//------------------------------// // Counter // Story: The Final Push // by PropMaster //------------------------------// Red Roam led the push into the West side of the system of earthworks and trenches, rallying his soldiers to him as he moved. The soldiers under his command spread out at his orders, working diligently to clear the remaining defenders out of the trenches. Red Roam led the attack into a small bunker, two earth ponies and a unicorn at his back. Inside lay two dead earth ponies, shredded apart, and a dead griffon, slumped over a table covered in papers and blood. Red Roam gestured to the two exits. “Watch the doors, I need to examine this.” Red Roam approached the table and gently prodded the griffon with one hoof. The griffon didn’t move. Roam grunted and moved around the table, lifting the dead griffon off of the surface and tossing him onto the floor. Roam frowned at the blood-spattered documents, and looked up to the unicorn watching one of the doors. “Spiral, can you read Griffonese?” “Yes, sir.” Roam motioned Spiral over, and the unicorn took a careful look at the documents, his eyes widening. “These are orders. They’ve apparently been massing troops here in this area, slightly to our West, and were preparing to push out and attempt to punch a hole in our lines, in order to break out and get troops behind our front lines to disrupt our runners and supplies.” Red Roam’s eyes widened, glancing towards the West. The sounds of fierce fighting at the palisades still carried. The only unit to their immediate West was The Royal Guard… but if they’d encountered heavier resistance, they’d need help. He gathered his soldiers quickly. “Spiral, take these documents to the Captain. Let him know I’m going to gather any able-bodied pony I can find and try to link up with The Royal Guard to warn them. Green Peace, Late Bloom, I need you both to try to get to the Major at the palisades and inform him of what we’ve discovered. We need to shift our plans, and fast! Go!” Spiral took off East, papers held in his telekinesis. Green Peace and Late Bloom scrambled up the side of the trench, heading for the palisades and the fighting. Red Roam moved West, galloping through the trenches. He came upon a group of three earth ponies, all from his Company, fighting fiercely against two griffons. One earth pony was limping, injured and bleeding, trying desperately to assist his two hard-pressed friends. The griffons pressed their attack, landing the occasional blow on the beleaguered earth pony fighters. Red Roam drew his saber and leapt into the fray, taking one of the griffons head-on in a shoulder rush that knocked him off balance. The two earth ponies leapt on the staggering griffon, bladed horseshoes slashing. The remaining griffon saw an opening and took it, roaring savagely as he charged at the nearest earth pony soldier. His slashing claw-blades found purchase in the haunch of the unlucky soldier, and he rent massive gashes into his opponent, crippling the earth pony and leaving him lying in the dirt, screaming. Red Roam and the injured earth pony counter-attacked, sabre and spear working in tandem. Red Roam struck a glancing blow on the griffon, his claw-blades blocking the strike up high, and the spear-wielding earth pony took his opportunity, thrusting in low and burying his spear in the griffon’s groin. The griffon howled, twisting and bleeding on the stabbing spear, and Red Roam plunged his sabre into the wounded griffon’s eye, silencing him. Roam grunted as he pulled the blade from the dead griffon’s skull and turned to the three ponies. The injured pony appeared to have taken a hit to the side, and blood was trickling from a hit that had pierced his barding. The one who had been savaged was curled into a ball, gasping for breath as blood gushed from the wounds down his backside and leg. Red and the remaining uninjured earth pony leapt into action, bandages pressing onto the rent flesh, and they did their best to staunch the bleeding. “L-lieutenant?” murmured the seriously wounded stallion. “Don’t speak. Save your strength,” said Red Roam, desparately trying to stop the flowing blood. They had so few bandages, and the wounds were massive, arterial crimson spurting. “I-I…,” he began, but passed out suddenly. Red Roam cursed, pressing hard on the bandages that had already been soaked through. The other earth pony, a young mare, let out a sob a few moments later. “Celestia, Lieutenant, he’s not breathing.” “Damn it!” Red Roam grabbed the unconscious soldier, shaking him. “Wake up, y’hear me? Don’t die here!” The pony was limp, not moving. Red Roam stared at his brown mane and sandy-gold coat, his grip tightening, and he gently lay the pony down on his side after a moment. The surviving two soldiers sat in silence with their Lieutenant, before he stood up, turning to them. “You… Shield Bearer, right?” The injured earth pony nodded. “Y-yes, Lieutenant.” “Are you able?” Shield Bearer set down his spear and grabbed his armor, slipping open a few straps and lifting it to examine the wound on his side. His grey coat was bruised, turning an ugly purple, and the cut was bleeding. The earth pony mare leaned in close to look at the wound. “Do we have any more bandages?” “No,” murmured Red Roam. “W-what about…what about Sandy Shore? Did he have any in his saddlebags?” asked Shield Bearer. Red Roam checked the dead pony’s bag, and discovered a half-roll of bandage cloth in the bottom of the pack, beneath some rations. He grabbed the bandages and passed them to the mare, and she worked to staunch the flow of blood from the wound. In a minute, she’d done all she could, securing the bandage and tightening it over the injury. Shield Bearer smiled at her wanly. “Thanks, Slight.” “Yeah…” Slight said softly, standing up. Shield Bearer tightened back down his armor and gear, and stood up carefully as well. He nodded. “Ready, sir. What are our orders?” “We’re pressing West, trying to link up with the Royal Guard unit. They’re probably about to be overrun with griffons.” Shield Bearer swallowed hard, and saluted. “Lead on, sir.” Red Roam pushed West once more, galloping at the lead, Slight and Shield Bearer at his back. They followed the twists and turns of the trenches, coming upon another group of ponies. They were halted in a wide junction between a few trenches. They saw Red Roam approaching and trotted to meet him. “Lieutenant, we can’t press on. There’s a few griffons ahead that have crossbows, and they’re holding down the approach to the West.” Red Roam took in the unicorn and earth pony, and grimaced. “Where’s your tower shield?” “Lost it in the fighting, sir. Sorry, we got jumped and in the confusion we ended up pressing out to hit the surviving griffons.” “How many were with you?” “There were five of us. We lost Misty and Sum Total during the initial encounter with the defenders… and then Keeper got sniped when he walked around the corner to check out the trench where those griffons are holed up.” Red Roam’s eyes traveled to the juncture of the corridor, noting the slumped body of a pony lying in the middle of it. He frowned, glancing around. “We need something to use as a shield. Look around.” The ponies checked around the trenches, examining the walls and floors and the dead soldiers, both griffon and pony. Finally, Slight spoke up. “Lieutenant? I… uh… have an idea.” “Yes?” asked Red Roam. Slight gestured to one of the dead griffons, lifting a wing and spreading it open to it’s full spread. “What if… we use him?” “That’s… morbidly brilliant, Slight,” said Shield Bearer. Red Roam nodded. “We need to move quickly. How many griffons are down that trench?” “At least three, sir,” said the unicorn. “All right. Grab this unlucky griffon, and let’s do this. Fast charge around the corner, hit them hard while they’re surprised.” Red Roam and the other ponies stacked up against the wall of the trench, waiting as the unicorn maneuvered the unwieldy body into position. He nodded, and then rushed around the corner, Red Roam and his ponies right on his heels. The griffon body shuddered as something thudded into it, blood oozing more profusely. Another crossbow bolt hit, and a third pierced through the feathery wing, deflecting off Red Roam’s shoulder and into the side of the trench. Red Roam grunted, his shoulder throbbing, as they hit wider section and found three griffons frantically reloading their crossbows. The unicorn threw his impromptu shield at one, bowling over the griffon with his dead compatriot, and the five ponies fell upon the remaining two combatants as the third struggled to free himself from beneath the dead weight. Red Roam found himself fighting alongside Shield Bearer and Slight, pressing the griffon back. The griffon gave ground rapidly as he struggled to deflect and avoid attacks, but he ran out of room and backed into the side of the trench, stumbling slightly. Red Roam struck high, Shield Bearer struck for his torso, and Slight spun and sent a low puck towards his legs. The griffon, to his credit, deflected Red’s attack and dodged Shield Bearer’s stabbing spear, but Slight’s buck connected with his ankle, shattering it. He lost his balance, going down onto his side as the injured limb gave underneath him, and Red stabbed him through the throat. As Red finished off the griffon, Slight and Shield Bearer leapt into the fight against the last griffon standing. Red Roam trusted that the four ponies would be more than a match for the griffon, and leapt over to the pinned griffon. The griffon yelled and lashed out, trying to strike him with a free limb. Red skittered aside, avoiding the blow, and then jumped up, all four hooves leaving the ground, and brought his full weight down in a bone-shattering stomp on the griffon’s exposed body. Ribs cracked, jaw shattered, the griffon screamed, and Red Roam stabbed, pressing into a joint in the griffon’s armor and through his upper chest. The griffon gurgled and thrashed for a moment before, with a shuddering thrash, grew still. Red Roam stepped away from the dead griffon, looking to the rest of the group. The four ponies stepped away from another dead griffon warrior, staring at him. Red glanced down, noting the spray of blood that had coated his hooves, and gestured West. “We need to go, quickly. Glorious Dawn can’t be far behind, and if we clear a path, he and the rest of the Seventh Company will move all the faster.” Red Roam led them out of the carnage of the trench, pressing west towards a melee of combat at the gates of another northern palisade. Red could make out the glint of golden armor, and snorted with determination as he pushed his ponies hard, sprinting towards the rear ranks of the embattled Royal Guard. As the group of soldiers approached, the guards at the rear of the formation turned to face them, spears and swords raised. Red Roam skidded to a halt before of them, and the Royal Guards untensed slightly, turning away to focus on the battle ahead. The griffons were clashing with the Royal Guard, but the formation was pressing in. Already the flanks near the front were engaging griffons that pressed around the gate, pushing them back and widening the avenues of attack. Shouts came from within the formation, and another rank rushed forward suddenly, leaping between quickly opening gaps in the front of the formation to assault the griffons and replace the weary soldiers holding the front. The worn down troops moved back through the ranks, panting and gasping, many limping or injured. Those in the rear pressed forward, only once the gaps were filled did they see to their comrades. Red Roam stepped into the ranks, looking for anypony who was in charge. He settled for questioning a random soldier. “I’m Lieutenant Red Roam, of the Seventh Canterlot Reserve. We’ve got urgent news for your commander.” “I’ll inform Legate Five Star.” Red Roam waited patiently, observing the attack, and gestured to his ponies. “See if you can help their injured at all, and keep an eye on the flanks. If the griffons counter-attack with their additional forces, we need to be ready.” The four ponies with him nodded, spreading out to the rear and offering assistance to the breathless Royal Guardponies. A few moment later, A white-coated stallion bearing a blue star at the front of his golden armor approached, his purple barding spattered with dirt and blood. “Lieutenant, I am Legate Five Star. Deliver your report, swiftly,” he said in clipped tones, his voice gruff and strong. Red Roam saluted sharply. “Sir! We’ve captured intelligence suggesting that the enemy has a far greater force near this location, poised to strike at our front lines with the intent of punching a hole and spreading into our rear lines to cut off communications and reinforcements!” Legate Five Star scowled, glancing towards the front. “We noticed the stronger resistance. We’ve been grinding away at their numbers, but my ponies are starting to wear down. That could certainly explain it.” “Sir, if I may, given this new information, the Seventh Reseve has pulled away from our previous orders to act as a rear guard for the Fourth Company, and are moving to reinforce you here.” Legate Five Star looked East, towards the position of the Fourth Company. “Major Stonewall will be none too pleased. Have you informed him of the situation?” “I sent two ponies to tell him, sir,” Red Roam said. “Good enough, I suppose. We need all the help we can get. If there’s a counterattack force poised to strike here, I doubt we’d be able to hold,” Legate Five Star said with shocking frankness. “Sir, we’ll do everything we can.” “Reserve Company, yes? What’s your force strength?” “Seventy at the start, sir, but we’ve taken losses in the last half hour.” “Indeed. Anything would be helpful. Perhaps if the Fourth Company is successful, they’ll be able to push around from behind the palisade and flank them. That’d settle the issue of any counterattack.” Red Roam didn’t have anything to say to that, so he waited. Legate Five Star nodded after a brief moment of contemplation. “Tell your ponies to hold the rear of the formation, and only press an attack on my command. Watch our flanks, we can hold the front if we don’t have to worry about our rear,” and with that, he rushed away, moving back towards the front. Red Roam watched to the East, spotting movement below as equine forms began streaming towards their position. The Seventh Reserve had arrived.