//------------------------------// // Did Your Colt Friend Just Pile Drive the Sergeant? // Story: Side A - The Guard // by daOtterGuy //------------------------------// It was a few days after Flash’s not-a-date with Cocoa and a only a few more days until Flash’s actually-a-date. For the duration of this time, Shining had been regaled endlessly by Flash’s anticipation, nervousness, and overall dopey lovestruck monologuing. This, of course, stopped for a particular day of the month, which happened to be today. It was a bright sunny afternoon with clear skies and tartarus had arrived to greet the pegasus and unicorn recruits with immeasurable pain. It was Combat Training day. Or as the pegasi and unicorns liked to call: ‘Happy Earth Pony Pounding Day.’ Flash felt the wind get knocked out of him as he impacted onto the solid earth. Hard. He was beginning to feel offended as the last pony to pound him this much at least treated him to dinner first. The ground had been doing it all day and all Flash got out of it was dirty wings, which he hated, and more bruising then should be allowed. It was hardly fair really. Shining galloped over and cradled Flash’s head between his hooves. “Oh, sweet Celestia, speak to me Flash! Please! You have to tell me,” Shining leaned his muzzle in close which Flash now realized he despised other ponies doing unless it was Cocoa, “Do you have a concussion?” It was one time. “No.” Flash glared. “Oh thank, Celestia.” Shining breathed a sigh of relief. He promptly dropped Flash’s head back on the ground who let out a groan from earth pounding him for thirty-sixth time. The ground, in Flash’s pain riddled opinion, was a terrible lover. He did feel a lot better though when immediate karmic justice was served in the divine punishment of Shining getting tackled to the ground by an overly enthusiastic, 300 pound Crash Beat. As luck would have it, Shining even landed next to Flash, groaning in intense pain. Though his fun was slightly marred by how the ground kept cheating on him with other ponies. Was it really too much to ask for an exclusive relationship these days? Flash grinned cheekily, “Guess Crash wasn’t happy about you upstaging him earlier today in Tactics, huh?” “It’s not my fault that Crash Beat is as tactically sound as a minotaur on bath salts,” Shining grumbled, “I hate combat training day. The instructors have to know that the unicorns and pegasi have a snowball’s chance in tartarus to physically combat an earth pony.” “Yeah, but pegasi and unicorns have a bad habit of thinking that their wings and magic can get them out of anything. We do need to know that when faced by a big, scary thing we should probably let the earth ponies take the front line while we support them.” “Well, yeah I suppose. I do tend to think that magic will solve all my problems.” Shining sighed, “Just wish that the instructors could tell us instead of doing a physical demonstration.” “Ah, but Shining the bruises stick more,” Flash jested, “I also think the commanding officers get a kick out of seeing the snot get bucked out of us.” “Wouldn’t put it past them really.” “Oh, who let the hunk in,” one the other mare guards said, “I would love to take a bite of that flank.” Flash and Shining looked at each other with puzzled expressions. Civilians didn’t usually visit the barracks unless they were there on business. Both stallions got up off the ground, wincing from the pain of their injuries. They turned to towards the front gate and recognized Cocoa Print trotting through with a heavy saddlebag thrown over one shoulder. “Why is Cocoa at the base?” Shining asked. “Dunno, but I need to go deal with something real quick.” Flash said with narrowed eyes, “I’ll join you in a moment.” Shining shrugged and trotted in beside Cocoa, “Hey, Cocoa.” “Good afternoon, Shining“ Cocoa greeted and then tilted his head in confusion, “Why is Flash dragging that guard to the dumpsters?” “Wait, what?” Shining turned to see Flash take the guard who had commented on Cocoa earlier and watched as he tossed the mare screaming into the garbage disposal head first. He then trotted over to Shining and Cocoa. He had never once broke his too wide grin. “Hey, Cocoa,” Flash chirped, “You here to see me?” “No, actually, but I simply must ask. Why did you throw that mare into a dumpster?” Flash’s smile tightened ever so slightly and his right eye twitched, “No reason.” It seemed that Flash was just a little territorial when it came to Cocoa. Shining decided that he would try not to make the same mistake as the other guard. Besides, Shining wasn’t entirely sure if he could take on an angry Flash in a fight. “So, why are you here then?” Shining inquired. “Visiting my father. I haven’t seen him recently, so I decided to give him a surprise visit.” “I didn’t know your dad was causing me physical pain every day.” Flash said incredulously. Shining jabbed Flash in the side who yelped from the sharp pain, “I think what he means to say is that he didn’t know your dad worked in the guard.” “No, I didn’t. Don’t put words in my mouth, Shiny.” Shining glared at Flash who just gave a stern look in response. Cocoa smirked, amused at the two’s antics. “Yes, he’s one of the sergeants. He normally takes tours around the Equestrian border territories, but I,” Cocoa waved a hoof looking for the right word, “Encouraged him to stay at the barracks here in Canterlot.” “Huh, cool. Which sergeant?” Flash asked curious. “Steel Bastion.” Shining and Flash stopped. “Your dad is Steel Bastion?” Flash and Shining said incredulously. Cocoa nodded as he continued to trot. “The same Steel who has done over twenty tours of some of the most dangerous places in Equestria and lived through it?” Shining said slightly awestruck. Cocoa sighed, “Glad to see he’s been as modest as ever, but yes that is my father.” “What is it even like having Steel as a dad?” Shining asked. “A lot of combat training,” Cocoa replied dryly, “Ah, there he is over there.” Steel Bastion was chatting amicably with the onsite medic Bandage Solution, a white unicorn mare with a pink mane. She looked concerned as she was explaining something to Steel. “Are you certain that your health is fine?” Bandage worriedly asked, “I wouldn’t want to approve a bill of health for somepony if they weren’t completely recovered. Especially, for somepony like you who had suffered such extensive injuries.” “Oh, I would never ask you to approve something unless I was absolutely sure,” Steel assured, “Honestly Bandage, my son exaggerated. He was just being a darn overly dramatic fool. I can assure you that I’m perfectly healthy. He was just worrying over nothing.” To punctuate the statement, Steel did a quick flex and winked. Bandage blushed and giggled. “Well, if your sure of that then-” Bandage went pale. She put a hoof to her mouth with a quick gasp and took a step back. “What’s wrong Bandage? You look like you saw a timber wolf.” Steel laughed heartily. “Oh, certainly not,” Steel froze, breaking out into a cold sweat, “She simply has much better survival instincts than you.” Steel recognized that voice. Ah, tartarus, did he ever recognize that voice. It was the voice of his beloved when he had been caught doing something wrong and a voice inherited by only one other pony. His son. Steel slowly turned around to come muzzle to muzzle with the one pony he wished wasn’t there right now. “Cocoa,” Steel grinned nervously, desperately trying to think of something to say to get him out of this situation that was quickly turning sour, “I, uh, didn’t know you were visiting today.” Cocoa simply glared, though in Steel’s personal opinion is wasn’t just a glare, it was The Glare. A twist of the muzzle and a narrowing of the eyes that spoke of unmentionable torment to come for even daring to step out of line. “So, uh, how much did you happen to hear?” “Well besides lying to a trained medical professional,” Cocoa said with enough edge in his voice to cut glass, “I also happened to hear one other very interesting statement you made.” Cocoa brought a pondering hoof to his face, “Though if I’m a fool, I dare not ask what that makes you.” Steel grinned trying to hide the fact that he wanted to run screaming as far as possible. “Hehe, heh, right. So, uh, why are you visiting again?” Cocoa smiled. It reminded Steel of the one time he had been cornered by a hydra. The beast had had him trapped in a dead end cave and had given him a toothy grin. His fellow guards had got him out at the time with minor injuries. Of course, if Steel was being honest, he would have preferred the hydra. The monster’s grin was less predatory. Steel looked to the side and noticed that Shining was hiding near Bandage. Presumably, to get out of the crossfire. Flash was just smiling like a doofus next to Cocoa as if that was the best place to be. Steel envied both of them. “Well,” Cocoa started cheerfully, “I was going to take the time to catch up with how you were doing and share with you a box of your favourite chocolates from my store-” Despite his instincts screaming at him to keep his mouth shut, Steel found himself involuntary shouting, “Your caramel crunchy rolls?! The ones you only ever make once a moon?!” In response, Cocoa grabbed an ornate box form his saddlebag and popped it open right under Steel’s field of vision. Inside were six beautifully hoof crafted rolls of chocolate and caramel enveloped in a thick layer of ground up peanuts and cashews. As Steel leaned in to take a whiff of the nutty deliciousness, Cocoa promptly slammed the box shut and kicked it over a nearby fence with a single back hoof. Cocoa got right up into Steel’s face, “Bad. Colts. Don’t. Get. Any.” Steel did not whimper. He just involuntary cried from how much of a stallion he is. He would never admit that he was absolutely terrified. “But, I’m not a bad Col-Stallion,” Steel corrected himself, “I really am all healed up.” Cocoa gave a deadpan stare, trotted up to Steel, and kicked him in the side of his barrel. Hard. Bastard son. Once Steel had internalized his involuntary screaming and gotten up from fetal position, Cocoa flatly said, “‘All healed up,’ eh?’” Steel had enough defiance left in him to glare. Cocoa seemed to ponder a moment, then, with the predatory grin now back in full force, Cocoa trotted over to a nearby field. “Well, then I suppose you would be up for a quick sparring match?” Steel was reminded of the words said by his husband, ‘one day you’re going to regret raising him like one of the guards’. Steel truly hated it when his dear spouse was proven right. Mostly because it ended up biting him back in the flank at the worst possible times. Steel trotted over to Cocoa with the rest of the platoon cheering him on. “Please don’t kill me.” Cocoa smiled. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Many of the ponies present to witness the ‘spar’ would say that it was an even match and that Steel Bastion held his own. All while shifting their eyes back and forth and keeping their mouths shut after. The truth of the matter is that Cocoa had a good back hoof and wasn’t afraid to use it. “Ooooh” the crowd cringed as Cocoa did a perfect back kick right into Steel’s chest. Steel to doubled over in pain and gasped for breath. The crowd visibly cringed. Over the course of the match the platoon had gone from cheering for Steel, to encouraging him to play dead and hope his opponent would walk away. “Okay, I give,” Steel wheezed, “I’m sorry for going behind your back. I won’t do that again for at least another month.” Cocoa glared, but seemed satisfied, if only begrudgingly, by the response. “Hmph. At least your honest about it. Did we learn anything useful this time at least?” “Don’t lie unless you can get away with it,” after another well aimed kick from Cocoa, “Fine. Don’t lie at all.” Cocoa then smiled, “See? Was it really that hard?” Steel grumbled, “This is for putting you through intense physical guard training as a foal isn’t it?” “Haha, oh father,” Cocoa deadpanned, “Yes.” As Steel slowly got back on his hooves while wheezing, Cocoa trotted over to Flash. Flash, who had been quiet through the whole match, was feeling hot under his fur as watching his colt friend beat up one of the sergeants was pretty steamy. “Well, that was more than I was expecting for today,” Cocoa smiled warmly, “Are we still on for Saturday?” “WHAT?!” Steel Bastion yelled, “The stallion you’re going on a date with is BUCKING FLASH SENTRY?” Before Steel could prepare to charge forward and use what little energy he had left to pummel Flash into paste, Cocoa whipped around and gave Steel The Glare. “Don’t. You. Even. Start” Cocoa emphasized, “You are not in a position to judge him.” Steel then backed down and let out more stallion cries. Definitely not whimpers. That was for lesser stallions. “I am a grown stallion, who just so happened to have just beat the ever loving shit out of you, and can make my own decisions,” Cocoa said sternly, “Unless of course you would like to spar a few rounds more?” Steel rapidly shook his head. He didn’t think he could take anymore back kicks to the anywhere right at that moment. “Excellent. Now if you’ll excuse me.” Gracing Flash with one last smile, Cocoa cantered out of the barracks. This left Flash a little, okay really, pent up and he had no idea how to get it out of his system that wasn’t going to make him a mockery of the platoon. “Damn, I love me a piece of that.” Chevalier said near Flash. That’ll work. “Hey Chevalier,” Flash gave a grin that would make Cocoa proud, “Wanna spar?”