The Ordinary Ponies

Chapter 20: Beset with Difficulties

In Ponyville, the recruitment campaign for Amazing Bolts had officially begun. In order to support this event, Mayor Mare had given up the town hall as a venue. Mr. Miracle sat behind the reception table, dressed in military uniform, with his designed legion emblem and a stack of resumes on either side of the table.

The uniform and badge were both designed by him, but the lightning emblem on them easily made ponies feel like he was copying Wonderbolts, even though he tried his best to make them different.

The badge was in the shape of a shield, made of stainless steel, and features a golden edged alicorn at the center, symbolizing a combination of earth ponies, pegasuses, and unicorns, as well as two princesses; Above the pattern of the alicorn was a blue lightning bolt, which could be removed at any time.

He planned to use this as the base for the badges of all three legions, as long as the components on top were modified, which would save time and represent the concept of the three legions being one entity.

It had been a week since he failed to negotiate with Spitfire. During this period, Shining Armor and the Royal Guards have been posting promotional posters in various parts of Equestria, and had also taken time to give lectures to call on confident and capable ponies to participate in the recruitment.

Mr. Miracle had also been there a few times, and the rest of the time he was busy with issues such as venue, training methods, and organization.

There was also a small episode, which was Hearts and Hooves Day. The three young girls not only wanted to match Big Mac and Miss Cheerilee, but also wanted to find a "special pony" for Mr. Miracle.

Fortunately, he immediately saw through their 'plan' and persuaded them to correct their mistake. He felt a little guilty because he was too focused on military reform and ignored them, so he didn't realize from the beginning that they were mixing “love poison”.

In short, he had finally made it through this week. He believed that as long as he recruited the first batch of qualified ponies and trained them rigorously, he could show off their skills in the future.

Once all the residents of Equestria knew the differences of the new legion, the subsequent work would not be difficult.

But ideal was fancy, reality was tough, and he would see mixed quality applicants in the future. There were no elite ponies as he imagined, most of them just join for fun.

“Next,” he said wearily, propping up his face with one hoof. After a morning, not a single pony caught his eyes. None of the famous ponies he remembered came.

But the next one caught his eyes - it was a snow-white pegasus with extremely short mane, most notably his short wings and terrifying muscle. Just standing there, he looked like a snowy mountain, with a tiger's back and a bear's waist – no analogy.

“Wonderful, this is what we’re looking for!” exclaimed Mr. Miracle. “Please introduce yourself and explain why you want to join Amazing Bolts.”

“Uh...my name is Snowflake, and they all call me 'Bulk Biceps'!” His voice was loud and majestic, but it sounded a bit silly. “I hold multiple positions, and fitness is a hobby that costs lots of money! I heard that the welfare benefits of the legion are good, so I came.”

He never lowered his voice, his loud voice even messed up Mr. Miracle's mane. But Mr. Miracle was not troubled, on the contrary, he was very happy to have recruited such a strong pony. “Very good, there are plenty of reasons. But Amazing Bolt is not Wonderbolt, we are the army! Can you adapt to the life of the Legion?”

“Uh...sir, officer? I have confidence, sir!” Bulk Biceps lifted his hooves and exerted a little force, revealing his rock-like muscles. “I have been working out for many years since I was young. I don't think regular training can stump me.”

“Fantastic! You have been accepted.”

“Um...” Bulk Biceps didn't immediately agree, but hesitated to speak. “What are the specific benefits?”

“Including food and accommodation, monthly subsidies, two days off per week, and unified entertainment activities after one day of training. How about that?”

Bulk Biceps smiled happily and hurriedly gave over his form. Mr. Miracle stamped his application form and then gave him a legion badge. “Pack up your things and report to the training base next Monday. The base location is right behind the form, don't be late.”

“Yes, sir!” Bulk Biceps continued to clamp the form and badge with his chest muscles and walked out through the side door. The Ponies looked over, and Mr. Miracle added timely, “Did you all see that? The ponies we want is just like him!”

“Then I shouldn't be able to do it.” “Yeah, I don't have any muscle.” “Judging from that, I guess the training will be very tough, right?” ...Some ponies started to argue, and then they actually walked several more. Mr. Miracle tried to salvage the situation behind the table, but still couldn't stop the loss of applicants. He was so angry that he wanted to slap himself, why did he say that?

The next female pegasus was very familiar to him - she was gray all over, with slightly messy light-yellow mane and tail, and her eyes were vine yellow. The most prominent feature was that her two eyes move up and down, with her eyes “guarding two different sides”, looking a bit silly.

“Derby...we're recruiting elites, why do you join in the fun?” Mr. Miracle covered his face with his hoof and said helplessly.

“Hey? How do you know my name?” Derby asked in surprise. “We haven't met yet.”

“Because you are very 'special', everyone knows you...Don't you work at the post office? Why did you think of joining the legion?”

When she heard about the "post office," she scratched her head awkwardly and said, “I always make mistakes at the post office. In order to appease the sender's emotions, I always have to give them muffins.”

“Uh huh, then what?”

“Then I realized that the cost of making muffins was too high. So I was thinking, 'Maybe I should change jobs'. I heard that the Legion offers good treatment, so I wanted to join,” Derby said honestly. However, even if she was serious, her up and down eyes always made ponies couldn’t help but laugh.

“Derby, I understand your demands...but I don't think the Legion is suitable for you,” Mr. Miracle advised. “You see, we are elites and must shoulder the responsibility of defending entire Equestria! But in Winter Wrap-Up, you could even fly to the wrong direction.”

Derby felt a little disappointed after listening. Mr. Miracle really didn't want to 'gloat', but even though she was feeling down, those separated eyes were still funny. “I...I understand. I'll just...continue working at the post office,” she said, bowing her head.

“Sorry, nothing personal...alas…Next!”

Seeing Derby leave in disappointment, the other ponies looked a bit off. They couldn't figure out what the recruitment criteria for this legion were. The poster said: As long as you have the heart to defend Equestria, unwavering faith, and sufficient ability, you can sign up. But how did he judge whether they had the ability or not? Just by a look?

“Hey, are your requirements clear or not?” asked one pony. “When pony come over, you just take a glance. How can you tell the difference in abilities?”

“Are you serious?” Mr. Miracle widened his eyes and asked. “The muscles of Bulk Biceps can even exceed those of ten Derby combined. Isn't that obvious at a glance?”

“Our physiques are similar to hers, can't we join either? How many ponies can be as strong as that guy?”

“That's not what I said. I only said she's not suitable for the legion,” Mr. Miracle tried to weigh his words carefully.

“Why isn't she suitable? I think you're just discriminating against her!” “Yes, we have similar physical conditions, so he clearly discriminates against Derby!” “Although Derby does make mistakes often, can we still get away with such blatant discrimination when we go in?” ...The ponies immediately became confused and then joined forces to demand Mr. Miracle, and another group left.

Mr. Miracle slammed his head heavily on the table, feeling hopeless. This job was far more difficult than he had imagined.

In order to appease the applicants' emotions, he had to lower his standards and recruit a few ponies, but he knew it wouldn't work. Those ponies were not what he wanted at all.

His ideal army should have been consists of elites! But if he didn't hire some ponies, everyone would think he was discriminatory, took advantage of appearance, and even thought he was favoritism.

At noon, the applicants left one after another for lunch. Mr. Miracle sighed deeply and planned to fill his stomach first. Just then, an unexpected figure appeared - with a sky-blue body color, rainbow-like mane and tail, it was Rainbow Dash.

Mr. Miracle's eyes lit up and he quickly exclaimed, “Rainbow Dash! Do you want to join Amazing Bolts? Great, you can become the commander directly!”

“Uh...thank you for your trust?” Rainbow Dash was a little confused, but then snapped back to her senses. “But I'm not here to apply. Rarity said you've encountered quite a bit of troubles, so I came to take a look.”

“Oh, oh...okay.” Mr. Miracle showed visible disappointment. “There's nothing particularly attractive, and the entire recruitment process can only be described as ‘disaster’.”

“Hey, don't give up so quickly,” Rainbow Dash comforted him. “Opportunities don't always come, you have to fight for them yourself, just like me. Have you ever looked for a satisfactory pony?”

“Yes, I have, but none of them came,” Mr. Miracle said disappointedly.

“Oh, since you admire them, if they don't come, juts go find them!” Rainbow Dash flew circles in the air. “Wonderbolt is sometimes like this, and when they see potential pilots, they will invite them to join.”

“Okay, I'll give it a try.”

“Let me accompany you.”

So the two ponies walked together, ready to "promote". There were many civilian experts in and around Ponyville, and Mr. Miracle thought of them from the beginning.

The two first arrived at Sweet Apple Acres, hoping that Big Mac could join, who grew up farming and was full of strength. On Hearts and Hooves Day, Mr. Miracle witnessed his ability: he could walk like a flying bird while holding a two-story house, as if unaware. And he had a down-to-earth and hardworking personality, which was very suitable for military life.

But his answer was concise and to the point: “Nope!”

“Just think about it, Applejack is one of the heroine ponies of Equestria. Don't you want to strive for more honor for your family like her?”

But he just shook his head. “Nope!”

“I know you sometimes feel lost because Apple Bloom has always idolized Applejack, not like when she thought you were a great big brother.” Mr. Miracle was working hard to fight for it, sweating profusely. “But now you have a chance - to join Amazing Bolts...Although I actually want to recruit you into Almighty Monoliths...well, it's not important. The most important thing is that after joining the legion, you can also become a hero of Equestria.”

“Nope.” Big Mac said calmly.

“Why?”

He didn't speak, just pointed to Granny Smith snoring on the rocking chair, then to the apple trees scattered all over the mountains, and finally to the farmhouse behind him. It seemed that he had a more important career, so Mr. Miracle could only give up and hurry to the next one.

They found another stick, an earth pony with a beige body and cobalt-blue and purple-red mane. Rainbow Dash was surprised why Mr. Miracle wanted to find such an ordinary resident. But as soon as he spoke, she was shocked.

“Bon Bon, or should I call you 'Special Agent Sweetie Drops'?”

“Stop messing around, how could Bon Bon be –” Rainbow Dash thought he was joking, but seeing his and Bon Bon's expressions, her smile froze on face. “Wait, is it true?”

“You...how did you know my secret identity?” Bon Bon squinted her eyes, and her aura suddenly changed from before.

“Do you know that I can foresee the future? Is it so difficult to understand?” Mr. Miracle asked in response. “Don't worry, I'm just here to invite you to join Amazing Bolts...although considering your agent identity, you should be more suitable for Awesome Waves.”

Bon Bon didn't reply immediately, quickly looked at the left and right sides, and then pulled them closer to the room for a detailed discussion. She closed all the doors and windows, and the room immediately became dark.

“I heard that you want to form three major legions...but I probably won't join.”

“Why? I thought you would take protecting public safety very seriously!”

“Indeed, but the hidden battlefield is equally important,” explained Bon Bon. “Being in public is not the style of a secret agent, and besides, I have to avoid the bugbear. Lyra Heartstrings can't know about this.”

“Please think of my suggestion again.” Mr. Miracle tried to salvage the situation. “My proposal had always been valid. If you change your mind –”

“No, I have made up my mind,” Bon Bon shook her head firmly. “I have to drop you off. Please keep my identity confidential between you two...You know, I do know where you live.”

The last half of the sentence had a bit of a threatening meaning, in fact, she just wanted to keep her identity a secret, that's all.

Mr. Miracle and Rainbow Dash nodded, pretended to zip up their mouths, and then came out.

“Wow!” Rainbow Dash left the house, still immersed in shock. “Ponyville is really 'crouching Tiger, hidden Dragon'! Who else is hidden and not revealed?”

“She should be only one,” Mr. Miracle said. “Let’s go find the next.”

They found another male pegasus with a completely black body color and navy-blue mane, Thunderlane. He was practicing his flying skills in the outskirts.

When Mr. Miracle invited him to join Amazing Bolts, he shook his head decisively, stating that his dream was to join Wonderbolts, and he didn't even give Mr. Miracle a chance to persuade him.

They found Dr. Hooves, an earth pony that looked equally ordinary and his cutie mark was an hourglass. Mr. Miracle believed that his scientific talent could help the legion solve the problems of weapons and equipment, but Dr. Hooves stated that his focus was only on scientific research and he did not want to participate in anything else.

Sure enough, none of the residents of Ponyville that Mr. Miracle was interested in were willing to join. How about Twilight and the others? Well, their duty was the most important – motivating the Elements of Harmony, and the purpose of forming legions was to buy time for them in the first place.

He and Rainbow Dash took a train to the rock farm in Rockville, where the Pie family were living. Pinkie’s parents, consisting of Igneous Rock and Cloudy Quartz, welcomed them at the door. Pinkie's families and farm were simply the same color, but Pinkie was so different.

Originally, Mr. Miracle wanted them all to joined Almighty Monoliths - the entire family was extraordinary, especially skilled at throwing stones. These catapult ponies would be secret weapons on the battlefield.

But Igneous Rock just shook his head with a plain expression, while Pinkie's elder sister Limestone Pie – an earth pony with a blue-gray body and short hair with gray mane - not only refused, but also somewhat exclusive.

“Don't you think that protecting Equestria is more important than working in the rock farm?”

All the ponies of the Pie family shook their heads in unison. Limestone said irritably, "Are you saying that the rock farm is not important? Let me tell you, most of the building materials in Ponyville come from here. Without the rock farm, everyone would have to live in thatched cottages.”

“I'm not saying it's unimportant, please don't misunderstand...” Mr. Miracle tried to explain. “I'm just saying that defending Equestria is a great and sacred duty. After you join, you can see a more colorful world, experience more exciting lives, and become heroines of Equestria.”

“That's not what we want,” Limestone immediately said. “Although life in the rock farm is a bit dull, we enjoy our work and are not interested in the legion you mentioned.”

“Okay, can I talk to Maud Pie?”

“Maud is pursuing a PhD in petrology and is not here,” Limestone said. “Even if she were here, she wouldn't join the legion. She has a career she prefers.”

So Mr. Miracle and Rainbow Dash returned without any outcome. Rainbow Dash asked him why he didn't go to Cloudsdale to see, and he said that the ponies in Cloudsdale were basically the new recruits of Wonderbolts in the future.

Any powerful pegasus wouldn’t be willing to join Amazing Bolts. But for less powerful ones, such as the three bullies who once mocked Rainbow Dash, Mr. Miracle would rather not recruit them.

He had no other options left, and did he really want to settle for recruiting those ordinary ponies? How could Amazing Bolts possibly meet his expectations? How could the princesses be satisfied? If that was the case, it was better not to form it.

He didn't know whom to seek for help, and Shining Armor had a lot of things to do in Canterlot. Like him, Shining Armor was also dealing with the splitting of the Royal Guards into the honor team and the guards; Although Zecora was wise enough, she didn’t have much knowledge about military affairs; Twilight was quite knowledgeable, but mainly about magic and other printed content in books. Asking her about military issues would definitely not match her expertise.

Ask Rainbow Dash? Rainbow Dash was already right next to him, and she could tell nothing. She only knew a little about the history of Wonderbolts; Ask the princesses? They hired him because they didn't know how to reform, and he asked them the other way around? Flash Magnus was a professional match, but he hadn't appeared yet.

After much thought, he felt that he was lonely and couldn't help but sigh.

Rainbow Dash noticed and suggested, “Why don't you ask Spitfire? She's the captain of Wonderbolts and the chief instructor of the academy. She must know what to do. I'm even curious why you didn't look for her help in the first place.”

“Spitfire? Forget about it!” Mr. Miracle's face worsened. “There's a misunderstanding between us. It's impossible to ask her for help.”

“Why is it impossible? Everyone will experience misunderstandings. Just say it's open and everything will be fine,” Rainbow Dash insisted.

Mr. Miracle wanted to refuse, but at this point, Spitfire was probably the only pony that could help him.