A week later

Blueblood had an itch at the back of his mind, or an infection. Behind it, like distant dark clouds, was a feeling. It dimmed things around him. It rendered continued effort ridiculous. It sapped focus and will. Blueblood called it boredom. So Blueblood asked more questions, and thought on the answers.
It was a few days after New Years. They had been given the day off for the holiday. Blueblood had participated in the ramshackle party his platoon had thrown; but he had spent much of his time strolling around camp, thinking.

It was the last hour before lights out; with the sun starting to descend. Blueblood made his way through the dirt paths of the dimming camp. At this hour most were in or around their barracks; with the occasional sullen recruit walking to some punishment detail. Blueblood arrived at the edge of camp, and glancing around, found Heartrock sitting by himself, reading. Blueblood had the impression that Heartrock was not well liked by his platoon, or vice versa. Regardless he was often to be found here before lights out. Blueblood walked over, Heartrock looking up from his book. Blueblood appeared calm, and his question almost was.

“Could I speak to you on a few matters?”
Heartrock nodded, and sliding his book into a uniform pocket he rose to his hooves. Blueblood smiled, and with a gesture, they began to pace a slow circle around camp. Blueblood stayed silent for a spell, before in a clipped tone he asked.

“Do you think the Equestrian army is important? Do you think your service is important?”

That service would be as an officer. There were less officer cadets at onhoovers than he initially expected; something like one in a hundred. However, Blueblood had been delighted, but not surprised to find out Heartrock was a fellow officer cadet. Heartrock answered without hesitation, with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes.”

Blueblood felt the knot of worry that he had been working on, finally, fully, relax; but he continued.

“Why do you believe it is? Many think a war is very unlikely?”

Heartrock glanced away, before looking back and speaking in a precise and careful manner.

“To start on the second part of that question; Equestria has been in three conflicts in the relatively recent past. There was the series of conflicts with the buffaloes between 898 and 1001, the revolution in Severnaya in 995, and the battle of Canterlot in 1002.”

Blueblood was formulating a response, but the blunt mention of the wedding attack threw him off. Blueblood had fallen violently ill a week before the wedding. To the point where his parents had left their palace accommodations to visit him. He could remember the sounds of distant blasts, and gun fire assaulting his feverish mind. When his fever broke. Most of the damage had been cleaned up, bandaged over. He remembered walking with some of his friends to one of their favorite clubs. They had passed by a fountain; its statue, which had stood for 500 years, was reduced to two hoofs. They had fallen silent; before picking up again after they passed as if they had never stopped.
Heartrock continued, blind to Blueblood’s reminiscing.

“None of these conflicts, at least their true nature and scope, were predicted. The common pony, the equestrian elite” Heartrock glanced over at Blueblood and visibly braced himself, “and her Majesty; have shown themselves to be poor at predicting military conflict.”

Blueblood stiffened, Heartrock sighed.
“That is unreasonable! The buffalo wars happened because wilderness fever was cured. The southwest went from being near uninhabitable to open to settlement. Equestrian law couldn’t shadow such a region quickly enough to prevent conflict. When it did, Her Majesty moved to calm the region. Under her authority and direction a treaty was signed.”

“After the battle of Appleloosa,” Heartrock saw Blueblood raise an eyebrow, “I understand that was more of a riot; but if a participant had brought a bomb? Or a gun? It could’ve become much worse.”

Blueblood grimaced, the thought was horrible… but… maybe? It wouldn’t take a plot, just one buffalo or pony filled with enough hate or greed. Heartrock waved a hoof dismissively.

“But I know what you are going to say next. The boyars were granted a large degree of self governance when they joined Equestria. They exploited that power to conceal the local situation. The changelings are expert infiltrators and spies. Whichever way you present it; the point remains. Equestria has failed in the past to anticipate conflicts and prepare for them. Equestrians, of all classes, failed to do so. They are-”

Heartrock caught himself. Blueblood raised an eyebrow.

“They are…?”

Heartrock coughed, before continuing.

“Well there is nothing saying the changelings couldn’t try again, or that the buffalo situation will not boil over… or look at the Storm King.”

Blueblood grimaced slightly. He did not pay much attention to foreign events. They were not common conversations in Canterlot. So outside of his father’s occasional complaining about this or that in the foreign office; the only time he learned anything was when he sought out information that might impact his family’s foreign investments. Everypony, however, had heard about the mad Zebrica warlord.

“He is an ocean away; and he is not close to conquering Zebrica, and Griffonia is much closer.” A note of hesitance entered his voice, “Do you really think he would try to invade?”

Heartrock gave a grim smile, and shrugged.

“He has airships and ambition.”

Blueblood almost brushed off his words. Heartrock may as well have been talking about the possibility of an asteroid flattening Canterlot. But… well…

“I agree with you,” Heartrock looked a little surprised, “We differ; but my own thoughts followed a similar line: ‘For ponies whose hearts and brands are given to valour, and whose blood thrill at the sound of battle. Still need fear the odors of pestilence which he cannot see, the witchcraft he cannot scry, and the snake which he cannot hear.’”

Heartrock looked stuck for a moment, his face twitched in emotional indecision, but in the end he nodded seriously.

“Good that we are in agreement.”

There was silence for a time. Heartrock spoke up again.

“What brought this on?”

“I learned that nopony in the army, with a few exceptions, cares about our duty.” Blueblood hesitated, before he quietly admitted, “I was starting to doubt my own efforts.”

Heartrock nodded, no judgement tainting his expression, which relieved Blueblood. Heartrock tilted his head.

“You don’t think your platoon cares?”

Blueblood chewed over his words for a moment. He did not wish to speak ill of his platoon, not in front of an outsider, but he wanted Heartrock to understand.

“They do care. But I think,” Blueblood hesitated, his next words tasted sour, and came out as if dragged, “that is because Broadflag makes them care. I think without his leadership they… would not.”

Blueblood glared at Heartrock, silencing any comment; but Heartrocks fresh smile did not fade.

“I don’t know why you are surprised. Most Equestrians don’t take the chance of conflict seriously. Did you not know this?”

Blueblood hesitated. The truth was, he had realized in retrospect, that joining the army had been an impulsive decision. He had jumped in legs first and may not have fully considered things. Well he wasn’t going to admit that. He settled on something that was true enough.

“I expected them to behave like the Royal Guard. I have seen them drill and on parade, and standing guard. How they hold themselves, how they act, how they speak; they all take it very seriously. But I did not grasp the difference.”

Heartrock guessed.

“The Royal guard has other responsibilities? Bodyguarding, policing duties, and occasionally monster hunting? Their role as a military force is tertiary at best?”

“No, I knew that, and that is a major part; but some royal guards perform purely ceremonial duties. Yet they still hold themselves with decorum. It is not just utility that matters, it is more than that.”

Heartrock tilted his head, curious. Blueblood hesitated, his thoughts were fresh in his mind, still unrefined; but he continued anyway.

“Equestria does not have war heroes. Not in a stricter sense anyway. It has heroic royal guards, like Flash Sentry, but they are not famous for anything they did in a war. Anypony that could be considered a war hero is either like Curse Breaker who belongs to the ancient past. Or like Charcolmane. Who is both old and a foreigner. The only modern pony that might be called a ‘war hero’ is Prince Shining. But in his service in Severnaya he is most famous for refusing Hard Hooves’ order to attack.”

In a very neutral voice, Heartrock asked.

“Do you think he should have obeyed?”

Blueblood hesitated only for a moment. He didn’t know the history of that conflict very well. But his aunt had rewarded Shining Armor with a promotion to the head of the royal guard.

“No, that is not my point. It is that he is famous and lauded for not fighting. In our stories soldiers are either villains or minions, or they are misguided. If an equestrian soldier takes their duties seriously. That he is a soldier, and might be expected to actually fight… to kill some creature, they would struggle to reconcile being a soldier with being a good equestrian.”

Heartrock tilted his head, and nodded slowly.
“An interesting hypothesis. I’d not considered it from that angle. But equestria does have lauded fighters-”

The pair stopped and turned their heads. A shout had risen from the center of camp, echoing outwards. Soon more shouts joined the growing clamour. They looked at each other and trotted into camp.

Blueblood had tensed up; but the sounds resolved themselves into cries of joy. The entire camp, sleepy right before lights out, was rousing itself, with whoops and shouts spreading. ‘Equestria, the Land I Love’, ‘Harmony and Glory’ and other songs started to ring out. Soon a violin joined in, then other instruments echoed across camp. A unicorn somewhere fired off a comet into the sky; which popped like a firework. Pegasi were taking to the air; against the normal caution at night flying. The camp hadn’t been nearly so lively during new years or heartwarming. They passed by a gaggle of excited recruits, who were rushing to nowhere in particular. The pair stopped and Blueblood spoke out.

“What is going on?”

“Princess Cadence has had her baby,” one pony shouted.

That was good, Blueblood supposed; but it hardly seemed worth all this.

“And it is an alicorn!”

Blueblood perked up, eyes wide.

“What? Nonsense? That cannot be true!”

“Just came over the camp’s radio; official announcement from the palace.”

Heartrock seemed happy but a little confused. Blueblood was stunned, silent and still. He stayed like that until Heartrock turned to him.

“Are you alright?”

Blueblood sighed, his tone neutral.

“I have been proven wrong about too many things recently, but,” his face split in a wild grin, “I am happy this was one of them.”

He turned and galloped to his barrack, and confused and shouting, Heartrock followed. Blueblood paid him no heed.

Blueblood burst into his barracks. Someone had already spread the news to his platoon, and a festival atmosphere had flourished in the barracks. Any thoughts of sleep or preparing for tomorrow were forgotten. There were animated discussions, and ponies brought out whatever candies or treats they had shipped in and were sharing them.
As he stepped through the door; Wander Wind’s horn flashed and a good approximation of an orchestral performance of ‘Heart’s Carol’ emanated from her horn. He ignored all of that and bounded over to his locker; where he pulled out his writing kit. He sifted through it, until he found a new addition that had been sent a week ago. Heartrock arrived, gasping.

“What- are- you- doing-”

“Getting champagne!”

Some turned at the jubilant declaration, and saw what looked like a normal jar of pounce powder.

“Champagne flavouring?” Heartrock asked, recovered now.

“No, champagne,” saying so, Blueblood grabbed his canteen with his telekinesis and dumped it out a nearby window. Before adding a tiny amount of the powder, sealing it shut, and shaking it. When he twisted it open; it burst with frothing champagne. He took a sip and smiled.

“Not as good powdered but the alchemists that make it know their trade. Also much easier to smuggle into places.”

He had gathered quite a bit of attention; with ponies staring in shock in turns at him and the frothing canteen.

“You smuggled something?”
“You had that the whole time?”
“You didn’t share any?”
“Where was it at New Years?”

Blueblood took another sip, and only answered the last one in a philosophical tone.

“What is New Years? What is a year? Another drop of sand down the hourglass? But today,” his voice rose, “will be remembered long after we are gone. Another great soul, a defender of us and our prosperity, has been granted unto us. If I could trade a year for an alicorn I would; and count it as cheap. But enough nonsense, come, I have a jar to burn through!”

The night flowed from there. The sergeant gave up trying to keep any discipline. Few tried at all. But soon Swift Wing announced that tonight and tomorrow was a holiday. Not that anypony paid attention.

Author's Note

Well here we are, faster than usual. Hope you enjoy.