//------------------------------// // Shallow Water: Chapter 1 // Story: Conflict in Bloom // by aDerangedBrony //------------------------------// Part One: Shallow Water Chapter 1 Privates Belle and Bloom sat on the edge of Ponyville Quay, waiting for the ride that would bring them to the centre of the most evil, untamed wilderness in Equestria. They were both closing in on their seventeenth year, having stayed close friends after gaining their cutie marks and graduating from school. Now the marks showing their special talents were covered by the mark of an expeditionary soldier; an insignia sewn onto their uniform showing their names, rank and which branch of the military they now belonged to. Being privates, their insignia held no chevrons or bars; just the words “Expeditionary Private” followed by their name printed in bold red capital letters. The uniform consisted of a drab green zip-up coat and a bandolier of ammunition slung around the neck. In addition to this, they had large saddle bags filled with rations and other provisions. Each leg bore a band with the same insignia as the coat. Neither of them wore any armour or helmet. They were both armed with a griffon made self loading rifle, crudely modified so that any pony could fire it with a single limb once the weapon was strapped on and loaded. In a solid sheath on the chest rested a combat knife with a loop for a handle, designed for the undexterous hooves of an earth pony. Every item of equipment supplied by the Equestrian Expeditionary Force was designed to cater to earth ponies. It was almost unheard of for a unicorn to enlist for a non-commissioned position, and pegasi were generally pressured into joining the Airborne, Air Force or Special Forces. These branches were considered to be the most prestigious in the Equestrian armed services; pegasi have a long tradition of being the military caste. “I ‘preciate you joinin’ up with me,” Apple Bloom said to her friend. “I could hardly let you run off and join the army on your own, could I?” Sweetie Belle smiled, “Cutie mark crusaders for life.” “Cutie mark crusaders less one, yah mean.” “I told Scootaloo they wouldn’t let her into the expeditionary with us. The silly little filly is probably awfully lonesome, surrounded by those big, brash stallions in the airborne. They’ve got a certain reputation for the way they treat mares, you know.” The concern on the unicorn’s face gave way to a sleazy smile. She leaned closer to her earth pony friend and opened her mouth to say something before being cut off. “Ya’all got a one track mind, you know that? ‘S not ladylike at all. I’d ‘a’ thought Rarity teach you better ‘n’ that.” The pair shared a chuckle before a brief silence ensued. Looking down the river towards the Everfree Forest, Sweetie Belle shuddered. She joined the expeditionary without thinking it through. Her decision was spontaneous, prompted suddenly by Apple Bloom’s long thought out and reasoned choice to enlist. Looking down that river into the dark vegetation, she was starting to think she’d made a terrible mistake. “Pretty creepy, huh?” Apple Bloom suddenly interrupted the silence, making her friend jump. “Oh- er- yea,” the unicorn took a moment to snap back to reality, “I hope your family appreciates what you’re doing for them, plunging head on into THAT,” she gestured at the dark green mass downstream. “Nah, they’re still mad at me. Not sure why. I mean, there weren’t really much other choice. The drought just cut down production more than the subsidies could make up for. With the whole town helpin’ out, we still weren’t breakin’ even. I would’ve found other work if I could’ve, but what else is there? I ain’t overly qualified, yaknow.” “They just couldn’t stand seeing their little filly leaving them, I guess.” “Well, ‘s not like we’re at war or nothin’. We’ll just be strollin’ between the Everfree and the Macintosh Hills for three years, collectin’ a nice paycheque and somethin’ ‘a’ put on our resume’ along the way.” “There’s still those rebels out there. You’ve read it on the news. I mean, it’s just a handful of violent ponies, but it’s still nothing to sneeze at. Hey, I think that’s our ride.” The quay was built on the Canterlot River, just north of where it split into two. To the south-east, it flowed through the Everfree Forest, meeting the ocean in Horseshoe bay, a major port hugged by Baltimare. Westward, it flowed through Whitetail Wood and meandered its way to the delta of Los Pegasus. Their destination lay down the former while their transportation was driving up the latter. As the river patrol boat came towards the quay, the two soldiers studied it intently. It was a fairly large boat, about ten metres long and four metres in breadth at its widest point. The wheelhouse, which was also the bridge, sat a bit ahead of the middle, a simple metal frame to protect the skipper from the sun and light arms. At the bow and stern sat sinister looking mounted machine guns with solid shields around their barrels. Both of these turrets were fed from massive ammo boxes on their side, and had triggers which required an earth pony to stand bipedal. A wall of ceramic and metal armour surrounded the hull of the boat. The vehicle was painted a dull green-gray hue and had camouflage meshing strewn on its side, on the turrets and over the bridge. Smoke billowed from the rear engine that was propelling the heavy vessel. Standing at the bow of the boat, his hoof strewn lazily across the turret he was supposed to be manning, was a young colt. His bright green eyes contrasted the dull brown of his coat. He wore a drab green button up vest which stopped at his flank. Each leg bore bands similar to those that Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle wore, however his saddle bags were much smaller than theirs. It was the lightweight uniform of an Equestrian Marine. The rank insignias on the bags and bands had two light blue horizontal bars, denoting him as a lance corporal. Seeing the soldiers to be picked up were mares, he struggled to tame his short and wind-blown blonde hair. A blue mare with a red mane was laying at the stern, evidently napping. She wore the same uniform as the colt, but the stacked horizontal bars were replaced by three chevrons atop a single bar, showing that she had risen to the rank of chief sergeant. In the cabin a large middle aged stallion steered the vehicle. His steely gray eyes matched his buzz cut mane and tail, and his coat looked like it would be white if it weren’t for the grime caking it. His uniform was the same in style as the other two, but it was coloured a deep navy blue and he wore a peaked cap. His insignia of three diamonds showed that he was a senior lieutenant. As the boat bumped up against the quay, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom stood to attention and saluted, waiting for an invitation onto the boat. “Wow,” laughed the lieutenant as he scrutinized the new arrivals, “you’re green as grass. Privates Bloom and Belle, right?” “Sir, yes, sir!” the duo replied in unison. “Hey, I might be commissioned, but I still work for my pay. Call me skipper. And, err, at ease.” He turned from them to address the napping mare, “Eh chief! Wake up and sort out these two.” Lazily raising her head, the chief sergeant took one look at the land soldiers and groaned. “Really, skipper?” she said incredulously, “we have to let land troops on a marine boat?” “I don’t want to hear it-“ “I know, I know.” She turned to address Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, “Come on board, I’ll show you what’s what. That’s right, watch your step. We wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself, bumpkin. You too, bonehead. How the hay does a unicorn end up in the service without a commission anyway?” “I could hardly let my, er, ‘bumpkin’ friend here enlist by herself,” Sweetie replied with a smile as she boarded the craft. “Eh, fair enough. Anyway, pay attention because I’ll only say this once. This is our PBR – that is to say, patrol boat river. The skipper is in charge. After him, I’m in charge. After me, the little runt you see up front is in charge. After him, any other marine on board is in charge. If there are no marines on board, the boat descends into anarchy. At no point will you be in charge of her. You do NOT touch ANYTHING unless whoever is in charge of the craft clearly tells you to. It’s a simple piece of machinery, but it would absolutely boggle the minds of grunts like you. The grime on the deck could drive this boat better than you. Clear?” “To be fair,” Sweetie Belle said with a playful smile, “the grime on the deck has a lot more experience on the boat than us.” The chief sergeant flashed her eyes angrily at the unicorn, who quickly wiped the smile off her face and joined Apple Bloom in replying “Yes, chief sergeant!” “Wonderful. How old are you anyway?” “I’ll be seventeen in May; Apple Bloom here will be that old in July.” “Oh, nice. Looks like we’re running a kindergarten. Hey private Bloom, do you always let this bonehead answer your questions? Don’t answer that. I suppose you Expeditionary rednecks can’t articulate an answer without a unicorn holding your hoof.” Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle stood on the boat in silence, scowling at the mean-spirited mare. They knew there was something of a rivalry between the different branches of the military, but they were already getting sick of the verbal attacks. Every marine in the boat outranked them, so they decided to keep their retorts to themselves. “Don’t mind her,” said the corporal from the front, “she don’t like non-marines so much.” He turned to the skipper before muttering “Hey, sixteen is legal ‘round these parts, right?” “Smooth, kid. Smooth,” the skipper chuckled before flicking a switch and proceeding in a loud, clear tone, “PBR-471 departing Ponyville Quay 0800 hours, March 4th on the 2008th year of the alicorns’ reign. Picked up expeditionary privates Bloom and Belle. Headed to Horseshoe Bay, Baltimare. Making pickups and drop-offs at Checkpoint Charlie, Everfree Forest. Over.” Static whirred for a moment before a voice came through on the radio, “Roger PBR-471. Low tide is at 0845 hours and the moon is full. You are clear to proceed with caution. Over. Out.” Flipping the switch again, the skipper shook his head and said “Man, it’s bad enough floating through that creepy forest when you don’t have to worry about running aground. Ok, every pony, take a seat. We’re out of here.” *** Celestia sat on her throne, smiling deviously to herself about how well her plan was coming together. She had delegated the necessary power and issued the necessary orders. Everything was just peachy. Equestria had been enjoying an unprecedented period of stability, peace and harmony for over five years. There was no denying that her sister’s return, some eight years ago, had been the catalyst for this perfect scenario. All the alicorns needed to do was keep the peace for a few more years and their plan could be executed. As she mused over how wonderful life was about to become, a scroll materialised in front of her in a puff of red magic. She was going to assign one of her stewards to dealing with the business, but hesitated as she saw the red wax seal: a squinting eye superimposed over crossbones. It was the symbol of the Military Intelligence Force. Slowly peeling off the seal and unrolling the parchment, her heart began to sink. She knew this day was coming, but had desperately hoped it would come after she executed her plan. Taking her time to read the report, dread seemed to consume her entire being. This could ruin everything. She forwarded the letter to Luna before summoning her most loyal steward, who materialised before her almost instantly. “Yes, your highness?” the aging gray unicorn greeted the alicorn with a bow. “Call a war council. I want my sister, the Marshals, Colonel Spitfire and Colonel Underhoof in Canterlot as soon as possible. Don’t let word of our little meet up reach any pony but those invited. We don’t want the lords or the senators breathing down our necks. “Understood, your highness.” The steward teleported off on his errand and Celestia let out a disgruntled sigh. Everything had just become a lot more complicated.