Welcome Home Soldier

Trottingham: 30 Months Ago.

A lot of ponies had shown up to this meeting, many of them were ponies Sharp and Pin knew from their school days. Some were older, ponies who were either outraged, or were simply looking for a paying job. Sharp didn't know too much about the conflict, only the surface of it, and he didn't need a job, so why was he here?

Well, Pin Point wanted to sign up, wanted to see the world and do some good. Sharp had never been as brave as Pin, and so he forced himself to be here, to at least see what all of this was about. Who knew? Maybe he could be a clerk, or something. At least he would get overseas along with Pin Point.

Sharp knew one thing for sure though, his dad would not like this. He was a well respected shop owner, and he expected Sharp to take over one day. Sharp hated the store, not because running a store was bad or anything, but because his father was so intend on him running it one day. To Sharp, the shop was nothing more than an anchor, binding him to a fate he never wanted.

Of course, he didn't have the nerve to tell his father.. Like with so many other things, he did not dare to take a chance. Going to this meeting was perhaps the most daring thing he had ever done, he had told his father he was at the library, reading. He had never lied to his family before, and he kept looking over his shoulder, afraid that his father would suddenly walk in and haul him out the door.

"Will you relax." Pin Point said, giving his usual trademark smirk. "He's not going to find out."

Like always, Pin had an amazing ability to read Sharp like his own books. Sighing, Sharp looked at his friend. "I'm just not sure.. My dad would fry me if he learned I was here, let alone signed up.."

Pin nudged his friend. "Listen, if we sign up, we are going tomorrow, okay? You don't need to tell him anything."

"Not sure my mom would like that either.." Sharp frowned.

"It's your life Sharp, if you don't want to sign up, then don't." Pin said, shrugging. "But don't let your dad run your life, whatever decision, make sure it's your own, okay? We still be friends no matter what you choose."

Sharp smiled. "Thanks Pin.."

The hall grew quiet as suddenly a stallion wearing an officer's uniform stepped up on the small stage. "Mares and gentlecolts, thank you for coming here tonight. I'm Captain Fairfax. As most of you have heard, her majesty, princess Celestia, has promised Saddle Arabia support in order to stabilize the country. She has authorized the creation of a peace keeping force 50.000 ponies strong. This has been done in order to help protect the civilian population, which will be your job."

A soldier trotted in from the side, dragging with her a map of Saddle Arabia. "As you probably know." Fairfax continued. "Saddle Arabia is not exactly small, there are deserts, mountains, and small villages scattered all over, which means their army is spread thin. Our job is to reinforce the areas that are exposed, giving the Saddle Arabians some breathing room. This will allow them to focus on fighting the rebels while we protect the exposed areas." Turning to the hall, he smiled. "But before we go into more detail, we are going to watch a small movie and then you get a chance to ask questions. After which there is a chance to sign up for the corps. For those of you who sign up tonight, you will need to leave tomorrow afternoon, so please keep that in mind, should you wish to join later."

Stepping to the side, the lights dimmed and a projector started. The room was filled with music as the opening text glided over the screen.

Newsreel Music

"Saddle Arabia, a beautiful and exotic country to the far east!" The announcer started off. "Here rules prince Annaba and his beautiful wife, princess Sapphire." The film showed the royal couple standing on a balcony waving, then showed the crowd of ponies waving back. "Yes, the royal couple is really adored throughout their country, and has a close relationship with her majesty, princess Celestia."

So far there was nothing new, there was some film of the landscape, cities, deserts, some more of the royals, some with and without princess Celestia, nothing Sharp or the other ponies gathered didn't already know.

Then there was a loud boom, and an explosion. "However, not all are happy with the state of things.. Some would rather use violence than their voice, as seen here at a cafe in the city of Sehlala." The pictures was horrifying, they didn't show anypony dead, but they did show the destruction and the guards carrying stretchers away.

"These rebels has issued no demand other than the abdication of his majesty, prince Annaba. There is no negotiation, no sign of peace, and so, the violence continues."

There was pictures of more attacks, some clips with Saddle Arabian soldiers moving down the streets, and some sounds of rifles being fired.

"The situation has gotten so bad that prince Annaba has requested for her royal highness, princess Celestia, to send them help. With the Saddle Arabian forces spread so thin, many towns and areas are left unguarded and unprotected."

The next clip showed Celestia signing a piece of paper, and as soon as she did, they clip changed into a clip of ponies training and marching.

"It is a call for help, a call Equestria will not deny. Her royal highness can be seen here approving the creation of a peace keeping force that will be sent to Saddle Arabia. We can already see the first recruits training. Looking good boys."

A bunch of clips were played, showing what the recruits did, training, reading, chatting, marching, and so on.

"The corps will be 50.000 strong, divided into five divisions. These stallions and mares are all part of the first division, all recruited from the royal guard and guard veterans around the country."

Pictures of officers yelling orders, ponies running obstacle courses and loading a ship made it look hard, but effective. Every pony there was impressed, and all looked awe struck, even Sharp had to admit, it all looked very exciting.

"But 50.000 ponies are a lot, and so the volunteer act was signed, allowing civilian ponies to sign up directly to the peace corps. Here they will be trained in modern warfare, such as the revolutionary new weapons such as rifles, machine guns, and of course, artillery. Whoops, yes, remember to cover your ears there private."

Sharp couldn't help but feel a little intimidated, the weapons they showed seemed so big and powerful. Rifles.. He had heard of these things, but he had never seen one in real life. He had shot with bows and crossbows as a kid, practice ones of course, which was how he earned his cutie mark. If he picked up a rifle, would he be good at it?

"So what is life like over there? Well, an important job is patrols, give the population a sense of law and order. Your job may vary, one day you are patrolling and the next, you might stand in the street directing traffic."

Once again, pictures of saddle Arabia, and this time, Equestrian soldiers patrolling and doing all sorts of tasks.

"In order to keep the area under observation it has been necessary to establish lookout posts everywhere. The situation in the country has to be watched carefully, reports sent in, maps drawn up."

The next clips shown was Equestrian soldiers relaxing, walking around the town, sitting at cafes, or reading books.

"Of course, not everything is work. It is important for every soldier to get some time off, and as representatives of Equestria, it is important to be on a good hoof with the local population. Smile girls!"

A group of female soldiers smiled and waved at the camera, making somepony in the hall whistle, and thus making a lot of the stallions laugh. The film continued explaining things about the country, making a few more cheesy jokes until it finally came to the end.

"All in all, it is your job to be a beacon of hope and protect the defenseless! Yes, sign up and help create a better tomorrow!"

The film ended, and as soon as it did a lot of the room broke out in cheers. Pin Point did it too, and Sharp could not help but cheer a little as well. It all looked exciting, exactly like the adventures he and Pin had been talking about. The whole country pretty much seemed like one big Daring Do adventure, how would they be able to resist?

The cheering died down once the captain trotted back up on stage, smiling, but still had a serious expression. "Alright, alright." He said, like if he was calming down a classroom filled with foals. "I will be honest with you.. This is not a vacation, you will be trained as soldiers, and you will be expected to kill, should the need arise.. You will be the enemies of the rebels, and they will try to kill you.. Keep that in mind before you decide to sign up.." There was silence, one that had not been there before. It was like that fact had only now hit them all. "Now.. Are there any questions?"

The rest of the meeting were just some basic information and some of them asking questions. Sharp listened the whole time, not sure what he wanted to know the most. He was mostly concerned if he could even work up the nerve to sign the papers and join up.

He could just hear his father yell and scold him, telling him he was going to stay in Trottingham and tend to the store. The mere thought of spending his life in that place made him shiver. He liked his home, he liked his family, but his father insisted that he was going to stay here and work on something that was his dream, not Sharp's.

"So, Sharp, what do you think?" Pin asked, bringing Sharp back to reality.

"Oh, uhm.. Well.." Sharp frowned, not really sure about what to answer. Pin in turn frowned, not because he needed Sharp to come. He wanted his friend to do what he wanted, but he knew Sharp well enough to know if he stayed, he could never get out from under his father's shoe.

"Sharp, come on.. Sign up here, or don't.. It's your choice.." He said more calmly than Sharp was used to. "If you are afraid, that's okay.. If you don't think this is for you, that's okay too.. But don't stay because you're afraid of your dad.." Pin placed a hoof on Sharp's shoulder, gaining his full attention. "Do what you feel is right.."

Sharp sighed, feeling bad that Pin always had to give him a pep talk. It was about time he made decisions for himself, did he want to join his friend on this adventure? Yes.. Was his dad going to be pissed? Yes, beyond pissed in fact.

Taking a deep breath, Sharp looked at his friend and nodded. "You're right.. If I stay, I'll never get away.. Let's do this."

Pin smirked. "Come on then, let's get it over with!"

Both of them went to the recruitment sergeant and signed up like so many others who were here. It seemed the majority had signed up, many of them talking about how they were looking forward to it. Sharp was pretty nervous, but it felt good, the contract was signed and even if he wanted to, he would not be able to get out of it.

The sergeant handed them some papers and a ticket each, telling them to pack lightly, get their papers and go to the train station the next day on a specific time. While Pin was ecstatic, Sharp could not help but feel dread. He was excited and terrified at the same time, which he guessed was a normal reaction.

So far however, he wasn't sure what he feared most, leaving home for the first time, or telling his family he joined the army.. No matter what, it was time for him to make his own decisions, he just needed to face the music.

It went as well as he expected..

"You did WHAT?!" His father yelled.

Sharp had returned home after the meeting, his family was gathered in the living room, enjoying a nice evening with a radio drama, which was promptly turned off as Sharp announced the news. His mother looked horrified and scared, his sister looked the same, but more confused than horrified.

"I.. I joined the volunteer peace corps.." Sharp repeated, not daring looking his father in the eyes. "I'm leaving tomorrow.."

"Sweetheart, oh.." His mother sobbed. "What were you thinking..?"

It hurt most seeing his mother and sister reacting, he knew it had nothing to do with dreams or right or wrong, they were simply scared. His strict father however, he only had one thing on his mind, even now. "And what about the store?! What if you get hurt, or killed?! What happens to the store then!?"

That made Sharp look up in pure disbelief. "The store..?" He said in almost a whisper, like he could not believe that was what his father was thinking about. He knew his father was strict, and not good with emotions, like ponies normally were, but this, this was cold and cruel, even for him. It was beyond selfish. "I can be killed, and the only thing you can think about is your stupid store..?" Sharp sounded cold, neither angry or sad, just cold, like he had lost all emotion.

"You're not a soldier, Sharp. You're a darn dreamer, always with your head in the clouds! You will never amount to anything like that! You have a good and solid future here, you're stupid for ruining such a stable life." His father said firmly.

That made Sharp snap. "I HATE THE STORE!" His father's eyes went wide in shock, while Sharp's eyes teared up, but he still glared. "You're a cruel and selfish pony who never supported anything I've done! I can die down there, dad, your son, could die! The only thing on your mind is that stupid store, not me.." Sharp felt the warm tears run down his cheeks, falling to the wooden floorboards below, but he didn't care. "The store is your dream.. It's not mine... I don't care about it, just like you don't care about me.."

There was a heavy silence, and at that point his mother was sobbing while his sister tried to silently comfort her. Sharp was shocked at himself, but he was too upset to really notice. He had never talked back to his dad, never yelled at him, and never told him he hated the store.

It all seemed stupid, in a normal family it should have been a simple task to say no and follow ones own dreams. But his father was strict, and he had from the very moment Sharp was born, decided where he should go in life. But enough was enough, and although it broke his heart, Sharp could simple not take it any longer.

After the silence, his father's wide eyes turned to a glare. "How dare you.. I've given you everything you needed, you are damn spoiled and you don't appreciate what I have done for you!"

"The only thing you have ever cared about was that store! You never cared about me!" Sharp yelled, feeling his heart was going to shatter. It was like all the years of frustrations had been building up to this moment, all the things he wished he had said before suddenly came flooding out, and each thing he said seemed to anger his father, and shock his mother.

Everything spoken between them in those moments were spoken in anger and desperation. His quiet household had become a battlefield, a war between father and son. Only when there was nothing more to be said did they stop. Both of them had vented their frustrations, and if Sharp was being honest, he felt like both of them had lost..

"Well.." His father then said. "I guess you made your feelings quite clear.. Go... Go to Saddle Arabia then.." He turned around, refusing to look at Sharp. "You're no longer my son.."

That was the last thing said between them. Should Sharp have stayed? Maybe, but he just couldn't, he had been disowned by his own father who seemingly cared more for his own ambitions than his own son. There was nothing more for him here. His mother and sister cried, and although he loved them, he could not find it within himself to stay.

Without another word spoken, Sharp left the living room, and went to his own to pack up what few things he needed to bring. He was devastated as he packed his stuff, and yet, he had to admit he felt a strange calm. Sharp did not wish to break his family, he did not wish to ruin anything, but, having finally stood up to his dad, how petty a reason it might have been, for some, filled him with a sense of confidence.

As he finished his bag, the door opened and in stepped his little sister. "Sharp.." She said. "Are you really going.. I'm sure dad will get over it.."

Sharp smiled a little, he didn't have the heart to tell her he thought the old stallion would probably never get over it. "I'm sorry.. I didn't wish for it to go this way.."

His sister sighed. "I'm not even going to ask you what you were thinking.. Just.. Be careful, okay?"

Sharp nodded. "Always.." The two of them embraced each other, she buried her head in his chest, and he put a hoof on her mane. "Look after mom, okay..?"

"Mhmm.." She mumbled and started to sob softly.

The two of them held each other for as long as they could, right up until it was time for him to leave. Sadly, Sharp had expected this ending, and so had asked Pin Point to wait outside so he could stay at his place.

When outside, his mom looked him over like he was a colt going to his first day of school. She tried to look brave, but he could see she was on the verge of tears. "Okay, so.. You remember to write, okay?"

"I will, mom.."

"You brush your teeth, make sure to eat and drink plenty.."

"Mom.."

"And, behave yourself.. You will be so handsome in uniform, so don't make a mess of it.."

Sharp could not help but chuckle, and so too did his sister who put a hoof on her shoulder. "Mom, it's going to be okay, Sharp will be back before you know it, right?"

Sharp frowned. "I will be gone for at least two years.." He saw them both frown, and his mom was about to cry. "But I will write, and I promise you.. You will see me again, I'll be back.." Soon enough, they all embraced one another, his mom probably hugging him tighter than he could hug her. "I love you.."

"I love you too, my big colt.." His mom sighed, wiping a few tears away.

After a few more seconds, the three of them let go, and Sharp started to walk away, keeping his eyes on them. His mom wiped her eyes yet again, waving at him like he was going to school for the first time.

On the street waited Pin Point, and when he saw Sharp waving goodbye, he knew what had happened. Frowning, he stepped up to him and said. "Sharp, I'm.. I'm so sorry.."

Sharp simply sighed. "It would have happened at some point.. Come on.. We better go.." Smiling to his mom and sister, he waved one final time before he turned and walked away, not looking back anymore, only ahead.