Trottingham Fort Trots (Task Force Suntrot Only)

[Bellosh]

Fort Trots: one of the most vital bases in use by the Royal Equestrian Army. Situated on a hilltop overlooking the town of Trottingham, the old fort housed numerous sturdy barracks of stone, designed primarily for functionality. Yet like most buildings made by a pony, moderate effort was made to make Fort Trots passibly look like it belonged in the old quarter of Canterlot. On the side of the hill facing away from Trottingham, the REA had the right to most of the land below as a training area for soldiers, providing a prized area to practice large-scale maneuvers among other things.

It would be from Fort Trots that the REA’s newest experimental unit would be stationed. Over the last few months, it had been determined that Equestria’s defense force lacked the capability to seek out and neutralize potential threats before they became serious problems. Force Suntrot would change all that; this pilot-program aimed to determine whether a mobile taskforce had the ability to adequately defend Equestria using proactive intelligence gathering and mobilization. Should Force Suntrot prove a success, it’d pave the way towards establishing other units just like it.

On the morning that the ponies selected to join Suntrot were scheduled to assemble, one of the unit’s greatest champions gazed upon the central courtyard of Fort Trots from the Officer’s Hall. Standing on the balcony, one grim-faced Col. Pummel would oversee from afar the other members meeting each other for the first time. Ever since the Invasion of Canterlot, Pummel heavily advocated for the REA to display more initiative in identifying threats, and recently he found a strong ally in the form of Princess Twilight Sparkle. Thanks to her backing, Force Suntrot got its chance to shine in the sun:

Brave Ponies of the First Force,

Let me first tell you how proud I am. Deciding to fight for and defend the Princesses and Equestria is already a noble and valiant undertaking. Choosing to involve yourself in a force that is devoted to seeking out danger before it can harm Equestria is above and beyond the call, and I am honored to have approved the creation of and the staffing. Know that in your darkest moments you carry the fire of not only your comrades and fellows around you, but that of the Princesses, Equestrians, and Equestria herself. You are our eyes, ears, and shield-hoof. We are blessed to be your heart.

You will go across the whole nation and see many things. There are dozens of abandoned forts and camps that dot the landscape and have fallen into misuse, and these will be your homes each for many months. You will rebuild them, defend local ponies from their ramparts, and defeat evil from them. You will travel with ponies of all types and personalities who are united by the desire to do good for Equestria. Some of you are fighters. Others are sorceress'. Many of you are already members of the Army but even more of you are new inductees or even civilian specialists. No matter the way or manner, you are all now united as one and will do you, your families, Equestria, and the Princesses proud.

Look to your leaders. They are the best and the brightest and also the most willing of all to undertake this great deed. Make friends with your comrades so you may always remember the magic of friendship and why you are doing such a noble thing. It will be difficult and you will face many hardships, but rest easy knowing your first deployment is to Fort Trots near Trottingham, not one of the many older and less together structures you will call home. There you will train and undertake your first missions together. Good luck. We will all watch the skies for your safety.

With Love and Endless Respect,

Princess Twilight Sparkle

​

The tall colonel didn’t plan on formally addressing the soldiers and civilians comprising Force Suntrot; not this cloudy morning anyway. For now, he contented himself letting the mares and stallions get to know one another, and seeing how well they initially mesh. Once they've all arrived, Pummel planned on giving the group the details of their first assignment, Operation Blank Flank .....

OOC Rules: Only members of Task Force Suntrot are allowed to post. This is a hub thread. While it is a fullblown RP thread about the Task Force settling in and general sheninigans, the OP will also act as a hub for all operations and mission launched from this base.

All credit for Twilight's letter goes to SteelEagle

[Slazer]

Elena Greywing sighed in relief as she flung her saddlebag off her side and into the now-empty cart parked neatly out of the way in the Fort, brushing back her pink-dyed headdress with her talons. Those infernal things were tight around her wings something awful, but it was the only baggage she had managed to find to help her bring her assortment of tools and materials to the workshop. She hardly minded the labor, but she did enjoy the feeling in her mauve plumes- something the tight straps and the unfortunate placing of griffon wings had conspired to deprive her of.

Being a contracted civilian in the employ of the Guard working in the field for a experimental military protocol would be a daunting proposition to most smith-griffons, but Elena had jumped at the chance. She had always been a griffoness of two worlds, having grown up on the border of Aquellia and Equestria around both races, but a part of her felt a stronger connection to the ponies than to her own kind, and Elena was more than happy to listen to that side of her heart for a change. There was no denying that she would have plenty of opportunities to sharpen her skills, both martial and metalwork-wise, working here as well, since this new task force was supposedly fairly large and intended to lash out at threats before threats could lash out at Equestria. Even if she set aside all personal reasons for getting involved, Elena was certain that she was going to have plenty of work very soon; setting up with the Suntrot was just good business overall.

Elena flapped her wings a couple of times and laid patiently on her belly in a comfortable part of the courtyard, content to take a breather while she waited on the rest of the force to arrive. She was eager to get to know her co-workers-slash-comrades for the next half year.

Introducing Albina to help get the ball rolling. I'll intro Valiant after more of the Suntrot has shown up.

[tacobob]

“Well, here I am.”, First Lieutenant Fire Walker thought to herself as she glanced around the famous old 'Fort Trots'. For years, she had planned to visit Trottingham, which was an famous resort-city considering its popularity among her fellow officers, but instead of enjoying the city's sights as a tourist, she would be staying here as a member of this new 'Task Force Suntrot' Princess Twilight Sparkle had helped to create with Colonel Pummel. While she was neither surprised to see the letter from the newest of the royal family, nor was unaware of the demand for a stronger and quicker R.E.A after the recent Changeling's attack of Ponyville, she was a little disappointed that she was called to join this new mobile taskforce as a trainer. While she did enjoy training new recruits from time to time, she had always considered this position, when applied to a full-time to be work for much older officer. An officer with an lifetime's worth of experience and knowledge, something the red coated mare believed she did lack. However, this new R.E.A group was something she also believed strongly in, even before the recent attack and she would have been happy to be simply invited, no matter the position. While Equestria had known peace for long, the last few years had seen the return of the old chaos king, Discord, the emergence of the Changelings who had decided no longer to lurk in the shadows, but instead had made several attacks of heavily populated villages and cities. The old guard was not ready for this, so a new operation was initiated.

Since it was easier to wear than pack, the Pegasus mare wore her gold-tinted officer armor, she had also brought along a few suitcases worth of personal gear from her officers dress uniform to simple clothing and other gear. Thankfully she was not that far from her hometown of Canterlot, so if she needed anything from home, she would simply just need to contact a family member for the item to be on the train the following day. Once she had her cart had made it to the courtyard,the mare decided to park it just for a moment to see if any other officers would be here soon. Fire Walker noticed a griffon who she did not know had been waiting there before her. After giving the female a friendly smile. she let her eyes bounce around the old stones, hoping to catch sight of her fellow officers.

OOC: This post might be edited slightly if Fire Walker's brother, Punk Walker joins this RP)

[SteelEagle]

Apple Bloom hadn't ever imagined that her hooves could hurt nearly as much as they did now. A good two weeks of hard trottin' with a heavy bag would have been daunting and breaking in the best of conditions, but she hadn't been prepared for the hoof breaking pace she was expected to keep. From Ponyville to Trottingham she had kept the pace with those in the Logistics Branch, step in step but increasingly having to numb herself to how tired she was. In all she had believed she had made a good show of it but as she reached the end, she couldn't hide her joy in any form or fashion. Every step forward seemed to take everything that she had in her as small streams of sweat transformed her bowless mane and face into a damp mess. She hadn't complained or fussed but as she entered the Fort, she could only imagine a nice shower and rest was her reward for doing such a darn good job. She had earned it.

Sh had definitely earned just simple admission. During Nightmare Night, Apple Bloom had laid herself on the line for Princess Celestia but the truth was she would have done it for just about anypony, royal or not. That stoked a certain honorable fire from within that gave light and succor to a noble passion that eventually became a commanding and ever present presence in her mind. She wanted to help defend Equestria and even though she was too small to fight, that didn't stop her from contributing. Her recognition for her actions in aiding Celestia gave her enough credence with Twilight's recruitment officer for this little organization that against all odds she had found a spot in the Logistics Branch. Of course she only told Applejack and Granny Smith afterwards and the reaction was decidedly mixed. However, in the end an Apple always keeps their word and Apple Bloom was ready and excited to do her part for Equestria for a full summer.

And so when one of the Task Force detachments rolled through the region to gather recruits and supplies, Apple Bloom galloped out to meet them. She was quickly given supplies to carry and what followed was a hard and regimented two weeks. All the while she had strapped to her back an enlarged saddlebag carrying carefully wrapped medical supplies which, while not in any form very heavy in small amounts, added up to quite a load. At least she was better at making camp than a few others so she didn't feel totally useless compared to them. Most ponies were civilians in the detachment so Apple Bloom wasn't completely out of her element but none of that mattered as she finally saw the end of the road and start of the Fort.

She had never seen a Fort, but Trots lived up to what little she heard from her newfound friends. It was big! A huge moat with three drawbridges each one with two guard towers on either side forming the barbican and the heavy iron Portcullis shutting quickly and definitively. Bastions on the four corners were tall and strong as the battlements extended all the way around the curtain wall. The courtyard was home to multiple stone barracks and storage facilities, as well as more fancy looking structures that Apple Bloom couldn't identify. Here was where most ponies were at, especially the civilians. The courtyard or bailey was huge! In front of them was a second curtain wall, and behind that a much smaller space that included the tallest and most well-defended structure of the whole fort. The Keep had a massive base, but the Keep itself started to thin out dramatically. It was surrounded on three sides by bastions and the four structures all formed one huge superstructure that dominated the view of Trottingham from atop the hilll. Apple Bloom didn't have the energy to investigate any further though, so she dropped her bag down gently next to a griffon and wiped her brow.

"Geez louise, that was one heck of a walk, ha...ha..." she took a few very deep breaths, taking a few deep gulps from her canteen. No use holding back now that they had arrived, right?

"Mah name's...Apple Bloom! What's yers?"

[Quillhart]

Punk walker snored loudly into the cloud he slept on. He had finally managed to fall asleep in spite of the constant noises from the train with which he had tied his hoof together. With the rear in the air and the face heavily pressed against the cloud did Punk take his third nap for the day. Though he snored like he hadn't slept in days and proudly displayed his flank as the definitive end of the train. Punk certainly wore his armor like the true solar guard he was. In fact; the armor was the only thing he had brought except for a bag of his favorite candy, pumpkin-drops. His cutiemark wasn't a pumpkin with a chew mark for no reason. The train had pulled him all the way from Canterlot and, even though he actually bought a ticket, he preferred to be outside this beautiful day. Also the risk that ponies might find him sleeping with his hoof in the mouth was a reason good as any to keep some distance.

Punk wasn't surprised at all when his commander came up with a letter from princess Twilight calling him to join the defender branch, Equstria's new front of defense. He had been waiting for the day when the authority finally noticed his capacity ever since he joined the army. It was like he always said: "I'd be a general by now if only the sergeants stopped being jealous at my epic skills" At last they realized how blind they've been and took him to the real game instead of letting him trot around the castle all day. Some ponies had told him that the commander just recommended him for the sake of getting rid of him but Punk knew that it were all lies. He knew the commander and she would never sign anypony on an important quest without being 100% that they would qualify. And by the way; Punk was the best and invincible at what he did. Well yeah, he were at neither of the changeling attacks, and yes, he did never see discord break free, and indeed, he wasn't in the area when Sombra attacked the crystal empire, but he was sure that he could have handled all those incidents just fine.

Toot toot! The horn woke punk up from his dreaming and he found himself staring into something white and fluffy. He slowly rose up on his hoofs to realize that the whole environment had changed since he fell asleep since last time. Punk gazed over the busy Trottingham, the city of history, wine and beach. He thought of that when he took a deep breath of the new air and Punk could feel deeply inside that he had come to the town he one day might call home. Punk hopped off the cloud and stretched himself on the platform before he began to make his way to the hill where he knew the fort was located. Hopefully there would be somepony he knew there, he needed somepony to rant about the journey here with.

THERE WAS! Punk had hardly stepped on the path up the hill before he saw a familiar red mare with a bored look. A vicious smile grew wide on his face. His sister had come too! Punk Walker took off the ground and accelerated towards Fire Walker as fast as he could. "FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" He roared as he quickly drew closer to his beloved lil' sis. A little dust swirled up below him in the wind he created as he accelerated. Punk was almost by her sister when he suddenly pressed his hoofs against the ground, he braked, swirled up a cloud of dust and stopped in front of his sister in an elegant bow. "First Lieutenant Fire Walker." Punk said honorably and solemnly with his head bent in respect. He looked up with a mischievous smile. "Mam, permission to hug, mam." Punk reached out a hoof and winked at her while he waited for his sister to hug him. It's not quite by the paper to randomly hug a superior even if one's close and while punk mostly felt like rules were silly, he chose not to break them this time just for the funsies.

It was by the way pretty humorous that his little sister was in higher rank than him.

[Slazer]

Elena chuckled in amusement at the antics of the newly-arrived red-maned stallion as he accosted the... even redder officer who had arrived before him; she guessed they were related, as their mane colors- an uncommon shade of red, in Elena's experience- nearly matched each-other. She winced at the stallion's 'greeting', both very audible and fairly inappropriate, but before she could ponder the odd duo any further, her attention was drawn to another little pony who had spoken to her.

"Geez louise, that was one heck of a walk, ha...ha..." she took a few very deep breaths, taking a few deep gulps from her canteen. No use holding back now that they had arrived, right?

"Mah name's...Apple Bloom! What's yers?"

'Little pony' in a literal fashion, Elena mused as she looked over the khaki filly, Apple Bloom she called herself, before her. She seemed to be quite young, enough so to still be a blank-flank at least, though her physique and the way she carried herself belayed a strength beyond what her age suggested. A quick glance at what Apple Bloom had hauled all the way up to the fort confirmed that theory well enough for Elena. The griffoness's wings gave a mindful pulse of pain at the sight of the overstuffed saddle bag.

Elena shook off the momentary fog, and gave a small smile to her new co-worker. "Albina, Albina Elena Greywing, but please call me Elena." She replied warmly, offered a closed talon for a hoof-bump greeting.

[RarityDash]

So, here she was, freshly promoted to corporal and willingly and eagerly set to begin a new and exciting assignment as a part of a special task force set up by the princesses themselves. Radiant truly felt blessed. Since the ball... since she had met him, things really had been looking up for her. After a year of interminable night shift posts, of getting nowhere doing nothing, of getting called out for her reckless and rash behavior and getting chastised by superiors and judged by her father, she was finally on her way down what she was positive was the fast track to greatness as a soldier. Nightmare Night had really been critical. She still couldn't believe the colonel had picked her too accompany him to investigate the Changeling invasion in Ponyville. That he had meant that, when they had arrived to find the invasion well in progress, she had had an opportunity to display her valor. In the now surreal feeling events that had followed, she had saved the colonel and two of her other fellow soldiers and fought off a full six changelings. That she had been promoted on the spot, awarded a medal and given a chance to meet face to face with her number one idol, Princess Celestia in the immediate aftermath had only made it all the more glorious.

And now there was this, Task Force Suntrot. She had found the idea attractive from the start, but as it were, her superiors had actually recommended her for it. It really just felt like something she was supposed to be a part of it and she was eager to see where it would take her. As it were, where it took her ended up being a certain Fort Trots in Trottingham. It was kind of awkward admitting it, but this might well have been the furthest Radiant had been from Canterlot. Everything about it was exciting, and more than anything she was excited to see what the missions would actually entail. They were just starting out after all, and before any of it began they needed to become acquainted. She had more confident about her than was usual as she approached where they were meeting and began sizing up the others. Some were slightly familiar faces, some she didn't know. Standing out most curiously was a certain child she had met at the banquet with Celestia. What was a foal doing here? it hardly seemed appropriate. Either way, Radiant wasn't exactly inclined to approach her. She had had and endless stream of questions last time, and Radiant had found herself at a loss knowing how to speak to her in the first place. She wasn't very eager to greet any of her comrades actually; meeting ponies for the first time was always so awkward for her. It was no less intimidating, she supposed, but she was far more used to and far more inclined to attract the attention of a far superior officer.

Singling out the Colonel at sight upon the balcony of the officers hall, she stopped in place and offered up her firmest salute while looking at him, trying not to smile as she did. She had a certain level of gratitude for this stallion. it was all because of him that she had had the chance to show what she was made of in Ponyville. He had chosen her and he had rewarded. She had no proof, but part of her wondered if he hadn't himself been the one to recommend her for Suntrot even. It was probably just fantasy, and either way it wasn't something she'd ever dream of bringing up to him directly. There were few ponies she admired and respected more than Colonel Pummel, but that didn't mean he wasn't still one of the least approachable and most intimidating ponies in the entire REA. She was, nevertheless, eager to serve under him.

​

[Bellosh]

The last time PFC Flash Sentry walked in Fort Trots, the stallion had been a newly-minted private undergoing Advanced Individual Training. But now, having served in the Crystal Empire and in Canterlot, Flash was now assigned to an experimental group designated Task Force Suntrot. From what he gathered from his superiors, Suntrot existed to root out potential threats before they became serious problems. Always eager to be of service, PFC Sentry volunteered for this special assignment with much gusto.

Just before transferring to Fort Trots, Flash learned of his assignment to the Logistics Section of Force Suntrot. More specifically, the duty of sending dispatches between the unit and Canterlot Castle fell on his shoulders. The stallion guessed that he was selected for this responsibility due to his past assignments working with the princesses, especially Twilight Sparkle and Celestia. The brass must have figured if anypony was qualified to be a messenger, it’d be PFC Flash Sentry.

Making the prospect of working with Force Suntrot more exciting for Flash was the fact that his good friend Cpl. Radiant Steel was also part of the unit. She may not have been a part of Logistics, but the stallion felt good having his closest comrade around. To be blunt, he wouldn’t have known what to do following the Nightmare Night debacle had Radiant not been there to snap him out of his misery.

So naturally, the armored stallion made a beeline to Radiant upon entering the courtyard. “Radiant!” Flash energetically called out with one of his trademark warm smiles as he approached the mare; “Man, I’m glad that you’re here. You’ve settled in yet?”

[tacobob]

The next person to make her way into the fort was a pony, but she was most certainly not an officer. Fire Walker could not shake the feeling that she had seen this particular earth pony before, but where? Was this an officer or fort staff's child? Poor thing looked like she had just walked a hundred miles. Hopefully her parents would arrive soon, although it worried the mare to a great degree that her parents weren't already at her side. The mare's motherly instincts quickly kicked in as she reached for her own canteen, but stopped short when she noticed the filly already had her own. The Pegasus pony let out a slow sigh as she watched the filly rest and decided to stay back after realizing she probably needed the rest more than she needed companionship. Hoping to make things a little easier for the child, the R.E.A guard alerted the nearest fort staff member and asked to bring the girl a damp towel to cool her body down. She smiled as the friendly griffon comported the child.

After glancing away from the two, Fire's eyes fell upon the always impressive Radiant Steel, an guard she had been seen and heard about, but had never had the honor of working side by side until now. As she slowly got up to greet the mare, the officer was promptly intercepted by one of her older brothers. It wasn't her brother Cordell Walker, who currently resided in Trottingham with his wife Jammy, and daughter Ticket Tape. Nor was her globetrotting younger brother, Sky, it was the Punk Walker, her older, but slightly less mature brother. "You do know that I gave you permanent permission to hug me whenever you wish Private Punk.", she quickly gave her brother a quick, but suitable hug.

"You just need to watch your step here.", she lowered her voice, "We're working with one of the most no-nonsense officers in the R.E.A.", she nudged the stallion towards the balcony, "Don't stare. There's not a lot of ponies out there that father respects as highly as Colonel Pummel. He's a good stallion, and he's not the type to take guff or sass from anypony. While I'm not sure if it's true or not, I did hear that he once sent a fully grown dragon packing just by giving him a stern look. Heard this back a few years ago in OTS so it's probably bunk, but you need to play it straight here. If you annoy him just one bit, you know father is going to find out and then you'll never hear the end of it.", she quickly dropped her more serious tone, "But you need to keep this between you and me. Father is very proud of you for joining this new taskforce. He really is.", she stopped her whispering as Private Flash Sentry trotted into view.

OOC: Forgot what ranking Punk was, so if I'm wrong, please tell me and I shall edit my post.

[SteelEagle]

Apple Bloom had to continue sucking down some sweet Trottingham area air to keep her mind in working function. She was no stranger to the hard work of a farm life and heck, she had went on one or two adventures that pushed her above and beyond the brink, but this was another matter entirely. She wasn't sure how long exactly it was from Ponyville to Trottingham but it had felt like she had walked the whole dang world. Hopefully the next time they went to a new place theyy could mozey on over there in an airship of some sort, or even just a cart would have been fine. Her hooves felt like glass and frankly she wasn't going to go that far on her hooves again unless somepony was gonna tell her that a big ol' pile of strawberry ice cream waited for her at the very end. But she doubted that the Royal Equestrian Army even had ice cream, probably some non-fattening substitute because of health reasons.

Oh well, not a biggie. Despite all of her internal gripes, Apple Bloom had known full well that hard work lay out in front of her when she decided to sign up and she didn't regret a single second of her life there so far. Good, hard work was the cornerstone of a good mare or stallion and every hour of sweat was repaid tenfold. She was still more than willing to go the extra mile for the stallions and mares of the task force and she knew that if the worst came to worst, there were worse ways to fall down unconscious than in the service of the brave and honorable. And she also figured if that happened she could probably hitch a ride the rest of the way, so it was really a win win for all involved. Who knows, maybe that'd even be Albina Elena Greywing.

Apple Bloom met the talon-hoof bump weakly.

"Nice to meetcha, Elena!" She said excitedly, stretching out her back hooves as a pony approached with a wet towel. Hey, you were supposed to dry off using a towel not get wet using one! Everypony was a bit silly including Abby, who took the towel gratefully and laid it over her head and mane.

"Thanks!" She offered as she allowed the towel to cool her down a bit. Still, she assumed there was work to be done somewhere, somehow and she wasn't gonna be caught slacking for too long. A break was needed now, but she didn't want to get in trouble day one.

"So, where do we go naw?"

[Slazer]

Elena smiled at Apple Bloom's work ethic. The little filly was worn out by the march up to the fort, yet she was still asking what she could do next; that kind of attitude was exactly what a task force like the Suntrot needed, in Elena's own opinion. There was something to be said for good old-fashioned manual labor, and the character it creates in someone. Still, she thought it would be better for them to conserve their energy until they were called to service.

"Take it easy, Apple Bloom." She suggested, standing for a moment to stretch out her limbs and wings before settling back down on her belly with her legs comfortably underneath her. "I think there are still a few ponies who need to get here before our C.O. can start barking orders. We should rest up while we can, get to know our co-workers, 'cause I don't think we'll get an opportunity like this again."

She glanced up at the officer overlooking the Fort from the balcony above, and frowned slightly as her keen avian eyes allowed her to get a good look at him. This Col. Pummel, as the paperwork she had signed had named him, seemed to be an old and grey stallion to Elena's eyes- probably one of the old guard who was jet-set in his ways right out of the gate. She knew better than to voice that opinion, though; the griffoness knew she had seen his name come up a few times when she had delved through public Aquellian records, and that said a great deal about his abilities. She made a note to fish for information about this stallion while mingling with the other Suntrot members; it never hurt to know more about the one leading her into the danger zone, after all.

[Quillhart]

Punk couldn't believe it. His little sister hardly finished her first sentence before she proceeded with lecturing him. It was rather sad that he could never fully get away from the inquiring gazes and nudges of his family. As in this case where it looked like Fire purposely skipped all the 'how have you been' and 'great to see you' just for the sole reason to get as much time as possible to convince him to behave. With a deep, unvoiced sigh did Punk arch an eyebrow and he turned his head towards the balcony to watch the gray, stern and extremely tense stallion. For a second; Punk pondered if the old stallion had forgotten to remove his coat rack from his shirt or if he always looked like that. Pummel's gaze looked intimidating and Punk wouldn't be surprised if it turned out that the old stallion could read the minds of the unworthy. Though, with that look, probably everypony except the princesses and as many ponies he could count on his stiff hoofs, were unworthy in his eyes.

Punk's eyes flickered back to Fire when she told him to not stare. Some more information reached his ears and it didn't take long for him to realize that he and Pummel would have issues. Serious issues. It wouldn't come on purpose, it wouldn't be anypony's fault. It was simply impossible to match two ponies with so different personalities without hostility. One can't throw a goat and a lion in the same room and then expect them to get along. The proper thing to do would be to try to stay away from his attention until their paths divided. Though Punk knew that getting attention was sadly one of his specialties. There would eventually be an decisive moment where their rancor towards each other grew too strong for them to ignore. His eyes suddenly blinked and he flinched a little when Fire mentioned their father and his relation with Pummel. He silently wished that it wouldn't be like that but his experience said otherwise. Punk wished, he wished for his father's sake. He just shrugged. "I won't promise that I can fully withhold my coolness but I'll do what I can. And you'll have to excuse me if I don't automatically apply respect to other ponies just because daddy does it. By the way", Punk looked straight into his sister's eyes and poked her chest, "if this Pummel would appear to not earn my respect; none shall be given to him. I'm not going to pretend to deify him! But if he earns it; I will take every word he utters to my heart and place me and my friends lives in his hoofs. It's up to him. Whatever dad has to say about it!" In contrast to Fire, he chose to not whisper as he spoke. There was no less honor and pride to find than in a suppressed opinion.

Fire mentioned how proud their father was and Punk Walker laughed for the first time in a while. "Thanks, Fire! Somepony should make a statue in my honor, because this is a great deed indeed! You know, not everypony is out there saving the world as I am." He chuckled and gave Fire a wink.

[RarityDash]

The colonel didn't even look Radiant's way that she could tell. She supposed it was only fair. He was such a stern and important officer. What need had he to acknowledge a nobody corporal like her? This was just her being silly. Perhaps she just saw her father in him and was just chasing approval. That was pretty much her entire life, she supposed. it was a shame then that she had proven to be so poor at it for the most part. Nevertheless, she wasn't going to let her neurotic tendencies put a hamper on her pride and respect. She kept her salute stiff for a good minute or so, not easing up until an unexpected sound reached her ear. it was the sound of an all too familiar pony calling out to her.

​

“Radiant! Man, I’m glad that you’re here. You’ve settled in yet?”

The smile that lit up Radiant's face at the sight of Flash Sentry was not in any way subtle. He was a friend, one of the few dependable ones she had. He was a great guy, honest and attentive and just easy to talk to. It was not only her career that had turned upward after the dance they shared at the Army Ball but also her spirits.

"No, no. I arrived only moments ago," she said still smiling as she turned to face him. "I was just taking a moment to express my respect for the colonel," she said, nodding toward the balcony. "He is an admirable stallion to whom I owe so much..." she reflected.

She shook her head and nodded. "It's good to see you again..." she said in a somewhat quieter voice. "I'm glad you ended up with Suntrot too. Even if we're in different divisions, I look forward to serving with you," she added her tone remaining soft.

She looked down at her hooves a moment and sighed. "It's exciting...but I must admit I'm kind of nervous. I've never been a part of something like this. It's cerainly a lot more daunting than late night guard shifts..."

​

[Bellosh]

"No, no. I arrived only moments ago. I was just taking a moment to express my respect for the colonel. He is an admirable stallion to whom I owe so much..."

“Colonel Pummel huh?” Flash Sentry turned his head up to gaze up at the imposing stallion up on the balcony; “I’ve heard everyone say that he’s more griffon than pegasus; a real hard case. But I suppose Pummel can’t be all that bad if he recognizes how good a soldier you are, Radiant.” Knowing how much respect Cpl. Steel held for the old guy, PFC Sentry kept his misgivings about the colonel to himself. Wasn’t Pummel the guy who allowed the Royal Weather Factory to explode last spring just to make a point about the need for proper obedience?

".....It's exciting...but I must admit I'm kind of nervous. I've never been a part of something like this. It's certainly a lot more daunting than late night guard shifts..."

The armored pegasus gave his counterpart a friendly jab with the elbow; “Heh, if you managed to scrape by Nightmare Night with a fancy medal, I’m sure you’ll do just-“

“ATTENTION!!! OFFICER ON DECK!”

A loud clear voice from one of the miscellaneous guards ran out through the courtyard, indicating that Col. Pummel had flown down and landed below the balcony. On instinct, PFC Sentry turned towards Pummel, stood at attention, and provided a salute. Just like how all other members of the Army are trained to show respect for their commanding officer.

“CIVILIANS, ASSEMBLE ON THE FRONT LEFT CORNER!”

Suntrot's civilian members were not expected to know all the military drill commands obviously, so it was determined that giving them separate commands would reduce confusion within Force Suntrot. At least until the civies got integrated better with their military partners.

“THE REST OF YOU, FALL IN!”

That meant everypony else, Flash Sentry included, was to canter in front of Col. Pummel and line up in formation before receiving further instructions. PFC Sentry performed this procedure flawlessly; no question existed of the rest of the serviceponies’ ability to do the same. Once everyone stood on the right spot, Pummel planned to begin his briefing.

[SteelEagle]

Elena was far more of a laid back griffon than Apple Bloom was a laid back pony, that much was certain. The filly could hardly ever entertain the thought of rest when she was still in the process of work, which she still was technically. usually at the farm there was a clear separation of work and finish, but here things seemed a bit up in the air. Well, that was probably just Apple Bloom's weary perception, which wasn't entirely all there. She was tired and hungry and a little homesick in the pit of her stomach, but as dedicated as ever. She wanted to do good and make everypony proud and earn her keep. Elena was probably right, however. She had slowed down for a reason after all and stopped for a drink and a little rest. Only after she stopped was she in any way put off by the lack of direction. If nothing else, a short rest would at least end with some sense of direction eventually. Maybe she could even nap, who knows? The world was a crazy place!

"Ah guess yer right. Just wanna get ta where Ah need ta go before Ah go ahead and rest much, so Ah don't have ta wake up all of a sudden from a deep slumber. Nothin' is worse than a ruined nap, right?" Apple Bloom asked her new found friend, nonetheless deciding to relax for a minute or three. She laid down on the well-tilled earth and took a deep breath, more than happy to allow her weary body a few moments of rest despite her better nature. She'd rather just go at it and get it done, but what did she even need to do? It was mighty confusing. She figured that'd be the case though when they all got together and waited for somepony in charge to bark some orders about. They didn't have an Applejack after all and it was hard for anypony to give orders so effectively, so she might as well just take a nice lil' nap while...

...And then Colonel Pummel yelled and the filly jumped off of the ground and swiftly grabbed the heavy saddlebag, throwing it over her shoulder. She had almost been caught napping and wouldn't that have been the worst possible way to kick off her Suntrot journey for the summer? Why, Applejack would have to change her name to Pear Bloom out of shame and that joke wasn't even funny. Apple Bloom followed the instructions to the word, trotting in line with other civilians to the front left corner of the bailey in front of the Keep, inside of the second curtain wall. She found a spot and stood, fighting down a yawn as she prepared to be a good little Suntrot pony and listen to whatever that important lookin' pony was about to say. She couldn't recall the rank as she was incredibly tired. She is, after all, just a little filly.

[Slazer]

Elena nodded in agreement with Apple Bloom on her opinion on interrupted naps. Sleep was very important to her, since so much of her life and work revolved around her physical strength and endurance, and she hated being interrupted while napping. She guessed that Apple Bloom came from one of the many farms dotting Equestria's fertile landscape from her accent and attitude- a profession even more physically daunting than the blacksmith's own- so it was little wonder they were alike minded when it came to work ethic. When the little country filly settled down for a quick bout of Zs, Elena was about to get comfortable and join her for a few minutes- and, of course, it was right then that the Colonel dropped down and gave a billowing call to attention. She snorted at the terrible timing, but stood up immediately nonetheless. Oh, blazing tail-feathers.

Despite her annoyance, she couldn't help but wince when Apple Bloom shot up like her tail was on fire, slung her saddlebag on, and all but dove for the called location. That poor foal was going to wear herself to the bone, the insightful griffoness could already see it coming. As she calmly joined Apple Bloom in the civilian formation, Elena decided to keep close to the farm-filly to make sure that didn't happen. She seemed like very good company to the young griffoness, as well.

[tacobob]

The First Lieutenant watched as the little filly snatched up the towel and cooled herself off. She overheard the griffon call the filly 'Apple Bloom' which caused the mare's brain to start racing. Where had she heard that name before? She recalled that her little sister had mentioned this filly before after visiting Ponyville. She was a member of the Apple family, possibly either Applejack's sister or daughter. This did not clear up her confusion on why the girl was here without her family. And speaking of family, her own brother Punk Walker was there. "Punk, I'm not here to get into another fight with you, I'm just being honest with you.", the mare looked directly into the stallion's eyes.

"As for Colonel Pummel, while I do believe he has earned each and everypony's respect for his lifetime of service and undying devotion to the kingdom, this is not about him. It's about the citizens of Equestria. It's about 'Nightmare Night'. You weren't there.", she added with a glare of her own, "You didn't see the chaos and you didn't see little Wind after what she went through. Poor kid slept in my room every night for two weeks after that mess back in Ponyville.", the younger Walker sibling kept her tone down low as she spoke, "This is not about me, or you or even daddy, it's about her and everypony else I never want to see go through something like that again. This is why I'm here."

“ATTENTION!!! OFFICER ON DECK!”

The armored pony turned her full attention over to the commanding officer and gave off a proper salute. Once the order was given to join up with her fellow officers, she made her way towards the rapidly forming line and stood at attention.....

[Bellosh]

Satisfied with the assembled motley group before him, Col. Pummel’s stare subtly deintensified as he gave the next command; “At ease.” That permitted the military personnel to relax their limbs a little bit, so long as their right hoof stood in place as an anchor. They’d all be drilled in formation marching later on anyway, so Pummel saw no need to keep his ponies rigid during his briefing.

“As you all know fillies and gentlecolts,” began the colonel, getting into his habit of methodically pacing left and right like a hungry wolf; “You have all been hoofpicked into the most vital unit in the entire Royal Equestrian Army. Not even an assignment as part of the Royal Guard can compare to what everypony here, soldier and civilian alike, is about to face. Make no mistake; Task Force Suntrot will in time, become Equestria’s greatest defense against anything that wants to spread havoc in our land.

“In a week’s time, we will commence Operation Blank Flank, which is designed as a training exercise to simulate the sort of challenges that you’ll face, as a member of Suntrot. But before we get to that, I need to make sure that every mare and stallion here is physically fit for duty. Even the civilian contractors assigned to provide logistical support will face hardship, so they too will undergo physical assessment.

“All ponies will henceforth immediately report to the obstacle course for PT.” Pummel halted his pacing to issue his final command for the present time; “Now get to it!”

“EVERYPONY, GET MOVING! DOUBLETIME IT!” Leave it to a subordinate officer to usher the group out of the courtroom in a slow job. Not even the civilians would be spared; no time like the present to adjust them to what it’ll be like in Force Suntrot.

----------

OOC: I’ll leave it to a member of Training Branch to handle the next phase of the RP.

[Quillhart]

Punk was honestly very annoyed that he and his sister had hardly started off before it became an argue. The thought that it was mostly his fault made him somehow even more annoyed. "I agree. I had hoped to get some 'How have you been' and 'Nice to see you'. I did not expect to get any instructions and orders right away from my very own sister." He said and glared back into her eyes. Punk felt a rage flame up inside of him and his breathing deepened as he thought of how little force she had put into greeting him. He couldn't tell if she was actually happy to see him at all. "This isn't about Pummel anymore. Why have I never seen my own family back me up?", he poked her chest again, "You know what think? I think that you're all ashamed of me. That you all care more for your family's name and how you can bring it respect than me and what I want to do. I care for you, you know, but I can't tell if I'm loading love on a bunch of rocks or if it's actually ponies that care. How is it, Fire, do you care or are you all sitting at home discussing that black sheep in the herd and how much you all wished I was different?!"

Punk froze when she mentioned nightmare night and how he wasn't there. He stopped looking into her eyes and lowered his gaze to the ground when she described how scared little Windy had been. A heavy weight of guilt settled deep down in his stomach. "You know I wanted to be there, Fire..." His eyes turned up to meet fire's. "You know that I would have protected Wind with my life if I was." Fire reminded him of why she were here and Punk felt a little ashamed that he had been acting so silly towards his own sister. They were both here to aid Equestria end nothing else could be prioritized above that.

“ATTENTION!!! OFFICER ON DECK!”

Fire began trotting away from him and Punk felt like he didn't want them to split as enemies. "Hey Fire!", he shouted at her back and hoped that she would turn around, "It's nice to see you again." He said and gave her a wide smile.

“THE REST OF YOU, FALL IN!”

Punk placed himself in the front of the group of ponies and listened as Pummel began his speech about how they were about to face the hardest task they've ever faced. He smiled widely and mischievously towards Pummel. His mind was fixed on the task ahead, he knew that they had a purpose, that they would save Equestria! As he gazed into the stern face before him, he could tell that Pummel and he were extremely different. Heck, what united them was their reason for being there, they were there for the greater good. Punk bowed deeply for Pummel as they were told to leave for the course. Doing a salute would have been the proper thing to do, but hey, Punk was different and he might as well announce it at an early state.

[Dunder]

Dunder was panting, wheezing, and otherwise in agony when the sight of Fort Trots came into view. He always thought the fort was a place to visit casually, now he was being sent to the fort with the knowledge that he would be used by their holy government to help fight back the increasing enemies of Equestria. Though, he was being put in Logistics. The letter assured him his position would be important, and that was inarguable, but the thought of sitting back while all the other ponies did all the fighting plagued his mind. A strange mixture of fear and disappointment crept along his back. He knew he shouldn't have put down that his cooking skills.

He phased back into the real world the closer his wings took him to the fort. He didn't know how late he was, but he anticipated he'd at least be a little late. His punctuality from Trottingham was hampered by his difficulty to breath and his "power nap" after getting off the train. Also, the weight of a breastplate, helmet, and buff coat in his saddlebags accompanied by the side sword on its own apparatus to cling to his body wasn't helping.

When he dove down in flight towards the herd of assembled ponies, they all seemed to start galloping away. He paused in flight, realizing that the ponies were being herded to another part of the Fort. Now, he dove down, joining at the back of the herd of ponies being herded somewhere unknown. He hoped to come in unknown by the officers.

[RarityDash]

“Colonel Pummel huh? I’ve heard everyone say that he’s more griffon than pegasus; a real hard case. But I suppose Pummel can’t be all that bad if he recognizes how good a soldier you are, Radiant.”

"T-thanks..." Radiant blushed at these words. Compliments were often hard for her to take, but that went doubly when they came from Flash. As for what he was saying about the colonel, she supposed she didn't have a very good frame of reference when it came to such things. Her father and most of the officers he associated with were fairly similar to the colonel. She supposed she knew at least a few kind stallions, like Flash and her younger brother, and then there was of course Dagger who made a game of everything. All the same, as far as she was aware, a pony like Colonel Pummel was a shining model of what a pony dedicated to the REA should be. She only hoped that one day she could be so strong and cool a leader.

​

“Heh, if you managed to scrape by Nightmare Night with a fancy medal, I’m sure you’ll do just-“

As the words of assurance from Flash continued, Radiant just blushed harder. She supposed he had a point to bring up Nightmare Night. It was a good point wasn't it? She truly couldn't claim she was just some faceless guard who had never done anything important now, could she? She had been a part of something. She had fought when it mattered and helped to spare the lives of comrades before ultimately taking part in re-securing the town of Ponyville itself and driving off the enemy force. She just... she wasn't sure what to even think about all that really. She had just done what she needed to do in the moment. She couldn't explain to herself how it had happened, where she had prepared herself for her or why she had succeeded. It had just happened, and now looking back on it she couldn't help but feel distance from it all. If she didn't have the medal, if she didn't have the rank staring her back in her face, she wasn't sure she wouldn't have dismissed the whole event as just another one of her wistful daydreams. Something about it didn't feel entirely real...

​

“ATTENTION!!! OFFICER ON DECK! CIVILIANS, ASSEMBLE ON THE FRONT LEFT CORNER! THE REST OF YOU, FALL IN!”

Radiant moved very quickly at the call. She didn't have to be told to fall in twice. It was just instinctive to her to get into position at the call, and give her most rigid salute. Her posture was practically perfect as she stood beside Flash, attentive. She watched closely then as the colonel approached them. She had to say he looked even more impressive and dignified on their level than he did on the balcony. His presence was just so intense it was impossible to ignore.

​

“At ease.”

Radiant dropped her salute and relaxed some, though not entirely. Colonel Pumme's presence was so austere that it just demanded she retain an attentive posture as she looked upon and listened to him. She paid careful attention as he began to give them their briefing.

​

“As you all know fillies and gentlecolts, You have all been hoofpicked into the most vital unit in the entire Royal Equestrian Army. Not even an assignment as part of the Royal Guard can compare to what everypony here, soldier and civilian alike, is about to face. Make no mistake; Task Force Suntrot will in time, become Equestria’s greatest defense against anything that wants to spread havoc in our land. In a week’s time, we will commence Operation Blank Flank, which is designed as a training exercise to simulate the sort of challenges that you’ll face, as a member of Suntrot. But before we get to that, I need to make sure that every mare and stallion here is physically fit for duty. Even the civilian contractors assigned to provide logistical support will face hardship, so they too will undergo physical assessment.

Hearing the colonel's words, Radiant felt even more honored to be a part of this all. She truly, definitely wanted to be a part of this. She wasn't sure what this Operation Blank Flank would entail, but she was sure it would help to set the foundation for her future with Suntrot. She was eager, and set to begin. She wasn't very excited about the physical assessment though... She understood it was important for the civilians, but in her case it was just more procedure. She wanted to get out there already! She couldn't wait for her first real mission under the banner of Suntrot. Anything that would prolong that, it just wasn't something she had much use for.

​

“All ponies will henceforth immediately report to the obstacle course for PT. Now get to it!”

"Yes, Sir!" Radiant said loudly as the colonel ended his briefing. She gave another quick salute and then stepped ahead. So the assessment would be in the form of an obstacle course then? Well, she supposed she was ready for anything...

​

[Bellosh]

Not everything in Fort Trots was all sunshine and rainbows for this first assembly of Task Force Suntrot. Marring an otherwise flawless start, one of the soldiers showed the gumption to bow to Col. Pummel, an honor intended to be reserved only for royalty. To waste a bow on a non-royal official amounted to making that all-important gesture of respect meaningless! Pummel wondered if that divergent stallion was no other than Punk Walker, a troublemaker the colonel had been warned about during the selection of Suntrot members. The grizzled old pegasus in charge resolved to have words with Walker after his date with the obstacle course today; disobedience and malcontentedness wouldn’t be welcome under Pummel’s glaring watch.

Just as alarming, one of Col. Pummel’s subordinates informed him that one of the Logistics contractors never made it to the assembly on time. According to the dossiers, the pony in question, Dunder Blust, worked as a chef in civilian life with aspirations of joining the Royal Guard. Well, Pummel could plainly see how Dunder’s unpunctuality made him a very poor fit for military life. Perhaps he’d manage to fail MSgt. Reveille’s obstacle course shortly.

With nothing else to do outside other than watch the group march out of the main fort, the stern colonel retired back to his office, conducting army business while awaiting Suntrot’s initial fitness reports.....

OOC: Exit Pummel for now. Imagination will handle the obstacle course portion of this RP when he gets an opportunity to do so, and he’ll also dictate what the course is comprised of. Until then, the rest of Suntrot can assemble in an outdoor location while us RPers wait for Magi.

[SteelEagle]

Apple Bloom listened to the Colonel as well she could with the shuffling mass of the civilian contingent around her calming down the murmurs late. She strained to listen and give him the respect a commanding officer deserved, but the news was not what she wanted to hear. Apple Bloom was a fan of competition and obstacle courses and general foalishness of that order, but nopony who was anypony would love to do that after walking halfway across Equestria to get somewhere only to be worked to the bone immediately. For Pony's sake, she needed at least a little bit of rest! Her bones ached, muscles were beyond sore and the jagged breath that punctured her lungs didn't have the same sweet tang of country air that she was used to. A bit of a rest, some water, some food, Abby wouldn't even be opposed to a nice hoof rub and a bubble bath at this juncture and she wasn't one to ask for such things normally.

But she wasn't going to bellyache about it even as he belly literally ached. It was part of working hard and being rough and tough, dealing with adversity as is struck consecutive blows against your weakened form. She'd run whatever course they set up and pass with flying colors, if not in time at least in spirit. That or she'd collapse in the effort. Maybe then she could get some dang rest and a canteen of water from somepony or somegriffon. At least Elena was paying attention! Never hurt to have a griffon at your back even if she did seem a bit of a worrywart. better too have a worrywart helping you along than a reckless lunatic by any means as at least you knew you were safe if you strayed out of bounds with the cautious types while following any sort of logic with the loonies led to bad news coming down on top of your head. Speaking of bad news, many of the civilians and military ponies started to trot out of the courtyard heading to the fields next to the castle. Welp, might as well get to it then!

Apple Bloom sighed.

"Uggh, an obstacle course already? Geez, Ah shoulda taken those nice mares up on thar offer ta carry me ta the fort the last few hours. Ah'd be rested up by now!" Apple Bloom remarked jovially, kicking herself for not doing so. That'd show her for turning down the small kindnesses when the large movements were destined to hurt.

"Oh well. Ah'm not afraid of some obstacle course. Why, Ah bet Ah'll pass it with one eye closed! See?" Apple Bloom asked Elena, staring at the griffon with one eye firmly closed. See? No problems. Totally fit and ready to go, and partially blinded to boot!

[Slazer]

Elena paid close attention to Col. Pummel as he gave his speech, taking every word to memory and to heart. Operation Blank Flank was going to be an interesting experience, for certain, and the Suntrot recruits had a week to shape up for whatever this hard-flank was going to lob at them- starting with an obstacle course designed. The griffoness couldn't help but feel a rush of anticipation at the prospect of a challenge, digging her talons into the dirt below them with a small smirk across her beak; the more she learned, the more of a good idea volunteering for this enterprise seemed to be.

"Uggh, an obstacle course already? Geez, Ah shoulda taken those nice mares up on thar offer ta carry me ta the fort the last few hours. Ah'd be rested up by now!"

Her inner monologue was disrupted by the little filly beside her bemoaning her decisions on the way to the Fort. Elena chuckled lightly at the exasperated Apple Bloom; she knew exactly what it was like to feel the bite of impulse decisions, she had been a chick once, too. Nonetheless, she seemed to be holding herself together quite well, in Elena's opinion, even provoking a small laugh from her when the farm-filly showed her exactly how she intended to conquer the forthcoming obstacle course.

"That's the spirit, Apple Bloom!" Elena said with a grin, offering a clenched talon for another friendly hoof-bump. Pumped up as she was already, it was easy for her to share Apple Bloom's enthusiasm. If the little pony was just putting on a brave face, then Elena just hoped her own eagerness rubbed off a little on her new friend. "Let's show 'em what we can do!"

[tacobob]

Fire Walker had started to feel a little disappointed in herself on how she had handled the situation with her older brother. She had known that there would be little time to chat between the gathering and eventual Pummel-Speech, so she had wanted to give her brother enough warning before everything had started, but she just instead sounded rather negative and less of a protective sister, and more of an old nag. She stood at ease while the elder officer spoke,but as she listened to the good Colonel, she couldn't but wonder if her father had something to do with Punk Walker being here. It took all of her strength from planting her right front hoof into her forehead as she watched the stallion bow, almost mockingly. Normally the good Colonel would have probably alerted the MP stationed here and they would have promptly escorted Punk back to Canterlot, where her elder brother would be made to scrub every statue located in the old city for the next few months, but this was all different. Father was obviously trying to teach Punk a lesson.

Once Pummel was finished, Fire saluted along with the other officers, along with a proper, "Yes Sir!"

After giving her sibling a worried, but annoyed glare, she quickly followed the other to the practice field, as she did, the mare spoke. "Punk, why in the wide, wide world of Equ...oh.", she stopped as she noticed a familiar stallion trotted beside her, "Dunders.", she gasped. Way back during and after their very first adventure together, the mare had spoken highly of the brown Pegasi's skills. He was brave, clever and as skilled as any officer with a blade. While he was no Lady Lanceguard, he had shown great promise when dealing with the pesky griffon pirates they had to deal with on their quest. On more than a few occasions, she had asked her former very special some-pony to join up with the R.E.A, but he had declined, until now, and he had signed up with the Logistics Branch. While he was there mostly as a chef, the mare had hoped he could spare some time and help her in the training department when necessary. He could show these officers how to properly wield a blade.

"Master Sergeant Reveille will be handling our obstacle course.", the mare spoke as they made they way "This course is not made to 'win', it's there to judge all of us and see what we're capable of, and what needs work.", the red pony seemed to be rather excited for once, "With this information on hoof, we will then be able to properly iron out those little issues and we'll all be a idea fighting force in no time!", realizing she was being rude once again, the mare cleared her throat, "Oh, this my brother Punk Walker.", she addressed Dunder, "And Punk, this is Dunder. My er, very good friend.", which she added while looking towards her brother. While Fire had known Dunder for a bit, he had only managed to meet a few members of her family during that time.