“Captain Shining Armor, do you challenge the charges placed against you by your partner?”

“No, your Highness. Captain Venture’s accusations are all true. I turned myself in shortly after.” Shining said. The captain stood in the position of attention, dignified and honorable, as if on parade.

Celestia swallowed silently. Having received an order to depart, a relief column would undoubtedly be on their way to Drift Station by now, likely arriving mid morning. In the unlikely event that those soldiers could hold, the relief column may just save them, turning the most disastrous Equestrian military defeat in a hundred years into just another battle.

Just another battle wouldn’t capture the minds of the Equestrian nation. Just another casualty figure wouldn’t convince them of how corrupt their government had become. They needed a crushing defeat; a victory was contrary to her plans in the worst way.

There was also the matter of the young Captain. Shining Armor’s appointment as Captain of the Guard two years ago had been unwelcome by many of the aristocracy due to his youth. The only reason they had accepted him at all was because it meant that Captain Watchward would finally retire. If the nobility heard about Shining’s infraction (and doubtless they would, few secrets could thrive for long in halls of power such as these) they would demand some kind of disciplinary action. To fail to provide it would only make the House of Lords less amenable to her plans.

Celestia gave Captain Armor a stern stare. To punish one for a noble act was despicable, but the soldier had forced her hoof.

“Captain, you had the gall to presume to issue orders to an officer twice your senior in rank, and decades in seniority,” Celestia said. “As if this were not enough, when instructed of the inappropriateness of your actions, you proceeded not only to commit insubordination by refusing a direct order, but to commit fraud and to treason by impersonating me! I am a tolerant mare, but such flagrant disregard for law, and for your position, entrusted to you in the highest of confidence by the ponies of this nation, is unbecoming of a stallion of your stature. I recognize that you had good intentions, but your intentions pale in comparison to the seriousness of your actions.”

Shining Armor looked shocked, he hadn’t honestly expected Celestia would be this upset with him. He exchanged a brief glance with Iron Venture, who gave him a sympathetic look. General Thorn, however, tried his best to hide a satisfied expression. After a career of dealing with idiot nobles covering their own flanks rather than doing their duty, Shining Armor’s dedication to the lives of the soldiers at Drift Station was a breath of fresh air.

Celestia continued. “I trusted you, Shining Armor. There were those who believed that you had been promoted to Captain before you were ready, that your ascension through the ranks was unjustifiably swift. I chose not to believe them; I thought your heroism and honor would speak for themselves. I even offered you a title when I gave you permission to marry my niece. And this is how I am repaid?” She took a moment to look at the Captain. Shining Armor looked utterly crushed, his eyes wide with disbelief, like a frightened schoolcolt.

Celestia felt sick to her stomach. She really did trust Shining Armor, and precisely because he was willing to sacrifice of himself for the benefit of strangers. Just as Twilight Sparkle had been her faithful student, Shining Armor had been her faithful guardian. He had never faltered in the face of his enemies, the soldiers under his command (of any race) would have followed him to the gates of Tartarus and further. He had never compromised his integrity in the name of political gain. Those qualities had endeared him to the Princess, and upon hearing of his proposal to Mi Amore Cadenza, she had been ecstatic. But now those very qualities that made him such a fine soldier had made him a liability. And Celestia did not have the luxury of being able to tolerate liabilities.

She spoke once more. In the same tone she had used to chastise Twilight Sparkle at Shining’s wedding rehearsal.

“I am very disappointed in you, Shining. As of this moment you are on disciplinary probation. Until further notice I revoke your rank, and all associate privileges and responsibilities thereof. General Thorn, you may excuse yourself.”

On his way out, the General gave Shining Armor a nod of approval, which Shining returned.

“Captain Venture?” Celestia asked, motioning for him to follow her as she walked to a window. “Shining Armor, wait outside until a guard detail comes to collect you.” Shining saluted and departed as Venture came to a stop alongside Celestia.

Venture was about to speak out in Shining’s defense, having assumed this was why he had been called over, but Celestia spoke first.

“Why didn’t you stop him?”

“He was... insistent.”

Celestia looked at Venture seriously. “How so?”

“The same way he always is. Permission to-”

“Just go ahead and speak freely! This isn’t the time to stand on ceremony!” The Princess snapped.

“Completely freely?” Venture asked cautiously.

“Why do you think I sent Shining and Thorn from the room?”

Venture collected himself. Celestia may put him in the stocks right along with his counterpart, but that didn’t worry him too much anymore. If Shining was going down, he wouldn’t go down alone.

“Due respect? He doesn’t bucking deserve what you just threw at him. He did the right thing in any reasonable soldier’s book. He saw troops that needed help, and he took action to make sure they got it. That’s his job. I don’t know what you think you’re playing at, but if you think that defying a stupid order to throw away lives is worth a treason charge; then I have gravely misjudged you.”

Almost as soon as the words had left his mouth Venture regretted them. Not only was it dangerous to question the decisions of the Princess, it was also incredibly presumptuous. Who the hay did Venture think he was to question the will of a being on a whole other level of understanding than him? What possible weight could his limited view hold with her, in comparison to the scope of her power?

To Venture’s surprise, however, the comment seemed to strike a chord with the Alicorn. She closed her eyes, looking incredibly hurt. Venture could have sworn she was about to cry when she choked out her reply.

“What you have said... is very true. The Captain has acted with nothing but the highest regard for his station.”

“Then why burn him for it?” Venture pleaded.

“I am under pressure from more forces than you can realize. Shining Armor’s actions put me in an incredibly difficult position. One which I fear I am unable to divulge to you.”

Venture shook his head. “So he bears your burdens? Falls on his sword at your command?”

Celestia wanted to deny him. She wanted to run outside and apologize to the Captain, repeal his charges and reward him for his actions. But she could not, at least not until she realized how deeply Shining’s interference had affected her plan. She replied the only way she could, her words only making the pit in her stomach sink lower.

“Such is the duty of a soldier.”

Venture swallowed and stood to attention. There really was nothing left to be said then. The Princess had made her decision.

“Permission to be dismissed your Highness?” He said curtly.

“Iron... this wasn’t what I intended.”

“Permission to be dismissed?” He repeated.

“I... granted.”

Iron Venture saluted, turned around and left the room, leaving Celestia with nothing to do but reflect. She retired to her bedchamber, and allowed herself the respite of crying in front of her mirror.

*****

Gale walked up to the barricades where his soldiers were awaiting the charge. Looking at them, seeing their despair, was almost too much for the young Lieutenant to handle. He wanted desperately to say something, anything to lift their spirits and transform them into the warriors he had seen yesterday, but no words came. The worst part was that the situation had not even changed since the day before, the scope of it had merely become evident. Dolce Di Mezzo was shaking with fear, Zephyr Whisk’s trademark smile was nowhere to be seen, and even the collected Penitent Shield looked to be feeling the strain.

Gale looked towards his enemies again. An echelon of several hundred approaching ahead of the main force. Their advance was slow, intimidating Gale and his troops to no end. Dwaal walked up beside Gale and spoke calmly. “I suppose I’ll die just as I always knew I would, just as I always lived.”

Gale turned to look at the Boerperd soldier. “I suppose you always pictured yourself dying with your kin though.”

Dwaal looked Gale straight in the eyes. “Meneer, after today, we’re as good as kin.”

Gale gave him a weak smile, which he returned. Looking back at the zebra echelon, Gale could see they were just outside of firing range. Again they began beating their hooves against the ground. They hooted and shouted, at first seeming quite random, but then one ran out ahead of the formation and yelled something. The zebra responded with a collective hoot.

Gale was fascinated by the action. Though it was hardly the rank and file precision of his own army, there was clearly a disciplined drill to it. The zebra began to chant, a low, powerful melody, with words that only Dwaal had a hope of understanding fully, but the purpose was very clear. Different sections began chanting different words and at different speeds, but the harmony made for, what Gale thought, was actually not half bad of a musical piece. The effect it had on the zebra was unquestionable, even from 700 meters their vigor was easily observed. They looked in high spirits, ready to spell the demise of their enemy. Even without guns and armor, they looked as effective as any army Gale could think of.

As the song continued, inspiration struck Gale. All his soldiers needed was a reminder of who they were, of what they fought for.

Gale trotted over to Dolce Di Mezzo.

“Private.”

“S-Sir,” Di Mezzo responded shakily.

“You’re the choir director yes?”

“I, yes sir.”

“Do you think Equestria can’t do any better than that?”

The colt looked at Gale, puzzled for a moment. But as the realization hit him, he calmed. Finding solace in one of the only areas of military skill he was really proficient in, Di Mezzo collected himself.

“Well, they’ve an excellent bass section sir, but I think we’ve got them beat for top tenors.”

“Then I think you know better than I how to respond to this particular maneuver.”

The corners of Di Mezzo’s mouth almost lifted into a smile as he responded.

“The anthem then, sir?”

Gale scoffed. “Circle of Friends is too short, too passive. We need something bigger.”

“I think I’ve just the thing sir.”

Gale nodded, passing the soldier his command whistle.

“This may be the most important performance of your life Private. Whatever happens after... make it count.”

The Private composed himself, levitating the whistle to his mouth. He stood up and played a quick, three note call. Some choir ponies turned their heads instinctively, and gave the Private a confused glance. Penitent Shield’s gaze darted back and forth between the Lieutenant and the Private, trying to determine what had transpired.

As soon as he knew he had the choir’s attention, Di Mezzo called out, not in the booming authoritative voice that Lieutenant Storm possessed, but in a softer, more businesslike tone.

“Number four,” Dolce said. Under his breath he counted out one measure, and then took in a breath and began to sing.

“Blessed bodies of the Heavens,

Sun and Moon of greatest light,”

A couple of other choir ponies near Di Mezzo caught on quickly, picking up on the piece they had rehearsed so well. As those near Dolce followed along, the rest of the choir began to join in while their fellow soldiers stood bewildered.

“Bathe us in your warm embraces

Shield us with your peerless might”

Gale saw that the soldiers around him were confused, to say the least. Most stood there slack jawed while the choir performed their piece. The entirety of the choir had chimed in by this point and it sounded beautiful, but it wouldn’t do. Gale didn’t need to entertain his soldiers, he needed to electrify them. Clearly that meant that every stallion on base had to be singing, making Di Mezzo’s choice, an almost universally known alternative to the National Anthem, all the more potent.

“Come on you lot!” Gale cried out as the choir finished the third line. “Sing! All of you!”

“Help us to stand firm as mountains,” Gale bellowed at them as they sang. “SING DAMN YOU!”

Doing right and shunning wrong”

Gale turned and faced Penitent Shield. Though their eyes only met for a moment, the look of determination in Gale’s eyes, and the animalistic will to survive that it conveyed struck a chord with the exhausted stallion. Though Penitent had never sung to anypony other than his shower head, he found himself joining in around ‘shunning wrong’.

“May we find our strength in friendship

Unite our herd as one group strong.”

Gale roared, his throat beginning to go hoarse from all the orders and shouting.

“COME ON ALL OF YOU! WITH HEART DAMMIT! I WANT THEM TO HEAR YOU BACK AT TEA TIME IN CANTERLOT!”

Penitent Shield and Zephyr Whisk were singing now, along with just about every Equestrian soldier in the station.

“Kindness save our herd from sorrow

Laughter lift us through the day!”

As more soldiers joined in, the singing became more emphatic, more emotional. It had gone from a lovely choir piece to a military attitude check. Brimming with more testosterone than talent. Which was precisely what Gale wanted.

“Honesty shall purge our anger

Generous we'll be in our ways”

As they sung of the revered Elements of Harmony, something began to change in the tired soldiers. Whether it was the religiosity of the piece, the patriotic fervor it inspired, or the simple fact that they all sang it as one. They all stood a little straighter, their faces a little harder, and their minds a little more fierce.

“Loyal to our roots remain us

Day by day the magic swells!”

At the mention of loyalty, often called ‘the soldiers element’, the cautious optimism that had begun seeping into the soldiers was multiplied. They felt again less like an army, and more like a brotherhood. Their loyalty to country, to Celestia, to each other, and to whatever else they each held dear flashed through their minds. Though a civilian would still see only a group of exhausted stallions with dirt on their faces butchering a beloved folk song, Gale saw a group of soldiers, reawakening a fortitude that minutes ago he had thought was all but spent.

“Love and tolerance shall lead us

O'er the seas and hills and dells.”

Here, Gale realized that he himself was not singing along with them. At ‘tolerance’ he rushed to the nearest sandbagged rampart. At a gallop he jumped up onto it, his forehooves resting at the top.

By the second line, he tore off his helmet and threw it to the side. Better just another stallion on the danger line than a self-important officer. A mild wind blew Gale’s mane in front of his eyes, prompting him to shake it to the side. Gale briefly thought he saw a flash of light out of the corner of his eye, but elected to ignore it completely.

A pause came after ‘hills and dells’. The choir knew it, but the rest didn’t know it exactly, leading to a couple of, now zealous, soldiers, jumping the gun a little. Gale made a particular effort to be as loud as possible, preferably enough such that the soldiers could pick out his voice amongst all of theirs.

“In brotherhood we stand together

In sisterhood may we find grace!”

There was a definite change of mood. Penitent and his fellow soldiers were far from gung ho, but no longer were they contemplating their inevitable destruction. The looming terror disappeared, replaced only by the next two lines of the song, occupying all of their minds.

“The Sun and Moon shall ever guide our

Never ending pony race!”

As the next line came forth, Gale turned his head back to face his soldiers, a hoof raised to the sky. His throat burned from the constant bellows, but he knew the next two lines were crucial. Putting aside the fire in his lungs, Gale yelled louder than he ever had in his life. Every muscle burned as hot as the sun itself, the inside of his throat felt as if it were about to snap, but still he cried out, refusing to allow his voice to crack or falter in any way.

“WHY SHOULD WE FEAR THREATS OF DISCORD,

STANDING NOW ALL HERE AS ONE?”

Dwaal Klip watched with a sober satisfaction. He didn’t know a single word of the song, but to see the Equestrians take so much pride in it reassured him. Perhaps they would not survive the attack, but as far as the Boerperd was concerned, these soldiers were as worthy as he to lie dead upon his ancestral land.

“WE SHALL FIND OUR STRENGTH IN FRIENDSHIP

HERD UNITE AS OOOOOOONE.....”

Gale looked back to the zebra, their whole echelon was oncoming, egged on by the Equestrian counter to their chant. Gale scowled and thought of calling the command to fire, but realized that he had a little time, and more importantly;

The song wasn’t over.

“GROOOOOOUUUUP....”

Gale galloped back to his position along the redoubt, motioning for Verdant Dart and Dwaal Klip to follow him. The three ponies ran in a wedge and quickly got into position. They exchanged determined nods as the song came to its final word.

“STROOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG!”

The end of Dolce Di Mezzo’s performance was the cue for Gale’s to resume

“AT 300 YARDS! INDEPENDANT! FIRE AT WILL!”

Again the guns sounded forth, pouring fire into the rushing zebra ranks. The first two rows became an almost disorienting mess of white, black, and red, as hit zebra tumbled and were trampled under the hooves of their comrades, who maintained the advance regardless. Another set of shots poured out as the Equestrians found themselves reloading their weapons and choosing targets at an almost supernatural speed. Even Penitent’s cold, methodical process had disappeared, replaced only by instinct. His mind made no considerations, his hooves seemed almost guided by their own design, allowing a kind of fluidity and elegance to his motions that simply had never before been present in his fighting. This free flowing, instinctual action allowed him to get off five rounds, more than he would have thought possible at this range, before the zebra closed.

The first one leapt over the rampart, but only managed to meet Zephyr Whisk’s bayonet. Zephyr moved to the side and let the zebra roll onto the ground behind him. As another came over, Penitent struck him in the gut with his forehooves, also connecting with the bayonet, and forced the zebra back over the rampart into the onrushing crowd of its allies.

Though it appeared successful so far, Gale could see that holding the outer rampart was an untenable option that wouldn’t hold much longer. He nudged Verdant Dart in the side, and the NCO looked at his Lieutenant.

“It’s time! Pull them back!” Gale said briefly, the pain in his throat flaring up again at even the most minor use of his voice. Dart nodded and pulled up the bugle attached to his belt. The Warrant Officer put the instrument to his lips and blew as hard and fast as he could manage, doing his best to approximate the sound of the ‘retreat’.

Luckily there was minimal confusion from the soldiers on the ramparts, who pushed, shoved, stabbed, struck, and in some cases shot their enemies before rushing back to the redoubt as fast as they could manage.

Sweat poured down Gale’s face. If they failed to form in time, there was no way they would be able to get enough fire on the enemy to hold them back. It would turn into another mess of individual melees again, which would eventually, through numbers if nothing else, end in the Equestrians’ defeat.

As the defenders ran from the ramparts with the enemy hot on their tails, Gale played his trump card, Fourth Platoon. Since the soldiers were distributed in much the same way as they had been yesterday, Fourth was held in reserve behind the redoubt.

“REDOUBT VOLLEY!” Gale called. Fourth Platoon emerged from behind the redoubt and stood at its edge, their heads and weapons poking out over the top.

“FIRE!” The pain in Gale’s throat was almost more than he could stand. At Gale’s command, the platoon fired into the zebra pouring over the outer sandbags and pursuing the retreating defenders. Buying the Equestrian forces those much needed seconds to form into three ranks and load.

Gale opened his mouth, and a horror overtook him. The fire of battle within him turned to ice, and his mind was paralyzed with fear. He had lost his voice. Not a single sound came out when he tried to call his command. In an instant the young Lieutenant felt everything he had fought for come crashing down. He saw the widows, mothers, and children of 150 soldiers weeping at the horrific headlines, and the dismembered guts of his soldiers as they lay dead on a foreign field.

All because their CO had lost his damned voice.

Gale’s fears went on not even a second. Verdant Dart picked up on the look on his commander’s face, the failure to materialise an order, and stepped in, his own voice considerably less hoarse than that of the stunned Lieutenant.

“VOLLEY FIRE BY RANKS!”

Penitent saw a zebra less than ten meters away and braced himself. If this was to be the end, there wasn’t a snowflake’s chance in Tartarus that he was going down without the biggest fight of his life.

“FRONT RANK, FIRE!” Dart called out. At this Zephyr, Dolce, and the other soldiers in the front rank let loose their weapons, dropping untold zebra, and leaving Penitent to ready for his order.

“SECOND RANK, FIRE!”

Penitent fired almost without looking. The horde was so dense that a single round in any direction would take at least one, if not two to four because of the penetration effect.

“THIRD RANK! FIRE!”

Penitent reloaded his weapon as quickly as he could, pulling a round out of the pouch and into the breech in record time. By the time he had reloaded, the front rank had already fired again, and his order came.

Gale took a breath and fired his own cuff wherever he saw an opportunity. After three more sets of rank calls from Dart, he felt confident that he could chime in again, and the two began to alternate the calls.

Penitent saw that each volley only seemed to bring the zebra closer. They had gone from ten meters away to no more than two. The two commanders had compensated for this by trimming the command simply to ‘fire’. But even with the milliseconds this gave, it seemed to Penitent that it was just not enough. Though he was totally prepared to accept a charge with his bayonet, the memory of yesterday’s melees made him considerably anxious, fumbling his rounds slightly more with each volley.

Gale, however, saw a totally different picture. Though Verdant Dart assumed he had lost his voice again, Gale noted that the ranks of the zebra were thinning quite spectacularly. And after three calls by Verdant Dart on his own, Gale gave yet another order.

“CEASE FIRING!”

A couple more shots echoed out, but largely they were finished. The volume of smoke obscured each soldier’s vision terribly, but the wind dissipated it after only a few moments. When it was gone, there wasn’t a single live zebra anywhere near the station. Before them lay instead a field of bodies. From literally inches away from the soldiers hooves, a layer of zebra, and some pony, corpses lay strewn throughout the station.

The sight of all the bodies almost offset the relief at the repulse of the attack. There were easily hundreds. Each soldier was within ten feet of dozens. The mixed feeling they all felt was expressed in their reaction. There was no cheering, no more song, and no laughter. There was however a collective sigh of relief. Cleansing and rejuvenating though it felt, it served also to remind each and every soldier at the outpost just how exhausted they were, how much their muscles ached, and how close to death they had just come. Though not in perfect sync, of course, the collective exhale was close enough to be audible.

If any of the soldiers had been looking at their commander as opposed to the field, they would have seen him close his eyes and nearly faint. He felt it just as they all did, and though he felt sick for a moment at the carnage before him, that feeling was overshadowed by a thought they all shared.

They were alive. And it was over.

Author's Note

Song used is 'Equestrian National Anthem. Music by Sprocket Doggingsworth, Lyrics by Midnight-Cobra. Used with permission.
Link to the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZISo1NFO7AQ
Link to Sprockets Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/sdoggingsworth?feature=watch
Link to Midnight-Cobra's DeviantArt: http://midnight-cobra.deviantart.com/
Thank you both very much for your permission, I can't think of a better piece to have put here.