Bastion Goes to Fight Camp

by Wise Cracker

Arrival

Bastion’s hearts skipped a beat when he got off the train. Following the two mares to the camp site, he had to stop himself from hyperventilating.

“So I just go there and sign up, right?”

“For the eight thousandth time: yes,” Flitter replied. “It’s just a summer camp, like any other.”

“Well, not exactly like any other,” Cloud Chaser added. “I mean, Fight Camp is kinda special. For fighting ponies and all.”

He gulped, then nodded.

Fight Camp. I’m going to Fight Camp. To make some new friends, and get better at fighting, so I can beat Chrysalis. That’s the plan.

“And what do you do at Fight Camp to get better at fighting?”

Flitter rolled her eyes. “The same thing you do the last five times you asked: basic fitness, exercises and drills. It’s gonna be mostly Pegasus ponies, but there’s all kinds there.”

“Stop worrying,” Cloud Chaser said. “You’ll be fine. Just follow us, we’ll introduce you to the other counsellors, and we’ll make sure you’re in the right bunk, okay?”

Perfect.

“Okay. I just wanna make sure I’m getting good and strong, is all.”

“Oh, you will. Fight Camp’s got lots of great counsellors and instructors. Real professionals, you’ll see.”

---

I still can’t believe Sapphire blind-sided me like that.

Starlight Glimmer trotted up the green hill towards the camp site, following close behind Sunburst. He was carrying some pretty hefty bags, and she made sure to lighten the load with her magic as much as she could without letting him notice.

“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this, Starlight,” Sunburst said. “Fight Camp’s great, but it can be a really tiring experience sometimes. To be honest, I didn’t think you were the type to volunteer for that kind of thing.”

I didn’t. Sapphire did, while turned into me. Who would have guessed having changeling friends means you can get shanghaied?

I should try that shapeshifting sometime. It’d be fun to turn into a filly again.

She quickly stopped that train of thought. “Oh, well, I did have that little stint at Alherda’s paediatric ward. So, umm, how many kids are we talking about here? I kinda forgot to ask in all the excitement.”

“It shouldn’t be too many,” Sunburst replied. “I’m more of a specialist instructor, and most likely you’ll be, too. Instructors don’t deal with the fun and games side of camp, we just make sure our bunks are well-trained, and mine’s pretty small.”

“So no handling big groups of rowdy foals?” Starlight picked up the pace and used her magic to help levitate the giant mass beside him more openly.

“Oh, no, no, that’s for the general camp counsellors, or the guest lecturers. Specialists like us only have to worry about the higher-level kids.”

She stopped. “So that’s, what, five or six kids, max?”

“Mmm, could be, but probably not even that. The past few years it’s only been two regulars for my bunk, everypony else left after their first run. Still, high-level kids can be difficult to handle, you can never have enough specialists to take proper care of them.”

For a moment, Starlight found that hard to believe. Then she remembered growing up in Sire’s Hollow, where half of the foals went to Canterlot and the other half to the Equestrian Games, or at least aspired to, with varying degrees of success. In context, it made sense. “Uhuh. And the main thing I’ll need to worry about is?”

“Make sure they don’t get the wrong idea in their heads, keep them happy and motivated.” Sunburst stopped and smiled. “Try not to let them blow up anything, and teach them some new things.”

She squinted, thinking. “You mean teach them how to fight. This is a Fight Camp we’re talking about, after all.”

He brushed that remark away with a wave of the hoof and a roll of the eyes. “That’s just a name. Combat application of magic is a good way to measure yourself, and most foals who come here tend to like a little action anyway. But we don’t encourage violence here, more like conflict management, really. And magic management for… mostly the Unicorns.”

“Okay, mostly Unicorns? What if I have to talk to an Earth pony or a Pegasus?”

“No ‘if’ about that, you will. But when that happens, you can use your knowledge of magic and work from there.” He tapped his horn. “Unicorn magic comes with its own focal point, so we avoid a lot of problems the other tribes can’t. Stick with that angle and you’ll be fine.”

Starlight suppressed a wince. Yeah, psychological problems like getting obsessed over how you want to make everyone equal and how cutie marks should be ripped away from everyone to make a perfect society. That kind of problems. “Okay. So the basic reframing and imagining exercises.”

“Or the more advanced ones, if you do end up in my bunk. And hey, even if that fails, just do whatever you did in Alherda, it’ll work out.”

Her stomach knotted at that. “Right, do what I did in Alherda, of course, that’s a perfect plan. Sorry, I guess I’m just a little nervous. Working with children and all, one little mistake could scar them for life.”

If she’d tried to throw a hint without realising, at least Sunburst did not catch it. “Don’t worry. The foals here are great kids, perfectly friendly once you get to know them.”

---

Bastion stayed close to the mares, but he was already eyeing the other children nearby. Near the bottom of the valley the camp had been built around, Bastion could already see some foals practising various sports: tossing balls over a net, hitting tethered balls at a lower court, no combat he could see as of yet.

Like his moms and companions had said, most of the children here were Pegasi, presumably because of their tribe’s military history. He’d never seen so many boys in one place, either, but there was the occasional group of fillies around to break things up in that regard.

His ears perked. He looked left, right, and up at the hill with its log cabin built clumsily into the side. Nothing was showing any promise yet, except maybe the path up. There was a bright yellow path heading towards the lakeside down below, but he noticed it split around halfway, snaking around the hill. He could barely make out the scent of ozone coming from that direction, and hoped it wouldn’t rain. It didn’t seem likely, with the small amount of clouds around.

“Hey, Flitter!” A voice called out.

Bastion’s eyes widened when he spotted the source. A massive hulk of muscle wrapped in white fur approached them, fluttering tiny wings that held it aloft in an impossible, almost comedic fashion. This was clearly a stallion of great strength, and no doubt a fine instructor to gain more power.

“Hey, Bulk,” Flitter said.

“Who’s your friend?”

“This is Bastion,” Cloud Chaser replied. “You should know him: he’s from Ponyville, too.”

And this was a Ponyville stallion? Bastion hadn’t encountered this one in the flesh yet. And quite a lot of flesh it was, hard flesh, too.

“Oh, cool, little buzzy bro looking to get tougher? Well, you’re in the right place.”

“Don’t get too excited, Bulk,” a mare’s voice interrupted. “You wouldn’t want him to get overwhelmed on his first day. Hey, girls. How’s it hanging?”

Bastion noted the apprehension in the two Pegasi as this Earth pony mare approached them. Her mane was done up in a sloppy long braid, and her green coat seemed to be, to put it nicely, cleaned with all-natural products only. Still, she carried herself with an uncanny calm, and Bastion knew from personal experience not to underestimate the strength of an Earth pony. There was a strange taste in the air around her, too, a piney sensation that spoke of magic beyond a normal Earth pony’s capacities.

“Tree Hugger, nice to see you, too,” Flitter said. “How’s the reserve?”

“Comin’ along nicely, thanks. I just got done setting up my boys, you two are a little late. Your bunks are already out on the court.”

“We’ll round’em up once we get Bastion settled in,” Flitter said. “Is everypony here already?”

Bulk nodded. “Everypony’s ready, except-”

“Sunburst!” Tree Hugger called out, waving a hoof.

Bastion’s ears perked again, sticking straight up. This latest candidate was a Unicorn, a pair of Unicorns, even. The stallion was orange, with whitish beige markings on his face and lower limbs. More importantly, though, he wore a wizard’s cape that hid his cutie mark. That was certainly a good sign, since only true masters wore capes, as far as he was aware. The mare beside him was average-looking, about as well-kept as Flitter and Cloud Chaser, but her cutie mark stood out on her light pink fur.

She had a magic wand with a swirl for a cutie mark. That meant she had a talent for magic, which clearly trumped any other option on the table for the moment.

“Hey, guys,” Sunburst greeted as he approached. “Everyone settled in already?”

“Almost everyone,” Tree Hugger said. “I don’t think our new visitor has signed up yet.”

He gulped. “Umm, where, uh, where do I sign up?”

“I guess the train got us here a little late, so you’d have to catch some of the others to join them. But it’s your first year, so it doesn’t matter that much. You’ll wanna pick a bunk that suits you, and everyone here’s got their own strengths. Bulk’s got the High Lifters, they do a lot of athletics stuff, mostly strength training,” Flitter said. “Then there’s Tree Hugger, she’s got the Lean Greens, they’re more into, err...”

“My bunk mostly does calmer yoga and breathing exercises: flexility and calm is what we’re good at. It’s perfect for kids who have trouble with anxiety, or high flyers that need more lung power, or the little wizards who want to expand their mind. Speaking of which, Sunburst, did you bring the good stuff?” Tree Hugger poked him in the ribs.

He chuckled nervously. “D’err, yeah, don’t worry. I got enough for you and Bulk.”

Flitter’s nose curled. “Right. And there’s Sunburst, but he’s with-”

“Me.”

Bastion would have jumped if his body hadn’t frozen. This last Unicorn came out of nowhere, literally. He didn’t teleport, either, at least not by any technique Bastion knew. No sound, no movement of the air, nothing, not even the taste of energy, and then suddenly he was behind them. The stallion quite simply did not exist, and then suddenly he was there. This one was definitely promising.

He reminded Bastion of Featherweight, actually, at least in colours: beige coat with brown hair, but the resemblance stopped there. This stallion was of a lean build, sure, but he had some ropey muscles, at least. His eyes were his most striking feature, though: very dark blue, almost to the point of being black pits.

“Greetings and salutations, little changeling.” The stallion bowed his head. “I’m Sage, I’m in charge of the top bunk here.” He turned to the other ponies. “And given the boy’s background, I think it’s only appropriate he signs up with me this year.”

“Are you sure? After what happened last time? And the time before that?” Flitter asked.

“And every single time before that?” Cloud Chaser added. “I mean, Bastion’s not exactly the hardened warrior type.”

“Yes, I am,” he objected. “I’m the heir to War Engineer Faux Pas, I can handle anything.”

Sage smiled. “Glad to hear it. Now then, if that’s in order, let’s get going. You two need to round up your little ones and get them installed.”

Cloud Chaser winced. “You’re positive you wanna put him together with Assault and Battery? He doesn’t even have any physical training. I mean, do you?”

Bastion shivered. He blinked as flashes of memory shot over the backs of his eyelids. He’d been getting that a lot lately. “Yes, I do. It’s been a while, but I did get some physical training back in the Hive. A little bit, I mean.”

“See? That’s a positive. Now,” Sage said, lowering his voice and leaning in with an impish glare. “Do I need to repeat myself?”

Straight away, Flitter and Cloud Chaser backed up and took off from the ground. “No, no, we’re fine. Bastion, you have fun, if anything happens, just come find us or find an adult to get us. We’ll be right there. Seriously.”

“Nothing will necessitate such an intervention, I’m sure,” Sage said.

Flitter nodded, before leaning in close to whisper, “Be careful. Don’t start anything. Be good, okay?”

He nodded and smiled nervously. “Okay. Why wouldn’t I?” Bastion wasn’t scared. If anything, the prospect of having a scary teacher was exciting: what better way to get stronger?

“Now, then, Sunburst, I have to ask: did you bring the good stuff?” Sage asked with a smirk once the two mares were off.

Sunburst rolled his eyes, before patting his bags. “Yes, I have it all right here. The good stuff, homemade. You don’t need to worry.”

“Perfect. We’ll start on that tonight. Bulk, Hugger?”

Without another word, the two other counsellors left.

Sage looked behind Sunburst, where the pink mare had been standing. Bastion had been wondering why she stayed behind, but he figured she, like him, was new, and therefore hadn’t signed up yet. Again, this was perfect: another pony who was out on a new experience.

“Why don’t you head on up, Bastion. Our bunk is named Assault and Battery. You’ll find it on your right, uphill. You should keep the water on your left side, and when the ground evens out, you’ll be on our turf. Just follow the sound of combat.” Sage smiled at Sunburst. “The boys have already unpacked, but they were itching to get started, so I let them have a little tussle to warm up in private. Our resident arsenal has some new toys.”

“Ho boy. What did he bring this time? A rocket launcher?”

“Nah, just working down the list, he’s thinking about wand work at the moment. No progress yet, though.”

Bastion blinked, confused. “Rocket launcher? There are rocket launchers here?”

Sunburst chuckled and turned to Bastion. “No. Not for two more years, at least, anyway. What Sage means: if you see a fight going on, don’t try to step in and don’t startle either of the colts.”

Sage rolled his eyes. “Yeah, you don’t wanna startle Battery, or Assault.”

Bastion’s brow furrowed. “Wait, so Assault and Battery are ponies?”

“You’ll know them when you see them,” Sunburst said. “Go on, run along. We need to take care of something here first, I think.”

Sage waved to the mare, and Bastion took that as a cue to let the grownups talk.

He trotted off, then started running, excitement brewing in his little hearts.

Assault and Battery, huh? This is going to be perfect.

Author's Note:

So, uploading this in pieces now, probably going to do it in threes. Still not finished at the time of uploading, but...

I'll be honest, I'm not going to be happy with how this turned out no matter what I do. The story trilogy is based on old concepts, things I don't use anymore, and rooted in rules and behaviours I've tried to shed over the years.

Basically what I'm trying to say is: I hope this trilogy is the last of my 'bad' stories. I hope you all enjoy it, I've done my best, but this isn't what I intend to pursue further. Lump this whole thing in with all my subpar R-rated stuff and consider it a relic of the past.