//------------------------------//
// Moon of the East 
// Story: The Three Kingdoms 
// by James Pwyll 
//------------------------------//

Rainbow had learned a long time ago that a few moments of silence really could work wonders on the new recruits. Better to let them sweat a little as you're looking them over, get them thinking they need to keep their heads up and make sure they're paying attention. And today appeared to be proving her stance correct. Clad in her dark blue armour, which glistened nicely in the bright moonlight, the mare paced up and down quietly for a full minute as she looked over the two that had been presented to her. These were no ponies, but a Dragon and a Griffon, both of them young and looking to her patiently to eventually speak to them. After a while, the pegasus was satisfied she'd left the proper impression, and so finally broke the silence. "Alright, cadets. Listen up. Today you start your first day of service to the Lunar Republic, understand?"

"Ma'am, yes, Ma'am!" they both replied together, complete with salute.

Rainbow had to resist the urge to smile at their instant response. Wouldn't want to break the image just yet. "You are no ponies, but your peoples have been serving alongside ours for many generations. Griffons and Dragons have been valued allies and Foederati during all that time and, Harmony willing, will continue to remain such for years to come."

"Ma'am, yes, Ma'am!" the two repeated.

After another moment of quiet, Rainbow stepped forward to the first, the Griffon, looking him right in the eye before addressing him directly. "Name?"

"Gallus, Ma'am!" he answered immediately.

"Grandson of the current Griffonstone council, right?" Rainbow enquired further.

Gallus nodded. "Gruff, Ma'am. It's his hope that my service to the Republic will help strengthen the already-good ties between our nations."

Rainbow sighed. "Kid...he's not here. And I prefer my recruits to be upfront about things."

Discomfort and uncertainty gripped the youth, and after a while his shoulders slumped and he sighed, eventually speaking in a less restrained tone than before. "He's hoping my being here will curry favour with the Senate. Maybe give him enough clout back home to extend his time on the Council."

Rainbow chuckled, giving the lad a quick pat on the shoulder. "Well, do good enough and maybe he'll get his wish." She saw him smile to her, then allowed her eyes to drift over to the Dragon female. She was bright orange in her colouring, yet where her forelimbs should have been were instead a pair of large wings. "And you?"

The other, having clearly gotten the gist of the current mood of the meeting, spoke in a relaxed way right from the start. "Smolder, Centurion."

"And your reasons for being here?" Rainbow asked.

"Simple. I'm a girl who likes action, and I heard there was plenty of it to be had in this line of work," Smolder replied, complete with a somewhat cocky grin.

After a moment, Rainbow smirked to her. "I think I'm gonna like you." She then looked to Gallus. "Both of you, actually." She walked a few steps to the side, making sure she was facing both of them before speaking again. "Well, I've been tasked with making sure you two are fit for service. So once we're done here we're gonna get you to the barracks, make sure you're familiar with where you'll be staying during your training. After that it'll be fittings for armour, followed by introducing you to the rest of your squad."

"Just keep an eye out for them. They love to play pranks on the newbies," a new voice added.

Rainbow kept her smile from earlier, turning to see a white pegasus descending from above. The two approached one another, tapping their hooves together before Rainbow finally spoke to her. "Well now, if it isn't my old squad-mate Zipp. Didn't think I'd see you for a bit."

Zipp chuckled. "Yeah, me neither. But, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. With all the wins under her belt it was only a matter of time before the bandits finally gave up and asked Luna for mercy." Her smile grew. "You should have been there, old friend. Seeing them on their knees, crying and pleading for her to spare them was just a joy."

Rainbow seemed happy with the matter. "Wish I could've seen it. But, hey, somepony had to draw the short straw and stay behind for recruitment training." Then, realising that her cadets were still in earshot, she cast them a glance. "Er, no offense."

Smolder simply shrugged. "Meh, none taken."

"Even I'd have said that," Gallus added.

Rainbow nodded before looking to her fellow soldier. "So, where is our Dictator? Getting ready for a Triumph, I bet?"

Here, Zipp shook her head. "No, actually. Normally she would but instead she said she needed to head to the Senate to talk to them about something." She glanced to the side, looking out to the distance in the general direction of where the aforementioned governing body could usually be found. "She seemed...pretty serious the whole march back. I mean, she usually is, but this time..."

By contrast, Rainbow was unconcerned, walking over to the other mare and patting her on the shoulder. "Meh, don't worry about it. She's probably just tired from the whole thing and wants to tell the Senate the jobs done so she can go home." A dry chortle escaped her. "I mean, this is, what, the tenth time they've asked her to step forward and defend the nation? Heck, I'd probably be sick of the routine myself in her shoes."

Slowly, Zipp regained her smile. "Yeah, you're probably right." Much like Rainbow, she too let out a brief laugh. "You and I have fought with her plenty of times before. Harmony knows how tired we'd be if we were actually responsible for the whole thing."

Rainbow turned from her, looking to her two cadets, who had been waiting patiently for the friends to finish their reunion. "Well then, recruits. Looks like it's your lucky day. You now get two awesome troops to learn from." She would have likely wanted to speak further to them, especially since they were both looking eager to carry on with their induction and tour around the grounds. However, it was at that point that the attention of all of them was drawn elsewhere, to the direction of where Zipp had been staring less than a minute ago. It was the loud ringing of bells, and mixed in with that was the unmistakable clamour of cheering from dozens, if not hundreds of other ponies off in the distance. Naturally, not being there at the source led to some confusion for the four of them, which Rainbow was sure to voice. "Um...is there some celebration we weren't invited to?"

"I...don't think so," Zipp added warily.

"It is no celebration, Centurion, but it is a momentous occasion," a new voice chimed in.

All eyes turned, and there before them was a white unicorn mare, elegantly dressed with her mane tied up into a bun. Her expression was stern, though she smiled once she was close to Rainbow. The latter, however, was more than a little uncertain about her being here. "Senator Rarity? What's going on?"

The other mare, taking a moment to look to the four before her, composed herself before finally explaining herself. "I will, of course, be speaking to many other officials in due course, but given our long friendship I felt it was necessary to come to you first." A remark like that naturally made Rainbow uneasy, but Rarity continued regardless. "As of today, the Senate will no longer be the ruling body of our nation."

"What?!" Zipp responded immediately.

"Why?!" Rainbow added.

Rarity, less frantic in her tone, continued. "Today, our victorious hero, Luna, has declared her intent to maintain the role of Dictator. She will not be returning power to the Senate, and she has taken a position as the leader of our people...for life."

There was utter silence after the declaration, during which both Rainbow and Zipp looked in the direction of the Senate building, where the sounds of cheers were continuing to be heard. All of a sudden, the puzzle pieces were falling into place on that count, and after glancing to one another to share their mutual shock, Rainbow looked over to her recruits. "Um...I think that'll be all for now, cadets. Zipp will escort you to the barracks. I'll be with you when I can." Zipp, recognising the need for a private conversation when she saw one, nodded silently to her friend before gesturing to the two kids. Dutifully, the latter saluted their superior before following the pegasus mare, and once Rainbow was certain that they were all out of earshot, she turned to Rarity, her face still stunned by the recent news. "Has she lost her mind?! Taking over?! She's just upended a thousand years of Republic tradition!"

Rarity nodded solemnly. "Quite. And believe you me, the mood was not happy in the Senate chambers when she declared her intent." She looked over her shoulder. "However, I would like to remind you that Luna is a many-times war hero with immense popularity with the common people and the full support and loyalty of the military. By contrast, the Senate has had nothing but disdain from the public because of their long history of corruption and lack of interest in general governance. When the Senate called for her to be arrested, nopony stepped forward to carry out that order." Looking back to Rainbow, Rarity shrugged. "So then, welcome to the start of a new age for our nation, Centurion."

Slowly, Rainbow's eyes narrowed. "You're...taking this very well for somepony who just lost her job."

To that, Rarity smirked. "Au contraire, my friend. My standing is quite secure, I assure you." She then placed her hoof to her own chest. "As one of the few senators who actually did their job, Luna has granted me and a select few of the others for new positions. You, dear Rainbow, are now looking at our esteemed Dictator's chief advisor, as well as the new foremost ambassador, representing our people to the rest of the world."

Rainbow blinked. "...Wow."

"Wow indeed," Rarity concurred. "A place of honour, if I do say so myself. A shock, to be sure, but one I very much intend to embrace and make the most of." She looked to the side. "Luna was always a sensible mare, and today she certainly proved it." Seeing Rainbow arch an eyebrow, she clarified. "Not to toot my own horn, you understand."

Here, Rainbow shared her earlier smirk. "Sure, sure." Looking off into the distance, the centurion was thoughtful for a long while before breaking the silence between them. "Yeesh, what a day."

"To put it mildly," Rarity agreed.

"We'll need to tell our families," Rainbow continued.

Rarity nodded. "Agreed. Sweetie Belle will be eager to ask me all sorts of questions about my new position, and of course our family has just been given more prominence than ever before. It'll be an adjustment, but I'm sure we'll manage."

After a while though, Rainbow frowned. "The other nations won't like this. The Senate wasn't popular, by any stretch, but to just have them replaced like this is gonna send ripples."

Rarity looked to her. "For some, it'll seem more like tidal waves. I can only imagine the storm I'll be walking into when I go out to inform them all."

"You're already heading out?" Rainbow asked.

A nod from Rarity. "We can't delay. Better they hear it from us than somepony else. I'll be packing my things after informing the other city officials. With luck it won't be too long a trip."

Rainbow nodded, then took on a more curious look. "Hey...what's gonna happen to the other senators? You know, the bad ones?"

In response, Rarity regained her smirk. "Oh, you'll met them soon enough. Luna decided it was high time they provided real service to the state, so they'll be sent down to the barracks to be incorporated into the Legion."

After letting that information sink in, Rainbow slowly grew into a mischievous expression. "They think today was bad for them? Just wait until they get to my training regimen!"