James' march to the platform was anything but jolly, and anyone who saw him knew, deep down, that something was up. Several ponies glanced his way; he ignored them out of necessity. They would know what was going on soon enough.
Bright Star was one of those who noticed. "Sir, what's going on?"
"Platform. Now. Gather everyone you can, and meet us in front of it."
"Uh, ooookaaaaaaaaayyyyyy." Bright looked surprised, but hurried to obey.
James was already past him, and he made his way up onto the platform; already, a few ponies had gathered. However, he didn't speak, not yet.
He had to wait a while, but by the time he was ready to speak, most of the camp was assembled. He was grateful to Bright Star and to Shining Armor for gathering them relatively quickly.
Shining Armor joined him on the platform. James nodded to him; Shining nodded back; he was ready.
James began, speaking loudly, so everyone could hear him; "Ponies of Equestria, soldiers, Guards, I..." He sighed. "I regret what I must tell you today. At... 6:30 this morning, a pegasus on the northern border discovered that a changeling force has crossed into Equestria. The enemy... has a sizable force, and their vanguard alone is estimated at approximately 1,000."
Many of the recruits, though they had better discipline than they did when they began training, began to panic, as they had when they had first been addressed.
"Listen, all of you!" James shouted at the top of his voice. He didn't have the Royal Canterlot Voice, but he was able to get their attention. "Your country needs you. Your families need you as well; they are one you are protecting and serving. And... I need you. We all need you now than ever."
He took a second to evaluate the crowd; they had calmed down considerably and were looking at him intensely.
"I am assembling a force to fight the enemy, and slow their invasion while General Shining Armor builds and trains a bigger force to engage the enemy directly." He stepped forward. "I am bringing all two hundred and fifty Royal Guards who have joined us, along with a hundred and fifty soldiers of the First Ponyville Regiment, to slow the enemy and buy the country some time, to better prepare, and to hurt the enemy." He pointed northwest. "Over there are some civilians who need our help. They need time to evacuate, and escape the horde of barbarians who sweep down to engulf them. We will provide that time." He took off his kepi and held it - and the hand holding it - over his heart. "I... I will lead you myself." He lowered his head. "I... This will be a perilous endeavor. I cannot guarantee we'll all come back. I can't guarantee that I'll come back."
James waited for a few seconds, then put his hat back on and looked up. "But if we don't do this, no one will. We have to fight, and in doing so risk our lives, because if we do not, we will forfeit everything we love; our freedom, our prosperity, our beliefs" - here looked up at the sky for a moment - "our peaceful lives, our right to pursue happiness, all will be thrown on the fire by our enemies. We must stand now, or all we love will perish before the darkness that even now advances on the soil of this proud and great land."
He could see determination begin to form on their faces.
"Ready your crossbows; limber the cannons; and lets give the enemy a lesson they'll never forget as long as they live!"
The troops began to cheer. He was relieved; they were listening to him rather than fleeing.
"Now, to all units I have mentioned, ready yourselves; we march at once. Be ready within the hour; we'll head for the train station, as it's the fastest way to Appleloosa, the first town under threat from the Changelings." James stepped off the platform, heading for his tent, to follow his own orders.
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James got his things, including his books, and put them in his bag. He exited the tent and nodded to the pegasi who were dismantling the tent. He felt a little afraid of the ordeal ahead, he felt a little excited as well. *
A column of Royal Guards and Ponyvillan soldiers had formed up and were ready to march out. He was impressed with the speed they had readied themselves.
As he walked toward it, he glimpsed a flash of pink; he looked up and saw Princess Cadence fly down and land on the ground not far away. She walked up to Shining Armor and embraced him without a word being said between them; there was no need for them. James looked, then tried to look away. This was what they were fighting for.
They finally came apart and started speaking. James shrugged and walked to the front of the column.
He was about to call for the column to start moving forward - in fact he had opened his mouth to do so - when he felt someone kiss him, hard, on his right cheek. He turned to see Cadence, in all her splendor, standing there, unabashed.
"Take care of them." She said it quietly, but audibly. "And take care of my Shining Armor, when it's his time."
"I will." He nodded to get the point across even further. Then he looked forward. "COMPANY... MARCH!"
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March they did, through Ponyville on the way to the station. The townsponies watched on in awe as the soldiers went through the town. Some of them waved, some cheered; if there were any who didn't do one or the other, he couldn't see them.
Don't they realize the these boys are headed of to a war? As he marched, he took the time to think about that word; War. It was a small word, but it's meaning was astronomical.
The train station came into sight. The troops marched to an area just outside of it to load onto the train that had been sent there; Celestia had said she was sending one in her letter.
The soldier began loading onto the train; he saw a red colored coat, and noticed Big Macintosh, coat clashing somewhat with his blue uniform, start to board.
"Big Mac!" An orange pony galloped into the station, hat atop her head. Applejack rushed to her big brother and hugged him, hard. He said something to her that James couldn't hear, and her reply was also lost to him.
James felt an odd urge to walk over to them; he did so, saying, as he drew near, "Don't worry about this big lug, I'll take care of him."
She looked up from the red fur she had been crying into, and said, quietly, but calmly, "Ah know you will."
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Once the soldiers had boarded the train, and all their equipment, including the cannons, were on board, the train set off; the Mane 6 (or so humans, in their own world, called them) were there, waving good-bye to the troops as the train began to move.
He walked to the front of the train and sat down in one of the seats on the right side of the car. He brought a hand up to his head as he became lost in thought.
This is it, it's really happening. Then he felt a little foolish; it had been "really happening" when he had been brought into Equestria... no, even before that, otherwise he wouldn't have been summoned from his own world.
He reached into his bag, pullingmout one of his Civil War books, Brother against Brother; The War Begins, and began to read. He had finished the first chapter (One Nation, Divisible) and was started on the second (The Avenging Angel) when he felt the seat shift; he looked over to his left and saw that Bright Star was sitting there.
"Hey Jim." Bright gave a smile, but James could see nervousness in his eyes.
"Morning, Bright." James gave him a friendly nod, and went back to his book.
"Whatcha readin'?"
"This." James showed him the cover.
Bright Star whistled. "That picture looks pretty old." The photograph he was refering to was an old, black and white showing two soldiers, presumably one being Union and the other being Confederate.
"Well, the Civil War did happen over 150 years ago." James put the book back on his lap. He skipped to chapter 5, The Guns Have Spoken, where in Fort Sumter was fired upon. He read for a while in silence. Bright said nothing, but James could tell he was trying to read as well.
James got to a point where there was a painting of Fort Sumter under siege; in it, a Confederate soldier had been killed by the Union's return fire. Bright's hoof suddenly blocked his vision of the left page. "Did that really happen?", the yellow stallion asked.
"No; surprisingly, no human being was killed during the bombardment. As the caption, says, it's a figment of the artist imagination." He took a deep breath. "However, a Confederate horse was killed by Union fire, and, after the fort had surrendered, a Union gunner was incautious when he was loading one of the cannons for a salute, and died in the resulting explosion."
Bright recoiled. "Remind me never to enlist in the artillery."
James shook his head. "Unless they are inside a fort, artillerymen are usually safer on the battlefield than the infantry; it's they who have to do most of the dirty work."
"Yeah, but still, I don't want that to happen to me."
"No one does. It happens, though. We aren't perfect." James closed the book and sighed. "I wasn't lying up on the platform, you know; some of us, in all likelyhood, will die; I might even die."
"You?" Bright seemed incredulous. "But you're an officer!"
James laughed. "And therefore the enemy will be trying to kill me more than a normal grunt. What an honor," he added sarcastically.
Bright looked at him with a determined look on his face. "I've got your back."
James nodded gratefully. "And I've got yours." For a while after that, neither of them spoke, but watched the countryside flash by in the window.
"You don't seem as concerned about the horse dying as much as the human."
"What?" James had to think a moment before realizing what Bright Star was talking about. "Oh. Well... how do I say this?" He though for a minute. "Humans are the only life advanced enough on our world to have formed a civilization. Horses and ponies on our world just graze, and play with each other and wait to be fed. They aren't like you guys at all."
"Oh." Bright looked thoughtful. "But it still doesn't mean that they're not alive, or deserving of care."
"I know, but some people see it differently. Me, I try to treat animals and people fairly."
"And what am I to you?"
"A friend." That brought a smile to the pony's face. Again things were quiet for a while, except for the puffing of the engine and the clickety-clack of the wheels on the rails.
"Do you have... a very special somepony?"
James stared. "Where did that come from?"
Bright looked like a child caught in wrongdoing. "I... I just wanted to know..."
"Hmmmm." James sat with his head atop his hands for several seconds. "...No. I... just feel... shy around girls. I just don't know what to say, or what to do, or... augh, I just don't know. And to top it off, they are so... damn... explosive, at least emotionally."
Bright smiled sympathetically. "Yeah, the other side is another species entirely." He looked down. "I could never find somepony who was interested in me."
"Just keep trying, eventually someone will see you for who you are inside." Then, hoping he knew what he was talking about, "God's got a plan for you, for all of us, and you'll find someone in the end."
"I sure hope so."
"You will." James wrapped his left arm around Bright's shoulders. Then, after a few seconds, he relented and looked out the window again. "For now, we must focus on the matter before us."
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Unfortunately, the train could not reach Appleloosa in a day, and night fell surprisingly quickly. Without adequate sleeping quarters, the soldiers had to sleep wherever they could find a comfortable spot.
James tried to sleep on the floor; with all the bumps and jerks of the car on the track, this proved almost impossible. He was jealous of Bright, who had won the coin toss for the seat. However, he couldn't complain; it had been a fair... gamble, he supposed.
Eventually, though, exhaustion took him, and he slept.
In his dreams he could see soldiers, human and pony alike, fighting out the Civil War; ponies and humans served on both sides, shooting muskets and cannons at one another, and he saw a Union Monitor duking it out with a Confederate Equestrian airship, and Big Mac and Applejack fighting for the Confederacy against Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle for the Union. Rarity did show up... as a rich Southern aristocrat, and Fluttershy as well, as a frightened Northern nurse.
The then dream changed; Panzer IIIs raced through city streets as a US Bazooka-man took aim; the panzer was hit, and a gray-coated, German-looking pony with an Iron Cross on his neck came out, blackened and burned...
A pony with Spartan spear, armor, and shield defended Thermopylae, human and pony comrades fighting against Persian ponies and humans, who were cut down like wheat before the scythe..
The trenches of World War One; Rainbow Dash was in a dogfight with the Red Baron...
BUMP!
James woke up as the train jerked. He tried to gather his conciousness together. He felt as if gravity was pulling him towards the front of the train; they were stopping then.
Then he frowned; why did it feel as if the stop was so abrupt?
The train finally came to a stop. James was about to get up and ask the engineer what the... heck was the matter, but the would-be subject of his attention rushed through the door. "There's an obstruction on the tracks, I need help to remove it!"
"Alright." James got up, and made sure his weapons were properly attached to his belt before stepping outside... into an oppresive wave of the desert heat.
Why would anyone want to live here? He walked to the front of the locomotive; sure enough, there was something on the tracks ahead. He looked back and found perhaps fifty of the soldiers had disembarked with him.
He walked over to the blockage. He was about to try moving it when something struck him; why did this look as if it were artificial, man - or rather, pony - made? A rock had been thrown across the track, with some logs and a telegraph pole.
Several soldiers, including a few Royal Guards, who, James was pleased to note, had brought their crossbows and spears with them, arrived at the obstruction. One of them looked at him. "Sir, this doesn't look like an accident."
"No, it doesn't. which means..."
Before he could figure out what it mean, a green jet of light flashed by his right arm. He blinked. Another green light flew past the left side of his head.
"Changelings!" shouted a soldier, who crouched and fired his weapon at the location where the incoming fire - which James' brain suddenly realized it was - was coming from.
James copied him, kneeling down, lifting his revolver. A black, porous creature rose from it's hiding place behind a boulder. James took quick aim and fired. A flash of green specks flew from it's head, and it fell to the ground.
Three more changelings rose from behind the boulder and charged the Equestrians; one crumpled with a quarrel in it's chest; the other two kept on going as if nothing had happened.
James shot again, but missed. He swore loudly, cocked the hammer again, and aimed more carefully. This time one of the monsters fell, though it wasn't dead; it kept trying to inch it's way forward, towards it's enemies.
Only a few other Equestrians had managed to fire, but none of their shots connected on the remaining changeling, who rushed forward without any fear whatsoever and stabbed it's horn into a soldier's chest; the pony screamed and fell over, as the changeling, with bright, red blood on it's horn, pulled back and prepared to charge again. It's eyes fell on James, and it crouched, getting ready to spring.
A crossbow bolt caught it squarely in the chest; it's eyes filed with outraged surprise as it struggled to remain standing. It took a couple steps forward, then collapsed without a sound passing it's lips.
James turned, looking for the shooter. He saw Bright Star standing on two legs, still holding the crossbow. He was shaking, clearly shocked at what he had done. James started to walk toward him, but a shout arrested the motion; "Look! One's getting away!"
James whipped around; sure enough, a fifth changeling was flying away, back to the north.
He turned. "I want any and all pegasi to get after him, and bring him back, alive. I want him alive, you hear me?"
Four pegasi flew off to obey his order. The remaining ponies seemed stunned at what had just occurred. he didn't blame them; that had been his first real ambush where someone had actually tried to kill him.
He allowed himself to just stand there, breathing, to collect his thoughts. He pointed to the blockade. "Let's get this crap off the track." He walked over to the boulder and pushed his shoulder against it. Four or five troopers ran forward to help him.
The boulder wasn't so heavy after fifteen more ponies helped to push it out of the way. After that, the logs, pole, and even a large cactus were brushed aside with ease; James suspected that the ponies' hooves were especially useful in removing that last, as they couldn't feel anything, and were hard as rock in any case.
James nodded to the engineer, who was still in the cab. He was just about to re-embark when he heard wings. Turning, he saw four pegasi soldiers... with a changeling, roped and bound up, held between them. The changeling itself looked quite the worse for wear; clearly it had refused to surrender without a fight and had been beaten into submission.
"Sir, reporting with the prisoner, as per your orders."
"Excellent job, all of you." He turned to the changeling. "Why are you so far south, and what is your objective?" he said in a firm voice.
The changeling said nothing.
"Answer the Colonel!" One of the soldiers jerked the rope which the black prisoner was tied to. "Now!"
"I answer only to my queen... not ponies or an overgrown ape!" the changeling answered, in an insectile, hissing voice.
James' temper flared like a rocket. "Bring him and his injured companion aboard the train; if the latter refuses medical aid... then he does. Make sure they have at least four guards, preferably more, so they cannot escape or attack anyone."
"You cannot escape our vengeance, monkey! We will consume Equestria, and we will do it soon!"
"GET HIM AND HIS COMPANION OUT OF MY SIGHT!" James shouted at the top of his voice. The changeling, to his annoyance, didn't seem fearful in the least; his own soldiers, however, cringed at the roar he made. The looks on their faces made him feel a little ashamed of having lost control. "Sorry, just please, get them onboard so we can continue on to Appleloosa."
The soldiers, though mollified, were still clearly scared of him as they pulled the prisoner - and his injured but struggling comrade - back towards the caboose. James watched them go, then walked over to the cab. "How far is it to Appleloosa from here?" he asked the engineer.
The engineer thought for a moment. "A little less than an hour from here, if memory serves."
"Thank you." He walked over the car. The clip-clop of hooves followed, and he looked back to see a still-distraught Bright Star walking slowly behind him.
They boarded the car in silence and sat down. The train started back up, and was soon back up to optimum speed.
"I never want to do that again. Ever." These words came from Bright's mouth a few minutes later. He sounded shocked. He looked at James accusingly. "You never told me it would feel... like that."
James knew what "it" meant. "I wouldn't have had words to tell you. It's... repulsive, to say the least."
"Yeah, no kidding."
"Hey, I didn't know the Changelings were gonna ambush us. Contrary to all belief, I am not omnipotent just because I am in charge; I'm not omnipotent under any circumstance, as a matter of fact." Then sighing, he added, "Thanks."
"For what?"
"Saving my life. He was about to gut me when you got him."
"...Your welcome, I guess." Bright wasn't looking angry anymore, just upset. "Do you think he's going to be all right? The guy they hit I mean?"
James thought, then said, "He looked pretty bad, we have doctors and nurses looking after him, and there's probably a hospital in the town. Hopefully we can patch him up and bring him to the proper medical facilities. I think he'll made it."
Bright let out a sigh of relief. "That's good, at any rate." He stopped talking, and the scenery passed by.
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Sure enough, Appleloosa was soon in sight, and the train came into the small station. They disembarked; Appleloosans watched in surprise as the troops walked of the train and unloaded their equipment. They also stared at the tall biped who marched out with them.
James didn't like that, but knew he couldn't do anything about it; at least none of them were attacking him, which was the most he could have hoped for.
A small delegation, including Braeburn and Sheriff Silver Star walked up to a Royal Guard officer who was overseeing the unloading of the cannons. The sheriff said something quietly to the soldier, who responded, much louder, "Oh, I'm not in charge. He is." He pointed a hoof in James' direction.
Well, I shoulda seen this coming, he thought to himself as the three ponies in the delegation began walking his way. He stood there and watched as they approached. When they stopped in front of him, he asked quietly, but politely, "May I help you?"
They seemed surprised, but the Sheriff didn't balk as he asked, "Welcome ta Appleloosa" - he pronounced it "Appoloosa" - "now what are ya'll here fer?"
To get down to business. Calmly, James began, "We are here to fight off the changeling hordes coming down from the north, and to protect you all while you evacuate."
"What do ya mean, ev-ac-u-ate?" asked Braeburn. "Cain'tcha hold them off?"
James shook his head. "I'm sorry, but we don't have enough soldiers to defend the town indefinitely. We can only stall them, and then for only so long. We are here to hurt the enemy and slow them down until a larger force can reinforce us; God willing, they'll come soon. In the meantime, this town and it's inhabitants are in danger of attack by these monsters. In the probability that this town falls, we need to ensure the survival and well-being of the citizens here. Can you do this? It would aid us immensely."
"Ya sure you cain't hold um?" asked the pink mare (with light green mane and a green apple for a cutie mark) tha made up the third member of the group.
"I am sure. We have four hundred to fight off thousands. We are outnumbered very badly."
Sheriff Silver Star looked thoughtful. "Thought tha war wouldn' come this far south, ifn' it came atall." He didn't complain, though. "Can ya give us a week?"
"I think we can. Oh, and we have a soldier on board who was hurt when a group of Changelings ambushed the train about an hour or so ago. If you have a hospital or at least a doctor's office in town, I would be most grateful."
"O' course, it's right over there yonder." The Sheriff pointed to a building down the street.
James sighed in relief. "Thank you, thany you very much."
Braeburn was still very upset. "How cain ya ask us to just abandon our livelihoods and our careers?"
Didn't I just tell you why? He decided to be blunt this time; "Because if we fail to hold this town, the changelings will kill or make prisoners of everyone of you they find. They almost killed the soldier we're bringing to the hospital, and I doubt they'll have any reservations when it comes to civilian lives." Seeing that he had shocked them, he went on, "If you stay here and continue working, you'll probably die, along with anyone else who stays. If you leave, and leave as soon as possible, you will be able to escape safely."
None of them said anything fr a moment, then Braeburn said with a resigned sigh, "If it comes to mah job an' mah life, ah'll choose life, and help everyone else live."
James' expression softened. "It won't be forever, just until we can get more troops up here and beat the Changeling into next week. Then you can all come home. We're here to protect you, not hurt you."
"Yeah, ah know. It's just... this is so sudden, darn it." Braeburn kicked at a stone in front of him.
"Now, I must get to work making preparations to defend the town." James shouted to the officer, "Are those cannons off-loaded yet?"
"Not yet sir, but we're almost done."
"Good." James turned to go.
"Wait a moment, uh..."
"Colonel."
"Colonel, who should we send off first?"
James turned back to the Sheriff. "I'd evacuate women and chil..." He saw the confused looks on their faces. "Er, mares and foals first. Stallions can evacuate later."
"Makes sense."
James turned again, but before he could go anywhere, Braeburn said, "Wait, just one more question."
"Yes?"
"Just what are you?"
"A human." James raised an eyebrow. "May I go now?"
"Er, yes, uh, o' course," the Sheriff said, still looking a little put off and confused.
James turned on his heel and walked off to make sure the army would do what it had come here to do.
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"Are you sure?" James asked.
"Positive." The pegasus Royal Guard sounded certain. "At the speed they're going, they'll be here in three days."
"Excellent. Well done corporal."
The Guard looked utterly confused for a moment. "Sir, not to be insubordinate, but I'm a private."
"Were a private. That's in the past. Your work here warrants a promotion. Your observations of the enemy forces has given us the chance to oppose their advance and arrive here ahead of them. You'll receive the pay grade and privileges that a corporal deserves." Which isn't all that much above private, James thought, but he felt it appropriate to reward the Guard for his actions.
"Sir!" The Guard saluted, with a small smile on his face. "Thank you, sir."
"You're welcome." James watched as he left, then went to try to pitch his own tent; they were about twenty miles north of Appleloosa, and to James' surprise they actually found what made do for a forest and a grass clearing. It was still sun-blasted, in James' opinion, but at least the terrain was somewhat familiar to him.
He tried to set up the tent, but he didn't have the hang of it yet; it collapsed three times, the last time falling down on top of him just when he was sure he'd gotten it right.
"Having trouble?"
James fought to get the tent off of him. There was Bright Star and two other ponies a unicorn and a pegasus, all looking quite amused.
He felt his cheeks heat up. He got to his feet and stood up straight. "I'd appreciate any help you boys could give."
"Sure." Bright nodded to each of his companions. "White knight" - the unicorn, who had a white coat and a brown mane, with a chess knight for a cutie mark - "Silver Lining" - the pegasus, who had a silver coat, a cyan mane, and three clouds for a cutie mark - "please help our Colonel set up his tent."
They proceeded to do so. With the help of the three ponies, the tent was set up in next to no time.
"Thanks guys, it looks great." James still felt slightly embarrassed, but that was wearing off.
"You're welcome, sir," White Knight said, in a New York accent. "Youse guys need anytin' else?"
"Nuttin dat needs magic, anywae," said Silver Lining, who had an undeniable Gaelic accent. "Ah spect' you'll be needin' somemat soon, though, sir."
"Not today, at any rate." James set up his hammock, and sat down. "Any word from the poor kid down in Appleloosa?"
Bright Star's smile slipped, but didn't disappear entirely. "Yeah, and it looks like he's going to be ok. They're still working on him though."
"My condolences and sympathies go with him."
"Hey, why don't you join me and the guys at our campfire tonight?" asked the yellow stallion.
James felt surprised. "You sure you want me to join you boys? A memeber of a species from another world?"
"There's nuttin wrong with ya, yer not of a bad sort, not atall," Silver Lining said, with a welcoming smile on his face.
"Youse gonna be welcome at our campfia" added White Knight."
"Thank you, my comrades... no, thank you, my friends." James gave an elaborate bow, even to the point of sweeping his hat off his head.
His new friends all looked pleased.
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That night, at about 9:30, James walked over to the campfire where Bright Star and his friends sat on logs, eating their dinner.
He sat down on on of the free logs, and noticed that Bright Star, White Knight, and Silver Lining werent the only ponies sitting around the fire. An orange pegasus with a black mane and a schooner for a cutie mark was also there, eating from a small tray.
"Ah, Jim, thanks for stopping by." Bright Star waved his hoof around the campfire. "You already know White Knight and Silver Lining." Then, turning his head to the orange pony, he added, "Aren't you going to say something, Jack Tar?"
Looking up from his tray, Jack Tar said, "Sure, I'll say something; shut up and let me finish eating." He went back to doing just that.
Bright Star looked a little put off, and gave a nervous smile, groaning nervously. "He's a nice guy, once you get to know him. He's a sailor, and he's not to happy to be in the army."
"Damned right I'm not." The other ponies gasped and gave a jolt at Jack Tar's curse. He clearly didn't care; he just kept right on eating.
Bright Star leaned over and whispered in James ear, "I'm sorry sir, I didn't know he'd be like this."
"That's fine," James whispered back. "I wouldn't be happy if I was a sailor and had to try being a landlubber."
"If you're gonna sae somethin about me, say it ow loud. I believe in plain speakin'."
Yes, he's certainly an interesting character, all right. James said, "Alright, I'll say this plainly; I don't like your attitude, especially toward the soldier who will be watching your back on the firing line."
"An' ah don like tha thought tha we're bein' lead by some damn, dirty ape. Or tha ah've been taken awae from my beloved, blessed ocean and put on wretched land."
"Don't youse think dat maybe yer goin' to far, Jack? Insultin' the commandah ain't gonna make anythin' betta for youse."
"Ah, go boil yer head."
That's it. James stood up. "Jack Tar, listen to me, and listen to me very carefully", he said, in a deadly quiet voice. "You may have been uprooted from the profession you love the most, you may have been forced into a job you don't like, but" - and here his voice began to rise - "if you mistreat your fellow soldiers in any way, if you step out of line and try to drag others down in your misery, there is nothing the sea can do that you would fear more than me. Understood?"
Jack Tar looked at him, sizing him up as he spoke; as James finished, he put a slight smile on his face, as if James didn't know what he was talking about. "Whateva." He kept eating.
James sat back down, sighing. Some people never change. He waited as everyone else ate; he had had a few apples a few minutes ago, and they had been decent enough to throw off the hunger in his belly. As he waited, he hummed "Battle Hymn of the Republic"; it helped to ease the tension he was feeling.
"What's up sir? What kinda ditty is dat?" White Knight asked.
James looked up; he had been staring into the fire for the past few minutes. "Hmm? Oh, it's just an old army song, nothing really popular anymore, unfortunately."
"Oh, really?" Bright Star said, intrigued. "What's it called?"
"Battle Hymn of the Republic."
"Republic?" asked Silver Lining. "Ain't tha sometin' called demo-cratsy, or somewhat?"
"It's, 'Democracy,' and yes, my country, The United States of America, is run on democratic principles."
Bright Star raised an eyebrow. "Sounds rather... new."
"Sure, if you call more than two hundred and thirty years new." James chuckled.
Jack Tar gave a laugh, although he didn't say anything. Bright Star enlightened James; "Compared to the rule of Princess Celestia, that's new."
"Well, few humans live beyond a hundred years, so please excuse me if that sounds like a long time." James felt upset; no one here seemed to really understand democracy on a governmental scale, nor did they really seem to think it was a good idea. He supposed he couldn't blame them; after 1,000 years of a benevolent monarchy, they didn't think they needed democracy or the republican system. Then he straightened. Let them think as they please. We fought a war because the British king and Parliament wouldn't let us be represented in government, and sought to tax every last penny out of us. We stood against the mightiest empire in the world with nothing more than a group of ragtag amateurs... and won. What's more, we've made the republican system work. We are a superpower. Does Equestria claim that last?
"If it's worked for you, then that's all well and good," Bright Star said; apparently he was trying to lift James' spirits.
The human nodded. "In any event, the principles of liberty are at stake here, no less than when my country won it's independence. As one of our presidents said, 'the price of liberty is eternal vigilance.' In order for freedom to stand here, we must be victorious against both the changelings and the griffons, else the rights of this land will be swept away like twigs in a flood."
"Well said, Colonel!" Bright Star said, clapping his hooves. White Knight and Silver Lining followed suit; Jack Tar did nothing, only watched on, with a look of contempt on his face. James' spirits really did fall here, just a bit, upon seeing this. I'm really going to have to do something about him.
"Thank you." He looked back at the fire; What was it about fires that was so intriguing?
"So how youse been, Jim? Where's ya fam-ly?"
"Back home, in Maine; that's spelled M-A-I-N-E, by the way." Then, feeling cheeky, he added, "Nice New York accent."
"New York?" - White Knight pronounced it "New Yolk," and he said it in a puzzled way - "I'm from Manehattan."
"I thought the soldiers we were bringing up here we either from the Royal Guard or Ponyville?" James got a little peeved. No doubt it was a mix up.
"Yeah, me an' da guys - cept for Bright here - are from Manehattan. Don't know bout' no 'New York', but I was raised on the streets there."
"Aye, somepony musta made a wee mistake, and so here we are... at yer orders, sir."
"Zu Befehl." The German phrase was a military one, meaning, quite literally, at your orders; German soldiers said it instead of "Yes sir.
"Geshundheit."
James was about to tell Silver Lining exactly what he had said, but saw the soldier's twinkling eye and realized the pony was having fun with him. He felt himself smiling as he asked, "Spreichen ze Deutsch?"
"Nein, du?" Silver responded, winking.
"A bit." Then, a little more seriously, he asked, "Where did you learn German?"
"Ye learn all sorts o' tongues down in Manehattan. And I've been all round'the bleedin' country. Oh, and it's called "Germane," in plain Equestrian."
"Ah. Back in America, we call this language 'English'." He put a hand under his chin; yep, he was going to have to shave soon. "What do you do for a living, in any event?"
"Me?" The silver pegasus pointed to himself. "I work on the weather, like any ole' pegasus." He also scratched himself under his chin. "I do like makin' sculptures out o' the clouds, though. That's how I got this." He pointed to his cutie mark.
"I got my 'mark from beatin' everypony in my class at chess." White Knight broke into the conversation. "Beat almost everypony in Manehattan, come ta think about it. Some think I'm too good, though," he said, starting to lower his voice. "Some kids 'ave been pushing for me ta be banned from tournaments, they think I'm cheatin' see?"
Everyone - except for Jack Tar, of course - gasped. James said, a little outraged, "That's completely unfair. There's no way that I know of to cheat at Chess, at least not directly."
"That's cuz they say I'm doin' it all round' about, like. Ya know, makin' like I was bumpin' tha table, tryin' ta scared the other guy, that kind o' stuff."
James made a disgusted face. "And so they ruined your reputation with lies and slander."
"Eh. Not everypony believes em', but..." Here he shrugged.
"Well, hopefully that doesn't happen here." James yawned. Today had been tiring. "I suggest you all get some sleep tonight, we'll have plenty of work to do tomorrow." He stood up. "It was great getting to know you all." He yawned again. "Good night, all."
Bright, White Knight, and Silver all chorused their own variations of "good night" right back. James nodded, then walked away to his own tent. He practically fell into the hammock and fell asleep almost before he knew it.
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