Mares und Panzer

by Indulgence

Ankunft

Appleoosa had often been called a “timeless” place, a politer term to use rather than quaint, old fashioned or backward. Over the decades since its foundation few things had ever changed in the desert-ringed backwater. It was still very much the tightknit farming community that it had always been, having grown but a little over the years. A web of further streets had slowly expanded out from the sole original, whilst fresh orchards had sprouted on the surrounding hills, fed by a water pipeline snaking into town through the dunes. This serpentine construction and a couple of squat processing plants nestled in amongst the artificial forests were in fact the only truly “new” buildings in town, the rest left styled always rustically in wood. In this way the settlement had generally avoided much of the modernisation which had necessarily swept through the rest of Equestria during the Crystal War.

It was into the skies above this largely unnoticed township that the sun lazily crawled, marking the start of a new week. Few paid the solar timekeeper any heed however, with fewer still even being aware of its appearance. This was much the same for all bar the bare minority of Appleoosa’s population, a minority which happened to include the latest of the town’s inhabitants amongst their number.

Were she anywhere else, on any other day, Dawn Melody would have gladly remained settled where she was, ensconced deep in the expanse of pillows and covers which made up her annex. Today however, of all days, she needed to get up and had therefore taken the precaution of pre-emptively setting not one but several alarm clocks to this end. As one all six of the punctual devices went off, ringing sharp and loud. On instinct the earth mare’s hoof sprang out from its redoubt, hammering against the machines’ tops in a desperate search for the snooze button. Her quest for respite was however futile, her far more lucid former self having already blocked all means of escape by tampering with their mechanisms. Like this she forced her hazy present self to its hooves, blinking away the last few settled shreds of sleep, eventually succeeding in turning off the incessant racket.

With a heavy exhale the young mare slumped, tired form slouching in the gifted quiet. In contrast to the abject chaos entailed in the noise it had succeeded, the world of her little room was now perfectly stilled in silence, calm like a sigh. The quilted realm she had only just left beckoned her back temptingly, it being a massive effort to resist its charms and not simply collapse back into its embrace. This reprieve was however fleeting, thoughts of resistance in turn begetting the realisation of why she had set the alarms in the first place. In the instant of this remembrance all the settled calm abruptly broke into storm, hurling her back into motion.

Just this once at the very least you can’t be late! You’ve got to make a good first impression.

Right on cue panic leapt out from her subconscious, trailing Dawn in close pursuit throughout the limited space of the bedsit. Although it was far from large, the chase nonetheless quickly devolved into a protracted one, growing with her chaotic route in flight. What was annoying (a polite term filled in with far greater vulgarity in her head) about this was that she was not in fact as unprepared as she seemed, rather quite the opposite. Despite her previous self’s best efforts though, setting aside her saddlebags packed and everything else besides that the morning would call for a day in advance, still the place was far too new to avoid getting lost within it in flustered transit. She therefore zigzagged back and forth between half-finished tasks, skipping hurriedly from each to the next. Throwing a white lace collar about her neck, she immediately whirled herself away from her dressing table, stepping seamlessly from bedroom to kitchenette in search of caffeine. A pale cream mare looked back out from the shiny front of a coffee machine, using the surface in lieu of a mirror to guide a forehoof in raking straight her straw yellow mane. The strands remained recalcitrant, refusing to fall into line and instead rolling in messy waves back across her shoulders.

Hurry up!

Neither waiting to achieve success or for the maker to complete its work she turned straight back about, returning to her starting position. An apple green ribbon tied in a long bow went to complete her uniform. It was noticeably almost a tonal match for both her irises and the logo on the collar’s left point. Finally slinging her bags onto her back she departed, pausing a brief moment more to grab a waiting thermos mug of sweet caffeinated goodness just as it finished pouring from the machine.

Through the portal Dawn found herself enveloped by the warm breeze of her namesake, bathed in the rays of the rising sun as she locked the door to her loft apartment behind her, skipping down three external flights of stairs in turn. The already present heat was likely a harbinger of what to expect from the rest of the day, something else that she was not yet used to, although this general off-ness would likely have been true of wherever she had ended up. ‘A fresh start’ she muttered to herself dryly, taking a first sip from her cup.

True, so don’t screw it up before you’ve even begun! Get moving!

Succeeding in startling herself once again she broke back into a swift trot, making her way through the ranks of similarly uniform apartment buildings (disguised to look otherwise) on her way towards main street.

---

Okay, deep breath, don’t you dare freak out!

‘Easier said than done.’

For you maybe, but not for every other normal pony, so for Goddesses’ sake mare up already!

So close but yet so far, Dawn wavered unsure on the cusp of her goal. Caught, she made a show of putting away her long since drained thermos, an explanation to all those in her mind’s eye as to why she had stopped.

Not far ahead of her the town’s chronologically newest building stood apart and prominent, although in its style it channelled times far longer past than its rustic surroundings. It stood at the head of a similar host in imperial stone as opposed to the simple local timber used elsewhere, its front towering to a pillar-supported point several floors past all opposing structures. A great carved mural adorned the peak of the edifice, depicting tight ranks of young ponies watched over by their two solar sovereigns, a motif repeatedly placed elsewhere by its unknown architect, whilst the rest of its face glinted with uniform rows of arched windows. Collectively these panes shimmered in the morning sun, likely within making the place aglow, but outside acting like a glittering mask. A single flagpole rose still higher atop all this, its pennant diagonally striped in alternating white and green with a red apple at its centre, this fruit placed beneath a semicircle of three stars. All this and more besides sat within the border of a high metal fence, topped with ornate barbs, the front gate set within which she was yet to approach.

A group of chattering voices drew Dawn from the façade, her eyes crossing an expansive square of cobblestones to find a septet of other young mares deep in conversation. All seven wore the said same uniform, matching both her and one another, neatly collared and tied. Central amongst them, two stood out as near mirror images of one another with each of them wearing their deep purple manes and tails in braided knots, differing only slightly in the auburn tones of their coats. This group (not noticing their audience) made directly for the gates, nodded through by a newly appeared figure on their path.

That’s probably your cue to get a move on!

‘I’m going!’ Persuaded (or rather forced) back into movement, she followed her predecessors’ suit, although unlike them unable to shake the feeling of being on show and antlike in her crossing of the square. In transit she passed the stone paved void’s sole feature: a thick tree stump, carved at its front with the words ‘Appleoosa Imperial Academy’, with the Apple logo again embossed on its base. Then she was there, no further room for even the slightest evasive manoeuvre, reaching the gate and its sentry. ‘Erm… hi, I…’

‘Don’t bother’ the guard cut off (dressed the same as the one she addressed, except with the addition of a second badge on the right point of her collar emblazoned with a crimson C), not bothering to look up from a book levitated before her vision. ‘Before you waste your breath the answer is no, I don’t care who it’s for. If you’ve got a message for Ruby, Diamond, Onyx, or anypony else find them yourself!’

‘Erm… I don’t think…’ Dawn tried again timidly, shrinking back a little at the outburst.

‘For the love of Luna, you guys never give up do you! The answer is n-oh…’ In a moment the unicorn’s exasperation vanished, finally lowering her tome to discover the unexpected. ‘Oh’ she repeated redundantly, a pink hue spreading itself across her teal cheeks behind a pair of glasses. ‘Sorry about that, you’ve got to be the newbie right?’

‘I guess that’s me, yeah’ the cream turned also light pink earth mare confirmed, remaining still unsurely hunched.

‘Figures.’ A clipboard and pencil hovered out of nowhere to replace the book, running through lists of names and their associated tick boxes. ‘Which in turn explains why you’re so early. I tend to know all the prompt ones, whilst the only others who turn up at this time are usually guys from RCA across town with some vapid letter or poorly constructed poem expressing the sheer depths of their love for somepony. It would be vaguely cute if they weren’t quite so pathetic and didn’t pester me to pass the damned things on. Anyway, moving on, I’m Dice Bag by the way.’

‘Nice to meet you, I’m…’

‘Dawn Melody, right?’ The pencil came to a sudden stop, striking an affirmative line against what it found, the magic driving it drawing a further sheet of paper from amongst those clogging the board’s clip. ‘Here’s your timetable, plus there’s a map on the reverse.’

‘Erm.. okay, where’s…’ Dawn began to query, skimming the paper in a quick glance.

‘Your first lesson’s up in F6 on the top floor, beyond that ask the map not me’ Dice answered bluntly, already returning to her book. ‘The room won’t even be open yet though, so I dunno you could maybe get a feel for the place in the meantime or something.’

‘Erm… thanks.’ Whether she wanted it to be or not the conversation was quite obviously over.

At least you actually made it.

---

*Riiing!*

The long shrill shriek of a bell sliced through the darkness, stirring Dawn abruptly from her seat, her eyes blinking frantically open. ‘Oh buck!’ At first she had attempted a quick tour of the campus, but had found most of it locked up and so denied opted for a bench caught sight of in the front yard. She had waited awhile and then a while more, but the furniture had been so comfortable and then…

Well bucking done!

On her hooves she tore her bags from where they lay as an impromptu pillow, throwing their strap about her shoulders. ‘Damn it all to Tartarus!’ In a mad scramble she charged for the nearest entrance, mind just about noting through the motion blur and crushing words of self-reproach that she was not alone in her tardiness.

Away at the school’s front gates another group was making their leisurely arrival, unconcerned and strolling as they were checked off by an irritably scribbling pencil. Most of them wore a darkened aspect, manes and tails dyed black, with a few exceptions in the form of stark acidic highlights. They were likewise united in their jewellery, all simultaneously glinting as light reflected off metal weighing down every inch which was reasonably conceivable to pierce, and a few that were not as well. Only the fact that they wore the uniform, in a scruffy and unfinished manner, identified that they belonged.

At the head of them though one only partially fitted into these trends, collar tied in neatness, whilst her hair as opposed to being pure shadow veered just off in navy, set against the rest of her sleek form in electric blue. This antithesis however just made the details in the unknown’s form standout even clearer. Her manestyle for example mimicked and furthered the aggressiveness of her compatriots’, sculpted as two mohicans running away from her horn down her scalp, whilst also buzzcut short on the right side and left long on the other below these. In a right eyebrow meanwhile she wore a pair of bars, cutting through its arch, an eyebrow which rose under Dawn’s gaze, yellow iris beneath taking note of its audience.

Great, now you’re both late and look like a tool! Bravo!

As if on repeat the second of the morning’s blushes burned the earth mare’s cheeks, hurrying her to faster flight. ‘Okay, top floor, F… 6 and quickly.’ An imposing entrance hall became the winding spiral of a staircase, steps taken three at a time, becoming a corridor flanked by lockers, ending in a single standout doorway. This she burst through, tumbling into the room beyond. ‘S-sorry I’m late.’

---

Well, that could’ve gone better.

Letting out a little sigh Dawn made no effort to catch her head as it fell, landing roughly between her forehooves already outstretched on the desk before her. ‘I’ve fared far worse’ she muttered under her breath in consolation to nopony bar the writing surface, ‘and in truth what more was I really expecting. I’m new, N-E-W, that kind of necessitates that I stick out and I don’t know anypony. Three lessons down, three to go, and then…’

‘Hey newbie!’

The collapsed earth mare jumped straight back up to attention, neck whirling about in search of the source of the excited exclamation.

‘You could’ve probably done that a lot better you know. A little quieter maybe.’

Running a few rows further to the back of the empty classroom, her gaze stopped on a pair newly appeared through its doorway. The slightly shorter of the two, all sunny fur and golden curls, smiled broadly despite the reprimand and nudge to that effect which she was receiving from her partner.

The second meanwhile stood taller and more slightly built, differentiated further in a hazel coat and darker brown mane tied up in a tail, making her horn stand out more prominently from her brow, but likewise wearing a warm smile. ‘Sorry if we startled’ she began in an intrinsically kind-hearted voice, ‘you’re Dawn right?’

‘Y-yes that’s me.’ Although caught off guard her inner voice still chastised her for the awkward stammer.

‘Spring Blossom’ the older seeming mare continued pointing to herself, ‘and this is Coquette, although most just call her Belle…’

‘Just cos everypony calls me that doesn’t mean I like it, and you know it!’ the latter interjected, bubbly voice indignant but not really rising to annoyance.

‘True, but your reactions are always worth it’ Blossom returned, without removing her grin or her gaze from Dawn’s. ‘Besides, you play the part so well.’

‘Shut up!’

‘Anyway, would you like us to show you around a bit, then we can go get lunch?’

‘Erm… thanks, but I’m okay’ Dawn shook her head.

‘What she means to say is that the Council’s told us to show you around, and I for one don’t need them on my case’ Coquette came in frankly.

‘And what she mean’s to say is that this isn’t a chore that we’ve been forced into’ Blossom scolded with a roll of her eyes. ‘I know from experience that coming to a new school, plus a new town in the middle of nowhere for that matter, isn’t the easiest thing on Equis to adjust to, not to mention doing so part way into term. So can we at least maybe give you a quick tour? It might help you get settled in.’

‘Okay’ Dawn finally agreed, another honest smile helping her over her timidity.

---

The noise of battle raged all around, a hoard of hooves trampling throughout the space whilst metal crashed and voices roared. Well befitting its soundtrack the world raced in a barely orchestrated anarchy, forces breaking away from the general swell to occupy their own seemingly predetermined areas, the pattern in all these movements impossible to follow unless already known. In the corner of the dining hall, a small vantage point on the side lines, Dawn sat with her two guides, despite this feeling very much in the warpath of this maelstrom.

‘So concludes the tour of AIA’ Coquette announced, ‘so moving on to a who’s who in this mess.’

‘Or put another way mapping out the minefield of the various spheres of influence there are in amongst all the chaos.’

‘Sure, if you wanna be drearily serious about it.’

Blossom ignored the critique. ‘You’ve pretty much got all the usual clichés you could expect from a “learning institution”, each with their own little chieftains at their heads’ she began turning to add hoof gestures to her speech. ‘Working our way across: first you’ve got your common or garden nerds/geeks. They’d probably argue the toss over what they are but they’re on the whole much the same.’

Dawn’s eyes followed the hazel hoof’s directions, finding a table with a few recognisable faces around it. She picked out first Dice Bag, then many of the others who like her had arrived earlier, including the two mirror images.

‘In which the Gnats are central’ the golden earth mare added, not to be left out.

‘The Nats’ Blossom corrected. ‘They’re both called Natalie but aren’t actually related, they just make themselves look alike to annoy people. Nat One has her hair to the right and Nat Twenty has hers to the left.’

‘I never got those nicknames.’

‘Moving on you’ve got your campaigners, a mix of politics and eco warriors…’

‘Stoners’ Coquette deadpanned bluntly.

‘They’re not all stoners! Most of them really believe in what they’re fighting for!’

‘Maybe, but you’ve gotta admit that most of them are pretty vague about what exactly that is. Plus, to quote you: “wearing a mask and saying ‘the system’ a lot doesn’t make you a revolutionary”.’

‘Moving on again there are your sports teams.’

Still trailing throughout the crowds, Dawn found those sat central in the swarms. A few remained identifiably dressed in whatever they competed in, whilst the rest helpfully had extra logos opposite the school’s on their collars to denote their sport. What drew her eyes though, more specifically at their nexus, was a pair of pegasus in the midst of a rising shouting match. Each rose ever higher in response to the other’s provocation, neither backing down, although it seemed only one of them had the backing of those around her as well as her own vindication.

‘…of which those two are Lens Flare, turquoise head of the hoofball team and wannabe Equestria’s next Rainbow Dash, hence the colourful highlights in her mane, and Split Second, the pink one who’s our resident track star and is all too aware of it.’

The second of these now given a name rose, slamming her forehooves onto the table, an action instantly reciprocated. In contrast to the pale rose of her form her mane stood upward, cropped short and gelled spikily except for a single braid beside her right eye, candy-caned in white and magenta.

‘It’s kinda funny’ Coquette again came in to add to the summary, ‘but the two of them are the only pegasus here and they hate each other’s guts. Ostensibly they’re supposed to be friends I think and they play on the same team in a lot of stuff, but they compete so much that it doesn’t really show.’

Both sides of the argument finally quietened down as a teacher made a pass closer to their verbal melee, each sitting back down sharply. The one identified as Split did however continue to mutter violently at her adversary, bringing a forehoof roughly through the barbs of her hair. In this disguised action her eyes roved away, startlingly coming to lock with their audience, almost making Dawn jump. On instinct the earth mare dropped her vision, waiting a moment before risking a glance upward, but the pink pegasus’ gaze remained her way, its owner stopped mid-retort. This remained for what seemed like a great many awkward minutes, until eventually Split was dragged back away by a fresh snarl from her opposite.

If Blossom picked up on anything of the mutual intrigued looks she made no point of highlighting it. ‘Next there’s the “popular” crowd.’

‘Don’t call them that!’ It was Coquette’s turn to turn defensive this time. ‘You make that title sound so critical!’

‘What alternative would you suggest instead then?’

‘I dunno, fashionable maybe, besides it’s not the term but the way you spit it out. Plus I’ll add that it’s like you’re tarring me with the same brush when you say that!’

‘You know full well that I don’t include you within that.’ Blossom glanced away for a moment, speech faltering in a pause, then just as quickly her features reset themselves. ‘Sorry’ she apologised, turning back Dawn’s way, ‘we’re not exactly being the best hosts are we.’

‘It’s really fine’ their earth mare audience corrected, regardless of distractions an intent listener.

Another infinitely warming smile and then the hazel unicorn returned to her words. ‘So, as I was saying there’s the “fashionable” and the “trend conscious”.’

‘Neither of those sound like any kind of improvement!’

‘Then those four to one side’ Blossom persisted, unbothered if not grinning a little more at her partner’s fresh interjection, ‘are most of the Student Council.’

Those pointed out were a pretty nondescript bunch, seated around a slightly smaller bench, each picking at salads and at the same time shuffling through piles of papers. Occasionally one would raise themselves from their work and state something to her comrades, sometimes even receiving reply before all returned to their sheets.

‘Dice being the one missing from their number, who you probably met on the gate, and equally she’s likely the only one you’ll ever see much of unless you get into trouble. They’re not too bad honestly, it’s just the only reason they’re in charge is cos they either wanted the extra credits or the shred of power which came with their position. They were elected, but they were the only ones who ran, if you get what I mean.’

‘And finally we reach the dark corner of the room.’ Coquette made a little grimace.

‘Now who’s being critical!’

The appraisal was semi-true of the last grouping under scrutiny, another in which Dawn found some previous faces. Black was the dominant shade among the assembly, but so too were a myriad of electric and acidic splashes of colour and the occasional glint of their common piercings catching the light. Once more two central figures stood out from the rest, the first being the navy-maned unicorn, shining out even more in a greater mass both more and less put together than she was. The one she was next to (not actually sat but instead sprawled on their table’s top) meanwhile was an onyx toned earth mare with a single iridescent pink mohawk, bordered on each side by buzzcut leopard print. The two of them were deep in conversation, in turn drawing their own enraptured audience from amongst their similar kin in what they discussed, almost as if hosting a lecture.

‘The blue unicorn in the middle’s Rook.’ Coquette this time was the one who put a name to a face. ‘She’s pretty much the ringmaster of that freak show, which before you say anything’ she turned pre-emptively, halting Blossom’s tongue, ‘is not meant as an insult. Much. She’d probably like that accolade anyway.’

With a grin the hazel unicorn conceded the point, nodding.

‘The one she’s talking to meanwhile is Helix, pretty much her second in command.’

‘Academically speaking, they’re a mixed bunch’ Blossom added, taking her turn. ‘Lots of creative writers, literature students, philosophers, historians, musicians, etcetera, so they’re all pretty artsy. At the same time though their AIA’s self-styled “rebels”, hence the look…’

‘And the attitude!’

‘As you can tell they’re not Belle’s favourite ponies either. And that about wraps up the big groups, although there are others, any questions?’ the unicorn ended in the air of a mock tour guide.

‘Erm…’ Dawn considered through a mouthful of hayburger, having remembered the meal still uneaten before her. ‘Where do you two fit into all this then?’

‘Well, erm… we don’t really do we?’

‘Well Belle knows pretty much everypony, Rook’s gang notwithstanding, to some extent’ Blossom answered tentatively, seeming to find it easier to answer for the other mare. ‘And I guess I’m kind of the reverse.’

‘That’s not true!’ Coquette countered, turning back to meet Dawn full face. ‘Don’t let the quiet, older than she seems, bookworm act fool you, even if she does occasionally. Together we span a couple of different crowds, cos we’re a bit different, but labels can be boring.’

‘So it’s a case of opposites attract then’ the other earth mare ventured through a second mouthful.

‘Yeah, that pretty much sums it up!’

‘Yeah…’ Blossom’s eyes dropped again as a flush rose across her cheeks, just briefly visible in the brown tones of her fur, ‘something like that.’

---

‘Bye!’

‘See you tomorrow!’

Dawn paused for a happy moment at her new home’s doorstep, now bathed in the comfortingly cooled light of a dying day, waving as Blossom and Coquette made their departure. She watched them round the corner, a broad smile painting her aspect, and then finally she stepped inside. Her saddlebags slipped carelessly from her shoulders just past the threshold, their weight let slip at least until the morrow. Their owner likewise took a last few steps more and then deposited herself onto the waiting covers of her unmade bed. It had been a long day, started early, whilst fraught by worries both founded and unfounded, and she felt it, content for the time being to just lie where she was. ‘A new day, a better day’ she concluded quietly to herself, ‘or at least not a bad one.’

Author's Note:

Title: Arrivals (German)