//------------------------------// // Chapter 43 // Story: Equestria: World War II // by The Unseen //------------------------------// 25TH JANUARY 1940 -------------------ROYAL ARMY/AIR FORCE TRAINING CAMP, SOMEWHERE IN THE SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS-------------- It was now 7:00am at the base, just outside of Rosvar. Since it was January, it had snowed heavily, and it was a pretty cold morning, with the weather again gloomy. Despite this, the mood was high, as today, the trainees were graduating from training, and would be heading to their units. They would begin heading to the battlefield from today. Soon, ponies would be in combat, fighting alongside humans. The princesses would make a speech at their graduation ceremony, which was in under four hours, and would encourage the ponies to fight for their nation. Morale had also risen now that a piece of the Destroyer of Discord had been found, and it would definitely help. Today felt like a good day, despite the gloomy weather. As the trainees began waking up, and doing some final exercise before the graduation, the three princesses were preparing their speeches for the trainees, to motivate them to fight for their nation on the battlefields of Earth. The princesses marvelled at how well the ponies had been trained for military life. However, some discrimination was still around, thanks to the ENA, and thanks to the fact that female ponies were also in. The male ponies were accepted among the human soldiers, but the females were not accepted as much, since human women really didn't join the military as much as the men, as the military was mainly seen as a man's job. Celestia wasn't surprised. In all of Earth's histories, men had fought the wars, and women had mainly stayed back to run the household. Only some women had emerged as revolutionaries, but still, only now were women getting things like the right to vote in Earth's nations, thanks to all the feminism and suffragette movements on Earth. Still, it was unhappy to see how women were treated lesser than men on Earth. In Equestria and the Crystal Empire, all women and men had the same rights as each other. One was no less than the other. As the princesses began preparing their speeches, they also thought about how hard military life was. Twilight and Shining Armor had told them about their visit to a real battlefield sometime back, and getting caught in the midst of one such battle. It had astounded them how the human soldiers were willing to put up such conditions to fight for their home. It was truly a saddening thing. The war toll was now 215,000. They knew that they had to stop Discord, and put an end to him for good this time. As they prepared for the speech, Celestia thought about it how it had been almost four months since their arrival on Earth. Despite the short timeframe, a lot had changed in Equestria and the Crystal Empire. Both countries were modernising and were going to war. Discord had broken out of his prison. The whole of Earth was in danger. It was overwhelming, but they would have to all work together to fight their way out of this situation, and save the world. The princesses began rehearsing their speeches, which were long, but also powerful, to hopefully motivate the ponies. As they began their rehearsals, it was now 7:10am. In just under four hours, the graduation would begin. ------------------------------------------------------------SOMEWHERE IN GERMANY------------------------------------------------------------- It was now 8:10am in Germany. Discord was smiling. Equestria and the Crystal Empire were about to enter the war. Today was the graduation of the ponies from training. The ponies would enter the war. Soon, the time would come to cause some more chaos. Discord remembered his first conversation with all three Axis leaders, Hitler, Mussolini, and Hirohito. He remembered it well. Especially one part. "Also, how powerful are you?" asked Hirohito. "Well, I could probably destroy this planet's Moon, and make the fragments rain down on Earth. That is 10% of my power, right there." said Discord, calmly. Well, that was a lie. Destroying Earth's Moon and making its fragments rain down on the planet took more than 85% of his power. Discord had said that only to get the Axis trio to trust him. In reality, no creature was that powerful, except for Faust herself. It was the only way to get them to trust him. Anyways, the super soldier program, another part of the Erweiterung program, was going to start soon. Under this, German soldiers would be injected with the E-serum and would basically be superhumans. They would be a perfect black operations unit, in and out, without much mess. They could also be used as a propaganda tool, but without exposing the Erweiterung program. Discord smiled thinking about it. He was also ready for the next part of his plan once pony soldiers were deployed on the battlefields. If the Nazi Army captured some as POWs, under the Erweiterung program, Discord could extract their magic, and put it in humans, even if it killed them. He didn't care about the number of lives it took. He would complete his plan, no matter the human cost. -------------------ROYAL ARMY/AIR FORCE TRAINING CAMP, SOMEWHERE IN THE SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS-------------- It was now 10:50am here, just 10 minutes before the princesses would make their speeches to the military pony graduates. The stage had been set up, and most of the graduates were already in their seats, with some of the latecomers taking them only now. Originally, it was planned to be held outdoors, but now, it would be held indoors, as it had snowed heavily during the night. Hence, it was being held in the base's auditorium. Behind the stage, the princesses were nervous. Normally, this speech would have been easy, if they were still on Equis. But they were not on Equis anymore. They were on Earth, and the ponies would soon be sent into a war, none like they had fought in before. And it had been a while since Equestria and the Crystal Empire had participated in a war. The last major one Equestria had participated in was 150 years earlier, before the fall of the Ponysian Empire. The Crystal Empire's last major war had been 1,100 years ago, more than 100 years before they had disappeared. As the clock ticked down to 11:00am, the nervousness did rise, but the princesses kept their cool, knowing that if they were nervous, they would blow the entire thing. As 11:00am came, the princesses stepped onto the stage, and stepped in front of the microphones. Celestia was the first one to begin speaking. "Ladies and gentlemen, humans and ponies, today, we gather to celebrate the end of one phase, and the beginning of another, in your lives." said Celestia. "Today, my little ponies, we celebrate your graduation from training, and your induction into the military." At this, all of the ponies began applauding. Celestia's nervousness started to disappear on seeing her subjects so happy. "I would like to open my speech with a quote by a famous human poet, who once said, 'In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.' Today, as you stand on the precipice of a new journey, remember that the life you bring to these years will determine the impact you make in the world. You are about to embark on a path that will test your strength, your courage, and your resilience. But remember, it is not just about the battles you will fight; it is about the character you will build along the way." Celestia paused for a moment, allowing her words to sink in. Then, Luna began speaking. "As you step into the battlefield, you carry with you not only the strength of your hooves and wings, but also the spirit of Equestria and the Crystal Empire. You are a symbol of hope, a beacon of light in the darkness that threatens our world. The bond you share, both among yourselves and with the humans you serve alongside, is a testament to the unity and friendship that can overcome even the most daunting challenges." She then turned her gaze towards the humans present in the audience. "To our human allies, we stand united in our quest to bring peace to the world. Your strength and determination have been an inspiration to us, and we are honored to fight by your side. Together, we shall face the darkness and emerge victorious, for the sake of our homes and the innocent lives that depend on us." Then, Cadance continued, her voice filled with determination and hope. "As you go forth to defend our lands, remember that every step you take brings us closer to ending the war once and for all. You are the guardians of peace, the protectors of our world, and the embodiment of the unbreakable spirit that resides within each of us. May your hearts be filled with courage, your minds with wisdom, and your actions with honor. May Faust be with you." said Cadance, as the princesses stepped off the stage with a large round of applause. As the princesses went off to personally congratulate the graduates on entering a new phase of their lives, their hearts had some sadness. As they walked towards them, they knew that this would probably the last time the princesses would see some of them alive. But their sacrifice would inspire their comrades, to fight in their honour, make sure that their sacrifices would not go in vain. It was the only way, cutting off an arm to save the whole body, to defeat Discord.