//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Rarity's Army // by BronyDan //------------------------------// The town hall was filled with many mares and stallions, all of whom were all waiting to join up for this new defence organisation the princess had set up. Among them were Cheerilee, Bon-Bon, Lyra, Caramel, Time Turner, Derpy and even Big Mackintosh, since he hadn’t been called up as he was needed to help at Sweet Apple Acres. “4 o’ clock Spike said!” Rainbow Dash grumbled to Vinyl Scratch, “It’s gone 20 minutes past!” “I know, I’m already wasting some valuable bass-dropping right now.” replied Vinyl. Just then, the front door opened, and Twilight’s head looked in, scanning the room. “Finally.” sighed Rainbow Dash as Twilight came walking past them, “Thank goodness you’re here Twilight, now we can get this whole thing over with.” “I’m sorry Rainbow, but we need to wait the Commanding Officer.” said Twilight, still holding back the giggles. “And you’re not the officer?!” said Rainbow Dash in shock, “Well who is?” “Excuse me, pardon me.” came a familiar voice from the back of the hall as the sound of the doors closing could be heard. “Oh no.” whimpered Rainbow Dash, as Rarity came into sight. “We shall have to find a special room for the paperwork.” said Rarity, and she pushed Twilight forward towards two oak doors, magically opened the lock, and went inside. “Rarity, we can’t use this.” Twilight persisted as Rarity shut the doors behind her, “This is the Mayor’s office!” “She’ll understand that this is of national importance.” said Rarity, sitting at the desk. “So, did you get the enrolment forms?” Twilight asked. “No, I didn’t!” huffed Rarity, “They wouldn’t let me have them until I signed an application form.” “Well why didn’t you?” “Because they didn’t have any.” Rarity then began rummaging through the Mayor’s desk and pulled out some paper, “We’ll just have to use these.” “We can’t use these!” said Twilight, loudly, “These are papers that are only to be used for passing laws in the town.” “In times of peril Twilight, we shall need to improvise for the time being.” said Rarity as she took a quill and dipping it in the ink, “Let’s see, just cross that out… change that to “Enrolment”… put in “LDV”, and voila! Right, can you send the first pony in, please?” Twilight rolled her eyes, opened the doors and stuck her head, “Would one of you mind stepping this way, please?” she asked politely. “Twilight.” Rarity called to her, beckoning her to the desk, “I intend to turn those ponies out there into complete fighting unit, lead them to victory and inspire them, and I’m hardly going to be able to do that if you ask them to “Step this way” all the time. I would have thought that, with your own brother a Captain himself, you ought to know the correct term is “Quick march”, Darling.” Twilight sighed and turned back around, “Quick march!” she shouted, only to see Rainbow Dash standing in front of her. “No point in shouting, I’m here already.” she said as she approached the desk. “Name?” Rarity asked, not looking up from the paper. “Rarity, you don’t need to ask that, you already know my name.” Rainbow grumbled. Rarity looked up from the paper and stared into Rainbow’s eyes, a stern look on her face, “Rainbow Dash, these things have to be done in the correct order, whether I know your name or not. Now, name?” “But you just said my…” Rainbow groaned in frustration, “Fine, Rainbow Dash.” “Good.” said Rarity, smiling sweetly at her, “Now, you have no military experience, correct?” “I did try and join the Royal Guards once.” said Rainbow Dash, “I was actually a trained Private.” “Yes, and I take it you got kicked out of that as well.” said Rarity. “I was not kicked out!” cried Rainbow, sounded offended, “They just told me my services would no longer be required.” “And why’s that.” “Because I kept missing morning Parade.” Rarity stared at Rainbow Dash for a few seconds before saying, “Sign here, please?” and turning the paper round for Rainbow Dash to put her signature on. After doing this, Rainbow didn’t move from the spot. “Are you swearing?” she finally asked. “Rainbow Dash, I never said a word!” cried Rarity, in shock. “No, no.” said Rainbow Dash impatiently, shaking her head, “I mean, are you swearing an Oath of Allegiance?” “Oh, right.” sighed Rarity with relief, “Well, we’ll do that later, so if you could kindly wait outside please?” Rainbow Dash turned on her hooves and walked out of the door. When she was out of ear-shot Rarity whispered, “I know she’s our friend Twilight, but we may need to watch her in future. Send in the next Pony.” Twilight called for the next Pony to step in, but the one that did step in was the last Pony she would suspect in a million years to sign up to fight. “Hello Rarity, Twilight.” said Fluttershy, meekly as she walked in. “Fluttershy?!” Rarity certainly was surprised by this, Fluttershy would normally have preferred to live in the Everfree Forest than to fight the Changelings, “You want to sign up to fight?” “Well, not quite.” said Fluttershy, quietly, “It’s just that, I was wondering if, maybe, there could be other things I could do, to help in the… war.” she had said the last word so quietly, it was barely audible as she slowly crouched down in front of the desk. “I have a suggestion.” said Twilight, after some thinking and she put her hoof over the shaking pony, “Fluttershy, we’ll enlist you into the LDV, but how would you feel about being our Platoon’s own Medical Officer, you won’t have to handle a rifle at all.” “Oh, that sounds lovely.” said Fluttershy, perking up now, taking the quill in her hoof and putting her signature next to her name, and walked out smiling. Before Twilight could call the next pony to come forward, the door opened. “Howdy, ladies!” said Applejack, standing in front of the desk. “Ah, Applejack.” said Rarity happily, as she took her name down, “We haven’t seen you for a few days.” “Yeah well, with apples goin' on ration, the farm just ain’t been getting the profit it normally would around this time of year.” said Applejack, a little disappointed, “So since then, ah have been taking up a secon' occupation.” and she pulled out a card from her hat and handed it to Twilight. It read “Applejack: Wholesale Supplier”. Twilight handed the card to Rarity, “What does this mean?” she asked Applejack. “It means ah’ve set up my own store on the farm and ah’m able to supply essential supplies, providing ah’ve got it, or ya'll got the bits.” said Applejack, her eyebrow raised mischievously. “And you’ve got no military experience, have you?” said Rarity, ignoring the end of that statement. “Well ah’ve got a cousin in the ATS.” said Applejack. So Rarity asked her to sign her signature like the others, and when she was gone she called Twilight over again and whispered, “If we don’t get a Stallion signed onto this, this’ll be part of the ATS.” The next pony to come in was another unlikely choice. “Hi Twilight, hi Rarity!” said Pinkie Pie, grinning from ear to ear, "I'm so excited about this whole defence thingy, are you excited? Well you must be excited since you did start this up, and I can't wait to sign up, where do I sign up?" she said without taking in a breath. Twilight and Rarity shared nervous glances, and this time, it was Twilight's turn to ask Rarity for a private word taking her to a corner of the office, "Rarity," she said in a low whisper, "I was able to give Fluttershy a chance to be in this, but Pinkie?! She'll just think it's all a joke and won't take it seriously. I mean, if we leave her alone with a rifle, Ponyville's going to look like it has been bombed by the Changelings." She then stopped, noticing Pinkie was standing next to them, still grinning. They both turned to face her with nervous smiles. "Oh, by the way Rarity." said Pinkie as she took out a carefully wrapped package from her saddlebag and placed it on the desk in front of her, "I've got you two muffins, the ones with the light cream centre, your favourite." Rarity looked down at the package. Since baking goods had gone on the ration as well, it was quite difficult to get muffins or cupcakes from SugarCube Corner these days. She levitated the package into saddlebag, "Well I suppose we could give her some discipline training when we get our weapons." she said, still smiling. "Rarity!" said Twilight, looking shocked, "I can't believe you would stoop so low as to accept a bribery!" "Don't worry Twilight, I've got you two muffins as well, with the Midnight-Blue icing." said Pinkie, taking out another package and holding out to Twilight. Twilight looked away for a few seconds, but eventually she took the package and put it in her saddlebag, however as soon as she had done that, Pinkie asked, "Can I have a rank?" "No, I'm afraid not, Pinkie." said Rarity, calmly. "Oh." said Pinkie, her ears drooped slightly, "Well in that case, I'll take the muffins back." "Wait, wait!" said Rarity quickly, levitating her saddlebag away from Pinkie's outstretched hoof, "I'm sure we can come to some sort of arrangement. What rank would you suggest. Twilight?" "Well, if I'm right, I would suggest a low rank, but still one with some sort of authority." said Twilight, thinking carefully, "How would you feel about being a Lance-Corporal?" she asked Pinkie. "Well, I was hoping for Major-General, but still, YAY!" screamed Pinkie, bouncing up and down and out of the room, and before Twilight and Rarity could call her back, she bounced back in again, signed her signature next to her name and bounced out again, leaving Twilight and Rarity to breathe a sigh of relief. Outside in the hall, the Mayor had entered to find it completely crowded, "What in the world of Equestria is going on in here?" she called out, but since no one was able to hear her, she forced her way to her office, but when she opened the doors, she was surprised to see Rarity sitting at her desk, and Twilight Sparkle standing next to it. Twilight quickly noticed her and nudged Rarity in the shoulder to get her attention. Rarity looked up and immediately shot out of the seat, "Afternoon Madam Mayor." she said calmly, "I hope you don't mind us using your office." "You could have at least waited to ask me." said the Mayor darkly, but then the door opened again, and in walked a pony that Twilight and Rarity would certainly have not signed up to join, even if she had begged them. "Are you two in charge of those ponies out there?" asked Trixie. "We maybe." said Rarity, glaring at Trixie, "Why?" "Well get them out now." she ordered. "What right have you got to tell us what to do?" Twilight demanded. "This!" said Trixie, grinning maliciously as she placed a white tin helmet on her head, with a large black W on it, "Trixie has been made Chief Air- Raid Warden of Ponyville, and in five minutes, She intends to use that hall for an ARP lecture, so get that lot cleared out NOW!!" and with that, she walked out, slamming the door behind her. "Well, now what do we do, Rarity?" Twilight sighed, "We've only enrolled four ponies so far." "There's only one thing we can do now." said Rarity, straightening up, "Get them all in here, and I'll explain." This was not the best solution Rarity could have thought of, as there were fifteen Ponies waiting outside to join, and the Mayor's office was not exactly the biggest room ever, so when Twilight called for them all to come in, there was a tight squeeze as ponies fidgeted in and were elbowing each other in the ribs to try and get comfortable, and Rarity had suddenly found herself pushed up against the back wall, however she was able to get her head high enough for it not to get squashed and call out to the crowd. "Listen everypony. You have all come here to call on Equestria's aid. We are all here to protect our loved ones and friends. As of this moment, we have no guns, but we do have one thing in our armoury; ingenuity and improvisation..." "That's two!" Rainbow Dash called out. "Now I want you all to go to your homes, find any weapon you can, and come back here at 6 o'clock!" Rarity continued, "Because tonight, we will be able to say, "Come on Chrysalis, we're ready!" So don't forget your Gas-Masks!" Everypony cheered and turned around to leave, but it did take a while as they were all fighting over who should go through the door first.