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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2013 18:47:53 GMT -5
Hoplite waved goodbye to the mare with a grin, opting to stay a moment and finish off his food before leaving.
After a few minutes had passed, Hoplite had long-since finished his meal. Waving good-bye to the few militia ponies left, he turned tail and left the headquarters, heading straight home.
* * *
Much to his dismay, Phalanx was nowhere to be seen again. To confirm his curiosities, he pulled lightly on the door to her room. When it stuck fast he knew she wanted to be left alone, a locked door was usually a sign of wanting privacy. To be fair, she had done exactly this for the past week, so the more Hoplite thought about it he shouldn't have expected any less of her. Hoplite quickly worked through his evening ritual, and found himself lying in bed just as the moon had begun to rise.
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Post by Red Charge on Aug 9, 2013 19:14:27 GMT -5
The next day, before training Watermark, now looking a lot better invited Hoplite to his office.
"I'm sorry for what happened the other day. I was very tired, you're a good looking stallion and I went for it. I have no excuse and that behavior was inappropriate. Please don't think you have to reciprocate that advance because I am your superior officer. It was out of line of me to do that." He said, "I mean, commander and lieutenant should be close. However," He said, putting a hoof to Hoplite's chest and grinning, "If you do find yourself curious, I'm right here..."
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2013 19:18:23 GMT -5
Hoplite blinked confusedly. He was just on his way to training and didn't want to think much of what happened the previous night, yet sure enough Watermark had approached him. At least he didn't seem tired any more.
Hoplite looked back and forth nervously, this was weird in too many ways, and he couldn't quite gather up the words to tell Watermark just exactly *how* weird it was. When Watermark put a hoof to the stallion's chest, Hoplite immediately took a step back. "Uhh, yeah, no thanks Watermark. Last night was all kinds of weird, and I'd rather just forget what happened and just attribute it to you being tired. Just...let's try not to have that happen again, alright?" he asked nervously.
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Post by Red Charge on Aug 10, 2013 23:35:46 GMT -5
"Despite it all, I could tell you enjoyed it. Aren't you even a little curious? It may have been weird, but just because something is weird, that doesn't necessarily make it bad. It made you feel something and that's already a good reason to look into it wouldn't you say? It's only natural." The unicorn replied, grinning at the earth pony. They were alone in the office and the door was closed, so it wasn't like anyone could hear them. Watermark was all but discrete after all, not wanting to embarrass Hoplite.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 10, 2013 23:41:22 GMT -5
Hoplite grinned nervously, trying to put up a front for how much this scene wasn't sitting well with him. "Uhh," he scrambled for an excuse, "I've got enough on my mind as is, Watermark. If I ever find time or reason to pursue a curiousity that may or may not be there, you'll be the first to know." He desperately hoped that would be enough for the zebracorn, all things considered he really just wanted to get out of the office as soon as possible, partially for training and partially to get rid of the tension in the air, nevermind the nervousness that threatened to take over rationality.
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Post by Red Charge on Aug 10, 2013 23:52:47 GMT -5
"Tell you what, stick around after training today, we'll get you a cider, on me." The pony said, before the stallion could reply he added, "Well you're gonna be late if you stand here gawking all day, come on to training." He said pushing him unceremoniously out the door. "Remember, after training, don't be late." At that, he closed the door in Hoplite's face. Standing there, Hoplite could tell he was talking to someone in the same mumbling voice he used whenever using his golems. Something was probably happening around town.
So with no choice left, Hoplite went off to today's training. Phalanx was indeed put in with Slate Head in the Earth Pony group, which raised some eyebrows. But today they were finally going to have a large scale training exercise, simulating an invasion of the village. Of course, no one told them that, they started drilling normally when the alarms rang and ice-figures of diamond dog stormed them from every direction. The ratio was about twelve diamond dogs to one pony and the drill instructors stayed out of the way. For the first time since he was made lieutenant, Hoplite had to actually command. Of course each group immediately took to the positions and formations they trained in. Hoplite knew they could not be seperated lest they get surrounded and taken out. He was more than capable of rounding up the eath ponies into a tight schilstrom formation to attack the diamond dogs while the pegasi and unicorns provided support. In the end they were able to push the Diamond Dogs back to the ice shield and their first invasion drill was declared a success. The drill instructors applauded them proudly, but said that this was barely a scratch on the surface. They were only fighting scouts with no support and no leaders. It was true, the diamond dogs they fought were weak and scattered and consisted entirely of smaller dogs with short weapons. But it was a confidence booster for the militia and that was important. When it was finally over, it was already late afternoon and the militia quickly scattered to their homes.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2013 0:08:15 GMT -5
Hoplite laughed uproariously, listening intently to his sister's story of her side of the 'Hoofington Invasion'. For once, not only was he finally able to take command of the militia and lead them to a sort of victory, but his sister was finally smiling. Not only that, she was recounting the invasion like she was telling the story to foals, recounting how she had exploited a weak joint on one of the golems and told her nearby allies to follow suit, lunging and stabbing from behind an ally's shield.
"And then there it was, it had barrelled through the line and toppled the green colt. Bodkin was still reloading his crossbow frantically, the guy couldn't quite pull back the bow in time. So it was up to me, I found that weak joint they all had, guided the thing's gaze with a feint, then wham!" Phalanx made a lunging motion with a hoof, "Down he went! One more to the neck and he was out. The green one thanked me, and I'd like to think Bodkin was at least a *little* surprised after seeing that."
Hoplite snickered, "Yeah, I'm sure he was." The two walked in silence for a while, Hoplite looking over to his sister moments later. It was still there, her smile hadn't left yet, and he vainly hoped it would never leave again. "Hey Fal?" he finally broke the silence.
"Yeah?" she replied, turning to her brother expectantly.
Hoplite held up a hoof, "It's good to have you back."
Phalanx smirked, bringing her own up and tapping Hoplite's hoof with her own, "Good to be back."
The two continued in silence, finally reaching their home moments later and settling in. Phalanx seemed a bit surprised though when Hoplite started getting prepared to go out again. "Hey, Hoppy? You heading back out again?"
Hoplite blinked for a moment, of course she'd notice. Not sure how, considering he had been trying to be discreet, but that pony always had a keen eye. "Yeah, just heading out for a drink with the guys. I'll be back later on."
Phalanx looked at him curiously for a moment before shrugging, "Mmkay then, five bits says Bodkin embarrasses himself publicly."
Hoplite smirked, "I'll take that bet!" then stepped outside moments later, heading back towards the headquarters. He knew Watermark wanted to see him immediately after training, but after the mock invasion the stallion at least needed to take a shower first, if nothing else. Knowing this was probably going to get weird quick, he took a deep breath before stepping back inside.
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Post by Red Charge on Aug 11, 2013 0:12:21 GMT -5
He spotted Watermark in the back courtyard with a fresh barrel of fine cider. "Here comes hero of the day." He said with a grin, lifting his mug to Hoplite. "You guys did very well today, especially you, made me real proud. See? I told you there was something in you, I have an eye for ponies." He said, "Got a friend to aquaport us some fresh Apple Family cider. You're going to love this stuff." He said, hoofing a mug towards Hoplite.
"So how'd it feel, to be commanding a platoon in battle?" He asked.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2013 0:23:23 GMT -5
Hoplite waved to Watermark as he made his way into the courtyard. If nothing else, at least they'd be alone while they drank. "Here comes hero of the day," he heard the zebracorn call. Hoplite scoffed inwardly, a hero? What business would he have calling himself a 'hero'? He just called what everypony else was probably thinking of doing and did what he did best: using his shield to protect those around him. In a very vague sense he could see somepony calling him that, just like Watermark had done, but in no way would he dare claim to be one.
Hoplite took the mug lightly, taking a moment to sip lightly at it. Sure enough, Watermark knew cider. He had heard of Apple Family cider, but he had yet to taste it. Now that he had, he could understand the rumours of the entire town of ponyville, as well as other parts of Equestria, lining up just for a mug or two during cider season.
"So how'd it feel, to be commanding a platoon in battle?" Watermark asked moments later. Sheesh, another hard question to answer. He sure seems to have a habit of asking those, he thought to himself. "Well," he began, "It didn't *quite* feel right, yet at the same time I suppose I can say it did. On one hoof, it felt like I was just calling out what everypony else was thinking. Y'know, calling for a charge or a formation may not exactly be what they're thinking, but things like 'move up the right side' or 'mind the left flank' just felt off." He took another sip of the cider, savouring the flavour while he composed his next sentence, "Yet, it felt like words alone were helping to win the battle, like everypony else was the weapon while I was the shield..." he chuckled softly, "Actually kind of reminded me of how Phalanx used to get when we were young, fantasizing about leading an army in Celestia's name against a horde of dragons, looking more like a swarm of bats than the fearsome beasts they were." He sighed, taking another swig, "So, in short: pretty good, though I'm not sure I'm comfy actually commanding ponies just yet."
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Post by Red Charge on Aug 11, 2013 0:29:18 GMT -5
Watermark nodded as Hoplite explained, "You grow into it. For a first, you did great. No one starts off a good leader, it's mostly trial and error and a lot of learning. In time you'll find it just as easy as brushing your teeth in the morning." The half zebra nodded towards him sipping from his own cider. "Winning that battle sure did well for morale. Have to say the drill instructors were impressed with all of you. Slate Head sure seems to have a good opinion of you in particular." He said in a non committed tone.
"You certainly seem a lot more confident and talkative too." The observant Watermark commented, "I like that. How do you think the training is going along?"
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Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2013 0:33:42 GMT -5
Hoplite shrugged in response, "Honestly, that 'invasion' thing earlier was a stroke of genius. Raise morale, practice combat, command, defence, and even better: practice working together with all of those things..." Hoplite chuckled, "Well, it certainly and easily made today stand out among the other days of training. Oh, and fun fact for you," Hoplite took another swig, "The invasion thing boosted morale *so* much, Miss Cranky-Pants finally cracked a smile today," he chuckled, referencing Phalanx's earlier demeanour.
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Post by Red Charge on Aug 11, 2013 0:40:34 GMT -5
Watermark's grin went wider at that, "That's great to hear. I know things haven't been easy for her, but I'm glad she's getting back into things. If she keeps a positive attitude and work hard she can get far, I always said." Watermark nodded, "Speaking of getting far," He said with a sly look, "Slate Head seems to think you're somewhat of Shield Walls material, if you can get some more advanced training and a few notches on your belt. You picked the shield because you wanted to protect ponies, if you ever do become a Shield Wall, that's as much protection as you can get. Red Charge, knew the originals you know." The sly zebracorn said.
"The stories he tells of their powers are phenomenal. If I am to judge by Iron Shoes' power, if any of them had but a mere fraction of it we're talking about some of the most qualified defenders in the realm." He took another sip from his drink, "I'll forward his recommendation." He said finally, "It's not something that'll happen immediately if it does, but better have an eye on you than not. You know what I mean? And before you say you don't want to and all that, you didn't want to be a lieutenant either and looked at what a fine lieutenant you turned out to be." Watermark winked at him.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2013 0:48:59 GMT -5
Hoplite shied away, "Yeah, well, at least being a lieutenant here means I'm not too far from Fal. Separation by rank is fine, but separation by distance *and* legion? No, no I don't think that would be good for either of us." He took another swig before continuing, "Besides, I pick the shield because Phalanx always said I was 'like a mountain: impossible to move'. When we were little and playing our little military games, she wanted me to use the shield because it was too big for her, and she wanted to use mom's training spear. We had a cute thing going, she was highly adept with the spear, finding every little hole she could exploit with it, and I used the shield because I was hard to move. We tried switching gear, once..." he snickered, reminiscing on the memory, "I fumbled about with the thing, occasionally smacking Phalanx with the shaft of the spear because I wasn't coordinated enough with it. She fared no better, the shield was too big and heavy and she couldn't quite get her head around 'absorbing a hit'. After that, we decided that if we ever got into battle, I'd be the shield while she'd be the spear. It would be like we were one warrior, master of shield and spear, with two minds as opposed to one."
Hoplite swished the remaining cider about absently, "I know becoming part of the Shield Wall would be a great honour, and I'd probably enjoy being able to improve my skills and utilize my talent to it's fullest extent...trouble is, I couldn't stand leaving Phalanx on her own, and I know she wouldn't stand seeing me go. We're brothers and sisters, and only death should be allowed to separate us."
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Post by Red Charge on Aug 11, 2013 0:55:37 GMT -5
Watermark took a long sip from his cider, "Sounds like you're both holding each other back." He said, "Equestria needs heroes now, for all of our sakes. You and your sister both have amazing potential, one that you will never be able to realize so long as you're stuck in a militia." He said, "I know you love her, heck I love my sister and whenever I have a chance to have her with me, I do." He looked into his mug, "But both of my sisters know better than to allow themselves to be stuck around for long. Gale would have never gotten to where she is today if she just stuck around with us and Red Charge. I can honestly put her and him side by side to compare their contributions to Equestria, of course, he has about a thousand years on her," He grinned, "But I'm sure she'll catch up. Thing is, letting your relationship with your sister hold both of you back, it's a shame, Hoplite." He said sincerely. "You both can be amazing, heck you can both end up being generals on the military council one day, you wouldn't be the first pair of siblings, look at Tesla and Tempest from the Griffon Kingdom, she was an Aer Marshal and he's an Admiral. They grew up together just like you and Phalanx." A fair point, Tesla and Tempest were both born in the 5th fleet, both with keen minds and even keener patriotism. They knew that if they had stayed together on the fleet, one would end up holding back the other, so Tempest departed to the Aer Corps.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2013 1:07:06 GMT -5
Hoplite nodded, "I'm aware, and just because I'm staying reserved for now doesn't mean I can't possibly advance. Might do that someday when Phalanx and I can work at it together. Hey, might even join the Equestrian military with her if we can guarantee being in the same battalion. But for now, I'm happy being in the militia, ready at a moment's notice to take up arms and defend my home."
Hoplite looked to Watermark inquisitively, "Maybe I just heard you wrong, but did you say Red Charge was over a thousand years old? I mean, I've always heard unicorns live longer based on how powerful their magic is, but *that* old?"
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