Q&A Blog 01: Sonnet

The first mail-in Q&A session has arrived. The first questions I received were directed towards the adorable Sonnet.

Sonnet says: I can’t believe I get to answer human questions first this time! I’m so honored.

Anon asks: If the EUP wasn’t founded until after Luna was banished, how did the Night Order exist before Luna’s fall?

Sonnet replies: That’s an easy one. It’s a common misconception that before the EUP that there was no military in Equestria, but that couldn’t be more wrong!

Before the EUP, Equestria’s armies were structured not unlike the modern griffin system. Ponies joined units loyal to dukes, ministers or other ponies of status and wealth. Those leaders would have already sworn allegiance to the princesses in order to be part of Equestria. In that way the diarchy had access to a large, segmented fighting force through the loyalty of the court.

The EUP changed that. What I’ve been able to learn from old scrolls and the princesses (who understandably don’t wish to talk about it very often,) is that the ponies of old Equestria feared for Celestia’s life in the days after Princess Luna’s banishment. After all, if one sister could turn against another, what would prevent one of their own from turning on them as well? Several petitions were made to the crown that a proper national military should be formed. If I had to guess, it’s not something Princess Celestia really wanted to happen, but she accepted for the sake of her subject's peace of mind.

While I can’t find any scrolls recording the size of the early EUP, I found a few budget scrolls in the archives. While Princess Celestia was happy to promote units like the Wonderbolts, it seems like a concerted effort was made to reduce the size of the overall military; budget cuts and disbandment became a steady regularity for decades. So not only was there a military force in Equestria before the founding of the EUP, it was probably much larger than what the EUP became.

In any case, the Night Order was one of those smaller units, uniquely composed of the original bat ponies and directly loyal to Princess Luna. It was one of the less militarized units too, being more like an order of disciplined monks than a regiment in organization. Sadly, after Luna’s banishment the bat ponies didn’t feel welcome in Equestria and most left the country and took on a self-imposed exile. Nopony knows where they went. It’s something Silver Mist had worked tirelessly to try and understand, since we know from history and our Princess that the order did not join with Nightmare Moon. I'm still going through her notes about that time, and finding more things on my own time. Hopefully I'll have a better understanding of what happened someday.

MalWinters asks: What sort of things did you do before joining the Night Guard?

Sonnet replies: Nothing that exciting, really. I love to read, but my favorite things to read are stories, especially from classics and any books that have been around for a long time. As a filly, I was even one of the first in my class to get my cutie mark. It’s silly to think about now, but I discovered it when I finished writing my very first book report. Reading stories and delving into their meanings has been my passion ever since.

My parents are both teachers, but never had the time or the bits to go back to university to continue their education. You can guess how happy they were when I decided I wanted to be a professor of literature. I was in graduate school when my Princess first came to talk to me. Well, sort of. I was there, but I guess I really wasn’t attending anymore.

I guess I try not to talk about this so much, but then Silver Mist always loved to tell us we shouldn’t be ashamed.

I got really scared working on my thesis, and I made a bad choice. I, um, wasn’t going to graduate. At all. I’ve tried to explain to ponies how low I felt that day, but I’m starting to wonder if I’ll ever be able to do it. It wasn’t just that something bad happened: It was something I had done, and I felt so bad that it seemed like no punishment would ever be enough to make me feel like I had paid for that mistake.

That was when I met Nova Drive, Silver Mist and my Princess. They came all the way to Fillydelphia from Canterlot just to talk to me. By the end of the week, I had packed up my things to follow them to Canterlot, where I joined the Night Order.

I think things worked out for the best in the long run, even with the mistakes I made. Now I can pursue studies and research I never would have had access to any other way. I like stories, and I like history, and I like the stories in history and the history of storytelling. Now I get access to the royal archives to read about the history of the Night Order and bat ponies, under the direct order of a princess no less! It’s more focused than I what I imagined, but I get to do what I love almost every day and I’m surrounded by ponies who are as excited by what I find as I am. I can’t say I’ll ever stop regretting my mistake, but I’m glad that there were ponies out there willing to give me another chance.

I hope this was a fun read for every human, and that I might get to answer more questions for all of you again.

Best wishes from Equestria,

Sgt Sonnet, Night Order Royal Guard

PS: These answers were brought to you by Spike, the all number one and around best dragon assistant who wrote this letter for Twilight and her guest even though he didn’t get to try any of that awesome human candy.

Remember that this content come from reader questions. The more questions I get, the more answers you'll get! Hope to hear more from you all soon.