“Was that really necessary?” Celestia frowned, looking at her snoring sister with worry.

“She’ll be fine. It’s just a tranquiliser, nothing to worry about.”

“Lieia. I wanted to ask something. I know that I… made a mess of your bed sheets yesterday. How did you get fresh ones without being suspicious?” Her voice dropped to a whisper and Lieia grinned crookedly, rubbing her fingertips together.

“Well, it just so happened that I found a credit chip with 500 credits on it and I was feeling especially charitable at the moment and I gave it to the quartermaster as a gesture of goodwill. He didn’t ask anything.”

“You are quite something, Lieia.”

“Why, thanks. Now, then. Twilight, can you get a shuttle ready for us? I’ve got some logistics to take care of.” The purple unicorn nodded in response.

“So, Lieia, how will you train the ponies who enlist?”

“Well, I’ll accept a hundred of them at first, to make management easy. Once that batch is done, I’ll take another hundred. I’ll teach ‘em how to use our weaponry, vehicles, armour, and then some. When I’m done with them, they’ll be fully-fledged Coalition Marines.” She stood up, letting a team of marines cart Luna away to the medical deck, where she’d get the tranquiliser purged from her system.

“I never saw anyone take to video games like that.” A nearby marine shook his head.

“Do tell.”

“She actually broke several high scores while she was at it. She’s real good, too.”

“Well, unfortunately for her, fleet’s leaving very soon. Denaros did, however, mention Battlegroup 71’s going to be assigned to patrolling this space. If any odd Jiks show up, they won’t be able to report back to their commanders.”

“That help to put my mind at ease, it really does.” Celestia sighed relievedly.

“Meet me at the shuttle, ‘kay? I’ll be there in an hour.” Lieia flashed a quick smile.

One hour later

Hangar Bay A

Lieia leapt in the boarding ramp, grinning.

“Yo, I’m back. Got everything sorted out. They’ll drop a prefab base and other odds and ends we might need in five hours.” Celestia sat up straighter.

“You’ve got everything sorted out, then?”

“Yep. Could you make an announcement of sorts when we’re back? I’ll take a hundred ponies who want to volunteer. Any takers here, by chance?” She turned to the ponies in the shuttle. Rainbow Dash jumped in air.

“I’m game!”

“Huh? Did someone say game?” Luna stirred drunkenly.

“Oops. Best we go now.” The pilot nodded, immediately raising the ramp. Moments later, the shuttle took off, carrying them back to Equestria.

“So, Rainbow, you want to be a Marine? You don’t even know what I’ll be putting you through. But it’s your choice and I’ll respect it.”

“Um… Lieia?”

“Yeah, Flutters?”

“I, um, I’d like to join, too.” Others gasped in surprise at that, while Lieia simply raised an eyebrow.

“Y’sure? No one’s going to get any special treatment just because of who they are. I guess you’d make a good medic, but I’m not going to force you.”

“Oh, I want to help to those who are hurt. I’ve been taking care of animals for a long time.”

“Then… welcome to the Coalition Marine Corps, Flutters.”

“That is a very noble choice to make, Fluttershy.” Celestia smiled encouragingly.

“Oh, thanks. I just want to help.”

“Okay, so that makes two.” Lieia offered the two enlistees reassuring smiles. “Soon as tomorrow hits, we’ll get another ninety-eight recruits.”

One hour later

Canterlot

Celestia faced the gathered crowd and coughed softly.

“I have gathered you here to announce something. We all know that we have met the organisation that is called the Trader-Asli Coalition. I will not bother you with details, but I have agreed to train a unit of one hundred guardsponies to their standards, in case of a Vasari invasion. I already have two volunteers, so I ask for another ninety-eight volunteers. Those who wish to join, be present at ten in the morning in Ponyville Square tomorrow. Captain Lieia Grisova shall undertake the training. That is all. Spread the news.” Celestia looked sideways to Lieia, who gave her a big, cheese-eating grin and a thumbs-up.

“So, when should we have our overly late date, Celly?”

“I was going to ask you, since it was your idea.”

“Hmmm. I was thinkin’ something like two weeks. I need to put the enlistees through their paces.” Celestia pouted disappointedly.

“Come on, don’t be like that, Celly. I promise I’ll go on a date with you, soon as those two weeks are over. Besides, we’ve got the rest of this night all to ourselves, don’t we?” Lieia smiled invitingly, leaning back in the chair she occupied.

“That we do, my dear.” Celestia removed her regalia, climbing in the bed, beckoning for Lieia to join her, who wasted no time in doing so. Celestia unfurled her wings around Lieia, who giggled as the soft, white curtains of feathers wrapped around her, bringing the woman close to Celestia’s body.

“You make a good blanket, Celly.”

“Is that all I am to you?” The alicorn looked at her flatly and Lieia smiled impishly, caressing the pouting mare’s cheek lovingly.

“I was just kidding. I love you.” She gave the alicorn a gentle kiss.

“Celly?"

“Hmm?”

“Would you like to see the base where your soldiers will be trained? Tomorrow, of course.”

“I’d love to.”

Next morning

Ponyville Square

The crowd of ponies milled about, muttering quietly. They’d assembled as princess Celestia requested, who was standing nearby, and now they waited.

Minutes later, five three-ton Coalition cargo trucks rolled up to them. Lieia leapt out of the lead truck, whistling to get the ponies’ attention.

“Okay, then! Get on board in an orderly fashion. No pushing or shoving others.” They did as instructed and soon, everyone was onboard. Celestia sat down beside Lieia, just as the woman started up the truck’s engine.

“Hey there. How many do I have for training?”

“Ninety-six, including Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.”

“That’s good. Well, you’ll soon see what a basic Coalition operations base looks like.” She waited for the accompanying marines to get onboard their trucks, and then moved the convoy down the road. Lieia was humming quietly.

I wanna drive, yeah, drive,

I wanna drive, but I can’t get nowhere

Heavy traffic, all over this town…

“Lieia, how big is the base you’re taking us to?”

“By Coalition measures, it’s pretty small. It has everything we’ll need, though. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”

“How many soldiers can the base hold?”

“A thousand. And roughly 150 base personnel, like technicians and suchlike.”

“Ah. That’s good to know. I presume you will train more ponies once you’ve trained these hundred?”

“Exactly. I can’t train a thousand of them at once. But when I’m done with them, they’ll give the Vasari a run for their money.” She returned her attention to the road, humming quietly once more.

Minutes later, the convoy diverted to a freshly-dozered dirt road, one which Celestia didn’t recognise.

“I don’t remember this road being here. I take it this is your doing, Lieia?”

“Yeah. I had a couple of bulldozers carve us a path here.” She shifted a gear, just as a dropship thundered overhead, heading in the same direction as the trucks.

“That’s our standard dropship. Not really anything special, but it’s trustworthy, solid and dependable.” Another two craft followed, sending up plumes of dust. Lieia hissed frustratedly.

“Assholes! I tell them to take a different approach vector, but it’s like punching a steel wall! Well, I can punch a steel wall, but you get the idea.” She closed the window, letting the wave of dust wash over them. Loose pebbles clattered under the chassis.

“We’ll be there in a moment.” She eased off the gas pedal, just as they rounded a copse of trees, finally seeing the base proper.

The base was surrounded by a grey wall. There were three gates in the wall. The three fliers they’d seen moments ago alighted on a raised platform. A quartet of Jackals rolled in a large workshop. Some marines were moving around the base, while five large, ponderous-looking vehicles were being serviced by some technicians.

“Here we are. I haven’t named it yet, though.” She slowed down some more, eventually bringing the truck to a halt in the middle of the base. She ordered everyone off the trucks, eyeing the milling crowd sharply.

“My name is Lieia Grisova. Some of you may know me, some of you may not. That doesn’t matter. You will address me as either ‘ma’am’, or ‘sir’. From this moment onwards, I will make it the meaning of my life to make your lives a living hell.” She glared venomously at the ponies, before cracking up in a smile.

“Just kidding. This isn’t the commando boot camp, but the training will be tough. I will treat you equally. If you’ll follow me, I’ll get you all your dog tags and equipment.” Celestia quickly made her way over to Lieia’s side.

“Quite the speech. You really had me worried whether this was a good idea.”

“I have my moments. I managed to get enough weapons for two hundred, some tanks and other vehicles, too. I’m not going to bore you with details, but we’ve got a pretty impressive arsenal arranged here.” Celestia leaned closer to Lieia.

“Oh, but you’re anything but boring, my dear.” She whispered softly. Lieia smiled subtly.

“Thanks.” They arrived at a storeroom that had no identification save a flickering sign that read ‘Armoury’. Lieia turned around, facing the ponies.

“Don’t touch anything unless I tell you to. Those are real guns in there.”

The rows of glow-plates lit up, bathing the low tables in soft light. Lieia strode over to one of them, picking a matt-black pistol up.

“This is the Holm & Bradley Judge. The standard sidearm for a Coalition Marine. Fires fifteen-millimetre rounds from a ten round clip.” She slipped a full clip inside, racking the slide, chambering a round. She sighted down the range, holding the aim for a moment, before ejecting the clip and racked the slide once more.

“Ammo types are as follow – standard solid rounds, high-explosive, incendiary, armour piercing, hollow-points, and hollow point mercuries. These last ones are my favourite. The hollow is filled with liquid mercury. Upon impact, the mercury will slice through flesh and bone. A chest shot is usually fatal. The Judge itself is perfectly weighed, has terrific stopping power, decent accuracy. All in all, a trusty weapon to rely upon.” She handed it to one pony, letting him inspect the weapon for a moment.

“Okay, moving on, we have the KIL-25, the basic assault rifle the Coalition footsloggers use. KIL stands for Kinetic Impact Laser. It’s a directed energy weapon. A bit more finicky to maintain than the gunpowder firearms, but it’s real flashy. Power in cell contains enough juice for fifty shots, but you can fiddle with the power settings for more powerful shots or range. Drains the cell, though.” She hefted a slim-framed rifle, expertly removing its power cell, showing it around, and then replacing it. She led the ponies, acquainting them with but a small shred of Coalition arsenal.

“Um, ma’am?” Rainbow Dash asked somewhat apprehensively.

“Yes, Private?”

“What is that gun you have on your hip?” Lieia chuckled at that, holding the revolver up for everyone to see.

“Another work of art from Holm & Bradley. The Nutcracker. Fires huge-ass bullets. It really got famous when some bodyguard or another purchased one. Turned out the gun’s real heavy when loaded. The guy just bashed a crazed fan in the jewels. And that’s how it got its name. Okay, moving on.” She felt Celestia at her side and she muttered.

“You know, I really want to get rid of this gun. I shot you with it, didn’t I?”

“It did eventually bring us together, did it not?”

“How do you even figure that?”

“That’s for you to ponder upon, then, I guess.”

“Uh… Okay.” She grabbed a heavy-looking weapon, but hefted it effortlessly, a long belt of ammo trailing from it.

“This is the T-91 machine gun. Belt-fed. Fires the .90 calibre bullets. Will tear a lightly armoured enemy apart in seconds. The standard emplacement weapon for Marines. If you’ve got the strength, you can lug it around. I love this thing. The sound it makes when it’s firing is amazing. A real pleasure for ears.” She cradled the gun lovingly, running her fingers over it. The ammo belt clinked as she replaced the weapon on the table. Celestia was somewhat unnerved by how much affection Lieia held for the weapon.

She finished the tour of the base half an hour later, having shown the various pistols, shotguns, sniper rifles, submachine guns, machine pistols they would learn to use. Then set about the task of registering the ponies.

“Name?”

“Diamond Feathers.” Lieia looked up, seeing the familiar mare.

“Nice to meet you again, Feathers.” She got the rest of the pony’s details, handing the dog tags to her moments later.

“Next!” A grey pegasus mare bounded up to the table.

“Name?”

“Derpy Hooves!” The pegasus announced enthusiastically. Lieia eyed the overly happy pony, but said nothing. She would give everyone a chance to prove themselves worthy of wearing the uniform. Moments later, the small device on her right spat out the dog tags, which Derpy happily grabbed, throwing the clinking thread around her neck.

“Thank you, ma’am, captain, ma’am, sir!” She beamed happily, before moving away.

She’d finished with the nerve-numbing ordeal half an hour.

“Well, as of this moment, you are Coalition Marines. You will follow my orders. You will not question them, because I am a competent commander. Right, split up it ten groups of ten, on the double!” The order was carried out quickly.

“The group you are currently with is your squad. Choose a squad leader. They’ll be your sergeants. You will follow their orders. They will get their orders from me. Any questions?” A white unicorn took a step forward and Lieia’s PDA instantly brought up his name: Blueblood.

“Would you not require lieutenants to complete the chain of command? It just so happens I’m available.” He puffed his chest out proudly, closing his eyes, a smug smile on his face.

Silence permeated the air.

“What makes you think I’ll choose you?” Blueblood gasped in surprise.

“B-but princess Celestia is my aunt!”

“So what? Am I supposed to just get on my knees and kiss your ass? I don’t give a flying fuck if you’re the king of the universe; you’re a Coalition Marine under my command and you will follow my orders. Also, nice idea, Alabaster Faggot.”

“WHAT?!” Blueblood practically shrieked.

“Yeah, something I forgot. If any of you don’t address me properly, I’ll address you as Alabaster Faggot.”

“How dare you address me so, peasant!” Lieia rounded on him, a savage snarl on her face.

“Look, dickhead, you don’t like something, there’s the exit.” She pointed to the gate.

“You are just going to throw me out? You can’t do that! I’m royalty!” She leaned closer to him, growling venomously.

“Again, I don’t care, Alabaster Faggot. You can get lost. I’ll find some other recruits, ones who actually are worth talking to.” She ripped his dog tags off, crushing them in her palm.

“Get the fuck out of here. Now. I’m not going to waste my resources and time on you.”

He stared at her fearfully, before bursting into tears and running away. Lieia stared at him with contempt, before turning back to the rest of ponies.

“I’ll give you the rest of the day off. Meet me tomorrow the same time as this morning. We’ll begin the training proper then. The trucks will take you back to Ponyville. Dismissed.”

Three hours later

Celestia’s bedroom

The doors burst open and a very offended Blueblood strode in, glaring ineffectively at Lieia, who was kneeling on a pillow, chatting with Celestia.

“My dear nephew. How nice of you to join us.”

“She completely mocked me, aunt Celestia! She must be banished to the dungeons immediately!”

“Oh. Did she?”

“You saw it! You saw it and you did nothing! She is a disgrace!” Celestia glared at him sharply for a moment, before closing the doors behind Blueblood.

“Now, I want you to listen to me and listen carefully. It just so happens that I love Lieia very much and will not tolerate anypony speaking ill of her.”

“You? And her? In love? Aunt Celestia, I’m not really in the mood for jokes! This human made me look like a complete fool in front of nearly a hundred ponies!” Lieia smirked at that.

“That’s because you are one. You’ve got enough arrogance for a thousand of clones of yourself.” Celestia chuckled briefly, and Blueblood gasped in shock.

“How can you defend her? She has no respect for others whatsoever!”

“I already told you, nephew. I love her.”

“Oh, please. Like that’s ever going to-“He was cut mid-sentence as Celestia turned to Lieia, and they shared a gentle kiss.

“Do you need any further proof?”

The terrified-shocked expression on his face was priceless, to say the least. Next Chapter: Chapter 19 Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 45 Minutes