It is a quiet summer morning in Ponyville, around the time of day in which all of the little filly’s and colts are away at school learning how to get by in the world and their parents are at work earning money that their fouls suspect magically appears at the end of every week. It’s quiet, but not quite enough for anypony to suspect anything to be wrong. To end the boredom you decide to go out to stretch your wings with a short flight to the Ponyville market, you’re about to take off when suddenly there is a loud noise breaking the silence. you look up to Canterlot castle and see four bright objects you can only guess to be pegasi zoom into the sky and brake off into different directions. Probably the wonderbolts, you think to yourself. But there’s not to be a public show until the next derby. Lost in wonder you fail to notice a crowd beginning to take form around you until one of the mares in the crowd with a cobalt blue and dark pink mane bumps into you and tells you to get out of her way so that she can get a better view. You move for her then turn around just in time to see one of the pegasi, spitfire the wonderbolt, circle around and head back to the castle. The crowd begins slowly dispersing back to their homes, some with worried expressions and others clapping as if it were a planned surprise performance.
You start walking across town to the market but then stop half way by the sight of several ponies trotting to city hall forming a small group in which mayor mare is the center. You decide to see what the commotion is about. “everypony, I have an important announcement from princess Celestia.” mayor mare begins. The group becomes bigger and more interested as she talks. “She has informed me that Equestria has been attacked and that anypony available should sign up for the equestrian army”
Everypony in the audience looks with fear at each other; eventually a curious pony in the crowd asks, “Who’s attacking us?” the others are silent for an answer.
“Well…I don’t know.” She answers looking down in disappointment “the castle hasn’t released that yet. I think they think there is still time to stop it before it’s turned into a war.” There’s a lot of murmuring beginning in the now large crowd as an army recruiter is sifting through them asking for all willing to follow him to be drafted to the Equestrian army, of which many follow including you.
You and the group take a short trip next door into what is revealed by the recruiter to be the Ponyville recruiting office. The group funnels into the building. When everypony in the waiting room the recruiter sighs and begins a short speech “been long over 100 years since we’ve last had a real war in Equestria, and I’m not plannin on losin the first one that’s thrown at me. You each willfully came here to fight for your land, but sadly that’s not enough. The sad truth is if we go to war, about three out of five of you will not come back alive. If this scares anybody I would like you to leave now, but I would want you to remember that you are letting your country down.” At this moment, a scared stallion backs out of the building and gallops away. Some watch him through the window and chuckle lightly at his actions. “I will now bring you back one by one for information on military entrance.” With this, he walks in front of a large stallion in front of the group and tells him to come to follow into the recruiting office.
You take the time before you are called to look around the large room for anypony you know. You have only been in Ponyville for a couple of days, but you have lived in Equestria for your entire life and are willing to die for it. You look around the large room and spot a longtime friend behind a small group of talking mares, surprised to see him you call out his name. “Liquid Flame!” you get his attention and he searches for you, several seconds later his eyes find you and he comes over. Despite his name sounding like one of fighters he is the last pony you would have expected to find here. Liquid Flame is a unicorn who smelts ore and crafts it into some of the best guard armor in Equestria, as a matter of fact if it wasn’t for the extra bits he made by doing that he would not have been able to afford taking you with him to Ponyville.
“Hi Vocal Wave” he greets “what are you doing here?
“I love Equestria; I won’t just let it be destroyed.”
“I know but, you’re not exactly a fighter.”
“Neither are you, I never expected you might someday wear your own armor into combat.”
You and him share a quiet laugh both not noticing that most of the others in the room now wear a necklace stating they have talked with the recruiter and have been accepted.
“So who do ya think is trying to pick a fight with Equestria?” asks Liquid Flame now feeling bad for laughing in such as serious situation.
“I bet it’s the Griffins.” You admit.
“Probably… but do they really hate us that bad? I guess we won’t know until-” Liquid Wave gets cut off by the recruiter asking you to follow him into his office. “Umm… good luck.”
You follow the recruiter into the office, a room much smaller than the other, this one only containing a desk and a single chair. “Take a seat” he asks. You sit down. So you wanna join the equestrian army?”
“Yes sir!”
“Why?”
“To protect and serve!”
“I like that attitude of yours.” The recruiter looks through several pieces of paper on his desk until he comes across the correct one and nods to himself. “But before we can talk any further ill need to ask you a couple of questions.”
After what felt like hours but in actuality was only about 10 minutes, you look down to the paper you filled out for the recruiter. Name, Vocal Wave, age, 24, residence, Ponyville Equestria, and so on and so forth. You slowly hand over the paper and let the recruiter look it over. “Everything looks to be in order here… welcome aboard.” He nods to you then gives you a necklace that resembles the ones the other newly accepted recruits are wearing. You salute him with a hoof then walk out to join the others, the recruiter follows close behind.
When you get back to the big room Liquid flame notices you and begins trotting over to congratulate you but gets stopped short by the recruiter asking for him to follow to his office for examination, which he does, but not before glancing at your necklace and showing a slight smile.
Several minutes later Liquid Flame leaves the office wearing a necklace following the recruiter who begins to speak. “All of you seem to have what it takes to join the Royal Equestrian Army. I want you all back here early tomorrow for a morning run and war briefing, if you don’t show up you may as well through your necklace in a lake and forget you ever came here. See you all bright n’ early.” He then goes back into his office and closes the door.
Many of the ponies in the room turn to each other confused, you then turn to liquid flame and ask, “Did he just say war briefing?”
“He-he did…”
“What war?”
“I don’t know, maybe he means briefing on the possibility of war.”
“That wouldn't make much sense, but I guess we will find out tomorrow anyway.” You and liquid flame begin walking out of the building and towards your houses continuously talking about the appending war and what will come of it. Liquid flame sees his house in the distance speaks a goodbye and trots home leaving you alone for the few minutes it takes for you to get home. Once you get home you are amazed at what was earlier just a trip to the market which turned out like this. you stretch out your wings, yawn and head to bed, but not before setting your alarm clock to five A.M... that should be early enough...
2
You toss and turn in the night having constant dreams and nightmares. Eventually you awaken in a puddle of sweat, panting in terror. You stand and quickly look to the clock hoping you did not over sleep. Three A.M… you sigh and try to decide to go back to sleep or to go earlier then you planned. You decide to go early; if you fall back asleep you guarantee you will oversleep.
You go shower off the sweat and head outside back to the recruiting office. When you get there you see that everyone else is already there, including Liquid Flame, you fall in line next to him. “When did you get here?” you ask
“bout a half hour ago.” He answers yawning loudly.
“Did you even sleep last night?” you notice large bags under his eyes and even a slight droop in his horn.
“No, not really.”
You shake your head disapprovingly and see the recruiter walking over with another pony that you notice to be spitfire the wonderbolt
Spitfire begins. “I’m surprised how many of you actually showed up.” Spitfire begins walking up and down the line of ponies giving each a look of stern approval. “To start off we are going to separate the colts from the stallions, and the filly’s from the mares, by doing a quick five lap trot around the Ponyville perimeter !”
A pony you don’t recognize looks over to you “she does know that’s like five miles a lap, right?” you shrug and shake your head and think, yes, this will separate the colts from the stallions.
Spitfire at the front of the pack signals for you to begin, most of the ponies begin trotting and some pegasi open their wings prepared for flight. “HALT!” yells spitfire “What do you pegasi think you’re doing, I said Trot!” The pegasi jump in shock and put their wings down. “NOW GALLOP!” They begin galloping as fast as they can to attempt to catch up with you and the others. When they catch up they all sigh and mumble obscenities of which spitfire notices but chooses to ignore.
An hour passes and most are still trotting strong, all but a few of the weaker ponies that are struggling to keep up. Spitfire is still going strong in front “come on, that’s only one lap. If you’re going to give up after one lap you better go home yourself and save me the trouble of sending you home in a body bag!” you and Liquid Flame are near the back still trotting and watching as a few struggling earth ponies finally give up and stop, receiving a disapproving glance by Spitfire then turn and walk away saddened.
Hours and hours pass causing the remainder of the group to begin to slow, even spitfire. The group is thinning to not even half of its original number. You are about to give up when out of nowhere and after what seems like a full day of running, spitfire yells “stop!”, takes several deep breaths, then looks back surprised how many stayed. “Wow, you ponies mean businesses…” she walks away to the office with the remaining group following behind , including you, liquid flame, a muscular earth pony, 6 pegasi and 4 unicorns.
When you all arrive at the office you drink deeply and allow yourself to fully catch your breath for the first time today. “I would like to congratulate you all for making it this far, I would like too but sadly we haven’t done anything worth congratulating yet.” You notice spitfires voice and turn to her alongside Liquid flame and the others. “Tonight you will all board a train heading for Canterlot for a mandatory meeting with the princesses about future war plans.”
Everypony but you and Liquid Flame get excited about the opportunity of meeting the princesses, you and liquid on the other hand have your minds stuck on ‘war plans’. You step forward “future war plans?”
“Of Corse, that’s why your all here isn’t it.”
“Yes, but I wasn’t aware there was a war right now!”
“I guess the castle is doing well keeping it a secret. Everyone gathers around!” everypony gathers around spitfire. “Just a couple of days ago Equestria was attacked by the nation of North Haliaera, one of the many griffin nations. The castle requested to keep the attack a secret because we have acquired a weapon unavailable to the griffins.” Everypony in the group looks to each other then back at spitfire curiously all mentally asking the same thing until she realizes and decides to answer. “I don’t know any details of the so called secret weapon; best keep it to yourself and let it stay a secret.”
By now it is getting late. After your long gallop and spitfires speech, you’re surprised only a day went by and not an entire week. You’re in mid-sentence with Liquid Flame when spitfire walks back into the room and tells everypony that it is time for them to head to the train station.
