his teeth.
"They think we're prey; weak and vulnerable..." Green rose up and opened his eyes; which screamed of determination and renewed confidence.
"They have no idea what they are facing... THEY KNOW NOTHING OF ME! OR MY ABILITIES!" Green began to gallop towards the exit; ready to lead his army once more.
"THEY WILL WITNESS MY GENIUS! THEY SHALL EXPERIENCE DESTRUCTION! I SHALL STRIKE THEM DOWN LIKE THE PEGASUSES!" Green galloped violently; moving as if possessed.
"...I'll attack... As I did against the pegasuses..." Green mumbled through his gritted teeth; his eyes becoming increasingly bloodshot. "It worked before... And it will work again... He promised himself.
Bismarck inhaled deeply; puffing a joint. He enjoyed the familiar sensation; having long reminisced the opportunity to smoke. Additionally, the pony-imported 'goods' seemed to be harmless, as he did not feel the same expected pressure in his lung nor pain in his throat.
Paul meanwhile, was obsessing over a vague report of Equestria; hoping its familiar geographies to Europe would yield a similar amount of natural resources. However, he did not shy away from smoking; enjoying the joint without the usual coughs and pain from tobacco.
"There're much to gain from alliances and favours." Bismarck exhaled, flicking away the joint's bud. "However, one with an unreliable weak state is foolish." Bismarck fiddled with his claws, trying to forget the incompetence of their past ally; the Italians.
"They fought so badly that the Austrians gave Venice to the French..." Bismarck shook his head; attempting to forget.
"Thinking of the Italians?" Paul asked; getting an answer through a shiver from Bismarck. "Can't blame ya, but this looks more a French revolution than an Italian unification based on their organisation," Paul explained.
Bismarck faced Paul boredly, "They resemble neither; from what we've heard, they're led by children and lack everything."
"Napoleon was young as well?" Paul suggested,
"Not THAT young, and you forget. They have nothing but food." Bismarck turned away, facing the window. "I suppose there're some similarities... They're facing an outnumbering force, they've overthrown their oppressors... They're freeing the people..."
Suddenly, Bismarck violently snatched the report, causing Paul to trip and fall. "What was that for?!" Paul complained, rubbing his head.
"THEY'RE REVOLUTIONARIES!" Bismarck madly shouted at Paul's face, making him cringe in pain. "WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF THEIR IDEAS SPREAD?!" Bismarck slammed the table, causing it to explode into splinters.
Paul dumbfoundedly stared at the remains of the table; soon clapping in impressment of Bismarck's strength.
Bismarck immediately cooled down; resting his head on his claws in thought. "No, wait... They're still primitives and their ideas of liberty should be lacking..." Bismarck slowly turned to Paul, who flinched in his stare.
"I must apologise for my outburst, my friend. Having no plans tends to make me panic." Bismarck smiled and offered a claw which Paul declined and instead, rose by his own.
"I assume you have a plan then?" Paul dusted himself, patting his uniform.
Bismarck silently nodded and began trotting around the room with his claws crossed behind him. "The reports suggest the ponies already know us; better yet, like us." Bismarck stopped at the window, staring at a parading battalion.
"It would be unwise to burn an established bridge, and if it was discovered that they were manipulating us, we would have a valid justification for war." Bismarck began to frown; hoping the ponies truly respected them.
"Not that any other powers would intervene or denounce us for an unjustified war, but it would eliminate any cries of injustice in the homefront." Bismarck shrugged, realising his previous policy of restrained politics didn't apply in this world.
"So... You want to help the ponies?" Paul raised a claw.
"...Yes... It would be most wise." Bismarck nodded slowly, "It isn't good... But it's the least worst..."
Paul sighed a breath of relief, wiping his head with a 'phew'. "Thank god... I already told them to help the ponies." Paul smiled blissfully.
"...What?" Bismarck turned to Paul, who suddenly opened his eye widely; realising his slip-up. "...Did you just give orders without my consent?" Bismarck suddenly appeared in front of Paul; pinning him down by grasping his shoulders.
Paul audibly 'eeked' and shrunk in Bismarck's oppressive stare. "But it all worked out..?" Paul desperately defended; raising his claws to protect himself.
Bismarck squinted to a glare; pulling Paul closer. "...You're playing a dangerous game Mr Mauser..." Bismarck pushed Paul away, causing him to fall once more. "...Don't try it again..."
Paul turned and pouted in response; crossing his arms childishly. Bismarck face-clawed. "At least he's better the second Wilhelm..."
Phase 3: When Luck Runs Dry
"What are they doing?" Mustafa asked nopony in particular, as he squinted hard towards the Canterlot's defences, which had seemed to pile up with more defenders.
"...Are they preparing a break-out..?” Mustafa asked himself, prompting his officers around him to shrug detachedly. "But such a darin- no, stupid move in the bright of day would be suicide..."
Mustafa shook his head; refusing to believe the Earth ponies were THAT idiotic. "Perhaps it's a distraction..." Mustafa stroked his chin sagely, looking up deeply in thought.
"That would be unlikely sir, for why would the enemy wish to distract us?" An officer objected; finding it impossible that the mud ponies would be able to formulate such a plan nor execute it timely.
Mustafa nodded slowly, "My thoughts exactly officer, for our scouts, have yet to disco-" Mustafa ceased immediately; noticing the officer tasked in reconnaissance was flinching nervously. "-ver anything strange..?" Mustafa bit his lips in worry; bracing himself for the bad news.
The aforementioned officer rubbed his hoof awkwardly; sweating profusely from the many stares he was receiving. "I-... I don't think my information changes anything..." The officer started; attempting to downplay and normalise the suspicious reports.
"Scouts often get lost- Stop to loot- encounter frequent delays- forget to write letters- not return for a long time- or not at al-" The officer was cut off by a crystalline hoof being stuffed to his muzzle; silencing him.
"Don't fluff it up officer," Mustafa slowly retracted his hoof, "What. Happened?" Mustafa pressed the hesitant officer, as he exposed Amore's seal; reminding him of the punishments of insubordination.
The officer sighed deeply, dreading the foreseeable reactions to his 'failures'. "Our northern, eastern and western scouts have reported to have found very little, and our supply lines are saf-"
"TELL us something we don't know..." Mustafa showed his teeth; annoyed at how much the officer before him was wasting valuable time. Precious time which they could've used to plan
"..." The officer's muzzle scrunched; despite its crystalline structure. "The southern detachments... They're gone." He dejectedly informed; casting his sights on his own hooves.
"Gone..? As in, destroyed?" Mustafa calmly inquired, even as internally, he was hyperventilating from the implications.
"I-... I'm not sure... They've just... Stopped reporting in for a while..." The officer jostled nervously; balancing himself on each hoof in intervals.
"How long would that 'while' be?" Mustafa dared ask, as he suddenly felt his stomach sink.
"...A week..?" The officer fearfully squeaked; looking down to avoid eye contact.
Mustafa stepped trotted back; his eyes staring blankly over the shivering officer's mane. Unblinking. After several steps, he slowly collapsed on his flank whilst his officers watched with hesitation.
"...You knew for one week..? And never had the mind to inform me?" Mustafa mumbled in disbelief; utterly shattered by the negligence of the officer before him.
"...It would've changed nothing..." The officer began to weep; covering his eyes completely with his crystal-cladded hooves.
Taken aback by the officer's seemingly backwards response, Mustafa's anger suddenly became sidelined by curiosity, "...How?"
"You know nothing of our rules or procedures, noble..." The officer murmured through sobs, as the surrounding officers stepped backwards to avoid the tension.
Mustafa attempted to speak; angered by the officer's association of himself to the shameless, indulgent nobility which ruled Amore's court. But he was unexpectedly stopped by a shout from the sobbing officer.
"NOTHING! YOU KNOW NOTHING OF OUR WORK!" The officer suddenly shot up, as he pointed a hoof accusingly at the Marshal. "IF I HAD REPORTED EARLIER, YOU WOULD'VE PUNISHED ME FOR WASTING TIME! AT LEAST IF I REPORT IT LATER, I CAN FEEL SAFE KNOWING THAT IT'S NORMAL FOR SCOUTS TO NOT REPORT FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME!" The officer ranted; violently wheezing for air after finishing.
"...Why would I punish you for that..?" Mustafa blinked awkwardly; blissfully unaware of how his 'fellow' nobles acted in similar situations.
"...That's just it... You don't get it... That's why..." The officer sunk to his flank; looking at the ground in despair. "We can't afford to assume you're not one of 'them'... Too dangerous to ask nor test..." The officer met Mustafa's eyes.
"They're just no winning for us..."
BANG
An explosion rang out behind the officer; annihilating the forest behind him. Its shockwaves blew the loosely worn helmets and barely stuck flags away, as the soldiers and officers in its radius cringed from its force.
Mustafa blinked absently at the scene, whilst his gathered officers did the same. Silence followed until an officer broke it, "Must be a unicorn
-there's no way our powders could've caused such an explo-"
"Our bombards!" Mustafa announced; suddenly breaking from his stupor. "They were all in the forests!" Mustafa began galloping aimlessly in a circle; announcing their doom. "WHY DID I THINK THEY WOULD SHOOT OUR BOMBARDS WITH BOLTS?! WHY DID I CHOOSE TO HIDE THEM IN THE FORESTS?!"
"SIR! THE EARTH PONIES!" An officer blocked Mustafa's path; getting hit by him as a result. The officer 'oofed' in pain from the impact, but quickly pushed the marshal off in front of him.
The officer began again, "THE EARTH PONIES! THEY'RE ATTACKING!" Mustafa cringed from the loudness, and attempted to lean backwards, but was stopped by the same officer.
The officer shook him violently; seemingly having forgotten his professionalism and discipline. "WE HAVE NO DEFENSE! OUR BOMBARDS ARE GONE!"
"S-s-s-s-S-top! Shak-i-i-ing!" Mustafa grasped the officer's hoof and flipped him overhead; making him crash to the ground painfully. "Stop panicking!" He hypocritical scolded, causing several officers to raise their brows.
He wheeled towards Canterlot; observing the defenders exiting aimlessly from the gates to assault their trenches. "...Officers! Tell the soldiers in the trenches to vacate immediately!" He ordered, causing several officers to tilt their heads in confusion.
Noticing their doubts of his orders, Mustafa hastily justified, "The earth ponies are concentratedly attacking a singular position, which means they will quickly cause a breakthrough." The officers look at one another; still confused as to why their marshal would order such an action. Mustafa face-hoofed.
Despite knowing he was wasting valuable time, Mustafa further elaborated; not wanting his officers to have doubt whilst carrying on the orders.
"It may seem foolish to abandon our most rudimentary defences, but that's precisely the reason why we're abandoning them-." Mustafa began, "Their forces are concentrated-, due to their exit being a singular gate, which means they would break and wedge our trenches into two and possibly encircle them." Mustafa lectured; sighing a breath of relief when a couple of his officers began nodding.
"...Wait, isn't it good that they're attacking from a narrow space? Wouldn't it be better to fight them one-by-one in a tight battlefield?" An officer objected; finding it puzzling that they would allow the earth ponies to assemble outside their gates.
Mustafa once again face-hoofed, "You've watched too many romanticised tales of last stands... And you seem to forget, we outnumber them." Mustafa deadpanned.
"So..?" The officer hesitantly asked,
"...As you said, if they assembled outside the gates, their combat width would increase." Mustafa suppressed the urge to groan in annoyance and continued, "-and if their combat width increases, we can fight more of them at once."
"Yeah! That! How can fighting more of them at once be better?" The officer smiled at his own evaluation; feeling proud of himself.
Mustafa face-hoofed and groaned, "We outnumber them, you dimwit! We're on the other side of your last-stand fairytale!" He growled, "Fighting in small spaces would negate our numeric superiority! Staying in our thin trenches would allow them to easily overwhelm them through concentration and encircle us!"
"How can they encircle us in the tr-"
"BY GOING AROUND US YOU MORON! DEFENCES FORCES US TO REMAIN STATIC! USE YOUR DAMN BRAINS!" Mustafa berated the officer, who recoiled and shrunk in response. Meanwhile, the other officers stared uselessly at the scene.
"Wait, so what was the order again?" An officer whispered to another; having forgotten them due to being immersed in their marshal's lecturing.
Mustafa; having heard them, violently turned his head towards his officers and glared at them; bearing his teeth, "BY AMORE'S WRATH! TELL THE SOLDIERS TO FUCKING WITHDRAW FROM THE TRENCHES!"
"...You mean bucking?" An officer offered awkwardly,
"GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY FACE!"
"-Sir, this may not be the wisest move..." Rimpler voiced; having been dragged to Green's 'brilliant' ideas to attack the severely outnumbering enemy.
"Oh? Do you think you know more than me marshal?" Green disturbingly replied, causing Rimpler to shiver slightly in his leader's stare.
"Sir-, it's my duty to advise you against any fool- unplanned actions." Rimpler maintained; bracing his hooves to prevent any more shivers.
"Oh really? Because so far, you've only objected against good ideas." Green faked a laugh and intimidatingly leaned towards Rimpler, causing him to lose his hoofing. (Footing)
"...And I'm beginning to be sick of it..." Green dangerously warned; staring unsettlingly into his marshal's eyes. He softly muttered, "...No more..."
Rimpler shook violently, but instead of stepping backwards and listening to his pleading instincts, he stepped forwards and braced himself defiantly. "Any other pony would've said yes blindly, but I am not that pony, sir Green." Green began to frown.
"You know better than this sir, you know that this is irrational and foolish; that this would needlessly end countless lives!" Rimpler desperately pleaded, even as Green's frown deepened.
"Please... If not for us, listen for your sister..." Rimpler reasoned, whilst Green froze at the mention of his sister. "This... Is not the end for us, the Empire's grudges lie in the pegasuses, not the earth ponies." Rimpler placed a hoof on Green's shoulder, which was violently slapped away.
"DON'T YOU DARE USE MY SISTER'S NAME!" Green growled at the treasonous marshal, "-AND DON'T YOU EVER THINK OF SURRENDERING! IT WOULD BE A MATTER OF TIME FOR THE EMPIRE TO STRIKE US NEXT; AFTER THE PEGASUSES DIE FROM OUR INACTION!" Green suddenly lunged from his wheelwagon and grasped Rimpler's shoulders, allowing him to lean closer to his marshal's eyes.
"YOUR WORDS ARE POISON TO US ALL! TREATROUS LIES TO DECEIVE AND DEMORALISE US!" Green began gritting his teeth menacingly, "...So begone marshal... Hideaway like the cowardice traitor you are..." Green dropped himself, and slowly limped back onto his wheelwagon; ordering his soldiers to continue charging out the gates.
Wordlessly, Rimpler galloped back to camp; a singular goal in mind. The soldiers and officers he passed laughed at him; having heard their leader's rant. But he galloped unfazed, even as his name and reputation were being slandered in front of him. He wouldn't need it in the end anyways...
Phase 4: Success Through Failures
Green's disorganised horde of soldiers surged forward, sometimes trampling those who were wounded or fallen over by the speed. Their pace only hastened when they realised Mustafa's forces were seemingly routing, as they scrambled out of their trenches to disappear into a cloud of dirt and dust that had been kicked up by the charge.
"Onwards! Advance!" The officers cried out, as their doubts of their leader's plan to assault the siegers dissipated for every enemy they saw vanish into the cloud of brown.
Green wore a smile on his face; utterly clueless to his surroundings of trampled and rotting corpses of his soldiers around him, despite being carried overhead by his officers.
The soldiers roared with triumph, as they could sense their enemy's camp before them; one located atop a hill, holding all the reserves and stretched in such a way that it looked like a bowl to a bird. And they had just entered it.
The first row tried to stop, but the momentum of the charge immediately crushed them, then the second, then third, then another.
Roars of cheers quickly turned to one of pain and confusion, as Green was thrown forward by the sudden halt. The soldiers in the front gulped nervously, whilst those on the edges wheeled slowly outwards to see what had surrounded them.
As the clouds subsided, it revealed an encirclement of Green's forces by Mustafa's own; the latter troops having levelled their spears and unsheathed their swords. A sole imposing stallion stepped forwards.
"I, Fray Mustafa! Marshal of Amore VI and servant of the Crystal Empire pleads for you all to surrender your weapons and cease this pointless fight!"
Green immediately lifted his head, looking around and growling furiously at the voice he tried to locate.
"Out quarrels are with the pegasuses you destroyed! Our very fight today is merely a ploy by the unicorns to divide us, common victims!" Mustafa pleaded hopefully; catching several of Green's soldiers pondering his point.
Mustafa smirked internally, "We, who suffered by the treatment of the oppressive unicorns and tyrannical pegasuses must unite and fight against a common foe! Why shed blood between slaves when we could draw it from our masters?"
Murmurs and discussions spread throughout the encircled ranks; many agreeing on Mustafa's plea, as they did not want to see the consequences of denying them. They were in no position to deny it. It was either death or life.
Green would choose death
"GO TO TARATARUS!" Green roared.
...
An awkward period of silence followed, as Mustafa slowly retreated behind his line whilst shaking his head disappointedly. Many of the encircled soldiers painfully shrunk by their leader's outburst, and immediately dreaded his decision, however, nopony had the guts to speak against it.
Mustafa reached and grasped an officer's shoulder, bringing him close to issue an order. "Tell our soldiers to charge, but immediately fall back in place to charge again. Enough times and they should surrender." Mustafa pushed away the officer; expecting him to carry on the message throughout the lines in a few minutes. But for now, it was time to wear down the nerves for these mud-ponies.
"I SURRENDER! I SURRENDER!" A soldier madly announced as he lunged over his dead comrades and threw aside his weapons to slip into Mustafa's line. Countless more followed, even as the loyalists within the encircled troops attempted to yank them back into formation. There was just no hope.
"Sir! We need orders!" An officer desperately asked the increasingly miserable Green; who at this point held his hooves over his eyes and had folded himself pathetically with a deep frown.
He was in delusion; "Had he not do everything right..? Was Harold's book wrong..? Was he wrong in his interpretation..?
"SIR! WE NEED ORDERS!" The officer slammed his hooves whilst his gathered fellow officers fidgetted nervously.
Green broke from his thoughts and began looking around aimlessly; biting his bottom lip nervously whilst attempting to find a solution out of this mess. Then suddenly, he found it.
Green spotted a gap within Mustafa's line that seemed to lead away from Canterlot; he didn't know why it was there, but his mind quickly became clouded with the opportunity to break out from the encirclement and return to safe walls. He would have problems returning, but it would be his future brain's responsibility for now.
"THERE! A gap!" Green pointed, prompting his officers to trace his hooves to discover a noticeable gap within their enemy's lines. "We'll break out from this encirclement and return to our walls!"
"Why would you leave a gap, sir?" An officer scratched his head; dumbfounded that his marshal would intentionally allow their helpless enemy to escape.
Mustafa meanwhile, remained grinning; his grin turning into a maniacal smile once realising the surrounded mud-ponies began to position themselves towards the gap. "Any further attacks would be futile; the corpses of our brave soldiers are evident enough." Mustafa began to frown.
"Pardon my insolence sir, but you are making no sense." The officer's face contorted to one of annoyed disbelief. "This is the best possible opportunity to attack; they are out of their walls and they are surrounded."
Mustafa faced the officer looking offended, "I'm no idiot officer, and you are mistaken. My- no, Our goals are to take Canterlot and possibly vassalise the earth ponies." The officer nodded slowly, allowing Mustafa to continue, "-So why waste good stallion's lives grinding them against determined enemies, when you can simply route the enemies?" Mustafa turned towards the gap within his lines; now allowing a torrent of mud-ponies to escape. "After all, aren't all battles won by routes?"
The officer hung his head in embarrassment, "Of course! How did I forget the conventions of war?!" He began to rub the back of his head awkwardly, whilst Mustafa simply grinned in his wisdom.
Little did they know, Green's mud-ponies fought a very different kind of war. As unlike the ancient doctrines, victories would be won through blood and devastation.
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE:
It was at this point of the chapter I got stuck and couldn't figure out what to write next, so after a week of futilely thinking about it, I've decided to just say "FUCK IT" and gloss over the events. It may ruin the immersion/story/chapter, but I ain't fuckin' writing for your dumb-ass sake but for mine. Enjoy the oversimplifications of the following event.
> Green's encircled forces manage to escape, but are cut off when trying to return to the castle.
> Mustafa becomes dumbfounded that Green chose to turn back towards the castle. He orders his troops to re-encircle Green's smaller force and vows to not make the same mistakes again.
> The soldiers remaining in Canterlot spots Green's forces being chased by Mustafa's and fears the latter would encircle their leader.
> Rimpler leads a vanguard with volunteers to delay Mustafa's soldiers. He hesitantly brings Little to hopefully convince Green to abandon his plan.
> Rimpler hopelessly attacks Mustafa's forces, Little and a small detachment of veterans rush to Green's positions.
> The fates of Rimpler and the rest of the Vanguards are not told, but their death is obvious. Little weeps for the sacrifice.
> Mustafa's light screens are able to delay Green's forces.
> Mustafa's forces are able to re-encircle Green's forces. It becomes nighttime.
> Little catches up with Green.
OVERSIMPLIFICATION OVER! LET'S GET BACK INTO DAH CHAAAAAAAPTERRRRRRRRR
Green stared at Little as if she was seeing a ghost; watching her body heave and lower as she gasped painfully for oxygen. He was in disbelief; the nearby sounds of swords and stallions clashing being replaced by the sounds of his sister softly sobbing and gasping. "Why-?"
"Why..." Little barely lifted her head, allowing Green to see her tear-soaked face.
"How...How can you be so RECKLESS?!" Little briefly hovered in the air in a fit of rage, before quickly zipping into Green's face.
"WHY IN TARTARUS WOULD YOU LEAVE OUR DEFENCES?! WHY IN SOLARIS WOULD YOU ATTACK WITHOUT PLANS?! WHY DID YOU IGNORE YOUR GENERALS?!"
"Why?..."
"...Why did you abandon me..."
Little sunk to her flank, sobbing ceaselessly into her hooves.
Green blinked blankly until his forehooves gave out, and he collapsed on his stomach; tears beginning to well up in his eyes and his lips beginning to quiver.
"I thought you hated me... I thought you didn't want to-”
Little stuffed her salty-tearful hoof into Green's maw; silencing him. "...It's always assumptions... Isn't it?" Little opened her tearful eyes and began staring into Green's own. "...You always assume what I want, what I think and how I will feel..."
Green's pupils widened in realisation; He knew she was right. How could he have not realised sooner?! A wave of guilt hit Green, causing him to whimper and retract from Little's hoof. However, he was suddenly hugged by Little, which caused his head to fall back down towards the ground.
Little gently smiled, and closed her eyes. "I could never hate you... I always want to see you... You... You are my big bro..." Little's tears began rolling down Green's shoulder, causing him to flinch.
Green returned the hug, as he wrapped his forehooves around Little's smaller frame and pressed it against his nose. He closed his eyes.
For now, nothing else existed around them, as their reconnection drowned out any other noises than their breathing and sobbing. They would forever treasure this moment; however long that may be.
"I'm so sorry..." Green murmured, as he began to notice the sounds of clashing soldiers becoming louder and closer.
"...It's okay..." Little assured as she tightened the grip over Green's muzzle.
They both hoped for their end to be swift.
Mustafa watched on with giddy as his stallions quickly closed up into the centre of the encircled mud-ponies. "This time, They will not escape..."
"Well sir, it seems we're victorious." An officer appeared behind Mustafa; being the same one who had been sceptical of Mustafa's decision to allow Green's forces to escape. He wore a pretentious grin as he stood beside the Marshal.
Mustafa groaned.
"-Now. I'm not much of a jerk, but I think a told-you-so is in orde-" *TING*
Mustafa cringed as blood splattered across his face; barely noticing the officer who had now collapsed with a hole on his helmet snd head.
Across the field, a lone sniper cursed himself for missing his shot, whilst his partner face-clawed from the failure. A pony accompanying them was too busy marvelling at his binoculars to notice the miss.
His partner simply snatched the telephone beside them and slapped it against his ear and mouth in rage, "WE MISSED! GO FOR PLAN B!"
Mustafa had barely enough time to wipe off the blood, as he witnessed several streams of light gliding across the skies. ...And it was getting larger?"
Unearthly howls filled the battlefield, as all soldiers looked up to witness what had first seemed to be a shower of falling stars, but had been rebuffed once realising they were getting bigger, and bigger and BIGGER.
Everypony present traced the gliding lights, as they passed the clashing soldiers overhead and instead neared Mustafa's camp; coincidentally where his reserves and himself was at.
Mustafa's hooves gave out, as he collapsed on his flank once realising the blinding lights were headed for him. The sheer brightness caused him to squint and retract away from it whilst the rest of his camp panicked around him.
"How the buck is that fai-?!"
Mustafa's entire camp became engulfed in flames and blinding lights, as everypony who had traced the lights squinted from the explosion. Mustafa's forces still on the ground watched in disbelief as their loot, belongings and reinforcements seemingly disappeared in a matter of seconds.
Green's soldiers faced Mustafa's.
The latter faced the former.
"I SURRENDER!" The former shouted in unison; they definitely did not want to face whatever presumably unicorn bullshit which they had just witnessed.
While everypony was hesitant and fearful of what had just happened, Green and Little simply chuckled.
"...Griffons... You magnificent bastards..." They muttered.
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AHHHHHHHHHHH PUT ME OUT OF MY MISERYYYYYYYY
do this poll for (possibly) a new character: https://xoyondo.com/ap/m0oPmRDjcPGQ9Fu
I'm still busy btw. This chapter is merely the product of countless unorganised before-sleep time.
I vote Rommel.
I have edited this twice now. First time was me voting for Rommel but I got embarrassed and edited it to something about Equestria surviving despite not deserving it.
(Insert attack of dead men from sabaton)
nicely done still!
10926403
I was thinking about doing that. But as goes the saying: "save the best for last"
Is this based on some real battle? Just want to confirm if i need to be annoyed towards author or towards the humanity in general. Then again he is young and young people are always idiots and should not be given any real power...
10926450
Meh.
10926382
I’m honestly surprised Moltke the Elder wasn’t there. Besides, I think we should get some historical figures being reincarnated into the other races too. Imagine Bismarck’s shock and rage if Napoleon showed up after this little French Revolution among the Earth Ponies, or if Grant and Sherman or the Roosevelt’s took charge of a whole bunch of different races who banded together to form their own little USA. Hell, let’s have some race get Lenin and Stalin and bring forth Communism in a New Soviet Union, Bismarck’s worst nightmare. God, think of the possibilities.
On a sidenote, I expect nothing less than horror and fury from both Bismarck and Paul if Rommel shows up and tells them what happened in the early 20th century.
Bismarck: “You’re telling me an Austrian took power?! A FUCKING AUSTRIAN?!”
Ah yes, those Gerdmans have done it again!
Well met, considering this was written in your spare minutes.
Oh and though I didn't get to say "AND THE WINGED GRYPHARS ARRIVED" I do get to say:
Kayushas howls do blot the sky!
I can't believe I made a typo there...
10927776
A homeless Austrian no less. Truly a Bohemian Corporal
Congrats to Erwin Rommel for being chosen to be sent into Equis!
This time, he won't be stuck in some low-supply zone deserts! Instead, he will be in uncharted savage lands! Is that worse? I DON'T KNOW STOP ASKING ME THESE HARD QUESTIONS MY BRAIN HURTS
I never realized ,how much, I needed this story. I absolutely love this.
Keep up the good work.
10933948
this is a work of art comrade
10933948
Thanks! I needed this too
10926555
Nope! But probably is.
After many suggestions, here is a poll for new characters of different species:
https://xoyondo.com/ap/oFajKEnLGHcCbWC
And don't worry, I'm writing more chapters. I'm just trying to recover my reserves.
hitler vibs