Author's Note

So begins the war games saga. This act will take place over the next 4 chapters and I plan to release them all this week in quick succession.

Thanks again to Robokirby for editing and pre-reading support! You're awesome man.

Also, thanks to my loyal readers who have waited far too long for this release, I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 15: War Games Day 1, Part I

*Ring, Ring, Ring*

The small alarm on Jack's nightstand began its usual wake up dance as the bell inside rapped against the outer hull. Across the room, Jack turned and made note of the noisy contraption moving about his night stand. A sigh escaped his lips.

He was currently in the middle of attaching a rather awkward wayward strap on his chest plate and the alarm clock made it very difficult to focus. Finally, he was forced to give into the annoying metal imp. Letting go of the strap he walked to the small mechanical device. Lacking the necessary securing strap, his armor plate bounced off his chest with an uncomfortable procession as he step.

The path through his room was clear and neat, like the rest. It was a complete change from only a few months ago. Over these past several months, there were times where Jack would wonder what had changed in him and his life. Even after several nights of soul searching it seemed that the particular reason, what ever it was, was beyond him.

Picking up the clock, he pushed the small metal plunger on it's top, silencing the annoying sound. He stared at the time on the front plate noticing it read 6 o'clock, in the morning. Quite an early time for any Night Guard to be waking up, most would be just getting done their shifts by now, and heading off to bed or the local pub. Even more surprising was that he had managed to get up before the alarm even went off. A combination of nerves and excitement had seen to that.

With the alarm silenced, Jack was able to concentrate on the armor and was finally able to attach the side strap that had given him so much trouble. Wandering back to the front of his mirror, Jack couldn't help but examine the new armor he had been given and how well it fit. A smile crossed his lips as he read the new tag under the Night Guard seal, "Jack O’Connell, Guardsman 1st Class".

In truth, it was just his old suit, just professionally polished and patched up. His old insignia had been removed and the new one inscribed on the front. It was made of the same materials, the same metal, although it did have the new straps put on. All in all, the suit should have weighed the same as before, and yet for some reason, it felt lighter when he wore it.

Continuing to stare into his mirror self, Jack's mind drifted as he thought about what the next few days would bring. The Royal War Games started today, as they had for the past several thousand years. Every season the four major branches of the guards would get together just outside Canterlot to have a mock battle, a war game. The motivation for the games was that it keep them all sharp and gave each branch a chance to show off their tactics to each other. Though in recent memory it had turned more into a spectacle, at least from what Fire Wall had said. Given the state of the town and some of local bars over the past week, Fire Wall could very well be right.

Laughing a bit, Jack remembered how the Midnight Well reacted to the games starting up. On the back of the bar, they had hung a large "Game board", and set up an unofficial betting pool that was linked with some of the other local bars.

The whole reaction of the bar and it's neighbors was almost absurd. Of course it wasn't so absurd that Jack could resist placing his own bet on his team. He still didn't understand why everyone had laughed at him when he put his money on the table. Or why Star had hit at the time, calling him a "Bucking idiot." No one from his squad had made a bet on the Night Guard, a few even bet against them, which had seemed rather defeatist. Most of the them just shrugged when he pushed or stated that “it was a waste of a bit to bet on the Night Guard”.

Each branch was allowed to form one team, headed by one captain, four teams in total so hence up to four bets could be made. Team sizes were a bit odd, each team could have up to two hundred Guards on it. 'Two hundred', Jack paused to think about that number for a moment. In all his time with the Night Guard, he hadn't remembered seeing even a hundred Night Guards, much less two.

His gaze drifted from the mirror to a large faux leather bound book by his dresser. The book was a gift, given to him by Twilight just over two weeks ago; A guide book for the games. In it was a list of basic rules and regulations regarding how the game was supposed to be setup and run along with a brief history of the recent games. Opening the book to the first page, Jack found a lose sheet of parchment paper tucked into it's binding. The sheet was covered in the tiny scribblings of his own making. A set of notes that could prove useful during the game, a cheat sheet as it might have been known back on earth.

Taking them out of the book he gave the notes another once over. The game style was a capture the flag variant, with a real flag in the center of the field kept inside of a small artificial cave. The flag was enchanted to glow brightly so everyone could see where it was, even at night. The enchantment also sapped local mana which prevented levitating or teleporting spells anywhere near it, and especially with it. Inside of the rather large staff was pure lead, making it weight more than twice a single pony. The weight and enchantments made it difficult for even earth ponies to carry it, and impossible to fly with.

The game could be won in one of three ways: the flag could be brought back to the starting gate, the team who did so would win; All other teams could be defeated or captured, and the last team standing would be declared the winner; Or lastly, at the end of the three days, the team with the most captures or confirmed kills would win. In the past twenty years, only one game had gone the full three days, and that was because the flag was somehow lost, though the book didn't explain how.

Jack's mind began to drift back to the book and for a moment, he was tempted to try and bring the whole thing with him. Though he didn't want to lose it on the battlefield. 'Poor Twilight would be heart broken to hear of anything bad happening to her book', Jack chuckled to himself as he remembered Twilight grieving over a simple broken binding not that long ago.

*Ring, Ring, Ring*

The alarm clock on Jack's stand started going off once more, bringing Jack out of his day dreams. It was an extra alarm cycle that he had forgotten about. It was supposed to remind him he needed to rush. Since he had gotten up so early there was nothing left to rush, so the alarm was mostly superfluous, though it did snap him out of his trance.

Pausing, he quickly thought about all the things he had to do before he left, his mind ran down a short mental checklist. Everything he needed to do was done, and he had everything he'd need on him already.

Technically he still had some time, but it would probably be best to start the day early. Besides, the kitchen was no doubt packed this morning with all the visiting Guards. If he didn't leave a bit early there might be nothing left for him to eat. With one final glance at the parchment in hand, he began to fold it a few times before stuffing the paper into his right breast plate, where it would be snug and secure.

Picking up his helmet, Jack made his way out of the room, making sure to shut off the alarm before he left. Almost immediately he was greeted by a few of the bat ponies from his Night Guard squad, all of whom seem to have the same idea as he did. Perhaps most surprising of the lot was Star Screech who noticed him and trotted up to walk next to her human companion.

"Well, don't we look serious this morning?" She mocked.

Jack returned the sentiment, "The only time I ever saw you up this early you were on your back."

Star hit Jack in the back of his leg where his armor was weakest. Looking down at the rude and aggressive pony, she had a slight smirk on her muzzle as she stuck her tongue out giving him the 'raspberries'. Beneath her fur. a slight blush could be seen.

"Jerk." She spoke between her fangs.

The two continued to ramble on short insults and jabs as they made their way through the increasingly crowded castle to towards the mess-hall which was, predictably, also packed. Jack didn't even bother to stand in any of the lines, instead opting to grab a few muffins and a bagel from one of the self-service tables.

As Jack stood about nibbling on his muffins and buttering his bagel, he couldn't help but look around. The most noticeable thing in the whole mess-hall was that he didn't recognize anyone here, aside from the handful of Night Guard who came with him. Even the local Day and Royal Guard seemed wise enough to avoid this place today.

*Crunch*

The sound of someone crunching into a rather hard fruit, rang through his ears and he looked down to see Star standing by his side, munching on a rather greenish mangos with a slight grimace on her face.

*Crunch*

Taking another bite she pulled the fruit back and frowned at it. "These mangos aren't really ripe." She spoke between chewing. Sticking her tongue out, she put the half eaten fruit on a nearby self-serve table, and moved away from the offending fruit.

Jack could only roll his eyes.

"Star. Don't just leave that there." He gently scolded her.

Star shrugged at Jack's comment and wandered away from the table. Leaving Jack to pick up her half eaten breakfast before walking off with her into the center of the cafeteria to try to sit and eat.

The large mix group of Guards was quite loud, and it made it difficult to hear anything in the large space. It took Jack a moment to realize that Mani had been yelling at Star and him for almost a minute.

"JACK, STAR! THE OTHER NIGHT GUARD ARE TAKING THEIR FOOD OUT TO THE FIELD. WE'RE GOING TO EAT ON THE WAY!" He shouted.

Taking one last look around, Jack had to nod in agreement with Mani's idea, there was no where to even sit. Taking another bite of his bagel he turned to follow his squad. Even in the hallway things were packed. As varying guards wandered about. A few were looking for the mess-hall, some were trying to find their fellow Guards, and a handful just seemed completely lost.

Mani stopped and broke away from the small Night Guard squad to give some advice to a few general guards who seemed particularly lost. The squad stood around and waited for the third officer to finish giving his advice to the rather enthusiastic, if confused Guards. The trio of lost ponies must have been particularly thankful as the one mare of the group, an orange pegasus with yellow mane reached her hoofs around his neck for a hug. A long and somewhat physical hug by the looks of it.

As Mani turned around the slight blush on his face became evident as he wandered back to the group, thanks to his armor none of the Guards were able to see the other signs of his enjoyment. A few of the Night Guard laughed at Mani's clear embarrassment, and one in particular claimed that "Jack might lose his 'lover boy' nickname." Jack could only hope that was the case.

Reaching his hoofs up, Mani readjusted his helmet which became askew from the unexpected hug. "Sorry. The ponies who are lost are usually newbies to this. You see them every year. It's nice to help them." He said with a smile.

"Help them to your bed you mean." Star snickered.

The blush on Mani's face grew ever deeper as he forcefully, and almost mechanically started walking forward towards the castle's exit. The rest of the Night Guard squad following him out, laughing all the while of course.

The streets of Canterlot were well decorated for the event, as banners waved from the store fronts and homes. Symbols of the Day Guard, Royal Guard and a handful of General Guard waved in the light morning breeze. The colors of the flags were almost hidden amidst the colorful houses and shops of the city. The mixture of bright colors gave rise to one particular observation: curiously, there were almost none of the darker Night Guard banners up. In fact, the only one Jack could remember seeing was at the Midnight Well, which catered heavily to the Night Guard and bat ponies anyway.

Speaking of taverns, that was something else to notice. Every tavern, bar and inn that the squad passed had boards set up inside. Each one was identical to the one Jack had seen in the Midnight Well. They were rough diagrams of the mock battlefield and had a score chart next to it. About two weeks ago, he saw the bartender in the Midnight Well hanging their board up.

In truth the whole idea seemed so odd to Jack, even as he had placed money on his own squad. At no time in his short ROTC carrier had they ever publicized their exercises beyond just telling people to stay away from certain areas. The very thought that a nation would ever make an actual game out of their "War Games" seemed absurd. Yet here, in magical horse land things were very different, peace reigned for the most part. An actual army seemed mostly superfluous, and aside from the occasional monster attack there was little they did beyond police like work.

Thinking about it all actually brought a smile to Jack's lips, they could afford to treat these exercises as actual games. This land had been at peace for almost a millennium, war was a long forgotten thing to so many here. As odd as it was, it actually felt kind of good, and Jack would do everything in his power to keep it that way.

"I still can't believe you put all those bits down on the Night Guard." Mani shook his head at Jack. The words snapped him out of his daze.

"Well what else was I going to do? I'm not going to bet against us winning. Even if the odds are 100 to 1." Jack spoke between a shrug.

"Jack, the odds are WORSE then 100 to 1, that's just the number they capped them at." Mani shook his head and continued, "I mean seriously, 50 gold bits? That's a good month's rent in upper Canterlot! You had to have saved every bit since you joined the guard, and then some!"

It was true, Jack had used most of his savings for the bet. Dumb at it might have been, it just seemed like something he had to do. Honestly though, he didn't have anything in the way of expenses. Even if he lost the 50 bits it wouldn't be the end of the world. Though it seemed so odd that everyone was dead set against the Night Guard. Sure it had been a while since they won, but that didn't mean anything really. Did it?

Worry began to fill his heart and head as he thought about the massive amount of fatalism and defeatism in his own squad.

The field was about an hour walk from the castle. There was a single main road leading down from Canterlot to the lush fields below. As the squad walked along the long stony path, the surroundings quickly turned from city, to mountain, and finally to the grassy plains below Canterlot. Of course Jack was mostly oblivious as he thought about the morale problems his squad was now facing.

Not far from the bottom of the mountain, was a large gate surrounded by a large wooden post fence. The structure stood there as the barrier and entrance to the natural arena beyond it. The gate itself had to be a good fifteen meters tall, and had hand carved symbols over it. Next to it flew four flags, the four flags of the Guards, two on each side.

Just in front of the ornate gate was the staging area for the games. Already, numerous ponies, and a very small handful of other creatures had begun to gather in front of the massive arched doorway. Each waiting for the games to start, which should be in just over an hours time.

The Guards seemed to group themselves into three main congregations for the most part, with a small number of stragglers around. Looking above each group there was a single flag hung from the wall on the sides of the gate. They were banners not unlike the ones in town, each representing a single branch and squad. As they got closer Jack was able to examine each in depth.

The General Guard’s flag was placed farthest to his right. In the center of the silken material was a yellowish gold soldier’s helmet overlaid against a blue and green background which looked surprisingly like a map of Equestria.

Left of that, was the Royal Guard's banner, Which had a 5 pointed crown surrounded by numerous smaller ponies behind it. All of which was overlaid on top of a white, dark blue, pink and purple background. Like symbolizing the four current princess of Equestria.

The Day Guard was to the left of that, and on the other side of the gate. It consisted of a sun symbol, which looked vaguely like Celestia's Cutie mark. The sun was flanked by two white guard ponies, and was overlaid over a white and rainbow background. The colors looked strikingly similar to Celestia's mane and coat.

The last in line was the Night Guard's flag, which had a large white sphere in the center, two bat wings outstretched from the moon, and around them all were speckled stars and constellations. Six stars in particular seemed to stand out, appearing brighter then the rest.

Turning his attention back to the ponies on the ground, Jack quickly noticed that each group was garbed in their own armor. Each of the branches had their own armor, full steel for the general guard, gold for the royal guard, steel and gold for the Day Guard, and the Night Guard wore steel, enchanted silver and purple faux leather. The Captains for each squad stood at the front of the group for the most part, each one doing their own thing, though most were delegating.

One of the “Captains” in particular was an odd sight to be sure. He was a white stallion with light blue mane running around with the Royal Guard's squad.

The rather quiet Lucippe was the first to comment on seeing him, "Is that Shining Armor?" She asked, uncertain if it actually was or not.

Jack looked down the hill at the captain, and sure enough it was him. "Yeah, he's acting as a stand-in Captain for the Royal Guard for the next few months."

"What happened to their old Captain?” She asked.

With a shrug, Jack replied "Not sure. I think he transferred to the Day Guard after the events last month. You know there were a lot of shake ups. More than anyone realized, I think." He didn't mention how he was encouraged to join the Royal Guards or that he had refused.

Lucepiee was still surprised, "Yeah, I guess I just didn't think they'd bring him back from the Crystal Empire just for this."

"I don't think they did. At least not just for this. He's been around the castle training some of the new Royal Guard recruits. I'm surprised you didn't see him? I tried to talk to him but I don't think he likes me very much." Jack could only shake his head at the last conversation he tried to have with Prince Shining Armor. At the time, he felt like the Prince Captain wanted to hit him.

The small squad approached the only other Night Guard out on the field, their Captain. Night Blade stood before a small tent in his full Lunar armor. In his hoof was a short check sheet. Mani lead the squad down to the space under the Night Guard's banner, where Night Blade was waiting.

In truth Night Blade was surprised to see Jack, Star and the rest of his squad so early. He halfway expected them to arrive just before the gates opened. In fact, over the past month Night Blade had noticed a change in many of his subordinates. They all seemed just a bit more alert and ready at night.

There was a rumor going around that many of the changes had been started by the ape, though Blade ignored such rumors. Despite the positive comments he had been given from the other Captains and higher ups, the thought that Jack might have had any influence in it just left a bitter taste in his mouth.

The squad approached their captain and saluted. Night Blade returned the action and went back to surveying the short equipment sheet he had with him, pulling Mani off to the side to help him, of course.

As Jack stood about with little to do he looked up and considered the enormity of the wall in front of him. It was almost 20 meters tall itself, with the equally large gate in the center of it. The gate and wall were mostly for show, as the wall ended about 200 meters in each direction, opening up to just field. The arena had a defined border that was marked with large stone survey pikes every 200 meters, there wasn't any real physical barrier, beyond what was in front of him anyway.

The Wonderbolts would be flying above the arena for the whole game, acting mostly as referees and ensuring the game's borders were observed. Their primary role was to ensure that each team would obey the rules, and also to report back to the viewing balcony above the gate and to the record keeper there.

The viewing area couldn't be seen from where Jack and the squads were, but it was supposed to be a large seating area above the gate. Around the hidden platform would be chairs, tables and a giant game board of the battlefield, not unlike the ones in the taverns they passed earlier, though this one should have been laid flat. The Princesses and the generals would be sitting there for various parts of the game.

Traditionally they'd be there for the first few hours at the start of the game, then return once a day for a few hours until the game's conclusion.

When Shining Armor was captain, the games had tended to be over after a few hours. Many ponies present felt they could expect more of the same today. Though Jack remained naively optimistic about the whole event.

Once the gates opened the teams would move into the arena and split off into one of the four quadrants. There they would make camp and began organizing and laying out the last bits of stratagem before the war game started.

Jack thought about it for a moment 'War game'. He considered again, just how loose many of the ponies were. They joked and laughed with each other like this was literally a game, rather than an actual military exercise. Then there was the massive amount of hype sounding this. He remembered the boards setup in Canterlot around some of the bars and restaurants. Even the bet he had made earlier. 'This really is a game to them, isn't it?' The same thought that brought a smile to his face earlier suddenly began to tear his mind in twain. He began to feel conflicted about the whole thing, wondering what exactly the point really was? Perhaps it was just nerves.

Before long, some of the Generals started to show up. Giving each of the squads a bit of an early inspection, and apparently giving the captains some last minute instructions or possibly pointers. Only the Royal Guard seemed to be absent a General, with Shining Armor taking his own lead.

Interestingly enough, Princess Celestia actually appeared to talk to Shining Armor, followed quickly by his wife, Princess Cadance. Who gave him a rather large hug. It was hard to see, but her hug came with a quick grasp of something else, causing Shining to blush and Celestia to move away with a laugh.

Jack began to wonder if Princess Lu-

“Hello Jack.” Luna's voice echoed behind him.

Luna had managed to sneak up behind him while he had been concentrating on the other Princesses. Her stealth caused Jack to jump forward slightly at the surprise drop in. Turning around, he had a large smile on his face, and was tempted to wrap his arms around her neck in a hug. Thankfully for the both of them, he refrained.

Luna's face was as hard, and emotionless as it had been since after that night a month ago. Her muzzle focused more at the ground than him. Her cool attitude and lack of communication left Jack to wonder if he had done something wrong.

“I…” She paused. She knew what she wanted to say to him, what she had to tell him, but she still just couldn't do. Her wing twitched lightly as the pouch under it burned subconsciously.

Quickly her mind jumped gears, and chose something else to say. “I just wanted to wish you well.” Her voice was flat, hiding behind it a torrent of emotions which she had been hiding and shoving down.

In truth, Luna had been avoiding him since that night. Her mind was too conflicted to actually act on anything, so instead, she shut down. Even Celestia had chose to give up for the time being, giving her sister the space that she seemed to want. Having her come out to the field, even more, having her actually talk to Jack seemed like a good sign, to him at least.

The small smile on Jack's face threatened to expand into a massive and stupid grin, but he held back as much as he could. Fearing that Luna wasn't quite ready for anything more than pleasantries at the moment.

Guards, mainly from the other teams, scampered around the two of them, trying to appear busy and get things ready for the gates to open in just under an hour. Both Jack and Luna were unfocused on the distractions around them. They stood there in silence, neither sure what, if anything to say.

“So… are you ready for the Games to start?” Luna was the first the break the silence, with a simple if direct question.

Jack nodded in response, “I think so. Truthfully, I am a bit nervous though. We don't have anything like this on my world. Feels weird almost being a celebrity.”

Behind her blue muzzle, Jack could just make out the hint of a smile forming. “I wouldn't worry Jack. We are sure you will do well. Fire Wall was deeply insistent on having you in the Games. He's a very good judge of ponies.”

“Heh, I just hope we win. It would be nice to win my first game.” He laughed a bit, trying to shake off his nerves.

The small smile on Luna's face grew into a bit of a sarcastic smirk, as she chuckled herself. “We… I trust that you and the Night Guard will perform admirably, but don't set yourself up for disappointment.”

Again, that same defeatist attitude he had heard time and time again. Why did everyone here seem so dead set on losing, before the challenge even began?

“Luna, I don't understand. Why are all of you so convinced we're going to lose? I mean the match hasn't even started yet!” The agitation in his voice was notable.

She could only shake her head. “Jack. The Night Guard hasn't won in decades. I don't expect much.”

“Ok, well I made a bet on our team, 50 gold bits. You better believe I'm going to win this!”

Luna's eyes shot wide open in surprise and horror. “Jack! That's an outrageous bet! 50 bits? I… You don't make that in a month.” She half stammered.

“Well, that just means we have to win. How about this, if we do win you need to go out on another date with me?” For a moment he regretted saying that and pushing. But only for a moment.

Her face's features fell again, and her muzzle drifted back to the ground. “Jack...” She whispered, “I don't think...” She sighed. This wasn't the conversation she wanted to have right now. It didn't really matter one way or the other, there was no way the Night Guard could win. “Even if I agreed, there's no chance your team will win.” An idea hit her. A silly little challenge that might make this all so much easier.

Looking up from the ground, her sapphire blue eyes stared and twinkled into his. The hope and ambition in his own eyes shined back. Luna had no desire to crush that hope, but maybe this was the best way.

“Jack, I will agree. But only if you agree to stop this if you lose.”

That caught him completely off guard. It was an interesting addition. Jack knew if he agreed he'd have to keep his word. Even if he didn't want to.

“I...” He paused. Unsure if he wanted to agree to this. Even if he lost, even if he kept his word, maybe something would change in the future? If he said 'No' now, he feared the risk of losing her trust. After all what girl, or mare, would want someone so uncommitted.

“You have a deal Princess. If I win, then we go on a date. A real date, not just an 'outing' like the last one.” Jack nodded his head.

Luna's muzzle twisted into a bitter sweet smile. In her mind, she was relieved that Jack had given her such an easy out. Though, it felt a little wrong, to lead him on like this.

“Agreed, fair Jack. If your team wins, you will have your… date. But if you lose, you have to stop. I can't-”

*Burrrrrr*

Luna's words were cut off by the sound of a loud horn from somewhere just beyond the gate. Her ears perked on top of her head and she looked around in mild confusion. Celestia, Cadance and Twilight took flight and made their way over and behind the wall. A sigh escaped her lips as she knew she had to follow.

Turning her head around, she gave one last look at Jack. Though she had a full smile on her face, there was something else behind her eyes, an almost uncertain sadness. Like she was pondering something she didn't fully want to.

“Jack, I have to go, but I do wish you well. Take care of yourself during the games. It's rare, but sometimes ponies can get hurt.” Not waiting for a response, she spread out her wings and flew up behind the gate with her sister and the other Princesses.

“What was that all about?” Mani came up to ask Jack.

He didn't know what to say or how to explain. So instead, Jack kept quiet, and merely shrugged, a small smirk crossed his mouth as he thought about where they would go once his team won. Further gears began to turn as he thought about all the nuances of the upcoming game, and what he could do to help his team.

He took the opportunity to survey his team, most of those present he knew as the majority were from his own squad, but eight new faces stood off to the side of the group.

There in a semi circle they chatted with each other more then the rest of the team. Jack figured now was a good time to introduce himself.

The small subgroup noticed Jack staring at them, observing them. One of the bat ponies in the group, a tiny mare called Wind Runner nodded to him and smiled. "So, you're the one they call lover boy, eh ape?" Her voice has a subtle accent to it. If Jack didn't know better he would have called her Canadian, but Canada didn't exist here.

The rest of the group laughed a little at her joke. Joining in on the laugh, Jack moved into the small circle and began to introduce himself. Most of the eight were bat ponies, and pretty generic overall, but a few stuck out in Jack's mind.

Wind Runner was the first pony that introduced herself. She was a tiny pony by comparison to the rest, her head barely came above Jack's waistline. She was dark gray with a subtle light orange and gray mane. Her eyes were a deep brown almost black color. Apparently she was from the northern bat pony colonies, not all that far from the crystal empire. She was quick, and agile, but couldn't lift a sword or bow to save her life. Given her swearing and aggressive stance, it also seemed she had a bit of a mouth and reminded Jack of Star in some ways. No doubt Star and Wind would become either good friends, or bitter rivals.

Green Hoof was next, an odd sight of a bat pony. For a moment Jack almost thought he was a she, given the delicate face structure he had. His coat was a light green, with a darker green mane containing a small amount of dark brown highlights. His irises were almost hypnotic, a deep emerald green with numerous facets. His job function was primarily as a gardener for the southern jungle areas. His skills in gardening and horticulture was useful for keeping the expansive and some times aggressive, local plant life at bay.

One bat pony, Tollem, was oddly silent in the group. He seemed very fit, and strong but never said much. Wind Runner made a joke or two partially at his expense, but Tollem just seemed to shrug them off. He seemed like the kind of Guard who would get the job done with few complaints or comments. For some reason though, he didn't seem to particularly enjoy being here.

The last to make an impression was Rock Slide, who was probably the oddest of the mix, a large brown earth pony with a deep brown almost black mane. Apparently Wind Runner and him came from the same northern territories and were even in the same squad. This was his second game, he still has some spark of hope in him believing that while unlikely they could still win. Jack knew their team would be able to use him.

"Guardsman, what are you doing?" Moon Shadow had come up from behind him and barked.

"Just talking, trying to introduce myself and get information from my fellow Guards. The game will start soon." He said with a shrug, not quite sure what the problem Moon Shadow had right now.

"Information? What do you need information for? Just follow Night Blades orders. I swear if you act out of turn I will find a way to have you demoted back to Rookie." The fierce gaze in Shadow's eyes, encouraged Jack to move away and stand in formation. The rest of the squad followed suit.

Time went on, and each of the teams steadily grew in size as more and more ponies came in. All but one team that is. As the time slowly crept down, Jack looked around at his squad, a handful of additional Guards had appeared, but the squad was still disturbingly barren. He had hoped the rest of the group would come trotting over the hill, but now with less than five minutes left that seemed very unlikely. His heart began to sink very quickly as the prospects of winning, or even surviving the first few minutes seemed bleak.

"This is it?" He spoke to no one in particular. In total he had counted twenty nine guards not including himself.

Night Blade overheard him and nodded his head. "Yes, this is the pride of the Night Guard. At least those that could be spared. Be thankful that you're here at all Jack." The last of his statement was laced with subtle venom. The fact was he was here by Fire Wall's wishes, and probably against Night Blade's.

Still, he was puzzled, how could this be considered a fair game? "But the other teams each have two hundred?"

"The other teams are respectable Guard units." Someone echoed from behind Jack, giving rise to a few chuckles from the group.

'Respectable', that word echoed inside Jack's mind. In his time with the Guards, he had noticed that the Night Guard seemed to be a bit smaller then the other branches. Occasionally there was even some jokes made at their expense. He had always thought that it was just some friendly ribbing or rivalry. For the first time it real struck him that maybe it wasn't so friendly?

"We'll do our best and go out with pride. Who knows we may even give one of them a hard time." Night Blade's attitude and voice were filled with the idea of inevitable defeat. It was the same feeling he got from the rest of the squad and even the Princess earlier. Around him, Blade's words hit the other Night Guard, of this Jack was certain. The posture of more then a few of them slump with Blades words.

'Did these ponies know nothing of morale?' Jack thought to himself in disbelief.

He had to say something, for his own sake if nothing else. "You never know Captain. We might surprise them." Jack tried to be and sound upbeat; he tried not let all the hope die. Morale was important, doubly so given their unequal starting point.

"Heh." Night Blade half scoffed and half snorted at the human Guard, and trotted off to find some boxes or paperwork to stare at.

Though it was worth fighting, this wasn't a battle Jack would win right now. With a shake of his head he returned to formation and forced himself upright.

'We can still win this.' He tried to convince himself.

The small thirty Night Guard unit stood in three lines of nine, with Blade, Shadow and Mani in front dealing with some supply crates. A few of the Wonderbolt trainees and rookies had come out a few minutes ago, each carrying out crates with wooden weapons and supplies. Each of the teams were to be given the requisites amount of weapons for each member.

Night Blade opened two of the crates and stood before his Guards, "For those of you who are new to this game let me explain some of the equipment to you." He held up one of the wooden swords which has an edge that seemed to shimmer ever so slightly. "These wooden swords are called paint swords. They're not too different from what you may have trained with. They have been enchanted so that if you hit somepony with the blunt bladed edge it will leave paint residue over them. Anypony with paint on them is considered a casualty and are to leave the battlefield once able."

Next he held up some odd dual blade item that looked like it might fit over a pony's hoof. “Hoof blades, with the same enchanted wood used to make the paint swords. According to a new rule you can pick either these, or a sword, but not both.” There was some groaning from a few members of the Night Guards. Given the shape and structure of both items, it was obvious that only the sword was appropriate for Jack.

Last, he held up a wooden bow and an odd looking arrow with a large soft white head, "Additionally some of the Guards have an option of using wooden bows with special paint arrows. No magic was used for these, just normal paint. We have a limited supply of ten for our group. If you've been trained to use a bow, see me before entering."

'Paintball' was the first thing that popped in Jack's mind, and he couldn't help but chuckle a bit.

Night Blade continued, "Each team has their own color of paint. Ours is midnight blue. The Royal Guard’s is gold, the Day Guard’s is green, and the General Guard’s is crimson red. Remember a kill is a kill, even if you hit your own team member, or yourself."

Blade took a deep breath as he looked over his small squad. He knew, leading this small number of Guards into the battlefield was considered an honor, but he couldn't help but feel it was almost insulting. Even among the Night Guard, most knew this Game was a joke. That's why no pony ever volunteered for this. All he really had was his own squad, and a few rookie rejects from the other squads.

With a very subtle shake of his head, he continued. “I don't expect much. All I expect is that you will all follow your orders, fight bravely and with honor. ”

*Bruuuuuu*

The game horn sounded and the gateway to the field slowly opened, revealing the four Princesses, who had disappeared earlier. Celestia stood in front of the alicorn group and looked around at the four teams. On her face was that same gentle and motherly smile she always seemed to posses.

"Welcome Guards to the seasonal Canterlot War Game. You are each here because you have shown yourself to be the best of your respective branch. I trust that your captains have explained the rules of the games to you all. Just remember to fight well, and with honor, but also know this is not the real thing. Treat each other with respect and kindness. Farewell My Little Ponies!" Celestia flapped her wings and rose up to the seating area above with the other three Princesses in tow.

*Bruuuuu*

The game horn sounded once more and the four teams began their walk into the large battlefield like arena. Each member of the Night Guard picked up their respective wooden weapons. Jack settled for a larger wooden sword, that didn't seem to quite fit in his hands, designed more to be held in a pony's mouth, wing or with a unicorn's magic.

As each of the teams split off, they seemed to be followed by a few Wonderbolts flying above. In addition to the pegasi above Jack noticed the wheeled crates trailing behind the other teams as well, supplies he reasoned. However, something troubling was that the Night Guard seemed to be the only carrying their armor and the wooden paint weapons they were given, nothing else.

Jack turned to ask Leucippe about the supplies, but she just shrugged "They are bring a small amount of food, water and other supplies, in case this game last longer then the first day."

Yet that just make Jack further puzzled, "So why aren't we bringing in anything?" He asked.

Lucepie gave a half smirk at Jack "Because we wont need it. I know this is your first game, but the Night Guard has always been the first team out. I don't think there's been one game in the past fifty years where we lasted past the first day." She gave a light ribbing to Jack, "Don't worry lover boy, you'll be back in your room by the end of the day. I'm sure somepony will help rub and lick your wounds." She gave Jack a knowing wink and turned forward.

Jack's ego deflated just a bit more at hearing of the Night Guard's most recent losses. Still, he tried to keep upbeat. The odds were not in their favor, far from it, but to give up and give in would just guarantee defeat.

The teams quickly disappeared from each others sight after they separated. Each walking their length of the arena, eventually ending up in there own quadrant of the large ten kilometer square area.

In the Night Guard's quadrant there were ample trees and brush to hide in, along with several large fields. Jack made it a point to study the areas he walked by. There were plenty of places where the Night Guard could hide and hope to ambush the other teams. They had a chance here, albeit not a good one. They just had to try.

Every once in a while Jack would reach into his breast plate and pull out his note sheet, quickly jotting down notable features and land marks on the small paper.

Finally, after about half an hour of walking Night Blade stopped in the middle of a fairly large open field. "Company halt." he barked his orders at the group. Small trees dotted the horizon and surrounding areas, and there was a large set of hills to the east, but realistically there was nothing around but open field.

'Probably not the best place to make camp.' Jack thought to himself. 'Assuming we're even going to try and make camp.' The lack of supplies suggesting it was unlikely.

"In a couple of minutes the horn will blow again and we can start this game." Night Blade pointed to the north, "The cave that holds the flag is in that direction. Most likely the other teams are going to head for the flag first."

This was it, Jack and the rest of the squad were waiting for some great or at least interesting strategy. Perhaps some last minute idea to rush the flag and secure it. Instead what they got was more disappointment. "We will come up behind the other teams and rush in for a stealth line formation attack. Assuming we can be quick enough, we can pluck off a few more of them than us. I'll be happy if we manage a three to two kill:loss."

Jack's mouth hung open in shock, he couldn't believe what he was hearing. This was a suicide run, but not even that, it was a suicide run without a point.

Night Blade finished his quick briefing, which continued to be devoid of any real strategy, "We'll give them a scar to remember us." He stood straight and tall as he spoke. In truth he was proud of his idea, damn the costs and apparent absurdity. It was clean, elegant, and by his book of tactics and honor, a proper use of force. Ponies and others who observed the engagement would complement his use of force as being noble and sound. After this was all over, and with some luck, he would impress the right nobles who would communicate with his higher ups. Maybe even his family back home. Perhaps for once, his family could be proud of him. Though he had his doubts.

All around the Night Guard squad deflated a little under Night Blade's strategy talk. Blade was himself unaware of this sudden mood shift. However, Jack was quick to notice how everyone seemed to accept the defeat so easily, before the battle had even begun. There was a spark of hope in a few of them, but it grew dimmer and dimmer by the moment as they all realized that Blade's plan would lead to certain defeat.

'This is wrong.' Jack thought to himself. 'I have to do something, to say something. We can't just give up with out even trying.' He was only a Guardsman first class, but Jack knew he was right about this.

"Captain, sir…" His voice shook ever so slightly with a hint of worry and uncertainty.

"What is it Guardsman." As per usual, Night Blade's voice was full of annoyance and agitation when the human spoke to him.

"Well, I was just thinking, why don't we try to do something different? I mean there has to be more we can do besides rush in and fall?" He asked.

"And how would you suggest we do that? Maybe throw sticks and stones at the opposing forces like a monkey would?" Jack noticed the subtle racism in Blade's analogy, but also thought that the idea had some merit behind it. Harassing the enemy could gain them extra time, maybe pick off some of the weaker or less disciplined Guards.

Of course, Blade's question was rhetorical, and he didn't wait for an answer. "Their numbers are greater than ours, I will be happy if we can take more of them down than what we have. We may be destined to lose this game, but I'll be damned if we aren't going to lose with honor."

The Captain was dead set on handing his team to the funeral pyre while they were still breathing. Jack knew they had better options then just go in to die. Even if it wasn't a real death, it still reeked of pain and misery. "Sir, what if we let the three other teams knock each other around first. We could come in and do some clean up. Maybe another opportunity-"

His pleading was interrupted by Night Blade who took offense to being questioned, "What? Another opportunity will present itself? Look Jack, I don't know how the apes in your world fight, but I intend to keep some level of dignity and form to our group." Blade stood up tall almost at attention, "The Night Guard may not be the most highly praised of the Guards, but we are honorable and noble, and I will keep our honor and integrity no matter the costs!"

*Bruuuuu*

Almost on queue the game horn blew, formally ending the conversation between Blade and Jack. The game was now afoot and Night Blade gave the order to march forward seemingly towards their inevitable defeat.

The pace of Jack's matching slowed and he fell back a ways to talk to the rest of his group. "This is nuts." He spoke between several of the Guards including, most importantly, Mani. The third in command.

With a roll of his eyes, Mani gave a half hearted shrug of his shoulders "What do you want us to do Jack? Disobey his orders?"

A smile crossed Jack's lips as he seriously considered the idea for a moment, "Well..."

A quick shake of his head and Mani quickly shut that idea down. "If we mutiny our team will automatically lose. A captain losing control of his team is an automatic disqualification."

A smaller black batpony colt, Broad Storm, joined in the conversation, "Mani's right Jack, lets just follow Night Blade's orders. Two to three kill count isn't bad, I can live with that." The irony in Storm's statement seemed to be missed by him.

Still, around him, Jack could see that Mani and a few of the others perturbed by Storm's statement. While they knew score wise it was better, the fact was it was still a loss. The team wanted to win, they just needed a chance. A real one. The gears in Jack's mind began to spin at breakneck speed, as he thought about different ideas, and tactics. For some reason, his mind kept drifting back to Blade's rather crass 'Ape' statement earlier.

'Ape…' The word echoed, over and over again, until all other thoughts stopped. 'Not, ape. Gorilla.' A smile crossed his lips, as an idea came to him. "Mani, what if I told you I did have a plan?"

Mani sigh, "What plan Jack?"

Pausing for a moment, more thoughts ran through Jack's mind as an incoherent riot of elements. Books, and lectures, he had taken in ROTC, Guevara and his foco, the Viet Cong, Sun Tzu's Art of War and Mao Zedong's implementation of it, and so many others. Most of the talks were on combating these kind of guerrilla elements, but he knew he could formulate something more solid with a bit of time. There was just too much information to remember at the moment.

"Just keep as many of us near the rear as you can, when Night Blade and Shadow fall in combat you will be the one in charge, then we can actually do something rather than just walk in to 'die'." He's voice rang with confidence and certainty he didn't have.

Mani shook his head. The thought that he might actually be in charge, even for a few moments terrified him. "I don't know Jack..."

Rock Slide came trotting up behind the two after hearing part of the conversation. "Jack if you have an idea me and the other outsiders are interested. I was in the winter game, and we lost too quickly." Rock Slide snorted in disgust.

With Rock Slide's addition, Mani grew uncomfortable with this conversation, "Look Jack, Rock, we have orders to follow. Night Blade wants us to do a direct attack. So that's what we will do." He tried to shut down the conversation there.

Still the two persisted in walking on opposite sides of Mani. Mani turned his head, looking Jack in the eyes, "Jack, I know you've looked into becoming a captain, but you can't expect to lead if you've never followed. Just follow Night Blade's orders."

Of course Mani had a point. Jack knew this, but he also knew in his gut that Blade was wrong. A set of images popped in Jack's head, a framed quote on the wall of the ROTC officer offices. The words spoke to him, now more than ever, 'I will always place the mission first.' Mani was right, following orders was important, he couldn't just disobey Night Blade, but he couldn't just sacrifice the mission either.

"Mani, I'm not asking you to disobey Night Blade. Just...” The words seemed lost to him, “Give me some flexibility."

Mani shook his head lightly, still very uncomfortable with the conversation. "I don't know..."

"Look, just don't be the first to charge in. Try to stay alive. We can regroup later." Jack placed his hand on Mani's back, trying to reassure him, letting him know that he had his back. "Trust me on this. Please."

Up ahead Shadow glanced back the stranglers a frown crossed his face as he saw who was in the center of the group. “Keep in formation!” He barked at the trailing members.

Just under thirty minutes of mild trotting and walking before the Night Guard started to hear the sounds of fighting. Just as Blade had predicted, at least two of the groups had already met in the field, not far from the flag. The small rolling hills in front of the Night Guard left the fighting to the imagination. They were going to walk into this battle blind, but at least they would have the high ground going in.

As the top of the hill passed, Jack's mind was alert with fear and adrenaline. He started to catch a glimpse of the rest of the field beyond the hills and his walking slowed ever so slightly. Slowly, he began to fall out of formation again, as he started scanning and analyzing the terrain. Looking for hidden ponies in the distant tree lines to the side, and waiting for any that might be coming over the hill. The fingers in his hands dug into his palms as he squeezed them shut subconsciously.

Above the field he noticed some pegasi flying above the battle. 'Wonderbolts' Jack surmised from the blue and yellow flight suits. He found it surprising that there were no Guards in the air, flying around the combat. Though, the low overhead ceiling and armor probably made that more difficult than it was worth.

As the squad approached the apex of the hill they could see the mass of ponies fighting on the ground in full. Only Day Guard and General Guard banners flew, the Royal Guard didn't seem to have made it to the cave yet, or perhaps more likely, they were waiting. The cave entrance was far behind the large mass of fighting ponies and trees beyond them. Though the top of the gray rocky out cropping could be seen past the tree line.

A small stream of ponies trickled out of the battle slowly. Each one had paint on their bodies some of which was green and others were red. Some ponies appeared to have multiple hits and at least a few seemed to hobble or limp a bit.

Night Blade held up his right front hoof, attached to it was one of the hoof blades from earlier. He called back to his men to charge. The small group of Night Guard followed their Captain's lead and tumbled down the hill into the seething mass of ponies fighting below. A small number of the Night Guard kept up the rear of the group. Hanging back away from the inevitable onslaught, just as Jack had asked of them.

The forward Night Guard who charged in and each score a casualty on their first strike before they themselves were quickly struck down in short order. Night Blade for all his valor fell first, hit on the back with a Day Guard's sword.

Bone Breaker, a large steel gray bat pony mare held up her hoof blades, deflecting an incoming attack from the same Day Guard that struck down Night Blade. But her flank was unprotected, a General Guard took advantage of her lapse and slammed her hardened flank with a paint arrow, coating her fur in crimson red.

Moon Shadow the second in command screamed back at the rest of the Guard to move forward. His lack of attention in front of him lead to a Day Guard's sword striking the side of his head, dazing him before he hit the ground.

After several seconds of defending himself Mani saw both Blade and Shadow walk away from the fighting mass. Shadow had to lean on Blade's side, the impact knocked his balance off and he was unable to stand. Quickly Mani realized that as the third in line he was now in charge.

"Mani!" He heard his name being yelled from somewhere. Just off to his right flank Jack had been screaming at Mani's side for the past few seconds.

The sound of combat, of swords swinging and hitting was more then he could handle. For all his worth, Mani knew he simply wasn't a leader. All he really knew was how to stack and count boxes, and wasn't even all that good at it. He was lost with all of this.

The last orders Blade gave were to charge. He knew he should follow them.

*Clap*

Without thinking he blocked a Day Guard's sword in front of him. He wasn't ready for this fight and he felt paralyzed. The colt in front of him, was about the same size and build as him. His face glowed with fierceness as the colt relished the combat. Mani didn't understand why the colt suddenly fell to his side with a large green mark on his side. A friendly impact of a wayward Day Guard arrow had saved Mani's hide.

'I should follow Blade.' Mani thought as he saw the particular Day Guard wander away from the fighting. He wasn't fully aware of the human next to him, screaming something.

He felt his body lock up, as a fellow bat pony fell in front of him. Her body covered in red paint that looked so much like blood. Satin Rift was her name, Mani had remembered talking to her the night before. A tough little bat with good reflexes and a fast set of forelegs. She had picked a set of hoof blades to use, blades which were now covered in the same red paint. He had thought she'd be the last to fall not one of the first. His eyes traveled over her body, focusing on all that crimson paint that looked like so much blood that cover her hardened athletic body.

'Retreat.' That word entered his head, as he focused on that blood like color.

In front of Mani, a Day Guard charged at him. His eyes darted up as he saw the pony rushing him. That same look of combat that his fellow Day Guard had only moments ago.

'Retreat' that same alien sounding word repeated itself.

The large brown and red maned Day Guard seemed to tower over Mani like some kind of hideous and fearsome demon. The giant beast like creature raised his fake wooden sword high threatening to strike Mani down, ending his short rain as acting Captain.

"Retreat!" Without thinking, without even meaning to, Mani had yelled it. That one fateful command that threatened to undo all the planing Blade had. All the honor he hoped to keep.

*Clank*

Reflexively Mani blocked a Day Guard’s blade with his own.

A quick turn around and the Day Guard brought his blade up for another strike. The Guard was fast, so much faster than Mani could ever hope to be.

The Day Guard’s sword came down to try and hit Mani. The strike was quick, too quick and Mani didn't have time to adjust or defend. This was it.

*Thwak*

Wind Runner ran in and hit the Day Guard's forearm before it could come down on the stock boy made captain. The Day Guard's sword impacted the ground next to Mani, leaving him unscathed.

Wind stood next to Mani for a moment, reeling back to deflect the non existent counter strike she was expecting. But, her impact was hard, and the Day Guard fell to his side in pain. Blunt or not, being hit with a large stick still hurt. All over the Day Guard's front limb dark blue coloration appeared over his blackish fur. It would hide the bruise that was forming underneath it.

Mani turned his head to Wind Runner "to thank her," to say anything to her, but she was already falling back and retreating. Mani looked to his other side and saw Jack still there trying to defend. Unwilling to abandon the squad till he heard the order once more. The two made eye contact and in that moment, an entire conversation took place.

Mani knew what to do.

"Retreat!" Mani shouted once more and backed away from the Day Guard who was still on the ground rolling in pain.

The Night Guard near the back turned around and ran as fast as they could. The more forward Guard fought off a few more attacks slowly falling back as they did so. A few more fell still, but at least some managed to get far enough away to start running. No one from the day or General Guard followed the retreating Night Guard as they ran in apparent fear.

The adrenaline and fear made time slow down. The now even smaller Night Guard squad ran for what felt like hours until they reached a large open field, not all that far from their original starting point. Eventually, not too far inside the Night Guard Quadrant, a few of the ponies collapsed exhausted from the run. The human just stood in place, trying to catch his breath.

Looking around at the remaining squad, Jack began to mentally count. There were seventeen of them left in total, including himself. Both Night Blade and Moon Shadow had fallen in combat. Since Mani was the only remaining 3rd class Guardsman he was now the defacto leader of the squad. Jack was in many ways thankful that both Night Blade and Shadow weren't here to argue with him. Still, they had taken so much of the already tiny squad with them. No matter what happened from this point forward, this was going to be a challenge.

Jack wanted to talk to Mani, he was hopeful that he could actually convince him to do something more then just run in and lose. Maybe they could actually have a plan this time. A plan which no one in the squad seemed to have just yet, himself included.

Mani was sitting on the ground trying to breath after the run, his mind ran over the battlefield again and again. He had locked up and was just too slow. In his heart he knew he wasn't good at this. Why was he here?

A shadow covered his head, and he looked up at the human. This ape convinced him to abandon the easy way out, and probably the only way to keep some measure of dignity intacked. What honor was there for a coward who retreats?

"Mani. It's time to talk about a plan…" Jack spoke, his breathing noticeably slower and smoother than Mani's.

Mani snorted and shook his head before glaring up at the human. "Why? It's useless, there's not enough time to do anything." Mani kicked the grass in front of him with his hoof and sighed. He took a moment longer to breath and group his thoughts.

'Time.' Jack's own mind began to turn. That was what they needed, time. He reached into his breast pocket for the notes he made earlier.

After a minute Mani began his debasement again. "By the time we regroup and actually come up with this miracle plan of yours, the Royal Guard would have taken the flag to the gates or found us and struck us down. Worst of all, we'd all look like cowards for hiding." Shaking his head at his words, a small dollop of water clouded his eyes. He didn't want to lose, he didn't, but the fact was they had nothing, least of all was time.

"We just don't have enough time or the numbers to do anything. We should have just stayed and fought." Mani repeated.

"Why did I call for a retreat?" His voice whispered with the rhetorical question.

A smirk stretched across Jack's face as he looked up from his note sheet. "And that's what my plan will get us. Time."

Mani shut his eyes tight before looking up to glare at the human's smug smile. The bat pony shook his head, he knew this was going to be a bad idea. But right now, it might be the only idea any one had. He took a deep breath.

"Ok, Jack. Let us all in on this amazing plan of yours." Mani spoke with mild sarcasm. He wasn't sure just yet if it was just a bad idea or an outright horrible one to listen to the human.

Meanwhile, back at the gate, the four Princesses sat around a large game board, sipping tea and eating some rather flaky biscuits.

Cadance was the first to notice the sudden removal of Night Guard pieces from the board. “Oh my, looks like the Night Guard have fallen. Wonder why we haven't heard the horn blow for them yet?”

Fire Wall looked up from the board, his eye lazily gazing at the seventeen odd missing pieces to the side. “Not all of the Night Guard have fallen. The Wonderbolts lost sight of those seventeen, and they haven't reported to the gate.”

A small smile crossed Fire Wall's muzzle as he heard Night Blade yelling from somewhere down below. Apparently he was deeply cross that his team was disobeying his last orders.

The Royal Guard general let out a laugh at Fire Wall's statement. “No they haven't fallen. They were too cowardly to fall in battle. Ran back into the woods with that ape of yours, General.” The drawn out use of the word 'General' was meant to mock Fire Wall.

Fire Wall couldn't care less about the thoughts of some high born and useless noble General, like Tanium here. The Royal Guard General wore large amounts of gold, from chains to medallions, hoof bracelets and more, all far beyond what his armor called for. His silvery coat was perfectly polished and cleaned, and his golden mane blew about needlessly in the wind. His smile was large and fake, like his bright and shiny teeth behind it. Tanium was everything Fire Wall despised about the nobles. Fire Wall didn't even bother to have the energy to remember the other General's name, seeing it as a waste of time.

“Of course you'd know much about cowardice, wouldn't you Tantrum?” Fire Wall's insult was slight and in truth, unintentional. He simply couldn't remember the poor General's name just a subtle sound. Tantrum seemed appropriate given the only bit of memory he had devoted to the other General. A memory from the time when the Royal Guard was still a rookie. A rather tragic incident where he eschewed his duties to protect the ponies of Equestria, and his explosive argument after the fact. Of course that's a different story.

The General, for all his standing and prestige, began to act just like the infant Fire Wall thought him as. “Tanium you old bat! My name is Tanium! And I'm not a coward you… you… burnt freak!” He yelled.

The Princesses collectively gasped in shock at the General's needlessly hurtful words. Fire Wall could only smile at the immature and useless colt, before turning his attention back to the game board.

“We'll just see who's laughing when my Shining Armor beats your pathetic ape.” Tanium snorted before walking away from the board. “Old bat.” He whispered one last insult as he walked away.

Celestia stood behind Fire Wall and wrapped her wing around his shoulder. “Fire Wall, please don't take his words to heart.”

For all his battle hardened ways and hard ways, Fire Wall did his best to smile and appear disarming as he looked up to the Princess. “Princess. Thank you. But it will take far more than just words to hurt me.”

Celestia took the hint and lifted her wing from him, nodding in approval of his choice. “Of course dear General.”

A moment of silence embraced the group, until Twilight took the opportunity to speak up. “I do hate to say it, but it seems my brother is going to have an easy time this battle. It looks like most of the Day and General Guard have been raised by each other. I'm sure Jack was hoping for a bit more of a battle than this.”

“Oh I'm sure he'll be fine Twilight. From everything you've said, the human seems to have a good head on his shoulders.” Cadance smiled, secretly happy that the battle would be over quick and she could have Shining to herself once more. Her mind began turning over all the things she wanted to do with him, and to him.

Luna sat in silence as she studied the board in front of her. This battle was just like she had anticipated. Well mostly. She had assumed the Night Guard would be the first to fall, but their defeat was inevitable at this point. This thought should have made her distraught, at least a bit, but her mind was occupied on things other than this battle.

She needed to have a talk with Jack when this was over. Today would be the day. Her hoof rubbed a tightly sealed scroll hidden in a wing pouch. She had meant to give it to him before the game started but after talking to him, the time didn't seem right. Hopefully Jack wouldn't take the transfer the wrong way. It really was for the best. For all of them. She told herself.

The Night Guard's loss would make it all the easier. After all, Jack was a pony or rather ape, of his word...