Hey! It looks like you're new here. You might want to check out the introduction.
Organised by
RogerDodger
Word limit
400–750
Equestrian Defense Force
Autumn Gold pouted, crossing his forehooves. "I don't want to go."
"Tough," said his mother. "Celestia needs every able pony she can get." She ran her hoof through his golden blond hair. "Besides, all you have to do is finish your four years and you'll be set for life. That won't be so hard, right?"
"Hmpf."
"Here's your bag. Hurry and get going, you don't want to be late."
"But what if something happens to me?"
"It won't. You worry too much." She kissed him on the cheek. "Everything will be okay, you'll see."
"I hope so." He willed the lump in his throat to go away.
“Stupid helmet!” Autumn fiddled with it, but it kept slipping over his eyes.
"What are you doing?!"
"Huh?"
"Get down!" Cloud Berry leaped forward and held Autumn's head down as a magic bolt exploded nearby. "Are you stupid? You coulda been killed!"
Autumn stared at his hooves. "Sorry." His helmet slipped down again.
Cloud Berry's face softened. "It's okay. Just be more careful next time, okay?"
"Will do." Autumn smiled.
“Why are we even fighting anyway?” Autumn asked the pony next to him.
“Dunno.”
Another voice spoke up. “To protect our kingdom.” Autumn looked up, the voice had came from Cloud Berry.
“But why us?”
Berry put a hoof on Autumn’s shoulder. “Because if we don’t, who will?”
“But I don’t want to die.”
“Nopony really does. But I’m willing to if that’s what it takes to make our kingdom safe.”
“Hmm…” Autumn took another bite from his hay sandwich.
"We're surrounded!"
"There's too many of them!"
Autumn Gold said nothing, but silently agreed.
The group of cadets backed into a semicircle, each of them facing outwards. The enemy, armed with their claws and beaks, stepped closer.
"Stop being pathetic cowards. We can take them!" Cloud Berry spread his hooves and planted them firmly in the ground. "We can't let any of them get past, you hear me? No matter what, nothing gets by!"
Autumn gulped and lifted his sword up. He looked at Berry, who winked at him.
“Relax, we got this.” Berry pointed his spear towards the approaching avians and took a deep breath before bellowing, “Come and get it, cause we won’t go down easy!”
Berry ran forward into the crowd of enemies, and after taking one final breath, Autumn followed him.
It was all a blur. Autumn wasn’t even sure what had happened. He felt himself pushed to the ground as an arrow whizzed past his head. Clanging metal echoed above him and he saw flashes of purple and white. Autumn tried to crawl backwards, but one of his legs wouldn’t bulge. He looked up, a catapult had fallen on it. He tried to wrench it free, but to no avail. Finally, his vision blurred and he passed out.
He placed a hoof to his forehead and felt something sticky slide off his face. A weight pressed on his chest and he hobbled on one leg. He gazed across the impromptu battlefield. Bodies, both pony and bird, littered the ground. Autumn stumbled. Other survivors tried to help him walk, but he waved them away. There were ponies far worse off than him.
He trotted in the direction of where he saw Berry last. All he saw were streaks of blood and dented pieces of armor. He walked for what felt like ages, but finally he came to a pile-up of corpses. A purple appendage popped out from the middle.
“Berry…” Autumn lifted each of the bodies and moved them aside. All of his former weariness gone, he worked like a madmare until he had uncovered what he was looking for. He pressed his ear on Berry’s chest. A heartbeat.
“Medic!” Autumn called out.
“I’m sorry, you won’t be able to use that leg properly again.” The doctor tapped his clipboard twice. “But on the positive side, at least you’ll live.”
“But what about…” Autumn paused.
“Yes?”
“Cloud Berry. Is he okay?”
“He’s fine. Just some mild lacerations, a concussion, some bruises, but nothing that won’t heal up.”
Autumn breathed a sigh of relief. He looked up and noticed the doctor was grinning. “No, wait! It’s not what you think!”
“Suuuure.”
“Hey! You made it!” Berry called out.
“Of course! Can’t kill me that easily.” Autumn puffed out his chest. As they swapped stories of what had happened, he thought that perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad after all.
"Tough," said his mother. "Celestia needs every able pony she can get." She ran her hoof through his golden blond hair. "Besides, all you have to do is finish your four years and you'll be set for life. That won't be so hard, right?"
"Hmpf."
"Here's your bag. Hurry and get going, you don't want to be late."
"But what if something happens to me?"
"It won't. You worry too much." She kissed him on the cheek. "Everything will be okay, you'll see."
"I hope so." He willed the lump in his throat to go away.
“Stupid helmet!” Autumn fiddled with it, but it kept slipping over his eyes.
"What are you doing?!"
"Huh?"
"Get down!" Cloud Berry leaped forward and held Autumn's head down as a magic bolt exploded nearby. "Are you stupid? You coulda been killed!"
Autumn stared at his hooves. "Sorry." His helmet slipped down again.
Cloud Berry's face softened. "It's okay. Just be more careful next time, okay?"
"Will do." Autumn smiled.
“Why are we even fighting anyway?” Autumn asked the pony next to him.
“Dunno.”
Another voice spoke up. “To protect our kingdom.” Autumn looked up, the voice had came from Cloud Berry.
“But why us?”
Berry put a hoof on Autumn’s shoulder. “Because if we don’t, who will?”
“But I don’t want to die.”
“Nopony really does. But I’m willing to if that’s what it takes to make our kingdom safe.”
“Hmm…” Autumn took another bite from his hay sandwich.
"We're surrounded!"
"There's too many of them!"
Autumn Gold said nothing, but silently agreed.
The group of cadets backed into a semicircle, each of them facing outwards. The enemy, armed with their claws and beaks, stepped closer.
"Stop being pathetic cowards. We can take them!" Cloud Berry spread his hooves and planted them firmly in the ground. "We can't let any of them get past, you hear me? No matter what, nothing gets by!"
Autumn gulped and lifted his sword up. He looked at Berry, who winked at him.
“Relax, we got this.” Berry pointed his spear towards the approaching avians and took a deep breath before bellowing, “Come and get it, cause we won’t go down easy!”
Berry ran forward into the crowd of enemies, and after taking one final breath, Autumn followed him.
It was all a blur. Autumn wasn’t even sure what had happened. He felt himself pushed to the ground as an arrow whizzed past his head. Clanging metal echoed above him and he saw flashes of purple and white. Autumn tried to crawl backwards, but one of his legs wouldn’t bulge. He looked up, a catapult had fallen on it. He tried to wrench it free, but to no avail. Finally, his vision blurred and he passed out.
He placed a hoof to his forehead and felt something sticky slide off his face. A weight pressed on his chest and he hobbled on one leg. He gazed across the impromptu battlefield. Bodies, both pony and bird, littered the ground. Autumn stumbled. Other survivors tried to help him walk, but he waved them away. There were ponies far worse off than him.
He trotted in the direction of where he saw Berry last. All he saw were streaks of blood and dented pieces of armor. He walked for what felt like ages, but finally he came to a pile-up of corpses. A purple appendage popped out from the middle.
“Berry…” Autumn lifted each of the bodies and moved them aside. All of his former weariness gone, he worked like a madmare until he had uncovered what he was looking for. He pressed his ear on Berry’s chest. A heartbeat.
“Medic!” Autumn called out.
“I’m sorry, you won’t be able to use that leg properly again.” The doctor tapped his clipboard twice. “But on the positive side, at least you’ll live.”
“But what about…” Autumn paused.
“Yes?”
“Cloud Berry. Is he okay?”
“He’s fine. Just some mild lacerations, a concussion, some bruises, but nothing that won’t heal up.”
Autumn breathed a sigh of relief. He looked up and noticed the doctor was grinning. “No, wait! It’s not what you think!”
“Suuuure.”
“Hey! You made it!” Berry called out.
“Of course! Can’t kill me that easily.” Autumn puffed out his chest. As they swapped stories of what had happened, he thought that perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad after all.