It was a normal afternoon in the Bright town, The recruitment center stood empty as always.
The guard standing by the entrance was sleeping, leaning on his musket. Her mane shined in various shades of gold as the sunlight quietly creeped in and out of the room with the door's hiss. Her green coat made her stand out from the red carpet that filled the waiting room's floor.
The Mare looked up at the guards face, her meager posture made him look like a giant in comparisent.
The Mare tried to sneak Past the guard so to not wake him but got caught by him slightly twiching, when her tail brushed his hind hooves.
She was now on the ground, waiting for the guard to awaken, but all that ensued was a single loud snore. She looked at him, dissapointed, seconds later she was back on her hooves.
As the Mare neared a reception window, one officer stepped into view. The mare approached him, visibly stunned by his appearance in comparison to the door guard. His black pauldrons, dark grey uniform, and a string of medals shining on his chest made him look like the prince himself, a true stallion.
“What can I help you with young mare?” The officer asked in a deep, commanding, but still slightly inviting voice.
at that the mare jumped to her saddlebag, and took out an enlistment poster with her mouth.
“I see, but are you sure you’re able to fight for your homeland, you see young mare, it does require quite a lot of stren…”
“I can show you that I’m able to fight, I’m not some kind of a mare in distress you know!” The mare cut off the officer with a surprisingly bold assertion.
“Ok then.” The officer said, caught quite off guard by the wings that sprung into view on the Mare once shouted.”Go to that door over there, I’ll open it up for you and we’ll go over the medical, physical and theoretical tests.” He said and pointed at the door on mare’s left side.
the mare looked at the door and looked back into the window, but the stallion was nowhere to be seen. Surprised, she went away from the window and turned to the door. hoof by hoof she made her way towards it, still pondering if what she’s doing is actually right.
Her family, ever since the revolution, always told her that it was a bad idea and that the Empress was a bad pony but, where was the proof? Her family always told her that, but never elaborated on why was that.
She finally stood in front of the door, her mind still filled with a little bit of doubt. "last chance to turn back" she thought.
One finall glance back into the 'L' shaped corridor, a deep breath, a flap of wings in childish excitement.
She pushes the door open.
The officer stood there waiting for her. he let out a sigh and led her into a room looking like a hospital room. what ensued was a series of medical test, which she passed all, a series of physical tests, which she passed all, with an exceptional score for flying, and a theory test, which she passed.
The tests lasted a few hours and it was midnight when they were finished.
They were now sitting in a small box like room, the dull greyiness of it contrasted the Mares excitement perfectly. The Officer, still surprised by her performamce, mendled with her test results on the opposing side of a metalic table
Few quiet breaths, a tiered sigh. Finally the officer appears content. He opens his mouth.
“ok miss Golden Sunrise, everything seems to be fine for your enlistment...”
“Great!” She enthusiastically cut through the officers sentence, only to be met with a cold and slightly annoyed stare.
“...but, there’s still one more question I have to ask before I place this seal of approval.” He said without making eye contact with the Mare.
“ask away officer!” She replied in a cheerful manner.
“Why are you doing this?” He asked, surprising the Mare in the process “I mean such a young healthy mare like you, miss should be looking for a normal job, try to find a partner, start a family, not join the I.G.C.F.” At that remark the Mare sat there stunned, she was out of words.”This has nothing to do with the military protocol, it’s a personal question.” he said and began floating the seal above the documents, revealing the horn hiding underneath his officers cap.
“You see officer, it’s a long story and…”
“We have all night.” He coldly stated which caught the Mare off guard.
“Ok, see, I was nine years old when I first saw the Imperial guard. It was around ten years after the Grey empire was formed snd the Gaermanian civil war has ended. I was just a filly back then and my family always told me that they preferred the old days of Gaermania, but me? I didn’t know those better old days so I just listened with closed eyears if you know what I mean. Anyways, It was a normal day like any other, I was coming back home from school, passing by a construction field. This time the construction was finished thou. When I was passing by the brick wall that day I heard loud exploding sounds. At first I was terrified out of my mind believe you me but one day, my curiosity got the better of me. I flew up to the top of the wall and leaned over it. What I saw amazed me!
Those guard ponies were doing all kinds of stunts in the air, from barrel rolls to deep dives, than they moved to training flying with muskets, and what were they doing? Stopping in seconds after taking a three hundred hooves deep dive and then taking accurate shots with their muskets! I could not believe it! From that day on I showed up every day until one of the guard ponies spotted me. He did not tell me to bug off but instead he invited me to look at their training, and so I joined in and looked up into the sky for the next few hours, after wards I was given an invitation to the vip zone for the upcoming air show and an order to not go to it from my father, he said they were brainwashing me but I did not listen! The air show was taking place at night on the weekend so I slept through the day and snuck out at night.
I went through the town towards the flashing lights and sounds of cheering. When I arrived on the parade ground I could hardly get to the front of the crowd there were so many ponies in it. At some point I got to the front of the crowd and continued onward to try to get into the vip lounge where The Prince himself was sitting! Imagine that!” She remarked and took a sip of a drink that the officer brought in the meantime.
“I see but how does that event relate to you wanting to join the army?” The officer asked.
“I’m getting there!” She stated and took a deep breath. “ I tried to get to the longue but the guard there denied me entry so I just stood there, in awe of the things that happened up in the sky.
I remember there were earth ponies jumping out of militarized chariots as the crowd gasped, only to open parachutes pretty low above ground to the cheering of the amazed masses, and then landing on moving ground chariots. I was caught quite off guard when the leader of an incoming guard formation picked me off the ground and the announcer stated: ‘And here comes the Imperial Guard!’. The crowd cheered, I was amazed out of my mind, then I looked at the pony that was carrying me, he had a full helmet that was covering his face and had some kind of a painting on top of it. I was a tad bit put off by the black visier in his helmet but jumped back into happiness when he threw me onto his back and said:’hold on filly’.
I looked behind my back and saw the blue coated pegasus that invited me here earlier, I waved to him at which he smiled and got some snarky comments from his wing ponies until the commander called them back in order. We were making circles waiting for something when the prince rose up with his personally modified musket rifle
‘Who’s that little fella’ on your back Murasaki?’ Asked the Prince.
‘A friend from one of my subordinates, don’t worry about it Prince’ The commander replied.
Seconds later the Half Changling half Pegasi Prince dashed towards the ground with us soon following suite. The crowd gasped as we pierced through a cloud with the prince looking like he was falling to his death. We continued chasing after him but we could not catch up!
Moments before he hit the ground, Prince’s wings sprung out. He began gliding just above the crowd, we continued with a high speed turn on a low altitude up to the point when we caught up with the prince.
from that point the music started playing and we took a ninety degree turn upwards.
The commander shouted smokes and everypony attached smoke torches to their wings. Entire squad parted ways in a circular pattern with us continuing to go Dirty upwards and stopping at a certain altitude. When I looked down there was a giant flower in the middle of the sky formed out of the smoke.
Then another set of tad bigger smoke torches were taken and the flight was continued back in formation. We were exchanging position while still maintaining the same speed, moments later we took another nose dive towards the ground where we stylishly landed on top of an armored chariot to the cheering of the crowd. the chariot made a few circles and returned back behind the stage and everypony got off.
After a few more minutes I’ve returned to the crowd and continued watching the show from the perspective of the crowd. All that time in the air I didn’t realise how many ponies were cheering for the performers.
The show continued up into the early morning when I got back to my house.” The mare finished her story.
“That’s a great story but I still don’t see where was the part in which you decided that you have to join the army.” The stallion remarked a bit confused.
The mare glanced at the officer, she took a sip of the brownish drink. Their eyes still staring into each other, looking for some kind of weakness
“I guess I was so much in awe of what they did and had, I liked how everypony on the ground was cheering for them. I want to be like them, that’s all.” She said carelessly, her gaze turning from the officer and falling upon a near by wall. She leaned back on her chair.
"You guessed?" The officer asked. The mare in surprise stopped leaning on her chair. Her eyes wide open, slightly terrified.
'He won't approve me!' She thought to herself. The officer just stared at her blankly, visibly tiered. Finally the officer got to tiered.
“I see…” He let out a sad sigh.“Fine then” He stated and placed the seal of approval on the documents. “ Get back here in seven hours and show this papers to the guard pony at the garrison main gate, from there I’ll assign you to your squad and we’ll see what you’ll do then.” He said and gave the papers to the mare.
Few hours later the mare was back at the garrison, now a recruit, she was on her way to becoming the pony she wanted to be. An Imperial Guardpony.