Rosie and I marched side by side up to the gates of the fort, our strides straight and confident as the barrier was moved out of our way, allowing us to enter the main courtyard just as a group of guards walked past us from left to right. It didn’t take long for us to spot Twilight and her friends off to one side, Swift and Shadow Fury standing in front of the mares as they dropped down into a push-up and back up again. Even from a distance I could see the sheen of sweat on the poor girls, although that didn’t seem to deter them as they dutifully pushed through the pain and dropped back down for another round.

Rosie and I shared a look as we walked up to the group, Swift and Fury pausing in their count to glance our way before returning to their direction of the six. I took up position on Swift’s left while Rosie fell in on mine, allowing us to talk as Fury called out the cadence.

“So, I heard that the girls were getting some training in combat, but I never imagined you’d be training them yourself.” I whispered to the earth pony as Fluttershy finally collapsed from the strain, only to get back up again as Fury marched up and calmly motivated the pegasus with the threat of even more training if she gave up now.

“They’ve been doing well,” Swift replied without shifting her gaze from the girls, “at least compared to some of the other recruits I’ve dealt with in the past. It’s nice to see you again. Did you manage to get your own training done?”

I nodded, “Rosie and I are ready to go. We just need to form up with our troops and then we can head out to kill some necromancers.”

Swift smirked as she turned away from Fury and the girls, leading Rosie and I through the compound towards the center staging area, “Princess Celestia and Luna said that they’d be arriving fairly soon to give some kind of motivational speech. Don’t know what they hope to achieve by doing that, though. These guards aren’t ready to fight a herd of buffalo, let alone an army of the undead.” She let out a sigh as we came to a stop next to the commander’s stage, near the far side of the staging grounds, “I know that most of these stallions and mares are new to all of this, but I still can’t help but feel like we’re jumping into a fight that we’re going to lose. We aren’t ready for a battle of this kind. I don’t think we ever will be prepared to fight the undead. Maybe it’s just the nerves talking now that the time has finally come, but I’m scared of what we’re going to face out there. I don’t want to lead these ponies to their deaths if there is any other option.”

I placed a hand on her withers, catching her attention as she looked up at me, “We’ll make it through this, Swift. Count on that. The enemy might have the fear factor, but we have courage and devotion on our side. We will face these monsters, and we will come out on top at the end of the day. Will ponies die? Yes, but their sacrifice will not go unavenged because we will make sure that the enemy is destroyed once and for all. No one will ever have to fear the night again once we remove these dark sorcerers from our home.”

Her lips curled into a smile as she shifted her gaze to something behind me, “Well it looks like we won’t have to wait much longer. The Princesses have arrived.”

Rosie and I turned around and spotted Celestia and Luna walking through the courtyard, the majority of the guards stopping to salute before returning to their duties. Across the compound, Fury allowed the girls to rise to shaky legs, leading the group over to us as Luna and Celestia came to a halt next to the stage.

“Greetings Lieutenant Colonel,” Luna said, “I take it your training has been completed?”

I nodded, “Yes ma’am. Rosie and I are ready to fight and will do our best to take down the enemy.”

The royal sisters shared a look as the guards began forming up before the stage, the commanders looking rather nervous but still acting professional before their princesses.

Luna gave Celestia a nod as they turned their attention back to me, “We thought it might be a good idea if somepony gave the troops a bit of motivation.” Celestia’s face fell slightly as she glanced over her shoulder at the gathering troops, “We understand that most of these ponies have never been in combat before, so if they heard some encouraging words from somepony who has seen battle, they might not feel so uncertain about what is to come.”

“That is why we would like for you to speak to them,” Luna added, “because you have more experience than any of our ponies when it comes to fighting a war. You do not have to accept, but we would be eternally grateful if you would consider sharing a few words with your troops.”

I glanced down at Fury, who nodded his agreement, while Twilight and the others offered their own encouraging words. Rosie smiled and saluted, dropping her claws back to the dirt as I shifted my gaze back to the sisters.

“You really think they’ll listen to anything I have to say?” I asked. When they nodded, I let out a small sigh, squaring my shoulders and holding my head high, “Then I’ll do my best. I’ve never given a pre-war speech, but I can do what I can to give these ponies some motivation.”

“That is all we ask.” Celestia’s royal mask fell back into place as she and Luna climbed the steps of the stage, the rest of the ponies following while Rosie and I brought up the rear.

It never dawned on me until that point how large an actual army could be, but as my eyes fell onto the gathered guards below, I felt my heart speed up as I realized that I was going to be talking to tens of thousands of ponies, if the numbers for each platoon were even close to the same as back home. A nearly endless sea of silver and gold stretched out before me, reaching all the way to the far side of the fort and reducing individuals to collective masses of reflective metal.

I felt a small tingle of magic wash over me and I glanced behind me to see that Luna’s horn had ignited with a soft glow. I nodded my thanks, having a pretty good idea what she had done. I turned back to face the troops, who were all watching me with unwavering gazes and expectant gleams in their eyes.

“Um, hello everyone.” My voice echoed through the air as the amplification spell took my soft tone and projected it over the entire army, “I’ve been asked to give some words of encouragement to all of you, given that this is the first true war that any of you have fought in. What I am not going to tell you, is that every single one of you is going to come back alive. Forget everything you’ve been taught as a guard and listen to me here and now. War is Hell, and people are going to die. But I have something else to say that will help to keep as many of you alive as possible in the coming battles. And all of it starts with a single question.”

I paused for a moment to let my words sink in, and then I started what I hoped would be the best speech I had ever given, because if it wasn’t, then these ponies wouldn’t have a prayer when the time came to actually fight.

“When you wake up every morning, what drives you? If you want to live your life, a life with meaning, happiness and fulfilment, you must find your purpose. You see if you don't know what your purpose is, if you don't know what drives you, what inspires you, then you have reason to keep fighting. How can you keep fighting, when you have no reason to do so? Why do you do what you do? WHY DO YOU DO WHAT YOU DO? What's the reason? Why do you stand here today ready to give your life?”

There were a few confused looks thrown between the ponies before me, and I could almost hear the mares behind me asking themselves where this was going. I pushed past my nervousness and kept speaking, hoping that by the end they would understand.

“Do any of you know what it takes to be strong? To stand for something greater than yourself and knowing that you are better because of who stands beside you? Are you willing to go the extra mile, even if it seems impossible and all hope has been lost? I will tell you time and time again. You will get tired. At times you will feel like there is no chance of anything going your way. But if you have a why, it will give you that extra strength. That extra foot you need. That extra hour you need. The courage to face the darkness and to spit in its face when it tries to break you down.”

I could feel the energy around me beginning to shift, going from confused and uncertain, towards confident and prepared as ponies left and right started stomping their hooves.

“Ask yourself, why are you different from everyone else that's trying to do the same thing you're doing? What makes you stand out? Why are you so important!? Why are you here and what are you truly fighting for?”

My voice began to rise as more hooves joined in the applause, my lips curling into a smile as I marched back and forth on the stage, looking each pony in the eyes as my energy rose to join the charge that had begun to flow through the troops.
“Find your why! Your why will pull you up when you feel like you don't have the strength to get up anymore. Your why will keep you fighting when everyone else thinks you are out for the count.

Why? Who are you fighting for? What drives you?

Is your purpose your family? Is it to prove the doubters wrong? Is it to prove yourself right? What is your purpose? Know your purpose in your heart. Carry it with you everywhere. Feel it deep and promise yourself every day you will live out your purpose with zero excuses!”

My arm pointed out over the ponies before me, towards the west and over the horizon. Somewhere out there was Platinum’s Keep, and that was where our enemy lay hidden.

“The enemy is out there. They are waiting for you to mess up. They are waiting for you to give up. They are waiting for you to fall. So, when you are faced with seemingly insurmountable odds, what are you going to do? When you feel like you are at your lowest point, will you throw in the towel? Or will you make the moves to keep fighting?

Don't look back. Just remember where you came from. And let that drive push you to go forward. It's not always going to be an easy road, and when you see your friends and loved ones beside you at the end of it all, you won't take it for granted. You will cherish those moments you had to go through, those moments you were without. And when you fall down, get back up. Dust yourself off.”

Actual cheers had joined the thunderous applause, and I glanced behind me just long enough to see everyone smiling and stomping their own hooves. Even Rosie was pounding her claws into the wood like nothing else, letting out a sharp eagle’s cry as I turned back to the troops.

I let my voice drop down slightly, my smile fading into a serious line as the applause died down with my voice. I knew I had to nail this last bit or else all of my past words wouldn’t mean anything, so I put as much power and conviction into my voice as I could, hoping that my message would come through.

“You need to find something that drives you. Something that no matter what happens, this part of you does not change. This drive in you does not change. This purpose never dies. No matter how many times the enemy knocks you down, your purpose pulls you up every time.

‘This is the reason I will fight for my country!’

‘This is the reason I will not fall into despair!’

‘This is the reason I will do whatever it takes!’

When it hurts, keep going. Those friends beside you, your loved ones back home, they're telling you to keep going. Those times ahead, when you can't see how you're going to make it. Some things you can't change, you just have to live with. But if you do have a choice, make the right choice and stand strong!

Your purpose is that one thing that lights you up. It's that one thing that will get you up early. That one thing, when you're doing it, time stops. Your purpose may be something you don’t want. It may be seeing someone in your past and thinking, no matter what, I will ensure I never end up like that. Your purpose is always something that lights a fire in you.

I will do this. No matter what.

My family is counting on me!!

My friends are counting on me!!

I AM COUNTING ON ME!!!”

Silence followed my final words as they echoed over the parade grounds, and for a moment I thought that I had overdone it, but that was quickly dispelled as the cheering and applause came back tenfold. I raised my hands for quiet, and even though it took a minute or two, eventually the ponies before me came to a stop, patiently waiting for me as I lowered my hands back to my sides.

“Now that I have your attention,” I couldn’t help the smile that graced my lips as my words carried over the troops, “I need all of you to tell me one simple thing. Are you prepared to defend your home?”

A few stallions called out, “Yeah!”

“I can’t hear you!” I raised my volume a bit as I held a hand to my ear, “Now who’s ready to defend Equestria?!”

“Yeah!” This time a good portion of the troops called out, although there were still a few that looked uncertain.

“Sound off like you have something in your bodies beside cotton candy and kitten fluff!” My tone took on a growl as I shouted at them, “Now are. You. Ready. To. Defend. Equestria?!”

“OORAH!!” The reply was deafening as the entire collective roared back at me, and I couldn’t help but laugh as I pumped my fist into the air.

“Who’s ready to fight?”

“WE ARE!”

“Who’s ready to kick those necromancers out of our home?”

“WE ARE!”

“Do any of you have doubts?”

“NO MA’AM!”

I lowered my arm and turned to face the ponies behind me, “I think we’re ready to go Your Highnesses.”

Celestia nodded, stepping forward as Luna stood at her side, “Thank you Sarah. That was a truly inspiring speech.” She turned her attention to the troops before her, “Thank you my little ponies. We stand before you now, asking you to fight and possibly give your lives for the good of our nation. We have seen the horrors of war in our youth, and we had hoped that we would not see it again. Sadly, that is not the case, but Luna and I are moved beyond words that each and every one of you are ready and willing to stand strong in the face of such adversity.”

“Indeed,” Luna added, stepping forward until she was on the edge of the stage, looking out over the gathered guards, “we have fought many battles over our long lives, and we have battled against the darkness you are about to face. You will be challenged, and you shall face monsters the likes of which have not been seen in centuries. And yet they are not invincible. They can be destroyed, and they can be harmed just like any other foe. Stand together and fight with everything you have. We will come out of this conflict stronger than ever before and we will protect our way of life from those that would drag us down.”

The guards roared with approval, and the princesses glanced back at me, Swift and Fury, “Commanders,” Celestia stated in a level tone, “prepare your troops for battle.”

Fury stepped up with Swift at his side, stopping next to me as I fell in on his other side, “Company, Aten-hut!”

Thunder echoed as thousands of ponies clicked their hooves and stomped to attention, their ranks solidifying into perfect blocks as Fury spread his wings, “About face!”

As one, the entire force spun around, facing the gates of the fort as Fury led Swift and I through the center lane, our steps perfectly measured as we came to a stop in front of the gathered army. Rosie flew up and landed at my side, glancing up and giving me a smile, her sword strapped to her side as her tail lashed back and forth in anticipation.

“Forward, march!” Fury called out.

The gates swung open as we started moving as a unit, Swift, Rosie and I falling in next to the first two platoons as the group shifted into single file in order to get through the opening. It took almost an hour for the entire force to exit the fort, but as we started moving down the main road, I couldn’t help but feel a rush of energy in my body as the thunderous rhythm of marching hooves echoed through the air.

We were on our way, and together, I knew we were going to kick Moon Song and her coven to the curb. We were going to kill them and take down their army of undead, and I hoped that of all the mares and stallions marching with us, most of them would make it home alive. I knew that death in war was inevitable, but that didn’t stop me from thinking positively. We weren’t going to fail, we weren’t going to stop, and we were going to keep moving forward until there was nothing left to fight.

The war had begun, and it wasn’t going to be long before we were knocking on Moon Song’s door.

Author's Notes:

How about that, two chapters in two days! I'm on a roll! Anyways, how about that speech? I modified a little number from Fearless Motivation and tooled it for my own uses. If you want to hear the original, just jump on YouTube and look up Fearless Motivation: What is your why?

Other than that, welcome back to my Patrons, WuBzY and Earthpatriot117. Thank you to both of you for your support. Also, I've re-tooled my tiers so it's a bit more affordable for those of you that were thrown off by the original setup.

Anyways, hope you are all enjoying the books far. The end of Act 2 is coming up quick and it's going to rock your socks off for sure. No spoilers, but I can say it's going to probably catch most of you by surprise in a way that none of you ever saw coming.

See you all next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.