Chapter 12: Secession
The tie around his collar pinched at his neck, as if he wasn't uncomfortable enough. Fleethoof loosened it with a tug, staring at the doors not even three feet in front of his face. He knew what was waiting on the other side. He knew what was going to happen—what had to happen. He knew it was going to be unpleasant, and he was not looking forward to it.
A deep breath to steady his nerves, and he was pushing his way past the closed double doors. The two regal sisters sat in their respective thrones at the far end of the large marble chamber. Colored light poured through the stained glass windows on either side of the elongated room. Waiting patiently for his arrival stood four ponies, all pegasi.
All eyes turned to the sharply dressed stallion in his dress uniform as he trotted in right on time. The ponies of Fireteam Union stared at Fleethoof, adorned in the black formal uniform of Skyfall. It was the first time he had pulled it out of his closet, but the occasion seemed to call for a degree of professionalism and rank. Luna smiled happily from her seat. To further separate Skyfall from the crowd, she had commissioned unique dress uniforms for the six ponies, tailor made by hoof in Ponyville, all reflecting the dark yet elite nature of their positions. Each of her ponies had been given a stark black coat with a prominent white collared blouse beneath it. A jet black tie was the standard neckwear with the uniforms, and a black service cap adorned with the Royal Family's coat of arms completed the ensemble. Her captain was the picture-perfect definition of military prominence.
As he got closer to the gathered ponies, the folder tucked inside his jacket seemed to grow heavier. The hopeful look in the eyes of Union damn near broke his heart, but it had to be done. It was the only way to save them from themselves.
“Captain Fleethoof, thank you for joining us,” Princess Celestia greeted with a dip of her head, her voice soft and mellifluous as ever. “Do you have your report for the debriefing?”
Fleethoof nodded, and produced the manila folder from his jacket. “I do, your highness, but… is it necessary for Union to be present?”
“I requested it,” Spitfire said. “They were a part of the mission, so they deserve to hear their performance from you in person.”
Great… The pegasus frowned.
“Whenever you are ready, Captain.”
He nodded to the alicorns, and drew another deep breath.
Great Alicorn, please let them understand…
Fleethoof snapped the seal on the cover and flipped the folder open. Inside lay a few sheets of paper, each with the letterhead of the Royal Family of Canterlot, and bearing the emblem of Skyfall. Knowing exactly where to begin, Fleethoof skipped the formalities at the start, removed his service cap out of respect, and got right down to business.
“The recent operation in Los Pegasus, a combined mission involving both Fireteams Skyfall and Union, failed to meet its primary objective. The targeted individual was absent from the location and was not apprehended. Two of the target’s go-betweens were captured and taken into Royal Guard custody for questioning,” Fleethoof recited, mostly from memory, part from the document before his eyes. “To our knowledge, no civilians were harmed. Thirteen kills were confirmed on hostile targets.”
“Thank you, Captain, but I don’t think the statistics are what your brothers in arms are waiting to hear,” Celestia interrupted with a humored smile as she looked over the antsy, anxious pegasus soldiers. Even Spitfire seemed to be enthralled with Fleethoof’s report, holding out hope for her team.
Fleethoof glanced over at the four ponies, and instantly regretted it. Every pair of eyes in the room were glued to him, watching and waiting with bated breath for the revered officer’s opinion. He shuffled the papers in the folder to momentarily stall for time, and cleared his throat. He could see Lightning Strike lean in closer out of the corner of his eye.
“Fireteam Union performed at exactly the capacity I anticipated from the beginning,” he said, continuing from where he left out—and then paused. “… Which is barely adequate, at best.”
In that instant, Fleethoof could swear he felt the tension in the room tighten like a noose around his neck. He saw the expressions on the princesses’ faces drop, and saw the disappointment in their eyes. He did not dare look to see how Union had taken that first bombshell.
“Union was able to follow orders when given them, but acted purely as soldiers following orders. They demonstrated no individualistic ideas or acts of valor above or beyond the call of duty. Working with them was equivalent to working with any small unit of basic soldiers in the Royal Guard. Nothing stood out to me.”
Fleethoof swallowed hard, fighting back the last of his nervousness, and closed the file. His eyes hardened with resolve.
“It is in my professional opinion that without our aid, Fireteam Union would have been eradicated in that operation.”
“Now hold on a minute!” Spitfire spoke up suddenly, not to Fleethoof’s surprise. “I know you have this sort of superiority complex because you were the ‘originals’, but Union is clearly still alive, and putting forth an honest attempt!”
Fleethoof turned his steely gaze to Spitfire now, unwavering in his stance. “You haven’t worked hooves-on with them. I have. You wanted to know what I saw. Well, what I saw was nothing remotely remarkable. They’re glorified infantry. I could pull any number of ponies out of the Guard and they’d be able to perform just as well with the same training.”
That was when Fleethoof saw Union’s reactions for the first time. Nightflash just looked disheartened, like a foal that had failed a test in school. His shoulders were slouched, and he hung his head in disappointment. Glider had a strange expression on his face. He was scowling, but beneath that, it almost looked like he was fighting a smile. Maybe humor was his way of holding back the anger and upset.
Lightning Strike’s eyes were cast downward at the cold stone floor. His gaze was distant, and his ears had drooped back against his skull. It looked like he was frozen in place—whether by anger or sorrow, Fleethoof couldn’t discern, but whatever it was, it held the pegasus in place like a statue.
“This is not fair!” It was evident that Spitfire was far from done with this fight.
“You asked for your second chance, Lieutenant, and you got it,” argued the captain.
“He is correct, Spitfire.” Celestia spoke with such grace and tact, it seemed to quell even the fiery mare’s anger, if but for a moment. “I am sorry, but Captain Fleethoof has the final say on this matter.”
Luna had not turned her gaze from her captain. “You are the judge. What is your decision, Captain?”
“It is my recommendation that Fireteam Union be disbanded and returned to active duty amongst the Royal Equestrian Air Force, and Project: Union be scrapped, pending resumption if the program undergoes massive changes.”
Celestia nodded adamantly. “So be it. Thank you for your service, Captain. You have been most beneficial in the matter.”
“Think nothing of it, your majesty.”
“How could you?”
Every set of eyes in the room turned to fall across the pony that had spoken. Lightning Strike was glaring at Captain Fleethoof, a venomous look burning in his irises. It was exactly what Fleethoof had feared. They were not taking it well.
“How could you? We worked so hard, and all you can do is put us down and throw us out?” the infuriated pony all but shouted.
Fleethoof heaved an exhausted sigh. “Lightning Strike, this is nothing personal. You are a decent soldier, but you’re playing with fire. You can’t expect me to let you continue the way you’ve been going.”
“You have no idea what we’ve been through! All the training, all the struggling, just to prove ourselves!”
“You don’t think I know what you’ve been through?” Now Fleethoof was getting a little steamed himself. “I know better than anypony in this room what you think you know, Sergeant. And I suggest you rein yourself in before you say something you’ll regret.”
Lightning Strike snorted and pounded his hooves on the stone floor. “What does it matter? Our lives are over. What difference does it make now?”
“Sergeant, please—” Spitfire tried to plead with the blinded pony.
“No. Fuck this. I’m not sticking around to be told I’m incompetent any longer.”
Lightning Strike turned sharply on his hooves and stormed his way back out of the throne room, leaving the shocked audience to watch his abrupt departure. Glider began to follow his comrade out, turning to cast a sideways glance and sarcastic, biting smirk at Fleethoof.
“That went well,” he said with ill-humor, and took his leave as well. Nightflash lingered but a moment longer, and then he was gone as well.
Spitfire’s jaw went slack, stunned speechless by her own soldiers’ insubordination. She could feel her cheeks burning with furious humiliation. The ponies she had stood up for so resolutely had just left her to the wolves like spiteful foals. She would be sure to give them a piece of her mind when this was over.
“That was… enlightening.” Luna finally broke the tense silence.
“I’m so sorry, your majesties…” apologized a profusely blushing Spitfire, her wings drooped and ears flattened to her head as she bowed her head. “They were completely out of line. I don’t know where that came from.”
“They’re bitter because they can’t accept the truth,” said Fleethoof, staring at the closed doors at the other end of the hall. He shook his head in disdain. “Just more proof that they aren’t professional enough to handle these tasks.”
Celestia sighed forlornly. “I have to agree.”
“Do whatever you must,” Spitfire said, her jaw clenched. “I won’t defend them after that.”
“So be it. By royal order, Project: Union is to be terminated immediately,” Celestia said in royal decree. “Union shall be disbanded, and their fate shall be left to Captain Blackhawk to decide.”
The Wonderbolt nodded weakly. “Yes, Princess.”
“Go, Lieutenant. Tend to your team’s departure. I think they could use some comforting from the pony who stood up for them.”
This time, Spitfire didn’t nod. She merely bowed before the princesses, then turned tail and plodded slowly out of the throne room, a combination of shame and resentment slowing her steps. Fleethoof stood frozen in place. His hooves felt like they were rooted to the floor. His whole body had gone numb with a mixture of relief and guilt. It was done, and Union was safe.
“Captain Fleethoof?”
Fleethoof looked up, locking gazes with Princess Celestia. She looked at him the way a concerned mother would look at her foal.
“Is everything all right?”
He didn’t know how to put what he felt into words. “I don’t know, your majesty.”
“Do not blame yourself for what happened here today,” she cooed soothingly, stepping down from the throne to stand before the pegasus. “You were looking out for your fellow ponies. You were protecting them from themselves.”
“I know…”
“You did the right thing, Fleethoof.”
Fleethoof swallowed back a lump in his throat. “It just feels so wrong to crush somepony’s hopes like that… The way they looked at me… I couldn’t let them continue to run suicide missions though.”
A hoof touched his shoulder, and Fleethoof looked up immediately. Princess Celestia was smiling gently down at him, an unreadable expression in her eyes.
“Fleethoof, over the past few years, I have watched you grow into the stallion you are today, and I am very proud of who you have become,” she said, each word ringing with a lyrical quality that put his soul at ease. “You care for how your actions effect other ponies’ lives, even if they aren’t the easiest decisions to make. That is a quality few are willing to use. You did what you had to, for all the right reasons. There is no need to feel guilt over that.”
She was right. Princess Celestia was always right. He drew in a deep breath, holding it within his lungs until it burned, and then exhaled slowly. It was worth causing some bitter feelings with some ponies he would probably never see again to spare their lives. He’d made the right call.
“Thank you, Princess.”
“Is there anything else troubling you?”
He shook his head. “No.”
A smile from the pristine white alicorn. “Then go, my little pony. There is still a full day for you to enjoy.”
Fleethoof gave Celestia a small smile, and passed the folder over to her. Rising back to his hooves, he placed his cap back on his head and made for the door. So much had been altered in such a small amount of time, and he was still reeling from it all. All he wanted now was to forget about it, and get back to his regular life.
“And Fleethoof...”
Celestia’s call stopped him in his tracks. He turned halfway, looking back over his shoulder at the two sovereign sisters.
“You look very handsome. Luna has excellent taste in uniforms.”
That brought a genuine smile to Fleethoof’s face. Flashing his teeth briefly, he saluted his princesses, and saw himself out. What he hadn’t been prepared to see was Spitfire, still lingering in the hallway, sitting on the floor and curled up in on herself.
Fleethoof’s eyes narrowed in worry, and he quickly cantered to her side. As he got closer, he could hear her labored breathing and see her form gently quivering in place. When he finally got in close proximity, she looked up, and he could see her bloodshot eyes.
For a moment, the two ponies just stared silently at one another. Spitfire seemed completely taken by surprise that he was there, and Fleethoof was putting two and two together. And then she glared at the stallion, and snapped her face away from his gaze.
“What? Come to rub in how much I failed this time?” she asked, her voice shaky and broken.
Fleethoof hadn’t been expecting that. “Not this time.”
“What do you want then?”
“To see if you were okay.”
A sharp, sarcastic laugh left the Wonderbolt captain. She shook her head violently from side to side, tousling her flaming mane.
“Like you care. You got what you wanted. Union isn’t in competition with you anymore.”
“It was never about competition,” Fleethoof tried to explain. “Lieutenant, they weren’t right for the job. You had to have seen that.”
Spitfire didn’t respond. She simply stared blankly at the floor in front of her. With a resigned sigh, Fleethoof collapsed against the wall and slid down to sit beside her. He took off his cap, setting it down at his side, and staring up at the ceiling.
“When I was in the Griffon War, I saw a lot of ponies die…” He paused, watching her from the corner of his eye. “I lost my best friend. I wasn’t even there when it happened. But I knew he wasn’t suited to be in war. I never told him though... I didn’t have the heart to crush his hopes and dreams. I knew he’d die if he went. But I didn’t say a word. And he died.”
Silence passed for several long, heavy seconds.
“I’m sorry about your friend…”
Fleethoof ran a hoof through his mane, pursing his lips as he chose his words with great care. “I guess the moral to that story is I make a point to speak up if I know something’s wrong now. I knew Union wasn’t suited for these missions, and once Harp Strings died, I knew I had to say something. All I could think about was how I missed that chance before… But now here were three stallions with full lives ahead of them. I had a chance to save them. So I did what I had to.”
He turned to look sympathetically at Spitfire. “It was nothing personal, Spitfire. I promise you that. But if we let them continue doing what they’re doing, we’d be burying three more ponies instead of reassigning them.”
“I know you’re right…” she said with an upset sigh. “That’s the worst part. I know you’re right. But I don’t like giving up on myself. I wasn’t that way when I was working my way up the Wonderbolts, and I don’t expect any of my fliers to be that way either. I just keep pushing my limits. That’s who I am.”
“And that works most of the time,” Fleethoof agreed, but continued, “But when you’re pushing ponies to do something they can’t, something’s gotta give. And at that rate, it was going to be them.”
Fleethoof watched Spitfire nod, just a very subtle motion of her head, and then she closed her eyes. She took a few deep breaths, releasing all the pent up energy, and letting go.
“Thank you for saving them,” she mumbled.
Fleethoof shrugged and got to his hooves. “Just doing my job, Miss Spitfire. Now come on, you’ve got three ponies to cool off.”
“In a little while. I… don’t think I’m ready to face them yet.”
The captain nodded, and returned his cap to his head. He smiled and saluted Spitfire, patting her comfortingly on the shoulder. He left, bound back for his room. He wanted to see himself in his uniform once more before he changed into something more appropriate for a daily basis.
True to her word, Spitfire spent most of her day locked in her office. After the debriefing from hell, she had milled about Canterlot and Cloudsdale for a good portion of the day. By the time the early afternoon rolled around, she had walked or flown over every part of the city. With no place left to go to, she settled for hiding away in her office, with a firmly locked door and a good book between her and the world.
She was dreading having to face Union. If their exit from the castle was any indication of their mood, she could not see this reassigning going well. Whenever these thoughts would pop up, she would drown them out with a long swig from the flask of liquor tucked away in a hidden compartment in her desk. There was no need to worry about it now.
Despite her bravado and strict outward appearance out in the public eye and on the tarmac of the Academy, Spitfire looked dearly upon her Wonderbolts, and upon Union with the same affection. They were like her siblings, and when they failed, she felt she had failed as well. Spitfire did not like to fail.
So when it came to breaking bad news or doing anything to hurt her siblings, she was a coward. Yelling and pushing recruits was different. These were the ponies she lived with. They were all family at the Wonderbolts Academy, and to Spitfire, it was a novel idea.
But reality was no fairy tale, and the chiming of the clock striking nine returned her to that harsh world. She put the book in her hooves facedown on her desk, so as not to lose her spot, and exhaled. It was now or never, and never wasn’t an option anymore.
Union would be in their bunks by this time of night. Rising from her desk, Spitfire removed the fortifications of the deadbolt lock from her door and began her long trek down the corridors of the Academy. The bunks were all on the opposite site of the grounds from the offices, a plight Spitfire had kept to her team to maintain some form of retreat and sanctuary from the new recruits.
As she wandered down the hallways, listening to the buzzing of the overhead fluorescent lights, Spitfire silently wondered how she would go about doing this. Was it best to go about this gently? Was it like a band-aid, and needed to be done fast to minimize the pain?
How would I like it to be done if I was getting replaced? she pondered, perishing the thought that such a day would ever come. Fast, probably fast. Less messy that way. Okay, fast it is.
The bunk hall was, surprisingly, quiet for once. Spitfire felt a little uneasy without the noise from the recruits chatting amongst themselves. They must have either all been asleep, or already scolded by the roving patrol about the noise level. Even still, it was eerie.
The door labeled ‘Union’ came up all too quickly for her liking. This was the moment. Taking a breath and counting to ten, Spitfire hyped herself up, and then hit the door with a series of knocks.
“Fireteam Union, at attention!” Spitfire called through the door, giving them a few moments to rouse themselves had they been sleeping. “All right, colts, let’s just—”
The door handle jiggled tightly, but refused to budge. Spitfire blinked in confusion and tried again. Still, it refused to give way. She threw her entire body against the frame of the door, but it would not yield. The door was locked.
“Union, open this door,” Spitfire ordered, knocking louder this time. “I know you’re angry, but this is just being foalish. Now open up.”
No sound came from inside. She tried the door again. Still locked. Spitfire growled and pounded on the door.
“Union! Open this door, or so help me—”
“Hey, what’s going on?”
One of the patrol ponies had come back around to corner, drawn by the banging and yelling. It was a relief to see him.
“Nopony's answering inside,” Spitfire said with an aggravated sigh. “You got the keys?”
The pony nodded. “Yeah, right here. Gimme a sec…”
The pony produced a key ring and began sorting through a few of them before settling on a small bronze key. With a quick turn, the door opened, and Spitfire stormed into the dark bunkroom.
“Union, you are in so much trouble for this,” she snapped, flipping on the lights. “I’m gonna—”
For the third time in a row, Spitfire’s speech was cut off. She stood locked in place, staring around the bunkroom. The patrol pony came in behind her, looking around as well. Spitfire went over to one of the cots and lifted something off of it. He scratched his head, furrowing his brow.
“Uh, is this some sort of joke, Lieutenant?”
Spitfire didn’t answer. She couldn’t answer. She had no answer. But she knew there was only one thing she could do.
Without so much as a word, she turned and ran back out down the corridors and out to the tarmac. In the dead of the night, Spitfire took flight, headed back towards Canterlot. There was only one pony that could give her any answers.
Fleethoof had been having a good dream. Or, at least, he thought it was a good dream. He couldn’t quite remember what it was now that he was sitting up, groggily rubbing at his eyes and trying to wake himself up. Why was he awake at… He glanced at the clock. A little after ten at night.
A series of thuds hit his door, catching his attention. Oh, right, somepony was knocking at his door. That was why he was awake again.
Grumbling softly to himself, the stallion forced himself out of the warm, comfortable bed and began shuffling towards the door—and then he froze. He made a U-turn back to his bed, and pulled his handgun out from the nightstand, making sure a round was chambered and the safety was off.
Safety first, he thought whimsically as he approached the door again.
“I swear, Midnight, if this is you again, I’m gonna have you arrested,” he shouted at the door, unlocking it and pulling it open halfway. “Spitfire! What—”
“I need to talk to you. It’s urgent.”
Fleethoof’s brow knitted together in confusion, but he yielded with a nod and stepped aside for her. Spitfire stepped inside, and he closed the door behind her. She took one look at the gun in his hoof, and cocked a brow.
“It’s a long story,” said Fleethoof, dodging the question in her gesture.
“And who’s Midnight?”
“Longer story,” he countered again, setting the gun down on his desk. “But I want to hear yours. What is so important that you need to fly back here in the middle of the night and commit aggravated assault against my doorframe?”
Spitfire looked positively nerve-racked. Her mane was a windswept mess, disheveled from how fast she had flown. The color in her face looked flushed, like she'd seen a ghost. Whatever it was, it had shaken the mare up good. The captain’s head cocked to the side curiously.
“Lieutenant…?”
“It’s… It’s Union,” she began.
“What about them? Did they take the reassignment badly?”
Spitfire chuckled nervously. “You could say that.”
Now Fleethoof felt genuinely worried. “What happened?”
“I went to go tell them they were being reassigned to Captain Blackhawk, and he would determine whether they were fit to continue service or not. I got to their bunks, and the door was locked. We got it open, but…”
“But…?” Fleethoof made a motion with his hoof in the air for her to carry on.
“But… they were gone.” Spitfire saw the lost look in Fleethoof's eyes. “Union’s gone, Captain. They’ve just… gone. Vanished.”
For a long time, Fleethoof was subdued. He wasn’t sure he had heard her right, but Spitfire looked deathly serious. Was this all still part of the dream? He shook his head to clear out the daze.
“What do you mean ‘gone’?” he asked. “How could they just be gone?”
“I don’t know, but they were. Their bunks were tossed up, their personal items gone, and all that was left was this…”
Spitfire slowly pulled a piece of paper out of a pocket in her uniform. She handed the folded sheet to Fleethoof. Treating it as if it were an antique book, he gingerly unfolded the paper, holding it up and pulling it flat to read the single line of text across it.
You’ll regret this.
Fleethoof could feel his heart wrench sickeningly in his chest. Dark realization settled over his mind.
Locking blue eyes with her orange ones, he muttered darkly, “Union’s gone rogue.”
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you dirty bastard. updating the story right after I get PRK surgery... turning down brightness of screen and reading now. would bother me all week to have an unread chapter......dirty dirty bastard. atleast once this is over I wont feel like I have derpy vision
Damm you and your plot twists
But it makes for a good plot and keeps me hooked + this upload regime is awesome, keep it up
2653413
2653551
Everything I do is deliberate. Hang on tight, it's about to get dark up in here.
You caught the moods in that room perfectly. Even I could feel the guilt gnawing and gnashing at my innards as Fleet gave his report.
Good job.
Oh dear. Unions going rouge, time for Skyfall to prove that there was a reason they weren't disbanded.
2653569 even when you used the word is instead of or? hang on I got some burn dressings in my IFAK somewhere...lol just kidding I hate when people pick out the smallest mistakes. but seriously I saw one
2652808 yea those crossovers and HiE things are retarded. I guess some bronies are litteraly the crazy type who wishes a cartoon was real life a little too much. I just got my refractive surgery so I just had to know out reading the new chapter before my eyes are killing me the rest of the week. how are the recruits doing... or in the armys case the new privates. I cant believe you even let them feel like they have rank at Basic
Seeing this get more attention makes me squee inside. :3
I remember finding your first post with the Griffin War... and now you've gotten this far.
Ehehm... now that said, I wanted to point out this little moment:
See... this is something I love about your stories. They're far from the show, but you still have little nods like this throughout the story to the TV show.
And on Union going rouge... wow I didn't see that one. I know that this story is "Treason" but still I wasn't thinking it would be Union... though if I'd really stopped to think about it I might have put them on my list. I guess one of the reasons I didn't think it would be Union is because I thought of them as a really loyal unit and treason wouldn't cross their mind... that said............ sooooooo is Union for hire now?
2652808>2653715
I know what you guys mean. We need more Dusk Quills, emkajjis and AestheticBs in this fandom.
My next comment will be a proper review of the chapter.
Silver out!
2653795
Stick around, you just might get an answer or two down the line. Union might be up for some freelance work - depending on how the plot turns. You do know how much I love twists.
2653890
You are all too kind.
2653905 ...you're really saying, "stick around" to me? ...to moi? I am insulted good sir.
But actually what started out as a joke, hiring team Union, became an idea that's now starting to fester... oh sweet Celestia... 
Don't you worry. I'll be sticking around!
Deserters, renegades, vagabonds...C'mon DQ! You should know that only complete badasses get to : "Go rogue.
" 
But on a serious note, I loved how well-paced this chapter was and the detail was done with a fine paintbrush. What else would I expect though?
Silver out!
God damn why have your stories not hit front page yet?
I love them and cannot wait for the next chapter. Keep up the good work
2655871
Because fame and popularity are fickle mistresses.
Thank you! Your wait won't be long.
Holy shit, here we go. It took this Lon to hit the main plot, I can already tell this is going to be one hell of a ride.
For real, DQ, this is your best yet. Please tell me you plan on continuing this world after this story.
2657309
The saga shall continue. Skyfall hasn't suffered enough yet. It's only just getting started.
2657496
Not even Fluttershy's quietest yay could express my happiness. If you ever need help with editing, concept, or just an ear to bounce ideas off, hit me up. I'll be finishing the review of The Griffon War on FOB Equestria this weekend. It shall be positive.
Okay, that can't be good.
Okay... This is starting to scare me... Where is Cadance in all of this? Whose gonna scare Midnight away when she comes around to play Lil Miss Stalker again?