World War Equestria

The 5th marched north for three days. En route they were joined by the 2nd Regiment of Grays, 9th Whites, 4th Grays, 1st Whites, and a two regiment compliment from the Crystal Empire. The 5th was commanded by a rising earth pony star named 3 Star. Born into a military family, he followed his father's hoofsteps by learning at the Royal Academy of Land Warfare. He would eventually become commander of the entire army. Leading the newly formed Northern Army was Bunker Buster. You'll find out more about him later. We arrived at a wood where we could see the Yak fires from the other side of it. It was night so we made camp. As almost everypony went to sleep, I stayed up from nerves, and built a half-flanked fire. I was startled by a noise. One of my comrade, Coal Dust, emerged. I glared at him. He tsked. “You really need to take better care of your fire,” he said. “You're a coal miner, what do you know about fires?” He said nothing as he built it back up. “Isn't fire a huge hazard in a mine?” Coal Dust finally retorted. “You're steelworker, shouldn't you know everything about it?” That shut me up. Four more ponies emerged, all coming back from picket duty. There was Boxer and his twin Packer, Tree Trimmer and a pony whose name I've long forgotten. They joined the conversation. After a while of it, I got tired. “Okay guys, I'm going to bed, help yourself to the fried cabbage,” it's what I was cooking over the fire. Once asleep, Luna was not kind to me. I had dreams of violent decapitation, my bowels spilling out on the field, or getting my throat punctured by a spear. It went on all night long.

      Dawn arrived at our camp. A light mist covered the ground and the forest, setting the eerie mood and doing nothing to ease our minds. By the time the mist burnt off, our camps were struck and ranks were formed. We began our march into the forest. After half an hour, we arrived at a clearing. The 5th was the first to emerge. Suddenly a hail of arrows shredded our ranks. Ponies screamed in terror and pain. However, most of the arrows that did hit stuck in our armor, and the ones that had arrows in their skin were a minority, but it was enough to shake us. A whole army of Yaks emerged from the trees, ready to trample the 5th into dust.

We readied our spears. Finally the 5th was no longer alone. The rest of the Northern Army emerged, with the two Crystal Empire regiments on the left flank, followed by the 9th Whites, 2nd Grays, 1st Whites in the center, 4th Grays and us on the right flank. The Crystal Imperials were charged by a horde of Yaks, and bitter fighting ensued. Our archers had formed up and began answering the arrows that flew our way. My first experience with death came shortly. A stallion ahead of me (I was in the second rank) was pierced by two arrows. He screamed and collapsed, twitching in a bloody puddle. His red blood soaked my white fur. To our left, focused in the small gap created by the 4th Grays and the 5th, stood a Yak horde. They charged. Their charge seemed to be focused more on the Grays then us, and only about a fifth of our regiment were engaged. Three Star gave the order for the regiment to wheel around the flank. The 5th began to wheel around. Before the maneuver was complete, two regiments of Northern Changelings appeared. Faster than lightning, they charged. The flank of us was ripped apart. I saw one pony literally ripped in half by a changeling. We stopped and turned around. The shattered ponies ran past, and a brief standoff ensued. Spears down and ready, we stared the changelings. They stared right back. Unleashing a war cry, along with arrows, they attacked. We gave them our own cheer and countercharged. My spear cut into an exposed neck of a changeling, ripping it open and spilling his blood. We slammed into them. A pony attacked a changeling, but he was ready and disarmed the pony and smashed his head so hard his brains spilled into the blood soaked ground. My spear got caught in a changeling chest plate and snapped in half. I drew my sword and attacked. One unfortunate changeling was caught in my path and I slaughtered him without second thought. They caught their breath, and now that most of the 5th had no spear and only swords, attacked. We braced. The pony who became part of my fireside group the night before who's name I have forgotten, was forced onto his hind legs, and a sword sliced his stomach open, spilling his intestines all over. What's worse, he still lived. Out of all the sounds of the battle, that was the worst. It was the grutal scream of unimaginable pain, fear for his inevitable death, sadness that he would never see his loved ones again, and anger that they did that to him. It still haunts me, to this very day. Our lines were starting to thin. Luckily, help was on the way.

   On the other side of the battle, the 2nd Grays were facing relatively light resistance from the Yaks. Being a unicorn, Big had more functionality than a earth pony or a pegasus, so he was an archer. They weren't in a good position to hit much, so they were saving their arrows for a better target. Suddenly an aide of Three Star came galloping over to their position. “The 5th requires immediate archer assistance! Go to where they are at the double quick!” Unfortunately for the archers of the 2nd Grays, they didn't know where the 5th was. With Big in charge, they went to the left flank, the opposite of where they were needed. The Crystal archers had long since run out of ammunition, and the Yaks were about to break through. Even though the 5th needed them desperately, Big decided to fire two volleys into the Yaks, and then reposition to the other flank. As it turned out, those two volleys might have saved the left flank from total collapse. About facing, they galloped to the other side of the field. With the 5th thinning fast, Big ordered a volley. With the 5th acting like a levee holding back a river of changelings, it was impossible to miss. The arrows slammed into the changeling ranks with brutal effect, killing some outright and making others want the relief of death from their suffering. Two more volleys followed, and then Big ordered them to release at will. Facing a wall of gold armor, steel swords and spears, and an unrelenting rain of arrows, they began to falter.

   It was noticed immediately. Together, we gathered our collective courage, and charged. My sword stabbed a changeling in the leg, and he collapsed screaming. Although the Northern Changelings were tough and warlike, they couldn't take it. The two units began to rout, leaving the 5th free. The archers at our rear ran back to the other flank to help. But the battle was not over. Three Star was quick to see the 4th Grays were also on the verge of collapsing. Gathering up unbroken spears, we charged into the flank of the Yaks attacking them. They began to run. Gathering up more ponies and steam, we rolled up the Yak flank, destroying everypony in our path. The rest of their army collapsed, and the battle was won.

   The aftermath was grim. One by one, ponies realized they were now killers, cold hearted and merciless. The cries of the wounded echoed through the woods. We toured the battlefield, gathering up the wounded and identifying the dead. The 5th suffered horribly for its contribution to victory. Out of a regiment of 2,000, 700 laid dead. We walked among them, putting the horribly injured out of their misery. Healing spells could only do so much against a punctured stomach. I sat on a rock, thinking about what I've done. Celestia forgive me, because I'm now a killer. I rose and helped with the recovery efforts. The dead were stripped of their armor and weapons, cleaned as best we could manage of blood, and were sent home for burial. The Yaks were not finished though. Many more battles would be fought.