The Labors of Applejack

by Dreadnought

November 11th (Veterans Day)

The Labors of Applejack
Chapter Two: Veterans Day

BOOM!!!

Rarity let out a scream and fell out of bed.

KA-BOOM!!!

Tearing off her sleeping mask, she scrambled to her hooves dazed and confused.

KA-BOOM!!!

Rarity ran to the window and looked out with trepidation, trying to discern what was the latest crisis that only the Elements of Harmony could resolve. She found a mass of ponies in the street running towards Town Square. Leaning out, she called, “Pinkie Pie! What is going on!”

Stopping and looking up, her friend responded, “I don’t know. It kind of sounds like my party cannon, so maybe we’re having a party?”

“I don’t think –”

Suddenly a horn began playing:

“What the hay?” muttered the unicorn. She ran through the bedroom, down the stairs, and out the front door. “Come on!” she said, followed by Pinkie Pie, racing towards the heart of Ponyville. The crowd grew thicker the closer they got, but finally they squeezed between two large stallions to the very front. Her mouth dropped at the sight.

“Howdy Rarity.”

“Applejack! What in Celestia’s name is going on!” Her dear friend stood amongst three cannons, with armor-clad stallions standing at the ready.

“Happy Veterans Day.”

“What?”

“Veterans Day. You know, the eleventh day of the eleventh month.”

In a flash, Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer teleported to the scene, as Rainbow Dash swooped in from above.

“Are we under attack?” asked Twilight.

“Nnope.”

Rainbow Dash groaned, “You mean I got out of bed for nothing! I was all ready to start pounding some monster.”

“Applejack, can you tell us what’s going on?” suggested Starlight.

“Today’s Veterans Day. Wanted to start the day off with a bang.”

“With an artillery bombardment!” yelled a furious Twilight.

“This is the Royal Salute Guns Battery. They do twenty-one-gun salutes for royalty and visiting dignitaries. Ah asked Princess Celestia if they could come to help us celebrate the holiday.”

Upon hearing Princess Celestia was involved, Twilight instantly became humbled and lost her angry tone.

“Well, what was that terrible trumpet I heard?” asked Rarity.

“Oh, that was Lip Slur doing reveille on the bugle.”

Granny Smith spat, “In my day, we had boogie woogie bugle boys.”

Looking around, Applejack addressed the assembled crowd. “Ah’d like to thank y’all fer comin’ out t’day. We’ve got a whole lot of very special events goin’ on for you today....”

At ten o’clock, Ponyville witnessed a large military parade. Overhead soared squadrons of the Pegasi Corps and a flight of the Wonderbolts, much to Rainbow Dash’s surprise. On the ground came soldiers of the Equestrian Army marching to fife and drums, followed by sailors of the Royal Navy and finally members of the Royal Marines. Then came veterans of the various wars, with special honor given to the few remaining members of the last great war fought seventy years before.

At eleven o’clock, Princess Celestia herself led an official ceremony for Ponyville. She celebrated the accomplishments and sacrifices of veterans of past wars and those currently serving. She also commemorated those who had passed and those who lay buried on foreign soil.

At two o’clock, the residents of Ponyville witnessed an authentic reenactment of the last great war. Various units charged one another on the field of battle, their formations crashing into the ranks of their opponents. Pegasi clashed in the air, dogfighting a large aerial spectacle. And during the whole engagement, artillery roared, sending ear-splitting booms echoing across the land. After an hour and a half, the forces of Equestria triumphed.

Throughout the day, ponies stopped at Town Hall to listen to veterans’’ stories. Many gathered around an elderly green mare, never knowing she had served in the military. Granny Smith told her story of enlisting as a nurse in the war decades before. She related of landing on foreign soil and following the Third Army as it pushed the enemy back. And she longingly reminisced of meeting her husband, who also was serving in the war.

After a few bottles of hard apple cider, Grand Pear began talking about his years in the Navy. He enthralled the foals with tales of sea monsters that could swallow a pony whole or of terrible storms, the waves crashing upon the deck and the ship nearly capsizing. He fondly recalled shore leave in exotic ports, with beautiful mares and great beer. After a while, his stories became unbelievable, and folks realized he had a little too much to drink.

Even Ka-Bar, who didn’t like to mention his service, talked about his deployment to the desert. He remembered the camaraderie of serving with his brothers-in-arms, from boot camp to the battlefield. Though he couldn’t talk about the operations he was a part of, still classified, he nevertheless opened up in a way he never had before.

At the end of the day, ponies went home, having thoroughly enjoyed the events and looking forward to the next Veterans Day. Applejack stood back with satisfaction that ponies would remember Veterans Day from now on. However, as she travelled back to Sweet Apple Acres that night, she knew her next great challenge lay only twelve days away: the Fall Harvest Festival.

Author's Note:

Happy Veterans Day! I'd like to thank all those who serve and those who continue to wear the uniform!

As you may know, Veterans Day started ninety-nine years ago, with WWI ending at 11:00 on November 11th. The armistice ended the bloodiest war in the history of mankind (up to that point). Remember, for next year will be the 100th anniversary.

I'd just like to point out that there is a bit of truth in this story. I based Granny Smith's tale on my grandmother's. She enlisted in 1943. She was not a WAC (Women's Auxiliary Corps), but was an Army Nurse. She landed in 1944 in France and was part of Patton's Third Army. Their unit moved through France and Germany and finally into Austria, where they entered a concentration camp to treat the prisoners. (She'd tell you that those who said the Holocaust never happened were full of shit.) And yes, she did meet my grandfather in the war, who was also serving in the Army.

Feel free to leave notes about your military service or those of your family.

Have a wonderful day and see you on Thanksgiving!

Dreadnought

Comments

[BestinDworld]

question? u can answer if you like.....did any women fight in the first and 2 world war? as far as i know as far as media is concerned not once i have heard mention of women in combat. sadly most media i know of weither they be in movies books tv or games depecting that era are mostly men not women and if there were women that served during that time i think its sad that women wernt depecded in media

[BestinDworld]

8545066
i kinda answered my own question earlier their was a ww2 soviet night bomber female squadron called the 588th strike witches night bomber squadron they flew modified soviet po-2s which could only hold 6 bombs at a time and had no parachutes