This will be a mini arc on a small war the Pony's and humans have called the port Galloping Stead war. It plays a role in the lead up to the Equestrian wars which will occur in the second book that will come out once I'm finished with the changeling war.
Equestria/ On the Equestrian empire border/ Headquarters of 2nd and 5th division/ July 8th
Colonel Jocke Pier gently stood up from his chair and looked over to Lt Colonel Capernicus, and Divisional Captain Namur as the two looked over at him back.
"So, we find ourselves once again in a battle gentleman... What are we exactly working with here?" Jocke Pier asked calmly however their where hints of nervousness in his voice.
"The 2nd division is at full strength and has a total of 15,000 men at its disposal as well as 100 artillery guns. We also have an armored car platoon made of 2 scout armored cars. The 5th division is minorly understrength due to our engagements on the coast with the retreating creatures. It had 12,089 men, most of which are exhausted mind that, and 50 artillery guns. Among these 150 guns we have assembled 100 are 75mm guns, 30 Rimailho model howitzers, and 20 155 De Bange heavy siege guns which while intended to be used on these creatures hive when we arrived, I'm sure these can blast those stone walls around the horse creature port to rubble." Lt Colonel Capernicus said as he read the list of heavy artillery and regular artillery on his note pad.
"Do we still have any tanks?" Jocke Pier asked.
"No just 2 days before our tank crews had to be transitioned over southwards to assist in the drive towards the main hive. The hive has already come within eyesight and every tank and artillery piece available is being moved to bombard it." Division Captain Namur said calmly.
"Get one of your best riders and set him directly towards the headquarters of General Petain. We must inform him of our situation." Jocke pier said firmly as the Lt Colonel nodded and ran out of the field tent.
Jocke Pier gestured Namur forward which Namur nodded. Namur walked over to the table and laid down a hastily created map.
"It is most likely inaccurate as we lack aerial surveillance due to the airfield not having yet been complete by the gate however what my scouts have told me should provide us with at least the bare basic information to decide are next move." Namur began as he unrolled the large map.
"We have the port here." He began as he circled in red ink where the port/ town was located. "While we are not an army per say if we move quick enough, we can lay siege to it and hopefully the armored horse man will gain some form of reason. All be it through fear. They have a medieval like wall surrounding it however direct artillery fire will easily destroy it. Most curiously they have a railroad running out of the port suggesting that the medieval style of architecture may be less due to a technological gap per say and more of just for show. Or their trains, while we have yet to see any, are run by their magic. They may be of higher magic caliber than the hell spawn meaning we may face heavy losses if we attempt an assault." Namur said sighing.
Jocke Pier looked at the map before drawing a blue circular line forming a U shape around the areas outside the port.
"I want the 2nd division to begin digging some basic siege trenches around the port. I also want all gun's set up and ready to fire. The 5th division will rest for tonight and the next day however they will be going over to the top on the 11th. We cannot waste time conducting a long siege against these horse people. We do not know their numbers and they may be calling for reinforcement. Once we storm the port, we are not to occupy it. Let the men steal, loot, and take what they can. I'm sure we will also find some basic information on this land if the port has a library. If the 5th divisions assault is repelled the 5th will go in as a reserve. We must deal a quick and decisive blow to these horse creature defenders we cannot afford them to get properly balanced on their feet or hoofs. Relay my orders over to the 2 divisions. Now go." Jocke Pier said with hast in his voice. Namur nodded and bolted out.
Equestria/ Inside Port Galloping Stead/ July 9th/ 1918
"How many Royal guard to we have at our disposal Thorn Glaze?" Captain Strong Hoof of the Royal Guard asked. He would make sure to completely humiliate those Bipeds for their arrogance and refusing to comply with his demands.
"We have around 5,000 Royal guards in the city currently or in the nearby villages at our disposal sir. We also have 2,000 residents of the port willing to fight the Biped menace." Thorn Glaze said in her stern demeanor.
Then one of the royal guard color guards (Flag bearer basically) smashed in through the door.
"Sir they've set up a siege line around the port. It's just some trenches so far according to our Pegasus scouts but it's a siege line." The Color guard said.
"What! How. They can't have seriously done that all-in-one night. Grrh. I knew they Bipeds would be too cowardly to face me in open battle." Strong Hoof said scoffing.
"How many soldiers do they have?" Strong hoof then asked
"We couldn't get a good count they spotted us and we had to retreat. The scouts didn't want to be shot out of the sky by any bows they might have. (The Pony's don't know about guns)"
"The scouts are Cowards. Demote them for failing to get me accurate information! Get me the other Captains and Lieutenants of the guard now!" He then roared as the color guard ran out. He then turned his eyes over to Thorn glaze who was stoic like always
"Thorn Glaze map please." He said calmly.
She nodded and handed him over a map of the port and the surrounding land.
"They must have around 12,000 or so men at least. Double our number. I doubt they would have any more, considering their commander claimed to be the rank of Colonel, whatever that is (Most Pony and human ranks are very different). I assume it's their version of a royal guard captain. We must add to our defense we cannot just rely on the walls." Strong hoof huffed
Then the Color bearer came running back in.
"Captains and Lt's are here captain!" The soldier said saluting before galloping off.
"Gentle Pony's. The time had arrived to show the might of our royal guard to this new species. They were cowardly enough to attempt to set up a siege line but every attack they may launch will shatter like wave over stone. I want breastworks to be dug around the port to weaken any Biped attack before they storm the walls. The Militia shall man the walls, the 3,000 men of the guard currently here shall man the breast works so they can face the enemy and display the true glory of the guard. The 2,000 or so royal guard nearby are to be assembled and marched straight to the port to act as reserve. Do you all understand." He said calmly.
"Yes Captain!" They all responded before leaving.
"The battle that will display the strength of the guard is here. Long has it been since the Royal guard have gotten a chance to display their might. May Celestia be favorable to us today and allow us to slaughter as many of the enemies as possible."
Equestria/ Siege lines Around Port Galloping Stead/ night of June 10th/ 1918
Jocke Pier looked carefully at his watch illuminated by the lamp in his tent. The night sky in this strange new world was beautiful. The sight was nearly breathtaking when he first saw it the first night he had crossed the gate.
He walked out of his tent calmly and looked over at the lines of guns. The 75mm were in the front, followed by the howitzers, and De Bange siege guns in the far back. He had to stretch his guns somewhat thin along the siege lines, but he hoped their destructive fire power would make up for this. Moment of truth.
His watch struck 1 am.
He pulled out his flare gun and fired it. The flare moved upwards briefly illuminating the night sky.
"l'artillerie ouvre le feu" He heard being yelled out across the lines.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Inside the port and in the breastworks around it
Thorn Glaze heard a series of repeated loud booms, then a loud screeching sound. She ran towards the walls and stopped. Her mouth open in pure horror and shock. Hundreds upon hundreds of illuminated balls/ or shapes of light flew upwards in the air and then began to fall down directly towards the walls and breastworks.
She stood there in shock before screaming "Everyone get off the walls!"
BOOM!
A section of the wall was slammed into by one of those glowing things of light tearing to the pieces. The guard's ponies on it incinerated.
Soon entire sections of the wall began to give in and collapse as they blew up in a dramatic and destructive fashion the soldiers on them being vaporized or sent tumbling down as the wall collapsed. She galloped down the stairs before her section of the wall was hit and utterly collapsed.
She ran out the ports gate and towards the chaos at the breastworks. Royal guard's men were clumped together in small groups clinging to each other like colts. Some had already been buried alive as a part of the breastworks collapsed onto them. She saw one Royal guard collapse in front of her. His mouth hung open as he coughed out blood and collapsed. He was torn in to. His other half just mere inches away from her. She let out loud yelp and screamed in horror and terror.
She huddled herself by the edge of the breastworks and watched as several royal guards running around in terror just several feet away were turned into fine paste by an explosion. All that was left was a crud blood splatter.
Reserve formations POV:
Radish root was a new member of the royal guard. He was eager to earn his piece of glory. Some foolish new species had apparently been arrogant and brash towards there Captain and was now laying siege to the port. They marched in unison through the night. 2,000 strong and disciplined. Surely enough to turn the tide of the siege.
Loud booms were heard in the distance and the column came to a screeching halt. He soon saw why. In the night sky was illuminated by large orbs of light flying upwards and falling in the distance.
"The port must be already under attack. March forward on the double!" The Lt barked as they all began to pick of their pace
Siege trenches/ 4am
"Réparer les baïonnettes" A officer barked. Anias stumbled around and attached his bayonet to his Lebel rifle. He said a small prayer to comfort himself. Men began to leave any personal belongings on a small table in the trench in case they didn't return home. The Officer then blew his whistle
"Pour la France! au top" He yelled before the Trench erupted with a loud "Vivie La France!" As they all charged forward.
They climbed over the dirt and ran forward towards the ruined breastworks of the horse creatures.
Breast works
The explosions had finally stopped. Thorn glaze stumbled upwards.
Groaning and exhausted royal guards began to pull themselves upwards. Some were vomiting as they saw the mutilated bodies of their comrades. It was a massacre. Then the silence of the morning was interrupted by a loud scream in an unknow language.
"Vive LA France!"
An assault was now upon them and that was fact.
"Pegagus get up in the air and rain down arrows on the savages! Unicorns give those attackers a warm welcome! Earth Ponys prepare for melee!" She barked as the Royal guard kicked into action as the unicorns formed up and poked their heads out of the breastworks.
"Give them Tartarus! Fire!" She screamed as the unicorns charged up their horns and unleashed a volley of all kinds of magic on the charging Bipeds. The Bipeds wore a light blue uniform and a helmet. They lack any armor of sorts and carried a rod of sorts in their hands.
Tens of charging Bipeds were cut down instantly. Frozen icicles from ice magic slammed into their bodies impaling them, some went up in flames due to fire balls, others had large holes burned through them from a regular magic blast killing them instantly.
However, they kept up the push as more and more of them fell down dead.
Some took cover in the craters that their glowing orbs had created and aimed their rods at the unicorns or Pegasus flying above and raining down arrows. It was now here where Thorn glaze saw the purpose of the rods. Several loud bangs erupted as some of the Pegasus flying above were shot out of the sky and fell down dead. A unicorn next to her dropped down dead with a tennis size hole through her helmet and head.
One of the more powerful unicorns had finished charging up his horn and aimed it at the Biped charged.
A larger purple ray shot out going through any Biped in its path killing them. Dozens of Bipeds died in seconds as the ray past through them. Others, seeing the ray jumped for cover as it slaughtered their comrades.
The Bipeds, however, continued like a wave and soon enough were upon then. She loaded her crossbow and fired it at an oncoming Biped just before he jumped into the breastworks. The arrow went through the Bipeds neck sending it tumbling into the breast works clutching its neck before giving out. The arrows from the Pegasus above had mixed results as some just bounced off the Biped helmets so the Pegasus began to aim for the chest and legs more. The a continues loud bang was heard as one Biped with a Rod that looked slightly bigger and different than the others popped out of a ditch aimed it in the sky and unleash Tartarus on the Pegasus's. Dozens of Pegasus in the air began to spin down in a death spin. They were shot out of the sky and those who survived whatever those rods were shooting out and the fall were stabbed to death by the Bipeds.
The Bipeds now had stopped breaching the breastworks in small numbers and now were breaching in large numbers. Unicorns used their horns to stab at the oncoming Bipeds. Thorn Glazed bucked a Biped in the face as he swung a sword at her with its claws. She brough her hoof down on the Biped and began to push its head into the muddy ground suffocating it.
She then began to buck more and more of those bipeds as they tried to breach her sectors of the breastwork. They began to also stand up just on top of the breast works and shot down their magic from their rods onto the guard killing dozens of them. On the ruined walls the militia that had survived the orbs began to throw down rocks, magic bolts, and arrows to support the guard at the breast works.
[b]French POV/b]
Anias jumped down into the breast works. He was covered in the blood of his comrades. He'd barely survived that hellish ray that one of those creatures shot into the charge. By God so many of his comrades had died. Just like that gone. He used his rifle but to smash the face of one of the armored horses in the breastworks they were in. He then used his bayonet and sliced at another of the charging horses. One of his comrades besides him had lost his helmet in the charge and was bayoneting one of the horses to death as it let out a shriek of pain.
He looked out across the breasts. One the left one of the horses, a blue colored one was making its way through his comrades kicking them and beating them to death. He took careful aim. She'd held up his comrades for a good few minutes and wasted precious time. No more would that happen.
He fired his Lebel mil rifle at her.
The first bullet slammed into her and then he fired again and again until she dropped dead on the floor.
He sighed before ducking for cover as an arrow nearly hit him. There were some of those bastards on the ruined walls and he took aim and fired off two more shots before having to reload.
Reserve forces POV
Radish root and his comrades arrived to a hellish scene. They could see just several hundreds of feet in front of them the battered and destroyed walls of the port, the Biped species they were fighting hacking and slashing their way through the guard in the breast works.
"Form up!" Their Lt yelled as Radish root and all the 2,000 Pony's of the reserve formed up.
"Forward! For Equestria!" The Lt then yelled.
"Raah!"
"Raah!"
"Raah!" they all yelled as they marched forward in unison.
Unicorns such as him in the front row charged up their horns and unleash their magic upon the disorganized and fighting Biped's killing dozens of them in the first seconds.
They burned up due the dozens of fire ball unleashed or simply were frozen to death by ice magic.
The Bipeds broke at that moment and began to chaotically retreat back to where they came from.
"After them! Drive them back! Glory to Celestia!" Radish root and several others yelled as they gave chase to the retreating Bipeds.
The Bipeds continued to flee. Radish root looked upon the breast works and wanted to throw up. Hundreds of Bipeds and bodies of his own kind lay strung about. Then as they jumped over the breastworks and to continue to give chase, they saw their surviving comrades in the breast works begin to wave at them with their hoofs and point to the left.
They didn't need to look in that direction as a loud shout was heard in an unknown language.
"Mort aux salauds!"
Then thousands upon thousands of Bipeds in light blue uniforms and wearing their strange helmets charged forth from a ditch to the right and then a similar shout was heard and the retreating Bipeds he saw were reinforced by more of their charging comrades.
Several of the Bipeds in the ditches were manning a strange looking rod supported by a tripod looking thing and then he heard it.
Raatattaa!
Rattatata!
Ratattaa!
Within seconds hundreds of his comrades around him dropped dead with several small holes in their armor as blood pooled out. The Lt who was alive by some miracle shouted.
"What are you doing! Don't stand them! You are guards of Equestria! Chargee!"
Just like that Radish root and his stunned comrades regained their composure and charged forward. To their utterly surprised the Bipeds responded like wise and they also charged forward with their rods which had a sharp end to it glinting in the morning sun.
French POV
Anias had been sent back running with his comrades briefly humiliated but how the tables had turned to quickly.
Lt Colonel Carpinus's arrived with the 2nd division and soon enough those horses began to die in the hundreds. However, that didn't stop them from charging forward so Anias and his comrades responded like wise. They charged forward screaming "Vive La France" at the top of their lungs in a glorious bayonet charge. One might think it was a scene from the old glory days of Napoleon.
They slammed into the charging horses his bayoneted one through the neck before then rifle butting another as the horse dazed, fell down and was ganged up on by some of his comrades. Lt Colonel Capernicus was in the thick of it. Anias saw the Colonel shooting his revolver at the charging horses and slicing them with his saber.
One of the horses tried to tackle the Colonel but got shot in the head repeatedly. Anias began to push his way to assist the Colonel who was becoming increasingly surrounded as the chaos continued. He took a pot shot at horse trying to get behind the colonel and kill that bastard quickly.
Besides him some of his comrades had resorted to using the rocks on the ground or their helmets to beat the horses to death when they lost their rifles. The horses were bucking the more unfortunate of his comrades with their legs or impaling them with their horns. The flying ones came down shooting their bows and crossbows killing a few men besides him.
A horse charged forward and tried to impale him with his horn, but Anias dodged and swiftly locked the horsed neck in with his rifle slowly suffocating the beast. Another horse tried to help him comrades as he galloped towards Anias only to be tackled and punched in the face repeatedly by one of Anias fellow Frenchmen.
Anias, however, when he finished off the horse, he was suffocating saw the Lt colonel be hit 3 times by magic blasts and went down with half his face frozen and half his body burned.
Anias comrades however returned the favor as they saw a horse in the charge with decorative grey armor instead of the horse armors typical orange, so he was targeted immediately brought down and bayoneting repeatedly.
By this point the horse counter charge had been shattered. They began a chaotic retreat. Those still alive in their breastworks did as well and then a loud screeching sound was heard. Hundreds of artillery shells began to slam into what remained of the walls and into the port itself.
Anias would hate to be anywhere inside the port as parts of it began to go up in flames due to the brief shelling.
The horses defensive force by this point had seemingly abandoned their port as they fled past it and tried to flee across the gap in their siege lines. His country men hadn't had enough time to fully encircle the port so these reinforcements that had charged them earlier most likely came from one of the large gaps in the line.
Either way the battle had been won. France had once again triumphed.
France is Victorious
Only the dead have seen the end of war
4,109 Royal Guard and militia lie dead
2870 French soldiers lie dead
The war carries on