Part 30 The Test…
 
>Today’s the day
>Either all of them pass, or none of them do
>It’s 0430, and all your trainees were already in formation before you woke their asses up
>They must be excited to tackle your test
You maggots must think you’re clever, getting up before me. Well, we’ll see about today.
>You’re in no mood to scream at them, and at this point, it would honestly not serve any purpose
>You pace in front of them, continuing
All of you are about to face the first real challenge any of you have ever faced in your lives. Today, you all will be marching into the Everfree Forest and face everything I’ve set up. The mission is a search and rescue; there are four dummies at the designated location, and the mission is successful ONLY if all four are recovered. Expect traps and hostile creatures everywhere. And expect some heavy resistance the closer you get to your objective. The use of deadly force is authorized ONLY for wild creatures, such as the manticore and  timberwolves. Don’t mistake this as “just another test.” The possibility of death is very real, and as such, this test is to be taken as seriously as any mission. Any questions?
>“NONE SIR!”
That’s what I love to hear. Everyone load up and get ready to march! DISMISSED!
>With that, your trainees broke formation and got their gear
>It had been a while since they had used the weapons they were issued in the normal Royal Guard, but now they’d need it more than ever
>In only minutes, they return and form back up
>You yourself had your M1, M9, and KA-BAR, just in case
>No matter how much you had prepared the area, there was always the chance that something unanticipated could wreck some serious shit.
>They were waiting on your command
FORWARD, HARCH!
>And like that, you and your trainees marched towards the Everfree Forest.
 
>Marching for four hours in full gear, and not one of them complained
>Of course not. You raised them better than that
>You marched them through a back-road, to avoid the town
>It’s not that you didn’t want them to be seen, but rather, you didn’t want your trainees to possibly get distracted
>They might get overconfident if they saw the townponies
>You see the edge of the Everfree Forest on the horizon
>Ah, the Everfree Forest. The first time you were here, you were fighting for your life against the local fauna
>Luckily for you, it was only the timberwovles, instead of the manticores you learned about reading the books in the library
>Practically every night for the last month, you came here to set up for their final test, and you saw some shit that scared even you
>Everyone was just outside the forest now
>You halted them and turned to them
From here on, it’s just you four. Go get ‘em.
>“SIR TRAINEE STAR SHINE REPORTS AS ORDERED! YOU MEAN TO SAY YOU AREN’T COMING WITH US, SIR?”
That’s exactly what I’m saying. If you recall, I only said “you all,” not myself. This is a test for you, not me.
>“UNACCEPTABLE SIR! IF THIS IS A TEST OF OUR STRENGTH IN A REALISTIC ENVIRONMENT, YOU MUST BE WITH US TO MAKE SURE THE RESULTS ARE VALID, SIR!”
>Did he just speak without a reporting statement?
>He did.
>You give him a stern look, and immediately he corrects himself, repeating his last sentence with a reporting statement.
Listen here. There might come a battle where I’ll be unable to lead. You need to be able to lead yourselves to victory in my absence. And besides, what kind of test would it be if I were involved? I know where everything is…
>He pauses for a second, reflecting on his prior wrong views
>“UNDERSTOOD SIR!”
NOW GET OUT THERE AND START THE MISSION!
>“YES SIR!”
>Of course, that was bullshit. You spent too much time on them to let them die
>Come hell or high-water, none of them are going to die. Your plan included following behind them.
>As they started to break ranks and run into the forest, you see a blue speck in the corner of your eye
>Blue, and rainbow-
>It’s Rainbow Dash
>She seems strained, like she’s been flying around for a while
>Her eyes meet yours, and you can feel something’s wrong
>Your trainees are still going into the forest, and are about 50 feet away. You yell right at them
STANDBY!
>Without looking, they all stop while Rainbow Dash dives towards you
>“ANON!”
>She lands right next to you, breathing hard
What’s wrong?
>Through her panting, she says “It’s…She’s…come back…Ponyville…under attack…”
Who’s back? Queen Chrysalis?!
>“No…Trixie…She’s stronger…wrecking…havoc.”
>Wait a second…
Who’s Trixie?
>“NO TIME! She’s…destroying everything…Need help…”
>Whoever this Trixie is, she’s apparently making trouble in your neighborhood
>And if RD is asking for your help, they can’t handle it on their own.
Dash, I need you to tell me EXACTLY what’s going on.
>She was breathing normally now
>”Trixie is summoning…those things, and they’re destroying the town! Twilight Sparkle is doing her best to keep things under control, but we desperately need you!
>Yup. Now there was no question. Ponyville is in trouble and Twilight Sparkle’s in danger
>Sorry Everfree Forest. This can’t wait.
What does Trixie look like?
>”She’s got an azure coat, and wears a cape and hat, but she’s got this CRAZY Magic THING going on!”
>You nod to RD, and sharply turn towards your trainees who, at this point, are wondering what the fuck is going on.
RALLY! 
>They immediately come to you, awaiting orders
Change of plan Trainees! Ponyville is under attack, and we are ITS DEFENDERS! This is your first mission! The objective is to capture a hostile known as Trixie and halt the destruction of our town! Deadly force is authorized only for whatever Trixie is summoning, and nothing else!
>You turn to RD
Dash, I want you to head back to town and start evacuating the town. Let everyone know we’re coming.
>”Got it!”
>She immediately into the sky, disappearing from sight within seconds
RALLY POINT IS ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE TOWN, NEAR FLUTTERSHY’S CABIN! LET’S MOVE!
>All at once, everyone runs at top speed
>Star Shine, Blazin’ Blue, and Lightning Strike easily get ahead of you
>Wait, where’ Lu-
>You feel yourself being picked up and thrown-
>Placed on Lucky’s back. He’s galloping as fast as he can, and is catching up to Star Shine
>Under your breath, you mutter
I swear Lucky…
>”Sir?”
Nothing. How well are you going to run with me?
>”SIR, TRAIN-
STOP THAT SHIT AND TELL ME NOW!
>”YES SIR! YOU’RE BARELY WEIGH ANYTHING TO ME! I’LL BE ABLE TO RUN AS FAR AS NEEDED!
Good. And one more thing.
>”Sir?”
Thanks.
>”NOT A PROBLEM SIR!”
>Your squad heads towards the most direct route to Ponyville, the route you ignored marching towards the forest.
       
>Less than half an hour later, you meet up with Blazin’ Blue and Lightning Strike near the rally point
>About six miles back, you could see smoke in the horizon. Not a good omen
Trainees! All together, we move into the town!
>You hop off of Lucky, and sprint to the edge of town with your squad
>As you approach the town, your eyes are horrified at the sight
>The fire wasn’t all that big yet. In fact, it looked like it just started. So far, it’s only on a couple of houses
>No, what horrifies you is the sight of those abominations
>Their bodies are black as a shadow, but their featureless faces are a pale white. It’s unnerving how pony-like these monsters are
>There seems to be a concentration of ponies evacuating the town, but those…things are pursuing them
>You faintly hear a voice, but you take no notice
>All you can concentrate on is the destruction of your hometown, ponies running away from those damned monstrosities
>Another voice, louder this time, catches your attention
>”CAPTAIN! WE AWAIT YOUR ORDERS SIR!”
>You snap out of your daze, and draw your M1, facing them. Your music player pops on, blasting a different sort of song…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z5XcSxIB1g&feature=related
YOU KNOW THE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT! CHARGE!
>All at once, they yell back “YES SIR!”
>You turn and aim at the closest looking…thing…
>Fire
>Headshot
>….It’s not dead!
>It’s still stumbling around!
>Apparently, it doesn’t need its head
>You shoot several more times into its body until you hear PING
>Now it’s down, but IT TOOK THE ENTIRE CLIP!
>You lay down your M1. It won’t be of much use here. Instead, you draw your knife
>Probably won’t be of much use either, but you need to have something. You just gotta have something to fight with
>You charge head-on into the fray along with your trainees
>They abandoned their crossbows like you with your M1, and now are attacking those creatures with the Krav Maga you taught them
>It seems to work much better than the firearms-apparently, small bullet damage doesn’t affect the organism as much as a set of multi-organ blows
>Your pride in them swelled, but only momentarily
>What’s the plan captain?
>I need to get to my jet. I can take them… No, I can’t.
>Why not?
>…..They’re not in the air….
>….
>FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
>Alright, Plan B…
>What the fuck is that?
>All those creatures are now ignoring the ponies and charging you and your squad
>PLAN B PLAN B COME ON PLAN B!
>One comes up to you, only to have its face thrown into the ground
>Another to your right, but you grab it and use its own momentum against it, flipping it onto the ground
>Not content, you stomp where its stomach should be
>Lightning Strike and Blazin’ Blue fly about half a foot off the ground, ramming into the monsters
>Star Shine and Lucky team up, the unicorn providing a small shield barrier with a small opening allowing only one of them come at a time, the earth stallion taking them out one at a time.
>That’s fucking teamwork.
>As you’re kicking ass, you notice several flashes of light in the sky
>One’s a pinkish light, though something’s off about it. It seems…dark
>The other is pur-
>Twilight!
>You rush to the location of the lights, noticing that it’s becoming darker the closer you get
>Worse, now you have the attention of those…things…
>They’re catching up to you, easily
>You can sense the malice from them. Fear rises from your gut, and breathing is difficult
>Those unnatural things are creepy enough individually, but en masse, they’re unbearable
>Still sprinting, you turn your head
>One of them is close…it opens its mouth, revealing sharp carnivorous teeth and-
>Out of nowhere, Lightning Strike rams into the mid-center of its body, sending it flying about 20 yards away
I owe you one Lightnin’!
>”Just doing my duty SIR!”
>He flies off, and you soon see the other three keeping those things off of you
>You can only wonder what you’d do without them
>In the sky, the magical lights continue to flash like lightning. At your speed, it only takes a minute to come to the source of the lights
>Twilight is cornered by a house, desperately defending herself from a pony matching Rainbow Dash’s earlier description: that “azure coat” and uncanny aura…Pink, but much, much darker looking. Just looking at her gives you a gut-wrenching feeling
>She’s throwing spell after spell at Twilight, who can barely maintain a shield against that bitch.
HEY! TRIXIE!
>She looks over and pierces your gaze. “Who DARES to interrupt the Great and Powerful TRIXIE’S splendid return?”
>Her eyes examine you, attempting to figure out what you are
>Twilight looks up, fatigued by her constant defense. “Anon!” she yells, hope returning in her eyes
>Trixie stops and laughs. “Ah! So you’re the ‘Anon’ this little egghead has been begging for! The Amazing Trixie admits she didn’t expect you to show up.”
>You start walking towards her.
Get out of my town. This is the only warning you’ll get.
>More laughter erupts from her. “Do you not see? This is Trixie’s town now! She won it fair and square from these ingrates!”
>You’re done talking to her
>With your knife still drawn, you sprint towards her, anger in your eyes.
>Before you can make it 15 feet to her, a pinkish barrier stops you like hitting a wall
>Falling on your ass, that bitch taunts you. “Trixie expected more out of you. Now watch as the Great and Powerful Trixie destroys this insolent mare!”
>Her aura engulfs her, and shoots at Twilight like a thousand arrows
>Twilight quickly brings up her barrier, but Trixie’s magic quickly starts to wear it down
>You frantically try to break Trixie’s barrier, but to no avail
>Soon, Twilight’s barrier wears down to the point of uselessness, and a single bolt of Trixie’s magic strikes her across her left cheek
>A small sliver of blood starts to drip, and that laughter fills your ears
>”HAHAHA! That was but round 1! Trixie assures you that she will not survive round 2!”
>You feel yourself being consumed by a focused fury, and a familiar darkness surrounds you
>Just as Trixie is about to unleash her second attack, you drive your fist straight into her barrier and rip through it like paper
>She flinches, appearing to feel you entering her space
>”NO! You DO NOT HAVE TRIXIE’S PERMISSION TO ENTER HER DOMAIN!”
>Her horn pointed at you, a burst of magic shoots straight at you.
>You dodge it at the last second, rolling to the left
>Another beam of magic shoots at you, and with no time to spare, you barely dodge it by rolling to your right
>There’s not enough time now though.
>You see the burst coming right at you, but you cannot get out of the way in time
>Closing your eyes, you tense and throw your left arm in front of you, bracing for impact
>The sound is nothing like you expected: it sounds like a bullet ricocheted off of a metal wall
>Opening your eyes, you see that on your left arm is the shield you were given!
>Did…did you just summon it out of nowhere?
>You did, not even trying for it.
>Without thinking, you run towards Trixie, shield first
>Similar ricochets fill your ears until you hit her
>You hear her hit the ground and you throw your shield from your arm
>She’s down, helpless for the moment, but any second…
>Before she can get up, you throw a brutal punch right under her horn
>She’s conscious, but dazed
>You pick her up by the neck, holding her inches away from your face
>As she comes to, Trixie suddenly realizes the bind she’s in, and is…paralyzed with fear?
>Oh, yeah. She should be. The rage in your eyes is telling her just how you’re going to kill her
>There’s nothing else going on, no fire, no monsters, nothing. The world is just you and Trixie, and her life is about to end by your hands.
>Her dark aura disappears, and she speaks through your grasp “Please, let me go.”
>You reply softly
Why would I do that?
>”I’m surrender! Please, let me go and I’ll never return!”
>There’s a madness in your eyes that communicates to her terrible things
Oh, you’re never coming back. I’ll see to that!
>As you’re about to crush her throat, you feel hooves on your shoulder
>You give a quick angry gaze, until you see it’s Twilight
>Her mouth is moving, but you can’t hear her
>At least, for the moment. You relax a little, and the world comes back to you
>Tears in her eyes, she’s desperately speaking
>”Please! Let her go! She’s no longer threatening Ponyville! Please let her go! She’s no longer possessed! Just…please!”
>Seeing how upset Twilight is, your will to fight disappears
>One last glance at Trixie reveals that she’s frightened more than anyone you’ve seen before
>Breathing deeply, you relax almost completely, your grip on Trixie disappearing quickly
>She falls to the ground and immediately she starts running away
>Objective: capture Trixie-Failed      
>Primary objective: save Ponyville from destruction-Succeeded
>You fall to your knees, black aura disappearing, and realizing you almost killed a helpless pony
>Sure, she threatened your town, but she had surrendered.
>Under normal conditions, you would never have killed a helpless opponent, especially one that had surrendered. Even if that opponent had killed your best friends, if he, or she as it were, surrendered, you would’ve captured her. What happened?
>Twilight steps in front of you, and puts her face into your chest
>Gently, you bring your arms around and embrace her
I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Twilight Sparkle.
>She looks you in the eye. “It’s ok, Anon. You just got a little…carried away. But you still saved the town.”
>You glance around, noticing only superficial damage to some buildings
>It looks like the town would be fully repaired in less than a week
>Even better, there was a lack of bodies lying around of either Ponyvillians or those…things
>They appear to have disappeared with her
The town is safe…Thanks, Twilight.
>”For what?”
If you hadn’t stopped me, I would’ve killed her. You know I would never…
>”I know. And you’re ok now, right?”
Yeah
>You give her a small kiss, and stand up, turning away from her
>As loud as you can, you yell
FALL IN!
>There’s a delay of about ten seconds, but all four members of your squad assemble into formation
>You can see confidence in their eyes and feel professionalism in their stance
You have all done well, exceeding even my expectations. Today, you woke up as Trainees, but tonight you sleep as Airmen. You all went through my hell, and faced a battle far worse than anything I could have set up. Lucky. Lightning Strike. Blazin’ Blue. You all have more than earned the title of Airman, and I could not be any prouder. As of right now, the graduation ceremony will be this Friday. I expect you to finish up helping Applejack with her apple-bucking, but afterwards, feel free to catch some R&R. Do not, I repeat, do NOT do anything crazy.
>”YES SIR!”
Good. Gentlemen, welcome back to my squadron.
>”WE FIGHT TO OUR LAST BREATH! THE FIRST EQUESTRIAN AERIAL REGIMENT! FIRST IN LAST OUT! HOORAH CAPTAIN!”
>You nod at them
DISMISSED!
>They scatter, going back (presumably) to the farm, while you take the next few hours to assess the full damage
 
>1 house destroyed by fire, 12 houses damaged by fire, no deaths or serious injuries
>You return home, dead tired
>You could lead military members, but not civilians
>Thank the gods Twilight Sparkle was there to do that
>Sitting in your study, you start to write a letter
Dear Princess Celestia,
My troops have successfully completed their basic training, and proven their battle-worthiness first hand. It is my honor to invite you to their graduation ceremony this Friday at 1000. I understand if this conflicts…
>You scan over your letter, certain that the invite was proper
>You then write another few: one for Princess Luna, Shining Armor, and your Airmen’s families
>When you finish, you get Spike to send them
>Twilight’s still not home, but you weren’t expecting her to come home while you were still awake
>So you take a shower and get ready for bed
>Pulling off the covers, you crawl into bed
>You close your eyes, and as you’re about to fall into a deep sleep, the door opens
>Twilight walks in, and collapses on the bed
Everything ok?
>”Yes, Anon. Organizing everything for repair was a little difficult, but without you, it would’ve been more difficult.”
Tired?
>”Only a bit.”
>She crawls into bed, and nuzzles your neck
>You, in return, wrap your arms around her and stroke her hair
>”You know, this is the third time you’ve saved Ponyville from destruction.”
Yeah.
>”Anon, you’re no ordinary hero. You’ve always shown up when things have turned for the worse.”
I’m just doing my duty.
>She looks up and into your eyes
>Her hoofs rub your shoulders
>”Every hero needs his reward.” She tells you everything she wants without any more.
>As much as you want to, you’re much to fatigued from today’s events to really do anything… exertive
Let’s save that for after the Graduation.
>A curious glance falls upon her face
How about I take you out to a nice restaurant after the Graduation ceremony? Just the two of us this time? Will you go to the Hard Hoof Café with me?
>Despite the faint moonlight, you can see her blushing
>”Of course I will!”
>She grabs onto you tightly, suddenly more energetic
>You snuggle with her for a few minutes, before your mind starts wandering back to today
Hey, Twilight?
>”Yes, dear?”
About Trixie…Who is she? And what were those things that attacked the town?
>”Oh…her.”
>There’s no hatred in Twilight’s voice, but rather…sadness?
>”She came to Ponyville late last year, about eight months before we met you. She…liked to boast about her magical abilities, but she was only putting on a show. Long story short, I had to save the town from an Ursa Minor, and she ended up running away.”
Ursa Minor? A bear-thing?
>”Well, a baby bear. But yes. When you left this morning, she came and demanded that we accept her ‘greatness,’ but of course, she had a bad reputation here. She was ignored until she summoned those things…”
Twilight, continue. What were they?
>She pauses for a moment before continuing. “I remember reading about them a while ago. They’re ghouls, undead creatures that terrorize the living. I only thought they were a myth, but apparently, Trixie found a way to summon them.”
>You stroke her back, calming her
It’s alright though. We beat her today, and if she shows up again, we’ll do it again.
>”YOU beat her. I saw that you finally were able to use your magic.”
>You can hear the sincerity in her voice. She’s happy for you, but there’s still a little fear.
Still, there’s something wrong. What is it?
>”The last time she was here, Trixie couldn’t do more than a few tricks. It’s a huge leap to go from parlor tricks to summoning undead. And seeing her aura darkened, I suspect that she found something evil.”
>You barely feel her shivering, but it’s there. You bring her close to you
I love you, Twilight, and I swear to you that I will keep you, Ponyville, and Equestria safe as best as I can. You can count on me.
>She lays her head on your chest, and you can’t help but feel a little d’awwww inside.
>As you lay with Twilight Sparkle, your mind takes in all the recent events
>You’re finally done with training your troops. You and your squad just saved Ponyville, and Twilight still loves you.
>Things are looking up again
>Comforting thoughts fill your mind as you fall asleep with Twilight close to you