My Little Pony: Civil War
The drumroll sounds in the early morning light. The silence of the warm morning air is broken by the sounds of cannon fire, and shells slamming into the ground, and kicking up earth and scarring the land with their craters. With arms ready in neat rows like a picket fence, our Royalist Griffon-Soldiers of the 5th Cloudsdale formed the center of our ranks
'Celestia's Buzzards'. That is what the Separatists call us. The 12th Canterlot, and the 22nd Baltimare Regiments guarded our flanks. Up the great hill known as the Overland we marched. The Rebel-Pony looked puzzled to see Griffons forming the center as their troops of the 3rd Appleloosa, and 5th Las Pegasas formed in neat ranks with the rifles ready.
"Make ready! Pick your targets!" I ordered
"Take aim!" yelled Valiant Charge
Our rifles were aimed with bayonets fixed. Unlike massed volley fire from the Pony-Regulars, the Griffons will aim not only at the massed ranks of the enemy regulars, but also at officers. With a slash down of my saber, I ordered, "FIRE!" I yelled and puffs of white smoke and the sound of gunfire filled the air mixed with the screams of wounded ponies.
Like ripe wheat to the scythe, the dead fell to our sustained fire from our revolving rifles. A 10-pounder shell from one of our Parrott Rifles had sped through the air, and took a Rebel-Mare's head clean off. With no time to scream or duck, her head vanished in a red splatter hitting a few of her fellow ponies, "Keep sustained fire!" Valiant Charge ordered
An iron shot from a Rebel cannon bounced off the ground, and rolled into the ranks of the Pony-Soldiers like a bowling ball with the speed of a freight train. Pony-Soldiers wailed as they held onto bloody stumps where they once had hooves. There was chaos on the battlefield on both sides. Such valiant Ponies and Griffons fell side by side to Rebel bullets
"Retreat!" I ordered to all our soldiers
"Fall back!" ordered Valiant Charge
A cannon shot exploded, and felled about five of our Griffons as we turned back, and went back down the hill, but won't be with our tails between our legs, "We got 'em on the gallop, c'mon Ponies, fix bayonets! Let's get 'em, Ponies!" yelled out a Rebel commander, pointing his saber at our faltering ranks. The 'Rebel Yell' echoed amid the falling shells.
We retreated once we used up six shots from our rifles, and we were reloading as we retreated. Another shell hit, and felled five or six of our Ponies on the gallop. The smiles and 'Rebel Yells' soon faded as our retreat was a feint as those Separatists were charging right into the rifles of the 10th Manehattan, "Hold the charge!" yelled the commander.
"Take aim!" yelled General Razor Edge
"FIRE!" he bellowed as he slashed his saber. We laid down on our bellies, and watched as the Peabody Side Hammer rifles felled the charging Rebel-Ponies that fell into our trap. Now it was our turn, we got back up and fired upon the Rebel-Ponies. The battery of 10-pounder Parrott Rifles cut down the Rebel-Ponies with shot and exploding shrapnel shells
"Charge!" I yelled with my saber pointed at the enemy, and looking back at the brave Griffons under the command of Valiant Charge and I. Our soldiers smashed into the enemy ranks, and shot or cut down any Rebel Pony in grey that got in our way be it by the saber, the pistol, or the rifle. We charged up the hill. The first to meet my pistol is an Captain
"Sound the retreat!" he yelled as his order
"Retreat!" yelled his second-in-command
My bullet hit him in the heart, and it brought panic in the ranks. By the rifle, the bayonet, and the blade, victory was near. I looked at the Rebel Commander as I can tell he can see the danger present. If he orders his cannons to keep firing, he will run the risk of hitting his own Ponies. The lines were faltering as well. Might as well let him leave the fray.
Our soldiers cheered and our officers raised their hats on their sabers as the Rebel-Ponies galloped away in fear with their tails between their flanks. My flanks wiggled on contact as I hugged, and nuzzled Valiant Charge. The same thing happened getting a hug from Gabby. She even helped to get a kink out of my back with her hug. What a helpful Griffon
That afternoon over a meal and the Nurse-Mares tending to the wounded. There were coughs, and screams from those poor Ponies that got a hoof shot off by a cannon. I saw the lights of lanterns on the field. Private Giselle had a rifle aimed, "Stand down, they are just collecting the dead," Valiant Charge ordered with her gentle hoof on Giselle's rifle.
"Well done, well done," said Razor Edge
He is a majestic stallion. Though old, he is still strong. He is a tan stallion with a short-cut black mane and well-kept tail wth slight bits of grey to it. Oddly, he has no lines on his muzzle despite his age. His cutie mark is a saber making a downward slash. His brown eyes are sharp as his sword. He has his wife, two sons, and four grandchildren in Ponyville
"Thank you, sir!" I said, standing with a salute. He would just calmly put his hoof down to tell me at ease, and nod before he would go off on his way to tend to his own business which is none of mine. He does not talk much, but that look in his eye tells me that he has seen much. In the aftermath of a battle, I was honored to give ranks to my first NCOs