Assembling the Team
After finding out that his own creation was out to get him, Paul decided that it would probably be best to wait before sending any griffons back to where Diathor was waiting. So instead he sent all of the griffons to the dungeons.
But now he was having a meeting with the Princesses about further action, military action actually.
“We cannot allow this attempt on our lives to go unanswered!” Luna said animatedly.
“I understand that, and I agree completely, but I don’t think it’s wise to just send an army straight into the Griffon Kingdoms with no idea of what’s waiting for us there,” Paul countered.
“So we will send scouts,” Celestia said with finality. “Paul, I know that you’re against this, but trust us when it comes to world politics. Any less of a reaction, and every other country on the planet would attempt to take us over.”
Paul looked at both of them, running through potential counterarguments in his head. Ultimately, he couldn’t think of anything.
“Fine,” he said. “Okay, so we will muster an army. Well, how many do we have already?”
Celestia thought about it for a second before answering. “Last I checked, there were almost 7,000 soldiers in the Equestrian Armed Forces, so it should be just over 8,000 by now.”
Paul’s jaw actually dropped. “You’re kidding, right? And do we have any plans to draft more?”
Both Princesses’ eyes widened. “No,” Luna answered. “That number is actually considered massive. We have the largest standing army on Equus.”
“What!?” Paul yelled. “And how many do the griffons have?”
“About 5,000 if I remember correctly,” Celestia answered.
“I just want to get some perspective here, but what is the population of Equus?”
“The whole planet?” Celestia asked. “Oh, it must be close to fifty million.”
Paul did some quick number crunching in his head, before shaking it.
“So then your planet hasn’t seen the after effects of suddenly losing two percent of the population to war in under a decade. Good, let’s keep it that way.” He thought.
Paul looked up at the Princesses.
“You can stop your search to find me a way home, because I’m not leaving until Diathor is no longer a threat,” Paul said. “I’m going to join the army as a foot soldier. I don’t want special treatment, I just want to get this over with.”
“Absolutely not,” Luna stated. “You are too valuable a tactical asset to be put in danger of front-line combat.”
“Then what do you want me to do, Luna?” Paul asked. “If I can’t join the fight, then what do you want me to do?”
Luna gained a mischievous look. “I did not say that you can’t join the military, only that you cannot join the front lines.”
“Where else would I go?” Paul asked. “I’m pretty sure that’s how it works, you get drafted into a front lines position, or you go through officer school, and I already completed all the schooling I’ll ever do.”
“That’s usually how it goes, yes,” Luna answered. “But usually there isn’t a Princess involved.”
Paul looked at Luna quizzically.
“I name you, Jedi General Paul of the Equestrian Armed Forces.”
Paul’s eyes widened at her words.
“I’m actually a Jedi General… Are you kidding me?”
“I assure you, it is no jest,” Luna replied.
“I have no idea how to lead an army!” Paul exclaimed.
“Then it’s a good thing you don’t have to do it alone,” Celestia assured him. “We will be with you the whole way. However, I believe that you would do well to find a few guards and soldiers to trust in. Some friends, if you will.”
Paul looked at her like she was crazy.
“It may also help that the both of us millenia-old and have led through a few large scale conflicts,” Celestia added.
“You know what? Fine. I’ll do it,” Paul answered. He pointed at Luna. “I’ll accept the job, but I lead from the front lines.” He pointed at Celestia. “And I’ll make some friends, but they’ll be promoted to be directly under me. There, happy?”
Both Princesses nodded, pleased with the results.
<<<==>>>
The next day, Paul was sitting in his new office in the palace, sorting through all of the files that Celestia had sent him.
She had sent these applications to him without telling the ponies they belonged to. These ponies had no idea that they were hoof-picked by Celestia to have a chance at this opportunity.
That, however, didn't make it any easier for Paul to read through the three hundred seventeen soldier profiles.
So far he had three stacks: unread, good candidate, and bad candidate.
Thankfully, the smallest stack was the unread, which meant that he was almost done with the first round.
Paul sighed as he finished the unread files, then counted the sizable stack of accepted ones.
“Well, at least I’ve trimmed it down from three hundred to about eighty,” Paul thought with a sigh.
He just shook his head and sat the files into a new stack, before repeating the process all over again.
<<<==>>>
An hour later, Paul was finally down to about ten possible ponies for the position.
By now, he knew the names, ages, ranks, and much more of each one by memory.
“So,” he started, voicing his thoughts. “I think that I’ll go ahead and say that these three are definitely in.”
Paul moved three of the files over to the side, then looked at the last six files again.
“Ugh, I just don’t know enough about them!” He suddenly exclaimed. He buried his face in his hands, taking a moment to think about a solution to his problem. Thoughts which were interrupted by a sudden twinge of pain from his stomach.
“Oh, I didn’t notice how hungry I was,” he thought, glancing at the clock. “Or that I’d been in there for four hours.”
Paul got up and went to the door, stepping out, and making his way to the dining hall. With any luck, he’d catch Celestia or Luna there and be able ask them what they knew of the remaining candidates.
<<<==>>>
Paul arrived at the dining hall and entered to see that Celestia had just taken her order.
She turned her head and saw him.
“Ah, Paul, how is your search for some friends going?” She asked.
“Well, I’ve got it down to about seven candidates left, and there are two spots still open for one of them to fill,” Paul answered before pausing to take his order. “I was wondering if you could tell me more about these last individuals.”
“Of course,” Celestia said. “What are their names? I have a spell that lets me recall anything they have ever done while wearing the armor issued to them.”
“Wow. That’s impressive,” Paul said before listing the candidates. “Alright, so we have Private First Class Golden Lance, Corporal Opal Comet, Staff Sergeant Crimson Ace, Master Sergeant Bronze Mace, Sergeant Major Onyx Bolt, First Lieutenant Silver Shine, and Captain Shining Armor.”
“Hmm, I see that you have a taste for the more highly skilled warriors,” Celestia said. “All of them have proven talented in physical combat, as I am sure you already know.”
Paul merely nodded and motioned for her to continue.
“Very well, I suppose that we shall start with the private and go up from there,” Celestia said. “Golden Lance is a very… interesting guard, to say the least. He is kind and helpful, but takes his job very seriously despite his eccentricities. Overall, he is a very reliable stallion and breaks up the monotony.”
“Alright,” Paul said. “He sounds like a fun guy to hang around with. Next?”
“Corporal Opal Comet is a fine soldier,” Celestia started. “He has proven himself very capable on covert stealth missions in foreign nations. He has a special talent that allows him to cast a spell used to stun enemies both visually and audibly. He also can get along with others fairly well, which would suit your purposes rather admirably.”
“Okay, he seems like he might have a place on the team,” Paul stated, a thousand thoughts running through his head. “Next?”
“Staff Sergeant Crimson Ace. This earth pony is practically an army by himself. He has far surpassed the previous records in strength, endurance, and skill. Despite these traits that make him a great soldier, he has little to no social skills. He actively pushes others away from him and keeps to himself.”
“Hmm, as much as I would like to say yes, I don’t think that he would enjoy being forced to work with other,” Paul went to continue, but the food arrived, and the two of them began eating. “Next?”
“Master Sergeant Bronze Mace is a very friendly stallion,” Celestia began with a smile. “And despite being an average age for a guard, he is somewhat seen as a fatherly figure to many. He is an ‘old soul,’ as some might say, wise beyond his years both in battle, leadership, and life advice. Bronze Mace is perhaps one of the most skilled guards in our military. He is very proficient with his Ming blades. In the castle’s training grounds, he has faced many opponents, and almost always comes out on top.”
“I like him already. He sounds like a good candidate,” Paul said. “Next?”
“Sergeant Major Onyx Bolt is one of our finest long range spellcasters. He can hit a target the size of my hoof at a distance of a thousand feet. He is known by some of the other guards to be very neat and tidy, making sure that everypony under him follows the guidelines he sets. The corporal is very intelligent, and can read battle situations with ease. However, this has only ever been tested in simulations, because we have had no wars within the last few hundred years.”
“Oh, as nice as that skill sounds, I don’t think that I’d be able to get along with him. I’m rather messy,” Paul said with a sigh. “Next?”
“First Lieutenant Silver Shine is quite a stickler for the rules. Every officer has to memorize the guidebook before completion, and most forget all of it within a month, but Silver Shine expects everypony to follow every rule with precision. He may be able to use his flight speed, agility, and skill to fight like almost nopony ever seen before, but he wouldn’t be very well suited for your team.”
“Well that’s too bad. I feel like he could’ve been a valuable asset to the team,” Paul said as he shook his head. “Next?”
“Ah, saving the best for last. Captain Shining Armor is a very admirable stallion. Despite his position as captain, the highest ranking in the guard, he has actually been out on more covert missions than anypony else in our forces. Shining Armor is most certainly the most skilled pony we have, without a doubt. He has more than earned his current ranking and is quite a nice stallion to be around. Not to mention that you are friends with his sister.”
“Wait, what?” Paul asked. “Who’s his sister?”
Celestia smirked. “Well, what if I told you that she was on the train with you?”
“On the trai--” Paul stopped. “No way, Twilight’s brother is Captain of the Royal Guard? She never said anything about it!”
“As far as she knows right now, he’s still at the rank of Sergeant Major and is always training guards. That’s our cover for why he has to ‘disappear’ when he goes on missions.”
Paul nodded. “I see. Well, you’ve given me a lot to think about, Princess. Thank you for this enlightening meeting.”
Paul set down his silverware on the empty plate, stood up, and walked out of the dining hall to head for his office. He had a big decision ahead of him.
<<<==>>>
“Do you know why you’re here?” Paul asked the small group of ponies assembled in the small secretary’s office outside his own. Not that he had an actual secretary yet.
They all shook their heads. Some were still staring at him, silently wondering what he was.
“Then allow me to enlighten you,” Paul continued. “As you should know, yesterday there was an attempt on the Princesses’ lives by the griffons. Most likely, you had also deduced that there will be retaliation. Gentlecolts, we are at war.”
There seemed to be a split reaction, half of them looked surprised, while the other half seemed as if they saw it coming.
“Now, I know what some of you are thinking. ‘What does this have to do with me? Why am I here in front of this odd creature?’ You may ask yourself. Well, you see, this odd creature here,” Paul gestured to himself, “was just made general of this army. And you five have been hand chosen by me out of more than three hundred candidates based upon skill, talent, and personality. If you accept, you are to be directly under me. You will be my eyes and ears on the battlefield, my advisors when speaking to the crowds, and my brothers-in-arms.”
The six ponies were astonished by his words.
“So, I have but one question to ask. ‘Will you accept?’ I will give you stallions a few minutes to think it over. Whenever you’re ready, or if you have any questions, just step into my office.”
With these words, Paul left them to their thoughts. He sat down at his desk and pulled out a book, getting ready to start reading. However, as he got settled, there was a knock on his door.
“Come in,” he called, surprised that one had decided so quickly.
The pony on the other side did as he was told and entered the room, he was a white unicorn with a dark blue mane. He walked forward and saluted.
“Uh, at ease?” Paul asked, hoping that he had used the right terminology. The stallion in front of him relaxed. “Um, so I’m not super big on the whole, ‘formal’ thing, so just take a seat and speak your mind.”
The stallion blinked and sat down in one of the chairs before speaking. “Oh, well, it’s an honor to meet you, sir. I just wanted to say that I very much appreciate your offer and I wholeheartedly accept. I find this to be a very good opportunity to help the betterment of our nation.”
“Thank you, Shining Armor,” Paul said, reaching out with a fist. “Welcome to the team. You can call me Paul.”
Shining reached over as well, giving a hoof bump. “Yes, sir. Am I dismissed?”
“Yeah, go ahead and go do your job, I still have to do a whole stack of paperwork before you’re officially on the team.”
“Yes, sir,” Shining said as he saluted, before turning and leaving.
The next few ponies were ones that Paul had met before and actually liked, a big part of why they had been chosen. All three of them, Star Glow, Star Shine, and Iron Shield, had all accepted.
Only one pony had yet to make a decision. And that was--
A knock sounded at the door.
“Opal Comet, I see that you have finally come to a decision,” Paul said as the smoky black unicorn walked in.
“Yes, sir,” the stallion replied, seeming a little nervous.
“Good, and what do you think?” Paul asked.
The unicorn seemed hesitant to answer. “Well, uh, don’t get me wrong, sir, I appreciate the offer, but… I have to respectfully decline the position.”
Paul leaned back in his chair, gazing over the stallion. “Hmm, a shame, I think I would’ve liked you. Oh well, I suppose that I was shooting a little high by expecting all of you to accept... “
Paul lost himself in thought for a second before he gave his head a shake, returning him to reality.
“Sorry,” he apologized to the unicorn. “Well, thanks for considering this offer, Corporal. You’re dismissed.”
The pony saluted before turning and walking out the door.
Paul stared at the door after the pony had left. Despite what he had said, he was actually a little bit upset over the loss of this opportunity.
However, he decided to put it behind him and checked the other files that he still had. He leafed through them for a bit before finally finding the one he wanted.
“Alright then, Private Lance, let’s see what you’ve got.”
<<<==>>>
There was a knock at the door to Paul’s office.
“Come in,” the response came.
The door opened and in walked a young-looking golden unicorn with a stark black mane.
“Good afternoon, sir. You wanted to see me?” He asked.
Paul nodded. “Yes, I did, and I’ll get straight to the point. As you may know I have been made General by the princesses, and I have decided to put a few guards under my direct command. You are one of them. Private, I am offering you a chance to become the sixth-highest ranking soldier in the Equestrian Armed Forces. I will give you a few minutes to think it over.”
“Thank you, sir” Lance responded immediately. “But I won’t need that time. I graciously accept.”
Paul smiled at the unicorn, extending an arm. “Well then, welcome to the team, Commander.”
The pony smiled and returned the fist bump. “Thank you, sir,” he said as he left.
Just as Lance was closing the door, Paul spoke. “Oh, and Lance, please, call me Paul.”
The unicorn just nodded and closed the door behind him, leaving Paul alone in his office.
“Alright, easy part’s done. Now for the hard part,” Paul said, looking at several stacks of paper on his desk. “The paperwork.”
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Enjoyable so far, gotta set the background for your story.
[quote“First Lieutenant Silver Shine is quite a stickler for the rules. Every officer has to memorize the guidebook before completion, and most forget all of it within a month, but Silver Shine expects everypony to follow every rule with precision.]
Why do I get the feeling you referenced back to the future
6840106
Honestly, if I did reference it, then I did so entirely by accident.
What part did you think was a reference?
6841045 when they talked about silver shine
6843312
I haven't actually seen those movies, (yes, I know that I should) so I didn't know about that. I actually just created a few stereotypical guards, then made a few changes here and there to personalities and abilities.
So they put a novice in the military with no training?