Chapter 1:
“Hey short stuff!”
“Oh sorry! I didn’t see you all the way down there.”
“Look! It’s Hood Shrink!”
“What did I trip over? Oh it was just Hoodwink.”
“I didn’t know fillies could be enlisted into the EUP!”
These were just some of the insults Pvt. Hoodwink of the Lunar guard heard on a daily basis. She was a short mare working at the FOB in the Deadhoof Badlands. She was picked on for her pride, the fact she was one of two mares on the premises, but mainly because of her small stature.
“LOOK! A Hood Shrink PLUSHIE!” a random PFC. guard would shout before picking her up and running off with her.
“I WANT IT!”
“NO! I WANT IT!”
“FORGET IT! IT’S MINE!”
More PFC guards would join in, tossing her around, pulling on her hooves.
“I DEMAND YOU TO PUT ME DOWN YOU CURS! I WILL HAVE YOU COURT MARTIALED! I WILL SHRED YOU INTO MINISCULE RIBBONS!” she would threaten and hiss.
She was also stuffed into lockers and bags, thrown into trash cans and basketball hoops, and hung from hooks or ledges by her orange cloak, the ground just barely out of reach of her small hooves. The worst thing of all was she couldn’t do anything about it. Even with an enchanted cloak, armor, and sword to match, she couldn’t use them against her superiors. She could just deal with it and lose her dignity or wield her sword against them, protecting her dignity, but she would get into big trouble with her commanding officers. She was stuck in between a rock and a hard place. Occasionally a captain or an even higher up would catch the other guards bullying her and stop them temporarily.
Hoodwink was pretty fed up with all the jokes and became very snippy and short tempered.
One day during her afternoon patrols she was muttering to herself, “Why in the wide world of Equestria did Luna stick me in this a cursed facility.”
The speaker clicked and the stern voice of Col. Firebrand announced, “Pvt. Hoodwink, report to conference hall 1. Pvt. Hoodwink, report to conference hall 1. That is all.” then clicked again.
“Great, now what? It had better be a promotion or even better a PCS.” She trudged to the conference hall.
When she entered the hall, Col. Firebrand, the captains of the FOB; Silvermane, Event Horizon, Saunter Hoof, Midnight Spangle, Sky Cruncher, and Aetherious, and a couple popular lieutenants; Tweak and Sky Sage, were waiting for her.
“Pvt. Hoodwink reporting sirs.” she saluted.
“It’s Pvt. Hood Shrink!” Lieutenant Tweak, Sky Sage, and a couple captains busted up laughing.
Hoodwink was not in the mood for such mockery but she wasn’t the only one because before she could say anything Col. Firebrand shot them a stern glare, silencing them all.
“At ease Pvt. Now I, or we, have been alerted of some,” shoots a look at the lieutenants, “foalish behavior in the FOB.”
“You have a keen eye Mz. Hoodwink. You wouldn’t happen to know who these officers could be?” Captain Silvermane added.
“Sirs,” she takes a quick look at the door, “What would to become of these officers?”
“They are to be assigned to stable duty a week per every offense.” Captain Aetherious stated.
“THAT’S IT!?” She bursted.
“Calm down Pvt.! Are these offenses directed towards you?” Captain Event Horizon tried to calm her down.
“YES! They are constantly physically tossing me around! Squeezing me into tiny places and hanging me by hooks higher than I can reach the floor and making fun of my petite appearance with petty nicknames like…”
“Hood Shrink!” somepony in the room shouted.
Everypony in the room, even Colonel Firebrand, laughed at her dismay.
“ENOUGH! THIS IS NOT A LAUGHING MATTER! I AM TIRED OF TAKING THAT KIND OF HORSING AROUND!” she yelled and pulled out her sword from under her cloak.
“PVT. HOODWINK! Put the weapon down, now!” Col. Firebrand demanded.
“And watch that tone around your superiors little filly.” some other pony barked.
...little filly…
...little...filly…
little…
filly!
LITTLE FILLY!!!
Something snapped in the back of Hoodwink’s mind. She became enraged and irrational. Magic aura began to glow from her horn.
“LITTLE FILLY! IS THAT HOW YOU SEE ME! THAT IS IT! I AM DONE BEING TREATED LIKE A FOAL BY EVERYPONY!” she exploded.
“Pvt. Stand down!” a captain demanded.
The lieutenants had sprung out of their chairs and were ready to strike at the drop of a hat.
“NO I HAVE HAD ENOUGH!” her eyes began to glow a bright white, orange magic aura flaring and sparking from her horn and she stood on her back legs, “HOW WOULD YOU LIKE IT IF EVERYPONY TREATED YOU LIKE TINY UNEDUCATED FOALS!!!”
She pounded her hooves to the ground, cracking the ground, and a bright light encased the room. She was blinded by the light for a split second. When she was able to see once again, she was not prepared for the shocking sight in front of her.
“WHAT IS GOING ON IN HERE!” busted in SPC. Bubbly Turtle, the FOB specialist nurse, or FOB Mom as an unofficial title. She had come to investigate the bright flash and rushed in, but when she saw the sight in front of her she froze in her tracks.
The two mares stood there, paralyzed by fear.
“I know I’m FOB Mom, BUT I AM NOT READY TO HAVE KIDS!” Bubbly cried out.
Before them were their superiors, as adorable, tiny foals.