They didn’t “settle” into the base, but Red Field did check the entirety of their building and found nothing more disturbing than the mildew in their room.

The late summer air of Mohs was mellow and cool and they soon forgot about fixing the AC.

The next day, Locked Breech told Full Wing that he needed to do laps around the compound to demonstrate he was in shape. Locked Breech had voiced little concerns thus far with Red Field’s sudden choice of spotter, but he did bring Red Field out into the compound to discuss the change.

Full Wing took off around the dusty compound. His bandaged wing bumped his shoulder and Red Field knew it hurt. Red Field wanted to take some of the pressure off of his partner.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about him earlier.” He said to Locked Breech. “That was my fault, not his.”

“Private, Full Wing is the least of my worries about you.” Said Locked Breech. He turned to Red Field. “You still need to tell the rest of the team what happened with Flashpoint.”

“Yes, of course.” Red Field had forgotten about his confession amidst his introduction to Mohs. “When should I-”

“Now.”

Full Wing didn’t notice as the pair went back inside and he continued to lope around the walls. Chesterfield and Wildcat looked up from where they played cards in their room. Blackout was napping with his hoof across his face.

“Hey, listen up, Red’s got something to say.” Said Locked Breech as the two entered.

“The fuck?” Blackout yawned. “He gonna tell us how much he loves us?”

“No, and shut up.” Locked Breech said. He took a seat at the planning table, next to Chesterfield and Wildcat. The other three members of Recon grew more serious as they saw the sobriety on both ponies’ faces.

“Uh, well.” Red Field said. “Back at the end of the second wargame, the night where I joined your team. I attacked Lieutenant Flashpoint.” They stared at him, none seeming to comprehend. “Princess Luna pardoned me and sent me to your team.”

Chesterfield nodded slowly, as if he understood.

“I knew a couple guys who got in trouble for decking their COs in those games.” Said Wildcat, looking back at his cards. “Don’t feel too bad, Flash is a geek and I could see how you’d-”

“Red broke his leg.” Locked Breech said.

“Damn, you serious?” Blackout propped himself up.

“I had argued with him earlier and I took that anger into the game-” Red Field tried to speak as much like a professional as he could.

“What on earth were you arguing about?” Asked Chesterfield. Red Field lowered his gaze.

“He and I disagreed on what classes I should take for my first year of college.”

“Ah, what?” Wildcat said.

“You and he disagreed on your college classes and you broke his leg?” Chesterfield asked. “How does that work?”

“Red’s got a temper.” Locked Breech said. “I noticed that in the results from UAT basic as well.”

“Yeah no shit.” Wildcat said. He looked at Red Field, more amazed than upset. Chesterfield looked nearly the same, though he seemed a bit more worried.

The crunch of Full Wing’s hooves through the gravel passed under the window.

“Flashpoint recommended an immediate court-martial.” Locked Breech said.

Red Field's mouth went dry. He'd never considered Flashpoint's authority.

“I imagine he did.” Blackout said with a rough chuckle. “How did it happen? You had a gun right? Why didn’t you mag dump on him?”

“It wasn’t my goal to break his leg originally.” Red Field said carefully. “My ammo was ruined by the rain and the game was coming to an end so I decided to-”

“You decided to attack him without need. This was personal.” Locked Breech said.

“I swam through a pond and approached him- he was working on paperwork under a tree.”

“That sounds like him.” Said Blackout with a snicker.

“I was trying to kick his hoof off of the paper and I kicked too hard.” He paused before looking around at his teammates. “I’m really sorry and I regret my actions very much-”

“Red here avoided court-martial because of executive action by Luna. She’s keeping him with our squad.” Locked Breech said. “I have no idea what the rest of the brass or even Flashpoint can do about it. All I know is he’s to remain with us until further notice.”

“Holy shit, why?” Asked Wildcat.

“Absolutely no idea.” Said Locked Breech. “I found out about all of this just before we left.” He sighed as Full Wing passed under the window again. “Let’s get some input on this.”

“Well, I don’t know how comfortable I feel about a pony who attacked a superior over a schedule conflict.” Chesterfield said.

“Yeah, that’s just bizarre.” Wildcat said. “Who the hell breaks somepony’s leg over shit like that?”

Red Field couldn’t blame them; he sympathized with them. He still felt Flashpoint’s leg under his hoof when he thought back to the wargame. The more time passed, the less his thinking in the moment made sense.

“Buncha Nancys.” Said Blackout. “We’ve all been thinking Red’s some kind of vagina and now I see evidence to the contrary. UATs are supposed to be crazy, aggressive and respond with overwhelming force." He shrugged. "Maybe Red was a bit out of control, but shit, I’d probably beat up Flash if I had to deal with him that much.”

“You’re downplaying the fact that he assaulted an officer.” Said Locked Breech.

“How about I supervise Red for a while?” Blackout said. “That’s my official recommendation. We still need a sniper team. You guys can teach Full Wing since he’s got more to learn.” He pointed to Red Field. “I’ll take responsibility for his actions.”

“If you want that responsibility, it’s yours.” Locked Breech said. “Red, you’re with Blackout until further notice, wherever he goes, you go.”

Red Field felt much worse after his confession. Wildcat would pause whatever he was doing whenever Red Field entered their quarters. Wildcat never said anything to Red Field. He seemed to wait for somepony else to say something.
Chesterfield remained polite and respectful toward Red Field and said nothing of the matter, but Red Field couldn’t believe he wasn’t being judged by the quiet pony.

Full Wing was the worst. Red Field had grown accustomed to a sort of respect from his spotter. After finding out the truth about Red Field, how he’d committed a serious infraction for a reason so puerile, Full Wing began to act on his own. He focused on the tutelage from the other members of Recon and didn’t ask much from Red Field.

Blackout was the only pony on the team who grew more interested in Red Field. He sat with Red Field at meals and oddly, treated Red Field as member of the team. For all of his obscenity, Blackout judged Red Field the least.

Red Field followed Blackout around the short loop inside of the base. The day after his confession, Blackout informed Red Field he ran a few kilometers every morning and therefore Red Field did as well. Red Field’s throat grew raw with the thin mountain air after just a few laps. He followed several steps behind Blackout and kept his head down, calculating how long they had before they finished.

“What was the real reason you fucked up Flashpoint?” Asked Blackout, slowing and pulling alongside Red Field. Blackout hadn’t said much for the first few days of their acquaintance.

“What?”

“You expect me to believe you swam through a pond and broke his leg cause of a college schedule?”

“He thought I was being too ambitious by testing out of so many classes in my first semester.” Red Field said. “He called me a narcissist and I was upset over that.”

“Jesus.” Blackout said. “You sure take no prisoners when it comes to insults.” He looked at Red Field. “Or do you have problems with narcissism?”

“Flashpoint called me a narcissist after calling me his friend. I have problems with hurtful friends.” Red Field could feel the bile returning as he recalled the exchange he’d had the night before the game. Deep down, a part of him felt satisfied at attacking Flashpoint, at retaliating for once. Even if he’d been crazed, he’d been right.

“Hell, I’d believe he called you a narcissist.” Said Blackout. They slowed down and stopped by the door to the barracks. Blackout picked up his canteen and took a swig. “I’m just glad you have some balls.” Red Field took a sip of his water and leaned against the wall of the barracks. “I mean, you were such a little twat when I first met you. Then there was you trying to prove yourself with that air conditioning thing. But now I see you can at least get something done.”

“I’m glad I could prove myself to you.” Red Field said dryly. Blackout laughed.

“You got a long way to go before that.” Capping his canteen, he began to stretch his legs. “But at least we know you can get shit done.”

They stood a few minutes, Red Field resting and Blackout stretching.

“So Luna must have really taken a liking to you.” Said Blackout.

“I suppose.”

“She doesn’t give a shit about you. She just knows the UATs need as many snipers as possible. Don’t know if you know but there are three other UAT snipers. If you’d been at the first training session you’d know that.” He shrugged. “But then you’d have missed the wargame and wouldn’t have broken Flash's leg and we wouldn’t be having this conversation. I guess we just have to be content with the way things shook out.” He reached into the breast pocket of his uniform and pulled out a packet of fresh hay. He tossed it to Red Field. “Thirty minutes after a workout are when you need to eat to build your muscle back up.” Said Blackout, producing another bag and opening it. “That canned shit ain’t good for muscle, I always make sure I pack at least a bit of real hay.”

The hay was a week old, but the bag had sealed in the moisture and the snack was infinitely better than the bland dried hay of the MSRPs.

“So why’s your name Red Field?” Asked Blackout as they ate.

“No reason.”

“So your parents named their black and white colt ‘Red Field’ for no reason? Your parents do a lot of drugs?” Red Field didn’t answer and Blackout wiped his mouth. “You know, I’ve been part of the UATs for years now and after a few years, you stop making fun of ponies for little shit like whatever their name is. It can’t be that embarrassing.”

“It was just because there was a lot of blood when I was born.” Red Field said quietly.

“What about the field part?” Blackout asked. Of the two words of his name, the latter embarrassed Red Field more. “Look, we give you and Full a lot of shit for good reason. But if nothing else, we aren’t a bunch of high school fags looking to put each other down over our names.”

“I was born in a field of cabbage.” Red Field said. “There was a lot of blood and since you can’t tell much about a newborn, my parents decided to name me after my birth.” Red Field hadn’t thought about his name in a long time, and the resentment toward his parents came back in full force. Blackout said nothing and Red Field assumed the unicorn was embarrassed for asking.

“God damn that is a shitty name.” Red Field looked up and saw Blackout didn’t feel embarrassed for asking. Blackout chewed a single stalk of hay. “It’s funny, my parents named me after an eclipse, they said they’d have still named me Blackout no matter what color I happened to be. Would have sucked if I was a fruity pink. Still though, it’s a great name for a commando.” He looked at Red Field. “Did you say you were born in a field of cabbage?” Red Field nodded. “So you’re poor right? Like your parents weren’t just hippies or some shit?”

“My parents are farmers, I’ve made more in a month or two as a UAT than my dad does in a year.” Red Field said.

“See now that would have been nice to know.” Blackout said. “We thought you were just some pretentious little shit from the suburbs somewhere.” He stuffed the empty bag into his pocket and rubbed his mouth. “Heh, yeah, I can see why you’d get pissed at Flash. All you’ve got is your brains and I can see him talking down to you. You know I think I was wrong about you Red.”

“Oh?”

“Yep, other guys might not, but fuck ‘em. You’ve got fight in you, and that’s what we need in UAT.” Blackout groaned as he eased himself off of the wall of the barracks. “God damn, I need a shower and a nap. You fine with showering with another stallion or are you a shy little pony?”

“I don’t really care.” And Red Field didn’t.

After showering in the cell-like bathrooms down the hall, both ponies returned to their quarters where the rest of their team was lounging. Blackout pronounced a sentence of death on anypony who woke him up and went back to bed. Red Field laid back in his bed and closed his eyes.

Blackout calling his name shitty actually made Red Field like his new superior more. He had at least one ally in Recon team.

The Gmales returned at 1700. Everypony could hear them running up the road toward the base. The dogs sounded like they were locked in a fierce quarrel. They rounded the bend of the road and Red Field watched them bolt into the camp.
Only four dogs returned.

Red Field saw Fo; he was the most upset, and the only one trying to calm the others down.

“Shut up shut up shut the fuck up!” He shouted to the bickering dogs as they halted inside the gate. “I’ll get the horses.” He looked up to the window and seeing Red Field, threw his paw over his shoulder to indicate he wanted them outside.

“Lord, this can’t be good.” Blackout was the only pony who donned his gear as they marched out to the dogs. Fo snarled something to the three dogs with him as Recon approached.

The sun was low in the sky, and only a few rays of sun made it through the gaps in the mountains.

“Where the fuck is your gear?” Fo asked. “We need support ASAP!”

“What’s going on?” Locked Breech asked. The dogs behind Fo began to bark and argue again and Fo shouted back something about butchering them.

“One of my dogs got jumped in a routine robbery; we’ve pinned the bad guys but we need backup now.” Said Fo.

“What?” Wildcat asked.

“Get your guns, I’ll explain on the way.” Said Fo, a little whine becoming audible in his voice.

“What the hell is with them?” Wildcat asked as they ran back into the barracks and snatched up their gear.

“Red, get your DMR and a good supply of ammo. Full Wing, I want you with carbine, the 40mm and five tear gas shells.” Locked Breech said as he pulled on his vest.

“What do you think’s going on?” Chesterfield asked as he pushed a grenade into a pouch on his vest.

“Not sure, but from here on out we’re only communicating, no more chatter.” Locked Breech locked a magazine into his rifle and racked the charging handle. “Let’s go see what we can do.”

Red Field carried the DMR across his chest. He had four hundred rounds of ammo, not counting the magazines for his hoofgun. Would he need more?

Fo and his minions were still fighting when the ponies returned.

“Good, good.” Fo pointed to the grenade launcher on Full Wing’s backpack. “We might need to blow up the whole building. Stay close, it’s a ways away and you’ll need to gallop to keep up.”

The ponies didn’t need to gallop.

UAT’s rigorous physical conditioning was yet another quality the Gmales did not share. The ponies jogged alongside the wiry dogs, who sprinted for only a hundred or so meters, before slowing. The dogs continued to argue with one another, mostly about who was responsible for the situation.

Locked Breech tried to extract more information about the situation from Fo, but Fo was taxed to his limits and could barely hold pace with them. The three other dogs continued to puff and pant and argue as they ran. Red Field's apprehension grew as they neared a standoff they knew nothing about.

“Right down there.” They only ran for a few minutes before Fo herded them off of the road. “On the right; it’s that little store there.” Ahead stood a wooden shack about the size of Red Field’s home. However this building had a front door with a smudged window. Red Field recognized the building as the convenience store Fo had purchased the beer from on their first patrol.

They heard shouting from inside and Fo led them to the door.

“We’ve got three clowns with guns, they grabbed one of my dogs and the owner- they’ve been trying to leverage him for safe passage.” Fo pointed to his dogs. “You three hold out here.” He pointed to Locked Breech. “Follow my lead in there, I can use you to force a deal.”

“Copy that. Red, Blackout and Wildcat, on me. Chess and Full Wing, hold perimeter with the others.” The ponies readied themselves and Fo pushed the door open.

Red Field’s nose burned as they entered the store. The room smelled like urine or maybe a mixture of dogs’ sweat. In the center of the room was a single display case, which had been knocked over. Jerky, cans of food, and birth control pills had spilled over the floor.

Five dogs squished behind the tiny counter. One of them held a rusted pistol to the head of an old dog wearing an apron. One of the other two aimed a pair of pistols on the two Gmales who were already inside. The last robber had his arm around the neck of the Gmale who’d called himself God.

The cramped posture of the dogs behind the counter, coupled with the robber dual-wielding pistols and the ineffectual image of the Gmales aiming back gave Red Field the feeling he was watching some kind of cartoon.

“Hey! Who are the ponies?” Shouted the dog holding the owner. The two Gmales already inside trained their pistols on the hostage takers and they moved over as Recon crowded inside the store.

“We’re here to resolve this.” Fo said, stepping over the spilled merchandise. “It’s late and I want to get home.” He added, his confidence coinciding with the appearance of the ponies.

“Yeah, so do we.” Said one of the hostage takers, twisting the neck of the storekeeper. “Are you going to leave now?”

“I was thinking I have my friends here put you down.” Fo gestured to Red Field and Locked Breech. “They’re UAT from Equestria, top notch commandos.” He pointed to Red Field. “One can pop you from a mile away.”

“You’re using P.M.Cs from Equestria.” Red Field couldn’t tell if the hostage taker was on the verge of laughing or flying into a violent rage. “They've probably committed more crimes than we have.”

“Doesn’t mean they can’t kill you.” Fo said.

“We’ve got UATs here now.” Natick, who'd been one of the two Gmales inside the store, used a tone befitting a negotiator and holstered his gun. “You know you’re not shooting your way out of here.”

“Psh.” One of the robbers rolled his eyes. “What are a couple of horses with guns going to do?”

“Probably kill you.” Natick said.

“Definitely kill you, kill you a lot.” Fo said. Locked Breech turned to Fo.

“Can we speak outside?” He asked. The dog holding God hostage laughed.

“Looks like your little mercenary force isn’t too keen on murder.” He said. “Guess they’re smarter than they look.”

“Good thing you don’t have that problem.” Said Fo as he and the ponies backed out of the store. He turned to Locked Breech as they stepped outside. “Just go ahead and set up your sniper out there.” He pointed to the forest on the opposite side of the road. “I’ll clear my dogs to the sides of the room and give him a good shot through the window.” He knelt and put his paw on Red Field’s shoulder. “Hit them in the head, I want to let their punk ass friends know we don’t screw around.”

“Captain Fo.” Locked Breech attempted not to sound incredulous. “That’s not the plan. There is a nonviolent solution to this, my ponies can open the wall behind them and disarm them without bloodshed.”

“Oh, yes, that’s right.” Fo said. “I forgot you’re trained for public relations. Don’t worry about the bodies, the owner is sick of their shit. He’ll back up our story.”

“Your officer, he’s in quite a bit of danger, along with the civilian.” Locked Breech said. “We shouldn’t go directly to deadly force.”

“God’s not special to us.” Fo said.

“What?” Asked Locked Breech, failing at not sounding incredulous. The dogs inside began to shout again and Fo glanced to the window.

“What’s the plan here pony?” He said.

“Exercise restraint.” Locked Breech said, trying to be heard over the shouting. Fo motioned to the woods opposite the store.

“Just set up your sniper out there and I’ll use him to scare them. We might get them to surrender; killing them’ll be a lot easier once they’re disarmed.” Fo went back inside and began to hurl back insults to the shoplifters.

Red Field and Locked Breech stood outside, listening to the argument. Locked Breech sighed. He closed his eyes and adjusted his vest, then pointed to the spot where Fo had told Red Field to hide.

“Lay up in that spot or wherever you have a good shot.” Red Field’s heart began to pound. Surely they wouldn't actually attempt such a terrible plan. “Take Full Wing with you.”

“Yes sir.” Red Field said.

He tried to calm himself as he set up. Red Field and Full Wing took up position fifty meters from the window. They laid against a thick oak tree and Red Field set up a few sandbags to gain an adequate angle to see the standoff.

He couldn’t make a good shot through the window.

The bullet would deflect and he had no idea to what extent or even where. The pane was smudged and he strained to distinguish between the storekeeper and the hostage taker, as both merged into a single grey mass. He had no way of choosing what dog he hit if he fired.

“I- uh, can’t see anything with the spotting scope.” Full Wing said. Red Field closed his eyes. This was his first shot as a sniper.

He looked at the window again. The round wouldn’t hit what he needed it to hit. He didn’t want to go to court in Mohs for shooting a police officer.

Red Field’s hoof slackened from the trigger.

“All right team, we’re making a move.” Locked Breech’s voice came through the radio. “Chess, Cat and Blackout are going to open the rear wall and disarm the three. I’ll be inside with Fo. Red, Full, you guys hold fire unless you absolutely have to shoot. We’re going to try to keep this nonviolent.”

“What are the diggers doing?” Asked Blackout over the radio. The vulgar quarrel was audible from Locked Breech’s source and he sighed.

“They’re, distracting.”

“Goddamn it I’m not getting shot by any of those assholes just because we surprised them.” Said Wildcat.

“I’ve spoken with Natick; he’s going to keep his team from firing.” Locked Breech said.

“What about Fo?” Asked Chesterfield.

“We’re moving in ten seconds. Red, get ready. Only fire if you have to.” Red Field began to quietly hyperventilate. The reticule of the scope bobbed around the two writhing dogs in his view.

Red Field and Full Wing heard nothing but the crass exchange between Fo and the robbers. From Locked Breech’s radio came the sound of wood breaking. The wall behind the counter collapsed and the dogs fell from Red Field’s view. Red Field heard the scuffling sounds of his teammates tackling the dogs and the ensuing snarls and barks of the hostage takers. Blackout shouted “fuck you” as the snarling grew louder and a dog gave a sharp whine. Somepony called they had been bitten.

“Oh my God.” Said Full Wing. Red Field galloped toward the store, the DMR catching on branches and tearing off leaves. He bolted across the road and struck the door at full tilt, shattering the window as he threw it open. The wall behind the counter was torn away and the room had emptied. Mantling the counter, Red Field drew his rifle on the mass of ponies and dogs which had fallen behind the store.

Locked Breech and Chesterfield pinned down one of the robbers, while four of the Gmales held down another. Blackout and Wildcat stood together, Wildcat dabbing at a bleeding bite on Blackout’s shoulder. Fo and Natick were attempting to restrain the dog who’d held the storekeeper.

Fo punched the dog squarely in the face, whipping the dog’s head back. He threw another blow into the dog’s belly, causing the dog to double over and cough. Locked Breech looked over his shoulder upon hearing the blow.

“Thought you were all tough jumping my Gmales?” He said, clamping his paw over the dog’s muzzle.

“Captain Fo.” Locked Breech caught Fo’s arm before a third punch hit the robber. “Where do we take them for lockup?”

“What? Oh, thank you for the assistance captain Breech, but these criminals are not neutralized yet.” Fo drew his pistol with his free paw and pressed the barrel to the head of his prisoner.

“What are you doing?” Locked Breech attempted to swat Fo’s pistol away but Fo kept him at arm’s length.

“Captain Breech, this is my jurisdiction.”

“He doesn’t want anything to do with murder you sack of shit.” Said the robber restrained by the other Gmales.

“Shut up.” Fo brought the pistol down atop the dog’s head and the Scilicite to howled in pain. “You fucked yourself nine ways from Sunday.”

Locked Breech again tried to insert himself between Fo and the robber.

“Is standard procedure-” He began.

“Just leave the bodies in the leaves.” Fo clicked the safety off. The dog whined in terror and his feet scuttled in the leaves as he fought Natick's restraint.

“Don’t you take them to a prison or something?” Asked Chesterfield.

“There’s the processing tribunal up the mountain.” Natick said to Fo. “I’ll call it in and they can stay open late.”

Fo narrowed his eyes at Natick.

“It’s up the mountain, probably take us the rest of the day and into the night to get these assholes up there.” Fo said. “And right now, after biting your guy, kidnapping mine-”

“We didn’t kidnap him you prick!” Said the robber Chesterfield held. He and the one Fo held at gunpoint had the same shade of brown-black fur and Red Field guessed they were brothers.

Fo drove another punch into the first dog’s gut and the robber coughed. His brother whined and tried to shake free from Chesterfield and Chesterfield loosened his grip a bit.

“I appreciate your immense assistance captain Breech. I couldn't have managed without you.” The self-deprecating statement sounded pitiful coming from Fo. “Those assholes made a lot of mistakes, they could have chosen a better time to rob that fucker. They could have started shooting and maybe gotten away, they could have given themselves up at some point. But instead they kept fucking up and now we got them.” He pointed up the mountain. “Yes, we do have the option to take them to the summit of this mountain and drop them off at a federal installation, but that’s going to be a big hassle. Most of the time, when idiots pull stunts like this, we just pop them in the head and go about our day.”

“They just look like a couple of scared kids who didn’t know any better.” Said Wildcat.

“If we take them up to the base, you ponies will need to help us transport them.” Said Natick. Blackout grumbled and Wildcat gave him a nudge.

“We can do that.” Said Locked Breech. “Red, Full you two are on escort-”

Fo put his pistol under the chin of the dog and fired. Natick released his hold on his prisoner as a bloody geyser of brains and teeth shot from the top of the dog’s head. The robber's arms popped up in a spasm before he fell backward into the leaves with a euphemistic rustle.

“What- what the hell is wrong with you?” Natick was splattered in blood and he took several trembling steps back.

“You can do the paperwork if you want.” Fo wiped some blood from his face. He was trembling too. The other two dogs stared at their executed friend and began to whimper. Locked Breech accosted the dog in Chesterfield's custody.

“You see that guy?” He pointed to the fallen dog. “You want to end up like him?”

“God, no, please.” The dog began to cry and Locked Breech grabbed him by the scruff of his neck.

“This was a big mistake on your part. You wanted to be a badass?”

“No no no!” The dog twisted his head downward and tried to curl up. “Please don't!”

“You’re on very thin ice. I would not go any farther.” Locked Breech nodded to Chesterfield. “Get the hell out of here and don’t put anyone else in this position again.”

Chesterfield let go and the dog bolted into the woods.

“Hey!” Fo was scratching his neck and he waved his bloodied pistol at the fleeing dog.

“Let him go.” Locked Breech said to the Gmales, who in turn released the third dog. The third didn’t run, but staggered after his friend. He was still whimpering as he fled and Fo aimed unsteadily at him.

“Put that down.” Said Locked Breech.

“Excuse me captain-” Fo began.

“No excuse me.” Locked Breech started toward Fo. “I realize this is your patrol, but this is my operation. Those two didn’t need to die, and since you went with shock and awe, I decided to put the fear of God into them and let them go. Now we’ll help with your patrols, but right now, right here, I’m letting you know we don’t execute prisoners, for any reason. That’s my line in the sand, and if that’s not compatible with your M.O. then we’ll remain at base.” He stopped a meter from Fo. Fo was taller than Locked Breech by several centimeters, but the bloodied dog clutching his pistol looked up to Locked Breech.

“If those little shits do something, it’ll be on you.” He said in a low voice.

“They’re a couple of thugs that got caught in a bad situation.” Locked Breech said.

“Oh so you know them?” Fo asked with a laugh.

“I know how kids are, they weren’t the kind to go out and bury IEDs.” Said Locked Breech.

“The issue is whether or not they know someone who’ll do something.” Said Natick carefully.

“Still beats being an executioner.” Said Locked Breech.

“Guess there’s some truth to that.” Natick said quietly.

A stillness settled over the group. Red Field, who still stood in the ruined store, felt a bug crawl over his hoof. The scope on the DMR dug into his chest and he shifted the rifle. Blackout and Wildcat glanced up at him.

“Gmales, let’s head back to base.” Said Fo. “We’ll ungag that dumb asshole on the way.” The dogs had yet to untie God’s arms, or gag, and he stood amidst the group, trying to spit out the cloth tied around his head. “Thank you again for the help.” Fo said, without looking at Locked Breech.

The Gmales began to joke amongst themselves as they walked around the building and into the road.

“You see the price of jerky in there?” Asked one. “No wonder he got robbed.”

“Why’d you have to go and make a scene God?” Asked Fo as they ungagged the medic.

“This place is fucked.” Blackout said as Wildcat dabbed at his wound with rubbing alcohol. A chorus of laughter rose up from the group as one of the dogs told a joke about thermometers and pens.

“Let’s bury that kid, then head back to base.” Said Locked Breech tiredly.

Red Field and Full Wing were in charge of digging the grave. The other ponies had breached the store, so the sniper team could do little to argue. Flipping open their entrenching tools, the pair set to work digging a pit. They dug it some distance from the store, away from the body.

“Dude, that was so messed up back there.” Full Wing said. “Like that captain guy is fricken cold and crazy and evil.”

Red Field stood in the grave, throwing out dirt.

“We’re lucky we didn’t have to be a part of that.” He said shakily.

“You’re lucky you didn’t have to shoot that guy.” Said Full Wing. “I could barely see him through the window.” He jumped into the grave. “Can you imagine what would have happened if you’d shot like Breech or something?” Red Field shook his head.

He could imagine what might have happened, but he did not want to.

They finished the grave in fifteen minutes, then realized they had the unpleasant task of dragging the dog to its grave. Red Field looked to where the dog lay. The area was obscured by undergrowth, but just looking in the place where the robber had fallen made his skin crawl. They walked back to the store where they saw the rest of their team was helping the storekeeper repair his damaged business.

“Hey, uh, we need help with moving the guy.” Red Field said. Wildcat and Blackout were the only two outside. The wall was mostly patched and the sounds of hammering came from the interior of the store.

“You can’t drag him yourselves?” Blackout asked. He eyeballed the corpse. “Oh yes you can, he can’t weigh more than forty kilos.”

“Well, we’d just like some help is all.” Full Wing said.

“For fuck’s sake.” Wildcat set down the board he held. “You two are supposed to be on that. It’s not fucking hard. Black’s got an open wound so he’s not going anywhere near that mess. I’m not either. It’s your Goddamn job.”

“Okay, sorry.” Full Wing said. “Just wanted a little help.”

Both Locked Breech and the storekeeper walked up the incline toward them. Locked Breech was carrying a roughly chopped sapling over his shoulder and the storekeeper had a small axe.

“Looking good, do you have any more nails?” Locked Breech saw the two standing behind the building. “Done?”

“Nope, can’t bring themselves to touch him.” Said Blackout.

“Hey, lay off.” Locked Breech pointed to the dead dog. “I’ll give you guys a hoof.”

“I can help you pups too.” Said the storekeeper. Red Field hadn’t taken a close look at the storekeeper since they'd first seen him in the store. The Scilicite’s fur was a light shade of greying black and he wore a pair of brass-rimmed bifocals. “It’s not right you have to do something like this.”

Red Field’s stomach was already turning from the thought of a molding corpse bathed in flies. Instead he was relieved to see the dog was still without decomposition. The dog’s head lay back with its muzzle pointed away from them. A black crust of dried blood surrounded the entrance wound under its chin. A few beetles were already crawling around the hole leading into the dog’s skull and Red Field’s gut twitched.

“I’ll get his arms.” The storekeeper picked up the dog’s arms. Locked Breech took the dog’s feet and they lifted him from the ground. “Where to?”

“Right over here.” Red Field said, leading them into the woods.

“I don’t know how to thank you ponies.” Said the storekeeper, trying to keep the dead dog from swaying between him and Locked Breech. “You’re lifesavers.”

“We’re here to keep peace.” Said Locked Breech.

“So are the Gmales.” The dog said with a laugh. “I’ve known Fo for six years and nothing about how he handled today surprised me. Still, I’m an old fashioned mutt and I would still like to see some more decency from the younger generation." He slapped the dead dog's cheek. "You know you always read stories about them raping corpses and cutting off trophies and such.” He nodded toward Red Field and Full Wing. “You two look like you could be receptionists for Anthro. I remember when that was a job dogs envied.”

“We’re just glad to help.” Locked Breech said. “And that you’re not hurt.”

“Okay the hole’s-” Full Wing stopped as the storekeeper tumbled backward into the grave. The body’s feet fell out of Locked Breech’s grip and the corpse slid into the grave.

“Sir! Are you all right?” Locked Breech jumped into the hole.

The storekeeper was laughing.

“I’m fine.” He pointed up at Red Field and Full Wing. “All right pups, that was a good one. I’m an old dog and God knows if that broke something but I still have a sense of humor. Hell, I probably already have one paw in here anyway.” He spent several seconds shoving the gangly body off of him. “If my shop wasn’t broken up, I’d say today was just a good day to get my blood racing.” He waved off Locked Breech’s hoof and picked himself up. Climbing out, he gave both Red Field and Full Wing a knock on the shoulder. “Got me to walk right into that one.”

The corpse was twisted in the narrow grave, and the dead dog’s muzzle was pressed into the wall of the pit.

The grave wasn’t nearly big enough.

“Red, Full Wing, get that body out of there and widen the grave.” Locked Breech said.

“Oh nonsense.” The storekeeper jumped into the grave. “Don’t put them through so much hassle.” He took the dog’s head in his paws and shoved it down, bending the body’s neck severely.

“That’s all right.” Said Locked Breech. “We can just-”

“Oh yep, you’re right, it’s the legs.” The storekeeper dropped the corpse’s head and folded the body’s legs, making it look like the robber had died in a cannonball position. The storekeeper tried to fold the arms so they did not stick up the side of the grave. He grunted as the robber’s arms reached their maximum angle.

He snapped the corpse’s shoulder with a pop and pushed the arm under the Scilicite's body.

“That’ll do.” He surveyed his work. “Doesn’t matter how you look when you’re feeding the worms.” He tried climbing out of the grave but cursed and put his paw on his back. “Agh, of course I pull something. You pups help me out of here, okay?”

Both ponies were staring at the mess of the corpse. Red Field numbly reached out his hoof and the dog lifted himself. Red Field couldn’t take his eyes off of the robber’s contorted body and barely felt the storekeeper’s weight.

“Welp, that should do it.” Said the storekeeper.

“Thank you sir.” Locked Breech. “I think we can get it from here.”

“Oh nonsense.” The dog pointed to Red Field and Full Wing. “You pups go back and grab a drink from the cooler inside. Bring me out a cola and a bottle of aspirin too. Us old timers’ll shovel.”

“I want to go home.” Said Full Wing softly.

“Red, go back and help the guys finish repairing the store.” Locked Breech said. “We’ll shove off in ten.”

“Thank you again.” The dog said, kicking some dirt into the grave. “It’s always good to see pups your age with some respect for their elders. Nowadays I think it’s all punks like this.”

Locked Breech said nothing as he began to shovel.

Blackout and Wildcat were reclining against the repaired wall when Red Field and Full Wing returned to the store. The wall had numerous gaps and chinks, and several of the boards looked like they’d fall with the slightest pressure.

“Get him planted?” Asked Blackout.

“I don’t like it here.” Said Full Wing. He knelt and threw up into the leaves.

“Whoa now.” Said Blackout. “Guess I’ll take that as a yes.”

“The captain and the storekeeper are burying the dog. We’re leaving once they get back.” Red Field said, trying to keep his composure.

“Hey Chess, take off the maid’s outfit and get out here. He can clean the rest of that crap up.” Wildcat called into the store. “We’re ditching this place.”

“You know as fucked up as this country is, it’s good to see old salts like that storekeeper.” Blackout said. “Least there’s some sanity here.”

Red Field felt his stomach overturn and he too knelt in the leaves and vomited.

“Don’t worry, you guys will get used to shit like this soon enough.” Said Wildcat with a laugh.

The sun had gone down by the time the ponies marched back to the base. They were exhausted, sweaty, and hungry. Red Field glanced over at the dogs’ barracks. The lights were on and he heard their gravely voices from the upper rooms.

“Are we supposed to give a report or something?” Asked Chesterfield. “They killed someone today. Don’t police usually have some kind of protocol for that?”

“Let’s just get something to eat and call it in, it’s been a long day.” Said Locked Breech.

They reached their room and Wildcat immediately went to the stack of food packs.

“I’ll cook everypony something.” He said. “As long as that something is boiled hay.”

Red Field and Full Wing dumped their gear by their beds. Red Field’s shoulder stung as he slid the DMR to the ground. He unhooked his vest and it dropped to his bedspread. He saw Full Wing had carried not only his spotting gear but also a Kitty Kat and the grenade launcher, along with extra ammo. The Pegasus was trembling as he dropped the overfilled backpack next to his bed.

“Shit, are you okay?” Red Field asked.

“No I’m not dude.” Full Wing said shakily. “I just want to fucking lay down okay?” His thick shoulders were chafed and raw but he didn’t seem to notice as he climbed into his bed. Full Wing pulled the blanket over his head and rolled over. Red Field heard soft, shallow breathing from his spotter.

Red Field didn’t feel much better. Every strange and unexplained facet of the dogs’ degenerate behavior had built a thick dizziness in his mind. He sat by his bed and closed his eyes in an effort to release some of the fog.

“Any messages from the brass?” Asked Locked Breech.

“Nope.” Said Chesterfield.

“Nice, okay.” Locked Breech sounded as if he were at the end of his patience. “Look guys, I realize this place is pretty disjointed.” He ran a hoof through his short mane. “I think we’re all feeling a pretty big culture shock. But we’re here to do our job.”

“Eyep, roger that.” Said Wildcat.

“I’ll let Fo know we’re going to take tomorrow off from joint operations while we wait for orders. Let’s just try to acclimate to this place, to the population as well as the altitude.” Said Locked Breech.

“Sounds real fuckin’ good.” Said Blackout. “We can fix the air conditioning in the meantime.”

“Air conditioning’s broken?” Asked Wildcat.

“Yeah, me and Red were having an exchange about how to fix it when that autistic pony showed up to collect the intel.” Blackout’s bed creaked as he sat up. “Last you said Red, you were talking about building an air compressor to flush the fuel lines?” Red Field’s eyes were closed but he knew Blackout was grinning. “How ‘bout you tell everypony how you plan to do that?”

“Jesus, why an air compressor?” Asked Wildcat. Red Field’s blood surged and he began to recall his plans for building an air compressor.

What was the most plausible reason for assuming congealed fuel was the source of the malfunction?

“Give it a rest for tonight Blackout.” Said Locked Breech. “You’ll have plenty of time for hazing tomorrow.”

Someone knocked at the door of the barracks and the group looked at one another to see who’d go to answer.

“Red, go answer the door.” Locked Breech said. Blackout picked up a hoofgun.

“Here.” He held it to Red Field. “In case it’s not someone we like.” Red Field took the gun and shoved it into his pocket. He was tired, sick of terror and at his limit with Mohs. He trudged down the stairs and walked to the door to the barracks. He swung open the door and realized he was still a little scared of who he might find.

It was God.

A ring of chafed skin from the gag ran over his cheeks and into his mouth. God was one of the smaller dogs and Red Field was at eye level with him. God nodded when he saw Red Field.

“Do you have my canteen still?" God's voice was hoarse. "I gave it to you on our first patrol.”

“Oh, yeah, let me grab it.” Red Field said. He returned to their room and rifled through his belongings until he found the dirty container. He brought it to God, who was leaning against the side of the doorway.

“Thanks.” God took the container with one paw and continued to lean against the door.

“Um, is there something else you need?”

“I just want to hang around here for a bit.” God said. “If that’s okay. The other guys are giving me shit for getting grabbed and I just want to get away from them.”

“Yeah, that’s okay.” Said Red Field.

God wasn’t the kind of person Red Field wanted to be around. Yet Red Field let the dog stay, partially out of shyness and inability to make someone leave, and partially because he could empathize at least a bit with the ousted Gmale.

God gave his canteen a little shake.

“You didn’t drink any of it.” Red Field started to explain he’d found his own canteen but God shrugged. “No I get it.” God said gently. “I wouldn’t trust the water in this place either. That’s why I bought this really good filter since all the other guys are okay with basically drinking piss.” Red Field gave him a tight-lipped smile and God chuckled at this. “It’s okay pony, we’re a filthy and fucked up people. I don’t care if you laugh at us.”

“Probably just culture shock.” Red Field said.

“Yeah, mine’s fine with beating and torturing people as long as it’s within reason." God said with a snort. "Oh and watching each other shit for entertainment.” Something about God’s sullen and casual reference to such an activity, coupled with the possibility of it actually being a custom in Mohs squeezed a laugh out of Red Field. God laughed too. “I’m serious, it’s a thing. Nastiest thing ever, just, watchin’ each other shit.” He said, growing a toothy grin.

“No no, I believe you.” Red Field said, trying to contain his smile.

“Sometimes I wonder if it’s all real, like none of the other dogs understand how fucked up this place is.” God said. “I mean, you know, like you said, it’s a culture thing. But I still wonder how fucked up everyone else must think we are.” He rapped his fingers against the canteen. “Sometimes I really wish I could just be a pony and not have to deal with-” almost on cue, a howling quarrel, audible from across the compound, broke out of the Gmales’ building. “That.”

“Yeah, I guess that would be hard.” Red Field said.

“I gotta go or they’ll cut my balls off.” God said with a smile Red Field hoped meant he was joking. “Thanks for the canteen. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Bye.” Red Field called to God as the dog ran back to his building. He could hear the laughter of Recon as they began to eat. He’d been comfortable enough around one of the dogs to say “Bye”.

For a moment, Red Field saw a tiny glimmer of humanity in the diamond dogs. It was enough to make him feel better for the night.

Next Chapter: Chapter 23 Estimated time remaining: 3 Hours, 52 Minutes