After the speech was over, James watched as the recruits made their way to the registration officer, where they would be processed by the great machine known as the bureaucracy, and given their uniforms and assigned to units. The regiments would be largely by city and province; 1st Ponyville regiment, 1st Canterlot regiment, and so on.
The uniforms the pony soldiers would be wearing would be similar to his own; a blue coat and kepi. Armor was scarce for the moment, hence it would be used only by Royal Guards. James had fumed about it, but there was nothing to be done other than wait; the Japanese phrase shikata ga nai (nothing can be done about it/it can't be helped) fit well here.
James walked to the field where the training would begin (he had insisted on starting as soon as possible) and sat down on a stump to watch. Already the Royal Guards who had been brought here were doing their work as drill sergeants; James didn't think any of the recruits would even think of fleeing in battle, not if they feared them more than the enemy.
"James!"
James turned to his left. "Yes?" Shining Armor was standing there, in his red uniform that he had worn to the Royal wedding... and to the assembly area earlier this morning.
"We need to show the new guys what they're gonna be up against."
James raised an eye brow. "And how do you intend on doing that?"
The smile that met this seemed all too familiar. "We're going to have a duel right in front of them, hopefully it will inspire them." He looked a bit cocky. "Do you have any training in swordsplay?"
"I was in a fencing class, if that counts."
The white stallion laughed. "Fencing? All that pretty stuff? You need some real sword training."
"I'm sure beating you would give it to me."
Shining kept laughing. "Well, I agreed to give this demonstration. You coming or not?"
"I thought the proper invitation to a duel was slapping someone in the face with a glove, with or without a brick inside it."
The laugher became hysterical. "Alright, we've wasted enough time. Let's get going."
"Hmm. James stood up and walked with his friend toward the crowd.
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Why did I agree to make a fool of my self? In front of a crowd, no less. James was standing with hundreds of recruits, newly fitted with coats and kepis, sitting before him and Shining Armor.
Shining waited until all of them were seated, then said, "Me and the Colonel agreed to have a friendly sword duel to show you all what you're up against. Whoever wins gets a full coarse dinner tonight, while whoever loses gets KP duty."
James' head whipped to the left as he stared daggers at Shining. You never said that!
Shining affected not to notice. Instead, he turned innocently to James. "You ready, Colonel?"
No. It wouldn't do to say that out loud, though. "As ready as I'll ever be." He drew his sword. Laugh at my fencing skills, will you? We'll see about that!
Shining drew his own sword and reared, standing on his hind legs and holding his sword in his front hooves.
For a moment, they both held a fighting stance. On his hind legs, Shining actually stood taller than James, and was probably physically stronger as well. James held his sword out in front of him like a samurai; Shining had his sword to the left and behind his head, with the tip pointing vertically.
Shining struck first, with a vertical downward stroke. James broguht up his own sword to parry, then stabbed at his opponent's belly. Shininf jumped back quickly, but remained standing; he hadn't been lying when he had told James that Royal Guards had been trained to stand on two legs.
Laugh at my fencing eh? Have at you!
James tabbed twice more, forcing his larger foe to retreat once more. Shining attempted to strike back, aiming at James' neck. James leaned back, as if playing limbo, and the sword passed through thin air. He recovered and jabbed again, but Shining stepped to the right and swung again, so fast that James was barely able to block the attack in time; he almost dropped his own sword from the force of the blow.
He's too strong; I've got to end this quickly if I don't want be washing pots and pans tonight!
He ducked as another strike came, and jabbed upwards from the almost-kneeling position he had been forced into; Shining jumped back again, and brought his sword into a defensive stance. James stood back up and clashed swords again.
"Give up. I've won already!" Shining sounded a little strained as he said this, but was obviously still going strong.
"You can't win, Darth; if you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine." James made another jab, a feint, which again forced his enemy to fall back, but James was on the attack again even as Shining stepped back; for a few seconds, James hoped he could win, and win quickly.
However, he lost his momentum, and Shining recovered, and now it was James on the retreat, James who had to try to defend. He was forced back from his (now) taller opponent.
James fell back, but kept fighting. Suddnely he realized that he had been forced back to the edge of the wooden platform upon which they had been dueling; he could'nt retreat any further.
Shining raised his sword again for one last strike...
And James, seeing his opportunity, slipped between his hind legs; he came out the other side and stood up, sword raised. Shining whipped around, but couldn't quite hide the astonishment on his face.
James jabbed at him, and Shining, losing his balance, fell over backward off the platform. James stood there as he recovered.
"Nice move." The white stallion stood up and climbed back onto the platform. "It's not over until one of us is disarmed, though."
What are you talking... James realized Shining still held his sword. As pony hooves are unable to feel, as Twilight and the others told me, he must have to feel it's weight through his foreleg.
Shining struck as soon as he was back on the platform, catching James off guard; he had to whip his head back and to the right to avoid the attack, but his foe struck yet again.
James' actions went faster than his thoughts; his left hand went to his scabbard, and brought it up to repel the blow. He heard again the metallic clash, but this time his sword was free to attack without fear of a counterattack. He whipped his sword around, aiming not for Shining's body this time, but for his sword...
CLANG!
A sword flew through the air, landing off the James' left. He couldn't tell whose it was; he was still trying to catch up with what had happened.
He felt his right arm grow heavy, and realized it was above his head... with a comforting weight in his hand.
Wait... does this mean...?
Shining went back to all fours. He bore a look of great surprise on his face. James felt like laughing, but somehow found the strength to keep from doing so.
Neither of them spoke, neither of them looked away from the other.
"Uh... General? Y...y...your sword."
The both turned. Standing before them was a gray unicorn recruit, holding Shining's sword with his magic. He looked scared, but not terrified.
"I... it came down next to me. I th... thought you'd like it back."
"Errr, right, uh, thank you." Shining used his own magic to return his sword to it's scabbard. James sheathed his own sword and put the scabbard, sword and all, back on his belt.
Suddenly, James heard cheering and a massive round of applause; he turned to see the recruits throwing hats into the air (again) and stomping their hooves on the ground.
He bowed to them, and looked to see Shining doing the same. The stallion then turned. To James' surprise, he smiled. "Come with me, Colonel."
They walked off the platform and walked some distance from the still-cheering crowd.
"I must admit, I'm surprised, surprised and impressed. Maybe fencing has something to it other than just pretty dancing." Then, looking mischevious, he added, "And I never really meant that stuff about the dinner or KP duty, I just wanted to see how you would fight given an incentive."
James turned, incredulous. "You're just saying that to get out of washing pots and pans for the rest of the day."
Shining smiled, then went on, "I never thought I'd lose, though. I trained for years, and haven't lost since becoming Captain of the Royal Guard."
James turned his head, but kept walking. "As a Polish officer surrendering to the Germans in 1939 said, 'A wheel always turns. This one will.'"
Shining smiled again. "You're right, I'll smoke you next time."
"That's the spirit a soldier should have. Now, we have to get busy. I'm expecting a letter telling us how far they got with those crossbows the labcoats at R and D have got."
His companion's smile slipped. "I hate being reminded of what we're gonna have to do out there."
"I don't like it either, but if we don't..."
"Please, please don't. I don't want to think about it."
"Then let us discuss the training of the army. That may help solve our problem."
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It became clear that the crossbow situation would be solved shortly; the prototype had been refined, and, despite lacking a trigger guard, was very accurate out to the normal range a crossbow would have, with the ability to hit targets out beyond that range. James had gotten a letter from one of the developers that the new version would be ready for mass production within days.
Melee combat, though, was still a job for swords and spears. James watched numerous times as recruits would try standing on their hind legs and end up falling over in one direction or another. The drill sergeants would get frustrated almost every time.
James walked over to the training field as one of these sessions was being conducted. A bright yellow earth pony stallion (with a brighter shade shade of yellow for his hooves and a bright, white star for a cutie mark) was attempting to stand in formation and hold the pole that did the job of acting for a spear upright.
"No, no, no! You need to stand tall and brace, like this!" The sergeant on duty brought himself into the position he was trying to teach.
"Ssss... sssorry, sergeant." The earth pony tried again, but in his nervousness dropped his "spear".
The sergeant growled. "After 9 times, you still don't get it. You should be ashamed to call yourself a recruit, never mind a soldier."
Before he could launch into a tirade, James, who had reached the confrontation by now, said, "I'll take it from here, sergeant."
The sergeant looked like he wanted to complain, but James stole a glance at his rank badge on his left shoulder, and the Guard, getting the point, kept quiet.
"Instead of trying to stand with both hind legs in one place, put on in front of the other, crouch, and hold the spear under your chest, like so". James proceeded to demonstrate, then said, "Now you try it."
The pony got up, crouched, then dropped the "spear."
The sergeant growled again, but James said calmly, "That's fine. Try it again."
The earth pony did try again, and managed to get into position successfully.
"That could be the beginning of the proper stance, I suppose", the Guard said, still sounding disapproving.
"Alright, now try again, faster this time. And I want more of you to try after this."
The yellow pony did so, and did so successfully.
"Alright, now I want five of you to come forward at a time, and try to stand beside one another while doing it, and try not to hit or bump one another."
The first attempt was admittedly sad; Three of them fell down before they were anywhere near done, and one of them knocked another recruit on his back. James had to work hard to keep himself unlaughing and professional.
"Alright, alright; pick yourselves up and try it again."
The second effort was better than the first, although one of them failed to balance properly and fell over sideways.
"Practice makes perfect. try it again."
This attempt went much more slowly, and they all reached the proper position at different times, but they all managed to get there.
"Good. Try it slowly for now, and try to speed it up gradually; overall, keep practicing. In any event, I want another group in front of me, now."
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For about an hour, James and the sergeant drilled the greenbacks on how to stand and and how to stay in formation. It went... well enough, though James almost facepalmed several times and the sergeant lost his temper twice. After it was over, he felt like situation had improved, though there was still room for the same.
He went to the mess hall and got himself some lunch; a few apples and some mashed potatoes. He went to one of the tables and sat down. So far, no one else had bothered to sit near him; they were all either scared of him or otherwise anxious about him.
He bit into an apple and felt the juices slide along his tongue. He suddenly heeard the familiar clip-clop of hooves on the floor, and turned to see the yellow earth pony he had helped out in the drilling session. For a minute, they just looked at each other.
"Th... Thank you."
"Hmm?" James grunted.
"Thank you. For helping me during training. Uh, sir."
"There's no need for formality. During lunchtime, we can address each other by name rather than rank."
"Oh, ok." The pony sat down on the other side of the table and put the tray he had been balancing on his back on the table. He started eating.
James picked up his fork and took a few bites out of his mashed potatoes.
"You seem to know what you're doing, at least. I didn't like that sergeant at all."
"I wouldn't hold it against him, not for long. He's just doing his job, and Royal Guards, I think, train harder than a normal army would. They are supposed to be an elite force, after all."
"I guess." The earth pony ate one of the apples on his tray, then went for a carrot. "You did better than he did at getting his point across, your Excellency."
James looked up. "Where did the 'your Excellency' come in?"
The earth pony looked confused. "You are a noble, right?"
"A noble? Me?" James laughed loudly. "If i were a noble I'd be loaded and set for life, AND have the worst moral attitude possible." He still felt like laughing, but managed to gain some control over himself; some of the other ponies who had come to eat had started staring at him.
Unlike those other ponies, the yellow one in front of him kept staring. "I just though that you would be a noble, because they can afford the best education and can contribute more money to... something of this level of importance, I guess."
"Well, I guess I'm some stupid hillbilly from Nowhere who can't even count to eleven without looking at his belly button."
The earth pony chuckled. James continued, "Me and my family aren't rich. We aren't dirt poor, either. We're somewhere between the lower and middle classes, I'd say. We have enough to get by, and enough to do something fun every once and a while. We're... like the majority of people in my country, I guess."
The earth pony nodded. "Welcome to the club." He stuck out his right hoof. "I'm Bright Star."
James shook his hoof. "I'm James, James Lavigne, but just call me James."
"Seems fair enough." They ate the rest of the meal in silence, but in a state of peace.
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Over the next week, the army continued to drill. It was getting better, and the drill sergeants weren't as easily ticked off by the occasional mistake as they had been.
Better yet, the first shipment of crossbows and quarrels had come in, enough for about 500 soldiers. It was only half of what James had been hoping for, but it would have to do.
Cannons were already being manufactured, and some recruits trained with them. James had a rather unpleasant session when one of the trainees dropped a cannonball on their Colonel's foot. James had howled loudly, then had to limp over to the medical tent. When the guilty recruit came by to apologize a few hours later, however, James forgave him; He wanted an army with high morale, not one that was scared to death of their superiors, and besides the whole incident had been a mistake.
At the moment, he was about to oversee the first drill session involving the new crossbows. Bright Star was among those who was to train with them; he had proven himself competant once given a good chance.
"Alirght, you all know how to handle a spear, no question. But a spear will only go so far." James walked over to one of the crossbows and picked it up. "We have drilled you informations quite a bit. Again, though, that will only go so far. Your main weapons" - here he hefted the crossbow for all to see - "will be these. This version of the crossbow had been tested by research and development teams, and is known to be accurate to about 100 meters, with the capacity to hit targets from beyond that range."
One pony, a blue-green pegasus with a cloud and what appeared to be a gust of wind for a cutie mark, raised a hoof. "Sir, won't these be dangerous?"
"Yes; as you know, pony hooves do not have fingers, there fore a trigger guard could not be created for this weapon. There is also no safety, so make absolutely sure this is unloaded when you're not using it."
The pony shook his head. "That's not what I meant. Sir, these things could kill if we're not careful."
James felt like smacking himself in the head; despite what they had been told, and the fact that war is, by nature, deadly, they had not seemed to have concieved that killing and being killed was part of the job. Royal Guards would have understood that truth, although they rarely had to meet it. He didn't though; that would have been unprofessional. As calmly as he could, he said, "And what do you think the enemy will be trying to do to you?"
Many of the trainees shivered; one poor rascal fainted briefly. That had been about what he had expected.
"Your families and friends back home aren't in any less danger. Without a doubt, the queen of the Changelings isn't feeling generous after her previous defeat, and won't abide to the laws of chivalry in any case." He took several steps forward. "You were brought here to stop the as-of-yet unencountered atrocities the enemy will surely commit. You are their shield and sword, and unfortunately defense alone does not guarentee victory. They will be trying to kill you, and they will do as such to your families if you don't stop them by their own means."
The blue-green pony, shocked, recovered enough to say, "That's... that's just sick."
"I know." His face softened. "I don't like it either. I never said war is a sport, or that it was fun, things it is most definitely not." He paused. "It is sometimes inevitable, though. If we don't defeat them and drive them back into the damned pit they came from, they will have the power - and no doubt the will - to do to Equestria as they see fit. And I know that none of you want that."
He could see he was reaching them; some of the recruits were whispering to each other, some more energetically than others. Bright Star was among them.
"For now, lets concentrate on what needs to be done; to learn how to use the crossbow effectively, and to stay in formation while doing so." He proceeded to demonstrate how to load the thing, and the proper position to stand in; it wasn't too much different than that for holding and aiming a rifle. He saw that most of them could stand on two legs properly; maybe Bright Star had spread the knowledge around. However, the posture for holding a loaded crossbow was different from that for a spear, and some of them were having trouble.
"Ok ok, back to all fours." He waited as they did so. "Walking and standing on two legs is much harder for you than for me because A: I've spent practically my whole life doing so, and it's become second nature, and B: because your own legs are built in a way different from mine; for example, your back knees bend backward, not forward." He paused again. "To do it properly, I'd advise using the tails mother nature gave you in order to balance. Use your body when upright to balance; since your back knees bend backward, lean forward. Now, try it."
They did try; less than half of them got into the proper posture; Bright Star was one of the minority who got it right.
"That's better; keep practicing off the field. for now, we have a fence you can use to lean on if you need to." James moved up to the shooting range and prepared to shoot at one of the targets. He aimed; the trigger was, as he had said, bare of a trigger guard, so it had to be pressed upward rather than pulled towards the shooter.
He fired; there was a sharp thwang as the quarrel was released, and the corssbow bucked against his shoulder, though not as much as a rifle would have done; strings didn't have the power that gunpowder did.
He lowered the weapon and looked at the target; he had managed to hit it, but barely. The quarrel was stuck on the outer edge of the target. Had it been a real, live Changeling, he would have missed.
He looked back, and found that the trainees were also a bit disappointed, though (thankfully) none of them seemed to question his authority or knowledge on the subject at hand - or hoof, if one was a pony.
James tried to smile. "As you can see, I still have room for improvement. I want each of you here several times a day, and practice, practice, practice until you can hit in side the circle just about every time, and I want your marksmanship overall to be better than that. For now, show me what you've got."
They did, or they tried, anyhow; most kept fumbling with their weapons, not quite sure how to reload. Of those that did manage to load correctly, most failed to hit their targets. James felt close to despair.
Are these the men I am to defend America with? Washington had said something to that effect after seeing his men flee from battle; another one of his famous quotations, one James felt all too well right now, was To place any dependance on militia is most assuredly to lean on a broken staff. True, they weren't militia, but right now they might as well have been. He let out a sigh. What was I thinking when I accepted Celestia's offer? I'm hardly older than any of them, and I know most of what I know from books and improvisation, not from personal experience. God, please show me what to do, because I'm not even sure of my own abilities right now. He made the sign of the Cross after that last, and hoped his prayer would be listened to.
"...nel? Sir?"
He sat up (he was currently sitting under a tree). I hope this isn't bad news; after seeing this lot fail so horribly with the weapons given them I don't know if I can take anymore. "Yes, what is it?"
Bright Star was standing in front of him. "Colonel, I don't know if I can walk on two legs for hours on end, as you do."
Well, at least that's a question I THINK I can answer. He said quietly, "I don't expect you to. In most case, you'll be walking on all fours as you usually do. When chasing a fleeing enemy (I hope they get that good!, he thought as he said this) or when marching, you'll be on all fours. However, when in the process of actually fighting, in the case of loading and firing a crossbow, you'll be much more efficient on two legs than on four."
Bright Star nodded. "That makes sense, and i'll be sure to spread the word."
"Thank you."
Bright Star just stood there for a moment, looking concerned. "SIr, you seem distressed."
Is it that obvious? Sighing once more, James said, reluctantly, "You're right." He threw up his hands in a sudden feeling of despair. "I don't know if I'm even doing all this right. Most of what I know of this business I know because I read so many damn books, and knowledge from those don't help everything. The rest I have to try to make up on my own." The lowered his head for a moment, then asked, "Holw old are you?"
"How old are you?"
James felt chaffed, but didnt have the energy to put his new friend in place. "Twenty-one."
"About three years older than me."
"That's what I'm getting at; I'm not much older than you. I'm not someone in his middle ages or with graying hair who knows absolutely what to do in almost any given situation." Then he looked off at the other recruits, who were still praciticing their shooting; as he watched, one of them bumped one of his comrades, who fell over on his right side. As he did so, he depressed the trigger, and the quarrel flew up straight into the air; after what seemed to be an eternity, it fell a short ways away. Groaning, James said, "And there's the inexperience I have to deal with. I'm not sure at all if I can get them to be anywhere near ready by the time they're needed against the blasted Changlings and Griffons." He fell back against the tree, feeling useless.
"You seem to be doing okay so far." Bright Star sat down next on his left and wrapped his right foreleg around James' shoulder; the human noticed that his hoof was scratched and dirty as it rested on his right shoulder. The earth pony went on, "And I think we'll all get better with time. All we need to do is practice more, and we'll get better at it. You're doing a great job."
"Thank you." James felt much better. Hs friend's remarks didn't destroy his worries, but it did succeed in supressing them to a manageable level. He stood up, and felt Bright Star's leg and hoof slide off his shoulder.
"By the way..." Bright Star's voice sounded... not cheeky, perhaps, but it sounded as if he had a question to ask, and one more friend-oriented than training sessions and drills called for. "'James' still sounds a bit too formal. Is there anything else I can call you, if that's alirght?"
James thought for a minute. What was the nickname most people with his name had? Oh yes... "Jim. Call me Jim in private. However, I still expect the usual reference to my rank when in drill or in more formal occasions."
"Bright Star stood up as well; as a stallion, he stood almost as highas James did. "Oh, I know that. You can call me Bright when we're off-duty."
"Excellent. Now, while we we chatting, I've noticed a lack of practice on your part."
Bright looked started, then, seeing the slight smile on one side of James' face, said cheerfully, "Don't worry sir, I'll make it up."
"Be sure you do."
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Two weeks later, and almost a month into the training, James felt like Bright Star's arguement was validated. The recruits wers shooting much more accurately than before, and knew how to walk a short distance on two legs.
Furthermore, a troop of around 250 Royal Guards had arrived at the camp, drilling as combat soldiers. They got the idea of what to do mcuh more quickly than the trainees, and obeyed orders much more readily. They accepted James as their commander without so much a a blink of surprise or indignance, and obeyed him as they would have a superior of their own species.
They were also less prone to mischevious acts, as James found out one day as he was walking back to his tent.
As he walked by one of the barracks, he smelled smoke; he looked to his right and saw thick, black smoke coming out of the building. He was about to call "Fire!" but never said it; he notcied that a flat piece of wood had been placed on top of the chimney... and a laughing, purple pegasus was rolling in the grass close by.
A prank. I don't think he's going to like the reception he's going to get..
Sure enough, five ponies (three earth ponies, a unicorn, and a pegasus) came racing out of the barracks; their eyes rested on the purple soldier, who was still laughing fit to burst, and set on him. By the time James had gotten there, they had managed to hit and kick him several times.
"Alright, break it up, break it up!" James waded in and hauled the pegasus off of his (so-called) comrade. A number of Royal Guards had arrived and were doing the job that they were no doubt to happy to fulfill; that of police officer and peacekeeper.
Once that had been done (it took a little more than a minute; the other attackers were very determined to make the prankster sorry), James was about to speak, but a Royal Guard beat him to it; "Now, what's the problem here?"
One of the earth ponies pointed a hoof as the purper pony, who was still having bursts of laughter on the ground despite the beating he had received. "He was trying to turn us all into smoked veggies!" He spoke with a slight southern accent.
The unicorn shouted, "And he got my mane all filthy with ash and soot doing it!" His horn lit up, as if he wanted to use magic to pulverize his tormentor.
James nodded, then turned to the offender. "What do you have to say for yourself?"
"Hee hee hee... Nothing sir", the prankster managed to say between giggles. "W... wasn't it a grand ole' smoke, though?" He started to giggle yet again.
And now, I have to decide what to do with him. This could have killed someone, even if that wasn't his intention. Perhaps especially because he didn't. He couldn't dishonorably discharge the recruit; that would give anyone who wanted out of the army a free pass. "You don't seem to realize that people can suffocate to death on smoke. Your actions could have killed someone."
The pony stopped laughing for a minute and for the first time looked serious; clearly he hadn't thought that that had been possible.
James proceeded to hand down his verdict; "You will scrub the bathrooms everyday for three hours with nothing but a toothbrush and a little soap, and collect the garbage around camp. You'll be in solitary confinement for a month, and you'll have a guard watching you to make sure there are no repeat offenses in that time period. In addition, you will write a letter of apology to each of the ponies you tried to prank, and they will be heartfelt; You'll take as long as necessary to get that done, but it will be done. Have you got all that?"
The pegasus looked thoughtful for a few seconds, then answered readily, "Yes, sir." Then he proceeded to begin giggling all over again.
James sighed. You can't cure everyone of stupid. Then he turned to the lead guard. "See that this happens."
"Yes sir. Come on, you," he said,looking at the offending pegasus and then jerking his head towards the mess hall; the place for solitary confinement was near that area. Then, looking back at James, he added, "Don't worry, sir; he won't be laughing after he's been set to do all you've said for him to do."
"My thanks, soldier." He was about to go on his way, then he turned back and said, "Oh, and tell him he has to clean the soot and ash from the building."
"Yes sir."*
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James sat down in his tent and began writing another letter to his parents, the only people back home who would believe anything he wrote on this letter; no doubt the way they arrived would have got their attention.
He hadn't gotten a reply, and didn't expect one; after all, humans had no magic on which to call upon to send a reply. Whenever he was off-duty, he would send the letters to Twilight, who would in turn have Spike send the letters to the Princess, who would in turn send the letter to it's final destination. He wished he had a a more efficient way to send his mail at this point; it gave him something to joke about when he wasn't feeling all that pleased.
He sighed as he finished. It had been a surprisingly busy day after dealing with the prankster. Privately, he agreed that the practical joke had been funny; as an officer, however, he had to see it as a dangerous (not to mention foolish and witless) act.
His relations with the recruits and guards was still relatively undecided. Some of the recruits seemed to take offense at being told they would have to take order from "a big, stupid ape," as one unfortunate pegasus had said where a guard, acting as a drill sergeant, could hear him. He hadn't repeated the offense.
Others seemed on the fence, took in what he said, and made no move to know him further. Only a small number, including Bright Star, appeared to actually like him, and a few had asked basic questions, which he usually answered.
He got up, stretched, and left the tent. As he did so, he heard someone call out something; a name of some sort. Then, with the realization hitting him with the force of a slap, he discovered it was his name, once again being badly mispronounced. He groaned; would the world ever be able to get it? Not likely, he thought.
He turned to see Derpy Hooves hovering in front of a trainee, trying to find him. The soldier, seeing james, pointed a hoof in his direction, and the mailmare flew over to him.
"Are you Mr. Lavigne?" she asked.
Well, DUUUUHHH. I'm the only human in Equestria. He refrained from saying this out loud. "Yes, what is it?"
"Here." She reached into her saddlebag and pulled out am envelope. "I was told to give this to you."
James lifted an eyebrow. Did Celestia manage to find a way to recieve replies from my folks? "Thank you."
He heard her stomach growl; she looked down at it, with a slightly sad expression on her face. "You wouldn't have any muffins around, would you?"
"Not on me. However, you might find something to eat in the mess hall." He pointed to the appropriate building.
"Okay, thanks!" She flew off.
"Right, down to business." He opened the letter. As he read, his expression grew more and more shocked; this wasn't what he had expected or wanted, not at all.
"Hey James! What's up?"
The human turned to find Shining Armor standing to his left.
He won't like it either, not a bit. He took a deep breath. "Princess Celestia had just given me some very bad news."
The stallion jerked back. "Is she firing you? But you've done great!"
"Worse; if she were firing me, she wouldn't need me anymore, and all this would have been an expensive diversion. Here, read for yourself." He handed the letter to Shining, who took hold of it with his magic.
As expected, he grew just as surprise and shocked as James. "The Changlings have invaded the northwest!"
"Yes." James looked at the camp; he would have to leave it soon.
"What do we do?"
"Our job as soldiers. We protect the populace from this attack." James thought quickly. "We need to stall them, buy time for the settlements in the northwest to evacuate." He looked up. "I'm going to rally every one of the Guard that were sent here, save those who are drill sergeants, our artillery, and... about one hundred and fifty of the recruits."
Shining looked shocked. "You're taking a force as small as that?"
"I have to stall them, damn it! And who else here, other than you, is qualified to lead them?" Then, more quietly, as he had startled the white stallion, "I don't intend to fight a straight up battle with their main force. I intend to slow them down, not confront them." He stood as straight and tall as he could. "While I do that, you can prepare the rest of the army and lead them to reinforce us. In any event, I intend to leave soon, with the forces I said I'd take, and march to the front. Can we expect you to follow in due course?"
Shining stiffened, then smiled in rivalrous sort of way. "Follow? I expect to get there before you do."
"That's the spirit! Now come, we have to tell the camp." Walking to the platform he had stood on a month ago with the Princess and her Captain of the Royal Guard, he found himself surprised with how much insubordination he had gotten away with talking to a superior officer.