19 Recruits
Cloud Blazer coughed, which was rather painful. Doctor Horse was using a stethoscope to listen to his lungs. A nod from the good doctor impelled him to cough again, sending the rippling waves of pain throughout his body that made him wince in agony.
"You're sounding much better today," the doctor said.
"Glad to hear it," Cloud Blazer replied, his voice sounding harsh in his own ears.
He took a few more deep breaths before the doctor began packing up his things to leave. As Cloud Blazer looked up, Scootaloo entered the hospital room. The stallion gave her a smile, which she returned upon seeing him. It made his heart leap for joy.
"Hey there," he said to her.
"You're awake," she replied.
"Yeah, the doctor's been prodding at me."
“You think? You did take a nasty fall. What did he tell you?"
"He said that Zecora's medicines are far more potent than anything he's ever seen. Without them, I wouldn't have made it."
Scootaloo regarded him a moment, her face becoming grave.
"What is it?"
"What else did he tell you?" she asked callously.
A little confused, he answered, "Nothing, that was all. I mean, I'm supposed to make a full recovery. I'll be flying again before you know it."
She stared at him for a moment before saying, "No, you won't."
Before he could ask what she’d meant by that, Scootaloo leapt onto the hospital bed and began pummeling him with her hooves. Cloud Blazer rolled off and slammed into the tile floor, but she pursued, stomping and biting at him. He cried out for help and then in pain as her teeth sank into his wing. Timberwolves clawed their way into the hospital room, jumping on top of him. He felt he was suffocating under their weight. They tore at him and sliced and ripped until there was nothing left.
Cloud Blazer awoke sweating and terrified. He looked wildly about, finding himself in the same hospital room of which he’d been dreaming. The fear and panic overpowered his senses in the initial disorientation. Then, the most gentle touch began to draw him out of it. He heard somepony shushing him.
"It's okay, quiet down now," Sweetie Belle said as she stroked his mane.
Cloud Blazer sighed with relief as the horror gave way to the quiet. Her touch was soothing. He laid back down against his damp pillow. Pain snaked its way through him from his leg, his ribs, his neck, behind his eyes, his back, especially his back... It seemed that anywhere he had a place, there was a pain in it.
"You just had a bad dream,” she said in a calming tone. “It's over now.”
"I thought I was awake," he said to her.
“Can you hear me?” her tone changed, now containing a hint of excitement.
“Yes, I can hear you,” he looked at the unicorn mare.
She was clearly tired in the early morning ambience created by the light streaming through the window.
“Do you know me?” she asked.
He snorted, “You’re Sweetie Belle.”
“Do you know where you are?”
“Looks like the hospital, but I don’t remember how I got here. I’ve had some dreams that you wouldn’t believe.”
With concern, she asked, “Do you want to talk about it?”
"I was here, and Doctor Horse was examining me. Then Scootaloo attacked me, and timberwolves ran in to help her, and I was ripped to pieces,” he shuddered at the remembrance of the nightmare.
“Is that worse that usual?"
"I don't know, maybe. Really, most of them are just strange," he replied.
"Have you always had dreams?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Sometimes, I mean, I guess I dream as much as anypony else would. Since the battle in the forest, I dream almost every time I'm asleep, which is a lot."
Sweetie Belle nodded, still stroking his mane. “How are you feeling?”
It didn't take any thought to answer that question, "Terrible."
She didn’t answer this, but sat with him in silence. His mind still was unsure of many things, but his own curiosity was beginning to demand answers.
“Did I fall into Ghastly Gorge?”
"Yes," she replied. "You fell all the way to the bottom."
"I survived that?" Cloud Blazer said, lifting his head with a mixture of surprise and disbelief.
"Yes, you did; I was there. I mean, I didn't see you fall, but I was nearby. I heard everypony shouting after."
"How bad am I actually hurt?"
She shrugged, “At least a dozen broken bones and fractures. Thirty or more lacerations and more small cuts and bruises than we were able to count. You nearly bled out the first night."
Cloud Blazer put his head back down. His mouth felt dry.
“What do you remember?”
“Some,” he thought deeply, trying to discern dream from memory. “We were surrounded by timberwolves; we couldn't get away. Lightning Dasher came, and we jumped off of the cliff. I was the last one; I had to make sure she... to make sure the others made it. Then I heard water, and I remember smooth stones. Everything was numb, and then I hurt all over. After that, everything was blurry until I woke up and spoke to you earlier."
"That was three days ago," Sweetie Belle said softly. She stopped stroking his mane.
“Three days? How long have I been here? I mean, since I fell?”
“I’m not sure, a little over two weeks. Two-and-a-half?”
She sat up a little straighter, pulling slightly away from him.
“You don't have to stop. That's actually really calming.”
"Okay," she agreed, gently running a hoof through his mane again. "Just don't read anything into it."
"Fair enough," he replied, wondering what exactly she’d meant by that.
The idea of any sort of romantic feelings between himself and Sweetie Belle seemed ridiculous to Cloud Blazer. They had been friends for a long time, so surely if there were to be any sort of development in that direction, it would have happened by now. Of course, the stallion had only just recently become aware of the depth of his feelings for Scootaloo. He just didn't think of Sweetie Belle that way, and he'd never considered whether she might be that-kind of fond of him. He decided that this was something best left alone for now.
"Where are the others?" he asked.
"From your squad?"
"Yes, Scootaloo and the rest. Did they save Princess Twilight?"
"They did,” she replied with a nod. “Once you were safe, they went back and found the mirror pond. They told me that they saved several ponies that had been held captive, and one of yours, Lightning Dasher, ended up duplicating himself."
"He did?"
"Yes. They told me that there were hundreds of him at one point. That's how they got out of there. When they got back to Ponyville, the city was under heavy attack. Most of the duplicates died defending Sweet Apple Acres and the castle."
"Is Lightning Dasher okay?"
Sweetie Belle hesitated a moment. “Yes, well. There are two of him left, so I guess he’s fine.”
Cloud Blazer felt uneasy at the thought of more than one of anypony.
"One of them might be the original, or neither of them are. There's just no way to tell. In any case, now that the cave has been destroyed, I don't know if we could send the copy back even if we wanted to.”
"Destroyed? What happened?"
She hesitated a moment, ”The princesses, five of them, flew out into the forest. Later that evening, there was a massive explosion. I've heard rumors that as much as half of the Everfree Forest was destroyed."
"By Celestia...” The power to destroy even half of a forest that large was beyond Cloud Blazer’s comprehension.
"It's worse. They never returned. Soldiers had been searching ever since, but they called it off last night after Shining Armor sent out a proclamation about it. Princesses Celestia, Luna, Cadence, Hope’s Glimmer, and Twilight Sparkle, and Discord are presumed dead,” Sweetie Belle shivered, great concern worn on her face.
A stunned silence filled the air for a minute.
"I just can't believe they're gone," was all Cloud Blazer could think to say.
“I think that’s how we all feel... Your squad fared better. I know for sure about Sparklefly, Lightning Dasher, and LD, which we've nicknamed one of them. Then there's Scootaloo and you."
Cloud Blazer’s stomach knotted as he asked, ”What about Pibs?"
“I haven’t seen her since...” her expression turned sour.
Cloud Blazer knew that she had died; he could feel it. Sadness filled his heart as he lay there. Sweetie Belle was still stroking his mane, which was wonderfully comforting, but only a small consolation at that moment.
"There's more, now that you're awake," Sweetie Belle began, then hesitated.
"What?" Looking at her, he could see her eyes filling with tears.
"I'm," she stopped and pulled back, looking away for a moment. Finally composing herself, she continued, "There was one other thing I hadn't mentioned." The wetness escaped her eyes and ran down her cheeks. "We did everything we could, but you got an infection. When you fell, your wings were broken very badly. The doctor..." her composure was failing.
Cloud Blazer’s heart began pounding in dread. He felt an urgency to know what she was trying to tell him.
"How bad is it?" he heard himself ask.
She shook her head, the tears flowing freely now. "They couldn't be saved," she finally got out.
“How bad is it?” he repeated, his voice now a hollow whisper.
Her face contorted in anguish, “They had to take them. You’ll never fly again.”
Cloud Blazer stared blankly at her for a moment, her words having sucked the air from the room. Slowly he turned his head and attempted to spread out his wings. A burning pain rippled through him from his heavily bandaged back. When he turned to her, he could tell that she read the look of horror that must have been on his face. He felt completely lost now. His wings were gone. Sweetie Belle buried her face in his neck, crying freely. Cloud Blazer had no tears for this. He felt blank. He was in too much shock for the full weight of his situation to have hit him yet.
...
Sparklefly had read the proclamation twice since it had been issued, but she found herself again staring at a copy of the official scroll. ‘Loyal subjects of Equestria, It is with the heaviest heart that I, Prince Shining Armor, Sovereign Ruler of all Equestria and Field Marshal of the Royal EUP Armies, do officially order an end to the search for any sign or remains of the princesses and Discord in the Everfree Forest Crater. Powerful beings as they were, surely some sign would have been discovered of them by now had they survived. We will all miss them in the days to come, but take comfort from the knowledge that their sacrifice was not in vain. My sister’s plan to destroy the mirror pool, in which the timberwolves were multiplying, was a success. I know that each and every one of our princesses would have without hesitation given their lives to protect the rest of us. That does little to assuage my own feelings of loss, but it does harden my resolve to free our land of the timberwolf and changeling threat once and for all. For Cadence, for Twilight, for Celestia, Luna, and Hope’s Glimmer, I will do everything within my power to bring a quick and decisive end to the war. If you are able, enlist in the EUP to join the fight. If not, find another way you can contribute. With all of our combined strength, we will prevail. Victorious, an Equestria free of the shadow of death is how I will honor their memory.’
The mare rubbed at her eye patch and then rolled up the scroll, tossing it on a table. Sparklefly took a deep breath as her mixed feelings took focus. It wasn’t the prince’s words that made her feel apprehensive. In fact, she wasn't even sure why she should be nervous. She'd faced down timberwolves and changelings. She had been captured by the enemy, wounded, and in peril of almost certain death. After all of that, was she actually skittish at meeting new recruits? They had set up a training field southwest of Ponyville. The mountains west of town were to their north, and a large portion of General Mane Crusher's corps had been stationed around the other sides to safeguard the recruits from attack. The entire new battalion was going to be staying in tents for the time being.
One of the larger of these had been named the Officer's Mess. Major Brax had summoned all of the command staff to have a meeting before they would be formally introduced to the new recruits. The group consisted of the one major, five captains, and ten lieutenants, including Sparklefly. Brax’s officers had all been getting to know her better, as she was the newest member. The others had been promoted from the remnants of his original company that had been stationed at Ponyville, fewer than twenty of which had survived. Sparklefly had met them all during the siege, but most only in passing.
Brax and the captains were dividing up the new-recruit roster to assign them to their units. It had already been decided that Scootaloo, LD, Clyde, and Lightning Dasher would be assigned to Sparklefly's platoon, each of them having their own squad. This did make things a little easier, as she was already well aware of the abilities of each of them. Brax had decided to arrange his battalion’s squads into groups of five pegasi, two unicorns, and two earth ponies. His theory behind this was to increase effectiveness of the smaller units. With this structure, they would all have flight mobility, a medium amount of hoof-to-hoof strength, and ranged magic capability. For this reason, he had specifically requested numbers of recruits that would allow this arrangement. The traditional way to organize was in companies of each specialty. Everypony was curious to see whether Brax's integrated way would be able to improve fighting effectiveness.
A gray donkey walked stiffly into the tent. With his starched uniform, hat, and no-nonsense disposition, he was instantly recognizable as a drill sergeant.
"Drill Sergeant J, reporting as ordered, sir!" the donkey spoke sharply.
He had a rhotic accent that Sparklefly couldn't place.
"At ease, sergeant," Major Brax replied.
Even when repositioning to this stance, the drill sergeant looked solid and purposeful.
"They tell me you're one of the best," Major Brax said as he approached.
Drill Sergeant J, stone-faced, stared forward without reply.
"What do you say to that?" Brax asked.
"Sir, I prepare ponies for combat. That is all, sir," he replied.
"Very good," Brax answered. "Form up the battalion. We'll be out to begin drills soon."
Drill Sergeant J saluted mechanically and exited the tent. Sparklefly was sure that only moments later she could hear him shouting rather loudly at the recruits. Captain Lightning Dust pinned up a list with the recruit names, which was swarmed moments later by lieutenants eager to know the names of those that had been assigned to their platoons. Their excitement dropped off when they realized this was not the assignments list, it was an alphabetical census. They began walking away, but before Sparklefly did so, one of the names caught her attention. She blinked her eye several times, but there was no mistake about what she saw. In the list of recruits, one name stood out to her: Duster - Apple Loosa. It was her brother.
"Are you alright?" one of the other lieutenants asked her.
She didn't answer initially, but finally nodded slowly. She had been caught completely off guard by this development and was trying to understand how this could have happened. While he was next oldest after her, Duster was still too young to join the EUP. Sparklefly had barely been old enough when she had signed up, and that couldn’t have been more than seven months before. She decided that something must be done about this immediately.
She approached the table where all of the captains were huddled around their battalion clerk, a blue earth pony by the name of Rolodex. He was working on the assignments list with their input.
"Captain Radiant Pyre, sir," Sparklefly addressed her superior officer.
His blue eyes looked up from the incomplete assignments sheet and met her gaze, "Yes, Lieutenant?"
"Request permission for Duster of Apple Loosa to be assigned to my platoon," she replied with feigned calm.
"Any particular reason you make this request?" he asked, sizing her up.
"Yes sir," she replied cautiously. "I want to ensure he gets the best training. He's my brother, sir."
He stared at her for what seemed an eternal moment before looking to one of the other captains who nodded at him. Captain Radiant Pyre replied, “With your reputation, I’ll trust you on this. Permission granted. Any squad preference?"
"Sergeant Scootaloo's squad, sir."
He nodded at her, and then looked back down at the roster. Rolodex marked through names, switching Duster in and another pony out to a different company.
Sparklefly let out a sigh of relief that he had consented. That soon gave way to renewed concern. Of the things for which her brother was known, strength and toughness were not among them.
...
The magical buzz of the unicorn shield was suddenly heard as the camp became surrounded by it. Many of the other recruits were jabbering away and making friends, but not Duster. Silver with a dark blue mane and eyes, he was sitting quietly on his slender haunches, waiting for somepony to tell him what to do. He'd only been away from his momma mare for two days, but he already missed her and his siblings terribly. He'd initially been excited when Prince Shining Armor had lowered the age limit for ponies to join the EUP. He'd been ecstatic when he was accepted and passed his physical exam. When he heard that he'd be stationed in Ponyville, he'd been hopeful that he'd have a chance to see Sissy again. Now that he was here, all he wanted was to go home. Memories of the many fights he'd had with his oldest sister were foremost on his mind.
One of the first things that struck Duster was how different this training camp looked than what Sissy had described in her letters. Where she had been, it was pegasi only. In front of him was a mix of earth ponies and unicorns as well. More than a few were all the way from the Crystal Empire, far to the north. Duster had always been intrigued by the stories he'd heard when he was just a little colt. The day the Crystal Empire returned was a pivotal time. Even the farmers down in Apple Loosa could hardly talk about anything else. Captivated by these tales, Duster had always wanted to travel to see new lands. He would spend hours in his room while his brother and sisters were playing, and he'd draw pictures or use blocks to build the places he wanted to visit. Any chance that presented itself, he and Sissy would go exploring in the surrounding countryside.
After one particular incident where he'd used all of the furniture and curtains in the house to create a scale model of Cloudsdale, his parents sent him to a Fillies and Colts Art Summer Camp in Hollow Shades. Through those lessons, Duster discovered he had a love for sculpting. His cutie mark manifested as a carved crystal heart. Before the timberwolves came, he had planned to continue his art studies in Manehattan when he was old enough. Ever since his father had been killed and their home overrun, Duster had withdrawn into himself. The most vocal he became was when fighting with Sissy. He'd noticed a change in her as well. She’d become bossy, like she was in charge. This was rather annoying to the rest of the siblings, most especially to Duster.
Much like that week at art camp, his newest adventure had also begun with a terrible homesickness. Before either of them had gone, their mom did everything she could to hold the family together, but now two of them had left to fight the war. Food was short for everypony, but for a family that has lost their home, money was even shorter. Two fewer mouths to feed that were now able to send money back was a huge help for the rest of the family. All such notions of nobility had evaporated as the reality of his decision to become a soldier were beginning to take hold.
A donkey in a starched uniform began shouting loudly at every pony, killing the light mood that had been permeating the group. It was mostly startling, but it didn't take long for the drill sergeant to get all of them arranged into a large square. It took a little longer for him to make them quiet. The officers finally came out of their tent with the assignments roster. Duster had overheard that the first thing they would do was be sorted into squads. After this, the training would begin.
It was at this moment that Duster got his first look at Sissy in nearly seven months. He didn't recognize her for a moment and was dumbfounded when he did. She wasn't the skinny weakling he had remembered. She was always a talented flyer, but she hadn't been particularly fit otherwise. Her shoulders and flank muscles were much more well-defined now. When the officers found their position, she turned to face the recruits, and that’s when he noticed her eye patch. Duster’s stomach knotted up. They'd been writing letters to Sissy ever since she had left for basic training. He knew she'd been in combat several times already, but she hadn't mentioned anything about getting hurt.
The sergeants on the front row found their squad assignments and began yelling. Duster lost sight of his sister in the organized chaos that followed. Names were being shouted left and right as the entire group reorganized themselves. Duster was listening for his name, but he couldn't hear well over the sea of voices, so he stayed where his hooves were planted. As the ranks drew thinner and thinner, everypony moving to a new position with their squads, Duster found himself lost in thought amongst the cacophony. He was imagining what must have happened to Sissy's eye. Perhaps a knife-fight with a changeling, or maybe a timberwolf had tried to bite her head off. This led to other imaginings of how the injury had occurred, each more wild than the last. An orange sergeant with pink hair and a bandaged front right ankle called out something at him, but he couldn't hear. It was at this moment that Duster came back to the moment and realized that he was alone.
"Are you deaf?" she shouted, approaching him.
"What?" he replied in confusion.
Drill Sergeant J came out of nowhere, hitting Duster in the belly with a front hoof jab. Caught completely off guard, the wind was knocked out of him. Duster crumpled to the ground, unable to breathe.
"On your hooves!" Drill Sergeant J shouted at him.
His face buried in the short grass and earth, Duster tried to respond, but all he could get out was a pitiful croaking noise. He put his fore hooves down, forcing them back into position, but he was unable to stand.
"So you do know where your front hooves are? Now the others, we don't have all day!" the donkey continued yelling.
A sweet earthy gasp filled Duster's lungs as his air returned to him. His eyes were watering as he breathed deeply and regained a standing position. The other sergeant, the orange one was face to face with him. Her lavender eyes were sizing him up, and she didn't look pleased in the slightest.
"Are you Duster from Apple Loosa?"
"Yes," he replied, still catching his breath.
J slapped him and began shouting again, "You will address all officers as sir when you speak!"
Fumbling to not get hit again, Duster replied to each of them, "Yes sir. Yes sir."
Turning to the assembled and neatly aligned rows of recruits, J shouted to them, "That goes for every single one of you juicy pieces of timberwolf fodder. Whenever answering or addressing a superior officer, the first and last words out of your useless mouths will be 'sir'. Is that understood?"
After only a moment of hesitation, about half of the recruits weakly replied, "Sir, yes sir."
"Celestia's crown down an outhouse," the donkey swore. "I haven't heard such a pathetic response since I taught a group of yearling fillies to brush their own manes. Can you do better?"
This time they thundered a response, "Sir, yes sir!"
All but one of them, that is. Duster heard a single pony trying to stifle a laugh. He got quiet, but it was too late. Drill Sergeant J was already half-way to him.
"Did I say something funny?" he barked at him.
Doing his best to remain straight faced, the brown pony, a stethoscope for his cutie mark, only stared ahead.
"I'm talking to you, son!" the drill sergeant said, jabbing the recruit's shoulder hard. "Did I say something funny?"
"Sir, no sir," he replied.
"Why are you laughing?"
Completely serious now, the unicorn replied, "Sir, I am not laughing, sir."
"Are you calling me a liar?" Drill Sergeant J shouted.
"Sir, no-" he began to answer, but he was cut off when the donkey head-butted him.
The brown unicorn collapsed to his knees, blood gushing from his nose.
"Stand at attention when you are talking with an officer!" the drill sergeant shouted at him.
The brown unicorn staggered back up to his hooves, ignoring his nose bleed. He stood at perfect attention. Nopony was laughing now. Drill Sergeant J looked back at the orange sergeant with the pink mane, and he stood at attention as he faced her.
"Duster, I am Scootaloo, your squad sergeant. That is our squad," she said as she pointed at one of the groups. "Go stand in line with them."
"Sir, yes sir," Duster replied, terrified he was going to be hit again.
He quickly trotted over to the rest of the squad, most of whom looked as fearful as he felt. Duster was again able to see Sissy. She wore bandages on her wings in addition to her eye patch. She was looking in his general direction, but not at him. He knew she’d seen him; she couldn’t have missed that outburst. She saw him and did nothing to help. A seed of resentment was growing stronger, but the pain in Duster’s stomach from that blow reminded him to pay attention to what the drill sergeant was telling them.
They all stood at attention as the drill sergeant began going over the different pieces of equipment that they would be learning to use. There was a combat harness, which contained a medical kit, rations, a knife, and a quiver for crossbow bolts. Integrated on the left boot was a small crossbow that could be collapsed when not in use. Then there was the larger crossbow and spears that the earth ponies would use. For several hours after this, they practiced marching around in different formations. There was much yelling from Drill Sergeant J, not to mention several more ponies struck by his iron-shod hooves. Duster had only one desire now, and that was to make it the rest of the day without being hit again.
...
Scootaloo had been grumpy since she’d had to move to the training ground and live in a tent. Her only joy these days had been a hot nightly shower, which she had to skip in favor of a cold wash bucket at their camp. The only advantage to this development was that most of her time was spent doing drills with recruits instead of digging latrines all day. This would effectively use up most of her punishment. Sparklefly had surmised that this was Brax's way of going easy on her.
In spite of this, she somehow still found herself making some holes in the earth at the end of the day. Saturated with sweat, and no small amount of dirt, Scootaloo removed her soiled uniform and began the nightly cleanup ritual just after sunset. The cold water did nothing to soothe her aching muscles, but it was nice to be clean for a little while as she thought back on the day.
Scootaloo was rather unimpressed by her new squad. There was Jewel, a prissy looking dark pink unicorn who wore far too much makeup, originally from a ranch on the Unicorn Range. Her legs were scrawny, indicating that she hadn’t actually done much work as a filly. Scootaloo did have a bit of wicked satisfaction when she saw Jewel's long and beautifully-kept black mane. She hadn't told the recruit that it was going to be cropped off the next morning.
Gunnysack had reasonable physical strength, which was typical for an earth pony, but he had no natural coordination when they did any sort of marching or lineups. If he'd had thumbs, he'd have been all thumbs. He also stood out, being a crystal pony. His brown coat and mane normally would blend in to everything, but his shiny crystal coat was difficult to ignore. This could prove problematic if they were going to be sneaking anywhere.
Rolling Thunder showed some promise, but he was rather arrogant. A handsome gray pegasus with an even darker gray mane, he loved nothing more than flying fast and winning. He was the type to throw caution to the wind, which Scootaloo was beginning to recognize as a common trait among ponies that hail from Las Pegasus. That sort of fearlessness could be a good thing as long as it didn't get him killed. He very much reminded Scootaloo of herself in some ways, but not the best ones.
Locknload was the only one that showed strong spirit. A white unicorn with a black mane and blue eyes, he had already learned some relatively effective attack spells. Apparently he was in trouble quite frequently back home in Baltimare for the stunts he'd pulled while learning his magic. He seemed to love nothing more than the idea of being a soldier and blowing things up. Those skills were in need of further development, but it was a good start.
Moonsliver was interesting. She was a little weak for an earth pony but seemed eager to learn. She had a phenomenal grasp of mechanical things. Her pale blue coat and blue mane were offset by her green eyes. She aspired to one day be a locomotive engineer, but with her natural abilities, it wouldn't surprise Scootaloo if she ended up designing and building trains rather than operating them.
Quickbeam had one noteworthy talent. He was fast, incredibly fast. He would fly past and all you could see was a yellow streak, the color of his coat, as he shot by. That would have been a nice contrast to the others in the squad, but every time he spoke that first day, he seemed to say the wrong thing. Aside from being incredibly annoying, he kept drawing the drill sergeant's ire. Scootaloo was trying to keep her squad out of his sights, but her subordinates weren't making it easy.
There wasn't much to say about Doff. He was a light gray pegasus with a black mane and tail, but he could barely fly, let alone carry anything while airborne. His only real interest seemed to be in the birds that were flying about, his vast knowledge of which was a little disturbing.
If possible, even more useless than any of the others was Duster. He was a fair flyer, but incredibly shy. Scootaloo had done a double-take when she first saw him, as his coloring and delicate features had so reminded her of Sparklefly. He was silver with a dark blue mane and eyes. She'd have to ask her if they were related, because by the look of him, they could almost have been twins. Unfortunately, he had a tendency to daydream, which drew frequent attention from both herself and Drill Sergeant J.
Her initial assessment was that this group would take a lot of work to get them into fighting form. While Scootaloo and the rest of the sergeants had busily shouted at their squads to teach them new things, it occurred to her that this must be how her own instructors had felt when they saw her for the first time. Had it only been four months ago? Had it even been four months? It already seemed like a lifetime since she'd left Ponyville to enlist in the EUP. In many ways, she felt different. Not unlike herself; she still had the same hopes and fears, albeit there was a much greater amount of courage inside. She felt much more sure of herself ever since the mirror pond. There was also a sadness that stayed with her constantly now. Lost friends, especially Pibs, haunted the still moments. She kept it buried deep so as to not be consumed by sadness. For the time being, she was short on quiet moments, and that was a welcome change from full medical leave. Her hoof was still wrapped, but she was now able to walk on it again. Another week or two and she'd be able to take the bandages off. At present, these new recruits needed her full attention.
Presently, Scootaloo had only a half-hour to herself, a precious time each day that she wouldn’t waste. Her recruits had been put to bed for the evening, and she was now finished cleaning up and headed, without escort, to the Ponyville Hospital. New recruits aside, the last few days had been filled with highs and lows. Prince Shining Armor had officially declared the princesses and Discord presumed dead, and the search had been called off. Scootaloo couldn’t believe it. She’d known Twilight for most of her life, and she just couldn’t accept that she was gone. She also felt out of touch with Applejack’s efforts to oust Diamond Tiara from the Mayor’s office. She’d have to ask somepony about it. More on her mind, Cloud Blazer was awake and talking. That reason alone was why she was on her way into town.
As she entered the hospital, the familiar sanitized smells hit the mare. She negotiated her way through the waiting room and up to the second floor, where her friend stayed. She still hadn’t managed to find him awake since he’d fallen. Before she knew it, the door was in front of her. Scootaloo could hear voices. She stopped and took a breath; Sweetie Belle and Cloud Blazer were talking to each other. He was awake. Scootaloo’s heart began pounding. She felt unsure of herself, of how he’d feel to see her, of everything. She swallowed and pressed on, and then he came into view. The pair looked up at her, and Cloud Blazer smiled.
“Hey, Scoot.”
An incomprehensible warmth of relief spread through the mare. His expression twinged, either in pain or some similar feeling.
“I mean Scootaloo, sorry.”
An attempt to speak caused the mare to clear her throat, “It’s fine.”
“Don’t be a stranger; come in,” Sweetie Belle beckoned.
Scootaloo approached the hospital bed. She wasn’t sure what to say.
“How are you?” she managed.
He made a grin, “You know me; I won’t be down for long.”
The tension she felt continued to ease. The stallion wore heavy bandages, testaments to the mending that was still in progress.
“I’m glad to hear it... You had us really worried for a bit there.”
Sweetie Belle began walking to the door, “I’ll let you two catch up a minute. I’ll be right back.”
Without any other explanation, the two of them were more or less alone. She looked back at him, and his gaze was devouring the sight of her. An attempt at a smile fluttered across her face for a moment, but she couldn’t hold it. She’d had so much time to think of the things she needed to say to him, but somehow, they had all slipped from her mind now that the moment had arrived.
“Did you hear about Pibs?”
Cloud Blazer nodded, his expression becoming downcast, “Yeah, Sweetie Belle has been filling me in on current events. The princesses lost, Applejack has a debate scheduled in a recall election for mayor... I heard you and Sparklefly got promoted.”
Scootaloo snorted, “Yeah, mine turned out to be temporary.”
“I know. It was rotten that stunt that Diamond Tiara pulled. If I’d have been there, I’d have done the same thing.”
It was comforting to hear.
“Thanks, Brownie.”
She hadn’t intended to, but they sort of locked eyes for a moment after that. Having been friends for as many years as they had, she knew that something was behind his expression. There was some unsaid thing that needed to get out. While she didn’t know exactly what at first, Scootaloo felt butterflies in her stomach and her mouth went dry. Her heart pounded in anticipation as he drew a breath to speak.
He spoke softly, “Scootaloo...”
Hoof steps signaled Sweetie Belle’s return and also effectively silenced Cloud Blazer.
“The bathrooms in here are nasty,” the unicorn said a bit sheepishly. “Somepony really needs to clean them.”
Scootaloo and Cloud Blazer giggled at this. When the mare looked back at the stallion, the unspoken thought had retreated from his visage. Sweetie Belle now had his attention.
“Well, I’m not feeling up to that just yet. If I volunteer, will you do it in my place?” Cloud Blazer teased.
“Not that I’m keeping score, but I’ve already been cleaning up after you enough as it is,” Sweetie Belle replied with a wicked grin. “I could give details.”
“Nope, that’s okay,” he let out a nervous laugh, and then winced in pain.
As much as Scootaloo hated it, she knew her time was up.
“I have to get going,” she said. “I’ve just got time to back before I’m AWOL.”
A sadness took over Cloud Blazer’s eyes. He almost looked as if a fresh wound had just been inflicted.
“I understand.”
“Hey,” she tried to be upbeat, “I’ll be back tomorrow, okay?”
He smiled.
“Don’t worry, I’ll keep him company until then,” Sweetie Belle said.
Scootaloo nodded and said, “I’m really glad you’re getting better.”
“Thanks, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
The three of them said their goodbyes, and then Scootaloo was on her way back through the darkness to the training ground. It would be an early morning, not that they had mentioned this to the recruits. She wasn’t sure why, but as her thoughts returned to Cloud Blazer, she felt a sort of nervous excitement inside.
...
Swiftlight sighed as he tackled the mountain that lay before him. Paperwork was boring, but it was much safer than facing the enemy head to head. The timberwolves had been much more lively, systematically hitting every major town and city that the EUP still held across Equestria in the past week. All positions had repelled them, and it was the general consensus that these attacks were not intended to overrun anyplace. The common belief was that they were testing for weaknesses. Between the unicorn shields and battle-hardened soldiers, no vulnerabilities had yet been revealed. The strange thing was that the timberwolves seemed to now be acting alone. No sign of changelings had been seen since Las Pegasus. General Mane Crusher was convinced that they were planning their next move. He wanted to take the fight to them, hit them while they were weakened and take advantage of their disarray. He felt that it would be a much better strategy than to wait for them to attack again. However, orders had once again come down for all forces to hold their positions.
They had finished a thorough sweep of the Everfree Forest and the crater. No sign of the princesses had been found. In Mane Crusher's official report, he offered his condolences to Prince Shining Armor for the loss of the alicorns, especially his wife, Cadence. Giving up the search sent ripples of rumor and gossip throughout Ponyville. It was only the following day that the official announcement came from Cloudsdale that the princesses were presumed dead. Swiftlight heard whispers everywhere about the uncertain future of Equestria. With the corps being freed from the SAR, they had turned their attention to a more immediate concern, the fortification of Ponyville.
There was much digging involved for the building of terrain that was more defendable than the basically flat ground that surrounded the town. There were now several lines of trenches and breastworks in progress to slow down advancing timberwolves. Additionally, Mayor Diamond Tiara had practically demanded the use of some soldiers to begin a farming program. The general consented, and they had begun clearing Sweet Apples Acres for planting oats and hay. They also were working the land north of there, all the way to the river, and west to the forest that grew there. Mane Crusher felt this was not the best use of their time, but he’d agreed because it was far better to have something for his soldiers to do. The general had said on many occasions that boredom leads to complacency, which in turn gets ponies killed.
Reinforcements had augmented their corps, and this is what led to much of the paperwork. A few thousand zebras now called Ponyville home, and they were officially attached to Mane Crusher’s force. They had also been sorting out all of the companies, assigning, and then often reassigning officers and soldiers. Several promotions had gone through, with many of them being reassigned to positions all over Equestria. It struck Swiftlight as odd that these officers were requesting the transfers. All of them were either colonels or commanders, which also was a little strange.
Swiftlight was not inherently suspicious by nature, but there were several things he'd been observing ever since the battle at Las Pegasus that had him confused. The comment that the officer from Las Pegasus had made was the first thing. After that, Mane Crusher had been in at least three meetings that Swiftlight had not been part of. This was highly irregular, but there was always some excuse as to why Swiftlight hadn't been informed. Finally, the officers that were now being promoted and reassigned had all been part of those meetings. Not all of them had been transferred away, but at least half of them were already gone to their new assignments. Those that remained had been of lower ranks, and they were now promoted within Mane Crusher’s corps to replace those that had left. The odd thing wasn't that officers were being promoted and transferred. In spite of how many there were, this wasn't too unusual. The thing that really bothered Swiftlight was that he had learned about all of this by talking to the corps clerk. Normally, he'd have been aware of these kinds of changes.
The investigation on the train tracks between Las Pegasus and Ponyville was an upsetting affair. Each report that came back was even more grisly than the last. The two divisions that had been on that train had apparently disembarked in the middle of the Whitetail Woods for no apparent reason. The train showed no signs of damage, and the tracks were clear all the way to Las Pegasus. The lack of reason was maddening to Swiftlight as he tried to make sense of the loss. It was quite clear what had happened after they left the train. The entire force, ten-thousand strong, had gone north into the woods for about two miles. By the look of the area, they had moved quickly. Then they had engaged the timberwolves. It had been a trap, and not a single soldier made it out of the area. It looked as if they were hit on the front first, pulling them forward before they were hit on both flanks and the rear simultaneously. They had no pegasi, so they were effectively cut off once the battle had begun. Swiftlight could only wonder how many changelings and timberwolves they’d taken with them.
The captain left CIC for lunch, informing them he was going to Java's and then the mess hall. It was a nice day, but the beauty of it was somewhat obscured by the defensive shield covering town. This new technique had first been employed at Las Pegasus. It was a different kind of magical shield that the changelings had more trouble getting through. There was some hope early on that this would draw them out in larger numbers, but they were being far too cautious to make that mistake again. As much as they had been chided for their involvement in Las Pegasus, Mane Crusher’s corps had inflicted significant casualties on the changelings. Several thousand were killed in the fighting.
Finding that old converted house with the coffee sign, Swiftlight opened the door. It was busy inside. The jovial noise level was a pleasant surprise with citizens of Ponyville and soldiers all having a good time.
"Good afternoon, Swiftlight!" Java Chip greeted him heartily.
He nodded to her in reply and approached the counter, dodging around several patrons that were moving about.
"Slow day?" he asked in a sarcastic, good-natured tease.
"Surprisingly, yes," she replied cheerfully. "This whole week has been amazing."
"I guess this corps marches on their coffee."
"Well, you won't hear me complaining," she beamed.
"I don't think you'll hear them complaining either," he said nodding his head at the other patrons that filled nearly every seat in the house.
"At least until the coffee runs out," she said with a smile.
"I'll have the usual," he said, placing his money on the counter.
"I'm already on it," she said, working her machines.
Swiftlight was pleased to see his friend doing so well. This was markedly different than how the coffee house had seemed only two weeks before. While still devoid of pastries, the whole place was alive with excitement now. Perhaps the petition she’d been spreading around town had the side-effect of making more ponies aware of the coffee house.
Swiftlight picked his moment when Java Chip's back was to him, and he slipped a note to her behind the counter. He casually turned about after he did this, but nopony was paying him any attention. His heart was pounding in hope at her response. She smiled when she turned around. He loved her smile.
"Order's up," Java Chip said, setting down Swiftlight's drink in front of him.
"Thanks," he replied.
She grabbed a towel and hurried off to clear a table as the doorbell rang, announcing new customers entering. She hadn’t noticed the note, and Java Chip was so busy taking care of her customers that Swiftlight, though disappointed at the lack of time to visit, decided to make his exit. She was practically glowing with joy. Taking his coffee with him, Swiftlight nodded a goodbye and went to the mess hall. As usual, the rations were meager. Hunger was driving everypony to the point where even a small amount was somewhat satisfying. With a little luck, the rationing would be eased some after the harvest. All they had to do was hold the farmland and keep the crops alive. It was encouraging to hear that the new recruits were going to be helping out under the leadership of Lieutenant Sparklefly. He'd only met her a few times, but it was reassuring that a farmer would be heading up their efforts on the west side of town. Not only that, but she was becoming something of a celebrity among the EUP. Reports of her heroics were being told and retold constantly, especially among new arrivals. Swiftlight wasn't terribly impressed by her, but he felt he should be if even half of the stories were true. He doubted that level of veracity.
Swiftlight's mood became much more uneasy as his thoughts were again consumed with the strange things he'd been observing. He had been wanting to press General Mane Crusher further, but prudence had cautioned him not to. Curiosity was about to win. One thing was certain: if there was a plot, asking questions could be a dangerous thing to do.
His rations were finished far too quickly, and Swiftlight began his short walk back to the castle and CIC. Upon arrival, everything was as it should be. Swiftlight got back to work, sifting through the papers. After about an hour of this, General Mane Crusher retired to his quarters. Swiftlight picked this moment to confront him. He could feel his heart beating rapidly as he went up the corridor and knocked on the door.
"Enter," came Mane Crusher's gruff reply.
Swiftlight pushed the door open and entered, closing it behind him. He had a strange tight feeling in his flank, the kind that signals you are somewhere you’re not supposed to be.
"Yes?"
"Sir," Swiftlight began. "I've been seeing some things lately that have seemed a bit odd." He paused, trying to gauge the general's reaction. His face was as unresponsive as stone.
"Go on."
"Well, sir, there have been a number of reassignments that I was not made aware of, which is irregular. Additionally, there have been meetings you've been attending without me present. Also, it didn't take much digging through records to discover that our reassigned officers are now in key positions all through EUP forces."
"Your point?" Mane Crusher said, almost impatiently.
Swiftlight swallowed hard, ”Sir, I just want to let you know, whatever is happening, you can count on me."
"Should I have had reason to suspect otherwise?"
"None that I'm aware of, sir. I just wanted to make certain you knew where I stood. I follow your orders, your orders alone, sir."
They stood apart from each other in silence for what felt like an eternity to Swiftlight. His heart was pounding and he could feel sweat beginning to trickle down his neck. Mane Crusher's gaze felt like a knife, boring through his heart.
"We're taking over," Mane Crusher finally said.
"You, sir?” Swiftlight did his best to hold everything in, but his legs felt weak and his stomach had just knotted up.
Mane Crusher nodded. "Very soon, I'll be assuming command of the EUP and Equestria."
"I understand." Swiftlight swallowed; a lump had formed in his throat.
"We are under a great threat at this present moment from the changelings and the timberwolves. We need to be in the field, fighting the enemy. For whatever reason, Shining Armor refuses to act. I will not stand by and have our entire population slaughtered like cattle," Mane Crusher spoke with deep conviction.
Swiftlight nodded slowly, not responding otherwise. He was letting this all sink in, and additionally, he was in complete agreement with that strategy.
"We will do what we can to make it a peaceful transition, but I suspect if we are not extremely cautious, there will be bloodshed." Mane Crusher paused a moment. "Make no mistake, anypony who opposes us is an enemy of Equestria, and we will not hesitate to deal with them. Am I clear?"
"Affirmative, sir." Swiftlight felt a cold sweat forming on his brow.
"There will be a meeting tomorrow night at twenty-one hundred. Meet me here ten minutes before that."
"Affirmative," Swiftlight replied.
"Dismissed," Mane Crusher said, that piercing gaze still focused.
With a salute, Swiftlight turned and exited the general's room. He was consumed with dread after that conversation. He found a quiet hallway to sit down in for a minute while he let this work through his mind. His legs were still shaky, and now his stomach felt sick. General Mane Crusher was organizing a coup. Given the positions and locations of the new assignments, they could potentially have control of well over half the EUP already. They would only have to remove the other generals that weren't part of the conspiracy. This would likely be their first step. A dangerous decision was made inside Swiftlight as he sat alone in the dark corridor. He would have to find a way to warn Prince Shining Armor about the conspiracy before it was too late.
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Yep, looks like a traitor of sorts. Mane Crusher probably isn't happy about having been scolded by Shining Armor before and having his successful victory tarnished. Well, Shining Armor still has the Crystal Empire to retreat to in the worst-case scenario, but we'll see how this turns out. That still leaves the mystery of the two divisions leaving the train with no clear orders.
Cloud Blazer finally finds out the truth. He seems to have absolutely no ability for lucid dreaming whatsoever, to be completely unable to tell that he's in a dream.
It's a side effect of Zecora's potions, they need "special" plants to work.
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You can hardly complain about side effects when the doctors are baffled that you even survived the trauma in the first place.
If they save twilight I be she could figure it out. If one lives that one is the real one, if they both die the original is dead to
This reminds me of the fanfic that got me into this fandom
A Precious Rainbow by Milesprower6
He's mine #$%&*
That was the b word by the way
I knew it. From his first interaction. No decent CO,(aside from drill sergeant as their altitude is mainly an act to toughen up recruits, sizes up their subordinates. That is a psychological power move made out of arrogance.
1) I think everyone else assumed that too. Just keep the Lightning Dasher that lives! Fun Fact... I originally had only one of them survive the siege. But as I thought about it, I decided that it would be far more interesting to explore the consequences of having a duplicate of oneself existing.
2) Oh, I haven't read that one! Oddly enough, I haven't read that many... well... I take that back. When I started writing, I had read only one fan fiction, which was terrible. More recently, I've made some friends and found some really well written stuff. I'd recommend anything by Emperor, and Jay David is also really good at giving his readers "the feels".
3) Bahahaha!
4) I never denied it. In fact, if you'll recall, I gave you a cookie when you called it. I was amazed that you caught it that quickly though!
just adding, I think something is up with Shining Armor, this change is odd, first yelling for stopping, then declaring them dead. CHRYSALIS IS BEHIND THIS!
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I grin fearlessly!