Black Powder

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Day

-125

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Fort Grenzer

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The rain came down hard from the Cumulonimbus clouds above, darkening the sky completely. The ground was muddy and hard to step through. The cracks and pops of distant musket volleys mixed with booming thunder from the clouds and artillery pieces as the noises resonated throughout the valley. The frequent flashing of lightning and the orange explosions of cannon were the only things that allowed General Shining Armor to see the large star fort in front of him. He was soaking wet, his blue mane pressed flat against his coat.

The pitter-patter of droplets added ambience as they smacked into plated armor and earth. The sky was so black that it was impossible to tell that it was noon. The yells and cries of a repulsed Equestrian regiment filled his ears as he watched them rout from the battlefield.

He turned to look at his Royal Guards.

They were all adorned in the traditional gold-plated armor, the non-pegasi already deployed in line formation, four ranks deep. The pegasi hovered above their comrades, sabers hanging from their belts, ready to be drawn. The earth ponies, armed with the best hoof-fired muskets that the Principality could buy, bayonets already fixed. Wet powder may or may not be a problem. The unicorns, their magic tuned and primed to fire, ready to unleash bolts of death unto the enemy.

Eight thousand Elite Royal Guards.

They looked exhausted and miserable, which was not surprising in the least. Many of the ponies here were hardened veterans that have experienced almost a year and a half of war, while others were replacements fresh out of training. He could see the morale sapped away from the eyes of his ponies, of this he was certain.

They didn't want to fight anymore.

They were tired and had enough.

He needed to rally them.

Now.

"Look at those conscripts run!" he scoffed, watching the routing line regiment.

"Everypony knows that the Royal Guards are a volunteer force! The heart of a conscript is weaker and more tragic. A volunteer is the mark of a true soldier! We have proven this time and time again! Remember Karmaden? Hawthorne Heights? Maybe the Valley of the Damned rings a bell?  Let us show them how we fight! Let us show them the Equestrian Royal Guards!"

He darted his head back and forth through the ranks, and he could already tell that wasn't going to be enough. The weariness in their eyes did not fade like it had before, these ponies were burned out. Shining was now starting to get irritated. His elite troops still did not want to fight.

But he needed them to.

He nodded to them and smiled as he let his hardened demeanor slip. He continued to face all of them, the flashes of artillery from the fort behind him lighting up his face. Howitzer shells burst above the high walls at random intervals, leaving lingering clouds of black. That fort was the last thing standing between them and the enemy capital city.

"Looks like history's made room for us after all," he said casually as he calmly walked toward the ranks.

"What's wrong? Many of you don't feel like going?" he asked nonchalantly.

He stepped through the ranks, guards moving aside to let him through. They all turned to face him, some with guilt in their eyes, others with a tired glaze.

But all of them listened to their general.

"It's fine. I do," Shining stated with a soft chuckle.

Then his smile disappeared.

"I'll take this fort alone! And destiny will be waiting! Shots will bounce off me! Cannonballs will swerve with fear! Not one of you needs to take this fort. But I absolutely insist, you come with me and watch me take it!"

He exited the ranks and returned to the front of the line. The energy in his voice and his very being was emanating from him, his guards feeling the warm glow from it lifting their spirits.

"You will come with me and watch me take it!" he emphasized.

"Wolf tail!"

At this order, the earth guards poised their bayonets, the unicorns lowered their horns and the pegasi drew their sabers. Shining Armor turned to look at his guards one last time. The fire in their eyes had been rekindled, at least for now.

That was all he needed.

"If I go forward...follow me. If I retreat...shoot me. And if I'm killed...avenge me."

He drew his own saber.

"AVENGE ME!!!!"

A massive cry of eight thousand voices filled the valley that surrounded the fortress, encasing the entire countryside of northern Karalia in a roar that would be remembered for ages.

General Shining Armor plunged himself into the darkness as every last guard charged in after him.