Five
The command master chief closed the book. Her words faded over the drill field. The one hundred and fifty one officer-cadets stared up at her. They knew the story, and had heard it many times before, most of them long before they ever chose the Coast Guard as their life's calling.
But this time, it had been read to them. For them.
The Chief sat down and the Commandant of the Academy rose and moved to the lectern. He ran a hoof down the spine of the book and then looked at the cadets.
"That is the tradition of our service. Our tradition is that it is better to be audacious than timid. It is better to save the life of the civilian than to preserve our own. That we have to go out, and we pay no heed to if we will come back."
He pointed toward the back of the ceremony, past and to the left of Celestia and Luna's Royal booth. "Civilian clothes and train vouchers are available at the exit. If you are not willing to live up to this tradition, you may go."
For sixty seconds, there was silence. Not a single cadet moved a muscle.
The Commandant nodded. "Raise your right hoof or talon."
The cadets, the faculty, and the families moved to a well-appointed outdoor buffet. Celestia and Luna took the opportunity to return to the Grand Corridor in the main building.
At the Wall of Honor, Luna looked at the plaques near Gale's. "I don't find Red Sky's name," she said.
Celestia gave a tiny smile. "He died of old age in his bed in Keep MacIntosh Hills, surrounded by his foals, grand-foals, and great-grandfoals. His first great-great-granddaughter, but a newborn, was nestled in his feathers when he passed."
"It is good he did not die in the service," Luna said. "He must have accomplished great things."
Instead of replying, Celestia exited the back of the building. A second statue mirrored Gale's at the front entrance. The plinth named it Admiral MacIntosh Hills, First Commandant of the Academy. "He trained three generations of officers in Gale's traditions. Other than Gale herself, nopony's influence on the service is deeper."
"Foals and grandfoals?" Luna mused. "He found a suitable marriage, then."
Celestia laughed. "He found a most unsuitable marriage, young miss Common Sailor Deck Swab."
"The filly from the Safe Harbour?"
"Filly, indeed. She was a solid three months his elder."
Luna chuckled.
"The aristocracy shunned him for betrothing a commoner, until I made a point of providing them the Grand Ballroom of Canterlot Palace for their ceremony, and a Household Regiment as honor guard. I, myself, performed the ceremony. When the rest of the peerage realized how high in my esteem the young lieutenant was, the snide comments became the quietest of whispers."
"Gale predicted that flood, fire, famine, or plague would come to his barony one day," Luna said.
Celestia's eyes twinkled with unshed tears. "The fourth Baron, Red Sky's grandson, took up his cane and hobbled high into the rocky escarpments above the town, leading the elderly, the infirm, the pregnant, the foals and their nannies, to where the flames could not reach. The Baron's daughter—who would be the fifth Baroness, not many months later—and her siblings and cousins and nieces and nephews, all the adults and middle-aged of the barony, stood to the cisterns and the river with buckets, ready to attack any ashfall that threatened to ignite the town. The Baron's granddaughter, Red Sky's great-great-granddaughter, shouldered an axe and strode into the forest. She had faith ponies would pick up their own tools and follow her, as the scion of the Noble House that was noble in fact, and not just in name."
"Gale's words were prescient?"
"She was right. The youngest, the strongest, all the very cream of the barony, followed. For three days, they breathed naught but smoke and tasted naught but ash as they cut firebreaks and smothered falling cinders. They halted the fire within a mile of the town. Their fields and silos were burned, but I made sure no pony went hungry that winter. They rebuilt. Ponies who were not there felt their own honor lessened when they heard the tales."
Luna nodded.
"Gale, indeed, forged one of Equestria's sharpest swords. The Barons and Baronesses MacIntosh Hills remain valued and loyal vassals to the Crown."
"What of the current Baroness?" asked Luna.
"She's an epidemiologist with the Ministry of Health, fighting plague. Her heir is a first-year cadet here, graduating in three more years. The baroness's younger foal intends to join the Forestry Service smokejumpers." Celestia smiled. "She says the Wonderbolts are wimps and real pegasi fly into wild flames, not through flaming hoops."
Celestia wandered north, toward the copse of oaks resplendent in autumn red and gold. Gardeners watered a pair of new saplings and placed a thick layer of mulch over their roots to protect them from the coming winter.
After about ten minutes of walking into the copse, Luna said, "These trees are arranged precisely. Nine steps between each, in a perfect hexagonal pattern. This is a garden, not a forest."
"Indeed," Celestia said with a smile.
"There is symbolism, sister. Tell me, for I do not grasp it on my own."
Celestia waved a wing. "Every time the Coast Guard makes a rescue, whether it's merely a raft carrying a single pony or a refugee ship carrying three thousand, an oak is planted."
Luna turned in a circle, ears flat. "There are hundreds of trees in this stand. Thousands."
"And every single one represents at least one, more often dozens, of lives saved. Saved by the tradition your child's grandchild forged."
Luna sat down, dry leaves rustling under her.
"Imagine this place in spring," Celestia said. "Imagine the beauty as green life returns. Like a life saved from certain death at sea, setting a hoof on dry land for the first time, their new beginning."
Luna smiled, a single tear running down her cheek. "My legacy is dark, sister, but this place of joy brings light to my heart like the sun through the branches."
The two sisters stared at the beams of the setting sun shining through the crowns of the trees, and imagined the oaks in spring, resplendent with renewed life.
Also LikedSimilarAuthor
- Samey90 · 2.3k words · 40 4 · 427 views
- SockPuppet · 2.2k words · 91 5 · 1.3k views
- SockPuppet · 1.1k words · 64 5 · 825 views
- SockPuppet · 1.1k words · 299 7 · 2.6k views
- Dreadnought · 3k words · 21 1 · 851 views
- SockPuppet · 1.5k words · 82 4 · 859 views
- Samey90 · 12k words · 105 4 · 1.4k views
- SockPuppet · 4.2k words · 128 6 · 2.4k views
Stats
Page generated in 0.162 seconds
Total duration
1,090 users online
1,601,464 hits today, 2,000,244 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
As usual, Sock - amazingly done. A worthy sequel to one of the site's best.
It was a pleasure (and honor) prereading this story. Woven in this story were several compelling narratives and themes about sacrifice, the responsibility of leadership, and coming-of-age. And the trees, dammit. Beautiful imagery.
If you enjoyed this, then I would heavily recommend the prequel, Luna's Daughter, and vice versa.
I swear these stories are some of my favs on the site.
and the message that these show are always great to hear.
~Reggie
*Reads the story and thinks then I Tip back my Head and gives a Mournful HOWL. then I push my front paws out as far as I can, giving all those who have given their lives a full Bow*
Well Done I say! WELL DONE
A greatly moving work. It just didn't really resonate with me as much as I thought it would. I imagine it will touch many others more deeply, however.
11247336
11247339
11247404
11247418
11247429
Thanks!
11247440
She's quoting the prequel, "Luna's Daughters."
11247442
That's fair. I still think Luna's Daughters is my best, never-to-be-surpassed work.
Well-told. Very well-told.
[Wipes eyes]
Where did all this dusty air come from...?
You've done it again. Excellent work and I do hope you continue this series.
A most excellent sequel and one far too long in coming to our eyes. Lot of a feeling of the Honor Harrington series as well.
I for one think this one equals if not surpasses it's prequel, bravo Gale and Red Sky, true marine heroes and bright examples to your craft.
Are you familiar with Douglas Malloch's Good Timber? The heroes you write remind me of these lines:
This story was so engaging.
How much so?
It’s now 04:20am.
I have been trying to get sleep for the past several hours, but my mind kept coming back to this story that I opened in the evening - when I thought I’d just read the first chapter, then go to bed.
But during the night... my mind kept coming back to the story instead of letting me sleep.
And so, a few paragraphs at a time, I read more of the story before before rolling in bed and telling myself that I had read enough to satisfy my mind’s curiosity. Hour after hour went by.
Of course, sleep would not find me until I had found the end.
You wrote an enrapturing story.
Bravo.
11248476
I was going through the comments and I read yours and inadvertently found myself humming a couple of sea-shanties with these lyrics (Wellerman for example)
11247677
11247759
11247856
11248857
Thank you!
11247779
This story was languishing, missing the "X" factor to make it come together. I then re-read Shadow of Saganami and realized that the background character of the officer-cadet needed to be the deuteragonist, and it came together.
11248476
Goodess, no, but I have now!
11248204
Not explicitly, but I bet I read it years ago and it influenced me subtly.
I know that several people have quoted one of the trio of poems in this video, but your writing causes me to consider the wisdom of all three and more.
11249372
Shadow of Saganami is a great book. It's due a reread soon.
I finished reading, and I really liked it. You really have a knack for military-themed stories, and I wish I was half the writer as you.
With that said, I think this had less of an impact than Redheart's War, but of course I also realize the themes were quite different here. Although that ending couldn't have been more beautiful. And now I'm seriously thinking about reading the prequel, too.
I was only a bit surprised that the story was so focused on the original characters. Not that I minded, as you wrote them well, but some might be surprised, as there isn't an OC tag on the story.
So bravo to you, and good luck on finishing the sequel to RW. I know you're working on it, and I'm sure you will whip up quite the tale with that one, too.
11250275
Glad you enjoyed! I'll agree that "Redheart" and "Luna's Daughters" are better outings of mine, but this was still fun to write and thank for reading.
I used [Royal guard] as a specific sort of [OC] tag.
One of the best stories on the site, yours or anyone else's. Outstanding work, and a most worthy sequel. Thank you for it.
11254095
Thank you! I appreciate the kind words and the read.
I had a gut feeling this would be one of those stories that would nearly make me cry from the time I read Gale's last words, and I wasn't wrong. Outstanding work. I applaud your capabilities in building fascinating characters within just a few chapters.
Can I ask what sort of research/where you looked in order to find information for this story? I can't imagine the attention to detail could've shined without it.
11265156
Hard to say, really. I've been a voracious reader since I was six, and I remember almost everything I ever read.
11267791
That's just unfair. I call my affliction "Hungry Eyes" because I'll read anything given enough time. I can't claim to remember very much of it though.
Well, damn. I feel bad for waiting so long to finish this story. Magnificent work, and a worthy sequel. I hope you write more in this series.
That was a good story.
11338894
Thank you!
God damn. This is the best thing I’ve read in months.
11381598
Thank you!
This is a really moving story, exemplifying courage and honour. Well done!
11392705
Thanks!
Dammit, Sock. Why must you make me cry so? Bravo and well writ.
11409247
It's what I do.
Thanks for reading!
I am late to the party, but just read this through. It made me remember why I love writing fiction, especially fanfiction, so much. Wonderful read, and great work with the scenes on the wrecked ship! You have a way of adding gravitas to your grim action scenes that I am absolutely jealous of.
11577741
Thank you, much appreciated!
I forgot to mention: This story adds an unexpectedly elegant bit to my headcanon, one that hadn't occurred to me before.
Prince Blueblood is Luna's somethingth-great-grandchild, which makes him, by extension, Celestia's somethingth-great-nephew. That explains quite well why he's referred to as her "nephew" in the current day.
...of course, this is probably canon in your universe already, but, as I said, it just occurred to me.
As a U.S.C.G. vet I would like to complement you on your portrayal of the Coast Guard whether it be pony or man the saying holds the same. "You have to go out You don't have to come back." Thanks.
11610639
Thank you! I appreciate the kind words.
The Equestrian Coast Guard and the USCG would undoubtedly get along extremely well (even though the USCG is by far the younger service)…
And is it wrong of me to wish that Celestia had chosen to send Sunset Shimmer to Her Coast Guard Academy instead of showing her the mirror?
11653543
It’s always hilarious to look for, and VAdm. Gale Glider pulls it off beautifully. That said, I consider it more ‘the more you flap your jaw, the deeper into my web you fall’ than how Gendo, may he rot in Hell for a hundred thousand eternities, usually used the pose…
A story worth a thousand reads, and then a thousand more.
You wrote it…and we followed. *salutes*
Damn that was good. Thank you for this.
11725563
Thanks for reading!
This coastie really enjoyed the ride. Beautifully done. Exemplifies everything we strive for so that others may live.
11881564
Thank you for the words! I appreciate the feedback from the real thing!
Hey Sock,
Could you put your original picture with Gale somewhere that all of us can see it?
It's just so dynamic and poignant...
11900494
I don't have a picture, she's just in my head. Sorry.