Thunder's Roar

Chapters

Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3

Prologue

Princess Luna sighed and started making yet another circle around her room. It has been two months. Two months since her foretold return, two months since her purification at the hands of Twilight Sparkle. She has regained her strength surprisingly quickly, at least a part of her strength. She was no longer a tiny little filly she has been right after the transformation, but she wasn’t even close to Celestia’s size either. She was around the size of a grown up, strong colt. Her mane started slowly transforming once again into some kind of energy cloud.

It was not her appearance that bothered her though. It was a wonder of how will she fit into the new pony society. The ponies around still feared her; she could see the guards freeze suddenly every single time she passed near one of them. Celestia has tried to help with the issue but only time could buy her subjects’ trust.

She was extremely bored, with practically nothing to do. Everything, even the rising of the moon, was handled by Celestia. It was not like Luna was complaining; she could see the reasons as to why things were as they were. But this did not change the fact she felt completely useless.

Celestia tried to invite her into some of the council gatherings but Luna did not like them. Most of the council was rather unfriendly towards her, no matter how hard she tried. Due to this, she could not help her sister with any important matter, she could not do anything meaningful.

Knock, knock, knock!

She turned around, surprised by the sound interrupting her thoughts. It was far too early to serve dinner and nopony ever paid her a visit except Celestia. Celestia was busy in the throne room, so who could that be?

Dost come in! – She said, her curiosity raising.

The doors opened slowly to reveal a group of four ponies. Leading them was a tall white Unicorn. He had a nicely kept, blue mane and similarly colored eyes. Councilor Flux, if she wasn’t mistaken. But what was he doing here? And with all this entourage?

They all bowed before her gracefully, remaining in this position until she nodded.

My Princess, excuse me for interrupting you so abruptly. My name is Flux. – Said the Unicorn. Luna was happy with herself for remembering the pony properly. It was not like it was hard though. Councilor Flux was one of the very few ponies who did not show any form of hostility towards her. – I wanted to ask if we could perhaps steal a bit of your time?
Why, of course Councilor. - Luna smiled warmly in response. – Thou hast our attention.

Council was visibly pleased with her answer.

Excellent. Now, this is a rather delicate matter. We wanted to ask if you could perhaps show a bit of support for our project.

Luna did not quite know what to think about what she has just heard. For a brief moment she feared the councilor was attempting to use her to gain a stronger position among the council. But that could not be the case. Not with the pony that was standing in front of her, Flux would not try such things from what she heard.

She decided to simply raise her eyebrow in response, encouraging Unicorn to continue.

You see, there is a matter at hoof that we believe is rather important. The problem is neither Princess Celestia nor the rest of the council seems to see it the same way.

And yet it appears he was really trying to abuse her position. What kind of play was this supposed to be? Luna decided to get to the bottom of this.

If Celestia claimest thine problem is not worth consideration, she is most likely correct.

Unflattered by her response, Flux simply continued.

Ah, you see Princess. Your sister tends to be a little bit… how to put it…
Stubborn? – One of the ponies said. Luna could not quite see which one it was.

The Unicorn did a quick glance behind him.

While I would not use such word, I will not deny it does fit. Our matter requires a little bit of an open mind, but I assure you, your highness, it is well worth the time.

What is that supposed to mean? – Luna thought – He wants me to… do something behind Celestia’s back? Two months after I came back as Nightmare moon? He cannot possibly be serious! And yet…

She did not have anything to do for those past two months. She really doubted Celestia’s subject would want to do anything dangerous. She could play along, at least for the time being.

She gave a faint nod to the Councilor.

Very well Princess. – He continued. – I believe you have already met Councilor Morning Ray and Councilor Bookshelf.

Luna nodded as she looked at the Pegasus and Earth Pony respectively. The former might have been a little rough sometimes but she generally liked that pony. The latter she only heard about from her sister; he was very old and was in charge of history annals.

However I do not believe you have ever met our fourth guest. – Said Flux pointing at the last pony. – This is Skylock.

He was an average sized but muscular Pegasus with black fur and snow white mane. His underbelly was also white in color, and he nodded kindly before looking at her with his green eyes. He had a thunderous cloud as his cutie mark. He wore a… rope around his waist?

Luna stretched her neck to look at him from a different angle. She suddenly froze in disbelief. His left wing lacked quite a few feathers and was folded in an abnormal way. It was… tied to him. But why would it be this way? Unicorn magic could heal various wounds, she was sure a capable pony could be found to repair or at least get that wing better. On top of that the Pegasus visibly had enough friends in high enough places to get such treatment. This just did not make any sense at all.

What happened to thine wing? – She asked.
It’s a long story my Princess. – He said in a familiar voice. He was most likely the pony that previously called Celestia “stubborn”. – And it will be explained as we go through our matter.

Luna could no longer object. She absolutely had to listen to those ponies, if only to satisfy her curiosity.

Let us hear what thou hast to say then. – She said as she turned to Flux.
I think Skylock is the most qualified to talk here my Princess. – Said the councilor as he pointed his Pegasus friend. – We will speak after you hear him out.

She turned towards the Pegasus once again. He stared into the air for a brief moment while he was gathering his thoughts. Finally, he started:

You see Princess. Quite a few years ago…

6 months later…

It all started in early spring, far in the north border of Equestria, in a small, cold valley surrounded by mountains from north and west. The mountain peaks were still covered by snow, although here and there patches of it have already melted. Right at the bottom of one such mountain there was a small village, made mostly of various kinds of stone blocks. The village was called Northdale and had around 10 houses giving home to 30, maybe 35 ponies each living in it for various reasons. Some admired the beauty of surrounding mountains or because they loved secluded places, most worked in nearby mines supplying Equestria with large amount of various metals, few did some other unusual jobs.

One such pony with an unusual job for the place was Amber. Amber was a tall Pegasus with orange fur, brown mane and green eyes. He had a small branch with two leaves and two drops of amber as his cutie mark. He lived most of his life in Northdale, reaching an age of 17. Although he was born in Cloudsdale, he never got interested in his place of birth. He never even bothered to ask his parents about the reason they moved out of the city, assuming it must have been for the better.

He was a carpenter, job unusual not only because of him being a Pegasus, but also due to the fact that in a large radius around the village no tree could be found. Trees had to be imported from over 20 kilometers to the south, or even farther away. This meant he had to be very good at his job, creating crafts far better than what could be imported from other parts of Equestria.

Most of his life was uneventful, focusing mostly on finding his destined job and then sticking to it. He loved working with wood, creating things which others used or admired. He thought his life was a happy one, and he was content with living the rest of it like he used to.

Loud noises could be heard coming out of a small workshop at the southern border of the village while Amber was working on his newest craft. The interior of the house, unlike the walls outside and much like the furniture, was made out of wood. Wood he himself prepared for the house he and his family possessed.

Amber stopped his work for a brief moment and pulled the wooden cup closer to his eyes for an inspection. Although the cup was technically ready, he wanted to make it somewhat special. He decided to give it unique engravings, thinking mostly about picturing the mountains he saw every single day. He was about to finalize his plan and start working, when the door behind him shot open. Startled, he almost dropped the cup and completely forgot what he was about to do with it.

Dad, haven’t I told you multiple times to… - he started.
Knock before coming in because you are working with sharp stuff? – A familiar voice belonging to a female ringed – Yes, you’ve told it to your family, to me and to everypony else. Yet everyone seems to ignore it so why am I supposed to be different? Besides, nothing has happened yet silly!
Waterfall! – Amber shouted in surprise, quickly turning around to face his guest.

He was facing a small, sky blue Unicorn with a very short lime mane combed into a pony tail on the head. She was looking at him with her light green eyes, grinning widely.

Have you heard the news? – She exclaimed – Well depends which ones of course… There are quite a few, in some you might be interested in while in others not… Like, there is a trade caravan coming to our city in the next two weeks, they said there is rain planned…
Hey, hey, hey! – Amber decided to stop the flood when it barely started raining – Remember Waterfall. I am a colt of a simple mind, I can only think of one thing at once. Now, take it sloooowly please. Besides I have already heard about the caravan and the rain.
Aww… Really? And then I thought I had two more topics. Okay, have you heard about the new ship of wood? That might get you interested.
Well of course I have. I kind of am interested in this stuff because I kind of work with it. Not that I am suggesting anything. – He answered, grinning slightly.

Waterfall smirked in response.

Why, what a brilliant response. Said by the colt that seconds ago admitted he has a simple mind. Have you heard though what they will be getting here?

Amber became a little bit more interested in what Waterfall had to say. For some strange reason they liked to keep it secret as to what wood exactly they will be giving him to work with.

No, you have my attention there.

Her eyes instantly lit up. That might have been a mistake. Now he had to be careful and try to end the conversation when the chance arises, else he will spend whole evening talking.

Why, I have no idea how they could possibly hide such stuff from you. It’s pretty strange, isn’t it? I mean, you said it yourself. You work with wood as a carpenter but they just won’t tell you for some very strange reason. But anyway, I heard from one of my friends, that he heard it from a librarian in Ponyville, that their nearby farm had a small problem this year. By the way, who would want to work in a library? I mean, it’s such a boring place, you have to be quiet and all, you can’t talk much with other ponies…

This was getting out of hoof quickly, but he just didn’t have a heart to interrupt her fully. He simply decided to avoid opening another topic.

I have no idea, I am not a book type myself either. You said they had a problem?
Yes, but I am not sure what exactly happened. It seems a few of the trees in there withered and died, so they decided to sell them for wood. How was the farm called? Apple Farm? No, no… Something bigger…
Sweet Apple Acres? – Amber decided to help a little. Then the actual meaning struck him. – Wait. Those Sweet Apple Acres? I thought they never had problems with their trees.

Waterfall seemed pleased with Amber's interest.

Exactly! That’s the strangest part! But hey, who are we to question what they do? It’s so far away anyway… I just can’t even imagine the distance. Hey, you and your family travelled from Cloudsdale when you were young, and that’s pretty close to Ponyville. How was the trip back then?
Honestly, I’ve told you multiple times Waterfall. I do not remember. I was four back then. Four. Count your legs. That many. Do you remember what happened when you were four?

She frowned her muzzle, visibly not believing Amber’s forgetfulness.

Why of course! – She exclaimed – Everyone should remember! I mean, it happened and it is in your head, right? I bet you are hiding something from me… - she gave him a suspicious stare.

He couldn’t help but knock his face with his hoof.

Okay you got me. I am hiding some dark, unspeakable horror that one day will cause the end of world as we know it. Going back to wood though… That might not sound too nice but I am not sad about that fact. Everyone knows how Apple family treats their trees; it will be damn good to work with such stuff. I will be able to make some quality things.
I knew you would be at least decently interested in this! See, what would you do without me? You wouldn’t know that, as usual! I always told you gossip is a good thing, I gave you multiple examples as to why but you never seem to agree for some strange reason. Anyway, I am kind of in a rush so I will make it short…

Celestia, thank you! – Amber couldn’t help but think that after hearing the last sentence. Waterfall made a brief pause, to them continue.

So, that bit of news is a little weird. I heard that from a friend that works in Canterlot. You know, the high placed one. They said that sometime in the few next days a royal emissary will be going around, announcing something. He said it is secret as to what that will be though. – She added with a serious expression.

Now that really bought his interest. Not only the mystery about the news, but the seriousness with which Waterfall said them. She was very rarely serious about something, and usually so when it had a rather bad effect. Something was going on, and he wasn’t sure how to treat it.

That is indeed strange… Although, with my simple mind I can’t help but to say we need to wait and see.

She rolled her eyes after hearing that.

Oh give up with that idea already. – She answered – But I guess you are correct. We will see how it goes. That’s all I wanted to share with you, sorry for interrupting your work.

Amber smiled.

It’s no problem Waterfall, you are always welcome here.
At least as long as I don’t bore you to death, isn’t it? Oh, don’t give me that look; I know what ponies are talking! Anyway, take care! – was the last thing she said before she trotted out, closing the door.

It most certainly seems we will be having an interesting future. – Amber thought and went back to his cup. He decided to engrave a pony bucking an apple tree. Waterfall might talk a lot but she was always a source of ideas.

Chapter 1

It was another cold day, although much warmer then the previous ones. The snow on the nearby mountains was slowly but surely fading away, while the nature around was becoming alive again. At least if you could call the plains of grass, maybe a few shrubs a nature. The sun was around halfway through its cycle through the clear sky, shining brightly on the valley.

After finishing the rough skeleton of a wardrobe he has been working on, Amber decided to make a short break. The order was for tomorrow but it did not include any fancy stuff added to the piece of furniture so he was in no rush to finish it. At this hour the village was almost empty with most of the ponies working at the mine. This reminded him about the work he had to do pretty soon. The newest shaft turned out to be rich in ores of silver, and he had to make supports for the walls and ceiling.

My father told me they will not be mining out of that one for quite a few days still. I’ve got plenty of time to take care of it. – Amber thought while trotting out of his house.

After exiting his house he turned right, following the rough road. The village still lacked a proper mason, despite having a large supply of rocks from the nearby mine, so the buildings and the road could be called anything but an exceptional work. Still, despite the simple design, they served their purpose and even had a small charm to them.

Buildings were small with a single floor, made mostly out of granite. Most of them had various kinds of basements to store food for the harsher times of the year. The area around the village was more or less impossible to grow any sort of food on. They had to import and store all kinds of food to survive in this harsh place.

Thinking about the work that was ordered to finish soon, Amber quickly passed another house and reached the village square. If a small square with a few tables and chairs could be called that. Most of those were made by him out of various kinds of wood. The square was used in various kinds of celebrations, as well as a trading depot when merchants reached them few times in a year. One such time was to come in a week, and he already had all the crafts he wanted to sell prepared.

He always took pleasure in his work. He loved working with wood, shaping it into various kinds of things. It gave him surprising amount of pride and joy to think ponies are using his furniture. Thanks to his passion he became one of the better carpenter’s in Equestria, being able to easily sell his crafts and make a living. He was sometimes thinking about moving somewhere else, closer to the center of the country, but he always loved the mountains and their harsh weather. Besides, if his parents moved out of such a big city of Cloudsdale to live here, who was he to question their choice? They most likely had a good reason.

He turned to the right once again, and followed the eastern village road. This road had the most houses, reaching an incredible number of five. Six, if you count the furnace Flamespark was working in. That was exactly where he was heading, deciding to interrupt his closest friend in his preparation for the caravan.

After only a small trot he reached the workshop and stopped right in front of it. Taught by his own experience, he knocked to the door and after a brief moment, a loud and strong “Come in!” could be heard.

Amber opened the door and saw his friend turning away from the extreme heat of his furnace. Right before Amber came he must have been melting the recently mined ores of tin.

Flamespark was an earth pony, an extremely strong and muscular one thanks to his job. He was mostly brown in color, his mane being of a slightly darker shade. His mane was kept extremely short to not disrupt him in his work, but even then was kept nice and clean. His tail however, not being any sort of disruption, was neatly combed and very well kept. Amber always wondered how many hours each day it took Flamespark to keep it that clean, never understanding why to bother with such details. As he turned to face his new guest, a large burn scar could be seen on his right front leg reaching all the way down to his glove. His cutie mark, an ignited spark hovering over a small flame could also be seen.

He was wearing a thick protective coat around his neck, extending all the way down to his belly where it was tied to his body with ropes. He also had gloves, made of the same material to protect his legs during his work. A few drops of metal, either tin or silver, could be seen on the cloth.

As he faced Amber, his sea blue eyes lit up with surprise.

Amber! – He exclaimed – Not that I am complaining but I did not quite expect to see you here. Don’t you have work to do?
Of course I have. I just decided to take a break, be a nice friend and make you take one too. Is it something bad?
You and your breaks. I swear, one day it will bight you back. – He said while turning back to his furnace.
Oh come on, you can’t just deny an offer like that! Also, Waterfall wanted to talk to both of us.
If you are trying to convince me to go, you are doing a terrible job. Just a side note. Besides, I’ve never said no. I was actually thinking about a break too. It might be cold outside but that heat is just killing me. Just let me finish with this part of tin bars and make sure the furnace is alright.

Satisfied with the answer Amber decided to just remain silent and let his friend finish his work. It took only a few minutes for Flamespark to pour the hot, melt tin into the forms. Afterwards he quickly checked the furnace, and decided it will go just fine without throwing in any more precious fuel. Be it charcoal or normal coal, any sort of fuel was extremely hard to come by in this place. He took off his clothes and hanged them on a nearby rack.

So Waterfall wants to talk with us, eh? – He said while trotting to Amber.
That is correct. She said she would be waiting for us around this hour at her house.
Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go and find out what she wants to talk about. – Answered Flamespark, trotting outside the furnace with Amber. As they reached outside and started following the road towards the square, he decided to ask:
So, have you finished the cups we will be making for the trading?
Yes, finished last one a few days ago. All of them are already engraved and ready for you to take and stud. – He answered, with a bit of pride in his voice.

They have recently started working together to create crafts made of wood and studded with various kinds of precious metals. What was just a small project at first turned out to be a great source of income. Their crafts were ordered for various parts of Equestria, and were giving them a large amount of sure and paid work.

Flamespark was visibly pleased after hearing that.

Excellent! - He exclaimed – Those will go for some serious bits. With those and all the other crafts, we will have easily made the money for the following winter. Already! I have a good feeling about the future Amber.

Amber grinned widely.

I cannot disagree there. We should have done so a long…

Amber stopped middle sentence as they reached the town square. A group of ponies, completely unknown ponies, were standing in the square. One of them was talking to Waterfall and Mr. Gold. The five fillies Mr. Gold was taking care of were walking around, fascinated by the newcomers. Sadly, from this distance he could not hear what they were talking about.

After a brief surprise he quickly realized those were most likely the emissaries Waterfall mentioned earlier. He totally forgot they would come.

Now that is kind of a surprise if you ask me. – He said to his friend.

Flamespark glanced quickly at the group before answering.

No way, that is a totally average sight. I am sure our small village has become so famous in the last few weeks that hordes of ponies will come and start sight seeing. Just look at the surroundings, how could one resist the urge?

Amber did not find a suitable response to that. He simply gave his friend a tired stare, which only caused Flamespark to smile.

Okay, on a more serious note.. - Flamespark said. - ...let’s go and find out what the fuss is all about.

Amber nodded, and they quickly trotted to the group. As they were getting closer, they could finally hear something. It seems the unknown, female Unicorn was currently talking.

… a matter of utmost urgency. We will not accept any sort of disobedience or any delays. We are afraid you will simply have to interrupt your workers.

She was rather tall, having green fur and white mane, decorated with gems. She had a piece of paper and a feather as her cutie mark.

Mr. Gold shook his head after hearing that.

But all of them are working in the mine; they will be back in a few hours and…

Mr. Gold was the old blacksmith of the town, replaced three years earlier by Flamespark. After retiring from his old work he decided to help out other villagers by taking care of their fillies. While the fillies were not too fond of an “old scoot” at first, he managed to quickly win their friendship.

Despite the old age he was extremely fit, being of gold color and having a greasy mane. His eyes were green and he had a small hammer as his cutie mark.

The unicorn did not allow the Earth Pony to finish though. He was quickly interrupted.

I am afraid I have already made my position in that matter. No matter where the ponies are and what they are doing, they must immediately show up here for our inspection.

As the two friends almsot reached the group, Flamespark decided to cut into the talk.

If I may be so bold as to ask, what exactly is happening here? – he asked.

The Unicorn stared him down, from hooves to head, and answered quickly.

We are here with a mission, coming all the way from Canterlot. We are to make an inspection of the Northdale’s ponies.

Waterfall gave a suspicious stare to the unknown group before asking:

Inspection about what?

Not faltered by a little bit of cold in Waterfall's voice, the Unicorn turned to her quickly.

That is to be revealed in due time. I am not yet allowed to share this information.

Amber decided to break his silence.

An… inspection… of ALL our ponies?

The Unicorn sighed loudly before answering his question.

No, only of age ranging from 16 to 23 years. Anypony younger or older than that is relieved. And I am repeating myself for the last time; we need to do it soon, without any delays.

She looked at Amber before continueing.

Could you please fly to the mine and grab all the ponies falling under our specifications? I would be deeply appreciated if we could finally get this over with.

Everypony looked at him, the unknown group visibly expecting a positive answer. He was a little confused about the matter.

Could I at least hear more about this first? – He asked with a bit of hope.

This was however not to be the case. Mr. Gold must have already tried asking similar questions, because he answered almsot instantly.

I am afraid you have heard just about as much as all of us, Amber. – He said – Seems like there is no other way of resolving this. Please, do as the lady asks.

The Unicorn seemed pleased with that answer.

Yes, please do just that. We will make all the arrangements in the meantime. Just make sure they do come, and all of them. We have a list and we will be checking every single pony.

What else am I to do then? – Amber thought.

Alright, I will be back relatively soon but I hope you do know most of our villagers are Earth Ponies, it will take a bit of time to trot all the way back from the mine.
That is not a problem. – Was what he received for an answer.

Okay then. Time to stretch them old wings. – Amber thought, while giving the pony a nod. He quickly took off to the sky and started flying to the east. He always liked flying and considered himself rather good at it. The mine wasn’t too far away, even by walking standards so it took him barely a minute or two to reach the entrance.

Hello there son! – he was greeted warmly by his father, standing guard outside of the mine and making sure all the ore is properly prepared for transport. His mother had to be on an errand somewhere inside; else she would have been here too. – Have you finally decided to help us take care of that new shaft?

His father was a tall but slim Pegasus. He had an orange fur, yellow mane and red eyes. His cutie mark was a small rain cloud. His father was not much of a physical worker, so he helped the mine by cataloguing the ore that was going through. It turned out to be a good job, although surprisingly tiring one. Still, he was helping out the general place of work.

Hello father! – Amber answered with a smile – Sadly that is not the case, at least not today. I am here on a rather… special occasion.

His father placed down his notebook and looked at him curiously.

Now that is not something you hear every day. What is the matter?
It’s a complicated story, and I know little to nothing about it myself. More or less, an emissary came to the town just a few minutes before. – Amber started.

His father quickly lit up.

Ah yes, I do remember hearing about it from Waterfall. We were supposed to have emissaries visit us with some matter. – He added. Amber nodded in response and continued.
The weird part is that they are for some kind of “inspection”, as they call it. Apparently, all our ponies at age of 16 to 23 are to go and attend it.
That IS weird. – His father answered. He was thinking for a brief moment to then add – Well I suppose you wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t some important stuff, so by all means.

He pointed at the inside of the mine.

Pick and his friends are working down in shaft three, while the rest is carrying out the silver ore from shaft two. Go and grab them, we will meet you later and see how it went.

Amber nodded and went inside to gather the ponies. It actually took longer then he thought it would. While finding the ponies was not a problem, convincing them to go actually was. Most of them just couldn’t understand why they had to interrupt the work and get all the way back to the village. They would have a break in two hours, why not then?

Amber of course could not give them any sort of an answer. After some time all of them agreed to come although many were not too happy about the situation. After the group started heading for Northdale, he flew back ahead of them.

As it turned out, the group of strangers has moved from the city square to the field south-east of the village. There, they started getting weird things out of their cart. Amber was surprised by that. He didn’t know they had a cart; they must have left it in front of the city.

You should really pay more attention to your surroundings. – He scowled himself – But anyway… Are those… Training dummies?

Indeed, it seemed like those were exactly training dummies. They also started taking out various kinds of weights and machines. He really didn’t know what to think about all this.

He quickly flew to the group, landed and folded his wings.

Everything is set Miss. Our friends will be coming here, in around 10 minutes I think. – He said when he reached the group of ponies.

The Unicorn once again spoke before anyone else from her group.

While I expected you sooner, I must thank you for bringing them. It would take us so long to convince them to go… Anyway, take your time until the rest arrives and we get ready. – was all he heard in response before they once again started working on their mysterious constructions.

Amber looked around him, noticing Mr. Gold was gone. Since he was too old and the fillies too young, they must have been sent away. After he noticed Flamespark and Waterfall standing a bit further away, talking to each other, he decided to trot to them. After realizing he is approaching, Waterfall greeted him with a smile.

Why hey there again Amber! – She said. – Have you managed to convince all to come?
After a very long and painful struggle, yes. I can’t blame them though, it’s not like the situation is normal.

Waterfall smirked in response.

Ha! I bet it wasn’t easy. And I cannot deny that situation being very weird. I do wonder what is this all for…

They started talking and trying to come up with the reason for that little occasion. They had various propositions, some more and some less real, but none of it was without flaws. During all the talk Flamespark remained surprisingly silent, preferring to watch the ponies as they unloaded their contraptions. Amber knew he had something in his mind, but neither he nor Waterfall could get that out of him. All they could do was make theories, until the group of miners finally arrived.

After everypony was gathered, the group of unknown ponies stood in a line, with the Unicorn stepping out. As she cleared the throat, silence fell over the villagers.

Hello there. My name is Order, me and four other ponies you see here will be making an inspection of your health status, as well try to establish the way you think. I will be checking how your Unicorns… - She made a brief pause and looked around to finally glance at Waterfall – how Ms. Waterfall handles magic.

She turned to her right, pointing at a rightmost filly. She was a tall, white Unicorn with two leaves as a cutie mark. Her mane was cream, and her eyes a lovely violet.

This is Mint. She will check your general health. She will check how your inner organs work, and how well suited you are for work.

Mint made a graceful bow. Amber couldn’t help but already like that mare. Order then pointed at the Earth Pony between Mint and herself. He was somewhat small but very muscular, having dark gray fur and white mane. He had a funny mustache and a waterwheel as a cutie mark.

This is Flow. He will be checking the state of Earth Ponies and how well can they handle various kinds of stress. How strong, how tough you are… All those things are for him to judge.

Flow made a gentle nod towards the ponies. As Order was now turning to her left to introduce the other two ponies, Amber started thinking about the reason all of those ponies were here. If it was just a health check, why they were in such a rush? Only time could tell.

This is Whistle. She will be doing a similar job to what Flow is doing, just regarding your Pegasi… - She stopped again for a brief moment. After a small sigh she continued – regarding Mr. Amber. She is responsible to check how you handle yourself in the air.

Amber curiously looked at Whistle. She was an average sized mare with a very slim build. She was turquoise in color, having a white and green mane. Her cutie mark was somewhat strange. It was a metal whistle, with two notes coming out of it. Whistle met his eyes and gave him a friendly smile. Seeing this Amber couldn’t help but smile in response too.

And last but not least – Said Order after she pointed the last pony, second to her left – this is Tower. He will be asking you questions about various kinds of situations. He will check how you would act.

Tower was an Earth pony, very tall but seemingly rather weak. He had a gray fur with a black mane. One of his eyes was amber, while the other was gray, seemingly blind. He had a wooden tower as his cutie mark. He nodded in response to his introduction.

So, after that is done. – Said Order, while using her magic to float a piece of paper and a feather in front of her. – I have a list of your names; please step out if yours is read. You will first go to Mint, afterwards to respective pony. Ms. Waterfall will meet with me, Mr. Amber with Whistle while all the others with Flow. You will then all talk with Tower.

She looked at them, visibly wanting response. Most of the villagers nodded, Amber included.

So, let us get started then. – She continued. – Mr. Amber!

Of course, they HAD to go alphabetically. – Amber thought. There was nothing he could do though, he quickly trotted to Mint.

Just relax and don’t worry. I will not do anything that could be painful. – She said while her horn started glowing with a soothing light. She started slowly circling Amber around.
So, you are a carpenter? – She asked.
That is correct. I work as a carpenter.

She continued slowly circling him around, constantly watching.

Have you ever worked anywhere else?
I did place a few support columns in the mine, but other than that no. And even that is a bit stretched.
Alright, thanks. – was all he got in response from Mint before she fell silent.

She did the rest of her circle, just looking at him with her horn glowing. After she was once again in front of him, she stopped her magic and thanked him.

Well that was quick and easy. I wonder what will come next though. – Amber thought as he walked towards Whistle.

Mr. Brittle! – He heard Order exclaim behind him.

As Amber approached Whistle, she smiled yet again.

Hello there Amber. - She said. - Please follow me.

The tests were surprisingly thorough and tiring. She began testing every single muscle of his body, checking how he handles himself on the ground and in the air. She seemed very pleased with his way of flying, even commenting on his agility. During small breaks between various tests, he could see other ponies were actually done with their jobs. There was a two pony queue to Tower, who was talking with Brittle.

Well, what did you expect? We’ve got one whole Unicorn and one whole Pegasus, it was pretty obvious we will get a more thorough check. – Just as he thought that he saw Waterfall in the distance. She was visibly struggling with something, her horn glowing. He couldn’t see what she was doing, but Order seemed satisfied.

After a few more extreme exercises he was finally allowed to go. He entered the end of queue to Tower, seeing Flamespark talking with him. He could not hear what they were talking about, but he seemed rather nervous.

After a short wait he was the one to face Tower. The pony stared him down with his single eye. Okay, he did have two eyes but the blind one did not count.

Okay, please try to answer me truly, no matter how stupid the question or the answer sounds. Also, do not think too much about the answers; say the first thing that comes to your mind. – He said.

Amber just nodded, suddenly feeling pretty strange.

You are in a camp; it’s very cold and snowy outside. You are running out of food and slowly freezing to death. You hear your mates start talking about letting somepony die, without one pony there will be just enough food. What do you do?

What kind of question is that supposed to be!? - Amber exclaimed in his thoughts. He tried to come up with a logical answer before saying:

I guess… I would try to talk sense to them. This is not the way you are supposed to act.

Without any sort of expression Tower wrote something down in his notebook. Afterwards, he continued the questioning.

You find yourself in a wild, together with three other ponies. You are running away from wolves. Suddenly one of the ponies trips and breaks his leg. He cannot move, he cannot run away. The wolves will stop to feast on the pony if you leave him alone, giving you time to escape. What do you do?

You’ve got to be kidding me… - Amber thought, becoming seriously disturbed. At least the answer seemed simple.

Stay and fight.
And if the two other ponies would leave you there? Would you stay and fight for the doomed pony alone? This will just cause both of you to die.
Of c… I… - Amber started but quickly stopped. He realized the answer was not too simple. The pony would not be able to run, and the two of them would not be able to defend themselves. Would it really be worth to stay and die just for the sake of it? He wouldn’t change a thing; just die because he tried to fight for somepony who was already dead.

The logic was there, yet Amber hated every single bit of it. They were talking a pony life; nopony would have left his friend in such occasion. That is just something that should not be done. And yet…

I… - He tried to start once again, not capable of continuing.

Tower kept staring at him throughout all his hesitation. He did not show any emotion, but Amber could have sworn he saw the edges of his mouth go up ever so slightly. Afterwards he decided to ask another question.

You and your friend are in a tavern, tired after long journey. Everything seems alright until a sudden fight erupts between your friend and one of the other clients. You happened to be far away and cannot hear what is going on, but you can see the unknown pony is about to buck your friend. What do you do?

Amber almost smiled. He had an extremely similar situation around two years ago with Flamespark. In both cases the answer was simple, at least for him.

I would rush to them both and separate them, trying my best not to cause any serious fighting. – He gave a firm answer – Until I could hear more about the cause of incident, from both sides, I would not do anything else.

It turned out the quarrel between Flamespark and the unknown pony was a case of tiredness and misunderstanding. If he joined in and started a fight, they could seriously hurt each other for no reason at all. That was something that could be avoided by a little bit of thinking.

Tower quickly noted something in his notebook, once again giving no sign of approval or decline to the answer he has received. The interview went on and on, the Earth Pony asking him various kinds of questions. Some of them were similar to these; others regarded different topics like teamwork. Most of them had no “good” answer, or so Amber thought. After Tower finally let him go, Amber felt great and terrible at the same time. Great because everything was finally over, terrible because he never even thought about such situations, and couldn’t think about any sort of solution to them apart for a few.

He quickly trotted to Flamespark to ask him about his thoughts on the “inspection”. He thought his friend would like to share his thoughts, but it quickly turned out he preferred to remain silent. And so, they waited in silence until the very last pony was questioned by Tower. Afterwards, Order stepped out of the group once again.

Thank you for your patience and cooperation. – She proclaimed loudly – Please, remain here just a little bit longer while we compare our notes. This will not take long, afterwards we will all be done and you will be able to return to your work.

A few grumbles could be heard from the group. They already wasted about an hour and a half; it was soon to be break time for the miners. It seemed they would not be able to do much work, at least not today.

Order, Mint, Flow, Tower and Whistle formed a tight circle, seemingly starting a quiet, but active discussion. As Amber watched them talk, Waterfall approached him and Flamespark.

Why, what a strange experience. - She said. - This is not something you see every day, definitely not here. I am still unsure as to what they want and why they are here but it did go pretty nicely. Order even said I have a pretty strong magical attunement! Can you imagine that? I am actually good at magic!

For once Amber was glad he could talk with somepony. He did not mind Flamespark remaining silent, but he really wanted to talk about the things they have just gone through.

And I was told I am a very good flyer, although I do lack a bit of endurance. The strangest parts were the questions though; I do not even know where Tower got them from.

She frowned her muzzle and nodded in agreement.

That is something that bothers me too. I mean, all of this – Here she waved her hoof around in an arc – could go through as a health check, if it wasn’t for those questions. I feel very, very uneasy because of them.

Hearing that, Flamespark decided to finally break his silence. He gave them a very strange look before saying:

Just uneasy? I feel… I can’t even describe how I feel. Nervous I guess. Nervous and unsettled.

He looked at the group of talking ponies. It seemed they were in a disagreement. Order was saying something, but Mint shook her head and stomped her hoof for an added effect as she answered. Flamespark sighed.

I would give anything to know what they are talking about. – He said.
Can be done, you know. – They heard Waterfall say quietly. Surprised, both faced the mare who was giving them a wide, mysterious grin. Amber almost did not believe what he has just heared.
You really mean that Waterfall? – He asked.

Waterfall faced the group.

Of course I do silly! I wouldn’t be proposing that if I didn’t, would I? – Her horn started glowing with a calm, almost unnoticeable green light before she continued. – My sister has studied here and there, and showed me a very interesting trick. I do not use that much since eavesdropping tends to be rude, but I think we can make an exception.

Amber nodded in agreement. That was definitely an exceptional situation. He decided to focus on getting some information out of the talking group, and save questions about the spell and its usage later. Besides Waterfall might have been talkative but she definitely wasn’t a pony to abuse such spell. She did not like making others sad or angry.

They waited in silence as Waterfall did her magic. Small drops of sweat appeared on Waterfalls face, so Amber realized it must have been very taxing. He was about to overcome his curiosity and ask her to stop, when a very quiet voice could be heard. At first not much could be understood, but then he heard a whisper.

… telling you Order that just won’t do. – They heard Mint saying. - How many times am I to repeat myself? They all have their lungs dusted from working in the mine; they are just not fit for that. While magic could solve some of this you know it has its limits too.

They heard another voice, this time coming from Order.

But how will that look in the report? Two out of twelve? Two? We just cannot go with that…

A strong voice answered, definately belonging to Tower.

It's not about just that... Most of them just do not have what it takes. I would let through barely two of them, Pick and Flint. And even then, they are not entirely fit for this. Remember the orders we’ve received.

After a brief pause, Ordered could be heard yet again.

Alright then. I guess you are right after all. But just two… Are you sure Ms. Waterfall will not do? - as she asked that, the group could see her turning her head towards Tower from the distance.
She doesn’t have the right mind either. I know she is very bright, I could tell as much from her answers. But that would just break her. – was the Earth Pony's amswer/

Order dropped her head after hearing that.

Just the two then… - Was all she could respond with.

Another voice which Amber did not recognize ringed. It must have belonged to Flow.

At least those are some quality two! The blacksmith is very strong and tough, fit for work like this. And besides, he is a blacksmith! That is a very useful profession if you ask me.

Whistle decided to try and comfort Order too, her clean voice could be heard.

Amber does not fall short in this regard either. He lacks endurance and seems somewhat lazy, but he definitely has the speed and strength to match. With a proper mind set…

She was interrupted by Tower.

That, apart from few things, he mostly has. – He said.

Amber could see Whistle smile shyly from the distance.

You see Order? – She continued. – I am sure those two colts will be worth a few others.

After a brief pause they could see Order nodding.

Very well. Start packing up, I will prepare the paperwork. We need to… - That was all they heard from her. Waterfall made a quiet squeak as she released the magic. She gave them a tired look.
Sorry to interrupt this but… it seemed they would not talk about anything interesting anymore. And the spell… is hard to keep. – She said while taking deep breaths between the sentences.

Amber did not quite know what to think about it. It seems they had some sort of physical job to offer him and Flamespark and he could at least hear out what they had to say. The only thing that he heard that he was worried about was when Tower and Order were talking about Waterfall. What exactly will “break” her? He could only wonder for the time being.

It turned out the group was very well coordinated since they packed their belongings up extremely quickly. Shortly afterwards Order stepped out of the bunch, holding a few envelopes and a book with her magic.

Thank you all for your patience and understanding. I know this have been a rough time for all of you, so I will take your time no more. Everyone but Mr. Amber and Mr. Flamespark are welcome to leave for their duties. – She said and looked at them both. – Both of you I would like to invite for a small talk. Do not worry; it will not take too long.

At first unsure about leaving their friends be, the group of villagers had to be encouraged by the nods from both, Amber and Flamespark. They went ahead and started trotting back to the city. Waterfall tried to lag behind, but joined up with the rest eventually.

Order’s horn started glowing with calm, green light. After she was satisfied with the invisible result, she faced the two colts and took a deep breath.

Very well. From my own experience I know this most often proves to be not too easy, but try to bear with me. – She began as she opened her book.

Amber’s curiosity peaked. He could not believe he would finally get to know what this was all about.

We were empowered by the city of Canterlot as the recruit leaders for the newest project. Various such teams were to traverse Equestria looking for capable ponies. Capable in mind and in physical attributes. Such ponies were to be hoofpicked by us. You Mr. Amber – As she said that an envelope floated to him – and you Mr. Flamespark – Same thing happened with another envelope, this one heading to Flamespark. – were both classified as such. These envelopes contain all the recruitment details, including the deadlines and where you are to head. Do not lose them for they are also valuable documents you will have to present.

Amber really did not like the way this was going.

The project was to be started in secret for various reasons. I was not the one to make such decision, and while I might not agree with it I am simply following orders. You can talk about the draft with your closest family, but only them. Anything else will be punished, until decided otherwise. And do not fool yourselves. We will know if you’ve talked, and we will not be pleased with that fact. Now, after all that being said and done I have nothing else to do, but to welcome both of you as the newest recruits of to-be-formed Equestrian army.

Wait, what? – Was all that came to Amber’s head. He was completely taken aback by the situation. That was some kind of dream or joke, wasn’t it?

Flamespark was not as surprised as Amber, or at least did not show it. He was definately angry though, which could be heard from his voice when he said:

Where is the part of us agreeing to this?

Order faced him, not startled in any way. She must have expected this question because without a moment of hesitation she gave a firm answer.

There is no such part I am afraid. The draft is enforced; you have no right to decline it. Not showing up for the incoming recruitment management will be counted as insubordination.

After hearing that Amber finally managed to regain his composure and decided to support his friend.

Let me put this straight… You came here, without any warning, checked all of us and now you want to force us into the army? What kind of idea is this supposed to be? We have lives, we have families and we have jobs to do! And what is the point of that so-called army anyway?

Not taken aback by Amber's speech either, Order answered quickly.

A suitable replacement will be found. Do not worry; the village will not suffer because of this. You and your family will be paid for service. Everything is settled and already in order.

Flamespark almost exploded. He shouted, fury showing in his voice.

It’s not just about that! It’s about… about everything! Who do you think you are? Who gave you the right to do this? This is…

This time Order was not the one to give an answer. Instead, Flow stepped forward and looked straight into Flamespark's eyes.

Listen up son. – He said – We did not come with this idea. Do not blame us. We simply follow orders; a thing you will learn to do in the nearby future as well. Just accept the thing, and be done with it.
Wait we do not have to… - Flamespark started once again, but was quickly interrupted by Tower.
Yes, you do have to. As Order previously said this is final and coming from the top of Equestria. Raging about the matter will not change a thing. Accept it.
But… - Flamespark opened his mouth but quickly shut it. He just didn’t know what to say at this point.

Whistle stepped forward too trying to help her friends pacify Amber and Flamespark.

Listen, we know that is hard to accept. – She started. – We’ve seen dozens of ponies react the very same way. A lot of them raised various points we could not, or were not allowed to answer. But long story short, this is the decision for today, and I am afraid you will have to cope with it, whether you like it or not.

Amber could not believe what he has just heard. He still expected everyone to suddenly light up and say it was all just a joke, but deeply inside he started realizing the truth. Unless they were lied to, not much could be done to change the situation. At least not for now. He would get into the bottom of this later.

I… - He started shyly – I wanted to ask exactly about the deadlines and a few other details.

Flamespark suddenly turned and looked at him, as if he was crazy.

You want to accept this? – He almost shouted. – Amber, you cannot possibly be serious!

Order decided to use the situation to her advantage.

Mr. Amber is right, Mr. Flamespark. – She quickly cut in – You simply cannot decline the draft. That is frankly the end of the story. If you do not show up, hide somewhere or decide to burn the envelope you will be brought in by force. And believe me when I say this; that will not be a good start. – She turned towards Amber. – I am afraid we do not have much time to spare; all the details will be inside this envelope.
Alright. Thank you. – Was all Amber could gather as a response.

After hearing a satisfying answer, Order faced her group yet again before saying:

Now that this is finally over, let us head off. We still have to get to one more village and we have time only until tomorrow.

After a quick nod, the group took off, with Whistle and Flow taking care of the cart. After they were out of hearing range, Flamespark gave Amber another stare, this time a furious one.

I seriously do not know what to say to you Amber…
Flamespark, please. – Amber started as he faced his friend. – I do not like this just as much as you do. But the fact remains; if what they are saying is true we cannot just go ahead and throw this away. – He added as he raised the envelopes. – Let’s go home and check what we’ve got. We need to ask others…

At this moment Flamesparked chuckled and interrupted Amber.

And here I thought you were the calm and logical one. – He said with a tired voice. – I believe Order mentioned not to talk about this with anypony. I think she wasn’t joking there either.

I should have remembered about that. Good thing I wasn’t the only one accepted here, I would run into troubles far too soon. – Amber punched himself mentally before giving his friend a faint nod.

You are right. I guess we should head back to Northdale. Let’s finish our work for today; we will check those envelopes in the evening.

Flamespark nodded in agreement as they started trotting back. Amber couldn’t help but think how disappointed Waterfall will be when she finds out they cannot tell her anything.

Chapter 2

What do you mean you cannot tell? – Waterfall asked for the third time. - That doesn’t make any sense! They asked you to wait and there must have been a good reason for that. You do realize I heard their discussion earlier too, right?

Amber decided to try and calm her down.

Waterfall, please…

As Flamespark and Amber reached the village, they realized all the miners have gone back to work. They apparently decided not to waste any more time and simply not to take a break. Waterfall sadly was not working in the mine and she had all the time to bug Amber and Flamespark about Order and her group. Except Flamespark had to go back to his furnace and start working again, so Amber was left alone to face her onslaught.

She gave him a serious look as she continued the assault.

Don’t you dare to “please” me Amber! I want to get to the bottom of this and I do not care what it takes. Just you wait until the rest hears about all of this.
Waterfall, calm down! – Amber raised his voice a little. – I am being serious. I cannot tell you and you cannot tell others about what we’ve heard. You will get both Flamespark and me into serious trouble if it happens!
But…

She frowned her muzzle in disapproval. After a brief pause she stomped with her front hooves.

I really hope you are not just trying to keep the information away from me. Alright Amber. You’ve won. You can keep your secret, for all I care.

That response made Amber feel very bad. He did not intend to hurt her feelings.

I promise Waterfall, I do not try to hide anything. You know I wouldn’t. The moment I will be able to talk more freely about this, you will be the first one to hear.

She seemed to lighten up, but only a little.

It’s not a problem Amber. I am just worried. I am worried about the whole situation, worried about you both. Especially this whole mystery thing… It just does not look too good to me.

You cannot even begin to imagine… - Amber thought as he recalled the draft. More worries was the last thing she needed at this moment though.

Do not worry; everything is going to be alright. Flamespark and I will just have to leave for a brief moment in the nearest future.

He did not quite check the envelope yet since Flamespark and he have decided to take a look at it together in the evening. They would meet at Amber’s house and talk about the details, to then share the ones they could with Amber’s family. Flamespark left his family in Ponyville when he moved to Northdale, so that was all they could do.

Come on and cheer up. I need to go back to work now, still have to finish the furniture for tomorrow. – He said hoping he had made her feel at least a little bit better.

She smiled shyly at this, but still seemed pretty stressed.

Okay, I will try. For now take care, and do not run behind on your work.

After giving her response Waterfall headed for the entrance. As she was going out, she turned around to wave at Amber before closing the door.

Amber did not know what to think of the situation himself either. He looked at the envelope that he has placed on the table and decided to hide it in his cabinet. The last thing he wanted was for somepony else to find and read it.

After that was done he went back to his work allowing his thoughts to drift away.

It was slowly getting dark outside as Amber was working furiously. He worked hard not to let himself think about the past events. The miners should be ending their work day soon, after that he should be able to meet with his family and finally talk about what happened. As he thought that, two loud knocks could be heard behind him.

That for sure was neither his mother nor his father. Both never bothered to knock to the door. Flamespark was a viable guess but he should still be working in his forge for at least one more hour.

Come in! – Amber said loudly wondering about his guest.

Surely enough the doors opened and surely enough Flamespark appeared behind them. As he cautiously entered the room, he gave Amber an apologizing expression.

Sorry to interrupt you a little earlier than planned Amber, but I just couldn’t cope with my thoughts. I decided to end the work a little bit earlier today and check out on our draft. And since I am doing it already, why don’t we do it together? After all, your parents will most likely ask for some details.

Amber could not deny the logic behind the words. He nodded and started sorting his tools on the nearby table.

Just let me put everything in its place and we can begin. – He said as he was doing just that.

Flamespark waited a brief moment for his friend to finish, to then trot to the center of the room closing the door behind him.

I am getting kind of nervous once again. – He admitted as he put his envelope on the nearby table.
Give me a second, I will go to my room and grab mine as well. I will meet you here in a moment. – Amber responded as he made his way towards his cabinet.

As he went through his belongings to finally find the precious envelope, he finally bothered to give it a more thorough look. It was made from a strong and somewhat rough paper. In the top right corner he could see some kind of emblem. The emblem was round, with red border. Inside the circle Amber could see few tall buildings, having white walls and golden roofs. He glanced at the center of his letter finding a gentle, straight hoofwriting.

“Royal Office of the Canterlot City

Recipient: Pegasus Amber, village of Northdale.”

Right below that he could find a signature he could not recognize or even read for that matter. He never understood why authorities had such illegible signatures. A weak smile came onto his face as he took the envelope and trotted back to his guest.

Flamespark was waiting at him patiently in the room. After reaching the table, Amber dropped the envelope on the table next to his friend’s. Flamespark looked at them to then face his friend.

You prefer for us to open one and read it together or each of us to open his own? – he asked.
Let’s open just one; the other probably has exactly the same massage just aimed at different pony.

His friend nodded to then take his envelope and open it. Inside, two pieces of paper could be seen. One was a latter bearing a strange crest, most likely from Canterlot too. The other was a small, signed piece of paper. As they looked at the smaller one first they realized it was signed by Order and her friends.

“Confirmation of Recruitment

3rd April, current Year

Earth Pony Flamespark was accepted by third recruitment team after a thorough inspection from Unicorn Mint, Earth Pony Flow and Earth Pony Tower. All of them deemed him suitable for the draft, both physically and mentally.”

That didn’t tell them much else then they already knew. Flamespark put the confirmation back into the envelope and folded out the letter.

“Latter of Recruitment

15th March, current Year

Congratulations Earth Pony Flamespark! You have been accepted to the newly formed Equestrian army at a rank of recruit. You will be trained to become professional soldier capable of defending the borders of our kingdom. The draft was ratified by the high council of Equestria in order to create a force capable of fighting in the name of pony kind.

You are forbidden to talk about any sort of details regarding the recruitment. They will be revealed in due time by the council and any sort of disobedience to this rule will be punished. You are allowed however to share the fact of being recruited with your closest family, and with your closest family only. After 6th of April you will be allowed to openly admit you have been officially recruited.

You have been assigned to the eastern management center. You are to reach the city of Crystalward on 11th of April at latest. There you will report to the Recruitment Management showing this very document as a proof. From there you will be assigned to specific regiments for training. Should you decide not to come on time, you will be brought by force.

No special equipment is required; everything you will need will be supported. You and your family will be paid for your service, earning 600 bits on a monthly basis.

Councilor Flux, city of Canterlot”

Amber started feeling uneasily once again. Everything seemed very much already decided, with no chance for them to say no. He really did not understand the reason behind such a sudden and unfair decision.

Well… - Flamespark started – I guess at least they will not pay us too badly for this.

Amber nodded in silence. On average they earned a bit more since they decided to make crafts together, but the payment was stable and definitely enough to support his family. Amber's thoughts were interrupted by Flamespark.

Go ahead and check your envelope Amber. Hopefully both of us were assigned to the same place.

Amber quickly scammed through his letter. With a sigh of relief he saw he was also assigned to Crystalward. Not like he expected anything else though; both of them were from the same village and they most probably sorted ponies by their place of living. They could stick together, at least for the time being.

Luckily for us it seems to be the case. Where is this city of Crystalward by the way? – he asked curiously. He has never heard about such place before.

Flamespark went silent for a brief moment to gather his thoughts.

It’s actually pretty far away, at least for our standards. We will have to follow the southern road all the way to Sunny Forest. From there we turn to the east till we reach the city. Altogether around four days of fast travel I believe.
So we have at most three more days before we have to head out if we don’t want to be late? – Amber asked.
That seems correct – Flamespark answered. – We will have to prepare food for that. Luckily for us we don’t have to take much else. – He turned to face Amber. – You think they will let us decline that?
I would like to think they will but I seriously doubt it. This will be hard for others to accept though. I guess I will have to take care of that mineshaft quicker than I expected.

Flamespark made a faint smile after hearing the response.

Tell me about it… I wonder how fast will they send another Blacksmith. I suppose Mr. Gold could still work if our friends are in a serious pinch, but he is not as durable as he used to be.

As Flamespark said that they could hear faint sound of hooves. The sound was getting louder and louder and seemed to be coming from the outside of Amber’s house. The miners must have finished the work for today.

Surely enough after a brief moment the doors shot open and his mother entered first. She was an average sized Pegasus with white fur and deep brown, nicely combed mane. She had beautiful, emerald eyes. Her cutie mark was a small, gray cloud with a few rays of light coming from the borders. She wore a small, silver medallion on her neck.

Amber, I am… - She looked surprised at the two colts standing next to the table to quickly give a warm smile. – Why hello there Flamespark. It’s always nice to see you here.
Good evening Mrs. Sunshine. – Flamespark responded.

As she quickly trotted inside she gave Flamespark a serious look.

Flamespark, how many times do I have to repeat myself? You can just call me Sunshine.
I am afraid I just can’t help it Mrs. Sunshine.

Sunshine rolled her eyes after hearing that.

Forget it. – She said with a sigh as she trotted towards her room. – Let me just get myself into a proper shape. Do you want me to make something to drink? Perhaps some tea?
I think we will be fine without anything mom. – Said Amber. – Where is dad anyway?
He will be here within a few minutes; he just had to finish the paperwork as usual. Why are you asking?
We have an important thing that we would like to talk about. – Amber decided to not hide the topic. They would have to tell his parents anyway, so there was little to no point in doing so.
Alright, we can talk freely when Raindrop is home.

Amber and Flamespark had no other option but to agree and wait for Amber’s father. They did not had to wait long, within a few minutes the doors shot open once again. Raindrop stepped through and glanced at the inside. For some reason he wasn’t as surprised as Sunshine to see Flamespark inside.

Good evening Flamespark. Nice to see you.
Nice to see you too Mr. Raindrop. – was his response.
I heard from the others at the mine that both of you were asked to stay for slightly longer. I figured out you would want to talk about it.

Flamespark simply nodded, while Amber decided to give a more elaborate response.

You are correct father. We would like to talk about it with both of you. We are just waiting for her to “get herself to proper state”.

Raindrop grinned after hearing that line. Sunshine always cleaned herself patiently and carefully after each day of work at the mine. The weird part was that she was mostly just a messenger throughout the mine, not doing much of physical work. She usually was the pony that needed a bath the least but that did not stop or discourage her from taking it at every possible occasion.

Do you suppose you could at least give a few hints before she comes here?

Amber and Flamespark exchanged tired looks, afterwards the latter shook his head.

We would prefer to have to talk about it only once.

The answer visibly made Raindrop a little worried. It seems he still hoped the matter was not anything too serious. He simply nodded in agreement and went to his room to properly sort the paperwork he has been doing.

After a few more minutes Sunshine decided that she was finally ready and presentable enough. She made her way back to Amber and Flamespark grabbing her husband on the way back. They both looked at the two friends expectantly.

Alright then. – Amber decided to finally start. – I know this will sound a little bit strange. At least it was very strange for us and I think it won’t be any different for you.
You are getting us seriously worried now. – Said his Mother. – Will you finally get to the point?

Amber nodded faintly.

As you wish. – He said. – Long story short we’ve been drafted into the Equestrian army. We are to report to Recruitment Managers in Crystalward within a week.

The answer left the two ponies stunned. Raindrop seemed to recover a bit quicker.

Equestrian army? – He started. – Since when does Equestria have an army? I sure as Tartarus haven’t seen any and I’ve been in quite many places. What is this supposed to mean?

Sunshine seemed to have regained her composure and decided to share her thoughts too.

And, more importantly, you agreed to this? We need you both here! Not only us two Amber, the whole village needs you!

Amber decided to first answer his mother's question.

That’s the funny part. We have not agreed for this. We didn’t even have a chance to say either yes or no. We were simply informed we have been drafted, and were given the envelopes with official letter from Canterlot.

Neither of his parents responded, both thinking about what he has just said. Finally, Raindrop decided to ask:

Can we take a look at it?

Amber suddenly had a strange feeling this will be harder than anticipated.

I am afraid not. - He said. - We were only allowed to tell you and just you that we are drafted. Flamespark’s family is not here so you are the only ponies we can talk about that with.

The answer left Sunshine deep in her own thoughts, but Amber's father was still not satisfied.

Hold on a second. – He said. – I still want to know; what is that whole "army" supposed to mean?

Flamespark decided to take the blunder of that question.

We do not know either. Apparently one is being formed and we are to be a part of it.

This did not calm Raindrop in any way.

What do we even need an army for? – He raised his voice. – Everything is peaceful, last war was hundreds of years ago. Besides we’ve got the Royal Guards, the Wonderbolts even! That just doesn’t make any sense!

Amber recalled asking similar questions during the draft. There was not much of an answer he could give to his father.

We asked about that too and did not get the answer. I am sorry dad, we just cannot tell you more because we do not know more.

Raindrop opened his mouth but after a brief moment closed it again without saying anything, at least for the time being. In the meantime, Sunshine decided to break her silence.

So what is going to happen now? – She asked.

Amber gave his parents a serious look.

We will have to leave within three days to make it on time. Flamespark and I will try to do as much work as we can, whatever is required for the village. But that doesn’t change the fact we just have to go. We’ve been told that soon a replacement for us will come.

A silence felt as his parents were thinking about the matter. It was clear neither of them liked that idea. All Amber could do was try and calm them down.

Don’t worry; we will try our best to see if we can get back. I really do not want to spend the rest of my life in army. At least not the best years of my life.

His parents simply nodded, his father deciding to ask:

What about the villagers? Are we allowed to tell them?
I am afraid not. – Flamespark answered. – At least not now. Within three days we will be able to tell them we have been drafted and only that. So I guess the very same day we leave.

Sunshine made a loud sigh before deciding to end the conversation.

Alright then. – She began. - Thanks for telling us at least this much. I think that after these three days we should ask Waterfall for help. She has a few friends here and there, I am sure she will be able to get a bit more information regarding this matter. For now let’s rest. It’s been a hard day for all of us and it will be much easier to think about tomorrow.

Everypony agreed with that, and soon Flamespark left to rest in his own house. Tired almost to the point of collapsing, Amber headed for his room too. As he reached his bed he couldn’t escape the feeling that the future is going to bring only more surprises. And definitely not the good ones.

The next two days passed surprisingly quickly. Amber and Flamespark had a lot of work to complete before their leave. They have been working tirelessly from the very morning till late evening. Amber has managed to secure the new shaft for the future; he has also finished several furniture pieces for the villagers getting a good week ahead of his order schedule. He was constantly going around helping with whatever he could.

Flamespark did no different. He was constantly up, melting and preparing as much ore as he could. He made sure to finish all the crafts he has been ordered to make for the following days, just like Amber did.

This sudden outburst of work obviously did not go without attention. Although Raindrop, Sunshine and Waterfall tried to calm the villagers, few started suspecting something bad is going to happen.

In the evening of their second day from receiving the envelopes it turned out some of the mystery has been already revealed. Neither of them could tell whether it was the council that revealed the information or somepony just happened to have too long of a tongue. Nevertheless, the truth about the nature of the inspection that took place has been revealed. A lot of villagers came to Amber and Flamespark asking them about the draft.

Since they would be leaving in the morning of the next day, they decided to confirm the fact they were recruited into the army and have received various kinds of responses. Some couldn’t believe they had agreed for it, others couldn’t understand the point of army just like Amber’s father. After hearing the news Waterfall tried to get some information out of her friends in various cities, but to no avail.

As the day of their journey came, Amber and Flamespark became extremely nervous. They had everything prepared and ready, but they did not really want to leave. At first they planned to leave simply saying goodbye to their closest friends and quickly move out of the village but that was not the case. When they met in the square in the morning of 6th of April they were greeted by the whole village. Everypony wanted to say goodbye and wish them a fast and safe journey. Most of them also asked them to return as soon as they could.

Waterfall was not too talkative this time around. She simply hugged them both tightly and offered them a small crystal of quartz.

I have enchanted it myself. – She explained as she handed the gift. – It will allow us to talk every now and then, but it will take a few days to recharge it afterwards. Although it was designed mostly for Unicorns, you can use it too. Just say my name when holding it and it should respond.

Amber saw her using crystals like these multiple times when talking with her friends in different towns. From what he could gather such crystals were either very expensive or extremely hard to make so the gift was truly generous. Flamespark was the first one to speak.

Thank you Waterfall. – He said. – That was very nice of you.

As they said their last goodbyes they finally managed to set off. They had a long journey ahead of them and a lot of time to talk about their recruitment. Most of their first day of journey they spent on wondering what will happen when they finally reach Crystalward. Will they be allowed to go home? Neither of them wanted to say it aloud, but deeply inside they both knew the answer. Just like the villagers who most likely knew they will not be coming back.

For the journey they have packed various kinds of dried fruits and prepared vegetables as well as everything needed to make a camp. Since it was already middle spring, they could easily refill their water supplies on the way and did not have to take much else then a water flask each.

Their journey was mostly uneventful. The terrain slowly changed from familiar, cold grassland into temperate shrubland as they were getting farther south. At the end of the first day they managed to finally reach the Sunny Forest. Since by that time it was already getting dark, they decided to make a camp and rest. Next day they started following the eastern road just like Flamespark said they would. Even though the area was much warmer, no farms could be seen anywhere yet. They were still too far away from any sort of a big city to see them.

On the third day they have finally managed to reach far enough to the east to see some civilization. Around noon their journey was suddenly interrupted by a very strange sound. After inspecting their belongings it turned out the crystal Waterfall gave them was the source. As they curiously examined the stone, Amber decided to call out Waterfall.

The quartz changed its color suddenly, and a soft but pretty loud voice could be heard.

Amber? Flamespark? Are you there?
We are here Waterfall. – Amber said unsure if that will be enough.

Apparently it was because they instantly heard Waterfall’s response.

Glad to hear that. Alright listen. – A brief pause. - I have talked with a few friends of mine and it turns out this decision is official in every single meaning of this word. If what my friend told me is correct, only a direct order from either Princess Celestia or Princess Luna could change your situation. I am sorry…

Even though he was expecting this, Amber could not help but to be disappointed. Up until now he had a small hope they would be able to return to their previous lives. Turns out nothing could help them now, because they definitely couldn’t count on either Princess suddenly relieving them from the duty.

While Amber was thinking Flamespark was the the one to answer.

It’s alright Waterfall. We suspected as much. How is the village by the way?
A lot of us have already started to miss you. – They heard from the crystal. – But it’s not going too bad I guess. Your “replacement” has not arrived yet but I heard they will be sending the ponies pretty soon.

Amber smiled shyly despite the fact Waterfall was obviously not able to see that.

At least our village is going to be fine. – He said. – Thanks for the information Waterfall.
No problem. Alright, the stone you are using is running out of energy extremely fast, I would say let’s end here. Hear from you in a week?
Definitely. – They both said in unison as the stone stopped glowing and returned to its normal color.

Demoralized, they continued their journey for the day in silence. Since they were slowly but surely getting closer to Crystalward they managed to find a tavern to spend the night in. While their rooms were far from great, they were definitely better than sleeping in a camp outside.

Finally, in the morning of their fourth day of travel they arrived in Crystalward. The city’s population consisted mostly of Unicorns and the architecture represented that. The houses were made out of marble and had large, tall windows made of clear glass. The supports for the roofs were made out of wood while the roofs themselves out of high quality clay plates. They were also dyed in various colors, although primarily red. Various kinds of decoration, primarily made out of gold could also be seen. Each house had at least two floors and must have been very expensive to make. Every now and again a tall tower could be seen, their purpose being unknown to the two friends. Precisely as noble Unicorns tend to like. The only exception to this rule Amber has ever met was Waterfall.

They were heading for a road going deep into the city. On each side of the road multiple houses and passages could be seen. This alone told him how small of a village Northdale was; the size of the city only strengthened the feeling. There were all kinds of ponies constantly going through the roads, in either direction.

Amber and Flamespark, taken slightly aback, cautiously followed the main road. Flamespark was the first one to speak.

So, where is that recruitment center we are to come to?
I have honestly no idea. I guess we could ask?

It turned out they had to ask three ponies before they could get the answer. And even despite the tips they still managed to get lost and had to start asking once again. They spent a good hour going around the city and trying to find the place they were supposed to enter.

Finally they did find the proper building. It was slightly bigger than the other ones, consisting of three floors, although based on precisely the same architecture as the rest of the city. A few ponies were standing in front of it, chatting casually.

Here it goes… - Said Amber as he trotted inside, Flamespark following right before him.

They entered a tall, very richly furnished hall. Various cabinets could be seen around the walls, most of them having some kind of decoration on top; be it a statue, a vase or some kind of contraption Amber could not even recognize.

At the end of the hall a working desk could be seen, behind which stood a white Unicorn with blue mane. Right behind the Unicorn stood two Earth Ponies, one being brown and the other orange.

As the two friends trotted towards the group, the Unicorn raised his head from the paperwork.

More ponies for the draft? I thought we already had everypony sorted.

At least this is not a wrong building. – Amber thought. – It would be kind of shameful to get lost once again.

While Amber was thinking, Flamespark decided to answer the Unicorn's question.

That is correct Sir, we are here for the draft.

The Unicorn smiled for a brief moment before saying:

Let us start then. Could I see your recruitment letters?

They both handed him the documents in silence. He glanced at them quickly, also checking the crest. Apparently he could make something out of it, because he put the documents away, satisfied.

Everything is in order. I know this must be hard for you, but welcome to the Equestrian army. Now, regarding your unit…

He said as he started shuffling through the papers on the table. Amber decided to try one last time. He cleared his throat.

Excuse me Sir, if I may be so bold as to ask… do we really have nothing to say in this matter? – He tried to remain as kind as possible. Kindness could usually get surprisingly far, at least that is what Amber learned in his short life.

The Unicorn raised his head, visibly surprised. He turned towards the brown Earth Pony to his right.

Have you heard that Feather? Have you heard what that young colt has just said?

That might have been a mistake. – Amber thought. The Unicorn suddenly froze and then turned back to Amber. He was blushing slightly. Is he… embarrassed?

Oh my, please excuse that outburst of rudeness. – It seems he indeed was. – You see, this whole week various kinds of ponies from “civilized” places like Fillydelphia or Manehattan stormed into this place, stomping their hoofs as if they were trying to cause an earthquake. I heard many… comments… regarding the recruitment and most are not to be repeated. Then you come here, from a small village on the border of our kingdom, gently addressing me as “Sir” and kindly asking about the matter you must be extremely stressed about. I think my hope in pony kind has been restored.

After saying that, his expression became very sad.

I am afraid though the news will not be good. I think the recruitment team and the letter made the situation pretty clear. There is nothing you can do to avoid the draft. – He suddenly stopped to continue after a brief pause. – I think I can tell you that this draft has been talked about thoroughly for quite some time. If it was not for Princess Luna’s personal commitment, it would probably not go through. Still, you cannot just deny what one of our princesses commanded.

Princess Luna personally supported this draft? – Amber thought – No wonder Waterfall could do very little to help us. It is pretty strange though… Why would the princess do that?

Now if you excuse me… - the Unicorn said as he went back to checking his papers.

Within a few minutes the Unicorn checked quite a few documents lying around. As he was glancing through them, he took out the ones he was interested in and put them on the free space to his right. After he found everything he needed, he quickly glanced through the papers once again. Afterwards, he looked at the two friends.

Very well. By the rules you are to be assigned to the southern recruitment team. At least you are to be assigned there in theory.

Here the Unicorn made a brief yet strong pause. Amber suddenly felt his curiosity rising.

You see, a very capable captain is in need of a few more ponies. It just so happens his regiment is full on Unicorns but could still squeeze in a few Earth Ponies and precisely one Pegasus. He commands the far north-east unit. I would strongly suggest considering going under his wings.

Feather, as the brown Earth Pony was addressed previously, suddenly became more interested in what was happening.

You want to assign them there? To the old scoot? What, you want to punish them even more?

Surprised, the Unicorn turned around to face the other pony.

I do not… - He started.
You perfectly know what I mean. This colt’s history speaks for itself.
You might…
Moreover, most ponies sent there have been done so as a punishment for making problems. You cannot deny that. Do you really want to send them there?

The Unicorn was slowly getting angry at this situation.

It is somewhat true howe…
Seriously, I would advise both of…
Enough Feather! – The Unicorn shouted suddenly. He was staring at the Earth Pony furiously. Feather, finally realizing what he has brought to himself, went silent and backed off. Afterwards the Unicorn faced Amber and Flamespark once again.
While some of these things might be true – He started. – do not believe every single gossip you hear. I can assign you to either the southern part as per rules, or to the captain I would advise you to choose. It is your call.

Amber was still wondering what has just happened. Apparently, this captain had some weird thing going around him. He wasn’t sure about this whole thing even more now. Was it really worth the risk to try that colt? Being in a regiment that was supposed to be a punishment did not sound too nice either. He has made his decision.

I think… - Amber started but was quickly and abruptly interrupted by Flamespark.
If you excuse me Amber. I know all too well when you are about to do something stupid and this just so happens to be the case. – He turned towards the Unicorn. – Sir, if you could please sign us to the regiment of the captain you recommended. – After saying that he gave Amber a serious look. – Both of us.

The Unicorn was visibly pleased after hearing that.

A wise choice! Let me quickly fill in the report and we will be almost done!

Amber went a little closer to his friend.

Are you totally sure about that? – He whispered. – I got to say I have my doubts about the captain after hearing this.
Trust me on this one Amber. – Flamespark whispered back. – I just do not like that Feather pony. I do not like the way he suddenly jumped in either.
Alright but I really hope we are not getting into some trouble.

As they finished their small conversation the Unicorn raised from his papers yet again.

His unit is situated on the North-east border of Equestria, as I said previously. If you follow the eastern road out of this city, you will reach a farming village called Carrotslope within roughly a day. Afterwards you just follow the northern road all the way to his barracks. The whole trip should not take longer than three days.

As he said that, he picked two envelopes up from the table in front of him with his magic. They floated to the two ponies, one for each.

This is the last bit of paperwork you will have to carry with you. These are the confirmation letters. When you reach the barracks, you will be able to start your training.

Amber and Flamespark took their respective envelopes and nodded in agreement.

Oh, almost forgot. How rude of me. – The Unicorn said with a smile. – My name is Councilor Flux. It was a pleasure to meet you gentlecolts.

They have been talking to a member of high council of Canterlot for the whole time without even realizing it. Moreover, they have been talking to the very same pony who wrote their letters. And it seemed they managed to give a pretty good impression. Flamespark, as usually, was a little faster than his friend to give an answer.

Thank you Councilor Flux.
It was my pleasure. – Was Flux’s answer. – Now off you go, you have to reach the barracks before next week or you will be punished. And believe me; you would not want that to happen.

They both thanked Flux once again, and headed off outside. After they were finally through the first part of recruitment, they started wondering what to do. Flamespark wanted to immediately head off to their new barracks, while Amber wanted to remain in the city and regain some of his strength.

After a long struggle Flamespark won. They simply made a small break to restock their supplies to then head east, aiming to reach the barracks as quickly as possible.

Their second journey was pretty much as uneventful as their first. Even less so, since the crystal Waterfall gave them did not yet recharge. They could not contact anypony from their village, so they focused fully on reaching their destination. They kept a nice pace and managed to reach Carrotslope within the same day. There they managed to convince one family of local farmers to let them sleep in for the night.

Next day, after restocking once again, they headed north. The road was slowly becoming worse and worse although it was still in somewhat suitable shape. They could sometimes see hoof marks imprinted on the muddy parts, most likely belonging to other new recruits who were also heading for the barracks.

Amber was definitely not content with the distance they had to cover to get back home from their barracks. They needed at least half a month for travel alone; and he did not quite expect to have too many such breaks. The only thing that cheered him up was the fact it would have been even worse if they were assigned to the southern unit. They would have to travel throughout the whole height of Equestria to reach Northdale.

As they were travelling Amber couldn’t help but the amazed about the size of the world around them. They were still within the borders of Equestria even though they were travelling for almost a week. He started wondering how the world looks after the pony kingdom of Equestria ends. Does it become dark because of the lack of Celestia’s sun? He could not answer that question. He barely knew where the borders of Equestria were and knew precisely nothing what was after them.

Finally, exhausted by the journey, they managed to arrive at their destination. A small outpost could be seen from the hill they got up on. The outpost was built on a large, mostly flattened area. In the center there were training grounds featuring various kinds of racks and target dummies. The road was leading right into the grounds. No pony was training, at least not yet. A lot of them could be seen travelling between buildings or perhaps simply taking a walk.

Left to the training grounds there was a tall building made pretty roughly from wood and some kind of gray stone. It had a shape of a large square, with corners fortified slightly with an extra layer of stone. The building had 3 floors, and small windows spread out throughout the walls. The top of the building was flat and empty.

Further behind the training grounds a few buildings could be seen. These ones actually had proper roofs, unlike the bigger building on the left. The two building closest to the training grounds also had chimneys.

To the right of the training grounds some kind of an elliptic arena was built. The walls were made from the very same gray stone as the rest of the outpost. Various kinds of wooden platforms with rings could be seen as well. Most likely Pegasi were to train their flying skills there.

Well then. – Said Flamespark. – We’ve finally arrived.

Chapter 3

Well then. – Said Flamespark. – We’ve finally arrived.

Amber nodded in response. He wasn’t sure if he liked that idea, but they have reached the barracks. He still could scarcely believe in everything that has happened to him over the course of last fortnight. The inspection, the draft, this whole travel…

With a deep breath, Amber silently started trotting down the hill towards the outpost. After a brief moment he could hear Flamespark do just the same behind him. Even though Amber would prefer to simply drop everything and rest after getting to the barracks, he decided it would be worth to talk with the captain. What was his name? Amber could not recall if councilor even mentioned it.

Colt of “suspicious” past being their leader. Unit that was supposed to be a punishment. Amber really hoped his friend was right to choose this place.

As they were trotting towards the outpost they could see a whole rainbow of variously colored ponies. Most of them were Unicorns, some were Pegasi or Earth Ponies. Amber started wondering how many ponies there would be in one such unit. He could do no better than guess at this moment.

As they almost reached the training grounds they could see the whole plethora of items designed for training. There were piles of various kinds of weights as well as quite a few rows of training dummies or targets.

One of the ponies seemed to notice their new guests finally. She was a white Unicorn with lavender eyes and green mane. She had a pink lily flower as her cutie mark. The Unicorn was lookinh at them for a brief moment before finally deciding to trot forward. As she was approaching, Amber decided to be the first one to speak.

Hello there. – He greeted her warmly.

She suddenly stopped and started staring at the ground below their hooves. It seemed she was somewhat startled by Amber’s greeting. It took her a moment to gather the thoughts and finally come up with a very short response.

Hey there… - Was all she managed to say before going silent, staring into the ground.

Amber decided to introduce himself and his friend.

We are new recruits. I am Amber and this is Flamespark. – Saying that he pointed at the Earth Pony. – Would you mind helping us out a little?
My name is Lily and… I suppose I could help… - She said quietly. She wasn’t too much of a talkative type it seemed.

Their small gathering did not go unnoticed. Quite a few ponies trotted towards them or at least stopped to watch the fresh few ponies arrived. Amber could hear a few whispers. Before he was able to make anything out of them he was interrupted by one of the Earth Ponies.

I am afraid Lily will not be able to help you much. – Amber faced the pony to see a tall Earth Pony with having blue fur and black mane. He glanced at Amber and Flamespark with his violet eyes.

Hearing that, the Unicorn winced a little.

It’s alright Gravel. – Lily said. – I can help these colts.

The pony simply shook his head in a disagreement.

It’s been a rough few days for us. – He responded. – I think it will be better if you go and get some rest. I will take care of our new arrival.

After saying that Gravel, as he was called by the unicorn, turned towards Lily. His cutie mark could be seen: a shovel trust into a pile of earth. Lily decided to follow the colt’s advice as she simply nodded and slowly walked away. Seeing that, the Earth Pony once again faced Amber and Flamespark.

As you’ve just heard, my name is Gravel. – He said. – I can easily show you around.

Flamespark and Amber both agreed to the offer. They quickly followed Gravel to the large buildings on the left side of the outpost. While they were trotting Flamespark decided to ask:

Do you know Lily?

Gravel nodded slightly before giving an answer.

Aye, her and I are siblings. This whole mess of a situation got her quite a bit. I’ve always known the ponies ruling us were a bunch of idiots but this simply topped the charts. I wonder how come our Princesses allowed it…

They finally reached the buildings and opened a large, wooden door. They entered a wide tunnel that seemed to be leading all the way from left to right side of the building. Gravel turned towards left and headed for the stairs that could be seen in the corner. As they were trotting, Gravel continued his speech.

Lily has just become 16 years old around 2 months ago. Imagine her surprise when the recruitment came… – He shook his head. – We tried to reason with them but they simply refused to make an exception. Anyway… – He said as they were getting closer to the stairs. – This here building is the general barracks. Here all of us have our quarters. Do not expect too much.

As they reached the stairs, they started climbing up to the next floor.

The ponies responsible for our unit are supposed to be on the last floor. For now only one unicorn is present though. No sign of our so called captain as of yet.

This did not leave Amber too pleased about the situation. He had hoped he would be able to talk about the details of their draft with somepony in charge. It seemed like he was out of luck. He suddenly realised Flamespark is asking a question.

Any idea when exactly is he going to show up?
In around two days, then our training will be started. – Was the answer they got.

By that time they have reached the top floor and after a short moment they were in front of another wooden door.

Alright, it’s here. Let’s see how it goes. – Said Gravel as he knocked to the door right before coming in.

The room was pretty big, having quite a few pieces of furniture around, most of them being cabinets. Right in the middle there was a large table with pieces of paper lying everywhere around. The room had small windows on the left wall and a portal leading to another room on the back wall.

Right between the table and the ponies was standing… Mint. She turned around quickly to face her new guests, her face showing surprise as she saw who they were.

Oh, Flamespark and Amber. – She decided to start. – Now I got to say that is quite a surprise to see you both here. Not that I am complaining though.

As she said that she gave them a wide, warm smile. Gravel, seemingly surprised at the fact she already knows the new guests as well, looked at Amber and Flamespark with confusion in his eyes before deciding to ask:

You know each other?

Amber nodded in response.

Mint was one of the ponies that came to inspect us for the recruitment. – He said before turninh towards the Unicorn. – Does that mean you will be staying here with us?
Partly. – She answered. – I will stay here and train the unicorns in a few certain ways of magic, primarily healing. Afterwards I will have other duties to attend. But either way… could I see your unit assignment letters?

Amber and Flamespark nodded and handed the letters.

Alright. – She said as she glanced through them to then put them in one of the cabinets in the room. – Your training will officially start in two days. I am afraid you – She pointed at Amber. – won’t have much to do before that. – She turned towards Flamespark. – You however will have quite a bit of work to do in the near future. I know you are probably tired after the journey but I would like to fill you in regarding your duties.

Flamespark nodded in agreement though not before a weak sigh had escaped his mouth. Pleased with the answer she has recieved, Mint continued on.

I assume the two of you would want to have quarters together. I will assign you to quarter number 11. It is located on the first floor. – She paused briefly to look at Gravel. – Gravel, would you mind showing Amber the way to his quarters?

The Earth Pony simply nodded in agreement. Hearing that, Mint turned yet again towards her desk but not before saying:

That’s all for you Amber. You are dismissed.

Amber did not like being called off like that, but he realized he could as well start getting used to it immediately. He turned away reluctantly, throwing a quick bye to his friend before leaving the room with Gravel. He smiled shyly.

You will be living in the same quarters as me and Lily. – Said the Earth Pony. – Which I suppose is one of the rare good things in this whole stinky mess.

Amber was not sure about that, but he decided not to say that part aloud.

Thanks… I guess. By the way; how many ponies will be in one such unit?

Gravel made a brief pause to gather his thoughts as they were trotting towards the stairs.

I think 90 altogether. - He said with an unsure voice before continueing more firmly. - Yes, that is correct. 30 ponies of each race in one unit. We’ve still got a few spaces left I believe, although majority is already here. It’s such a crowd I tell you.
I can only imagine. – Amber responded as they have reached the second floor and started trotting through the tunnels. The building seemed to have a tunnel around the walls on each floor, allowing one to look out in any direction. The tunnels had staircase in each corner and doors leading to various quarters on the inside wall.

After a short while they reached the door to their quarters. The room seemed quite big at first, but it quickly turned out one such room was to house six ponies. This could be told from the fact six pretty nice beds could be seen around the walls. They also seemed to have a large table with four chairs as well as six cabinets and two chests.

Could have been worse. – Amber thought as he glanced at the furniture. It was made out of wood and occasionally studded with metal. He definitely liked the fact each of the ponies would have his/her own cabinet although he could not escape the thought he could make something of a significantly better quality.

Then he noticed that Lily was in the room. She was lying on her bed, reading a book located in front of her. She did not seem to have noticed the new guests yet. Gravel seemed to notice her too since he shamelessly trotted inside, interrupting his sister.

Hey there Lily. – After hearing that Lily turned around suddenly, surprise litting in her eyes. Afterwards, she gave, or at least tried to give, a weak smile to Amber. Seeing that Gravel smirked.
Don’t look so smug. - He said as he turned back to Amber. - Turns out Amber and Flamespark will be living with us in the same room. Don’t mind her too much; she is always a little shy when around new ponies.

Amber wasn’t sure how saying that when Lily was in the room was supposed to help. With a sigh she rised from her bed before responding angrily.

That is not true! – She exclaimed firmly. Apparently, Amber I have underestimated Gravel’s knowledge Amber thought as she faced him. – Don’t listen to him. And… - She blushed slightly. – welcome here I guess? It’s nice to finally have somepony assigned here.

Amber decided to abuse the sudden talkativeness of his new friend with a bunch of questions.

So us four are the only ponies living here?

Lily opened her mouth to answer that question but did not have time to do so, as it was very quickly answered by Gravel.

Aye, at least for the time being.

She frowned her muzzle in disapproval and looked at her brother with murder lighting in her eyes.

If you don’t mind Gravel, I am pretty sure that question was supposed to be answered by me.

Gravel simply shrugged with a blank expression on his face, which seemed to only get Lily angrier at him.

Oh, you are unbearable! – She said and stomped her hoofs to further exclaim her frustration. – Just go away already and leave us be!

Gravel simply turned away and started trotting out of the room. Right before he passed Amber, he gave the Pegasus a quick smirk. After he left, Amber faced Lily once again. He could not escape the thought that she looked extremely cute when she was angry.

Oh, what in Celestia’s name cursed me with such a brother? – She said to Amber. – I swear he sometimes seems to annoy me on purpose! What a nerve! But anyway… I guess we will be stuck here for a while together, huh?
And quite a long while it seems. – Amber said after he nodded. – The rooms are pretty nice though.

She finally decided to show a little bit of more positive emotions since a small smile could be seen on her face.

That is true, although I still think a lady should have a room of her own. Such luxuries are not for us though.

Amber chuckled at what he heard. As he recalled his experiences with Waterfall, what she said was more than correct. He glanced around the room once again before giving his response.

If one was to ask me, the furniture is not good enough for a lady either.

This seemed to make Lily a little curious. She gave her cabinet a quick glance.

What do you mean?

Amber gave the very same cabinet a stern, professional look.

Well, the design is way too simple for my taste; the furniture also lacks any sort of engravings to make it look nicer. And besides, have you glanced at the connections? I am not sure what the pony making those was thinking but… - Amber stopped middle sentence, realising that Lily might not be interested in all these details. – Never mind, I don’t want to bore you with such stuff.
Oh, but it’s not boring! Would you mind telling me how you know all this stuff? - She said as curiousity lit in her eyes.
You see, before the recruitment I worked as a carpenter in Northdale... – Amber started.

Before he knew, he and Lily started a long talk about various topics, mostly about their past before the draft happened. It turned out Lily was working as a gardener together with her older brother. Amber commented about this job being unusual for a Unicorn to do, only to receive the same comment about a Pegasus being a carpenter. Lily and Gravel were both from Manehattan, living happy lives up to the infamous draft. They could only wonder what will happen afterwards.

…and I hope you understand the importance of everything finishing on schedule. – Mint said as she and Flamespark were trotting through the training grounds towards the three northern buildings.

Flamespark nodded in response. Although it will probably prove quite tiring, he liked the fact they allowed him to continue his job as a blacksmith. He would be responsible for creating and repairing weapons and armor for the unit; a task he has never done before but was eager to try his hoof at. He will simply have to try and not fall behind in training in the meantime.

They reached the end of the training grounds, having two large buildings on their left and right respectively. Both were made from wood and stone, just like the barracks they were living in. The right building was significantly larger, although neither of them had more than a single floor. As he was looking at the buildings, Mint continued her description, pointing her hoof at the places around them.

To the right is the dining room as well as kitchen. Here we will have the meals prepared and served. To the left is your forge. I hope you will like it.

Saying that, she led Flamespark closer to the forge. After they opened the door to the forge Flamespark curiously peeked inside. His jaw dropped as he saw all the things packed in the building.

Right in the middle there were three furnaces. Two of them were bigger than the third one, designed for melting large amount of metal. Each furnace had the shape of a circle, having large bellows to keep the proper amount of heat. Next to each furnace was a large container filled with coal. The smallest furnace had an anvil and a large table with various blacksmith tools next to it. Flamespark could also see a few shovels lying underneath the table. Around the walls various armor stands and weapon racks could be seen; some with armor, most empty. Finally, at the end there were a few containers with a large amount of metal bars. Judging from the colors, those were probably copper, tin and bronze.

It took a short moment for Flamespark to gather his thoughts before finally saying:

This… is more than I expected. Honestly, I’ve never even seen a forge like that. – He exclaimed as he walked inside, curiously inspecting each and every object. Mint seemed most pleased with his enthusiasm about the place, at least it seemed so from her voice.
Well it seems they did a pretty good job building that one.

Flamespark simply nodded, still looking around and scarcely believing he will be working with all of this.

It’s amazing. – He exclaimed. – Although it is also pretty big. I think I will need at least one pony helping me.

Mint made a sad expression after hearing that.

I am afraid you cannot count on any experienced help. – She answered shyly. – There were very few skilled blacksmiths capable of serving in the army. On top of that we actually had to find a replacement for all of you… - She shook her head. – I am afraid you will have to choose one of the ponies stationed here as an apprentice and teach them everything yourself.

Flamespark smiled after hearing that.

Don’t worry Mint. Although it might be hard to convince him, I think I know just the pony for this job. – Flamespark glanced at the furnaces yet again. – Come to think of it though, I will probably need more than one pair of hooves.

Mint nodded in agreement.

It is for you to decide, as long as everything is done properly and on time. – She responded. – And none of you runs behind on training.

The rest of the day went pretty quickly for both, Amber and Flamespark. After getting introduced and shown around, they happily spent the rest of their time talking about various, most often random things together with Lily and Gravel.

Flamespark decided to abuse that time and ask Amber to help him at the forge. He expected a long and painful struggle but was quickly surprised. Amber did not take much to convince and was quite enthusiastic about the idea of helping out his friend. After hearing about the size of the forge he even decided to ask whether Lily and Gravel wouldn’t mind helping out too. While Gravel reluctantly agreed after a bit of persuasion, Lily firmly declined claiming that the forge is not a proper place for a lady.

In the end though they all went to bed, wondering about their future. For the time being they could only guess what will happen.

The next day passed surprisingly quickly, at least the first half of that day. Flamespark decided to introduce both, Amber and Gravel into the basic rules of working in a forge. Neither of them was experienced enough to help in shaping the metal, they were both assigned to keeping the forges running as well as smelting the bars.

Amber, even though he was expecting that, was surprised by the amount of effort and focus it took to properly melt metal, let alone combine copper and tin to make bronze. Although they were working rather slowly, Flamespark seemed pleased with what they achieved. By the time they were finished they have managed to smelt quite a lot of extra bronze bars, in preparation for the incoming work.

After their tiring lessons in the forge all three of our friends decided to go around and start socializing with other ponies. Gravel was not to keen on that idea at first but it didn’t take much to persuade him. Before they could really get into that though, they were interrupted by Lily. She ran towards the group visibly tired.

Amber, Flamespark! I have finally found you! – She exclaimed, panting in the process.

The two mentioned ponies exchanged confused looks before Flamespark decided to respond.

What’s the matter Lily? Has something happened?

After a brief moment she managed to catch her breath.

I was reading a book in our room, when I felt a sudden surge of magic. It came from a cabinet belonging to one of you. I couldn’t resist the urge and peeked inside, seeing the magical stone glowing. I realized you might be interested in that detail.

Amber smashed his forehead with his hoof. He has totally forgotten that Waterfall was supposed to contact them. While he was thinking that, Gravel decided to scowl his sister.

You peeked into their belonging without asking for permission? Seriously?

Lily blushed in response, suddenly finding the earth below her hooves extremely interesting.

I am sorry… - Was all she managed to say.

Flamespark simply shrugged before giving her a warm smile.

Don’t worry about it. We will simply bother you about that matter for the rest of your life. But it’s totally fine! – After saying that his expression became tired. – Too bad we forgot about it though… I guess we won’t be able to use it until next week now.

Amber slowly nodded in agreement while Lily seemed to lighten up a little. She made a wide grin before saying:

That might not be the case. You are pretty lucky; a friend of mine explained to me how to handle such crystals once. I simply turned it off; we can use it after we get back.

Amber sighed in relief after hearing her response.

Now that is some good news! I guess you can consider yourself redeemed now. On a more serious note though, I would say we should check out that crystal.

Everypony agreed with that, so they headed straight to their room. After the crystal was activated yet again Lily and her brother offered to leave in case the talk was supposed to be private. That was not the case though, as both of our friends decided to introduce them to Waterfall. Finally, Amber decided to be the pony to start this conversation. He placed the quartz on the table.

Waterfall, can you hear me? – He asked curiously towards the glowing stone.
Why, yes I am! – Waterfall’s voice could be heard around the room. – It’s a pleasure to hear you Amber. So I guess the pony that was here previously did manage to find you.

Amber and Flamespark exchanged smiles. The latter decided to show that he is there as well.

That is the case. Speaking of which, the pony that was here earlier is living here with us, together with her brother. – Saying that Flamespark motioned Lily and Gravel to come closer. – I think it would be nice if you and they were introduced to each other.

Right after Flamespark was done talking an extremely happy response could be heard.

It’s always a pleasure to meet new friends! Well, not exactly meet but it would be hard to meet now. You know, us being so far apart now and all. Come to think of it I do not even know where you are exactly, you should have told me that detail… Anyway, my name is Waterfall!

Lily seemed extremely confused as to what to do, so Gravel turned out to be the pony that responded.

Nice to… uh… hear you too Waterfall. My name is Gravel, and this is my sister, Lily.
Hey there… - Was all Lily managed to get out of herself before once again falling into her "extremely shy" mode.

They could hear a quiet chuckle before Waterfall continued.

Oh, don’t be so shy Lily! I am not that scary, or at least I try not to be. – After saying the sentence Waterfall made a brief pause. Right before Amber decided to ask if something happened, her voice could be heard yet again. Her voice was very cautious which was definately not a good sign.
Alright, sorry to be so bold but I think you know I have limited time. The thing is I really wanted to tell you something. This is regarding the draft, so I guess all of you will be interested.

Somehow I doubt I will like what I will have heard… - Amber thought while Waterfall made another, this time extremely short pause. It seemed she was gathering her courage.

You see, the draft became pretty well known thing as of recently. As a result a lot of ponies talk about it. And here is the catch; according to official sources all of you agreed to join the army.

Amber was dumbstruck at what he has just heard. Official sources, as Waterfall most likely described the city of Canterlot, claimed they agreed to this, even though they were brought in by force. He could barely believe this idea.

In the meantime, Flamespark decided to get more information out of their unicorn friend.

Are you telling us they are just plainly lying about all of this?
I am afraid that is exactly the case Flamespark. – Waterfall’s voice rang. – And I believe that is the case everywhere.

Amber suddenly realized he and Flamespark are not the only ponies listening to this. He quickly glanced at Lily and Gravel, seeing the former staring into the air seemingly deep in her own thoughts while the latter was looking at the floor with a blank expression on his face. They most likely did not like this piece of news just as much as he did. Lily suddenly returned from her thoughts, trotting closer to the crystal before saying:

So, let me get this straight. They forced us into the army and now they are saying we agreed to it?

They could hear Waterfall taking a very deep breath.

That is exactly what it seems like.

The group remained in total silence for almost a minute, before Flamespark decided to break it. His voice was heavy with worry.

What exactly is even going on in here? I feel like I do not understand the world anymore.
You are not the only one. – Answered Gravel as the rest of the ponies nodded in silence.

Waterfall’s voice could be heard yet again, definitely not the happy one they heard earlier.

I am sorry everypony… I just figured you would like to know that.

Amber made a grim smile.

Don’t be silly Waterfall, it’s not your fault. – He said. – Thanks for telling us that.

The crystal started changing the color rapidly, glowing with weaker and weaker light with each second. Before it stopped working completely Waterfall decided to say one final thing.

Alright… The crystal’s energy is running out so I guess that’s it for this time. I hope next week I will be able to give you slightly happier news…

The crystal went back to its original color and everything went silent. Everypony seemed to be left in an extremely foul mood. The silence that fell definitely was not helping that, but no one wanted to break it. At least definitely not Amber.

Finally, after some time, they partly returned to a more talkative mood. They tried to come up with various reasons as to why exactly things were as they were, but none of them could come up with anything even remotely reasonable. The only thing they agreed on was not to share this piece of news with the rest of the barracks. They would most likely find that out soon enough on their own.

The rest of the day passed extremely slowly for all of our friends, as they tried to find something, anything to do in order to occupy their thoughts. That did not turn out to be the case though. In the evening, all four extremely tired returned to their room to finally get some rest.

In the meantime, in Canterlot castle…

Princess Celestia nodded at the guards who bowed in respect as she passed by them. After such a long time she did so automatically, without having to pay any attention. This served her perfectly, for currently she was extremely occupied by her own thoughts. Focused entirely on what awaited her, she slowly headed towards her sister’s room.

Celestia was somewhat torn apart by the situation. She had tried her very best to help Luna get reintroduced into society, all to no avail. A lot of ponies simply refused to accept her sister, still having the fear of eternal night in their hearts. Luna quickly became an outcast, rarely talking to anyone except Celestia. She did not have anything to do and it brought Celestia great pain to see her sister in such a condition.

That was the situation until the fateful day Council Flux got her interested in his “project”. Luna quickly came back to life, finally having something she could devote to. While Celestia definitely did not like what her sister got herself into, she simply did not have the heart to take it away. This might have been a mistake, as it turned out.

Surrounded by her dark thoughts, Princess of the sun has finally reached her destination. She took a deep breath, before coming into her sister’s room.

Luna was lying by her desk, checking various kinds of documents lying around. Celestia watched in silence as her sister worked tirelessly, wondering whether she should really do this. But then she remembered about all the things that happened in the past few weeks. No, this has to be done, sooner or later.

While Celestia was thinking, Luna has finally realized she is not alone. She turned away from her desk to see who her guest was. Her face instantly lit up after seeing the sun princess.

It is a pleasure to see thou, dear sister! – She exclaimed.

Celestia gathered all the courage she had before answering.

Luna… We have to talk about a few things. – She began with a very serious tone. – I am sorry but this just has to be done.

The smile vanished from Luna’s mouth as she heard that. She sighed heavily before turning towards Celestia. It seemed that she knew exactly what this was all about.

We thought the situation was made pretty clear at the council meeting. Thou seemed to have been fine with it. Has something changed?

Celestia decided to go straight into the point, with all the honesty that was required.

Luna, from the very beginning I was not fine with that idea of “Equestrian Army”. I simply allowed for it because you finally had something to do. I hoped you would see the truth after some time, but that is clearly not the case.

Luna seemed hurt by that statement. She hastily responded in a slightly shaking voice.

Whatever dost thou mean by “the truth”?

Before she could continue, Celestia decided to expand on what she has just said.

Luna, do you really not see what you have in front of your eyes? You took a bunch of ponies away from their happy lives and forced them into an army! How can you do that to your subjects? Not only that, now you are lying that they agreed to it?

Luna was taken aback by the last question. After a brief moment she started staring into the ground, before responding with a faint voice, as if more to herself than to Celestia.

We can agree that last part was not too good of an idea…

This almost broke the Sun Princess' heart. She decided to make her tone a little softer.

Sister, that whole thing is something you should not be too proud of. Why don’t we sit down and…

She did not get to finish the sentence as she was quickly interrupted by Luna. It seemed she already knew what Celestia was about to say.

No! – Princess of the night exclaimed, yet again looking straight into Celestia’s eyes. – We do not know why thou deny this, but Equestria needs an army.
Luna, listen to yourself! What do we need an army for?
We and some part of the council have already made ourselves pretty clear in that regard.

Celestia definitely did not seem pleased by that answer.

Yes, and I did not see reason in what you were saying back then either. You want to base everything on what a few crazy ponies think? You cannot possibly be serious!
Crazy? – Luna repeated. – Thou think they just imagined things?
Luna, contrary to what they told you I am not blind to what is happening outside of Equestria. The thing is, all I care for is the well being of Equestria. That is because it is our kingdom! I could not care less for what is happening with the humans as long as they do not endanger us directly. It's their land and their problem, it does not explain you in any way! Sister, I have been ruling Equestria for hundreds of years, do you really trust a few overreacting ponies more than me?

Yet again, Celestia seemed to strike a soft spot in her sister's heart. She could have sworn she saw tears forming in Luna's eyes, if only for a brief moment.

Thou shalt not bring trust into this Celestia! - Luna exclaimed as she regained her composure. - Tell us, what would happen if what they say is true?

Celestia awaited this question, as she quickly gave a firm answer.

Even if what they claim is true by any stretch, we do have Royal Guards. Speaking of which, creating an army outside of them is a spit in their face! You not only force our subjects into pointless army, you also send a clear message to our current guards that you think they are incompetent! Luna, if you think you will buy their trust with this you are seriously mistaken!

This time Luna was not taken aback by the Sun Princess' statement at all.

We thought we made ourselves pretty clear in that regard as well. – She answered. – The Royal Guards are far too few in numbers to cover our whole kingdom. They agreed to the creation of the army, provided they can oversee it. Furthermore, we have already said: Equestria needs an army, for its own good.

Celestia went silent for a brief moment. She did not expect Luna to truly believe that what she was doing was good. Or perhaps she hoped that her sister would see the reason if she explained it properly. That did not seem to be the case though, so she decided to leave her sister be, at least for the time being.

Very well Luna. I will allow this to continue, but I still believe what you are doing is simply wrong. I just hope you will see that soon enough.

Saying that Celestia turned away and trotted towards the exit. She had to stop that madness before it was too late. She will show Luna how mistaken she was, but not before having a serious talk with a few troublesome ponies. It was highest time to start taking the matter with the seriousness it deserved.

Luna watched her sister slowly exit her room. She opened her mouth only to close it again, deciding not to say anything. She kept staring at the door for a few minutes after Celestia went through them. Finally, she turned back towards her desk and awaiting documents.

She made a very quiet sigh before saying to herself:

Thou hast not changed a bit Celestia. Thou mightst know what is happening, but thou still refusest to see where it leads.