Blue-Sky Days

First, a note on pronunciation:  Seehal=See-hal (as in Alf), Zarkyn=Zark-in, Wojtek=Voy-tech, Realla=Ree-ahl-ah, Vertia=Verr-tshee-ah (Said quickly, in one motion)

Part One: "Good Luck, Fellows."

A crowd was gathering in the center of the underground village of Gearis. Seehal, a young boy, barely more than a pup, crawled through the legs of the other Diamond Dogs to get closer to the center. He stopped and stood up as a voice boomed throughout the cavern: "Brothers! We have suffered for thousands of years under the brutal hooves of the ponies!" It was Zarkyn again. He was always doing this, trying to get us riled up. Only a few cheered. "I know what you're thinking! But this is the real deal! We're joining with a bunch of local villages to return to the surface and reclaim our homeland! For months, our mechanics have been building vehicles to bust through the surface and fight back against the ponies. Within weeks, we will feel the sun on our faces and fresh air in our snouts! ARE YOU WITH ME!?" There was much more cheering and support this time.

Seehal felt a large figure push him aside, moving towards the centre of the crowd. Looking up, he realised it was Leszek, the village leader. Making it to the front, he walked close to Zarkyn and stared at him face-to-face. "Always the same cliche speech. No one is going anywhere. You'll get the whole village killed with your foolish war. The Solar Queen's army will crush you in an instant, you don't stand a chance."

Zarkyn snarled, and turned away to the crowd. "Even a moment on the surface is better than an eternity in this dank pit! We'll dig to the surface and keep going, until we drill right through the pony queen's ugly face! Even if I'm digging my own grave, I'll keep going until we're free!!" About half the crowd roared and cheered.

"QUIET!!" bellowed Leszek. "Get back to your homes, and those of you on the night shift get back to work. There will be no more talk of rebellion." The crowd began to disperse, most muttering under their breath. Seehal hung his head and resigned himself to another lonely night of digging.

He slowly trudged his way to the tunnels, until someone tapped his shoulder and whispered "We'll be in mining area C tonight if you want to come with us. Soon we'll leave this place forever." He turned around, but could not tell who had been talking. Paw clutching his mother's amulet, Seehal made his decision. There was nothing for him here. If he died on the surface, at least he would see the sky once in his life.

***

General Applejack sat in the command room of the Earth Legion Fortress, directing the various ponies that ran about. Her normally grim expression relaxed slightly when she saw a distinct pink shape enter the room. "Colonel Pie, do ya have something tah report?"

Pie saluted with her usual cheery attitude. "Yes Ma'am. Several scouts have reported a number of Diamond Dog attack parties have surfaced near Coalhill. They are heavily armed, but keeping a low profile so far."

Applejack frowned. Diamond Dogs? They usually kept hidden below ground. Any that were foolish enough to disobey the Solar Queen were always obliterated quickly. If they were armed, and in such numbers, that may mean a rebellion was coming. "Such'a blatant act'a war can't be ignored. We'll move tah crush these rebels, and wipe out any that remain underground. Send me the full reports on their numbers and armament."

Colonel Pie clapped her hooves together in obvious excitement. "Ooh, this'll be fun! I was tired of Changelings and Griffin insurgents, and dogs make the best noises when you kill them!"

The general tapped her on the shoulder. "Calm down, Pie. We do this tah serve her glorious majesty Queen Celestia, not because it's fun. You can take pride in your work, but keep your excitement in check. Now go, fetch me the scouts' full reports."

Pie straightened up. "Yes, General Apple. Shall I send copies to Colonel Macintosh? He is stationed near that region."

Applejack thought for a moment. "Have the scouts regroup at his base. I will discuss the attack with him personally."

Pie saluted; "Yes ma'am." She left, still with something of a spring in her step. Applejack sighed slightly. Pinkamena was a very effective soldier, but she lacked discipline. Even with her hair cut short and a drab uniform, she retained her constant cheerfulness.

"One day, she'll either save the kingdom single-hoofedly or be court-martialed. Possibly both." she said, too quiet for anypony to hear.

***

Seehal was working his way through the long tunnels that lead to mining area C. The whole place had been abandoned due to a lack of minerals and general unsafe conditions. After a long walk, he came to a huge open area and his jaw dropped. The cavern contained maybe twenty dogs, but the impressive part was the huge armoured vehicle that dominated the space. It was mounted on sets of rotating tracks, and at the front was a massive drill, with smaller digging arrays around the edges. The whole thing was covered in thin cannons, with what looked like a simple rocket pod that could be raised and lowered. Scattered around were diamond dog shaped mechs, with more visible through a hatch in the back of the vehicle. They were somewhat slapped-together, but generally followed the same design. A pair of machine guns, a cannon similar to the ones on the driller. Paws were replaced with big blades, scoops or shovels; anything that could bludgeon or stab a pony to death. A few personal weapons; rifles and pistols, were on a rack on the side of the large vehicle. After a minute or so of him gawking, one of the dogs came up to him.

"Like what you see, eh?" she asked, gesturing to the assorted hardware. "I'm Realla. Good to have you along, we need everybody we can get."

He smiled sheepishly. "I'm uh, Seehal. I think I might be a bit out of my depth." As this was taking place, Zarkyn was jumping down from on top of a mech, and heading towards them. He heard the last sentence, and ruffled Seehal's hair.

"Don't worry about it, pup. We're all a bit over our heads, but we just have to try as hard as we can and we'll be fine. As long as we never give up, we can't lose!" They laughed, but there was plenty of worry in it. "Seehal, was it? C'mon I'll show you around." He lead the younger boy around to the side of the vehicle and gestured across its length. "This is the Heaven Breaker. It'll get us to the surface and beyond. Right, Wojtek?" He gestured to a smaller dog that gave a noncommittal grunt and wave. Zarkyn continued: "He's our mechanic. Built all this stuff himself. The mechs were based on specs, but the Breaker is his own design. Be nice, our lives are in his paws. If he messes something up, we're all fucked."

Wojtek turned around and gave him an annoyed look. "Yeah, no pressure or anything," he scoffed, returning to his work.

"Anyway, what else is there...let's get you something to defend yourself. Here we go," he said, pulling some gear from the rack, "A pistol and a trench knife. (Note: Essentially a set of metal knuckles with a blade at the bottom.) Just for emergencies, understand, you'll be travelling in the vehicle with Wojtek and a few others. You just focus on any ponies that try to board the Breaker and kill the driver or gunners. I'm sorry you can't take a mech, but there aren't enough for all of us."

Seehal attached the weapons to his belt. "That's okay. I'm just happy to help. I'll do my best." Zarkyn patted him on the back, crouching down until he was eye-to-eye with the younger dog.

"Good boy. I'll tell the other guys on the driller to keep an eye on you, because you deserve to know the surface more than any of us. Now, you did basic combat training, right?" Seehal nodded. "Good," Zarkyn continued, "Then I don't need to teach you how to use those. Now, get some sleep. The other village groups could call on us at any moment, so you'll want to be well rested." He nodded again, and went to find a quiet corner to lie down. Zarkyn returned to the main group.

One of them spoke up, just loud enough for those close by to hear him: "You shouldn't have let the boy come with us. He's way too young for this."

Zarkyn turned to her. "Shut it, Vertia. He wants to help, so let him. I know all about him, parents died years ago in a cave-in. No other family. If I can help him to at least see the blue skies once before we die, I'll be proud. This is what we're fighting for. So that pups like him don't have to spend their whole lives in a dark pit."

Suddenly, there was a beeping sound. Vargus pulled a device out of the Heaven Breaker's dashboard, and listened to it. He jumped down and join the others. "Message from the others. They've found a pony military base, and they want us to surprise attack them from the side."

"Hang on," said Realla, "They want us to attack one of the enemy's flanks by ourselves? That's crazy!"

Vargus made a dismissive gesture. "We won't be alone. Three other teams will be helping to surround the ponies. Now, all of you get some sleep. We have the coordinates for the entry point, and we have to be there at 0800 underground time. We'll leave at 0200 this morning. Make sure you're ready by then."

--Hours Later--

"Yo, pup, wake up."

"Mmm...just a bit more."

"Damn it boy, get the hell up, I don't have time for this! I don't even know how you could sleep over all this noise."

Seehal, now awake, found himself being shaken by Zarkyn. "I'm up! What happened? Did I miss anything?"

Zarkyn chuckled. "Just the Breaker tearing through ground like it was nothing. I thought I'd give you some time to prepare; we have a battle today."

The younger boy rubbed his eyes. "Already? Mother Bitch, that is really loud, you weren't exaggerating." He looked up at Zarkyn. "I'll do whatever I can to help."

The older dog smiled, and turned to the others. "Listen up you bastards and bitches! This boy here is willing to do everything he can for the cause! I expect the same from each and every one of you! I'm willing to give my life to create a better future for pups like him! ARE YOU?!!?!"

They cheered and roared, except for Wojtek who waited for them to quiet down before announcing: "Five minutes to surface breach! All of you strap in or grab something!"

Holding one of the safety straps, Zarkyn stared forward with fierce determination in his eyes. "Alright then...Good luck, fellows!!"

BOOOOOMMMMM