Author's Notes:

BOOK 1: PART 3: HONOR

Even with the later night, Black Barracks was up by lunch. They ate and then each squad took off to get some basics workouts done. Most of their mornings had been workouts on their own. Once that was done, they waited. And waited.

The Lieutenant finally showed up when it was almost dinner time. She was in the black flight suit she had worn a few times. Despite the suit being black, fresh sweat stains could be seen.

“Sorry,” She said as they all assembled. “Normally I do not have recruits at this time and scheduled training can happen. We have been working training in at night and did some for most of the day today. I forgot to send somepegasus to cover for me.”

She perked up. “I have a few things to tell you before the morning. First off, you will be heading back to your barracks as soon as I am done speaking with you. The second is vital intel for the practicum. Except it to last, nonstop, for the three days. Pack plenty of water, bring plenty of rations and be ready to camp out under the stars.”

“I train you so hard on weather because they usually throw some in. You can go three days because you will be replenished with reinforcements. When you get zapped, stay down like always, but your teammates can drag you back to a designated medic who can revive you.”

“That is simple. The medic will pull a white patch off your chest and place it in their medical bag. You have three bars. Once your bars are gone, you must go back to the drop zone until you are allowed back in.”

“If your teammates are dicks, like mine were, and leave you, eventually an instructor will send you back and you will wait to be released as a reinforcement. If they can not get to you, same deal. When you go back, they will make sure you have three patches on before you are allowed back in. If the medic goes down… The instructors get any white patches the medic had collected to reuse. Don't let your medic die and kill their medic. The medic has one life and can not be revived.”

“This isn't an all out slug fest. Throughout the test you will be given new objectives. I have heard that they often pair up Barracks for individual tasks. Have a contingency plan for everything. Make sure your structure is set. If your commander goes down, you better have a backup.”

“I also know that last time, they included mock radiation. Bring rad meds and bring PWTs. That does mean you will have to visit the quartermaster. They won't refuse you for training purposes. Everypegasus knows the practicum is coming and many of the instructors draw equipment.”

“Do not let the other Barracks find out you drew anything. And also draw more training cartridges. Ours had a cool down period so you may have to deal with that as well. They may supply you with a full magazine. It is better to end up at the drop zone over prepared than having to scramble to get these supplies there. They will be limited out in the field.”

“After Captain Nova visited us, I began to try to figure out a way around the taste of the water. One that would be light and easy to carry. Rosemary worked best. It is good for several bottles of water, so don't drink it. I made sure you have supplies waiting for you in your barracks. That is one thing I doubt the Enclave will ever issue. I never cared enough to toy with the taste of the water before, that is how much you impressed me these past weeks.”

“Back to combat. Personally, I would not allow reinforcements to come back in without being in a unit of some kind. It is unproductive to send in one or two at a time, especially if you are not close to your drop zone. The enemy may have occupied the territory in between.”

“This will encompass all aspects. Air, ground and urban. Yes, there is a forest and other simulated ground side locations. I think they even added a small canyon this time. We had a big river cutting straight through ours back when I went through basic. But they change it often. Nav will be highly important.”

“The other Barracks may have had this information several days ago and trained accordingly. I trust you have learned what you need to and can adapt. That is why I love Black. You learn from your failures and I can push you to the limit, including letting you try tactics instead of structured teaching of a half dozen models. But, you have to have the drive to let me work my magic.”

“More specific training and tactics await you in your specialized schools. I request to train Black Barrack on aerial combat. It only has bitten me in the ass twice. I blame the drill sergeants on the first day for those disasters. And training green was no fun. But you were a lot of fun. And it was a special treat for me to continue your training these past two weeks. That also means my reputation is on the line, so don't fuck it up!”

“No go pack up, head back to base camp and rest up. I may or may not see you after this. That depends on a lot of things on my end. Farewell. May the wind be ever at your back.”

Lieutenant Marble Falls zipped away before responses could be made.

They rushed to pack up and head off. They had been taken out this far by Master Black, but they had to navigate back on their own. It didn't take them long and they pushed their speed rather than glide.

They touched down at their parade field. There was nopony to greet them.

“Lets grab dinner in full gear,” Deke said taking charge. “If we do that, and anypegasus asks why we are in gear or going to or from the QM, we can let them know we have to stop to drop things off with the Quartermaster. They have no idea what we have been doing, so lets put that to our advantage.”

They agreed and dashed off to dinner, bags bouncing as they ran.

“Finally back from your exile?” Crystal Bliss from Yellow stated.

“Yep!” Golden Dawn said smiling. “Dinner first, then to deal with our gear. We have been on field rations the whole time.”

There was a general groan across the room for the thought of being on field rations that long. Technically they had been the whole time due to it being their lunch menu. They had no fear heading to the quartermaster as a group after dinner.

“What broke?” The quartermaster asked before he realized it was all of Black coming in.

“I see. Here to prepare for tomorrow?”

“Yes sir!” Deke replied. “We will be requiring field rations, Rad-Flush, RadBlock, PWTs and training magazines. Is there anything else you suggest Sir?”

“No, you have it covered. I do suggest brining your tents. At the very least they can shield you from the rain or provide shade. They throw anything they want at you,” He replied. “This will require a bit of paperwork per recruit.”

“Has any other recruits come in for supplies?” Deke asked as the quartermaster began to get the paperwork and the others with him began to grab the supplies.

“No recruits have come in and no supplies have been sent to the Barracks. I can not say what the instructors have grabbed, but they have access to a separate stockpile with all sorts of toys.”

On top of the food rations, they each loaded out with six Rad-Flush, six RadBlock, four packs of PWTs and two magazines. It was decided that Shadow should carry a machine gun.

They had enough rounds that a resupply might not be needed. 1800 rounds if you carried a semiautomatic rifle and 2400 if you carried a machine gun. There was another advantage to going to the quartermaster. The magazines would not require you to eject a case to cool it down. It would take a second to simulate an actual magazine change, but it meant they didn't have to try and collect cases cooling down for reuse. A big advantage since they were told the instructors did bring out magazines for final supply right before the practicum, but never these type. Always cased magazines.

They all happily waited for each other and got back to the barracks as one.

“Hey! We have a new uniform in our lockers!”

“It is just a dress uniform. Must be for the graduation.”

“Lets hit the parade field tomorrow in them!”

They agreed and did their best to fall asleep. Everypony shut up and the lights were turned off. Excitement was in the air and even though it kept getting later and later, sleep was not easy to find.

When morning came, Shadow pulled his uniform on. It felt like it had been tailored to him. The only problem was that it was marked as a mare's uniform. There was no difference between a mare or stallion's uniform other than sizing.

Shadow looked over at Cardinal Spitfire as she tweaked hers to make it as presentable as she could. She looked stunning in it. They all did, but even more so for her. Being friends was one thing and battle buddies another, but now they were days away from separating to different trainings and possibly different sides of the Enclave.

It was a different feeling than knowing that Deke, Olive Pit and Golden Dawn would be moving elsewhere. A very different feeling. Shadow took a few deep breaths. He didn't want things to change. To grow apart by life was painful. He wanted to be with her, always. They flowed together and didn't have to speak to know the others immediate thoughts and reactions.

Shadow shook his head. There was no chance they could be more than just very good friends with the paths their lives were taking. It was the same for anypony during this time and this time only. A real shame.

Shadow made it out to the parade field first. Master Wind was silently waiting. It was only a few seconds until the others poured out and quickly got in place. Master Wind was in no hurry to start.

“Welcome back,” He finally said. “I see you are enjoying your dress uniforms, as you should be. They look stunning. But go change. You need to head out soon for your drop zone. Final instructions and gear will be done there.”

They hurried as slowly as they could. Excitement was turning into nerves and the beginning of the battle for their heart had begun. As things quieted down, Shadow could only think of one way to keep the fear at bay.

“Marching down in the valley I heard a loud roar” He began.

“It was an Alpha Trooper treating red like a toy!” Cloud Surfer replied back. That was all they needed as they launched into the whole cadence.

So put your hoof on the peddle step down on the gas

Move over Ratty Red let the mighty Black pass

BLACK BARRACKS IS ON THE GO

Way down in the valley I heard a loud roar

It was a smooth Alpha Trooper treating Yellow like a toy

So put your hoof on the peddle step down on the gas

Move over Yucky Yellow let the mighty Black pass

BLACK BARRACKS IS ON THE GO

Way down in the valley I heard a loud roar

It was a cool Alpha Trooper treating Blue like a toy

So put your hoof on the peddle step down on the gas

Move over Baby Blue let the mighty Black pass

BLACK BARRACKS IS ON THE GO

Way down in the valley I heard a loud roar

It was a daring Alpha Trooper treating Green like a toy

So put your hoof on the peddle step down on the gas

Move over Ghastly Green let the mighty Black pass

BLAAAAAAAACK!

Master Wind smiled as they finished most of it on the parade field.

“Keep your spirits up. Lets fly!” He said taking off.

They launched and immediately shuffled to a formation. It was an easy glide. As they flew, they kept their spirits up with other cadences. It lasted a few songs, but the flight showed no sign of ending soon, so they just focused on flying.

“Welcome recruits to hell. I am Major Winters Breath. We have laid out a more than sufficient challenge for you. I certainly do not want to be in your hooves.”

The Major walked them through the rules. Lieutenant Marble Falls had already covered them to a T. The instructors gave them a magazine, a box of PWTs, two Rad-Flushes and two Rad-Blocks.

“You won't be needing your tents for this exercise,” The Major said finishing up.

“I think we will keep them,” Deke replied. “They might be more weight, but they have their uses.”

“Your choice.”

“Arm up squads,” Deke ordered.

They put on the magazines from the quartermaster and loaded their rifles. Up until that point the instructors were unaware they had visited the Quartermaster. If they had know, they might have not supplied them with the items. Any advantage was an advantage.

“Listen up,” Deke continued when they all were ready. “I will take lead and Golden Dawn take second. I expect to be forced into plenty of situations where we need to work together to control two fronts. Flex, you are the navigator with Golden Dawn. Majesty, you are my navigator. It will be best to split command and navigation now and know that heading in. Cardinal Spitfire, take Lilly Blossom with you.”

“The goal for the aerial teams is the same from the other day. Keep you low when we can and out of sight. We want to keep them guessing as to who is ruling the skies. We can't wear either squad down. And play that little trick of your's Filly Foolers. Shift where your leader is when you can.”

“I say we do not contest the sky from the start,” Cardinal Spitfire advised. “Put all eight on the ground. That will surprise them and give us a heavier hoof to start. They will keep looking for Black's aerial team. Any aerial team that is. Where an aerial team is, the rest will close by.”

“Sounds good,” Deke replied. “We all see the forest in front of us. We take it low and slow. The trees will provide cover and block line of sight, both ways. So we will have to spread thin. Past that, I have no idea what we will face. But everything will be worked with as much aerial combat maneuvers to start.”

“When battle buddies go down, find another when you can. Remember the medics. Don't be left alone and unguarded if possible. Resort to every advantage we can. Unarmed combat, playing dead, hiding, setting traps, whatever you can think to give us the edge. If we spend too much time engaged, we lose the advantage. If we lick em fast, it means we can take ground quickly.”

“Deke,” Golden Dawn said. “It just occurred to me. We worked to rescue our injured the other day. We had the same objectives, but different locations. We can never assume we know what the other Barrack's objective is.”

Deke nodded his head in agreement. He was done talking. Until they were given more information, nopony had anything to add.

The typical start siren squawked but Deke didn't launch.

“What are you doing recruit?” The Major asked.

“Waiting for orders Sir. Sirens are not orders.”

“They mean go.”

“Go what Sir?” Shadow asked, backing up Deke. “Go is no direction. Without direction we are useless or could end up in a worse situation because we chose the wrong path.”

“You all are as smart as they said,” The Major stated. “Your object is to take out Red.”

They got the last know coordinates for where Red was and took off.

Deke began to give orders. “So much for our original goal. Filly Foolers and Lilly Blossom, climb. We need a lookout and I do not want to send just one team. Besides, if Red wants to fight in the air, you two can deal with it easily.”

Cardinal Spitfire took control. “Lilly Blossom, level off at a standard height. We will climb higher. Keep all eyes peeled. Even with us above you we can't get comfortable.”

“Captain Deke?” Sharp said.

“Yes?”

“If we have hunting orders, Red might as well. For another Barracks. Which also means another Barracks has hunting orders for us. A revolver. I know not to assume...”

“That is an idea not an assumption,” Deke replied. “A good idea.”

“Staying frosty,” Cardinal Spitfire said. “We see you, but no targets or movements yet.”

“Hurricane and Rover get some air,” Deke ordered. “I want you to look like our aerial teams and get us a bit of height to run a defensive screen against any hunters.”

They came up on the coordinates and took cover. Golden Dawn moved Ditwitz up to check the site.

“Plenty of hoof prints, but I can see they organized and did a standard flight launch,” She reported. “I do not know what they look normally, but I want to say they have a good amount of equipment on. Hold on… We found a Rad-Flush that must have fallen out. It looks like they can't pack either. But it confirms my thoughts on their direction. North by Northwest.”

“Interesting,” Deke replied. “Lets head out that way. From here, it will cut across the middle. Very exposed. Keep the same formation. Let's go. Filly Foolers?”

“We will catch up,” Cardinal Spitfire said distracted. “I think something is on our current heading. Lilly Blossom will turn to cover you.”

“Careful,” Deke ordered. “Last thing I need is you being spotted and throwing us into an engagement we do not want.”

“Shadow Flare what is our location, altitude, heading and speed?” Cardinal Spitfire asked.

Shadow had to take a second to calculate speed, but everything else he knew right away.

“Cardinal Spitfire, I see it as well.” Silver Bar said.

“Yes. Low and fast,” She replied. “They are on an intercept course with Black.”

“At their current position and heading, they will,” Shadow confirmed.

“Any others in sight?” Cardinal Spitfire asked.

“Yes. Further out is the main force,” Moonless Night said.

“Ah, I see them,” Cardinal Spitfire said. “And I see their aerial teams. Suggestions?”

“We have to stop them from the intercept,” Shadow said. “No matter what, they will fight us.”

“Captain Deke,” Cardinal Spitfire. “A whole Barracks will intercept with you in about thirty minutes. Requesting permission to strafe and lead away.”

“Granted Filly Foolers,” Deke replied. “Knock them out.”

Cardinal Spitfire kept them at the same hight. She wanted to literally drop onto them and give them no directional information.

When the time came they rolled over into a dive. Their wings were half out. They didn't want to hit too fast of a speed. They needed to come out of the fall ready to strafe. They opened their wings together without a command and began to fire.

They sliced through one aerial team and into the second. The squads below were spread out enough that they were able to dip down and take out another one before they were past them and turning back around.

“YELLOW!” Cardinal Spitfire shouted and directed them into two more turns before they rolled out of the way of incoming fire. A squad popped up right in front of them. Filly Foolers played it hot and fast, learning from their challengers. They sliced between them without blinking, flipped to bring their guns around and opened fire. The squad fell and Filly Foolers turned into a steep climb.

“There we go Filly Foolers!” Cardinal Spitfire praised.

“Captain Deke, Filly Foolers broke up Yellow. Four of nine squads terminated. Turning in pursuit of another squad. It will move us towards your directed to meet up.”

“Make it fast Filly Foolers. Red spotted.”

They turned and ended the squad with no tricks. All business. They pushed their speed to catch up with their Barracks.

“Filly Foolers, engagement moved to the ground,” Deke said a little while later. “Where are you? We need close air support. I dropped Lilly Blossom too low and they were forced to land.”

“Two out,” Shadow replied.

“Come on,” Cardinal Spitfire said. “I know we have more speed than this!”

They pushed on harder than they had ever flow together. Red was trying to get to Black, but they had a good defense set up in the trees. They were successfully keeping any teams from landing inside their zone. Red never saw Filly Foolers coming.

Cardinal Spitfire split the squad into their teams. It was safe enough since they were undetected. Shadow moved out a bit as they separated and then they were on a strafing pattern. Red had broken down so there was no formations in the air. They still picked off four on the first path. The other two picked off seven more.

Deke took the moment to mount the offensive. Lilly Blossom took to the sky, Hurricane busted through through the Red line in front of them and the rest lashed out from their defensive positions.

Red bolted. It was difficult to keep up with them in the trees, but they used aerial combat tactics to pick off one after the other. Hopping all around until they were cleaned up.

“Did we get them all?” Deke asked.

“I think so Captain,” Flash said. “We should have confirmed their kills better.”

“Filly Fooler is now in a strong position overhead Captain,” Cardinal Spitfire lazily informed Deke.

“NEW ORDER FOR BLACK BARRACKS. TAKE AND DEFEND THE COMPLEX AT 145.53 BY 885.45”

“That is a good hour flight,” Majesty said after a quick calculation.

“Move out on Golden Dawn's command,” Deke said relinquishing lead. He was obviously concerned after he got Lilly Blossom trapped.

“We are going up,” Golden Dawn announced. “We will set up a good altitude for the bulk of the flight. Lilly Blossom, stay high and loose with Filly Foolers, but keep to the north. Hold for further instructions.”

They finally saw the complex. It had four buildings around a walled off courtyard. The buildings were broken and blown apart. Only one was two stories. Filly Foolers gave a report as the others slowed down.

“Lieutenant Cardinal Spitfire, suggestions?” Golden Dawn asked.

“I think they have most of their force on the other side of you. It is well protected ruins, but we believe we caught movement. The South East corner is missing. Otherwise it is over the wall and in through windows.”

“That makes for a tricky entrance if they have a trap waiting,” Golden Dawn replied.

“At some point, we will be shot,” Shadow commented. “Not that we should give up. But we are going to be forced to accept losses.”

“I have an idea Captain,” Cardinal Spitfire said. “And I hate it. Shadow Flare can lead me through a hole on the second story roof. We can secure it and that will disrupt their plans.”

“An insertion like that is dangerous; real, physical danger,” Golden Dawn warned. “Don't take unnecessary risks. Your call Shadow Flare. But it may be time to take some losses. If we place our two medics right, we will have minimal damage.”

Shadow took some time to think. They were not on a clock. “I can do it Captain. But I don't trust anypegasus to come with me. Besides, they will get in the way.”

“Hold position Filly Foolers. We are going to move into an assault position. But I am going to send you to put down cover fire on their forces outside while Shadow Flare does his thing and we jump the walls.”

They waited for several minutes, watching out for anything and everything. They saw their comrades moving below them.

“Shadow Flare we move on your call,” Golden Dawn said.

Shadow began to slowly work Filly Foolers down. They had been circling for a while. If they had not been spotted by now they were facing blind opponents. He was working up his nerve and planning as they descended.”

“Team is airborne!” Shooting Star shouted.

“Protect Shadow,” Cardinal Spitfire ordered.

Their hooves force, they dove and made the call. Halfway down Filly Foolers pulled away from Shadow to meet the squad head on. Shadow pulled the breaks and then dropped again. He slammed them back on right before the building and dropped in through the small hole.

He misjudged the timing so the roll jolted him badly. Shadow came out of it and vaulted off the wall. Lasers erupted as they tried to hit him. He rolled along the floor and slammed into a pegasus, driving him back. Shadow did a back hoofspring and they lit up their own comrade.

Shadow landed next to the second, swept his legs and fired on the third. The one he had knocked down tried to stand and Shadow stepped on his neck. He was going to zap him when he heard the hoof steps coming up the stairs.

Shadow gabbed the pegasus where the armor opened up for the neck and pulled him up as a shield. It worked and Shadow opened his gun fully on the new visitor.

“Fuck you. That hurt,” He said to Shadow.

“I hated it too,” Shadow said walking to the stairs. “I am sorry I am not sorry”

“What?”

“I mean I don't want to hurt anypegasus in training, but there are little options and we all will get banged up. Learn to handle it or to block me.”

“Shadow Flare?” Olive Pit called from the bottom of the stairs.

“I’m clear Olive Pit,” Shadow called down. “We all took a beating. Flag down an instructor.”

“Will do!”

Shadow laid down as he waited. It was just to be safe.

“Why did you call for an instructor? Because you hit us? We may be Green but we are tough enough to withstand that basic unarmed combat.”

“I landed hard,” Shadow groaned. “Real hard. I misjudged the distance to the floor. I am fine for now. But they need to know.”

“You bounded all over the place!”

“Yes, I did.” Shadow said flatly.

“Incident report?” An instructor asked as he bounded up the stairs.

Shadow gave the report and the instructor gave a quick look over the two who Shadow had physically struck. He sent all four of them packing before looking at Shadow. Shadow had to take his armor off.

“How do you feel?” The instructor asked.

“Sore and bruised,” Shadow said. “Better safe than sorry.”

“Good call. That was a stupid move. Even with your acrobatics. And yes, I saw you break before you actually dropped in. It had a lot of speed. Now get back into gear.”

Shadow tossed his on as the instructor left. Several from Hurricane bounded up the stairs to take up defensive positions. Olive Pit followed them up.

“You okay? They froze the who area. Nopegasus was allowed to move.”

“Sore. Very sore. But clear,” Shadow said as he walked down the steps. “Where is Filly Foolers?”

“No idea,” Golden Dawn said meeting him. “But we are about to have company. The freeze didn't stop them. They hesitated before that thankfully. Watching you drop in like that...”

“I know. Stupid,” Shadow said. “They probably were outside the zone. They went after Green hard and fast.”

“So it is Green,” Golden Dawn said. “I wonder what they are thinking behind their cover. We spot some movement.”

“We could flush them out,” Shadow suggested. “We were ordered to take and defend. But that doesn't mean we have to stay inside to defend.”

“Good point,” Golden Dawn said staring at the ground to think. She began giving orders to not only assault the Green squads, but set up defenses outside. They had noticed several good locations on their way in.

“Filly Foolers here,” Spitfire said. “Are you unfrozen?”

“Yes,” Golden Dawn replied. “Precautionary move. Where are you?”

“We wiped the Green Squad without a problem. High up and trailing large force moving towards your location. Half a Barracks at least.”

“Roger that Filly Foolers. We will be ready. Taking care of those Green waiting.”

They stopped and listened as the firefight erupted outside.

“Thank goodness for the medics,” Deke radioed. “Captain, they are cleared out. I love these aerial combat techniques.”

“Good,” Golden Dawn said. “Get moving. Large force is on it's way.”

“What else can we do?” Golden Dawn asked herself.

“Hold our tricks back,” Shadow said. “It is day one and mid afternoon. We will need them when we are tired and hungry and hurting. They will only work once.”

Golden Dawn said nothing. She just watched and checked on the status of her troops. Lilly Blossom was standing by to head back up so Shadow joined up with them for the time being.

Filly Fooler,” Golden Dawn said coming over. “Stand down. Lilly Blossom, hit the skies and patrol North to West.”

They were gone without a word.

“I want you to rest Filly Fooler,” Golden Dawn said softly. “You do not need to fly right now so you are grounded. Find a place to rest before they are on us. We need every soldier in the best shape possible.”

Golden Dawn smiled warmly. “And as a friend I do not want you to get hurt worse. We have two and a half more days for you to do that.”

“Thanks Golden Dawn,” Shadow smiled back. “I forget we actually get to meet hell.”

“I wish this was going to be as close to hell as we could get,” Golden Dawn sighed. “I joined because I feared being helpless. I feared not having control to protect my loved ones. But the nightmares that drove me to join haven't stopped. The bullets are not really flying yet. When they do, that will get us close to hell. Being back stabbed and betrayed, left to suffer alone, cut off from friends and family, that is hell. But lets talk of good things.”

It was blue that had been moving their way. Right before they arrived they took care of Filly Foolers and then launched a savage assault. They kept their medics in reserve.

Shadow popped out of a corner and lit up another Blue recruit. Shadow got hit and felt the electricity hit him. They dragged him back in and pulled him back up. They removed another white patch. Everypony in the room had only one left.

“There are not many left,” Shadow panted. “Lets push and get to their medics! They probably are exposed trying to patch up the swath of injured.”

They charged out after him and surged over the wall. Shadow let his gun loose, the laser along with the others, lighting up the enemies. Shadow felt another surge of electricity and fell as it zapped him. He rolled a few times and saw the others go down. But they had gotten both of the blue medics and the ones they had just healed.

Shadow was sent with the others back to their drop zone. It was Majesty and three others left holding the location. They could see half a barracks heading towards the location as they flew back. The instructors had warned everypony that they were coming through.

Cardinal Spitfire looked like she was about to launch as they came into view. They probably were, but seeing so many come in changed their tactics. Nopony could talk while they were waiting to become reinforcements. They were released when four figures came into view against the purple sky.

“You four are released as well,” The Major said as they touched down. “No point in holding four back while the rest are right here and ready to go. Now, your orders are to kill the leader of Yellow and do it before Red does.”

“Great,” Flex groaned. “We have no idea who the others are. We will have to kill them all.'

“You will know the leader of Yellow,” The Major said. “Crystal Bliss is anything but subtle or quiet. You will see why.”

“And if they switch?” Majesty asked.

“They won't switch,” Major Winters Breath said. “She is the only one with a tactical mind in Yellow. They drew the short straw this lot. Typically there are two or three that rotate. But just Crystal Bliss for Yellow.”

“And if nopegasus can lead?” Deke asked.

“The objectives are based on the reactions on the practicum. If leadership is a problem, then that Barracks does not get complicated tactical tasks, like killing the enemy commander.”

They all chuckled.

“Just to be clear…” Deke said.

“Yes, you have a lot of good leaders in your group!” The Major said shooing them away to get the task done.

“Majesty,” Deke called. “Pick your second and navigators.”

“Shadow for my primary Navigator,” Majesty said without thinking. “Now go find them Filly Foolers!”

“Interesting strategy Captain Majesty,” Shadow said. “None of us have tried to use our lead navigator as the scout force before.”

“I hope it pays off,” Majesty replied. “If it doesn't, we have plenty of others who can navigate.”

Filly Foolers pulled up and away smoothly before picking up speed. Majesty began to set their course. Hay Bail was the other navigator. They knew the general location Red started, and they knew where Yellow had come from at the start. If Red and Black were given the same task, then Yellow had to be achievable to both Barracks.

Hay Bail had the probable location down to a five mile radius. Filly Foolers had raced ahead to the location. Their navigation half would start when they needed to bring Black forward to their location.

“Captain, I see movement,” Shadow reported. “Make that two distinct movements. One is on hooves. I bet that is Red. The other is mixed. They seem to be wandering around with no clear goal.”

“We are way behind you and out of time,” Majesty said. “Any way you could draw off Red?”

“Maybe. They have the same goal though. Even if they believe we are Yellow, they will only send some after us.”

“Any other suggestions? Anypegasus?”

Shadow thought about their last night battle when he struck like a ghost.

“Yeah,” Shadow said. “I'll give control of Filly Foolers to Cardinal Spitfire and drop in silently. In their current state, it should not be hard slip up and blend in. I did it a few times in our Practicums.”

“That must have been what happened,” Majesty mumbled. “You Bastard. Its all on you Filly Fooler.”

Shadow pulled safely up and out of the formation before rolling and heading down. He dropped straight down. The low light was to his advantage with flying, but he wasn't going to take any chances. This was a hoof only operation.

It didn't take long for Shadow to intersect with them on hoof. He was exposed when a squad turned. He crouched down as low as possible. They turned to continue their previous heading. He let out a sigh of relief and crawled forward as fast as he dared.

Three squads were airborne and the rest on hoof. Shadow peeked out of hiding a bit more and smiled. Crystal Bliss was certainly obvious to spot. Yellow was an organizational train wreck. The orders made even more sense when he noticed she only had one white patch left. One shot, one kill.

Shadow was not going to leave this to chance. He could shoot her from where he was, and he was armed with a machine gun, but that wasn't a guarantee. He wanted to not only test himself, but make it as embarrassing as possible.

Their rear was exposed. The two squads were not paying attention to behind well. Shadow crawled along the ground, keeping up with them and even gaining ground. He watched and waited. The individual squads were also very loose and sometimes beginning to blend. All recruits, no matter what barrack, were wearing the same uniform and it was dark. Only that single color patch was different.

Shadow slipped further ahead and crammed himself in a hiding hole. By all logic, they should have heard his heart. It was difficult for him to hear their hoofsteps because of his own heart. If he came out too early, he was toast.

Shadow forced himself to calm down. By the time he could hear them again, it was too late and he had to slid forward again. He had a riskier hiding spot, but it allowed him to be able to see over his pounding heart.

It took all his control, but he went back to the obstacle course and calmed his body down until it was confident. He slipped out and began to walk behind them. In another minute he was right behind and then alongside a squad.

They never noticed he was not one of them. After sixteen weeks, not knowing if somepony was in your barracks or not was beyond embarrassing. This whole thing was a huge embarrassment. Shadow confidently shifted course as if it was nothing until he came up along Crystal Bliss. He walked just slightly behind her. She was distracted.

“Go back to your squad,” She said. “And stay in it like your orders are.”

“Sorry, reinforcement,” Shadow said. “Where is two and what is happening.”

“Good. They are trickling in finally. Those Black Bastards blew us apart last time. I had no idea how long they hold us. Two is over there and we are navigating to an objective. In about a mile we will begin to fan out to find it.”

“It would be faster,” She growled. “Except you guys are afraid to fly!” Crystal Bliss looked Shadow in the face in an attempt to get one of her teammates to grow a backbone. She realized the problem immediately.

“Hi,” Shadow said as he fired.

Yellow focused on them from her yelp. He looked at all of them, shocked that none of them fired or at least were thinking about. He rolled his eyes.

“BLACK IS ON THE ATTACK!” Shadow yelled as he rocketed up. Their shots were in vain and ended quickly as they tried to deal with the loss of their commander.

Shadow smiled as he heard Red charge towards Yellow after hearing Black and Attack yelled.

“Filly Foolers on me,” Shadow giggled.

“You can't fly and laugh,” Cardinal Spitfire said rolling her eyes. “Get it out quick.”

“I am good,” Shadow said reigning it in. “Lets regroup and then I will tell everypegasus.”

They all had a good laugh at Shadow's story and how ridiculous it was to pull all of it off. Especially since he had planned on dying for the cause.

“I do not know if they can graduate after that,” Majesty said breaking down laughing again. “I wish I could have seen her face. But now, lets tighten up and make sure we don't add anypegasus. Especially after what Shadow just did.”

“ NEW ORDER FOR BLACK BARRACKS. HIDE. SEVEN HOUR COUNTDOWN BEGINS NOW!”

“Great. Now we are all supposed to be stealth masters,” Majesty said. “This one is all you Shadow.”

Shadow blinked twice taking in the change of command. He had not expected this at all.

He took a deep breath before beginning. “Yellow and Red clashed. We have no idea on the outcome. But they are twenty minutes out at most. I have to run off the assumption that they are not the ones searching for us. Olive Pit, what is our surroundings?”

Olive Pit took a second to find out and answer.

“You said a that the water had a clearing?” Shadow asked.

“Yes,” Olive Pit said. “A large pond. Half has a tree line, the other is all open field. And the stream leaving it is open on both sides.

“Seven hours should take us to about dawn,” Deke added.

“Lets go. NOW!” Shadow ordered, taking off.

The others quickly followed suit and in no time they were in the clearing.

“There is nothing here,” Cardinal Spitfire said confused. “How are we supposed to hide?”

“Tents,” Shadow stated. “No poles. We lay down around the edge of the water with them draped over us. Nice and uniform. Flowing from one to other. In the dark it will make it easy to miss. Nopony will look for us in the middle of a clearing, and we get some rest. Besides, how many of you are familiar with landscaping like this?”

They all shook their heads.

“Exactly,” Shadow smiled. “They will not know something is different because they do not know what it should look like. Sometimes the best place to hide is in plain sight. Besides, worse case, they find us and we all get zapped.”

Shadow helped them all get situated and covered up well. It would make a good show. Pretty uniform in its rises and bumps to look like a berm. Everypony was stretched out on their stomaches to be as low as possible. He slipped under the last one where Cardinal Spitfire was. It was his half of the tent after all.

“Stay quiet,” Shadow ordered. “Make no sudden movement. None. I do not care if somepony steps on you. No movements unless I make the call. I suggest sleeping. We have about 6 hours to go and I can not believe they are actually giving us an opportunity to sleep.”

“I do not think sleep is what they had in mind,” Deke said.

“Shut up Deke. I know it wasn't. Any advantage is an advantage.”

Shadow looked over at Cardinal Spitfire. She was just smiling at him. Then it turned to staring. Shadow flipped his front hoof out a bit to tap her on the fore head. She snapped out of it.

“What?”

“You were staring at me. Well through me.”

“Sorry.”

“Get some sleep Card,” Shadow yawned, ending the sentence.

“That is the second time a yawn has cut my name off at Card. I like it.”

Shadow didn't know what to say. He just laid there are went to sleep.

“Captain Shadow Flare… Shadow Flare… Shadow… Filly Fooler!”

“I'm awake,” Shadow said. He froze. He had almost shook his head to wake up. The adrenalin rush woke him though.

“Your mission is successful. You survived for 7 hours. Surprising. Green and Blue were teamed up to find you. They walked right past you and and even stopped to refill their canteens on the other side of the pond.”

“Before you move, they are in the woods. You mission now is to to kill them. The hunted becomes the hunter.”

Shadow work everypony up. They had all fallen asleep. He gave orders and the slowly exited their tents. They took positions and converged on two very tired and frustrated Barracks. Everypony stayed low and slipped up as close as Shadow would let them.

They identified the enemy medics and took them out with a well placed shot to each. Lilly Blossom took to the air. It was easy from there to clean the rest of Green and Blue. Most lost a life but they were successful. They dashed back to grab their tents and took the time to refill their canteens as well. The rosemary did make the water easier to drink. Not much, but better than drinking it raw.

“Congratulations Black Barrack. A successful assassination that led to the destruction of Red and Yellow. You hid in plain sight and got away from Green and Blue and then you wrapped it up by annihilating them. Stand by for further orders.”

They took to the woods and set up sentries while they waited. Clouds gathered above them and darkened.

“Great, rain,” Cardinal Spitfire said. “Don't fall out on us Shadow.”

They all chuckled.

“Take a RadBlock! What if it is irradiated rain!” Flex said panicking to grab one from his pack.

They all took the advice and took a pill.

“Why does all this shit burn?” Deke asked coughing. “Can't they make it taste better?”

“Probably,” Olive Pit gasped. “But where would the fun be in that? Besides, they don't care if it tastes bad when you have to take it to live.”

The rain began to pour down.

“BLACK BARRACKS, HOLD FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS.”

“I bet we just rained on their parade,” Golden Dawn said shielding her face. “I hate the rain. Have I told you all how much I hate the rain?”

“BLACK BARRACKS. NEW OBJECTIVE. DISARM THE BOMBS FROM THE TOWER AT… HOLD FOR LOCATION. DISARM WILL BE BY PRESSING STOP ON THE TIMER. IF YOU DO NOT DISARM IT IN TIME, INNOCENT LIVES WILL BE LOST.”

They finally got the location.

“We have to push it,” Cardinal Spitfire said over the rain. “It is clear across the map. We have to ignore any other Barracks if we want to disarm them in time. They are tying to get us to fail. Fly high and move fast. The rain will give us good cover.”

Cardinal Spitfire was given lead and she quickly set a fast pace. Fast enough that a scout squad was pointless.

“General, they disarmed the bombs.”

General Red River looked at the sergeant standing in the doorway.

“They did what?” He asked calmly.

“Black Barracks arrived and disarmed all of the bombs before they went off.”

“This is insane!” General Red River said standing up.

He walked out and headed over the practicum headquarters.

“Who fucked up? How did Black Barracks disarm all of the bombs?” He growled.

“Well,” A Colonel said. “Nopegasus fucked up. We finished the tower with about ten minutes to spare. They arrived on scheduled. Two minutes left. We made it 50 stories tall as requested. They went in through the windows.”

“Windows?”

“We made it look real General,” The Colonel said. “My teams and my instructors made sure of it. Which includes regular clouds for windows. They just crashed right through them.”

“This was supposed to wipe them out! They were supposed to fail! We have to make sure they fail.”

“I keep telling them to throw all the barracks at Black,” Lieutenant Autumn Leaf growled.

“You called for me?” Lieutenant Marble Falls said walking into the room. She was in her Wonderbolts armor and other team members were out in the hall. They all were tired.

“Yes. Black out smarted us again,” The Colonel said. “I was hoping you had some ideas. They are walking through this test like it is just another day of training.”

“Walk me through things,” Lieutenant Marble Falls said annoyed.

She had trained Black to be this good, but she expected the teachers to be able to handle it. She had training she had to do. The Colonel walked her through the objectives and their tactics.

“I say we put all four barracks on them,” Lieutenant Autumn Leaf spoke up when the Lieutenant didn't respond. “Make them defend that tower.”

“Are you not supposed to be here to learn to lead the teaching side?” Lieutenant Marble Falls asked Lieutenant Autumn Leaf. “I thought the objective of your time here was to flesh you out so you could be the best officer in the Enclave. Or is that not what you want?”

Lieutenant Autumn Leaf had no response to her sharp words. She was in command of him.

“Colonel, General, you are going about it all wrong. You can not just send every barrack after Black. Combat and tactics is fun and great, but you are diminishing the test from all of the barracks by pitting all of them against Black. And just to annihilate the one barrack that is pissing you off.”

“I do not get how they are this good,” General Red River said.

“Because they had Master Wind teaching them and then me as their final teacher,” Lieutenant Marble Falls stated. “Your only hope is to run them ragged. Fly them all over the place, with the occasional combat. They are smart, thinking ahead. They outsmarted your irradiated rain, they out thought your tower. They got lucky, but not, with the hide and seek objective. Conventional methods will not work. Think unconventionally and how to make them show you they have all the skills they need to continue training and be a proper Enclave soldier.”

“Is that it?” General Red River asked. “Are you just going to walk out that door with nothing else. That doesn't help.”

“If you had given me a minute to breath you would have heard my suggestion Sir,” Lieutenant Marble Falls said from the doorway.

She sighed. “Retrieval games will be good for them. You can force combat that way. But do not forget to make sure all Barracks are effectively tested. It won't be easy, but don't let it slip. This is for all of their benefit. Second, whoever has the radio, plug up Black Barrack's coms outside of orders and official communications. ”

“Lieutenant, that is against regulations. It is unsafe,” A sergeant at the radio center said.

“Unsafe? They handled it just fine the other day. I taught them formations without coms. Remove me from teaching for being unsafe if you want, but remember what they are handling and how they got there.”

Lieutenant Marble Falls walked out with her other squadmates and back to their training.

Olive Pit began to laugh. “HEY! CAN YOU HEAR ME?” He yelled from the roof of the tower.

“Why are you shouting? That gives away our location!” Flex called back as he popped his head of a window further down.

“Because, they just cut our coms!” Olive Pit laughed.

They all laughed and then snapped back to full attention. Deke yelled commands to get them all to form up at the base of the tower so they could easily communicate.

“Coms are off and the fun begins,” Deke smirked. “Play?”

“We have to run aerial formations,” Cardinal Spitfire immediately said. “We can see and drop where we need to. We also have a good chance at beating any barracks in a dogfighting match. Being seen is a risk we have to take.”

“ORDERS FOR BLACK BARRACKS: RECOVER THE PACKAGE FROM BLUE. LAST KNOWN COORDINATES WERE 889.54 BY 993.22 and headed South by South East.”

“Smack dead in the center of the map,” Flex said 30 seconds later.

“I just had lead,” Cardinal said. “Sharp?”

“Fine with me,” Sharp replied. “No standard formation. Get high and fly in our squads. One very long band. No squad will play scout or get ahead. We will use our squad tips to pass communication between the squads.”

They all agreed and took off. Shadow was on the tip of their formation, with Shooting Star on lead for Filly Foolers. It wasn't long before they began having to pass information. Hay Bail came up besides Shadow.

“Rover reports a team off to their side,” Hay Bail said. “Captain Sharp wants Filly Foolers to make a close pass. They have a squad in the air. They have not spotted us because of our height, so its an advantage.”

Shadow relayed the information and Filly Foolers dipped down before safely turning below their comrades. They found the group easily and then dropped down aggressively onto them. They never fired and Shooting Star pulled them up and away.

It was Red so they ignored them. It was a waste of time and they would not be able to get a medic to revive them if they did get hit. Two more Red Squads took flight. Filly Foolers easily dodged and weaved and then out flew Red with raw speed.

Shooting Star pulled them up and away while Silver Bar navigated them back to the others. They quietly rejoined their Barracks. It was evident there was noting significant to report and Sharp had them continue on.

Two more Barracks were spotted after another hour, locked in combat between each other. Filly Foolers were immediately sent down. Shooting Star put them to work chasing a squad that was chasing another. When the squad realized they were being chased, they broke free and Filly Foolers moved forward to the other squad.

After another minute, they pulled up and away to the amazement of the squad. Shooting Star put them back into their spot and Shadow slid off the tip to pass the information. It was Blue and Yellow locked in combat.

Shadow passed on the orders and stayed with the other squad as he awaited final orders.

“Filly Foolers are to stay in the air and suppress Yellow while attacking Blue. Gale off to our right is to land by Yellow and aid in their assault on Blue. Orders are to do your best to fight only Blue. Hopefully Yellow will take the hint and not assault us. Be ready for them to attack but no do start it or give them a reason to feel threatened.”

Moonless Night left to pass on the orders to Gale. When he came back, Filly Foolers did several bobs to signal the orders were received and passed along. Dreamers started the descent, but Lilly Blossom and Filly Foolers dropped in faster. They had to make sure their squads made it down without incident.

Silver Star spotted their first target and dropped in behind a Squad who was in chase of another. They quickly identified them as Yellow and slid up besides the Yellow Squad. It took a minute, but the Blue Squad made a mistake and easy targets. Filly Foolers downed them on instinct and then safely left the side of the Yellow Squad. They gave Yellow a good position to make chase, but they turned away and dropped to the ground.

Without coms, they were forced to leave the congratulations to after the battle. A Blue Squad tried to get behind Filly Foolers but Lilly Blossom intersected them and put them out of commission. Two more Blue Squads left the ground. Their medics were patching them up.

Shooting Star moved to combat them. They split as the Blue Squads began to open fire. Filly Foolers crossed over the two squads and shot them all down as both halves sliced over them. Shooting Star made a difficult choice and dove to try and see the medics. Shadow had the position and opened up. He missed the medic entirely.

The strafing run didn't go unnoticed and they shot down Shooting Star. Before she could safely descend, Cardinal Spitfire dropped beneath her and Shooting Star fell onto her back. Cardinal Spitfire pulled away leaving Shadow on his own. Lilly Blossom and the other half of Filly Foolers had just finished cleaning up the last of the Blue Squads in the air and the last Yellow Squad was escorted to the ground.

Cardinal Spitfire and Shooting Star were soon airborne and rejoined Filly Foolers. Moonless Night had taken point. They circled around the battle, waiting for something to happen. They made two solid strafing runs. One to stop a Blue attack against Yellow and the other picking off Blue Soldiers who were running off.

The firing stopped and Moonless Night set them down at the nearest opening. It was in the middle of Yellow. The Yellow Squads were on edge with their presence. Filly Foolers ignored them and walked towards the meeting of the two commanders.

“I am very inclined to not trust you,” Crystal Bliss said speaking first.

“Captain, here is the package,” Golden Dawn said walking up with a box on her wing.

“What is in it?” Crystal Bell asked.

“Lets open it and find out,” Captain Sharp said taking it.

“DON'T!” Shadow shouted. “If it is a bomb, all of us will be taken out!”

“Crap!” Captain Sharp Said. “They would do that. Cloud Surfer, take this box out a hundred yards and open it.”

“Yes Sir!” Cloud Surfer said taking the box.

Crystal Bliss wasn't taking any chances and sent a soldier out with Cloud Surfer. They came trotting back a few minutes later. Cloud Surfer was beaming.

“Ten White Patches,” He announced.

“Give one to Shooting Star,” Captain Sharp said. “I want Filly Foolers at full strength.”

Captain Sharp took another one and put it on Crystal Bliss' chest bringing her back to full strength.

“What? Why?” She asked stunned.

“Because even though this test is difficult and often has us in combat against each other, you still are fellow recruits,” Captain Sharp explained. “My name is Sharp. Captain Sharp right now since I am leading. And we all know you are Crystal Bliss.”

“Who was the Bastard who got me?”

“Me Ma'am,” Shadow Flare said stepping forward. “I am Shadow Flare. Bucking for recon. So do not feel bad.”

Shadow scanned Yellow's Squads. “It is their fault that it happened. I had decided to sacrifice myself. I thought we had problems with unity to start. I can not believe their disrespect and lack of care. I am one of our weakest leader, but even then, our squads know to not cross that line. Just like they would with any other commander or instructor.”

Yellow was pissed at Shadow's words. A few trained their rifles on him. Black didn't react.

“Stand down,” Crystal Bliss ordered. “I SAID STAND DOWN! YOU ARE JUST PROVING HIM RIGHT!”

They backed off at that.

“You need rest,” Captain Sharp said. “I know none of you have had it. Lilly Blossom and Filly Foolers, did you see any promising posts?”

They hadn't.

“Somepegasus find me a promising location,” Captain Sharp order.

“ORDERS FOR BLACK BARRACKS: ELIMINATE YELLOW.”

“FUCK YOUR ORDERS!” Captain Sharp replied. “I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN HEAR ME OR NOT, BUT FUCK THEM. YELLOW NEEDS REST, ESPECIALLY CRYSTAL BLISS. I AM NOT LEAVING MY FELLOW RECRUITS IN THIS BAD OF SHAPE AND I AM NOT STABBING THEM IN THE BACK. SO FUCK OFF!”

Sharp shook his head and they were ready with three locations.

“They gave us elimination orders,” Crystal Bliss hesitated.

“We have three locations to set up a strong defense and camp,” Captain Sharp said ignoring her. “We can post up and get a few hours rest. Olive Pit, your lead.”

“Yes Sir,” Olive Pit said. “Gale and Rover, head out and secure the location. We will be right behind you.”

“We were told to remember to use all of our skills,” Olive Pit told Crystal Bliss. “That includes teamwork and supporting each other. I see, we all see, no reason why this should not apply to aiding other Barracks. Now, lets hit the sky and get there fast so you all can get some rest.”

Olive Pit took off. Hurricane took off right behind him. Crystal Bliss followed suit and the rest of Yellow slowly followed.

“Fuck it,” Cardinal Spitfire said leaving Filly Foolers shortly after take off and without an explanation. They watched as she came up beside a Yellow Squad and began to whip them into shape. Deke dropped out of Hurricane and followed suit. Soon after Sharp, Moonless Night, Golden Dawn, Hay Bail, Rays and Silver Lining joined up with other squads and began to work with them as well.

“Thanks,” Crystal Bliss said to Olive Pit.

“No problem,” Captain Olive Pit smiled. “We were drilled hard. Black is supposed to have no weaknesses. We all picked up leadership to different degrees.”

“Maybe now they will finally get it,” Crystal Bliss yawned. “I was forced to take this on my shoulders because none of them even wanted to try.”

“You have been doing a good job,” Olive Pit said, complimenting her.

“I wish I could believe that,” Crystal Bliss replied.

“Confidence is key. Buck up,” Olive Pit softly ordered. “I am so nervous. I do not feel prepared to lead outside of my squad, Hurricane. But it was passed to me. Leading a whole Barracks is like leading only your squad leaders. Let them do their job commanding their squad. That should take more off your shoulders. Shadow Flare taught us that.”

“Thanks for the advice. Mind giving that speech to them?”

“Not at all. When we touch down I will. Not much further.”

“You guys really just pass off command to each other?”

“Yep. I guess we never thought about it much. We all want to be the best we can be. So each time we were given leadership we did what we could to learn, and then outside exercises we helped each other. It made us stronger as a whole. And even when you are solo, knowing your barrack is behind you, it boosts your confidence.”

“You are really that prepared to ignore orders?”

“Yeah,” Olive Pit smiled. “You played it smart and didn't attack us back there. Why should we not work together. I am assuming you got the same orders?”

“Yep,” Crystal Bliss yawned.

“You obviously need rest. And screw orders, I do not like how bad you are looking from the stress and lack of sleep. None of us do. So we will work as a team, like one Barracks, to look out for each other.”

“Two Pegasi on intercept Captain. Dead ahead,” Deke yelled.

“Understood,” Olive Pit yelled back.

“Why are you yelling?” Crystal Bliss asked.

“Because they blocked our coms,” Olive Pit chuckled. “But our aerial combat instructor taught us to communicate through signals and work without coms. We have to adjust our tactics a bit, especially moving long distances, but its not a big deal. Each Squad can act alone while working with the bigger picture.”

“Black is about training leaders,” Crystal Bliss nodded.

“Some, but the real goal is individual development because we have the drive to push to be the best,” Olive Pit explained. “Only seven of us were bucking for officer training right after. But a lot more should be getting offers. Golden Dawn over there is just here to be a regular soldiers. Nothing more. But she has proven to be a strong tactician and good leader.”

“I am our weakest navigator, but it just occurred to me, I have no idea where the others outside my Barracks are ranked in navigation skills. Shadow Flare over there has no charisma and his aim isn't great, but he can lead well as long as he is able to gain their respect. We didn't have an option to not give him the respect early on in training.”

“A stallion? Not a mare?”

“Yeah,” Olive Pit chuckled. “Honest to a fault. I do not think he is capable of lying. Or he is really good and we just can't see it.”

They chuckled and the two pegasi came up and around to Olive Pit's side. It was Majesty and Blue Wings.

“Captain, we have moved to secondary location,” Majesty reported. “It was too small. There was no way two barracks would fit.”

“Lead on,” Olive Pit ordered.

Olive pit looked around. “CHANGE IN PLANS!”

He followed after Majesty and Blue Wings. The others turned after their leader. It took another twenty minutes and the sky was completely dark. Clouds had been put in place after Yellow and Black teamed up.

They touched down and within minutes had tents set up. While Black was setting up, Olive Pit gave Yellow a quick pep talk before sending them into the tents for sleep.

“Your tents?” Crystal Bliss asked shocked.

“You left yours and this will make the second time they have come in handy. Use them. You need them most. Oh, and have your squads take RadBlocks. The rain is coming and last time it was irritated rain. We won that by each taking one just before it started.”

“We all lost a life from that trick,” Crystal Bliss said as she headed off to give orders and then settle in.

It was only a steady rain, but it also was irradiated. Instructors flew in and collected their empty RadBlock containers. It showed they had taken one and that they were protected. The instructors didn't get to take any patches.

At midnight they woke Yellow up and prepared to depart. It was still raining when they woke them up. It was too risky to stay any longer. Black Barracks quickly took their tents down and went back to their squad's defensive position.

“Command? What are our orders?” Olive Pit asked.

“Survive.”

“ALL HOOVES TO BATTLE STATIONS!” Olive Pit yelled. “YELLOW SQUADS TEAM UP WITH A BLACK SQUAD. ORDERS ARE TO SURVIVE. COMMAND STRUCTURE IS ME, CAPTAIN OLIVE PIT IN HURRICANE SQUAD. THEN IT IS CAPTAIN CRYSTAL BLISS. THIRD IS GOLDEN DAWN IN DITWITZ SQUAD.”

Crystal Bliss asked for orders and received the same. “YOU HEARD CAPTAIN OLIVE PIT, GET TO IT!”

Ditwitz, Hay Bail and two Yellow Squads were in the sky under Golden Dawn's control. The rain made it hard for Red to look up so they were making effective strafing runs.

On the south front, Crystal Bliss was leading the defense against Blue. The west had two Yellow and Two Black with no actual commander. Filly Fooler was on the western front.

Blue and Green hated each other since their failed team mission in the morning. It made for a poor attack and an obvious break in between their lines.

Shadow rolled out of cover, fired, and continued to the cover in front of him. He had no idea if he hit anypony, but it looked impressive and it kept the appearance that their numbers were higher as he hopped around. Cardinal Spitfire made sure Filly Foolers was moving all across their line to bolster the effect.

Shadow collapsed behind cover. Cardinal Spitfire rolled over to him.

“You okay?” She asked.

“Cold, tired and sore. That drop is really hurting now. I am not sure how much longer I can keep hopping around like I have been. I am so thirsty too.”

“You have been a real trooper,” Cardinal Spitfire said. “You have been moving four times as much as us. I have been out of water for hours as well.”

Cardinal Spitfire ordered a Yellow Squad to begin moving around like Filly Fooler had been. The idea was too create chaotic shooting from their enemies and draw fire away from their stationary defenders.

They suddenly heard a mass yell as Crystal Bliss called for a charge against Blue.

“OPEN FIRE!” A Yellow Squad leader called.

Shadow took a deep breath in and let loose his machine gun. He took down two in his sweep and forced more heads down. His stationary position was noticed and he was hit for the second time.

“YELLOW ADVANCE!” A Yellow Squad member ordered.

Yellow Squads leap frogged forward as Black Barracks covered them. Two Yellow Squads came around for a strafing pass that drastically helped. Yellow had lost half of each squad moving forward. They had a much better position and it would make a huge difference, but it was costly.

A medic from Yellow slid forward and pulled a patch off of Shadow's chest.

“One left buddy,” She said before moving forward. Cardinal Spitfire dashed out in front of her and put down cover fire. The Medic was able to bring a squad back to full strength before Cardinal Spitfire was hit. Cardinal Spitfire was dragged to cover by a revived Yellow Squad member and lost her second patch.

“Blue is cleared!” Crystal Bliss said over the coms.

“WE HAVE COMS AGAIN!” Olive Pit laughed victoriously. “Lets finish this! Captain Crystal Bliss, swing around to strike Green. Yellow aerial squads, keep Red down, Ditwitz and Hay Bail, fuck them up with aerial combat tactics.”

“Our pleasure,” Golden Dawn chuckled.

They dropped down and blasted Red from the back with heavy firepower. Most of them lost a life, but it did it's job. Crystal Bliss sent half her teams to come around the far side of Green while she lead the sweep north.

The Yellow aerial teams picked off the Green run aways and met back up. In total, they had lost twelve, including a Medic. Everypony was down a single life.

“What they hell happened?” Cardinal Spitfire asked Shadow. “I know you were tired, but did you even fire after you took that hit?”

Shadow shook his head.“I froze. I couldn't get it out of my mind that this time it would mean death. Real death. Despite the logic of it being training…”

“Don't worry about,” Cardinal Spitfire said. “I won't tell anypegasus. It happens. This training feels real. As real as they can make it. The stress and time with no sleep and little food has made it so it feels real.”

“Alright every… pegasus,” Olive Pit said slowly. “That was one hell of a defense. We did it though. The sun should be coming up any minute now, even though we can't see it from the rain. For starters, everypegasus take RadBlock and chug a Rad-Flush. Better safe than sorry.”

They followed his lead.

“Good call whoever it was in Yellow to use our tents to collect rainwater. They should be safe to drink. It has been over an hour and I hear that some of the tablets are not dissolved. We over bombed them for safety because the water levels would rise. Lets refill.”

Olive Pit led the orderly refill of their canteens. Everypony was able to refill one. Only one. But it was better than none. Tents were broken down and packed up.

“Flex, take lead,” Olive Pit said.

“Flex reporting for duty. Orders?”

“Hold for orders Black and Yellow.”

“One more day, Crystal Bliss sighed.

“And you are done leading,” Flex decreed. “I saw some Yellow squad leaders who can step up to the plate and handle the challenge. Even if you fail, it is about showing our commanders about how we can use all of our skills they have taught us.”

“BLACK BARRACKS, DEFFER TO YELLOW BARRACKS. YOU ALL ARE NOW PURPLE UNIT. YOUR JOB IS TO SECURE FOUR OF THE SEVEN OBJECTIVES BEFORE THE OTHER BARRACKS DO.”

“So much for leading,” Flex chuckled. “But I know Yellow can lead. You have to have confidence, or fake it. Give us the play!”

As they came up upon the first objective and were being issued orders, a long thunder was heard above them.

“We have visitors,” Shadow said. “Powerful ones. If they put us together…”

“The other Barracks were probably strengthened,” Their Captain said.

There were three fresh squads of unknown origin defending the first objective. They easily wiped out half of their unit. Filly Foolers were all wiped out in one go. They were sent to a new drop zone to wait. The rest of Purple was taken out trying to take a second objective.

“Half hour rest and to eat before we head out,” their Captain said. Shadow had forgotten his name. “Thank goodness the rain is over.”

“You have objectives to take,” Major Winters Breath said. The Major had been waiting for them at the new Drop Zone.

“I know. But we all need some rest. We are halfway into day three and if we want to finish this assignment, we need sharper minds. That few hours of sleep last night taught me that.”

Cardinal Spitfire had to kick Shadow several times to wake him up. “Wake up!”

“Sorry,” Shadow yawned as he stretched.

“You body should not crack and pop like that,” Cardinal Spitfire shivered. “You fell into such a deep sleep that you kept me up a few minutes from your snoring.”

They chucked and listened in for their orders. The known objective was abandoned because another barracks had been seen approaching it. They prepared to head out to the rough location of another one.

It was a three way fight. Red was already engaged with the special sentries and taking hits. Purple was split to put them into a pincher movement with two squads held quietly in reserved to cover the objective.

Even reinforced, Red Unit's leader couldn't handle the pincher movement and Purple Unit took the objective with low effort. Then it was off to another objective.

Shadow gave it his all. Diving, rolling, crawling and whatever he could do. He was sent forward, sometimes alone, other times with Cardinal Spitfire. Shadow's acrobatics were slowing down and beginning to fail.

He was currently alone, the forward most pony in a cityscape and it was dark. The Blue Unit was giving them a hard fight. Two Blue Unit soldiers came around. Shadow kicked one against the wall, swept the legs of the second, shot the first and then was forced to strike twice a rear leg to deaden the nerves before he finally could shoot the second.

Shadow put his back against the wall. Tears began to fall down as he looked at the two soldiers laying there right in front of them. They were not recruits and both were breathing heavily. He hated unarmed combat in these settings. It was just training, but instructors had made it clear it was allowed. And every advantage was an advantage.

Shadow pounced onto the back of another Blue Unit member. They rolled around before Shadow was painfully kicked off. Another one was standing by, waiting for the clean shot. All Shadow could do was watch and feel the painful zap.

It was enough distraction for Cardinal Spitfire to shoot twice, dropping both opponents. She took cover along the wall Shadow had just been. The rest of Filly Foolers moved up right behind her. Cardinal Spitfire just looked at Shadow. Her gaze showed her tired eyes that were soaked in sadness.

At least for Black Barracks, they were recognizing the state of real warfare. Golden Dawn had broken down earlier while flying. It spurred all of their minds to think of the reality of these 'games' and 'tests.'

“PURPLE UNIT. YOU FAILED. GREEN UNIT TOOK FOUR. PATHETIC.”

“PATHETIC? I WILL TELL YOU…”

“SHUT UP DEKE!” Golden Dawn ordered. “It doesn't matter. Don't let them get to your head.”

“Right,” Deke said.

“ORDERS ARE TO REPORT BACK TO PURPLE DROP ZONE. EVERYPEGASUS, NO MATTER WHAT YOUR STATUS IS.”

Cardinal Spitfire helped Shadow up while the rest of Filly Foolers helped the others to their hooves.

“You guys okay?” Shadow asked.

“You would think we were more prepared for that trick,” One chuckled. “We know Black has been playing it. Don't worry about us.”

Filly Foolers took off. They stayed in a line, giving up on formations. It was easily midnight when they finally arrived.

“Follow me,” A random instructor said. “I trust once we get close to the barracks you can navigate yourself.”

They had to continue with no rest and the instructor made sure they kept a fast pace.

“Thank goodness we got the sleep we did over the first night,” Shooting Star said after she dropped a bit before she came back up. She was not the only pegasus dipping as they fought sleep.

When they landed, they found a note on their barracks door.

Formation at 0800. Eat beforehand if you chose to. Be in dress uniform for formation as we will be photographed as a unit.

– Master Wind

“Thank Celestia it is simple,” Shadow yawned.

They spent the extra few minutes to properly put their gear away before crashing. Shadow wasn't the only one who just laid on his bed, completely ignoring blankest and covers. The last thing he saw was Cardinal Spitfire's exhausted face.