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Serve and Protect Ch5

By: ShinobiPony on Dec 9th, 2012 | syntax: None | size: 14.38 KB | hits: 124 | expires: Never

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Knock knock knock!
>You and Aegis break from the heated make out session you were having in her office to look at the office door
>Fast as lightning you lift the captain off of you and place her in her chair, the same one you were sitting in before flipping over the desk and looking like you are doing something important
>Aegis quickly follows suit and levitates several papers infront of her, staring at them intently as she forcefully wills the red on her cheeks to vanish
>You and she got faster every time someone knocked
>”Come in!” Aegis calls
>With a click of the door-knob, the door opens to reveal a guard pegasus dressed in light gold recon armor
>He snaps to a smart salute “Head Captain Aegis, Commander Anonymous, I’ve returned with the reconnaissance reports from the northern borders”
>Aegis gives him a nod to continue
>The guard clears his throat “After reports of changelings sightings far north at the borders my team and I were deployed to investigate, at first there was no sign of trouble…then…”
“Go on…” you say
>He gulps and looks a little sick “We found…several dead p0nies in crude graves…the bodies were fresh and looked as if they died from overpowered bludgeoning spells impacting vital areas…”
>That got your attention, dead p0nies?
>That never happened here, ever
>You glance over to your equine lover to see her look stone-faced on the outside, but her eyes are filled with turmoil
>It’s getting real now
>Aegis takes a deep breath, and slowly exhales, pressing a hoof to her head “Anything else soldier?” she asks
>The guard shakes his head in a negative
>”Dismissed”
>He salutes once more before turning and exiting the office
>Once the door clicks shut, Aegis slumps in her seat
>You walk back around the desk and place your hands on her shoulders, rubbing them tenderly, a favorite of hers
>”What are we going to do Anon…” she asks, looking blankly at the wall
>You sigh and think
>Changelings are the most likely culprits
>But just sending any old guards might end badly
>You mind turned to your detachment
>But the AD had no real combat experience
>This is bad
“I’m not too sure babe, you’re the captain here so the final call is up to you”
>Aegis grimaces and looks back to her papers
>For a few moments there is silence, broken only by the sound of the rustling cloth of Aegis’s red coat as you rubbed her shoulders
>Finally…
>”Anon, how much combat experience do you have?”
>You think for a moment
>Other than the few times you fucked up someone who wanted a fight at a bar, not much in the way of lethal force, but still more than most p0nies
“Enough” you tell her
>She crinkles her eyebrows in thought
>”Anon, I really don’t like this, I was thinking about seeing this personally, want to come?” she says with a faint, hoping undertone
>She’s the captain
>Why would…
>Then you see it
>She’s frightened
>As powerful as she is, Aegis still had no experience with death
>You felt truly touched that she felt safe with you, even with your lack of powers
>Smiling, you lean down some and turn the shoulder rub into a hug from behind
“You thought I wouldn’t go anyway?”
>Aegis practically melts, a relived sigh escaping her as she snuggles back up into you “Thanks sweetheart…”
“Anytime Shiny, anytime”
>Breaking from the embrace, Aegis sorts all of her paperwork with a flash of magic and turns to you
>”Alright Anon, please grab a hooffull of your AD while I gather a team of guards and my things” Aegis says, her tone now unwavering
>There’s that usual confidence of hers
>You grin and give her a mock salute, turning to head out to the guard barracks
>”Oh Anon, I almost forgot”
>You glance back over your shoulder to the ivory mare
>”Bunsen said he has something for you”
>He did?
>Hells yeah
“Gotcha, I’ll go see him then”
>”Remember Anon, be careful around him” Aegis says with a stern look
>You just nod and walk out
>You trek to the back of the castle and down to the R and D division
>Making it down to the tech center, you signal an intern who seems to be doing nothing
>The labcoat clad unicorn trots up “Something I can do for you commander?”
“Yes, Bunsen said the stuff I ordered was done?”
>The intern thinks for a moment “I do think the professor mentioned something about that, want me to find him?”
“If you would”
>The unicorn heads off, leaving you to your lonesome
>After 15 minutes of watching the scientists and engineers tinker with some steampunk-esque equipment, the intern walks back into view and motions you to follow
>Walking along, you pass all of the odds and ends Bunsen likes to play with until you see the old unicorn looking over a table filled with different things
“Working hard or hardly working Bunsen?”
>He glances over to you before a grin comes to his face
>”Anonymous! I must say, you’re giving me a number of challenges, I like it!”
“Glad you think so, but can we skip the pleasantries? Somethings come up and I need to go”
>The older unicorn nods “Of course, of course, come”
>Leading you back to the area where he showed you the armor you and him stop at a table holding several weapons and a half set of human sized armor
>”Here we are, everything just as you wanted, augments and all, however we could only get half of the armor done”
>You walk up to inspect everything further
>On the table is a large halberd with a metal shaft that is folded in half at the middle thanks to a metal hinge with what looks to be a locking mechanism, on the top of it lays a large axe head along with a spear point
>You pick it up and unfold it with a flick of your wrist; the shaft straightens and locks with a ‘click’ revealing the whole thing to be about a foot taller than you
>”Folding for easy carry and very durable thanks to its all steel construction and oversized for you, I think it will be useful to a being with as much reach as you”
>You smile, this thing will be fun
>Laying it back down you move on the next thing
>A rather ordinary fighting knife, if high quality, double edged steel with a point and a handle with finger groves, along with a sheath that looked like you could conceal it somewhere
>”Custom order, just as you wanted”
>You pick it up and run your finger across it, almost cutting into yourself with how fine the blade is
>Very nice
>Setting it down you move on to the armor
>Same as the Anon Detachment armor, the silver color, the A insignia, only fitted for you
>As Bunsen said, its only half a full suit, just a torso, greaves, and gauntlets. Leaving the middle of your arms and legs exposed
>”Same as the others, only without the resistance weights or shield, still trying to find a way around your anti-magic…”
>You slip the silver armor on, surprised at how comfortable it is and at how Bunsen managed to make the fingers of the gauntlets so well
>Grabbing the knife and folded halberd, the former of which you stuff into your greave clad boot, you can’t help but feel like some sort of knight
>Well technically you are but this just made it sink in
>Turning to Bunsen you flash him a grin
“Thanks Bunsen, you do good work you know that?”
>He grins in return “Get out of here youngling, go on your mission”
>You’ll do just that
>Back up on the main floor of the castle, you walk to the guard barracks and training ground
>Over on the other side you see Aegis briefing about 20 gold clad guards
>Walking over to where the AD liked to train, you take a stance and yell “FORM UP!”
>Every one of them responds instantly, dropping what they were doing to from lines infront of you
>You walk down the lines, reviewing what your knew about them as individuals
“You, you and you, come with me” you say, pointing to a pegasus mare, a unicorn stallion who you realized is Fade Away, and an earth p0ny stallion respectively, all of them sporting the white guard color scheme
“The rest of you, continue on”
>Walking over to Aegis’s group you turn to the AD you pulled from training
“Ok you three, changelings have been sighted and are suspected to have killed several p0nies”
>That got their attention, all of them stood straighter and put on grim expressions
“And we are going to check it out along with Aegis and a team of normal guards, you can choose to back out if you want, but this is your only chance”
>Fade looks like he wants to say something, but stops at the last second
>The pegasus and earth p0ny remain silent as well
“All of you sure?”
>They look around at each other before nodding
“Alright, go gather your things for a possible 2 to 3 week long mission and meet me back here”
>All of them salute and rush back to the guard barracks, reemerging moments later with full packs
“Good, now tell me about yourselves, Names, fighting styles, abilities, those sort of things, Fade I already know about you so you are excluded”
>”Well, my name is Gale Force” starts the pegasus mare “and um other than the basics I don’t really know much…sorry commander” she says looking down
>You place a hand on her shoulder
“We can work on that, no need to worry”
>She smiles faintly
“And you?” you ask the earth p0ny
>He stands rigid “I am Terra Former commander, as far as abilities go I boast one of the highest armor weights, making me among the strongest when the weight is released”
“Good, now lets get going”
>Without another word you turn and walk the rest of the way to Aegis and her guards
“So where are we going exactly?” you ask as you, Aegis, and the assorted guards begin the march to the Cantorlot train station
>”Trottingham, the closest city to the report area, we’ll set up a camp somewhere outside of it” Aegis says, her voice crisp and full of authority to match the stern look on her face
>You’re startled somewhat, but hide it
>Aegis is the youngest captain ever for a reason, but you’ve never heard such steel in her speech
>Maybe you would see just how far that went on this mission
>The group of guards lead by the captain herself and the resident human garnered more than one stare during the walk thought the city, but no one seemed to want to ask about it or get in the way
>Good
>Arriving at the train station Aegis walks up to the ticket booth, flinty gaze still on full blast
>” I am Head Royal Guard Captain Aegis, and I am commandeering the last car in the next train to Trottingham” she says, leaving no room for argument
>”But but-“ the mare tending to the booth tries to protest, only to be silenced by a glare and a head shake from you
>You take a look at the clock on the wall, about 10 minutes until the next train
>You, Aegis and the guards stand about until the train comes in, conversation at a minimum
>With a shrill whistle and billowing smoke, the old looking engine with about 20 cars on it pulls in, stopping to let the arriving p0nies off
>Once all of them are off, you and the guard p0nies get into the last car at the end
“Alright guards, get comfortable, this will be a 10 hour ride” you say to them
>All of the guards divide themselves up into the booths inside the train car, while you and Aegis claim one near the front as your own
>Inside, the ivory mare strips out of her armor, levitating it into a neat pile into the corner before closing the door
>You flop down into a seat, prompting Aegis to take a seat next to you and lean into your side
>You wrap an arm around her and pull her close, much to her pleasure
“Still a bit worried?”
>Her face hardens, but falls soon after “Yes…”
“Don’t be, you’re the most powerful and effective leader I know, with you here this will all go fine”
>She smiles softly “You always know just what to say, hmm Anon?”
>You pull the mare into a kiss, one that she gladly returns
>Pulling away from the kiss, you rest your forehead against hers, looking into those soulful cerulean eyes
>No matter how many times you do, the world just seems so right looking into them
“I give it my best” you say gently
>You look out the window and see Celestia’s sun begin to set, pastel pinks and yellows decorating the sky
“Big day tomorrow, might want to get some rest” you say, laying back onto the seat
>”Sounds good” Aegis agrees and crawls up onto your chest, her own eyes drooping some
~~~~~~~
>The sound of Aegis dressing in her armor is what you awaken to the next morning
>Sitting up and wincing at the stiffness the train seat had brought, you grab your halberd and stand up to stretch out the kinks
>Dressed and ready, you feel the train begin slowing
>Once stopped, you and Aegis step outside the booth to see the guards ready
>You both turn and walk off the train, the guards needing no prompting as they follow
>All of them
>Everyp0ny you and your group pass stop what they are doing to stare
>At you mainly
>You do your best not to squirm, the p0nies in Cantorlot were polite enough to not gawk, but then again you were often with somep0ny important, like Celestia or Aegis until you were a familiar face
>The feeling of eyes on your back is a little unsettling
>Aegis bumps her steel clad flank into your side, offering a supporting look
>You smile, forgetting the looks of the Trottingham citizens
>Out near the outskirts of town where the forest area began, Aegis gives the order to halt
>”Alright, we set up camp here, hop to it everyp0ny”
>All of the guards shrug off their packs and begin to set up tents
>All except one
>A guard in gold armor walks up to Aegis
>”Ma’am? Maybe we should set up deeper in the forest?”
>Aegis turns to him with a raised eyebrow “And why is that solder?”
>”Added protection?” he offers lamely
>The captain gives him an unamused look “I think not”
>”But captain! We could-“
>While the guard ineffectively tries to sway Aegis, you notice something off
>…
>Nice try
>With a flick of your wrist, you extend your halberd and grip it with both hands
>With a full power swing, the axe head flies though the air
>Right at the arguing guard
>A loud, meaty SHLINK sounds as the halberd passed through his neck, decapitating the hapless p0ny
>The whole camp stops dead
>Aegis is stunned, and then it turns into fury “ANON! WHY DID YOU DO THAT!?!”
>You just point at the dead guard
>In a flicker of green flame, the body transforms into the black, jagged form of a headless changeling
“AMBUSH!” you roar just as the camp explodes into conflict

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Knock knock knock!
>You and Aegis break from the heated make out session you were having in her office to look at the office door
>Fast as lightning you lift the captain off of you and place her in her chair, the same one you were sitting in before flipping over the desk and looking like you are doing something important
>Aegis quickly follows suit and levitates several papers infront of her, staring at them intently as she forcefully wills the red on her cheeks to vanish
>You and she got faster every time someone knocked
>”Come in!” Aegis calls
>With a click of the door-knob, the door opens to reveal a guard pegasus dressed in light gold recon armor
>He snaps to a smart salute “Head Captain Aegis, Commander Anonymous, I’ve returned with the reconnaissance reports from the northern borders”
>Aegis gives him a nod to continue
>The guard clears his throat “After reports of changelings sightings far north at the borders my team and I were deployed to investigate, at first there was no sign of trouble…then…”
“Go on…” you say
>He gulps and looks a little sick “We found…several dead p0nies in crude graves…the bodies were fresh and looked as if they died from overpowered bludgeoning spells impacting vital areas…”
>That got your attention, dead p0nies? 
>That never happened here, ever
>You glance over to your equine lover to see her look stone-faced on the outside, but her eyes are filled with turmoil
>It’s getting real now
>Aegis takes a deep breath, and slowly exhales, pressing a hoof to her head “Anything else soldier?” she asks
>The guard shakes his head in a negative 
>”Dismissed”	
>He salutes once more before turning and exiting the office
>Once the door clicks shut, Aegis slumps in her seat
>You walk back around the desk and place your hands on her shoulders, rubbing them tenderly, a favorite of hers
>”What are we going to do Anon…” she asks, looking blankly at the wall
>You sigh and think
>Changelings are the most likely culprits
>But just sending any old guards might end badly
>You mind turned to your detachment
>But the AD had no real combat experience
>This is bad
“I’m not too sure babe, you’re the captain here so the final call is up to you”
>Aegis grimaces and looks back to her papers
>For a few moments there is silence, broken only by the sound of the rustling cloth of Aegis’s red coat as you rubbed her shoulders
>Finally…
>”Anon, how much combat experience do you have?”
>You think for a moment
>Other than the few times you fucked up someone who wanted a fight at a bar, not much in the way of lethal force, but still more than most p0nies
“Enough” you tell her
>She crinkles her eyebrows in thought
>”Anon, I really don’t like this, I was thinking about seeing this personally, want to come?” she says with a faint, hoping undertone
>She’s the captain
>Why would…
>Then you see it
>She’s frightened
>As powerful as she is, Aegis still had no experience with death
>You felt truly touched that she felt safe with you, even with your lack of powers
>Smiling, you lean down some and turn the shoulder rub into a hug from behind
“You thought I wouldn’t go anyway?”
>Aegis practically melts, a relived sigh escaping her as she snuggles back up into you “Thanks sweetheart…”
“Anytime Shiny, anytime”	
>Breaking from the embrace, Aegis sorts all of her paperwork with a flash of magic and turns to you
>”Alright Anon, please grab a hooffull of your AD while I gather a team of guards and my things” Aegis says, her tone now unwavering
>There’s that usual confidence of hers
>You grin and give her a mock salute, turning to head out to the guard barracks
>”Oh Anon, I almost forgot”
>You glance back over your shoulder to the ivory mare
>”Bunsen said he has something for you”
>He did?
>Hells yeah
“Gotcha, I’ll go see him then”
>”Remember Anon, be careful around him” Aegis says with a stern look
>You just nod and walk out
>You trek to the back of the castle and down to the R and D division 
>Making it down to the tech center, you signal an intern who seems to be doing nothing
>The labcoat clad unicorn trots up “Something I can do for you commander?”
“Yes, Bunsen said the stuff I ordered was done?”
>The intern thinks for a moment “I do think the professor mentioned something about that, want me to find him?”
“If you would”
>The unicorn heads off, leaving you to your lonesome
>After 15 minutes of watching the scientists and engineers tinker with some steampunk-esque equipment, the intern walks back into view and motions you to follow
>Walking along, you pass all of the odds and ends Bunsen likes to play with until you see the old unicorn looking over a table filled with different things
“Working hard or hardly working Bunsen?”
>He glances over to you before a grin comes to his face
>”Anonymous! I must say, you’re giving me a number of challenges, I like it!”
“Glad you think so, but can we skip the pleasantries? Somethings come up and I need to go”
>The older unicorn nods “Of course, of course, come”
>Leading you back to the area where he showed you the armor you and him stop at a table holding several weapons and a half set of human sized armor
>”Here we are, everything just as you wanted, augments and all, however we could only get half of the armor done”
>You walk up to inspect everything further
>On the table is a large halberd with a metal shaft that is folded in half at the middle thanks to a metal hinge with what looks to be a locking mechanism, on the top of it lays a large axe head along with a spear point
>You pick it up and unfold it with a flick of your wrist; the shaft straightens and locks with a ‘click’ revealing the whole thing to be about a foot taller than you
>”Folding for easy carry and very durable thanks to its all steel construction and oversized for you, I think it will be useful to a being with as much reach as you”
>You smile, this thing will be fun	
>Laying it back down you move on the next thing
>A rather ordinary fighting knife, if high quality, double edged steel with a point and a handle with finger groves, along with a sheath that looked like you could conceal it somewhere
>”Custom order, just as you wanted”
>You pick it up and run your finger across it, almost cutting into yourself with how fine the blade is
>Very nice
>Setting it down you move on to the armor
>Same as the Anon Detachment armor, the silver color, the A insignia, only fitted for you
>As Bunsen said, its only half a full suit, just a torso, greaves, and gauntlets. Leaving the middle of your arms and legs exposed
>”Same as the others, only without the resistance weights or shield, still trying to find a way around your anti-magic…”
>You slip the silver armor on, surprised at how comfortable it is and at how Bunsen managed to make the fingers of the gauntlets so well
>Grabbing the knife and folded halberd, the former of which you stuff into your greave clad boot, you can’t help but feel like some sort of knight
>Well technically you are but this just made it sink in 
>Turning to Bunsen you flash him a grin
“Thanks Bunsen, you do good work you know that?”
>He grins in return “Get out of here youngling, go on your mission”
>You’ll do just that     
>Back up on the main floor of the castle, you walk to the guard barracks and training ground
>Over on the other side you see Aegis briefing about 20 gold clad guards
>Walking over to where the AD liked to train, you take a stance and yell “FORM UP!”
>Every one of them responds instantly, dropping what they were doing to from lines infront of you
>You walk down the lines, reviewing what your knew about them as individuals
“You, you and you, come with me” you say, pointing to a pegasus mare, a unicorn stallion who you realized is Fade Away, and an earth p0ny stallion respectively, all of them sporting the white guard color scheme  
“The rest of you, continue on”
>Walking over to Aegis’s group you turn to the AD you pulled from training 
“Ok you three, changelings have been sighted and are suspected to have killed several p0nies”
>That got their attention, all of them stood straighter and put on grim expressions
“And we are going to check it out along with Aegis and a team of normal guards, you can choose to back out if you want, but this is your only chance”
>Fade looks like he wants to say something, but stops at the last second 
>The pegasus and earth p0ny remain silent as well	
“All of you sure?”
>They look around at each other before nodding
“Alright, go gather your things for a possible 2 to 3 week long mission and meet me back here”
>All of them salute and rush back to the guard barracks, reemerging moments later with full packs 
“Good, now tell me about yourselves, Names, fighting styles, abilities, those sort of things, Fade I already know about you so you are excluded”
>”Well, my name is Gale Force” starts the pegasus mare “and um other than the basics I don’t really know much…sorry commander” she says looking down
>You place a hand on her shoulder
“We can work on that, no need to worry” 
>She smiles faintly 
“And you?” you ask the earth p0ny
>He stands rigid “I am Terra Former commander, as far as abilities go I boast one of the highest armor weights, making me among the strongest when the weight is released”
“Good, now lets get going”  
>Without another word you turn and walk the rest of the way to Aegis and her guards
“So where are we going exactly?” you ask as you, Aegis, and the assorted guards begin the march to the Cantorlot train station 
>”Trottingham, the closest city to the report area, we’ll set up a camp somewhere outside of it” Aegis says, her voice crisp and full of authority to match the stern look on her face
>You’re startled somewhat, but hide it
>Aegis is the youngest captain ever for a reason, but you’ve never heard such steel in her speech
>Maybe you would see just how far that went on this mission
>The group of guards lead by the captain herself and the resident human garnered more than one stare during the walk thought the city, but no one seemed to want to ask about it or get in the way
>Good
>Arriving at the train station Aegis walks up to the ticket booth, flinty gaze still on full blast
>” I am Head Royal Guard Captain Aegis, and I am commandeering the last car in the next train to Trottingham” she says, leaving no room for argument
>”But but-“ the mare tending to the booth tries to protest, only to be silenced by a glare and a head shake from you
>You take a look at the clock on the wall, about 10 minutes until the next train
>You, Aegis and the guards stand about until the train comes in, conversation at a minimum
>With a shrill whistle and billowing smoke, the old looking engine with about 20 cars on it pulls in, stopping to let the arriving p0nies off
>Once all of them are off, you and the guard p0nies get into the last car at the end
“Alright guards, get comfortable, this will be a 10 hour ride” you say to them
>All of the guards divide themselves up into the booths inside the train car, while you and Aegis claim one near the front as your own  
>Inside, the ivory mare strips out of her armor, levitating it into a neat pile into the corner before closing the door
>You flop down into a seat, prompting Aegis to take a seat next to you and lean into your side
>You wrap an arm around her and pull her close, much to her pleasure 
“Still a bit worried?”
>Her face hardens, but falls soon after “Yes…”
“Don’t be, you’re the most powerful and effective leader I know, with you here this will all go fine”
>She smiles softly “You always know just what to say, hmm Anon?”
>You pull the mare into a kiss, one that she gladly returns
>Pulling away from the kiss, you rest your forehead against hers, looking into those soulful cerulean eyes
>No matter how many times you do, the world just seems so right looking into them
“I give it my best” you say gently
>You look out the window and see Celestia’s sun begin to set, pastel pinks and yellows decorating the sky 
“Big day tomorrow, might want to get some rest” you say, laying back onto the seat
>”Sounds good” Aegis agrees and crawls up onto your chest, her own eyes drooping some
~~~~~~~	
>The sound of Aegis dressing in her armor is what you awaken to the next morning
>Sitting up and wincing at the stiffness the train seat had brought, you grab your halberd and stand up to stretch out the kinks
>Dressed and ready, you feel the train begin slowing
>Once stopped, you and Aegis step outside the booth to see the guards ready
>You both turn and walk off the train, the guards needing no prompting as they follow
>All of them
>Everyp0ny you and your group pass stop what they are doing to stare
>At you mainly
>You do your best not to squirm, the p0nies in Cantorlot were polite enough to not gawk, but then again you were often with somep0ny important, like Celestia or Aegis until you were a familiar face
>The feeling of eyes on your back is a little unsettling  
>Aegis bumps her steel clad flank into your side, offering a supporting look 
>You smile, forgetting the looks of the Trottingham citizens 
>Out near the outskirts of town where the forest area began, Aegis gives the order to halt
>”Alright, we set up camp here, hop to it everyp0ny”
>All of the guards shrug off their packs and begin to set up tents
>All except one
>A guard in gold armor walks up to Aegis
>”Ma’am? Maybe we should set up deeper in the forest?”
>Aegis turns to him with a raised eyebrow “And why is that solder?”
>”Added protection?” he offers lamely
>The captain gives him an unamused look “I think not”
>”But captain! We could-“
>While the guard ineffectively tries to sway Aegis, you notice something off
>…
>Nice try
>With a flick of your wrist, you extend your halberd and grip it with both hands
>With a full power swing, the axe head flies though the air 
>Right at the arguing guard
>A loud, meaty SHLINK sounds as the halberd passed through his neck, decapitating the hapless p0ny
>The whole camp stops dead
>Aegis is stunned, and then it turns into fury “ANON! WHY DID YOU DO THAT!?!”
>You just point at the dead guard
>In a flicker of green flame, the body transforms into the black, jagged form of a headless changeling
“AMBUSH!” you roar just as the camp explodes into conflict

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