We Damned Fools.

The morning began in Ponyville like every other day; the birds began to tweet, the sun rose slowly over the horizon, people began to stir in their dwellings. A news boy ran through the streets with the daily news. “War is declared! War is declared! Read all about it, griffons declare war on Equestria!”

People sprung from their homes to find what the boy was calling about. The scrappy young boy was now standing adjacent to the train station, waving the daily times in the air, fresh from the presses in Canterlot, the headlines rang true.

WAR ON THE HORIZON: GRIFFONS DECLARE WAR UPON THE NATION!

At three in the afternoon, western time, in the small port town of Hoof Harbor, a telegram was received from the Griffon Capital. This telegram was immediately followed by an attack upon the northern border of our great nation. From all sides a daring air raid upon the city of Trottingham. The Telegram read of war. With this there have been no statements by the Princess, one can only assume she is in mourning for those dear lost souls in Trottingham. God rest their souls, and god be with you all.

The town was silent for the day, no one spoke, no more did the birds sing.

The next morning the train was jammed full, all the young men in the town were on their way to Canterlot, to sign their enlistment papers, to join the Canterlot Expeditionary Force. It is here we meet our hero, Defiant Stone. A tall young man, he looks no different than any of the other boys in the train cart with him. His long black hair contained a deep red stripe though it. He looked around at all the boys he inhabited the coach with, packed from wall to wall. A the town blacksmith's son, the jewelers boy, the apple farmer from outside of town, so many more. A band played marching songs upon the station, families turned up in droves to wave off these young men.

The train pulled from the station as they leaned from the windows, smiling faces, crying faces all passed by them in a blur, Stone waved and smiled, he felt his chest swell with pride.

After they had departed the town the boys pulled their heads back into the carriage and began to chat amongst themselves. Stone was lost in a daydream, imagining returning back home, a hero. He had just survived the war, saved some colts lives, now he returned home, the princess had given him a medal, he truly was a hero. A voice pulled him from his fantasy. “You heading to Canterlot to join the army?” He turned his head to find the source. A boy with dark green hair smiled at him.

“Yeah, reckon we all are.”

The green haired boy chuckled. “I suppose so, guess I should have figured. Names Golden Sale, I worked the general store in town, you are?”

“Defiant Stone.”

“Well Stone, what did you do in town?” Stone looked away. “Oh.. you don’t have your cutie mark do you?”

“Keep your voice down, they don’t let blank flanks in the army. You gotta have a special talent to be allowed in.”

The boy ahead of them turned around. “You say you a blank flank?”

“What’s it to you?” Stone retorted.

“No problem friend, just would hate to see you get up there and be turned away.” The brown haired boy ahead of them said giving Stone a snarky look.

“Well, um, excuse me, I have to find the little colts room.”

“Down the aisle to the caboose I think.” Stone thanked him and got out of his seat as Golden and the brown haired boy began to converse.

As Stone entered the caboose he saw it was actually a private cart. Six women sat in circle and talked about the news. “Sorry ladies, just looking for the little colts room.”

“Oh no problem dear, you may use the one in here.” A woman with purple hair pointed toward the door to the side of the cart.

As he exited the small room the ladies stopped him. “Are you one of the boys heading to the recruiter in Canterlot?”

“Yes mam, going to serve my princess proudly.” They all smiled and chuckled softly. “Something wrong mam’s?”

“We just admire yer gusto partner, you got spiff is all.” A blonde lady mare said, pushing back her hat.

“Well thank you mam, I should probably head back to the cart with the others, not to long to go until we reach the station.”

“Nonsense darling, stay here and chit chat with us, no sense in being stuck in that stuffy cabin with the rest of those boys.” The purple haired woman spoke. He sat reluctantly. “So tell us, what's your name?”

“Defiant Stone mam, you ladies?” Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rainbow, and Twilight. “You ladies work for the princess don’t you?” They nodded a confirmatory. “I uh, I hate to ask, but do you know if she would ever let a blank flank in her royal army?”

The ladies all gave him a sad look. “Well, I guess she may, you never know.”

“I ask for my friend of course, not me, I-I’ve definitely got my mark.” The ladies all smiled sadly at him.

They all made idle chatter until they reached the station. “Well ladies, it was nice chatting with all of you, but i gotta hurry to the recruiter before the lines start up.” They all bid him adieu and he was off.

He reached the front of the line. “Name?” Said the white headed lady at the desk ahead of him.

“Defiant Stone mam.”

“Age and height?”

“18, and 6’1.”

“Special Talent.”

He froze, they had never let anyone without a special talent into the ranks. “I uh.. I don’t have one mam.”

“Pardon?”

“I don’t have a special talent.”

“You’re fully grown and don’t have a special talent?”

“Yes mam.”

Calls to stop holding up the line came from behind him. “I’m sorry son, we can’t allow you into the service, you have to be able to contribute to the effort somehow, otherwise you’re just taking up enlistment space.” He hung his head and began to walk out of the office.

As he reached the station a call came from behind him. “Stone, Defiant Stone.” A boy came running to him. The boy had green hair and wore a purple coat. “This is from the princess. Was told to deliver it to you right away.”

“How’d she know where to find me?” The boy shrugged. “Well, thanks I guess.”

Dear Stone,

I heard of your predicament from my faithful student Twilight Sparkle, of whom you made acquaintance with on the train ride to Canterlot. I am glad to hear that their are young men like you to join my guard and protect our nation. While this war saddens me, I’m glad to have young men like you there to fight it. Within the envelope this letter is contained within is a message, take it to the recruiter and you will be admitted into the army. May god be with you.

Princess Celestia, her royal highness.

He stared slack jawed at the letter, unable to fully comprehend what it said. He began to hoot and holler and dance down the street back to the recruiter. He walked back, skipping past the line back to the white haired woman from before, handing her the letter. “Well then,” she said upon reading the letter,” I suppose this changes things. She dug into the waste bin beside her and retrieved his form. ADMITTED.

He stood in front of the guard captain, a tall man with blue hair. “You may have been admitted into her majesties royal army, but that does not mean you will serve. If you cannot pass this training course, you will return home, sad and broken, to tell your families you failed.” Many of the boys grimaced at the words, Stone remained stoic, looking straight forward. “We have one week to train you all for the service, after that, you will be given your assignment and sent off to help with the war effort.”

The captain walked the line, asking each boy for his special talent and name. “Name?!”

“Defiant Stone, Sir!”

“Special Talent?!”

“Don’t have one, sir!”

“Don’t have one? How in the hell did you ever get admitted to my army?”

“Princess Celestia admitted me, sir.”

“You may have some kind of ties to the princess, but around here, that doesn’t matter. I’ll be watching you, you’ll be out of here in no time I bet.”

They trained and trained, practicing marching, entrenching, shooting and fighting hand to hand. After the week they were assigned their jobs by the sergeant. “Defiant Stone, infantry.”

Stone sat on the train to the front. The griffons had inhabited the Island Trottingham once sat on since the initial air raid had caused the civilians to flee. Fortifications had been set up along the coast, a maze work of trenches and pillboxes. Stone studied the rifle he held in his hand, a bolt action rifle dialed in for 100 yards, he was the finest marksman in the class, yet no cutie mark to be seen. He didn’t focus on that, he looked out the window, the trenches, the ocean. They stopped the train at Manehattan, the city was empty, all the civilians had fled for fear of being attacked themselves.

Stone settled into his fox hole in the northern shore of the island. The sun had settled, it had been yet another week without an attack, he began to wonder what had happened to the griffons, had they given up? “Garry griffon already wussin out on us, scared now that he’s heard we got an attack force ready to beat him out.” A voice called from further down the trench.

“Yeah, yeah, just stay sharp, don’t want ‘garry griffon’ sneaking up on us while you run your big mouth.” Someone responded, followed by a choir of laughter from those around them. Stone clutched the rifle, sitting up he peered over his foxhole at the ocean, a dark storm was on the horizon, lightning flashed, thunder cracked across the water.

Stone thought he had seen something in the flash of lightning, but couldn’t be sure. Once more, a crack of lightning, shapes in the light, then darkness. He was now staring fully at the storm, watching. Wind licked the ocean with ever increasing fervor, hats were thrown from men's heads, sand was thrown around wildly. Again, he saw it, a large oval in the storm, were his eyes playing tricks upon him.

Suddenly, the calm before the storm. “You can bet when those grifs get here, they’ll have me to answer t-” The sudden clack of machine gun fire called from above. It had closed in over them rather quickly, but now it was upon them, bombs exploded around him, Stone dug his hands into his helmet, holding on. Machine gun fodder peppered the ground, then the buzzing. The soft hum of the planes, the guns began to churn away, then more bombs.

The planes moved in darkness overhead, griffons could see in the dark, so they had no problem navigating, but the equestrians were blind, they cowered in their holes as the griffons bombarded them. Stone cried as the bombs exploded around, this wasn’t what he was expecting. He cried and tried to remember home, then a flash, a force, and darkness.