Princesses Attend Royal Academy of Magic Graduation

Princess Vero Amore, Empress of the Crystal Empire, visited Canterlot today to oversee the graduation of this year’s class from the Royal Academy of Magic. Princess Celestia and Luna both greeted their fellow alicorn before presiding over the graduation ceremony for the class of forty-seven graduates. Among the graduates was Princess Amore’s daughter, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, known to her friends as Cadance. Princess Cadenza has been an exchange student at the Academy for the past four years and was the valedictorian of this year’s class. She began the ceremony with a speech to the class, reminding them all of the long journeys that they had undertaken towards this goal and imploring each of them to keep the spirit of inquisitiveness that had helped them succeed at the Academy and would help them press the boundaries of magical study in the future.

Following the ceremony, the Princesses, staff, and graduates retired to the Skyline Conference Center on the underside of Canterlot to dance the night away in celebration. Princess Cadenza spent much of her time with the class’ salutatorian, Canterlot-born Shining Armor. The head of the Academy’s Ogres and Oubliettes Club, Shining Armor is an ROTC graduate and will be joining the Equestrian Army as a First Lieutenant for a tour of duty at the beginning of summer. When interviewed, Mr. Armor stated that he had ambitions of serving in the Army’s outreach programs, providing aid to our allied nations in need.

“All I’ve ever wanted to do is to try to help others and make the world a little safer for ponies like my little sister, Twilight,” he told reporters. “There are hundreds of colts and fillies like her around the world that could use my help, that need—if you’ll excuse the cliche—a knight in shining armor to help them.”

Princess Amore told reporters that while she was away, she was leaving the Crystal Empire in the trust of her Prime Minister, Sombra. “There is nopony I trust more with the safety of my people,” she said. “Sombra has guided us through a difficult economic situation; if it weren’t for his guidance, the crystal ponies would have suffered greatly. Before Sombra, families were begging outside my palace for food. Now, none of my children have to go to bed hungry.”

When asked about the recent expansions of the Crystal Empire’s military forces, Princess Amore replied that, regretfully, it was a necessary measure. “In part, the expansions have provided jobs in manufacturing and other services that have helped bring us out of the recession,” she explained. “It is also a necessary measure for our national defense, as we are currently experiencing tension with the Frost Dragon tribes that live in the Frozen North.”

Princess Celestia stated that Equestria was behind the Crystal Empire forever and always. “Ever since the Empire was founded by Princess Speranza, who was a friend of our mother, we have remained close with the Crystal Ponies.”

Princess Cadance has not yet made up her mind what she will be doing during the summer. “Mother wants me to return home to prepare for being the future Empress—as if she hasn’t been preparing me since I was in diapers!” she laughed. “But I think I want to stay in Canterlot for at least this summer and spend some time with my friends here before I have to head back home. I’ve almost literally worked my tail off for this, I think I deserve some time off!”

However, she has made it clear that she knows what her destiny holds. “The Crystal Empire will always be my home,” she told reporters. “I am an only child, and now that father is gone, my responsibility to my people is even greater than before.”

Readers will remember that Prince Canzone del Cuore, Princess Amore’s beloved husband, and Princess Cadenza’s father, was tragically killed earlier this year when his car was caught in a rockslide.

Author's Note

Note: Equestria in Noireverse runs off of a lunar calendar, with a different name for each moon. They are, in order:
Moon of Wolves (January)
Moon of Snow (February)
Robins (March)
Rain (April)
Flowers (May)
Berries (June)
Sun (July)
Grain (August)
Harvest (September)
Hunters (October)
Frost (November)
Cold (December)

The years are counted from the founding of Equestria, which was Year 1 AE (Age of Equestria).