Upheaval : Reckoning
Chapter 15: For the Legion
Six days had passed since Princess Celestia's and Prince Terrato's public address. Twilight had received news that, while there were a few things to worry about, it had proceeded smoothly enough. The past few days had been peaceful enough. She and her friends had done what they could to spend some time with friends and family, but she had also taken the time to keep up with news coming from Canterlot and other nearby cities.
It was the larger settlements that were the first on the Legion's list: Manehattan, Cloudsdale, Baltimare, Canterlot…the big cities with plenty of recruits to gain. It was only now that the Legion had started to pay attention to the smaller settlements and that included Ponyville.
Twilight watched as the first few squads of heavily barded earth ponies arrived. She had woken up early and started watching for them ever since news arrived yesterday that they coming. She wasn't alone as well. Applejack had thought of doing the exact same thing and stood next to her. "What's with the disappointed face?" she asked the earth pony.
Applejack looked on as more legionnaires arrived. The last of them had entered the village when she answered. "I was hoping Vanguard Clash would be with them," she said.
Hearing the name come from Applejack brought about a now familiar and annoying twinge inside Twilight. "That's completely ridiculous," she said. The tinge of harshness in her voice surprised even her. "He's Special Operations, not a recruiting officer, why would he come here?"
"To see us," Applejack replied. She kept her gaze on the legionnaires and got ready to interfere if something went out of hoof. Twilight bit back another harsh reply, berating herself for suddenly being so irritable.
There was something anticlimactic about the way the legionnaires entered Ponyville. There were no trumpets or even some kind of procession. A small group of armored ponies simply walked into town as if they were merely visitors. Indeed, it took some time before somepony realized that the draft had finally begun. Mayor Mare hurriedly arrived to greet the legionnaires while the rest of Ponyville gathered behind her.
"Greetings, ponies of the Equestrian Legion," Mayor Mare said. She had a prepared script with her, something that Twilight had helped with earlier. "Welcome to our fair village."
Twilight watched nervously as the lead legionnaire stepped forward. They were probably from the Western or Southern Barrier Land as she didn't recognize the barding. She and Applejack moved closer. She could see Rarity and the others amidst the crowd. They were also looking on.
"I am Recruiting Officer Mineshaft," the lead legionnaire replied. "Behind me are legionnaires from the Fourth Infantry Platoon of the Western Equestrian Legion. We greet you, citizens of Ponyville and we look forward to working with you in the fight for our realm."
Twilight realized that Mineshaft had replied to the prepared script with one of his own. 'I suppose I should be glad that he at least made a decent attempt at enthusiasm,' she thought.
"We request access to your registry list to determine who and how many we are expecting to draft," Mineshaft went on. "We are also going to set up here in your main plaza."
"Of course, sir, right away," Mayor Mare replied. She and her assistants trotted back to her office for the required documents.
Mineshaft turned his attention to all the ponies that had gathered. "All ponies expecting to be drafted and all volunteers should remain. The rest of you, please return to your daily business." As he was saying that, the rest of the legionnaires were already spreading out to surround the plaza. A few of them asked for chairs and tables while others were already organizing lines and herding out the ponies who were not expected to be recruited: colts, fillies and the elderly.
"Excuse me, Officer Mineshaft," Twilight said as she approached. The rest of her friends came with her.
"Yes, ma'am?" Mineshaft replied.
"Does this mean that all the ponies recruited here will be stationed at the Western Barrier Land?"
"That is correct."
That was another moment of relief for Twilight. She didn't know much of the other Barrier Lands besides the northern one, but she could expect the fighting there to be less intense. At least as long as the ursans didn't decide to launch their own major invasion. Mayor Mare returned with the registry list which Mineshaft promptly took. "Thank you, madam mayor," he said. "The Legion appreciates your cooperation." He looked over the list and then eyed Twilight curiously. "By the way, we received a memo that there are already chosen legionnaires currently staying here," he said. "Do you happen to know who they are?"
"That would be me and my friends," Twilight replied. "We're from the Northern Equestrian Legion." She proceeded to introduce herself and her friends.
"In the thick of the fighting, eh?" Mineshaft said after Twilight had finished. He looked glad to encounter fellow legionnaires while surrounded by chosen. "I can respect that. I understand that you're on some kind of leave at the moment, but we'd appreciate any assistance from you in dealing with the chosen."
Twilight nodded. She was actually hoping for that. If nothing else, she wanted to make this draft as easy as possible for her fellow villagers.
The legionnaires were already finishing setting up. By the time noon rolled around, the lines were already in place. Though she was glad that things were going smoothly, Twilight also felt some disappointment. She had held some belief that, once her fellow chosen understood the situation, at least some of them would join in on their own volition. Yet the looks on their faces were more resigned acceptance than any sort of enthusiasm. As she and her friends looked on from a distance, she couldn't help but feel a little ashamed. She was now glad that Vanguard had not come. The legionnaires matched the resignation with emotionless, mechanical movements that were only a little better than outright hostility.
"They should really make this into a happy occasion," Pinkie Pie said. "Think of how much better recruitment would be if these legionnaires threw a 'Welcome to the Legion' party to celebrate all the new recruits!"
Twilight took note of the saddlebag that Pinkie Pie was wearing. Earlier, she had seen the pink pony pull out a piece of slate from the bag, fiddle with it for a while and then replace it.
"I don't think our friends and neighbors are in any mood for a party, Pinkie," Rarity said.
"They won't be if these legionnaires keep acting like grumps," Pinkie replied. "Can't they, at least, take off those champrons and smile?"
"I don't think the legionnaires are in any mood for that either," Fluttershy answered.
About an hour passed when a legionnaire approached Twilight's group. "Legionnaire Sparkle, we would like your assistance regarding a problem," he said.
"What happened?" Twilight asked as she and her friends followed.
"We've encountered some resistance with one of the chosen," the legionnaire replied. He led them to a house where several legionnaires were standing by the entrance along with a familiar mint-green unicorn. Twilight recognized Lyra and guessed as to who was the pony barricading the house.
"Open this door, Miss Bon Bon," one the legionnaires by the door said. "By unified Equestrian law, avoiding the draft is punishable by jail time!"
"Never!" a high-pitched voice responded from inside the house. "I don't want to go to some far off land and fight! Leave me alone!"
"Bon Bon, please come out," Lyra implored. "You'll only make things worse in there!"
There was no answer this time. The legionnaire that brought Twilight and her friends to the place turned towards them. "Maybe you can talk her into putting a stop to this tantrum and show up for the draft," he said. "Otherwise we're arresting her."
Twilight nodded and then stepped forward. She knocked on the door briefly before speaking. "Bon Bon, it's me, Twilight Sparkle," she began.
"Go away, Twilight Sparkle!" was the immediate reply.
"Bon Bon, the Legion needs your help…"
"They're not getting it! There are hundreds of ponies out there they could get, they don't need me!"
"Don't you care about protecting Equestria?" Twilight asked.
"I'm just one pony," Bon Bon answered. "I'm not a fighter! I don't have magic or great strength! What am I supposed to do against monsters? Please, just leave me alone!"
"Bon Bon-!"
"This is all your fault, Twilight Sparke!" Twilight could hear the quiver in Bon Bon's voice when she spoke as well as the sobs between the words. "Why couldn't you have just left things alone? Why couldn't you have just stayed banished to wherever you were? Everypony was happy! Why did you have to ruin everything?"
Twilight's gaze lowered. "I just…" she said softly.
Seeing that negotiations weren't going anywhere, one of the legionnaires stepped forward, planted his forelegs firmly on the ground, and then bucked at the door. Heavy metal tramplers smashed into the house's wooden entrance, breaking it in half and sending splinters scattering into the interior. Inside, Bon Bon gave a panicked yelp and tried to run farther into the house. The legionnaires quickly surrounded and restrained her, however.
"You're under arrest," one of the legionnaires said. With his fellows surrounding Bon Bon, he pushed her roughly and all of them moved forward. Tears streaming down her face, Bon Bon gave one last angry look at Twilight and then meekly followed.
"You're not going to hurt her, are you?" Lyra asked as the legionnaires walked past her.
"Our orders are to arrest anypony who tries to avoid the draft. Seeing as this village doesn't have a jail, we'll probably have to transfer her to the nearest city. Now, get to the plaza, Miss Heartstrings, you're on the list too." Seeing Lyra's worried face, however, made the legionnaire soften his tone. "We won't hurt her unless she makes us defend ourselves," he added.
"Coward," Rainbow muttered as Bon Bon was led away.
"Rainbow!" Applejack said. "It ain't that simple!"
Rarity put a concerned hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "Are you alright, dear?" she asked. Her voice took on a reassuring tone as she continued. "Don't let what she said get to you. You did the right thing by going against the division."
"But is it really our fault?" Fluttershy asked softly. "Are we the ones who dragged Ponyville into war?"
"The war didn't need any help in bringing itself here," Rarity insisted. "It was going to happen eventually thanks to Black Rose's meddling. If there's anypony to be blamed it's her and all the creatures that are trying to invade Equestria!"
"We still had a part in it," Twilight said. "But you're right, Rarity." She watched as Lyra ran off to the plaza before the legionnaires decided to arrest her as well. "There's going to be more of these incidents and not just here in Ponyville."
It was afternoon by the time the draft in Ponyville was almost finished. Being primarily an earth pony settlement, it was no surprise that most of the recruits were earth ponies, but a few unicorns and pegasi had also joined up. Throughout the entire procedure, Twilight kept looking for at least one volunteer. She was disappointed right to the end. She didn't consider the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who, once again, tried to sign up only to be shooed away. "So what's going to happen to all the new recruits now?" she asked Mineshaft.
"We've got a large training camp already being set up just under Cloudsdale," Mineshaft replied. "They'll start their training there before being sent off to their new respective posts."
As Mineshaft was speaking, Twilight noticed a large, red stallion approaching the legionnaires. 'Big Macintosh," she thought. She noticed Applejack already moving to intercept the older Apple.
"Big Macintosh!" Applejack called out. "What are you doing here? You're not being drafted!"
Big Macintosh ignored his sister for a while and walked over to Mineshaft. "Sir," he said politely and firmly. "I'd like to replace Applejack in the Legion please."
"I already told you that it doesn't work that way!" Applejack said.
"I still got to try," Big Macintosh replied.
Mineshaft looked Big Macintosh over and then turned to one of the other legionnaires. "Scree Trail! Why aren't we drafting this big, strapping stallion?" he asked. "Just looking at him, I know he'll do well in Infantry!"
Scree Trail walked over and inspected Big Macintosh as well. "Which family are you from, stallion?" he asked.
"The Apple Family," Big Macintosh replied.
"Well, there you go," Scree Trail said. "It says here on this report that the Ponyville branch of the Apple Family is exempted from the draft. The Legion already has a member in the ranks."
"Well, that explains it," Mineshaft said. "We're not drafting you and the Legion doesn't do trades."
"But-!" Big Macintosh protested.
"Not just any legionnaire too!" Scree Trail went on. "It says here that she's a Special Operations Vice Captain!"
Mineshaft gave a low whistle. "A chosen in Special Operations that fast?" he remarked admiringly. "And from the Apple Family too. I'm tempted to think that it's the legend of Apple Slice all over again."
"Wait just a golldarn minute!" Applejack tried to protest, especially when she saw the look of horror that Big Macintosh gave her. "I'm not Special Operations! That report's made a mistake!"
"It's true," Twilight added. "We formed a squad under a Special Operations captain, but we weren't part of that group."
"Would you like to be anyway?" somepony said from a distance.
Everypony turned towards the newcomer. Applejack took one look at the dark blue unicorn mare with the curly mane and then shook her head. "Captain Nightcanter," she said awkwardly.
Behind Nightcanter were several ponies, likely all members of her squad and a few more. She walked towards the gathering of ponies and looked around. "So what do we have here?" she asked. She focused on Big Macintosh who was still staring at Applejack. "You looking to join the Legion, big boy?" she asked. "I can think of several uses for you. A few might actually involve fighting."
Applejack planted herself between Nightcanter and her older brother. "Why don't we just talk about why Special Operations is here?" she asked. Her tone was tense, but still respectful. Twilight agreed with the approach. Captain Nightcanter may often talk playfully, but she was still a high ranking pony, one who had defeated her in a sparring match before.
"I…I'll be back in the farm," Big Macintosh said. He looked confused at what he had just heard and seen. When he stepped back and turned around, he did so in a daze.
"Big Mac!" Applejack called out to him. "We'll talk about this later!" She pressed her lips together in frustration when he didn't respond as he trotted off. Of all the rotten luck, she had to be talking with a blabbermouth recruiting officer.
"So what is Special Operations doing in Ponyville, Captain Nightcanter?" Twilight asked. "Does it have something to do with us?"
"Not really," Nightcanter replied. She gestured for Mineshaft and his legionnaires to move on, an order that they promptly obeyed. She lowered her voice slightly. "We're here to set up a base of operations and then we're off to investigate the Everfree Forest. Maybe we can talk somewhere more private than the middle of a public plaza."
"The library is pretty empty," Twilight suggested.
Several minutes later, Twilight found herself playing host to two squads of Special Operations legionnaires and her friends. She peered outside and then closed the curtains. Inside, she noticed Nightcanter cast a spell, temporarily engulfing everything in the tree-house in dark blue light. "Just something to make sure nopony's spying," Nightcanter explained.
Most of the Special Operations ponies remained in the other reading rooms while Nightcanter sat at the center of Twilight and her friends. "So why do you need to go to Everfree Forest?" Twilight asked.
"Not the forest," Nightcanter explained. "Our destination is Everfree Castle. We've received information that it might hold what we need to finally get a grasp of Black Rose's plans."
"You mean the goal isn't even to defeat Black Rose?" Rainbow asked. "She's already stolen Princess Celestia's power and we're still just getting to know her?"
Nightcanter's eyes narrowed as she set both her forelegs on the table before resting her chin behind them. "Things aren't as simple as your rainbow-stained brain might take them to be," she said. "It's easy with the wolven or the ursans or the ophidites. They want to attack Equestria and the goal is to defend against them. We're in the dark with Black Rose here. We originally thought that she wanted to kill Princess Celestia, but she's not dead now is she? Our best lead is the one provided by her brother of all ponies. Special Operations is spread thin and clutching at straws so, yes, our current goal at the moment is to get to know her better."
"And you think that there's something in Everfree Castle that could help with that?" Rarity asked. "What could it be? It was empty the last time we got there and all we know is that it used to house the Elements of Harmony."
"You only scratched the surface during your last visit," Nightcanter replied. "We're going deeper than that. Thanks to what we found inside Canterlot's Great Library, we know that the castle is sitting on something even older."
"What's that?" Twilight asked breathlessly. She couldn't help but get a little excited at the prospect of new knowledge.
"The Last Refuge of Clover the Clever."
Twilight nearly felt her heart stop. "You're kidding," she said softly. She had to force the words out in her shock.
"How much do you know about Clover the Clever?" Nightcanter asked.
"She was Starswirl the Bearded's disciple and a great spell caster in her own right," Twilight answered eagerly. "She helped found Equestria during the Windigo Crisis along with several other ponies."
Nightcanter raised an eyebrow.
"What? That's not how Barrier Lands lore remembers it?"
"No. But it's not about Barrier Lands lore, it's about what we found in the hidden archives in the Great Library."
"There are hidden archives in the Great Library?" Twilight asked as her eyes lit up.
"Woah nelly," Applejack interrupted. "Let's focus here."
"Right," Nightcanter continued. "According to the sealed histories, the ponies before Lexarius's dominion migrated outward from The Blasphemous Rift. The Windigo Crisis prompted a move inward in a desperate attempt to survive."
"And then they discovered that the power of friendship and defeated the windigos," Twilight said. The term "Blasphemous Rift" concerned her. She made a mental note to find out more later.
The corners of Nightcanter's lips twitched a bit, but she controlled herself. "Well, they found something. I don't think it was friendship though." She grew serious as she went on. "Clover the Clever and her companions strayed very close to the Blasphemous Rift and managed to attune themselves to the lingering power of Oceanus. They used this power to destroy the windigos and claim Equestria."
It was Twilight's turn to settle down grimly. 'So much for Hearth's Warming Eve,' she thought. "What happened then?"
"While the rest of the ponykind settled the land, Clover and her companions delved deeper into utilizing the power of Oceanus. They built a great capital city around the rift dedicated to further attuning all of ponykind to their progenitor. A lot of bad things were committed during those times, several books worth in fact."
Nightcanter paused for a moment and then massaged her throat. "Say you don't happen to have some booze in this library do you?" she asked.
"No booze," Twilight replied. "I'll get you some water." Once she set down a glass of water for the dark blue unicorn, she spoke in a grim tone. "Was Starswirl the Bearded attuned to Oceanus too?"
"Starswirl the Bearded died of sickness immediately after the discovery of Oceanus and the Blasphemous Rift," Nightcanter replied. "At least that's what the records say," she added with a sly smile. After several gulps of water, she went on. "It was at this point that Lexarius interfered. He arrived in this world and rallied every pony who was horrified with what Clover and her companions were up to in their capital. To our race's credit, there were a lot of them. With his army, he met the Oceanites in the battlefield and annihilated them, reducing their mighty city into a rubble-filled crater and then teaming up with his fellow stewards to seal the Blasphemous Rift for good."
"Of course that wasn't the end," Rarity said. "You wouldn't be here if that was the end."
"Of course not. Clover the Clever survived and fled into where the Everfree Forest is now. She went into hiding and spent the rest of her life trying to find a way to undo the seals and reach Oceanus's power. The sealed histories say that she came up with a way to siphon power from the Eternal Herd to accomplish that but…"
"..but what?" Twilight asked impatiently.
"She didn't get to use it. Lexarius found her and intercepted her. That was the end of Clover the Too-Clever-For-Her-Own-Good. Lexarius then sealed away her last refuge. Centuries later, Princess Celestia built Everfree Castle over it for extra protection."
"Why didn't they just destroy it?" Rainbow asked.
"Clover stored a lot of power in that refuge in order to hide and protect it. That power was distilled from remains of her former companions and the last traces of the Blasphemous Rift she could gather. Destroying the refuge would have spread that power all over Equestria. Who knows what effect it could have?"
"So why go there now?" Twilight asked.
"Black Rose plans to get into the Blasphemous Rift. She'll need a way how and whatever's in that refuge is a good lead."
"She's been on the move for a while now," Twilight said in frustration. "She may have already gone there and taken anything useful."
"Maybe. She doesn't have free access to the information we just got like we have. The prince is sure that what she learned from the Library of Lexarius only has vague clues about the sealed histories, which hadn't been disturbed when we got to them. She still needs a means to complete her goals. We just might get the jump on Black Rose this time. At the very least, we can actually be on her trail instead of floundering around."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Rainbow asked. "Let's go!"
"Hold on there, RD," Applejack said. "This ain't our mission. It's Captain Nightcanter's."
"You'll need help, right?" Twilight asked.
"We could use some assistance navigating the forest," Nightcanter replied.
"We can help with that," Twilight said. "We'd like to go into the castle with you as well."
Nightcanter paused again. "You know...Vanguard asked me not to bother you mares on your vacation..." she said. She smiled the same sort of smile that made both Twilight and Applejack shudder. "But why not? It sounds like fun."