> Of a German and American soldier in Equestria
>  by redspark
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue: Battle of the Bulge
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 1


“Battle of the Bulge”

 
The cold mountain wind moved slowly. From the  top of the tall pine trees of the region of Ardennes in the western front, to the final year of World War 2. Still, the silence of the prelude to battle covered entirely the region. No animals stirred, the cold snow and freezing air blinded, not letting much be seen. Still, American troops were stationed there. After all, the war had gone now  pushed more towards Germany and the Americans were slowly leaving that zone. The commanders of the troops were not expecting anything, at least not at the moment.
 
The tents of the small camp of soldiers that were defending that part moved with the wind as storm clouds approached; It was not going to be a good weather that day. The commanding officer stood alone, wearing a heavy winter military coat. His dark mustache covered in small frost as was his hair made him look, in a way, more intimidating than what he really was. He overlooked what he could from where he stood. A tent stirred as a private got out of it. He saw the officer and walked over.
 
“Sir.” He said as he walked beside him. The officer only acknowledged his presence by nodding slightly. “Nasty weather we got coming, no?” The officer smiled.
 
“Yes.” He said. The private stared around as well, overseeing everything around. It seemed so peaceful and so calm. There was no way the Germans would ever attack them. First, their aerial support would spot them as they approached, and these horrible conditions made it even more difficult to mount an attack. The private smiled at the thought of a nice, calm evening. The officer noticed his smile and shook his head.
 
“Don´t be fooled by the actual conditions private. War is not as predictable as many think it is. Who knows what the Germans would dare to do, especially now that were getting closer.” As he spoke, the wind began to howl as it became stronger. The officer´s hairs moved slightly as it passed him. The private shivered as he noticed he did not have a big coat on, but rather a small camo jacket. He looked around and shook his head.
 
“I believe the Germans are just too busy planning their defense they will not attack, and if they do, they will in better conditions.” He walked towards the tents. He hugged himself, trying to keep some heat as he entered into the nice, warm insides of the tent. The officer only glanced at him for a second and then resumed his watch. There was something in the air… something that made his mind uncomfortable.
 
After being so long in the war, he knew for some reason when things were about to get ugly, but still he knew if there was no proof of it, he couldn't bother his troops. Probably it was just a small concern which would go off in no time. Still…
 
He was going to turn around when he heard a bumming sound… a sound which only meant one thing.
 
“Artillery!!!” He shouted. Immediately shouts began to be heard across the camp. Men got out of their tents as more explosions were heard. The officer looked around to see if everyone was doing what was necessary. So far so good. He turned and inspected where the artillery was. The 6th panzer division was in that direction, and there had been recent attacks against it, so it probably was a counterattack. Still, this looked slightly more than a counterattack. He turned to look at the road they were supposed to be protecting. He walked over to a private.
 
“Private! We need to secure the road. If Germans are coming they will try to pass their tanks through there!” He said shouting over the thundering sound of explosions. The private nodded and ran off towards some other soldiers. The officer turned again at the direction fromm where the artillery was firing from. This could not be good…
 
Just then, one of the rounds of artillery fell within the camp. The officer covered himself as the deafening explosion sent some tents flying and created a crater in the middle. He quickly stood up and ran towards it.
 
“Men! Check for wounded!!!” He shouted. Immediately his men were running around.
 
“Medic!!” Shouted one. Other were helping some which had not been injured badly. The officer stared at the place where the artillery piece had fallen.
 
“Sir, Edward and Mc´konor are dead. Privates Stephen and Nicholas are wounded.” The officer nodded.
 
“See that the doctor checks them.” He said. The soldier saluted and ran off.  The officer looked back towards where the artillery was coming from.
 
This could not be good…
 

*   *   *   *

 
Finally the shooting stopped and the soldiers greeted with smiles the silence that followed after the last explosion. The officer was less enthusiastic.
 
“Men! Take position beside the road.” Everyone stopped cheering and went back to their duties. Some carried big machine guns towards the road as others single weapons. The officer cursed under his breath that they had been sent here with such a low number of soldiers. A hundred and fifty one; That wasn't good, considering that if there was indeed a German attack it would be much greater.
 
He picked his own gun and walked towards the road. In there they had placed a barricade and men prepared. Everyone finally fell silent.
 
That’s when the snowstorm began.
 
The officer cursed again and prepared his gun. There would be no air support. He then walked over to the radioman and told him to dial the command post. They only received static. This was absolutely NOT good. He walked over again to the barricade and prepared. Again everything turned silent. After an hour of waiting everyone was tired. They now thought no one was coming.
 
That´s when they heard the tank.
 
As a long barrel of a panzer tank suddenly appeared over a small hill where the road passed a man shouted.
 
“Tank!” Everyone turned stiff. The officer signaled the men that had an anti-tank gun to prepare. That´s when they saw the second tank… then the third. Men began to talk quietly. He knew what they were saying. This stand was hopeless.
 
Still, it had been their orders to defend that road at all costs, and so at all costs he was going to defend it.
 
“Men! Take aim!” He shouted. Everyone readied their guns. As soon as German soldiers began appearing over the hill, they began to fire. The Germans, which had been in a line, soon dropped their formations and began to shout as they returned fire.
 
The officer shoot some times before analyzing the situation. He nodded at the anti-tank guns as they fired. One of the tanks exploded in a hell of fire and smoke. The other two aimed at the barricade. As soon as the officer gave the order of firing again the gun, the two tanks fired. The barricade went flying in pieces. Shouts of men were heard all around as some fell wounded or killed. The doctor ran towards the scene with an escort. The officer looked around. This battle was heavily lost. They were outnumbered by the hundreds. Blame the commanders and their intelligent decisions. Still, he saw that somehow the Germans had fallen into disarray themselves. If he could somehow use that to his own advantage…
 
The tanks fired again, this time close to the officer. He was sent flying back, and as he landed he felt a sharp pain in the head and everything went black…
 

*   *   *   *

 
“Attack!” shouted an officer. The German private prepared his gun to the great battle that would be fought. He saw the Americans ready for them, but they were lesser in number. They were going to win this. He shouted along his comrades as they advanced, shooting at them. He loaded his gun three times as he advanced, as well as his fellow soldiers. He saw some fall at the enemy´s guns, but he also saw the Americans fall. This was going better than he had anticipated. He was loading again when an explosion was heard and he felt everything suddenly turn hot. After that, he felt the soft grass and then no more…
 

*   *   *   *

 
His head ached terribly as he opened his eyes. The blinding light of the sun made him need to close them up again. Sun? In the middle of winter? That was new. He also felt heat, extreme heat due to his own winter coat. He opened his eyes and managed to keep them open this time. He sat and took off his jacket. As he did so, he saw his surroundings.
 
If one thing he was sure was that he was no longer in Ardennes. All around him he  saw some trees and a forest nearby, and no snow. He stood up and breathed in and then out. He looked around and saw his rifle a few feet from him. He picked it up and began walking. He remembered his coat but continued moving on. He would not need it here and it would only prove to be a burden.
 
Then he heard the groan of another person close by. He turned and saw what he didn´t wanted to see: German soldier. He aimed his gun just as the soldier saw him. The German looked at his own rifle, then at the American officer. He moved so fast the officer fired his gun second late, missing by a lot. The German picked his own rifle and pointed it at the officer. Both stared at each other, none firing nor saying a word. Finally the German spoke. His accent was strong, but his English easily understandable.
 
“Where is this plade?” He asked, making “place” sound strange. The officer shrugged slightly.
 
“I had hopes you knew.”
 
Bothe kept on looking at each other. None moved a single muscle. Minutes passed, and still, nothing.
 
Finally the American groaned. “Look, I can do this all day, but that doesn't mean that I want to.  Why don't we just drop this.” He immediately regretted saying that. He had said that at a German?! How low he had placed himself. The German seemed slightly confused.
 
“Mmm… I… I agreed vith you.” He said, again, making the “with” sound weird. Still, the American didn't  cared.
 
The German soldier lowered his rifle. The American lowered his seconds later.
 
“Now, I´d like to know where in hell are we.” The officer said. The German nodded.
 
“Thame here.” He said. The American stopped paying attention to the weird accent he could speak as he wanted.
 
“Alright. I propose a truce. You don't kill me, I don´t kill you.” The officer said. The German nodded. “Perfect.” He moved his hand towards him.
 
The German hesitated, but ended up shaking it.
 
“I´m officer Davis, by the way.” The German nodded.
 
“My name is Louis.” The German said.
 
Davis nodded. “Alright, now to see where are…” He stopped as he noticed a… WHATTHEHECKWASHTAT???!!!
 
Louis also stared in shock at what they were watching, because right there, in front of them, was a pastel colored horse… no, pony. It was smaller than a horse. The creature stared at them the same way. The three didn't said anything.
 
Finally the… thing… spoke.
 
“Mmm… I guess you are not from around here…”




"Battle of the Bulge"





> Where are we?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 2
Where are We?


“Mmm… I guess you aren't from around here…” The cartoon pony said, for it LOOKED like a cartoon. In fact, after Davis thought a little longer about it, everything around looked like one of those cartoons, only that in color. Still, they looked much more realistic. He stared dumbfounded at it. He opened his mouth and closed it again. Louis was doing no better. He seemed taken aback by the pony talking and his eyes were as open as any eyes could be. Even then he was the one that spoke.

“N-no, ve are not.” He said slowly. The German accent was the one that snapped Davis out of his surprised trance. He nodded slowly after looking at Louis slightly. The pony seemed not better in digesting the situation.

The pony seemed to be taking really slow breaths and its wings and ears were pointing upwards. Her eyes had shrunk and her feet were trembling slightly. She, because it had a she-voice, nodded also.

Her mane and tail was yellow, and her coat a light grey. Her eyes were a golden color, but what made him look at them on the first place was that they were not on the same position as normal eyes. One was looking the wrong way, which confused a little Davis. Also, there was one curious thing in her that made him even more surprised: she had WINGS, which made Louis immediately remember a book he had read once about mythological creatures. This pony was a Pegasus, taken from Greek mythology, and, still, it was standing in front of him. He now didn´t know what confused him more. The fact that he was someplace he completely didn't recognize, that he was side by side an American and were not killing each other, there was a cartoon pony or that it was a Pegasus. His head began to hurt, which surprised him because not even in the middle of the battlefield with all the tanks and bombs and rifles shooting he never had headaches.

Davis looked around, now looking a little less shocked. At least he was getting on with the initial shock if all.

“Mmm… May you be kind as to tell me where are we?” He asked. The pony gulped.

She obviously had never seen a human before, which Davis soon noticed looking at her eyes scanning from head to toes each of them. She ended on his eyes. She immediately dropped her gaze, trying to stop eye contact. Davis sighed. It would probably take a lot to make her talk. He was about to talk again when she spoke.

“Err… you´re beside the Everfree forest… not far from Ponyville.” She said it pretty quietly, Davis was surprised he had actually heard it. Still, the answer was of no use. It hadn't told him anything, apart that they were close to a town.

“I mean, which country, or…” The thought had already crossed his mind, but it seemed ridiculous to even think about it. It was impossible!!! “…or which planet or land.” He almost laughed at himself for asking that question. It sounded so dumb.

Still, the pony seemed to understand.

“Ohh!” She blushed slightly. “You're in Equestria… don't know what you mean by ´planet´ though.” Davis nodded. Yep, he had been an idiot asking that.

But at least now he knew where he was.

He was in a non-existent country, or land, or whatever this god-forsaken place it was.

He sighed and looked at Louis beside him. He was also processing the newly-acquired information. He didn't seemed pleased.

“Vhat do you mean by Equestria? That doesn't exist!” He exclaimed. The pony shrank at his sudden outburst. Davis walked over to him angrily.

“And just what do you think you are doing?” He asked angrily at the German. Louis seemed surprised by Davis´ accusation.

“Well, she just told us something illogical. We aren't in such a place. It doesn't exist!” Davis pushed him back softly.

“You're scaring her, and she´s the only creature here that we've seen so far. What do you think she'll think of us if the very first thing she knows is that you got angry about something she said without any reason?” He said. Louis took in the information.

“Okay. Sorry…” that´s when he realize he had just apologized to an American. He looked at Davis with hostile eyes. Still, he pushed him softly and walked over to the now-cowering-behind-her wings pony.

“Hey, I´m sorry for screaming. I just have never heard of Equestria before and I didn´t thought before shouting.”

The pony peeked out of her wings and looked at Louis. She slowly stood up again. She nodded, although her feet were now shivering more strongly.

“You said there was a town nearby?” Davis asked. The pony nodded. “Could you take us there?” She looked at him for a second.

“Yes.” She said. Apparently Davis´ new attitude seemed to be making her feel more comfortable. The American smiled.

“I´m Officer Davis, by the way. He´s Private Louis.” He pointed at the German.

“My name is Derpy, Derpy Hooves.

“Nice meeting you miss. Could you lead the way?” She nodded, now her fear almost completely gone from her face.

“Of course.” She said, smiling faintly. She waited for Louis to walk over and she walked in the town´s direction. Both soldiers followed Derpy as she made her way through some small hills. In less than a minute they were overlooking a colorful town.

To Davis it was just TOO colorful.

She kept walking as the two stopped to look at the town of Ponyville. Soon they returned to her side. Derpy stopped in front of the town, letting the two see it up close.

“Welcome to Ponyville!” She said happily. Davis smiled as he noticed no trace of fear from the grey Pegasus. That was good, now they had someone that could help them with the locals.

“It is…” Louis said, not quite finding the words for it. He eyed everything around. His face was something pretty funny to look at, at least if Davis wasn't so sure his own looked almost the same.

“Yes, it is a very beautiful town, isn't it?” Derpy said happily. Davis disagreed. It was just too… too colorful, and too much pink in it. God, he hated pink soooo much!

Davis looked at Derpy and Louis. Derpy was smiling as she noticed the two soldier´s impressions of surprise at the town. Louis was in complete shock. He obviously hadn't expected this.

“So Derpy, care to show us where we can find anyone that could help us find our way out of…” He stopped. Maybe he shouldn't tell her they were not from this land? Might it frighten her? Who knew, it was possible she already had it worked out that they were not from Equestria after all.

“…Some one that can help you in returning to whichever place you´re from? I know just the pony!” She said. Davis looked surprised at Derpy. She had really worked everything out.

“What? It was obvious at the way you look around, seeming completely lost and confused. I´ve seen that face lots of times, only not… well, not in other thing that´s not a pony.” She said.

Davis nodded. “Yes, I understand. I have not seen any other creatures able to speak apart from other humans such as myself or him.” He looked at the town. He checked that all his equipment was there. “Care to lead the way?” Derpy nodded and the three were soon moving across the colorfully-bothering town.

As they passed beside a bakery the two soldiers stopped. Derpy kept walking until she noticed them. She then stopped also.

The building was also pretty colorful, but what really caught the soldiers´ attention was the smell. The two had not eaten anything with such a smell in years! They looked at a pony leaving the bakery. She saw at the two staring at her and immediately went running away, screaming.

“O my, do we really look that bad?” Davis asked aloud. Louis shrugged. Derpy walked over to them.

“I don´t think you have any bits?” The two looked at her confused. She chuckled and took out four bits, giving each one two. “Here, each one is a bit. You buy it with that. I´ll go with you so you know what to do.”

Davis took the small golden coins. Was it gold? He bit it slightly as his teeth made a small mark. Yes, it was. He saw Derpy look at him curiously.

“I did it to see if it was gold.” He said on his defense. Derpy nodded slowly.

“Ooookaaay… Follow me!” She said. The two followed her inside.

The sweet air of bread overflowed their nostrils as they walked to the counter. There, a pink pony was attending a customer. The two soldiers heard gasps of surprise as they made their way through the shop, but they ignored them. Finally they made it to the counter. The pony paying turned round and immediately shrank at the sight. She took her bags and ran out. Davis sighed. They stopped in front of the counter and Davis expected the pink pony to hide away or something, instead she gasped in surprise, but not like on an scared way, but rather in a surprised-yet-happy way. She immediately jumped up and fell behind them.

“You're new to Ponyville!” She exclaimed. She then somehow appeared next to Louis. “My name’s Pinkie Pie, and yours?!” She said half-shouting. Louis covered his ears. Pinkie jumped around, expecting the answer.

“I am Officer Davis, he´s Private Louis.” He tried to keep the pony on sight. How she managed to move so fast he had no idea.

“Nice to meet you.” She said. Davis stared in surprise at Pinkie. She had technically returned to where she was before behind the counter, but without really going to it. Last he remembered, she was jumping behind him.

All her jumping was causing some ponies to look into the store. Some simply opened their eyes wide at the sight of the soldiers while others stared dumbfounded. Inside the ponies tried to ignore the new creatures inside, although they made it obvious it was very difficult for them. Some took a peek or two at them, only to quickly go back to staring at their food.

“How did you…?” Davis and Louis asked simultaneously.  “How did you got there so fast??” Davis finished.

“Walking silly!” She said happily. “Oh, hey Derpy!” she said noticing the Pegasus. The two soldiers looked at each other in confusion. That was something strange.

Louis stopped looking at the creepy pink pony when he realized something. She didn´t had wings. After peeking quickly at her to confirm it, he scanned the rest of the store. There was also another pony with a horn. A HORN, like a UNICORN! The ponies he looked at quickened their pace.

He decided it was just too much. This got to be a dream. He needed to wake up.

He walked over to a table and hit himself hard in the head with it. Davis noticed, as well as Derpy and Pinkie and the ponies around.

“What are you doing?!” Davis asked walking over.

“I'm vaking up. This isn't real. You're not real, they aren't real, these…” He said, extending his hands. “…isn't real.” He prepared to hit himself when Davis stopped him.

“Look, I know this seems unbelievable, but it IS real. Now, stop acting weird or I will confirm my thoughts about Germans being complete idiots.” Louis shrugged as he stopped leaning on the table and walking to the counter were Derpy had bought them two a piece of cake.

“Here, take this.” She said, handing them the cakes. The two took them and began to eat. Immediately their faces lit up. They had not eaten a cake in years, and even then this was by far the BEST they had ever tried in their lifetimes. The cake was soon in their bellies. Derpy watched them eat it smiling to herself.

When they were done they walked out of the bakery. Pinkie watched them go and waved them goodbye. The two made it like if they had not seen her, trying to look around. Soon they had left the bakery behind.

Derpy smiled. “You liked it, didn´t you?” Davis nodded. Louis didn't made any gesture, but rather remained looking forward.

“Yes, pretty good I must confess.” Davis said. Louis seemed slightly bothered by what he said. “What?” Davis asked angrily after noticing that. Louis shrugged and kept walking. Davis sighed and kept walking, not looking at Louis.

Finally Derpy stopped. “Here we are! The Ponyville library, home to princess Twilight Sparkle.” She said proudly pointing at a hollowed tree with a building on its interior. The two stared surprised at it. To Davis, what a surprising and admirable and… big tree. An it´s not pink… almost. To Louis, that is weird and… well, just weird.

“Wait, you said Princess Twilight Sparkle? Does that really means a princess lives there??” Davis asked. Louis paid attention to that.

“Yes, one of our four princesses.” Derpy said. Davis gulped.

“But wouldn't it be… rude for us to go and knock in her… tree?” The American asked. Derpy laughed.

“Not at all, in fact, I think she'll be thrilled to meet you!” Davis nodded and approached the big tree house. Louis and Derpy followed. He knocked the door and soon heard footsteps approaching. He gulped anxiously as the door opened revealing the interior and whoever lived inside…

> Princesses, Griffons and Wolves
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 3


Princesses, Griffons and Wolves

 
Davis sat uncomfortably on the only chair he had found on the entire library/house/palace? Of princess Twilight Sparkle. He tried to get himself comfortable on the little chair, but it was designed for ponies, and humans were larger than the average pony, which meant he felt he was sitting on a child´s chair. He looked at Louis who seemed to be more comfortable. He had sat on a couch, still pretty small, but absolutely comfortable. He groaned and stared at the books all around him.
 
As soon as they had knocked the door, a little purple and green (yes, it was a dragon even though it didn't looked like one) dragon. The dragon, which they now knew was called Spike, had stared at them exactly the same way the two soldiers had stared at him: astounded. Finally the trance was ended when a purple pony with wings and a horn appeared. She asked Spike the dragon what was keeping and then she noticed the two of them. She had taken some seconds to process what she was seeing, but apparently she took it in a faster, if not more mature, way. She had told them to get comfortable and had gone to fetch a paper and a quill… and that´s where the two were now.
 
Davis stared at the princess confused. Was that a princess of this land? Where was all the regal stuff and the super important thing in her? She seemed just like a normal pony, only with a pair of wings and a horn, what was special about her?
 
“Are you listening?” Davis heard. He almost jumped out of his chair.
 
“Yeah, yeah… I kind of zoned out for a second.” The officer answered hearing a chuckle from Louis. He sighed. “Sorry, what was that you said?”
 
Twilight cleared her throat. “I asked where were you from.”
 
Davis shrugged. “I´m from a country called United States of America, but I appeared here after a tank exploded beside me on France in a zone called the Ardennes.”
 
Twilight had his mouth slightly opened. Apparently that had raised more questions than the ones he had answered. She wrote something on the paper.
 
“You say you are from the United States of America. Both of you, then?
 
Louis shook his head. “No, I am from Germany.” He move himself in a more comfortable position on the couch. Twilight wrote that down.
 
“So you are both clearly not from Equestria nor any place near it… I wonder, where are you from on a map.” She thought for a moment. Davis was starting to get a little impatient.
 
“Sorry for telling this princess, but I think we have a more important matter on our hands…” He stopped and stared at the princess´ hooves for a second. “…or hooves in your case. We want to return to our world, if it so happens we're really on a different world, and to know if you would, by chance, know of any way to do that.”
 
Twilight sighed and dropped her quill and the paper on a nearby table. Davis looked as the purple aura of ´magic´ that surrounded that faded away. He would NEVER get used to that.
 
“I´m sorry to disappoint you, officer, but I have no clue to what brought you here. You say something exploded before you appeared here. I guess the explosion might have triggered some spell or enchantment on the area, or maybe somepony wanted you here and created a portal. I´m sorry of those are barely guesses, but I have nothing else.” She walked over to the window. “Not that I don't want to find out. I´ll help you, but I will need help.” She turned to Spike. “Spike, write a letter to princess Celestia.” The dragon appeared with a quill on his claws.
 
“Ready” he said.
 
“Dear Princess Celestia…” Twilight began. Davis didn't hear the rest. He looked at the ceiling, feeling for the first time a small spark of despair on his body. He was trembling slightly. What if he couldn't return? In the war, even a single soldier was important. What if he was needed and he was not going to be there to help? He thought about his house, not that it mattered much to him, he lived alone. Hi parents were dead and his brother was the worst person he had ever met. He was alone, but he loved his country. He couldn't just NEVER return.
 
Louis stood up and walked towards the door.
 
“And just where do you think you are going?” Davis asked.
 
Louis stopped as he opened the door. “I´ll take some air.” He walked out of the door and closed it. Davis noticed he had his rifle, but he simply groaned and closed his eyes.
 
*   *   *   *   *
 
Outside night was falling in. Louis looked around. Most of the ponies were already inside their houses. Good, he didn't wanted to get unwanted attention.
 
As he walked, his thoughts began to organize on his mind. He liked to walk because of that: it cleared his mind to think better. He thought on his first problem. He needed to find a way to return to Germany. There was no way on any worlds that existed that he would stay there. He would rather die than remain in there forever.
 
He reached the end of the town. In front of him was a dark forest. According to a map he had seen on the princess´ house it was called the Everfree.  Also, it wasn't a place one would want to go. That last thing made up his mind.
 
He was going there.
 
After looking back once he stepped into the trees that soon covered the sky and turned the world almost completely black. He took out a lantern and kept on walking. Strange sounds came from all around, and he instinctively took the rifle more firmly. He knew that whatever was out there wasn't dangerous enough to survive his rifle.
 
After some more minutes of walking he saw a little hut. He wondered what was in it and he walked closer. The smell of something cooking inside made him smile. It had been a long time since he had eaten something that was actually cooked and not baked. Meat, how much he desired some at the moment. He stopped in front of the door and knocked. He heard the sound of hooves inside moving and walking to the door. It opened, revealing a small-sized zebra.
 
Louis smiled kindly. “Good night ma'am. I’d like to know vat are you cooking.” The zebra stared a little shocked at him, but her face was more of a curious face than confused or scared.
 
“I will tell what I'm cooking, that is, if you tell me why on these woods you are wandering.” Louis shrugged.
 
“Don´t know, just bored I guess.”
 
“Bored you say, then enter you may.” The zebra said. “If meat you want, stop you I can´t.” Louis nodded.
 
“Thank you.” He said stepping inside. He smelled the meat and walked to a table. He stopped when he saw what else was in there.
 
He had read of those also on mythology. A griffon they were called. That was why a zebra had meat being cooked on her house: Griffon. The griffon stared at him, though more challenging than surprised.
 
“And who are you?” He said. His voice was rough, but still sounded a little young. “No, wait, first tell me what are you?” He had stood up and seemed a little tense. Louis knew what to do to relax things a little.
 
“I am a human, and my name is Louis, Private Louis.” He sat down in front of the table. There were no chairs, so he needed to sit with his legs crossed. He noticed that the griffon relaxed a little. He was definitely taller than the griffon, but that wouldn´t help on a fight. He saw the nasty looking claws on the legs. He kept his rifle close.
 
“A private you say? So, a military I guess.” Louis seemed confused at the griffon knowing that. “What, I guess you've only met ponies, no? We griffons are not ponies, Private Louis. We have a history of warriors. No other creature is better at warfare than us.” He said proudly.
 
Louis laughed. “Well, I think I'd doubt that. We humans are so bad at learning from the past that all our history is of wars. In fact, last time I was on my lands I was on a war.” The griffon moved closer.
 
“A war? You've been to an actual war? How are they like!?” He seemed strangely amazed by the prospect of war. Louis shivered thinking at what type of creature would feel amazed by the war… He shook the thought away. There were many humans like that, but he had never expected to meet a creature on that happy land with such thoughts.
 
“Yes, I was.” He smiled. “But before I tell you something about it I´d like to know your name.”
 
The griffon smiled. “I am Quick Claw.” He said. “Now tell me.”
 
Louis cleared his throat. It was going to be a long talk…
 
*   *   *   *   *
 
“…and so I ended here.” Louis finished. Quick Claw stared at him with a strange mixture of amazement and respect. That was something he had not expected from the griffon.
 
“You are an amazing griffon, err… human, Louis. It takes a lot of courage to fight in a war.” He said. “Even some griffons seem scared about it, and I had not known other creature to go for one with your mentality of victory. Still, with what you told me it seemed to me that you were losing the war.”
 
Louis sighed. “Even if I try not to think of that, yes, all my fellow men thought that. In fact the battle with which I was sent here was believed to be a desperate attempt to turn the tide of the war. I fear I won´t see if it works.”
 
Quick Claw shrugged. “I am sorry for that.”
 
They had already finished the meat, and the zebra, which now Louis knew was named Zecora and seemed to talk always in rhyme, had gone out to fetch some plants and was not going to be back until after the sun was out.
 
“I think I better be going Quick Claw. I and another soldier named Davis are trying to return and we got the help from one of the princess´. Quick Claw opened his eyes in surprise.
 
“Well then, don't let the princess waiting. I wish you luck Louis, and I Hope we meet again someday.” The griffon said. Louis nodded.
 
“I hope the same.” He said as he stood up and walked to the door. “Give my thanks to Zecora.”
 
Outside it was very cold. He walked fast towards the town. After some minutes he began to hear something following him. Then when he looked back he saw a pair of green eyes watching him from the shadows. He readied his rifle and walked slowly, keeping watch on the eyes. Then he noticed the second and third pair of eyes. That couldn't be good. As soon as he lifted his rifle a strange creature jumped into the little light his flashlight gave him. It seemed like a wolf, only made out of… wood?
 
He smiled. Piece of cake.
 
He pulled the trigger and the wolf groaned in pain as soon as one of its legs crumpled on the ground in a disaster of woods and sticks. Louis didn't stop to look at it though, because as soon as he shot he turned to the second wolf and shot, then to the third. He felt a sharp pain on his back as he felt his feet leave the floor. Soon he landed hard on his face, he  quickly stood up. He looked at the creature that had thrown him. It was the first wolf… and his leg was healed. He looked at the other two wolves and as he saw that their missing pieces slowly attached again to their bodies.
 
“Come on! That is definitely not fair.!” He shot again, this time three shots, at the first and to the head. It exploded and the whole wolf crumbled. Now, if it didn't remained that way he was sure he was screwed. The other two saw their fallen companion and growled, pouncing at him. He shoot twice at another wolf, hitting him once on the head and another on the belly. It fell hard on the floor. One of his eyes was no longer glowing.
 
The other managed to get to him and threw him against a tree. The rifle slipped of his hands and landed a good feet away from him. Now that was definitely not good.
 
He looked for his gun on his belt and pulled it out. It wasn't as strong as the rifle, but it would surely cause damage. He shot as the wolf pounced again at him. The wolf fell as five shots exploded its head. The only remaining wolf was the one with one eye. Louis smiled and picked up his rifle. After checking it was fine he pointed at his other eye.
 
“You should have chosen a different target, beast. Bad luck I vasn´t the normal easy prey.” He pulled the trigger as the head exploded in wood. He covered his head as small stick flew all around.
 
He walked away without looking twice.
 
*   *   *   *   *
 
Louis entered the library and noticed that Twilight and Davis were both sleeping. Twilight on top of a book and Davis on the couch. The dragon was nowhere to be seen. The German walked to the chair and looked at it. He sighed and laid on the floor.
 
“Twi!” came a shout that startled both soldiers and the princess. “The princess is sending a…!” He stopped in mid-sentence as he burped out some green fire and a letter appeared. Louis blinked twice, trying to make sure he had not seen wrongly. Davis seemed surprised as well, but he seemed to have known that would happen.
 
Twilight picked the scroll with her magic and read it. She looked at the two soldiers.
 
“What is it?” Davis asked, standing up.
 
Twilight cleared her throat. “The princess has said that she would like to meet you personally. We need to leave as soon as possible to Canterlot.”
 
She smiled. “And then maybe we will have the answer to take you back to your world…”


> Train
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 4


Train


The train whistle seemed to startle all the ponies aboard the train.

Not the two soldiers of course.

They were now so used to sudden sounds (explosions, gunshots and such) that a simple train whistle didn't bothered them at all. Even if they had actually slept.

They were now on a train with final destination in Canterlot, capital of the land of Equestria. The trip had lasted some hours now, and to think that the huge mountain city seemed so close from the little town of ponyville.

Davis was looking out of the window, trying to clean his rifle. He had been cleaning it throughout the whole trip, which made Louis doubt if he was really cleaning if not actually messing around with it, trying to rub off invisible and inexistent dust.

He instead used his time to check on his gun and rifle. After his recent fight he was a little worried his only way of defense might have been damaged. He couldn't have a replacement and he had been hit pretty hard by the wolf, which now he knew were called timberwolves. When he had asked Twilight about it he had needed to tell her the whole story of how he fought them. She had gotten pretty curious about his rifle and the pistol right away.

He had told her that they were dangerous in inexperienced hands and had ended up giving a demonstration of a shot fired at a tree. Of course of he had known that he would make the yellow pony angry for hitting a tree, a home of her friend the squrriel he would have managed to skip a bothersome chapter of trying to calm her down and tell her that a bullet wasn't gonna kill the tree...

God, she reacted terribly!

After finally calming everyone... everypony down, they had the help princess Twilight go get all her friends to go to Canterlot, the capital of Equestria, to meet the princess of the sun about some urgent matters. The letter telling her to go didn't specify anything, only to be careful along the way.

What that was supposed to be,  the two soldiers had no idea. So far the land of Equestria had proven to be in peace and after some talk with Twilight. Davis had learned that there had not been war in many years, enough years to make the inhabitants of the land forget about warfare. It seemed too good to be true, at least to Davis' eyes.

The scenery seemed to change nothing as the train approached the mountain where the capital city stood. Soon they had entered a tunnel, leaving them all with the faint light of the train car lights. 

So far nothing special had happened, and since most of the trip everyone had been asleep. It had left Davis with enough time to think and organize his thoughts.

So far he knew a couple of things about this land:

First, there were three races of ponies, earth, Pegasus and unicorns. The princesses were called Alicorns and had all the grits from the three races and were far more powerful than any of the other the three.

So far, this land had not suffered war in at least a thousandth years, which seemed too good to be true. Maybe that wasn't true or they simply were not informed of any wars around. It just seemed too far-fetched.

He looked at his rifle. He had it close to him, even if he felt safe. His instincts were shouting him to be weary of anything, especially after being transported into a land of magical talking pastel-colored horses. He sighed as his mind began to get on with the new idea of where he was. He had been slightly shocked at first, which definitely made him feel not as confused as he would have surely felt.

Now he was finally realizing all that had happened so far. He had been beside an exploding tank and, as Louis said he had been beside one as well, that meant it probably was know of the reasons they had been transported there. Still, as much as he preferred returning back to Earth, being alive and on this land if Equestria seemed a much better prospect than on Earth.

He placed his rifle on the floor beside him slowly, making sure not to make much noise. Everypony inside the train seemed to be waking up after that whistle, which seemed something pretty lame to wake up for. He could stay asleep with shooting practiced behind his tent, not that he actually did that... well, almost never at least.

Louis was on the other side of the train car, looking outside as well. He sighed as the train entered the tunnel. He began to feel slightly anxious. Enclosed spaces always made him feel uneasy. He looked at his rifle slowly, making sure it was close to him and at hand's reach. He felt slightly relieved when he felt it brush against his hand. He looked outside the train and into the tunnel. The tunnel walls looked pitch black and even if they were not there he could never tell.

He saw that the ponies were already stretching and seemed to get ready to leave the train.

"How much longer?" He asked out loud. The princess answered.

"Not more than ten minutes. “Right now we are ascending the mountain." Twilight said. Louis nodded and looked back at the darkness outside the train. 

Davis searched through his pockets making sure he had everything. He had his rifle and gun, which he considered very important in a new land and alone with a German. 

He looked at the German private, wondering how he was managing not to kill him. He was a German, after all. He felt anger remembering all his fallen comrades die under German guns. That made him very angry, but he knew they needed each other in order to escape the land they had been taken to, even if he wasn't sure what help he would be.

He kept on looking through his uniform. He had a small bag of canned food and also, something he had not realized he had until he looked at his suit back at the library, three grenades. 

He had nothing else.

Louis probably had more things as well, but sharing them with Davis was definitely out of question. As he knew he didn't trusted the German, Louis probably didn't trusted him either.

That sounded worse than he thought it would sound...

Sudden light blinded Louis as the train got out of the tunnel. He rubbed his eyes as they adjusted to the light.

Louis had seen a lot of surprising places throughout his life, but the sigh in front of him was one of the most surprising ones he had ever seen. 

The wall itself was surprising. It stood at least 12 feet tall, making a shadow over the train as it passed beside it. There were huge white towers with yellow covered wooden tops, looking specifically easing for a siege. How someone could siege a city almost suspended on platforms over the air Louis had no idea. 

The train made a turn and entered through a gate designed for trains and into a station.

The station wa a pretty simple, compared to the walls and the towers but he was at at the capital city nonetheless. 

The buildings seemed like a typical medieval age building, but somehow they seemed... newer. The streets were paved with stone and the sound of hooves against stone was really strong all around. In the other side of the city, Louis saw the palace. The most impressive part of it were two towers, one with a golden top and the other one with a dark blue. The golden tower was taller and both were pretty thin, at least for towers that size.

Princess Twilight went off the train, soon followed by the rest with only Louis and Davis remaining in the train. The two slowly stood up and took their rifles, making sure they were not leaving anything behind. They walked off the train almost at the same time.

The princess laughed at their expressions as they walked over to them. 

"What? I suppose you were not expecting this." She said. The dragon spike was taking the luggage from all and carrying it on his back. It was surprising how he could carry them, but it was apparent due to the dragon's expression of huge effort that it was something he could barely do. The whole luggage was at least ten times his size; that was something Davis and Louis knew they could never achieve themselves.

Davis looked at Twilight. "Well, really, no. I was expecting something less... Surprising." He looked around.

Louis sighed and place the rifle on his back. 

They were beginning to attract attention. If it was because there were two strange creatures there or because the princess was there Davis had no idea.

Soon a chariot arrived and five golden armored ponies got off it. They immediately took a formation and went towards the ponies and the two soldiers. One of them went to help Spike with the luggage.

"Princess Twilight." Said one that was wearing a helmet different than the other guards. "We were sent to escort you to the palace."

Twilight seemed confused and even slightly shocked. "Why? I've told princess Celestia that I don't need an escort of guards." 

"I'm sorry princess, but the princess said it was very important for us to escort you. She also told me that she'll explain why once you are safe at the palace." The guard said. Davis noticed that Spike had joined Twilight and the guard that had gone to help him was already gone.

Twilight sighed. "Alright, then let's go." She said. The guard nodded and soon they were walking along the streets of Canterlot. Davis and Louis were trying to look around at the city, but the guards were moving pretty fast and didn't allow them to see much.

Finally they were at the palace's gates. Two huge doors were wide open, revealing the palace's main hall. They entered the palace.

Davis expected the guards to go on their own way, but they kept moving along with them. Apparently they were guiding them somewhere.

Twilight seemed to know that they were not going to leave them. "Captain, you told us that until we arrived at the palace." 

The guard nodded. "I'm sorry princess, but Celestia..." 

"Celestia told you one thing. I'm sorry, but I don't like escorts. I'm telling now that we can find ourselves our way to Celestia's study." twilight said interrupting the guard. 

The escort looked between each other worriedly, waiting to see what the captain said.

"As you say princess." He said slowly. He made a gesture with his head and the escort disbanded the formation. Soon the guards were gone.

"That was... Weird." Rainbow Dash, the bearer of the element of loyalty, said. She flew over them. That statement was answered by uneasy nods from all the ponies present.

"I tell ya, this ain't looking good to me." Said AppleJack, an orange mare that wore a Stetson hat and had a country accent. She bore the element of honesty, or so the two soldiers had been told. None of the two had had the opportunity to meet them.

"Yes, but we need to see the princess. I'm sure she'll tell us what is going on." Twilight said, starting to walk. The others followed.

Davis and Louis remained slightly behind, trying to make sense of what was going on. They had not been more than two days, and yet there seemed to be a problem arising, that much they could both see.

Soon they arrived at a large door. Half of it was a golden color while the other one was a dark blue one. Twilight knocked the door.

Soon the doors opened, revealing those inside...
> Canterlot
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 5


Canterlot


The doors opened wide, revealing what was inside. It was a big room with a pair of doors one beside the other. One was golden and the other dark blue.  A golden chandelier hung from the middle of the ceiling. There was a huge window looking out to a balcony that overlooked the city. Davis guessed they were in one of the towers.

Louis was more interested in knowing who opened the door. Surprisingly, the doors had opened on their own. As Twilight and her friends looked around, probably confused themselves, he went over to the door and began to inspect it. How had it opened for itself?

He turned as the sound of a door being opened reached his ears. The golden door was opening as a white pony entered the room. Louis wasn't sure what struck him more about that pony; that she was taller than the rest of the ponies or her multi colored mane that seemed to be floating like if there was no gravity. He saw the ponies kneel, so he followed.

"Don't worry about formalities right now. We have important things to discuss." She said. Her voice sounded kind, but there was a worry in it. It was obvious something was wrong.

"Of course princess." Twilight said.

The princess opened her mouth to say something. Her eyes passed over Louis and Davis. She stopped.

Louis bowed again as did Davis.

"You must be the... the Humans Twilight spoke about in the letter." She said. Davis and Louis nodded. "I'll talk to both of you soon to see about your... Problems and questions. Now I need to see something with Twilight." She turned to everypony. "I'm afraid alone."

The ponies nodded slowly and began to leave. Davis and Louis went after them. As the door closed though, Celestia spoke.

"Maybe not you..." Twilight said something to the princess. "...Davis. I would like to know some things about your world." Davis looked confused but remained inside. Louis seemed a little bothered but nevertheless left. The door closed soon after that.

"Come, take a seat." The white princess said appearing a small table with four chairs. Davis nodded as he walked slowly and sat on the chair. He found that the chair seemed to be of a better size for him than the one on Princess Twilight's library. He waited politely.

"What is it that you called for me, princess." Twilight asked. Celestia sighed, her smile fading away.

"I'm sorry to ask you to come on such short notice, but this are urgent matters that require immediate attention..." The sound of doors being opened interrupted her as the blur doors opened, letting a dark blue pony into the room. The pony was taller than other ponies just like Celestia and her mane was also floating,  her mane colors were  light dark blue and dark blue with spots of white lights dancing around as it moved,

"Sorry for taking longer sister, I seemed to have fallen asleep." She said, sitting down. That's when she noticed Davis and immediately stopped. "W-what is that?"

Davis opened his mouth but Twilight spoke first. "He's Davis, a human. I believe you know by the letter I sent Celestia." Luna nodded slowly, gaining her composure back.

"Yes, I remember, though I didn't expected him to be like that. I'm sorry for my reaction." She said sitting down.

"No problem princess..." He said, asking for the name.

"Luna, I'm princess Luna, Celestia's sister." Luna said.

"Oh, alright." Davis was curious about why the rulers were called princesses instead if kings, or in this case, queens.

Celestia cleared her throat. "We must not get distracted. Something important is going on." That caught the attention of everypony and everyone present. 

Luna nodded in agreement.

"I'm afraid to announce Twilight that..." Celestia stopped. She turned to Luna. Both had pained faces.

'Ohh... This can't be good.' Davis thought.

"Equestria..." Luna began.

"...is at war."





*   *   *   *   *


Louis stared out through a window looking at the tumultuous capital. He had become bored after the first ten minutes of waiting and the ponies had been talking to themselves, so he had gone to look around. He had recently stopped at the window. As he was about to turn and walk away when he heard someone calling his name.

"Louis!" The cyan mare he had seen with Twilight said, flying up to him. The German soldier waited for her to catch up to him (which wasn't long, considering the speed in which she was flying towards him.) the mare landed beside him.

"Yes?" Louis asked. He didn't remembered the mare's name. They had been presented to each other, but he hadn't really paid attention to the names.

The mare looked him closely in the eye, flying up to his size. "I came to see that you didn't cause any  disturbance the palace she said, looking accusingly at Louis. The German maintained a stern face, not revealing any emotions. As much as these... ponies were trying to help he didn't really trusted them. They seemed just... too kind. 

"Really, I vas not even thinking of doing such a thing." He crossed his arms. As he did so he felt the weight of his rifle strapped to his back. He smiled slightly, feeling that he had at least means of defense.

The cyan Pegasus nodded slowly and landed again. "Also, I was curious about you. You said you are a soldier?" Louis nodded. "What is... being one, a soldier I mean, like." Louis looked confusedly. "I mean, fighting and... and all that."

Louis scratched the back of his head. "Why do you vant to know?" He asked. The Pegasus shrugged.

"You know, just, curious. That's all." She said, trying to look casual. Louis sighed.

"Okay, it's... It's bad. I don't think I ever thought of how horrible it vas until I went to fight at the front. I mean, if It had just been quick and clean deaths I wouldn't think this, but... but they vere not." Louis said, looking at the window. His gaze seemed lost. "I don't think you really vant to know." He finished slowly. The pony nodded slowly.

"O-okay." She said. She turned around. "I'll let the girls know I found you." She prepared to fly. "I'm Dash by the way." Louis looked at her surprised. "I saw you were not paying attention when they introduced us. Just, so you know..." She leapt into the air and flew away fast through the halls. Louis remained still for some seconds until a small smile began to form on his face. He turned around.

Maybe they weren't bad after all...


*   *   *   *   *


Twilight's mouth opened wide as she heard those words. 

"W-what?" She asked slowly, trying to process what she had just heard. Louis was looking at the princesses, surprised as well.

Celestia sighed. "We are at war, Twilight." She repeated sadly. The lavender Alicorn shook her head.

"No, but... we can't be at war! There must be something wrong with that and..." Luna moved her hoof up, silencing Twilight. 

"It's done Twilight. There is nothing we can do to stop it." The lunar princess said sadly.

"Whom is it that you at war against, if I can know?" Davis asked politely. The princesses looked uncertain. Twilight because she wanted to know was well and the two princesses for... Some unknown reason.

Celestia answered. "The changelings." Twilight looked confused.

"What do you mean by 'the changelings'? Weren't we already against them?" Twilight asked. "I mean... they were defeated after Canterlot."

Luna shook her head. "Apparently Chrysalis wasn't the only big changeling queen. Not even close." She looked at a window. "They attacked Griffonia three weeks ago and only a week ago where we were told. Apparently these are not changelings like chrysalis', but rather stronger and better equipped. They are seeking war, the conquest of all kingdoms, and apparently..." she sighed. "The southern kingdoms are already under their rule. It was a fast attack that stopped when reaching Griffonia. Four entire territories taken by the force in less than a few days."

Celestia looked at Twilight. "There is another difference from Chrysalis' changelings and those."

"What is it?" Twilight asked.

"The difference, Twilight, is that they will kill to reach their goal." Luna said. Twilight gasped.

"But a war has been unheard off for..."

"Hundredths of years, yes, we know." Celestia said. "But it began, and no matter how much we wish it doesn't, it is happening."

Davis heard the exchange with a mixture of surprise, pity and anger. How could some race make a war on such a seemingly peaceful place? 

"We are preparing our troops for the war. As you well know, we have not had an army in two hundredth years." Celestia said. Twilight looked down. It was too much to take on, at least about war.

Davis cleared his throat. "Ehm, excuse me... princesses, if I may..." Celestia nodded. "Alright. Why am I here in the first place? Why I didn't waited outside?"

Celestia seemed to remember. "Oh! Right, sorry. Twilight said that you were a soldier, correct?" Davis nodded. "How good are you on strategy?"

Davis scratched his chin. "I... Know pretty much. I've studied strategy since I was a boy, specially due to my father, he... he was a general back in the Great War on my world."

Celestia smiled. "Would you help our generals, they are... Inexperienced in any form of combat, or what they know is just by reading and not actually putting it on good use." Davis seemed surprised.

"You mean, suggest them things?" Davis asked.

"No, tell them what to do. As I said, they don't know what to do. They are already thinking that they won't have to do anything but that the griffons will defeat the enemy." Celestia said.

"But won't that be true?" Luna asked. 

"No, they asked us for help. They are slowly falling back to their capital in retreat." She said.

Both Twilight and Luna gasped.

"What?!" They said in unison.

"Why, are the griffons really good soldiers?" The three princesses nodded.

"They've been fighting since their beginning. There's nothing better to them than a glorious battle." Luna said.

"Then that leaves only one conclusion." Davis said.

"And what is that?" Celestia asked.

Davis sighed. "The enemy has probably better strategies, or more men, or simply better equipment. In some ways they are beating the best warriors of the world, am I right?" Celestia nodded. "Always know your enemy, don't underestimate him or it won't only cost you the battle, but the war as well."

"Those are wise words." Luna said.

Davis smiled. "My father used to tell me that a lot, but he said that other people before him had said them first." He looked at his rifle. "I think we need to know first about their advantages before we jump to a war."

Celestia nodded. "I'll notify the general council that you are going to be joining them."

Davis bowed, asking himself why he had accepted helping them. Not that he was planning on staying... or was he? 

"Let the others pass, Twilight. I'd like to speak with the other human alone." Twilight nodded.

"Wait." Davis said. "The other one is German, his people caused the worst war humanity has seen and we are at war thanks to them right now. You shouldn't be left alone with him!" He realized he was showing his anger more than he would have liked. 

Still, Celestia had not done any sign to show any reaction at his words. "I'm sure he'll not do anything bad, and even if he tried I'm sure I can manage." Davis nodded slowly and walked out of the room as the ponies entered. "Wait, where is Louis?" He asked out loud. 

Rainbow Dash answered. "He's that way!" Before the door closed. He wasn't sure if to be surprised about the trust they had in him, or the fact that the German was roaming the palace unguarded. He sighed and went off to look for him.


*   *   *   *   *   *


Louis walked through a hallway full of paintings. He looked at them in awe, which was something he always felt when looking at paintings. He was surprised that people actually painted that. It just seemed too good to be true. 

He prepared to move on when a flash of light blinded him for a second. When he looked again he saw that the white princess was standing there. 

“Princess.” he said, bowing. The princess smiled.

“No need for that right now, I think we need  to talk about something…”
> Princesses
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 6
Princesses


Davis was walking around a room full of crystals. He had found it while walking around the palace, thinking.

He had left the six ponies and the Lunar Princess as soon as he could to get some time to himself. He had unexpectedly lost himself in the millions of hallways in the palace and had ended up in there. He sat down on a chair that was resting in one wall where there were no crystals. 

He sighed as he placed his rifle beside him and laid his head back. He felt his belt. He jumped once he realized something was missing: The grenade. He looked around concerned and when he saw nothing he stood up and prepared to go look around for it.

"Ehm... I think you lost this," came a voice from behind he immediately recognized.

He turned and saw the lavender princess. She was holding the grenade with her magic.

Thankfully it still had the lock.

"Thanks Twilight," he said, taking it and placing it on his belt again, making sure it was not going to fall again. He looked at the crystals again. He had not seen how beautiful they looked because he had been too worried for the grenade. He saw the different colors that they were tainted in. Red, blue, yellow... 

He looked at Twilight. "What are all these crystals?" He asked curious. The princess looked around as well.

She smiled slightly. "They are a gift to the princesses from the Crystal Empire." She walked and placed her hoof on top of one of them. "They have very special magical properties, according to princess Cadence."

"Princess Cadence?" Davis asked, wondering if there were even more princesses apart from the ones he had already met.

Twilight nodded. "Yes, princess Cadence. She's another Alicorn princess, just like the two sisters and I."

Davis nodded and kept looking at the crystals. The more he stared into them, the more attracted he felt... He realized he had been staring into one for a long time, so he looked away. "I think I'll get out. Those things are starting to make me nervous." Twilight sighed.

"Alright," she said, walking out with him.

Davis began to walk away again. Twilight tried to keep up, but he was walking pretty fast.

"Tell me Davis. What do you think of Equestria?" she asked. Davis remembered how she seemed to like to ask questions. That was probably the only reason she was with him at the moment. That, or she was just checking that he didn't do anything while not under supervision. 


Davis shrugged. "I... well, it's pretty good," he said, unsure of how to answer the question. He wasn't sure what to say, after all. The town of Ponyville had been a little overwhelming with all its pink and cheerful inhabitants, but Canterlot seemed different. A little more familiar to human cities back on Earth. 

Yeah, maybe medieval-style, but more alike nonetheless.

"I mean, what do you think of the cities, compared to your own world," she cleared out.

“Alright, now that's easier to answer” he thought. "Well, Canterlot seems to me like one of those Medieval cities on my world. Those were cities from hundreds of years ago. Now they are more populated and it's even difficult to move in some of them, like on called New York, from my country."

Twilight nodded. "Alright..." she cleared her throat and looked at some windows they were passing beside on the hallway. "You say like cities from hundreds of years ago on you world. Does that mean your cities are more advanced?”

'How on Earth does this... mare... comes out with those questions?' he thought slightly confused. He knew what to answer, but why would a pony want to know that?

Wait, right...

The princess' ex-student.

He sighed. "Technologically and in the way of life," he finally said after thinking on the answer. "We have more technology than you in many ways, as well as our way of life has changed throughout the years. I don't think you'd understand how to go around a city. You'd probably get lost or something." 

The princess nodded. Davis looked at her only to notice a faint glow of magic on her horn. He looked behind her and saw a pen and a paper floating beside her. She was apparently hiding them so he would not see them.

She blushed slightly. "Err... I was just... taking notes," she said. Davis sighed and kept walking.

"Why do you hide it then? I don't mind you taking notes of what I say."

She looked slightly surprised. "You... don't?"

Davis shook his head. "Just please don't make it a common thing when we speak. It could get a little awkward and uncomfortable... for both," he said. Twilight nodded as she floated the paper and pen in front of her. Davis sighed again and kept walking. 

Just then he heard the sound of hooves going towards them.

"Princess!" said a guard, kneeling once he reached them. "Princess Celestia sent for you and the human. He wants you to meet her in the war room," he said, standing up. Twilight nodded.

"Thank you. Dismissed."

The guard bowed on more time before walking away. Davis was surprised how princess Twilight, that had been normal with him, and with normal referring to not speaking like princess to peasant, but rather friend to friend, and she had suddenly turned all regal and had spoken with interesting authority to the guard. 

The kind of made Davis feel slightly intimidated.

Wait.. He was feeling intimidated by a pony? Well, she could do magic and, from what he had heard so far, she was very powerful as well.

Maybe enough reasons to feel intimidated.

"Alright..." she said. "Maybe we should go. I don't want to keep princess Celestia waiting."

Davis nodded. "After you."

***   ***   ***

Louis and princess Celestia walked side by side, talking. They had begun to walk soon after she had appeared to Louis. The german had simply followed, hearing as she spoke, trying not to be rude.

She was the ruler of the land after all.

"So Louis, tell me..." she began. "I heard a lot about your... weapons from princess Twilight. I'd like to know a little more about them," she asked. Louis wasn't sure if to be surprised by her question or merely intrigued. He had not imagined he'd get that question from the princess.

He cleared his throat, thinking of what to answer. "Vell... they are not like any weapon you probably know about. They are designed to launch a projectile at high speeds and hit a target." 

The princess nodded slowly, pondering the answer. "Alright... And how does it work?" she asked. Louis stopped walking. The princess stopped as well.

"About how it works... I hope you don't want a demonstration in here, because it'd be pretty hard, I mean the sound, being inside a building with a lot of echo," he said, raising an eyebrow. Celestia shook her head.

"No, I merely want to know how it works, not a demonstration. Princess Twilight already described that to me very well."

Louis nodded. He looked at his pistol. "Vell... they work thanks to a type of powder that ignites easily called gunpowder. It is made of a mixture of..." he stopped, trying to remember. He knew, how did he forgot it! "I... don't remember very well, but it explodes inside this barrel, sending the bullet, that is the projectile, out with a lot of force."

Celestia nodded. She looked curiously at the gun. "Can I..." she asked, pointing at it. Louis looked at his pistol, unsure of whether he should or shouldn't give it to her. He slowly extended his arm towards the princess. She took the gun with her magic and marvelled at it.

"You say this things are a powerful weapon?"

Louis shrugged. "They are, at least compared to swords and bows. There are stronger and more powerful guns, like my rifle," he lifted it so she could see it. "Though all work in technically the same way."

Celestia finished looking at the gun and gave it back to Louis, who put it back onto his belt.

"Thanks for showing it to me. I..." she looked at him. Her face had changed. She suddenly looked tired. "I fear this war is very difficult to win. We don't even have a proper army ourselves, at least not like the griffons, and even then you see how they are," she looked at his rifle. "I believe those are the key to victory." Her voice was soft, as she reached for the rifle. Louis moved it out of the way and out of reach from the princess' hooves.

The princess seemed slightly shocked. "I'm sorry princess, but..." he looked at his rifle. "I don't think that'd be a good idea."

The princess looked at him with a neutral face. "Why do you say that?"

Louis gulped. He was worried he had offended the princess, but he thought he should make his point known. "I'm afraid that this weapons can be also your..." he tried to think of a good word for that moment, but as much as he knew english he sometimes lacked a good word or the perfect word to say something. "I... am afraid they'd be your... undoing," he finally said, happy for the word he had said.  Perfect to make an impression. He smiled slightly to himself for coming up with such a good word in english.

"Oh... And why do you say so?" the princess asked, obviously now paying attention to him thanks to his great word.

"Well, this things have caused much pain and suffering since they existed. I don't think you'd like that to happen here," he said truthfully. "If you think this are your last hope, well... I warned."

The princess was now looking at him. She looked slowly outside. She nodded slowly. "You... may be right," she said softly. She smiled at him, her kind face returning. "I think we should meet with the generals and discuss about what to do next." She saw a guard nearby. "Guard!" the guard looked at her.

"Yes princess?" he said, bowing.

"Go find princess Twilight and the human and tell them to go to the war room. We'll be meeting them there.'

The guard saluted and walked away.

The princess looked at Louis at the same time Louis looked at her. "Now..." she began. "...let's see how the war will greet us."

"In favor..."




"...or against us."
> Strategy and Stratagem
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 7


Strategy and Stratagem


Great metal doors now stood in front of princess Celestia and Louis. The princess of the sun looked at the german soldier sympathetically before opening the door with her magic, revealing a large, circular room with a large rectangular table. All around it stood five ponies, clearly in a disagreement. they didn't noticed the princess as she made her way towards them. Louis waited a little before following her inside.

The german took some time as he walked to look around. The room seemed to be at the base of one of the smaller circle-shaped towers that were throughout the palace. The ceiling stood many stories high, with a large chandelier hanging from the middle of the ceiling,  lightened  up by hundreds of candles. He was surprised at how high it was and how ponies had managed to light the candles... then he remembered that they had magic.

That made it far more simple and made him sigh at the simplicity of magic. He was not against it, only that it seemed to make things that would have been otherwise challenging and worth an effort into something simple and unaccounted for.

He saw that the room was technically empty, apart from the center table, a couple of chairs on it (thought the ponies were too busy fighting to bother to sit down), some bookshelves clearly unused since there were not many books and they seemed dusty, and three large color-tinted glass on three side, the door side being the one without one.

Celestia cleared her throat, getting everypony's attention. The bowed before her, some saying out loud "your highness,' and others simply nodding or whispering those same words. The princess nodded, keeping her natural smile all the while as she walked over to a large, golden seat at the head of the table. Louis nodded that there was a dark-blue one on the other side.

Celestia looked at Louis and nodded him to step forward. The ponies followed Celestia's gaze, their faces showing their surprise and, soon after, fear at this unknown creature.

One of them, a light blue earth pony stallion with a yellow mane and a golden helmet cutie mark, said "what is that!?" Louis felt slightly pressured by their stares, so he instinctively stopped.

"That..." Celestia began "is one of our new military and technological advisors, so I suggest you treat him as such, general SeaStorm," she said, frustration clear on her voice. The pony, one of the generals apparently, seemed slightly taken back as he looked at Celestia in confusion. 

"That 'thing' can't be it!" said another one, a pegasus, this one with a red coat, silver mane and arrow cutie mark. Louis noticed that he had placed a strange tone while saying 'thing'. He felt his knuckles closing as anger began to build inside him. He had not been with those ponies more than a minute and he already hated them.

Celestia stood up. "He is a HUMAN Silver Ink, and I won't take any more insults to him." Her voice was still the same as ever, but this time she allowed her anger to be slightly noticeable. She didn't really liked doing that, but it was marking her voice tone or using the Royal Canterlot Voice, and she preferred the first option, especially at his generals.

Silver Ink looked down and nodded. "Sorry princess," he said, his eyes suddenly finding the floor to be much more interesting than the human.

Seconds later, Celestia sat again. "Come forward, Louis," she said. The german soldier walked towards her. She nodded at a chair, clearly telling him to sit down or take place there. He nodded slowly and took position there, in between two of the three ponies he hadn't yet met. One was a unicorn stallion with a dark yellow color with orange mane and an opened book with a pen cutie mark. The other one was the only other mare in the room. She was a pegasus as well, like Silver Ink, with a light pink coat and dark yellow mane. He couldn't see her cutie mark as it was covered by a black cape she was wearing. Celestia looked around.

"The session will begin as soon as our other advisor arrives," the princess said, clearly trying to ease the tension on the room. Louis wasn't sure if it worked, for all the ponies seemed to be either looking at him disapprovingly or, as Silver Ink was, interested in the arrayed marble tiles of the floor.

Only one seemed to be looking at him not disapprovingly, but rather in a more serious way.

The mare beside him lifted her hoof, clearly saluting him. "Hello, my name is FireStrike, but most call me 'Striker'." her voice was friendly as he shook her hoof.

"Meine pleasure," the german said. Clearly, the mare had noticed his accent.

"Are you from somewhere around Germaney?" she asked him. He looked at the mare surprised. FireStrike almost looked away at the intense stare of Louis.

"Germany, you mean?" he asked, confused at her way of calling his mother country. "How do you know about it?" FireStrike opened her mouth to answer when the sound of the large doors opening stopped her. Everypony turned their attention back there, trying to see who was coming.

Twilight and Davis entered the room beside one another. If Davis was intimidated by the looks of the five pony generals, he didn't show it. Louis felt a little ashamed he had not managed to hold his face as the American had. Maybe it was because he was obviously from a higher rank and was used to hiding his face? Although Louis doubted that, he still considered that, as much as he knew that was something irrelevant at the moment. Maybe he should think of those things later.

Twilight took one of the two empty seats. "Sorry for taking long, we were very far-off on the castle and I'm sure you all know how difficult it is to move around this place." That earned a couple of smirks and chuckles from the ponies present. Davis sat beside her and Silver Ink. Clearly the pegasi general was uncomfortable, but Davis took no notice of it. 

"Alright my little ponies, this is Davis, military and technological advisor as well. As with Louis, I expect full respect and treatment as his position demands." Her words were kind but firm. Everypony nodded. "Perfect, now I declare this session open, “What news from the south, general FireStrike?" she asked, turning to the mare.

The pink mare cleared her throat and looked at the table. Suddenly the table was enveloped in a pale-blue aura as a 3D map of Equestria and surrounding lands appeared. Both Davis and Louis looked startled and surprised. The ponies took notice.

"What? Never seen a tactical strategy table before?" asked Silver Ink. Davis shook his head. "Uh, well... I guess it was to be expected from a pair of hairless ape..." 

He didn't finished as Celestia's magic closed his mouth and sent him stumbling backwards as he hadn't been seating. He looked angry, but calmed himself. 

"I'm sorry my princess, I..."

"No, leave my sight until you've recapacitated your words deeply on your mind." It seemed that the pegasus was about to complain. "OUT." He quickly went out, closing the huge door behind him. All the gathered ponies and humans looked a little troubled at that but said nothing. The princess cleared her throat. "Sorry, go on."

FireStrike nodded slowly. "Alright..." she moved her hoof above a dotted line the indicated Equestria's frontier with the Griffon kingdom. "The changelings have plenty of troops here, more than those we had thought they had. We estimate in between one thousandth and two thousandth strong. We have stationed there a force of one hundred royal guards, which, should the changelings attack, won't help and they will be crushed in no time." Celestia nodded. The mare continued. " Now, on the griffon capital we know now for certain that there are over twenty thousandth enemy troops. Griffonia has the same amount, as most of the griffin troops are scattered on forts along the eastern and northern parts of their kingdoms. The changelings have taken all the west and almost all the south. The center is only remaining free because of a fort that is right now heavily under siege and won't hold for more than a month."

With that, the mare sat down. Louis looked at the princess who, clearly, was very troubled. "And what do you suggest?" Fire Strike shrugged. 

"I think it'd be wise to reinforce our frontier with the griffon kingdom, send all the spare royal guards..." she stopped as her gaze stopped on the small part of the border that was not facing the griffon kingdom, but rather another kingdom labeled as /southern kingdoms' that consisted of four small territories divided in dotted lines. All were slightly tainted red. "As for our frontier with the southern kingdoms... I suggest send at least a hundred to fortify out garrison there." Celestia shook her head. 

"But that would leave only a very small amount of guards to patrol Canterlot and the rest of Equestria. We would be left unprotected." She looked around at the generals that were assembled. "General Ace..." she said, turning to the only general Louis didn't knew his name. "How are the training for the army?" 

The unicorn looked down. "They are still very bad, princess. We need at least one year to have them trained properly for a war." The generals began to whisper around with each other. Celestia lifted her hoof. 

"How many ponies enlisted for the army?"

Ace scratched his chin. "If I'm correct, this morning we had thirty thousand enlisted and in camp. Right now I estimate that a couple of thousand more joined since my last report." 

Alright... that doesn't sounds that bad. Louis thought. He considered that probably armies weren't that big after all on Equestria.

"Excuse me princess..." Davis said, raising his hand slightly. "How many soldiers do we have in total?"

Celestia turned to Fire Strike. The general then turned to her and shrugged. Celestia nodded.

"We have a total of five thousand, all of them royal guards and the great minority night guards," he said. Davis nodded.

"How many does the enemy has?"

The generals turned to each other, clear signs of worry and frustrations in their faces. Fire Strike looked at Davis strait in the eye. "two hundred thousand, and more each passing day." Louis almost fell back from his chair as he heard that. What! Five thousand against that number was... nothing! They couldn't possibly do anything with that, not serious damage at them at least. He looked at Davis. He seemed exactly the same as the moment he had been told the number of soldiers on both sides: deep in thought.

Celestia turned to general Ace. "What are the plans so far to secure the frontiers?" Ace looked at the map and he touched the side of the table. Immediately, three miniature banners appeared in the map, obviously indicating presence of troops.

"We have our forces divided in three so far: one thousandth on the east of the frontier, other thousandth on the west. The center has a number of two thousandth, with the rest back here in Canterlot and other cities." His voice sounded professional, but Louis caught some doubt as he spoke. "We were planning to wait for the army to complete training with the first recruits. That will greatly increase our numbers to thirty thousand. We... discussed this and decided that we should take upon a defense. We were about to begin preparations for forts and other military encampments so that the enemy can't come into Equestria." Celestia seemed to consider that. 

"Sounds good, though I'm not the strategist here." She looked at Davis, who had stopped to look down when he heard the plan. "Any suggestions?"

The american soldier stood up and leaned with both hands on the table. Immediately, the table flickered and he retrieved his hands, obviously not having expected that. He looked around and cleared his throat.

"We can't wait for the enemy to come to us." Those were the first things that left his mouth, and only that was necessary to have an angry Ace standing up as well.

"Not to wait?! Then what, jump to slaughter?! I'm not going to do that, not ever," he said angrily. Davis shook his head.

"You don't understand, we can't let the enemy control the course of the war. We need to be the ones that move things, not them..." he stopped and reviewed the map. "They are surely expecting us to do that, and they'll have, though maybe not the advantage of an easy attack, the control of how things are going. We can't let the enemy move us, but we must move the enemy," the american officer said calmly. Louis was slightly surprised how he had answered the general, who by now was looking back at the mpa and obviously assessing the situation Davis had said. 

"Are you sure it would be wise? I mean... we are heavily outnumbered. We can't go in and help the griffons, even less fight against the changelings openly on their ground." Fire Strike said. Davis shook his head.

"There are ways to achieve that." He turned to see everypony around the room. "Tell me, how well do we know the enemy?" That question hung in the air for seconds... then minutes... finally, Fire Strike shrugged. 

"Not well. We have yet to meet it on battle, and we don't know what there tactics are, but we know a couple of things, why?"

Davis looked down and then at the mare. “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat,” he quoted. “If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” That made everypony's ears to stand up straight. Even Celestia seemed surprised.

"Those... those are wise words," she said. Davis nodded.

"They were told by one of the greatest minds in the strategy, if not the best, in my world. He made it very clear: You can't win a war without knowing what you're getting yourself into, nor without knowing what you have yourself."

Ace was looking at his fellow generals as they took in what he had just said.

"That supports our decision then," Ace finally said. 'We don't know our enemy, we can't fight them, even less with our strength. We don't have sufficient troops."

Davis shook his head. "We can make the unexpected. I don't know our enemy, but I am damn sure they won't expect an Equestrian offensive."

Apparently the word 'damn' wasn't commonly used, as the ponies seemed to get slightly tense when he said it. Davis, however, didn't minded. He used strong words sometimes, yes, but he wasn't scared of them at all, as many seemed to be. He waited for the ponies' reaction.

Celestia stood up. "I believe we have extended this meeting by far longer than anticipated," she said, breaking the frozen silence. That eased the tension that seemed to have been hung by the word. How such a simple word seemed to cause that, Louis was not entirely sure. Surely these ponies knew swearing.

Ace stood up first, followed by the rest of the generals. He bowed at princess Celestia and walked away without turning to look at the two humans. The rest followed suit, except for Fire Strike. She looked at Davis. 

"Wise words, though taken from somepony else." She walked away, looking back at Davis and making a playful smile. She turned beside the door and was gone seconds later. Louis and Davis stood up as well.

"Wait," Celestia said. The two soldiers turned to her. "You seem to know a lot about how war is won, more than I thought you did." She walked to them. "Why?"

Davis cleared his throat. "I studied at a military academy back in the States... that's how I sometimes call my country," he pointed out the last after seeing Celestia look in confusion. "Its name is West Point, and I was to become a general, but I refused."

Celestia frowned. "Why did you refused?"

Davis shrugged. "I just didn't liked to think about myself being in a command post while men were dying out there. I joined the marines and got a high rank, which I told them I didn't wanted to change, not even for a promotion." Louis was surprised. 

"So then you know much about warfare," the princess pointed out. Davis nodded. ''Perfect. You will be of great help." She smiled. 

"Now let's get something to eat, I'm starving..."

> Discussion of plans
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 8


Discussion of Plans

 
The nearly empty palace of Canterlot echoed as an American officer made his way through its many corridors. He had taken some time to memorize the ones he began to use most often (the kitchen interestingly being one of the ones he remembered the most). He was now going randomly though, as he began to feel sometimes the need to be alone.
 
It had been three days since the meeting with the generals, and he still felt like it had been barely yesterday that he had been back on earth, commanding his small force of men... new recruits most of them... to 'protect' a position that the generals had not thought would be a target to the Germans. How wrong they had been...
 
He stopped as he passed beside a window. The clear and dark night sky was faintly lit by the moon's light, which wasn't very strong that particular night. He wondered for a second if the Princesses really controlled the celestial bodies, but he immediately tried to think about something else.
 
All those thoughts of magic... they overwhelmed his mind even if he knew he could take it without going mad or anything.
 
It was just...
 
"Stop thinking about it!" he told himself quietly, then realizing he had spoken out loud, even if in a whisper. The palace hallways where very good at carrying echoes.
 
Once he made sure that nopony had seen or heard him talking to himself, he looked once again at the window. The city of Canterlot stood all around the palace, and beyond the walls (which he wondered what they were for, since the city was technically suspended on platforms and an attack from there was technically impossible) laid the rest of the land.
 
He knew he could only see a small fraction, since the mountain wasn't big enough to literally see the whole of Equestria, but still he was first surprised at how much he could see.
 
In the distance, not too far away, stood the little town of ponyville. He sighed, remembering that town. He had just been there for a couple of hours and he really preferred it to the city of Canterlot. He always preferred open fields than enclosed streets.
 
He turned to look at the foot of the mountain. There was a small encampment being installed there. Tents with fluttering banners that moved with the night breeze could be seen faintly.
 
The army was there, the army he was supposed to advise strategically.
 
He felt a high pressure beginning to build inside him. He had felt that same feeling in the stomach once they appointed him in command of a hundred men back at the war against the Germans. He knew he could lead them, but he still felt weird.
 
He was turning around to keep walking when a soft yet warm and merry voice spoke.
 
"I see you are a night walker," Luna said from behind. Davis turned to her with a neutral expression. He knew most men would have jumped in surprise, but he was just too used to sudden explosions and rifle shots that he was expecting them all the time.
 
"Good night, princess," he answered, giving her a small bow of courtesy. Luna chuckled.
 
"No need for pleasantries with me, Davis. you should know that at night and alone with a friend I  like to talk normal." Her eyes turned to the window Davis had been looking at seconds ago. "Beautiful, isn't it," she said softly.
 
Davis nodded. "Yes, the night looks very pretty tonight."
 
Luna shook her head smiling. "I wasn't referring to the night, though I must admit I did put on special effort tonight..." she made the last with a pompous air jokingly. ”I was talking about Equestria." She looked down, then said with a threatening voice "I can't believe those foul creatures want it for them."
 
Davis, a little surprised by the change of mood on the princess, said "Yes, it’s beautiful." The princess looked at him. "And I will make all that I can and have within my power to help you fight that evil."
 
Luna smiled sadly. "I'm glad to hear that." Her mane shone with a dark brilliance and, Davis noticed, seemed to get more alive as the moonlight that was filtering through the window touched it. "I heard yo spoke wisely the other day. It's not often that somepony manages to shut down the generals at the same time, less getting their admiration the same day."
 
Davis smiled. "I'll take it as a compliment then."
 
Luna nodded "It was one," she said, moving her hoof as if to walk away. "Pray, would you like to come with me for a walk around? It's always much nicer to have a night stroll with somepony rather than alone."
 
Davis hesitated for an instant. He wanted to be alone for some time, and night seemed the best time for it, but now, taking it on that way, Luna was, technically, the night herself. He also felt that he would like some company.
 
Also, saying no to royalty didn't sounded like a good idea.
 
"Sure, I'll tag along," he answered. Luna smiled.
 
"Great." She began to walk. Davis walked beside her. They went on without saying anything, just roaming the palace, contemplating it all around and thinking to themselves. Finally, Davis broke the silence (which surprisingly, in difference with many awkward silences between people, wasn't uncomfortable).
 
"Princess, shouldn't you be doing... royalty things, you are the princess of the night after all."
 
Luna nodded. "Yes, I normally have a very busy night, but tonight it is different. I don't have night court, which greatly increases my personal time, and I finished all the papers I had yesterday, so I'm free tonight." She stopped for a second to scratch her chin. "I wonder how Celestia manages..." she then returned to walking.
 
Davis chuckled. "I don't think I'd be able to rule a country." He said that truthfully. It seemed like an overwhelming job to do.
 
"Pray that you don't, Davis," the moon princess said laughing. "It is excruciating."
 
Both laughed for some time. They walked for a couple of more hallways until they reached the doors that led outside into the palace gardens. Luna opened the door with her magic and exited the palace with Davis following close behind.
 
The cold breeze relaxed Davis, even if he already felt relaxed. Luna stopped, feeling the air. "I always like that funny feeling of my fur when brushed by the night breeze."
 
Davis smiled. "Yes, the breeze does feel relaxing," he said. The walked around the gardens in silence. Luna seemed to be thinking about something as her brow darkened, making Davis stop. They were beside the southern wall of the palace. There was a big tree and a small cliff just before the castle walls rose into the sky.
 
"Is everything okay, princess?" he asked. Luna sighed.
 
"I'm just worried. It's been a long time since war has been upon us, and... I'm afraid to say that last time I caused it," she said slowly. Davis looked confused.
 
"You caused it? How?"
 
The princess nodded, looking at the tree. "I... I allowed dark thoughts into my mind. Thoughts about power, mostly because I felt my sister had the real power and I was just there, without any use. I wanted... I wanted eternal night and even changed my name to Nightmare Moon, though that part of me is gone now, since it was all dark magic."
 
Davis nodded. "I'm sorry to year that."
 
She shook her head. "I just don't want to see more ponies dead by war, not when I remember how they died when I tried to overthrow my sister." A small tear fell on the soft grass from the mare's head.
 
Davis wasn't sure what to say, so he remained quiet. The princess looked at him.
 
"You seem like a good leader, Davis. Not that I've seen you on battle, but you know things... And you know about leading, even if it's not something you have much experience with." She unfurled her wings. "I trust that we will be able to make it through this war, and I believe you will he an important key for victory." She smiled. "Have a good night, commander," she jumped as her wings pushed her up and away. Davis saw as she became a tiny black dot in the darkness and soon disappeared.
 
He was surprised by how fast she had simply left, but what began to make him think about more was that she had called him commander.
 
A commander...
 

***   ***   ***

 
The way to his room proved to he without any delays or unexpected meetings, like the one he had with the princess. He opened the door and entered the dark room.
 
There was a large bed. The ceiling wasn't very high up, but still much more than his house back in the US, much more compared to his little tent...
 
There was a door that led to the bathroom (which had a whole yet empty dressing room) and two large glass doors that went to a balcony that looked to the north side of the city. There were some bookshelves with books that he had not actual interest in reading, as a table with a chair. He saw the sleeping clothing they had made for him. He took it and changed quickly and quietly.
 
He was finally ready to sleep. He got into his bed, still feeling surprisingly good at the soft texture, since he was used to hard floor back in the war. He closed his eyes and soon drifted to sleep...
 

***   ***   ***

 
The sun was shining high up in the sky when he woke up. The sound of city activity was the first thing that reached his ears. There was the distant toll if bells, announcing what he did not know. He yawned as he stretched his arms. He felt slightly tired due to the other night's stroll.
 
He yawned once more and then proceeded to stand up. He went to the balcony and opened both doors wide, letting air flow into the room. He walked over to the railing and looked around at the city.
 
Ponies, ponies everywhere.
 
That still made him wonder sometimes if he was really awake or asleep. This still seemed too incredible to believe it completely. Of course, he pretended he was not having problems adapting, but he knew that he still saw it unbelievable.
 
He looked one last time at the busy city before going back into his room and changing to his usual military clothing. As he was about to change he noticed that it was no longer dirty. He slowly picked the jacket up, smelling it. Yes, it was clean. He saw that the dirt and even the wear were gone from the fabric. He looked at his boots and noticed that they were... Polished? He put on the uniform slowly. He finished and headed for the kitchen.
 
The way there was as the other days: silent with nopony to bother him. He as turning on a corner when he accidentally ran into someone... actually, somepony. He saw a mare he could swear he had already seen before...
 
"Derpy?" he asked at the grey mare. She opened her eyes, since apparently she had fallen backwards. Davis had had no problems because he had good balance and had not suffered a fall. "Oh! Let me help you," he said, helping her up. Derpy smiled.
 
"Hello! I didn't expected seeing you here." Her voice was slightly tired. Perhaps she had flown a lot? Davis noticed that she had a bag full of letters.
 
"Well, I came here after leaving ponyville after all. You... you kind of disappeared once we met the princess and the elements."
 
Derpy nodded. "I remembered I had to get some deliveries..." she said, patting the bag. "Which reminds me..." she looked into the bag and pulled out a letter. "This one's for you."
 
Davis took it slowly. "For me? Who would write me?"
 
Derpy shrugged. "I don't know, but I can't waste more time. Do you know where is princess Luna?"
 
Davis looked around. "Err... I don't know. Probably in her chambers sleeping." He looked at the grey pegasus again. "Why?"
 
"There's a letter for her."
 
Davis looked suspiciously. "But shouldn't the letters be delivered at the palace gates to be brought by the servants to the princesses?"
 
Derpy nodded. "Yes, that was until the princesses ordered the guards that I was to deliver the letters personally." She didn't waited for any response from Davis as she lifted off and flew away.
 
"Wait!" Davis said, but she was already gone. That was... unexpected... he thought. After looking back at where the mare had gone, he resumed his walk.
 
He finally reached the wooden doors of the kitchen. He entered and saw that there was nopony around. Strange... it was always full of servants going around preparing food or taking treats to the princesses... Where could they all be.
 
He looked at the table he normally ate breakfast on. There was a plate with food, et nothing else. The kitchen seemed to have been emptied of staff right after cleaning. He sat down and began eating silently.
 
He finished pretty fast and was out of the kitchen. He turned around, expecting something to attack him in any moment. Everything, even the kitchen, empty felt… wrong.
 
He shove those thoughts aside again as he went to walk to the war room. There was an appointed meeting of the generals and he had been asked to join them. Louis was probably going to be there as well.
 
His thoughts wandered into the German Private. He had never liked a german soldier, even less after the start of the war. Still, Louis seemed to make him feel that the image he had of Germans wasn't completely on the right place… Maybe not all Germans were so bad. He shook slightly his head, trying to stop thinking of that. He disliked thinking like that. Many of his fellow men had fallen after the German guns. He wasn't about to forgive one of them.
 
He stopped in front of the door. He breathed, calming himself and then pushed it open. The room was exactly the same as the other time he had been there, and the same ponies stood in it. The only one that was there that had not been before was Luna. The princess of the moon acknowledged Davis with a nod.
 
“Davis, we were expecting you,” Celestia said with her usual kind smile. Davis nodded as he walked over to the table, sitting on his chair. Louis was there as well. Silver Ink looked at him with a neutral expression, but Davis was sure there was a hint of anger on his eyes. He stopped looking at the general pegasus.
 
“Alright, since we are all here, I believe we should begin,” Celestia announced. Everyone nodded in agreement. “I believe that the enemy has begun their approach, is that correct general Fire Strike?” She turned to the mare.
 
Fire Strike nodded slowly. “Yes princess. The changelings have begun their advance on the south, approaching the town of Green Lake. It is a small village, barely one hundred inhabitants. They dedicate mostly to corn plantations.”
 
Celestia nodded. “We can´t let the changelings reach it, or at least give enough time for the inhabitants to evacuate.”
 
Surprisingly, Louis spoke. “It won't be easy to evacuate people from their homes, princess. It will take time to convince them all to leave and, if I'm not mistaken, we don't have that time.”
 
“That is true sister. The ponies that live there won't leave their homes just because we told them to,” Luna said. Celestia looked at the table. Immediately, the table turned into a map portraying what was labeled as southern equestria.
 
“We must convince them, there is no other way, unless the generals assure us that a victory is possible,” she said, turning to the rest of the ponies.
 
General SeaStorm looked at the map. “From the intel we have gathered, the enemy has us by three to one. We would need super soldiers or good luck to win something like that.” He turned to the princess. “I´m afraid I can't assure you that a victory is possible. Delay them from reaching the village, yes. Defeat them… highly unlikely, though there are slim possibilities.”
 
The solar princess sighed. “Alright.” She turned to Luna. “Sister, I believe that only we can convince ponies of leaving their homes. I need you to go with the army to that village and get them to accept the evacuation.”
 
Luna nodded. “Of course sister. It shouldn't be much of a problem.”
 
Davis heard Louis cough falsely, obviously in disagreement.
 
General Silver Ink looked at the map intensely. “If I may suggest…” he began, placing his left front hoof on the table. Immediately red and blue little blocks appeared portraying the two armies. “The enemy has ten thousand strong. We have two, most of them… no, all of them have never seen battle before. Still, I believe there is a way we can win this.” There were ten red blocks right on the Equestrian boarder. The small village of Green Lake had a large label to make itself noticeable. There were two blue blocks behind the village. “I believe that if we make two companies of five hundred ponies from one of a thousand…” one of the blue block divided into two smaller blocks. “...we can try to surround the enemy. I don't believe they will be coming with a special strategy. For all they know, we only have the royal guards.” The two smaller blocks moved to the sides, while the big blue one moved to confront the enemy. The two blocks crashed against two sides of the back while the main equestrian force stopped the red advance. He looked at everypony, waiting for any commentaries.
 
“That could work,” SeaStorm said, looking at Celestia.
 
“That won't work, at least not with the soldiers we have right now,” Fire Strike immediately said. “We have inexperience soldiers, Silver. If we had veterans from the crystal war we might have a chance of succeeding, but we have ponies that the most dangerous tool they've used in their lives is a kitchen knife.”
 
Davis looked at Silver Ink. The general seemed slightly angry, but he contained himself. “I don´t think that will be a problem, I mean… they are being trained right now and they will know what to do the moment we make this.”
 
“Maybe we should give it a try, sister,” Luna said, supporting Silver Ink. “We must have faith in our own ponies, because if we don't… then we are doomed for defeat.” Fire Strike looked at Luna and sighed. Celestia nodded.
 
“I believe that will be the plan then. Any other objections?” the solar princess asked. The generals nodded in agreement.
 
“No princess.” SeaStorm finally said. Only Fire Strike remained with her head low. Celestia began to rise when Davis stood up.
 
“No, this is too risky.”
 
Luna and Celestia looked at him, as did the rest of the generals.
 
“Pray tell, why?” Luna asked.
 
Davis sighed. “Look, I know that we need to trust our own men… err, I mean, ponies, but this is taking it to the limit. I know the enemy won't be prepared for this, of course that is if they are not expecting such a move from us. If there is a general with half the brain of a military man he'll know that a back attack is the most obvious course of action from an enemy, and if he knows his job he'll know not to underestimate his enemy… which is us.” That made both Luna and Celestia sit down again.
 
“That… is true,” Celestia said.
 
“Know your enemy and know yourself, and in a hundred battles you won't lose,” Davis quoted. “I believe it was something like that a general, the same from from what I said before, said. We would be launching an attack against someone that we don´t know. We´d be throwing our troops blind with just possible outcomes and guesses.” He moved his hand to the table and hesitated. He knew how that table worked. It read his mind in order to portray what he was thinking. Still, magic was still something alien to him. He touched the table and imagined the equestrian army divided into four blocks. Immediately, the two blue blocks that were on the back of the enemy disappeared as well as the other blue block divided. Two other blocks appeared, showing the equestrian army divided into groups of five hundred.
 
“I believe that we should slow down the enemy on their advance and give time for the villagers to evacuate. We would be falling back slowly, of course. We can´t hold a wave of ten thousand with barely two, but if we attack blind it will be worse. The smaller groups of five hundred is to make it easier to make guerrilla strikes against the enemy lines. We would jump in, kill as many as we can in little time and leave as soon as possible. That will slow the enemy.” He stopped to look at everyone around the table and allow them to think what he had just said. Nopony said anything, so he continued.
 
“One of the four groups will do that job of raiding and guerrilla. The other three will engage the enemy as little as it is possible, still trying to keep the enemy from moving forward.” In the table, the red army began to move forward as the three blue blocks began to fall back. The other blue block move at the enemy´s side, occasionally moving into it and the back again. “If we do that, by the time the enemy reached the town the inhabitants will be gone and we will probably have reinforcements to push them back again and out of our land.”
 
When he finished the whole room was silent. Nopony was saying anything and he could swear he could hear the heartbeat of every pony present.
 
Silver Ink looked at him finally after finishing to analyze the table. “That… might actually work.”
 
Davis was surprised Silver Ink was the first one to speak… and not only that, but supporting him. That was something good.
 
Fire Strike smiled confidently. “I think we have a plan then.”
 
SeaStorm nodded without speaking. General Ace smiled and stood up. “I believe we should go to oversee the training of the soldiers. Commander Davis, care to accompany me?” Davis shrugged.
 
“Anything to get out of this palace,” he said, earning a chuckle from Fire Strike and a curious look from Luna.
 
“Alright. Princesses, if you'll excuse us…” Ace said, bowing.
 
“Of course. I´ll go there myself in some time. I need to do some things first. I call this session out,” Celestia said. The generals and Luna stood up. Only Louis remained on his seat, looking at the table. As everypony began to leave the room, Fire Strike noticed Louis. She waited for the room to empty before she approached the table again. She stood beside the german.
 
“Louis, anything on your mind?”
 
Louis looked at her and chuckled, turning back at the table. “If there was nothing in my mind I'd feel like in heaven. Right now I just have too many things… But ya, there is something special that´is bothering me.” He looked at the blue blocks. “Not vith the strategy, but vith the enemy. I believe that, whereas ve zon´t know them, they know us.” That earned a confused glance from Fire Strike.
 
“What do you mean?”
 
Louis stood up and walked to a window. “You say that they can change forms, ya?” Fire Strike nodded. “Zhat is the problem. They can be in our very line of command, and we vouldn´t know…” Fire Strike looked at the floor.
 
“That is true, yes, but we have a special spell that reveals if you are really yourself or a changeling in disguise. I don't think any important officer could be replaced without us knowing.”
 
Davis looked at her and sighed. “I hope so, because if it isn't that vay… Ve are in serious trouble.”
 


> Training
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 9
Training


It was an hour after leaving the palace and the city when they finally reached the training camp. Though it looked pretty close to the city, the whole going down the mountain took a lot of time. Also that, apparently it was halfway to ponyville. That was something Davis had not thought of before and was now a little tired after leaving the car of the train that took them there.

He was surprised by how much was done for the training of the army, or at least for the fast and easy arrival to training area.

There was one special train that went all around Equestria only to pick up volunteers and recruits for the army. It was the one they had taken from Canterlot in order to reach the camp fast and without much delay.

Davis had his rifle and his gun with him. He had the grenades well tucked in a bag he had borrowed from the palace and had his uniform clean from the morning surprise of finding it even repaired on the parts it had ripped or worn.

He breathed the air of the countryside and was surprised by the difference from the city of Canterlot, though Canterlot wasn't dirty or contaminated, but the smell and the feeling was very different. He looked at the plain the camp was built on. On one side he could see a small mountain ridge, the city of Canterlot easily distinguished from where the camp was (and from almost everywhere else in their direction all the way to the ocean), while on the other he could see some hills. He knew that if he went farther away he'd soon be a arriving at Ponyville.

After checking one last time he had it all, he walked slowly out of the train station. The station was a simple wooden building, but it worked very well for its purpose. He stopped and waited for general Ace and Fire Strike. The two generals got off the train car and walked to him.

Louis, Silver Ink and general SeaStorm had remained in Canterlot, making some final arrangements to some plans and... Well, only that. Celestia, Luna and Twilight were doing some enchantment or spell of sorts to try and communicate with the blocked Griffons so that communication between the two was easy, reliable and safe.

So far he knew there was no success, since the griffons apparently had no special magical artifact to communicate or any magical artifact at all. For what Davis knew, the griffons had been sending messengers until their whole city was surrounded and it became impossible to leave without being seen. 

General Ace walked forward and looked at the camp. "Welcome to the Star Swirl training camp. We have a total of 10,000 ponies in training, and two thousand are almost ready," he smiled "and more are arriving each day."

Davis nodded. “That sounds very good." He looked around. All he could see were ponies moving around and small log cabins all around, lined up in roads. 

Ace nodded. "Now follow me. I'll take you to the command center and from there I'll show you around."

Fire Strike coughed to get their attention. "I'm sorry, but I won't be joining you on your stroll. I must make sure some things are okay in the smithy and the southern barracks. I'll meet you at the command center at nightfall, okay?"

Davis and Louis nodded. "Alright Striker, see ya later," Ace said. Fire Striker smiled and walked away. Ace looked at Davis. "Alright, follow me." The unicorn began to walk forward into the camp. Davis followed beside, looking at everything. He could noticed that all the cabins were obviously to serve as barracks for the soldiers. He wasn't certain of how many men... Or ponies could live there, but he was sure that no more than 60 or 70.

They walked for a couple of minutes until they arrived at a kind of plaza with a tall flag post with the equestrian flag. In the center there was a large building, also made of logs, with a large sign saying command center. They walked towards it and stopped right in front of it.

"Well Davis, this is the commands center. We generals have a special room inside as well as you and Louis, should he come. There is a war room as well, but the table is normal, not like the magical one in Canterlot. You'll find that the palace was much more comfortable, but something's something, no?" he said, pushing Davis a little in a joke. Davis nodded, smiling.

"Yeah, sure," he chuckled. "Now, I'd like to see the training grounds. All I've seen are barracks."

The unicorn nodded. "Alright, follow me. They are not far away, maybe a minute if walk. You'll find that this is a pretty large camp."

"Yeah," Davis said "I noticed. How big is it, in extension, I mean."

Ace stopped and scratched his... Chin? Davis was unsure if that was how ponies called that part. 

"I'd say like..." he looked around. "You've been to ponyville, haven't you?" Davis nodded. "Well, it's like twice the size. We have more inhabitants as well. Also, the town of ponyville is pretty spread up, in difference than this camp. It is made very right, so you can get the point."

Dais laughs slightly. "Yeah, it's very big." 

"Ya know it," the General said. "Now follow me. We're not far from the training grounds." He followed the unicorn through more log cabins. A before, Davis looked around, inspecting the soldiers. It seemed to him more like a medieval-style camp, only that without the tents but rather the log cabins.

The ponies around seemed excited, though many simply looked nervous and were looking around without any reason. Not many seemed to notice the human now walking in front of them, but Davis easily heard whispers behind his back and even in front of him. 

“...what is that?” he heard somewhere.

“I don't know… looks strange and… creepy…” he heard from the same place. He wanted to turn and address those ponies, but he contained himself and moved along with Ace. It took them a minute before Ace said they had arrived.

“Here we are, the training grounds,” the general said, using his hoof to point around. The training grounds were large grass fields with some tents around and also a couple of trees disrupting the field´s barren ground. He saw that there was an archery range, which he decided was going to be one of his main stops. He didn't have rifles or a lot of long-range weapons here in Equestria, but he could use archers for his advantage.

Next to the Archery Range there were some ponies sword fighting. it didn't seemed to be going very well though, since apparently the instructors and team captains seemed to be struggling to teach the soldiers how to fight properly with a sword (Davis kept in mind that using a sword being a four legged animal was surely difficult). He noticed that they needed to stand up and keep their balance, or else they fell on their back or their mouth. He found it s a little strange to see the ponies standing on two legs, but he was sure that had not and would not be the most awkward thing he´s see, so he simply shrugged it off and looked around again. There were some crossbows which he had not noticed before. That made him smile even more.

The last thing he noticed was the magic part. Apparently there were entire units of unicorns, which were making certain offensive spells. When he saw a blast of one of the unicorns hit its target, a hay dummy, he shivered at the thought of the enemy falling at those after seeing the small explosion. He didn´t missed something which made him doubt using such magic in the battlefield would be such an advantage: the unicorn that had cast it seemed to be terribly tired all of a sudden. He saw as the officer walked to him and granted him some rest.

Maybe Davis was going to talk to Ace about the unicorn units sometime…

“I´d like to go and see the archers,” Davis told Ace. The general nodded. 

“Let´s go then.”

Both walked towards the group of training archers. There had to be at least thirty ponies at the moment shooting, with other thirty simply watching and resting. He looked at the targets: just like the human targets they were big circles with different sections, all of the sections with a different number in them. He noticed then the way the ponies were shooting.

They seemed to stand on two legs as well, but used the bow as support. They used one front hoof to hold the bow while using the other one to shoot the arrow. It seemed to be not a really fast process, but that wasn't the problem. The real problem Davis saw was that most of the archers seemed to have trouble standing on two, even with the bow. He saw that many seemed to have gotten the hang of it though, and were making some good marks, just not perfect marks. He walked forward along with Ace.

Most of the archers and ponies around had seen him and had stopped what they were doing. Apparently the training ground was different from the barracks and here he was easily noticed. Soon he heard whispers all around until an officer called attention.

“Officer!” the sergeant shouted, making all the ponies stand up or stops what they were doing, saluting and standing respectively at Ace.

“At ease,” Ace said. the ponies relaxed their salutes but remained still. Davis was glad they were at least trained in rank manners, if they had not been then he was sure to have problems to talk without them whispering all around about this strange creature.

Both Ace and Davis inspected with their eyes at the archers. Davis turned to the officer. “Proceed with the training.”

The officer didn't seemed surprised at all about Davis, which made him wonder if he had been told about the new commander and was prepared to see him, or else was simply good at hiding surprise. The officer nodded and turned to the group.

“Continue.”

The archers slowly moved back to their shooting positions, some sending a quick glance at Davis. The american saw all that with no surprise, he had expected it. He heard a mutter from the one a little too loud, clearly marking himself on every ponies ears.

"What is that thing...?"

The officer moved towards the one who had spoken. He seemed pretty mad, and the face of the private that had spoken clearly marked his worry. His officer stopped in front of him.

"That, is you commanding officer, and you should treat your commanding officers..." Davis walked over and stopped the officer.

"It's alright, I think he clearly knows my position now." The officer seemed a little surprised at the interruption, but he simply nodded and backed away slightly. Davis looked at the archer.

The poor pony recruit was making a hard effort not to run away or cower before the human in front of him, who easily stood almost twice the size of the pony on four legs. Davis cleared his throat.

"So, to satisfy everypony, I'm a human, h-u-m-a-n, not Humun, nor a Hooman, no, human. I was appointed commander of this army, and it is up to me to make victory possible." He looked at Ace. The general nodded, encouraging him to continue. Davis looked at the ponies around again. "I saw you shooting." The ponies looked between each other. "And I'm afraid to tell you that by the time you are done reloading the second volley you'd have the enemies over you, even those that load fast." He turned to a pony he saw was the fastest at reloading. "Archers are vital for victory, so much will he expected of you." That earned a couple of uncomfortable glances. Davis looked at one if the bows a grey pony had. 

"May I have the bow a little please?" He asked. The pony nodded and passed it to him. Davis looked at the bow.

It wasn't exactly like human bows, as it was obviously made for ponies. He inspected it closely, trying to see how he could hold it comfortably. He stringed it and nodded, giving the bow back at the pony, who took it slowly.

Davis had never been really good at bow shooting, but he knew how to do it. He remembered he was able to hit almost the center once… but it had been a long time ago and he preferred to shoot with a rifle or a gun. He looked at the pony. “Shoot at the target, try your best to hit the center.”

The pony placed on tip of the bow on the floor, using one of his hooves to take the other topside tip. He somehow placed an arrow on the bow and stringed it. He released it, the arrow letting out a whistle as it flew towards it's intended target. Surprisingly it hit three levels from the center. Davis had noticed there was no other arrows nearer to the center than his. He sighed.

"Do it all again, but without the arrow."

The pony complied and did all the process again. Davis watched every move the pony had to make, making him go around some things that were obviously wrong with them shooting that way.

First, they couldn't take proper aim. To Davis that was the most important thing. Yes, if they needed to shoot blindly at an upcoming army that might work, but in an actual fight, that gave the archers terrible odds should they need to engage the enemy on close quarters. He looked at the officer.

"Continue." 

As the whistling if arrows became as steady as before, Davis walked away with general Ace. He had seen the archers, now to see the swordsmen... Or would it he sword ponies? He wasn't sure.

The ponies around, in contrast with the archers that didn't noticed them at first, immediately took attention at the newcomers. 

"Attention!" cried out the officer in charge. The ponies seemed a little hit more trained than the archers, which made Davis wonder if there was different training with each type of unit. Soon Ace and himself were walked in front if the ponies. In that part if the training ground there were fifty ponies practicing sword fight. 

He was expecting a question that never came: what he was. Surprisingly, this ponies seemed capable of keeping their stance, even if there was an unknown creature walking in front of them. A small smile creeped to his face by thinking about how good it felt not to seek strange to ponies, though he knew that was a lie hidden in formalities.

"General, sir," said the pony officer. " We were definitely not expecting you today."

Ace cleared his throat. "Well, here I am, Golden Flame," he said to the captain, a bright Yellow pegasus stallion with a short, brown mane and tail. The mark on his flank was a yellow flame. "and I won't be leaving until we depart to war." He looked at the ponies. "At ease."

The ponies took a less formal and more comfortable stance, yet they still looked organized and professional, like proper military men... Ponies.

"You must be the new commander, sir. Name's captain Golden Flame, 3rd equestrian battalion." He rose his hoof in salute. Davis answered with a salute of his own. 

"My name is Davis. I see you've got a very organized group."

The captain smiled in pride. "Yes sir, I make sure that every pony does their job well ."

Davis felt the pony's accent a little weird, though he spoke just like him, if he had to compare his accent to one on earth, he sounded like Australian, though he wasn't certain.

"Great." He looked around.

"Perhaps you'd like a demonstration, sir?" He asked Davis. Davis looked at the Pegasus for some seconds.

"Yeah, sure."

The Pegasus smiled and took a sword with one of his front hooves. Walking in three legs he approached the places marked as fight areas and looked around. "Who'd like to go against me?"

Ace smiled and looked at Davis. "Perhaps Davis should have the honor."

Davis looked at Ace surprised. "What? No!, I'm not that good with swords." 

Ace chuckled. "Come on, one won't kill you." Davis sighed and retrieved a sword from the floor. It was definitely shorter than any words he had ever used, not to mention much lighter. Though it was if simple design, he felt it very well balanced. He walked over to the fighting area and prepared a defensive stance.

He expected the pony to fight on three legs, but surprisingly, the pony managed to get on his two hind legs easily. Golden Flame smiled at Davis' expression.

Davis waited an attack, which was not a long wait. Golden Flame tried to cut him sideways, but Davis managed to parry, sending an attack himself, attempting at the head. The Pegasus blocked the attack easily and moved to the side.

Davis tried to think if he knew anything about sword fighting. He knew he had never fought with sword before, which made him clumsy on his attacks and weak on his defense. He evaluated the way Golden Flame attacked, and noticed that when he tried to thrust an attack, he left for a couple of seconds he sides unprotected. He smiled slightly even though the stress he was feeling, and the second Golden Flame threw him a right cut he answered with one himself as he moved out of the way of the Pegasus' attack. The sword was about to hit when, seemingly out of nowhere, the attack was blocked. He looked at Golden Flame and noticed a smirk of amusement. 

He barely had time to block another attack by the yellow Pegasus. He felt that this attack was much more aggressive, which made him wonder if the first attack he had reviewed where but a game to the pony officer. He pushed Golden Flame's sword and sliced the air, for Golden Flame had moved out of the way.

He was starting to get tired on the arms, which made him realize that he couldn't last much longer and that he needed to end this. Just as Golden Flame attacked and he blocked, he thrusted the sword forward and towards his opponent's belly. He was feeling that he was going to win, but a fast and strong party from the pony officer and his own mistake of placing more force in the thrust than on holding the sword made it a quick end. Soon Davis found himself with the tip of a sword inches from his throat.

The officer smiled and pulled back his sword. "Commander," he said, making a short bow.

Davis looked at Ace.

In a matter of seconds, the ponies around where cheering. That's when Davis noticed that the crows around them was bigger than when they had started. Privates and officers alike were cheering and clapping... stomping on the floor.

"Wow Davis, I never expected you to last that much," Ace said, patting his back. Said looked at him.

"Why, he defeated me easily."

Ace shook his head. "I have fought with him once. Apparently all the generals and commanding officers have, it's like something he likes to do."

Davis nodded. Golden Flame looked at them. He was around his unit. All the cheering directed to him. He looked around. "Alright, go back to your duties. My unit, keep on with the exercises."

Everypony began to disperse, and soon everything seemed back to normal. Golden Flame approached the two.

"General, Commander. Perhaps we should do this more often."

Davis chuckled. "I doubt that it'd ever be fair."

The Pegasus smiled. "I don't think so, I ended up needing to push more my strength. I almost never need to do that."

"I've never fought with a sword." Davis said. Both Ace and Golden Flame looked surprised.

"You haven't?" Ace asked. Davis shook his head. 

"Mmm... Perhaps that can be arranged. It won't do any good if you can’t  fight with a sword."

"Maybe, but I have this," he said, lifting his gun.

"How good is that in close quarters?" golden Flame said. "No, a sword is much better in this cases. If you want I can teach you."

Davis thought for a moment. It wasn't something he had thought before, but knowing how to fight with a sword seemed like a good idea. He nodded.

"Okay, I accept your offer."

Golden Flame smiled. "Good, it's gonna need to be at night though, since I have my unit to take care of." Davis nodded. "I'll be leaving you now, I have to return to the training. See you later." The Pegasus saluted and walked off towards his ponies.

"Interesting guy," Davis said. Ace nodded.

"Yes. You said you wanted to see the smith?"

Davis nodded. "Yes."

"Alright, follow me. I'm afraid it'll be a long walk, since it's on the other side of the camp." The General began walking.

Davis looked once more to the training gourds before following the general...
> Gunpowder, history and a uniform
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 10
Gunpowder, history and a uniform




General Ace and Commander Davis walked side by side through the enormous training camp for the Equestrian army. Same as before, the ponies around looked at Davis with surprise, though some even with fear or amusement. He tried to ignore the looks, but it began to be difficult as more ponies looked at him.



"We should make something so that they know who I am," Davis stated to Ace. The general nodded. 



"There's going to be a speech by all the generals. I think you and Louis should he there as well," Ace said. He turned a corner and the smithy finally came into sight. 



Davis immediately recognized it for a couple of reasons. It was the only building made out of stone, with a couple of chimneys from which smoke rose up into the sky. There were many ponies around, many sharpening their weapons and some others forging swords. For what Davis could see, they were technically mass producing swords. There were at least thirty ponies working on them, and that was outside the building. He wondered what could be inside.



The two approached the building with the now normal glances thrown at Davis. Ace received a couple of salutes, and surprisingly Davis did as well. They returned the salutes each time until they finally reached the door. The forge was pretty big, though not much. There were not many windows, which made Davis wonder how hot it was inside. All around the building there were small work spaces for the smiths working on the swords, but he also noticed many working on spears, lances, bows, arrows and crossbows.



Ace stopped in front of the door and opened it. He entered. Davis had to crawl in order to fit. He was surprised, since most if the doors in Equestria were always big enough for him to enter normally.



The first thing he noticed was the cool air. Outside wasn't hot, but once he entered the smithy he was surprised to find it comfortably cool. Next thing was a sharpening sound. He looked around and saw the inside.



It was very tight, but not for lack of space but because of the overflow of things. There were metals everywhere, there was a center table with many papers all over and an ink and quill. He saw in the walls and on the floor, in cases and shelves many strange looking things. He looked at one of them. It seemed like a modified crossbow with a cartridge-looking thing full of arrows. He picked it up and saw that it seemed like a semi-automatic crossbow.



Ace touched his shoulder lightly and pointed to a side of the room. Davis turned and saw the smithy.



There was a dull gray earth pony stallion with a light gray mane and tail. His Cutie mark was a hammer crossed with a sword and he looked very concentrated into something he was doing. Both Davis and Ace approached. Ace coughed to get his attention.



The pony looked and saw Ace.



"General!" he exclaimed surprised. He saluted rapidly. He then saw Davis and turned surprised, then confused. "Err... What?"



Ace looked at Davis. "Oh, yes. Introductions. Tempered Steel, this is Commander Davis appointed by the princesses themselves. He is also technology and military advisor. Davis, this is Tempered Steel, captain smithy of the army."



"My pleasure," Davis said, extending his hand. Tempered Steel shook his hand and then saluted. 



"Commander." He looked at Davis. "So, technological advisor. I'd love to discuss things with you, but I have one simple question, if you don't mind."



Davis shrugged. "Sure, ask away."



"Just what in Tartarus are you? Forgive the expression," he said.



Davis and Ace chuckled. "I was expecting that question. I'm a human, from another world. I came here by some strange explosion and ended up as your advisor."



The smithy nodded. "Okay, so... Any ideas. I'd love to show you some prototypes I made ."



Davis nodded. "Aye, I have some ideas and yes, I'd like to see your prototypes."



Tempered Steel smiled. "Okay. What are your ideas."



Davis cleared his throat. "Do you have a bow here? A normal one." The earth pony passed him one. Davis looked at it. "I saw that the ponies seem to struggle. For what I suppose is that the bows are very good for long range precision, but that you need to he very experienced in order for them to work at it's best." Tempered Steel nodded.



"Yes, they were designed by the griffons some couple of hundred of years ago. They have proven to be the best bows designed so far," Tempered Steel said. "But... yes as well, you need a long time of practice."



Davis nodded. "That's what is wrong. We don't have time to teach this recruits how to use this properly. We need an easier and faster to use bow." Tempered Steel scratched his chin.



"Nopony had cared to mention me that..." he told Davis.



"Excuse me..." Ace said. "But I'll take my leave. I have a couple of things to do before night falls." He saluted and walked away. Both Davis and Tempered Steel nodded and returned to business.



"Well, I have a couple of suggestions."



"Yes?" the smithy asked.



Davis placed the now on top of the table. "This bow is too long to he used practically on an open combat. Also it needs to be easier to carry and use. I suggest that we make them shorter, as well as the arrows."



Tempered Steel looked at the bow. He picked it up gently and began to look at it intently. He passed his hoof lightly over the wooden surface of the bow, just as he began to mutter some things. He turned to Davis.



"I believe I can fix those problems... I might even enhance the bow, but..." he looked at at the wooden weapon. "But it will take time."



Davis sighed. "How long?"



Tempered Steel examined the bow. "A month at most. If I give you my estimated time, but who knows how long it'll take."



Davis nodded. "Alright, fair enough. I hope we can manage on the upcoming battle without them."



The smithy shrugged. "These bows might not be the most efficient, at least with what you told me, but fail you... I doubt. The archer fail, bows don't." He placed the bow down on the table. "You said you had some ideas, or was it just that?"



Davis shook his head. "No, there's more. I have this..." he said, placing a bullet on the table. The pony looked curiously at it. 



"What might this be...?" He asked.



"It's called a bullet. It is shot by this," he showed him the gun, but didn't passed it to him. Tempered Steel saw the gun and moved his hoof to take it. Davis placed it back on his belt, earning a surprised look. "I'm afraid I can't give you the gun, which is this thing, but I can give you a bullet." 



"And what does this... bullet do?"



Davis picked the bullet. "It's not the bullet what I wanted to show you, but rather what's inside. In it there's something called gunpowder. It's like black powder, highly explosive. I don't remember what's it made of, but it's inside. I believe it has sulfur and two other components."



"Sulfur?" Tempered Steel asked. "There's not much sulfur around here, but there's plenty to the north. About the others... I'll have to see what they are. If you remember please tell me." Davis nodded. "So, highly explosive, eh? I believe that might help us in the war."



"Yes," Davis said "but I want you to promise me that you won't tell anyone about it. I don't think good things will come if this becomes common knowledge."



Tempered Steel looks at him. "I think that is true. We can't have everypony around knowing how to make some explosive powder."



"I'm actually  worried about enemy spies and what it might do once Equestria is at peace. This is something dangerous that could change the face of war." Tempered Steel picked the bullet.



"Don't worry, my mouth is shut."



Davis smiled. "Thank you. Now, you had some things you wanted to show me?"



The smithy looked around. "Yes, things that need authorization to be mass produced. Come, let me show you..."



*** *** ***



Twilight's hoofsteps echoed through the halls at Canterlot palace. Louis walked beside her, both engaged in silent thought. Both kept their heads low, not thinking outside their minds. Twilight accidentally bumped into something. She stopped and saw a servant.



"I'm really sorry princess!" the servant, an earth pony, said. The servant mare had dropped some towels she was carrying, so she quickly begun to pick them up. "I'm terribly sorry..."



Twilight helped picking them up with her magic, placing the towels on her back. "It's alright, don't worry," she said smiling kindly to her. The servant bowed and walked away.



Louis saw everything. "Well princess, seems like you've got a touch with your ponies."



Twilight blushed slightly at the compliment. "No, it's just what any princess would have done."



Louis shrugged and began to walk again with Twilight. They were now walking in a splendid golden hall that Louis had never passed through before. 



It was like a ball room, the floor covered in elegant spruce wood. The walls had paintings and tapestries depicting important events in Equestria's history. He saw one where three ponies, one for each race, were hugging each other. He saw another were there were two armies clashing, Celesia and Luna in one, a dark unicorn covered in a green magic on the other one. He noticed that one side depicted Equestria and the other an empire made of crystal. He kept looking around, awed by all around. 



"This place... It's amazing," he muttered. Twilight nodded. She was looking around as well. 



"Yes, I've never get used to this part if the palace."



Louis approached another tapestry, on that caught his eyes. There was a throne room depicted, along with Celestia and Luna on two thrones. They didn't wore two crowns, but rather there were two pegasi ponies crowning them. There were many ponies assembled, all apparently stomping their hooves and cheering. The two young princesses looked happier than Louis had seen them, which made him somehow wish to be there, inside that tapestry, and see those genuine smiles. For some reason he seemed fixed on the two princesses, that is until Twilight spoke.



"The princesses' coronation. It happened thousands of years ago, right after the unification of the three races. They were accepted as the rulers and so they began their reign on the old castle, that now lays in ruins deep withing the everfree," the young Alicorn princess explained. Louis stared deeper into the tapestry.



"Why does the castle lay now in ruins?"



Twilight looked down, thinking. She finally looked up.



"Come, I can explain it better over there." She said, pointing at a large tapestry on the other side of the room. They walked towards it.



As they approached, Louis noticed that the tapestry was divided into sections. He saw that on top of the tapestry there was a large and elegant label: the war of the night.



"Long after the land of Equestria established itself and the princesses began to rule, there was a shirt period of war within the land. That was the last time Equestria saw war, that is until today... Though," Twilight said. Louis was listening. "The two sisters ruled together, Celestia controlling the day and Luna the night. They were happy, until Luna began to turn dark by her dark thoughts. She ended up trying to overthrow Celestia, accusing her of not giving her credit and saying that night was not appreciated as it should be. She rallied some ponies faithful to her and marched on towards the great castle of the two sisters. She began the rebellion on a small town whose name was long forgotten and that is no longer existing that was up north of Ponyville. From there she slowly marched, burning and pillaging everything that stood in her way."



"By then she was no longer Luna, but Nightmare moon. She was now a dark spirit, consumed by dark thoughts and dark desires." Twilight stopped to let Louis take in all that she had told him. The German soldier had been looming at the tapestry all the time, following Twilight's account through images. She saw the discussion between the sisters, Luna's transformation into Nightmare moon, her inciting the ponies to rise up with her and finally she marching with her army towards te castle of the two sisters.



"But she didn't moved unchallenged. Celestia's royal guard was giving her a hard time, until they finally stopped her advance right in the now present boarder of the everfree forest. There was were the bloodiest war inside Equestria was fought. Hundreds died, from both sides. Guards and Rebels alike fell for the sword and the arrow, until the rebellion was finally defeated."



"Just as the last remaining Royal guards rounded Nightmare Moon, she dissapeared and got in matter of hours a small army of one hundred. With that she moved towards the Castle. She attacked in the dead of night, a moment she made the moon darker than it should have been that day. So, with that started the three days of night, a constant battle between Celestia and Luna. The castle was destroyed, and most ponies fled, for the battle between the two sisters was just too powerful for a pony to survive all the raw magic."



"Finally, Celestia defeated Nightmare Moon, and by sending her to the moon the war was ended," Twilight finished. Louis saw the last image of the tapestry: the moon, which ha d dark spots all around with the form of a pony's face.



"And that was the last war Equestrians have fought?" Louis asked. It seemed like a long time ago.



"Yes, little more than a thousand years ago. Since then Equstrians left all forms of violence, encouraged by princess Celestia. She formed pacts with the surrounding kingdoms and an alliance with the griffons that stands to this day."



Louis nodded. "Why is Luna here now?"



Twilight looked at a particularly large tapestry. Louis followed her gaze.



"She was freed from her prison some years ago, on the thousand year anniversary of her banishment. The elements of harmony, my friends and I, defeated Noghtmare Moon and freed Luna from her evil." Twilight said that proudly. Louis smiled at her expression.



"I hope this war turned out differently and with less bloodshed," Louis said quietly, though making sure Twilight heard. "I've seen a very bloody war; I don't want to see that happening here."



Twilight's ears dropped. "I wish the same as well."



Just the the two heard the sound of the large ball room opening, revealing nine other than general Silver Ink.



"Yes, general?" Twilight asked.



The general cleared his throat. "I was sent to inform you that we will he departing soon. Celestia told me to tell you to meet her right away and help Louis get ready to leave for the training camp."



Twilight nodded. "It was nice to talk to you, Louis. I hope we can do this again."



Louis smiled. "I'm honored, princess. I'll gladly do that some time again."



Twilight smiled and walked to the door. She stopped and turned to Louis. "Please, don't call me princess. Just Twilight." She walked out of sight.



"Silver Ink..." Louis said, trying to look normal, but inside he felt anger at him. He had never liked that pony, and the more he got to know him, the less he liked him. 



That pony reminded him of a captain back at the German ranks, one he despised since he joined the army and the second he was changed to a different command Louis had been the happiest men on earth.



"Louis..." the general answered. The German soldier walked beside him and then off towards his room. Silver Ink followed him.



He finally reached his room, much more easily thanks to Silver Ink. He looked around and saw a military bag laying on his bed. He also noticed a uniform laying right beside it.



"A uniform?" he asked. Silver Ink walked to his side.



"Yes, the princesses made a special uniform for you and the other human."



Louis was too busy taking the uniform to notice the uncomfortable tone Silve Ink had used when speaking to him. He picked it up and saw the shirt and jacket. It was like one if the German officer's shirt and jacket, only that there were no eagles or german simbols on it. He saw a small officer cap. He turned to Silver Ink.



Silver Ink looked at him. 



"In going to out it on," Louis said.



"Go ahead," the General said casually. 



Louis sighed. "I don't think you ponies mind being naked all day, but us humans don't take it lightly to be seen naked."



Silver Ink looked at him amused. "I'm... Surprised..." He chuckled. "Alright, I'll leave you, which is something I've wanted to." He simply turned and left. 



Louis just kept hating more and more that pony...



He took off his German soldier uniform and proceeded to try his new officer uniform. He took his time, making sure he wore it correctly. He finally put on the officer cap and then walked to a mirror. He looked at himself and was surprised by how he looked.



He remembered one of those old commander uniforms from the seventeen hundreds. His cap was not how he thought it would look on him, but still he like it. The jacket had an equestrian symbol, the moon and the sun crossed with two crowns and two horns with wings behind. 



He looked at the he'd again. He noticed a badge with a star. He took it and placed it on his pocket. That would certainly mean something.



After making sure he had everything, he walked out if his room. He had his rifle and his gun on his belt. He looked out of a window towards te busy city of Cabterlot.



Soon he would he fighting... Fifhtnjng ti help these creatures keep their freedom and their innocence. They were peaceful folk, he wished war had never arrived to them. He sighed as he walked towards the palace gates. He was ready to go to the training camp, and from there, to war...

> Dreams and Nightmares
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 11
Dreams and Nightmares


There was a slow and steady wind as Davis, put on on his american soldier uniform, walked with his team in the French coast. The steady waves crashing against a white shoreline and the sight of American destroyers in the distance was what always kept Davis surprised and calm. Surprised because the destroyers were gigantic, he never,expected they would be like that, and calm because the waves' sound was relaxing. 

There were many tents where the allied forces had established their main base for the assault on the Germans. There were still many troops disembarking. 

He looked at his men, inspecting each and every one of them. They were tired from the beach attack on Normandy, but he knew they couldn't rest, not yet.

He had received a letter from high command telling him he needed to move forward towards the French northern border, and that meant no rest for them, nor himself. He had finished a morning run with them and was on his way to debrief them on the upcoming task. It wasn't going to be easy, but they needed to do it.

He was about to say something when the sound of exploding shells snapped him and his men to attention. There was subsequently the sound of open fire nearby.

"Everybody, ready!" he shouted. The men prepared their rifles, tension clear in their eyes. Davis prepared himself as well. He could hear the shouts that a battle brought, and the screams as well.

But there was a certain sound that caught his attention the most. A metallic clanking, the sound of turning metal and then, the roar of a cannon.

Tanks!

"They've got tanks!" he shouted. His men nodded. 

"What now?!" asked one.

"Prepare the antitank guns and call for backup. We can't stop it alone. Now follow me!" he said as he began to move towards the sounds and the gunshots. He had his finger ready to pull the trigger, just a few seconds and he would see the enemy...

There, the first enemy soldier. He shot a couple of rounds and spray fire, catching them by surprise. The other Germans quickly took cover as they noticed their fallen comrades. He took cover himself at the first enemy shots. He could hear his men right beside him, taking cover as well.

He shot a couple of times before advancing, taking some Germans again by surprise by his sudden attack. His own men followed, only to be received by another round of enemy fire. They immediately took cover, but Davis easily heard the shout of one of them getting hit.

"Hold! Don't advance, we need support!" he shouted. He hoped his men heard as he returned fire. He heard a couple of shots hitting their mark, but he knew some of the enemy's had as well. He turned and saw his men having a hard time. The medic was busy with one that seemed to have a serious injury, but there were others hurt as well.

That's when the tanks came.

He heard the metallic sound first, then, knowing what was coming, he shouted a warming to his men.

"Take cover! Tanks!"

He saw the tank's barrel first, then the whole body of the tank. He tried to see what type of tank it was, but the smoke and some trees didn't helped. He saw it stop and, knowing what was coming, he jumped beneath a boulder of rocks. There was a deafening explosion seconds after, followed by the ground shaking. He looked up and saw where the tank had hit. 

It was were some of his men had taken cover. He saw that three were okay, but other three were not moving. He looked at what the men had been taking, then immediately uttering a curse.

Those were the antitank guns...

"Fall back!" he shouted. Without those guns, he knew they couldn't defeat the tank... Or maybe... 

He ran to his men, hearing enemy shots being shot, trying to hit him. He saw the one with a bazooka.

"Go over there..." he said, pointing at a vantage point, "and shoot when you think you cannot miss. Aim for the gas." The man nodded and ran, covered by friendly fire. He ordered his men then to shoot, trying to move around and don't let the tank get a clear shot.

There was another explosion as the tank shot again, though this time it did nothing more than to cause a few bruises to men nearby. He looked at the man he sent to destroy the tank. He was already aiming, and as soon as the tank shot another time he shot at the tank. There was an explosion as the shell hit its target and exploded the gas tanks. The tank blew up, taking nearby enemy soldiers with it. 

The Americans cheered, but Davis knew better. "Fall back, enemy backup will arrive!" 

His men quickly moved back, cautious for enemies around. Soon they were again at the beach. Davis turned to the radio man.

The radioman was listening to orders coming in. "They told us to move back, air support will take care of the tanks." Davis nodded and gestured for his men to move.

There was a buzzing sound and soon airplanes flew above them and towards the enemy. There were many explosions and then a stillness that felt so alien...

***   ***   ***

Davis woke up. He was sweating and shaking. He sat, covering his face with both his hands, trying to rub the sleep of his eyes. 

"Hey there," he heard a voice calling. He moved his hands off his face, opening his eyes to try and see who it was. It was still the dead of night, and his room was dark. He could see a flowing mane, and as his eyes adjusted to the dark he saw a crown and the white eyes.

"Princess Luna?" he asked. The princess of the moon walked over to his bed, never keeping her eyes off the American. "What are you doing here?"

Luna stopped beside the bed. Davis remained seated. "I was watching your dream, and I felt your anguish and anger at it, so I woke you up."

Davis looked confused. "Wait... You were watching my dream? How?"

Luna smiled and walked to a window. Her flowing dark blue mane shining slightly, began to shine even more the moment moon rays touched it. White dots of light that looked like stars shone in it, always making Davis awed by that flowing mane. The princess kept staring outside.

"I have many duties as princess, so does my sister, but I have one that can't be compared to any other duty, whether it be mine or hers." She looked back at Davis. "I am in charge of banishing bad dreams, nightmares, from ponies' minds. I can also enter a dream, modify it in favor of the dreamer. There are cases in which the impression of the dream is too strong for me to do something without hurting the subconscious mind, just like the dream you just had. That's why I woke you up."

Davis stood up. He was dressed in a night uniform. He had never worn such a thing, but apparently in Equestria the officers of an officer rank or over had one. For what reason, he did not know. Still, it was far more,comfortable than his old uniform, at the new one they had given him. 

"So your telling me you can enter somebody's mind, without any trouble," he said. Luna chuckled.

"No, it's harder than what you think." She walked to him. Davis stood up. Luna, seeing Davis' confused face, continued.

"Most ponies are easy to enter their minds, yes, but there are some that make it a little hard to accomplish my job. In fact, your mind caused me some problems when I entered."

"Well, thanks for waking me up, but it wasn't a nightmare," Davis said. Luna shook her head slowly.

"Maybe not strictly a nightmare, but there are certain dreams that are rather unpleasant for the dreamer. You were..." She stopped. "You had a dream of a battle, a war..." She looked at him attentively. "Was that... Was that the war you were fighting before coming here?"

Davis walked towards a little table that had a water bottle. He opened it and drank some. He rubbed his eyes a little as well. Then, he nodded.

"Yes..."

Luna approached him, stopping feet   away from him. "How is a war like that, with those guns of yours?"

Davis looked for a second to his rifle. The weapon was laying against the side of his bed. He felt relieved after seeing it was still there. Somehow, he always felt like if it was going to mysteriously or magically disappear.

He cleared his throat. "They are like any  other type of warfare, horrible, painful and bloody," he said, his voice maintaining a monotone tone. He felt heavy and tired of just thinking of war, yet he knew he would be marching towards one soon enough. He hated war, and talking about it... made it worse.

"If there's anything you'd like to talk about, I can listen to you," Luna said. Davis shook his head.

"No, it's alright." He yawned.

"I'll take my leave then," Luna said. She walked to the door slowly.

"Wait..."

Luna stopped and turned around.

Davis looked at the window and then back at Luna. "There are things men... or stallions maybe as well... take a lot of pride in themselves."

"Yes... And...?" Luna asked.

Davis sighed. "You are the princess of the moon, you stop nightmares to your subjects..." he said. "But there are times that nightmares are not what haunts someone... it's memories."

Luna, that had been looming expectant and slightly confused, looked in understanding and smiled. "I know your problem," she said. Davis chuckled nervously.

"I've never told anyone or anypony before when I'm scared," Davis said slightly ashamed.

"Being scared is nothing to be afraid of, and I believe you above all knows that." Luna approached Davis.

The American nodded. "I know."

Luna turned and walked towards the door. She opened it with her magic, her horn lighting up with a blue aura. "Good night Davis." She was gone after that. The door closed slowly behind her.

Davis moved his hands to his face, rubbing his eyes. He slowly walked up to the window. The moon shone brightly outside. Davis sighed. Why had he told that to Luna? He had never spoke so personally before. 

He walked over to his bed and snuck in. Tomorrow was going to be  a tiring day...

***   ***   ***

Darkness... That was what surrounded him. He opened his eyes, as a sharp light struck him, blinding him for a couple of seconds and don't letting him see for other seconds. When he managed to see again, he wished he couldn't.

"Soon enough, Glimfeather; soon enough I'll be sitting on that throne," said a soft yet evil female voice.

"You won't ever touch the golden throne, bug!" he shouted to the top of his lungs. The griffon Glimfeather, general of the griffon forces and prince to the throne, looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. The lights had turned off, so he couldn't find it 

"Oh, but I will, as I will also be seated on the two sister's throne in Canterlot," the voice repeated in an amused tone. Two large green eyes stared at the griffon, who tried,to free himself from the ropes that had him trapped. "Tomorrow at dawn we advance! To Equestria, and to war!"

Immediately after that, the sound of hooves against bare stone thundered as lights appeared around the gigantic cave they were in. Glimfeather then saw something he had not expected as thousands upon thousands of changelings cheered. He felt exposed and the once unknown feeling of fear enveloped his being.

All Glimfeather could do was wonder how where the Equestrians and griffons alike supposed to survive against that...
> Bad News
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 12
Bad News


The knocking and pounding on the room's door awoke Louis. The german groaned as he sat up on his bed, rubbing his eyes. There was more knocking and pounding. He sighed angrily and stood up. He looked at himself in the mirror, inspecting how presentable he looked. He heard more pounding, this time a little more violent.

"Yes! I'm coming!" he said angrily. He noticed he had slept on his uniform. "Agh..." he said, then walked to the door.

He opened it and looked out. "What is it?" he asked angrily. He saw SilverInk there. "Ah, it's you," he said, walking back inside his bedroom but leaving the door opened for the general to come in. The stallion walked in. 

"Is that a way of talking to your superior officer, commander?" The general asked. Louis stopped walking. He was going to change to his german uniform, since the equestrian one was now sweaty and with wrinkles. He turned.

"I'd guess not, sir..." he said between teeth. He turned back again.

SilverInk saw the room Louis was staying on. "Nice place the princesses gave you, much bigger than the one they give me, actually."

Louis turned, clearly containing his anger. "Is that for all you came, sir." He said sir with obvious disgust. SilverInk immediately changed his neutral face to a clearly angry one.

"Now, commander, I will not be addressed in that way by anypony of inferior rank, not even you!"

Louis groaned angrily and turned again. "Please tell me what it is that you came for, or else I'll need to ask you to leave my room."

SilverInk stopped his advance into the room. He looked about to explode, as his face as turning red in anger. "I came to tell you that the princess has asked the reunion of the war council immediately under alert 5, that is the top of alerts, since I guess you don't know. You are to report to the throne room in ten minutes." The general didn't wait more; he turned and left the room without even bothering to close the door.

Louis walked to the door and closed it. He sighed and went to change. When he was done, he walked to the mirror. He smiled; being in the uniform he was used to made him feel like if he was not that far from his home, from Germany. 

He put on his private's cap and then walked out of the room. He closed the door and proceeded to walk to the throne room.

Louis hadn't been in the throne room more than two times. He knew the way, but still the twists and turns were confusing. He made his way through the victorian-style rooms and halls that he was now getting used to. After a couple of minutes he finally reached the throne room's main doors. He saw they were closed. How was he supposed to get in?

He looked around until he spotted a guard.

"Excuse me," he began. The guard, the typical white unicorn with golden armor that distinguished the royal guard immediately turned to him. "How can I enter the throne room?" The guard pointed to a small door.

"That way commander. They are waiting for you."

"Thank you," he said. 'Great... I am late...' he thought to himself. He walked to the door and opened it. He entered the throne room.

The room was exactly as he remembered. Two thrones, one golden the other dark blue. Tinted glass on all the windows depicting important events on Equestrian history, as well as a chandelier on the ceiling. The only different thing was the magical table he had seen a couple of times being used by the ponies to show their plans.

He noticed that there were more ponies than the last war council he had been to. There was SilverInk as the only general present, but also others he didn't recognize. All wore officer badges. As he made his way through the room he noticed that the lowest ranked officer there was a lieutenant. He also noticed a type of badge on an old looking light blue unicorn with a spyglass cutie mark. He guessed it could be from the navy, but he wasn't sure. It was probably the dark blue uniform. He finally saw a small golden medal with an anchor. 

Yep, definitely navy.

"Commander Louis, I'm glad you could come," Celestia said. Louis noticed Luna wasn't present. "Now, let's begin." Everypony present looked at the sun princess, expecting about what she was going to say. "As all of you are well aware, we have been on a thin line between entering a war, as horrible as it sounds, we have known from its very beginning we couldn't stand by without doing anything." She turned to the navy officer and nodded. The blue unicorn nodded in response as his horn glowed with a faint blue aura. A blue holographic image appeared behind the throne depicting a large moving army of changelings, then it changed into a map of the south of Equestria. "I'm afraid that our estimates as to when war would fall on us were wrong. We expected to have enough time to prepare our troops, at least to have big number of them ready. As it happens to be, we have deceived ourselves."

She began pacing in front of the two thrones.

"At this hour yesterday, a force of ten thousand changelings crossed the southeastern equestrian frontier, and at the same time, another force of five thousand crossed through the west. One advancing in the direction we had already guessed and planned on. The smaller force of five thousand was something we did not expect. We thought that the changelings were too busy fighting the griffons to dedicate any more resources on the invasion on our lands. I'm afraid it wasn't so."

"I'll appoint two generals to be commanding officers on the two fronts. One of them is to be general SilverInk, the other one general Davis. General SIlverInk, please step forward," Celestia said, looking at the general. The stallion moved forward towards the princess. "Do you accept all the responsibilities that this brings forth upon you?" SilveInk looked solemn. He nodded.

"Yes my princess, I do."

"Then it is decided, SilverInk, you are to command the larger equestrian force. Three thousand troops are at your disposal to defend the south-eastern front. We will further discuss the defense preparations on another meeting."

"And to general Davis, one thousand troops will be given to him. The rest will remain back, should the worst happen, to defend the nearest cities and towns, them being Las Pegasus and Appleloosa."

Chattering broke out throghout the room. Many were angry becase of Davis' appointment as general, others simply disturbed by the news and others simply began to discuss with others. Celestia looked around.

"I know some of you have a different opinion on some of these decisions, and I understand you. But I need you to understand that this is what I have decided and am confident about these decisions."

"Now that everything is clear and I announced the important things, everypony dismissed. All of you are to report to your stations at the camp for tomorrow morning for departure. Good Luck," Celestia said. She looked at the blue unicorn beside her and the two left the throne room through a door behind the thrones. Louis didn't moved as everypony began to walk out of the room.

He was the last on the room. He didn't moved an inch, but kept looking to the thrones. He finally looked down at his empty holster. He had left his gun at his room, since he knew that he didn't needed it where he was. He sighed as he turned to leave the room. Soon his holster will not be empty again, soon his hands will carry his rifle. Soon, he would be marching to war...

Again...

***   ***   ***

"What the hell does this mean!?" Davis exclaimed as he re-read the letter the princess had sent him earlier in the morning. It was already afternoon and he still couldn't believe it. 

"Davis, calm down, maybe you are looking at it too dramatically," Fire Strike said. 

"Calm down! How can I calm down!" Davis shouted to the sky. He threw the letter away. "This was not what I intended in any way! This changes everything I had carefully planned. My plans could burn right here right now and it wouldn't matter! Why didn't the princess consult her decision with me first? Why couldn't she see it the way I..." he couldn't finish as a hoof stopped his mouth. Davis looked at his friend. Striker slowly retrieved her hoof.

"Look Davis, as much as I know you are upset.."

"Like hell I'm upset..."

"...I think you should understand that, one, you couldn't have planned everything ahead, it was always a very likely thing to happen for the changelings to do the unexpected. Two, even if your plans would been used anything could go wrong and all that you planned would not matter. Finally three, that you are just a general, princess Celestia is the ruler of this land, you answer to her and not her to you."

Davis stopped pacing around. He sighed, suddenly looking tired. He sat down and grabbed a glass of water from a nearby table. "You're rigth, I'm overreacting. I should calm down..."

They were in the headquarters of the camp. The planning room seemed quiet compared to the outside. The table with the map of Equestria rested on the table, as well as other maps of specific regions of the south of Equestria. Outside, the sound of training troops, steel being forged and ponies chattering filled the room. Davis looked at the window. 

"Maybe we should make the announcement. Tomorrow I want to be ready to move so that we have time to fortify ourselves," Davis said. Striker nodded.

"Do you want me to make the announcement?"

Davis shook his head, standing up. "No, I'll make it. Please tell Ace to be there as well as you. Us three will make a stronger impression." He walked to the door. "I'll go and announce everypony to be in front of the headquarters for the announcement." Striker nodded and walked out of the room. Davis followed her. They two went in different directions once outside the wooden structure. 

Davis walked over to every officer he saw and told them to have their units and their ponies in front of the Headquarters for an important announcement. Finally, after an hour of walking and saying the same to every officer, he was finally back on the headquarters. He saw Ace and Fire Strike approach.

"I suppose you received a letter as well, Davis," Ace said. Davis nodded. 

"Yes," he said.

"I can guess you were not happy for the changes made on your plans." Davis and Striker chuckled, remembering how Davis had reacted.

"No, I was not." The three moved into a large stage that had the equestrian banners all around it. They waited until a large crowd was in front of them. Ace went to ask an officer if they were all here. The general returned and nodded in confirmation at Davis. Davis cleared his throat. Everypony stood attention, not making any noises and not even moving. They obviously knew something was up. Davis began.

"I am sure all of you know well enough the reason you are all here. We are at war, and you answered your land's call for duty. I am sure most of you know what is at stake, but still, I'll remind you. We are being invaded by a most horrible foe. The changelings, which surely most of you remember from their invasion to our capital, Canterlot. Now, I know how peaceful you are. When I first arrived here I found such peace I couldn't believe it. Now, that very same beautiful peace I found is being threatened; it's being harassed by those changelings."

"I know you would rather not fight, and I am proud of that. Fighting is a last resort, and I really wish it wouldn't be like that, but it is. I trust you all, since I've seen you and met you all. I know what you are capable, and I know that not even a thousand changelings compare to one of you. I know and admire your bravery, I know and admire the cause we are all fighting for."

"We are fighting for freedom and for liberty, which those creatures want to take from us. They want to enslave us, and I promise you that I'll do whatever it takes to stop them; I'll do whatever is in my power to do that and to achieve victory. Tomorrow we begin preparations to leave and as soon as the other generals and officers arrive we will leave for war."

"Never forget who you are in battle, don't let the cruelty of it grow into you, for then everything, what we are fighting for, will be lost. Now, let's go, for Celestia, for freedom, and for Equestria!" he finished with a shout. Everypony began to cheer, stomping the ir hooves in the ground causing a tremble that made the headquarters building shake. Davis smiled. He walked back to Striker and Ace.

"Well said, general. You even inspired me," Striker said mockingly. Davis laughed. Ace walked over to him. 

"I couldn't have said it better Davis. Now, let's hope we are going to victory and not to massacre," Ace said. Davis nodded. 

"I promised these ponies I'd do everything in my power, and by God I will do it." Davis looked at the cheering ponies. "Let's give them this night for themselves. Tomorrow we leave as soon as I have all my additional officers," he told them.

Striker and Ace nodded. "Perfect, now..." Ace said looking at the two smiling. "Shall we join the party?" he said. Both Striker and Davis laughed as they joined their friend. The three walked inside the huge mass of soldiers, their fears hidden by the joyful singing and the smiles all around them...

And so the night move on, making way for the next day, and making way for war...
> First March
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 13
First March


Davis surveyed the large expanse of terrain in front of him. He then looked at a map on his hands either to see something on it or make an annotation. He looked at a small cliff not far away and then proceeded to make another annotation. 

He was standing on a large plain with a some lonely trees around, leaving a lot of empty space to see all around. Green grass covered the earth as far as the eyes could see. The evening sun stood over it, the trees leaving large shadows as it slowly descended. In the distance, the faint silhouette of a forest could be seen. 

Davis adjusted his cap and looked around. He was alone, having gone on some scouting on his own to see the terrain around where he was going to place the camp. 

The troops had arrived some three hours ago at the Las Pegasus train station to be greeted by cheerful civilians, shouting their support, hanging huge equestrian banners all around the city and throwing flowers at the passing troops. Davis had remembered the moment when the Allied forces had freed Paris from the Germans; it had been something like that, only merrier in some way. 

After the army finally left the city, Davis had begun a march towards the position he had picked for the camp: a large barren hill some kilometers away from the city from which he could see all the surrounding area easily and that gave him a really good position. 

Now he was looking around for a place to make the defensive fortifications. So far he had spotted a couple of hills he had seen that could do as a good position for that, only that they didn't seem to convince him enough.

He had a list of things the position needed to have, starting from the altitude. It needed to be on high ground. Next was the geography around it. How good could the surrounding area be seen? How difficult would it be for the enemy to reach it and for his supplies as well. Then as well, he needed more than one position should the need to fall back arise.

He sighed as he placed a mark on another suitable position. He knew he needed to begin building them as soon as possible, yet he was not sure of some of the positions he had found.

He was about to walk off again when he heard hoofsteps approaching. He looked towards the direction where the sound was coming. He smiled when he recognized who it was.

"Golden Flame, I thought you were busy with your team," he said. The bright yellow Pegasus nodded.

"Yes, I was. But you know how the lads are, fast and efficient." He looked at the map. "What are you doing out here?"

Davis passed him the map. "I'm looking for defensive positions to build fortifications. We have just seven days for the changelings to reach us, and I want to be prepared with the best that I can do." Golden Flame nodded.

"I think it's a bright idea. I can see here you are making a line of defensive fortifications every kilometer or so," the Pegasus said. Davis nodded.

"Yes. I'm planning on making fifteen of them, each one a mile of distance between each other," he said. "So far I've a seen only seven good positions, the others are... well enough yet not good enough."

Golden Flame scratched his neck. "Well, maybe I could see one easier from the sky. If you want, of course," he said. Davis looked at him. 

"That is a brilliant idea. Please do that, I'll be down here looking for some myself. When you find one come and tell me."

The captain saluted smiling. "Aye, captain!" he said in a perfect imitation of a sailor. Davis laughed and Golden Flame took flight, looking for the position. Davis looked back onto his map.

***   ***   ***

Golden Flame looked around. He extended his wings as he got more altitude. He saw a warm air current and used it to get it easier. He smiled as he felt the air under his wings and as he saw the ground below. He had been on the ground for far too long now, at least a week without a proper flight, only short ones and to carry out orders or letters. This was the thing, flying freely without anypony to tell you anything. This was how flying was supposed to be done, out in the freedom of the sky and not secluded to the camps.

He looked around for the perfect position for Davis. He knew what the general was looking for, and soon he had spotted three places. It had just been ten minutes, and he thought it would he too rushed. Maybe he could simply fly and have a time for himself? He smiled as he took more altitude. 

Soon his thoughts were drifting to the war. He felt unsure whenever he thought of what lay ahead, yet he knew there was no other way. War was inevitable, and he would soon have to fight for his life as much as for Equestria.

Then his thoughts turned to his ponies. His team was well trained and knew perfectly what was expected of them. He had become friends with all of them, their ranks not dividing them in any way. For that reason he had been criticized multiple times.

Many officers said he was making his rank look like it hold no importance. They said that he needed to put up a barrier between him and his men, at least to let them know he was the officer in charge. Too much trust ended up in disaster.

Oh, how wrong they were.

He knew the way the other officers thought, and he was sure it was effective; yet he knew that he was not necessarily superior than them, more like he was responsible for his team. He treated them as brothers, and they treated him that way in return. Even then, he knew that they knew he was in charge, though they didn’t see him as a superior, but more like a friend. He knew they'd obey any order he gave them, and that him being friends with them was in no way going to affect that.

He looked at the soon, finally returning back from his thoughts to the real world. He then realized he had been in the air for an hour.

"Oh!" he exclaimed.

Soon he was going down towards Davis. He could see the tiny dark dot on the ground, which soon grew as he approached. He landed in front of him.

"Ah, Golden Flame. You found anything yet?" Davis asked. Golden Flame nodded. Davis passed him the map.

"Here..." Golden Flame said, placing a dot on one of the positions. "Here and here..." he said, doing the same with those. Davis looked at it. 

"Perfect. I supposed that is all. I have ten positions in total. Ten positions are good for today. Maybe tomorrow I look for others after I order the preparation of the ones we already found," Davis said.

"Perfect sir," Golden Flame said. Davis looked at the sky. 

"I think we should get going. It's a three hour walk back to camp and we only have one hour of light," Davis said. The pony captain nodded.

"I can't agree more, sir..."

***   ***   ***

"How long until we reach position for camp, Ace," SilverInk said. Ace looked at a map. "We are already here, Silver." The two generals stopped and looked around.

It had been five long hours of walking nonstop to reach the position SilverInk had decided for the camp, and walking that distance with three thousand soldiers wasn't easy. 

Ace looked back and saw the long column of ponies behind them. "We make camp here!" he shouted. Everypony began unpacking their tents and preparing the camp that was to be their main position against the changeling's attack.

Same as with Davis' force, SilverInk had transported his troops by train until they reached the Appleloosa station. From there they had needed to walk for a total of four hours before reaching the town of Green Lake. There they had rested for two hours. The town's inhabitants seemed overwhelmed by the number of ponies beside their town, but relieved and happy because they now felt safe. Apparently the changelings had been making night raids at cottages and ponies that left the town for a walk or other things like that. In all, they had been very inviting, if not a little protective of their town. They had seemed very troubled as the three hundred officers looked around, entering at the bar and buying things.

Soon they had left the town took on their last walk, to which they had finally finished. SilverInk looked around.

"Davis chose a good position, didn't he?" Louis said to no one in general. SilverInk looked at him.

"Yes, I must admit he did..." the General said. Louis smiled. Ace chuckled. "But now we don't have time to talk, we need to prepare everything. Ace, make sure the defenses begin to be built. Ace nodded and walked away. "Louis, go to inspect the tents and see how they are doing. I want all the tents finished in less than an hour." Louis nodded and walked away, leaving SilverInk alone.

The red Pegasus sighed. "Now to think..." he muttered to himself. He sat down on the dirt, taking out his maps from his saddle.

***   ***   ***

Louis looked around as he inspected the erection of tents. The troops were being fast on their job, which was something Louis was thankful for. He didn't need to do much, except for a couple of this with one that had trouble with his tent, but only like three times had he found those. Most seemed to know what they were doing.

He had also sent a team to arm up the generals' tents.

He soon found himself making his own tent beside where they were making Ace's. He took it out of his back and began. As he did, he got lost in his thoughts

***   ***   ***

"Louis..." He heard from behind. 

"Huh?" He asked. He saw a captain Pegasus behind him. 

"Commander, general SilverInk and general Ace are asking for your presence," he said. Louis nodded. He had already finished the tent and was sitting outside, cleaning his rifle. He stood up and placed his rifle on his back. He then made sure he had his pistol on the holster.

"Okay, thanks for letting me know," he told the captain. The Pegasus saluted, to which Louis answered. He walked to Silver's tent.

"...can't rely on Davis's plans completely!" He heard from the inside. He stopped in front of the tent's entrance.

"But he knew what he was doing, Silver. We need to rely on them, at least a little," he heard Ace say.

"That's what you think, but have you ever seen him in action?" Silence. "I thought so. We can't be sure he knew what he was doing. All we have from him is his word, and I don't trust that hairless ape on any way."

Louis stormed inside the after hearing that. "What did you say?" he asked SilverInk venomously. The Pegasus General looked in surprised at him. Ace looked between them.

"What gives you right to get inside my tent like that?!" SilverInk said. Louis groaned angrily.

"What give YOU the right to call him that?!" Louis shouted. He wasn't sure why he was defending the American, but for some reason he felt pissed.

SilverInk laughed maniacally before looking at him angrily. "I can call anypony however want, ape!" he shouted to Louis. Louis shouted as he jumped at Silver. The Pegasus seemed shocked, but waited for him to reach him. Soon, the two were engaged in trying to hit the other. 

"Stop!" Ace shouted. Both looked at him. "You are acting like foals! I can't believe it." He walked to them. "You are supposed to be the leader of this campaign, and you a military advisor, yet here you are, engaged in a foal's fight."

Louis blushed in shame, but Silver simply looked away. Both stood up.

"Louis, please leave the tent. I'll need to write a letter to the princess about this," Ace said. Louis nodded and walked outside.

"Yes, go ape!"

Louis stopped for a second, then got out of the tent. 

"And I'll write about you as well." Ace walked out of the tent as well. Silver stood still. He turned and looked at the maps, then he shouted and kicked the table, sending it down to the ground.

"I am in no way like that hairless ape Davis! He can't be a general, he can't be!" He shouted at top of his lungs before sitting down. This needed to change. He couldn't allow that alien to remain in power, and he was determined to do whatever it took... 

Anything...

***   ***   ***

Louis entered his tent and sat down on a chair. He covered his face with his hands as a couple of tears began to flow from his eyes.

Why must he be the one that was taken out of his world? He had not missed anything of his world, at least not until that moment. That moment he realized he was probably stuck there forever. He would never get to see his girlfriend again, nor his mother, nor his young brother...

He looked around his tent. This wasn't earth, this wasn't where he belonged, yet he didn't knew how to return. He didn't even knew how he had arrived at Equestrian on the first place!

He began to let his feelings out in form of tears. Soon he was weeping silently, his face covered by his hands.

Soon he had run out of tears. He slowly looked up at the tents roof, then at his rifle which he had thrown as he entered his tent. Surprisingly, his rifle was his most precious object at the moment. He slowly picked it up and examined it. He looked through his bags for ammo, then he stood up and walked out of his tent.

It was already night, still the camp was busy as preparations were being made. He walked to the back of the camp with a lantern he had from his bag, one of the posesiones he had brought with him from earth.

He walked to a safe distance from the camp, then proceeded to load his gun. He aimed for a tree and then pulled the trigger. The familiar sound of the exploding bullet inside the rifle rang inside his ears as well as the push the weapon gave. He smiled as he saw he had hit his mark. He proceeded to load again and then shoot once more. Soon he had began a steady rhythm of loading and firing, until he had fired thirty times. He stopped.

"That surely woke up half the camp," came a voice from behind Louis. "It woke me up, at least."

Louis looked back and saw general Ace. He chuckled.

"Well Ace, soon you'll be more relieved to hear this sound, especially when it is used against our enemies..." He loaded it once more, then looked at Ace. "They'll regret the moment they set hoof on Equestria, I swear it..." He fired, the bullet hitting its mark once more.

Yes, Louis was ready for them.

"Let them come..."
>  First encounter (The battle of Green Lake town part 1)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 14
First Encounter (The Battle of Green Lake Town part 1)


"I tell you, we are going too far, it can get dangerous," a black pegasus said. His wings flapped soundlessly in the night sky as he scanned the ground and the air for changelings.

"You know Flap, sometimes you are too over the top," said a grey one. "And also, changelings aren't that difficult to spot."

Flap grinned. "They're black, Glass. Black is difficult to be spotted at night."

Glass chuckled. "You know I can see pretty well at night. Those bugs would never pass without me seeing them, and they'll just pass by like a large group of insects. I don't think that they will be difficult to spot." Flap seemed unconvinced.

The two kept in flying. They were now on top of the forest that was in the south Of Equestria. Flap knew they were already in area where changelings were supposed to be, yet he hadn't seen any. That made him suspicious.

He looked back and saw the border of the forest and the main defense hill. He could see the fires where the sentries stood, looking for the enemy.

Yes, they were too far away... 

"Glass, I think we are going too near the enemy."

"No, we are not..." Glass suddenly stopped. "Hold on! I think I see something..." h whispered. Flap holds his breath, trying to see whatever it was Glass had seen.

"There! In the trees, I see something!" 

Immediately, Glass went down. Flap sighed and followed him. After a couple of seconds he saw a lone changeling flying above the treeline.

Now that was suspicious. Why would a changeling be flying alone in the forest. He had not be the first changeling he had seen, of course. He was a scout and he had seen many changelings the past few days and he had been the day Canterlot had been taken during the wedding. Changings weren't as alien to him as they were to many others.

That was why he knew there was something wrong with that lone changeling at night. There had to be something for this... Something he...

The second he saw them, his heart stopped. "Glass! Get out of..." He couldn't finish as a green beam of light got out of the treetops, hitting his friend. He saw as smoke came out of him and as he fell down. 

"No!" he shouted. Tears threatened his eyes. Glass... His friend... Was... He was...

Dead...

He felt the heat of another beam pass by him, which quickly got him back to reality. He saw a dozen of changelings going towards him. He turned pale, if it was possible for a pony his color. He turned tail and flew away. He saw that the changelings kept throwing him spells, which he evaded doing maneuvers and tricks. 

That's when he saw the changeling army.

Thousands upon thousands of changelings, all marching out of the forest and towards the fortified hills and into Equestria. 

He panicked. He was supposed to do something! He was supposed to warn them, but his wings felt hard and stiff. He slowly began to fall.

'Control yourself!' he told to himself. He finally got back control of his wings and began flapping towards the camp. The changelings had given up pursuit and were joining the changeling lines. 

Flap looked in horror at the army, he then turned and flew towards the camp...

***   ***   ***

"Ring the bells! The changelings are coming!" shouted a pegasus scout as strong as he could. The little light the moon gave made his fast landing difficult. He fell down hard against the floor. Immediately, three royal guards helped him up. 

He had landed in the main part of the army camp, with general Silver's tent in front. Many soldiers around got out of their tents, sleepy eyes clearly visible by the light of both the moon and some fires that were lit all around the camp.

SilverInk got out of his tent as soon as he heard the word changeling, though he wasn't sure he had heard it right. He had been on his table, checking some maps and thinking of the future battle right before he heard the shout.

He walked until he was standing just a few feet from the scout.

"Repeat that," he said, clearly concerned.

The scout breathed hard. "Changelings sir... tons of them... the hills... many more..." The scout suddenly fell down, passing out. Everypony around stared in shock, clearly unsure of what to do. The royal guards looked to each other, troubled. General Silver looked around.

Louis woke up as he heard the commotion outside. He stood up and quickly looked out of the tent. 

SilverInk cleared his throat.

"What are you waiting for fools! Sound the bells!" he exclaimed angrily. 

Immediately, two huge bells that had been placed on a tower began to sound, their chiming quickly waking everypony up and alerting the little town not far away. Ponies got out of their tents, hurrying to be ready.

Louis ran around his tent, quickly putting on his uniform. He took his belt and put it on, strapping the sword to it. He also placed his gun on the belt and quickly took his rifle. He walked outside and walked over to organize the ponies under his command.

As he walked, he noticed that all around ponies moved doing their different tasks. Platoons organized in lines as fast as they could, officers barked out orders and organized the troops to stand in lines and get ready with their armor and their weapons. Weapons were quickly taken from the armory, as well as armor and shields. The equestrian lines quickly formed up outside of the camp, all facing the south and their general, SilverInk, who was looking at them.

Louis began to walk towards him.

"General, we are ready to move," a unicorn officer said. Silver looked around until he saw general Ace walking towards him, full in his armor and carrying a long sword on his back. He also noticed Louis walking towards him with the equestrian battle uniform and his large metal stick that spat fire strapped to his back. He felt his anger rise but quickly ignored it. Not time for that now.

"General, the third regiment is ready," Louis said as soon as he reached him.

"And so is the second," said a tired Ace. He had clearly been awoken by the bells.

"And the first..." Silver said. "I guess that means we are ready to go." He turned to Ace. "Ace, remember to protect the left flank. I'll take the center and the right flank. Louis..." He turned to the german. "Remember to keep your troops ready in case the battle starts to go badly for us. You have the reinforcements, and they can prove out to be our last hope, so be ready." He looked at the troops. "We move now..." he said, almost in a whisper. Both Ace and Louis nodded as the walked off to their regiments.

***   ***   ***

"Hold the lines!" Louis shouted at the top of his lungs. He moved slowly with the army on his side. He needed to move fast in order to remain in front of it, since his walking was very much slower than a pony's. He looked back at his regiment. 

SilverInk had called each of the three divisions of pony regiments, though Louis would have simply called them divisions. He sighed and then pushed his thoughts away. He couldn't get distracted, at least not then and there. 

He had a thousand ponies under his command, and called the reserve forces for the battle. He had argued that they'd need every hand... hoof, available to fight, but SilverInk had said that having reinforcements was basic for his strategy to succeed. He had stopped arguing after that, not because he agreed with the general, but because he knew that he must respect the hierarchy of officers even though he didn't wanted to.

His regiment consisted of seven hundred earth ponies, two hundred pegasi and one hundred unicorns. He had them organized in three different types of squadrons: the first type composed of the three kinds of ponies, the other of only unicorn and earth and the other of only pegasi. Unicorns where to protect his units while in the fight, as well as throwing magic blasts and fighting with short swords, since their magic allowed them to wield them faster than long swords. Earth ponies consisted of three types of units: spear ponies, sword ponies and bow ponies. Bow ponies were to remain behind as they charged the enemy, protected by unicorns. Pegasi units where to fly and fight changelings on the air and also to shoot bolts of arrows from the sky. They were also trained to fight in the ground in case an attack to the back lines of the enemies was needed or support for the main force.

Louis saw the other three regiments moving not far off from each other. Ace had his troops organized the same way as Louis, but Silver had them organized differently, separating them into races. The two were already getting into their positions on top of the main hill that overlooked the forest and where the changelings' attack was to come.

He began looking for the position he had been assigned. Soon enough he found the hill he was supposed to take as position for the reinforcements. He directed his troops there.

The hill was completely barren with not even grass but dirt on the ground. In it they had made a couple of cover positions and even placed up some tents for the wounded. It was strategically placed to stop the enemy should they get that near to the little town they were supposed to guard. Wooden posts had been placed around the hill to make the enemies advance harder and they had even built a small sentry tower to have better ground view. There was a small dirt bunker he had asked to be made to store food on. If the hill was attacked, the enemy would have a hard time getting it, and They would have supplies that would last for days. 

He stopped once he was on top of the hill and then looked back. He saw his troops take their assigned positions, prepare the defenses and man a large ballista he had designed. 

The ballista was more like a large bow than an actual medieval ballista. It was mounted on a rotating base that worked using wooden tires and had a range of a mile, much more than any other weapon he had seen on equestria could fire. The only problem was that it seemed to slowly break with each shot fired, probably because of the strain of the large bolt. The wood tires didn't help much either and he knew they could break easily, leaving the ballista without any rotation. It was manned by three ponies: two earth and a unicorn. The earth where in charge of loading and firing and the unicorn of loading as well as rotating it. 

So far it seemed to be holding the large bolts it fired with no problem, which were easily twenty times more lethal than a normal bolt fired by an arrow. He had even managed to light the ballista bolts on fire, causing much more damage where they hit.

He knew that balista wasn't much help though. It would soon break and they'd need to leave it behind or even burn it so as to not let the changelings get it. 

Louis' thoughts were distracted by a pony officer calling his name.

"Sir, a messenger arrived and notified us that the other two regiments are on position and ready." Louis nodded. The messenger made a salute and walked away. Now, he needed to wait for the signal.

He only hoped that that the alarm hadn't been fake. So far there had been two warning calls reported by the scouts of the changelings advancing that had proven to be fake, probably due to the scouts' tension while looking. He understood them though. It wasn't easy to think straight on time of war, at least not easily.

He heard in the distance a shout that he recognized as the order to fire the arrows. He saw as tiny red dots flew into the sky and back down to the floor, luckily against enemy troops.

He slowly made the sign of the cross, then he took his hand towards his hat to adjust it. It wasn't going to be an easy fight, and it being at night wasn't going to help.

He looked around. The ponies had clearly seen the flying arrows. They knew this was true, and that war had finally started. He looked pitifully at them. They shouldn't be living war...

"Captain Bolt!" he said out loud. A red maned earth pony approached him. He had a light orange coat and a hammer cutie mark.

"Yes sir!" he said, saluting. 

"Please tell everypony to be on attention, I'll say some words." The captain nodded and hurried off. Louis heard him shout.

"Attention!"

Everypony looked at him, then at Louis. The german gulped. He had never been good with words, and now that he knew words where needed, a heavy feeling of nervousness filled him.

"Alright everypony..." he began. "I know you are all tired. So am I. I know we have a heavy disadvantage, but that's not what matters." He walked towards the front of the hill, where everypony could see him. "What matters is the courage you fight with, what matters is the cause we are fighting for."

"I can see in your eyes the same fear I had on my first battle... Hell, I have that same fear on me this very second. It's normal to be afraid, but now think. Do you think that on the wars in the past, heroes were not scared? I'm damn sure they were, and for good reason! You're about to face the worst thing in your lives, hell on earth, but right there is where heroes are made..." 

He had begun to speak, and with every word he felt more confident and sure.

"Right there, right here," he said, pointing down to the ground. "...is where the a war begins to be decided. The first encounter. Today, you'll be what stands in the way of victory and survival; to slavery, destruction, and defeat."

"So I ask: are you ready for this! Are you ready to fight for what you believe in?!" Ponies began to stomp and many even began to cheer. Slowly, the ground beneath Louis' feet began trembling. "Today we fight for our homes! We fight for our land! We fight for our families!" Now everypony was shouting and stomping. Many cheered while many simply shouted. Louis was now shouting at the top of his lungs. "So I ask: are you with me?!" 

The cheering just grew louder with every second that passed. Shouts and stomping made the ground Louis was standing on feel like if there was an earthquake. He smiled and lifted his gun. Ponies cheered more and more; shouted more and more. Soon even the officers were shouting and stomping. 

Louis turned around and looked towards the battlefield. He could see the pegasi units flying off to fight off the flying changelings. He heard then, in the distance, cheering of the already engaged troops. Shouts filled the air as the troops engaged the enemies. 

And all Louis could do was look...

He looked at the still cheering ponies of his regiment. His mind began to wander off... He wasn't sure if their expectant and hopeful faces would ever be seen again. If he would ever see that pony on the left cheering again, or that officer with a smile on his face and a clear sense of pride around him. Which of those ponies would not see his family again?

He snapped out of his thoughts as ponies began to slowly stop shouting and stomping. Soon silence fell again with the sound of fighting in the background, the only difference now was that the faces that had been of fear and confusion where now of ponies maintaining a straight face, either hiding their fear or their fear simply gone from their minds. Many were smiling slightly, ready to fight and to engage the enemy troops. He smiled slowly. 

That was an army worth fighting for. A country and a land worth fighting for. Even in their most desperate moments, they clinged onto hope and were ready to give up anything for their land.

"Sir," he heard from behind. Louis turned and saw the same messenger that had brought the news of the changeling's advance.

"What is it?" he asked concerned. The messenger seemed worried.

"General Ace and general SilverInk had asked for immediate assistance.  They said that their center is about to be overrun by a strong force of changelings."

Louis nodded slowly. It was time. 

'So fast...'

"Thank you private."

He turned to the ponies and saw that they were all looking at him, clearly wondering what the messenger had told him. He looked down slowly and calmed his breathing. He soon looked up again, showing a neutral face. "We advance now!" he shouted. That was followed by a couple of random shouts and cheers from within the troops. He turned and began walking to the fray. 

With the sound of marching hooves behind him, he advanced steadily and without any doubts towards the battle. As the ponies had found inspiration in him, he had found inspiration in them. His fear was now completely gone, something he had never really thought would happen, but was rather replace by a growing desire to jump against those beasts that had dared walk into Equestria and try to enslave that wonderful place.

Soon they were ascending the main hill. They could clearly hear the sound of fighting now, of metal against metal and of metal against flesh. Many ponies seemed to doubt after Louis' speech, their faces clearly showing it. 

Soon they were on top of the hill. Louis could now see the fight developing right in front of him.

It didn't looked good in any way. 

Ace's side seemed to be holding, barely. They were slowly falling back towards some fortified positions that were on top of the hill. Soon, if that kept on, they would be in danger of being flanked by enemy forces. To Silver's side the battle seemed to be going with no clear side winning ground. The equestrian force battled the changeling with swords and spears against bare hooves and horns. The changelings, as much as they seemed to be overwhelmingly more in number, had very bad odds considering they were relying on their horns to impale the equestrians and throw the occasional magic blast.

The worst side of the battle though, was the middle of the equestrian lines.

The middle had been the one Silver had thought would be less likely to be attacked with force. He had been wrong. Whoever the changeling leader was, he had clearly expected the equestrians to put more strength to the flanks and less to the center. He could barely make out the equestrian soldiers there.

He looked at his thousand soldiers. they seemed ready to fight, though many were now clearly scared. He placed the gun on his back and unsheathed his sword. He would fight like his troops, not with the gun.

He lifted the sword, still looking at his troop. He saw the fear in each of them. He felt for the first time a sense of dread. 

Many of them could... No, would die.

He had never guided many men before. He was just a private, he was not prepared for this... He shook his head. No time for those thoughts, he needed to be in the battle.

He lifted his sword above his head. "For Equestria!" he shouted. Turning, he ran downhill towards the enemy, shouting. It was a couple of seconds after that the sound of shouts and the trembling began, announcing the arrival of reinforcements. 

"For Equestria!" Louis heard somewhere behind him. Many other chorused back, but most were concentrated in running with the sword or the spear in hand. 

"Spears first!" he shouted. 

He had told the officers in a reunion that he wanted the spears to hit first, since they would inflict heavy damage on the enemy because of the reach, opening space for the rest of the troops to attack. Apparently, they had remembered to tell their troops since he clearly saw the line of spears forming, approaching fast the enemy lines. 

The archers took positions and began shooting. As long as the equestrians were not fighting hoof to hoof combat, firing arrows was safe.

Pegasi units jumped to the sky to engage the flying changeling troops, wielding their swords and the bows with a mastery he had never seen his ponies have before. They didn't seemed like the recruits they had been a couple of weeks ago, but rather highly trained soldiers.

The charging troops saw equestrian archers firing arrows against the enemies from a dangerously close distance.

That is when Louis noticed that there was no equestrian troops facing the enemy. He saw many corpses that littered the floor where the battle for the center had been fought. 

Realization hit him.

The equestrian troops had been exterminated in the middle and only a bunch of archers had managed to hold them at bay...

Anger filled him this time. He shouted and charged faster. Many ponies got the same effect as they renewed their shouts of war. 

The changelings stopped advancing as they saw the large force of Equestrians running down the mountains. Many seemed to turn around, but what appeared to be the changeling captains quickly placed their troops in order. He saw changelings forming a line and pointing with their horns. 

This was The first time he had seen an actual changeling. They were far worse than he had imagined. Their eyes stared at him, and he noticed something in them... Like, they were not thinking. Lack of expression...

Only a couple of seconds before they managed to hit the enemy at full force...

The changeling's horns began to glow with a sickly green tone..

'Come one! Only two seconds!' Louis thought.

The horns began to make a green ball of light around them...

But the changelings had been too slow to organize. Before any changeling had the opportunity to fire, the first spear ponies hit them and, like water against sticks, the changelings fell back with the equestrian's force of charge. Second after the spears neutralized the changelings about to fire, sword ponies got there, quickly overwhelming the changeling front lines.

Louis attacked with a cry, hitting a changeling with his sword, which was tainted green as soon as he moved to attack another.

He slashed nonstop, not caring even as his muscles began protesting for the effort he was making.

He slashed his sword in the many ways he had been taught by the equestrians. Even though he wasn't the best swordsman, he knew how to wield it thanks to a certain royal guard. He had practiced and now he knew how to use the sword.

So he kept fighting on and on, yet changelings kept coming. He soon found himself surrounded. He slashed and stabbed, but the changelings were almost on him. 

Suddenly, a magic blast took out half of his attackers. Louis didn't had time to see who it had been because soon he was engaging other changelings.

He managed to parry a horn directed to his stomach, quickly stabbing his attacker. He looked around and saw that his soldiers were still pushing the changelings, though slowly they were beginning to lose their momentum. Momentum was the key to his charge, if they lost it, the charge, and the battle, would be lost. Somehow the changelings were being more organized than when the charge began.

Then, he saw what looked like their commanding officer.

It was a larger changeling, though not by much. It wore armor and had a sword. The only changeling with a sword. It had red marks on it's back and it's head, probably to distinguish itself even more.

The changeling was shouting orders, telling his troops to stand their ground. Louis saw 
soon, the changeling forces were in retreat. The ones attacking Silver's flank realized that their plan to hit the equestrians from they were let that happen...

He took his rifle and took aim. He pulled the trigger as the sound of the bullet exploding inside the barrel reached his ears. He saw as the changeling officer screamed in pain, but the wound wasn't fatal. He loaded and aimed again. The officer had seen him.

"You!" the changeling shouted.

He shot once more. The changeling growled in agony, then aimed with his horn.

'Come on Louis...'

He aimed at the horn. He pulled the trigger. The changeling's horn went flying as the bullet hit its mark. The changeling stopped as he jumped back, hiding its horn. Louis took aim once more and shot again, hitting the head. The changeling fell down hard, lifeless.

All the changelings that saw that turned around and began to flee. Louis smiled. They were going to win. 

Soon enough, the changelings were in full retreat with Louis pursuing close behind. The changelings entered the forest, which was where Louis stopped his troops' advance.

The changelings attacking general Silver's side noticed that the attack to the center had failed and soon were in retreat as well. Only the ones against Ace seemed not to realize that the attack had failed.

Louis quickly stopped his troops feet from the forest. To continue the pursuit in the forest would be suicide. 

"Halt!" he shouted, lifting his arm.

Most ponies stopped once they saw Louis give the order. Many others took some time to realize that the changelings were gone and had to be stopped by other fellow ponies. Louis smiled as he saw the changelings retreating into the forest. He turned and saw the hill.

He slowly opened his eyes in surprise. 

The changelings there had advanced a lot without him realizing that. He saw the hill at least a mile away, the way towards it littered with changeling bodies. He looked at his sword and noticed the green substance on it. He quickly realized what that was and quickly turned away.

Changeling blood.

He looked at his troops. Many were too tired to do anything else than simply stay still, but many others where coming to their five senses and realizing exactly the same as what Louis had realized. 

The distance they had pushed the enemy back. Some began to smile tiredly.

He looked at the hill and noticed that fighting was still going on on Ace's side.

"Quickly! Form up, ponies! Battles not over yet. We have to help general Ace!" he exclaimed. 

The ponies reacted quickly, forming lines. He began to advance towards the hill.

It took the some minutes, but soon they were going up the hill to help Ace. He saw that the changelings were beginning to fall back. They had reached the top and fighting had seemed to be hard there, but he guessed that, reinforced by general Silver's troops, they were easily beating them. Soon the changelings realized they were lost and turned to flee only to see Louis and his ponies surrounding them. The changelings began to fight desperately.

Some attempted to fly away only to be taken down by arrows or the pegasi that were still on the air.

"Surrender! You can't win!" Ace shouted. Louis saw him and smiled in relief. He was still alive.

The leader of the changelings looked at him and laughed. 

"We will never surrender, pony!" The changeling jumped at him. Ace lifted his sword only to be taken back the changeling's strength on the attack with his horn. Soon his sword had flown away by a strike. The changeling was about to impale him when Louis arrived and stabbed him in the back. The changeling's face contorted in pain and then he fell down, dead.

After that it was a matter of seconds before the changelings were exterminated.

Louis helped Ace up.

"Thank you Louis. You saved my life."

Louis shook his head. "It was nothing, general. Anypony would have done the same, only that it happened that I was in the right moment and in the right place." Ace laughed tiredly and then walked off to inspect his troops.

Louis looked around, cleaning sweat from his head. The ponies were too tired to do anything more than sigh in relief at the battle being over. Many looked around, shock in their faces as they saw the dead changeling all over the ground. Louis saw one pony, an earth pony, in particular.

"We killed them all! We killed them!" he shouted, panicked. His officer ordered him to shut up, but the pony kept on as tears began forming on his eyes. Many other ponies began to see not only the changelings, but also their fallen comrades.

Louis saw captain Bolt not far away. 

"Captain, organize my troops in lines. I want a losses report." The captain nodded and began barking orders.

"Alright ponies, in line!" Officers began to organize their units, quickly forming up. Captain Bolt began to check the losses. Louis began to look for Ace.

"General Ace!" he shouted as soon as he saw him. Ace turned. 

"Yes Louis?" he asked.

"I'm making a loss report from my brigade, and I don't have any available field doctors, since mine are looking for wounded already. I suggest you do the same."

Ace nodded. "Yes, I already ordered that. I also ordered to help both our troops and the enemy's."

Louis grinned. "I don't think we should help them. Let them die." Ace shook his head disapprovingly.

"No, we can't think that way, because the moment we do we lose who we are." Ace saw a dead changeling in front of him. "We can't let war get on our personality, commander, or else we become beasts."

Louis nodded slowly, unconvinced. 

"But that's me," Ace said. He closed the changeling's eyes. "I'm not a monster, and I'll never be one." He turned and walked away, leaving Louis alone. The German looked at the changeling and sighed, walking in the opposite direction...
> The battle of Green Lake Town part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 15
The battle of Green Lake Town part 2


"It was all your fault, and you know it!" Louis shouted angrily at general SilverInk, leader of the eastern forces of Equestria and in charge of stopping the changeling advance inside the land. 

Louis was red in fury, his fist striking the planning table with each word. The two generals, Ace and Silver, were listening to him, Ace having an uncomfortable expression and Silver an annoyed one.

The tent they were in was smaller than their usual tents since it was located near the front lines, in the last fortified position right next to the balista. Inside, only the planning table and an equestrian banner adorned it, covering the rest of the free space. A large map of the battlefield was spread wide onto the table, position markers telling where the troops were and where the battle had been fought.

"One thousand soldiers, I can't believe it!" Louis turned around, walking a few feet away from the table. His hair was all messed up due to the last engagement with the changelings and his uniform was dirty from both dirt and changeling blood (though he had tried to clean the last as much as he could). He no longer had his hat since it had fallen during the battle.

"Louis, you need to calm down..." Ace began.

"Calm down? CALM DOWN!!" he interrupted, turning back at them. "How can I calm down when the battle vas von by mere luck! If you vould have heard me from the beginning general Silver, this would have never happened and those troops would still be a life!"

"Now Louis, you can't be certain of that," Ace said. The German opened his mouth to speak again, but Ace continued. "It is true that the enemy thought differently than we thought they would and that the lack of a central command in the center was a heavy mistake that almost costed the battle. But that does not give you the right to hypothesize against the officer in command and even less to shout at him in such a disrespectful manner." Louis was listening. Though he still seemed angry, what Ace was saying had him shut up.

"As for the troops lost, we can't do anything more but to make sure their lives weren't wasted in vain," Ace finished. Silver cleared his throat.

SilverInk walked forward until he was leaning in the table, looking at the map. 

"I heard what you said Commander, but I will take into consideration the suggestions that I deem useful. Yes, I made a mistake..." That earned a snicker from Louis. "...but I will not make it again." He looked at the map as his furrowed his brow. "Now we know that the enemy commander is more clever than what we thought. We need to outsmart him on this." Ace looked at the map. 

"General Ace, how many troops do we have that are still able to fight?"

Ace looked at a paper he was holding. "Three thousand five hundred and eight, sir. The rest dead or wounded." Silver nodded. 

"I want you to take a force of three hundred and prepare a flank attack here..." he said pointing at the western side of the map. "We don't have enough troops to fight for long and the enemy knows it. He won't he expecting us to divide our troops even by taking a hundred." Ace looked at where Silver pointed. 

"Sir, are you certain?" Ace asked. Silver nodded.

"And you, Commander, take your original brigade of one thousand and prepare to make a flank assault. If I don't give the order after three hours into the battle, you are to fall back to the second fortified position, there we' meet and stop the enemy. If I do give the order, attack their eastern flank, but more to the south. Sneak inside the trees of that forest, use it as cover for the troops." He chuckled. "Again, they won't be expecting that."

Luis frowned. "But sir, why I have a thousand and general Ace only three hundred?" Ace seemed to be as curious on that as Louis was.

Silver looked at him like if it was obvious. "Well, because while both of your forces are to make surprised attacks, yours is more vital and requires more ponies since it will define the result of the battle. Ace's force will save a small raiding assault on their flanks more to confuse than to make any actual vital move. With that confusion Ace will create, my forces will have a better advantage."

Ace nodded. "I see now sir." Louis wasn't as convinced, but he didn't said anything.

"Now, I eat our troops to he ready for when the changelings return. I don't want to e caught up so by surprise like last time." Silver say down on the only chair. Ace and Louis saluted and walked outside.

Outside, the sun was already descending and it would be just a couple of hours before dawn. Small field tents covered up the first fortified position, overlooking the forest. All around, troops were readying themselves for the next engagement with the changelings, sharpening swords or resting. Many were stringing their bows, filling their quivers or simply walking. Many seemed troubled because of the last fight, some of the soldiers eyes seemed to be staring into nothingness and an eerie silence hung over the field camp. Officers went around their duties silently and only the sounds of sharpening or the occasional sound if metal against metal sounded. 

Louis as Ace walked towards the highest point in the hill, then looked down towards the forest. 

Louis had ordered right after battle that large wooden lances be placed on the hill's side to make an enemy ascend more complicated. Also, if someone ran blindly up they could get impaled as well, but Davis wasn't thinking much about that, since it could end up affecting his troops as well. He just hoped that falling back was off from Silver's plans.

The large dark forest stood in front of the two, it's shadows casting a menacing threat of the changelings hiding in places within it. Below, between the forest and hillside, changeling bodies were spread all over. Louis had to make sure that all fallen Equestrian troops were taken off from the battlefield and taken care off. He still remembered the carts piled with the dead heading over to the main camp to be buried there.

One thousand... He still couldn't believed it.

"I supposed you are still thinking of or losses," Ace said. Louis nodded slowly.

"Yes, I am."

The general sighed. "Too many losses for such a small brawl. This wasn't even the decisive engagement." He looked around. "Let's hope we make it and that we manage to stop them." Louis nodded.

"Ja..." he answered. "Let's hope..."

Both turned around and walked towards their troops to prepare the defenses and be ready for the next Chengling assault. The two had the same worry in mind: would they make it?

***   ***   ***

"Quick! Ready your bows!" shouted General Ace. Archers prepared to fire. "Fire!" 

Instantaneously, hundreds upon hundreds of arrows whistled as they left their respective bows. The wooden projectiles could be seen in the light of the setting sun as the flew up onto the sky and then slowly began to descend upon the oncoming changeling army. It wasn't long before the first shouts of agony began to be heard alongside the thundering sound of hooves running against the dirt. Ace noticed a couple of smiles from his archers. 

“Don´t celebrate yet! Ready your bows again!” he instructed hurriedly. Soon he was ordering another volley.

“Fire!”

Louis watched as Ace began his flank attack on the moving changeling army. He was waiting with his thousand ponies, hidden from sight but trying to see the battle that had begun not barely minutes ago. Already were the first changeling units reaching the top of the hill, engaging in combat with Silver´s troops. As soon as Ace had seen the changelings in position for them to attack he had ordered his troops to advance. That had really taken the changelings by surprise, and those precious seconds in which the changeling officers tried to rearrange their troops to meet the small force of charging equestrians wasn't enough before they clashed. Ace was commanding from behind, ordering the archers to shoot volley after volley, each time inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy troops.

“Sir, the troops are wondering how long before we enter combat,” a pegasus officer asked Louis. The german commander looked at the pegasus, then again at the battle from his hidden watch spot. He took out of his belt some small binoculars and watched off in the distance. Silver seemed too busy trying to keep his troops organized as more and more changelings charged to worry about giving Louis a signal.

Louis closed his eyes. He could hear the close shouts of the engaging armies. It was obvious that, for now at least, the had the advantage of the battle. He was unsure as to how it was going to end, though. Ace´s flank attack seemed to be causing much more damage than the one they had predicted at first, cutting right through the significantly larger changeling army. 

“I don't know, but be sure to keep your unit ready. We can't delay if they need us.” The pony saluted and walked off. Louis turned back towards the battle. He could see Silver ordering his engaged troops back. Why?

The equestrian troops on top of the main hill quickly fell back towards Silver´s archers. Louis smiled slightly. He now knew what SilverInk was going to do.

As soon as the troops were behind the archers, a large volley flew down and hit all the charging changelings who, surely, had been thinking that the enemy was falling back for good. In a matter of minutes, the first wave of charging changeling troops was completely exterminated. Louis knew that wasn't victory, though. Soon the second wave was replacing their fallen changelings and Silver had to order a charge to stop their advance, since the archers were still reloading. 

There was one thing Louis noticed about the changeling attack. They were coming in waves of five hundred each. They seemed to be going much more organized than the last battle, but it didn't seemed to be helping much since the equestrians hadn´t lost any significant number of troops, using the archers efficiently against the changelings. So far, it looked as if the changelings were simply running straight blind of what was waiting for them. Also there seemed to be a lack of leadership, since Ace had managed to break the entire flank of the changelings without problem, causing disruption inside the changeling lines and confusion on the changelings attacked. It seemed like victory was in their hands, but… something worried Louis. 

It was too easy. Something Louis noticed as well was that the changelings didn't have all their troops. There were definitely no more than six thousand on the attack. That led Louis to wonder as to what the changelings were planning. He looked at the sky and noticed the airborne fight. 

Pegasi against changelings. They seemed to be the ones with most of the trouble. Though apparently their numbers were definitely against the Pegasus forces, the pegasus were much better maneuvering than the bugs. The problem was the notable disadvantage of numbers. The changelings were five to one pegasus pony. Louis even considered giving up his cover to send some pegasi units to help. Still, he waited. It wouldn't be a good idea to disobey orders and, even though they really seemed pressed, the pegasi were definitely holding. Their swords and arrows and also the occasional light armor proved to be a serious help to them, since the changelings were simply attacking with hoof, horn and magic.

Louis looked down to the ground, sighing. He turned and slowly creeped out of his safe spot and to the hidden troops. They were hidden using tall grass that covered large areas of the hills as well as with some trees and large wooden shields that they have made right before battle. He turned to his second in command, a navy blue pegasus with blonde mane with orange tips named Iroh. His cutie mark was a fleur-de-lis with an eagle with its wings spread wide. 

He didn't knew much of that pegasus, a captain that had been ascended of his rank after taking command of a mission on the north with the crystal empire army. Exactly what he had done, Louis had no idea. Still, he had received very good reviews of him, and he seemed the best choice for a second in command.

“Captain, status report,” he said. The pegasus nodded and saluted.

“Yes sir.” He turned to look at the hidden troops. “Everypony is ready to fight against the enemy, sir. They are hidden as requested and also prepared to go at a minutes notice.”

Louis nodded and smiled, pleased. “Thank you, Iroh.” He looked at his rifle. It was hanging on his back. He knew he didn´t wanted to leave his troops alone, but he was going to use it. He would be in the fight, but the rifle was going to give him serious advantage against the enemies. He passed his hand over his hair and turned around.

***   ***   ***

Ace was sweating a lot. Even though the battle was definitely on their favor, the amount of effort he and his troops were doing was a lot. They were technically the only ones hitting the enemy and the only ones actually fighting. Silver was simply holding them down the hill with archers and Louis hadn't been called to fight yet. Ace wondered slightly why Silver hadn't ordered help.

He couldn't think much though. He parried a changeling horn and quickly disposed it's owner from it. The Changeling fell down, holding were his horn used to be. Ace couldn't think much as he was attacked by three more. He managed to move out if the way of a magic blast and then attacked ten. The changelings didn't lasted much against his sword.

If the battle continued that way, they would have defeated the enemy in less than three hours. He stabbed a changeling and moved to attack another one.

"General Ace, I've wanted to speak with you for a long time now," said a voice over the sound of fighting. Ace turned to the side were the voice was coming from and quickly took as two away.

It was a changeling. A very large and ugly changeling.

"You won't last long. You are doomed." Just as he finished those words, the ground began to tremble. Ace looked around, worry in his fade. "Good luck," the changeling said and then turned and walked away. Ace couldn't think much if it when a Pegasus arrived at his side.

"Sir, scouts report a very large force of changelings approaching..."

Ace didn't needed to be told. He could easily see them. 

Wow... That seems like a large number of troops...

He didn't move or say anything. Soon he saw that the aerial support was not coming. 

"Where are the pegasi?" Ace asked out loud. He didn't got any response. He looked back at the incoming enemy reinforcements. He needed to prepare...

"Square formation!" he shouted. Most ponies heard him. It wasn't going to be pretty, at leafs not considering what a square tactic could do...

***   ***   ***

Louis returned to his spot and saw a flashing sword in the hill. It was Silver, but he couldn´t understand if it was the forward motion which indicated attack, or the backwards motion, which indicated retreat. Still, he didn't needed to wonder for long before he saw something that caused him to immediately curse. He should have been watching!

Ace was falling back, though luckily he hadn´t lost many ponies. It was obvious he had been suddenly overrun. Louis noticed that there were many more enemy troops now. Apparently reinforcements had arrived when he wasn't watching.He heard a metallic sound behind him as he saw somepony falling right towards where he was watching. He yelped and threw himself away just a a pegasus landed hard just where he had been laying down. He covered his head as small pieces of steaming hot metal rained down.

“Ah!” he shouted, clenching his teeth right away just as some of them fell on his arm, burning his shirt. He slowly lifted his arms off from his head just as he stopped feeling the metal falling. He looked at where the pony had fallen…

...and immediately regretted that.

He turned around, surprise, disgust and a rising anger on his face. He risked another look.

The pegasus was… or had been… a light green color. Now, he was just black, covered with burns all over. Also, he was a mess. His wings where… one was missing and the other one was bent in an unnatural angle, as well as his legs. Blood was oozing from many deep cut wounds and he had part of his armor melted against his coat.

He was going to turn when he saw that the pony was still breathing.

“Buck the cover…” Louis said, using an expression he had heard ponies use. “Medic! I need a medic!” He turned to where Silver was ordering a retreat. The changelings were almost on him. 

Louis saw Silver slash his sword at a changeling and then run back and out of sight. Soon, the hill was completely covered in changelings.

As he watched, a group of field doctors had rushed from their covers and immediately went to assist the pegasus. Louis looked up and knew the battle was lost. The pegasus were racing back to the main camp and the changelings were falling down against Ace. Changeling numbers had suddenly increased from seven thousand to… at least twenty thousand! Louis opened his eyes wide in surprise. He turned to his troops.

“Fall back to the main camp! Don't break lines!” he ordered. Immediately the covers were thrown and the ponies began to march back. Louis turned to the battle… Now only Ace´s units remained, trying hard to fall back but were quickly surrounded.

“Iroh!” he shouted. The pegasus ran at him. 

“Yes commander?” he asked. 

“Get me a unit of pegasi, the fastest we have, and tell them to rescue Ace and his troops.” He turned to look at the battle again. It was no longer a battle, but rather a mayhem of equestrians trying to fend off enemies from all sides.

Ace had been intelligent and had ordered his ponies to make a square formation with pikes in the sides to stop changelings. Archers were firing all around from inside the defended square of pony bodies, fending off airborne changelings and unicorns threw magic blasts at attacking changelings.

“The unit is ready to go!” the captain said. Louis nodded.

“Send them to get those troops out of there. Make sure you don´t miss anypony.”

The captain looked surprised. “Sir? You want me to go?”

Louis nodded. “Yes, I trust you more than anypony here. I need you to command the rescue.” He walked closer to the captain. “Only remember that it´s a rescue, not an offensive. Get them out of there as soon as you can and try to evade fights at all cost.”

Captain Iroh nodded and whistled. He jumped into the air, followed by a hundred pegasi. Louis looked for a couple of seconds before turning back to his own troops. They were already moving. Luckily, the changelings hadn't noticed them, or didn't care. Even then Louis knew that it would be almost impossible to counter such an offensive. He turned and ran to his troops.

***   ***   ***

“Maintain formations!” captain Iroh ordered. His orders were repeated by unit captains to each pegasi unit. He turned and saw his pegasus flying fast. Changelings didn´t noticed them until they were right on top of them. Still, Iroh knew he was not to engage the enemy. Below he was blasts of green magic fly up to the sky to trying to take down the pegasi. None hit. 

He saw two large groups of changelings moving to meet them. He made some clicking sounds with his tongue. It was a language invented by the wonderbolts and shared to the equestrian air force to communicate. Immediately, two units moved to counter them. Iroh kept focused on the ponies below.

He began circling the area where Ace was and quickly sent three units to protect air perimeter and ordered the units to go and pick up the troops. Unit by unit, the pegasi picked more and more equestrian soldiers. Soon only Ace and three more were left. Changelings were too busy trying to take down the pegasi that they had forgotten them. Iroh thanked Celestia for his troops. So far, no casualties and he was pleased to see changelings rain down like water. A pegasus picked up general Ace and, as three more moved to pick the remaining ponies, a green lighting shot from nowhere and immediately took down the three pegasus. Iroh turned and saw the the ponies below were rapidly killed the same way.

“What the…” he began. Just then, another lightning shot out from the earth and hit five pegasi, each of them were carrying equestrian troops. He shouted no as the ponies fell down, some of them dead and others still alive and shouting only to meet the ground and never speak again.

“Alright, our business here is done! Move out!” he shouted. The pegasi moved into arrow formation and cut right through the changeling ari troops. Iroh saw other three lighting strike more pegasus, but soon they were leaving the main battlefield, and not much later the changelings stopped their pursuit.

Iroh sighed as he felt his heartbeat steadily begin to decrease. They were safe… for now…

***   ***   ***

Louis was waiting beside his tent as the pegasus began to arrive. He looked up at the sky and smiled. Not long after that, captain Iroh landed in front of him.

“Sir, mission accomplished.”

Louis smiled, pleased. “Good.” His smiled weakened a little. “How many casualties?” Iroh looked down.

“We lost a total of twenty three, sir. Also, we lost some of them while carrying rescued ponies,” his ears were hanging low.

“Okay, thank you captain. Where is general Ace?” he asked. Louis really wanted to speak to him.

“I sent all the pegasi carrying rescued ponies to the infirmary. He´s there.”

“Alright, danke again. You can rest, as well as the rest of the pegasus. Good job.” Iroh saluted and walked away. Louis smiled and walked to the infirmary tents.

The infirmary tents were on the other side of camp, so he took some time to get there. As soon as he arrived, his smile dropped. 

He could see hundreds of ponies around. Some had light wounds, but there were some that deeply trouble the german soldier. Having participated in the war back on earth had made him far more resistant to that type of scenes, but seeing ponies… that peaceful race, bloodied and hurt… It angered him and moved him deeply. Many seemed to try to not show how much their cuts and wounds hurt, but others weren't lucky enough to manage that. He saw a pony being carried away with an amputated leg, and not far another one been held by some nurses to try to administer a sedative. He walked to them.

He stopped once he was beside them. One of the nurses saw him and stood up.

“Vat is wrong with him?” he said, some of his accent slipping away. The nurse looked at his patient and her ears dropped. She sighed.

“He…” some tears began to come out from her eyes. “He´s not gonna make it, sir. We did our best, but his wound is just to contaminated and the magical residues from the changeling horn that impaled him are too strong…” She cleaned tears off her face. “We are trying to stop the pain for then he… he…” She didn´t finished, but rather turned and returned to help her fellow nurses. Soon, they had applied the sedative. Louis saw the pony look calmer soon. Then, after looking around at the ponies around him and their faces, realization hits him.

“What… why are you not doing anything? Why are you only wa…” he lifted his head slowly and saw the horn wound on his chest. “Oh sweet Celestia. I… I´m d… dying, no?” A quick glance at the nurses was enough. “Oh… Celestia merciful… Please… no…” He began to have tears on his eyes. He then looked at Louis. “Commander! Help me! Help me please!” he shouted. Many ponies around turned to look. Louis began to feel uncomfortable, and after seeing that pony´s face he began to feel water in his eyes. “Commander, do something, I know you can!” he shouted, looking at the now darkening sky. “Please! I don´t wanna die!” Louis felt the stares. They were watching him. He kneeled beside the pony and stared into his big eyes. The pony looked at him and uttered another word.

“Please…”

Louis felt more tears invading his eyes. He tried to smile comfortably at the pony.

“What´s your name?” he asked.

“Wind Braker,” the pony answered. Louis was confused. How did an earth pony… He immediately pushed the thought aside as he realized what had happened.

“Well Wind Braker, I am sure you fought valiantly, no?” The pegasus slowly nodded. “I… I wish I could do something…” Those words made the pony open his eyes wide, but before he could begin lamenting, Louis continued. “...but I will do something different than what you expect.” He moved his hand to his pockets and took out a small metal medal. He placed it in the pony´s belly. “I was awarded this after a valiant act. I was shot, and I still fought until the end of the fight. I almost lost my leg, but they gave me this medal. Now I give it to you, a brave soldier.” The pegasus was at a loss of words. “Don´t speak…” Louis instructed. “But remember what you are fighting for. Do you think it was worth it?” The pony was now staring into empty space.

In a soft and barely audible voice he said “Yes…” Slowly, the pony´s head fell back and a hoof he had used to keep the medal to his stomach fell slowly as well. The medal remained where it was. Louis felt tears again, and this time he allowed some of them to come out. He didn't wanted to show them, but resisting them was too much. He moved his hands and closed the pony´s eyes, then stood up slowly. He turned and, without saying another word, walked away. As he began to walk, he heard the faint sound of a pony stomping. It was weak, but he heard it. He was going to ignore it when he heard another join in. He stopped and turned and saw a pony with a bandaged wing stomping, looking at him. Another one was the nurse he had spoken with. Soon many began to join. Louis was unsure as to what they were doing, until the one that had done it first stopped and walked to him. 

“Thank you, sir.”

Louis was not sure of what to say. “I…”

The pony smiled and turned around, leaving. Soon the ponies around began to walk to Louis. He found himself surrounded by ponies. They all saluted him. He didn´t knew what to do, so he saluted back.

And for some reason, he felt happy…
> The battle of Green Lake Town part 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 16
The Battle of Green Lake Town part 3


Louis and Ace walked side by side across the camp. Ponies around talked between each other silently. Whispers were heard all around and the typical feeling that normally  on the camp felt down and dark. The soldier´s heads hung low, their ears flat on their heads. As Louis looked around he began to wonder if it was possible to raise the ponies spirits.

“I tell you, Louis. We won't be able to hold them, less with the attitude of the soldiers,” Ace was saying. Louis was only acknowledging as he looked around. “We need to fall back to a larger city and await for reinforcements…”

Immediately, Louis stopped him angrily. “No! We can't leave the town on its own. We can’t wait for reinforcements either. They won’t. come.”

Ace looked annoyed. “Then what do you suggest we do? We don't have enough troops. Our original force of five thousand was reduced to barely twenty-five hundred. We have a total number more than a thousand dead or lost in battle and the rest wounded enough that can’t fight. It’s hopeless.”

Louis grinned and shook his head. “It´s not hopeless…” He turned to look at Silver´s tent, which was far off on the other side of the camp. Still, it’s size made it easy to spot. “At least it won’t be once he is no longer in charge.”

Ace looked confused. “He? What do you mean? Are you talking about…”

“Silver, yes. General SilverInk has already made too much mistakes, one of them not choosing to listen to my suggestions and the other making terrible decisions.” Louis was speaking from his heart now. He disliked Silver beyond any other superior he had have before. “Thanks to him, all those ponies are dead.”

“You can't be certain of that. Silver is an able strategist. He graduated from the royal guard military school and…”

“And I don´t care. We can't fall back without letting the enemy enter Equestria, and we can´t stay if he keeps on the command.” Louis looked back at Ace. “You need to substitute him from command. I will help you.” Ace looked doubtful.

“I… I´m not sure Louis. This might not end well.” Ace looked clearly disturbed.

“But I trust you more than I trust that little bastard…” Ace opened his mouth in shock “…and I know you will listen to my suggestions.” The German took out from his pockets a map and showed it to Ace. “I made a plan that will work, even against twenty thousand enemies.”

Ace wasn't sure how to respond. He slowly took the map from Louis and examined it. After a few minutes, he sighed.

“You win, Louis. I only hope that you are right. We can get court martialed for this, you know?” Louis was slightly surprised that there was court martial in Equestria, but still he nodded.

“Let´s do this then,” Louis said, starting to walk towards the main tent. Ace followed him a couple of seconds later, his head slightly lower than before.

It took them a few minutes to reach the tent. Louis saw captain Iroh talking to some ponies of the pegasi air units. He called him.

“Yes commander?” the captain asked.

“I need you and a team of six to follow me. We are doing a detention.” The captain nodded and whistled six times. Three pegasi and three earth ponies approached. “Come.”

He moved with his small escort of armed ponies across the camp and the entered Silver´s tent without announcing himself. Silver was laying on his chair and looking into nothing. His gaze was lost and Louis saw him balancing one of his legs back and forth. He was really planning the next battle, wasn't he?

“General.”

Silver snapped out of his thoughts as he saw Louis, Ace, and  captain Iroh.

“What do you want? You didn´t called before entering. Leave immediately, all of you.”

Louis shook his head and took a step forward. “I´m afraid I won't take more orders from you, Silver.” SilverInk stared in shock at him. “It has come to our attention that you are no longer fit for command. Your actions so far have taken the troops to nothing more than defeats and death.”

“What are you talking ab…” Silver began, only to be caught off by Louis.

“I am obliged then to relieve you of command of the equestrian army, sir.”

Silver didn´t moved. He suddenly tensed as his tail twitched.

“I won´t ever..!”

“Damn you Silver, just accept it!” Ace suddenly snapped. He turned towards Iroh.  “Captain, apprehend this pony and take him to my tent. He is to remain there until we are done with this hell of a battle.”

Iroh seemed to hesitate. He looked between Ace and Silver.

“Captain, you are to do nothing. Return to you post,” Silver said. Iroh looked at Louis. The German nodded slowly.

Iroh looked at Silver. “Argh… Sorry sir.” He whistled and immediately the six ponies entered. “Don't struggle, sir.”

Silver looked between Louis and Ace. “So this is how things are going to be. You'll learn soon of the mistake you are making.” He walked towards Iroh. “Call me once you see that the battle will be lost. I was going to order a retreat and wait for reinforcements.” He turned to Louis and spat at his shoes, then walked outside escorted by Iroh and his ponies.

Ace turned to Louis. He had a concerned face until he looked back at the chair. He walked slowly towards it and sat down. He looked down and slowly looked up.

He now looked decided. “Let´s do this…”

***   ***   ***

“Alright, let's summarize the plan, no?” Louis said. General Ace nodded. Louis began. “My plan then, slightly modified. We use deception and make them think most of the troops deserted. That will make them think that the battle is already won. When they less expect it, our troops will get out from hiding and attack, quickly surrounding them. In the air, pegasi troops that will be hiding on storm clouds will attack the changeling airborne troops with lighting strikes and the below, using lightning as well.” Ace nodded. Louis smiled confidently. “They'll never know what hit them.”

Ace stood up and walked around the planning table. The map of the battlefield was there, covered with arrows and marked spots. “Surprise will be our ally.” He grinned a little. “Though I'm still thinking… Maybe retreat to a bigger city might be good as well.”

Louis shook his head. “First off, we would leave the inhabitants of this town defenseless..”

“We take them with us,” Ace said.

“Some won´t.” He answered. “Second, Silver will be in all rights to court martial us. Not that I fear that, but we did it for a purpose. We can't let them enter Equestria. The troops aren't ready to fight them, only ours and Davi’s. We must trust that this will work.” Ace nodded.

“You're right. I don't know why I doubted our plan.”

Louis shrugged. “It´s not bad to doubt, but unless there´s another suggestion, we should get going on to prepare it.”
Ace nodded.

“Then let´s go. We have a lot to do.”

The left the main tent and found captain Iroh. “Captain,” Louis said. “This is what we need you to do…”

***   ***   ***

It took them three hours to take the camp down. They left some things to make it look like they left it in a rush, but soon they were marching back towards the town. The troops carried only what they could carry, leaving many things back. Louis had sent scouts back to notify if the changelings made any advance. 

So far, the changelings were simply regrouping. Scout reports said the same things. An estimate of twenty thousand changelings, no weapons with them. Only the commanders and official seemed to have a sword. What distinguished the ranks, or so Louis guessed, was the colors they were. green seemed like the normal private soldier. Then the rest of the colors was a mark of other higher rank. 

What had surprised both Louis and Ace the most was that the had spotted the general. He was apparently larger than any other changeling around. He was a golden color, in contrast to the other colors that were pretty dull and dark. 

Louis finally saw the little town of Green Lake. He stopped and turned to Ace and Iroh. Ace was to command the left flank hidden strike force that consisted of nine hundred and Iroh was going to command the right flank attack force, as well of nine hundred. The other five hundred were to go with Louis and stand in front. Three hundred of them were going to hide and the other two hundred were going to make the act. To make the changelings think they had won. The other two hundred were pegasi. They were going to hide in the storm clouds they were going to bring from a nearby wild storm and prepare to roast their enemies with electricity.

Louis nodded and the two, both Iroh and Ace, nodded in response. Soon they were going their own way. Louis turned to look at his troops. Apart from them, the wounded were going with him as well. Also everything they had taken from the camp. Silver was walking in the back, escorted by six ponies. Two pegasi, two unicorns and two earth ponies.

They finally reached the town. The town dwellers got out of their houses as soon as they saw the equestrian army entering the town limits. When they saw the beaten look they had, many gasped. One of them, a grey earth pony, approached Louis.

“What happened?” he asked. Louis turned to his soldiers. 

“The battle didn’t went as well as we thought it was going to go. Don’t worry though. We will stop them before they reach your town, I promise.” The pony seemed unconvinced for some seconds, but then nodded.

“As you say. I only want to make sure nothing bad is going to happen to us.” He turned and walked back to his house. Most of the ponies looking closed their doors and their windows. Louis noticed shops closing and that soon there was no pony left outside except for the soldiers. He turned to the head field doctor.

“Take the wounded to the back of the town and mount a small infirmary camp. I hope we won't need to send you more ponies there, but I can't be sure.” The doctor nodded and went to a nurse. Louis looked around his soldiers. Many looked scared, but faces of resolve covered their faces. He smiled. They were not going to run away.

“Alright everypony, you all know what to do. Get to your positions and wait for my signal. You know what to do next.”

“Kill those buckers!” one pony in the crowd shouted. Louis chuckled as he heard a couple of yeahs! and gasps. He lifted his arms and tried to calm then. Soon, he had silence again. 

“I know some of you are scared. I am as well. Don't let your fear get the best of you, but rather use it for your advantage. Those bugs that are approaching want us dead and enslaved. I can't see a better cause to fight than for freedom.” He began to pace. “I was in a war right before coming to Equestria. I know what it feels to go into battle. I myself have been in countless of them. I only hope this war doesn´t lead to that, but this here…” he said, spreading his arms. “This here is where this war is begun to be told. This, here, right where you are standing, is were the first blood has been shed. The first battlefield. Today, once the first sign of those bugs shows up, we will mark if our friends lives were wasted, or if they gave them up for something. We will win. We will defeat the enemy. We will taint this field with our enemies if we need to. They killed our friends, our brothers. They want to enslave our families and our neighbors! I won´t let that happen, but I won't be able without you. It´s time we decide who gets the first word on this war. It is either us, or the changelings. Now, who do we want that to be?! Who decides today?!”

All around, the response was immediate. “We will!”

Louis smiled. “Let´s kick those enemy flanks and show them how we Equestrians are made. To your positions!” Ponies began moving. They picked up their weapons and walked to their positions. Louis went to where he was going to command his troops. In less than a minute he had two hundred soldiers on his back. He looked to the battlefield. 

Soon, it was silent. The eerie calm before battle seemed eternal until, from the distance, a pegasus scout flew at full speed towards Louis. 

“They are here!” The pegasus flew fast away and up to the clouds. Louis took his rifle with his hands and loaded it. He saw the ponies unsheathe their swords and prepare the first arrows. 

“Remember what we planned!” he shouted. The ponies said nothing, but he knew they remembered.

It took some minutes before, across the large field, the first changelings began to be seen. 

They marched organizedly towards the town. Louis could see line after line of changelings. Soon the airborne changelings began to show up as well. He could see the worry on his troops. He turned. “Don´t fall back! For any reason! Stand firm!” He saw his troops hesitate. the captains and officers nodded at Louis and began going around, trying to maintain the troops calm. 

In a matter of minutes, the whole changeling attack force was completely seen. The marched at them firmly and decidedly. Louis gulped and doubted for that first time that maybe, just maybe, his plan wasn't going to work. He hove the thought off and grinned.

“No! Don´t think that. It till work,” he thought. “It must work…”

He saw the enemies and turned to his troops. One of the soldiers was looking straight to him. Louis nodded and the pony whined and ran away. Louis smiled slightly and then put on an angry face. “Don´t fall back! Stay right where you are or you will be killed!” He nodded at the officers and they quickly looked menacingly at his troops. Louis prayed that the changelings were buying it. He nodded once more and another pony ran away, soon followed by another until all were in full retreat. He shouted angrily and then looked at the changelings. He hoped they would fall for the deception. He turned and ran away as well…

***   ***   ***

General Spit stopped walking the second he saw the first equestrian run away. He looked intently and noticed the biped creature known as “human” shout something and then look at his troops. Seconds after, another pony ran away. He chuckled. It was obviously going to be easy, even better with all the ponies running away.

“My general, the ponies are running back,” a changeling drone said. General Spit nodded as he saw all the equestrian lines brake up and turn tail. “Should we begin pursuit?”

Spit smiled. “Yes. Burn the town and kill all its inhabitants. It´s too small to help us in any way. Then, capture the equestrian soldiers that are running away.”

Another changelings approached. This one was a crimson color. “General, but what happened to the rest of the army?” 

Spit wondered for a second. “They surely did the same and ran away. Do as I say.”

“But, my general, what if its a trap?”

General Spit looked at him. He growled and immediately a green lighting burned the changeling to crisps. “Do as I say!”

The reaction was immediate. Soon enough, all the changelings were running or flying towards the town. No sense in keeping order now. Their orders were to plunder and destroy. What better way than to let his army run havoc?

He chuckled as he began walking. He wasn't going to be needed on this battle…

***   ***   ***

“Sir! They believed our deception! They are coming straight at us!” one of the officers exclaimed excitedly. Louis smiled.

“Yes!” he said. They were running, but soon they´d stop and meet the enemy. Soon, it was going to be the enemy the one that would try to fall back, but they were going to be unable to…

“How long before they reach ambush point?” he asked. the officer looked back. “One minute estimate, sir.”

“Good. Keep running, but slow down. Send that order to every officer.” The pony nodded and began passing the voice. The running equestrians were already inside the town. They stopped and hid behind buildings, but some kept running in case a changeling went to fly above the city. 

Louis looked up and saw the storm clouds gathering on top of the town and slowly drift across the to-be battlefield. The changelings were going to soon get one hell of a surprise.

“They crossed the line!” an officer shouted. Louis stopped and turned. He was smiling slightly. 

“Ponies!” He pulled his rifle forward, a bayonet strapped to it. “Charge!” 

***   ***   ***

“They crossed the ambush line, general.”

Ace nodded and turned around. his troops were hidden on the tall grass. He stood up. 

“Troops! Attack!” he pulled his sword in front of him and charged. A chorus of shouts behind him accompanied him as they ran at the enemy. He saw not far off Iroh´s own unit attacking. 

Time for the battle to start.

Thunder began, lighting the sky. Lightning began on the dark clouds, immediately hitting changelings in the air. 

Ace shouted as he ran, prepared to hit the enemy. 

The first changeling he met wasn´t aware of him coming. He ended it with a quick slice to the head. The next one was too startled to do anything. It fell down after a strike from Ace. 

The next minutes were just of striking surprised changelings. Of course they weren't expecting an attack to the back of the army. He pushed on, the sound of thunder announcing his sword to the enemies.

He felt a slice cut through the air beside him. He turned and saw a crimson changeling attacking him. He had a sword at his side holded by magic. Ace cursed and parried a blow.

“I´ll have your head on a spike, equestrian!” the changeling shouted. Ace shivered at the thought. That was definitely something he didn´t wanted.

“You'll have to win it!” he shouted at the changeling, parrying another blow and throwing one of his own. The changelings took one false step and almost tumbled. Ace used the advantage and impaled the changeling with his sword. The changeling looked surprised and then fell back. Ace spat at the changeling and continued fighting.

On the other side of the battlefield, Iroh was dealing the same way as Ace. Changelings were too surprised at the equestrian attack to do much more than stare or try to run away only to fall on their own legs. He used his sword fast, slicing changelings. Only once a changeling attacked him seriously and almost managed to impale him with his horn. Iroh had to use his wings to move into the air and hit the changeling from the air before the changeling tried to fly as well.

His troops were managing just fine, especially with the little resistance the changelings were making.

He saw Ace´s attack not far away. He wasn't worried about Ace though. Louis was the one with only five hundred troops. It was going to be difficult for him to stop them. Still, he knew he was going to do it. He seemed an able warrior and leader. He just hoped he wasn't wrong.

***   ***   ***


“Hold them! Don't let them near the city!” Louis shouted over the sound of the shouts of war. 

His soldiers were taking cover on a small trench he had built before battle for the cover of the archers. They fired at the charging changelings, crippling and killing as soon as they were in range. The sword ponies awaited for Louis´ order to charge.

Louis didn´t wanted to do that though. one fifth of his ponies were archers, and sadly they were not as good with sword than the rest were. They worked better with bows and, so far, that was enough. One hundred archers was more than enough to hold the changelings. The problem was that more and more kept coming. It was only a matter of time before the changelings managed to reach the trench. There was when Louis was going to order the charge. 

He stared and fired his rifle a couple of times. He didn't wanted to waste a lot of his ammo, since it was possible he only had a limited amount and just that. He couldn't get more in Equestria.

He looked around and saw the ponies holding straight and tall. They had decided grins in their faces and many seemed even eager to jump into action. Louis directed his thoughts back to the battle. He couldn't get distracted.

Minutes passed and he smiled once he saw that the sky was clear of changelings. The lightning had done its job. Now it was turn for the pegasi to jump into action below.

Just as he thought that, pegasi began to fall from the sky, many pushing storm clouds with them. Thunder began to sound again, only that this time the lightning was directed to the ground. 

He turned back to the battle in from of him. The changelings were now dangerously close. He sighed and stopp up. So did all the ponies. He did the sign of the cross and placed his rifle on his back, taking his sword. 

“Ponies! Show swords!” he commanded. The equestrian troops moved their swords forward. The archers placed their bows down and unsheathed their short swords. He looked around once more.

“Charge!” he shouted. Everypony around ran to meet the enemy. Louis ran with them as well. He jumped forwards right before meeting the first enemy, falling right on top of him and then stabbing down, ending him. He parried a horn and killed its owner, quickly turning to stab another one.

He kept fighting against the enemies parry after parry, strike after strike. He suddenly saw a mass of changelings rushing at him. He cursed and unstrapped a grenade Davis had given him. He pulled the safe and threw it. When it hit the ground, it exploded killing all the changelings around it. He didn't had time to look much because he was soon attacked by more changelings. 

The more he fought, the more his muscles began to feel tired. He saw that the equestrians had the advantage in the battle, but the longer that the battle lasted, the less likely they were to win. Good thing was, the changelings were not organized. That had been the most fatal mistake of the changeling general, or whatever commanded them. He had been a fool to order such a charge, and for that Louis was thankful…

***   ***   ***

“My general! The equestrians are hitting us, and had!” a changeling announced. General Spit growled. He could see that. He was in the middle of it, for the queen´s sake. 

“I am aware of that.”

He looked around, trying to asses the situation. It had been far too rushed to order the charge, even less with the disorder he had allowed on his lines. That was going to cost him the battle, sadly. Still, he could leave with honor yet.

He charged a lightning and threw it forward, not caring if changelings were there. The lightning quickly fried many ponies, including changelings. He took his sword and moved to meet the equestrians. He charged his sword with electricity and attacked an earth pony. The pony shouted angrily as he tried to hit Spit. The changeling general simply parried once and the pony´s sword broke. The pony didn't had time to see that because soon he had an electrified sword all the way across his belly. Spit took out his sword and the pony fell back, convulsing with all the electric charge inside him. 

He turned and attacked once more, this time throwing another lightning. There was an explosion as it hit an armored unicorn royal guard that was charging an energy blast. The lightning hit the pony and the combined electricity and magic exploded, killing everypony around and leaving a crater. 

Spit smiled and attacked again…

***   ***   ***

Louis was surprised to see an explosion happen close to where he was standing. 

A royal guard was going to blast a changeling nor far away when an electric beam hit him. It had looking exactly like a lightning, only that green.

He tried to see where it had come from and he spotted the source easily. There was a part where there were no ponies or changelings since the lightning had passed right through. What he saw made him shiver.

It was the changeling general. He could cast lightning. He turned around and saw a pegasus about to pass by. 

“You!” he shouted. The pegasus stopped and looked at him. “Take clouds and hit the enemy general. Don´t do it alone. Get help!” he shouted. The pegasus nodded, saluted, and flew off. Louis began to make his way towards the changeling general.

He saw pegasi prepare clouds and promptly send multiple strikes against the changeling… only to be answered back.

One of the pegasi fell down completely black from burns. Louis cursed and quickened his pace. He needed to stop that bug from killing more. He slashed many changelings until he was a couple of feet away. He watched in shock as the general sliced right through a pony, cutting the unicorn in half. He felt anger rise immediately. 

Then he noticed his sword and the electricity that was obvious in it.

“You!” he shouted, immediately catching the attention of the changeling, who smiled once he saw Louis.

“Oh, but it´s the bipedal creature that has been causing me trouble. I suppose this was all you plan.”

Louis grinned. “Yes, and now you are going to pay for setting hoof in Equestria and for all the deaths you have caused.” The changeling laughed.

“Here, the only one that is going to pay is gonna be you, for helping my enemy and for ending countless of changelings.” He levitated his sword, pointing it at Louis. “You are going to die.”

Louis growled and attacked the changeling. He tried to slice only to be parried by the changeling´s blade. He half expected his blade to break due to the energy on the changeling´s sword, but instead the two blades shined with the sound of electricity and a little explosion. Both took a step back. 

“Why did your blade not break?” the general asked, surprise clearly marked in his voice. “No blade can withstand so much raw power!”

Louis looked at his sword. It was still shining, though the shine faded slowly.

“This was a gift from the princesses…” he said, more to himself than to the changeling. “It surely has some kind of spell to protect it against magic.” 

The changeling shouted angrily and attacked Louis. Louis blocked the attack with another brilliant flash and tried to stab the changeling, who simply used his horn to block Louis´ sword. 

“It´s gonna take more than that, ape.”

Louis and the changeling kept fighting, completely ignorant of the battle around them. Slowly, both changelings and ponies stopped fighting and stared in awe at the fight between the two. Not all though, but still many simply stopped and watched. 

Louis sidestepped and managed to stab the changeling´s leg. The moment Spit growled in pain, Louis attacked again and stabbed his back. The general groaned and managed to cut Louis slightly on his arm. Louis shouted in pain as he moved back. The electricity had barely made it into his body, but it had been enough to put him  off balance. The changeling tried to stab again, but Louis kept moving out of the way. 

“This has gone for far too long!” the changeling shouted. He charged his horn as he threw a lightning at Louis. Louis used his sword to try to block it. He expected to feel a sensation of heat and then die, but nothing came. He didn't even felt a strike on his sword. He slowly opened his eyes, since he had closed them. He stared surprised as his sword absorbed the lightning. Spit stopped, exhausted. He groaned and attacked Louis again. This time, Louis felt something different. He felt… alive.

He saw the changeling moving towards him. He was moving pretty slow. He simply moved out of the way as the changeling´s sword slashed down. He stabbed Spit in the back and then in the belly. The changeling howled in pain as all the electrical charge on Louis´ blade passed into him. Louis pulled off his sword and looked at the changeling general. 

“What… did you do?” the changeling asked, looking in fear at Louis. Louis looked at his blade. What had he done?

“What do you mean?”

“You… you have lightning inside you… That is not possible…” 

Louis was about to say he didn't when he realized he did felt strange. He looked at his hand and almost jumped back. 

His veins were shining in a golden tone, and he himself was shining. He felt his hair and it was charged and some of it was standing up. He was confused.

“I…”

The changeling spat some blood and collapsed.

“Long live… queen…” he closed his eyes and stopped breathing. 

Around, ponies and changelings had resumed the fight. 

Louis was going to keep fighting when he began to feel dizzy.

“What is going on?” he thought. He began to see the world move around and then he blacked out...
> The battle of Las Pegasus part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 17
Battle of Las Pegasus part 1


The sound of thunder shook the ground as a dark storm approached the equestrian army's position. The rogue dark clouds casted a heavy, dark shadow across the horizon and the plains around Las Pegasus, was slowly covered in a thick blanket of darkness.

A strong wind pushed the storm and made the equestrian banners and flags flutterer rapidly, the equestrian symbols standing proudly on top of the fortified hill.

Inside the only tent, Davis stood in front of a small table, reviewing a map. His eyes scanned the map rapidly and his hands laid down on the edge of the table. In the map, little figures representing his troops laid where he had them stationed, and on one side of it, small dark cubes represented the invading force. Each cube on both sides represented a hundred soldiers, and davis felt slightly overwhelmed just by looking at the enemy. They were outnumbered one to five.

He began to review his plan.

First, the archers would shoot arrows down at the enemy from halfway up the hill. Then, when the changelings got close, they would fall back with his spear ponies going on a charge. Sword ponies would be close behind, so that when the spears hit the enemy, they would have better chance of not be impaled by the enemy's horns, since the spears would do a lot of harm on the enemy's charge.

His unicorn units were going to charge along with the sword ponies, ready to fire magic blasts. Mixed unicorn and earth pony units were the main sword units, and pegasi were going to help only on the air. Hopefully the changelings were not going to fly due to the climate.

He had, before going to the command tent, asked Golden Flame why that storm wasn't controlled by pegasi weather teams. He had explained him that pegasi were not at the moment controlling the area south of Las Pegasus because changelings had been raiding them while managing the sky. Since there were no pegasi to control the sky, it had been starting to turn wild. The storm was not a good sign.

Luckily, Golden Flame assured him that pegasi were going to be able to fly. Some of them were specially trained to fly in wild weather, and most pegasi knew how to fly under hard circumstances. There was even a unit composed of ponies from ponyville, and apparently wild weather there was something common since they were right outside the everfree forest.

All the pegasi were going to throw large rocks and shoot arrows up from the sky, and a special unit of pegasi trained with swords were going, if there were no changelings on the air, to land behind enemy lines and cause some disruptions on the back lines. They would move fast, making lightning attacks to cause confusion. 

What he thought of as an advantage was the Pegasus ponies. The changelings were supposedly not good at flying with hard weather. Him having troops in the air would prove vital for their fast victory. Also his archers, which were going to shoot arrows all the time at the back lines of the enemy.

He stood up completely and stopped leaning on the table once he finished. He picked up the pieces of the map and threw them away. He took the map and took a candle. He burned the map and watched as the flames slowly engulfed it.

The enemy could not get that map. In it were all his annotations of his plans, and now he knew them completely. Keeping that map was an unnecessary risk.

The map finally stopped burning, completely turned to ashes. He went to table again and picked up his officer hat. He put it on and went to the entrance of the tent. He picked up his rifle and strapped it to his back.

As he got out of the tent, he was greeted with some raindrops. He sighed. It wasn't going to be pleasant in any way to have a battle under the rain. If having to fight was horrible, under rain... He hated it completely.

He looked around and saw his troops with grim faces. He began to walk around. The ponies had their ears low and whispered between each other. 

That wasn't a good sign. He felt an aura of low spirits around the troops. He knew they knew how much enemies they were fighting, and he knew they didn't wanted to fight. Ponies were a peaceful race, and having to fight...

He wasn't sure if they were ready, but they needed to. There was no other choice. If they didn't stop the changelings there, Las Pegasus was going to fall. That couldn't happen. That would make all of Equestria lose hope, and that wasn't a good idea. The only thought of seeing these ponies enslaved was... terrible. He couldn't let that happen.

He spotted Golden Flame nearby and walked towards the Pegasus captain.

Golden Flame saw him.

"Davis."

Davis stopped beside him and looked around.

"I don't like how the troops look, Flame. It's not a good sign." He sighed.

Golden Flame looked around as well.

"I see..." He looked at Davis. "Ponies don't want to fight. We are not naturally fighters. Our nature..." He stopped, as if to think what to say. "The thing is, they need to he pushed. You need to give them a reason to fight, or else they won't."

Davis nodded and looked at Golden's pegasi unit.

"Your ponies seem to be different than the rest," he said. Indeed they were. Their ears were on the normal, happy position. They seemed even cheery and talked normally and casually. Some were discussing something about the best way to buck clouds.

Golden flame smiled. "Yes, the lads are handling it good. They will fight to their best, I'm sure."

"Mmm..." Davis said. He walked a few steps forward. "Alright, everypony!" he called. The ponies around looked, and it was clear he had gotten the attention of all the troops. Ponies began to approach and stared at him. Davis waited until he saw that all the troops were paying attention.

He cleared his throat. "I know most of you don't want to fight, and I understand. I know what you feel, because I have felt that myself. I know what it is to be about to enter your first battle. You feel like if you are gonna be sick, and the very thought of killing gnawed my insides. I don't expect you to want to fight, but I expect you to fight. You entered the army for a reason; you entered the army because you knew you were needed."

He pointed at where Las Pegasus was. "Hundreds of thousands of ponies live over there. That means there is hundreds of thousands of ponies that depend on each and every one of you!" 

"And now try to see beyond that city. Imagine all that lays behind us. Millions depend on us."

"I'm not asking you to fight, I'm not going to force you. But I expect you to know that you need to fight, no matter what you want. Would you rather let those beasts invade your homes? Would you rather see the flag of Equestria burn? Would you rather see as your families become slaves of the enemy?!" He shouted the last part. "They want to kill and enslave us... And I don't think you want that."

"I repeat: I don't expect you to want to fight, but expect you to do what's right."

"Are you going to let them!" he shouted. By now, the ponies were listening, their ears standing up. 

"NO!" came the shout of response. All the ponies now seemed determined.

"So the let's show those bastards what we are ready to do for our land!" Ponies cheered and stomped the floor. It was even shaking for that. Davis smiled and walked over to Golden Flame. His officers were there, ready to give his orders to the army. "Make ready for the battle. It won't be long before they attack." The officers saluted and began to move. Golden Flame patted Davis' back and walked off.

Davis looked to the south and managed to see a shadow of dark moving towards them. It was still slightly far off, but he was sure it was an army.

"They are coming! The changelings are almost here!" shouted a scout that had just arrived. He flew around the troops. "The changelings have arrived!" Davis looked around and saw ponies preparing. The ones with armor began to put it on. Weapons were sharpened, bows were stringed... They were getting ready.

"Captain Golden Fire!" Davis called. Golden Fire landed beside him. 

"Yeah?"

"Tell the officers to have their units in line. We are going to meet them soon." Golden Fire nodded and flew off. Davis took out some binoculars and looked in the distance.

Thousands of changelings... His heart sank for a second before he tightened his grip on the binoculars and stopped looking.

They could win. They needed to...

"Sir! Troops are ready!" shouted a commander. Davis still didn't remember his name, but he seemed pretty able to command troops. He was a royal guard, so he was the typical white clone. He had never seen him without armor, so he didn't know how he looked like. Royal guard armor had a spell to make them all seem the same, which sometimes proved to be confusing.

"Good, commander. Await my order for archers to begin shooting." The commander nodded.

"Archers! Get ready!"

The sound of bows and wood filled the army lines. Davis lifted his hand, signaling the archers to wait. He saw as the changelings began to go up the hill.

"Fire!" he ordered while throwing forward his arm. Hundreds of arrows took to the sky, whistling as they flew towards the enemy. Seconds later, shouts of changelings below was greeted by a smile from Davis. "Keep shooting! Don't let them come near us!" The archers kept on shooting. Arrows filled the sky as the changelings suddenly stopped their advance and began to fall back.

It had been less than five minutes.

Davis smiled, but he knew it wasn't over. Probably the ponies didn't knew, because as soon as they saw the changelings falling back they began to cheer. 

"That's it! Go back to whatever hole you came from!" shouted Golden Flame.

"Don't think we are done yet, captain." Davis spoke seriously, but he was clearly smiling.

"Sorry Davis. It's just good to see those cowards turn tale." Davis chuckled.

"They'll be back, and much more prepared. We barely inflicted casualties," Davis said. "Send a pegasi scout team to spy on the enemy. I want to see what they'll be up to." Golden Flame nodded and walked away. Davis looked to the retreating enemy. 

It had been far too easy. The enemy was more clever than he had thought, though. He had clearly seen his disadvantage on attacking a hill and having no archers himself. He knew that it would be a slaughter of his own troops if he proceeded. His enemy was intelligent, and that scared him slightly. It meant his victory wasn't going to be so easy...


***   ***   ***




"Why did you fall back?!" exclaimed a changeling. His shout echoed through the caves the changeling army had built to use as a shelter for the weather.

It was a big and long cave, filled with changelings all over. A dim light illuminated the cave from the center, which was were the argument had been happening.

"We should have pushed forward and..." There was a rapid blur and the changeling's head fell back. All the changeling officers gasped in surprise and some even in disgust as the head rolled down, it's body falling seconds after. All eyes turned to whoever was responsible.

It was a larger changeling, almost the size of a horse. His horn was shining as he lifted his sword, which was now soaked in dark green blood. He was a dark yellow, his magic aura being the same color. His eyes moved around all the changelings present.

He cleared his throat. "Is there any other that disagrees with my actions?" None of the changelings moved. He nodded. "Good. Now..." he sheathed his sword and looked at a map. "If the attack was continued, we should have reached the top of the hill and the equestrian troops with half our troops dead. Even though by brute force we could have won, by the end we would be left with barely a thousand or less troops to take the city." He looked at the changelings around. "I, in difference of you lot of scum, use my brain. That's why I am general and not him," he said, pointing at the headless corpse. He looked back at the map.

It had marks of were his troops would attack and were the equestrian troops were going to be. He had thought that the equestrians would not be prepared nor organized and that a straightforward attack was going to be enough. Clearly he had been wrong and whoever was commanding their troops was capable of doing it. On this small first assault he had lost almost two hundred changeling drones. They were easy to replace, but reinforcements weren't expected after they could take the griffon capital, and he estimated that it would be a long time.

He began to pass his hoof over the map. He smiled evilly as he began to trace a plan. He was going to crush the equestrians rapidly and efficiently. They would be beaten with no real casualties inflicted on his own troops, and then he would march on the city of Las Pegasus. Though that city holded no real strategic value, the blow on the equestrians morale was going to be immeasurable. Soon, he would he marching towards their capital, and nothing would stop him.

He rolled the map and turned to his officers. "Prepare the troops we move in an hour."

"But... Sir..." said one of the changelings. He was trembling, the general looked annoyedly. "Shouldn't we wait for a better climate? We cannot fly on this storm..."

The general didn't said anything for a couple of seconds.

"We won't need to," he finally said. "And I don't think their pegasi are going to dare to fly in this weather."

"No, we move now," he said. "And I'll enjoy greatly once I have whoever leads them on a spike and his head on my sword..."

He walked away as the changelings began to organize in lines. 

Soon he would be on the gates of Canterlot with the princesses at his hooves...


***   ***   ***




"Davis, they are moving. They'll be here in ten minutes." Golden Flame tried to sound professional, but Davis felt a hint of worry on his voice.

"Alright. Prepare the archers, just as last time." He opened his map and looked. If the enemy had any brains, he clearly knew that a forward attack was not a good idea. It would probably be just a decoy, or not the main attack. Probably they would stay just out if range from his archers. What worried him, were his flanks. Those sides were not as strong as the center. He scratched his chin for a second and then turned to Golden Flame.

"Flame, tell the pike ponies to move to the flanks along with all the longsword units. Divide them with the same numbers on each flank. Send ten archers to each of the two flanks as well. Leave only the spears on the center." Golden Flame nodded. "The pegasi should be ready to fly out and make fast attack on their own flanks and their back. That will cause confusion in the changeling ranks." The Pegasus captain nodded and flew off. Davis looked back to the south. He could see the black mass of changelings approaching, even with all the rain.

A couple of minutes earlier, the climate had gotten worse and rain had begun to fall aggressively. Golden Flame had voted against sending the pegasi out to fight on the climate, but Davis was confident that they would manage. Changelings seemed to have problems when flying on heavy rain and strong winds.

"They're coming!" shouted a pony not far off. Ponies immediately formed lines. As Davis had ordered, pikes and swords moved to the flanks. He saw ten archers deploy to each one as well. Spears and archers stayed in the front and the ponies with short swords rained in the back, ready to help whichever side happened to need help in the fight.

Davis had considered falling back to the next fortified position, but this one was more easy to defend and the farther they had the enemy from the city, the better.

He began to move around, making sure everypony was doing good and ready to fight. He was surprised at how much his speech had seemed to affect the troops. They seemed eager to fight them, especially after watching them fall back the first time. What worried Davis was that they would not he so eager to fight the moment that was required of them. 

"Sir! They're almost within shooting range!" shouted the archer captain. Davis ran to his side and looked down. 

"They stopped," Davis said. The captain looked.

"But... Why?" 

Davis didn't answered right away.

"Sir?"

Davis suddenly knew what they wanted. 

"They want to take out our archers first..." he said. "They're going to attack our flanks!" he said. He smiled slightly. At least he had thought of that. "Good luck we are prepared for them."

The captain nodded and walked away. 

"Keep you ponies ready. The moment the enemy gets within range, shoot." The archery captain nodded. Davis ran to the left flank.

When he got there, he was greeted by Golden Flame.

"Captain, anything out of the ordinary?" he asked.

Golden chuckled nervously. "If by out of the ordinary you mean that there's a huge storm, enemies out there, yes, there's nothing weird going on."

Davis smiled. "Alright. Keep both eyes open Flame, I'm almost completely certain that they'll attack our flanks." Golden Flame nodded. 

"Don't worry, I have them wide open Davis. I also have my colts in the air, making sure the bad guys are well watched.”

Davis smiled. “Good. I´ll go see the other flank. Good luck.” He turned and began to go.

“Good luck to you too, sir…”

Davis walked on a hurried step. As he walked, he watched around. He saw that the enemy was still out of range from his archers. He knew the changelings had something in mind. He just needed to figure out what it was. He supposed an attack on his troops flank´s was the most obvious answer, but something else could happen as well. He looked at the sky. Probably an air attack… He really hoped it wasn't that way, because if it was they would not be prepared. Still, it was highly unlikely due to the harsh climate. He himself was risking his pegasi, but he hoped it was for the best. Thankfully, the pegasi were good in difficult weather.

He arrived at the other flank. He saw the captain in command. It was a blue old unicorn ex-royal guard named Hightip. He was wearing the usual officer-rank uniform. Davis approached him.

“Anything?” he asked. The captain looked at him. 

“I´m happy to say that not yet, but I know something is going on out there.” He lifted his hoof and gestured forward down the hill. “I can see movement, but I'm not sure how many or how they'll attack.”

Davis nodded. “I just came from the other flank. Captain Golden Flame said he had not seen a single thing.” He scratched his chin. “Maybe… maybe they´ll make their attack through here.” Hightip looked at him.

“I hope not, sir,” he chuckled nervously. “I may have been in the royal guard, but I´m just as nervous and scared as every other pony here.”

Davis looked at the old unicorn. He patted his head, immediately making the unicorn look at him confused. 

“Everyone is, Hightip.” Davis looked around. “I don't think it will be long before they attack. Do you have any messenger I can use?” Hightip nodded and gestured a young pegasus to approach.

“General!” the pegasus saluted. Davis saluted back and took out a piece of paper. He wrote something and passed it to the young messenger. 

“Take this to captain Golden Flame,” he said. “And be careful, Changelings can be sneaky in this weather.” The pegasus saluted and flew off. Davis slowly moved his hand over to his sword, then to the pistol´s holster. He unclipped it and took his rifle off from his back. He took it with both hands and loaded.

“Captain Hightip, tell your troops to be ready. They'll attack any second now.” The captain nodded and began to give orders. Davis walked to the small team of archers. “Prepared to shoot.” 

He had said this when he saw a green beam go directly towards him. He barely moved out of the way as the beam passed by a couple of inches from his head. He pointed and saw the dark shapes of crawling changelings. They were almost on them.

“Take your weapons, they're here!” Davis shouted. Almost instantly, changelings shouted and rose up. Davis shot once, killing the one that had shot him the energy beam. He loaded and looked at the archers. “Fire the with arrows!” The archers began to shoot bolt after bolt. Changelings kept advancing. Davis managed to shoot five more times before he strapped back his rifle to his back and took his pistol. 

“Swords!” he shouted. ponies unsheathed and prepared. “Pikes!” The piked flashed forward, prepared to stop the changelings. Davis shot three changelings rushing at him and then went to stand in front of the archers. “Stand behind me! Keep shooting!” The archers nodded and moved into a tight square behind Davis. The American was so close to the enemy now that he knew soon even his pistol would be too much and he'd need to use his sword. Finally, he saw a changelings rushing at him. He needed to load, but he didn´t had time. He unsheathed his sword and thrust it forward. The changeling fell. Davis looked up and saw five changelings running at him.

He killed one the moment he was within reach and stabbed other seconds after. The other three formed a circle around him and tried to stab him with their horns. One of the rushed at him and Davis had barely enough time to parry his horn. The other two used that chance to attack as well. Davis jumped up and the two crashed against each other. He landed on top of their heads, a loud snap announcing their broken necks. Davis slashed at the last changeling. 

He looked back forward. Changelings kept advancing, but it was obviously not the main force. Probably a hundred at most. Still, he had less than three hundred. He was still outnumbered. 

“Sir!” Hightip shouted. Davis looked and saw the unicorn running at him. Hightip stopped in front of him. “They are going to overrun us!”

“Don't let that happen!” Davis shouted. “Order your pikes forward and swords behind. When pikes strike, swords strike right after and then repeat the process. Use the hill´s momentum of downhill as an advantage.” Hightip nodded and ran away again. Davis looked back and saw the ten archers still firing. He could see that the changelings were not charging at them, but were more concerned on two large clusters of equestrian troops. One of them was commanded by Hightip, but the other seemed disarrayed. He turned to the archers. 

“Keep shooting, but the moment they get too close to use bows, use your swords.”

“But sir! We are not good with swords!” one exclaimed.

“You all are, and if you´re not, make yourself good at it!” he said. He then ran to the group without command. He saw a pony about to be stabbed and quickly shot him with his gun, which he had reloaded while speaking to Hightip.

The changeling fell back and the pony looked at Davis. The pony said something, but Davis was too far away and already on the move. He placed his pistol on the holster and took his rifle while running. He loaded and shot. Changelings looked at him immediately. His rifle made thunderous sounds, clearly getting the attention of the enemy, though it could be confused by a lightning. 

A couple of the changelings rushed at him, rapidly taken down by Davis´ fire. He begins to run around.

“Pikes forward! Pikes!” he shouted. The pikes responded almost immediately. Their disorder quickly disappeared as Davis took control of the troops. “Swords, behind!”

He shot a couple of times more at the changelings. “Pikes! Advance!” he shouted and shot once more. “Swords, right behind them.” He began to move inside the troops, his rifle making a lot of noise with each shot. The changelings seemed to get confused once they saw the pikes in line, clearly aimed for them. 

“Pikes! Rush forward!”

The ponies began to run downhill, shouting along as the did. The hill began to tremble with their steps. Davis ran with them, his rifle forward and still shooting.

“Swords, forward! Pike ponies, don't stop for anything in the world until you reach the bottom of the hill!” Sword ponies began to stab and kill any changelings that survived the pikes. Soon, the changelings were running back. Davis saw that Hightip was doing the same as he. The changelings attack force was in full retreat towards their main force. Davis saw the first ponies reach the bottom of the hill. They stopped but kept shouting savagely at the changelings. They clearly looked tired, but pleased with themselves. Davis reached the bottom himself. Soon, all the ponies were down. Hightip approached Davis.

“We did it sir! They fell back!” he exclaimed, happy. Davis nodded. He was covered in rain, as were all the ponies. Their coats were wet like if they had jumped in a river.

“Yes, we did it..” he said, catching his breath. “Order them back up. I need to see how Golden Fire did.” Hightip nodded. 

“Alright ponies, back up! Dont waste time!” 

Davis walked back up as well. He saw changelings laying all around. Some were still alive, but the wounds were too much to even try to help them. He saw the field medics looking around.

“Sir, do we help the changelings as well?” aske the head medic. Davis nodded. “Alright.” the pony walked away. Davis saw as a couple of ponies carried a pony. He had to look away. The poor guy was not going to survive more than a hour.

He finally reached the top and saw for the first time the full extent of what had happened.

Changelings covered the floor. At least one thousand lay dead there. Who knew how large was their attack force, since it was clear that they had killed at least half of the attackers. 

What pained him more were the ponies that could be seen as well. They were not as many, but he could see at least twenty, and probably there were more. He went to help with the wounded, hoping that there were not many…


***   ***   ***




“Ready your spears!” Golden Flame asked. Ponies around lifted their pikes and spears, waiting for the rushing column of changelings to attack. Golden Flame had one spear himself. The moment the column of changelings hit, he was sent back by the raw force of the attack. He managed to stay standing as three changelings impaled themselves on his spear. He watched as the first one tried to impale himself more to reach him. He threw the spear in disgust, trying not to throw up. He unsheathed his sword and turned to see another column of changelings running towards him and his ponies.

“Swords!” 

The ponies took their swords and prepared to meet the enemy. Golden Flame slashed as the first changelings got near. He didn't watch to see where he had hit, but rather moved quickly to the next. He kept slashing and stabbing as more changelings arrived. This column was bigger than the rest he had managed to call off. He felt a sharp pain as one managed to scratch his leg. He growled angrily and used a dagger he had on his belt to kill the changeling. He used his wings then to jump higher and land on top of two changelings. He stabbed both, one with the knife and the other with his sword. He didn't retrieved his knife this time, but quickly turned at two approaching changelings. He parried a horn and stabbed its owner. The other thought he had time to attack Golden Flame and tried. The pegasus easily moved out of the way of the changeling´s horn and chopped off his head. He looked away, not wanting to witness it in any way. He instead moved around, keeping the troops organized. He had been appointed second in command, and by Celestia he was going to do it right.

“They're pushing us back, sir!” shouted a captain. Golden Flame didn´t wanted to admit it, but they were moving back slowly. If that kept up, they´d be back on the top of the hill soon. He had to think fast.

He nodded and looked at his ten archers.

“Fire all your bolts as fast and as accurately as possible. Be sure not to miss!” He quickly turned back to the battle. “Spears! Prepare another charge!” He saw as the sword ponies gave cover for the spear and spike ponies to prepare. “Charge!” he shouted. He took a spear and charged as well.

He watched in pleasure as the changelings seemed to turn back and try to run from the charge. They began to push the changelings back to the base of the hill. Soon, they were back to halfway down. He stopped his charge and ordered his archers to move forward. A couple of changelings fell down from the arrows before they realized the charge was over. They turned and resumed their attack. 

“Shields, forward! Make an armor formation!” Immediately, ponies formed a barrier of shields seconds before the changelings hit like a massive wave. He saw strain on the ponies´ faces. 

“Swords, stab! Shields, make space!” The shield formation made some holes to allow sword ponies to stab the stuck changelings. “Spears, stab! Pikes, stab!” The rest of the ponies joined. He felt a tap on his shoulder and looked. It was one of the archers.

“We ran out of bolts, sir.”

Golden Flame looked at his empty quiver. “Unsheath your swords and be ready to help in any moment. Wait for my signal though.” The pony nodded and went to tell it to his companions. As much as Golden Flame wanted to use them immediately, he knew that these ponies weren't really good with swords.

“Sir, the enemy is falling back! They stopped hitting the shields and are turning tail!” Golden Flame didn't believe him. He flew upwards and saw the indeed, the mass of changelings were retreating, now heavily reduced. He watched in pleasure as some of his spear ponies threw their spears like javelins, managing to hit a couple of changelings more. 

“Alright, stop! We need to regroup,” he exclaimed. “Go back to the top!” The ponies began to moved back up. “Help the wounded!”

He was going to fly back up when he noticed a hoof below a mount of changeling bodies. It was still moving. 

He flew towards it and quickly began to move changeling bodies away. He finally undug the pony below. He almost threw up.

The pony was looking to him, now clinging to his stomach. His insides could be clearly seen, and he seemed to be trying to keep them inside.

“Sir, help me!” he shouted. Golden Flame didn´t knew what to do. He stood motionless. “Sir!”

“Doc! I need a medic!” Golden Shouted, finally managing to shout. He kneeled down beside the pony. “Hang on, you…” he gulped. “You´ll be alright, the doc is gonna patch you up real good…”

The pony was shivering. “Sir…” he said weakly. He was clearly in pain. “Sir.. I will… I´ll die, won´t I?” That striked Golden Flame hard. 

“No, you're not, soldier. I don´t give you permission!” Golden shouted.

The pony was now looking up. “I… At least I… for… good cause…” He stopped moving. Golden Flame saw he was no longer shivering and his eyes opened slowly like wide plates.

“No, don't die! I´ve never lost a pony under my command before! Don't die!” he exclaimed, hugging him, not really caring for the blood. “Don't die, soldier!” He felt a hoof and looked up. It was Davis.

The American looked sadly at the dead pony. He kneeled and looked at Golden Flame while closing the pony´s eyes. “I´m sorry, Golden Flame.”

“I... “ Golden Flame didn´t know what to say. 

Davis stopped him by placing his hand to stop him from talking on his lips. “ I know its hard to lose someone under your command, or to see death. I´ve seen it many times and I feel like hell everytime. I know you will never get over the men you lose, but you must know that its inevitable. There will alway be casualties…”

Golden Flame opened wide his eyes and jumped into the air. He hovered a few inches from Davis´ head, looking at him angrily and accusingly. “Always be casualties?” He shouted. “ALWAYS BE CASUALTIES?!” He had tears on his face. “This shouldn't be happening, Davis! I don't know from what Celestia-forsaken place you are from, but this isn't normal! Death isn't always there! You don't die except for old age, now him…” He pointed. “He had a life, and now it´s all lost, and you are just calling another casualty?” He landed heavily. He looked down and tried to cover his face. 

Davis looked neutral all the time, but his face softened. He moved his hand until he was slowly stroking his mane. 

“I know, believe me, I do know this shouldn't be. I understand why you are upset, but…” He thought the next words. “I am here to help you, and to try to make this even less hard for you all. I´ve live this before, and I hate it. War is terrible, I know…” He looked up. “I sometimes just wish I was back at my house on Texas. A nice cup of coffee and sitting in my house´s front porch. Nothing I wish more.” He felt homesick all of a sudden. “I miss home, and I´ve not been there in at least four years. Now I can never go back…” 

Golden Flame was now looking at him. He still had tears, but it wasn't like before.

“I wanna help you, all of you…” Davis was looking at the clouds. It had stopped raining a couple of minutes ago. “And I want to help you try to stop this things from happening, but it´s inevitable. As bad as it sounds, it is…” He covered his face and rubbed it a couple of times before looking back at Golden Flame. “I want to help you, but you gotta let me.” Golden Flame was looking at him. He looked down sadly.

“I only wish there was another way…” Golden Flame said slowly.

Davis nodded. “Me too, my friend, me too…”

And so the two laid beside each other in the middle of the battlefield. They didn't speak for several minutes until an officer went to get them. The two stood up and said nothing until they were back on the hill…


***   ***   ***


“You´re saying you failed!?” shouted the general. “You failed!” He didn't wait for a response. He took his sword with his magic and cut the heads of three changelings. He then shouted and thrusted the sword forward. It got stuck between two changelings, who looked nervously at one another before looking back at the general.

“We are not going to lose today, WE ARE NOT!” he shouted. “And if I must go myself leading, then so be it, I will! I'm not going to be mocked by some equestrian pony…” He was stopped by a changeling coughing, trying to get his attention. The general looked at him. “WHAT NOW!?”

The changeling almost jumped back, but he remained seated. “Sir… It´s not a pony what´s leading them…” The general looked in confusion.

“Not a pony… What do you mean?”

The changelings stood up. “It´s some sort of bipedal creature, sir. It commanded their troops and was expecting out flank attack. Both flanks were heavily defended. Trying to take the hill was more of a suicide, even by their flanks. He seems to have trained his troops well. They are not the disorganized bunch the queens told us.”

The general pondered for some moments what he had just heard. He looked up and then back at the changeling.

“What is your name?”

“Number 51´056,369, sir.” The general blinked. “I still don't got a named sir. You’ve just been promoted.”

“Well, fifty one billion...” He growled. “Agh! You know, you are now Striker!” he said. “Striker, you are now my commander and second in command. Congratulations. You'll lead the next charge alongside myself, and I expect you to do good!” The changeling, Striker, looked surprised. He kneeled.

“Of course, my general!”

“Good! Now…” He turned and addressed all his officials. “No pony, or whichever bipedal creature mocks me, General Dark Hunger!” He shouted. “We'll show them, and they'll suffer for all our fallen drones!”

The officers hissed and stomped, and the general smiled evilly. 

“The equestrians will know who I am…”

> The battle of Las Pegasus part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 18
The battle of Las Pegasus part 2


The sun slowly drifted down as the storm clouds began to disperse. Night began to fall rapidly, with the gleaming stars showing once in a while in between the clouds. The silence that filled the great south plains of Las Pegasus seemed to hide the fact that the Equestrian army was there. Even Las Pegasus was eerily silent, mostly due to the recent battles fought outside the city.

The news of the engagement between Equestrian troops and changelings seemed to have reached the city somehow, since there were no lights announcing important events or loud music, which was normally heard even on the far-off equestrian army camp. 

The moon rose up in the night sky, the clouds now well dispersed. The light of the stars shone brightly in the sky, now with the sun gone completely.

In the ground on the first fortified hill of the equestrians, ponies moved around silently and whispered with each other. No shout nor loud voice was heard in it, and the strongest sound came from the wheels of a couple of carts that were pushed around carrying from food and supplies for the troops to medical supplies. Three special medical carts were taking the wounded to the main camp to be treated there and, if needed, to be sent to the city of Las Pegasus for intensive treatment. The dead were taken to the side and were being loaded to another special covered cart that was to take them to the main camp and the to their families. 

It was that specific cart that Davis was watching. He was eating an apple that he had just taken from one of the food ones and was now thinking. He was waiting for the status report of the army, which included how many dead, wounded or missing. He also wanted to know how many more arrows they had if the troops were in good state to keep fighting. It wasn't that he was thinking on leaving the battle, but he wanted to know how the ponies felt after the engagement with the bugs.

He heard somepony cough behind him, obviously trying to get his attention. He turned and saw a pegasus messenger. The pony saluted and gave him a letter. Davis took it and saluted back. The messenger left.

Davis opened the letter and began to read it. It was the status report signed by Golden Flame. Davis looked over it intently.

He finished and looked around, sighing. At least he hadn't lost many to the hands of death.

He wrapped the paper and placed it on one if his pockets. The light night breeze seemed slightly salty, probably due to their closeness to the sea. It was just a few miles to the west. 

He began walking around, checking on his troops. There were a couple if fires around with ponies clustered around. He approached one in which he saw Golden Flame. He stopped once he was beside them, but didn't entered the circle. He began to hear what they were saying.

"...and then he simply laughed," a white earth pony said. "It was creepy as tartarus, I  will never get over what I saw back there..." The pony's ears dropped slowly. All around, ponies nodded silently and grim faces seemed to overshadow everything else. Golden Flame was looking around the ponies, completely unsure of what to do and his face suggested concern and uncertainty. Davis knew that ponies would be shocked by their first battle, but this looked... worse than he had imagined. He was about to enter the circle when a light blue earth pony began to speak.

"Yeah, it's horrible, but... Aren't we fighting for something good? I know we all saw things... horrible things, but that doesn't mean we need to stop that from us doing our duty." He seemed to stand tall over his comrades. Slowly, everypony around seemed to rise as that earth pony spoke. His voice rose high over the gathered troops and earned a smile from Davis. The american felt happy to see that some ponies knew what their job was, and he was glad he wasn't alone on working to help the troop's spirits rise up. He saw as the pony went and placed his hoof in the middle. He knew what was coming, but how it happened, surprised him. 

Every single pony gathered stood up and placed their hoofs beside his. Golden Flame did the same, and soon ponies around, after seeing the scene, went to join as well. Davis considered joining, but he felt comfortable from where he was. 

Instead, he walked away from the lights and to the command tent. He wanted to see the maps once more, to clear up his mind. 

Once he was back inside his tent, he collapsed into the only chair and laid down on the small table that had the map on it. He felt the pressure of leading an army fall on him rapidly. He felt it was too much. Give him to command five hundred against five hundred and not in a major move, not that hard. Give him one thousand against five thousand and on a vital defense in which the fate of the country depended on? Way much harder. 

He looked up at the map once more and began to look around. 

He saw the main hill in which he and his troops were stationed at the moment and the other six fortified positions before getting to main camp and then the city. A  total of a little more than a mile. He hoped that they could stop the enemy before reaching the third position. He preferred to take less time on that battle, but he knew that it wasn't  going to be easy. He had learned that the enemy seemed to be thinking a little more than he would have liked, and the wait he was having now of a couple of hours without an attack indicated that the next one would be harder to fight off. He feared that they'd need to push back all the way to main camp and then the city. 

The least thing he wanted was to fight in the city.

By experience he knew that fighting inside cities was harder than in open fields, and then he'd have to count civilians and attempt to evacuate the city.  

No, the changelings couldn't reach the city. He needed to stop them before getting to that point. 

He moved lightly his hand over the map, looking at the little notes he had made ranging from the altitude of the land to the possibilities of cover and supplies. He saw the fourth position as a good one to stop the enemies if they were pushed back hard.

Fourth position was a tall hill, much taller than the one they were in, and had the front and left sides protected by a small ravine. It was going to make earth attacks hard, if not impossible, to the enemy. That would only leave little part of the front and the back open for attacks. He knew that the enemy wouldn't attack in the back, but the right and the little part of the front that was open was obviously going to be the goal of the enemy. Maybe even attempt to fly over the gorge. 

Davis began to consider moving to that position without waiting for the enemy to attack them. The problem would be that then the enemy would use their movement of position as an advantage and attack almost immediately. He needed to move his troops without the enemy knowing it, but how?

He was pondering on that question when he heard somepony calling outside.

"Yes?" he asked. 

"It's me, Golden Flame, Davis."

Davis smiled. Just the pony he wanted to see.

"Come in!"

The pegasus captain entered the tent slowly and looked around cautiously. There was something on his look that unnerved Davis a little. 

"What is it, Golden Flame?" Davis asked. "Is there something wrong?" Golden Flame didn't answered right away, but rather waited a couple of seconds. 

"Yes sir. We are hearing reports of enemy movements around. In small groups, but I'm not sure what to think of that."

Davis scratched his chin as he began to think what could the changelings want. For what he knew, they could only be moving around and try to attack the morale of his troops. On another sense, they could be positioning themselves for an attack. That quickly worried the American.

"Send a couple of scouts around to report me the positions of those changeling groups. It could be just unimportant moves by the enemy, but one can never be too sure." Golden Flame nodded and walked outside. Davis sighed and leaned back against his chair and the armrest. Hopefully the attack wasn't coming soon. 

He looked around and saw his equipment. His rifle was laying beside himself, and the gun was on its holster, strapped to his belt. He had a small number of grenades as well and his combat knife. He had no longer his cap, but he wasn't really sorry for that. He was more worried on other matters. 

He strapped his sword on to his belt and placed his rifle on his back. He looked at the map once more and then walked outside. He saw the the sun was beginning to rise. A new day. Luckily the enemy hadn't attacked at night. That would not have ended up good. He then realized that he had not slept anything.

Well, he'd have plenty of time to sleep once that battle was over.

He looked around the troops. They didn't looked as hopeless as he had seen them barely an hour ago, but rather he could even see hope in their faces. he saw determination, and that brightened up his spirit. If his troops were ready to do what was necessary to win, he was sure that winning was going to be much easier.

He moved around once more, making sure all his troops were ready for the next fight. Many seemed happy to see their general, and he felt his heart warm up when many smiled at him. He also spoke to many, asking how they were and if they were ready for the next battle. He asked some about their families, and he was greeted with many smiles on ponies as they told him all about their families. He also came to realize how much these ponies were fighting for. Many were parents, or had mare-friends. He even met one or two that had engaged with a mare before departing to the war. He met one that his father ran a factory that was producing materials for the war, one that worked in a plow field, one that was a writer, a journalist, and the list just went on and on. He met ponies from las Pegasus all the way to Manehattan. 

As more and more ponies met their general, he began to feel warmer between his troops. He had never known what it felt to be respected and loved by his men, or ponies in this case, but he learned that once he asked ponies more personal questions, about their families and such, they seemed to get more open than how he had seen them first and they'll even begin to consider him their friend. He tried to keep the rank for other more official circumstances, but knowing his troops proved to not only raise his troops' spirits, but his' as well. 

He was helping a pony move a bunch of arrows around when a scout pony landed right in front of him, almost causing him to fall over. He was about to tell the pony to look around before landing before he saw he was a scout. 

"Sir! Reporting as ordered in case we noticed strange or suspicious enemy movement!" the pony exclaimed. Davis nodded. 

"Go ahead soldier. Report."

The pony looked around and then back at Davis. "They are moving towards us from a couple of positions. They are not moving in large groups, but rather in small twenty or thirty changeling groups. They seem to be holding some type of strange large shields over them." He looked at the arrows. "I'm afraid they're thick enough to stop our volleys, sir."

Davis didn't said anything and instead walked to the side of the hill and looked down.

Indeed changelings were moving in smaller groups and carrying their large weird shields. They seemed to be large tree trunks placed together into large shields. capable of covering at least six changelings below them. He turned to the archery captain. 

"Prepare your ponies to fire. We'll see how thick that cover is, and if the arrows manage to cause damage, as small as it is, we'll still shoot. If the shields manage to hold off our bolts... we'll see what to do then."

The captain nodded and began to shout orders around. 

"Archers on position! Prepare to fire at my signal!" Archers began to move around. Shouts as ponies moved to prepare for the fight filled the entire hill. Once the archers were ready, the signal was given.

"Archers, ready!" The sound of bows being strung filled for a couple of seconds the camp. "Aim!" the captain shouted. "Fire!" WIth a downward motion, the captain's sword slashed down signaling his archers to fire. instantaneously, hundreds of bolts went away. Davis watched as the black bolts whistled through the air and towards the groups of enemies. At last they hit, immediately quenching Davis' hope that they could make it with the archers. 

Not a single arrow had made it through the shields. Yes, one or two changelings fell down, but it was obvious nothing was going to be achieved by keeping the archers firing but waste bolts. 

Just as the captain was about to order a second volley, Davis stopped him. 

"No! Don't waste our arrows. They are not making any effect. We'll need another way..." He began to look around. "Prepare shields and pikes! We'll meet them hoof to hoof!" Ponies began to make charging lines. "Sword ponies, prepare to attack once the shield barrier has been placed. Keep piked forward at all times and don't let them reach the shields! Their own shields are going to make them slower and less maneuverable than last battle. Archers!" he shouted, immediately gaining their attention. "Once the enemy abandons their shields or we manage to break them, we'll fall back. In that moment you'll begin shooting at will. Wait until we are clear from the battlefield! Don't fire unless there's not a single equestrian down there!" He received nods around and then proceeded to unsheath his sword. 

"We are going to stop them!" he shouted. "For Equestria!" he exclaimed. "Charge!"

The charge seemed to not affect the enemy. The changelings kept moving on their own slow pace. That's when Davis noticed the short pikes in front of each groups of changelings. Fear covered his eyes as he realized that the ponies wouldn't manage to hit the enemy before having a couple of his own impaled. 

"Stop the charge! Stop the charge! Do not engage the enemy up front, repeat: DO NOT ENGAGE THE ENEMY UP FRONT!" He hoped his troops heard him and sighed once his saw captains repeating his command. He ran with the troops up until hitting the enemy. The ponies stopped right in front of them. The changelings began spitting curses at the ponies, infuriating Davis. They dared shout curses from behind their pikes and shields!

"Prepare pikes! Shields in between pikes! Swords behind, wait for enemy pikes to be eliminated and then engage!"

He watched as his own troops made small phalanx formations, with shields protecting like a barrier and spikes sticking out like thorns. The changelings suddenly seemed unsure of what to do, since the ponies seemed to be protected and impossible to be attacked. Davis was beginning to form a smile up until he heard a shout not far off within the enemy utter a command. 

"Don't stop! Use your own pikes to push theirs and open spaces inside their formations!" Davis cursed. 

"Tighten up formations! Hold your pikes steady!" he shouted desperately. the soldiers didn't acknowledged and Davis hoped they had heard him. He saw the enemy formations begin to move forward back again. He prayed that they wouldn't be able to break his own formations. The sound of battle seemed to die down as the first pikes collapsed against the enemy's. He watched in surprise as the first enemy changelings jumped over his own shields and began to fight the sword ponies. Formations, on both sides, broke completely. The good part was that the enemies abandoned their shields. The bad one that they were not engaged completely in a fight he knew they couldn't win. A charge was his own option and chance of winning. The phalanx formations their only chance of holding them off. Straight hoof to hoof combat wasn't in any way to their advantage. He saw as a pony was killed beside him. He immediately killed that changelings responsible and then sheathed his sword. He took his rifle out and began to shoot rapidly. As much as he wanted to see that battle won, it wasn't going to be unless he managed to change how it was going at that moment.

He didn't wasted any more time to fight them. "Fall back! Fall back to the hill and the sixth position! We can't hold 'em off here!" he shouted. He was turning around when three rather large changelings landed in front of him. He strapped his rifle on his back rapidly since it was too long for close combat and rapidly took out his gun, killing two of the with shots in the head. He was shooting once more when he was kicked in the back by another changeling. He pulled out his sword and managed to stop a horn from impaling him. he killed the changelings that had kicked him and was trying to stand up when he received another kick from the large changeling. He moved his sword blindly and managed to hit the changeling in the eye. The bug screeched in agony as blood began to drip from his face. Davis used that chance to hit him twice, killing the bug rapidly. He looked around and noticed his troops were retreating as he had ordered. He looked back once more and then up. Golden Flame was supposed to give them air assistance...

He curse once he saw the airborne fight. Though pegasi were winning up there, it was obvious that in any minuted they would be overrun. Davis spotted a pegasi flying low. 

"You! Go tell captain Golden Flame to retreat to the sixth position and provide air backup to the land troops!" the pegasi nodded and flew off. Davis began to run back again with his own ponies. He managed to reach shouting distance to the top of the hill and spotted the archery captain. 

"Captain! Shoot at the enemy!" The captain heard and began to shoot at changelings that were not undercover of their shields and in an open place with no ponies around them. His order was greeted by various shouts from changelings behind him. Luckily, the archers were managing to slow down the enemy. Not enough to stop them, but enough to slow them down and give the equestrians time to run up the hill. 

"Captain," Davis said once he had reached the top. "Gather everything and leave. We are running to the sixth position." the archer captain nodded. 

"Alright ponies! Pack up and run to the sixth position! Don't waste time, move it!"

The changelings had noticed the equestrians running away, and seemed to run faster behind them. Many took flight, but the pegasi up on the air were still winning. Davis spotted the unicorn units captain. 

He ran to him. "Make your ponies make a shield and stop the changelings."

The captain seemed slightly surprised by that. "Bit sir... A shield of that magnitude is gonna be very hard and will leave our unicorns exhausted! We can't afford that!"

Davis shook his head. "Do that, pegasi will be ready to get your ponies away once the rest of the army is safe away. You'll get plenty of cover from the pegasi, don't worry."

The captain nodded and looked back at his own units, which he had ordered into lines for the retreat. "Alright ponies! Prepare to make a combined shield! On my mark!" The captain said. "Make lines!" Unicorn ponies made a long line and prepared their horns. It was almost sixty unicorns in a straight line, covering most of the hill. "Light spell!" Sixty horn began to glow. "Cast!" A faint glow began encasing the front of the hill, and soon it began to glow more and more. Davis watched amazed as the wall of pure, raw magic began to cover the front of the hill. 

He was still staring when Golden Flame snapped him back to reality.

"Sir, you gotta get moving!" Davis looked up at his friend and nodded, running to position six. Golden Flame had a squad prepared to take the unicorns out of there as soon as the chiles faltered. Hopefully that'd be enough to give time for the equestrians to reach the sixth position.

He was halfway to the next position when he noticed that the shield had begun to flicker and, seconds after, it died. He felt slightly worried at the unicorns, but was relieved once he saw the pegasi lifting in the sky carrying the unicorn units. He saw as the mass of changelings reached the top of the hill, giving him a sense of anger. 

He had been forced to retreat... 


***   ***   ***




"Sir, the enemy is fortifying position seven," an exhausted scout reported to Davis. The American General nodded.

"Thank you soldier. Go and have a rest, you deserve it." The scout saluted, a face of relief on his face after hearing the word 'rest'. Davis smiled weakly as the Pegasus went away.

Davis was with Golden Flame and Hightip. The old unicorn officer was looking intently at Davis, so was  the pegasus captain. The air around was pretty clear, suggesting concern and worry at their current situation, and Savis could see clearly why.

The troops were tired and worn. The run had cost them a lot of their strenght, and it was showing. The unicorns were barely maintaining themselves awake die to the large of amount if magic they had used to make the shield, and the pegasi were just as worn, mainly because of fighting on their own against hundreds of enemies in an airborne fight.

Davis had his small personal map tucked to his arm. He had thought a couple of times taking it out, but he wasn't sure if his plans were going to be successful, at least he wasn't so certain.

Hightip coughed, getting everybody's (or everypony's) attention. He looked around the two. 

"What now?"

Davis chuckled and began to laugh. Nervousness filled his laugher, and it even sounded fake. The American seemed like a madman at that moment.

He finally stopped and looked at the captain. He had tears on his eyes from laughing. "What now?" he said chuckling. "That's the same damn question I've been asking myself since we fell back and allowed the enemy to gain the position." He turned serious. "What, is everybody presents asking themselves, now?" He cleaned some sweat on his brow with his arm and sat on the dirt. He turned to the two. "Well, here is what we're gonna do." He said. Venom filled his voice. "We'll show those damn bastards what it feels to get their asses kicked!" he exclaimed. Whereas Hightip and Golden Flame were shocked by his choice of words, they did not show it. Davis wasn't sure if it was because they no longer cared or simply they were too tired to react.

Golden Flame shifted position uncomfortably. "What do you suggest we do?"

Davis opened the map and placed it gently on the dirt. He placed his hand over the fourth position. 

"This position, number six, is useless," he began. "Yes, it gives us the advantage of height, but you see how well that worked on position seven..." Ears around went down around Davis. It was clear the retreat was stabbed deep within their very souls. Their defeat hours ago had harmed the pony army, and gravely.

Davis continued. "I suggest going all the way down to position four..." he said, pointing at the map. The hill which had position four on top was marked with a bigger X than the other positions. "It has a couple of advantages; the enemy will have a very hard time getting to the top due to a small gorge  that covers a great part of the front side, which is facing the changelings, and the left side is completely protected by the gorge. That only leaves little less than half of the front side, the right and the rear unprotected by nature. Even then there are many rocks that will make it harder for the enemies to advance." Both Golden Flame and Hightip were listening intently, their ears showing obvious interest. Davis was pretty surprised by how much a pony's ears gave up how its owner was doing. That made it easier to know how his troops were, though. A great advantage.

Golden Flame looked at it. "We already have a couple of barricades around that position. We've prepared it very well, at least compared to the other six positions." He looked at Davis. "I think we should do that, sir. Go there and take a stand. Try to stop them." Hightip nodded in agreement.

"I agree sir," the old unicorn said. "If there is a chance of us winning its there."

Davis nodded slowly. He sighed. "There is just one problem with it." The two ponies looked up from the map and to Davis.

"What?" both asked at the same time. Davis would have smiled at how the two had sounded if it wasn't on the situation he was in.

"We can be trapped easily by the enemy. They just need to block all the space not covered by the gorge  and we can say goodbye to retreating."

Golden Flame and Hightip sighed. 

"Then what do we do?" Golden asked. Davis stood up and looked around. The troops were tired and needed to rest. He knew they would not last much if they stayed at position six. Five was just as vulnerable. He looked down. 

"We'll go to position four and strengthen ourselves on top of the hill. I have plans that will make it very hard to enter, but we'll need to make sure the changelings don't just pass us by and do as if we are not there…”

“They won't,” Golden Fire said. Davis looked at him. 

“Why do you say that?”

Golden Flame looked at him curiously. “Isn't it obvious? They definitely got somepony that knows his job commanding this. They won`t advance beyond our territory when they still have an enemy army behind them. If they ignore us and pass, that'll make them vulnerable from back attacks, and once we have more soldiers out of training we can simply crush them like a sandwich.”

Davis nodded, scratching his chin in thought. He had found that to help him concentrate.

“What you say is true…” he began. “So it`s decided. We move to position four. I`ll get going and begin to plan the defense. Hightip, help organize the troops and lead them there as fast as you can. Golden Flame…” Davis said, “you mount a groups of scouts and make sure what the enemy is doing. If they begin to advance begin guerrilla attacks…” The pegasus looked confused. Davis sighed. “You don't know what guerrilla attacks are?” The pegasus shook his head. “They are lightning attacks, not literally. You make small attacks at the enemy's flanks or back. Disorganize them, but don't lose any soldiers. You don't need to cause great casualties, just give them problems as they move. Slow them down.” Golden Flame nodded. “We'll only use pegasi on that, since you are the ones that can escape faster than the others.” Davis smiled. “We'll give them a hell of a battle, my friends.” The two ponies nodded enthusiastically. 

“I'm on it, sir!” Hightip said immediately saluting and proceeding to walk off. Golden Flame saluted as well, just that slightly slower than Hightip.

“Same here, Davis.” The pegasus began to walk away.

“Golden Flame…” Davis said. The captain turned and looked at him. “Be careful out there. Don`t do anything unnecessary nor heroic, you understand? I don't want this to end up in a massacre.” Golden Flame nodded, smiling. 

“Don`t worry, sir,” he said. “Those bugs won't know what even hit `em…”

With those last words, Golden Flame left. Davis saw as he went over to the pegasi units and began to organize them. He didn't waste much time watching them, though. He immediately went to get a small team of the combined units and then proceeded to go towards position four. 

He hoped his plans would work, because if they didn't, Equestria was going to pay for his defeat...

> The battle of Las Pegasus part 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 19


The battle of Las Pegasus part 3


The night seemed like a blessing for Davis as he rested his head on a pillow. He was laying on top of a small mat, resting after a really hard day. His gaze wandered off into the clear night sky, surveying the bright stars. The moon was up as well, but it´s light wasn't so strong, giving enough light for the stars to give their own shine up to the night sky. Small, random clouds drifted around as well, but they were very few and very light to bother the sight Davis had.

He had to admit, Equestria had better sky than Earth. He guessed it was because of magic, and princess Luna of course. She was the controller of the night after all. She rose and lowered the moon at her will…

That still was pretty shocking to Davis. One mare managing to control the huge celestial bodies with their magic… The sun and the moon, two sisters. That was pretty surprising. He liked to look to the northeast all morning and imagine the two princesses working on their daily job of rising the sun and lowering the moon. Same thing occurred at dawn; Davis looked there and imagine the two princesses looking at him as they did their god-like job.... He brushed that thought quickly. 

No, they were just mares, not gods. He knew some ponies thought of them as gods, but it was clear they were not. They were flesh and blood, just like him. He was christian, either way. His beliefs were firm enough to not allow him from ever thinking something he knew was wrong. 

He tried to forget those thoughts. As much as he liked to think of them sometimes, it was pretty confusing and sometimes even distracting. He needed to focus, or else he could lose the battle. He could worry about religion later…

He opened his eyes, remembering not to fall asleep since he had closed them without thinking as he wandered into his thoughts. As much as he wanted to to sleep, he needed to be awake and survey the preparations. The scouts had informed him that the changelings were moving very slowly. He guessed it was because they thought there could be traps. He would have done the same if the enemy had suddenly retreated back halfway to the city. 

Still, it gave the equestrians enough time to get ready. The enemy wasn't expected to reach them in at least a day, and that was enough time to get the hill heavily fortified. 

Really fortified, almost unbreachable.

Davis sighed and he sat down on the mat. He wanted to sleep, but he wasn't supposed to. Still, he didn´t trust his body to obey his orders and so decided to sit instead of lay down. He looked around and smiled as he saw the preparations. 

On the sides that were covered by the gorge, he had ordered a couple of large ballistas to be built. They were slow monsters and needed six ponies to operate, but it served their purpose. It launched up to ten large bolts to the air and took a time of five minutes to load. It could turn slowly and they were not going to break like the one he had on the other position. This were a little more rudimentary though, but they served their purpose well enough. There were a total of ten of those, and they were positioned on protected positions so that enemy magic blasts wouldn´t reach them easily; In contrast, their own bolts would reach the enemy easily. 

He had also called trenches to be dug so that archers could get stationed there and shoot. With all that it was almost impossible for the enemy to get them by flying. What worried him wasn't that side, though. He was more worried by the side that he needed to protect with actual walls and pikes. 

Getting wood hadn´t been that difficult, since there was a forest beside the city and the inhabitants had happily given them a lot so that they could be protected. The transport had been a little more complicated and that had taken most of the time. In the meantime, he had ordered more trenches and three more ballistas to be built, protecting that side. The back and the right were the place the enemy was more likely going to attack, since it was were his troops could use their shields against his archers. 

To stop that armored formations, he had ordered pikes to be positioned around the hill. They were pointing away from the hill, making it look a little like a porcupine. From the air the hill looked more fearsome by each passing minute, or so Golden Flame had told him. Davis hoped it was so, for that way the enemy was going to be less likely to attack and more likely to fall back. 

He stood up with a groan and stretched. He needed to see that all the preparations were going according to plan. 

He first headed to the small part of the front that was not protected by the gorge. It was  covered in rocks though, giving it a lot of natural protection even though the gorge was not protecting it. The rocks would slow the enemy down and disband their armored formations, making them vulnerable against his arrow attacks. His archers would have them put in a silver plate for them to shoot, almost. 

He was satisfied with how the preparations were going there. The ponies in charge of it we're   doing pretty well, making trenches and small walls. Pikes were dug into the earth as well a little farther below the hill, where the rocks didn´t reach. That way, the changeling armored formations would have to separate even before reaching the rocks. 

Once the American was happy with the progress they were making, he advanced to the next place: the right side.

He saw the pikes below the hill were already placed, and smiled after seeing a couple of flags fluttering on some of them. He could see small drawings of changelings with big X´s on them in the flags. He chuckled and looked to the actual protection. 

So far they had part of the small wall built, and trenches were still being dug. He saw the ballista he had paced there was being risen a little over a platform to give it a better angle for its shots, which was something Davis hadn´t ordered, but was pretty ingenious. 

There was a big boulder of round rocks placed in a big pyramid. Davis smiled. He had ordered a couple of unicorns that had not been on the shield the last time to make him perfectly round rocks to throw like bowling balls at the incoming troops. The rocks were almost the size of a pony, which was clearly enough to crush a changeling, even with its natural armor which the changelings seemed to have. He saw the boulders go on around the hill on the places not protected by the gorge, and in the distance he saw the unicorns still working on more. 

The position seemed to be making steady progress. He knew it was the fastest they could work, but he was unsure if it was going to be enough to finish before the changelings arrived. He saw the captain in charge of the section. 

Of course, Hightip.

“Captain!” he called. The dark blue unicorn looked in his direction. 

“General!” he saluted and walked up to him. Davis saluted as well. 

“How are your ponies faring, captain? I can see that good progress is being made here.” Hightip nodded, smiling.

“Yes, sir. I´m making sure my colts work as fast as they can without tiring themselves to the limit,” he looked slightly unsure at Davis. “I know you want this done, but tired troops will do no good at the battle, sir. I hope you understand.” Davis nodded and smiled. 

“I do understand, I find that pretty reasonable.” He looked around. “Thought hopefully our troops won't need to actually fight… Pray so that our defenses work well enough so as to not let the enemy reach the top.” Hightip nodded, smiling slightly. 

“Will do, sir.” 

Davis nodded. “Good. I gotta go and see the rest of the preparations. You keep doing as you are, see that no mistakes done here.” He walked away. Hightip returned to his ponies.

To Davis, the backside was the weakest point. 

It was just a bare side, going all over to the tops of the hill. It had no actual natural defenses, no covers… All had to be done by the ponies. 

He was glad to see the rock boulders already positioned, but the trenches were far from finished and the other two ballista were barely enough to cover the side completely. He began to wonder if taking one from the front side could help… No, that would weaken that part. As much as he knew the back side needed defenses, weakening the front, even if it meant taking one of the ten ballistas, would make the enemy more sure to attack that side, and he couldn't allow that to happen. He wanted to meet the enemy where he wanted, and that was were his boulders, trenches and troops would be concentrated. 

He was glad to see that almost all the pikes at the bottom had been placed and there were even more up in the middle of the hill. Hopefully the armored formations wouldn't make it that far. 

He sighed and sat down. He felt the soft grass and closed his eyes. That relaxed him and released some of his pressure. The cold night air seemed like an elixir that took away his pressure on the upcoming battle and cleared up his mind. He began to play on his mind how he expected the battle to go.

First, the enemy would launch an attack in front of the ballistas and archers. Mostly just to test the terrain than to get an actual win. The moment the enemy realized that they would suffer heavy losses by attacking the front and left, they would begin their advance towards the other two sides. That would give the Equestrians a little time as the enemy moved to prepare. His archers would prepare to shoot as soon as their armored formations broke, and his ground and air troops would be in formation to attack as soon as he gave the order.

When the changelings reached their attack positions and press forward, the pikes were going to break their formations, letting them completely at the will of his archers, who would shoot as soon as they saw the chance. That would immediately cause or panic or confusion on the enemy lines, though Davis wasn't going to rely on that, at least on this battle. He knew the commander behind this was more clever than he thought and would not let something like his arrows cause disorder on his troops.

Assuming the enemy managed to pass the pikes, they´d be by now shield-less. He would wait a little for his archers to finish up the first lines and his Ballistas to strike fear and casualties on the enemy before giving the order of charge in phalanx formation. He had already explained that to his officers, and they knew that the moment he shouted the  phalanx formation they were to make their troops take cover behind a wall of shields and have pikes forward, sticking out like thorns. He would make his troops advance like that, backed up by the archers. The enemy would not endure an attack like that and would surely fall back or fight until there are none left alive. Hopefully, he would have the latter.

He opened his eyes and stood up. He began to walk around again, helping wherever he felt that his troops needed it. He helped to put some spikes on the foot if the hill, and then moved to help preparing the small wood walls. The walls weren't like actual barrier walls that surrounded a fort. They were not like covers for his troops against enemy magic blasts. The wood was thick enough to resist a strong one, Davis had made sure of that by testing one with a unicorn. Hopefully they would also work to stop the enemy more easily when (if) they reached the top. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that, though.

He helped to place some risen planks for his archers to stand on the and get better shooting positions.

Doing all this things, the day moved on. He was tired as soon as the sun began to set down. The sky turned darker, and soon night had fallen again.

Reports came and announce that the changelings would reach them within the next hour. That immediately made his troops tense. Davis began to order them and prepare for the upcoming battle. He knew the changelings had more troops than he did, but hopefully all that he had prepared was going to stop them and grant them victory.

"Sir! Front and right positions are ready!" Golden Flame shouted. Davis nodded.

"Thank You golden Flame." He turned and saw the Pegasus wearing the light armor of pegasi troops. He had also on his wings a couple of wing blades. Davis was surprised by those, since he had thought that the equestrians didn't have any special weaponry. The moment he had brought that up to Golden Flame, the pegasus had laughed.

"They were mostly for ceremonial things. I know the wonderbolts use them sometimes on their shows and fight with each other on the air show. Of course it's all acted."

That had been before going out for war, and even then Davis was pretty amazed by both the beauty and the deathly properties of the weapon. He had also asked why the pegasi troops weren't equipped with that. The answer had been that they were hard to make and required special treatment, both physical and magical. It took up to a year to get one prepared properly, though the ones with the most simple design and the least spells took little more than a month. They were also really expensive and the royal treasury couldn't afford to equip all of the troops with them. Golden Flame had gotten his by winning a bet with a wonderbolt. He hadn't given the specifics, but Davis was going to push that more and learn about that later, after (if) the battle ever finished.

He remembered that the Pegasus had just returned from his guerrilla attacks. He had not received a report since he had ordered the pegasi troops to rest and get back their strength.

"I never received a report on how your attacks waged, captain." Golden Flame looked at him, slightly confused.

"You didn't? I thought the messenger I sent you was going to tell you."

Davis remembered that messenger. He had ordered him to go and rest as well. That probably had given him no time to give Davis the report.

"I'm afraid I didn't have time with him."

Golden Flame nodded. "We lost two good soldiers, sir. Still, seems pretty low compared to how many they lost." Davis nodded. 

"Estimates in enemy losses?"

Golden Flame scratched his head. "I think between fifty and one hundred. We didn't really stayed to see how many of them died, sir." Davis nodded.

"And their shields? Did you managed to destroy some of them?" Golden Flame nodded, but seemed worried.

"Yes, we did. Problem is that they seem to have made bigger ones as well as some smaller ones. The big ones won't manage to cross our pikes, and the original ones neither, I think. The smaller ones are more maneuverable and seem to be made to copy you own phalanx formations." Davis cursed.

"Well have to manage with that."

"Indeed..." Golden Flame said.

Davis looked curious at Golden. "How many times did you attacked them?" Golden flame smiled.

"Four, but the last one was the one that impacted them the most..."


***   ***   ***


A couple of hours before...

The sound of marching hooves filled the air as the changeling troops moved. Golden Flame and his second looked at them, hidden within some bushes. He was waiting for the precise moment with which to give the order of attack.

He had been attacking the enemies constantly, but there had been a total of three major attacks; with them he had managed to cripple many of their oversized shields, but he was a little worried since they were making new shields, and this ones were more maneuverable than the first ones. He knew the main defense tactic was using rough terrain so that the shields would have problems with moving along. Sadly, the new ones were smaller in design and seemed even thicker. Hopefully that wouldn't change how the attack was to be developed.

By now the changelings were close to position four. Sadly, Golden Flame expected that this was going to be their last large scale attack in an attempt to slow the changelings. Three large and continuous raiding didn't seemed enough. If they had luck, Golden's ponies would have managed to give Davis enough time to get the position ready for the attack.

The changelings were marching in lines of ten, and Golden had chosen a special part where the changelings were going to need to go slower. The part they were on was covered in tall grass, but the rain the other day had caused the dirt to soften up. Hooves tended to get stuck on it easily. Other way to cross it was flying, but Golden knew now by experience that moving an army as large as the changeling's was hard while having all of the troops in the air; it also made them easy targets for archers and unicorns. While the changelings moved faster that way, he knew that them walking gave him and his troops advantage, especially after considering that all of his ponies were Pegasus. Air was in their favor.

He raised his hoof the moment the first changelings crossed a mental line he had drawn on the ground. The moment a good amount of troops passed it, he breathed once and quickly pushed his hoof down, hard in the ground. He felt his beating slow down and he could swear everything around him began to move slower just as he uttered the words.

"Attack!" 

He jumped off from his hiding spot within the talk grass and bushes, quickly flapping to gain some altitude. Behind him, pegasi abandoned their hiding spots and shouted as they charged. He saw the specialized archer pegasi fire arrows after gaining barely a couple of feet on the air. Shooting a bow from the air was hard, Golden Flame knew this more than anypony else. He himself had trouble with them, and watching his troops engage in professional combat… He had come to like this guerilla technique. It worked perfect for pegasi.

He unsheathed his sword and prepared to throw himself down.

They were not attacking the whole army, but rather the center of one of the exterior marching columns. He had taken Davis´ warning to heart and had tried his best not to engage with a main force. He could see clearly now how easily the could be defeated if that happened. Their advantage was surprise and confusion. The moment the enemy managed to have order was the moment Golden knew he needed to fall back. 

He dived straight down, his sword up front. His sword made contact with multiple enemies, killing some and injuring more. He quickly went back up. He was glad to see that, if the changelings attempted to fly, his archers would shoot them from the skies. 

Celestia bless the archers…

He was about to call off the attack after he saw the enemy getting into formation when he saw him… The general.

It was clear it was the general, especially judging by its size. He could be compared with Celestia even… He saw that his pegasi seemed to be managing pretty well… Maybe he didn't needed to fall back so soon this time?

“Archers, shoot at their front lines! I want those lines filled with more holes than what it already has!” Golden wasn't certain of he had said that joke understandably, but after hearing a couple of cheers and the whistle as arrows left their bows and began to impale the enemy. 

They didn't have their shields.

Good…

“Swoop down and up fast! Don't let them strike you! Use your momentum of fall!” he ordered. His orders were quickly passed away as more and more pegasi shoot from the sky. Golden Flame saw his chance as the enemy began to get disordered again. 

He flew up and then looked down. He was at least fifty feet into the air, and that gave him a pretty good overview of the battle, even though he wasn't that high at all. He could clearly spot his target, though.

So, with sword up front again, he dropped down just like before, just that this time with a changeling in mind. The general managed to see the incoming pegasus, but Golden Flame was coming far too fast to stop him. Then, the general did something unexpected.

He turned and faced him.

Golden Flame saw as his horn charged up and shot forward. The captain barely had time to block it, but the sheer force of the blast sent his sword flying off his hooves. He saw the changelings brace for impact, so he did the same.

It was so going to hurt…

The moment he felt the impact, he pushed even more. He knew that, him being a pegasi, he had more resistance than most ponies when dealing with crashes. He was sent tumbling a few steps away, the changeling general having absorbed the full force of the impact. Golden Flame expected the bug to be in agony, but instead he saw with slight fear as the changeling simply rose up and smile, seemingly unscathed. 

“Good luck next time, pony,” he said with a deep and menacing voice. Golden Flame felt his hair stand up hearing that voice. “I´ll make sure you all die very slowly and pain…” He didn't finished as an explosion shook the ground. Golden Flame watched in awe as an explosion killed at least a dozen changelings. He wondered what had caused it, and smiled once he realized that probably one of the changelings had overcharged his horn in an attempt to throw a super powerful energy blast. Instead, he had been greeted by an arrow directly in the horn. Though that obviously bounced, the pain one could feel in that special part of his body could cause a distraction and destabilization of the magic it had. 

Result: huge explosion. 

Golden Flame used the moment of hesitation from the general to punch him right in the jaw. This time though, he did took the impact hard. Golden Flame chuckled and saluted mockingly.

“Good luck, general,” he said in a playful tone. “I´m sure I and my comrades will die slowly and painfully with such an… organized and disciplined army.” He flew and spotted a couple of shields being carried. He considered how much time his little skirmish had lasted, and when he saw the changelings still in disarray, he smiled. 

He turned and spotted some archer pegasi. He whistled and they went towards him.

“I want you to set fire on those shields. So far we know they are weak to fire. Make sure you burn them all, but don't take unnecessary risks.” The pegasi saluted and flew off. Golden watched with a smile as one pulled out of his quiver a match, with which he lighted the shields with no major opposition, mostly thanks to the cover from his archer comrades. 

He saw back at the main engagement and saw that this was going to turn soon into something bad against his ponies. He whistled five times, ordering retreat…


***   ***   ***


Present time...

Davis had laid down after hearing Golden´s story. It had made him more confident to know that many of the shields had been burned, and he now knew with exact description the enemy general. Golden Flame had made sure that he had a correct image of that huge changeling. Now he only needed to know what was going to be his plan… which he was sorry to say he had no way of knowing until the enemy attacked. Hopefully his predictions would be correct and the enemy would do what he had in mind. If not, he was praying to have good luck, or at least some type of advantage apart from the fortress, since now the hill looked a lot like a wooden fortress. 

Indeed it looked strong, especially from below. The changelings were going to meet with a nasty surprise when they attacked. Davis was confident that if the fortress and surrounding defenses themselves didn't finished the enemy, they would reduce their numbers drastically. Now one of his only worries was number of troops, which he was certain wasn't that important since he knew his troops were ready.

He was going to walk back to the front of the hill to asses the enemy approach when he heard a horn not far off. He remembered a horn that he had heard on his old house in the states. It was an old-sounding horn, like the ones used in old times. He had one his grandfather had passed on to him, just like a keepsake. Surprisingly, the horn he was hearing sounded just like that.

And he was certain changelings didn't used horns…

More curious than worried, he walked fast to the east side of the hill and saw torches approaching. The night sky wasn't enough to see well in the night, so he waited a little for the group of torches to approach. The moment he recognized the equestrian flag and banner he smiled and felt his spirits rise.

Reinforcements. A good 200 ponies at least.

He wasn't sure how they had managed to get spare troops from the training grounds before scheduled time, but he was glad it was this way. He had such thoughts until he saw the ponies approach.

Soon, the contingent of ponies reached the hill and went up. He saw as his troops smiled and began to talk happily at this new arrivals. Still, Davis saw something he didn't see on fresh troops… He saw their tired eyes, the moment he came in eye contact with some of them. It was obvious that they had already seen battles before. Probably from Louis' front? He wasn't sure.

“General, I´m captain Iroh reporting, sir,” said the highest ranked officer in the group. Davis looked at him surprised. Wasn´t Iroh one of the captains from the group that had gone with Louis...

Before he could ask more questions whatsoever, Iroh spoke. “Sir, I´m proud to announce that we won at Green Lake town, killing the enemy general.” Davis was speechless.

“B… but, how?” Iroh looked around and then back at him. 

“General Louis killed their general with... “ he stopped. “I have no idea how, but he used some kind of lightning power. He blacked out after that, though. The battle ended a few minutes after that. He is still in bed and had not woken up, but healers say he'll be okay. I was sent by princess Celestia, who went in person to Green Lake town as soon as news of our victory reached Canterlot. She thanked us all for our victory and sent me along with a contingent of two hundred ponies to help you. A thousand more will be arriving within the next three days, since she doesn't want to leave that part of the frontier defenseless.”

Davis nodded. 

“Well…” he managed to utter. “I´m glad you came. We really needed reinforcements.”

Iroh looked around. 

“I see that you seem to be in some kind of hard, or dire, situation?”

“I would not call it dire,” Davis said, “but more like we're playing dices here. The enemy has just the same amount of possibilities of simply passing us by and attack the city as we stay here, clustered on out little fortress, or they can simply attack us.” Davis looked at the south. “I hope they attack us, that way we can win.” Iroh nodded.

“Well, I better get my troops to rest. It was a long march, after all.” Davis nodded and Iroh immediately disbanded his formations. By now, they had attracted the attention from all of Davis´ troops. Soon, the troops of Iroh´s contingent were mingling with Davis´, talking like if they had known each other for a lifetime. Davis couldn't help but smile at that. The way ponies seemed to care for each other, even if they were not familiars or long-known friends, warmed his heart. Ponies were perfect, If Davis could find a word. If not perfect they were the creatures that were nearer to that meaning than any other.

He was certain humans weren´t.

He finally turned to Iroh. “I'd normally ask for more information, but I'm afraid we don't have time for that now. You coming heavily balances this in our favor.” Captain Iroh nodded.

“Now I'm under your command. What do you want me to do?”

Davis looked to the south and saw torches of the enemy army marching. They were almost within ballista reach. 

He turned back at Iroh.

“Help me kick their asses out of Equestria and, if need be, out of this life,” he said.

All Iroh did was grin and nod.

“My pleasure..."

> The Battle of Las Pegasus part 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 20


The battle of Las Pegasus part 4


The sound of hooves against the grass filled the air as the changelings marched in the night towards the Equestrian army. The changeling officers barked out orders as they kept the army in order. All of the last engagements were tougher due to the way the general Spit and other officers had commanded the army. 

Striker the changeling had to make sure of that.

The two changelings looked towards the fortified hill, one with an angry stare and the other with a calculative one. Spit seemed outraged that the Equestrians had dared to stand against him. They were better dead, at least to his eyes. 

In General Strikers view it told a different story. The new officer looked around the Equestrian defenses, thinking of the many ways he could try to invade and take that fort with the least possible casualties, from both sides. He considered that having Equestrian prisoners would worked well, especially in feeding the troops with the vital feelings the Equestrians had that changelings longed so much. Even hate would be good enough to drive his army. Also he would have means with which to negotiate with the Equestrian leaders should the need arise. 

He chuckled slightly, thinking how different his plans were and how much they differed from his general´s. The big changeling was simply thinking in how to kill as many Equestrians as he could manage, not caring for his own troops in the process. Surprisingly though, he had listened to Striker. From what all the young changelings had heard., general Spit wasn't famous for being a listener of other’s plans. Spit paying attention to such a young and new commander was very unusual, which made many older officers jealous at him. Hopefully that wouldn't turn against him in the future. 

Both changelings seemed to have an understanding each other, though. Spit and Striker could almost read each other´s thoughts, each one knowing if the other´s ideas were good or bad. 

So far only Striker had been giving good ideas. All Spit did was bark orders and making sure they were done. Striker had gotten angry after learning all the losses the Equestrian assaults had costed. Almost sixty dead? That was very bad, considering that the Equestrians had only lost two. They had also lost twelve of the larger shields, and all of those on general Spit´s side. The more Striker got to know the general, the more he began to think that he shouldn´t lead, even though both were getting along very well and they had begun to make a strange bond neither of them had expected. Spit began to see the young commander as an apprentice, even if Striker was the one that made all the plans.

As the Equestrian camp got closer, Spit and Striker where making sure their troops remained out of the Equestrian archer's reach. They were also trying to calculate the distance of the ballistas they seemed to have mounted on the flanks. Striker was worried that their bolts would be strong enough to penetrate his new shields, which would cause another disarray of his troops. 

Spit coughed and got Striker´s attention. 

“The Equestrians are more prepared than we anticipated,” he said. Striker nodded. 

“Yes, I´m afraid. The Ballistas will present a serious problem.” 

Spit scratched his chin. “I doubt that. There are less than twenty ballistas, and they won't kill enough changelings to stop our attack.” Striker grinned.

“You think I want to lose my troops?”

“You think I care about a few casualties?” the general answered. “Changeling drones and common fighters are replaceable. We won't suffer much if they are lost. I care about the officers. We have already lost many.”

“Even a drone can make a difference in battle, general.” Spit laughed out loud.

“You are still thinking that?” he asked mockingly. “You are never going to become a general if you keep saying that. Battles are won by our numbers and our overwhelming force. Even if we don't have the overwhelming force I would like to have, the Equestrians won't resist an all-out assault. The surely don't expect it either.” Striker looke away.

“You are going to regret doing that…” the commander whispered.

“What was that?” Spit asked. 

Striker looked at him. “Nothing, just forget it.” 

Spit nodded and smiled evilly. “I´ll soon have that animal´s head on a pike… human, I think it´s called.” He closed his eyes. “I can almost grasp it…” he said, lifting his hoof. “Victory is within reach.” Striker shook his head but said nothing. Spit noticed. “You think I'm going to lose?!” 

Striker shook his head again. “Oh, no. Of course not,” he said, in a mocking tone as well. “I only think that we won't get far with those thoughts, general. We need to trust less in luck and more in ourselves.” 

Spit grunted. “Say what you wish.” He groaned. “I should have you impaled for your insolence…”

“Yet I'm still here.” Spit laughed.

“Yes, that is true…”

Both looked again at the Equestrian camp. No words were exchanged between the two for a couple of minutes. Silence hung over them, occasionally broken by the sound of hooves around them. 

Striker smiled slowly as he began to picture a plan—a plan that, even if it did not give him an advantage over the Equestrians, would strengthen his power over the army. 

He knew that Spit had to be disposed of

And he knew exactly how…


***  ***  ***


A battle has many factors that could affect its outcome, and most men—or ponies, in the situation Davis currently found himself in—had the wrong idea that numbers was the most important factor. Though he did knew that it was important to an extent, he knew that it wasn't vital to win. When one ends up fighting an army larger than his own, he should think what extra advantages his own army has over the enemy's; that alone was important to win a battle, no matter who was superior in number. An enemy could have you ten to one, and you could still win—what mattered then was not a number, but how well prepared the smaller army was.

Davis felt confident that he had his army prepared for the enemy. The number of the enemy still seemed surprising against his own, but he knew it wasn't going to affect his own plans much as long as the events didn't turn to far away from his own planned outcome. He didn't want to have to change at the last moment should the enemy do something he was not expecting, but he knew that the possibility always existed and that he could have the odds changed at any moment. That was present on his mind all the time, even before getting to Equestria. 

He feared for his men, or in this case, for his ponies. He didn't see them as he had understood Germans sometimes saw their own, as cannon fodder. He feared for their lives and wished none had to die. The problem was that death was going to be present in the battle, no matter what he did to try and stop it. He knew the enemy general was good, or at least had good counselors since he had proved to have better tactics than the American had first thought he would. An enemy with good ideas and innovative mind was dangerous in many ways, and he hoped he could counterattack his offensive. That kept bothering Davis a lot, along with many other things.

Now, he remembered seeing the enemy army before. It was huge, but not huge enough to scare him. Worry, yes—but not scared. 

An estimate of five thousand changelings now swarmed the small hills south of Las Pegasus, ready to end the Equestrians without second thought. One thousand Equestrians against five thousand. They were outnumbered five to one, and he didn't liked those odds. The fortifications surely would make a huge difference, but he didn't want to rely on those alone. He knew his obstacles and pikes could be passed, his ballistas and his walls burned; but he knew his ponies would be much harder to defeat. 

He now stood in front of the army, his army. They were in lines, all their eyes looming at the human general. He saw in their eyes many different expressions. He was worried about those that looked scared or confused. Some just looked tired and others seemed ready. He smiled for those that were prepared, but he knew his army needed to fight at more than their hundred-percent capacity. They needed to fight with inhuman (inpony?) strength and resolution. They couldn't let the enemy scare them or intimidate them. He needed his ponies to have one goal in mind with nothing else besides: to win.

He had his highest ranked officer at his sides and he had ordered a long post to be placed in the middle of the fortress. On it he had hung the Equestrian flag, and it now fluttered in the night sky, silently. The symbol of Equestria and the royal seal stood proudly above the troops. Davis hoped that would encourage them as well.

He cleared his throat. He was going to give another speech, but he feared that at this rate he was going to run out of speeches by the end of the war; he was saying one before each engagement, and he hoped that wasn't usual. But it worked, and that was what mattered. If he needed to prepare them beforehand he would, as long as they served their purpose of lifting his troops’ spirits. 

As he watched all the ponies around, he began to feel sad, knowing that many could die. He shoved such thoughts from his mind, since they could distract him, even though he kept them in mind, slightly hidden.

"You are all gathered here because I want to let you all know that we won't yield to the enemy. They want us to lose, and I won't let that happen." He began to pace around. "I know this isn't my first battle, or my second engagement, as it is with most of you. What I do know is how it feels the first time. The enemy seems worse than it really is, and we let that sink deep within our hearts, creating in us a feeling of dread as the battle comes closer."

"Well, the battle is here, and the enemy is half as bad as you imagine him to be. They may look intimidating, but it is not us who should go running away." He pointed an arm towards the approaching changelings. "It is them!"

"Their numbers are greater than ours, five to one, but I know that each one of you is worth more than a hundred of those things! Prove me right! Prove that Equestria is safe with you caring for all the ponies in it!"

"They came with their numbers, we come with the courage and the force-of-will to win." He had raised his voice and was shouting now. "The changelings want to take our land! Our families and our friends! Our lives and all that you've known since you were born!" Shouts of outrage began to be exclaimed within the troops. "They want Equestria for themselves. You know what I say to that?" He waited some seconds to give what he would say more feeling. "I say buck 'em! We will not give it to them as long as there is one of us standing!"

The last he said with all his emotions in it. He meant every word of his speech, and the last part was just where he had decided to let all his conflicted thoughts out. He smiled at seeing the ponies around cheering and exclaiming that they would not let the changelings take Equestria. He waited for the cheers to calm down before he said his last words.

"Make Equestria proud and honor that flag! To arms!" The ponies cheered once more. Davis turned to Golden Flame and nodded. The pegasus began to make order as the lines disbanded and went to their designated positions. Davis watched with a mixture of pride and resolution as the troops moved. He turned to Golden Flame.

"You are going to be in charge of the front. Make sure our archers and pegasi stop their troops. The changelings shall not win the front or we'll be doomed. I trust you can handle that?" 

The pegasus captain nodded. "You bet," he said smiling. 

Davis saluted. "Then good luck, captain." Golden Flame answered his salute and flew off towards the front. Davis watched him go and then turned to Iroh.

"I trust you know your job well, especially since you won with Louis." 

Iroh nodded. "Yes sir. I assure you I know my job." 

Davies saluted him then. "Then God protect you. You are going to defend the right side of the hill. We can't let the enemy get that part for any reason." 

Iroh nodded, saluting back. "I'll take care if the back, since it's where their main attack is gonna be and I want to be the one to stop it." 

He watched Iroh go as he began to go to the back of the hill himself. All the way there he saw the ponies getting ready for the battle; there were pikes and swords moving all around, as well as shields and banners. The archers moved into their special positions, the officers stood around barking out orders and pegasi flew, the fastest carrying messages and the rest moving to their units or clearing some clouds that were starting to block the moon. Darkness, as much as Davis considered it an ally sometimes, wouldn't work. He didn't want his troops to fight blindly in the battle.

He reached his vantage point and looked on as the changeling army moved themselves into position. Whoever was in charge was better than he had expected. 

He saw the changelings in units of fifty each. Gigantic shields were slowly placed on top of their heads, each shield covering up to ten changelings. He saw their weak point was the middle, between shields. At least two changelings would have to be between shields, leaving them vulnerable against his archers. 

Soon, both armies stood still. On the hill, the Equestrians waited for the changelings to make their move. Davis saw a pony courier approach him.

"The changelings surrounded all the hill sir," he told Davis. 

Davis grinned. "Even the gorge?" 

The pony nodded grimly. "Even the gorge, sir." 

Davis cursed silently. He looked towards the front of the hill, where he could see the ballistas being loaded. He looked back at the courier.

"Go and tell captain Golden Flame to hold that part at any cost. We cannot lose it, or else we'll get crushed from both sides." The pony nodded. "Dismissed." 

Davis watched as the pony left at full gallop. Hopefully Golden Flame would manage—it was going to be really hard.

He looked up front and saw the enemy began to move forwards slowly, the huge shields covering their lines. He saw his ballista and that the captain in charge if it was looking at him. Davis nodded and seconds later the ballista began shooting. He raised his hand.

"Archers, ready!" he shouted. The pony archers prepared to fire. As soon as the changelings were within shooting distance, he threw his arm downwards.

"Fire!" 

Hundreds of arrows flew down at the enemy. Most hit the huge shields, but some managed to hit their marks. Screams of changelings filled the air for a second. The huge ballistia projectiles broke the shields into pieces, taking many changelings with it. The first changeling lines fell at the Equestrians bolts, causing cheers from the Equestrian troops.

Davis wasn't so enthusiastic.

Soon the first changeling lines where passing around his pikes placed in the ground and the multiple series of of other obstacles. The old changeling shields couldn't move through them and soon all of those shields went down, the changelings that had occupied them either died or cowered behind other newer and smaller shields. Those ones where a problem; they moved around his obstacles easily and the arrows bounced or got stuck in them, causing no real damage. Davis even saw some of those shields withstanding his ballista bolts. He cursed out loud once his fears were confirmed: they'd need to fight hoof on hoof. 

"Pikes and swords, ready!" He saw the troops getting ready. He looked at the stones piled around the hill. The one in charge of those was a unicorn from the royal guard. David ran at him.

"Throw them once they are close, not too close or too far." 

The royal guard nodded. "Something more specific sir?"

"Ten meters at most." The pony nodded and Davis went back to his position. 

He saw the changelings approaching closer and closer. Some of them had even begun to shoot magic blasts at them. Most simply flew by, too far from his troops to pose any serious threat. Only one or two managed to get a good direction towards his troops, but those normally proved bad for his ponies. He saw one hit an archer, immediately sending the poor fella backwards. A medic rushed towards where he had fallen and Davis felt a knot on his stomach as the medic closed the pony's eyes and stood up. He saw some more ponies carry the dead pony to a small tent. 

One casualty so far.

He knew there were many more to come that night...


***  ***  ***


"Hold your positions! Don't you dare move—for Equestria!" Golden Flame said. He had a bow, and he shot changelings in the air. He was hovering a couple of feet over the ground, finding it easier to see enemies that were hiding inside the gorge. 

Golden Flame knew that the main changeling force had gone to attack the other side of the hill, but there were at least six hundred attacking his part of the hill. The changelings were not simply swarming at them as he had expected, but rather seemed to be more cautious, some even taking shields with them. His ballistas shot fast as they could. Golden Flame smiled as he saw two large flying shields break into tiny shards, killing many changelings in the process. Even though the shields were a good way to protect themselves from the Equestrian arrows, they made them easier targets for his ballistas.

He shot a changeling that was getting dangerously near to the edge of the cliff. He loaded another arrow and aimed. He saw a changeling powering his horn to shoot a magic blast. He fired the arrow and was greeted subsequently by the sound of shouting as the changeling fell down to its doom. He was shooting again when a changeling reached him.

He immediately threw his bow and unsheathed his sword. Just in time, as he barely managed to stop the changeling from impaling him. He thrust his sword into the changeling belly, but he felt it hit the hard natural armor of the bug. The changeling powered his horn and threw a magic blast barely a few inches from his face. He cursed (something he had picked up from Davis) and managed to evade it. He used his hoof to kick the changeling and then used the momentum to stab it, this time in the neck. He watched in disgust as green blood covered his sword and part of his light armor. He retrieved his sword from the changeling, which fell down rapidly towards the ground of the gorge. Ignoring the green blood on his armor, he quickly looked around for more incoming changelings. 

He saw a squad of pegasi fighting against some changelings. Even though they were holding it, he saw that they would soon be overrun. He sheathed his sword and spread his wings. 

Soon he was flying at high speed towards them. The moment he was close enough, he opened his wings wider, revealing his wing blades completely, their golden shine momentarily blinding a changeling as he approached. In seconds, he was within the enemy mass that had been about to defeat his pegasi. As the wing blades got in contact with the changelings, their magic jumped into action. He passed by, cutting changelings as easily as if they were butter, killing most instantly. When he was turning for a second pass, almost half of the changelings in there were dead or falling to their deaths. His wing blades were clean, thanks to a spell they had which kept them completely clean. 

He passed a second and a third time, killing all the changelings. Soon his pegasi were advancing instead of falling back; he took command of that squad himself after one of them told him about the death of their captain. 

"Follow me!" he shouted over the wind. "Keep your swords and pikes forward. We will not be using bows any longer." He had his pikes up front and swords behind. He led them on the very front in a "V" formation. 

"Stick together" he shouted as they approached a large changeling shield. The changelings were still on the ground, about to jump to the air. Golden flame passed easily through their center using his wings to cut his way through them, and his pegasi soon followed and in seconds all of the changelings that had been behind the shield had been taken out. He looked back and smiled when he saw there were no casualties to his squad... yet.

He was turning to lead them back into the air battle when a large changeling rammed against his side, obviously aware of his wing blades as he hugged him from the back and closed Golden's wings. The pegasus captain struggled as the ground came closer and closer towards them. He prepared for the impact and seconds before it happened he used the last bit of his strength to open his wings and managed to land. Both changeling and pegasus landed hard against the ground, tumbling around and coming to a stop a few meters away from each other.

Golden Flame grunted as he opened his eyes. All his body ached terribly, but when he stood up he confirmed that nothing was broken. He opened his wings and immediately felt a sharp pain.

Too good for not having anything broken...

He heard something move behind him; he turned and saw the changeling.

He recognized it as one of the officers by its colors. He was a dark red and was bigger than most changelings. Golden gulped as he reached for his sword. He felt a knot on his stomach when he didn't find his sword. He looked around.

"Looking for this?" 

Golden Flame turned and saw the changeling standing up. He paled a little when he saw his sword flaring beside the changeling surrounded by a sickly red aura.

"Say your last words, pony." 

Golden opened his wings ignoring the pain, showing his wing blades completely. 

"Let's dance..."


***  ***  ***


"Sir, they are almost on us!" shouted an officer. Davis nodded. He knew it was time.

"Throw the rocks!" he announced. He watched with a smile as the huge boulders went downhill. The changelings shouted in pain as the rocks flattened them against the ground. Davis took his rifle as the changelings kept advancing, ignoring their fallen comrades. 

"Prepare!" he shouted. "Unsheath swords and pikes forward! Shields up front!" His orders were immediately carried through. "Cover the holes on the wooden walls, and the archers"—he turned to the archery captains—"keep shooting! Just make sure not to hit our own; shoot to the back lines!" He received a nod and confirmation as he looked back to the approaching changelings. He made the sign of the cross once and looked up. He didn’t used to do that, but he had done it at least once or twice before back on Europe.

Both had been the hardest battles of his life.

Seconds later, the first changelings reached his own shields. Many got impaled by his phalanx formations, and he suddenly felt that maybe all the changelings would simply charge blindly and his shields would be able to terminate them...

Too soon to think so enthusiastically.

Seconds later, the changelings seemed to organize in lines and began to charge magic blasts at them. He cursed.

"Tighten up the formations! Close the shields!" He watched in horror as some of the blasts managed to explode against his shields and instantly kill many ponies.

"Shit!" He picked his rifle and aimed. He fired round after round. His ponies were firing arrows at the enemy, and his shield formations were no longer being massacred by the changeling magic blasts. He watched, pleased, as some of his own unicorn units answered back with their own blasts. Soon the changelings where moving back again, this time much more closely and with their own shields up front. Soon both armored formations where a couple of feet from each other. None of the formations did anything, until the changelings suddenly opened and combined magic blasts to hit the Equestrian shield walls.

That broke the phalanx formations almost instantly, sending the shield bearers backwards hard. Luckily Davis saw most of them stand back up. What he didn't like was when the first changeling officers entered the Equestrian fortress. He began to shoot as he barked out orders.

"Single line formation! Form a barrier!" he shouted. Somehow, his shouts reached the changelings, because soon he was under fire from many officers that tried to blast him with their magic. He jumped to the side as the place he had been second ago exploded, leaving a huge crater. He curse as he stood up and looked around. 

His last order had been followed and now the Equestrians were holding one long single line of shields with swords behind. The pikes were hitting the changelings back. He guessed the enemy had used all of their energy on the last super blast with which they had destroyed his own phalanx formations, and the officers had used theirs trying to blow him up. He stood up, ignoring a sharp pain on his knee, and quickly shot one of the officers.

"Archers! Shoot at their officers!" he shouted. He saw as some enemy officers fell down beneath a rain of arrows, the units they controlled immediately falling into chaos. Those were quickly destroyed by the Equestrians, which used their chance to win more space.

As he loaded his rifle his mind wandered off to Golden Flame and if he was holding well against the changelings...


***  ***  ***


"Stop moving! Let me end this quick!" the changeling officer shouted Golden Flame. Both had been fighting for many minutes now, and none of them seemed to get any advantage. Golden Flame knew he couldn't fight the changeling face-to-face since the size and strength of the changeling would give him a terrible disadvantage. He cursed as he felt his sword, now under control of the changeling, pass inches away from his face. He was running around, since his wings ached too much to fly.

He saw a window of opportunity as the sword moved away. He ran forward and slammed against the changeling, making sure his wings hit first. The changeling grunted in pain as the fine blades cut through his thick body armor. The changeling pushed off the pegasus, managing to make a deep cut on his front legs. Golden Flame struggled to stay on his feet as he landed. He saw red blood pour from his cuts, causing him to feel dizzy and grow pale. 

"Now I'm gonna make sure you suffer!" the changeling shouted. 

Golden saw that the changeling was holding his belly and dark green blood poured out of two large wounds which his wing blades had caused. Golden Flame grinned and launched himself forward, barely evading the sword and catching the changeling with full force; his wing blades cut through something as he ran and slammed against the changeling. Both tumbled away, and when Golden Flame stood up he saw the changeling. 

He was on the ground, no longer moving. As Golden Flame approached he felt both relief and a little disgust. 

The changeling was dead, that much was clear. His belly was opened completely, making Golden Flame turn away immediately. He opened his wings and, ignoring the pain, jumped flying towards the battle...


***  ***  ***


An hour.

That's how long the battle had been going.

Davis was worried that he would run out of bullets soon. He had strapped his rifle back and had begun to use his bow. It wasn't as precise or as effective as his rifle, but he didn't want to run out of bullets at that point. The arrows were easier to get, and his bullets would help in future battles more than arrows would.

He killed another changelings when he noticed that his ponies were slowly falling back. Step by step, his troops had needed to move backwards in order to not get overrun by the enemy. Even with his archers covering his troops, the changelings were superior in number and the general seemed to know what he was doing very well. Davis had a hard time keeping the ponies in line, but he knew they couldn't stay like this forever. 

He placed the bow on the ground and unsheathed his sword. He felt something... strange in it. Something he had not felt before when he touched it.

It was probably just the adrenaline...

He moved towards his troops and prepared to enter the fray. When the ponies saw him approach they cheered. Davis felt his spirit rise up at that.

He looked around. They could always make a charge—the changelings surely would not expect that from the Equestrians. If he was right, that could turn the tide of the battle. 

He sighed and prepared to shout the final order.

"Pikes, up!" His order was carried out almost immediately. "Swords!" 

He slowed down his breath.

"Charge!" 

There seemed to be a couple of seconds were both armies stopped, incredulous at that order. 

It was little less than a second...

The Equestrians began to gallop forward. The changelings didn't stand a chance as the Equestrians abandoned the safety of the shields and ran, pikes forward. In a combination of both spears, swords and hoofs at high speed, the Equestrians pushed forward like an unstoppable wall. The changelings that saw it coming turned tail and ran. Many weren't so lucky...

Davis ran behind, since he was slower than the ponies for obvious reasons. Still, he had to kill a couple of changelings that survived the first wave of Equestrian troops.

Soon, the charge stopped. It was almost the base of the hill, and the momentum carried by the ponies was lost when they were met with an equal force of changelings, only in greater number. 

Ponies crashed hard against changelings as spears and swords flashed forward. Changelings used their horns to impale the front lines of ponies, and ponies used spears for the same purpose. Swords killed changelings all around as horns of the changelings did the same. Davis saw some changelings even pick up weapons from the fallen Equestrians.

He reached the battle and jumped with a savage cry, killing five changelings fast. He moved his sword to block all the attacks thrown at him, thrusting his own attacks at them as well. He saw a couple of officers, which he attacked immediately. Most didn't see him coming, but many tried hard to kill him. That complicated things, since once a changeling saw him they rushed over and tried to kill him.

Still, he was managing.

It wasn’t until he saw that he needed air support immediately that he realized they could lose. Even though the battle was technically tied, he could see that the changelings that attacked from the air were too much, and his archers couldn't do much, since if they shot there was a high probability they’d hit their own. 

He looked around again, looking for a specific changeling: the general.

He knew that he should be around somewhere. Hopefully, at least. A changing surely wouldn't miss a chance to kill a pony, much less one as strong as a general. 

He was about to give up his search and resume fighting when he noticed a pair of changelings. One was obviously the general, the other was smaller but seemed to be whispering to the general. He saw that the small one said something and the general nodded. Soon, he saw the changelings around them begin to form lines. 

That wasn't good.

He needed to stop them somehow—he didn't think for a second as he rushed towards the forming line of changelings. He knew he could defeat most of them on his own, but the general was his target. If he killed him, the battle was surely won.

The changelings didn't see him until it was too late. He jumped and kicked two changelings in the head. The formation immediately broke up in chaos as the changelings tried to kill Davis, but were too confused to react properly. Davis used the momentum he had to hit a changeling with the but of his blade and then stabbed another. He had to leave his sword so as to not lose his forward force, and instead he unstrapped his rifle and began to use it. He no longer cared about wasting his ammo, but rather in getting to the enemy general. In a second he had it loaded and in another he was shooting rapidly around the changelings.

Suddenly, he felt a hard punch and promptly fell down face-first. He turned and moved away just in time as two large hooves landed where he had been seconds ago. He jumped to his feet and stared into the eyes of the enemy general.

Both looked at each other for some seconds before the general snarled and attacked him, his fangs clearly visible.

"Fangs? Really?"

He parried his horn and shot him immediately after. He felt the same thing he had felt on his sword; a kind of strength replacing his now-tired state. He didn't gave it much thought as the other changeling, the smaller one, attacked him as well.

He moved out of the charge of the smaller changeling and almost tripped. He stopped another horn from a random changeling using his rifle and killed him fast. Before he could react however, he felt another hard punch in the back. 

"Why did they have to be hooves?!" he thought as he tried to stand up. He pulled his sword back as he felt the changeling closing in. He stood up and shot blindly at the changeling behind him. He heard the thump if a body hitting the ground, and he immediately turned to see if he had hit the general.

He saw the smaller changeling looking slightly surprised as the general laid dead between them. Davis raised his rifle and pointed, but seconds after he began to feel his mind get blurry. He stopped aiming and used the rifle to lean on. He saw the changeling look curiously at him. The changeling bowed slightly and ran away. 

He saw the sword impaled on a dead changeling and without thinking he went and took it. He looked around.

The battle had been reduced to barely a series of skirmishes between small unorganized changeling groups and ponies, but it was obviously already over. The changelings had no chance of winning now. The enemy general's death was the cause of that. It had confused the changelings and resulted on the Equestrian victory. 

He sheathed his sword and began to walk around.

He smiled the moment he saw a pony raise a banner shouting victory. That made him relax immediately and let out a tired sigh.

"Victory!" ponies sang around; soon all the ponies had joined. The remaining changelings flew away and followed the changeling he had allowed to live.

That's when he began to question something...

Why hadn't he killed him...?

He couldn't chase off the feeling of confusion as he began to look around and organize everything back. He'd need to do a lot of things, especially counting the dead troops. That was the hardest part for him after a battle.

He walked slowly to the little fort on the hill they had built and prepared to receive the status reports, but all the way with the same problems bugging at him. He had not killed the changeling, and he feared that was going to prove in the end a terrible mistake.

Still, he knew he could not have killed an opponent that was not attacking him and was completely at his mercy. He couldn't think of himself doing something like that.

He brushed those thoughts off again as he reached the top of the hill. He approached the officers, and felt relieved once he saw Golden Flame was fine. He walked toward a them and smiled tiredly.

"Gentlemen," he said. "We won..."

> Just the beginning
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 21
“Just the beginning”

The soft night breeze blew, as the light of a full moon lighted up the night with an eerie blue light. The horizon was barely visible with this light, revealing mountains not that far away. A large, dark and dense forest could be seen as well as far as the eye could see and, inside, some dark barely visible construction. Such was the way Canterlot residents looked upon the land of Equestria that night. 

One man was sitting in a balcony, admiring the view as he drank from a glass. His officer cap showed up above the rest of his uniform, but the blueish light of the moon shined slightly against the medals he wore on his jacket. The man´s features were hidden, though. Nothing revealed who he was except that he was important, at least with the military.

The man took a sip of his drink and changed his position on the simple wooden chair and looked slightly to the moon. He looked at it for a few more seconds before sighing and looking back down at the valley before him. Even though most of it was dark, he could easily spot the main Equestrian camp. 

Now holding thousands of ponies, it had become even larger than the town of ponyville, which could be seen in the distance as well. Even at night, ponies moved around the camp causing a lot of noise. Torches went around the little dirt streets that contained  the camp´s sleeping area, The training grounds where also full with ponies having night training and the command building shined brightly with light from the general quarters of the officers. Even on Canterlot that much could be seen. 

The man took another sip before closing his eyes and steadying his breath. Just then, a pony walked silently behind him, careful not to make much noise. The pony´s dark blue coat could get mingled with the night sky, and its flowing mane that imitated the stars at night could only be seen with the sky in the back because of its steady flowing, like a flag even if there was not enough air to do so. 

Luna stopped feet away with a big grin on her face. She took one step forward and opened her mouth.

“How are you, Louis?” she asked. The german jumped off his chair and fell flat on his face out of surprise. Luna giggled as the human struggled to stand up. His hat had landed feet away and the german immediately took it. His hair was all crazy, which was probably why he had the cap always on. He finally stood up and looked at the giggling princess mare.

“Princess Luna,” he said with a neutral expression. “I didn't expected to see you here.” The princess smiled and walked to the railing of the balcony. She stopped and looked below at the army camp.

“Well, it is my palace after all, and at night. I find it interesting that you chose to take a nap on my favorite balcony.”

Louis stiffened up a little. “Sorry princess; I´ll get going.” Luna tensed.

“No!” Louis stopped, more out of surprise than for obeying. Princess Luna realized that she had shouted and immediately cleared her throat regaining her royal demeanor. “I mean… you don't need to go. I don't really use it that much time, mostly to think a little. I like to see my night at its best, and that is really good to see on this balcony. I can see it´s logical you chose it to think and clear your mind.”

Louis nodded. “Yes…” he said hesitantly. “I did found it a pretty good place to relax and think.” The german was still recovering from both the surprise the princess had given him after startling him when he was about to sleep and the shout. He was pretty confused.

Luna smiled, kindly this time. “General, I see you are troubled. Pray tell me what bugs you.”

Louis frowned. He didn't wanted to say much, and he was a pretty reserved person. He wasn't that close to Luna to start telling her his problems.

“I am fine, princess. Thank you.” He was tempted to turn away, but it was the princess. He resisted the urge and kept a straight face as he looked at her.

Hoofsteps where heard as she approached him slowly. “I can see that is not true. You can trust me, I am a princess after all.”

Louis felt uncomfortable as she stopped barely a foot from him. He kept the straight face though, he wasn't going to let her win. “I am fine, really princess.” Luna grinned.

She then smiled a little and walked inside. “You win, Louis. Maybe next time." She disappeared inside the dark building, making Louis a little uncomfortable. As he looked back to the valley, he almost had a heart attack. 

He wasn't looking at the valley anymore; it was now a place with raging fire and ponies screaming. He ran at the railing and looked upon Canterlot. He saw a horrible sight.

Ponies strapped in chains and walking slowly escorted by changelings. All around ponies screamed and changings laughed. The buildings looked decayed and to the brink of falling down. The streets where cracked completely on holes that seemed to go the the heart of the Canterlot mountain. 

He took a step back only to find himself falling down. He closed his eyes tightly until the fall seemed to last for a full minute. He slowly opened his eyes and found everything around him completely black. He was still falling though.

"You shouldn't be here..." Sounded a thundering voice. Louis looked around trying to see who had spoken.

"Who are you?" he asked.

He heard a deep and silent chuckle. "I am what creeps in the dark, human. I see all and feel all, and you shouldn't be here."

"I didn't wanted to come here. I don't even know where I am," he said, looking around. 

He heard another low chuckle. "I didn't meant it like that." Louis felt and heard soft breathing beside his neck. He was tempted to look, but stopped himself. 

"The how?" he asked.

The feeling of something behind him stopped once he no longer felt the air on his neck.

"I meant in Equestria. Your kind can't come here; you are reserved to your earth, and only that." He heard like something was sliding around on the ground. "You shouldn't be here."

Louis turned towards the sound and caught a glimpse of a shadow moving around before it disappeared a second later. He paled slightly as he saw it looked like a form with horns... 

"W-who are you?" he asked softly.

He heard another chuckle and saw as the shadow appeared again. "I am known by many names, but here I'm known as Discord." Slowly the creature approached and Louis saw it for the first time. He did recognized the name though.

"Discord... You are the draconequus? The one that tried to take Equestria?" Louis saw the creature nod.

""Precisely!" Discord said as he bowed and smiled, a hat appearing on his hand as he did so. "God of chaos, emperor of darkness, lord of..." he stopped. "Ah, never mind. That matters no more." He moved towards Louis and stopped a few feet away. "I need you to do me a favor." 

Louis grinned. "A favor?"

Discord smiled enthusiastically. "Yes!" He turned as an image appeared in the air. "I used to like chaos and all that, but I find something better, so I now am on your side." Louis grinned even more at that. "You see..." the creature appeared a stick on his hand as he pointed at the image. "My powers and my newfound..." he hesitated as he spoke the next. "...friendship have me limited in what I can do. For instance,  I can easily save Equestria..." Louis saw the image, which was a map full of red dots that probably representantes the changeling forces. Discord snapped his claws  twice and the red dots dissipated and a pony happy face appeared on the image. "But I'm afraid I can't." The face disappeared and the red dots returned. "I am limited now, I'm afraid. I need your help to protect one I care for a lot."

Louis was actually pretty surprised. He hadn't expected anything of what the God of chaos had said. "I... Who?"

Discord smiled. "You already know her. Her name is fluttershy." He levitated himself until he was flying around Louis. "In exchange I can explain to you every question you have about something that happened in the battlefield which you surely remember..." Louis remembered how he had defeated the changeling general "...and I'll give you this." The draconequus appeared a little ammo box and gave it to Louis.

"An... Ammo box?" he asked. Discord shook his head. 

"Open it."

Louis did so and saw something unexpected. A gem, probably no bigger than a little pebble, was in it. He took it and looked confusedly at Discord. "What will this do?"

Discord took it and examined it. "It contains some chaos magic. I'm breaking the rules here, but I don't think there anyone more capable of doing the job I ask ,better than you." He passed it back to the German. "It will allow you to use your newfound magic at will and not spontaneously and without control."

Louis stopped breathing. "What did you just say?" He looked at the creature. "Newfound magic?"

Discord smiled and slowly faded. "Do your job, or the images you saw before will come true and you're never going to return home..."

Louis saw him fading away. "Discord! Tell me what you mean by newfound magic!"

He only heard Discord chuckle and disappear completely. Louis looked for some seconds more at where he had been before before looking back at the little gem and felt it with his fingers.

Suddenly, everything turned white...

***   ***   ***

"He's waking up!" 

Louis opened his eyes but immediately closed them as they adjusted to the light. He opened them again, this time slowly and letting them adjust.

"General!" he heard. He turned and saw captain Iroh there saluting. Louis looked around and saw Ace and other ponies he didn't know as well.

"Agh..." he said as he tried to sit down. He felt dizzy.

"Don't move general. You need to do it slowly." Iroh helped him back on his back. Louis looked around again.

"What happened?" 

Ace stepped forward. "We won sir, both engagements. Davis was successful and so were we."

Louis remembered the battle and when he passed out.

He looked at Ace. "What happened after I..."

"After you were knocked out Louis? We pushed the bugs back and finished them in less than a few minutes. It appears that without their leader they didn't knew what to do and immediately disorganized." He smiled. "Your strategy worked."

Louis nodded and sat down on the bed, this take slowly to make sure he didn't passed out. 

That is when he felt something on his palm. He slowly looked and saw the gem. He wasn't sure how to react.

"So it wasn't just a dream..." he muttered.

"What, sir?" Iroh asked. Louis immediately placed the gem on his pockets.

"Nothing." He looked at Ace. "You say we won?" The blue general nodded. "Good..." He stopped trying to stand up once he realized how they were calling him.

He looked at Ace. "General?"

Ace smiled. "Celestia named you that after the battle. She's going to make it official once you see her, though. We should get going."

Louis didn't protested as one of the nurses helped him up.

"How long was I out?" he asked. 

Iroh answered. "Four days, sir. You are at Canterlot now, in the infirmary."

Louis looked at him. "I didn't know the palace had one."

"It does now," Ace said. He started walking to the door. Louis saw his officer jacket and cap and immediately put them on. He saw he was still wearing his officer uniform.

He followed the two outside and then towards the throne room. 

"The Princess is holding a military court session right now," Ace said. "Though it was originally to overview the case of general Silver, it started having more war-inclined talk as of late. The main discussion is still the case of relieving SilverInk from his post as a general and make him a lower ranked officer, but now he managed to get stuck inside the ponies there some ideas that could ruin us all."

Louis stopped. "Ruin us all?" Ace and Iroh stopped as well and looked at him. "How?"

Ace grinned. "They want to call a parley with the changelings, make a treaty of sorts." He saw Louis' face of surprise. "It was all Silver's idea of course, I can't believe he thinks he can reason with them after being present in the battle and all. I can forgive most in the room since those ponies have never seen a fight, but he had the idea and now that ponies found an alternate plan tend the war..." He looked at Iroh. "They saw the dead Louis, of both battles. Friends and families started to come and shout angrily at the palace and us for getting ponies they care and love killed." He sighed. "I can't blame them for being angry, but that is helping Silver gain support in the decision; I think even the princess are starting to get convinced themselves."

Louis felt his anger rise for a couple of seconds before running off. He was heading to the throne room as fast as he could. He heard both Ace and Iroh shouted something and then he heard hoofsteps as they ran behind him. He noticed they were still shouting for him to stop, but he wasn't going to take more time to delay towards the throne room. The Changelings couldn’t be trusted, and they couldn't be talked into reason. They had already attacked and many ponies had died to stop them. They needed to pay!"

He saw the great doors of the throne room and hurried even more. He reached the doors and immediately pushed them open with all his strength, to not waste time. The doors flung open much more easily than he had thought they would, hitting the walls hard after he did. He didn't minded though, as all the ponies looked at him in surprise as he ran inside.

"You can't seriously consider making a deal with the changelings!" he shouted. He stopped as he reached the middle of the throne room. It was full of ponies he recognized as members of the military or the Canterlot nobles. The two princesses were sitting on their thrones as well. Davis was nowhere to be seen and SilverInk was standing in the middle, apparently Louis had interrupted him with his entrance.

"Changelings are murderous beasts! They'll kill every single one of you and won't feel any regret or consider it twice... Not even once!" He approached the princesses. As he walked ponies parted to let him pass. It was obvious he had made quite the entrance. 

"General... I'm glad to see you are okay," Celestia said. Her voice had wavered a little, which meant something was wrong. He had never heard her feel uncertain.

"Thank you princess, but that holds no relevance. The war started, and you can't end it just like that. Blood was spilled from both sides; we need to make sure that all of the dead ponies were  worth it, and they are not going to leave us alone after such humiliating defeats." Louis saw many ponies look down. Just then, he heard the two ponies that had been with him arrived. Ace and Iroh stopped beside him.

"Too late. We have reached a decision," Silver said. Louis looked at the pony. Both stared at each other with murderous glances now, obviously no one was going to forgive the other.

Still, Louis took a step back. "Reached a decision?" He looked at the princesses. "Tell me you didn't."

Both Luna and Celestia took a moment before nodding at the same time. "We made a decision, and if what Silver has suggested works we'll at least try it."

Louis couldn't believe it. He stared blankly for a second before turning and going towards the door.

"Louis, where are you going?!" Ace asked. The german didn't answered as he passed the gates and took a turn disappearing from sight. 

He walked for some minutes until he founds some stairs he had found some time ago, before going towards green lake town. He started going up until he reached the top after a few minutes. He reached a simple room that had only a single chair and a table. It didn't even had windows or anything else. It had a door to a balcony, which he opened and then leaned on the railing.

It was the same balcony from the dream he had just had. He closed his eyes as he stepped away from the balcony a little and then he clutched his head. He remembered how hard it had been to win at green lake, and how many ponies died under his command. He looked down and saw ponies around the palace walls. Wailing down there was strong enough that he could hear it all the way up there. He saw a couple of mates crying before the palace gates, stallions around them supporting them or simply stating. A crowd had gathered around the sad scene and yet the doors hadn't opened.

"Louis..." 

The German turned as he heard the voice and immediately turned away again.

"Luna."

The princess of the moon approached and stopped beside him. "I'm sorry if you didn't liked the decision we took, it's acceptable..."

"Acceptable!" Louis exclaimed making the princess almost jump in fright. "Ponies died to stop them and now you want to tell me and their families that their sacrifice was in vain and that with simple words you could have prevented their deaths before the first attack?" He looked down. "They won't listen Luna."

The princess looked at the ponies gathered before the gates. "Then we won't lose anything trying."

"They don't deserve to live!" he almost spat. Luna seemed taken back by his outburst, and the words he had chosen weren't the wisest. 

"Nopony should decide who lives and who dies, Louis. Not even you that come from a war-infested world." Luna sounded dark as he said that. The German grinned. "If we can stop more deaths we will do it."

"What about the griffons?" Louis asked.

Luna didn't spoke. She sighed and walked to the railing and then leaned slightly against it. "The griffons will need to fend them off by themselves." She said that, but Louis knew she wasn't convinced at all about that.

"That isn't right, and you know it. I just can't accept that you, both you and your sister, decided that." Louis was looking at Luna accusingly.

"I don't want more ponies to die," Luna said weakly.

Louis grinned and turned around before going inside. "I'll go to my room. See you later princess." Luna made nothing to stop him as he started to go. He stopped before the stairs. "Luna..." he said turning around. "In my dreams, I saw you." He felt slightly nervous. "Was it you, visiting my dream or just my imagination?"

Luna looked at him with interest. "I didn't visited your dream Louis." 

"Ah, alright..." He turned to leave. "I know of one that did visit me while I was asleep." He turned again. "Discord."

Luna's ears immediately perked up and she looked at him again. "Discord?" Louis nodded.

"Yes."

"And what would he want with you?" she asked.

Louis shrugged. "He asked me a favor."

Luna seemed interested. "Which favor?"

Louis opened his mouth and stopped. Maybe discord didn't wanted for anyo... Anypony to know. "Never mind that. He gave me in exchange a little gem..." He took it out of his pockets and showed it to Luna. "He said something about some newfound magic... Do you know what he was talking about?"

Luna stared at the gem and nodded slowly. 

"According to all the reports of witnesses in the battle, you used actual magic against the changeling general with which you managed to defeat him. Whether accidentally or on purpose you casted a counter spell that returned him his own electric bolts, or that's at least what I managed to figure out after reading reports and asking soldiers and ponies that had been present." She took the gem with her magic. "I don't know what Discor knows about your magic that I don't, but giving you this is actually both surprising and worrying..."

"Why worrying?" he asked.

Luna kept examine the gem. "Surprising because he would never give somepony else chaos magic. First because he seems to have his own magic as something only he can use; second because chaos magic binds him to rules that not even he should break, and giving you this breaks many of those..." She stopped.

"And worrying?"

Luna sighed. "Because why would he give you this? Of course he knew you could somehow use magic, but what type, I wonder? Apparently one that can handle some chaos magic; he wouldn't have given you this if he wasn't sure you could use it someday. Chaos magic should be taken lightly." She passed him the gem back. "Well, by this I have one more clue of your type of magic.

Louis took it. "Type of magic? You mean the one I did wasn't like the unicorn's magic or that there are other ways of using it?"

"I think casting it would be a better way of applying to magic, Louis, and yes, there are many other ways of casting magic. The unicorn's is just one very easy to use though is limited to those creatures with magical properties in their horns. There is potion magic as well, and mind forming magic..." Louis suddenly stopped Luna.

"Wait a little. I'd love to listen to more about this types of magic, but I'm afraid we have more important things in mind." He placed the chaos gem back on his pockets. "You can't ignore the griffons Luna, nor the possibility of changelings attack again once they are stronger even if you do sign a treaty with them. Have in mind how making such a treaty would look to other nations and how it will dishonor those families who lost loved ones." He pointed down the balcony and towards the military camp. "We are ready for a war, princess, remember that. We are no longer what you were a few months ago." He turned to leave.

"This was just the beginning princess, more will come and much more worse." He tipped his hat slightly in salute and then walked down the stairs, leaving a very troubled princess of Equestria alone to think...
> Firearms
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 22
"Firearms"

"Alright lads! Move faster; by the moment you get to your assigned stations, the changelings would have killed you already!" Shouted an officer overviewing training on the new recruits. All around rain fell splattering against the ground, big dark rain clouds covered the sky as far as the eye can see. The capital of Canterlot was invisible within the heavy blanket of storm clouds. The fresh trainees were laying against the dirt with barbed wire above their heads and their commanding officer barking out how by now they would be dead should they be in a battle.

Finally, one of the ponies finished the course and immediately collapsed panting. He was a unicorn that had a light brown coat and a tree cutie mark. His main and tail were light gray but both were currently covered in mud. He was taking slow breaths trying to calm himself down from the hard exercise. He began to rise slowly when the officer arrived to his side.

"What are you doing soldier!" he shouted. The brown pony immediately stood up.

"I... I was..."

The officer interrupted. "Speak clearly to me, soldier! Don't hesitate!"

The pony took a firm stance. "I was resting sir!" That earned a nasty laugh from the officer.

"You were resting?" he mimicked in a mocking voice. "You won't be able to rest once the battle starts! Now don't let me see you like that a..."

"You always say when the battle starts, sir," he said daringly. The officer looked surprised. "But it hasn't. I don't see the point in you shouting and making us all go all around and get wet out here in the rain, as you also make us feel like idiots all the time!" Slowly ponies around gathered to see what was going on.

The officer seemed shocked at the private's response, and slowly started looking very angry. "You..." He took a step forward. "You can't speak to an officer that way! You'll learn not to do that. Go to the cabins and stay there. You won't eat or drink unless I say so." He saw around. "And all of you! Back to work!" He turned and returned to check on the rest of the recruits. 

The pony was still trying to recover from his ire, and was slowly catching up to what he had done.

"I'm and idiot..." he whispered as he began to walk towards the cabins.

He was leaving the training grounds when he felt something touch his back. He stopped and turned, only to open his mouth in surprise.

"G-general..." he said. He immediately took a saluting posture. "General, sir!" 

Davis chuckled. After the tail of his and Louis' victories had reached the troops on main camp and equestrian in general, they were seen a a hope for them in winning the war. Many ponies now talked about the big giant generals that had taken out the entire changeling army by themselves, or with powers unknown to them. He laughed at that, but it also worried him. He wanted the troops to be recognized  as well.

At main camp, the troops were much better informed and gossip wasn't but actual information passed from soldier to soldier. Now every soldier knew and Davis was surprised by how well they treated him now.

Also, many ponies before seemed to care much when he spoke to them; now, they seemed to feel like if they were talking to a celebrity.

"At ease soldier," he said. The pony seemed unsure, but he relaxed. Davis looked at him. "I saw you talk to your officer." The pony seemed to stiffen up and pale slightly. Davis almost laughed since he had been expecting that same reaction. Ponies were very predictable after you got to know many of them. "Don't worry," he said, "I won't do anything." He turned follow me, I want to show you something." He started to walk. The pony took some time before starting to walk. He still seemed hesitant, but followed obediently.

Davis moved around the camp easily. He now knew it by heart, where everyplace was and he had started to find out he knew the assigned babies for teams and units. That surprised him, but he tried to keep it to himself. Probably something he was doing without thinking.

He finally reached the edge of the camp. He turned and saw the soldier was still following. 

"Over here," he said. The pony nodded and followed. Davis took him away until the camp was behind a hill. The sounds were still heard, but a little muffled. The rain had stopped falling a few minutes earlier and the night sky was slowly clearing out. Davis stopped and turned to the pony. "You probably don't like being shouted at, do you?" The unicorn looked away. "You can be honest with me. I also despised my officers back when I was training. Those where very nasty guys." The pony looked interested. "So, you don't like it."

"No sir... I-I don't."

Davis grinned. "Don't hesitate when talking. It's not good, and I've seen that leads to hesitation in battle."

The pony stood straight. "No sir, I do not." 

Davis smiled. "Very well." He sat moved his hand to the side and unbuckled his holster. Inside he had his gun. "You should know that it's a way you'll toughen up. You should try not to mind that and instead use the officer's shouts to help you push yourself to your limits." He retrieved his gun from the holster and looked to a lonely tree. He aimed and shot hitting the tree in the middle. He had been practicing on that same spot and he now found that aiming was much easier than it had been before. He almost thought he could be a sniper if he wanted to. 

The pony almost jumped as he heard the shot, obviously not expecting the explosive sound. Davis looked at him. 

"You surely have heard or seen my weapons." The pony nodded. "This is one of them." He looked at it. Davis extended his hand with the gun towards the pony. "You can try it if you want." The pony opened wide his eyes.

"S-sir...?" He corrected himself and looked decided. "Yes sir!" Davis passed it to him, the unicorn taking it with his magic. Davis walked to his side. 

"Use your magic to point it," he said, using his own hands to guide the telekinetic power. "Pull the trigger when you feel you are ready. Try to hit the tree."

The pony gulped and aimed, closing one eye as he tried to aim well. Davis saw as the gun started to shake a little. "Don't hesitate. Remember," Davis said. The pony closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The gun stopped shaking. He opened an eye again and this time kept his magic stable. Davis saw as the trigger clicked and was followed by the explosion of the shot. There was a rebounding sound as the bullet bounced, not hitting anything. The pony looked to the tree.

"I didn't hit anything!" he said. Davis nodded. 

"Take another shot."

The pony did the same process and when he clicked, nothing happened. 

"Wha... What happened?" he asked confused. Davis moved and took the gun.

"You need to push this," he said ---- the gun. "Or else it won't fire." The pony looked curiously as he passed the gun again. 

"Alright... I'll hit it this time..." He aimed again, this time taking a little more time. Again, the trigger and a rebounding shot. "I swear I was going to hit it this time!" he exclaimed. Davis laughed.

"It takes practice." He took the gun and placed it back in the holster. "Go and clean yourself. I'll send a messenger to you tomorrow to give you instructions of relocation." That earned a surprised look. "What's your name?"

The pony opened and closed his mouth. "Hmm... Err, Brown Wood sir. Relocation?" he asked.

"I'll send you a messenger tomorrow with all the details. I'll let you know though, I'm looking for ponies that can wield this gun..." he said patting the holster. "Good night." He turned and left.

The pony saw the general leave. 

"What just happened?" he asked out loud.

***   ***   ***

Davis walked all the way to the smith's forge. Tempered Steel was inside, made obvious by the sound of banging hammers filled the american's ears. He entered the forge and saw the smithy working with a red hot metal. The pony stopped what he was doing and looked at him.

"General, what brings you here so late?" he asked. Davis smiled.

"I just returned from getting a new recruit for the firearms project. Hopefully I'll have two dozen ready to be trained." He grinned. "We still need the guns, though."

Steel smiled. "I have the prototype ready to be tested! I based it off from the rifle..." he stopped. "I remember you said no firearms before. After I received your letter with instructions of making the prototype and the blueprints... I couldn't help but wonder why?"

Davis stopped smiling as he heard what Steel was saying. "I... don't know. Change of mind I suppose." Tempered Steel grinned.

"I don't think so." The smithy walked over to a table and took a curious linking rifle. Davis noticed the trigger was wider, supposedly to help ponies use it easier. "I know something made you change your mind."

Davis sighed. "You read me, I'm afraid." He walked and took the rifle from the smithy. "I saw ponies die, Tempered Steel. I'm afraid I didn't have in mind of the situation when I said I didn't wanted to. And as you see, I'm arming only a little unit. Two dozens of ponies should be enough to give us advantage in the upcoming battles." 

Tempered Steel nodded. "I understand. Logic choice after seeing that." He passed him a bullet. "These are the bullets I made for this rifles. They are bigger than the ones you use for your own so that they are more easy to move, and as you see the rifles are also wider. I don't doubt even an earth pony could use it if he knows how to stand on two legs."

Davis nodded. "And you have any for unicorns? As I see they have no use for a trigger even with their magic and all. It's very easy to fire when one has telekinesis on their side." He gave him back the gun and picked the bullet. "Also we should find a way to make one special for Pegasus units. They need to fly and keep their speed and agility. I'm afraid this ones are heavy and would slow them down." 

Tempered Steel smiled. "I had already thought of that. I have plans on one for Pegasi, and for unicorns..." He stopped and walked to another table covered in a piece of cloth. "I thought this one was better for a surprise." He pulled the cloth and revealed a longer rifle. This one had a longer barrel, much thinner than the other one. It had a trigger, but when Davis picked it up he found it hard to press. It felt weird on his hands, but it was exaggeratedly light.

"Why is it so light, and what with the trigger?" he asked,

Tempered Steel nodded. "I knew you were going to ask that." He took the rifle from him. "You noticed its lighter. I did it to try and cause less strain to the unicorn caster that wields it. The less he needs to concentrate on carrying it with telekinesis, the easier it'll be to aim." He looked at the trigger. "A unicorn can push any type of thing, just like the trigger on your own weapons. What many don't know, and I know thanks to a friend in the Canterlot magic center, is that there are shapes and patterns that are easier to push with magic than others." He looked at the barrel. "The barrel is thinner and longer because I didn't needed to make it so firm. I know you said it could have a risk of explosion, but with a little touch of magic from myself I managed to make it more resistant without risking it of braking."

Davis looked curious. "Magic? I thought you didn't knew any, you're not a unicorn." 

"You forget what I do, Davis. I know how to work with metal, even if what I do isn't that really magic," Tempered Steel said. 

Davis chuckled. "Right."

Tempered Steel placed the gun back on the table. "Here I have the Pegasi blueprints. I'm afraid that I need a little more material and real magic for this ones, but I will get them done in, say, a month." Davis blinked in surprise.

"A month? We don't have that much time!" he said worried. "The changelings would have attacked again by then, in case we haven't already begun an invasion!"

Tempered Steel grinned. "Calm yourself general. I'm working as fast as I can, but you're asking me to make you things that I never even dreamt of before meeting you. This is new stuff for me.. Heck! New stuff for equestria!" He had the blueprints in his hooves and slowly unrolled them. "I'm trying out new waters, Davis. You must remember that."

Davis nodded. "Yeah, sorry. I'll leave you to it then." Davis turned. Tempered Steel stopped him. 

"I assure you it'll be what you want sir, don't worry. I only need time." He gave him the unrolled blueprint. Davis picked it up and looked at it. He sighed and nodded as he passed him back the blueprints. 

"I suppose I'll wait then, but be fast. The royals and such want to stop the war with a treaty, which means I have only so much time to move our forces from defensive to offensive. I want to have our firearm units ready by then." 

Tempered Steel nodded, "I'll try sir, you have my word."

Davis nodded as he slowly walked out of the forge and into the night.
> War goes on and some Noble problems
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 23
"War goes on and some Noble problems"

Breathing hard, Louis approached the throne room. He was taking slow but firm steps as he walked through the halls of the Canterlot palace, wearing his equestrian general uniform princess Celestia has ordered for him. He remembered he didn't wanted such a position, but after what appeared to have been an incredible display of leadership in green lake, he had been ordered one.

He was wearing one similar to the ones his own generals wore, only one without medals except for one that had the symbol of the two sisters, and the shield of their reign. It meant he was part of their army and followed orders directly from them. He had seen other generals in equestria wearing the military seal instead, which marked them not being directly below the princesses' control. He had slowly learned that the equestrian army had divisions within itself. One of them and the most powerful and significant was the royal army, the one directly controlled by the rulers Celestia and Luna. It was mostly composed of royal guards, but now with the expanding army due to the war they were adding newer troops not necessarily on the royal guard. Most had simple patches with the royal seal to indicate they were from the royal army, only the highest ranked officers, such as Louis and Davis, wore a medal.

After the royal army, there was the noble's army, or as it was officially called, the equestrian army. It was composed of the largest body of troops and had not been needed until the start of the changelings war. Apparently, it was composed of all the new recruits that were coming from smaller towns and farms not inside the big cities. From ponyville, for example. The troops from such towns followed direct command from the equestrian generals appointed by the noble council and could not follow a direct order from the princesses if it was against the wishes of their generals. Louis found that troubling, since it meant there could be a bad division between the troops he was supposed to lead. Still, even with the two main parts of the army, Celestia and Luna had the authority to call them all under their control should a greater threat arise, such as the ongoing changelings invasion. That gave the two sisters full control, but Luna had expressed Louis her worries one night ago. Apparently, the noble's disliked being striped off their own troops, since they elected the generals who commanded them. For what he had understood, there was an ongoing council to determine if the princesses could keep the control or if they needed to share it. Though that would relieve the princesses from a huge strenuous job, they wouldn't be able to make their own generals  a higher rank then the equestrian army's generals. That would cause Davis, who was the supreme general at the moment, to have no power over the other generals of the larger force of the equestrian army. He'd be only the main head of the royal army.

Louis stopped in front of the gates to the throne room. He knew why he had been called, and he was prepared. Davis had arrived not a few hours before and was already there. Apparently, he had managed to convince most of the noble's to keep with the offensive plans. Form what he had heard, no agreements were to be attempted with the changelings on the offensive, to free the griffon empire was being planned inside. 

Also, the problems with general Silverink, he had been having were postponed due to war planifications; it had been obviously thanks to the princesses, they seemed to be in the human's side even if the equestrian politics didn't allow them to show it publicly. He had never been one to involve himself much in politics, but he understood well enough what was going on.

Louis breathed slowly again as he nodded at the guards to open the gates. The two unicorn royal guards lighted their horns as the gates opened enough to let him pass. The German thanked them receiving a salute in response and then proceeded to enter inside the enormous hall that hosted the thrones of the rulers of Equestria.

His steps normally echoed, but this time they were drowned in a sea of voices. Soft voices, but they went noticed nonetheless. He noticed there were many nobles talking around the throne room and high-ranked equestrian officers stood around a table he knew used to be on the war room. The nobles seemed to be talking about random things, most nothing to do with the war; the table seemed to be the only part in the room that was concentrating on that. 

He also noticed a few changes in the throne room. The two sisters' thrones had been brought up to the table and were now on the head of it overlooking the entrance. The owners were nowhere to he seen though. The podium where they used to be was now empty, the rock that had been below them was slightly blackened in comparison with  the white tiles all around the room.

He approached the table as he noticed the attention in it had turned towards general Ace. He stopped in between to officers he had never seen before.

"...that if we don't," the blue general said. "I don't think ignoring the forts would be good idea."

Another pony he recognized as an equestrian army general took the word. "But if we don't ignore them, the campaign inside the griffon lands is going to take three times longer." He touched the table as a blue image flickered from his magic on the table revealing a map of the griffon empire. Louis had never seen the griffon empire very well on a map.

It was bordering the southeastern frontier of Equestria, and stretched south with coast to the eastern sea all the way to the border of the wildlands. Their western frontier bordered some of the small pony empires he had never seen before and north to the frontier of equestria on a place labeled black jungle.

The inside territory of the empire was almost as big as equestria itself, only slightly smaller. It had a large mountain range going from north to south and in the very middle of the mountain range was the griffon capital, labeled as the golden throne. There were a couple of cities on the coast, but they appeared small fisher... Fisher Griffon villages? There was only one other city apart from the capital that appeared to be big in size labeled as the City of Walls and after that only little forts that dotted their frontiers.

Louis now knew what they were discussing.

The general proceeded. "As you can see, the forts facing our frontier aren't that big of a threat. They are too big to be handled by the changelings, and even if they do have them controlled there are a few oaths that can be used to pass them by and..."

"...and allow them to corral us," finished Louis. All the ponies and Davis looked at him. "Imagine in there, doing as you are suggesting and marching to their capital. Not only would it be the most obvious move, but a bold and, I'm sorry to say, terrible one." The general that had been speaking was about to contradict when Davis jumped in.

"I'm afraid general Louis is right. We cannot ignore the forts even if they are not taken. Once we get our hands...  and hooves on those forts, we'll not only have them under our control, but also the lands around them and, should the changelings have it already, we would be evading a rapid defeat by them waiting for us to pass and then follow us and attack from the back as their main force in the golden throne comes from our front." He looked at Ace as the he nodded. Ace touched the table as the map made a zoom in on the closest fort to the equestrian frontier and one that stood in their path towards the griffon capital. "We need to take this fort and humor over to the next one and so on. We had to consider that, in order to keep those forts we'll need troops to spare and leave them there." He looked around. "Anyone has anything to say against this?" Louis smiled as no one did anything. Now only the sound of the talk from the noble's could be heard.

Davis stood up. "Alright then. I need to prepare the army. I want us ready to move within a week, if possible even less. Dismissed." 

The ponies started to leave the room slowly as the noble's noticed that the officers were leaving. Louis even heard one sighing in relief.

"I'm glad this thing is over! I really need to go to that new chariot..." Louis stopped hearing after that. He walked over to Davis.

"Quite a thing, no?" the American asked as soon as he approached. Davis was looking at one of the large coated windows that depicted scenes from the equestrian history. Louis looked up and saw it was about the coronation of the princess Twilight.

"Vhat do you mean?" he said, his accent showing. Davis sighed.

"Ah, nothing. Just thinking out loud." He looked at Louis. "Weird, no? We used to  fighting a war in opposite sides in low ranks in earth and now we are together in a world full of ponies that seem to be from a child's mind as generals of the army fighting a war that they were not 1prepared to fight." He chuckled. "I can't believe what I just said."

Louis smiled. "Well, it does sound... How was it... Far-fetched or something." He chuckled as well. "But it's true." 

Davis nodded as he looked back at the window. His expression looked slightly sad suddenly. "Louis..." He turned towards the German. "You think we'll ever go back?"

Louis opened his mouth to answer and then closed it again. He looked down as he scratched his neck. "Ich... weiß nicht, I can't really know." He looked at the ponies leaving. "But I don't feel that bad though." Davis looked at him surprised. I mean, I do know this shouldn't have happened, but now imagine... The war was lost for me. I don't know why I hadn't seen it before, but it was. The last attack, the Ardennes... It was just a dying creature's last attempt. I don't think we could win."

Davis thought for a moment. "Yes... You were pretty much fucked up, weren't you?"

Louis nodded. "Even though I'm not one to say it like that, yeah." He laughed. "As you said."

Soon Davis had joined him as they laughed for some seconds. Louis stopped. "I suppose I should apologize." Davis looked confused.

"Apologize? For what?"

Louis looked at the window. "Well, I pretty much believed all that Adolf Hitler said. I now know I was mistaken, and I'd like to apologize for that."

Davis shook his head as he walked over to him. They looked at each other barely a feet away. 

"I don't know if that was necessary, but I do feel it necessary to apologize myself. Still, we have a war to win, no?" he patted the german's back. "We are on the same boat now."

Louis nodded as they both smiled. He extended his hand and Davis shook it. 

"We are indeed."

***   ***   ***

Princess Celestia looked please as she saw the two humans shake hands. It was obvious they had left all their enmity behind now. It was better that way since they appeared (and had proven her right) much better qualified to lead the troops than any of his other generals.

She finally stopped her magic as the two stopped shaking hands and a mirror she had been using stopped showing the image. She had used a very old and forgotten spell only she and her sister remembered that allowed her to see all around a building. She had not allowed anypony to know about it because many would feel uncomfortable that she could see anything within the castle. She didn't used it much though; mostly to spy on her nephew to make sure he wasn't doing anything wrong.

"I see you were using the spy spell, sister," came Luna's voice from behind. Celestia turned.

"Yes. I'm glad to see that Davis and Louis have mended whatever problem they had now for good." 

Luna smiled. "Well, I believe that is going to help." She stopped smiling. "We managed to distract the case of SolverInk, but soon the noble's will be angry not only that we supported general Davis, but also that we made the general they appointed a lower rank." She appeared troubled. "They are not going to stop until we restore him his position."

"And we take Louis and Davis off of theirs," Celestia added.

Luna nodded. "Yes, the noble's of today are indeed a bunch of disrespectful ponies that think too highly of themselves. I remembered we used to have full control before."

Celestia sighed. "Yes, but in the end the deductions to give them more power stopped their wishes for rebellion three hundred years ago."

Luna nodded. "I don't think it should be that way." The princess of the Sun sighed.

"What do you propose then? We take their power away? Say we have full control now and they are simple advisors and land-owners?" Celestia seemed slightly angry.

"Calm down Tia, I was merely suggesting." She looked away. "It's just that I find this way of their council a little too problematic for matters of state. We can't do anything now without them approving."

"Nothing on the lands they have under their charge, you mean?" Celestia said confused.

"Nothing that is good for equestria but not for them!" she growled suddenly. Celestia looked surprised and shocked as Luna suddenly opened her eyes in surprise. "I-I'm sorry... I didn't mean to snap at you like that..."

Celestia seemed to recover from the shock as she went and smiled at her sister. "Don't worry Luna. It's fine." She nuzzled her kindly. "I do understand your concerns, and I'm troubled by that as well; let me see what I can do, but remember that we can't do anything harsh."

Luna nodded. "Yes Tia."

***   ***   ***

Davis wasn't one to think much of things from his past before the war. He didn't really care much about his childhood save for a few memories of his father. Now most of his thoughts were about war and plain as memories from battles and death. As much as he wished he could forget all, he knew they helped him stay strong in moments of weakness. He used his past to fight the future. 

So far that had save his life many times.

There was one thing he had never experienced though, and it was royalty. He had heard little of any royalty back on earth, and kings and queens were a thing that he had started to see as a thing of the past; here in equestria it was entirely different.

First, the princesses.

So far they had proved to be good rulers, always caring for the good of their kingdom. He had met both personally and came to think of those two very highly, even admiring them. The way the spoke to him was nothing to what he had imagined a queen or a king would do, even though they called themselves princesses; they were queens nevertheless. He even dated to call them friends in his mind, but he tried to think little of that, mostly considering he didn't know anything about how they thought.

And then...

Then were the nobles.

The very mention of those made his blood boil dangerously. The princesses were nothing like the nobles. This were ponies with no morals, no thought for others apart from their own, greedy ones and worse if all, they seemed to think themselves better because they were nobles.

Of course he had met one or two he came to like, but he even felt unsure if they were good with him because, well, they were good themselves or simply because they wanted to take advantage of him. Still, the rest had proven out to be a bunch of idiots.

He was, in fact, facing one of such nobles at the moment. He tried to listen patiently as a pony with a wig (ridiculous looking I might add) demanded to have one of his sons (a lieutenant) being ascended due to his royal blood and his right to command. He gave him the pony's name (Gold Coin! Davis wanted to smack his head after hearing such a name!) and repeated his demand.

"I'm afraid," Davis said. "That I cannot give what I don't think I should. I need to see him do something worth of ascension, and then I'll consider..."

He was immediately interrupted. "You dare question my orders, peasant!" Davis grinned angrily and crossed his arms. They were in one of the hallways leading to the main entrance, and Davis wanted to leave that pony fast. He feared that wouldn't be possible with how much he was insisting. "I am not asking, I am ORDERING..."

"And I don't care!" Davis snapped as he ran out of patience. First, he demanded things out of him without any real and acceptable reason. Second, he insulted and not asked, but rather ordered him. He had reached his limit! "You think I'll do anything you say that me? Firstly, I'm not under you," Davis emphasized his point by touching the royal sister's sign on his uniform. "Second, I will not help anyone that talks to me in that way!" The pony opened his mouth in outrage as he was about to answer. Davis didn't let him, though. "Goodbye!" He turned and walked the other way, not without hearing threats from behind.

"You'll see, freak! I am not going to be talked like that by a hairless monkey with no honor and a peasant nonethe..." Davis stopped hearing once he passed through a door and closed it rapidly.

He laid against the door sighing and moving his hand up to his face, running his eyes tiredly. He opened them once again and noticed he was in the kitchen, and not alone.

"Hello there Davis!" Striker said happily. Davis smiled as he saw her fellow mare general.

"Hi Striker. It's been some time,' he declared as he went to the table she was sitting. He noticed she was munching something green.

He recognized grass... With...

Was that ice cream?

"Yeah!" she answered as he say. She laughed. "I heard you with that noble out there. Good way to put those guys in their place, no?" she chuckled. Davis followed.

"Well, I couldn't resist more. I have only so much patience. He crossed the line, and I think it's had to do that with me," he said, still eying her plate.

Striker nodded. "Nobles and their ways of thinking. I've met some good ones though..." She grinned. "Still, I wish I could do as you did. I'd I ever did something like that I'd he kicked out of the army!" she said. "Remind me to have you by my side next time I want to talk to one."

Davis stranged. "You can't?"

Striker shook her head, her mane moving slightly with the motion. "I'm not from the royal's thingy. I'm under those guys' rule," she said, patting her seal. "And I'm already crossing through thin ice after supporting Louis back there at court. I can't do anything else."

"You can ask tone transferred over to the royal army," Davis suggested. Striker shook her head.

"It will set off some alarms”, you know. In fact, the real royal army is the one I'm in. The names are barely for politics. They make the equestrians think the princesses have their own army when instead, the army that serves some ponies own interests is the equestrian." She whistled. "I hope nopony else heard me," she said chuckling. Davis smiled.

"Well, that doesn't explain about transference from one to another."

"Well," Striker began "as I said, it's officially one army divided in two. You can't really change from one to another, since, you know, it's the same."

Davis crossed his arms. "You know, this one army two factions thing is proving to be very troublesome."

Striker chuckled. "Tell me about it."

Davis opened his mouth to say something when he stopped. Striker stopped too. He noticed her ears moving frantically around, as if trying to find a sound. Davis and Striker met with their eyes. Both had heard the same thing.

Something was in the room, though he couldn't guess what. 

Suddenly, striker jumped to the air and sent a chair flying towards some doors to the pastry. Immediately, the chair managed to hit something. Davis stared in disbelief as he approached a black mass.

Both looked at each other once they saw what it was.

It was a changeling, right there in front of them.

He had been invisible...

He was in the palace...

And they had other three right behind them...
> Back Stab
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 24
"Back stab"

A shot fired through the kitchen as Davis retrieved his gun rapidly from the holster and shot. Immediately, another changeling fell hard, clutching its neck. The shot had caused a sound strong enough to cause everyone, even Davis, to cover their ears. Apparently, firing a gun inside a kitchen that had a lot of echo wasn't such a good idea.

Davis aimed again and ended the other changeling before he could recover. Striker watched the changeling let out a scream of pain as he fell on his back the second the bullet rang out of the gun. Davis aimed to the head and shot again, ending him.

"Are you alright?" Davis asked Striker as he looked around for any other changelings. He saw the first one they had seen and then at the two laying dead. 

Just as he asked, another changeling appeared out of nowhere and crashed against him. Davis felt as the gun slipped off his fingers and landed on the ground with a clank! He immediately tried to shove him off but felt the hard surface of the changeling's naturally armored belly. He cried as his fingers screamed in pain. The changeling recovered quickly and Davis saw his horn light up in an eerie green light. He didn't manage to react fast enough as the tip of the horn passed by mere inches from his neck. He felt a surprisingly strong wave of heat as it did and immediately stood up. He reached for his sword and unsheathed it swiftly; he had been practicing that a lot.

The changeling hissed strangely as he took a more menacing pose. David moved the sword forward and prepared to meet the changeling's horn. He noticed Striker was standing beside him as well now, also taking a more aggressive position by unfurling her wings. The changeling didn't flinch and so their staring contest continued. 

Suddenly, the changeling charged and fired a magical beam. Davis jumped to the side as the magic blast blew up a table that had been right behind him. Striker leaped forward using a swift and fast stroke of her wings and rapidly punched the changeling in the belly. Her hard hooves seemed to find it more easy to punch a changeling, since she didn't look pained at all, and the changeling was clutching the side of his belly in pain. He saw him turned and run Davis ran after him and picked the gun. As the changeling was about to exit the door, he aimed and fired. The bug fell hard against the floor too, just as his companions.

Davis looked at Striker, about to ask the same question, but she interrupted, nodding slowly.

"Yeah, I'm fine..." She walked towards the changeling she had hit first. "He's still alive," she points out.

Davis grinned. "We need to see if there are any other bugs around," he said, looking warily at the changeling's slow breathing. "We need to make sure this guy doesn't attempt anything when he wakes up, though."

He hadn't finished speaking when he noticed Striker was looking for something in a cupboard.

"What are you...?"

Striker smiled as she found a rope. She then took the chair that was laying in the ground and looked at Davis. "Place the changeling on the chair."

Davis picked the changeling silently and then placed him on it. Striker then proceeded to tie a knot, starting with his legs and then ending with a knot on his horn.

"Not quite a magic suppressor," she said, "but it'll do the work." Davis wanted to ask a little about what she had meant by magic suppressor, but he knew there were more important things to do first.

"Do you think he was only here?" he asked Striker. Striker shrugged. 

"Let's find out, and fast." She ran out of the kitchen with Davis close behind him...


***   ***   ***


Louis suddenly raised his hand making a sign to stop. Immediately, Ace, Silver Ink, two other generals, and a few royal guards and army officers stopped.

They were walking in a long hallway, right after being attacked by ten changelings that he had no idea where they had come from.

They had been walking in that hallway when the attack begun. No one expected it, and immediately most of the escort of the royal guards and an officer went down. He remembered the changeling's bloodied horns as they stabbed nonstop at the surprised and vulnerable ponies.

Louis had been frozen in place until Ace shouted his name. He had immediately taken his gun and started shooting. The big problem was that the guards had already engaged in sword fights with the changelings and if he shot he could hit one of his own. 

Still, a few of them had attacked Louis. He used his gun but ended up using his sword. It took a few minutes, but soon the changelings lay dead.

A few of the ponies hadn't made it though.

Now, the guards had insisted in taking the generals to a safer place in the castle, but Louis had taken the lead. They were heading for the royal tower, where the princesses were. He knew the princesses could be in danger as well.

He looked behind him and saw the ponies. Then, looking back forward, he spotted two royal guards. They were guarding a door, but Louis knew they could very well be changelings.

"Wait here," he told them. The captain in charge of the guards, who was beside him, was about to protest. "I'll be less suspicious." He didn't wait for a response and immediately walked forward as if nothing bad had happened.

"General!" one of the guards said, saluting. The other saw him and saluted as well.

"At ease," he said as the ponies relaxed their hooves. "I was wondering, what are you guarding here?"

One of the guards spoke up. "It's a treasure, sir. Celestia had us posted here herself." Louis nodded.

"I suppose it's fine then. Keep on with your jobs," he turned. Immediately, one of the guards sprung forwards as Louis turned his back to them. He reacted fast unsheathing his sword; still, he had been slow. He felt the hard hit as the disguised changeling's body slammed against his back and sent both tumbling down. Louis tried to stand up but the changeling managed to stop him by kicking his back.

He pulled his gun and fired blindly at where he thought the changeling was behind. He heard a satisfying thump as a body slammed against the tiled floor of the palace. He also heard rushed hoofsteps as the rest of the ponies ran to help. 

"Louis!" Ace shouted as he stopped beside him. Louis grunted as he tried to sit only to feel a sharp pain on his ribs.

"Lay still," Ace said as he saw him. Louis opened his eyes. He was lying on the floor in a slightly uncomfortable position with his ribs burning in pain.

"What is it?" he asked. 

The other ponies seemed to look around uneasily, expecting other sudden attackers. The other guard that had been with the changeling was staring wide-eyed at his fallen ex-companion.

"One of your ribs is broken," Ace said as he inspected it. "I'm not a doctor, but that purple color isn't something good. We need to get you to the infirmary." 

Louis shook his head. "No, I don't need that." He tried sitting again but Ace stopped him.

"Don't be irrational now Louis, we need to act carefully. You have a broken rib and there can be changelings anywhere, this was proof of it." Ace spoke firmly, reminding the German of his old field officer back in Germany.

Their talk was interrupted as the other royal guard that had been with the changeling was suddenly assaulted by the captain. 

"You are surely a changeling!" he shouted advancing menacingly with a spear in front. The guard backed up fearfully.

"N-no!" he exclaimed. "I-it's really me, sir!"

The captain didn't stopped until the spear was holding the guard with its tip against the wall. "I doubt that! I wonder if you'll turn yourself once the spear is through your damned throat!" he exclaimed, pressing slightly. 

"Captain, stop!" Louis ordered angrily. The captain suddenly opened his eyes wide and pulled back the spear. He seemed to realize what he had said and done. "Pull that spear back and hold yourself together!" 

The captain looked at him. "I'm sorry sir..." He backed up. 

"Don't be, just control yourself next time," Ace commented. The general walked up to the royal guard, who was now shaking. "But we do need to make sure you are not a changeling. They are very good at hiding those things," he looked attently at the guard. "I need you to cooperate completely with us here." The guard nodded slowly. 

"Yes sir!" he said.

Ace closed his eyes as his horn lighted up with a faint dark blue light. The guard was enveloped in a blue light like the horn's and then, seconds after, it faded as Ace opened his eyes. 

"He's clean; no changeling."

Louis smiled. "Captain," he said, "I believe you have an apology to make."

The royal guard captain's ears dropped slightly as he nodded. He looked at the guard. "Sorry, shouldn't have acted so irrationally." 

The guard seemed still shaken up, but he nodded slowly. "No problem sir." He smiled faintly. "But I pity the changeling that has to pass through that; you have an intimidating stare, sir." 

The captain chuckled. "Hehe, I'm glad I do."

Silver Ink suddenly jumped into the middle.

"I do understand you all feel like if there's nothing important going on, but I think we should get going," he said in a bothered tone.

Louis hated to admit it, but Silver was right. They couldn't allow themselves distractions like those. He turned to Ace. 

"Hey Ace, think you can mend this with your magic?" he asked. Ace shook his head.

"In afraid I can't. It's far beyond my magical capabilities..." He stopped as he seemed to think. "I can do something though. I can make the pain disappear for a while and make a protection spell that enables you to move normally for some time without causing more damage. You will however feel the broken bone if you move that part..." 

Louis nodded. "Do it. Our job's not done yet."

Ace approached as his horn lighted up again. Louis felt the weirdest sensation ever as he stopped feeling, literally,  his rib cage and that part of his body in general. He would describe it as if he knew it was there, but he didn't really feel it was.

As the spell ended, Louis felt no more pain and he was able to stand normally, though the feeling of not having anything in a part of his body was troubling. 

"Alright, let's move," he said.

Soon, they were moving towards the princesses' tower. Celestial was there, or so the captain had said. They needed to make sure she was fine.

Through hallways they moved, getting more confused guards along the way and having to fight off some changelings as well. They were now nearing the tower when he heard somebody shout.

"Changelings! In the to-" He was suddenly cut off with a grunt. Louis opened wide his eyes. 

"The princesses are in danger!" he exclaimed. He knew very well they could defend themselves, but if they happened to be attacked without them knowing? Changelings could disguise themselves, and they had apparently infiltrated the palace's royal guard...

He ran and saw a fallen royal guard with an arrow going right through his neck. Crimson blood had started to form in a puddle around him. Louis looked sadly and then up to the tower. He saw just in time as a changelings jumped from the other side of a pillar and fired an arrow. He jumped to the side and managed to miss the arrow, which had passed by whistling next to his ear.

'They are using bows...' he thought. He took his gun and fired at the changeling who was now struggling to hide again. The bullet hit its mark easily, the changeling letting out a scream of pain as it tore through his natural dark armor. The changeling fell on its back, dead. Instantly, another two jumped out of cover and shot more arrows. Louis cursed and jumped out of the way, getting a weird feeling from his ribs.

"They have bows, take cover!" he shouted. The rest of his companions nodded as they engaged the changelings. He saw as one of the royal guards used his magic to create a shield in front of them that blocked the enemy bolts. They advanced forward rapidly, making the changelings fall back towards the door for the tower. 

The door suddenly opened as ten more changelings charged from inside. Louis saw as five arrows struck at the same time, causing the shield to crack like glass. The unicorn guard that was making the shield opened wide his eyes.

"Take cover, it's going to crack!" he shouted hurriedly as all the changelings loaded at the same time. It took a second for them to do so and soon the arrows were striking the shield again. All of the royal guards and officers took immediate cover just as the last arrows broke the shield and passed right through easily, tiny shards of glass-like magic falling and fading in the air. 

Louis saw most had managed to take cover, only one hadn't and it had been the caster of the now fallen shield. 

"Buck..." the guard muttered as Louis turned to his armor. 

It had a little opening where by the worst luck of all the arrow had hit. 

The guard looked to the changelings as his face of confusion turned to one blank and he fell down hard. Louis cursed again. 

He risked a look and was immediately met by three arrows. He had caught a glimpse of what the changelings were doing. They were slowly advancing with the bows ready to shoot. His guards were taking cover in the pillars that led to the gate, but soon they'd have to meet the changelings. They couldn't hide.

"Sheiße..." he muttered. He needed to think of something.

He looked at his gun and saw it had almost all the clip full of ammo. He had other three clips though, so he knew he wasn't going to run out of bullets easily. He needed to use his gun as an advantage, but doing so would require him to attack with would in turn make him leave his cover...

He breathed once and prepared. The changelings were going to be ready for him, and he needed to be ready to miss six or seven arrows. Hopefully, he wouldn't get hit.

He jumped out if the cover of his pillar, immediately alerting the changelings and receiving many arrows shot. He heard them fly by without hitting him.

It was his chance.

With one quick step to aim more easily, he fired three consecutive shots before the changelings broke a formation they had and ran at him. He shot another before the royal guards hiding jumped to action as well. He saw the captain attack the changelings' leader with Ace. The rest of the officers and guards engaged the changelings in hoof to hoof combat. He could no longer fire without risking hitting one of his own, so he unsheathed his sword and attacked with a shout.

He stabbed one of the changelings through the neck and then he struck one with the sword's pommel. 

"Louis!" he heard Ace shout. He turned and saw the captain lying on the floor, obviously in pain. The changelings' leader was advancing onto Ace with determination, wielding a...

A sword...

Ace parried the sword with his horn as he managed to pick up the captain's sword, which was lying beside him. Louis ran through the crowd of fighting ponies and reached Ace. 

Ace parried another strike just as Louis threw an attack of his own. The changeling saw the German's sword and tried to stop it with his horn, causing the magic he was using to wield his own sword to fall. Ace leaped and stabbed him in the back while Louis thrusted his sword forward through the changeling's neck.

Both took the swords out, the changeling collapsing to the ground, dead.

He heard the last changeling fall as everyone crowded to end him. Soon, everyone was looking at Louis and Ace. Silver Ink got out of his hiding place, making Louis very angry for not helping. Still, he said nothing; now wasn't the time to argue about anything.

"Captain!" one of the guards shouted despairingly as he moved a hoof to cover his mouth. All the guards turned immediately to the still figure of the captain.

Louis slowly looked, as well as the rest.

He sighed.

The captain was dead, that was easy to tell. He had been decapitated, obviously by the changeling he and Ace had killed. It seemed obvious the guards here hadn't seen action in the battlefield before since they seemed very upset.

Louis looked around and noticed other two guards had died, and a total of fifteen changelings lay dead on the ground. 

"We have to keep moving. Who knows how many changelings infiltrated the palace, and I don't want to imagine what will happen if we don't go and warn the princesses," Ace said. Louis nodded in agreement.

"Warn them?" he heard Silver say suddenly. He looked at the general he despised the most angrily. "They surely know already and I know as well as Tartarus that they can defend themselves well enough; I don't see a need to risk ourselves here for this."

Louis almost punched him. "What are you talking about!" he screamed angrily, making everypony's ears to stand in surprise. He advanced menacingly at him, fear slowly showing on Silver's face. "You go! I take it you do not even take your duty to Equestria than the princesses seriously! Go on, desert us! You can go and rot in a hiding place for all I care!" He turned to the rest. "Follow me. They are surely more changelings in there and we have to secure the princesses." He turned and walked inside the doors. Ace sighed and walked behind him soon followed by the rest. Silver Ink remained behind.

"Yeah. Go on!" the angry pony general shouted. "Die for no reason!" He turned and left rapidly the other way.

Louis grinned angrily as he heard that, but kept going . They were reaching the main staircase that led all the way up.

"Louis..." Ace said silently. The German looked at him without stopping. 

"What is it?"

The blue unicorn sighed. "No, nothing... Never mind..." Louis looked a little confused but nodded.

They reached the staircase.

"Now let's hope what we think is wrong..." Louis muttered to himself, but Ace had managed to hear it.

And so, they walked up the stairs to the princesses' living quarters and, very likely, towards changelings...


***   ***   ***


Davis slowly looked through a door. It was completely black and made of metal: the gate to the royal guard quarters. They had headed there after Davis suggested that the changelings had probably planned this for a long time. That meant they would have a well formed plan which would consist in taking out as many guards as possible before the attack, and which place was better to do that than the royal guard quarters?

Answer: none.

Davis stopped as he pushed the ajar door open slightly and looked. It was completely dark, which immediately raised Davis' suspicion to a high peak. That wasn't something one would normally expect from that part of the palace. It was supposed to be busy and full of ponies going about off-duty. The darkness and eerie silence made Davis' hairs stand slightly. 

He looked out and then at Fire Strike.

"There is nothing, and when I'm saying nothing is that I can't see literally anything.The windows are shut and the lights are completely off. It looks like a tomb in there." He shivered at the thought of what he had just thought.

Would the changelings be so soulless as to...

He brushed the thought off his head. He didn't want to think like that.

Fire Strike pushed Davis as she entered.

"Wait..." Davis said, trying to stop her. When she entered and nothing happened, he followed hesitantly. He saw her standing there, trying to take in their surroundings.

The room wasn't tall; it couldn't be compared with the throne room in any way. It did have some decorations here and there, but it was hard to distinguish them in the dark. There were some tables with their respective chairs, though no pony was around, and hallways that led to the guard's rooms. The ceiling was plain white, but the darkness didn't help to see that well. There were candles, which Striker went to light. 

Soon, they were looking around the now lit room. Davis approached the windows and opened them, allowing moonlight to enter. Somehow, night had begun as they had been going cautiously to the quarters. 

"Now what?" Striker asked.

Davis looked at one of the hallways. "Which way is the training room?" he asked. It was the most probable place changelings would take the guards.

Striker pointed a specific hallway. "That way, why?"

Davis wasted no time as he started walking. "Follow me, I believe I know where they could be." Striker hesitated a little but followed the American. Davis walked in long steps, trying to be fast but silent. His gun seemed to be begging to be taken out of the holster, or Davis really felt uneasy; he took the gun and looked around as he walked for any changelings.

Soon they arrived to the training room. Davis saw the large gymnasium-like doors that led inside and slowly turned to Striker, who nodded in confirmation. They were the doors that Davis was looking for.

He placed his gun up front and prepared to enter. With a kick he sent the door open to the sides as he jumped inside.

Nothing.

Or at least, no pony was around...

Until he saw the cocoons...

They were all around; big and green covering the walls and the ceiling. They allowed a sickly green light out of them and Davis managed to see inside thanks to a part of them that was a green transparent color.

There were ponies inside.

Royal guards, all in their guard uniform and armor, trapped inside. They had their eyes closed, as if sleeping...

He tried to ignore the other possibility.

"They cocooned them!" Striker exclaimed. Davis looked at her.

"They what?"

Striker looked around as she examined the room.

"Cocooned..." she began to explain. "It's how we think they harvest the ponies' feelings. They trap you inside and it makes it easier for them to extract the feelings off of you, or so we think." She looked at him. "It's all theory of course. We haven't managed to get a changeling to tell us ever how this things work."

Davis looked shocked at the news. "So they're harvesting the feelings of this ponies?" Striker nodded.

"That's right."

Davis looked around. "We have to help them!" He looked at her once more. "How do we get them out of those things?"

Striker scratched her mane. "Last time we had to burn them and take the pony before they burned with it..." She saw Davis give her an are-you-serious face. "But we later found out that by simply kicking the transparent part they were freed."

Davis nodded, clasping his hands together.

"Then let's get to work."


***   ***   ***


A good deal of time and a bunch of confused royal guards later, Davis and Striker finally finished the last guard. There were a total of a hundred guards, all seemingly confused and completely unaware of the situation the had just been.

"Sir, what... What happened?" one of the officers asked.

"We were attacked by changelings. We believe their first target were the royal guard quarters where  they locked you all up to leave us on our own. I believe we should go and help if the changelings as indeed as numerous as I think." Davis finished. The officer nodded.

"Well sir, we are completely at your disposal."

Davis nodded. "Good. I need a headcount and also you need to be ready and fully equipped. There are changelings out there, and we will have to fight." The officer nodded with a bow of his head and turned, starting to give out orders. Davis turned to Striker.

"What now?" both asked at the same time. They looked surprised at the other.

"I have no idea," Davis said trying not to lose his composure after that. Striker smiled.

"Neither do I," she answered. Both sighed and looked around.

The officer seemed to finish speaking with a guard before he approached. "We are a total of a hundred and ten, sir," he said. "Most of us have our equipment already with us, so there's not much to prepare." Davis nodded.

"Very well." He turned to Striker. "The changelings would have gone for the “princesses’” tower next; we need to secure it or free it, whichever ends up being the case. We can't let them get to the princesses."

Striker nodded. "Princess Celestia isn't here in the palace, so she's safe. Princess Luna is surely in the tower though."

The officer spoke. "I'll get ready every guard and go to secure the princess."

Davis sighed. "Alright, let's get this over with."

Striker and Davis helped the officer organize the troops until they were ready to go. Immediately, they started to go for the tower. They were soon out of the barracks and moving, the silence of the palace broken by the hoofsteps of the guards. They were now nearing a corner that led to the door of the tower

That's when Davis made them stop.

"Changelings..." he muttered once he saw some on the floor, dead. He also saw a dead pony guard.

Seconds later, they were greeted by the sound of metal clashing in the tower's direction. That made Davis react immediately.

"Alright! Draw your swords and spears forward, we're going in!" He prepared his gun and felt his own sword. He was sure he'd end up needing it.

After he was sure the ponies were ready, he moved forward with Striker and the officer beside him. They went around the corner and advanced towards the tower. They passed beside multiple corpses of dead changelings and a few pony guards, causing uneasiness on the guards. Davis hoped that wasn't going to affect how they did once they went to fight.

He turned a little to watch the guards' faces and immediately recognized the expression of tension on their faces. Most of them hadn't seen a fight before which obviously made them unaware of what could happen, but they also had pressure and seeing fallen comrades seemed to be causing a negative effect in their morale. He sighed.

There wasn't much he could do now for that, a surprise attack just like the one they had had was... Confusing. It all seemed to have happened in a matter of minutes. The changelings surely had it planned well, or more than well by how it had been.

He was the first to climb up the tower, all the while hearing the fight closer.

They got to the last stair.

With a shout, Davis entered, aiming at the first changeling he could see...


***   ***   ***


Louis swing his sword effortlessly downwards to the changeling in front of him. The changeling managed to stop it with a magical shield, but it seemed to have been too much. The changeling surely had used too much magic as he seemed to collapse. Louis used that as a chance to stab him in the back. The sword went all the way down. When he retrieved it, the blade had a sickly green color.

"Hey Louis!" he heard Ace. Louis turned to look at the unicorn general. "The princesses are up those stairs over there! We need to secure it!"

Louis nodded as he took his gun out and shot consequently at two changelings that were running at him. He placed it back on the holster and ran to the door only to be stopped by two more changeling

They had met with those changelings just as they seemed to be entering the room where the princesses supposedly were. Since they had not been expecting Louis or the ponies, the surprise had been enough to tip the battle balance to their favor in the beginning.

Then he started to see the changeling numbers. 

They were close to fifty. How they managed to fit inside the tower, or go up at all, Louis had no idea.

The Equestrians were barely fifteen.

"Louis, to your right!" He looked and managed to move out of the way of a changeling's horn that was directed to his legs. He swing his sword rapidly, cutting a deep hole in the creature's neck. He was moving to attack the two changelings when there was a sudden cry near the stairs.

The changelings distracted for a second, allowing Louis to stab one before he recovered. The other parried his sword and sent him flying with a spell. He landed hard on his back, feeling the emptiness of his insides thanks to Ace's spell.

Only that the spell seemed to have fallen.

"Agh!" he exclaimed one a stabbing pain reached him from his ribs. He could feel it now; a horrible pain that caused his vision to become blurry, but he did manage to see who had given the shout. 

Davis was storming in, followed by General Fire Strike and a group of soldiers. He closed his eyes, immediately losing consciousness.


***   ***   ***


Davis killed the last changeling himself, using his gun to stop him from escaping. The changeling let out a painful cry and then collapsed to the ground. Davis looked around for any more but was greeted by the sight of all the changelings dead.

Davis had seen Louis fall and was glad once he found out he was still breathing. Still, he wanted to make sure he'd be safe so he had ordered two guards to take him down at once to the ground floor, where he had left a hundred guards keeping watch for any more infiltrated changelings.

He turned to the door to the princesses' rooms and walked to it. He stopped before it and opened it.

He saw it was all dark, but he managed to distinguish the form of the princess of the night.

He slowly opened the door completely, allowing light to enter.

The princess didn't look up. She stared at the tiled floor, her ever-flowing mane moving unnaturally. Davis advanced slowly towards a her.

"Princess Luna?" he asked slowly. The princesses' ears slowly rose up as he looked at Davis. He saw her pained face as she slowly looked back down.

"General..." she answered quietly.

"Are you alright princess?" he asked worried at her by the way she was acting.

He heard a soft chuckle from her. "I'm very much fine, thank you..." She pointed at a fallen pony beside her, making Davis notice the others that laid in the floor too.

"They attacked suddenly, without warning..." She sounded about to burst into tears. "I could have easily taken them, but my captain, he wouldn't allow me to fight. He convinced me to stay back, and I did. I know I shouldn't have!" She suddenly screamed the last, causing Davis to take a step back as he saw the room light up in a soft dark blue light coming from the princess' mane. Luna stayed like that for a few seconds before falling to the floor and bursting to tears. Davis was unsure of what to do. He knew how to deal with enemies, be it German or changelings, but he didn't know how to comfort a pony, let alone a princess. Should he approach? Or should he simply let her be?

He opted for the first.

"Princess," he said, walking to her. He stopped beside the crying mare laying on the floor. Even when she was like that, she seemed as tall as a normal pony standing up. Davis kneeled beside her. "It wasn't your fault."

Luna sighed, her crying stopping for a moment. "I know it was, I could have prevented it." She looked at Davis. "I promised myself when I was reformed by the elements to not let any pony die because of me for any reasons at all, especially from before... From when I was nightmare moon..." Davis placed a hand carefully on her mane, mostly out of instinct when comforting someone, or somepony this time, than for his own will. The princess was shivering, but apparently his touch seemed to calm her a little. Davis looked to the door and saw Ace looking at him, then disappearing behind the door.

Luna sighed once more.

"You know princess..." Davis began. "Back when I was on... my land," he said, trying not to say world since that sounded ridiculous on his head. "I was in command of a group of nearly one thousand men. They had trusted their lives in my hands, confident that I would be able to command them properly and spare all their lives or as many as I could." Davis slowly recalled his most painful memory. "I had never wanted to command something very big. At that time, the largest group of soldiers I had commanded was of a hundred; the general forced me to take a bigger command, and I failed."

Luna looked at him. "What happened?"

"I gave the wrong order," Davis said looking away. "Out of a thousand, only a hundred survived. I never got over that, and I'm afraid I won't. What I did was move on."

Luna chuckled, causing a confused reaction from Davis. 

"Here I am, am immortal alicorn with thousands of years of experience, getting a lesson from a human that arrived to Equestria no more than a year ago." She looked at him. "Thank you, General Davis. I needed that."

Davis nodded slowly and stood up. Just then, there was a rushed sound of hoofsteps from the other room and the door burst open with a worried solar princess walking in.

Davis bowed his head as the princess walked to Luna. Both hugged without a word.

The American slowly walked out of the room to give them privacy, his mind troubled with what was going to come after what had just happened. Would the princess close Equestria's frontiers and try to seal themselves off? Would she go for Davis' plan and attack? Would they give more for the war? He wondered this and more things as he left the room to check on the royal guards that had fought with him and to see how the German was doing… 

> Proving a point
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 25
Proving a point

The sound of thunder echoed through the large golden hall. Everything was illuminated for a few seconds before the light returned to its normal yellow tone due to the candles. The griffons looked around uneasily, all covered in full battle armor. The distinction between ranks were very obvious because of the armor, but all seemed to be worried regardless of their rank. Their gazes remained fixed on the throne, where the king sat with his gaze lost.

The legendary golden throne, acclaimed far and wide across all the lands of Equis and beyond. Its splendor unmatched even by the two sisters old thrones. Golden garments filled it with images of battles won by the griffon empire and reminded them of times when the tooth and the claw were the only things that mattered. From times before even the formation of the land of Equestria and the pony empires to their western borders. Long before even the chaos master and his attempt to break the world into chaos.

That throne had been in the claws of griffons since immemorial times, and they had no intention of letting it get taken.

The king slowly fixed his gaze back on the griffons standing in front of him. His tired eyes showed signs of decay and he breathed hard as if he had a fever. His wings seemed like they had not been preened in a long time and his armor looked dark with little light shining on it. Even the feathers of the king seemed decayed, as if losing their life like appearance  long before the owner lost it himself.

King Graccus III of the griffon empire. His empire had flourished in all sorts of ways since he started his reign, and now it seemed to be nearing an end. Not because he was dying, not because he had his griffons angry, but because he was losing...

Losing a war...

He sighed and slowly stood up. His golden crown emitted a golden brilliance that matched the throne's own surreal light as the faint candles illuminated it. His claws sounded as he took a few steps forward, right before the first step. All the griffons stood attention.

"I have heard the grim news that our messengers have brought, and so have you," he said. His voice sounded tired as well, and though not very old, it seemed like the voice of someone who had lived and seen lots of things. The respect his presence and his voice commanded in the present griffons immediately caused them to stand even straighter and listen even more carefully. His eyes kept scanning the room around, looking at every griffon his eyes passed upon. "And I must say that I do feel pained, but let's not make this a cause of our undoing. My son and heir was a good griffon in all of the ways one can call himself one. He was brave, loyal, and, above all, had a love for his land that made him do things not even the greatest heroes of our tales dared to do. Let his life be an example to all of us and may his soul reach the fields of glorious rest with my father and his father, his grandfather and my ancestors." He lowered his head. "And may his death be avenged." That brought a lot of whispers across the room and nods. Some griffons started to ruffle their wings as if wanting to leave and avenge him that very second.

"But we must tread carefully from now on. Our own pride caused all of our losses, and the enemy numbers contributed to that. We are the best fighters, but even a hero can't withstand an army of demon spawns by the hundreds." He started to go down the dark marble stairs that stood before his throne. "I summoned you all here today not only to pay respects to my son, but also to plan his revenge, and  of every single griffon life lost in this conflict." He stopped at the bottom and looked at a high ranked griffon.

"General," he said with a look of conviction on his face. "Are we ready to mount the greatest offensive this world has ever seen or heard of?" The griffon slowly smiled and nodded. That brought a few lonely cheers amongst the griffons present. "Then let's get to work!" he shouted, his grim attitude and tired posture immediately left him, showing a completely different griffon. Yes, he seemed a little uncared-for and tired, but the fire that had lighted in his eyes seemed to infect every griffon with it like a plague. Soon they were chanting songs about war, honor, and dead changelings...


***   ***   ***


A loud knock on the door of Davis' cabin at the main camp awoke the American. He blinked a few times before another knock, this one more insistent, made him stand up. 

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" he said tiredly. He walked slowly in the dark with the faint light of the moon that passed through his curtains guiding him to the door. He stopped in front and opened it. Outside he recognized a messenger. 

Those were never good news...

"Sir!" he saluted. "Your presence is requested in the war room, sir!" 

Davis yawned and nodded at the pegasus messenger. "Very well private, go back to rest." The pony saluted him and left with no more words exchanged. Davis sighed and closed the door. He walked over to a basin full of water and grabbed a little towel. He breathed in and moved his head inside the basin, soon getting it out and wiping the water off with the towel. He walked to his bed and picked up his American uniform jacket and then put on the cap of the same uniform. He wanted to feel American for some time, not Equestrian. He soon left the room after strapping his holster and making sure the gun was loaded. Not that he thought he was going to need to use it.

As he reached the war room of the camp (a small room inside the main building) he heard a few voices coming from the inside. He recognized one as Ace, but the other one was one he had never heard before. It seemed hard and cold, which immediately made Davis guess who, or what, it was.

He adjusted his jacket and entered. Inside he found his suspicions correct; Ace was sitting on the usual chair he always sat on and an important looking griffon sat on the opposite side, which was where Louis typically sat. Davis was greeting by the two shutting up and looking at him. Ace acknowledged Davis' prescience by a quick nod and the griffon simply looked at him with deep yellow eyes. His eyes seemed to be feeling Davis' very soul, causing him to feel uncomfortable.

"You must be general Davis," the griffon said with a female voice. Davis face palmed on his mind. Why hadn't he recognized it was a she? Her features seemed far more elegant than a male griffon. 

She stood up and lifted one of her front paws. "I am Gwydy, General Gwydy." Davis hook his paw.

"Pleased to meet you general," Davis said letting her paw go as both went to sit down. Ace looked between each other.

"She's the king's nephew, Davis," Ace said. "She's come here on his behalf..."

"To ask for the help of the Equestrian army on a lightning offensive to push the changelings once and for all off gryphon lands. They've been inside our territory for far too long. We believe it is time to end this once and for all." The gryphon general interrupted Ace rapidly to announce her purpose there.

Davis quirked his eyebrows.

He had wanted to do so, but not right before they actually entered the gryphon lands. He wanted to have an established position and a well thought out strategy, not being rushed. The gryphons seemed ready, or at least Gwydy had made it sound like that; he needed time to prepare and ready his troops. He wanted to secure Equestria's frontiers and then move to the gryphons...

But then here was his chance. He could join this gryphon offensive and get it over with; he'd not even need to protect his borders because the changelings would be far too busy defending themselves to make an actual attack on Equestrian territory.

He looked at the gryphon carefully, and the gryphon returned the stare. Ace only saw the two look at each other unblinking, wondering what was going on.

Davis saw her gaze seemed firm, yet some delicacy in her face features made it even more convincing and authoritative. Somehow, he knew she firmly believed that they were going to win the offensive, and that made him consider the option. 

If he joined he would be rushing though.

"I'd like to know more details before jumping into a plan I'm unaware of, I'm afraid." He stood up. "Who is the general in chief of this operation?"

Gwydy looked at him, surprised. She obviously supposed that the human would have joined her immediately, everyone else did.

"But..." She sighed. "The king himself will be leading us, general. He's got everything planned perfectly; we can't and we won't lose this, not with him in command and leading the forces."

Davis looked at the window and saw his troops training and then turned back on Gwydy. 

"It frightens me to think that someone can be so confident of the victory when they've been losing so far." 

Gwydy opened her eyes wide, surprised in her face that soon turned to anger.

"We've not been losing! We have been only not placing all of our efforts on it!" 

That cause Davis to stand up, anger starting to fill him now. "Not all of your effort?" he asked slowly. "Excuse me if I didn't got that right miss, but I feel that you should have then placed all of your efforts before they reached you capital's gates. That makes me wary about the position you say you have on this war."

Gwydy stood up as well. "What would a monkey have to say on griffons and war! We are bred to fight; it’s in our blood! If it seems we are losing, it's but an illusion to those that try to understand us!" Her face was now angry as well. 

"Then why come to us for help?" Davis deadpanned. That caused Gwydy to stare blankly at him, all her anger vanishing. "Why, if you are so good, do you need our help?"

Gwydy didn't spoke for a few seconds as she seemed to process that. "I..."

"You came here without any real consideration. Think about it..." Davis began, walking over to a table that had a map. He took it and then placed it on the table to let the three see it. "Here are the griffon lands," he said pointing with his finger. "The changelings are here, barely a day's walk and even less flying. They're waiting, for what I don't know, but they're probably doing the same that you are: a last invasion. I've followed their moves and they are surrounding the city and blocking it from any way to get resources, including food. I predict that by next month, they'll be in position to attack with all they've got."

Gwydy looked at the map, her frow deepening and causing her to look older than she was. She sighed. "You... You are actually right. Why hasn't the king done anything about it?" she asked, more to herself than to the two Equestrians. 

Davis shook his head. "I know it seems like a good idea, and it probably is, but your generals and I dare say your king have not taken into consideration a lot of things I'm afraid." He started to roll the map but Gwydy's claws stopped him.

"Let me see the map." Davis nodded and allowed her to unroll it again. Her amber gold eyes scanned the map, as if looking for something. "You say you've been following the changeling's advance in our lands?" Davis nodded. "I believe, no... I fear you are actually right. There's. No way we can make this glorious attack unless we get rid of all the changelings already in our lands... Why would the king... my uncle... Why would he plan something so poorly?" She turned furiously. "A straight line plan he said, they'll not expect it." She walked towards the door and stopped. "I'll have a talk with him and generals after returning." She turned back to face Davis and Ace. "I'm sorry to bring such a poor proposition to you and for wasting your time. I hadn't considered all of this, and I fear none have or, if they have then they're too scared to say it." She bowed. "Though I am going to ask another thing."

Davis nodded just as Gwydy raised her head again. "What may that be?"

Gwydy smiled. "Fighting on our own isn't as good as fighting together. I want to know if Equestrian troops will fight by us to win the war." 

Davis smiled. "You can be certain that we won't abandon the griffons; our troops will soon leave our own territory and go help." He walked to her and raised his hand to shake her claws. "It'll be an honor."

Gwydy smiled. "Great." She shook his hand and then bowed respectively at Ace. "I'll be leaving then. Expect more from me in the future." She opened the door. "May the enemy fall before our combined might," she finished before leaving, closing the door after her.

Ace stood up. "I can't believe you just convinced a griffon that their king was not right." 

Davis chuckled. "I merely pointed the fact that it would be a very short operation judging by how the changelings seemed to be doing their own strategy." 

He looked at the map. "If they surround that city, I don't think the griffons will last much longer..."

> New Front part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 26
New front (Part 1)

The soft salty air filled Louis' nostrils as he breathed deeply beside the shore. He inhaled everything, smiling. The sweet smell of the ocean had always been something he appreciated doing when he was beside the sea. He closed his eyes and imagined he was back in Germany, looking at the cold shores of the north. He hadn't been there much, but he really missed it. When he thought of it, he missed most of the things in Germany. He liked Equestria, or so far all he had seen of it, but it wasn't like his country. Here he was fighting because he felt it was the right thing to do; in Germany he wanted to fight, to win honor and glory for his country... Or so the Nazi regime had led him to believe. 

He had discussed things with Davis at certain points regarding the war back home. He knew his point of view and Davis knew Louis'. The big problem was that he was feeling that Davis gave stronger arguments and, slowly, he was being convinced that he was wrong and Davis was right. He had once considered Hitler a hero, but now he was looking at him more like he was the ruin of his country.

He felt ashamed of what he had been fighting for, even though he wouldn't have had it any other way. He loved Germany, and he would fight even if it wasn't on the side he saw was right. Germany probably was doing wrong, but he was a German and he would have fought with Germany nevertheless. 

He slowly opened his eyes. The crystal blue water of the Equestrian east coast calmed him in more ways than one, helping him think in the future and the past. He knew he needed to forget for a time his past life on earth and concentrate in the present predicaments, them being war. 

He looked at his uniform. He wore in Germany a simple private uniform; here he was wearing one of the highest ranks on his person: Brigadier General. Not yet Major General like Davis, but he was a General still. That rank caused him to pale slightly. He had only helped win the battle of Green Lake, but it had been Ace's own command that had brought about victory. He might have defeated the enemy general, but the battle hadn't been won by himself. How could he, a simple German private, be given such a task? He didn't feel ready.

He remembered when he had been officially promoted. Princess Celestia had made it a big fuss, with a special ceremony and all. It hadn't been only him, but many other officials that were being promoted due to their actions in the last battles. He had been promoted to general, Davis had been promoted to Major General and superior commander of the Equestrian forces, right under the princesses. He had full control of all, only overruled by the rulers of Equestria. 

There had been more promotions, one of them making general ace a brigadier general as well and a few other officers lieutenant and major. He didn't know most of them, though he recognized some from the battle. 

After the ceremony there had been a large party, which he heard was celebrated in all of Equestria. Apparently ponies seemed to feel that the war was almost over thanks to these two victories. Louis knew that wasn't true and was going to tell Celestia and Luna about it, not to lower the spirits but to prevent  a false idea from hanging around. He hadn't needed to since they announced a day later that the war wasn't over and that Equestria still had a very long road ahead.

He had a meeting with the rulers and with Davis, who suggested that they start to call for recruitment in a more serious manner. He suggested something Louis knew would help: propaganda. That is when Louis had jumped in. He knew a lot about it. He had knowledge to a certain degree of it, and he gave out his ideas. He had read a few notes on propaganda and he had heard from superiors about a few strategies the Nazis had used. Apparently, they worked well since even he felt convinced after seeing the Nazi propaganda.

Now, he had a chance to help apply some of his knowledge of that for a good cause. He explained a few things and was immediately understood by the present ponies and Davis. By the end if the meeting they had decided to start a printing press for government issues, making it free for all and Celestia issued an order that newspapers needed to abide to state regulations that were going to be applied soon, one of which was that they needed to place recruitment propaganda in their issues.

After a week of this new development, the recruitment centers throughout Equestria were filling. The normal training camp population grew from fifteen thousand to fifty in just a week, and after that it did stop growing so much, but it seemed to be working. Davis had estimated that after five months they'd have the largest operational army after the changelings. The griffons had an army of sixty thousand, though with the war those numbers were probably outdated. Now they only needed to implement new weapons, which Davis had surprisingly agreed to. Louis was against it since giving ponies firearms wasn't something he considered noble, even if it could help them win a war. In the end, it could bring more problems than solutions.

Louis turned and headed back to the docks. He had gone out for a walk before boarding a ship where he'd carry his troops by sea to support the griffons near the coasts. It had been part Davis' idea, though apparently the admiral had influenced much in the decision. An army attacking from the north and another one from the south would cause a lot of strain in the changelings’ attack plans. The changelings were currently attacking a few places at the same time, taking advantage of their superiority in numbers, the two most important being the griffon capital and the Griffonian shores which were vital for the survival of the griffons since it was from there that they received many resources from trading and Equestria itself after traveling by land became dangerous near the Griffonian-Equestrian border.

He saw the large masts before he finally spotted the large military port built only a month ago. It had been built for the very purpose of building and docking Equestrian Navy ships and was going to be used a center point for Equestrian naval warfare in the near future as soon as all the docks were finally opened. For now it held nine troop transport ships, three royal guard ships and two of the newest frigates. There were a few new types of ships being built based off from some rough sketches both Davis and Louis had given them, based mostly on old ships from the 1700s. There was one in particular that was the Equestrian Navy's biggest project; it was basically a man'o'war Equestrian style which Louis had gone to see as it as being built.

He was going there at the moment, in fact.

He reached the small recently-built port's walls. They were rather large, but it was pretty logical due to the need for protection. There was no real need for them, but after Davis agreed to give the Equestrians firearms, he had also warned them about the destructive power they had, especially if they were implemented into ships. For that the Equestrian architects had decided to plan all future military and defense building with defensive capabilities against such weapons, one of them being large ten meter tall walls around coastal forts and cities. Apparently there were some fairly big cities, like Manehattan, which were sadly too big to protect like that. Davis realized that the city was based off of the city in New York. He said that Manehattan looked far too advanced architecturally speaking to be from Equestria’s current technological period, but that didn't change the fact that such cities did exist in Equestria. 

Louis was greeted by the gatekeepers. The gate was a simple but big wooden door. For what he'd heard, they were planning on changing it for a metallic one, but that seemed a little far fetched, at least from Louis' point of view.

"Who goes!" came the guard's call. Louis waited for the old gate keeper pony to look through a little porthole in the door. It opened with a little screech. "Oh sir!" came the pony's voice. "I'll open at once." The porthole closed and soon the door opened, allowing Louis in.

Louis was slightly confused at first as to why they maintained the door closed, but he soon learned that it was for security reasons regarding changeling spies. So far there hadn't been any cases, but changelings could enter disguised as a normal pony, and having the door closed gave time for the guards to do a scan to make sure the pony in question isn't a changeling. That process was done for everypony, but Louis didn't have to since changelings, by all the ponies knew, couldn’t turn into humans.

"Bitte, Keeper," he said smiling. "How's your day been?" he asked the pony. The gatekeeper, an old pony named, without any joke, Gate Keeper. 

"Danke, mein General," he answered. "It's been boring so far. I hope someday something does happen. I don't have much time left to see things, you know?" Louis shook his head.

"Don't think like that Keeper. I'm sure there's plenty of time left for you," he said cheerfully, leaving a smiling pony behind. Gate Keeper had lived for some time in a nation to the north of Equestria called Germany. It seemed to be Equestria's equal to his own country, and what had surprised him was that the language was almost identical. He had promised himself that he'd go there someday, hopefully soon.

He walked past the army barracks, finding ponies around all saluting him, to which he answered as well. 

"Good day sir," one said.

"Indeed private," he'd answer. 

He had come to like his troops. They were a cheerful bunch, and being a general had made him to worry more about his troops knowing him and, if possible, liking him. So far he thought he was doing a fine job with that.

After a few turns around he reached the docks and, soon, the shipyards where they were building the new ship. 

Of all the land occupied by the military port and fort, the shipyard occupied more than half of it. There were three large ships under construction, one of them being the man'o'war and the others two smaller frigates. Based on what he'd heard from the builders, the frigates were called a 'Griffon class ship', which apparently had its name attributed to its resistance and durability combined with its agility which, considering its rather large size, was pretty good. They had one deck, though not including the poop deck or the forecastle, which were higher, not the lower deck. The two looked exactly like twins, with three masts and a very similar design. The other they said had no name and was based completely on Davis' and Louis' sketches. It was more of a test ship to see how it fared once it was launched. They said the class of ship wasn't defined as well, not having a name to fit with the size and power of it. With three very large masts, it dwarfed the other two frigates by a huge size. It had a poop deck and a quarter deck, the main deck being the same length of those two combined. The stern galleries were very decorated, which Louis thought was due to the model Davis had drawn depicting a famous British ship, the HMS Victory. It had two lines of gun ports below deck and spaces in the main deck for cannons. The ship would be a little useless unless the cannons were finished for it though, which was something Louis had considered rushed; maybe they should have waited for the cannons to be ready before starting to build ships for them? The other frigates had the same hikes below deck and the spaces in the main deck. He could very well imagine those ships in action once they were launched and the cannons installed.

He could see pegasi, earth ponies and unicorns working to build it, which was something amazing to watch. He saw the shipmaster making sure the construction went as planned. He waved and was greeted by him in the same manner, though the pony soon returned to do his job.

He stared for a few minutes as the ponies built, lost in thought. What if the war didn't expand into the ocean? Maybe changelings were not going to focus much and would simply be defeated at sea fast? They had never used boats, which meant they had no experience; that gave them a larger advantage, even if the changelings managed to get their hooves on the entire griffon fleet. Just with the sight of the new ships, and the very thought of guns with them, made the entire prospect of a war at seas almost laughable. The changelings had no chance, not after the Equestrians were done.

He was still looking when he heard someone call his rank.

"General, sir. Message from General Davis." Louis turned and saw a messenger pegasus in front of him saluting. "He said to proceed with the mission tomorrow at first light." Louis sighed. That meant they were leaving the port soon. He saw a little envelope in the pony's hoof, which he took.

"Very well, thank you." The pony saluted again and left. Louis looked around and sighed. It had been great to rest while it lasted.

Slowly, pressure started to return to the young general's mind...

Two thousand troops. Two thousand ponies under his full command, with a mission he was supposed to lead them on. Two thousand souls that depended on his decisions alone...

That was certainly not reassuring,

He felt his breath quicken, but immediately calmed down. He needed to focus, not get lost inside his own thoughts.

He breathed a few times and walked forward, searching for Iroh.

"Iroh!" he called once he found his friend. The pony looked at him.

"Good evening general. When did you return from your walk?"

Louis smiled. "About an hour ago." He looked around. "I just received confirmation to proceed." 

Iroh nodded. "Very well. I'll get to it sir. I'll let you know once it is all arranged. When do you need us all to be boarding?" 

"I would say that before tomorrow morning I want the ships ready to set sail. I need everything packed and ready inside the ships," he said. "I'll go and notify the Admiral."

Iroh nodded. "Sure sir." He saluted and walked away. Louis then started off to the officers' barracks. It was indeed a nicer building than the troops’, for which he was slightly unhappy since he disliked being treated better than the troops. 

He entered and found the Admiral talking with one of the ship captains. The Admiral was an older earth pony with a light blue coat and a simple black, short mane. His cutie mark was a ship steering wheel and his eyes were the same color as his coat.

"...the ships sir. With only three frigates it will be impossible to defend ten transport ships, or at least most of them. If what we've heard is true, then the enemy started using ships after taking the griffons’ military port." The captain talked with a worried voice. The Admiral closed his eyes, and then turned to Louis.

"Ah, general. I hadn't expected you to return so soon from your walk." The Admiral had come to like Louis, and so had Louis to the Admiral. "And in good time," he said, looking for a second at his captain. "I was going to send for you since we've encountered a problem which, I guess, you already overheard."

Louis crossed his arms. "You can't guarantee the protection of all the transport vessels?"

The Admiral nodded slowly. "I'm afraid so, general. We have three frigates stationed on this port. The rest of my fleet is protecting Equestrian trade routes since changelings started using boats from the griffon navy. We've never had a big navy and now we don't have enough ships to use. I requested the princess to build more, which you can see is being carried out but, if you want to leave soon, it won't help for much."

Louis nodded. "And what about the Saddle Arabian ambassador? I thought you and the rindless had arranged that their navy would help us."

The Admiral nodded. "Aye, we did, but they are protecting their own trade routes at the moment. They reduced their navy considerably after they managed to eradicate the pirates that haunted their seas. That was the only reason after all that caused them to have the largest navy; pirates were a really big problem in their coasts. Now, with them gone, they decommissioned most of their fleet. They are trying to bring their boats back to action, but it will take them some time too. Not as much as we in building new ships, but they won't send us vessels in at least another month."

The German sighed. "Then three ships will have to do." The captain immediately perked his ears up, rushing to argue what Louis had just said. 

"Will have to do?" he repeated. "I'm sorry sir, but have you heard what you just said? We are talking here in the protection of two thousand souls, only in three frigates? If we had at least griffon class frigates I'd say we have a chance, but not unless we had those miraculous fire-spitting metal tubes of yours will we manage this mission."

Louis looked at the captain. "Then, bitte, what is it that you recommend?"

The captain looked at the Admiral. "I recommend to wait until we receive the Saddle Arabian reinforcements or our own ships, preferably the two griffon class ones on this very facility, are finished."

Shaking his head, Louis almost shouted, "We don't have time!" That made both Admiral and captain to pull their ears up. Louis turned and looked outside. The sun was setting down, causing long shadows to enter the barracks. "The enemy is out there, and is not going to wait for our ships to be ready. They're going to attack, and I'm sure they are getting ready for that this very second in which we are wasting our time! Now, can this be done, Admiral? Can we take my troops safely to griffon lands or will this prove to be an impossible journey? Will this be how we are remembered? As the ones that waited while the enemy fortified and prepared to attack themselves?" He looked at both. "I don't want to be remembered like that. So, will this be possible, or do we need to tell the princesses that this plan won't work and that we need a new one?"

The captain looked at the Admiral slowly as Louis crossed his arms. The Admiral slowly cleared his throat. "Well, I don't say it'll be impossible, only that it will be hard and not all might make it there alive..." He returned the look to the captain. "But I believe I can take your ponies safely there, you can count on that." The captain snorted angrily.

"I'll be outside." He walked outside and, before leaving the barracks, he turned. "General, Admiral." He turned again and left. The Admiral sighed.

"I only want you to know that it is a very difficult task with only three ships. Not only because of changelings, but because of pirates as well. I will, though, make my best efforts to keep your troops safe for the duration of the journey, which will hopefully take no more than a week." The general finished with a short bow, to which Louis answered. 

"Bitteschön, Admiral. I'll make sure not to give you more trouble." He turned and headed to his room, but was stopped by a pony hoof. The Admiral walked in front of him.

"General, you sure you want to try this? Once we leave port, there will be no turning back." Louis sighed. 

"Look Admiral, the problem is that we need to help the griffons as fast as possible, and any delays bring their demise closer, and with their defeat would soon come ours."

The pony looked down. "I understand that. I only want to know that you are hundred percent sure this will work; I'd rather not sacrifice the lives of my men with an endless enterprise."

"This won't be an endless enterprise, Admiral. You can count on that," the German answered. "I'll go and catch some sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day." He moved around the pony and stopped in front of his room. "And Admiral, you can be certain that I'll do anything within my power to protect your men just as I will with my own." He opened the door and entered his room, leaving the lone pony Admiral in the hall. The Admiral turned and walked out, going to prepare everything for the departure...

***   ***   ***

"Pull!" came the captain’s voice as the ropes that had the ships anchored to the port were brought on the boat. The faint light of the rising sun gave them light as they worked the small fleet out of the port. Louis stood in the prow of the Solar, one of the frigates and the head of the expedition. He was looking at the port, his uniform covered in a large cloak due to the cold weather of the morning. His eyes scanned the crowd of ponies saluting and cheering for the troops leaving to war, the Admiral being one of them. Louis saluted and the Admiral saluted back.

He remembered then what the Admiral told him right before climbing aboard.

"Remember it will no longer be Equestria, general. The griffons may be happy at first that you came to help, but once it's over they'll be resentful. The griffon empire is a wild place, even if they say the contrary. Strength is important for them. Show you are strong and you'll be respected, even admired."

Davis kept those words very close now. He knew they were different from ponies, that was obvious; he needed to act differently, probably even tough. He hoped he wouldn't need to appear someone he was not, but if getting their respect meant that, he would.

The land slowly started to move away, farther and farther by the second. Soon, he could only see the ponies as faint ants and, not much later, only the buildings and the Equestrian flag that hung tall and proud from the main dock. His gaze shifted to the part where the ships were being built. The biggest ship was taller than any of the buildings in the port, and he could even think it was already finished. He hoped those ships would be available soon, they were going to help much if the war got longer.

He really hoped that the war wouldn't last as long as the war back home, on earth, was going so far. Five years... Or was it six? A war that long was horrible, and so far the Equestrians had been only for a month or two. The griffons had been longer though. For what he'd heard, they had been fighting changelings for a long time, even before the famous Canterlot attack. Apparently, changeling guerrillas had always been hitting the griffon frontiers, but never in such a large force or such well-coordinated attacks. This time they had declared open war against the griffons, and there had been an entire year of fighting even before either Louis or Davis got to Equestria. The ponies joining seemed to weaken the changelings a little now, or at least that was what the griffon ambassadors had told the princesses. The griffons were preparing a large offensive to which Davis had not agreed to help due to problems with the planning and now the Equestrians were moving into griffon territory by both land and sea. Davis was at that same moment, or so Louis had agreed with Davis and the other generals, crossing the border between both lands, taking with himself a much larger force of ten thousand. Louis was going to cause a few disturbances against the changelings in contrast with what Davis was going to do.

He returned to the world from once he felt a tapping on his shoulder. He turned and saw the captain of the ship. He was the one that had been with the Admiral discussing the other night.

"Yes?" he asked. The pony looked around. 

"Sir, we should be reaching the griffon port of Aedia in a week. We expect a good climate but you never know in the sea. I just wanted to notify." He seemed slightly stressed. Louis couldn't blame him, he had far too many souls under his care and not enough to keep them safe. It was understandable. 

Louis nodded. "Thank you captain. I suppose now we only need to wait.

"And hope we don't meet pirates, or some of those changelings ships. They are still griffon-made, which makes them the most powerful ships in the sea," the captain said, grinning slightly. "I will check around now. You should try to familiarize yourself with the ship sir, ten days at sea for a new one can be taxing." The pony saluted and walked away. Louis smiled.

"I will adapt, captain..." he whispered, looking back at the sea. Behind them was the rest if the convoy; seven transport ships and three frigates protecting them. It looked pretty magnificent, though he knew the transport ships were very vulnerable to attacks. The main concern was keeping them safe, nothing could happen to those...

He felt the salty breeze cover his face as a splash of water suddenly made him sample test wet. He grunted as he realized he was now soaking wet. The waves had seemed to grow larger now, which made the German walk away from the side. 

He decided to go to his deck and sleep, or try to at least. The rocking of the ship proved to be a little too much and he feared he wouldn't be able to do so.

He walked down to the deck below and found a small room he had for himself. He hadn't entered before, instead his luggage and personal things had been taken there as he arranged things with the captain. He looked around.

It was small, but considering he was in a ship it was a lot. The bed had been obviously adjusted for a human, since it seemed to have been changed recently. There was a small wardrobe where he found his uniforms arranged and ready. That was more than he had thought the ponies would do. He found a case that had been made for his rifle. It had been done after he asked it to the princesses to help him carry it when he wasn't in an engagement, mostly because he liked to have it close to himself just as Davis did.

He slowly walked to the bed and lay down, closing his eyes and falling asleep almost immediately thanks to the rocking of the ship… 
> New front part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 27
New Fromt part 2

The shady waves of the sea rocked the ship gently back and forth, sending small yet refreshing sprays of water across the deck when the ship crashed against a wave. The air was strong, but more like a refreshing string which helped fight the harsh sun on the sea. The ship's sails pushed forward, as if convinced that they needed to move fast, and the crewmembers didn't acted differently; their gazes were lost as they worked hard and concentrated in what they were doing. The wind was favoring the ship, but after the captain had ordered all sails to be released that had immediately cases the crew to have more work.

Louis watched the sea pass by as he stood near the prow of the boat, thinking in what was going to happen once they reached the griffon port. Would they encounter resistance from the changelings? Would it be abandoned? Would the griffons be already free and ready to greet them?

With all those question bothering his mind, Louis sighed and closed his eyes as another sweet spray of salty sea water passed by. The wind blew his short hair since he didn't have the officer cap on; he was sure it wasn't a good idea with so much air. He opened his eyes again and contemplated the barren expanse of blue before him. The water seemed to form patterns and figures with the waves as they moved, which entertained him for a while as he relaxed and tried to forget the war.

He had done that many times back on earth. Forgetting his current problems with a simple yet entertaining things, such as trying to find forms and patterns in the water or clouds. Clearing his mind had helped him remain sane, even with the horror of war around him.

He was about to turn around and head to his room when he noticed a faint shadow far away. He closed his eyes and blinked twice afterwards to make sure he wasn't being tricked by his eyes. 

Instead of disappearing, the shadow started getting clearer and clearer until he was certain it was another ship. He couldn't yet distinguish the colors, but he knew it was best to notify the captain. He was turning again when he saw other two shadows beside the one he had already seen.

He looked around the ship and finally found the captain.

"Captain, you'll want to take a look at this." He passed him a spyglass and guided him to the side of the ship. The captain seemed uncertain of what was going on.

"What is it general?"

Louis pointed to the incoming ships. "There, three ships coming in out direction. I can't distinguish the colors though; they can be anything." 

The captain shrugged and looked intently. He seemed to keep trying to see from where those ships came from and what were their flags.

He finally took the spyglass off his eyes. "Griffons," he said. "They carry the imperial flag. We mustn't worry about them."

"Unless they're changelings," Louis said. That made the captain and a few members of the crew look at him. "Remember the changelings stole griffon ships. They can be using their flags to approach without problem only to attack when they are close."

The captain scratched his head. "That... That is true. We can't wait to find out." He looked at his second. "Call to station, second. We want to be prepared." The pony nodded and saluted before running to a bell that hung in the main mast. Seconds later, the bells started chiming and the crew members abandoned their current posts.

"Get ready ! Battle stations!" the captain shouted. "Make a sign to the other escort ships and pull the flags to signal the transports to get on turtle formation!" he ordered. Louis looked amazed as the ponies moved around perfectly doing their jobs. Soon, the entire convoy was alert and ready. The turtle formation soon came to place.

Louis noticed the so-called turtle formation was fairly simple; the transport ships stood in the middle with the frigates around them trying to keep them from harm. With only three frigates though, it proved to be a difficult job for the navy ships.

He looked over to the captain. "There are three ships of them and three of us. We should try to keep the transport away from the attackers and instead of making a formation around them, only making a wall." The captain looked at him confused. Davis sighed. "We don't make a turtle formation around ten captain, but instead a barrier; use our ships as a shield from the coming attack only from the side the attack is coming." 

The captain seemed to ponder this for a second before shouting in frustration. "Of course! Why I didn't saw that earlier." He sighed. "We'll do that General, thank you for pointing that out." Louis smiled as the captain went to order that to be done. Soon, the three ships were forming a line, placing the transports away from the incoming ships.

Now, they needed to wait and see what happened. The equestrian navy ships were ready, with the archers on the castle of the ship, ready to fire and the sword ponies also prepared to attack should a boarding happen.

Seconds turned to minutes and minutes to an hour. It was now clear that the three ships were heading towards the equestrians. That was putting more stress on the ponies and Louis himself. 

After some more minutes, another ship was said to appear in the horizon, also going their way and with the griffon flag on it as well. 

The captain looked around. The ships was now still, the crew prepared and ready for whatever could come to them. Now, the problem was that there was another ship approaching. Louis knew this wasn't something that would happen normally on the sea. Something was going on, and he didn't like it; threw griffon ships... That meant something bad was about to happen.

"I don't like this... I don't like is at all," the captain said. "We have now another ship approaching, with only three frigates to battle four griffon ships!" He didn't say that very much aloud, but rather to Louis. "We should have waited."

Louis shook his head. "We still don't know what will happen." He looked around the ships. They very well may be griffons."

"And what make you think that guaranties our safety, general?" the second said. "They may very well take us as slaves or something. One can't trust a griffon." 

Louis wanted to answer as he felt some anger within but resisted the urge to answer. He knew a griffon... When he had been at the zebra's cottage. He had been rather interesting to talk to, and amiable too; the prospect of war was alive in him, though he knew it was a normal thing, at least in humans it was. Living it was different, but that griffon hadn't been bad at all. He had been normal, and civilized... He actually hoped to meet him again.

Louis snorted and turned away. "We should get ready captain. I don't know how you handle a battle at sea though, not with this weapons," he said, pointing at the archers now stationed on the castle ready to shoot.

The captain nodded and walked in front of him. "It's basically a jump-to-the-ship kind of thing. You board and try not to be boarded. Actually a pretty straightforward battle, if one doesn't trick with magic or p,as too much with fire; it's a rare case for a ship to be sunk." He pointed at the archers. They stay there, shooting at any enemies they see and we, the rest, ready swords and pikes."

Louis nodded. He could picture it now... Though he knew that with his rifle and his gun there could be a slight change in how the battle was fought. Hopefully they'd win. Then, a doubt entered his mind.

So this ponies knew how to fight, in difference with the recruits back at the camp. He was surprised there was a part of the equestrian military, even if it was the navy, that knew how to deal with trouble with the prospect of killing in front of them.

He expressed his curiosity to the captain, who in turn sighed. 

"It is indeed a rather... Overwhelming feeling when one knows that killing is needed, but my lads know it. We received new recruit too, so some don't, but our veterans are there to help them... adjust to the change of life." He walked to the side, on a part with no ponies, and looked at the incoming ships. Louis followed. "Equestria is a land like no other. It is surprising was is almost unheard of in it, since the outside world is very much dangerous not here are a few places like equestria in terms of peace, yes, but none haven't have a conflict in so many years." He gestured around at the crew. "Since we go out of equestrian lands al, the time to protect convoys and transport vessels, we need to face the hard reality; this world is not as you were taught it was." 

"But what is it that you fight with? None would dare attack an equestrian ship," Louis said.

The captain nodded. "Aye, it is hard to imagine it, but pirates run wild on the seas. That is why we have a navy at all, if not we would be just like the army; new and with no experience."

Louis didn't said anything and instead stays beside the captain watching the ships approach, waiting.

Suddenly, there was a shout from an oncoming Pegasus that the captain had sent minutes after.

"Changelings!" he shouted. "They're changelings!" 

The captain immediately looked up. 

"Alright lads! You know your jobs. Prepare to fight them off and ready yourselves for boarding!" The sound of swords being unsheathed and of bows being stringed. Louis took out his rifle from his back since it had been strapped there.

Soon, the ships lowered the griffon flag and pulled a grayish cloth instead. Louis distinguished a steel hoof printed on it, though it looked poorly made. Louis moved the rifle to position and pointed. The changeling silhouettes had begun to appear. 

Suddenly, the captain yelled. 

"Fire!"

Dozens of arrows flew whistling upwards and towards the incoming ships he saw that not all landed right, but many reached its mark. The sound of angry shouts came from the enemy ships as the changelings showed themselves. Louis saw as some strung bows slightly up from the ground, hovering with their wings. 

"Take cover!" the captain shouted as a dozen arrows flew beside them. Louis saw none had hit anypony, but they needed to be careful.

"Loose!" the captain shouted again, followed by more dozens of arrows filling the sky with a whistle. He saw as some encrusted themselves on the ships' decks. He took cover as the changelings responded with another volley.

"Fire at will!" the captain ordered this time. 

Ponies and changelings kept exchanging arrow shot after arrow shot, hitting the occasional unlucky pony or changeling. Louis had left his cover and was now firing with his rifle at them, hitting many. Soon, the main target for the changelings was him which caused the German to duck and stay low before managing any shot at all. The shouts of ponies made everything more dark as he tried to distinguish what was said.

"Fire to the left!" one shouted. 

"Oh sweet Celestia... My leg! It passed right through my leg!"

"Take cover!" the captain shouted as he noticed the changelings preparation to fire a more organized volley. Seconds later, many arrows hit the deck. 

"Unicorns! Prepare to fire!" the captain instructed. The unicorn crew members lined up, taking advantage of the changeling's slow loading time. He saw as the unicorn closed their eyes and light orbs started to grow from their horns.

"Fire!" the captain shouted. Instantly, about a dozen light orbs of different colors went flying towards the changeling ship. Louis stared in wonder as they crashed against the ship, causing a series of magical explosions to rock it and set it on fire. He was so surprised he didn't noticed the unicorns were slowly falling to the deck, exhausted. He then turned back towards the damaged changeling ship and smiled as he saw a last explosion go off and the ship slowly turn and start to sink, all the time burning with a bright orange flame. 

He looked at the captain. He looked relieved, but rapidly turned his attention towards the other ship; it was preparing to board, the changelings on it readying some sort of curved blades and... Were they sharpening their horns?! The ship was turning in direction to their own. Louis looked at the other one; it was also getting ready for boarding. The one that was farther away was still too far to make up much, but he was hoping they were griffons and not more changelings.

He saw as the other two equestrian frigates fired arrows at them, though it was obvious they weren't doing much damage. He could guess they didn't have any more unicorn shots since the ones they had were laying on the deck. They needed to hope for the best now.

Suddenly, the changeling ship changed route and moved to another one of the equestrian frigates. He saw as changelings and Pegasus lifted to the air, only for many of them to be killed by arrows from the changelings. Louis looked in disgust at the changeling ship; it had sacrificed their own and killed them with their own shots!

He saw as the two ships collided with each other and as changelings, from the higher deck of the griffon ship, jumped to the equestrian deck and he heard as shouts began and the sound of clashing steel began. 

The other equestrian ships turned to help the one in trouble as he other changeling ship moved towards Louis' ship. He saw the ponies getting ready.

"Alright! We're gonna be boarded! Get ready ponies!" the captain shouted to his crew. The ponies prepared their weapons.

The large griffon ship collided with their own and, seconds later, changelings jumped from their own deck just as they had with the other ship. Louis noticed many died with volleys of the equestrian archers, but it wasn't enough for them to stop; soon it was full battle on the deck. Louis placed his rifle on his back and unsheathed his sword. He was going to need it.

"There! Get the ape!" a changeling shouted. Louis turned and saw as five changelings turned to face him. He got ready just as the first one rushed at him. He parried the curved short blade and used his elbow to hit him in the back. With the rest of the momentum, he swung down his sword, the large blade decapitating the changeling. The other four attacked simultaneously. He jumped sideways and managed to evade two horns with that. With a strong and swift stroke he wounded another and sent flying one beside. The last one left charged up his horn; Louis didn't gave him a chance to fire. He swung his blade, only for the changeling to stop his spell and stop the sword with it. Louis stabbed forward, puncturing a hole on the changelings chest. With another hit he brought down the sword and immediately ended his foe. 

He turned and saw a despairing sight; it appeared that the ponies were having a hard time. 

Looking to the other ships, he felt his hope loosen; one of the equestrian ships was slowly sinking with fire around it. The other one was infested with changelings. It wasn't going to be long before the changelings defeated them and moved towards his own ship.

Just then, the sound of a horn echoed through the sea. The griffon ship was now close, the griffon flag proudly fluttering against the wind, and creatures half bird half lion on board. Louis smiled as he noticed the griffons shout and take to the sky, all clutching swords and axes with armor on them. He saw as ponies cheered, but resumed the fight immediately. Changelings took flight as well at the same time as arrows flew towards the approaching griffons. Louis' smile grew wider as he saw a huge ballista aim and fire at one of the griffon ships. The sound of changelings cries and the thundering cheer of griffon warriors filled the air for a few seconds. 

Louis dodged an arrow and pulled the trigger as he fired at two approaching airborne changelings.

"Equestrians! To me!" he shouted trying to get the attention of the ponies. His shout clearly caused the ponies to pay attention. He saw as the crew ran to him, he starting to order them as the changelings looked slightly surprised at the sudden lack of ponies around. Soon, most of the ship's crew was beside him. Louis pulled out his sword and placed the gun on its sheath. 

"Attack!" he ordered. The ponies ran across the deck, taking the changelings still confused both by the griffon attack and the strange formation of ponies. They fell fast under the equestrians' swords and soon they were being driven back to their own ship. Louis climbed aboard the griffon ship and kept stabbing. He heard the ponies around and also noticed that griffons were landing beside him, their battle cries causing the changelings to cower before them. Louis stabbed a changelings and turned to see the fight.

The changelings were turning and flying away now. The other equestrian ship was also now rescued by griffon troops, the sudden change of odds causing the changelings to turn and fly away as well before being caught by arrows.

Soon, the changelings were finished, leaving only wreckage and bloodied bodies On the now red and green decks. Louis looked around and saw the captain walking towards him, clutching his side with one hoof and walking on three.

"We won..." Louis said slowly. The captain nodded. 

"Aye... But it came with a heavy price. The "little feather", that is, the other frigate, is far too damaged to continue the trip. We'll have to transfer the crew to our own ship or use on of the changeling ones." He looked at a swirling vortex that slowly faded where the last part of the equestrian sunken ship has been last. "As for them we hope the ship greeted them with open arms... We are already rescuing survivors, but most didn't make it."

Louis sighed. He saw griffons helping with the wounded and checking for ship damages, both on theirs and the equestrians. 

Just then, a griffon landed beside them. He wore a navy vest and had a few medals on it. He stood with a dignified pose; he was surely the captain or a Almirant.

"Captain, general, it is an honor meeting you. My name is Davius Greyfeather, almirant of the griffon navy and commander of griffon port troopers." He looked at Louis and moved a claw in salute. "I finally meet the hero of Green Lake, the human."

Louis greeted back and slightly blushed. "Well, I'm not really a hero, but thanks."

The griffon shook his head. "Nonsense. Every warrior is a hero, but you distinguished yourself, or so I've heard. It's nice knowing our allies have able leaders such as yourself and your partner, General Davis." He turned to the captain. "Captain, I have my crew checking for damages on both your ships and my own stolen ones. You surely know the damage on your on their ship is far too much and it won't sustain any trip, not even to the closest port." The captain looked slightly dark as he answered. 

"Yes, I already knew that."

The Almirant soiled. "I am really glad this battle wasn't as bad as it would have been. The changelings may be hatchlings at sea, but they've picked on fairly quick on the ways of it. I'm surprised they haven't started building their own ships." He turned to Louis again. "What is your plan?" Louis have him a questioning look. He noticed. "Well, of course you are here with five transport ships for a reason! Are they troops that will help us or simply taking a cruise to the most dangerous waters in Equs?" 

Louis grinned. "We are going to start a two-front campaign. We hope that, by freeing the griffon ports, we'll manage to get a reliable supply line from the sea and to not depend solely on the provisions sent from overland, which can be easily taken out."

The Almirant nodded. "Very well. I'll escort your ships to the best port for such uses." Louis was about to say something but was interrupted by the Greyfeather. "It's not yet taken, but we are suffering heavy attacks. It has a walled fort, but the city is also surrounded by a thick wall. The problem is that the town itself is almost lost. The town walls will not withstand any other large-scale attack. If your troops come to reinforce us there, you'll not only have a safe and strong base of operations, but you will have a safe haven in case things go south or if problems arise." Louise looked at the captain, who in turn looked at the ship. "It is your best chance, and our hope of not losing the most important port."

Louis closed his eyes and sighed. That could prove to be a problem. Their original plan would be what he wanted, especially because it meant going somewhere they hadn't planned. The odds were more in favor though. He'd need to send a letter to Davis about the exact location of the port, but apart from that nothing else would be needed. 

He turned and nodded.,

"I believe that is best course of action. Please, show us in a map where it is and we'll go there."

Greyfeather smiled. It wasn't a happy smile, but rather a satisfied and even excited one.

With contained excited words, he spoke:

"Very well. Let's go to your quarters captain, we'll have a lot to discuss..."
> Marching, worries and griffon problems
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 28
Marching, worries and griffon problems

Davis contemplated the landscape before him with a tired face. His eyes scanned the desert land in front of him, the last frontier between Equestria and the griffon empire; the barren and burning landscape before him seemed completely uninviting for an individual, much less an army. He was standing atop a large rock that allowed him to get a nice overview of the way ahead, and he held in his arms a map of Equestria and the southern kingdoms. 

According to the map, it would be a three day journey across the desert until they reached the Northern Griffon Plains, and then another day before they reached the Griffon Forest. (He had laughed internally at the names, all with “griffon” in them.) 

He rolled the map and sighed. It was going to be one long and tiresome journey. Hopefully, by the time they reached the need for fresh supplies Louis would have already taken the port and established a firm supply line for his troops; that was the main objective of Louis' attack after all. They were to join his forces soon after, at the griffon capital which hopefully wouldn't be taken by then.

He pulled off his cap and brushed off some sweat. That blasted heat was going to be very hard to overcome, at least emotionally. He was wearing a simple grey shirt without any insignia or any garment at all and long brown pants that seemed to make his legs burn with the heat. His normal general cap the princesses had made for him was safe in his tent and instead he wore a simple brown cap he had with him on the American uniform. It was one of the few things he had with himself that weren't from any army, Equestrian or American.

He donned his cap again and walked back to where the rest of the army was. He took a few minutes to reach the marching lines of soldiers. He was still going towards his troops when a messenger pegasus landed in front of him. 

"General, sir!" he saluted. "I have a letter that arrived moments ago." He passed it to him. Davis took it and noticed the royal seal on it. It had obviously arrived from the princesses back in Canterlot.

"Thank you," he said, saluting back. The pony saluted again and flew off. Davis slowly broke the wax seal and started to unroll the scroll-like letter. He was still getting used to those, as he was more accustomed to normal letters.

He started reading...


To General Davis of the Equestrian Army,

General, I'm afraid we have bad news for you. After you left the main camp with the army, a colonel, friend of ex-general SilverInk and noble in blood, started to turn the nobles and the lords against our cause. It appears that to them defending our land is very different from moving out of our lands and into hostile territory and most are not looking at our plan as a viable option for our survival.

Since I'm still supreme ruler of Equestria, I won't turn back the operation but you will now have to face a war on two very different fronts: the military and the political. I'm sorry to say that to our friends the lords you are not a very popular figure, and most will try to do what they can to place the colonel, a pony named Bright Hooves, in your position and remove you from command remove  from command. 

I'm trying my best to keep the rebellious nobles in line, but more and more are joining. I'll send you updates in the situation.

Please do keep me informed as to how the campaign is going.

Keep strong,
Princess Celestia

PS: watch your back at all times. Trust no pony until I tell you it's safe. I fear they might send an assassin for you.



Davis slowly pulled his gaze off of the letter and then went to read it again three times more. He wasn't sure he had read it right. It seemed a little too confusing, and when he finally understood everything he couldn't help but to look behind him.

Frustration slowly filled him. How could he fight an enemy army that wanted to kill him if, within his own forces, there could be an assassin sent by those "nobles" to end their problem once and for all?! He felt his anger rise, but he kept it at bay. He knew who he could trust in his army, and he would rely on those for his command. He was going to find it hard to keep on with the attack with that letter, but it was his mission and he wasn't going to back down now. His feet started moving again as he approached the lines of marching ponies. It had been a long walk that day.

He soon was joined by his trusted officials: Golden, Ace and Tempered Steel. He summarized the letter’s warning for them and asked for their comments. 

Golden heard as Davis explained to them the content of the letter and then proceeded to stare at his hooves, deep in thought. He simply pondered on it for a moment before speaking up; his words were almost a whisper and anger filled it, which Davis noticed.

"I can't believe it... Why would the ponies turn against their own? This makes no sense!" The rest nodded slowly. Golden looked at Davis. "I don't believe it, why would somepony send a killer for you, or why would somepony in the army you command betray you?"

Davis sighed. "I don't know, but it's not something good. One can't expect to fight a war if their own are turning against him, and we sure can't fight if the ponies start to go against the war; Equestria needs to be united in order for this operation to succeed. If they end up getting the princesses to turn the army around, then we'll have no choice but to obey and then the griffons will be entirely to themselves to face against the changelings."

Iroh looked at Davis. "But do they really need us? I mean, the changelings sure have a lot of strength, but... Can they really defeat the greatest warriors in all the land?" That brought a few whispers from the ponies around. That was true, and Davis had considered that a few times.

Thanks to that, he already had an answer.

"I believe they have the experience, but not the numbers. If they were able to, they would have already sent the changelings a long way off into their own territory. Since that's not happened, I honestly believe they can't do this on their own, and once they fall, we fall." The ponies sighed in unison. "We can't focus on the problems in Equestria right now. We are leaving it, anyway. Once were done with the changelings we can worry about politics and all that boring nonsense we soldiers weren't meant to meddle with." That brought chuckles and lifted up the air of tension a little.

"Yes, I'm with you on this," Golden said. 

"I don't know if ignoring those high born ponies is a good idea," Tempered Steel said. "But I trust your judgement, General. Whatever you say, I believe."

Everypony looked at Ace. He remained silent for a second with his eyes closed. He slowly looked up. "Well, what are you all staring at?! Of course I'm with Davis!" His outburst made them all laugh a little.

"Very well, then let's forget this for the time being and move on with the problem at ha... Ahem, hoof." Davis pulled a map. "At the speed we're going, we'll reach the Griffon Forest in three days. That'll take almost all our water and food, since we're in a desert. By then, I seriously hope Louis will have the supply port taken for our use. If all goes according to plan, we'll have our first large scale encounter with the changelings at the capital, since those bugs seem to be moving as fast as we do thanks to the griffon defenses. We'll arrive just in time to stop a siege and to crush the changelings’ main force."

Ace and Golden nodded. Tempered Steel simply chuckled.

"What's funny?" Davis asked. 

"Well, it's just that I'm just a smith. My business is not planning wars."

Davis nodded. "Yes, but knowing what our new weapons will go against is probably a good reference for you, isn't it?" 

Tempered nodded. "Yes, that is true."

Davis looked at the three. "Alright, prepare to order your units to set camp in two hours; we'll keep walking for that time. By then we will have reached a nice high position to set up camp in case we have an undesirable visit from the bugs."

The three nodded and went to do their jobs. Davis turned and looked at the marching lines; the worry of getting stabbed in the back hadn't left him, which caused him to think on it. He needed to be more attentive now. He trusted his friends, but he wasn't sure if he could trust every single pony under his command.

He thought on that as he set off to walk along the lines, worried about everything the future was going to bring...


***   ***  ***

"Come on! We have to warn the king!" a dark grey griffon shouted as he and a partner flew faster than normal. Behind them, the darkness of the night didn't allow them to see much.

"I know, I'm flying as fast as I can!" the other one answered. The wind howled against their ears as they attempted to fly the fastest that their bodies could handle, if not even a little more. Soon, the sights of their destination began appearing: the capital city of Griffonia, home to the golden throne, stood in front of them. It took up the whole mountain on all its sides. The top was encased in a mighty castle that stood taller than all the surrounding mountains, and all its windows were lit showing off all of its magnificence.

The two breathed in relief as they approached. The villages around were silent as they flew overhead, since most of their inhabitants had moved to the citadel in case of an attack by the changelings. Now, those villages were an eerie reminder of what would happen if they didn't stop the changelings.

They flew upwards, gaining altitude as they approached the tip of the mountain, the golden throne.  The pair then landed softly on a courtyard in front of the main hall's entrance. It had a large fountain in the middle and was patrolled by the Kingsguard, the most elite soldiers the Griffons had. They had sworn their lives to protect their king, and because of that they had the best training and the best preparation, in contrast with the two couriers that had just arrived. The armor they wore was entirely golden and, from what the two had heard, it was enchanted to weigh little more than a feather. The helmets were pretty intimidating to look at as well.

As soon as they landed they were surrounded by the guard.

"State your business," the captain said. The grey griffon cleared his throat. 

"I'm sorry to come in like this to his majesty's courtyard, but I come bearing tidings from the war and was tasked to give them personally to the king." The guards looked at their captain.

The captain nodded. "Let them pass." The guards moved out of their way. When they were about to walk for the door, the captain stopped him with a claw. "Don't try any funny business, Eh. I'll be watching you." The grey courier gulped and nodded. They started walking.

The door opened and revealed the interior of the main hall; a large cathedral-like room with gigantic pillars and a throne at the end. There was a red carpet in the middle that led right to the throne. The two walked slowly, their claws making uncomfortable echoes through the room as they approached the throne, where a mass of griffons were massed together, looking at the king and another griffon that was talking.

"...break us! Our walls won't hold against an army of that size, I guarantee that." The griffon that spoke sounded angry and his voice echoed through the room. He wore a badge around his neck that indicated he was an advisor to the king. "Sire, I know you've been convinced otherwise, but I must insist that you reconsider. We have more chances against them in an open field than locked in our fortress..."

"Our impenetrable fortress, sire," interrupted another one. This one wore a black and red uniform with a badge indicating his rank as general. "Feel that word, advisor. 'Impenetrable' seems like a nice option to me."

The advisor groaned. "I believe that trusting in a title we ourselves placed on a fortress that is supposed to exemplify our might could be a little biased, don't you think?" He turned to the king. "Remember that this fortress has had little experience with dire situations such as this."

The general walked up beside the advisor and also looked at the king. "Sire, you know very well this fortress hasn't had the need to endure such a trial because no one has ever gotten close enough to pose a threat to the city. If that means that we have a first, that means it's time to prove our might and the might of our capital." That brought many nods in the crowd.

"I don't believe..." the advisor began to say, but stopped when he noticed the king standing up.

The king slowly rose. "After careful consideration, I have decided that staying in the castle is our best option, unless more opportunities are showed to us, we will hold them off within our walls. No creature has ever defeated the griffons in a war, and this won't be any different." He looked at his advisor. "Should the ponies decide to join us maybe I can reconsider." The advisor sighed when he noticed the two couriers standing in the side of the room.

"Sire, I believe those two bring news," the advisor said quietly to the king.

The king looked and saw them. "Ah, please approach and say what you must."

The two gulped and approached timidly until they were right in front of the king and the general. The advisor stood by their side. "Sire," the both said kneeling. "We bring tidings from the sea." The king sat back on his throne and waved a claw.

"The reunion is over." The griffons bowed slightly and walked out of the throne room, leaving only the two couriers, the king and the captain of the Kingsguard in the room.

"Sorry, but when news is brought my officials tend to interrupt a lot and I can barely understand what the news is." He smiled. "Go on, what news do you bring?"

The two bowed a little before continuing. "Sir, Admiral Davius sent us with news that they're retaking the coastal ports as we speak." The king brightened up. 

"I thought the coast was a lost cause... At least from the earlier letters he sent to me no more than a few weeks ago." He stood up and walked to the middle of the room, where in the floor, made with tiles, was the map of the surrounding lands of the griffon empire. "Our fleet was in full retreat to Equestria and the changelings had begun to use our own to hunt them down. What changed?"

"Ponies, sir." The king's head rose as he heard that word.

"Ponies?" He stared at him incredulously. "How can they have changed the tide of the sea war?"

The grey griffon smiled. "They brought three ships, not really good ships, but enough to get the attention of the changelings that were in pursuit, which gave us the advantage to attack when they were trying to finish the Equestrians." The king nodded.

"Anything else?"

The other courier nodded. "Yes, even though the Equestrian force at sea isn't much, it'll give us an advantage over the changelings’ ground troops. Also, the general in charge of the Equestrians is... Intimidating. He is not going to lose easily."

The king chuckled. "Intimidating, you say? No pony can pose a serious threat. Yes, they are our allies, but we have to keep in mind that their army is a foal compared to ours, and the thought of killing makes them sick. They can help as a distraction, but not even a general of theirs can do much."

The two couriers looked uneasily between them. "Well my king... The thing is that he isn't a pony." The king looked at them, curious.

"Not a pony, you say? What then?"

"He's called a humoan, or huuumen, or something like that. He's a tall ape-like creature that possesses really weird weapons that fire smoke and kill instantly."

He king started pacing. "So he's a mercenary from unknown lands? I thought the Equestrians were better than to go finding mercenaries."

The grey griffon shook his head. "No sir, not mercenary. He seems to be fighting for Equestria out of sense of duty. It is apparently him and a partner that have trained the Equestrian army before this war."

The king nodded slowly. "Very well. I hope this general of theirs prove to be helpful. I would not like to fall for false hope." He looked at the couriers. "Thank you very much for this news. Hopefully this will change something. You are dismissed." He shoved his claw in a gesture for them to leave.

The grey was turning when his friend stopped him. "Wait, sire. There's more." The king looked back suspiciously. 

"What else?"

"There's a force of around ten thousand Equestrians marching south towards us as we speak." 

The king coughed in surprise.

"What!?"

The two couriers nodded. "Yes sire, they are coming to provide aid in case they reach our city. At least, that’s what the Equestrian general told us."

The king smiled. "Maybe they accepted our request... Maybe we'll have the chance to go back on the offensive after all." He shove his claws again. "Thank you again. Now leave, I have much to think about..."

The two bowed and left the king to his thoughts.

> Setting up main camp, first encounter and sealed alliance
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 29
"Setting up main camp, first encounter and sealed alliance"

"Sir!" came the shout of a pegasus pony flying towards the Equestrian column marching behind Davis. Their tired faces made it obvious it had been a long and tiresome day under the burning sun in the Northern Griffon Plain, a flat expanse covered with grass and the occasional bush. The sun had even made Davis question whether that plain was even possible if there was no indication of water, but he didn't dwell much on that and was again lost in thoughts of war as he walked alongside Ace with his army behind him. 

The original plan was to pass the desert and the plain in less than five days, which would leave enough resources to set up a main camp near the Northern Griffon Forest and wait for Louis to send more resources and to allow the troops some rest. Now they had been traveling for ten days and they had not seen it. According to the map they were close, but he thought by looking at the map that it would take them five days; he no longer trusted it for guidance on a long journey.

It was that or they were moving far slower than he had anticipated.

Davis lifted his head to see one of the scout pegasi that had left the column in the morning to scout ahead. He noticed the smile in the pony's tired face as he landed in front of them. Davis stopped walking and so did Ace. 

"The forest sir, I saw it. It's only an hour's walk from here!" Davis looked ahead but could only see the top of a small hill. The pony noticed. "You'll be able to see it once you get to the top of that hill, but it's there. We're almost there!" Davis smiled tiredly at the scout's enthusiasm.

"Thank you for the information, Private. This is good news indeed; go get something to drink and join the rest of the column." The pony saluted and flew towards the back of the column where they had the food and water supplies. Davis and Ace looked at each other, smiling.

"I guess not much walking now, eh?" the blue unicorn general said chuckling. Davis nodded.

"I have never felt that would make me feel so good, but now it does." He straightened his cap and started to walk fast towards the top of the hill in front of them, where supposedly they would manage to see the forest. Ace followed close behind.

His reached it and looked forward, a smile slowly forming on his lips. Ace stopped beside him. 

"Indeed, not more than an hour's walk, Davis." Both generals turned and saw the troops moving slowly and tired.

Davis cleared his throat. "We are almost there!" he shouted. "I can see the forest from here. Once we reach it, we'll rest for a few days and prepare for the upcoming battles." The ponies rose their ears as they listened, excited chatter about finally resting well filling the air. "Now we only need to get there. Come on, one last effort!" He started walking as the ponies followed at a faster pace, their tired faces gone as they thought about the rest they were going to get soon.

The forest slowly approached them as they walked, its tall green trees slowly growing bigger. Davis had a small map in his hand that portrayed the general area of the entire northern forest. There was a rough circle in the area Davis planned to set up main camp. From where he was that moment he could see the part he had marked on the map in the distance.

It was a large enough area to hold a camp for ten thousand, and it had a few natural defenses, especially since it was an elevated area. They'd need to chop down a few trees, but soon he'd have a small command fort once the campaign in the griffon territories started.

The march there was way easier than the rest of the journey, probably because they could see the end now. Davis had never had to do a walk so long before, not even during the war back on Earth. He had walked a lot, yes, but never with such a big force under him and more than ten days of walking.

Finally, they reached the place. Davis immediately started to order ponies around for the preparation of the camp. He was going to make this camp defensible in case the changelings decided to make the first move, unlike the others during the trip that were mostly just to pass the night as fast as possible. He wanted a fort, and a fort he was going to build.

"Alright officers, order your units to start preparing different things. Some will prepare the tents and the camp in general. The rest will start to cut trees down and build a wooden wall around the fort area!" he began to say, getting the attention of all. He started pacing around a little. "I know many feel this is the end of our journey, but I'm afraid it is not. Yes, the way getting here was hard, but we have not even begun. The war is still there and we are not going to stop for long. Please do as you are ordered to get this done as fast as possible so that we can rest safely for now." He was turning when a pony spoke.

"Why can't we rest first! We just finished this walk you took us to and now you want us to build and do even more effort? I don't see the need for such a rush!" That earned Davis a few shouts of disapproval.

"Yes! We want to rest!" 

"No work, sleep first!"

And so on...

Davis slowly turned. He didn't have much patience, at least not after such a long and tiresome trip, but he tried to hold himself together. He couldn't get angry, not after the effort his men... ponies, had done for him. He did need to convince them though.

"I know many of you think that way, but I'm certain the changelings are not unaware of our presence here. They know we came, and they will try to send us back—or stop us for good. We are a threat to them here, and they know it." He looked at the pony that had first spoken: a navy blue unicorn. "So what better time to attack us than when we are weak after the journey and defenseless?" Ponies slowly whispered. "I know how you feel: I did the walk too. I also know I'm not asking more of you than what I know you can do. If you don't want to do this for yourselves, do it for you fellow soldiers. We will be depending on this for our survival for the next few days before we get supplies from the second army that went through the sea."

Ponies all around slowly nodded, and the pony that first spoke looked down.

"Now," Davis said, finishing his little speech. "Get to work, we need to be finished before nightfall."

The lines broke out as officers organized their units; ponies went to chop down wood, prepare tents and a few pegasi went to scout. Davis, in the meantime, started to set up the main tent. It was the largest tent where the officers were to discuss plans and such. It hadn't been placed before in the other camps because it wasn't necessary. Since this was to be the main camp for the operation, they would need it.

Ace joined him.

"So, General, what do you think will happen next?" the unicorn asked. "I know Louis is supposed to send us supplies, but is he going to be successful?"

Davis sighed and stopped for a second. "I trust in him, and I don't think he'll let us down." He looked at his pony friend. "But should he fail, we'll need to handle this the best way possible. Maybe we can get the griffons to help us with supplies once we contact them."

Ace nodded. "Very well, let's hope for the best then." His horn lit up as he started lifting the tent.

The American soldier resumed working. "Let's hope for the best..." he repeated.

***   ***   ***

(5 days ago...)

The small Griffon and Equestrian joint fleets moved slowly but steadily. 
The waves rocked the ship less than before, and by now the whole Equestrian Army and its general had gotten used to it. 

Louis stood in the prow of the boat, looking to the horizon. He scanned the ocean, deep in thought, slowly recalling the past days' events. He felt that, even though being in Equestria was an adventure by itself, what he was living that moment was even more of an adventure not only because he was in a 17th century style ship, but because he was on his way to liberate griffon ports and stop an invasion. He felt his blood pumping in excitement and uncertainty. The odds were very bad against him and his troops, yet he saw that many ponies were actually excited. He knew better than to feel excited for a battle, since he knew how terrible they were; the problem was that he was actually feeling excited, probably due to the griffons' way of seeing war as an honorable thing, if done for the right cause. Since they were fighting for a good cause, it was honorable and excited the griffons, and their excited mood had begun to affect both Louis and the Equestrians.

He recalled the first sea battle, were the griffons had rescued them from a terrible defeat. He then remembered his first meeting with the griffon admiral. He respected that griffon, even though he was stubborn when it came to his plans, which was something Louis found out some time later.

They had been in the Equestrian captain's cabin when the admiral had arrived with two of his own captains. As they began to plan the attack on the ports with the Equestrians, Louis slowly noticed the lack of acceptance of his or the pony's suggestions. It took him a while and even a little shouting to finally make the griffons hear their suggestions, and even then they were not accepted often or easily. 

After an entire evening of endless debate and discussion with a few threats thrown between the two sides of officers, they came to an agreement and managed to devise a plan that felt good to both sides. 

Now, Louis pondered on how the assault was going to develop. It seemed hard to imagine a landing without many casualties, so he wondered how he was going to be able to save most of his troops’ lives. 

Suddenly, a pony shouted from the crow's nest, disrupting Louis from his thoughts.

"Land ahead!" came the pony's voice, quickly getting everypony's attention. The captain walked towards the prow and stopped beside the German general. Neither Louis nor he could see anything.

Soon, the land started to appear in the horizon in gigantic mountain peaks coated with snow. It was an amazing sight, especially to the ponies that had never seen mountains so tall before. The tallest mountain in Equestria was the Canterhorn, where Canterlot was located. These mountains rose up to more than three times the Canterhorn’s height, and they couldn't even see the tip of some due to clouds.

"Enjoying the sight?" came the admiral's voice. Both Louis and the captain turned towards the griffon. He walked beside them in the prow. "They're the Ice Claw mountains, or more accurately the Ice Claws mountain range. They are the defenses nature gave us griffons in case we were attacked from the sea. To go to the heart of our empire you need to go across them or around them, and none of those options are fast."

The beach slowly started to show itself, along with a port city.

"Aerial port" the admiral said. Both Louis and the captain looked at him. "Our first target. We free that port, we have quick access to the rest of the ports, and there are at least another five Griffon class ships in its port." He smiled. "I can imagine the changelings fleeing already," he said, as if they had already won.

"We shouldn't say things before they are secured, Admiral." The pony captain said. "I believe we still have a battle to win."

The griffon nodded. "That is true." He flapped once and took to the sky. "Ready your troops and do as we planned, General. I'll get my own ready."

Louis nodded as the griffon flew towards his ship.

He silently recalled the plan on his mind...

First, the griffons and the Equestrian sailors along with the captain were going to attack the port itself while Louis' army disembarked from the transport ships and formed up. The griffons were going to open the city's main gate to allow the ponies to enter and end taking the city.

It wasn't a complicated plan, but it was a plan that required precision and speed in its development.

"Captain, prepare your ponies. I'll go get mine ready." The captain nodded and started barking out orders. Louis walked to the side where a small boat was waiting for him. He got on it and was taken to the biggest of the transports, where his officers were gathering. He spotted Iroh and smiled. The pony captain smiled at him too and then went to speak to other officers.

Louis cleared his throat, getting everypony's attention. He waited for a second before they all stopped talking, then he proceeded.

"Alright, I'll try to make this brief." He leaned on a table. "We are going into action in no less than half an hour, and hour at most. You've all been told of what you are to do, and to command your units into doing that. I trust in your ability to do this, and on that depends our victory today." He stopped for a few seconds. "Let's show the griffons what Equestrians are really made of," he finished. The ponies around smiled and some even cheered. Louis smiled as well. "Alright, go on then! Ve must move!" He saw the ponies move around, going to their units all across the boats.

Iroh approached Louis. "Well, General, good luck today." The pony saluted the German, Louis returned the salute. "You too, my friend." Iroh en left to order up his own unit, leaving Davis on his own. He simply moved to the deck of the transport ship and watched as the coast moved closer and closer by the minute.

Soon he heard a buzzing and looked towards the sky.

Hundreds of changelings approached the oncoming vessels. 

"Archers!" he shouted. Immediately, archer units that were stationed to defend the boats came to attention. He could hear the same commands being given all over the rest of the fleet. "Get ready!" he shouted. The sound of arrows leaving their quivers filled the deck. "Aim!" Bows were strung. He watched the changelings approach. "Hold!" He finally saw they were within shooting distance. "Fire!" The sounds of hundreds of bows filled his ears as both fleets fired into the sky. Many of the changelings fell down with terrible screams that filled the air over the ocean around the ships. 

"Two pegasus teams," He said. "Attack!" He watched as the two units took to the sky, as well as more from the griffons and a few from the navy ponies. 

The changelings were taken down easily and no ponies nor griffons suffered a loss.

"Prepare for landing!" he heard from the griffon and the navy ships. 

He instead turned to his own captains. "Prepare to land and line up in front of the city's gate." He received nods as they began to turn the transport ships towards the shore instead than towards the port.

Soon, the griffons and the navy ponies had reached the ports as fighting broke out. Changelings swarmed at them, but griffons and ponies alike fought hard, slowly making their way towards the gate. Louis was getting ready for landing.

The ships didn't bother to throw boats to the water and take them through those. Instead, ignoring the shallow waters, the large transport ships went directly ahead and at full speed against the sandy shore. He heard as the ships ground to a halt on the sand.  It would be difficult to float the ships again, and some of them would likely be damaged, but speed was too important in this attack to worry about that now.  

As soon as the ships stopped, he ordered large planks to be placed to allow the troops to disembark. The Equestrians were rapidly leaving the ships and forming lines; orders were thrown all around as Louis, from the deck of one of the ships, watched everything unfold. The sound of battle filled the air and he knew that any second the gates would open. He stared at the walls and then proceeded to disembark himself.

He stopped in front of the troops. Everypony looked at him now.

"Ponies!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. "We are here today for something important and noble. We are here to free innocents from murdering creatures, the same creatures that tried to take your home a few years ago and that tried to take it again with violence not a few months ago." He pointed at the gates. "We are here to drive them off to their own holes, but it won't be easy." The faces of the ponies worried Louis. They looked scared at what was going on inside the city. "I know most of you have never thought of fighting, and yet here you are, all volunteers. I trust in all of you to do your job and make Equestria proud, because we are doing good here." He heard the doors opening. "Now follow me!" He turned and unsheathed his sword. He wasn't going to fight with advantage. He wanted to fight like his troops, and his guns were a huge advantage. 

The sound of an army marching behind him made him feel powerful. He knew many were scared, he was scared himself, but he needed to hold them all together. This was their first test.

Finally, the gates opened up completely, revealing the battle inside. 

Changelings, hundreds of them, all standing there in the streets and looking at them. Davis almost stopped, but he continued walking. He noticed some of his troops stopped, but he didn't. The changelings moved their horns forward and charged.

"Shields and spears!" Louis ordered. "Forward!" His order took some time to be done, Louis noticed that, but they followed him, which was what mattered. He saw as the changelings approached. Many ponies now seemed to hesitate.

"Hold!" he shouted. The changelings approached fast. 

Suddenly, one of the spearponies threw his spear to the ground and ran back.

"Hold your positions!" he ordered. "Don't run!" A few more followed the other one running back.

"Schieße..." the German said as the ponies and changelings clashed. He shouted and threw himself forward against them.

Hopefully, no more would desert them, he thought as he engaged the changelings in what was the beginning of the Equestrian operation to free the griffons...

***   ***   ***

(Present day...)

The sea breeze passed Louis with a relaxing scent. He was in a small room in a recently taken important griffon port, Coral Port, in the slightly damaged but otherwise intact navy barracks. His breathing evened up as he finished cleaning his rifle and placing it on his back. He was about to lay down on his bed when the griffon admiral entered without knocking. He stood up.

"Admiral, I wasn't expecting you."

The griffon chuckled. He had grown to be rather open to the German, even though their tactics clashed a little when before a battle. He sat down on a chair. "I know, General. I just needed to ask you something."

Louis sat down on the bed, making sure his rifle was placed safely beside him. "Oh, vhat is it?"

The griffon sighed. "I know you must leave soon and join your main force, but I was wondering if maybe some Equestrians, along with yourself, could stay and help. Your military insights have proven to be effective to otherwise terrible plans of mine." Davis was surprised. For what his officers had told him, the griffons had been bothersome to most, especially to Iroh. That poor officer had been, using simpler words, bullied by other griffon captains and lieutenants. Most of his troops were really happy to finally leave and join the rest of the Equestrian force. Even Louis himself had some trouble with griffons thinking too highly of themselves, but apparently stories ran out that he ate those that bothered him, which was a horrible rumor he had tried to stop.

He was surprised that the most important griffon had asked him to stay and help. That made him remember something Princess Luna had told him before departure.

"A little piece of advice, General," the princess had said, and so had the equestrian admiral. "The griffons are hard creatures. They think too highly of themselves and respect only those that win their respect. Winning it is a key for you success there. Prove to be an able leader and a courageous fighter and you'll win their trust and respect." Louis hadn't thought much of that since he had been too busy with preparations, but now that he spoke with the admiral he recognized that he probably had earned his respect during the two small battles they had.

"So?" the griffon asked again. "What do you say?"

Louis smiled and slowly stood up. "There is nothing I would like more than to continue fighting alongside you and your griffons." That made the griffon nod and await the answer he wanted. Instead, Louis said something he didn't expect. "But I'm afraid I must deny your request." Before the admiral could ask why, he continued speaking. "I have a duty to fulfill, and that is to take provisions and join the large attack force inside the continent. I can't go against my orders even if I would love to. Duty is duty after all, don't you say too, Admiral?" 

The griffon thought a little before speaking up. As he did, he stood up and saluted.

"I've not met a creature in this world with the sense of duty you do. I'm honored to have fought alongside you, and I don't usually do that." He extended his claw to shake his hand. Louis shook his claw as the two looked at each other. "May our paths cross again, General."

"May our paths cross again," Louis chorused. They let go their hand/claw and saluted again. The admiral left Louis alone almost immediately. 

Louis smiled and sat back on the bed. He hadn't planned on forming such a strong bond with an ally officer, but he had. Somehow he could relate to the griffons in more ways than he could with most ponies. He wasn't going to desert the Equestrians, but he was going to fight the changelings and help the griffons with more conviction now. 

He stood up again and gathered his things. His troops would leave in an hour and head with supplies towards Davis' camp. They were not going to get there, though; only the supplies and the escort would. He was going to take his troops south to a fort that he was told was taken by the changelings. It was a strategic position that Davis had told him was his priority after the supplies. So, he was going to make sure the supplies made it to Davis and then go and take that fort. After that Davis had told him to advance near the sea to the south attacking the changelings in those parts and finally advance towards the capital when Davis told him to.

He finally finished readying his stuff, so he proceeded to get ready himself. He took his uniform and carefully placed it back on himself. He had come to enjoy wearing the general's uniform, since he thought it made him look more serious at what he was doing. He finished by placing the cap on and looking at a mirror. He slowly took the Royal badge and placed it on. 

He couldn't recognize himself, not from before Equestria at least.

He didn't looked like the private that followed orders blindly anymore; instead, in front of him stood a battle-hardened general. His gaze seemed to penetrate every place they looked, pretty much how he remembered his old German officers back home. He felt that he could return to Germany that second and no one would question his rank as general.

He smiled and all those thoughts faded away. He needed to focus now.

With decisive steps, he approached the door and opened it, revealing a midday sun. He walked out, ready to get his troops to finally do what they had gone to the Griffon Empire to do:

Give a lesson to the changeling bugs...
> Supplies and advance
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 30
"Supplies and advance"

The sound of working ponies filled the air as the last parts of the fort's walls were finished. The wooden palisade now surrounded the entire camp, along with a few watch towers that gave a nice view of the surrounding areas and the forest. The entrance was a simple wooden gate that opened and closed going up or down respectively. Even though the fort wasn't a magnificent work of architecture or the best for military purpose, it would do for the time that Davis planned on going ahead with the operation. He estimated that, if all went well, the war would be over within a year of their first move against the changelings in the Griffon Kingdom. 

Apart from the walls, there was nothing else, except the small improvised stone smithy, that was built. The rest were simply tents for the army and the large command tent for war gatherings. All things considered, it was far more than what Davis had envisioned in the beginning having originally planned a simple short palisade wall with no gates (only one open hole) and no towers. The smithy had been a last minute idea and request from Tempered Steel, who was still working on the new weapons for Davis and needed to have one. For it they had to dig a hole in the ground to make the forge and the rest was also a little cave where the pony smithy would work in private. 

Davis now stood in one of the tallest towers, which was approximately the size of a normal Ponyville house, roughly two stories high. He looked around the camp with a small smile on his face as the ponies finished securing the gate's simple mechanism that consisted of a rope, a few levers and two large stallions. 

His eyes darted back and forth around the camp, inspecting how everything was going with his troops. Many were simply resting in the tents or talking to others around unlit fireplaces. Some were still working on a few things, such as building tents or sharpening their weapons. Some, very few, were sparring in an open area of the camp that was placed for practice; others were also practicing with their bows. 

Now Davis only had to wait for one thing: Louis and the supplies. They were not going to last long in the camp without the supplies the German was going to bring, and he would certainly not attack without them since he would risk a lot of odds with that. He was worried, especially since he hadn't heard from Louis since he departed the port and not a single messenger or letter had arrived regarding that matter from Canterlot. 

He slowly leaned against the side of the tower, watching now towards the forest to the south. In the distance he could see a faint outline of some mountains. He knew that somewhere around there was the griffon's capital city, the Golden Throne. That seemed an odd name to him, but yet again, ponies had weird names as well so he didn't judge anything anymore regarding that. 

There were, according to the map given to him by Celestia, two forts between them and the capital; those two forts were controlled by the changelings, or so the princesses had been told. He hoped there were mistakes in that and the forts were under griffon control; if that was the case, it would make their trip much easier. If it wasn't it would mean he'd need to take them first before advancing any further, and that was something he felt worried about.

If he took the forts, he'd need to leave troops behind to make sure that the changelings wouldn't take it back easily or at all. If he did that, then he would lose troops he could instead use in upcoming battles. 

There was also the theory that they could have been abandoned after the changelings took them. Then maybe he could simply pass by without stopping to secure them except to make sure there weren't changelings inside. That would be nice, but Davis felt for some reason that wouldn't be the case.

As he stared off into the distance, he managed to see a small dot in the sky above the forest. He tried to see what it was, but it was still too far away for his eyes to see well enough to distinguish it. He remembered he had his binoculars and proceeded to use them, looking for the dot he had previously seen. When he managed to locate it, he felt a wave of emotions within him, most notably curiosity and worry.

What he could see was a pegasus pony in an Equestrian Army courier’s outfit flying with a saddlebag. Davis slowly pulled the binoculars away from his eyes as the pony got close enough for him to see well. The American quickly went down the tower and ran to the main tent. He didn't normally ran inside the camp, and he earned a few glances from ponies as well as some salutes he ignored. 

He finally reached the tent where Ace and the courier were talking inside. When he entered, both looked at him and the courier pegasus saluted.

"General, sir!" he said, raising his hoof to his head. Davis looked at Ace and then back to the pegasus.

"At ease," he said, getting an immediate response from the pony lowering his hoof and taking off his saddle bag.

The pony rummaged in it for a second before retrieving a letter and extending it to Davis. "From General Louis, sir. He sends you this and the news that the griffons are retaking their coastal cities and ports with the support from the Equestrian Navy. He's advancing towards us as we speak with the supplies as well."

Davis nodded, too surprised to answer instantly. He looked at the letter the pony was passing to him, which he took with his hand rapidly and proceeded to open it. He looked at the pony and nodded. "Thank you for the information. Please go and eat something and drink. Rest, you are probably tired after flying so much." The pegasus smiled tiredly and saluted.

"Sir," he said right before turning around and walking out of the tent. Davis looked at Ace and then went to the table in the tent and sat down. He slowly pulled the paper out and unfurled it.

Ace was right next to him, also reading what it said.

Davis,

If the courier hasn't told you yet, the supplies are on the way. When I write this letter, the supplies are probably three days from reaching you. From what I've seen from the letters I've sent this'll get to you within a day from here so wait for the supplies; they'll arrive in less than two days. 

As for my position, I'm currently turning from my route towards the griffon capital and will get there in approximately six days if all goes well.

Please let me know of any progress or change of the original plan.

Louis

Davis sighed as he finished. Everything had gone as planned. He’d be able to go out once the supplies arrived, but until then he'd have to wait a little. As he turned he saw Ace holding the map and staring at it. He walked towards the pony. 

"What is it?" he asked.

Ace looked at Davis and then back at the map. "I worry about the forts. If the changelings know what they're doing they'll make us siege them. If it comes to that, we'll lose too much time." He rolled the map. "How are we going to get to the Golden Throne in time for the changelings’ attack?"

The American slowly pulled his rifle from his back and stared at the barrel. "If all goes as planned, we'll manage to take those forts fast."

Ace simply rolled his eyes. "You keep on saying that taking the forts will be easy; I can't picture in my mind a way that we can do that fast and without the loss of many," he said almost angrily.

Davis noticed the tone and sat down again. "I have a plan in mind that, if everything is done by then, we'll have the power to tear down those forts is we need to." The made Ace look at him confused.

"What do you mean by that?" He pointed outside. "We have only a few siege weapons, and they are all worn out by the trip. And even then, they are not enough to do enough damage to the griffon's quality in forts and stone building. We'll be lucky if we manage to tear down the gates." 

With a quick move, Davis placed the rifle on his arm and fired one shot to the sky. The thundering sound made Ace flinch, especially since he wasn't expecting it.

"You forget who I am, Ace." He stood up and placed the rifle on his back. "I have my ways with this sort of thing."

Ace gave him an annoyed look. "Can you at least let go the secret and tell me what you've got planned?" Davis walked to the tent's entrance and started leaving.

"I'm afraid that I don't want anypony to know of this unless I'm certain it can be done. Before that, I don't want to speak about it, I'm sorry," he said. And with that, he walked outside leaving an annoyed Ace within the tent.

The pony officer grumbled to himself as he unrolled the map and looked once more at the territory around them...

***   ***   ***

"Sir!" 

The shout woke Davis from a deep slumber. He rapidly stood up with a gun in his hand, alert. He scanned around his tent and noticed a pony's head with a helm looking inside. 

"Sorry for waking you up." Davis mumbled something under his breath that went along the lines of 'are you...' "I was told to report to you that the supplies have arrived along with a hundred ponies, sir." 

The news immediately brought Davis completely awake.

"Thank you, go out now." Even though that was important news, he disliked getting woken like that. It wasn't the first time, and he suspected it wasn't going to be the last.

The pony nodded and got out.

Davis quickly got on his boots and placed on the general's uniform on top of his plain white shirt; he had fallen asleep with the uniform's pants, so he didn't bother for that one. He took the cap and placed it on his head before strapping the gun's holster to his belt. He took the gun, placed it on the holster and then went outside.

The sun was already up, making Davis worry a little that he had woken up late. He noticed ponies gathering near the entrance of the camp, so he approached.

Once he was close enough, he spotted more than a dozen carts with ponies all round, looking at them. Davis knew they had figured out what the carried, especially since he had started to reduce rations so that they didn't ran out of food. They probably saw all that food as pretty tasty now.

"Alright, newcomers!" Davis shouted, getting attention from the ponies. "The newcomers, go to the training ground; there you will be assigned to new units. General Ace, please see to it yourself." The pony general, who seemed to have woken up late as well nodded. 

"Follow me!" the pony general shouted right before walking away. Soon after him, a dozens of ponies began to move behind him.

Davis looked next to the supply carts. "The head cook will see that these food supplies are stored safely. As of now, we return to normal rations." That earned a few whistles and shouts of approval. "Now, everypony that isn't doing anything vital now, get ready for departure! We leave tomorrow before the sun comes out!" That made every soldier around to go to their tents and their units. Davis had spoken to his officers as to how the mobilization was going to be handled by them and how they were going to organize everything.

As he went to the main tent to prepare his things, he was intercepted by the pony smithy.

"General!" he saluted. Davis looked at him.

"Yes Steel?"

The pony smiled happily. "They're done! The pegasi guns are finished."

Davis looked around to make sure nopony had heard.

"Let's discuss this in the forge." The two walked away.

Soon, the two were inside Tempered Steel's forge, surrounded by the guns he had worked on. 

"I modified it a little from the original version, since the magic that I needed had a few problems when used with the original model..." The smithy passed him a long and thin rifle. It looked like his own, only that when he picked it up, he got unbalanced since he was expecting the normal weight of a gun that size. He stared surprised at the almost weightless artifact he now had on his hands.

Tempered Steel smiled at his expression of surprise.

"It uses a similar kind of magic to that of the pegasi wing blades. It makes the metal used on it weigh like a feather, though this design made it weigh a little more." He took another one he had beside him. "You can see here the trigger," he said, pointing at the usual part of the rifle where Davis was used to seeing it. "It has a special variation from yours that allows a pegasus pony to hold it up front and be able to fire. The trigger is moved in a specific angle so that the wielder's hooves can press it both at the same time. Then behind it is a type of sucking strap that lets the wielder put it on without much of a waste of time and allowing it to be firm on the hoof the pony prefers. Then when he wants to take it off, he or she can simply pull it off and it will come off without problem.”  

Davis smiled. "Magic."

The smithy nodded. "Yes, it is magic." He placed the three models, each designed for each different pony. "I have ten for earth ponies, six for unicorns and five for pegasi. I've made two thousand bullets, so approximately a hundred shots per gun. Hopefully that'll be enough for the first attack?" he questioned.

Davis thought on at for a moment. Yes, he wasn't going to use his trained ponies on something more than snipers and air support. If all went well, he was going to end up using only the pegasi and the unicorns, since the unicorns had turned out to have better aim at long distances. Earth ponies were much better at a closer combat, or so he had ended up concluding after finishing basic gun training with the ponies he had rounded up for the team. The pegasi gave a large advantage because they could fly.

"I don't think we'll need more than that, thank you Steel," he said. He had a light smile the whole time. "With this we will get the upper hand on the next battles."

Tempered chuckled. "Don't you mean hoof, sir?"

Davis sighed in annoyance. Most of his officers and friends had been bothering him with that; it was more of a joke and teasing than anything serious, though.

"I said hand, and hand it will be," he clarified laughing. The pony chuckled. "Alright. I'll go now. The gun unit will arrive in some hours so that you can instruct them in what they are to do with those guns, and remember," he said, leaning on his ear. “Keep this a secret. We don't want any changeling spies knowing about this, or any other creature that's not us." 

Tempered nodded. "I'll make sure this doesn't come out, don't worry, General."

Davis nodded and turned to leave the forge.

***   ***   ***

The sound of marching hooves filled the soft and cold night air of the changelings’ attack camp. It was more of a bug hive, built upwards like a monolith with many holes in it. It was too dark to see much of it, but nothing seemed to bother two changelings as they talked alone inside one of the smallest holes, careful not to be spotted.

Their whispers were barely strong enough for them to hear, and their worried faces would have given them away should another changeling pass by.

"Are you sure? That is not wrong information?" the one on the left said. The one to his right nodded.

"Yeah, heard it from the queen herself. There was an anomaly like that one the ponies detected when the two humans arrived to Equestria. Only that this time in the south of the Griffon Kingdom." She said, since it was a she. The sound of hooves nearby made them hide deeper into the shadows of the hole. In the outside, a changeling guard passed by, not even looking at the hole. Once he was gone, the two relaxed.

The first one spoke again. "I need to notify the griffon lieutenant... This means there's another human nearby."

"Yes, but the queen is sending her own personal guard to fetch him. They'll be lucky if their small resistance can rescue the human from them," the second added.

"There's no other choice..." the first one said. "If she gets one of them on her side, the war will be won and we will never be free..."

The second one nodded, her face softening. "Be careful, please. I know that is no more dangerous than being here, hiding our individuality from the queen but..." she turned. "I don't trust those griffons. They might well kill you after you give them information."

The first one got closed and hugged her. "He won't. He owes me his life, and a griffon doesn't betray that. They're all about honor and that nonsense." She turned to face him. "We'll be safe soon, sister. I promise you that." 

And with that, the changelings took to the air, his wings buzzing off into the darkness of the moonless night. The changeling, his sister, slowly sat and contemplated where he had gone, a tear rolling out of her eye...
> Griffons, a Russkiy and a tank
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 31
"Griffons, a Russkiy and a tank"

A large boom echoed across the cabin as a mine exploded beside the large IS-2 tank, causing it shiver slightly. Luckily, none of the tracks had been compromised; it had been their fifth time passing a mine. They were going to end their advance soon if it continued like that. The sound of the tank working and the metal scraping against debris filled the interior of the metal beast as it made its advance through the German capital of Berlin. 

"Captain, anti-tank gun up front!" the driver shouted. The captain, named Dimitri, nodded.

"Fire!" he commanded. The large boom of the main gun going off filled the air around it as a large explosion appeared on the area were the anti-tank gun had been; it was now a black crater.

The tank kept advancing through the street, following another three tanks in a column. They had been sent to secure a building that was filled with Germans, along with two units of a hundred men each. 

Ever since they had entered the now bombarded capital of the Germans, it had been total mayhem. It was obvious the Germans did not want to surrender, and they weren't going to give up easily. 

The red army had been going on it for a day now, and though the advance had been faster than expected, it was still hard. 

Dimitri peeked through the visor in the top of the tank and spotted a group of Germans settling on a building. He was about to order his gunner to fire at it, but stopped once he looked and saw who they were in it.

"Wait a second..." he muttered.

Seconds later, the sound of machine guns started, causing the Soviets to scatter and take refuge beside the tanks and the building alongside the street. Dimitri cursed at himself and ordered:

"Alright, point at that building and..." he was stopped as an anti-tank gun fired from it and got a hit on the tank in front of his. There was a soft boom as the tank in front exploded from the inside.

"They hit their munition storage!" Dimitri's gunner shouted. 

"Don't waste time! Fire!" he ordered. Seconds later, the loader shouted ready and the gunner fired. The boom of the explosion ensued along with half the building collapsing. 

Dimitri sighed. "Well done," he said, patting his gunner's arm. "Now, driver, move it around our fallen tank and keep onward." The tank started and began going around. The soldiers followed as well now that the threat had been cleared for them.

Soon, the whole column was moving again. 

Dimitri remembered who had been shooting...

They had been kids... Kids in that building?

He shook his head and focused. Yes, the Nazis were heartless enough to use their youth to try and save their skin. Even then, they had no soul for the Russians either.

He slowly regretted his indecision; for that, a tank was gone. He needed to focus and not let distractions get him.

"Captain, there's debris up front. The tanks can't go forward," the driver said. Dimitri sighed and opened the hatch, looking outside.  He saw the other tankers doing the same and inspecting the debris.

"Maybe if we blow up a hole through it we may be able to pass," came a voice from the radio. He took his own.

"Negative, I believe that might create more damage than what there is already," he said. "What if we go around it?"

He waited.

Seconds later, the column's captain spoke.

"Yes, we'll go back and round up to the next block." Dimitri nodded and closed the hatch. "Stay sharp though, we don't want to lose another tank."

"So what now, captain?" the gunner asked.

"Turn her around and move left on the next street. We'll go around that thing," he said. They were now the head of the column.

The driver nodded and started the tank back, turning it. Soon, they would take down the fascists and go home.

He looked through the visor and inspected around. Nothing out of the ordinary...

Wait...

He noticed a small group of Germans forming a barricade, right where they needed to go through.

"Alright, load an explosive shell and fire as soon as it's possible. Aim at the middle. Gunner, get ready to fire." He received nods. The tank kept moving forward, as if nothing bothered it.

"Ready!" the loader exclaimed. The gunner fired. Instantaneously, the whole barricade blew up. 

"Good now..." he didn't finish as a large explosion filled the cabin and a wave of heat enveloped him like a blanket...


***   ***   ***


The smell of roasted meat filled the night air.

Lieutenant Darius, from the griffon army, inspected the small camp he and his troops had. His stomach rumbled, yet he remained where he was.

The war had been going tough for his griffons. The changelings had managed to surround the griffons, leaving them no choice but to stay there and defend themselves from the occasional changeling attacks. He had received an order to return to the capital, but the changelings had stopped him; he was now, literally, a caged bird.

He noticed a black form flying towards his camp.

He immediately guessed who it was, but he prepared nonetheless.

Looking at two griffons beside him, he gestured for them to follow him and he took to the air with them behind. Soon, he recognized the changeling.

"Halt!" he ordered. The changeling stopped, buzzing his wings.

"Lieutenant griffon, sir, I bring news." 

Darius nodded. "Come."

They flew and landed in the camp. The sight of the changeling caused for whispers to start all around the camp, which wasn't very big.

Darius entered his tent, followed by the changeling and the two griffons.

"You can go now, thank you," he said to them. The two saluted and left. 

The changeling saluted. "Lieutenant griffon, I have something very important to tell you. You ordered me that if I heard something important, I was to report to you."

Darius nodded. "Yes, I did." The griffon sat on a chair.

"Well, I suppose you've heard of the Equestrian generals, the humans."

Darius looked confused. "What are you talking about?"

The changeling sighed. "The Equestrians are being commanded by two creatures from a race never seen before in Equestria nor any known land. They have trained it to be strong enough to repel our attack." Darius nodded.

"Go on..."

"Well, they arrived the moment a strange magical anomaly happened. That same anomaly just happened a few miles north of here." He took a step closer. "Sir, one of them, a human, just arrived. If my queen gets him to work with them, the war will be a lot more complicated for you."

The griffon closed his eyes. "Are you certain this information is accurate?"

"Yes! Hundred percent sure!" the changeling said enthusiastically.

"And you can take me there?"

The changeling seemed to drop his enthusiasm a little. "Eh... I suppose I can, yes."

Darius nodded. "Good. I'll ready a few griffons and head..."

"No!" the changeling interrupted. Darius looked at him surprised, anger slowly rising within him. No one, whether it was pony, griffon or changeling, raised his voice towards him.

"Eh... Sorry..." the changeling said. "But you need to move more than a few. The queen sent her personal guard to fetch him for her. Our most elite warriors; even you cannot fight one of them on your own."

Darius calmed himself. He had learned to let things slide with that creature, especially since it had been useful and seemed to be happy to help. He knew he could get tricked by him, but he knew that and was ready in case the changeling betrayed him.

He stood up. "Very well. I'll take fifty of my best fighters with me. We'll be leaving in the morrow."

The changeling looked down. "I think you should go as fast as possible. The queen is sending her own soon too, and my hive camp is closer to it than yours is."

Darius rubbed his head a little. That changeling was indeed a pain in the head, especially with all those interruptions and suggestions.

"Alright. I'll trust you on this one."

The changeling smiled. "Thank you! You won't regret it!"

As the changeling left, Darius sighed again. "I hope I don't..."


***   ***   ***


The sun slowly rose in the horizon, its warm light casting a huge shadow across the forest. The sky felt peaceful and empty...

Suddenly, a column of griffons broke the emptiness of the sky, their organized flight seeming almost like an air show. In the front of the column flew Lieutenant Darius. His once naked feathery body now covered in full armor with a sword hanging on his back. Behind him, his troops also wore similar armor and vests, only less impressive. Some carried bows or ballistas, others swords and others spikes.

Beside the Lieutenant griffon flew the changeling spy. His wings buzzed faster than the griffons’, and it was obvious he was having a harder job at flying at the speed the griffons were. He had a slightly worried expression as they approached the place he had indicated the human was supposed to have appeared in.

"How much farther!?" Darius shouted above the air. The changeling flinched a little. He had been distracted by some thoughts. 

"It should be within our sight in not much time," he said. "A few minutes. It is a clearing in the forest!"

The griffon nodded and made a signal with his left claw. He headed down, followed by the rest of his troops. The changeling took some time to realize they were descending, but also followed.

Darius landed along some of his troops. He waited for everyone to land before turning his attention to his officers. 

"Alright. We are going to surround the area. The changelings will get there without caution, so they'll simply land in the clearing." He used a stick to draw a simple sketch of his plan. "When the changelings decide to land, we will ambush them."

"How do we know they're not already there?" one asked. 

Darius looked at him. "Because according to little changeling over there," he said, pointing at the changeling, "we are here and they are not." He looked at the rest. "Now, I sent a scout to go further. He should be back in a few minutes and tell us if he spotted a human or any unusual thing in this area. Until then, we wait."

He received a few nods and confirmations. They disbanded and went to instruct their units. Darius looked at the changeling. 

"I hope for your sake that this is not a false mission," he said. The changeling seemed to shiver,

"N-no lieutenant griffon, sir. I guarantee this is true." 

Darius sighed and nodded. "Very well." He looked around. "Now just wait for the scout..."

As if on cue, a griffon landed in front of them. He saluted him.

"Sir! I scouted ahead as you ordered and spotted a few odd things." Darius nodded.

"Go on..." he said.

The scout continued. "The clearing seems to have been disturbed by a large object in it. Trees fell down and in the middle there is some sort of metallic creature. It's not moving and seems asleep."

Darius looked at him confused. "Metallic creature?"

The scout looked down. "I... I didn't investigate further because I saw at least fifty changelings approaching from the west."

Darius nodded. "Good job. Rejoin your unit. We'll advance now." The scout nodded and flew away. 

The griffon lieutenant started to ready his troops and soon they were moving into position. The trees gave them good cover against the changelings as they landed and formed a ring around the metallic object. Darius stood ready to give the order to attack.

"In the name of the changelings, come out!" came the voice of the leader of the changelings.

Darius felt a shiver as he heard the voice, and his body stiffened as he looked more closely at the changelings in question. 

They were bigger than the average changeling, their wings and their horns also bigger. Their natural chitin armor looked thicker than that of a normal changeling and their voice was deeper and colder. From what the changeling had told him, he had expected changelings with armor, or weapons. Instead, these ones were menacing, even to a griffon. 

He prepared to give the order to attack...

"Come out or we'll have to attack!" came the changeling's voice again.

Darius breathed in, and then out. He relaxed his muscles as he unsheathed his sword, a long sword with the golden head of a griffon in the pommel.

"Attack!"


***   ***   ***


'Agh... My head...' 

Dimitri slowly opened his eyes, feeling around him trying to feel his surroundings. The light around him immediately allowed him to recognize that he was still in the tank. Obviously, the explosion hadn't kill him. He closed his eyes again, feeling all his muscles ache with each slight movement.

He rubbed his forehead before opening his eyes again, this time ignoring the pain as he shifted position on his station. He looked around.

"Viktor, status report..." he said out loud, expecting the usual answer from his driver. Instead, he heard nothing. He looked around, getting off his station and around the small spaces inside the tank.

"Viktor, Ivan, Nikolai..." he said, calling out his crew members. When no answer came, he stopped moving. Where could they be?

He immediately thought that they probably were outside...

And that's when he noticed the sounds of shouting outside.

'What is going on outside?'

He went to his station and looked through the visor.

What he saw caused him to open his mouth wide in confusion and surprise.

Griffons? From mythology... 

There were griffons outside!

And not only that. It looked like there was fighting. The griffons against some sort of... Bug-like horses? He shook his head. He was surely dreaming!

He looked more intently. 

Maybe he had hit his head hard, or maybe something had happened back in Berlin that caused illusions? A new Nazi weapon maybe?

He stared for a few minutes at the mayhem outside.

Griffons fought bravely, he had to admit that. Their bug opponents were definitely stronger and more resistant to blows, their only weakness being the fact that they had no weapons. The griffons had various old, middle-age era weapons. 

If he was still in Berlin, hallucinating due to some new weapon, then these bug things and griffons were probably his fellow soldiers fighting the Nazis, only who was who?  In that case, he probably ought to wait and watch until the world made sense again.  But if this was somehow real, he should probably take a more active role instead of letting fate decide whose hands … or whatever … he fell into.  

He rubbed his chin. Probably if he intervened, he’d end up winning. Not singlehandedly, but joining one side would definitely turn the tide in their favor. He couldn’t operate the tank all by himself, of course.  But he had his sidearm and an infantry weapon: a TT-33 pistol and an M44 Mosin Rifle. He also had a DShK heavy machine gun mounted in the top of the tank. If he used that at the right moment, he could probably not only inflict heavy losses but also cause panic in the rest of those he used it against.  The way the griffons and the bug things were fighting, the trick with a weapon like that would be to avoid killing the ones he was trying to help.  He didn’t want to scare his new allies into running away too, or trying to kill him.

He started to think about who he would support. 

The griffons seemed to be fighting desperately to win, as if their lives depended on it. As for the bugs, they wore blank faces. 

The griffons seemed to be on the defensive, and the bugs looked menacing and intent on killing them. Somehow, they reminded him of the Nazis and their despicable officials.

After a minute of looking around, he spotted who appeared to be the bug-horse officer. 

Yes, he looked despicable.

Suddenly, it appeared as if the thing noticed him, or knew he was looking at it; rapidly, he stopped looking.

"Come out and surrender! You are coming with us!" came a shout from outside. 

After hearing that voice, he remembered something faintly... That same voice...

"In the name of the changelings, come out!" he remembered. "Come out or we'll have to attack!"

As he recalled that, he felt his muscles tense.

Nobody, not even a bug-horse or monster bug or whatever that thing was, threatened him or his tank.

Anger rose within him...

He knew whose side he was on.

With quick and professional grace, he moved to the top hatch and opened it. He was momentarily blinded by the light as he adjusted to the morning sun. The smell of carnage reached his nostrils, and many of those fighting nearby stopped to gawk at the new and strange activity. 

He ignored them, and pulled and locked the machine gun, getting it ready to fire.

He turned to one of the griffons.

"What are you waiting for?!" he said. "Fight!"

With those words he aimed at the closest bug-horse and pulled the trigger. Immediately, the sound of those still fighting was overpowered by the sound of bullets leaving the mouth of his machine gun. 

Just as the poor devil was torn to pieces by the rain of bullets, the fighting resumed, much more intense this time.

With support from his gun, the griffons began to push the bugs back. His machine gun made bug after bug to die in pieces, the rapid fire of the machine gun rapidly giving a notable advantage to the griffons. Soon, the bugs were entirely surrounded by the griffons, and the bug officer lifted his right hand... Hoof...

"We surrender," it said. Dimitri kept aiming at him, as did most of the griffons.

Only five bugs remained; the rest lay dead across the forest clearing either by Dimitri's gun or griffons.

The griffon that appeared as the highest ranked officer walked up to him, though remaining a safe distance away.

"You don't surrender. Why would this time he different?" he demanded. The changeling smiled.

"Because we haven't lost yet..." 

With that, its horn thing began to shine with a sickly green color. Dimitri saw many griffons run away and take cover. Some shot with their bows and crossbows, though they seemed to be ignored by the thing. The other four bugs also lit up their horns.

That made him guess what was going to happen.

He heard the warning word 'grenade' inside his mind as he closed the hatch of the tank.

That was followed a second later by a large boom that shook the tank. The Russian waited a few seconds before opening the hatch again, looking at what had happened.

Where the changelings had been now was a large hole, as if a bomber had thrown a rather strong bomb. All around, bodies of both griffons and bugs laid on the ground, giving an eerie sight. Dimitri had seen worse scenes, though, and the fact that these were strange creatures instead of humans helped with the shock.

For a moment he thought that they all might have been killed before he started to see some of the griffon bodies stand up, and some starting to come out of hiding places and covers.

Many of the griffons immediately looked around their fallen comrades. He managed to see some of the ones in the floor moving, obviously in pain. He got into the tank, looking for his first aid kit.


***   ***   ***


"...sir?" 

The sound of an explosion...

"...sir!"

The human. 

Yes... They had been overrun by changelings right after their initial ambush. They planned to ambush the changelings; instead, they had been ambushed by the changelings. 

And the human had saved them...

"...he's barely breathing..."

What was that noise... Someone talking... 

He felt tired, really tired. All his body aches. He wanted to simply fall asleep and let the pain go away...

"Sir, WAKE UP!" 

That shout did it. He opened his eyes and immediately groaned at the sudden brightness. 

"Ah, sir. We thought you were a goner," the medic said. Darius blinked a couple of times before standing up. Pain made him grunt and stumble a little bit before correcting himself.

"Sir, you shouldn't stand..." the medic began.

"Where's the human?" Darius interrupted.

The medic sighed. "He's beside his metal thing. He started helping wounded there. He seems to have a nice deal of medical training and has a first aid kit."

The griffon lieutenant nodded and started walking towards the metal beast, seeing the bipedal creature beside it. The human was leaning over a fallen griffon, holding a bandage around the griffon's leg.

"Now, hang in there. You just need to wait for a medic," the bipedal creature said. The griffin nodded, obviously in pain. Suddenly, Darius approached without them noticing, causing the griffon to try to stand up and salute.

"Sir!" He said with grunts, only to fall back again, Dimitri helping in lay down slowly. Darius looked around.

"Medic!" he shouted. He saw a griffon approach. 

"Yes sir!" the medic said.

"Tend to this soldier," he instructed. The medic saluted and kneeled beside the griffon.

Dimitru stood up and looked at Darius. The griffon was tall, and if he stood on two legs he'd be taller than the human. Without that the griffon reached the human up to his mid-stomach, almost his ribs. 

"I presume you are the human we came looking for?" Darius said. The human seemed to get slightly alert.

"You were looking for me?" he asked warily.

Darius nodded. "Yes. There've been reports of a human arriving in a neighboring land, so when we found out you had gotten here as well we needed to rescue you from the changelings."

'So that's what the bugs are called...'

"And how can I know you are not lying to me?" he asked.

The griffon lieutenant sighed. "Well, I've got no reason to do so. After all, I lost many good griffons today to get you." 

Dimitri nodded. He felt tired... All that had happened... It was probably a dream, but a really real-looking dream after all.

"Alright, I'll trust you." He looked around before stretching his arms. "I'll wake up though. Then this dream will be over and I'll probably be in time for the celebration of us taking Berlin and killing that weird mustache-guy named Hitler."

Darius looked at him with a confused expression.

"Eh... What?" he said confused. "You think this is a dream?" he asked.

Dimitri nodded. "Yes, it is. I'll wake up soon inside my tank, Viktor bothering Ivan and the rest angry at them for not shutting up," he said dreamily. "I'll then take the bottle we reserved for victory and open it for us to cheer together." The Russian smiled at the thought.

The griffon sighed. "Alright, if you think this is a dream, fine; we'll have to move soon, though. We can't stay longer or the changelings will come back with reinforcements."

Dimitri nodded. "Alright, I'll follow..." He stopped and looked at the IS-2 tank. "Though there's a problem."

With a confused glare, Darius asked "Which problem?"

"I don't have a crew." The griffons gave him an even more confused look. "I mean that I can't move my tank without another man at least."

Darius nodded. "Alright. I can send a griffon for you if you want. He can help you moving it."

Dimitri nodded. "Very well. I'll be inside; you just tell him to come inside without knocking or anything." The Russian walked to his tank and climbed up.

"Very well," Darius said.

He turned and went for the scout he had sent before. He was gonna be a good one for the job, especially since he seemed to know how to get along with other species.

"Fetch me Private Quick Claw..." he said to a griffon nearby. With a fast nod and salute, the griffon took to the air.

Darius breathed in deep before shouting.

"Alright! We start moving in one minute!"

> Adapting and instructing
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 32
"Adapting and instructing"

Quick Claw, a griffon private that had been recently drafted into the army, walked beside his companions from the unit. He was tired from both the fighting and the intense scouting flights the Lieutenant had sent him on lately. Apparently being the fastest flyer under his command gave him harder jobs than the rest of his fellow soldiers.

He was awaiting command from his captain when a griffon walked towards him.

"Private, the lieutenant wants to see you." 

Quick Claw looked surprised. "Why? D-did I do something wrong?" A few minor and major punishments began to form in his mind after considering the thought. Griffins were very strict on those matters, and even more harsh in the punishment they gave. Ever since arriving from Equestria for drafting, he had begun to miss somewhat the peacefulness of the pony land. Somehow, the griffon warrior society was, in a way, much harder to him. Being a griffon meant he had to prove he was worthy of being one, and his time with the ponies had led many griffons to believe he was now like one of them and not a griffon.

The griffon rolled his eyes. "No. It's something about the human. He needs you now." 

Quick Claw relaxed. "Oh, okay. I'll be right..." he didn't finished before the griffon simply turned around and walked away. "...there?" he finished. Alright, that had been rude.

He sighed and started to walk towards the metal beast. Griffons treated him horribly, and he felt horrible for that. The war seemed to be working in his favor to prove himself, but even then, even if he tried hard to prove he was a griffon, they kept shoving him aside and treating him like...

Like a pony...

He hovered above the air for a few seconds until he reached the metal thing. Lieutenant Darius stood there with another griffon officer, giving instructions.

"...in one minute. We can't stay much longer or the changelings will come in greater numbers." The officer nodded. "So take your unit and the wounded and fly to camp. We'll stay behind and keep your unit and the wounded safe." The officer saluted.

"Right away sir!" 

Darius saw Quick Claw.

"Ah! Private." He made a gesture to indicate the officer to leave. The officer turned and flew up. He made a screeching eagle-like sound and flew up, soon followed by many griffons carrying bunks with wounded on it. Soon after, another unit took to the air forming a protective circle around it.

"You called for me, sir?" Claw asked. The lieutenant nodded. 

"Yes," he said. "Your experience with the ponies and foreign creatures might help on this." He pointed at the metal thing. "Inside that is the human. So far he's proven to be our ally, so he's coming with us. Only thing is he needs another one to help move his..." He hesitated for a second, trying to find a word. "...thing." 

Claw nodded slowly. "And you want me to be the one to help, sir?"

Darius smiled. "Precisely."

Quick Claw looked up and shivered. He had met another human... Louis... He would never forget that in his life. A nice creature, and seemed to know war. The thought of meeting another one wasn't as scary as he would normally feel, at least knowing how powerful they were; instead, it was going to have a lot of pressure. He only hoped the human was like Louis...

"Alright sir, I'm on it."

The lieutenant nodded saluted. "Good luck, soldier. He's awaiting for you inside. I'll lead our forces to the camp, be sure to take him there, understood?" The last he spoke as an order.

Claw gulped, feeling slightly nervous. "Yes sir."

Darius turned around and flew up. Seconds later, another screech sounded and the griffon army took to the air, none staying behind. Somehow, feeling all alone seemed to lift a weight off his shoulders.

...he felt it again once he realized he was still beside the metal thing, and with a task alongside the human.

'Come on Claw, you can do this!' he thought to himself. 'You've already met a human before. It's probable he's gonna be just like Louis!'

The last he said slightly cheerful. Somehow, the thought of spending time with a human seemed nice.

He flapped hard once to jump to the hatch on top of the metal thing, feeling it underneath his claws and his paws. It was cold, and yet he felt something... It wasn't just something to transport oneself on it. It probably did something more, and surely, the second he entered through that hatch, he was going to find out.

He breathed hard before going in.

"Close the hatch behind you!" came an order from deeper inside the thing. Claw turned and closed it, sealing it shut. He studied his surroundings. 

It was far more spacious than he had imagined, though it was still slightly small for griffon needs. He wasn't going to be able to spread his wings inside that thing. 

He was about to take a step forward when the human went towards him.

In a quick review, he was like Louis. The difference was the beard on his face and that he seemed also much more dirty than the German he had met. The uniform was also different, the red star catching his eyes more than the rest of the human; the red star had also been outside engraved on the side of the thing.

"Ah, you'll help me then," the human said, snapping Claw out of his thoughts. 

"Err... Yes!" he answered. "Yes, I was sent here to help you move this..." he stopped and looked around. "...thing?"

The human laughed. "It's called a tank. It's used to blow things up when we need to and helps a lot when someone finds himself in uncomfortable situations." 

Claw imagined that things causing explosions. It was hard to imagine, how could it be?

"What magic does it use for blowing things up?" he asked, confused.

The human chuckled. "Magic? Nah. We do real stuff. You saw the big tube on the outside?" He received a nod from the curious griffon. "Well, that's called the cannon." He grunted as he pulled himself forward and sat on a position below the hatch Claw had just entered. "But that's not something we'll worry about for now."  Dimitri moved to the driver’s seat, though Claw didn’t recognize it as such. "I'll go here. You go where I was sitting before, understood?" Claw nodded slowly and stood on that place. "Correct, you'll see through the visor up front and tell me where to go. Left, right, front, or back." He started moving something. "Understood?"

Quick Claw peeked through the visor and saw the outside. "Yes sir." 

'Wait... Did I just say sir?'

Dimitri nodded. "Good, now open the hatch. Unless there's trouble you'll not close it. Instead of peeking through the visor, just look outside through the hatch and instruct me from there. If we come under any kind of attack, come back inside and close it. You'll use the visor then."

Claw nodded. 

"Alright, you tell me whenever you want."

Claw looked around. "Okay, go left thirty degrees and head in that direction..."

Suddenly, there was a strange sound as the motor of the tank came to life. The exhaust vent began to release the smell of burning fuel and the tank shivered as the engine turned over. Quick Claw looked around. Had the beast woken up?! He quickly moved down to tell the human, but stopped once he saw him moving levers. Seconds later, the tank began to move forward.

Quick Claw relaxed and instead wondered how it worked. He felt stupid for thinking it was a living thing, but now that he knew it was a kind of transport machine, he couldn't help but wonder how it functioned.

Well, all in due time. He needed to get them both to the camp, and he was going to do so. 

He looked around and relaxed. It was going to be a simple job...


***   ***   ***


The sound of the tank moving filled the inside as the two made their way to the griffon camp. Dimitri tried to keep his mind focused, knowing that he was only delaying the time of truth... The moment when he'd need to admit he wasn't in a dream. 

He knew it, but he didn't want to believe it. He wasn't dreaming, it was just too real for it to he a dream. He had discarded the possibility of a weapon because then he'd be dead; the Nazis probably wouldn't bother with something that would induce dreaming in their enemies... Right?

As far as he knew, he was in an alien land, probably even world, alone and getting involved in something he probably shouldn't be getting himself into. That was something he began to wonder after an hour of driving.

Should he have done things differently and not have helped the griffons? Maybe they were the bad ones in the war! The equivalent to the Germans. Maybe the changelings were simply trying to defend themselves.

Or maybe he had done the right thing.

He knew he hadn't been really in danger for involving himself in the battle. He simply could go back inside should things turn against him. The tank was, after all, built to resist explosions. A simple hand of horses looking like bugs and griffons wouldn't get it open or cause a major damage. 

So why had he gotten involved? He hated being threatened, and the bugs had threatened him. He remembered feeling anger rise in him as he recalled the memories when he had been barely waking up. 

He remembered what had happened right before he woke up in that strange land. Their assault on Berlin had been going on, and he had been in his tank with his crew...

There had been en explosion, so he should be dead. 

As probably his crew was...

He groaned silently and tried to focus on the situation he currently found himself. 

Now that he had time to think, he started to see forward and think what he'd do. He couldn't involve himself in a war that wasn't his problem; after all, he was from the red army. He should be instead trying to return to home homeland, though he wasn't sure if that was the right course...

Those creatures, the griffons, needed his help. In one way or another, he had seen beneath their hardened faces the desperation of war; he had seen the same thing on his own men and his countrymen during the war. 

They were tired of it.

He felt the shaking of the tank’s engines working at full speed. The griffon was getting the hang of it, it seemed. He had to recognize that he seemed a nice soldier, one that probably would earn his respect. He followed orders without question and seemed happy to do so. He only needed to see him during a fight.

"What was your name, private?" Dimitri asked.

The griffon seemed to jump a little at the sound of his voice. "Quick Claw, sir."

The Russian nodded. "And how long have you been in the army?"

"A few years, though I began to participate actively once the war started," the young griffon said slowly. "I was in Equestria, that is the other allied country."

"And that country... Does it have a good military?" the Russian asked, his curiosity getting the best of him. He didn’t usually hold long conversations with others outside his unit, much less outside his country, but he was curious.

Quick Claw shrugged. "Supposedly no, but they've proven to have able leaders that have led them from one victory to another. For what we've heard, they are strong when in battle and intelligent when not.” He spoke with respect in his voice, with even a hint of admiration. “I met one, once…” he seemed to be remembering something.

Dimitri looked at him. He seemed to have more on his story than a normal soldier. To have lived in another land was something interesting, but even to have met a military leader was better.

“He was like you, a human if I remember how you are called correctly,” he said slowly. The Russian immediately got alert. If there were more humans, that meant he wasn’t alone. Maybe he’d be able to get back to his world after all… “He was interesting to hear and had seen much fighting. I was awed back then at that… to have experience in battle is something we regard highly, and he spoke like an elder in the fact of experience. I have no doubt he has been important in Equestria’s victory, even if there were no news of their leaders and their names remained anonymous.”

Dimitri nodded. He needed to find out more of them. 

"Is that a palisade wall?"

Just when he was about to ask, though a wall made him think in something else than his question. Quick Claw said, “We’re here.”

The Russian stopped what he was about to ask and went to the hatch. “Come, let’s get out.” Quick Claw followed him as he opened the hatch and jumped off the tank. He quickly looked around and noticed the lines of tents and the large wooden palisade that surrounded the small camp. At a glance, it seemed pretty simple. When he looked more carefully, he noticed the defenses and the organization. It was very good.

“I see you made it safe and sound,” Darius said. “Very good, since if you had taken an hour longer you’d probably end up overrun by changelings.”

Quick Claw looked at him confused. “What do you mean sir?”

Darius looked at them. “I mean that the changelings are finally onto us.” That earned a few gasps from the griffons around. “And we’ll be surrounded by nightfall, so we better prepare, since it won’t be a stroll in the park.”

He turned at Dimitri. “Will you help us?”

The Russian was unable to answer right away. He knew he should help, but this wasn’t his war. He wasn’t supposed to meddle in it. Maybe he could, but…

“I’m sorry, lieutenant. I can’t help you unless I find myself threatened.” Clear looks of betrayal showed on the griffons around. “I’ve already meddled too much into something that does not concern me.”

Darius nodded slowly, regaining his composure. “I understand.” He pointed at a tent. “There is food and water over there. You might want to eat before we start rationing.” Without another word he turned and walked away, followed by the rest of the griffon except for Quick Claw.

“Come, I’ll show you to the kitchen,” the griffon said slowly, walking without waiting for an answer. Dimitri followed slowly behind as a large cloud curtain began to envelop the skies...

> Attack on the base
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 33
Attack on the base

The dim morning light enveloped the griffon camp as Darius inspected his troops, all of them wearing battle armor and carrying a large variety of weapons. The troops were all lined up, and their officers moved around as well, making sure perfect order was maintained. 

Beside the lines, Dimitri looked from the top of his tanks as the griffons got ready to fight the changelings. An hour ago, a griffon scout had arrived badly wounded and reported with his last breaths about an incoming changeling attack. He gave an estimate of three thousand, but Darius was sure there’ll be more. A griffon could kill ten of those easily on his own, and the changelings had been winning thanks to their numbers and nothing more. He knew their strategy was massing over them, completely careless of their own lives as they died by the thousands against a small griffon force such as his own.

The bad thing was, it was working. Darius had been sent with a total force of a thousand; Now he only had two hundred griffons in fighting state, and around another hundred wounded.

Darius sighed as he finished the inspection; he was proud of his troops, but he knew that they were not going to make it this time. They had been fighting changelings for a long time now, and this was it. He could feel it in his body, a bad feeling.

He adjusted his helmet and felt the weight of his longsword against his side. He wore entire battle armor, reinforced and even enchanted to be lighter, a gift from a pony friend he had made. It was a work of art, and had proven to be quite efficient in resisting changeling magic attacks and horns. 

He looked at the metal beast resting beside the tents, the human on top of it looking at him as well. Darius looked away and back to his troops.

Dimitri felt wrong as the griffon began ordering the troops on the defense. He knew he had said no, but he felt he was already too involved. He needed to return to his world, he was needed there, but he wouldn’t be able to if his only allies so far were massacred and his enemies captured him. He knew the changelings wouldn’t take lightly the death of those troops; he wouldn’t have.

Staring one last time towards the disbanding griffon formations, he looked to the side of the tank. Quick Claw was sitting there, seeming lost in thought. So far, that young griffon had been useful in repairing a few things around the tank with the Russian’s assistance. He didn't seem as scared or as surprised by him, which helped Dimitri feel less alien, or at least a little. 

He was about to tell the grifon something when a shout echoed across the camp.

“The changelings! They’re here!”

Immediately, the griffons stood in alert. Around the palisade, the troops prepared their weapons and got ready. A few griffons got ready to fly and meet changelings in the air. Darius unsheathed his sword. 

A black blur fell from the sky at rapid speeds and crashed against the ground. A small explosion happened, two griffons shouting in pain as pieces of dark material exploded from it. They fell down hard just as another blur fell. Dimitri was about to ask what was that when Darius shouted.

“They’re dropping! Shields and pikes up, fire arrows at the beasts when you see them!”

Dimitri looked confusedly at the griffon when he turned and looked at one of the small craters the explosion had made. In it, the vague form of a changeling was visible. 

“They’re throwing themselves down at us?!” he exclaimed at the now-covering Quick Claw. The griffon nodded. 

“Yes, they have an ability that lets them explode when they crash at high speeds!”

At that time, fighting had begun. Hundreds upon hundreds of changelings suddenly erupted from the trees surrounding the camp, clashing against the griffon soldiers. Dimitri noticed as at least a dozen changelings threw themselves at a griffon. The griffon used a large battle hammer to shove half of them away in a bloody mass, but the other managed to strike him deadly blows with their horns. The griffon screamed in pain as they stabbed him with them. In a powerful strike, he shoved the changelings off of him, but then fell down, barely breathing. Another one nearby hadn’t been so lucky.

In his spear, four changelings laid impaled, however, that had made the griffon unable to keep using it and now had five changelings on top of him, each one stabbing with their horns. The griffon fell with a cry of pain as a changeling finished him. 

Dimitri cursed as he looked away and saw another dozen changelings going at him. He looked down and saw a trembling Quick Claw. In fast and swift moves, he pulled the particularly small griffon and threw both him and the griffon inside. He rapidly closed the hatch and heard loud thumps as the changelings crashed against the tank's armor.

The griffon looked shocked at the human.

“What are you waiting for!” he shouted. “Go to the visor and tell me where there are huge masses of those bugs together!”


Quick Claw nodded and quickly sat himself (though a little uncomfortably). He peeked and saw the scene outside. It was total chaos. At least twenty changelings were trying to open the tank either by hitting it, scratching it, or throwing magic at it. It seemed futile, though. As for the rest, the griffons were clearly losing. Although the griffon troops were killing more changelings, the enormous mass of those bugs seemed to much for them all. 

“Tell me in degrees how much to turn!” Dimitri shouted from behind. Quick Claw looked behind and saw the human placing a large and long metal thing inside a small hatch and closing it. He then jumped towards a seat and looked at him. “Where do I shoot?!”

The young griffon looked out again. “Turn thirty degrees left and fire.”

“And up or down?”

“Ehh… I think roughly 20 degrees?” he said doubful. 

Dimitri looked at him annoyed. “You think or you know?!” he exclaimed. Quick Claw almost jumped at the annoyed human’s exclamation. 

“Twenty degrees up!” he exclaimed. Dimitri nodded and pulled some levers. The tank’s turret rotated and he seemed to step on something as a loud boom rocked the tank a little. The sound deafened Quick Claw for a few seconds, and he managed to hear another loud explosion nearby. He quickly looked outside and noticed the fighting seemed to have been brought to a temporary halt as all looked at the tank. Almost immediately though, the fighting resumed. 

Dimitri lowered himself again and loaded another one of those metal things. 

“Okay, this is going to be impractical, we need a loader!” he said. Quick Claw looked outside. 

“They’re too busy fighting,” he said. Dimitri positioned himself back at the place where he had fired. 

“Give me another target!”

The griffon looked outside. He noticed three griffons cornered by a mas of many changelings, too large to count like that. “Fifty degrees right, twenty down!”

Again, the turret moved and the tank rocked as another blast sounded nearby. Quick Claw saw as changelings exploded and were sent flying in pieces. The griffons pushed as the changelings looked around, confused as to what had hit their comrades.

“We need a loader,” Dimitri said hurriedly. “Let’s go outside and call a griffon in, and fast.” He pulled a short metal tube with a handle from a short scabbard-looking thing on his belt. 
Quick Claw unsheathed a short sword as Dimitri got near the hatch. He pushed it open and jumped outside. The sound of little explosions, like the tank’s, but way smaller, sounded outside. Quick Claw went outside behind the Russian and immediately had to use his sword to defend himself. He pushed three changelings away from him and looked for Dimitri.

The human pointed at a random griffon. “You! Come here and inside!”

The griffon looked hesitantly. “Me?”

Dimitri seemed to roll his eyes and nodded. “Yes, you!” The griffon rapidly flapped once and went inside almost gracefully. The human looked at another griffon. “And you! Come here as well.” The griffon approached them and climbed the tank.

All the while, Quick Claw struggled to keep changelings away from Dimitri, who was now almost oblivious to the fighting as he instructed that griffon. They were beside the weapon Dimitri had used before against the other changelings. 

“Okay, point this at the bugs, and be sure not to hit our own,” he said, making him a quick introduction to the weapon. “No matter what, don’t hesitate unless if you are about to hit your comrades. When it stops firing, come a tell me.” Dimitri left a confused Griffon outside beside the gun. He looked at Quick Claw. “Okay, we’re done here! Let’s go back inside!”

Both jumped in and positioned themselves. The human looked at the new Griffon inside. “Okay, you see those metal tubes?” The griffin nodded. “Well, put them inside that hatch, and be sure to close it well before telling me it’s ready. Those things are dangerous, so handle them with care.” The griffon nodded just as the sound of machine gun came from the outside. Dimitri peeked outside and looked at the shooting griffon. 

The griffon seemed to be struggling to believe what he was doing as he pulled the trigger, shooting at changelings that approached the tank. 

Dimitri went back inside and sat down. “Load!” The griffon nodded and pulled one of the metal things and placed them inside. He closed the hatch and nodded. “Where do I shoot?!”

“Forty degrees left, ten down!”

The tank’s turret turned and another loud boom echoed across the battlefield. 

“Load!”

“Ten right, ten up!”

Boom!

“Load!”

“Same position!”

Boom!

“LOAD!”


***   ***   ***



Smoke swirled around the battlefield. Corpses littered the ground as soft rain splattered against it, making a soft sound as it hit the soft dirt of the griffon camp. Griffons moved around silently, helping their comrades as they looked for wounded and ordered the dead in lines. A griffon with a little red badge over his head passed around them, looking as if giving the dead birds a blessing. 

Darius leaned against the only post of his tent that was left standing. He smoked a pipe, the grey smoke swirling around his head and towards the sky, partially disturbed by the falling water. He stared at the camp, lost in thought, as a dead griffon was carried before him towards one of the lines of dead bodies. The changelings were being piled up in a mound at the side of the camp. Once all the black bugs were cleaned from the battlefield, they were going to burn them. As for the griffons, the dead would be treated to a short ceremony and then burned. Normally it would be an individual burning, but with the changelings still lurking around the camp it was not plausible.

Darius took the pile out of his beak and sighed. A hundred and fifty dead. A hundred and fifty battle-hardened griffons, had died. He only had about fifty ready to fight, plus the injured that were still making an effort. As soon as the battle had begun, most of the injured griffons had taken their weapons and joined the fight. That had helped slightly, though many of them had died. 

What was surprising though, was the number of dead changelings.

The ground had been literally littered with the black corpses, and the ground had been tainted green by the blood from them. It had been hours, and already changeling piles were too much. He was going to order burning them soon.

Still, thousands of dead changelings, against a hundred and fifty griffons. It wasn't something he'd accept, but it was by far their most surprising victory against the bugs.

All thanks to the tank.

He turned and looked at the massive steel beast that still seemed to emanate smoke from its mouth and irradiate heat from the repeated shots it had taken. The machine gun on top had looked red by the end, with all the shots fired. 

Darius knew the human was inside with the three griffons that had been with him during the fight. The griffon officer was going to have the three assigned for the time being to the human’s tank, or as long as the human decided to help. That thing had proven out to be a genuine machine of destruction. Dozens upon dozens of craters of various sizes marked the spot where many changelings died, and that was just for the tank. The machine gun had caused many more as well.

If the human decided to help them, it was very likely they're make it out of their predicament alive, and in time to defend the golden throne from the upcoming attack… That is, if it hadn't happened already.

He sighed as he returned to his pipe. He inhaled and felt the air from the pipe fill his mouth, relaxing him for a moment…
> A new ally
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 34
"A new ally"

A faint warm light engulfed the gigantic throne room, a yellow light thanks to the candles lit all around it. The old stones that made up its legendary pillars and walls seemed to be holding their breath as the king, in full battle regalia and covered in green blood stepped forward and sat on the throne. A bunch of griffons stopped before him, all seeming tired and some also covered in changeling blood. His raspy breath and occasional coughs caused some griffons to cringe in worry. The king looked at the gathered griffons before closing his eyes and leaning back on the massive golden throne, the candles behind it casting a shadow across the room.

The griffons seemed to expect him to say something, but after a few minutes of unbearable silence, they all began going their own ways. Some formed little groups and began speaking in low tones, others simply went on their own to some part of the castle, and others wandered around the room, lost in thought. 

One of those wandering the room on her own was a young griffon in battle armor that gleamed in the light as she stopped and sat down on one of the tables that lined the side of the room, generally used for celebrations. Its armor seemed to heavy the griffon down, its form looking tired and overwhelmed with fatigue. The large scabbard that hung from its side was slightly tinted in green changeling blood, as was part of the chest plates and helmet.

“Seems like the battle didn’t go well,” a young female voice sounded from behind her. Gwydy, niece of the king, turned around and saw a pony. She was covered in a cloak and drinking something from a jug. Her voice had sounded slightly off, obviously drunk. Gwydy turned her seat and looked at the pony.

“What are you implying, pony?” the griffon demanded, slowly taking off her helmet.

The pony simply shrugged and drank some more. Her attitude didn’t look good, and Gwydy was ready to get angry. She needed to get angry and let some steam off her head. “I’m not implying anything, just stating simple facts. By all your faces you just suffered another defeat. Or,  blast me to tartarus… Don’t tell me you’ve finally won one?” The last caused Gwydy to leave her helmet hard on the table and stand angrily, her chair falling back and her armor rattling softly.

“Careful with how you speak, pony,” she said. Her gaze was looking intently at the pony, her eyes seeming to try to blast her back to Equestria. “I’m…”

“General-princess Gwydy, I know.” The pony interrupted, causing an angry snort from the griffon. Still, she wasn’t about to lose her temper… badly. “I’ve been here quite some time, and I’ve learned quite a lot from you all.” The pony raised her hood and revealed a mint-blue mane, blue coat and horn, her eyes a slight purple. “After all, I am the great and powerful Trrrrixie…” The last seemed like she was going to make it like a show, full with her jumping on the table and magical fireworks from behind. All that was interrupted by a hiccup from the mare and her falling backwards with a tired grunt. Her face was covered now by her unkempt mane. “That… was obviously *hic!* intended…” the mare said awkwardly, Gwydy only managing to see her legs from her position. The pony grunted once more. 

Gwydy stared in confusion at Trixie. “What are you doing all the way here, and in the throne room of an empire that’s not your home?”

Trixie sat back down again, her mane all ruffled. She picked up the jug and drank some more. “My business doesn’t *hic!* involve you knowing what I’m doing. I just needed a change of scenery *hic!*”

“Aha…” the griffon said. She saw the mare finish her jug before setting it down on the table. A bright flash from her horn and there it was, the jug filled up again. Before she could drink more, Gwydy stopped her with her claw. “You should stop drinking so much, pony.”

Trixie shot her an angry look. “Nopony *hic!* tells the great and powerful Tri*hic!*xie what she can and can’t do!” Gwydy sighed. “Although…” The mare eyed her drink. “I guess I should.” Her ears dropped as she set the jug down on the table. Gwydy returned to her seat. “Sorry you had to see me like that,” the mare said sadly, before collapsing on the table, her snores loud.

Gwydy sighed and took the pony’s jug, still full. The griffon looked around and drank from it. Her eyes lit up. It was good! She drank again. 

“Gwydy,” came an old voice from behind her. The griffon looked around. The king stood before her, eyeing her tiredly. “Follow me.” After that, the king turned around and walked away. 

Taking a second look at the pony’s jug before setting it down, Gwydy went after her uncle.

The two walked in silence across the many rooms that made up the castle, all dark since no griffon had taken the time to light the candles in them. 

They finally stopped in a large hallway, decorated with crystal windows that depicted several images. The feeling that room gave the young griffon general was one of respect every time she passed through it. 

“Why… why are we in the glory hallway?” she asked, her voice low, as if should she speak loud it would disrespect those that the windows depicted.

The king looked around solemnly. “Ponies have a similar room to this one, the royal throne room. It depicts every important part of their history.” Gwydy just looked at his uncle. “We have this room, the glory hallway. We have placed these windows for generations, thousands of years of history, depicted on these hundreds of windows.” He looked at his niece. “And so hundreds of battles, coronations, assassinations, losses, wins… Everything that’s meaningful to us as griffons is here.” 

Gwydy looked at him in confusion. “Yes, I know. I’ve walked this hallway for many years. I am well aware of its history and meaning.”

The old king smiled kindly. “I know. I was the first one to explain to you this room, after your father died.” That made Gwydy look down slightly, sadness filling her. “And so I took you under my wing.” The king pulled her head up with his wing, so that the two looked at each other in the eyes. “You’ve been the daughter I never had, and you’ve not disappointed. If there is one I am willing to pass the throne to, it is you. My son is very likely dead...”

The young griffon stared at the king dumbfounded. “I… don’t understand what you mean. You’re not going to die any time soon!” she exclaimed. “You are our king, our hope, you’re like a father to me! Are you saying you’ll die?!”

“No,” the king said slowly. “But I’m not saying I won’t either. We both need to be prepared. Me for joining my ancestors in the eternal flight, and you…” He stared at her deeply, his gaze penetrating the poor griffon’s soul. “And you to become queen.”

Gwydy didn’t move for a second, but then rushed and hugged him. “I don’t want to…” A tear formed in her eyes. “I don’t want you to die, and I don’t want to become queen. It’s too much… too much…” She slowly broke into tears, the king's wings wrapping the crying griffon as he smiled sadly. “Please…” she said. They stood there for a few minutes, just holding each other, the king smiling sadly and Gwydy slowly stopping the flow of tears.

“Come now, we mustn’t wait. The enemy is approaching the city and we must prepare the defenses.” The king and his niece slowly parted the hug. “I need you to find a way to contact the Equestrians. We lost contact after the changelings began surrounding the city, and we need to know how much longer we’ll have to wait.”

Gwydy nodded. “Alright, I’m on it.”

The king smiled once more and turned around, walking away. Gwydy saw as he left.

She turned her head slightly to the left and looked at one of the windows. It depicted the coronation of a king from ancient times. His wings were spread out in a glorious manner, and three words were written below him. 

“ASHRAGH MOTTASCH ASTORACH,” Gwydy read aloud. “Glory, Honor, Victory,” she said after. Old griffonian. She sighed and turned around. Yes, she was going to fight with honor, for glory and for victory. 

Once she was back on the throne room, she looked for the mint blue pony. She was still on the table, drool falling from her mouth as she slept. Gwydy approached her, just as griffons moved around. The king had given the order to prepare the defenses, and they all began to stack up food around, ready for a siege. A large ballista was being placed on the throne room’s balcony, and griffons worked rapidly to go and prepare more around the city.

Gwydy paused to look at the sleeping unicorn, her from moving ever so slightly as she breathed in and out. Gwydy poked her.

“Trixie, I need your help.” The pony didn’t move. “I need you to contact the ponies that are coming to help us.” Still, the unicorn remained asleep. Gwydy sighed and pushed the chair she was on. The pony fell back with a surprised yelp, her eyes unfocused.

“Wha… what happened?!” she exclaimed. After seeing the griffon in front of her, she stood up. “I hope you didn’t push me…” She looked directly at Gwydy, angrily. 

Gwydy shook her head. “I need your help.”

Trixie looked surprised. “Me? Whatever for?”

“I need you to contact the Equestrians that are coming to help.”

The pony shook her head as she heard the petition. “Do you know what you’re asking for? It’s not something simple. Why don’t you just send a griffon with a letter to come back with an answer?”

“Because,” began Gwydy, “we’re surrounded by changelings and no griffon will be able to pass without being spotted or killed.”

“And you want me to do what, specifically,” Trixie said annoyed. “To procure a letter in the middle of their camp? Or better yet, to send it directly to their general?” After watching the griffon’s head move in confirmation, she extended her frontal hooved to the air in an annoyed manner. She turned around and looked away from the griffon. “Even then I don’t want to be in any contact with ponies.” She sighed sadly, her ears falling. “Do you know why I left Equestria?”

“Err… I don’t.” Gwydy said confused.

Trixie turned back again, this time her face sad. “Because I was a failure in magic! I was a showpony, I did simple tricks and simple spells to entertain ponies. After I got totally beaten in a town called Ponyville, I took revenge on those ponies by getting an ancient artifact and using it against Twilight Sparkle, the element bearer!” With each word, anger and pain left the mare. She took a step towards the griffon as well with each word. Gwydy slowly moved back at the raging sad unicorn. “And now I’m here, because I can’t bring myself to return and ask for forgiveness! I’ve got too much pride in me!” She fell down on the ground, obviously still under the effects of the hangover. “So I doubt I will be of much assistance, griffon…” she finished weakly.

Gwydy looked at the sad image in front of her. A pony, looking for redemption for past mistakes. Maybe she could help her, and Trixie could help them back…

“I know you must be feeling terrible, Trixie,” the young griffon said. “But we griffons need you right now. You’re the only pony in all the city, and the only one capable of performing a spell that can let us communicate with the ponies. I can lend you a few magic books that we have in our library, so that you can learn how to do it.” The pony didn’t move. “And…” Gwydy was unsure if she should say the next part. “And you might have enough good things to make up for your past mistakes.”

Trixie stayed in the floor for a few seconds, before chuckling weakly. “I must look pretty pathetic, don’t I? The great and powerful Trixie, reduced to a crying ball on the ground…” She looked at Gwydy. “I’ll help you,” she said, standing up. “But I hope I feel better after this!” she said weakly, but smiling a little. “And I’ll get a place in history books!

Gwydy nodded, smiling. “Follow me,” she said chuckling. She walked away, the now happier pony imagining herself in history books.

The two moved together, with Gwydy leading her towards the library. None of them knew the two eyes watching their every move, as a changeling hidden behind a pillar sneaked out of the castle and towards its army, ready to give important news to its general...