Another Death, Another Life

Chapters

Prologue: Changelings!
Chapter 1: What a Nightmare...
Chapter 2: Getting Ready
Chapter 3: Into the Deep

Prologue: Changelings!

Another Death, Another Life
By
Teal

Prologue: Changelings!

Changelings!

Changelings coming by the swarm, from everywhere!

From our front, our backs, and on both flanks, changelings swarmed in, filling the large cavern with their insect like forms, as the annoying buzzing sound of their wings echoed through the stony walls, sending chills through my spine.

As I look in front of me, I could see a wave of black figures coming in a gigantic torrent as their teal eyes glowed in the darkness. The hissing sound they made, as they attacked, made my bones shake within me, as I felt my body quiver in fear. In turn, I could feel my hooves shake because of this, yet I tried my best to fight off my emotions and concentrate at the task in front of me.

From what they thought us back in training, the best way to stay alive in a mission was to forget all your fears and focus. Because once your fears take over you, then you would begin to hesitate, and when you hesitate, you’ll find yourself biting the dust. So the key was to concentrate and forget all fear.

Too bad that was easier said than done.

With hordes upon hordes of changelings rushing through the tunnel, bent on killing you, trying to stop my fright from overrunning me was just as hard as fighting the changeling from overrunning us all.

Trapped in a large cavern, deep within the Changeling’s Catacombs, me, and every single pony in my platoon, found ourselves surrounded and cut off from any form help. With hundreds upon hundreds of changelings pouring out of the tunnels and only forty of us, it was clear that this battle wasn’t looking good for our side.

Using my helmet’s visor, which was enchanted to see through the dark, I could see the silhouettes of our enemies charging upon us, as their horns glowed green, ready to strike us. Normally, in open area situations, a changeling would disguise themselves and sneak up upon you, using the image of an ordinary pony as camouflage. But in these dark and cold tunnels, a changeling wouldn’t need a disguise to disguise themselves, as the darkness provided them the perfect cover. Good thing we had the enchanted helmets to help us or else we would be completely in the dark.

Keeping a tight grip of my double-bladed weapon between my jaws, I tried to concentrate on the approaching enemy.

Let them fire and get close, once in range, you swing your weapon and slice them apart. Keep the swings sharp and quick. When things get too hairy, fire you’re blunder bust and fall back.

If I stick to those tactics, then things would probably work well for all of us. Tunnel Raiders before me had used this tactic to great affect before, I sure as well hope it would work now.

Streaks of green beams flew pass me, as the changelings shot their glowing green balls of fire at us. We were told that our armor was specifically made to absorb these beams, keeping us safe from enemy fire no matter how many times they fired at us. But I didn’t believe them. Nopony did. Sure, maybe they could fend off one or two direct hits, but I was pretty sure that they can’t take them all. Because if they could, then the EDF would receive a lot less casualties than they usually do.

The thought of my armor not being up to the job was actually scaring me once more, as I felt my body shake at the thought. This made me realize that I was doing a lot more to scare myself than keeping my head on the mission.

One of the many shots fired by the changelings landed a couple of feet in front of me, causing me to yelp in fear and jump back in surprise. As I opened my mouth, the handle of my bladed weapon fell from my jaw’s grasp, as it went towards the floor. The sound of metal hitting the stone floor echoed, as it attracted the attention of the pony beside me.

“Hey, Rookie…” She said, not even turning her head to face me. “…try to keep it together here. I know this is your first time and all but, try to calm down, for Celestia’s sake. You know what they say I Basic, right? Fear is only on the side of the enemy when you let it get in to you. So just take a deep breath and calm down!”

Calm down? Easy for her to say. She had been doing this for a long time now and knew how to control her emotions.

From what I knew, Scarlet over there has served in five tunnel operations, which brought her to the deepest crevices of the changeling tunnel systems. Now, five combat operations may not sound a lot, but for any member of the Tunnel Raiders, five was plenty to make you a veteran.
To survive one operation was a gift on its own, to survive five was a sign from Celestia herself.

But despite my initial hostility at her suggestion, I decided to do what she said and try to calm down. She was the veteran and I was the rookie. If I wanted to survive this, then I must follow every bit of advice they give me.

Just calm down. Think of nothing but you’re training.

Picking up my weapon, I could feel the heavy blade shake under my grip, as I once again held it between my jaws.

Made out of the strongest material and sharpened to the point that it could cut you by mere touch alone; the Standard Long Sword was the primary weapon for the Tunnel Raiders of the EDF. Sharp enough to cut through the strongest of armors and long enough to give some distance, for the user, against his or her attacker, the SLS was the perfect weapon for changeling hunting.

In tight confined areas, the sharp end of the weapon could be used for stabbing, while the swinging tactic was commonly used for more open spaces, one that were very similar to the situation we were currently in.

Having only used this weapon during training, I was completely nervous to actually use in now, in combat. The usually light sword no felt heavy, as my internal fears was starting to kill me from the inside.

I could see the horde only a couple of feet away, as I hear my teammates grunt, preparing to swing their deadly swords upon the changeling hoard.

Standard training told us that the swords were the weapons that we should use against the enemy, as it was an effective weapon that could hack and slash through hoards like this. In theory, the combination of blade and armor would keep our lines stable, enabling us to hold until somepony came to rescue us.

It was a good tactic and I’m sure it would have worked for me if I didn’t panic during that moment.

When I saw those pair of glowing eyes approach me, I felt my nerves break as I choose the wrong decision.

Instead of using my sword, I slowly backed away and fired my blunder bust upon the approaching hoard.

Attached to both sides of our sides of our armor’s side plating, the blunder bust was a one-shot and close range weapon, designed to spray dozens of little metal pellets upon a clustered force in front of you. Fired by removing the safety and pressing upon the trigger by nudging your legs backwards, the blunder bust was only used when somepony gets surrounded and needs to blast their way out or give covering fire to distract their enemy long enough for them to make a getaway.

But for me, none of these scenarios were the one I faced. For instead, I acted in pure panic that was a result of my fear. So, apparently they were right, fear is on the side of the enemy when you let it get to you.”

As my blunder bust went off, creating a loud bang inside the cavern, the sheer force of the weapons, plus my backwards movement, managed to push me a great deal backwards. Backwards till I tripped on a rock and fell on large a depression that I didn’t notice before.
With these caves carved by time and changelings, there were many area that a pony could easily trip on and fall. Apparently, I just happened to come across one of them. Luckily for me, it was only five feet deep.

The sounds of screaming and battle could be heard from the top, as the battle intensified.

With me gone from my position, the strong line of defense my platoon has created now had a gap, open for any changeling to breach. It would only be a matter of time before they were all overrun, unless the gap was filled.

So I acted quickly, by climbing up the small hole I fell in. But my attempt to get out was cut short, as something hit me and caused me to fall back down.

I ended up on the rocky floor, with something heavy squashing me, as it lay on top of me.

Opening my eyes, I began to see what the object on top of me was.

It was one of my platoon mates, hit by changeling fire and kicked down the very hole I was in. The area on which the shot hit was still warm, as I could feel heat emitting from it. Inspecting the hole on the armor, trying my best to see it with my visor, I saw burnt red fur sticking out from the edges of the hole. My eyes widening, I suddenly realized who this was.

Scarlet…

My heart immediately sunk as I felt the fear within me suddenly return.

If a seasoned veteran like her could easily die in a battle like this, then what are the odds for a rookie like me? All hopes of escaping this alive suddenly vanished, as I found myself trapped within a massacre.

Looking towards the top, I could still hear the sound of battle going on, as screaming and hisses echoed around.

Changelings jumping over the hole and attacking my platoon mates covered the sight that I saw, as I listened to the chaos unfolding.

Then, it was during that moment when I head a different voice.

“Yes! Kill them; leave not a single one alive.”

The loud booming sound of the voice echoed loud and clear, as I suddenly saw large feet stand by the edge of the hole I was in. Despite being a rookie, I clearly knew who it was, as anypony in Equestria recognized the leader of their number one enemy of Equestria. It was Queen Chrysalis!

Half of me told me to hide and make sure that she doesn’t see me in my hole.

But then I realized, what would that do? I was still trapped here, with no way out. If I hide, I still had no chance of getting away.
Instead, another force drove me, as I tried to position myself in the perfect angle. With one blunder bust still ready to use, I decided to give the changeling queen a little gift before my inevitable death. I tried to push the dead body of Scarlet away, so that I could get a clear shot of my target.

But this action made our armor hit each other, causing a clamping sound that attracted the queen’s attention. She looked down at me and stared, before her horn glowed, ready to send an attack at me.

The moment I fired was also the same moment she shot at me.

I didn’t really remember much of what happened next, other than the bright light that engulfed me.

Author's Note

Inspired from the novel All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka.

Chapter 1: What a Nightmare...

Chapter 1: What a Nightmare...

My eyes shot open as the sudden and loud smashing sound of the barracks door opening echoed in the room, followed by the bright and piercing glare of the lights turning on and shining upon my now open eyes.

Before this, I never actually understood everypony’s desire to sleep on the lower bunk and their disdain to take the upper one. To me, the top bunk seemed fine and elevating position, as well as being a safe place where no drool from the pony above me would water fall down and coat my fur. But now, as the bright light bombarded my eyes, I began to understand why everypony preferred to sleep on the lower bunk.

Still shocked from the horrifying nightmare that I just went through, it took me a short moment to realize that I was back in the real world and out of Princess Luna’s dream realm. With such a vivid and life like experience, depicting my fears in the most horrifying way, I could have easily mistaken the nightmare as reality. Luckily for me, it was just a nightmare.

But the loud slamming sound of the door opening made me realize that the real nightmare was about to begin.

“Alright!” I heard a loud booming voice shout, as I groggily lift my head and look around the barracks. “Up and at ‘em everypony! You lazy sacks have had enough hours of sleep already so it’s time to get up. I want everypony in line and at attention in twenty seconds! So move!”

Springing into action, everypony inside the room seemed to immediately react as soon as the orders were bellowed. Acting mainly on the instincts that had been drilled into our minds, we quickly jumped out of our bunks and formed two parallel lines on the barrack’s long hall.

I, who was still fresh out of basic training, was slight slower than the rest of the company, who were already veteran of this morning routine. But I did manage to go fast enough so that I was already in line by the time the counting reached to twenty.

Standing in line and keeping my body straight, I could hear the sound of heavy hoof steps echoing inside the room. Turning my head to meet the source of the sound, I managed to catch a quick glance of the approaching pony, Sgt. Pike.

Big, tall, and seemingly made out of muscle and fur, Sgt. Pike is what you would have expected a platoon sergeant would look. Said to have been a veteran of the EDF since its early days, the Sergeant was one of the lucky few ponies to have survived the early battle of the then young EDF and learn the new tactics and strategies that should be applied in tunnel warfare.

Shifting my gaze forwards as he passed right in front of me, I managed to see the long pinkish scar that ran from his elbow, through his side, and right towards the very tip of his Pike cutie mark. The long mark that ripped off a portion of his flesh only served as a reminder for new recruits for me. And that was the fact that in the EDF, there were only two kinds of ponies, those who were scarred in battle and those who never got out of the tunnels.

As an NCO and a battle scarred veteran, Sgt. Pike’s job was to teach us the skills he learned and made sure that we live long enough to teach them to the next generation of recruits. In short, his job was to make sure that we don’t buck up, as well as quickly eliminating those ponies who do buck so that they wouldn’t become a hindrance to the rest. Fun job, isn’t it?

“Sloppy as always, I see.” I heard him grunt from the far side of the barracks. Even in a large room filled with ponies, his voice was still loud and clear to hear. “Well, let’s see if we can’t filter that sloppiness out with some P.T.”

An echoing chorus of groaning and complaints went throughout the barracks, destroying the wall of silence Sgt. Pike had earlier created with his strong presence.

Obviously not happy with this complaint, Sgt. Pike let out a loud grunt as he began eyeing the ponies near him.

“You know, it’s already bad enough to let me know that you are all a bunch of lazy slackers who don’t have the guts to do simple P.T.” He informed us. “But to let both 1st and 2nd Platoon know this fact, now that takes a lot of guts. Maybe this platoon does have guts…too bad it’s misguided.”

Despite being new to the unit, I was well aware on what Sgt. Pike was trying to do. In the observations I have managed to do during the short two days I have been here, I noticed that 3rd Platoon, the one I was assigned too, had a somewhat friendly and rough competition between the other platoons in the company.

From what I’ve heard, the competitions would usually range from showing off which company had the best skills to being able to conduct the best prank against each other. I’ve heard grandiose stories of impressive and seemingly impossible pranks done to other platoons by 3rd
Platoon, all of which leaving me to wonder how in the good name of Celestia did this all manage to slip under the officer’s noses?

With all these rough tactics just to prove a point, you’d start to forget who the actually enemy was to these platoons. I guess it just depends on the environment they’re confronting.

Sure, the company’s platoons would protect each other in battle, but in controlled peaceful environment like this, the only thing that was left to entertain battle hardened soldiers, aside from the occasional sexual interactions, was an ongoing competition between platoons.

And right now, Sgt. Pike had seemingly lit the flame once more, as the eyes of the platoon’s soldiers opened wide and stared at him.

Knowing that he got our attention, his head scanned the room as a small grin formed on his face. “Yeah, that’s right, 1st and 2nd Platoon are already out there, going through the courses as if it were nothing. While you…” He said with a slight mocking laugh. “…you just stand here like the dumb dumbs you all are.”

The expected sound of complaint rumbled through the barracks, as ponies started speaking up and voicing out their opinions.

“We’re better than any 1st or 2nd Platoon pony, Sergeant! Get us out of this barracks and we’ll show you!”

“Yeah, 3rd Platoon is the best!”

“Sure, 3rd Platoon is slightly weak with the rookie with us, but I’m sure we have enough good ponies to compensate.” Grunted a scarlet colored pony in front of me.

Oh, sure, pick on the new pony… I thought.

I was slightly offended by the remark given, but I decided not to take any major action and instead just rolled my eyes. Despite being in the official platoon roster, I knew that I wasn’t one of them till I finished one complete combat mission with the platoon.

This was the unwritten code within the EDF, which basically stated that you aren’t one of them till you shed blood with them. They actually preferred it if you to shed Changeling blood, but I’m not really sure if Changelings have bleed or if they have blood at all…

“Now that’s what I want to hear.” Sgt. Pike said, turning around as he made his way towards the door. “Alright, 3rd Platoon, saddle up and be ready in two minutes.”

Even before Sgt. Pike could leave the room, the entire platoon was already in full motion. Moving up next to the bunks and towards a large wooden trunk, I opened the lid to pull out a bulky green vest.

Filled with metal plates and was as heavy as a boulder, the vest was made to represent the heavy armor we wore in combat. During P.T., it was standard procedure for us to wear these heavy vests, so that we would get used to the heavy combat armor we wore to protect us.

Wearing the vest during training was believed to make us adapt and be accustomed to our armor, as well as strengthening our muscles with all the extra weight we were carrying during exercises.

It also gave you an added risk factor, as tumbling down the field with a heavy pack would do no good for your bones.

Sure, I understood the purposes behind all this, but it didn’t mean I like it. Because these things were as heavy as Celetia’s plot! No offense…

Struggling for a couple of seconds to put the vest on, and making a mental note to visit the medical ward to have them check on my teeth, I turned around to see my bunk mate, Silver Wing, trying to put on her own vest. Slipping her wings between the holes and letting out a satisfied grunt, she was about to make her way out when I suddenly called out her attention.

“Hey, aren’t you supposed to be in bed rest?”

“Bed rest?” She said, giving me a confused look. “Why would I be in bed rest?”

“You know…” I said, gesturing towards her left leg. “…broken leg?”

“Broken leg?” She repeated the word, in a curious and even more confused tone.

“Yeah…” I said with a nod. It was quite strange how she could have possibly forgotten something as obvious as an injured leg. “...don’t you remember? You fell on one of the ditches during the last time we had P.T. and broke the bone on your left leg. I had to carry you out to the medical ward and I clearly remember the Doctor telling me that you should rest your leg for at least a week and a half before going out again.”

“Umm….” She said, putting some wait on her left leg and firmly standing on it. “…I don’t know what you’ve been drinking rookie, but my left leg is fine. See? Besides, this is the first time you’re having P.T. with us, so I have no idea what you’re talking about. Speaking of which, you better move quickly, we don’t want the sergeant chewing you out on your first P.T., do we?”

With that, she trotted out, leaving me confused and dumbfounded.

Weird… I thought. …I could have sworn she broke her leg the last time we went to P.T.

“3rd Platoon, double time!” Sgt. Pike bellowed, as he galloped up beside us.

Immediately the order was followed, as the long column of forty ponies changed paces from the slow pace of a march to the quicker movement of a gallop.

Positioned in the center of this column and carrying my heavy pack behind me, I rushed in to a gallop, as I followed the pony in front of me, as well as keeping pace so that the ponies behind me wouldn’t be delayed.

Despite the mud on my hooves, the heavy pack on my back and the seemingly chaotic situation around me, keeping up with the rest of the platoon wasn’t really a grueling task. Sure, I might have been new to the unit, but it didn’t mean I wasn’t physically fit to do the job. Training fields like this were very common, if not somewhat harder, back at Basic, so training with the platoon was a somewhat easy, yet still exhausting, task. So shame on that pony who thought that I was going to slow them down.

Continuing our high speed march on the field, we soon found ourselves in front of the first obstacle, the ditches.

Comprised of eight six feet deep and five feet wide ditches, which were twenty feet away from another, the ditches were an infamous and seemingly impossible block to pass when wearing the heavy plate laden vest. One fall on the ditch and a pony could easily find themselves in the medical ward, mending broken wounds and bruises.

Jumping over the first ditch, I dared myself to look down, a decision that I immediately regretted. I felt a sense of energy rush through my body, flowing within, as the adrenaline pumped through my veins. As if my body wasn’t already producing enough adrenaline within me.

To see the deep fall was just so real and somewhat frightening. Sure, the mud looked soft and all, but I was pretty sure that it wouldn’t be
enough to soften the fall of a pony. Falling there would still be a painful experience, mud or not.

But I knew that as long as I get the proper jump and don’t slip, then everything should be fine. If not…

I couldn’t help but shiver as I tried to imagine the possible pain I would encounter if I fell. It would have been a nasty fall if somepony managed to buck up on the jump or slip and a terrible sight to see somepony stuck there. So I tried to keep my mind focused, so that I wouldn’t make a mistake.

Jump and don’t fall… Jump and don’t fall…

Reaching the second ditch and successfully jumping over it, I gave a short glance towards the grey colored pegasus next to me, Silver Wing.

Giving her a short examination, I watched as she kept up with the group, galloping as fast as anypony else. Looking towards her left leg, I saw it moved swiftly with each step, propelling her like the rest of us as it held strong without any problem.

Looking away, I gave out a short sigh, concluding that there was no sign of a broken leg anywhere. At first, when we were at the barracks, I thought she was just pulling a prank on me, resisting the pain when she applied pressure on the leg. But now, as we galloped through the field, I knew that there was no prank. Right then I realized that her leg was not injured and that I must have just dreamt up the entire incident.

I found it strange that I had a dream about somepony I barely knew getting injured, but then again, Silver Wing and I weren’t really complete strangers to each other. She was the only pony I was close with within the platoon, if you could even call it being close, and I guess that has to count for something, right?

Being my bunk mate, Silver Wing had been the only pony I had conversations with, or at least I think what we having were conversations, since they usually tend to be one sided, with her doing most of the talking and me just nodding and agreeing.

Either way, she was the only pony in the platoon I had close contact with and I considered that as a small achievement, bringing me one step closer to befriending the others.

“You know…” Silver Wing piped up, as we jumped over the third ditch. “…jumping these ditches could be easier if they allowed me to use my wings.”

“Yeah, but wouldn’t that be considered cheating?” I questioned without turning my head, as I kept my eyes focused on the next ditch.

“Yeah, but in war, there isn’t such a thing called cheating…” She said, before pausing as she let out a grunt when we jumped the fourth ditch.
“…instead, they call it, tactical decisions.”

“I don’t think it works like that…” I replied.

“Oh, come on rookie…” She whinnied. “…don’t do that.”

“Don’t do what?” I asked, confused as to watch she meant.

“Thinking…” She muttered. “…thinking is only for the officers. What we grunts do is take action. But we never think.”

“Is that how it really works?” I asked, keeping an eye on the approaching ditch.

“Of course it is.” She said. I noticed from my peripheral vision that she was now looking at me, as she seemed to roll my eyes at my comment.

For some reason, I found this strange and oddly familiar. “I’ve been here long enough to know that. Listen, in here, we sol-“

Her sentence was cut off, when all of a sudden she let out a shriek before being followed by the sound of somepony hitting the ground.

Deciding to act fast, I went with my instincts and leaped over the ditch, landing on the other side before skidding to a halt and peering down the edge to look down.

There, lying on the ground was Silver Wing. Feathers messed, eyes shut, blue mane in a mess, fur covered in mud, and groaning in pain, she lay flat on the ground and in the bottom of the ditch.

Halting the gallop and looking down next to me, the entire platoon gazed down the ditch to look at the poor pegasus who was probably enduring the pain of broken bones. It’s actually funny how we were just looking down and staring down at her instead of actually helping her out.

Letting out a loud groan and grunting in pain, I saw Silver Wing open her eyes and glance up at me, where both our gazes met. Trying to clear her throat, she managed to croak out a short sentence:

“You know…I think you jinxed me earlier.”

In reaction to this, I just rolled me eyes and shook my head.

The rest of the P.T. was what you would have expected it to be, with nothing much interesting to do, other than jumping the obstacles and crawling through the mud. The course would have been slightly more interesting with Silver Wing to casually chat with while galloping, but with her in the medical ward, I just kept my face straight and listened to the complaints and tired groans of the ponies around me.

By lunch time I was tired and exhausted.

Dropping my tray on top of the table and plopping myself down on my chair, I let out a tired grunt as my muscles felt sore after all the P.T.

Still sweaty and stinking from the earlier exercise, yet with little time in our break for a shower, the ponies of the platoon gathered around the mess hall, trying to ignore the smell by concentrating on the greasy odor of food that radiated from the kitchens.

Shifting my gaze from left to right, I scanned my table to see that nopony else was sitting with me. All around the room, ponies from my platoon sat in their respective tables, with their friends and pals, passing by mine, as they ignored my presence and pretended that my table didn’t exist.

Sigh…

“Feels like high school all over again…” I muttered to myself, shaking my head before looking down at my tray of food, a large hayburger and a bowl salad.

“And the food looks like cafeteria food too…” I said to myself before picking up the fork with a hoof and starting to eat, enjoying the presence of nopony else but myself.

Gently nibbling the lettuce of my salad, I sat alone by my table, listening to the echoing sound of chatter in the room.

From what I could pick up, I could hear the ponies on the nearby table talking about the approaching mission, which would take place at dawn tomorrow. For them, tunnel clearing missions were a normal thing, a part of the military routine. Instead of worrying about what would happen, they talked about the activities they would do once the mission was done, as well as putting in a wager or two on whether the rookie would make it out alive or not.

Heh…

I chuckled, before letting out a short shake of my head.

I found it quite funny how this seemed so familiar, as if it had played out before. Me sitting here alone, ponies in other tables chatting, making wagers on whether I was going to live through the upcoming mission or not.

In a way, this scenario had already happened. Not in real life, but instead in my dream. This whole scene had been a flash of memory in the dream I had last night and it made me wonder how nervous I really am about this coming mission.

Sure, right now I wasn’t shaking from head to tail, but for me to dream up something like having ponies making bets on my life, now that was a clear sign of nervousness…right?

Well, it was either that or the fact that I was a psychic and I could see the future through my dreams. But what were the chances of that?
Everypony knows that psychic prediction only happen to unicorns.

Besides, if my dream was really a vision from the future, then any moment right now Capt. Seeker should trot in the mess hall and-

Just as I was thinking about it, a tall brown figure caught my peripheral vision, as I looked up room my food and turned my attention towards the mess hall’s entrance, where a smart looking unicorn pony stood, dressed in an officer’s fatigue uniform.

It was Captain Seeker!

Standing beside him was the imposing figure of Sgt. Pike, who took in a deep breath and let out a loud bellowing cry that rung in our ears.

“Atten-hut!”

Immediately, we stood up in attention, standing still by our tables, as Capt. Seeker moved up in the room.

“At ease, everypony.” He said, telling us to relax. “Now, I’m not here to take much of your time, Faust knows that you already have little of that, especially with Sgt. Pike commanding you.” He said, chuckling and shaking his head.

Clearing his throat, he stood by the center of the room, where everypony could hear him.

“Anyways, I’m just here to announce that once your lunch is over, instead of having another session of P.T., your time would be diverted to checking your equipment and making sure it’s all clean and in proper order.

“Now, you’re all probably wondering, ‘why the sudden change of plans?’ Well, before you make any conclusions, no, the operation has not been advanced to an earlier time. I can reassure you that it is still happening tomorrow morning.

“Instead, the reason for the sudden equipment check is because of a surprise visitor we’ll be having later this afternoon. And no, this visitor isn’t another stuck up Canterlot noble turned General. No, sir, it isn’t. Instead, we’re having a very special guess, for Princess Celestia herself is coming here for a surprise inspection.”

I felt shock overtake me as I heard these words, as my body suddenly became numb.

Now, I wasn’t shock because of the news of Princess Celestia visiting us. In fact, I actually expected this. The news of Princess Celestia was old news to me, yet this was the first time in the day I heard somepony announce it.

The only reason I knew this because I remember this happening before, I remember Capt. Seeker announcing this to my platoon, I remember him doing this in…in my dream…

Hmm…maybe psychic predictions weren’t limited to unicorn after all.

Chapter 2: Getting Ready

Chapter 2: Getting Ready

To say that I was just nervous and confused would be an understatement, for I was more like terrified and baffled. Standing there at the armory and shoving my swab stick in and out of my armor’s blunder bust, trying to clean out all the dirt and grime, I couldn’t help but feel my body shake in anxiety as my mind wandered about the horrible flashes of Changelings and death.

For Celestia’s sake, why did I even have to have that dream?

Like, come on! Do I really have to relieve all of this again? That dream…that nightmare was terrible enough when I didn’t know what was in store for me, but now that I do, it felt worse.

I didn’t request for an encore, so why is this happening again? Seriously, to see my comrades and myself die again in those caves, can’t a mare get a break?

The fear I had within me was no beginning to be replaced by frustration and anger, as I rammed my swab harder and harder, hoping to relieve the stress I was in. But can you blame me? I was having a really bad day and, if I’m correct in my prediction, things are just about to become worst.

There must have been somepony out there that really hated me, to curse me like this, or it could have just been Discord playing his old trick again.

Grumbling and cursing, I didn’t pay attention towards the outside world as I tried to comprehend both this mysterious anomaly, as well as control the rage of emotions within me. So I wasn’t aware of all the noise I was creating until I felt the gentle touch of a hoof as it tapped me on my shoulder.

“Huh?” I said, stopping my action as I turned my head around to see a slightly larger and red pony looking at me. Taking a second or two, I soon realized it was Scarlet; the mare who’s body fell on top of me during my apocalyptic vision. “What?”

“Well…” She said, clearing her throat. “…you’ve been ramming your swab in your blunder bust as if there was no tomorrow and I was starting to get worried that you might damage the thing. Listen, Rookie, that’s a piece of military equipment, not a mare in heat. If you want to release some sexual tension, then I suggest you look somewhere else.”

I blushed, both from the reprimand and the remark. I learned early on that sexual references are very common here in EDF.

Noticing my blush, a grin soon formed in her face as if she decided to play with my seemingly innocent modesty.

“Hey now, don’t look too disappointed. If it was a partner you were looking, well I’m always available. Ain’t nothing better than having a little fun to get rid of those pre-operation jitters.”

“What!” I exclaimed, almost joking as I heard that. “Now, wait a minute. I wasn’t….I don’t….not that you aren’t…”

The blush on my face grew redder and redder as I stammered, while my mind found it difficult to find a reply. Staring at her, I could see a hint of mischief and seduction in her eyes and I found it difficult to find out if she was serious or if she was just playing with me.

Only her sudden burst of laughter stopped me from my flustered state, as she began shaking her head and pat me on the back.

“Don’t worry, Rookie, I was just joking.” She told me. “Although I was serious about the swabbing part. You better slow down or you might break that thing’s firing mechanism. And a broken blunder bust is that last thing you’ll need when you find yourself surrounded by
Changelings.”

“Sorry…” I meekly replied, feeling the embarrassment return.

“Hey, don’t say sorry to me. I’m just here to tell you not to swab your weapon too hard” She then pointed to my blunder bust. “If you want to apologize, then you better apologize to that instead.”

“Oh, okay, thanks.” I said, before looking at my blunder bust. “Sorry.”

She shook her head, as the grin returned on her face. “A sense rumor, huh? I like that.” She then went over to me and patted me on the back. “You and I, rookie, are going to be the best of friends.”

I gulped when I heard that. Not that I didn’t want to be her friend, but instead, if my nightmare’s prediction was right, which so far they are, then Scarlet wouldn’t be alive by then end of the mission. And neither would I.

You know, they always looked annoying, no matter what. From our position in the middle of the parade ground, the heat of the sun bearing down on us, I could clearly see them lounge around under the protection of a large cloth canvas as they sat in the stage in front of us.

Wearing their fancy uniforms, that didn’t look tactically sound and made them bright targets if brought to the battlefield, and bearing their shinny medals and colorful badges, these arrogant looking were creatures of a different league from us.

Saluted but not respected, talked kindly to but without full heart to it, these creatures were the Generals, officers who commanded ponies but did not lead them. Although, when face to face, they were treated with more care compared to the new recruits, it didn’t mean the veterans liked them. Sure, there might be one or two good generals, but from all the opinion that I’ve heard, most of the generals came from stuck up high ranking nobles who bought their way to their position.

From the days I’ve spent with my company, I often heard complaints about how bad they were, as ponies alike cursed them, viewing these Generals as nothing more than a waste of money. Why use perfectly good bits on paying them, when we can use that money on better equipment? I remembered one pony from my platoon said the other day.

Although I myself, at the time, didn’t yet have full resentment towards these Generals, I was beginning to understand why nopony liked them. It was already bad enough to see them in my dream, enjoying the nice shade as their troops suffered, but to see it all again was completely annoying. No wonder nopony liked them; they won’t even go through the same suffering their troops undertake!

No wonder Equestria wasn’t winning the war against the Changelings, it’s because we were all being led by ponies like them. I think that even the worst EDF recruit, who managed to pass basic training, can make a better battle strategy in which we can defeat the Changelings than all of these Generals combined.

Heh, maybe they should give me a couple of stars and start calling me “general”, then we’ll see if I’ll just buck up or actually succeed.

“Battalion, atten-hut!” I heard the cry echo, followed by the sound of hooves simultaneously slamming on the ground. “Salute!”

Bringing my hoof against my temple in salute, while keeping my gaze straight, I looked towards the front of my company’s formation and waited. Standing at the second row of our formation, I was able to get a good view of what was happening in front of us. So, as I stood there, I was able to see the main guess of the even walk out to the parade ground and move in front of us, Princess Celestia.

Tall, white as snow, and complemented by her long flowing mane, which glowed like a rainbow, Princess Celestia was one to attract everypony’s attention. And this wasn’t just because she was a Princess. With a graceful figure, humble stature, and mother like vibe, Princess Celestia was the perfect eye candy.

Passing by just in front of me, as she trotted through the rows of armored ponies, and surrounded by members of the Royal Guard as she went by, I managed to get a close up glimpse of one of Equestria’s sovereign ruler. Now, looking at a picture of Celestia and seeing her highness is quite entertaining, and seeing her from a distance is quite impressive, but managing to see here close up, just like I did, was really breathtaking. There was just some kind of magic behind it, which I simply can’t explain. Who knows, maybe she is using magic to do such things and create that feeling.

Making her way through the large formation and elegantly trotting in front of the battalion, she soon made her way towards the stage where she was greeted by saluting Generals. I couldn’t really hear what they were saying to each other, but I made a guess that they were most likely pleasantries and compliments. Because if there was one thing Generals were good at, it was buttering somepony up as if they were a pancake.

By the time the Princess and the Generals were done conversing and by the time Princess Celestia was standing by the podium, the entire battalion on the parade ground was standing at relaxed positions and gazing up towards the stage. Unprotected by the tents, as she stood in the podium, I found it comforting to see that at least one of our leaders was suffering under the heat, just like the rest of us.

Sweating under the heat, I did my best to try and keep straight and pay attention. Sure, I heard the speech before in my weird future predicting dream, but it didn’t hurt to listen to it again. Besides, what else was I supposed to do?

“Ponies of the 4th Battalion!” She called out, in a loud booming voice that echoed throughout the grounds. “I am honored to be standing here in front of you, as well as proud to see you all standing in front of me.”

“For most of you, the battalion’s deployment to the field of action is just another day in the job. For some of you, it is a new experience, filled with fears and anxiety. But whether you are new to the fight or a veteran, always remember that beside you is a friend.”

“Although the tunnels are dark and although the enemy is near, the friend with you is nearer. That friend of yours would be by your side, fighting the same battles you are fighting and enduring the same hardships you are. Whether you notice this friendship or not, it will be there.”

“As your princess, I wish to be one of your friends in those tunnels, being there by your side and enduring the same things you will go through. But as you know, my duty prevents me from doing such things. The only thing I can do for now is bid you farewell…”

“So as I stand here before you, I say good luck and a safe return to all. May the sun’s light shine on you all, even inside those dark tunnels.”

Oh, it won’t. I think to myself. It won’t.

Author's Note

Took me long enough, but tada, it's here!

Chapter 3: Into the Deep

Chapter 3: Into the Deep

EDFV Manehattan was not a glamorous airship. When one thinks of Manehattan, one finds themselves thinking of the wondrous city of sophistication, efficiency, and modernity. But when one sees the airship that holds the city as its namesake, on would begin to wonder if they are talking about a different Manehattan or a Manehattan in different times. Because honestly speaking, the thing was rubbish.

Staring at it as we stood at the large concrete landing pad, I saw the dozens upon dozens of multicolored patches that had been sown on its large envelope, contradicting the original grey hue it had. Covered with these patches, I began to wonder why the EDF didn’t just replace the entire canvass instead of conducting crude patch-ups. I then began to consider the thought of its flight worthiness, seeing that the shady repair jobs didn’t make it look like it could fly.

Did they really have to use this specific airship to send troops to the Badlands? Because to me, at least during the first time I saw it, it looked like the airship could barely lift itself, let alone fly with troops in it. Couldn’t they just get another one, one which actually looked safe?

Then again, I was pretty sure they couldn’t. With the current financial situation of the EDF, I was sure that all the airships of they had looked like this.

From what I would learn later, the Aerial Corps of the EDF, the one in charge of maintaining all the airships and other various flying machines, was one of the most underfunded branch in the entire force. Due to the budget cuts that had hit the EDF, because of the lessening threat of the Changelings as one hive after that other gets eradicated, the funds that the service once enjoyed was starting to lessen. Now don’t get me wrong, the EDF still gets a ton of bits to do the job, the only problem is it can only focus on one branch at a time.

With the Tunnel Corps doing the brunt of the fighting, hunting down the Changelings in their own homes, it was only natural for them to get most of the budget. Maintaining various camps and firebases, as well as keeping a large stock of enchanted armor and equipment, it was clear that the Tunnel Corps needed the budget, for it all cost a ton. But with all the bits mostly going to the Tunnel Corps, the other branches were left with nothing but the crumbs that remain. One of these branches was the Aerial Corps, which only had enough bits to barely keep their machines in the air as flying death traps.

Sure, they say that there is nothing safe in the military, but riding in one of these airships was just plain outrageous. It would probably take a disaster, or something close to that, before the Equestrian bureaucracy decide to give more funding to the EDF so that it would improve its Aerial Corps and I just hope that I won’t be involve in that disaster.

Carrying my rucksack as I made my way up the gangway, I could feel the airship bob up and down, as ponies began boarding her large bays. Now I got to say, for all its ugliness and danger, the Manehattan was pretty roomy, with a large room that was able accommodate the entire battalion. Filled with somewhat decent facilities and having enough mattresses, which were surprisingly soft, for all, the holding bay of the Manehattan was pretty luxurious. Better than our barracks, if you ask me.

But luxurious as it may be, it didn’t mean it was safe.

The hull of the bay wasn’t exactly the strongest and, as I stood in there, I could hear it eek and creek. In some areas ponies who trotted by managed to puncture holes through weak areas, earning angry glances from some members of the Manehattan’s crew, as they mutter something about fixing it by adding wooden planks on the hole.

Feeling unsafe inside the airship, I found myself constantly restless as I sat in my mattress, as if I were expecting the floor before me to collapse and drop me of the ground. It was a good thing I had wings to compensate for a sudden drop from the sky, but it still didn’t mean I was completely safe. I had this constant fear that if the floor did collapse and dropped me, one of the pieces of equipment or somepony’s rucksack would fall on my head and knock me out, essentially allowing me to fall to my death.

If I could have flown by myself I would have done it. I thought to myself, but sadly it was against regulation for a pegasus to fly solo without their unit. So instead I had to sit in the airship and wait with the others.

Throughout the entire trip I made sure that I was ready, ready for the probable disaster that might happen. Sure, the vision I had told me that the only disaster that would happen will be in the tunnels, but it was always good to be safe than sorry.

Listening to the loud humming engines of the airship and sitting in my mattress with complete paranoia, I waited as the airship made its way through the skies and to our Forward Operation Base in the Badlands.

Located on top of a large plateau, Forwards Operation Base Commander Hurricane was the dominating site in the flat and dry dessert that surrounded it. Protected by high concrete walls and defended by perimeter outpost, FOB Commander Hurricane was basically a fortress. Placed near three active Changeling tunnels, the FOB was in charge of making sure that no Changeling escapes those holes in the ground and that the EDF would be able to mount attacks against the enemy within.

FOB Commander Hurricane, our new home, according to Capt. Seeker, for the next six months. But knowing something they didn’t, thanks to my dream, this place wouldn’t be the home for most, after the horrible events I saw was over.

Let’s just hope that I’m not one of those ponies…

Remembering the dream, I came to a realization that the reason I woke up from it was because I died. Well, I wasn’t really sure if I died, but for some reason I knew I did. It just felt like it. And besides, from what I could remember, death was already looking down at me during that dream. The Changeling Queen already her horn locked into me and was about to fire a burst to kill me, so I just assumed that I died.

But died in the dream or not, I intended not to recreate the events that happened in it. Well sure, so far I have done nothing to prevent it and in retrospect, I think I should have took action the moment I realized that I was given this vision. But I knew that once I go into that tunnel, I was not going to repeat the same events from the dream. For some reason I was given this vision, this vision in my dream, and I made sure to make the most of it from this point on.

But what exactly was I going to do?

Sure, I knew what was ahead of me, but what was I going to do to stop it? It wasn’t like I could tell it to anypony else without having them stare at me as if I were crazy. At most, I would get a scolding from Sgt. Pike, telling me that I was just making up an excuse to not go in the mission.
No, I couldn’t tell anypony, it would just be a waste of time and would also end up branding me as a coward.

So what else could I do?

I wasn’t really that well trained and strong to be able to tactically win the battle alone, even with the little vision I was given. I might be able to survive a little longer, knowing some of the stuff that was going to happen, but I doubted it if I could win in the end, especially with the Changeling Queen in the mix…

Drooping my ears, I sighed in frustration as I knew that I was basically screwed. I can’t ask for anypony’s help, I couldn’t fight; I couldn’t do anything useful to save myself! I might as well run away, at least I had a chance if I do that…

Wait a minute…

“That’s it, I’ll run away!” I screamed, as I shot up my bed, my voice echoing inside the large wooden barracks my platoon was currently sleeping in. With such a loud voice I was sure that I woke up the entire platoon, which I soon learned was true when I heard groans of complaints and ponies mumbled in annoyance.

“Keep it down, will yah!” I heard the pony on the bunk to my right shout, as he threw his pillow towards me, hitting me square on the face.

“Sorry…” I said sheepishly, embarrassed that I woke them all up, but relieved that none of them seem to have understood what I just shouted.

Shifting back into a comfortable position and waiting for everypony to once again fall back to sleep, I soon began contemplating how I was going to escape battle. There were a lot of option, but I knew I had to choose the most practical one.

The first one I thought of was injuring myself to the point that I could not participate in a field operation. Technically, it wasn’t running away…but since I was leaving my unit behind it was like running away to me. So it seemed good enough! But the problem was, how was I supposed to do that? If I try to do it in here, I was sure to attract the attention of everypony. So injuring myself discreetly seemed to be out of the question.

My next option was actually running away, trying to escape the firebase and get as far as way as possible. But that seemed to have more problems than I would like. For starters, how was I supposed to get out of here? Being a heavily guarded FOB, there would be constant sentries and patrols all over the place, so getting out would be really difficult. Second, if I did managed to get out, how was I supposed to get back to civilization. Being in a dessert miles away from the nearest town, I would either die from the lack of nourishment or from a Changeling patrol. No, this plan was also crossed out.

The last option I had was running away while the battle was happening. Once the fight was going on, or just right before it starts, I can hightail it and ran for the exit. Once out, I could say that I got lost in the confusion or retreated once I saw the situation was lost. Sure, this might be easier said than then done, but this was the most plausible plan I had.

Keeping the plan in my thoughts, I settled it all and gave myself a nod. I would run away right before the battle starts. Run away and save my hide. Sure, call me a coward, I don’t care. All I care about is living through this.

Having a plan and knowing what I should do, I let out a tired sigh and closed my eyes. Tomorrow is going to be a long day and I better get as much rest I can.

The next day was judgment day…

Leaving FOB Commander Hurricane at exactly 0400, the platoon made a short fifteen minutes march towards Tunnel 1-3, the largest of the three tunnel complexes in the area. Briefed earlier about our mission, we were told that our job was to map out the unexplored area within, basically reconnaissance in force. Due to the size and complexity of the tunnel system, it was crucial for the EDF to know more about it for future operations. There was a rumor that this tunnel was were the Changeling Queen was hiding in and if that rumor was true, then the EDF would be one step closer to either capturing or eliminating her.

I guess the rumors were true…

With Capt. Seeker leading the platoon for the mission, we made our way inside and followed the glowing markers through the green zones, the areas of the tunnel which had been dubbed safe and clear of Changelings. Protected by sentries and patrolled by a company from another battalion, these green zones were our conquered territory in this underground war.

But once we passed the last sentries and stepped out of the green zone, we soon found ourselves in the red zone, the Changeling infested and hostile area of the tunnel complex. Not really sure where or how deep we were in the tunnel complex, since only the officers and NCO’s knew the platoon’s exact coordinates, the only thing I knew of this area was that death can come from anywhere at any time.

The area we were supposed to explore opened up with a large tunnel. And when I say large, I mean really large! Able to fit a file of five ponies at the same time, it was believed that this tunnel used to be a major artery, probably a main communications tunnel before the EDF suddenly barged in and changed the lives of the Changelings who lived here.

We spent quite a lot of time making our way through this long communications tunnel, marking the path behind us and following the bright light of the lead pony. Following standard procedure, there were always two unicorns at the lead of the column.

The first unicorn was in charge of casting a force field spell to screen the path ahead of us. Although the force spell could only take a dozen or so shots from the Changelings, it gave enough time for us to react to any attack, should it come directly from the front. The second unicorn was in charge of casting a light spell, illuminating the dark tunnel in front. Sure, our enchanted helmets allowed as to see through the dark, but nothing beat actual light in aiding visual recognition. Working together, these two ponies made sure we could clearly see where we were going as well as protect us from the opening salvo of the enemy.

With the pair moving a head of the platoon, and Capt. Seeker not too far behind them, we made good ground and quickly found ourselves at the end of the communications tunnel, where it separated to two smaller tunnels. Slightly smaller and only able to fit a file of two ponies, these tunnels looked a little more cramp and dangerous.

Assigned to the First squad, which was the leading unit in the platoon, I could easily overhear the conversation of our leaders as they figured out which route we should take.

“So, which way should we go? Left or right?” I heard Sgt. Pike’s voice echo within the tunnel, as he and Capt. Seeker assessed the situation and switched glances to both tunnels.

“Hmmm…” Capt. Seeker said. “…I think either tunnel would do. Our job right now is to map out unchartered territory and, well, both tunnels are unchartered territory.”

“So we can basically resolve this with a flip of a coin, eh?” I heard Sgt. Pike’s amused reply.

“Yes, Sergeant, yes we can. But let us spare ourselves the time and go left. If it ends up being a dead end, then we can always turn around and take the other tunnel.”

“Yes, sir.”

Everypony started to become a little bit more nervous once we entered the smaller tunnel. Gripping their weapons tightly and keeping real quiet, the entire platoon moved forward in a nice slow pace, as anxious ponies readied themselves for battle. Despite being hardened veterans, it still surprised me to see that they were all worried at what lay ahead of them. I guess no matter how long you have been fighting, you’ll just never get used to battle.

I myself was quite nervous of what lay ahead, but the feeling I had was considerably less than what I thought I would feel. It was probably because I actually knew what was going to happen and that knowledge might have eased some of my fears. But that didn’t mean it completely suppressed them, since I still felt the chilling feeling of possible and imminent death lurking in me.

“Contact!” The pony at the point shouted, making me stiffen as a halted.

Peering towards the front, I could see the glow of Changeling horns glowing only to be followed by a streak of their beam hurtling towards us. Immediately the unicorn casting the lighting spell stopped, leaving the glow of the enemy fire lighting the tunnel as it hit the shield provided by the other unicorn.

“How’s the shield holding up, Buffer?” Capt. Seeker called out.

Glancing towards the front, I could see more Changelings opening up from the far end of the tunnel, as their shots impacted on the shield in front of us. But giving it a quick inspection, I could tell that it wouldn’t last long, for it was already starting to crack up due to the enemy fire.

“Not too good, Captain.” Buffer said. “I think it can only take a couple more shots before breaking apart.”

“Alright, just keep it steady for just a little longer.” Capt. Seeker said, before turning his head around. “Long Shot, up in front now!”

Feeling somepony shove aside, I watched as Long Shot quickly made his way towards the front, pushing away ponies before reporting to the
Captain.

“Private, do you think you can chock in three grenades towards where those Changelnigs are?”

“I reckon I can, sir.” Long Shot said, already levitating three grenades strapped towards his armor.

Small yet powerful, grenades were useful and sometimes traitorous weapons inside a tunnel. Either containing high explosives or shrapnel, grenades were basically balls of explosives with a fuse on one end. In some situations, these things were very effective, able to blow up crucial enemy positions. But when used improperly, the power of the explosions could either harm or kill nearby friendlies, bringing its power against its own users.

Back when I was training, grenades were normally issued to unicorns, since they were the only ones able to light the fuse with their magic and toss them properly with their levitations powers. Other pony races tended to have a hard time handling the grenades, due to the fact that it was difficult to hold them between our teeth or grasp them in out hooves. Tossing a grenade was a task that was assigned to the unicorns and unicorns who were adept at the job were usually given the role of grenadiers.

In my squad, Long Shot was the pony who was given the job of grenadier. And now, as the shield in front of us was beginning to break, he was about to show us how good his skills were.

“Everpony hit the dirt; once the shield breaks shots would be flying all over the place!” Sgt. Pike called out. Being the ever obedient new recruit, I immediately hit the called stone floor, only peeking my head so that I could see what was going on.

The definite crack of the shield breaking, similar to the sound of glass breaking, echoed in the tunnel, as green balls of flame flew above out heads. But at the exact moment the shield broke, I could see the emerald colored glow of Long Shot’s magic fly by, as he threw the three lit grenades towards the direction of the enemy.

A few seconds later, the deafening and powerful sounds of three explosions hit the air around me, as the feeling of stone floor beneath me shaking came at the same time. Immediately after the explosions, the sound and sight of enemy fire disappeared, signifying that Long Shot’s throw was right on spot.

“Well, we can be sure that the Changeling’s won’t be attack from this tunnel anytime soon.” Capt. Seeker said, a few minutes later, as he and the rest of First squad inspected the damage of the grenades. Right in front of us lay a rubble of stone, as the power of the blast blew up the ceiling and collapsed the tunnel with heavy stone.

“I’m sorry, Captain…” Long Shot said sheepishly. “…I must have grabbed the HE, instead of the fragmentation grenades.”

Sighing, Capt. Seeker shook his head. “It’s alright Long Shot. At least that’s one less tunnel for us to patrol.” He then faced Sgt. Pike. “Get the platoon to turn around back at the split. I guess we’ll be taking the other tunnel now.

Now this was where I was scared, as in fully scared. Remember when I said I wasn’t really that scared in the first tunnel? Well, the reason that I wasn’t really scared was because I already knew that nothing bad will happen there. But in this one, oh, in this one, I knew that everything bad that could possibly happen will happen.

Just like in the vision, we made our way in a single file, following the same procedures and making our way slowly and wearily. Acting nervous and paranoid, I constantly made sure that I had my SLS was with me, I took one step after the other, following my platoon in.

“Anytime now…” I muttered to myself. “…anytime…” I felt numb, numb and unable to sense the world around me. The chilling feeling was overtaking me and I wanted it to stop. I wanted to get out of here and end this all. But I knew I couldn’t, I knew I was trap. Trapped between the EDF and the Changelings.

“Hey, take it easy, Rookie.” Scarlet called from behind me, making me glance towards her. Funny, I thought, I don’t seem to recall her saying that in my vision.

Now, I could have spent a lot of my time contemplating about that anomaly, but I quickly shrugged it off, knowing that I needed complete concentration. If small changes like that happened, then who knws what else could have changed.

Keeping all my senses at full alert, I kept my ears sharp and listened to my environment. I was waiting for that sound, the sound that I remembered from the vision. The sound that shocked us all at first and caught us completely off guard.

Crack Crack

Looking up at the stone ceiling, I knew that it was here.

The sounds of stone cracking above us alerted me that this was the time. The ambush has been sprung, just like how my vision predicted it.

“Contact, rear!” Somepony called from the end of our column, followed by the sounds of blunder bust firing and ponies grunting out their battle cries.

“We got an entire swarm coming up on our six!” I heard somepony cry out.

“There’s too many of them for us to push against!”

“Hey, move it. They’re kind of getting to close for comfort over here!”

I heard Capt. Seeker let out a curse when he heard the fighting towards our rear and after a quick glance towards the distant battle; he made a frustrated shake of his head. “We can’t fight here; we’re too much in a disposition. We need to find a wider place, somewhere where we can mass our power.”

“But, Captain, if we go forward, we’ll just be going and deeper and deeper, further away from our exit point.” Sgt. Pike argued.

“I know, Sergeant, I know.” Capt. Seeker said. “But the enemy has already cut us off. Trying to fight them for our exit would only grind us down. There’s too much of them for us to push off. The only thing we can do is move and hope we find a better place to fight in. So let’s go!”

With that, the platoon made its way once more, with the rear squad trying to slow down the Changelings as we moved. But as we ran through the tunnels, I could tell that the battle there was messy, as cries and grunts of battle echoed within the tunnel walls.

“Here, over here, Captain!” Sgt. Pike shouted as he stood next to a large opening. Staring at it through my visor, I could see a familiar looking cavern through that opening and immediately knew what was going to happen. “There’s a large cavern over here! We can form up the platoon here and hold the swarm with a square formation.” He advised.

“Very good, Sergeant.” Capt. Seeker said. “Alright, 3rd Platoon, fall into the cavern and form a wall. Square formation! You know what I mean, get into formation!”

Already wielding my SLS in my mouth, I galloped towards the cavern and towards Sgt. Pike, who was marking the position for the platoon. Trained to form a square when surrounded, the formation enabled the entire force to cover all flanks, making sure that no one can outflank us. Counting on traninig, discipline, the square formation was said to be a highly effective tactic until a gap forms and the enemy just swarms right into it.

Taking up my place in formation and standing with my SLS ready, I found myself in a familiar position. Shaking from top to bottom, my SLS felt heavy once more as my nervousness and fear created a bad combination within me.

Alright, so far everything happened exactly like the vision. But now it’s time to change it.

Glancing from left to right and using the aide of my enchanted helmet, I desperately tried to look for an exit from this cavern. But no matter where I looked, every exit I seem to find, Changelings just kept on popping out of them, bursting out as the swarm poured in our cavern. If this kept up, then I was sure that I wouldn’t be able to escape this place.

I need an exit, I need an exit!

But there just wasn’t any exit. This cavern was sealed. I could try fighting my way to make an exit, but if an entire platoon couldn’t handle the swarm, how can an inexperienced rookie do it? I’m trapped, just like in the vision. Trapped with no hope.

That thought made my heart beat faster and my fears grow beyond the point it was before. It was hopeless; I wouldn’t be able to escape this place. As if giving up on the plan I felt so proud of only hours earlier, I felt my hopes disappear completely, realizing that I couldn’t change the vision. Whatever happened in it must be fulfilled. How could I have not so it?

I was a fool to think that I could change what was destined for me, a fool to believe that I had a chance to survive, even though I already so my death before me. Maybe if I acted earlier, much earlier, I could have changed it. If I acted before we left Canterlot, I might not be in this situation right now. But my actions were already too late and my plan foolish. If I was given another chance, I would surely do things differently, but it was too late now. I was a goner.

Feeling my jaw become weak, the SLS that I was holding suddenly dropped on the ground, ringing as it hit the stone floor. I made no attempt to pick it back up, as I realized what was the use. Whether I fight back or not, I was just going to die. Might as well die without pulling in more stress to my body.

“Hey, Rookie, aren’t you gonna pick that up?” Scarlett asked, as she stared at me.

Hmm…that’s different, just like the one earlier. I wonder what else-

I felt a stabbing pain hit me, the burning sensation piercing through my body. Looking down to see what had caused it, I saw a smoldering hole that punctured my armor and burnt through my fur and skin. Eyes wide, I felt the painful effects it gave, as total shock went through my body, ultimately closing out the pain.

Falling down on the ground, eyes still wide open; I could see the streaks of green flame fly all over the cavern, as the battle raged on. Then, my vision started to get blurry, turning these streaks of flame to a foggier and foggier sight with each passing second.

Then it was all gone.