A Double-Edged Swordby sjasogunChapters1. Moving Out2. Gloomy Skies3. Arrival1. Moving OutDouble Edge was getting tired from standing at attention for so long, but as a Captain of the Royal Equestrian Army he refused to give in to something as trivial as sore muscles. As usual, Major Chevalier had picked them up well before sunrise to get to the meeting. As a result, he and his fellow captains, Razor Wing and Hawk Eye, had arrived first, nearly two hours before the meeting was supposed to start. And, strict as he was, the major had ordered all of them to stand at attention the entire time, as was required by the etiquette. Leaving later as to arrive at a more reasonable time was, of course, not negotiable. Not with Chevalier the Tightflank, as he and his fellow captains tended to call him. It seemed to take ages, but eventually the other majors and their captains began trickling in as well, five in total, including Major Chevalier. This surprised Double – it meant that the colonel had ordered all of the field officers of his regiment to this meeting. His companions were clearly as surprised as he was, but tried their best not to show it. Even the major shifted his weight a little as more people kept coming in. At long last, a messenger declared that the colonel was arriving and promptly left the room, leaving the gathering of majors and captains to wait alone. Soon enough, the colonel arrived. Double Edge saluted automatically, along with the rest of the officers. He had never actually met Colenel Steel Stallion in person, and had expected an old stallion, who held the rank because of his experience and intelligence rather than through his combat prowess. He was already sixty years old, after all. But now that he saw him in person, he had to revise that opinion. Radically. The colonel was huge, towering over everypony else in the room and despite his graying, rust-colored mane and clearly visible wrinkles he looked like he was strong enough to rip a griffon in half like a piece of rice paper. Double held back a gulp as the colonel turned towards them. Another pony that had entered the room after him, a fuchsia pegasus with a deep blue mane, reached into his saddlebags and put a scroll on the table, emblazoned with a wax seal that indicated that it had been sent by none other than the High Command itself. ”What in the world?” Double thought. The colonel levitated the scroll in front of him and dismissed his assistant with a wave of his hoof, who immediately galloped away. He cleared his throat, as if to silence the non-existing murmur in the room. With his magic he broke the seal on the scroll levitating tranquilly in front of him, giving of a faint yellow flash of light as it crumbled to ashes. He unfurled the scroll, cleared his throat again and began reading the letter. “To all colonels of the Royal Equestrian Army. It is with great regret that I must inform you that at approximately 1400 hours this afternoon the settlement of Bridelington situated close to our eastern borders was sacked by a troop of around forty griffons from the Triclaw clan.” The colonel grimaced as he read the last part. Even though the room had been dead silent the entire time, as was to be expected of military officers, this statement sparked up some murmur. The colonel raised his hoof to silence the room and continued reading the letter, albeit with a raspier and somewhat louder voice than before. “Although nopony was killed, this brazen attack on Equestrian citizens and grave violation of our mutual neutrality agreement cannot go unnoticed. Therefore, we, the High Command of the Royal Equestrian Army, with the approval of Her Royal Highnesses Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, have interpreted this as an act of war and have therefore declared war on the Griffon Empire. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna have prepared to announce this to the public this afternoon at 1800 hours. Until then, this information should remain secret. “You and your regiment are hereby called to Baltimare, where you will receive further orders. Signed, blahblahblah the entire High Command and the princesses themselves.” the colonel finished, pausing for a moment. “Well horseapples.” The room remained dead silent while Colonel Steel Stallion was apparently lost in thoughts for a few moments. A loud *bang* snapped everypony out of their trance – the colonel had struck the table with his hoof, leaving behind a visible dent. “Well, what are all of you slackers waiting for? Go and gather your troops! We’ll be leaving at sunset!” That was the final straw for the patience of the officers. The entire room went into somewhat of a controlled panic, the majors shouting orders at their captains before galloping outside with their subordinates hot on their tails. “Sir?” Hawk Eye asked with a tone that betrayed his unease, looking at their unmoving commander. “Sir? Major Cheva–” “I’ll go get the troops ready.” Hawk, startled by the major’s grim tone, stepped back. “But sir…” “You just go home and say goodbye to your families.” the major continued, not looking back to face them. “I’ll expect you at the base in one hour. Dismissed.” And with that, he stormed off, leaving them behind, wondering what had just happened. Razor was the first to react. “Well, we’d better not keep good old’ grumpy waiting!” he piped up, but the joke sounded even more grim than the major’s tone had. A few awkward moments passed before they all left, Razor and Hawk both flying off in different directions and Double galloping ahead, glad that he now had some time alone, so he could think, to make some kind of sense out of all this. The entire situation was beyond ridiculous. That was the only thing that raced through his mind. Aside from some hollow threats made by some of the more brash diplomats the griffons sent every now and then to complain about a thousand things to the princesses, the peace between the two countries had remained undisturbed for almost three centuries. And besides, if his memory served, even though it did come to a declaration of war back then as well it had ended up with both armies showing each other their muscles while negotiations were made, which had eventually resulted in the neutrality agreement between the two nations. It didn’t look like that was the case this time around, since just the sacking of that town was beyond anything that had come out of that particular conflict. ”Okay,” he thought to himself, ”what do they actually want out of this? They know very well that they can’t overrun Equestria, not without suffering crippling losses themselves. Despite having been at peace for so long Celestia had never allowed the Royal Army to shrink, not with the threats from the griffon diplomats hanging over her head, knowing fully well that they would only remain hollow threats as long as she made sure it was too dangerous for them to fulfil them. So why now? They’d been making these threats against Equestria for ages. “Perhaps,” he pondered, ”perhaps it is because of the incidents over the last years, especially the nearly successful Changeling invasion. Though they could interpret those incidents as having put the entire nation on high-alert, they could also have taken it as a sign of weakness. "Oh, ponyfeathers. If the army had just been able to handle the Changeling invasion this likely wouldn’t have happened. Or perhaps it would have, and the griffon monarch had just been looking for an excuse to start a war.” Double quickly shook this train of thought, as it would clearly not get him anywhere. Discovering why a war happened was a job for historians and perhaps politicians. His job as a captain was simply to lead his company of two-hundred soldiers into the battlefield to protect their country. Now that he actually formulated it that way in his mind, it scared him. In their peaceful country, war was just something out of the history books, even for a soldier like him. Nowadays the army only served to keep the borders preemptively occupied and to scare off any potential enemies by simply existing. That he would actually have to lead his troops into battle was something he’d never expected to do. But he was sure that, when the time would be there to go out there and do it, he would not hesitate, not for even one second. That’s why he held the rank he did. Soon he arrived at his house on the outskirts of Yanhoover. The house was vacant. Of course it was. He lived there all by himself. Looking around the empty house, he remembered the comment from the major. “You go home and say goodbye to your families.” Although his lack of romantic success had never bothered him too much before, it did now, though he couldn’t tell why. He didn’t have a wife and kids – so what? It was all for the better. If he would die on the battlefield – although he tried his best not to think about that possibility – at least he wouldn’t leave a widow behind, no foal to grow up without a father. He didn’t know how Hawk and Razor or any of the soldiers in his company had been able to join the Royal Army, despite knowing what consequences they might have to face if a conflict were to happen. It was not for that reason that he didn’t have a mare or foals, though. Most mares found him to be too withdrawn, too indifferent, too much of a “cold, emotionless Windigo” as he had once been called by Diamond Shimmer, the first mare with whom he’d had a long relationship. She had also been the last one. Double shook those thoughts off and started gathering his belongings. He found that he had very little to pack, since most of his equipment was back at the base. He didn’t have many personal belongings that he wanted to take, either. In fact, he found he had none. While almost all of the soldiers he knew had some sort of amulet, most often a photo of their loved ones – he had even heard of a soldier who never went anywhere without his stuffed animal – he didn’t have anything. That notion made him sad as well. What in Celestia was going on with him? Amulets were useless superstitions, nothing more, nothing less, and he didn’t need them. Now mad at himself for being so soppy, he left his house, slamming the door behind him. He wouldn’t come back there in seven years. 2. Gloomy SkiesThey met up at the conference hall at sunset, just as agreed. All of the majors and the captains from the meeting were there, but with one key difference. There were about three thousand soldiers extra, organized by battalion and company, each facing the colonel. The entire Sixth Regiment of the Royal Equestrian Army assembled. It was truly a sight to see. Double looked to his right to take a quick glance at Razor, who was undoubtedly itching to comment on – or, more likely, to joke about – this entire ordeal. He’d have to wait for that until it was time to set up camp though, as it was their job to make sure that their subordinates would refrain from joking until then as well. But even though Major Chevalier’s favorite pastime was complaining about Razor – more often than not when Razor was actually around himself – he had never been caught setting a bad example in front of his troops. In that respect, Razor was the perfect officer, both capable of keeping his subordinates in line as well as being genuinely liked by them. It was a tough balance to strike, but Razor seemed to do it naturally. He’d likely rise to the title of Colonel or even Brigadier one day. Double turned his attention back to the front again as Colonel Steel announced that they’d gallop up to Smokey Mountain where they would set up camp for the night. Then he galloped off. And at a tremendous speed, no less. They all stood there for a few moments, flabbergasted that the colonel had been so to-the-point – Double had expected a short speech at least – but quickly snapped out of it as one of the other majors and his battalion followed him without hesitating. Everypony was galloping at their fastest, trying to keep up with the colonel's speed, and so the two week long journey to Baltimare had begun. By the time they reached the place the colonel deemed good enough to set up camp it was already nearing midnight and everypony was panting heavily, not in the least because of the heavy gear they were carrying. The major wasted no time and called them to him for instructions on setting up camp. Truth to be told, Double had expected a group of three thousand ponies to have trouble setting up camp anywhere, but the colonel had clearly thought this out well; the valley they had set up camp in was immense, easily capable of containing three or four regiments, but was also rather barren, mostly consisting of solid rock. This environment had discouraged ponies from building a settlement here, but it was perfect for a group this large to set up camp. At long last, Double was able to lay himself to rest in his tent and fell asleep immediately. The rest of the journey proceeded mostly uneventfully. They had set up camp close to a city or town several times to restock on food and water for the road, but had never actually gone through one, probably to prevent alarming the citizens, who were already antsy because of these sudden developments. Not to say that there was no response from the citizens – far from that. The local foals often watched their busy camp from a distance, sometimes daring each other to approach them (none of them ever did). More often than not the mayor of the town would stop by and ask the colonel whether they could be of assistance in any way, although the answer would invariably be a polite ‘no’. The most memorable events both happened about halfway through their journey. The first was their stop at Ponyville, where there had been a small panic when the colonel had gone missing for almost two hours. Major Chevalier had been mental and had ordered their entire battalion to search Ponyville top to bottom. It had been pointless though, as the colonel met them when they were still on the way there, though, covered in confetti and angrily mumbling something to himself about ‘hyperactive youngsters’. The major had initially wanted to find the perpetrator and bring him to justice, but the colonel was adamant that it was both unnecessary and a complete waste of their time. Eventually he gave in, but since that evening Razor had been replaced as his favorite complaining subject. The second event might even have been more of a shock in retrospect. The next day at noon they encountered two griffons, apparently traveling vendors. They seemed anxious when they approached them, but honestly, who could blame them? Not only would they feel the guilt of their former compatriots starting a war against the country they now lived in, but they were also the ones who had the most to lose if the griffons were to win the war – although griffons who decided to emigrate weren’t considered traitors, it was very possible for that vision to change over the course of the war. Despite their anxiety they tried their best to sell them something, but nopony bought anything. It was an awkward moment for both of their groups as they moved on. That night the mood around the campfire had been very grim, the conversation often going silent. Even the major ran out of complaining material very quickly. All of them were glad when the major announced he would retire for the evening – that meant they were free to go as well without breaking the etiquette. While Hawk followed the major’s example and went to his tent, Razor went to look for other people to strike up a conversation with, and Double followed him. They didn’t have much luck. The first two groups they passed were completely silent and the third one was the source of a hushed discussion. Having nothing better to do and knowing they wouldn’t be able to sleep yet Razor and Double sat down with them, the soldiers respectfully moving aside as their superiors sat down. “Now, as I was saying,” a dark purple earth pony continued, taking a nervous glance at the two captains, “I really don’t see where you’re coming from, Flash. They started all of this, so what’s the problem?” “The problem is, Chariot,” a light yellow unicorn replied, clearly annoyed, “that those griffons we saw earlier today obviously aren’t like how you have been describing them as ruthless murderers the last couple of nights!” Oh. There you had it. Well, that issue had to come up at some point. “I mean, we all knew that you were boasting, and I wouldn’t even have minded if you’d just continued that tonight, but you crossed the line when you accused those friendly vendors of wanting us, in your words, ‘dead as much as the next griffon’!” Flash snorted, getting nods from most of the others in the circle, but some just stared at him angrily. “Well, what is to say they wouldn’t do it if they could without risking their own feathery flanks?” Chariot replied, now clearly angry too. “Well, what is to say they would?” Flash countered. “Look, if you want to underestimate our enemies, fine, but don’t come crying to me when one of those feathery murderers betrays you.” Chariot said mockingly. Flash stood up, followed immediately by Chariot, forgetting that there were two captains present. The rest of the soldiers were looking back and forth between the two seething ponies and their captains. Razor coughed, too loud to be credible, but it did the trick – the two noticed him, realized what they were doing and sat down again, for the time being content with shooting each other angry glares. Double sighed. “You’re both right.” he said, surprising them enough to turn their attention away from each other. “There is no reason to mistrust a griffon for being a griffon…” Flash looked smugly at Chariot, who opened his mouth to say something before Double interrupted him again. “… but you should also be wary of the fact that we are still at war with their nation. While I don’t think any griffon currently living in Equestria would be a threat you should think twice before trusting a griffon from the Empire, at least as long as this war is going on.” “Ha!” Chariot shouted triumphantly, but before Flash could respond Razor Wing got up. “That’s enough you two. You ought to be ashamed of yourselves. Didn’t they teach you in foaltergarten that everypony is unique? You can’t judge their entire species by how some of them act, not for worse but also not for the better. How would you like it to be compared to King Sombra?” Both Flash and Chariot looked at their hooves, clearly ashamed of their childish behavior. “And rightfully so.” Double thought. He spoke up again while standing up next to Razor. “I think it is time for all of us to retire for the night. We still have a long way ahead of us. Goodnight.” “G’night captain.” they echoed as Double and Razor walked off to their tents. When he got to his tent, though, Double found that he wasn’t able to sleep. This group of soldiers had learned their lesson, sure, but these kind of thoughts were bound to crop up again if they hadn’t already. But that was not that disturbed him. There had been something else going on, a general gloomy mood that had affected everypony. It had something to do with those griffon vendors, but he couldn’t pinpoint what it was about them that disturbed him. He trusted them alright, that was not the problem. Then what was it? Then, it hit him, and it was so obvious that he wondered why he hadn’t noticed it before. The griffons they would inevitably have to fight would have families. They would have left a family back at home, a family that would be torn apart if they were to die. Members of a clan, a social structure that, while not used in Equestria, he knew to be like a large family as well. Family even, however distantly, of those two friendly vendors. That was what had bothered him. That was what had bothered all of them that night. Most of them must’ve realized it sooner, but their meeting with those vendors this afternoon had suddenly made it all too real. Great Celestia, what had he gotten himself into? No, he reprimanded himself. That was another pointless train of thought – and he seemed to have a lot of those lately. He hadn’t even seen the frontlines yet, let alone killed somepony – somegriffon – yet. Yet. No, he shouldn’t think like that – it wasn’t even certain that their company would even have to do any fighting. For all he knew they would be kept in reserve for the entire duration of the war, if there would be any bloodshed at all! And even if it did come to that, there was no sense worrying over it now, nor would there be any sense worrying over it afterwards. He couldn’t predict the future nor resurrect the dead. His last, comforting thought before falling into a quiet, dreamless sleep was that it would all probably just blow over. That day, another hundred lives were lost in the battles. 3. ArrivalAt long last, they had arrived in Baltimare. Or, more specifically, in the massive army base a few kilometers further ahead. It was immense – they had been able to spot it before they had even reached the city itself. The colonel had been greeted by another colonel who had taken him and the five majors with him, while another pony, a bright orange pegasus, had showed them the spot where they could set up their tents for now. Double hadn’t actually seen the frontlines yet, which meant that this was just a central hub for all of the high-ranking officers to gather and direct everything from. That was to be expected – Bridelington, the town that had been the starting place of this entire mess was another half-day journey away. Despite this, Double was anxious. You didn’t have to be a genius to know what the colonel and the majors were getting briefed on. It was a bit strange, though. They had hardly heard anything concerning the war while on their journey, even though they did ask whether there was any news from the front any time they passed a settlement, but the locals seemed to know just as little as them. The only thing they knew for sure was that there had been fights already. Hopefully Major Chevalier would be able to shed some light on the matter once he got back. To have something on his hooves, Double decided to check up on the progress on the camp. Everything was going just fine, and the glum mood from a couple of days earlier seemed to have largely passed, being replaced with the expected anxiety of now actually being here, where everything was happening. Double specifically avoided thinking about the word 'war', because it'd just bring up all the issues connected to that, which was something he didn't need right now. It delighted Double to see Flash and Chariot cheerfully working together to set up a tent. So that was under control, at least for now. By the time Double got back to his tent the Major was already there, drinking a cup of coffee along with Razor and Hawk. Predictably, Hawk just had some ginseng tea. He claimed that it helped calm the mind, but after tasting it Double had thought that if you had a mind calm enough to withstand that taste, you wouldn't need the tea at all. Double sat down, happily took a sip from the hot coffee Razor had handed him and waited for the major to start talking. “The griffons are serious this time.” he said before pausing to take another sip of his coffee. He remained silent for a moment, looking at them as if to give them a chance to ask him a question. None of them did. He sighed, took another sip and continued, “The Third Regiment was the first to arrive here, about an hour after the incident. The griffons in Bridelington fled when they approached, but Colonel Brimstone ordered them to set up a defense perimeter around the town anyway. It was good that he did, since barely two hours later the rest of the Triclaw clan showed up, a group of about two thousand griffon soldiers.” An audible gasp from Razor interrupted him, while Hawk just frowned, as if somepony had just told him in all earnest that flowers could fly. Double just stared at him, dumbfounded. “Even though the Third Regiment had them outnumbered Colonel Brimstone had ordered a tactical retreat, since the town would inevitably have been destroyed if a battle between two groups that large were to happen. The griffons were content with occupying the town, too. Colonel Brimstone then sent out messengers to inform the generals of the situation.” The major paused again to give them an opportunity to ask a question, and this time somepony did. “So you mean to say,” Razor started angrily, “that they knew that the situation was like this before they sent out the letters to the colonels?” Major Chevalier uneasily moved around a bit on the spot, his coffee standing next to him, completely forgotten. “Well, yes. The colonel isn't happy about it either. He ordered us to leave, but we had only barely left before he started shouting at Brigadier Iliad.” The major coughed before continuing. "Anyway, after Bridelington had been occupied by the Triclaw clan, things worsened. By the time the Seventh and Twelfth regiment had arrived the Triclaw clan had been joined by three more clans that had taken over a stretch of coast spanning seven kilometers. Since then that area has grown by an order of magnitude." Razor slumped down, a defeated look etched into his face. "How?" he just asked. The major rubbed his temples with his hooves for a bit before he continued. "Consider this: the griffons have likely been planning this invasion for months. They were able to get their troops to the front faster than us. Only now, two weeks after the conflict started have we assembled our entire army, while they have had their full war-force here for much longer. There was not much else we could do besides retreating and setting up a line of defense. And that's not even the worst of it." "What could possibly be worse than that?" Razor asked, now not even bothering anymore to try and keep the dread out of his voice. "Although the intelligence division is still busy trying to figure out why, their army is much larger than we expected. In fact, their numbers rival ours and more reinforcements keep arriving every day. If they keep this up it'll be only a matter of time before they can simply overrun us." "What I would like to know," Hawk interjected as Razor opened his mouth to say something again, "is why they withheld crucial information from a senior officer such as the colonel in a crisis like this." "That's not important right now." Double said coolly before anypony else could say anything. He opened his mouth to continue, but shut it again. Had that hoarse, rasping sound been his voice? He cleared his throat and swallowed as well for good measure and continued. "What's important right now is what we are going to do about this threat. Doubting each other is counterproductive – nothing more, nothing less. Besides, we wouldn't have had any use for that information on the road here. We know it now, don't we? Then what's the problem? Let's just forget about that for now and focus our attention and strength on this war. So, major, what are our orders?" The major looked at Double, surprised at his outburst. "Well," he started, looking at Double, unsure, "we will be headed for the front ASAP. Too bad that you already set up camp, but we'll have to break it down again and get a move on. They desperately need the reinforcements right now." The group went quiet, none of them sure of what to say. The major noticed his – now cold – coffee and downed the rest in a single gulp. A few more uneasy minutes passed as they finished the rest of their drinks. Then Hawk got up. "I'll be getting my troops ready, then." The major waved his hoof at him to signify that he was dismissed. Hawk saluted and walked off. "You two should get going, too." the major said in a low voice. "Sir." Double and Razor saluted, and left, leaving the major behind, rubbing his temples. *** A couple of hours later they had arrived at the front. Compared to the communication and command camp they'd come from, this place was far more unorganized. Even though the tents were set up in orderly rows, that was about the only thing that could be considered orderly about the place. Ponies were running around everywhere, some pulling huge carts loaded with crates, huge stacks of blankets or even massive piles of sand and rocks. At one point they passed a huge tent marked with a red cross. The pegasus that was hastily carried in by two earth ponies in white suits, covered in bloodstained bandages satiated his curiosity about that place – the unfortunate soul had missed a wing. They were led to their campsite by a large, cobalt earth pony with thick bags under his eyes. The major opened his mouth to ask him something, but was interrupted by a loud, wailing noise. The cobalt pony cringed, but continued walking. "WHAT IS THAT TERRIBLE NOISE?" the major asked, barely able to make himself audible. "IT'S THE ALARM," the cobalt pony responded, "WHICH MEANS THAT THE GRIFFONS ARE ATTACKING AGAIN." That statement captured everypony's attention – all of them looked worriedly to their right, where the palisades that were quickly being filled up with ponies carrying bows were. As the archers withdrew their arrows, readying them for firing, Double could have sworn that he heard another sound through the alarm – a terrible, high-pitched shrieking sound. The noise of the alarm dimmed as they moved further away from it. By the time they had arrived at a clearing where they stopped it was below normal speaking voice in volume "This is where you may set up camp." the cobalt pony said. "And if you'll excuse me, I'm needed elsewhere." He saluted to the major and quickly galloped off. The major turned around to face his troops, his face completely devoid of the desperation that had been there at the command center. "Now, listen up you scumbags!" he thundered, surprisingly loud for such a small and – ahem – rounded pony. Everypony immediately jumped to attention. "When that alarm goes off again I want all of you to be ready for battle with this camp in ship-shape condition! If I spot anypony who isn't COM-PLETE-LY ready by then I will personally tie him to the outside of the palisades to catch the griffon's spears! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?" "YES SIR, MAJOR SIR!" was the uniform response, even from the three captains, who knew better than anypony else when the Chevalier the Tightflank was to be taken completely seriously. The camp was set up in no time at all, and hopefully for the last time, too. Double had gotten pretty sick of setting up and breaking down the camp every day. But he also suspected that he'd soon have lots of things he'd be sick of, probably literally, too. He chuckled, quickly raising his hoof to his face to hide it. It was rare for him to make jokes like that. He should accustom himself to making jokes every once in a while, to alleviate his gloomy mood sometimes. After all, everything ought either to move us to tears or to laughter. And out of those two, laughter was the preferable one by far. The major called them and their lieutenants to him. Double had three lieutenants under him, each in charge of a platoon of sixty to seventy men. Sharpness the pegasus, Rasputin the earth pony, and Starry Skies the unicorn. All three had their own strengths that made them exceptional on their own, but Double mostly prided himself in their ability when they worked together as a team – they complimented each other perfectly. If only they would be able to work together for more than three minutes without bickering. The major cleared his throat and addressed the gathering before him. "Our battalion has been assigned to section F-3. This means that we will be defending a stretch of wall about one hundred meters wide. The setup is as follows." He turned the chalk board around, showing a diagram of some sort. He gestured at it while giving them the instructions. "Our battalion will be divided into three groups, different from the normal companies we use. First, there is the archery division. They will be behind the wall with bows, shooting the attacking griffons before they get to the wall." Double repressed a shiver – this was real. This was happening. If not today, then tomorrow – it was inevitable that he would have to lead one of those divisions into combat, responsible for the lives of everypony in it. "The second division will be the lancer division. They will form a tight wall to catch the first griffon attacks. Because the griffons can fly this division will consist solely of pegasi. Their job is mainly to drive the griffons to the ground so the others can attack them." the major paused to look at his subordinates. "I can't stress the importance of this division. Their ability to fly gives the griffons a major edge over us. If they can fight unhindered from the sky we will have lost the battle already. "The third and final division will be the combat division. Their duty will be to attack the griffons as soon as the lancer division has driven them to the ground. Now, I have already decided which division each of you will be leading. Hawk, you will be in charge of the archer division." Hawk nodded, but didn't say anything. "That means you will have to lead the lancer division, Razor." "Yes sir!" Razor said energetically. "And that leaves the combat division to you, Double." Like Hawk, he only nodded. He had expected this division arrangement as soon as the major had finished explaining the last one. Naturally, Hawk would lead the archer division. Razor had once jokingly remarked that he was the reincarnation of Robin Hoof because of his skills with the bow and arrow. Besides being the only other pegasus captain – which pretty much defaulted him to the lancer division – Razor was the perfect man for a task that required great coordination. His men not only obeyed his every order unconditionally but he also had the ability to oversee large and complex situations and deconstruct them until only the bare bones were left, allowing him to solve the problem quickly and efficiently. As for himself... Well, Double didn't like bragging about himself, but he knew very well that the combat division suited him perfectly too. While Razor's job would be the most risky, they didn't actually have to fight any griffons seriously. Being driven back and not winning any ground on their opponents – while being the equivalent of losing in a normal fight – was of no concern for them. This meant they could – mostly – hide behind the safety of their shields. The combat division, however, would be all about timing. It was crucial to take the griffons off the hands of the lancers quickly. Otherwise the lancers would be unnecessarily endangered and the griffons might escape. And that timing, acting not when it was the easiest to do but when it was first possible to do it, that was Double's forte. Others often found him to be impatient, but that was beside the truth – he would never act so early that the chance of failure would outweigh the benefit of acting sooner. While that benefit was pretty low in everyday activities, it was considerably higher on the battlefield. His impeccable timing made Double a great commander. He couldn't suppress a grin – captains of the Royal Equestrian Army didn't get that title with a pack of oatmeal, that was for sure. While the griffons might have the advantage of flight, size, strength and inbuilt weapons and, if the current trend persisted, of numbers, they had the best of the best leading their troops. "No," Double thought, "there's no way a well-oiled machine like the Royal Equestrian Army can be overcome. And besides, they probably don't even have a very good organization anyway." He was wrong on both points.
1. Moving OutDouble Edge was getting tired from standing at attention for so long, but as a Captain of the Royal Equestrian Army he refused to give in to something as trivial as sore muscles. As usual, Major Chevalier had picked them up well before sunrise to get to the meeting. As a result, he and his fellow captains, Razor Wing and Hawk Eye, had arrived first, nearly two hours before the meeting was supposed to start. And, strict as he was, the major had ordered all of them to stand at attention the entire time, as was required by the etiquette. Leaving later as to arrive at a more reasonable time was, of course, not negotiable. Not with Chevalier the Tightflank, as he and his fellow captains tended to call him. It seemed to take ages, but eventually the other majors and their captains began trickling in as well, five in total, including Major Chevalier. This surprised Double – it meant that the colonel had ordered all of the field officers of his regiment to this meeting. His companions were clearly as surprised as he was, but tried their best not to show it. Even the major shifted his weight a little as more people kept coming in. At long last, a messenger declared that the colonel was arriving and promptly left the room, leaving the gathering of majors and captains to wait alone. Soon enough, the colonel arrived. Double Edge saluted automatically, along with the rest of the officers. He had never actually met Colenel Steel Stallion in person, and had expected an old stallion, who held the rank because of his experience and intelligence rather than through his combat prowess. He was already sixty years old, after all. But now that he saw him in person, he had to revise that opinion. Radically. The colonel was huge, towering over everypony else in the room and despite his graying, rust-colored mane and clearly visible wrinkles he looked like he was strong enough to rip a griffon in half like a piece of rice paper. Double held back a gulp as the colonel turned towards them. Another pony that had entered the room after him, a fuchsia pegasus with a deep blue mane, reached into his saddlebags and put a scroll on the table, emblazoned with a wax seal that indicated that it had been sent by none other than the High Command itself. ”What in the world?” Double thought. The colonel levitated the scroll in front of him and dismissed his assistant with a wave of his hoof, who immediately galloped away. He cleared his throat, as if to silence the non-existing murmur in the room. With his magic he broke the seal on the scroll levitating tranquilly in front of him, giving of a faint yellow flash of light as it crumbled to ashes. He unfurled the scroll, cleared his throat again and began reading the letter. “To all colonels of the Royal Equestrian Army. It is with great regret that I must inform you that at approximately 1400 hours this afternoon the settlement of Bridelington situated close to our eastern borders was sacked by a troop of around forty griffons from the Triclaw clan.” The colonel grimaced as he read the last part. Even though the room had been dead silent the entire time, as was to be expected of military officers, this statement sparked up some murmur. The colonel raised his hoof to silence the room and continued reading the letter, albeit with a raspier and somewhat louder voice than before. “Although nopony was killed, this brazen attack on Equestrian citizens and grave violation of our mutual neutrality agreement cannot go unnoticed. Therefore, we, the High Command of the Royal Equestrian Army, with the approval of Her Royal Highnesses Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, have interpreted this as an act of war and have therefore declared war on the Griffon Empire. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna have prepared to announce this to the public this afternoon at 1800 hours. Until then, this information should remain secret. “You and your regiment are hereby called to Baltimare, where you will receive further orders. Signed, blahblahblah the entire High Command and the princesses themselves.” the colonel finished, pausing for a moment. “Well horseapples.” The room remained dead silent while Colonel Steel Stallion was apparently lost in thoughts for a few moments. A loud *bang* snapped everypony out of their trance – the colonel had struck the table with his hoof, leaving behind a visible dent. “Well, what are all of you slackers waiting for? Go and gather your troops! We’ll be leaving at sunset!” That was the final straw for the patience of the officers. The entire room went into somewhat of a controlled panic, the majors shouting orders at their captains before galloping outside with their subordinates hot on their tails. “Sir?” Hawk Eye asked with a tone that betrayed his unease, looking at their unmoving commander. “Sir? Major Cheva–” “I’ll go get the troops ready.” Hawk, startled by the major’s grim tone, stepped back. “But sir…” “You just go home and say goodbye to your families.” the major continued, not looking back to face them. “I’ll expect you at the base in one hour. Dismissed.” And with that, he stormed off, leaving them behind, wondering what had just happened. Razor was the first to react. “Well, we’d better not keep good old’ grumpy waiting!” he piped up, but the joke sounded even more grim than the major’s tone had. A few awkward moments passed before they all left, Razor and Hawk both flying off in different directions and Double galloping ahead, glad that he now had some time alone, so he could think, to make some kind of sense out of all this. The entire situation was beyond ridiculous. That was the only thing that raced through his mind. Aside from some hollow threats made by some of the more brash diplomats the griffons sent every now and then to complain about a thousand things to the princesses, the peace between the two countries had remained undisturbed for almost three centuries. And besides, if his memory served, even though it did come to a declaration of war back then as well it had ended up with both armies showing each other their muscles while negotiations were made, which had eventually resulted in the neutrality agreement between the two nations. It didn’t look like that was the case this time around, since just the sacking of that town was beyond anything that had come out of that particular conflict. ”Okay,” he thought to himself, ”what do they actually want out of this? They know very well that they can’t overrun Equestria, not without suffering crippling losses themselves. Despite having been at peace for so long Celestia had never allowed the Royal Army to shrink, not with the threats from the griffon diplomats hanging over her head, knowing fully well that they would only remain hollow threats as long as she made sure it was too dangerous for them to fulfil them. So why now? They’d been making these threats against Equestria for ages. “Perhaps,” he pondered, ”perhaps it is because of the incidents over the last years, especially the nearly successful Changeling invasion. Though they could interpret those incidents as having put the entire nation on high-alert, they could also have taken it as a sign of weakness. "Oh, ponyfeathers. If the army had just been able to handle the Changeling invasion this likely wouldn’t have happened. Or perhaps it would have, and the griffon monarch had just been looking for an excuse to start a war.” Double quickly shook this train of thought, as it would clearly not get him anywhere. Discovering why a war happened was a job for historians and perhaps politicians. His job as a captain was simply to lead his company of two-hundred soldiers into the battlefield to protect their country. Now that he actually formulated it that way in his mind, it scared him. In their peaceful country, war was just something out of the history books, even for a soldier like him. Nowadays the army only served to keep the borders preemptively occupied and to scare off any potential enemies by simply existing. That he would actually have to lead his troops into battle was something he’d never expected to do. But he was sure that, when the time would be there to go out there and do it, he would not hesitate, not for even one second. That’s why he held the rank he did. Soon he arrived at his house on the outskirts of Yanhoover. The house was vacant. Of course it was. He lived there all by himself. Looking around the empty house, he remembered the comment from the major. “You go home and say goodbye to your families.” Although his lack of romantic success had never bothered him too much before, it did now, though he couldn’t tell why. He didn’t have a wife and kids – so what? It was all for the better. If he would die on the battlefield – although he tried his best not to think about that possibility – at least he wouldn’t leave a widow behind, no foal to grow up without a father. He didn’t know how Hawk and Razor or any of the soldiers in his company had been able to join the Royal Army, despite knowing what consequences they might have to face if a conflict were to happen. It was not for that reason that he didn’t have a mare or foals, though. Most mares found him to be too withdrawn, too indifferent, too much of a “cold, emotionless Windigo” as he had once been called by Diamond Shimmer, the first mare with whom he’d had a long relationship. She had also been the last one. Double shook those thoughts off and started gathering his belongings. He found that he had very little to pack, since most of his equipment was back at the base. He didn’t have many personal belongings that he wanted to take, either. In fact, he found he had none. While almost all of the soldiers he knew had some sort of amulet, most often a photo of their loved ones – he had even heard of a soldier who never went anywhere without his stuffed animal – he didn’t have anything. That notion made him sad as well. What in Celestia was going on with him? Amulets were useless superstitions, nothing more, nothing less, and he didn’t need them. Now mad at himself for being so soppy, he left his house, slamming the door behind him. He wouldn’t come back there in seven years.
2. Gloomy SkiesThey met up at the conference hall at sunset, just as agreed. All of the majors and the captains from the meeting were there, but with one key difference. There were about three thousand soldiers extra, organized by battalion and company, each facing the colonel. The entire Sixth Regiment of the Royal Equestrian Army assembled. It was truly a sight to see. Double looked to his right to take a quick glance at Razor, who was undoubtedly itching to comment on – or, more likely, to joke about – this entire ordeal. He’d have to wait for that until it was time to set up camp though, as it was their job to make sure that their subordinates would refrain from joking until then as well. But even though Major Chevalier’s favorite pastime was complaining about Razor – more often than not when Razor was actually around himself – he had never been caught setting a bad example in front of his troops. In that respect, Razor was the perfect officer, both capable of keeping his subordinates in line as well as being genuinely liked by them. It was a tough balance to strike, but Razor seemed to do it naturally. He’d likely rise to the title of Colonel or even Brigadier one day. Double turned his attention back to the front again as Colonel Steel announced that they’d gallop up to Smokey Mountain where they would set up camp for the night. Then he galloped off. And at a tremendous speed, no less. They all stood there for a few moments, flabbergasted that the colonel had been so to-the-point – Double had expected a short speech at least – but quickly snapped out of it as one of the other majors and his battalion followed him without hesitating. Everypony was galloping at their fastest, trying to keep up with the colonel's speed, and so the two week long journey to Baltimare had begun. By the time they reached the place the colonel deemed good enough to set up camp it was already nearing midnight and everypony was panting heavily, not in the least because of the heavy gear they were carrying. The major wasted no time and called them to him for instructions on setting up camp. Truth to be told, Double had expected a group of three thousand ponies to have trouble setting up camp anywhere, but the colonel had clearly thought this out well; the valley they had set up camp in was immense, easily capable of containing three or four regiments, but was also rather barren, mostly consisting of solid rock. This environment had discouraged ponies from building a settlement here, but it was perfect for a group this large to set up camp. At long last, Double was able to lay himself to rest in his tent and fell asleep immediately. The rest of the journey proceeded mostly uneventfully. They had set up camp close to a city or town several times to restock on food and water for the road, but had never actually gone through one, probably to prevent alarming the citizens, who were already antsy because of these sudden developments. Not to say that there was no response from the citizens – far from that. The local foals often watched their busy camp from a distance, sometimes daring each other to approach them (none of them ever did). More often than not the mayor of the town would stop by and ask the colonel whether they could be of assistance in any way, although the answer would invariably be a polite ‘no’. The most memorable events both happened about halfway through their journey. The first was their stop at Ponyville, where there had been a small panic when the colonel had gone missing for almost two hours. Major Chevalier had been mental and had ordered their entire battalion to search Ponyville top to bottom. It had been pointless though, as the colonel met them when they were still on the way there, though, covered in confetti and angrily mumbling something to himself about ‘hyperactive youngsters’. The major had initially wanted to find the perpetrator and bring him to justice, but the colonel was adamant that it was both unnecessary and a complete waste of their time. Eventually he gave in, but since that evening Razor had been replaced as his favorite complaining subject. The second event might even have been more of a shock in retrospect. The next day at noon they encountered two griffons, apparently traveling vendors. They seemed anxious when they approached them, but honestly, who could blame them? Not only would they feel the guilt of their former compatriots starting a war against the country they now lived in, but they were also the ones who had the most to lose if the griffons were to win the war – although griffons who decided to emigrate weren’t considered traitors, it was very possible for that vision to change over the course of the war. Despite their anxiety they tried their best to sell them something, but nopony bought anything. It was an awkward moment for both of their groups as they moved on. That night the mood around the campfire had been very grim, the conversation often going silent. Even the major ran out of complaining material very quickly. All of them were glad when the major announced he would retire for the evening – that meant they were free to go as well without breaking the etiquette. While Hawk followed the major’s example and went to his tent, Razor went to look for other people to strike up a conversation with, and Double followed him. They didn’t have much luck. The first two groups they passed were completely silent and the third one was the source of a hushed discussion. Having nothing better to do and knowing they wouldn’t be able to sleep yet Razor and Double sat down with them, the soldiers respectfully moving aside as their superiors sat down. “Now, as I was saying,” a dark purple earth pony continued, taking a nervous glance at the two captains, “I really don’t see where you’re coming from, Flash. They started all of this, so what’s the problem?” “The problem is, Chariot,” a light yellow unicorn replied, clearly annoyed, “that those griffons we saw earlier today obviously aren’t like how you have been describing them as ruthless murderers the last couple of nights!” Oh. There you had it. Well, that issue had to come up at some point. “I mean, we all knew that you were boasting, and I wouldn’t even have minded if you’d just continued that tonight, but you crossed the line when you accused those friendly vendors of wanting us, in your words, ‘dead as much as the next griffon’!” Flash snorted, getting nods from most of the others in the circle, but some just stared at him angrily. “Well, what is to say they wouldn’t do it if they could without risking their own feathery flanks?” Chariot replied, now clearly angry too. “Well, what is to say they would?” Flash countered. “Look, if you want to underestimate our enemies, fine, but don’t come crying to me when one of those feathery murderers betrays you.” Chariot said mockingly. Flash stood up, followed immediately by Chariot, forgetting that there were two captains present. The rest of the soldiers were looking back and forth between the two seething ponies and their captains. Razor coughed, too loud to be credible, but it did the trick – the two noticed him, realized what they were doing and sat down again, for the time being content with shooting each other angry glares. Double sighed. “You’re both right.” he said, surprising them enough to turn their attention away from each other. “There is no reason to mistrust a griffon for being a griffon…” Flash looked smugly at Chariot, who opened his mouth to say something before Double interrupted him again. “… but you should also be wary of the fact that we are still at war with their nation. While I don’t think any griffon currently living in Equestria would be a threat you should think twice before trusting a griffon from the Empire, at least as long as this war is going on.” “Ha!” Chariot shouted triumphantly, but before Flash could respond Razor Wing got up. “That’s enough you two. You ought to be ashamed of yourselves. Didn’t they teach you in foaltergarten that everypony is unique? You can’t judge their entire species by how some of them act, not for worse but also not for the better. How would you like it to be compared to King Sombra?” Both Flash and Chariot looked at their hooves, clearly ashamed of their childish behavior. “And rightfully so.” Double thought. He spoke up again while standing up next to Razor. “I think it is time for all of us to retire for the night. We still have a long way ahead of us. Goodnight.” “G’night captain.” they echoed as Double and Razor walked off to their tents. When he got to his tent, though, Double found that he wasn’t able to sleep. This group of soldiers had learned their lesson, sure, but these kind of thoughts were bound to crop up again if they hadn’t already. But that was not that disturbed him. There had been something else going on, a general gloomy mood that had affected everypony. It had something to do with those griffon vendors, but he couldn’t pinpoint what it was about them that disturbed him. He trusted them alright, that was not the problem. Then what was it? Then, it hit him, and it was so obvious that he wondered why he hadn’t noticed it before. The griffons they would inevitably have to fight would have families. They would have left a family back at home, a family that would be torn apart if they were to die. Members of a clan, a social structure that, while not used in Equestria, he knew to be like a large family as well. Family even, however distantly, of those two friendly vendors. That was what had bothered him. That was what had bothered all of them that night. Most of them must’ve realized it sooner, but their meeting with those vendors this afternoon had suddenly made it all too real. Great Celestia, what had he gotten himself into? No, he reprimanded himself. That was another pointless train of thought – and he seemed to have a lot of those lately. He hadn’t even seen the frontlines yet, let alone killed somepony – somegriffon – yet. Yet. No, he shouldn’t think like that – it wasn’t even certain that their company would even have to do any fighting. For all he knew they would be kept in reserve for the entire duration of the war, if there would be any bloodshed at all! And even if it did come to that, there was no sense worrying over it now, nor would there be any sense worrying over it afterwards. He couldn’t predict the future nor resurrect the dead. His last, comforting thought before falling into a quiet, dreamless sleep was that it would all probably just blow over. That day, another hundred lives were lost in the battles.
3. ArrivalAt long last, they had arrived in Baltimare. Or, more specifically, in the massive army base a few kilometers further ahead. It was immense – they had been able to spot it before they had even reached the city itself. The colonel had been greeted by another colonel who had taken him and the five majors with him, while another pony, a bright orange pegasus, had showed them the spot where they could set up their tents for now. Double hadn’t actually seen the frontlines yet, which meant that this was just a central hub for all of the high-ranking officers to gather and direct everything from. That was to be expected – Bridelington, the town that had been the starting place of this entire mess was another half-day journey away. Despite this, Double was anxious. You didn’t have to be a genius to know what the colonel and the majors were getting briefed on. It was a bit strange, though. They had hardly heard anything concerning the war while on their journey, even though they did ask whether there was any news from the front any time they passed a settlement, but the locals seemed to know just as little as them. The only thing they knew for sure was that there had been fights already. Hopefully Major Chevalier would be able to shed some light on the matter once he got back. To have something on his hooves, Double decided to check up on the progress on the camp. Everything was going just fine, and the glum mood from a couple of days earlier seemed to have largely passed, being replaced with the expected anxiety of now actually being here, where everything was happening. Double specifically avoided thinking about the word 'war', because it'd just bring up all the issues connected to that, which was something he didn't need right now. It delighted Double to see Flash and Chariot cheerfully working together to set up a tent. So that was under control, at least for now. By the time Double got back to his tent the Major was already there, drinking a cup of coffee along with Razor and Hawk. Predictably, Hawk just had some ginseng tea. He claimed that it helped calm the mind, but after tasting it Double had thought that if you had a mind calm enough to withstand that taste, you wouldn't need the tea at all. Double sat down, happily took a sip from the hot coffee Razor had handed him and waited for the major to start talking. “The griffons are serious this time.” he said before pausing to take another sip of his coffee. He remained silent for a moment, looking at them as if to give them a chance to ask him a question. None of them did. He sighed, took another sip and continued, “The Third Regiment was the first to arrive here, about an hour after the incident. The griffons in Bridelington fled when they approached, but Colonel Brimstone ordered them to set up a defense perimeter around the town anyway. It was good that he did, since barely two hours later the rest of the Triclaw clan showed up, a group of about two thousand griffon soldiers.” An audible gasp from Razor interrupted him, while Hawk just frowned, as if somepony had just told him in all earnest that flowers could fly. Double just stared at him, dumbfounded. “Even though the Third Regiment had them outnumbered Colonel Brimstone had ordered a tactical retreat, since the town would inevitably have been destroyed if a battle between two groups that large were to happen. The griffons were content with occupying the town, too. Colonel Brimstone then sent out messengers to inform the generals of the situation.” The major paused again to give them an opportunity to ask a question, and this time somepony did. “So you mean to say,” Razor started angrily, “that they knew that the situation was like this before they sent out the letters to the colonels?” Major Chevalier uneasily moved around a bit on the spot, his coffee standing next to him, completely forgotten. “Well, yes. The colonel isn't happy about it either. He ordered us to leave, but we had only barely left before he started shouting at Brigadier Iliad.” The major coughed before continuing. "Anyway, after Bridelington had been occupied by the Triclaw clan, things worsened. By the time the Seventh and Twelfth regiment had arrived the Triclaw clan had been joined by three more clans that had taken over a stretch of coast spanning seven kilometers. Since then that area has grown by an order of magnitude." Razor slumped down, a defeated look etched into his face. "How?" he just asked. The major rubbed his temples with his hooves for a bit before he continued. "Consider this: the griffons have likely been planning this invasion for months. They were able to get their troops to the front faster than us. Only now, two weeks after the conflict started have we assembled our entire army, while they have had their full war-force here for much longer. There was not much else we could do besides retreating and setting up a line of defense. And that's not even the worst of it." "What could possibly be worse than that?" Razor asked, now not even bothering anymore to try and keep the dread out of his voice. "Although the intelligence division is still busy trying to figure out why, their army is much larger than we expected. In fact, their numbers rival ours and more reinforcements keep arriving every day. If they keep this up it'll be only a matter of time before they can simply overrun us." "What I would like to know," Hawk interjected as Razor opened his mouth to say something again, "is why they withheld crucial information from a senior officer such as the colonel in a crisis like this." "That's not important right now." Double said coolly before anypony else could say anything. He opened his mouth to continue, but shut it again. Had that hoarse, rasping sound been his voice? He cleared his throat and swallowed as well for good measure and continued. "What's important right now is what we are going to do about this threat. Doubting each other is counterproductive – nothing more, nothing less. Besides, we wouldn't have had any use for that information on the road here. We know it now, don't we? Then what's the problem? Let's just forget about that for now and focus our attention and strength on this war. So, major, what are our orders?" The major looked at Double, surprised at his outburst. "Well," he started, looking at Double, unsure, "we will be headed for the front ASAP. Too bad that you already set up camp, but we'll have to break it down again and get a move on. They desperately need the reinforcements right now." The group went quiet, none of them sure of what to say. The major noticed his – now cold – coffee and downed the rest in a single gulp. A few more uneasy minutes passed as they finished the rest of their drinks. Then Hawk got up. "I'll be getting my troops ready, then." The major waved his hoof at him to signify that he was dismissed. Hawk saluted and walked off. "You two should get going, too." the major said in a low voice. "Sir." Double and Razor saluted, and left, leaving the major behind, rubbing his temples. *** A couple of hours later they had arrived at the front. Compared to the communication and command camp they'd come from, this place was far more unorganized. Even though the tents were set up in orderly rows, that was about the only thing that could be considered orderly about the place. Ponies were running around everywhere, some pulling huge carts loaded with crates, huge stacks of blankets or even massive piles of sand and rocks. At one point they passed a huge tent marked with a red cross. The pegasus that was hastily carried in by two earth ponies in white suits, covered in bloodstained bandages satiated his curiosity about that place – the unfortunate soul had missed a wing. They were led to their campsite by a large, cobalt earth pony with thick bags under his eyes. The major opened his mouth to ask him something, but was interrupted by a loud, wailing noise. The cobalt pony cringed, but continued walking. "WHAT IS THAT TERRIBLE NOISE?" the major asked, barely able to make himself audible. "IT'S THE ALARM," the cobalt pony responded, "WHICH MEANS THAT THE GRIFFONS ARE ATTACKING AGAIN." That statement captured everypony's attention – all of them looked worriedly to their right, where the palisades that were quickly being filled up with ponies carrying bows were. As the archers withdrew their arrows, readying them for firing, Double could have sworn that he heard another sound through the alarm – a terrible, high-pitched shrieking sound. The noise of the alarm dimmed as they moved further away from it. By the time they had arrived at a clearing where they stopped it was below normal speaking voice in volume "This is where you may set up camp." the cobalt pony said. "And if you'll excuse me, I'm needed elsewhere." He saluted to the major and quickly galloped off. The major turned around to face his troops, his face completely devoid of the desperation that had been there at the command center. "Now, listen up you scumbags!" he thundered, surprisingly loud for such a small and – ahem – rounded pony. Everypony immediately jumped to attention. "When that alarm goes off again I want all of you to be ready for battle with this camp in ship-shape condition! If I spot anypony who isn't COM-PLETE-LY ready by then I will personally tie him to the outside of the palisades to catch the griffon's spears! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?" "YES SIR, MAJOR SIR!" was the uniform response, even from the three captains, who knew better than anypony else when the Chevalier the Tightflank was to be taken completely seriously. The camp was set up in no time at all, and hopefully for the last time, too. Double had gotten pretty sick of setting up and breaking down the camp every day. But he also suspected that he'd soon have lots of things he'd be sick of, probably literally, too. He chuckled, quickly raising his hoof to his face to hide it. It was rare for him to make jokes like that. He should accustom himself to making jokes every once in a while, to alleviate his gloomy mood sometimes. After all, everything ought either to move us to tears or to laughter. And out of those two, laughter was the preferable one by far. The major called them and their lieutenants to him. Double had three lieutenants under him, each in charge of a platoon of sixty to seventy men. Sharpness the pegasus, Rasputin the earth pony, and Starry Skies the unicorn. All three had their own strengths that made them exceptional on their own, but Double mostly prided himself in their ability when they worked together as a team – they complimented each other perfectly. If only they would be able to work together for more than three minutes without bickering. The major cleared his throat and addressed the gathering before him. "Our battalion has been assigned to section F-3. This means that we will be defending a stretch of wall about one hundred meters wide. The setup is as follows." He turned the chalk board around, showing a diagram of some sort. He gestured at it while giving them the instructions. "Our battalion will be divided into three groups, different from the normal companies we use. First, there is the archery division. They will be behind the wall with bows, shooting the attacking griffons before they get to the wall." Double repressed a shiver – this was real. This was happening. If not today, then tomorrow – it was inevitable that he would have to lead one of those divisions into combat, responsible for the lives of everypony in it. "The second division will be the lancer division. They will form a tight wall to catch the first griffon attacks. Because the griffons can fly this division will consist solely of pegasi. Their job is mainly to drive the griffons to the ground so the others can attack them." the major paused to look at his subordinates. "I can't stress the importance of this division. Their ability to fly gives the griffons a major edge over us. If they can fight unhindered from the sky we will have lost the battle already. "The third and final division will be the combat division. Their duty will be to attack the griffons as soon as the lancer division has driven them to the ground. Now, I have already decided which division each of you will be leading. Hawk, you will be in charge of the archer division." Hawk nodded, but didn't say anything. "That means you will have to lead the lancer division, Razor." "Yes sir!" Razor said energetically. "And that leaves the combat division to you, Double." Like Hawk, he only nodded. He had expected this division arrangement as soon as the major had finished explaining the last one. Naturally, Hawk would lead the archer division. Razor had once jokingly remarked that he was the reincarnation of Robin Hoof because of his skills with the bow and arrow. Besides being the only other pegasus captain – which pretty much defaulted him to the lancer division – Razor was the perfect man for a task that required great coordination. His men not only obeyed his every order unconditionally but he also had the ability to oversee large and complex situations and deconstruct them until only the bare bones were left, allowing him to solve the problem quickly and efficiently. As for himself... Well, Double didn't like bragging about himself, but he knew very well that the combat division suited him perfectly too. While Razor's job would be the most risky, they didn't actually have to fight any griffons seriously. Being driven back and not winning any ground on their opponents – while being the equivalent of losing in a normal fight – was of no concern for them. This meant they could – mostly – hide behind the safety of their shields. The combat division, however, would be all about timing. It was crucial to take the griffons off the hands of the lancers quickly. Otherwise the lancers would be unnecessarily endangered and the griffons might escape. And that timing, acting not when it was the easiest to do but when it was first possible to do it, that was Double's forte. Others often found him to be impatient, but that was beside the truth – he would never act so early that the chance of failure would outweigh the benefit of acting sooner. While that benefit was pretty low in everyday activities, it was considerably higher on the battlefield. His impeccable timing made Double a great commander. He couldn't suppress a grin – captains of the Royal Equestrian Army didn't get that title with a pack of oatmeal, that was for sure. While the griffons might have the advantage of flight, size, strength and inbuilt weapons and, if the current trend persisted, of numbers, they had the best of the best leading their troops. "No," Double thought, "there's no way a well-oiled machine like the Royal Equestrian Army can be overcome. And besides, they probably don't even have a very good organization anyway." He was wrong on both points.
