> Green Sun: Zone Troopers
>  by Wikia
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Boot Camp
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 1 - Boot Camp


Screaming and profanity, that was what Apple Bloom would always remember as her first experiences at the Zone Trooper Training Academy. General Stalwart Shield had just finished her initial address to the platoon of hopefuls and before she could even get out of the amphitheater, the drill instructors were upon them as if the gathered ponies were recruits again.

Despite all of this, Apple Bloom was in her element. Besides helping other ponies finding their special talent, the former farm mare had proven that the Apple Family made as many talented soldiers as it did agricultural workers.

Orders were shouted out at the collection of ponies as they were ushered into a proper mustering bay. Their gear was left on the ground as they got into a proper formation based on rank, followed shortly by being separated into squads all headed by a drill instructor. Introductions weren’t included, as the only ponies that the trainees needed to know for now were that of their instructors.

Staff Sergeant Pleasant Breeze had by far, the most ironic name that could have been given to a GDI Marine, and he made sure that everypony knew it. Rather than change like many ponies did upon getting their cutie marks, the beast of a pegasus took his pre-war talent of providing calm and soothing weather as a point of pride alongside his barely visible smiling cloud cutie mark.

However, this did not make him pleasant to be around by any definition of the word. As soon as he had confirmed the that of each of those in his training squad were who they said they were, he was shouting again and they were all sprinting. He had them until the general assembly in two hours and he made sure they knew it. Packs were picked up, put down, picked up again, and then put down before finally being picked up a third time and staying on their backs as the squad of 10 ponies were ran to the barracks in a race against the other four squads.

Things only got more hectic once 50 trainees, 10 drill instructors, and a single unicorn officer got to the barracks that they would be staying at, even with the building completely cleared out of anypony that wasn’t in the program. Screaming ensued, and at first Apple Bloom couldn’t understand what the point was. At boot camp, screaming was to help put recruits under stress, but here all of the trainees were active military with at least a single battle under their saddle.

It wasn’t until she noticed just how clean some of her fellow trainees’ gear was that it hit her. With the exception of herself, another earth pony in her squad, and a pegasus in the team across the squad bay from her team, all of the other ponies here hadn’t been through the same gauntlet that the trio had. Sure, they had all seen combat, but it was all strictly on the back-hoof, holding a line somewhere or being stationed at a garrison that managed to repel a Nod attack.

Apple Bloom on the other hand had helped push a Nod unit from Smokey Mountain, and even assisted the legendary Dead Six before the Double Rainboom kicked Spike in the teeth. The yellow mare made a mental note to eventually ask both of her fellow combat veterans where they had served, only to have her train of thought violently derailed by the drill instructors demanding that everypony get into formation at the front of the squad bay.

With the platoon gathered and standing at attention, drill instructors included, the unicorn officer that Apple Bloom had barely gotten a look at before finally left his office at the front of the squad bay. It took every ounce of Apple Bloom’s self control not to audibly gasp once she realized who it was.

A blue coat was mostly covered up by the uniform of a ZOCOM Captain, and his navy mane had been trimmed significantly after he began his service. His double crescent moon cutie mark had been branded over with the lightning bolt-bearing eagle of ZOCOM, and his right eye had lost its luster, now being pale white instead of matching the yellow tone of his left.

“Good morning and at ease, Trainees. I am Captain Night Light, ZOCOM Operations. While the esteemed General Shield and her staff are your world for the foreseeable future, when it comes down to whether or not you stay in the program, I am the word of Celestia.” the unicorn stated calmly, “All of you were chosen due to your experience on the battlefield, recommendations from your units, or because you have distinguished yourselves as survivors.”

With that part of the address, Apple Bloom couldn’t help but notice the earth pony stallion next to her tensing up, even if only for a moment.

“When my instructors say jump, you ask how high, when they say scream, you go until you pass out, and if they tell you to run, you’d better try and break land-speed records.” Night Light continued, pacing a little as he addressed them, “The armor that we will be showing you needs ponies in peak condition in order to function properly. If you are not in the best shape you can be, the armor will kill you. At very best, it might cripple you, and if you’re truly ready to become the best that GDI has to offer, it will help you carve a swathe through the Brotherhood all the way to Temple Prime.”
_________________

The address concluded, and the platoon was run out of the barracks into another formation, then marched through the compound until they arrived at an imposing building. Despite being clearly labeled as a research facility, it was built like a doomsday bunker, and it was still being improved even as they were marched through the front door. Armor plating was being bolted onto the outer walls between layers of lead and some materials that Apple Bloom couldn’t even hazard a guess at, but she figured it was to help keep scanners or listening devices that Nod was so keen on using from breaching security.

Getting through the front door wasn’t a walk in the park either. Each trainee had to go through a Changeling Scanner, a metal detector, present their ID cards, and give a small blood sample for the record so that staff could know for sure they were all who they said they were. What would usually be a 10 minute exercise of getting 61 ponies through 5 sets of detectors bogged down as the ponies of Platoon Alpha-001 were introduced into the kinds of security measures Stalwart Shield was willing to go through to keep this project safe.

Once through the front door, and with everypony now logged in with the various EVAs running the city, getting through the other four checkpoints was significantly easier to do. Before too much time had passed, the trainees were now sitting in yet another mustering bay, this one with dozens of roughly pony-sized platforms all in neat rows before the assembled group. Each one had a seam down the center, giving away that they could open up, but for what purpose, Apple Bloom didn’t know yet.

That question was pushed aside as a petite unicorn mare with a beige coat and chocolate brown mane made her way forward and the Zone Trooper hopefuls all braced themselves for yet another speech.

“Hello everypony, I’m the head technician of this facility, Doctor Sydney Mobius. Those of you who are scientifically inclined probably know of my father, Ignatio. While he specializes in tiberium, my field of study is more in robotics.” the mare told them, getting a slight murmur from the crowd, “Now, I know what many of you are wondering, mostly what my work has to do with you. Correct?”

Many of the ponies, Apple Bloom included, answered her and stated that they were indeed curious, getting a smile from the scientist.

“Then I won’t bore you with a speech, I’ll just get right to showing you what you’ll be cracking some Noddie skulls with.” Sydney replied, smiling as all 50 platforms opened up behind her and revealed that the doors lead to miniature bunkers holding identical suits of armor that put what Apple Bloom had worn at Smokey Mountain to shame.

“Each suit is made of a titanium alloy meant to work with the specially made BDUs that you all will be issued.” the doctor’s EVA chimed in, “Power is provided by three miniaturized spark reactors which provide power to the weapons, hydraulics, and jet boosters.”

That portion got an incredulous look from the trainees, many of them repeating the EVA’s last statement in disbelief. Non-pegasus ponies flying was a common thing these days, but it required aircraft or at least a unicorn using levitation magic on themselves. Apple Bloom was having trouble believing that these hulking metal shells would ever get into the air without wings.

As if to answer her unspoken question, screens all across the bay lit up and began displaying a loop of the armor schematics, successful field test footage, and even flight recorder data from the initial jump tests. With all of this data streaming before their eyes, as well as the EVA still monologuing in that monotone, synthetic voice, the future Zone Troopers almost didn’t hear Night Light order them all to find a suit and stand by it.

In a move that at Dr. Mobius’ request wasn’t spurred on by shouting, the 50 ponies stayed in their squads and each found a suit of armor to call their own. Apple Bloom found hers near the front, right next to the earth pony stallion she had taken notice of earlier, only this time she finally saw him from his left instead of his right. Had she not been so enraptured by her new armor, she wouldn’t have been able to keep herself from staring at her squad leader.

He was a similar shade of yellow to Apple Bloom, but instead of a red mane, his was blue. However, what caught her eye most was the expansive scarring on his face, and the fact that his left ear was a ragged, torn mess. Before she could start formulating a question, her attention and that of the rest of the platoon was brought to the front of the bay where Night Light was continuing where Sydney had left off.

“Over the next four months, if my drill instructors aren’t running you ragged, you’ll be in this bay learning how to use and maintain your armor. These suits will be extensions of you by the time we’re done with you, and with any luck, you lot will be the flagship unit for hundreds, if not thousands of Zone Troopers down the line.” the blue unicorn stated calmly, gesturing to the armor bays as he did, “Your performance dictates whether this program will succeed or not, and I expect everypony to do their part to make sure that the first Zone Troopers aren’t the last. Understood?”

“Yes, sir!” came an enthusiastic reply from the platoon, to the point that Apple Bloom couldn’t pick out her own voice in the din they created. Their “reward” for such an engaging response was the first bit of personalization they had been allowed since landing. Each pony in the platoon input their retinal scan into the armor station they were standing next to so that, besides the technicians, only the pony whose ID was synced to each armor bay was able to actually get their armor out of their storage bunkers.

As soon as that task was done, they were marched back out of the facility, and all hell broke loose as the lead drill instructor uttered two horrible words. Words that every soldier knew they had to go through, but dreaded hearing all the same.

“DOUBLE TIME!”
_________________

Never in her life, even back at Army Basic Training, had Apple Bloom enjoyed a shower as much as she had just had. To cap off the light-hearted and happy mood the platoon was is, their drill instructors ran them for a good 20 kilometers as an “unofficial welcome” to the Zone Trooper Training Program.

To say she felt disgusting afterwards would have been a massive understatement. Usually PT was done with proper athletic gear on instead of their BDUs, all of which were drenched and sitting in the communal receptacle. They were all going to be issued new uniforms, so their old ones would be washed, have their name tags removed, and put back into service with whatever branch each pony came from.

Even their dog tags and rucksacks were to be turned in so that updated replacements could be issued to them in the coming days. By the time they finished turning in the trappings of their previous assignments, the only thing each pony had left were their civilian clothing sitting neatly in their hooflockers. 

For now, Apple Bloom was content to finally find her way back to the squad bay in her PT gear with another member of her squad. A unicorn mare named Funny Cide with a blue coat, an orange mane, and similarly colored eyes.

“So, is that cider really as good as they say it is?” the unicorn asked, nudging her new friend as they walked.

“I wouldn’t rightly know, I’m not old enough to drink yet.” Apple Bloom replied, smirking, “But if I just happened to sneak a few swigs from the reserve stock when my older sister wasn’t looking, I would definitely say yes.”

“Oh? Somepony isn’t all straight and narrow like her sister?” Cide teased, returning Apple Bloom’s smirk.

“Maybe, maybe not. I’ll leave that one up for debate. How about you? What’d you get up to before the war?”

“My parents were in the seafood business, specialized in shellfish.” she stated, “We actually used to live here in Baltimare before things got too heated, now they're out near Manehatten. I was… not built for the water so I struck out on my own in entertainment… then Nod starts shooting everypony on sight and boom, I’m here.”

“Not built for wa-oh, you got seasick bad, didn’t you?”

“Yeah yeah, laugh it up muddy hooves.” Funny quipped, getting a giggle from Apple Bloom.

“Not judgin’ ya, I don’t do well on water either. Rather keep my hooves on solid ground, or at least a well-built deck.”

“Or in a badass suit of armor that can bucking fly.”

“That is gonna take some getting used to.” Apple Bloom added, shuddering slightly. She had already gone through her fair share of flying throughout the years whether it was a botched attempt at getting a glider cutie mark or being thrown violently across a battlefield by a Predator tank exploding.

“Could be worse, they could be making us sky-dive in the damn things.” Funny Cide added, getting an even bigger shudder from the yellow mare.

“Don’t tempt’em. If command gets desperate enough, they might try shooting us at the Noddies from Kodiaks.”

Funny Cide had to suppress a laugh at that, doing her best not to attract the wrath of their drill instructors as they entered the squad bay. Even though it was after hours and instructional periods were the only time that the instructors could mess with the platoon, the trainees weren’t sure if they were keeping tally of “infractions” that happened off the clock.

“I’m gonna go ahead and try to reorganize my stuff, but I’ll catch you in the morning, ok?” Cide said, getting a smile and a nod from Apple Bloom.

“Just be sure to lock it up afterwards, no tellin’ if’n they’ll hurricane the place like at boot camp.” Apple Bloom replied, finally getting a shudder from her new friend.
_________________

Soon afterwards, Apple Bloom found herself making her bunk, checking her gear, and looking wistfully at the picture of the last Apple Reunion before motion caught her attention. Bunking next to her was the same scarred earth pony stallion from before, the army corporal that the instructors seemed to avoid or even treat as an equal.

He was getting his bunk ready as well, moving with well-practiced motions and not even noticing the mare looking at him. It took her a few moments to formulate her thoughts, figure out how to be as polite as she could without being awkward about it. It wasn’t until she spoke up that the stallion actually seemed to notice her.

“Ex...excuse me, I don’t believe I ever caught yer name and since we’re in the same squad’n all…”

“Name’s Jet Deck, you must be Apple Bloom.” he replied with a slight grin.

“How’dya kn-”

“Famous family, apple-based cutie mark, and I’m not the only one who has the platoon spreading rumors.” the stallion replied with a slight shrug.

“Oh, uh… well, nice to meet’ya, Jet Deck.” she responded, hesitating for a moment before continuing, “Now, I know it ain’t exactly polite to ask, but… well, I’d rather hear it from you than one o’them rumors. So can I ask ab-”

“My scars? Yeah, you can. Glad you were polite about it unlike the others, just don’t be spreading it around, word’s already going to travel fast enough as training goes on.” Jet Deck told her, getting a relaxed sigh from Apple Bloom. So far so good, now she just had to not make an ass of herself as they continued on.

“Right… so, uh. Where’d ya get’em?” Apple Bloom asked him. At first she thought she blew it given his reply was to take a deep breath and sigh, but given he wasn’t chewing her out or coming at her for having the audacity to ask, she figured he was just figuring out the best way to explain it.

“I got them at the First Battle of Macintosh Hills” he told her, only for it to take a moment to process. That name was only really used in after-action reports or official documents, the nickname of that fateful day was far more ubiquitous in the GDI lexicon.

“Battle of Macintosh Hills? But then that means-”

“Yes.” he said as a blinding blue light outside of the complex shot up from the ground and lit up the night sky like a hundred bolts of lightning, “I’m a survivor of the Blueblood Massacre.”

Both ponies jumped at the sudden illumination, with more than half of the squad bay breaking out with a similar question.

“What the hell was that!?”

“That was friendly.” came a calm reply from the front of the squad bay, its owner was none other than Night Light as he regarded the rapidly fading light with amusement, “You all should be racking out soon. My instructors have a long day planned for you tomorrow.”

“Yes, sir.” was the response that came from the platoon, with many already in their beds just waiting for the lights to be turned off. Apple Bloom and Jet Deck merely looked at each other, then the window, then back at each other once more.

“That was… ominous.” Apple Bloom finally muttered, “That happen every time you tell somepony what happened to you?”

“I wish, then people might try and be polite about it like you were.” the stallion quipped, grinning at her and holding out a hoof, “Thanks again, by the way. Most ponies are asses about it… plus we earth ponies have got to stick together, right?”

She reciprocated, bumping hooves with him before managing a smile back at her squad leader, a smile that he returned surprisingly quickly.

“Figure we’ll be a couple’o terrors for the rest of the platoon. Can’t let the unicorns have all the fun after all.” Apple Bloom told him, getting a harsh, almost mean laugh from the corporal.

“You and me are going to get along just fine, Apple Bloom.” Jet Deck finally said as his laughter died down, “Just promise me one thing.”

“Yeah? What’s that?” the yellow mare asked, hiking up an eyebrow.

“Don’t die.”
> Scars
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 2 - Scars


Before the war had kicked off, magic was an integral part of Equestrian society for every species of pony whether they knew it or not. Unicorns of course had the ability to focus their abilities through their horns, pegasus ponies were able to manipulate weather and in some cases, break the sound barrier, and earth ponies had an intimate relationship with the earth beneath their hooves that not even diamond dogs could match. 

So to not feel the call of the ground beneath her hooves as she passed one hour of the ruck run was something Apple Bloom was having trouble getting used to. Every member of the platoon had been fitted with an inhibitor ring as the physical training ramped up to make sure that they relied solely on their bodies when conditioning themselves. Dr. Mobius had stated clearly that their abilities would be dampened, if not outright unavailable while in Zone Trooper armor. Not to the point of unicorns being unable to use telekinesis on things like grenades or weapons, but the shields that the magically inclined equines favored would be difficult if not impossible to use.

For pegasi, it was a simple fact that they would not be able to flap their wings in their armor. Jet boosters were there to make up for the lack of flight capabilities, even if flying with just body armor instead of in a dedicated aircraft was as rare as blue tiberium this far into the war. 

As for earth ponies, the inhibitors were to simulate just how muted mother nature would be while they were encased in their armored cocoons. Usually clothing and even the body armor that GDI troops used didn’t alter their perceptions, but Zone Trooper armor was bulky, relied on magic just to move, and was loaded with enough tech to make an EVA blush. This meant tapping into the earth to either enhance their abilities or even to be used as a scouting technique was off the table.

The only thing Apple Bloom remotely enjoyed about this was the fact that the unicorns were having trouble keeping up with her and Jet Deck. It was common in combat for unicorns to pump their own magic into their system when necessary to give it a boost, almost like an artificial shot of adrenaline. But here in conditioning exercises as they ran with full packs through the Baltimare compound, that option was no longer viable.

“Come on ladies! 5 kilometers to go!” Pleasant Breeze barked as he picked up speed again. Usually in the armed services of GDI, being referred to as a lady was meant mostly as some sort of insult or as a way to spur on ponies as they trained. For Zone Troopers, it was merely because Jet Deck was one of 7 stallions in the entire platoon. Equestria already had a gender disparity of almost 2 to 1 in favor of mares before the war, but that number had been violently equalized by defections and casualties.

Apple Bloom grunted as she matched her drill instructor’s speed, with Jet Deck and Funny Cide both keeping pace despite the unicorn’s labored breathing. Today was only day three of their training, and the instructors had made it crystal clear that these runs were meant to break the trainees either mentally or physically if need be. Usually a run like this wouldn’t be too much trouble, but the fact that it was after yet another conditioning trial in the research facility’s gymnasium made this ruck run feel like a death march.

“If it could even be called a gym…” Apple Bloom thought, trying to keep her mind off of her burning muscles and screaming lungs. It wasn’t until she heard multiple ponies cry out in surprise and pain that she realized the formation was slowing down. Four of the other trainees were pulling themselves from a pile of limbs and dazed faces, but upon seeing one of the pegasi with a bent wing, training took over.

“Funny Cide, set and bind!” Jet Deck shouted over the din, even getting the drill instructors to take a step back. Funny Cide complied immediately as Jet Deck began pulling ponies out of the pile. Apple Bloom helped as well, pulling them back to their hooves and by the time Funny Cide had bound the wounded mare’s wing, Jet Deck didn’t even get his next question out before Apple Bloom scooped up the pegasus on her back, smiled at her squad leader, and started forward again. It wasn’t until she noticed that she was ahead of the rest of the formation that earth pony turned her head back to look at the rest of her fellow trainees.

“Y’all comin’ or what?”
__________________

The rest of the run went off without a hitch, and without anyone else tripping and causing a pileup. The pegasus who had gotten injured, a mare by the name of Windy Leaf, was back up and running almost as soon as they had gotten back to the research facility, or as the trainees were quickly coming to call it, The Barn. Nicknames that stated exactly what the building was weren’t allowed given that you never knew who was out in the city. Not every Shadow or spy was a changeling, and operational security was top notch for something that Nod wasn’t supposed to know existed until they went into combat.

While Nod had the horsepower to back up their wave tactics, magic gave GDI its edge and that included medicine. Windy Leaf’s wing was healed up almost as soon as she had been diagnosed, and as such, she was once again a valid target for the age old military ritual of getting shit for eating shit. Teasing was normal, but could only happen in one place; the squad bay. Anywhere else, she belonged to the drill instructors. However, there was one exception, and that was in the Armor Bay. 

Trainees and technicians were the only ones allowed onto the armor bay floor, with drill instructors either getting a well-deserved break or sitting in the mustering area waiting for the platoon to come back out into hell. As it was, idle chatter was allowed whenever the assignment for the day was something simple like studying armor specs, trying the fit, or walking tests around the bay. 

“So, will you be getting a picture of a broken wing put onto your armor or will the next tattoo you get be of the rock that almost ended your career?” one of the unicorns teased, getting a chuckle from everyone in earshot.

“Might get an apple so I can always remember my gallant savior.” Windy replied, “Or a 400 for stallion who actually helped instead of gawking at my flank when I was in the dirt.”

“I can do both.” Jet Deck deadpanned, “I may not look like it, but Nod didn’t get rid of my ability to multitask.”

“Yeah, you can look at schematics and give everypony flak at the same time.” Apple Bloom interjected, getting another laugh from the rest of the trainees. She made eye contact with her squad leader after making her comment, getting a grin from Jet Deck in return before he went back to looking over his armor.

“Alright, lock it up. You can’t memorize specs and hold a meaningful conversation at the same time.” another voice cut in, this one belonging to Night Light as he strolled along between the armor bays. Without protest, everypony did as they were told and got back to focusing on their armor. Night Light however, went from looking over the armor to inspecting the trainees.

Each trainee was regarded with a careful eye, with special attention being given to Jet Deck, Funny Cide, and Apple Bloom before he found his way off the bay. Everypony took a look towards him as discreetly as they could manage as he walked off and started chatting with Sydney. Nopony could read lips, but it was obvious that his conversation with Dr. Mobius wasn’t a bad one, at least for him.

“Any idea what’s goin’ on?” Apple Bloom whispered over to Funny Cide.

“No idea, how about you Corporal?”

“Nothing doing, Cide… I may have an extra stripe but I’m just as lost in this sauce as the rest of us.” Jet Deck murmured with a smirk, “I thought you junior enlisted were supposed to know everything before the NCOs.”

“Only in standard units, Corporal.” Night Light called over, causing the trio of ponies to jump a little, “Special Forces is a whole different beast… wouldn’t you agree, doctor?”

“I’ll take your word for it, Captain.” Sydney quipped before turning back to her students, “Trainees, your time is just about up, go ahead and lock your stations and get ready for another class and this time I expect fifth squad to actually take notes.”
__________________

As the day dragged on, so did the physical exhaustion of every trainee running around in Baltimare. By the time they once again all got back to the squad bay, everypony seemed to be on the verge of collapse. Had Apple Bloom been given a choice, she would have already been in her rack and trying to fall asleep.

Instead, she was standing outside Captain Night Light’s office. Funny Cide was still in there, and Jet Deck had already gone in and come back out. Even so, she was groggy until Funny Cide opening the door startled her.

“Captain wants to see you next.” Funny told her with an exhausted yet warm smile, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll see you at the showers.”

“S-sure.” Apple Bloom replied, nodding a little as she entered the unicorn officer’s office. It was sparsely decorated, just a desk and a bunk bed that Apple Bloom assumed was for whichever drill instructors were on duty in the evenings. On the wall was a picture of a ZOCOM platoon in full battle rattle posing in front of a harvester, and Apple Bloom could make out Night Light in it with both of his eyes the correct color. Next to that was a family picture taken in the Crystal Kingdom. Shining Armor, Cadance, Twilight Velvet, Night Light, Flurry Heart… and Twilight Sparkle with Spike.

“Nod raid before the war officially kicked off. I was one of the few they let get away after blowing the harvester and her escort.” Night Light stated, “Come, take a seat, you’re obviously worn out.”

“Sorry sir, didn’t mean to stare.” the farm mare replied before doing as she was told, “And thank you, sir.”

“It’s alright, you met me a couple times before the war and I could see your confusion on initiation day when I walked in with one eye damaged.” the unicorn said with a light chuckle as his own gaze went to the photos, “Better, simpler times, but that’s not why I called you in. During your conditioning run today, Lance Corporal Windy Leaf from Second Squad ate shit, correct?”

“Yes, sir. I think she got caught on a rock.”

“Easy enough mistake to make for a pegasus, but I’m more concerned with what happened after she fell. I’ve already gotten statements from Corporal Deck and Lance Corporal Cide, but not from the mare who carried her platoon-mate for the remaining 5 kilometers of the conditioning run today.”

“Am I in trouble?”

“Not at all, I’m just curious as to why you took on that burden instead of letting her squad take over.” Night Light stated.

“Well.. to be completely honest, sir, everyone just didn’t move fast enough. Funny Cide had already patched Windy up and I just figured the next order would be to carry’er back to camp.”

“So your squad just… moved faster than all the others?”

“We were also the only squad not caught in the pileup, so I guess we just got lucky.” Apple Bloom answered sheepishly. Even if he was an officer now, the Zone Trooper hopeful couldn’t help but look at Captain Light as her former chemistry teacher’s goofy father. 

“No need to be embarrassed, Apple Bloom, that behavior is exactly what we’re looking for with this unit.” the blue unicorn told her, “You’re an experiment, so there’s a chance that after you are all sent into combat, you won’t have any other Zone Troopers to back you up, that you’ll be the only 50 to earn a suit of armor.”

“We really gonna be out there without support…?”

“I can’t say, not this early into the program. For now though, keep up the good work and look after your fellow trooper. With how this war is going, keeping your platoon alive may be just as important as winning a battle.”
_________________

Night Light’s last statement stuck with Apple Bloom for the rest of the night. Even as she was cracking jokes and engaging in idle gossip with Funny Cide, or making sure her belongings were properly stored, those words kept repeating in her head. She was confused as to why, given GDI’s “No Pony Left Behind” stance. 

Even as she fell asleep, she felt a tinge of confusion as she replayed the meeting over and over in her head, and it wasn’t until she finally drifted off to sleep that her mind was at rest. Unfortunately for her, that rest was short-lived. A scant 3 hours into enjoying a pleasant dreamscape, she woke up to a hoof hitting her flank. Originally thinking it was merely her turn for watch duty, she groaned and slowly roused herself. It was the second hit that informed her that something was wrong.

She narrowly dodged the third hoof, finally seeing who the culprit was. Jet Deck in a tangle of his own sheets, was twitching and thrashing about in his sleep. The only reason no one had noticed was because his bunk mate was on watch duty at the front of the squad bay. As carefully as she could, she made the small leap over to his bed and restrained him. Just a few seconds after, Jet Deck’s eyes shot open and before he could shout out, a hoof gently silenced him.

“It’s me, Jet… it’s Apple Bloom…” the yellow mare whispered, only for the still twitching stallion to look frantically to his left and right before locking eyes with her again. Apple Bloom removed her hoof from his mouth, now placing her forehooves on either side of his face to keep him steady.

“Hydras…” the similarly colored stallion murmured, his voice filled with terror, “They’ll hear us, they’ll bomb us. We’re sitting still and they’re gonna shel-!”

He was silenced again as a hoof found his mouth and Apple Bloom made an effort to show the GDI eagle on the shoulder of her shirt.

“There are no Hydras, Jet.. you’re in the barracks, you’re in Baltimare. We’re safe here.” she told him, causing the scared stallion to once again look her in the eyes, “I’m Apple Bloom… I’m in your squad… we’re safe, I’ve got you.”

“A… Apple Bloom… no Harpies..?” he asked.

“No Harpies… no Ursas… just Predators and Orcas, buddy.” she whispered back with a smile, doing her best to keep her tone as soothing as possible. 

“But I can hear them…. I can hear them.”

“They’re not here.” she told him, doing her best to continue placating him, “It’s just us ponies.”

“Just… just…” he began repeating before Apple Bloom for a third time, gently shut him up with a hoof to his mouth. Once quieted, she continued the treatment she had started, making sure to keep her tone calm as she soothed the stallion’s completely shot nerves. It wasn’t until he finally seemed to calm down and his twitching stopped that she finally pulled back and sat next to him.

“You gonna be ok…?” she finally asked.

“Y-yeah… just a night terror, nothing to fret about.” he whispered back, “Docs said I’m still good for service, it’s just sometimes when things get too quiet… when things get too quiet, my mind wanders, even when I don’t want it to.”

“Is it just the… battle or is it other things?”

“Just the battle, Apple Bloom… always the battle. Sometimes it’s the start of the massacre, sometimes it’s when they shot us in the back as we ran… sometimes it’s the funerals afterwards.”

“I’m not gonna say I understand… but I can empathize, had more than my fair share of funerals before the war even started.” Apple Bloom replied, putting a hoof on his shoulder, “If you’ll allow it, anytime you think your PTSD is gonna flair up again, just come get me, and I’ll do this again. We’ve gotta take care of each other after all.”

“Are you sure? This is going to cut into your sleep.”

“I’m used to farm work and early mornin’s, Jet, a little bit of TLC for my squad leader is nothin’.” she told him with a smile.

“Alright, I’ll try and get to you whenever this decides to kick me in the balls… no sense turning down help when it’s offered.”

“That’s the spirit, but I’m gonna give you one warnin’ though.”

“Yeah?” Jet Deck asked, only for Apple Bloom to punch his arm, “What the buck was that for?”

“If you wake me up by kickin’ me again, I will get a shot in return. Now lay back, close those eyes, and think happy thoughts or we’ll both be stuck awake until reveille.” 

Jet Deck rubbed his shoulder as Apple Bloom found her way back to her bunk, pulling her blankets back up and getting as comfortable as she could. She closed her eyes closed and started to drift off once more, but upon hearing Jet Deck finally reply to her, she smiled. It may have been laced with sarcasm, but his tone also spoke of relaxation and a calm that she had hoped would find him.

“Yes ma’am.”
> Hitting Their Stride
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 3 - Hitting Their Stride


Lack of sleep was never a problem for Apple Bloom. Physical exhaustion was never much of a problem either, nor was she uncomfortable being crowded by ponies in an enclosed space. However, there was one thing that always managed to trip her up. One thing that never seemed to go her way was something that tripped up even the strongest of ponies.

Math.

Training had now been going on for a full week, and while studying armor specs was as natural to her as making Zap Apple Jam or helping a pony figure out their special talent, new lessons added to their training schedule had slapped her and half the platoon of trainees right across the muzzle and sent them mentally spiraling into a wall.

“Why did they have to add numbers to math?” she muttered to herself as they went over yet another calculation. Next to her, another member of her squad huffed in agreement. Duke, a unicorn stallion, was having just as much trouble as she was, but unlike her he was willing to be vocal about it.

“Is there any reason that we need to memorize all this junk?” he asked incredulously when Dr. Mobius started accepting questions, “EVAs can do all the jump calculations for us.”

“Yes, they can.” Sidney chided, “But if your onboard EVAs are disabled, or Celestia-forbid you’re severed from the global network, you’ll need to be able to accurately calculate your own jump vectors… unless of course, you’d like to become even more intimate with the ground than Lance Corporal Leaf?”

This got a slight amused murmur from the rest of the ponies, Windy Leaf especially glaring daggers at Duke before chiming in.

“My relationship with the ground is monogamous, thank you very much. Go faceplant into a wall if you need a quick lay, Duke.”

Sidney was quick to quiet down the reaction from this quip, returning her attention to the red unicorn.

“I don’t expect all of you to take to this with ease, that’s why you have the next few months to learn, but you are not going to be cudgels that GDI swings at random. Your minds must be as sharp as your bodies, and that means learning how to calculate a jump arc in your armor. Luckily for you, the systems will automatically gather data about your surroundings whether or not the EVAs are active.”

“Only in this case, if we mess up a calculation…” Apple Bloom started, only for Sydney to cut in again.

“You will break bones and possibly die. So learn and learn well, my little ponies, or you’ll be doing Nod’s job for them.”
______________________

After having to wrack her brain and make a mental note to send a missive to Big Mac for possible pointers, Apple Bloom was led from one classroom right into another one, followed by their time in the gymnasium. While that gave her a brief respite from having to put too much thought into her work, that respite was too brief for her tastes as they once again found themselves at desks rather than armor stations. 

This time however, Apple Bloom wasn’t completely lost. Even if they weren’t in front of proper armor stations, the desks they were seated at were soon home to circuit boards and soldering tools.

“Third lesson for today, trainees.” Sydney announced as the schematic for the boards they had on their desks illuminated the screen behind her, “With the ponypower shortages that GDI is sure to have, as well as the fact that you will be shot at regularly, each of you will need to learn how to properly repair and maintain your suits of armor. Last thing we need is for a servo to go out and you become mission killed just because you can’t tell the difference between a nut and a washer.”

“One goes well with ice-cream, the other makes sure that I don’t smell like sweat every morning.” someone chimed in, getting a light giggle from Dr. Mobius.

“That’s one way to look at it, yes. But on a more serious note, we need to make sure that you’re all self-sufficient, just in case you all are the only troopers this program graduates. EVA, walk them through the safety procedures, please.”

And once again, the droning voice of a synthetic mare filled Apple Bloom’s ears almost to the point of artificial narcolepsy. The only thing keeping Apple Bloom’s interest was the fact that this sort of hoofwork was something she was actually familiar with. Back before the war, and even before she got her cutie mark, the red-maned farm mare had shown a knack for working with her hooves. Fixing things, building things, even doing maintenance on farm equipment were all right up her alley, and now she had a chance to use it in a way she never expected to in the service.

This aptitude didn’t go unnoticed, as soon enough, the rest of her team was going back and forth between her work station and their own asking for pointers in a way that a pony would actually say rather than an AI regurgitating a database entry. 

As this was going on, Apple Bloom couldn’t help but wonder if this was all some sort of training deception. She had heard plenty of “horror stories” from the trainees who used to be Marines about how sometimes their instructors would try to lure them into a false sense of relaxation before hitting them with some sort of intense physical training. They had been going hard now for seven days straight, and only now as they worked through the eight day, training involved three courses that required a classroom.

Her paranoia wasn’t an anomaly though, Duke and Ace were both jarheads before being selected and she could see the tension in their body language. Even with Jet Deck trying to calm their nerves by stating as plainly as possible that all of these mental gymnastics were needed to become the best of the best, their instincts were that any moment, a Drill Instructor was going to burst in and demand they go on another 10 kilometer run.

It was completely natural that the two stallions almost jumped out of their seats when Night Light burst into the classroom near the end of their allotted time and caused a handful of trainees to send their soldering irons flying. If not for being connected to their power source, the scalding hot metal rods would have embedded themselves in the ceiling and several walls. As it was, they merely became very dangerous pendulums until their owners got them under control again.

“I see some of you still need to work on keeping your composure.” the blue unicorn quipped, “Field repairs will be done under indirect fire if you’re lucky, direct fire more often than not.”

“It’s merely day one, Captain. Plenty of time to get their hooves steady and their nerves steeled away for repairing a circuit while bullets bounce off their visors.” Sydney replied, “I take it you’re here to escort them to the armor bay?”

With that, as well as Night Light’s affirmation of Dr. Mobius’ inquiry, the entire platoon perked up. The one thing they looked forward to besides meals and rack time was getting to see and work with their armor. They were all so happy to be getting to do proper hooves-on training that they didn’t even notice the sly grin that their commanding officer gave his civilian counterpart.
______________________

Apple Bloom was almost happy to be out of the classrooms and back to the armor bay for more armor practice, even if today’s practice was yet another conditioning exercise. One of the exercises that Night Light had authorized and that their drill instructors seemed to enjoy was putting everyone in their armor, shutting down all but one of the spark reactors, and telling the trainees to walk around the bay until they couldn’t move anymore.

Publicly, Pleasant Breeze had said it was just in case they only had emergency power in the middle of a combat situation. In private, he admitted that seeing the trainees struggle so much the first time they did it was too amusing to not do again. Apple Bloom and the rest of her squad were happy to keep that secret given their position as the top team in the platoon, which was in no small part thanks to how hard Breeze pushed them.

Extra punishments, extra PT, extra duty, even extra cleaning duty. If he could find a way to keep First Squad busy, he did. Thankfully, this offset most of the jealousy that came with the few perks that being the top squad had earned them. Apple Bloom, Jet Deck, Funny Cide, Duke, and Wild Ace had all gotten permission to continue personalizing their armor in ways that the other trainees couldn’t for the time being. 

Even if Scootaloo was busy with the Air Force, and Sweetie Belle was still missing, Apple Bloom would keep the spirit of what they started alive. Behind her name, the emblem of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Similarly, the rest of the squad picked meaningful things to embellish their armor with.

Funny Cide put laughing skull next to her name, Duke emblazoned his name in the same shade of red as his coat and put a purple stripe along the center of his helmet where his purple mane would usually be. Wild Ace added a pair of playing cards underneath his, the Ace of Hearts and the Ace of Spades.

Jet Deck on the other hoof, had a much simpler approach to his personalization. In large white lettering on his left shoulder, was the number 400.

Night Light had called the additions “appropriate” and even thanked the five ponies for not going overboard. Thunder Sprint, Third Squad’s leader, ended up thanking Jet Deck and the others as well. With Duke keeping his more inappropriate impulses in line and not putting a posing mare on the barrel, the rest of the platoon would be cleared to personalize their armor at a later date, whenever they “earned” it. There was no telling when that would be, but the fact that the option was open to them was something for the ponies to strive for.

For now however, they all got to suffer through wading around the armor bay in barely powered suits of armor while Sydney ran diagnostics. Everypony was struggling against the weight, with even Jet Deck having trouble. The first time they had done this, barely anypony had managed to get a single lap in. This time however, it first appeared that they would barely get through the first five steps.

Sydney was actually about to call off the exercise when the thundering of a single step caught her off guard. Jet Deck and the rest of his squad had all stepped forward at the same time. The next step was synchronized as well, as were the ones following that. It wasn’t until she regained her composure that she realized Jet Deck was giving marching orders to his squad as they walked, and it seemed to be encouraging them to overcome the exhaustion.

While the other teams had some trouble getting the hang of it, and Night Light couldn’t blame them considering this was only the second time they had ever attempted it, First Squad was once again paving the way as they moved as one. Step after arduous step took the five ponies steadily forward and soon enough, a smiling Night Light was talking with his instructors again.

“Staff Sergeant Breeze, a moment please.” the unicorn said.

“Of course, what do you need, sir?” the pegasus instructor answered with his signature smile.

“I couldn’t help but notice that your squad continues to out-perform the rest of the platoon. I take it that you putting them through hell on a daily basis is to blame?”

“I can’t take all of the credit, sir.” Pleasant Breeze stated, “I have a Fightin’ 400 member and an Apple in the squad, they have their own reputations to live up to and I think that’s what is driving them both.”

“Well, regardless of why they are outperforming their peers, I think it’s time for a more… substantial reward.” Night Light told the gathered trainers, now addressing the lot of them instead of just Pleasant Breeze, “I want the entire squad slotted for post-graduation promotions, as for today… I think another celebratory run is in order.”

“One Week Anniversary, sir?” one of the other instructors asked with a wicked grin on his muzzle. That grin was soon mirrored by his peers and the ZOCOM officer standing before them.

“Of course, we have to make up for the amount of time they’ve spent on their flanks somehow, and they won’t rest well if they aren’t properly tired.” he told the assembled group, “But go easy on them this time… 7 clicks instead of 10 will do.”
_________________

Five laps around the armor bay quickly became a run around the perimeter of Camp Reckless, and while the Marines of the trainee platoon were once again given a very literal run down memory lane, the rest of the platoon was busy trying not to puke.

“Celebratory” merely meant the run was strictly for motivational purposes. No gear, no packs, and no extra weights. This run was in PT gear and PT gear alone, which just so happened to now have the proper heraldry attached to it. Even with the pain in their joints, the unsteadiness of their stomachs, and the fires in their muscles, there was a brighter fire in their guts as they kept their formation.

Despite how uncomfortable they all were, they were all genuinely motivated, and while it didn’t dull their aches and pains, it sure as hell encouraged them to ignore it all. Their PT uniforms, usually just an olive drab or desert beige shirt and pair of shorts were replaced by unit garb in the same neutral gray as ZOCOM uniforms, but with the Zone Trooper insignia stitched into the shoulders and their names stitched into their flanks.

Adding to the almost zen state that the trainees were in, was Wild Ace proving that once a jarhead, always a jarhead, and he had apparently been one of those insufferable ‘motivator’ types. As they passed the first kilometer mark, he began belting out cadences. At first, the trainees were reluctant to join in given their exhaustion, but Duke was quick to follow Ace’s lead. 

Shortly after, the rest of First Squad was shouting out replies to whatever Duke could think up or remember, and by the time the platoon passed the two kilometer marker, they had joined in as well. What had started out as merely a chance to get in some last minute PT and break in new fatigues turned into a legitimate celebration that so far, nopony had dropped out of the program despite the best efforts of the drill instructors galloping alongside their trainees. 

Cadences, chants, and even a much more profane version of Pinkie Pie’s “Smile” courtesy of the Navy, were shouted to the quickly darkening sky with enough variation to keep any prying eyes from guessing the platoon’s true nature. Security was still paramount, and luckily there were no Zone Trooper motivational calls invented just yet, and even as an earth pony stallion kept a camera running from his apartment pointed at them as they ran, the data analysts back in Mareajevo couldn’t glean any information. This seemingly jumbled group of ponies thrown together from every branch of GDI’s military running together was just that, a random assortment. For all Nod could figure out, this was just ZOCOM getting stricter with recruitment policies and no longer taking civilians. Another analyst might guess that special forces was trying to recreate the success of the Dead Six and was standardizing commando training.

The truth of the matter though, would remain a mystery that only the surprisingly high-spirited Zone Troopers and their handlers would know for now.

That feeling of high spirits and light hearts carried the trainees all through the rest of the run. Even as they ate, got through their showers, and even their nightly free time, the mood stayed positive. When it came time to get to bed and each pony was once again welcomed into the sweet embrace of their racks, sleep found them all easily, and even Jet Deck slept soundly that night. That fact in particular was something Apple Bloom was grateful for, given part of her soreness from that evening’s run was the aftermath of Jet Deck’s PTSD. He didn’t have full motor control when he was going through his episodes, so when he kicked it was full force.

Despite all of that, the future Zone Troopers and those entrusted with their care and training kept their high spirits, and what dreams they all had didn’t put a damper on anything.

When they all awoke the next morning to the sound of recorded trumpets, Night Light could tell there was a slight difference. While not a completely cohesive combat unit yet, given even basic recruits could gallop and march in step with minimal training, the potential they held was now obvious to both trainee and trainer alike. What Night Light saw gave him hope. Hope that the program would continue, hope that the mounting casualties could be averted by these elite troops, hope that the trainees would be ready in time to make a difference.

Hope that he had chosen the right ponies to end this war.
> Hard Armor, Hard Truths
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 4 - Hard Armor, Hard Truths


Laser fire zipped past Apple Bloom’s visor as she galloped forward to a proper firing position. Her jets were inoperable but her armor was still working fine, and that meant she could still fight. The ambush was perfect, with the enemy catching the entire platoon completely off-guard. Luckily, their armor took the brunt of the attack and there were no initial casualties on GDI’s side.

That luck continued to hold as a glancing shot deflected off her shoulder and directly into a wall. Duke wasn’t so lucky as a stronger burst hit his front hooves and sent him visor-first into the dirt. Ace pulled him up off the ground and they both got back into cover while Jet Deck used the armor’s uplink to the orbital satellite relays to get a better view of the battlefield, specifically the ponies keeping them pinned down.

“Three up on the apartment roof, with another two squads-worth on the ground floor. Anypony still have any smokes?” Jet Deck asked, flinching slightly when a grenade went off near their cover. There was another anomaly on the overlay map on his HUD too, but with no solid intel on it, he put it in the back of his mind for now. They had more pressing matters to attend to.

“One screen coming right up.” Windy replied, getting a nod from the rest of the squad as they switched to thermal. While Nod stealth tech was second to none, their weapons lit up like fireworks whenever they discharged. 

“Wait a tic. Fifth Squad, do you have any eyes on grid 29?” Jet Deck asked.

“Negative, we got tangled up with a Nod light armor unit, we’re still punching through.”

“Copy, over and out. Alright Windy, no intel on anything south of our hosts so pop smoke and pump lead.” he ordered.

The next few seconds were a blur for some, but for First Squad it felt like slow motion. Windy’s armor lobbed the grenade right onto the doorstep of the apartment that was pinning them down, detonating a mere two seconds after landing. Unlike earlier models of smoke grenade, this one was two-stage; one stage dispensed its first charge violently to put up a smoke screen immediately, while the second stage activated after to provide a continual screen for up to a minute for longer cover.

Once the initial screen was up, the five troopers burst from their cover and opened up with the twin-mounted .50 caliber machine guns their armor housed, with Duke and Windy aiming for the trio on the roof while the others mowed down the first floor’s hostiles. Before they could celebrate though, an artillery round landed just east of their position right on top of Fourth Squad, and sent Apple Bloom and the rest of her team sprawling into the dirt. Before they could recover, another round landed right on top of them and all that the five ponies of First Squad saw was white.

After a few seconds, their view changed and they were given the sight of red lettering reading “EXERCISE TERMINATED.”

“Not the best performance, but I’m not exactly playing fair today.” Night Light’s voice chimed in on everypony’s helmet speakers, “Everypony get your armor back to your bays and then we’ll get you lot properly debriefed.”

“Aye, sir.” Apple Bloom and the rest of the platoon answered, though First Squad was the only one to retract their helmets after getting their orders. All around them, the simulated battlefield began retracting and in some cases fading away. False buildings and landscapes, as well as dummies with simulation rifles, were all broken down by the training arena’s staff or simply disappeared as their projectors shut off while sore trainees moved out of the way. Manes were shook out and heads were cleared as they made their way back, electing not to talk too much about the exercise just yet.

That all changed once the trainees were back in just their fatigues. While most units would have been at each other’s throats blaming each other for what they perceived were the sins of their peers, Platoon Alpha-001 was more engrossed with how they had fared up until the moment of defeat. Ponies were sharing stories from parts of the simulation their friends on other squads may have missed, or were already trading ideas on how to enhance performance. 

Two weeks of hell on top of the fact that they were in the middle of a war had suppressed most of their more self-centered tendencies, a fact that Night Light appreciated even if it was keeping him from doing his job at the moment. The trainees were so enamored with their own private debriefing that Captain Light actually had to call the platoon to attention once he entered the room just to get the bay quiet enough. Once things settled down and his trainees were once again paying attention, he had  EVA bring up the telemetry from their most recent exercise, starting with five troopers engaging light Nod vehicles.

“Now then, let’s go over the obvious.” Night Light stated, “Fifth, your recon was necessary but you were unnecessarily held up by light armor, nothing more than buggies. As a result, artillery that you should have spotted for the rest of the platoon managed to hit the rest of the pinned down troopers. You stopped for light armor, why?”

“It was my call, sir.” Steel Flash, Fifth’s leader, answered, “They had seven MGs on our position, sir… and we don’t necessarily know the full extent of the armor’s durability. They may have been light guns but that many lasers all hitting us…”

“The schematics you’ve been studying should have outlined the estimated damage threshold your armor can withstand, trainee.”

“Schematics can be wrong, sir.” Steel answered, “How many times have Predators or Timber Wolves broken down in the field because the specs didn’t take into account that we’re not in garrison anymore?”

Night Light smiled at her in response, pulling up the replay of the other teams getting simulated artillery rounds dropped on them.

“A valid point, if this were a pre-War program under direct supervision by Princess Celestia.” the blue unicorn replied, “However, this armor, this entire project, is a war-time endeavor. When our technicians tell you the armor is expected to survive a specific amount of damage, as long as your armor isn’t going into the situation damaged, what they say should be considered gospel. You aren’t invincible in this armor, but you can take more punishment than any other infantrypony on the planet, Black Hand included.

“Let me be entirely clear, trainees; you are here to win a war, not to patrol a yellow zone or serve as a city garrison until you can use veteran’s benefits. The Zone Trooper initiative is not overseen by Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, or anyone other than General Shield and General Ironsides, and thus we are a rare immunity in regards to politics. Your success may determine if more troopers are trained, but until that day, committees have no place in making the material you work with, whether it’s a training manual or the armor you wear into battle.

“So, when your schematics tell you that you’re able to shrug off a mere half-dozen or so Nod buggies peppering you with the equivalent of small arms fire against a Mammoth tank, then you take the hit on the chin and you flatten every Noddie in your path, Troopers.”
______________

Punishment for failing the exercise soon followed and their instructors made sure that they would make up for any learning that was missed out in the simulation bay. Weighted training gear and inhibitor rings were once again donned by every trainee, only instead of heading for a few kilometers of running, their ‘reward’ for not passing that particular test was another one that had been introduced in this second week of training.

A massive obstacle course had been constructed near the one reserved for GDI’s Marine Corps’ boot camp stationed at Camp Reckless. Nearly twice the length with some of the obstacles being double the height, it was designed to require the trainees to work together in order to finish it, with a minimum of three having to work in tandem to get through roughly a third of the obstacles.

For normal days or mere conditioning, they simply used the Marines’ course, but today was about making a point rather than building muscle. Insurmountable walls were scaled, ditches were crawled through, barbed wire was brushed up against, and ropes were climbed, all for the teams who made it to the finish line to be told to run the course again, and again, and again.

In fact, Apple Bloom almost felt like she had been transported back to boot camp with how often the drill instructors told her squad or the others to start over from the beginning because they didn’t feel like the trainees were moving fast enough. Staff Sergeant Breeze in particular was pushing, sometimes literally, his ponies harsher than ever. No one ever considered the entire platoon failing an exercise to mean the same that it meant when individual squads were beaten by First Squad, but it was obvious that the shouting pegasus counted this as a mark on their record all the same.

First Squad, as well as the rest of the platoon, paid for that black mark with gallons of sweat before they were finally released back to the barracks for the evening. That night passed without incident as the ponies of Alpha-001 studied their pocket schematics, wrote letters home, and engaged in idle gossip as quietly as possible. Apple Bloom even managed to get a few more messages sent to her siblings before frantic scribbling caught her attention.

Steel Flash was working over her armor schematics and was engrossed in an impressive amount of calculations in her notebook. At first Apple Bloom thought this odd, but then she remembered that the grey unicorn was almost as smart in their math classes as Dr. Mobius.

“Everything ok over there, Flash?” she called over, causing her to look up from her work with a slight shrug.

“It’s… well, yeah, nothing’s wrong, but I keep going over what Captain Light said this afternoon and…”

“And?”

“I’ve been crunching some of the numbers, and it’s not making sense for me.” she said with a sigh as she beckoned her over,  “I know you’re not the best at math, but if you’ll humor me?”

“Sure.” Bloom replied and quickly got off her rack and found her way over to her, “What’s up?”

“The armor is strong, that much I’ve managed to gather, but I keep running over the damage threshold that it should be able to take and it almost seems… invincible by infantry standards. That can’t be accurate, but that’s what I keep getting.”

“Well it is designed to be tough, we shouldn’t be surprised that it can take a beatin’.” 

“But we can’t, Apple Bloom.” Steel told her, genuine concern making itself present in her orange eyes, “What good is armor that’s unstoppable if the pilot for it is dead after one hit too many?”
________________

That question burned in Apple Bloom’s mind for the rest of the night. It also burned in the minds of Wild Ace, Windy Leaf, Jet Deck, and Duke after she told them. As far as she knew, the entire platoon was having trouble sleeping despite their exhaustion after Steel Flash had made her revelation about the armor they had all gotten so attached to.

Their armor was supposed to be their bastion, the one stable thing in this chaotic world whether it was training or combat. Now, nearly three weeks in, that sneaky bastard by the name of Doubt was creeping into the minds of everypony in the squad bay. They had already tried to keep high spirits as they trained, with relatively little news from the front lines being allowed in other than what could be found on the news or letters from loved ones. Even Big Mac was surprisingly quiet in regards to just what his division was doing on the front, more so than the usual operational security the Apple Family maintained when trading correspondence. 

Sleep eluded Apple Bloom for most of the night, to the point that she almost wished that Jet Deck would have another episode so she could have something to take her mind off of things. Fortunately for the stallion, his night was once again peaceful, something Apple Bloom attributed to him making it through an episode with her help just last night.

Morning PT afterwards was hell on them as their muscles hadn’t gotten the necessary time to recover from the obstacle course punishment. So sore in fact, that Apple Bloom was almost begging to be in a classroom even if it involved math. She got her wish, and day 14 of training got off to a rocky start as mathematics was once again pounded into their skulls. All the while though, one question continued to irk the entire platoon.

That question was a mental thorn in the side of all 50 trainees until it all finally came to a head during their training time with the armor in the main bay. Steel Flash, ever the confident mare, dared to ask Dr. Mobius directly about her findings. Apple Bloom couldn’t see or hear exactly how Steel had framed her question to the good doctor, but the way Sydney had reacted was more than enough to cause Apple Bloom to immediately regret her platoon mate’s decision.

Sydney called Night Light over and whispered into the ZOCOM officer’s ear. Night Light in turn called a ‘school yard’ formation where everypony sat in a horseshoe shape around the him and got to work filling in the ponies under his charge.

“It has come to my attention that some of your more mathematically inclined comrades have made a bit of a discovery in regards to your armor.” Night Light stated, gearing the trainees up for another one of his monologues, “So I’ll be frank, your armor can survive almost anything, and that is its biggest design flaw. We were going to introduce this to you once you managed to get comfortable with taking light fire directly to the armor, but it would appear we need to accelerate part of your training.”

“How can near invincibility be a flaw, sir?” somepony from Steel’s squad asked.

“EVA, decrypting sequence Tango Zeta Juliet, show telemetry from armor simulation number 97.” Night Light answered.

“Captain, they don’t need to see tha-”

“Dr. Mobius, we are not the Brotherhood. Some things may be on a need-to-know basis but the cat is out of the bag and there’s no reason to lie to my troopers.” Light snapped, “EVA, the simulation on the screen behind me, please.”

On the main screen at the front of the bay a recording of one of the prototype suits of armor appeared. Apple Bloom noted that it looked like a bulked up crash test dummy with a bit of amusement, both because of the paint and the fact that it was standing in a bunker. On the side, armor status updates were following in real time, as well as a smaller video of a Predator tank at the other end of the range from the armor. 

Half the platoon jolted when the tank fired and obscured the armor with dust and dirt flowing around the impact site. When the makeshift smokescreen finally faded, the armor was miraculously intact, though the armor plating had buckled inward slightly, and Apple Bloom couldn’t help but notice that the visor which was clear before the test, was now bright red.

“You are not super-soldiers, trainees. If you were, this armor would be the most formidable thing on the face of the planet, capable of letting a team of Zone Trooper contend with a Princess if need be… the truth of the matter, however, is that the armor can survive almost anything, but you cannot. As that test, and many others have proven time and again, should one of you take a round from an Ursa tank to the chest, your armor will still be operational, but you will most likely be a pony paste inside of your armor.”

Gasps and guffaws reverberated off the vaulting ceiling from the trainees as some imagined the visual that their commanding officer had just painted for them, while others looked back at their armor. Tension quickly permeated the bay, with even Dr. Mobius looking uncomfortable with the situation and fidgeting slightly where she stood.

“You must learn to know how much punishment your armor can take without killing you.” Night Light finally added, “Your armor is no good to GDI or your team if the pony inside of it is dead, especially now with how few of you there are. In the future, we might be able to absorb losses to the Zone Trooper program and give repaired suits to new recruits, but for now, we need you to know just what you can and cannot take while inside your mobile bunkers.”

“Training was supposed to begin in the middle of next week, with simulation exercises testing your ability to know what will and will not kill you, yet preserve the armor… but it would appear that we have been reminded that we picked both best and brightest to serve as the test bed for this program.” Sydney added.

“What if something can take out the armor?” Duke asked.

“If it’s powerful enough to mission-kill, or Celestia-forbid actually destroy the armor, then you’ve been dead for a while, trainee.” Night Light deadpanned, “If it can pierce the armor without killing you, pray that it doesn’t hit something vital, and kill whatever shot you before it can take a second shot.”
> Walk in the Park
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 5 - Walk in the Park


EVA simulations were part and parcel of being in any top tier program within GDI, with some classes being made up entirely of EVAs presenting a situation to a training group and then modifying it based on their answers to the simulation’s prompts. What hit the trainees hardest about this particular model was that it wasn’t entirely made up like most of their other runs had been.

Apple Bloom was standing in a simulated Smokey Mountain with the rest of the platoon. Simulated GDI and Nod troops hadn’t begun firing yet, but it was only a matter of time before either the EVA or Captain Night Light gave the green light to begin the operation. To top it all off, Jet Deck seemed tense and she couldn’t tell if it was their simulated proximity to the Macintosh Hills or if he was anxious about being put in charge of the entire platoon for the first time. All previous exercises over the month since they had begun training had Captain Light acting as commander, this would be their maiden voyage in regards of having overall command be in the simulation room.

Apple Bloom was still figuring out how to ask if he was ok when Duke elbowed Jet in the ribs and made the other stallion look him in the visor. Both of them starred for a moment before nodding, and Jet seemed to relax slightly afterwards. What he said afterwards though, made Apple Bloom tense up the same way he had been only moments prior.

“You’ve got squad command while I lead the platoon, AB.”

“I wh- uh, right. Got it.” she sputtered in surprise before getting her bearing back, “Keep your jumps tight in the air but maintain proper spacing on hoof, don’t want a lucky shell to dent all of our suits at once.”

“Copy that.” came a synchronized reply from her other three teammates, Jet Deck on the other hand was already giving out orders to the other squad leaders as a countdown appeared on everypony’s HUD.

“Today your objective is to rout the Brotherhood forces attacking this GDI unit before the Double Rainboom arrives to provide air cover. Dead Six will be operating in the area, you are to assist if requested.” Night Light’s voice stated over everyone’s helmet comms, “Otherwise, if it’s in a Nod uniform, it dies.”

The moment he finished speaking, the simulated troopers opened fire on both sides and the trainees found themselves on the receiving end of a Nod infantry division under the direct command of Spike. Initially, things were going off without a hitch. Jet Deck had taken to his new role with minimal issues, and Apple Bloom only hesitated to act when she saw a simulated version of herself fighting alongside the platoon. 

It wasn’t until the teams found themselves fighting Nod units that hadn’t been at Smokey Mountain that questions began flying between tracer volleys.

“The hell is going on?
_____________

Failures were rewarded with motivators not to fail again, successes on the other hand were rewarded with motivators to repeat the success. In the case of the Zone Trooper program, those motivators differed only in distance and weight worn by the trainees. In the case of beating back the Nod assault before the simulated Sky Admiral Dash could arrive, their reward was a weightless evening PT session. 

Despite the successes of the day, and their instructors going relatively easy on them throughout the daylight hours, there was a cloud hanging over the entire platoon. After being told how well they did, and even after the rest of the platoon was allowed to add personal touches to their armor, Night Light had hit them with a sucker punch of an announcement.

“How’s the weather up there, anyway?” Duke inquired.

“Up wh-” Apple Bloom started before catching herself, “Oh, it’s not too bad. Not as cold so long as the Heart is working. Besides, our armor has climate control.”

“Yeah, but it’s on the tertiary list of power priorities. We’ll probably have it shut off to save juice for the thrusters.” the stallion replied, “That’s if we can even get up there in time.”

“Nod’s been scouting the Kingdom for weeks now, at least according to what Captain Light told us, we should have time to finish training before we head up.” she told him, elbowing the larger stallion in the shoulder, “If we’re lucky, they’ll start the siege before we finish and we’ll get to punch through a blockade. Maybe even make Slavik look bad.”

Duke went quiet with that reply, as did the rest of the squad as Apple Bloom realized what she had said. Their collective view focused on their platoon leader, who was reading next to his rack, and for the moment, seemed to not be perturbed at all by the mention of “Kane’s Favorite Dragon.” 

“I’m not going to freak out, if that’s what you’re waiting for.” Jet deadpanned without looking up from the book in his hooves.

“You’re not itching to get back at that bastard?” Wild Ace asked.

“Of course I am.” came a much more terse reply, “I want to get my hooves around his neck and squeeze until he asks for mercy, after we wipe out whatever army he’s in leading at the time… but I’m not going to flip out and go off the rails if he is leading the incoming attack on the Crystal Kingdom.”

“So long as there aren’t any Hydras, you mean.” Duke added, only to instantly regret it. Oddly enough, it wasn’t Jet Deck’s, Funny Cide’s, or Wild Ace’s hoof that found his gut, but Apple Bloom. Soon enough Duke was sprawled on the floor gasping for air while the rest of the squad looked at the mare who swung first.

“What? I grew up on a farm, ya don’t grow up an Apple and not know how to handle yourself in a brawl.” she finally retorted, “Apples might be thicker than mud mixed with molasses but that don’t mean we don’t tussle from time to time.”

“Why… buck… why in the gut, AB?!” Duke finally got out once his breathing got steady again.

“Never punch a pony in the jaw unless you want a sore hoof for the rest of the day. Barrel’s softer and it got you on your flank faster than decking you, didn’t it?”

“Just don’t do it again, Bloom.” Jet interjected, “And Duke… I appreciate the concern, but if you had paid full attention to the briefing, you’d know that Slavik won’t have any of those pointed at us. He has a habit of digging his artillery in before letting it loose, so as long as we stay to the rear of his lines, I won’t have to relive the worst day of my life.”

“Copy… that…” Duke muttered as he finally got his breathe back, giving Apple Bloom a friendly slug to the shoulder once he was back on his hooves that she returned with a smile. Duke returned the expression and Apple Bloom could have sworn she saw Jet Deck’s posture relax slightly in response.

Before she could ask, the lights snapped off. Everypony got the message, and quickly put their things away before getting back in their beds and trying to get what sleep they could before the next day’s trials put them to the test. Simulations were one thing, PT was another, but tomorrow was going to be far worse than any of that for Apple Bloom.

Tomorrow was going to be another advanced mathematics course.
___________

Lights in the bay flashed on, but the first thing that clued Apple Bloom into things being wrong was the fact that those lights were red rather than the usual fluorescent white that their instructors took such joy in blinding them with. The second thing that had her head swimming as she fumbled out of bed and got into formation for another midnight drill was the blare of the alarms.

Before she could ask anypony next to her if there was a fire drill or Celestia forbid, an actual fire breaking out on base, a dull tremor in the ground resonated through her hooves. She nipped herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming, and then felt more of those tremors again. Given the reactions of her fellow earth ponies in the platoon, she could tell they felt it too.

Their lead instructor burst through the door, fully kitted out with her rebreather hanging from her helmet as she bolted towards the assembled trainees.

“Platoon accounted for and rea-” Jet Deck started before Master Sergeant Night Glider cut him off.

“Report to the armor facility and defend it!” she shouted, “Those Noddie bastards are launching a full-scale attack on the city and we think they already have troops inside the wall! Move by squad and stay alive, damnit! The other instructors and I are gonna join the main line and give you time to barricade yourselves in! Defend the armor and if you can’t hold them back, destroy it!”

The squad bay was a flurry of activity as everypony grabbed their uniforms, grabbed their tags and started pairing up for the trip to the armor bay. Apple Bloom in particular made sure to sneak Granny Smith’s old bandana with her, wearing it under her fatigues before getting her flank over to where Jet Deck was organizing the platoon.

Trainees were bolting from the building in groups of two and three until Jet Deck and Apple Bloom were the last ones still in the bay.

“Ready?” he asked, looking over to her. She could see exhausting still in his eyes, and she was sure he could see the same in hers, but she nodded anyway.

“Now or never, Jet.”
________________

The duo got two blocks into their sprint when something went wrong. Apple Bloom couldn’t tell what the issue was, but Jet Deck’s stride as they galloped was turning from determined to frantic. Detonations kept rocking the city, threatening to knock them both off of their hooves, and Apple Bloom could feel the tremors caused by Nod missiles and GDI artillery as they struck the ground.

By the time they got halfway to the armor facility, the artillery duel intensified, and not just conventional artillery, but a sound that both her and Jet Deck had heard a few times too many before coming to the Zone Troopers.

“Hydras.” she mentally swore, picking up her pace to run next to Jet. His body was falling back on training like it was instinct, but his mind was clearly back at the Blueblood Massacre.

“Jet! Y’all alright there pardner?” she finally shouted as another blast rocked the street.

“Hydra fire. It… they chased us off with Hydra fire! Everywhere! Firing and screams!” Jet frantically replied, fear driving him forward even faster to the point that they almost caught up with another group that had left the squad bay well ahead of them.

A conventional round landed right behind the trio, throwing Apple Bloom and Jet Deck to the ground, both of them swearing as they were thrown back. As Apple Bloom got to her hooves, she could just make out three pony shaped figures on the other side of the inferno left behind by the round that nearly ended the Apple Legacy and was cutting them off from their fastest route to the armor facility. Only one of them got up and kept galloping towards the armor bay, the other two looked badly mangled but Bloom couldn’t quite tell through the haze.

Mentally she was still swearing as her still-manic Corporal got to his hooves as well. Thankfully, it looked like training was still acting as his instinct and suddenly those runs through every damn back alley and side road in the city didn’t seem so silly to Apple Bloom.

The pair of earth ponies weaved through the grid of a city that was Baltimare, with Apple Bloom only having to pull Jet out of the way falling debris once, and he returned the favor just as quickly. She attempted a quip, but upon seeing that Jet Deck was still completely in flight mode, the attempt and being light-hearted died on her lips.

Frantic muttering was the only reply she was given anyway, a mix of ranting about Macintosh Hills and directions through the streets like a religious mantra. Thankfully it was accurate, or at least accurate enough that it didn’t get them lost on their way through the urban sprawl.

Detonations kept lighting up the buildings as they ran, finally reaching the now mangled security fencing of The Barn only to have their sighs of relief turn into even more profanity as a single laser zipped past them. Neither earth pony looked to see how many, if any, Nod troops were actually behind them, or if it was a lucky shot from further down a street that somehow managed to thread the needle through rubble and soldiers.

Instead, they galloped until they were safely inside the facility, though safe was feeling less and less like a reality as they joined up with the rest of the platoon. Before the pair could even get their bearings Captain Light was counting heads and directing everyone to the armory to draw weapons and get ready for a siege despite his obvious injuries. His discolored eye was covered and his horn was badly cracked. Apple Bloom made a mental note to ask about that later, if there was a later, before a familiar unicorn caught her eye.

“Funny!” Bloom barked, “You hit?”

Funny Cide looked over at her and Jet, shaking her head despite the fur on her flanks being burnt. Apple Bloom made a mental note to ask about it later, but for now simply gave an affirmative nod to Cide and gestured to the muster area. She got the idea, and slipped back into the crowd of trainees with a sullen look on her face.

Jet…?” she finally murmured to the stallion cowering before her, “Jet Deck…? Come on Jetty, talk to me.”

He only managed to get out “Hydras… everywhere…” before returning to his barely intelligible and frantic whispering. 

“Oh Jet…” Apple Bloom sighed quietly as she began their ritual, holding his face in her hooves and keeping eye contact with him.

“Wh-”

“You’re alive, Jet.” she told him, “You’re alive, you’re in one piece, and you’re in Baltimare with me, with your platoon. You survived, and you’re going to keep surviving, and it doesn’t matter what Nod throws at us, because we aren’t going anywhere neither.”

“But they have Hydras, AB… Hydras.” came another whisper.

“And we have Mammoths and Kodiaks. I guarantee you ole Shield has at least one of those on the way here, Jet. We have backup on the way, and we’re going to get out of this without a scratch.”

“Kodiaks…. Air support…”

“All on the way here to help us kick Nod’s butt outta Baltimare.” she calmly reassured him, perking up slightly as she saw his body language shift and ease up.

“T… thanks, AB…” he finally whispered back, “Sorry about that, I don’t usually snap under pressure, you know that, but…”

“Hydras, I know. I had… flashbacks on the way here, too. Now come on Squad Leader, we need to grab our gear and show these buckers why you don’t mess with the Apples or The Fightin’ 400 Survivors.”

“Corporal.” Funny Cide chimed in, holding her weapon along with Apple Bloom and Jet Deck’s rifles with her magic.

“Thanks Funny.” Jet replied, getting his harness on, “Duke and Ace already grab their gear?”

“No, corporal.” came an almost robotic reply that gave Apple Bloom pause.

“Whaddaya mean? Why no-” she asked, only for the realization to hit her, “Shit!”

Jet Deck looked at both mares, confused and raising an eyebrow.

“Am I going to be filled in on why two of my squad aren’t prepared before Scarface the Traumatized Wonder Stallion?” 

“They’re dead.” Apple Bloom told him, her eyes going back to her squadmate, “That was you ahead of us out there, wasn’t it?”

Funny’s usually peppy demeanor was gone, and all she could do was nod. Jet Deck let out a swear of his own under his breath and Apple Bloom even allowed herself an outburst as she bucked a nearby locker and took the door right off its hinges.

“We mourn later, for now, we have a facility to defend.” Jet finally said, “Apple Bloom, get the squads together, find out if anyone else got hit on the run here. Funny, find me whoever the hell is in charge of The Barn right now so we can hold the line and prepare for a counter attack once the water stops on the rocks.”

Apple Bloom didn’t argue, and got right to work in finding the rest of the squad leaders. About the time the platoon was coherent, ready, and aware that three of their number had already died out in the chaos, Gunnery Sergeant Gold Smith, a rather imposing unicorn that looked more like an earth pony with a horn glued on that Apple Bloom was only barely familiar with. He wasn’t a drill instructor, instead he was the Staff NCO in charge of security at The Barn. Usually he was keeping the trainees out but tonight Apple Bloom was more than happy to have that grump of a stallion keeping Nod out instead.

“We’ve got 47 Zone Troopers in front of me, 15 will take the west wing and hold, 15 on the east, same story, remaining 17 will hold the center with me. We hold every Luna-damned inch of this place until the Noddies give up, incoming Kodiaks drive them away, or we all die in a blaze of glory showing Kane what real soldiers are made of. Got that!?” Gold Smith barked.

“Got it, Gunny!” was the unison reply, one that had been drilled into them during their many security drills inside The Barn.

“Good! Corporal Jet Deck, split your platoon as ordered and get ready for the brawl of the century.”