The Final Push

by PropMaster

Together

Glorious Dawn gently lay Radiance’s limp body down on her side, and stood up slowly. He stood over her for a moment, staring down at her inert form. He looked to Amber, who sat trembling nearby. Dawn gave Amber a gentle hug. “You couldn’t have saved her. At least you took away her pain.”

“S-she… she had a filly,” murmured Amber, one hoof reaching out to straighten Radiance’s mane in an almost motherly gesture.

“You can’t worry about that, now,” Dawn said, stepping away and limping towards the assembling ranks of soldiers that Red Roam had been organizing. He called back as he moved off, “Focus on those you can save.”

Amber nodded, biting her lip, and stood up, pausing to remove Radiance’s tabard and lay it over her body, covering her. She moved away, returning to the injured ponies on stretchers.

Glorious Dawn approached the soldiers, noting their exhaustion and grim demeanor. He also noticed their backs straighten, their postures improving and their demeanor growin resolved, as he approached. He stopped in front of them, surveying the ranks, as Red Roam stepped to his side. “I’ve organized the two groups as best I could. They’re pretty shook up, losing so many ponies… but they’re talkin’ about you, too.”

Glorious Dawn nodded, and stepped forward. Red Roam snapped to attention and called out “Attention!”

The ranks tightened up, ponies standing ramrod-straight and eyes forward. Glorious Dawn collected his thoughts, turning to pace in front of them, hiding his limp as best he could. “Stallions. Mares. We’ve fought hard today. We’ve done our duty, time and again. You’ve followed my orders and the orders of your superiors with diligence and honor. You’ve given the greatest accounting of yourselves, holding in the face of overwhelming attacks and driving back the enemy time and time again.”

He stopped, turning to face them. His voice grew somber as he spoke. “We’ve lost many. Friends, comrades, brothers and sisters in arms. So many have given everything of themselves to see a better tomorrow for Equestria… for their families, loved ones, and neighbors. So many have breathed their last to protect and serve.”

He stepped forward, closer, looking his soldiers in the eye, letting his gaze travel across the ranks. “We are so close to victory. We’ve driven the griffons back to their final defences, this last stretch of beaches below the bluffs. We have one, final objective: push them into the ocean. Kick them off Equestrian soil. We are going to make them remember, for generations, the price for threatening our home, our family, our Princess.”

“And, Celestia willing, they’ll know never to come back with a clenched fist, but the open hand of friendship.”

He stepped back, walking to the center of the front line, and turned once more to face them. “We are cut off. There are no reinforcements coming for us. The griffon units that we have been routing have circled around behind our front line. Even now, they act to delay us. They hope that we won’t strike while cut off. They think that we will stay put and wait for reinforcements while they organize a counter-attack against us.”

“They are wrong! We have our orders. We have our mission. Legate Five Star’s mission is from Her Royal Highness, Princess Celestia, Herself. She guides our strikes, watches our success. The griffons may have cut us off from our reinforcements, but even now they are giving ground. They cannot keep us cut off forever. Back there,” Glorious Dawn gestured South, “our brothers and sisters are fighting to come to our aid.”

Glorious Dawn shifted, gesturing North, to the beaches. “There, our enemy waits, organizing, plotting. We’ve had them off guard, and they think that we’ll give them a chance to get back their momentum, to strike back.”

“We are going to strike them first, soon, before they can prepare a defense or a counter. We’re going to follow the Royal Guard into the heart of the enemy, and strike them hard. We’re the tip of the spear, now.”

Glorious Dawn paused, letting his words sink in, before he continued. “I know that many of you have lost a great commander. Major Stonewall was a great pony and leader. He will be sorely missed. But, I swear to you, all you soldiers of the Fourth Company, I will do him proud.”

He stepped forward again, walking in between the ranks and into the center of the formation, the assembled ponies turning inward to follow his movement. He stopped, turning in a slow circle as he spoke. “From this moment, there is no Seventh Canterlot Reserve Company. There is no Fourth Canterlot Company.”

The assembled soldiers murmured quietly, but Glorious Dawn spoke louder. “Today, on this moment, we are the first. The first company of this bluff, of this beach. We are bonded together by the blood we’ve spilled and the friends we’ve lost, bound by a common enemy, a common love of our country and families. We are no longer separate. We are one company.”

He smiled. “The First Company of Equestria.”

“First Company, are you with me?” he asked, rearing up onto his back legs, ignoring the screaming pain of his injured leg as he thrust a hoof into the air.

The First Company of Equestria cheered, hooves stomping. “For Celestia and Equestria!” Glorious Dawn roared.

“For Celestia and Equestria!” they replied, with one voice.

Glorious Dawn smiled fiercely as he lowered himself back onto all fours. “Make yourselves ready, First Company of Equestria.”

The ponies cheered again, hooves stomping and spears slamming against shields. Glorious Dawn carefully walked back through his ponies as they laughed and patted him on the shoulders, wincing with every step on his bad leg. Red Roam met him halfway through the group, smiling. “First Equestrian Company, huh?”

“It seemed fitting.”

“I like it. You did good,” Red said, chuckling.

“No, you did well. You organized them, brought them together,” said Dawn, smiling at his friend.

“Yeah, but you just bonded them into a unit. I couldn’t ever do that,” Red replied.

“I’m sure you could. They trust you, look up to you, just as much as they do to me. You’re the relatable one, never as separate as I have to be,” Dawn stated calmly, sitting down at the edge of the group of soldiers.

Red Roam shrugged. “If you say so, Captain. I’m going to see to Amber.”

“She’s shaken up. Radiance died in my arms, and Amber couldn’t save her. Make sure she’s okay,” murmured Dawn.

“Yes, sir,” Red Roam said, trotting away towards his wife and her medical ponies and patients.

Comments

[QPaysTaxes]

Poor Amber. Probably feels like it's her fault. Seeing someone die when you feel like you could have saved them... It sucks.

[Fallen Knight]

Wow this has last been updated in 2014, i see the author is active.

Any plans to finish the story eventually or is this maybe canceled or such?

[PropMaster]

7798118 Sorry, this was a 30 day challenge story that did not pan out. I have more recent work, though not much. I write for a sci-fi website now, which takes a lot of my writing focus.

[Fallen Knight]

7809099 Pity, oh well. Good luck with the sci-fi site.