2022)

September 24, 2020

Western Canterlot Outpost

"Focus on your happiest memories," Celestia instructed. "Block everything else out."

The incident at the gem mines hadn't slipped the minds of Celestia and the E.U.P anymore than it had Jack. Regaining control over Chaos Mode and purging Jade Jack was priority one for all involved in his training.

"Easier said than done!" Jack retorted. "I was struggling with regrets long before I came to Equestria. With that jade jerk stuck in there, it's almost impossible to focus on anything happy."

"Every human I've encountered has gone through more tragedy than almost anypony who's ever lived," Celestia sighed. "I’m not sure how you persist. It was almost a year after I banished Luna before I could perform my duties again. On the other hoof, you bottle your feelings inside until they overflow, never giving yourselves the time to heal the wounds in your heart. You go about your daily lives pretending as if nothing’s wrong, fooling all those around you, even fooling yourselves most of the time.”

“Are you going somewhere with this?” Jack asked with a frustrated grunt.

“Perhaps, we’ve been approaching this the wrong way,” Celestia mused. “Perhaps, rather than attempting to further block out the negativity, you should release it all instead.”

“What do you mean?” Jack asked.

“I mean, if you need to cry, then you should cry. If you need to talk with somepony, talk to them. If you need to break something, break it,” Celestia explained. “I’m going to have a section of the Everfree forest sectioned off for a joint E.U.P training exercise. I’d like you to spend at least two hours a day using the area to vent.”

Ponyville Station

Sakura Blossom and the Crusaders waited patiently on the platform. Jack had left for Canterlot unexpectedly the day before and was due back on the next train.

“Jack-sama sure seems to spend a lot of time in Cantertlot,” Sakura commented slyly.

“What do ya mean?” asked Apple Bloom.

“Well, don’t you think it’s odd that he spends so much time traveling to the capitol without Fluttershy?”

“You sure seem to spend a lot of time in the Everfree without Pinkie Pie,” Sweetie Belle pointed out.

“Most of that was before she adopted me,” Sakura countered. “And I only went in after that to find my coin,” she said, attempting to fish the coin from her bag.

To her surprise, it was missing.

“Are you looking for this?” Sweetie Belle asked, holding up the coin.

“Give me that!” Sakura shouted, snatching the coin from Sweetie Belle’s hoof. “I… cough… I mean… where did you find this?”

“Outside the auditorium,” Sweetie Belle answered. “I’m surprised we didn’t see each other at Fluttershy’s show.”

“Oh, I decided not to go,” Sakura lied. “I thought about it, but one look at the line to get in, and I decided to go home.”

“I knew it!” Sweetie Belle thought to herself.

September 22, 2020

Ponyville Auditorium

The crowd was still shocked by the accident. As Jack, Spike, and the Mane Six tended to Rarity, Sweetie Belle and the other Crusaders rushed to see what happened.

As Sweetie Belle moved by the wreckage of the stage light, a copper glint caught her eye. Stopping to sift through the shattered pieces, she pulled out a familiar copper coin.

Present Time

“She was the one who knocked over the stage light,” Sweetie Belle deduced. “I’ll bet her coin fell out while she did it. But why would she want to kill Rarity?... and how do I prove it?”

“Here comes the train!” exclaimed Scootaloo.

As Scootaloo said, the Friendship Express was pulling over the horizon and approaching the station. As it drew closer to the platform, it decreased its speed until it came to a halt right next to the fillies, who waited excitedly as the passengers flooded out of the coaches.

Soon enough, Jack stepped onto the platform himself. Without even being given enough time to retrieve his suitcase from the porters, his friends mobbed him.

“Welcome back, Jack!” the four fillies greeted.

“Hey, girls,” Jack greeted nervously.

In truth, he was quite confused. His trip to Canterlot was supposed to have been hidden from his classmates so as not to draw attention.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“Sakura said you had gone to Canterlot,” Scootaloo said.

“She did?” Jack asked in confusion. “How did…”

“I overheard Pinkie-sama mention it,” Sakura answered.

“That would explain it,” Jack thought to himself. “God, damn it, Pinkie.”

“What were ya doin’ in Canterlot, anyway?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Oh, I um, had to pick up a prescription,” Jack answered.

“Fluttershy let you go by yourself?” Scootaloo asked.

“She was busy with her animals and didn’t have enough time to come with me,” Jack lied.

“It must be nice havin’ her trust you enough tuh go tuh Canterlot by yerself,” Apple Bloom said enviously. “Ya ready tuh help us get our cutie marks?”

“Ooh, not today, girls,” Jack groaned. “I’m exhausted. Tomorrow maybe?”

“Sounds great!” Scootaloo agreed.

As Jack parted ways from the girls, Sakura turned to address the Crusaders. “Surely you can see something’s up with him?” she asked, feigning concern. “I may have failed to take out the Element of Generosity, but leaking Jack-sama's status as a soldier will cause plenty of chaos. All I have to do is lead these naive fillies to the right place at the right time, and all of Equestria will know about the Nana-year-old human soldier!”

“Even if there is, we should respect his privacy,” Sweetie Belle replied.

“What if he’s in some kind of trouble?” Sakura asked.

“What do you mean?” asked Scootaloo.

“Cannterlot isn’t exactly a peaceful place,” Sakura explained. “There are all sorts of bad crowds he may have come across. Doesn’t he seem off to you?”

“That’s ridi…” Sweetie Belle began.

“What should we do?” Apple Bloom and Scootaloo asked at the same time.

“Why don’t we try following him tomorrow and seeing if he does anything suspicious?” Sakura offered. “We can make sure nothing’s wrong, and you girls can try getting your detective cutie marks.”

Sweetie Belle was about to object, but the prospect of detective cutie marks was too much for the other two Crusaders to refuse.

“Cutie Mark Crusaders, detectives!” they cheered. “Yay!”

Soon after, Sakura parted ways with the Crusaders, and Sweetie Belle decided to have a heart-to-heart with her friends.

“You can’t seriously be trusting her?” she questioned.

“Why wouldn’t we?” Apple Bloom asked.

“That discussion she had with Snips and Snails about the ursa minor attack for one,” Sweetie Belle answered. “The one that happened right before the three of them led a hydra into town.”

“She was jus’ tryin’ tuh get her coin,” Apple Bloom retorted. “Remember?”

“And she saved us from the cockatrice,” Scootaloo pointed out.

“But she…” Sweetie Belle began. “I could tell them where I found the coin, but they might not believe me. Jack would say that it’s my word against hers.”

“But she what?” Scootaloo asked.

“Never mind,” Sweetie Belle sighed.

Everfree Forrest

Celestia had given Jack a partial map of the forest so he could find the training grounds. The location had been carefully chosen to be as far from Ponyville as possible without sacrificing ease of access. The site chosen was about two and a half miles southeast of Zecora’s hut, just north of an area labeled RESTRICTED SITE.

Jack briefly wondered about the off-limits location before pushing it to the back of his mind as he entered the training camp.

“Welcome, Private Jager,” greeted Captain Three Arrows, who had been stationed at the camp for the day. “I’ve been expecting you.”

“I’m sure you have,” Jack said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. “What fresh torture awaits me today?” he asked through gritted teeth.

“Count yourself lucky, Princess Celestia requested I ignore your insubordination for today,” Three Arrows said. Pointing to a particularly dense section of the forest, he continued. “That area has been set aside for your use, private. Cry, blow shit up, do whatever you need to.”

Jack nodded, saying “yes, sir,” as he set off for the dense vegetation.

It was peaceful, to be sure. The Sun showed through holes in the canopy, bathing patches of earth in the warm glow of Celestia’s golden Sun. It was mostly silent, with the only sound being the infrequent banging of a woodpecker searching for a snack before sunset.

Clenching his fists into balls, Jack drove both his arms elbow-deep into the nearest trunk. Unleashing a jade blast from his still clenched fists, he blew a bowling ball-sized hole in the tree. He continued doing so for the next two hours before going home.

Fluttershy’s Cottage

Jack arrived home to find Fluttershy brushing Angel’s fur. The demon of a bunny didn’t seem the least bit thrilled with the grooming, but Fluttershy was either unaware or didn’t care.

“I’m going to bed, Flutters,” Jack yawned. “See you in the morning.”

“Goodnight, Jack,” Fluttershy called after him.

September 25, 2020

Jack slowly stirred from beneath his covers. He’d slept late, nothing unusual about that. However, he felt like some of his stress had melted away.

After an hour of playing Ocarina of Time 3D, he brushed his teeth, took his meds, threw on his clothes, and went to eat breakfast. Well, brunch at that point.

“Thanks for putting this all together for me,” Jack said, as Fluttershy brought him a plate of eggs, grits, and orange slices. “I know you have other things to do.”

“Not at all,” Fluttershy dismissed. “I’m just glad you’re eating properly.”

The conversation went on, as usual, Fluttershy worriedly enquiring into various aspects of Jack’s life, and Jack doing his best to dismiss those worries. Fluttershy had made good on her promise to allow Jack the freedom of an adult, but it was clear she still saw him as her own child.

“Welp, I’m gonna head out now,” Jack said once he’d finished his meal.

“Ok, be careful,” Fluttershy called after him.

Edge of the Everfree Forest

Thinking it’d be best to get his training out of the way as soon as possible, Jack hastily made his way toward the forest. Unknown to him, he was being followed.

“We should mind our own business,” Sweetie Belle hissed as she and the other Crusaders watched Jack enter the forest.

“Ah don’t know, Sweetie Belle,” Apple Bloom responded. “Ah was skeptical of what Sakura had tuh say at first, but goin’ into the Everfree Forest alone is jus’ askin’ fer trouble.”

“Which is why we should get Fluttershy and let her handle it,” Sweetie Belle countered.

As the other two Crusaders argued, Scootaloo wasted no time following Jack into the forest. “You guys coming!?” she called.

Knowing that attempting to stop their friend would be futile, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle reluctantly followed Scootaloo into the forest.

“Umm… did anypony see which way he went?” Scootaloo asked once the other two caught up.

“You were the one who followed him in,” Sweetie Belle pointed out.

“Maybe he went to see Zecora?” Apple Bloom offered.

Zecora’s Hut

Zecora had been in the middle of a meditation session when the Crusaders arrived.

“What brings you to my home, young Apple Bloom?” Zecora asked. “A matter of importance, I assume.”

“Ah, don’t s’pose Jack’s been here tuhday?” Apple Bloom asked.

“I haven’t seen young Jack today,” Zecora answered. “But, I’ll let you know if he comes my way.”

Everfree Training Grounds

Jack arrived to find that Shining Armor was the one waiting for him today.

“Captain Shining Armor, Sir!” Jack saluted.

“At ease, Private Jager,” Shining Armor said. “You have my permission to speak as freely as you wish while you are here.”

“Anything?” Jack asked.

“Yes, anything, your views on military service, what happened in San Fransiscolt, you can even insult me if you want,” Shining armor said. “Whatever you need to clear your mind.”

“I’d never insult you, sir,” Jack said. “I actually respect you.”

“Then how about we discuss your views on the military,” Shining Armor suggested. “I have to admit what you said during basic has stuck with me. If you’d rather discuss something else or have me leave you alone, I understand, though.”

“I’m fine with that,” Jack interjected, eyes lighting up at the chance to discuss history. “My nation has a long military history. In fact, it was founded over 200 years ago through a rebellion against the most powerful Empire of the time, the British. We fought for more than a hundred years to expand our borders and protect our interests. We took on native tribes, neighboring countries, rebellious states, and even a dying empire. We participated in two world wars, cementing us first as a great power and then as a superpower.”

“Sounds like your military has a lot to be proud of,” Shining Armor commented, satisfied with Jack’s enthusiasm.

“From a certain perspective, I suppose we do,” Jack halfheartedly agreed. “Although, from the Second World War to now, it’s been nothing but embarrassment after embarrassment. Having only one other superpower to contend with, America decided to set up puppet regimes to act as a buffer zone between us and our rival, the Soviet Union, and to be fair, the Soviets had a similar idea. Our first such embarrassment was in Korea, where we were fought to a stalemate and had to split the country in two, the South being our puppet and the North being the Soviet’s puppet. Next, there was Vietnam, where for perhaps the first time in history, my country was defeated. A contender for the most powerful country on earth, and we couldn’t even win against one of the least powerful. The Soviet Union collapsed from economic hardship less than a decade before I was born, but the legacy of our rivalry lives on to this day.”

“How so?” Shining Armor asked.

“When I was only two years old, America was attacked,” Jack explained. “The perpetrators of that attack were some of our old puppets. With the Soviet Union gone, we had largely neglected our old pawns. Many assumed they’d be grateful that we ‘liberated’ them from Soviet influence.” Jack scoffed at the word liberated. “In truth, they only saw us as the lesser of two evils. George Bush, the president at the time, launched an invasion of Afghanistan, where the attackers were hiding, but his real objective was Iraq. In order to justify an invasion, he lied to the nation, claiming Iraq had ties to our attackers when no such ties existed. All he really wanted was to secure our oil interests in the region. We’ve been at war for 20 years now. The man responsible for the attacks has been dead for almost a decade, and his organization is no longer a threat, but still, we fight. All the while, we create more and more enemies. People argue that we need to stay and stabilize the region, that if we leave, it will collapse into chaos in tyranny, but we’ve had 20 years to stabilize and have made no progress. The fact is the puppet state we set up in Afghanistan will collapse the moment we leave, whether it’s now or twenty years in the future, and we can’t stay forever.” Looking to the sky, Jack asked Shining Armor a question. “Can you guess the lesson I’ve learned from this?”

“I… I’m not sure,” Shining Armor admitted.

“Then let me explain it,” Jack continued. “The reason we can’t win in Afghanistan is the same reason we had to fight there in the first place, the same reason we lost Vietnam. When you treat a population as puppets, you aren’t creating allies; you’re creating resentment. While the Afghani politicians whose pockets we line with cash, the residents of the cities who enjoy new freedoms, and the warlords whose crimes we overlook love us, most Afghans do not. Why would they? The politicians we support are corrupt, the warlords keep children as sex slaves, and most Afghans live in villages that are constantly being bombed by American aircraft. The longer we stay there, the more the Afghan people will fight against us. When you look back on the history of American warfare, with only some exceptions, this has always been so. We only noticed in Vietnam because they beat us, and we only notice in Afghanistan because they will most likely beat us. But looking back in history, the Filipinos, Mexicans, and Natives we subjugated in the past felt the same way about us. They simply didn’t have the means to stop us. So many Americans go to war, seeing themselves as liberators. They’ve been raised up by militaristic families to view themselves that way, completely oblivious to how those they’re ‘liberating’ see them.” Jack sighed. “I guess that’s why it hit me so hard when Longbow died. He wasn’t like any other soldier I’d met. He didn’t see himself as a liberator or anything like that. He didn’t even want to be there, and…” holding back a tear, he said, “and because of me, he’ll never be anywhere else.”

"I see," Shining Armor said thoughtfully. "I still don't understand the resentment you feel for your home, but...."

"Resentment?" Jack scoffed. "Not quite. What my country has done is no worse than any other country in my world has done when given the motive. I don't resent America, I resent those Americans who think we're better than everything else. Those who see criticism as treason."

"Alright, fair enough," Shining Armor said. "But not the point I was getting at. I don't understand the way you talk down on your own people, but I understand feeling like you could be doing more. Ever since the Nightmare Moon incident I've felt like I haven't done enough to protect Twily and her friends. I've always felt that if I set up a guard outpost in Ponyville I could defend the Elements and protect them from danger. Ponyville is under constant threat, and while I have the power to defend it, it's not up to me."

"What are you trying to tell me?" Jack asked.

"It's not always up to you either," Shining Armor said. "You can't control what Blutknochen's minions do. Only he can do that. Even if he sends his minions after you that doesn't make you responsible. If some other human had been brought to this world in your stead Equestria would be protecting that person, and the Elements of Chaos would still come after them."

After that, Jack asked to be excused. Wondering off to the secluded patch of woods he had been in the day before, he spent the rest of his time crying.

September 29, 2020

Cutie Mark Crusaders Clubhouse

The next few days went much the same. Jack would go into the forest to deal with his issues, and the Crusaders would attempt to follow him only to wind up losing him. Today, however, the Crusaders had a plan.

“Ah swiped this potion frum Zecora’s yesterday,” Apple Bloom said, pulling a flask of blue liquid from beneath her podium.

“Isn’t stealing wrong?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“What does it do?” asked Scootaloo.

“Ah didn’t steal it, Ah borrowed it,” Apple Bloom replied. “One sip of this potion will turn us invisible fer one hour. After class, we’ll use it to follow Jack intuh the forest. Then Ah’ll put it back on Zecora’s shelf before she even knows it’s gone.”

“I don’t know about this,” Sweetie Belle said. “Why don’t we just mind our own business? We all know how strong Jack is. Don’t you think he can handle himself?”

In truth, Sweetie Belle wanted to investigate Sakura Blossom. Spying on Jack was only taking time away from her getting to the bottom of what Sakura was after.

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Scootaloo exclaimed. “Jack’s a Crusader, and that means we have his back no matter what!”

Outside Ponyville School

Three Hours Later

As soon as class ended, Jack made off for the forest. The Crusaders quickly ducked behind a bush, each taking a sip from the flask. Looking down, they held back gasps as they watched their hooves disappear from sight.

“Coo-ool!” Scootaloo remarked.

“Come on!” Apple Bloom said. “We need to get to the forest before Jack goes in!”

Edge of the Everfree Forest

By the time they reached the forest, the Crusaders had long since caught up with Jack. As he entered the forest, they plunged into the underbrush after him.

As they walked deeper into the forest, the Crusaders began speculating what Jack may be up to.

“Maybe he’s meeting up with bandits?” Scootaloo whispered.

“Scootaloo!” Apple Bloom hissed back. “How could you accuse him of somthin’ like that?!”

“I’m not saying I think he’s stealing anything!” Scootaloo said. “But maybe he owes them money? They could be dexsorting him!”

“I think you mean extorting,” Sweetie Belle corrected. “Whatever he’s up to, we need to figure it out soon. We passed Zecora’s half an hour ago, so there’s no way the potion will last much longer.”

“Wait!” Apple Bloom hissed. “Ah see somethin’!”

To their surprise, Jack was heading directly to a palisade wall. As they followed Jack inside, they were shocked to see a contingent of Wonderbolts doing low maneuverability training.

“No way!” gasped Scootaloo. “That’s Fire Streak,” She said, pointing to an orange-maned stallion doing wingups. “And there’s Fleetfoot!” she said, pointing to a white-maned mare weaving between the trees. “And that’s…” Scootaloo began, pointing to a mare walking up to Jack. “Captain Spitfire!”

“How are you today, Private Jager?” Spitfire asked.

“Private!!!” The Crusaders shouted at once before covering their mouths.

“Who’s there!!!” shouted Spitfire.

Too frightened to answer, the Crusaders took the chance to sneak out of the camp. Unfortunately for them, the effects of the potion were starting to wear off. Slowly but surely, their invisibility was lifted. First their hooves, then their legs, then their bodies, and finally their faces were revealed before they could even halfway reach the gate.

“You’re not supposed to be here!!!” shouted Fleetfoot as the Wonderbolts circled the Crusaders.

“We were just leaving,” Scootaloo chuckled nervously.

“I don’t think so,” said Spitfire as the line of Wonderbolts opened to let her through. “You three are in a restricted area. You’re not going anywhere until I know who you are and why you’re here!”

“Girls???!!!” Jack shouted once he saw them.

“You know them, private?” Spitfire asked.

“Of course, I know them!” Jack exclaimed. “They’re my best friends. We go to school together!”

“Then should I assume you followed Jager here from school?” Spitfire asked the trembling Crusaders.

“Y-Yes, ma’am,” Apple Bloom answered nervously.

“If they’re students at the school, I can’t detain them…” Spitfire thought to herself. “But I can’t just let them tell all of Ponyville what they saw here either.”

“Captain Spitfire?” Jack asked.

“Yes, Private Jager?” Spitfire asked.

“Let me handle this,” Jack requested. “I promise they won’t tell anyone what they saw here. I just need to talk to them.

“Very well, Jager,” Spitfire agreed. “It’s not like I have much of a choice.”

“Thank you,” Jack said with a salute. “Hey, girls,” Jack greeted with a nervous smile. “What are you all doing here?”

Without even acknowledging Jack’s question, the Crusaders launched a volley of their own. Even Sweetie Belle was interested at this point.

“What’s going on here!?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Why’d they call you private?” asked Sweetie Belle.

“You know, Captain Spitfire?” Scootaloo asked.

“I guess there’s no point in hiding it now,” Jack sighed. “I’m a member of the E.U.P,” he said bluntly.

“No way!” The Crusaders said at once.

“Yes way,” Jack said. “They want to use my magic as a secret weapon to defend Equestria.”

“Is that why you go to Canterlot so much?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Yes,” Jack answered.

“So when Fluttershy told us you were sick after what happened in Charleston,” Sweetie Belle asked.

“I was training,” Jack answered.

“This is so cool!” Scootaloo exclaimed. “Wait ‘till everypony in class hears about it!”

“About that…” Jack said, scratching behind his ear nervously. “Can I ask you girls to keep this to yourselves?”

“Why?” they all asked.

“Because it’s classified,” Jack explained. “My magic wouldn’t be a secret weapon if everybody knew about it.”

"We'll keep it a secret," Sweetie Belle promised. "Right, girls?"

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo nodded. "Cross my heart and hope to fly," they chanted. "Stick a cupcake in my eye."

Sweetie Belle was relieved to know nothing was wrong but she couldn't shake the feeling there was more to this situation than she, the other Crusaders, or even Jack realized. “Sakura sure seemed intent on having us look into this,” she thought. Eyes wide in realization, she asked herself, “Does that mean she knew all along?!”

Author's Note:

I think this one was better than the past three or so, but it still needs work.
Next Time: Jack joins the Mane Six on a trip to Applelossa to find the town in conflict with the local buffalo tribe.

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