Fort Drogan Attack of the Monster Leech (Task Force Suntrot Only)

[Bellosh]

“Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.” No place in Equestria did this truism better reflect the conditions of daily life than the cursed wastelands of Fort Drogan. As if it wasn’t enough for earthquakes and freak tornadoes to make the situation for the ponies of Task Force Suntrot a dangerous inconvenience. Looking at the lands beyond through binoculars, from the safety of a beat-up guard tower along the fort’s perimeter, Col. Pummel scanned for signs for the calamity soon to come upon he and the personnel under his command.

The situation: a giant monstrosity known simply as the Leech escaped from its confines in Tartarus. Resembling a centipede, it lived underground and feeds by puncturing the aether, using the resulting rifts to drain magic from these rips in the aether. Many questions surrounded the Leech; how intelligent it is, how it’ll respond to ponies, and how it detects them. Enough information existed however to give Pummel the assumption that the Leech would defend itself if threatened, possibly by draining magic from ponies themselves.

And something needed to be done about this creature soon! According to calculations from Suntrot’s civilian geophysicist, the Leech was inevitably burrowing its way to Fort Drogan. Unluckily for the ancient fortress, it laid on the exact spot of the regional convergence of aetheral ley lines, meaning a high concentration of magic for the abdominal beastie to feast upon. Should the Leech reach Fort Drogan, the rift it’d tear open spelled a severe catastrophe for Task Force Suntrot. Equestria absolutely couldn’t afford to lose its only fortification watching over Tartarus.

When he learned what could potentially transpire, Col. Pummel took immediate action. He drafted up a plan calling for two fireteams to halt the Leech’s progress. Alpha Team would stay topside, looking out for geological disturbances marking the tearing open of magic rifts. Bravo Team’s task was to track the Leech from underground, allowing Alpha Team to swoop in from above and capture the dangerous creature. A risky plan undoubtedly, but much must always be risked during a crisis. The grizzled colonel didn’t have time to waste about trying to figure out a better solution. This oversized bug needs to be nipped in the bud while Suntrot still has the chance!

[SteelEagle]

Just a few months ago, Applejack was a simple mare dreaming simple dreams in a simple town. It was good, make no question about it. Nothing was better than a calm day with good friends after some hard labor, the sweat off of your brow mixing in with your pelt as you smiled and cooled off under the tree with a nice cup of juice. It had been the call for heroes and a better Equestria that had pulled her away from that watch over her farm and now here she was, hundreds or or thousands of miles away in the most uncomfortable place possible. The heat could melt metal and the cold could freeze a pony in place while the fierce weather patterns gave storms an added ferocity that she couldn't fathom. Well, she could now that she had seen it with her own quaking eyes. The topside was thus a world of chaos and overwhelming force unfit for a pony to spend any significant time without risking serious trouble.

Thank Celestia Applejack was underground instead.

They were hunting a giant anti-magic leech that was moving towards the fort, and they needed a team underground. Their job was to communicate with the team above ground until the topside team found the leech. Then they would engage the leech and keep it place while the topside team came in to deal with it. They would subdue the critter and send it packing back to Tartarus. If they failed, the fort would fall and Suntrot would head back to Equestria proper with their tail tucked firmly between their legs as failures. Applejack didn't fail. It didn't fit with her, it didn't jive with her, and it made her feel like a rotten fruit taking up space. So they would do their job and do it well. First, the team had to find their entry point, which proved not too difficult.

There were dozens of tunnels carved from previous pony expeditions to avoid the harsh weather above. Thanks to the work of Gigavolt, they had a better idea of where the working tunnels were and consequently which ones they could use. After they had crafted a workable plan, it was time to go to work. A total of thirty Suntrot members were involved, fifteen ponies on both teams. One intelligence, one logistics, and three defenders per squad, three squads per team. It was a higher than average number of intelligence, but they were also experts at magical communication and in case squads got separated it was vital they communicate effectively. That meant a larger than average burden fell on the strong backs of logistics ponies who would be loaded down with more equipment than usual. While everypony carried some gear and supplies, logistics ponies were loaded down with it.

Applejack had made sure to select only the top physical specimens, whose endurance and strength would be important. This included herself.

So as they trudged through deep and dark tunnels underneath the land above thanking their lucky stars that they weren't the ones dealing with the heat, Applejack didn't even mind that she was carrying almost her body weight in supplies. Extra javelins as well as scores of other weaponry, lethal and non-lethal alike, food, water, many medical supplies, a stretcher, and a backup two-way one-time use magical device that would allow them to communicate with the topside team. It was a lot and made her wonder how the other logistical ponies topside were doing, but her team eventually reached a wide junction with multiple paths which was quickly filled with all the underground team ponies.

"Ma'am, y'all need anything ta drink?" Applejack asked even as she felt others reach into her water pouch, each hoof full filling up a canteen, "an' any word from tha team topside? Tha leech can't be too far off naw, can't it?"

[Ciraxis]

Just as the Colonel was getting more jittery with each moment, a large air vessel descended from the skies, blocking the sun. It was arrival of much needed equipment that Pummel has called for. But this time they were delivered in the pride and joy of the Army, the newest, state-of-art magi-tech airship, The Skyseeker. While behemoth when it comes to size, it's ten propellers were very quiet - silent enough that if not for it's size it could go unnoticed.

Lone pony was standing in the vessel open door, even through it was still far from the ground. His long mane slick back for a change, and usual duster replaced with military trench coat. The only thing constant was a sheeted blade on his back, and sunglasses covering his emerald eyes.

"So this is Drogan...." Swift Squall muttered to himself as the ship passed over the fortifications. While he traveled far and wide, his routes never took him to the fort overseeing the Tartarus. But back then he had no reason. Now, there was a job to be done.

As the airship touched the ground it was swarmed by the maintenance staff, Squall quickly trotted past them after disembarking. The equipment that Skyseeker brought had to be unloaded and assembled ASAP and he would only get in the way. Especially with those suitcases that he was carrying. One of them - the smaller one - was indicated with words 'Top Secret'. Other, the far larger one, clanked with the metal inside, as he made his way towards the fort. It was also lot heavier, yet noble pony didn't had any trouble hauling it with his magic.

"Ever-pony here looks like they been on standby for hours." unicorn noticed.

And he was correct. The coming of the Leech wasn't a new information, it was ore alike to receiving warning in advance that natural disaster will come. But unlike true catastrophe of nature this beast could be stopped.

And Swift, along with other members of Suntrot will do just that.

"Where I can find the Colonel?" he asked one of the soldiers on the guard duty. He was directed to the Fort Drognan observation tower.

As he climbed the stairs, sword pony couldn't help but recall the training with Pummel. Colonel was one of many instructors who he trained under during his Honor Guard day, but was perhaps the most influential. Swift wondered if the old geezer stayed the same after all those yeas? Ponies change after all...if Squall could, why not him? Especially after....

No, wild guesses would only muddle the picture. He will meet him soon enough and...

At that the stairs ended, leaving the Squall at the top of the tower.

And true enough, Pummel was already there, observing the terrain of the intercepting operation through the binoculars. Was the mission already underway?

Squall took the deep breath, he didn't seen the older stallion since he dropped out from the Army, and frankly, Swift had no idea how much Pummel had heard about his exploits after that....Both good and bad. Or how he would react to them.

Although to Pummel, the unicorn wasn'tr Swift Squall nor Emerald Flash.

"Colonel!" he finally called out his old instructor, while taking off his aviators.

[Bellosh]

A voice called out to Col. Pummel, who begrudgingly turned around and saw a stallion he expected to never see again. Back when he had just been Maj. Pummel, the stern pegasus had played an important role in implementing a novel training program called “Smart Soldier”. That program aimed to give suitable recruits a university-level education before sending them off on their enlistment. In practice, “Smart Soldier” worked astonishingly well at producing soldiers more likely to advance up the ranks. Consequently, the current Royal Equestrian Army was rather officer and NCO-heavy, but it proved effective at retaining talent within the military for longer periods of time.

But even so, not every recruit succeeded in passing through the “Smart Soldier” program. Most of these simply washed out, and made to cough up all their scholarship money or serve out one enlistment. There was one case however with a certain stallion named Sharp Carrot, a very promising student, who flat-out disappeared before graduation. Nopony knew for for certain what happened to the guy; REIN investigators blamed foul play, but cynical Pummel guessed that Carrot went AWOL to avoid service in the REA.

Yet somehow after all these years, Sharp Carrot finally returned... uninvited of course. His name hadn’t been on the roster on the list of new Task Force Suntrot personnel assigned to Fort Drogan, which either meant Carrot either infiltrated the army or used a forged identity. One way or the other, the distressed Colonel didn’t welcome his former student’s presence, and it showed with his million-mile glare. “...........I assume you have a good reason for pulling off this unprofessional reemergence stunt, Sharp Carrot?” Pummel needed to hear a good explanation, or else he’d throw this flake of a stallion into the brig.

[Ciraxis]

The Colonel - formerly Major - reception was cold....exactly as Squall expected it to be.
Pummel doesn't changed much at first glance. Still the same stiff stance and harsh words. Sure his hair got a little more gray in them but aside from that Colonel wasn't different from his Major self. Even his piercing stare remained the same. It was hard to believe that he could plan...no he's jumping to conclusions. It was something that he would've to confirm himself over longer period of time.

Anyway....Swift remembered well that glare, as rarely he was subject to it. From all of his instructors Pummel was one who he actually respected and which command Squall heeded without question. Unicorn smiled inside - probably a reason why his ending score for discipline was 'D' instead of 'F'. That and all the 'S'-es on the other 'topics'.
And now again, after all those years his commandeer gave him this harsh stare. But Swift Squall wasn't the same pony as he was back there. Unlike his Honor Guard candidate self, who should by all means be in high school, he wasn't unnerved by Pummel glare anymore. A half dozen near death experiences, facing off against half of 'Monster Manual' and screwing things up makes you tougher. And little wiser. But mostly tougher.
Swordpony returned Colonels gaze, pegasus stern one against unicorns calm and collected. Alright then...
"Three things Colonel. One, indeed I have reasons, a lot's of them in fact. Two, it wasn't 'unprofessional' at all, you had my dossier on your desk for over a week. And three...." Swift paused for moment, out out of hesitation, but desire to word his explanations the best he could "...Three, you may not noticed, because I used my real name this time. This dossier was under a name 'Swift Squall'. I....I am surprised that record wasn't familiar to you...but then again, things that added up to it after our last meeting could been...misleading." he said. Noblepony saw that Pummel opened his mouth to no doubt berate him, so uyounger pony quickly raided his hoof to stop him.
"Yes, when I first enlisted many years ago, I didn't used my real name. But I assure you, aside from that and...my age, everything else was real. I paid the fines for this misdemeanor, was pardoned by Princess Luna and cooperated when it came to correcting my records. I also returned the money that were spent on my education and training.....by triple."

Squall walked closer to the Colonel, and they were now looking at each other eye to eye, funny enough he was a little higher then Pommel, but then again, when he left the REA he was still growing. After doing the same with a kraken even the worst drill-sergeant wasn't so intimidating anymore.
"In case you wonder Sir. I did not regret leaving. While my reasons were selfish at the time, I guess even back then I subconsciously knew that I was sparing myself and the Army some headache - aside of me being a pup. But still, beyond the money, beyond the time, paperwork and even law itself there is still one debt that needs to be settled. That and making our realm a little better place. So either both of us can stick to our prides by treating everything ponysonaly like in some cliché book or play scenario OR you can make best of my abilities in taking care of that giant cockroach beyond this fort walls...Sir."
Throught the whole tirade Squall didn't raised his voice even once, and now with the same calm, he was awaiting Pummels response.

[Bellosh]

In retrospect, Col. Pummel should have noticed something familiar about Swift Squall’s details. While the implacable officer might never absolve Squall for his dereliction of duty long ago, Pummel supposed that he was relieved to hear that the other stallion has made up to Equestrian society for his desertion. Instead of having to ponder the question of how to handle a former deserter, Pummel could focus squarely on more important matters, like dealing with monster leeches.

And the more Col. Pummel was distracted by Swift Squall’s presence, the less able he’d be able to observe new field developments. Betraying no sign of emotion throughout the entire encounter, Pummel ended things gruffly by retrieving his binoculars to observe the topside Alpha Team; “Then you better catch up with the topside unit, wouldn’t you say? Try not to let the terrain injure or kill you before rendezvousing with Alpha Team. You will receive further instructions upon making contact with your unit. That'll be all.....”