Graduation
=///Fort Benneighing, February 13th 1998 CLD, Province of Neigh York, 1900 Hours\\\=
The time was 7 PM and it was the evening. As the sun was slowly, but surely setting, a train can be seen heading towards its destination. Just north east of the Equestrian continent and directly adjacent to the Haylantic Ocean, Sunset Shimmer got off the train car. She was not the only one who getting off the train, there were at least over two hundred ponies of various races from various Equestrian provinces.
The reason why there are tons of ponies was because they're all here to enlist into the Royal Equestrian Armed Forces, or the REAF for short. No, it's not the same as the 'Equestrian Royal Guard' like many other ponies would believe. The ERG is one of the most special branches under the REAF, only a select few being picked for the position. The ERG is assigned to guard the Alicorn princesses with their lives. They are also under direct command from the Alicorn monarchs themselves unlike the REAF.
The REAF is separated into two branches: the Equestrian Ground Forces and the Equestrian Royal Navy. Since Equestria relied heavily on their ground forces and navy, they didn't really have a dedicated Air Force. The closest thing Equestria can call an Air Force is the Airship Air Corps and the elite Wonderbolts.
Anyways, a few minutes after the ponies got off their transport, the train started to leave the station and left the recruits to themselves. The atmosphere in front of Fort Benneighing was full of excitement and nervousness. Ponies from all around Equestria were talking amongst themselves about their soon-to-be military service and what to expect. Even Sunset Shimmer, a pony who's social skills aren't the best, could be seen talking amongst other ponies as well.
It wasn't long before multiple ponies in iron armor walked out of the fort and towards the recruits. Compared to the Royal Guards who had their gold colored armor and stylized for ceremonial purpose, the one the pony officer was wearing had their armor in a silver color and the design is made to offer the best protection as possible. Compared to gold, iron armor is proven to be tougher and offers better protection against projectiles such as arrows and various other weapons.
One of the pony instructors looked at the fresh recruits. So young, so full of excitement, so much ponies to order around. Despite not showing it, he was grinning in his mind. He always loved ordering around new recruits, seeing their reactions to his not-so-friendly ways of training them. The other pony instructors would also think of the same thing as well, just slightly varying. They all stopped a few meters in front of the recruits, taking a moment to gather their minds.
One of the pony instructors stepped up before he took a deep breath and yelled towards the clueless recruits, "Ponies! Shoulder to shoulder on the painted lines in front of you!"
Sunset and the other ponies were startled by his yelling. After a few seconds, they began to follow his instructions and started to line up. After they finished, the pony military instructors looked around at the recruits.
Satisfied with what they saw, the previous pony instructor spoke up in a loud voice, "Alright everypony! My name is Drill Sergeant Silver Shield! With me is Drill Sergeant Thunder Dare and Drill Sergeant Shadow Jewel, and we humbly welcome you to Fort Benneighing! For the next six months, we will be in charge of training you all! If you want to join the Royal Equestrian Armed Forces, you will follow our order and instructions to the letter!"
Sunset and the other ponies remained silent and continued to listen to the military instructor's words.
"For now, you will march towards the registration room and fill out your paperwork. Afterwards, you will take your things to your designated locker rooms. You will start your training tomorrow at 6 AM sharp and remember, if you have second thoughts on joining the military this is your last chance to turn around." Sergeant Silver Shield continued
Sunset Shimmer and the other ponies were still standing there. She and all the others were determined to join the military.
"So nopony has second thoughts?"
....
"Alright then, that's good to see! March towards the registration room! Double file line, I don't want to see any rushing!"
All of the pony recruits then immediately moved towards the registration room in a double file line. They took their saddle bags full of their belongings with them and with it, they march towards their new future.
=///A few minutes later\\\=
Sunset Shimmer was busy filling out her registration papers. It was quite a lot, even for her. She must write her name, age, address, and most importantly, her parent. She was sure the pony working in the registration department would spend most of their sweet time trying to confirm that she was the adopted daughter of Princess Celestia.
Believe it or not, Celestia never officially announced to Equestria that she adopted her fifteen years ago. It was odd as she could have sworn their were someponies nearby when she was getting adopted, especially that caretaker, but I guess they were told not to talk about it. Right now, she is basically an unknown outsider of Canterlot. Her mother said that this was so she wouldn't be targeted by foreign assassins or Neo-Neighzi sympathizers.
She shuddered, she could still remember the days she was kept in that cage. She was lucky that she was found by Celestia and that caretaker...
As she was finishing her paper, she heard somepony next to her whisper towards her.
"Psst! Hello! Can you help me fill out these papers?" -the pony chuckled nervously- "I may or may not understand some of the things on here..." she said with a heavy northern Equestrian accent.
Sunset turned towards the pony. It turns out that the one who called her was a crystal pony mare. She has a white coat with a red mane. She also had an Equestrian red cross as a her cutie mark.
(Equestrian Red Cross organization symbol)
It was rare for Sunset to see a crystal pony so far from their homeland. They usually lived in the north of the continent in the Crystal Empire. In fact, the only time Sunset ever saw a crystal pony was when she was visiting the Crystal Empire embassy in Canterlot.
The two nations, both the United Kingdom of Equestria and the Crystal Empire adopted the same language named 'Ponish', but Crystal Empire's version of Ponish has a few differences compared to their Equestrian counterparts. Both languages are similar, but not entirely identical. The reason for that is because Empress Cadance did a little bit of tinkering with the Ponish language to make it more unique compared to the others. This for some reason created several problems in communication between the two nations. Of course, tensions between the two weren't downright bad, it was actually pretty friendly, but the language differences did cause some problems.
Anyways, Sunset Shimmer understood why her crystal pony counterpart was having trouble filling out her application form. As much as she didn't want to interact with many ponies during her training, that doesn't mean she was a complete bastard. Just like the any other ponies during their young years, she was taught by her mother to always help other ponies who were having difficulty.
"Uh... sure thing, what is it you need help on?" Sunset asked. The crystal pony mare looked at her application form momentarily before turning towards Sunset Shimmer.
"This part right here," -she turned to point at a specific part of the form- "this is what I need help on."
Sunset Shimmer went closer to see what she was pointing at.
'Ah' she thought, 'No wonder she's having trouble...'
The crystal pony mare was pointing at one of the more heavily worded parts of the application form. Sunset Shimmer then started helping the mare in filling out the paper which of course only took a few minutes.
After they were done, the crystal pony mare spoke up, "Thanks a bunch! The name is Crystal Tender, what's your name?"
Sunset Shimmer was a bit hesitant to say at first, but after a few seconds she finally decided to tell her name.
"My name is Sunset Shimmer." she responded plainly.
"Oh! That's a nice name. Say, where are you from? You seem like a pony who lives in a big city." she asked.
Sunset Shimmer was surprised with the mare's behavior. She had never met anypony like the crystal pony mare in front of her. As much as she wanted to stop having the conversation right now, she didn't want to hurt this random pony's feelings. Sunset Shimmer knew how emotional ponies can get...
"I'm from Canterlot, capital of the UKE." -Sunset Shimmer turned to look at a clock nearby- "As much as I want to continue talking, I don't think the recruiters would like us to continue chatting."
Crystal Tender turned to the clock nearby and jumped a bit, which confused Sunset Shimmer slightly.
"O-Oh, I guess you're right, we better get going."
Both ponies quickly took their registration papers and placed it on a pile of similar forms. Crystal Tender turned towards Sunset Shimmer with a question on her mind.
"Before we go our separate ways, is it possible that we could talk another time?" she asked.
Sunset Shimmer was yet again surprised by this. A pony interested to keep talking to her? How odd. Nevertheless, Sunset Shimmer answered back.
"If we have time, I guess we can do that." Sunset replied.
Crystal Tender seemed happy that she found somepony to talk to during their time of training. She thanked Sunset Shimmer before taking her things and headed towards her locker room. Sunset Shimmer followed suit, but at a different direction towards her designated locker room.
As she walked towards her locker room, she came across a long hall which had a lot of portraits of famous pony generals in the past. Sunset Shimmer looked up at the portraits within the hall as she walked. There she could see paintings of important military figures such as Neighpoleon Boneparte, Gayus Juleus Caeisar, and Genghis Khaneigh.
Sunset continued to set her sights on the paintings, especially Neighpoleon Boneparte, which she admired when she read his victories during his time alive as the general of the Prench Army.
He was one of the most astute generals ever in Equestrian history. He won hundreds of battles and succeeded in conquering most of Europonian region. Even when the Alicorn sisters started to intervene in the conflict, they couldn't defeat him easily. Sunset Shimmer still remembered the page in her history book that explained how he managed to outmaneuver Celestia's forces during the Battle of Flankfurt.
His downfall was caused by his arrogance and overconfidence in invading the Russean province. Princess Luna carried out a a brilliant plan, a plan to trap Prench general and his army. She allowed fake intelligence to be captured by the Prench, hoping for Neighpoleon to fall for it, and he did. He led his army to Moscolt, hoping to catch the Princesses by surprise during the night. Alas, it was all a trap, a trap he realized too late. Princess Luna then proceeded to crumble the city around his army, leaving only an injured Neighpoleon and a small band of Prench soldiers in the aftermath. Afterwards, he got paranoid, unwilling to take great risks for victory. At the end, the once mighty general lost his life at the final battle of Faris on March 31, 0814 CLD.
Sunset Shimmer kept staring at the painting while walking. During that, she didn't seem to pay attention to her surroundings and proceeded to bump into somepony.
*Thump*
Sunset Shimmer stumbled quite a bit, but didn't fall back. Her gaze then quickly changed to whoever she bumped into. At first glance, she thought the pony was just a normal pegasus mare, but after paying attention closely, she noticed that this pony apparently had bat eyes, fluffy ears, and fangs. She quickly realized that she had bumped into a rare pony subspecies called a Lunar Pegasi. From what she heard from her times in biology class, they are apparently a mixture of a bat, a pegasus, and a pony, a perfect species for the night.
The lunar pegasus has a gray coat and blue mane. Her cutie mark is a crescent moon with an three arrowhead in the middle. When Sunset Shimmer looked at her face, the lunar pegasus seemed a tad bit angry.
"Hey! Watch where you're going next time." she said.
"Terribly sorry, I got distracted by the painting" she said while motioning her head towards the painting she was looking at.
"Hmm, if it won't happen again, then that's fine."
The lunar pegasus then turned her gaze towards the painting that Sunset was motioning at. The lunar pegasus widened her eyes for a bit. It would appear Sunset was a fan of Neighpoleon , and the lunar pegasus quickly figured that out.
"So... you're a Neighpoleon fan, aren't you?" the lunar pegasus asked.
Sunset Shimmer nodded at that before responding, "Well, compared to other generals like Gourge Whinnyton's, he is the best general in the Equestrian History in my opinion." The lunar pegasus chuckled when she heard Gourge Whinnyton's name.
"That's because Whinnyton's is such complete trash. He basically lost half of all the battles against the Griffish Division and eventually died to the alicorns."
"Well, you have to give credit where credit is due. Gourge Whinnyton fought against his enemies with farmers, untrained ponies, and hillpillies." Sunset Shimmer said. The lunar pegasus looked up, as in in thought, before turning her attention towards Sunset Shimmer.
"Huh... I guess you're right, maybe I shouldn't judge based on wins." the lunar pegasus admitted.
All of a sudden, she held out a hood towards Sunset Shimmer. An action that can only be seen as a hoof shake.
"Setting that aside, my name is Dusky Sight, what's yours?"
Sunset Shimmer was again a bit hesitant, but she decided the lunar pegasus wasn't much of a threat like that crystal pony so she gave her name.
"My name is Sunset Shimmer."
=///A few moments of walking and talking later...\\\=
The two ponies continued to talk to each other, especially about Equestrian's history of war. Unlike any other pony Sunset has ever met, Dusky Sight is an interesting pony. Well, she could also say that crystal pony mare she met earlier was interesting as well, wanting to talk to her when they meet again. Then again, she didn't really have a conversation with the crystal pony, so it's undecided.
After a few minutes of talking and walking, the two ponies arrived at their locker room. They both went inside and placed their personal belongings in their assigned areas. Sunset thought she would never see this mare again, but apparently she and Dusky were assigned to the same room. Despite not showing it, deep down, she was relieved to have been assigned with her because in all her life, she never met a pony that was nice to talk to at all. Well, except for her mother and Princess Luna, but that doesn't count.
When Sunset Shimmer and Dusky Sight entered the room they were assigned to, they saw four ponies in the room. Two of which were stallions and the other two were mares. The room is designed on a squad level, six beds for six ponies. Sunset recognized one of the mares in the room, she was the same crystal pony mare she helped. The crystal pony mare also noticed Sunset Shimmer as her eyes widened with a sort of happiness in her stare.
"Crystal Tender, is that you?" Sunset Shimmer said in surprise.
"Yeah! It's me!" -Crystal Tender smiled widely- "I can't believe we were assigned to the same room!"
Sunset Shimmer couldn't believe it as well. She thought that when they separated, both of them would be, of course, separated! Alas, it wasn't the case. Setting that aside, Sunset Shimmer didn't mind it that much, despite her personality.
"I can't believe it as well." -Sunset smiled a tad bit- "I thought you were assigned somewhere else."
"I thought so as well, but I guess that's not the case." -she'd turn towards the rest of the ponies in the room- "Hey guys! Meet Sunset Shimmer, the pony that helped me!"
As Crystal Tender went towards the rest of the ponies for them to greet Sunset Shimmer, Dusky Sight walked up to Sunset Shimmer to make a comment.
"She's an energetic one, hm?"
Sunset Shimmer sighed before responding, "You're not wrong there..."
Crystal Tender came back with the rest of the ponies to have a meet and greet. One of the stallions in the room introduced himself first, he was a unicorn named Emerald Ace and he has a green coat and yellowish mane. His cutie mark is an image of an emerald diamond that emits a green beam of energy and he says that he's from Idahoof.
The other stallion, a decently muscular one, has a gray coat and a silver mane. His name was Thunder Spark and his cutie mark was an image of lightning with white sparks of dust all around it. He was a pegasus from Mareland.
Next, the mares introduced themselves. The first being an earth pony named Flower Jade. She has a light green coat and a dark green golden-yellowish striped mane. Her cutie mark is a beautiful jade rose with a golden spark above it. She said that she was from Califoalnia.
Next was Crystal Tender. Though the crystal pony mare had already introduced her name to Sunset Shimmer before, both Sunset and Dusky didn't even have the basic of information on her so she introduced herself properly. It would appear that her family were actual citizens of the Crystal Empire who decided to go migrate to Equestria and settled in Sweetzerland.
After the four of them introduced themselves to Sunset Shimmer and Dusky Sight, Dusky introduced herself to them. She explained herself quite a bit and also revealed that she was from Manechigan.
After she finished, Sunset Shimmer introduced herself to her new roommates. She explained herself for a bit and revealed that she was from Canterlot, explaining to the other ponies that Canterlot itself was special territory since the Alicorn princesses ruled Canterlot directly.
Sunset Shimmer of course didn't tell them that she was Princess Celestia's adopted daughter because they didn't need to know that and she was sure they wouldn't believe her anyways. Though maybe, if they spent more time with each other, maybe she would, but that's still undecided.
All the ponies in the room started chatting with each other about various topics. Sunset Shimmer was asked age old questions like, 'How does it feel to live in Canterlot?' and 'Have you ever met Princess in person?'. Sunset Shimmer didn't mind the questions as she quickly responded to each one of them.
After a few hours later, walking around the building they were in and meeting other ponies, they all retreated to their respective beds. For the average pony, the mattresses in the military were pretty decent, but this is completely different from the mattresses that Sunset enjoys in the Canterlot castle. Though, she won't complain, she went through much harder experiences than an uncomfortable bed.
Sunset Shimmer looked around the room she and her roommates were in. The experience of being at the fort was similar to being at the embassy at the Crystal Empire, an experience full of excitement and anything along the lines. She didn't know what awaits her during her time of training, but she knew it would be full of hard work, both mentally and physically.
As she thought about what's to come, she began to feel tired. Her roommates were already fast asleep so she was the only one awake. She took one last look around the room, took a big breath, and closed her eyes. Soon enough, after a few minutes, she fell asleep.
=///The next day, 0600 hours\\\=
Everything was quiet in the room Sunset and her roommates were in. The sun was rising and the moon began to set over the horizon. Equus was busy as usual, ponies and other creatures were beginning to awaken from their slumbers, some grumbling of the thought of another day while others were the opposite.
As Sunset and her roommates kept sleeping, a door opened up which revealed a grinning Drill Sergeant Silver Shield. He loved waking up the new recruits at such an early hour and to see how they react. Most ponies woke up in the most craziest ways possible when woken up by him, so he expected the same from the group he was about to yell at. He took a deep breath and yelled his favorite phrase with all his heart.
"WAKE UP YOU LAZY FILLIES!"
Sunset Shimmer and her new roommates suddenly woke up, startled with the sudden interruption of their beauty sleep. Flower Jade fell from her bed, Emerald Ace screamed like a filly, Thunder Spark jumped from his bed and stayed stationary in the air for a mere second before falling flat on his face, and both Sunset Shimmer and Crystal Tender rushed out of their blankets in a mess. The only pony who didn't mess up was Dusky Sight as she professionally got up from her bed, made it, and stood at attention.
The rest of the ponies were all shocked and didn't know why they were awakened, but they immediately remembered that today was training day.
"IT'S TIME FOR YOUR FIRST TRAINING! NOW GET YOUR LAZY FLANKS OUT OF HERE AND ONTO THE TRAINING GROUNDS OR HELP ME CELESTIA I WILL PERSONALLY KICK YOUR FLANKS TO KINGDOM COME!"
Not wanting their flanks kicked, the ponies in the room quickly headed towards the training grounds. Dusky Sight helped Sunset Shimmer and Crystal Tender to stand up and they all immediately came out of the room towards their destination.
As the group traversed the building, they realized they weren't the first group to be awaken. The other trainers awakened all the new pony recruits in the same way, each room with various types of reactions. They were all being guided to the training grounds where there were all kinds of dangerous obstacle courses that will make Detroit look like a morning walk.
As all the ponies arrived at the area, they all stood side-by-side on some white lines. The amount of recruits were a lot and Sunset could observe that there were more than 100 recruits that came. As they all settled down, all the recruits turned their attention to the front where all the drill sergeants were.
"Alright, listen up, your first day will be difficult! You will all have to get through this obstacle course which I will warn you, will absolutely make anypony tired if not done well! You all will have only fifteen minutes to reach the finish line and by then, if you don't make it, anypony that failed will have some extra work not even the base janitors will do! If I see any cheating, meaning the use of magic or wings, anypony caught will personally have a nice talking with myself and the other drill instructors! Do you all understand?!" Silver Shield informed loudly.
"Yes, drill sergeant!" Silver Shield looked disappointed.
"AM I TRAINING FOALS OR AM I TRAINING FULL GROWN PONIES?! I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"
"YES, DRILL SERGEANT!"
"THEN WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! MOVE IT OR LOSE IT!
With determined minds, all the new recruits immediately dashed towards the obstacle course. Sunset Shimmer felt a bit nervous because during her training with her mother, she only focused on magic, but not any physical training. Despite that, she still rushed towards the obstacle course with the rest of the other recruits. She wasn't going to fail now...
=///Three weeks later...\\\=
It had been more than three weeks since she enlisted in the military. It was really tiring, unforgettable, and unforgiving journey for her, but in the end, it was all worth it. She was physically and mentally stronger than before, and every week her mother sends her a letters containing new spells and magic she herself never learned before.
She also asked Sunset to try making some friends and of course, she really wanted to reject the idea. Though, knowing that her own daughter wouldn't want to do that, Celestia explained that if she really wanted to become a true Alicorn princess, she had to have friends. Celestia and her sister built the UKE not out of thin air, but with friends and many other ponies.
She didn't want to believe it, but in the end, her logic managed to change her mind. Besides, it shouldn't be life-threatening to her.
So after that note from her mother, she started trying to make friends. Sunset started from her first roommates, especially with Dusky Sight and Crystal Tender. Dusky Sight was one of the ponies that managed to gain her attention without troubling her, and Crystal Tender was already friendly enough.
With that information, Sunset decided to give it a try. She started first with trying to make some small talk when she had the chance. Taking some of her time off with friendly interactions instead of learning magic. It was difficult at first, but as time went on, it became easier and easier for Sunset Shimmer to talk with the other ponies. Eventually, they shared stories about their life experiences, ranging from the silly, to the more serious ones.
The three of them became close friends, as if they were long lost sisters. As they all spent time with each other when they had the chance (military training was time consuming), Sunset Shimmer realized that making friends wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
=///Three months later, November 8, 1989 CLD, 1030 hours\\\=
After three months of grueling training at Fort Benneighing, the pony recruits had finally graduated from basic training and were now ready to begin serving their country.
All the pony recruits lined up straight and proud at a grassy field, just outside of Fort Benneighing. While their respective families watch on from a distance, taking pictures and crying tears of happiness, the pony recruits were equally excited to finally reunite with their families after so many months of being away. Even government officials such as the governor of Neigh York was there to witness their graduation from basic training. All in all, the atmosphere in the area was absolutely positive.
Meanwhile, Sunset Shimmer couldn't be more proud in her whole life. Not only did she successfully graduate from military training, she was also promoted to the rank of sergeant and led the ER-34 Vanguard team in which her roommates were apart of.
Apparently, she was a special case. Being promoted to such a decently high rank while in basic training was unheard of. Granted, it happens from time to time, but it was an extremely rare thing for somepony to be promoted during training. Sunset Shimmer guessed that she was promoted because of her special abilities in magic and her mother's assistance in developing spells which amazed her military instructors. It could also be because she demolished every expectation from her drill instructors, even Silver Shield was amazed.
Her friends meanwhile got their respective ranks. Dusky Sight earned the rank of Corporal, Emerald Ace got the rank of Private, Thunder Spark achieved the rank of PFC, and both Crystal Tender and Flower Jade got the rank of Private. Crystal Tender, due to her medical knowledge, was assigned as the team's medic while Flower Jade served as the communications and demolitions specialist.
After several minutes of the recruits settling down, Drill Sergeant Silver Shield and the other drill instructors started giving out a speech. The drill instructors spoke about honor, about courage, and about the guts to defend Equestria and her allies. The speech was dramatic, yet short enough to get the point across. There were even some tears in both the recruits eyes as the speech continued. After the speech, they were all told to take the REAF Oath, something that is really important and sacred in the Royal Equestrian Armed Forces.
With their heads up high, their hearts beating strong and proud, with a loud voice, the recruits began to say the oath, one word at a time.
I solemnly swear...
To devote my life and ability...
In the defense of the United Kingdom of Equestria and her allies...
To defend the constitution of Harmony from those who wish to harm it...
And to further the universal rights of all living sentient races...
From the depths of the Ponecific Ocean...
To the edge of the Mount Everhoof...
For as long as I shall live!
After they all completed the REAF Oath, the governor of Neigh York then got on stage. He looked at the sea of recruits with a proud smile at what he saw. Ponies of all kinds, from the earth ponies and to even the rare lunar pegasi were present. This reminded him of the time when he was a soldier back then before he took up politics. It was a time of excitement and constant amounts of waking up early to perform his duty, but despite that, he enjoyed his time of service. Though, now was not the time to remembering, now was the time to address the pony recruits in front of him.
He cleared his throat, walked up towards the magically enhanced megaphone, and spoke into it, "Good morning mares and gentlecolts..."
"It is a privilege and a pleasure to be here representing the Neigh York government about your success in passing basic training..."
"Graduates – you are here today amongst proud parents and loved ones…"
"Proud friends…"
"Proud instructors and teachers…"
"Proud national dignitaries…"
"And proud Equestrian military leaders…"
"And I know, in particular, a very proud Drill Sergeant Silver Shield for whom this graduation parade and commissioning ceremony will be his last as the Chief of REAF Neigh York Branch."
"Graduates – all two-hundred-and-twenty-three of you have every right to be proud in yourselves..."
"For today marks the end of a sustained period of intense learning in the classroom and on the training field."
"You graduate today as soldiers equipped with greater knowledge and new skills which will serve you well in the REAF and beyond..."
"You have sharpened your minds and strengthened your bodies, both of which are needed for the responsibilities of taking part in the military."
"Mares and gentlecolts, this cohort of graduating ponies speaks volumes about not only the Royal Military Academy of Fort Benneighing, but about Equestria's approach to the world."
"This group of ponies who at first didn't even know a single thing about the military hail from all over the United Kingdoms of Equestria: from Germane – our age-old province of the Europonean region…"
'From Marerocco, Chineigh and Japones – some of our dear Saddle Arabian neighbours…"
"From Indoneighsia – one of our province in South-East Asina…"
"And from Iraquus – a province where brutal war nonetheless created new bonds of friendship."
"The international make-up of our graduates is testimony to the global standing of the Royal Military Academy of Fort Benneighing."
"It’s a nine-hundred-and-eleven year old institution revered by our allies, partners, and friends. A training academy to which they send their own to receive the finest military education. Though, besides that, it also says something about our national ethos:" -he took a deep breath, looking at the recruits, before continuing- "That the United Kingdom of Equestria is a peaceful country, that the United Kingdom of Equestria is a place of acceptance, no matter the species, and despite being a continental nation, we seek to be peacefully engaged with the world around us."
"This ethos courses through the veins of the Equestrian Government..."
"It is why, under the leadership of Princess Celestia and Luna, we are revitalizing our historically deep engagement in the region, especially in the Griffonian and in Zebranica continent..."
"It is why we want Equestria to take its place in the world with confidence, bringing new energy to our relationships with friends, both old and new."
"The Royal Military Academy of Fort Benneighing epitomizes the UKE's hospitality, the UKE's curiosity with the world around us, and the UKE's commitment to shaping a better world for future generations."
"Graduates, as you leave here today as soldiers of a strong and proud nation, I encourage you to keep three things in mind. These three things will be absolutely necessary for whatever future is to come, whether it'd be peaceful or not..."
"First, the need for determination and composure. Whatever the field, whatever the discipline, leaders require fortitude and poise. The end of your time as cadets ushers in a period of new challenges as you take your place as soldiers leading others or being the ones taking orders. The journey ahead is not a straight path to success. There will be side-road setbacks and difficult detours you will need to navigate."
"As ponies look to you as soldiers, proceed with determination in the face of adversity, and maintain composure as you encounter the pressures of circumstance."
"Secondly, attend to the views of others and draw on their expertise. Lead from a position which always affords time and respect to those around you – especially with an open mind and an attentive ear to different perspectives. Military personnel nurtured in the institutions of Harmonic Monarchy have an advantage over their counterparts who are forged in the organs of disharmonious democratic regimes. As soldiers, remember that the best decisions rarely come from acting on your own ideas in isolation. Rather, they come from consulting and drawing on the knowledge of those around you."
"Cherish the strength which the Harmonious principles provide in military thinking and military action at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels."
"Thirdly, be driven by both a contemporary and historical sense of service. You are graduating at a time when we face the most difficult set of strategic circumstances we have known since the end of the Second Europonian War. The Zebranica Empire despicable invasion of the Giraffean Union and the ongoing conflict in the western Griffonian continent is a warning to us all..."
"That is why we are seeing nations in our own region – including the United Kingdom of Equestria– taking necessary steps to uphold the rules-based international order, to contribute to an effective balance of military power, and to ensure our region remains stable, peaceful, and prosperous."
"As we confront these circumstances, much is being asked, and will continue to be asked of military personnel and you as soldiers."
"Particularly as we contend with an array of security challenges: be it bushfires, floods, and pandemics…"
"Ponytarian assistance and disaster relief operations…"
"Or the increasing prevalence of rainbow-zone activities."
"Today, as you graduate as soldiers, let our times inspire your service, and know that your service will shape our times to something better than it was before. "
"Never view your service in isolation, instead, view it with others..."
"You are the custodians of the service of generations past, just as one day, future generations will become the custodians of yours."
"Graduates, one and all, on behalf of the Neigh York government, congratulations and may Celestia guide you in your times of troubles."
All the ponies then started shouting in unison, many started celebrating their graduation from basic training. Many jumped in joy while others simply celebrated with friends or family. Meanwhile, Sunset Shimmer and her new found friends embraced in a platonic way and congratulated each other.
After their celebration was over, they quickly went to meet their parents and relatives who were waiting there as spectators. They started shaking hooves and hugged their families, some ponies let out tears of joy at finally being reunited with their families after three months of training.
Sunset Shimmer on the other hoof wanders aimlessly throughout the crowd of ponies who were greeting each other. She was looking for her mother in the crowd, but she could not find her. A two thousand year old alicorn should really stand out in the crowd of ponies out of her height alone. Sunset Shimmer even sent a letter to her mother a week ahead before her graduation ceremony.
A sense of disappointment and sadness began to cloud Sunset's minds on the possibility that her mother would not come to her graduation ceremony. Maybe it's because she is busy with politics and national bureaucracy? Or could it possibly be because of that blasted purple unicorn filly?
With a disappointed sigh, she gave up on her search and turned around from the crowd. Maybe she'll spend some time with her friends, that might do. Just as she kept walking, she as interrupted by a pegasus mare.
"Greetings, are you perhaps Sunset Shimmer?" the pegasus mare asked.
With a raised brow, Sunset Shimmer responded, "Uh... yeah, that's me? Who are you exactly?"
"Take a guess." she'd say with a grin.
The pony in question had a snow-white coat and a light-pink mane. She also had a sun with clouds as a cutie mark. Sunset Shimmer also noticed that the mare was also looking at her with a smile, a smile that was so genuine that she thought the mare in front of her was her mother.
'Wait a second...' she thought. She looked closely at the pegasus mare's features once more. The cutie mark, the snow-white coat, the light-pink mane, the genuine smile that reminded her of her mother...
'It couldn't be...'
"M-Mom? Is that you?" she asked in shock. The mare responded with a smile.
"Took you long enough, my filly."
It was apparently her mother. She used a disguise spell to prevent any sort of unwanted attention. Sunset Shimmer still remembered the time when her mother used the same magic spell to disguise herself as a normal pegasus named 'Sunny sky' so they both could go together to enjoy donuts at the Donut Joes shop.
It wasn't long before Sunset Shimmer quickly dashed towards her with tears of happiness and relief flowing from her eyes. The two ponies met and eventually embraced each other like a mother would do to her daughter. Celesti- I mean Sunny Sky used her wings to bring Sunset into a tighter and warmer hug. They both cherished the moment like eating homemade dinner after a long day of work. After a few seconds of hugging, Sunset broke the silence between the two.
"You... You actually came! I thought you would never come... I really miss you..." Sunset said with a few sobs.
Celestia, or Sunny Sky in this case, responded back, "Of course I came! I wouldn't miss my own daughter's graduation from basic training. I'm really proud of you and I know that you will succeed." -she chuckled lightly as she was reminded of something- "You also made some friends. I thought I would never see the day!"
Sunset Shimmer laughed at her mother's antics. She herself was surprised as well, making friends at a fort was something she would have least expected, but that was alright.
"Yeah, I'm surprised myself that I managed to do something I once thought impossible!" -Sunset Shimmer smiled s they both broke free from their embrace- "I apologize for not listening to you and not looking for friends earlier on, it's actually pretty good..."
Celestia, or Sunny Sky, simply smiled back, "It's fine, my daughter, at the end of the day, you made some friends along the way. All you need to do is to continue what you're doing now and solidify your path to your destiny."
"I'll make sure of it, thank you for everything."
"Anything for you, my daughter, anything for you..."
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11528335
Come and get me! :P
Will there be a ship for Sunset? Also forgive give me for asking but when is conflict coming? I'M CRAVING FOR CHAOS! Again sorry.
11528507
Yes.
on the next page, there will be war.
11528518
static.wikia.nocookie.net/archiesonic/images/3/37/Commander_Tower.JPG/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/125?cb=20100624092107
You can't have copyrighted song lyrics in your story, sorry. I've got to revoke this, but you can resubmit it once the lyrics are gone.
11534601
Oh ok
11534601
Hello, I've removed the Lyrics from the 11 page and page 14.
11516402
i can't wait to see the effect of the cultural exchange music is a REALLY big part I'd say and the ideas it can convey wonder if any pony revolutions are gonna take place maybe not in the American way but in a more peaceful pony way.
11536920
Oh, noted
11537068
It won't be a few hours before some parents are yelling to keep human culture away "won't someone think of the foals!" I am sure there gonna be people on both sides that are going to be both willing and unwilling to partake in each other's views ad that will be fun to see