Black Powder

Captain of the Guard

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Day

-487

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Equestrian/Karalian Border

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Captain Shining Armor gazed down at the valley from his hilltop perch. He corrected the crossbelts that held the crest of his favorite uncle's until it was no longer crooked. The lush, grassy valley was dotted with trees and even a couple of farms. Storm clouds loomed overhead, turning the sky a grayish black. It was obvious that the entire valley would most likely be pouring rain for the rest of the night. The weather's presence unnerved him. The storm wasn't controlled by pegasi. It was...unnatural. Almost creepy.

He shrugged the thought away as he adjusted his spyglass to scout out the entire landscape in front of him. Tall purple mountains surrounded the valley to his right and left, the helpless valley seemingly about to be devoured by its gargantuan neighbors. In the center of the valley stood a lone hill, keeping a watchful eye over the farms, trees, and grasslands below.

General Masterstroke had ordered him to take that hill in the morning, before the Karalians did. The General emphasized to Shining that whoever held that hill would have a huge strategical advantage. Even more so if either side was able to deploy artillery on it.

This valley was the border zone between Karalia and Equestria, the road beyond the Equestrian side being a straight path to Canterlot. Despite the capital being a natural defensive position, General Masterstroke knew he had to stop the Karalians from launching an offensive to take Canterlot. The defending garrison in the city might not be enough to stop the experienced enemy ponies from victory, so it was up to the Army of Eastern Equestria to repel the invaders.

Directly across the valley on the other side, sat another chain of hills identical to the ones Shining Armor was watching from. He was told that the Karalian army was camped just behind them for tonight. The valley itself was about eight to ten miles long and five miles wide, giving the Guard Captain was a good view of tomorrow's battlefield.

His first battle.

The thought was almost unheard of.

Of course, for weeks he knew that this was inevitable but the feeling of actually being here was making him anxious and worried. He prayed that his training with the Guard would be sufficient, that he would be able to keep everything together and help Masterstroke claim victory. He prayed that his sister would stay safe on the Western Front and that Cadance was able to handle the stress of running the country while Princess Luna and Celestia were still recovering from their wounds.

He also feared many things.

The fear of dying was the first in his mind, even though it wasn't the strongest. Every soldier had that fear though, he had expected it. But there was a fear that had taken over his very being, a sense of dread that he had not prepared for.

Failure.

Shining Armor was the Captain of the Equestrian Royal Guard, some of the most elite Hoof Guards in the world. The Royal Guard Corps stood at a massive twenty thousand strong, fourteen thousand of which were deployed with him in this very army. Another four thousand were left behind to garrison Canterlot and the remaining two thousand were deployed with the Army of Western Equestria.

So many ponies.

So many lives.

All under his command.

All his responsibility.

What if he led them into a bloodbath? Could he ever forgive himself? These fourteen thousand ponies were his comrades, fellow Guards, brothers and sisters. What if the Karalians had already taken the hill? Surely the enemy would have seen the importance of the position by now. He had also heard rumors around the Royal Guard camps of Karalian Grenzers hiding in the valley, using the trees for concealment.

Tomorrow would be the day. He had to show everypony why he was Captain of the Guard. Despite his nagging discomposure, he had to be resolute and unwavering in his command tomorrow. He had to show his ponies that he had no fear, that their Captain was filled to the brim with courage and bravery. He needed the morale that the image would give his ponies. Give them the motivation to win this battle, and hopefully, help end this war.

He turned his back to the valley and trotted back down the hill. He could already see the campfires and tents that his Royal Guards had set up for the night. The movement around the camps was lively, ponies moving back and forth from the tents and getting in the line for their meals. Many ponies had taken off their Guard armor, letting their uniform appearance disappear. Removing the enchanted armor revealed the true colors and body types of the ponies, technicolor coats replacing the generic white and gray ones that the armor created. Ponies were laughing and conversing by the fires, Fife and Drum foals practicing their instruments nearby.

Shining Armor continued down the hill. These were among his favorite times when he was deployed with his troops. The feeling of relaxation and recovery after a long duty day just felt...refreshing to him. Seeing the very ponies who took their jobs extremely seriously unwind for the day always blew his mind. He really couldn't explain the feeling at all. As if everypony became an actual pony again, not just another nameless or faceless soldier.

He liked that.

He liked that a lot.

"Sir!"

Shining Armor looked up and saw a stallion that was still wearing his Guard helmet, saluting the Captain as he passed by. Shining returned the salute and continued on. Many other Guards were now standing up to salute him, eagerness and passion in their eyes. He didn't understand, he had told his Guards specially not to salute him off-duty.

A Guard mare spoke up.

"Captain, we have already been briefed about our orders for tomorrow," she explained.

She was a purple unicorn with a yellow-highlighted mane, her baby blue eyes gazed into his own.

Shining Armor was taken aback by her look. This pony reminded him too much of Twilight. The resemblance was uncanny, and frankly, it made him a little uncomfortable.

"We are ready. And we will do whatever you need of us. We trust you completely, sir!" she yelled with a passionate tone of voice.

On the surface, Shining Armor smiled and thanked her for her loyalty before trotting away. On the inside, the mare's words ripped him apart. It didn't help that as he stepped through the camp, more salutes and comments came from the Guards, some even began cheering for him.

"We'll follow you to the bitter end, sir!" one gruff stallion said.

"Lead us to victory!" a pegasus mare urged.

It was more than clear that all of them trusted him indefinitely. He dreaded nothing more than to lose that trust. These were good ponies, and he wanted to give them his very best tomorrow. But what if he couldn't?

"Please Celestia, don't let me doom them..."

****

The Captain of the 8th Hoof Guards focused his binoculars at the hill in the middle of the valley. He smirked when he saw no movement from the Equestrians to take the hill. He knew what he was about to do was going to get him in serious trouble with his superiors but he felt that this needed to be done. He couldn't help but to be impressed with himself, managing to talk Colonel Primer and the crew of a six-pounder cannon battery to join him.

The rain falling from the night sky drenched Blaze and the unicorn standing next to him. He could already feel the ground beneath him getting muddy. He gazed back at the Karalian camps behind him. Most of the fires had died out and other than the ones participating with his plan, everypony was asleep for the night.

He turned to the yellow unicorn next to him, his best friend.

"Is Colonel Primer ready to go? What about the battery's crew?" Blaze asked in his prominent English accent.

Thunder Coy cocked his head to the side and stuck out his tongue.

"Good. Then everything is going as planned," Blaze replied.

The brown earth pony colt stood there in front of the 8th Hoof Guards on the crest of the hill, waiting for the two other Karalian units to arrive. The Karalian Hoof Guards were deployed in a three-rank line formation. The ponies behind the two young officers were standing tall, waiting for their Captain's orders. All of the Hoof Guards were wearing red coats with white crossbelts, their muskets slung over their backs.

Second Lieutenant Thunder Coy faced the Guards and flicked both of his ears up and down. Then, he proceeded to wag his tail back and forth while lolling his tongue out.

The Guards all stared at him in confusion. Although they have been taking orders from Coy for a long time, they still couldn't read his sign language.

"He told all of you to try to keep your powder dry," Blaze reiterated, bringing his binoculars back up to his eyes.

Soon, Blaze saw what he was looking for.

Ponies wearing gray coats and tall black hats adorned with a yellow dot, were approaching them from the camp. The sight of these uniforms was an enemy death omen and a Karalian godsend. These soldiers advanced in a loose formation, spread out a few yards from each other. He knew that these ponies were the most elite skirmishers in the world, armed with the newest rifles that were courtesy of Karalian innovation. The very light hoof soldiers who made the downfall of Ustio a reality. Blaze knew that it was partially because of these ponies that a Karalian flag was flying above the Ustian capital of Callisto.

The Windbüchse Jaegers.

Blaze recognized the green earth pony leading them and flashed the skirmisher a salute. When the superior officer returned it, Blaze and Coy recovered and cut their salutes.

"I hope you know what you are doing, Captain," Colonel Primer warned with a steely glare.

Blaze nodded, he understood why the Colonel was not comfortable with acting preemptively to their orders. He looked beyond the formation of Windbüchse Jaegers and noticed a few teams of ponies hauling artillery caissons and the limbers that were attached to four six-pounder cannons.

"Of course I do," Blaze answered confidently.

"Your Jaegers will be the vanguard force, with my Hoof Guards and the artillery following behind. We'll take the hill before the Equestrians do and that will give us a huge advantage. That hill is key for establishing superiority across the entire valley. Not to mention the priceless look on the Equestrian general's face when he finds out that we've taken it already," he finished with a smirk.

Primer sighed and rubbed his face with a hoof.

"When the Equestrians see us there and try to capture the hill...and they will try to capture that hill... we'll be greatly outnumbered. No matter how well we dig in, they will overwhelm us. Three units won't hold that position," Primer argued.

Thunder Coy frowned as he looked to Blaze, who threw up a hoof to to shush him. Coy whimpered in response.

"I know it's risky, but when General Spade realizes that two of his best units are forward deployed on good ground but without any support, he'll reinforce us. It's too good of an offer for the General to pass up. I've served long enough with that pony. I know him too well," Blaze said.

The other earth pony shook his head in disdain.

"I still don't like it, but I trust you," he concluded.

"Thank you," Blaze said.

The rain was still beating down on them, coming down in heavy drops. They were thankful that there was no thunder or lightning. The black of night was darkened even further from the clouds, concealing the moon and stars. Seeing in this darkness would be nigh impossible.

"Maybe lightning wouldn't be such a bad thing after all," Blaze thought.

By this time the Windbüchse Jaegers had already deployed directly behind Blaze's Hoof Guards and the six-pounder battery had almost caught up.

It was time.

"Send your ponies forward."

Primer rolled his eyes.

"I can't believe I'm taking orders from a captain."

Primer waved his skirmishers forward, the Jaeger ponies walking through the Hoof Guard ranks and passing them. The six-pounder crew stopped behind the Guards, waiting for them to push forward.

Blaze and Coy looked ahead, silently watching the skirmishers advance for several minutes. Both young Karalian ponies looked on in admiration. True to their namesake, the Windbüchse Jaegers even crouched like hunters when they moved, as if searching for their prey. When Primer's ponies were relegated to dot-sized silhouettes, they knew it was time. They both looked at each other and nodded in unison.

Blaze turned to his Hoof Guards, gazing in the eyes of each and every one. He had served with many of these ponies for years, others not so much. At least a half of this regiment was made up of veterans of the Ustian War, including Blaze and Coy themselves. His green eyes pierced the ranks of his ponies, looking for anything that could be close to dissent. He scanned for a hint of disapproval from his troops.

As per usual, he found none.

"When I give the order to push onward, there will be no music from the Fife and Drum Corps. You will all move quietly. This is going to sound awfully strange but don't march. Just walk as quietly as possible. Try to keep your ranks though and do your best not to lose each other in the darkness. I'm sorry but we have to be as silent as possible, at least until we are out of earshot of the camp. Pretend you're Thunder Coy if you have to."

There was no visible response to Blaze's orders from the Hoof Guards. Seeing this, he smirked as he looked to Thunder Coy, who reared up on his forehooves and flailed them about comically. Blaze chuckled at his friend's antics and drew one of his two sabers. Coy drew his own with his magic and held it in front of him with a yellow magical aura.

The Equestrians were in for a surprise.

Tomorrow, the Karalians would own that center hill.