//------------------------------// // Chapter 17: P.O.W. // Story: The Protectors of Harmony // by Delta Blade //------------------------------// Chapter 17: P.O.W. August 8, 2558 1630 hours Canterlot Castle courtyard Once pelican 096 was parked outside the palace, her pilot lowered the ramp and her passengers got off. Sergeant Alex carried Greyblade over his shoulder as he and his squad walked toward Shining Armor, who had just emerged from the barracks. “You know, you haven’t exactly tied her legs,” said the Captain of the Royal Guard once he and two of his men were close enough. “She could easily kick you in the face.” As if on cue, Greyblade snapped one of her hind hooves back and nailed Alex in the forehead. “FUCK!” Alex exclaimed as he dropped her to the ground and held his forehead in both palms while the rest of his squad burst into laughter. A pair of royal guards then came over to Greyblade and knocked her unconscious before carrying her away. “*sniff*That’s such a dick move,” said Shifty after he’d had his laugh. “You ok, Sarge?” “Yeah,” Sergeant Thompson said with a grunt of pain. “I’d kill that bitch if I was allowed to…” “Easy now Thompson,” said Gunnery Sergeant Alvarez. “She’ll get hers.” “She’d better.” “Gentlecolts,” said Shining Armor as he stopped in front of the group and levitated a piece of parchment up to read. “I was told by Captain Lasky to relay some information to you.” The six marines listened in as he began reading from the paper; the members of Fireteam Icebreaker could tell that it was printed from a printer onboard the ship, rather than hoof-written by a pony. “While you all were out fighting in Manehattan, an encirclement of Stalliongrad has been achieved and the Germanes are now cut off,” he started. “Marines stay on the outskirts to contain enemies and permit civilians to pass; since these particular equine soldiers do not possess any of the more advanced weaponry we’ve seen, Spartans are now moving into the city to finish off any enemy resistance until they surrender, or are all killed.” “Sir? Pardon my interruption,” interjected Shifty. “But why hasn’t Captain Lasky sent you with some hologram-message instead of this paper?” “Huh, I didn’t know there was such a thing. I guess he assumed that I wouldn’t know how to use it and just gave me something more…old fashioned I guess.” “Ah.” “Can I continue?” Shifty raised both hands in the air. “I’m not stopping you, sir,” he said. With a grin Shining Armor continued. “I have now tasked Gypsy Company, Shadow Company, and another 500 marines to head to the southwestern-most border of Equestria to begin our fight against the changelings. The most recent reports suggest that they have already taken Appleloosa.” “Appleloosa?! Already?” said Alex, recalling the name of the town Applejack spoke so highly of. “That’s like, only a hundred miles from the border!” “So, it’s easily reachable,” said Shining Armor. “You six are to all report back to your commanding officers back in Ponyville; there, they will be preparing for the counterattack as we speak. Thomas and both company commanders have agreed to send Gypsy Company in on the first wave.” He looked up from the parchment. “By train,” he finished, folding the paper up and levitating it back into his satchel. “Shadow Company will reinforce 30 minutes after you have secured the town. Any questions?” “With all due respect, Captain,” said Gunnery Sergeant David Alvarez. “Did you call our Captain by his first name?” “Yes, I did soldier,” Shining Armor responded. “He has deemed the princesses and their constituents, AKA me, known well enough for us all to be on a first-name basis with each other.” Gunny only nodded in response, with a look on his face that said, “Aight…cool…” “Any other questions?” said Shining with no response. “Very well, you have your orders. Good luck.” The six marines saluted the Captain of the Royal Guard, to which he returned the salute, before they all went their separate ways. . . . August 8, 2558 1700 hours Canterlot Castle Dungeon Field Marshal Greyblade awoke in a dungeon cell. From the silence, she could tell that, apart from herself, the entire dungeon was completely empty. She turned her attention to herself. Her hooves were no longer restrained, allowing her to stand; she was also completely naked now, stripped of her armor and rank. Her blonde mane was now fully unbraided and it naturally fell around her visage. Two royal guards came over to her cell, unlocked it, and entered; they were followed by a human and the Captain of the Royal Guard himself. In a burst of rage, Greyblade lunged at the first two pony-guards, who proceeded to swiftly knock the wind out of her and shove her flat onto her stomach, holding her forehead and muzzle on the cold floor. They brought her up by the armpits and held her on her knees in front of Shining Armor. She continued to resist their grip as much as she could, even as Shining Armor addressed her. “Field Marshal Greyblade,” said Shining. “One of the few female leaders and warriors in Gildedale’s Army. Quite an impressive accolade if I do say so myself.” “Don’t patronize me,” she hissed immediately. “Whatever you want from me, you’re not gunna get it!” She then spat on his chest plate, prompting one of the guards restraining her to backhoof the mare. After taking the blow to her cheek, she snapped her head back up to bare her teeth at the guard who did it before looking back at the Captain. “Cowards,” she growled. “Making these creatures do your dirty work!” She gestured with her head when she referred to the female marine standing behind Shining Armor. “Had you faced us head on,” she continued. “We would have wiped you off the face of this world!” “Well that’s just the problem, isn’t it my dear?” said Shining. “We needed help, we got it miraculously just in time, and you all payed for it. It’s not like we weren’t going to use them! And they seemed more than happy to help out. Besides, you knew they were here already, didn’t you? As a Field Marshall, you must have been pretty heavily involved with the planning of this invasion. Tell me, did you know we had help? And why help the changelings? What in the world did they tell you that convinced you all to do this?” “I’ll never tell you,” Greyblade hissed. “Unicorn scum!” “Oh you Gildedale ponies,” said Shining, shaking his head with a hoof on his face. “So prideful of your, ‘purity.’ I knew you wouldn’t talk right away, so allow me to present you with something to change your mind.” The marine was holding a holo-pad in her arms. She proceeded to type in a few commands before turning the pad around to display a flat-screen video, something a holo-pad could also do, contrary to popular belief. The video played, and Greyblade watched… . . . Manehattan Docks 1 hour ago Lieutenant Daniel Dietz stood with Gypsy Company. They were holding captive over 500 enemy combatants that had surrendered. “A single company keeping watch over a whole battalion,” he mused. “This is just absurd.” Captain Robert Peterson came over to him and the two exchanged salutes. “New orders,” said the Captain. “I’ll go pass it down the line. We’re wipin ’em, right now.” “Sir?” asked Dietz. “We’re executing them, Lieutenant,” said Peterson, in disgust at what he was saying. “I don’t like it as much as you do either, but we gotta do what we’re told. Line ‘em up at the edge.” “A-aye sir,” he stuttered in disbelief. In a few minutes, the entire battalion had been lined up at the edge of the docks, the marines that had put them there now crouching and standing as one big firing squad. Most of the ponies were begging for mercy, others were either crying for their mothers or embracing each other, the more experienced of them simply stayed quiet and awaited their doom. “Ready!” said Captain Peterson into his microphone, a solemn look on his face. . . . Fire! Greyblade watched in horror as her army was gunned down, bodies falling into the water. When the marines shot at anypony still alive in the water, that’s when she looked away. “No…” she sobbed. “No, no, no, no, no…” The guards had released her, her face now in her hooves, sobbing at her misfortune. “I failed them,*sniff*I…failed…” The marine stopped the video before asking, “Captain? With all due respect, who gave–?” “It is none of your concern, Corporal,” Shining interrupted. “Sir, I demand to know!” Shining Armor turned to the insubordinate. “Soldier, I don’t take orders from you.” “I’m not a soldier, I’m a marine! And I don’t take orders from you either! I know Captain Lasky, and he would never give an order like that! Now either you tell me, or I’m taking this right to him!” Shining was taken aback by this, but only for a moment. He ripped the holo-pad out of her arm with his magic and smashed it into the wall before the marine could react. “He’s not gunna know about this,” said Shining, placing an authoritarian hoof on her chest. “Understood?” The marine looked up at the Captain for a moment, before backing up while saying, “You’re insane.” She dashed out of the room without another word. “You did this,” breathed Greyblade after the marine had left, with her voice increasing in volume with every next word. “Your. Princesses. Ordered. My army. EXECUTED?!!!” The guards had to grab her by her arms again as she attempted to lash out at Shining. While being restrained she continued to scream like an animal in her rage and yell profanities, calling the princesses whores and Shining himself to be a “marebucker.” Greyblade finally was quiet after a couple minutes, rapidly breathing deeply in her anger. “Are you done yet?” asked Shining after she had quieted down. “Buck off!” she spat. “And buck you! I’ll never tell you anything!” Shining could see it in her eyes; though they were filled with fury, the few popped veins around her bright, blue pupils and the stream of tears down her face could suggest only one thing: she was nearly broken already. “We’ll see about that,” he said. “I’m not a torturer, but I’ve been tasked to get information out of you. The more you resist, the more you make me do things that I regret doing.” “Then do it marebucker,” said Greyblade, a smirk on her face now. “Do it you won’t!” “*sigh*If you want it, you asked for it. I suppose you have nothing left to lose at this point.” He pointed out of the chamber. “Bring her outside,” he ordered. . . . It was a gloomy, overcast day outside suddenly, as Greyblade was dragged by her arms out near the edge of a hill just outside the dungeon. The ground was muddy as if it had just rained. Probably weather pegasi who made it this way. Greyblade thought to herself. Just for me. The royal guards holding her threw her into the mud. She looked up to see she was behind two more royal guards, each with rope tied to their waists that extended out behind them until their ends were in front of her. “On your knees,” ordered one of the guards behind Greyblade as she stood up on all fours. “Hold your hooves out in front of you.” She lowered herself to her hind knees and held her forehooves out in front of her; the guard began tying both ropes around her forehooves while Shining Armor walked up to her side. “You think me weak-minded, don’t you?” said Greyblade as the final knot was tightened. “You’ll realize soon enough that you’ll just have to kill me.” “You’re lucky that we’ve decided to merciful,” said Shining Armor, ignoring her comment as he directed the original two guards back inside. “We could have left the hill you’re about to go down as dry and bumpy as it always is, but I got some pegasi instead to soften it up with rain, as you can see.” He signaled to the two stallions roped to her. They started forward just enough to yank Greyblade’s hooves forward far enough to make her lose balance and splash, flat and face-first with a yelp, into the cold and wet black mud, then they stopped so Shining Armor could continue. “We just didn’t want to waste such a pretty face,” he said sarcastically as Greyblade lifted her head to breath, as her airways would have been cut off otherwise. Her face was now nearly completely darkened, having been covered in mud, parts of her mane smooth, but already clumped together by the mud. Shining promptly shoved her face back into the raw Earth. “Uh-uh, no peeking!” he said as he held her muzzle down. “There’ll be water at the bottom. Enjoy the ride!” At this, the two stallions tied to Greyblade began their charge down the hill, dragging her along, mud and stones whipping by her the whole way down. . . . The stallions slowed down as they approached the bottom of the hill, approaching the large pond in the valley. Greyblade had attempted to keep her head somewhat raised during her drag, to make sure that she could breathe the whole time. Once stopped, she finally rested her head; both royal guards proceeded to untie Greyblade before carrying her by the armpits to the water’s edge; there, they positioned her so that only her head was above the water while the rest of her lay flat on land. As Shining Armor approached, one guard straddled her before pinning her legs together and holding her forehooves behind her back, whilst the other shoved her head into the water. She violently struggled for a good ten seconds before they ripped her head out of the water. Through desperate gasps for air she said, “Enough! PLEASE!” “Let her go,” Shining ordered before the two guards simply threw her back onto land. After rolling for a bit, Greyblade slowly got onto her elbows and knees as she quietly sobbed. Shining Armor knew she was beaten, not just physically, as she did not attempt to run, nor did she seem interested in fighting back anymore. Broken. “You and I knew it was only a matter of time,” said Shining Armor as he approached. “I’d like you to know I didn’t enjoy any of that, even if my voice sounded playful at times.” Greyblade was quiet for a moment, letting the last of her tears roll down her face. “I’ll tell you anything,” she quietly said after some time. “Just promise to kill me afterwards…so I can join my soldiers you executed…” “Your final punishment is to live,” said Shining Armor flatly. “Your reward and punishment I should say.” Greyblade didn’t even seem to react, continuing to look at the dark, muddy ground. “If it helps, I didn’t order your battalion slaughtered,” said Shining. Greyblade raised her head at this, a look of shock and confusion alongside her drying tears. She turned her head to look at Shining. “Then who did?” she asked simply. “Let’s make a deal,” said Shining. “I’ll tell who gave the order, after you answer me this…” He knelt down to her face. “Why help the changelings?”