Unquenchable Fire

Commitment

Granny Smith,

After thinking this over all night, I feel it is my duty to inform you that I am enlisting in the Equestrian Infantry. After hearing Twilight’s broadcast and what happened to Manehatten, I know that I cannot sit and watch as Equestria burns. I have a duty to this country, and that duty is to fight, and if necessary, die. I hope you will respect my decision. I’ll be back as soon as I can to talk this over with you. In the meantime, I give you all my love. Don’t worry about me. I will be fine.

Love,

Applejack

Applejack set the note she’d written on her kitchen table. With luck, Granny Smith and the rest of the family would see it when they woke up for breakfast. It wasn’t much- just a short letter explaining where she’d gone. Applejack poured herself a glass of apple juice and began devouring a cold pancake. She’d need something in her stomach today.

“Mornin’ little sis, you’re up early.”

Applejack looked up to see Big Macintosh standing at the head of the table. She’d never heard him coming. For such a big pony, he could be surprisingly quiet.

“Mornin’ Macintosh,” she said curtly. “Ah’d say the same to you.”

Big Mac saw the note on the table and scooped it up, silently reading it to himself. Applejack felt a chill course through her body. Big Mac was never supposed to read the note, and now here he was reading it right in front of her! She watched nervously as his eyes narrowed. Finally, he set the note back down and silently glared off into space. Desperately, Applejack tried to break the silence.

“You know ah have to-“

“Eenope.”

“Ah wanna do what’s right for mah country!”

Big Mac sighed. “Applejack,” he began, and his sister immediately listened. He didn’t use her full name often, and when he did, he had something important to say. “This is war. This ain’t like buckin’ apples in the fields. Ponies die, and if you go, you could easily be one of ‘em.”

“Ah know that, Macintosh,” Applejack said, “but dangnabbit, can’t you see that this is mah decision? Ah know the risks, but if ah don’t do anythin’ ah won’t be able to live with mahself.”

“And what about the family, huh?” Big Mac continued. “What happens if we both go to war and die? You’ll leave Granny Smith with Applebloom, and ah can guarantee that neither will be able to cope.”

“So you’re volunteerin’ too?” Applejack said to her brother, raising an eyebrow.

“Eeyup.”

“Then how dare you question mah decision,” Applejack growled. “Ah have just as much a right as you do to sign up. Truth be told, ah don’t care what you say. I’m joinin’ today, and that’s final.”

Big Mac cast his eyes down and was silent. Finally, after a long pause, he spoke softly. “Sis, ah can’t make your decisions for you, but if you do this, you need to promise me something.”

“Anything,” Applejack said, “you know ah’d do that for you.”

Big Mac stepped towards his sister and extended his front two hooves two her, standing on his back legs. “Take mah hooves,” he said to his sister. Confused, Applejack stood and did so. “Sis, this is a solemn promise from me to you, and you to me that we will watch out fer each other in the days ta come. If one of us should… if one of us should fall, the other must not hesitate ta come right back here and bring the news. Understood?”

“Ah understand,” Applejack said. “I would have done no less either way.”

Big Macintosh released his sister’s hooves and dropped back to the floor, looking at his sister. It was apparent to him now just how much she’d grown up. He could still remember the day when she was a little filly. A part of him laughed inside as he fondly remembered teaching her to buck apples. He’d set her up with a sapling that had gone bad, and was of no further use to the family, believing the little tree to be a suitable challenge for her. Applejack had surprised him by not only kicking it over, but snapping the small trunk cleanly in half. She’d bawled for nearly an hour after, worried that somepony would be mad at her for destroying the tree. She couldn’t have been more wrong. The entire family had been proud of her, Big Mac most of all. Now when he looked at her, he could still see the filly she had been, but something more was present as well. That filly was grown-up now, and ready to take on the world, and he knew then that he had no right to stop her.

“Come on, sis,” Macintosh said, grabbing a saddlebag for each of them, “the recruiting stations open in an hour, and we don’t want ta be late.”

Applejack smiled as she secured her bag. “Now that’s the Big Macintosh ah always knew!”

…

Fluttershy cringed as ponies brushed past her. She’d never been one to like large gatherings, and this was easily the mother of all crowds. When she’d heard Twilight Sparkle’s radio announcement, part of her had instantly been filled with the desire to help- to do anything she could to preserve harmony in Equestria. That small voice, however, was almost completely stifled by her age-old fear of… nearly everything. She’d had a rather heartfelt (and considerably one-sided- at least, grammatically) conversation with Angel Bunny about joining the military, which she knew immediately her friends would try. She didn’t want any part of killing- she simply wasn’t capable of the task. It was this realization that led her to her final conclusion. She would serve in the medical corps. As a medic, she could help to ease suffering and heal others, relieving pain instead of causing it. Happy with her decision, she’d set out early in the morning to sign up. Fear, however, was a formidable foe, and it had taken Fluttershy almost three hours to walk to town, and another fifteen minutes just to work up the courage to get in line. As it was, she was still having her doubts.

Ahead of her, Fluttershy could see Applejack and Big Macintosh. She considered calling out to them, but decided against it. Yelling, she felt, would bring too much attention to herself. Instead, she decided to see how many of her other friends she could spot in line. Squinting, she saw Rainbow Dash approaching, and Mecha as well. She turned her head to check behind her… and was immediately confronted with Pinkie Pie.

“Hiya!” the pink Earth Pony said cheerfully, “isn’t is a great day to have a battle?”

“Pinkie,” Fluttershy said softly, “there won’t be a battle today. We’re just signing up. And I’m not even planning on fighting. I’m going to sign up with the medical corps. What are you here for?”

“Well the Navy, duh,” Pinke said, leaping up into the air. “It’s gonna be awesome! I’ll sail the seven seas, swashbuckling all the way!”

“Pinkie, I’m not sure that’s what-“

“And we can all wear eyepatches and say ‘arr, matey’ and hey look! It’s Nimbus!”

Fluttershy looked up just in time to see her orange Pegasus friend swoop overhead, headed for the town hall. He seemed preoccupied, so she didn’t bother saying hello.

“Anyway, where was I?” Pinkie continued. “Oh yes. I’ll be living the life out on the ocean! Maybe I’ll even see a whale!”

Fluttershy settled in as Pinke continued her ramblings. The line to the town hall would be long, but at least she wouldn’t be bored…

…

Twilight Sparkle stepped into the Canterlot throne room, where Princess Luna was sitting on the throne. The regal guardian of the night looked up as Twilight entered.

“Twilight Sparkle… we told thou to sleep today, for thou had a very long night last night. Why art thou awake?”

“Just something I realized, I guess,” Twilight said, yawning. Luna said nothing. Instead, she simply looked at Twilight, urging her to go on.

“I’ve been here in Canterlot for a while now,” the purple Unicorn said, “and I think I need to make an appearance in Ponyville today, to boost morale.”

Luna looked up at the ceiling, deep in thought. “Thou have a good point. Today is the day of recruitment, and seeing one of Equestria’s leaders present at the town hall, especially one who was a resident of said town, may prove effective in lifting everypony’s spirits. When we searched the dreams of ponies across Equestria last night, we found nothing but fear and despair. We must have a foundation for hope. Thou are that foundation, Twilight Sparkle.”

“I hope so,” Twilight said, “I’ll do everything in my power to encourage those I see.” She turned to leave, then stopped. “Princess?”

“Yes?”

Twilight cast her eyes down, suddenly realizing what she was about to do. Luna hadn’t slept at all the previous day, and if she left for Ponyville, the Princess would be forced to go another day without slumber. “Are you sure I can leave for the day? You haven’t slept much at all, and you need to be as well-rested as me.”

Luna waved Twilight away. “Now now, ‘tis nothing to be concerned about, Twilight Sparkle. Go forth and inspire thine companions. We must all do our part!”

Twilight nodded graciously, then ducked out the throne room doors, bolting for the train. If she was quick enough, she would be able to arrive on the noon train. She dashed through the palace and raced through the streets, bolting for the station. As she rounded the final corner, she could hear the train’s whistle. She was too late! As she watched, the train began to shudder out of the station. Twilight was about to give up hope, when she found herself standing back up.

“You can catch this train, Twilight,” she said through gritted teeth. “Let’s do this!”

Twilight set off, running at breakneck pace to catch the train. As the locomotive began to pick up speed, Twilight found it progressively harder to keep up. Nevertheless, she soon found herself alongside the train. In front of her, a door opened.

“Ma’am?” a conductor said, poking his head out of the door, “may I help you with something?”

“Yes,” Twilight gasped, running at full speed now. “I need to get on this train! I’m Twilight Sparkle, and I have to-“

“Say no more!” the conductor said, grinning and extending a hoof to Twilight, “anything for Equestrian Royalty!”

Twilight grabbed his hoof, and the pony pulled her inside the train, closing the door behind her. Twilight stood, panting slowly.

“Equestrian Royalty?” she said to the conductor, “what did you mean by that?”

The conductor looked surprised. “You are the honorable Ms. Twilight Sparkle, right? The one who succeeded Princess Celestia?”

“Oh, right…” Twilight said, taking a seat. “I suppose I forgot about that. Thank you for pulling me in.”

“No trouble at all, ma’am. Just let me know if there’s ever anything else you need me to do.”

As the conductor walked away, Twilight felt strange, almost uneasy. It was odd to be treated with such… courtesy. She was used to ponies being polite to her, of course, but this was something else entirely. She’d never met this pony in her life, and already he’d seemed indebted to her. Twilight sighed. Royalty was going to take a lot of getting used to.

…

Applejack stepped out of the town hall, completely exhausted. Physical labor had never been a problem for her, but paperwork… that was something else entirely. She’d never expected to have to sign so many forms just to join the military. Sighing, she put the forms into her saddlebag, with one exception. She kept out a small manila envelope- her orders. She’d decided to wait until her brother arrived to read them. Behind her, she saw Rainbow Dash exit the hall.

“Hey, Dash,” Applejack said, nodding.

“What’s up, Applejack?” Rainbow Dash said excitedly. “I just signed up to compete for a slot in Ponyville’s EAF squadron! It’s supposed to be made up of the best!”

“That so?” Applejack said. “Well, ah hope ya make it. Ah’m waitin’ on mah brother to come out before ah check mah orders.”

Rainbow nodded. “Sounds like a good plan. Did you hear about Pinkie?”

Applejack shook her head, prompting Rainbow Dash to go on.

“Apparently she joined up with the Equestrian Navy. She’s already on the fast track- something about her Pinkie Sense and how valuable it might be- anyway, she might go to war captaining a ship! Wouldn’t that be crazy?”

Applejack nodded, “yeah, ah guess it would.” She looked down at the envelope in her hooves again, anxious to open it.

“Well anyway,” Dash said, “I’m supposed to report to a training site north of town in about three hours. I’ll see ya later!”

Applejack waved as her friend took off, arcing over town and heading north. She was glad to see that Rainbow Dash was happy. Going off to war was hard enough already. To kill time, Applejack wandered over to the front of the town hall again to check out the line. It was even longer now, stretching through the center of town like a massive snake. The sight filled Applejack with pride. If so many ponies were willing to risk everything for this land, she’d made the right choice.

“Hey, AJ!”

Applejack turned around just in time to see her brother trotting up to her, holding an envelope like hers between his teeth.

“Mac, how’d it go?”

Big Mac grinned sheepishly. “Well, ah may have busted the buck strength scale…”

Applejack laughed, recalling her own experiences. She’d broken the scale too, which was essentially a measure of strength. The examiner had never seen anything like it before.

“Yeah, ah’d have to confess ah did the same,” Applejack said when her laughter died down. Brandishing her envelope, she said “ready ta find out what happens to us?”

“Eeyup,” Big Mac said, tearing open the top of his envelope and lifting out his orders. The two ponies read in silence for a few moments, then stopped and looked at each other.

“Well,” Applejack said, “you first.”

Big Mac sighed. “Ah’ve been assigned to the 225th Infantry Battalion.”

Applejack’s eyes went wide and she began to stammer. “Y- y- you said the 225th, right?” Big Mac nodded and Applejack jumped into the air, whooping. “Ah’m headed into the 225th, too! We’ll be stationed together! Yeehaw!”

Big Macintosh smiled as his little sister jumped onto him, latching on in a big hug. Though he remained calm outwardly, he praised whatever benevolent twist of fate had just affected them. He couldn’t have asked for things to turn out any better.

“It says we have to report to the Ponyville sports field later today,” Big Macintosh said when his sister finally released him. “What say we go get some food before headin’ over?”

“Fine by me,” Applejack said as the two walked away, heading into the center of town. “But you know now we’ll have to see which of us gets promoted first. Sibling competition and all…”

…

Rainbow Dash streaked across the sky. Ahead, she could see a large, flat, squared-off patch of land with what looked like several wooden obstacles set up around it. Nopony else was there, so she dipped her wings and descended, coming in for a smooth landing in the middle of the field.

“I’m in the right place, right?” she mumbled to herself. The place was utterly deserted. Deciding to go ahead and wait, Dash trotted over to one of the obstacles- a large, wooden, inverted “v.” There appeared to be log steps on each leg of the “v,” and Dash could only assume the steps were meant to be climbed.

“Please,” she scoffed, looking around at the course, “any self-respecting Pegasus could complete this course in half a minute without touching the ground.”

“Recruit!”

A sharp voice startled Rainbow Dash out of her thoughts and she whipped around. A gold Pegasus was standing behind her, glaring. Rainbow Dash instantly recognized her as Spitfire, co-leader of the Wonderbolts. Spitfire was quite surprised to see Dash, but didn’t let her thoughts show.

“Recruit,” she said again, “why are you here early? Why are you not with your fellow recruits?”

“Ma’am, I… I…”

“That is not the proper response!” Spitfire yelled, “if you do not have a satisfactory answer for me, then your response will always be ‘no excuse, ma’am,’ is that understood?!”

“Yes, ma’am!” Rainbow Dash said, snapping to attention. When she’d attended the Wonderbolt Academy, which had been a week-long program, she’d seen firsthoof what Spitfire was capable of. But here, it seemed she’d taken her intensity up a few extra notches. Spitfire trotted over to her and began pacing in front of her.

“If you think for a moment that this is anything like the Wonderbolt Academy, you will not survive the rest of today or tomorrow. This is nothing like anything you’ve ever experienced. You will always obey your commanding officer when he arrives, and you will never accept the standard as your limit. That is exactly how not to land yourself a spot on this team.”

Spitfire sighed and dropped her voice down from a yell, looking Dash in the eyes. “Between you and me, I know you’re capable of performing here, but you need to prove that to your commander. Don’t think for a moment that your natural talents will make this easy. He’s going to be looking for teamwork, not individualism. If somepony’s struggling, I’m going to expect you to help him or her out, got it?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Dash said, relaxing somewhat.

“Good,” Spitfire said, “may I see your orders?”

Rainbow Dash handed her orders slip to Spitfire, who looked them over. “Everything seems to be in order here, but I’d suggest you leave and wait for the rest of your fellow recruits to arrive. You don’t want to be the only one here when… he… shows up.”

“Understood, ma’am,” Rainbow Dash said, turning smartly on her rear hooves and taking off. As she looked back at the fields, she realized that for the first time in a while, she was actually nervous. She didn’t know who her commander was going to be, but from the sound of things, he was going to be one tough cookie.

“Cookies…” Dash said to herself, “now I’m hungry!” And with that, she turned and headed for town, ready to indulge in some lunch.

…

Twilight Sparkle stepped off the train, taking in the sights of her hometown. She’d only been gone for a few days, but it felt like it’d been years since she’d set hoof in Ponyville. She thanked her courteous conductor and headed for the town hall, where she knew the latest recruits would be gathering. As she made her way out of the train station, she noticed Rarity finishing up a conversation with another, blue Unicorn. When Rarity saw Twilight, she nodded to her companion who smiled, nodded back, and left. Rarity then sauntered over to Twilight.

“Twilight, dearest, I’m so glad you could come today!”

Twilight smiled as she kept on her course, trotting alongside Rarity. “Me too. I hope me being here helps lift spirits a little. Princess Luna told me that morale across Equestria’s pretty low right now.”

Rarity nodded, waving to a few passersby. “Well you’ll be pleased to note that I recently wrapped up a business agreement to turn textile and uniform production in Ponyville over to me. I’m expecting to double output speed and quality.”

Twilight laughed, “just don’t get too carried away. These are uniforms, not fashion statements.”

Rarity stopped, much to Twilight’s surprise, looked around, and lowered her voice. “Twilight,” she said, “I spoke to Nimbus last night. Have you given any thought about what you’ll say if you meet him?”

Twilight frowned. “I honestly don’t know. I guess I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.” The two turned up the street, in the direction of Sugarcube corner.

“Hey!” Twilight said, pointing towards the large, pink building, “there’s Applejack, Big Macintosh, and Rainbow Dash heading into Sugarcube corner! Let’s see if we can catch up to them for lunch!”

“That sounds marvelous,” Rarity said, nodding. “Let’s go!”

Applejack looked up to the sound of approaching hooves. She and her brother had been about to step inside with Rainbow Dash to enjoy some lunch. She hadn’t been expecting Twilight, of all ponies, to turn up here with Rarity.

“Twilight, what’re ya doin’ here?” she asked as the purple Unicorn approached.

“I’m trying to raise morale a bit by making an appearance,” Twilight replied, stopping in front of Applejack, “and I was wondering if Rarity and I could join you for some lunch.”

“Sure!” Rainbow Dash said, swooping down and patting Twilight on the back. “We all figured you’d get fed up with Canterlot soon anyway!”

As they trotted inside, Twilight could smell the delicious, warm scent of a freshly-baked pie. Unable to help herself, she headed over to the counter, where Mrs. Cake emerged from the kitchen.

“I should’ve known that pie would draw customers,” Mrs. Cake chuckled. “How may I help you today?”

“Ah think we’ll all split a lunch platter,” Applejack said, coming up behind Twilight. “What do y’all think? Would that be fine?”

“Sounds good to me,” Twilight said. “I’m starving.”

Mrs. Cake smiled and trotted off into the kitchen. “Then I’ll make sure to bring it out on the double!”

Twilight turned and took a seat at a nearby table. Her friends filled in the other chairs next to her. It all felt surreal. Just hours ago, she was in Canterlot, trying to stabilize the nation. Now here she was, talking to her friends like nothing had happened.

It wasn’t long before Applejack took note of her friend’s bleary eyes and sagging shoulders. She was clearly sleep-deprived, and Applejack knew that a sleep-deprived Twilight Sparkle could be a dangerous thing.

“You alright, sugarcube?” Applejack asked Twilight suddenly. The purple Unicorn was gazing off into space, resting her face on her hoof. When she didn’t respond, Applejack raised her voice. “Twi, are you okay?”

“Huh?” Twilight said, sitting up and shaking her head. She blushed. The last thing everypony needed to see was her falling apart from fatigue.

“Ah asked if you were okay,” Applejack repeated. Twilight rubbed her eyes and sighed.

“Yeah, I’m fine, I guess. Just really tired. I spent all of last night modifying our military to deal with this new threat.”

“How so?” Big Macintosh asked.

“Long story,” Twilight said, “but here’s the quick version. Our military is made up of guard units, and a few scattered Army and Air Force units. Our Navy is made up of three ships, for Celestia’s sake! The point is- we’ve never needed a large military before. Now that we suddenly need one, I’ve found myself doing a lot of reorganizing and budget-shifting. We need to grow, and we need to do it fast. Most importantly, we need to get units out to the areas surrounding Manehatten, to keep the Changelings from spreading.”

“Well, it seems there are a lot of ponies ready to step up and join,” Applejack said.

“That’s good to know,” Twilight replied. “I-“ she was cut off as the lunch platter arrived. Twilight set to work passing out plates as Mrs. Cake placed the food on the table. When she was done, Mrs. Cake turned to Twilight.

“Anything else you want?”

Twilight smiled and shook her head. “I think that’s all we need. Thanks.” As she turned back to the food, none other than Mecha strode through the door. Upon spotting Twilight, he hurried over to her.

“Twilight! Just the mare I wanted to see. I’d like to talk to you about reenlisting.”

“Reenlisting?” Twilight said, “that’s great! Scouts, I assume?”

Mecha simply looked at Twilight with a deadpan expression, which more than answered her question.

“Scouts it is, then,” Twilight said. “Let’s see… “ she took a notepad out of her saddlebag and began jotting down something. “Okay, we’re forming up a scouting unit right now, actually, and it needs a Non-Commissioned Officer. Are you interested?”

Mecha raised an eyebrow. “Interested? You bet I am.”

“Alright…” Twilight kept her quill moving over the pad. “So that’ll be the 13th Scouting Division, Army Special Forces…”

“Excuse me?” Mecha said, poking his head over Twilight’s shoulder, “I requested the scouts, not the Army.”

Twilight stared blankly at Mecha. “The scouts are no longer their own division. Since they’ve always been a relatively small group, I’ve incorporated them into our Army Special Operations branch.”

The look Mecha was shooting Twilight could have easily roasted a marshmallow, but the mare stood her ground. “Look, I know things aren’t the same as how they were when you were in, but trust me- this is for the better.”

Mecha shook his head. “Fine,” he said grudgingly, “we do it your way. Where am I reporting to?”

“Well, we need to bring the scouts in your unit to Ponyville, but until then, we need a drill sergeant to run some of the training here in Ponyville for the Infantry.”

“And you want me to do this?” Mecha laughed. “You know what, Sparkle? You may have just made my day.” He winked at Applejack and Big Macintosh. “I suppose I’ll see you two later!”

Applejack gulped. Big Mac remained silent, but he knew what Mecha was capable of. Things were about to get much more difficult around here. Twilight tore off the sheet she’d been writing on and gave it to Mecha.

“Those are your orders,” she said. “If all goes well, I may need you tomorrow night.”

“Fair enough,” Mecha said, stepping back towards the door. “I’ll go get ready for later, then. Goodbye!”

Twilight waved as Mecha exited the door, then she looked at her friends. “Well, Applejack, Big Mac, and Rainbow Dash, I guess I can’t keep you from your training. Good luck today and hold out. Equestria needs you. I’m going to go try to find Spike. I’ll be taking him back to Canterlot with me.”

“Alright,” Applejack said, looking at a wall clock. Twilight was right. Her reporting time was approaching. The ponies stood and exited the building, each going their separate ways, and each wondering what was in store for them in the next few hours.

…

Rainbow Dash returned to the large field right on time, joining the small group of Pegasi already there and landing in front of Spitfire, who was waiting silently. The Pegasus had changed into an olive green flight suit, and was wearing dark aviator glasses. She had a deadly air about her, like a snake about to strike. Dash tried her best to ignore this, and stood, waiting for something to happen. Beside her, a pony standing at rigid attention twitched slightly, and Spitfire’s head turned slightly, staring him straight in the eyes. She said nothing, but her actions immediately locked the pony up, and as far as Dash could see, he didn’t dare move again.

“Squadron, tench-hut!” Spitfire barked. Rainbow Dash, already at attention, stiffened her body even more as a shadow passed overhead. She didn’t dare move her eyes, and therefore didn’t see who had just arrived until he touched down in front of Spitfire. Needless to say, when she finally noticed who it was, she almost broke attention in surprise.

The Squadron Commander was none other than Nimbus.

Like Spitfire, he was in a flight suit and wore dark aviator glasses. He trotted up to the gold Pegasus and saluted sharply.

“Ma’am, Captain Nimbus requests permission to take command of the squadron.”

Spitfire saluted back. “Permission granted.” She dropped her salute and Nimbus followed suit, taking her place in front of the recruits. He sized them up silently, and Dash could almost feel his icy gaze. Finally, he spoke.

“You’ve already failed,” he growled. “I count eleven of you, and there are supposed to be twelve. Where is your twelfth member?!”

A few ponies looked around. This was their first mistake.

“Stop moving!” Nimbus yelled. “You are at the position of attention! Everyone down in the wing-up* position! You will wait there until your teammate arrives.”

Dash placed her wingtips on the ground and lifted her front hooves clear, supporting her body weight with her wings. Who was the late recruit? Why was she late? Already she was gritting her teeth in pain and frustration. Fortunately, she didn’t have long before Nimbus acted again.

“You!” she heard him yell, “get over here! Move! Faster! Your teammates are suffering because of you! Get in the wing-up position now!”

Dash heard somepony hit the ground beside her and she risked moving her head slightly to see who it was. When she did, she got her second shock of the day. The recruit next to her was none other than Lightning Dust, her old wingpony from the Wonderbolt Academy. Today was shaping up to be full of surprises, it seemed.

“Everypony on your hooves!” Nimbus called out. Rainbow Dash straightened up, wings numb. She instantly froze. Nimbus was making a beeline straight for her. The orange Pegasus stopped just a few inches shy of her nose.

“Are you prepared for this? Because I don’t see preparedness in front of me.”

“Yes sir!” Dash replied.

“We’ll see,” Nimbus said as he turned and headed back to the front of the formation.

“Arrogant prick,” Lightning Dust whispered. Dash cringed as Nimbus froze and slowly turned back around.

“What did you call me?” he said to Lightning Dust, “and don’t try lying. I’ll know.”

“I called you an arrogant prick, sir,” Lightning Dust said boldly. Rainbow Dash almost fainted then and there.

“That so?” Nimbus mused. “Well I guess I should always heed the advice of a graduate from the Wonderbolt Academy…” he cocked an eyebrow at the Pegasus in front of him. “Actually, now that I think about it, you never even made it through that, did you? Your paperwork says you were forced out.”

Without even looking, Rainbow Dash could practically feel Lightning Dust’s resolve slipping away.

“Let me share a little fun fact with you,” Nimbus continued, “Lieutenant Colonel Spitfire, my overseer for today, actually graduated from the Equestrian Air Force Academy before she became a Wonderbolt. She and I both know that the Wonderbolt Academy turns out some of Equestria’s most talented fliers, but we’ll also be the first to tell you that fancy tricks mean nothing when you’ve lost a wing and are plummeting to the ground. You all signed up to fight, and if I haven’t made that clear enough yet, I’m about to.”

Nimbus trotted up to Rainbow Dash and eyed her. “You’ve been uncharacteristically quiet,” he said. “Good thing, too. You know what you’ve just done, Rainbow Dash?”

Rainbow Dash shook her head, eyes wide. “No, sir.”

“You’ve just become a volunteer,” Nimbus stated. He pointed a hoof towards the start of the obstacle course. “Get over there, everypony! I’ll explain what happens next after you give me fifty wing-ups!”

…

Applejack and Big Macintosh stood in a rough formation of around thirty ponies. Everypony was wearing woodland camouflage fatigues, and was visibly nervous. They’d been chewed out for the past half hour by a burly tan Earth Pony as they inprocessed. Now they were waiting for their Drill Sergeant to arrive. Only Applejack and Big Macintosh had any inkling of what was to come.

They almost didn’t see him at first. He arrived in Applejack’s peripheral vision as silently as a whisper, causing her to jump slightly. He took note of this and continued inspecting the ranks until he reached the front of the formation. The pony in question was Mecha, resplendent in the same fatigues as everypony else. After a few more moments, he spoke up, yelling sharply.

“Pathetic! Clearly you never learned anything about straight lines! This entire formation is crooked. Add that to the fact that half of you are slouching and all I see in front of me is a pile of manure! This couldn’t possibly be a battalion. This couldn’t possibly be the mighty 225th, could it? Such ponies would carry themselves with pride, unlike this sad sight in front of me.” Mecha turned to a pony in front of him, petrified with fear. “You there! What battalion is this?”

“Th-th- the 225th, sir,” the pony stammered.

“You’re kidding me!” Mecha yelled in his face. “You must be lying to me. Do I look like a pony that takes lies well?”

“N- no sir!”

“Then answer my question. What battalion is this?!”

“The 225th, sir!” the pony yelled back.

“I see,” Mecha said quietly. “Clearly I set my standards for you too high, but guess what? Those standards are not going to change anytime soon! If you really are the 225th, then get down in the push-up position and prove it to me!”

Applejack and Big Macintosh readied themselves.

“My cadence!” Mecha yelled, “Down, up, down, up…!”

Beads of sweat broke out on Applejack’s forehead as Mecha kept going. They were at twenty, thirty, forty… the world began to blur and Applejack’s breath came in short, painful bursts. Finally, as she felt her lungs were about to give in, Mecha stood up again.

“Terrible effort, everypony on your hooves!”

Applejack stood shakily as Mecha glared at her and the rest of the battalion. He didn’t say anything for a moment, just stood and stared. “Right,” Mecha said finally, “it’s time to prepare your fundamental battle skills.”

Applejack’s heart skipped a beat. Were they about to begin weapons training? She listened intently for what Mecha would say next.

“Your core fundamental skill in this unit is strength,” Mecha said, “weak ponies die early, and are incapable of inducing fear in the hearts and minds of the enemy. None of you is strong now, even if you may think otherwise. Therefore, I am going to condition you. You’re nowhere near perfect now, but by the time we’re through, you will be the roughest, toughest, meanest sons of Manticores this side of anywhere! Now form up in two columns behind me!”

The ponies snapped to their task, creating two lines more out of fear than anything else. Mecha narrowed his eyes. “We’re going for a run,” he said, “five miles, so as not to tire any of you out too much.”

It wasn’t hard for Applejack to pick up the mocking tone in Mecha’s voice, and even though she felt he was simply putting on a face, his words stung. She wanted desperately to prove him wrong, to show him she was the best… Then Mecha was off, running at full gallop. The ponies weren’t ready, and were struggling to catch up after Mecha’s surprise start. Applejack poured her energy into keeping her place in the middle of the line. Up ahead, she could see Mecha steering them towards a small wooded area. He wasn’t even breaking a sweat.

“Everything you expected and more?” a voice spoke up next to Applejack. The voice’s owner was a stocky, green Unicorn with a paint roller cutie mark.

“Pardon?” Applejack said, unable to believe that somepony had just spoken in Mecha’s formation.

“Join the Army!” the pony said, “travel the world, see the sights… kill stuff. Is this everything you thought it would be?”

Applejack was caught off guard by this question. “Uh, well… ah guess so.”

The Unicorn grinned. “Well, good for you. None of us is going to get through the next few days with an attitude of cynicism. I’m just glad the first pony here I spoke to has the right attitude. Name’s Color Spash, former interior designer and now warrior of Equestria. I’d shake your hoof, but…” he looked down at his galloping hooves, “I’m kind of using mine right now.”

Applejack chuckled a little, through the ache of running. This pony seemed to have a good outlook on things. “Ah’m Applejack,” she said, “mah family runs Sweet Apple Acres in Ponyville. Ah joined up this morning.”

“No kidding?” Color Splash said, “my family gets a jar of your jam delivered monthly! Glad to have finally met the one who makes the stuff! It is dee-lish! I actually signed up last night. I’d heard rumors about, you know, Manehatten, and figured I’d join up early. They sent me here for training, and, well, here I am!”

“Pipe down back there!” Mecha yelled from up front, “you’ve earned some extra exercise when this run is over, as well as my utmost attention! And trust me- you don’t want my utmost attention.”

Color Splash ducked his head down and snickered. Applejack was amazed at how easily he let adversity just roll off his shoulders. Here was a pony who truly lived for the moment without a care.

“Well hey,” Color Splash said, “I guess I’d better shut up now, but come talk to me sometime, alright? Looks like you’d make a good friend.”

Applejack nodded. “Ya know, that sounds like a great idea. I’ll stay in touch.”

Applejack turned her head forward again, watching where she was going. The days ahead would be hard, for sure, but it seemed she’d finally found somepony- a friend- to make everything just a little more bearable.

…

Rainbow Dash groaned as she got back to her hooves. Nimbus’s wing-ups had been relentless, and she was short on breath. Now Nimbus was standing in front of the first obstacle in the course- a set of low-lying beams hanging over what appeared to be the course path.

“I’m guessing most of you think this is going to be easy,” Nimbus said, “and I understand. We’re Pegasi, right? This should be a piece of cake. Well, not so much.”

Before she could react, Rainbow Dash felt her wings suddenly lashed to her body. Spitfire had come up behind her with a rope and had tied them down. She could see others going through the same treatment.

“In the next two hours,” Nimbus continued, “you’re going to show me how you work as a team. I’ve restricted your flight. You will be forced to experience this as any other pony would. Finish my course in under two hours, and I guarantee you that I’ll be impressed. Might even make up for our little setbacks earlier. Fail to do so, and you will sorely regret it. Now, where’s my volunteer?”

Rainbow Dash raised a hoof and Nimbus nodded. “Recruit Rainbow Dash, front and center!”

Rainbow Dash stepped up to Nimbus. The orange Pegasus waited expectantly, confusing Dash.

“Well?” Nimbus said finally.

Rainbow Dash cocked an eyebrow. “Sir…?”

“Recruit Rainbow Dash, why did you not report in?!”

Rainbow Dash stood her ground. She couldn’t demonstrate fear. Not here. “Sir, you did not inform me about reporting procedures,” she replied. At this, Nimbus seemed to twitch slightly. Clearly he hadn’t been expecting such confidence.

“Recruit, when you report in, you will salute and make your statement as follows: ‘sir, Recruit so and so reports as ordered.’ I will then inform you of your next task. Clear?”

“Yes, sir,” Dash replied, then began again, saluting. “Sir, Recruit Rainbow Dash reports as ordered.”

Nimbus returned the salute. “Recruit, you will lead your fellow recruits through my obstacle course. Ensure that every last one of them reaches the end in two hours. If I see anypony get left behind, there will be severe repercussions, is that understood?”

“Yes, sir!” Rainbow Dash responded.

“Good, your time starts now,” Nimbus said.

Dash stood still, not sure what to do. “Move it!” Nimbus yelled. Dash turned to face her comrades.

“Alright, let’s go! If you need help, holler! I expect every one of us to help the pony next to us if he or she can’t make it!” Dash took off running for the first obstacle, a set of low-lying beams criss-crossing the trail. She dove to the ground, inhaling a fine cloud of sand. Behind her, she could hear the thudding sounds of the others following her. Dash began to crawl, feeling the sand digging into her forelegs. It was painful, but she didn’t dare stop. When she reached the end, she pulled herself back to her hooves and glanced back. Lightning Dust was right on her tail and the others weren’t far behind.

“Come on!” Lightning Dust yelled to the others as she finished, “you can do this! Push yourselves!”

Rainbow Dash took an affront to this. She was supposed to be leading, wasn’t she? And now her former flying partner was messing everything up.

“Yeah, let’s go!” Dash said, not to be outdone. “Come on!” As they moved on, she shot a scathing glance back at Lightning Dust. She knew what was going on here, and she wasn’t about to be overtaken by Lightning’s ambition again.

…

Applejack collapsed wearily onto her cot in her brigade’s makeshift barracks. After the run, Mecha had taken her and Color Splash aside and put the two of them through the most intense ten-minute exercise session they’d ever experienced. Training was over for the day, but its effects were still very much present.

“This is a load of manure,” Color Splash growled suddenly, clearly much more peeved than he’d been earlier.

“How’s that?” Big Macintosh asked, rolling off his bunk where he’d been reading quietly.

“You could say I’m well-connected,” Color Splash said, “and even if I wasn’t, it’s no secret that we’re all being hustled through this process to get us ready for battle.”

“So what’s yer point?” Applejack asked, absently twirling her hoof at the ceiling.

“My point,” Color continued, “is that we’re here doing this exercise crap while every other brigade out there is already going through weapons training.” Big Mac opened his mouth to speak, but Color Splash went on, oblivious. “And furthermore, our dear friend Corporal Mecha is a complete tool! I mean look at him! I bet he never did training like this in his life! I bet he’s all talk and-“

“Whoa there,” Macintosh said, cutting Color Splash off, “ah think ya need a little lesson about Mecha before ya jump to conclusions. Y’see, ah knew him before this war started, and ah know what he’s like. He may not show it, but he’s impressed with us. Mecha’s goin’ ta do everything he can to make us prove that we’re the best, and that the limits we set for ourselves are much lower than what we can actually achieve.”

Color Splash picked out a cot and fell into it. “Maybe you’re right, maybe not… who knows. I’m just tired, sore, and angry from today.” Applejack continued twirling her hoof, her concentration only slightly affected when Color Splash spoke up a few moments later.

“I need a sandwich. Bad.”

Without warning, the barracks burst with laughter. Even Applejack joined in. She didn’t know why Color Splash’s remark had been funny. It more than likely hadn’t been at all, but it felt good to laugh with her comrades, and in doing so she could also feel a true team forming. Color Splash had been right in what he’d said earlier that day. Things really were going to get better.

…

Rainbow Dash heaved herself over the final obstacle, pushing one of her comrades over with her. It was a simple log vault, but the course had sapped her of her energy. She’d actually finished at the front of the pack, but had gone back to assist the stragglers, something she’d noticed (without surprise) that Lightning Dust wasn’t doing. The moment Dash cleared the log, she took a faceful of mud, but it was worth it. She was done. Nimbus appeared in front of her suddenly, landing and kicking up a fair amount of debris into her already dirty face from his wingwash.

“Congratulations,” he said, “all of you made it through the course in the time I provided for you. Retire early tonight, but don’t consider this a regular occurrence. Keep putting out, and I’ll treat you accordingly. Fail to meet my expectations even once…” he let the threat hang in the air. As the ponies retreated towards the barracks, Nimbus spoke up. “Recruit Rainbow Dash, stay.”

Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth before turning around to face her superior officer. She snapped a salute. “Recruit Rainbow Dash reports as ordered, sir.”

Nimbus returned the salute. What came next surprised Rainbow Dash more than anything she’d experienced that day. “At ease, recruit,” Nimbus said. Rainbow Dash hesitantly unlocked herself from attention and stood comfortably, ready to hear what was next.

“Lieutenant Colonel Spitfire and I have been observing you all day, believe it or not. The decision to place you in charge was not accidental. Your records from the Wonderbolt Academy are outstanding, and indicated that you have potential to be an excellent leader. Today you proved this to us. Therefore, you are officially promoted to Flight Chief of the 16th Pegasus Squadron recruit division. You will report to me when required and you will represent your teammates well. I expect nothing but perfection. Will I have perfection from you?”

“Yes sir,” Rainbow Dash said confidently.

“Good.” Rainbow Dash wasn’t sure, but she thought she could see a faint smile on Nimbus’s face, and perhaps even a glimmer of pride in his eyes. The two stood, looking at each other for a few more brief moments before Nimbus spoke again.

“Recruit Rainbow Dash, you are dismissed.”

“Goodnight, sir,” Dash said, saluting. Nimbus returned the gesture and Dash dropped her salute, spinning sharply 180 degrees and heading back to the barracks. She was positively brimming with excitement. Nimbus had just proven that he trusted her, and she was determined to do everything she could to keep his trust. The training would get harder, but she was prepared to tackle it, as she’d done with everything else in her life. Tomorrow was a new day with new challenges, and come what may, it would be her time to shine.

*Wing-ups are essentially push-ups using the wings instead of the forelegs. Fluttershy can be seen performing them in "Hurricane Fluttershy"