The Battle of Saddle Lakeby French RevolutionChaptersChp: 1-Marching to BattleChp: 2-King Discord's ArmyChp: 3- Saddle LakeChp:4- StandoffChp: 6-Post BattleChp: 7- The Other Side of Saddle LakeChp.5- The ClashChp: 1-Marching to BattleTwo years have passed since the abduction of Princess Luna by the Kingdom of Chaos. Since then, King Heart has dedicated himself to search for his missing daughter and to return her home with her family. But the results of the kidnapping have proven beneficial to the Kingdom of Chaos, as her abduction has led King heart into a state of madness and aggressiveness, forcing his army to rescue his daughter. This caused the lower nobles of Equestria to despise the new actions of the king, and rose in rebellion against his current rule. For several months, King Heart has sent several of his most trusted nobles to track the rebels in the countryside, as they are fighting a non-conventional warfare, attacking only at night and conducting raids to disrupt the supply lines in the country side. In the meantime, King Heart has assembled a mighty army to prepare for a Chaos invasion. The king has received intelligence that King Discord was leading an army to invade Equestria to continue their conquest to expand their territory into an empire. The Equestrian Royal Division which consists of the King's personal army and the Canterlot garrison have begun their march to rally with the other troops in a nearby tavern. King heart was in his command tent with Lord Clover "the Clever" the head strategist of the kingdom, Captain Platinum of the royal guard, General Hurricane the commander of the Equestrian army and Prince Army who leads the Mark Crusaders. A company of crusaders who's role is to act as an expeditionary force for foreign conflicts in which allied kingdoms need assistance, but the mother country would have little-to-no connection with them. It is an important order as it shows the strength of the Equestrian military, but also not to disgrace the entire military if it decides to fail in their mission. The men have begun a military council to discuss their plans. The men sit around a rectangular table with King Heart at the head of the table. The men were in their armor and were being served drinks by the servants. The men look at their king as his beard begins to grow unshaven and his eyes were tired from the constant search for his daughter and reports of rebels within the kingdom. "How goes the assembly of our army?" King Heart asked. "A small scouting company is at the head of our march, making sure that our path is secured and safe for our army. In the meantime, the rest of our army will take about three days to arrive," Lord Clover answered. King Heart takes a drink, then looks at the commander of his army, "How many men are being gathered?" General Hurricane was shuffling through the reports, looking for a proper estimate, "Between thirteen to sixteen thousand troops your majesty." King Hearts nods his head. The council was beginning to be frustrated at the actions of the king. Prince Armor decided to speak out, "What of the enemy?" "Our spies have reported that they are right outside the border, and we have a small border company watching the," Lord Clover answered. "But we believe that their numbers are more than twenty thousand men. Way more troops than what we have." King Hearts waves his cup around in the air for his cup bearer to give him more wine. He takes another drink before standing up and walking to the opening of the tent. He sees his soldiers training and cleaning their equipment for the upcoming battle. "Half of their army are inexperienced and I heard that they are mostly militia," said the king. "That is true your majesty," Lord Clover added. "But the strategy of King Discord is to always use the numbers of reserves to try and break through the enemy ranks in the middle of the battle, when his opponent begins to show signs of attrition." "There is no need to worry my lord," said General Hurricane, he looks at the king. "The Royal Division can take the vanguard. We can take the blunt of the attack and have the other divisions flank the enemy." "No, " the king turns back to the table. "You will not lead the royal division this time. I will have you personally command the regular forces. I will lead the van and take King Discords head for myself," he looks into his wine cup. "There is no way that King Discord would not accept a challenge from me." "What of the crusaders?" Prince Armor asked. King Heart returns to his seat, before answering, "The crusaders are mostly cavalrymen who are skilled in combat. I will have them as a flank and you will maneuver through the enemy ranks to try and cut them off." He looked into the wine cup that he has been twirling around with. He saw a reflection of himself bloodied and his hair all grown out as if his eyes have been showing his future of wearing himself down. "If King Discord invades Equestria, we have no choice, but to respond with the force that we have. We have proven ourselves in the past against the Crystal Empire, I'm pretty sure the kingdom can defeat one more empire before she decide to fall." The king briefly ended the council. Everyone walked out of the tent to see to their units and the logistics of the army. General Hurricane and Prince Armor toured the grounds of the Royal Division. The soldier of the royal division were dressed in red and golden stripes to represent the royal family and the royal guards were dressed in gold plated armor. The soldiers stood and bowed before their royal prince. "Your father has been growing tired lately," said General Hurricane. Prince Armor looks at the general, "He has been trying to rescue my little sister for two years. That kind of dedication would grow a man tired, even if his heart is strong." "I don't blame him," General Hurricane replied. He immediately stopped, leaving Prince Armor to walk a few paces forward. "I have a daughter myself. I'd probably dedicate everything I have for her." Chp: 2-King Discord's ArmyThe Kingdom of Chaos has completely gathered a force of more than twenty-four thousand troops. Since the abduction of Princess Luna, King Discord knew that King Heart would weaken the Kingdom of Equestria through the dedication to search for his daughter. During the past two years, King Discord has hired mercenaries and militias to guard the borders and conduct small skirmishes with the Equestrians to provide time for the Chaos Army to build to a strength that would be unstoppable for their neighboring kingdoms and allies. The allies of Chaos have pledged their loyalty to King Discord and have became a puppet for him, but their mission was to protect the Chaos Homeland from impending invasion, while King Discord conducts his conquest. King Discord along with the three main generals of is army and his head sorcerer called for a war council. They sat around a round table at the center of the tent. General Glimmer and General Shimmer sit across General Grogar, the commander of the Chaos vanguard. A position that could only be acquired through skills and absolute loyalty to the Chaos king. King Discord sits across his head sorcerer, Sorcerer Meadowbrook. General Grogar was pointing their route on the map, "Once we cross the border, the army will have to march through this small forest and along Saddle Lake to reach the capital." "How long will it take for us to reach the capital?" General Shimmer asked. "With no interruptions to our advance, maybe 14 days the earliest, but if our spies are correct and there is an army waiting for us somewhere, probably two or three months," General Grogar answered. Meadowbrook was playing with his personal long knife that he uses for close-combat on the table, "Do we know the numbers of the enemy?" "We do not know yet, but we predict between ten to thirteen thousand of their troops. The rebellion in the countryside have a few thousand troops occupied," General Grogar points at the map again. "If Lord Clover is smart enough, he would meet us here in Saddle Lake." King Discord leaned forward from his seat, "I saw that lake two years ago. It is perfect for a battlefield. The field offers a large viewpoint for any army. There are small large groups of trees, but it won't provide cover. There are also a number of small hills near the lake. If we occupy those grounds, we have a perfect vantage point of the field." The flap of the command tent was opened by the royal guards. A middle aged noble walks into the tent with two other knights all dressed in full armor. The banners on their armor shows the crest of the royal family, but the symbol of a rebel as well. "You're late," said King Discord. Approaching the war council was Lord Cookie, a low-noble from Equestria who has rebelled against the king. He was one of the commanders of the rebel army that was called on by King Discord to assist them in their conquest of Equestria. "My apologies your majesty," Lord Cookie apologized. "Enough of the small talk," said General Grogar. "How many men did you bring?" Lord Cookie came closer to the table, "Four hundred general. Most of the troops are bandits, highwaymen, beggars and farmers. But there is no need to worry, they are led by my soldiers." "How many are trained soldiers?" General Glimmer asked? Lord Cookie sighed while looking at him, "Less than a hundred. Most of whom are inexperienced." The Chaos generals looked at their king. Their faces showed concern on the decision of the king to have the Equestrian rebels join their army, as many of their troops are inexperienced in warfare. Meadowbrook observed the armor of the two knights behind Lord Cookie, and noticed that their armor barely had a dent or scratch on them. The faces of his officers were clean shaven and their skin was bright in the dark night. The flap of the tent opened again. The generals quickly stood and bowed in front of the person. The Equestrian rebels noticed their actions and looked back, they immediately knelt in front of their princess. "What are you doing Luna?" King Discord asked, seating on his chair. Lord Cookie looked at the princess. Her hair became darker, as well as the color of her eyes. The cheerful expressions she once had were now a part of the past. Princess Luna signaled the three Equestrians to stand up. Princess Luna carefully observes the lord, as she tries to remember him. Princess Luna looks at King Discord, "You've called the rebels?" "If you want the crown for yourself you need allies," King Discord answered. "As it happens, Lord Cookie is quite the loyalist to you. He brought a rag tag army of four hundred inexperienced fighters to fight for you." Princess Luna looks at Lord Cookie, "I appreciate the kindness my lord," Princess Luna walks past him and General Glimmer offers his seat to the Princess. "How are the spells your highness?" Meadowbrook asked. "Harder than I expected," Princess Luna answered. "I need more time. The spell takes too much energy for one person." King Discord stands from his seat. His officers tried to stand, but the king immediately motioned for them to stay seated. He walks to Princess Luna and bends down to whisper into her ear, "If you want the crown. You need the power." Everyone looked at the king, as he exits the tent. Princess Luna leaned forward to read the troop movements on the map. Chp: 3- Saddle LakeThe Equestrian army assembled the majority of their troops to face the Chaos Army. They had received reports from the previous days that the Chaos Army and a small company of Equestrian rebels had invaded the country and were marching towards Canterlot. Leading the Equestrian army were the Mark Crusaders with Prince Armor at the front. Behind them was the Royal Division led by King Heart who was on his golden plated horse. Behind his column were a company of mages that were recommended by Queen Celestia and Princess Twilight, as they were told that they were the best mages in the entire kingdom. The rest of the army consisted of regular troops led by General Hurricane. The army passed through the royal highway leading to the Capital. They took a side road that they believe the enemy would be marching on, as it offers fewer barriers of conquest for them. The area around the the path were mainly small villages and wheat fields that farmers were trying to tend to. The soldiers marched, watching the farmers as they were trying to find the reason for why they were being sent to war. "It's a beautiful country isn't it your highness," said Captain Bloom. Prince Armor looked at the direction of where the captain was facing. He was a daisy field with small trees on it as the wind blows through them, "Yes it is." Captain Bloomed smiled, "How many years have we fought together again?" Prince Armor laughed as he tries to recollect the years he had led the company, "I don't know. It's been a while." The two men look to their right. Sir Seed, a young veteran crusader had a wheat stick in his mouth. He felt the sensation of the men looking at him, and looked back. "What?" said Sir Seed. "How many years since the prince took over the company?" Captain Bloom asked. "Well," Sir Seed tried to answer. "I was in the company five years ago. Transferred from the infantry. You were a captain two years in and I think the prince if I remember correctly was a squire. We called him 'Lieutenant' because he pulled rank on many noble veterans. But we quickly gained his trust and he became company commander in no time. The youngest to if I remember." Two cavalry riders came from the back. They rode to the front of the formation, arguing on who bested who when racing towards the front. Their horses were at the lead, and they were arguing in front of the prince. "What does a infantry company commander know about riding?" Sir Blueblood asked. "Noble infantry officers require horses to lead their men," Sir Pansy answered. Captain Bloom threw a piece of pebble at each of them to attract their attention. The two young knights looked back at the three crusaders laughing at them. "Crusaders prefer their infantry officers to march with the troops. Not because of morale, but because they fear their commander would die from stupidity," said Captain Bloom looking at Sir Pansy. He turned his looks at Sir Blueblood, "The same goes for cavalry commanders who are reckless in riding into battle." "Give the two some slack captain," the prince advised. "This is about to be their first battle." "We've fought before," Sir Blueblood added. Sir Seed called out Sir Blueblood, "Boy, may I remind you that skirmishes are nothing. Try a battle with tens of thousands of soldiers clashing against each other. That'll give you the time of your life." Sir Pansy drank from his wine bag. He offered it to the prince, "Sir Seed. Rebels and bandits are not easy men to fight. May I also remind you that you are only four years older than Sir Blueblood." Prince Armor smirked as he finished drinking, "The both of you have to realize, that I'm about the same age as you and I've already been sent on many expeditions." "It's not our fault that King Heart doesn't want everyday Equestrian nobles to dedicate their life to the Mark Crusaders," Sir Pansy added. Approaching from the rear was Captain Platinum. He road in front of the column with the rear of his horse facing the open road. "General Hurricane wants the both of you back at your post," the captain delivered. "The captain of the guard has no sense of fun," said Sir Blueblood. "Oh well, I've had my share," he looks at Sir Pansy. "I'll race you back." The two knights immediately rode back to their positions. The crusaders at the front of the formation were laughing at the rivalry of the two knights. Captain Platinum looked at the prince and nodded to signal his leave. He slowly rode back to his king. The army was approaching a steppe slope along the hill. Their view was blocked by the large grassy hill. From the top of the hill, forward scouts of the army began galloping down the hill. They stopped in front of Prince Armor. "What's the matter?" Prince Armor asked. "Your highness," said the scout. "We have spotted a column of a thousand chaos soldiers marching towards the farm fields." "How far?" Prince Armor asked. "Less than two miles your highness," the scout answered. Prince Armor looked at Captain Bloom. He nodded to his head to command the captain to march the crusaders to the top of the hill. Captain Bloom turned his horse around and gave orders for the crusaders to ride hastily to the top of the hill. The prince rode to the middle of the column to see to his father. The guards around his father have been alerted immediately by the commotion at the front and formed a square formation to guard the king. "A forward chaos company is at the other side of the hill!" Prince Armor reported to the king. King Heart looked at Lord Clover. Through his eyes, the strategist read the thoughts of the king. Captain Platinum saw the interaction of the two nobles and ordered a small squadron of his mounted knights to accompany the prince into battle. "I'll have my company support the crusaders," said Lord Clover. "Your highness, please do not leave the presence of your royal escorts." "Then they must catch up," Prince Armor replied. He immediately left his fathers presence and rode for the hill. His royal escorts followed him, then by Lord Clover's company after they had assembled their selves and their equipment. The entire column halted. The Royal Division went to the sides of the road and the guards built a defensive perimeter around the king. The mages were within the formation to guard the king. General Hurricane had his reserves form a line on their flanks and the rest of the army to march to the other side of the hill. The Mark Crusaders arrived on top of the hill. They formed a line and awaited for their commander. Prince Armor came to the front of the formation with the royal guards. The guards quickly formed a wedge formation with Prince Armor at the front. Captain Bloom rode to the prince. "Me and the cavalry will be right behind you your highness. The infantry will follow as support and the archers will stay as high as they can on the hill to provide support as you advance," said Captain Bloom. Prince Armor wore his helmet, and unsheathed his sword. "We will be within range of our archers. Have them behind the infantry as reserves." "Yes your highness," said Captain Bloom, returning to his post. The field was grassy with wheat stems around the road. The enemy saw the Equestrians on top of the hill and immediately went to formation. Prince Armor brought down his visor and pointed his sword towards the enemy, then slowly rode downhill with his men. They were at a steady pace, then picked it up once they were down the hill. The enemy cavalry noticed the speed of the Equestrian charge and decided to counterattack with a lose formation to make time for their army to create a defensive square formation to repel the cavalry charge. Prince Armor saw the counterattack and picked up the pace. The Equestrian cavalry was so fast that by the time they met the enemy cavalry, they rammed through them as if they were a piece of flower in the middle of a storm. The chaos infantry were to slow to form their squares and were immediately trampled by the cavalry. The cavalry rode through the formation, hacking through the thin wall of spears that were supposed to stop them. Lord Clover arrived on top of the hill and saw the carnage of the battle. There was a small pile of bodies in the grassy field. Most of them were chaos cavalry men who stood no chance against the might of the Equestrian cavalry. The crusader infantry were marching steadily across the field and were picking off the remnants of the chaos cavalry. At the rear of the chaos formation, Lord Clover noticed a small infantry company and riders that were attempting to flank the crusaders. He ordered his cavalry and a squadron of infantry to counterattack the enemy maneuver. In the middle of the battle, the royal guards created a perimeter around the prince, fearing that his recklessness to lead the charge would result in his death. Meanwhile, their flanks were about to be attacked, but Lord Clover's cavalry met the flankers and attacked them. As soon as the Equestrians received infantry support, the chaos army began to fled. They ran as a rabble of fearing peasants in the eyes of the crusaders. "Do we follow them your highness?" said Captain Bloom, breathing heavily. "No," Prince Armor answered. "Let them know that we're here." As soon as the enemy fled to the point of no threat to the others. The king went to observe the battlefield. He slowly galloped through the fields with the Royal Division. On one side of the road was a field hospital to tend the wounds of the wounded. On the other side were two dozen prisoners that were caught in the retreat, being guarded by the crusaders. The king dismounted from his horse and approached his son who had his back turned, watching the prisoners. Captain Bloom and Lord Clover saw the king and faced him. Prince Armor turned his back to meet his father. "Report," said King Heart. "There were about a thousand soldiers. They were a forward army that was supposed to secure the hill as a lookout post. We suffered about a hundred casualties against half of their casualties. We also captured a dozen prisoners," Prince Armor reported. King Heart looked past beyond the shoulders of Prince Armor. The prisoners were sitting on the ground and looking down from their captors. They were mostly young men who seemed to be conscripted into the army. Their armors were bloody from the blood of their comrades and their faces were dirty from being dragged against the ground. "Hand them over to me. I'll have my archers execute them for target practice," said King Heart. "Yes your majesty," Prince Armor replied. The king returned to his horse and rode for the rear of the column. Members of his royal guard began to take the prisoners and forced them to march to the rear. "He hasn't been the same since then," said Captain Bloom. "No," Prince Armor added. "He hasn't." Chp:4- StandoffBoth armies have begun to create the battlefield along Saddle Lake. Chaos has positioned themselves along the northern part of the lake with a light forest guarding their surroundings. The Equestrian army has occupied the hill that the Chaos army failed to take, giving the Equestrians a vantage point over the entire field. Their encampment is mostly on the hills of the southern part of the lake. In between the two forces, the terrain was mostly flat with several roads and wheat field that provides cover for the infantry. But if the Equestrians decide to advance further towards the enemy encampment, they would be facing light marshes that would hamper the effects of the cavalry. It was in the evening when both armies have completely settled themselves. King Heart called for a war council to discuss the plans for the upcoming battle. His command tent sat on the top of the hill that was used by the Mark Crusaders to charge the enemy column earlier during the day. Prince Armor and Captain Bloom were the last to arrive to the meeting, as they were busy preparing the Mark Crusaders for the vanguard. When the two young commanders entered the tent, most of them were high ranking nobles with veteran experience on the battlefield. They sat and stood around a long rectangular table with the king at the head, sitting down. Beside him were General Hurricane, Lord Clover, Captain Platinum and Princess Twilight. Opposite of him was his son and Captain Bloom. "I believe this is it your majesty," said General Hurricane. "Then let us begin," said King Heart. Captain Platinum and Lord Clover unrolled a map of the battlefield in front of the king and brought him reports that the scouts made based on their observation of the enemy encampment. All the lords came close to the map for them to see. "My lords," said Lord Clover. "As you all know, the enemy is north of us guarded by a light forest. The field between us is mostly flat, but as we advance further to meet the enemy we would be facing light marshes. Not to mention, the fields are dry and may be vulnerable to fire." "How about the enemy numbers?" General Hurricane asked. Lord Clover read several reports, "According to our scouts, the enemy numbers between twenty to twenty-five thousand troops," he places down the paper. "We number less than sixteen thousand." The entire tent erupted in whispers. Most of them were about the large size in numbers, and some lords began to spread rumors of their numbers being mostly conscripted farmers and brigands. Some decided to say that they might be experienced mercenaries or veteran soldiers of their previous conquests. "That's not the only bad news," Lord Clover added. "Our scouts reported seeing the banners of the Equestrian rebels. We believe that Lord Cookie leads a small force of five hundred rebels." The nobles in the tent changed the topic to mentioned on how their own lords were joining the enemy and should be hung for treason against the king. "But what are the exact numbers of the enemy units?" Lord Stygian asked. Lord Clover shuffles through the reports, "About twenty thousand infantrymen, three thousand cavalrymen, three thousand archers and possibly more than fifty mages." "What of our numbers?" King Heart asked. "We have twelve thousand infantrymen, half their cavalry size, two thousand archers and forty mages. But most of our troops are experienced and trained well your majesty," Lord Clover answered. "Who's leading who?" Prince Armor asked. Lord Clover began pointing on the map and moving unit pieces, "The Mark Crusaders led by Prince Armor would be leading the vanguard. General Hurricane will be leading the right flank. Lord Stygian the left, and I'll be leading the Royal Division in the center." "What of my mages?" Princess Twilight asked. "The mages will be divided, but the Mane Six will be protecting the Royal Division your highness," Lord Clover answered. He stood straight, looking at the eyes of the nobles. He could see their worry on the large difference of numbers. "The marshes would be unpredictable, so we will have to rely on the infantry for the majority of the battle. I believe the enemy would take a defensive role to prevent massive casualties for their conquest." Lord Clover gave specific units on their role during the battle. The Equestrian left would mostly support the center, and to prevent the enemy from flanking by using boats. The Equestrian right would have to skirmish their way to flank the enemy as the marshes are mostly on their direction. The Equestrian center would be the main target of the enemy, causing the Mark Crusaders to be able to take the blunt of the attack. The council quickly ended with each noble having their orders for their units. A few hours during supper, Prince Armor and Sir Seed sat along Sir Pansy and Sir Blueblood around a fire, eating stew. Sir Pansy and Sir Blueblood were arguing on who's going to have the most kills by the end of the battle. Sir Pansy was experienced in fighting the rebels in several skirmishes, but Sir Blueblood was a young eager nobleman who wants to earn his skills in combat. "Look," said Sir Pansy. "I led a small squadron against two dozen bandits in a forest once. I killed two guys and no bandits escaped." Sir Blueblood was laughing, "I know that you fought against the rebels and several bandits, but this is an actual battle. The cavalry will have the most kills in this case." "Aye," said Sir Pansy. "But the cavalry will have the most casualties if they decided to move without infantry support." "He has a good point Sir Blueblood," Sir Seed interrupted. "In our previous expedition, Prince Armor charged his cavalry unit against the enemy. But they went to far and the infantry unit I commanded couldn't support them right away." The two young knights looked at Prince Armor who was looking into the fire while eating. They could see in his eyes, the memories that started to return from his previous engagements in expeditions. "Luckily he and a small squadron managed to make it out before they were completely encircled," Sir Seed continued. Behind them, was Sir Fluttershy who could easily be heard from a distance with the clanging of his armor. He approached Sir Blueblood and Sir Pansy with a letter. "Sir Blueblood, Sir Pansy," Sir Fluttershy called out. "General Hurricane wishes for me to give these to you." Sir Seed took the letter, and Sir Fluttershy immediately left the group. He vanished into a crowd of soldiers as the young nobles watch him leave. "He's one of the newest guards this year correct?" Sir Blueblood asked. "Yes," said Sir Pansy. "So they made him do the rookie work for them." Sir Seed opened the letter and gave it to the two knights. Sir Blueblood was to lead a squadron of cavalry men to charge the Chaos enemy on General Hurricane's left flank. Sir Pansy would be at the front of the Royal Division with his squadron and was told to immediately advance at a rapid pace to support the cavalry charge. The two knights were happy on their orders to be in the front of the battle. In the enemy encampment, King Discord called on his own war council. Their tent was barely lit and a large map sat in the middle of a round table, surrounded by old generals who have shown their skills in battle. Princess Luna stands beside King Discord. "We can't underestimate their strategist, Lord Clover," said King Discord. "He knows that a third of our army are conscripted, and we will be sending half of them at the front to reinforce the vanguard. Well, we shall do what he expects." "Will you be leading the vanguard your majesty?" General Grogar asked. "No," King Discord replied. "You will be leading the vanguard tomorrow. But I want you to send in the second line troops, and only use the first line troops as support. I will leave a surprise for their strategist." "Yes your majesty," said General Grogar. King Discords looks at his two other generals, "General Glimmer will command the left flank. I want you to provide support for General Grogar and use skirmish tactics. The right flank will be given to General Shimmer. I want the left to standby, but I want them to be on alert. Try your best to avoid the enemy." Both of the generals responded to their king in gratefulness for giving them such a command that they believe is worthy of their skills. The King proceeded to discuss the plans further. He wants the mages to be absent during battle to make Lord Clover think that he is measuring the strength of the Equestrian army. King Discord planned to use the terrain to their advantage as a defense, then use it as a counter-attack when Lord Clover gets to confident on himself. "What about me?" Princess Luna asked, looking at the map. King Discord looked at the young princess, and the eyes of the other generals looked at the two, "As I said. The mages will be absent tomorrow." King Discord looks around the tent, "Get some rest. We have a busy day tomorrow." Chp: 6-Post BattleThe night was filled with terrors. Both were left to rot on the field, with both sides fearing that they would use the opportunity to attack the men, trying to recover the bodies. Wounded Equestrian soldiers were still being found alive in the field and marshes. General Hurricane instructed a company to split into small teams to recover the wounded. In the Equestrian encampment, the mages and physicians have been working endlessly to heal the wounds of the soldiers. On one table, Princess Twilight with an assistant healing mage and an assistant physician were tending to the wounds of a wounded soldier. The soldier kept on screaming, being freshly drawn from the battle. He was shot with several arrows with the mud, trying to enter the wounds. Princess Twilight and her table were trying to strip him of his armor, but he was moving too much from the pain. Princess Twilight looked at two soldiers who were staring at the wounded, "You two!" she called out. "Help us with this man!" The soldiers ran to her table. They held his limbs, as the rest try to cut the straps, holding his armor. They removed in the armor, and saw that his entire chest was covered in mud. Not a sight of blood was seen. Princess Twilight feared that his wounds have already been infected and instructed her assistant to wash the mud off. The soldier kept on screaming. "Cant' we give him anything?" the assistant mage asked. "We can't give him anything to relieve pain," the Physician answered, cleaning off the wounds. "If he gets to comfortable on the anesthetics, it might lower his blood and stop his heart." The table was working hastily to clean the wounds, so they can pull the arrows out. The physician told everyone to hold the soldier tight while he tries to remove the arrows. As he attempted to remove one of the arrows in his abdominal area, blood suddenly started to squirt out of his body onto everyone around him. The soldier began to choke and spit out his own blood. Princess Twilight and her assistant were trying to cast a spell to fix the blood flow, but the soldier succumbed to his injuries. The Physician looked into the eyes of the young man, hoping to see any life in them. "He's dead," said the Physician. "You two, get his body out of here and put him with the others." On the other side of the camp, Sir Blueblood and Sir Pansy were sitting around a fire, keeping themselves warm in their bloodied armor. The men were starring down into their cups, with their eyes wandering into the wine. Prince Armor and Sir Seed saw the two, as they were helping unload the wounded onto the stretchers. "What do you think is wrong with them?" Sir Seed asked. "It's Sir Pansy's first time in battle. I heard the right flank suffered heavy casualties," Prince Armor answered. Prince Armor tapped the armor of Sir Seed and nodded his head to walk to the two. The two crusaders approached the two knights, trying to speak to them. "What happened?" Prince Armor asked. Sir Blueblood looked at the prince, with a worried expression in his eyes, "I nearly died in the marshes. My horse was caught and I nearly killed by their archers." Prince Armor tapped the shoulder of the young cavalry man, "Hey, at least you made it out alive. So many were unfortunate." Prince Armor turned his eyes to Sir Pansy, "How about you Sir Pansy." Sir Pansy didn't respond. He was staring into his cup, until Sir Seed walked up to him and touched his back. Sir Pansy was shook and looked at the two crusaders, not noticing their presence earlier. "I never thought that killing someone would be so," Sir Pansy hesitated to continue his statement. "So satisfying." Sir Seed sat beside the young knight, "It will be at first. But the more you do it, the more you start to question yourself. The prince and I in the last two crusading expeditions were wondering on how our actions might be to other people and how it might affect us. But since we live the life of a soldier, we have no other choice than to continue this killing." "Sir Pansy why don't you go to my sister. She might be able to comfort you," said Prince Armor. Sir Pansy stood and dropped his cup. He looked at the three men, who were looking at him, before he left. Sir Seed picked up his cup and poured ale into it to drink. Prince Armor firmly held the shoulder of Sir Blueblood, giving him the notion that he did a great job in battle that day. On top of the hill by the command tent, several officers were entering the tent to report to King Heart and Lord Clover the status of their units and their progress in battle. Outside, Captain Platinum and Lieutenant Dash were standing by a fire, overlooking the entire camp. They could see the bright lights of that shines from the tents, but could hear the screeching of dying men and the moans of those wounded. "The squad that guarded the prince took heavy casualties today," said Sir Platinum. He looks at Lieutenant Dash. She gave no sign of life from her eyes as they were trained on searching those trying to walk up the hill, thinking that there would be an assassination attempt on the king. "Do you want to take a squad and guard Prince Armor?" Lieutenant Dash looked at her captain, "Doesn't the prince prefer his own crusaders to guard him?" Captain Platinum smiles at the young lieutenant, "That's true, but he trusts you more than anyone in the Royal Guard. Besides, didn't the both of you had a history in the past?" "That was before he joined the crusaders, and I the guard," Lieutenant Dash added. "You joined because he left," Captain Platinum added. "He trusts you more than he trusts me to guard him, and besides I was the one who lost Princess Luna." "She was under my watch," said Lieutenant Dash. Captain Dash looked at the command tent. Four guards were guarding the tent, since the Equestrians withdrew from the field, "But I was the one who assigned the guards. They weren't the best, but I trusted them, and they died." Lieutenant Dash took a big breath that she slowly exhaled. She looked at the head of the encampment, and saw the banners of the Mark Crusaders. She looked back at her captain to accept his offer, "I'll take the remnants of the squadron and my men. We'll protect the prince for you." Captain Dash smiled at his second-in-command, "Thank you lieutenant. You're a better guard than any of us." As the Equestrians were suffering from their losses, the Chaos army were silently cheering. The soldiers claimed victory since they held their positions, while the Equestrians fled. King Discord ordered his soldiers to recover the wounded as soon as the Equestrians gathered the majority of theirs. He feared that Lord Clover would launch a surprise attack to take advantage of the entire situation. King Discord summoned his two strongest mages and his highest ranking generals to his command tent. Princess Luna sat on his left, and Sorcerer Meadowbrook sat on his right. The generals came into the tent with dirt all over their armor. But no signs of blood were on their face, signifying that they were mainly commanding their forces from a distance. Lord Cookie entered the tent and attracted the attention of everyone within the tent. "My lord," said King Discord. "Thank you for joining us. Please take a seat." "Yes your majesty," Lord Cookie sat by the nearest chair he could find around the table. "The reports aren't that impressive," said General Grogar. "We suffered more casualties than the Equestrians. Mostly from my command." "It was necessary to break the Equestrian cavalry, general," said King Discord, staring into the eyes of his head general. "Anyway, we must act fast before their scouts or spies find out the movements of our troops." King Discord began to tell the small council that he intends to flank the Equestrians from around the lake. He hopes that an attack from their rear would result in Lord Clover to send most of their reserves and General Hurricane to fight them, leaving their front to be defended by the Royal Division who have suffered significant losses. He plans to have the king surrounded and distracted by concentrating on his front and rear, while he tries to flank left with a cavalry company. "General Grogar, you will take five thousand men," King Discord instructed. "You will get some of my reserves and your men as well who have fought today along with Meadowbrook and his guard company. You will also take Lord Cookie and his army." All the officers in the tent looked at the king to see if he was serious. "Your majesty?" said General Shimmer confusingly. "Lord Cookie will accompany General Grogar and Meadowbrook with his four hundred rebels," King Discord added. "Let's hope that the Equestrians might feel uncomfortable that they are about to fight their own people." "Thank you your majesty," said Lord Cookie. King Discord looks at General Grogar, "Leave before dawn. If your lucky enough, you could arrive by noon and surprise before they even notice you." "What would the signal be?" General Grogar asked. "Your attack," said King Discord. Chp: 7- The Other Side of Saddle LakeThe combined Chaos and Equestrian army mobilized before the sun rises. They marched around the lake and took the most concealed, but fastest route in order to reach their destination. General Grogar leads the army at the front, with Sorcerer Meadowbrook in the center with his mages. General Grogar didn't trust the Equestrian rebels and had Lord Cookie in the rear as reserves. During the march, the Chaos army were marching at a rapid pace while the rebels were struggling to keep up. A Chaos messenger from the rear rode ahead to report the situation to General Grogar. "General, Lord Cookie requests that we reduce our speed," said the messenger. General Grogar stopped his horse by the side of the road, "What do you mean?" "The rebels are falling behind by twenty yards. By the time we reach the battlefield, they think that they might be more than a hundred yards away and exhausted." General Grogar looked towards the rear. All he saw were his army who were marching together. "Tell Lord Cookie that if he can't catch with us, then it is his fault for not preparing his army," said General Grogar. "We have no time to waste, we must be within range of their encampment by at least noon." "Yes general," the messenger immediately road back to the rear. In the Equestrian encampment, Lord Clover was out of his tent, observing the view of the lake. He noticed that birds were flying away from the western side of the lake and heading south. Lord Clover called for a messenger to instruct his scouts to scout the other side of the lake. The Chaos coalition were nearly half the distance from their destination. From a small hill, covered by trees and bushes, a small Equestrian scout team saw the Chaos marching and the Equestrian rebels in the rear. They quickly counted the numbers and recognized the banners, then rode back to Lord Clover. "What!" Lord Clover shouted. Lord Clover was by the command table with King Heart seating on it. He was looking at the map and noticed that Lord Clover did not expect such a daring strategy for King Discord to make. "Get me Lord Stygian right away," the king ordered. "Yes your majesty," the scout left the tent to find Lord Stygian. Within a few moments, Lord Stygian with his officers rode up the hill. They entered the tent and saw King Discord and Lord Clover, discussing the defense of their encampment. "What happened?" Lord Stygian asked. "General Grogar, Sorcerer Meadowbrook and Lord Cookie leads an army of about five thousand men strong to flank us in the rear," Lord Clove answered. "Gather the men who are already ready and march to meet the opposing force. General Grogar would risk his safety for speed. His army would most likely be tired by the time they meet you." "Yes my lord," said Lord Stygian. He and the rest of the officers immediately left the tent. Lord Stygian instructed his officers to find anyone ready for battle and to immediately march around the lake. "We must defend our position. As soon as the enemy attacked, King Discord will attack at the same time," said King Heart. "I'll lead the left flank. Prince Armor will take the center and General Hurricane will take the right," Lord Clover added. He immediately left without a word and rode down the hill to alert the others. The entire camp was in an uproar to the news of the Chaos trying to attack them from the rear. Most of the front line troops weren't ready as they were still resting from their previous battle. The crusaders wanted to volunteer, but Lord Clover immediately sent them a message to set up a defensive line in case King Discord decides to attack. General Hurrican's forces were mostly unprepared and spent most of their time wearing their armor and gathering their troops. Lord Stygian noticed that most of the reserves were ready, and decided to gather most of them to march with him right away. His officers in the meantime were asking for volunteers from the other's. "You are going with them?" Princess Twilight asked, walking with her husband. "I volunteered my company. We barely saw much combat yesterday and we're the only ones in the center who have mustered our arms," Sir Pansy replied as he was wearing his armor while walking. A young soldier brought Sir Pansy his horse, and the young knight immediately mounted his ride. He looked down at his wife who's eyes were worried for his safety. "Don't worry," said Sir Pansy. "I'll make it back before the sun sets." Sir Pansy and his company immediately march with the other volunteers. General Grogar was aware that their position has been spotted and quickly ordered his entire army to take defensive positions on top of a slope by a small clear field. He noticed that most of his men were tired and mainly ordered for them to assemble in their ranks, disregarding the Chaos army procedures to built palisades and trenches for quick defenses. He had Lord Cookie and the rebels by the far right, near some trees on a steep hill. Sorcerer Meadowbrook volunteered for his company to take the center and the vanguard to take the blunt of the attack, seeing that the entire Chaos army was tired from the march. General Grogar had his infantry defend the side by the lake, but has his cavalry by the road to flank the enemy. Lord Stygian arrived on the field a few hours after noon. He immediately positioned his troops. He sent his reserves to his left flank with the majority of his cavalry. Sir Pansy along with a small royal team led by Sir Fluttershy with the other volunteers made the center of the army. Lord Stygian led the right flank by the lake with mostly his infantry and personal guards. Lord Stygian called for most of the messengers downhill. "We have about three thousand men, but a third of our army consists of reserves and the our army structure is disorganized," said Lord Stygian. "I'll keep it simple. We'll take a defensive role, but I want the center to march at a slow pace. When the enemy reacts, the cavalry will swoop downhill to meet the enemy. I'll have my men hold my position, and that goes the same for the left." The messengers wasted no time and delivered the orders to the highest ranking officers they could find. Sir Fluttershy accompanied Sir Pansy to guard him, remembering that he was the husband of Princess Twilight. Sir Pansy volunteered to take the vanguard as his unit had one of the most experience in battle from the previous day. General Grogar clearly read the mind of his opponent. The strategy was simple and it was to attack the coalition from the top and make their way downhill, so the retreating troops would flee into the lake, hoping that they would take a significant amount of casualties from drowning. General Grogar wanted to avoid the scenario to happen, so he commanded the center to advance as well as the left. A messenger from the left flank came to the center. A high ranking officer was given the command to advance his section at the enemy. Without hesitation, the Equestrian officer on his horse advanced his troops, including the royal guards surrounding Sir Pansy. Sir Fluttershy and his squadron of royal guards moved forward in front of Sir Pansy to protect him. "What are you doing Sir Fluttershy?" Sir Pansy asked. "Orders sir," Sir Fluttershy answered. "Princess Twilight wants us to protect you sir." The center was marching at a steady pace. Sir Pansy looked at the officer leading them for a second. Suddenly a large fireball landed in front of him, sending him and his horse flying through the air. Sir Pansy looked at the enemy and saw dozens of fireballs being thrown at them. "TORTOISE FORMATION!!!" Sir Fluttershy commanded. The soldiers around the new royal guard rose their shields and came close together to shield themselves from the blast of the fireballs. But the power was too strong for the center. Soldiers were being thrown into the air, with their limbs coming off of them. Men were getting burned by their sizzling armor. The center was in chaos. The front half was broken, with the rear beginning to retreat. Several fireballs were launched at Sir Pansy's company, obliterating everyone in his unit. The tortoise formation was broken and the soldiers were spread out. Sir Fluttershy and his squad were still protecting Sir Pansy, until a large fireball blasted in front of everyone, with the force sending all of them away from each other. Soon, the enemy center began to rapidly advance on the remnants of the Equestrian center. Lord Stygian wanted to rescue the center and decided to use his cavalry on the left to attack the Chaos center. A messenger hastily galloped to the cavalry and gave them the message to charge. Without relaying the orders to everyone else and without a proper formation, the cavalry advanced on the enemy. Their formation was lose and gaps were in the their hurried makeshift wedge formation. The mages noticed the cavalry and launched magical orbs to slow their advance. The front of the cavalry formation was being attacked, reducing the movement of the rear. Cavalry troops were trampling on each other. It was chaos on the slopes of the battlefield. Soon, Chaos archers began to launch their arrows at the enemy, raining down at the trapped cavalrymen. Sorcerer Meadowbrook saw the trapped soldiers and commanded his center and the Chaos left flank to attack. General Grogar saw the rapid advance of his troops, and ordered the rest of his army to attack Lord Stygian who was shocked at his tactical failures. Sir Pansy was in a small crater. His shield was broken with a hole in the middle, burning his forearm and his helmet was thrown away from the blast. He tried to get himself up, but felt a small shrapnel wound to the side of his armor. He observed the battlefield around him, and the front of the center were scattered with heavy casualties. Sir Pansy and his remaining men saw the young knight and ran to him. "Sir Pansy!" said Sir Fluttershy, shaking the knight from the shock. "Are you alright?" Sir Pansy couldn't hear nothing, but ringing for a moment. As soon as he saw the enemy charging at them, he snapped and looked for his company, "Where are my men?" "We took heavy casualties sir, we must withdraw," Sir Fluttershy suggested. "No time," Sir Pansy added. "Gather any available troops and have them form a shield wall." Sir Fluttershy looked at Sir Pansy. His eyes stated that they have a duty to repel the flanking maneuver of the Chaos army, "Yes sir." The Equestrians were gathering everyone who they could find that were left on the battlefield. Sir Pansy looked at the rest of the center. He could see that they were defending their position and wouldn't move. "We don't have time," Sir Pansy said out loud to himself. "Fuck it!" Sir Fluttershy has already gathered enough men to forma shield wall, until Sir Pansy told him to disregard his order and to form a square formation. Sir Fluttershy was confused on the tactic, as a square formation was only used against a cavalry charge, but didn't had time left to argue. The order was given to form a square around Sir Fluttershy, but there was barely time to do it properly and they formed the best they could. Soon, the Chaos soldiers at the front, surrounded the survivors, while the rear proceeds to advance at the Equestrian center. The middle of the battlefield was in chaos. The cavalry troops that were sent to provide support for the center, were attacked by the Chaos cavalry and were easily killed as they had no defense from their casualties. Sir Pansy and the troops around him, had a strong defense with everyone helping themselves to brace against the enemy. But the enemy numbers overwhelmed the few Equestrians who had many casualties. Those who were wounded were brought to the center to have their wounds treated. If they were able to walk, they were sent by Sir Pansy to plug in any weak spots along the perimeter. If they badly wounded, they were laid in the middle with their swords and shields to create a last stand. On the right, beside the lake. Lord Stygian's flank was in shatters. He had no formations and no orders were being relayed. His guards surround him, protecting him against General Grogar's forces. The fighting began to spread to the lake, and soldiers were drowning each other. The water entered their armor, dragging them into the lake and preventing many others from floating. At the very edge of the battlefield on the hill, the Equestrian reserves didn't know what to do, other than watch the battlefield. No messengers were being sent to them, and the officers were indecisive on what to do. The rebels were anxious to get into the fight. "Our original orders were to support the attack, correct?" Lord Cookie asked. "Yes my lord," a lieutenant answered. Lord Cookie pulls out his sword, "Alright, the reserves won't expect us. Relay the orders to everyone. We'll charge the enemy." The officers around him, smiled in happiness that they would be fighting. The rebels immediately formed an offensive formation and rapidly advanced on the Equestrian reserves. The reserves saw the enemy advancing on them and the officers and sergeant commanded their troops to form a spear wall, but many of the troops saw that the battle was a loss for the Equestrians and fled the battlefield. Nearly all the reserves broke formation and ran away. The rebels broke through their defense as if they were slicing bread, even attacking those who were retreating. Meanwhile, the center was struggling to hold. The perimeter around Sir Pansy kept on getting smaller as more troops were getting wounded from exhaustion. It was mainly Sir Pansy's company and Sir Fluttershy's squad that were providing the back support of the defense. "Sir Pansy," said Sir Fluttershy, helping Sir Pansy dragging a wounded man to the middle. "It's not too late. I can still gather a squadron of our best fighters and we can easily escape." "What?!" Sir Pansy was shocked. "I will not leave my men behind." Sir Fluttershy grabbed the arm of Sir Pansy, "Sir! Look around! It's hopeless, we're getting swamped." Sir Pansy looked around and the perimeter was struggling to keep itself up. Chaos soldiers were breaching through the defense through gaps between the shields. Sir Pany's company sergeant grabbed Sir Pansy's arm. "Get out of here sir. We'll hold them off," the sergeant recommended. "Thank you sergeant," Sir Pansy looked at Sir Fluttershy. "Get thirty men with shields, and form a wedge. I'll be leading the charge." "Yes sir," said Sir Fluttershy. Sir Pansy along with able bodied soldiers formed their formation to escape. Once the perimeter was open, the men knew that the remaining troops would be overwhelmed through the gap they created. With a single order, Sir Pansy gave the order for the men to create a hole and the soldiers rushed their way to punch through the gap. The remaining men were almost able to close the hole, until the Chaos troops rushed through the gap and the entire Equestrian defense in the center fell. Lord Stygian and his headquarters were being swamped. The guards told their lord to flee to the encampment, but the experienced commander was shocked on the turn of events. "My lord!" an Equestrian officer grabbed the stirrup of Lord Stygian's horse. "Get out of here while you can!" Lord Stygian was breathing heavily. He nodded his head and immediately fled with a squadron of riders behind him. The Equestrians soon turned tail and rain away, noticing that no officers were giving orders. The Chaos troops gave no quarter to the fleeing troops and cut them down as they ran. General Grogar saw the squadron of Lord Stygian and chased him on horseback on the road, along the river. His guards quickly caught up to the fleeing men and stopped them. General Grogar saw Lord Stygian and jumped from his horse to tackle him. The two commanders rolled down a slope into the lake. Lord Stygian pushed of General Grogar and pulled out his sword. General Grogar pulled out his knife and rushed Lord Stygian, stabbing him in the leg, as the Equestrian commander failed to counterattack. General Grogar pulled out the knife and walked away to gain distance, before pulling out his sword, "Lord Stygian. You disappoint me. I was hoping that you put up a fight." General Grogar went in for the attack and was pushing Lord Stygian deeper into the lake. Lord Stygian's sword hand was cut, causing him to drop his sword. He then tripped on a rock and fell into the water. General Grogar threw away his sword and went on top Lord Stygian. General Grogar began to grab his neck, applying immense pressure on the Equestrian lord. His opponent was trembling, trying to shake him off. But within a few seconds, Lord Stygian slowly stopped moving as water begins to enter his body. General Grogar removed his hands from his neck and stood. He looked around him and saw Equestrian soldiers trying to flee while being killed. He looked at the battlefield and could smell the sent of blood as it comes his direction. He tried looking for his sword and began returning to his horse. Chp.5- The ClashIt was noon, when both armies have completely assembled themselves to meet each other on the battlefield. King Heart stood on the hill and felt the warmth of the sun on his face. Beside him was Lord Clover with several messengers, looking at the map of the battlefield. Lord Clover looked at the king, and King Heart nodded at the strategist to begin the battle. The horns of the Equestrian army blew, causing the army to advance. The cavalry galloped at a steady pace, and once they were halfway in, the Mark Crusader's cavalry followed by a squadron of royal guards and the cavalry of the Royal Division attacked in a wedge formation at the enemy center. General Grogar saw the cavalry quickly charging at them, and ordered his archers to fire their arrows. The archers fired five volleys at the enemy cavalry, trying to make time for the second line to advance to take the blunt of the cavalry. The arrows missed the front of the cavalry charge, but landed at their middle and rear, causing half of the charge to reduce their speed from trampling onto their fallen comrades. The second line had four rows of spear men. The first line consisted of four ranks with the first rank making up the defense with their long shields. The cavalry clashed with second line, causing the defenders to fly from the impact of the horses. The second line was quickly overwhelmed, but pockets of soldiers formed a small defense to fight the Equestrian cavalry. Prince Armor and his crusaders and royal guards clashed with the first line, but barely made a dent due to their tight defense. The Equestrian right made their move and attacked the Chaos left through the marshes. General Glimmer signaled his soldiers to repel the attack. Squadrons of infantry men ran in zigzags to confuse the Equestrian cavalry. This caused the cavalry to reduce their speed. Once they attacked the enemy squadrons, their combat effectiveness was reduced due to the lack of speed in their charge. In the middle,Equestrian infantry soon found their way to support the cavalry. Captain Bloom was caught in the rear, fighting pockets of the second line. Sir Seed and Prince Armor were struggling to make a hole on the first line of the Chaos army. The royal guards were closely surrounding their prince to protect him from being dismounted and killed. Sir Seed went to Prince Armor. "Your highness," Sir Seed called out. His face was dirty from the mud, and his sword was drenched in blood. "The infantry has arrived, but Captain Bloom and the rest of the cavalrymen are struggling to fight the second line." "Tell the infantry to take care of the remnants of the second line, we need to create a dent within this line," Prince Armor commanded. "Yes your majesty," Sir Seed rode off to meet Captain Bloom. Captain Bloom was fighting a squadron of Chaos spear men. His horse was caught and three spear men trusted their pole arms into his horse, causing him to fall. Three crusaders saw their captain fall and immediately went to him to protect him. Captain Bloom got up from the muddy ground and approached the spear men. One of the soldiers tried to stab him with a spear, but the captain grabbed the tip of the spear and pulled the soldiers towards his sword. The other crusaders rushed the other two spear men and dragged them to the ground to easily kill them. "Captain!" Sir Seed called out. Captain Bloom turned his back to the sound of Sir Seed calling him. They found each other in the middle of the chaos. "Captain, Prince Armor wants the crusaders to push forward," Sir Seed reported. "I'll gather the cavalry. Get the infantry and tell them to assist us," Captain Bloom instructed. Sir Seed immediately rode to the infantry to inform them of their new orders. Captain Bloom assembled the cavalry and they charged the enemy line. Meanwhile, on the left flank, Lord Stygian began to move his infantry units, hoping to create a hole to flank through in order to support the Equestrian center. His troops were marching at a steady pace. Lord General Shimmer saw that the Equestrians were steadily marching and ordered his heavy shield bearers to be at the front, supported by his pike men. His pike men were four ranks deep and had their pikes pointed at the enemy. He then ordered all of his archers to fire three volley's then an individual fire to maximize the effectiveness of their arrows. The Equestrian's immediately formed a tortoise formation to defend themselves against the hale of arrows, but caused their speed to reduce. By time, the Equestrians were slowly taking casualties, but they had a tight defense. Suddenly several fireballs were launched at the Equestrian's breaking their formation. General Shimmer looked at his front, and saw several mages casting spells to repel the Equestrian infantry. Lord Stygian saw the magic and commanded his archers to move forward to provide cover for the first wave's retreat. At the same time, he commanded his second wave to advance. On the Equestrian right, the Equestrian cavalry were trapped in the mud and were being picked off one by one by small teams of Chaos soldiers. Sir Blueblood and five other riders were caught deep in a marsh and a column of Chaos crossbow men fired their bolts at the riders. Sir Blueblood's horse was hit, causing him to fall in the marsh. He was approached by five chaos soldiers, who were sent to pick them off while they were trapped. Sir Blueblood's shield was caught in the mud, and had to use his short sword against his opponents. Two men challenged him, while the other three fight the remaining survivors. A chaos soldier charged Sir Blueblood, but tripped and fell in the mud, the second followed the attack of his comrade and struck Sir Blueblood, but his sword bounced off from the thick armor. Sir Blueblood violently swung his sword at the two soldiers, hoping that they would be caught within his blade. The first soldier was struck in the neck and the other attempted to tackle Sir Blueblood, but the young knight slit the man's throat. Sir Blueblood and aother rider made their way out of the marsh and withdrew behind a squadron of infantry who were sent to support the right cavalry. King Heart saw the battlefield. The left was progressing very slowly as mages were preventing the soldiers from attack the pike wall. The cavalry on the right were starting to withdraw, seeing that they have taken moderate casualties and saw that the effectiveness of their horses were hampered by the mud. Meanwhile, the center was at a stalemate with the Mark Crusaders leading the push. Lord Clover was being irritated by several messengers, with the right flank requesting to withdraw, and the left requiring magic support. "Tell General Hurricane to hold his ground. We can't pull the right flank just yet. Have the left to hold their positions and get Lieutenant Dash to assemble a squadron of Royal Guards to escort the mages to the left flank. Have the rest of the Royal Division to assist with the push on the central field," Lord Clover instructed the messengers. "Hold those orders!" King Heart shouted. He approached the table and faced Lord Clover. "The left and right flank are suffering too many casualties and cannot advance in their current state. The center is barely making a difference. Have the entire army to withdraw back to their original positions." "You want to end the battle?" Lord Clover asked. "Just for the day," the king replied. Soon the horns from the Equestrian encampment sounded the retreat. The left and right flank quickly withdrew, under the hail of several arrows. The center under the command of Prince Armor, withdrew in order. The Mark Crusaders formed a defensive retreat to safely protect the army from being chased by the Chaos soldiers. King Discord saw the retreat, but didn't call for his men to chase the Equestrians. He didn't want to risk the change of them reorganizing into a defensive role that would inflict massive losses to his army. As soon as the Equestrians withdrew from the field, the Chaos soldiers were ordered to withdraw as well. By days end, the field was equally littered with dead bodies from both sides. The Equestrian army suffered eight hundred casualties against the Chaos army with a thousand casualties.
Chp: 1-Marching to BattleTwo years have passed since the abduction of Princess Luna by the Kingdom of Chaos. Since then, King Heart has dedicated himself to search for his missing daughter and to return her home with her family. But the results of the kidnapping have proven beneficial to the Kingdom of Chaos, as her abduction has led King heart into a state of madness and aggressiveness, forcing his army to rescue his daughter. This caused the lower nobles of Equestria to despise the new actions of the king, and rose in rebellion against his current rule. For several months, King Heart has sent several of his most trusted nobles to track the rebels in the countryside, as they are fighting a non-conventional warfare, attacking only at night and conducting raids to disrupt the supply lines in the country side. In the meantime, King Heart has assembled a mighty army to prepare for a Chaos invasion. The king has received intelligence that King Discord was leading an army to invade Equestria to continue their conquest to expand their territory into an empire. The Equestrian Royal Division which consists of the King's personal army and the Canterlot garrison have begun their march to rally with the other troops in a nearby tavern. King heart was in his command tent with Lord Clover "the Clever" the head strategist of the kingdom, Captain Platinum of the royal guard, General Hurricane the commander of the Equestrian army and Prince Army who leads the Mark Crusaders. A company of crusaders who's role is to act as an expeditionary force for foreign conflicts in which allied kingdoms need assistance, but the mother country would have little-to-no connection with them. It is an important order as it shows the strength of the Equestrian military, but also not to disgrace the entire military if it decides to fail in their mission. The men have begun a military council to discuss their plans. The men sit around a rectangular table with King Heart at the head of the table. The men were in their armor and were being served drinks by the servants. The men look at their king as his beard begins to grow unshaven and his eyes were tired from the constant search for his daughter and reports of rebels within the kingdom. "How goes the assembly of our army?" King Heart asked. "A small scouting company is at the head of our march, making sure that our path is secured and safe for our army. In the meantime, the rest of our army will take about three days to arrive," Lord Clover answered. King Heart takes a drink, then looks at the commander of his army, "How many men are being gathered?" General Hurricane was shuffling through the reports, looking for a proper estimate, "Between thirteen to sixteen thousand troops your majesty." King Hearts nods his head. The council was beginning to be frustrated at the actions of the king. Prince Armor decided to speak out, "What of the enemy?" "Our spies have reported that they are right outside the border, and we have a small border company watching the," Lord Clover answered. "But we believe that their numbers are more than twenty thousand men. Way more troops than what we have." King Hearts waves his cup around in the air for his cup bearer to give him more wine. He takes another drink before standing up and walking to the opening of the tent. He sees his soldiers training and cleaning their equipment for the upcoming battle. "Half of their army are inexperienced and I heard that they are mostly militia," said the king. "That is true your majesty," Lord Clover added. "But the strategy of King Discord is to always use the numbers of reserves to try and break through the enemy ranks in the middle of the battle, when his opponent begins to show signs of attrition." "There is no need to worry my lord," said General Hurricane, he looks at the king. "The Royal Division can take the vanguard. We can take the blunt of the attack and have the other divisions flank the enemy." "No, " the king turns back to the table. "You will not lead the royal division this time. I will have you personally command the regular forces. I will lead the van and take King Discords head for myself," he looks into his wine cup. "There is no way that King Discord would not accept a challenge from me." "What of the crusaders?" Prince Armor asked. King Heart returns to his seat, before answering, "The crusaders are mostly cavalrymen who are skilled in combat. I will have them as a flank and you will maneuver through the enemy ranks to try and cut them off." He looked into the wine cup that he has been twirling around with. He saw a reflection of himself bloodied and his hair all grown out as if his eyes have been showing his future of wearing himself down. "If King Discord invades Equestria, we have no choice, but to respond with the force that we have. We have proven ourselves in the past against the Crystal Empire, I'm pretty sure the kingdom can defeat one more empire before she decide to fall." The king briefly ended the council. Everyone walked out of the tent to see to their units and the logistics of the army. General Hurricane and Prince Armor toured the grounds of the Royal Division. The soldier of the royal division were dressed in red and golden stripes to represent the royal family and the royal guards were dressed in gold plated armor. The soldiers stood and bowed before their royal prince. "Your father has been growing tired lately," said General Hurricane. Prince Armor looks at the general, "He has been trying to rescue my little sister for two years. That kind of dedication would grow a man tired, even if his heart is strong." "I don't blame him," General Hurricane replied. He immediately stopped, leaving Prince Armor to walk a few paces forward. "I have a daughter myself. I'd probably dedicate everything I have for her."
Chp: 2-King Discord's ArmyThe Kingdom of Chaos has completely gathered a force of more than twenty-four thousand troops. Since the abduction of Princess Luna, King Discord knew that King Heart would weaken the Kingdom of Equestria through the dedication to search for his daughter. During the past two years, King Discord has hired mercenaries and militias to guard the borders and conduct small skirmishes with the Equestrians to provide time for the Chaos Army to build to a strength that would be unstoppable for their neighboring kingdoms and allies. The allies of Chaos have pledged their loyalty to King Discord and have became a puppet for him, but their mission was to protect the Chaos Homeland from impending invasion, while King Discord conducts his conquest. King Discord along with the three main generals of is army and his head sorcerer called for a war council. They sat around a round table at the center of the tent. General Glimmer and General Shimmer sit across General Grogar, the commander of the Chaos vanguard. A position that could only be acquired through skills and absolute loyalty to the Chaos king. King Discord sits across his head sorcerer, Sorcerer Meadowbrook. General Grogar was pointing their route on the map, "Once we cross the border, the army will have to march through this small forest and along Saddle Lake to reach the capital." "How long will it take for us to reach the capital?" General Shimmer asked. "With no interruptions to our advance, maybe 14 days the earliest, but if our spies are correct and there is an army waiting for us somewhere, probably two or three months," General Grogar answered. Meadowbrook was playing with his personal long knife that he uses for close-combat on the table, "Do we know the numbers of the enemy?" "We do not know yet, but we predict between ten to thirteen thousand of their troops. The rebellion in the countryside have a few thousand troops occupied," General Grogar points at the map again. "If Lord Clover is smart enough, he would meet us here in Saddle Lake." King Discord leaned forward from his seat, "I saw that lake two years ago. It is perfect for a battlefield. The field offers a large viewpoint for any army. There are small large groups of trees, but it won't provide cover. There are also a number of small hills near the lake. If we occupy those grounds, we have a perfect vantage point of the field." The flap of the command tent was opened by the royal guards. A middle aged noble walks into the tent with two other knights all dressed in full armor. The banners on their armor shows the crest of the royal family, but the symbol of a rebel as well. "You're late," said King Discord. Approaching the war council was Lord Cookie, a low-noble from Equestria who has rebelled against the king. He was one of the commanders of the rebel army that was called on by King Discord to assist them in their conquest of Equestria. "My apologies your majesty," Lord Cookie apologized. "Enough of the small talk," said General Grogar. "How many men did you bring?" Lord Cookie came closer to the table, "Four hundred general. Most of the troops are bandits, highwaymen, beggars and farmers. But there is no need to worry, they are led by my soldiers." "How many are trained soldiers?" General Glimmer asked? Lord Cookie sighed while looking at him, "Less than a hundred. Most of whom are inexperienced." The Chaos generals looked at their king. Their faces showed concern on the decision of the king to have the Equestrian rebels join their army, as many of their troops are inexperienced in warfare. Meadowbrook observed the armor of the two knights behind Lord Cookie, and noticed that their armor barely had a dent or scratch on them. The faces of his officers were clean shaven and their skin was bright in the dark night. The flap of the tent opened again. The generals quickly stood and bowed in front of the person. The Equestrian rebels noticed their actions and looked back, they immediately knelt in front of their princess. "What are you doing Luna?" King Discord asked, seating on his chair. Lord Cookie looked at the princess. Her hair became darker, as well as the color of her eyes. The cheerful expressions she once had were now a part of the past. Princess Luna signaled the three Equestrians to stand up. Princess Luna carefully observes the lord, as she tries to remember him. Princess Luna looks at King Discord, "You've called the rebels?" "If you want the crown for yourself you need allies," King Discord answered. "As it happens, Lord Cookie is quite the loyalist to you. He brought a rag tag army of four hundred inexperienced fighters to fight for you." Princess Luna looks at Lord Cookie, "I appreciate the kindness my lord," Princess Luna walks past him and General Glimmer offers his seat to the Princess. "How are the spells your highness?" Meadowbrook asked. "Harder than I expected," Princess Luna answered. "I need more time. The spell takes too much energy for one person." King Discord stands from his seat. His officers tried to stand, but the king immediately motioned for them to stay seated. He walks to Princess Luna and bends down to whisper into her ear, "If you want the crown. You need the power." Everyone looked at the king, as he exits the tent. Princess Luna leaned forward to read the troop movements on the map.
Chp: 3- Saddle LakeThe Equestrian army assembled the majority of their troops to face the Chaos Army. They had received reports from the previous days that the Chaos Army and a small company of Equestrian rebels had invaded the country and were marching towards Canterlot. Leading the Equestrian army were the Mark Crusaders with Prince Armor at the front. Behind them was the Royal Division led by King Heart who was on his golden plated horse. Behind his column were a company of mages that were recommended by Queen Celestia and Princess Twilight, as they were told that they were the best mages in the entire kingdom. The rest of the army consisted of regular troops led by General Hurricane. The army passed through the royal highway leading to the Capital. They took a side road that they believe the enemy would be marching on, as it offers fewer barriers of conquest for them. The area around the the path were mainly small villages and wheat fields that farmers were trying to tend to. The soldiers marched, watching the farmers as they were trying to find the reason for why they were being sent to war. "It's a beautiful country isn't it your highness," said Captain Bloom. Prince Armor looked at the direction of where the captain was facing. He was a daisy field with small trees on it as the wind blows through them, "Yes it is." Captain Bloomed smiled, "How many years have we fought together again?" Prince Armor laughed as he tries to recollect the years he had led the company, "I don't know. It's been a while." The two men look to their right. Sir Seed, a young veteran crusader had a wheat stick in his mouth. He felt the sensation of the men looking at him, and looked back. "What?" said Sir Seed. "How many years since the prince took over the company?" Captain Bloom asked. "Well," Sir Seed tried to answer. "I was in the company five years ago. Transferred from the infantry. You were a captain two years in and I think the prince if I remember correctly was a squire. We called him 'Lieutenant' because he pulled rank on many noble veterans. But we quickly gained his trust and he became company commander in no time. The youngest to if I remember." Two cavalry riders came from the back. They rode to the front of the formation, arguing on who bested who when racing towards the front. Their horses were at the lead, and they were arguing in front of the prince. "What does a infantry company commander know about riding?" Sir Blueblood asked. "Noble infantry officers require horses to lead their men," Sir Pansy answered. Captain Bloom threw a piece of pebble at each of them to attract their attention. The two young knights looked back at the three crusaders laughing at them. "Crusaders prefer their infantry officers to march with the troops. Not because of morale, but because they fear their commander would die from stupidity," said Captain Bloom looking at Sir Pansy. He turned his looks at Sir Blueblood, "The same goes for cavalry commanders who are reckless in riding into battle." "Give the two some slack captain," the prince advised. "This is about to be their first battle." "We've fought before," Sir Blueblood added. Sir Seed called out Sir Blueblood, "Boy, may I remind you that skirmishes are nothing. Try a battle with tens of thousands of soldiers clashing against each other. That'll give you the time of your life." Sir Pansy drank from his wine bag. He offered it to the prince, "Sir Seed. Rebels and bandits are not easy men to fight. May I also remind you that you are only four years older than Sir Blueblood." Prince Armor smirked as he finished drinking, "The both of you have to realize, that I'm about the same age as you and I've already been sent on many expeditions." "It's not our fault that King Heart doesn't want everyday Equestrian nobles to dedicate their life to the Mark Crusaders," Sir Pansy added. Approaching from the rear was Captain Platinum. He road in front of the column with the rear of his horse facing the open road. "General Hurricane wants the both of you back at your post," the captain delivered. "The captain of the guard has no sense of fun," said Sir Blueblood. "Oh well, I've had my share," he looks at Sir Pansy. "I'll race you back." The two knights immediately rode back to their positions. The crusaders at the front of the formation were laughing at the rivalry of the two knights. Captain Platinum looked at the prince and nodded to signal his leave. He slowly rode back to his king. The army was approaching a steppe slope along the hill. Their view was blocked by the large grassy hill. From the top of the hill, forward scouts of the army began galloping down the hill. They stopped in front of Prince Armor. "What's the matter?" Prince Armor asked. "Your highness," said the scout. "We have spotted a column of a thousand chaos soldiers marching towards the farm fields." "How far?" Prince Armor asked. "Less than two miles your highness," the scout answered. Prince Armor looked at Captain Bloom. He nodded to his head to command the captain to march the crusaders to the top of the hill. Captain Bloom turned his horse around and gave orders for the crusaders to ride hastily to the top of the hill. The prince rode to the middle of the column to see to his father. The guards around his father have been alerted immediately by the commotion at the front and formed a square formation to guard the king. "A forward chaos company is at the other side of the hill!" Prince Armor reported to the king. King Heart looked at Lord Clover. Through his eyes, the strategist read the thoughts of the king. Captain Platinum saw the interaction of the two nobles and ordered a small squadron of his mounted knights to accompany the prince into battle. "I'll have my company support the crusaders," said Lord Clover. "Your highness, please do not leave the presence of your royal escorts." "Then they must catch up," Prince Armor replied. He immediately left his fathers presence and rode for the hill. His royal escorts followed him, then by Lord Clover's company after they had assembled their selves and their equipment. The entire column halted. The Royal Division went to the sides of the road and the guards built a defensive perimeter around the king. The mages were within the formation to guard the king. General Hurricane had his reserves form a line on their flanks and the rest of the army to march to the other side of the hill. The Mark Crusaders arrived on top of the hill. They formed a line and awaited for their commander. Prince Armor came to the front of the formation with the royal guards. The guards quickly formed a wedge formation with Prince Armor at the front. Captain Bloom rode to the prince. "Me and the cavalry will be right behind you your highness. The infantry will follow as support and the archers will stay as high as they can on the hill to provide support as you advance," said Captain Bloom. Prince Armor wore his helmet, and unsheathed his sword. "We will be within range of our archers. Have them behind the infantry as reserves." "Yes your highness," said Captain Bloom, returning to his post. The field was grassy with wheat stems around the road. The enemy saw the Equestrians on top of the hill and immediately went to formation. Prince Armor brought down his visor and pointed his sword towards the enemy, then slowly rode downhill with his men. They were at a steady pace, then picked it up once they were down the hill. The enemy cavalry noticed the speed of the Equestrian charge and decided to counterattack with a lose formation to make time for their army to create a defensive square formation to repel the cavalry charge. Prince Armor saw the counterattack and picked up the pace. The Equestrian cavalry was so fast that by the time they met the enemy cavalry, they rammed through them as if they were a piece of flower in the middle of a storm. The chaos infantry were to slow to form their squares and were immediately trampled by the cavalry. The cavalry rode through the formation, hacking through the thin wall of spears that were supposed to stop them. Lord Clover arrived on top of the hill and saw the carnage of the battle. There was a small pile of bodies in the grassy field. Most of them were chaos cavalry men who stood no chance against the might of the Equestrian cavalry. The crusader infantry were marching steadily across the field and were picking off the remnants of the chaos cavalry. At the rear of the chaos formation, Lord Clover noticed a small infantry company and riders that were attempting to flank the crusaders. He ordered his cavalry and a squadron of infantry to counterattack the enemy maneuver. In the middle of the battle, the royal guards created a perimeter around the prince, fearing that his recklessness to lead the charge would result in his death. Meanwhile, their flanks were about to be attacked, but Lord Clover's cavalry met the flankers and attacked them. As soon as the Equestrians received infantry support, the chaos army began to fled. They ran as a rabble of fearing peasants in the eyes of the crusaders. "Do we follow them your highness?" said Captain Bloom, breathing heavily. "No," Prince Armor answered. "Let them know that we're here." As soon as the enemy fled to the point of no threat to the others. The king went to observe the battlefield. He slowly galloped through the fields with the Royal Division. On one side of the road was a field hospital to tend the wounds of the wounded. On the other side were two dozen prisoners that were caught in the retreat, being guarded by the crusaders. The king dismounted from his horse and approached his son who had his back turned, watching the prisoners. Captain Bloom and Lord Clover saw the king and faced him. Prince Armor turned his back to meet his father. "Report," said King Heart. "There were about a thousand soldiers. They were a forward army that was supposed to secure the hill as a lookout post. We suffered about a hundred casualties against half of their casualties. We also captured a dozen prisoners," Prince Armor reported. King Heart looked past beyond the shoulders of Prince Armor. The prisoners were sitting on the ground and looking down from their captors. They were mostly young men who seemed to be conscripted into the army. Their armors were bloody from the blood of their comrades and their faces were dirty from being dragged against the ground. "Hand them over to me. I'll have my archers execute them for target practice," said King Heart. "Yes your majesty," Prince Armor replied. The king returned to his horse and rode for the rear of the column. Members of his royal guard began to take the prisoners and forced them to march to the rear. "He hasn't been the same since then," said Captain Bloom. "No," Prince Armor added. "He hasn't."
Chp:4- StandoffBoth armies have begun to create the battlefield along Saddle Lake. Chaos has positioned themselves along the northern part of the lake with a light forest guarding their surroundings. The Equestrian army has occupied the hill that the Chaos army failed to take, giving the Equestrians a vantage point over the entire field. Their encampment is mostly on the hills of the southern part of the lake. In between the two forces, the terrain was mostly flat with several roads and wheat field that provides cover for the infantry. But if the Equestrians decide to advance further towards the enemy encampment, they would be facing light marshes that would hamper the effects of the cavalry. It was in the evening when both armies have completely settled themselves. King Heart called for a war council to discuss the plans for the upcoming battle. His command tent sat on the top of the hill that was used by the Mark Crusaders to charge the enemy column earlier during the day. Prince Armor and Captain Bloom were the last to arrive to the meeting, as they were busy preparing the Mark Crusaders for the vanguard. When the two young commanders entered the tent, most of them were high ranking nobles with veteran experience on the battlefield. They sat and stood around a long rectangular table with the king at the head, sitting down. Beside him were General Hurricane, Lord Clover, Captain Platinum and Princess Twilight. Opposite of him was his son and Captain Bloom. "I believe this is it your majesty," said General Hurricane. "Then let us begin," said King Heart. Captain Platinum and Lord Clover unrolled a map of the battlefield in front of the king and brought him reports that the scouts made based on their observation of the enemy encampment. All the lords came close to the map for them to see. "My lords," said Lord Clover. "As you all know, the enemy is north of us guarded by a light forest. The field between us is mostly flat, but as we advance further to meet the enemy we would be facing light marshes. Not to mention, the fields are dry and may be vulnerable to fire." "How about the enemy numbers?" General Hurricane asked. Lord Clover read several reports, "According to our scouts, the enemy numbers between twenty to twenty-five thousand troops," he places down the paper. "We number less than sixteen thousand." The entire tent erupted in whispers. Most of them were about the large size in numbers, and some lords began to spread rumors of their numbers being mostly conscripted farmers and brigands. Some decided to say that they might be experienced mercenaries or veteran soldiers of their previous conquests. "That's not the only bad news," Lord Clover added. "Our scouts reported seeing the banners of the Equestrian rebels. We believe that Lord Cookie leads a small force of five hundred rebels." The nobles in the tent changed the topic to mentioned on how their own lords were joining the enemy and should be hung for treason against the king. "But what are the exact numbers of the enemy units?" Lord Stygian asked. Lord Clover shuffles through the reports, "About twenty thousand infantrymen, three thousand cavalrymen, three thousand archers and possibly more than fifty mages." "What of our numbers?" King Heart asked. "We have twelve thousand infantrymen, half their cavalry size, two thousand archers and forty mages. But most of our troops are experienced and trained well your majesty," Lord Clover answered. "Who's leading who?" Prince Armor asked. Lord Clover began pointing on the map and moving unit pieces, "The Mark Crusaders led by Prince Armor would be leading the vanguard. General Hurricane will be leading the right flank. Lord Stygian the left, and I'll be leading the Royal Division in the center." "What of my mages?" Princess Twilight asked. "The mages will be divided, but the Mane Six will be protecting the Royal Division your highness," Lord Clover answered. He stood straight, looking at the eyes of the nobles. He could see their worry on the large difference of numbers. "The marshes would be unpredictable, so we will have to rely on the infantry for the majority of the battle. I believe the enemy would take a defensive role to prevent massive casualties for their conquest." Lord Clover gave specific units on their role during the battle. The Equestrian left would mostly support the center, and to prevent the enemy from flanking by using boats. The Equestrian right would have to skirmish their way to flank the enemy as the marshes are mostly on their direction. The Equestrian center would be the main target of the enemy, causing the Mark Crusaders to be able to take the blunt of the attack. The council quickly ended with each noble having their orders for their units. A few hours during supper, Prince Armor and Sir Seed sat along Sir Pansy and Sir Blueblood around a fire, eating stew. Sir Pansy and Sir Blueblood were arguing on who's going to have the most kills by the end of the battle. Sir Pansy was experienced in fighting the rebels in several skirmishes, but Sir Blueblood was a young eager nobleman who wants to earn his skills in combat. "Look," said Sir Pansy. "I led a small squadron against two dozen bandits in a forest once. I killed two guys and no bandits escaped." Sir Blueblood was laughing, "I know that you fought against the rebels and several bandits, but this is an actual battle. The cavalry will have the most kills in this case." "Aye," said Sir Pansy. "But the cavalry will have the most casualties if they decided to move without infantry support." "He has a good point Sir Blueblood," Sir Seed interrupted. "In our previous expedition, Prince Armor charged his cavalry unit against the enemy. But they went to far and the infantry unit I commanded couldn't support them right away." The two young knights looked at Prince Armor who was looking into the fire while eating. They could see in his eyes, the memories that started to return from his previous engagements in expeditions. "Luckily he and a small squadron managed to make it out before they were completely encircled," Sir Seed continued. Behind them, was Sir Fluttershy who could easily be heard from a distance with the clanging of his armor. He approached Sir Blueblood and Sir Pansy with a letter. "Sir Blueblood, Sir Pansy," Sir Fluttershy called out. "General Hurricane wishes for me to give these to you." Sir Seed took the letter, and Sir Fluttershy immediately left the group. He vanished into a crowd of soldiers as the young nobles watch him leave. "He's one of the newest guards this year correct?" Sir Blueblood asked. "Yes," said Sir Pansy. "So they made him do the rookie work for them." Sir Seed opened the letter and gave it to the two knights. Sir Blueblood was to lead a squadron of cavalry men to charge the Chaos enemy on General Hurricane's left flank. Sir Pansy would be at the front of the Royal Division with his squadron and was told to immediately advance at a rapid pace to support the cavalry charge. The two knights were happy on their orders to be in the front of the battle. In the enemy encampment, King Discord called on his own war council. Their tent was barely lit and a large map sat in the middle of a round table, surrounded by old generals who have shown their skills in battle. Princess Luna stands beside King Discord. "We can't underestimate their strategist, Lord Clover," said King Discord. "He knows that a third of our army are conscripted, and we will be sending half of them at the front to reinforce the vanguard. Well, we shall do what he expects." "Will you be leading the vanguard your majesty?" General Grogar asked. "No," King Discord replied. "You will be leading the vanguard tomorrow. But I want you to send in the second line troops, and only use the first line troops as support. I will leave a surprise for their strategist." "Yes your majesty," said General Grogar. King Discords looks at his two other generals, "General Glimmer will command the left flank. I want you to provide support for General Grogar and use skirmish tactics. The right flank will be given to General Shimmer. I want the left to standby, but I want them to be on alert. Try your best to avoid the enemy." Both of the generals responded to their king in gratefulness for giving them such a command that they believe is worthy of their skills. The King proceeded to discuss the plans further. He wants the mages to be absent during battle to make Lord Clover think that he is measuring the strength of the Equestrian army. King Discord planned to use the terrain to their advantage as a defense, then use it as a counter-attack when Lord Clover gets to confident on himself. "What about me?" Princess Luna asked, looking at the map. King Discord looked at the young princess, and the eyes of the other generals looked at the two, "As I said. The mages will be absent tomorrow." King Discord looks around the tent, "Get some rest. We have a busy day tomorrow."
Chp: 6-Post BattleThe night was filled with terrors. Both were left to rot on the field, with both sides fearing that they would use the opportunity to attack the men, trying to recover the bodies. Wounded Equestrian soldiers were still being found alive in the field and marshes. General Hurricane instructed a company to split into small teams to recover the wounded. In the Equestrian encampment, the mages and physicians have been working endlessly to heal the wounds of the soldiers. On one table, Princess Twilight with an assistant healing mage and an assistant physician were tending to the wounds of a wounded soldier. The soldier kept on screaming, being freshly drawn from the battle. He was shot with several arrows with the mud, trying to enter the wounds. Princess Twilight and her table were trying to strip him of his armor, but he was moving too much from the pain. Princess Twilight looked at two soldiers who were staring at the wounded, "You two!" she called out. "Help us with this man!" The soldiers ran to her table. They held his limbs, as the rest try to cut the straps, holding his armor. They removed in the armor, and saw that his entire chest was covered in mud. Not a sight of blood was seen. Princess Twilight feared that his wounds have already been infected and instructed her assistant to wash the mud off. The soldier kept on screaming. "Cant' we give him anything?" the assistant mage asked. "We can't give him anything to relieve pain," the Physician answered, cleaning off the wounds. "If he gets to comfortable on the anesthetics, it might lower his blood and stop his heart." The table was working hastily to clean the wounds, so they can pull the arrows out. The physician told everyone to hold the soldier tight while he tries to remove the arrows. As he attempted to remove one of the arrows in his abdominal area, blood suddenly started to squirt out of his body onto everyone around him. The soldier began to choke and spit out his own blood. Princess Twilight and her assistant were trying to cast a spell to fix the blood flow, but the soldier succumbed to his injuries. The Physician looked into the eyes of the young man, hoping to see any life in them. "He's dead," said the Physician. "You two, get his body out of here and put him with the others." On the other side of the camp, Sir Blueblood and Sir Pansy were sitting around a fire, keeping themselves warm in their bloodied armor. The men were starring down into their cups, with their eyes wandering into the wine. Prince Armor and Sir Seed saw the two, as they were helping unload the wounded onto the stretchers. "What do you think is wrong with them?" Sir Seed asked. "It's Sir Pansy's first time in battle. I heard the right flank suffered heavy casualties," Prince Armor answered. Prince Armor tapped the armor of Sir Seed and nodded his head to walk to the two. The two crusaders approached the two knights, trying to speak to them. "What happened?" Prince Armor asked. Sir Blueblood looked at the prince, with a worried expression in his eyes, "I nearly died in the marshes. My horse was caught and I nearly killed by their archers." Prince Armor tapped the shoulder of the young cavalry man, "Hey, at least you made it out alive. So many were unfortunate." Prince Armor turned his eyes to Sir Pansy, "How about you Sir Pansy." Sir Pansy didn't respond. He was staring into his cup, until Sir Seed walked up to him and touched his back. Sir Pansy was shook and looked at the two crusaders, not noticing their presence earlier. "I never thought that killing someone would be so," Sir Pansy hesitated to continue his statement. "So satisfying." Sir Seed sat beside the young knight, "It will be at first. But the more you do it, the more you start to question yourself. The prince and I in the last two crusading expeditions were wondering on how our actions might be to other people and how it might affect us. But since we live the life of a soldier, we have no other choice than to continue this killing." "Sir Pansy why don't you go to my sister. She might be able to comfort you," said Prince Armor. Sir Pansy stood and dropped his cup. He looked at the three men, who were looking at him, before he left. Sir Seed picked up his cup and poured ale into it to drink. Prince Armor firmly held the shoulder of Sir Blueblood, giving him the notion that he did a great job in battle that day. On top of the hill by the command tent, several officers were entering the tent to report to King Heart and Lord Clover the status of their units and their progress in battle. Outside, Captain Platinum and Lieutenant Dash were standing by a fire, overlooking the entire camp. They could see the bright lights of that shines from the tents, but could hear the screeching of dying men and the moans of those wounded. "The squad that guarded the prince took heavy casualties today," said Sir Platinum. He looks at Lieutenant Dash. She gave no sign of life from her eyes as they were trained on searching those trying to walk up the hill, thinking that there would be an assassination attempt on the king. "Do you want to take a squad and guard Prince Armor?" Lieutenant Dash looked at her captain, "Doesn't the prince prefer his own crusaders to guard him?" Captain Platinum smiles at the young lieutenant, "That's true, but he trusts you more than anyone in the Royal Guard. Besides, didn't the both of you had a history in the past?" "That was before he joined the crusaders, and I the guard," Lieutenant Dash added. "You joined because he left," Captain Platinum added. "He trusts you more than he trusts me to guard him, and besides I was the one who lost Princess Luna." "She was under my watch," said Lieutenant Dash. Captain Dash looked at the command tent. Four guards were guarding the tent, since the Equestrians withdrew from the field, "But I was the one who assigned the guards. They weren't the best, but I trusted them, and they died." Lieutenant Dash took a big breath that she slowly exhaled. She looked at the head of the encampment, and saw the banners of the Mark Crusaders. She looked back at her captain to accept his offer, "I'll take the remnants of the squadron and my men. We'll protect the prince for you." Captain Dash smiled at his second-in-command, "Thank you lieutenant. You're a better guard than any of us." As the Equestrians were suffering from their losses, the Chaos army were silently cheering. The soldiers claimed victory since they held their positions, while the Equestrians fled. King Discord ordered his soldiers to recover the wounded as soon as the Equestrians gathered the majority of theirs. He feared that Lord Clover would launch a surprise attack to take advantage of the entire situation. King Discord summoned his two strongest mages and his highest ranking generals to his command tent. Princess Luna sat on his left, and Sorcerer Meadowbrook sat on his right. The generals came into the tent with dirt all over their armor. But no signs of blood were on their face, signifying that they were mainly commanding their forces from a distance. Lord Cookie entered the tent and attracted the attention of everyone within the tent. "My lord," said King Discord. "Thank you for joining us. Please take a seat." "Yes your majesty," Lord Cookie sat by the nearest chair he could find around the table. "The reports aren't that impressive," said General Grogar. "We suffered more casualties than the Equestrians. Mostly from my command." "It was necessary to break the Equestrian cavalry, general," said King Discord, staring into the eyes of his head general. "Anyway, we must act fast before their scouts or spies find out the movements of our troops." King Discord began to tell the small council that he intends to flank the Equestrians from around the lake. He hopes that an attack from their rear would result in Lord Clover to send most of their reserves and General Hurricane to fight them, leaving their front to be defended by the Royal Division who have suffered significant losses. He plans to have the king surrounded and distracted by concentrating on his front and rear, while he tries to flank left with a cavalry company. "General Grogar, you will take five thousand men," King Discord instructed. "You will get some of my reserves and your men as well who have fought today along with Meadowbrook and his guard company. You will also take Lord Cookie and his army." All the officers in the tent looked at the king to see if he was serious. "Your majesty?" said General Shimmer confusingly. "Lord Cookie will accompany General Grogar and Meadowbrook with his four hundred rebels," King Discord added. "Let's hope that the Equestrians might feel uncomfortable that they are about to fight their own people." "Thank you your majesty," said Lord Cookie. King Discord looks at General Grogar, "Leave before dawn. If your lucky enough, you could arrive by noon and surprise before they even notice you." "What would the signal be?" General Grogar asked. "Your attack," said King Discord.
Chp: 7- The Other Side of Saddle LakeThe combined Chaos and Equestrian army mobilized before the sun rises. They marched around the lake and took the most concealed, but fastest route in order to reach their destination. General Grogar leads the army at the front, with Sorcerer Meadowbrook in the center with his mages. General Grogar didn't trust the Equestrian rebels and had Lord Cookie in the rear as reserves. During the march, the Chaos army were marching at a rapid pace while the rebels were struggling to keep up. A Chaos messenger from the rear rode ahead to report the situation to General Grogar. "General, Lord Cookie requests that we reduce our speed," said the messenger. General Grogar stopped his horse by the side of the road, "What do you mean?" "The rebels are falling behind by twenty yards. By the time we reach the battlefield, they think that they might be more than a hundred yards away and exhausted." General Grogar looked towards the rear. All he saw were his army who were marching together. "Tell Lord Cookie that if he can't catch with us, then it is his fault for not preparing his army," said General Grogar. "We have no time to waste, we must be within range of their encampment by at least noon." "Yes general," the messenger immediately road back to the rear. In the Equestrian encampment, Lord Clover was out of his tent, observing the view of the lake. He noticed that birds were flying away from the western side of the lake and heading south. Lord Clover called for a messenger to instruct his scouts to scout the other side of the lake. The Chaos coalition were nearly half the distance from their destination. From a small hill, covered by trees and bushes, a small Equestrian scout team saw the Chaos marching and the Equestrian rebels in the rear. They quickly counted the numbers and recognized the banners, then rode back to Lord Clover. "What!" Lord Clover shouted. Lord Clover was by the command table with King Heart seating on it. He was looking at the map and noticed that Lord Clover did not expect such a daring strategy for King Discord to make. "Get me Lord Stygian right away," the king ordered. "Yes your majesty," the scout left the tent to find Lord Stygian. Within a few moments, Lord Stygian with his officers rode up the hill. They entered the tent and saw King Discord and Lord Clover, discussing the defense of their encampment. "What happened?" Lord Stygian asked. "General Grogar, Sorcerer Meadowbrook and Lord Cookie leads an army of about five thousand men strong to flank us in the rear," Lord Clove answered. "Gather the men who are already ready and march to meet the opposing force. General Grogar would risk his safety for speed. His army would most likely be tired by the time they meet you." "Yes my lord," said Lord Stygian. He and the rest of the officers immediately left the tent. Lord Stygian instructed his officers to find anyone ready for battle and to immediately march around the lake. "We must defend our position. As soon as the enemy attacked, King Discord will attack at the same time," said King Heart. "I'll lead the left flank. Prince Armor will take the center and General Hurricane will take the right," Lord Clover added. He immediately left without a word and rode down the hill to alert the others. The entire camp was in an uproar to the news of the Chaos trying to attack them from the rear. Most of the front line troops weren't ready as they were still resting from their previous battle. The crusaders wanted to volunteer, but Lord Clover immediately sent them a message to set up a defensive line in case King Discord decides to attack. General Hurrican's forces were mostly unprepared and spent most of their time wearing their armor and gathering their troops. Lord Stygian noticed that most of the reserves were ready, and decided to gather most of them to march with him right away. His officers in the meantime were asking for volunteers from the other's. "You are going with them?" Princess Twilight asked, walking with her husband. "I volunteered my company. We barely saw much combat yesterday and we're the only ones in the center who have mustered our arms," Sir Pansy replied as he was wearing his armor while walking. A young soldier brought Sir Pansy his horse, and the young knight immediately mounted his ride. He looked down at his wife who's eyes were worried for his safety. "Don't worry," said Sir Pansy. "I'll make it back before the sun sets." Sir Pansy and his company immediately march with the other volunteers. General Grogar was aware that their position has been spotted and quickly ordered his entire army to take defensive positions on top of a slope by a small clear field. He noticed that most of his men were tired and mainly ordered for them to assemble in their ranks, disregarding the Chaos army procedures to built palisades and trenches for quick defenses. He had Lord Cookie and the rebels by the far right, near some trees on a steep hill. Sorcerer Meadowbrook volunteered for his company to take the center and the vanguard to take the blunt of the attack, seeing that the entire Chaos army was tired from the march. General Grogar had his infantry defend the side by the lake, but has his cavalry by the road to flank the enemy. Lord Stygian arrived on the field a few hours after noon. He immediately positioned his troops. He sent his reserves to his left flank with the majority of his cavalry. Sir Pansy along with a small royal team led by Sir Fluttershy with the other volunteers made the center of the army. Lord Stygian led the right flank by the lake with mostly his infantry and personal guards. Lord Stygian called for most of the messengers downhill. "We have about three thousand men, but a third of our army consists of reserves and the our army structure is disorganized," said Lord Stygian. "I'll keep it simple. We'll take a defensive role, but I want the center to march at a slow pace. When the enemy reacts, the cavalry will swoop downhill to meet the enemy. I'll have my men hold my position, and that goes the same for the left." The messengers wasted no time and delivered the orders to the highest ranking officers they could find. Sir Fluttershy accompanied Sir Pansy to guard him, remembering that he was the husband of Princess Twilight. Sir Pansy volunteered to take the vanguard as his unit had one of the most experience in battle from the previous day. General Grogar clearly read the mind of his opponent. The strategy was simple and it was to attack the coalition from the top and make their way downhill, so the retreating troops would flee into the lake, hoping that they would take a significant amount of casualties from drowning. General Grogar wanted to avoid the scenario to happen, so he commanded the center to advance as well as the left. A messenger from the left flank came to the center. A high ranking officer was given the command to advance his section at the enemy. Without hesitation, the Equestrian officer on his horse advanced his troops, including the royal guards surrounding Sir Pansy. Sir Fluttershy and his squadron of royal guards moved forward in front of Sir Pansy to protect him. "What are you doing Sir Fluttershy?" Sir Pansy asked. "Orders sir," Sir Fluttershy answered. "Princess Twilight wants us to protect you sir." The center was marching at a steady pace. Sir Pansy looked at the officer leading them for a second. Suddenly a large fireball landed in front of him, sending him and his horse flying through the air. Sir Pansy looked at the enemy and saw dozens of fireballs being thrown at them. "TORTOISE FORMATION!!!" Sir Fluttershy commanded. The soldiers around the new royal guard rose their shields and came close together to shield themselves from the blast of the fireballs. But the power was too strong for the center. Soldiers were being thrown into the air, with their limbs coming off of them. Men were getting burned by their sizzling armor. The center was in chaos. The front half was broken, with the rear beginning to retreat. Several fireballs were launched at Sir Pansy's company, obliterating everyone in his unit. The tortoise formation was broken and the soldiers were spread out. Sir Fluttershy and his squad were still protecting Sir Pansy, until a large fireball blasted in front of everyone, with the force sending all of them away from each other. Soon, the enemy center began to rapidly advance on the remnants of the Equestrian center. Lord Stygian wanted to rescue the center and decided to use his cavalry on the left to attack the Chaos center. A messenger hastily galloped to the cavalry and gave them the message to charge. Without relaying the orders to everyone else and without a proper formation, the cavalry advanced on the enemy. Their formation was lose and gaps were in the their hurried makeshift wedge formation. The mages noticed the cavalry and launched magical orbs to slow their advance. The front of the cavalry formation was being attacked, reducing the movement of the rear. Cavalry troops were trampling on each other. It was chaos on the slopes of the battlefield. Soon, Chaos archers began to launch their arrows at the enemy, raining down at the trapped cavalrymen. Sorcerer Meadowbrook saw the trapped soldiers and commanded his center and the Chaos left flank to attack. General Grogar saw the rapid advance of his troops, and ordered the rest of his army to attack Lord Stygian who was shocked at his tactical failures. Sir Pansy was in a small crater. His shield was broken with a hole in the middle, burning his forearm and his helmet was thrown away from the blast. He tried to get himself up, but felt a small shrapnel wound to the side of his armor. He observed the battlefield around him, and the front of the center were scattered with heavy casualties. Sir Pansy and his remaining men saw the young knight and ran to him. "Sir Pansy!" said Sir Fluttershy, shaking the knight from the shock. "Are you alright?" Sir Pansy couldn't hear nothing, but ringing for a moment. As soon as he saw the enemy charging at them, he snapped and looked for his company, "Where are my men?" "We took heavy casualties sir, we must withdraw," Sir Fluttershy suggested. "No time," Sir Pansy added. "Gather any available troops and have them form a shield wall." Sir Fluttershy looked at Sir Pansy. His eyes stated that they have a duty to repel the flanking maneuver of the Chaos army, "Yes sir." The Equestrians were gathering everyone who they could find that were left on the battlefield. Sir Pansy looked at the rest of the center. He could see that they were defending their position and wouldn't move. "We don't have time," Sir Pansy said out loud to himself. "Fuck it!" Sir Fluttershy has already gathered enough men to forma shield wall, until Sir Pansy told him to disregard his order and to form a square formation. Sir Fluttershy was confused on the tactic, as a square formation was only used against a cavalry charge, but didn't had time left to argue. The order was given to form a square around Sir Fluttershy, but there was barely time to do it properly and they formed the best they could. Soon, the Chaos soldiers at the front, surrounded the survivors, while the rear proceeds to advance at the Equestrian center. The middle of the battlefield was in chaos. The cavalry troops that were sent to provide support for the center, were attacked by the Chaos cavalry and were easily killed as they had no defense from their casualties. Sir Pansy and the troops around him, had a strong defense with everyone helping themselves to brace against the enemy. But the enemy numbers overwhelmed the few Equestrians who had many casualties. Those who were wounded were brought to the center to have their wounds treated. If they were able to walk, they were sent by Sir Pansy to plug in any weak spots along the perimeter. If they badly wounded, they were laid in the middle with their swords and shields to create a last stand. On the right, beside the lake. Lord Stygian's flank was in shatters. He had no formations and no orders were being relayed. His guards surround him, protecting him against General Grogar's forces. The fighting began to spread to the lake, and soldiers were drowning each other. The water entered their armor, dragging them into the lake and preventing many others from floating. At the very edge of the battlefield on the hill, the Equestrian reserves didn't know what to do, other than watch the battlefield. No messengers were being sent to them, and the officers were indecisive on what to do. The rebels were anxious to get into the fight. "Our original orders were to support the attack, correct?" Lord Cookie asked. "Yes my lord," a lieutenant answered. Lord Cookie pulls out his sword, "Alright, the reserves won't expect us. Relay the orders to everyone. We'll charge the enemy." The officers around him, smiled in happiness that they would be fighting. The rebels immediately formed an offensive formation and rapidly advanced on the Equestrian reserves. The reserves saw the enemy advancing on them and the officers and sergeant commanded their troops to form a spear wall, but many of the troops saw that the battle was a loss for the Equestrians and fled the battlefield. Nearly all the reserves broke formation and ran away. The rebels broke through their defense as if they were slicing bread, even attacking those who were retreating. Meanwhile, the center was struggling to hold. The perimeter around Sir Pansy kept on getting smaller as more troops were getting wounded from exhaustion. It was mainly Sir Pansy's company and Sir Fluttershy's squad that were providing the back support of the defense. "Sir Pansy," said Sir Fluttershy, helping Sir Pansy dragging a wounded man to the middle. "It's not too late. I can still gather a squadron of our best fighters and we can easily escape." "What?!" Sir Pansy was shocked. "I will not leave my men behind." Sir Fluttershy grabbed the arm of Sir Pansy, "Sir! Look around! It's hopeless, we're getting swamped." Sir Pansy looked around and the perimeter was struggling to keep itself up. Chaos soldiers were breaching through the defense through gaps between the shields. Sir Pany's company sergeant grabbed Sir Pansy's arm. "Get out of here sir. We'll hold them off," the sergeant recommended. "Thank you sergeant," Sir Pansy looked at Sir Fluttershy. "Get thirty men with shields, and form a wedge. I'll be leading the charge." "Yes sir," said Sir Fluttershy. Sir Pansy along with able bodied soldiers formed their formation to escape. Once the perimeter was open, the men knew that the remaining troops would be overwhelmed through the gap they created. With a single order, Sir Pansy gave the order for the men to create a hole and the soldiers rushed their way to punch through the gap. The remaining men were almost able to close the hole, until the Chaos troops rushed through the gap and the entire Equestrian defense in the center fell. Lord Stygian and his headquarters were being swamped. The guards told their lord to flee to the encampment, but the experienced commander was shocked on the turn of events. "My lord!" an Equestrian officer grabbed the stirrup of Lord Stygian's horse. "Get out of here while you can!" Lord Stygian was breathing heavily. He nodded his head and immediately fled with a squadron of riders behind him. The Equestrians soon turned tail and rain away, noticing that no officers were giving orders. The Chaos troops gave no quarter to the fleeing troops and cut them down as they ran. General Grogar saw the squadron of Lord Stygian and chased him on horseback on the road, along the river. His guards quickly caught up to the fleeing men and stopped them. General Grogar saw Lord Stygian and jumped from his horse to tackle him. The two commanders rolled down a slope into the lake. Lord Stygian pushed of General Grogar and pulled out his sword. General Grogar pulled out his knife and rushed Lord Stygian, stabbing him in the leg, as the Equestrian commander failed to counterattack. General Grogar pulled out the knife and walked away to gain distance, before pulling out his sword, "Lord Stygian. You disappoint me. I was hoping that you put up a fight." General Grogar went in for the attack and was pushing Lord Stygian deeper into the lake. Lord Stygian's sword hand was cut, causing him to drop his sword. He then tripped on a rock and fell into the water. General Grogar threw away his sword and went on top Lord Stygian. General Grogar began to grab his neck, applying immense pressure on the Equestrian lord. His opponent was trembling, trying to shake him off. But within a few seconds, Lord Stygian slowly stopped moving as water begins to enter his body. General Grogar removed his hands from his neck and stood. He looked around him and saw Equestrian soldiers trying to flee while being killed. He looked at the battlefield and could smell the sent of blood as it comes his direction. He tried looking for his sword and began returning to his horse.
Chp.5- The ClashIt was noon, when both armies have completely assembled themselves to meet each other on the battlefield. King Heart stood on the hill and felt the warmth of the sun on his face. Beside him was Lord Clover with several messengers, looking at the map of the battlefield. Lord Clover looked at the king, and King Heart nodded at the strategist to begin the battle. The horns of the Equestrian army blew, causing the army to advance. The cavalry galloped at a steady pace, and once they were halfway in, the Mark Crusader's cavalry followed by a squadron of royal guards and the cavalry of the Royal Division attacked in a wedge formation at the enemy center. General Grogar saw the cavalry quickly charging at them, and ordered his archers to fire their arrows. The archers fired five volleys at the enemy cavalry, trying to make time for the second line to advance to take the blunt of the cavalry. The arrows missed the front of the cavalry charge, but landed at their middle and rear, causing half of the charge to reduce their speed from trampling onto their fallen comrades. The second line had four rows of spear men. The first line consisted of four ranks with the first rank making up the defense with their long shields. The cavalry clashed with second line, causing the defenders to fly from the impact of the horses. The second line was quickly overwhelmed, but pockets of soldiers formed a small defense to fight the Equestrian cavalry. Prince Armor and his crusaders and royal guards clashed with the first line, but barely made a dent due to their tight defense. The Equestrian right made their move and attacked the Chaos left through the marshes. General Glimmer signaled his soldiers to repel the attack. Squadrons of infantry men ran in zigzags to confuse the Equestrian cavalry. This caused the cavalry to reduce their speed. Once they attacked the enemy squadrons, their combat effectiveness was reduced due to the lack of speed in their charge. In the middle,Equestrian infantry soon found their way to support the cavalry. Captain Bloom was caught in the rear, fighting pockets of the second line. Sir Seed and Prince Armor were struggling to make a hole on the first line of the Chaos army. The royal guards were closely surrounding their prince to protect him from being dismounted and killed. Sir Seed went to Prince Armor. "Your highness," Sir Seed called out. His face was dirty from the mud, and his sword was drenched in blood. "The infantry has arrived, but Captain Bloom and the rest of the cavalrymen are struggling to fight the second line." "Tell the infantry to take care of the remnants of the second line, we need to create a dent within this line," Prince Armor commanded. "Yes your majesty," Sir Seed rode off to meet Captain Bloom. Captain Bloom was fighting a squadron of Chaos spear men. His horse was caught and three spear men trusted their pole arms into his horse, causing him to fall. Three crusaders saw their captain fall and immediately went to him to protect him. Captain Bloom got up from the muddy ground and approached the spear men. One of the soldiers tried to stab him with a spear, but the captain grabbed the tip of the spear and pulled the soldiers towards his sword. The other crusaders rushed the other two spear men and dragged them to the ground to easily kill them. "Captain!" Sir Seed called out. Captain Bloom turned his back to the sound of Sir Seed calling him. They found each other in the middle of the chaos. "Captain, Prince Armor wants the crusaders to push forward," Sir Seed reported. "I'll gather the cavalry. Get the infantry and tell them to assist us," Captain Bloom instructed. Sir Seed immediately rode to the infantry to inform them of their new orders. Captain Bloom assembled the cavalry and they charged the enemy line. Meanwhile, on the left flank, Lord Stygian began to move his infantry units, hoping to create a hole to flank through in order to support the Equestrian center. His troops were marching at a steady pace. Lord General Shimmer saw that the Equestrians were steadily marching and ordered his heavy shield bearers to be at the front, supported by his pike men. His pike men were four ranks deep and had their pikes pointed at the enemy. He then ordered all of his archers to fire three volley's then an individual fire to maximize the effectiveness of their arrows. The Equestrian's immediately formed a tortoise formation to defend themselves against the hale of arrows, but caused their speed to reduce. By time, the Equestrians were slowly taking casualties, but they had a tight defense. Suddenly several fireballs were launched at the Equestrian's breaking their formation. General Shimmer looked at his front, and saw several mages casting spells to repel the Equestrian infantry. Lord Stygian saw the magic and commanded his archers to move forward to provide cover for the first wave's retreat. At the same time, he commanded his second wave to advance. On the Equestrian right, the Equestrian cavalry were trapped in the mud and were being picked off one by one by small teams of Chaos soldiers. Sir Blueblood and five other riders were caught deep in a marsh and a column of Chaos crossbow men fired their bolts at the riders. Sir Blueblood's horse was hit, causing him to fall in the marsh. He was approached by five chaos soldiers, who were sent to pick them off while they were trapped. Sir Blueblood's shield was caught in the mud, and had to use his short sword against his opponents. Two men challenged him, while the other three fight the remaining survivors. A chaos soldier charged Sir Blueblood, but tripped and fell in the mud, the second followed the attack of his comrade and struck Sir Blueblood, but his sword bounced off from the thick armor. Sir Blueblood violently swung his sword at the two soldiers, hoping that they would be caught within his blade. The first soldier was struck in the neck and the other attempted to tackle Sir Blueblood, but the young knight slit the man's throat. Sir Blueblood and aother rider made their way out of the marsh and withdrew behind a squadron of infantry who were sent to support the right cavalry. King Heart saw the battlefield. The left was progressing very slowly as mages were preventing the soldiers from attack the pike wall. The cavalry on the right were starting to withdraw, seeing that they have taken moderate casualties and saw that the effectiveness of their horses were hampered by the mud. Meanwhile, the center was at a stalemate with the Mark Crusaders leading the push. Lord Clover was being irritated by several messengers, with the right flank requesting to withdraw, and the left requiring magic support. "Tell General Hurricane to hold his ground. We can't pull the right flank just yet. Have the left to hold their positions and get Lieutenant Dash to assemble a squadron of Royal Guards to escort the mages to the left flank. Have the rest of the Royal Division to assist with the push on the central field," Lord Clover instructed the messengers. "Hold those orders!" King Heart shouted. He approached the table and faced Lord Clover. "The left and right flank are suffering too many casualties and cannot advance in their current state. The center is barely making a difference. Have the entire army to withdraw back to their original positions." "You want to end the battle?" Lord Clover asked. "Just for the day," the king replied. Soon the horns from the Equestrian encampment sounded the retreat. The left and right flank quickly withdrew, under the hail of several arrows. The center under the command of Prince Armor, withdrew in order. The Mark Crusaders formed a defensive retreat to safely protect the army from being chased by the Chaos soldiers. King Discord saw the retreat, but didn't call for his men to chase the Equestrians. He didn't want to risk the change of them reorganizing into a defensive role that would inflict massive losses to his army. As soon as the Equestrians withdrew from the field, the Chaos soldiers were ordered to withdraw as well. By days end, the field was equally littered with dead bodies from both sides. The Equestrian army suffered eight hundred casualties against the Chaos army with a thousand casualties.
