Equestria at War: Every Life Matters

by gmoyes

Rating: teen
Tags: Death, Alternate Universe, Drama, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 4024

In times of war, every life matters. But how much does each life matter? Is Field Marshal Southcliff's life really worth more than a soldier fighting to save their home?

The following is a collection of exerts from the personal journal of Southcliff, Field Marshal of the Deponya military, written after the advancing Griffonian Empire captured the town of Maneceaster. He wished that these words would be spread throughout the River Federation in hopes to inspire his fellow ponies to fight for peace.

Or to kindle a spark of hope in the face of being subjugated by the Griffon Empire.

Based on the tremendously well done Hearts of Iron IV mod, Equestria at War. Written for the Second Equestria at War Write-off. Events inspired by a Harmonic Hellquill run I made.

Published 2019-04-22 01:40:01 UTC
Last updated 2019-04-22 01:40:01 UTC

History Repeats

My name is Southcliff, Field Marshal of the Kingdom of Deponya, member of the River Coalition. These last few weeks have been crazy. I certainly doesn’t help that these might just be the last few weeks of my life as well. That might just be why I’m writing this, I want to leave something beside death as my legacy. Please bare with me, I’m no writer and it’s a little difficult to say what I want to. So in that case, I might as well start at the beginning.

But which beginning? My grandparents’ immigration to Deponya from Equestria? The beginning of this damned war? Or the tales of my ancestor that seem all too familiar now?

Well, I guess in this time of strife and as an army official I should start with the relevant facts.

For the sake of those of you who maybe from abroad, let me explain the geopolitical situation. Deponya is a minor kingdom in a pact of nations known as the River Coalition, a treaty meant for us ponies to work together in defense against outside griffon forces. We are on the western edge of the federation, on the border with the Griffonian crusader nation, Hellquill, and as such we are part of the frontline with the dogs of Diamond Mountain to the north of us and Lake City to the south across the great Griffking River. We are probably the weakest nation in the treaty, or at least the least modernized.

I had hope when the griffons of Hellquill approached the River Coalition and the Empire and proposed that they become a neutral ground between the two of us and broker diplomacy and trade. As one who has a few relatives in the trade industry, I could see it being a mutually beneficial agreement for both sides. Being able to export our resources down Griffking River while the Empire sent manufactured goods up it meant we didn’t have to ship stuff all the way around the Griffonian continent where pirates like to call home. In order to enforce this neutrality, Hellquill signed a guarantee of independence with both nations so that if one were to declare war on them, the other would intervene on Hellquill’s behalf.

Best case scenario, status quo remained and peace and harmony would continue to rule over the River Federation. It wouldn’t have surprised me if the Griffonian Empire decided to continue its expansion eastward to reclaim the lands of Hellquill and beyond. In that case, they would have bought all of us time to mobilize and try to hold back the griffons. It may be unkind to throw them under the cart like that, but the bond between the ponies of the River Federation is more important than a treaty with a nation of griffons who were formed to hunt down said ponies.

Which unfortunately proved to be the case when Lake City declared war on Hellquill, pursuing some sort of justice or preemptive strike aginst the griffon. I think everypony and everygriff was shocked as I was when the declaration happened. Still, the Griffonian Empire found their excuse to expand their reach and declared war on the Federation. Even with this, I admired Hellquill’s commitment to harmony, not allowing Griffonian troops on their land and tried to deal with Lake City on their own. The rest of the River Federation weren’t technically at war with Hellquill so they hoped that if they forced Lake City to surrender, they would become a demilitarized zone between the Empire and the River Federation. It might have been an okay idea.

Up until the damn dogs joined in and flooded in from the northern mountains to make it two front war for the griffons. Apparently, they were seeking a revenge for a raid that happened against them a few decades back. Whatever the case, Hellquill couldn’t push the dogs out of the mountains as well as fight Like City. So, they had to make a difficult choice: survival or uphold their harmonic ideals.

They chose survival. They pledged their allegiance to the Empire and now a million griffons are pouring into the riverlands.

Even with radio, it’s hard to tell what’s going on in the other members of the Federation. It took time to get everypony organized and mobilize, so by the time Deponya was officially called into the war, Lake City was pushed back so much that we were getting flanked from across the Griffking River. At least the diamond dogs are letting them bleed for every inch of mountain they take. But everypony is so confused and out of position that I don’t know how we’ll hold. Lake City might fall any day and there is no way in Tartarus that we can stop their advance without them.

At the time of my writing this, the town of Maneceaster just fell to the Griffonian onslaught. As planned, it was our first fallback line once our forces got pushed back from the border between us and Hellquill. The river tributary that the town sat on would make for a good defensive barrier against Griffon armour. Still, we didn’t have much time to dig in before we were put under siege. We were outnumbered, out gunned and out armoured. Other forces from the River Federation were out of position and slow to reinforce. So we had to flee. The retreat went relatively smooth considering we had Hellquillian knights and Griffionian tanks on our tails. I swear, I could feel my cutie mark burning when our soldiers were trying not to leave behind a single artillery piece.

Gah, look at my mouth-writing, I’m panicking. Come on Southcliff, you can organize thousands of ponies on the battlefield, you can organize a few thousand letters on a page.

But sometimes, some writing on a piece of paper is indeed worth thousands of ponies. Our broken deal with Hellquill is already proof of that.

My logistical orders also sheets of paper concerning the lives of thousands of ponies.

I’ve sent thousands of ponies to die.

You know, there were good odds that I wouldn’t have been part of the military at all. Like quite a few traditional earth pony families, my own family talent get passed down through the generations. But instead of farming a particular crop, my family’s talent is in logistics. Getting needed supplies from point A to point B. Most other ponies think it is more of a merchant’s mark, and to be fair they aren’t that wrong. Quite a few members of my family work as traders, my parents and older sister included. My grandparents moved to Deponya because they wanted to foster trade between the poorly developed nations of the River Federation and Equestria. There are also more distant cousins of mine in merchant and organizational jobs in Equestria as well. I suppose their business is booming, what with their war with the changelings.

But our talent goes back over a thousand years, when Equestria was young and both royal sisters ruled the throne. My ancestor lead the joined forces of Equestria against Sombra and the Crystal Empire under the Princesses. That’s right, my ancestor was the Field Marshal. The one the position was named after. We’re quite proud of our heritage, though to be honest, nopony in our family had achieved such a title in last few hundred years. Well, at least until me.

I often wonder how I got chosen to be the Field Marshal of Deponya’s forces. I kid you not, my mark is of a freight elevator. Not something that brings to mind the military, does it? I mean, perhaps symbolically it represents rising through the ranks of logistics, which I guess I have. It also helps that I could translate archaic military term like levies and retinues into more modern equivalents. Either way, Luna knows I didn’t dream of becoming the leader of an army, responsible for the lives of thousands and shape the course of entire nations.

Except only in nightmares.

After seeing so much death, I suppose nightmares are only natural. There is blood on my hooves, even though I have never drawn a weapon against another creature. And I plead that even with a griffon army coming after my head that I never have to. I know it sounds hypocritical, but I know that I’m not willing to kill for my country.

But I don’t know if I’m willing to die for it either.

It sounds treasonous when I put it that way. But I’m scared. And if the griffons do catch me what should I do? Surrender peacefully? Fight until my last breath? Or do I shoot myself in the head to prevent it from happening?

Is my one life really that significant? If I were to die now, would that make any difference?

Is it better to give up now?

...No, I have made a difference. I've lead the military innovations to at least bring us up to par for the other nations of the River Coalition and promoted peace and trade with our neighbours. We've survived this long because of me.

There is only so much one more pony holding a gun can do. But each pony is important.

I keep thinking back to my ancestor, what would Field Marshal do? Copies of his personal journals have been passed down through the family so I have some ideas. But times have changed. War is different.

Then again, looking around the command camp, perhaps it hasn’t changed as much as I first thought. And I’m not just talking about the out-of-date swords and spears carried around by a good percentage of the our soldiers that haven’t changed in a thousand years. The patriotism and camaraderie of the soldiers are pretty much the same. Ponies from different different cultures and backgrounds uniting to defend against a common foe. The communication and logistical nightmares certainly haven’t changed much. Death and destruction still rule the battlefield. The biggest difference is the scale.

And that we are losing.

In fact, there are some more personal details that are pretty much identical to what Field Marshal went through. Instead of dealing with stuck up Canterlot nobles and hotheaded Cloudsdale generals, I have to deal with stuck up Wittenland nobles and hotheaded Nimbusian generals. The fighting between the united tribes of early Equestria is much like the politics between the members of the River Federation, including the racial tensions.

But there is no Princess Celestia. Princess Celestia was, and still is, the very symbol of Equestrian unity, able to bring the clashing personalities of the leadership of the old tribes, my ancestor included, together against a common enemy. The River Federation has no such unifying figure, as much as River Swirl, "Champion of the River Federation", tries. Sweet Celestia, I wish you were here to guide us in our time of need.

That reminds me, Princess Celestia taught Field Marshal a lesson during the war. It became a prominent part of his journals and a major part of his outlook since then. Copies of Field Marshal’s journals have been handed down through the generations, as well as in the hooves high brass in the Equestrian military. Perhaps I should follow his example.

You see, as unorganized as early Equestria was, it still had a major ponypower and resource edge over the cold and barren Crystal Empire. Field Marshal recognized this fact and hinged a good amount of his strategy on it. Equestria could afford to take more losses than the Crystal Empire could, so by playing the long game and bleed them dry, he could guarantee an Equestrian victory. When he consulted Princess Celestia on this plan she had this to say:

“Every life is precious. If you only see ponies lives as number on a sheet of paper, then you’ve forgotten why we’re fighting this war. We are fighting this war to keep ponies safe. All ponies, even and especially those in the Crystal Empire.”

It was hard to argue against the princess, so he asked her what he should do.

She told him that starting now, he would write down the names of every single soldier that died under his command until the end of the war.

And he did. His old journals contain the names of a few thousand ponies who sacrificed their lives to bring peace and harmony to Equestria.

One battle in our current war against the Griffonian Empire has cost more lives than the entire campaign against the Crystal Empire.

I see myself in Field Marshal’s hooves. I see the numbers, the lives of ponies spent in the war effort. But he lived with the luxury of being on the winning side. I am just delaying the inevitable. I’m doing my best, but it will be in vain. So will the lives of all the ponies lost in this war.

I need to do something for these ponies. They will be forgotten once the Empire takes over. I can’t let this happen, I’ll honour them as my ancestor had. But there are so many already lost, it’s a bit overwhelming. And starting now might be pointless as we could be giving up any day.

I’ll start small. The reports from the fall of Maneceaster are still fresh, so I can start there. But there is still too many to list, even ignoring the forces of the other members of the River Federation.

It may take a bit more work to track down, but I think the best to start with the ponies from Maneceaster who died trying to defend their own home. There will still be a lot of ponies, but at least it would be more manageable. I’m going to make myself sick with guilt doing this, but it should be done.

Well here we go, a list of casualties of the companies who called Maneceaster home during the battle of Maneceaster.

From the Maneceaster Infantry Battalion

Major Baron Strongfield, Unicorn Stallion - KIA leading a final stand at his personal manor with his friends/family/command party
Captain Justice Strike, Unicorn Stallion - Former sheriff of Maneceaster, KIA
Captain Moonbow, Unicorn Mare - KIA at Strongfield Manor
Lieutenant Baroness Icefield, Unicorn Mare - KIA at Strongfield Manor
Lieutenant Flowerdew, Pegasus Mare - KIA

Lieutenant Iron Basher, Earth Pony Stallion - KIA at Strongfield Manor
Lieutenant Squirrelflight, Pegasus Mare - KIA at Strongfield Manor
Lieutenant Victory Toast, Earth Pony Stallion - KIA at Strongfield Manor
Sergeant Black Isle, Earth Pony Stallion - KIA
Sergeant Brazen Hoof, Earth Pony Stallion - KIA

Sergeant Guinness, Griffon Male - Former mercenary leader, KIA
Sergeant Lead Vendor, Unicorn Stallion - KIA
Sergeant Risen Blood, Earth Pony Mare - Former mercenary leader, KIA
Sergeant River Eddie, Earth Pony Stallion - KIA
Sergeant Victorious Angel, Earth Pony Mare - Former mercenary leader, KIA

Master Corporal Bent Arrow, Unicorn Stallion - KIA
Master Corporal Gisel Oathsworn, Griffon Female - KIA
Master Corporal Jade Armour, Earth Pony Stallion - KIA
Master Corporal Oracle, Unicorn Stallion - KIA at Strongfield Manor
Master Corporal Quartermaster, Earth Pony Stallion - A cousin of mine, KIA

Master Corporal Steel Stud, Pegasus Stallion - KIA
Master Corporal Storyteller, Earth Pony Stallion - KIA
Master Corporal Water Aura, Pegasus Mare - KIA
Corporal Bounty, Earth Pony Stallion - Former Maneceaster Deputy, KIA
Corporal Copper Gorge, Earth Pony Stallion - KIA

Corporal Excel Blazer, Earth Pony Stallion - Former tailor, MIA
Corporal Garbhan Roughfeather, Griffon Male - KIA
Corporal Gerwalt Skypierce, Griffon Female - KIA
Corporal Good Warden, Earth Pony Stallion - KIA
Corporal Gordon Sharpeye, Griffon Male - Former mercenary, MIA

Corporal Gunnar Brambletalon, Griffon Male - Former mercenary, KIA
Corporal Honey Comb, Earth Pony Mare - KIA
Corporal Jukebox, Unicorn Stallion - Former local musician, KIA
Corporal Marble Hoof, Earth Pony Stallion - KIA
Corporal Peppermint Spice, Earth Pony Stallion - KIA

Corporal River Fisher, Earth Pony Mare - KIA
Corporal Snapshot, Earth Pony Stallion - KIA at Strongfield Manor
Corporal Sable Isle, Earth Pony Stallion - Former miner, KIA
Corporal Tea Biscuit, Earth Pony Stallion - KIA
Private Arctic Ace, Pegasus Stallion - KIA

Private Argent, Diamond Dog Male - MIA
Private Ash Heap, Earth Pony Mare - KIA
Private Belle Isle, Earth Pony Mare - Former musician, KIA
Private Berry Rake, Earth Pony Stallion - KIA
Private Bloodstain, Unicorn Mare - Former highwaymare, KIA

Private Blueberry Hills, Earth Pony Stallion - KIA at Strongfield Manor
Private Brown Package, Pegasus Stallion - KIA
Private Cinnamon Twirl, Earth Pony Mare - KIA
Private Ferren, Diamond Dog Male - MIA
Private Final Snow, Pegasus Mare - KIA

Private Flashpoint, Unicorn Mare - KIA
Private Fruitcake, Earth Pony Stallion - KIA
Private Full Tank, Unicorn Mare - KIA
Private Full Stop, Earth Pony Mare - KIA
Private Garrett Eastclaw, Griffon Male - KIA

Private Genie Longshot, Griffon Female - Former mercenary, KIA
Private Gideon Blackblade, Griffon Male - KIA
Private Gigi Longshot, Griffon Female - Former mercenary, KIA
Private Gina Longshot, Griffon Female - Former mercenary, KIA
Private Jinx, Earth Pony Mare - KIA

Private Joyful Noise, Earth Pony Mare - KIA
Private Last Legacy, Unicorn Stallion - KIA
Private Little Note, Unicorn Mare - KIA
Private Little Sunshine, Earth Pony Mare - Former mercenary, KIA
Private Maple Tap, Earth Pony Stallion - KIA at Strongfield Manor

Private Monochomatic, Unicorn Mare - KIA
Private Neon Headache, Earth Pony Mare - MIA
Private Nettlekiss, Earth Pony Mare - KIA
Private Northern Star, Unicorn Stallion - KIA at Strongfield Manor
Private Onion Tears, Earth Pony Mare - KIA

Private Orchid Kisses, Earth Pony Mare - KIA
Private Rain Hoof, Pegasus Stallion - KIA
Private River Mouth, Pegasus Stallion - KIA
Private Ruby Aurora, Unicorn Stallion - KIA
Private Sap Pail, Earth Pony Mare - KIA

Private Sharpshot, Pegasus Stallion - KIA
Private Shining Prize, Unicorn Stallion - KIA
Private Sidgel, Unicorn Mare - Former mercenary, KIA
Private Snow Wish, Pegasus Stallion - KIA
Private Shadowstep, Unicorn Mare - Former mercenary, KIA

Private Sugar Steps, Earth Pony Stallion - KIA
Private Sweet Spigot, Earth Pony Mare - KIA
Private Trousers, Earth Pony Stallion - Former tailor, KIA
Private Winternight, Unicorn Mare - KIA
Private Yellowgaze, Earth Pony Mare - KIA at Strongfield Manor

Private Zahir, Zebra Stallion - KIA
Private Zain, Zebra Stallion - KIA
Private Zita, Zebra Mare - KIA

From the Maneceaster Skirmisher Company

Captain Hail Typhoon, Pegasus Stallion - MIA during Operation Washout, creating serious weather to bog down the Griffonian advance.
Lieutenant Deep Wind, Pegasus Stallion - KIA
Lieutenant Hunter, Pegasus Stallion - KIA
Lieutenant Ice Sunlight, Pegasus Mare - KIA
Lieutenant Polar Stream, Pegasus Mare - KIA

Sergeant Aviary Bishop, Pegasus Stallion - KIA
Sergeant Meteorhammer, Pegasus Stallion - KIA
Sergeant Stormy Dark, Pegasus Mare - KIA during Operation Washout
Master Corporal Cloud Sweeper, Pegasus Stallion - KIA during Operation Washout
Master Corporal Dazzleflash, Pegasus Mare - KIA during Operation Washout

Master Corporal Razor Wind, Pegasus Stallion - KIA
Master Corporal Updraft, Pegasus Stallion - KIA
Corporal Airdrop, Pegasus Mare - KIA
Corporal Chinook, Pegasus Mare - KIA during Operation Washout
Corporal Harrier, Pegasus Stallion - KIA

Corporal Longhaul, Pegasus Mare - MIA
Corporal Nor’easter, Pegasus Stallion - KIA during Operation Washout
Corporal Willow Branch, Pegasus Mare - KIA
Private Brisk Twister, Pegasus Stallion - KIA
Private Cherry Brown, Pegasus Mare - KIA

Private Coco Love, Pegasus Mare - Former town star musician, KIA
Private Dancing Wing, Pegasus Mare - KIA
Private Full Haste, Pegasus Stallion - KIA
Private Harvest Moon, Pegasus Stallion - KIA
Private Heather, Pegasus Mare - KIA

Private Iris, Pegasus Mare - KIA during Operation Washout
Private Private Joke, Pegasus Stallion - KIA
Private Tail Chaser, Pegasus Stallion - KIA
Private Torrent, Pegasus Stallion - KIA
Private Thunder Charge, Pegasus Stallion - KIA during Operation Washout

From the 2nd Deponyian Artillery Company

Lieutenant Frostburn, Unicorn Stallion - KIA
Sergeant Saltpeter, Earth Pony Stallion - KIA
Master Corporal Cheery Leap, Earth Pony Mare - Former Party Pony, MIA
Master Corporal Creeping Barrage, Earth Pony Stallion
Corporal Clearout, Earth Pony Stallion - KIA

Corporal Fire Control, Earth Pony Stallion - KIA
Private Chrome, Unicorn Mare - MIA
Private Flawless Gadget, Earth Pony Mare - KIA
Private Hall Bell, Earth Pony Stallion - KIA

From the 1st Deponyian Mage Company

Lieutenant Projection, Unicorn Stallion - MIA during Operation Wraith, an attempt at using a combination of spells to infiltrate Griffonian back lines
Specialist Dawn Glow, Unicorn Mare - KIA
Specialist Flashstep, Unicorn Stallion - MIA during Operation Wraith
Specialist Inked Parchment, Unicorn Stallion - MIA during Operation Wraith
Specialist Moonlit Dusk, Unicorn Mare - MIA during Operation Wraith

Specialist Phaseshift, Unicorn Mare - MIA during Operation Wraith
Specialist Radiance, Unicorn Stallion - MIA during Operation Wraith
Specialist Rainheart, Unicorn Stallion - KIA, only confirmed casualty of Operation Wraith
Specialist Sapphire Heart, Unicorn Mare, KIA
Specialist Sacred Spiral, Unicorn Stallion - KIA

Specialist Whispersilk, Unicorn Mare - MIA during Operation Wraith
Specialist Windsheer, Unicorn Stallion - MIA during Operation Wraith

From the Deponyian Frontline Doctors

Doctor Black Gear, Earth Pony Stallion - KIA shielding his patients with his own body
Doctor Blessed Hooves, Earth Pony Mare - KIA
Doctor Ebony Rose, Unicorn Mare - KIA trying to avenge husband Black Gear
Nurse Enamel, Unicorn Mare - KIA
Nurse Night Balm, Unicorn Mare - KIA

Nurse Shoddy Cast, Unicorn Stallion - KIA

From the Deponyian Military Engineers

Lieutenant Final Solution, Unicorn Stallion - KIA at Strongfield Manor
Sergeant Rusty Rivet, Earth Pony Stallion - KIA
Master Corporal Stone Steps, Earth Pony Mare - KIA
Corporal Dunn Wall, Earth Pony Stallion - KIA
Corporal Flying Buttress, Earth Pony Stallion - KIA

Corporal Treefeller, Earth Pony Stallion - KIA
Corporal Steamwork, Pegasus Stallion - former foreman of local weather factory KIA
Private Bee Sight, Earth Pony Mare - KIA
Private Bunker, Unicorn Stallion - KIA
Private Carpenter, Earth Pony Stallion - KIA

Private Frostblossom, Earth Pony Mare - KIA
Private Lucky Rivet, Earth Pony Mare - KIA
Private Rockface, Earth Pony Stallion - KIA
Private Wildcater, Earth Pony Stallion - KIA

This is 159 lives lost, lives who fought in the battle of Maneceaster defending their home. This may not seem like much in, but keep in mind this does not include:
Those known wounded or captured instead of killed during the battle.
The casualties of Deponyan forces from elsewhere in the country.
The casualties of forces from the other nations of the River Federation.
The casualties of those who lived in Maneceaster who have died in other battles.

Take a close look at this list. You will find entire families killed. Gangs of friends taking a last stand together. Griffons fighting against their own kin for their adopted home. Each one of them with their own story. A story cut short by the talons of the griffons.

This is what we fight for.

I’m going to send copies of this as far and wide as I can. Perhaps it may spark some inspiration, some hope, some patriotism. Perhaps on the slim chance that we survive, a monument will be built in Maneceaster for them. Maybe a copy will be sent to Equestria and it will inspire them to liberate their fellow ponies.

As for me, I’ll keep doing what I can to fight. Even if Deponya falls, I’m going retreat to the other nations of the River Coalition to lend my skills there. I’ll keep doing so until I march off the longest dock in Numbusia. I’ll swim to Equestria if I have to. I will not let these ponies die in vain.

Mark these words. As they may be my last.

Sincerely,

Field Marshal Southcliff

Author's Note

Hey, sorry if I get military terminology wrong, I don't really have a background in the military and most of what I've got was picked off of wikipedia.

Southcliff, isn't a Field Marshal in the game or even a general. He's wholly a OC of mine, but I figured inserting into the free real estate that is Deponya wouldn't do much harm.