Memoirs of My War

by Antiquarian

Warrior in the Garden

Interview Excerpt: Field Marshall of Equestria Applejack

You know what term Ah hate? “Necessary Evil.” Ponies say it all the time, but there ain’t no such thing. There’s plenty o’ evils what pretend ta be good, an’ plenty o’ goods that look evil at first glance, but there ain’t no “Necessary Evils” in the world. If it’s evil, ya don’t do it. Simple as that. An’ what’s more, ya should never feel good about an evil, no matter how well meanin’ ya were, an’ you should never feel bad for a good, no matter how unpleasant it was.

War’s one o’ those things ponies like ta say is a “Necessary Evil.” Horsepucky. War can be good; war can be evil. Which one it becomes is down to you. You can be a hero; you can be a villain. You can do bad things thinkin’ yer good, an’ good things thinkin’ yer bad, but what ya think don’t make a lick o’ difference to what is. Sometimes ya gotta do some pretty awful things to do good, but bein’ awful don’t make ‘em evil, got me?

Now tyranny on the other hoof… tyranny is evil. ‘cause tyranny’s all about taking away freedom. An’ I don’t mean ‘freedom’ the way most young ponies mean these days – doin’ what you want, how you want, when you want to. That ain’t freedom; that’s license. Real freedom ain’t about freedom from, it’s about freedom for. Freedom ta be the best you that you can be. Freedom ta excel. Freedom ta live yer life ta the fullest. That’s the freedom owed us as an inalienable right. An’ anything that takes that away for any reason, no matter how well-intentioned, is tyranny. And tyranny always leads to a bad end.

Hehe. We saw that with the Equalists, didn’t we? Best of intentions, and all we got was the bloodiest war in history.

So, if’n tyranny’s the real evil, an’ war can be about opposin’ tyranny, well, then war can be a good thing, can’t it? It can be righteous. Holy even. And if yer doin’ a good thing, shouldn’t ya feel good about it?

The fact is, Ah rather enjoyed the War. Don’t get me wrong; Ah ain’t a sadist. Ah take no pleasure in killin’ for its own sake or killin’ for revenger or hate. That’d be evil, plain an’ simple, no matter how righteous yer cause is. Any soldier o’ mine Ah saw gettin’ like that Ah pulled from the line real fast. Ain’t no place fer cruelty in mah Army! That just ain’t right. An’ Ah sure as Celestia don’t take no pleasure in seein’ friends an’ comrades get blown ta bits. Ah may be a warrior, but ya gotta be seriously jacked in the head fer that ta not bother ya.

But, if Ah’m bein’ honest, there’s a certain pleasure in facin’ an enemy four times yer size an’ sending ‘em packing. There’s a satisfaction in a perfect shot with ironsights at three hundred meters. An’ there’s something just bone-deep gratifying ‘bout staring down evil with her brothers- and sisters-in-arms and comin’ out on top. It’s fun in a way. An’ why shouldn’t it be? If ya do somethin’ hard, somethin’ challenging, an’ ya do it right against all odds, that’s a real good feeling, regardless o’ what it is. That’s just pony nature. Only difference is what the challenge is, far as Ah’m concerned. And, for Celestia’s sake, servin’ and protectin’ just feels good. Standin’ up fer ponies feels good. We’re wired that way, an’ there ain’t no reason ta shy away from that.

There’s an honesty to the battlefield, ya know? No politics. No drama. Just you, yer comrades, the enemy, an’ yer own personal fight with good an’ evil. All distractions fall away an’ it’s just down to how you will act. Whether you will be good or evil. Will ya be a warrior or a killer? Will ya master yer fears or be a coward? Will ya show mercy like ya ought to a wounded enemy or give in ta hate? Will ya put yer buddies before yerself? Will ya give yer life fer somethin’ greater? See, the thing about the battlefield is that, when yer that close ta death, it’s pretty darn easy to see what’s really important in life. Everypony should face death at least once ta answer that question.

Because here’s the thing: we can’t escape death. It comes fer us all one day. Great or small, rich or poor, young or old, we can’t escape death. Ponies die around us every day, an’ one day it’ll be our turn. We gotta face that, or else we live our whole lives lyin’ to ourselves. Not everypony needs ta go ta war, but everypony’s gotta face death.

Violence too. That’s a part o’ life. We gotta learn ta live with it, be righteous in it, or else the only violent ponies will be the bullies and the tyrants. Without warriors, how do ya stop an army o’ killers?

Ah’m not a warmonger. Ah like peace as much as the next pony. In fact, Ah think war makes me appreciate peace more, because Ah don’t want to waste a minute of it. Because Ah know exactly what the price o’ that peace was, an’ Ah can’t abide bein’ flippant with such a gift. Too many ponies have given too much fer me ta do anythin’ less than live life ta the fullest.

Ya know, Ah once heard one o’ them Japonese ponies say there was a great swordspony who taught peace and compassion, an’ his student asked him why he studied war when he was so peaceable himself. He replied, “Better a warrior in the garden than a gardener in war.” Ah think there’s a lotta truth ta that.

So Ah’ll happily tend mah garden. Ah got a loving husband, six kids, a dozen grandkids so far, the best friends a pony could ask for, an’ about a hundred acres o’ beautiful orchard ta keep me occupied. An’ if Ah could live out the rest o’ mah days tendin’ that garden till one day, in the Creator’s good time, Ah meet death and go home, Ah’ll do that with a smile on mah face an’ a song in mah heart.

But, if’n duty calls, this old mare’s gonna march back ta war like a good soldier does. Because Ah’m a warrior. An’ Ah’m proud of it.

Author's Note:

“We adored her. As far as we were concerned, General Applejack was ‘Mama Blackjack,’ and even if she might take you out to the woodshed for misbehaving, she’d buck they eyes outta anypony who looked at you crooked, then sit you down for milk and cookies, kiss you on the head, and tell you that you were the apple of her eye. We all behaved like colts eager to please their mother, and we Tankers always felt we were her favorites. (We were, by the way.)

But if you were the enemy? Hoo boy! Let’s just say that a common joke amongst the Equalists was that the boogeymare checked under her bed for Blackjack.”

—Master Sergeant Iron Gear, 1^st Equestrian Armored Division (retired)

Comments

[SWEETOLEBOB18]

Now tyranny on the other hoof… tyranny is evil. ‘cause tyranny’s all about taking away freedom. An’ I don’t mean ‘freedom’ the way most young ponies mean....(it)…. these days – doin’ what you want, how you want, when you want to. That ain’t freedom; that’s license. Real freedom ain’t about freedom from , it’s about freedom for. Freedom ta be the best you that you can be. Freedom ta excel. Freedom ta live yer life ta the fullest. That’s the freedom owed us as an inalienable right. An’ anything that takes that away for any reason, no matter how well-intentioned, is tyranny. And tyranny always leads to a bad end.

Been trying to find this. IMO, it sums it up the best

Once there was The People--Terror gave it birth;
Once there was The People and it made a Hell of Earth
Earth arose and crushed it. Listen, 0 ye slain!
Once there was The People--it shall never be again!

"MacDonough's Song" " (Kipling)

Whether the State can loose and bind
In Heaven as well as on Earth:
If it be wiser to kill mankind
Before or after the birth--
These are matters of high concern
Where State-kept schoolmen are;
But Holy State (we have lived to learn)
Endeth in Holy War.

Whether The People be led by The Lord,
Or lured by the loudest throat:
If it be quicker to die by the sword
Or cheaper to die by vote--
These are things we have dealt with once,
(And they will not rise from their grave)
For Holy People, however it runs,
Endeth in wholly Slave.

Whatsoever, for any cause,
Seeketh to take or give
Power above or beyond the Laws,
Suffer it not to live!
Holy State or Holy King--
Or Holy People's Will--
Have no truck with the senseless thing.
Order the guns and kill!
Saying --after--me:--

Once there was The People--Terror gave it birth;
Once there was The People and it made a Hell of Earth
Earth arose and crushed it. Listen, 0 ye slain!
Once there was The People--it shall never be again!

[Antiquarian]

9308992
IMO? I'm not familiar with the nomenclature.

[Yutah123]

9309364
In my opinion.

[UndeadSketches]

This was definitely one of the best chapters. Not just because Applejack is my favorite, (Okay, that's part of the reason) but also because it showed that war, while sad, can be just or unjust. Often people say that all war is evil, when really, it comes down to the motives behind the war, and the individuals fighting that war.
(Side note, I really like Applejack's nickname. Also, she reminds me of a much, much less vulgar version of General Patton. )

[Antiquarian]

9310084
That's essentially what I had in mind for her. A far more grounded Patton, mixed with "Mad Dog" Mattis.

[Antiquarian]

9309433
Thank you
9308992
There is certainly a great deal of truth in that poem. People often associate war with religion, but history shows us a more ironic picture. In truth, only about 6-7% of wars have been religious in nature (Rome certainly wasn't conquering the world to spread the word of Jupiter). And yet zealotry and fervor underpin so many of the most vicious ideologies. Communism, for instance (which earned the highest body count of any ideology in history in about 40 years flat) makes a 'religion' of the state. Rome made a 'religion' of Imperialism. For the Mongols, it was simply about proving that they were better. Humans will always find reasons to deify their own sense of superiority over their fellow human beings. That is why I am so adamant about looking behind the labels - lots of people talk about freedom, but how many really deliver? Those that truly do are the only causes worth following. The rest is just commentary. Indeed, there is a profound slavery to any tyrannical regime, whatever freedoms they claim to afford.

[Darkstarling]

9310394
Rereading this, again, and still a great point. Not so sure about the highest body count bit for communism, if you count the millions of dead from famine in India and Ireland among other things - the British Empire knew exactly what they were doing - but the basic point remains. Which is why it alarms me so that these days our society makes such a religion of profit.

[Antiquarian]

11194254
Indeed, it's always disturbing when people magnify desires out of all proportion to their right order. Things that are good when rightly ordered become distorted when we make gods of them. Humans will always find excuses to do terrible things, as we are moved by the same virtues and vices now as we were before the dawn of history. There's a reason I find the passage, "There is nothing new under the sun," to be one of the most important proverbs ever written. Tyranny has many masks, but always the same face, which is why people need to be alert to tyranny in all forms, especially the tyranny that claims to liberate, as such tyranny is often willingly adopted (and thus harder to remove).