500 X 7

by CHeighlund

Inspiration

“Thank you, all of you.” The unicorn Platinum, now shorn of her title of Princess, stood before the small group gathered before her. “I know that I have no right to ask this, but I extend my thanks to each of you for your assistance. I… I know that we may not be able to stand against Starswirl’s Windigo-driven madness, but I cannot stand by and let the dreams that ponykind has built upon this land be destroyed by his insane obsession with tribal purity. To do so would respark the war which only so recently ended.”

Platinum closed her eyes in sorrow. “I’m sorry. I’m no leader, I know that. I’d have preferred for my father, or my dear friend Clover, to lead you, to lead us, but that isn’t possible. Both have fallen under Starswirl’s spell, and seek to aid him.” She broke off, blushing in embarrassment. “I apologize. I shouldn’t be repeating things that you already know. Please, forgive me.”

The green-and-gold pegasus at the head of the crowd of fifty saluted. “Ma’am. You have every right. The king may have stripped your title from you, but he cannot take away who you are. Even if… no, especially as you aren’t one of those pure-blooded ponies Starswirl’s obsessing about, you’re our princess.” Around the room came voices of agreement, as those ponies Platinum had managed to gather for her resistance echoed the sentiment. They stood a mere hundred strong; a single hundred against the forces the maddened Starswirl had gathered unto himself.

Platinum wept. The fire within her precious subjects drove them onward, but it wasn’t enough. And the desperate cries for aid she had sent forth to Equestria’s allies had not been answered; no doubt, she was sure, because they wished to see where the rule of the realm would lie after the battle was over. She would stand, and she would, in the end, die. Quite possibly it would be her own father, or dear Clover, who did her in. But she would not back down.

A sudden rumbling of the ground alerted Platinum, and she looked upwards in confusion. Then, as the sensation became clearer, as her ponies began to shout, she called out in the voice she’d learned for royal proclamations. “My ponies! All of you, head outside! If this is what I fear, we must break free ere we are crushed… but if it is what I believe, then we may yet stand a chance! Hurry along!”

Platinum herself shepherded the last of her crew outside, to the edge of the town, where a massive pit had opened in the earth below. Several ponies began to wail with fear at the sight, but the tears that sprang to Platinum’s eyes were tears of joy. “Enter, ye worthy workers of metal and stone, and be welcome to the true Equestria!”

One by one, paws began to appear over the edge of the pit, as armored warriors of the race known as Diamond Dogs began to haul themselves out. Platinum knew, from her own battles both against and alongside these creatures, that one Dog could be worth several ponies in battle. But even then, even after she had sent agents to speak with them, she had imagined nothing like this.

By the time no more came from the pit, two bannered warbands of Diamond Dogs stood arrayed before her, numbering one-hundred and fifty dogs in all. No, one-fifty-one, for a single individual stood before both groups, and Platinum began to fall to her knees in respect as Jarl Cavall, heir to the Diamond Dog throne, stepped forward.

As Platinum knelt, Cavall reached one thick paw over and raised her up to her feet again. “It is not meet for a leader to bring dishonor to herself so, my lady.”

“I’m no leader,” Platinum said. “I’m simply an ordinary pony, trying to do what must be done.”

“Oh? I believe these,” Cavall said, his arm sweeping across her subjects, “would disagree. It would be unwise of you to let them down.” At the look in his eyes, Platinum nodded.

“I understand. Thank you, old friend, and please forgive a foolish old mare her misgivings.” She nodded her own head, taking in his warriors. “I’m grateful for your aid; I’m sure we all are. Yet I cannot help but think that, were we twice as strong between us, it would not be enough. And no further assistance do I see coming to us.”

Surely she merely imagined the twinkle in Cavall’s eye. Surely, it was not… “Do not be so quick to judge, my lady. Two treasures do I bring you, that I think shall be enough.” He motioned for the heads of each warband to step forward; they did so, each carrying a small jeweled cask.

Cavall opened the first cask and drew out a circlet of gold chain, easily as wide as he was tall, gemmed fastenings along the edges. “First, my lady, a gateway into that realm of light whence distance matters not; a gateway to your other sworn allies - for though your own agents to Altai were taken by your enemies, we too know the griffon-folk as doughty warriors and true. King Lionel’s own daughter leads a flight of them… a flight, as you said, perhaps in prophecy, equal in number to your forces and mine combined. But find me a place to lay this strand, and we shall soon have allies enough to face whatever Starswirl the Mad may lay against us.”

Platinum blinked; surely it was only the whipping wind which made her eyes water so. “I thank you, old friend, from the deepest part of my heart. You give me new hope, the like of which I had not expected to know.”

At the booming laugh from the Diamond Dog Jarl, Platinum looked up. “Ah, so. That makes the next a bit simpler, then.” He opened the other cask, to where a set of jeweled torcs were held. Each bore a single star-shaped gem in a different color - green, orange, red, blue, violet, and blinding white. “These, my lady, are our gift to you, forged of your gift to us. Your servants were most interesting - though I have forged objects of virtue and power before, never before have I forged them on a flame of virtue itself. The power of your Fire of Friendship burns within each of these gems, and I’ve no doubt it will continue to do so long after all of us here are as the dust.”

Cavall grasped the blue-gemmed torc and snapped it about his own neck. “As you say I have granted hope unto you, so I will willingly bear the Mantle of Hope at your side, my lady. I know not to whom the other four must go, the Mantles of Justice, Honor, Sacrifice, and Compassion, but for myself, I am sure of the last, and I would wager my own throne that your loyal-hearted ones would agree.” So saying, he lifted the white-gemmed torc from the cask, knelt, and placed it about Platinum’s neck, then saluted.

Platinum stared, shocked, then nodded and spoke her piece. “My lord Cavall, might I ask of you what virtue it is that you pin upon my presence?”

The Dog grinned. “You have raised your own to rally against the enemy from within, you have driven those of us who stand with you to act of our honor rather than stand on pragmatism… what else should it be, my lady, but the Mantle of Inspiration? For of a surety, no matter what you might once have been, as you now are you inspire greatness from all who come within your reach.”

Author's Note:

Prompt 496: The unlikely 500 who saved Equestria, and the lady who led them.

Comments

[Nyerguds]

Hope to Laughter
Justice to Honesty
Honor to Loyalty
Sacrifice to Generosity
Compassion to Kindness
Inspiration to Magic

The Elements of Harmony, forged by Diamond Dogs on the Fire of Friendship. Oh, wow

(I guess Hope and Inspiration might be switched? )

[CHeighlund]

6248188
I'm not sure I'm following your question correctly. On my best guess for it, though, the answer is no - you matched them up in the correct order.

As the the forging - for whatever reason, I've always seen the Diamond Dogs as counterparts or parallels to the Dwarfs of Norse legend. Having them serve as smiths makes sense to me.

[Nyerguds]

6252771
Yeah, I just wasn't sure about these two, heh.

[CHeighlund]

6254107
Let's see if I can describe that a bit more clearly, via pseudo-analogy.

Friendship is Magic.
Leadership is Inspiration

[Nyerguds]

6257174
My Fighter Pony: Leadership is Inspiration