June 31st, 1029 PC, 2:23 PM

Gallus grimaced as he lowered his binoculars, turning to Shining Armor. "Sir, you might want to see this." He said, reaching out a hand.

Shining Armor turned away from his current conversation with a pair of colonels before approaching the griffin. He stepped to the rim of the hill he and the Equestrian commanders stood, taking the binocular pair from Gallus's hand. His eyes narrowed even before he used them as a look of discomfort came to his face. There was an empty field leading from his current position to the Cervinijan border, with little cover beyond the occasional boulder.

On the other side of the field was a rather extensive series of trench lines. Double-decker, with a frontline, no doubt full of rifles and machine guns, and the raised second one lined with anti-mech emplacements. Even from here, he could see the long gun barrels complete with muzzle breaks explicitly designed to punch through the armor of light mechs. Like the ones he had been provided.

"What is it you wanted me to see, Gallus." Shining said, gritting his teeth as he saw a regiment of Deer soldiers in their bright blue and white uniforms cross down a series of ramps and join the frontal trench line.

"Past the second trench line, 11:55 o'clock," Gallus said, pointing ahead. "You can just barely see several gun barrels sticking out."

Sure enough, they were there. Three of them are extremely close together, comparable in size to six-inch naval cannons. Powerful enough to fire a shell that could knock even a heavy mech over, never mind what it could do to a squad of soldiers it landed among.

"I see them... They don't look good, to say the least." Shining hissed, gritting his teeth. "What's your take?"

"Heavy artillery mechs most likely, you can tell by how close they are to one another. They are all attached to the same base. I don't like it." Gallus said, gritting his teeth. "If it is a heavy mech, that means that Cervinija managed to mobilize a hell of a lot quicker than us if they are deploying such heavy ordinance already."

Shining let out a deep sigh. "And we were only provided with Harmony-Class Striders by the supply chain?" He sneered.

"All the heavy stuff is still being put together and fueled up. Remember the Princess wanted us to demilitarize before all this started. Most of the big mechs were dismantled already." Gallus said turning back to look at the camp. Thirty thousand Equestrian soldiers sat behind them on the other side of the ridge they were standing on going about tearing down a rather large and muddy camp. There were coupled with a hundred or so of the four-legged striders, smoke bellowing from their exhausts, engines already burning at the ready.

"And our allies?" Shining rubbed his brow.

"The Yaks were less prepared for this war than even we were. All of their mechs are heavy mechs. Couldn't get them down to us on time but they did send a division of cossacks ahead to help us out. They are going to be covering our right flank." Gallus said, pointing his thumb over his back towards the right. Sure enough, a sizable force of about three thousand yaks stood in a disorganized mess on the right flank, downing several tankards worth of kvass. A ritual amongst their people to ward away fear before the battle.

"As for our left?" Shining grimaced. He already knew the answer, but it didn't do any good not knowing the details.

"Prince Galiano is leading the Gryphon forces himself. It's mostly an aerial division but a token force of Soldados are standing ready alongside several Leão-Class walkers, but they haven't even turned on their engines yet." Gallus said, looking over his other shoulder to the left. Shining followed his gaze as they settled on the force.

Sure enough, Gryphon Soldados stood, weapons at the ready and already in neat rows ready to move out. Yet, at the front of the line were the Leão-Classes. Rather unsightly things, consisting mostly of a big boxy sideways L-shaped frame. Four legs came out of the bottom to support it up, while the sides were covered in two sponson-mounted machine guns and a top-mounted swiveling cannon giving it a 360-degree field of fire. A rather new invention in the grand scheme of things actually. Most mechs simply featured fixed guns.

And at the very front of the griffin lines was Galiano holding himself still and propped up on a cane as he blankly stared ahead at the deer lines, his beak rapidly clenching and unclenching.

"Hmph, for one of the main warmongers on our side, you'd think he'd be a little more eager for this battle," Shining grunted, before returning his gaze to the deer lines, binoculars at the ready. "Go tell him to start up his force's engines. We are going to be moving ahead in half an hour. Then I want you at my daughter's side for the rest of the battle. I don't care what the parliament says, she is not fighting today, understand?"

"Yes sir," Gallus said with a salute before he quickly spun on his heel and rushed to confront the griffin prince.

Through it all, Shining merely scanned the enemy trench, before finally, his eyes caught the attention of a single individual at the center of the Cervinijan line. A rather scrawny deer, wearing a white and cyan officer's uniform, no taller or more intimidating than any other of the cervids around him. Yet he was flanked on both sides by towering stags coated head to toe in black armor, helmeted gasmasks with glowing blue eyes on their heads, both of them wielding what looked to him to be a cross of a rifle and a submachine gun. Prince Antevic. The one who had started all of this.

He was conversing with his generals, arms clasped behind his back as he stared in Shining's direction. At one point he held up a hand to stop the conversation before another deer in a soldier's uniform rushed up to him holding a tray with a single glass of wine. The prince took a sip of it, then set it back on the tray, prompting the soldier to return to where he came. Yet through it all, though the two were on opposite sides of the soon-to-be battlefield, Shining could swear he was making eye contact with him the entire time he drank.

The unicorn took a second to snarl. "There you are you son of a bitch..."

June 31st, 1029 PC, 2:32 PM

Gallus approached the griffin war camp, flanked on either side by an Equestrian soldier. Galiano was standing on the hill in the same position, barely even moving.

Gallus was quiet, turning to his escorts before spreading his wings and taking off, quickly closing the distance between himself and his target. It was probably for the best to do this quick and then get back to Flurry Heart's side.

"Sir, I would strongly request-" Gallus started, but Galiano stopped him by holding up a hand.

"Tranquilo. Não falarei Equestre com um griffin." Galiano said, speaking griffinian in a refined accent, which quickly gave Gallus pause. "Você odeia tanto seu próprio povo que não fala a língua deles?"

Gallus was momentarily silenced before he cleared his throat and responded in the same language fluently. "My apologies. I have been around ponies so long that I've grown unaccustomed to speaking my mother language, your majesty."

"Yes, quite," The other prince said, tapping his cane on the ground before turning to his forces, still awaiting their orders. They knew what the plan was... only a matter of time now. "In a couple of decades, what do you think they will call the coming battle in the history books, do you reckon? The Battle of Velovnik? The Battle of the Three Princes?"

"Sir?" Gallus started, raising an eyebrow. "Excuse me for speaking out of turn, but aren't you technically a king, not a prince?"

"No. I won't be a king until my ancestor's crown is returned." Galiano said, turning back to Gallus with a look of disdain on his face. "That you take the side of the parliament who is preventing that is... shameful."

"No, your majesty. I stand against the Parliament in every choice they make, but..."

"But you and your comrades lack the ability to act upon that. You lack the stomach to actually stand up to them in any meaningful way. Just as you lacked the ability to keep my father and the rest of your charges out of harm's way. Am I correct?" Galiano said, his eyes narrowing. Gallus felt each word stab into him like a knife, but eventually, he straightened his back, snarling slightly.

"Prince Shining Armor would like to know why you haven't started your mech's engines." He finally said, gritting his teeth beneath his beak.

Galiano stared back at him for a moment before chuckling. "Simple, the Leão-Classes are a backup plan for if the infantry lines begin to falter, it's what they are designed to do, after all, provide heavy support for infantry. They will be deployed in the second wave."

Gallus merely kept eye contact with the prince. "And you are bringing the air support, correct?"

"Oh trust me, I keep my word. My jets will be here when the bullets start to fly." Galiano said, turning and stomping away towards his men, the Soldado's quickly parting to allow him past. Gallus's eyes followed after him for a moment, before he spread his wings, returning to the Equestrian camp with a scoff.

June 31st, 1029 PC, 2:45 PM

Flurry Heart excitedly straightened her back as one of her servants finished latching the breastplate to her chest. She took a moment to turn to the mirror in the corner of the tent. She was wearing a suit of golden plate armor, and all she was missing was the helmet. Gems and ornate bands of silver coated the front of the armor, coalescing into designs of snaking vines and leaves.

She straightened her back, observing her armor with a growing smile. Suddenly a voice called out from behind her.

"A word of advice your majesty," a voice behind her suddenly said. She was quick to spin around, to see Gallus at the tent's flap, arms crossed across his chest.

"A suit of armor isn't going to do much against a bullet. There's a reason we all stopped wearing that kind of thing." Gallus started, taking a step forward.

Flurry sighed, frowning deeply. She waved a hand, quickly dismissing both of her servants. "Aren't you supposed to be helping my father plan the assault?"

"I was, but now he wants me at your side for this battle, your majesty," Gallus stated, taking a step towards her. "I would prefer it if I could convince you to stay out of danger period, but I don't think I'm going to be able to change your mind out of being the first one over the trenches."

"The soldiers need an alicorn to protect them, Gallus. Of course, I will be." She replied, furrowing her brow and straightening her back.

"Protect them?" Gallus asked, jaw dropping slightly. "With all due respect ma'am, you realize bullets are made of lead right? Lead completely cancels out magic, any shields you put up are going to go down in seconds."

Flurry's frown deepened. She scoffed and looked away from him. "Look, you don't get it, Gallus." She snarled. "This is going to be my adventure. Just like mom's and just like Auntie Twilight's."

Gallus remained stoic, tightening his jaw and furrowing his brows. "Permission to speak my mind?"

"Denied," Flurry responded, a similar look of anger filling her face. She turned back to the mirror. "I'm going to be in the front line, whether you like it or not Gallus."

Gallus merely stared arms behind his back, grimacing. "Very well, my lady. I'll be with you on the frontline regardless."

June 31st, 1029 PC, 2:40 PM

Antevic slowly set his glass of wine back down on a platter, before turning back to his assembled generals. There were four of them, all wearing the same uniform. Behind them stood a large regiment of soldiers, at attention. A reserve force. Most of the main troops already had this briefing and were in position in the trench lines behind him. Antevic dragged his gaze over them for a moment, before clearing his throat and straightening his back.

"Gentlestags, this is our situation. The Equestrian military is baring down at us full force. Not content with merely killing my brother, now they have come for our land. This is not just any battle. This is a battle for the independence of our nation... No, this is a battle for the very survival of our race!" Antevic started. "Should we fail here, our lands will be absorbed by the perfidious equines. Your wives will be raped, and your children forced to toil away till the day they die in capitalist-controlled factories. Your culture will be erased, replaced with mere consumerism. And in several generations, they will think their lives improved. Will you allow that to happen?"

He watched with growing content as his soldiers frowned, growling and clenching their jaws. He smirked before continuing.

"I take a stand against equine dominance. Equine hegemony that has dominated this world for over a thousand years! Equine hegemony that we will now shatter!" Antevic growled, shoving a fist in the air. He was greeted with a cheer. He smiled before turning to one of his generals. He gave a quick nod, allowing the general to step forwards. "Sumar?"

The general straightened up, tapping his hooved together in a rigid pose before he nodded and stepped forwards. "At current, Gentlestags, everything is currently going exactly as planned. The equines have, as we expected, decided to take the easiest, quickest route to victory, relying on the power of their last functioning Alicorn." Sumar said, walking forwards as Antevic stepped away.

The line of soldiers parted as a massive mech, comparable in size to a Sphinx, marched past them. Held aloft on four legs, with a bulky frog-shaped body, the mech marched forwards, before coming to a stop before Sumar. It slowly lowered itself to the ground, its four legs digging and hooking themselves into the soil. As it did, three separate gun barrels, comparable in size to six-inch naval cannons slowly raised from its back into the air.

"Žabljapuška-Class Artillery Mechs!" Sumar said aloud, crossing his arms behind his back and taking a step away from the mech to stare down the Equestrian lines. "Three forty-seven caliber cylinder loaded cannons built atop a sturdy and capable mech. They have a 22-kilometer range and near-unprecedented firing rate. 12 rounds a minute if the crew within operates at peak efficiency, a single Žabljapuška can hold a line against an enemy. Be sure to stand back my friends, just being near one of these mechs while they fire, can rupture organs."

Sumar watched as an Equestrian officer stood atop a hill raising a sword in the distance. The sounds of equine whistles and yak warhorns rang out into the sky, soldiers from both nations started to charge over the hills, guns pointed in his direction. He chose to merely move on.

He stepped away from the line, turning back to the mech even as Cervinijan machine gun and rifle fire started to respond to the Equestrian charge. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small gold-plated watch. He waited until the minute hand reached the twelve before continuing.

"It is now 3:00 pm, and we begin our participation in this war with a return salvo on the invading Equestrians. Gentlestags," he stopped talking mid-sentence for a moment to cover his ears. "Žabljapuška!"

Then the mech fired all three of its cannons at once.

Author's Note

Sorry for the long wait! I hit a massive writer's block XD

I finally got a world map for this story by the way! Based!