"Are our soldiers ready?" Green asked Forest, who was busy giving orders to the officers.
"Yes sir, all 10,000 ready to march at a notice." Forest saluted, a gesture unfamiliar to him, but which Green has enforced throughout the army. He also had two minds about referring to a twelve-year-old as 'sir'. "Have you informed your parents though?"
"Yes... And I'm glad they took it well..." Green muttered, as he remembered the scene of his father nodding in understatement stoically whilst his mother wept uncontrollably, constantly cursing herself for wishing he had matured.
"And your sister..?" Forest carefully asked, not wanting to trigger him off.
"...I had left a note in my room that she will probably read once entering after my long absence," Green explained, "I hope that she will take it well..." Green hoped, not wanting his sister to chase him illogically. "I had told my parents to stop her once she finds out... Hopefully, they can convince her that it was inevitable." Green darkly thought.
"We don't have any time to lose Green. We must move now." Jaco approached from behind, carrying the standard equipment of Pike, shield, crossbow, bolts and sword.
"Aye, we must make haste." Copper chimed in, following close behind Jaco.
"...Very well, let us match!" Green announced, which made the officers cheer in response.
Little skipped happily towards Greens' room holding Harolds' book. "I can't wait for him to react that hit gold in the eastern mines!" Little thought, as she continued in her way. The current events and suicidal mission into the Equestrian territory had dampened everypony's mood, and Little thought she finally found the key to lighten Green up, as ever since the announcements, he would look miserable whenever he walked around the house.
Little stopped at Greens' door and knocked it several times. "Green~! I got a surprise for you~!" She cheekily cooed. No reply.
"Green! You sleeping late again?!" Little knocked several more times and looked out the open door. It was evening.
"...Green?" Littles' stomach began to sink as she began to worry about what had happened. "I'm coming in at 10 seconds!" Little warned. Still no reply.
"...Green?" Little whimpered and shrank in front of the door, scared to see what was inside. "I'm coming in..." Little muttered, pushing open the door into Greens' room.
Little exhaled a gigantic sigh of relief when he saw Greens' outlines covered by a blanket on his bed, "Oh brother! Sleeping in the evening are you?!" Little ran up to the bed and uncovered the blanket. It was a pillow.
Littles' stomach sank again and saw a letter on top of the pillow, which she quickly grabbed and tore.
Dear Little,
If you are reading this letter, it means that you have entered my room without permission. And to that, you are a rude little sister!
But I am a rude older brother for what I have done. I'm so sorry I didn't consult you Little, but I know you wouldn't let me go. The army needs a capable commander Little, and you are too young to lead.
I'm doubly sorry that I will be leaving the elders dry solely up to you. I know it will be tough, but you must remain strong. Remix strong for the villagers. Remain strong for the earth ponies. Remain strong for me Little.
I'm triply sorry that you won't stop me. As I have already departed and too far for you to chase. So stay at home like a good little sister Little. But know that I still love you.
More love, from Green.
Little shook horrified looking at the letter, her eyes tearing up at the feeling of betrayal, pride and sadness. "I HAVE TO STOP GREEN!" Little decided and dashed to leave the room.
"Not so fast missy." Graze blocked the way, standing in between the doorway. Opal stood beside him, her eyes sore and wrinkled from her previous episodes of sadness.
"WE NEED TO SAVE GR- mffff!" Little was suddenly tackle-hugged by Graze, who immediately began running his hold down Littles' mane, calming her down.
"I know... I know..." Graze informed silently, his own eyes beginning to water in vulnerability, which prompted his wife to join in the hug.
"He has finally matured... In the worst possible time..." Opal said through sobbing, tightening the hug.
"He wouldn't want us to perpetually cry." Graze braced, looking up in integrity. "We must remain strong for Green. We must protect our dream so his efforts won't be in vain."
"Why..." Little began, "Why did we read the book?" She sobbed out, wanting to burn Harolds' book for causing this depression. "If we didn't read the book, he could've stayed." She justified,
"You read it because you had to." Opal comforted Little, kissing her lightly on the cheeks. "Or else, we would all be damned to the pegasus and unicorns." She muttered.
"Please be safe..." Little silently prayed, which prompted the parents to do the same.
"Please be safe...
It had been a week and the general had finally gathered enough pegasuses to begin marching Northeast. He could only levy 2000 recruits and planned to equip them along their way.
"Are you sure this is enough?" Hurricane approached the general, trying to ignore the stares the pegasus levies were giving him. "This is not a reconnaissance mission General." He warned,
"I highly doubt I would need an army commander," the general assured, "If there was an invading force all the other garrisons would've risen an alarm."
"Perhaps a diamond dog invasion then?" Hurricane hinted as they were known to mine under fortifications and notorious for night attacks. "It would explain the duchies' sudden silence..."
"But why would the diamond dog invade the northeast Commander?" The general challenged, "There is nothing of value there, not a single gem nor gold, only iron."
"...there is still something terribly wrong going on..." Hurricane maintained, "Don't let your confidence blind you general Thunder..." Hurricane warned and flew away, leaving the general staring at his footprints on the cloud.
"I won't..." Thunder quietly muttered, turning to his levies.
The Jacobins were coming...
"Turn back brave ponies!" An elderly earth pony shouted from his door, warning the marching Jacobins heading deeper into the Pegasus lands. "You will be killed!"
"Don't throw your lives away!" Another earth pony warned, approaching the marching soldiers. "You stand no chance!"
"I'm sorry ma'am, but we must." The soldier pushed the pony back with a sad frown. "To protect our friends and family, we must." The soldier tilted his helmet and continued forward.
"They're crazy!" An onlooker spouted, whispering to another pony.
"They're marching straight into the pegasus stronghold!" The other pony blurted, the shock of seeing an earth pony army having died down.
"Will they finally free us?" A filly marvelled, the shiny armour and weapons of the Jacobins acting like a second sun under the light.
"They call themselves the Jacobins..." Another filly gawked, fascinated with their catapults which they were towing with 10 ponies.
Suddenly, the elder of the village stepped in their path, flanked by two other winded ponies. "Who is your leader?" The elder asked, causing the column to split to reveal four ponies. "Are you the leader?" The elder asked, pointing at the elderly Copper.
"Aye, we four are the leaders." Copper pointed at himself and waved at the three others beside him. "Why have you stopped us?" He refocused.
"All four? Even the colt?" The elder asked in bewilderment, as the youngest seemed barely old enough to be a farmhand.
"Yes, all four of us. Why have you stopped us?" Green impatiently inquired, slightly annoyed that he was called a colt.
The elder gestured at the two winded ponies in between him, "These two ponies came from the villager in the southwest," The sweating ponies nodded in agreement, "and they bring unsettling news..."
"Oh?" Forest focused on the two ponies.
"*gasp* we were down at the river- *gasp* cleaning ourselves when- *gasp* we saw an army!" The sweating pony informed, wiping his forehead with a hoof upon finishing.
"How big?" Jaco inquired, his expressions darkening.
"We aren't sure... But we saw a bunch of them!" The other gasping pony said, flailing his arms in the air to represent the numbers.
"I see..." Jaco replied disappointed, "How far is it from here?"
The two ponies looked at each other. "A week from here." They decided, nodding at their conclusion. "We galloped for 4 days straight to reach here to warn this village." They explained.
"We have already sent our own messengers to the nearby villagers." The elder explained, as warning them would give them time to hide food or 'contraband'.
"A WEEK?!" The four Jacobin leaders thought in despair, as they would need at least a day to entrench, and would rather not fight in the village.
"Is there any hills nearby?" Green quickly asked the elder, also trying to scan the surrounding for any good terrain.
The elder hesitated by the sudden question, leaning back to begin thinking. "There is one in the southeast from here," the elder memorised, "A fairly flat hill, used by our ponies to gaze at the night's skies." The elder pointed at the hill, which prompted the four Jacobins to brace upwards to see past their soldiers.
"A hill... Named hope..." The elder mumbled, the name of the hill gaining a new meaning. "The hill said to bring our village luck..." The elder looked at the Jacobins, who were currently too busy discussing strategy to realise the elders' statement.
"Can it be...?"