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#Post#: 2985--------------------------------------------------
The Debriefing
By: Foxtrot Date: July 16, 2017, 9:27 pm
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So here's an origin story on how Foxtrot lost his magic. Started
it back in June, 2014 and just finished it. It's a bit of a long
read. Enjoy!
The floor was a light beige; it was hard to tell with the
lighting in the room, but its scratches and small dents
characterize the quality of the tiling as metal boots trot and
scrape over it. The floor is the only thing occupying Foxtrot’s
view as he sits on a nearby bench, the sounds of talking and
orders surround him as troops of the Royal Guard conduct their
business. To his left is a hallway leading to a set of double
doors, standing on either end was a guard dressed in standard
armor, their weapon, spears. The sound of hoof steps catches his
attention and draws his head towards his right as a trio of
senior officers approach. Instantly the unicorn gets up and
salutes as the three ponies walk by, none of them breaking their
focus towards the door. The guards waiting there snap to
attention, tilting their spears straight up, one of the arrivals
nod to them as they walk through, the double doors shutting
behind them. Foxtrot drops his hoof and returns to his seat, the
slight clacking of his own armor not really drawing any looks as
this sound was commonplace in his location. He reaches up to his
horn, feeling the bandages covering the whole thing in a neatly
wrapped cast. After a few moments of random commotion, one of
the doors creak open, a whisper coming through the crack to the
left side guard; he nods and looks over to Foxtrot, “Lieutenant.
They’re ready for you.”
Foxtrot looks over, his heartbeat rising slightly as his name
was called; his outer appearance remains stoic and professional,
despite the growing worry in his chest. With a nod he gets up
and slowly walks over to the door, which is pushed open by the
adjacent guard. The chamber ahead is twice the size of the one
he was just in, on the walls were banners of different units, in
each corner of the room were a pair of guards, most of them
keeping their eyes on the young officer as he trotted in. In the
center end of the room was a raised table, behind it sat the
three high ranking guards, their helmets resting on the table to
their right as papers were stacked right in front of them. The
center guard, a dark grey unicorn with a silver mane, levitates
the papers in front of him and taps them against the table,
evening them out before setting them down. Foxtrot glances
around the room, no other ponies are about other than himself,
the three higher officers, and the room’s guards. Just a short
distance ahead of the table was a smaller booth, a decently
comfortable seat pulled aside as a sign to the newly arrived
officer as his destination. Foxtrot slowly approaches the booth,
sitting down in his seat and resting his forehooves on the
wooden booth in front of him. The officer at the center of the
table looks up towards Foxtrot, “Name, rank, unit of command?”
“1st Lieutenant Foxtrot, 22nd Frontier Guard.” the unicorn in
the booth answers. The lead guard writes down the information on
the paper in front of him them places them down.
After tapping the papers into order once more, the center
unicorn guard looks back to Foxtrot, “Lieutenant Foxtrot, I am
General Stonehoof.” He looks to his right to the navy blue
pegasus, his mane a fading red, “This is Colonel Razor Wind.”
Then the general glances to his left, “And you know your
commanding officer, Captain Augustus.” The earth pony to the
left, a deep orange earth pony sits, his expression is blank,
but his eyes are filled with stern conviction. Stonehoof turns
his attention back to the lieutenant, “Consider this a
debriefing of your last assignment. Ten days ago one of your
soldiers, Private Strider, as well as five civilian merchants,
carried you to the nearest hospital in Vanhoover. He told us who
you two were and where you both came from; unfortunately he
succumbed to his injuries the following night. You’ve been
unconscious for some time and there have been reports of erratic
behavior during your stay at the hospital.” He leans forward,
“Twenty four guards under your command are missing in action.
We’ve sent teams to the location Private Strider told us about
but only found a caved in tunnel and four deceased soldiers.
Where’s the rest of your unit?”
Foxtrot was silent, he looks down to the booth as his memory
plays back what happened to the stallions and mares under his
command. The unicorn looks over to the commanding officers,
“They’re all dead sir.” he answers, his tone still neutral.
The three higher officers do however show some surprise,
Augustus himself stands forward, “What!? All of them!? Fox how
cou-”
“At ease captain!” General Stonehoof barks, setting the captain
to sit back down again. The unicorn looks back to Foxtrot, his
voice less stern, “Lieutenant, from the beginning, tell us what
happened.”
The brown unicorn takes a deep breath as he tries to piece
together what happened those few days ago. “We were conducting a
standard change of posts along the northern Equestrian
border...”
---
“No no no. There’s no way Super Mare could be faster than Red
Speedster. He's the fastest pony ever." Private Strider argues
against a small group of his comrades as they march through one
of the roads along the northern borders. Parts of his brown mane
fall through the earth pony’s helmet and over his forehead.
Another soldier raises his hoof, "Strider please; the Red
Speedster is only the fastest runner around. Super Mare can run
and fly at just as fast as the Speedster."
Strider rolls his eyes and scoffs at the argument, "Paddock
you're so full of crap. When we get to Vanhoover I'm taking you
to a comic store to prove you wrong."
The dark blue earth pony nods, a sly smirk appearing on his
face. "Alright, but when you realize how wrong you are, you
gotta keep your mouth shut for a week. Give the rest of us some
peace and quiet for a bit."
Before anything else can be said, a blue eyed Pegasus hovers
over to the two guards. Her crossbow is slung underneath her
left wing while her bolts were tucked under her right. "Hey will
you two stop arranging your date and pick up the pace? We're
almost to Vanhoover."
Paddock nods and picks up the pace, the small group of guards
around them all follow suit besides Strider, who continues his
pace and looks back at the mare in the air above him. "Hey
sergeant, speaking of dates, can you ask yours to find out just
how much more marching we got left? My hoofs are killing me."
"Just keep going private." the mare replies, "We'll get there
when we get there." She avoids Strider's remark and flaps her
wings a few times. Once she reaches the appropriate height, she
angles herself forward, gliding over twenty seven guards in
loose formation. Up ahead she spots the commanding officer
speaking with the unit's communication specialist. In a few
moments the pegasus swoops down and suddenly tilts her wings
back, stopping her right next to a brown unicorn and a plum
colored earth pony with thick framed glasses. “Hey Fox, when are
we gonna get to Vanhoover?”
“We’ll get there when we get there, Saetta.” Foxtrot replies in
a tone suggesting that he’s answered that question a few times
today. “Why? Is everyone getting hungry?”
The mare shrugs, “I don’t know. Although I will say that my
stomach has started this strange rumbling phenomenon.” She
begins rubbing her belly, “Unfortunately I believe this horrid
infection has grown to the platoon as well.” Her hoof raises to
her forehead as she begins to act quite distressed; the earth
pony next to Foxtrot begins to chuckle at the performance.
Foxtrot sighs, “Alright, alright. Let everypony know to take 30
for lunch. Make sure everyone stays hydrated as well, I don-”
“Woo!” Saetta cheers as she swoops back into the air and shouts
over to the soldiers following behind them, “Chow time
everypony! 30 mikes!” A wave of cheering echoes around as
clanking armor and hustle and bustle follows. Within a matter of
minutes everyone has settled down and begun preparing their
meals.
The earth pony next to the lieutenant adjusts his glasses,
unable to hide his smile as the rest of the unit gets ready to
eat. “It’s hard to tell what the 22nd is better at doing,
fighting or eating.” He looks over to Foxtrot, “Of course they
take after you sir.”
Foxtrot tries to stifle his own laughter before pointing his
hoof at the purple stallion, “Hey as I recall there was a
certain cheesecake that causes the professional corporal Leggett
to fall to his knees?” He looks up, tapping at his chin as he
tries to remember, “Ah, which one was it?”
An expression of satisfied nostalgia overwhelms Leggett to the
point where the stallion stops and looks up, as if reminiscing
of an old flame, “Ah yes the strawberry and creme supreme.” He
lets out a rather exaggerated sigh, “If it was a mare I’d marry
her on the spot. Oh and the feast I'd have afterwards...”
Leggett looks back to Foxtrot with a rather inquisitive stare,
“Speaking of the matter, I heard around that there was a certain
guard who wanted to ask a certain other guard a certain question
with a certain trinket.”
Foxtrot glances over to Leggett with a raised brow, “And you’re
certain on that?”
“Certainly.” the guard answers as the two turn around and walk
over to the rest of the troops, who have now begun their midday
feasting. “But it’s none of my business. For now I’m just
focusing on getting home and working on my novel.”
Foxtrot follows Leggett to the small makeshift camp that has
been set up. The smell of food surrounds them as everyone enjoys
their meals and converse in small chatter. “Oh yeah, how’s that
going by the way?”
Leggett shrugs, “Meh, it’s going along. I hit a plot point that
rea-” A loud clap strikes through the air as the purple guard
shudders before falling to the floor. A splash of blood hits the
unicorn’s face as whatever force responsible for disposing
Leggett slams into Foxtrot’s armor, knocking him right on his
back.
---
“So Corporal Leggett suddenly was hit with something and was the
first one to drop?” Stonehoof asks as the room remains quiet to
hear Foxtrot’s story.
The guard nods, “Yeah, magical blast through the neck. It went
straight through and hit me on my center chestplate; knocked me
right on my ass before anypony knew what was going on.” Foxtrot
pauses, his gaze falling to the booth, “Leggett... was dead
before he hit the ground, and that’s when the attack started.”
Colonel Razor Wind leans forward, “Where was the attack coming
from? How many were there?”
The unicorn shrugs, “It came from the southeast. From what I can
tell there was probably ten or so. The blasts of magic were
originating from the treeline, we saw dark figures; quadrupedal,
and with good aim. They managed to keep our flyers from getting
into the air at first, but we regrouped and pushed them back
into the forest. Things got more difficult after that, they set
a few ambushes, but they never attacked from a place they
couldn’t escape. After some time we ended up at the mouth of a
cave on the side of a mountain.”
---
The guards stop a short distance in the shrubbery as they
observe the large hole on the side of the mountain. Few are
short of breath, taking a drink from their canteen as the now
humid air of the forest surrounds them. Foxtrot examines the
cave entrance, no signs of markings from changelings, or any
kind of animal for that matter. He looks over his shoulder,
“Able team, take point.” Five of the guards nod and slowly crawl
out of the brush towards to the cave. After a few minutes of
tense silence one of them looks over to the forest and signals
the platoon to come forward. The drum of metallic hoofsteps stop
short as Foxtrot steps to the entrance of the tunnel, staring
into the darkness ahead.
---
Razor Wind looks down at his set of papers. "Lieutenant, how big
was this cave?"
Foxtrot takes a light breath, "As I recall it was about... 20
meters across and 40 meters high. We suspected it was a dragon
cave, but there weren't any signs or markings."
"And you are sure they went into those caverns?" Razor asked
once more.
The unicorn nods, "I, as well as some of my platoon, saw a
couple of them run inside. I ordered Able team to guard the
front entrance as the rest of us went inside." Foxtrot pauses,
lowering his gaze to the top of his booth. "It was a long trek
downwards, so I stationed a team every 50 meters down. After an
hour of walking it was just myself and two other guards, I left
the final checkpoint with more troops just in case."
"Did you find the ones responsible for attacking?" Stonehoof
asks as he takes notes down onto the paper in front of him.
Foxtrot shakes his head, "No sir, but we kept hearing noises
continue further down the tunnel. When it was just myself and my
two guards it died down a bit. At one point we didn't hear
anything at all."
---
A glowing orb of light slowly travels down the dark tunnel as
the scraping and clanking of metal boots echo throughout the
cavernous space. Foxtrot taking the lead, he glances back at the
two guards accompanying him, Paddock and Saetta. “Keep an eye
out you two, and movements you call them out.”
A cold chill brushes past them, Paddock slightly shivering in
his armor as he tightens his grip on his lance. “Ah crap, did it
just get a lot colder?”
Saetta nods, “Yeah, it has…” her voice begins to echo into the
distance, the result from a much larger expansion of nearby
space. “I think we hit the main chamber, or at least close to
it.” She nudges the unicorn next to her, her breath becoming
visible against the light emanating from Foxtrot’s horn. “Fox,
can you launch a flare?”
Foxtrot nods, looking forward as the glowing light on his head
increases in intensity; with a pop the orb shoots upward into
the darkness. Seconds later the light grows and becomes
brighter, illuminating the entire cavern that spanned hundreds
of meters across. The stalagmites and boulders below seem off
however as the walls and ground seem to emanate a greenish tint.
Suddenly, whole sections of the wall begin to shift as the
ground begins to shake. A sudden wave of hissing grows and fills
the chamber as dots of green lights begin appearing all around.
Before anyone can react, a shrill cry pierces the air, the first
of many that follow right after as the swarm begins to charge
their horns, flap their wings and begin rising from the depths
of the chamber. Already the first dozen zoom through the air,
targeting the three ponies unfortunate enough to be in their
sights. "Stay close!" Foxtrot shouts as his horn begins to glow
once more. In a flash of light the three guards pop out of the
area, well enough away from the insectoid horde.
---
Colonel Razor Wind breaks away from the story and raises his
hoof. "Alright, so there were changelings then?"
Foxtrot nods, "Yeah, the whole cavern was filled with them." He
pauses for a moment, "I couldn't say how many exactly. Well in
the hundreds though, considering the size of the chamber and how
easily they all managed to squeeze in there."
The Pegasus jots down some notes for a few moments before
addressing Foxtrot again. "Where did you and your team teleport
to?"
"The closet checkpoint, fifty meters back up the tunnel." the
unicorn answers. He leans forward as he continues, "Once we were
there I ordered the squad to retreat back upwards. The space we
had was more than enough of a buffer to reach the other
checkpoints and order them to come with us."
Razor Wind nods, scribbling a few more things before continuing.
"Why didn't you engage them after gathering your troops?"
Foxtrot slightly shakes his head, "We were outnumbered; if we
stayed there we would've been overrun. If we all just retreated
to Vanhoover or our previous outpost however, neither would have
enough time to prepare for all of them. So I thought of a third
option, one to keep them all in that mountain if it was
successful."
Stonehoof leans back on his seat, already knowing the direction
of Foxtrot's plan. "You were going to blow the entrance?"
Foxtrot nods, "Yes sir. But I needed to get to Able team; they
had enough unicorns to help destroy that entrance with magic."
---
The clacking of metal hooves and the panting of exhausted ponies
are slowly overshadowed by the constant buzzing and hissing
lurking in the dark some distance behind them. Foxtrot follows
his platoon from the rear, making sure none of them fall behind.
Saetta takes the lead, following the small traces of light given
by the established checkpoints ahead. Her wings begin itching,
the urge to just take off into the air was really tempting,
however she stays to her hoofs to keep in pace with the troops
she was leading. Thankfully the last checkpoint is at the
entrance, but as she keeps running forward, she notices
something off. "Damn it! How far have we been running!? We
should've been at the entrance by now!" A loose piece of rubble
trips the mare forward; the clanking of her armor gives enough
warning for the soldier behind her to warn the others to stop.
Saetta gets up, her left leg somewhat sore but still functional.
"Light! I need a light up here!" Moments later one of her
comrades appear beside her, his horn flaring a bright light and
illuminating something that chilled both of them to their cores.
"Foxtrot!"
"Charlie and Bravo team, form a perimeter 10 meters ahead! Go!"
Foxtrot shouts as he pushes past the platoon to get to the
sergeant. The hissing and droning sounds from the dark slowly
begin to rise as the squads prepare for conflict. The lieutenant
reaches the other side, and stops when he sees a wall of rubble
and stone blocking their path. "What happened?" He looks to
Saetta, "Where's Able team!?" The mare points to the ground, a
thin but spreading pool of blood provides a grim answer to the
commander's question. At first, Foxtrot is dumbfounded, 'How
could this happen!? We didn't hear an explosion or crumbling or
anything! How!?'
Saetta looks over the catastrophe, something like this was the
last thing she'd expect. She looks over to Foxtrot, his
expression full of confusion and dismay. "Lieutenant," she says
in as calm of a voice that she can muster, "We have changelings
approaching fast, what do we do?" The unicorn doesn't reply at
first, just continues to examine the pile of stones in front of
him. "Foxtrot!"
Like a switch Foxtrot shoves any emotion he has to the back of
his mind, knowing that he still has to get the rest of his
platoon out alive. He looks back to his team, half of them
already in position, "All unicorns, work on getting this rock
out of the way! Use the boulders to create a wall for our rear
guard! Lancers and blade ponies will hold back the changelings
to give them extra time! Archers stay in the middle and provide
cover fire! Let's move everyone, now!"
#Post#: 2986--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Debriefing
By: Foxtrot Date: July 16, 2017, 9:29 pm
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Shouts and stomps go off as each soldier takes their ordered
position, already the unicorns have formed a foot high barrier
in front of the rear guard, making it easier to defend. The
grows and buzzing from the darkness continues to grow even
faster than before, the creatures in the darkness charging
faster towards the intruders. Specks of green begin to dot the
darkness beneath them as an encompassing hiss begins to drown
out the loud thuds of the rocks lifting and dropping to the
ground. Out of the shadows the first changeling comes into
sight; it lets out a short cry before an arrow pierces its chest
and sends it to the floor. Next five, then ten, then twenty more
of the creatures breach the area of light, a majority of them
falling to the accuracies of the Royal archers and their bows.
It doesn’t stop though, as more and more changelings keep
flooding out from the depths towards the dug in guards. Foxtrot
remains at the rear barrier, catching the stones and rubble from
behind and slamming them into the makeshift wall that was
steadily growing in height and strength. A single changeling
leaps over the chaos, landing behind the lieutenant and lowering
its horn for a charge. It gets only a few feet before a large
stone covered in a brown glow crashes into it, a loud squish
being heard as the creature is crushed into the ground. Foxtrot
clenches his teeth as he lifts the boulder again, swinging it
around him to slam it again against two more changelings that
managed to climb onto the wall straight back into their horde.
The sounds of screaming, blasts, rumbling, and clashing of metal
surround the lieutenant as the fighting intensifies. On the
outside of the wall, bodies begin to pile on, only thickening
the guard’s defenses as the barrier to the outside steadily
wears away to freedom. The lieutenant grabs his helmet and
slings it forward into a nearby changeling on the wall, knocking
it back into the group. His head already begins sweating
profusely from the magical strain on his being, “Fortify the
left side! Archers, watch for any jumpers! Two medics to the
wall, one on the inside!”
“C’mon everyone!” Saetta shouts as she loads another bolt,
firing it at a changeling who was taking shots near the
darkness. “Send these bastards to Tartarus!” The mare spreads
her wings and launches into the air, shooting towards another
aerial target. The creature fires several blasts from its horn,
but all miss just enough for the guard to slam the butt of her
crossbow across its jaw, sending it to the floor to be finished
off by another comrade. By now the archers have ran out of
arrows, and have joined with either moving the rocks or
defending the rear guard worth their daggers and sidearms.
Well in the darkness full of buzzing and hissing, silent
hoofsteps make their way to the conflict. A feint but increasing
glow accompanies it as the source nears the guards, ensuring
that their final moments remain in their lair.
---
The scratching of pencil on paper is the only thing heard in the
room as Stonehoof finishes writing notes on the story he’s heard
so far. “So lieutenant you and your platoon retreat back up to
the entrance to find it suddenly collapsed.” He looks up from
his notes over to the unicorn, “No one from Able team was found
alive?”
Foxtrot shakes his head, “No sir. We heard nothing from the
other side, and…” He pauses, his gaze breaking to the floor for
a brief moment, “As the unicorn’s were lifting rocks, they found
their bodies… All were accounted for.”
“I’m sorry to hear officer.” Stonehoof replies as he jots down a
few more sentences on his papers. “Did you know what caused it?
Explosives? Magic?”
“I’m not too sure sir.” Foxtrot answers, “With insufficient
lighting and the changeling threat right behind us, I didn’t
have enough time to figure it out. I just wanted to get my
platoon out of there.”
“What happened then?” Colonel Razor Wind interrupted, “It looks
like you had things under control.” The officer leans back on
his seat, “The barrier was holding up and the outside was less
than a meter away. Yet somehow no one except you and another
soldier managed to escape.”
Foxtrot remains silent, the remainder of the outcome doesn't
help with calming his nerves, the slight tremble in his back
hoof manages to be well hidden behind his booth. He looks over
to Augustus, the worst was just his silence, his blank stare.
The captain wasn't one to be described as aloof, the officer
cared for his troops, and the lieutenant knew that. So why
wasn't his commanding officer barraging him with questions and
remarks? Razor Wind seems to be performing those duties quite
well, although as cut and dry his questions were, he did have
good points to ask them. Stonehoof however appears to be more
concerned with the big picture, his queries being more general
as compared to Razors. Foxtrot takes a deep sigh and redirects
his attention back to the colonel, "Everything was holding up.
The rubble was getting clear, the barrier still stood. Fighting
was close but we managed to keep it under control. I- I thought
everything would work out but... th- that's when it happened.
That’s when things began to fall apart."
---
Thud! The sound of another changeling falling to the floor as it
looks up to see the sharpened edge of a katana strike down and
end its existence. Foxtrot then looks to his left, horn glowing
as he blasts two more taking off into the air. Chips of rock
begin to fly around him as the creatures return the favor,
sending him running to a stalagmite for cover. The changelings
land close and begin charging towards the obstacle; as soon as
one rounds the corner, it finds the unicorn absolutely missing.
A loud crunch behind him causes the creature to jump and look
behind it to find its comrade on the ground, completely still.
Foxtrot stands there with blade coated in dirt and armor smeared
in blood before he lunges forward, stabbing his weapon right
through his enemy and returning to his platoon. The fighting is
intense, and with limited space, very close, shouts and orders
continue against the hisses and screeches as if the sounds
themselves were battling for supremacy. The unicorn runs to the
wall, blasting a few more changelings attempting to climb it. He
runs to the barrier, ducking as more sizzles of magic energy
shoot over his head and splash into the ground. Foxtrot spots a
blue earth pony armed with his spear, lancing one of the
creatures and drawing his spear back before kicking it to the
ground. Running over, the unicorn dives and lands against the
wall next to his team mate, “Paddock! Update!”
“Holding up sir!” the stallion shouts as he adjusts his helmet.
His armor is already stained and scratched, but holding up well.
“As long as the unicorn’s keep it going at this rate, we can
hold them off.”
Foxtrot nods and pats his shoulder, “Good, keep the lancers at
the front and the bladespo-”
“Lieutenant!” another voice shouts some distance behind the two,
“The changelings are falling back! What are your orders?”
“Regroup!” the unicorn barks, “Regroup! Get those rocks out of
the way!” More shouts and orders are given as the guards return
to their posts. The almost rhythmic thuds of the boulders piling
on themselves becomes more dominant in the tunnel as the sounds
of changelings begin to fade. Foxtrot still remains tense,
looking around for something off or out of place. “I don’t get
it.” the stallion mutters to himself, “They don’t just give up;
what could they be waiting for?” A deathly silence surrounds the
cavern as the platoon’s makeshift wall is finally erected to the
ceiling. The soldier’s rally around, a few orbs of light
illuminating the dark enough for them to tend to the wounded,
the fatigued, and the battered. The lieutenant trots over to the
makeshift wall covering a slice of the tunnel, scanning for any
weak points amongst the rubble. The other side is quiet, not a
whisper or a hum is heard, which make Foxtrot uneasy. "Everyone
get set to move. Unicorns get ready to blast the entrance and
seal this place shut. I wa-"
A faint laughter is heard amongst the commotion of the guards,
silencing them abruptly. Foxtrot steps back from the wall as a
dim glowing green light begins to glow between the cracks. His
heart beat slows down as the glowing increases rapidly, far
faster than he can react. Before the lieutenant can take another
step, the stone and boulders erupt and explode into the space
occupied by the guards. Foxtrot is engulfed by the rubble, only
a small flicker of light encompassing him before he's smothered
in the rocks. The droning of the changeling horde floods from
the darkness. The swarm of creatures rush through the breach and
engage the soldiers with even more tenacity. The lieutenant
though, remains motionless under the stones.
---
The room is still, the higher officers have their full attention
to the details. Razorhoof continues to write down notes, already
going through several pages in the process. Stonehoof scribbles
a few points down but hasn't gone past a page. Augustus remains
silent, his page blank and his pen resting on the table as the
stallion leans forward in silence. A tap of the papers and
Razorhoof returns to the list of inquires, "You heard laughing?"
Foxtrot nods, "Yeah, it was faint, but I definitely heard
something. Then there was the glowing and then the explosion. It
was dark for a while, I couldn't see or move for some time."
"Were you unconscious?" Razor continues. "Short of breath,
numbness, anything that could've affected your performance
during the fight?"
"Other than having a wall of stone bust forward, encompass me
and crush me under its weight, I was doing rather fine." Foxtrot
answers rather blatantly with a smidge of sarcasm. "Honestly I
was able to get my shield up in time to take most of the
damage." The unicorn leans forward, his tone more sincere. "I
was still underneath all of that rock. I couldn't do anything,
just breathing was a strain." His breathing becomes shallow, the
memory of suffocation tugging at his nerves for a moment before
being suppressed to the back of his mind. With his breathing
regulated, Foxtrot looks down to his booth, leaning on his left
a little more as well. "The drones flooded through the breach
and engaged the platoon; the fighting kept going and there I was
underneath hoofs and damn stones."
"How long were you underneath all of it?" the general asks as he
pencils in a few more sentences.
Foxtrot looks towards the officers ahead of him, "I uh, hmm..."
The unicorn pauses to think of just how much time passed while
he was buried. "I'd say about... 5 minutes or so. I don't
remember who pulled me out but it was chaos. We fought... Damn
it we fought, but we couldn't disengage them. We were still
trapped in the cave, and with endless bugs around..." The
unicorn breaks eye contact, closing altogether. "It turned to
hell."
---
“Right flank! Fallback! F-” A loud pop goes off next to Saetta,
the force knocking her down and leaving a deafening ring in her
ears. The mare shakes her head, the view in her eyes vibrating
as the sounds of fighting slowly creeps into her hearing. One
sound does get her attention, one of hastily approaching
hoofsteps. She looks up to find a smaller shadowy figure closing
in on her much faster than preferred. The pegasus, realizing the
bow still in her hoof, lifts it up towards the approaching
creature as it let’s out a hiss and and bares its fangs. The bow
clacks against the changeling’s teeth as it growls against the
guard. Saetta looks around as the ache in her legs as they
struggle to hold the creature at bay. One of her arrows is
nearby and she reaches out to get it, but it becomes more
difficult as the attacker presses even more against her bow. A
blade from the side pierces into the changeling, forcing the
creature off in a screech of pain. The mare looks up as the
pressure is takes off of her hoof to find Strider reaching down
to lift her to her hooves. “Thanks Strider, where’s the
lieutenant?”
#Post#: 2987--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Debriefing
By: Foxtrot Date: July 16, 2017, 9:30 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Strider looks over to the pile of rock, “I saw Fox over there,
haven’t seen him crawl out yet.” The stallion ducks a magical
blast and looks back to the sergeant, “We gotta get him out!”
The two ponies race over as the fighting around them continues,
slowly one by one a guard succumbs to the sheer numbers of the
changeling horde and the exit itself is barely opened. Strider
and Saetta arrive at the rubble surrounding their commanding
officer and begin digging up the stones that cover him. “Here he
is! I’m getting him out!” Strider pulls Foxtrot out and drags
him away towards the collapsed entrance of the cave along with
his weapon, the pegasus behind them firing a volley of arrows at
any changeling daring to get close to them.
Foxtrot begins to shake his head as his eyes open to the cavern
that still surrounds him and his team. “Damn it.” he curses as
he gets up, catching Strider’s attention. The unicorn scans the
area, picking his katana up as his head spins with faint
dizziness. “Strider, what happened?”
The earth pony looks over to the pile of rocks that he pulled
his commander out of and looks back to him, “A total shitstorm
sir! We need to get out of here, there’s too many changelings
and we’re dropping like flies!”
Foxtrot looks over to a few of his soldiers about to be
overwhelmed and charges his horn. Focusing, he blasts the
creatures off and shouts, “Everyone fall back! Get to the exit!”
The unicorn continues to lay down suppressive fire with his
magic, but begins to feel the toll taken on him by doing so. The
guards he saved run over to the small hole in the cave entrance
and continue pulling away the rubble at a frantic pace. Their
numbers are slim now, less than ten remain as the changelings
keep pressing through; in the distance, a sickening laughter
reverberates across the cavern walls. As enough rocks and rubble
is pulled away from the entrance, the light seeping through
becomes a target for the changelings hovering overhead of the
fighting below. In a matter of moments, a flurry of magical
bolts rain down on the guards below. Foxtrot catches sight of
the barrage and immediately raises a barrier around himself and
those nearby. The pained shouts behind him draw his attention to
the entrance to find the troops that were working on opening it
are now motionless on the ground, too far to have been protected
by the unicorn’s magic. Strider, already showing signs of
serious injury, and Saetta are the only ones left in Foxtrot’s
barrier; three soldiers left with a clear exit and a swarm that
desires to keep them from it. A heavy strain in his head forces
the lieutenant to concentrate on the changelings overhead, his
barrier already beginning to fade and flicker. “Strider! Saetta!
Run to the exit! I’ll cover you!”
Saetta pulls back on her bow and fires another arrow towards the
horde before them, taking down one of the changelings firing on
Foxtrot’s shield. “You can’t do anything if they keep firing
down like this!” She looks up to see how many creatures are
still hurling magical blasts at them, “I’ll take a few out, draw
out some of their fire, then swing back right through the exit.
You need to get Strider out of here!” Wasting no time the
pegasus parts open her wings and bends her legs as another arrow
is notched.
Foxtrot cringes as his magic is strained against the barrage
from the changelings above. He can’t get a word out as he
watches Saetta take off into the fray, shooting down some
attackers and lifting some fire on his shield. The pegasus
continues taking out the creatures, but draws too much attention
as the changelings begin firing on her. In a matter of moments a
blast of magic hits the mare and sends her twirling out towards
the ground. “Saetta!” Foxtrot screams as he brings down his
shield; splashes of magic crash around him, sending specks of
dust and rock over his face. His horn lights up as he aims it at
the crowd forming around the sergeant. Saetta lands meters away
from him with a loud thud and a snap. The bow flings into the
air and falls back down between the rubble and rock. The unicorn
frantically runs towards his comrade, but is engaged by more
changelings attempting to slay him.
---
The room is choked with silence as everyone listens for what
happens next. Foxtrot at this point is trembling. Everything
around him is muted. They know how it ends. He has to say it
though. His own words. The unicorn can't even look them in the
eyes. “I was able to get a few feet closer… but…” He opens his
mouth but words don't form. “I couldn't… I-” Foxtrot's eyes
water, tears trickle down his face.
Stonehoof knew of this sight all too well. A soldier can do
their best, but it isn't enough. “I'm sorry you had to go
through all this, son. If you need some time-”
Colonel Razor Wind was less phased by the whole thing. He was no
stranger to this either. “General, we don't have the time. Right
now, the families of these soldiers want answers. As of now we
have an ambush, a chase into a cave…” His eyes narrow at the
unicorn, “And orders that should never have been given.”
Foxtrot looks up, shaking his head, “I tried… I tried to-”
“Tried to what?” Razor cuts in. At this point, Foxtrot is
speechless. Wind sighs and sits back. “Look, lieutenant. This…
must've been a terrible experience for you. Out in the field,
things like this happen. But when word gets out, when these
families hear about what happened… somepony has to own up to it
and answer for what they've done. That's you.”
General Stonehoof nods, “The Colonel is right, Foxtrot. While we
can't make any official decision yet, we can't guarantee there
won't be any repercussions. But that's why we're here. To get
answers. Facts. To know the whole story so we can come to a fair
conclusion.” Stonehoof notates a few things before looking back
to him. “So, do you remember what happened after? How you and
Strider got out?”
“I…” Foxtrot hesitates. “I actually don't remember. Things went
blurry and then my head felt like it was on fire. Honestly I
thought someone blasted me in the head.” He wipes off his
cheeks. “Next thing I know I'm in a hospital.”
Captain Augustus turns to the other senior officers. “We'll just
have to go with Strider’s testimony.” He looks over to Foxtrot,
“He said after you lost Saetta, you… lost it.” The stallion
picks up a report and reads it out loud. “His words were,
‘Captain, by Celestia it was a sight. The lieutenant roared like
Tartarus itself. His magic, it was so bright; blinding even. He
blasted them. Sir, the changelings. They disintegrated.’”
Augustus’s words send chills down everyone's spine. The guards,
the officers, even Foxtrot himself was taken aback by this
revelation. “Private Strider concludes that… the hundreds of
changelings in the cave vanished. It sounds… exaggerated.
However, with all those bugs cramped in such a small space, it's
plausible. Regardless, the blast damaged the caves structure.
The private dragged your unconscious body out before the whole
thing caved in. The rest is history.”
“So it seems,” Razor Wind concludes. He writes down another page
of notes before looking to the others. “I have no more
questions.”
Stonehoof nods in agreement, “Likewise. Lieutenant. It's been a
trying few weeks for you. As of now I'm putting you on medical
leave. It'll take some time for us to come to a verdict. Is
there anything else you'd like to add before we end this
debriefing, lieutenant?”
“No sir,” Foxtrot answers. Despite the whole thing, he felt a
tinge of relief. To tell his story. Get things off his chest.
It's short lived. Now, he must await their decision.
“Very well. Dismissed, lieutenant.” Stonehoof says, sorting out
some final notes. Foxtrot salutes, and then exits the room. His
fate is in their hoofs now.
---
Two weeks have past. Two weeks of waiting, recovering… and
worry. Foxtrot's magic hasn't returned to him since. His
bandages have come off. Still, the scars inside are fresh.
Dreams are nightmares. His saving grace is just the lack of
sleep. The stallion finds himself sitting outside in one of the
fairgrounds in from in of the hospital. He only sports his green
jacket. His uniform is only a reminder of shame.
“Foxtrot,” Captain Augustus approaches. The lieutenant gets up
and was about to salute, but it was cut off. “At ease, Fox. I'm
here… to tell you the verdict. Sit down.” Augustus sits down
next to his lieutenant on the bench. The two sit in silence.
Wind blowing through their manes as they watch ponies go about
their lives. “So… they made a conclusion. It actually took
longer than expected but… well, this was a really grey situation
we're in.” He sighs, “I won't sugarcoat it Fox. I respect you
too much to do that. The Royal Guard is letting you go.
Honorable Discharge. Razor Wind wanted you court martialed. But
you're a heck of a soldier. You've led the 22nd to their
fullest. Your work with The 26 and your involvement in Saddle
Arabia wasn't taken for granted either. This… this is your last
month here. You're still getting the support for the physical
and mental therapy though. That's about it.”
Foxtrot is still for a while. It's better than he expected. Much
better than he thinks he deserves. He looks over to his Captain.
“Augustus? You were quiet for most of the debriefing. I want to
know… what are your thoughts?”
“Fox, I knew every one of those ponies personally. Knowing
they're gone just like that? I'm still wrapping my head around
it all.” Augustus looks over to him. “I know you too, Fox. I
believe everything you said. I know you did everything you
could. But part of me still wants to ring your neck dry. I had
to write every single letter to those families. Detailing what
happened over and over again. I just… I just ask myself, why?
Why you guys? There was no reason, other than you, Foxtrot.” Fox
looks over to him with some confusion. “I don't know what work
you do with The 26, but I got a feeling something is going on
with them. Maybe I'm just clutching at straws. Hell, the whole
thing could've just been bad luck. Still…” Augustus gets up and
looks at Foxtrot one last time. “Whatever the case is, things
will balance out. Any wrongdoings will see justice. What is done
in the dark, will be brought to the light. Foxtrot…” The Captain
offers his hoof. Foxtrot gets up and shakes it with his own.
“It's been an honor serving with you. I hope you can find peace
with all this. You're a good stallion, you deserve that much.
Goodbye.”
Foxtrot watches as his commanding officer leaves. Everything
he's ever had; his career, his friends, his love, all gone. By
the month's end, he would venture out alone into the world.
Without hope, without purpose. It would become be the most
difficult period in his life, but one that would ultimately make
him stronger than he's ever realised.
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