The Platoon

The Platoon

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Two Weeks Later (Week 2)

“Ohhh, yes, yessssss…” Gleaming hissed as she lay pinned on her back, her legs wrapped around Eros in a lover’s embrace. “Eros! ErosErosErosErosErosErOSEROSEROOOOOOS!”

Gleaming and Eros typically liked to have a morning quickie to start the day. However, over the last two weeks, that morning quickie had extended into at least an hour of frenzied fucking. Gleaming’s heat had been petering out, though, thankfully, and today was going to be her first day back running the Guard.

Eros continued to thrust into Gleaming, moving at a strong, steady pace. “G-gonna need to…” He grunted as her pussy squeezed his cock. “G-get ready soon. You don’t wanna be late…”

Gleaming shivered and arched her neck. “Just… just keep going a little longer yet… Please…”

Eros briefly paused to kiss her, his tongue darting in and mingling with hers. She moaned happily into his mouth, their hips meeting with a wet slap as she was pushed deeper into the bed. Eros made out with her fiercely, dominating her while his hooves ran through her sweaty mane. They remained like that for a nearly a minute, making out and pushing each other back and forth, before Eros pulled back and resumed the task of rutting her silly.

“Things are gonna.... be picking up now,” he panted. “Gotta resume some routine… will be easier now… than later…”

Gleaming held him tighter and wiggled her hips. “Y-you’ve got this... all planned out… haven’t yooOOOOUUUUYESYESYESHARDERHARDERHARDER!”

Realizing he’d found her g-spot, Eros abandoned all pretense and started hammering her for all he was worth. Gleaming’s cries filled the room, and before long her walls were spasming around him once more. Eros grunted and finished shortly after, coating her tunnel with long ropes of thick, gooey seed.

He stayed inside her a little longer after that, hugging her close and rubbing her belly. Gleaming hummed at the warm glow inside her, then touched her horn to Eros’ and gently slid it down, their foreheads touching. “I still can’t believe it. I just really, really can’t… this is all so nuts...!”

Eros kissed her again. “Are you still scared?”

Gleaming nuzzled him. “...a little, but not as much as before. I guess I’m more just nervous, now.”

Eros smiled. “You’re gonna be great, I just know it. I’m here for you, and if you need anything at all, just tell me. I’ll do whatever I can.”

“I know you will.” Gleaming looked past him and up at the ceiling. “Now, let’s hope that everypony else is as understanding.”

Eros chuckled. “Well, we’ll never find out if we just stay in bed all day. C’mon. I’ve gotta turn back into a mare, and then we both need to get cleaned up. Let’s go.”

Gleaming let out a pitiful whine. “But that requires movemennnnnnnt…”

“We can fuck one more time in the shower if we hurry.”

“...I’ll get the towels.”

Gleaming felt the sweat forming on her brow. She paced back and forth in her office, trying not to pay attention to the clock on the wall. She was in her new set of crystal armor, custom made for her smaller frame (also with adjustable straps), and the damn thing was nowhere near as comfortable as her old set. She sighed and looked at herself in the mirror for the sixth time in five minutes, inspecting herself for any missed task of hygiene.

No such luck. Her coat was like new fallen snow, with neatly-trimmed fetlocks and a tightly braided mane and tail, all glistening with a healthy sheen. Her periwinkle armor was spotless, the fine etchings and runes flashing back at her with glints of powerful magic. Her styled sabatons were also new and resized for her, immaculate and free of any scuffs. The magenta star of House Sparkle was emblazoned proudly on her chest clasp, and her horn was expertly filed to a delicate point.

“Guhhhhhhhh,” Gleaming groaned with a bitter scowl. “This is gonna suck. This is really, really gonna suck...”

She paced back and forth for a few more minutes. Soon, she’d be in front of the greenhorn troops. They’d see her for how she now was, and it would be awkward as all Tartarus. They’d be stumbling all over their words, trying not to draw attention to the fact that their chief commanding officer was now a chick. Maybe she should just cast an illusion spell so that she looked like a stallion again. Save everyone all the damn trouble.

“Ergh. No, dammit.” Gleaming hung her head. “I forgot Cady already made the announcement. Shit…”

It seemed she was stuck with this, whether she liked it or not. A part of her knew that this was just going to be like ripping off a band-aid, but that didn’t mean she was looking forward to it.

“Gotta set the right example,” she muttered. “Yeah… newbies aren’t gonna respect me for shit otherwise. If I’m nervous and tripping all over myself, they will be, too. Gotta let ‘em know that I’m still me.”

She threw around a few ideas, each one having pros and cons. One thing for certain, though, was that she didn’t want to pussy-hoof around. These were military ponies; they’d jump on any sign of weakness. A strong start was required, to let them know that she was in charge, that she knew what she was doing, and that she was worthy of their respect.

“Hmph.” Gleaming raised a hoof to her chin. “Not gonna be able to take it back either way, and like Dad always said, there’s no kill quite like overkill. May as well go for broke.”

Gleaming stood still and closed her eyes. She centered herself and steadied her breathing, focusing on the gentle rise and fall of her chest. She called upon her magic, which readily responded with a telltale whum. She concentrated harder and delved deeper into herself, calling upon the vast wellspring of power that everypony in her family was blessed with.

The air began to shimmer and pulse around her, and the temperature in the room rose...

Inside the Crystal Stadium, a group of freshly-inducted unicorn recruits of the Crystal Guard stood in a small, disorganized clump. They were shifting uncomfortably in their new suits of armor, some exchanging nervous glances, others chatting casually amongst themselves. They weren’t exactly sure what they were supposed to be doing at the moment, but they’d been told that they were going to meet the Prince—er, Princess today. Supposedly she was going to be personally overseeing their next leg of training, but nopony had said what exactly that entailed.

However, the Princess was now fifteen minutes late, with nopony giving them any kind update. They were starting to murmur and crack jokes, the funniest one being that she was preparing a speech on losing your d—

The early morning silence was shattered by a deafening WUMPH.

In a terrifying instant, the recruits were all knocked off their hooves by a mighty rush of wind, accompanied by the sizzling of discharged mana. The cool northern air became hot and stifling, with the afterimage of a blinding magenta bolt still etched in their retinas. The ponies all cried out in alarm and scrambled to re-orient, but when the spots in their eyes cleared and they saw what’d caused the shockwave, they all froze like statues.

Standing before them was a terrifying effigy of power. It was a pony, yet all they could see of it was its silhouette, thanks to the scintillating waves of energy emanating from every inch of its form. It’s mane and tail were burning trails of blue flame, waving chaotically and giving off sweltering bursts of heat. If one squinted hard enough, you could make out the being’s eyes; incandescent, sparking with white contrails of magic. Resting atop its head was an intricate golden circlet, set with a gilded sapphire in the shape of a heart.

The recruits stood agape. Nopony moved, or said a single word. The Stadium was now like an oven, and they were all sweating like mad.

“AT ATTENTION, RECRUITS!”Gleaming boomed.

She may as well have cracked a whip. The ponies yelped like they’d been struck, and some of them fell over again. It took a few seconds, but they all regained themselves and formed into a straight line. They then waited with nervous, twitching eyes, trying to retain their composure.

Gleaming dialed it back a bit, just enough so that she could approach them without causing burns. Her mane and tail went back to normal, and her body could now be seen in full. They could now see that she was indeed a mare, completely and totally, and she waited for their reactions.

Widened eyes. A few sets of parted lips. A few of them blinked several times, but not much more than that. It seemed that her little shock and awe tactic had softened the blow. Good.

“Let’s start with addressing the elephant in the room,” Gleaming said. She let a little bit of power creep into her words, just enough so they were laced with a faint echo. “You all know who I am, why I look this way, and what’s going to happen to me in the coming year. For the purposes of your training, that is irrelevant. All you need to worry about is the regimen, and the tasks I set before you. I am still your superior, and you will treat me as such. Is that clear?”

“YES, GENERAL!” the soldiers all said at once.

Gleaming walked down the line of newbies, inspecting each one of them. She knew that they weren’t all troublemakers, of course. Most of them probably respected her regardless of what she did. But she also knew that one bad apple could spoil the bunch, and she would not tolerate that.

Speaking of bad apples, she was pretty sure she’d just found one. A mare in the middle of the line was glaring straight ahead, jaw clenched tight, her lips pursed like she was sucking on a lemon.

Gleaming calmly went over to her.

“Is there a problem, recruit?” she asked.

The mare didn’t meet her eyes. “Was the fire thing really necessary?”

Yep. Called it a mile away. She had to be careful with this one—push too hard, and she’d feel bullied. Give too much slack, though, and she’d walk all over her.

Gleaming raised her chin. “What’s your name?”

“Emeraldine, ma’am.”

Gleaming almost flinched at the address, but kept it together. “Would you rather I show up stammering and blushing like a little filly, Emeraldine? Sniveling and whining about how horrible, how terrible and traumatic it is not being a stallion anymore, sniffling and sobbing like a little bitch?”

Gleaming tapped into her magic a bit more, just enough to give her eyes a dangerous glint.

“Or would you have me give you a friendly reminder of who I am?”

Emeraldine gulped. She grit her teeth harder, but stood her ground nonetheless. “W-we already know who you are, General. You s-said so yourself.”

“You’re right. I did,” Gleaming said. “But maybe I was mistaken, Emeraldine. Maybe my head’s gotten swollen with some hot air. Why don’t you tell me, Emeraldine? Who am I?”

Emeraldine hesitated a few seconds, but then, she took a deep brief and met Gleaming’s eyes. “Shining Armor, Prince of the Crystal Empire, Leader of the Crystal Guard, Brother to Princess Twilight Sparkle and Firstborn of House Sparkle. Hero of Equestria, Defender of the Realm, and husband of Princess Cadance.”

Gleaming blinked several times. She… tended to forget all the titles and accolades she had. She normally wasn’t one for flattery, but she had to admit, her ego was preening pretty hard right now. Perhaps she’d let Emeraldine off easy.

Gleaming let her power ebb away. She stepped closer and spoke quietly, her voice no more than a whisper. “All correct, my little pony. So tell me, do I need to explain myself any further?”

“No, ma’am.”

“Good.” Gleaming stepped back and raised her voice. “And will you—will ALL of you, follow my instructions to the letter, without question?!”

“YES, MA’AM!” the recruits shouted.

“Will you use the spells you learn ONLY to serve and protect?!”

“YES, MA’AM!”

“Will you defend the Crystal Empire to your dying breaths, and make any blithering, scum-sucking MORONS dumb enough to attack our home regret the day they were born?!”

“YES, MA’AM!” the recruits thundered.

“DAMN RIGHT, YOU WILL!” Gleaming stomped her hoof with a burst of flame. “You are the sons and daughters of the Empire! You are its swords and shields! You are all that stands between your loved ones and certain doom! I’m going to give you the tools to survive, and you WILL use them to defend our land and lady! ARE! WE! CLEAR?!”

“YES, MA’AM!”

Gleaming hid her smirk. She could see it in their eyes now—the excitement, spirit and confidence she was looking for. They wouldn’t doubt her now, or at least, they wouldn’t so long as she put her money where her mouth was.

So it was time to get to work.

“Now, I’m first going to be educating all of you on the finer points of large-scale barrier spells,” Gleaming said. She pointed down the field with a slice of her hoof. “We’ll start by…”

That Night-

“How’d it go, Honey?” Cadance asked. Gleaming had just walked into their castle apartment, looking quite weary. “Did you have any troubles?”

Gleaming didn’t reply. She simply smiled, gave Cadance a kiss, then brushed past her with a swish of her tail. She then made for her armor rack and began taking off her gear.

Cadance hesitated. “Uh… Shiny?”

“Mmmhh…” Gleaming cracked her neck and stretched out like a cat. “I thought you were gonna call me Gleaming while I was like this… oh, Celestia, that’s better. The new barding’s stiff as all Tartarus. S’gonna take at least a week to break in…”

Cadance came over and put a hoof on her shoulder. “Hey, come on. How’d it go?”

“Huh?” Gleaming looked at her. “Oh, right. It wasn’t as bad as I thought! I just put up a strong front and rolled with the punches. The rest sorted itself out. They’ll be in good shape before long.”

“Really?” Cadance cocked her head. “It was that easy?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say easy.” Gleaming took off her circlet, levitating it over to a shelf. “I just took care things before they got out of hoof. They realized it was still me, and we went from there.” She shrugged. “Most ponies hold us in pretty high regard, Cady. They don’t really care what we do with our personal lives.”

“Huh! Would you look at that,” Cadance said with a sarcastic lilt. “It’s almost like I was telling you that the entire time! What are the chances?”

Gleaming rolled her eyes. “It’s not like I didn’t want to listen to you. I just had some nerves, that’s all.”

“And those nerves were unnecessary,” Cadance said, nuzzling her. “They’re not good for the foal. Try to stay calm for their sake, hmm?”

Gleaming laughed. “I think it’s a little early to be worrying about things like that.”

Cadance’s tone suddenly grew quite serious. “You’d be surprised. A lot of birth defects and disorders originate from things the mother did in the first few months of pregnancy. You need to be more careful.”

Gleaming mulled that over. She exhaled out her nose, then leaned over to rest her chin atop Cadance’s withers.  “I… think I should probably read up on this.”

Cadance hummed in agreement. “How about we read up on it together, after dinner? That sound good?”

“Yeah.” Gleaming looked past her to out the far window, admiring the skyline and the setting sun. “Speaking of which, what are we having?”

“Seafood alfredo with parsnips and cranberry jelly,” Cadance replied. “Sound good?”

Gleaming brightened. “Wow, that sounds—”

She was cut off by her stomach doing a violent somersault. Her entire digestive tract abruptly began moving in reverse, and it was all she could do not to toss it all right there. Her face turned green, her cheeks puffing out a bit.

“HRK!” Gleaming jerked away and bolted for the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

Cadance looked after her in surprise, but then, she heard the loud, rather unpleasant sounds of vomiting.

She cringed. “Yeesh. So morning sickness really can happen at any time of the day. I’ll have to talk to Twilight about those nausea suppression spells...”