Green Sun: Zone Troopers

Chapter 2 - Scars

Before the war had kicked off, magic was an integral part of Equestrian society for every species of pony whether they knew it or not. Unicorns of course had the ability to focus their abilities through their horns, pegasus ponies were able to manipulate weather and in some cases, break the sound barrier, and earth ponies had an intimate relationship with the earth beneath their hooves that not even diamond dogs could match.

So to not feel the call of the ground beneath her hooves as she passed one hour of the ruck run was something Apple Bloom was having trouble getting used to. Every member of the platoon had been fitted with an inhibitor ring as the physical training ramped up to make sure that they relied solely on their bodies when conditioning themselves. Dr. Mobius had stated clearly that their abilities would be dampened, if not outright unavailable while in Zone Trooper armor. Not to the point of unicorns being unable to use telekinesis on things like grenades or weapons, but the shields that the magically inclined equines favored would be difficult if not impossible to use.

For pegasi, it was a simple fact that they would not be able to flap their wings in their armor. Jet boosters were there to make up for the lack of flight capabilities, even if flying with just body armor instead of in a dedicated aircraft was as rare as blue tiberium this far into the war.

As for earth ponies, the inhibitors were to simulate just how muted mother nature would be while they were encased in their armored cocoons. Usually clothing and even the body armor that GDI troops used didn’t alter their perceptions, but Zone Trooper armor was bulky, relied on magic just to move, and was loaded with enough tech to make an EVA blush. This meant tapping into the earth to either enhance their abilities or even to be used as a scouting technique was off the table.

The only thing Apple Bloom remotely enjoyed about this was the fact that the unicorns were having trouble keeping up with her and Jet Deck. It was common in combat for unicorns to pump their own magic into their system when necessary to give it a boost, almost like an artificial shot of adrenaline. But here in conditioning exercises as they ran with full packs through the Baltimare compound, that option was no longer viable.

“Come on ladies! 5 kilometers to go!” Pleasant Breeze barked as he picked up speed again. Usually in the armed services of GDI, being referred to as a lady was meant mostly as some sort of insult or as a way to spur on ponies as they trained. For Zone Troopers, it was merely because Jet Deck was one of 7 stallions in the entire platoon. Equestria already had a gender disparity of almost 2 to 1 in favor of mares before the war, but that number had been violently equalized by defections and casualties.

Apple Bloom grunted as she matched her drill instructor’s speed, with Jet Deck and Funny Cide both keeping pace despite the unicorn’s labored breathing. Today was only day three of their training, and the instructors had made it crystal clear that these runs were meant to break the trainees either mentally or physically if need be. Usually a run like this wouldn’t be too much trouble, but the fact that it was after yet another conditioning trial in the research facility’s gymnasium made this ruck run feel like a death march.

“If it could even be called a gym…” Apple Bloom thought, trying to keep her mind off of her burning muscles and screaming lungs. It wasn’t until she heard multiple ponies cry out in surprise and pain that she realized the formation was slowing down. Four of the other trainees were pulling themselves from a pile of limbs and dazed faces, but upon seeing one of the pegasi with a bent wing, training took over.

“Funny Cide, set and bind!” Jet Deck shouted over the din, even getting the drill instructors to take a step back. Funny Cide complied immediately as Jet Deck began pulling ponies out of the pile. Apple Bloom helped as well, pulling them back to their hooves and by the time Funny Cide had bound the wounded mare’s wing, Jet Deck didn’t even get his next question out before Apple Bloom scooped up the pegasus on her back, smiled at her squad leader, and started forward again. It wasn’t until she noticed that she was ahead of the rest of the formation that earth pony turned her head back to look at the rest of her fellow trainees.

“Y’all comin’ or what?”
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The rest of the run went off without a hitch, and without anyone else tripping and causing a pileup. The pegasus who had gotten injured, a mare by the name of Windy Leaf, was back up and running almost as soon as they had gotten back to the research facility, or as the trainees were quickly coming to call it, The Barn. Nicknames that stated exactly what the building was weren’t allowed given that you never knew who was out in the city. Not every Shadow or spy was a changeling, and operational security was top notch for something that Nod wasn’t supposed to know existed until they went into combat.

While Nod had the horsepower to back up their wave tactics, magic gave GDI its edge and that included medicine. Windy Leaf’s wing was healed up almost as soon as she had been diagnosed, and as such, she was once again a valid target for the age old military ritual of getting shit for eating shit. Teasing was normal, but could only happen in one place; the squad bay. Anywhere else, she belonged to the drill instructors. However, there was one exception, and that was in the Armor Bay.

Trainees and technicians were the only ones allowed onto the armor bay floor, with drill instructors either getting a well-deserved break or sitting in the mustering area waiting for the platoon to come back out into hell. As it was, idle chatter was allowed whenever the assignment for the day was something simple like studying armor specs, trying the fit, or walking tests around the bay.

“So, will you be getting a picture of a broken wing put onto your armor or will the next tattoo you get be of the rock that almost ended your career?” one of the unicorns teased, getting a chuckle from everyone in earshot.

“Might get an apple so I can always remember my gallant savior.” Windy replied, “Or a 400 for stallion who actually helped instead of gawking at my flank when I was in the dirt.”

“I can do both.” Jet Deck deadpanned, “I may not look like it, but Nod didn’t get rid of my ability to multitask.”

“Yeah, you can look at schematics and give everypony flak at the same time.” Apple Bloom interjected, getting another laugh from the rest of the trainees. She made eye contact with her squad leader after making her comment, getting a grin from Jet Deck in return before he went back to looking over his armor.

“Alright, lock it up. You can’t memorize specs and hold a meaningful conversation at the same time.” another voice cut in, this one belonging to Night Light as he strolled along between the armor bays. Without protest, everypony did as they were told and got back to focusing on their armor. Night Light however, went from looking over the armor to inspecting the trainees.

Each trainee was regarded with a careful eye, with special attention being given to Jet Deck, Funny Cide, and Apple Bloom before he found his way off the bay. Everypony took a look towards him as discreetly as they could manage as he walked off and started chatting with Sydney. Nopony could read lips, but it was obvious that his conversation with Dr. Mobius wasn’t a bad one, at least for him.

“Any idea what’s goin’ on?” Apple Bloom whispered over to Funny Cide.

“No idea, how about you Corporal?”

“Nothing doing, Cide… I may have an extra stripe but I’m just as lost in this sauce as the rest of us.” Jet Deck murmured with a smirk, “I thought you junior enlisted were supposed to know everything before the NCOs.”

“Only in standard units, Corporal.” Night Light called over, causing the trio of ponies to jump a little, “Special Forces is a whole different beast… wouldn’t you agree, doctor?”

“I’ll take your word for it, Captain.” Sydney quipped before turning back to her students, “Trainees, your time is just about up, go ahead and lock your stations and get ready for another class and this time I expect fifth squad to actually take notes.”
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As the day dragged on, so did the physical exhaustion of every trainee running around in Baltimare. By the time they once again all got back to the squad bay, everypony seemed to be on the verge of collapse. Had Apple Bloom been given a choice, she would have already been in her rack and trying to fall asleep.

Instead, she was standing outside Captain Night Light’s office. Funny Cide was still in there, and Jet Deck had already gone in and come back out. Even so, she was groggy until Funny Cide opening the door startled her.

“Captain wants to see you next.” Funny told her with an exhausted yet warm smile, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll see you at the showers.”

“S-sure.” Apple Bloom replied, nodding a little as she entered the unicorn officer’s office. It was sparsely decorated, just a desk and a bunk bed that Apple Bloom assumed was for whichever drill instructors were on duty in the evenings. On the wall was a picture of a ZOCOM platoon in full battle rattle posing in front of a harvester, and Apple Bloom could make out Night Light in it with both of his eyes the correct color. Next to that was a family picture taken in the Crystal Kingdom. Shining Armor, Cadance, Twilight Velvet, Night Light, Flurry Heart… and Twilight Sparkle with Spike.

“Nod raid before the war officially kicked off. I was one of the few they let get away after blowing the harvester and her escort.” Night Light stated, “Come, take a seat, you’re obviously worn out.”

“Sorry sir, didn’t mean to stare.” the farm mare replied before doing as she was told, “And thank you, sir.”

“It’s alright, you met me a couple times before the war and I could see your confusion on initiation day when I walked in with one eye damaged.” the unicorn said with a light chuckle as his own gaze went to the photos, “Better, simpler times, but that’s not why I called you in. During your conditioning run today, Lance Corporal Windy Leaf from Second Squad ate shit, correct?”

“Yes, sir. I think she got caught on a rock.”

“Easy enough mistake to make for a pegasus, but I’m more concerned with what happened after she fell. I’ve already gotten statements from Corporal Deck and Lance Corporal Cide, but not from the mare who carried her platoon-mate for the remaining 5 kilometers of the conditioning run today.”

“Am I in trouble?”

“Not at all, I’m just curious as to why you took on that burden instead of letting her squad take over.” Night Light stated.

“Well.. to be completely honest, sir, everyone just didn’t move fast enough. Funny Cide had already patched Windy up and I just figured the next order would be to carry’er back to camp.”

“So your squad just… moved faster than all the others?”

“We were also the only squad not caught in the pileup, so I guess we just got lucky.” Apple Bloom answered sheepishly. Even if he was an officer now, the Zone Trooper hopeful couldn’t help but look at Captain Light as her former chemistry teacher’s goofy father.

“No need to be embarrassed, Apple Bloom, that behavior is exactly what we’re looking for with this unit.” the blue unicorn told her, “You’re an experiment, so there’s a chance that after you are all sent into combat, you won’t have any other Zone Troopers to back you up, that you’ll be the only 50 to earn a suit of armor.”

“We really gonna be out there without support…?”

“I can’t say, not this early into the program. For now though, keep up the good work and look after your fellow trooper. With how this war is going, keeping your platoon alive may be just as important as winning a battle.”
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Night Light’s last statement stuck with Apple Bloom for the rest of the night. Even as she was cracking jokes and engaging in idle gossip with Funny Cide, or making sure her belongings were properly stored, those words kept repeating in her head. She was confused as to why, given GDI’s “No Pony Left Behind” stance.

Even as she fell asleep, she felt a tinge of confusion as she replayed the meeting over and over in her head, and it wasn’t until she finally drifted off to sleep that her mind was at rest. Unfortunately for her, that rest was short-lived. A scant 3 hours into enjoying a pleasant dreamscape, she woke up to a hoof hitting her flank. Originally thinking it was merely her turn for watch duty, she groaned and slowly roused herself. It was the second hit that informed her that something was wrong.

She narrowly dodged the third hoof, finally seeing who the culprit was. Jet Deck in a tangle of his own sheets, was twitching and thrashing about in his sleep. The only reason no one had noticed was because his bunk mate was on watch duty at the front of the squad bay. As carefully as she could, she made the small leap over to his bed and restrained him. Just a few seconds after, Jet Deck’s eyes shot open and before he could shout out, a hoof gently silenced him.

“It’s me, Jet… it’s Apple Bloom…” the yellow mare whispered, only for the still twitching stallion to look frantically to his left and right before locking eyes with her again. Apple Bloom removed her hoof from his mouth, now placing her forehooves on either side of his face to keep him steady.

“Hydras…” the similarly colored stallion murmured, his voice filled with terror, “They’ll hear us, they’ll bomb us. We’re sitting still and they’re gonna shel-!”

He was silenced again as a hoof found his mouth and Apple Bloom made an effort to show the GDI eagle on the shoulder of her shirt.

“There are no Hydras, Jet.. you’re in the barracks, you’re in Baltimare. We’re safe here.” she told him, causing the scared stallion to once again look her in the eyes, “I’m Apple Bloom… I’m in your squad… we’re safe, I’ve got you.”

“A… Apple Bloom… no Harpies..?” he asked.

“No Harpies… no Ursas… just Predators and Orcas, buddy.” she whispered back with a smile, doing her best to keep her tone as soothing as possible.

“But I can hear them…. I can hear them.”

“They’re not here.” she told him, doing her best to continue placating him, “It’s just us ponies.”

“Just… just…” he began repeating before Apple Bloom for a third time, gently shut him up with a hoof to his mouth. Once quieted, she continued the treatment she had started, making sure to keep her tone calm as she soothed the stallion’s completely shot nerves. It wasn’t until he finally seemed to calm down and his twitching stopped that she finally pulled back and sat next to him.

“You gonna be ok…?” she finally asked.

“Y-yeah… just a night terror, nothing to fret about.” he whispered back, “Docs said I’m still good for service, it’s just sometimes when things get too quiet… when things get too quiet, my mind wanders, even when I don’t want it to.”

“Is it just the… battle or is it other things?”

“Just the battle, Apple Bloom… always the battle. Sometimes it’s the start of the massacre, sometimes it’s when they shot us in the back as we ran… sometimes it’s the funerals afterwards.”

“I’m not gonna say I understand… but I can empathize, had more than my fair share of funerals before the war even started.” Apple Bloom replied, putting a hoof on his shoulder, “If you’ll allow it, anytime you think your PTSD is gonna flair up again, just come get me, and I’ll do this again. We’ve gotta take care of each other after all.”

“Are you sure? This is going to cut into your sleep.”

“I’m used to farm work and early mornin’s, Jet, a little bit of TLC for my squad leader is nothin’.” she told him with a smile.

“Alright, I’ll try and get to you whenever this decides to kick me in the balls… no sense turning down help when it’s offered.”

“That’s the spirit, but I’m gonna give you one warnin’ though.”

“Yeah?” Jet Deck asked, only for Apple Bloom to punch his arm, “What the buck was that for?”

“If you wake me up by kickin’ me again, I will get a shot in return. Now lay back, close those eyes, and think happy thoughts or we’ll both be stuck awake until reveille.”

Jet Deck rubbed his shoulder as Apple Bloom found her way back to her bunk, pulling her blankets back up and getting as comfortable as she could. She closed her eyes closed and started to drift off once more, but upon hearing Jet Deck finally reply to her, she smiled. It may have been laced with sarcasm, but his tone also spoke of relaxation and a calm that she had hoped would find him.

“Yes ma’am.”