***LOG BEGINS***
Equestria. For the most part it is a peaceful and quiet place, with people living together in harmony and happiness, a mighty land that stretches from sea to sea, with Vanhoover in the west and Manehattan in the East.
But even a nation such as Equestria has enemies, and boy do we have many. Across the planet, madmen and leaders plot the down fall of our society, with the ongoing struggle against Discord, leader of Saddle Arabia, being our current concern.
For the defence of our country and prosecution of operations we have the might of the Equestrian Armed Forces. Split into land, sea, and air, they are the bullwark against those who would destroy us.
But there are situations where the Royal Guard are too valuable, and a wave needs to be sent in to conduct the craziest, the most dangerous, the most scuicidal of missions.
That's where we come in. The Penal Legions.
We were created 20 years ago, to relieve the strain on the prison system. There were more people on Death Row than the system could cope with, and a lot of people cluttering up our jails. So they started giving them a choice; they could serve in the Penal Legions, and potentially survive to be pardoned, or choose the noose, and be guarenteed to die.
Not entirely surprisingly, most choose the former. It's a most beneficial arrangement to society. If they survive, they walk free and are (often) reformed by the experience. On the other hand, if they die, it reduces the number of criminals in the prison network. This saves both time and taxpayer's money.
They founded 20 Penal Legions, each 1,500 strong. Each consists of 10 Battalions of 150 men, which is broken down into 15 squads of 10 each.
That's the theory, at least. In reality, we often run under strength, and deployments of squads of 5 are typical on most days.
There is one Penal Legion which is far more infamous amongst the populace than any of the others.
They are the 13th Penal Legion, the 'Unlucky 13th', so named because they have been reformed countless times over the decades. They have participated in the craziest of raids and most dangerous of assasinations. They took out Tirek, defeated Sombra at the Obsidian Gates, and obliterated the Changelings in the Ponyville Purge.
I am their leader.
There is one squad in the Fourth Battalion which is especially infamous in the annals of infamy. They are the Third Infantry, currently running under-strength. They are the hardest and most lethal of all of the squads, in a Legion known for being hard and lethal. Each and every one of them is a hardened killer who will stop at nothing to earn their freedom.
Without any further ado, let us meet them.
ROLLING THUNDER
Age: 22
Crime: Planting a virus in the Equestrian Military Secure Network.
Years of Service: 3
Comments: If you need a system compromised, data extracted, or security network taken down, call Rolling Thunder. She really is the best at what she does, and nobody can stop her. She can even prevent the enemy from re-accessing a system, as she is good at planting viruses. Her only weakness is her laid-back attitude, which can be unwanted on a battlefield.
SHORT FUSE
Age: 20
Crime: Blowing up a fuel storage facility.
Years of Service: 2
Comments: There is no denying Short Fuse is an expert with explosives. You need it blown up, he will have what is needed, be it Semtex, C4, Plastic Explosive, or dynamite, if I recall correctly in one mission. He even used gunpowder once to take out an enemy Parliament! He does have a number of weaknesses, however. He's impetous, and prone to a short temper and anger issues, which is not always wanted when working with explosives. Having said that, if you don't interfere with his work, he won't interfere with yours, which is exactly how it should be kept, if you ask me.
LIGHTNING DUST
Age: 19
Crime: Manslaughter.
Years of Service: 1
Comments: Need someone taken out quietly? Call Lightning Dust. She can approach silently, and knock out a foe with any form of CQB firearm or a knife. She also has two recorded assasinations to her name, which is a unit record, especially since she's only been with us a year. The speed at which she moves is terrifying, and few can stay her wrath. She, however, has many problems. It would take me weeks to list them all, but the most significant is her recklessness. She has been known to charge in without considering the danger, which led to that incident with the tripwires which led to [REDACTED]. She has improved since then, but I honestly hope it won't get her killed. She's simply too valuable.
GILDA GRIFFIN
Age: 20
Crime: Property Destruction, Intimidation, Manslaughter, etc., etc...
Years of Service: 2
Comments: Somewhat aloof and alien to the others, Gilda is lethal with a sniper rife. She has reportedly never missed a shot in her entire career, which I can verify as completely true. She has one confirmed assasination to her name, and more than 50 enemy kills verified in two years. She's so good she's sometimes seconded to other units to provide sniper cover. If she does have a weakness, it's her habit of looking down her nose at other people. That won't get her far at all.
COLONEL WILLIAM SCHAEFFER
Age: 30
Crime: Not Applicable
Years of Service: 6
Comments: That chap there is me. I served in the Griffish Army and was transferred here in return for my service being shortened. I lead them personally into the most dangerous missions and the most hellish warzones.
What motivates them, you may ask?
Freedom.
If they complete their missions, they get to go free. If they die, they are free (in a sense), and receive a posthomous pardon.
But today we have a new recruit to the unit. I'm popping down to Canterlot Jail to pick them up, and the troops will undoubtedly look forward to meeting them.
They'd better be good, because we have the most dangerous mission of our entire existence to undertake.
This is Colonel Schaeffer, signing off.
***LOG ENDS***
Author's Note
This story is inspired by Sunset the Shadowbolt, an Anon-a-Miss story, and the 13th Penal Legion of Warhammer 40,000. I wanted to try my hand at a darker Equestria, as well as see how far I can push a dark Anon-a-Miss story.
