Chapters P.R.I.D.E. (Personal Responsibility In Daily Effort)
How'd I get stuck with these guys?
"You know that all squads are entirely stretched out, with all due respect princess" Shining Armour gulped because he didn't want to let down Princess Celestia in this time of crisis "There is no one i can lend you at this time."
Princess Celestia held her slight frown, how could she smile in a time like this, between the small, yet very numerous Canterlot riots and the fact that Queen Chrysalis is on the rise and her aim is unknown. "Shining Armour, we need a team to at least gather information on Queen Chrysalis, if we do not. Who knows where she will strike, and with the royal guard so outsourced how can we even defend one single civilian" she sighed "I will take anyone you can spare."
Shining Armour thought for a second "well" he paused "No, they won't do"
"Whoever it is I asuure you i can use" Princess Celestia interupted
"Are you sure about that?" Shining Armour began "Because this isn't exactly....."
princess celestia interrupted "I assure you"
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"im not working with them" his voice was stern and cold as he looked at Shining Armor with his cold eyes "They're ingrates, wastes of flesh, useless is too nice a word for them." Rebel Flame scowled "They are the worst of the worst and you want to send them on an important recon mission?"
"Look Reb" Shining Armor began "I'm not asking you to take them, I'm ordering you as your superior officer. This is directly from the Princess herself and if you don't agree with me than take it up with her."
"Look" Rebel sighed "All I'm saying is they will get themselves hurt, or worse." Rebel stopped as the scent of coagulated blood and images of friends and squad members being tortured and disemboweled. Their hoarse pleas for help from their mothers as their eyes were plucked out of their sockets and their stomachs ripped out of their abdomen and ripped open being forced to drink their own stomach acids. Rebel shuttered at the memories not wanting to relive those moments. The people they were sworn to protect attacking them in revolt like a dog biting the hand that feeds it. "I don't want that."
"then train them, turn the worst squad of ponies into a fearsome militia.One that even the mighty queen of the changelings will squirm at the name being said by one of her own men." Shining Armor looked at Rebel Flame, the war torn stallion that has seen things that would make any other pony go as bonkers as screw loose on a bad day.
"How, all the officers have tried and they all failed." Reb began
"But none of them were you Reb, I've looked up to you when i entered the royal guard, I was there when you retired, and i was the one who asked for you by name to the princess so she could bring you here" Shining Armour interrupted.
"Why am I so important to you? I'm old news, done, finito, retired" Reb said "Look, I had a breakdown. I saw too much and i lost it. I left because every night I wake up swinging at invisible forces that haunt me to this day. I am not fit for duty anymore. Again, I'm retired"
The door swung open and a flock of royal guards marched in escorting none other than the princess of the sun herself, Princess Celestia. She looked at Rebel solemnly and then her eyes drifted to an almost enraged Shining Armor, she was at a loss for words at the scene. It takes alot to get to Shining Armor this bad. She thought fast to find a way to defuse this tense scene
"Rebel Flame, my captain has personally asked for your assistance and I fell that you should at least consider this, take a day or two to contemplate. You will be paid as much as you used to" she looked at Shining Armor "Shining Armor will not be in your way."
"But princess with all due respect" Shining Armor began
"Think of it as your own small group of mercenaries, you train them as you see fit and use your own tactics" she looked "but, your failures are also solely on your head." she began walking out of the door and stopped "it is all on you." then continued walking
before she could leave " I guarantee you I will consider it, weather or not I agree to this is debatable" he sighed and left behind her and left in the opposite direction.
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the bar was dimly lit, the scent of alcohol and regret entered Rebels nostrils as he sat at the bar. The things Celestia said bouncing around the inner confines of his mind like Pinkie Pie on a trampoline, as if she needed one. He drank down his spiked cider and thought. Suddenly a conversation popped up that he couldn't help but listen in on.
"So, word around the courtyard is some old mule is coming in to try to whip up 4th squad into shape." one voice said.
"Well I heard it was the old royal guard captain. you know, the one that went batty and attacked that doctor." another said
"what in Celestia's name was Shining Armor thinking bringing in some old loon to try to help them?" a third said
"Dont get too worked up i heard he turned the princess down i mean this is The Princess we're talking about, thats some moksey that stallion has"
"I think he would'nt last a minute back in the force." the first voice chimed in.
Rebel had had it he paid the barkeep and left the bar to make his way to his small house, have dinner, think, and sleep.
Author's Note
I know this is quite the small segment but I'm alittle pressed for time and i wanted to get you all atleast a small blerb of it.
P.R.I.D.E. (Personal Responsibility In Daily Effort)
dim nights and dark dreams
By the time Rebel had gotten home the sun was begining its daily routine of dancing across the sky, his eyes bloodshot and his legs weak as he used magic to open his door. He crumbled on his bed and tried to sleep but couldn't, he had too much to think of. Why him? Why now? None of it stood out more than one sentence said by the princess 'It is on your head'. he looked out the window to see many ponies beginning their day about Canterlot, many ponies protesting but some showing semblance of a time long passed, a time when ponies would just socialize with eachother, no problems among them. A time when it didn't feel like a dystopian police state. Sure it looked like the friendly Canterlot from before but nothing about the insides of the city was the same.
After taking a long look at Canterlots shape, his lack of sleep finally caught up to him. Those words still in the back of his mind as he began to dream. The same nightmare he always had, Running through the streets with his old squad trying to quell the citizens but to no avail. The insults being thrown at them by the people, then and unruly unicorn with a deranged look in her eye levitating Dim Night, his long time friend, and plucking out his eyeballs 'Reb!' he would scream but to no avail. his other men were now getting mutilated as well he could only look in horror as the men he cared so deeply for were brutally murdered in front of him, and eventually him galloping away like a coward but as he was running in the back alleys something changed. the streets elongated and the crowds were gone.
"Rebel Flame" a soft yet regal voice same from all directions "Look at me."
Rebel was looking all around, this wasn't the usual dream he had with the ponies running at him with the limbs of his squad being thrown at him, it was much more calm. "Who's there?" he began "this isn't real, this is a dream, YOU are not real."
"I am very real" A dark blue alicorn, Princess Luna, appeared before him "I understand your feelings, your want to avoid this mission because of the deaths of your squad."
"Those men, were more than my squad. They were my family, my only family." He began "You don't understand this feeling."
"The feeling of having your family taken away, to be alone." Princess Lunas voice became more stern "I was away from any signs of life for one-thousand years. I understand."
"You get to see your family again though, I don't." a tear came down Rebels face "If this was some sort of ploy to get me to do what Celestia wanted you fucked up."
"Rebel, you were the one who left, you could of saved them, their deaths are on your head" Luna looked at him and for some reason he calmed down. those words got to him. Just like that those words that have been bouncing in his head had been given meaning 'on your head' such a small phrase has made more sense than ever before. and it all lead to one simple word. Redemption. Just like that Rebel woke up.
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Princess Celestia was sitting on her throne reading a letter as the doors to the throne room are nearly broken off. The guards move in flocks towards the wreckage and just like that Rebel walks into the throne room.
"I'll do it." Reb was breathing heavily as he tried to think of more to say "Not for you, not for Canterlot, not for Shining Armor, but for me. This is a matter of pride and redemption."
"So you will aid us." Celestia grew a small grin on her face "you do remember what i said right?"
"It's on my head." and just like that Rebel Flame teleported out of the throne room.
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"Man, this sucks" Maple Muncher began "First the get rid of sarge, NOW we get this new leader whos supposed to 'rix our problems'"
"I bet it's just one of those basic training squares." Super Fly begins mocking a Drill Sargent "Drop and give me twenty! Your a maggot! Eat your vegetables! Do your homework! Stop mocking me!" Maple and Super Fly began laughing "So Wall Buster, whats your take on this guy?"
"I don't really care as long as i get to break stuff" Wall breaker said looking at a nearby cinder wall.
"Thats Wally for ya, one track mind. if he has a mind" Anarchy said from his "comfy" bed.
Just as their conversation was getting good, The door flung open hitting Maple Muncher in the face and Rebel walks in with a stern look on his face "What is pride?!" he yelled.
"First of all" Maple Muncher began "your dumbass hit me with the fucking door, next who the fuck are you?
Rebel looked at Maple Muncher "What. Is. Pride!"
"Answer me" Maple began only to be cut off by Anarchy.
"Dude, i think this is the guy." Anarchy began "Calm down Maple"
"As of today" Reb began "I will turn you into a group of militant warriors, ya snots."
The four stallions one unicorn, two pegasi, and a earth pony, looked at him quizzically as if they have seen him somewhere and burst out in laughter.
"Is that the guy from the bar?" Maple began "So, hes the loon?"
Their laughter exploded, tears were running down their faces as they began to comprehend the situaltion.
Rebel stood there until their laughter dulled down, his face like stone. "Look, we have three days to get ready for the mission, now ill ask you all again. What is pride?!"
"Overcompensating for something in you lower regions" Maple said and they began laughing again but this time Reb used magic to levitate Maple "H-Hey?! what are you doing?"
"Pride is something you need. it means Personal Responsibility In Daily Effort, you have until the end of the day to memorize that, if you can't. It wont be pretty." Rebel walked out slamming the door behind him.
P.R.I.D.E. (Personal Responsibility In Daily Effort)
It had been days and it seemed like the same old routine: Wake up, 7 minutes to shit and shower, breakfast, train, lunch, train, dinner, sleep, and all the while answering 'What is pride?'. Rebel Flame seemed ruthless, he had no use for a recon group who can't even do his "simple" tasks, but they soldiered on, hoping that once this would end that his whole mean act would end.
It was the dinner-time or the last day in their hell, after this it's off to the mission, Rebel was dressed in a simple denim vest, he stepped up to a stack of books he liked to call the podium and began to speak. "Congratulations, you all have made it through my simple tasks. now granted there were plenty of trails and tribulations, but it was to make you stronger."
"As if we couldn't handle it." Maple yelled in the relatively small room. the others began chuckleing.
"If i had more time with you this would be the part where i woulda told you this was just the beginning of things. It would've been much worse, torture resiliency and explosives. Basic Medicine." Rebel chuckled, something he rarely does "one of you woulda eaten a poison berry and the others would've had to heal him before he died. I remember me and Dim night were both poisoned when our leader did it, licorice stick was so busy." He trailed off it was the first time he could mention Dim Night to anyone without seeing the gory scene, and even though he hated to notice, he grew fond of his new group of recruits over the days they pent training. They reminded him of his old squad. the boisterousness and comraderry was almost identical. granted it brought back many horrendous memories kept tightly sealed away, but the amount of good memories of the times when his friends were with him had greatly out numbered the bad. Even the recruits noticed that over the days he had been seemingly different.
"uh, Reb?" Wall Breaker said as he finished his third plate. "we out of food?" he got no responce, rebel seemed to be in a trance "helloooooooo? wake up sleepy head."
"huh? What?" Rebel was thrown back to reality "oh, anywaaaaaaays, I feel that even though i didn't give you all the skill i wanted you will at least be able to save you skin from the changelings if anything arises. You are no longer maggots also, yeah. you're actually Stallions. Now 'What is pride?!'"
"Personal Responsibility in Daily Effort!" They all said in unison.
"Good. Dismissed! we meet here in 12 hours time." Rebel said sternly holding back some happiness.
"But I'm still hungry." Wall Breaker whined.
"Damnit, here buddy." Anarchy handed Wall Breaker some of his dessert.
"aw, Anarchy has a heart" Super Fly boasted
"Okay okat we get it, Anarchy likes stallions, so I don't discriminate" Rebel joined in, the other ponies laughed until they realized who had said it and was astonished. Rebel. Their Rebel. Making jokes. How is this possible? "Now get some sleep and make sure i don't catch any of you spooning with Anarchy, Bubba would be mad".
"Whos bubba?" Maple chimed in.
"Just leave it." Rebel said as he began towards the door.
"you're just gonna leave without explaining yourself?" Maple began "i mean, you are acting alittle chummy."
"fuck off." Rebel began as he cleared his throat "I'm just giving y'all a break."
"Suuuuuuuuuuuure" maple chuckled "Ol' Rebs a softie."
"Fuck. Off." Reb walked out of the mess hall and towards his room, it would be a long journey ahead of them, and hopefully, not like his last mission.
Author's Note
Hey y'all, if you got any questions about the direction of the story don't be afraid to hit me up, i'd love to answer some questions.
also sorry i was gone for 2 days, 4th of july, and then a bad hangover the next day.
