Chapter 14

Day Ten

“This is a ridiculous plan,” Stonetower mumbled as his squad of Guards filed up behind him on the left flank of the pony lines.

The First Royal Guard had been working on constructing an impressive line of defence for that past three days as the enemy army grew closer. Now the hostile horde filled up on the distant ridge and were building defences of their own. Batteries of cannons were being set up on the highest points and a sinking feeling formed in Stonetower’s gut. Their guns could open fire any minute and would rain hundreds of solid iron balls upon their position. Though the pony’s defences were impressive, two-hundred Guards wouldn't last long under that kind of fire.

Stonetower’s orders were to pin the enemy army onto the ridge. To prevent them from moving down from it and to keep the griffins and dragons from taking to the sky.

How? By using the pitiful firepower of long range magic, the four light cannons and two brand new heavy cannons. True, there were other phases to the plan but Stonetower didn’t know them. To the pony commander, it was a faulty and ridiculous plan. A suicide mission.

“Five minutes until we open fire!” Stonetower called down his lines.

A few of the armor clad ponies shifted nervously but the lines remained silent. Beside him he heard his second in command sigh.

“Remain calm Ringmail,” he said quietly.

“Yes sir,” the younger pegasus replied.
Stonetower glanced back at the high plateau behind their lines and at the small town of Dodge Junction. The town was completely evacuated and when their lines collapsed, Stonetower knew they would, there would be no civilian casualties. The same could not be said for the Royal Guard.

Stonetower estimated a 90% casualty rate, if they were lucky. Maybe immediately after the enemy charged his lines Stonetower could order a retreat. More of his soldiers would survive. He glanced up at the sun.

“One minute!” He called again.

Stonetower wiped the sweat from his eyes. It was unbearably hot, even for the desert. Celestia had slowed the movement of the sun to make it harder for the enemy army to move through the heat and so far it had worked. The longer days slowed them long enough for this suicide mission to be enacted. Though the heat affected the ponies as well. Already five of his soldiers had fallen to dehydration and heat stroke.

He took a deep breath, somewhat happy the enemy hadn’t fired first, and gave his final order before Tartarus broke loose.

“Cannons focus your fire on the enemy batteries! Unicorns deny the air above the ridge, don’t let any take off!” He paused before continuing. “Open fire!”

There was a roar as the guns and magic erupted towards the enemy lines. A few of the enemy cannons were knocked out and the air became thick with magic bolts that no griffon was willing to fly through, though dragons would have no problem taking to the sky.

A second series of explosions filled the air as the enemy returned fire. Moments later Stonetower’s world turned upside down and he was knocked unconscious. Ringmail saw his commander collapse and he took over.

“Keep firing!” he screamed as both sides guns continued to roar and iron balls fell around them. “Don’t let up until Shinning Armor orders the retreat.”

He was too caught up in the chaos that he didn’t even notice the squadron of airships passing overhead.

The secret part of the plan had been enacted.

Flying an airship was difficult. Flying one by yourself was close to impossible. Silky Wind directed her craft, The Feathered Hat, the best she could without colliding into the twenty-nine other ships in formation around her. The only two companions she had were the survivors of the Second and Third Royal Guards. Each airship had two of them to repel any gryphon or dragon attackers. Though Silky doubted Royal Guards with spears would be much of a threat to a dragon.

When a representative of the Royal Army, a brand new organization, came to her and asked if she would pilot her craft in the upcoming battle she had initially refused. When they told her that they were still taking The Feathered Hat weather she captained it or not, she gave in. She had told her crew that they were free to choose whether they wanted to join her. Of course none of them did.

“Keep her steady!” One of the guards ordered, a snobbish unicorn.

“Do you think I am trying to swerve?” She shot back. “I would like to see you do better!”

The guard glared at her for a moment but said nothing. He returned his attention to the side of the ship. They were passing over the plateau's edge when the rumble of cannons met their ears.

“Right on time!” A middle aged pegasus guard cheered.

Silky Wind’s heart leaped in her chest. She glanced over at the crates and barrels of explosives.

“In the name of Celestia, pay attention!” One of the guards screamed.
Silky snapped her attention back to the front of her ship just in time to steer it away from its collision course with another vessel.

“Sorry!” She called. Her heart felt like it was beating three-hundred times a minute!

“Get ready!” The unicorn called again as he positioned himself by the bombs. He opened a door in the airship’s railing and lit a strangely designed lantern on the tops of each weapon with magical fire.

Silky couldn't see the ground below her but from the sound of the guns she could tell that they were directly above the battle. The unicorn was about to shove the bombs out of the door when the head of a dragon shot up over the railing and pulled him over the edge. His screams quickly died away. The two remaining ponies stared open mouthed and horrified at the now vacant spot where the unicorn once stood. The pegasus guard edged forward to try and push the explosives over the side but the dragon’s head soon returned.

“Sweet sweet meat,” it hissed through bloodied jaws.

The remaining guard lowered his spear and charged the dragon. “For Equestria!”

The dragon smiled as the spear glanced harmlessly off of his scales. He opened his mouth to enact the same fate of the unicorn upon the now terrified and immobilized pegasus. Silky let go of the steering and rushed towards the pegasus, knocking him aside. But she soon found herself in the same position he had been.

Unlike the guard she wasn’t too afraid to move. She fell flat onto her back as the dragon’s mouth grazed past her chest, snapping at the empty air. The dragon climbed up higher onto the railing, now exposing his chest. Silky Wind took opportunity to kick the bombs with all her might over the edge and into the monster’s body. The combined weight of the explosives rammed into the dragon, pulling his body towards the earth.

But Silky was too busy trying to save her ship to notice. Around her other vessels were meeting the same fate as her’s. She weaved The Feathered Hat through a sky filled with listing and crashing airships. As she turned the vessel to port the sounds of massive explosions filled the air.

“That is how you beat any son-of-a-bitch that’s trying to invade your country.” Patton cheered as the last of the ten surviving airships drifted overhead. “Attack them and kill as many as you can!”

From their position on top of a high plateau Patton, Ian and Luna had watched the battle unfold, and end in a climax of fire and noise.

A unicorn teleported next to them and both humans jumped back, startled.

“The enemy is falling back! Thats what happens when you use cowardly mercenaries!” Shining Armor announced triumphantly. “What should we do your highness?”

Luna looked at Patton who raised an eyebrow in response.

“Up to you,” he replied.

“Have your forces do an orderly retreat,” she answered to the pony captain. “There is nothing else we can do today.”

“Very well your highness.” Shinning bowed then disappeared in a flash of light.

“Congratulations Princess,” Patton beamed. “You just bought your country at most an extra three days.”

“Only three days?” Luna shook her head disbelievingly. “Fifty ponies died and almost a hundred wounded for just three more days.”

“In war,” Patton stated gruffly. “A lot can happen in three extra days. Come Your Highness, we need to get back to Canterlot as soon as we can. We have an army to train and supply.”

The three of them disappeared in a brilliant flash of light.

Penitent Razor observed the burst of light flicker and disappear. He sighed angrily then turned and entered his tent. On the floor a dark-yellow filly built a little house with blocks of wood. Her mind had been wiped clean of her previous life and she even called Razor daddy, much to his amusement.

The unicorn chuckled. “Put your toys away Astral Quake, we are going for a little walk.”

“Hooray,” cheered the filly as she jumped to her hooves and followed him out into the heat.

They slowly made their way through the camp until they reached a circle of his generals relaxing under an awning.

“Lord Razor,” They snapped to attention as he arrived amongst them.

“Have a seat,” he said politely.

The assortment of creatures spread themselves out on the sand around him and waited for their leader to speak.

Razor waited a few moments before speaking. “Tell me, how large is our army?”

“Twenty thousand strong,” Replied a griffon.

“And growing by the day,” chimed a diamond dog.

“How big was the force of ponies we faced today?” Razor continued.

“We believe it was only a few hundred,” the griffon replied again.

“Very favorable odds wouldn't you say?” the unicorn grinned.

The generals shifted uncomfortably.

“Very favorable odds,” replied the same diamond dog.

Razor chuckled. Then his face turned into that of rage and hate.

“Then why are they not dead? Why did you run?” he screamed. The filly next to him jumped in fright. “Why do you not feast on their flesh now instead of sitting idle and dumb in the sunlight?”

“We thought they were going to hit us again with the skyfire!” Whimpered the diamond dog.

“We lost only two-hundred soldiers in that attack and another five-hundred were wounded! If they would have attacked again we would have been upon their lines and the griffons could have joined the dragons in their attacks against the airships!” Razor breathed heavily and tried to calm himself. After a while he spoke in a quieter tone. “If this blatant show of cowardice happens again, I will have you killed. Understand?”

“Yes sir,” they replied in a terrified unison.

Razor prepared to walk away but then stopped. “Oh, one other thing. My master is stopping by in a day or two. Please don’t give him any cause to kill you himself.”

The generals glanced at each other nervously as Penitent Razor walked away, laughing.