Serve and Protect Ch7

>”Sir? Are you sure about this?” Fade asks as you, him, Terra and Gale follow the changeling tracks though the now pitch black forest

>Now that you think about it this probably wasn’t such a good idea

>Once you get back to camp you’re sure to get chewed out over this

>You know for fact Aegis is not going to be happy

>But at same time the AD need the training.

>You sigh quietly to yourself, as horrid is the idea you had for your group is you knew for a fact they just couldn’t handle the violence that was sure to come.

>”Sir?” Terra asks snapping you from your thoughts

“Right right, OK here’s how we’re going to do this” you say glancing around at your squad.

“The game plan here is no mercy, if they think that we will take this lying down then they’re dead wrong, emphasis on dead.” You say, a steel edge in your voice

>All of them look taken aback at the sheer seriousness they hear from you

>”…Very well commander.”  Gale Force says, looking a little displeased with the direction things have taken

>The other two look at each other before looking at Gale, before they steel their resolve and stare back at you determined

>You couldn’t help but smile, if these three were half as tough as they looked in this might not be such a bad idea after all

>Looking down at the ground you see the tracks the changelings left

>Why did they run if they have wings?

>Whatever, that just made it easier for you

“See these?” you say as you point to the perforated hoof tracks

>They all nod

“Spread out and look for more, but don’t stray too far from each other.  ”

>Creeping silently through the foliage, you and the three p0nies follow the chaotic tramplings to the source of their owners.

>While walking you wondered just how many you missed, and how much resistance they’re going to put up when found.

>“Commander, do you hear that?” Gale asks you with worrying coloring her voice

>You tense up and listen, hearing the sound of large insect wings beating      

“All of you hit the ground and find somewhere to hide!” you say urgently

>As soon as the words leave your mouth all three of them dart off with unnatural speed into the surrounding foliage, hiding themselves well.

>Ducking behind a tree, you watch as a pair of changelings fly not even 5 feet away from you in the direction of the tracks.

>Giving a wordless signal to your allies with a motion of your hand, you come out from behind the tree and watch them fly away with narrowed eyes

>You cut your eyes to Fade, Terra, and Gale and nod in the direction of the changelings.

>Without a word the four of you trek soundlessly forward.

>For several minutes you and your team move almost blindly through the dark forest, hearts pounding and adrenaline rushing.

>After what seems to be in an eternity, you and the AD members reach a small clearing filled with dirty and ragtag tents that were obviously filled with changelings.

>Using only hand signals you tell your P0nies to circle around so that four pronged attack would be launched from every direction on your signal.

>All of them shuffle mutely into position, moving what the swiftness that had become characteristic of the elite Anonymous Detachment.

>Within only several seconds all of them were ready.

>Even in the dark, you could still see that of them all nervous and more than likely preparing themselves for what they would consider an atrocity.

>Inspecting the black, jagged forms of your foes you look over the whole camp and do a quick head count.

>One.

>Six.

>Eight.

>Thirteen.

>Plus others that must be resting in the tents.

>If you are honest with yourself, this seems to be a little too much, but you had already come out here so the job would be finished.

>Spying shaking across from you, you see Fade who looks ready to be sick

>Looking him in the eye you bring a finger to your lips in the universal symbol for ‘Be quiet’.

>Fade bites his lip, looking nervously between you and the changelings milling about the camp and manages to not give himself away.

>Looks like you need to work on Fade’s confidence before the next big mission comes up, or his usually frayed nerves could get him and everyone else in trouble.

>Seeing as how you kept the element of surprise, you glance over at Gale and Terra respectively, to see both of them ready

>This is it, it’s time to do or die.

>You discreetly flash a hand sign at each p0ny, telling them what they are to do during the attack.

>Here we go…

>You hope the ambush tactic would give you the edge needed to win this.

“GO!”      

>It’s time for them to have their just desserts

>Same as the battle back at your camp, time seems to slow to a mere crawl as adrenaline courses through your being.

>This time around however, you got the chance to watch the three in your detachment in action.

>All of them reached up to their helmets and flipped the tiny switch near the ear, and instantly the speed they were traveling with jumped to of the un-natural levels that the harsh training they had endured had given them.

>Fade levitated a knife from his armor and swung it into the chitinus neck of a nearby and very surprised changeling, cutting through the thick hide and carving a lethal gash into its jugular while wearing a face of disgust and horror.

>With a burst of speed, Gale darts forward, zigzagging agilely about until she collides with a changeling trying to track her movements, sending it flying was a flashy “crack”.

>Finally Terra charges forward with his head lowered, crashing into a small group and barreling them over with the force of a freight train, making them all cry out as each were given a plethora of injuries

>Seeing as they were fine you charge forward yourself, flipping your halberd off of your back and locking it into position.

>You take a ragged breath, you’re not sure you’ll ever get used to fighting like this.

>With a savage swing, a changeling too slow is cleaved in to almost two pieces, the insectoid equine releasing a shrill scream of agony at the blow.

>By now the others come to the grim realization that they are under attack and hastily mount a defense, the only problem is that they came to that conclusion too late.

>You surge forward and jump over a line of changelings who tried to charge you, heads down and sharp horns out.

>Lashing out with your halberd you behead three of the five unfortunate insects, only two of them managing to duck time and save themselves from the bite of your weapon.

>Acting far faster than you thought they could, the two survivors rush you, murder in their eyes.

>Shit, you didn’t expect this.

>Twirling your pole arm in your hands, you deter the first one but the second uses a wing assisted jump to leap over you and lunge, jagged horn posed to gore you.

>This is not going as smoothly as you hoped.

>Uttering a shrill war cry it drives it drives its horn into the unprotected back of your right leg.

>White hot pain lances up your leg, forcing you to grit your teeth in order not to cry out.

>Swinging a fist down, you strike the offender in the neck with enough force to break it, making a sickening “crack” echo even in the din of combat within the clearing.

>The black form goes slack, falling to the ground with a horn slick with blood.

>You give your leg a shake and wince at the stabs of pain that race up your form.

>Let’s hope this isn’t the mistake that gets you killed.   

>Returning your mind to what’s going on around you, you palm your halberd and resume fighting, being sure to keep your right side protected.

>It seems there are less than you thought, as you watch Terra stomp into a tent only to come back out looking bewildered.

>Are the tents empty?

>The sound of fighting quickly quiets as the remaining handful of changelings cut their losses and fly off into the night sky, their paths wild with fright.

>Doing a final scan of the area around you, you walk to the center of the camp being sure to hide your limp as best you could.

>Is that… Really it?

>The only sound you hear is the wind through the trees and the chirping of Equestrian crickets.

>Must be.      

“Well guys, looks like mission success.” You call out

>Fade, Terra, and Gale trot up to you, all of them looking unharmed, physically at least.

“You three alright?” you ask giving them a once over each.

>Terra scoffs “Why wouldn’t we be?  They were just changeling drones, it’s not like they were strong”

>So there are different changelings?  Could they get stronger?

>You may want to look into that

>Glancing away from Terra, you lay your eyes on Fade and Gale.

>Gale seemed shaken if the actual shaking and heavy breathing are any indication, but otherwise the pegasus mare seems fine.

>Fade however…

>The poor unicorn is shaking so bad that his armor is rattling along with wide eyes and breathing so rapid that he is on the verge of hyperventilating.

>You walk over and place a hand on his back, showing your support

>He flinches violently but eases up as he realizes who you are.

“You alright Fade?” you ask as gently as you could.

>He sharply inhales, then lets out an uneven breath “Y-yes sir, N-no need to worry about me”

>You harden your gaze the slightest bit

“Don’t lie to me”

>Fade Away gulps and looks away “Is it really that obvious?”

>You just nod  

>He needs to get over this, if he doesn’t then you may be forced to kick him from the AD with the new regimen you had in mind

>Lighting up his horn, the unicorn takes out his dagger, still coated in green blood

>He looks at it in horrified fascination, his eyes reflecting the sickly green color

> “Commander, just answer me this, why?  Why do we have to do this?  Why must to destroy the lives of others?”

>You squeeze his shoulder as you look between him, Gale, and Terra who are all looking at you waiting for an answer, even if Terra does his best to seem uninterested

>But did you really have one that would satisfy them?

“Fade, I’m going to put this in the most human terms I can, in this world there are two types of people.  The strong and the weak.  All that the weak can do is hope for mercy from the strong, while the strong have the power to subjugate the weak.  It’s up to strong individuals like us to grow stronger so that we may serve and protect the ones who can’t for themselves.”

>All three of them are listening with rapt attention, soaking up what you have to say.

“Without individuals like us then the world will be rampant with corruption and abuse of power by those with no morals.  That is why we do this, sometimes there’s simply no alternative when it comes to keeping the weak protected.”

>You feel a bit of pride as all three of them look up at you in awe, the speech had more impact than you expected

“Does that answer your question Fade?”

>The young stallion blinks and lets out a breath, his shaking stopping “Yes Commander, I guess when you put it like that then this isn’t that bad…”

>Something is still wrong with him

>Did he maybe think…?

“I’m not saying that you have to enjoy this, I just want you to understand what the AD was made for and why we fight”

>Fade smiles wanly “Understood sir.”

>You offer the three AD a grin of your own, lightening the grim atmosphere some

>You fold up your halberd and take a look at the night sky.

>The Moon has made its way most of the way across, signaling dawn to only be several hours away

>It would probably be a good idea to get back to camp before sunrise, least Aegis find out what you are up to

>The thought makes a cold pit of apprehension well up in your stomach; you really hope that you can just avoid this whole situation when it comes to her

“Alright, let’s head back, no need to be here any longer than necessary.” You say looking at the carnage that you and your team had wreaked upon the now empty changeling encampment

>Three calls of “Yes sir” meet you in response so you set off back in the direction of the guard camp.

>You let out a pained exhale as the puncture wound in your leg flared up in pain from the walking, but you dare not let it show.

>You can feel that it’s not bleeding anymore, still painful however

>But still probably a good idea to wrap it up however

>You raise a hand and stop the others, the sound of hooves on grass going silent

“Hold on real quick, I should probably patch this up before we go any further”

>Gale and Fade look at you in confusion while Terra simply raises an eyebrow

>“Patch up what si-!” Gale’s voice cuts off as she sees the hole in your leg

>Opening the small first aid kit that you have strapped to your side, you take out a roll of gauze and some rubbing alcohol

>You squeeze your eyes shut as you splash some of the alcohol onto the wound, washing it out and making it feel as if someone set the spot on fire

>As hastily as you could you wrap the wound up and give your leg you shake, hoping to alleviate some of the extreme discomfort radiating from it

“Much better”

>You Look over at the three p0nies to see them staring at you

“Something wrong?” you ask them    

>”Erm sir? Were you fighting with that the whole time?” Fade asks concerned

>You just wave him off and get back to walking

>It’s not too long before the sleeping camp comes into site, a pair of gold clad guards keeping watch

>As you walk in, you turn and address your team

“If anyone asks, and this was all my idea and you guys are at no fault, got me?”

>Both Fade and Gale opened their mouths to protest but are silenced by Terra raising a hoof and shaking his head

“You guys get some rest, you deserve it”   

>Without bothering to wait and see their reactions you head to the command tent where you and Aegis slept

>Stopping just before the entrance flap, you clench your fists and take a deep breath, hoping against all hope that Aegis is not awake

>Stepping in as quietly as you could, you are relieved to see that she is indeed asleep in the cot next to yours

>Quietly slipping off your armor, you slide into your cot and go to put an arm over her

> “Hands.  Off.”

>Aegis’s voice startles you so bad that you almost jump

“A-aegis?”

>This could not be going worse

>The unicorn mare raises her head and looks you in the eye

>You flinch from the intensity of the glare she is giving you and fight the urge to shrink under it

>Even with her disheveled mane and somewhat bleary eyes, she still stares through you with incredible intensity

“Look Aegis, all I did was-“

>She stops you cold with a simple narrowing of her burning cerulean eyes

>”What you did was reckless, selfish, and incredibly immature”

>Every accusation makes you feel smaller and smaller

>The intense look at her face softens ever so slightly “I know you had your reasons, but it doesn’t excuse the serious trouble you could have brought upon all of us”

“Look Shiny I just-“

>She once more cuts you off by laying her head back down, turned away from you “We’ll deal with this in the morning” she says leaving no room for argument

>You simply stare at her for a moment, a horrific pain in your chest

>Never before had you been a real fight with Aegis, and you can safely say that you never want to be again

>Lying down on your cot with a creak of metal, you pull the rough military grade blanket up over you and curl up

>Even with the love of your life less than a foot away from you, this is the most alone you’ve ever felt in Equestria