The Griffon War

Applejack had just gotten off the train and was now standing face to face with Captain Shining Armor and Princess Luna. They were looking a bit confused at her. More specifically, they were looking a bit confused at her bandaged foreleg. "Better go explain that bandage to them." Lightning Dust whispered to Applejack as they both slowly walked up.

"I wasn't aware that anypony injured was sent!" Shining Armor said. "Care to explain yourself?"

"Ah wasn't injured when ah got on the train... it happened during the train ride." Applejack answered calmly.

Shining Armor raised an eyebrow when the stallion Applejack tussled with came up. "Sir, that mare is crazy she attacked me for no reason!" He exclaimed, leaning against his friend for support.

Applejack glared at the stallion. "No reason?! There was to a reason!"

"Enough of this!" Princess Luna said, stepping between the squabbling ponies. "The two of you can give me each side of the story back at the castle. For right now though..." The Lunar Alicorn charged her horn and a teal blue light encased both ponies' injuries and dissipated.

Applejack rolled her shoulder to find it completely healed. "Thank you Princess Luna, ah will gladly explain myself when we reach the castle."

"I expect that you do, this is not a good start for either of you, and will reflect badly on you in the near future. Right now, I deem neither of you as respectable ponies., I pray that you prove me wrong, for your sake." Luna turned away and began walking towards the coaches that were to take all the recruits to the castle.

Applejack, Lightning Dust, and Fluttershy were escorted to one of the coaches. Once they were inside it, the door was shut and the three ponies were left to wait. "So, who do ya'll think is gonna be evaluatin' us?" Applejack asked.

"I don't know, me and you might be evaluated by some senior officer or something. I heard that we would have to fight three different ponies for one part though," Lightning Shield responded.

"All three at once!"

"No, separately."

"Oh, good." She sighed, greatly relieved.

"I think you both will do great," Fluttershy added. "You're the strongest pony I know AJ, and you, Lightning Shield, well your special talent is defense, that's got to count for something right?"

"Yer right Fluttershy, we got nothin' ta worry 'bout.," Applejack said. She looked out the window and felt a slight jolt in the wagon, "Looks like we're leavin'." She said, looking down at her still bandaged shoulder. "Guess ah can take this thing off now." Applejack grabbed the end and started to twist the bandages off. Once the gauze was removed Applejack looked down to find a perfectly healed shoulder. "It's as if it never happened," she said, admiring the princess's hoofwork.

"You would never have guessed that fight even happened," Lightning Shield said dumbstruck.

The three ponies sat and talked about evaluation and basic training for the rest of the ride to the castle. Once they got there, Luna and the stallion were waiting outside the coach for Applejack. "Come with me Miss Apple." Luna said before turning to walk away. Applejack gulped and nervously followed the princess.

"Nice knowing you.," Lightning Shield said in a joking whisper as she passed.

"Oh, haha, she ain't gonna kill me over a fight Lightning," 'at least ah hope not', she thought. Applejack wasn't about to let that last part slip as she quietly followed the princess though.

Applejack and the Stallion glared at each other the whole way to the throne room and almost ran into Princess Luna when she stopped at the massive doors. "Miss Apple, please wait out here. I wish to get Mister Pell's side of the story first," Luna said, looking at the farm mare.

"Of course, princess." Applejack wanted to object but she knew that would only cause more problems and walked over on the bench to wait. Luna nodded and led the stallion into the throne room.

"Now, Mr. Pells. Who started the fight?" Luna questioned.

"It was that crazy mare! She threatened that if I didn't fight then her and her friend would attack me! That's why my other friend restrained that little yellow pegasus. Once we did that, I was forced to fight anyway. On top of that she called me a bozo!”

"Is that so?" She pushed, trying to make sense of it.

"Yes ma'am, I tried to walk away but she wouldn't have any of it. We made a deal, if I won she would leave me alone, and if she won she wouldn't. I feel threatened and you can easily tell she gave me a beating for I was far worse off that her. Can't you see that I'm the victim here?" The stallion said, making puppy eyes and tearing up. 'I've got this in the bag. Whatever happens to that mare, it will be hilarious all the way through.

Applejack couldn’t help but worry about what was going to happen. What if ah get put on kitchen duty fer a year? What if Luna kills me? What if Celestia banishes me tah the moon fer a thousand years? Alright, those last two probably wouldn’t happen. Celestia has never banished someone to the moon before and Luna only had you executed if absolutely necessary. As true as that was though, a year of kitchen duty would not be a good way to start off.

Applejack was about to get up and stretch for a bit when Princess Luna and the stallion came out the door. "Mr. Pells, wait out here while I speak with Miss Apple." She said. Applejack got up and followed the princess through the large doors into the the throne room. It was large with a red carpet up to two gold, cushioned throne and had white tile floors complete with large stain-glass windows along the walls. Applejack was admiring the colorful windows when Luna's voice pulled her attention back on why she was here. "Miss Apple, Mr. Pells tells me it was you who started the fight with threats and name-calling, is this true?"

"Only some of it, yes ah did call him a bozo, but no, ah did not start the fight. What did he say ah threatened him 'bout?" Applejack asked, entirely confused about what was going on.

"He says you threatened two things. One was that you and your accomplice would harm him and his companions. The second is that if you fought and won you would harm him again," Luna stated with her ever expressionless gaze.

Applejack sighed, "Well, if you flipped the positions of both then he was half true about it."

"Please explain." Luna said with an eyebrow raised in a now questioning and suspicious gaze.

"Well, those threats happened yes, but it was actually him that said them. He said that if ah did not fight him, his pal would hurt Fluttershy, and if ah won the fight he would leave us alone and he wouldn't if ah had lost," Applejack explained.

"Alright then. Mr. Pells also informed me that he attempted to walk away and you refused, is this also a lie?"

"Yes, it was actually me who tried to just walk away, but he said that he would hurt Fluttershy if ah did and ah couldn't do that. I would give mah life fer mah family or good friends."

Luna nodded thoughtfully, "Alright, now that I know how this fight played out, I would like to know exactly what was said that led to this dishonorable brawl." She sat back in her throne and waited to hear the explanation.

Applejack recalled everything. What the stallion said in the first place, which led to her calling him a bozo and so on until she finally got to the part where they were pulled away from each other.

"So, this is what happened... exactly?" Luna said.

"Yes, princess," Applejack answered.

"As both I and my sister are your witnesses?"

"As you are both mah witnesses. Ah swear to you, that this is the honest truth."

"So if I were to put both you and Mr. Pells under a truth spell your answer would remain the same?"

"It would," Applejack assured.

"So be it," Luna said, she nodded at a guard to call the stallion in. When he came up, Luna began explaining. "I have heard both stories and both of which are drastically different. So I am going to place you both under the truth spell. You will not be aware so it is completely normal to come out of it, not knowing what was said or done." The stallion looked around nervously as Luna's horn took on a teal aura that engulfed both ponies, once it dissipated both ponies had a teal sheen over them.

Luna walked over to Applejack and asked about the train brawl once again. She repeated her last answer, just as she claimed she would. Something felt off though. Applejack looked over to the stallion when Luna asked him how it happened. His answer went along with Applejack's, though worded a bit differently she noticed. 'o'course, now ah know what's wrong here. Ah thought Luna said ah wouldn't be aware of what ah was doin'... so how come ah am?'

"Thank you for your honesty," Luna said releasing the spell. Luna walked over to the stallion, "Mr. Pells, you have brought shame to your family name. I cannot send you back home for we need the troops, but this will affect what you do. As for you Miss Apple, you will get kitchen duty for a week once you are forwarded to the base.” Applejack nodded, at least it wasn’t a year.

"What?! What did I do!" The stallion exclaimed, jumping up with his jaw agape.

"Ya admitted to it ya low-life liar!" Applejack spat.

The stallion hung his head and walked out of the throne room. As he walked out, Celestia, Shining Armor, and Twilight walked in. "What was all that about Luna?" Celestia asked.

"There was a fight on the train between him and this mare here. There was no honor to be had in that fight, as Mr. Pells decided to provoke it with threats," Luna explained.

"Really?" Twilight asked. She was a Lavender unicorn with a pencil crossed with a wrench in front of a gear for a cutie mark. The pencil was blue-violet and the gear was deep grey. The wrench looked like any other one... silver.

"Yes, really. You may leave now Miss Apple," Luna said.

"Uh sure, but can ah ask ya somthin' first?" Applejack asked with a confused gaze.

Luna raised an eyebrow before responding. "What is it?"

"Well, uh, ah could hear and remember when ah was under the truth spell. The only thing ah couldn't control was what ah said, but that stallion acted like he couldn't remember a thing."

The four ponies looked shocked and their jaws' almost literally hit the floor. "How? You were under Luna's spell!" Twilight exclaimed.

"Ah ain’t sure," Applejack replied honestly.

"Well, I will look into it." Luna said finally recovering from the shock. "Twilight, could you please escort Miss Apple to one of the guest accommodations. Miss Apple, someone will come to get you when dinner is ready, your evaluation is tomorrow."

"Sure Luna," Twilight said leading Applejack through the doors and into the massive hallway. "Right this way Miss Apple," Twilight said, turning a corner.

"Ah shoot, ya can drop the Miss Apple stuff, just call me Applejack,” she said.

"Alright, Applejack, then you can call me Twilight."

"Say, why was everypony actin' all surprised that ah still had control of mah thoughts under that spell?"

"Well, only one other pony ever had a strong enough mind to be aware while under that."

"And who might that be?" Applejack asked curiously.

"Princess Celestia, not even I'm aware while under that spell."

Now it was Applejack's turn to be surprised. "Are you sayin' the only other pony in all of Equestria that is able to still have some control is Princess Celestia herself!?"

"Exactly," Twilight said as they rounded another corner.

"That makes no sense, what-so-ever."

"You’re right, it doesn't. Maybe it's nothing."

"Ah hope your right, somethin' doesn't feel right about this."

"We're here!" Twilight said as they stood in front of the door to a guest room. She opened the door using her magic, the door beaming in a reddish pink aura as it opened to reveal a simple room. There were two bunk beds, one on either side of the room. There was also a small door leading to a bathroom in another corner. Three mares were already in the room, fighting over who got which bunk.

“I am not sleeping on the top, you hear me?”

“Then take the bottom!”

“No way! You snore!”

“Then go sleep on the other bed!”

“Fine! Livy, take the top.”

“Alright, alright,” a white pegasus said as she grabbed her bag and flung it on the top bunk. The other mare slammed her bags on the bed in a way that said, ‘this is my bunk and don’t come near it’.

“Hey, I know you, you’re the mare that got into a fight with that stallion.”

“Yup, that bozo needed tah shut up.”

“So, what’s your punishment?”

“Ah’m on kitchen duty fer a week.”

The white pegasus nodded, “That’s not bad, well I’m gonna sleep before dinner because I don’t know about you guys, but I’m tired. Oh, I’m Sky Wishes by the way, what’s your name?”

" Ah’m Applejack, ah guess ah could take a nap to, ain't got much else to do." Applejack noticed that her bag had been brought in already and checked through it quickly to make sure everything was there. Nothing was missing. Applejack remembered that she had not had a bath in a while. She had been busy trying to make up Mac's share of the work and most nights she would stay out late, come back and eat a cold dinner, then sleep. Applejack had been to exhausted every night to bother with a shower so she opted on taking one now.

Applejack walked into the bathroom and took a nice hot shower. When she got out and dried off everyone was already asleep. She nodded and grabbed her duffle bag throwing it onto the top bunk with ease before climbing the ladder to the top and falling asleep.

Applejack woke up to a knock on the door. "Come in!" She said getting up. The other girls woke up to and the door opened with Twilight standing in it.

"Dinner's ready," she said, patiently waiting as the girls jumped off the beds.

"Alright, let's go." Applejack said as they walked to the door.

The girls, Applejack and Twilight walked through the large halls and talked until they reached the dining hall. A bunch of tables were set up around the large room and everypony was sitting at tables waiting for their meals. Applejack looked around for Fluttershy and Lightning Shield until she saw them at a table near the center. She walked over and sat down with them and Twilight went to sit with the princesses and Shining Armor. "Hey Applejack, how did it go?" Lightning Shield asked.

"It went alright," Applejack said, recounting everything that happened and leaving out the part where she had some resistance to Luna's spell.

"Well, all's well that ends well," Fluttershy said as meals were placed in front of the three ponies. They all thanked the server mare as she turned away to bring somepony else their dinner. She did of course flash a quick smile that didn't go unnoticed by the concerned group.

"Bet it has been a while since she heard those words." Lightning Shield said as he began to shovel the plate's contents into his mouth.

Applejack laughed. "Ah bet it has; not a whole lot of ponies think about little things like that." She picked up her fork and began to eat her meal. "This is good," Applejack stated after swallowing a mouthful of mashed potatoes.

"Oh yes, it's delicious." Fluttershy nodded. She was stabbing some salad with her fork and taking small bites out of it.

After a few minutes, Twilight walked over with her plate of food. "Mind if I join you?"

"No problem," Applejack answered. She tapped the empty space next to her for Twilight to come sit. "So, why are ya here?"

"My brother, Shining Armor asked me to let them talk in private. I'm sure it's nothing though." Applejack and Fluttershy stared at Twilight with shocked expressions on their face. Lightning Shield dropped his fork onto his plate and his jaw dropped to the floor. Twilight looked at the three dumbstruck ponies curiously, "What? Is there something on my face?"

Lightning Shield cleared his throat. "Captain Shining Armor, the Captain Shining Armor? The most important figure in the military aside from Princess Luna herself; is your brother?!"

"Ya, why is that... oh," Twilight laughed, "whoops, I forgot that it might sound surprising. He's just like any other pony to me I guess, sometimes I forget how important he is in the eyes of the country. Don't treat me like I'm above you though ok? I hate it when ponies do that."

"If you say so." Applejack answered finally finding her voice and taking another bite of her dinner.

"So, do any of you have family in the military?" Twilight asked.

"My uncle left to join last year." Lighting Shield said.

"I have a cousin that went and became a field medic." Fluttershy answered quietly as she took another bite of her food.

"Mah pa left to join when ah was a filly only 'bout four years old." Applejack answered proudly. As much as she missed her dad she couldn't help but swell with pride when she talked about him.

"Wow, that's a long time, what's his name? Maybe I know him," Twilight answered as she held a dinner roll.

"His name is Cortland, Cortland Apple. You heard of him?" Applejack asked somewhat interested in knowing if she knew him.

"Cortland Apple? He's really your dad!" Now it was Twilight's turn to be surprised.

"Well yeah, so you've heard of him ah take it?"

"Heard of him? Applejack, he is stationed in the same base as me. He's one of their best soldiers. I knew there was something familiar about you, you look a lot like him. You have the same eyes and your coats are quite similar. He has a red mane though." Twilight described Applejack's dad perfectly.

"Wow Applejack, I didn't know your dad was that good," Fluttershy said.

"Me neither. Ah knew he was good and all, but that good?" Applejack couldn't help but be surprised at how well a higher up knew her pa so well.

"Talking about Cortland Apple huh?" There was another voice behind the four ponies and they turned to see Shining Armor behind them.

"Yeah, this is his daughter Shining." Twilight said pointing at the orange farm mare.

"His daughter huh? Well she definitely looks the part. Are you here to be a field medic?" Shining Armor asked Applejack.

"No, ah'm comin' tah fight. As far as ma medical prowess goes, the most ah can do is keep ya from bleedin' to much before a real medic can look at ya." Applejack answered with a chuckle.

"Well it makes sense, your dad definitely set standards I expect you to be able to live up to if you're becoming a soldier though."

"Better be prepared then because ah plan tah give it mah all at the evaluation."

"Good, I will hold you to it to," Shining Armor said as he turned around. "Good luck,Also you can come back now Twily."

"Nah, I want to stay here." Twilight answered as she took another bite of her meal. "I'm having fun."

"Alright." With that shining Armor walked back over to his table.

The four ponies finished their meal and talked until the plates were taken away and everypony was dismissed to their rooms. When Applejack entered her room, she walked over to the bunk and opted to get a good night's sleep as it would probably her last truly restful night for a while. Once again the other girls were already asleep.

Luna was pacing around the throne room and mumbling to herself.

"Are you absolutely certain about it Lulu?" Celestia asked.

"No, It's just a hunch but how else could she have been able to resist the spell as much as she did? The only pony I've known to be able to be fully aware while under that spell is you Tia. It's the only explanation I have right now." Luna was still pacing around when Celestia put a hoof on her shoulder.

"How about you take a seat before you wear a groove into the tiles Lulu." Celestia said when Luna stopped pacing to look at her sister.

Luna and Celestia took a seat on their thrones and began talking once more. "What do you think Tia?"

"I think this mare is somepony to definitely keep an eye on, but if I'm correct then that's not the only thing you're talking about."

"Then you'd be right, there is only one reason that somepony like this would show up in our midst so suddenly."

"And what would this something be Luna?"

Luna sighed, "This war is about to get a whole lot uglier."

"How much uglier?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but I can guarantee you that what it is now will seem like a mere taste of what it will really become when it does."

"So you truly believe that one of them has returned in the form of that orange mare?"

Luna was quiet for minute. "I do," she finally said.

Celestia sat back with a solemn expression on her face. "I find this hard to believe, but if you're completely sure then I think you will agree when I say we should keep an eye on her."

"Indeed, I can assure you that Miss Apple has no idea what she is."

"Do you think there are others?" Celestia asked.

"No doubt about it, if there is one there are usually two more. Who they are though I have absolutely no idea."

Proofread by CowgirlVK