//------------------------------// // The New Plan // Story: The Equestrian Honor Guard // by Honored Service //------------------------------// The Equestrian Honor Guard Chapter 33 By Honored Service I jerked straight up in my bunk covered in a cold sweat and breathing heavily. Everypony else was sleeping soundly in their bunks. Those nightmares. I couldn't sleep without seeing the bodies or the faces of all those ponies I couldn't have saved. Those ponies I couldn't protect. I failed them. All of them. Every second that this battle dragged on, I was failing. I wasn't supposed to let this happen and yet here I was, stuck in the middle of a battle watching ponies die. I got out of bed and slowly put on my clothes and armor. Holster and belts with ammo pouches and my canteen went on. I ran a hand across my face. My mind was numb from all the killing. Every time I shut my eyes I saw muzzle flashes and the looks of fear and pain etched onto every changeling's face as they fell to my onslaught. I holstered Spike and slung my rifle. A clock somewhere in barracks rang out 5 times. I opened the door and looked back at the sleeping Saddle Company. I could only hope this would be over soon and everything would be at peace. Gently I closed the door and walked down the hall to the infirmary. "I'm trying to find Hammer Strike." I told the nurse at the front station of the infirmary. The hospital had been filled to the breaking point so a lot of ponies had been moved all around the castle and surrounding buildings to try and accompany the amount of wounded. "Ah yes here he is, room 2236. Down that hall and 6th door on the right, although he might not be up, it is rather early." The pale orange mare pointed down the hallway. I gave her my thanks and walked through the white hallways to the room. Ponies limped to and from different rooms while doctors and nurses rushed stretches from chariots outside into operating rooms. The longer I stayed in this place the worse I felt. I was supposed to stop this, but I wasn't, I couldn't. Room 2236. I quietly pushed the door open and stepped into the room while shutting the door behind me. "I told you doc, that unless the sponge bath is down by MARE nurses I won't do it." "I thought you like stallions." I said to the blue pony lying on the bed in the center of the room. "Honored?" Hammer Strike slowly sat up in his bed and looked at me with one eye. I moved to the side of the bed and put a hand on his shoulder. "Yeah it's me you big oaf." A lot of the cuts and bruises that had covered Hammer yesterday had been patched and covered. He wore an eye patch on his left eye and one of his rear legs was held up in the air by a series of cables and pulleys. "It's good to see a familiar face. I must have asked 50 ponies yesterday if they heard any news about Saddle Company or a human. They could only say that some creature was bringing the hurt to the changelings." He adjusted in his bed and looked at me. "And I guess those rumors are true." "Yeah, they are." I retold my actions of the previous day starting from right after I dropped Hammer off at the castle to coming back to the barracks and going to sleep. "And then I came here to check up on you." "I appreciate that you care so much, you must be going soft. And you were looking for, trash doesn't come till Monday." "What?" "Your one liner when you shot that changeling in the trash can, you should have said; trash doesn't come till Monday." He gave a light chuckle that led to a fit of coughing. "So how are you doing?" I asked staring down to his legs and back to his eye patch. Hammer Strike sighed and looked up at me. "The doctors say that I'll be able to walk in 3 months. And that's after a lot of physical work. And the eye, well they couldn't save it. Too much damage or something. I have a few internal problems but those should be healed in a few weeks at the most." I patted him on the shoulder and smiled. "Well I'm glad to hear that the big strong Hammer Strike is expected to make a full recovery." He turned his head so he could look at me with his one good eye. "Me too. Thanks Honored, for coming back and saving me." "Of course, no man...pony gets left behind." "No, you had to report to the Princesses and yet you disobeyed a direct order to rush back and save me. I owe you my life. I'll never forget about that you stupid human." One tear rolled off his chin and landed on the bed. I pulled him into a tight embrace. "I know you would have done the same for me Hammer." I let go and stood up facing the wounded guard. "Get some rest and recover. I'll be back to check on you tomorrow." "I'll hold you to that." Hammer said as he laid back down in the bed. I opened the door and began to step back out into the hallway. "Honored?" "Yeah Hammer?" "Do you think we're going to win?" I looked back at Hammer and smiled. "As long as I'm still breathing, the changelings don't stand a chance." ************************************************************ I grabbed a tray and piled fruit and cucumber sandwiches onto it. I took a seat in the temporary mess hall and began to devour the feast I had prepared for myself. I was in the process of attacking an apple when a pair of hooves wrapped themselves around my neck and squeezed me into a hug. "Good morning Honored!" Fast Skies said as she hugged me and then flew across the table and seated herself opposite of me. "And where did you go so early this morning." She reached a wing out and snatched and orange off my tray and began to eat my precious citrus treat. "I went to visit Hammer Strike and see how he was healing up." I said through a mouthful of apple. I swallowed it. "And he's doing better, but won't be fighting with us for a while." "I'm just glad to know he's okay." Sky said as she swept the pile of orange rinds into a small pile and stared at me. I was about to ask her if she was having any trouble sleeping when a loud voice interrupted my thoughts. "Honored Service to the throne room. Honored Service report to the throne room." The magically applied voice of Shining Armor rang out through the mess hall. I got up and looked at Sky who was frowning. "Come with me Sky, I want you to be there with me." I reached out a hand to her. She smiled and put her hoof in my hand. I pulled her up and we walked to the throne room together. I walked up to the throne room door and was allowed in by the guards on duty. They tried to stop Fast Skies but I just glared at them and pulled her in with me. "Good morning Honored and ah good morning to you Fast Skies." Princess Celestia said to us as we approached the table planning table. Luna was staring with intensity at a map with small flags planted around the city of Canterlot. She looked up and nodded at me as I approached. "Well my little human, I have good news and bad news. The entire remains of the changeling army have gathered here, outside of the market district, and their numbers reach near 5,000 strong." Celestia pointed to a large flag near the outskirts of Canterlot. "Alright, and the good news?" I crossed my arms and looked at the map. "That was the good news." Luna looked up and moved next to her sister. "The bad news is that Queen Chrysalis has joined them and is prepared to led them in another attack on the city." "Hmmmm" I scratched my chin stubble and pointed to a spot on the map. "What's this here?" "That's part of the underground gave system under Canterlot." Celestia looked up at me, "What does that have to do with the Changeling attack?" I cracked an evil smile at the Princesses and asked, "Do ponies have explosives?" ************************************************ Luna stared at me and Celestia rubbed her temples. "Well I think it's a great idea!" Fast Skies shrugged and gave me a smile. Thanks Sky, I know you have my back. "Honored even if we could do this, it would cause terrible amounts of damage to the city." "And 5,000 changelings being led by a pissed of evil Queen possessed by an even eviler spirit thing won't do damage?" I know I was pressing my limit of free speech with the princesses but this was our only hope. "You know sister, compared to your plan; I think this one has potential." Thank you Luna, I knew this plan had some backbone to it. "The Elements of Harmony can work!" Celestia said while glaring at her sister. "They blast the changelings and Queen Chrysalis and they get rocketed out of here." "Princesses Celestia, we aren’t dealing with one bad guy here. This is an invading army. The girls don't know how to fight in a combat situation." "They handled themselves fine at the wedding invasion." Celestia shot back. "But the changelings weren't killing then were they? Now it's free reign to them. I do think they should be here as a plan B, but not as plan A." I said staring at the princess. I didn't want to have to put more of my friends through this hell. Especially the mane six. I could only imagine what Fluttershy would do if she saw even one minute of fighting. "Alright Honored. We'll go with your plan." "Princess we need to go with my plan, the girls would be in- wait what?" I stopped mid-sentence and stared at the princess with an open mouth. "I said yes. I'm giving your plan the go ahead. My sister and I will get everything in position and ready. Just be careful Honored, I want you here to guard the girls when they get here." "Don't worry Celestia, everything will go perfectly and this will all be over soon." I saluted and marched out of the room to begin overseeing the preparations for Operations Downhill. I opened the large castle doors and stepped out into the early morning sunlight. Fast Skies trotted behind me. "This is crazy you know that right?" She flew in front of me and landed. "Yup, and I'm a crazy human." *************************************************************** “Alright here’s the general idea for Operation Downhill. Saddle Company will move up Canterlot Mountain and place the explosive charges here, here, and here.” I pointed at the three red Xs on the map. “And I’ll move through the underground chambers and plant the explosives beneath the advancing army. Once they reach this spot, I’ll blow the charges sending most of the army underground, and at the same time the explosives on the mountain will be blown and send an avalanche of rocks and boulders into the massive hole, turning the changeling army into pancakes.” Saddle Company stared at me as I grinned at the sheer geniuses of this plan. Short Blade crossed his fore hooves and leaned back in his chair. “Alright I'm sold. What else do we have to lose?” “Count me in. Explosives? Absolutely!” Quick Flurry leapt into the air and began filling saddle bags with sticks of TNT and long fuse wires. “I’ll always have your back.” Sky nuzzled my chin and smiled. “For something that was thrown together rather quickly, I will admit that this plane has a high possibility of succeeding if I am allowed to change a few placements of the explosives. To make them more efficient.” Battle Plan pulled over the map and added a few smaller Xs indicating where more explosives needed to be placed to increase the devastation. “Well then Saddle; let’s go get this trap laid!” ********************************************************** I travelled up the long twisting road leading to the top of the Canterlot Mountain. We had to place the 7 bundles of explosives to insure the maximum effect on the changelings once they had fallen into the pit. “Alright, place another bundle here under this outcrop.” Battle Plan said as Quick Flurry soared up and wedged the TNT into a crevice running along the side of the mountain. He then attached the fuse that was running all the way down the slope. “One more to go Saddle, and then Honored can go cave exploring.” “Yayyyy.” I said from the back of the formation. I was running the fuse and detonation wires behind us and covering it with leaves and dirt just in case some changeling made its way up here. We didn’t want our plan being discovered. “There it is Battle.” Sky pointed a hoof at the last spot that the explosive needed to be planted. I large ledge was sticking out from the side of the mountain. Placing the TNT there should cover the entire pit with ruble, sealing the changelings in their new grave. Sky took off and plated the TNT securely at the base of the ledge. “Is that going to be enough explosive to bring down the top of the mountain?” Fast Skies asked as she rejoined us. I twisted the fuse together and connected the last fuse to the demolition charge wire. “It should be, I quadrupled the amount of TNT necessary. The more the merrier, right?” I smiled and buried the last of the fuse under some dirt and leaves. “And that’s it. Now we need to get back to the castle, and I get to go explore some dark caves.” “That’s what-“I ripped my pistol from the holster and aimed it at Quick Flurry. “No. I’ve heard that enough today from you Quick; first with the long skinny fuse, then with the rock hard climb, and after that the whole slippery wet slope.” Quick Flurry was bitting his bottom lip trying not to laugh at the quotations from the day’s climb. I sighed and holstered the weapon. “Fine get it over with.” “Well I have to be set up; I can’t just do it without prompting.” He said while defensively holding his hooves in front of him. Sky looked over at him and said in a deep sultry voice, “Come on Quick do it fast already.” She batted her eye lashes at him. “Nope, sorry, I just can’t come on command.” “That’s what she said!” Short Blade yelled from the front of the line as we walked down the slope to the caste gates. “FUCK! Not you to Blade. You’re supposed to be the level headed, cool commander. Not the fucking comedienne.” I smacked myself in the face in a face-palming sort of manner. “Sorry Honored, but you thought wrong.” Blade laughed as we trudged down the mountain side. I laughed along with him until I heard a rapid buzzing sound. “Everypony down!” I hissed and we all dove into the underbrush and bushes along the trail. I looked up to see a trio of changelings land only about 25 feet away from us. “I knew I saw something over here Juece.” Said the first changeling as it snooped around the surrounding area. “Quiet Beetle, there is nothing her, just more woods and dirt, now let’s move and find that creature that has the Queen all flustered about.” The two changelings began to take off when the third halted them. “Beetle, Juece; do you feel that?” It stared at the other two who shook their heads. “It feels as if something is watching us.” Number 3 began to move closer to the bush I was currently hiding in. It moved slowly and cautiously towards me. Shit go away. Please go away? Please kindly fuck off; so I dot have to kill again. Pretty please kindly fuck off; so I don’t have to ram this knife through your head if you stick it into this bush. The changeling lifted its hooves and parted an opening in the leaves so it could see into the dark foliage. I lowered my hand to my belt and very slowly drew Bad Bertha from her sheath. The changeling stuck its head into the bush and looked down. “Wh-“ Was all it managed to get out before I lashed out and rammed the knife through the bottom of its jaw and out through its skull. I then yanked the body into the bush and held it tight as it slowly finished thrashing and laid still. I jumped out of the bush and pounced on the back of the nearest changeling. I punched the knife into the base of its skull; severing its head from the spine. As it fell to the ground with me on top of it, I drew my pistol and fired once at the changeling that was attempting to take to the sky and retreat from the killing machine that was me. The magic bullet spilt apart in midair and shredded the wings of the fleeing changeling and it plummeted back to the earth. It got up and coughed out dirt from its impact and began to sprint to the woods. It stopped dead in its tracks and fell sideways. An arrow protruding from its side marked its killer. “Nice shot Battle.” I said as I got off the dead changeling and wiped my knife on a leaf. “Thank you, I could say the same for you friend. That was an impressive shot. Nailing its wings in midflight.” Battle Plan said as he re-slung his bow across his back. “Yeah…that was tricky…” Damn I was just trying to bring the little fucker down. But hell yeah I totally meant to do that. “Come on Saddle, let’s get back to the castle so Honored can get ready to clear some dark holes.” Short Blade called out from the front of the formation as we started down the path again. “Quick I swear to all that is holly.” I looked at the yellow pegasus, glaring daggers at him. “What? I can’t do a, ‘that’s what she said’.” I let out a sigh of relief. “That’s a gay joke.” “AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” I screamed, throwing my hands into the air. I began contemplating that if the threw myself off the mountain would I die before I hit the ground or on impact.