Pony by Day, Mercenary by Night

Chapter 4

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“Goodbye Room.” Both Rex and Sev said as they made their way out of the inn.

 The sun was setting; Celestia’s eye in the sky was finally closing, as Luna’s own slowly opened.  Rex and Sev made their way to Canterlot Castle without hassle and were about to enter when they were stopped by two pegasus night guards.  They both extended their wings as Rex and Sev were about to go through the castle gates.

 “HALT!” they both said in unison

 “Goddam, not this crap again” Rex muttered under his breath.

 “Why are a couple of rag-tag shits like you walking this way?” Said the guard on the left.

 “We were invited here by Princess Celestia herself, now if you don’t mind; we’ll just be going through.” Rex said clearly irritated

 Both guards chuckled as the kept their wings extended, “Really? You expect us to believe that a couple of shmucks that look like you got invited here by the Princess herself?  Stop joking; you guys don’t even have clothes!  Did you just come back from the bar or some shit?  I swear, you drunks are always trying to sleep in the castle gardens.  It’s annoying as hell when some poor-ass shits like you decide to leave a puddle of piss behind.  The smell is a bitch to get out.  SO why don’t you make like the smell, and get out?” The guard on the left piped up.

“What’s your name and rank soldiers?” Sev asked.  “My friend Blue Cross and I were invited here for an audience with the Princess herself; however, I suppose that when she asks us why we never showed up, we can simply tell her that we weren’t allowed to enter by the pair of guards in charge of the gate.  Wonder what her reaction will be.  Pay dock? Maybe firing you two?   Hell, she’s a princess, maybe she’ll have you jailed for insubordinate behavior.”

Both guards looked nervously at each other.  Nopony ever did this before.  The ponies without proper permissions who tried to get into the castle at night never said things like these before, they were only ever threatened with legal action or action from their superior by nobleponies, but these guys didn’t look anything like nobleponies, hell, they didn’t even have clothes!

“I think I’ll go ask the Lieutenant about this, what did you say your names were again?”  The guard on the left asked.

“Name and rank first soldier.”  Sev coolly replied

“Private Shades” The Guard replied

“And you?” Sev asked, gesturing towards the other guard

“Private Ironwing” He shakily replied.

“Names Blackfire, and this is Blue Cross as I’ve already said.  Now, hurry up and go ask your C.O about this before I take this matter up with the Princess herself, better yet, why don’t you tell her that Blackfire and Blue Cross are here to see her, and that you two are wasting their time by delaying them?” Sev said, smirking at the Guard’s obvious discomfort.

“O-okay” Shades shakily replied, as he flew off.

 Shades returned about five minutes later, this time, visibly shaking.

“O-okay, you’re clear to go sir.  Sorry for the delays, w-we hope we h-haven’t inconvenienced you too much” Shades said.

“Hrm, well, it wasn’t too much of an inconvenience, but I still think I might have to bring this issue up with the Princess herself.  I mean, after all, if I have to put up with this crap every time I come through here, it’d be really inconvenient, not only for myself, but for the princess herself as well.  I mean, aside from just us, who knows how many ponies are wrongfully turned away simply because they don’t look right, I might just have to ask the Princess about the discipline of her employees.  After all, you guys ARE the ROYAL GUARD; you’ve got an image to keep up.  So, just remember, if there are new discipline codes going around, it’ll be all your fault, and your buddies at the mess hall will know who to blame.”  Sev said as he calmly rubbed his hoof against his chest, looking disinterested.

 Shades looked like he was about to piss himself in his armor as he said “N-no sir, please, this won’t happen again, informing the Princess won’t be necessary!”

“I’ll think about it.” Sev said as he calmly strode past the now terrified guard, Rex following right behind him.

Waiting until he believed they were out of earshot, Ironwing asked Shades  “Dude, the hell was that all about?”

“Bro” Shades replied “We were just being dicks to the stallion that saved Princess Celestia’s life, and became her personal bodyguard.”

“Oh, shit” was all Ironwing could say

Waiting until they were out of earshot, Sev and Rex broke into laughter.  “Oh, god.  Blackfire, that was genius” Rex said as he wiped a tear away from his eye

 “I know right?  Did you see the look on their faces?  When that Shades  guy came back, he was actually shaking!  And then, after I told them that I might tell the princess about their shit, he looked like he was about to piss himself!”  Sev replied as they both broke into laughter.

 They both reached the door to the castle, where they were greeted by another pair of guards.  These looked older, and more experienced.  They eyed Sev and Rex suspiciously, but nevertheless carried out their duties.

 “We are here to escort you to the Princess.”  One of them said.

 “Well, gentlemen, lead the way” Sev said with a bow

 “What the hell’s a gentlemen?”  One of the guards asked.

 “Never mind, just lead the way.”  Sev said

 The guards grunted and proceeded down a hall.  After several minutes of trotting, the ‘escort’ arrived at the throne room.  There, Celestia sat on her throne, flanked by a pair of unicorn guards, with Luna by her side in another throne.

 Celestia smiled as she saw Blackfire and Blue Cross walk into her throne room.

 “It’s very nice to see you came.  But, what took you so long? Oh, and guards, you are excused” she said.  The guards who escorted Sev and Rex to the throne room took their leave to begin another patrol.  The guards next to the throne however, simply stood there stoically.  Celestia coughed and said “That includes you too” to them, with a grin.  The guards looked at each other nervously

 “Are you sure princess?”  They asked

“Yes, now, please, if you must, then remain outside the door until you are called for.  My sister and I must discuss some private matters with Blackfire and Blue Cross here.”  She said with a smile.

 “Very well.”  They said and left

 “Well princess” Sev said whilst grinning “to answer your first question, we were held up at the front gate by a couple of guards, they said we looked like and I quote ‘a couple of rag-tag shits’.”

 “That’s not all I wanted to ask you Blackfire.  I was also wondering how you were able to react so quickly to the rafter when trained guards were still paralyzed with shock.”

‘Crap, well, I was expecting this, time to be honest’ Sev thought, with a smirk.

“Oh, well, you see, Blue Cross, my other brothers, and I would always play these games where we would hunt for targets, or had to capture points.  To be proficient at these games, you had to have good reflexes, so I guess that just sort of kicked in here.”  He said.

“Well, that was interesting to say the least.  I survived because you were good at games.”  Celestia said with a smile.

“Sister, we would like to speak with thou in private.”  Luna piped up.  She had a distrusting look on her face ever since Sev and Rex had entered the throne room.  Everyone was startled at her sudden out burst because she had remained silent up until now.  Celestia complied and Asked Sev and Rex to leave the throne room for a bit.

“But of course, Princess, just call us when you’re done.”  Sev said with a smile.

Once they had left, Luna confronted Celestia.

"Sister, we do not trust them". Luna said

"Tell me sister, why do you not trust one of my little ponies?" Celestia responded.

"Tia, hast thou attempted to read their minds yet?"

"Luna, why would I read his mind?  Besides, If he meant my harm, why would he save mylife?"

"Sister, when we tried to read his mind, we found we could not.  We were being blocked by something."

"Alright Luna, if it'll make you feel better I'll read his mind.  Besides, he's going to be by me every day and I think I'm more than capable of defending myself if he tries-" Celestia was interrupted by a large explosion sounding off In the distance.

Once they were out of earshot of not only the princesses, but the guards at the doors as well, Rex piped up.

“Y’know sir that was some genius bullshitting.” Rex piped up.

 “Yeah, I know.” Sev replied.  “And it wasn’t bullshit; it was just a modification of the truth.”  A loud explosion was heard in the distance then Sev shivered violently for a moment.

 “You okay sir?”  Rex asked

 “Yeah, I just think that something horrible is happening at the camp.”

 “What do you mean?”

 “Well, Scorch probably blew everything up, Fixer is having a panic attack, and Farshot is probably strangling Scorch.  That’s just what I thi-" Sev was cut off by a guard who trotted up to them.

"Which one of you is Blackstar?". He asked

"That would be me." Sev piped up

"Princess  Celestia has summoned you."

"I'll be right there"

As Sev made his way to the throne room Rex followed him.  Upon arriving, they were greeted by Celestia.  She smiled at them as they entered the room.

"Blackstar, no doubt you heard the explosion from mere moments ago"  She said with a smile.  Sev was lost upon her beauty and found himself wondering why he hadn't noticed it before.  Her smile, it wasn't the same condescending smile he had seen and wiped off the faces of countless politicians before; it was a genuine smile.  She radiated power, yet she did not seem arrogant.  Sev saw something in her that he didn't see in many other politicians.  He saw kindness.  He saw compassion.  He saw a ruler who served her people or in this case, ponies, not something that goes the other way around.  He noticed her mane, ever flowing in a nonexistent breeze, cores like a rainbow, billowing ever so majestically.  Her face, pristine and-

'Dammit Sev!' He thought to himself.  'She's a fucking horse. It's just the hormones of this form talking.  Then again interspecies relationships aren't frowned upon anymore these days, kinda like that 'Gay Rights Movement' way back when.   Well, I guess I can thank the aliens for something now.'

"Blackstar, are you listening?".  Celestia asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry Princess, could you please repeat that?  I drifted off for a bit.". He responded

"Certainly.  I was saying that I would like you to go investigate the explosion in the forest from a few moments ago.  Blue Cross shall remain here with Luna to be tested in his healing abilities."

"With  all due respect Princess, I'm a bodyguard.  My job is to protect you, not investi-"

"You didn't let me finish Blackstar.". Celestia said with a smug grin on her face.  "I am going to the explosion site, you are to accompany me."

"Very well Princess, if that is what you wish.  However, I need to use the restroom if you would be so kind as to point me In the general direction?"  Sev responded.

After Sev located a bathroom and locked the door, he biomorphed back into his armored human form and attempted to contact the rest of his squad via the built in holoscreen in his helmet.

"Zeta squad come in, this is Boss Zeta."

Misha's visage graced his HUD.

"Misha here" came the reply

"There will be a what I assume to be convoy of locals headed your way led by a Princess.  What is your status?"

"Well, Scorch atomized half the ship and it's lost all functionality, Farshot tried strangling him to death, and Fixer is having a panic attack.". Came the response.

"I knew it."  Muttered Sev under his breath.

"What was that sir?"

"Nothing.  Anyways, if that's the case, salvage what you can of any equipment and supplies then obliterate the rest of the ship."

"Roger"

After this, Sev morphed back to his pony form and left the bathroom to rejoin the princess.

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Meanwhile, in the forest-mere moments ago

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*Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle*

Scorch’s eyes were bulging out of his now blue face as Farshot was holding him against a tree, by his throat.  Kicking, and trying to free himself of Farshot’s hold on his throat as he slowly lost more air.  Farshot’s yelling was getting fainter and fainter as the world grew dark.

 “WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?”  Farshot yelled.  “YOU BLEW EVERYTHING UP!  HALF THE SHIP HAS BEEN COMPLETELY ATOMIZED BECAUSE YOU DECIDED THAT IT WAS A SMART IDEA TO BURN SOME FUEL RODS WE SALVAGED!”

 Farshot’s yelling was getting fainter and fainter to Scorch as the world slowly started to fade.  Then, the pressure on his neck was alleviated as Farshot’s vice-like grip around his throat was suddenly released. He fell to the ground with a sputter and started taking in rapid deep breath’s to put more oxygen back into his system.

“Farshot, we all know that Scorch’s use of the fuel rods was highly unorthodox and against protocol.”  Piped up Kad, now standing over a Farshot who was gripping his head and curled into a fetal position.  Kad dropped the fragment of what used to be a three foot slab of stone, now pulverized as it hit the back of Farshot’s helmet.  “But that’s no reason to kill him.  After all, we're all still Zetas.  Besides, there still might be a way off this planet, or out of this dimension or whatever.”

“Yeah, yeah, I guess you’re right, but still, half the ship has been atomized, Misha’s gonna be pissed as fuck.  Side’s that ship has been with us since we were first drafted all those years ago.”

“Yeah, I remember that day too.”  Kad said as he remembered the day he turned ten.

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Flashback, nine years ago- Detroit, Michigan

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Kad had just turned ten yesterday, he came home from school and heard yelling coming from inside his parent’s apartment.

“HE’S ONLY TEN!  I’M NOT LETTING YOU TAKE MY ONLY SON FOR YOUR CHILD ARMY!”  Kad opened the door to find his father, a very large, muscular man yelling at a man in a suit sitting at the kitchen table.

“Dad?”  Kad piped up.

“Oh, son, go to your room, Mr. Smith and I here are just discussing some adult matters.” Responded his father.

“Actually Kad, that won’t be necessary.  You see, you’re coming with me to The Academy in a bit.  We have to registered.”  The man in the suit suddenly said.

“FOR THE LAST GODDAMN TIME!” Kad’s father yelled only to be interrupted.

“Sir, I’ll have you know that I can authorize use of military force if that becomes necessary.  One way or another, that boy IS coming to the academy.”  The man in the suit said.

 Kad’s father realized that he was cornered, and proceeded to talk to Kad.

“Son, listen up, that man in the suit is going to take you to a place called the academy.  You mother and I won’t be able to see you for a really long time, don’t worry, we can still call you though.”

“I’ll be here to pick up the boy at seven O’clock sharp.  He had better be ready and here, if he isn’t I CAN have you prosecuted for draft evasion.”  The man in the suit said before he left.

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Two hours later

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“But dad” Kad said while crying, mucus running down his face “I don’t want to leave you and mom!”

“Its okay son, we’ll be fine.” His father said as tears formed in his eyes.  His mother was still in the house, crying her eyes out.

“Tick-Tock boy, you’re running out of time.”  The man in the suit piped up.

Seven days later

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The man in the suit had led Kad into a room with eight other boys of varying sizes and skin tones.

“Well BOY these are your new friends” The man in the suit said to Kad as he pointed to a young Sev, Scorch, Farshot, Misha, Ghost, and Fixer who was hiding behind Rex, as well as another boy.

 “You will be working with them for the rest of your probably short life.  Child soldiers generally have low life expectancies after all.”  The man said as he laughed.

 “On top of all that, due to your exceptional performances in all test subjects, we’ve decided to nominate you for program Zeta.  Nine hundred young kids like yourselves were chosen.  We picked only the very best, and you guys, made the cut.  This program is to enhance all of you in every which way.  Not only physically; but mentally as well.  You’ll be stronger, faster, smarter, heal better, and will be more durable than most people.” He said.  The man then left the room

 “God, that guy is an ASS” A young Sev said after the man left the room.  “Anyways, I’m Sev dafuq are you?” He asked.

 “My name is Kad”

 “Rex, at your service”

 “I am Misha”

 “Sup, I’m Scorch.”

 “Farshot”

"Black"

 “…”

 “F-f-fixer” Fixer piped up after he came out from behind Farshot.

"Those aren't your real names are they?" Sev asked "Cuz Sev is just my nickname"

"Same here" was the response he got from most of The boys present in the room.

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Return to present time

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"Zeta squad come in, this is Boss Zeta."

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Well, that's this week's chapter folks, I'll probably pump them out at a faster rate this week.  If you are wondering about the delay, it's because I had writer's block.