Chapter 1

Fog of War
By
Teal

Chapter 1

The sound of battle echoed around them, as the misty gray smoke covered the field in front. Sounds of rifle fire could be heard, as the distant roar of cannons ring in the air. But despite all of these horrible sounds, the men of the 220th Pennsylvania Volunteer Regiment stood tall and ready, as they waited for the onslaught to come. Their blue uniforms were clean and spotless, yet it had the small hint of ware, that could only be gained in a fight. The taters on the cloth showed the experience gained by every man in the regiment. Holes and rips could be seen, made by the waves of battle, while their boots were worn and battered, after the long marches made by the regiment. Their rifles were held steadily, by hands that have been trained and drilled to do so, as they waited for the orders to use them. The sound of battle would have frightened any man, who had not been to battle before, but the boys of the 220th held their ground and stayed calm. They have been through battle before and today was no different. Although they looked tired and weary, their eyes wanting to close as their muscles ache, their spirits wanted nothing but to fight. These were some of the most experienced men in the Union army and no matter what happens they will fight.

Their officers kept the line straight, making sure that there were no gaps, as they stood and wait. The line of men, who stood on the field, were the weary few who were left. A few months ago, there were more men who composed the ranks of the many. But they were slowly reduced, because of the cruel nature of war. This group of four hundred men and officers have gone through combat and had formed a bond that could never be broken. They experienced and lived through the same horrors and shall die together as one, when the time comes.

Leading these men was a tall and thin man from Pennsylvania named Colonel Newman. Unlike other Union Colonels, Newman wore a black Confederate Cavalry officer’s hat, which he picked up during the regiment’s first engagement. He took the hat, when enemy cavalry charged them head on, only to be stopped by his men. He then started wearing it, as a testimony to his regiment’s accomplishment. This also made his regiment happy, since it showed how proud their colonel was about the regiment. Whenever they saw the Union officer wearing a Confederate hat, the automatically knew that it was their colonel.

Newman, like most of the men in the regiment, joined this fighting force when it was first mustered. Only six months ago, then men with him were a rag tag group of volunteers who hardly knew how to fire a rifle, let alone fight. Being an officer in the army, Newman knew that he had to train them and train them quick. Yet, at the same time, he had to be patient with them. He knew that being on a soldier’s good side was one of the things needed to become a good officer. An officer needs to be trusted by his men, not hated. So he treated the men like his own, guiding them, while at the same time reprimanding their mistakes. He thought them what he knew and trained them till they were experts with the rifle and bayonet. Like many officers in the Union army, he managed to turn a group of sloppy men to a deadly fighting machine.

When the time of battle came, the men followed his orders and did not hesitate to execute them. The fierce and savage battles they have encountered further strengthened the bond, making Newman a father figure for the regiment. Now they stood in a field once more, ready to face the enemy in another battle.

As the sound of rifle fire intensified, Newman squint his eyes and looked at the battle in front of him. His regiment was assigned to hold the center, as the enemy forces advance upon them. Positioned in front of them, firing long range shots, was a company of sharpshooter, from the 1st United States Sharpshooters. Their silhouettes could be seen through the smoke, as the green coated men took pot shots at the advancing enemy.

But Newman noticed that the silhouettes were getting closer and closer, till he saw the sharpshooters race through the smoke. They turned around to fire, once in a while, before falling back towards them. This was a sign that the enemy was advancing closer towards them, since the sharpshooters were ordered to avoid hand to hand combat.

But the sharpshooters soon gave up on this tactic of fire and retreat and decided to sprint towards them. One of the sharpshooters, a man younger the Newman yet older than most of his soldiers, shouted as he ran. Seeing that the man had a sword dangling from his waist, Newman concluded that this must be their company commander.

“One regiment, coming in fast!” He shouted towards them. He and his men soon joined the ranks of the 220th, while the officer headed towards Newman.

“Sir…” He said as he saluted Newman with one hand and held his rifle with the left hand. “…Captain Wilson, sir.”

Newman saluted back, as he looked at Capt. Wilson and studied him. He seemed to be the common age for Captains, not to young and not to old. Seeing how this war was going, Newman knew that Wilson would at least make Colonel before it is over.

“Got anything to report Captain?” He asked.

“Yes, sir.” He said, before pointing towards the thick cloud of smoke that lay in front of the regiment. “There is an entire regiment of rebels coming this way. I counted at least five hundred, but they seem inexperienced to me, seeing that their taking their time to get here. It’s only now that they decided to pick up the pace. From what I’m seeing, those are raw recruits, but a lot of them. At least we took some of them down for you, sir.”

Newman nodded and smiled. Giving the Captain a pat on the back, he pointed towards a small rise just behind the regiment. It was too small for the regiment to use, but it was a perfect place to position a company of sharpshooters.

“Good job, Captain…” He said. “…but I think I still require your services. You see that small rise over there? I would like you to position your men there, so they can support my regiment.”

Studying the rise, the Captain smiled with glee and nodded. “Yes, sir. It looks like a perfect place to pick off some rebels.” With that, the Captain saluted Newman before gathering his men and sprinted towards the small rise.

“Seems like we’re in for a fight, Colonel, sir.” A man from behind said. Turning around, Newman saw the face of Sgt. Johnson, the regiment’s color sergeant. “Five hundred men, whew. That’s going to be a tough one, sir. One hundred more men than we have.”

Newman looked at the man he trusted the most, who held the stars and stripes, which was worn out and had bullet holes, and was in charge of guarding it with his life. Sgt. Johnson was one of the men who helped him in the early days of the regiment and was also the one he entrusted most of the orders with. He was also the Colonel’s best friend, also being the one to help him in troubled times. Newman trusted the Sergeant with his life, so it was not surprising when Jonson was chosen to be the color sergeant.

“That may be, but you heard the Captain, they’re raw recruits. So let us welcome them to the horrors of war.” He said, grinning.

The sound of drums could soon be heard, through the sound of gun, as the earth below them started to shake. It shook from the steps taken by the enemy, who was advancing towards them and was only concealed by the fog of war, the smoke the lay in between them. It felt stronger and stronger as the drums beat louder and louder. From experience, Newman and his regiment knew that the enemy would soon reveal themselves.

“Alright boys!” Newman shouted, as he pulled out his saber from his scabbard. “Fire by company and show them how we Pennsylvanians fight!” This was met by a short, yet loud, cheer, as the men got ready. Newman heard the individual company commanders prepare their men, as they waited for the enemy.

“Present arms!” A Captain said, as the sound of the rifles echoes through their ranks. The familiar sound was like music to his ears. Soon every company had their rifles presented, waiting for the order to fire.

Looking through the smoke of gunpowder, that was now starting to clear, Newman could see the first signs of the enemy. Soldiers, dressed in gray uniforms and holding their rifles, marched at double time, as the drums urged them forward.

Bang!

The sudden roar of riffles firing at once, created a loud roaring sound across the regiments line. A wall of bullets flew towards their enemy, who barely had time to form a proper line of battle in front of them. The smoke from the rifles flew in front of them, creating a temporary wall that blocked the view of the enemy. Immediately, the men began reloading their rifles, taking out a paper cartridge and pouring its contents in the gun. Using the ramrod to shove the bullets in, before cocking the rifle’s hammer, aiming the gun and firing it at the target. This was all done in a fast paced motion, as the sound of ramrods going in barrels and rifles being cocked filled the air. Months of practice have trained the men with this system, till it was indoctrinate in their heads. But the taste of combat showed them how to do this while under fire.

Officers encouraged their men and pointing out targets, as they waved their sabers and shot with their revolvers. This was a system that works for every Union regiment; this was the system of a fighting force.

But the sound of guns firing was not the only noise that filled the air that day. Once the enemy regiment formed up, they began to shoot back. Their bullets hit a few men that got in its way, causing them to scream in pain, as the bullet tore through their flesh and broke a bone. The scream of agony echoed on both sides, as men from the regiment and the enemy started to fall, soaking the grass with blood.

But the enemy regiment, being new and ill experienced, was disorganized and confused, as they confronted battle for the first time. Their fire was sporadic and although they hit a couple of men, the shots was barely deadly.

Compared to the fire of the 220th, which cut down their ranks and broke their lines, the enemy was ineffective. Their men soon started to fall back, as their comrades were gunned down by superior fire. They started to run back to their lines, as their officers urged them to reform the line. But the voices of their commanders were left unheeded, as the men ran away.

One man, holding the regimental flag, tried to urge the other back. But he was struck down by a bullet and fell to the ground. His hands held tightly on the flag, till another soldier took it and retreated. Newman could help but feel sorry for the enemy, knowing that brave men from both sides had to shed blood for someone to win.

As the enemy begun to fall back, cheers of joy ran through the ranks of the regiment, as they watched their foe run away from them. “That’s right, go run away!” A soldier cried out, as he shook his rifle at them.

“Alright, keep the men in order.” Newman said, as he scanned the field in front of him. The field was once more covered in smoke, as the sounds of cannon balls flying and exploding can be heard in the distance. More rifle fire could be heard from both of their flanks, stating that the fighting there was getting intense. Newman knew that the fighting was not over. They were going to come back, this time with more force. “I want all rifles reloaded; we don’t know what would hit us next.”

His orders were immediately followed, as soldiers begun reloading their rifles, shoving another bullet and cocking the hammer. Soon the entire regiment was ready, ready for another shot at the enemy.

Scanning left to right, he saw his men with arm’s shouldered and waiting for his command. Some of the wounded were moved away towards the back, so that they wouldn’t get hit again. They would later be treated and sent to a medical tent, since there were no men to spare for stretcher bearers.

“Colonel, sir!” Sgt. Johnson shouted. Newman immediately looked towards him and noticed Johnson pointing towards the front. So when Newman looked that way, his eyes met another wave of enemy soldiers that was heading towards them.

But this time it was different. Looking towards the enemy, Newman noticed that they move faster and in an organized formation. Their uniform looked worn, just like theirs, while their faces showed no fear. Newman soon realized that this was a new regiment. A regiment more experienced and ready to fight. Their flag, torn up just like his regiment’s, flew up above and showed of the battles it survived.

As the enemy got closer, an officer waved his saber and pointed it towards them. He then charged with full force, which was soon followed by the rest of the regiment. Although this regiment was smaller, compared to the earlier one, they were also deadlier. They knew how to fight and they were not afraid to show it.

They charged at great speed, like lightning through a stormy sky, as they closed the distance. As they charged, they let out a high pitched yell, which would scare any veteran soldiers. It was the ‘Rebel yell’. The yell that frightened anyone to the bone and sent a chill down once spine. The yell that broke moral and sent men running.

But Newman was going to have none of that. He told his men to hold easy, and ordered them to wait for his command to fire. He watched as the enemy charge with ferocity and grace. The came with bayonets ready and rifles loaded. They were planning to go head on in hand to hand combat. But Newman was planning to disappoint them, by sending a wall of bullets once they got close. Like a kick of a donkey, it would send them back.

As the enemy approached, the misty smoke of rifle fire, from the regiment to their left, blew in front of them. It blocked his, and everyone else’s, view of the enemy. This meant that the only way to judge their distance was from the sound of their steps and yell, which wasn’t very effective.

This annoyed Newman, who knew that the regiment was facing life or death. But he knew that he could do nothing about it.

Newman closed his eyes and concentrated. He could hear the yell become louder and louder, till it felt like it was in front of them. Opening his eyes, he waved his saber and gave the order. “Fire!” He shouted, as another tremendous cloud of smoke covered their view. He then heard the sound of rifles frantically reloading, as they waited for the enemy to emerge from the mist. Readying his saber, he waited to stab the first man to come out.

But none came. He waited, with great anxiety, for any sign of the enemy, but it surprised him that none emerged. Even the yell have stopped, while the shaking of the earth disparaged. It was like the enemy flew away and vanished. But that couldn’t be possible. This was a trick. A trick by the enemy.

A short breeze blew the smoke away, clearing their field of view. As it did, Newman, and the regiment, was surprised to see that the enemy was gone. The regiment charging towards them disappeared and was replaced by a forest, which had its trees riddled by the bullets they fired.

Everyone looked around in confusion, when they noticed that the regiments flanking them were gone too. The sound of battle was replaced by a quiet calmness, like the one of a peaceful time, while the scars of war could not be seen. It truly was a confusing situation.

“What happened?” Newman asked himself, as he looked around in disbelief.

Chapter 2

View Online

Chapter 2

Twilight jumped from her seat, as the loud barking of successive explosions erupted and bombarded her ears. Using her hooves to cover her ears, she tried to block the sound of, as it pierced through the air and created a painful and annoying noise.

As the awful sound began to fade, Twilight removed her hooves from her ears, and started to wonder what had caused those explosions. While pondering, the first thing that popped in her head was the possibility of having another threat to Equestria. With monsters and powerful creatures always hitting the country, over and over, having another attack was not unlikely.

Explosions that loud were sure to have been caused by something powerful, as fear gripped her with the very thought. She was still traumatized by the last explosion that hit Ponyville, which led to the destruction of her previous home. Images of her tree home blowing up to bits flashed before her, as shivered at the memory.

The harsh new memories were made more bearable with the new castle she received, but it didn’t mean the memory didn’t hurt. Now, with explosions erupting somewhere from Ponyville, the possibility of losing this new home gripped her. Not wanting to repeat the past, she acted quickly, deciding to investigate the cause of those explosions.

Moving quickly, she raced towards a nearby window to search for the source of the explosions. Thanks to the height of the crystal castle, she was able to see the entirety of Ponyville, as well as the surrounding outskirts of the town. This dominating height proved to be very useful, especially in situations like this. Looking out, she saw nothing out of the ordinary other than the worried ponies who cautiously trotted through the streets after hearing the explosions themselves.

The citizens of Ponyville were worried about the explosions, as they feared for their safety once more. Some of them raced towards their homes, hoping to find safety inside their wooden walls, while others tried to get information from others, only to get shrugs and shakes of the head.

Luckily for Twilight, none of the ponies looked up to see her by the window, for they would have surely bombarded her with questions while she still seeking for the answer.

With everything alright at Ponyville, she decided to scan the town’s surroundings, as she turned her gaze towards the outskirts. Everything seemed fine, but once her eyes turned towards the Everfree, she saw something strange about the area near it.

Normally, at this time of day, the area around the Everfree forest was clear, as the nearby fields glowed under the sun’s vibrant light. But that didn’t seems to be the case today, as a thick looking mist loomed at the area, slowly being blown away by the wind. Staring at the mist, Twilight knew that it was out of the ordinary and out of place.

She then begun to fear that it might contain something evil behind it, a creature that used the mist to shroud itself from sight. If so, then Twilight must react quickly and examine what was behind it, hoping to observe whatever was causing the mist and identify whether it was a threat or not. It was important to identify if it was something that they should worry about or not, as she didn’t want to cause panic throughout the town. Knowing how prone to overreaction Ponyville was, she decided to get her facts straights first before alerting anypony else.

So she immediately went into action, racing through the pristine halls of the castle. Her hooves touching the smooth and shiny stone, as she turned around curves and made through the various halls of her castle. As she raced through the halls, trying her best not to get lost, as this place was still fairly new to her and she hadn’t memorize every single area of the castle yet, she passed by her ever faithful and hardworking baby dragon assistant, Spike, who was walking out a room and rubbing his temples with his claws.

“Hey Twilight…” He said, rather groggily before giving out a short yawn. “…do you have any idea what that noise was all about?”

But once he saw the panicked and worried expression plastered on her face, he began to assume the possibility that Twilight caused the recent explosions. “Don’t tell me that those explosions were one of your experiments again…” He said. “Like come on! We just got this place!”

Twilight shot him an angry glare for accusing her immediately. Although some of her experiments ended up in explosions, the explosive sounds those experiments created were nothing compared to the explosions that erupted earlier. Besides, her experiments only ended up in explosions eighty percent of the time.

So instead, she ignored that earlier remark and put on a serious face.

“Spike, there is no time for explanations right now. There is a suspicious mist outside the Everfree forest and I fear that it contains something bad.”

“A mist…” Spike said. “…at this time of day? Its past noon and the sun is shining up high, I don’t think there would be a mist right now.”
“
Yes, but that is what makes it odd. Who knows what could be hiding behind it?.”

“You always think that som…hey wait!” Spike exclaimed in surprise as Twilight picked him up and placed him on her back, to the great disappointment of the dragon.

“Hey!” Spike complained, as he held tightly onto Twilight, wrapping his hands around her neck, as they raced out of the castle. “Who said I wanted to come? I was enjoying a perfectly nice nap before those loud explosions happened and now I find myself outside trying to figure out what caused it.”

“There is no time to by lazy now, Spike, we need to figure out what caused those explosions before it causes any trouble. I don’t want us being taken by surprise, so we must figure out what we’re facing. Besides, you need the exercise. You’re starting to become a little heavy to carry.”

“Fine…” The little dragon mumbled under his breath, still not too happy in being dragged to this.

The two were soon slicing through town, as Twilight desperately headed towards the field near the Everfree forest. Scanning the town as she galloped through the streets, she looked for any sign of her friends. She hoped to be able to run into one of them and asked for their assistance on her scouting mission.

But to her disappointment, she didn’t run into any of them. They must have been in their homes when the explosive sound roared and decided to stay in there for their own safety. Although it would have been helpful to have the support of her friends in the investigation of the mist, she would just have to make do with what she had, which was Spike. At least he would be able to send a letter of warning to Princess Celestia when the need arises.

As they reached the outskirts of Ponyville, the only thing that blocked their view of the field was a large hill that was in their way. Trotting towards the top and ignoring the fatigue she felt from running across town, she made her way up as Spike sat on her back, not really wanting to be here.

Reaching the top, she took some gasp as she panted for air. Feeling tired, she diverted all the remaining amounts of her energy to face the field and see what the mist was hiding. But once she did, she saw a sight that she would never forget.

Right in front of her, on the field where the mist was, were tall bi-pedal creatures that wore blue pieces of clothing and were holding weird sticks that were almost as tall as them. They stood in a weird formation, composing of at least two rows, in which each creature stood side by side. As the mist, that covered the field earlier, began to fade, she started to get a clearer view of the foreign creatures. She noticed that in the center of their formation was a long metal pole that had a flag attached to it. But the flag, from what little she saw, didn’t look like any flag she knew.

From what she could tell, from her position, the creatures looked confused and dazzled. So she decided to approach them, with caution, and observe them more closely and figure out who and what they were. Who knows, maybe they were friendly?

“I don’t get it!” A Captain, from his regiment, said as he waved his sword around. The confusion and frustration was evident on the Captain’s face, as he talked to Newman about their current situation. “I just don’t get it, sir. One minute we were facing off with the Rebs. The next we have a forest in front of us and no sign of the other regiments! It just doesn’t make any sense, sir.”

Newman remained silent, as the Captain spoke, as he thought about the predicament that they were thrown into. He too was surprise to find themselves in a foreign place, with no one else but the men from his regiment, and no sign of civilization. He wondered about their current problem and was totally baffled on how it happened. But that confusion must be kept to himself and to himself only, because it could cause greater problems. If a soldier sees confusion on their officer’s face, panic might take over them, as it was a sign that they might be totally lost and helpless. So his face must remain calm and confident, no matter what the situation.

Before Newman could wonder more about their situation, and receive empty answers from his own thoughts, an officer, wearing green uniform and shouldering a Sharpe rifle, approached him and saluted. Looking at the man, he immediately recognized the face in front of him.
It was Capt. Wilson! A grin grew on his face, as he saluted back to the Captain.

“Glad for you to join us Captain.” Newman said, giving him a pat on the shoulder. “I was starting to worry that me and my regiment were the only once experiencing this small problem.”

“Well, Colonel, I don’t know if this is a ‘small’ problem, but I can assure you that me and my company are here with you and are ready to act in your command. So, sir, do you have any clue where we are and what we’re doing here?”

“I’m afraid not, Captain.” He said, shaking his head. “Your guess is as good as mine. But I am glad that you and you’re company are here. You see, I want to scout the land around us and figure out where we are. So can I trust you with that task?”

“Of course, Colonel.” Wilson said with a smile. “I’ll be happy to follow those orders.” With that, the Captain saluted and raced of towards his company. Newman shook his head and smiled, remembering the days when he was a young officer, filled with enthusiasm.

“Uhhh….sir…” Sgt. Johnson said, looking back towards Newman. “…I think you might want to see this.”

“What is it, Johnson?” Newman said as he walked towards the sergeant. He then looked towards where the sergeant was pointing and saw something that was walking towards them. At first he thought that it was a horse, but he later noticed that it was too small to be a horse. So he changed his mind and concluded that it was a pony. But as it got closer, Newman noticed that there was something odd about the pony.
Picking up his binoculars, he looked through them to get a better close up view. That was when he noticed the weird color on the pony’s fur. It was a color that he never imagined a creature could naturally be born with. It was purple! This surprised him, since the last time he checked, ponies weren’t colored purple.

“Are my binoculars playing tricks with me, Johnson, or is that pony really colored purple?” He asked, putting down the binoculars.

“Oh, it isn’t your binoculars, sir. It’s purple to me too. You think the rebels are playing a trick on us, sir?” The sergeant asked as he looked at the pony that was approaching them.

“Well, unless they can make an entire army disappear, then I doubt it.” Newman said as he shook his head. “A purple pony, now I’ve seen it all.”

Suddenly a large flash came from behind him, radiating white light that temporarily blinded anyone who looked at it. It was like the powdered flashes of a camera, which sent out a bright light to illuminate the foreground for a photo. The flash was so bright, that Newman, Johnson and everyman around it had to look away and cover their eyes. Newman covered his with his arms, trying to look away. The rays of light were as bright as the sun and just like the sun; it radiated a hot beam of light that warmed up anyone nearby. It was as if the sun itself was present and in front of them.

As the flash subsided and disappeared, Newman looked to the source to see a tall white horse. But this didn’t look like any horse he has seen before. In fact, this didn’t look like any horse man has seen before!

The horse had long slender legs and a beautiful form, with its pure white fur matching perfectly with its figure. But what attracted his attention were the uncommon features it had. Its long mane, that seemed to be flowing, was composed of a wide variety of colors. While on its fore head was a horn. Newman was about to say that it was a unicorn, like the one written in far fetch tales, but when he saw the wings on its side, he knew that this was an entirely different creature.

“Hello, Colonel Newman.” It said, in a feminine calm voice, which sounded as soft like clouds, yet smooth like silk.

This surprised him even more and caused him to jump back. Thoughts were running through his head as he looked at the creature with pure amazement. Looking towards its face, he could see a small smile on its face as its eyes radiated a caring look. Those expressions themselves were impossible for a horse, so how was it doing it? Everything he was seeing just wasn’t possible.

“Well, maybe I haven’t seen everything after all...” He mumbled to Johnson, who only nodded, as he stared at the creature in front of them.

Chapter 3

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Chapter 3

Newman didn’t know how to react in the current situation he found himself in. None of his training had prepared him for anything like it, since he doubted that anyone expected to be on a situation that was as unbelievable as this.

He was trained to lead and fight, to encourage men and win the day. Now he was sitting in a large room, with walls made out of a bright material and unknown stone, with two Princesses of a world that was completely foreign to him. He had left the regiment in the hands of Lt. Col. Warren, his second in command, when one of the Princesses invited him for tea. The one who invited him, was a tall white pony who introduced herself as Celestia, while the other, a purple pony, introduced herself as Twilight Sparkle.

Now the three were seated in a large room, inside Princess Twilight’s castle, as each of them a cup of tea, which was made by Princess Twilight’s assistant. At first, Newman found it strange to see that her assistant was a baby dragon, but he then reminded himself that this was a strange new world which could easily be comparable to the stories that filled the mind of young children.

Looking at the cup of tea that he held with his hands, he gave it a quick sip and savored the flavor. He had to admit that it was quite good and refreshing, although he would much have preferred a steaming cup of coffee over the warm tea.

Sitting there and trying to be comfortable and calm as possible, he noticed that Twilight was looking at him with great intent. In her eyes, he could see curiosity, as she observed his every movement. He felt slightly uncomfortable at her gaze at first, but after a while he began to realize how different he might have looked to them. In a world of equine creatures, someone who could walk on only two legs and stand high and tall must have been very strange for them.

Sitting there with nothing but the sound of sipping piercing through the silence, Newman began to wonder if they were every going to speak or just sit there and wait for time to pass. Luckily, deciding that they have been quiet long enough, Princess Celestia spoke as she began to address Newman.

“Twilight, I would like to introduce you to Colonel Newman, a human from another world and an officer of the United States Army.” She said, introducing him.

“You know him, Princess?” Twilight asked, looking towards the white pony.

Celestia rolled her eyes as she shook her head. “It’s just Celestia, where equals now remember?” She told Twilight, who blushed in embarrassment. “To answer your question, I have met him through observation, but never met him personally till now.”

“Observing?” Both Newman and Twilight said, in surprise.

“Well yes.” Celestia said, before taking a sip on her tea. She then put it down and faced the two. “I have been observing you world, Colonel Newman, and have seen you and your regiment’s achievments.”

“Please, just call me Lawrence.” Newman said, as he stated his first name. “There is no need for formality, Princess.”

Celestia smiled, one that would make anyone trust her immediately, and nodded. “Then I suggest that you just call me Celestia, so that all formality would be removed.”

“Very well then, Celestia.”

Celestia smiled once more, before returning to the topic. “As I was saying, I have been observing you world and have seen things that lit up my interest. You and your soldiers managed to catch my eye out of all the things I saw, as I decided to bring you here to my Kingdom.”

“Wait, I beg your pardon, Celestia, but how are you able to see my world?”

“Well, Lawrence, with magic of course.” Celestia stated.

“M…magic?” Newman said, said in disbelief as he felt his eyes twitch. He face left a baffled expression, which made Celestia giggle, on how ridiculous he looked. Newman just continued to stare at her, not sure if he should take this all seriously. Magic? But that was impossible, magic doesn’t exist. It was nothing more than a couple of tricks that was used for entertainment.

“Umm…Celestia, I think you might have broken him.” Twilight said with concern, as Newman continued to stare at them with a blank expression.

“Oh, don’t worry Twilight. He’s not broken; he’s just trying to process what he just heard.”

“About magic?” Twilight said, looking at Celestia.

“Yes…” Celestia said. But she soon saw the confused look on her face. “Don’t worry, I’ll explain later.”

As he tried to get his facts straight, Newman suddenly realized what Celestia just said. She told him that she was the one who brought him and his regiment to this strange new world. Did she really just admit to summoning them here did he just miss heard what she said. With his initial shock with the concept of magic, he could have just heard things and misinterpreted what she said.

“I beg your pardon, Celestia, but did you just say that you were the one who brought me and my regiment here?” He asked, wanting to make sure what he heard was correct.

“Yes, Lawrence, that is correct. I am the one who brought you here.” She said nodding.

He nodded, accepting the reply as another question popped up in his thoughts.

“Alright…but why?” There must have been a reason for her bringing them here or else she would not have gone through the trouble of transporting at least four hundred men to her nation on a world that was most likely far off from theirs

Looking towards him, her face remained unchanged, although the tone of her voice turned into a more serious one, emphasizing the importance of this conversation.

“Like I said, I have been observing you and your regiment for a while now. Through my observations, I found that you would be the perfect choice for the task that we would soon need to conduct.”

“That is?” Newman said, a questioning look plastered on his face.

“To train soldiers, to train them how to fight a threat that has not plagued this nation for decades.”

A shocked expression bore on Twilight’s face as she heard this, as she looked to Celestia.

“A new threat to Equestria?” Twilight said, letting the words sink in. “But couldn’t me and the girls just solve this problem? We have done it before and I’m sure we can do it again, so why ask for help now? Not that I don't appreciate help or anything, but couldn’t the power of friendship solve this like always?”

“I’m afraid not, Twiligh. This is one threat that friendship could not stop.” Celestia said. “For you see, the new threat to us, is the possibility of war.

“War!” Twilight exclaimed in shock, not knowing that Equestria was looming closer to war. Having read hundreds of history books, she knew that war was something that brought destruction and death. She had read on the past wars of Equestria and saw nothing but the pain of suffering of those who took part of it.

“Yes…war.” Celestia said nodding. “You may not know it, Twilight, but Equestria has a secret network of agents hidden in the Griffon Empire. We always like to keep a watchful eye upon them, so our agents bribe some Griffons to gather information for us, to help see what their Empire is planning. Recently, one of those Griffons came to our Embassy in the Griffon capital and brought us a small piece of document. It was smuggled out from their Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and it states their local embassy at Canterlot should make haste and start burning documents, as war would be imminent between our nation. The document also says that they should begin packing and leave as soon as war has been declared.”

“So, you mean they’re going to declare war on us?” Twilgiht asked.

“Yes, yes they will.” Celestia simply stated. “On when that would happen, I do not know yet. But from what our agents are telling me, their move would come soon.”

“But…” Twilight said, thinking out loud. “…if they declare on war on us, then that would also mean an iminenet invasion.”

“That is correct.”

Twilight’s eyes widened, as she realized one fault in Equstria’s peaceful existence. Knowing all too well that Equestria hadn’t been at war for hundreds of years, the fact that war was about to hit them was a scary prospect.

“But…we haven’t been at war for five hundred years! How are we going to end off an invasion if the nation doesn’t even have the skill and experience to fight one? We were barely able to fight off the Changeling invasion and we only got lucky there because of the Elements. But now…”

“I know Twilight, I know.” Celestia said, knowing that the young Princess had the same idea of hopelessness she felt when she first heard the news.

“Excuse me…” Newman said, reminding them of his presence. He had listen to the conversation intently and found something intriguing throughout it all. “…but did you say you’re nation hasn’t been at war for five hundred years?”

“Yes, you heard that correctly. Five hundred years. Five hundred years of peace throughout our nation.” Celestia said, cherishing the fact that she managed to keep her country quiet and away from war for such a long time. “You see, Lawrence, Equestria is a peaceful nation, while our ponies are kind creatures who just want to live and enjoy life. War and other acts similar to that had been routed away after years of struggling. By now, the generation who are living don’t know what war feels like. They don’t know its fear and horrors. On one side, this is a good thing, as they won’t suffer by its pains.” Newman nodded as he listened to that part, knowing all too well what a war has done to his nation. With their own Civil War going on, his country had been torn apart as well as the people and land that was once united.

“But there is also a side effect to having no war. You may or may not know this, but over time, a nation who doesn’t go to war would soon forget how to fight. Well, I can tell you right now, that is what happened to us. With years of peace and no possible use for an army, the Equestrian Army was disbanded and down sized. Right now, we only have the Royal Guard to rely on for defense, but they can only do so much. With their numbers, estimates say that they would only be able to defend the Royal Palace and nothing more. Their numbers are too small to mount a sizable defense of the country.”

She paused for a moment to let him take it all in before continuing.

“Now, there is a second option for defense, which is the Volunteer Army. Once at war, the government is allowed to raise an army of volunteers, to help defend the country. But the problem is, we don’t have any experienced ponies to help them train, as well as well the fact that we don’t have a doctrine to advice our possible commanders. With nothing but a couple of skirmishes on the southern borders, against the buffalos, our ponies are practically clueless to the ways of war. That’s why I brought you here, to help train and advise us.”

“You want us to be advisors?”

“In a way yes.” She said, nodding. “Listen, Lawrence, the task I will be giving you won’t be too hard. All you have to do is help train one brigade. Through my observations, I have seen how you and your soldiers fight and I am greatly impressed at your skills. Although your battles get to be graphic, I saw that your regiment is well knowledgeable in the art of war. So I want you to pass it on to us. You’ll have drill sergeants, from the Royal Guards, who will help you in this endeavor and observe the training as well as help in the training of volunteers. They will also learn as much as they can and pass it on to the volunteers that you will train and the volunteers that will come. Once you managed to train one brigade or once the first battle looms over us, I will have you as an advisor to our future commanders, to assist them in their tactics. The training of the brigade would be helpful, but you’re main task would be to advice our leaders, to teach them what and what not to do. This is all I ask you to do, nothing more than that. We will supply you, feed, you, and provide you anything that you need, in return, I ask you to help us in our time of need. Do you accept?”

Newman stared at her as he thought about the offer that was given to him. This was a big task she was asking him and his men to do and he didn’t know if one regiment acting as advisors would be any help to them at all. She wanted him to train a brigade and advise them in their fights, but would that be enough? He knew that one well trained brigade and a couple doses of advice wouldn’t turn the tide of battle, as it takes more than that to win. Although she didn’t say it, both he and Celestia knew that his regiment would have to fight in one of those battles. Despite trying his best to stray away from the idea, he knew that no matter how hard he would try, he and his regiment would get suck into the battle that await. One does not simply march into battle and walk away unharmed.

In normal circumstances, he would refuse the request, seeing that he was in no position to negotiate with other nations. Knowing that his men had already suffered through one war, he would do all he could to stop them from getting involved in another.
But this was not normal circumstance, since they were trap in another world and the only key to go back was through her. There was also a thought of pity for them that was drawing him to accept the offer, knowing that they would just be rolled over without help. Like his country in the War of 1812, the chance of being crushed because of a lack of an army was a great possibility.

Looking back towards her, he noticed that they were both looking at him intently, waiting for the reply that he was about to announce. Clearing his throat once more, he looked at them and gave his desicion.

“Well…I accept your offer. Besides, you’re probably not going to bring us back till I say yes.” He said the last part as a joke, but when he saw the troubled look on Celestia’s face, he knew that there was more to this than he knew.

“Twilight…” She said, facing the purple pony. “…would you please leave us two in this room? We need to talk about something in private.”

“Well…uhhh…of course, Princess.” Twilight said, stepping out of the room, closing the door behind her and leaving the two alone.
Celestia looked at Newman with a plain facial expression plastered on her face. Her earlier look was not replaced by a stoic and expressionless one, as she let the words out of her mouth in a diplomatic and calm manner.

“I am sorry to tell you this, Colonel…” She said, addressing him with his rank. “…but I fear that I cannot bring you and your soldiers back to you world.”

Newman heard those words and took them in. At first, he didn’t believe what she just said and refused to acknowledge it. She must have been playing a trick on him, trying to fool around with him. But once he saw the serious expression on her face, it became that there were no jokes in what she was saying.

“Why can’t you? Didn’t you say you brought us here?” He asked, as she nodded. “Then it means that you can bring us back once we’re done here.”

“Its not that simple, Colonel. There are more things that are hindering me from bringing you home. Things that you might not want to learn about. I could tell you about this things, but as somepony who is concerned about this, I advise you not to ask about it.”

Newman stared at her and saw that the expressionless look was still plastered on her face. Now he knew that she was hiding and wondered what it was. With the option to learn it or not, he decided upon whether to heed her warning or not.

But like any human created on Earth, he was born with the curse of curiosity. To learn the unkown, even if it hurts them. Wanting to learn what prevented her from binging them all home, he decided to ask her about the reasons. The reasons that were separating them and home.

“Try me.” Newman said, trying to copy her expressionless look.

“Very well then…” She said with a slight nod.

Sighing, she donned a sad expressing before closing her eyes and looked down. Lifting her head up to face him, the sad expression disappeared as she bore once more the expressionless look on her face.

“Listen…it isn’t that I can’t bring you all back, rather, I won’t bring you back.”

Newman raised an eyebrow, as he wondered what she meant. Won’t want to bring them back? What was she planning, keep them here for eternity? Those were the thoughts that circled in his mind, but he decided that it would be best if he kept it to himself and let her continue.

“The reason being is quite complex, but I‘ll try to explain it to you.” She said, as she cleared her throat. “You see, trans-dimensional spell casting works in funny ways. It’s because the universe dosen’t like the idea of somepony interfering with another universe, so it kind of gets messy. I will not bore you with the technical terms, so I’ll cut to the chase. The teleportation spell that I cast upon you is said to have some side effects, some of which being not too pleasant. I don’t exactly know why or how, but the only way for you and your men to return home is to die in this world. Once your sole dies here, it will automatically return to your world. On whether your body would come with it, I do not know. Neither do I want to test it to figure out. Now do you see why I can’t simply just bring you back?”

Shaking his head, he stared at her with a dumbstruck expression. What she revealed to him was not only shocking, but down right enraging. She had brought them here to fight a war they weren’t even supposed to be involved in, only to be rewarded by being trapped here for eternity. Not only was that unfair, it was practically a kidnapping.

He felt anger rise up within him, as he looked at her with a sharp killing gaze. He felt rage inside and wanted to let it all out. They didn’t deserve any of this and wanted to return. But the only way to return is through death. To him, it was starting to look like a sick joke. Clutching his fist, he wanted to vent out his anger upon her and seek revenge on this trouble that she had brought upon them. But if there was one thing he learned at the Point, it was, not to let your emotions get the best of you.

Taking a deep breath before letting it all out, he did his best to calm himself as he gazed at her, directly in the eyes.

“Look…” He began. “…I know you said you can’t bring us back without practically killing us, but is there another way to return?”

“There could be…” Celestia replied. “…but nopony had discovered any spells before. Reversing the spell I used to bring you here wouldn’t work, but there are countless of untested spells, as well as spells that could be discorvered in the future.”

A small glimpse of hope appeared when he heard the possibility, no matter how small, of getting them back home.

“Well, if there is a possibility, can I get your reassurance that you would do your best to find that spell? I don’t care how long it would take, as long as you can bring us all home. I promised all of my men that they would see their homes once their service is over and I’m not going to let magic, or whatever it is, to get in my way. So here’s the deal, we will help you in your war, as long as you help us get back. Deal?”

Celestia looked at him and nodded. Accepting it would have been the least of the things that she could do to help them. She was the one who brought them here and it would be unkind if she didn’t accept it.

Although she still knew that finding the spell was an unlikely thing and that most of her effort would not go to finding a way to create a spell to bring them home, as her priorities lie to preparing her nation for war, she did know somepony who could fulfill the task. A certain lavender pony who, so far, has not failed her yet.

“Deal.”

Newman stood in front of his regiment, as all of his men sat down on the grass and looked up at him. Standing on a large bump on the ground, to give him some elevation, he made sure that everyone could see him, even the ones who were sitting at the back of the group. Surrounded by his officers, they made sure not to block him as they flanked him on both sides.

Every man in the regiment was quiet, wanting to know what the Colonel was about to say. A tall and commanding figure, it was not hard to identify Newman from the crowd, as all their faces were gazing towards him.

“Men, as you know…” Newman begun. “…I recently had a conversation with the rulers of this land. They have proven to be friendly folks and we have nothing to fear about them. They told me that we would be treated as guess here, under their Princesses gratitude, which we should be thankful off.”

“But that is not the reason I have gathered you all here. Because I have sad news to share. One of their rulers, Princess Celestia, has told me that their nation is about to go to war. Currently, they are at a state of peace. But war is imminent and is just over the horizon”

There were a few murmurs as he said that, but those few were immediately settled when Newman began to speak again.

“In need of aid, she had asked me for help, help in the form of our experience in warfare. Now you see, these here ponies aren’t good at soldiering and would need help if they want to win this war that would soon engulf their land.” He told them. “All of you know what it feels like to be a young soldier, lost in the chaos of a battle. In our first fight, a lot of you were lost, even with the training given to you. Now imagine their situation, in which there in no one who can teach them the basics. Imagine one of their recruits, struggling in a battle, with little to no knowledge of what going on and on what he is to do, while their leaders encounter the same problem Their country has been at peace for a long time, which consequently made them forget how to fight, as well as remove the need of an army. Our nation has been though this state before, back in 1812, and it would a great shame to our pride if we just let them suffer through the disgrace of defeat. So I accepted the offer, in which we would train their recruits, while they ask for advice in tactics of warfare. In return for our actions, they would treat us as one of their own, as part of their nation.”

Most of the men nodded, seeing nothing wrong with the prospect. To them, the idea made them looked like heroes, as saviors to this forsaken nation who had forgotten how to fight. It made them proud knowing that they were doing something to help the underdog in a war for what seemed like liberty.

But there were those who were concerned of one thing and one thing alone. They murmured to themselves, talking to one another, before raising their hands, which caught Newman’s attention.

“Uh, Colonel, sir. Me and some of the boys were wondering…when are we going to go home?” One of them asked when Newman brought his attention upon him.

Newman paused for a moment, wondering how he should address this. Should he tell them the truth and bring down moral? Or should he lie to them and give them something to work for. If he told them that they would go home as soon as the war is finished, then they would work twice if not trice as hard to make sure that this war was over as soon as possible.

Thinking over the decision he wanted to make, there was a pause for a couple of seconds before he made his final thought. Giving a short nod, he looked at them men and gave them a small smile.. Sometimes, lying was for the good of everyone.

“After the war, son…” He told him and all of them. “…once the war is done, the Princess herself would graciously bring us home. So wait till this is all over.”

“Once this is all over…”

Chapter 4

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Chapter 4

Princess Luna walked through her realm of dreams, guarding it from the nightmares that lurked in the shadows. Walking through the streams of dreams, she conducted her nightly patrols, watching over her subjects and making sure that they have a good night’s sleep with lovely dreams.

It was her duty to protect her subjects the scaring effects of nightmares, since a ruler such as herself must care for the well-being of those she served for. After having been gone for a thousand years, leaving this duty vacant and unoccupied, she was glad that she was now back, as it gave her a sense of importance as well as having the bonus of helping her integrate to the citizens of Equestria.

Walking through the realm, a short shivering sense inched through her spin as she noticed a disturbing presence in her realm. Having felt the shiver multiple of times before, she knew that it was the force of a nightmare ripping through the dreams of one of her subjects. Having done this time and time before, she knew all too well what must be done.

So as quickly as she could, she started locating this dream. Searching through the countless amounts of dreams, she scanned each and every one of them, trying to locate the one that was bringing up a storm of nightmares. With each scan, the feeling grew and grew, telling her that she was getting closer with each dream she passed.

After a while, her efforts were rewarded by the sight of the troubled dream. Looking at it from a distance, Luna saw a swirl of darkness, as the nightmare forces shrouded the dream and disrupted it with its powers. She could feel the nightmare radiating as she drew closer and knew that this would be a tough one to fight.

But as she drew closer with each step, she suddenly stopped inches away from it when she suddenly saw through the dream in front of her. Although she had fought nightmares that have caused great pain to everypony in Equestria, the nightmare that was right in front of her was from somepony who wasn’t from their world. Instead, it was a nightmare from one of the new creatures who her sister just brought to their country.

Hesitating for a while, she debated on whether she should continue or not. She didn’t know what to expect one she entered, didn’t know what kind of nightmares creatures like them could conjure up. From what her sister had said, she chose to bring them to Equestria so that they could call upon their aid in the tactics of war. She explained to her that these creatures were experts in warfare and have fought in a war that had engulfed their nation.

Having seen war thousands of years before, Luna knew all too well of its horrors. She had seen it first hand and knew that she didn’t want to relieve those memories again. That was why she was so glad when she learned that Equestria hadn’t engaged in a war for a thousand years, as t meant she would not have to solve the nightmares of war shocked ponies.

But now, as she stood in front of the dream, she wondered if this creature was having nightmares of the war he fought. Knowing the dreams of the past soldiers of Equestria, she knew that they were often plagued by memories of way, and she feared that this creature was having the same troubles as any war shocked soldier she had seen.

She was tempted to trot away and save herself from the trauma, but the feeling deep inside her told her otherwise. As the Guardian of the Night, it was her duty to try and solve nightmares like this, no matter who the dream belonged to and how bad the nightmare was. IF she turned around and trotted away, then it would mean that she had broken her promise to safe guard the dream realm.

Knowing that her guilt will gnaw at her if she backed away, she gave a long sigh before jumping into the dream. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be too bad. But if worse comes to worse, then she knew that she would have to drink a lot of hard cider to remove the memories that would possibly scar her.

Opening her eyes, she found herself in the middle of an open field, with the soft grass under her hooves, while the blazing sun hit her fur. This place looked and sounded strange, yet at the same time, it felt somewhat similar to Equestria. If this place was the world those creatures came from, then it must have been a world that wasn’t entirely different from their own.

Soft burst in the distance drew her attention, as she turned around to see puffs of smoke rising from a far off ridge in the distance. Its smoke was thick white, as it moved like a mist of smoke, slowly rising up to the air.

From those puffs of smoke, she saw small objects coming out of it, flying through the sky and heading towards her general direction. At first, she wasn’t sure what they were, as she squinted her eyes to get a better look. From what she was able to see, those objects seemed to be round and flying fast towards her. Keeping her gaze towards it, she watched as it grew closer and closer.

She watched the projectiles with great intent, marveling at the speed at which they were going. Despite the fact that the projectiles were heading towards her direction, she stood there as calm as possible, keeping her gaze towards the projectiles. Knowing all too well that she was in the realm of dreams, she didn’t fear of getting hit by them as they would just pass through her, leaving her unharmed.

So she followed the projectiles till they flew towards a long line of blue cladded creatures, who were slowly making their way through the field and towards the ridge. She saw the projectiles hover over the blue line before bursting into tiny bits, causing a loud explosion and bringing some of the blue cladded creatures down to the ground.

Luna was shocked by the sound of the explosions, but was even more shocked by the sight of the creatures falling to the ground, grave injuries all over their bodies. Like she had predicted, this was not any ordinary nightmare, as it was a nightmare about war.

But from the looks of things, it seemed to be a form of war that she was not familiar with. With her being gone for a thousand years, she knew that warfare has changed through the time she was gone. Instead of the spears and arrows that she was familiar with, these creatures were fighting a new form of warfare, as she watched more and more creatures fall, from the explosive projectiles, as they moved forward.

The burst from the ridge continued, as projectile after projectile exploded over the blue lines, shrouding them with explosions and bringing more of them down to the ground, as they fell with their weird looking weapons that they wielded.

These weapons drew Luna’s curiosity, as they looked their metal look blunt, as well as having a dominant wood platform. Deciding to investigate why they were using such an ineffective looking weapon, she trotted towards them, as the projectiles rained over them and blew pieces that tore gaps in the line.

She passed by one of the lines and approached one fallen body, who had his weapon sprawled out beside him. After a quick glance, she began to realize that this weapon looked similar to one of the new weapons she heard Equestria was using. A ‘gun’ they called it, as she remembered it being a topic in one of the books she read. Despite never having been used in actual battle in Equestria, it was said to be capable of shooting deadly projectiles out of its rifled tube, hitting the enemy without actually approaching them. Like an arrow, it could shoot from a distance, but had more force per shot. So much force, that it was said to penetrate even the thickest of armors.

Now, as she followed the blue line moving forward, she was half excited to see the weapon in action, while anxious to see the devastation they might produce. With such a deadly weapon, she knew that the possibility of it killing somepony was very high.

So she decided to follow the row of blue cladded creatures nearest to her, trailing behind them as they approached the ridge with every step. They marched in perfect rhythm, as the earth beneath them shook with every moment their legs hit the ground.

Luna had to give them props for bravery as she watched them, for they went on, despite showing fear within them. With each projectile that tore through their line, the blue cladded creatures formed up on the gap, closing it and leaving no spaces in their lines.

"Dress the gap! Come on, move and cover it!” One of them would shout, as the blue cladded soldiers sidestepped to make sure that the gap was fixed, while at the same time, maintaining their forward movement.

They worked with great efficiency, which amazed her, as they moved up till they managed to move up towards the ridge.

“Regiment…halt!” One of the creatures shouted, in a voice that made Luna think it was said using the Royal Canterlot Voice.

“Reiment, halt.” The order echoed, as it was repeated till one of the lines stopped to a standstill. Now the blue line stood half way through to the top of the ridge, weapons pointing up and ready.

Luna wondered why this decision was made, as she knew that they would be standing targets if they just stood still. Having seen the devastating capability of the projectiles, she knew that they could easily target moving objects, so a standing one would not be too difficult to them.

Deciding to move a couple of steps forward, she moved through the line to see why they stopped. There, at the front of the line, she saw the obstacle the blocked any further advance. An obstacle that looked formidable with sight alone.

Right in front of them, hiding behind a thick stone wall, was a long line of gray cladded creatures, weapons drawn and pointing at them. Luna couldn’t help but gulp at the sight, as she stared at the force in front of them. If all the endorsement about the gun was true, then she was sure that the blue cladded creatures were in for a bad day.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sound of the guns going of erupted in front of her, as she couldn’t help but flinch at the overwhelming sound. Smoke rose from behind the wall as the weapons discharged, but her attention was immediately drawn away from the wall when a different sound came from all around her.

Thud! Thud!

The sound of the tiny projectiles hitting the bodies of the blue cladded creatures came from all around her, as the sound of painful screams of agony paired with it, filling her ears with a sound that was too hard and horrifying to describe.

The sight around her was no better, as she saw the blue cladded creature’s fall, clutching their wounds as a thick red liquid spilled out of them. They fell on the ground with limp bodies and Luna couldn’t help but stare at the lifeless eyes that were left open as their lungs tried to gasp the last breath of air that they would take.

A continuous spray of fire came from the grey cladded creatures from behind the wall, bringing more and more casualties to the blue line. Their blood would pool around them, as they squirmed and tried to reach for help. But their comrades were too busy to aid their fallen friends, as they shoved each other around; mending the gaps that were formed by the fire they were receiving. There were far more important thing to worry about, so the wounded were left helpless and screaming, their voices filling the air with their cries.

But with all the cries and explosion mixing in the air, there was one voice that managed to pierce through all of it. Deep, loud, and commanding, the voice caught Luna’s attention, as her gaze turned to one of the blue cladded creatures. Staring at him, Luna saw that he wore a different hat from the others, as his was a large black hat, compared to the blue caps the others wore. Another difference she noticed was the bright steel saber he had, which he wielded with his right hand, while waving it in the air.

“Regiment!” He shouted, before looking both on both sides of the line. “Present arms!”

The sounds of rifles clattering echoed through the line, as Luna watched them perform their ritual of order and execution.

“Take aim.” The black hatted commander then shouted, as he pointed his saber forward towards their enemy, who were hiding behind the wall.

Enemy fire was still raining upon the line, but they followed orders and pointed their rifles at their foes. Even under fire, they still managed to keep their cohesion and follow the orders given to them.

“Fire!” She heard him bellow, as the sound of rifles going off filled her ears, while the flashes of their muzzles created a light that seemed to be as bright as her sister’s sun.

After having fired their weapons, a large cloud of smoke shrouded them, making almost impossible to see what was in front of them. But despite the wall of smoke, the fire from the enemy continued, as the sound of bodies being hit echoed time and time again.

“Reload! Reload! Reload and fire at will!” The black hatted commander ordered, as he moved though the line, trying to encourage his men as bodies fell all around them. But despite the amount that fell, the black hatted commander managed to pull the lines together, keeping all gaps covered as well as preventing anyone from the line to run and fall back in cowardice.

Taking great interest on him, Luna decided to follow the black hatted commander, keeping close behind him on wherever he went.

“Keep up the fire! Keep it up. Make it nice and hot for them.” She heard him say, as spurts of fire came from the blue line, only to have a large volley as a reply from the gray line.

“Load! Load! Load!” He would shout, as he went along the line. As he paced from left to right, he encountered a young soldier, who was struggling to reload his piece. His hand was shaking as he held his paper cartridge, while powder spilt off to the edge as he brought it towards the muzzle, trying to pour its contents into it. But due to his nerves, his attempt was met with failure, as all the powered was thrown into the ground instead of the barrel.

Noticing this, the black hatted commander moved towards the young soldiers and tried to calm him down.

“Take it easy now, boy.” He told him, causing the young soldiers to look at him. “Just take a breath and remember your training.”

The young soldier gave a shaky nod as he tried to reach for another cartridge in his pack. But he would not be able to accomplish this task, as a bullet hit his face, spilling blood, bone, and brains all over. Chunks of flesh and brain were splattered on the black hatted commander’s face, as Luna’s eyes stared at the sight with eyes wide open.

She watched as he brought his hands upon his face to wipe off the blood from his face. Doing so, he looked at the reddened hand and stared as he began top to shake in fear. At first it was only his hand that was shaking, but soon his entire body shook, as fear engulfed him.

Sensing the fear emitting from him, Luna finally realized that this was his dream. His nightmare. His memories of this awful moment.

Normally, she would have tried to solve this, to help the one plagued by nightmare in resolving their troubles. But after seeing all of this, she was left clueless on what to do. It had been a long time since she last helped a war shocked soldier, and by now she had forgotten what to do.

Even if she did remember, it would still have been a challenge, as no war in Equestria had been this bloody and devastating. This was a war that was different from before. A war with new weapons and tactics, weapons and tactics that were more deadlier than before. he had never seen killing conducted in such an efficient way. She did not know how to remove memories as horrifying as this, as she herself has been traumatized by it.

Not knowing what else to do to help, she decided that the best problem solver would be the easiest one.

So she snapped him out of his dream and woke him up.

Newman shot awake, sweating and gasping for air. He had been hit by the nightmare again, as the terrible memories of that battle plagued him once more. The sight, the sounds, the feeling…it just felt all too real to him, despite the fact that he knew that it was only a dream.

Staring at his hand, he tried to remove the terrible images. But the memories of the young boy’s blood and brains all over his face and hands were scarred into his memory, forever there to haunt him.

The thought of his men going through another encounter such as that horrified him, as the memory flashed before him in flashes of blood and cries. With the terrible circumstances they were bring trust into, he feared that his men would die in a war that they weren’t supposed to be involved in.

Although Celestia said their souls will return home if they died here, it still didn’t reassure him that they would be alive if they returned home as souls alone. If their souls returned without their body, then they would be equivalent as dead.

The only way for them to return home safely was for them to help Celestia’s nation, survive the upcoming war, and hope that they would find a way to bring them home.

“Oh, please protect them.” He cried out in prayer, as he closed his eyes and looked up. “Please protect them and let them see their homes once more.”

Chapter 5

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Chapter 5

A large wooden ship, bearing no flag of its origins, lay anchored in a port at the Griffon Capital, as the dark early morning atmosphere blanketed it with a light shade of darkness. The ship, which was a large ocean going vessel, was equipped with three masts that held large sails that absorbed the power of the ocean wind, giving it more than enough power to travel the large ocean. This also enabled it to move fast, while carrying large payloads that were being brought around from one side of the ocean to another.

Despite its size, the vessel was one of the fastest of its types, capable of slicing through the water with great ease. For a ship of its size, it was a fast vessel that cruised like a sloop, yet has the storage capacity of a large ship.

Its storage area was meant to carry large amount of supplies, both for the supplement of the crew and for the storage of goods that could be shipped from one place to another. Normally, ships like this were owned by large freighter companies, who transported goods across the vast ocean that separated the Griffon Empire and Equestria, but there were some highly rich companies that also used them for other purposes.

Purposes that require large shipping vessels that could carry large amounts of goods while also being able to outrun most vessels that sailed across the ocean. These companies handled businesses which were usually in the ranks of smuggling illegal merchandise from one nation to another, sailing as quickly as possible, to avoid coastal patrols, while able to carry large crates of their smuggled goods. The ship docked in the port right now, was part of one of those businesses.

“Hey, Blizzard, I don’t think I like this…” A pony, covered by a hooded coat, said to another, as they stood near the gangway of their ship.

“What do you mean?” The other hooded pony, known as Blizzard, asked, looking at the first. “We’ve done this a thousand times before and now you decide to have a bad feeling about it?”

“Well, it’s just that…” The first pony said, hesitating. “…what would the Griffons want with the goods were giving them. Doesn’t it seem a little suspicious to you.”

“Storm, I don’t care if it’s suspicious or not, as long as we get paid at the end of the day. We’ve been doing this for years and I have not heard a single complaint from you before, so stop with these suspicions of yours and do as we usually do, which is not to question things.” Blizzard said, as he noticed three Griffon approach the ships gangway.

Looking towards them, he could see that they too were wearing hoods, cloaking their appearance in the dawn, as they cautiously made their way up the planks towards them.

“Alright, now stay quiet, here they come. Remember, let me do all the talking and don’t do anything else until I told you. You got it?”

Storm nodded and watched as the three Griffons climbed up the gangway and board the ship.

As the first Griffon stepped on board, Storm noticed that the other two were carrying a large chest, which, from his point of view, looked very heavy. Especially with the sight of two fully grown male Griffons, who looked like they were having difficulty carrying it, as shown by the relieved sigh from them when they put it down.

“Do you have what we asked for?” The Griffon said, which sounded more like a hiss.

Towering over Blizzard and looking at him with an intimidating gaze, the Griffon meant business and wanted to do it quickly. Despite having a hood cover his face, up close, it wasn’t too hard to see through it and see the face of the Griffon insdie, his eyes piercing at the pony in front of him

“Strait to the point, aren’t we?” Blizzard said, acting as cool as possible. “Don’t worry, buddy. We have all the goods in storage down below.”

“I have no time to fool around with you ponies, show them to me.” He said, with a deep and serious tone in his voice.

“Sheesh…” Blizzards said, before ordering the other member of the crew, who were earth ponies. “Bring one crate up, our pal over here wants proof.”

The two soon came back, carrying the crate, which they gently placed in front of Blizzard. A green aura then lit from inside Blizzard’s hood, as another aura engulfed the crate. Using his magic, Blizzards opened the crate to reveal its contents to their guests.

Inside were at least a dozen guns, made from long tubes of metal and large chunks of wood. It was complete with ram rod and stand, which was a long metal rod, attached to the bottom of the gun by a swivel and was used to hold the gun on the ground as the gun was fired.

The guns were made for pony use, meaning it had to be operated by hoof and mouth, since ponies couldn’t stand on their hind legs (Or at least without difficulty). The trigger was large and was made for the use of one hoof.

Although the weapon was basically made for ponies; it could be easily used by Griffons, seeing that they can stand on their hind legs with ease.

“A dozen Equis Mk. 4 rifles, per crate, fresh from the Equestrian armories themselves.” Blizzard said, as he levitated one over towards the Griffon, who gladly took it.

He grabbed it with both claws and started inspecting the gun, cocking it, aiming it, and pressing the trigger, just to hear to mechanical clicking sound. Since it was not loaded, no bullet flew out of it.

He then checked for cracks but found none. The weapon was clean, as the metal barrel reflected his image, and seemed to be untouched till now.

“Seems to be in perfect order…” He said, conducting his final checks. “…alright, bring the rest of the crates down and we’ll inspect them before leaving.” He then returned the weapon back to the crate and faced Blizzard.

“Hey, hey, hey.” Blizzard said, waving a hoof. “Before you order me around to bring the goods up, let’s talk about you’re end of the deal. My bosses had to go through a lot to get you this, stealing from the Equestrian armory isn’t an easy job, you know?”

“You ponies care nothing but money…” The Griffon groaned, as he motioned for the other two Griffons to come forward. The two obeyed the order and moved towards Blizzard, carrying with them the large chest.

“Well, to ease your doubts of not getting paid, I present you this.” The Griffon used his claws to pull open the lid of the chest, exposing the bright and shining contents inside.

The chest was filled to the brim with large gold bars, which reflected from the lights of the lantern nearvy. Blizzards didn’t know why, but he felt the pupils in his eyes turn into gold as he saw this, happy to see the sight of gold.

“Satisfied?” The Griffon asked, growing impatient.

“A hundred percent.” Blizzard said, recovering. “Alright everypony, haul out those crates!” He shouted, as the crew begun their work of carrying out dozens upon dozens of crates, which contained a total of a thousand rifles, enough to supply a small army.

A large Griffon, with graying feathers and a scared beak, stood on the balcony of the Imperial palace.

The imperial palace stood on top of a large hill, in the Griffon capital, and towered over the entire city. Its formidable strong walls and sharp edges made it look more like a fortress than a palace. But for a Griffon warrior, like him, a place like this was home for any Emperor.

From the balcony, he had complete view of the city and bay below him. Any part of the city could easily be seen from where he stood. The cool ocean breeze blew upon his face, sending a relaxing feeling, and making the red cape he wore flutter. Consternated on viewing the wonderful city that has been the capital of their Empire for years, his eyes were intently fixed upon it. The only moment he looked away was when a knock came from the door of his room.

“Come in.” He said, turning away from the view.

The door opened to reveal another large Griffon, who was slightly smaller than him.

The Griffon entered the room, and as the Emperor turned towards him, immediately bowed down in respect. He then looked up and informed the Emperor of the news that has just arrived.

“My most noble Emperor…” He began. “…reports have just arrived that the crates of weapons have arrived and are being distributed immediately.”

The Emperor looked at him for a while, before nodding. A grin growing on his face, he smiled at the prospect of his plan falling in together.

“Good, good…” He said, in a tired yet confident voice. “…everything is going smoothly. How about the other preparations are they ready?”

“Yes, my Emperor…” The Griffon said, nodding once more. “…everything is ready. The forces that are supposed to storm the barracks are amassing. They already received the weapons and are prepared to storm the place, while the soldiers in the barracks have been alerted to receive the attack. Meanwhile, the forces that are supposed to storm the Imperial Palace are just awaiting the weapons. General Steel has already inspected the defenses and is prepared to defend the palace.”

The Emperor’s smile grew even wider, as he nodded. He then turned around and looked out the balcony towards the city once more. The moon was slowly moving down and would soon disappear to give way for the sun. He then looked down towards the city, to see that most of the citizens where still at home and asleep. Resting peacefully in their homes, safe and sound. But that would soon change when the first shots are fired.

The first shots of his meticulous plan, which, if done perfectly, would give him the right to fight his long awaited enemy and conquer their rich lands. Months of planning have finally led to this and it would soon lead them to total victory and the rule of the entire world.

Down below, hiding in building and awaiting commands, were Griffon’s armed with pony made weapons. Weapons he ordered, from a secret pony market that smuggled illegal goods, and brought them to the capital. These weapons were the latest model of rifles made by ponies, yet were considered a little inferior to theirs.

No matter, it wasn’t the quality that led him to purchasing them.

The force that wielded the weapons, was a forced trained in secrecy and thought on how to use weapons made by foreigners. They were members of a force, that were formed by his orders, who’s objective was to storm major military and government installation in the city. But they would not succeed in this duty, for all his soldiers were alerted.

They may take casualties and Griffon blood may spill, but it is a price to pay to get the results. The fight would be short, but it effects would last a war that would lead to greatness, or at least he hoped it would.

Once the short skirmish is over, Griffon news services would notices the pony guns used by the so called ‘rebels’ and would demand an investigation. He would then announce that the nation of Equestria, ruled by the ponies across the oceam, were the ones who armed and started the rebellion. This would cause outrage in the populace and would give him a ‘Casus Belli’ against Equestria.

Soon it would start. Soon…

“Very well…” He said, knowing that there could be no further planning was needed anymore. Although the plan was simple, the only thing he feared was the plans leaking away, exposing their schemes. He did not know what effect that would make, but he wished to keep the secrets sealed. Right now, the only thing he can do was wait. “…tell all commanders to begin the plan at first light.”

“Very well, My Emperor.” The Griffon said, bowing once more before leaving the room, closing the door behind him.

This was it, this was the moment. This was the action that would lead to the bloodiest and most terrible war in Equestrian history. A war that would take its toll on many and would decide the faith of the world. A war that Celestia dreaded, knowing that her nation was not prepared to fight it. A war witch forced her to bring Colonel Newman and his men. Powered by greed and the desire for more power, the blood of different lives would spill, to fulfill the selfish desires of one Griffon.

Now it was only the matter of waiting.

Chapter 6

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Chapter 6

Colonel Newman sat inside a large tent, thankful for the shade it provided him against the hot blazing sun. Provided by Princess Celestia as a replacement for the equipment they had left behind, Newman was thankful to have had a place to protect him from the weather.

By now, he and his regiment have adapted to life in this strange new world. Although they haven’t met the populace of Equestria, since they choose to camp slightly away from the nearest town, explanations from Twilight Sparkle gave them a view of their nation, through her words.

From what she explained, Equestria seemed new yet similar at the same time. Newman found it quite strange how their world and this new one seemed alike, as some aspects of culture and development seemed familiar. Aside from the magic and strange new creatures, Equestria seemed to be a copy of their own world. A world that was peaceful and tranquil.

At least it used to be till he read the morning paper.

Holding a copy of the morning newspaper, which was sent to him earlier this morning, Newman looked at the bold letters printed in front of it and sighed.

‘WAR!’ It read in capital letters.

This was why Celestia brought them here; this was the threat that loomed around. She could sense it brewing and now it was upon them. A war between the Griffons and ponies. If he was back in his world, he would most likely think of this as nothing but a farce. Ponies and Griffons fighting? Unthinkable!

But now, trapped in a world where the dominant beings where these creatures that he thought existed only in fairy tales, all of these things were now real. Yet he surprisingly took it all in with ease. Whether it was because he was cool most of the time or just plain crazy, he didn’t know. All he knew was he was determined to get his men home, no matter what.

But the only thing that promised them a possible way home held him to a promise. A promise in which he would help them in the war, while they would do their best to find a gateway home.

So now this war must be fought before any of them could get home. He just hoped no one would get home too early through the alternative way.

“Well, it looks like the Princess’s prediction was right.” Sgt. Johnson, who was standing behind him, said.

“Yeah…” Newman replied. “…now, all we can do is wait for her orders. For all we know, she could order us to fight the entire enemy army, seeing that this nation has no armed force at all.” He said, remembering the earlier conversation with Celestia.

From the papers Celestia sent to him the day before, Newman learned the poor and shameful state of the Equestrian military. Despite having kept up with modern weapons and technology, Equstria seemed to lack decent tactics and commanders. They may have used guns and cannons, but their guidelines seemed to suggest the usage of tactics that were more effective for swords, bows and arrows. If they wanted their army to survive a battle, then the first thing they must do is change these tactics.

But it wasn’t just tactics and doctrine that were a problem, as the very army Equestria had seemed to be nothing more than a group of guards. Which was true, as the entire Equestrian Amred Forces was composed of eight hundred Guards, who were in charge of protecting their capital city and their leaders.

There were some Guard units that were sent to conduct some policing actions in some parts of the nation, but none of the operations that the Guard conducted were equivalent to fighting large battle, which this war called for.
If the nation had any hopes of winning this war, then an army who could fight it needed to be trained from scratch. Which was the job of
Newman and his regiment.

“Probably…” Johnson said. “…but I doubt it that we would immediately see action. Didn’t the Princess say they live an entire ocean away? So that would at least give us enough time to train a half decent force. Besides, with you training one brigade of them, then we’re sure to make the best fighting force this land has even seen.

“Now don’t get over optimistic now, what makes you sure that I will be able to train them to be the best soldiers in this land?”

“Doubtful, aren’t we?” Johnson said, shaking his head. “Now come now, Colonel, we all know you’re one of the best commander and instructor back in the entire Army of the Potomac. Like, look at this here regiment, you managed to turn this regiment of misfits to a proper regiment, trained to follow every command and stand tall in the face of the enemy. The young men here were trained under you’re guidance to become proper soldiers that even the regular army would be proud off.”

“Yes…but this here aren’t men…their ponies…” Newman grimaned.

“Colonel…” A young lieutenant said, peering through the tent’s flaps. “…there is an officer here, who says he was sent by Princess Celestia. He is asking permission to see you, should I bring him in?”

“Yes, yes…” He said, nodding vigorously, wanting to know what the Princess had sent one of her officers to them. “…send him in.”

The young lieutenant nodded and soon disappeared.

Soon the flaps of the tent opened to reveal a white furred winged pony, who wore a golden plate of armor on his chest and had a golden helmet to protect his head. The pony walked inside and approached Newman before stopping and standing still. He then raised his right hoof, keeping his balance with only three hooves, and gave him a sharp salute.

“Lieutenant Feather Wing, sir.” He said, with a strong and enthusiastic voice.

Newman wasn’t good at telling the age of ponies, but if his guess was right, this pony was still young. Maybe fresh out of some kind of academy, if they had one of those here.

“At ease, Lieutenant.” Newman said, gesturing for him to relax. “Do you have any news for me from the Princess?”

“Yes, sir.” He said, still beaming with excitement. “I have been dispatched by the Princess herself to give you your orders. The Princess states that you should prepare your regiment to move out and march towards a camp that is being made near the town of Ponyville. You would then join the encampment, where you and your soldiers will help train the first batch of volunteers; Princess Celestia has told me that you are already aware of the training objective.”

“I am to accompany you and your regiment as a liaison, between you and the Celestial Guard, and I must say, after seeing your camp and soldiers, sir, it would be an honor to serve under you. Starting from this point onward, I take orders from you, sir”

“Well, it’s glad to see that you’re very enthusiastic about this, Lieutenant, it’s always good to see an officer with a lot of energy in him. It’s also good to have a liaison between you nation and my regiment, it would be a great help.” He was about to offer his hand for a shake, but decided against it, not knowing how ponies do handshakes.

“I am glad to have you here with us, Lieutenant...” Newman continued. “Now, you said we were going to go to a camp near Ponyville, right? Well, you won’t happen to know where Ponyville is do you? We aren’t well knowledgeable of the territory and might get lost on the way.”

“Thank you, sir and do not worry. I have orders to show your regiment the way, as soon as you are prepared.” Feather Wing said.

“Alright then…” Newman said, before turning towards Johnson. “…sergeant, call upon all company commander and tell them to head to my tent. I want this regiment ready to move out as soon as possible.”

“Yes, sir.” Johnson said, before saluting and heading out, in search for the company commanders who were scattered in their camp. This left Newman and Feather Wing in the tent, to talk about the path they would take to get to the new camp.

The men begun to fall in to the sound of the drums, as sergeants and officers organized by company, making sure that every man was accounted for. The regiment had already packed up their tents and made sure that they have all their equipment and supplies with them.

Soon the regiment formed up on the dirt road, the sun beaming down upon them. Every man stood shoulder to shoulder, as the entire regiment formed a column of fours, their blue uniforms blending with each other to form one long rectangular formation that stood on the road. The colors, a beautiful combination of red and blue, stood in the center, as its guards stood proudly as they protected their nation’s symbol.

Behind the formation of blue, stood a company of green cladded men. These were the sharpshooter under Captain Wilson, who was now attached to the regiment and took commands from the Colonel.

In the front of the column stood Lt. Colonel Warren, who he waited for the colonel to arrive. Like any other officer of his position, he was in charge of the regiment when the colonel was gone and made sure that everything was always fine and dandy within the regiment.

Although some may call him a colonel, they only do so for simplicity, seeing that his rank is slightly lower than colonel. His job was to transmit the colonel’s orders and act as the second in command.

Newman soon came into view, as he walked towards the front, with Feather Wing on his right. As Newman approached, Warren gave him a salute which was received by Newman and replied with by a salute from him. Giving a smile, Warren looked up as he felt the cool and refreshing breeze upon him. He then looked towards Newman, smile still plastered on his face.

“A beautiful place, Colonel, if I don’t say so myself.” He said, admiring how peaceful and relaxing it all was.

After walking through war torn fields, with grass bloodied by the men who died, and seeing destroyed homes, it was a great relief to have a change of scenery. Sure, there were peaceful places like this back home, but war was always across the horizon. Here, war has not tampered its soil. He just hoped that it would stay that way.

“Yes, yes it is.” Newman said nodding, as he stood beside Warren. Now, both Warren and Feather Wing flanked him, as he stood in between them and in front of the regiment. “Are the men ready?” He asked.

“Ready as always, colonel.” Warren said, knowing that every command made by the colonel would be followed whole heartedly and with great haste.

“Alright, move them up.” He said, patting the man on the back.

“Yes, sir.” He said, as his hand moved swiftly towards his saber. Pulling it out, its metal glistening under the sun’s rayshe pointed his sabre forward. He then drew a deep breath and gathered all the energy within him, preparing to bellow out the orders.

“220th Pennsylvania, forward…” Warren shouted his command.

The orders echoed, as other soldiers and officers repeated the last word till the entire regiment was saying it.

“Forward!” They echoed.

“…march!” He finished, as he and Newman took the first steps forward. Feather Wing was slow to catch up to these events and was behind one step at first, but he was soon sync with the rest of the regiment.

Officers kept their men in check, making sure that no one was being left behind. They kept the line straight and made sure that there were no gaps forming. It would make a terrible sight if it happened and would make them look clumsy. But of course, none of that happened. For everyone here were professionals, having this formation drilled in their heads, and by now, they had perfected the art of marching. If they were in a parade, people would look in awe at how neatly organized they all were.

The sound of equipment clanking echoed as they marched, but this was soon overpowered by the sweet tunes played by the instruments they had with them.

The regimental band played their drums and fifes, creating sweet music that filled their ears of everyone who listened as it flew through the air. It kept the march up beat and made sure that the men weren’t bored and left without entertainment as they made their way through the road and towards the nearby town named Ponyville.

As they went on, Warren’s mind started to drift to the many thoughts were circling in his head. Although the breeze was nice and cool, blowing away the sweat on his face, it still would have been nice to have his horse with him. Like most officers, who had the rank to command a regiment, he and the colonel usually rode on a horse when on a march. Sadly, during battles, the horses would have to be left behind the lines, seeing that they didn’t want their trusty steed to die due to a bullet. It was also done to prevent sharpshooters marking the officers as a target, as a mounted officer stuck out in a large group on a battlefield.

When the regiment was brought upon this new world, the horses were left behind, much to Warren’s dismay.

Well maybe it was a good thing, seeing that this world, or at least this nation, was ruled by ponies. It might not have been good for relations when they see men riding their brethren.

“So, Lieutenant…” Newman said, his voice interrupting Warren’s thoughts and causing him to snap back to reality. “...do you have any idea why the Princess appointed you as our liaison? Surely you must be a special member and has great talents, to be assigned to fulfill a great task like this.”

Looking at the white pony, Warren could see the he was flustered by the compliments. He was waving his head left to right, trying to gather his thoughts, after that compliment.

“I’m sorry, sir, but I don’t think I’m that special.” Feather Wing admitted.

“Oh, come now…” Newman insisted. “…surely you’re good at something, seeing that the Princess herself chose you.”

“Well…” Feather Wing’s voice trailed off. “…there was that one time I served under Captain Shield, where I acted as his aide-de-camp and galloped across the camp to dispatch his orders. But that job wasn’t special, seeing that the buffalos weren’t much of a threat and only attacked an outpost once.” This caught Warren’s interest.

“Wait…” Warren said, finally joining the conversation. “…Buffalos, a threat? I thought this nation hasn’t been in war for centuries. Now you’re talking about Buffalos and stuff.”

“Well…” Feather Wing explained. “…it is true that we haven’t been at war for over five hundred years, that doesn’t mean we haven’t had any threats and such. One of the threats is the Buffalos, who try to push ponies away from their desert homes. I served in one of the companies, of the Royal Guard, that were in charge of keeping the frontier safe. But other than receiving a commendation for my organizations skills, I don’t see anything special about me.”

“Huh, funny…” Warren said, looking towards the Newman. “…their frontier with Buffalos sounds like the West and the Indians to me.”

“Yes, yes it does…” Newman said, nodding. “….and Lieutenant, I think there might be something special about you.”

“There is?” Feather Wing said in surprise.

“Yes. You said you were commended for being well organized and that you served as an aide-de-camp?”

“Yeah…”

“Well there you go. With organization skills, you can help keep track with supplies and since you were already an experienced aide-de-camp, then that would mean you would know which dispatches are important, and are of utmost priority, from those which could be spared later.

To me, that sounds like experience that a liaison needs.”

“You really think so?” Feather Wing said, looking up.

“I know so.” Newman said with a warm smile while Warren nodded.

The regiment continued to march through the road, till they got their first glimpse of the town of Ponyville. Its cozy wooden houses rose from the ground, making it look like the homes they left behind, as the large and tall town hall stood high above, making it visible from a great distance.

Other than the fact that the town was mostly made out of wood and hay, it looked no different from an average home back in their country.

“Welcome to Ponyville.” Feather Wing said, as they entered the town. The town had already been bustling with activity since the start of the day, as neighbors went outside to talk about the sudden occurrence of the declaration of war and the camp being built at the town’s outskirts, earlier. This meant that most of the residents were outside and were able to see the weird uniformed creatures that marched into their town.

Some were scared and galloped away in fright, locking themselves in their homes like they usually do. From past experience, many residents knew that hiding was the best solution, knowing that the ‘Elements of Harmony’ led by Princess Twilight Sparkle, would resolve any problem they encounter. Disasters had hit this town may times and the best way to respond to it was to stay in their homes and wait it out.

So many ponies ran in panic and slammed the doors shot behind them, hoping that the creatures wouldn’t go looking for them and would soon go away. But there were some residents who were curious as to what these creatures are and decided to stay.

They stood on the sides of the road and watched as the column of blue cladded creatures pass by them. Seeing that the creatures weren’t attacking, they concluded that they weren’t a threat. So they decided to act civilized and calm.

They watched in awe, as the creatures marched by. They started to wonder and watched them in great fascination. These were creatures new to their eyes and were never seen before. They started to wonder what they were and why they were here.

Seeing that a member of the Royal Guard was marching with them, it signified that the government was well aware of their presence. But that didn’t answer the question of what they were and why they were here, so they continued to look on and wonder.

One particular pony, a mint green unicorn mare, had a huge grin creeping on her face. Excitement filled her veins as she jumped in joy and happiness. Looking towards her companion, a cream colored pony, she shouted in glee.

“I knew it! I knew it! I told you, I told you all. They do exist!”

Feather Wing noticed the stares they were all getting and gave Newman an apologetic look, as he felt ashamed for the actions of the ponies.

“I’m sorry, sir...” He began. “…for the reception of you and your regiment are getting.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it, Lieutenant.” Newman said, shrugging it off. “It’s not like weird creatures march down your town every day. Besides, if I saw a strange creature walking down my town, I would stare too.”

Feather Wing smiled and nodded, as he guided Newman, Warren and the rest of the regiment through the streets and to the other side of town, were the camp was located.

They soon arrived at the location of the camp, having passed the crowd of onlookers, and marched to the point they were assigned to.

“Regiment…” Warren’s voice echoed. “…halt!”

The entire regiment stopped, to stand in front of the camp in which they were supposed to stay. But when Newman’s eyes fell upon it, shock and confusion filled him. What lay in front of him was not a camp, it was a disaster.

“W…what is this?” He shouted.

“Don’t know, but it sure looks like a stampede ran all over it…” Warren muttered as he shook his head.

Chapter 7

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Chapter 7

A military camp is supposed to be an area where soldiers can rest and train. It is a well-organized place where ammunition can be stored, with sufficient protection, and a place where the basic necessities for a soldier can be found. But as Newman stood at the so called camp that they were supposed to stay in, he saw none of this.

Instead, he saw a disorganized group of tents that were improperly placed in a wide open field, as crates of supplies lay all over the place in a chaotic and disorganized look. From where he was standing, he couldn’t help but feel angry at how terrible the place looked. It looked like someone took every tent, crate and weapon, mixed them all up and threw them on the field. He knew the ponies had no combat experience what so ever, but even they should know the basic organizations of a simple camp!

Walking forward, he exposed his eyes to the terrible place that was supposed to be a proper camp for the new volunteers that they were going to train.

Tents were placed randomly on the field, some of them weren’t even pitched up, as they were just left on the ground. The canvas and stick, being blown around by the gentle wind, as they were kept to the ground by the stakes attached to them.

While the ones that managed to be pitched up were done so improperly, as they sagged and looked like they could fall apart after a gentle push is applied upon it. Newman knew that the reason for this was not because of the material, seeing that the tents that were given to them worked properly, but were the result of improper setting. He would have to talk to somebody about that if he wanted this place to be a descent base for training.

His eyes soon fell upon a bunch of crates that were piled on one area stacked one on top of another. Closely examining the crates, he noticed that it had the words ‘Ammunition’ imprinted on it.

He shook his head as he walked stared at the crates, knowing that this was not right. Munitions were supposed to be properly guarded, to prevent anything bad happening to it. Unprotected and unguarded munitions could easily cause accidents, as well as the possible robbery of important military supplies. Leaving it exposed and unprotected was against the textbook principles.

Looking around some more, Newman noticed that there weren’t many ponies at this makeshift camp. Other than a dozen or so ponies, scattered throughout the field, trying to assemble the tents, there was no one else there.

The volunteers must have not arrived yet. Which was a good thing too, seeing that it would be impossible to accommodate them with the camp’s current situation.

Approaching the nearest pony, a brown earth pony who was struggling to get a tent up, he called to him with a stern voice. The pony yelped in shock at the call, which caused the tent to topple down on him, covering the poor pony with the canvas.

Newman waited for the pony to emerge from the canvas before questioning him.

“Soldier…” He said, when the pony finally looked up at him. The pony stared at him with confusion at first, since Newman looked strange and new to him, but soon snapped out of it. He had been informed that they would be working with strange new creatures, but he never knew that these strange new creatures were tall and intimidating. Standing high above him, the young pony had to look up to see Newman’s angry gazed that pierced him.

But no matter how strange Newman looks, an officer was still an officer. “…who is in charge of this ‘camp’?”

“C…captain L…Lance, sir…” The pony said, feeling slightly nervous. Newman was an imposing figure of authority and spoke with a serious tone. Every inch of his face, when angry, gave one a warning not to mess with him. “…h…he’s right o…over there…” The pony raised his hood and pointed towards a green pony, who was softly napping under the shade of a tree. He lay softly on the grass, as his slumbered peacefully under the nice shade and away from the blazing sun.

Newman’s fury grew when he saw him, seeing that the officer in charge was sleeping while his camp was disorganized and scattered. He left his command in shambles and without proper instructions, which made the camp a total mess. The soldiers under him were working hard under the sun, without anyone to command them, while he slept peacefully and as comfortable as possible. Newman would have to make things straight with him.

Stomping towards the tree, Newman grumbled under his breath. If there was one thing that he hated the most, it was an officer who didn’t do his job properly.

To him, officers were the ones who lead and encourage their men. The showed them order, yet give them compassion and trust. They were supposed to be the father figure of a unit. So when an officer slacks of and becomes lazy, it gives men like him a bad name. It makes the entire family of officers look bad and if officers look bad, then soldiers might hesitate to follow their orders, which was a bad thing.

“Get up, you lousy excuse for a Captain!” Newman shouted, as he kicked the pony on the side. Not enough to seriously hurt him, but firm enough to make his point.

The pony’s eyes shot open in surprise as he let out a shout of pain before whining at the feeling of the kick. He then became angry at the thought that somepony would dare disturb him while he was taking a nap and a good nap too. The dream he was having was fantastic, till it was rudely disrupted.

“Hey, who do you think you are to disturb me?” He shouted, eyes closed and hood mending the sore spot, to where he was kicked.

“Who do I think I am? Well, seeing that you’re just a captain and I’m a colonel, then I think that I’m a superior officer. What do you think?”

Newman said, his voice getting louder with every word. They might not belong to the same nation, but the rank of Colonel was still higher than Captain. Unless things work differently here, which he hoped it didn’t.

“Wha…” The green pony said, looking up towards Newman. But once his gaze came across the angry human, his eyes immediately shrunk in fear as he realized who he was talking to. Fear suddenly gripped him as a bone chilling feeling crept up his spine.

“I’m sorry, sir, I…I…” The pony stuttered, under the piercing gaze of Newman. His four legs shook as he tried to stand, but the creature in front of him proved to be menacing and terrifying.

“Do not sorry sir me!” Newman said. “You are in a lot of trouble and do you know why?”

Lance didn’t respond, as he was too scared to move any muscle. He didn’t want to be here right now, but to Newman, this is what he deserved.

“You, my good sir, have left this camp in shambles. This is supposed to be a proper camp in which soldiers are going to stay and train and rest. How do you expect them to do that, when the tents are not even properly placed? And their supplies just thrown around all over the place” Newman shouted, clutching his fist. By now Feather Wing had joined them, but decided to not make his presence known. He just stood behind Newman and watch in amazement on how much fury the officer had.

“I…I can e…explain…” Lance said, still scared and shaking.

“No, Captain, there is no time for explanation.” Newman said, relaxing a bit. He knew that an officer must show anger at times, but must also learn to control them. It was not good to have a fellow officer, or soldier, angry at you. Since that could cause problems in combat. So a good officer must learn to forgive mistakes made by the men under him. “Listen; let’s keep this short and simple. We don’t know when the volunteers are coming and we don’t have time for this. So, I’m going to cut you a deal, I want you to turn this shamble into an organized camp, tents properly made and separated to different sectors, ammunition placed inside guarded tents, headquarter tents placed, area made for target practice and a place where maneuvers can be practiced. If you are able to do that, then you could be off the hook. Sound good to you?”

“Y…Yes, sir!” Lance said, saluting quickly before racing off, towards the disorganized ponies fixing up tents, so that he can turn the mess into a proper camp.

Satisfied, Newman turned around to see Feather Wing standing behind him. As he walked and passed by him, he gave the young pony some advice.

“Remember, Lieutenant, a good officer is friendly and kind to his command, but can also be mean to emphasize a point. Always keep that in mind.”

Later that day, orders came, from a courier sent from Canterlot. The message was from Princess Celestia and it contains the orders in which Newman was supposed to follow. It stated that overall command of the camp was to go to him and that he was to take all measures necessary to make the camp ready for the volunteers, who will arrive at noon tomorrow. This made Newman jump into action, as he helped
Capt. Lance supervise the organization of the camp.

He ordered both his men and the ponies to pitch up tents and moves crates of ammunition, while posting sentries to guard it. He pointed out where the soldier’s quarters where to be located and helped in the search for a place in which the ground was open and flat, for soldiers to practice maneuvering.

Later that day, Newman went to Feather Wing and asked him to demonstrate the use of the special pony rifles. He was very curious on how a rifle was used by a pony, since he found it hard to imagine them standing on two legs. Sure, he knew that unicorns could use their magic, but he wasn’t sure how the magic less ponies used them.

They stood by the firing range, where a crate of rifles was located. Newman decided to position the firing range in a nice open and flat area, as it provided enough space for a company to practices, as well as having the guns aimed at a direction that would not have bullets raining on the camp.

On top of one of the crates was an Equis Mk. 4 rifle, the most common and effective rifle Equestria had. Newman noted that it look very similar to the Springfield model 1861 rifle they had, except for some minor changes. Which was the fact that it had a foldable stand attached to it and had a modified stock and triggerwhich seemed to be more suitable for a pony’s hoof.

“Well you see, sir, our rifles aren’t that easy to use.” Feather Wing said, as he picked one up with his mouth and began his demonstration. He then began to deploy the stand by using one hoof to pull it before jabbing it hard on the ground. He then rested the stock of the gun on top of his shoulder.

“It’s a complicated system and takes a lot of practice. But I think its quite similar to your system.” He said, as remembered watching a company from the 220th practice on reloading their rifles.

“First we would have to take a paper cartridge and load the rifle.” He said before turning his head and grabbing one from his saddle bag. He then brought it in front of his muzzle and bit the tip of the paper cartridge.

After that swung the rifle, which was done with ease thanks to the swivel on the stand, till the muzzle of the weapon was towards him. He then poured the contents, making sure that every grain of powder was in, before plotting the bullet on the end.

“After making sure that the pouder is in, we take the ramrod and ram the bullet home.” He said, before quickly moving his mouth towards the ramrod, which was located below the tube, just like a Springfield rifle, and pulling it out.

With ramrod between his teeth, he gently moved the end towards the muzzle before forcefully ramming it in. He continued to ram it, till he was sure that the bullet was secured in the tube. He then pulled the ramrod out and returned it to its respectful place. He then swung the rifle back, making it point forward.

“We then cock the hammer and put the percussion cap…” He said, with the rifle stock resting on top of his shoulder once again. Using his left hoof, he moved it towards the hammer and pulled it, making a clicking sound to state that it has been fully cocked.

He then took a golden colored cap from the saddle bag and gently placed it on the tip, where the hammer was supposed to hit.

“We then take aim and fire.” He said. Moving his right hoof towards the trigger, he balanced himself with only three legs available, and placed the stock of the gun against his shoulder. He then looked down the sights and took aim at the low hill they had in front of him. Making sure that it was aimed, he pulled on the trigger and let the rifle do its job.

The hammer hit the cap, causing a sequence of events that would trigger the gunpowder inside to erupt. This caused the bullet to be propelled out of the barrel, passing through the rifling and giving it a spin as it exited.

BANG!

The rifle fired, leaving a plume of smoke in front of it. Newman didn’t know where the bullet landed, but he was told the weapon had an effective range of about 500 yards, equivalent to their own Springfield rifles.

“Well…” Feather Wing said, pulling the stand out of the ground and folding it up again. “…that’s basically it. It’s a hard process, but it works. Maybe it would be easier if we had hands, it’s called hands, right, sir?”

Newman nodded.

“Alright then…” He said before continuing. “…hands, if we had hands and could stand in our hind legs, then this would be a lot easier, sir. But sadly we can’t. Heck, even the Griffons could load their own weapons faster than me and I’m a trained member of the Guard! I don’t know how we’ll be able to train the volunteers, who have no experience at this at all!”

“Oh, don’t worry Lieutenant…” Newman said with a confident voice, as he approached him. “…if an officer trains their soldiers properly, then they would be able to do things that they never though they could?”

“You really think so, sir?” Feather Wing said, unsure. “How can we be sure that the volunteers would be able to understand and comprehend all this training I’m not saying that their empty headed or anything, but, this process takes a lot of memorization. Mess one thing up and the whole thing could explode on your face.

“Practice, Lieutenant, the key is always practice.” Newman answered before pointing towards a company, from the 220th.

The company was conducting drills on an flat dirt patch that was now considered as the camp’s parade ground. There, both Newman and Feather Wing could see the company practice the maneuver of switching from columns of fours to a line of battle.

With great ease and grace, the company managed to conduct it as quickly as possible. Having this change of formation drilled into them, as well as having conducted them under heavy enemy fire, maneuvers and movements like this were engraved in the minds of every soldiers, as they could perform it no matter what, in any time and situation.

“You see them…” Newman said. “…they weren’t always like that. When they first came, they were a disorganized bunch, who could barely keep a formation straight.” He remembered the days when the regiment was first formed, when the men were eager yet unable to fulfill simple commands.

“It was an embarrassing sight, which would make any officer frustrated. But I kept my patience and helped them through it. I tried to figure out the small problems and made sure to fix it. Now look at them. They could do this drill in their sleep! It took a lot of time and drilling, but they all became proper soldiers.”

“When we were first mustered, the men from the regiment couldn’t figure out on how to reload a rifle. There were a lot of mistakes and those who were able to reload their gun were slow. We were lucky to be able to fire one shot a minute.” Newman stated. “But now they can fire three shots a minute, and out shoot an enemy regiment at almost any battle. These men could reload a rifle in the heat of battle, without missing a step. The point is, Lieutenant, we can train anyone to do this task, as long as we do it properly.”

Despite knowing that it would be a difficult journey on training the volunteers, he tried to keep himself optimistic, like Johnson. He knew that it would be an even harder task to train peaceful ponies for war, but there was no use stressing himself on such things, so instead he tried to look on the bright side. Besides, how bad could they be?

“I don’t know, I still have my doubts, sir.” Feather Wing said, still unsure. “But I’ll keep an open mind. Besides, if they fail, then there goes Equestria.”

Newman ignored the last remarked and shook his head.

“Don’t worry Lieutenant…” Newman trailed, recounting the battles he fought with the 220th. “…once the volunteers are don with their training and in the field, you’ll be surprised by the thing that they can do.

Chapter 8

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Chapter 8

Captain Wilson slowly opened his eyes as he woke up to a new day. Giving out a yawn, he started to shift his position till he was sitting on his makeshift bed.

Like many officers in the regiment, he was given his own private tent, in which he could set up his quarters and rest. It was slightly bigger than the tents an ordinary soldier slept in and was only roomy because he didn’t have to share it with two other people.

His bed wasn’t fancy either, for it was a pile of hay that was covered up by a thick blanket. It might not be a real bed, but it was still comfortable to sleep on, proven by the wonderful rest he had. He scratched his head as he sat up, while trying to prepare both his mind and body for the day.

Today was going to be a big day, like Col. Newman told them, for the pony volunteers will be arriving at noon. Every man and officer, him included, would be busy, preparing the camp and making it presentable for the volunteers.

Assigned to keep watch on the ponies who would be entering the camp, he and his company would be patrolling the camp and making sure that no one was trying to do any funny business, like stealing supplies and sabotaging equipment.

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he gave another yawn before shaking away the sleep.

He planned on going to the mess tent, where a large amount of food was usually prepared, and join his men in breakfast. But he decided to have an apple first, from the basket of apples that was graciously given to each officer, by the ponies. It was said to be a token of appreciation from them, so he gladly accept it.

It was a good thing to, since they didn’t have many supplies. Since they were suddenly picked up and teleported to this world, the supplies they normally had with them had been left behind Not that they had many supplies to start with, being sharpshooter, who were effectively skirmishers, they traveled light and carried few supplies.

So it was a good thing to learn that they had fruit that was eatable to man. This world may have been filled by strange talking colored ponies, but at least it still had fruit that weren’t poisonous and could provide some nutrients for them.

But he did wish they could provide them with some meat, since he already missed the savoring taste of it. Although he didn’t think they would take kindly on the fact that they were eating fellow animals.

So for now, fruit would be fine. Maybe some bread and biscuits later on, but other than that, they would be fine with these forms of nourishment. Besides, he was already used to eating little to almost no meat for long extents of time, since meat was sometimes a rare commodity in the army.

He was just about to get off of his bed, when a strange peculiar sound caught his ears and attention.

It was the sound of slurping before being followed by a satisfied sigh. The slurping sound was equivalent to the sound of someone sucking on a tube and he started to wonder why that was so. Great curiosity was building within him as he wanted to learn what was causing this strange sound.

Looking around his tent, he noticed that no one was there to have caused the strange noise. The tent was empty of anyone, except for his presence. But he also noticed that the basket of apples was also gone.

Placed on a small stool on the other end of his tent, the basket was left untouched when he fell asleep last night. But now, as he looked at the same stool, he found that the basket was gone.

He tried searching for the basket inside his tent, thinking that it might have moved due to some sort of magic, but found no sign of it. The tent might have been roomy, but there was just no place in there to be able to hide a basket full of apples.

As he continued to look around for it, the slurping noise came again, this time even louder. By now, he had noticed that it came from just outside his tent, just by the entrance. So he stood up and cautiously moved towards the sound, making sure to keep his steps and himself quiet.

As he reached the entrance, he gently moved the flap to the side and peaked to see who was the one making the noise. From his field of gaze, he saw a creature that looked foreign, yet familiar at the same time. It had a silver coat and a dark blue tail, while its figure looked similar to that off a pony.

“What in the world is that?” Wilson murmured to himself.

When he ended up in a world of multi-colored ponies, he thought that he has seen everything. Well, right now, it was obvious that it was not true.

He knew that this was a pony sitting in front of his tent, but he still found curiosity on its strange looks. Staring at the creature he noticed the small features that make it look different from an ordinary pony.

Observing the creature, he noticed that instead of the normal ears of a pony, its ears were more pointed and had denser tuffs of fur on it. The wings were also a noticeable change, with them being bat like, rather than the feathery bird like wings. This made him wonder if the creature was some sort of crossbreed between a pony and a bat. How would that have been possible? Well, he was in a world were magic existed…

As he continued to observe the creature in front of his tent, he noticed that the slurping sound returned. That was when he noticed the basket of apples lying next to the creature.

He watched as the creature took an apple, before the slurping sound retuned, and throwing its remains off to the side. Where a pile of dehydrated lay, stocked up on top of another.

“Those where my apples!” Wilson complained, loud enough for the creature to hear, as it immediately reacted to his voice.

It let out a small squeak of surprise, before jumping from the position it was sitting. It then turned around to face his tent and had a shocked and worried look plastered on its face as it looked at him with its large blue eyes.

As it faced him, Wilson noted the pair of sharp teeth that protruded from the top of its mouth. This only increased his support for his theory of this creature was a crossbreed between a bat and pony, as nopony he has ever seen before had fangs as sharp as those. In fact, he had never seen a pony with fangs in the first place.

It narrowed its eyes at him, before immediately looking at the almost empty basket, then back to him. An embarrassed look then fell upon it face as its cheeks started to turn to a light shade of red. Realizing what it has done, it suddenly felt shy with his presence.

Looking down and shuffling its hooves, it apologized with its sweet and smooth feminine voice.

“Sorry…” It said, as Wilson stepped out of his tent to stand in front of her. “…I didn’t mean to take you basket of apples. It was just that, I flew all the way from Canterlot to here, and when I got arrived I was really hungry. Then I smelled the sweet fragrance of apples and decided to follow it. I wanted to ask for your permission, but you were asleep and all…” She continued, still embarrassed.

“Well, ummm…you do know that the mess tent is just a couple of tents away, right?” Wilson said, pointing towards the direction of the mess.
This statement made the poor creature shrink in embarrassment. Wilson felt sorry for it and decided to just forgive her. It’s not like those were the only apples in this world, there were plenty more somewhere else.

“You know what, forget it.” He said, making her look up with hope as a small smile grew on her face. “I could get more apples later.”

“Now if you don’t mind me asking…what exactly are you. Now, I’ve seen a couple off ponies here and there, but none that looks exactly like you.” He said, changing the topic to an even more interesting one. His early suspicions were right, she was a bat pony. But what was she doing here?

“I’m a bat pony!” It chirped, with her embarrassment and shyness gone. “The bat like creatures of the night. We’re are commonly known for our job a Lunar Guards. In fact, I’m a member of the Lunar Guard, myself.” She said, patting the gray armor, which matched her silver fur, with her right hoof.

“The Lunar Guard?” Wilson asked, as he raised an eyebrow.

He had heard about the Celestial Guard, knowing that Feather Wing was a member of it, but he had never heard of Lunar Guard. Well, he was fairly new here and there were still a lot of things for him to learn about.

“Yup, name’s Lt. Dawn. I’m a member of the Lunar Guard who is supposed to be attached as a liaison to this regiment, if I could find where your colonel is.”

“Well you would probably find him faster if you weren’t munching on my apples.” He said, teasingly. She giggled at this remark and rolled her eyes as a reaction.

“Anyways, my name is Capt. Wilson, of the 1st United States Sharpshooter, now attached to this regiment; it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Wait a minute…” She said, trailing off as she thought about what he said. “…did you say captain?”

With that sudden realization, she immediately stood straight and brought her right hoof to a salute. Her gaze suddenly became straight as she kept them looking forward.

“I’m sorry for disrespecting you, sir. I didn’t know that you were a captain, sir.” She said, with a tone of voice that was used by any soldier of lower rank when talking to an officer.

“At ease…” He said, trying to calm her down from her stiff position.

He was usually relax towards the soldiers he commanded and preferred to talk with them casually. He didn’t like to apply the strict military discipline most other officers used, as he found it too bland and choking.

He was a volunteer officer, meaning he had an ordinary civilian job before the military. He believed that being casual and normal to your command was a key part in gaining the trust of your soldiers.

“…none of that stuff now. You seemed to be fine with talking with me casually earlier, so you should be fine doing it now. Unless you want me to make that an order?”

“No, sir.” She said, her body relaxing.

“Also, none of that, sir stuff. Please, just call me Wilson. The sir thing is only for disobedient soldiers.” He said, smiling at her.

She smiled and nodded. “Yes, si…I mean, yes Wilson.”

“Good…” He said nodding. “…now you said you were looking for the colonel? How about this, let me just put on my coat and I’ll gladly take you
to him, sound good?”

“Yup.” She said, chirping once more in satisfaction. When she was ordered by Princess Luna about this mission to be the liaison, she was told to keep up her guard. The Lunar Princess had warned her that these creatures were be dangerous, even though they were supposed to be allies. But after her first contact, those warning seemed to be wrong, seeing how friendly and gentle they were.

In fact, she might have made her first human friend!

Since Equestria remained as a peaceful nation for hundreds of years, the need for a standing army was low. The government decided to choose a peaceful policy against the nation’s enemies, which seemed to have worked till the day the Griffons declared war.

Having a standing army, when a nation was always at peace, was said to be a waste of money. So the old army was disbanded eight hundred years ago, immediately after the last war fought. The only unit they had to equal as an army was the Royal Guard. But they could hardly be called an army, for they were a small elite group whose job was to protect the Princesses. So that left Equestria with no force that would be able to defend it during a war.

This problem occurred to the government before, making them seek for a solution to it.

To solve it, they created the Volunteer army, which was said to be an easy solution to face any threat that faced Equestria. The concept of the volunteer army revolves on the idea of having each region in Equestria create volunteer regiments, that would help serve in the nation’s defense.

Each regiment would be composed of volunteers from each region of the nation, they will be trained and fitted with the necessary equipment, before being merged to form the needed army to defend the nation. The number of regiments of each region would vary, as some places could provide more than others. But the basic concept called for at least one regiment for each region.

In theory, Equestria would be able to deploy enough regiments to raise a decent sized army to defend the vest nation from any threat.

With the volunteer army, ponies would be able to enlist to defend their country and once the war is over return to their homes. It would solve the problem of only having to pay the maintenance of such an army during war and having a force to face the foe.

But the concept was never tested before. Being at peace for hundreds of years, no threat proved to be big enough for the need to call for volunteers. It had never been put into practice till the day the Griffons declared war.

When it was implemented during that war, the Equestrian government was about to learn how hard it was to equip and train ponies, who lived humble and peaceful lives, and turn them into fighting machines.

They never expect the amount of time and preparation needed to handle the logistics so that supplies could reach the new regiments that were forming all over Equestria. The numerous amounts of equipment would have to be distributed throughout the land, while qualified instructors, which there was a lack off, must be found to train these ponies. Day by day, new recruits signed up to fight, as the small military system of Equestria started to show its fault.

“Hey, Bon-Bon, look over there, right over there! Can you see them? I think they might walk pass us!” An excited mint green unicorn said, with an enthusiastic tone on her voice, as she jumped up and down.

Looking towards the distance, she pointed her hoof towards the small group of blue coated soldiers who were making their rounds pass the vast sea of volunteers. Excitement filled her mind as she saw them draw close, while her heart beat to an unbelievable pace.

She was just so excited at the thought of having so many humans in one area and she just couldn’t her feelings. After years of being berated and treated as a joke, she finally had proof to the existence of the creatures she has studied for years.

But for Bon-Bon, who was bombarded by the loud squeals and exaggerated motions of her friend, the situation was less than exciting. Sure, she found it cute at first, seeing her friend excited like a filly in candy shop, but after half an hour of listening to her babble and call her attention; she just found the whole thing annoying.

“Lyra, are you sure you volunteered because you wanted to defend Equestria? Or is there another goal in there in your head?” Bon-Bon told her flatly as she looked towards the mare.

Lyra stopped at her human gazing when she heard this, as she gasped at the remark.

“Are you trying to tell me that I’m unpatriotic? Because I can assure you that I’m just as patriotic as anypony in this camp here.” She said with a firm voice.

Bon-Bon rolled her eyes as she watched her friend overdramatize her reaction. “I’m not saying you’re unpatriotic, Lyra. I’m just saying that you might have signed up just because you wanted to meet these ‘humans’ up close.”

“Now, now, Bon-Bon, whatever gave you that idea?” Lyra giggled, as the idea of meeting a real human up close swirled in her head, feeling her fantasies.

“Yeah, yeah…” Bon-Bon said, not believing what her friend was saying. “…say what you want. But deep inside, both of us both know what you’re really planning. So I’m going to say this now, please stay out of trouble. I don’t want to wake up one morning to suddenly find you arrested for assaulting a ‘human’ just because you want to hug him or because you snuck into one of their tents to observe them in their sleep.”

“Don’t worry, Bonnie, I can assure you that-“ Lyra’s sentence was cut short as her short attention span diverted its resources somewhere else.
“Oh, wait, look! They’re passing us right now.”

Lyra then brought her eyes upon the small group of three humans who were passing right in front of her. Despite her mind going wild, as she desperately wanted to go up and tackle them, she managed to fight back the urge and keep herself back. It wouldn’t do her any good if she was suddenly kicked out of the camp, especially for the reason of attacking their instructors.

Turning her attention towards the three humans, Bon-Bon could hear their muffled words and noticed that they were counting something. Wondering what they were counting, she gave a guess that they were trying to count the number of ponies that were all gathered here right now.

Packed on a field, which acted as the camp’s waiting area, hundreds upon hundreds of ponies from different parts of the Ponyville region have gathered here to join the Volunteer army. Answering their nation’s call for volunteers, these ponies, including her and Lyra, had signed their names and gathered at this camp, so that they could be trained as soldiers.

Looking from left to right, Bon-Bon could see a seemingly endless sea of ponies who were sitting on top of the soft grass, waiting for their orders.

She found it hard to imagine how their commanders were going to handle them all, as there seemed to be too many ponies to properly command. To her, it just seemed to be a great feat, to be able to organize, feed, equip, and arm all these ponies here.

But then again, she was no military expert. She knew nothing about how an army is made. Maybe something like this looked more complicated than it actually was.

Newman stood on top of a hill that overlooked the camp and brought his gaze towards the field which had ponies scattered all over the place.

Earlier that day, he had watched as a mixed and ragtag group of ponies marched down the road in a disorganized and scattered column, as they made their way to the camp. Shuffling their way to the field, it was clear that there were at least an entire brigade’s worth of them, as they gathered at ever flat space they could find.

Watching them from his position, he could see them mingle to each other and get to know one another, as ponies from different parts of the region gathered to this camp. Some of those ponies probably knew each other for a long time; other may have never known each other’s existence. But now, they were here, as raw volunteers of a force that would soon be a fighting brigade.

He knew that they would endure a lot once training began, as they wanted to simulate the stresses of battle as much as possible.

But for now, Newman would let them enjoy their last liberties as carefree peaceful ponies, as they enjoyed the presence of each of their companions and peers. Because once they step foot on the parade and training grounds of the camps, they would learn what it takes to make an effective unit that was supposed to fight a war. They would march through dirt, dust, and mud, they would have drills imbedded into them till they know it with their eye closed, and they would learn to follow orders with quick succession and without hesitation.

But till then, he would let them enjoy the peace of the countryside.

“Colonel, sir.” He heard someone call from behind him.

Turning around, he looked to see that it was Feather Wing, who was holding out a salute and waited for a reply.

Returning the salute, he noticed that the young pegasus looked tired and battered. The day must have been tiring for him, as he was assigned to help shuffle the volunteers and assist some of his men on counting the numbers that were present.

“Anything new to report, Lieutenant?”

“Yes, sir.” He said, as he pulled out a piece of paper from his saddlebag. “I would like that our preliminary counting is now finished, there are about three thousand two hundred volunteers present right now. This number could increase when more ponies come to volunteer here directly.”

“Good, good.” Newman said as he looked up towards the sky. Basing from the position of the sun, he guessed that it was about two o‘clock in the afternoon.

Feather Wing gave a glance towards the ponies on the field below and shook his head.

“Sir, do you still think that those ponies over there can be turned into a fighting force? Because to me, they look like nothing but a bunch of ponies on vacation.”

Newman looked towards the field and gave a short nod. True they looked like that they were a group enjoying a day off instead of undergoing their first day in the army, as he saw ponies munching on food they brought, while others lay on top of blanket, enjoying the sun.

But that was to be expected. You couldn’t just go to a large group of civilians and tell them that all their privileges were gone, that would cause uproar. If he forced them, they might not accept. No, they would have to do it slowly. They couldn’t do it on the first day, but on the next passing days. Slowly reminding them that they weren’t living a cushy life anymore as they were now in the army.

“Well…” He said, looking upon the ponies bellow. “…they might not look much right now, but soon they will. Once training start tomorrow, they will start their process of becoming soldiers. But for now, we’ll focus more on organization rather than training.”

Newman then began elaborating to Feather Wing what he had in store for his operation on organizing this brigade.

“We’re going to separate them to three regiments. The Princess told me that an officer from the Royal Guard would take over these regiments when the time comes, but till then, we will have to assign temporary commanders.”

“Sounds like a good plan, sir.” Feather Wing said. “But who do you have in store as regimental commanders. How would you know which one of them is a good leader? Surely you wouldn’t assign a random pony to command a regiment?”

“Oh, don’t worry, Lieutenant, I don’t planning on doing that.” Newman assured him. “In fact, I’m not going to be the one to pick the commander.”

Feather Wing’s eyes narrowed as he looked at him with confusion. “What do you mean, sir?”

“Well you see, I’m going to let the ponies of each regiment decide.” Newman explained. “The ponies of each regiment would be from the same district, so that would mean that they would know each other fairly well. So they would also know which pony has the leadership quality. We’ll just ask them to vote for the best leader and the pony that gets the most votes would be assigned as the temporary commander. A simple yet effective plan.”

Father Wing nodded as he listened, understand what Newman said.

“Well, I better in from Col. Warren of this, sir?” He asked, ready to go and inform Warren, so that it would accomplish as soon as possible.

“Yes, yes.” Newman said, as he watched the young pegasus open his wings and fly off towards the camp below.

By now, Newman was greatly fond of the young officer, as he found him as an interesting character. He could see that Feather Wing was enthusiastic to serve with them, as he viewed them as a strong military force, yet he could also see that the young officers was apprehensive on trusting the volunteers, as he viewed them as armed mobbed instead of a well-trained fighting force.

Newman found this funny, as the 220th found itself in a similar position as the volunteers here today. From untrained force to disciple fighting force, any mob can be trained as long as they were thought properly.

And Newman was determined to show that to Feather Wing.

Chapter 9

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Chapter 9

Planning to meet the new regimental commander that has been voted by 1st regiment, Newman and Feather Wing walked through the camp, passing tents and soldiers, as they made their way towards a large tent, where a large red colored stallion stood.

The stallion was young and had a build that was brimming with strong muscles. A tall frame made him tower over most ponies, as stood high and tall to the ponies that passed by. He watched as the two approached, keeping his gaze fixated on the two officers. Despite knowing little of him, the two could clearly see that he was a dominant and strong figure, in which you did not want to mess with.

“Big Macintosh, I presume?” Newman asked as they stood in front of him. After his initial scan on this stallion, Newman could tell that he lived up to his name.

“Eyup.” The pony said, with a nod.

“Well, then. Would you care to accompany us, Colonel?” He asked, as the stallion gave a silent nod as a reply.

Despite brandishing no insignia and wearing no uniform, the young stallion was an officer, a Lieutenant Colonel of Volunteers. Chosen by the ponies 1st Ponyville Regiment to be their leader, he was the pony that the they believed to be the one who could lead them. And Newman could clearly see why.

Tall, firm, and intimidating looking, Big Macintosh looked like a pony who could instill order to a rag tag group of ponies. This was a good thing too, as they needed every pony that could bear their leadership capabilities on the raw volunteers

Big Macintosh trailed behind the two officers as they headed towards the regiment that was temporarily under his command. As a temporary commander yet commander nonetheless, the stallion was given the rank of Lieutenant Colonel of Volunteers. This would give him enough power to control the regiment, as well as limiting his position to a second-in-command when the officers from the Royal Guard came.

“So, Colonel, I presume that you know these ponies well, seeing that they elected you as their leader throughout their training.” Newman said, as they made their way.

“Eyup.” Big Macintosh replied, giving a quick nod.

With the 1st Ponyville composed of ponies that lived mostly in the town, he was quite familiar with them all and them familiar with him. Known as a strong and cool headed pony, who was always hardworking and perseverant, the regiment had no second doubts on voting him.

“Do you think you can handle it?” Newman asked. “This is quite a bid role you’re in right now.”

“Eyup.”

Glancing towards the red stallion and noticing his lack of a wide vocabulary, Newman wondered why that was so.

“Not, much for words, aren’t you?”

“Enope.” Big Macintosh said, with a firm shake of the head.

Sighing, Newman shook his own head and forced a small smile. “Well, maybe you’re lack for words will make up for something else. Maybe an abundance in leadership?”

The three soon reached the parade ground, which was filled with companies from the 1st Ponyville, who were practicing formations and marching.

The large open field that was once barren and coated with grass, was now congested with ponies, who made their way from one end of the field before doing an about face and making their way to the others side. The grass that was once was flourishing was now flattened, while some area had them crushed to the point where there was nothing but the brown dirt left.

Newman watched as the companies marched in lines of battle, trying their best to stay coherent and firm. But it seems their best just wasn’t enough, as their lines look jagged and broken. With small gaps forming from one part, as some ponies got left behind, to unsynchronized hoof steps, the companies looked like a gigantic mess.

Sergeants tried their best to fix the gaps and keep the lines straight, but no matter how hard they tried, the gaps always appeared. Whenever a gap was fixed, another would just appear, as some ponies struggled to keep up with others.

Newman could hear Feather Wing give a frustrated sigh at this. The young officer still had doubts on the capabilities of this volunteer force, while Newman himself had cautious optimism about them.

With his black cavalry shading his gaze as he looked up, he saw that it was a hot cloudless day. From the information given to him by Twilight, he learned that the pegasi were the ones the controlled the weather. And after seeing the cloudless sky above them, he gave a guess that the area must have been scheduled for clear skies.

This meant that the entire countryside would be under the full wrath of the sun, as it brought down large rays of heat upon them all.

The rays of the sun were bearing down upon them, as the heat felt like a fire that was brought in front of anyone who fell under it. The sun burning gaze felt like thorns under the skin, whether one was shaded or covered with fur all over them. For human and ponies alike, the hot sunny day was a painful experience to go through, especially for the ones who had to march under its blaze.

Bringing his attention to a group of ponies who were about to begin their drill, he could see the unsure looks on their face. They must have been confused at what they were trying to achieve with the formation that they were forming, as they made a jumbled line on the edge of the grounds. Similar to the other lines that the companies on the parade ground were attempting to create.

Deciding to move towards them, he could see that the attention of these ponies turned to him. Their eyes tried to stay forward, but they couldn’t help but make a quick glance at the weird looking creatures.

With a large black cavalry hat on the top of his head, it was easy to distinguish him from the rest of the humans who worked in the camp, helping to train these ponies into a coherent fighting force.

Knowing all too well that he was the one in charge of the camp, they tried their best to straighten up and turn the line to a proper formation. The ponies shuffled left and right, inching to a proper position, as they tried to stand tall and orderly in front of him.

Turning his attention towards the sergeant in charge of them, a tall man from one of his companies, he complemented him on his job and asked how things were going.

“To be honest, sir, this group over here is a confused lot. I try my best to teach them, but they just don’t seem to get it. It might take a lot more work before we get them marching down the lane.” The sergeant explained.

“Well, armies aren’t overnight.” Newman said before facing the small group. “Let’s just see what they learned so far. Maybe a simple march by column?”

“Go ahead, sir, but I can assure you that you won’t like the sight.” The sergeant said, giving him the command of the company.

“Alright…” Newman said, before clearing his throat.

“Company, right face!” He bellowed, as some of the ponies shuddered from his loud voice.

With a sloppy swing, most of the ponies n the company turned right. Some managed to achieve it with a slow turn, but other stumbled on their hooves, while some even faced the wrong direction. In sheer nervousness under his presence, some of the ponies managed to confuse their right from their left. This ended with the company having a mismatched look, with ponies on the ground after stumbling, while others facing left instead of right.

Newman could hear Feather Wing slam his hoof on his face, as he sighed and gave swore something about Celestia.

“I told you, Colonel. They’re a confused lot. Couldn’t even tell their left from their right.” The sergeant said, shaking his head.

“Yes, I see now, sergeant.” Newman said, before patting him in the back. “But, that’s you’re here, isn’t it?”

The sergeant just grinned and nodded. “Aye, sir.”

“Well then, I want you to drill them till they know what to do with only gestures by their commanders.” Newman ordered. “Alright, sergeant, continue your training.”

“Yes, sir.” The sergeant said with a sauté, before turning his attention back to the company.

“Aright, let’s do this again. Company…” The rest of the sergeants orders were drowned away by the noises of the grounds, as Newman and his party moved away.

“Still think you have what it takes to keep this regiment intact?” Newman asked Big Macintosh, who remained silent throughout the entire
encounter, quietly observing it all.

“Eyup.”

Lyra’s legs felt sore, as result of an entire week of drilling under the sun. With fatigue and a weary body, she felt that she could close her eye and rest for one month strait. Her muscles were screaming from the pain and were practically telling her to lie down on her cot and rest. But instead of doing that, she had other plans in mind.

Despite body’s cry for rest, she decided to trot through the camp, wanting to fulfill another urge, hunger.

Lyra’s stomach was beginning to complain as the urge to seek food called to her. Having tried to ignore it only moment earlier, she found it hard to resist and soon began to seek out anything that could fulfill the hunger she was feeling.

Although they were all being fed with ample supplies of food, to her, the amount of food she was given just didn’t seem enough for her. In the army, there were no seconds and the first serving was usually your last, since the cooks had to feed at least a thousand more soldiers in the camp. But for a pony like her, who had ate till she felt numb in the stomach, having one serving would just not do.

With only a couple slices of bread, a salad, and a couple of apples, she didn’t feel satisfied with the evening meal she had. So she decided to solve the problem by inspecting the tent that stored the food stocks as well as helping herself to the vast stores of food that were inside.

During inventory duty, which was her punishment for falling asleep in guard duty, she learned that the camp had a vast surplus of fruits and vegetables that were all stored in one tent. With this knowledge in mind, she decide to remember this simple fact, just in case she needed to give an unscheduled inspection, like what she was about to do right now.

So now she planned to sneak in the tent, making sure the guard didn’t notice her, and take as much as she could carry and get away without leaving a trace of this action. It sounded like a simple plan which she hoped she wouldn’t mess up.

But knowing herself, she knew that something was bound to go wrong.

The only lights in the camp were the camp fires that dimly lit the surrounding area. Ponies gathered around these campfires, sharing stories and keeping themselves warm by the glowing flames of the fires.

With most ponies gathered there and distracted, she easily snuck through without drawing suspicion from anypony nearby.

Although there was nothing wrong on taking a stroll around camp, she still didn’t want to take the risk of somepony ratting her out. She feared the possibility of sompony watching her entering the food stores and informing an officer. So with this paranoia in mind, she kept to the shadow and avoided the ponies by the fires.

Reaching the tent, she sprinted towards the back, making sure that the pony guarding the entrance didn’t notice her.

But what she didn’t know was that the pony was too tired and bored to pay any attention, as the earth pony who stood guard had his eyes half closed, as sleep started to enter his mind.

“Alright, let’s see…” Lyra quietly murmured to herself, as she thought of a plan to get in. “…I could knock the guard out of consciousness…” She pondered. “…but I don’t know on which is a greater offence. Stealing or assaulting a fellow soldier. Well I am doing both if I knock him out, but it’s too much of a risk. Oh, I know! I’ll just find a way to distract him, but how?”

Suddenly, the sound of snoring filled her ears, making her raise an eyebrow n curiosity. Looking back towards the guard, she was surprised the see that the guard was now slouching as he sat, eyes closed, while he drifted off to sleep, into the realm of Princess Luna.

She didn’t know if she should be happy to know that most guards in the regiment fall asleep easily, including herself, or scared, because they could easily fall asleep, even if they were guarding against the enemy. But she shrugged the thought off, things like that were problems of commanders and not ordinary soldiers like her, or was it?

“Well, then…” She said, grinning as she moved towards the tent’s entrance. “…that was easier than I thought.”

Closing the flap behind her, she was greeted with the sight of the vast food stores that were stocked inside the tent. Dozens upon dozens of crates, filled with different kind of fruits and vegetables, all available to her.

Stored in wooden crates and marked with the symbol of the Equestrian Military, they were placed one on top of another to ensure the usage of every inch of space. From the text written on it, she could see that they were brought from all over Equestria, some even coming from
Dodge Junction. It just goes to show how much economic power this country has.

The amount of food in this one tent was enough to feed the entire camp for half a month, and combined with the other tents that contained food supplies, it could supply them with nutrients for at least three to four months.

“Well time to dig in.” She said happily as she looked around and tried to choose which one of the crates to open first.

But as she moved through the tent, she failed to notice the presence of another pony inside. The other pony was leaning against an open crate, with its contents sprawled out on the ground.

That pony was happily indulging herself with some fruits, unaware of Lyra, who was coming around the corner. They were both clueless about each other’s presences, even though they were only a few feet apart.

So it came to Lyra’s total surprise when she turned around a corner of boxes and found herself a weird looking creature sitting on the ground, sucking on fruits, before looking up towards her.

The creature looked like any other pony, a pegasi to be exact, but there were a couple of differences. Instead of having normal pegasi wings, which were feathery and fluffy, the creature had silky sharp wings, ones that looked similar to bat wings. The creatures ears also looked different, for they were furrier and sharper looking. But what really caught her attention was the tool the creature used to suck on the fruit.

Fangs! It had fangs!

Lyra jumped back at the sight of them, as fear gripped her. She kept her eyes fixated on the fangs, as the creature stared at her with curiosity.
Remembering the events that happens every Nightmare Nigh, when Princess Luna visits their small town, she began to realize what that pony was. It was a bat pony!

A pony that had a bat like shape and abilities, known for their service in Princess Luna’s Guard. She had heard rumors that ponies spread about them, on how they such you’re blood and kidnap you to act as a source of their food. She knew that those rumors were ridiculous, but after standing here and getting an up-close view of those sharp fangs, she started to fear that it might be true.

Feeling her body quiver in fear, she tried to suppress a scream that was inching its way out. Despite the fear that was inside her, she knew that any scream would wake up the guard outside. And she didn’t know what was worst, being trapped in a tent with a bat pony or being reprimanded for sneaking in the stores and attempting to steal food.

But the fear that gripped her was too much, as the scream built within her.

“B…bat pon…” He scream was cutoff short, as the bat pony jumped and tackled her, putting her hoof to block her scream.

“Hey, calm down…” Trying to keep her hoof in place to fight off Lyra, who was trying to break free from the grasp. “…we don’t want to attract any attention here, do we?”

Lyra tried to respond with another scream, but her voice was muffled by the hoof that was covering it. Her eyes dilated as she stared at the bat pony in the eyes, her body shivered in fear, seeing the fangs up close now, waiting to strike.

Closing her eye, she gave a short whimper as she brought all her strength in an attempt to get out. If she managed to break free, then she might be able to get away before the bat pony could take a bite on her.

But as she struggled and tried to break free from the pony holding her down, she began to notice that no strike was coming upon her.

Opening her eyes and turning her attention back towards the pony in front of her, she noticed that instead of attacking and preparing for a bite, the pony was waiting patiently for her to calm down. Keeping the hoof on her mouth, the pony tried to keep Lyra quiet so that the guard outside wouldn’t check inside the tent.

Noticing that Lyra wasn’t struggling anymore, the bat pony gave her a looked and tried to make sure that she won’t scream anymore.

“You good yet?” The bat pony asked, in a hushed voice. “Because I don’t know how long we can keep up in this position.”

With a little less fear and a slightly calmed soul, Lyra gave a slow nod as she relaxed her tensed body.

“Alright, I’m going to slowly bring my hood down. No screaming now, alright.”

Lyra nodded again and soon, the hoof covering her mouth was moved away, allowing her to speak freely once more.

Looking back towards the bat pony, Lyra noticed the grin the formed on her face and the sharp fangs that protruded from them. Despite
learning that the bat pony wasn’t planning to suck her blood any time soon, she was still curious on why this was so.

“So…” She slowly said. “…you aren’t going to suck my blood?”

“Suck your blood?” The bat pony asked, tilting her head and giving her a curious look. “Why would I ever do that?”

“Well you’re a bat pony…and I thought…” Her sentence began to drift, as she feared the possibility of aggravating the bat pony, who so far seemed friendly.

Bat the bat pony didn’t seem to be angered by the stereotypical thought, though she did seemed slightly annoyed. Rolling her eyes, she moved towards Lyra and debunked the rumor of bat ponies sucking blood.

“Listen, I can assure you that we bat ponies do not drink blood. Why would you ponies even spread rumors like that? Besides…” She said, moving towards a crate and pulling out two apples. “…we suck fruits, not apples.”

She then proved it by sticking her fangs into the apple, penetrating it, and sucking the sweet juices till the fruit was as dry as a desert. After having done this, she took the other apple and offered it to Lyra.

“Want one?” She asked, with a small smile on her face.
Lyra gave it a cautious look, but decided to accept it.

As she grabbed the apples with her magic, her gaze fell towards the pile of dried apples that were littered on the corner. Seeing so many apples sucked by the bat pony, she concluded that she must have had to eat a lot of apples to fulfill her nutritional needs. That or she just really liked apples.

As her gaze moved away from the pile, she began to notice the pieces of dark blue armor that was placed on top of one of the crates. Inspecting it, she noticed that it had a crescent moon mark on it, the symbol of Princess Luna’s Lunar Guard.

“So…uhhh…” Lyra said, as she held the apples within her magical grasp. “…you’re one of Princess Luna’s Guards?”

The bat pony seemed to gleam in pride as she heard that, as she gave a broad smile and nodded. ‘Yup. Princess Luna’s own. I was assigned here to act as a liaison officer for your camp’s human commander.”

“Wait…” Lyra said, after taking a bite from the apple. “…did you say officer?”

“Uhh…yes, why?”

Lyra gave a loud gulp as fear soon returned to her body.

Officer! She was an officer! Oh, now she’s done it, she going to be caught!

These thoughts circulated in her head, as she knew that it would only be a matter of time before she realized that Lyra wasn’t supposed to be there. She began to panic, mentally trying to figure a way out of here, without getting caught. But all of her battle plans ended up as a fail, as she found it impossible not to get caught now.

Noticing the tension on the unicorn in front of her, the bat pony stared in wonder, on why the pony suddenly changed in mood. But when she finally caught up with the situation, she realized that the pony was afraid and intimidated in the fact that she was an officer.

Knowing that the unicorn in front of her wasn’t a guard, seeing that guards weren’ really supposed to roam and admire the stores, the possibility that she too snuck in to get a snack was high.

Deciding that they would achieve nothing if they just stood there staring at each other, she put a hoof on Lyra’s shoulder and tried to calm the petrified pony.

“Oh come on now, lighten up.” She said. “I’m not going to arrest you or anything.”

“Y…you’re not?” Lyra asked, weary at what she said, fearing that it was just a trick.

“Of course not.” She reassured. “Besides, both of us aren’t really supposed to be here.” She then gave her a sheepish smile. “I might have snuck in here, just like you.”

Lyra’s eyes lighten up as she gave a sigh of relief. She was lucky to have, not only learn that bat ponies are friendly, but also ran into an officers who wasn’t going to reprimand her. She knew that she had gotten away for now, thanks to a whole lot of luck.

“Anyways…” The bat pony said, sucking another apple before offering her hoof. “…my name’s Dawn.”

Lyra stared, as a smile grew on her face. Taking a bite on the apple that she was till levitating, she accepted the hoof and nodded.

“Well, I’m Lyra. Lyra Heartstrings.”

Newman sat inside his tent, reading the reports that were littered all over his desk.

From the reports, he was learning that the camp and its soldiers were progressing, but they were doing so slowly. Despite having great discipline, the ponies were just too slow on figuring the maneuvers and formations, as they found it difficult to follow.

But this was expected off from volunteers and Newman knew that. These were civilians who had no prior military training and never actually expected themselves to be a part of the military until now. It would take them some time to figure it out, but after the endless amount of drills, they would soon have it all in the back of their minds.

But the important question was, when?

With every passing day, the possible threat of an invasion draws closer, as the Griffons muster their forces for an attack on Equestria. And with Equestria having no proper army to defend itself, all hoped rested on the volunteers army, which a part of it he was helping to train.

If the volunteer army is not ready and trained by the time the Griffons arrived, the future of Equestria, and his men, would be on the edge.

Sighing, he shook his head and pushed away the papers. The past week had been busy and, despite being slow, was still productive. The volunteer brigade was learning, and one day, like the 220th, would be able to apply everything they learned in the field.

The sound of his tent’s flap opening attracted his attention, as he turned around to see Johnson holding two mugs as he stood inside his tent.

“Tea?” Newman asked, knowing that Equestria had a great abundance of the drink. Despite not being a great fan of it, he had grown quite accustomed to the drink, after having being offered it time and time again.

“No, sir, something else.” Johnson said, a huge grin plastered on his face.

The thick and bitter smell that was emitting from the mugs soon flowed towards Newman, as the man’s face suddenly lit up. Looking towards Johnson, he gave the sergeant a questioning look before standing up to accept one of the mugs.

As he took it, he looked down to see a dark and warm liquid that he never imagined to find here. Coffee! It was coffee. The energizing drink that fueled any officer and soldier in any campaign, giving them the needed boost to c=keep them alive and wide eyed in the moment they needed the most.

Gladly taking a sip, he let out a relieved and satisfied smile.

“Do I have to ask were you found this, sergeant?” Newman asked, after having savored the taste in his tongue.

“Oh, don’t worry, sir. It was quite easy.” Johnson assured him. “You see, this here camp has sacks of them. Apparently ponies drink them too, although not as much as they drink tea. So, when I saw the sacks, I asked the quarter master if I could scoop some up, which he gladly complied. Now, seeing how tired you look after a hard day’s work, I decided to give you a little something to help you out.”

“Oh, you truly are a gift from the Almighty, Johnson, yes you are.” Newman said, beckoning the man to take as seat, as he gave him a huge grin. “You do not know how much I needed this.”

“With that amount of paper work…” Johnson said, pointing towards the desk. “…I think I understand how much you need it, sir.”

Newman sighed as he nodded. “Well, it won’t be so bad now.” He said, gesturing to the mug.

“Well, I’m glad to hear that, sir.” Johnson said.

Nodding, Newman silently went back to his seat and looked back towards his desk.

“So, Johnoson, how’s the regiment? Getting any problems so far?” Nerwman asked, without turning his head.

“Nope, no problems with the boys, sir.” Johnson responded, shaking his head. “They’re taking things pretty well and doing their best to train these here ponies.”

“Good, good.” Newman said, before turning and facing Johnson. “God knows that we’ll be nedded as much effort in our men to train them.”

“Oh, it can’t really be that bad.” Johnson said. “To me, this here brigade seems a little too similar to our own regiment when they were first mustered a clustered mess who can’t even form a straight line.”

Newman smiled when he heard this and nodded.

“Yes, yes, they were a rowdy bunch back then. Can’t believe that they’re now the ones training a brigade to do the exact formations they found difficulty in achieving all those months before.”

“War tends to do that, turning young boys into men.” Johnson stated. “I think the same would happen to this here brigade, when the time comes.”

“Yes…when the time comes, it will happen.” Newman said, taking another sip of his coffee.

Chapter 10

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Chapter 10

A cannon went off by the field, as a cannonball wheezed by towards it target. A few seconds later, a wooden wall was torn into pieces, sending splinters and bits of plank flying. The cannon ball ripped through the wall, penetrating through it as the wall collapsed onto the hot ground.

The ball then continued to bounce, before planting itself in the ground, a couple of yards away from its target.

Looking at it through his binoculars, Newman could see the shards and pieces fly to the air, as the shot gave a direct hit. Smiling, he brought the binoculars down and gazed towards the piece that had fired the accurate shot.

Examining the cannon, he couldn’t help but notice its similarity to their own Napoleon cannon, used by the Army of the Potomac. Like the Napoleon, the cannon had a bronze tube and was a smooth bore that had a twelve centimeter bore, allowing it to fire shot, shell, or canister rounds. With a range of at least one thousand four hundred yards and a decently accurate shot, it almost sounded like and fired like the Napoleon.

But this wasn’t the Napoleon, for this was the Equestrian designed Mk. 3 Long Range Field Artillery. Created by ponies as a support piece, to provide its forces with covering fire that could soften up enemy positions in a battlefield.

And now Newman a decent number of them in his hands

Assigned to their camp to give a little more firepower to the brigade, Newman decided to put the pieces into good use. With four cannons in his possession, he would be able to create a decent sized battery that he could attach to the brigade.

Having asked for volunteers, those who could hull the cannon and properly aimed it, Newman decided to test the pieces and find out the effectiveness of the equipment as well as finding out how good was the crew that he assigned for them.

Although the crew who loaded the piece proved to show the same slowness and clumsiness that he has always seen within the raw recruits, the aiming and firing of the weapon proved to have been a different story.

Having studied proper cannon loading, aiming, and firing back at West Point, Newman had enough knowledge on the proper use and deployment of such weapons. Remembering his lessons on proper elevation and trajectory, Newman knew that calculating the range and adjusting the angle was a difficult task, the required time in a moment of haste.

But the pony who did the aiming for this piece managed to do the calculation in only a couple of seconds. Without taking a paper to solve the trajectory problem, she looked through the sights, adjusted the elevation, before moving back and gave a nod towards the pony who held the firing line, signaling that the piece was now properly aimed at its target.

With the pony’s quick action and little time given to calculating the angle, Newman believed that the aim would be off and would miss. But when he watched the ball fly through the air and arch towards its target before hitting it squarely in the middle, he knew then and there that he found someone who could accurately aim the weapon with split second calculating and aiming.

“That was a fine shot you did there.” He said, complementing the pony who aimed the cannon.

“Yes, sir.” The pony said. “Thank you, sir.”

“Tell me…” Newman said, facing the pony. “…where did you learn to estimate and calculate do fast?”

“Well…uhh…nopony thought me, sir. To aim a cannon, I mean.” The pony said, shaking her head. “Although I was good in math, in fact, that was my major. I’m pretty good at physics too, sir.”

“A student?” Newman asked.

“No, sir. I’ve graduated a couple of years ago.” The pony said, shaking her head. “I’m a teacher now, at the local elementary school. Although, due to the fact they don’t teach elementary students subjects higher than algebra, I might have been a little rusty in my calculations.”

“Well the results say otherwise.” Newman said, gesturing towards the decimated wooden wall.

Turning his gaze towards the row of cannons that had been lined up, he watched as ponies began loading them and preparing each piece to fire. Once done, a pony for each piece began aiming the cannons till they were satisfied with their aim.

The burst of each cannon soon echoed throughout the field, as a cloud of thick smoke filled the air, covering the line of sight and filling the air with the smell of gunpowder. But once the breeze blew it away, the results of the small cannonade soon became clear to Newman, as he saw that each of the cannons targets were left undamaged, as none of the balls hit.

Shaking his head, he looked away from the distant cannons and returned his gaze towards the pony in front of him and cleared his throat.

“Listen, I need ponies like you.” He told her. “Ponies who can accurately determine the range of their target and calculate the firing solution in a blink of an eye. From what I’m seeing, you seem to be the only one here who can do it efficiently and effectively. With those abilities, I think it would be a waste if I keep you as a low ranking soldier. So, I’m going to promote you to Captain of volunteers and assign you to this here battery.”

Newman paused for a moment, letting it sink in for the pony in front of him. It was clear the she was surprised, but she was able to quickly recover from this news.

“Your first order of business would be to find ponies who are as good as you. We need better runners for those cannons and I think you can do the job. Is that clear?”

The pony stared at him, blinking, before giving a short yet firm nod.

“Why, yes, sir.” She said. “I will do it as soon as possible, sir.”

“Good.” Newman said, nodding. He then took out a small notepad and pencil and opened it. “Now, if you could just give me your name, I would do the needed paper work and make it official.”

“Cherilee, sir.”

Newman wrote the name down and nodded.

“Very well. Congratulations, Capt. Cherliee.”

“So let me get this straight…” Feather Wing said, as he looked towards the bat pony who was trotting beside him. “…they don’t train you how to use firearms in the Lunar Guard.”

The bat pony in question shook her head and gave a proud reply. “Nope, because we didn’t need them. Our training focused on stealth, hiding in the shadow. Using those noisy weapons would just give away your position, so Princess Luna never thought to employ them in our training.
Instead, we were thought to sneak up on our targets, get close, and use a blade.”

“But what I you find yourself pinned down by your enemy, who is using rifles?” Feather Wing asked. “What would you do then?”

Dawn just shrugged. “Don’t know, really. We were never trained for that. We were always thought the tactic of keeping to the shadow and never exposing ourselves. They told us that if we stick to that strategy, then we’ll never find ourselves in a situation where the enemy had the advantage. Follow, gather information, then strike, that’s our motto.”

“Sounds like the Lunar Guard is more like a spy organization than a Guard unit, is that what you’re implying?” Feather Wing pointed out.

“Do you have some kind of recording device hidden under you’re armor, recording this very situation. You know, I bet the Lunar Guard has files on all of us here, including me.” He said jokingly, before putting some distance away from her. “Please don’t stalk me.” He said, acting as if he were cowering in fear.

Dawn giggled as she rolled her eyes. “We’re not a spy organization silly; we’re just a force that likes to stick to the shadows. Like, do you never wonder why you never see us patrol the castle?”

“Well, now that you mention it…” He said, remembering his night patrols in Canterlot Castle during his short deployment there. Throughout those patrols, he never once saw a member of the Lunar Guard, but when he asked his commanding officer about it, he was told that they were there, doing their job.

“See, that’s how good we are at hiding. We stick to the ceilings and dark areas, as we keep an eye in important places. If we do find an intruder, we just quietly follow them, before waiting for the perfect moment to strike.” She then paused before looking at him. “Although, we do have the abilities to follow ponies like you, without you even noticing it.”

“Stalker ponies.” Feather Wing grunted, as the sound of musketry filled their ears, while a thick fog of gunpowder was blown down from the firing range.

Turning their gaze towards the field, both Feather Wing and Dawn could the company who had just fired the volley. The company was formed in a line of battle and were wielding their Equis Mk. 4 rifles. Looking sharp and organized in their uniforms, the company stood by the field, as they withdrew their pieces

Due to the fact that it was easier to supply cloth uniforms instead of metal armored suits for the thousands of volunteers, the Eqestrian government supplied all of its units with the standard uniform of white woolen coats.

The white color of the uniforms gave a nice sense of uniformity throughout each unit, as well as making it easier to identify friend from foe. With all the ponies in the Volunteers Army wearing this uniform, the small brigade inside the camp now looked more like proper soldiers rather than a ragtag group of civilians with guns.

Trotting towards the company, their eyes glanced towards a tall human officer who was in charge of the training of the small company’s marksmanship and reloading drills.

Wearing a green cladded coat and holding a breach loading rifle within his grasp, the human observed the volley fired and gave a small nod of satisfaction towards the company. After having trained this company over and over, the man was satisfied at the outcome of the recent volley.
Despite it not being perfect, it was still a definite improvement.

“Wilson!” Dawn called out, as the two ponies stood behind him.

The tall man looked behind him and smiled when he caught sight of the energetic bat pony. Wilson was always amazed at how hyper the young bat pony was and always thought that she had swallowed an entire cup of sugar before starting her day. But despite her energetic nature, Wilson had grown fond of the fun loving and care free pony.

After their first encounter two weeks before, the two had gotten close to one another. A bond that was easily comparable to close friends who had known each other for years, instead of a pony and human who had only known each other for two weeks.

“Dawn.” He said, turning his attention towards them. “Well, it’s good to see you nice and peppy this morning.” He then turned his gaze towards the pegasus beside her and gave a small nod of acknowledgement. “Feather Wing.”

“Sir.” Feather Wing, replied, with a short salute.

“So…” Wilson said. “…what brings you two here? Now, it’s not that I don’t appreciate your presence, but when Feather Wing is here, it usually means important business.”

“Well…” Dawn said, moving closer to him. “…Feather Wing here was doing rounds around camp, so I decided to accompany him to give him some company. Right now, we’re here under the Colonel’s orders, in which we are supposed to inspect the progress of the shooting exercises as well as the drilling for proper firing procedures.”

“In other words, you were bored to death inside the command camp and decided to tag along?” Wilson colluded, knowing all too well that the bat pony couldn’t stay still in one place for a minute.

“Well…yeah…” Dawn admitted. “…but it isn’t my fault that there isn’t much for me to do. Besides, Feather awing here is hogging all the duties, like sending messages and inspecting companies. All I have to do there is sit down and arrange papers.”

Wilson chuckled, amused at the bat pony’s boredom towards paperwork.

“Well…” He said, facing the company. “…you two can tell the Colonel that the training over here is going well. With each drill, the company is improving and is able to do it faster than before. This here company over here…” He said, gesturing to the ponies in front of him. “…most of the ponies there can shoot two times a minute. Not as good as a well-trained company, who can fire three shots a minute but they’re getting there.”

“So, they’re good enough for a fight?” Feather Wing asked, impressed that a group of civilians managed to memorize and decently perform the drill in such a short amount of time.

“Hmm…” Wilson said, thinking it over. He rubbed his chin as he lanced towards the company, recounting their training and recent performance. “…I don’t know if they can win a fight. But I’m a hundred percent sure that they can at least hold their ground in one.”

“Well, that’s good to hear.” Feather Wing said nodding.

“Yup.” Dawn chirped. “In fact, that’s more than good, it amazing. Equestria is finally shaping up and starting to have an army. Those Griffons better think twice before landing their forces here, because we’re going to bite.”
She then looked towards the company as a small smile krept on her face.

“Now…if we can only teach them stealth tactics.”

Feather Wing rolled his eyes as he tried to brush off her intentions. “Oh, please. The last thing we need is an army of stalker ponies. So don’t get any ideas.”

B Company of the 1st Baltimare Volunteers was camped at the northern tip of the entrance to Horseshoe Bay. With their tents and entrenchments deployed on top of a high hill that overlooked the surrounding area, the company and its force guarded the entrance to the bay, protecting it from any threats that came from the ocean.

With a battery of four canons to support them, the small force can stall any threat that attacks the area, long enough for reinforcements from the nearby city to arrive. But that was only in theory. And that theory would only work if the soldiers in charge of defending the area could do their job properly, which was not the case here.

Despite the menacing look of the weapons and fortification that were dug upon the hill, the ponies who were in charge of its defense were raw and barely trained. After having just undergone two weeks of training, the ponies inside the camp barely knew how to accurately aim the canon, while the loaders fumbled around with the shot and ammunition.

The rest of the soldiers were just as bad, as they took time to reload their pieces, while having the slightest knowledge on the proper techniques in using their short swords.

But despite these facts, the officers and soldiers in the camp did not worry. In their quiet place in Equestria, with the cool ocean breeze blowing, they didn’t expect to see action any time soon. So they just enjoyed their time there, pretending that it was a camping trip, filled with itchy uniforms and strict discipline.

They sweat and worked under Celestia’s blazing sun, as they trained and practiced, while they slept under Luna’s cool nights, knowing tomorrow would be the same.

Little did they know, they’re monotonous life here was about to change.

During the early dawn hours of one cool and windy morning, the camp was at its usual state. The campfires dead and were smoldering ashes, as the ponies of the company still lay in their cots, slumbering inside their tents.

The camp’s four cannons pointed towards the ocean and the bay’s entrance, looking out towards the water, as it gave a dominant presence despite its silent state. While the deep trenches and barricades, which were dug up around the camp, lay empty and clean.

On top of the wooden watchtower, two ponies lay fast asleep, the smell of heavy cider emitting from their fur and coats. After having their fun with the drink, the two ponies were knocked out, fast asleep despite being on sentry duty. Tired by the effects of the drink, their eyes closed and mind faltered, as they rest their heads on the plank floors of the watchtower.

As they and the rest of the camp slept through the last hours of the night sky, everypony in the garrison failed to notice the silhouette of a ship of war, that was slowly making its way to the entrance of Horseshoe bay.

With its sails at full mast, it gracefully glided through the water, cutting through like a hot knife through butter. Keeping silent and stealthy, the ship positioned itself by the entrance, as the crew hastily prepared it.

After a couple more minutes of silence, a loud explosion ripped through the early dawn air, which was followed by another and another.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sound of explosions echoed and pierced the silent sate of the area, as everypony jolted awake from the noise it was created. They jumped out of their cots and looked out their tents, trying to figure out what was going on.

Some of the quick thinking ponies raced out of their tents and galloped towards the small cabin that was used as an armory, hoping to pick up their rifles or roll our barrels of gunpowder.

But this action was cut short, as an explosive shot hit the wooden shed, causing the earth to shake and bringing out a loud explosion. The gunpowder stored inside blew up, causing a chain reaction to the other combustible materials inside. The flames from the explosion lit up the dark skies, as pieces of debris flew everywhere, sprinkling the camp with splinters and chunks of wood.

The company commander, an old shopkeeper from Baltimare, stepped out of his tent to look up at the devastating and menacing ball of flame. He could feel the heat emit from it and couldn’t help but feel fear build up within him.

Throughout his life, he had never seen anything like it. None of the fireworks he had ever witnessed could compare to this sight, as the amount of powder that fed those flames equaled to nothing he has ever seen before.

Gulping, he looked towards his company to see a mob of ponies who were running around, worried and panicking. With their gun powder supply and all of their weapons blown up, there was no way to defend the camp from the attackers who were bombarding them. He knew that, unless they wanted to fight off cannons with blades, they must get away from this place and seek a better place to hold.

More shots fell as they rained all around him. All over the camp, ponies stumbled, while others became victims of the shells that fell from the sky.

His body quivered in fear as he let out a frustrated grunt. Knowing nothing better to do and feeling his own panic build inside him, he shouted to the top of his lungs.

“Fall back!” He cried to them. “Retreat to the city!”

Chapter 11

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Chapter 11

Princess Celestia read the paper piled up in front of her and felt a growing sense of worry build up within her. With every sentence she read, she saw nothing but bad news. Reports of terrible comings and bad timing, this was events she wished never to see. Ye now, it was right in front of her.

Letting out a sigh, she put the paper down on the desk and let out a long sigh of frustration. Reports were coming in from Baltimare, reports of the Griffon Navy intruding their coastline and the Griffon Army landing on their shores.

They have landed their troops into their territory and flew their banners above the city of Baltimare, which was quickly abandoned by the local defense force, due to surprise arrival and overwhelming numbers of the enemy.

Celestia couldn’t help but let a grunt at that thought.

One of the largest and crucial cities of the nation, left undefended as the troops stationed there fell back in disarray. She felt anger gently build up, as she raged at the thought of them abandoning their post without even firing a single shot.

To have their forces fall back without a fight was shameful and dignifying. Yet she could not blame her little ponies for galloping away in fear, for fear was something that cannot be stopped. To them, the Griffons must have looked like an unstoppable beast, ready to crush them under their claws.

Her ponies, who had lived with the thought of harmony and peace, had no chance against their first encounter against a race who were bred to fight and conquer.

Letting out another long sigh, she looked up and stared at the council who were gathered in front of her. Despite the helplessness of the nation, she and the ponies present here today were the ones in charge of leading the defense of her nation. They were the ones who would plan the war and show to the ponies that the Griffons weren’t unstoppable and that they too have the power to fight back.

Looking towards Luna, who was sited to her right, she gave a small smile and nod, indicating that she was ready to start the meeting. She then turned her gaze back towards the ponies around her, looking at each one of them and examining those who were present.

Some of the ponies wore bright and golden armored pieces, while other wore suits and dresses. Each of the ponies there represented different branches of the Eqestrian government, from the Royal Guard to the Royal Treasury. All of them were now gathered in this room, to discuss the proper response that they should take against the Griffons.

As Celestia scanned those around her, her eyes soon fell upon a white unicorn mare, who sat in a place that was close to her desk. The mare wore a uniform that was a mishmash of gold, white and black, and sat in a stoic position, as she waited.

But once she noticed that Princess’s gaze upon her, she couldn’t help but feel a small hint of nervousness fall upon her, as drops of sweat streaked down her face.

“Admiral Breeze, how did they manage to slip through our Navy?” Celestia asked, turning towards a white unicorn mare, who wore a matching white uniform.

Unsure whether the Princess was angry or not, the mare gave a shaky response, as she tried her best to hide the feeling.

“I’m sorry Princess, but it was impossible to stop them. Our fleet is just too small to patrol the entire coast, let alone fight off an enemy fleet.
With only ten ships patrolling our eastern coastline, the Griffons had no trouble passing through them, despite the large size of their fleet.”

“So you’re telling me that we had no chance of fending of an invasion fleet?” Celestia asked, with a disappointed tone in her voice.

The admiral sadly nodded her head as she looked at the Princess. “I’m sorry Princess, that task would be impossible at the navy’s current state.”

“What if we get some support from the other naval departments?” Luna asked, speaking up. “If we gather all our naval forces, would that be enough to create a sizable fleet for a counter-attack against the intruding fleet?”

Admiral Breeze gave some though to it, but knew that it still wouldn’t work. “I’m sorry, Princess, but I don’t think it would help us either. We could pull in some ships from the west coast, but it would only add four more rotten hulls to the fray. We just don’t have enough ships to create a counter-attack against the enemy. The best we could do is raid lone ships that are trying to bring supplies back and forth, but I doubt it if it would have a major impact.”

“So we are left helpless in the sea…” Celestia said sighing and looking down.

All this problems were bombarding her every day and it was hard to cope with them all. Throughout her reign, she has never seen a threat this big. Not even the Changeling invasion could compare to this. She was starting to doubt their chances in defending the country, even with the help of the humans she brought.

But she must not give up now, too many ponies counted on her. She was their leader, the one they looked up to. If they saw her falter now, in a time like this, then Equestria might collapse under their own panic. So she must keep it together for her ponies.

“General Stockade, have you any luck against the enemy? Tell us of our chances in repelling them in land?” Luna asked, facing a large and well-built unicorn, who wore the golden armor of the Royal Guard’s Celestial branch.

General Stockade was the acting commander of the combined armies of Equestria, which comprised the Royal Guards and Volunteer Army.

Formerly known as the Captain of the Guard, replacing Shining Armor after he went to the Crystal Empire, Stockade was a middle aged, smart, and stubborn officer, who showed great skill in leadership and order. He had shown great interest in reading up on military tactics and strategy, but the books he used were outdated and written during the time of spears and arrows. Despite the fact that the reference battles were great victories for Equestria five hundred years ago, they were hardly adequate for the use in a battlefield of modern weapons. Yet Stockade continued to read upon them, believing that despite the change of weapons, tactics used in the past would still be effective in this day and age.

Normally, an officer who was stuck in the past would never be chosen for such a high position. Even with the lack of qualifying officers, there were still other ponies who they could have chosen who filled the bill of accepting modern views. But there was one quality that Stockade had that most ponies lacked.

His brilliance in the art of logistics.

A pony who scored high in logistics back in the academy and proved it in action, when he helped reorganize the Guard’s supply and equipment department, Stockade was a master of the art. He could turn any mess into a well-organized pile, with everything labeled and accounted for.

In an army who was having trouble figuring out on where the next wagons of rifles go or where the train load of gunpowder was supposed to be shift, Stockade was the pony who could easily fix the problem. And giving him the proper power was another way on which he could have better control over it all.

Despite Celestia’s doubt on Stockade’s ability to adapt to modern tactics and her fear of him applying it on the field, Celestia believed that, with the advice of Col. Newman and younger officers, Stockade could be able to shed off his old beliefs and change them to more up to date ones.

“Well, your highness, reports say that an army of at least twenty thousand has landed on Horseshoe bay, while more reinforcement, of at least fifteen thousand is expected soon. With the perfect shape of the bay, the Griffons have an area were the enables them to easily unload supplies without being disrupted by the weather the ocean blows upon them.” The General said, glancing towards his reports once in a while.

“What are our chances on containing them and pushing them back?” Celestia questioned. “Do we have any forces there to secure the area and ensure that they won’t breakthrough to the open fields north?”

With the Griffons holding Baltimare, they now threatened to capture the valuable fields that were located to the north of the city. Fields in which hundreds upon hundreds of farmers worked on, helping to feed the large nation with wheat, corn, and many kinds of vegetables the ponies fed on.

If the Griffons were able to capture that, then Equestria would then have trouble feeding itself, while the Griffons took control of it and use it to feed their massive army.

“Well, Princess, from the reports I have received, forces from the local militia have moved out to hold the line and defend Fillydelphia. Five militia regiments from the Fillydelphia and the 1st Manehattan militia regiment, which was rushed in by train, are currently holding the line. Luckily for us, we haven’t been attacked yet. The Griffons have not made a move yet and, I can only conclude, are probably aiting for more supplies and reinforcements. But despite the stalemate and lack of action, we currently don’t have enough forces in the area to push them out of Equestria.” He said sadly.

“What about the volunteer army, how about them? Surely we have raised enough regiments to equal the enemy force?” Luna inquired.

“Well, your highness…” General Cutter began.

Cutter was also an officer promoted to a prominent rank, and like Stockade, he started his career in the Royal Guard. But now he wore a different uniform. For instead of Golden Armor of the Solar Guard, he wore the white and gold coat that was now being issued to the officers of the Volunteer Army. Promoted and put in charge of the large volunteer force, Cutter was a decent officer and was one that seemed to fit the role for an army composed of citizens, as he was a loyal and easily trusted pony.

“….the volunteer army currently has twenty-five thousand ponies, equivalent to what the Griffons currently have on our nation. But the only problem is the fact that they’re training isn’t complete. They have already received most of their weapons, uniforms, and supplies, making them look like a proper army. But that’s what they just are, something that looks. and only looks. like an army. If we fight them now, our chances of victory are low.”

Celestia processed what she was told and remained silent, as she pondered about them. Although they don’t have professional soldiers yet, it was still bad to leave the line thinly defended. The Griffons could attack at moment and she knew that the six militia regiments have no chance of holding the line against an onslaught of professional soldiers. With the volunteer army, they at least have the upside of having equal numbers. Maybe that would even discourage the enemy from making any move, buying Equestria more time.

So she proposed an idea that could make them hold the line, in case of an attack, while giving their soldiers more time to train.

“Well, General, how about gathering the volunteers towards the Fillydelphia line, to join up the militia and hold it.” She said, causing the General to raise his eyebrows and listen with great interest.

“We could bring all our forces there to deny the enemy the chance of breaking out…” She continued. “…yet we would not attack. We would just stay there and dig-in; keeping an eye on them and making sure they don’t do anything. That way, we can train the soldiers, as they stay and defend the line, while denying the enemy the chance to breakout. The Griffons would see the army and hesitate on attacking, while our soldiers train in camps near the front.”

“Well…” Cutter said, thinking it over. “…hmm…it could work, Princess. But we would have to act quickly. Despite General Stockade's on the Griffons staying in Baltimare till they get a sufficient force, the Griffon commander could still surprise us by moving out and meeting our thin line.”

“Yes, General, we must make haste.” Luna said, nodding. “Inform all the volunteer regiments to break camp and march towards Baltimare.”

“Yes, your majesty, I will.” Cutter said with a salute, before nodding vigorously towards the two Princesses.

Stockade then decide to help by adding his own solution to a possible transportation problem

“General, if I may suggest, we should use the railway system to quickly transport your troops in the area. We will commandeer as much trains as we can, so that we would be able to transport a large portion of the force. That is, if your majesties allows us.”

“Yes General, we approve. I believe that we must use every resource available to us if we wish to succeed.” Celestia said before dismissing the meeting.

The next few hours were soon filled with planning for the transportation and organizing that would follow the massive movement. Telegraphs and messages were sent out to every commander, informing them to make haste and prepare for the movement. The great gathering of the Volunteer Army has now begun.

Crowds cheered, flags waved, as company by company of each regiment of the Ponyville Brigade marched down the streets, passing the large group of ponies that gathered on the sides of the streets. Bands began to play up beat tunes to the march, exciting the ponies all around, as the parade made their way through the town center towards Princess Twilight’s Castle.

Leading the long column were the blue coated men of the 220th Pennsylvania.

Looking smart and dominant, they led the way through the town, as they represented themselves as the instructors of the brigade, as well as the symbol between the hastily made alliance between Equestria and the stranded humans.

With brightly polished and sparkling buttons, uniforms so clean that any trace of dirt was nowhere to be found, and sergeants and officers making sure that everyone was in order, the 220th was the perfect example of a model regiment.

Making their way, they made quite a sight for the ponies that crowded the sides of the streets. With a height that was slightly taller than the average pony and a march that involved only two legs, the 220th made a strange sight for the ponies of the town of Ponyville.

But unlike their first encounter, which brought shock and panic to the inhabitants, the 220th now marched through the town with great acceptance and cheers, as the ponies celebrated them as if the men were ponies themselves.

They attracted the attention of all the ponies, as they watched in awe at the creatures Celestia herself summoned, to help them fight the war.
With their sharp look and formidable form, most of the ponies who watched them believed that the war was already won. Surely the Griffons were no match to creatures as strange and exotic as them?

The parade soon made their way to the crystal castle, where Princess Twilight the Elements of Harmony, and Col. Newman watched, from the top of a high balcony.

Seeing the 220th make their way, Newman’s eyes fell upon the colors that were leading the march. The stars and stripes, the white, blue, and red, the symbol and pride of both his regiment and nation, now flying in foreign soil to help protect a country in need.

Despite his distance, Newman could see the tears and holes that littered the once whole flag, evidence of the battles that had been fought by the veteran regiment. The flag has been injured many times, yet it continues to fly above them, as symbol to their testament.

Now the flag flew over here, a peaceful and loving town. But despite the peace in the area, the environment here was only a lull in the flag’s life of war. Bullets have shot the flag before and Newman was sure that it would continue to do so.

Listening to the regimental band play, he could distinguish the familiar tune of ‘Hell on the Wabash’, a tune that has urged men forward in countless amounts of battles, time and time again. The sound of the fifes and drums harmonizing was a glorious and encouraging tune to him, as it reminded him of the internal excitement one gets before a battle. Too bad this was usually spoiled by the events that would usually follow after it.

As the 220th passed in front of them, the heads of the soldiers snapped towards the balcony as a form of salute towards him and the presiding officials. Led by Lt. Col. Warren, the regiment saluted all of them, giving them full honors as they made their way.

Newman returned the gesture, with a sharp salute of his own.

Moving on with the parade, the next regiment to pass was the 1st Ponyville Volunteer Regiment, led by Lt. Col. Big Macintosh. The volunteer regiments of the brigade have yet to have their official commanders, so till they receive them, the command of each regiment went to their respective elected officers.

From the top of the balcony, Newman could recognize the large red stallion, who now wore the white uniform of the volunteers and carried a bright silver scabbard, which contained his brand new officer’s saber.

Throughout the short amount of time he spent leading the regiment, the strong earth pony seemed to have done a great job, as he organized drills and kept them all together. Most of the ponies that were under him followed his orders without hesitation, as they performed them the moment he said it. The ponies obviously liked and trusted him, a good thing for an officer of his command.

Behind the large stallion, was company after company of the thousand pony regiment. With their colors blazing high above, fluttering from the breeze, and ponies marching in great synchronization, the regiment looked a lot more decent compared to the disorganized mob they used to be.

Despite having only two weeks of training, the rigorous and constant drilling the regiment endured has obviously taken its effects upon them, as they marched straight and in great order. The ponies obviously took all their teachings to heart, as they performed the march with excellence and grace.

“I can’t believe that some the ponies down there are ponies that I used to know.” Twilight said, standing beside him as she looked down at the
passing regiment. “Familiar faces, yet different at the same time.”

She then turned to face Newman.

“You did a great job, Colonel. Turning them into soldiers that could help defend Equestria. Just look at them, all lines up and marching, the only time I see those ponies so organized was during cider season.”

Newman gazed upon the marching regiment and watched them pass, as another regiment approached for their turn to present themselves. He then gave a slow nod, as he thought about the brigade he helped train.

“Yes, they do look like fine soldiers.” He said, remembering his observations throughout the two weeks. “They can march, they can shoot, but can they fight?”

“Well, they would be ready to fight in a moment’s notice if we were there with them.” Rainbow Dash called from behind him. Newman made a quick glance towards her and noted the frustrated look on her face.

“Yes…” Applejack said. The orange colored mare nodded her head as she agreed with her fried. “…I reckon that we could have contributed a lot to all of this. Too bad Equestria considers us as national treasures and wants to keep as away from this war. Now I have to see my brother go, while I watch in the sidelines.”

Newman then looked towards Twilight and gave her a questioning look.

The young lavender mare glanced towards her friends, before looking towards Newman and explaining in a soft and quiet voice, not wanting her friends to hear the same explanation again.

“It’s a long story.” She said. “But the short version is that we can’t sign-up due to our various roles. Me being a princess, with various important task, prevents me from being a part of the army, unless I want to be a commander, which I don’t think I can handle. Meanwhile, the rest of the
Elements can’t join, because Equestria fears the bad effects of having them lost in battle. It would be a great blow for morale.”

Newman understood, as he gave a nod. He saw the importance behind the reasoning, but he also understood the frustration of the two mares, to be left behind while their neighbors marched to war.

He then returned his attention towards the parade, to see the third regiment present themselves. They marched in great order like the others and saluted with great enthusiasm towards them, as they felt proud at the great accomplishment of their two weeks of training.

“Do you really think they’re not ready?” Twilgiht asked, wondering if Equestria really was safe against the Griffon invasion.
Newman looked at her directly in the eye and said:

“Whether they are or not, they have to be.”

The loud and exciting songs of the bands were long gone now, replaced by gentler and softer sounds of a single instrument. The relaxing music flowed inside a train’s passenger cabin, trying to fight the drowning sound of the engine as locomotive traveled through the countryside.

Playing her lyre, Lyra tried her best to keep the ponies around her comfortable, as they fought for space in the cramp cabin, trying to find a decent position in which they would sleep. With more ponies than they usually allow stuffed in a cabin, this task was quite a difficult one.

Gently flowing her magic to play the lyre, sweet and calming tunes emitted from the instrument, as Princess’s Luna’s moon glowed outside, shinning a faint light through the cabin windows.

Despite being cramped inside the cabins, one after another, ponies began to fall asleep, tired after the long day’s events. With excitement now gone, the call for sleep was now taking them, as their eyes slowly closed before their minds brought them to the realm of the Princess of the Night.

Lyra herself was waiting for the call for sleep, but despite how long she waited, it just never came.

For some reason, there was a feeling deep inside her, trying to keep her awake. As if some kind of worry, it kept her in constant alert, trying to remind her, trying to keep her from relaxing. But what was it?

Was it the worry of war?

No it couldn’t be. Sure she was afraid of this as anypony else, but she wasn’t so afraid that she couldn’t sleep. Despite the fact they were going to fight a war, she and everypony else were confient that it would be over as soon as it started. With all the training they had received, she believed that the Griffons would be defeated in no time. So it wasn’t the dread of war.

No, this was something else. A feeling that she was missing something, something that she was about to leave behind. A feeling that intensified the farther she went from home.

Maybe that was it. Maybe she was feeling homesick.

The thought of leaving her home, the one where she lived and worked in for years, now being left behind. Maybe this was the cause of her uneasiness. It could be the reason, but she also knew that it couldn’t

She would only miss home because of the thought of leaving the ponies she knew behind. But here, in this regiment, most of the ponies she knew and loved were with her. So what was there to miss, when the ones you will miss were with you?

Sure, she would miss the places she went to, worked at, and hang out at. But she wouldn’t feel homesick, knowing that the ponies she lived with were here. Besides, if this war would be quick, then they would be home in no time.

So she began to ponder again, trying to figure out the cause of this, the feeling that was trying to keep her awake, the feeling that was trying to tell her something. She searched her mind, trying to figure out what she missed, every detail around her.

Soon enough, she suddenly realized what it was. She was happy to have finally known the reason to it, but dread soon hit her when she realized what it was.

Her magic stop, leaving the cabin quiet from her music, as her eyes opened wide in fear and shock from the realization.

“I left the door open!” She screamed, waking up almost everypony in the cabin, including a certain earth pony, who had earlier entrusted her friend on locking up their home before leaving.

Chapter 12

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Chapter 12

With her binoculars, Lyra was able to see the beautiful surroundings around their camp. From the far off fields on the west to the nearby hills to the south, with her binoculars she could see them all with great ease.

Happily looking around, she sat on top of a blanket beside her tent and busied herself by enjoying the magnificent view around her. Despite the beaming sun, she tried her best to ignore the burning sensation on her skin, as the breeze wiped the trickle of sweat that was dripping on her face.

As she brought her gaze towards the nearby hill that towered over the camp, the annoyed and frustrated call off her friend came upon her, forcing her to bring down the binoculars and look towards Bon-Bon, who was giving her an angry glare.

“Lyra!” She growled. “Are you just going to sit around there all day or are you going to help me with this?” She said, pointing her hoof towards the canvas and wooden stands that comprised their unfinished tent.

“Aww…but Bon-Bon…” Lyra whined, not really wanting to work under the soaring heat. “…I’m still enjoying the view around us. And with these binoculars…” She said, levitating it in front of her. “…I can see anything that is afar.”

“Well yeah?” Bon-Bon said, giving an annoyed grunt. She was annoyed at her lazy friend for choosing to slack around and the heat was not helping with her temper. To her, the tent was more important, as the sooner it was up, the sooner they can cover themselves from the heat

“Well those views can wait, this tent can’t. Besides, where did you even get those in the first place?”

Her eyes then dilated in realization as she stared at her friend.

“Don’t tell me you stole that!” She gasped, knowing that binoculars were only given to officers.

“I didn’t steal this!” Lyra said, offended that her friend would think of such a thing. “It was given to me by a friend of mine. She’s an officer, so don’t get any ideas that she stole this and gave it to me.”

“A friend who’s an officer?” Bon-Bon asked curiously.

“Yup…” Lyra said levitating the binoculars in front of her, as she began to scan the hills in front. “…she was kind enough to give it to me, saying that there were tons of this stuff lying around. So she decided to give me one. Isn’t that kind of her.”

“Umm…yeah…” Bon-Bon said, still confused on how Lyra managed to befriend an officer. Throughout their weeks of training, Bon-Bon had only seen and herd Lyra complain about officers, grumbling on how bossy they were in training. But now, to hear that she befriended one, just seemed odd.

Looking through the binoculars, Lyra gazed towards the hill, sighting a tall figure standing on top of it. Focusing its lenses, she managed to get a clear image and saw the black hat and blue uniform of a certain and unmistakable human.

“Hey, it’s that human, Colonel.” Lyra called, but was ignored by a grumbling Bon-Bon. “I wonder what’s he doing there?”

Newman looked down the large hill he was standing on to see that large sea of white tents that were covering the open field. From his position, he could see ponies busy themselves below him, trying to turn the mishmash of cloth and crates into a proper camp. Keeping an eye of it all, he made sure that things were being done properly, noting the small detail that he would have to fix later.

Observing the forming camp, he could see the white tents spread to the horizon, the homes of thousands of ponies that would serve in the campaign against the enemy.

From the number of banners he saw flying high above the tents; he counted at least nine flags waving in the wind, which equaled to nine regiments. An entire division, of at least nine thousand ponies, camped in the fields of this flat countryside.

Although not as large as the Army of the Potomac, the Volunteer Army was still a large and great force, comprising of at least twenty-five thousand strong at its current state. Right on the field in front of him was one of the three full divisions of this new army.

But with news of more regiments being trained and prepared, Newman knew that this army would continue to grow. The only question was on how large the army would grow. With thousands upon thousands of patriotic ponies still signing up, their numbers would continue to swell, till they have a large force of armed and lightly trained ponies.

Despite having a large force that is said to currently outnumber the enemy, Newman knew that this new army stood little chance in winning a battle. With only two weeks of training in them, he knew that an attack upon the force might bring defeat upon them, due to the fact that the army hasn’t been hardened yet.

Newman himself had disagreed with the idea of massing the forces here, knowing that a battle would lead to a massacre, yet understood the reasoning behind it. With no other forces than the Volunteers and Militia to hold the line, Equestria was forced to move their only army, in hopes of deterring an enemy advance. But the only deterrent they had was a mob of armed ponies who knew how to march and point guns.

At least Newman could relax, knowing that they wouldn’t be attacking any time soon.

With orders to not to make a move against the enemy lines and to hold the line, the Volunteer Army was there to camp and wait. While waiting, they could the time given to them to drill and train, enhancing their skills till they were ready or till the enemy makes a move.

Till then, Newman was determined to turn the brigade he marched with into a real fighting force.

Looking down once more, Newman caught a glimpse of the Stars and Stripes, which was fluttering from the breeze that was blowing upon it. From his position, he could see the tired men of the 220th, lying on blanket and resting, while the others tried to cool themselves by drenching their faces with water and using any flat object as a fan.

Despite the cool air, the hot burning was still a great nuisance on the skin. The bright rays of sunshine burned and stung any part of the body that was exposed, as the heat made both men and ponies sweat a river.

It was truly a hot day and Newman only wished that a large cloud would hover above them and shield them all from the heat. It was a good thing that Newman had a three at the hill he was on or else he too would be fanning himself with his hat.

Moving his eyes away from his men, Newman brought his gaze upon three banners of the 2nd Division’s 1st Brigade, also known as the Ponyville Brigade. This brigade was the same brigade that he and his regiment drilled and trained, and now they were under his temporary command.

Due to a serious lack of qualified officers, especially those who can lead commands that were the size of a brigade and higher, the brigade and it three regiments and artillery battery was given to him, due to his familiarity with most of the officers and capabilities of the force.

At first Newman refused, knowing all too well that brigade commanders don’t lead from behind but in the front. And if he led this brigade into battle, then it was a sure possibility that the 220th would follow him into battle, as they would never let their commander fight without them, no matter how much convincing he would give them.

With the goal of bringing his entire regiment of this world alive and in one piece, he couldn’t bare the idea of them dying in battle in a foreign and strange land. It was already bad enough for them to die in a Civil War, even worse for them to face the possibly of dying here, with no reassurance to the faith of their souls. So he declined the offer and reminded them that he and his men were only here to act as advisors.

But with Celestia’s gentle urging, Newman accepted the command, with the reassurance that the brigade would not see any action till they found a replacement commander. Till another commander was found, the brigade would remain in reserve and under his command.

So with those offers given, he took the command and was now the first commander of the brigade.

Looking down and seeing his brigade, he took note on the fact that they were already done with most of the organizing and were now lazing in their tents. He made a metal note to send an order for drills later, knowing that precious time was being wasted with them doing nothing.

The gentle sound of wings soon attracted his attention away from the camp, as he turned to face the source of the sound.

“Sir…” Dawn said, landing beside him and giving a salute. “…I’m here to report that the new regimental commander have just arrived and are currently heading towards their respective regiments.”

“Yes, very good, they must get accustomed to their new command.” Newman said, returning the salute and nodding.

With the task of organizing the new army, officers from anywhere Equestria could get them were being assigned to the newly formed units, replacing the previous volunteer commanders. They were mostly newly promoted cadets, fresh from the academy, but some of them were officers from the guard, ponies who had served for a long time and new the meaning of organization and order.

If Newman was lucky, he would have at least one regimental commander who was a former officer of the Royal Guard, if not, was the possibility of having young cadets, who were more fit to act as platoon leaders or staff members, rather than regimental commanders.

Shading his eyes and looking up in the sky, he estimated that it was almost noon. The soldiers would have most likely have started their fires and began to cook their meals.

Looking away from the sky, he turned his attention to the bat pony beside him and began to give her dome new orders.

“Tell them that they should meet me by my tent at three o’clock.” Newman said. “I want to size them up and make sure that I have decent commanders.”

Not that it mattered much to him, since the problem of having reliable commanders in battle would fall upon the officer who would replace him. But it would have still been respectful and common courtesy for a brigade commander to get to know his regimental commanders, no matter how short the assignment would be.

“Yes, sir.” Dawn said with a salute.

She was just about to fly off and search for the regimental commander, when suddenly, a white furred pegasus dropped from the skies and landed beside her, facing Newman and giving the man a salute.

“Nice of you to fly in and join us, Lieutenant.” Newman said, returning the salute.

“Sir…” Feather Wing said, panting heavily.

Having just flown from the main headquarters of the army, which was located two miles away, the white pegasus officer was tired from his long journey. With the hot weather and long distance, it took a toll on the young pegasus. It didn’t help that he had to find Newman through the vast camp, where thousands of ponies and at least four hundred ponies took shelter.

Luckily for him, despite the vastness of the camp, Newman was easily identifiable, due to his tall posture and unique black hat. It was also his
luck that Newman was standing on one of the highest points in the area, which was a large lump of ground that overlooked the camp below.

“Sir…” Feather Wing said again, finally catching his breath, but still panting heavily.

Suppressing a giggle and trying to hide the crooked grin on her face, Dawn couldn’t help but enjoy the look of the pegasus beside her, as she found the Feather Wing’s tired state amusing. It was something about the young pegasus that she found interesting and unique, as his actions always seemed serious, yet painted with the carelessness of an eager pony.

She found his eagerness both amusing and admirable, as she found him a pony who was truly committed and determined to accomplish something, yet careless due to his eagerness to conduct some exciting soldiering. With those combined, he made a fun pony to poke at, as well as a great companion to have.

“General Stockade request you’re presence at his headquarters as soon as possible, sir.” Feather Wing said, having regained composure.

“General Stockade you say…” Newman said, rubbing his chin.

Newman had heard of the name before and knew that the General was the commander of the combined armies of Equestria. But other than those basic facts, Newman knew nothing else of the pony who was technically his commander. He was quite curios on what type of officer Stockade would be like and wondered what qualities made him fit to be the commander of all of the entirety of the Equestrian Army.

With the request in front of him, it would be the first time Newman would meet Stockade face to face.

“Do you have any idea why I’m being called to his headquarter?” Newman asked.

Feather Wing shrugged and shook his head. “He didn’t say, sir.”

Newman nodded and once again glanced up towards the sky to see no clouds above.

Groaning he shook his head and whipped some sweat that was running down his forehead. With a long journey to the headquarters and a hot day, Newman knew that this would be a tiresome journey.

General Stockade’s headquarters was an old stone farmhouse, which belonged to a wheat farmer who graciously allowed Stockade and his staff to work in the lower floor of the structure, as well as offering the commanding general a room upstairs.

“Should I stay outside, sir?” Feather Wing asked when they reached the porch.

The young officer had decided to endure the heat once more and accompany him to the trek towards the headquarters, earning the great appreciation of Newman.

Looking at the pegasus, Newman shook his head and beckoned him to follow him. I doubt it that you’re going to hear anything that needs to be kept a secret.” Newman said.

“Very well, sir.” Feather Wing said nodding.

Entering the farmhouse, Neman was greeted with the sight of staff officers who were rushing from one corner to the other, carrying papers, while couriers went pass him to try and deliver the messages they carried. The room was alive and busy, as the general’s staff did their job in an organized, yet quick fashion.

At the center of the room was a long table, where two ponies stood discussing about the day’s orders. Approaching the table, Newman saw that the two ponies were both unicorns.

As he approached, the heavy sound of his steps echoed on the wooden floor, attracting the attention of most ponies, including the two who were by the long table. Turning their heads, they brought their gazes to Newman as he stood in front of them.

“Ah, Colonel Newman.” The first unicorn said, moving towards him. “It is good to finally meet you face to face. I am General Stockade, commander of the combined armies of Equestria.”

“It’s nice to meet you too, sir.” Newman said with a salute. He found it odd that he had to call a pony ‘sir’ and had to salute him, but he kept those thoughts inside him.

“And this pony over here…” Stockade said, gesturing to the unicorn beside him. “…is General Cutter, commander of the Volunteer Army.”

“Sir.” Newman said, acknowledging him.

“Colonel.” Cutter said with a nod.

After a short exchange of pleasantries, Stockade beckoned Newman to join them at the long table, which the man accepted. Stepping to one corner of the wooden table, with Feather Wing beside him, Newman looked down at the nearest map beside.

From the map, he could see that the surrounding area around them were mostly fields, with the occasional hills and high ground in one area and another. It was a lovely place, perfect ground. A battle any part here would be a dream battlefield for a good commander, as there were many locations where the terrain can be used for a fighting force’s advantage.

“Now, Colonel…” Stoackade said, making the man look towards the pony. “…you’re probably wondering why I called you here.”

“Well, I have to admit that I was a bit curious, sir.” Newman replied.

Stockade smiled and gestured to a large map in the center of the table.

“Well you see Colonel, from our scouting parties; we have learned that the Griffons are planning to send a small force, estimated to be a division strong, to the west of Manehattan. Their objectives are not clear, seeing that there is no major town or city in that vicinity, but my presumption is that they plan to gather supplies. They most likely want to forage and collect food at the rural area over there, since it is filled with farms that can help feed them with large stocks of wheat.”

He gave a short paused as he shook his head.

“Then again, I could be wrong with this theory, but all we know right know is that they’re moving west.”

“So, the Griffons are planning to move against us?” Newman asked.

“No…” Stockade shook his head. “…at least not directly. But if they exploit their movement, then we could be in trouble. With them moving to the west, our force here…” He said, pointing at the southern outskirts of Fillydelphia. “…would have its right flank exposed, if the enemy choose to advance north.

Newman listened to the General’s explanation of the situation and nodded with each word. “So what do you propose to do, General?”

“Well, I plan to meet them of course.” He said, lightly tapping his hoof on the top of the table. “I can’t have them loitering around Equestrian soil without expecting any punishment. So I’m going to pull out two division and conduct a counter march that would move towards them, hopefully deterring them to continue any further movement.”

“You don’t plant to engage?” Cutter asked curiously.

“No…” Stockade stated. “...I only plan to push them back, by massing a larger force against them. But if the enemy could not be persuaded, then whether we like it or not, we must engage, unless we want them marching towards our flank.” Stockade looked towards the map, as a small grin drew on his face.

To him, the plan seemed good and well thought. With his careful and meticulous thinking and calculations, he planned to execute the operation without a single loss of life. The only thing that separated the plan from being conducted was the approval of the advisor that was assigned to them.

So he looked up and stared at Newman, wanting to know his opinion. Stockade was actually surprised to see the tall human, despite the fact that he was expecting to see a strange creature. With a tall height and stoic frame, Newman, to Stockade, looked like a picturesque officer, a valuable ally in any fight.

“Well, Colonel, what do you think of the plan?” He asked, waiting for the human’s reply.

Newman thought about the plan that was presented at him and saw the logic at the action. If the army stayed in their position, then there was a chance of the enemy moving towards their right, making it even harder to fight. So if they managed to deter the advancing force with one of their own, then they could prevent that scenario from happening.

But there was only one problem that kept on pecking him, as he feared that it might cause future problems. The possibility of weakening their defenses over here, due to the sudden march of two divisions, was something that should not be looked over.

“Well…” He began. “…it seems like a sound plan. But how many troops would you leave to defend Fillydelphia?”

Stockade nodded and smiled at Newman’s approval, as well as quickly answering the question he asked. “I’ll leave one division and all of the militia units defending the city. With a sufficient amount of cannon and good entrenchments, the garrison force that would be left would be more than sufficient to hold off any attempt by the enemy. What do you think, General Cutter?”

“With the fortification we currently have, I think we have a sufficient force left to defend.” Cutter replied, nodding.

“Good, good…” Stockade said. “…are there any more questions or inquiries?”

No one said anything.

“Very well then, it seems that we all agree with the plan.” Stockade said. “We will be bringing the 1st and 2nd Division with us, while the 3rd would stay with the militia and garrison the fortifications.” He then brought his attention to Newman and began to address the man.

“As our advisor and a commander of one of my brigades, you, Colonel, are obliged to join us. But don’t worry Colonel, we’ll keep your brigade in reserve and only pull you in the fight in case we need you, which I highly doubt, since we already have sufficient numbers and I have high confidence that their small force would risk an engagement with our larger one.”

Newman nodded, relieved to learn that his brigade wouldn’t be in the front lines. With them at the back, it lowered the risk of having the men of the 220th getting injured of dying.

“Alright, everypony…” General Stockade said, giving the map one final look before glancing towards the officers gathered around him. “…we will move our force at first light tomorrow. I will inform all division commanders during the meeting later tonight. Hopefully, if this operation goes to plan, then the enemy would stop their prods and stay put.”

Newman only nodded at the confident words Stockade was saying, knowing that his plan was a well thought and organized one. The movement would help prevent further enemy intrusion and possibly make the enemy fall back, without firing a shot.

But despite the meticulous planning that was surely poured into the planning, Newman also knew that no plan survived the first contact with the enemy. Hopefully, things would not come to that.

Chapter 13

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Chapter 13

A long line of soldiers stretched through the road, marching as they headed south to deny the enemy their own advance. Like a long snake, they made their way through the path, marching under the hot golden sun that watched from above.

The sound of clacking equipment echoed throughout the area, accompanied by the beat of drums and hooves that shook the ground beneath them. With regimental colors leading each unit, the shiny poles reflecting under the sun, the ponies that composed the long line went forward as one army.

Moving through the open fields, they were fully exposed to the heat, with nothing but the caps on their heads to protect them from the burning rays. To make things worse, the dust left by the hooves in front of the ponies were kicked up to the air with each step, covering their white uniforms and nearly blinding them with the particles. It was a hot, dirty, and long march, but despite all of this, the ponies continued to move forward.

Some of the ponies, who had worked in their farms for long summer days, managed to endure the onslaught without much trouble. Despite sweating and cursing the heat, they moved with greater ease than many. For them, marching under the sun was no different from laboring and plowing their farms during an ordinary day at work.

But there were many, those who lived comfortable lives and worked in cool building, who struggled with each step. Despite the upbeat encouragement of the drums and their companions, these ponies went slower with each step. Having drained their canteens long ago, in hopes of cooling their parched throats, these ponies had nothing else to cool themselves with except the sweat that dribbled on their coat.

Under such hot and tiring conditions, some of the ponies who could not bear anymore of the pains fell to the ground, panting with throats dry and in desperate need for water. Having never marched under such conditions before, their bodies were tired and dehydrated, with their souls feeling the calling of death, all because of the hot march.

Passing out on the road, their bodies were put to side, so that they would not be trampled by marching hooves. There, they lay unconscious, till somepony attended to them and cooled their heatstroke bodies by applying wet cloth and gently rehydrating them.

But with all the ponies passing out from the heat, the job of tending to all of them became a difficult one, as the day took its toll on every unit. It seemed that the army was already taking casualties, without a single shot being fired.

“They’re dropping by the dozens…” Newman said, shaking his head. “…by the dozens.”

Marching with the 220th, which was the lead unit in his brigade, Newman saw the lying bodies of the tired and exhausted ponies, left behind by their regiment as they lay sprawled on the side of the road. Encountering the ponies, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for them, knowing that their bodies and minds had undergone a drastic change of environment.

From the constant, yet relaxed, parade ground marching practices, they had been thrown into the tiring and heavy day long marches, as
armies repositioned themselves to positions of their liking. The drastic change obviously took its toll on them, as the amount of ponies falling rose with each step they took.

“Well, it is hot weather, sir.” Warren said, whipping the sweat off his forehead. “Never had this weather this bad back when we were fighting in Virginia. Although, I have to say, the weather there was pretty hot. Almost as hot as this.”

Shaking his head, he tried to shake off the thought of the hot weather, as well as the idea of riding his horse instead of marching and getting dust all over him.

Looking down towards the pony who was beside him, he turned his attention to Feather Wing, who was marching in full gear, complete with his metal helmet and all of his armor.

“Hey, Feather Wing, you alright in there?” He asked, unable to imagine how the pony as still able to march without passing out. With all that armor covering him, the sun’s heat would have most likely have been absorbed by the metal. If he had an egg on top of his, then his armor plate would have acted as the perfect frying fan.

“Yes, sir.” Feather Wing replied. His voice was slightly tired and hoarse, but despite this, the young officer looked like he was in ship shape, ready to go another kilometer or two before stopping.

“Are you sure?” Warren asked, still finding it hard to believe that someone, or somepony, could withstand a march wearing that suit. “Those things look hot in the inside. I think you and Dawn would be better off marching without them…” Pausing for a moment, he looked around him to find no sight of the batpony that he just mentioned. “…uhh…speaking of Dawn, where is she?”

“Well, sir, knowing her, she is most likely catching a ride on one of the wagons and taking a nap.”

“Well, that sounds about right…” Warren said, knowing that the batpony was somewhat lazy and mischievous enough to sneak in a wagon on take a short nap. “…but I can’t blame her. Anybody exposed in weather like this would either fall asleep or be forced to do so by the heat.

The two soon went on a friendly a chat, as they continued to march with the army. Even with the heat around them, the two managed to talk with each other without losing a breath as they moved. Despite the uplifting beat of the bands, a chat among friends was always the number one solution in removing boredom from a long march.

Their conversation only stopped when they saw a lone courier making her way towards Newman, who was silently contemplating and cursing the heat. Keeping silent, the two listened to the conversation, wondering what it was all about.

“Sir…” She said, moving to trot beside Newman. “…General Stockade wishes to consult with you.”

“Very well…” He said, giving a short nod and looking back towards the courier. “…where is he right now?”

“By the next hill you see, sir.” She said. “There’s going to be a large hill on the next turn of the road, General Stockade is supposed to wait for you there.”

“Very, well.” Newman said before dismissing the courier.

“Well, I wonder what the General wants to consult with you this time, sir.” Warren said, once the courier was out of sight.

“Hopefully something about this marching.” Newman muttered. “This army hasn’t taken a break since we left camp and if we keep on, then I don’t think there would be anybody left to fight with.”

Trailing behind their regiment, Lyra and Bon-Bon trotted with buckets of water on their backs, while keeping a lookout for the passed out bodies the lie on the road. As one of the dozens of groups assigned to the task, their job was to care for any fallen soldier who had fallen unconscious and keep them as comfortable as possible till a Doctor can properly care for them.

This was an important job in each regiment, as it meant the proper care for ponies who could possibly die from heat exhaustion. Supplying them with water and keeping them cool was an important thing, especially under such heat.

But for Lyra, who was carrying two buckets of water that were balanced on either side of her back, she found the task even more tiring, as she cursed the sergeant who assigned her to the job.

Sure, she knew that the task was an important one, but it was a task that was just not for her. With the heavy load behind her and the hot sun burning through their fur, she was sure that the buckets had a higher ratio of her sweat instead of water.

“Uhhh….why me!” She groaned, as she complained about her current situation. “This thing is too heavy!” The restraints of the buckets were pressing against her back, making it feel like they were burrowing under her skin.

“Oh, stop that now…” Bon-Bon said, bringing a cold gaze towards her friend. “…your problem is nothing compared to those poor ponies who fell from the heat. Besides, these things aren’t heavy.”

“Easy for you to say…” Lyra said, as she tried her best to ignore the pain. “…you’re an earth pony. Carrying stuff like this is easy for you, but I am a delicate unicorn who cannot stand manual labor.”

“Yeah, yeah…” Bon-Bon said, knowing that being an earth pony did help with the task. But there were other unicorns in their group and she heard no complaints from them. This left her to conclude that Lyra was just a lazy pony, even with such.

Sighing, she shook her head before noticing something on the side of the road. Turing her eyes towards it, she saw a fallen stallion that had been shoved aside the road. Turning towards Lyra, she gestured towards the stallion who lay sprawled on the ground.

“How about you stop your complaining and go help that poor pony over there.” She said.

“Fine.” Lyra muttered, before diverging away from the group to help the pony. This would have been the fifth pony she would have had helped today, so by now, she knew exactly what to do. Trotting towards him, she stood in front of the unconscious pony ans looked towards him.

“Hey there buddy, you alright?” Lyra said, gently tapping the side of his cheek with a dry rug.

The body was lying there on the ground, unmoving and still. But the gentle rise and fall of his chest showed her that he was still alive. Moving her hoof towards his forehead, she felt the heat on his skin and knew that he was burned out. From experience she learned from earlier, she knew that the most important thing to do was keep him cool and prevent him from burning up or else things could get worse.

Acting quickly, she levitated the rug towards the bucket and dipped it into the water, soaking it. Giving it a short squeeze as she pulled it out, she then began to pat the pony’s face with the wet rag, hoping to cool his body down.

Turning her head towards the direction the column was marching, she saw at least a dozen more ponies on the side of the road, lying and waiting for somepony to help them. Sighing, she continued to do her job and wipe more of the wet rug on the pony.

Despite complaining about the task they were given, Lyra knew that she was lucky. For it could be her in the place of the stallion that she was helping.

Looking down towards the road, General Stockade watched as young strong stallions pulled pieces of artillery under the hot blazing sun, making their way through the dusty road. He was glad to see such energy and strength from these ponies, as they managed to carry some of the army’s valuable assets despite the terrible heat.

Turning his attention to the sides of the roads, his mood turned sour as he saw the exhausted and unconscious bodies that flanked either side of the road, victims to the cruel effects of heat exhaustion. The ponies lay there, gasping for help; as some of the ponies assigned to help them treated their comrades by giving them water and making them as comfortable and cool as possible.

“Dreadful.” He remarked, as he wiped off his own sweat that was accumulating on his forehead and fur. “Just dreadful.”

Turning away from the road, he looked towards his staff who had gathered there with him, as well as General Cutter and Colonel Newman, whom he invited to seek their consultation.

“Well…” He said, looking at each one of them as his gaze moved from left to right. “…despite this heavy and costly march, we are making progress.” Moving forward, he gestured towards a map on the ground, which was laden with rocks on the side, so that it would not be blown by the strong breeze.

“That may be so, General…” Cutter said, attracting the attention of all. “...but this march is taking its toll on us, causing many problems. If we continue this and find the enemy in front of us once we arrive at our destination, then we would find our soldier tired, exhausted, and unprepared.”

“Oh, don’t worry yourself, General.” Stockade replied. “If things go as planned, the enemy would back away under our larger force, thus avoiding a confrontation.”

“That may be true…” Cutter said, nodding slightly. “…but things could change. So far, our advance scouts report no change in the enemy’s advance west, meaning that we could still encounter them. But if we continue to hurt while we march, then our force would be too weak and would possibly loose its advantage.”

Stockade fell silent for a moment, thinking about what Cutter just said.

True, his plan did focus on the possibility of the enemy falling back from their force, avoiding any confrontation. But the Griffons were an arrogant race and that also meant the possibility of them staying to fight. If that happens, then the inexperience of their army and the exhaustion of the soldiers might bring defeat upon them.

If a defeat happens, then it would not only mean the failure to halt the advance of the enemy foraging force but also the possible destruction of two-thirds of the Equestrian force in the area.

The silence within the group kept on as he began to contemplate on his strategy, wondering if his plan would work or if he should fall back while he had the chance. This silence was only broken when Newman raised his hand and tried to attract his attention.

“Yes, Colonel, what is it?” He asked, hoping that the human had something to suggest.

“Well, sir…” He said, clamping his hands together as he explained his idea. “…if you ask me, I think that we should halt the army now. Let them rest, eat, and recuperate, before continuing again at dusk. By then, the weather would be cooler and easier to march on and we can march for at least three hours before camping again to sleep. Then, we can wake the army up before dawn and march for a couple of hours, under the blanket of the cool the dark skies. If my estimations are correct, we could be at our destination by sunrise.”

Stockade stared a Newman and wondered if his idea would actually work. Sure, the night would protect them from the heat, but wouldn’t that mean slightly less sleep for the soldiers? Wouldn’t they be too tired if they do go into a fight?

Thinking about it, he began to realize that a slight case of sleepiness was better than total exhaustion, total exhaustion that they were experiencing right now as they marched. The longer he thought about the idea he suggested, the more it sounded good.

Nodding to himself and muttering some trivial facts, Stockade looked at Newman once more before turning to look at them all.

“Very well…” He said. “…the army shall rest for now. But by sundown, we march again.”

Chapter 14

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Chapter 14

Dawn broke with the beautiful sight of the sun, as it slowly rose up from the east horizon. The sound of the chickens crackling in their coop from the nearby farm echoed in the open field, stirring awake the ponies who lived in their humble wooden home. After a pleasant and quiet night’s sleep, it was, once again, time to start the day, as the darkness gave way for the light. Yawning and stirring themselves awake, they shook of the last hints of sleepiness as they got ready for the day ahead of them. But for a thousand plus ponies and a hundred or so humans who were marching down the road in front of the farm, their day had begun hours earlier, when the darkness still shrouded the land.

Having struck camp early in the morning, the soldiers of the Volunteer Amy moved quickly, making sure to reap from the early morning benefits of having cool air and dark skies that didn’t prick them with heat.

Despite being tired and weary from the lack of sleep, the ponies in all of the regiments were grateful for the fact that they didn’t have to march under the scourging heat of the sun. For them, the trade of sleep and heat was a fair one, as they would just repay the lack of sleep later, when they take their next halt.

With some still moving stiff from the previous day’s march, while some staggering from the drawing call of sleep, the long columns looked like a pitiful sight. In fact, if it wasn’t for the darkness that covered them, anypony who saw the lines would have just shook their heads and sighed.

Only the urgings and croaking of the officers and sergeants kept them all in line, as the ponies tried their best to maintain an orderly look. But no matter how determined a pony could be, the complaints of the body could not be ignored for long, as ponies began passing out on the march.

With ponies beginning to pass out once more and the sun beginning to cover them again, General Stockade decided to give his army a break, seeing that they had already marched far enough. Looking at the ground around him, which was slowly being lit by the sun’s light, he could see that they were in a decent place to camp and position the army.

From the early reports he got, he knew that this area was near enough to threaten the enemy and wide and open to hold a large camp, a perfect place to place his army. So after a couple of minutes of surveying his position, he gave the order to halt.

Everypony was elated when the order was passed along the line, as many heaved a heavy sigh of relief, with a hint of weariness, when they heard it.

Grateful and relieved that they could finally rest, most of the ponies ignored the fact that they didn’t have a blanket under them or a tent over their heads, as they plopped themselves down on the soft and cold grass.

Tired from the night march, they wanted to sleep now and worry about setting up the camp later.

But that didn’t mean there was no activity in the soon to be camp, as there were still ponies who had enough energy in them to do the duties that was required and needed in establishing their new camp.

Officers posted picket lines on the edge of their positions, making sure that they had eyes watching out yonder, to make sure that no enemy would approach them and take them surprise. Soldiers carrying canteens formed water details and moved towards the nearby creek, filling their comrades’ canteens with fresh and cool water. Some of the ponies even started camp fires and started cooking meals, so that their sleeping comrades had something to eat when they woke up.

Despite the slow progress, the tired army that stopped on this small piece of farm land was beginning to build their new camp.

By the time the sun was up in the sky, sending its hot burning rays to everypony bellow, the open field had turned into a proper camp. With a large area quartering the soldiers, as their white tents stuck out on the opens fields, and the wooden farmhouse housing General Stockade and his staff, after having been graciously invited by the small family who lived there to stay within their walls throughout their stay and make themselves comfortable.

Siting by the long table at the mess tent, Newman finished munching his teeth on his fried potatoes before washing down the greasy substance by taking a long swig on his canteen. Wiping his mouth with his sleeve, he then put away his utensils before excusing himself from the others and walking away from the tent.

As he excited the tent, he ran into Lt. Feather Wing, who had just woken up from hi short nap and was trotting towards the mess for breakfast.

“Glad to finally see you awake Lieutenant.” Newman called, as Feather Wing stopped to salute.

“I’m sorry for not being awake earlier, sir.” Feather Wing apologized.

“No need to worry…” Newman assured him. “…I know you were working hard last night by keeping things in order and making sure that the brigade’s supplies weren’t lagging behind. So I think you deserved that short nap you had.”

Feather Wing nodded his thanks before giving a small smile. “Well, if you would allow me to speak freely, sir, I think the job of keeping the supplies in track would have been an easier job if it wasn’t for a certain bat pony officer who kept on sleeping on the job.”

“You mean Lt. Dawn?” Newman said, giving an amused smile.

Although Newman disapproved slackers, for their wondering minds and lazy bodies, he knew that the young Lt. Dawn was a different case. Despite being known to be lazy, Newman also knew that when a job needed to be done, Lt. Dawn would do everything she can and give her best to fulfill that duty. So even thought she was lazy, usually seen sleeping in warm places, Newman knew that she always compensated for this by giving her short bursts of productiveness.

“You know, I always thought that bat ponies were like bats, nocturnal and all.” Newman remarked, remembering the sight of the bat pony sleeping in one of the supply carts during the night march.

“Yeah, they are.” Feather Wing said. “But she says that she’s been readjusting her sleeping habits, so that she would be awake during the day. She thinks all the exciting stuff happens during day light and thought that she’ll be missing in all the fun if she slept during the day.”

Newman gave a short chuckle and shook his head. “Well, you better get some breakfast now, Lieutenant, and don’t rush yourself doing so. I’ve got Lt. Dawn doing most of the errands, seeing the she’s the only one in this brigade who has slept for more than two hours. We’ve got plenty of friend potatoes and bread in there, so you can help yourself to a plate load of them.”

The young pegasus nodded before entering the tent and disappearing within.

Potatoes and bread…

Ever since they arrived in Equestria, Newman and his men had been eating nothing but vegetables and pastries, food that they believed wouldn’t offend their vegetarian allies. The occasional fired egg could also be seen once in a while, but the staple of their diet usually centered on any vegetable they could get, from potatoes to cabbages.

And although Newman didn’t complain about these types of food, for their provided nutrition for he and his men, he still held worry for his regiment and their sudden change of diet. Sure, the vegetables helped his men grow strong, but there was still one vital meal that they needed to provide enough protein for them all, meat.

Meat was something they haven’t seen for a while and Newman knew that his men would need large quantities to keep them all strong and going. Before, when they were still camped at Ponyville, the 220th would usually hunt far off from camp, catching a rabbit or two before splitting it between the members of their company.

They would usually do the hunting far away from camp, beyond any of the training recruits, as to not worry the ponies and make them scared of the humans.

But now, where there were thousands of ponies in a camp and any shot could be mistaken by a call for help by the pickets, hunting without the knowledge of the ponies was just too dangerous and risky. Newman already called off the hunting forays and although his men met it with great disappointment, he knew that they understood the importance of his decision.

Since the beginning of the march, the men of the 220th had been eating nothing but vegetables and bread, in taking the nutritious green food and soft luscious baked wheat, while grumbling at the fact that they couldn’t eat meat without scaring their new friends.

Newman knew that he would have to find a solution to this problem at some point, but right now, all seemed fine. It wasn’t a major problem yet, but he was already planning ahead so that I wouldn’t end up being one.

Moving away from the sea of tents and bringing his thoughts away from the meat problem, Newman gazed out to see the beautiful field in front of him. Gazing towards the south, he looked out at the wide field in before him. With clear skies and a wonderful panoramic view in front of him, Newman, for a moment, almost forgot that he was in a foreign world fighting a foreign war.

The area in front of him was large and open, a field that looked like the largest parade ground he had ever seen. Separated into two areas, the one they currently occupied was the farmland, while the one in the distance was a wild grassy plain. In-between the two, acting as a border, was a thick wooden fence.

On the far edge of the grassy plain was large ridge that ran in the center, while on the far right of the plain, seemingly bulging in the halfway mark of the field, was a lone bulky towering hill that seemed to look down upon the large field. The large hill was placed near the center right of the plain and looked like a gigantic obstacle. Seeing it, Newman knew that the hill would be a vital area to take before making any move.

The land here was beautiful and seemingly familiar. With nice open plains like this, the scenery reminded him of the lands of Pennsylvania. Farmlands and hills like this reminded him of his state and it almost seemed that he was back home.

He was always amazed at how Equestria seemed alike to their home and he always wondered why that was so. Other than the major differences of having magic and being ruled by different species, Equestria was basically a flipped version of their world. Over there, across the fields and through the road, was more of this land, more of the familiar looking ground.

“Colonel?” A familiar voice called to him. Turning around, he looked down and faced Lt. Dawn, who was standing at attention before him.

“Yes, Lieutenant, what can I do for you today?”

“Well, sir, it’s not what you can do for me, but instead, what you can do for General Stockade.” Dawn said, with a small smile.

“Let me guess, he’s calling for another meeting, isn’t he?”

“Yes, sir.” She said with a nod.

Newman nodded back sighing. “Well, I better not keep him waiting.” He said, leading the way as Dawn trotted beside him.

“Ah, Colonel Newman, glad for you to come.” General Stockade called as Newman entered the farmhouse that the General was using as his headquarters. Urging Newman towards them, the man moved towards the table and noticed a new face joining them in the meeting.

On the other side of the table, standing beside Stockade, was a yellow pegasus mare, with a mane that looked similar to a blazing flame. Wearing the same white uniform most members of the army wore, the only distinguishing factor about her was the fact that her insignias show that she used to be a part of some kind of military unit before the war.

Noticing Newman’s gaze towards the pegasus, Stockade looked towards Newman before moving towards the pegasus and deciding to introduce the two to each other.

“Colonel Newman…” Stockade began. “…I would like to introduce you to Colonel Spitfire, former Captain of the Wonderbolts and now the commander of the 1st Cloudsdale Volunteer Regiment, which is acting as one of this army’s scouting units.”

Newman didn’t know who the Wonderbolts were before, but he did know about the Cloudsdale units, from the reports that were passed down to him. From what he knew, the units were commonly used as scouts, heading a head of the army and keeping an eye on the enemy. To him, the Cloudsdale units were comparable to cavalry, as they seemed to act like one.

Looking towards Spitfire and seeing her nod, Newman tipped his hat in acknowledgement. He would like to know more about this new member at the meeting table, but seeing that they were all summoned here for an important reason, he knew that he would have to do that at another time.

“Well…” Stockade said, once the acknowledgements were done. “…since we’re all here, I think the staff meeting can finally begin. First order of business is the news Colonel Spitfire has to report to us.” He then turned his head towards Spitfire before pointing towards the map on the table. “Colonel, if you may.”

Spitfire moved closer towards the table before putting a hoof on one part of the map. “My regiment and I have been screening for the army ever since the march began and recently we have started to encounter some of the enemy forces here.”

Looking at the map, Newman noticed that Spitefire was pointing towards a position south from theirs. If this intelligence was right, then that meant that they were heading straight down towards the enemy, who was heading west, and could easily cut them off.

“We’ve been patrolling the possible Griffon positions and, after a couple of hours, deduced that this force is composed of an entire division.”

“Well, it looks like your predictions were right, General.” Cutter said, complementing Stockade. “Your plans seem to be working out.”

Stockade gave a small nod, accepting the complement, before signaling Spitfire to continue.

“Now, recently, we have noticed a shift in the enemy’s movement.”

“A change?” Newman said. “To where?”

“They seem to have given up on their movement towards the west and decided to go north. I think they’re planning to head to Fillydelphia, if my calculations are right. From what I have seen, they are taking the roads the lead directly you the city.”

Newman’s face became serious as he nodded. He had suddenly realized the implications of this news “I think they plan to turn the flank of the city’s defenses. Maybe we were wrong to speculate that this was a foraging force, wanting to steal the crops of the farmland. Maybe, the main goal of that enemy force was to get around us and hit us in the flank”

“That may be true, Colonel, that may be true.” Stockade said, nodding his head and thinking about it. For a moment, the room was silent, as all the officers analyzed the new report and stared at the map. But after a couple of silent minutes, Stocked ran his hoof on the map before speaking out loud.

“But I think we have an advantage against them, in the form of this army.” He said. “They don’t know we’re here, blocking their path and preventing them from heading to Fillydelphia. I think a change of plans must be done. Instead of marching out today, we should set up and
make a stand here.”

Newman thought about it for a moment and wondered if this was a suitable idea.

With open ground, this was a perfect place to make a battle. But remembering his earlier survey of the field, there was little high ground that could bring an advantage for any army who wanted to face off here. Most of the ground was flat and open and the only place that proved advantageous was the ridge and hill on the other side of the wild plains.

Remembering it, Newman knew that if the army should want to make a stand here, then they must take up position in that formidable looking ridge. If they held those grounds, then the battle could be well in their favor, if the enemy held them, then Newman could only imagine the amount of power the enemy could bear down on them, no matter how small their force was.

Deciding to express this thoughts to Stockade, Newman grabbed the General’s attention, before speaking.

“Well, General, if you want to make a stand here, then I suggests taking those heights over there. If you do, then I think you would have a full view of the enemy approaching upon us, as they moved up the road or cross the field.”

Stockade listened and nodded, before standing there to think about the option given to him. He believed that the idea made sense, but there was one concern that persuaded him away from taking it.

“It’s a tempting offer, Colonel, but I think I’ll pass. The ridge line over there is too far from the creek and too open, without any trees to provide any shade for us. With a position like that, we will be fully exposed to the sun and too far away from the creek. When a battle comes, our soldiers would be too hot to fight and too thirsty to think effectively. Their canteens would be drained and the details assigned to get water would just end up falling on the field, trying to get to the creek and back.”

Newman was shocked to hear this, as it was usually common military knowledge to hold the high ground. But after reminding himself that the Equestrian’s lack this basic knowledge, he decided to make things clear and explain the reason behind it to Stockade.

“But, General…” Newman insisted. “…if we let the enemy take that ridge and hill, then we’ll end up having them look down at us. We’ll be helpless and in full view of the enemy.”

“That may be so, Colonel, but I believe that they won’t stay on that ridge for long. They plan on heading to Fillydelphia, is that not so? So if they want to move pass us, then they would have to go down from the ridge and meet us on these field, where we’ll be ready and waiting.”

“But, Gene-“

“No more, Colonel.” Stockade said, cutting off Newman. “My decision is final. I highly appreciate your suggestion, but I think my knowledge is sufficient in planning the positioning of my army.”

Stockade looked around the room to see if there were any other objections, but so none. Satisfied, he nodded to himself before looking towards the map once more.

“The army shall make a stand here and win the battle here.”

Chapter 15

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Chapter 15

When morning came the next day, ponies all over the camp were met with a strange new sight just on the horizon. Exciting their tents and walking out, they gazes turned out towards the open field before them, where they saw something that wasn’t there during the previous day.

From their camps on the rich soil of the farmland, they could see foreign banners christened with gold and silver blazing on the ridge to their south, as the black and silver uniforms who wielded them stood on guard, looking down at them. On the right, to the west of the ridge, the large hill that dominated over the large field was now littered with cannon, the large barrels pointing out towards the field in a menacing pose.

Once they caught sight of all of this, the sleepy minds of everyone in camp suddenly awoke in great speed as they jumped into action, fear and excitement motivating their action. Despite the shady hue that came with the morning, every soldier in camp, from the highest ranking officer to the lowest of volunteers, knew that this was the enemy. The Griffons have arrived on the field.

Pickets who were standing guard during the night panicked and galloped back to their mother units, hoping that the comforting and large sizes of their regiments would offer shelter for them against the intimidating force that was looking down from the ridge, but the officers of these units looked out towards the enemy force, not knowing what to do.

Although they had been informed that the enemy would be arriving and battle was soon to come, many of them envisioned the enemy to march on the field and meet them there, just like the stories of the battles of old.

What they did not expect was the formidable looking force that was now positioned in an intimidating position. Despite the fact that they were told that the enemy had a smaller force than they did, the positions the enemy held seemed to make up for the lack of numbers. Having cannons and soldiers looking down at them from a high place seemed to bring the chills to many of them, as they could do nothing but stare.

But not all were scared to the point of being frozen like a statue, for there were a few reliable officers and men who looked at the enemy force and began accessing the situation. One of them was Col. Newman, who was standing outside the wooden farmhouse with Gen. Cutter, as they held their binoculars and studied the enemy position.

“Well, Colonel…” Cutter said, bringing down his binoculars. “…it looks like you were right. The Griffons are now occupying that ridge and are pointing their cannons to us.”

Newman sighed and nodded. “It could be us up there, but instead we find ourselves in a great disadvantage.”

It was an aggravating and saddening scenario that brought a confusing set of emotions in him. The other day the ridge was empty and ready for their taking, but Gen. Stockade’s orders prohibited any movement towards it, due to a lack of a nearby water supply in the area. Newman had tried explaining the need to hold the high ground to him, but it was just ignored and set aside for the seemingly important need for a water supply.

Now, it seems, the Volunteer Army would pay for the bad decision their commander had made. If the Commanding General had followed his suggestion, then they would be the ones looking down upon the enemy, not the Griffons.

Turning his gaze towards the camp, Newman could see the ponies gather, as regiments began forming up, as trumpets called the soldiers to their designated locations, while officers and sergeants kept them in place. Moving his gaze forward, his eyes fell on the sights of a couple off regiments forming up on the wooden fence and using it as possible cover. The wooden fence, which separated the farm land from the open field, seemed to have been made out of strong wood and with its close proximity to the camp, only a couple of paces away, it would most likely be the only formidable defensive position they had.

Watching the ponies take position on the fence, he couldn’t help but grin and shake his head. He had to hand it to those ponies on taking the initiative. Despite their lack of experience, they still managed to make a good military decision, a decision that was probably better than anything Gen. Stockade could think off.

He continued watching the regiment’s form till the sound of wheels rushing on the road attracted the attention of both him and Cutter. Looking towards the source of the sound, they turned their heads to the right to see a battery of cannons racing through the dirt path, leaving a cloud of dust behind them. With earth ponies pulling on the gun carriage with all the strength and speed within them, the battery moved swiftly into position, on a flat piece of ground where other batteries of cannons had already been set up.

There, the cannons that had already unlimbered and loaded were going through their final preparations, as the officers of each gun looked
through the long barrel and conducted last minute adjustments.

Bang!

The first cannon shouted, as its barrel let loose and fired.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The other cannons followed, as they open fired on the enemy on the hill, with the intent of eliminating their counterparts on that position.

Smoke soon rose from the barrels of the cannons, covering the view of the officers aiming. But for Newman and Cutter, who were in a slightly higher position, they still had a great view of the field.

Trailing the shells and they were flung in the air, Newman kept an intent gaze towards them, wondering if they would reach the target. From what he had learned, he knew that the standard cannons the ponies use had great range and could easily fling shells at distant targets with great accuracy.

But as he watched the shells fall on the ground, he could see the shots fired fell short, landing a couple of yards from the Griffons position, slamming hard on the slopes. The enemy cannons, who were placed on top of the steep and high hill, were in a position that was too high for even the best guns in the ponies’ arsenal to hit. The elevations in the pony cannons were just too low and they couldn’t bring them high enough to hit the enemy.

“Well, looks like our cannons are out of range. If only the hill was a little lower or our cannons better elevated.” Cutter remarked, before sighing and looking towards Newman. “It seems the only thing we can do right now is stare them to death...”

“And wait for them to come at us…” Newman said sourly, knowing that it was the decision Gen. Stockade would most likely take.

General Stockade stood on the second floor of the farm house, gazing out the window to look at the far off ridge, where the enemy forces were now standing. Eyes steadily glaring across the field, he stood there and watched as the enemy’s banner flew above the ridge, while their soldiers and guns waited there in silence, mocking him.

With a growl that hummed out of his throat, he let out his anger by stumping his hoof on the wooden floor before sharply turning away. The frustration within him had already started to grow with each passing hour and now it was slowly venting out through his aggressive and hostile actions.

Muttering to himself as he paced the room, he felt his entire anger center on one thing, the lack of action the Griffons were taking.

Despite the aggressive stance both side were taking, as they stared at each other, and despite the fact that the Griffons were the one of the offensive, the enemy decided to stay still and do nothing. Instead of moving down, like Stockade had hoped for, the Griffons have decided to stay on the ridge and camp on it.

Seeing such action had appalled Stockade, for he was certain that the enemy would take a move upon his force

He had already planned it all, studying the maps and placing each regiment to designated areas. Despite ignoring Col. Newman’s suggestion of taking the ridge, Stockade compensated the act by creating defensive positions in ground that he considered more advantageous for them, due to the nearby stream that would supply them with an easy to access water supply.

Knowing that the enemy was planning to head to Fillydelphia, he had set to work placing each regiment of the army in positions that would provide nice cover and overlapping fields of fire, as well as leaving a brigade’s worth of soldiers in reserve. Although the land they were in lacked proper cover, with nothing but fences for their soldiers to hide behind, Stockade believed that his careful positioning was an equal compensation.

By the time everything was ready and set, all he and the army had to do was to wait for the Griffons to march down on them.

But to Stockade’s anger and frustration, the Griffons never came.

Instead of marching down and meeting his force head on, like he expected, the Griffons had stayed on the ridge. At first, Stockade had shrugged it off, thinking that the enemy General was halting his army to assess the situation and plan the invertible attack. But now, at noon, with the enemy sitting there and doing nothing for half the day, Stockade’s hopes of seeing the enemy march down were shattered, as they stayed put.

It defied all logic Stockade knew and left him baffled on what to do. Back at the academy, they were thought that an army who found themselves on higher ground would usually take advantage of it by either staying there if they were on the defensive or using the momentum of a downhill charge if they were in the offensive. Knowing that the enemy was in the offensive, Stockade had thought that the Griffons would follow the same principle and charge down on them.

He had expected them to attack his position, a highly complex yet formidable one, only to be cut down by his force. But instead, the Griffons did nothing and this frustrated Stockade.

With his defensive plan crushed, Stockade was forced to accept the fact that he had to think of a new plan, a plan that would have to dislodge the enemy from the ridge in front of them.

Sighing and shaking his head, he tried to calm down all his frustrations by taking in gentle breaths and concentrating on the peaceful noon air radiating all around him. By now all the guns of the army were silent, having been given the order to conserve their shots instead of wasting them on targets they could not hit.

So this silence, instead of helping his frustrations, was instead worsening it, for it only proved that his plan was not working. This irritated, for he wanted to hear fighting, the sound of battle, any sign that showed that something was happening and that the two armies were taking action and not just staring at each other. But instead he got silence.

Glancing across the room, Stockade’s gaze fell on a small wooden table in the center of the room, to see his old textbook. Deciding to levitate it towards him, he looked down at the book and gave it a small grin.

‘Equestrian Military Tactics and Strategies’ It read.

Despite being worn down by the years of use, the textbook still held together, containing within its yellowish pages the context of military tactics and strategies throughout Equestria’s long gone, yet glorious, military history. A military history that he wanted to be a part of, with all its prestige and glory. He remembered the first time he had bought the book, all those years ago, and how excited he was to hold it and read it. He read the stories and imagined himself in the place of many of those heroes, commanding his own army.

Containing detailed accounts of almost every battle fought in Equestria, the book informed the reader what to do and what not to do in a battle. From this book, Stockade had pulled out the amazing essays that brought him renowned in his batch, and from this book, he would use the lessons he read and apply them in today’s battlefield. So now, as he stood in his headquarters and his battle plan, his mind looked back towards the book, trying to remember tactics that could apply for the day’s work.

But no matter how many times he tried to recall a tactic used for a situation like this, he could not find any solution that could help him. There just wasn’t any scenario that he could apply to help him with his problem. The tactics used many years ago never dictated a battle like this, with cannons instead of arrows and rifles instead of spears, and Stockade suddenly realized that he was probably the first Equestrian commander to fight a modern battle.

He gazed at the book and felt frustrated once more. He felt anger and betrayed to learn that this book could not help him, yet he managed to control these emotions and prevent himself from throwing it out. The book was outdated, yet still used in the academy. He had studied these tactics, reading the glorious stories, but he now realized that these were stories of the past and not applicable to the present, or so it seemed.

Placing the book down on the window ledge, Stockade was more glanced outwards, towards the open field in front of him. Taking a pair of binoculars, his gaze out towards the enemy positions, observing them once more.

He knew that the only way to win now was to make an attack on the enemy, but the only problem he was encountering was the enemy positions. Despite being outnumbered, with his force having the superior numbers, the enemy still held the high ground. Bringing his binoculars towards the hill on his right, he could see that the enemy cannons were well positioned and pointing out towards the open field in front of him. Any attack that they could mount would be bombarded by those cannons, while his cannons, which lacked the elevation, could not return fire and support the assault. From the enemy’s high position, their cannons had a great view of any direct approach, meaning any attack made by him would be fully exposed to their bombardment.

Stockade knew that if he wanted to seize a victory for the day, then he must capture that hill and the cannons. But how?

If he made a direct assault towards the hill, then his force would be bombarded on their march and would not have enough strength within them to make by the time they reached the hill. Such an attack would prove too costly and useless. So he knew that he must choose another plan, a plan which would allow his force to reach the hill and ensure victory upon his army.

Turning his gaze farther out to the right, he looked out to see that the open field where now replaced by a forest, that was located on his far right. Focusing on the forest, he could the tall thick trees towering and watching the fields beside it. Stockade imagined that such a place would be a relaxing and cool place for farmers to rest at when taking a break, for the leaves covered the hot rays, creating a natural roof above their heads. It provided perfect shade and concealment…

Concealment!

The word echoed in his mind, as he realized how important this forest was and how useful it could prove to be, if used properly. Carefully formulating an idea in his head, he nodded to himself once in a while as a grin formed on his face.

Seeing that the forest and its trees can provide concealment, he decided that he could use it to his advantage by moving some of his forces to the far right and deploying them in the forest. The forest seemed big enough, from his point of view, and he believed that he could place the entirety of the 1st Division there. Once placed, he would leave them there and order the division to wait for his order to move.

Meanwhile, the 2nd division would form up on the center and move forward, attracting the attention of the enemy. They would try to close the gap between themselves and the enemy as fast as possible before engaging them in a short fire fight. The point of this movement would be to distract the cannons on the hill as well as the enemy forces in front of them. This would ensure that the enemy was too preoccupied to notice the brilliant plan he had formulated.

Once distracted, Stockade would give the order for the 1st Division to move forward and make their way to the hill, so that they could capture that cannons and secure the position. Since the enemy would be too distracted with the 2nd Division, Stockade believed that they would not bear enough forces or cannons to stop the 1st Division from making their assault. If ever they were ever to bring forces to meet this second assault force, it would be too little too late.

Once the hill was captured, he planned for the 2nd Division to crush the enemy’s center as well as have the 1st Division to move down and help support them, thus leading to the defeat of the enemy force.

Going through the plan in his head, he went through the needed details and began formulating the orders. With luck, he would be able to reposition his forces within two hours and begin the assault as soon as the preparations are done.

If all went to plan, which Stockade expected, then they would have a victory by sundown.

And, for himself, his name on the new military textbook that he planned on writing once this was all over. Because was going to be the one who will plan and execute the this all.

“He must be mad.” Newman said, as he crumpled the paper containing the army’s orders. “In fact, I think he’s gone beyond mad. There is no way these plan could work, he’s central force would just get crushed.”

He had read the long message where the orders were written and knew enough that a small force, like the one described, would stand no chance against a withering hail of fire from the heavily fortified and advantageous positions of the enemy in the ridge line.

The central attack might get the Griffons distracted for a second or two, but once they notice the second force rushing out of the forest, which he knew they would, the Griffons, from their high positions on the hill, could just train their cannons and bombard this new force, while the
Griffons on the ridge line kept the central attack pinned down.

The mere thought of conducting this plan was already suicide, let alone actually conducting it. Newman knew this, but sadly, Stockade didn’t.

“Well, Colonel, orders are orders.” Cutter said, shrugging it off as if it were nothing. But despite his calm response to the given orders, he couldn’t help but feel as shiver run down his spine at every moment he thought of the written orders. Although he lacked the knowledge of battle tactics, the frustration and dismay in Newman’s complaints was enough to tell Cutter that there must have been something wrong with the plan. But wrong or not, Cutter could not just say no to orders that were given to him, because, just like every soldiers here and soldiers before him, he must follow orders, even if it lead to his death.

Sighing, he tried exhaled all of the stress within him, knowing that he couldn’t stop or avoid the troubles heading his way. All he could do was go with its flow and hope for the best.

“Are you sure you know your orders?” Cutter finally said, looking towards the crumpled piece of paper, as he broke the silence that was starting to engulf them. “Because if you don’t, then that piece of paper would end up being really useful to you.”

“Yeah, I got them.” Newman said firmly before repeating the orders he had read. “I am to put my brigade on reserve and wait, as the 1st and 2nd Brigade form up in the center and advance. In other words, its Stockade’s formal way of saying: ‘we don’t need you’. Not that I don’t mind, seeing that Princess Celestia already promised me that I won’t have to fight. So I’m actually happy to receive these orders.” He said, as he stepped on the already crumpled piece of paper.

“Yeah…well I don’t think the Ponyville regiments would be happy to hear that.” Cutter remarked. “They signed up to fight, not to sit down and watch as two-thirds of their division goes out to fight without them.”

Newman shook his head when he heard this and placed a hand on Cutter’s back.

“Trust me, General, by the end of the day and this battle is over…those ponies who were left in reserve would be glad to see that they didn’t have to march forward.”

With those ominous words, Newman turned away and walked towards the direction of his brigade, leaving Cutter to wonder if the day would end in victory or defeat.

***

“Now that is an impressive sight.” Lyra said, as she sat under the shade of a large tree and gazed out towards the field, where a long line of soldiers formed up and organized themselves. Looking through her binoculars, she could see the distant bodies in a clearer and closer view, as the device helped her view the attack force.

“Yeah...” A voice said, from atop the tree. “…but I wish that we could be a part of it.”

“Oh, don’t feel so down, Dawn.” Lyra said, putting down the binoculars on the grass and looking up at the bat pony, who was hanging upside down on a thick branch. “I’m sure we’ll get our chance soon. Besides, who wants to fight a battle in hot weather like this?” She said, noting the blazing gaze noon sun that was glaring on the line of ponies. “The brigade already had enough problems marching under this kind of heat, but fighting under it? If we were part of the attack, then we would have most likely lost a sizable amount even before reaching the enemy, all because of heat stroke.”

“Hmm…” Dawn said, whipping some sweat that was dripping on her forehead. “…I guess your right…” Then, her gaze shifted away from Lyra and towards the cream colored earth pony with them. “Hey, do you still have some water in your canteen? I left mine back at my tent and I’m really thirsty.”

Bon-Bon, who had joined the two since there was nothing better to do but wait, held out her canteen and offered it to Dawn. “Here, help yourself.” She told her.

“Thanks.” Dawn chirped, as she took the canteen by the hoof and pulled open the lid. But as she did, some of its contents began to spill out and it only took Dawn a second or two to realize that she was still upside down.

“Oops.” She said sheepishly, as she put back the lid and got off the branch, landing on the ground, right beside Bon-Bon, whose uniform was now soaked by the spilt water. “Sorry…”

“It’s alright…” Bon-Bon said, removing her hat and frowning. “…it’s not like I can file a complaint against an officer or something…” Shaking her head, she looked back towards the sea of white tents behind her. “If you two need me, I’ll be back at camp, drying these off.”

“Alright, good luck.” Lyra said, as she waved her friend good bye.

But Bob-Bon’s only reply was some grumbling.

“Is it just me or does she always seem to be grumpy?” Dawn asked, as she took a position next to Lyra.

“Nah, she’s only like that to new ponies.” Lyra informed her. “But trust me, after a while, she’ll get used to you and we’ll all be best buddies.”

“And if she doesn’t?” Dawn questioned.

“Then you’ll just have to get use to her grumpiness.” Lyra replied, making Dawn roll her eyes and shake her head.

“Oh, hey look!” Lyra said, as she levitated her binoculars right in front of her. “Who are those ponies over there, wearing that red capes and full Royal Guard Armor?”

“Where?” Dawn said looking towards the same direction and squinting her eyes, before asking to borrow Lyra’s binoculars.

Looking out at the field, near where the line was, Dawn could see a small group of ponies slowly making their way to the center. Adorned in full golden armor of the Royal Guard, which looked magnificent under the sun, and wearing a flowing scarlet red capes, Dawn could easily tell that these were no ordinary volunteer soldiers, nor were they ordinary members of the Royal Guard, but instead were high ranking and prestigious members of this army.

“Why…” Dawn said, looking at the leading pony in the group and recognizing the form. “…I think that’s General Stockade and his staff.”

“General Stockade…” Lyra eclaimed, as she took the binocluars to take a look for herself. “…what in the name of Celestia would he doing there? Doesn’t he have a headquarters in the nearby farm house or something?”

“Well yeah…” Dawn said, nodding. “…but didn’t you know. The commanding general always had the honor of leading an attack, if he request for it. And by the looks of things, then I’m guessing General Stockade would be leading this assault.”

Lyra nodded as she took in this new piece of information. Continuing their observance of the line, they now noticed a new sense of activity, as officers moved around and gave orders.

“Well, it looks like General Stockade’s presence was the only thing that was keeping them up.” Lyra commented, as she saw the first step of the march take place and bring the line forward.

“Well, better late than never.” Dawn said, as she saw the long line move forward. Composed of six regiments, a total of two brigades, the long line had about six thousands ponies in it. Six thousand ponies advancing across the field, ready to make battle with the enemy on top of the ridge.

From the chatter Dawn had heard in headquarters, she knew that this force was merely a distraction. Their job was to fir a couple of shots; let the enemy focus on them, while the 1st Division took up position on the far right and wait. When the moment was right, the 1st Division
would then attack; taking the hill and ridge, then day would be one. As simple as that.

Now, as they stood there watching, Dawn and Lyra now saw the Commanding General’s plan in motion.

Dawn had heard of many stories about great armies and battles before, but she never thought that she would actually live to see one.
When she joined the Lunar Guard, she thought that the only exciting thing she would do was catch Changeling infiltrators, since they seemed like the only threat the Lunar Guard was trying to quell. War was almost a far off thing and battles like this were practically unimaginable back then.

But now, she was going to witness, one that she was sure would appear in the history books. Sure, she would have preferred being a part of it, sharing the glory, but being able to watch it before her eyes was fine too.

Soldiers, marching together, shoulder to shoulder, created a long line of white, as regiments marched right next to each other. Rifles glistened under the aggressive rays of the sun, uniforms were bright and clean, banners flew high and proud, and the ponies, despite their inexperience and short amount of training, seemed orderly, as officers and sergeants kept them straight and guided them through the path.

“Hmm…just like a parade ground exercise, I guess.” Dawn remarked as they continued to watch them move across the open field.
The ponies marched in a slow and calm movement, gently inching their way forward as they tried to keep everything straight. Once in a while a tired pony would lag behind, or a passed out pony would fall from the heat. But these problems were quickly fixed, as gaps were filled and assistance provided to the heat stricken ponies.

With nothing but seemingly perfect order, Dawn had almost would forgot that this was an attack force instead of a parade ground formation.

Marching along peacefully, it seemed that the quiet peace of the noon and gentle beating of hooves and drums were the only signs of life on and across the field.

But this was soon broken when the sound of the first cannon firing came.

The sound was merely a soft echo in the field, barely heard in the vast open and wide space. But despite this fact, it was still enough to bring a chill through Dawn’s spine, as she suddenly realized its implications.

Bang!

The first shout of resistance came, only to be followed by another and another and another and another.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Puffs of smoke rose from the hill on the right, as the cannons aimed at the line of ponies and let loose their load on the exposed line. The cannons fired and fired, and their heavy projectile flew through the field, heading towards the line and slamming against the poor ponies who happened to be in their way.

The first shell that landed brought complete shock through Dawn, as she felt her body stiffen and eyes stare. Gazing at the target it had hit,

Dawn saw the ponies get flung from where they stood, as a spurt of blood burst in the air around them. The round, which ripped through the line and bodies, caused mass destruction, destruction which brought horrible fear and a paralyzing shock to her.

Dawn had only seen cannon balls do their work on wooden targets, causing splinters and bringing dust when it passed through the board and hit the ground behind it. But now, despite the distance, she was able to see the through and brutal capability of a cannon ball.

And there was more to come, as shell after shell landed along the line, tearing holes and gaps which didn’t seem to be mended. Unlike earlier, where the gaps were immediately fixed, the holes created by the cannon shots were left open, as ponies feared the possibility of a shot landing in the same area and killing them.

This action transformed the line from an orderly strong formation to a more tattered and ragged one, which was broken and chaotic.

Seeing the enemy cannons fire made her wish that their own cannons could fire back, but she knew that they couldn’t. By the order of General Stockade, the cannons were positioned far back, away from enemy range. This was done so that the enemy cannons could not bombard their pieces and kill the crew. But this also gave a serious disadvantage as it meant that their own cannons could not fire back and hit the enemy on the ridge and hill.

Dawn remembered the sore expression on Colonel Newman’s face when he heard this and now she was beginning to understand why.

From her position, Dawn wanted to act and do something to help. But she found herself incapable of doing so as she just stood still and unmoving. In her mind, she wanted them to turn back, gallop, or go around. Anything that would get those ponies out of the line of fire!

Yet despite these shouts in her mind, the advancing line stayed on its present course with the same pace and direction. Still heading for the center, the line trudged through the cannon fire, leaving behind a trail of injured and dead, which was beginning to litter the open field. The screams of the wounded, although faint, brought a saddening and heart dropping feeling within her, as her shock continued to take over her body, leaving her still as a statue.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, the line quickened its pace, as the soldiers went to double quick and galloped through the last yards they needed to take in order to reach the base of the ridge. More ponies fell as this was done, both from the cannon fire and the rifle volleys that were now slamming upon the line.

Griffons regiments, who had stood on the ridge and watched the force approach, were now looking down and firing, letting out a torrent of bullets upon the brave ponies that took them. The crushing blows the Griffons gave added more to the falling ponies, as the smoke of their shot covered them like fog. A deadly amount of fire that was brought upon the attacking regiments.

But the shots fired were not one sided, Griffons were met with the reply from the ponies bellow, as the rag tag lines tried to form up and let loose their own fusillade. Deploying their own rifles and aiming up, the ponies fired, trying their best to create a cohesive line that could counter the enemy shots. Less powerful and probably pitiful compared to the fire of the Griffons, the return fire of the ponies were nonetheless brave and harrowing.

By now, General Stockade and his staff, who were supposed to be easy to spot with their different uniforms, was lost in the formation, and engulfed by the confusion and smoke that covered the battle line.

Firing their volleys and receiving enemy fire, the pony regiments were soon engulfed in a fog, a fog of gunpowder that engulfed them till there was nothing to be seen but the smoke. It soon became hard to see what was happening, as the only sign that the fight was still going on was the sound of the rifles puttering and volleys slamming.

The rattling sounds of rifles firing echoed in the air, joining the chorus of the cannons to create an orchestra of battle.

With these sounds, Dawn listened, listening to the sound of the fighting and the screams of the wounded. Listened to the sounds of war, the sounds she didn’t know till that day. For this was what war was like.

***

“Form a proper line! Celestia damn it! Form a proper line!” Gen. Stockade croaked, as he tried to reorganize a company of soldiers from the 2nd Manehattan Volunteer Regiment.

In the foggy and noisy confusion of the battle, Stockade had great trouble identifying officers and finding commanders of individual groups, as the haze and sounds around him created great distractions. But once he found one of these unruly officers, he was sure to give them a good scolding, for they had left their soldiers in an improper order and disorganized formation.

A volley was fired from beside him and Stockade shuddered from the sound. Everything around him was chaotic and noisy, as if Discord himself had come to visit. This was not how imagined his plan to go, this was not how he envisioned the battle to be. And yet here it was.

Another volley, this time from the Griffons on the top of the ridge. A soon as the shots were fired, the loud thump of bullets hitting body was heard near him, only to be followed by the ear piercing shout of the soldier who got hit.

With the smoke all around him, it was almost impossible to see the poor pony who got hit. But the screams and cries of the pony gave a horrifying image to Stockade, as his mind painted a picture of a blood coated pony, uniform torn and ripped, lying on the ground and bleeding to death.

He was sure that such thoughts were not good for his psychological state, as he quickly pushed it away and focused on more important matters, like keeping the line together.

So he moved from his position and started yelling orders, telling the few competent officers to keep up their fire, while forcing the tattered units to form up, stay strong, and let loose on the enemy. The sound of battle was still around him, but he tried his best to ignore it, pushing it away so that he wouldn’t be distracted.

Making his way behind the line and checking each unit to make sure that they were doing their job, he soon came across the body of a pony lying on the ground. Body flat on the ground and exposed, the pony looked like any other pony who had the misfortune of getting hit and falling down.

But as he drew closer to this body, he began to notice the shaking motion that it was doing. As he brought his eyes for a closer examination,
Stockade came to the realization that the pony was uninjured.

“What wrong with you, soldier?” He asked, staring down at him.

But the pony didn’t reply, as he continued to shake in fear.

“I said, what’s wrong with you, soldier?” Stockade said, this time in a much firmer and louder tone, as he gave a rough kick on the pony’s side.

This time, he had managed to attract the pony’s attention, as he looked up towards him. Looking back at him, Stockade could see tears in his eyes, as his head shook along with his nervous and frightened body.

Glaring down at him, Stockade’s eyes gave the pony a sharp glance, as he spoke up in a threatening tone. “Get up.” He said.

The pony, who was still stricken in fear, shook his head, concluding that to get up was suicide.

“I said get up!” Stockade shouted, repeating the order.

But the pony still disobeyed, shaking his head before burying it down on the ground and covering it with his hooves.

Angry, Stockade felt his heart rate rise and veins fill up with the molten hot blood with in him. His hooves where now also shaking, but this was fueled by anger rather than fear. Making a sharp turn of the head and looking out towards a nearby company from the 1st Canterlot Volunteer Regiment, Stockade called out to a nearby lieutenant who immediately approached him.

“Sir.” The young lieutenant said, giving off a shaky salute. It was clear that the lieutenant was doing his best to hide his own fears, but Stockade ignored this as he pointed at the pony on the ground.

“Lieutenant, I want you to arrest this pony under the charges of cowardice in the face of the enemy and disobeying a superior officer.”

“Sir?” The young lieutenant replied, switching glances between Stockade and the scared pony, unsure if the Commanding General wanted to do the arrest right here right now.

“Lieutenant…” Stockade said, using his firm tone once more. “…do I have to get another officer to arrest you as well?”

“Uhhh…no, sir.” The lieutenant said, fearing for his own position.

But just as the young lieutenant was about to execute Stockade’s orders, a powerful and loud volley rattled from above the ridge, sending more bullets into the line as it ripped through uniforms and flesh.

One of the bullets ripped right through the young lieutenants white uniform and implanted itself in his side, pushing the pony off balance as he fell and scream and pain, blood dripping from the wound. The young lieutenant cried out in pain, his voice mixing with the other cries, as he rolled down on the ground and bled.

Eyes wide and shocked from the suddenness of this all, Stockade stood there unmoving till he himself was hit by a bullet.

Ripping flesh, breaking bone, and exciting on the other side of his right hoof, Stockade felt the indescribable stinging pain of getting hit, as the hoof gave way and caused him to fall right on top of the cowering pony.

Screaming in pain and tearing up from agony it caused, Stockade shut his eyes tight and called for help. But in the confusion and noise of the battle, the only one who heard his cry was the pony under him. And instead of helping, this pony just laid there, in his panicked state, as he used Stockade’s body as cover from the flying bullets.

It was just like Fredericksburg, a hopeless attack against a well-defended position.

From his position near the farm house, Newman had watched as the long line of soldier marched across the field, heads held high and confident that they would succeed in their goal. In a way they did, as they managed to catch the full attention of the enemy, but what they didn’t expect was the terrible consequence they had to pay for such a risky strategy.

When the first cannon fired, shell landing right on top of the line, Newman couldn’t help but have images of that terrible day in Fredericksburg flash before his eyes. The sounds of the cannons booming from the ridge, the cries of the wounded asking for help, the heat of the rifles firing in volleys, and the sounds of the panicked screams of men who were charging up the ridge to make the pointless assault. All of this seemed to come back to him in one powerful thrust, as he stood still and fought the memories he wanted to forget.

But no matter how hard he tried to fight, the images became clearer and clearer, as if his fight was actually helping it.

Gazing out towards the bottom of the faraway ridge, Newman could see nothing but the rising smoke of gunpowder, which obstructed the view of anyone who tried to watch the battle. Ponies around him clambered around, looking through binoculars, as they tried to see and interpret what was happening.

But Newman already knew what was happening in there. He already saw, in his mind, the bodies, the panicked faces, and the blood on the ground, as well as sensing the invisible bond that kept soldiers together, even in desperate situations he knew was happening there.

The ponies may not have been his own kind, nor were they soldiers of his country, but they were still soldiers. Soldiers who followed orders and fought. And with this in mind, he silently mourned for their sorrow, as if they were his own soldiers.

“Colonel?” Newman heard someone call him, as he turned his head to see General Cutter’s grim face look at him.

“Yes, General?” Newman said in a mournful tone, knowing that Cutter would only have bad news with him.

“From what my staff has observed, the 2nd Division’s attack on the center seems to be floundering. There also hasn’t been any word from

Gen. Stockade, on whether we should launch the second attack.” Cutter said with a shake of a head. “So I’ve sent word to the 1st Division to call of their attack. It would be pointless to send them out now, since any attack now would be too late.”

With the sound of battle in the center seemingly softening, Cutter had feared that the attention of the enemy was up again, vigil as ever. An attack, he believed, from the forest would have easily been spotted and bombarded from a distance. If this happens, then they might end up like the 2nd Division, blown to bits.

“I’ve already ordered the cannons forward. They should be in position and ready to fire any moment now” Cutter said. “I’ve also sent a courier forward…” He said, before gazing out towards the ridge. “…in hopes that General Stockade, or whoever is in command there, gets it and withdraws.”

“Well…” Newman said, gesturing towards small band of ponies who were slowly dragging themselves across the field and back towards camp.
“…it looks like some of the ponies already decided to turn tail.”

Cutter only nodded gravely before sighing.

“Does it always feel like this?” He asked.

“What do you mean?” Newman said, looking at him.

“You know, after a battle, the heavy feeling that you get within you. As if you have a great burden that just wouldn’t go away.” He said, hoping that Newman could help him in this trouble.

“It’s a though feeling to receive…but I don’t know if I can help you get it out.” Newman replied, knowing that his own feeing of the battle and feeling of previous battle was still well within him. “I myself haven’t overcame it, so I’m sorry.”

Cutter nodded, understanding.

Watching the retreat of tattered groups, the two could hear the groans of battle weakening. The smoke that was once evident was now starting to fade, as the carnage began to reveal itself to every onlooker. Dead bodies, twitching wounded, and discarded weapons. To the ponies, this was a new and shocking sight, but for Newman, it was all too familiar.

“We have been beaten today, beaten badly…” Cutter concluded.

“Yes…” Newman said, agreeing. “…let’s just hope we learned something from all this, or else the battle would have just been a senseless waste of life…”

Chapter 16

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Chapter 16

The gentle and cool breeze was usually an enjoyable and calming part of the night, but during this night, the heavy breeze seemed more like a curse than a gift. With the hospital tents placed slightly to the rear, near the living quarters of the camp, the cries and groans of pain and agony could easily be heard echoing in the air, as the breeze blew it towards the silent ponies who couldn’t help but listen to the pain of their comrades.

Walking through the camp and passing the tents and camp fires, Newman looked around to see the uneasy silhouettes of the ponies of his brigade, as they listened to the uncomfortable sounds that filled the night air.

Spared from the carnage the was inflicted on their division, but left with the guilt of not being there, these ponies felt that they should have been fighting with their fellow soldiers, in the thick of the fight where ponies fell from left to right. But instead they were left behind, all because he, their commander, was given a promise that he and his men would not to fight.

Well… Newman thought. …you would get your fair share of battle soon, when we are gone and a new commander is here to take my place. Till then, you will just have to wait.

“You know, Colonel…” Johnson, who was escorting him around camp, said as he spoke up from beside him, breaking Newman’s inner monologue. “…from what the boys heard, the ponies already have a name for the battle.”

“They do?” Newman asked curiously.

“Yes, sir, they do. They’re calling it, the battle for Bloody Ridge.” Johnson said, as Newman saw him nodding in the dim light created by the campfires.

“Is that the name of the ridge?” Newman asked, remembering that there was no name like that written on the map he saw.

“Nope, but after this battle, I reckon that’s what the ridge would be called, from now and forever.”

Newman grunted in reply, not wanting to go into detail why it was named Bloody Ridge. He already knew enough behind the reasoning to that and he didn’t want to remember the frustration he had when he was watching the battle unfold before him.

Moving through the camp, Newman returned salutes and greetings, as he walked passed ponies and made his way to his tent. Tired and exhausted after the day’s work, organizing parties to help the wounded and helping in the reorganization of tattered regiments, Newman wanted to hit the sack and call it a day.

But with a meeting with General Cutter in the next half hour, he knew that his day wasn’t over yet. With a little bit of time left in his hands, he decided to spend it wisely by lying on his cot, resting his mind and body for a while, as he waited for the time to pass by.

So when he finally reached his tent, he opened the flap and peered inside to see the welcoming look of the soft cot inside. Turning his head back towards Johnson, he thanked him for accompanying him and was about dismiss him when the sergeant suddenly spoke up.

“Well, before I leave, sir, I just wanted to tell you about the situation of the men.”

Hearing that this had something to do with his regiment, Newman immediately straightened up and did his best to push away the weariness within him. “Oh? Is there something wrong?” He asked, worried that something bad might have happen.”

“Oh, no, Colonel, nothing of that sorts.” Johnson said, seeing the worried look on Newman’s face and understanding the officer’s concern for his men. “It’s more of how they feel than anything else really.”

“How they feel?” Newman asked, the curiosity lit within him.

“Oh, yes, sir. Yes indeed.” Johnson said, nodding. “You see, Colonel, during the battle, I couldn’t help but see the uneasiness on some of the men. The frustration of just sitting around and watching. There’s a certain look on them when they watched the battle unfold, a look that I’ve seen many times before. Being a sergeant for a long time now, I know that look anywhere when I see it. If my assumptions are right, sir, then it seems that the men want to fight, give battle.”

“Then want to fight?” Newman said, astonished at this fact, as he never expected the men to want to fight for a nation that they only recently learned of. “They do know that this isn’t out war, right?”

“Well of course, Colonel, we all know that this isn’t our war. But that’s not the point, you see.” Johnson said, continuing his explanation. “Be it their war, be it our war, when a soldiers hears the sound of battle and sees the rising smoke, there is a certain will within him, the will to move up and help their fellow soldier, a fellow soldier that may be human…or pony. Do you understand what I’m trying to say, sir?”

Newman, who listened to it all, couldn’t help but nod in agreement. H knew what Johnson was trying to say and understood what his men were feeling.

Having been a war for a long time and having experienced battle many times over, the men of his regiment have grown used to it, as if it were a part of their lives. Battle has engulfed many of the men, no matter how young, and the unexplainable feeling and urge to fight was evident. Newman knew that the men wanted to fight, but deep inside him he didn’t want them too.

A fight would end up having some of his men dead, dead in a land that they shouldn’t be in. He had made a pledge to get them back and he knew that he had to keep to it.

He was conflicted by his promise to being them all home and his own desire to be in the battle. In the end, he knew that he himself would have his own conflict, these two factors fighting against each other, trying to gain dominance. But till that happens, all he could do was wait.

“Thank you, Johnson…” Newman finally said, patting the man firmly as he thanked him once more. “…I’ll keep what you said in mind. In the meanwhile, you better get some rest. It might be another long day tomorrow.”

The room seemed desolate compared to before, as officers and other remaining members of the staff gathered around the large table, glancing at each other with sympathetic faces, as many areas of the room were now void and unfilled. Places which were once filled by the presence of somepony were now empty, as many members of General Stockade’s staff were either in the medical tents or lying in the cold grass of the far off field.

Many of the headquarters staff, mostly the ones who were directly under General Stockade, had joined in the assault, and many of these soldiers were now gone.

Newman, who stood off to the side of the dimly lit room, kept quiet and observed the ponies around him, their mournful silence filling the air, adding a chilling feeling to the already cold night.

This was the aftereffect of a battle, an effect Newman was all too familiar with. Soldiers and officers standing still in shock, unsure if the events that just unfolded before their eyes were real and resistant to the fact that the pony that was once beside them was gone.

Shaking his head in the darkness, Newman reflected on the odd facts of war. The time before and after the battle were usually the hardest, while the battle itself was nothing but a flash, a dot in the memory. When one lost a friend in battle, there was no time to morn, for he or she would be too busy killing the friend of the enemy who killed his or her friend. But once the battle was over, sound of war silent, the realization would begin to seep in, as your emotions hit you as hard as a cannon shell.

This was what these ponies were experiencing right now, as they were in the state of realization. It would take time before these ponies would absorb it and take it all in, but Newman knew that they would eventually come to the realization.

On whether they would take it calmly or not was another question.

Hearing a cough and the shuffling sound of hooves, Newman looked across the room to see General Cutter trying to break the silence, and focus on the task in front of them. The bitter task of counting the casualties and taking in the results.

“Well everypony…” Cutter started, in a slow and seemingly sorrowful tone. “…I know we are all down and gloomy after the day’s terrible events, but we still have a job to do.”

With General Stockade currently incapable of commanding the army, due to a serious leg injury that he took during the assault, General
Cutter, who was the next high ranking officer, was now in command as the army’s temporary commander.

Although Newman was slightly glad that Stockade was gone, for now, he still had a small part of doubt within him. Despite being in good terms with Cutter, Newman was still a bit apprehensive oh his command, for, like almost every officer in this army, Cutter had no experience in commanding an army in battle.

Sending orders was one thing, but reacting to the fast paced happenings on the battlefield was another. Newman knew that he would have to keep a close eye of Cutter, in hopes of not repeating the awful events of today.

Bringing his attention to his new commander, Newman listened as Cutter began reading the casualty reports, taking in the heavy burden of the difficulty task.

“One thousand nine hundred casualties…” He said, reading it from a piece of paper. “…six hundred dead, one thousand one hundred injured, and two hundred missing. The 2nd Division’s 2nd Brigade lost one brigadier general and two colonels, while their 3rd Brigade lost all three colonels and had their brigadier general severely injured. This leaves 2nd Division with one battle ready brigade. Terrible, just terrible… ”

Sighing, Cutter looked up from the paper and brought his gaze towards a member of his staff.

“Major Windfall…” Cutter said, looking at one of the many volunteer officers in the room. “…do we have any new reports on the enemy, any signs of what they’re planning?”

The major, a young unicron mare, straightened herself up as she shook her head. “No, sir. No new reports. The Griffons seem to be content on staying on that hill and looking down at us.”

Cutter nodded, before lifting up a piece of paper with his telekinesis.

“Well, the Griffons over here might be staying still, but that doesn’t seem to be the case on the other front.”

Other front? Newman wondered.

“From this message I got from Fillydelphia, I have learned that the Griffons over there have managed to break through our defenses on the outskirts of the city and defeat our garrison, forcing them to flee and leaving the city open for the taking.”

Complaints of shock and outrage now poured out of the mouths of the officers, as they began asking how such a thing could have happened. Newman himself was wondering the same thing, as he remembered the earlier boast of having impregnable defenses around the city.

“I don’t have full details yet…” Cutter told them all. “…but from this report, I at least know these basic facts. During the battle, the Griffons have massed their artillery in the center and bombarded out lines with a tremendous amount of shot. One of the shells managed to land and explode in an ammunition dump, causing a massive explosion. Apparently explosion, this was enough to scare off one of the militia divisions in charge defending the center, making them turn tail and leave a big gap in the lines, which the Griffons used to their advantage. What happened next must already be obvious to you all.”

As he shook his head and dropped the paper on the table, Cutter remarked: “I only wish we were there to help them. If we were there, then we could have easily plugged that gap.”

When Newman heard that, he suddenly came to a realization of a mistake they had made. A mistake that he should have realized earlier.

The force in front them right now wasn’t a flanking force, like they thought, but instead a diversionary force. The Griffons, who must have planned this well, had anticipated them to make a counter march to intercept this force. They wanted them to pull out some forces to weaken the defenses at Fillydelphia. And that was what they got and now the ponies had lost two battles in one day. A series of twin defeats

The Griffons have managed to fool them, fool them all…

Chapter 17

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Chapter 17

The next day, just before the sun rose during the early dawn moment, the 1st and 2nd Divisions of the Volunteer Army struck camp and prepared to leave the scene. Having folded their tent and stowed them away in the wagons, the soldiers of the defeated force quietly formed columns on the road, as they made last minute checks before starting the march.

The drums and trumpets that usually called the regiments together were now silent, as the Equestrians didn’t want to steer enough noise that would attract the Griffon’s attention. Such unwanted noise would only make their enemy curious and might reveal their intention to retreat. So for now, they remained silent.

The only sound that could be heard in the area were the occasional groans of the wounded, as they were loaded onto carts and wagons, and the soft sound of shuffling hooves and boots, as the soldiers formed up by the road.

Listening to these sounds, the soldiers stood by and waited, waiting for the order that would make the long column advance and begin the painful march.

With two defeated armies separated from each other by miles of land and a grave fear of having each army individually defeated and crushed in battle, General Cutter, acting temporary commander of the combined armies of Equestria, had ordered a general retreat. He believed that when split from each other, the two Equestrian armies were vulnerable, easy picking for the Griffons, but once merged to one group, he believed that the force could support each other and stand up in a fight against the Griffons.

Planning to merge the two armies and create a decent and sizable force, Gen. Cutter ordered the two separated forces to move North and reconvene at a marked position North-West of Fillydelphia.

So now the force prepared to pack and go, marching once more across the field of Equestria, as they took their tattered force to a place where they can regroup and replenish.

In charge of leading the march was the 1st Brigade of the 2nd Division. With the remnants of the 2nd and 3rd brigade of their division behind them, and the 1st Division acting as a rear guard in the far rear, the soldiers of the 1st Brigade had the gracious honor of being at the head of the column. Not that anyone was overjoyed by it, as a different mood drifted along the lines.

Col. Newman, who was overseeing the preparations of his unit, moved along the column his brigade had formed along the road and noticed the terrible mood his soldiers were in. Observing the column, Newman could clearly see that the soldiers of the brigade now lacked the fiery enthusiasm they once held when they first went out and marched out of camp. The cheerful faces, the joyful sound of the bands, and the optimistic chatter, were now all gone and replaced with a somber gloomy mood.

Both men and ponies alike were experiencing it; while Newman himself sensed the mood of his soldiers infect his mind and soul, as he felt his stomach churn at the sight of them. It reminded him of the enthusiastic boys who marched out to war during the early months of their Civil War back home, only to march back, ragged and mystified by the horrors of war.

Not to say that these ponies were any different, for they now had their first taste of battle. The salty and sour taste of the gunpowder, sweat, and blood, which stays with you after a battle.

“Colonel Newman, sir?”

Turning around, Newman looked and saw Captain Wilson standing before him and giving him a salute. After returning the salute, Wilson withdrew his hand and said:

“Sir, where do you want me and my boys to be positioned.”

Gesturing with his hands, Newman followed were Wilson was pointing at and looked towards the side of the road where a company of dark cladded men sat and waited. Even with the dawn darkness covering the surrounding area, Newman could still make out the silhouettes of

Wilson’s marksmen. Sitting on the ground and fumbling their rifles, the marksmen relaxed as they awaited orders.

It was then that Newman realized that he had already forgotten about these men. With all the arrangement that had kept him busy all night, the thought of having these men under his command had completely slipped his mind.

“Well, Captain…” Newman said, thinking a perfect spot to place them. “…I think it would be best if you and your boys are placed at the rear of the brigade’s column.”

“At the rear, sir?” Wilson repeated.

“Yes, at the rear.” Newman said, nodding. “With this long march ahead of us, I am certain that we would gain stragglers with every mile we make. And unlike before, we don’t have time to take breaks and halt the column. So you and your company are in charge of making sure that nobody slacks and gets left behind. Understood?”

“Yes, sir.” Wilson replied, giving a crisp salute as he seemed happy at the responsibility given to them. “You can count on us, sir.”

“I know, I can, Captain. I know I can.” Newman said, knowing that Wilson and his boys would not fail him, for they were reliable soldiers who would always get the job done.

With that, Wilson left to tell his company of their orders, while Newman moved forwards, towards the head of the column. Passing by, he was met with greeting from his officers, both men and ponies, as he made his way to the front.

“Glad, for you to join us, Colonel.” Lt. Col. Warren said, greeting him as he stood at the head of the 220th’s column, which was also the head of the entire army’s column.

“How are the men?” Newman asked.

Ever since Newman took command of a brigade, it had been Warren who was in charge of looking after the 220th. A fine and decent officer, despite being a volunteer, Newman trusted Warren and knew that he was the perfect officer to take over the regiment when the time came.

“Oh, they’re doing fine, Colonel. Formed up as quickly as possible and prepared for anything, the men are ready and in top shape for this march.”

“And they’ll need it too.” Newman said, gazing towards the east horizon. The sun wasn’t up yet, but already he could the orange light spilling ever so slightly from the edge of the skyline. “It may be nice and cool right now, but once the sun is up, we can be sure that it would be hot and tiring.”

“Yes…” Warren said, nodding. “…but at least we don’t have to deal with that awful dust, with the regiment being in front of the column.”

“True, true.” Newman said, a hint of relief in his voice.

The terrible dust clouds were infamous to any veteran soldier, as they usually proved to be a terrible nuisance in a march. Caused by marching feet that kicked on the road way’s dirt, the large plumes of dust usually covered the soldiers behind the marching columns, coating them with thick layers of dirt that stung eyes and mixed with sweat to create a muddy and dirt image.

Turning his attention in front of him, Newman saw the clear road ahead.

But his attention was quickly drawn away, by the sound of hooves approaching them. Turning his head, he looked towards the source to see a brown earth pony of the Volunteer Army.

“General Cutter sends his regards, sir…” The pony said. “…and says that you may begin the march.”

“Very well.” Newman said, nodding before dismissing the pony.

“Colonel Warren…” Newman said, addressing the man beside him. “…order the column forward.”

“Forward march.” Warren said, his order being pass around y other officers, as it went along the line to other regiments, till the entire brigade followed the orders.

With the 1st Brigade moving forward, under the dim and early morning, the rest of the army, a long serpent along the road, followed close behind.

From atop a hill that overlooked the abandoned pony defenses, General Steel, the 1st Imperial Corp’s Commander, looked down to gaze upon
the intricate system of defense that his soldiers were now occupying.

Looking dominant from his position, Steel felt like a conqueror who had just crushed his enemy and claimed their land. Which wasn’t far from the truth, for he had indeed crush his enemy and conquered their land, just not all of it.

A veteran of the Griffon-Zebra War, with a long scar on his beak to prove it, Steel knew all too well the feeling of victory. He had been a regimental commander back then, full of inexperience and mistakes, but he had emerged as a victorious corps commander by the end of the war, cheered on by crowds and praised by fellow soldiers.

During that war, fighting had almost seemed like a sport, as the Zebras failed to form a cohesive army to fight the Griffons. Every battle fought may have been fierce, for the Zebras were not short in fighting spirit, yet lacked the back and forth struggle two commanders usually faced.

Those battle always seemed one sided to Steel and lacked the actual thrill and challenge he had expected.

But now, as he stood in Equestrian territory, he was beginning to feel some difference between the two.

Despite the lack of proper planning and strategy in the ponies, Steel could already tell that they were no Zebras. The ponies, Steel observed, were prepared and ready to wage war.

A proof of this was the formidable looking defenses they had built to defend the city Fillydelphia. A combination of earthworks and battery emplacements, the defensive formation would have taken a long siege before they would have fallen. Steel himself feared that a direct assault on the works would have brought heavy casualties on his corps, heavy casualties that would have crippled his force.

But although the ponies were prepared physically, it seemed they were not ready emotionally, as their heart was not set to war yet.

During the artillery barrage, which he had ordered to soften the Equestrian position before his first proving attack began, a cannon shell struck one of the munitions storage on the central defenses, blowing it up and creating a tremendous explosion that shook the surrounding area. This explosion seemed to have not only shake the earth, but also shake the pony’s will to fight, as the center line fell back in a chaotic route.

Seeing this and knowing that he could take advantage of it, Steel had ordered one of his divisions forward to seize the center before the ponies could react and seal the center. The advance went perfectly and after a couple of hours fighting, the pony’s defenses had collapsed and retreated, moving out of their defenses and even pass the city of Fillydelphia. With such a route, Steel was able to advance and capture the city, moving his entire corps forward.

With such incompetence in fighting, Steel knew that he could easily defeat them in any battle by simply out maneuvering. The ponies were too inexperienced to understand his grand movements and tactics, making them an easy picking. Sure, they were a much more formidable enemy than the Zebras, with their modern weapons and sizable force, but these facts weren’t enough to deter Steel.

For he didn’t care whether they had weapons equivalent to theirs or an army as big as theirs, for as long as the ponies were poorly led, they would be crushed and fall.

“General Steel, sir.” A courier said, sweating under the sun, as he saluted the General who didn’t even bother to look at him.

“Yes, what is it?”

“Message from General Mallet, sir.” The courier replied.

Ah, General Mallet. Steel thought, remembering the commander of his 1st Division, whom he sent as a distraction in the south to draw away some of the Equestrian forces. He had heard that Mallet had defeated an Equestrian force the same day he had captured Fillydelphia, so Steel wondered what good new Mallet had for him today. “What does it say?” He soon asked.

The courier cleared his throat before reading the message out loud.

“The General reports that the Equestrians in his front have left and moved north. He had decided against pursuing them, as they were too far already. So he has now struck camp and is marching this way. He predicts he’ll be here by night fall.”

“Good, good.” Steel said, happy to learn that his corps would be up to full strength again, once General Mallet arrives.

With the Equestians marching north, Steel could only presume that they too were trying converge their forces to create a sizable force. If this was so, then Steel wanted to have all the soldiers he can get, so that he would have a decent sized force to engage them with.

In battle, with his better trained force and better knowledge in tactics, he believed that he could easily crush the Equestrians. Although not as easy as the Zebras, the Equestrians were still easy pickings for the Griffon Empire. They were a weak nation, with no recent knowledge of war, aside from their century old texts books. Unlike the Griffons who were always fresh from a war, minds always learning new and better tactics to fight.

Steel could just laugh at this thought, the Equestrians were in a serious disadvantage and yet they still chose to fight. Don’t they know that there is nothing that could stop the Griffon’s expansion? The Griffons had the best drilled and fighting army in the world, while the Equestrians relied on farmers and shopkeepers to defend their land. Were the ponies just oblivious to the facts?

Knowing that the Equestrians were just bluffing with their petty force, Steel wanted to bring the ponies into another fight that would bloody their forces and weaken their already weak will to fight and show them that fighting the Griffons was hopeless. Once their will is gone and the idea of Griffon superiority engraved into their minds, then the ponies would surely falter and be conquered.

Tomorrow, with his entire corps whole again, he would move up for the attack. To deliver another crushing blow to the enemy.

Chapter 18

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Chapter 18

The long march north was quiet and practically uneventful. Day and night, a repeated pattern of march and rest was done, as the Equestrian force moved along the winding roads towards their destination.

The column of battered soldiers, which stretched out towards the horizon, moved through heat and dust, ignoring the tired and painful cries their bodies were giving them as they trudged through the Equestrian farmlands.

Exhausted ponies would usually fall on side and on the dirt road, demanding a stop to the marching, but a comrade would usually pull them up and help them move, knowing that there was no end to the suffering till they reached their destination. Each step they took drained energy from their bodies, but they knew that to stop now and be left behind could spell the end for them.

Once in a while, the occasional Griffon scouts would put their heads out, showing themselves, and looking down at them from a distant hill. Newman, who was still with his brigade at the head of the column, could easily see their dark uniforms, as they gazed down and watched the column pass by.

At first, Newman thought that the Griffons had managed to cut them off and would soon block their path. But when he noticed the lack of banners these units were carrying, he began to realize that they were nothing more than just small groups of Griffons, who were conducting scouting mission. But he still kept a wary eye on them as the column march, knowing that small groups of scouts could still take its toll on unprepared marching columns.

During these moments, he feared that the scouts might form a thin line and fight a short skirmish, which can dwindle down some of their units, picking off a couple of soldiers, and delaying the march north. Skirmishes weren’t as devastating as big battles, but the short fighting usually proved as a great annoyance, as it also brought unneeded casualties and wasted time. So Newman feared that these scouts might form up in a skirmish line anytime soon and harass them.

But to his relief, the Griffon scouts were quickly chased off by Col. Spitfire and other quick moving regiments from the Cloudsdale Brigade.

Swift in maneuvering and carrying only light equipment, Newman quickly learned that the full pegasi brigades were the ideal unit to be used for screening and scouting operations. Although they didn’t seem as fast on the ground as they were on the sky, the pegasi were actually good runners, being able to go fast for a longtime without losing breath or energy. They could have easily been compared to light cavalry, as their roles in the army seemed very similar.

Right now Newman felt very thankful for having them, as they quickly shoved away prying eyes that had been stalking them since they began the march. After watching them brush off the enemy scouts on the hills, Newman made a mental note to personally share his gratitude to the Cloudsdale Brigade once the march was over.

By the second day, sightings of Griffon scouts began to lessen, making Newman conclude that the Griffons either gave up on stalking them or had found a nice quiet place to silently observe the column, without arousing the attention of the pegasi screening the march. Whichever the reason was, Newman was glad to see that the threat was now somewhat neutralized.

Gazing away from the winding road in front of him and towards the surrounding countryside, Newman began to notice that the open flat fields of farmland was now being replace by a more hilly and uneven landscape.

Although he was not an expert on the geography of the land, as he barely knew the country beside a couple of names, Newman could tell that they were now moving away from the even and plane lands to a more uneven and rugged one.

The surrounding landscape of the Fillydelphia, he was told, was an open farmland, but here, the lands was a rolling group of hills, ranging from low to high mounds of dirt and grass.

“Not much marching now, sir…” Feather Wing said, turning to face Newman after consulting the officer who was acting as their guide through this region. “…Capt. Sky tells me that we should be approaching Rolling Hill Country soon. Apparently, Capt. Sky used to live here before the war so he’s very familiar with the land. He says that he would be glad to give us a cup of tea of we pass by his home.”

“Well…” Newman, who was feeling in the mood for a short conversation, begun. “…he better prepare a lot of cup, because we got thousands soldiers here behind us.”

The two let out a short exchange of chuckles, before breaking off the conversation. Shaking his head and wiping his forehead with a hand and looking at the surrounding landscape, he let out a satisfied grunt, knowing that the place was aptly named.

Rolling Hill Country… He thought. ...the converging point for the entire army.

After days of marching, under the hot sun and with blistered feet, Newman was glad to hear that their destination was finally nearing. Tired, sore, and ready to hit the sack when given the opportunity, Newman was glad to finally learn that their march was about to end. And he bet he wasn’t the only one happy to hear it, for the entire column had already been weary of marching.

Just over those hill… He told himself. …over one of those hills will be the rest that long awaited them.

Making their way up a road that went over a hill, the view in front of them was greatly obstructed by the mound in front of them, as they made their way up.

But once they reached the peak of the hill and stood on the top, they soon found themselves looking down at the lower hills and land below, where they found something they didn’t expect.

All over the area, filling the road that span from Fillydelphia and connected to theirs, were dozens upon dozens of bulky wagons and waves of frightened ponies, shoving at each other and trying to force their way through the path. Moving in mass, they advanced like a flowing river, slowly edging and shuffling their way with each step. Navigating through the narrow dirt roads and jamming the traffic flow, these wagons and ponies created a clot on the road, as the ponies seemed to panic at every second of delay this caused.

At first, Newman felt anger at the sight of this disorganized group. How could an army leave themselves so disorganize. Looking down at the ponies, Newman believed that these were the defeated soldiers from the defenses of Fillydelphia, routed and left to destroy themselves in their own disorganization.

But as he continued to look down at them, he began to notice something odd at the force below.

Instead of wearing the standard white uniform of the Volunteer Army, these ponies were either adorned in a mismatch of clothes, different colors and styles, or were totally naked and unclothed, which was a normal look, Newman remembered, for the ponies in this world.

Seeing that they weren’t bearing any uniform, Newman felt his temper cool down and soul soften.

Could this be militia? He thought to himself, knowing that the militia wasn’t supplied with the distinct white uniforms.

If these ponies were indeed militia, then he could somewhat forgive them for their disorganization, for he knew that they got almost no training at all. Unlike the volunteer army who had week of training proper battle lines and marching columns, militia units were just ponies given guns and shoved off to war with eager grins. Although he still would have been sour at the thought that they couldn’t organize themselves, but at least they had some king of excuse.

But he soon got doubts on the thought of them being militia, as he gave further study at the massed group below.

Bearing no banners and wielding no weapons of any sorts, Newman removed the idea of these ponies being militia, as they weren’t armed. But if these ponies weren’t militia, then what are they?

Squinting, he brought his eyes downhill and focused on the massed group before him, keeping a steady gaze as he reviewed the ponies below.

Once he got a good long look, Newman suddenly felt a hint of shock jump from within him, as he finally realized the reasoning behind the oddities he was noticing.

For the ponies below them were not soldiers but civilians.

Making their way through the crowd, by cutting through the hilly sides, Gen. Cutter’s force soon found the 3rd Division and the Militia Divisions camped on the edge of the road by the uneven rolling hills that composed the landscape.

Knowing that his force had been depleted of energy after the long march and that they deserved the long needed rest, Cutter immediately ordered his force to plot their tents down and make camp. The long process of making tents and organizing places to stay for each unit soon began, but by night fall the weary soldiers managed to finish the last details of their encampment and the Equestrian Army a whole once again.

Newman, who was sitting by the campfire in front of Cutter’s headquarters tent, stared at the pony in front of him, watching him as the dim light of the camp fire revealed the worried and stressed face of Gen. Cutter.

Although not official yet, Gen. Cutter had already been considered by many as the new commander of the Equestrian Army. With Gen. Stockade unavailable, due to a grave infection that came upon his battle wound and evacuated with the rest of the mortally wounded to Canterlot, Gen. Cutter, the next highest ranking officer in the army, took command, as he now organized and led the demoralized and defeated force of Equestria.

But with this new task on his shoulders, Newman noticed that this new position was taking its toll on the Cutter, as he was always busy and stressed with his duty. Compared to the pony he was once before, a quiet pony that always kept his worries to himself, Cutter was now more open to his concerns as well being demanding for information, always wanting to know more about the enemy positions.

Seemingly worried all the time, frantic at any reports about the Griffons, and having a constant fear that the enemy could attack at any second, Cutter was turning out to be a fidgeting worrier instead of a brave warrior.

Always pacing his headquarters, since the tent was placed, and wondering where the enemy was and when they would attack, onlookers could always watch the General think to himself, as he would mumble his fears of the oncoming Griffons, wondering if he could stave off an attack and prevent another defeat, before letting out a cry of failure, as if he already foresaw the terrible results of doom.

To Newman, these actions seemed bothersome and unfit for a commander. It seemed that Cutter was having a grave fear of the enemy and low confidence on his own force, which he Newman knew was a bad sign for a leader.

With these fears and worries constantly putting him on the edge, Cutter had ordered pickets to be extra watchful of their surroundings, while scouts roamed the surrounding, searching for any signs of the enemy.

In hopes of also boosting his battle plan, he had called for Newman to assess their situation, in knowing that the human Colonel could lend some advice that would help him in keeping the army intact.

“I don’t like this; I don’t like it at all…” Cutter told him. “…with all these civilians fleeing from Fillydelphia and blocking our path, our chances of getting the army out of here before the Griffons come are low. This army can’t fall back if we have so many ponies and wagons clogging the road! But we can’t also shove them aside, so that we can clear a path for ourselves… That would make as look cowardly and disgraceful, leaving civilians for the Griffons while we try to get away from the enemy as fast as possible.”

“Well, as long as the Griffons aren’t nearby, I think we are safe.” Newman said, trying to reassure Cutter that they were safe in their currently location. But he himself felt some doubt in what he said, as he had an inner intuition that kept nagging him that they should keep on moving.

“Have we any reports from the scouts about the Griffon’s current position?”

“No not yet?” Cutter said, shaking his head. “I sent them off at noon, but I haven’t had any word from any of the regiments from the Cloudsdale Brigade.” Pausing, Cutter gave some thought about it before giving Newman a wide eyed looked. “What if the enemy managed to intercept them? What if they were captured or worse…decimated!”

“Now, get yourself together… I’m pretty sure their officers are skilled enough to avoid that from happening.” Newman said, trying to calm down Cutter before he could attract unnecessary attention from the staff officers nearby. “They probably just got delayed, trying to avoid the main routes so that they won’t attract too much attention from any scouts.”

Newman soon felt Cutter’s gaze fall on him, as their two eyes locked in a moment of silence. Looking at him, as the fire near them lit each other’s face, Newman could see the general look of concern plastered on his face.

From what Newman can interpret, Cutter was being cautious because he doesn’t want to repeat the defeats they experienced as well as the horrors they have seen. He doesn’t want to put the soldiers through experiences that they wanted to forget. He could tell that Cutter had true care for his army, not wanting to risk them in a battle that could bring them destruction.

But Newman also knew that although affection for the army he commanded was a good trait for a good leader, too much affection can lead to unnecessary unwillingness to send the very soldiers you love to go fight a war. And Newman was well aware that such a thing already happened to a certain General back in their world…

“General Cutter, sir.” A soft voice said, piercing the air, as the sound of hooves stepping on the grassy ground approached them.
Cutter, shaking his head as he looked away from Newman, turned around to face the newcomer. “Yes, Windfall? What can I do for you?”

“Well, sir, an officer from Col. Spitfire’s staff just arrived. He says that he has something urgent to say.”

“From Col. Spitfire...” Cutter murmured. “…very well, bring him here.”

There was another short moment of silence, as Major Windfall shuffled the visitor towards Cutter. The sound of hooves on the ground could be heard, but with darkness around them and only the dim light of the camp fire to light the surroundings, Newman found it hard to see the face of the pony who Col. Spitfire had sent.

“Gen. Cutter, sir.” The pony said, as Newman visualized him saluting Cutter.

“Ah, Major Soarin.” Cutter greeted, obviously recognizing the pony, even though the darkness shrouded him. Turning his head, he looked towards Newman and beckoned him towards them. “Col. Newman, this is Major Soarin, a member of Col. Spitfire’s staff and an excellent aerobatic flyer.”

Having moved closer, Newman was now able get a better view of the pony. Looking at him, Newman saw that he was a light blue pegasus pony, who seemed to have friendly and young face.

“It’s nice to meet you, sir.” Soarin said, with a salute

Newman replied with a salute of his own as he nodded head in acknowledgement.

Taking it as a sign to end the short exchange of formalities and focus on the reason why Soarin was here, Cutter returned his gaze to Soarin and said:

“Now…to what do we owe this visit of yours? Do you carry news from Col. Spitfire?”

“Yes, sir, that I have. And it’s quite a doozy too, sir, if you don’t mind me saying.” He replied, with a shake of his head.

“Very well, Major, what is the news you have for us?” Cutter said, in a calm demand.

“Well, sir…” Soarin said, before clearing his throat as he changed his tone to a more serious one. “…our regiment, as you know, moved South-
East, to try and locate the position of the enemy…and locate the enemy we did.

“After zigzagging across the country to avoid enemy scouts, we manage to find the Griffon Army by the Fillydelphia-Canterlot road. Now based from our observation, predict that they could be here by noon tomorrow. Col. Spitfire reports that there are at least three full strength divisions, one entire corps, complete with heavy artillery and a seemingly endless trail of supply wagons.”

“The Griffons are coming this way, sir…” Soarin said, urgency in his voice. “…and their coming here with force.”

“T…there coming here?” Cutter said, with a slight stammer as the aura of worry engulfed him once more.

“Yes, sir.” Soarin said with a firm nod. “By noon tomorrow, we would most likely see their lead elements marching down the road and taking up position and forming up for battle. If we don’t get out of here, sir, then we might have another battle before us.”

“But we can’t leave…even if we want too.” Cutter said. “We’re stuck here and unless those civilians blocking are path disappear, then our only route of retreat impassible.”

“Well, sir…I guess we’ll have to stand and fight then…”

Newman, who was listening to the conversation, could see tenseness in Cutter’s voice. He feared that this sense of worry would cloud Cutter’s decision and make him panic. Deciding to help him out, in hopes of avoiding a foolish decision being made, Newman began formulating his own idea.

Besides, wasn’t that the very reason why he was here, to give suggestions and help them out?

“General…” Newman said, attracting Cutter’s attention. “…if you don’t mind, I think I have a plan that we can use.”

Staring at Newman, Cutter gave a short nod as he urged him to talk.

“Well, sir, how long would it take to get the civilians out of the area so that we could have clear roads?”

“A day or maybe two.” Cutter replied.

“Well, we’ll have to do it in time that is less than that, if we want to succeed. If need be, then we must start now.” Newman said, in a stern tone.

“Now, my plan is to delay the enemy as much as possible, so that we would have time to clear the paths and create a route in which we could use to escape the enemy. To do that, we need to slow down the Griffons first, so, if possible, I suggest we use the Cloudsdale regiments in harassing the enemy, taking shots at them and forcing them halt the march.”

“I think, Col Spitfire would be glad to hear that, sir. She has been waiting for a taste of action for a long time now.” Soarin said, with a small
grin on his face.”

“Good, good.” Newman said, with a satisfied nod. By now, Cutter was completely quiet, listening to Newman’s explanation, as the human took control of the small meeting. “Alright, so while the Cloudsdale regiments slow down the advance, the main body of our army would find a good defendable position in the area. We’ll form up there and wait… If the roads are cleared before the Griffons arrive, then we could fall back and retreat, but if they aren’t, then we must stand and fight and wait till we can pass.”

As he concluded his plan, Newman paused and turned to face Cutter, remembering that it would still need an approval from the

Commanding General. Waiting for a reply, Newman prayed that Cutter would approve it and not make a foolish plan of his own. Although

Cutter was a good friend and well-loved leader, he still lacked the proper experience to formulate such plans, which could cause trouble in some situations.

Straightening up, as if he just finished making his decision, Cutter gave a short nod, which was followed by another.

“Very well, Colonel, I trust your intuition well. Celestia knows that I won’t follow in Stockade’s footsteps of not listening to you… We go with your plan.”