The Last Cutie Mark Crusader

by Jatheus

38 - Countermeasures, Part 4 of 11

Duster knew that flying would be out of the question. His wings and muscles were so sore that he could barely stretch, let alone attempt liftoff. Marching at the head of the column gave him a fine vantage point to see that all was clear ahead for several miles, but they had quite a distance to walk before they arrived near the southern opening of Ghastly Gorge.

They had stood in that very spot the previous day, and like a sad joke, they were going back in that direction. Scootaloo had returned from an unpleasantness of some kind. Her eyes had a coldness about them, and her right fore-leg was covered in dried blood. What strength continued to drive her was anypony’s guess. Duster’s legs felt like lead from the marching and fighting of the last few days.

"Halt for rest," Scootaloo finally ordered.

The entire corps that remained, about twenty-two thousand soldiers, came to a halt and sat on the barren earth. Dried dead vestiges of grass didn’t do much to pad the ground, which had become hard packed from the bands of roving timberwolves that had constantly been crossing in the past year. His attraction to her aside, Duster was too tired to even acknowledge when Colonel Skyflame approached.

"Is this the place?" she asked.

Scootaloo nodded, "It is."

Commander Rain Chaser also approached with Flittergear.

"This is what we have to do. We leave two regiments behind to form up a defensive line here. We’ll no doubt be falling back to it soon. Up ahead, we’ll dig two more. We don’t have to stop them, just slow them down. As soon as this one is finished, we’ll keep making them every five miles or so all the way back to Ponyville."

"Seven," Flittergear whispered.

"Yes," Scootaloo confirmed. "We’ll confront them at each of these points, but when they surge, which they will, we fall back and set them on fire. As soon as we have them burning, we go into a full retreat to the next position. That five mile gap between each one should give us plenty of firebreak."

"That’s a lot of digging. Won’t the changelings catch on to that strategy?" Colonel Skyflame asked.

Scootaloo shrugged, "Maybe, but I can’t think of any other way to slow them down. We’re too tired and too few to outmaneuver them in any direction but a straight line."

"I don’t like the thought of giving them fire after what happened in Dodge Junction," Commander Rain Chaser said. “Even on the heights, they managed to use it against us.”

"I know, and neither do I," Scootaloo replied.

She had a look in her eye like she remembered something somber, but it quickly passed.

"Considering the alternatives, I can’t think of a more effective way to cut down their numbers and slow them down before they reach Ponyville."

"We are certain they are coming this way?" Commander Rain Chaser asked.

Colonel Skyflame nodded, "I just got word from my scouts. They are massing near the southern end of the canyon."

"Ponyville should be prepared for evacuation, but to where?" Scootaloo said rhetorically. "Everyplace is under attack right now. If we can just slow them down, maybe buy another day or two…" she trailed off.

"As you said last night," Commander Rain Chaser said, "It hardly even qualifies as grim."

Scootaloo looked into the sky. Duster thought she appeared to be searching for something. The commanders stood there silently for another minute. The discussion didn’t resume. It was apparent that nopony had any better ideas than to try to slow down the enemy and hope for the best. The fleeting moments of rest were a thin slice of heaven, but then Scootaloo ended their stay. Had he been asked, Duster would also have had to admit a shortage of ideas. They were just too vastly outnumbered to put up much resistance.

"We need to move. Commander Rain Chaser, pick two regiments to stay behind. Leave them a CAP and small unicorn presence. We’ll need every unicorn we can take with us."

"Copy that," the commander replied.

The orders were shouted, and the entire force struggled back to their hooves and continued walking. Duster’s legs were even more stiff than they had been on long training days with weights in his harness.

The day waned on, and they dropped off another three regiments after ten miles, bringing their remaining force to around seventeen thousand exhausted soldiers. Duster felt like he was already dead. His sore muscles had grown numb as they continued their march south. The last time they stopped was the worst. He didn’t have any strength left, and his water was nearly used up as well. He stared blankly ahead as he lay on the ground, waiting for the order to continue. When it came, he found himself unable to stand. He struggled, but his legs simply wouldn’t hold him up anymore. He collapsed under his own weight. Had he any remaining stamina, he’d have felt a poor excuse for a soldier. He didn’t care. Nothing seemed to matter to the stallion. He wanted only the strength to roll over and die.

"Are you alright?" Scootaloo asked.

"I just…" he gasped for air. "I can’t…"

"Can’t?" She looked down at him. "What do you mean you can’t?"

"I can’t go any farther," he said in defeat.

She tilted her head at him. For a moment, the briefest period of time, it looked like compassion on her face. It quickly became a steely resolve.

"Get up."

"I can’t."

"Do you think you’ve fought harder than I have? Harder than anypony else here?" She didn’t wait for an answer before continuing, "You think this is bad? Do you have any idea what your sister suffered? Her first mission out, six of her friends were killed beside her. Just like that, and they were following her orders. Her second mission, she got shot, lost an eye, sprained both wings, got captured by the enemy and tortured. Do you know what she did?"

All the depleted stallion could do was look up at her.

"She broke out of the changeling prison and fought her way through. Injured, blinded, tired. You don’t have a clue what you’re made of."

That caught his attention.

"I know what stuff your family has inside. I’ve even seen it in you when you were a cadet. You were horrible, but you never gave up. You got sick and nearly died, but you managed to take out another squad in a training exercise. Your sister told me that you saved her life in Mane Crusher’s rebellion. You have fought your way here."

"I’m not my sister," he said flatly, wanting to be left alone.

"No, you’re not," Scootaloo agreed. "But the only difference is determination. She made up her mind before we ever got into any of those scrapes that no matter what, as long as there was breath in her lungs, she would not stop fighting. She wasn’t great because her life was easy. Did you think her position was just given to her? She was great because it was hard, and she didn’t let that hardness break her. She pressed on, becoming even harder than everything that came at her, and that’s what you need to do right now. This is the stuff that heroes are made of. We might all die tomorrow, but we will be remembered for how we live the next few hours for a thousand years. You want to lay here and die? You want to be the disappointment that everypony talks about. They’ll say great things about your sister, and then wonder how you two could have been related."

A nerve had been struck. Duster’s own sense of pride, though wounded a thousand times over, had one last bastion of strength like a well that contained an ocean. Life, fueled by ego alone began coursing through him, and strength returned to his limbs.

"It’s time for you to let your potential out," Scootaloo continued. "Hold nothing back. We are all counting on you."

Duster pushed against the ground, and his weary muscles made him stand. He followed as Scootaloo began marching, leading the entire Assault Corps on toward their fate. He had once again learned a new admiration for Scootaloo’s stalwart tenacity. Was there no end to her resilience?

Comments

[OmalleyCaboose5]

"She broke out of the changeling prison and fought her way through. Injured, blinded, tired. You don’t have a clue what you’re made of."

What a recap.

[Jatheus]

8756535
It does sound a lot more glamorous the way she put it like that.

[Emperor]

Scoots might be feeling dead inside, but at least she can still give a rousing speech!

I feel like she'd probably be striking a pose like this right about now (sans the having lots of energy and a Cutie Mark in that picture)

derpicdn.net/img/view/2018/1/22/1638586.jpeg

[Jatheus]

8799559
I love that picture! Haha! Yeah, that’s how Duster probably perceived her. I’m glad the speech works... I have a few of them in this story... I always worry that they are silly.