Chapter 26: Alliances I
Part 1: Duregar
TIME: 05:34 RGT
LOCATION: Guest Quarters, Marelin Stadtschloss
DATE: War Day 196
I was dead asleep when it happened. The explosion ripped through the palace and rocked the foundation. As soon as I processed what happened, I was out of bed, and fumbling for my pants..
Rarity: "WHAT WAS THAT!?" She shrieked.
K: "BOMB!" I yelled out, getting my glasses on.
Pants pulled up, I threw my feet into my boots, my shirt over my arms, and ran for the door. I stopped myself here, and pressed the back of my hand to it.
K: *OW!* It burned. There was a fire behind the door. "Fuck. Window!"
Rarity: "WINDOW!? ARE YOU MAD!? WE'RE THREE STORIES UP!"
K: "It's either that, or we burn to death. Don't worry, I'll protect you." I said, rather warmly.
I grabbed a statuette off the floor from where it had fallen, and threw it through the large decorative window. Shattering it, I grabbed the woozy Rarity off the bed, and her uniform from the floor. With that in my arms, I pulled the curtain down from the window, and took a deep breath. This was going to hurt - there was a long drop from here to the bushes and ground below.
I jumped.
Rarity: *WAAAAHHHHH!!!*
I was braced for impact. Ready to take the tearing sharpness of the wooden branches of the bushes below, the hard impact of the long drop.. but I was stopped in mid air. Floating there. Holding me up - with strain - was Webley Weaver.
K: "EXCELLENT timing, Webley!!"
Webley: *Ngh* "You're.. very heavy sir.." She made our landing softer, at least. "Oh, my gosh!" *Thump* She hit the ground. *Pant-Pant-Pant*
Rarity: "Webley! THANK you, Darling!" She hugged her.
Webley: *Exhausted moan*
K: "Really, Webely. That was remarkable. But how..?"
Webley: "I got another one of my.. uhm.. incidents. Wh.. where's New York City, General?"
K: "A long way's away from where I live, why?" I tilted my head.
Webley: "Oh. I thought you might've seen them." She said, matter-of-factly.
K: "Seen what?" I asked, perplexed.
Webley: "The.. planes, sir."
Ah. Her little "twitch" of seeing the Internet must've shown her a replay of 9/11 or something.
Webley: "Anyway.. it.. it made me feel like something was wrong, and-"
K: "Hold on."
I could see the emergency services heading this way. Such as it was. The Palace Guard with a water pumper. Looking back at the palace, a large gout of flame was shooting out of the Residence Wing. If I'd slept in my assigned room...
..well, the thought hit me, if I'd resisted Rarity's advances, I'd be dead now. Funny how that works out.
As the palace guard approached, I heard something I shouldn't have - the sound of a sub-machine gun being fired.
K: "GET DOWN!" I instinctively yelled.
The Palace Guards had no idea what I meant, until the first few in their line were cut down by the automatic gunfire. Then, they simply ran away. Rarity and Webley, on the other hand, were taking concealment behind a large bush. Rarity pulled me down.
K: "SONOVABITCH!" I cursed, buckling my pants up. I'd brought my M-19. Pulling it from its holster, I checked the chambers. All full.
Rarity: "This is insane, darlings.." She got her uniform on, and pulled her Lee from her holster, running the slide back with her teeth.
Webley: "Where'd the fire come from?" She was looking around, crouched on her hind legs. She already had her Lee ready.
K: "Upper floor somewhere. Come on - we have to get the Prince out of here." I looked at them both, like this was just another day.
Webley: "Roger that, General."
Rarity: "Of course, K."
My first move was to re-enter the burning structure and make for the nearest stair well. On the way up, we met one of the Palace Guards.
Guard: "Herr K! Zee Palace! It ist invaded!" His eyes were wide - he wasn't handling the stress well.
I grabbed his shirt.
K: "Erhalten Sie in den Keller. Sammeln Sie andere gibt. Macht schnell!" I said to him, in very slow, very careful German. 'Get to the basement. Gather others there. Make it fast!'
Guard: "Ja..Jawhol! Jawhol! Schnell!" He nodded and ran down the stairs.
Webley: "Not bad!"
K: "High school. Come on."
Up the stairs I ran, taking them two at a time. Rarity was going up on her hind legs, and taking it slower, while Webley was simply flying. Up on the second floor, we ushered the palace staff down the stairs, as we made our way towards the balcony. Call it instinct - I swore there was something there. Given the angle of the gun fire, that was the most likely location for the shooter.
Reaching the main double door that led to the second floor balcony, I noticed the door knobs had been broken. Yup - the shooter was here.
K: "Rarity, Webley, watch my back." I said.
Rarity: "Of course."
Webley: "Right behind you."
Unceremoniosuly kicking the doors in, the shooter was there on the roof, looking for more targets. It spun around at the sound of the doors being kicked open, and saw me. It was something I didn't expect to see - a Dark Grundle. THIS was a new wrinkle. It didn't stop me from putting a 158gr. slug in his chest. Obediently, the Dark Grundle fell over, with a huge chunk blown out of its back.
Webley: "What WAS that!?"
K: "A Dark Grundle.." I muttered.
Rarity: "Over there! More of them!" She took cover behind a planter just as they opened up on us with sub-machine guns.
I dove for the ground, rolled over, and blindly fired five times in their direction. Webley zoomed up in the air and arced over, firing straight down on them. Her flitting around in the air, kept them from drawing a bead on her.
K: "RARITY! PRESS THE ADVANCE!" I shouted, reloading from behind a large faux vase.
Rarity: "On it!"
Over the planter she dove, flipping over the side, and bringing her Lee up. She fired a double-tap into each of the two Dark Grundles that were trying to shoot Webley. Reloaded, I dove for the first Dark Grundle's body and picked up his weapon. A near copy of the Zhukov. A very close copy, at that. This wasn't Kiangese doing - this was Tirek's forces. Picking it up, I grabbed the one spare magazine the Dark Grundle had on him and ran to join Rarity and Webley.
K: "Copied Zhukovs! No alterations. This has to be Tirek's doing." I nodded to the Dark Grundles. "Take their weapons, we'll need them."
Webley: "Damned Tirek!" She snorted, grabbing them both, and handing one to Rarity, along with the spare magazine.
Rarity: "He will pay for interrupting my beauty sleep." She huffed. "Is this all of them?"
K: "I hope so. Come on - we have to get to the Prince." Why was Tirek doing this?
We ran back inside, and started maneuvering up the hall like trained professionals, clearing and covering each corner as we made our way for the Royal Residence Hall. Once we got there, we found more evidence of the Dark Grundles at work - two dead Guards, both of them having died with their halberds close by. They were at the other end of things - now it was our enemy that had the advantage of firearms, and our allies without.
K: "Webley, cover me. Rarity, cover the rear. Stagger file." I said, moving up the hallway directly.
Webley: "CONTACT RIGHT!" *TU-TU-TU-TU-TUHH!* One burst, and one dead Dark Grundle. She changed magazines with her mouth, keeping her other hoof free.
K: "PRINCE HOFFNUNGSTEHER! ARE YOU IN HERE?!" I called out.
I could hear the giggle of a Dark Grundle.. from the Prince's room. Then saw the door close.
K: "THERE! THEY'RE AFTER THE PRINCE!" I ran for the door, and managed to grab the knob just as they locked it. "FUCK! BREACHING!" I said, and I threw all my weight against the door, right by the knob.
The door gave way, and I ended up on the floor. Rolling over on my back, I fired at the first Dark Grundle I saw, he was carrying a large bag of some kind - my mind identifed that as a NO SHOOT, but I managed to tag the Dark Grundle in the side. Webley was right above me, zooming off to the left and tackling one of the Dark Grundles that was over by the bed. She proceeded to remodel his face with the stock of the SMG. She followed this up by breaking the neck of a Dark Grundle that tried to crawl under the bed.
Rarity went right, and roundhouse-kicked a Dark Grundle that drew a blade and tried to come at me. She then shot him twice in the gut with her Lee, as she twisted his arm and the blade with it, away from his body. Freeing the blade, she hefted it in one hoof and threw it into the back of the last remaining Dark Grundle in the room, just as I managed to stand up. I went right for the large bag and opened it.
K: "Prince Hoffnungsteher!" I said, pulling him out. He had a thump on his head, but seemed otherwise okay.
Prince Hoffnungsteher: "I'm fine, sanks to zu!" He was overjoyed. "You heff saved mein life!" he exclaimed as I freed him from his bonds.
K: "Come on, we need to get out of here." I urged. "This way." I said, pushing the Prince behind me. "Stay behind me at all times, Your Highness."
Prince Hoffnungsteher: "Ov course!" He said.
We made our way back up the hallway, and arrived at the stairs as the rest of the Royal Guard came rushing in to meet us, along with Mac, Westerly Wind and Cheerilee.
Mac: "What happened?" He asked, shouldering his Patton.
K: "Dark Grundles. They raided the castle - they were trying to kidnap the prince. Tirek is behind this!" I said, showing him the copied Zhukov.
Mac: "This's crazy.." He shrugged. "Come on."
We departed the palace, with Mac and the others giving us cover as we headed for our train - it was closer than the training field. I could hear occasional gun fire throughout Marelin. The city was under attack, and I had precious few troops here that knew how to handle a gun..
..once again, Tirek caught me with my pants down. Literally.
{End of Part 1}
Part 2: Battle of Marelin - Train Yard Seige
TIME: 05:47 GRT
LOCATION: Marelin Train Yard, Germaneigh
K: "BUGLER! SOUND OFFICER'S CALL!" I yelled as I ran into the trainyard, at the head of a triangle formation of Webley, Rarity, Mac, Wind, and Cheerilee, protecting Prince Hoffnungsteher. His Royal Guard were bringing up the rear.
Baltimare Milita Bugler (Basstion): "YES, GENERAL!" He ran to the top of the carriage, and blew his bugle as loud as he could.
Ordinarily a ceremonial device, I did institute Bugle Calls as part of training around War Day 140 or so. Simply because Radios weren't always reliable, and I needed communications on a tactical level. Sephamore flags were good for strategic communication, but bugle calls were probably the most tried-and-true method for sound-powered tactical communication.
Of course, that meant we needed excellent buglers, and everyone needed to know the bugle calls. Which meant that when I heard gunfire and saw him fall from the carriage wounded after completing about half of the bugle call, I was out my primary available means of communications.
K: "GOD-DAMNIT! BASSTION!" I pointed over to where he fell. "CHEERILEE! See what you can do for him! RARITY! COVER HER! MAC! GET THE BIG GUNS OUT!" I pointed at the weapons cars. "WESTERLY! PRIME THAT SEVENTY-FIVE!"
Cheerilee: "Right!" She ran over to Basstion with Rarity firing that captured Zhukov towards a watch tower where the shots came from.
Mac: "ROGER, BROTHER!" Brother. Nevertheless, he ran for the weapons cars.
Westerly: "On it!" The bespectacled Baltimarian ran for the flatbed, pulling out his keys. Armed with a proper Zhukov, he took cover briefly, firing a quick burst towards a pile of railroad timbers. There were enemies behind it.. more Dark Grundles. No.. I'd call them Duregars.
K: "EVERYONE ELSE! ON ME! MOVE!" I tossed my spare magazine to Webley. She was the only one I had left. Drawing the M-19, I made for the Command Car.
Moving in formation, the Royal Guard kept the Prince in the center, as we hoofed it over to where the Command Car was. Right now, they were little better than bullet shields..
Prince Hoffnungsteher: "General! I see vhat you meant now! How we are so behin't vith teknologies!" He kept his head as we moved.
I should note here that, like Celestia and Luna, Prince Hoffnungsteher was an Alicorn, but he was not as tall as Celestia was - he was about Luna's height. And whatever magic he had, seemed to be very limited. No, he stayed grounded. It made me wonder how Alicorns became Alicorns - and if there was some tier of superiority here. I pressed them against one of the train cars as I spotted three Duregars coming around the corner.
K: "Webley." I nodded to them, and pointed across the space between our train and a passenger train that was on the track next to us. "Crossfire."
Webley: "Right." She moved over and ducked down, getting into a kneel, propping her elbows on the track and sighting down the Zhukov's barrel.
I grabbed one of the Royal Guard Halberds and hefted it holding the M-19 in my left hand. It would be a distraction.. I waited for the Duregars to get a bit closer, and I heaved the halberd at the one in front. To my surprise, it hit him, though the wound wasn't fatal. Still, I swung up my M-19, and fired all six rounds into the group. Webley emptied her magazine into the group as well, and they fell dead. I quickly reloaded - my last six rounds until I could get to my luggage..
K: "Webley, come on!" I ordered.
She moved over to me, reloading with her teeth again, to her last magazine. I moved up to the bodies, and covered Webley as she looted them. She simply grabbed up all their weapons - the Command Car was just ahead.
Webley: "Covered." She pivoted to the rear, holding a Zhukov in each fetlock as we moved to the Command Car.
I unlocked the Command Car with my keys, and ushered the Prince and his guards inside. Webley was right behind me. Getting inside, I immediately went to my luggage and pulled out my rifle case. My Patton was inside. Holstering the M-19, I pulled the scoped Patton out, and a magazine, slapping the magazine in place, and running the bolt. Webley went for the rifle rack in the train car and pulled a Patton off of it, loading and readying it. She also grabbed a bandolier of extra magazines, tossing one to me.
Webley: "What about the Zhukovs, General?" She asked, pointing to the pile of captured enemy equipment.
K: "Show the Guards the basics! We don't have a lot of time here, and we need more guns." I said, moving back to the train car's door. "I'm going back for the others. Stay with the Prince." I said, opening the door.
Of course, as soon as I got outside, I was met by three Duregars. I shoved myself into them, knocking them all over. I quickly fired into their heads, killing them. I then ran towards the back of the train. Sliding up along the side of the cars, I could see Westerly Wind pinned down by the ammunition boxes for the 75's.
K: "WESTERLY! I'LL COVER YOU! BLAST THEM!"
Lt. Westerly Wind: "ROGER!" He slung his Zhukov and grabbed one of the 75mm HE shells.
I aimed around the edge of the boxes, and fired on full automatic, peppering the Lumber Pile with 6.5mm rounds, as Westerly Wind ran to the first 75, and opened the breech. Throwing the round into the tray, the dark blue Pegasus slid the breech shut. To free it from the chains that held it on the flatbed, he simply shot the chains off with his Zhukov. Wheeling the 75 around all by himself, he aimed it right at the Lumber Pile.
Lt. Westerly Wind: "ROUND OUT, MOTHER BUCKERS!"
*PACHOOOM!* *BLATAAAMM!*
The Lumber Pile was blown to pieces. I saw body parts flying every which direction. Westerly grabbed another 75mm HE shell and loaded the gun. I climbed up on the flatbed, and helped him wheel the gun around to aim at the watch tower where Basstion had been shot from.
K: "Okay, elevate thirty-three degrees.."
Lt. Westerly Wind: "Got it.."
K: "FIRE!" I plugged my ears.
Lt. Westerly Wind: "FIRING!" He pulled the lanyard and..
*PACHOOOM!* *BLATAAAMM!*
..the watch tower's cabin was blown completely apart, scattering boards and Duregar parts all over the train yard.
K: "Alright, stay here, get under cover. When your Battery Team gets here, pull this seventy-five off the flatbed and get her set up. It may not be much, but it's a gun THEY don't have."
Lt. Westerly Wind: "Got it, General." He grabbed the flare gun from the seventy-five, moved over, staying low, to where the spall shields were stacked, and got between them, giving him excellent cover.
I ran up towards where Cheerilee was, the last time I saw her. I arrived to see her pinned down underneath a train car, covering Basstion. Basstion wasn't moving. So, I hopped over the edge of a flat bed car, and poured a magazine's worth of ammunition into the force of Duregars - about ten of them - that were taking cover by the decorative short walls around the train yard's main entrance.
K: "CHEERILEE! FALL BACK TO THE ARTILLERY FLAT CAR!" I called down to her, over the din of machine gunfire.
Cheerilee: "Basstion's hurt real bad! I-I.. I can't get the bleeding to stop!" She flustered.
K: "PULL. HIM. BACK. NOW!" I changed magazines. They had more troops coming.
Cheerilee: "Alright. Alright! Cover me!"
She grabbed Basstion in her teeth and started dragging him backwards as I poured fire into the decorative walls. I wasn't going for precise shots - I didn't have time to line them up. I was just trying to keep their heads down long enough to get Cheerilee out of there. We were in serious trouble. If I was to guess at this point, I wagered that Tirek was attempting to cut the head off of Equestria's military - me, Rarity, and my officers. But mainly me and Rarity. We were the most vulnerable. I didn't have many troops here, and if he could get Rarity..
..wait, where..?
K: "CHEERILEE! WHERE'S RARITY!?" I called back to her as I ducked down to reload. Again. I was burning through magazines faster than I wanted to be.
Cheerilee: "She ran off to the left - they were pushing towards the ammo cars!" She said.
Cheerilee slid her forelegs under Basstion's, now that she was clear enough to haul him over her shoulders and on to her back. Hopping down from the car, I sprayed another magazine at the Duregars, and covered Cheerilee as we made for the Artillery flat car.
K: "WESTERLY! LOAD GRAPE SHOT!" I yelled, helping Cheerilee get Basstion up on the flatcar. "Cheerilee, help him!" I ordered as I started ripping my shirt up to put bandages over Basstion's wounds.
It was bad. At least four entrance wounds, three exit wounds, and he was leaking like a sieve. But, he was still breathing. That was good. I plugged each hole as best I could, and dragged him behind the spall shields just as Westerly finished loading two of the 75's with Grape Shot.
Lt. Westerly Wind: "GUNS READY!" He nodded to me.
K: "HOLD OFF! WAIT UNTIL THEY'RE RIGHT ON TOP OF US!" I said, now taking precise shots with my Patton.
My accuracy wasn't impeccable - after all, I wasn't exactly trained for this, but it was decent enough. I was scoring better than half. Lining up shots when you're shaking like a leaf isn't easy. Oblidgingly, the Duregars were moving in. Ten.. twenty.. maybe more. They were getting closer, no matter how we tried to stem the tide with small arms fire. I shook my head..
K: "DO IT!" I yelled to Westerly.
Lt. Westerly Wind: "FIRING!"
He pulled the first lanyard, loosing almost three hundred 6.5mm diameter steel balls into the enemy ranks. A massive chunk was wrent from the enemy lines, chopping them down like flies. That was almost all of them - the rest of them, we picked off with small arms fire. That was that.
K: "HOLD HERE!" I yelled. I had to find Rarity.
Hopping off the flatbed, I ran up towards the back of the train. For safety reasons, almost all of the ammunition was stored at the very back of the train, in special green cars (read: reconfigured livestock cars). As I moved up, I saw three (three?) gouts of flame firing out of a slit in the rearmost ammunition car, and dozens of Duregar bodies all over the train yard in front of it. Across the way, I saw the huge Water Tower that serviced the entire train yard - most of the fire coming down on the rearmost Ammunition Car was coming from there.
K: "RARITY!?" I called out, as I ran around the back.
Rarity: "YES! IN HERE!"
Mac: "WE COULD USE ANOTHER GUN, BROTHER!" He yelled out.
I climbed into the Ammuniton Car from the back door, having to squeeze between the train car and a wall to get to it. Climbing in, I found Mac manning a Pershing Mark II and Rarity with two Zhukovs - one in each foreleg. I grabbed a crate of 6.5mm ammunition and opened it, quickly filling my bandolier.
K: "MAC! GET THE WALKER!" I called.
Mac: "Ooo..! GOT IT!"
He ceased fire a moment, and went over to a crate marked "SECRET" (it's in pink - I did it as an homage to Pinkie Pie). Opening it up, he pulled out one of my experimental Walker RPG's, and one of the rockets. Unlike all the other weapons I'd ever made, I didn't make a "human" Walker. The grip-style trigger from the Patton was good enough.
Mac: "Loaded and ready." He nodded to me.
K: "Okay, I'm gonna open the door - fire at the Water Tower's supports." I pointed off in the direction of the huge water tower that dominated the train yard.
Mac: "Got it!" He got into a kneel, and readied the weapon.
I opend the front door, and Rarity opened the back (for the backblast). This was going to be risky, but it was pretty much our only shot, or we'd be overwhelmed. Diving to the side, I covered my head and ears, and prayed the backblast wouldn't simply ignite all the ammo in the train car. Or kill us. We didn't have a large clear space to be doing this, and I'd never tested what a close quarter shot like this would do to a person.. er, pony. I hoped the counterweight and blast dampener I put in the back of the launch tube would be enough.
It was. Although I almost went deaf from the sound of the shot, the rocket fired and most of the backblast went out the rear of the car - though it scorched and blew a small chunk out of the wall behind it. Still, the rocket fired off, and streaked right towards the Water Tower's supports. It hit, and it detonated, just as it was supposed to, blowing the support in half, and causing the Water Tower to cave, and fall over, just as I predicted it would. Our enemies were washed away by the torrent.
With the fire ceasing, I got - staggered - up and brushed myself off. I was shirtless, dirty, bleeding from a few scratches and cuts I didn't realise I had, and very.. very angry.
K: "ALRIGHT!" I yelled over the ringing in my ears. "HOLD HERE! I'M GOING TO SEE ABOUT SOME HELP!"
Mac: "RIGHT!" He was tapping the side of his head with his right front hoof.
Rarity: "OF COURSE, DARLING!" She simply shook her head. Oh, she was going to be pissed when she realized her mane was singed.
With that, I climbed out of the Ammunition Car and made my way forward. Less haste - whatever enemy forces had assaulted the train yard, we'd held them off. Killed them. I had no idea how many we'd fought that evening, but it was enough to scare me. How many of these Duregars did Tirek have? How was he controlling them?
I was going to find out one way or another.
{End of Part 2}
Part 3: Battle of Marelin - Hope
TIME: 06:00 GRT
LOCATION: Marelin Train Yard, Germaneigh
I was running towards the front of the train, where the Command Car was. Hopefully, someone from the Training Field would be here soon. We couldn't possibly hold the Train Yard for very long, with just a handful of trained Ponies. This reminded me of the actual Battle of Berlin in Earth history - the residents and barely-trained Hitlerjurgend were given last-ditch weapons and ordered to defend the city to the last man, woman and child. Of course, in that instance, Berlin was the heart of a nation of darkness. Say what you will otherwise.
And as I knew from my intricate study of military history: Urban Warfare sucked for both sides.
We were a long distance from Equestria's borders by train. Longer than that to get to Canterlot. We would have to make do with whatever we had here. And that included a precious few officers, precious few trained personnel.. but we had lots of VERY motivated defenders. We just needed to arm and equip them. They'd have to learn on the job.
I got back to the command car, and I could hear arguing inside. It sounded like..
K: "Wait.." I knocked on the door. "It's General K. Open up, Webley!"
The door opened and..
Starlight Mint: "DADDY!" I was tackled. And kissed. And hugged.
K: "MINT!? WHAT IN THE GREAT BLUE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE!?" I angrily demanded.
Starlight Mint: *Sniff* She recoiled in fear. "I-I'm sorry.. I wanted to stay with you, Daddy.. you were going WAAAY away from Equestria.. not like before.. I thought you'd need me!"
Then it hit me.
K: "Starlight, sweetheart, you may have just saved our lives." I kissed her, picked her up, tucked her under my bare, sweaty arm -
Starlight: "Daddy needs a bath. Stinky-stinky!" *Snort*
K: "Real men smell, real women like it." I retorted as I carred her into the Command Car. "Your Royal Highness, this is my adoptive daughter, Starlight Mint. Probably the first born soldier in Equus history." I set her down to show off her Cutie Mark.
Starlight Mint: "It's an honor to meet you, your highness." She bowed to him as I went to grab another one of my shirts.
Webley: "I had no idea, sir! She was stowed away in the Command Car's map compartment, next to where we keep the extra snacks. Oh, and she ate all your jerky."
K: "I've got more.." I said as I grabbed the black wifebeater with Rarity's cutie mark on it and put it on.
Webley: "What are we going to do, sir?! A kid on the battlefield?! We're in enough trouble as it is!" She expressed her concern.
K: "Oh, no, no, Lieutenant. We're fine." I smirked. "Starlight has saved all our asses." I nodded as I put on my black overshirt and buttoned it up partially.
Prince Hoffnungsteher: "How so, General K?"
K: "Her adoptive mother is Princess Luna." I said, matter-of-factually. "Mommy's going to be looking for her precious baby, because Mommy made a deathbed oath to her real mommy to protect her at all times. Even though Luna no longer has the ability to teleport long distances, once she realizes that Starlight Mint stowed away on the train, she'll come to Germaneigh to get her. And she'll bring her guards - she always does. That's at least a full platoon of elite troops. Plus, given that it's a chance to get to Germaneigh, I imagine a few hanger's-on will accompany her. So, we'll have more friends. More friends, more fun - because Friendship is Magic." I went on, happily, knowing my opponents were basically doomed.
Webley: "..that's.. that makes a lot of sense, General." She shrugged.
Starlight: "Yup - 'specially since I didn't tell mommy I was goin' with. I just snucked off." She smirked with a beaming grin.
K: "You're still in deep trouble when this is over, young lady." I looked at her.
Starlight: "Awwww! But-but-but!"
K: "A soldier needs to learn how to follow orders. Soldiers need discipline. And you're going to learn a lesson about that in school if I have my say in the matter." I nodded.
Starlight: "Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuut!" She pouted.
K: "Soldiers also don't complain, and follow their General-Daddies orders." I pulled one of the spare Lee's from the weapon rack and held it out to her, in a holster.
Starlight: "You mean it, Daddy?!?" You'd think I just told a 16-year-old girl that the Mazeratti in the driveway was hers.
K: "Sure do. You've been practicing anyway, from what your mommy tells me." I shrugged. "If you're going to be my daughter and follow in my footsteps, you may as well get your trial-by-fire now." I nodded. "Because, I hope, by the time you're all grown up, Equestria will be a peaceful place once again. No soldier ever wishes for war - they are a people that dream and pray their skills go perpetually unused, though they train endlessly for the opposite." I reminded her.
Prince Hoffnungsteher: "General K.. I.." He bowed his head. "..I had my doubts about you before. But, no. No longer. No doubts. Not only are you brave, you are wise. Is that.. that what you said about soldiers.. is that how they act in your world?"
K: "It's something someone from my world once said, but I must be honest. Such ideals are considered mostly old-fashioned and outdated in the year I live in." I shrugged. "It doesn't stop me from dreaming about it. I understand the great responsibility that comes with Force as an idea. If you have the balls to raise a military, you damned well better pour every dime you can into it, so that it can protect your people and your interests as a nation. But at the same time, you must never, ever use it, unless the need is dire, yet you must have the resolve to send them with all your might. No soldier in your ranks must be eager for war, all must desire peace, yet have the resolve to kill without hesitation if war does erupt. If you engage your people in war, it must be with all your will as a leader - if you don't have the stomach to fight for what you think is right, you're better off not having a military, a people, a country, at all." I shrugged as Webley was finishing explaining the Zhukov SMG to the Royal Guards.
Prince Hoffnungsteher: "Ja.. Jawhol, Herr General." He nodded solemnly.
K: "Alright. If I know Luna, she's probably not that long in coming, we just have to hold out until she gets here. Webley?" I looked to her.
Webley: "Yes, General?" She looked up from a magazine change demonstration.
K: "Can you trust those ponies?" I looked at the four Royal Guards that had come with us from the Palace.
Webley: "More or less." She shrugged.
K: "Names." I nodded to them.
Kg.Sh. Stahl: "Konigshutz Stahl." Nodded the youngest one. A reddish-brown mare. She was inspecting the Zhukov SMG closely. Her cutie mark was an I-Beam.
Gfr. Falkegrat: "Gefreiter Falkegrat." Also young, about Dash's age. Grey coat. Male. He wore spectacles. A pegasus. Cutie Mark was a hawk's feather.
Gfr. Spannung: "Gefreiter Spannung, Herr General." A female, older than the first two. About Cheerilee's age. Unicorn. Her Cutie Mark was a workman's hammer and a lightning bolt.
Fahnr. Eigensinnig: "Fahnrich Eigensinnig, mein herr." A more buff Earth Pony stallion - chocolate coat. He reminded me of Mac. Cutie Mark was a star burst design. "For lack of proper officers, I suppose I am in charge of 'zese ponies. Z'ough, I heff only met Falke before tonight." He shrugged.
Gfr. Falkegrat: "Ohh, ja, ja. Ve used to live in Einhornstadt. Bot' ov us! J'oo see, Herr General, my vater vas a baker, ja? Unt-"
Fahnr. Eigensinnig: "Quiet, Gefreiter." He snorted. "Ve vere socially acvainted before entering zee Royal Guard." He nodded.
K: "Good. I generally prefer to raise units where everyone is already friends. It makes for more innate teamwork, here, I've found. Has Lieutenant Webley shown you how to use those weapons?"
Fahnr. Eigensinnig: "Ja. I am convident ve can use dese vepons effectively."
K: "Excellent. Because I need a volunteer to come with me. One of my men is wounded and we need to find a doctor."
Kg.Sh. Stahl: "Uh.. Doktor Knochen lives near here.. he has a clinic in his basement." She nodded to me. "I-I can go."
K: "Alright, then. You're with me. Webley, take whatever arms and ammunition you can from the Command Car, head back along the train to the Artillery Flat Bed, drop off one of the Royal Guards to help Westerly Wind and Cheerilee, then take the rest and take cover in one of the Ammunition Cars with the rest, including the Prince."
Webley: "I understand."
K: "You're in charge, Webley. Good luck." I nodded, and motioned to the door. "Sweetheart?" I addressed my adpotive daughter.
Starlight Mint: "Yes, Daddy?" She looked up at me with beaming eyes.
K: "Guard the Prince. He mustn't come to harm, understand?"
Starlight Mint: *Hmpf!* "I'd like to see 'em try!" She nodded to the Prince, who looked a little surprised to see a Filly in charge of his personal safety.
K: "It's alright, Your Royal Highness - she knows as much as I do, and her small size has its advantages." I smirked.
Prince Hoffnungsteher: "I trust your judgement, Herr General." He nodded and they departed first.
Kg.Sh. Stahl: "I heff never considered even to do violence to anozer creature.." She started.
K: "You have to be ready, Stahl." I cut her off. "This is war. You might die. Right now, there's a pony out there counting on us." I said, exiting the train car. "He'll die if we don't get a doctor to him." I said, as I moved up along the path between the two trains. "Also, keep in mind, these enemies are driven by dark shadows and hatred, not by logic or love - they have none. They would kill you just because you exist. Now, you have to be prepared to fight for that - for your life, and the lives of others."
Kg.Sh. Stahl: "Vhat are they, Herr General?" She asked, clumsily trying to copy my moves.
K: "Lean down a little more as you move, it'll make your vitals less of a target." I instructed. "These creatures are Dark Grundles - I call them Duregar. They're evil bipedal creatures that are the result of an ancient curse on what used to be a very peaceful people. Tirek seems to be using them as an army. I have no idea how many there are, but there seems to be enough here to cause us problems."
Kg.Sh. Stahl: "Do you think.. I vill be a good soldier?" She asked with a bit of reserve.
K: "I think you've got it in you. You've held your head together so far, right?" I reassured her as I climbed over the flat bed car where I'd had the firefight by Cherrilee.
Kg.Sh. Stahl: "Ja.. I suppose. I was so scared, though-"
K: "You're a fool if you're not absolutely terrified every single time you take up arms." I stated. "It's what you do with that fear that will determine if you'll be a good soldier." I gave her a small grin.
Kg.Sh. Stahl: "J-Ja.." She stammered a little as she crawled under the flatbed, keeping her Zhukov ahead of her.
We moved up to the main entrance to the train yard, and I pressed myself against the stone wall, looking for any more of those Duregars. I spotted three of them on the road leading away from the train yard. They were all armed - they seemed to be searching for something.
K: "Stahl - here's your test." I pulled her up next to me, and physically put her in the prone firing position. "Okay, your weapon is braced, you have a stable firing platform. Aim at the one at the right or the left, and when you fire, gently pull towards the opposite side, stop, evaluate, then if they're still moving, fire and pull back the other way. Stop firing once the enemy goes down."
Kg.Sh. Stahl: "R-right." She swallowed, inhaled, half-exhaled and -
*TU-TU-TU-TU-TU-TU-TU-TU-TUH* *TU-TU-TU-TU-TU-TU-TU-TU-TUH*
I had her covered with my scoped Patton. Keeping an eye on the enemy, just in case they broke and ran. That and to observe her fire. Granted, we were only at about.. ten meters? But still, there's a big difference between target shooting and stress shooting. I watched as she stitched them up good, nodding in satisfaction.
K: "Alright, check your witness holes." I pointed to the top of the Zhukov's magazine.
Kg.Sh. Stahl: "Hm.. between 15 and 10. Feels closer to 10 maybe?" She looked up just in time to see a Duregar run from an alleyway. She raised the weapon and fired quickly, stitching it up the back. "..okay, now it ist under 10." She pulled the magazine out and checked it. "Zere appears like six rounds in there. Do I change ze magazines?"
K: "VERY Good, Stahl! Yes, it might be a good idea to change magazines. Save your partials, though." I reminded.
Kg.Sh. Stahl: "Ja-ja!" She smiled, and changed magazines carefully. "I can get up, now?"
K: "No more targets, right?" I said, moving up carefully. This reminded me of the first day of Ranger School with Derpy and the Girls. "Come on."
Kg.Sh. Stahl: "Look for Zirkonstrasse. Doktor Knochen lives along zat path." She said, moving up, counting the street signs as we moved up the road, away from the train yard.
The main street turned off, and I kept track of this with a piece of Pinkie's Super-Duper Pink Chalk. Shit was practically flourescent. I made a mark on the wall, so I'd be able to find my way back. There were fires burning now, I could smell them. It was bad. Canterlot had merely been bombed - Marelin was being assaulted.
K: "Did you grow up here?" I asked.
Kg.Sh. Stahl: "Nein.. no. I am from Hamover." She nodded. "Ve are famous for our pigs." She shrugged. "Mein vater vas a.. dealer in meats to ozer lands. He vanted me to engage in ze family buisness.. but.." She trailed off, peeking around the next corner.
K: "But?" I took a knee, and braced my elbow on my knee, firing a single shot - and hit my mark. A Duregar, just standing there.
Kg.Sh. Stahl: "I felt.. like.. zere vas anozer purpose for me. My mark.. you see, it is one of great strength? Ja? I had no idea.. zat I vas to use zat stren'th to do somezing like zis." She shrugged.
K: "This the place?" Zirkonstrasse.. now, which home?
Kg.Sh. Stahl: "Ja. Come, we go the back vay."
She tapped my shoulder and we moved up the alleyway to the rear of the building she was aiming for. I covered our six in a rear-facing crabwalk, though I'd turn every ten paces for a look ahead. As we moved up, I kept hoping that Basstion would hold on long enough for us to get back to him. And that the troops from the training field would get to the Train Yard.
Kg.Sh. Stahl: "Herr Doktor!" She knocked furiosuly. "HERR DOKTOR! Bitte, ist dies ein Notfall! Bitte aufwachen!" She pounded harder. "I do not think he can hear us.."
K: "Right. Time for a direct approach." I reared back and kicked the door in.
Kg.Sh. Stahl: *Gasp!* "Herr General!"
K: "Emergencies call for emergency measures." I ducked as I entered the room. "Doctor Knochen! Doctor!?" I moved thorugh the rear area - an obvious clinic of some kind - and up the stairs. It took me a bit, but I found the doctor's bedroom. He was asleep, with earmuffs on. Of course. I grabbed his foreleg and shook it. "Herr Doktor! Ist eine Notfall! Wach auf! Sofort!"
Dr. Knochen: "AHH! WAS IST LOS!? WER BIS DU!?" He hit me with a pillow.
Mrs. Knochen: "Ahh! Eine Nachtjaeger!" SHE hit me with a pillow.
Okay, this was going to stretch my elementary German to the limit..
K: "Herr Doktor! Ich ist K. Generalfeldmarschall des Königreichs Equestria Streitkräfte. Ein Soldat von mir ist verletzt. Ich brauche eure Hilfe. Die Stadt ist unter Beschuss." I think I got that right. The syntax probably sounded like a babbling kindergardener.
Dr. Knochen: "Ein.. Mensch?" He sat up.
K: "Nein. Ein Pferd." I shook my head. "Do you speak any English? Meine Deutsch ist nicht zu gut." I shrugged.
Dr. Knochen: "Vell of course I speak English! I studied in Marechester!" He huffed. "Ambleion ist a very nice country.." A round came through the bed room window and shattered their mirror. "..I am to take it that this is not children throwing rocks!"
He went to peek his head out the window, but I pushed him down.
K: "STAHL! GET UP HERE! WE GOT DUREGARS!" I smashed his window out and returned fire.
Mrs. Knochen: "AHH! MEIN VINDOW!" She was about to throw another pillow at me, but it exploded in her hoofs from a return shot that went stray. "AHH!"
K: "STAHL!"
Kg.Sh. Stahl: "I am coming! Ve heff guests at zee front door! And zey are not selling candies!" I could hear her Zhukov going off.
K: "Get dressed. Both of you. Load up as many medical supplies and tools you need for heavy trauma cases, and get ready to do meatball surgery, Doctor. You're the only medical professional I can reach, and I've got two-hundred and fifty of your countrymen ready to fight - and they have no idea what they're doing. You're going to have-" *Glass shatter* "-CUT THAT OUT! I'M TALKING!" I returned fire and changed magazines.
Dr. Knochen: "Lots of people needing mein help and little in the way of help. Liebeherz, get your uniform." He instructed his wife. She was bitching about it, but she was getting her uniform on.
Aha.. I get it - Dear Heart. Her name was Dearheart. It oddly fit.
K: "I have one of the Royal Guards with me. We'll get you to where you'll need to set up." I explained. "I take it you've never done anything like this before?"
Dr. Knochen: "No. Never. I never even conzidered the possibility of.. anything like zis." He shrugged. "Come, the rest of the tools I need are in my clinic."
K: "Go for it. I've got to clean up these guys here."
How many more WERE there!? I started picking my shots. There were five in the street - I saw two go down. Stahl. I picked off the last three before following and changing magazines again. I had four full ones left, and one partial. Next order of business? A completely new set of small arms. It was time to move up to the 1950's or so, in weapons technology. I was considering this as I moved for the stairs. The Patton wasn't up to the task. I'd need a new rifle, a new machine gun, everything.
K: "Coming down!" I yelled. As soon as I hit the last step, the top of the house exploded. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" I yelled out as I hit the ground.
"That" was a Dragon. An adult dragon. I could see its claws.
K: "..shit. STAHL! GET THE DOCTOR TO THE TRAIN YARD! GOGOGOGO!" I yelled to her.
Kg.Sh. Stahl: "Vhat...?"
K: "GET GOING, SOLDIER!"
Dr. Knochen: "Come along, Child! We will need your protection!"
He was grabbing things and putting them in saddle bags, which he hurredly threw on, along with his lab coat. Knochen, his wife, and Stahl all ran out the back door as I ascended the stairs. I was about to fight a dragon.. I didn't even think about how this was a mismatch - all I could think about was stopping him from hurting anyone else.
{End of Part 3}
Part 4: Battle of Marelin - Dragon Fire
TIME: 06:25 GRT
LOCATION: Dr. Knochen's House, Marelin, Germaneigh
I climbed the stairs, fumbling with attaching the Patton's bayonet, and making sure my hunting knife was on my hip. This was going to hurt a lot, and I was going to wind up with the crap beaten out of me again, I knew it. But I didn't have a choice. It was either me fight the dragon, or let the dragon tear the city apart.
I got to the top of the stairs. The dragon was huge - bigger than I remembered seeing in the episodes. Diplomacy first.
K: "HEY UP THERE!" I called to it.
Dragon: *Snort* It looked down at me, and narrowed its eyes.
K: "WHY ARE YOU HERE!?" I called to him. I remembered that the girls, the LAST time they met an adult dragon, didn't really try this route.
Dragon: *Echoing voice* "Why, to reclaim my home, of course." He gave me a rather mean look.
K: "WHAT HOME!?" I asked, rather afraid of the answer.
Dragon: "This so-called city was built on MY land!" Ah, shit. "These insects will pay!" I hate it when they talk like this.
K: "IS THERE ANYTHING I COULD POSSIBLY DO TO CHANGE YOUR MIND!?" I had to try.
Dragon: *Snort* "Erase the city! Give me back my home!" Oh, yeah, he wasn't up to talking.
K: "I COULDN'T HELP YOU FIND A NEW HOME!?"
Dragon: *Belly laugh* "Tirek has promised me this land back, if I erase the insects that inhabit it!" Yep, there's the link.
K: "TIREK IS A LIAR, HE'LL KILL YOU AS SOON AS YOU OUTLIVE YOUR USEFULNESS!" It was true, I was sure.
Dragon: "HAH! That puny creature?!" *Snort* "He would not survive the attempt! And for that matter, neither will you!" He reared back...
..I ran like a bitch. You do not try to fight a dragon with an assault rifle. Out the front door, and into the street. I felt the heat of the flame as it impacted on the cobblestone street. I could hear the rocks cracking from the intense flame. I knew he wanted me dead, and he wasn't going to listen to reason. My only hope was to get back to the train yard. No Fluttershy with me, means no ability to be seriously diplomatic with him. No Twilight, no magic. No Luna, either. She could take him. All I had was Science..
..and Science would fuck him.
I ran, ignoring the occasional Duregar that would fire at me as I tried to get back to the train yard. I knew roughly where it was, I just wanted to take a different path. My only hope was the 75's, or a Walker. Something that could hit an armored target. And Dragons were basically nature's tanks.
As I ran, I could see that half the city was on fire, from the Royal Plaza to the Train Yard. It confirmed that Tirek was looking to kidnap the Prince and force Germaneigh's capitulation, and kill me in the process, if he could. I absolutely could not afford to let Tirek win any sort of victory here. As I got to the front gate, with the Dragon stomping along right behind me, I called out.
K: "WESTERLY!! LOAD WITH ARMOR-PIERCING!! MAC!! GET WALKERS!! GET ALL OF THEM!"
Dragon: "PUNY MORTAL! YOU WILL BURN!!" The gigantic dragon smashed the arch at the main entrance - not the side entrance that I'd originally exited from.
Mac: "BROTHER! OVER HERE!" He yelled, coming up with four Walkers, all loaded.
He threw one in my path, and threw another one to Webley, who was coming out of the second Ammunition Car. I grabbed it up, in a run, and fumbled with the safety. Climbing up on the flatbed from earlier, I spun around, and aimed at the Dragon's stomach through the sight.
K: "Science will fuck you..!" I fired.
The rocket traveled the prescribed distance and impacted on the Dragon's stomach, blowing open a nice wound. Still, it was more like shooting a Raptorian with a Lee. The dragon clutched his stomach, and slumped against the Train Station building.
Westerly Wind: "ROUNDS OUT!"
I could hear two of the 75's fire in quick succession. Looking over, I saw Westerly manning one, and Cheerilee the other. They dropped manning the second gun, and worked on rapidly reloading the first one. The rounds hit the Dragon in the side, causing a huge wound on his wing root. That would take out his ability to fly, hopefully. Mac readied his Walkers (he was on his hind legs, with one in each foreleg), and Webley hers, and they both fired at almost the same time. The rockets streaked for their target, and all three hit in almost the same area, lower chest, near the liver. The dragon was bleeding badly, now.
Westerly Wind: "DON'T LET HIM BREATHE!" He yelled out as he locked the breech in place.
I grabbed the last loaded Walker and ran forwards, aiming up under his jaw. Firing, I managed to tear a ragged hole in the dragon's throat. The dragon clutched this new wound, and tried to fly off, only to fall to the ground, and crush the Train Station completely. Raising his head up, he tried to fly off again..
Westerly Wind: "ROUND OUT!"
I dove to the side. I could feel the 75mm shell pass close to me, and I saw it strike the Dragon in the upper chest, right at the apex of its collar bone, right at the very base of the neck. The shell exploded, and it seemed, also blew up the Dragon's fire sacs, because the Dragon was immediately drenched in flames, from its neck to its belly. Screaming unholy screams, it died slowly and painfully.. it's not like I could put him out of his misery.
K: "Well, that went better than I could ever have imagined!" I said, hopefully, as I got up and walked over to Mac.
Mac: "It's 'cuz we had the Walkers, no doubt about it. Them Kiangese did us a favor, I reckon, showin' us that tank." He nodded to me. "'Course, it was you that made 'em." He patted me on the shoulder.
K: "Did Stahl make it back with the Doctor?"
Mac: "E'yup. They're in the Command Car." He smiled.
K: "Alright. Convert the passenger cars into an aid station. Go help the Doctor." I patted him on the shoulder as he paced off, and Rarity paced up.
Rarity: "Darling.. this is the most splendid battle I've ever seen." She wiped a smudge of dirt from her cheek. "Of course, my hair is completley ruined and my tail is positively thrashed, but that just means I can spend a small fortune at the salon later!" She was giddy.. about her looks being trashed? All a matter of perspective, I guessed. "Uh.. about that.. THING.. we did.." She lowered her head.
K: "You have magic lips, Rarity." I was going to torment her about this. Just a little. "You know, if you ever want to do that again.."
Rarity: "I-" She was blushing beet red beneath the dirt on her face. "Really!?" She was excited now.
K: "Of course, I know you - you'd rather our little private affiar remain just that. Private. Otherwise the tabloids would destroy you for trying to move in on another Mare's Stallion.. especially a Leading Mare like Applejack. That's not just mate poaching, that's friendship betrayal." I smirked.
Rarity: "O-Oh.. O-of course, my darling!" She blushed again.
K: "That and Spike would be positively crushed." I nodded.
Rarity: "Spike.. yes.." THAT put water on her fire. "I.." She looked up at me, her face full of determination. "Spike won't come of age for some time - no matter how our relationship works out - and a Mare has her needs, of course. I've had.. quiet little affairs before.." She coughed.
K: "And then there's Prince Blueblood." I noted.
Rarity: "Y-Yes.."
K: "You're a slut masquerading as a debutant. And you love it. Because it's taboo to be such a raunchy sexual animal in Societal circles. You adore your position in Society, but you LOVE doing things that are absolutely TABOO at the same time.. you LOVE the thrill of betraying your station. And the more you do it, the more you love doing it." I looked right at her.
Rarity: *Dreamily* "Oh, yes, my darling. Talk dirty to me like that more, and you may access my budior at any time." She smirked.
K: "Question - are all ponies secretly sex freaks, or is it just the ones I've met?" I gave a smirk - it was frustration, not humor.
Rarity: *Cough* "Well.. yes and no. It's complicated. In Equestria, at least, such sexual activities are generally.. well.. it can be a source of embarrassment to be.. to have many stallions. It's more like.. it's not something polite Ladies and Gentlecolts discuss publicly. I just happen to enjoy.. well, thumbing my nose at society, and at the same time, enjoying the attention it brings. My position in society furthers my business - and my adventures in the bedroom are.. well, I do enjoy them. But I have exceedingly high standards."
K: "So.."
Rarity: "If you weren't famous and powerful, I never would have been so unladylike. Well.. maybe.." She tilted her head as the last part of the Train Station's frame collapsed in flames. "..you ARE a good friend, and I suppose if you hadn't ended up with Applejack and.. really NEEDED it.." She made a "Maybe" noise. "But only because we're friends. I wouldn't have touched you if you were a complete stranger and a nobody." She shrugged. "No, my.. former partners.. were all stallions of station. And the occasional mare that 'would never' if you catch my drift. And I've used that to.." She made a smirk.
K: "A little blackmail?" I smirked.
Rarity: "It's a hobby. Plus, I get them for additonal fun later.. tormenting them at socials and parties, you know? Dropping those little hints, striking up the torturous conversations that hit too close to home.. That and I have a plan going to undermine a few key members of high society. Well, I did, before the war. The attack on Canterlot killed most of the ponies I was after, when the ball room collapsed." She shrugged. "Come to think of it.. since the war started, I haven't.. well, entertained.. like that." She giggled. "I haven't had a reason to, and my enemies in society were mostly dead!"
K: "You're a devious little mare, Rarity." I smirked. "Generosity.. and deviousness. And deviantness!" I chuckled.
Rarity: "I am a lady.. and any good lady should know how to absolutely destroy her competition, no matter what it takes." She nodded, with a smile.
K: "Alright. Social conversation aside, the troops from the Training Field aren't here. We're going to have to go after them." I shrugged. Back to business.
Rarity: "I'll go." She nodded, hefting her Scoped Sherman. She must've retrieved it from the Command Car.
K: "Yeah, not alone. I'll go with. Come on, I have to get everyone here squared away." I motioned for her to join me, as we went towards the Command Car.
I walked over to the Command Car, and as I passed by Westerly and Cheerilee, I gave them a nod.
Cheerilee: "I wish the Rangers were here." She said, simply.
K: "We'll be fine." I encouraged her. "No further orders - keep standing by." I said.
As I got to the Command Car, I got to Mac and the others.
K: "Alright, everyone - Rarity and I are going to the Training Field to get the rest of the.. well, the Landwehr and our friends. We're going to set up headquarters here at the Train Yard, we'll be using the mobile headquarters plan that I set up with you all when the train was being built. When the troops get here, I want a defensive line around the main yard area. This second train here - if I can find a train crew, I want it prepared to evacuate civilians from the city. Once we get a field headquarters properly established, we're going to move on the city itself. Block by block, Marelin will be retaken and secured." I climbed into the Command Car briefly and grabbed one of the Radios.
Webley: "Understood, General." She nodded.
K: "Webley, you and Forest Spirit have the most land combat experience out of the officers here. You two will have field command unless someone else shows up."
Webley: "Got it."
K: "Alright. Do what you can to start setting up defensive fortifications." I looked at the Royal Guards. "You've done well. But this isn't over."
Fahnr. Eigensinnig: "Ja. Vhat you vant us to do, Herr General?"
K: "Start by collecting all the weapons you can from the dead Duregars. We'll need every gun, every round."
Fahnr. Eigensinnig: "Ja." He gave an affirmative nod.
K: "Alright.. come on, Rarity."
Rarity: "Of course, darling."
With that, we were off. Rarity and I moved over the side wall of the Train Yard, and into the edge of the city. The Train Yard was at the southern edge of Marelin as it was, so it wasn't long before we were out in clear terrain, to the south of the city, hooking around to the Training Field, which was in the south-west of the city.
Rarity: "So, darling.. how bad do you think this battle will be?" She asked, solemnly.
K: "Pretty bad. The civilian casualties are going to be in the hundreds. I have no idea how many of our troops are going to get hurt here." I shrugged.
Rarity: "So sad.. this war is destroying so many beautiful places." She shook her head, but made a quick scan with her sniper scope.
K: "See anything?"
Rarity: "No. I think they came from the north of the city, K." She shrugged. "Just a guess."
K: "It's a good guess. Say, Rarity.." I started.
Rarity: "Yes, K?" She looked up at me.
K: "Ah.. what do you think of large airships?" I tilted my head.
Rarity: "Airships?" She looked confused.
K: "You know. Like Twilight's hot air balloon, but MUCH bigger. And armed. I'd been thinking about it - we do need something with more punch in the air, besides individual ponies." I nodded ahead.
Rarity: "Oh, of course, darling. It's a good idea. But such large airships.. can Equestria produce such things? Do they even have anything like that in your world?" She quizzed me as she moved under a tree branch.
K: "Nope. We never did, though we did have airship bombers, scouts and the like. But we never took weaponizing airships to its fullest extent. Fortunately, I know a lot of the mistakes that were made with airship design and construction.." Like balloon hull paint that was basically dried thermate.. "..I think I can correct most of those mistakes, if I can construct engines light enough and redesign weapons to kit it out."
Rarity: "It might make invading Tirek's homeland much easier. Heavy air support - and a way to deploy paratroopers more easily."
K: "Yeah.. yeah! Good idea!" I hadn't thought of the Paratrooper angle.
Rarity: "The Training Field should be in sight, just over this rise." She said, scaling it ahead of me, and taking a look through her scope. "K! You're going to want to see this, Darling..!"
I climbed the small rise, hurriedly, wondering what fresh hell this was. When I got to the top of the rise, I looked down on a camp that had dug itself in - proper trenches, all around a small area, with flanking trenches being dug at off angles. Tents had been struck and some were being used to form roofs to the trenches. Forest Spirit was digging in.. and the volunteers hadn't totally broken and run. I was surprised.
It told me this battle was in the bag, as costly as it might be, the volunteers we had were made of stern enough stuff to handle whatever Tirek could throw at them. We just needed to get them organized!
{End Part 4}
Part 5: Battle of Marelin - Volunteer Spirit
TIME: 06:47 GRT
LOCATION: Hengstburg Field, Marelin, Germaneigh
We ran over the rise, my Patton moving up instinctively, as we cleared our sectors on the way down. If Forest Spirit was dug in, that meant they had more problemms than they could handle. I motioned for Rarity to hold up as I got out my radio. Hopefully, Forest Spirit had the forethought to turn one of the two radios we'd brought to the training camp, on.
K: C> "Bravo Leader, this is Alpha Leader Actual. Come in, over."
I waited. After a bit, I tried it again.
K: C> "Bravo Leader, this is Alpha Leader Actual. Come in, over."
I shook my head. They hadn't turned them on, or they were damaged. One of the two. I motioned for Rarity to take the left side as we both moved up. We descended the rise and moved towards the Training Field, occasionally turning to sweep behind us and to the sides. We were in the clear, as far as I could tell. Most of the Trainers we'd brought to Marelin would be at the field. Hopefully, we had something resembling order down there, and it wasn't just the Trainers doing most of the work.
K: "BLUE! BLUE! HOLD YOUR FIRE! NICHT SHEISSEN! NICHT SHEISSEN!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, hoping they'd hear me as I came closer.
Germane Pony: "HALTEN! WER BIST DU!? FALLEN SIE GEWEHR!" I had a Sherman aimed at me from a spider hole.
K: "Rarity? Drop 'em." I put my Patton down. "Ich ist Generalfeldmarschall K. Kommandantur der Equestria's Streitkrafte." I said calmly.
Germane Pony: "Herr General!? Einen moment.." He motioned to the trench ahead of us. "ICH IST GENERAL K! INFORMIEREN DER HAUPTMANN! SCHNELL!"
A pony came out of the trench and ran towards the cluster of tents in the center of the dug-in area. After a moment, Hauptmann Edelweiss and Captain Forest Spirit came out to greet us.
Forest Spirit: "General! You're actually alive! After the bombing of the Palace, I sent some volunteers to go look for you, but they never got back - then we saw a dragon in the air over the city. I figured.."
*ZIP!* That was an incoming bullet.
K: "CONTACT LEFT!" I called out as I hit the ground, rolled over, and grabbed my Patton. A handful of Duregars. "Captain! Take them out!" I rolled - with Rarity - into the trench, for cover.
Forest Spirit: "Sergeant Sigmask! Contact left!" He pointed. I heard shots, coordinated rifle and machine gunfire. They dropped.
K: "Nice work, Captain. SitRep." I said, helping him down into the trench.
Forest Spirit: "Sergeant Sigmask and Corporal Cloverfield have been training the volunteers over here. I've had others switching out with the volunteers to train them on different weapon systems as the fight progressed, but we're nearly out of ammunition. I estimate less than two magazines per pony on the line, and that's about 25% of our numbers - all the weapons we brought here are in use. We've sustained 12 killed, 6 wounded, and 27 volunteers broke and fled as soon as the shooting started. Lieutenant Commander Deep Blue was slightly wounded in hoof-to-hand fighting. The only alert we had was the explosion at the Palace. We heard part of Officer's Call, but it didn't sound long enough for us to get a bearing on it." He shrugged. "Orders?"
K: "Pack it in, Captain. We're moving to the Train Yard. We've plenty of ammunition and weapons." I nodded. "The radios?"
Forest Spirit: "Both broken in one of the intial skirmishes. Mistress Sea Swirl was trying to repair one of them." He glanced at the open field. "We advance over the open field, General?"
K: "Right. After that, we're taking a select group of Ponies and scouting out the city, seeing what we can find out."
Forest Spirit: "Understood, General." He paused. "And here I thought Second Dream Castle was going to be my last dance." He idly rubbed his eye patch.
K: "Not as long as you can still carry a rifle, Captain." I nodded.
It took a few minutes to organize everything, but we managed to get everyone that was able, up and ready to depart. The wounded were placed on makeshift stretchers. The dead were carried out in makeshift body bags. Those with weapons were consolidated - ammunition was dispersed among a smaller group, giving me 30 Ponies with arms. My select group were the ones carrying the big guns - we had three Pershings among the arms we brought to the Training Camp for basic demonstrations, and six of my Walkers. Forest Spirit was manning a Pershing, as was Sea Swirl.
The trip to the southern half of the city didn't take very long, and we only encountered one Duregar on the way. Rarity dropped him at 500 meters with a single shot. Besides that, the main problem was keeping the ranks of untrained volunteers together. They had the guts for this, but not the discipline.
TIME: 07:17 GRT
LOCATION: Train Yard Field Headquarters, Marelin, Germaneigh
The large formation moved along the southern edge of the city, and once we were close enough to the edge of the Train Yard, I had the unarmed volunteers break and run in small groups while the ones with weapons covered them from both sides. The wounded went first and were brought to Doctor Knochen. The rest of the volunteers lined up at the weapon and ammunition cars to receive arms.
K: "ALRIGHT! EVERYONE GET TO DEFENSIVE POSITIONS!" I instructed the volunteers once they received weapons. "LISTEN TO LIEUTENANT CHEERILEE!" I hoped Luna would get here soon - I could use the Royal Train to evacuate wounded. "FOREST SPIRIT! FRONT AND CENTER!"
Forest Spirit came over, having switched out his Pershing for a Scoped Sherman.
K: "Alright, we need to scout the city and see how bad things really are. You, Sea Swirl, Mac, Rarity, Webley, Sigmask, Colgate and me."
An eight-person team.. should be enough. Colgate was.. well, she was a dentist, technically, but she was the closest I had to a Medic at the moment. Honestly, I'd planned to have local medical personnel pick up the slack on Medics. That would change. Any Training Unit would be sent out like micro sized teams of their parent organizations.
Forest Spirit: "Cheerilee in command here?" He asked, off hand.
K: "Yes. Her and Deep Blue. Westerly Wind has a radio on him, so we can call in fire if we need it. But we better give him a large margin of error - he only has one complete gun crew." I nodded to Gun Crew No. 1 from the Baltimare Artillery First Battery. Iron Chuck, Hayes Bale, Wind Spirit, and Tempest Gale. They were currently getting their gun ready for action - firing it on the flatbed had driven the gun mantlet into the structural steel of the flatbed's base. "But we've got support." I shrugged. "Draw half the Walkers, we may need them. Two Pattons, two Scoped Shermans, four Pershings. Every pony that doesn't have a Pershing carries four belts." I nodded. "Get going."
Forest Spirit: "Aye-Aye, General." And off he went.
I already guessed he and Rarity would be the ones with the Scoped Shermans. I went over to where Cheerilee was organizing the defensive positions and having the volunteers build more.
K: "Cheerilee, you're going to be in charge here until I get back - you and Deep Blue. I want a nice, tight ring around this train yard. As you can, push out to the shops surrounding it. There's a very wide street separating the shops and the Train Yard from the rest of the city - I want that path to be our kill zone."
Cheerilee: "Of course, K!" She gave me a big grin. "Mac going with you?" She asked, tilting her head.
K: "Yeah. Oh, by the way, Scoots showed me that photo of you as a teenager - very rad." I smirked. "Styles were similar when I was a kid, too, honey, don't worry about it. I think you looked totally tubular." I delivered this in a near-deadpan. To her shock and surprise.
Cheerilee: "WELL! I know a certain Pegasus Filly that's going to clean chalkboards for a we- TUBULAR?!" She sorta looked at me in surprise.
K: "Yeah. Far-Out. Radical. Cowabunga." I smirked again.
Cheerilee: "You're terrible!" She huffed, but smiled and hugged me. "Take care of yourself." And went off to where Mac was. I caught them hugging.. more than friendly-hugging. Ooo.. delicious gossip!
With my team assembled, we marched out into the city. Immediately, we went low and stalked to the first line of shops that formed a semi-circle around the edge of the train yard. Webley and I had Pattons. Colgate took my immediate left. She'd come with Cheerilee and Mac, since I'd asked everyone to bring one or two enlisted or NCO's with, to help with the training.
Colgate: "Our first dance since the very first battle, General.. I.. I never did get to thank you..." She blushed.
I remembered her having a chunk of her side blown out, and me pressing my hands into the wound to keep her from bleeding out. She still had a scar there, but with her coat like it was, it was very hard to see. I gave her a bit of a grin - with all the war activity, I hadn't gotten a chance to do much more than send her a Get Well Soon card. Pinkie usually handled that.
K: "It's fine, Colgate. Watch your sectors." I nodded. "Hopefully, you won't wind up with another scar."
Colgate: "LEFT CLEAR!" She reported. "Hopefully."
Mac: "RIGHT CLEAR!"
Sea Swirl: "FRONT CLEAR!"
K: "Alright, Pepperpot." I pointed. "Forest Spirit, Mac, Webley, Colgate."
Pepperpotting is the practice of advancing (usually under fire) where one part of a squad, covers the other part, and they move up in sections or pairs, as they can. It's supposed to be a very rapid advance - as soon as the first group stops moving, the second group moves up, and vice-versa. As soon as Forest Spirit got to new positions with his team, I moved up with my team.
We reached the next street, and the next. Moving through the city of Marelin, we were heading to the Palace first. I wanted to see if the enemy was organized and if they'd use the large Plaza in front of the Palace as some kind of assembly area. That was my first goal. My second goal was to reach the city hospital on the far end of the Palace and a block and a half up. Last, I wanted to get a look at the north end of the city and see if the Duregars were coming from there. If this was Tirek's invasion, or just another annoyance.
TIME: 07:39
LOCATION: Edge of the Royal Plaza (Konigsplatz), Marelin, Germaneigh
We reached the edge of what looked like a deserted area. The Plaza was relatively empty. I held my hand up for an All Stop.
Forest Spirit: "I don't see anything.." He pulled out his spyglass and took a look around. "Nope. Quiet. Maybe they all retreated? Or the last of them moved on our position at the Training Field?"
K: "Perhaps. Alright - wide line, we move carefully. The Plaza is a huge open area. If we get caught out there, we're sitting ducks."
Sea Swirl: "Then why do it?"
K: "To attract fire from the enemy. If they're out there, then we'll be too good a target to pass up. We're baiting them."
Colgate: "Right behind you, K." She hefted her Pershing.
K: "Right. Let's go."
And we advanced. A wide, staggered line, as I called for. The Plaza was very large, and bare. As I understood it, this is where they held all of Marelins festivals, and during them, stalls would be set up for merchants, making it a very busy place. As we got almost halfway, I heard something that made me pause..
Sigmask: "What's that..?" His head was instantly on a swivel.
K: "No, no.. this isn't right at all.."
I searched my memories for the origin of the sound. It kept coming back to 'construction equipment.' But that didn't make any sense at all.. until I saw the steel beast that rounded the corner on the far side of the plaza..
Forest Spirit: "Tank..!?"
K: "APC! Armored-Personnel-Carriers! GET DOWN!" I hit the ground immediately.
Three APC's, with trailing Duregar infantry. The APC's were expertly crafted, not like the primitive-looking steel boxes that the Kiangese used. And we were right in the open. This was going to be very bad...
{End of Part 5}
Part 6: Battle of Marelin - 'Blutplaz' (Place of Blood)
TIME: 07:41
LOCATION: Konigsplatz, Marelin, Germaneigh
The APC could be described as a large metal box with infantry inside. Its evolved form, the Armored Fighting Vehicle, generally has a small cannon. This was.. something like an Armored Cavalry Vehicle. It had a gun of at least 40mm barrel diameter, in a small, enclosed turret. And it contained infantry. This put it in the APC category, towards the "anti-tank/anti-fortification support" role. The vehicle itself reminded me of the British Matilda II Tank (A12 Infantry Tank mark II) if the hull was stretched out, and the engine mounted on the side, like a Bradley.
And there were three of them. The one in the middle fired its cannon in our direction - it went behind us, hit a building and exploded. The shell took the building partly down. I was already pulling my Walker out.
K: "SUPPRESSIVE FIRE!" I called.
Everyone opened up on the Duregars. The Infantry were pinned down, but that didn't stop them from advancing anyway - right into the bullets. And firing back at us, peppering the Plaza with poorly aimed shots. Duregars may be decent at close range, but it seemed like their long range capability sucked. Still, these were sub-machine guns they were using, they didn't need accuracy, just a general idea.
I pulled up to a kneel, and sighted in on the first vehicle, trying to find it in my reticle..
K: "THEY'RE TOO FAR!" I one-armed the Walker. Pepper-pot time. "COMING THROUGH!!" British slang for it.
I ran forward, with Mac right beside me. A shell landed between us, and we both hit the deck. We couldn't advance any more, we'd lost our momentum, so I covered for the next pair.
Sea Swirl: "COMING THROUGH!!" Her and Colgate.
Since they had Pershings, moving them up would be vital. The Pershing was useless against armor, because of its low velocity powder, but its upgraded form should be capable of piercing 2cm of armor at the ranges we were trying to engage at. Mac and I covered the girls as they advanced, until Colgate stumbled over a small pile of rubble, and flattend herself down.
Forest Spirit was next, with Sigmask..
Forest Spirit: "COMING THROUGH!!" He yelled, as he advanced past our guns - that's why we yelled out. To make sure that the people covering the advance knew to hold their fire.
Attacking like this is the last thing the enemy expects to happen - and that's precisely why you do it. If you hole up on the defensive when you're outnumbered like this, you may as well rush the enemy and try to break through them rather than sit in a little hole and wait to be killed.
Rarity: "COMING THROUGH!" She advanced with Webley. They went off to the left, at an angle, so we could move up in groups of four instead of two's.
K: "COMING THROUGH!" I yelled, now that everyone was ahead of us.
Hefting the Patton to my shoulder as I got up, I hosed the middle APC with a few rounds, knowing the futility of my shots, but I saw the ricochets bouncing off were causing injuries. I took a halt near Forest Spirit, laying down just to his front.
Forest Spirit: "COMING THROUGH!"
He ran forwards, switching to a Walker, and getting just within the 100 meter range of the weapon. He took a knee, and took a snap-shot at the middle APC. The round struck the front of the hull head-on and blew out the side, causing the engine to go up, along with the fuel. That was a Mobilty Kill. Sigmask, who had another Walker, targeted the one on the left, as it was making a turn to try and flank us. He hit it in the engine compartment square on, and blew the vehicle off its treads. The fuel compartment went up, and half a dozen Duregars fell out of the passenger compartment, bathed in flames.
Sea Swirl: "COMING THROUGH!"
Her and Colgate. Colgate had the RPG. Sea Swirl covered her with her Pershing, while Colgate readied the weapon. She fired at the remaining APC, and got a square hit on the side of the turret, blowing it open like a firecracker, which lit off the fuel compartment, and caused the whole vehicle to simply explode. A piece of the APC the size of an apple grazed my face, bouncing off the cobble stone about six inches (15cm) ahead of my skull. I felt the burn, and the trickle of warmth down my face, but I ignored it.
K: "ALL ADVANCE!" I called.
The APC's were shot out, their mobile bunkers were destroyed, and besides the one that was still shooting at us, they had nothing left besides themselves. We ran for it, firing off the hip now. We reached the decorative planters on the far side, pushing the Duregars back up the streets they'd come from.
K: "COVER FIRE!"
This gave the Pershing operators time to change belts. I pulled one out for Mac, and fed it to him from a leather pack on my hip, while I fired at a pair of Duregars trying to get into a house. I could feel Mac reloading the Pershing, and slap the bolt once he was done. He opened fire, letting me reload my rifle.
After a few more idle shots, it was all over.
K: "WEAPONS CHECK! BODY CHECK!"
Sea Swirl: "We're good!"
Forest Spirit: "Good here!"
Rarity: "We're fine, Darling! Dirty, but fine!"
K: "Alright, get on the horn, let base camp know that Tirek seems to have invented Armored Personnel Carriers." I said, advancing on the mobility killed APC.
I reached my Patton in and emptied the magazine, reloaded quickly, and turned the corner, picking off a Duregar that was merely wounded, manning the cannon, before climbing in. I could see where the copper penetrator had sliced through the thin armor of the APC, and dug out a nice channel. At least I knew our Walkers were effective against light armored vehicles.
I inspected the vehicle briefly, and made some notes. The engine on this one was ruined, but we could haul it back to the train yard on a wheel cart. I wanted this thing back in Equestria, I wanted it picked apart, and I wanted it improved. An APC ready-made for us? It was a dream - and now, Tirek and the Ponies were feeding off each other in Technology. But..
..where did he get this from?
Forest Spirit: "GENERAL!" He called me over.
I walked back to where he was - they had set up at the planters, using them as cover. Forest Spirit handed me the radio handset.
K: C> "Alpha Leader Actual, go."
Luna: C> "Alpha Leader Actual, this is Selene Actual. Naughty stallion - getting some without me? Over."
K: C> *Heh* "Hello, my dear. Yes, yes, I am. Send me a squad of troops. I have a couple objectives I need them to check. I'm.. assuming you brought troops with you? Over."
Luna: C> "Oh, a FEW.. they'll be there shortly, My General. Oh, and your little Body Guard refuses to leave her post until her General relieves her personally. Over." A giggle on Luna's part.
K: C> "Uh-huh. When she takes her nap, relieve her. Also, tell Westerly Wind to make sure one of his guns has Ballistic Capped ammunition ready. The enemy has armor. Over."
Luna: "Understood, My General. Anything else, over?"
K: "Negative at this point, Selene Actual. You have command of the Field Headquarters pending my return. Alpha Leader, out."
Luna: "Selene Actual, Nominal."
Forest Spirit: "Seems she arrived after all, General." He nodded with a small grin.
K: "No kidding. Sea Swirl?"
Sea Swirl: "Yes, K?"
K: "If you want to go back when the reinforcements get here, you're welcome to. You're a Naval officer - this isn't your gig." I shrugged.
Sea Swirl: "I'll stick it out, K." She shrugged, brushing a lock of hair off her shoulder. "After all, learning Infantry tactics might come in handy for a shore landing."
K: "Good point. Alright, everyone take five. Mac, you and me on watch."
Mac: "E'yup."
TIME: 07:47 GRT
LOCATION: Konigsplatz, Marelin, Germaneigh
Leading the "squad" of reinforcements was Sunshine Smile, Braeburn, Vigilance, and the Flower Girls. They were at the head of an actual squad of Luna's Night Guard. It was Cheerilee's Squad, but with Sunshine Smile in command.
Sunshine: "K." He greeted me with a hoof on the shoulder. "Seems Tirek wants Germaneigh out of the war."
K: "Seems like it. Alright.." I looked over at Luna's guards. "You guys have a radio?"
Sgt. Dogstar: "Yes, General." She was a dark grey pony, like most of the others in Luna's guard. Her Cutie Mark was a single star.
K: "Excellent. Get to the hospital, and evaluate conditions there. If they need evacuation, get them to the Train Yard. Get Luna's locomotive and the civilian one next to mine, ready to go."
Sgt. Dogstar: "Of course, General." Her squad moved off with a quickness.
Braeburn: "So, Cousin! What're we gonna do?" He gave me a grin.
K: "I'm switching some of you out. You, Sunshine and Vigilance with me in addition to Rarity, Colgate, Mac and Webley. Forest Spirit, take Sigmask, Sea Swirl and the Flower Girls and head up to the north-west entrance to the city, and see what's going on there. I'm going to take my unit and go to the northern entrance. I want to know if this is a general invasion or just another annoyance."
Forest Spirit: "Understood." He nodded, and collected his unit. They were off.
Mac: "Cousin." He patted Braeburn on the back. "Got a spare belt?"
Braeburn: "A'course! We loaded down with double ammo." He handed over a spare belt for the Pershing. "At least I c'n keep an eye on ya, now!"
K: "Uh-huh, and who's going to keep an eye on YOU, Braeburn?"
Braeburn: "HEY!"
Colgate, Webley & Rarity: *Giggle*
Vigilance: *Ahem* "Ready to move out, General." He handed over a couple of extra Walker rockets. I reloaded my launcher.
K: "Alright, let's go. Groups of four. Mac, Braeburn, Webley, Colgate. Me, Vigilance, Rarity, and Sunshine. Stay on either side of the street, stagger formation."
We headed out. I took a last look at the APC, and decided right then and there that we'd have parity or better with Tirek's rapidly advancing technology. We had to. Or we'd lose this war.
{End of Chapter 26}
