Part 35 Reunion
 
>You wake up, face in the dirt
>The remnants of a nightmare still lingering in your head
>From what you're able to gather, you had decided to take a short break from your journey and sat down
>A blink of the eyes, and you were suddenly out
>Your body was probably more fatigued than you thought
>Quick assessment: Body is a little sore due to weird sleeping position; no missing items; time of day: 0740
>Not bad, but you still don't know where you're going, other than a general direction of South
>Going through your pack, you take out a nice chunk of meat, and a can of peaches
>You examine your food supply, and notice that you only have another three days of food
>Gotta worry about that some other time
>Quickly consuming your breakfast, you get up
>The sounds of the forest surround you
>There are plenty of trees, but the area isn't dense. Sunlight is able to reach the ground
>It's almost beautiful here
>The forest actually starts to remind you a little bit of your hometown in autumn
>Dying leaves scatter the forest
>You begin to wonder why you didn't notice this before
>.....
>........
>Yeah...probably your little "errand" kept you distracted...
>But you wonder what season it was when you started your journey here in Equestria
>Time since then seems to have slipped you by, but it feels like a second home
>A home you been banished from...
>A home you love...
>A home worth...dying for?
>Yes. A home worth dying for. What's happened to you wasn't fair...
>Hell, you've been condemned... And her....
>But Equestria is your home now, and whether the inhabitants like it or not, you're here
>You're here, and nothing is going to stop you from protecting it
>With any and all means necessary
>Your inner thoughts done, you start to move, when you hear something
>A continuous crackling sound, faint, and natural
>Sounds peaceful, and natural...
>Water!
>You could certainly use a landmark...er...watermark to guide you to the next town
>Not to mention a steady supply of water...
>Rushing to the sound's source, you still maintain awareness of your surroundings
>The crunching beneath your boots drowns out the chirping birds
>The scent of water upon you drives you nearly insane
>Before long, you find the river
>It's quite wide, and would be a nice, less than 5 minute swim for you to get to the other side
>The water is quite clean-looking, sparkling blue
>You can't tell just how deep it is, but since you can't see the bottom, you assume it's pretty deep
>A splash occurs, drawing your attention
>On edge, you're reluctant to pass it off as a fish
>Another splash happens, this time you see the fish
>Ah, another meat source
>Quite good news indeed
>Without a moment to waste, you hurry to the river bank
>What stops you from immediately pushing your face in the water is your reflection
>Your facial hair looks like a fair amount of stubble, considering you can't remember ever gracefully growing it well. It always looked bad, but right now you look like somewhat of a different person, with a rugged five o'clock shadow
>Another striking feature was the hooded cloak you had fashioned from the Head Crusher's pelt
>His eyes gone, but expression still showed the pleasure he took from the way he killed his victims
>The roof of his mouth is big enough to cover your head
>Hell, his pelt gives great cover for you from the weather
>Since climbing down that mountain, the weather hasn't been that bad though
>Functionally, it has served its purpose and is no longer needed
>Still, you can't bring yourself to part with it
>Apart from that, you look like a guy that hasn't seen a shower in months
>How long have you been gone?
>Feels like months, but it should only be a few days
>You cup your hands and scoop some water from the river to your mouth
>For water, it tastes pretty good
>Almost too good to believe. Nice and cool, and definitely clean
>You start gulping the water
>A canteen falls out of your pack, water sloshing inside
>Fuck the water inside it
>You empty it, and fill it from the river
>After about ten minutes of rehydrating, you get up
>As you're just about to start walking, you hear a faint noise
>Unnatural in sound, it's followed by similar noises
>Almost like screaming, it sounds like it's coming from across the river
> Jumping in the water, you swim to the other side
>Screaming means people
>Or rather, ponies. Or something smart enough to have its own civilization
>Hopefully
>Reaching the shore, the sounds are still faint, but are a bit clearer
>You run towards the sounds through the forest, uncaring about the noise you're making
>Ever clearer, the screaming sounds now sound like a conflict
>Perhaps you can be useful here...
>Quite concerning is that the sound is getting clearer, but quieter.
>As you run, you notice a slight incline in your path
>You don't care
>In fact, you sprint faster. Being dripping wet doesn't matter to you
>All you know is you need to get there NOW
>A clearing comes into view, and you realize you're on top of a hill
>A hill with a sharp decline, and an otherwise picturesque landscape
>What stops you dead in your tracks is the view
>Below you is the sight of a badly-losing fight
>You recognize the uniform of many scattered, bloody bodies as that of the Royal Guard
>There's a good amount of Diamond Dog corpses scattered as well, but they're clearly overwhelming the Guard
>A small group of Guards is left, defending themselves from the horde
>There seems to be four in particular fighting like crazy
>Unsheathing your great knife, you stand at the edge
>You give a war cry that pierces all ears in a mile radius
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
>All eyes are now on you
>The Guards and Dogs both look confused at the loud black-furred creature above them
>You pull the hood (head) of your fur cloak, revealing your face
>What you hear is a little cheering from the Guards, and a bit of groans from the Dogs
>You even hear a Dog shout in surprise
>"Isn't that the Head Crusher's skin?!"
>Your response: your black aura and a jump off the edge
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iwC2QljLn4
>Landing hard, the ground feels it more than you, with a little crater surrounding you
>You stay in your crater for less than a second, dashing towards the nearest Dog in front of you
>He offers little resistance to your blade, still in shock
>Quickly sinking your knife into his neck and ripping it out, the others seemed to unfreeze
>Reacting quickly, you hop to the next victim, bashing his head in with the handle of your knife
>Four of the Guards start to run to your aid
>You must be killing pretty quickly, because you're quickly catching up to every Dog
>Soon, you've lost count, but it's already more than twenty that are down by your hand
>Then the four Guards helping you...They've taken down a good amount too
>You grab a Dog's head and pull it towards you
>Fear in his eyes, you stab him right between them
>Efficient kill? No. Painful, and full of flair? Yes
>This one dropped something...A saber?
>He must have been the commanding officer
>What a pussy
>Quickly picking up the sword and putting it on your belt, you carry on with your assault
>You see out of the corner of your eye that the four assisting you are fighting in a strange manner for ponies
>In little time, a total of five fighters just drove off at least 100 Dogs
>And killed more than 200
>The sun is midway in the afternoon when the last Dog in sight falls
>Brow full of sweat, you slowly calm down
>Your aura disappears, and you feel a bit fatigued
>You turn to the four that helped you fight, noticing one more a ways back that stayed where he was
Great work men. But where the hell did you learn to fight?
>They all remove their helmets
>In unison, they yell "From you Captain!"
>Your four trainees
>Blazin' Blue
>Lightning Strike
>Star Shine
>Lucky
>You absolutely cannot believe your luck
>Standing at attention, they immediately fall into formation
Men, you've clearly demonstrated your combat expertise, and I am more proud than I thought possible.
>"Thank you SIR"
>You stand at ease
Relax everyone. Tell me what's happened since you left?
>Lucky steps up
>"Sir, since you left for your mission, all Guards have been on stand-by status in case you've failed your mission."
>Mission? Huh...Wait, Princess Celestia did say something about some made-up story about you protecting Equestria
>Well, it's not too far off from the truth at any rate
As you can see, the Diamond Dogs are back, and they are hostile. I know they're trying to get into Equestria as we speak. We cannot let the fight reach our beloved country!
>Star Shine speaks up
>"Sir? Didn't you single-handedly take down the Diamond Dogs last time? What changed?"
A fair question Star Shine. They've got a new leader they call Boss Paw. He's apparently driving them towards this attack, and he is our top target. End his life, and we may spare thousands of our brothers.
>The other guard approaches your troops
>By the looks of it, he's an earth pony
>His uniform is slightly different
>It looks more fanciful, with less functionality than-
>Ah, it's an officer
>He looks experienced. Must be the senior officer of this small group
>Your grin disappears when his mouth opens
>"Get away from that filthy monster!"
Pardon?
>All four ask in unison "Sir?"
>"This monster... Princess Celestia warned all the officers about him! Get back!"
>"Sir, he just saved us! He's a hero, and our survival instructor!
>"He's a menace! He killed at least 10 civilians in cold blood! We must warn the Princess about his return!"
>You get a sinking feeling, mentally preparing yourself to do what it takes...
>"Sir, we know him! He would never do that! It must be a mistake! Captain, tell him!"
>You lower your head
.....
>"Captain?"
.....
>"See?! His silence admits his guilt! We can capture him if we all take him!"
>You steady your hand, ready to strike against them...
>Can you do this to your troops?
>Lucky yells at the officer
>"SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH LEAF GREEN!"
>The officer looks stunned
>"Did you just..-"
>"Fuck yeah I did! There's more to the story than is being told here!"
>He steps up to you, and turns, facing them
>Almost immediately, Blazin' Blue, Star Shine, and Lightning Strike follow suit
>"He is a Captain in our Guard, and deserves the respect of such. We, his faithful subordinates, will not capture him to be treated as a criminal without evidence!"
>You're surprised as hell
>Your four troops just gave you the benefit of the doubt, something you never thought you'd ever get again
>You're...touched...
>Meanwhile, Leaf Green starts to back up
>"You realize I have no choice but to report this mutiny as well?"
>"We know."
>They all suddenly pounce on their former commander, tying him up with rope
>They even gagged his mouth
>When they finished, they returned to you
>Lightning Strike speaks up first
>"It's great to see you again, sir. What's our next plan?"
>Still looking down, you hesitate to answer
..........He's half right....
>"What?!"
...I might have killed some civilians, but I don't know. I was...
>You almost choke
...I was not...conscious... at the time I supposedly did it. I don't have any recollection of it, and I never was able to tell my side of the story. I was banished for this, and I still don't know if I really killed anyone or if I was framed...
>They all remain silent
I'm not fit to lead you. All I ask is that you let me escape to fight Boss Paw...
>Star Shine speaks up
>"Sir, I'm certain I speak for everyone when I say that we'll follow you through hell and back. You're our Captain, and we're going to fight alongside you. Am I right?"
>"HOORAH!"
>A faint voice cries out
>"owww"
>Hmm? A survivor?
>You look immediately, and find the source of the noise
>A Dog, still alive somehow
Ah, good. A survivor
>He appears to have just gotten knocked out. His comrades around him don't appear so lucky
>Or unlucky, as the case may be
>You pull out the saber, noting it's sharpness and weight
>Yes, killing something with this would be rather easy
>Pointing it to him, you clearly make your demands
Where is the rest of the Diamond Dog Army?
>His raspy voice answers "Why the hell would I tell you that?"
>You smile
I don't think you understand your position here. I am going to kill you. But how you answer my question will determine how you die. If you tell me everything you know, your death shall be quick. If you do not answer me, or I sense that you've lied to me, you will be nailed to a tree. You will have your organs ripped from your inside, and you will only be relieved from this excruciating torture when you have provided useful information
>His eyes widened, implying a sense of understanding
Now, where is the rest of the Diamond Dog Army?
>He cracks immediately
>"They're about a day's travel Southeast of here! The plan is to invade through an unguarded field!"
>Blazin' Blue cuts in
>"You mean past the Manticore Pass?
>"Yes, the very same!"
When will they attack?
>"The morning after tomorrow! Now please don't torture me!"
>You grant him his wish
>You deliver a swift blow in the head from the saber, killing him near-instantly
>Wiping the blood from the sword, you turn to your troops
We will head there immediately. Blazin' Blue, it sounds like you know the location, therefore you will lead us to the Pass. Any questions?
>They shake their heads
Good
>Lucky raises his voice
>"The First Equestrian Aerial Regiment will have the honor of defending the Princess against the Diamond Dog Army!"
>"HOORAH!!!"
...No.
>They all look at you
>"Sir??"
Our group cannot be a part of the Royal Guard. You're all deserters as far as the Guard is concerned, and I'm a banished officer.
>"Will we not have a name then?"
>They all look a little down
>You raise a brow
That is incorrect. We have a new name. In light of our circumstances, we are Bad Company.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNHlVo0cPa8
>Blazin' Blue takes point, and navigates the group towards the Manticore Pass
>The sun lowering, it's on your right side
>You no longer have the dishonor of fighting alone
>Now you have your troops
>And that feels like a vast improvement
>Pride swells in you, and you're ready to take on the Diamond Dogs again
>Under your breath, you mutter
Boss Paw, get ready for the fight of your life.