Thunder's Roar

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.