“AIGHT YA’LL! SIT THE FUCK DOWN, WE GOT SHIT TA DO!” Gilgamesh shouted as he threw open the doors to the war room, causing Gilbert and Gerard to stare with confusion.

“I was wondering how long that would last,” Celestia sighed as she followed.

“I’m sure it was long for the readers,” Pinkie noted as she hopped in.

“Is… Is he normally like this?” Gilbert asked.

“He’s normally like whatever he wants to be,” Twilight replied, rolling her eyes.

“You should honestly feel honored he even tried to make a good first impression for you. He never did that for us,” Luna added with equal snark.

Gilgamesh stood next to Celestia and Luna’s assigned seats, waiting for everyone else to take their own positions. “Alright, first things first. Not every race is here, but we still need to start setting up some systems here. Fist, ranking. I noticed some discrepancies between the rankings between the countries, for example ‘Captain’ is a fairly high position in the Griffon and Changeling armies, but it is the highest position in the Equestrian army. So, we need to streamline this.” He pulled out some papers and handed them to everyone present. “I took the liberty of doing this myself, basing this off the Griffonian military system, with a couple of additions, namely the inclusions of ‘Commander’ above General, and ‘Supreme Commander’ above that. I don’t think this should cause any problems.” Those who knew Gilgamesh were stunned into silence at him having actually done administrative work, while the others just looked over the ranking system he had made.

“You have written here ‘There must be only one Supreme Commander.’ You even underlined it in all capitals,” Gilbert noted.

“Ah yes, and I think that’s a good lead-in to my next point: We’re going to have a lot of different specieses with a lot of different values and beliefs, so thing number 1: Rank. Trumps. Everything. Don’t care about money, don’t care about age, don’t care about status, rank is what is obeyed around here above all else, even over royalty and even in the case of civilians. We can’t have anyone here defaulting to the authority of their royal, or their clan head, or whatever else in defiance of whomever is ranked. As much as I love individuality, personal freedom, and independent thought, cohesion and conformity are a necessity for a large group to some extent.”

“Well look at you, using all them ten bit words,” Applejack joked.

“I am a much deeper and complicated individual than I have allowed you to see,” he responded with an aristocratic huff, getting a chuckle out of many. “Anyway, tying into my first point, is the species biases and perceptions. We all have biases, and that’s fine until they start to get in the way of the job we’re trying to do. What concerns me most at the moment is the distrust and grudges that are no doubt held by the Equestrians against the changelings. You can’t fight by someone’s side if you don’t at least trust them to have your back, and that’s a hurdle that needs to be overcome ASAP.”

Twilight sighed. “It’s true. Even with how well Nectar and I have been getting along, I can’t deny as a whole I’m still wary of the changelings as a species. No offense,” she added, looking to Nectar.

“None taken. I’m actually thankful you trust me as much as you do already,” she smiled back. “But that does raise a problem, you can’t make someling like someling else.”

“I didn’t say ‘like’ I said ‘trust.’ You can hate someone’s guts and trust them to get the job done. But you are right, you can’t force people to get along. However, as a man I admire once said ‘Nothing forges bonds between people like suffering equally under the same thing.’”

“Oh, that sounds charming,” Rarity rolled her eyes.

“But it is the truth. It’s an idea we often employ with the lower ranks when they begin training. They’re too busy hating the drill sergeant to hate each other, and soon they bond over that hatred,” Gerard explained.

“And another way is leading by example, which is also going to tie into my third point: training. As thankful as I am for their enthusiasm, the fact is we’ve got a lot of untrained, inexperienced Equestrians on one side, and then we’ve got well trained and experienced Griffonians and Changelings on the other. The gap is going to be a problem not just because it means we won’t be able to rely on the Equestrians as much but also because it could foster a feeling of uselessness from the new recruits, or even worse contempt from the more experienced soldiers from them not pulling their own weight.”

“Ridiculous! We’d never think less of the Equestrians for putting their lives on the line!” Gilbert objected, slamming his talons on the table.

“We wouldn’t? Or you wouldn’t?” his father asked. Gilbert tried to retort but found himself unable to reply, realizing his father was right.

“I appreciate the sentiment Your Majesty, I really do, but as you mentioned before your view of things was intentionally fostered by your father to be different from the norm. However, I think we’re in a good situation where we can solve several of our problems at once. First, we need to pick a Supreme Commander, someone that all the races can get behind, even if reluctantly, and can do their job competently. I’ve got my own ideas on who that should be, but first I’d like to hear your opinions.” Everyone shared a glance, all thinking the same thing and nodding, before turning back to face Gilgamesh, who just stood there confused. After a moment, he realized what they were suggesting. “What!? No! No nonononono! No!”

“Why not? Your reputation alone makes you one of the most fear and/or respected beings on the planet,” Gerard noted.

“You’ve proven your heroism more than enough times to gain the trust of everypony around you,” Twilight added.

“You’re an exceptional fighter who’s in no way out of practice,” Commander Thorax said.

“And just now you’ve proven that you have tactical expertise as well,” Celestia commented.

“Not to mention that, despite your obvious affection towards the Equestrians, you’re the only of of your race so there’s no worry about playing species favorites,” Chrysalis concluded.

“Ok first of, this is not tactical expertise, this is basic management skills,” he said, holding up his papers. “Second: I have no idea how to lead an army!”

“You commanded the Royal Guard in Manehattan,” Spike reminded.

“Oh yeah, fantastic plan I had there. ‘You go over there and keep the ponies from getting too close, you stay her and play catch the pony, and I’ll do all the other stuff!’ I’m a tactical genius!” Gilgamesh snarked.

Luna was about to speak up when Celestia cut her off with a hoof. “As much as I feel you aren’t giving yourself enough credit, it’s obvious you don’t feel mentally and emotionally up to the task,” she said. “In which case, who would you feel would be best suited for Supreme Commander?”

Gilgamesh sighed, relaxing for a minute before clearing his throat. “Well, to be perfectly honest, if we’re just going by experience and credentials, I would’ve liked to nominate Chrysalis,” he replied catching everyone off guard, the Queen included. “The Changelings have as much or better training than Griffonia and her people have had more experience in warfare or warlike conditions, no offense meant your majesties,” he bowed slightly to Gilbert and Gerard, who nodded in acceptance. “However… well-”

“It’s too much to ask for the Equestrians to trust me leading them,” Chrysalis finished. “Not to mention, if we are going by your “rank above all else” authority, it could be seen as me taking advantage of the situation to steal power from the Princesses. Not to mention it would make them look weak.”

“Exactly. So with that in mind, I think we should stick with the one that has the best public image out of all of us,” he said, nodding to Celestia.

“I see no problem,” Gilbert said.

“Well, I can’t exactly fault your logic. I have fought in more wars than the just the Great War and the battles against Tartarus, and I had to rule the country without my sister for a millenia. I… I can do so again,” she said with slight hesitation which did not go unnoticed, especially by Gilgamesh.

“Well, with that settled, how are we deciding the other ranks? Especially the Commander ranks, as they’ll be the advisors to Celestia,” Thorax asked.

Gilgamesh sighed. “As much as I don’t like favoritism, I think we should start off the Commanders with those in this room now as well as the leaders who should be arriving later. Luna, Chrysalis, Gilbert and myself. It should help keep any species feeling like they’re being left out or looked down upon. As for the other ranks, I’ll leave that up to you but I personally feel we should focus mainly on experience. For example, Thorax and Gerard taking the General rank, and so on. Is that acceptable?”

“It’s a bit slapdash, but we are combining three, and later more, armies into one unit, so I believe simplicity is best,” Gerard nodded, the others agreeing with him. “So what else?”

“Right, well first we need to assume our enemies won’t just let us sit here and gather our forces. I’m actually surprised your armies managed to get here so easily, your majesty,” Gilgamesh said, directing that last part to Gilbert.

“We came from the south first through the Badlands. The demons haven’t fortified themselves that far south yet.”

“I see. Well that’s fortunate. Anyway, what we need first is information gathering and-”

“We’re already on it,” Chrysalis interrupted. “Luna and I have been training our best infiltrators in our armies and picking volunteers among the new soldiers who would fit well in the Spy and Sabotage division.”

“We still need some more time and some equipment, but we can have them gather enemy information within a few days,” Luna added.

“That… sounds absolutely fantastic, thank you so much ladies,” Gilgamesh replied, smiling while he was still in a bit of shock. “Um, moving on, I’d like to form an elite team to actually make some use of that information. Unless there’s another race I don’t know about, we’ve got all the flier species that can make use of the information. I’ll go over the details later, but suffice to say they’ll be essential for helping us buy time to get our new recruits up to snuff. More importantly, I want to stress the ‘eliteness’ of this team.”

“Um, why’s that?” Applejack asked. “Isn’t just doin’ their best good enough?”

“Oh, I see! You want to stress them being the best so they can inspire the regular troops! And since they’ll have a sort of ‘hero’ status among the normal ranks, the others will want to emulate them, including them working together and trusting each other despite being of of other species!” Nectar explained.

Gilgamesh snapped and pointed at her. “Bingo.”

“Oh, I get it! It’s like how I want to be just like the Wonderbolts because they’re so awesome!” Rainbow Dash added.

“Anything else?” Commander Thorax asked.

“Well, in relation to that elite group I want each of you to pick out the best two hundred, or around that much, who can fly the best, fight the best, or both,” Gilgamesh said, pointing to the Princesses, Chrysalis, and Gilbert. “Aside from that I’d like to have one on one talks with the Princesses and Spike and the girls after this. Aside from that, I’ve got nothing else. What about you guys?”

“Well, I think first off we need to start relocating our forces. Canterlot is barely supporting all our recruits and refugees as it, now we’ve got the Griffonian soldiers as well. We simply can’t afford to house and feed them all,” Luna said.

“Which brings us to the other problem, food production and rations. We’ll need to start trying to produce as much food as possible as well as making it easily transportable. We’ll also have to… impose rations on the citizens. We should also start more farms so we can produce as much as possible. I think that after their basic training is done we should send the militias out to the many farm locations and have them work on food production as well,” Celestia said, hesitant to impose restrictions on her ponies.

“I agree. Also, though we can eat many of your products, my people require meat and sources of protein. We have ships coming with supplies for us, and we should be able to hold out a few months on things like eggs and nuts for a while, but… I think we will eventually need to teach farmers how to cook and slaughter some livestock. Chickens and pigs should do,” Gilbert explained, glancing hesitantly at Twilight and her friends. Many of them shuddered, and poor Fluttershy looked like she would be sick, but they all seemed to understand. “Also, I think it would be best if we found an additional location other than just the Badlands to ship supplied and new troops through.”

“North by the Crystal Empire should be fine. I hope the cold and ice won’t be too difficult for your ships,” Luna suggested.

“We’ll be fine.”

With no one else raising concerns Gilgamesh clapped his hands. “Ok, looks like we got that settled. Princesses, girls, Spike, I need to talk with you for a moment. After that, the leaders can start picking out their best soldiers for that team. Let’s get to work, people.”

They all nodded and got up to leave, aside from Celestia, Luna, the Mane 6 and Spike. “So, what did you want to discuss with us?” Celestia asked as the others had left.

Gilgamesh sighed for a moment before turning to the two Princesses. “Ladies. Gotta be honest with you here. Compared to the kind of fighters you used to be… You suck. Badly.” Both of them winced at that. “I have not gotten much stronger than I was in the past. Sure I’ve got some new abilities, but that’s negligible. In fact, I’m physically weaker than I used to be because I haven’t gotten all my weapons back. And I’ve been whoopin’ you all over the floor since I got back. Used to be that goinst against one of you was a challenge, and both was something I’d actually have to put effort into. So, something’s gotta change.”

“And that would be?” Luna asked.

He smirked. “Ladies, as of right now, I am your Sensei and your personal trainer wrapped into one, I am gonna whip your flanks back into shape.”

“Joy,” Celestia deadpanned.

“And, uh, us?” Spike asked, sounding nervous.

“Well, here’s the thing. You seven have been saving Equestria time and time again, usually with the Elements of Harmony, but not always. Some would argue this is fate, others like. Me, I’d like to think your friendship makes you able to function in a way that most could only dream of. We’re gonna take that synergy, and make you your own elite team. Which means you also get to be smacked into shape by me!”

“... This is gonna suuuuuuuuuuuck,” Pinkie whispered.

As the Princess raised the sun he saw all the ponies mingling with his brethren. He honestly wondered if he’d ever see them again considering he’d left his homeland so long ago and didn’t have any burning desire to return. Still, in the end, he was a soldier, and far be it for him to not provide his services to both his country and a cause. He proudly walked past the line to the registration desk, those who didn’t recognize him looking confused or indignant, and those that did staring in shock. He tried to ignore them and simply do his duty, but couldn’t keep a smirk from his beak. He finally got up to the recruiter, who was focused on some papers.

“Pardon me for the disturbance, but I’m here to do my duty,” he said simply.

“Yeah yeah, I appreciate it. Any help is-” she replied, more focused on her work, before looking up to see him. She dropped her papers and stared, covering her beak to suppress a gasp. This caught the attention of others, griffins, hippogriffs, and ponies alike. Some looked on, curious, but those who recognized him went still. He heard the whispers around him.

“Is that-?”

“Oh my goodness, it’s him!”

“I don’t believe it.”

“I thought he’d be dead by now.”

“Once again, pardon me for the disturbance. Is there any way I could just head inside? I’d like to catch up with the King.”

Rainbow Dash stood among the groups of fliers around her in the training field for the Royal Guard, taking in the the looks and behaviors of those around her. For the most part everyone stayed in groups with their own countries, and Rainbow personally had to struggle to not go over and gush to Spitfire and Soarin. More fliers were coming in still, and she wondered who else she’d get to see.

The pegasi and thestrals of Equestria mingled amongst each other, though there was talking among the Griffonian pegasi. That led to some of them talking with the griffons, some who stood stoically while others were happy to talk, though with a noticeable hint of pride in both cases. Her fellow ponies were also fascinated by the hippogriffs, many having only heard about them, and quite a few bombarded them with questions.

The changelings, on the other hoof, stood silently, organized like they were awaiting orders. And unfortunately on one was trying to talk to them, Griffonians likely out of apathy and the Equestrians likely out of fear. Rainbow Dash took a deep breath, put on her most confident smirk, and trotted on over to the one changeling she recognized.

“‘Sup, Commander?” she asked in a casual, friendly tone. The other changelings tensed but she fought down her urge to react and kept going. A moment later the other changelings relaxed while Commander Thorax smiled pleasantly. Must’ve given them an order through that hivemind thing.

“Rainbow Dash. I should’ve expected you to be here,” he said.

“Well of course. This is supposed be the best fighters and fasts fliers, and I can say without a doubt that I’m at the top of the fliers around here.”

“That you are. And I’m sure that by the end you’ll be one of the best fighters as well.”

“You know it!” she boasted back. She noticed some of the talking from the other groups getting quieter as they noticed her talking. She may not have been the expert on friendship like Twilight was but she had picked up on a few things, like how to make friends with creatures who were really different. The solution was easy actually: act like they weren’t. By talking with him so casually, hopefully the other ponies would get over their fear.

“Hey, um… I wanted to say thank you,” she began, more reserved.

“For what?’ he asked, tilting his head a bit.

“For helping to save me and my friends. I mean, I know it was because you were ordered too, but we still owe you. So… thanks.”

“I see. Well in that case, I’d like to thank you once again for you and Applejack grieving over my subordinate. It’s rare for us to be given kindness and respect from other races. For that I am truly grateful.”

“Yeah, um… sorry for yelling at you when… you know,” she said, nervously scratching the back of her head.

“You were angry because you thought I was being dismissive, that alone shows how much respect you had for him. You have nothing to apologize for,” he smiled.

“Thanks. Corporal Pincer, right?” he nodded back. “I won’t forget it.”

“I know,” he said and turned to salute her, on hoof to his chest. “And thank you for this as well,” he whispered, glancing at the crowd behind her, realizing what she was doing.

Rainbow smiled and saluted him back, raising a hoof to her head before turning back, feeling particularly proud of herself.

“Heh, what was that all about? Gettin’ all cozy with the bugs?” a familiar voice asked with condescension.

She turned to see a familiar face, one she did not part with no good terms. “Lightning Dust. Been a while,” she replied, trying to hold back.

“Trying to get a recommendation by getting friendly with the other leader?”

Rainbow tried to hold back her rage, only for somepony else to step in.

“Break it up, you two,” Spitfire ordered as she stepped forwards. “We’re not bringing anything personal into this.” Lightning Dust clicked her tongue and trotted away.

“Sorry about that, Spitfire,” Rainbow apologized.

“Nothing to worry about. Just don’t try and antagonize her alright?”

Rainbow nodded back and sighed. I should’ve known she’d be here. Her personality aside, she’s almost as good as me.

She was interrupted from her thoughts when somepony wrapped a foreleg around her back. “Guess who?” said a voice that made her jaw drop. She turned to see a dark blue pegasus stallion with a wild rainbow mane and tail, a cutie mark of a beam of rainbow piercing though a cloud. He was an older pony, mid-forties with some wrinkles on his face, but still seemed to be very much in good shape. She recognized him as Rainbow Blitz, a local celebrity among Cloudsdale. But she knew him by a different name.

“Dad!?”

“How’s my Dashie doing, huh?” he smiled, hugging her tighter..

“Wh-What are you doing here!?” she asked, completely stunned.

“Well, they wanted the best fliers, and I guess my reputation still precedes me. As does yours, I’m sure,” he said with smirk. “Oh, and guess who else I found?” he said, turning to point at more of the fliers coming in. Dash’s excitement instantly dropped when he saw who he was pointing at, though her father seemed oblivious. “Hey there Gilda! Haven’t seen you since flight camp!”

Dash the Gilda just stared at each other for a while, both not entirely sure how to act, but neither liking this situation. “... Yeah,” Gilda replied simply, not taking her eyes off her former classmate.

Blitz looked between the two of them. “Um… something I should know about?” he asked.

“I’ll… tell you later,” Dash said.

“Yes, let’s leave any petty squabbles for another time,” said a griffon coming in. Everyone from Girffonia instantly froze as they recognized him, Gilda even gasping and starting to blush. “So, you’re Rainbow Dash, are you? The Element of Loyalty I’ve heard about, is that right?”

“Um, yeah,” she said, still confused at the reactions he was getting. “And who are you?” she asked, holding out her hoof for a shake, noticing that he was dressed in old and overused armor.

“Who is he!? Are you brain dead!?” Gilda shouted.

“Now now, I’m sure I’m not as famous outside the country,” he interrupted, waving a talon to calm her down. “My name is Gregory, 1st Lieutenant of the Griffonian Special Combat Squad. Well, former at least. Been a while since I’ve actually been in service. Anyway, I look forward to seeing if what I’ve heard about you is true,” he said simply before walking over to be with those from his country, who looked like they were ready to worship the ground he walked on.

“Uh Gilda, what’s with this guy?” Dash whispered.

“That’s Gregory Windreaver, one of the best soldiers Griffonia’s had in centuries. He’s been recognized by the King for winning dozens of the practice skirmishes with your forces, only to leave out of nowhere. Would’ve likely made General but he said he wanted to travel the world, get into some real fights. The guys a living legend.”

Before anyone could say anything further a group of Royal Guards walked into the training field. “All right, all of you settle down and form up! Get into groups based on your country, your CO has some words for you, so you better listen up!” the mare in charge ordered.

Everyone started to take their places, Rainbow Blitz following his daughter. “So, this is being led by that Gilgamesh guy, right? What’s he like?”

“That’s… hard to explain. I’ll just say this much, I trust the guy. He knows what he’s doing,” she replied confidently.

WHAT THE FUCK AM DOING!? I screamed in my head, trying to work off my nervousness. WHY DID I THINK I COULD DO THIS!?

“Are you well, Gilgamesh?” came the small voice next to me, snapping me out of my thoughts. I looked down to see King Gilbert, looking to me with concern.

“Y-Yeah, fine, just… a little concerned with first impressions,” I responded half-truthfully.

“I’m sure you have enough clout to do well,” he assured me.

“No, I mean… I’m not sure what kind of first impression I want to make. Should I be more approachable? More strict? Professional? Casual? I just… I’m maybe just a overwhelmed right now.”

“I… see. I’m surprised to hear that. I mean, you are… well-”

“A legend? Let me tell you right now, you’re majesty, no one’s born a legend,” I chuckled, his confused and surprised face actually getting me to lighten up a bit. Behind him Gerard smiled knowingly at me, like he had seen this many times before. “Thanks for that Gilbert, I think I needed a little more normal.”

“Uh, m-my pleasure.”

I took in one last breath and sighed. “Ok, game time,” I muttered before turning to exit into the training field.

“ALL RIGHT, LISTEN UP ASSHOLES!” Gilgamesh bellowed as he strode to the front of the groups. “THERE’S ONE THING I WANT TO MAKE PERFECTLY CLEAR BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE! ANY OF YOU THAT ARE HERE FIRST AND FOREMOST TO BRING HONOR AND GLORY TO YOURSELVES, YOUR FAMILY, YOUR CLAN, YOUR HOMETOWN, YOUR COUNTRY, YOUR SPECIES, OR ANYTHING ELSE I HAVEN’T THOUGHT OF!” He stopped and turned towards them in one swift motion before pointing to the exit. “GET THE FUCK OUT RIGHT NOW! I DO NOT HAVE TIME TO DEAL WITH GLORY HOUNDS WHO ARE MORE INTERESTED IN THEIR EGOS THAN FOLLOWING ORDERS AND DOING THEIR DAMN JOBS!”

Rainbow sized up immediately, feeling like she back at the Wonderbolts training camp under Spitfire again. She noticed several of her fellow Equestrians act the same. The Griffonians and the changelings, however, looked more natural despite acting responding relatively the same.

“... I’m not seeing any of you moving. I take that to mean you’re putting your duties ahead of all else.” No one responded, either confident enough or too scared to. “Good. I’ll hold you to that,” he said before beginning to pace back and forth in front of them. “Now, as you may have already guessed, yes I am Gilgamesh. And yes, those legends you have heard about me are probably true. In fact, they’re likely conservative compared to what I can really do. But we’re not here to talk about me, we’re here to talk about you. Firstly, as you’ve no doubt noticed by now, there’s not a single one among you that doesn’t have wings. And you’ve also no doubt noticed the rather small group of you. Well guess what? You have all been personally selected by your superiors for an important task by my request. According to them, you are the fastest fliers, best fighters, or both that your conutries’ has to offer. You are now officially recognized as the cream of the crop, the best of the best. You may now take this moment to congratulate yourselves,” He paused for a moment. “You done? Good, because that means I’m expecting even more from every last one of you.”

Wow. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him act so… strict, Dash thought.

“Now, on to the task you’ve been chosen for. I’ll be straight with you: this task is not glorious, it will not be sung of for years to come, and more than likely it won’t even be remembered except by those versed in military history. But, it may be the one that helps us win this war in the long run. For those who aren’t fully aware, this is our situation. Equestria has taken a devastating blow, many of its great cities have been taken, its citizens driven from their homes, and many of its trained and seasoned warriors have fallen in battle. Though we have many brave volunteers to take their place, they are untrained and inexperienced, while our enemies are in numbers greater than we could possibly hope to match and have already consolidated many of their gains. And that’s where you come in. You are to gather for our forces the most valuable an irreplaceable resource of all: time. Your task will be to strike the enemy wherever they may be, to hit hard and fast, to damage and destroy critical points, and to retreat to do this again. Every second our enemy spends recovering from our attacks, regrouping their scattered forces, and repairing their damaged supplies is another seconds our new recruits have to better prepare themselves. This will be your duty, a job you will receive little if any recognition for.”

“Next on the list, you’ve no doubt noticed that you are not all from the same species or the same country. I’m sure many of you have your own feelings and opinions on some of those around you, whether they be personal or more general. I want you to know right now, I ain’t havin’ that shit. You’re part of an army now, and an army works together. An army is a team. It eats, sleeps, fights, and shits as a team. And a team requires one key thing to function: trust. And that’s what I want from all of you, to trust one another. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t expect you all to be friends. I don’t expect that by the time we’re done you all should be holding hooves or talons around the fucking campfire singing kumbaya.”

“Kumbaya”? Rainbow thought, confused.

“Hell, I don’t even expect you all to like each other. But you will trust each other. On the battlefield I need you to trust the soldier next to you and the officer above you giving you orders, no matter who or what they are. You will trust them with your lives, because you expect the same of them.”

Gilgamesh finally stopped pacing back and forth, stopping in the middle of the three groups. “I know this is a lot to ask of you, so I’m going to say this right now: If you want to be a part of this group I need you to be able to follow all the guidelines I’ve given you. If you feel you are unwilling or unable to follow any of them, then don’t show up tomorrow. I understand this isn’t for everyone. Whether your pride won’t allow you to do such a thankless task, or if you feel the responsibility is to much to bear, or if you feel you will be unable to work with those around you, if you have any doubts about your ability to meet my expectations, then I can’t use you. Go join a different part of the military, go join the militia, go home to your families, I don’t care. I promise you I won’t think any less of you for it. To those of you who do show up tomorrow, however, you are by the very act of showing up promising me that you will meet my standards. Not that you’ll ‘try’ or ‘do your best’, that you will follow what I ask of you.”

“Now, there’s one last thing I’d like to say,” he continued, his tone softening. “I know this is a lot for you to promise me, so I’d like to make a promise to you. This war will be harsh, and will claim many lives, but I swear that I will do everything in my power to help you see the end of it. Though I may not be there to aid all of you and fight by your sides, I swear that in my eyes none of you are expendable.” He paused to let that sentiment hang in the air for a moment. “Alright you bastards, now you all know how I feel. Those of you who decide to stay, I will be proud to train you and lead you into battle anytime, anywhere. I’ll see you tomorrow at oh seven hundred hours. Think long and hard about making your decision. And that’s all.”

And with that he unceremoniously walked off the way he came, disappearing from view.

Gilgamesh entered the hallway he had been in, stood there for a second… and then collapsed against the wall, panting heavily. “Oh my god… Oh my god… I can’t believe I just did that…”

Gerard just chuckled, while King Gilbert looked stunned. “Wha… What were you concerned about? That was brilliant! You’d make an amazing general, even Griffonia! I’d be privileged to have you.”

“Heh… glad you think that… but honestly, it’s not in my nature to be harsh with people I like. And… let’s just say if this was back home, I’d be getting marks of for plagiarism.” He panted for a few more seconds and got up. “Now excuse me, I’m heading back to my room to recover before I ruin my image.” He bowed to them both and then walked off as confidently as he could.

“... Father, how can one so great be so… lacking in confidence?” Gilbert asked, still utterly baffled.

Gerard chuckled again. “My son, you will soon learn that competence and greatness in one aspect does not necessitate the same in all aspects,” he smiled. “I will agree with you on one point though: he is better than he thinks he is.”

As everyone around her either talked or walked off, Rainbow Dash stood there, thinking about Gilgamesh’s words. Specifically the part about needing to trust everyone. She remembered that he said that liking someone and trusting them weren’t the same… but she knew from experience that not liking someone made trusting them a lot harder. She glanced at both Lightning Dust and Gilda and realized she had some work to do. But first, she needed some advice.

“Hey, dad?” she said.

“Hm? What is it, Dashie?” he father asked.

“I… Need your advice on something…”

I walked out onto the training field, seeing those who had stuck around. Most of the changelings had stayed, and same for the Griffonians. The Equestrians unfortunately, but no unexpectedly, had lost the most. Thankfully, it was less than half. I smiled when I had been told the numbers this morning: of the roughly 550 who were recommended, 407 stayed. It was big enough to split them into teams, having them go out in rotations. I saw Rainbow Dash, Thorax, and Gregory among the group, as well as a few others, and smiled. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves before starting.

“I know what I said yesterday. But I think it’s only fair to give you one last chance. Anyone who-”

“Hey, don’t insult us! We all heard what you said yesterday!” a voice interrupted. I saw Rainbow Dash smirking at me and, while some didn’t appreciate the lack of professionalism, it was clear that they held the same sentiment.

I chuckled. “You’re lucky I’m in a good mood today, Dash.” I straightened up and looked over them one last time. “Alright then. Welcome to the Red Wings.”

Author's Notes:

Yay! It wasn't a whole year before posting the next chapter!

Seriously though, I've wanted to write the end of this chapter for a while, and once I hit a certain point in just got easier and easier to do. I've got other stories to update, but for now I hope you enjoy.

Also, I'm coming up on a crossover chapter I started that we haven't continued working on since... *goes to look* ... 2015. God, I'm horrible. Anyway, thanks for the reads, dear viewers! And um... could I maybe have some more feedback aside from the usual "It lives?" I'd appreciate it.