6. Huzzah

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"WoodenDale?"

"Ahem, yes?"

AgrentHeart looked at his old commander through the opened tent flap. "Is it alright for me to enter?"

"Yes, that is fine.  It is a bit warm in here though..."

"It'll get hotter by this evening."

WoodenDale lifted his head as Argent entered the tent, "So we are not leaving tonight?"

"I changed my mind so we will be leaving tomorrow morning.  It will give us an extra day to freshen up a bit more."

"Ah.  Well I myself am feeling a bit better, though I should be sleeping on my hooves rather than on the ground like this..."

Argent took a step forward, "Do you wish for me to assist you up?"

"No, I've got it." WoodenDale then shifted his legs, clenched his teeth and then stood.  Argent could see the tight white cloth bound around his roan barrel for his injured ribs, though the rest of his body escaped injury.

"Ah that is better.  If I'd known any better, I wouldn't of even laid down earlier."  He looked at Argent and gave him a weak smile.  "So how's my trainee turned commander?"

Argent exhaled slightly then looked at WoodenDale's eyes.  "Well I have two problems."

"Yes?"

"Well, perhaps just one, really."

"What are they?"  Argent caught his plural pronunciation.  He knew that he couldn't really escape now.

"Do you believe that Radiance is competent in command?"

"If he is or not, you know that it is impossible to replace him.  His troops are truthfully only loyal to the Saddle Lake Kingdom.  Plus his sister is the Minister of the Coalition, and doing that would be a pretty bad political move."  He gave a low chuckle.

"Dale, you are certainly aware that I have little to no interest in politics..."

"Well like it or not, you are in the middle of them right now.  You are probably the fifth most powerful member in the Coalition now and that is a spectacular achievement for us earth ponies."

"You rose up as well, you started as just the local militia commander over me."

"Things have certainly changed, that I will mark."

"But anyway, do you think that Radiance could become competent?"

"Well, if I was able to train you how to use a sword, I'm pretty sure that he could learn about command, but he needs to understand the importance of it."

Argent nearly commented that he was not that bad as how RiverSand was, just to remember that she was killed in combat yesterday, in fact actually trying to protect WoodenDale when he got wounded by a few enemies that broke through the line temporarily.

"You were about to say something?"

"Oh nothing."  Argent tried to discard which would of changed the tone of the conversation significantly,  "I'm pretty sure that when we make it back to Canterlot, we will have enough time to teach Radiance to make him get better at command.  It is probably the safest bet right now."

"And your other question?"

"It's not..." Argent looked down as he shuffled his front hooves,  "...really a question..."

"You are still thinking about her?"

"Her as in who do you mean?"  Agent briefly thought that he might of been talking about RiverSand.

"That filly back home, something-Grace?"

"GraceWind you mean?"

"You have still have not gotten over her?"

"Yes, I have gotten over her."

"Argent, you joined the militia because you had a broken heart.  I know that for a fact," WoodenDale said, "You really still care for that filly?"

"No, I've gotten over her, she already has a stallion of her own now, though he is an embarrassment on four legs...  You see, she never broke my heart, I broke mine myself."  He paused and looked up at the canopy of the tent, "I just don't want to do that again."

"So who is it now?"

"I don't know if she really does or not, and I hope it is just my own imagination..."

"Who is it?" and with a slight sly simile, "or I'll get BrushedFlame on you about it."

"Blackmail..." Argent mumbled.  That was one thing about WoodenDale, he was pretty crafty in his persuasion. "It's a pony that I'll certainly will not have a chance on... But I shouldn't really be worrying about these matters..."

"Oh, is it that new captain Beryl enlisted for the First Hoof Guards?  You know, I could actually find that match possible."

"Oh please, it is not going to happen.  She's a noble unicorn!  She's probably already arranged off anyway."

"Actually, I think not.  She is expected to rule Northeast Everfree, and she is a very high possibility to actually become the Leader of Everfree itself.  Plus of all the earth ponies that have probably ever existed, you probably have the highest chance ever due to your value."

"Look, I'm not looking for a filly.  I have this army that I need to take care of."

"Then what are you going to do after the war is over and the soldiers return home?  I know you don't wish to return home."

Argent started squarely at his former commander.  WoodenDale was right, he did not wish to go back to his home.  He never felt comfort there.  He didn't hate his family, be he always felt as if he failed their expectations.  He never felt that they ever understood him.  "Dale, you shouldn't make me think of personal matters, there will be time for that after the war."

"I apologize, though I do worry about you.  You are my student of sorts and well... the others are dying off."

Argent looked down at his forehooves.  He knew he was speaking of RiverSand, yet many of his comrades were gone as well, planted as seeds into the ground for peace to come.  Blurred faces from his memories were passing into his mental vision.  "I understand, but we have made it this far." .

"Yes.  We have lived this far."  Argent felt that WoodenDale's words were hollow in the stuffy tent.

"Well, WoodenDale, I have other business to attend to.  I pray that you will be able to recover promptly," and with that, Argent exited the tent with a slight swish of his brown tail.  He knew that the conversation was beginning to shift too deep into the emotional spectrum.  Argent knew that he should not fall into such topics as they expose his weaknesses for others to interpret.  He could doubt himself, but if the others doubted him then everything could fall apart.

Argent's ears picked up murmurs, which interrupted his thoughts, coming from the resting soldiers near him.  He turned his head to see a cluster standing and looking back at him.  One of them suddenly began to cheer.

"Huzzah!  Huzzah for ArgentHeart!  Huzzah for the Hero of the Free States!"

The cluster then joined in, shouting out their huzzahs.  The surrounding soldiers then turned to the commotion, noticed ArgentHeart as well, and added their voices to the cheer.

Argent looked around at the soldiers.  So many of them were bandaged and wounded, yet they raised their hooves higher and higher for ever huzzah.  Several had tears within their eyes, either from pain or joy, but they kept on adding their voices to the fabric.

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ShimmeringAgate had just removed her armor when she first heard the huzzahs.  She exited her own tent, and could tell that the sounds were coming from the Second Everfree Division.  Looking at her own brigade, she could see the earth ponies were all turned towards the sound, yet most of the unicorns tried to ignore it, or had their ears drawn back ever so slightly.  Glancing back at the earth ponies, she could also feel their want to cheer as well, but due to the proximity of the other unicorns, they remained silent.  She looked down the line to the other units of the First Everfree, and there, many hooves were rising into the air for every huzzah being given out as well.

Agate then walked to the back of her brigade where most of the earth ponies in her division was located.  She passed one earth pony, which on the moment of noticing her, bowed his head and turned away from the spectacle.  A few unicorns then watched their commander move to the back corner closest to the earth pony dominated units for the Second Everfree, giving a smug look at the other earth ponies in the brigade.

She stopped and looked down the line Second Everfree Division, and she could see ArgentHeart himself standing there at the center of the cheers, and she, for whatever reason, felt herself smile a little.

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ArgentHeart felt as if he was going to become deaf from the cheers, but yet again, they were invigorating.  The fears and worries that he had earlier were gone.  These ponies, despite the horror they had been through were still loyal and faithful to him.  Despite the two divisions in front and behind him being named for Everfree, over half of them were really volunteers from the Free Pony States, the province where Argent was from.  Yet for the cheer to be so loud and full, he knew that the ponies from Everfree itself must be a part of it as well.  WoodenDale's words, "You are probably the fifth most powerful member in the Coalition now and that is a spectacular achievement for us earth ponies," repeated in his head.  It almost gave him chills.  He looked down the lines of the First Everfree Division, until the furthest unit.

And there she was standing, with her hoof in the air and cheering, just like all the others.