Beyond the Call of Duty

Museum of Equestria, Canterlot
July 8th, 2047
Present Day

Inkwell sat there, listening to the words spilling out of Fluttershy's mouth. She explained everything in poetic detail, especially when she watched the drunken dog die right in front of her. He had her stories of Fluttershy's innocence, her kindness, her purity. She was the Element of Kindness, after all. But, she really was a shadow of her former self. Sure, she was still kind and polite, but her eyes told a different story. Her eyes literally screamed 'I could kill you in a second.' The horrific scars that covered her body told a lot as well. Inkwell felt pity for her.

"What every survivor would come to know as the depths of hell..." Fluttershy finished.

"And why is that, miss Fluttershy?" Inkwell inquired.

"Because that's the only thing we could compare it to. We were the best of the best, but nopony was prepared for what was down there." Fluttershy stated, cringing slightly at the memory.

HMS Nightingale, off the coast of South Equestria
December 25th, 2014

"Stack up!" Whiplash shouted, as Whiplash, Starlight, Fluttershy, and two other SEAL's formed up on the metal door leading to the lower decks. "Team two, are you in position?"

"Affirmative!" Team twos leader responded.

"Hold up! Hear that?" Starlight asked. Fluttershy listened carefully, before cringing at what she heard. The sounds of boots charging up the stairwell they were supposed to be climbing down, as well as angry howls and barks.

"Dogs!" The SEAL beside Fluttershy called out, before the door flung open. Fluttershy dove for cover, looking up to see that the SEAL beside her had been hit in the chest. His eyes were the same as the dogs. Lifeless.

"Bastards!" Starlight shouted from behind her cover. "Fluttershy, get up and fire!"

Shaking from a combination of fear and adrenalin, Fluttershy rose off the ground and raised her HK, firing a single round at the closest diamond dog. The round struck him in the face, causing his face to seemingly cave in from the impact.

"Nice shot rookie!" She heard Whiplash shout over the gunfire. Feeling more confident, Fluttershy fired a quick burst into the dogs. Two rounds went wild and missed, but a single round managed to hit one of the diamond dogs in the chest, passing right through his heart.

"Blackbird One, this is Team One, we are pinned down by the breaching point. We need fire support!" Whiplash shouted over the radio.

"Roger that, bringing the rain!" The pilot of Blackbird One responded. Seconds later, a blackhawk passed over the cargo ship, before turning around and hovering over the team. Several of the diamond dogs started shooting up at the helicopter, before getting mowed down by the minigun mounted on its side.

"Clear?" Blackbird One's pilot inquired.

Whiplash walked up, pulling out his sidearm, an M9, and put a single round in the head of a lone survivor. "Clear."

Present Day

"How did it feel? Taking a life for the first time?" Inkwell inquired.

"It felt wrong. It made me sick. Once we got back to base, I cried myself to sleep. Nowadays, though, I know that those dogs probably deserved it. Doesn't stop the guilt, though." She responded. "As we climbed down the steps, every step made my heart beat faster. I knew what was ahead, I wasn't going to like. But I knew I had a job to do."

"Team Two, are you there?" Whiplash asked.

There was no response. Just static.

"Team Two, please respond." Whiplash requested. There was still no response.

"Dammit..." Whiplash muttered. "They are too prepared and organized to be pirates."

"What now, Chief?" Starlight asked.

"We continue the mission. Hostages should be on the deck below." Whiplash responded.

"Copy that, Chief." Starlight responded.

"Firewall, take point." Whiplash ordered.

The SEAL beside Fluttershy nodded, raising his M1014, which was the standard shotgun in the Equestrian military, to his shoulder. He rounded the corner and marched forward, followed closely by the rest of the team.

"Hold up." He whispered. The team stopped in front of an iron door. Inside, there was screams of pain from a female. Everypony knew what was happening in there, but they didn't want to admit it.

"Hold still!" A deep, brutish voice shouted from inside the room. Firewall had enough, as he turned around and bucked in the door. The team charged in, to see a large diamond dog attempting to mount a light blue earth pony. Firewall dropped his shotgun and pulled out his ka-bar knife as he tackled the dog off of her. The dog landed on its back as Firewall attempted to stab the dog in the chest. The diamond dog managed to grab his hoof before the knife plunged into him. With a loud, angry howl, the dog flung Firewall off of him and stood up, reaching for his sidearm. He didn't get a chance. A loud shot rang out before the dog went limp on the floor. Fluttershy looked to her side to see the smoking barrel of a Magnum, held by Starlight.

"A little overkill, don't you think?" Whiplash asked. Starlight shrugged and slid the magnum back in its holster, before helping Firewall off the floor.

"You alright, ma'am?" Whiplash asked the shaken mare. She didn't respond, but she did manage to nod slightly.

"Firewall, escort her up top for evac. We'll keep going and find the rest of the hostages." Whiplash stated.

"Aye aye, sir." Firewall responded, picking up the mare and balancing her on his shoulders, before galloping out of the room.

"The bastards..." Starlight muttered.

"We'll kill them all, Star, don't you worry." Whiplash promised. "Let's keep going. Those hostages won't rescue themselves."

Present Day

"That mare told us a lot about what happened on the ship. She told us how the dogs killed the non-important colts in front of them, before cooking and eating them. How they used the mares as sex slave. How they starved and tortured her and the other hostages. I found out later that her husband was among the other hostages. The ones that were still alive. Except..."

As Whiplash kicked in the door leading the cargo hold, time just seemed to slow down. There stood a large group of diamond dogs, pointing their guns at the SEAL's and the hostages. There were fifteen of them, all trembling, gagged, and tied up. They were skinny, bruised, and scarred. They looked like they were dead.

"Put your weapons down!" One of the dogs shouted at the SEAL's.

"Sir? Orders?" Starlight asked.

"Hold your ground. They will kill us if we surrender. And the hostages will be next." Whiplash pointed out.

"Release the hostages! We have you surrounded!" Whiplash shouted at the dogs. At this, the dogs laughed hysterically.

"Are you kidding me?! Three little ponies?! You're fucked!" The dog, probably their leader, shouted back.

"Where's the money!" Another dog shouted.

"There isn't any money. Equestria doesn't deal with pirates." Starlight stated.

"That's a shame. Man, we had a lot of fun with them. You should have been there." The dog said, before pulling out a small six shooter and shooting the nearest hostage in the head. Taking this as their cue, the rest of the dogs opened fire, on both the hostages and the SEAL's. Fluttershy and Whiplash managed to dive behind cover in time. Starlight wasn't so lucky.

"Fuck!" Starlight shouted. Fluttershy looked down at her to see that her leg had been shattered by a lucky hit.

"Team One, fall back! We got your six!" A voice shouted over the COM. Three SEAL's, the survivors of Team Two, charged into the fray, firing their HK's wildly into the dogs. The dogs returned fire, quickly mowing down the three SEAL's. Not about to let Team Two die in vain, Team One charged out of the cargo hold, narrowly dodging a wall of bullets.

The trio of SEAL's galloped up the stairwell and burst through the door leading to the deck. Hovering barely a thousand feet away from them was their blackhawk. Behind them, they could hear the angry howls of the diamond dogs, calling for their blood.

"Run dammit!" Firewall shouted at them, causing the trio to break out into a full out sprint. The door they had just exited through flew off it's hinges as the horde of diamond dogs started pouring out of it. Fluttershy jumped aboard the blackhawk, while Whiplash helped Starlight inside before jumping on board himself.

"Get us out of here!" Whiplash shouted.

"Aye aye!" The pilot shouted back. The blackhawk started lifting off the ground, spent shells pouring out from it's minigun. Most of the diamond dogs were torn to pieces by the barrage. Those who were lucky enough to dodge the minigun's destruction returned fire. Fluttershy could barely hear the rounds bouncing harmlessly off the helicopters armor as it hovered away from the cargo ship.

"The mare ended up killing herself from the whole ordeal. It's all our fault, really. We could have saved them. Maybe not all of them, but at least some..." Fluttershy stated, her eyes glistening with tears.

"It's not your fault, Fluttershy. You wouldn't have been able to take on that many." Inkwell stated.

Fluttershy sniffled a little in response.

"Thank you for your time, miss. I will see you around for a second interview." Inkwell said, before rising out of his chair. Before walking out of the room, Inkwell glanced at the Element of Kindness, who was staring down at her hooves and mumbling something to herself. Inkwell truly felt sorry for the poor creature.