Chapter 1: What a Nightmare...
My eyes shot open as the sudden and loud smashing sound of the barracks door opening echoed in the room, followed by the bright and piercing glare of the lights turning on and shining upon my now open eyes.
Before this, I never actually understood everypony's desire to sleep on the lower bunk and their disdain to take the upper one. To me, the top bunk seemed fine and elevating position, as well as being a safe place where no drool from the pony above me would water fall down and coat my fur. But now, as the bright light bombarded my eyes, I began to understand why everypony preferred to sleep on the lower bunk.
Still shocked from the horrifying nightmare that I just went through, it took me a short moment to realize that I was back in the real world and out of Princess Luna's dream realm. With such a vivid and life like experience, depicting my fears in the most horrifying way, I could have easily mistaken the nightmare as reality. Luckily for me, it was just a nightmare.
But the loud slamming sound of the door opening made me realize that the real nightmare was about to begin.
"Alright!" I heard a loud booming voice shout, as I groggily lift my head and look around the barracks. "Up and at 'em everypony! You lazy sacks have had enough hours of sleep already so it's time to get up. I want everypony in line and at attention in twenty seconds! So move!"
Springing into action, everypony inside the room seemed to immediately react as soon as the orders were bellowed. Acting mainly on the instincts that had been drilled into our minds, we quickly jumped out of our bunks and formed two parallel lines on the barrack's long hall.
I, who was still fresh out of basic training, was slight slower than the rest of the company, who were already veteran of this morning routine. But I did manage to go fast enough so that I was already in line by the time the counting reached to twenty.
Standing in line and keeping my body straight, I could hear the sound of heavy hoof steps echoing inside the room. Turning my head to meet the source of the sound, I managed to catch a quick glance of the approaching pony, Sgt. Pike.
Big, tall, and seemingly made out of muscle and fur, Sgt. Pike is what you would have expected a platoon sergeant would look. Said to have been a veteran of the EDF since its early days, the Sergeant was one of the lucky few ponies to have survived the early battle of the then young EDF and learn the new tactics and strategies that should be applied in tunnel warfare.
Shifting my gaze forwards as he passed right in front of me, I managed to see the long pinkish scar that ran from his elbow, through his side, and right towards the very tip of his Pike cutie mark. The long mark that ripped off a portion of his flesh only served as a reminder for new recruits for me. And that was the fact that in the EDF, there were only two kinds of ponies, those who were scarred in battle and those who never got out of the tunnels.
As an NCO and a battle scarred veteran, Sgt. Pike's job was to teach us the skills he learned and made sure that we live long enough to teach them to the next generation of recruits. In short, his job was to make sure that we don't buck up, as well as quickly eliminating those ponies who do buck so that they wouldn't become a hindrance to the rest. Fun job, isn't it?
"Sloppy as always, I see." I heard him grunt from the far side of the barracks. Even in a large room filled with ponies, his voice was still loud and clear to hear. "Well, let's see if we can't filter that sloppiness out with some P.T."
An echoing chorus of groaning and complaints went throughout the barracks, destroying the wall of silence Sgt. Pike had earlier created with his strong presence.
Obviously not happy with this complaint, Sgt. Pike let out a loud grunt as he began eyeing the ponies near him.
"You know, it's already bad enough to let me know that you are all a bunch of lazy slackers who don't have the guts to do simple P.T." He informed us. "But to let both 1st and 2nd Platoon know this fact, now that takes a lot of guts. Maybe this platoon does have guts…too bad it's misguided."
Despite being new to the unit, I was well aware on what Sgt. Pike was trying to do. In the observations I have managed to do during the short two days I have been here, I noticed that 3rd Platoon, the one I was assigned too, had a somewhat friendly and rough competition between the other platoons in the company.
From what I've heard, the competitions would usually range from showing off which company had the best skills to being able to conduct the best prank against each other. I've heard grandiose stories of impressive and seemingly impossible pranks done to other platoons by 3rd Platoon, all of which leaving me to wonder how in the good name of Celestia did this all manage to slip under the officer's noses?
With all these rough tactics just to prove a point, you'd start to forget who the actually enemy was to these platoons. I guess it just depends on the environment they're confronting.
Sure, the company's platoons would protect each other in battle, but in controlled peaceful environment like this, the only thing that was left to entertain battle hardened soldiers, aside from the occasional sexual interactions, was an ongoing competition between platoons.
And right now, Sgt. Pike had seemingly lit the flame once more, as the eyes of the platoon's soldiers opened wide and stared at him.
Knowing that he got our attention, his head scanned the room as a small grin formed on his face. "Yeah, that's right, 1st and 2nd Platoon are already out there, going through the courses as if it were nothing. While you…" He said with a slight mocking laugh. "…you just stand here like the dumb dumbs you all are."
The expected sound of complaint rumbled through the barracks, as ponies started speaking up and voicing out their opinions.
"We're better than any 1st or 2nd Platoon pony, Sergeant! Get us out of this barracks and we'll show you!"
"Yeah, 3rd Platoon is the best!"
"Sure, 3rd Platoon is slightly weak with the rookie with us, but I'm sure we have enough good ponies to compensate." Grunted a scarlet colored pony in front of me.
Oh, sure, pick on the new pony… I thought.
I was slightly offended by the remark given, but I decided not to take any major action and instead just rolled my eyes. Despite being in the official platoon roster, I knew that I wasn't one of them till I finished one complete combat mission with the platoon.
This was the unwritten code within the EDF, which basically stated that you aren't one of them till you shed blood with them. They actually preferred it if you to shed Changeling blood, but I'm not really sure if Changelings have bleed or if they have blood at all…
"Now that's what I want to hear." Sgt. Pike said, turning around as he made his way towards the door. "Alright, 3rd Platoon, saddle up and be ready in two minutes."
Even before Sgt. Pike could leave the room, the entire platoon was already in full motion. Moving up next to the bunks and towards a large wooden trunk, I opened the lid to pull out a bulky green vest.
Filled with metal plates and was as heavy as a boulder, the vest was made to represent the heavy armor we wore in combat. During P.T., it was standard procedure for us to wear these heavy vests, so that we would get used to the heavy combat armor we wore to protect us. Wearing the vest during training was believed to make us adapt and be accustomed to our armor, as well as strengthening our muscles with all the extra weight we were carrying during exercises.
It also gave you an added risk factor, as tumbling down the field with a heavy pack would do no good for your bones.
Sure, I understood the purposes behind all this, but it didn't mean I like it. Because these things were as heavy as Celetia's plot! No offense…
Struggling for a couple of seconds to put the vest on, and making a mental note to visit the medical ward to have them check on my teeth, I turned around to see my bunk mate, Silver Wing, trying to put on her own vest. Slipping her wings between the holes and letting out a satisfied grunt, she was about to make her way out when I suddenly called out her attention.
"Hey, aren't you supposed to be in bed rest?"
"Bed rest?" She said, giving me a confused look. "Why would I be in bed rest?"
"You know…" I said, gesturing towards her left leg. "…broken leg?"
"Broken leg?" She repeated the word, in a curious and even more confused tone.
"Yeah…" I said with a nod. It was quite strange how she could have possibly forgotten something as obvious as an injured leg. "...don't you remember? You fell on one of the ditches during the last time we had P.T. and broke the bone on your left leg. I had to carry you out to the medical ward and I clearly remember the Doctor telling me that you should rest your leg for at least a week and a half before going out again."
"Umm…." She said, putting some wait on her left leg and firmly standing on it. "…I don't know what you've been drinking rookie, but my left leg is fine. See? Besides, this is the first time you're having P.T. with us, so I have no idea what you're talking about. Speaking of which, you better move quickly, we don't want the sergeant chewing you out on your first P.T., do we?"
With that, she trotted out, leaving me confused and dumbfounded.
Weird… I thought. …I could have sworn she broke her leg the last time we went to P.T.
"3rd Platoon, double time!" Sgt. Pike bellowed, as he galloped up beside us.
Immediately the order was followed, as the long column of forty ponies changed paces from the slow pace of a march to the quicker movement of a gallop.
Positioned in the center of this column and carrying my heavy pack behind me, I rushed in to a gallop, as I followed the pony in front of me, as well as keeping pace so that the ponies behind me wouldn't be delayed.
Despite the mud on my hooves, the heavy pack on my back and the seemingly chaotic situation around me, keeping up with the rest of the platoon wasn't really a grueling task. Sure, I might have been new to the unit, but it didn't mean I wasn't physically fit to do the job. Training fields like this were very common, if not somewhat harder, back at Basic, so training with the platoon was a somewhat easy, yet still exhausting, task. So shame on that pony who thought that I was going to slow them down.
Continuing our high speed march on the field, we soon found ourselves in front of the first obstacle, the ditches.
Comprised of eight six feet deep and five feet wide ditches, which were twenty feet away from another, the ditches were an infamous and seemingly impossible block to pass when wearing the heavy plate laden vest. One fall on the ditch and a pony could easily find themselves in the medical ward, mending broken wounds and bruises.
Jumping over the first ditch, I dared myself to look down, a decision that I immediately regretted. I felt a sense of energy rush through my body, flowing within, as the adrenaline pumped through my veins. As if my body wasn't already producing enough adrenaline within me.
To see the deep fall was just so real and somewhat frightening. Sure, the mud looked soft and all, but I was pretty sure that it wouldn't be enough to soften the fall of a pony. Falling there would still be a painful experience, mud or not.
But I knew that as long as I get the proper jump and don't slip, then everything should be fine. If not…
I couldn't help but shiver as I tried to imagine the possible pain I would encounter if I fell. It would have been a nasty fall if somepony managed to buck up on the jump or slip and a terrible sight to see somepony stuck there. So I tried to keep my mind focused, so that I wouldn't make a mistake.
Jump and don't fall… Jump and don't fall…
Reaching the second ditch and successfully jumping over it, I gave a short glance towards the grey colored pegasus next to me, Silver Wing.
Giving her a short examination, I watched as she kept up with the group, galloping as fast as anypony else. Looking towards her left leg, I saw it moved swiftly with each step, propelling her like the rest of us as it held strong without any problem.
Looking away, I gave out a short sigh, concluding that there was no sign of a broken leg anywhere. At first, when we were at the barracks, I thought she was just pulling a prank on me, resisting the pain when she applied pressure on the leg. But now, as we galloped through the field, I knew that there was no prank. Right then I realized that her leg was not injured and that I must have just dreamt up the entire incident.
I found it strange that I had a dream about somepony I barely knew getting injured, but then again, Silver Wing and I weren't really complete strangers to each other. She was the only pony I was close with within the platoon, if you could even call it being close, and I guess that has to count for something, right?
Being my bunk mate, Silver Wing had been the only pony I had conversations with, or at least I think what we having were conversations, since they usually tend to be one sided, with her doing most of the talking and me just nodding and agreeing.
Either way, she was the only pony in the platoon I had close contact with and I considered that as a small achievement, bringing me one step closer to befriending the others.
"You know…" Silver Wing piped up, as we jumped over the third ditch. "…jumping these ditches could be easier if they allowed me to use my wings."
"Yeah, but wouldn't that be considered cheating?" I questioned without turning my head, as I kept my eyes focused on the next ditch.
"Yeah, but in war, there isn't such a thing called cheating…" She said, before pausing as she let out a grunt when we jumped the fourth ditch. "…instead, they call it, tactical decisions."
"I don't think it works like that…" I replied.
"Oh, come on rookie…" She whinnied. "…don't do that."
"Don't do what?" I asked, confused as to watch she meant.
"Thinking…" She muttered. "…thinking is only for the officers. What we grunts do is take action. But we never think."
"Is that how it really works?" I asked, keeping an eye on the approaching ditch.
"Of course it is." She said. I noticed from my peripheral vision that she was now looking at me, as she seemed to roll my eyes at my comment. For some reason, I found this strange and oddly familiar. "I've been here long enough to know that. Listen, in here, we sol-"
Her sentence was cut off, when all of a sudden she let out a shriek before being followed by the sound of somepony hitting the ground. Deciding to act fast, I went with my instincts and leaped over the ditch, landing on the other side before skidding to a halt and peering down the edge to look down.
There, lying on the ground was Silver Wing. Feathers messed, eyes shut, blue mane in a mess, fur covered in mud, and groaning in pain, she lay flat on the ground and in the bottom of the ditch.
Halting the gallop and looking down next to me, the entire platoon gazed down the ditch to look at the poor pegasus who was probably enduring the pain of broken bones. It's actually funny how we were just looking down and staring down at her instead of actually helping her out.
Letting out a loud groan and grunting in pain, I saw Silver Wing open her eyes and glance up at me, where both our gazes met. Trying to clear her throat, she managed to croak out a short sentence:
"You know…I think you jinxed me earlier."
In reaction to this, I just rolled me eyes and shook my head.
The rest of the P.T. was what you would have expected it to be, with nothing much interesting to do, other than jumping the obstacles and crawling through the mud. The course would have been slightly more interesting with Silver Wing to casually chat with while galloping, but with her in the medical ward, I just kept my face straight and listened to the complaints and tired groans of the ponies around me.
By lunch time I was tired and exhausted.
Dropping my tray on top of the table and plopping myself down on my chair, I let out a tired grunt as my muscles felt sore after all the P.T.
Still sweaty and stinking from the earlier exercise, yet with little time in our break for a shower, the ponies of the platoon gathered around the mess hall, trying to ignore the smell by concentrating on the greasy odor of food that radiated from the kitchens.
Shifting my gaze from left to right, I scanned my table to see that nopony else was sitting with me. All around the room, ponies from my platoon sat in their respective tables, with their friends and pals, passing by mine, as they ignored my presence and pretended that my table didn't exist.
Sigh…
"Feels like high school all over again…" I muttered to myself, shaking my head before looking down at my tray of food, a large hayburger and a bowl salad.
"And the food looks like cafeteria food too…" I said to myself before picking up the fork with a hoof and starting to eat, enjoying the presence of nopony else but myself.
Gently nibbling the lettuce of my salad, I sat alone by my table, listening to the echoing sound of chatter in the room.
From what I could pick up, I could hear the ponies on the nearby table talking about the approaching mission, which would take place at dawn tomorrow. For them, tunnel clearing missions were a normal thing, a part of the military routine. Instead of worrying about what would happen, they talked about the activities they would do once the mission was done, as well as putting in a wager or two on whether the rookie would make it out alive or not.
Heh…
I chuckled, before letting out a short shake of my head.
I found it quite funny how this seemed so familiar, as if it had played out before. Me sitting here alone, ponies in other tables chatting, making wagers on whether I was going to live through the upcoming mission or not.
In a way, this scenario had already happened. Not in real life, but instead in my dream. This whole scene had been a flash of memory in the dream I had last night and it made me wonder how nervous I really am about this coming mission.
Sure, right now I wasn't shaking from head to tail, but for me to dream up something like having ponies making bets on my life, now that was a clear sign of nervousness…right?
Well, it was either that or the fact that I was a psychic and I could see the future through my dreams. But what were the chances of that? Everypony knows that psychic prediction only happen to unicorns.
Besides, if my dream was really a vision from the future, then any moment right now Capt. Seeker should trot in the mess hall and-
Just as I was thinking about it, a tall brown figure caught my peripheral vision, as I looked up room my food and turned my attention towards the mess hall's entrance, where a smart looking unicorn pony stood, dressed in an officer's fatigue uniform.
It was Captain Seeker!
Standing beside him was the imposing figure of Sgt. Pike, who took in a deep breath and let out a loud bellowing cry that rung in our ears.
"Atten-hut!"
Immediately, we stood up in attention, standing still by our tables, as Capt. Seeker moved up in the room.
"At ease, everypony." He said, telling us to relax. "Now, I'm not here to take much of your time, Faust knows that you already have little of that, especially with Sgt. Pike commanding you." He said, chuckling and shaking his head.
Clearing his throat, he stood by the center of the room, where everypony could hear him.
"Anyways, I'm just here to announce that once your lunch is over, instead of having another session of P.T., your time would be diverted to checking your equipment and making sure it's all clean and in proper order.
"Now, you're all probably wondering, 'why the sudden change of plans?' Well, before you make any conclusions, no, the operation has not been advanced to an earlier time. I can reassure you that it is still happening tomorrow morning.
"Instead, the reason for the sudden equipment check is because of a surprise visitor we'll be having later this afternoon. And no, this visitor isn't another stuck up Canterlot noble turned General. No, sir, it isn't. Instead, we're having a very special guess, for Princess Celestia herself is coming here for a surprise inspection."
I felt shock overtake me as I heard these words, as my body suddenly became numb.
Now, I wasn't shock because of the news of Princess Celestia visiting us. In fact, I actually expected this. The news of Princess Celestia was old news to me, yet this was the first time in the day I heard somepony announce it.
The only reason I knew this because I remember this happening before, I remember Capt. Seeker announcing this to my platoon, I remember him doing this in…in my dream…
Hmm…maybe psychic predictions weren't limited to unicorn after all.