Rulers of Earthius: Dawn of the North

The first battle of the war was known as the Battle of Red Grasses, it is named as such since the battle was supposedly so brutal that the valley it was fought in was stained red from the blood.

Midsummer 3rd, 145 PIE

Between Canterlot and Fallreach, close to Niln's Southern Border

The bronze-clad soldiers stood at arms, their bright plates glinted in the sun, their pikes stuck up high like giant porcupines. The rising sun warmed them, though it was not a particularly cold morning as it was the middle of summer. Rainbow Dash stood with her soldiers, a bronze great sword similar in shape to that of their traditional Xiphos' was plunged into the ground the face of her helmet was lifted, giving her better visibility.

To their north was a wide yet shallow valley they stood at the top of the southern side though they still had a poor view over the other side. The sun was slowly rising overhead, the soldiers were largely young and inexperienced. Within the month it had been since the war was declared, thousands had joined the army, mostly looking for glory and honor. One look at their young faces and you could tell that some were almost regretful of their decision.

Most were farm boys trying to get away from home or those who just wanted to prove they were worthy of their family's name. Whatever it was it seemed they were there amongst the bronze-clad men. The sun was well over the horizon when the sound of beating war drums and the thunderous rhythm of boots and clanking armor could be heard. It mixed with the light sound of soldiers shaking with fear.

Over the hill appeared the banners, banners from Myrr and Westshore, and a red banner, depicting a mace held by a black hand. The soldiers, tall and broad men, appeared over the hill, on the western side were the soldiers of Westshore who wore glinting steel burgonets on their heads and steel corslets over light blue tunics, they wore steel shinguards and gauntlets, they also dawned flexible sabatons over their boots.

As for weapons, they dawned a diverse array that consisted largely of pikes with thrusting swords and basket hilt swords with small round shields, with axes, claymores, and halberds throughout, and the occasional one with a musket. To the east, it was no different with men wielding much the same in terms of weapons and donning similar armor. Between them on horseback was no militia of Holdsmen hired by the Jarl.

These men were Kartignian Knights, they dawned mail armor hidden by long tunics showing the mace and black hand of the Kartignian Family, they dawned steel gauntlets, shinguards, and sabatons. They hid their faces with glimmering great helms that concealed their heads. They wielded diverse weapons as well, though most wielded heater shields with the Kartignian symbol, swords, axes, maces, hammers, picks, and greatswords, were worn upon them.

The soldiers screamed and hollered, yelled and shouted, their voices seemed like those of beasts from the forests in old fairy tales. The Knights stood silent at attention, keeping their horses steady with their weapons sheathed. The Equin Soldiers shook in place, breathing ragged and nervous breaths. A shorter and bulkier man on a white horse, with long red hair and a red beard, donning steel plate armor and a large ax, grabbed a large horn from the side of his saddle and blew long and loud into the mouthpiece.

The soldiers began charging down the hill, Rainbow Dash lowered the visor of her helmet and raised her great sword before screaming "CHAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGEEEEEEE" the men, now filled with a sense of power and bravery lowered their pikes and charged forward towards the Northerner hoards. They met at the center of the valley, crashing hard with a thunderous boom. Pike met chest plate, ax met helmet, blade met throat.

Rainbow Dash trusted and slashed her blade into any soldier she met while the pikemen struggled to hold the line against the barbaric warriors and their axes and swords. Loud cracks echoed as the Holdsmen fired shots from their muskets. "MUSKETS!" cried Rainbow Dash over the sound of battle, men wearing bronze Morion helms marched forward and hastily loaded their matchlock muskets with fire-powder and led balls.

The men held their muskets up in a volley and with a fizzle and crack, they fired into the crowd of Northerners knocking many down like dominos. While the first line reloaded a second fired, knocking down more soldiers. The Holdsmen backed up and lowered their pikes for a charge, they ran into the force of bronze soldiers with their pikes and halberds and thrusting swords readied. With a loud boom, they met in a thunderous clash, pushing the force of Equin's back and the cracks of muskets on both sides sounded.

The Northerners backed away, their pikes still down. Their eyes burned with rage and their cries still rang out, now their weapons and armor dripping with blood. They seemed battered and broken, the sun was now peaked in the sky, this battle had taken all of two hours and her men were tired. the rainbow-haired general lifted her sword and yelled out one final call: "CHAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGEEEEEEEEEE!" her men raised their pikes and drew their swords, they ran to the lines of Holdsmen, and with another clash, they pushed them back and continued pushing until it seemed they retreated.

As they ran, the Equin soldiers began chanting celebratory praises to Celestia they felt they were victorious, they trusted their weapons into the air and continued to shout in celebration. Their celebration turned to horror however as the sound of a horn traveled over the wind, followed by thunderous hoofbeats on the solid ground. From the cloud of dust that had been left behind by the retreating Northerners, Knights on horseback charged out.

It was absolute chaos as the soldiers struggled to prepare, being cut down in the process, many did manage to strike down the horses of knights, but they continued fighting on foot. In the chaos of the charge, Rainbow Dash managed to hit a passing horse. The horse's stomach was cut open, spilling its guts on the ground, causing it to fall over with the knight. The knight got up from the ground, holding his claymore.

The knight charged towards her, raising his blade high to slash her open. The bronze-clad general lifted her sword to block him with a loud clink. The two fought with swing after swing striking each other swords. In one hit the knight knocked the helmet off of Rainbow Dash's head and onto the ground. Undeterred she fought on though she felt herself growing weak while the knight seemed unphased by the fight, with every swing of the sword she grew weaker and weaker.

She missed a swing landing her sword into the ground and with one fell swoop the knight slashed down on her face, seemingly killing her as blood pooled around her head and bringing loss upon Equestria for the first battle, foreshadowing the years to come in this bloody conflict.