58 - Graduation
Rescue sighed heavily as he watched the paint pony rush past again, racing from his bedroom to the bathroom.
“Pip, quit running in the house.”
The colt peeked back out, bending his neck around the door frame. “Dad, I am going to be late!”
Ailan trotted in from the kitchen, two mugs of coffee balanced on his wing. He slid one off into Rescue’s waiting hoof. “Pip, you have three hours before you even have to be there. It’s not like they are going to fail you if you don’t show up for graduation. Like your father said, relax.”
Pipsqueak gave a little frustrated nicker. “Fine,” going back to combing out his mane. “Thank you both again for letting us hold the after graduation party here,” he paused. “And thank you for having Pinkie tone it down.”
The bigger stallion smiled and leaned his head over on his mate’s neck. “You are welcome, son. You would think after all the years here, I wouldn’t have to tell that mare to calm down, especially with her condition.”
Pip looked back out again. “Condition?”
Ailan smacked his husband in the back of the head with a wing. “Good going, Res.”
Rescue glanced back at Ailan and snorted, then turned his head toward the bathroom.
“This stays here and with you, because Pinkie wants to tell everypony after tonight so it doesn’t overshadow the ceremony. However, she and Cheese Sandwich will be having a foal.”
Pip let out a laugh. “Cool—oh... but, how does that work with Cheese on the road so much?”
Ailan answered softly. “As they always have, I suspect, they make it work.”
---
Diamond stood beside Silver as they stared out at the packed amphitheater, standing from where all the soon-to-be graduates prepared for the ceremony. She donned on her black gown, just as everypony else had.
“Look, there is my mom and dad with your dad,” Silver smiled warmly.
Diamond glanced to her childhood friend, smiling. Of all her friends, Silver had forgiven her past actions by far the most, tilting her head some before responding.
“Silver, we never really talked about it directly, but… Are you upset that I am leaving to go to Canterlot for a while, to the Academy?”
The silver mare lifted an eyebrow, turning to her best friend. “Why would I be upset?”
“Diamond, you are chasing a dream! You are going to learn how to help other ponies. I couldn’t be more proud to call you my best friend.”
A smile came to the pink mare’s face, she lowered her head some.
“I don’t say it enough, Silver, but, I love you. You are like a sister to me. I-I want you to be my best mare."
Silver didn’t bother to look shocked, though, she did blush and nod in response. “Of course, Di, I would be honored. You know, when you and Pip first started dating, it was a rather huge shock.”
She paused, glancing over her shoulder at where Pipsqueak stood, conversing with Rumble and a few others. Silver turned back to look at Diamond once more.
“But, you two just fit together. I can’t picture you or him without the other at their side.”
Blushing hard, Diamond Tiara lowered her voice and spoke in a very quiet tone. “Pip’s fathers are leaving for Canterlot after the graduation.”
Silver blinked and looked over. “They won’t be there for the after party?”
Biting her lip, she shook her head. “They won’t be back until Sunday, and my father is going with them.”
Again, the grey filly looked over at the boys then her head snapped back to look at her best friend.
“Are you...”
Diamond just gave a soft, blushing nod.
Silver's eyes shot wide. “No way! Um, did you…”
The pink pony blinked then her eyes lit up with understanding, and she gave a nod. “Sweetie helped?" Again, Diamond nodded.
Both girls leaned in and started to whisper and nudge each other while giggling. Apple Bloom looked over and then groaned, turning her head to look at the paint pony.
“They are doin' it again.”
Pipsqueak peered over at where the two fillies talked, and eventually back to the one next to him.
“I said it the first night we saw you two, and I say it again now. I don’t like this," but he had a soft grin on his muzzle.
“Relax, Squeaker, what could go wrong? I don’t see any tree sap about—Ouch!” Rumble rubbed his shoulder with a hoof and looked to his side.
Scootaloo lowered her hoof, having slugged the other pegasus lightly. “Don’t be a jerk, Rumdumb,” then, before he could say a thing, leaned over and gave him a soft kiss on the lips.
Lily gave a chuckle, seeing the goofy grin Rumble grew that cut off any retort from the pegasus.
“Does he always do that when you kiss him?” the huge draft filly said.
The orange filly glanced over and up at her friend. “You should see him when I snogg the life out of him.”
Thankfully, the pegasus' gowns had cutouts for wings, as Rumbles wings snapped out and up, the left one smacking Carrot Crunch on the side of the head.
“Ouch, hey! Watch where you point them things!”
Everypony around laughed, poor Rumble blushing instead as the orange filly once more gave him a soft nuzzle and a kiss. This time to the side of his muzzle not on the lips.
“I love you, even as goofy as you are.”
---
Up on the stage, at the podium, Principle Top Marks looked out at the sea of ponies. All colors, all tribes, even a few other species in the mixture. Then, he looked back down at the square of black robes and flat hats, framing eager eyes.
Seventy-two ponies about to start into adult life. How many graduations had he presided over? Well in truth he knew, this was his Eighteenth one and he could remember almost every young face and name he had helped usher into the adult world.
“Thank you all for being here. I look out on all of you and I see the future. I see scientists and explorers. I see teachers and farm workers. I see salesponies, and I see firefighters.”
He took a pause and a breath.
“Today, each of you have earned the right to walk across this stage. To shake my hoof and the hoof of a few of your teachers. To go from being a student, where your worries came in the form of book reports and math tests.”
A smile crossed the old blue unicorn’s muzzle.
“To the worries of the future. It is daunting and unknown, perhaps even terrifying to some of you. I say, do not fret, for each of you have in you a light, a drive. Some of you drive others to insanity with your stunts, true.”
Laughter came from everypony, most of all from the two he looked at as he said that, the lanky tall golden-colored unicorn and the chubby shorter blue unicorn. He waited for the laughter to die out.
“However, each and every one of you, are right where you should be. Now, if you would all give a hoof to our guest speaker. We have kept who it is secret from all, please give a round of applause to, Mrs. Cheerilee Apple.”
Stepping aside as the purple mare trotted out from the side stage where curtains had been up. Everypony clapping and stomping hooves.
She took her place at the podium, then looking over at the unicorn who had announced her. Everypony was giving her a standing ovation. However about a third of the graduating class put their all into it.
“Thank you, Principal Mark, and thank you all. I am here today to set a milestone in my career as a teacher, and for twenty-two of the students graduating today."
She looked down, locking eyes with many of the graduates in turn.
“Each of you were my first students. I watched you grow from my first year as a teacher. I strived my best to give you a good start, and today, I stand here one of the most proud mares in Equestria.”
She was cut off by a sound from the curtain. “Mmooommmyyyyy!”
Hearing the cry, many in the audience laughed, as she turned and looked. With a sigh, she gestured. “Okay, come on,” shaking her head as a little filly came running out and just about wiped out as she looked at the crowd and the sound of everypony’s adoration.
Her legs came to a stop, but too young to understand forward motion does not stop with the legs, catching her just as the light brown foal started her fall. She gently lay the filly across her back, the foal's eyes focused out on the crowd, ears lifting out of her bright red mane. Doing her best to hide behind Cheerilee’s neck, face pressed into her mother’s mane.
Cheerilee back to the crowd. “Now, pardon me for that,” looking back down at the graduates. “Each of you will go on to do great things. The bonds of friendship and love tie each and every one of you together. Now, if you will all put your hooves and claws together for this years valedictorian.”
Eyes looking down once more at the front row with pride on her face. “Silver Spoon.”
Silver stood and trotted up the steps onto the stage, a little stack of note cards in her mouth, setting them on the podium she hugged the teacher and whispered to her. Seeing the bright smile and the nod, before she left the earth pony to face the crowded amphitheater.
“Thank you all for venturing out to see this, to giving your time to hear the long, boring speeches, before we get to the good part.”
Laughter emanated from quite a few at her joke, letting things calm again. She looked at her cards, then shook her head and stacked them again, looking back up.
“I had a long speech about the future, how friendship will help us all, but I only have one thing to ask of all of you.“
Reaching up she removed her glasses and let them hang on the little chain around her neck.
“We, seventy-two, should be seventy-three. We are missing one, one we lost many years ago.”
Many ears lowered, most here knew who the now-somber mare spoke of.
“As such, the graduating class has a gift to give. One that was hard for all of us, but first. Please, if you could all bow your necks in a moment of silence for our lost classmate, Archer.”
A moment of silence, it seemed even the birds observed this moment. Then she lifted her head and said in a soft tone.
“Will her parents please come to the stage along with Chief Sunstreak?” she paused. “Yellow Tip, you too.”
All but the students looked bewildered, as they had kept it from everypony even the Principle. Trotting down a aisle, came the huge dark brown draft stallion, followed by a pegasus mare and stallion.
At Rescue’s side a small pegasus filly in an Explorer's uniform trotted with her head up. All stepping up on stage, Silver reached under the podium and pulled out what appeared to be a plaque, handing it to Rescue who took it from her and turned looking down at the two parents and their remaining daughter.
“The graduating class wanted to do something special, something to remember their friend. With their help—” he held out the plaque “—and money, time, and energy. They petitioned command, went to many meetings, even stood before Princess Luna in night court to make this happen,” pausing to nod out at the whole class before looking back at the family.
“The Equestria Fire Department is proud to announce. Ponyville Fire Station One, is now named in the official roles as the Archer Memorial Station.”
The mare taking the item could not hold back the tears that welled up, her small daughter pressing to her father's leg as he began to sniffle.
“As well, I have a gift for the graduating class. One that may mean a bit more to ten of you than anypony else,” he continued, glancing over at silver then out at the crowd once more before turning to the parents and yellow tip.
“Archer's name and badge number are to be added officially to the roll of fallen. Her name and number will be placed on the wall of remembrance in Canterlot, the Firefighter Memorial in Manehattan, and on the memorial plaque at every station from coast to coast.”
Along with the tears of sorrow and joy shed by a mare who hugged the huge stallion tightly, others in the crowd weeped along with them. The stomping started light, then folded into the whole amphitheater.
---
The house was packed, as was the back yard. Pipsqueak had asked everypony simply just to try not to destroy the place. Glancing out into the back yard, he spotted Grailda, the one griffon in the class being very chummy with a drunken Snips, shaking his head in amusement at that.
“What?” the pink mare who walked up on his left asked.
Pip gestured to the odd couple. “You would think with how they were the last four years. Playing pranks on each other, the fights,” he smirked. “They would have figured it out by now.”
Diamond just shook her head and yelled out the open door. “Get a room, you two!”
Laughter followed, the griffon and pony among them as the two blushed a bit.
Diamond turned back to the paint pony. “Pip,” then around, ensuring they were alone. She leaned up and nuzzled his cheek. With a blush that was hot red under her pink fur, she said softly.
“I... I was planning on staying the night."
Pip blinked, then blinked again, and again. His ears up, but mind still trying to process things. She looked worried, had she broken him?
“Pip?”
He shook his head then gave a shy, timid smile, lowering his head a bit. “Di, a-are you saying—I mean are you sure? I—n-not that I don’t want to. Just I mean we—”
A hoof covered Pip's muzzle and Diamond shook her head. “You talk too much,” lowering her hoof once more. “Yes, I am sure.”
The two pressed sides together and watched their classmates party and celebrate for a bit. Silent, and happy to just observe as a couple.
---
Pip heard the door close, looking up as the sound of the click came. Turning, caught mid-tug on his tie to undo the knot. He stared at the pink mare, seeing her blush hard.
Diamond stood there in his room, lace stockings up her back legs, a matching lace saddle, her hair down from the bun as it was for graduation. She looked frightened, unsure, yet her eyes sparkled with her feelings for the slightly-taller paint stallion.
He didn’t speak, just moved over to face her, and lowered his muzzle. Pressing into a kiss, pouring every bit of himself into the moment. To show her just how he felt about her, and this moment. One hoof reaching up to click the light off.
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Hey Rescue, DD here.
I'm happy to tell you I'll be getting a tour of the Ambulance Service Amsterdam soon! I was able.to contact them, and the paramedics agreed to show me around! Your story really did something to me.
See you in the next story,
DD
8012772 Good luck my pony friend. I hope you follow your dreams.
8042161 Thank you. I try hard to make the PVFD story as "real" as I can every chance I get.
Hi there! I stumbled upon your story while browsing the recently completed list, and I noticed your use of the Tragedy tag. I did skim the last chapter since I normally avoid Tragedies, but it seems that maybe you weren't sure what the tag is for!
Let's say you have two stories. One is about Pinkie having a psychotic break and murdering her friends. We might use 'Random' 'Gore' 'Dark' and 'Sad' to describe this story.
We have another story, about Applejack losing a leg while delivering pie. She survives, gets a prosthetic, but there's overall a bittersweet ending where she learns to live with her new disability. We could also use 'Random', 'gore', 'dark' and 'sad' to describe this story.
So how then, do we filter stories in a search to omit ones with bad ends, without spoiling it? The Tragedy tag!
This was added to identify a literary Tragedy, rather than a story containing a 'tragic' event. It warns the reader of a Bad End. The hero fails. Darkness wins. No happy ending for anybody most readers would want to have a happy ending.
So what do your tags say about this story? There's tension, surprises, suspense, and drama, set in an alternate universe, but ultimately that ends poorly for the protagonist(s).
8054647 OH trust me I do well understand what the tag is for, and it is there because of a great loss that happens. One that shapes the very fabric of the story and many of the main characters in the story. They are firefighters, and rush into places when others rush away. Tragedy can and will happen, no mater how well trained a firefighter is.
I will tell you the 'downer' chapters are few, but have a huge impact on the story. enough so that it continues into the next book.
Also keep in mind, there is no "protagonist" unless you count the beast (fire) as one.
Awesome. I've been following since you started. Amazing first story for this series
8200329 Really glad you liked it dude. BTW there is now a PVFDverse group so it is easy to find all the stories and side/one off's I do.
Ok I am finally done with this story of yours. And it was really worth not sleeping more than 2-4h the last two days. But hey, it was worth it. Now I have to. Continue with the next part eh? Well one should stick with a story tell the end right?
9610507
Oh ok thx for clearing that up for me lol. Loving this story btw