A War

by Comma Typer

Halfway to Middle North Point

In the more commercial parts of Cloudsdale, several stores advertising and selling their wares shone their colorful lights, giving the cloud-lain streets a gaudy atmosphere as the lights clashed with one another, vying for anyone's and everyone's attention—with mixed results. Laundromats, fast-food chains, bookstores, souvenir shops, flying apparel—these were only some of the many kinds of businesses that had been set up there.

When it comes to a city in the clouds, walking was not the only thing done there. Flying, too, was a viable (if not much more than walking) option of transporting one's self from point A to point B. So, unlike the normal scenes of sidewalks with ponies walking there, there was that combination of walking and flying inhabitants and travelers—in fact, some sidewalks looked so frequented yet not a single hoof had touched it for hours if not days. Even as pegasi entered the buildings to buy and sell—and chat, too—it was not only possible but also common for a pegasus there to conduct his entire day without ever touching the "ground".

But, back to Zephyr.

That pegasus ignored all the allure of the establishments there, resisting every attempt to sway to one side or the other. He flew over the street and moved on until he reached a square.

It was a relatively empty square with only several bulletin boards posted here and there with announcements and headline newspapers tacked on. A good number of pegasi were over there, reading them and then talking about what was there.

A tiny clock tower stood in the middle of that square. It had a bright light on top of it and, since it was the only adequate source of light within the square—there were smaller lights above each bulletin board—it gave the square a somber, solemn feel to it that contrasted against the explosion of color found in the rest of the district.

Zepyhr took a good look at the clock.

It was about seven-thirty in the evening.

He walked up to one of the bulletin boards where one stallion and two mares were discussing amongst themselves. These were: Buddy, a blue stallion with gray hair and cyan butterflies as his cutie mark; Lavender Sunrise, a gray blue mare with lavender hair and a depiction of a sunrise as her cutie mark; and Flower Flight, a pink mare with blue hair and flowerbuds as her cutie mark.

"So, what's going on?" Zephyr asked smugly, brushing his way into the group.

The three stopped talking and blinked at him.

"You haven't heard?" Buddy spoke.

"There's rumors that the mayor's going to round up every stallion old enough to fight," Lavender Sunrise said.

It was now Zephyr's turn to become silent and blink. Then: "Well, it's just rumors, right? Never say it's actually true 'till it's actually true—is that how they say it?"

"I wouldn't say that if I were you, Zeph," Flower Flight said before pointing a wing to one of the notices posted on the board.

Zephyr read it.

"'Notice: To uphold the integrity and honor of Cloudsdale's military legacy and history, the mayor will hold a city-wide referendum concerning the question of conscription. Time of attendance is nine A.M. tomorrow."

His eyes went wide.

"What?!" Shaking his forehooves as he slowly hovered away: "No, no, no, no, no, no, no!"

"I know," Buddy said. "Things are going to get very hectic if most of us are marching our way out of here."

"Hectic?!" Zephyr shouted. He landed firmly on the ground, close enough to the board though. "Fighting?! It's...bad. I may be a pony of strength—" taking on a calmer tone as he pointed to himself and made another smug face "—but I would rather use my strength in more peaceful ways. I don't want to cause anyone harm."

"Me, too," Buddy said. "But, it's a service I won't regret doing if it comes to that."

"B-But, what about my mom and dad?!" Zephyr yelled, moving his hooves about in exaggerated panic. "What about Fluttershy? And my love: Rainbow Dash?!"

Flower Flight giggled. "You still think she loves you?"

"Yes!" Zephyr shouted in reply with more irritation than before. "Rainbow Dash is the kind of mare that's secretive about her feelings. She's a tough gal on the outside, but wait until I get to her heart!" And with that, he looked up with wistful eyes.

Lavender Sunrise grumbled.

Zephyr glared madly at the notice and ripped it out.

The two mares gasped.

Buddy held him back, trying to get the notice back.

Lavender kicked him in the head and retrieved the notice.

She put it back on the board—tacking it there.

Flower Flight helped him up.

"He's in one of those 'love spells' again," Buddy said as he propped his friend up on the board as he struggled and grunted. Looking at the two mares: "Should we bring him home?"

"I'm waiting for Sprinkle Medley to come by!" Lavender said.

"OK—" turning to Flower Flight "—help me bring him home. We've got to have a good explanation for him being like this!"

Flower Flight nodded.

And the two dashed away with a whining Zephyr in tow.

Lavender Sunrise sighed as she was the only pony now in front of that board, one of the few who were in the hushed square as the noises of Cloudsdale nightlife blared from beyond, from across the street.

---

The Cloudsdale Post Office was an underwhelming sight.

It stood in front of a wide avenue, but that was it to its potential distinction. The building itself was a short, one-story compound of bricks and clouds and many windows that gave anyone passing by a sweeping view of the entire premises.

Those premises were even more underwhelming. It was a drab gray working area brightly lit by industrial lights. A flat surface where long rows of metal tables and conveyor belts contained hundreds of letters and parcels all stamped and labeled. More of such mail could be found in the wooden cubby holes nailed to the wall. A few ponies—every one of them pegasi and wearing mailpony uniform of blue or purple coats and caps—were laboring there, sorting out mail and putting in more mail into their bags for delivery.

Two guards were stationed at the single door entrance.

Lavender Sunrise walked up the short flight of stairs to that door.

Then, she was slammed by the door opening and fell down the flight of stairs.

She opened her eyes and saw a gray pegasus with a proud look on her face, her saddle bags packed full with mail.

"Ah, Derpy!" Lavender said, exhausted though reassured, hoofing the rectangular parcel to the mailmare. "Send this to Sprinkle Medley in Ponyville!"

"Will do, ma'am!" Derpy said, saluting her with a wing.

And then she took off to the sky, flying fast and leaving Lavender Sunrise at the foot of those stairs.

---

In Ponyville, there was a clock tower that stood on the crest of a tall green hill. Lights shone on the clock's face, letting anyone passing by know what the time was—which, now, was a little past seven-forty-five.

Derpy flew by the tower, barely staying clear of it as she stubmled in the air but regained her balance before she landed right in front off the town hall.

There, some ponies were running and galloping about, carrying papers and ballpens about in their mouths, wings, and hooves. Meanwhile, Mayor Mare, accompanied by Rarity, were walking out of the door as the din of a crowd's collective clamor went about inside.

"Wh-What's going on?" Derpy asked, approaching the mayor.

"Nothing too important," the mayor responded—tired, rubbing her glasses.

"If you must know," Rarity spoke as if in a hurry, "we're evaluating our position as a town."

"And, what does that mean?" Derpy asked.

"Giving everypony who could attend a free seminar on preparedness," Rarity said. "We've managed to invite the world-renowned Spearhead to teach every single one of us what to do in case of an invasion." She took notice of her bags. "Do you want to join? I'm sure there is no trouble in accommodating—"

"N-No, miss!" Derpy said, nodding as she backed out. "I have mail to give!"

Rarity frowned a bit. "If that's the case, you could stop by anytime before it's too late!"

Then, Derpy was away.

---

After half a minute of flying, she finally reached the correct house.

A mailbox stood in front of the house.

The house itself was a lot like the rest of the cottages in Ponyville—of wood and little brick, thatched on the outside, and all topped with a hay roof. There were some flowers growing from pots and right in front of the walls.

Derpy opened the mailbox and put the parcel inside.

She looked at the mailbox again.

The little red flag was already up.

Derpy smiled, content.

---

A little post box stood at the Ponyville train station.

The station was lit up well at night with bright yellow lights, illuminating the outside grass and dirt with a piercing light. The ponies at the station tower were still watching and observing, looking here and there as they guarded with their vision.

Derpy, with one of her saddle bags open, scooped up the myriad of letters and parcels and, scanning each one, either threw it into the post box or discarded it back into her bag.

It took the the mailmare a minute.

Then, she zipped up the bag, slung it around her torso—positioning it carrefully, making sure it would not snag her wings—and smiled even wider at the task accomplished.

Then, her smile went away.

She peeked her head around the wall.

She saw the full length of the train, that same Friendship Express. Standing on the platform were a few ponies, but one of the ponies she considered the most was a certain lanky stallion.

He was an Earth pony with curly mane and curly tail. Wearing a pair of black eyeglasses, he had a grilled cheese sandwich as his cutie mark though the sandwich had some black lines on it.

Derpy placed a hoof on her chin. "Huh?"

The doors of the train opened.

A few ponies went out, a few ponies went in—including the lanky stallion.

Seconds passed and the doors closed.

A shrilling whistle from the pipe at front.

The train accelerated again, slowly at first.

---

Cheese Sandwich, that Earth pony, huffed as he took a seat beside two mares.

The train was almost full, with every seat having at least one passenger on board. Carriages, baggages, luggages—these and more occupied those seats as well. Everything here was under the glare of the lights on the ceiling and on the walls.

In this train, an interesting profile could be made of the attendees for the ride: several ponies of the three tribes were bringing along weapons such as spears, bows and arrows, lancets, and so on. Armor was either put on the space beside them as if for display or hidden underneath the bags and cases. Reporters, made evident by their cameras and notepads, sat close to ponies in business suits and other fancy attire, these ones having nametags to differentiate them from the rest. The military officers within the ranks—they could be identified by their caps—often sat beside their soldiers whether they were fresh recruits or hardened veterans (although as "hardened" as a soldier who had been on the job only in peace could be).

Cheese Sandwich sighed as he rested his forehooves on his hindhooves, sitting upright as he looked to his left to see who was beside him for the journey.

Two mares. One pink and one gray. The pink one had droopy yet straight hair—a more colorful pink—her blue eyes were downward toward the floor, together with a sad face. The gray one had a more reserved expression—none—with eyes half-open, eyelids of purple and so was her hair (which was also droopy yet straight); she wore a single piece of clothing: a blue shirt that extended to all four of her hooves, covering much of her body.

"Uh, hi?" Cheese greeted, waving at the two awkwardly.

The pink mare looked up, her frown lighting up. "H-Hi, there." A pause—it was a very high-pitched voice. "What's your name?"

"Cheese Sandwich," he said. "And yours?" as he weakly stretched a hoof toward her.

"Pinkie Pie," she said, making a smile though faint. She motioned a hoof at the gray mare. "And, this is my sister, Maud Pie."

Maud greeted Cheese Sandwich by staring at him with that neutral face.

"O...K?" Cheese managed.

Maud looked back outside, the outside under the night sky as the landscape slowly changed as it glowed a little by the moonlight.

He gulped, turning to look at Pinkie before noticing the saddlebags on the floor in front of them. "And, where are you going?"

"Middle North Point," Pinkie replied. "Our parents wanted us to help out in the war effort. I mean...we're Earth ponies, so we have raw strengh to rely on. But, Maud—she has unseen power. She can cut through rocks like they're nothing!"

Cheese smiled as he looked at Maud.

She blinked—slowly, taking some seconds to complete the blink.

"And, what are you here for, Cheese Sandwich?" Pinkie said, poking the stallion on the cheek.

"Uh..." before he scratched his head. "I'm not really sure myself."

"You went on a train not knowing where it's gonna end up?" Pinkie asked. "You're a unique pony, I say!"

"I didn't know it was going to that...place where they'll attack each other."

"You mean the frontline, silly!" Pinkie smiled even wider—before checking herself and keeping that one down. "Where are you from? I haven't seen you before and I have a good memory."

"Oh. I'm from Manehattan."

"A city pony, eh?" Pinkie said, whisking some of her mane away from her face. "I'm from Rockville."

"Rockville?" Cheese turned his head a little. "I haven't heard of that place before."

"It's in Western Equestria," Pinkie said. "But, I understand. It's not exactly a tourist magnet."

A pause. "What do you do there? Or, what did you do there?"

"We worked on the rock farm—all four of us. Me, Maud, Limestone, and Marble. You'd think they'd send all four of us out there, but somepony needs to take care of the poor rocks on the fields. Who else is gonna move everything to the southern field?"

"You're right." Cheese looked down as well, seeing the saddle bags once again. "And what's in those bags?"

"Everything a warrior needs," Pinkie said. "Armor, rations, clothes, building materials, weapons of all kinds—you name it."

Cheese gulped again. "I know this might sound out of nowhere, but—" lips quivering "—how likely is your survival?"

"It depends," Pinkie said matter-of-factly, shrugging. "You should ask Maud because she's the more appropriate pony for that question."

Cheese opened his mouth to ask.

"However," Pinkie interrupted, placing her hoof on his face, "you may be asking yourself, 'Why are you here, then?'"

"Uh—"

"I'm not really here to fight," Pinkie said, backing her hoof away from his face. "You see, the reason why they sent me to battle and not, say, Limestone—she's fierce—is because of my talent."

Cheese looked at her cutie mark.

It was three balloons.

"Your talent is...balloon-making?" Cheese asked. "You're good at airship construction?"

"Airships? Now that's absurd!" Her smile grew. "All you have to do is shoot an arrow and—poof!—down it goes! Well, if it's made of one super big balloon."

Cheese lowered an eyebrow. "Uh-huh."

"My talent has nothing to do with flying things," Pinkie said. "Well, except balloons. But, it's not just balloons."

"Why would they send a balloon pony to fight?"

"I'm not a balloon pony. It's not obvious to some, but I'm actually a party pony!" She spread out her forehooves into the air, grinning.

Cheese tilted his head. "And warriors like parties?"

"They don't just like parties," Pinkie said. "They need it. How else will they keep their head above the ground while they think about the chances of them getting hurt so badly?"

"And that works because...?"

"I throw a party!" Pinkie said. "What I didn't tell you about what's inside these bags—" picking up one of them "—is that I also brought all the party fare with me! Confetti, streamers, cake, pies, even cakepies! Oh, and balloons, too. Brought some records and a vinyl player of fun party music, also."

Cheese smiled.

"I'm not going into this thing blind," Pinkie said. "War is a thing that hurts lots of ponies and makes them very sad. But, if I and my sister are going to protect Equestria this way, then there's no other way, sir!" She sweeped a hoof across the air to emphasize that.

A pause as Cheese kept on smiling. "You have the passion. I admire that."

"Why wouldn't I?" Pinkie said. "My destiny is to make ponies smile! And who need smiles more than those poor ponies out there who risk their lives everyday? That's not counting the ponies who will have their towns invaded by those meanies—and, even those 'meanies' aren't really that mean when you take off those mind-controlling thingies from their heads."

Cheese blinked as he adjusted his glasses a little.

"You know what, Pinkie?" Cheese said.

"Yes, I know 'what'!" Pinkie said back. "It's a word!"

Cheese did his best to stifle a giggle. "That's not what I meant."

"Then, what did you mean?"

"Never mind," Cheese said, rubbing his head. "I guess what I want to say is—you're a unique pony."

"Me?!" Pinkie said, half-gasping the word out.

"Every pony I met who was going to fight—they're...not as happy as you, Pinkie."

Pinkie coughed.

Cheese blinked at that.

"Sorry!" Pinkie said. "It's just...I don't know...."

"Don't know what?"

"What to say," Pinkie said.

Cheese kept his mouth closed.

Pinkie looked at him—pensive eyes.

"Um, thanks, Pinkie."

"Don't mention it. I made you happy even if it's just for a moment, so I'm happy, too."

And Cheese laid his head on the divider, feeling the hard and rough thin surface.

Closed his eyes.

---

Cheese finally stepped off the train—the last one to do so at that station.

And the train left, disappearing after a short time.

Cheese Sandwich looked thoughtfully at where the train had gone.

Then, he looked at what was before him.

Neighagra Falls.

It wasn't one waterfall. It was multiple waterfalls cascading and descending, most of them into one another—layered waterfalls—from multiple different rivers with their different winds and turns to convene in a picturesque wonder as the water smashed and waved—the crashing of the water. Mist and fog of white foam covered some of those falls, cloaking some of the beauty in mystery, adding to its natural oddity. Rocks and stones that rose above the water gave the falls a varied taste—coupled with the trees and grass that grew from rocks jutting out of the cliffs and hills, it was simply a pretty place with such magnitude for Cheese felt lonely and small—and shivered out of the coolness that the water emitted—before this great corner of Equestria.

"Halt!"

Cheese turned around.

"May I have your identification?" the guard—white coat, golden armor, pegasus—said, walking up to him and then laying out an open hoof.

"Oh, my...identification!" Cheese pulled out an ID card. "Here!"

The guard inspected the card. Then, he placed it back on Cheese's hoof. "You may go."

Cheese leaned to the left.

The road to Light Doze had a few guards on each side. The buildings—houses, shops, diners, museum, government offices—had their lights on as usual. Ponies walked about outside under the night—over there, a pony was planting some tulips on the open grass.

"What's going on?" Cheese asked, tapping the guard and then pointing at the road.

"This area is within striking distance of the Crystal Empire," the guard said. "There are transports of soldiers coming by, including the train you were in. The entire town will be walled up by Saturday."

"But, why the—"

"We don't want any enemy infiltration to be done here," the guard replied, cutting him off. "You are a good citizen, but not even that's enough—for all we know, the Crystal Empire might be utilizing changelings."

"What?"

"Unbelievable? I know. But, orders are orders and the safety of the ponies here are in our hooves. One misstep and everyone here suffers—including you, Cheese Sandwich."

Cheese's ears drooped.

"Don't worry," the guard said. "Go along. I'm sure whatever you want to do in Light Doze is of innocent matters."

Cheese nodded as he walked to town.

---

Light Doze was another waterfall-side town. Unlike Leftlead, though, this town stood a respectable span away from Neighagra Falls, which was good for the camera ponies who now had the option of staying and sleeping in a place where the morning background was the falls themselves in a photogenic angle. This was also good for ponies who could not sleep with lots of disquiet beside them; they surely would've been bothered by the constant crashing of the water.

The houses there were blocky though that did not automatically mean dull and boring. Though they were squares and rectangles, the walls were painted in a rather unconvential manner—not one, two, or even three color schemes. They were painted with murals in mind—each house having a different artist's interpretation of the falls that were there. One was as realistic as could be, as if the waterfalls were the walls of the house. Another chose to go for a more abstract route: blue and white streaks rushing and running over green and gray, making for a house that would fit, if only by a little, in a normal upstart village.

The rest of the buildings there followed the same pattern as if telling tourists to take as many pictures as they can in this one-of-a-kind settlement. Wide and clear windows showed to everyone what was going on inside—whether it was customers eating food cooked by chefs, clerks and cashiers selling items to buyers, or musicians practicing their skills for all to see and hear.

It was not crowded though the town itself was not big either—around three-quarters the size of Ponyville, it could be said.

Cheese Sandwich entered a music shop.

It was spacious. Various ponies were at the aisles filled to the brim with tons of musical instruments—from the famous pianos, guitars, violins, and drums to the lesser-known triangles, oboes, clarinets, flutes, trumpets, and saxophones to the occasional and even somewhat unwanted bagpipes and accordions.

And Cheese Sandwich spotted the accordion section—those squeezeboxes of piano-like tunes.

As he walked over there, a smile on his face, he passed by two creatures talking in whispers.

It was a pony wearing a tie and a griffon wearing a visor.

Comments

[Darkly Hooves]

If I have any issue with this story, it is that Pinkie realized her special talent lying in planning and executing parties after being exposed to intense chromatic radiation by rainbow Dash's sonic Rainboom. Quite a shock to the system if you've grown up in a bleak overcast farming community that turns big grey rocks over for a living. If that event never took place, then her upbeat nature in this scene seems... odd.