81. The Project
“Well? What do you think?” Radish proudly asked Light. “Pretty cool, right?”
He waved a hoof at the grounds before them. At his suggestion, the defunct summer camp next to Ponyville Lake had been purchased by the palace and converted into a research station for studying the Everfree Forest. During Radish’s suspension, the royal craftsponies had worked with amazing efficiency in restoring, renovating, and remodeling the facility for the researchers and guards who would now be stationed there. Buildings once used for arts and crafts were now laboratories, bunkhouses were now barracks, play fields were now training courses, and the cafeteria was now a much nicer cafeteria.
The palace’s research department had appointed a Science Director, who was in charge of assembling the research team. Celestia provided a support staff for administration and maintenance. Radish, who had been given the title of Station Chief, had chosen the guards.
“This whole place was seriously your idea?” Light asked.
“Yep.”
“It should be named after you, then.”
“What am I, a Wagoner?"
“Halt! Who goes there!?” bellowed a feminine voice.
Radish and Light looked up. From atop a small wooden lookout tower, a griffon with rusty red fur and mottled gold plumage glowered down at them. She leapt off her perch and landed in front of them, brandishing a spear.
“Identify yourselves! Friend or foe!?”
Radish held up his Guard ID badge. “Major Root, here to assume command of this facility.”
She held her spear at her side and saluted. “Yes, sir! We’ve been eagerly awaiting your arrival!”
“Uh… good. Here I am. And you must be Wing Trooper Grenatta.”
“Yes, sir! On temporary assignment from Watchtower Fifteen, sir!”
“At ease, trooper. Just calm yourself and talk to me.”
“Yes… sir.”
“I was impressed by your record. But why did you want to transfer here?”
“I… wanted to be where the action is, sir.”
“What, Ponyville? Watchtower Fifteen borders the dragon lands, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, sir. But most of the major current events of the past few years happened in this locality, sir.”
“I can’t argue with that.”
“In some ways, the Everfree Forest is more dangerous than the dragon lands! Nocreature knows everything that’s lurking in there. I wanted to measure myself against the challenge, sir.”
“I like your attitude, trooper.”
“I was also hoping to, ah, measure myself against… you, sir.”
“How’s that?”
She lowered her voice. “Everyone in the Forces heard about how you defeated Princess Celestia in single combat. It inspired us to start an inter-tower wrestling league.”
Radish sighed. “It was a regulation sparring match, and I won on a technicality.”
“Because you psychologically manipulated her into disqualifying herself! Right, sir?”
“Uh… something like that.”
“Do you still wrestle, sir? I was the regional champion! I’d relish the opportunity to grapple with you.”
Light raised an eyebrow.
“We’re going to be doing plenty of training here, wing trooper,” said Radish. “You’ll get all the challenge you can handle.”
“I look forward to it, sir!”
“Dismissed.”
Grenatta flapped back up to her lookout tower. Radish and Light continued along the path to the station.
“She sure seemed eager to impress you,” noted Light.
“I was like that when I started out in the Rangers. And again when I started out in the Guard. Doing everything you can to impress the new bosses.”
“She was rather cute for a griffon.”
“Guards aren’t cute, Fan. Guards are fearsome sentries of order. Ah, here’s my quarters.”
They stopped in front of a dogtrot cabin with Radish’s name engraved on a hanging sign. They explored the rooms- Radish’s quarters were appointed with an office, a modern kitchen, and a private bath. They entered the last of the doors to find a bedroom with new furniture and fresh linens. Curtsey Blush, the maid, was dusting the bookcases.
“Oh! Hello, Major Root!” she said with a bow. “Or should I say Station Chief Root? And you must be Light Fantastic! Pleased to meet you!”
“Uh, right. Pleased to meet you,” Light said warily.
“Miss Blush? You’re on staff here?” asked Radish.
“I sure am!” she said, skipping up to him. “After all those years working in the cold, dark Wagoner mansion, who wouldn’t leap at the chance to work at a summer camp?”
“Ah, that does make sense.”
“Plus, I get to wear the warm-weather maid uniform! It’s so airy!”
She turned and posed to show off her uniform, a gingham seersucker number with a silk bonnet. Light frowned.
“Well, if there’s anything you need, let me know,” said Radish.
“Of course! And you just let me know what kind of service you'd like.”
Light grit her teeth.
“What do you mean?” asked Radish.
“Well, for example, would you like me to turn down your bed?”
“Yes, he would,” Light said pointedly. “Turn down his bed every time, please.”
“Will do!” she said cheerfully.
Radish dropped off his luggage in the bedroom and led Light out the cabin. They continued to the center of the camp.
“She seemed really eager to please you, too,” Light muttered.
“She worked for Worthy Wagoner. She thinks she owes me for bringing him down. But really, we all owe her for making the bust possible.”
“Uh huh. Does a research outpost really need a maid?”
“I used to be uncomfortable about all the palace servants doing stuff for me, too. But some ponies get cutie marks for service because that’s what they really love to do. They should get to pursue their special talents, just like you pursued art.”
“Hmm. Okay.”
They walked past a large obstacle course. Radish stopped. A slender, cream-colored earth mare with a brown mane was swinging across a set of hanging rings. She leapt off the last one, dove through a suspended barrel hoop, flicked out her spear, and threw it at a target. It hit the bullseye just as she landed. She tossed back her sweaty mane and wiped her brow. Radish smiled.
“Who’s that?” asked Light.
“That’s Maple Bar. We both started in the Guard around the same time. She comes from a long line of foresters, so she was a natural pick for this place.”
“You’ve mentioned her. I didn’t picture her being so… fit.”
“Oh, she’s an excellent fighter. She’s the only one who can pull off those diving spear throws consistently. I’ve asked her for some pointers, but she says my muscles are too bulky for it.”
“Oh, she does, does she?”
“It’s a trade-off I’m willing to accept. Look- there’s the admin building.”
The administration building was a converted two-story lake house. They entered the foyer-turned-lobby. Pinkie Pie was pacing in front of the reception desk.
“Oh! Hiya, Raddy! Hiya, Fanny!”
“Hello, Pinkie Pie,” said Radish. “Did you need something?”
“My sister Marble is interviewing for a job here! I’m here for moral support.”
“Ah, I saw a ‘Marble Pie’ on the list of science team candidates, but I wasn’t sure if you were related,” recalled Radish.
A gray earth mare wearing a bright yellow tie walked out from one of the side halls, staring at the floor. Pinkie Pie leapt at her.
“Marbs! How’d it go!?”
Marble gave a weak smile and held up a scroll. Pinkie Pie tossed her sister in the air, caught her, then squeezed her tight.
“You got the job! I told you there was nothing to worry about!”
“Congratulations, Miss Pie,” said Radish, reaching out a hoof. “Welcome to the team.”
Marble Pie gazed at his hoof timidly, slowly reached out and shook it, then quickly disengaged.
“She’s not much of a chatterbox,” Pinkie explained while nuzzling her sister, “but she’s the best dang soil scientist you could ask for! She knows everything about every kind of earth, from alfisol to zombie graves!”
“That’s great,” said Radish. “The only thing more mysterious than what’s in the Everfree Forest is what’s under it.”
Marble looked off to the side, smiled, and nodded. Pinkie hoisted her onto her back. “I’m going to help her get settled in. We’ll see you at the party later!”
“What party?” Radish asked.
“I’m throwing a meet and greet by the lake! That way the townsponies can get to know all the new folks here.”
“Who authorized that?”
“I’ve learned that it’s always better to ask for forgiveness than permission when it comes to parties.”
“Well, it’s probably a good idea. You have my forgiveness. We’ll need to discuss your party-planning fee, though.”
“Oh, Radish. The first one’s always free, silly.”
She carried her sister out the door. Light turned to Radish.
“I’m not going to attend that. Her parties have kiddy music and no booze.”
“Well, I have to go. It’d be bad for morale if the Station Chief avoided social functions.”
“Is that the only reason?”
“Huh?”
“Pinkie Pie's sister sure is shapely for a soil scientist.”
“Fan, why do you keep commenting on my coworkers’ looks?”
Light looked at the floor. She took a deep breath. “I, uh, debuted the new line of merchandise at my shop. You know, the one based on your fight with Celestia. Everything with Nightmare Root -the character based on you- was really popular.”
“Well, that’s good, isn’t it?”
“It’s just that… the customers were mostly mares. They knew your story, and they were positively cooing over you. Stuff like, ‘ooh, he can pin me any day’. None of them even knew you were with me.”
“Light, I only agreed to that bout to win something nice for you. Everypony who’s heard the story should know that part.”
“Legends take on a life of their own, Rad. Little details like a girlfriend end up getting left out.”
Radish hugged Light. “You’re not a little detail, Fan, no matter what your customers say. And I’m not going to be tempted away from you by them, much less a coworker.”
She hugged back. “Thanks, Rad.”
“Maybe you should quit with the Nightmare Root merchandise.”
“Nah. The profits are too good.”
“Okay then, give him a girlfriend based on you.”
"No one would buy that."
"I'd buy it."
Light chuckled. “Thanks, but you're not my target demographic. But now that you mention it, romantic drama sells really well. Maybe Nightmare Root could have multiple love interests, all fighting over him! Good girls… bad girls… exotic girls… ooh, and a maid!”
“Seriously?"
“This could be a big hit. Customers taking sides. I need to get sketching while the iron’s hot."
“Fine, I’ll cover for you at the party.”
She kissed him. “Looks like we’ve both got a busy week ahead of us. See you this weekend, Station Chief.”
She left out the door. Radish walked the halls of the administration building, meeting the staff members. He found the Science Director’s office door open. The director, an older pink earth mare, was sitting at her desk and speaking with a younger light brown earth stallion.
“Hello, major. I’m Rosy Day. This is my assistant, Timber Spruce.”
“Nice to meet you,” said Radish, shaking their hooves. “I look forward to working together.”
“As do I,” said Rosy Day. “I’ve always wanted to study an unnatural wilderness area, but without sufficient protection, it’s never been feasible.”
“I should have my guards ready for expeditions in a couple of days.”
“By the way, does this station have an official name yet?” asked Timber Spruce.
“Not yet. I wanted to get a sense of the place before I landed on a name. Did you have any thoughts?”
“How about ‘Camp Everfree’?” he suggested.
“No, that would abbreviate to ‘CE’, which is what everyone calls the Crystal Empire now.”
“Oh. Does that matter?”
“Royal Guard standards are to keep communications as unambiguous as possible.”
“So are mine,” said Rosy Day. “I think we’re going to get along just fine.”
Radish took his leave. As he made his way back to the lobby, he heard hoofbeats behind him. Timber Spruce had followed him down the hall.
“Oh, uh, Major? Are you coming to the meet and greet?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know if Twilight Sparkle is coming?”
“I assume so. Why?”
“I’m a big fan. She’s accomplished so many amazing feats- defeating villains, saving the world, ascending to an alicorn! She might be the most impressive pony on the planet.”
“Yeah, maybe.”
“I went to her coronation, you know. She looked so majestic up there on the balcony. And the way she handled those protestors- such wisdom! She’s truly our aeon’s beau ideal of a self-actualized mare!”
“What?”
“Thank you so much for this opportunity, major. I’m really looking forward to getting to know her.”
Radish felt tension in his jaw. “You know, Princess Twilight Sparkle is a very important, very busy pony. I wouldn’t get my hopes up on seeing much of her.”
“Oh. Well, do you have any advice on making a good first impression with her?”
“I know she likes guitarists. Are you a guitarist?”
“No…”
“Oh, that’s a shame.”
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I have commandeered this chapter's comment section!
Nice quaint chapter, very slow and steady. I think Root deserved it, though I gotta agree with some of the other comments, Celestia and shinning need some character growth or it gets stale getting into headbutts with characters that don't really get corrected with a better intent and purpose.
I swear this was hilarious!!
Can't wait for more
And with the coming of Nightmare Root, Many mares dream the dream of being "pinned" by him or Wrestling for "Their Honor".
Will the next chapter be out soon?
Hold up! Wait a minute… no way!! You’re like one of the only few people on this site to ever written Timber Spruce as pony… he barely ever gets to shine in the fandom…. I really hope we see Twilight meet him because after all Sci-Twi was dating him before the show got the axe… which sadly I’ve never seen any fanfics of a pony version of Timber and what if pony Twilight meet him. Like the Mirror is basically a reflection of their world so it would definitely be possible for Twilight to date Timber just like her other self is.
If you do plan to have them together… that’s going on my favorite list. I’ve always wanted to see more TwilightxTimber
Edit: I forgot to keep reading
You got this Timber you don’t need a guitar 🎸 to impress a girl. Hopefully Radish doesn’t get jealous or something
Nice
I love all of the little details about the camp sprinkled about, and its ties with the town itself feel like they're going to be great fun to explore. Also Marble and Timber entering the story is an unexpected but nice surprise. Even though I'm not personally a fan of TimberxTwilight, I'm fine with any ship in a fic if it's written well, so I'm curious to see where this goes (If you even go that route at all. For all I know the two of them will hate each other.)
11508542
IIRC though, Pony Twi was keen on Flash Sentry from the EQG world. It was EQG Twi that liked Timber (and NOT Flash).
Cool to see him get a mention though.
Gonna be interesting to see how Light's new merchandise range takes off, and if we get a jealousy arc from it.
11508590
Never said Sci-Twi was into Flash. I'm just saying that since both worlds are a mirror it's likely that Pony-Twi would date Timber because Sci-Twi was dating him. Though, I wonder how different this story will be since it's not completely canon even when there isn't an Alternate tag.
11508642
Just saying, the alternate/AU tag is not for stories like this. AU implies some sort of fundamental difference with the existing world, but much of the story is driven by the idea of Radish being a background pony. That is, most if not all canon would be the same regardless of his existance. Even if the story eventually differentiates from cannon in a major way, it’s still not an AU as far as the AU tag cares. Changeling of the Guard is a great example of this right now with the way the wedding is shaping up. Canon going foward is probably going to be fundamentally different in that story, yet it spent two hundred thousand words or so almost religiously keeping to canon for the payoff of being able to break away at Cadance’s wedding. Stories with the AU tag generally are best advised to start as a decently altered universe.
Very nice chapter, really enjoying the slice of life.
Don't worry, Radish. Timber's got a sister you can get to run interference between him and Twilight. Because if there's one thing that everyone knows about Gloriosa Daisy, it's that she's got this!
Ugh, can Light succumb to being the utterly basic bitch she is and dump him already, thus breaking his spirit but ultimately allowing him and PC to finally work their shit out one way or the other?
This is an interesting take on the Pony version of Timber Spruce. It'll be neat to see how he operates without his sister.
Also Marble my beloved.
11508743
That's a very good point. Unfortunately FIMfiction is lacking adequate tags to describe stories that can technically fit within the canon structure but are more focused on the background workings of the world that keep everything spinning.
11508931
I mean, that doesn’t really need its own genre tag. When a story decides to take something we have very little info on and expand upon it, that’s not violating canon, that’s working with it whether or not the story even references it. The point of needing an AU tag is that it isn’t normal for stories to deviate in the way an AU tag does, and some people want to explicitly look for such stories where the world is fundamentally different. If you look at this stories tags and short description, the most important tags are the OC, Royal Guard, and Celestia tag. The Luna and Mane 6 tag are honestly misleading tags that draw attention away from the fact this story takes an incredibly deep look into what it means to be a royal guard—something the show never gives us.
(P.S. This is—on a somewhat unrelated note—exactly why I see the way Shining acts in this story as plausibly being within character. The show never really shows us what he’s like as a soldier or guard. It only shows us what he’s like in private as a brother and dork. The closest we get to seeing him train others or be in command over others is the Equestria games, but dealing with training civvies for sports games is completely different from commanding and disciplining troops. This story explores a side of Shining we don’t get to see in the show, because the show only ever cares about him being Twilight’s brother.
11508860
I don't think he's against Twilight being in a relationship so much as to want someone to "run interference". He spent a chapter trying to help her introduce herself to a potential crush. He probably just doesn't like the idea of someone joining a job mainly to try and woo someone, especially one of the Princesses. And I don't blame him for that, he's been there, and knows that it doesn't end well.
11508970 You'll notice that I didn't speculate as to why Radish seemed upset by Timber's infatuation with Twilight; I just said that Gloriosa could be helpful in dealing with it (if and when it becomes a problem).
I'm a little surprised not to see Zecora wandering around there, considering her expertise in the herbs and roots of the Everfree Forrest. Combine that with all the females who seem attracted to Radish and you could easily name the place Vice Station Zebra.
11508970
That will be it. "I joined the guard to get close to a Princess that I have put on a totally unattainable pedestal, with the express purpose of trying to get close to them. Any tips? "
That ain't gonna fly.
I was prepared to be annoyed with Light. If you don't trust your partner to be faithful, then leave them. But the reality she knows it was improper to be jealous. That's why she immediately caved when Root asked her and said what the real issue was. She didn't get defensive or delusional. She had a lapse when she didn't live up to her own standards. BIg difference to clinging on and trying to justify it. Nice to see their relationship moving in a healthier direction.
Still trying t work out the meaning of Roots mark. I'm wondering if there might be time travel shenanigans and someone retrospectively cursed or switched his mark. Maybe he did such a good job being the consumate "friend" to all of the Alicorns someone tried to screw with the timeline by driving biggest wedge he could between Celestia and Root; only to see thing unfold identically because Root cannot be constrained by destiny?
I don't if he's completely oblivious to that or he does know but decides to quietly put the matter to rest.
Ok so this was a REALLY great journey! Loved it !
Yes sometimes it was painful to get through sections of this Story but I guess thats also a skill of a Writer, to make you feel a certain way!
Really looking foreward for more!