A month later, Rainbow was back at the capital for a very important event. Said event was called a Triumph, and she had learned about them during her history lessons. They were massive parades, held in the honor of those who accomplished important events in the name of the Empire. Mostly these were victorious generals, though there were exceptions to this norm. Due to the previous decline of the Empire's power and influence, a Triumph hadn't occurred in almost five hundred years; and the first one in all that time was for her.

Due to all her contributions to the Empire, she was told by Diocletian that it would be for her. At first, she gave him light protest, saying that she was honored, but she didn't really deem those early actions under Drusilla as 'contributions'. However, after he insisted, and pointed out all of the more recent accomplishments, she agreed. After all, she was still Rainbow Dash; she wasn't one to turn down a little bit of time in the limelight. And so, here she was; just outside the Pomerium of Pryha, early in the morning, adjusting her long cloak.

Despite their variety in things present, time in between Triumphs back in the day, and other factors, one thing was rather uniform. This was the dress of the Triumphator, the title granted to the person granted the Triumph, which Rainbow thought sounded awesome. The dress was more or less the same as their normal uniform and armor, in her case those being linothorax, vambraces and greaves, and a smaller type of helmet, with a few exceptions. One of them, and most prominent was a massive, royal purple cloak, which sat on her back to the point it looked like she was wearing a bedsheet. She also had a special helmet plume for the occasion; one that was blood-red, with more than a bit of flair to it.

She tugged at the cloaks pins, finally pulling it up high enough as to not pose the risk of her tripping on it. She then trotted over to Depressi, who was having issues adjusting the belt on his own royal purple tunic. "Here, Sport. Let me get that for you." She tightened the belt, looking up at the others in the royal purple clothes. Normally, the family members of the Triumphator would walk behind the Triumphators chariot. However, due to her lack of immediate family besides her son, Diocletian allowed for some of her close friends to tail the chariot.

"This is awesome, mom!," Depressi said, grinning like a maniac.

She gave him her own smile, before giving him a light nuzzle and said, "Yeah it is, Sport. Now, you ready?"

"Yes, mom," he said.

"Good," she replied. "Now, if you get tired of walking or flying, you can sit in the chariot with me. And if you do fly, don't go too far from the route, ok?"

"Don't worry, Rainbow," a new voice said. Castus walked up to them in his own purple tunic, saying, "I'll make sure your little ball of energy doesn't go too far. Now, you should be getting ready."

"I am. Just need to check on something." She flew back over to the regiment, who would be bringing up the rear of the parade. The soldiers were all equipped in their parade dress, which only varied a little bit from their normal gear. For one, their helmets all were now affixed with forward-facing blue crests and face masks molded to look like eagles. The standards and soldiers cloaks were all freshly cleaned, and the eagles and armor polished to a shine. She landed next to Vexillum, who was getting the last of the troops into position. "Ave, Praefect. Everything set, Vex?"

"Ave, Triumphator. Yes, everyone is ready. We await your signal to move out, Triumphator."

"I was just getting underway. Vale, Vex!" She then took off back to the Gorebeast pulled golden chariot, yelling up at one of the people in the first stretch of the parade, "Oi! Let's get this show on the road!"

The city, save for the route of the parade, was completely abandoned. Stores were closed, and a holiday had been declared. The route of the Triumph, however, was packed with people. They stood on the edges of the street, on side streets, up in the buildings; thousands of them lined the route. They threw flower petals, waved Pryhan flags, and cheered at the passing procession.

Rainbow looked on from the chariot, wings flared yet not in use. She just soaked all of it in. The sounds of the cheering, the whipping of wind on flags, and above all of it, the singing and trumpets of her men.

🎵O highly esteemed Pryha,🎵
🎵You are the honorable land of loyalty!🎵
🎵Your glory ever brightly shine,🎵
🎵In the isles and Demos anew!🎵
🎵You stand tall, like your mountains, strong,🎵
🎵Against the degenerates might and deception!🎵
🎵And as the eagle leaves its nest,🎵
🎵Your great spirit may fly!🎵

🎵Hold firm! Hold firm!🎵
🎵Let high, the banners wave!🎵
🎵Show to them! Show the foe!🎵
🎵That we'll stand, together, loyal!🎵
🎵So let them dare to prove our might,🎵
🎵While the battlecry rages against us!🎵
🎵Holding firm, in, the raging storm!🎵
🎵Holding firm in the raging storm!🎵

🎵Raise your hands to the heavens,🎵
🎵Which watches us forever more!🎵
🎵O'er our sacred land, from every foe,🎵
🎵Soar high, Pryhan eagle!🎵
🎵To protect and defend, this precious land,🎵
🎵Pryhan spears, be prepared!🎵
🎵We defy every foe,🎵
🎵And fear not any battle!🎵

🎵Hold firm! Hold firm!🎵
🎵Let high, the banners wave!🎵
🎵Let us all, faithfully and boldly,🎵
🎵March together, among the eternal stars!🎵
🎵That Pryhan soul and might shall never fail,🎵
🎵Even as the sun threatens us all!🎵
🎵Holding firm, in, the raging storm!🎵
🎵Holding firm in the raging storm!🎵

This song, supposedly composed by Zenith, a Centurion in the fourth maniple, Rainbow rather liked. It was nothing like the sort of song she would've heard sung back in Equestria. It was loud, bold, and somewhat egotistical when they thought about it. But, well, it suited Rainbow just fine. Besides her change in style, it just sounded awesome, especially in Demosian.

She was pulled from her reverie when she saw the palace just ahead. As she got close, she yanked on the reigns of the chariot, and the beasts ground to a halt. Even before they did, Rainbow had taken off, soaring above the crowd around the gate and the courtyard. She touched down at the base of the stairs, choosing to just walk up them.

She came to the top of the stairs and was greeted with the Caesar. He sat in his high backed throne, clad in his red robes of Caesar and his golden laurel crown. Rainbow bowed her head and slammed her fist to her shoulder in salute, just keeping her head raised enough to see him. He returned the salute, then gestured for her to come forward. She complied, stepping in front of him and snapping to attention.

He looked over at one of the nearby Parliamentarians, who pulled out a pillow with several items on it. The Caesar grabbed the pillow, then walked up to Rainbow with them. One the silk pillow sat four items; a silver bar, carved with an inscription that read 'Sit sempiterna gloria Imperii, or 'May the Empires glory shine eternal', a metal plaque, a small carved ivory eagle's head, and a bronze medal on a red and purple ribbon. She had been told what each item was for: the medal was for her to wear in formal settings with the rest of her medals, the bar was to stick under her regiments Aquila standard, the ivory carving was for her swagger stick, and the plaque was to go in the Triumphators Hall, a section of the palace dedicated to heroes of the Empire.

He presented the pillow to her, and told her, "The Empire thanks you for your duty, your sacrifice, and your honor. May you and your kin hold as strong as you for a thousand generations! Ave, Triumphator!"

Next Chapter: 71~Proposition Estimated time remaining: 3 Hours, 43 Minutes