Chapter TWO

Twilight's tent, which was actually more of a one room hut with a roof and four walls spaced far enough apart to comfortably house up to eight ponies, served as the camp's central command headquarters. The small building was also outfitted with light blast resistant armor and four "windows", one on each wall where a soldier could peek out and fire should the camp ever come under direct contact from the enemy. All decision making happened there: everything from battle strategies to amendments in the mess hall menu where taken care of in this room by Twilight and a hoofful of her most trusted soldiers – soldiers, not officers.

Company Everfree had a reputation for being the MM's most unconventional company.

Most operated under a typical top down system. The company answered to a major: under the major were four or five platoon leaders, usually lieutenants, and under the platoon leaders were squad leaders, and so on down the ranks. The acting major for Company Everfree was an earth pony in her early seventies with a graying main and a scroll for a cutie mark who went by no title other than "The Major." Under her were five officers: First Lieutenants Octavia, Spitfire, Applejack's brother McIntosh, Cheerilee, and Twilight Sparkle. Their company was about two hundred strong making each platoon leader responsible for about forty ponies. All of this was standard. The company was exceptional when compared to the others in only two regards. The first was size: Company Everfree was massive because they were responsible for one of the most important fronts of the entire war, the border between the Everfree Forest and Ponyville. The second was Twilight Sparkle. Lieutenant Twilight Sparkle, by virtue of being hoofpicked by the princess herself, outranked all of her fellow officers, including the major. So when Twilight Sparkle called for a meeting to discuss strategic engagement with three privates, one specialist, and one sergeant, anypony who had complaints made them silently.

Applejack and Pinkie Pie were the last to stumble into Company Everfree's HQ. Twilight glared at the two of them as they entered, annoyed, not quite angry yet but getting there. Sensing no hostility from her commander, Pinkie smiled and waved hello. The gesture was big and exaggerated, as if she were attempting to get Twilight's attention from several yards away. Applejack saluted with an awkward smile, embarrassed enough for both herself and her clueless friend. Twilight elected not to make a big deal of it. She had butted heads with Applejack enough for one day and predicted she would again many more times before her tour of duty was over. For now peace was needed amongst her ranks. Peace – and bit more focus wouldn't hurt either.

AJ attempted to piece together some half assed excuse for their tardiness: something about Pinkie insisting on finishing the last hoof of her card game because the pot was two weeks' worth of chocolate rations, and she'd been trying desperately for the better part of a month to scrounge together some raw ingredients for cupcakes, pies, or cookies. She had been without any proper baked goods since the beginning of her tour and her sweet tooth was starting to ache. How to compensate for the lack of flower, eggs, or milk was, still a bit of a gray area, but some melted chocolate rations would make a good sauce to top whatever it was she came up with.

Twilight shushed her as sternly as she could without sounding genuinely upset. She assured them that it was okay so long as it didn't happen again, and then, knowing full well that it would, ordered the two of them to stand at attention with the others.

She stood before them ready to begin, a massive map of the forest the length and width of the entire wall at her back.

"You're on Rainbow. Explain to the others what you already explained to me."

"Sir." The Pegasus pony flew about halfway up the wall and pointed to a place on the map marked by a red circle, which stood for the enemy's camp. She began explaining, in what she imagined was her conservative intellectual voice – and what the others knew was her I-am-trying-really-hard-to-convince-you-ponies-that-I-know-what-I-am-talking-about voice – that on hoof her small squad of six had found the outpost in little less than a day, and that moving a larger force would likely take significantly longer, assuming they wanted to move slowly and carefully as to avoid being detected by enemy scouts. The enemy camp, she continued, was something like 200 klicks north-west of their current position, and that the camp itself was smaller than their own but not by very much. The camp's perimeter, she warned, was guarded by lookouts at all hours and she assumed the place was surrounded by booby traps.

On their way back one of her squadron was severely injured by a land mine. All that saved her from being reduced to a pile of pulp and feathers was sheer dumb luck. Due to some unknown malfunction, or perhaps an act of Celestia, the mine's detonation was delayed by a full second and as she tripped it, the unsuspecting pegasus had – at the order of her squad leader – just began taking to the sky. She was supposed to fly up the nearest tall tree and take a look around to ensure they weren't being followed. Instead only her left hind leg attempted the journey, except it flew several yards in the wrong direction and, at the top of its ark, couldn't have gotten more than a meter off the ground. The rest of her lay in the in the newly blood stained grass, screaming.

"We also ran into a few rebels. Nothing we couldn't handle, but it might mean they'll be expecting us when we come knocking." With that Rainbow Dash concluded her explanation and saluted with an expression of unbridled self-satisfaction etched into her face, the kind usually reserved for mothers as they watch their daughter trump the neighbor's kid in the final round of an annual district wide spelling bee.

The others took in this new information. There was a moment of digestion, muttering. Then a startled Applejack practically shouted, "Wait a – a – what in the hay! Y'all went n' got ur selves spotted?"

"Well yeah. Land mines tend to make a lot of noise," answered an unsettlingly nonchalant Rainbow Dash. The muttering got louder. Twilight figured that was her cue.

"Settle down everypony. I've already taken this into consideration and I think we may be able to use it to our advantage." Quiet stares. Good they were listening. "Fluttershy, something to write with." Fluttershy unzipped the supply pack strapped to her back and with a thought Twilight's horn sparked as she reached in, rummaged about for a bit, found what she was looking for, and called the quill to her. It drifted across the room enveloped by a pale wisp of purple light. She dipped it in a small jar of red ink; the same red ink rainbow dash had used to mark the enemy camp (only she'd used the tip of her hoof).

"We'll need at least three platoons," a pause for thought, "good sized ones, at least thirty each." The quill worked swiftly, streaking across the map as if of its own power.

"Rainbow, you'll lead one of those platoons in a frontal assault on the enemy stronghold." To illustrate this she drew a brave red arrow, straight and true, that traveled from their camp all the way to the suddenly very imposing little red circle that stood for the enemy's position. Rainbow Dash raised no protest; only stared at the red arrow as if afraid it would shoot off the wall and skewer her where she stood. "Meanwhile two more platoons will swing wide and take positions here," she marked an X at a little more than half the distance between the two camps and off to the right, "and here," and another off to the left.

"Once Rainbow gets their attention I'll give the order for her to fallback. The rebels will chase, and when they do …" Twilight finished mapping out her strategy with too aggressive arrows converging on a dotted line that stood for the rebel's advance.

A cold sort of understanding came over the others and they relaxed a little, Rainbow Dash especially .She didn't like the idea of being bait, but she liked it a lot more than what she imagined would be her fate a moment ago.

The plan was sound enough, everypony could agree on that much. Still, there was an obvious question hanging about. So obvious in fact that it was Pinkie Pie who asked, "But what if they don't chase us?"

"They will." Their leader assured them.

"But what if they don't?" echoed Rarity with much more urgency.

"They will. When they see none other than Equestria's own favorite daughter, Twilight Sparkle leading the charge, they'll have no other choice." Twilight's chest swelled with prideful self assurance. She beamed. It was good for morale that a leader know when to beam.

Applejack had to suppress the urge to roll her eyes. She hated that title, "Equestria's favorite daughter." Pfft favorite was right. Celestia's favorite. If not for the princess' favor Twilight wouldn't have half of what she had now. It was bad enough when the brass starting calling her that, but hearing it from Twilight's own mouth almost caused her actual physical pain. That and watching the unicorn do her fearless leader bit made her stomach lurch. Applejack also didn't like the sound of her best friend, Rainbow Dash, being thrown to the damn manticores so "Equestria's favorite daughter" could have another reason to stroke her already overblown ego. She liked even less that there wasn't a thing she could about it.

Rainbow Dash laughed out loud. "And I thought I was the pony with big head in this outfit." Twilight nodded. It was a cocky nod. The confidence in it was contagious; she could see it spreading through the ranks like a plague. Each of them held their heads a bit higher – but one of those heads lowered, ever so slightly. One back stiffened, and the whole body it belonged to seemed to stand on end, like the fur on an angry cat. A pair shoulders squared and two muscular forelegs bent deep at the knees; a bucking stance – a fighting stance. She always could look the perfect soldier when she wanted to, and while she didn't always pick her battles well, Applejack always fought to win.

"Y'all really think ur worth all that fuss don't ya sugar cube," said Applejack, in a tone that suggested Twilight perhaps wasn't worth any fuss at all. "Why don't ya just go a charging in all by ur lonesome? Well sheeuute! I bet a pony as smart, an' talented, an' perfect as you, could defeat the entire rebel army single-hoofed."

Later that night, as she lay awake in her less than cozy drawer like cot, Twilight Sparkle would try to make sense of what happened next. She would play the scene again and again, watching closely; picking apart the details the same way she would pick apart a frustrating text. Maybe she'd chalk it up to the infectious confidence she'd started, telling herself that it had somehow made its way back to her, more concentrated, more potent. Maybe she would come to the conclusion that it was Applejack's fault: that the rowdy farm pony was beyond hers or anypony's control, that she was a danger to the company and to herself, and that the best way to deal with her was perhaps a quick and painless euthanasia. Or maybe before she fell asleep she would have happily convinced herself it was nothing serious at all, just a mild instance of pre-battle jitters.

Whatever answers, or lack of answers, awaited her that night, Twilight Sparkle knew for sure that she had made a mistake – realized that it was a mistake even as she was making it, and made it anyway. Hoofmade it too – did it up with pizzazz and glitter and tender love and care.

"If I was your enemy would you let me walk away?" asked Twilight. She asked in a way that seemed less a question and more a statement. A challenge. The challenge was readily accepted.

Applejack answered with a loud snort as she raked the floor violently with a fore hoof. Twilight snorted back and lowered her head as if preparing to charge. All at once her authoritative demeanor dissolved. She might have been high ranking military officer picking a fight with one of her privates, or a filly ready to dash horn first into a school yard brawl. The others looked on bewildered, as if unsure which of the two phenomena they where witnessing, and also paralyzed, as if the thought required to answer this most profound of conundrums was so great that it left no energy for movement. For a long four or five seconds nopony had any idea what would happen next.

Then Rarity cleared her throat very loudly: which sounded like somepony clearing their throat very loudly, but could have easily been mistaken for somepony asking somepony else, in a rather stern tone of voice, what the hay is wrong with you? Then, taking a more subtly approach, Rarity said, as if she hadn't just watched her lieutenant and her fellow private threaten to trample each other into the dirt,

"The rebels are not stupid. If they see you on the front lines they'll be suspicious."

"Ra – Rarity is right," Fluttershy suddenly blurted out, the tension making her nervous, and the nervousness making her temporarily lose control of her lips. "They'll know it's a trap."

Lieutenant Twilight Sparkle straightened up, and, in the most put together voice she could muster after thoroughly embarrassing herself in front of all her closest subordinates, said, "They'll come running anyway. They'll calculate the risk and come to the conclusion that my head is worth braving any potential danger." She looked around and saw that they still weren't one hundred percent convinced. After that display how could they. Twilight felt robbed of her potency. The best she could do was ask that they trust her. Then she ordered them to inform the other squad leaders of the plan, and she told them to be sure to rest up, and finally with a tired, lackluster salute she dismissed them. All of them but one.

"That's twice you've undermined me today." Twilight had a hard time restraining herself. She wanted to cuss Applejacks ears off, but that would have only compounded what was already a cluster-fuck of inappropriate behavior on both their parts. Instead she settled for a half-yell that was somewhere between the roar of a furious boss and the whimper of a whiny teenage filly. "What in the hay was that back there?" They were practically snout to snout. Applejack could feel the unicorn's breath on her muzzle and found it very uncomfortable.

"Me? Ah ain't the one prancing round here like some done up show pony."

"Look, if you have a problem with the way I run my platoon you take it up with me. You do not make an ass out of yourself in front of my Company. My. Fucking. Ponies! If you ever pull something like that again I will have you court-martialed."

"Oh there y'all go again, shouting orders an' just a throwing yer weight round wherever ya like."

"Excuse me? I'm the fucking lieutenant, Applejack!" Twilight was about ready spring up on her hind legs and thrust her fore hooves into the private's throat. Instead, still clinging to the last vestige of self control she could muster, she pushed her forehead into Applejack's and snorted loudly. Applejack pushed back, matching Twilight's snort with an aggressive neigh. The unicorn's horn dug slightly into the skin of the earth pony's forehead, threatening to tear it. If that happened then their little shoving match would surely come to blows, both ponies knew it – and both wanted it very badly.

"Y'all ain't no real officer. Yer just some kiss ass, getting hoof-outs all the time from the Princess. Yer Celestia's pet. Her little work horse, everypony knows it." Declared Applejack in a ruthless matter-of-fact tone of voice.

Twilight shoved a little harder, and Applejack knew immediately that a line had been crossed, and that she might have to fight her way back to the other side of that line.

Angry tears formed in the unicorns eyes.

"You ignorant fucking hick." AJ braced herself for a violent kick form the angry unicorn. When none came she figured there was still another round of verbal jabs left before the bucking started.

"Ignorant, stupid, worthless apple-bucking hick." She tried to answer Twilights insult with one of her own, but the task was beyond her. The pain in the unicorn's voice was semi-tangible; it billowed out of her, filling the room like a miserable fog that smothered AJ's words."What do you know about me or the princess? You're just some apple bucker from the sticks." The dense cloud of despair grew thicker with every uttered insult. AJ tried again to rebuttal but by now it was like trying to speak underwater.

Silence. Then, "Private, dismissed."

Applejack took a step backward. All the fight had gone out of her. "Twi, ah didn't mean nothing by it. Honest ah didn't," was the best she could manage.

"Dismissed."

Applejack stood up straight and gave a rare, flawless salute. "Sir, yes sir," she said. Then she about-faced and marched solemnly out of the lieutenant's tent.

As expected, later that night Twilight replayed the volatile exchange shared between her private and herself. In her head, she watched the Twilight of a few hours ago nearly go to pieces in front of what was supposed to be her subordinate, and as punishment gave herself a hard mental buck in the flank. That hadn't been the first time she'd been pressured about her supposedly undeserved military status, but hearing it from the mouth of a close friend – she hadn't been ready for that. She wondered if maybe the others held their own reservations. Maybe the stubborn farm pony was the only one earnest enough to say what everypony else was already thinking. She always had been straightforward that way: honest – sometimes to a fault.

Unexpected though, was the thought that came to her just before she was taken by sleeps assuaging embrace. She thought about Pinkie Pie's plan to rustle up some raw ingredients for baked goods and decided that she would do whatever she could to help the project reach some kind of fruition. She wasn't sure how keen on actually eating whatever monstrosity Pinkie dreamed up, and the other officers would probably think the whole endeavor was a waste of time. She would have to convince them it wasn't. Convince them it would be good for morale, because right now, morale was in pretty sort supply. Next Chapter: Chapter THREE Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 51 Minutes