Commander Flamberge Field Journal Entry #1

   I have been assigned to an expeditionary force to form a new settlement in The Hills of Worry. I have heard several tall tails tales about dark and sinister magic in these hills. I am not overly concerned, though all stories have a ring of truth, we will be on our guard. The leader of the expedition is a stallion named Temperance, he is apparently the younger brother of Duchess Virtue of Dawnpick, wherever that is.

   This is my first command position, though I don't have any proper soldiers with me and am chronically under-supplied, I have my sword, two helmets, and two peytrals, and that is it. My superiors have tasked me to recruit, train, and equip a militia for the area from these pioneers, and whatever material we can scrounge up. It won't be easy.

Commander Flamberge Field Journal 1st Granite, 269

   We have finally arrived at our new home. Though it doesn't look it yet. The trees and undergrowth are thick enough to choke a dragon. The miner, Smoothblock, I think her name was, has started flattening the hills. Such strength, while not uncommon among earth ponies, is still staggering. The rest of the party took to clearing the trees and shrubbery. Seems some of the local plants may be edible, though they don't look that tasty. Still anything's better than the magically dehydrated rations they fed us in the army.

Temperance has decided to call this place, Duskfields. The name I suppose, fits a farming town in The Hills of Worry.

Commander Flamberge Field Journal 2nd Granite, 269

   It has come to my attention that we have been gifted several bars of steel, by Lady Virtue. I believe these should be used to produce a surplus of weapons so that everypony here can have something to defend themselves with, in the case of bandits or wild animals. I will recommend spear tips be forged to Temperance, as soon as we can spare time to set up a forge.

Commander Flamberge Field Journal 7th Granite, 269

   A spot has been cleared and set aside for me to practice, I am most appreciative. I have also found my first recruit, a beautiful young pegasus mare named Crosshair. She is a decent shot with a crossbow, though her experience with hoof to hoof combat is a bit more limited. I'll have to see if I can fix that. She does however show promise. We shall see what she can do, she may be able to help instruct other recruits to shoot the bow better than I could as well.

Commander Flamberge Field Journal 17th Felsite, 269

   We finally all have a bed to sleep in and a roof over our heads, the dorms are cramped but beat the hell out of sleeping in the dirt. Veener and Woodchips have done a splendid job. Still no sign of trouble, but Crosshair and I have been spending our time patrolling and training. She is a talented young mare, I could not have done better for a first recruit.

Crosshair's Diary, 2nd Granite, 269

I couldn't help but notice that we're gifted by several bars of what must be the shiniest  steel bars I've ever seen in my life. Apparently it's from our leader's sister, Duchess Virtue of Dawnpick, I think I've heard of her from somewhere, probably in the news or something like that. I'm sure if she made it to Duchess and made it into the news, then she probably done something to deserve it. Here's hoping that it's in the blood line! I wouldn't mind if one day Temperance becomes Duke Temperance! That'd be neat.

Crosshair's Diary, 7th Granite, 269

I guess they noticed how we were getting antsy and bored to our bones and set up a place to practice! It's not much, quite literally just a flat ground to play in. But I appreciate that! Flat ground's in the trend nowadays. Also apparently I've been recruited by our awesome Militia Commander Flamberge! He made me a captain, It's so awesome! He's even got a very, Very big sword with him too! I'm not really much for close hoof-to-hoof combat myself, but I think I'd like to get taught by him about that.

Crosshair's Diary, 17th Felsite, 269 

Today's the day we finally slept properly! Well, not entirely so, but, We have roofs over our heads now! I missed that. And you can only sleep on clouds for so long, and when you got something flying up and bit you right in the flanks, suddenly sleeping on clouds isn't so very nice anymore. But I guess I'll just drag one down to the dorms and sleep there, should be good.

Everything's finally taking shape and I can't be happier with my position here, I thought they'd make me be some sort of just another guard amongst the other dozen or something but I've been made Captain! When you thought life couldn't get any better, it put a surprise on the silver plate for you. Here's hoping that won't change any time soon!

Me and the Commander have been spending quite a lot of time together, training and patrolling to make sure nothing bad's going to pop up and eat our ponies. I can't help but to notice that every once in a while he would tell me to sit on a cloud with him to 'guard' the area and be a lookout, something about training my patience and focus or something like that I don't know. It's pretty awesome! And I don't know if it's just me, but the Commander's been talking oddly around me lately. I mean, normally he'd use that strong authoritative barks or that deep statement that didn't leave any room for doubts, but he seems to be speaking softer around me. Not that it's bad or anything, just something to note down.

~Maize's thoughts~ 2nd Granite, 269

I got to check out some of the local plants today. Not that I need to, of course, I'm certain that our commander was bright enough to pack radishes, and radishes are all we could ever need. Even so, they say variety is the spice of life, and I'm not one to disagree with a nugget of wisdom like that, so I found a nice secluded area and started picking. Maybe someday I might find a new kind of radish!

7th Granite

The two soldiers of our group now have their own practicing area set away from the rest of us. I can't say I'm not a little jealous, but at the same time I'm thankful that there's that much less chance I'll end up bumping into someone. Father always said I was too clumsy.

19th Granite

Finally, a farm plot! It's a bit close to everyone else, but as long as I just ignore them and do my work everything should work out fine. Now, where are those seeds?

17th Felsite

They've got 'communal dorms' they're setting up. The beds look nice, I suppose, but there's far too many people around to sleep. Besides, nothing beats the familiar comfort of plowed field to sleep in. Father said I'd best get used to sleeping outside, and he was so right! Thanks again, Father, you always knew best!

Oh, and they made a home for the animals. Good thing, since if they'd gotten into my radishes, we probably wouldn't have animals any more.

Cream Puff's Diary

Granite 2

I can't believe I forgot to mention Crosshair!  She made the trip out here bearable, I would have been bored out of my skull without her!  It's nice to have a good friend like her here.  Not much has happened otherwise, though Temperance found a crate of steel ingots which are apparently from his sister.  Commander Flamberge thinks they should be used for weapons or maybe armor, which makes sense, I guess.  But hopefully we can spare some for a new chef's knife and some other utensils and cooking equipment.

Granite 7

Crosshair and Flamberge have been training together, which is nice, I suppose.  Crosshair has a lot of energy, and Flamberge thinks she'll make a good soldier.  She's quite a shot with a crossbow, but I don't know how she'll do in melee.  Still, she's excited and happy, so it'll probably work out.

Granite 19

The first field has been tilled!  I can't wait until we have some crops to harvest.  I tried talking with Maize, but she doesn't seem to really like other ponies.  Well, too bad for her.  We're both going to be responsible for feeding the others, so we're going to see a lot of each other!

Granite 21

I've been talking with the livestock.  Well, the sheep, mostly.  I can't understand a word the camel speaks, and the yak just nods or shakes his head.  At least, I think he's a he.  He's pretty hairy and hasn't said anything, so it's hard to tell.  I could ask him, but that's a bit rude.  The sheep, though, are fairly talkative.  I wish we had a few cows, though.  I mean, sure, you can milk a sheep, but you can't really make cream or butter from it!  How am I supposed to make my namesake without cream?!

Felsite 17

Buildings are going up at a pretty good clip.  At this rate, I'll soon have a real kitchen to work in, instead of the improvised one I have now.

SmoothBlock's Journal  - 2nd Granite, 269

Well, lot of hills for me to turn into fields, at least it's work. It looks like we will need to clear some trees to make any buildings at all, Holly got right to it. Please let the first thing we build be a still, I want to see if I can turn these plants and berries into booze.

SmoothBlock's Journal  - 7th Granite, 269

A week and still pounding hills, really we are going to need a sand pit and  clay pit, even if we live in nice wood homes. The guards have a place to practice. Talked to Veneer, turns out he's a carpenter, not a fruit salesmen. He asked me to lunch, I said yes and now he's all jitters around me... I think my voice scared him.

SmoothBlock's Journal - 19th Granite, 269

Hah, a real field is up! Now Maize can grow us some booze fuel! Why she always smiling at me when I try to talk to her? The silence just gets so awkward that I walk away. Next time she does that I'm going to just tell "Oh boopy, you have a lovely smile!" maybe that will break the ice she carries around with her.

SmoothBlock's Journal - Granite 21st, 269

Saw Cream Puff talking to the live stock today, I forgot we could do that.... So I went to ask the sheep when they will be ready to be sheared, need wool to make bags to hold sand.

SmoothBlock's Journal - Felsite 17th, 269

This many hills is a lot for one pony. Got lodgings now, I hope I don't drunk'nly stumble into anypony ells's bed. That hospital is going to need a well.

~Maize's Thoughts~ 1st Hematite, 269

Miss... Smoothblock, I think her name was, tried to talk to me again. I tried smiling at her, but... she told me my smile was pretty. I guess I should have been happy that someone thought well about me, but... I was so shocked that someone... well, anyway, I ended up just walking off, lying in my little bed in the field, and crying. Everypony was watching me, and it made me cry even harder. When I finished, it was already getting dark, so I just laid there and drifted off. I don't think I've ever cried that long... well, not since Mama and Father were gone... I just hope I didn't get Miss Smoothblock in trouble or anything.

At least there's individual rooms getting done now, so maybe I'll just be able to hide in mine once it's done. Or... I guess I'll have to try socializing. Maybe with that Cream Puff, just to start, just to get used to it...

Father, why can't you come back and beat some sense into me like you always did?

Holly’s Journal

The writing is spidery and messy, the diary it's written in little more than a collection of torn, unkempt pages. The author hasn't bothered dating the entries.

Entry 1

Too many trees, not enough tree-cutters. Really gets boring after a while. We should have brought more than one axe.

Entry 2

How many trees does a forest need to be a forest, anyway? I guess only the world-spirits know.

Entry 3

Temperance keeps changing his mind about how much space we need. It's beginning to bug me. Gotta get up and make the clearing even bigger today.

Entry 4

I wonder if this wood chopping is anything like actually fighting something with an axe. A moving sort of something. Probably not.

Entry 5

Still need more wood. Or space, or something. Either way, need to cut down more trees. May the spirits understand our need for them.

Entry 6

A crude depiction of several trees is drawn here. The image has been scribbled over.

Entry 7

This place is nothing like what they said it'd be like. Maybe they should try cutting down trees for twelve hours every day and get back to me.

Entry 8

The original entry here has been rendered illegible by excessive scribbling.

No, actually today isn't a day off. My bad.

Entry 9

This entry consists mostly of a short prayer.

I need to ask about getting a small shrine or something built.

Entry 10

This page has had ink spilled all over it. The original entry is unreadable.

Entry 11

Three moons since we came here now. Forest is considerably smaller as a result, but we've not taken more than we needed. That is good.

Case Study's Journal - 2nd Granite, 269

No sense in being a one-trick pony when so much needs to be done. I've asked Mr. Temperance what I can do to help get the ball rolling around here. He has assigned me to search for useful and edible herbs that may be found in the surrounding countryside. I'm not a botanist, but fortunately my collection of books will likely contain some information of value. I'm hoping I can locate some medicinal plants that will come in handy when treating injuries (and my headaches, as I'm running low on my personal remedy...).

17th Felsite, 269

Despite the cramped and somewhat stressful conditions, there haven't been any arguments or violent confrontations. I'm thankful for that, as I can't stand yelling or any other loud sounds. I'd still appreciate not having to sleep in such close proximity to everypony; I need my personal space. I'll exercise some patience in the mean time. A lot has been accomplished overall and I have been impressed with how disciplined everypony has been about getting work done. Ms. Holly and Ms. Block have a lot on their shoulders and have somehow managed to perform their jobs with minimal help from others. I find it almost a paradox that Ms. Block has proven capable of such vigorous physical labor. In the meantime, Ms. Puff has seen to it that we have all been sufficiently fed. I suppose the plants I've been gathering have been satisfactory.

 and

   Flamberge, in his armor such as it was, surveys the area from the sky, it was little more than a flat piece of ground, with a couple armor and weapon stands, a short distance away from camp, but that made it more than sufficient. Today was to be his proper day as Commander, he had found one pony among the others with some idea of how to use a weapon and had recruited them, her name was Crosshair and she seemed very enthusiastic about the opportunity. He was looking forward to this.

Crosshair showed up right on time with her trusty crossbow and a quiver of wooden bolts, It might not look much, but she have prided herself with it. Beaming happily to the fact that she have an actual training grounds and /something/ to do besides hauling boulders and logs now! She’s in such a good mood that she’s even humming a little catchy tune that only ponies seems to be able to produce.

    "Morning recruit," says Flamberge as he lands near Crosshair, "First thing, first, we need to get you suited up in your armor. There is a helmet and a peytral on the stand, get dressed then we can begin."

“Yes commander!” Crosshair happily chirped as she trots over to the armor stand and dressed up as ordered, she was quick to put on her gear, probably have had experienced with it somewhere. Her tail flicked from sides to sides in excitement of a proper training day! She’s just bursting with energy and happiness.

    Flamberge remains professional and resists watching the mare's tail as she flicked it about while putting on the bronze armor, but only just.

   When she is finished he clears his throat and says, "Yes, um, well because it is only the two of us, I plan to do this a bit differently than a normal boot camp. First, I need to know, what kind of experience you have? You said you are familiar with the crossbow, yes?"

    Crosshair nodded proudly. “Yup! I like to think I’m a pretty good shot, and I have some experience with wearing armor, nothing too big though. I needed to fly afterall!” She answered happily as she beams an invasive happiness at her commander.

    Flamberge smiles, but raises an eyebrow, “Experience with wearing armor? Were you in army, or...”

    “The guards.” She chirped. “There weren’t really much to do though, just boring patrols and more boring patrols and even more boring patrols.” She said, waving a hoof at how boring it was.

    "I see. A bit of background on myself is in order I expect. I am a member of the Coupledye Military, and was just promoted to Commander recently. Before that I served as a swordspony in the airborne infantry. I don't have much experience with a crossbow, but I will help in what ways I can. I'll see about getting us an archery range set up in the future, but for now, I'd still like to see what you got. We'll use this tree," he gestures to one at the edge of the cleared area, away from the campsite, "we'll consider that knot on the left hoof side there, to be the bulls-eye."

   Flamberge marks a line in the earth, "See if you can hit it, reliably, from here, if you can we'll move the line back some more, and so on until you can't."

Crosshair spends her time doing just as told, shooting at her target with careful patience that didn’t look like she had it in her at all, being so energetic and such. But she managed it, and happily did as her commander told her to. It was one of the bestest days for her since she arrived here.

Flamberge watched Crosshair for a time, but having little in the way of constructive criticism to add, she was already a better shot than him, he eventually went a short distance away, took out his long and curving sword and began to work on some individual drills.

As they both trained, Crosshair found herself looking at his way every once in awhile. She did not know why, but it felt good to do so, felt safe. And made her train with increasing vigor. It was good, so she didn’t question it.

As the sun began to set Flamberge decided to call it a day. The two ponies were completely drenched in sweat from all the exercise on the warm spring day. As Crosshair took off her helmet she flipped her mane backwards, Flamberge caught himself staring, she was an incredibly beautiful mare, and had great potential as a soldier. When he thought she had noticed him staring he cleared his throat, and said, though blushing, "Um, Crosshair, you have experience as a guard, and are well above average for a recruit... I have a lot of work ahead of me, building our militia, and I would like to be able to count on your help, thus I am making you our first militia captain."

That made the young mare gasp deeply as her eyes widen up to the size of plates, she let out an adorable squee but quickly catch herself and returned to beaming brightly with wide smiling grin. “Thank you, Commander!” She chirped. Beaming with nearly uncontainable glee.

Flamberge continues, "I realize that the title is rather meaningless at the moment, as we are the only two soldiers here, but we will have more settlers arriving in a few months, and I'll have my hooves full and will need your assistance, dealing with...a lot of things, if you are willing."

Crosshair nodded at that, still bristling with happiness and excitement, even a whole day of work couldn’t keep her energy down “Anything you need me to do, Commander!”

Flamberge smiles, “Good to hear it Captain, we will meet here tomorrow after breakfast to go and patrol the area, until then, dismissed.” The Commander salutes his new captain and then goes back to placing his gear on the rack.

The pegasus mare saluted her Commander and return the armors to it’s rightful place before fluttering away to get a well-earned washing and rest afterwards. Even being a ball of energy she is, rest still a popular pass-time to her. She gave her commander a last look before finally flying away out of his view.