28 - Taskforce, Part 5 of 5
Scootaloo growled through her rage as she caught up to Sparklefly, "Thanks for taking off like that!"
They were flying high and fast across the sky, already over half-way to Cloudsdale. Sparklefly was soaring like the wind, and it had taken some time to catch up once Scootaloo realized that she'd been left behind.
"Sorry, I just don't want to be late," she replied.
Scootaloo didn't believe that for even a second, "Whatever!”
Too angry to say anything else, Scootaloo followed in silence and seethed. Sparklefly didn't offer any other excuses for disappearing the way she had. One minute they were looking for Duster and the next Scootaloo was alone. It didn’t take long to find a guard that had seen her go, but Sparklefly always had been the faster flyer.
By the time they were in the airspace of the great floating city, Scootaloo’s anger had calmed to a manageable level. They arrived in Cloudsdale and submitted to being scanned by the guards before they were allowed entry.
As soon as they made it through the checkpoint, Sparklefly turned to face Scootaloo and said, "Look, I didn't mean to upset you."
"Good job," Scootaloo shot back sarcastically.
"I just had that... whatever that was with the medic, and then I was trying to find Duster. I don't deal with this sort of stuff very well."
"Oh come on!" Scootaloo almost yelled. She realized her tone was an indication of growing anger. Trying to cool it down, she held up a hoof, pausing the conversation for a moment. "If I can learn to stop this rage," Scootaloo said deliberately, "then you can learn to face this silly stuff without freaking out."
Sparklefly hung her head, turning away. Her eye patch faced Scootaloo, obscuring what her facial expression would otherwise have told. When she looked back, it was something akin to fear that faced Scootaloo in the visage of her friend.
“It may seem a small matter to you, but some things are better left alone," Sparklefly said rather timidly.
Scootaloo could only wonder what from Sparklefly's past might have motivated the difficulty with her feelings. She knew about her dad’s death, and guessed that was at least a piece of the reason. At any rate, the wiser course seemed to be resolving this disagreement.
"I can live with that," Scootaloo replied carefully. "But you can't just run off like that. I'm your friend, and I'll worry if you disappear. We can figure out your other..." she searched for the right word, "feelings later. Okay?" Scootaloo held out the hoof that wasn't in a sling.
Sparklefly nodded slowly, thinking the way that she often did before finally looking up and slapping the extended hoof. Scootaloo was appeased, and motioned with her head that they continue on, which they silently did. Cloudsdale seemed even more militaristic than usual. Everything was locked down, and armed soldiers were everywhere. Scootaloo thought it was likely that the civilians had been placed under curfew across all of Equestria. Unlike quiet of the civilian areas, the war room was alive with activity.
"I was wondering when you two would show up!" Colonel Rainbow Dash's familiar voice greeted them as they entered.
"Hey, sis," Scootaloo answered as the colonel caught her in a hug.
It was slightly embarrassing, and Scootaloo pulled away. She suspected that the breach in normal behavior was an expression of relief that they were all okay after the danger they’d just gone through.
"So you're here for good now?" Rainbow Dash asked, almost cheerfully.
"Yes, ma'am," Sparklefly replied.
"You two want to meet the group?"
“I’m so excited, but I was surprised to hear that you’re on the Taskforce!” Scootaloo asked.
"You're kidding, right?" Rainbow Dash teased. "Like they're going to put together an elite force without me?"
"I had thought you were still training the new recruits," Sparklefly offered.
“Your class was my only one before I rotated back to a combat assignment. Of course, then I had to wait until my wings healed, but now I'm fit to fly!" she proudly declared, spreading her wings out.
Scootaloo had always been amazed at her mentor’s wingspan. It was no wonder she was able to fly with such agility and speed. Curiosity and excitement began to overtake her as Rainbow Dash led them to a smaller room off the main hall. Scootaloo had been here the day she’d come to warn Shining Armor.
"This used to be a conference room," Rainbow Dash began, "but when Shining Armor ordered the Taskforce to be put together, we made it our headquarters."
It was a fairly small and poorly-lit room. There was a long rectangular table in the center, and maps practically coating the walls. They had notes scribbled all over and different parts highlighted. Scootaloo paid them closer attention this time and noticed that they seemed to all have different dates on them, but they were not arranged in any particular order. Also notably, the ponies that were sitting at the table made no attempt to salute or even recognize that Rainbow Dash had entered. Looking around the room, Scootaloo counted four ponies in all. There were three stallions, two of which were unicorns, and a mare.
"Now we have almost as many pegasi as everypony else combined," Rainbow Dash said loudly.
"Oh that's nothing," a silver crystal unicorn spoke as he stood. His mane and tail were bright red, and his eyes dark green. "I'll bet we can take you if we were to wrestle.” He quickly sized them up and continued, "My my, you've brought new mares to grace our group. Are they new recruits, or are they here for fun?“
Sparklefly made a disgusted face at Scootaloo, who was already off-put by the bawdy insinuation.
"That's a laugh," Rainbow Dash mocked him. "These two could tear you up in ten seconds flat."
Practically devouring them with his eyes in a manner that repulsed Scootaloo, he said, "Oh I'd love to give them a try. What do you say, one on one for starters?"
Sparklefly mocked his downright lewd comment by snorting. A white earth pony stood.
"Sit down, Pacer. Don't mind him; he's not quite house-broken yet."
Pacer replied, "Whatever! I can take you down anytime I want."
"So the last three times I pinned you, I won by accident?" the white stallion asked, his blue eyes flashing with delight.
"Oh, that's nothing; I was having an off day," Pacer defended.
"My name is Charging Lance," the older white stallion said. "Those two are Flittergear and Masher."
"Hey," Masher greeted them.
Flittergear sat silently, staring at the newcomers with large green eyes. Normally Scootaloo would be uncomfortable to be sized up in that manner, but there was no sense of malice or challenge in the gaze. All Scootaloo could detect was genuine curiosity. Charging lance looked old enough to have foals her age, at least as old as Brax.
"Well, I'd best let you all get to know each other," Rainbow Dash said, suddenly turning to exit the room.
"You're not staying?" Scootaloo asked, saddened by the departure.
"Oh, I'll be back," the colonel replied. With a smile, she added, "You know how it is; there are always reports to file."
With that, Rainbow Dash was off, and the pair were left alone with the detachment to which they had just been assigned.
"We are captains Sparklefly and Scootaloo," Sparklefly said with a gesture.
"Look, rookie," Pacer started, "Whatever rank or combat experience you've seen to this point doesn't matter much. We have our own system here."
Scootaloo's familiar boiling anger returned rather suddenly, and she felt it beginning to steam as Pacer continued to speak.
"We don't get many visitors, so I apologize in advance if our manners are lacking," Charging Lance said. “What my, esteemed colleague, meant is that we are all minds here. All ideas can be helpful to explore, even if they are incorrect.”
This helped her to reign in the rage, but Scootaloo had just decided that she did not like Pacer, not one bit. The introductions complete, the two were basically ignored as the other four launched back into the reports they were looking over. Flittergear had been circling different phrases in them and showing them to the others.
"I'm sure you already know what we do here," Charging Lance eventually addressed them again.
"Basically," Scootaloo replied. "You're hunting for Queen Chrysalis."
Simultaneously, all of the others shushed her.
"We never say her name!" Pacer said.
"I say it all the time, but we don't say it in here," Masher added.
Charging Lance said, "We use code names." Gesturing at the vent in the ceiling, he added, "You can never be completely certain who is listening."
"Our primary target bears the code name Omega," Masher said. “We are also searching for their base of operations, which we call Lambda. Baby changelings have to come from somewhere. But you are quite correct, we are mainly looking for Omega.”
"We have been ever since the siege at Ponyville," Charging Lance noted, turning back to the documents.
Flittergear was still sifting through them.
"How do the documents help?" Sparklefly asked.
Charging Lance grinned at her, “Already with questions. You are quite the thinker, aren't you? I had heard as much about The Hero of Canterlot from everypony that I've talked to."
Scootaloo could practically feel Sparklefly squirm uncomfortably when he used her title.
"The reports come in from all over Equestria," Charging Lance continued. He didn't seem to notice Sparklefly's discomfort. “Every scout and soldier is our eyes and ears. They don’t always know that what they’ve seen is important. Sometimes we get clues about the whereabouts of Omega."
"I put together the clues the last time we had her cornered," Pacer said.
"It was a group effort," Masher added.
"Group nothing," Pacer said, "I got that information out of a report you'd been sitting on for a week, and I'd only been here for two days."
"Yes, we couldn't function without you," Charging Lance said, each word dripping with sarcasm. "All the ground work that had been done before you saw the data wasn't a factor in the slightest.”
Scootaloo grinned. It was nice to see a loud-mouth not get away with that sort of behavior. Her attention moved to Flittergear, who was whispering something to Masher. He looked at some reports she was organizing.
"We nearly had her trapped in Las Pegasus," Charging Lance continued. "Several survivors independently verified seeing her."
"What went wrong?" Sparklefly asked.
"General Mane Crusher!" Pacer blurted out.
"Former General," Charging Lance corrected. "The forces in Las Pegasus were to distract and keep them there until dawn. By the time we were in position to spring the trap, the changelings had already fled, beaten back by Mane Crusher’s corps.”
"I think we've got something!" Masher interrupted.
Scootaloo and Sparklefly closed in with the others as they were checking over a series of reports. They were assessments of relative EUP strengths cross-referenced with frequency of timberwolf attacks.
"I see," Charging Lance said.
"Yep, that's a pattern," Pacer agreed.
"Do you see it?" Sparklefly whispered to Scootaloo.
Scootaloo shook her head.
"The conventions we employ are often rather unconventional," Masher said with an enigmatic smirk.
"Look here," Charging Lance said while pointing.
"Hoofington?" Scootaloo asked, a bit confused.
"I see that it hasn't been attacked, but I don't think I follow," Sparklefly admitted.
"It is practically unguarded, and it is on the southern boarder of the Everfree Forest," Charging Lance continued.
"Of course it's unguarded. Strategically, it's worthless," Scootaloo countered, not sure whether they had actually found anything.
Charging Lance said, "It might be worthless to us, but why didn't the timberwolves hit it before anything else? It would have been easy to overrun such a small town on the way to Apple Loosa a year ago.”
"The terrain does obscure it from view on the eastern side," Sparklefly said. "They may have simply not seen it."
"But changelings can fly," Masher said. "If it had been overrun before, we'd never have thought a thing about it."
"Okay," Scootaloo said, now understanding what they were getting at. "So what does it mean that they haven't attacked it?"
"Oh, I have no idea," Masher said.
Scootaloo shot him a look that made the others laugh a little.
"We work in questions," Charging Lance said cryptically.
"Maybe the entire town has been replaced by changelings already, and they use it for a headquarters," Pacer said. “Maybe Lambda is nearby and they don’t want to disturb their own nest, so they leave a small pony town unchallenged as cover.”
"Maybe they are sympathetic to the cause and have been letting the changelings use their town as a secret base," Masher offered.
A gesture from Charging Lance caught Scootaloo and Sparklefly's attention. Scootaloo realized that this was part of their process. They find some information that doesn't make sense and try to offer an explanation.
"Maybe it's worthless so they just haven't bothered with it?" Scootaloo said, half-expecting them to laugh at her again, but they didn't.
"Maybe we should go to Hoofington and see what we can find out," Sparklefly suggested.
“What’s our percent on finding anything useful?” Masher asked.
Flittergear scribbled some math on a scrap of paper.
Pacer shrugged, “Over thirty-percent. Not bad.”
“I say we go,” Masher concluded.
“For only thirty percent?” Scootaloo was bothered that they’d waste resources on something that thin.
"I agree with Masher,” Charging Lance said. "It is definitely worth a trip. Most of our leads don’t pan out, but the intel that led us to Las Pegasus was barely above forty-percent. It’s usually much less.”
Scootaloo could feel her brain hurting, but she now understood why Shining Armor had been so impressed and acted so decisively on a ninety percent assurance from this group that Mane Crusher was plotting his overthrow.
“I know flying isn't new to either of you, but have you ever traveled by cloud?"
Scootaloo never had, but she was growing excited that things were beginning to take shape. The others seemed to all agree that Hoofington was likely to reveal some secret about Queen Chrysalis. Scootaloo was ready to charge in, catch her, and end the war by herself if necessary.
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Watch it be a red herring. There's nothing there.
8279345
That, sir, is a prediction! If you are right, you get a cookie. If you are wrong, I get a cookie!
I like cookies...
Yep, Scoots and Sparklefly really are sisters-in-hooves, even if they're quite a bit abrasive at times to one another. Good to see Scoots didn't just get repromoted back to her old position but got the full promotion to Captain, though she seems to be struggling with a temper as of late.
Perhaps you should crib an organisational name from my one fic for this Chrysalis hunting force. Something like S.E.C.R.E.T. for Special Equestrian Changeling Response Elimination Taskforce.
8330789
I will take you up on that! I don't think I ever named them other than calling them "the taskforce", but I think I might in an upcoming chapter use that. I shall, of course, credit you as the source of it. Thanks!
Is their art anywhere to see what your OC's look like
8279345
Communism was just a red herring
Arousal?
8743264
If you ever feel that I crossed a line feel free to delete my comment, I don't mind.
Scootaloo what did you do after Cloud Blazer confessed
No NOOOOOOOO
IT'S TO HORRIBLE TO CONCEIVE
NOT...
MORE NAMES TO REMEMBER
Bowchickabowwow
Bowchickabowwow
Bowchickacicka bow wow
This guy is officially Tucker
3 down five to go
So Pacer is Forechan and Charging is tumblr
Not O'Malley
Also were is the Alpha
8743257
1) Indeed there is! I am on DeviantArt, though I mostly stick with the writing and occasional photography. I have, however, commissioned a few pieces (not enough), and I have them all grouped here... https://jatheus.deviantart.com/favourites/67998004/MY-OC-s
2) Herring? No thanks, I had tilapia. Yum!
3) Haha! well... she did have to take over and be the father-figure for her family... she didn't have time to do the whole falling in love thing because she had to be so devoted to helping them all stay alive.
4) Thanks for that, I indeed shall, should I feel it necessary!
5) BURN!!! THAT WAS A MAJOR BURN!!!
She doesn't like it when the shoe is on the other hoof!
6) Well... I guess I can always clear house... so to speak...
7) I see you have met Pacer. Yeah, he says stuff like that.
8)
9) Tucker!!!
I admit, the resemblance is striking. I don't think it was completely intentional, but I expect that was in the back of my mind somewhere when I made this guy.
10) I have actually been able to never get on either of those sites, though I do know what they are. I'd say of the two, Charging Lance is by far the more mature.
11) I could have done Alpha Omega.... but... that might have sounded too much like a biblical reference. I'm not against that sort of thing at all, but in this instance it would have been a.... RED HERRING!
so, end of chapter, Disavowed Taskforce 121 rest in peace Captain
PriceLightning Dasher, alongside your favorite team members,SoapCloud Blazer andYuriPip you three will be heavily missed