//------------------------------// // 38 - Countermeasures, Part 9 of 11 // Story: The Last Cutie Mark Crusader // by Jatheus //------------------------------// Scootaloo felt herself grin at the sight of it. She had been quite correct that the changelings would counter the fire strategy. They pushed in a decent-sized rain cloud, dropping fat heavy drops of water on the advancing line of the timberwolves as they charged toward the Assault Corps. Their magic seemed hardly adequate to the task, at least inasmuch as pegasus abilities were far better suited to weather control, but through no small expenditure of their energies, their little deluge inched forward, an effective ward against fire. Scootaloo admired the effort, but was glad she had prepared for the move. She glanced over at Commander Rain Chaser, who also bore a devious smile. They would let the enemy draw close in order to not tip their hoof too soon. The element of surprise should never be wasted. They were a few hundred yards away, moving slowly at first. As the rain grew heavier over the timberwolf horde, a howling went up from them. Their latest count put their number at six-hundred, thirty-eight thousand, give or take a few hundred. Their ongoing battles had cut the numbers down, but not nearly enough. Snarling rippled through the horde as the howling died down, and the front line of them vaulted forward, throwing themselves toward the defensive line of ponies. "Load ice arrows!" Scootaloo called. The order was repeated down the line, and soldiers faithfully responded. The unicorns had managed to make more than Scootaloo thought they’d be able to in the short time they’d had. The timberwolves slipped in the mud, but then found their footing on the dryer ground as they continued to charge. They rapidly closed the distance. "Take aim!" she ordered. Crossbows were raised all across the line in preparation for the advancing enemy. Scootaloo’s stomach growled rather loudly, causing her to wince from the pain. She caught one of the stallions on the line glancing back at her. "Did you hear that, soldier?" "Ma’am, yes, ma’am," he replied nervously. "I’m just hungry for some more payback,” she boasted to him. "Yes ma’am," he replied, seeming emboldened by her bravado. Scootaloo’s emotional state wasn’t exactly as high as she was still pretending. The lifted weight from letting go of her anger was still bolstering her up, but it felt more like riding a roller coaster. Waves of sadness would come and go, and she struggled to stay focused. She stared at the advancing line of drenched timberwolves charging toward them. They bounded ahead, ready to swarm the ponies, and then the moment came. "Open fire!" Scootaloo shouted. "Front rank, fire!" was echoed down the line by hundreds of officers. Tens of thousands of ice arrows sped into the air, straight toward their marks. Upon impact, the magical arrows unleashed the ice inside. The water that coated each timberwolf froze instantly, bringing the front of their line abruptly to a halt. The rear ranks crashed into them, all but completely killing their momentum. Within a few moments, more of them were piling over and forcing through. They destroyed their own front lines to get at the ponies. "Second rank, fire!" the line officers shouted. Another volley of ice arrows rained down. The ground began to harden with frost. The advance stopped completely as the beasts slid around, unable to find solid footing. "Third rank, fire!" echoed across the Assault Corps. A final time, they loosed their ice arrows into the enemy. The frost spread even further as the timberwolves began backing away. “Unicorns, concussion magic single volley! Fire!” As the blast was unleashed, in caused a pressure wave that shattered the frozen lines of the enemy. It was as of ten thousand windows had been broken as one. A mist hung in the air. "Hold your fire," Scootaloo commanded. As her order echoed down the line, Scootaloo strained her eyes, but they were reporting accurately. The timberwolves had retreated out of range of their arrows. She felt herself smile at this, but she was fully aware that it was only a small setback to the enemy. There was a chance they could hold this position a little longer, but if she chose wrong, they could lose everything. "Commander," Scootaloo turned to Rain Chaser. "Ma’am?" he replied. "Take half of our force back to the next position and hold there. I think we can buy a little more time, but I don’t want to risk the entire force if I’m wrong." "Yes ma’am, but I strongly advise against dividing our force." Scootaloo regarded the stone-faced expression that met her. "Don’t worry; I’ll retreat before I let them overtake us." "As you command," he said with a little bow. It didn’t take long for them to get moving. The remaining weakened line was only eleven-thousand strong, but it would be enough. They all crouched behind their dirt mound to provide as little visibility as possible. Vigilant eyes watched the enemy that was regrouping behind the little slick of magical ice that had been laid down in front of them. Scootaloo also got low behind their earthen defenses. The changelings would no doubt be looking for another strategy, so making herself a target simply wouldn’t do. An hour passed, but no attack came. Scootaloo again found herself with time to think. A wellspring of regret was inside her. It proved a much more difficult thing to let go of than had been her rage. She had made many decisions in fear and hatred that she would take back. That, of course, was the one thing she could not do. She wished she’d been a better friend to Sparklefly. They had frequently become cross with each other, which Scootaloo realized was mostly from her side. She now recognized the jealousy for what it was. While she knew it had been necessary, she couldn’t help how she felt about killing Radiant Pyre. An objective observer might have said he deserved it, but she couldn’t help the sadness. It was one more pony that didn’t get to go home to family, one more house that would be broken. Then there was Cloud Blazer. Not that it would have been necessary to lie to him, but she shouldn’t have been so cruel while he was hurt so badly. It didn’t matter how she felt. He hadn’t deserved her response. She could only hope that it, perhaps, was a friendship that might yet be saved. Another hour went by, with still no movement from the enemy other than their rain clouds finally using themselves up. The entire force under Scootaloo’s command sat there waiting like a steel trap that is set to spring. Not intentionally, the pegasus captain gave way to exhaustion and fell into a light sleep.