~~~

The Ponies who had, only a minute before, been waiting stepped over the lip of the trench into view on the hillside, forming a preplanned formation that I had thought over for weeks.

In the distant city, the same thing could be said with gold clad Unicornian soldiers. They too quickly formed into a formation and began to run across the valley.

A great cloud of dust was kicked up as they began their charge.

Appleflower’s apprentices stepped forward, taking their place at the very front of the formation. They were dressed in their salvaged Earthbreaker armor, whatever pieces could fit their smaller frames that is. They looked like foals in adult clothing. But still, the sight of the Earthbreaker armor was a fierce one compared to the Unicornian guard charging forward.

The oncoming dust cloud partially blocked the view of the City.

“Ponies!” Appleflower boomed, her own armor almost impeccably sized for her frame, even with the prosthetics she wore.

It could've been me to give this speech, but I knew Appleflower wanted to lead this charge. And It only made sense, for the most experienced Earthbreaker at the front to say the words.

It would've looked odd if I gave a speech only to fall in line behind the heavily armored leading edge.

But I felt my heart tighten as I watched her.

I know I left the decision in her hooves of course, but I dearly hoped she had changed her mind and would fall back before we committed, and didn't join in the fighting. But I knew deep down that was not to be.

I may not have known most of their names, but far too many Ponies had died in my war across the North.

I didn’t want to add Appleflower’s name to that list.

“Ah have taught ya all that Ah can! In the eyes of the order, ye’d all be brand new squires!” she walked past me as I stood in the third line.

Behind me, stood Stygian. The pike that held my silver Moon banner clutched against his breast.

“But thar ain’t nopony who Ah would rather be here with! Each an’ everyone of ya have stepped forward when the time came. When even the Order could not rise to its own defense! Ya all have come here taday because ya think it’s the right ta do!”

The Ponies in front of me stiffed, breasts swelling in pride.

“The Ponies who charge before us stand ta steal our lives for their own greed! Willin’ ta sacrifice us all fer their own desires! The lives of every peace and Summer loving Pony stands behind us! Unable ta protect themselves!”

The air thickened with tension.

Everypony present knew that the time to prove themselves was now. Many had been inexperienced in their role just a few months ago, swinging scythes and the craftspony art was replaced with slashing swords, jabbing spears, and swinging warhammers.

“Taday we do what many thought impossible! Ta bring peace ta our land! Peace not felt since the Flight of the Alicorns! The first Ponies! Our ancestors of old! Taday we change history! The dawn of a new age is upon us! An’ we will all be the Heroes who brought it about!”

Appleflower turned towards the distant formation of the charging Unicorns.

“Fer the Alicorns! Fer the innocent behind us! Fer Ponies everywhere!”

A great roar rose around us, as everypony present gave their approval.

The giant Pony reared above, and turned on her hooves, fake and otherwise.

“CHAAAAAAAAAAARGE!”

Everypony surged forward.

I realized I was screaming as well, and already tensing to spring forward.

I obliged to commit.

The literal wave of the army rose around me. The heads of those taller than me and the ends of long weapons dominated my view.

Slowly, as everything began to move, the weapons lowered forward.

The various spears dipped out of few as they pointed forward.

Ahead of me, the four or five Earthbreaker acolytes had their hammers, axes and mauls between their jaws, their pumping legs not so much as gliding over the ground, but actively hitting the dirt as if it were an enemy as well. The Pegasi skirmishers took to the wing, allowing the heads of the pikes to replace the space they were occupying, focusing their attention on the oncoming areas between the Earthbreakers themselves. The Unicorns, and those Earth Ponies who had not made the cut for the Acolytes ahead, followed behind with their myriad of weapons.

The city rose high in the distance.

The cloud of dust was close.

I braced.

Ahead, the Earthbreakers began to twitch and clatter as they crashed into what seemed to be more plates of metal.

The Unicorns in gold tried, and failed to slow the Earthbreaker squires down, their horns sparking as their personal shields completely failed to protect them.

At full speed, they rammed themselves into them. Anything to slow them down or stop them.

The Earthbreakers plowed forward, almost oblivious to the Unicorns in front of them.

As they fell off between the Earthbreakers, the bodies of the Unicorns began to flash past, obviously unable to protect themselves from the onrush of so many hooves. Pounding the ground below with reckless abandon.

I plowed over one. Two. Three myself.

But off to my sides, several whipped past.

I didn’t try to go for any, I didn’t want to jostle those around me. So I screamed onward.

Four.

The amount of Unicorns ahead lessened, as we broke through their first line.

And still, the Earthbreakers surged forward heedless of any of them.

They had put half their force into the leading edge.

An Earthbreaker to my right fell.

A lucky jab between a gap in her loose armor had caught her shoulder, stopping her momentum abruptly.

The Earthbreakers on either side filled the gap.

Unicorns in gold began to rush past again.

Five.

A Unicorn with a sword came up before me.

He had managed to get through the widened gap.

He snarled as he rose the sword in an attack.

My own Unicornian sword was already pointed at his throat.

The others behind me began to zip by, my momentum slowing from dealing with the Unicorn with the now slashed throat.

I jumped over the certainly doomed stallion and attempted to catch up to my position in the line.

Stygian did a small hop as he kept behind me, jumping over the fallen stallion. The pike banner awkwardly held aloft in his magic.

The body of a figure in gold, already doomed, zipped by me.

A Pegasus swooped, jabbing a Unicorn with a spear, stopping her cold from killing an Earth Pony.

Another angry Unicorn rose their sword at me.

I bumped him and passed by, off balancing him to give another Pony beside me a chance to kill him.

A Spear snapped by me, as its holder succumbed to an attack.

Six.

The area before us cleared again.

The break in the wall was being flooded with figures in gold. Their shields, both magical and physical stood out, doing whatever they could to stop us from passing through.

I raised my sword, already renewing myself for the attack.

The Earthbreakers surged.

They would break through or die trying.

I followed behind.

The- Wait? What is-

A mare with a white coat and pink mane ran besides me.

Magenta eyes flicked to me.

Tia?

Tia?!

What was Celestia doing here?!

I thought I had told her to stay behind!

What-

A gleam of gold slashed at me.

I ducked, slashing my own sword underneath to cut one of the mare’s leg muscles, to severely weaken her as Ponies rose around me, giving me less space to move as we flooded into the space between the front lines.

The Earth breakers had slowed their pace.

I slammed into a golden shield. Its owner having avoided the Earthbreakers in front of me by sheer happenstance. I pushed at it, trying to figure out where the grip point was, trying to push underneath and thrust at him from below.

I was going to get through. No matter what.

A Pegasi had landed on the lip between the neighboring shields, drawing the attention of the Stallion on the other side of gold.

I pried open a gap in the shield and lunged forward.

I blocked a jab at me from the side with a quick drawing of my knife, A Unicorn in polished gold had seen me lunging for his friend.

I turned my sword to push the spear away, doing a twirl to bring the blade around in an attack.

A pitchfork beat me to it as a Pegasus speared him in the neck.

The Earthbreakers lunged ahead, only briefly slowed. The Unicorns shield line was suddenly full of holes.

The sheer number of peasants flooded those openings, pushing through by being too overwhelming to stop.

Another Unicorn rose to attack.

The white and pink form of Celestia slashed her own sword at his exposed hock, tripping him and giving a peasant with a wood carving knife a chance to stab at his throat.

The Earthbreakers loomed ahead, caught in a fight against an invisible force.

They had impacted the Unicorn’s magical shield.

I rushed to an Earthbreakers side. Already slashing at the field with my sword, and turning into a savage buck as I slide to a stop.

A peasant impacted the shield, pressing to my side.

The Earthbreakers punched the shield, with such a might I thought I would break my leg if I were to match it.

A flashing of light as a Pegasus tried to zap the shield with their own inner lightning.

Keep hitting it! Disrupt the matrixes!

I bucked with the other leg, trying to use what momentum I still had.

An Earthbreaker off to my lift roared as he slipped through.

The shield was broken.

Something white and pink slipped through besides me.

Celestia surged ahead.

“Wait! Tia!” I called out.

I didn’t want her to get ambushed as we pushed into the city.

But if she, or anypony for that matter, heard me, she gave no response.

A peasant ran between us.

I pushed myself up to rush ahead of the peasant, hoping I could skirt in front of the line of Ponies to see where my sister had went.

Tia you fool! You absolute fool! This is the last place you should be!

A flash of yellow light as I heard Tia shout a warcry.

She’s not far.

“Tia!” I called out, slowing down and doing what I could to crane my neck, looking around.

Peasants surged around me.

Thankfully, there was just enough room for the line to split into a courtyard, giving more than enough room for free movement again.

Tia was off to my right, caught up and wrestling a Stallion in gold.

I surged ahead, using what momentum I had left to rush ahead of the Peasants still behind me.

They paid me no heed.

I was just part of the onrush.

Tia jumped off the stallion, who was already soaked with red liquid.

“Tia- Uh…” I looked around thinking now would be a good time to urge the attack forward. “Onward Ponies! To the Castle!” I proclaimed loudly.

The Peasants around me roared, moving in a direction off to my left, soon giving me enough room to see Tia duck into a side street.

She probably remembered the fastest route forward was.

I rushed after her.

I needed to protect her.

She was too important to the Unification.

She was too important to me.

Author's Note

We all know what's coming.

The vibe: https://youtu.be/8t9eL-5wMFc?si=KMFmb-WVfA9Ve129