When they came to the door, James stepped aside to let Applejack open it, which she did. They went inside.
James remembered much of the house from the show, and was glad he at least had somewhere to rest before having to do the job for which... Well, he was sure he would end up paid, even if that hadn't been discussed yet. He sat down at the table in the dining/kitchen area, taking a moment to familiarize himself with the house.
Everyone else began to disperse, as they all had things they had to attend to. Shining Armor had to go back to canterlot, as the letter had stated, while Rainbow Dash, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Twilight al had jobs and necessities to attend to.
James continued to sit as Granny Smith came into the room, led by Applejack and Big Mac. She didn't panic at the sight of him, as he'd feared, but instead asked, "And who'r you, lil' fella?"
"Lil' fella? I'm several inches taller than you, at least. He glanced at Applejack and Big Mac, both of whom were trying to keep their faces from cracking up, and failing badly. He looked back at the elderly pony and said, "Colonel James Lavigne, Equestrian Army."
"Oh, a soldier is ya?" She asked, perking up a little. "Ah met a soldier back when ah was a little filly. Didn't get his name, mind ya, but he wasn' a bad sort." Then her face looked a bit more serious. "Cain't say much for tha uni-forms they use nowadays though."
James looked down at his clothing; it was the same he had been wearing for the past two days. "I'll have a better one soon, hopefully sometime tomorrow."
She wasn't listening to him. She had started on a long story of the "Way back when" sort about how back in her day Royal Guards had had to do this, that, and the other thing. James pretended to listen, but began to grow bored and found his head on the table with his arms folded under them as a pillow of sorts.
Finally, noticing the darkening sky outside the window, he sat up and said, "Well, look at the time, it seems like dinner may be a great idea."
That was phrased stupidly, he thought, but it had the intended effect, snapping Granny Smith out of her story and rousing Applejack (who had fallen asleep standing up) and Big Mac (who had not fallen asleep, but seemed grateful that the lecture was over).
James was going to go back to Twilight's to get his bag and gun, but a loud magic-teleportation noise interrupted his thoughts and he found his stuff waiting in the living room as though it had been there all along. He found a note saying that Twilight had teleported his stuff to the house for him; it also asked if she could come and borrow some tomorrow.
He lifted the bag and noticed that it felt lighter than he had remembered.
Ah, I had told Rarity she could borrow some of my books, that's why.
A loud bell sound told him that dinner was ready. As if my nose wasn't enough to confirm that.
It was, again, a dinner primarily made of apple products. It wasn't the best James had ever had, but it was nourishment, and Equestrian apples seemed to taste better than any in his own world. It was also a quiet dinner compared to the one before. He used the opportunity to try to think further about his training strategies, though he wasn't able to think of much. Eventually, the meal was eaten in it's entirety.
"Here, let me lead y'all to yer room," Applejack offered.
"'Thank you."
She led him upstairs as he dragged his bag behind him. They came to a small room, which the orange pony opened. "Here ya are."
"Thanks." He went to the bed and sat down. He realized he had no other clothing than that he wore as of yet, so again he would have to do without pajamas.
"Anything ah can get for ya?"
"No, but thank you. I think I'm alright with this room."
"Okay, but just holler if ya need sumthin', ya hear?"
"Yes." He opened his bag as she went back downstairs and got out one of his Civil War books and read for awhile, as he had little else to do. He slowly became tired and put the book away as sleep came as inexorably as a glacier, and laid down for a good night's rest.
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James awoke to bird-song. He looked out the window and saw what appeared to be a chickadee just outside.
What a coinicidence, a Mainer and Maine's state bird meet in this foreign land...
He got up and headed downstairs. The Apple family was getting ready for the day. Apple Bloom was getting ready for school, while Applejack and Big Macintosh were preparing for work.
"Well hi-ya James! Ya hungry?" asked Applejack.
"Yes, a little."
She tossed him an apple. He ate it quickly.
"Hey, mind if ah bring ya in for show n' tell?" asked Apple Bloom eagerly.
James smiled at that. "Sorry, I've got things to do today. However, I'm sure everyone's going to hear about me soon enough."
She seemed a bit sad to hear this. "Ok..."
"Hey, chin up. I'm sure you'll think of something good to bring in for show and tell."
"She perked up a little. "Thanks James."
"No problem." No sooner had he said this than a flash of purple light appeared right before him. He jumped and fell right on his rear end as a letter took shape in front of him. He picked it up and read;
Dear James,
The engineers have arrived. Please come and meet them, so that work on the camp may begin.
Sincerely,
Twilight Sparkle.
He looked up. Already he had to get to business. He headed for the door and went outside to start the job he had been asked to do.
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Shining Armor sat down at the table. So did the Princesses, and the Griffon ambassadors. They were looking rather arrogant, as always, but that alone was nothing new.
What was new was the fact that they also seemed to be almost bored, as if they thought the negotiations were a needless sideshow. One of them finally deigned to notice the Equestrian delegation. "Come on lads, let's get it over with," he said in what a human would have called a British accent.
His compatriots sat down on either side of him. The lead ambassador began by saying, "I must say, I fail to see the necessity for further talks, as it is clear that Equestria..."
He got no further before being interrupted by a French-accented companion; "I must agree. We all watch as Equestria gets all ze wealth, and all ze power, and does not give eet freely to the rest of ze nations of ze world."
The third griffon went on (with a German accent) where his companion had stopped. "Equestria has control of the sun and the moon, and the current rulers of Equestria see only fit to use that control for their own benefit, and not the world at large."
Shining snarled like a dog. However, Princess Celestia took the complaints in stride, and replied calmly. "I have had control of the sun for over a thousand years, and I have not heard of any problems as big as the ones you have sated, until now. Also, Equestria does not have 'all the wealth,' that would make trade useless. And when have we not given aid to those who need it?"
The head ambassador waved that all away, as if of no account. "The facts are there; you control the sun and the moon, and on YOUR time, not ours or anyone elses. And anyone can claim to have helped others, but the truth can be quite different. And we can see that you hold all this power, and nothing except a small number of Royal Guards to protect it, not to mention that a few months ago your capital was nearly destroyed by Changlings, who even now prepare to attack your country. Clearly this country would be better protected and administered under our rule."
Why you pigheaded... Before Shining could give his opinions for the world to hear (or at least this room), Celestia again answered her opponents calmly. "If those Changelings cross our border, they will become your problem as well. And who can say if they would stop at Equestria?"
The Griffon ambassadors looked slightly taken aback; they had not thought of this. Then the lead ambassador recovered. "That's easy enough to answer. We have an army, strong and proud. We can stop them easily enough if we have to. Equestria has only Royal Guards, and has not seen war for eons. You cannot even stop an invasion of Canterlot, which was stopped only by a lucky instance of magic which I doubt will be seen again." Clearly that "again" refered to an upcoming Griffon invasion.
"We have the power of magic, which you have considerably less of," answered Celestia. "Furthermore, I ask again; why do you complain now, and why have you not done so at any time since me and my sister accended the throne?"
The British-accented ambassador kept pace. "We have not seen either the need or the opportunity to bring it up until now. According to eyewitnesses, you, for all your power, could not defeat a mere bug, if I recall the testimony correctly."
Hey, that was uncalled for! Even as Shining thought this, he felt slightly guilty. It was my love for Cadence that lead to the Princess' defeat. And I never saw it coming. I failed in my duty.
He looked up as Princess Celestia went on, "They fooled everyone, and if we fail to stop them now, they will try to do the same to you. They managed to sneak past our Royal Guards. They may well sneak through your armies and attack your towns and cities."
Frenchy let out a squawk. "Zat ees impossible! Zey cannot fool a brave Griffon warrior! You are, ow do you say, making castles in ze midair.'
"They can, as their name implies, change shape. They could make themselves resemble any one of your warriors. They could cause all kind of havoc. Why does it seem impossible to you, noble ambassador?"
She must have a lot of self control, to compliment him while they make fun of and belittle us.
All three ambassadors loked somewhat concerned at this, but recovered quickly. "We have the example made by your, er, citizens and capital to go by, and can sniff them out if they try," the lead ambassador said. "Furthermore, our king is protected by competant guards, who are trained to defend him to the last and will kill intruders on sight. I see no major problem that could arise from a Changeling invasion, other than that a few Griffons might die and trade temporarily disrupted. Besides, Equestria has no major allies to help protect it from an invasion, from Changelings or anyone."
At the word "competent" came and went, Shining Armor grew furious. How dare they insult the Royal Guard!?! They protect the Princesses and the Country as best they can! Through his rage, Princess Celestia responded to the Griffon. "Many of the Zebra tribes feel they owe us their lives for the aid we've sent them."
This time, the French and German-accented ambassadors laughed, not bothering to hold their laughter in check. The lead ambassador did not laugh, but did appear amused. "Barbarians and nomads, no match for any civilized peoples." Again doing that annoying wave, he continued. "Certainly no match for us, or the Changelings either. And they are dirt poor, as anyone with a proper brain can see."
Princess Luna spoke for the first time, angrily; "They have more manners than you do right now."
Her sister waved a hoof, gesturing for calm. "They may not be rich in money, but in herbs they have no match, and they are culturally rich as well."
"Oh, pooh." The lead ambassador, again with the wave, brushed the Princesses comment aside. He had looked glad to hear Luna's angry statement, and Shining realized that that had been bad for relations (if any still remained as of now) and might give the Griffons a further reason for declaring war, which, although they had not done so yet, it was clear they were gearing up for it. "You waste compliments on fools and tradition-riddled shamans. Not that you have much more than that yourselves, in so far as military strength goes."
The Princess again took this calmly, although Shining Armor felt like launching himself at the lead ambassador and talking sense into him from mere inches away from his face. "If we did not have strength, we could not have kept Equestria unified, protected, and relatively strife free for over a thousand years. I fail to see the strength in your arguement, Mr. Ambassador. And we have strength enough to defend ourselves if we are attacked."
"Your performance at the Royal Wedding indicates otherwise."
The negotiations went on like this for an hour, with neither side backing down; The Equestrians kept trying to defend their arguements while attempting to indirectly attack those of their opponents, while the Griffons kept trying to bull through the Equestrians' arguements and continued to state how superior their positions were. At last, with an agreement to meet next week, both sides departed. Shining could feel a massive headache coming on.
If this is what I have to go through until the war starts, I'd rather... be somewhere else. Yes, it was a bad statement, but through his throbbing headache he could hardly think of anything better. He envied James and his training job. What I wouldn't give to be in his position right now...
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James tried to remember the way to the library as he walked into Ponyville. Fortunately, the ponies in town seemed less afraid of him, though still cautious. He was still trying to come up with ideas for army training when he found himself in front of the library; for whatever reason the trip hadn't seemed to take very long.
He noticed the door was already open; he went inside and found Twilight talking to three ponies, all male. They seemed to be discussing engineering ideas when one of them heard him and turned around; one of them, a white unicorn stallion with a picture of a hacksaw and boards on his flank, cried out, "Who and what are you!?"
"Your boss, James Lavigne. I'm a human." He said it firmly; he had to establish who was in charge. "I take it you were not told exactly who I was?"
They all took a step back. A brown pony (a pegasus with a hammer and three nails for a cutie mark) then recovered his wits and said, "Forgive us sir, we did not know who you were. The Princess did not elaborate about you, she only said you would be, er, different."
She wouldn't want knowledge of my existence to spread to our enemies. He understood the reason, alright, but it was still discomforting to know that he would have to introduce himself several more times in a similar manner.
"...In any case, the camp still needs to be built. Where were you planning for it to be done, sir?" The third, blue-gray pony (earth, with a ruler and pencil cutie mark) had finally spoken up, with a slightly British accent.
Loyal to their jobs, that's good. "I have spoken to General Armor about this situation; we have decided that the clearing to the north of Ponyville will be the location of the camp."
The blue-gray pony spoke again; "Ah, good. We had discussed this possibility with Miss Sparkle, and it seems the most logical place for the construction."
Then why did you ask me about it? He realized that the question had probably been to relieve the tension as much as it had been to confirm the camp's future location. "What are we waiting for then? We have recruits coming in less than a week, and we need a fully functioning camp up and running. I'm guessing you're the assigned leaders for the engineers who are doing the construction?"
"We are indeed", said the blue-ish pony. "I am Blue Fur, and these are my companions, Mallet (here he gestured towards the pegasus) and White Streak. We, and our subordinates, are at your command. What are your orders, sir?"
James stood silent for a minute, then said "Get everyone and all the materials to the clearing, we start immediately."
"Yes sir." Blue Fur lead his companions out, and looked back. "Are you coming, sir?"
Boy, that whole "sir" business is gonna kill me. "Yeah, I'm coming." He started to follow them.
"You look like you've got a lot of work to do," Twilight said as he left.
"Yeah, I figured."
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He walked out to where he and Shining Armor had chosen to set up the camp. It looked decent; there were some woods to either side, but plenty of room for a working camp and training fields. Yes, this will do nicely.
"Sir, our company has arrived with the materials."
Blue Fur's statement snapped James out of his thoughts. "Huh? Oh, good. Begin setting up a barracks and a mess hall," he said, pointing out where he wanted these to be built. "We'll need them. And maybe we should set up an archery or shooting range of sorts over there," he continue, again pointing to where he wanted the construction.
Blue Fur studied the pointed-out areas, then started drawing on a sheet of paper. "Yes sir, we'll start construction immediately."
"Excellent." James looked around, his head turning slowly from left to right as he surveyed the area. Equestria really was a beautiful land. It was a shame that a war had to be fought to retain it.
He continued to stare at the countryside and the mountains in the distance for some time before a red-brown stallion came up to his side. James was startled when he started speaking; "Sir, a Miss Rarity said she would like to speak with you."
"Hmm? Ah, yes." I'd almost forgetten about the uniform I asked her to make for me. He turned his head to the stallion and said, "Please lead me to her."
'Yes sir." They went back towards the perimeter of the clearing, where, sure enough, Rarity was standing there, waiting for them.
"Ah, James, excellent. I'm happy to report that your uniform is done. If you'd follow me..." She turned and began walking away. With no other option, James followed her to Carosel Boutique.
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The first thing he noticed was a curtain across one part of the boutique. He could guess what that was. Sure enough, Rarity walked over to the curtain, and using her magic, lifted it. "Voila!"
James stared. Wow, it looks just like Joshua Chamberlain's uniform. Well, almost; I lack a beard or a moustache of any kind. He stepped toward it. "May I...?"
"Of course. It's yours, darling."
James took the fancy clothing, then went into the changing room. He undressed and then put on his new clothing, and buckled on his holster. He then stepped out.
"Oh my word, darling, you look spectacular!" Rarity cried out.
"Thank you. It's your work, after all."
"Oh, you're too kind," she said, blushing slightly.
James walked in front of a mirror and studied his new look. Wow, I really do look like Chamberlain, though again, no moustache or beard whatsoever. And it fits so well, and it's comfortable. I could get used to wearing this!
As he continued to study himself, Rarity spoke up again, though she sounded much more serious than before. "'I hope you don't mind, but I read one of your books that I used to model for that uniform."
He turned his head in her direction. "That's what books are there for, to be read."
"Oh, alright. Well, I was reading the, er, Bloodiest Day, I think it was. And... I read about those horrible battles. Did... did your people really have to fight that terrible war?"
So that's why she's so upset. I should of known I would have to explain this kind of thing to someone.
He looked down, thought for a moment, then raised his head again. "I don't like it, but I believe that it was indeed necessary. Allow one state to secede at will, and they all feel that they have a right to do so whenever some little thing doesn't go their way, therefore leading to more troubles and even more bloodshed. And remember, the other side was fighting for slavery, even though that wasn't the primary reason most Northern soldiers fought."
She shivered. "Then why did the other side fight? I thought you, er, Americans were all for freedom."
"We are. Unfortunately, the beliefs of many at that time were that anyone with a black skin was inferior. To the South, it was acceptable, and part of the reason the war started was because the South thought Abraham Lincoln was going to free all the blacks and put them in positions of power over southern whites, which was a nightmarish idea for them. Other southerners fought for other reasons, such as states rights." Then sighing, he went on. "I cannot help but admire the South for holding out so long against such odds as they faced, although I detest the cause they fought for. But that war is almost 150 years past now, and we've more or less made our peace with each other. Now blacks are free to do as they please within the confines of the law, and we all salute the same flag."
She looked a little happier at that last. "That last does make me feel better about the whole thing, but it still seems a horrible ordeal to go through. And it lasted four years..." she shivered again.
James sighed. "And as much as I hate to say it, we are facing the same situation here. The Griffons want war, and they'll get it, for the purpose of conquering Equestria and oppressing it's people. And I doubt the Changlings are too happy about their defeat at the wedding. They're gonna want revenge. I don't even want to think what will happen if we fail against them. In order to protect this country's future, and that of its children, the war must be fought, and won, by us."
She shivered again. "So it's going to happen, then?"
Hey, that's my line! "Yes. I fail to see how we can avoid it." Then, tilting his hat dramatically, he continued; "We'll do our best; I can promise you that."
Rarity gave a weak smile. "I know you will."
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After leaving the boutique, James would have returned to the training field, but before he could make it there, a blue/cyan blur flew infront of him, making him fall on his behind. "Hey..!"
Rainbow Dash flew right on up to him. "Hey, I thought you said you'd be up for a bronco buck today."
"Thats right, I did." Damn it, did you have to bring it up now? However, after thinking about it for a few minutes, he realized that he had little to do; Blue Fur was doing much of the designing for the camp, and the recruits would not be coming for a few days. Sighing, he said, "I suppose I'll have a go."
"Good, it's about time." She sounded annoyed that he hadn't remembered. She's such a tomboy. Without waiting for him, she flew off towards Sweet Apple Acres. He followed as best as he could.
He arrived there maybe twenty minutes later. the Apple family was already there and waiting, with Twilight, Pinkie, and Fluttershy there standing by the corral from yesterday... along with an impatient Rainbow Dash.
"Lets go already!" she shouted as he walked up to the corral. They both walked inside. Rainbow stopped and waited as James got on her back. She didn't seem to be uncomfortable with his weight any more than Applejack had.
"Are you ready?" asked Twilight.
"Yes", they both chorused.
"Alright... 3... 2... 1... Go!"
Rainbow Dash didn't pause at the start like Applejack had; as soon as she heard the word "Go!" she sprang into action, galloping at full speed. James was barely able to hold on.
Rainbow had different tactics in her arsenal, and used them; she ran without fear of crashing into anything and would jump very high to throw him off. He managed to hold on with his legs when she tried to get him to fly over her head, but it was too close; to make matters worse, she recovered quickly from this small setback and continued her efforts. It wasn't long before he was already discombobulated, and he could feel his strength failing.
Suddenly, she gave a little jump, which caused his legs to loosen their grip on her belly; she then bucked forward, as she had before, and before he could act to stop it he was flying forward. Sheer terror gripped him; he had been afraid of heights even before this, and now he heard himself scream as he flew through the air. He could see the red side of the barn growing ever larger, and he shut his eyes...
He suddenly felt himself stop; he opened his eyes, and found to his shock that a massive red, wooden wall was in front of him. He closed his eyes again in a hurry, lowered his head and brought up his hands to cover it, as though his abrupt halt was only temporary and he would slam into the wood.
When that didn't happen, he again opened his eyes to find himself surrounded in a purple glow. Twilight's magic, he thought, and he began to calm down. He felt himself being lowered to the ground; at a few inches distance from the dirt, the magic dispursed and he fell, releasing an "oof!" as he hit. He picked himself up into a sitting position, and checked himself. To his relief nothing seemed broken, but he again felt as though his brain had been shaken around inside his skull. He again felt tired, though not nearly so much as he had after yesterday; apparently this bronco buck had been much shorter.
He looked up and saw the ponies coming toward him. Rainbow Dash was hovering with her left hoof over her mouth, while Fluttershy flew at full speed, a look of sincere worry over her face.
"Oh, are you ok?" she asked as she flew forward. "You're not hurt, are you?"
"No I'm not." He got to his feet and stood up. He looked around. How on Earth did she throw me that far!?! It didn't seem all that possible; Rainbow Dash wasn't an earth pony, or a farmer for that matter, and his weight should have effectively stopped him from going anywhere near that far. "I seem to have taken quite a flight." That was mostly to confort himself, not to show off; he had been terrified during those few seconds and was glad to have gotten out of it unhurt.
He didn't seemed to have convinced everyone else. They were all looking at him intensely.
Fluttershy broke the silence. "You were afraid, weren't you?"
James looked down at the ground and released some air through his nose. After several seconds, he answered; "Yes, more than I've been in a long time." Lying wasn't in his nature, and Applejack, whose element was that of Honesty, would almost certainly detect a lie instantly.
Rainbow Dash sounded puzzled; "How are you supposed to be a good soldier if your can feel fear?"
That's the question, isn't it? He looked up. "Because courage has never been a lack of fear, but of suppressing and conquering it. Without fear, there can be no courage." He hoped he was telling th truth there; it seemed to be, to him. "If you think I wasn't afraid facing the timberwolves, you've got another thing coming. I was afraid, I admit it, but it was a matter of life and death. To freeze up would lead to my death. I had to suppress the fear, crush it while simulaneously battling the external foe. Any combat soldier who cannot be scared in a battle has something wrong with him."
Everyone seemed thoughtful as he looked around. Then James began walking away,
"Where ya goin' sugarcube?" asked Applejack.
"To prepare for war." He continued walking towards the place where the camp would be built. "I'm sorry for the quick farewell, but I must begin making preparations. I don't know how much time I'll have left to do so." As he replaced his uniform's cap upon his head, he kept thinking of all the things he had to do; make up battle strategies, discuss possible enemy invasion plans, and... logistics. He sighed in resignation as he walked to the camp; That last one would be a problem.