//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Saving Private Rarity // by Show Off //------------------------------// I woke late the next morning, far later than I’d have liked. Snap was already gone; I knew we would have stopped at some point the night before to camp, but the swaying of the wagon told me we were already back on the road. The dull thump of the mortars could be heard on the ground now too, and I guessed we’d see the front lines by nightfall. I wiggled out from under the blanket and snagged my helmet before walking to the edge of the cart. “Unloading!” I called to the grunts pulling the wagon before leaping down. The line around me was just about as usual. Ponies worked in pairs to carry carts of supplies while others flitted about between them carrying about other business. Despite the foul weather, the mood was generally high, and the buzz of casual conversation was all around me. There was a kind of orderly chaos to the line I’d miss when we finally reached our destination. The journey was always better than the destination. A young brown pegasus with a bad case of acne ran up to me. “Are you Sergeant Offington?” he asked. “Yes,” I replied. He snapped a quick salute before continuing. “Corporal Boil Lancer, sir. Captain Famosity wants to see you on the double.” “Where is she at, corporal?” He indicated the front of the advancing column. “Near the head of the line, sir. She’s gathering intel at the moment.” “Kid, you do realize the front of the line is two miles from here, right?” “You’ve been given special clearance to fly up there, sir. She insists it’s very important.” “Well, if she insists.” I gave the young stallion my helmet. “Take this and store it with the flight gear; I feel like flying free today.” “Yes, sir.” He took it and walked beside me, waiting to be dismissed. When I finally nodded to him, he took off for the supply cart like a shot. “Some ponies are too energetic for their own good,” I chuckled to myself before taking to the sky. A short flight brought me to the head of the line, where Famosity and a group of other ponies sat on a wagon, hard at work trying to learn everything they could about the enemy’s position. I spotted the mint green unicorn and touched down next to her, swaying a little with the motion of the cart. “Sergeant Show Off, reporting as ordered, ma’am,” I said, saluting quickly. “Oh, glad you’re here, Show.” She was busy studying several maps, committing each one to memory. “You said you needed me for something important?” “Yes!” She held up an assortment of pencils, each with a different color. “Which one do you like best?” “Uh…the green one, I guess.” “Perfect!” She put the other pencils back in her saddle bags, but held on to the green one. “Hold still,” she said. I sighed; I knew what was coming, but let her have her fun anyway. She quickly drew a moustache and top hat on me, her talent allowing her drawings to hang in midair, then shoved the pencil back in her bag and flashed me a smile. I rolled my eyes and brushed the delicate graphite away. “I hate you…so much…” “Love you too!” She smiled at me again before returning to her maps. “Was that all you needed me for?” “Yes, thank you sergeant.” I stuck my tongue out at her before taking to the air once again. Without a radio, control couldn’t contact me or verify that I was a friendly, but rules were pretty lax out here. I spotted another friendly face in the sea of ponies and landed quietly behind him. While he seemed to be alone, I followed him for a few minutes before sneaking up closer. I got so close that his tail hairs were missing my nose by mere fractions of an inch. “Hey sarge!” I quipped loudly. The dark green earth pony in front of me jumped and spun around to face me, practically snarling. His face went through a myriad of expressions, including anger, confusion, recognition, and finally settling on exasperation. “Sergeant Offington, how many times must I tell you that I am now your Lieutenant?” “At least once more, Quill.” His face turned red, but he held his temper and resumed marching with the rest of the column. I trotted happily and caught up with him. “What do you expect at the front lines, sir?” “More than a few un-pleasantries, but perhaps something brighter,” he said cryptically. “I’ll bet you can’t wait to see your girl.” Quill had just started a love affair when the war broke out, and when both of them had been drafted, they’d been sent to different fronts. It was the first time in three years Quill would get to see his love. “Sergeant, she is more than just a girl. She is a gem; my shining star. Why, I don’t know that I could drag myself out of bed in the morning without the thought of Rarity to pull me.” I laughed. “Of course, Lieutenant. Of course.” His reaction was not quite as light-hearted as mine. He turned to face me somberly. “You’ll help me look for her, won’t you Show?” he asked. I nodded to him. “Sure thing, Quill. Anything to help a friend.” He sighed and relaxed a little. “Forgive me; it’s unprofessional of me to ask a favor of you.” “It’s no problem, sir. I’d be happy to help.” “Thank you, Show. You’re a fine stallion.” He looked off towards the horizon. “I’m coming, my dear. Just hold on a little longer.” I stayed with Quill until well into the afternoon. Snap joined us when rations were passed out for lunch, and the three of us continued together, chatting absently. Throughout the day, the mortars grew louder; the sun had just barely touched the edge of the horizon when the battlefront finally came into view. Both sides were entrenched in a large valley between two sets of rolling hills. A large chain of mountains stood to the east, signaling the final official border of Equestria. We stood at the top of the west side, looking down. Off in the distance, the other hills hid the supply lines for the Carebears. “By Faust…” Quill swore, “It’s huge…” He was right. The front itself stretched the entire length of the valley and beyond, stacking up fifteen lines deep. Plumes of smoke rose from scarred landscape, and flashes of lightning lit up the already shadowy battlefield, heralding death. Some of our earth pony companions winced at the sight; others heaved the contents of their stomachs onto the ground. Their connection to land made it difficult for them to cope with devastation of Equestrian soil. The lieutenant managed to maintain his calm demeanor, but his eyes were wide and his breathing was short and quick. Things were going to be harder on him than I had anticipated. My own jaw dropped as I checked the skies. The pegasi waged constant battle against the cloudships of the Carebears. Every time another cloud was kicked from the sky, two more would take its place. The two sides seem locked in an eternal stalemate, neither gaining any ground. Famosity caught up with us on our way to the rear lines. “Suddenly, I miss the old fort…” Even our normally peppy CO was shaken by the scale of the violence. I looked at the three ponies standing around me. We each had our expectations of what the front lines would look like, but I didn’t think anyone was prepared for this. I heaved a melancholy sigh. “Welcome to the war.” We continued down the gentle slope of the hill until well after dark. General Sparkle, a young but well organized lavender unicorn met us at the bottom to direct our first efforts. “She’s a friend of Rarity’s!” Quill said excitedly. “I wager she knows where I could find my love.” She addressed all of us who had just arrived, magically amplifying her voice so the few hundred fresh ponies could hear her. “This isn’t basic training; things out here are probably going to be much different from what you’re used to. “We don’t put much stock in ranks, but if a superior tells you do something, do it. We have to maintain order. Now, while you’re off duty, nothing is as important as getting to know the ponies around you. Look to the pony on your left, then on your right.” She paused to give us leave to do as instructed before continuing. “If you don’t know their names, find time in the next two days to learn them. If you do, you’ve just seen your new bunkmates.” Confused chatter broke out in the battalion; no one was quite sure what she meant. She quickly regained control of the crowd. “Quiet everypony! Now, I know this seems strange, but we have to remember that we have the one thing the mindless horde of Carebears don’t…friendship. “It is of utmost importance that we maintain the connections that we share with each other; they’re what give us strength in such a dark chapter of Equestrian history. Bunking assignments will be done based upon the ponies you already know. Find the ponies who are your closest friends, grab a tent, and get to work!” She flashed us a reassuring smile. “So,” Snap said, turning to our little group. “At least that explains where they sent all bucking tents we needed back at the hill…” I smirked, and turned to the three ponies standing next to me. “Well…shall we?” We began our walk over to the supply carts. “I can’t believe I have to share a tent with you three…” Fam said indignantly. Quill nodded his assent. “Indeed. The thought of having to share quarters with a mare is quite…well, I suppose it’s quite nice, actually, but I am spoken for.” I tapped Snap with my wing and we fell back from the officers a few paces. “They’ve gotten too used to their glamorous private tents,” I whispered. He laughed, but still betrayed a little hesitation. “Do you think it’s wise to break up the natural pecking order? You and I can handle bunking together, but do you really think Quill and Famosity can deal with it?” “They’re gonna have to; I don’t really see where we have much choice.” The cart was attended by another soldier, passing out bundled tents to each set of friends that walked up. She passed us ours; it was worryingly small. “Um, private?” The captain put on her best stern voice. “This one looks a bit small, don’t you think?” “No, ma’am,” he replied matter-of-factly. “Four ponies; four-pony tent.” Famosity poured on the charm. “Oh, come on, private. Can’t we get a tent that’s just a little bit bigger?” She leaned in close to him and whispered “I’ll love you forever…” “’Fraid not, ma’am,” the soldier coldly replied. “Take your tent and go; you’re holding up the line.” “Fine!” Fam snapped, snatching the tent from the stubborn pony. “This isn’t over…” “Never is, ma’am.” She turned to look at us and jerked her head in the direction of the campgrounds. “Let’s go.” I started to trot up to talk to her, but Quill held me back. “Just let her stew.” He seemed oddly at peace with the whole scenario. “She’ll calm down in a bit.” “I hope so…” We walked over to the sea of tents that made up the campgrounds. Snap gawked a bit at the sight. “How the buck are we supposed to find our tents in this mess?” He had a fair point. Acres of land behind the rear lines had been converted into long rows of neatly erected tents. Campfires every couple of tents lit the grounds in a perpetual orange glow; other soldiers sat around them, enjoying the warmth. As we walked through the camp, everypony looked downtrodden. It was a feeling the four of us were all too familiar with. But in spite of the melancholy attitude of the other ponies, we were fairly sure that things would improve with the addition of an entire battalion. Snap spotted an empty space and we pitched our tent under the glow of Famosity’s horn, fighting off fatigue. When our new home was finally erected, Snap and Fam stayed behind while Quill and I went off to requisition our standard issue furniture. “I wish that setting up camp wasn’t as tedious as this. Some ponies have errands of their own.” “You’ll have plenty of time to look for Rarity tomorrow, Quill. It’s too dark now anyway.” He sighed. “I know. But we’ve been apart for so long, and we’re so close now…” “I know, Quill…it’s hard, but we’ll make it.” The supply cart came upon us quickly, and we snagged four cots, a privacy screen for Fam, footlockers, and all the other odds and ends necessary for mildly survivable quarters. We loaded up our saddlebags and began the trek back to the tent. “Faust above,” Quill swore. “One would think they’d make these bundles a little lighter.” “Methinks you’ve gone a bit soft,” I teased him. “Put a bridle in it, Show,” he huffed. By the time we made it back to our tent and finished arranging everything, we were too tired to even think. We collapsed onto our respective bunks and passed out, having hellacious dreams of mortars and lightning.