The Longest Hour
By Sturm Panzer
“Canterlot. Although I’ve come to think of Ponyville as my new home, every time I come back here, it feels like I’m coming home.” Twilight took a few moments to look over how the city had changed. She had been in Canterlot only a few months ago, but things had changed significantly in those few months. Gone were the bright flowers, the green of hedges and trees. The leaves had since turned golden and red and fallen to the ground. The flowers now all wilted and shrivelled, waiting for the cold grip of winter to come. Even the ground had succumbed to the touch of winter, with a thin layer of frost that clung to the ground in areas of shade where the sun couldn’t reach.
The weather was unseasonably cold for it still being only in the middle of the fall, and small clouds of exhaled breath hung in the air in front of each pony as they walked the streets. Everywhere that Twilight looked, there were signs of the impending freeze; frost on the windows, ponies bundled up. Only the stately walls of white stone seemed impervious to the cold.
“That’s because you grew up here, Twilight.” Spike said as he sat on Twilight’s back, one hand holding onto the thick scarf that the purple unicorn had wrapped around her neck, while the other clutched the thick blanket that he had wrapped around him. “I feel the same way, though I was hatched here, so I guess it’s not quite the same thing.”
Twilight had just entered the main plaza and then paused to look around. Already there was a significant crowd forming up along the marked route. Obviously, even the cold weather wouldn’t be keeping the crowds of Canterlot from being here for this procession. The nobility turned out in force, stately unicorns of every colour, all immaculately dressed and trying to pretend that the chill in the air meant nothing to them.
“It sure is cold for the time of year. I hope it doesn’t start to snow,” the little dragon commented, pulling the blanket around his body a bit tighter.
As if summoned, the flakes of snow started drifting down. A few here and there, but starting to pick up in short order, turning into a proper snowfall. “Got any more requests?” Twilight asked, only to be answered by an inarticulate grumble from Spike.
The marked route traveled straight in from the gates, passing directly in front of the steps that led up to the Royal Palace; there, Royal Guard ponies were lined up in a pair of columns so that Celestia would be able to walk out of the doors and stand front and center at the edge of the parade route.
Twilight's eyes continued to follow the route, which was marked with a chest-high wooden railing. It continued past the Royal Palace and right up to the Cenotaph, before bending to the right and curving into the barracks for the Royal Guard’s 1st Century . ”Celestia's Own”, Princess Celestia's personal bodyguards.
Every time that she saw the Cenotaph, it never ceased to instil a sense of awe and respect for what it represented. Gleaming white stones formed into a rectangular box with the narrow end pointing into the plaza. A trio of statues depicting Royal Guard ponies stood on top of it, carefully placed and posed in a diorama, frozen forever. A pegasus, sprawled on the ground because of his wounds and looking up. A unicorn, braced to meet some oncoming enemy. A second pegasus, who was using his body and flared wings to shield a filly with a pair of foals that were cowering behind him. Whoever made the statues was a master craftspony. They looked so real, that they might leap off the Cenotaph at any moment.
Twilight's research indicated that the Cenotaph was hundreds of years old, although no one was really sure who commissioned it, or when. The meaning behind it was obvious to everypony, though. The copper plaque that was affixed to the front of it was hardly necessary, although it did give some interesting history as to which battle it supposedly was made to represent; a particularly nasty border clash with the Griffons that happened many years ago. Never mind that her research clearly put the Cenotaph as being built at least a hundred years before the battle in question.
The front of the Cenotaph was covered with flowers that were brought in at no small expense, owing to the lateness of the season, as well as boughs of holly. The sides were covered with notes of all different sizes. As she walked along beside the walls of the Cenotaph, Twilight took a few minutes to read some of them. Many were messages of thanks. Some were notes of stories of how the Guard affected their lives, often saving or protecting them from something. A rare few were of loss, from loved ones of Guards that had died in service.
As she read a long poem of love, from the wife of a Guard pony, Twilight became aware of a sudden hush in the murmuring of the crowd. A moment later, in that lull, she could feel the slight tremors in the ground through her hooves.
“It's starting.” Quickly the unicorn hurried over to a spot, on the same side of the route as the Royal Palace. While she wished that she could be standing alongside the Princess for this, there was ceremonial protocol to follow. She found a spot right at the railing and waited, while the snow started coming down even harder, the big wet flakes sticking in places. Spike just shivered a little and wrapped himself up in the blanket like a mummy, covering even his face.
The vibrations in the ground grew steadily, and Twilight could clearly hear the *tromp*tromp*tromp* of a large number of ponies marching in perfect formation. In the distance, the sound of bagpipes and drums were just reaching her ears, but what they were playing wasn’t clear yet.
Without warning, the doors to the Palace opened, and Princess Celestia stepped out in all her regal majesty. Stately, she strode along to the slight platform that was set up at the base of the stairs, stopping and standing proudly, as immobile as one of the statues on the Cenotaph. Well, except for her mane and tail that billowed out behind here in the cold breeze that carried across the plaza.
Then the leading banner could be seen over the heads of the other ponies as it entered the plaza from the gate. From the top of the pole flew the standard of Celestia, the golden sun that the Guard bore on their armour and on their flags.
The front ranks of the column of Guard ponies came into view, led by the Captains, the Lieutenants following behind them, one of them carrying the standard. Behind those, the ranks of grim-faced Royal Guard ponies marched in tight formation, four-abreast .
“Eiii-es LEFT!” one of the sergeants barked just before they came up to the Royal Box. The heads of the officers and the Guard ponies behind them all turned their heads to the left as one, facing the Princess as they walked by.
Princess Celestia, who had been standing rock-still until this moment, raised one forehoof in an age-old military salute to the ponies that were marching past.
Behind this section of Guard ponies were the musicians with their bagpipes and drums. Twilight didn't recognize what they were playing, but when the music changed, she recognized the new hymn that they had started playing right away.. She’d heard it enough times in Canterlot, and even did some research into it. “Spike, the Royal Guard 'Hymn of The Call To Arms' is a very old song. It dates back almost to the founding of the Royal Guard. According to the book that I found that had the most detailed history on it, it was first written down about sixty years after the formation of the Royal Guard. It's thought that it had been passed down orally from pony to pony before then. It may be the oldest hymn the Guard have, the original.”
“Fascinating,” came Spike mumbled reply. “Do they have a hymn about keeping warm”?
Twilight just rolled her eyes, thinking that maybe it was a little too cold to bring Spike after all. But then the words started. She couldn’t help but prick her ears up, catching the words, and feel her pulse quicken a little. This song just oozed history. She knew the words off by heart, and no doubt that many of the other ponies that were hear also knew them. Twilight couldn’t help but follow along, her lips moving slightly as she silently mouthed the words, which were actually being sung by the ranks of Guard ponies as they marched past Princess Celestia’s box.
Here's forty bits upon the drum
For those who volunteer to come
To 'list and fight the foe today.
Over the hills and far away.
O'er the hills, wind through the mane.
Through sun and snow and sleet and rain.
The Princess commands and we obey.
Over the hills and far away.
When duty calls me I must go
To stand and face another foe.
To home my thoughts will always stray.
Over the hills and far away.
O'er the hills, wind through the mane.
Through sun and snow and sleet and rain.
The Princess commands and we obey.
Over the hills and far away.
If I should fall to rise no more,
As many ponies have before,
Then ask the pipes and drums to play.
Over the hills and far away.
O'er the hills, wind through the mane.
Through sun and snow and sleet and rain.
The Princess commands and we obey.
Over the hills and far away.
So fall in colts behind the drum,
Our colours blazing with the sun.
Along the road to come-what may.
Over the hills and far away.
O'er the hills, wind through the mane.
Through sun and snow and sleet and rain.
The Princess commands and we obey.
Over the hills and far away.
Remember us alive and dead,
And the blood and tears we've shed.
To battle we will march this day.
Over the Hills and far away.
O'er the hills, wind through the mane.
Through sun and snow and sleet and rain.
The Princess commands and we obey.
Over the hills and far away.
The words ended, but the music of the song kept on going for another minute or so before the musicians changed to another song, which coincided with the end of that part of the column.
Immediately following them was a group of older ponies, veterans of the Guard, some still wearing armour, others just wearing the Royal crest on saddle blankets draped over them. Most were fairly old, though there was a pegasus, about half the age of the rest of the veterans. He was missing one wing, but still marched along, a proud and determined look on his face.
The second section was another detachment of Guard ponies, who also filed past, the song being played by them was something different, which Twilight didn’t recognize right off, but it sounded less martial and more sombre. There wasn’t any lyrics, but the plaintive strains of the bagpipes was enough to bring a tear to Twilight’s eye for a moment. Even Spike stuck his head out of the cocoon of the blanket that he’d wrapped around himself, to listen to it.
A third and then a fourth column of Guard ponies marched past in turn. Twilight remembered that it usually takes about an hour for the full procession to pass, from start to finish. She could stand in the snow for this hour, as it was the very least she could do in tribute for those that fought to protect all of Equestria.
After the last column of ponies marched past, there was a hush. This was when Celestia normally would make her speech, and Twilight was as keen as the rest were on hearing what the Princess would say.
“My beloved ponies,” the Princess started, her tone sombre, but spoken with the clarity that allowed it to cover the entire plaza. “Over the many years, there have been countless brave ponies that have laid down their lives for the defence of Equestria. Countless fathers, brothers and sons have served these great many years. Many did not come home to their wives, and children and mothers. It is on this day that we have come to honour the courageous. And to remember the fallen. Join with me now, in this moment of silence, as we pay our respects to those that died in the defence of not just home and loved ones, but also to protect those they never knew.”
Princess Celestia closed her eyes and bowed her head, and much of the plaza probably did the same; Twilight certainly did.
The quiet that followed was nearly absolute. It was downright eerie to stand in what would normally be the busiest place of all of Canterlot and to hear nothing but the soft sigh of the wind, and the gentle crinkling of falling snow.
Then Twilight heard the soft clip-clop of shod hooves on the trampled snow. Opening one eye, she saw the Princess walking along the parade route, carrying along a wreath made from the rare Edelweiss flowers, which were a symbol of both nobility and unfaltering bravery (especially given that the silvery flowers only bloomed in harsh and dangerous mountain tops, where even few pegasus ponies would dare to travel.)
The wreath floated alongside the Princess as she slowly walked to the Cenotaph, flanked by a pair unicorn Guard ponies. The wreath was carefully settled, hanging from a small hook mounted on the front of the Cenotaph.
The wreath placed, Princess Celestia slowly walked back to the Royal Box and stood for several more seconds before speaking once again.
“I thank you all for coming on this bitterly cold day, to share with us this moment of remembrance. We exist, and then are gone, except in the memories of those we leave behind.” And with that, the Princess started gliding backward soundlessly toward the door to the Royal Palace.
The crowds of ponies starts milling around a little, some heading off to do whatever, others just sticking about, to talk to friends or look for others.
The little dragon on Twilight’s back had since retreated back into his blanket and she could feel him shivering a little as the wind had picked up, blowing snow across the plaza. “Ok Spike, let’s go inside,” she said in a soft tone. The unicorn paused, taking one last look at the Cenotaph before turning and starting to wend her way through the crowds.
