Sunset Shimmer, despite what her name may have implied, did not like the heat, Zebrica's heat more specifically. The heat in Equestria was bearable, enjoyable even on a nice day. Celestia's sun bore down on Zebrica harshly, as if she was punishing Sunset for the mistakes she made long ago. She deserved it.
"Hold!" Sunset barked loudly. The soldiers under her command paused as she clopped past their ranks. Calling them soldiers was a bit of a stretch, most of them were former farmers, both young and old trying their hand at becoming mercenaries, or freedom fighters in many of their cases. Tobuck was full of warlords that had deep pockets, and that often meant crimes so terrible that not even Princess Celestia could forgive them. The world outside of Equestria was harsh and dangerous.
With her field cap protecting her eyes from the sun's glare, and her uniform shielding Sunset's body from the harsh desert wind, Princess Celestia's former pupil had found her place, using the skills she had learned back at Equestria's now defunct military academy, supporting the followers of harmony where they were oppressed. Heh, if only Blueblood could see her now.
Sunset stopped in front of a young zebra, inspecting her uniform. Her new job paid well, and it helped to distract Sunset from what happened in the human world. Who would've guessed that the former bully would turn out to be a cold blooded killer, even if she didn't pull the trigger most of the time.The zebra's uniform was covered in mud, despite there being no rain for several weeks.
"Why is your uniform dirty?" Sunset asked, hardening her eyes. Presentation was just as important as abilities in their line of work. If they looked like dirt poor farmers, then they were going to be treated like them.
"I uh-" The mare stuttered under Sunset's glare. She avoided Sunset's eyes, her helmet doing it's best to protect her from the sun. "I forgot."
Sunset was going to have to speak to her sergeant later about keeping his squad in line.
"I want you and your squad to run ten laps around the training camp." Sunset sighed as she turned around. "And you better hope that I don't forget how many you've done, otherwise you're going to have to do them all over again."
"Y-Yes Captain!" She saluted and ran off, her squad members groaning as they followed her, which made Sunset smirk. Someone a few feet away giggled.
"The rest of you are dismissed." Sunset shouted, twisting her neck to stare at the rest of the company. A pony standing close to her flinched. He must've been the one to laugh. "We're moving out tomorrow, so have the rest of the day to yourselves after loading the trucks."
A few creatures cheered, and they all went their own way after saluting their commander. Sunset decided to stay behind, keeping an eye on the troublemaker. Her left ear twitched at the sound of somepony walking up to her.
"I would've had them whipped." A thick Severyanian accent easily identified the mare without having to look at her blue-green fur and dark blue mane. Alesia Snezhnaya was the closest thing to a friend that Sunset had.
"Good thing I'm not you." Sunset scoffed under the shade of her tent. Her fellow Equestrian was a bit rough around the edges, hating Princess Celestia with a passion that rivaled her hatred of communist, but she was decent company, especially on cold nights. How ironic.
Alesia shrugged and sat next to the fiery colored pony. "I'm not going to tell you how to run your company, but I will say that they better impress Pea Shooter if we're going to get the contract."
"Don't worry." Sunset smirked as she turned her attention back to the running squad. "They'll handle it."
The best way to take down a tyrant was from the inside.
"Hm, if you say so." Alesia grumbled as she scooted closer. The older mare's battalion did the most of their actual fighting, while Sunset's company was mostly used as makeshift engineers, thanks to her expertise. That didn't mean the fiery mare didn't see combat up close, but it did mean that she held an important position in their small division.
"I do say so." Sunset grinned as the squad slowed down, finishing their last lap. "Ten more laps! I lost count."
A silence fell in between the duo as they watched the zebra mare and the three ponies, two mares and a lone stallion, run around their training area. Combined with Celestia's sun, the desert wind only served to make them hotter instead of cooling them down. The training and climate would turn Sunset's hodgepodge of volunteers and mercenary wannabes into a well disciplined fighting force, capable of taking any encampment.
"I still would've had them whipped instead of wasting our time out here."
"Enough with the whipping already!"
When the night came, so did the freezing cold. Ignoring the sounds of her soldiers marching around the camp, Sunset kept her eyes focused on the map on her makeshift desk made out of several wooden boxes. The only light in her tent came from the lone lantern to her right, and from her horn.
"Pea Shooter's not going to last much longer." Sunset said out loud, stirring her tentmate from her slumber. With the war against Chiropterra being a stalemate, their Boss had decided to send everyone towards the border, away from the city. It was obvious it was a power play to keep his rivals from trying to take control.
"I know." Alesia said, her thick accent doing little to hide her disgust. "We need to reach Tobuck before Baragazen gets there and takes the port." Only the Severyania's eyes were visible from her cot, the lantern caused shadows that obscured the lower part of her muzzle.
"I hear that Colthage is nice this time of year." Sunset added. They would only have a few hours to rest before they loaded their trucks again and continued their journey. They had to before their supplies ran out. Whoever held Tobuck held the region in their hands, including all the ammunition and fuel.
"Zarca doesn't like to pay up." Alesa scoffed as she laid her head back onto her stiff pillow. She took command of the division during the day while Sunset slept. "But I'm sure one of his rivals would."
"We should visit the beach while we're there. I've heard that the ones in North Zebrica are the best." Sunset smiled. "I'm sure our colts and fillies would enjoy it too, boost their morale and all that."
"We'll see, I hate the sand." Alesia turned on her side and covered her muzzle with Sunset's pillow. "Now turn off the lights, I'm trying to sleep."
Sunset's horn dimmed until only the lantern shined dimly. "Sweet dreams."
She snuffed out the light.
Everything would be fine.
Author's Note
I've never written for a contest before, so here's just a small snip.
