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The Ballad of Echo the Diamond Dog

by Rust

Chapter 12: (11) Hunting Tactics

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CHAPTER THE ELEVENTH


HUNTING TACTICS

"... That's it! You've got him, captain! Throw him over!"

Whumph!

I found myself slammed bodily into the ground for what had to be the tenth time that day. An unarmored Tythus stood over me, panting hard, sweat making his light mane hang limply. Steel gray eyes glimmered in the sunlight, regarding me with about as much expression as a blank piece of paper. "Had enough?" The surrounding circle of ponies were cheering and stomping their hooves, egging us on.

I responded by surging back to all fours and taking off from the dirt like a furry rocket, cracking his jaw back with a ferocious headbutt. The officer reeled backwards, before quickly rolling to his side as I roared past him, missing him by inches.

We spun around, and faced off, each crouching low and breathing heavily, sweat and dirt matting our coats. The dust raised up from the fight swirled around our legs and I whipped my tail to and fro to clear it away.

He charged forward, head lowered so that his horn pointed out like a spear. I lunged to the side, feeling the rush of wind that followed. He overshot me, but with a speed that was somewhat frightening, he wheeled around and accelerated to full speed. This time, I met his charge with both paws raised, catching him by the sides of his head. The sheer force of his momentum made me slide backwards several feet, my rear claws scoring deep furrows in the ground. I violently twisted my grip, and with a mighty heave, sent him spinning through the end over end through the air. He was suddenly swallowed in a soft golden aura, and his flight was magically halted as he landed neatly on all four hooves.

Tythus nodded and gave a frighteningly perky smile. "Excellent. You're quick on your paws, even though you're substantially bigger than I am. I admit, I haven't had an opponent like you for years, now. That headbutt actually took me by surprise!" He laughed, and it sent a shiver or two done my spine. "Now, you've gotten a taste for a seasoned earth pony guard, but what if I throw magic into the mix? Can you handle a skilled wielder of the arcane?"

Shit.

The captain's golden horn suddenly flashed like a paparazzi camera. The light burned my eyes and I quickly closed them, shaking my head in frustration. A concussion of hot force abruptly impacted on my side, sending me tumbling through the air to once again slam into the ground.

I rolled with the impact and quickly regained my footing, spots dancing through my vision. There was another flash, but this time I was ready. I instinctively ducked backwards, tail tucked between my legs, and felt the heat from another hot blast pass over the top of my head. The sudden noise of hoofsteps thundering toward me was all the warning I got as a muscular body rammed be straight in the gut, flipping me over and right into the dirt. I twisted to my right, and felt the impacts of two hooves striking the ground where my head had been a mere second before. I kept rolling, and pushed off the ground with my powerful arms, the force carrying me several feet away, where I managed to land on all fours.

With some distance regained, I have precious few seconds to think. I was blinded, but I had other senses I could take advantage of now, thanks to my new body. I saw another flash through my closed eyelids. I had to change tactics; I'd gotten lucky with that last dodge. I pricked my ears up and listened as hard as I could. The sound of quickly approaching hooves came from my left. I tensed and pinpointed his position with my sensitive hearing. There!

I sprang straight up, as high as I could, and came back down like a thunderbolt, blindly landing on something solid, crushing it into the dust with a superb flying elbow. I quickly pinned him down, and held him firm, despite his mighty struggling. Another flash - I could actually feel the heat on my body from the proximity to his horn - but his efforts were in vain.

The pony beneath me suddenly stopped struggling, giving an exhausted grunt. "Hah... hah... good job... now let me up."

I moved off him, still blind. I sat back down on my haunches, savoring the feeling of my strained muscles and a well earned victory.

I felt a hoof clap me on my shoulder. "Don't worry, you'll get your sight back in a minute or so." His voice became fainter; he had turned away from me. "Now, did you notice the tactics I used, everypony?"

"He has a higher center of gravity than you, sir, so you hit him low."

"Distraction and diversion?"

"Using your greater speed to your advantage, sir."

The voices of the assembled guards blended together as they voiced their opinions and comments. I dared open my eyes, and found the world blurred and foggy. That magic the captain had used certainly packed a punch. With a roll of my shoulders, I stood back up to full height, slightly dazed.


A few days had passed since I had first gone to see Daring at the clinic. My time at the barracks had begun to take a turn for greener pastures; by now, most of the guards either paid me no mind or were actually friendly to me. Once they'd gotten used to my presence and gotten to know me, I was treated quite well - almost like a sort of mascot.

Apparently, however, that didn't exempt me from the rigors of military life. I was on their roster; the only one who hadn't volunteered. That meant I rose with the sun, did what was asked of me, and damn well thanked whoever told me to do it. Today, for example, Tythus was going over the basics of fighting a larger opponent in preparation for a hydra attack. As I was now the largest thing being in town (Coconut had held this title formerly), towering at least two feet over even the tallest of the stallions, that meant I was part of the demonstration.

Tythus utilized his years of experience in the Royal Guard (on top of a startling tendency to bounce back from anything I gave him; probably something to do with his cutie mark: a shield with a red cross) to pound me into the dust at least a dozen times before I'd finally managed to pin him. And he'd been holding, back, too. I now had a healthy respect for Princess Celestia's personal protectors; they knew what they were doing. And if the rumors were true, Princess Luna's bodyguards, the magically enhanced Centurions, were even more dangerous, albeit much less numerous.

Yes, things were looking up here, all right. Only the citizens of Wethoof still treated me poorly, but then again, I hadn't been spending almost every waking moment in their company. And then again... there was still Ginger to put up with. She and the few ponies here who still didn't like me very much took every opportunity to put me down.

"You don't belong here, mutt..."

"Ew! I think he gave me fleas!"

"Go back to whatever stinking pit you crawled out of."

Such were the words I often heard from them, sometimes whispered, sometimes stated as loudly as possible. All, however, spoken without the presence of their commanding officer.

Ginger, however, never said a bad word to me. The cinnamon mare instead elected to paralyze me with her fierce emerald eyes. All the words she left unsaid could be seen in her gaze. She didn't find me revolting. She wasn't angered by my presence. She didn't even find me offensive. No. This was something else entirely, something that cut me deeply. I could see it written all over her, every time I came into sight. Hell, I could even smell it on her!

To put it simply, deep down, she feared me.

Diamond Dogs, as I had gathered from asking around and from the show, had a somewhat defective moral compass, or at least they held different ones from ponies. Unlike them, however, I was different.

I was an unknown, an oddity. Had I acted more like a native Equestrian Diamond Dog, she probably wouldn't have felt this way. She knew what to expect from them, as the stereotypes against my kind did have much merit. But me? No, I acted more like a pony than anything. To her, I was unpredictable. I was the monster under the bed, the bump in the night, the scratching of a tree-branch on the windows. And for that, she hated me, as well. She hated me because I frightened her.

This, above all other things that I had been through already, shook me to my core. I did nothing in retaliation to the taunts and jeers, the subtle rudeness and the open discrimination. And yet, because of that, because I acted in a way that wasn't normal, I was tormented further. It was maddening. But there was nothing I could do but sit out the storm. Eventually, they would accept me. Time changes perspective, and perspective is the key to everything.


I sighed and blinked rapidly as I cleared my vision. The dusty, packed earth of the training ground behind the barracks came into focus, as well as the group of guards being trained today. It was with some satisfaction that I recalled that a few of them had been cheering for me during the demonstration. I smirked despite myself. I had obviously given the captain a run for his bits; that's for sure.

I retrieved my tattered sweatshirt from where I'd tossed it on the ground, brushing off the dust that had accumulated on it, tossed up from the fight. Tythus was now in the midst of demonstrating the proper technique of a low, swiping kick that knocked the legs out from under an opponent. I leaned back against the barracks wall, my aching muscles screeching in protest.

A pegasus suddenly alighted in the middle of the training ground, breathing hard. She wore a satchel over one side, and I instantly recognized her as a mailmare. Sadly, she wasn't the adorable cross-eyed klutz we've come to know and love. Nevertheless, judging by the circle that had gathered around her, she was causing quite a bit of commotion. I heaved myself off the wall and strode over, curious as to what was going on.

"... letter for Captain Tythus, commanding officer of the Wethoof Garrison!" the mare was calling, straining to be heard over the gathered ponies.

The veteran shouldered his way out of the circle, and stood before her, throwing a sharp, quick salute. The mailmare bent down and retrieved a single sealed scroll from her bag. A multicolored wax stamp, emblazoned with a crest I couldn't make out, proudly adorned the document. A murmur went around the crowd. Tythus took a step forward and pressed the tip of his horn to the seal, which began to glow a soft white hue, before vanishing. The scroll unfolded slightly, and Tythus took it from her grasp in a telekinetic aura.

Interesting. That looked like a sort of magical identification spell. Is it possible that ponies have unique magical auras, similar to human fingerprints and retinas?

"Straight from Canterlot, sir. Sorry about the delay, but there was a massive chocolate rainstorm blocking the flight paths until a few days ago. The last of Discord's work." The mailmare returned his salute, and quickly snapped her wings down, speeding off into the sky, on a northwesterly course.

A few of the ponies watched her go, but most were glued onto Tythus, who had unrolled the letter and was busy scanning the contents. His steely eyes suddenly lit up in a completely alien expression of joy.

"They did it! Discord's been defeated!" he cried.

The gathered guards sent out a deafening cheer, some actually hugging each other in glee. I silently laughed despite myself. I'd known this would happen, but this was the first time that the ponies here knew of it. I found Coconut suddenly next to me, a stupidly happy grin on his face. He offered up a chocolate hoof, and I gave him a smug fist-bump.

"Hold up, hold up. There's more." Tythus pursed his lips as he continued reading. "Well well well! Listen to this! 'Your request for additional reinforcements to the beleaguered settlement of Wethoof has been approved to deal with the local Hydra infestation. You are given full command and responsibility over the incoming forces upon their arrival, which are detailed below... signed, Princess Celestia!"

That put everypony from ecstatic to absolutely bananas. Wild cries, punctuated with whoops and hollers of joy filled the air. A few even took off their rugged helmets and tossed them up in the air, like at a college graduation. The atmosphere was intoxicating, and it was as if a veil had been lifted I hadn't noticed before. I'd only seen these faces with the threat of danger hanging in the air, but now? With the promise of salvation on the horizon, it was like looking at completely different ponies.

Tythus gave a low whistle as he continued reading. The look in his eyes went from completely neutral to utterly diabolical.

"Ginger Snap! Echo! Baritone! Sparky! Come with me!" he suddenly barked. "Cloud Nine, organize a light skywatch for the day, then join me in my quarters. Keep the shifts small. The rest of you... enjoy yourselves. Spread the word to the village."

The crowd rapidly dispersed towards the town, with the exception of a few pegasi that Cloud Nine had chosen for watch, who vaulted off into the sky. The ponies that Tythus had called remained. Myself, Ginger, and the three others, who acted sort of like lieutenants for their respective species in the guard. Baritone; a charcoal earth pony stallion with a namesake deep voice. Sparky; an electric yellow unicorn mare who had a visible twitch and a stutter. And finally, Cloud Nine; a very pale pink pegasus mare with soft, downy wings and a surprisingly feisty personality.

We quickly followed the captain into the barracks, as he was trotting at a swift pace. Was that a spring in his step I saw? Regardless, that probably didn't bode well for us. I exchanged a glance with Baritone while we walked. He shrugged, indicating that he had about as much of an idea of what was going to happen as I did. He was the pony I was on the best terms with here, and outside of Coconut he was also the most friendly to me. The others, outside of Ginger, were indifferent.

Proceeding across the main hall, we entered the south wing and went down to the very end of the dormitory, where the captain had his room. I had never been in there before, and was curious to see what it was like. You can tell a lot about a person based on how they keep their possessions. We passed through the threshold of his door, as he held it open.

The room greatly resembled an office. A large desk, strewn with maps of the region and official-looking papers, took up the center of the room. A small cot filled a corner, and a opposite it was a mannequin of a pony, wearing Tythus' battered, but polished, silver armor.

We stood in front of the desk, and the captain walked around it to face us. He took a somewhat shaky breath before laying the scroll on his desk.

"Let me be perfectly frank with you all. We aren't out of this yet - not by a long shot. If anything, the incoming troops are only going to accelerate us towards a possible destruction." He paused and opened a drawer to his desk. "In light of this, I have decided that some changes are in order. Baritone, Sparky, Cloud Nine, step forward."

The three ponies did as asked, coming right up to the desk. Ginger and myself stood a few paces backwards. I tried very hard to stay perfectly still, conscious of the sidelong look she was give me.

Tythus laid three shining medals on the desk, each in the shape of a golden horseshoe entwined with ivy. "By the power invested by my rank, I Captain Tythus, commanding officer of Wethoof, former member of the Sun's Watch, declare each of you three equally deserving of this promotion." He picked up the medals with a soft glow and presented them to the three. "Take these and be recognized for your service to the Crown as Sergeants of the Equestrian Guard."

The three solemnly nodded and received their medals. Murmuring their thanks, they each struck a salute, which the captain returned, before stepping backwards. Tythus nodded. "Good. Now that that's out of the way, we can finally begin preparations for the extermination."

I cocked an eyebrow. 'Bout damn time he told me what the hell he was hiding up his sleeve!

Tythus strode over to the far wall and pulled down one of those roll-up maps, this one of decent representation of Wethoof and the surrounding area, with the recent alterations to the land accounted for. "Sparky, what's the status on the Summer Sun Festival fireworks? Have they been stockpiled yet?"

The jumpy mare twitched a little. "Aye, sir. W-w-we've got the depot st-t-tocked to the brim."

"Excellent. Tomorrow, you're to remove all the explosives in the fireworks. Have a fire crew on standby in case any of the magical charges detonate. Condense the charges and combine them into three separate clusters, then pack each one into a barrel. Set up a fuse system, while you're at it. There's an earth pony in town - Star Burst, I think she's called. She runs the pyrotechnics in the festival. Ask her for help."

"Y-y-yes, sir!"

"Now... Cloud Nine, has the cloud cover been sufficiently stabilized for the catapults yet?"

Cloud Nine proudly smirked. "Four sections have been stomped out, sir. Fifth one's almost ready. They'll take the weight just fine, and we can still move 'em around easy enough."

Tythus gave a curt grunt of acknowledgement, before turning to Baritone. "How have the repairs on the gate progressed?"

"Still a bit rickety, but it'll last." The deep-voiced earth pony looked worried, however. "But I wouldn't put bits on it to take a direct hit, though. The wood might splinter."

"Pray that doesn't happen, then. What of the catapults? They were in atrocious condition when we found them."

"Fully restored, sir. We test fired each one yesterday."

Catapults? Mobile weapons platforms? Magical bombs? Sweet baby Jesus in the manger, this guy is planning something huge! I was suddenly incredibly nervous, the walls seemed to close in around me.

Tythus then turned to Ginger and I; the first time he'd addressed us so far. "These three have been working hard to set the trap up, but you two are going to be the ones who help spring it."

I raised a somewhat shaky paw. "What exactly is the trap, sir?"

The captain took the hanging map down from the wall and smoothed it out on the table. He pointed to a circle, drawn in red, that was positioned over a patch of swamp a few miles from the town, outside of the ring of devastation wrought by the felling of the forest. "This is the location of the Hydra nest," he explained. "Reports put their numbers between one hundred and one-hundred twenty, two fully grown, the rest offspring. The surrounding territory has been completely exhausted of their natural prey by now, and that means they're going to move out soon. I'd say a week or two. If that happens, they'll spread across the entire region. We cannot allow that to happen. These aren't normal hydras; they're hyper-aggressive, and my guess is that Discord's magic warped them somehow. They'd absolutely annihilate the fragile ecosystem of the Great Southern Forest, and spread far beyond this place once they do.

"So, we're going to stop them here." He pointed a hoof to a spot a short distance from the western wall of the town. A small X had been drawn there, with two other X's on either side of it, mimicking the layout of the wall. He poked each one with a hoof. "The three magical charges I mentioned before will be placed here, here, and here. The catapults, stationed around the area on clouds, will pin the hydras against the wall, trapping them between a rock and a hard place. Simply put, the combination of the catapults, weapons fired down from the wall, and the charges, will leave nothing of them but a smoking crater. The incoming reinforcements will cover the flanks on either side of the open ground, and make sure that none of the hydras slip away."

The plan was remarkably ingenious. Using the only physical feature of the landscape for miles in any direction, the towering wall of Wethoof, and the improvised weapons, the hydras would be crushed between the two like a hot ingot being hammered on an anvil. There was, however, just one problem.

"How are we going to get them here, though?" I asked him.

Surprisingly, Ginger Snap answered my question. "Hydras like heat, mutt. They're cold blooded. That's why they live in the swamp. It's warm in there. If you had an ounce of common sense, you'd know that!" she barked.

Tythus fixed her with a glare that could shatter solid rock. She instantly fell silent. "Ginger is correct, Echo. Hydras are drawn to heat like moths to a candle. And it's just your luck that you and her are able to produce that in abundance. Ginger is an excellent caster of fire magic, and you somehow managed to literally burn a hole through our gate.

"Your role in all of this is simple. Both of you, working together, will be able to generate enough heat to lure the hydras out of their swamp. All you have to do is lure them back to the trap, and we'll take care of the rest. When you get there, we'll have some fuel for you to light up a bonfire. When that's lit, you'll be airlifted up to the wall and help with the defense. And once this is all over, Echo, you'll be free to go."

So that was it, then. He just needed my fire-claws. I could roll with this. All I had to do was put up with Ginger's foul bitching for a while. Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy.

The captain ran over the plan again, this time including the newly promoted sergeants. Baritone would be in charge of the wall, while Sparky and Cloud Nine worked together on the mobile catapults. Tythus himself would be commanding the ground troops holding the hydras together. He drilled us on our duties, and once he was satisfied we knew the plan backwards and forwards, he dismissed us.

Ginger immediately shoved her way past me to get out, although it was about as effective as a six-year-old trying to push a truck. I held the door open for the others, and was about to leave when I heard Tythus call me.

"Hold up."

He trotted out from behind his desk. "I'd just like to know one thing before you go. Never before have I encountered somepony like yourself, Echo. You act differently from ponies and Diamond Dogs alike. When Ginger spat at you like that, you didn't even blink. This isn't the first of these instances - I've been watching carefully, you see - but you don't react to any of them. Why?"

I stopped for a moment. "With all due respect captain, I do react, I just keep it to myself. I find that it's better to store hot-blooded emotions for a rainy day, for when you actually need them. Besides, getting angry over all these little things won't help anypony, least of all myself. Retaliation would only serve to confirm what they say about me." I thoughtfully scratched the underside of my chin. "Besides, they'll get what's coming to them one way or another. The universe works like that."

He stared at me, and shook his head. "You're brilliantly naive, you know that, right?"

I smiled and poked him on the nose. "Don't forget crazy."

And with that, I spun around on one paw, and sauntered away. I could hear the sounds of celebration, even from the barracks. The village was definitely getting down with its bad self. I exited the front door, and re-adjusted my hood. It was time to loosen up a bit, now. Daring Do was somewhere in town; I'd meet up with her and tell her what happened. Maybe she could show me where to get some booze around here...

Confound these ponies, they drive me to drink.



Hah! Always wanted to say that!

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