The fact I didn’t have an official command did not seem to impact me all that much from a day-to-day point of view. One key example of that was the mere existence of my new office. Another was the fact that Radiant Orchid and her commander, more or less, reported to me now. It was awkward to give a colonel orders.
Minister Sombra had been extremely clear about it, though. When it came to veterans coming home, I was his right hoof. So much so that my new office was the one directly to the right of his.
New was an understatement, actually. The minister had the facilities ponies take the conference room next to him, cut it in half, and turn it into two offices. He’d made that happen in two weeks.
Now I had a new office with a new chair, desk, window, bookshelf, couch and everything else I was supposed to have. It was, without a doubt, far nicer than the space I’d had in Princess Luna’s wing. It was just amazing. And silly.
“Major, a moment, please!” Minister Sombra called. By being so close to him, that was all he had to do. He called, I trotted over. There were other majors in his office but it was always clear who he meant.
“Yes, sir?” I replied after leaving my office and poking my head into his.
He motioned me inside. “Shut the door please.”
I did so and stepped in front of his desk. “Sir?”
“Two things. Big things. Brigadier Hammer is going to be home tomorrow with the remainder of his brigade. I’ll need you front and center for him. We’ll need more hooves on the ground. Be sure you tell Colonel Sniffles to schedule an additional reintegration group.”
“Colonel Shiffle, sir.”
“Right, Shiffle. I know this is last minute, but General Ironhoof didn’t give me enough notice, either. Evidently, he saw an opportunity to send the rest of the brigade home and took it, which means we adapt and overcome, correct?”
With resolution, I nodded. “Of course, sir. Anything for the ponies coming home.”
“Good stallion. Now, thing two. Brigadier Armor, Governor Cadence, and their foal will be visiting Canterlot for a week or so.”
My ears stood tall and I felt myself lighten up a bit. The minister chuckled. I guess I hadn’t been subtle.
“Yes, I thought that might get your attention. I want you to look into the security preparations and make sure the governor’s security chief is doing what she is supposed to. You can also coordinate with Captain Day and Lieutenant Snow.”
Shining Armor was coming for a visit! It was going to be like old times with us all in the palace. “With pleasure, sir!”
“Very good. No slip ups, Major. You represent this office now and I want everything smooth. No incidents while I’m minister. Understood?”
“Understood! I will not let you down, Minister.”
He nodded. “I know you won’t. That is why I picked you. When the last soldier comes home, we’re going to have to have a talk about what you want to do next.”
What I wanted to do next? I guess soldiers couldn’t come home forever. Sooner or later they’d all be here. Actually, that would fall on the sooner side. The stream had been steady as the minister tried to get everypony home.
“Yes, sir. I’m sure you won’t steer me wrong. We’ll discuss it when we get closer to the time.”
“As you wish. I know you have a hundred tasks to handle for this being short notice. Dismissed.”
“Aye, sir.” A hundred tasks was about right. Once I’d left the minister’s office, I headed over to the cube corral. When I approached, several gold helmet-clad heads popped up from behind the low walls. Then they all stood up.
I waved a hoof. “As you were. We’re going to have a really big day tomorrow, but it isn’t anything we can’t handle. I need a few of you to run messages immediately. Sergeant Swiftsong, take these down and assign them out.”
Sergeant Swiftsong sprung up and saluted smartly. That wasn’t necessary, of course, but that was just the kind of pony she was. Melody had always been eager and helpful in every task she took on. “Of course, Major!”
“First, Colonel Shiffle needs to call in another reintegration unit immediately. I don’t care if he has to cancel leave. They need to be available tomorrow. We’ve got a bigger than usual unit arriving. I’ll go over there personally, but I want that missive out the door right now.”
“On its way!” Swiftsong said before slapping the note onto Sacred Blade’s helmet and shoving him out of the cubes.
The royal guards here were not predominantly warriors. They were all excellent administrators. Kind of like a group of Azurites. Watching them work was pretty entertaining, but I had to hide the grin behind the demeanor of a stern major.
“Second, send a missive to Warrant Orchid. Tell her to be ready for a huge group of ponies and to roll out the red carpet.”
“Won’t Colonel Shiffle let her know, sir?” Sergeant Swiftsong asked.
“He should, but this will be faster and won’t leave anything to chance. I’d rather her hear it from me, anyway.”
Sergeant Swiftsong lifted a hoof but I cut her off.
“Hear it from my office.”
The hoof slowly went back down.
“Alright, send the usual messages out to the hospital, veterans union, and Army command. I’ll inform the Flower Foundation myself after stopping by Colonel Shiffle’s office. Get to it ponies!”
“Yes sir!” they replied in unison as they started on their tasks. That freed me up to handle mine.
The visit with Colonel Shiffle was brief as always. I let him know, he thanked me, and then I went on my way wondering what he thought about being ordered around by a major.
In all of our interactions, he’d been polite. I’d been the same since I always imagined myself in his hoofguards.
My next step was going to be even easier. Sweet talk a mare, kiss her neck, and then she’d activate the right ponies.
The urge to fly to our new house was strong but, as promised to my wife, I trotted since I had my armor on. That meant the trip took significantly longer. As I neared the house, I couldn’t help but notice something rocking back and forth slowly out front.
When I got close enough to actually see what was going on, I smirked. Dr. Kitty was wearing a safety harness and dangling from the roof. She was upside down with her front hooves wiggling. As she slowly turned in the wind, she spotted me.
“Silent Knight! Hi!”
I trotted over and idly took her hoof in mine so I could turn her to face me. “What are you doing?”
“I was doing the roof!”
“Was. What are you doing now?”
She nibbled her lip. “I fell off the roof so now I’m dangling. Your roof is really steep!”
With a chuckle, I asked, “And why didn’t you wait for me?”
“Well, I got here early to talk to Crystal and you weren’t here yet, so I thought I’d get a head start. The safety harness kept me safe.”
Idly, I pulled her hoof just enough to cause her to spin. “Yes, but it turned you into a piñata.”
Dr. Kitty laughed. “Yes. Yes, it did. Lucky me there aren’t any foals around.”
“Why didn’t you call for Crystal to help?”
“She’s not here. Raven came and got her. Princess Celestia wanted to see her.”
“Ah, how awkward. I need to talk to her immediately. So… I should be going.” I took a step back.
Dr. Kitty reached out and grabbed me by the helmet. “Nope! Help a pony out before you go.”
Unfortunately for her, it wasn’t attached. I ducked my head and let her have the helmet.
“Hey!”
“Hold your helmet, let me get out of my armor,” I teased before trotting inside. It only took a few moments to remove my armor. Then I went back out, scooped Dr. Kitty up in my forehooves and carefully flew the two of us back onto the roof.
Once she was on all four hooves again, the earth pony hopped in happiness. “There we go! Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. No more doing dangerous work unassisted. Where was your battle buddy?”
“He was at work!”
“And why didn’t you wait?”
Dr. Kitty’s nose wiggled. “Yeah, yeah. Practice what I teach. Okay, so are we going to do this today or go see Crystal?”
“Let’s get you unhooked and then we’ll go see Crystal. Once that is done, if we have any daylight left, we can do the roof. If not, there is plenty to do inside.”
“Deal!”
With each passing week, I was starting to question more and more whether Dr. Kitty was helping me or if it was the other way around. In either event, she was a great contractor and friend. I guess she was just showing me that our therapy was getting more informal. Perhaps it was time for that, and that was super okay.
☾
The sky above Canterlot was full of military airships. So much so that it had attracted a lot of attention from the local civilian population. Keeping this sort of thing secret was impossible when any local pegasus could fly up and say hello.
There was a reason not to let ponies know in advance that more of their loved ones were coming home. It would be hours before we released these soldiers, and packing the streets around the facility just wasn’t good for anypony. Today, there wasn’t any choice. Ponies knew what was going on.
What we lacked in secrecy, we made up for in order. I’d brought in two companies of Canterlot city guards to work the gate and surrounding area. They were in charge of crowd control.
On the inside, we had an extra reintegration unit and some special administrators, the most important one being Senior Warrant Officer Azurite. She processed paperwork faster than any pony alive. I’d asked her over as a favor. It didn’t hurt that I had bribed her with a box of treats from Sundridge Sweets.
Processing paperwork wasn’t the only thing special about Azurite lately. She also had her own unique set of armor that stood out dramatically next to mine and the golden armored ponies beside us. It was silver and had heart heraldry on the chest piece. The story around the palace was that ponies liked it so much it might become standard for all pony resources officers.
To be fair, it was a cute set of armor. Armor wasn’t supposed to be cute, but on Azurite it worked. Pony relations officers were meant to help, so perhaps a small heart was a good idea in general, but it felt out of place here. Hardened soldiers coming back to a tiny pony in hearts seemed like a bad mix, but her skills were without a doubt necessary.
Far above, the lifts started rumbling and I motioned to the ponies around me. “Look alive! We’re about to start a really long day, but for these ponies it has been longer. I want this to go without incident.”
Everypony took their positions as we waited for the first group to come down. As the lift directly in front of us came to a halt, the gate rose, and Brigadier Hammer stepped out, leading my former comrades.
He looked haggard. His gait was normal, despite the artificial leg, but his whole demeanor was not improved since I’d left his side. Not that I expected it to.
Brigadier Hammer marched across the yard to me, his one good eye fixed forwards. The command company was in tow with several of the battalion commands behind.
My staff and I stood to attention. “Welcome home, Brigadier Hammer. On behalf of the Princesses, Minister Sombra, and without question myself, it is a pleasure to see you.”
Hammer came to a stop and nodded. “Without question, it is a pleasure to see you too, Major Knight.”
His tone was genuine, which was a good sign. “Thank you, sir. Would you care to address your ponies before I do? We have a bit of housekeeping to do before getting everypony home.”
Brigadier Hammer shook his head. “No, thank you. I addressed them prior to leaving Sudramoar. To do so again would be redundant. By all means, let’s start this silly show so I can get my soldiers home.”
That tone was genuine, too. Genuine disdain. Not that I blamed him in the least. It was something I understood far too well. The idea of this process seemed silly but, on the whole, it was doing far more good than harm. Plus, with my advice and the addition of the Flower Foundation, things were working smoothly.
In following our protocols, I stepped up onto the small podium we’d replaced the box with and gave my usual greeting. It was the same one I’d been giving a lot lately but slightly tailored to my audience. This was the brigade I’d served in and most of the officers here I knew personally. Despite that, it was difficult not to fall into my usual pattern. Say the lines, hand off, and move forward.
My words were followed by a short speech from my wife and then instructions from Warrant Officer Orchid.
Once the processing had begun I trotted over to Brigadier Hammer. He’d remained by the lifts, greeting each company as they arrived.
“Sir,” was all I said.
“I’ll go in time. It doesn’t look like I’m avoiding it; it looks like I’m waiting for the last pony.”
“Of course, sir.”
While the next lift was coming down he turned to me. “You look the best you have in a quite some time. That does give me some peace.”
“Reintegration took a toll on me but I’m getting back to some semblance of normal, yes sir. You will too. It just takes time.”
Hammer shook his head. “I don’t know, Silent. The war took a lot from me. An eye, a leg, my ability to sleep… Normal just seems impossible.”
My ear flicked. “Nightmares, sir?”
“Every night. They started not too long ago. Not that it is abnormal. Most of us have them. You know that, I know that. Everypony knows that. Mine are just intense. Probably from the anger.”
He wasn’t concealing anything at all. His frank manner of speaking at least let me know he still trusted me. “The nightmares do stop eventually. Well… that is a half-truth. They get easier. Less intense and frequent. I had them, Tumble had them, and most other ponies do too.
“The anger too… I have a lot of that. Thinking that nopony here can understand what we had to endure. They can’t, just so you know, but they can help. Nopony but the ponies there can understand.”
Hammer chuckled. “Yeah… at least we have each other. It isn’t the understanding I’m angry about, though, Silent Knight: it’s the loss.”
“Loss?”
“The loss, yes. We lost.”
What was he getting at? “Sir?”
“What do you call, it Silent Knight? We went to secure another kingdom and instead fought their war for them. We pushed their enemies back from their borders and then called it quits. The king that started it all is still in power. Thousands of our comrades are dead and we’re just back to where we were before you and I got stuck there.”
Deep in my chest, it felt as if my heart briefly ceased. The fear, the anger, the pain all flashing back. Hearing this out loud from a pony I knew and respected was excruciating. I kept my composure though and took a few slow breaths. When I found a voice, I replied, “I understand your point.”
“I know, I saw it on your face. The crowns can call this a victory, but we lost. Equestria is worse off because of it. Don’t worry about me, though, I’ll soldier on. That is what we do, right? Take the loss and move on to the next fight.”
“Yes, sir. That is what we do and, please take this in the spirit it is given, but if you need me, you just have to ask. I always stood at your side and I don’t intend to quit just because the war is over.”
“So noted. Now, we’d best mix with the troops.”
I nodded. “Yes, sir.” I trotted off down the line to share encouraging words with the various soldiers that had returned home. In many ways it was practiced, scripted, and muscle memory. The whole time, my thoughts were focused on what Brigadier Hammer had said.
Not the part about losing. That was painful, but I honestly didn’t care as much anymore. Ponies were home, those lost were gone, and we had to worry about those that survived first. It hurt, it hurt badly, but that is what was necessary to win now. That was our current fight.
What really concerned me was the nightmares. Everypony had nightmares, but Hammer had said his were intense. It was probably nothing but it stuck with me. The matron had warned that my nightmares weren’t just normal nightmares but magically inspired.
What if the brigadier’s were, too? Assuming mine were to begin with. There might be answers in the journal I’d been given and it was taking all of my self-control not to rush home and get it.
Brigadier Hammer was more than a commanding officer to me. He’d been a good comrade that had suffered as much as I had… probably more. Equestria would need him in the future, and I had to make sure he was alright.
“Sweetie…” came a whisper. It was Crystal’s voice.
“Yes?”
“You’re staring off into space. Shouldn’t you continue to move along the line here? Everypony is watching you. Is everything alright?”
I turned and smiled at my wife. “I’m perfectly fine. It was just a moment of thought. Come along, let’s go take another trip up and down the group.” I offered her my foreleg.
Crystal took it and smiled. “By all means, Major Knight.”
Yes. When we got home, it was time to study. Even if nothing of value was in the journal, I’d feel better for having tried.