This is for the Veterans. *Salute*
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Stalliongrad
11:37 AM
One month after the Battle of Stalliongrad
To say that the crowd was large would be an understatement. There were at least 50,000 ponies alone. Roughly 1,000 gryphons, 750 Minotaurs, and one dragon. Maybe around 1,000 of the ponies were actual Stalliongrad citizens. Everypony was garbed in black and completely silent. There was the occasional sob from a widowed mare or the cry of a foal asking where his or her daddy was and why mommy was crying.
If that was silent, it became deathly quiet when Princess Celestia walked up to the top of a pile of rubble of what used to be the side of an office building. She didn’t shine with ethereal warmth or wore her kind smile with love and compassion in her eyes. She was the exact opposite. Her mane still flowed, but just barely. It had lost is glow and silk-like appearance. Her smile was gone, replaced with a sad line. Her eyes were dull and still slightly red.
She levitated a thick set of note cards to where they hovered just in front of her, her golden magic surrounding it. She swallowed and sighed, then muttered, “I can’t do this.”
She tossed the note cards up into the air; the crowd gave an anxious murmur, but was silent once more when her magically increased voice spoke. The entirety of Equestria was silent with her image projected through enchanted rainfall to where every city, town, village, and roadway had her visible.
“My advisor wrote that speech to make this seem as though our Royal Guard held back the Diamond Dog invaders with no effort, fighting valiantly without fear of death or defeat.” She sighed once more, “I’m not going to sugar coat this for you, my subjects. This unprovoked attack killed three thousand of the Royal Guard, seven thousand of the local police force, and…” She paused to suck in a shuddering breath and to stop the tears, “Twenty-five thousand of Stalliongrad’s civilian population.”
There was cry of anguish from numerous places in the crowd, a few developed into sobs. Princess Celestia bowed her head for a minute before sniffling a couple times.
“Those that stayed behind to defend Stalliongrad even after the civilians had been evacuated were those that had been trapped in the very building you see to your left.” She paused to let some ponies take in the sight.
Twilight Sparkle, who was trapped along with the Guard, took in the building in front of her eyes, which was easier now that she didn’t have to duck under fire every nanosecond. It was a two story complex with the Equestrian seal above the main doors—which were now gone. The roof, back, and left walls of the second story were missing entirely, lying amongst the destruction of the financial district. There was a flag pole in front of the building, with the Equestrian flag still upside down and at half mast, moving slowly in the wind with numerous holes and rips and tears in it. The rims of the now shattered windows were scorched black from the Diamond Dog flamer units.
She recognized the spot where a sapphire-tipped spear had missed by a literal hair; she could still see the purple lock of hair against the spear-head. She could vividly remember blasting a hole through the stomach of the Diamond Dog that had nearly killed her. She smacked her lips quietly, as if she could still taste the coppery tang of the canine’s blood against her taste buds. She turned back to face the crowd and the backside of her mentor, nothing from the innocent Twilight still in her eyes.
Princess Celestia started again, “Stalliongrad would have been lost in less than a day if our Guard hadn’t acted as quickly as they did. I stayed up for several nights after the casualties were all accounted for. I was wondering where I went wrong. I had become lax in the past few decades, confident in our nation’s safety. I realized how wrong I was when the reports of an invasion started coming in. I had ridded us of all but two of our armed forces because of my confidence, and we paid for it, not just with the cold realization of warfare, but with the lives of over thirty thousand Equestrians.”
“So, it is why we are all here today, to remember, to never forget, those that fought and lost their lives so that others may keep theirs. There was a common saying around fifty years back: ‘If the death of one pony could mean that a hundred, thousand, even a million ponies might live, would you do the deed? What if that life was yours? What if your life was the one that had to be taken?’”
“That is why, to honor and to remember those that lost their lives on that horrid day, I am naming that building and the surrounding area the Stalliongrad Memorial, with the name of all thirty thousand plus Equestrians that lost their lives engraved on the obsidian wall you see behind me…”
She was quiet for a few minutes, her head down. Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal Guard, lifted his head and said, “A salute.”
Every Guardspony saluted, Twilight walked over to and stood next to her brother, and saluted as well. A Unicorn mare wearing Guard armor levitated a trumpet to her lips and started playing Taps. Everypony across the entire nation was silent, to honor and to remember those that had fallen.
(Don’t continue reading until after Taps is finished, please)
After Taps was finished, Princess Celestia walked over to a pedestal that was covered by a cloth. She lifted the cloth, folded it neatly, and put it on her back, not letting it touch the ground. On top of the pedestal was an obsidian plaque with the words imprinted in marble.
It read:
Here is the location
Of where the Royal Guard fought tooth and hoof
To protect their friends, families, nation, and their brothers-in-arms
Three thousand of the Guard’s lives may be lost
But they will never be forgotten
“In times of struggle, stallions and mares will fight to defend
what they hold dear. Be it possessions, family, friends.
These stallions and mares fought to defend
our nation at any cost, but for them the cost was with their life.
If we could ask them if it was worth it, I guarantee that each and every one
of them will say ‘Yes’.” – Sergeant Major Hawk Eye
The unicorn Guardsponies got into a straight line, and sent one beam of magic from their horns for every Equestrian that was lost in the conflict.
Twilight immediately noticed a certain name on the obsidian wall, Private First-Class Sure Shot. Her head lowered as tears streaked down her face, her shoulders shuddering as she cried. Her brother put a hoof on her shoulder. She turned and put her eyes against his shoulder, still crying. Her brother did nothing but embrace her and rub her back.
She still remembered that stallion. The one that was supposed to escort her to City Hall. The one that gave her orders and kept her alive. The one that dove in front of her to take the spear that would have killed her…
But instead it killed him…
It happened fifteen minutes and thirty-seven seconds before the Gryphon and Minotaur reinforcements arrived…
She still remembered…
She would never forget…
Coming Home
A Veteran’s Day 2013 tribute.
~~~~~(((0)))~~~~~
“If we don’t end war, war will end us.”
--H. G. Wells
~~~~~(((0)))~~~~~
After… How long has it been? Over a year in Zebrica, I believe, I’m coming home. War… War is never pretty. Before I travelled along the frontlines, I never understood the saying, “Those that have died have seen the end of war.”
But now I do. Almost every night after the war ended I have been plagued by nightmares, as if my mind had turned against me, forcing me to relive the battles over and over and over again…
I sighed and looked at my reflection through the window of the air ship. A light tan, brown maned, light green eyed stallion stared back. There was nothing in his eyes, no emotion, nothing that makes him… him. I turned to look at my cutie mark, a collection of grapes stared back. I huffed at the fact that just a mere two years ago I was the owner of one of the most successful vineyards in Equestria. But now, now I’m a sergeant of the Royal Rangers. A sergeant that wants nothing more than to return to his wife and child.
I closed my eyes and pictured her. Her soft pink mane, her sky blue coat, her dandelion cutie mark, her gorgeous aqua marine eyes. Even the bow that she wears. The last time I saw her, she was giving our nine year old filly her breakfast. I snickered at the image of her swallowing a whole bowl of cereal in less than a minute.
I looked out the window once more and saw the capitol in the distance. Its white and gold spires stretched out into the air like claws trying to rip the sky into tiny strands of azure ribbon. It may have just been my imagination, but the mountain appeared to be shorter than when I saw it last. The helmsmare lowered us towards port 4F. There was a wave of color all over the area.
The noise from the crowd was impossible to not hear; even as high as we were I was still able to hear the ever growing crescendo of cheering from the families that were soon to be reunited. Try as I might, I wasn’t able to make out the forms, or even the colors, of my wife and child.
The sound of the crowd reached an unbearable level when we finally made port and the hatch opened, letting the cheers in without restraint. Everyone on board—yes, everyone, as there were more than just ponies on the air ship—got to their hooves, paws, or feet and grabbed their gear, either by magic, wing, or hoof or paw again. We all filed into a single line that was separated into three at the bow, center, and stern of the ship. I was the closest to the bow, so I marched into line and waited for those with permanent injuries, such as an amputated limb, to reach land first.
When it was finally my turn, I readjusted the satchel to where it laid upon my back. I stepped off of the plank of iron that bridged the ship with the port and stepped to the side to keep a Diamond Dog pup from running into me. I turned back to the ship and saw a large male Diamond Dog with a steel chest plate protecting his torso, a slightly rusted claymore was on his back, kneel to the ground and caught his son in a flying hug, tears of happiness streaking his face. A female Diamond Dog, a Sheila if I remember them being called, embraced her mate in a tight enough grip to where I could distinctly hear the chest plate groan from the pressure.
I turned back to the crowd and made my way through, stopping every so often to accept a shake of a hoof, paw, hand, or claw in thanks for my service. I did nothing but give a small smile, a brief ‘I did what I had to do.’ and a nod of the head. A few times I spotted a few faces I recognized from my platoon, one in particular caught my eye.
He was a tall, muscled gryphon. His head feathers started from a pasty white and faded into a dark red. His slightly scarred beak was locked in a permanent grimace. He caught my eye because we know each other.
He caught my eye because, if I had paid more attention, he would still have his right wing.
In place of it was a stump, still wrapped in a field medic’s gauze in need of replacing. He was locked in a three way hug with his mate and chick. As they were turning in place, his eyes shifted until they locked with mine. We stood there and looked into the other’s eyes. We saw the same thing.
Nothing.
He gave me a barely perceptible nod and continued to hug his family. I did nothing but stare for a few seconds more. I made my way through the now thinning crowd and headed for the exit, to reach the Canterlot outskirts so that way I could make my way towards Ponyville, my home.
The reason why—if a reason was really needed—I wasn’t worried about not finding my wife and child in the crowd was simple, if mischievous.
I didn’t tell them I was returning home.
=-=-=-=-=
As I made my way past the Welcome to Ponyville! sign, I took in a breath as I tried to steady my shaking limbs. I was scared, I realized, of the possibility that neither of them will be there when I reach our home. That some random family that wears their coat and their names had taken their place. I could stand my ground against a quarter battalion of zebra shamans without a cracking of my nerves. I could be the first to charge into a battle without a worry of loss of life or limb. Yet the one thing that I should be happy about was terrifying me the most.
I shook my head and took a few breaths. I made my way through the market district, receiving the whispering of future gossip turn towards me. A few of the ponies gave me a nod of respect when they recognized me and the insignia on my uniform.
ROYAL RANGERS. It said. A few more nodded when they saw what my dog tags read,
VINE
GRAPE T. 0 NEG
261 30 2837
ERR XL
NO PREFERENCE
I gave multiple, yet brief, nods in return without slowing down my stride. I kept up my pace until I was on the outskirts of the village and a picket fence was in sight. The paper was still on the doormat so I stood at the entrance of the property and waited for her to open the door to grab it.
I only had to wait for a few minutes before the doorknob turned and the door swung inward. My wife took a single step out into the yard and bowed down to grab the paper with her mouth. Just before she reached it, her eyes shifted upwards until they caught sight of a pair of light brown hooves. They widened. She slowly lifted her head, her eyes taking in every single detail they could muster; the paper was left forgotten on the mat.
She started tearing up when she caught my smiling face. She slapped a hoof over her mouth to keep out a happy sob, a tear leaving a damp streak down her left cheek.
I smiled larger and said, “Hey, hone’. I’m back.”
She suddenly had me in a death grip, tears streaming down her face, her lips locked with mine. I fell backwards and we just laid there amongst the flowers in each other’s embrace. We stayed like that for what felt like forever until we separated, yet I didn’t want it to end. That thought was accented by my still puckered lips moving my body forward a few inches before they realized that there wasn’t anything else pushing back. I opened my eyes and saw her slightly bloodshot eyes staring lovingly into mine.
She leaned forward and whispered something provocative into my ear, making me blush. As much I wanted it… I mean I really wanted it, I shook my head and got to my hooves and helped her up. I walked over to and shut the door then leaned against my wife as I lead her to the school building.
Once we got there I leaned a little to the side and caught sight of my daughter asleep in the back of the class. My wife roughly rubbed my short mane and said, “She gets it from you.”
I smiled proudly. “Yeah, she does.”
She rolled her eyes as we both walked into the lobby, where a light tan coated, brown maned receptionist was sitting. She looked at us and noticed my dog tags and smiled. We said that we were taking our daughter home today to celebrate my return, but to not mention it to anyone, just that her mom was here to check her out for a dentist’s appointment.
Before my wife made her way down to Ms. Cheerilee’s classroom, she turned to me and said, “We probably should schedule an appointment for her, she hasn’t gone in a while.”
I nodded and said that I’ll ask Colgate in a few days. She nodded and turned down the hallway. I sat down in the waiting area and suddenly thought of a brilliant idea. I barged into the principal’s office and quickly explained the plan. He nodded and waited for them to show up at the receptionist desk. When they did he overly shouted.
“I’m sorry sir, but I can’t allow you to left her leave during the school day, maybe at another time—”
I slammed a hoof against the top of the desk, enough to rattle it, and shouted, “That’s not good enough!”
I stage walked out of his office and saw them both staring at me. Amusement was in my wife’s eyes, while disbelief and pure happiness were in my daughter’s.
“Oh hey honey, Scoots. I was trying to explain to the principal how a few days away from school were more beneficial for my growing daughter’s health but he wouldn’t listen! So I figured that we’re going to—”
“Daddy!”
She flapped her wings really hard and slammed into my stomach, moving fast enough to make a small orange contrail. I fell to my haunches with my front hooves wrapped around her, while my daughter was embracing my neck, tears falling down her face and her nose getting stuffy. I looked down at her with glistening eyes.
“Please tell me that you’re here to stay.” Her muffled voice said against my neck.
I nodded and said, “I’m here to stay. I’m home for good.”
Tears started falling down my face and my nose was getting stuffy as well. I embraced my wife into a family hug and thought, Yup. I’m home for good…
Author's Note
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