The wind whipped along my body as the TMS Happiness sped south towards Rindaire. It was our new temporary flagship. In addition to it, we were accompanied by the Duty, Valor, Resolve, and Harmony. Five ships to hopefully make the Sudramoar gryphons think twice about their plans.
In truth, we all doubted it would make much of a difference. In fact, our expectation was we’d all have a front row seat to a bloody battle that was anything but already decided, despite what the field marshal believed.
“I know you’ve heard this before but seriously… don’t be a hero this time, alright? You’re not defending anypony. You’re an operations officer,” Iridescence had said.
"Don't worry, I understand. My plan is to make it home," I'd replied.
Then she’d glared at me to make sure I knew she was serious. Not that it was undeserved. The whole encounter with Princess Luna’s House Guard had been bittersweet. We were all happy to see each other but the reality of the situation loomed above us, waiting to crash down at any moment.
The Happiness rattled as we passed through a rough patch of air. It brought me back to the moment.
A section of archers stood to the left of me, getting instructions from their lieutenant. Most of them looked resolved but I could see the nerves. This would be the closest to a war most of these ponies would ever come.
I’m certain there were places they’d rather be. Things they’d rather be doing. Lingering thoughts of what they should have done or said.
“No, you send it yourself just like you always do,” Iridescence had groaned, shoving the letter back towards me.
“You’re going home. Just drop it off with her.”
The mare had shot me one of her withering looks. “You and Crystal don’t live in Canterlot anymore, remember? Plus, if I bring it, she’ll assume the worst. I don’t want to give her a heart attack. Just drop it in the mail before you leave like you always do.”
She had me there. Crystal had had her share of somepony showing up to tell her about me. “Fair enough. Could you and Winterspear at least go look in on her?” I’d asked.
“Yes, I can do that for you. When I get back the two of us will go visit her and see how she is,” she’d promised.
“Two hours out!” a naval pony yelled from the command deck behind me.
"Hmm?" Two hours... Only two hours. I shifted to the rail to look down at the terrain below. It was largely flat. A horrible place to attack from but an excellent place to attack. It would go on that way for a while longer. Then the territory would get rougher. Far rougher.
Crewponies immediately set to work on getting the bolt throwers ready. There weren’t nearly as many on the Happiness as on the Honor. This ship was supposed to be for exhibitions, not battles. Of course this wasn’t supposed to be a battle for us but General Ironhoof did not leave things to chance.
He was all about controlling his own destiny and limiting random variables as much as possible. In this particular case, that meant stacking every airship full of archers. Enough to fill the sky with deadly bolts. I liked it.
Controlling my own destiny was a big thing for me now. Making decisions for myself based on what I wanted was important. It wasn’t about what my father wanted or what oaths I’d sworn. It was about at least considering what was best for me and my family. Of course, I still had to do what I had to do.
The winds shifted and started to blow across the deck. It had a scent to it, not unlike the sort of subtle perfumes Princess Luna wore.
“If you’ll yet change your mind, Silent Knight, I can request that you be reassigned to the Royal Guard,” Princess Luna had whispered to me.
“Thank you, Princess, but no. The general is getting good work out of me and I don’t want to be the sort of pony that relies on my political connections to get what I want. I do appreciate it, though, and believe me, it is tempting. But this is something I need to finish out.”
She’d smiled and stroked my cheek. “I understand, and you have my respect as always. It has been odd not having you around. Not that your successor is not acceptable… but she is not you. She is merely my House Guard commander.”
We were, for the most part, alone. The few guards keeping an eye on the princess were facing away out of respect for us. It couldn’t be helped, so I nuzzled against the hoof. “I miss you, too. We’ll just have to be friends when I return.”
Her ear flicked and she lowered her head to look into my eyes. “You plan to return, then?” she had asked pointedly.
“Yes, no matter what.”
She’d smiled and pressed her forehead to mine. “That gives me peace. I wish you the best, Silent Knight. The next days will be trying.”
“Yes, Princess, but I’ll get through.”
“And so you shall.”
“Sir, excuse me, I need to get this bolt thrower primed,” one of the naval ponies said to me.
“What? Oh, of course,” I replied, moving out of the way. Although that was hard to do on a ship filled with more ponies than it was meant to hold. Better too many than not enough, though.
The middle of the deck seemed relatively unoccupied, so I moved there just as a unicorn mare ascended the stairs from one of the decks below, her eyes narrowing as the bright, midday sun hit her.
She stopped at the top and looked around at all of the activity, as if surveying it. Then her light blue eyes found me and in them I swore I saw some recognition.
That was impossible, however, because I did not know this mare at all and I’d have remembered a pony like this. She was built more like an earth pony than a unicorn and had a striking, silver-grey coat.
She turned and started to approach me. As she did, I could see the silver bars of a senior warrant officer on her skirmish armor. It seemed she’d opted to go lighter rather than heavier like I had. To each pony their own.
“Sir,” she said politely.
“Senior warrant officer. Have we met? You seemed to recognize me.” I didn’t know a lot of ponies with grey coats and purple manes, so I’m not sure how she’d know me.
“Your armor is recognizable anywhere. You’d be Silent Knight. Formerly of Princess Luna’s House Guard.”
That was a good point but, again, the look of recognition seemed more than that. “You’re correct, and who are you?”
“Gray Maelstrom.”
That was not a name I’d ever heard. “I see, well, welcome aboard. What can I do for you?”
She shook her head. “Nothing, sir. Everypony else looks busy and you were standing here watching the world go by. I thought I’d join you for a moment. If that isn’t an inconvenience.”
“No, not at all. I was just contemplating the past before we get into the thick of this,” I explained before pausing. “Say, what is it you do on this ship?”
“On this ship? Normally nothing. This is temporary for these circumstances. You might say I’m a bit of a siege specialist.” She tapped her horn with a shaggy, dark metal-colored hoof.
Unicorn magic. Most of it was about moving things without using a hoof… or so it seemed to me. Then you had some ponies that could do things that sent chills down my spine. Sunny Day had heat lances, Princess Luna had… well… who knows what those were. Beams of doom? Who knows what this unicorn had but if she was a siege specialist it was probably big and explosive.
“I’ll make it a point to stay on your backside, then.”
Gray Maelstrom cocked a half-smile and replied, “I’m not that kind of gal, sir. Take care. ”
She then turned and wandered off.
“Wait, what?”
☾
General Ironhoof stood in the center of the command deck, staring through a pair of binoculars. He’d barely said anything since we’d arrived in Rindaire and taken up station behind the lines.
The Happiness was shrouded in silence as everypony waited for the inevitable. Archers lined the rails, waiting to do their duty. The bolt thrower crews were primed as well. Then there were the siege unicorns, Gray Maelstrom and the others. They were in the middle of the ship preparing to do whatever it was they were going to do.
In the distance, we could see the Nordanver army in formation. It was neat, orderly, and followed the usual deployment tactics a pony might expect. Most of the forces were on the ground, preserving their energy. Skirmishers were flying above, testing where there might be a weakness in the Sudramoar defenses.
Field Marshal Skye’s plan was straightforward. Use seemingly overwhelming force and bravado to dislodge the invaders from the rocky, fortified terrain they’d occupied. In other words, his plan was arrogant, short-sighted, and risky.
“Celestia help them,” Colonel Hammer said under his breath as the Nordanver gryphons started marching forwards to the sound of far-off drums.
Thump, thump, thump. Even here we could hear them. All in time and all in rhythm.
From our position in the heavens, I couldn’t help but imagine the whole situation as nothing more than one of the war games I’d played with Princess Luna or Runic. As accurate as those games tried to be, however, the actual affair was far different. The pieces were real, living beings with families, hopes, dreams, and desires.
“Look alive, bravos! We don’t want to be surprised,” an archery lieutenant ordered from off to the side. The ponies at the rails perked up and started to scan the sky for threats. Thus far there were none, but being vigilant was better than the alternative.
It was a point well made and one that I took. I drew Stratus Knight’s sword and gripped it tightly.
That caught Colonel Hammer’s attention. He looked over at me. “Captain?”
It was important to keep my tone flat. Suppress the emotions from before. “They took me by surprise once, sir. This time I intend to be ready,” I replied as I fixed my eyes to the horizon.
He stepped closer to me and lowered his voice. “That is fine… just don’t spook the ponies around you. They look to you as a combat veteran. You’re calm now, stay that way and keep out of their officer’s business if it comes to the thick of things.”
“Yes, sir. I know my p—”
“It’s starting,” General Ironhoof said in a plain, calm voice that carried across the deck.
It took a moment to figure out where he’d gotten that impression. Nothing seemed to have changed when I looked back to where the gryphons were.
Then it became obvious: the skirmishers had begun to lock up in the air above the battlefield, vying for control of the skies. Ironhoof had called it before they’d actually engaged. His experience was a powerful ally. It was one that I envied but secretly hoped to never attain at this point.
The next phase of the battle plan kicked off as the artillery units opened up. Multiple trebuchets let loose a volley of rocks towards the Sudramoar positions, peppering them almost entirely ineffectively. They were shooting at higher, rough ground that afforded the enemy numerous places to hide. They didn’t let up, however.
In concert with the stones, the Nordanver gryphon bolt throwers spat an unending stream of heavy projectiles towards the enemy. What they were aiming for I’d never know. My guess was the earthworks that had been built or the giant stones being used as walls. Either way, it was a waste.
Colonel Hammer levitated his binoculars to his eyes. “I’m pretty sure they’re going to be in range of the enemy’s archers soon.”
Field Marshal Skye’s formation continued its slow march up the steep ground that the Sudramoar had taken for their own. The line was in good shape but I doubted it would remain that way.
The coming volley would be the first test of the army’s resolve. Marching into the teeth of an opponent while being riddled with arrows and bolts would be a harrowing experience for the soldiers on the ground. My instincts as a flyer would be to get out of the way as fast as I could and zoom up… but that wouldn’t be ideal here. You wanted to be closer to your comrades to help shield each other.
There was an advantage to locking shoulders with known friends. He’d face off against an attacker in front of him but subtly attack the one in front of you and you’d do the same for the soldier next to you and so on.
A flighted soldier also had to consider the added expense of energy necessary to both fly and fight while heavily burdened. My legs were a lot stronger than my wings. Sure, I could fight in the sky, but not nearly as long.
As if on cue, the horizon was obscured by what looked like a swarm of locusts. I couldn’t get a fix on where the archers were exactly. Their fortifications and the rocky foothills had kept them pretty well hidden.
A flyover would have revealed them easily but it also would have been suicide. Archers with crossbows would be disadvantaged but they could hit a moving target. Bunch a few hundred together and someone is bound to get lucky.
The Nordanver gryphons reacted in time and lifted their shields… at least those that had them, just before the hail of missiles slammed into their ranks. It was a blessing to be so far away and not see the actual repercussions, but they were immediately obvious: the line had stopped dead.
My heart pounded in my chest a few times and I had to unclench my teeth. “No… move forwards,” I whispered.
Colonel Hammer shot me a sideways glance before going back to his binoculars.
Another volley immediately followed the first before another, and then another. It had a devastating effect. Many of the tiny, distant gryphons fell. Several broke rank and flew straight up, trying to get out of the kill zone. Then it happened…
The Sudramoar forces came pouring out from behind their fortifications. There were many on foot but far more were flying. Why form a line to chase a beaten enemy?
In mere seconds the two forces clashed, momentum carrying the Sudramoar gryphons downhill and right through our allies. The melee proper began but it was the last thing on my mind though.
Squadrons of Sudramoar flyers went right over the battle and dropped heavy stones on their enemies. Once they’d done that, half kept flying to attack the supporting artillery while the other half turned and seemed to be speeding right towards our ships.
General Ironhoof called calmly, “Signal the fleet to come about and withdraw. You’re cleared to fire when the enemy is in range.”
All around me, the officers commanding the archer sections started shouting their orders. Those ponies lifted their crossbows and started tracking the targets that were rapidly approaching.
The bolt thrower crews didn’t have nearly as long to prepare. Their far larger range gave them the chance to immediately start firing. As they did so, several gryphons were hit and their formation broke.
The Sudramoar flyers scattered into various smaller groups, each one heading towards one of our ships. As they drew closer, the archers started letting loose with their crossbows. For shooting at moving targets, they were quite good. Gryphons were falling from the sky, but there were a lot of them and they were closing fast.
Adrenaline hit me without warning and my heart started to race. We were in the battle. It was happening again, but I was ready for them this time. I brought my father’s sword up in preparation to repel boarders.
To my right, Colonel Hammer stepped to the rail. Yellow energy pulsed along his horn before building at the tip and arching out like a lightning bolt. The gryphons that were struck seemed to seize and, as a result, fell from the sky.
Gray Maelstrom and the other unicorns with her took the cue and started filling gaps where the archers had missed. Magic flew past so frequently that the sword in my hoof felt insignificant by comparison.
The Happiness completed its turn and started to head north. It wouldn’t be long before we’d build up speed and be able to outpace the attackers that were almost right on top of us.
I stole a glance to the battlefield below where it was clear the Nordanver line had collapsed. The great army of King Ranald was in full rout. There was no semblance of order. They’d abandoned their ranks and were fleeing as fast as they could while their enemies cut them down from behind. A bloody battle had been an underestimate. This was going to be a massacre.
The gryphon flyers were almost directly on us now. They’d hit our ship in a matter of seconds and we’d be part of the melee. That didn’t concern me much. They’d be wildly outnumbered. Why did they think attacking us was a good idea? It made no sense tactically.
“Captain Six, please get us underway faster,” General Ironhoof said plainly before pointing a hoof. “Colonel, I don’t like the look of what is coming our way. Handle it immediately.”
What was he talking about? I tried to get a look where he was pointing, but Colonel Hammer pushed past me on his way to the front of the ship. He sent another bolt of lightning out into the rapidly approaching gryphons. He hit most of them, the energy arching from one to another, but a few got through.
I lifted my sword in preparation but right before they landed on the deck, they all pulled up. Just like that, they’d pulled up. “I don’t un—“
An explosion rocked the Happiness and threw me from my hooves. My vision blurred and my ears throbbed. Everything sounded muffled but even through that I heard ponies cry out loudly in pain.
“Medic! We need a medic!”
“Here too, medic!”
“Medic!”
“Look out, they’re coming back!”
Ah, so this the Equis equivalent of WWI.
This is getting a really bad turn. I am not sure what the gain is for the gryphon to attack Equestria and put them in position of fighting two armies instead of just one with support.
Didn't think things would go so poorly for the Equestrians here...
Hope this doesn't end up as a Black Hawk Down type scenario, but at this point I wouldn't be surprised.
It's always the stupidity of Generals or Politicans that cost the most lives of soliders.
Heads will roll from this disaster.
Figured it was going to be bad, but that really shattered my expectations.
That thing with Gray Maelstrom was fantastic, and well explosives now hm? kill all of them Silent Knight, no quarter.
7071016 Remember this is the same country that years earlier asked Equestria for help and then backstabbed them. So they have a history of stupid moves.
They were ready. By the Gods Forgotten, the gryphons were ready for Equestrian ships! Oh, this just took a rapid turn!
I can't be the only one thinking about the list of casualties now...
...
... here's to the finest crew in Equestria!
Engage!
*drum machine*
Captain
Silent Knight of the Can-ter-lot
Royal Guard
7071025
Things seems fairly okay for the moment for the Equestrian forces, its their allies that has taken a real hit. Though I wonder what kind of power they used against the ponies ship.
Uh-Oh!!
7071233
My Guess would be either explosives or fire bombs. Basically hand grenades.
.....Sabotage.
Things go wrong in 3... 2... 1...
Though they do appear to be preparing for that as best as possible.
An airborne seige magic specialist? The General apparently shares my belief in overkill.
Heh.
Well, that didn't go well at all. A rout on the ground, and a retreat in the air while being attacked by what I'm assuming are aerial grenade throwers. Not good to start your war out with a completely avoidable catastrophe.
7071025 Once Luna showed up and decided to go with there was no way this outing was going to end well, or at least end without casualties.
the attack on the happiness reminds me of the gulf of Tonkin, Anzel you have truly now made this a Vietnam parallel
7070973
Yeah... I would still be very leery no matter how much experiencer someone like him may have once had. Equestria doesn't need someone pushing for hoplites, light cavalry screens, and chariot archers when air cavalry and entrenched heavy infantry may be the current dominant forces in many large engagements, for example.
7071315
what are you talking about? no such thing as overkill
I have a feeling the gryphons are going to regret that. Hell hath no fury like revenge seeking marshmallow ponies.
Things could still be worse, I'm holding on until that happens.
You hold on to your helmet there, Silent.
Given the way they pulled up at the end there it seems the gryphons have dive bombers.
Ahh... dun dun dun!
Ah, I see what they're doing. They know Equestria can't engage except in defense so they're forcing them to retreat so that the ponies look like cowards in the eyes of their allies. Also, it seems that Equestria is going to have to learn the hard way why airships, as cool as they are, are a bad idea. They are just big slow moving targets. Take out the thing keeping them in the air and gravity will destroy them for you.
7071557
I doubt they know all that, but the idea that all they need to do is get lucky with an explosive is a good one. These seem like near-kamikazee skirmishers. Plus, if the ground forces are routed, then there's little that aerial support units can do unless they're packing overwhelming firepower. (They're clearly not.)
Where's the Five Metal Shrike when you need her? Those infinite levels of lethal damage from even a glancing hit would be so useful here.
Me thinks Equestria's "allies" have pulled this move on purpose, to force Equestria to join in combat and fight their war for them. I think Equestria should occupy the northern territory for themselves.
Also, an airship over-packed with weight is a slow accelerating airship. Not a smart move, General.
7071654
America and the Nazis both tested war zeppelins during WWII but as fighter planes got better the problem with zeppelins got more and more obvious. When the Hindenburg was destroyed literally by static electricity they finally decided airships just weren't a good idea.
I'm afraid I don't quite know how to put giddy clapping and raptor shrieks of excitement into text properly to convey just how hyped I am by this chapter. SHIT GETTIN' REAL, SON!
Silly Silent, you want to be at the mares backside, not on!
Oh god, bombers.
Mhhh ... and thus I come to the conclusion that the ponies might need something akin to a flak to fend of groups of aerial targets...
maybe a ballista firing grape shot could do the trick?
Then again it's probably too late for that now. Oh gravity, thou art a heartless bitch
And somehow I have the sneaking suspicion that Maelstrom is among those ponies requiring a medic.
i.imgflip.com/l514j.jpg
...I believe that can be taken in a...different...way than you were intending, Silent Knight. And a CLIFFHANGER?! Oh, come on, Anzel!!!
Usually, this would be the place where I get to yell "I told you". However, considering everyone with even half a working brain was able to figure out that a disaster was approaching, it kind of takes out all the fun from an "I told you".
Apparently, there was no betrayal, at least none that I could see. The non-regular troops were just crappy. Or insufficiently trained. It does not matter. What matters is that the enemy punched through their lines and then went to attack the Equestrians. Though I have to ask, why? As already pointed out by others, attacking Equestrians is a questionable decision. They were there only as a show of force, they were not there to take part in the fighting. So, why attack them? Was it because the enemy gryphons saw an opportunity and took it? Or is there a bigger plan in the works? What is to be gained from something like this?
Let's see....
One explanation is that things are exactly as they might look at first. The gryphon raiders saw the chance and took it. Attacking well-crewed airships is a costly endeavor, yes, but, if successful, the gamble can pay off immensely. From what it seems airships represent a rather major investment and it's not like you can churn them out by the bucketful. Taking out even a single airship is too much of an opportunity to ignore.
Problem is, assaulting an airship is not easy. The raiders took quite a beating on the approach and the fighting's not done yet. Even more, attacking the airships ensured that Equestrians are now an active part of the battle. Even if it's just to repel the raiders and withdraw, it will cost the enemy.
Therefore, it's safe to say that this was not a bunch of gryphons acting on their own. No, this was a deliberate assault, a decision made by the enemy commander. The enemy knew that the Equestrians will be there, they knew that the airships will not take an active part (whether they knew it before the battle or just made an observation, does not matter), yet they decided to incorporate an assault on the airships into their plans.
I think it's safe to say that the assault on airships was planned well before the fighting began. In that case, what are they trying to achieve?
One explanation is that, maybe they are trying to intimidate the Equestrians. Attacking their airships and causing heavy losses among the crew could result in ponies getting cold hooves and pulling out of the war effort. After all, they came to aid their allies in non-combat tasks only. Equestrians are there to guard the villages and generally take the load off the allied gryphon military, so that they could focus on the actual fighting. Showing Equestrians just how messy and horrible a war could be, might result in the "good" gryphons being abandoned to fend for themselves.
Unfortunately, this has the unfortunate chance of backfiring rather spectacularly. If it turns out that Equestrians are not as easily intimidated, things could get quite nasty. It could lead to an increase of military involvement. More guardsponies would be sent to aid their gryphon allies. More supplies, more airships. Guardsponies being deployed not just to guard remote villages, but to participate in fighting directly. King Kronson (that was the leader of "bad" gryphons, right) would end up fighting two armies instead of one.
But what if the reason behind this is a bit more sinister? What if the allied marshal is to blame? He could have deliberately posted his weakest troops in one section of the battlefield, knowing that the enemy would break through and then proceed to attack the airships. Something like this would be hard to prove. As for the reason, that would be simple. Perhaps he sees this as an opportunity to make sure the Equestrians become more involved in the war. It is highly doubtful that this brief engagement will cause the ponies to retreat and abandon their allies. Instead, the result will be the opposite. Ponies will call for more soldiers to be sent to the gryphon lands. As a result, they will have to share the load with their gryphon allies and the marshal will be able to save his soldiers.
As sinister as it sounds, this does seem like the most likely case. Granted, there is only so much to work with and most of this is just speculation, but it's fun to speculate and you never know which way the story will go.
Either way, before we uncover the reason behind this turn of events, first we have to make sure Silent gets out of that fight in one piece. Although I have no doubt he will survive there are so many nasty things that could happen to a pony.
Swarm Hosts are so early-last-year. Though if locusts could fly...
Well, shit has hit the fan. I'm wondering what has happened... as is probably everyone else here. This is going to get rough. Are we up for another switch of perspective like in Memoirs? I'd like that, it was very cool last time!
If only you knew how you sounded, Silent. At least Crystal didn't hear you saying this :)
7071102 Generally it's the Politicians.
Ah, combat. Won't that be fun when I'm an Army Lieutenant? Oh, I'm getting excited just thinking about it. All those IEDs and casualty lists and the general unavailability of equipment and a severe shortage of medics...
I can't remember: other than Maelstrom, Ironhoof, and Hammer, are there any named characters on the Happiness for me to worry about?
What was that guy's name again? Skye?
Well let me tell you, it's better to lose all pride and no soldiers than lose all pride and all of your soldiers. Good riddance, badly-thought-out plan.
So.......They have party cannon.
vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/mlp/images/c/c4/Pinkie_Pie_preparing_her_party_cannon_S2E09.png/revision/latest?cb=20111211223335
What look like a self-propelled Howitzer.
vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/mlp/images/7/7b/Cheese_on_top_of_cannon_S4E12.png/revision/latest?cb=20140203121057
They have an understanding of what a bullet is or even what a Tank is.
And the Equestrian army still use Trebuchet as artillery?
7072666
Not Equestrians, gryphons.
7072686 When I see this of the Equestrians, I will stop questioning....And I haven't seen it
7072704
One explanation why we don't see gunpowder based weaponry in this story, despite the existence of cannons is that, perhaps their military science hasn't developed to the point where cannons are used for warfare. After all, gunpowder was first used in ancient China in fireworks rather than cannons. Therefore, it's not too much of a stretch to think that cannons primarily evolved as confetti launchers rather than weapons of war.
Or maybe Equestrians and gryphons don't have money for more modern artillery weapons. Maybe cannons already exist as weapons as war, however, since Equestria is known as the land of peace and friendship, not war. It sounds reasonable that their military budget is not that great. It's big enough to pay the soldiers their wages, maintain airships and, perhaps get some new suits of armor, now and then. But as far as those newfangled cannon things .... nope, not enough money and no need for those.
As for the "tank" and "bullet" thing. Rainbow could have referred to a water tank and slings also use bullets, which are pretty damned fast.
Damn.. Well the ponies did try to warn them it was a bad idea.. Old seated ideas not working for new wars. so yeah WW1 era easy. A good chapter but that cliff hanger though!
7072775 We're talking about high Super-sonic rainbow pone or even High Hyper-sonic rainbow pone if Death Battle is right about her speed. And you said a bullet from slingshots is fast (Though, from slingshots. I haven't seen anyone consider them "bullets"). Nope, I don't buy it. They also need to have the concept of cannon before they have the concept of party cannon.
The reason the guard use spear and the war in the season 5 finale is an epic slap-fest is more of a kid show thing to me, not the true military power. Powerful demi-god pone can't be everywhere at once.
As for economy? Equestria as far as we have seen is fucking rich compare to all the other nations in their world.
The use of the word "tank" to name Tank is more of a comparison to how many people (mostly civillians) see a WWI & WWII tanks. Big, slow, and hard to damage which the tortoise is quite close to. (Though, we all know the medium tanks like the Sherman and T-34 are quite fast. Same with light tanks like the BT-XX of the USSR. German tanks are still rather slow by comparison)
7072827
Not slingshots. Slings.
As for tanks and general level of technology, the MLP setting seems to be all over the place in that regard. From late Medieval, to Early gunpowder up to late 30-ties. It's hard to nail down.
Which is why I like this setting, it gives authors plenty of room when it comes to picking their tech. I have read stories where ponies have electricity, radios and even digital media as well as stories where the crossbow is considered a highly advanced weapon. As long as the author is consistent and follows his/her own standards I don't care which level of technology they use.
As far as canon is concerned, I tend to favor one rule above all. Follow the cannon as closely as possible, and when it gets in your way - ignore it.
7072955 Well, I can agree with you there.
Though, if it is from over a thoudsand years before, I wouldn't have objected to trebuchet, catapult and the ballista.
FOR THE GLORY OF EQUESTRIA!!!
I'm a little confused here, That whole conversation gave a vibe that it was some sort of flashback. Would that be correct?
So it begins...
That bit with Gray was hilarious though! Poor Silent. He needs to brush up on his inuen-dar....
7070991 Yes, that is more of the analogy I am going with ;D
7071016 That is an excellent question! Why indeed? What do they hope to gain?
7071025 Oh? That is okay ^_^ I went for "we expect bad..." but then it went... WORSE!
7071054 Delta Pegasi requesting permission to be dropped off!
7071102 Indeed! (assuming anyone is left alive to blame)
7071121 As we discussed before, I don't know whether to say "Yay!" or "Opps!" Either way, I'm glad I got a bit out of the box.
7071130 I'm glad you enjoyed her! She is fun to write.
7071161 And what a list indeed... or is it? Monday!
7071201 Define... finest? ;D
7071265 Uh oh is a fair thing! Very fair!
7071307 Interesting! Could be... could be...
7071315
Indeed ^_^
And yes, this was not the correct way to start a war! Well... unless you're King Kronson. In his case... good job!
7071390 Can be that way! Going a little more WW1 here but it works in both cases.
7071438 Yeah, it will be interesting to see the resolution of this.
7071454 They could certainly be worse! Oh course it isn't Monday yet.
7071493 Seems like a fair theory!
7071537 Exactly! The cliffhanger is real.
7071557 Also a good theory :D
7071659 Very sinister if true!
7071706 I do so enjoy the raptor shrieks so... by all means!
7071714 I dunno... I think he got it right.
7071715 Maaaaaaybe
7071879 I love the idea of some kind of grapeshot. That would have been handy ^_^
7071880 Yes, yes we do! One of the evil things I so enjoy doing.
7071954 Oh come on, you know me ;D Master of zee cliffs.