Skyfall: Treason

by Dusk Quill

Chapter 7: Initiation ♫

Marines.

That was the name the new platoon of soldiers Midnight had spoken of had adopted. The baddest of the bad, Shining Armor had called them. Each one had gone above and beyond the rest of their squads, and was now one cohesive unit to train. Even now, standing before the fifty stallions and mares frozen rigid at attention, Fleethoof could feel the air of intimidation and professionalism coming off of them.

The Equestrian Royal Marines.

The captain looked over each face standing in perfect formation. He nodded subtly, mostly to himself. Beside him, Midnight watched as he appraised the soldiers, yawning sleepily. Waking up before the sun hadn’t been her intention when she asked him to lend a hoof.

The morning was still and quiet. The ponies were no longer surrounded by the urban environment of Canterlot, but were instead down on the plains at the base of the mountain, just beyond the view of the small town of Ponyville. Each pony had a full kit of equipment, save for any weapons. They wouldn’t be needed.

A bird chirped merrily as it flew overhead in the early morning sky, which was gradually turning from a deep navy to a light cerulean with the rising sun. Fleethoof moved, taking slow strides before the platoon. He looked each individual pony up and down, and then moved on to the next, and repeated the process down the line. When he reached the end, he pivoted on his heels and went back down the line again.

“Marines!” he called out.

Hooves clopped together as everypony straightened their stances. They were listening. An impressed smirk turned the captain’s lips upward.

“It is my understanding that you are the best of what Canterlot has to offer,” Fleethoof said, pacing up and down the formation. “You’ve done superbly in your training, and your COs have spoken very highly of all of you.”

A mare he was passing by broke out into a proud smile. He halted in place, backing up to face her.

“But of course, this is all word of mouth.” He looked the pony dead in the eye, even as she stared past him with a distant, focused stare. “Isn’t that right, Private?”

“Yes, sir!” the mare responded, voice firm and adamant.

“Do you think you’re better than everypony still up there at the barracks?” he said in an attempt to press her. “Do you think this makes you special?”

“Sir, no, sir!”

Fleethoof stared the mare down for a moment longer, waiting to see if she would flinch or back down. She didn’t, remaining like a statue the entire time. He waved a hoof in front of her face. Nothing. He nodded, and continued his pacing.

“Right you are. You are not special—you are specialized. Our benevolent Captain of the Guard has seen the merit each one of you possesses, and that is why you are now under our close supervision. Make no mistake: you are still infantry—still soldiers like your fellow Guard. But you are the ones who push yourselves that extra mile to get the job done. Am I right?”

“Oorah!” the Marines chanted.

Fleethoof lifted his head, eyeing the platoon curiously. Oorah? That was new. The Marines were already developing their own ways to distance themselves from the regular Guard. He grinned.

Fleethoof stepped up beside a stallion at the front of the formation, looking him over. “You look like every other pony I’ve seen in my lifetime. You think you can do better than a regular Guard grunt?”

“Sir, yes, sir!” the stallion all but shouted.

“Really?” Fleethoof chuckled lowly. “Bullshit. I’ve seen ponies younger than you willingly run into enemy fire! What makes you so sure you’re anywhere near that level of commitment?”

“Give me a chance to prove myself, sir,” came the stallion’s response. It was a good one.

“Very well… I’ll give you your shot,” said Fleethoof, and then looked to the entire platoon. “In fact, you’re all getting a shot, starting today. And we can begin by marching back to Canterlot, courtesy of the good corporal here. It seems you all forgot your weapons back at the barracks.”

Almost instantaneously, all eyes turned towards the mountain looming above them. They had been told to leave them when they started walking down to Ponyville at the crack of dawn. Marching back up with all their gear hadn’t been on the itinerary. Fleethoof noticed the apprehension in their gazes, not sure if he was serious or not.

“Did I stutter? Or are the big, bad Marines afraid of a little exercise?” Fleethoof asked. “What happened to proving yourselves? Are you going to start marching, or am I sending you all back to basic?”

“Oorah, sir!” somepony called out, and the rest of the platoon joined in a brief second later.

“Then let’s move! Go! Go! Hoof it up there!” he ordered, watching as the Marines began their march back towards the base of the mountain, lugging their gear all the way.

Beside the platoon, Fleethoof marched along with the newly founded Marines. Every so often, he would call out if the formation began to falter, or to give direction. Midnight fluttered about in the air above the ponies, getting a bird’s-eye view of the action.

“Why are you marching with them?” asked Midnight, hovering alongside Fleethoof as they reached the path spiraling up the mountain. “It’s much easier to fly.”

“I have a method, Corporal Dasher,” said Fleethoof, keeping his eyes on the marching ponies. “I do everything I expect my brothers and sisters in arms to do. I lead by example. It keeps me fit and sharp, and it gives me a better standing with them. How could I expect any soldier to respect me if I wouldn’t do what I ask of them?”

His sapphire eyes turned in her direction, narrowed slightly. “That goes for you, too. You wanted to train with me, you’re part of the unit now. So land and get marching.”

Midnight stared at the captain for a moment, then burst into a fit of laughter. He couldn’t be serious. But her humor was quickly killed when the stallion grabbed her by the tail and tugged her down to the dirt road, pushing her along to get her running.

“All right, I’m going!” she snapped, running ahead a few feet to get away from the officer. “Jeez!”

“Stow it, Corporal! You’re training with the Special Forces now. Only the best exists here. Isn’t that right, Marines?”

“Oorah!” the platoon chanted, their voices echoing around the side of the mountain.

“Are we going to give anything less than 100%?”

“No, sir!”

“And are we ever going to take the easy way out?”

“No, sir!”

Midnight huffed and panted as she pushed herself to keep up with the soldiers, and especially with Fleethoof. That pony marched like he was taking a stroll through the park. Wherever he’d gotten his experience, he’d clearly been through some trying times.

Fleethoof watched as the Lunar Guard started to lag slightly, falling back in level with him, and eventually behind, until he could just see the gleam of her violet armor at the end of the platoon.

“Keep up, Corporal Dasher!” he shouted back to her, noting the mile marker on the side of the road. “We’re a quarter of the way, Marines. I think I can hear the rest of the Guard laughing at us as they wake up right about now. Pick up the pace!”

“Why… are you… pushing them… so hard?” Midnight asked between gasping breaths. Fleethoof hadn’t even noticed she had caught back up to him again, although she was struggling to do so.

“Because Shining Armor said so. They weren’t being challenged enough, so now we’re going to push them to their limits. Toughen them up a bit.”

The platoon marched up the mountain path steadily, the occasional banter or chant coming from the ponies, along with the frequent order from their officer. As far as first impressions went, Fleethoof approved of the Marines. Not one of them had complained yet, and whenever one would stumble or trip on loose rocks along the way, the pony behind them would help nudge them back into position, keeping the lines straight and orderly.

“This… is… brutal…” Midnight groaned.

“Good. This is how you should be drilling them.”

Fleethoof’s response had been so abrupt, it startled the mare. He glanced over his shoulder at her, slowing his march to match her pace.

“I’m guessing you haven’t been in the Lunar Guard very long, Corporal,” the captain surmised, and said, “The world is brutal. There are dozens—if not hundreds—of enemies waiting out there to take your life at the drop of a hat. Even if it’s worse than hell, the right training can save a pony’s life, and that’s a lot less brutal than dying. Nopony knows this better than myself and Shining Armor.”

The mare let the information sink in slowly, and then asked, “You’re really close to Captain Armor, aren’t you…?”

No response came from her companion. His eyes glazed over, glassy and distant as time reversed in his head. In his mind’s eye, he was dangling from the edge of a bridge, Shining Armor clutching on for dear life beside him. They were back in Skyfall, during the initial invasion, sneaking through the streets together and ducking a hailstorm of enemy bullets. He was drawing sniper fire away from Shining as he led the troops out of Midgard. Night Shade’s dark laugh echoed in his skull, seeing the manic unicorn holding Shining Armor hostage at the train station, the fear of losing his best friend becoming all too real.

“Fleethoof…?”

Midnight’s voice brought Fleethoof back into the present, blinking his eyelids rapidly to readjust his mind.

“The Captain of the Guard and I have… shared many experiences together…” he succinctly phrased, his voice noticeably lower. “I consider him my brother in every regard.”

Another marker passed.

“Halfway, Marines!” he shouted, looking out at the eastern horizon as the sun finished climbing into view.

“Oorah!” the platoon chanted.

“Again!”

“Oorah!”

A smile crossed Fleethoof’s face, and just as quickly vanished again. “For the sun.”

“For the sun!” chanted the Marines in response.

“For the moon.”

“For the moon!”

“We send our foes.”

“We send our foes!”

“To meet their doom.”

“To meet their doom!”

“Pick it up, everypony!” Fleethoof ordered coolly. “I’d like to be back sometime before I’m old enough to retire!”

The chanting of the Marines was lost to the drowning thunder of their marching hooves. The sound of formidability and raw power broke the serenity of the early morning mountainside all the way up to the summit. It was glorious.

Midnight’s hooves had never ached so much before in her entire life. Her whole body felt sore and tired, and all she wanted was to crash in her cot and pass out for… oh, about three days seemed an appropriate amount of time to the mare. But here she sat, in the mess hall, with the rest of the Royal Guard, staring down at a bowl of porridge and mixed fruit to taste. Loud conversation mixed together into a monotonous buzzing in her ears, while the unappealing scent of bland food lingered in the air.

Her stomach rumbled, but she could barely find the strength to sit upright, let alone keep from faceplanting right into the bowl. All around the mess hall, she could see the other Marines she had marched with, each looking like they were in just as much pain as she was. They hadn’t been expecting Fleethoof’s impromptu hike either. Nor did they see the exercise regiment waiting for them when they got back to the barracks. But each one had received a new insignia pin, designating them as members of the new division. The rest of the Guard looked at them like they were insane, murmuring amongst themselves.

Midnight Dasher yawned widely. Not even her two colleagues from Fort Shadow were awake yet, nor were any of the Canterlot Lunar Guard. Only the officers and soldiers were up.

Thestrals were not meant to be awake at this unholy time… she thought to herself, forcing herself to act on will and hunger, chewing away at her breakfast.

She ate slowly, feeling her eyelids grow heavier by the moment. Her head shot up in a vain attempt to keep herself awake. Several of the other soldiers around the hall looked like they were ready to doze off too. Suddenly, she didn’t very much feel like training under the sadistic pegasus captain anymore. Maybe after a few minutes’ sleep…

A hoof slammed against the table in front of her. Midnight’s head snapped up as fast as lightning. The mass of red fur and feathers opposite of her chuckled.

“Counting sheep, Corporal?”

She shot a look at Fleethoof and returned to idly chewing her food. “If I’d known training with you meant being awake when I should be asleep, I probably would’ve called you insane.”

Now it was Fleethoof’s turn to cast a reproaching look at the mare. “Watch that tone, Corporal. I’m your superior, battlefield or breakfast table.”

“My apologies, sir,” she remarked with a roll of her eyes, earning another scowl from the displeased officer. “What are you doing sitting with me then? Want me to run a marathon for you? Maybe clear the skies without my wings or legs?”

Fleethoof’s expression didn’t budge. “If you’re really this displeased with my methods, you can always quit now.”

Midnight was silent for a moment. The offer was far too tempting to take him up on. She glanced around at the other ponies for a moment, and then back to the stallion across from her, who was now absentmindedly turning a peach over in his hooves.

“No.”

“Suit yourself.” He shrugged, then placed the peach on her tray with a satirical half-cocked smirk.

“Ahaha, funny,” the Lunar Guard deadpanned.

“You’re the one who said you liked peaches.” He smiled innocently.

“Why are you really here?”

“I told you, I like to be a part of my unit. I’m watching the Marines, pitying them.”

Fleethoof’s cryptic words puzzled Midnight. “Pity them for what?”

“You’ll see,” he replied, a slow grin creeping onto his face.

Midnight shuddered, terrified at the possible prospects that message entailed. She knew whatever it was, she was going to be getting the brunt of it too.

“Actually, I came to keep you company.” Midnight stared at the captain like he was speaking a foreign language. “I know none of your friends are up right now, so I figured why the hell not? I can be a nice colt.”

“Shocker!” Dasher gasped.

“Hey…” he said in mock warning. “Plus, since you’re such a big fan of games, I thought we’d play a quick one.”

That caught the mare’s attention on the spot.

“What sort of game?” she asked apprehensively. Fleethoof was known for his trickery. He laughed, smiling in good-humor.

“A very simple one. I’ll answer any one question you have, provided it’s within reason,” he explained, and conditioned it with, “If you answer one of mine.”

“Within reason?”

He nodded. “Within reason.”

Midnight chewed on her lower lip for a moment, considering the proposition. She did enjoy guessing games and solving mysteries. Bugging Fleethoof had become like a professional sport for her, but it had gotten her little to nowhere. Perhaps this was a good deal. But then she considered his end of the bargain… What could he possibly want to know?

She decided to bite the proverbial bullet.

“All right.” The bat pony flashed him a grin. “But I get to go first.”

Ever patient, he waved his hoof, urging her to proceed.

Dasher took a few minutes to think. She only had one shot at this... she had to make it a good one. There was so much mystery surrounding this stallion, but only one could be solved—or none could be solved, and the rabbit hole would only prove to be deeper than she feared.

But I guess that’s the gamble I took, she mused in her head. As much as she wanted to ask, there was one question that kept coming to the forefront of her thoughts.

“Who are you?”

Fleethoof stared the mare down for a moment. His lip quivered as he fought a smile, then chuckled, and ended in a fit of laughter.

“That’s your question?” he asked sarcastically. “Out of everything, it’s that?”

“I mean, who are you? What do you do? What are you a captain of?” she pressed on, elaborating her demand.

“That’s three questions,” Fleethoof pointed out.

“Fine!” An exasperated huff came from the bat pony. “What do you do then?”

“I’m a captain in the Equestrian Armed Forces and Royal Guard,” the officer said, his lines rehearsed and memorized. “Former Infantry, 3rd Company Royal Guard Reserve out of Baltimare.”

“You’re not going to give me a straight answer, are you?”

Fleethoof was thoroughly confused now. “I… just did?”

“No! I meant, what do you have to do with this? What is all this?” Midnight waved her hooves over his black uniform and the unique unit emblem patch hewn into it. “What’s with all the ‘Classified this’ and ‘Classified that’? The ridiculous close combat moves? The secrecy and lack of a file? You’re not a normal pony!”

“I am too a normal pony!” Fleethoof retorted, and then added, “You tried to look at my file?”

“It’s not like it matters. It was locked up in the Archives, and I couldn’t break in.” The bat pony slouched in her seat, pouting and crossing her hooves over her chest.

“You tried to break into the Archives?”

“Is that your question?” Fleethoof shook his head. “Then I’m not answering that.”

“Okay, I’ll make another deal with you,” the pegasus conceded, “If you answer my question, I’ll give you more details about me. Deal?”

Midnight was suddenly very suspicious. “Okay… deal.”

“Why are you here?”

Fleethoof leaned across the table slightly as he spoke, noting Midnight Dasher’s look of shocked horror.

“W-What?”

“Why are you here?” he repeated the question, slower this time, as if she were mentally deficient. “It’s the one thing I can’t figure out. I know this training program inside and out. I helped Shining Armor write it. It called for three Lunar Guards of high recommendation, any three, signed off by the Captain of the Nightwatch. So… why you?”

Midnight clammed up, a look of bitterness in her eyes. “What are you saying? That I don’t deserve to be here? I think you answered your own question. I was recommended!”

“I don’t believe you earned it on skill alone.” The statement was more factual than accusatory. “You barely made it halfway in the march. You do really well in combat, but I still took you down in a matter of minutes. Your attitude towards authority isn’t certainly one to praise in any reports either.”

“Well, aren’t you just Prince Charming?” she spat, glaring daggers at the pegasus.

“So how did you get to be the leader of the hoof-to-hoof combat training in the capital of the nation?”

The bat pony didn’t answer. Whether she simply refused to or didn’t know how to, Fleethoof didn’t know. All he knew was the silence that fell between them. When he was sure he wasn’t going to get a response, he sighed and stood up from the table.

“I’ll see you in a few minutes out at the range, Corporal. Enjoy your breakfast.”

Again, she didn’t respond. Fleethoof gave up, and walked off to another part of the mess hall. Midnight hadn’t realized she had stopped breathing until her lungs began to ache from the lack of air. She grumbled at herself, picking up the peach from her tray and taking a large bite out of it. That had been a waste of time… Things certainly couldn’t have gone worse.

“Well, well! If it isn’t our wonderful instructor, Ms. Vampire Pony!”

Midnight Dasher looked up as a voice began to circle her. Three ponies she recognized from her instruction groups had taken positions around her, leaning against the table and subtly pinning her in place. She recognized the stallions. They were all soldiers she had used as demonstrations, humiliating them with her unfair takedowns in front of the others. If she remembered correctly, one of them had sworn vengeance on her.

Oh fuck it all…

“Hello, colts,” she muttered, continuing her meal with a bored expression.

“Where’re your friends?” one asked, a disturbing grin on his face. “No back up? None at all?”

“But that’s not the bat pony way!” another remarked teasingly, earning a round of raucous laughter from his friends.

Midnight was getting fed up with them. “Do you want something?”

“Oh, we just wanted to thank you for drilling us as hard as you did and making examples of us.” The stallion’s voice was dark, and threatening. “And to show off what we learned from you.”

“Always have back up,” one of the three recited in a jeering fashion.

“Always wait till your opponent is weakest,” said another. “And you’re looking awfully tired there, Corporal.”

Oh fuck…

Already, Midnight was subconsciously preparing for a fight. Her body protested as her muscles tensed up, waiting for the right moment to spring. Still acting cool and indifferent, she desperately scanned for a way out of the situation. She couldn’t leap up from the table’s bench seat without getting grabbed, and she couldn’t push past them without the same result.

“And always use any advantage you have,” the last of the trio said, placing a hoof on Midnight’s shoulder. “Now, how about a little demonstration with you this time, boss?”

The mare did her best to hide the flinch that ran through her from his touch. “Get your hoof off of me.”

The ponies laughed again, grinning at one another. Just as the stallion’s grip tightened on her shoulder, another hoof landed on his own, turning him around. A fifth pony was glaring viciously at him.

“Hey, bud, she said get your hoof offa her.”

The stallion snorted. “Fuck off. This doesn’t concern you, hero.”

“Actually, when you’re roughing up my instructor, it does,” the pony growled like an animal.

The trio turned on the pony—and all at once, six more nearby ponies stood up in defense of the lone savior. The ponies froze, and Midnight finally got a good look around. The seven ponies coming to her rescue all wore the same insignia pin on their lapels, an insignia she had only just come to recognize.

A glimpse of fear crossed the stallion’s eyes the moment he realized they were outnumbered. The Marines formed a circle around the soldiers, reversing the trap on them.

“You’d better back down, pal,” the Marine said in whispered threat, tensed to strike. “Doesn’t look too good for you right now.”

The Guard snorted. “You think you’re such a hot shot ‘cause you’ve got a special little pin? I’ve taken down mares bigger than you, Earth pony.”

“Back off…”

The two ponies stood in one another’s faces now, glaring and staring down the other. Both sides just waited for the other to make a move. Tension hung in the air, and some of the other tables had stopped talking and eating to watch the situation unfold.

“What’s going on here?”

All eyes turned towards the door as an authoritative voice boomed out. The pristine white form of the Captain of the Guard strode into the mess hall, his steps slow and deliberate as he approached the scene. At his side, Fleethoof followed and analyzed the situation, his eyes narrowed and leering.

Neither side answered as the officers got closer, stepping into the would-be fray. Shining Armor looked between the two ponies still practically bumping chests.

“Well?” Fleethoof spoke up now. “Your commanding officer just asked you a question. Speak.”

“It’s nothing, sir,” the Marine resolved, casting a glare at the aggressors. “Just a misunderstanding.”

Both captains’ gazes settled on the three Guards. “Is that so?”

“Yeah… A misunderstanding…” a Guard agreed tensely.

“Don’t let it happen again,” Fleethoof said, glowering at the three soldiers as he scolded them. “I suggest you report to your next assignment. What was that again, Captain Armor?”

“I think that was ten laps around the barracks, Captain Fleethoof,” Shining Armor replied.

“Only ten? That’s a walk in the park.”

“Well, we don’t know exactly what this ‘misunderstanding’ was.” Shining looked over to the group of ponies. “Unless you three have something to admit?”

Nopony said a word. The entire mess hall had fallen deathly silent. From the corner of his eye, Fleethoof could see some of the Marines smirking and quietly laughing at the apprehended soldiers.

“Right, ten laps then. Better get to it. I hear the interest rate on those things is still going up,” Shining said with mock glee. “What was the interest on them, Fleet?”

“Double for every minute of delay, Captain.”

Shining Armor let out a sharp whistle. “That’s pretty hefty! If it were me, I’d hop to it.”

Without another word, the three ponies began to make their way out of the mess hall. Life seemed to come back to the room almost immediately, with soft conversation starting up again in the wake of the madness. The Marines slowly returned to their seats, save for the one who leapt to Midnight’s defense.

“You, Marine,” Fleethoof called to the stallion, nodding to him. “You did good. What’s your name?”

“Corporal Fire Wave, sir.” The pony stood at attention before his officer.

“At ease, Corporal,” the pegasus ordered, and the Marine relaxed his posture. “I saw the look in your eye. You were ready to deck your fellow soldier. Something must have set you off.”

Fire Wave’s shoulders tensed, his gaze steeled and burning. “They were threatening Dasher, sir.”

“Were they?” asked Fleethoof, nodding his head in comprehension. “And you were defending her?”

“We look out for our own, sir.”

Midnight Dasher looked up at the Earth pony in shock. He considered her part of the team? She wasn’t even in the same branch as they were. She was just training them, and working with them. She saw a subtle smile form on Fleethoof’s mouth as the pony nodded. And then she remembered what he had said: leading by example made you like one of the soldiers.

“As you were, Corporal. Good work,” Fleethoof said with a sharp nod of his head, and turned to Midnight. “Maybe this will teach Corporal Dasher a life lesson about making valuable friends.”

The pegasus officer looked around the room. Some ponies were still staring, watching him—mostly the Marines.

“Marines! Firing range! Thirty minutes!” He barked the order out and made his way back toward the exit. Now, their real work would begin.

Author's Note:

Duty and Honor (Marines Theme): http://youtu.be/iX-xS1BH_Xo

Comments

[Treilacl]

Interesting. It's nice to see how the guards are treating each other, though I'm hoping for a little clarification on what set off the other 3 guards to go after Dasher. That was kinda unclear I felt... other than that though I really enjoyed it.

[Silverstein]

When Fleet and Shining punished those Guards, I was having flashbacks from basic!

We learned a lot here. This chapter...it feels very...realistic? For a pony fic anyway!

Silver out!

[FenrisianBrony]

Fleethoof training some royal marines?

[MariusIoannesP]

I like how Fleethoof has turned the tables on Midnight Dasher.

[Novak]

Marines eh? Respect to the Devil Dogs(or Devil Ponies?) But Rangers lead the way!

[Biker_Dash]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSRlQPD6Xiw

This...

5787779 I'll see your squad of Rangers with a squad of Force Recon