1610 replies and 7 files omitted.
>>139284Silver nods, and looks to Saltlick and the machine gunner.
"Go find empty house quickly and assist Firm Heart in his preparations. Lieutenant Brisbuck and I will go see how Sargent Amber Grain and corporal are handling assembling platoon."
He pauses for a moment, before dismissing the group.
"Before we dismiss, there is one issue we should address. We should come up with code phrase to speak, so we can know we are not changelings without having to shine lights in each other's eyes."
>>139285"Uh, sure? Any suggestions?"
>>139286Silver scratches his chin some more, before he comes up with something he's certain nopony or 'ling in their right mind would ever think to say:
"Klutzy...draconequus."
>>139287"Uh... What's a draconequis?" He asks
>>139288"It is kind of creature Discord is."
He looks around at the group.
"...how do none of you know that? Have you never read any stories about him?"
>>139289"Oh... So that's what those are called."
The machine gunner adds
"Well, you're sure right about one thing. No changeling would
ever think to say that."
>>139290"Let us hope so. Now, you all know your jobs. Let us get this done! Dismissed!"
>>139291They nod, and leave
Outside, the platoon stands at attention on the road.
Brisbuck stands besides Silver, as does Firm Heart, and Amber Grain is in front of Silver. Behind him, Saltlick is absent (as ordered) and Hazelred stands at attention. Behind him, A company, including the corporal, are at attention. Behind them is B squad, which includes private Frostbark (this time), but not the squad machine gunner (as ordered). C squad, notably, has two ponies missing - scout riflestallions assigned to the machinegun secton. They were a "buddy pair" together, so both ponies assigned to keep track of the other are missing.
More unsettling, is the absence of the entire machine gun attachment to the squad.
>>139292Silver looks bewildered as to the disappearence of the entire machine gun section. He calls out to the congregation.
"I am count
lot of missing soldiers. While some have been excused by me personally, two scouts from C squad and our machine gun section are missing. Anypony care to fill in details?"
>>139293The Sargent who leads C section volunteers the following
"Sir, the platoon has been heavily dispersed since we ended lunch. Troopers have walked around and explored. They must be somewhere around town."
>>139294"I am afraid this meeting is manditory for all soldiers. Sargent, take two soldiers and bring them back ASAP. As for your own missing scouts, it might be beneficial to check their room incase they returned there after lunch."
>>139296"As for rest of you, I am afraid you will have to find way of entertaining yourselves here until your compatriots return. Nopony is allowed to wander off until we have finished here."
>>139297The soldiers begin the time honored tradition of standing still while memorizing the number of bricks on the street-face of the courthouse, and counting the number of birds to fly by in a given minute.
C squad sargent comes back denying that the missing scouts are inside the hotel.
>>139298"It was worth shot. We do not have forever, but please keep looking, Sargent."
Silver looks at the rest of the soldiers.
"I did not meant you could not converse in meantime. Just do not leave area and make us look for you."
>>139299One brave soldier sits, and soon, another follows, then another, until half of the platoon is sitting. They start talking.
The Sargent comes back with what seems to be the entire machine gun attachment.
"They took up occupancy of a house just across the river, and did not hear the call to line up." The sergeant answers
>>139300"They are excused then. Though it makes me wonder if I should reverse my decision regarding B Squad..."
He regains focus, and looks at the Sargent.
"Still no sign of your missing scouts?"
>>139301With added time, the two scouts come into view. They are followed by three members of the 332nd with their carbines out. The two parties are in dispute:
A brown stallion of the 332nd claims:
"We found these two near he outside of town looking through house of an evacuee. They had broken a window and kicked in the door when we came by and noticed the disturbance."
A dark purple scout responds:
"We were just looking around. We saw a house where the window was busted and the door was kicked in so we stopped by to take a look. Then these ponies came by. We didn't take anything!"
The brown pony responds:
"Perhaps only because we stopped you."
>>139302Silver just lets out a sigh of relief. He also makes a mental note about that house.
"Thank you for returning our missing soldiers to us. They have been keeping us waiting for some time. We will deal with this disturbance in due time, I assure you."
>>139303The brown stallion - he looks to be a corporal by his insignia, does not back away, but moves forward.
"You should keep your soldiers on a shorter leash. They are burglarizing the houses of evacuees. If they had done in this in foreign lands it would be unacceptable. But this is the homeland. This is unacceptable! Make an example of it now before all these new greens, rejects from the first round of the draft, sack our own cities in the future."
He holds the carbine out in front of himself, wings spread in evident excitement.
>>139304>>139303The two scouts weren't asked to give a response, but they give one anyways:
"It was like that when we found it! Honest!"
And
"You can search us, we don't have anything."
And then
"Uh, yeah! Search him!"
>>139304>>139305Silver's expression quickly fades from his relieved smile to an annoyed frown, and his face becomes quite firm after both groups speak. He trots forward slowly towards both the scouts and the group from the 332nd...but seems to be focusing mostly on the brown stallion.
"Corporal Asswipe, what is name and rank of Supreme Arbiter of Justice in this platoon?"
>>139306This definitely gets him to step back, and pull the carbine closer to himself. But he does not crumble
"I do not know your unit, but Captain Forrester is the highest ranking Stallion here."
>>139307Silver does not back down, and makes a loud buzzer noise in response.
"EEEEENNNNNHHHH!!! Wrong answer, Corporal Skidmark! 'Platoon Sargent Silver Sword' was your correct answer,
do you want to see what you could have won?"
feels kind of bad for not having another segment for Amber>>139308Evidently not.
He backs away, at first in a single step, but then several steps, though always facing Silver. The other two soldiers, who never moved as far forward as the brown stallion, move back when the brown stallion comes closer to them. Quickly enough, they move off and away.
>>139309Silver shouts after them as they hurriedly leave.
"NEVER SPEAK TO YOUR SUPERIOR THAT WAY AGAIN, OR YOUR ASS WILL BE GRASS, YOU HEAR ME!"
With a heavy snort of air from his flared nostrils, Silver calms himself down, and addresses the two scouts. His voice has a measure of concern for his soldiers.
"You two alright?"
>>139311The group from the 332nd turns around and leaves more quickly.
The two scouts are also slightly cowering, with their ears down.
"Uh... Yes?"
>>139312He smiles at the pair, and offers them a hoof to help pull them up from their slightly cowed position.
"Good. Not going to let some Corporal Shitstain from another platoon bully my troops, tell me how to run my own damned platoon, and
demand I discipline my own soldiers."
>>139313The deep purple stallion smiles, though kind of awkwardly, and extends his hoof to be pulled up, which he presumably is. The other stallion, an aquamarine colored stallion, also rises. both lift their ears.
"Thank you, Sargent"
>>139314"So, see anything interesting before you were chased off by Three Stooges over there?"
>>139315"Well... the house had been broken into. A window was broken, a door was broken. Some furniture was turned over, I think. Bedsheets were pulled down. There weren't drawers turned over or anything though, like the house was searched. I don't know if anything was stolen."
>>139316He nods, and turns to go back to being in front of the platoon. Before he does so, he briefly pauses to turn his head back to the scouts.
"And there is no need to thank me. It is part of my job to protect you from dungheaps like that thinking they can bully you into submission. You are my soldiers, not theirs."
He turns to look at the platoon.
"And that goes for rest of you. If anypony tries that shit on you, even if it is Captain Forrester himself, you come to me.
I will sort it out."
>>139317Some take it stoically, while a few soldiers seem pleased to hear this.
>>139318Silver steps to be in front of the Platoon.
"Alright now, I believe that is everypony accounted for? Those few still missing have already been excused by me. If you all would line up once more, we can begin."
>>139319The ponies line up, of course missing the aforementioned ponies excused by Silver. They stand up at attention.
>>139320"Now, I know you are all eager to continue your well deserved rest, but there are still couple of things to get through first. Now, first, due to speed with which Equestria performed most recent draft and recruitment, many of you have skipped steps in recruitment process you would not have had skipped otherwise. This is natural, Equestria is in its greatest need it has been in for over millenia, and you have all risen to occasion. Among these steps I have learned some of you skipped is eye examination, so to ensure I know you can actually
see what you are shooting at, Firm Heart here will be performing quick, routine eye examinations on each of you. So long as he has your full cooperation, this should not take very long. Once it is complete, I have important tasks for all squads."
>>139321Within the ranks, some are confused by the idea that something as essential as an eye examination has been skipped, while a few chalk it up to the incompetency of Equestrian High Command. They talk amongst themselves
>>139321>>139322Firm Heart is not quite done with the platoon. He addresses them all:
"Unfortunately, it isn't only lazy eye and deteriorated vision we need to be worried about. Unfortunately a particular variety of parasitic worm has been more prevalent this season than most here in the Equestrian West. You see, there is a variety of roundworm that is spread by flies and bad water that crawls around under the skin. The easiest way to identify it is when it moves around the eyes, which it loves to do. The worm is mostly harmless but, well, with your eyes essential to the defense of Equestria, Command isn't taking any chances. So they've ordered screening for the worms, and any permanent damage caused by them as well."
This explanation doesn't seem to comfort them much more.
>>139322Silver speaks up over the congregation, holding up his hooves to quiet the ponies down.
"I know, I know, it is odd. But if we get through this quickly, it will be last we have to worry about it until after we win this War. Now, if I may direct your attention to Firm Heart, he will show you where to go for examination."
Should probably strike
>>139323 since it seems to contradict
>>139321>>139324Firm Hear comes closer to Silver, and whispers:
"Sargent, you can't just 'examine' ponies to see if they are changelings. You have to make sure they won't kill you when you find them."
>>139325He whispers back, hopefully briefly enough that it doesn't worry the soldiers.
"Saltlick and that machinegunner from Squad B will be your assistants, so they will always be there with you and patients. We will also make such patients are disarmed before going in."
>>139326He nods
"Alright..."
Then he speaks to the ponies in the platoon
"Each, one at a time."
>>139327Silver allows Firm Heart to take command of actually leading the troops, and motions for the Lieutenant and Amber Grain to help him keep the soldiers in check.
>>139328Presumably, the ponies are taken to a ranch house somewhere, and kept outside while the examinations take place in a bedroom.
>>139329Silver, Brisbuck, and Amber Grain make sure to disarm each pony before they enter, under the reasoning of not wanting an accidental discharge to hit the platoon's medic, and give their weapons back once they leave. Only Saltlick and the machinegunner still have their weapons inside, though they should probably keep them out of sight until it's necessary.
>>139330The ponies are kept in line outside of the house, taken into a living room where their weapons and non-essential packs are removed, and then they are taken to a bedroom where the door is closed.
It's actually not very long into the process at all that there is a "thonk," loud cursing, a smash, and a crash from inside the room.
>>139333Silver barges inside to see what is going on, leaving Brisbuck and Amber Grain to keep control of the ponies in line.
>>139334Standing over the edge of the bed and aiming his rifle - with full bayonet - downwards is Saltlick. Firmheart lies on his back on the floor grabbing at his shoulders and making strange breathing noises. A dresser looks pushed out of the way, and there is a lampshade and a broken lamp next to him. The machinegun colt stands over part of the floor next to the bed. Silver has to move over to see what is obscured by the edge of the bed and both Saltlick and the Machinegunner. It's what Silver could have expected: a black, almost beetlelike thing with insectoid eyes, black chitinous skin, and holes in its limbs, all together in an equiform body. It bleeds out from part of its uniform a blue, slightly green tinted substance that must be an alien blood. Silver can see this blood on the floor and on the edge of the bayonet, and the dropped machine gun not far off. The creature tries to rise and fight its captors as the machine gunner tries to keep it on the floor. It hisses as the machine gunner recognizes he must keep distance from its face.
>>139335Silver jumps to help the machinegunner keep the changeling down.
"What did he do to Firm Heart!?"