//------------------------------//
// Ch36: RE;alignment 
// Story: Equestria: The Afterlife 
// by Timzocker201 
//------------------------------//

POV: Markus

Father, forgive me, for I have sinned… I have committed a grave sin against your holy rule and am willing to accept the punishment that awaits me for it.

It all began during the second defence of Hoovesville. After our offensive had failed, we prepared to be met by an attack ourselves. As part of these preparations, I had Bulkhead place sentries throughout the forest which would alert us of any movement our enemy would make.

Six days after I gave said order, the first sentry reported in that the Gryphons had begun marching along the road leading in from the north-west. Going by this, I followed through with a prepared plan to set up an ambush along the road they were using, in order to make full use of our higher flexibility and superior camouflaging capabilities.

The Gryphon army numbered around six hundred troops, which were arranged in six ranks, each a hundred gryphons deep. To make the ambush work, I had to spread my forces out thin in order to attack their whole length at once. This wouldn’t be a problem, however, as the advantage the forest gave us was nearly enough to make up for our few numbers and good tactical placement of my troops would do the rest.

Although… that wasn’t all there was to our victory. I had another ace up my sleeve. I am certain, you remember me talking about training pioneers? Well, firstly I have remembered that they are actually called ‘sappers’ in English and secondly, I had them make their first appearance in this very battle.

A small group, led by squad six of Platoon Alpha, consisting of Pvt. Broom, Nambs and Squeak, was tasked with hiding a few 37mm HE shells under the dirt of the road. These rounds were then rigged with magic, so their explosion could be triggered from afar.

With these preparations in place, we placed ourselves in the underbrush of the forest and waited patiently for our victims to arrive. When they did, we opened fire and blocked their path forward and backward and had our Unicorns raise barriers to prevent them from coming too close.

That and to shield us from the incoming explosion. On my mark, Mystic triggered the shells we had hidden under the dirt, causing a multitude of explosions to erupt along the path, engulfing the former Gryphon Army and leaving only a pile of burned and shattered corpses.

I couldn’t help but let a small smile creep across my lips, as I saw the plan work so perfectly. However, this smile would only last for so long, as I suddenly heard a terrified scream from behind me. I spun around and froze in horror, as I saw the very last thing I wanted to see.

The whole population of Hoovesville had apparently followed us into the forest, into the very zone that I didn’t want them to be in and were now watching in horror as the Gryphon Army was completely obliterated by us.

They panicked, seeking to hide themselves in the nearby forestry, where they would probably never have been found again. However, I would not let this happen. I gathered my officers and we quickly calmed them down and brought them back together, ensuring them that they were safe now and that the Gryphons were defeated.

Slowly, they regained their senses. When they had finally regained themselves enough, I chose to speak to the first Stallion that I could bring to answer.

“Say, what are you doing here? This is a battlezone, it’s no place for civilians like you.” I said to the still panting stallion.

“We-we didn’t know that the battle would take place here. We were told that the Gryphons were coming from the east and we should hide in the forest…” The Stallion answered.

“…Who said that?” I asked, my mood now quickly declining into a rage-like state.

“Th-The General.” Came the answer.

This was the last drop that brought me over the edge. I ordered Mystic and the others to take care of the civvies and the Gryphons, while I went to have a serious talk with Pillbox. However, as I came close to the door, I heard them talking and stopped to listen in on their conversation.

“Do you think it will work this time?” One of the officers asked.

“Yeah, using him as a scapegoat didn’t work last time, so why should it work now?” The other officer added.

“Relax, gentlemen. Not even the captain should have the resources to deal with such a sudden change and when he finally comes back and reports that those ponies were taken prisoner, we can blame him for his failure and earn ourselves some renown by freeing them again.” The General said in an almost cheerful sounding voice.

I decided to take this exact moment to make my entrance. “Gentlemen, I’m afraid your plan has failed.” I said as I slowly stepped through the door, causing the three ponies inside to go rigid.

“Yes, it indeed seems so…” The General stated, as he recovered from the initial shock. “Well, I’ve got to admit that you are a lot brighter than I’d like to credit you for. Truly, you would make a marvellous ally. What do you say? Will you join us?”

I was utterly disgusted by the proposal, but decided to play along for the sake of gathering information. “… Let’s say I was interested: What would be the purpose of our ‘alliance’?”

“Why, to further our renown, of course!” One of the officers answered. “After all, in this world, renown is almost a second currency and earning a medal or two certainly helps with the effort.”

“And that’s why you’ve endangered the very civilians we were meant to protect?”

The General chuckled. It was a dark, almost maniacal chuckle. “Captain Becker… I thought you would have noticed by now that Princess Celestia’s only concern is her Ponies’s well-being.”

“That, I have indeed noticed, but what does this have to do with your plan?” I inquired.

“Well, we can’t really rescue her little ponies, if there’s nopony to be rescued, isn’t there?” He implied.

“So you help things along a little by causing problems so you can come in yourself and save the day.” I concluded.

“EXACTLY! Isn’t this a truly brilliant plan? Oh, how the princess will-“

I didn’t let him finish. I didn’t need to hear any more, I didn’t want to hear any more. For the first time since my mother died, I felt a rush of emotion flow through me. Disgust, anger, disbelief, they all piled up to form a cacophony of feelings that combined themselves to form a strangely empty indifference. In this very moment, my mind told me that their lives had just become expendable. Not through rage, not through blind hatred, but through a cold clearness in my mind.

In a single, swift motion, I grabbed my pistol, pressed it against his head and ended his miserable life right there, before I made his two treacherous officers follow his example. I then took a plank out of the floor and smashed their heads in so the bullet holes couldn’t be found. I then took the three bullets as well as the most important maps and plans that I saw lying around, before I set fire to the location, letting their bodies be devoured by the flames.

I stepped out of the flames and into the path that lay behind, where Overdrive and Bulkhead were already storming towards me, asking what had happened.

I explained to them that we apparently had missed a few Gryphons and that the General and his officers had been killed by them. I used the same lie in my report to the princess.

Though, I have to clarify: I didn’t do this to mask my own actions. I am an honourable man and I have done what was necessary to ensure the safety of my protégées. However, the actions of Pillbox were not honourable in the slightest. What I did was an act of mercy towards the noble family of his, as else they would have suffered greatly from the dishonourable actions of their kinsman. Actions, which the high nobility of Canterlot would never forget, even if Celestia were to forgive them.

Yet, that doesn’t change that I have committed a sin. Father, forgive me, for I have reported falsely to those put into power by your wisdom and might. For I have acted against your rule and lied to those whom you have bestowed with the power to bring judgement and order to this world.