The Kathiawari Mare

by AShadowOfCygnus

KM-12199010-177

Exam Form KM-12199010-177
Results

Examinee: (~)
School (Year): (~) 996
Exam Date: (~)
Examiners Presiding: C. Cruller, T. Shrike, Withershins

Reason for Testing: Selected for academic achievement and magical prowess.

Scenario:
(~)

Parameters provided by Crown order. Panel has been made fully aware of the ramifications entailed by involvement in this exam, and have waived their right to memory of the events proceeding therefrom.

Account:
Though the candidate seemed initially somewhat wrong-hoofed at suddenly finding herself in command of such a force, she quickly regained her composure, requesting a full and appropriate array of reports from her generals, advisors, rationalists, and magi. The allied forces of (~) were at her disposal, and clear efforts were made to reinforce that all had pledged themselves to her flag in anticipation of (~), given its nature as an existential threat to (~). Candidate also took the opportunity to confer with a collection of Equine, (~), and (~) individuals, evidently drawn from all walks of life and breadths of experience, who presented themselves as friends and compatriots gathered over a long and storied career as (~)—a position candidate expressed no small quantity of surprise and alarm to have been trusted with, but quickly warmed to the notion in the time permitted her.

Though she seemed initially taken aback by the scope of the task set for her, and the limited time she had in which to (~), candidate acquitted herself well at every opportunity, taking full advantage of diplomatic, arcane, and (~) channels to investigate and fully understand the crisis she was tasked with weathering. With this borne in mind, she quickly set about (~), restructuring and consolidating resources in order to save not only the kingdom, but (~). Immediate efforts were made to (~)

[The remainder of the report has been entirely blacked out, save for the following lines.]

The keystone project was a resounding success, ending not only the Last War (as simulated records came to call it), but also the very structure and nature of Equine (~). Even bearing in mind the personal and public sacrifices required to enact the plan, there can be no doubt as to the projected end: (~).

Results:
The examiners have elected to award (~) a score of 9 for her strong performance as a leadership presence and unifying force on the field. (~) It is clear that although subject appears to have no recollection of events, and displayed sufficient disorientation on the conclusion of the exam to warrant an examination by the attending nurse, some portion of her consciousness retained sufficient control over the simulated magical energies in play to bring about the desired resolution. Irrespective of perceived memory loss, candidate was treated with a Class-B amnestic, in line with request parameters.

Overall, candidate displays incredible facility in the magical arts, as she has proven countless times both in the lecture hall and in past examinations. Indeed, this panel would like to draw attention to the events of (~) as further proof of the candidate’s comprehensive and innate understanding of the Weave, apparently from a young age. Further, whether entirely conscious of it or not, her first instinct—like others of her line—is to use that power to protect, and to build.

She is not perfect, much as she strives to be. Her work is consistently meticulous and insightful, and her long- and short-term decision-making processes are informed by a wide knowledge of historical, arcane, and natural philosophic sources; however, there are early signs of (~), as well as a tendency to keep friends, allies, and resources at hooves' length. The panel additionally noted a marked tendency in the lead-up to her final (~) to distance herself from affairs by rendering them in terms of the mathematical, or naturally philosophic: a military feint might be rendered in the clinical terms of a linear regression; the quantifiables of mare and materiel distilled to an arithmetic.

In like manner, she expresses a perceived difficulty with the art of diplomacy and related fields, though any faults as such stem from cyclical insecurity and a possible lack of formal socialisation, rather than inherent inability. Though a minor point, it may also be worth noting that she disdains and disparages any spirituality that does not directly pertain to the rational arcane or natural philosophic; this caused some significant friction with several (~) throughout the latter stages of the campaign.

After this demonstration, we have full and abundant confidence in the ability of this candidate to overcome any challenge presented to her, and recommend her appointment to a position of Her Majesty's choosing on completion of her schooling. Unless Her Majesty feels differently, we have no reason to believe that (~) will prove anything but an asset of the highest calibre in whatever service she is set to: whether leading our people in the field, in the halls of learning, or at the foot of the throne, (~) receives this panel's full-throated and enthusiastic recommendation. In like manner, we feel it incumbent upon ourselves to thank Her Majesty for the opportunity to observe this candidate in action: though the memories may fade, (~) engenders a faith that several members of the panel did not think it possible to feel in one's fellow mare anymore.

A copy of this report has been forwarded to the Crown Secretariat, per request. It has not been provided to the candidate, by similar request. All copies of this report have been redacted in line with request parameters, and all attending staff dosed with the Class-B amnestic aforementioned.

Comments

[AShadowOfCygnus]

10625268
Hey, y'know -- credit where it's due: high-CHA, low-WIS builds are perfectly viable until exactly the moment you can't talk your way out of the room.

[AShadowOfCygnus]

10624057
To be fair, standards do change over time, and he did technically resolve the situation . . .

[Horse Voice]

Stories (er, anthologies?) in this format are a tough sell, but if there's one author who could do it...

I wasn't far in before I caught myself having fun with it, thinking about what I would have done in those scenarios. And the last chapter had me cracking a huge smile when I figured out who the candidate was.

I'm damn glad you're still writing.

[ponygrad]

Damn, somepony raised Flurryheart good!

[AShadowOfCygnus]

10632777

10633267
Kind of you to say, good sir. I know these are coming at something of a glacial pace, but if the extra time in the oven makes them readable, well . . .

Regardless, you can look forward to at least three more here in short order!

[AShadowOfCygnus]

10645371
More than anything, the examiners' frustration is down to the fact that he went in for the slaughter without bothering to explore other options, or playing the longer game to see if he could swing things in his favour -- intellectual laziness, confirmed thereafter by the blind appeal to historical precedent (and/or thinking all would be forgiven for invoking Celestia's name).

10645421

[Horse Voice]

10647743

Pshaw! These things take as long as they need. Don't forget: Readers of fan fiction are some of the most patient people in the world, as a matter of course. Whenever it is that the next one drops, I'll be there with bells on.

[Neighrator Pony]

I love the format. This is a cut above. I do hope you'll do more ♥️

[AShadowOfCygnus]

10720341
Honestly, I don't think there's much more to say in this vein; I think I've covered everyone that seemed like they'd bring something novel to the table. If you have specific questions on how someone in particular would react, though, I'm happy to jot down the Cliff Notes version.

[AShadowOfCygnus]

10842296
derpicdn.net/img/2020/1/15/2248293/full.png

[daOtterGuy]

Howdy, hi~!

Going be upfront, not sure I was going to like this at the onset, but after reading more, this was a trip and a half. I *love* the ideas at play and this and was so well written in terms of nailing the feel and tone of the reports. How you created the different scenarios and outcomes was absolutely stellar in execution. No one felt out of place, no one felt that they had acted out of character. Truly magnificent as a fic.

Thank you very much for the read.

[AShadowOfCygnus]

11243128
Thank you likewise for the kind comment and positive feedback! I'm very glad it hit so many of the right notes for you.

If you don't mind my asking, what was the point that convinced you to keep reading, if it didn't quite grab you at the outset? Just getting past the introductory fluff and into the actual meat of the reports?

[daOtterGuy]

11243269

Just getting past the introduction. I'll admit it might be because I like SCPs, so I took a chance that the introduction was just an introduction and that the actual meat of everything would be amazing. I'll admit even the first chapter was a bit of an adjustment, but once I hit the latter half of that chapter, I was completely enthralled.

It also helped this was actually recommended to me by a good friend and I knew you would most likely cover Shining Armour who is one of my favourite characters.

Do not regret reading. Immediately put it into my all-time favs bookshelf after I finished.

[AShadowOfCygnus]

11243307
Entirely fair, and thank you for giving it that chance! Context is rarely the most attention-grabbing part of the story, but a necessary evil in a format like this -- even the SCP wiki wouldn't be quite the ride it is without the understanding we walk in with regarding the Foundation. And now that you point it out, I hadn't considered the similarity in style while writing it, but on reflection, there's a certain resemblance to some of those experiment logs . . .

Heh! Our boy Shining doesn't get nearly enough representation, in my experience. Glad to do my part to change that -- flesh him out a little. His is probably one of my favourite chapters of this, even if it's not, uh, the happiest in its implications.

Seriously, thank you again. Between this and TCC56's review, I'm really glad this little experiment seems to still be finding its way into people's hearts. ^-^