Millennia: Beginning

Summary
In Ponyville, a young flightless pegasus named Star Shooter speaks to a recruiter about enlisting in the Lunar Marines. He is later set to report to Manehattan in a few days time. He returns to his home in Canterlot where he decides to leave early, but not before saying goodbye to his upstairs neighbor.

The next day, Star boards a train to Manehattan where he takes some time to explore the city prior to reporting to the naval station across the river in the north parts of the city. He comes across a guard at the front gate and is taken in after proving he is a recruit, and he is officially granted to stay in the barracks. He then goes to an on-base surplus store where he is given a training uniform and returns to his designated barrack. There, after settling in, he is lectured by the drill instructor for a brief minute and then goes to sleep for the night.

The following morning, long before sunrise, Star and the others occupying the barrack are awoken by the same drill instructor and are brought outside to begin their long two and a half months in training, beginning with track running. Star makes it to just over seventy laps around the track before passing out. He wakes up in a medical center on-base and learns of others suffering similarly to him and is let go that same day. When he wakes up the following morning, he finds himself nearly unable to move from the day before. He is taken outside with the rest of the conscripts and they are forced to perform one hundred push ups, sit ups, and crunches--each. Struggling to reach one hundred, Star is confronted by the drill instructor and is sprayed with cold water to motivate him. Unfortunately, he is not able to complete the amount of push ups in time but advances.

At lunch, he meets Silver Edge, a Navy recruit who is shy to begin with. They sit down and get to know each other and quickly become friends. That same day, Silver comes to Star asking if he could sleep in his barrack for the night. Star agrees, despite it not being his call, and the two make it back just as a rainstorm rolls in. Two days later, they head out for more track running but come across a large round mud pit instead, Star getting stuck and falling behind but not before managing to slip free and continue with the help of a unicorn watching from the side. Then, after a break, they return to more exercises before completing another successful day of training.

The following morning, Star is jolted awake by Solar Wave after having a nightmare and denies it to be anything worth discussing with his friend. After fully waking up, Solar brings it up to Star that their drill instructor had come down with a sickness and was unable to train them, thus giving them an unexpected day off. The two take the day to head into the city and explore it once more. On their way back, they are stuck in traffic on the bridge sitting in their taxi carriage after one intersected with another on the Manehattan Bridge. They walk the rest of the way back to base and conclude their day off after learning from a different drill instructor that tomorrow would be their physical exam. Suddenly awoken once more, Star and the others quickly fall in to follow the drill instructor to the next part of their training; the dreaded obstacle course. With much struggle, Star is the last to complete the course and just barely advances to weapons training, which would be the next day's training.

Unlike previous mornings, those in Barrack 19 aren't woken by the drill instructor's shouting and are instead greeted by Sergeant Hardstaff, who then meets them outside after they shower and get dressed, and takes them to the firing range building on-base where they are introduced to pistols and rifles.

Days pass of weapons training, and eventually the autumn season starts to take the region in its grasp with rain showers and colder weather. One morning, Star is making his way to the firing range for more training when he is stopped by Nightpath, another Marine trainee, and the stallion traps him. Star manages to escape his grasp and the two stand off, ready to fight when Hardstaff stops them. The two are punished by him and are forced to run track. Then, after lunch, Star and Solar run back to their barrack when heavy rain falls and those in the barrack sit down to exchange stories, mainly about where they originated from.

Soon, the final week of boot camp was upon them. The first day, Star left the barrack and went to the on-base surplus store, buying some cold weather gear; a beanie and hoof gloves. Upon returning to the barrack, he discovers the water heater was down along with the building's heater. He sneaks to the barrack over and takes a shower there. Afterwards, Star asks a high-ranking officer he found what the schedule was for that day, learning that they had nothing planned. Instead of staying inside, Star goes to the on-base gym for a workout. There, he is startled by Hardstaff, who has a short conversation with him before letting him carry on.

That night, Star finds himself unable to sleep well and ends up exhausted in the morning, the beginning of the last week. When the trumpets sound, him and the others trot outside to find Hardstaff taking the position of the drill instructor--even wearing his hat. They are briefed by the sergeant, who informs them that they will be spending that day and the day after training in a simulated combat facility in Manehattan and will be graded on their performance. At the end of the tests, Star just narrowly passes, along with the others. With that, graduation was next.

Following a short trip into the city, a day later, Star and the others in his barrack began preparing themselves for their graduation ceremony, which was to be held by Princess Luna later that night at a celebration hall in downtown Manehattan. Later on, they are taken via taxi carriage to the hall where they gather back up as a group and wait for the ceremony to begin.

One by one, the conscripts are called up to the stage where Princess Luna waits, and all stand on a podium to be seen by the crowd that consisted of their families and friends. Then, the princess gave an eloquent speech about the short history of the Lunar Republic, and how a millennia prior it was used for awful things, such as killing, torture, and war, and that in present time, it was there to protect the ponies of Equestria alongside the royal guard and the Equestrian military. After her speech, she personally attached the graduates' ranks to their uniforms, now officially marking them to be Marines with the private rank. Upon finishing, the newly-graduated Marines leave the stage to see their families for the first time in weeks since the beginning of their training, but Star spends the evening alone, seeing how his parents never knew he ever enlisted.

Later on, Hardstaff informs the privates that following graduation, they had a week of forced leave to do what ever they desired, but also had the responsibility of picking up their new uniforms and ditching their training ones. Star meets up with Silver at the on-base surplus shop, and the shopkeeper fits their uniforms.

Two days pass since graduation, and a bored-out of his mind Star spends the time working out at the gym. He is then confronted by Solar Wave seemingly out of nowhere and the two leave the building, Solar leading Star somewhere. Once outside, Star is ambushed by two other ponies and is knocked unconscious by Solar. He later wakes up, finding himself tied to a chair in a windowless room with Solar, Silver, Hardstaff, and two other ponies, all surrounding him. Confused, Star tries to prove his innocence seeing how their interrogating made no sense, but fails to and is faced with execution immediately after. Scared, Star begins rambling confessions and thus prepares himself to be killed, only to find out it was a torture-interrogation test that the others had set up, and he is released.

Later that day, Star inadvertently meets up with Shadow, the pony whom convinced him to enlist, for the first time since then and the two discuss Star's new position aboard Shadow's ship, the L.R.S Eclipse, the largest aircraft carrier in the Lunar fleet. As a result, Star is forced to sign up for a short class to fulfill his position as a radarpony on the bridge.

Many days later, Star's on-base position of patrolling one of the outer walls of the base begins. One morning, Hardstaff stops and speaks to him about his new position, then surprising Star by giving him a piece of paper stating he is to attend a class at the Lunar Naval Academy of Radar and SONAR Tracking. In celebration, Silver asks Star to join him and a couple of friends to a local bar, but Star protests by saying he is not of the legal drinking age. They still meet up that night, and Silver introduces Star to Anchorage, a Petty-officer 3rd class in the Lunar Navy, and Ashfall, a corporal in the Lunar Marines. They go out to the bar and Star finds himself drinking more than he hoped.

The following morning, and the first day of Star's classes, he is woken up by Solar Wave forcefully. When he does finally wake up, Star finds himself to be feeling nauseous, suffering a hangover from the night before. He is then shocked to find that he has awoken much later than he should have and that he believed to be late for his classes. He rushes out to the academy situated near the coastline in the denser areas of northern Manehattan. Much to his luck, the teacher of his class was handling another one due to the absence of another teacher in the academy. The teacher eventually arrives, introducing herself as Lieutenant Kosec Ping.

Three weeks later, Star graduates the class and is certified for the position aboard the Eclipse. The day after, Silver erupts into a hiss-fit during breakfast, and nearly starts a fight with Ashfall. Before one could break out, Solar knocks Silver unconscious, but then him and Star are confronted by Hardstaff. They explain their reasoning to seducing Silver and Hardstaff then threatens to discharge him. Later on, Shadow meets with Star in the mess hall and discusses deployment with him, and that his duties are required on the Eclipse when it sets sail in a few days time. Then, before bed, Silver apologizes to Star and Solar, and the three embrace (forcefully).

That Thursday, Star began his preparations for his first deployment aboard the Eclipse. After packing, he heads to the base docks where many other sailors and Marines had gathered, as well as their families and friends preparing to say their goodbyes. There, he spots Anchorage and his parents, as well as Ashfall but does not interact with them, instead coming across Shadow and another pony, the stallion he was interested in introducing to Star. The lieutenant, name being Arc Nobis, having the most strangest personality of the ponies Star had met. He is then grimly bid good luck by the lieutenant on his new position.

Afterwards, Shadow gives a short tour of the places Star needed to know, starting with his sleeping quarters, the mess hall, and the bridge, where he would be working. Some time later, the Eclipse leaves port and sets sail out to sea with Manehattan disappearing behind it. Finishing off his first day on deployment, Star heads back to his sleeping quarters and lays down to read a book he brought with him, only to discover shortly after that his 'enemy' is also in his sleeping quarters, along with Ashfall and Anchorage.

Star is woken up in the middle of the night by Ashfall, who mentions that it is the beginning of their shift at 4:30 in the morning. He heads to the bathing room where he quickly showers and gets ready for his first full day on the job. At breakfast, he is forced to sit with Nightpath, who mentions that he dropped a soap bar in the shower and makes a big deal out of it. He then heads to the bridge where he begins his shift with a weather report for Shadow, prompting him to have the aircraft on the deck tied down. As the Eclipse enters the patch of rough seas, Star becomes seasick and is excused to the restroom, upon returning Shadow assures him that everypony becomes seasick on their first deployments. Over the course of three weeks, Star follows the same routine, and also becoming accustomed to drinking black coffee.

One evening, while the Eclipse was turned back heading towards Equestria, Star discovers a radar anomaly coming up behind the ship. Shadow issues a warning to the unknown vessel, and receives no response until a few minutes later, where the vessel issues a warning back in another language, which Shadow identifies to be one of the Griffonian languages known as Gerffin, an older language mainly used by Griffonian pirates. The vessel then abandons its pursuit and leaves the view of radar, much to the crew's relief.

At supper, Ashfall and Anchorage argue about territorial rules within the Lunar Navy after Ashfall eats in a slightly rude manner which forced Anchorage to confront him about it, in which Star agrees with. While eating, the Eclipse strikes a wave and is tilted to the side, knocking everypony over, but the ship corrects itself and everyone gets back up. The next morning, Star returns to the bridge to find it somewhat crippled by a lightning strike from the night before, which he didn't recall happening while he slept. Just then, the crew is startled by the Morse-code machine on the bridge coming to life. Once the message is translated onto paper, Shadow reads it to find a warning with many grammatical issues. He then reads a manual on the rules of engagement in the event that the vessel from the day before were to attack the Eclipse.

Upon arriving back in Manehattan, the Eclipse is mistakenly damaged when shoaling just off of the coast, jolting everyone on board. The crew disembarks and those with them were reunited with their families and friends, and Star is greeted back by Silver and Solar where they later go to a sports bar to celebrate Star's arrival where they ask him about his deployment. Hesitantly, he keeps what actually happened under wraps.

Two days after returning, Star heads to Lieutenant Arc's office to finish post-deployment paperwork, and there he asks to take some time off to go home for a short while--less than a week. He accepts, and Star returns to the barrack where he tells Silver that he will be leaving for that amount of time. It isn't long later before Star heads to the train station and is then on his way to Canterlot, arriving to find the city decorated for the upcoming Nightmare Night celebrations. He returns to his apartment, surprisingly bumping into his upstairs neighbor, Rose Shine. The two talk for a short while, and then agree on going to dinner together the next day.

Used to his normal military routine, Star wakes up and works out, tempting to push himself and break his personal push-up count record and managing to do so by just a few before stopping. Then, after a cup of coffee, Star sets out into the city to do some grocery shopping for the week, and find a restaurant to take Rose to later on. Later that day, Star meets Rose downstairs and she ends up being the one to lead Star to a restaurant where they sit down and chat, as well as enjoy a meal together. Star explains that he must once again leave Canterlot soon, which Rose understands.

The remainder of his leave is spent relaxing and seeing Rose from time to time, and after calming her, Star returns to Manehattan. Having not eaten, he heads to the mess hall where he is later threatened by sailors who were uncomfortable with him sitting with them, but Star is defended by Sergeant Hardstaff. After eating, Star goes to the indoor firing range to practice, finding much struggle while doing so and nearly injuring himself while doing so. Much to his surprise, a lieutenant comes to his aid and gives him a few small tips for better aiming. Afterwards, they discuss the Lunar Marines, and the newly-returned lieutenant, name being Snow Storm, explains to Star how he believes newer recruits aren't molded into Marines like he was, and that drill sergeants now go easier on recruits.

The following day, Sergeant Hardstaff explains to the ponies of Barrack #19, including Star, that they are being moved from the training barrack to a permanent one where they will live with roommates.Star is disappointed to find out Silver will be having Solar as a roommate, leaving Star to be alone, but not before the sergeant assigns his personal enemy Nightpath to live with him. The two bark at each other for a short while, before Star's commanding officer, Shadow, knocks on the door. He is then told to come with him, and that Princess Luna as well as other high ranks of the Lunar Marines will be meeting with them to discuss the threat they received over deployment. They meet with the princess and the other high-ranking officials, and are then ordered by Princess Luna to ship back out at once to try and relocate who had threatened them.

Dumbfounded, Star returns to Nightpath, who is then told to prepare for another deployment. Surprised, Night tries to get Star to speak about why they are shipping out again but is unable to. They meet up with the rest of the ship's crew at the edge of the water where Shadow speaks to the crew to brief them on what is to come, Lieutenants Arc and Ping by his side, Star being surprised to see his academy teacher accompanying them. Lieutenant Ping explains how they will be airlifted to the Eclipse offshore as snow begins to fall, and some time later, the crew is boarded onto separate helicopters and are taken out to the stationary ship until all of the crew is accounted for.

Upon going up to the bridge to begin his shift that same day, Star is met by a very suspicious-acting Arc Nobis who, much to his surprise, knew he was coming. The two briefly discuss before the lieutenant scares the wits out of Star by threatening him if he is to mess up during their time out to sea, who then goes silent.

Two weeks through deployment, Ashfall is shocked to find Star and Night no longer combating each other and are instead coexisting for the time being, this being because of their extended shifts that they prefer not to speak with anypony else as no one was unaffected. Returning to the bridge, Star is accompanied by Lieutenant Ping at the radar, and soon after, they find another suspicious vessel approaching and call Shadow up to the bridge where he and Lieutenant Ping shout warnings via radio to the approaching vessel, later discovering another one on the way but one turning away.

Shadow issues an alert level and calls for the ship's crew members to prepare for a possible attack, including Star for the ship's defense, who prepares by gearing up. Another sailor comes asking for help, seeing how some ponies were sleeping at the time and he needed aid waking them up. While doing so, an explosion rocks the ship, leaving a gaping hole in the side and killing two sailors running towards him and Star is pinned down by debris, where he finds the exact moment to greatly resemble a nightmare he had previously where a Griffonian pirate points a shotgun at him. Immobilized and unsure of what else to do, Star waits to be executed, only to have the griffon be shot by Arc and Ashfall who ran to his aid when the explosion occurred. A warning over the intercom from the bridge orders the crew to move up to the flight deck where Griffonian pirates, consist of griffons and ponies, were boarding and destroying the deck, bent on getting inside and taking over. They begin to fight back, Anchorage joining them in the heavy gun battle with more casualties ensuing, including Anchorage himself who is shot in the shoulder, but the crew is able to take down the invaders.

Days pass, and Anchorage is still being treated for his wound and argues with the medic to let him return to his job. The medic refuses and Anchorage is kept in his room while Star returns to the bridge to start his shift later in the day than usual due to his visit. There, Shadow asks Star to accompany him to an interrogation room where a griffon was managed to be captured by one of the crew members, Arc already down there attempting to squeeze any information he could out of the griffon. Unfortunately, none of them are able to get the griffon to speak and return to their positions for the rest of the time.

After his shift, Star tiredly returns to his shared quarters, finding a half-asleep Nightpath there and painfully confronting him, where Night finally reveals why he didn't fight back against the invaders. No longer angry and feeling compassionate for the depressed, family-less stallion, the two finally befriend each other and call it a night. The next day, Shadow announces their arrival to Manehattan to be that evening, and along the way, the Eclipse is escorted into port by the L.R.S Lacus. In Manehattan, some of the buildings are seen to have been lit up with the colors of the Lunar Navy in respect of the crew after the attack, and Shadow informs the bridge crew to avoid paparazzi searching for sailors and Marines to interview for a news story.

The Eclipse docks and the crew disembarks, reconciling with their families, Anchorage among them with Ashfall going to join him. Left alone, Star Shooter and Nightpath realize the tone of their return isn't nearly as bittersweet as normal, and soon after, Star finds himself holding Night while he cries into his shoulder. They are then approached by Lieutenant Snow Storm who asks Star to come to his barracks later on to speak with him on some matters. He does so a half an hour later and the two sit down in Snow's barrack-apartment for some pizza, where Snow brings up that one of his squad members intercepted a strange message speaking of a plan for some sort of new attack against Equestria, and that the one on the Eclipse was a diversion. He then mentions who is behind the attack, a militia known as the Great Gryphon Constitution, a large group of ponies and griffons that banded together to bring Griffonia and Equestria back into war. After showing Star the message, he assigns him to deliver it to Canterlot and bring it to the attention of either the princesses or a Royal guard with authority.

Star goes to Canterlot the next morning and bumps into Rose again, who asks him to her apartment for dinner in a somewhat seductive way, which Star tends to ignore as he heads to the Canterlot Palace, inadvertently being walked in on by Princess Celestia, who he then speaks to about the message. After a longer-than-expected talk to the princess, Star returns home and prepares for dinner with Rose, which nearly goes awry when Star states he is considering moving to Manehattan, only due to the fact of constant travel putting a dent in him financially. The two eat dinner and talk for a slight bit, before Rose mentions the letter Star brought with him intended to be secret. She seduces him and he wakes up on her bed, tied up. There, she explains to the helpless stallion that she has secretly been following his every move and already knows about the scuffle involving his ship just a week prior. Rose tries to also explain her reasoning, but is hit by Star, who then stomps out. He takes the early train to Manehattan before sunrise, and having not receiving much sleep that night, Star crashes at his and Nightpath's barrack, it still being his second day off, but is then met with Lieutenant Snow Storm who asks him how the trip went.

At breakfast the next morning, Silver slowly tries to bring up some news he heard, only to be interrupted by Anchorage joining them and he instead reveals the news of Arc Nobis being promoted to Second lieutenant. When finishing, Star leaves to begin his shift, exchanging for the night shift who walks off shivering. Barely into his shift, Star is hit with a paper plane from seemingly out of nowhere, the piece of paper reading he is expected at the meeting center, which he goes along with a few other ponies who meet up to find Arc waiting for them. There, Arc announces he is referring them to the Lunar Marine Officer School in Baltimare, and later gives them their paperwork. Star returns to his barrack and informs Nightpath of where he will be for the next month or two. The two talk for a short while before Star leaves.

Joined by the other Marines assigned to the officer academy, Star arrives in Baltimare where he and the others are greeted by a warrant officer, Dustoff, and a sergeant major, Snivel, who take them to the campus in the city. Their bags are taken for inspection and the group is briefed by the sergeant major, who informs them that the first three weeks of their time will be focused primarily on more physical exams, followed by the classes necessary to becoming an officer. Following the briefing, the sergeant major assigns them to their barrack, Star being forced to stay in a small four-pony room by himself, while the others share one room. Sad with the outcome, Star kicks his bag and accidentally discovers a book he didn't remember packing and finds it to be a gift from Nightpath. The chapter leaves off with Star sitting down to read the book, named The Life of a Lunar Marine.

Over a week passes, and Star finds himself struggling to perform a certain amount of sit-ups the sergeant major ordered to complete the physical exam at the end of the second week. Disappointed, he avoids the other Marines who made fun of his lack of physical strength, but is surprised to find Dustoff sitting down for breakfast with him, whom confronts him about his emotional state, still drastically altered from the attack. The warrant officer orders that he sees somepony that specializes in talking to soldiers with post-traumatic stress, automatically diagnosing him on the spot. Later on, Star tries the sit-ups again, this time somehow able to and even reaching over what Snivel asked for. The unicorn in the group then tells Star afterwards that he gave him a burst of energy from magic to allow him to complete the goal, which Star then tells him off and stomps into his room, now stressed that he must do it all over again without the unicorn's help.

Four days later, Star is still trying to prepare himself for the final physical test in order to move on to the classes. While doing so, he is interrupted by the same unicorn, Javelin Charm, who offers to help him without the use of magic. Star reaches sixty sit-ups and the two finish on a good plate. The final day is then upon them, Star having woken up early and decides to read his book while waiting. They are collected by Snivel and are brought outside to complete their exam, upon doing so, Javelin gives up before finishing and Star is unable to finish with Snivel oblivious to him. He scolds Javelin, which Star jumps in and tells him off in front of everypony else. The two are then expelled from the school and they return to Manehattan, their hopes of becoming officers crushed, though Star finds himself to be comfortable with that. Star then speaks with Arc Nobis, who promotes him to Private first class anyways and plans to work to move Snivel out of the academy.

Hearth's Warming passes, and Star returns to his normal patrols. He has an unlucky start to the day, it becoming worse when he inadvertently is confronted by Rose who chased him down to Manehattan. They begin to talk, but Star is attacked by a griffon from out of nowhere. He is pinned down, and he and Rose work to get the griffon off. A fight ensues, and Star orders Rose get help, which she runs off to do. Star continues to fight, but is then grabbed by the neck and is slowly being choked to death by the griffon attacker. Just seconds before Star could fully succumb to the lack of oxygen, Rose returns with a Marine who helps take down the griffon. Star wakes up after blacking out, then proceeds to arrest the griffon.

Later on, Star sits in a room with Snow Storm who he shares a coffee with and Rose joins them. They are interrupted by Javelin, who turns out to be Snow's communications officer for his platoon, and brings up new information about the advancing Constitution militia, which now forces the Lunar Marines to deploy to Baltimare where an attack is said to be imminent. Star questions the movement and decides to stay. Meanwhile, they are brought to the on-base prison to interrogate the griffon they captured. At the end of the day, Star gathers gear in preparation for the attack and possibly will be the only one there to fight when Nightpath returns to the barrack from his shift. Star tells him to get stocked up, as he will be going to Baltimare with the others.

The next day, Star and Night wake to find the Marines had already deployed and that they are left alone. Much to their surprise, Silver Edge and Solar Wave remained. They reconcile, when suddenly a string of explosions rocks the city. This all happens before Star tells the others to get ready for battle. Everyone else disagrees, but listens to him thoroughly, and they rush to the base's communications center to try and signal for help from the Marines, who were setting up in the city of Baltimare. Their Morse-code message gets through to Snow Storm, who orders everypony back onto the train. Back in Manehattan, the team gears up and sets off for a bridge under construction west of the base. They heart-poundingly cross and decide to find somewhere in the city to set up post and defend the rest of the city.

After scouring a cafe for extra food and taking out some scouts passing by, Star and the others form a wall with abandoned carriages and other objects and prepare as more waves of Constitution troops attack. Over the course of the day, Anchorage, having taken position as team leader, orders them to a radio station to attempt to establish an emergency signal to the Equestrian Army, situated near the city. Unfortunately, after another gunfight in the building, they find out by a fellow Marine they rescued from captivity that the place's satellites and antennas were destroyed in an air strike, remembering that the Lunar Navy took control of the skies and had jets patrolling the crippled city. Without a weapon, they escort the pony, Circuit Breaker, downstairs where he was to leave with anypony else he could find along the way. More soldiers storm them on the first floor, and one tosses a grenade into the stairwell at Anchorage's hooves. Just before it could explode, Solar Wave shoves him out of the way and sacrifices himself to stop the grenade from killing them all. He dies moments later in the process.

When the others stop to give their respects to the fallen Marine, Nightpath confronts Anchorage when he decides it is best if they keep going. They do leave the radio station, and Circuit Breaker runs off as ordered. Anchorage then tells the others that they should find a place to rest as night time approached. They come across a warehouse of a dress-making company and set up camp in the lower basement level where there are no windows and cannot be seen. Overnight, Star finds his canteen to be empty and goes upstairs to fill it back up. After replenishing his canteen in a small lunch room, he is yanked into an office by another pony and is pinned with a knife to his throat. The pony then pulls back when Star tells who he is, and the lights are turned on, revealing it was Shadow all along. Shortly after, Snow Storm runs in, his team having found the others hiding downstairs. Shadow orders they return to base, but Star insists he stay in the fight. Regathered with the others, Snow speaks about the final attack to push the Constitution out of the city, and that his team would lead the fight. From there, Star volunteers for Snow's squadron, followed by Night, Silver, and then Anchorage, but he is rejected by Shadow and the two leave to return to base.

Snow and everyone else marches out to a small communication outpost further west where they find Hardstaff and Arc Nobis. Hours later, the team sets out to scout the area and prepare for an airstrike that would mark a line for the Lunar Marines to defend. Inadvertently, the air strike occurs in the wrong place, leaving Star pinned beneath some debris. The airstrike comes back for a second turn, and Nightpath jumps atop Star but the two get out unscathed, Star freed by the violent movements. After the airstrike, numerous groups of Constitution troops surround them on the street. They are able to take them down along with help of advancing Marines, until a pony with an RPG from above begins attacking, killing some Marines. Star manages to kill him just before he could shoot again. After that, Snow advises them that their work is done.

Just less than a week later, Star is woken by Nightpath, and the two prepare themselves for a long day: Solar's funeral. It is said that Star attended four other funerals in the days before and that today would be the last one he would go to out of the many killed in the attacks total. They walk outside, finding it to be raining rather than snowing, and all of the snow had melted. They go to the train station and board a train, along with a few others and Rose, much to Star's surprise, and set off to Valor Lake, a military cemetery northwest of Manehattan. Upon arriving, they greet Solar's parents and the pastor, a unicorn from a temple in Canterlot, begins the ceremony. Hardstaff then offers Star to do the honors of giving the folded Equestrian flag to Solar's mother, Solar Shimmer. He does so honorably, saying final words to her before walking up to the casket along with the other Marines.

A couple of days later, on New Year's Eve, Star is called in to a military psychologist's office, Doctor Haywalker, and Star is given an evaluation to take. The doctor then immediately diagnoses that Star has a mild case of depression rather than PTSD like he feared, and the doctor gives him three options. Option one, take a couple of weeks of vacation, option two, heavy medications, or option three, be honorably discharged from the Marine Corps. That night, he gathers with the others on a pier to celebrate the new year and he tells the others about the appointment. Despite already not wanting to, Anchorage convinces Star to stay, except he should take time off from work. He later tells the doctor just that.

Some more time later, Star meets with Shadow, who files for his medical leave. Upon finishing, Star begins his final shift before he is set to leave. During his shift, however, Shadow calls his post to inform him of Princess Celestia and Luna coming to the city, Celestia to make a speech, Luna to visit the base. Star continues his shift for the rest of the day until evening comes, where he goes to change after being out in the cold rain for much of the day. Night walks in and the two change into their dress uniforms after learning they will be awarded by Princess Luna herself.

They gather at an on-base movie theater and are seated when Princess Luna enters, calling Star, Night, Anchorage, and Silver up, awarding them with combat medals and promoting them, Star now a lance corporal. She gives a speech to them afterwards.

The following morning, and after a restful night of sleep, Star packs some things and leaves to the train station, only to find that due to the post-holiday rush, tickets to Canterlot are sold out and he must venture to Whitetail Woods instead. There, he is accidentally bum-rushed by a pegasus pony named Ray Blitz, a voice actor searching for a recording studio, only to learn he is in the wrong place. The two talk for a bit, but then part ways, thus ending the story with Star talking about how only time will tell what happens next.

Characters
His father is a former military member and was always harsh on Star up until he left. His influence to enlist in the Marines could be a way to impress his father the next time the two cross paths, despite the two no longer communicating, and also knowing no other way would make him happy.
 * Star Shooter: A 19-year old dark blue pegasus and the main protagonist of the story. He originates from Coltlumbus and left for Canterlot at a younger age to start a new, better life away from his parents. He enlists for the Lunar Marines and is stationed in Manehattan with a position, on deployment, on board the L.R.S Eclipse, a massive aircraft carrier run by the Lunar Navy.


 * Solar Wave: A 17-year old light yellow unicorn, also one of the main protagonists. He was skittish during boot camp but slowly grew to the terms of it and life in the military. He was constantly picked on for his name while being under Luna's side of the military. It is unknown where he originates from.

According to Silver, his youngest uncle is a Chief Petty Officer aboard the L.R.S Gibbous, a Lunar Navy Destroyer. Currently it is unknown if he will make an appearance in any future chapters. Silver also claims to have never met his mother.
 * Silver Edge: He is a beige unicorn with a grey-and-silver striped mane, which is where his name presumably comes from, and claims to be older than both Star and Solar. He is from Las Haygas. When he first met Star, he was nervous, but quickly warmed up to him and others when he advanced in boot camp. He was a trainee for the Lunar Navy, but along the way, he is mistaken for a Marine and graduates with Star.


 * Ashfall: A muscular military-green earth pony and a Corporal in the Lunar Marines on the verge of promotion. He is Anchorage's best friend, though the two argue a lot like siblings. Of all of them, he is the tallest and most well-built, and supposedly the oldest. He claims to have a marefriend, but Anchorage, likely out of banter, corrects him and says he has a coltfriend. It is unknown which is true at this time. Ash originates from the Whitetail Woods area and his father is a lumberjack.


 * Anchorage: A white-grey pegasus and a Petty Officer 3rd Class in the Lunar Navy. He speaks with a northern accent and is from Winneighpeg, which explains his accent and comfort in the cold. He also argues frequently with Ashfall, but over all, the two are best friends. He corrects Ashfall by saying he has a coltfriend rather than a marefriend, which is most likely military banter. He is known to be stubborn when it comes to needles and medical attention when he needs it.
 * Nightpath: A tall brown earth pony originally with the mindset of harming Star Shooter whenever he could and striving to become the best. He later begins to warm up to Star, and the two eventually befriend each other following near-death experiences. At the age of 3, Night was given up to an orphanage in his home town of Baltimare by his father, who rather disliked the colt and needed to get rid of him because he simply couldn't afford to take care of a foal. It is unknown what Night did after becoming of age to leave the orphanage.
 * Hardstaff: He is a night-blue pegasus and a Sergeant in the Lunar Marines, as well as Star's part time trainer during boot camp. During training, him and Star developed a friendship which explains why he isn't as hard on him like the others. Not much else is known about him.
 * Snow Storm: Snow is a Lieutenant in the Lunar Marines. He offers to help Star improve his skills in aiming a gun, which he hesitantly accepts. Later, according to Snow, he believes recruits going through boot camp in present time don't get the 'full Marine-conscript effect' like he claims to have received when he initially enlisted six years before. Before meeting Star, Snow was deployed to the western nations, as he referred to them, just two weeks prior to handle a conflict occurring in that region of the world. The squadron of Marines he leads is a special tactics group and specializes in handling cyber threats and preventing real ones.

L.R.S. Eclipse Crew:

 * Shadow: Shadow is a greenish-grey earth pony and the Commanding Officer aboard the L.R.S. Eclipse, the largest aircraft carrier in the Lunar Fleet and the ship Star is stationed on during deployments. Both he and Star knew each other long before Star enlisted, and Shadow offered him the position aboard his ship as a radarpony after graduating boot camp.
 * Arc Nobis: Arc is a grey earth pony and a Lieutenant in the Lunar Marines. He is Shadow's second-in-command aboard the Eclipse. He claims to have been through many deployments and battles, and according to others, he is said to have a dark side that is revealed to   '  a lucky few  ', pointing to the fact that he has post-traumatic stress of currently unknown causes. He says to Star that he has  'vision like an eagle; hearing like a hawk, ' only because he examines the ponies he meets and can tell when they are coming up behind him.
 * Sea Watch: He is the Navigation officer on the bridge aboard the Eclipse. He sits by Shadow's side and practically decides where they need to go. Not much else is known about him.

Side Characters:

 * Rose Shine: Rose is Star's upstairs neighbor in Canterlot. According to Star in the prologue, she mostly orders takeout food and 'has a problem' with it. When Star returns to Canterlot for the first time since graduating, the two go on a date and they discuss their origins. Rose reveals that she has a sister working for a gourmet restaurant in her hometown of San Prancisco and that while Star was gone, she took up cooking lessons from her and has said that she no longer orders takeout.
 * Halberd: He is the night watch guard that takes over for Star during his shifts on base. He is known to be a bluish-grey earth pony and is from a warmer part of Equestria.
 * Dustoff: He is a Warrant Officer in the Lunar Marines, working as a teacher at the Lunar Marine Officer School in Baltimare. Nothing else is known about him.
 * Snivel: He is a Sergeant Major in the Lunar Marines, also working at the Lunar Marine Officer School in Baltimare, and becomes Star and the rest of his class' physical training assistant during their time. He is an earth pony, and nothing else is known about him.
 * Javelin Charm: He is a maroon unicorn that wears squared glasses. He meets Star at the LMOS, though initially not in a good way. He later helps Star out with performing sit-ups, but is unable to himself and is later expelled from the school. It is then revealed that he is a part of Snow Storm's platoon and is the communications officer.

Reception
While the story is still a work-in-progress, it has received primarily good criticism on FIMFiction, initially starting off less successful as it is today. To date, the story has 28 likes and 6 dislikes. It also currently has 342 views, and over 4,200 total views.

Towards the start, the story received poor criticism, likely due to other users believing the story is part of the overused Lunar Republic vs. Solar Empire theme with the idea of a revolution against Princess Celestia, which as stated by the author of Millennia, is not what the story is centered around at all. As of recent chapters, the story's criticism has gone up and is slowly on its way to becoming one of Thunderblast 's most-popular stories.

Sequel
On 12/31/15, Thunderblast confirmed a sequel has been in planning since the start of the first story. According to Thunderblast in the past, he has said to also show interest in continuing Millennia into a short trilogy.

The sequel's name is now revealed to be Millennia: Eye of the Storm, and will come between August and September of 2016. Unlike Beginning, the story will consist of 36 chapters and not 42 (including the prologue and epilogue). The story will follow a darker story line and have multiple conflicts leading up to one 'never seen in a MLP fanfiction before '.

The sequel's release was originally set for July, but was pushed back to allow for work to be put into other current work-in-progress stories.

Trivia

 * Millennia is the first story by Thunderblast to be written in first-person point of view.
 * Currently, it is also the longest story he has ever written, topping the previously-longest story Under the Moonlight.
 * As stated by the author, Millennia rests aside from the same timeline as most Lunar Republic vs. Solar Empire stories. Instead, he put that in the story, which revolves around the same universe he writes much of his stories in, the New Lunar Republic and Princess Celestia's side of the military, which he prefers to not have a name, coincide in a peaceful way to protect Equestria while also having internal competition, much like the real-life military branches.
 * The initials of the author of the book The Life of a Lunar Marine featured in chapter 30 are actually a reference to another FIMFiction author Thunderblast admires and follows, named Crystal Wishes, who's OC is also a novel writer.
 * It is unknown if The Life of a Lunar Marine will be an actual story that Thunderblast writes rather than Crystal Wishes in the future. One can assume that if it is, it will likely be centered around Arc Nobis, seeing as he is the one with the most military experience throughout the story.
 * After every 10 chapters, the story has gone on planned hiatuses and has returned at least one or two months later with long chapters of up to 5,500+ words in length.
 * There is, however, a plot hole in the writing; Silver Edge was not previously meant to be a Lunar Marine. This is said to be fixed in the future, most likely in the sequel.
 * Despite a sequel already being confirmed, the epilogue trailed off with a cliffhanger, Star quoting that only time will tell what will happen next.
 * Millennia has the largest variety of characters in the story atop any other story written by the author.