When the allied army occupied the Sudramoar battlements the day after my attack, I was not with them. I couldn’t stand the thought of seeing all of those bodies. Killing was horrible and I’d already done a lot of it in the past.
This was something different. I was personally responsible for snuffing out thousands of lives in a few minutes. That was a lot of blood on my hooves. What had Princess Celestia said about killing?
It was disharmony. All killing? She had used the word flippantly at the time but it was probably all killing… but how did that balance against all the lives I’d saved?
Gray Maelstrom wandered into my tent unannounced, interrupting my thoughts. She came over to where I was lying on my cot and softly ruffled my mane. “Feeling any better?”
“Honestly, no. The weight of reality is settling in now.”
“Ah, well, that was bound to happen. I wanted to let you know that General Ironhoof has sent for Minister Sombra and the negotiators. They’ll be heading off to meet with King Kronson as soon as they arrive.
“You might be suffering, but at least know that the war is likely over. You saved a lot of lives and now that the shock has worn off, they’re calling you the Hero of Rindaire Valley. Nobody hates you, but I understand you have to work through your process. I’m here for you when you need me.”
She patted my head and trotted out of the tent. The Hero of Rindaire Valley. How about that? Kill thousands of gryphons and you’re a hero. I’d have rather been a hero for something else. Like hoofball. I was a pretty good hoofball player. I wonder if the Equestria Hoofball League had any openings?
With a groan, I pulled myself off my cot and put on my chainmail. Would it even be necessary to wear it? Better safe than sorry. It would be horrible to be this close to seeing Crystal and ended up dead due to something silly like a lack of armor and a lucky sword slash.
It was time to face the day. Live with the consequences. I did what was necessary while hiding behind the mask of Dread Knight. There would be no helmet and visor today, though. Just me. Me: the pony that bargained with dragons and eradicated an army.
I pushed the flap of my tent open and the sun poured in on me. It was brighter than ever for some reason and it took a moment for my eyes to adjust. That was when I found myself staring at all of my dragoons in parade formation.
“Attention!” Captain Brynja called.
The group as a whole snapped to.
“What is this?” I asked.
“We have waited for you, zir. We are all here for you. You alwayz make zure we get the help we need. Now we are here for you.”
Whether it was the bright sun hitting my dark chainmail or the sentiment, I felt warmer. “I see. Thank you all. At ease.”
They relaxed a little, but not too much. “What is on our agenda, Captain?”
“We have no agenda today, zir. General Ironhoof felt we would not be necezzary for thiz operation. We’ve been given R-and-R. What would you like to do?”
Rest and relaxation? That made sense. Dragoons aren’t exactly the type of unit you use to occupy fixed fortifications. Plus, we’d done our share. More than our share. The last thing I needed was more soldiering today. A casual flight would have been nice, but I wasn’t going to take off my chainmail just to be able to barely get off the ground.
“Zir?” Brynja asked softly.
“I’m fine, just thinking.” It was probably going to be over soon. King Kronson couldn’t fight on. Not on two fronts and not with one whole army destroyed. A glimmer of hope cut through all of the pain inside. I might go home after all. It was time for a little inspiration. For me and for them.
“Dragoons, today is the first day I can remember where the end was truly in sight. We might have more fighting to do, we might not, but in either case I can’t imagine we’re long for this war.
“You’ve done an excellent job getting here. Now you and I are going to have to do the hardest part: survive. What we’ve seen and done here was far beyond what most ponies or gryphons will ever deal with. I am carrying a lot of scars. Most of them are mental.
“So I’m going to give you one last standing order. The most important one. When you get home, you are ordered to survive. You will find someone to talk to. You will go to veteran’s groups. You will try your best to get to anyone that can understand and, if you can’t, you’ll come to me. That goes for you gryphons, too. Am I being clear?”
As a unit, my dragoons bellowed, “Yes, sir!”
“Good. I’m going to need you, too, and I’m going to have to do all of those things. I’ve been bad about it in the past, so to ensure I’m not a hypocrite, I’ll change. I’m going to do my best to leave the soldier here and I, Silent Knight, will come home.”
“I’ll come home,” they repeated solemnly.
The weight of it all started to close in on me again. We were going to go home. How would that feel? What would it be like? My nose wrinkled and I fought back tears. Crystal…
I shook my head, pushing away the dark thoughts. When I found my voice, I asked, “Does anyone have a hoofball? If we’re on R-and-R, let’s break up and play a few games.”
Captain Brynja turned, “Zomeone find a hoofzball. Zteal one if necezzary.”
There were some chuckles at that and several of my dragoons went off to presumably find hoofballs.
Brynja leaned close to me. “What iz hoofzball?”
“It is an amazing game. Let me tell you all about it.”
☾
My black dragoons had not moved our camp once the Rindaire Valley citadel had been occupied by the allied army. A roof may have been nice, but our tents were fine and the weather was cooperating. Plus, to be frank, I just didn’t want to be in that place, and they knew it.
Thus, while the other units shifted any of the undamaged bolt throwers to the opposite battlements, settled into the bunks of their enemies, and prepared for defense, we remained where we were. No orders had come down to the contrary. As far as I was concerned, I’d never set hoof in that citadel.
Another couple of days had passed before several airships from the north arrived and were tied off to the battlements. Those, I presumed, were the negotiators. It was time to pressure King Kronson into surrender.
My officers and I were sitting around a campfire when I caught sight of a group of ponies approaching us. It was a whole section of palace guards with one obsidian stallion in between them.
We all stood up as they approached. “Minister Sombra. This is a surprise,” I said.
He waved a hoof, gesturing for us all to sit. I didn’t. “Truly, Major? You bring us to the cusp of victory, force open negotiations, and are surprised that I’d visit? To be honest, I thought you’d be up there at the forefront. General Ironhoof feels you’d be happier here, however.”
“The general knows me well.”
The minister nodded and took a seat. “I came to thank you. To thank you all, actually. You’ve all personally carried much of this burden for the kingdom of Equestria. You’ve helped us stand by our friends and allies. There is nothing more harmonious.
“Friendship is important. Loyalty is beyond necessary. The Black Dragoons exhibit these qualities in the face of the horrors of war. Therefore, on behalf of a grateful kingdom, I thank you.”
Captain Brynja and I briefly exchanged glances. As did the rest of my officers. Gratitude wasn’t anything we wanted. It was tough to figure out how to respond. I couldn’t not say something, however.
“Well, Minister… we appreciate that recognition. We just did our part, nothing more.”
Minister Sombra chuckled. “Humble as ever. At any rate, I do have some news that I know will actually motivate you. Early this morning, a messenger from King Kronson arrived, offering a ten-day armistice and an invitation to his castle. We accepted both.”
“It iz over?” Captain Brynja asked in disbelief.
“For ten days, yes. Although I doubt we’ll see much more aggression regardless. Thanks to Major Knight, there is no leverage for negotiation on Kronson’s part. He has no northern army, he holds no heavy defenses between here and there. If he chooses to fight on… well… suffice to say, the outcome would be his permanent removal from power.”
Ten days. Ten days where there would be no fighting, no killing. When was the last time that happened? Two years ago. We’d been here almost two years.
“Major, could we have a private word before I go?” Minister Sombra asked, breaking my train of thought. He was standing. When had he gotten up?
“Yes, Minister. Of course,” I replied before trotting towards my tent.
Once we were inside, the minister lowered his voice. “That was a brilliant strategy, Major. If you don’t mind me asking, how could you possibly know Matron Ragnhild?”
He knew her name? Why would he… well, actually, he was old enough. I mean, not old. He’d lived in those times. “She’d tried to claim Alicorn Spire and I negotiated her migration away from it. That is what gave me the idea.”
“Brilliant! You didn’t give away the kingdom, though, did you?”
I shook my head. “No, sir. I negotiated as myself for myself. The cost was purely personal.”
His brow arched. “You had something worthy of a dragon flight?”
“I did, sir, though what that was I wish to keep between myself and the matron. I hope you understand.”
He waved it off with a hoof. “Completely fine. If you say it is personal, I have no right to pry. Any chance we’d have access to her again? I only ask for the sake of negotiations. That would be a powerful card.”
Use the dragons again? I hoped not. On what? Quickly, I shook my head. “No, sir, our bargain was concluded and I don’t have anything of value left. Equestria might, but the cost would be very high.”
He nodded. “I figured as much. Still, Kronson won’t know that. It is a shame Mentor Nocturna has moved on. She had a way with the matron. Different times, though.” He reached out and sat a hoof on my shoulder.
“Major, I know this war has taken a toll on you and everypony else. It is clear to me that in these times, we’ve moved far away from the art of combat and making the hard choices.
“You’re an exemplary figure in an age of peace. Do not be ashamed of that. If you ever need to talk to a pony from a time where your skills were more… appropriate, don’t hesitate to call on me.”
“I… yes, Minister. Thank you.”
The minister withdrew and replied, “My pleasure. Oh, and I actually came here to reward you and your dragoons.”
Great, a medal. Yay!
“The Black Dragoons will be receiving the Equestrian Unit Citation.”
Yup, another medal. At least this one was a unit award.
“And you’re all going home.”
How was I going to explain that a little— “What? Minister?”
“Major, you’ve already done the heavy lifting. You and all of your lancers. This war may not end, but the major fighting is done. The princesses and I agree that enough is enough for you all.
“You’re being deactivated and sent home, effective immediately. The Black Dragoons will be the first back. All of you. Any gryphon that wants to become a citizen of Equestria just needs to show up in Canterlot with the rest of you. Your kingdom and your princesses are grateful.
“I’ve arranged for you to go home on the new TMS Honor. She’ll arrive quite soon. Sooner than you might even imagine. Pack your kit and get ready. In a week or so, you’ll be seeing Equestria.”
My hooves started to tremble. We were going home. We were going home! Oh… we were going home. Excitement, fear, joy, dread. I felt them all at once. “Thank you!”
He smiled. “Gladly. Enjoy informing your lancers. Now, I’ve got to go negotiate with a stuffed chicken. Good day, Major.”
“Good day, sir!”
Once he had left my tent, I trotted in a nervous circle. We were going home. Right away. We were going home! There wouldn’t even be time to send a letter. I’d just show up. Would she like that? She might not like that. Of course she’d like that!
My heart raced. I’d be able to get home before she heard about Rindaire Valley. Well… maybe. Probably not. I’d need to explain. I did it for her. No! Don’t say that. I did it to save lives.
I could figure that out on the trip back. I rushed out of the tent. “Everyone, fall in! Fall in right now!”
The camp had been in a state of relaxed lounging. Now it was controlled chaos as all of my dragoons rushed into their positions, ready for action.
It was only seconds for them to build our formation. “Minister Sombra wanted to thank us all on behalf of the Kingdom of Equestria. He does not speak for Nordanver, but I’m sure King Ranald is grateful, too. We’re also getting a unit citation. For what that is worth.”
There weren’t any actual grumbles in the ranks, but I could read them in the faces. A soldier knows another soldier’s expressions.
“Most important of all, however, we’re going home. We’ve been deactivated.”
The roaring cheer that followed was loud enough that it was likely heard at the Rindaire Valley citadel. It may have been heard in King Kronson’s castle for all I knew. It was one of unbridled glee and relief.
My ponies and gryphons started hugging each other, the formation falling apart. All military order was lost and that was fine by me.
“There is more,” I shouted into the revelry.
That brought the volume down a little as all of the eyes returned to me.
“We’re to leave immediately. All of us. Any gryphon dragoon that wishes to be a citizen of Equestria will be accepted without question. Otherwise we’ll drop you off at home on our way back. So let’s pack this camp up and get out of here! The Honor is going to take us home. We’re coming home!”
I’ve never seen soldiers so eager to break a camp down. Captain Brynja rushed over and threw her claws around me in a hug. I embraced her back, chuckling. “Captain, how inappropriate.”
“Iz for ze cute one. I can really be a citizen?”
“You can. Not just a guest of our kingdom. You can even see Tumble!”
Captain Brynja’s feathers fluffed out and she shook with joy. “I’m going to go pack right now!”
That made me chuckle. Her sheer excitement was infectious. Packing was a good idea. I returned to my tent and opened my trunk. The first things that went in it were my dragoon armor, Retribution, and Stratus Knight’s sword. I wouldn’t need those for a while.
I covered them all with my blanket and campaign cloak. Out of sight, out of mind. I started to pull my chainmail off but couldn’t bring myself to do so. Better safe than sorry.
In went my books, my letters, my documents, and everything else. The last thing to lay on top was my uniform. Throughout the entire war, it was doubtful I’d even worn it once. What was the point? Still, an officer needed his uniform.
Before I left, I really should at least let Maelstrom know. Perhaps Exemplar Ferrel, too, but I didn’t want any prophecies dropped on me. I poked my head out of my tent and motioned at the nearest dragoon. “Send a runner to find Senior Warrant Officer Maelstrom. Ask her to come down, please.”
“Yes, sir!”
I finished up my packing and pushed my trunk out of the flap. Once that was done, I stared to break down the simple cot, small desk, and travel chair. Those things all belonged to the army. We’d need to account for all that. For now, they just ended up outside of my tent, leaving it bare.
With whatever time I had left before Gray Maelstrom arrived, I started to take my tent down. Halfway through the process, several of my sergeants came over, interrupted me, shooed me off, and finished the job. I know how to deal with a tent! I’m not that much of an officer.
“Wow, they won’t even let you take your tent down?” Maelstrom’s voice came from behind me.
I looked back. “No, evidently majors aren’t qualified in the art of tent removal.”
“Rough stuff. What’s up?” She looked around and realized we were, more or less, surrounded by soldiers. “Uh, sir.”
The excitement I felt deflated a bit. Painted was going to have to stay. We were getting to leave but she was stuck here. Was that fair? Should I volunteer to stay? No… right? She wouldn’t want that. I didn’t want that. I wanted to go home. Was I really going to stay until the last pony had left?
“Silent Knight?”
“We… uh…”
“We… okay, we who? Me and you?”
“The dragoons…”
Gray Maelstrom nodded. “Okay, we the dragoons. What?”
“Going home.”
She blinked and then grinned. “Really? They’re sending you home?”
“Yes! I’m sorry.”
Maelstrom looped a hoof around me and hugged me tight. “Don’t be sorry! Why are you sorry?”
I slipped my forehooves around her and embraced her back. “You have to stay. I’m so sorry!”
She snorted. “Okay, you most certainly can’t be sorry about that. Listen up, I won’t be here much longer either. I’ll even bet you ten bits we’re out of here within a month. So don’t be sorry for me.”
“Okay,” I mumbled.
She leaned in close and whispered in my ear, “If you’re really sorry, though, do me a favor. When you get back, go find my husband Verd and give him a kiss for me, okay?”
“Okay.”
After letting me go, she grinned. “Did you really call for me to just say goodbye and sorry?”
I nodded.
“You’re an incredibly sweet pony.” She winked. “Give your wife my love and tell her I’ll see her soon. I also expect you to make some appointments when you get back. Alright?”
“Alright. I’ll do all of that. I promise.”
“Good. Well, you best hurry up. I’ve got to get back to the citadel. You literally pulled me out of a meeting with the unit commander. He thought if Major Knight was calling, it would be serious.
“And I’m not saying this isn’t serious, it just isn’t military business. Which was even better. Thank you for getting me out of that meeting. I hate his meetings. Every day with his stand-up meetings!”
“Glad I could help. Do you need a hall pass to get back?” I asked.
Gray Maelstrom’s ears wiggled and she smiled. “We’ll see, door stallion. Safe trip.”
“You too, when you do.”
“Yup!” She waved a hoof as she started to trot very slowly towards the citadel. At that pace, it was very likely she’d miss the rest of her meeting. Oh well.
From overhead, the sounds of an approaching airship trickled into the camp. The TMS Honor was approaching us. She was a Knight class battleship and would serve as the new standard bearer for General Ironhoof.
She’d been delayed a few times as newer advances were added on. Truth be told, she was probably the most modern ship in existence. Which was kind of ironic. She’d missed the war. Lucky her.
When she came to a stop above us, I waved over some of my lancers. “Someone fly me up there, please, I’m ready to get out of here.”
Captain Brynja loped over on all fours, leapt and grabbed me around the waist, and started flying upwards. “With pleazure, zir!”
Within a few seconds, her enthusiasm drained a bit and she grunted, “Oooph, you’re heavy.”
From below, one of the pegasus sergeants flew up and set his hooves on my chest, pushing upwards. That made the going a lot easier. Within another minute or so, we were on the main deck.
My dragoons were coming aboard, too, bringing trunks, bags, and everything left of our camp.
From the command deck, a gray earth pony in a captain’s uniform came down. He watched the chaos with mild amusement before coming over to me. “Major, we’re to head straight to Canterlot after we drop off any gryphons that wish to remain here. We’ve seen to it that your ride will be quite comfortable. It is an honor to have you aboard.” He offered a hoof.
I took it and shook it firmly, eagerly, excitedly. “Captain, the honor is mine. Please get us home.”
He grinned. “You bet. We’ll be on our way as soon as everyone is settled.”
☾
The TMS Honor was not nearly as fast as the Reciprocity, but that was alright. It was still a lot faster than a surface ship and it didn’t make me seasick. Our journey had already been three days and we had some more to go.
To my surprise, zero of my gryphons decided to remain in Nordanver. Not one. They made up almost a third of our unit and they all chose to leave. Those with families simply planned to send for them. That was fine by me. They’d earned this.
The ponies were explaining to them how things worked in Equestria. How to behave, how to rent a place to live, and the hardest thing, how to get food. Ponies and gryphons had extremely different diets, and restaurants in Equestria did not serve gryphon food. They served alternatives.
I just laid on the foredeck watching them all. Nobody outside of the naval ponies were in armor or uniform. Rank wasn’t a consideration. We were going home. All of us. I’d need to put together some plan to resettle my gryphons. Of course, the kingdom already had programs for that, but I wasn’t going to break ranks and leave them to somepony else’s care.
Chances were our unit would be disbanded officially. Most of the new army units would be. Equestria’s standing army would, hopefully, go back to the small size it started as. That left me curious about what I would do. Who would need a wounded major whose primary experience was combat arms?
There was zero chance I’d be staying in the army. That was a fact. I’d put in my transfer return paperwork immediately. I’d be a royal guard or nothing. I could deal with that later, though. First, how was I going to surprise Crystal?
She lived in Canterlot with Winterspear during the week and in our place in the Crystal Empire during the weekend. She also traveled a decent amount for her career. What if she wasn’t home?
How should I approach her? Would she know me? Would I look the same? What about my wing?
“Major?”
The captain was standing over me. I blinked. “Yes?”
“We will arrive in two days for sure. Has everything been satisfactory?”
“Captain, this has been the nicest few days we’ve had in two years. Do you happen to know what is waiting for us?”
He nodded. “I have some orders for you, yes. I held off on giving them just so you could relax.”
My ear flicked. “Bad orders?”
“No, just… perhaps frustrating after being gone so long. Everypony coming back… sorry, I mean everyone… has to go through a processing center. The largest is in Canterlot. It takes a few hours, then you’re released to see your loved ones. Although you have to come back every day for two months.”
“Why?”
He cleared his throat. “Adjusting back to a peaceful life doesn’t happen overnight. There have been some incidents. Not that a lot of ponies have come back as a whole, but there was a steady stream of wounded. I ferried a lot of them home prior to getting this command.”
“I understand. We’ll be sure to follow the orders. It makes sense, though. To be honest, I feel a bit exposed just not being in my chainmail. I’m worried someone might shoot at me with a crossbow.”
“Exactly. Things like that. The other good part of this is that the unit will stay together so everyone can help everyone else adjust.”
“Smart thinking. Well, thank you for letting me know. I’ll let the others in on it so they have appropriate expectations.”
As the captain wandered off, I sighed. One more hoop to go through. One more hoop between me and my wife. That’s okay. She was worth the wait.
wow this chapter literally brought tears to my eyes, now the longest and hardest battle will begin for Silent.
Ooooo... a great chapter on a fitting day.
7362923 I still feel that the war crime comparison is apt, even if it doesn't apply. Silent Knight is lucky to exist in a place where war has never reached a point where such treaties were needed. I have a feeling that this will change very soon, though. An attack like what he carried out can't be perpetrated without some kind of reaction by both sides. If the parallel here is supposed to be WWII Atomic Bomb/WMD mixed with WWI lack of preparedness for such a countermeasure, it is absolutely going to change things about how war is waged and law around how to wage war may become more widely discussed among nations.
Thanks for the response!
You realize there's only one logical conclusion of all this.
Everyone starts making their own superweapon. And after a couple years, everyone decides Cadence's is the best one because it causes treaties and weddings.
Will we see Azurite again?
7363254
How exactly? The only thing treaty worthy in this war is the use of dragons, and you can't exactly prevent people from making deals with them. Not without ostracising the dragons, and this has just proven that's probably a very bad idea.
:stands below, among the abandoned tents: It has been an utmost pleasure, Silent Knight. :he starts to leave, just before sending one more glance towards the departing: See you in Canterlot, Dread.
7363287 Who says they can't make a treaty excluding dragons as a means to wage war? The dragons seem perfectly happy to be left alone. Hell, maybe with this action dragon... clans?... will be recognized as a player on the international stage and nations will make treaties with them to NOT wage war.
7363304
Problem with making a treaty not to make deals with dragons is that it's rather hard to enforce. Unlike nukes you don't need large amounts of research that can be detected. All it takes is one person getting to them and making a offer.
As for the dragons, they have no unified government (unless torch is canon for this story, but considering the current portrayal of dragons it seems unlikely). It is exceedingly unlikely they will manage to get all dragons to agree. And to get even some of them to agree would require massive favours in return. After all, why would they agree to a deal that prevents them from making profitable deals later?
That said, dragons will definitely be more recognised now.
Such a sweet and satisfying chapter, yet I can't shake off the feeling that something if about to go very wrong for some reason
What a nice heart touching chapter, but then I scroll down and there are comments about WWII, atom bombs and treaties... AGAIN
7363236 It is nice to know it had a big influence. One battle is over and the next one begins!
7363244 Agreed! Thank you ^_^
7363254 It is fine to make the comparison, sure. My only issue with that is that it is a moral judgement for a standard that doesn't exist.
"If he was in our world this would be a warcrime so by definition it is bad."
Which, in itself, isn't fair to say. Although that also depends on if you view morality as universal or cultural. At any event, what he did is not a war crime nor would it necessarily be viewed as such in our world.
Everyone is focusing VERY heavily on the gas. There is one major problem with that no matter how much folks want to disassociate: this is a natural, inseparable weapon from the dragon. Would this conversation be the same if they were ruby dragons and used fire or sapphire dragons and used ice?
Not that I'm fully arguing the morality etc :D I'm mostly just setting expectations. I think a LOT of people are going to expect this "dynamic shift in war" to be a huge part of the remaining story.
It isn't. The remainder of Trials isn't about quantifying dragons as a weapon and deciding if they can be used in future wars. From the point of view of the parties involved the gas is immaterial. It is more about that someone invited dragons to the party.
By all means though, don't let it stifle discussion. I just want to make sure everyone knows this isn't my direction for the story and all aspects I've read through the last comments won't be addressed.
7363258 Is making superweapons a hint for asking dragons to do some extra breeding? ;D
7363259 It depends on whether or not you look down!
7363294 We'll see ;D
7363378 What, it isn't like the Honor is going to explode right outside of Canterlot. Right? Right? :D
7363400 Thank you! It was time for a bit of a shift on the feels.
7363431 This is Silent Knight's story. I suppose he wouldn't be involved in the political side of things, but I'd imagine some news stories regarding this type of thing. Silent will probably not notice, though.
Excellent, happy chapter, by the way!
Huzzah they are going homr, but sadly the fight isn't over. Now they have to fight to put their lives back together. The worst wounds are the mental ones. I can only hope Dread Knight doesn't try popping back up.
And for some reason I just want to hug, Brynja.
r00d Silent, she's a friend!
Aaaand cue the déjà vu feeling. Like, I've already read that paragraph, I know it. Weird.
7363304
Because what happens when Spike grows up and wants to defend Equestria? What happens when some other dragon decides they have a personal stake in some country, and then get told they're not allowed to intervene because somepony cut a deal with the obsidian clan ages ago?
Reading through this chapter, I was absolutely terrified something would go wrong until the final few words petered out. Some vengeful crew of Sudramoar showing up to blow the Honor out of the sky, a random assassin showing up to enact a final bit of petty revenge... Suffice to say, I am incredibly happy that the only misfortune poor Silent Knight seemed to stumble across was the few hours of hassle to register his return to civilian life
Great news. I was expecting them to want him at the negotiations just to sit there in his armor and glare. Actually, they can still do that, just have someone else in the armor.
Wow great chapter. i just have this image of all the dragoons gliding down in full armor in formation landing in central Canterlot. The cheering crowds growing silent as the darkly armored veterans land in a thunder of metal covered hooves/paws/claws. Silent removes his helmet first and for a moment the citizens see the Dread Knight before he closes his eyes and Silent steps forth to bow to the Princesses.
Then of course the seriousness of the seriousness of the scene is completely ruined as Crystal power hugs Silent only to have Luna grab, pick up, and hug them both.
7363431
Looks down at the floor, sees blue lines everywhere.
7363468 He's twice acted as an independent diplomat on his own authority and declared himself, once implicitly, once explicitly as the knight commander of the order of the Knights of the Moon. That slots hIm firmly into the international order in at least a minor fashion, like the commander of the Knights of Malta. Depends on the rest of the diplomatic world whether that means a collection of curiosities meeting in a hall in Canterlot, or the ruler of a heavily fortified privateers' base sitting squarely on the crossroads of the pony Mediterranean.
I was going to quote the whole scene, but it's too long.
Let me settle for saying that I cried snotty, relieved tears with the best of them.
There's a sense of lifting, of helium-filled joy that comes with every realization that you can rest now. I've felt tiny, well-diluted bits of it when the school year ended and I wept my whole way home because of how tired I was from weeks of maybe thirty hours of sleep, and tireless toil. I cried also because of how free I felt, as if the wind could lift me up and I would fly up into the sun with a smile on my face. It's a lovely feeling, knowing that it's okay to let go, that there's no more work to be done for now.
Oh dear, we're going to get out processing in the chapter next aren't we? Well looks like the Dragoons won't get home anytime soon XD. And that will follow with an even greater nightmare, THE VA HOSPITAL. At least Silent could fight the Griffons. No one can fight the dreaded VA wait times.
It's certainly a good day for this chapter. Unfortunately, the dread is really setting in now. The war is over but the deaths are still going to happen and those are the worst ones.
I do find it interesting that the dragoons will be disbanded. I would think that the army would like to have that unit on hand for the next conflict.
7363763
They have to get through the armory first.
http://terminallance.com/2015/06/09/terminal-lance-384-welcome-to-the-armory/
http://terminallance.com/2010/10/01/terminal-lance-69-my-own-personal-hell/
And thus the second trial begins.
7363763
Would you say that they are feeling quite blue?
I imagine that Command will have a list of all Dragoons in case of such events.
7363254 As said war crime is a modern idea as an additional punishment to the losers. It rarely if ever has been applied to the victors.. Treaties are like laws only as good as the honor of people obey them
Perhaps the best weapon is the the one that only needs to be used once.
7363258
"Hey! Don't get uppity with me, mister diplomat! I'll sic Cadance on your wife and the wives of everyone else in your government!"
Oh dear. It looks like Silent has one more hurdle to go through before finally reuniting with his wife. Of course, he'll have to fend off Velvet if she decides to try striking him in the groin like she initially stated when the war started.
Finally going home Silent Knight, now try to leave Dread Knight behind.
7363145
Sudroamar will find it's equivalent to this any way they can. It would be like if the USSR left the US to make nukes unopposed during the cold war. The USSR would have been blown to oblivion. It may not be now or in this war but some the griffons will find a way to counter or deploy a weapon so horrific that the ponies would never employ the dragons again.
Think of a hellburner ship. I imagine parking one of those in a civilian area. Pack the lower layer with gunpowder/explosives. A middle layer of shrapnel and a top layer of some sort of slow burning liquid possibly an immolation potion (Runic I know you have them, so reverse-engineer them) or pitch perhaps serves the same purpose. Sail it into a civilian dock in a populated area. Then detonate. The explosion itself would destroy buildings close to the dock killing workers. The spaces between buildings would funnel shockwaves and shrapnel up the streets. And then it would possibly rain fire down in the city. I imagine it would stretch emergency services to the limit and be a massive psychological blow to the Equestrians. Would draw ponypower back from the front as they need to search ships entering harbours for fear it will happen again. This is just one possible way I see that working. I can only imagine if they got a hold of airships. A zeppelin over a city would probably be even more devastating.
Edit: And bugger what if the griffons sunk a mine under their own fort just in case. It'd be like Messines Ridge.
7363779 I'm assuming that the Equestrian Army did not design weapons with satan's a***ole and therefore don't have a star chamber like device on their equipment. Maybe the armory will be easier. Also I guess we should wish them luck at CIF as well. "I can't take that chainmail back, there's a spot on it."
7363791 Oh I just meant retiring the unit in general. The reduction in numbers would make sense but you'd think they'd want to keep their elite unit going with a handful of veterans to prepare the next group. It'd be like demobilizing the 82nd after the war. Your loosing a large amount of experience and tradition.
I can see in the comments I'm not the only one who was like 'Oh no, what's going to explode now that they're going home'. I love that the rest of this story has made me ask those questions while reading, so far. Way to keep us on our toes!
And for the record, Maelstrom would have absolutely kicked his ass if he tried to stay.
Reading about SK on his way home to CW makes me so happy! He deserves it!
And here there's me, who's still waiting to see how Sombra will turn out to actually be an evil bastard who might as well have orchestrated the whole war in his own climb to power, thus double subverting our expectations.
7364875
I sort of am wondering when the other shoe will drop. Going to the Sudamor king on his territory is overconfident and foolish.
SK and his dragoons might be betrayed or just neglected but i doubt it based on the arc this took. The romans made former soldiers small landholders and farmers. They wouldn't let them settle in Rome bcause former soldiers were too dangerous.
There is also the possibility of post conflict assasination, discredding and arrest.
When a combat veteran comes home then the real battle begins.
My father, WW1, Chateau Thierry, Meuse Argonne, Saint Mihiel, Army of Occupation. In about 1959 almost broke my arm and face when I touched his shoulder to wake him up from a nap.
A current friend of mine was in Kuwait and Iraq. Lost behind lines when the op he was on was cancelled and no one informed those in country. I would not grab him by the shoulder if you offered to pay off every debt I have. I would like to live to enjoy being debt free.
All gave some and some gave all, and some are still giving. May whatever you hold most holy hold you up and give you peace. A lot of us wish you well.
7364969 I seriously doubt Sombra is going to go particularly out of his way to screw the dragoons, even if be turns out to be a villain. Hell, I'd half expect him to get them very well treated, although not necessarily with real help to get back into civilian life. Make them grateful to him and alienated from the rest of society, works pretty well.
I was totally worried a bomb was going to drop or the Harmony would explode or something equally terrible would happen. I had to skim through the second half of the chapter just to let myself know it ends happily. Thank goodness this is a slice of life, I think normal fantasy books don't get to do this type of plot pacing.
The long journy home, with the spirits of war in tow. Im curious to see how this will turn out. and if anyone loses it in the outprocessing center. A good chapter and im happy to see them home. and I dont blame the gryphons for wanting to go to equestria.
Ha, thing starts to get really interesting (for me), How SK will deal with Dread Knight and a more regular life :)
7363294 bump bump BUMP!
Good. At least he didn't have to be kept from the scene. The thought alone is haunting enough.
There's going to be a lot of Dread Knight to get rid of, but that? That was pure Silent. And volunteering himself as a resource? Yeah, that's definitely Silent. It's going to be interesting to see how much of himself he recognizes.
Well. Interesting stuff. And the immigration, definitely interesting. Wonder how much this will apply to other units, but that of course would not be the focus of this story. Going to skip ahead a bit. While there have been injured soldiers coming back home to this 'processing facility,' the Dragoons are the first unit back. This is both a relief, and a worry for me. The support group scene in Hopes didn't exactly fill me with ... hope for Equestria's mental-health/social services. Then again, it's been two years, and they've acknowledged their own shortcomings, so who knows? If I know anything, Equestria needs to commit to these soldiers for life.
Amazing chapter, fantastically written. I look forward to the next one.
Oh my god, what kind of idiot accepts an invitation to a prepared area behind enemy lines. You are giving him leverage, yourself and the safety of your entourage, and giving him the ability to influence the tone of negotiations at his own whim. This is why america made japan sign the treaty that ended the pacific war on an american ship.
Sombra deserves the predictable betrayal for being such an idiot despite coming from a time when this would be obvious.
YAY!!! They're going home!
So I'm only on chapter 9 so far (got sidetracked with a LOT of other fics and the Drizzt Do'Urden series) but I want to say that there is an important detail that you covered that really stands out to me; Population. I've read fics where they alluded to or stated a population that felt far too large for Equestria. Now, I greatly prefer allusion, leaving certain details to imagination, so I based my assumption of population upon military size and number of conscripts and vollunteers. Numbering the current size of the combined Equestria-Nordanver army at 16,000 after both losses and gains, then using that number to project estimated population... It just feels right. Yeah yeah, I know, "NERD!", but it's little details like this that make me love your AU even more than I already did.
7363468 Yeah, these are things that likely wouldn't be part of his purview.
7363487 Yes indeed. Home, home, home! We'll see how the transition goes :) And yes, Brynja deserves hugs!
7363498 I hope not! I don't think I've written it ;)
7363536 LOL yeah... there was some tenseness there. I'm pretty proud of that actually! Will they actually make it home? Surely they will!
7363556 Certainly a possibility (and one that was originally considered a long time ago). Ultimately though it is as you said. Dread Knight is mostly a suit of armor.
7363586 Thank you! That is certainly a fun way to imagine the homecoming!
7363600
7363713 It really makes me happy that you understood so clearly the feeling they were having! That level of relief and freedom is amazing. I felt it every time I came back from a 4-6 month trip.
7363763 LOL. Well remember, they have a different bureaucracy and VA system than the US does ;D
As far as the unit's disbanding it comes down to the fact that Equestria keeps a very small standing army at any given time. Of course policies my change :D
7363779 Those were very amusing!
7363781 Well said!
7363817 That is really true.
7363917 LOL! So someone else remembered that ;d
7364075 That is the hard part!
7364249 It isn't really a direct comparison in my eyes. The ponies didn't build anything and they don't "own" the dragons. Dragons are not viewed as a tool or weapon. They're viewed as a kingdom.
This is more about bringing in an ally. Dragons are living, breathing, beings, and the comments continue to just treat them as nothing more than a tool.
The better analogy is NATO vs Warsaw pact. The Sudramoar may pursue allies in the future.
7364466 Tension is real! Tension is great :D I even had that when I wrote it. "What if I went MASH on this!"
7364749 It is an exciting time!
7364875 Always a possibility! Sombra is a different pony in Q&B though. He isn't the lame Cryssssstalsssss chasing pony!
7365060 Yes, the readjustment period is long and hard. Sometimes those reflexes never go away. It is a process.
7365313 Haha, good to know I keep everyone on edge. That was the goal of the war portion. The reader, much like Silent Knight, will have to readjust to "not in combat."
7365434 Adjusting is never easy. We'll have to see how they are!
7365734 !
7365756 Yes indeed. He's got a lot to deal with for sure.
7366592 Yes, Silent Knight is still there for sure. Dread Knight is more of a mask... a shield to hide behind. Somepony to blame.
7366719 Pretty excited about the next chapter myself :D
7366915 Well, that depends on how much they respect envoys vs how much we do.
7366941 Yes indeed!
7367571 I'm glad you like that sort of thing. I do work out a lot of stuff in the background and plan around it =D