CSF: Celestian Special Forces

by XeRom

Recovery and An Unexpected Encounter

I awoke with a jolt, my pulse raced as I looked around expecting to see the tile and marble pillars of Princess Celestia's throne room, only to be confronted by the warmth of the fireplace in my own home. Looking around, I saw Shadow right next to me, probably haven fallen asleep sometime during the night. Trying to get up, I nearly fall right back on top of her as ever joint in my body screamed in protest to my sudden movement.

"Uhhh..." I let out small grunt. Forcing my legs to start moving, making my way to the kitchen. I get a glass of water, almost falling to the ground trying to stay up on three hooves. Deciding the effort was to much, I start limping my way to the bedroom. Opening the door, I see Princess Luna still sleeping there right where I left her. I must have only been out for at most a day for her to still be here. That thought pleased me, only a day since Nightmare Moon....

"Spade, you're awake!" Shadow whispered groggily. "How are you feeling?"

"Like a ton of bricks fell on top me," I tried giving her a smile but that only caused more pain. "What happened after Nightmare Moon got hit with the rainbow? I can't remember anything after that. I was more tired than I've ever been."

Looking into the fireplace as if lost in her own thoughts she said, "As soon as Nightmare Moon was defeated, the ponies body in which she had been inhabiting disappeared," she paused looking back at me, "the Diamond Dog who saved me... Zin, he was dying from the bullet in his chest. The princess and I tried our best to save him, but we couldn't remove the bullet without killing him. The only thing we could do was stop the bleeding and repair his ribcage as much as we could."

"Other than that, we gather the mane six along with Zin and wiped all of their memories of us. It's all we could do to keep our presence a secret. I don't know about Zin though... He's different than other Diamond Dogs and I fear he might have some memory of us." she rushed up to me, hugging me.

"I'm so glad you're okay Spade. With all the energy you exerted in that short span of time Celestia wasn't sure if you'd recover..." she began to tear up. These past few days must have been a lot on her...

I returned her hug despite the pain, "It's okay," I said, giving her the best smile I could, "I'm okay, everything is okay now. No matter what else happened, everything is okay." She nodded, smiling back at me in return, giggling. "What?" I said looking a little hurt.

"It's just, when you tackled Nightmare Moon, a piece of the tile had shot up and took up the upper half of your ear." she said, a little ashamed of laughing. Eyes wide, I tried bringing the tip of my ears in front of my eyes and what do you know, it was gone.

"Oh no!" I said in mock horror, "This is just simply horrid!" she began laughing and soon enough I started only to be stopped by a pain in my chest. "Ow, ow, ow." Taking me, she moved me back to where we had been laying, a few blankets spread on the ground.

"You really have to rest, it will be at least a week before you're able to use your full range of motion again." she said, laying down next to me.

I groaned. A whole week of bedrest. I really must have overexerted myself for my body to be in such deplorable condition. Nuzzling me she said, "It's fine. The princess has given the both of us leave for the next four months based on our performance. That's plenty of time for you to recover and to start working on other things." she beamed at me.

"Oh not for at least a week can I get to those other things in the condition I am in," I reply back, smiling inwardly at her shocked look that quickly turned into a devious one.

"Oh hooey," she giggled but quickly turned serious as something else came to her mind, "Spade, can I ask a favor from you?" I tilted my head in the best nod I could muster. "The Diamond Dog, Zin. I would like to visit him in Ponyville General. I want to make sure he's still alive and if not I'd like to give him a proper funeral."

Her look was dead serious and I knew how important this was to her. This dog saved her life, she owed him at least that. Nodding the best I could again I said, "Of coarse. The only thing is is you can't actually see him. He might remember and we can't have that." she nodded as if she already knew this. "Give it two more days. By my calculations he'll still be out until then." I paused again, catching my breath, "Also by then I should have recovered enough to make a trip to town so I'd like to go with you. I owe him a great debt as he saved the most important pony in my life." she nuzzled me at the last. Closing my eyes I fell asleep with her next to me, my mind finally at ease for the longest time.

We woke up early on that second morning, getting ready to make the trip into town. We decided to go into down under a cloak of magic rather than don our usually disguises. It would be better that way we thought. Shadow had to cast the spell as I still didn't have nearly enough energy to maintain that kind of spell for any great deal of time. We had to start it right from the house as anypony walking along the path would see us otherwise.

As we left however, I remembered one more thing. "Hold on I have to check on one thing before we leave." walking back into the house, I checked the bedroom once more, making sure Luna was still alive and breathing. Her wounds had been greater than I thought and she had been out ever since I had brought her here, the food on the bedside table left uneaten. I quickly checked her wound, almost fully healed. "Get better princess." I whispered, running back outside to join Shadow. She gave me a curious look asking, 'What was that all about?' "The princess is still out cold. She'll make it but I don't know when she will wake up. The wound was much greater than I had previously though and she could still have some organ damage."

"We'll check it when we get back. Whatever it is it will be better to do it together," she said, beginning the spell that would hide us from sight. I gave her a nod as the spells effects began to take affect. Even though it hid us from sight, we were so attuned to each other we could sense the exact location of where the other was. Slowly we began our walk down to Ponyville, the only thing on our minds was whether or not Zin was alive or dead.

It took us nearly an hour to walk down to Ponyville on account of my injuries, but when we got there we could see that there had been a recent celebration. Balloons, streamers, carts and all the things that were incorporated into a large party were strewn throughout the town. All around were ponies passed out from the recent partying. In the center of it all we spotted Pinkie Pie, surrounded by a stallion or two with happy looks on their faces

As we walked through the town, we eventually spotted the other mane five, all with gleeful looks on their sleeping faces as well as on those around them. Finally making it across town to Ponyville General, Shadow searched for which room Zin was in with her magic while I just sat and looked around. 'All of these ponies have no idea what really happened up there, not even the mane six. Yet they celebrate that with which they do not know...'

Stopping her search, Shadow turned and looked at me, 'You know as well as I do that it's for the best. Let them enjoy their celebration. We've got all we need in our cabin.' she said softly.

'You're right as always. Sorry. Just getting ahead of myself as usual. Continue with your search.'

I took her a minute, but she eventually found his signature on the bottom floor at the far left corner of the building. We walked up to the window just in-time to see a timid and scared looking doctor approaching Zin as they talked. The doctor seemed to jump a little and just then, Zin turned his head towards the window, looking straight at us without seeing who was truly there. He turned back to the doctor, still conversing with him. He attempted to get up but quickly fell down to be saved by a nearby nurse.

Putting him back into the bed, she got close as he whispered something to her. She nodded to him and promptly left the room, off to do whatever he had asked. He turned his attention back to the doctor and began talking again when Shadow asked, 'Aces, I'd like to say something to him. Just one thing, an imprint through telepathy. Would that be alright?'

I nodded. No harm could come from it. 'Of coarse. It's the least we can do.' She then said something to him, 'Take care.' As soon as the thought left, he jolted upwards, looking around frantically with wild eyes. Obviously not aware of who or what had said that to him in his head. He quickly resigned his search, falling back into the bed and quickly falling asleep.

I turned towards Shadow who turned towards me and we embraced. At least we have some closure with the person who had done so much for us. 'Come on,' I thought to her, 'Lets head home.'

---------------------------------------------------------Four Months Later---------------------------------------------------------------

With a grunt I hoisted the last pieces of the roof to my dugout into place, setting up some brush around it to make it as natural looking as possible. It had taken me a half hour to dig the hole and get everything in place for the observation post near the edge of the Ever Free Forest several miles from our own cottage.

Shadow and I's first dispatch from Celestia had to been to set up an observation post near this edge of the forest and to look for any strange magics that might have been happening. She had sensed some of Discords magic was still in effect here and had us posted to make sure nothing was out of order.

Although Shadow had been unable to come, as a month prior, all of our efforts had finally succeeded. She was with foal! It was one of the happiest days for the two of us. As soon as the dispatch had come in though I was out within the our. Both of us knew our duty and pregnant or not, one of us had to come out here.

Taking a few steps back, I made sure that even from point blank you couldn't tell what was hidden there. Not until you stepped on it would you notice anything and by then it would be to late anyway. I had brought some basic field equipment with me, a shorter rifle for easier maneuverability in the dense forest and dugout the short barreled variant of the HiR-14 chambered in the 7.62x54 round.

I was just admiring my handwork when I heard two voices nearby. As quick as I could, I dove into the burrow, just in time to see a Diamond Dog come into view. He seemed to just be enjoying his walk when a pegasus pony with a black mane and tail came flying down, yelling at the dog, "Take my guitar, beat me with it, and help that stallion who slept with my marefriend. I knew I'd find you alone at some point, mutt."

That pony sure has some guts, trying to take on a Diamond Dog alone. Then the dog spoke back as clearly as I've only ever heard one other Diamond Dog speak, "Come on, be reasonable. I am wounded and wouldn't be much of a challenge right now..." Wounded. Clear dialect. Zin. I instantly knew who it was and knew right away that the pony would have the upper hand.

"That gives me more of a reason to get my revenge here and now." the pegasus had gained an evil expression, obviously not one for a fair fight. Turning around, the pegasus bucked Zin in the stomach, sending him flying back a few feet. Dust flew up as he landed in the dirt, causing a low cloud to form around him. Zin curled into a ball, moaning as the pegasus pony once again walked up to him.

I decided this was enough, breaking through part of the roof in the burrow, I flew out just as the pegasus began to hit Zin a few more times. The pegasus looked up at me, surprise written on his face as he began to say, "Hey, who are you? This is none---" he got no further as I rammed into him, tackling him off of Zin.

I grunted loudly as I knocked all the air out of, coughing for breath. "Alright buddy, you asked for it." he said getting up, taking a wild swing at me with his hoof.

Shaking my head I say, "You have no idea who you're about to try and fight." Right before his hoof were to impact with my skull, I reach up a hoof, catching his in mid strike. I give him a little smirk as he looks at me, horror written on his face, "Now it's time you pick on somepony who is ready for the challenge." Pulling on his hoof, I throw him over my shoulder hard into the ground.

Jumping atop his back, I grab his foreleg and pull it behind his back as he let out a shriek of pain. I pull a bit harder, hearing as the his joints popped. "Its not so fun when you're outmatched, is it?" I only got another shriek of pain as his leg popped out of its socket. Not broken, but it'll hurt twice as much setting it back, which is exactly what I do. Shoving his leg forward again, I shove it back into it's socket. He let out a large cry right before blacking out.

I hop off of him, shaking my head. Ponies these days... I walk over to where Zin was laying, barely conscious. His eyes face contorted with surprise, akin to my own before he finally passed out from the pain. I sighed to myself. Great, I thought, not only do I have to deal with my mission but now I have to take care of a pegasus pony and a Diamond Dog.

Resigning to my task, I hoist the pegasus onto my back along with Zin and trek back to my burrow just behind the treeline. As I get there, I look inside. Gee, this is going to be a tight fit, but it'll have to do for now. I hop into the dugout, removing my two guests from my back before I closed off the top, once again removing it from sight.

Placing them in separate corners of the dugout, I look over both of them, shaking my head at the two of them. Zin, always getting yourself into trouble and you, looking at the pegasus, seeming to like making that trouble. Shrugging to myself, I go to sit in the other corner, using my magic to change my features into that of my guise, Lance. It'd be better if they didn't see me as I am now, I thought.

Looking for something to do, I reach for my knife, pulling it out of its sheath and inspecting the edge. "You're going to need a sharpening old girl," I say to it as if expecting a response. Reaching then for my whetstone, I pull it along the length of the knife, whiling away my time before the these two woke up.

After about an hour of that I sighed to myself. Slamming my knife back into its sheath, a small click letting me know it was secure, I walked up to Zin who was still lying unconscious on the ground. A small moan emanated from the pegasus as he rolled onto his leg, but was quickly stopped as he against switched positions. They'll both be out for at least another hour.

Turning back towards Zin, I take his muzzle in my hoof, turning this way and that, examining his features. "What secrets do you hold old boy?" I mutter to myself, laying Zin flat on blanket on the ground. Kneeling on all fours next to him, I place my horn that I had previously hid from sight and though with magic against his forehead, breathing deep as I concentrated on a memory spell, preparing myself to launch myself into one of his past memories. "It's high time I found out just what those are."

I placed an hour time limit on the magic, which instantly took effect. The only problem with this magic, is that the participant must be asleep, and they would experience the memory as well. Any contact that I accidentally have with them will break the spell and they will wake up within a few minutes. I felt myself being pulled from my body, deep into some past memory of his, ready to find out whatever it is he was hiding.

I snapped to in the middle of the sky below a bustling town. There were these strange noises, honking of some sort that pierced the sky, along with these small bobbles of light in front large machines that seemed to be crawling along the ground. Through the air there was a think smog that made me cough right away. 'What is this horrid place?' I thought to myself as I flew through the air, placing a mask over my snout that would filter the air around me, allowing me to breath normally.

The spell instantly honed me onto Zin, who from the feel of it, was on top of some sort of building with somepony else. I began flying slowly over there, as I couldn't disguise myself with magic in the middle of another spell. No one else in the memory were sentient, all of them put on playback, even Zin. The only difference was he could interact with it like it was a dream and not just a normal memory.

I flew high enough that the noise was lessened considerably, therefore not giving me a good view on those below. But the more and more I flew around, the more suspicious I grew of Zin's origins. I began to have an idea of who he really was when I came upon him. He was atop what looked to be a library next to a school.

I steadily dove into a cloud, masking myself as much as I could from sight. When the thing that was supposed to be Zin got on the roof... I knew instantaneously why he was so different. Why he talked so eloquently, why he wasn't as fast as a normal Diamond Dog. Its because he wasn't. He is, or was a human. Shadow and I had to study them while we were still cadets. They were a violent society, ruled by greed. If I had known....

Never mind that now. His actions of the present supersede those of his past. He was approaching another human, this one female, who had been on the roof prior to his coming. I flew down to a lower cloud to hear their conversation.

"The hell happened?" was the first thing I heard from the female. She appeared to be the same age as Zin, albeit a little more confident when she walked and a more confident tone. She ran towards Zin, reaching for something inside a satchel at her side, dabbling at what looked to be blood and another liquid on his head, pulling shards of glass out of his mane... Hair, they call it hair.

He fell to his knees crying, while the female went down trying to comfort him."Hey, take it easy. What happened?" she said. He looked up, tears streaking his face.

"My...My dad was drunk and beating my mom. I yelled to stop him, but he hit me with his whiskey bottle. I fell to the ground and got my bat and tried to defend my mom...I broke his arm, Sofia. I can't go home, I could get taken away!" he screamed this all at her, loud enough that I could have been a block over and heard. Wow, this kid had it bad. At least he's in a semi-better place now.

He appeared to smile, falling on his back as he did so, looking up in the sky. The female did the same. Oh hay, if I don't move soon he might spot me. "Sofia, let me be honest with you..." his voice came up again. "I lost all of my self control in there...I regret what I did, but if I didn't...He would have hurt her or me even more..." Don't regret the actions you make kid, it will only lead to more hardships in your life, I wanted to tell him.

After a few minutes of them just laying there looking into the sky, I was about to end my spell before I was found when Zin said again, "Sofia..." they looked at each other, and he looked like he was about to get something off his chest when he said, "Nevermind. I think I will stay up here tonight. How about you?"

"I don't need to be home anytime soon. Mom is out of town for a few more days, so might as well stay here with you." she said back, smiling at him. Alright, I though, I've seen enough. It's time to bail out of here before anything bad happens. I began working my magic, flying off of my cloud, opening the door out of the memory when in mid flight, everything stopped. All the noises, all the flickering lights, it all stopped. The air was still as I continued flying. Damn, he's sensed me. I've just got a little more to go before I get to the door... Suddenly, Zin had disappeared from where he had been.

Oh not good, not good. I turned my head in all directions trying to spot him when I heard a cough from behind. The hair of my mane stood on end as I turned around to see Zin floating a meter or two behind me. Oh Celestia he knows!

"Get out of my head." he said it normally, but the force of his words pushed me back through the door, ending the memory and snapping me back into my body.

My eyes snapped open, as I looked around frantically. The time for the dream had run its coarse and Zin and the pegasus would be waking up any minute now. Rushing back to my corner, I reach for my hat, putting it on over my eyes, feigning sleep. I slowed down my breathing and heart rate, calming down my entire body. No matter what happens, he cannot know I was inside his head or who I am.

It took only a second to calm myself down completely, those years I spent staying still in the same spot had paid off. It was another two minutes before the pegasus came to, softly groaning as he woke up to the pain. Not long after him Zin woke up, groaning much the same as his own pain returned to him. You've got some explaining to do, I thought, but not before I find out what the problem is between you and this pegasus over here.