It was a cold evening over Sweet Apple Acres. A light breeze shuffled through the farm, gently rocking the apple trees back and forth. The weather vain on top of the barn squeaked as it turned to face the wind.
It was quiet: almost like the calm before the storm.
While the inhabitants of the farm house were all asleep, two ponies were wide awake. Dim light illuminated the barn from a candle hanging over a pile of hay. A red stallion lay beneath it, scratching away with the pen in his mouth. He paused for a moment before putting away the paper and pen.
It was a solid fact that the business was going sour. With all the repairs done to the barn and the loss of a whole harvest this year, they would be out of money before spring came. He shuddered. They would probably run out by Winter Wrap-Up.
"You still awake, Mac?"
Big Macintosh rolled onto his back. His sister, Applejack, was poking her head over the second floor. The concern on her face mirrored what he felt. After all, they were in this together for the sake of their kin."Eeyup," he said quietly.
"Did we do th' right thing?"
He closed his eyes. In his mind, what they did was the only thing that could be done: sign up for the Royal Equestrian Army, or the REA for short. The pay was more than enough to keep the farm going. After boot camp, they would be stationed in Canterlot as the best case scenario. In the meantime, Braeburn and a few other cousins would watch over the early growing season. In the worst case scenario...
He nodded his head.
Applejack sighed, "When we get back we'll break the news. Braeburn told everyone that we'd be out helpin' build a new apple family farm. Celestia knows ah ain't good at lyin'."
He nodded once more.
She looked at her brother. Tomorrow they'd be going off to boot camp - wherever that may be. Would she be able to get through it? Would they send her away?
She rolled back over onto her own pile of hay on the upper level. None of those thoughts would lead her to supporting Apple Bloom and Granny Smith. It would just put doubt back in her mind. Eventually the stress of the day overcame her, putting her into a restless sleep.
Big Mac blew out the candle and rolled onto his side. He knew everything would work out in the end. Sleep came silently, but it didn't keep his attention.
--*--
"Welcome to basic training, mules. For the next six months we have a special regimen designed to train your body and spirit. Maybe when all is said and done you will be considered worthy of the armed forces."
The pony was clad in full military regalia. He had a certain air of authority in his steps, his fresh shoes clicking on the stone walkway.
"I will be your Commanding Officer during your stay here. You will refer to me as Sir. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Sir," responded the troops.
"Good. Now come with me to the barracks where you'll be staying."
The barracks was a small rounded building. It was as wide as the barn in front but much, much longer. Inside, beds were sorted row by row. Each had the same green blanket and pillow tucked tightly into the frame. There was also one footlocker at the edge of the bed.
"Each of you will be assigned a bed and footlocker. Remember how this looks, because you will recreate this every morning exactly as you see it. If it is not acceptable, you will make it again. If you take too long to do so, you will make it again. Any questions?"
No one spoke or moved.
"Change into your practice uniforms and meet me outside in 10 minutes. Move!"
The ponies rushed to their assigned beds, unpacking into the lockers, while trying to dress for practice. Applejack and Big Mac had beds right next to one another. Since they packed light, it did not take long for them to move on to putting on their uniforms.
"Is it gonna be like this every day?" Applejack asked. Their C.O. was already starting to rub her the wrong way.
Mac nodded shortly. He had heard from other family members who served in the army that basic would be a brand new hell. But he was focused and determined to do well. They needed to support the family. He needed to support Applejack. She had no idea what she was in for.
They were the first two onto the field. Mac immediately moved into a position of attention. Applejack simply stood by him, watching the C.O. check his watch. Gradually the rest of the recruits trickled out to the field, taking their places in a loose line on either side of the siblings.
"Attention!" the C.O. yelled.
The ponies scrambled into a position of attention. Their commander walked up and down the line observing each of his ne recruits. They were a scared bunch.
"Do you have any idea how long that took?" He glared at his command, "Exactly 15 minutes. On top of that, none of you could accomplish a straight line! I at expected you to have a lick of common sense in your head at least, but I see that it was too high of a standard. Mules indeed!" He paced back up the line, "Only two of you came on time- early in fact. Out of those two, only one knew what to do without me asking him to."
Big Mac felt a feeling of relief rush on him. Avoiding being reprimanded was important, especially at the beginning. Making a good impression was key.
"However," the commander glared at Big Mac. "You must succeed as a group to succeed in the field. If you don't help one another in danger, you will all be dead. Keep that in mind next time you try to be the head of the class. Understand, soldier?"
Big Mac swallowed hard, "Yessir."
He went back to a position in front of the group, "But, I will admit, these two soldiers were far more efficient than the whole lot of you combined. Since they were able to get ready in 5 minutes, you will all be expected to do the same."
"It also seems like a lesson in looking presentable seems in order..."
--*--
"I was sorely mistaken when I called you mules last week, because even mules could run that entire distance without getting winded! It's pathetic!"
Applejack stood at attention. She and her brother were able to handle the amount of physical strain they were being put through, although it was a stretch. But some of the group could not keep up with the punishment. Grueling runs over huge distances were destroying the majority of the group - pegasi. Only a few of the troops here were earth ponies and they were the only ones keeping up - barely at that.
The small obstacle course was even worse. The troop had been unable so far to complete the slog through the marshes without slowing or stopping completely - the siblings included. Applejack thought it was like wading through one of Pinkie Pie's jars of molasses- except it was over a whole mile of wading up to her neck in the muck.
"It looks like you'll be running it again after dinner tonight. I expect everyone here to be presentable before we leave. Dismissed."
Applejack and Big Macintosh changed into a fresh uniform and dragged their mud covered regalia down to the laundry building. Some of their fellow troops were doing the same, patiently waiting for their washers to stop.
"Looks like another night of cold showers, eh Big Mac?" Applejack asked as she shoved her clothes in the washing machine.
"Eeyup."
"I dunno if I can handle 6 months of this. This is only our second week of this and he's taken every opportunity to humiliate me. Just cause I'm a mare doesn't mean I can't handle mahself."
Big Mac nodded. He turned one of the knobs with his teeth and pushed the button to start the machine.
"You're certainly doing better than I am," one of the ponies at a nearby washer spoke. She was rather small for a mare, with a slate gray coat and a light brown mane. Her eyes were a stark baby blue that seemed to shine in the light of the room.
"It certainly doesn't feel like I am," Applejack continued. She started her own machine and took a seat on one of the benches in the room, "That C.O. of ours probably wants me to jump ship."
"I really hope you don't. You have what it takes to be here," the mare smiled and sat down besides her. She held out a hoof, "I'm Iron Heart."
"Applejack Apple," she shook her hoof and pointed at her brother. "I'm sure you're familiar with Macintosh over there."
"Of course. We were in the same group for the obstacle course last week. Where are you guys from?"
"Ponyville. You?"
"Seaddle."
Applejack looked at him a little funny, " Seaddle? What the hay are you doing on the other side of the country?"
"They sent me to this base since there wasn't an air division out there. I didn't really have a choice in the matter." She flapped his wings for a moment to get more comfortable, "Since I'm small - even for a mare - I didn't meet the navy's size requirement for a warship. I couldn't lift their larger stuff."
Applejack looked at him quizzically, "So how come that makes the air division better for ya?"
She leaned back thoughtfully, "I'm training to be a high altitude scout. Since I'm small, I need less air than bigger ponies. It also makes me harder to spot through binoculars."
Applejack nodded. It certainly made more sense now. She remembered the height requirement was lowers for air division recruits.
"Anyways, what's it like in Ponyville?"
--*--
Applejack woke to the sounds of the trumpet piercing the morning air. The routine she had learned was getting faster every time. She ran through her checklist:
One minute - make the bed.
Two minutes - dress in fresh uniform.
One minute - double check presentability
Three minutes - proceed to mess hall
She was in the midst of her double check of her bed and footlocker when the door slammed open. The C.O. walked inside.
"Attention!" She called out, moving to the front of her bed and snapping to attention.
Those she had befriended followed in suit almost immediately. Over the course of the last two months, Iron Heart had helped win a few people over to befriend Applejack. Before that - like almost everyone else - they had given her the cold shoulder for excelling in the physical activities thrown onto them. Not because they were jealous, but because she and her brother were setting the bar higher than they could manage. These few friends of hers trusted her and had asked for tips and help on performing better. What was once the two siblings on top, it was now a quarter of the group.
The C.O. walked down the aisle screaming, "What a bucking mess this place is! I expected you to be better than when you arrived but it seems that I haven't been hard enough on you!"
He pulled all of the beds off of their cots, tossing their beddings all over the floor.
"Private Apple," he said, turning to Applejack. "Dump out the contents of every footlocker for a routine check. Now."
She swallowed hard, " Yessir."
"Private Heart, assist her."
"Yessir," Iron Heart said.
Together they dumped the lockers out at the foot of each bed. Clothes, shoes, snacks - everything littered the floor. Applejack gave the best apologetic look she could, considering the circumstances. Thinking she hadn't been isolated any longer was completely nullified in her mind. This is exactly what her C.O. wanted.
He walked behind them, slowly picking through each pile while the other recruits watched helplessly.
"Private Skies, I didn't know you still read your local paper. I thought I made it clear that items like these are contraband!" He annunciated his point by throwing it to the ground.
He turned to the next in line, "And Private Hammerton, you need to lay off the rock candy. It's slowing you down on the usual course."
The commander trotted happily back to the front of the room with various bits of contraband. He dumped it into the trash can before turning to his troop. He had something special planned today.
"You have 10 minutes to pick this up and get to the armory on the other side of the base," and with that, he walked out of the room. Various ponies glared at Applejack before turning to fix their cots and footlockers.
She'd had enough of this. If they continued to blame her for everything, it'll be after she tried to fix it. Applejack stared right back at the rest of the troop, "Wanna know how ta fix the bed right? Hook the blanket into the coils of the springs. It holds tighter that way and it's easier than makin' adjustments. If ya don't think I'm right, it'll be your buckin' fault we get to do it over."
She quickly remade her bed using the same technique in under a minute. With her mouth, she quickly stuffed her locker with wreck less abandon, slamming it closed. When she turned to look, a few ponies looked quickly away, quietly following her method. She opened the door and jogged her way across the base to the armory.
--*--
Big Macintosh noticed only he and his sister were able to handle their new addition to their weekly routines: full suits of armor. On top of their physical exercise and weapons training, they were required to start coming in full armor. Climbing through the muck was now twice as hard as it was before. But, as expected, they were still required to do it in the same amount of time. Over time, they had added length to their routine. But after a month in armor, they had only advanced 20 minutes closer to their previous time.
It didn't help that their daily schedule now started changing on the whim of their commander. He was ruthless with the training. Mac had long overheard the reason - their group was one of the best groups or recruits in years. Their commander was in a bitter quest to maintain it and they were not advancing as fast as before.
He was the only one in the barracks during their free time today, busy cleaning and polishing his armor. Most of the boys were out at the local bar, getting drinks for cheap. Applejack was down in the laundry room taking care of her uniforms again.
He smiled. They were already halfway done with their basic training. So far, their experience was much lighter than their cousin's description of it, if only slightly.
Training outside of Canterlot did have its benefits, after all. They were locals to the area - no real issues with accent or difference in local culture. The food was - well, bad to be sure, but at least made from local ingredients.
"Macintosh?"
The red stallion looked up from his work. Several of the other members of the barracks walked inside. He recognized them all, but he only saw one that he got along with: Iron Heart.
He had taken to heart that those that had a problem with his sister would get nothing out of him. So far he had stuck it out and was not in the mood to change his mind. That didn't mean he couldn't act cordial towards them.
"Eeyup."
Iron Heart walked to her bed, plopping herself onto the stiff mattress. She sat up shortly afterwards, "We wanted to talk to you."
Mac looked up from the armor, lazily continuing to polish it.
"We heard a couple of things at the bar from the other cadets. Seems like the commander has something new planned for us."
Macintosh nodded and went back to his work. His quiet demeanor unintentionally made the other ponies shuffle around uncomfortably.
"A couple of things, actually. One of them is promoting your sister."
Big Mac stopped polishing the armor and opened his footlocker. Carefully, he stowed it on the top. With a free hoof he kicked the door shut, making one of the other ponies jump. He chuckled a little, "Good one."
"I'm not joking Mac. You know since day one he's had it out for her. We all avoided you two at first cause we didn't want that part of the heat. No offense."
"None taken."
"But most of us have since turned around. Now these boys are willing to put some faith behind her too."
He was skeptical about that. They'd been stubborn so long this all seemed like a really bad joke. But if it was true...
"Just ask her some questions. Watch what she does. Give her some respect and she'll give it right back. She's a good pony. Remember that if she's given an order, it don't always mean she agrees with it."
They nodded.
"She's the most honest pony I know. She ain't the Element of Honesty for nuthin'."
Iron Heart's mouth dropped open, "She's the Applejack? The Element of Honesty? What the hay are you guys doin' in here?"
"It's a long story."
--*--
100 meters.
The orange pony sprinted across the field as fast as she could, easily curving around expertly placed boulders. She could feel the thunder of her battalion's hooves hammering into the ground behind her. Sweat beaded on her forehead from the extra weight of the royal guardsmen armor.
50 meters.
The barbed wire was coming up. She hated that part. But today she had a plan. There was no way her team was getting knocked back into the same midnight run tomorrow night.
She had something to prove.
25 meters.
She dug her hooves in and got low to the ground, sliding up to the edge of the wire. Applejack adjusted her legs forcing her body to make a full turn before stopping. The pegasus mare behind her was baffled. She lost her footing trying to stop. Exactly as Applejack wanted.
"Yer up Iron Heart!" she yelled. Using his momentum, she shoved the pegasus under the wires, giving him a head start on the crawl. "Let's go boys!"
Like a well greased machine they followed her lead, sliding underneath the wires to get a head start on the ordeal. Only after the last one passed under did she follow. The whole time she was yelling, "Keep goin'! I sure ain't pushin' you out the other end!"
On their stomachs they pushed through the mud and grime. The whole group kept pushing forward.
"NOT FAST ENOUGH!"
Applejack looked to her right at their C.O. He was hollering at the other members of her troop as they rose from the grime towards the next obstacle.
"Lt. Apple! Why aren't you at front? Move , move, move!"
Applejack started running from beneath the barbed wire, headed towards the wall after her group. Most of the other troops were pegasi, forced to fly straight up the wall as if it were for cover. They were also almost all on the other side. Big Macintosh was halfway up the wall, scaling the hoof holds while biting down on the rope the others were hauling up.
She leapt at the nearest rope, grabbing it with her teeth and setting herself on the wall. It was a grueling climb this time, as many of the hoof-holds had been removed. The extra armor didn't help.
"Lt. Apple, you are not proving to me that an earth pony can keep up with the abilities of a Royal Guard! Private Arrowhead, drop that rope!"
Suddenly the rope in Applejack's mouth went slack.
Horseapples, she thought. Spitting out the rope, she redoubled her efforts, straining to lift herself from hold to hold. It was even worse when she tried to drag herself up over the wall.
But she endured.
Not more than twenty minutes later Applejack finished the course - in front of the troop. She slowed to a stop before snapping to attention.
The C.O. paced up and down the line of new recruits, daring one of them to step out of line. He came to a stop in front of Applejack.
"Lt. Apple," he spoke.
"Yessir?" she asked.
"What was that stunt you pulled by the barbed wire?"
Applejack swallowed hard, "Which stunt, sir?"
"I specifically ordered you to lead the troops. You stayed behind and let every soldier politely go ahead of you."
"Yessir."
The C.O. chuckled to himself, "Isn't that just neighborly of you." He moved back so the whole troop could see him, "What did you think of our neighbor Applejack's idea?"
No one spoke.
"What do you think, Private Heart?"
Iron Heart looked nervously at the C.O., "Sir... The maneuver saved us time. Valuable time we would need on the battlefield."
The C.O. nodded thoughtfully. His face hardened quick, "Do you trust the lieutenant?"
"Yes sir."
"That maneuver was poorly executed. Only the lieutenant had eyes on the other side. If she was hit, you'd be flying blind."
Applejack hadn't thought about that. She was more focused on getting everyone through the maze faster. She was still new to thinking about someone fighting them from the other end.
"Do you still trust the lieutenant?"
"Yes sir."
"Why?" He narrowed his eyes at the private.
Iron Heart stared right back, "In the last six months of basic training I have found that Applejack hasn't once made a decision that jeopardizes the troop. In fact she has been more helpful to us learning our skill than any other officer. With all due respect, you teach us the skills, but she makes us masters."
The C.O. looked about ready to explode, "If either Princess saw that kind of tom-foolery they would kick their sorry hides out of their army and back to where they belong!"
"I believe your assessment does not speak for our opinion, Commander." The princess of the night, Princess Luna, touched down lightly with her two bodyguards on either side. Her hair flowed in the evening wind. On instinct everypony bowed in respect, "We hope you don't mind the interruption."
"Of course not, your highness."
"If we may, we would like to take Lt. Apple and Private Apple."
"Yes, your highness."
--*--
"...and that's the whole reason we joined up, Princess." Applejack still stood at her parade rest. Out of all of the Princess' prying she had told Celestia everything. The trouble at the farm, enlisting, and all the six months of hell she and Big Mac had to endure just to support their family.
But she had also included the good moments in with the bad. Despite what she endured, she certainly had made some lasting friendships. Wherever they had been from and wherever they would go, she knew they had changed her life.
"I'm glad to see that you would endure so much for your family. But I believe your talents belong elsewhere. Besides, your friends have been worried sick," she smiled. A door behind her opened and a blue blur sideswiped Applejack to the ground.
"AJ. Why... Why didn't you tell us?"
Applejack looked back at her friend Rainbow Dash, nearly crying at seeing her again. The rest of her friends piled around her giving her hugs and occasionally yelling at her for being stubborn.
"But Princess- Mah farm is just barely standing up with the pay we've been sendin' home. We can't just up and leave the force."
"Unfortunately our former supplier of apples in Fillydelphia has moved south. The new owners have raised prices significantly, so the castle is willing to buy apples from elsewhere."
Applejack's mouth dropped. She couldn't be serious.
"We would love to buy apples from Sweet Apple Acres. We'd even be willing to pay the same prices as before even though you sell for much less."
"Princess... Ah can't just overcharge you for apples. I'd be more than happy to tell Braeburn to send some your way-"
"Applejack," she smiled again. "We're simply paying to support the new trees you've planted. Last year's... Incident was something that your insurance should have covered, but didn't. It costs money to expand."
Applejack looked around at her friends. They were all giddy with excitement at the prospect of her returning to Ponyville. But her brother's short nod was all that was needed to finally break her stubbornness.
"Thank you so much, Princess. Ah can't tell you what this means to me."
Her friends cheered for her newfound success. She watched as Celestia walked over to Big Macintosh. He bowed in respect.
"Private Macintosh Apple. You are hereby ordered to protect the town of Ponyville in the interests of the castle. Sweet Apple Acres will be providing a vital food supply for the castle and the city of Canterlot. However this job must be done discreetly."
Big Mac rose at her words. From behind, Princess Luna walked to her sister's side. She pinned a button onto his fatigues, "We hereby promote you to the Service of the Heavens. This organization has acted from the shadows during times of peace and war. You will go about your business until you are called. When the time is right, Sir Macintosh Apple."
Celestia turned her gaze to Applejack, "Lt. Applejack. You are hereby placed on inactive duty unless dire circumstances arise in which your skills are required."
Applejack smiled and bowed once more.
--*--
Another warm afternoon hovered over Sweet Apple Acres. The sounds of summer harvests filled the orchard, with each resounding thud of hooves hitting trees. Applejack was busy at work, pulling a full load of apples back into town for the market. Big Macintosh was watching the stands today to take a break from his daily work routines.
Things hadn't gone quite back to normal since they went through basic training. Before they started work for the day, the two siblings went for their morning run, performing the same distance they had for six whole months. They were much more fit than they were when they left - if anypony could actually believe it was possible. Sales had gone up as well. With a new market in Canterlot, they were rapidly expanding the farm to meet demand. While that wasn't a big deal with their newfound training, they already called in extra help from family members around Equestria.
She shook her head and chuckled. More often than not her commanding officer had trained her in more ways than one. While that didn't sit as well as it could have with her, she was grateful.
When she arrived at the market square, her cart was unusually busy, even with the increased sales. She parked her cart behind their stand and pushed her way to the front of the line. Macintosh was talking with one of the customers fairly excitedly - by that, it meant he was giving more than a few words and paying more attention to the other pony. A familiar smile crept up on Applejack's face.
Applejack held out her hoof to the customer, "Welcome to Ponyville, Private Heart."
The pegasus shook her hoof firmly, "Thank you, Lieutenant. It's a beautiful town."
Applejack looked around at the crowd. Most of them were young stallions, oggling the mare. Well, some of them were intrigued by her rather large saddlebags with the army's seal on the sides, but she didn't count those.
"Alright folks, keep your eyes in your sockets and keep going about as you were," Applejack scolded. Embarrassed, most of the folks heeded her words and walked away, or back to the stand to buy some apples.
"What're you doing here in Ponyville?" Applejack continued.
"Actually looking for work. I've been stationed up in Canterlot until Incan get a job and find a place of my own. I figured I'd stop by and say hello during my job hunt."
Applejack smiled, "Well, I dunno about the other shops 'round here, but we just recently expanded the farm. Nothin' doin', we could use an extra hoof or two for a while."
"Really?" Iron Heart asked, "I thought you joined the force because the farm was going down."
"It was. Lucky enough, Canterlot needed a new supplier. They were willing to pay big."
"Well, if it's not too much trouble..."
Applejack clapped her on the back, "Not a problem. Let's go see if we can get ya situated in town. Mac goes back for training every month so it'll be a big help. Besides, I'll introduce you to a few friends."
The two soldiers walked away from the market, towards the town square. There was a lot to do for Applejack's newest friend before she could get down to work. Plus there was a matter of introductions. But she would leave that job to Pinkie Pie.
"By the way, you’re gonna love my friend Rainbow Dash.”