Operation Guardian
One week after Operation Frigus
Canterlot, Equestria
1400 Hours
Command Chief Ironwing sat in his office, quietly sifting through personnel files, analyzing the traits of every STRYKER Operator outside of squads Arc and Bingo. This provided an issue for him, when it came to Operations that involved heavy combat, counter insurgency operations or even clandestine reconnaissance, just about any squad would fit the bill. This time, however, he needed a squad that would best fit the bill of public relations and equinitarian efforts.
Less than fifteen hours ago, a hurricane managed to form off the coast of Gallopfrey, a small island roughly two hundred kilometers southwest of Fillydelphia. The hurricane, now dubbed ‘Hurricane Tradewind’, managed to sweep through Gallopfrey and reduce the island to a pile of rubble seemingly overnight. Due to the current state of the Equestrian Royal Guard, a team needed to be dispatched immediately to the area to assist in any way necessary.
The orders were brought to Command Chief Ironwing upon Princess Celestia’s request and a note that told him to ‘pick the team best suited for the job’, hence his current predicament with him now pouring over the members of STRYKER noting each operator's skill sets and personalities down to the smallest detail.
The more he looked through the files, the clearer the answer became. With his decision made, he stood from his desk and went to the door. “Private Melon, notify the members of Squad Filly that I want them in my office five minutes ago.” with a quick salute, the stallion, clad in gilded steel, galloped down the corridor and out the East Entrance toward the STRYKER Barracks.
~
Canterlot, Equestria
One week after CMAP Graduation
1200 Hours
“I figure that since we’re a squad now, we may as well get to know each other better,” a rather small stallion by the name of Bluejay said as his new team sat under one of the few trees near the Royal Guard barracks. “So let’s start with introductions. As you all know, I’m Bluejay, your Squad Leader. I was born in Manehatten and volunteered for the CMAP the second I saw the recruitment posters.” The cerulean pegasus looked around at his quiet group. Not a single one of them seemed to convey even the slightest interest in doing anything outside of eating, sleeping and laying about. As seconds turned to minutes, Bluejay became irate. He glared at a filly perched closest to him and pointed at her with seemingly violent intentions. “Well?”
“Well… Ya’ll know me as Rocky,” the dusty brown mare to his left said with a strained smile. “I’m from Coltarado Springs, just outside Appleloosa.” her azure eyes looked up thoughtfully, remembering her old home. “It was hard for me to get my cutie mark when all I had to do was hang out with the younger buffalo that lived nearby, so when a group of them Royal Guards came to Appleloosa and started talkin’ about that there CMAP, well, I was hay in a hoofbasket crazy ‘bout goin’. After all, I always wanted to get me a good look at Canterlot an this was the perfect opportunity.”
There was another long pause, which was soon broken by a sweet voice, one almost like a songbird “Well, I’m Jetstream.” Sitting to Bluejay’s right, a young mare whose cerise coat shined almost as bright as her smile. “I’m from Haliflanks, which if you don’t know, is South of Tramplevania,” she finished with another smile and looked to her right at the mint colored stallion with the, in her opinion, beautiful pine green windswept mane.
“You guessed it, Blackhoof,” he raised his left forelimb showing his one off-colored hoof. “Like Jetstream, I’m also from Haliflanks. My parents were both medical ponies from Cloudsdale, so I got a lot of my first aid skills from days spent lounging about their office reading medical journals.”
“Ace. All you need to know,” a cobalt stallion said with obtrusive anger in his voice as he sat away from the group under the shade of a nearby tree. He looked away dismissively and waved a hoof as if to say ‘Be gone with you.’ “The less you know, the better.”
The other four looked at him with an almost heartbroken demeanor. He had been an introvert ever since he entered the program, never talking much and never opening up to the others. Something that, quite frankly, was getting on Bluejay’s nerves a tad too much. “Alright Ace, I’ve had it up to here with your attitude.” the cyan stallion intoned with a frown as he raised a hoof above his head. “As your Squad Leader, I order you to knock it off and tell us about yourself. Otherwise, I’ll be forced to report you to Command Chief Ironwing for insubordination.”
Ace chanced a glance at his squad leader, taking note of the pure determination plastered across his muzzle. “Ace. Born in Detrot. ‘Coltcuddler’. There you go, happy now you pathetic, imbecilic excuse of a squad leader?”
“Very,” Bluejay fired back without missing a beat. “Well, I guess that just about sums up our little talk. You’re all free to go and do as you please, just don’t get in too much trouble.” With his half hearted speech over with, Bluejay stood and gave a crisp salute to his comrades. He turned tail and began to saunter off, but just as he was almost out of ear shot, he shouted back at the group “PT at zero five hundred, be there!”
The rest soon did the same, with Ace flying off in a huff. Blackhoof had just made his way into the courtyard when he heard the soft beating of wings next to him followed by a quick tap on his withers. He didn’t bother looking as he already knew who was there. “Yes, Jet?”
“How do you always know it’s me?” She asked landing next to him.
“Because I’ve memorized the pattern at which you beat your wings... And because you’re the only pony that does that.,” He recalled casting a sideways smile.
“Oh. Well hey, I was wondering.” She made her way in front of him, bringing Blackhoof to a stop. “If you’re not busy today, would you maybe like to come see DJ Pon-3 with me?” Jetstream inquired, while trying to hide the blush quickly forming on her cheeks.
Blackhoof took his time mulling over the question, all to mess with the mare’s twitterpated head. “Oh I dunno, I mean, I got stu-”
“Pleeease?” The purple mare pleaded, trying her best to give Blackhoof her best ‘pouty face’.
“Know what? Yeah, I’d love to go with you.”
“SWEET! I’ll drop by the barracks at three. Meet you there?” Without another word, she flew off with images of dancing, fast music and the stallion of her dreams clogging her mind, all fighting to be at the front of her daydream.
~
One by one, the mares and stallions of Filly Squad filed into Command Chief Ironwing’s office, Ace lagging behind like he always had. They all stood at attention and held a salute until Ironwing returned the motion. “I apologize for bringing you all here on such short notice, but I’ve recently received orders from Princess Celestia stating that I needed a qualified team to rendezvous with the Royal Guard Harmony Wing Fourth Division in Cloudsdale, from there you will fly to Stableside where you will board the ENS¹ Coltenhagen en route to Gallopfrey to assist with disaster relief efforts,” he looked to Bluejay who stood motionless, taking in every word Ironwing that escaped his commanders lips. “I know this is not a Combat Related detail, but given the state of affairs with Gallopfrey and your respective attributes, I feel you’re the best team for the job. That, and we need to keep civilians away from the Training Station and their respective Archives, as there’s been reports of suspicious activity. Am I understood?”
“Orders acknowledged sir,” Bluejay voiced with a stalwart gaze. “Give my team ten minutes to prep and we’ll be on our way.” He offered another crisp salute to their Commanding Officer and quickly left. The other four followed his example and promptly found their way out behind Bluejay.
When the door closed behind Ace, Ironwing let loose a strained sigh and went back to pilfering through more files that had been brought to him from different sects of the Royal Guard.
Ever since he had given the order to gather Filly Squad, his eyes had been stuck on six troubling words, ‘Astro Mythonomicon is currently unaccounted for’.
~
Like most any trip, the one to Stableside to board the ENS Coltenhagen was relatively routine. Not a shred of turbulence, both physical and emotional, dared bother the mass of pegasi as they flew over towns and streams toward their destination. That was up until they had landed. From their greeting, it was clear that somepony hadn’t relayed the information that they would be arriving. If any iridescence was present before, the situation was now blatantly opaque. Bluejay, as the squad leader had decided to board the vessel as if it were a mere fishing boat, but instead was stopped by two spears aimed directly at his throat.
“Present proper authorization or head back the way you came,” a bored looking buck said as he gave Bluejay a thorough once-over.
“Second Lieutenant Bluejay, leader of FIlly Squad, STRYKER Operator. My squad, the guards currently under my command and I would very much like to board the ENS Coltenhagen as it prepares to sail to Gallopfrey.” Bluejay looked over the guard carefully and smirked as he noticed the rank embelished on his armor. “Now I suggest you remove your weapon from my throat before I lodge it in your rump. How copy?” Bluejay asked before addressing the guard in tones laced with venom “Seapony Apprentice Clearwater?”
In mere fractions of a second, the two guards stood at admirable attention with the news that they had just confronted an officer. “Aye sir. You may proceed.”
“Much obliged.” Bluejay was never one to use rank to persuade others, but at times like these, it seemed he needed to put some minor enlisted sailors in their place. “At ease.”
Rocky couldn’t help but look at the two ponies with a gaze that spoke of deep seeded hatred for naval ponies. Once all the STRYKER operators and Royal Guards had passed out of earshot and onto the vessel, Clearwater looked to his companion and began to mock Bluejay. “Hey, look at me, I’m a STRYKER butter bar. Hurr hurr. I can kill ponies by just looking at them.”
“Hay yeah, damn STRYKERs. What makes them so special anyway? Oh hey, look at me and my fancy wings! Aren’t I cool?”
“You know the great thing about wings?” the two ponies stood at abrupt attention at the feminine voice behind them. “It makes it easier to sneak up on squids like you and slit your throats.” Clearwater shuddered in fear as he felt something warm and moist trail up over his cheek. “Hmm… Salty,” the voice said. There was a burst of wind as the pony flew back to the ship, leaving the two guards shaking.
Jetstream landed next to Blackhoof with a giggle. “Oh those Navy ponies can be so fun to mess with.”
“What did you do, Jet?” Blackhoof asked with an annoyed sigh.
“Oh… Nothing much. I just snuck up on them as they were talking smack about us and the Lieutenant.” She suppressed a laugh before adding. “I even told them I could kill them, then licked one of their cheeks just to freak them out a bit.”
Blackhoof furrowed his brow and gave Jetstream a mildly disturbed glance. “You are one seriously messed up pony, you know that?”
“Yeah, but you know you like it,” Jetstream cooed as she gave Blackhoof a tad bit over-friendly nuzzle before trotting away to the female quarters.
"And you’re a tease!” Black shouted back with a huff.
~