Everything occurred right on time. About seven o'clock Ponies saw a white flag being raised at the wood line. He clicked on the PA system and said "Come on forward! I'll meet you out in front of the earthworks!" He hurried down. A young Union lieutenant approached.
"Sir," he snapped, "we have scouted your position and estimated your numbers. There's no way you can hold us! My commanding officer suggests you surrender."
"Tell your commanding officer," Twenty Ponies answered, "to go to hell! If he wants to try to get by us, let him try, but it's gonna cost him!"
The young lieutenant grinned, "Yes sir!" he snapped, "I'll tell him that, sir!" He quickly hurried off.
Twenty Ponies went back to his position. He'd barely got there when the artillery started. Their lasers burst to life, shell after shell was destroyed, but some of them got close, some of them got real close!
"Sir!" the radio operator cried, "I just got a call. A pilot says he's got five sledgehammers orbiting above us, and does he want us to attack the armor? "
"Death ships!" Twenty Ponies screamed. "No! No!" he told them. "Tell them to take out the damn artillery! We can handle the tanks! Get the damned artillery!"
The radio operator complied. A few minutes later they heard horrendous explosions, and could see balls of fire rising behind the enemy, and the artillery shells stopped. The enemy troops were rushing forward but now The Republic's Forces came up and without the artillery to drive them to cover began pouring it in to them. The Union's Forces broke, retreated. Twenty Ponies knew they'd be back, but the first wave had been stopped, and they'd hurt them, they'd hurt them bad. They weren't going to be as careless next time!

Page 3