Recruit
ECY 1007.5
Canterlot, Home
The train whistled through the Equestrian countryside, going faster than Applejack had remembered it being capable of. Perhaps it was imagination, or, more likely, anticipation. She checked her watch, and saw that an hour remained before she’d reach Canterlot. The trip had been uneventful. She sat alone, towards the back of a passenger car, across from two pegasi stallions in full military dress uniform. She thought of striking a conversation, but the pair had been ambushed a stop after Ponyville by a gaggle of starry eyed fillies looking to marry into citizenship, and Applejack sensed the moment was long for her to join in without appearing to be one of their ilk.
She busied herself by watching the green pastures of Equestria’s central plain give way to the mountains of the Capital region. As the train gained elevation, the activity Applejack observed beyond the pane of glass was steadily increasing. Large telescope-like structures, probably 20 meters high, dotted the landscape in varying stages of completion.
“They’re Planetary Beam Cannons” she had heard one of the officers describe earlier. “300 kilometer range, 300 kilo-cells a blast. Going up all over Home. Not like we’ll ever need them, right G?”
His companion, whose name tag read “FORCE”, didn’t even look up from the mare on his arm. “Hell no. Not if Manticore Squadron has anything to say about it. And don’t you worry your pretty little mane about it. Because we will, trust me.”
Applejack had turned away, not so much in disgust, but more so in frustrated amusement. There seemed to be a heck of a lot of those cannons going up around Canterlot; it seemed like a lot of bits to spend on something that wouldn’t see any use.
But it wasn’t the overconfidence of the the Pegasi that bothered her. It was obvious from their dress and demeanor that the two were fighter pilots, and Manticore Squadron was one of the best in the Navy. Which is why Rainbow Dash had made it her stated goal to fly with them. Subconsciously, Applejack reached into her saddlebags, feeling the weightless shape of Rainbow’s letter. It was still there, unopened. But the time wasn’t quite yet right, so her hoof slunk out of the bag and back to her lap.
Rainbow would be fine, Applejack thought. She’s much better than those two, right? They could talk all they want, but nobody could pull of a Sonic Rainboom besides the Element of Loyalty.
“Not that that matters in space.” she said quietly, turning back towards the window.
The scenery had completely changed by now, with the crags of the Canterlot highlands replaced by the sparkling white of Canterlot proper. Applejack had always loved looking up at the massive spires of the Palace, letting their enormity wash over her. But today felt much different than any of her previous visits. She hadn’t been in the capital for some time, not since the Crystal Empire incident years before. She missed those days, when she and her five friends had been able to tackle almost any challenge through (and it pained her to use such a cliche) the magic of friendship. Even wielding the Elements of Harmony had been a fun part of the job, despite the horrors of her frue-fruey necklace that came with such power. She let the nostalgia occupy her mind until the train glided into the station.
After retrieving her bag, Applejack sat in the area designated for new recruits. Trains from Hoofington and Baltimare were still on their way, so the farm pony knew she had some time to kill. She let her mind wander to the last time she’d even thought about the Elements of Harmony.
----
It was a summer afternoon, three months ago; one of the last times all six had been together without the specter of their separation clouding the future, but the first time it had become a real possibility. Mail had arrived for each mare, not from Ponyville’s clumsy mail pony, but from the official Equestrian Selective Service. The six had gathered in their usual pony-pet-play date spot to open their letters together.
“All right! Lead Manticore Rainbow Dash, at your service!” The cyan pegasus had torn her envelope opening it, and the contents drifted to the ground while their recipient did a celebratory back flip through the air. She was joined mid maneuver, somehow, by Pinkie Pie.
“Awww yeah Dashie! You’ll be a super duper ace in no time!”
The four ponies remaining on the ground giggled together, and the two airborne mares gradually made their way back to fill in the circle in the grass.
“Hey Rarity! Bet you’ll never guess what I got!” the Pink confectioner asked her unicorn friend in a teasing, sing-song voice. The fashionista sized up Pinkie Pie, who was buzzing with excitement. She made a show of thinking hard, and then replied in her practiced, sophisticated tone.
“Well darling, I think you obviously were the first choice for the Equestrian Naval Band, hmm? Playing every instrument, no doubt.”
“WRONG! Guess again!!”
This time Rarity scratched her chin, putting some more thought into the equation.
“Victualing service? Baking cupcakes for the troops?”
“Nnnnnope!”
“Personal Assistant to the Sapphire Shores and the Sapphire Soldier Band?”
“Nnnnnoooooope!”
“Starship Painter? Medical Pony? Smile. . . maker?”
“Nope, nope, nope!”
By now, Pinkie had scooted along the ground until she was inches from Rarity’s delicately arranged face, and her smile had doubled with each negative answer. Out of logical ideas, the answer finally came to Rarity, whose inner personal space alarms were no doubt wailing in agony.
“It wouldn’t be the,” she squeaked, her voice dropping to almost a whisper, “mining service?”
“YESSSS!” Pinkie Pie screamed, and launched herself into the air for the second time in as many minutes. Rarity recoiled from the impact of her energetic outburst. “Aren’t you excited, Rarity! I mean, I know you’re going on to deep space and all, but we’ll still have boot camp together! Isn’t that great! 8 weeks of us living together! Ooooh! Maybe we’ll be bunk mates!”
Applejack thought that Rarity was going to magically pull her couch out of somewhere, but the unicorn maintained her composure despite her obvious discomfort. Applejack doubted that Pinkie would have noticed anyway, as the always energetic mare was bouncing in circles around Rarity, going on about the barrels of fun they’d no doubt have while blasting rocks apart in the blackness of space. Somehow, Applejack figured, Pinkie would make it all work.
The farm pony turned to her left to join in on Twilight and Fluttershy’s conversation. After listening in for a few seconds, Applejack revised that observation; it was more of one of Twilight’s patented lectures than a conversation.
“. . . I’m sorry Fluttershy, but there’s just no way I can make it any clearer. The Elements of Harmony won’t work against the Antarans. Princess Celestia was adamant about that throughout my communications with her.”
“But Twilight, how could anything withstand the Elements? I mean, between Nightmare Moon and Discord, and even the Changeling Queen was afraid of what the Elements could do! They’re the most powerful magic known to Ponydom!”
“That’s just it, Fluttershy. The Elements are a creation of Ponies. The Antarans aren’t ponies. Even if they were, the Antarans would be immune to the powers of the Elements anyway.”
That bit caught everyone’s attention. Pinkie Pie was caught mid bounce and crashed to the ground behind Rarity. Rainbow Dash broke the silence.
“I’m with Fluttershy here Twilight. How could anyone be immune to the Elements? Especially with the most awesome ponies in the galaxy wielding them!”
“It doesn’t matter how powerful the Elements are, or who wields them,” Twilight retorted. Applejack sensed that Princess Celestia’s student had had this discussion before, though probably with Twilight playing the role of disbeliever.
“The Elements of Harmony are based on the traits that make ponies good. Loyalty, honesty, kindness, generosity, laughter and magic. Antarans don’t understand our virtues. For all we know, they could be a hive-mind to which values like ours mean nothing! The Elements work to turn ponies towards good and away from evil; you saw what they did to Nightmare Moon; and don’t even get me started on Discord- as we learned the hard way, they hardly provided a concrete solution to that . .”
The student paused mid sentence, interrupted by a pink burst of laughter. “Concrete solution!!! Hahaha, Twilight, you’re brilliant!” Pinkie snorted, before seeing the stares being directed at her. “Oh. . . sorry.”
“Anyway, the point is that the Elements work by bringing the good in somepony or something to the surface. Antarans have no good in their souls to be revealed. They are bred for one purpose: to kill. They're soulless automatons, as close to pure evil as a living creature could be.”
Her last point hung in the air for a few moments. Fluttershy, from underneath the picnic blanket they had brought, gave a fearful squeak. Sensing the heavy news she had piled upon her friends, continued, albeit with less certainty.
“But we shouldn’t need to worry about that. I’m sure cooler heads will prevail, and Princess Celestia’s negotiators will have this sorted out before Pinkie digs up her first cobalt deposit.”
----
Applejack pulled herself back to the present. It had only been a few months, but Twilight’s prediction was not looking so good. Canterlot had transformed since Applejack had been in town last. Gone were the festive decorations hanging from lamp posts, replaced by security cameras and perches for guard pegasi. The once colorful walls of cafes and shops were plastered with recruiting posters, news updates and public service announcements. The populace had changed, too. The once vibrant atmosphere of the capital of Equestria had taken a sharp turn towards downright somber. It reminded Applejack of when she’d first arrived in the Crystal Empire. Ponies of all sorts wandered throughout the streets, but Applejack could tell that their hearts weren’t all there, even from a distance. It wasn’t so much of a ghost town -- far from it, in fact -- but there was no denying that the cheer and hope was gone from these ponies hearts.
Applejack checked her watch again. Still a few minutes until the train from Hoofington arrived, and then the recruits would be off to processing. She reached back into a saddlebag and pulled out a letter, this one very much opened. She flicked through it for the hundredth time.
PROSPECTIVE CITIZEN,
CONGRATULATIONS ON THE SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF YOUR APTITUDE TEST. YOUR RESULTS AND SUGGESTED CAREER(S) ARE BELOW. SHOULD YOU ACCEPT YOUR PLACEMENT, RETURN THE ATTACHED FORM TO YOUR LOCAL RECRUITER. WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU IN THE RANKS OF EQUESTRIA’S CITIZENRY.
RESPECTFULLY YOURS,
REAR ADMIRAL TOP GUNN
MINISTER OF DEFENSE
APPLICANT NAME: APPLEJACK (?)
SCORE:
PHYSICAL: 9
MENTAL: 2
EMOTIONAL: 5
RECOMMENDED SERVICE:
1. INFANTRY
2. LABOR
3. TESTING
The emotional part of the score bothered her the most. She was mighty pleased with the near perfect for physical talent, and the well below average mental score was to be expected, given that she’d left school well before receiving a diploma. Heck, Apple Bloom probably had seen more of that school room than she had.
But it was the five for emotion that irked her most of all. The tester had explained that this category was to measure the state of a pony’s well being. It wasn’t so much a test, however, as a prolonged period of observation. Applejack had sat with a few mares from town that she was unfamiliar with in a room for several minutes. She had no idea what was expected of her, and the examiner, removed from the circle of four ponies, wasn’t giving any clues. So Applejack, to her shame, let her self conscious side get the best of her and said nothing. For fifteen minutes, she hardly moved, save to wipe the sweat from her brow and to watch the others.
The result was the five on her record for the rest of time. What bothered her was not that it was too low. In fact, she almost would have preferred a lower number. That would have meant that she’d have some sort of flaw to improve on, something to work at. Instead she was average. Simple. Easily figured out.
In other words, she was nothing special. And that really ate at her nerves.
Still, it could have been worse. She had gotten labor as a top choice, and that was paradise for someone from the Apple family. They’d surely put her in labor, she thought, especially considering the worldwide prominence that the Apple Family brand had risen to over the past few years. And, unlike some ponies she’d heard about through the town gossip circles, her choice hadn’t been limited to a year of having to run tests with experimental technology, or worse, having the tests run on her. Due to the smaller time commitment involved, both Applejack and Rainbow Dash had considered volunteering for "Testing" when the option had been presented to them. It wasn't until the details of just what the test subjects were subjected to, and the reason for their extremely high turnover rate, became public that both ponies had hurriedly scratched the option off of their lists. Voluntarily giving up a limb to some scientists was not Applejack's idea of serving the Princesses.
The Hoofington recruits had arrived, and the transport from Equestrian Command, or EqCom, as the recruits surrounding Applejack called it, followed soon after. The ride was short enough for the mare to wonder why she hadn’t just taken a half hour to walk the distance. After all, it wasn’t like you could miss her destination.
EqCom was an addition to the Canterlot skyline that Applejack hadn’t seen before, and were she completely new to city, she might have mistaken it for the Royal Palace. Hundreds of meters tall, the sweeping, concave, white walls of the building rose in an hourglass shape, with what appeared to be a network of elevators moving in all directions around the outside of the building. Unlike the surrounding city, the structure was adorned with color, banners and flags representing the various branches of Equestrian Command hanging from every surface. Were it not for the large missile banks perched atop the structure, or the heavily armed guard ponies patrolling in droves, Applejack would have considered it a mighty cheerful place.
Processing proceeded quickly, with the attendants running the show obviously having had much practice. Applejack passed through the first round of scans, blood tests and other (rather invasive) procedures, and moved into the main hall of the building. She stepped out of the line she was being ushered through to gander up at the structure. The walls seemed to bulge in on her before billowing back out as the building climbed. It made her feel very small, all the way at the bottom of the building, both literally and figuratively. Applejack caught herself wishing that she’d not have to travel too far above the ground before remembering that she could be launching into space in a few hours. She rolled her eyes at her foalishness, and continued on with the line.
She moved through more rounds of processing before being ushered into a small, dark, metallic room that seemed as far removed from the bright purity of the rest of EqCom.
A unicorn stallion entered from a door opposite her and sat down across from a gulping Applejack.
“Miss Applejack . . . hmmm. Your surname seems to be missing. What might it be, so I can add it to your file?
Applejack thought for a second. The question caught her off guard; she was certainly not expecting that to be an issue.
“Well, um, ma family never really was big on the whole first name, last name thing, seein as we’re the Apple family, and uh, it’d usually be kinda redundant. Applejack Apple, Apple Bloom Apple, ya see?”
The unicorn peered curiously at her over his glasses.
“If you say so. But they won’t be happy with that down the line.”
Applejack tried to respond, but the stallion continued on.
“So, Miss . . . Applejack. Your file has you set up for infantry, so we will see about getting you straight to Camp Frost Hoof. . .”
This time, Applejack was able to interrupt.
“S’cuse me sir, but ah believe labor was also on ma form, and seein’ as ah’m a farm pony and all . . .” She tailed off, with a hopeful smile. The unicorn sighed forcefully, and removed his glasses. He spoke, to nopony in particular, while massaging his brow.
“Not another one of you mud-trotters with your farm pony excuses. I swear, they must hold conventions were you discuss this stuff!”
Applejack was taken aback. “Now ya’ll listen here! My family . . .”
The unicorn jumped to his feet violently. “Watch your tongue, recruit!”
Startled, Applejack sat back down.
“I don’t care if your family goes all the way back to your beloved Chancellor Puddinghead. I don’t care, and the Equestrian Military certainly cares even less. Now, you may have some idea in your head of what serving your Princess requires, but I happen to KNOW that the service requires more infantry. And so you shall fight, Miss Applejack, because the service requires it.” He stamped her fate onto the file open between them.
“Now out of my sight, recruit, before an Antaran’s claws are the least of your problems.”
----
The day continued with much of the same theatrics, as each uniform fitting and physical measurement came with disapproving looks at her surname-less file. Finally, Applejack joined a few hundred other recruits, dressed in various uniforms, in the grand hall of EqCom. From her position towards the back of the gathering, the farm pony could sort of make out a few well dressed unicorns and pegasi on a ledge several meters above the ground floor. Uniformed and armed officers patrolled up and down the ranks, though Applejack couldn’t figure out why.
The unicorn in charge, a mare, from the sound of it, began to speak about the honor of citizenship and the responsibilities of a servant of Celestia. Applejack would have listened intently, like the exemplary soldier she told herself she’d be, but her mind wandered.
Big Mac was right. She’d been lying to herself all this time. It pained her to think that not only had she ignored his advice, but that she’d lied to her sister as well.
“What have ah gotten ma self into?” she said softly to nopony in particular, though she figured that a good part of the assembled recruits were thinking the same thing.
Suddenly, hundreds of hooves were raised in the air, and a cacophony of voices sprung to life. Remembering what she’d been told about taking the Equestrian oath, she quickly followed suit, and trained her gaze to the view screens raised in front of the assembly.
I [your name], being of sound mind and of my own free will. . .
Applejack followed like a good soldier would.
“Ah, Applejack, uh, Apple, bein’ of sound mind and of ma own free will. . .”
. . . having been informed of the dangers and consequences of my decision . . .
“Havin’ been informed of tha dangers and consequences of ma decision. . .”
She could hear what sounded like a snigger coming from outside her field of vision to the right, but paid it no heed.
. . . do now enroll in the Service of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, for the duration of at least three years and as much longer as should be required. . .
“Do now enroll in tha service of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, for tha dura’shun of at least three years and as much longer as should be required. . .”
The snigger continued, and Applejack heard footsteps rapidly approaching her position. She tried to glance around for the source of the disturbance, but found nothing.
. . . I swear to uphold and defend the values and laws of Equestria to the best of my abilities. . .
“Ah swear to uphold and defend tha values and laws of Equestria to tha best of ma abilities . . .”
The footsteps were quite loud now, and Applejack felt a tug on her flank. She turned to look at the offending groper, only to see two large earth ponies with angry looks across their chiseled faces. One of them, with an off white coat and black mustache, grabbed her by the leg and dragged the mare to the ground.
Applejack was shocked, so much so that she didn’t even bother to kick out. Even more surprising than her abduction was the immense strength displayed by this earth pony as he dragged her into a side room much like the one she had received her orders in earlier that afternoon. She doubted that she’d even be able to break free if she tried.
The stallion threw her into the room and slammed the door.
“What the hell was that, recruit?”
Applejack stammered and searched for an answer.
“Beg yer pardon?”
The stallion hit her across the face. Hard. Tears started to form, but she held them back.
“I am an officer, recruit. And you are just that. A recruit. I could have you tossed outta here so fast your little farmstead won’t even realize that you were gone. Now you will address me as sir, recruit, and you will answer my question. What the hell was that?”
“Ah. . . sir . . .” she added quickly. “Ah don’t understand. What did ah do?”
He hit her again, in the stomach this time.
“Don’t give me this farm pony accent bullshit, recruit. I’ve had dozens of friends die for that oath. When you say it, you say it with respect. None of these ‘ahs’ and ‘thas’ or your hickville talk. You’re about to join the a conflict with the deadliest creatures ever known in this galaxy, and this military does not have the resources for you to get someone killed because you can’t pronounce ‘duration’! Am I understood, recruit?”
“Yes, sir, ya. . .you are. Uh, sir.”
Applejack squeezed the words out, somehow, taking her time with each syllable. She was too panicked to even attempt to rationalize what had just happened.
“Better,” the pony spat at her. “But still shit. Now, the oath is over and you’re about to miss the transport for wherever hellhole you’re being sent to. I’d let you figure it out on your own, but I can’t have you wandering around or getting your head stuck in a toilet while your transport leaves. So I’ll bring you myself.”
Applejack stood up and regained her balance. The stallion made an exaggerated, sweeping bow, and, disdainfully, asked, “Where to, madam Apple? Shall I fetch a chariot? I haven’t got all day.”
Applejack swallowed and tasted blood as she did. She looked at her tormentor, and seeing the opportunity to be rid of him, replied through rapidly swelling lips.
“I’m ordered to Frost Hoof, sir.”
The stallion’s face lit up.
“Really now? Ain’t that a pleasant surprise!” He turned and left the room, leaving the door open. Applejack stood frozen to the spot.
“Well, hurry up then, recruit. We can keep each other company on the trip.”
He turned and kept walking away from the door. Applejack swallowed again, with more blood this time. She sighed, spit on the floor, and galloped after the stallion.
“What have ah gotten myself into?”
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Applejack thought that Rarity was going to magic her couch out of somewhere, but the pegasus maintained her composure despite her obvious discomfort
1908685:rarity isn't a pegasus?
Thanks. Will work on the accent more in part three.
The sudden aggression towards Applejack from her farming background and her accent (mostly the accent) was rather jarring. I can sort of understand the unicorn's reaction, they need more infantry, he probably has had to deal with a lot of ponies like her, maybe even had a bad day, so it's sort of understandable under the circumstances. The accent issue however really surprised me, but it might just be because I've dealt with people who act similar to that, displaying the whole "How DARE you come from a different place than I did!" mentality. Honestly though, my only issue comes from not understanding where they were coming from, and not getting the purpose of those scenes. Other than that, I am liking the story, and hope to see more soon.
1912271
Re reading it after submitting, I had a similar reaction to the sudden shift it tone. I don't think I had wanted it to be so... violent, but I wanted AJ to really experience a "you're not in kansas anymore" moment, and it seemed appropriate to do it at this stage in that manner. I also wanted to give a sense that the peace and harmony of her youth may be giving way. But you make a good point- it seems a bit sudden.
Re the accent, that came as a process of a few things. I wanted to start with the new character, of course, but also to start pulling apart the things that make Applejack Applejack. It's also a convenient way to get around how much I think I exaggerated her 'ahs' and 'yeps' in part one.
Anyway, thanks for the feedback! Part three should be up within a day or so.
The accent issue comes across as pure, pointless bigotry. Has nothing to do with anything military unless it's so bad she can't communicate. The officer's interest is clearly personal, not professional. Conduct unbecoming an officer.
That’s not how the elements work, they do just fine against hive minds and do even better against creatures that don’t understand their values.
I can understand the reasoning go behind the excuse, don’t want an easy victory for the ponies, but still, that’s not how the elements work.