//------------------------------//
// 29: Bullies and Idols 
// Story: My Little Fortress: Dawnpick 
// by Paaaad 
//------------------------------//

Jaxler had a lot to think about. He had had gone a few days without any booze, he really didn't feel like drinking. You can't think when you’re drunk, you also can't think when there is too much noise. So he went to the only place where a pony could get any peace and quite, the crypt. He came down into the dark underground, it was damp, eerie, and depressing but he was already depressed, so he sat and contemplated. He had recently been demoralized by an alicorn and felt accountable for another pony almost dying. He needed to do some deep thinking. Time went by and after about what seemed to be an hour of deep thought he looked up and saw a coffin, it was Barley's. "Lucky bastard" 
He looked around and saw that somepony else was coming down into the crypt.

After the recent success of the new traps Flux developed, Granite was even more excited to work underneath him. Hopefully some of his awesomeness will rub off onto him. A pony can dream can't he? Speaking of awesome Granite sees Jaxler walk into the crypt. However, instead of him being generally badass, he seemed kinda down. Granite didn't want to interrupt him so he quietly followed behind him. As Jaxler stopped to look at one of the coffins, Granite was on the last step of the staircase. 
He then turned around and spotted Granite when he stepped onto the floor.
"Uh... hey Jaxler, something wrong?"

Jaxler got up when he noticed Granite had been watching him. 
"Oh hay Granite, what brings you to a place like this?"

"Nothing really brings me here, I mean this place is all so gloomy and depressing; which brings the next question: Why are you here? And more importantly why are you so sad?"

"Sad? Hmmm..." Jaxler thought for a moment "We'll right now things are making me depressed. So I came down here in order to get some peace and quite, so I could think them over."

"Sorry in advance for destroying your peace and quiet, but what things are making you sad?"

"Well, I took orders from an alic- Stiletto and then there is fact that Falcata about had her neck crushed by one of those abominations in the caverns." Jaxler took a long pause "Did you know back before Storm Cloud came of age the guard and Virtue devised the plan for breaching the caverns?"

"I probably heard that there was a meeting between the guard and Virtue, but I doubt I remembered it for long, so no the meeting doesn't ring any bells... but why do you hate alicorns so much? Do they relate to how you got that scar near your kidneys?"

"The scar... I hope for your own good that you never have to sear yourself shut. Yes it is related to alicorns but I'm afraid that I can't really tell you much about how or why I have it. All I can tell you is that alicorns are the reason why I don't have a home, why I can't use my old name, why I drink, why I came to a random outpost in the middle of nowhere, and why I fear death."

"Jaxler... sorry for asking..." Granite takes a quick look at that coffin, for Barley right? He got killed by that thief...
"Anyway what was so special about the meeting? About the caverns and beasts?"

"Well since Storm Cloud wasn't in the guard at the time of the meeting it was just Me, Partisan and Virtue. I was talking with Virtue about coming up with a plan when Partisan comes in. now he comes up with this great idea and devises a great plan with the input of me and Virtue. That plan was an attack strategy for the abominations in the caverns, and was put into action on the 17th Galena, 256. The same day Falcata almost has her neck crushed by one of those monsters and was hospitalized. Now the plan wasn't supposed to allow casualties and I was in the room at the time in which the plan was being created. I could have reduced the margin of error but instead a mare has to be sent to the hospital and I'm partially to blame."

Granite sigh. "Jaxler what the buck."
"You shouldn't blame yourself for the casualty. First off, you were probably drunk during the meeting, no offence. Second, you are not the squad leader, you are just a grunt offering his opinion. Third, she wasn't in your squad, you aren't as responsible as her squad mates. Fourth, how the hell were you supposed to know what those forgotten beasts were capable of? THEY'RE FORGOTTEN! Finally, I am a foal telling you to stop feeling bad over something that was out of your hooves."
He takes a brief pause to let it sink in.
"Brownie Bits got bullied today at school, some ass of a pony pushed her into the ground. Granted I wasn't even there, but I was still worried. I blamed myself for that! Until my father pulled me aside and told me the same crap that I just told you. Then I stole everything those flankholes saw enjoyment in. Now they just sit there at recess facing extreme depression. Sure some incident at school and an almost dead mare don't really equal each other, but the point is you can't blame yourself for events out of your hooves."

Jaxler thought for a moment. All he did earlier was think about where the plan failed, but he never questions if he was really to blame.
"Every pony is guilty of all the good they did not do... But I suppose, if that was the case we would all be criminals. Everything you just said was 100% correct, excluding the drunk part... and the grunt part."

"Glad to hear what I said was... helpful?" Was it even helpful?
Then Granite remembered why he needed to speak with Jaxler.
"So with those bullies I mentioned earlier, I may need a few supplies for this scheme I have of exacting some vengeance. Don't worry! Nopony should be harmed... the plan is to plant some 'naughty' materials onto their persons, so they will get caught with said materials and be busted by the school system. I can take care of planting the evidence on them, but I need the evidence first, and I have no clue what the evidence should even be... So as a member of the fortress guard, can you help me get a few foals into some deep trouble with the principle and/or their parents by supplying me with material inappropriate for young foals, even though I'm a foal? And if you say no, will bribery sway your mind?"
This will either end perfectly or very very bad...

Jaxler felt like he owed Granite for sharing some wisdom so he decided to look the other way.
"I have a drinking problem so its within the realm of possibility that I'm currently drunk and can't remember anything you just said. So would you like to repeat yourself but remember, I'm not supposed to condone fraud, bribery, or use/possession of illegal substances?"

Okay, no bribery or illegal substances. This could work...
"Alright..." No fraud, hmm "I'll settle for just scaring the crap out of them."
Time for the backup plan...
"So I know the path of my targets and where they go most of the day, but more importantly where they're gonna be. Turns out one of 'em recently got their cutie mark and is gonna hold a party near the well. So I think I'll set up a surprise in the well so if one of them goes to draw water I can set whatever it is to spook 'em to... well... spoke them. Flux taught me enough in mechanics to know how to remotely launch an object up into the sky, so that won't be a problem. The problem, however, is that I have no idea what to use to scare them. A corpse would be too much and a rubber spider or something wouldn't be enough. I'll need help finding the desired object. And I don't think anypony will get hurt, just maybe wet their pants and get humiliated. Does that work for you? In terms of being a noble guard..."

"Well there really doesn't seem to be anything illegal about it. if I were you I'd use saw dust, it might work so long as you keep it from getting wet. They'd get covered in the stuff and probably would freak out the moment they saw a cloud rush up through the well. I don't know much about mechanics but you might want to use a remote trigger so the trap goes off on the right foal. also I could probably go talk with those kids parents and tell them that they've been causing civil disturbances."

"Saw dust? Maybe... is there anyway it can be more of a ghostly green fog color, like the stuff coming out of some witches cauldron or something? But I do like that idea, maybe throw some wet flour in there too..."
The realization that Jaxler was a member of the guard and was the law came to play.
"Wait, you could just talk to their parents and get them in trouble?! Why didn't you say that earlier?! That would work out perfectly! However that might lead to them calling her a tattle-tail or something... then the dust would come into play! JAXLER YOU ARE BUCKING BRILLAINT!!! I will forever idolize the ground you walk on Jaxler! You're my hero! And not just for saving me from the thief!"

Jaxler was shocked to hear Granite say he idolized him for the second time. Jaxler was a both scared and happy to know that a Granite actually "idolized" him. Jaxler knew he had problems, and that those problems were far more numerous than a normal pony. so this came as a shock to him. he never really saw himself as a rolemodel and he honestly didn't think he deserved to be one. But regardless he still felt overjoyed to know that sompony genuinely cared about him.  
"If I just don't use your name then nothing will happen, they will probably just assume it was the teacher or some onlooker, but anyway that can wait till tomorrow. I think it's about time I go get a drink, would you like to come with?"

"Sure! A drink wouldn't be half bad right now!"

"Great!"

'I get to drink with my hero!', thought Granite.