Chapter 22: The Chaos of Nature (Last Edited: 7/30/2022)
August 5, 2020
Western Canterlot Outpost: Track
Jack had been training for hours, and it was paying off. He had managed to increase his speed to 2.9 mph in that time. Such an improvement didn't seem possible to him, not in so little time at least. Perhaps it had to do with his magic. He'd noticed that he healed and recovered stamina abnormally fast too.
He crossed the finish line for the 7th time that day and immediately ran to Spitfire. "What's... my time?" Jack panted.
"Your time was thirty-one minutes and fifty-three seconds. That's still an average of 2.9 mph," Spitfire answered. "You're almost there, cadet."
“Thank God!” Jack thought to himself.
“But almost isn't good enough!" Spitfire added. “Take a short break and then get back to it.”
"Yes, ma'am," Jack saluted before running over to a table full of water canteens.
Spitfire took out a clipboard and began jotting down notes about Jack’s training. "All things considered, he's doing alright. That being said, there isn't really much of a point in training him if he can't even match a school filly's speed. Perhaps his magic could give him a boost, but that would be more Shining...
“How’s the green-hoof doing?”
Spitfire looked up from her notes to see Three Arrows standing in front of her. "Oh, hey, Arrows," she greeted. "He's doing fine."
“Not giving you any trouble, is he?” Three Arrows asked with a chuckle.
"Not at all," Spitfire replied. "It's like you said. He respects authority when it benefits him. All I had to do was offer him the rest of the day off if he can reach 3 mph."
Three Arrows' mouth hung open in disbelief. “You’re going easy on him?”
"He's not all that impressive physically, and I don't think any amount of training is going to fix that," Spitfire said with a frown. "I don't see the point in working him beyond his breaking point, especially when we're only after his magic."
"But, but surely, you can't be serious," Three Arrows sputtered. “You know how important it is for every soldier to be ready to do their job to the best of their ability. You need to treat him like any other recruit!”
Spitfire stamped her front hoof and looked into her colleague’s eyes with a defiant glare. “This part of his training is my responsibility, not yours! I will decide how best to train him!” With a snort, she said, "I saw the injuries he got on your training course. That is not acceptable!" Her glare softened. “I have great respect for you, Arrows. Your leadership of the 53rd Infantry in the Trotingham War earned you the nickname Iron Front and your advocacy for the peasant class is admirable. But, you need to understand that we are soldiers, not tools. I understand your resentment of the class system, but that doesn’t mean that you have to treat every non-peasant you meet like dirt.”
Three Arrows opened his mouth to respond but was quickly interrupted.
“Let's make a bet," Spitfire said. "If Cadet Jager can't meet my goal in his next lap, I’ll hand him over to you.”
“And if you win?” Three Arrows asked with a raised brow.
"You do my paperwork for the rest of the week," Spitfire answered with a cocky smirk.
"Very well, I'll take that bet."
"Excellent," Spitfire agreed before turning to where Jack was resting. “Alright, cadet, get off your rump! It’s time to get back to work!”
"Yes, ma'am!" Jack shouted as he rushed to the starting line.
Jack got off to a great start. By the time he had reached halfway around the track, it looked like he might make it with a full minute to spare.
"Alright, Jager!" she shouted. "I hope you enjoy acquisition forms, Arrows!" she yelled to her colleague, sticking out her tongue.
Unfortunately, things seemed to turn south when about 100 yards from the finish line, Jack tripped and fell face-first into the ground.
"Get up, Jager," Spitfire whispered to herself as Jack slowly got to his feet.
Once Jack was back on his feet, he ran as fast as his legs could carry him to the finish line.
Spitfire was afraid to even look at the stopwatch, and when Jack crossed the finish line, and she stopped the watch, a feeling of dread washed over her. "I've lost.
“How did I do?” Jack asked.
Spitfire glanced down at the stopwatch, mentally bracing herself. "31 minutes 34 seconds," she read. As she did the math in her head, a wave of relief washed over her. "You did it, Jager!"
“YES!” Jack shouted, jumping into the air with his fist raised. “Welp, I’ll be in the barracks if you need me!” he called as he rushed off.
Once Jack was out of sight, Spitfire turned to Three Arrows. "Well, what do you think?"
"I think I have some paperwork to do," Three Arrows responded blankly.
August 6, 2020
Western Canterlot Outpost: Barracks
Jack Had gone to sleep early the night before. This had paid off as it was now 3:30 in the morning, and he was already stirring from his slumber. His eyes slowly fluttered open, and he let out a long yawn. Rolling out of bed, he stretched and headed to the closet to get dressed.
Getting up early had given Jack an unusual treat. Usually, he would have to wait in line for the showers at the end of the day. Even though most of the troops normally stationed at the outpost were deployed at the moment, the skeleton force remaining was still enough to leave him with cold water when he made it to the showers. He quickly slipped on his clothes, grabbed a towel, his toothbrush, and some toothpaste, and slipped outside.
Western Canterlot Outpost: Showers
Jack felt the warm stream of water impact his skin. It was a pleasant feeling, and he could feel the tension in his back melt away. He stayed in there for a full 15 minutes before the warm water finally shut off. Hopping out of the shower, he began drying himself.
Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one with the idea to shower early in the morning. As he finished drying himself off, he could hear the sound of hooves on the tiles outside. He franticly tried to dress before the pony arrived. However, he only managed to get his underwear on before the pony entered the room.
“Cadet Jager?”
Jack’s face turned bright red. The pony that had walked in was Spitfire. Sure, she was a horse, but she was still a girl, and it was still embarrassing as Hell. "C-Captain Spitfire, ma'am," he greeted with an awkward salute.
"You're up early, cadet," Spitfire stated as if nothing was wrong. "Normally, we have to drag you out of bed," she joked.
"Well, I um, just woke up earlier than usual t-today and thought I'd get a warm shower," Jack stuttered. "I-I'll just be going now, ma'am," he said as he pulled his pants up and got to his feet.
"Wait a minute, cadet," Spitfire said.
"Y-yes, ma'am?" Jack asked as he pulled his shirt over his shoulders.
“Flash Sentry will be waiting for you at the archery range," Spitfire explained. "You ran off before I got the chance to tell you yesterday."
"Th-thank you, ma'am," Jack said before rushing out.
Western Canterlot Outpost: Archery Range
Jack arrived at the Archery range to find Flash Sentry waiting with an assortment of medieval weaponry and a line of straw-stuffed pony-shaped targets.
"I was just about to come get you, cadet," Flash Sentry said. "Today, we will begin with your weapons training," he said as he pulled out a dagger. "Every soldier in the E.U.P, be they a wing-pony in the Wonderbolts or even a maintenance worker on a Navy battleship, carries at least one. Choosing a proper weapon is important for any recruit's training, so I will be assessing your skills with a wide variety to determine what's best suited for you.”
“Can’t I just use my own weapons?” Jack asked.
"Of course not!" Flash Sentry snapped. "That would be a violation of E.U.P regulations. Only top-quality weapons are acceptable." He then passed the dagger to the human. "Now, show me what you can do."
Jack clutched the knife in his tiny hands. Running as quickly as he could, he thrust the blade into the neck of the nearest dummy.
“No, no, no," Flash Sentry said, snatching the knife from Jack's hand. "No soldier with proper training is going to fall for that," he sighed. “Let’s try something else.”
"Um, aren't you going to show me how to do it, right?" Jack asked.
“Unfortunately, we don't have time for that," Flash Sentry sighed. "Including today, We only have 3 more days to finish your basics, and you still need to learn to control your magic." He pulled a longbow and quiver from the pile of weapons. "Try this."
The bow was more than twice Jack's height, and he struggled to hold it up. When he tried to fire an arrow, he found himself unable to pull the string back even a few inches.
This string of failures would continue as he collapsed under the weight of a spear and could not even lift most of the other weapons. As time went on, he became more and more irritable until he snapped. Pulling the Glock out of his pocket, he blew the straw-stuffed heads off of four targets in rapid succession. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! “Are we done here?” he asked as he pocketed the gun.
Flash Sentry stood speechless for a good minute before asking, “What was that?!”
"That'd be a gun," Jack grunted.
“And where did you get this gun?”
"From the Lowcountry. Found it in a house me I Twilight were exploring," Jack explained. "Can I go now, sir?”
"Yes, cadet, you're dismissed. Tell Shining Armor you're ready. He'll be in the command center," Flash Sentry instructed. "If we could equip just a few units with these guns, no country on Equus could stand up to us,” he thought as Jack ran off.
Western Canterlot Outpost: Command Center
Shining Armor sat at his desk, contemplating ways to activate Jack's magic. "If fear is the trigger, perhaps I could trick him into thinking he’s in danger."
“Sir?”
“No, that won't work. We want to get him to control his magic, not just activate it.”
“Sir?”
“But what if I…”
“Sir!”
“Huh?” Shining Armor grunted, snapping out of his train of thought.
Standing on the other side of Shining Armor’s desk was his assistant, a magenta unicorn mare named Sunrise Glow.
“Yes, Lieutenant?” Shining Armor asked.
"Cadet Jager is ready for you, sir," Sunrise reported.
“Thank you, lieutenant," Shining Armor nodded. "Tell, Jager. I'll be right out."
"Yes, sir," Sunrise said with a salute.
Command Center: Exterior
Jack sat on a bench by the door to the command center, swinging his legs excitedly, thinking about what he could do with magic. "Maybe I can turn invisible, or shapeshift, or read minds, ooh that teleporting thing Twi does is pretty cool!”
His thoughts were interrupted when Sunrise walked out the door. “Captain Shining Armor will be out shortly.”
“Thank you, ma'am," Jack responded.
After about 10 minutes, Shining Armor finally stepped outside. “Alright, Cadet Jager, it’s time to begin your magic training.”
“What are we going to do?” Jack asked with a wide grin. "Sir," he added as an afterthought.
"Follow me, and I'll show you, cadet," Shining Armor said as he began walking toward the gate.
Western Canterlot Outpost: Northern Rampart
“Why’d we come out here?” Jack asked.
"To avoid distractions," Shining Armor answered. "Magic requires focus."
“Focus on what, sir?”
“Your magic is triggered by fear, correct?” Shining Armor enquired.
Jack nodded. "Yes, sir."
"I want you to concentrate on the thing you fear most," Shining Armor instructed. "I’ll cast a spell to help cancel out all other thoughts.”
"Yes, sir," Jack said as he closed his eyes.
Jack sat quietly in the doctor's office. He felt a cold, wet sensation on his arm as the doctor sterilized it. He knew what was coming, of course, but for some reason, Jack chose to look anyway. When he turned his head, he could see the needle the doctor was holding. It wasn't a normal needle either. In fact, it was cartoonishly oversized. As the doctor was about to give his shot, Jack’s eyes shot open. “NOPE!!”
“What did you see?” Shining Armor asked.
"Needles," Jack squeaked. "So big. So sharp."
“That’s not the kind of fear I was talking about, cadet," Shining Armor said with a loud sigh. “I meant to picture a situation where your life is in danger.
“Oh… Oh," Jack facepalmed as he closed his eyes again.
It was a clear night and the stars shined brightly over the icy water. Jack could hear shouting around him as he stared out at the numerous small rowboats in the water. He could hear Nearer my God to Thee being played quite professionally in the background. It was clear he was on a ship's deck, but something was off. It was as if the deck was tilted somehow.
"Please, sir, take me to a lifeboat," a woman cried to an officer. "I have children!”
“I’m sorry, miss, all the boats have launched," the officer replied calmly. "You'll simply have to wait for the rescue ship."
As the minutes passed, it became harder and harder to stand as the deck tilted further and further. The lights flickered off, and with a deafening crack, the deck leveled, throwing Jack on his ass. With a series of loud creaks and the sound of terrified screams, the ship was dragged to the depths and him along with it.
Jack opened his eyes, having felt nothing. “I don’t think that worked, sir.”
“Try again.”
Closing his eyes again, Jack was now in an industrial city by a river. The people around him were dejected and morbidly underfed. Jack couldn’t make out what the people around him were saying but recognized the language as Japanese. One word repeatedly came up in their Conversation, Yahata. Above him, he could hear the sound of a large aircraft. Looking up, he could barely see a B29 Superfortress passing above the clouds. There was a flash, everything turned white, and he opened his eyes again.
“Still nothing, sir.”
“Again.”
Jack stood on a beach. He was surrounded by tourists speaking a large assortment of languages. He was able to pick up Dutch, French, German, and some were even speaking English. Looking behind him, it was clear he was in a resort of some kind, probably in Southeast Asia, judging by the staff. He could see several people around him, pointing toward the ocean. The water had receded severely since he had looked away, and there was a massive white wall of water in the distance.
“Was ist das?” asked a German guy to Jack’s left.
"Tsunami," one of the Asian resort staff answered morbidly.
Upon hearing the word tsunami, Jack burst into a full sprint away from the beach. Looking behind him, he could see the wave crashing on the shore. His heart beating like a drum, he ran as fast as he could until he was stopped dead in his tracks by a horrific sight. Another massive wave of water was rushing right at him from the other direction. Before he could even bother praying, he was swallowed by the dark water.
"Nothing, sir," Jack panted.
Jack and Shining Armor tried, again and again, all day as Jack imagined himself on the Hindenburg, at Pearl Harbor, in the Twin Towers on 9/11, in the middle of Hurricane Katrina, and even on the Challenger, all with no results.
August 7, 2020
Western Canterlot Outpost: Northern Rampart
7 hours nonstop. That's how long Jack and Shining Armor had been training since he woke up, and still no progress.
"Let's try something different this time," Shining Armor said. "I want you to imagine the times you activated it in the past."
"Yes, sir," Jack said, closing his eyes.
He stood in the field between the Sweet Apple Acres Barn and the Apple Family home. It was a bright sunny day. Pleasant in all respects, save for one thing. A large blackened timberwolf was circling a tree in the middle of the field, and hanging on to the top branches for dear life was Apple Bloom.
Following his plan from before, Jack got halfway between the beast and the house and shouted at the top of his lungs. The timberwolf quickly bared down on him, and as he tripped, the world was engulfed in an emerald glow.
Shining Armor watched in elation as the human’s eyes shot open, glowing green. This was replaced with mild irritation when Jack returned to normal two seconds later.
"You did it, cadet," Shining Armor said. "Sort of."
“R-really?” Jack asked, his eyes wide in excitement.
"Yes, really," Shining Armor answered with a chuckle. “I want you to think of another time where you activated it.”
"Yes, sir," Jack responded, closing his eyes again.
He was in a dark alley. Standing beside him, trembling in terror, was Scootaloo. He heard a loud roar and looked up to see the ursa minor raising its paw for a deadly swipe. As the blow neared, there was a flash of green, and he opened his eyes.
Once again, Shining Armor watched intently as Jack’s eyes glowed for a few seconds before fading. “We’re clearly on to something here, but clearly we're missing something. What could it be?” Shining Armor wondered. “Try again, Jager.”
Jack nodded and closed his eyes once more. Now he was in front of a cave at the top of a mountain. Rainbow Dash was thrown from the mouth and was closely followed by a towering dragon. Jack unloaded his pistol into the dragon's hide, to no effect. With a roar, the dragon unleashed its fiery breath, and the green glow took over.
When the glow faded, Shining Armor pondered on how to proceed. "Perhaps he could figure out what’s wrong." He cleared his throat, "Cadet Jager."
“Yes, sir?”
"I think there might be more to your magic than just fear for your life," Shining Armor explained. "Are there any other common factors between the times you activated it?"
Jack stroked his chin as he thought about the Shining Armor's question. "The first time he activated it was at Sweet Apple Acres when he led the timberwolf away from Apple Bloom. The second time was when he was trapped in the alley with Scootaloo, and the final time was when he and the Mane Six were being attacked by the dragon." He gasped in realization, “I know what I need to do, sir.”
“Then do it.”
Jack closed his eyes one last time. Now he was in Magnolia Cemetery. In front of him, the strange unicorn slowly approached Twilight, who had collapsed onto the ground. Jack reached for his Glock but found his pocket empty. There was a loud yell. Both Jack and the unicorn turned to see Scootaloo standing defiantly as Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle cowered behind her.
"No witnesses," the unicorn said in his dry voice.
Jack felt a warm glow in his body, and his eyes fluttered open, revealing two glowing emerald orbs in his hands. “I did it!” he gleefully exclaimed. “What now?”
"Now…" Shining Armor said as his horn glowed purple. "We move onto the next stage," he finished as seven purple targets appeared in the sky. “I want you to hit each target, as close to the center as you can.”
"Yes, sir," Jack said as he pointed his palms at the nearest target. "Erm, how do I do that?"
"When a unicorn uses magic, there is a tingling sensation around their horn." Shining Armor informed. "Do you feel tingly anywhere?"
There was a buzzing sensation in his hands, "Yes, sir."
“I want you to focus on the sensation,” Shining Armor said. “Let it build and release.”
Jack focused on his hands, and sure enough, he could feel the energy building up. After a few seconds, he could feel something burst, and a blast of green energy fired from his hands, narrowly missing the nearest target.
"Very good, for a first attempt," Shining Armor complimented. "Let's try that again."
They spent the rest of the day improving his aim. In that time, Jack managed to hit the target about 30% of the time. Plenty of room for improvement, but at least he'd learned to use his magic.
August 8, 2020
Western Canterlot Outpost: Command Center
The time had finally come for Jack to leave. He had gathered his belongings and was awaiting his escort to the command center. Apart from Flash Sentry, who had gone to take care of some urgent business with the Northern Fleet, the captains all sat around the table with him.
“I assume you won’t start slacking off just because you’re on leave,” said Three Arrows.
"No, sir," Jack responded.
"Come on, Arrows. Take it easy on him," Spitfire said. "Just do regular workouts and keep in shape, and you'll be fine, cadet."
“Thank you, ma’am,” Jack said.
“If you need any tips for your magic training, be sure to ask Twily for help," Shining Armor said. "She may not be in the guard, but she's the most talented unicorn I know."
“Understood, sir.”
There was a knock on the door.
"That's probably your escort, Jager," noted Spitfire. "Go check to make sure."
"Yes, ma'am," Jack said, hopping up and walking to the door. When he opened it he found Celestia there waiting for him.
“I assume you’re training has gone well?” Celestia asked warmly.
“Oh, hey, Celestia… Err, I mean, Princess," Jack said with an awkward bow. "Yeah, it’s gone great. Check it out!"
He held out his palms and two orbs of emerald energy materialized.
"I'm glad to see your training has paid off," Celestia said with a smile. "And if you'd rather call me Celestia instead of Princess, you're free to do so."
"Thank you, Celestia," Jack said as the orbs faded.
“To what do we owe the honor, Princess?” asked Spitfire.
“I’m here to escort Jack back to Ponyville," Celestia answered.
“With all due respect, Princess, surely you have more important things to attend to," Three Arrows said.
"I've found myself with some time away from my Royal Duties today, and besides, there's something I need to discuss with Jack," Celestia responded. "Is that a problem, captain?"
“No, Princess," Three Arrows said hastily. "It is not my place to question what you do on your own time. My apologies," he said with a bow.
"There's no need to apologize, captain," Celestia responded. "Aren't we forgetting something?"
"Of course, princess," Three Arrows bowed before rushing over to a shelf and bringing back an ornate blue box.
"Cadet Jager," Princess Celestia said firmly. "You have completed your basic training and are prepared to begin your career in the E.U.P. Army."
Three Arrows opened the box to reveal a blue pin shaped like a horseshoe. "Jackson Delano Jager Jr., you are hereby granted the rank of private," he said, pining the horseshoe to Jack's shirt.
"Excellent," said Princess Celestia. "I believe that concludes our business here. Oh, and Shining Armor...”
“Yes, Princess?”
"Your request for leave has been granted," Celestia informed. "I'm sure having her brother around will do wonders for Twilight's recovery."
“Thank you, princess," Shining Armor bowed. "It means a lot to me."
"I know it does, Captain," Celestia said warmly. "You work hard protecting my sister and me, so feel free to take as much time as you need." She turned to Jack. "Are you ready to go?"
“Yes, ma’am," Jack nodded. "Just let me go get my bags.”
Western Canterlot Outpost: Outskirts
“Mind if I ask you something?” Jack asked as he sat down in the golden seats of Celestia’s Chariot.
"Of course not," Celestia chuckled as she sat across from him. "I've all but forced you into military service. The least I can do is listen to your questions."
“Have you made any progress finding me a way home?” Jack asked hopefully.
Celestia sighed. "Unfortunately, no. It would be a simple task if I knew where you came from, but without that knowledge, it's like finding a needle in a haystack."
"I understand," Jack glumly replied. "Mind if I ask you another question?"
“Of course,” Celestia responded as the chariot lifted off.
“Who was that unicorn from the cemetery?” Jack asked. “Luna didn’t say it out loud, but even I could tell she recognized him.”
“His name is Morte," Celestia answered. "He's a powerful necromancer involved with a dangerous group known as the Elements of Chaos. I assume you know about the Elements of Harmony?”
"Yeah, they're mystical gemstones that hold the power of harmony, right?" Jack answered, balling his hands into fists. "They each choose a bearer that represents their virtue, Flutters being kindness, Pinks being laughter, Rare being generosity, AJ being honesty, Dash being loyalty, and Twi being magic," he continued lifting a finger for each element he listed. "Are you saying these Elements of Chaos are similar?"
"I am," Celestia replied. "There are six elements in total, wrath, lust, greed, dishonesty, betrayal, and curses. Morte is the element of greed.”
“And the others?”
“Apart from Morte, I only know the name of one," Celestia explained. "Their leader's name is Blutknochen, the element of curses. He’s an ancient Alicorn who’s been alive longer than any other pony. My sister and I’ve faced him many times in the past, and each time he has a new set of element bearers."
"Wait, wait, wait," Jack said, holding out his hand in a stop motion. "If there are different bearers each time, then how do you know about Morte?”
“Most of Blutknochen’s minion's age and die like any other pony,” Celestia’s calm demeanor shifted into a hostile glare. “However, Morte has managed a feat that even the most powerful unicorns seldom dream of, immortality.”
“How… did he do that?” Jack asked nervously.
“Using his necromancy, Morte is able to commit one of the greatest taboos of magic," Celestia said without dropping her glare. "He drains years from other ponies’ lives and adds them to his own," her glare softened to a look of pity. "As a result, his body has deteriorated to a point where he could hardly be called alive. Down to his core, there's nothing left of him but a walking corpse driven by greed and hatred of those in his way."
There were a few seconds of awkward silence before Jack broke it with a final question. “And what exactly are these Elements of Chaos after?”
Celestia looked directly into Jack’s eyes. “You.”
“M-me?”
“Every time humans have come to Equestria in the past has been the direct and intentional result of Blutknochen’s actions," Celestia explained.
“And why would he do that?” Jack asked with visible confusion.
"Your magic," Celestia answered. “Apart from Discord, the Spirit of Disharmony, who is currently sealed in stone in the castle gardens, humans are the only known users of chaos magic," she explained. "I don't know exactly what his plan is, but I believe he requires chaos magic to succeed," she said before returning to her usual warm demeanor. “There are several different forms of chaos magic based on each fundamental aspect of our universe. Each different form has a distinctly colored aura. The emerald glow of your aura would imply that yours is the Chaos of Nature.”
Stats
Page generated in 0.059 seconds
Total duration
993 users online
454,662 hits today, 1,872,792 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Well, not bad for a couple of weeks
Nagasaki and the 2005/06 Indonesian Tsunami
10492776
Very good with Nagasaki, but the tsunami was in 2004 and while Indonesia was the most effected, the entirety of the Indian Ocean was hit. The location Jack was imagining was an Island off Thailand that has a geographical feature that made the tsunami particularly deadly upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/Map_of_Ko_Phi_Phi_Don.jpg/381px-Map_of_Ko_Phi_Phi_Don.jpg
This will teach you to buy a USB stick, save to it and save constantly
10961617
Yep, it most certainly did