Chapter 9
“I tell ya, ish not eashy bein’ the captain,” Spitfire slurred, a splash of beer sloshing out of her cup and onto her hand. “Theresh jusht sho… sho much preshure from everyone. The exshpectashions… it’sh all sho overwhelming.”
“I know the feel, girl,” Rainbow Dash giggled, face flushed as she sipped from a glass of cherry brandy. “See, what you need to do is get yourself some sweet, sweet lovin’. Blow all that steam right off.”
“Oh wow, would you look at the time,” Twilight interjected with a nervous laugh as she quickly stood up. “I’d better be on my way. Don’t wanna get in the way of your… very interesting conversation.”
“You’re… you’re right, Rainbow Dash” Spitfire gaped with eyes wide in tipsy amazement. “Thass shuch good advice. It almosht feelsh like you... you know me, like you’re in my head, or shumthin...”
As the two continued their discussion, Twilight made as hasty a getaway as she could considering the barracks were packed to the gills with soldiers, servants, and miscellaneous guests. It was difficult, but when Rainbow Dash started getting that look in her eye, the level-headed librarian felt it best to expedite her own exodus.
Outside in the cool night air, she heaved a sigh of relief. They were all good people, she was sure, but those kinds of parties always made her nervous. With so much noise and such large crowds, it could get a little overwhelming, especially when you didn’t know anyone there. The trio of Applejack, Fluttershy and Princess Luna had stopped in for a bit, but had promptly left and rolled several casks away with them. Twilight had felt it best not to ask why.
Fortunately, she had better things to do with her time than ponder the mysteries of social lubricant. On her own as she was, the young scholar was now free to meet her brother and figure out just what exactly he’d intended to tell her about Graves. It would be nice to settle that niggling bit of curiosity, this was true. But in all honesty, what she was really looking forward to was the meeting’s location.
Giggling in anticipation, Twilight entered the palace and made her way to the library, taking the secret corridors and unused passageways as she had when she was a little girl. Thusly avoiding the crowds and party guests who might take her time up with idle chit chat, the indigo-clad scholar finally arrived at what was probably her favorite place in all of Equestria.
*****
In truth, Twilight could probably have spent the rest of her life in that library. At least twenty times the size of Ponyville’s already expansive collection, the Royal Archives housed the largest collection of tomes, texts, and tracts anywhere in the world. With rows upon rows of books containing everything from modern day novels to ancient arcane grimoires, just standing between the massive stacks was enough to send a rush through the young girl’s chest.
“Oh, I’ve missed you so much,” she breathed, her heart all aflutter. “I know I shouldn’t but… ooh, it’d be really nice if Shining Armor was busy for a bit. Then I could squeeze in a little bit of reading!”
“Eh! Who’s that? Is someone there?”
From somewhere deeper in the library, a dry, dusty voice called out with much the same sound as the crinkling of old pages. The voice was soon followed by a wizened old man with thin wisps of grey hair on skin that looked like aged parchment. His eyes, however, still shone brightly behind his massive spectacles and only grew brighter at the sight of the girl in the dusky dress.
“Twilight Sparkle!” he wheezed in delight as he hobbled over. “By Marelin’s staff, it is you!”
“Professor Dewey!” she gasped and rushed over to give him a warm, if very careful hug; as the oldest scholar in Canterlot by at least a decade, he wasn’t exactly a sturdy individual, you know. “Oh, it’s so good to see you again!”
“And you too, my dear,” he chuckled. “This place just isn’t the same without my favorite little book worm devouring everything in sight.”
“I know, and I’m sorry I haven’t visited more,” Twilight winced in dismay. “I’ve just been so busy with my studies in Ponyville, I haven’t had a chance to get away.”
“Bah, think nothing of it,” the old man said with a dusty cackle. “Knowledge doesn’t reside solely within these walls. A young scamp like you should be out there creating new knowledge, and you’ve been doing just that. I, for one, couldn’t be more proud.”
“Thanks, Professor,” the little bookworm blushed. Coming from one of the foremost teachers in Equestria, as well as a man she considered as close as a grandfather, it was a very nice thing to hear indeed.
“Still,” he continued with a severe look, “it wouldn’t hurt to stop by just a little.”
“Will do, Professor,” Twilight giggled. “Wouldn’t want you to get lonely, now would we?”
“Me, lonely?” he called with a dusty harrumph. “I just want someone around who can appreciate my work. Speaking of which…” He paused, his eyes lighting up with excitement as he leaned in for a conspiratorial whisper. “… how would you like to be the first to see my latest project?”
“Really?” Twilight gasped. “Can I?”
“Well, let’s find out,” the old man chuckled. “Follow me!”
With the same excitement as a couple of kids on Hearth’s Warming Day, Twilight followed the surprisingly spritely old professor deeper into the cavernous library. Coming upon a closed off wing marked with a “Private: No Trespassing” sign, the elderly librarian turned to address his young charge.
"I assume,” he began after producing a small iron key, “that you’ve heard about the new history museum they’re putting up in the main square?”
“But of course,” Twilight nodded. “It’s supposed to be a collection of the greatest works of Equestrian culture: paintings, sculptures, inventions, and so on.”
“That is part of it,” the elderly man chuckled as he unlocked the door. “But a major part, the project I’ve been working on, is something a little different.” Upon opening the door, Professor Dewey drew out his gnarled old wand and with a flick, lit the lamps within.
“Celestia on high,” Twilight breathed in wonder. “This… this…”
“... Is a complete collection of the histories and records of Equestria’s Royal Army,” he beamed with pride. “Organized and codified by yours truly.”
He hadn’t been exaggerating when he’d said complete. The entire expanse of the spacious gallery was packed to the gills with all manners of spectacular displays. Collections of ornate swords, spears, and shields, suits of polished armor, murals of battles, portraits of heroes of old, and so much more filled the room as testaments to centuries of gallant service.
“Wow,” Twilight gasped again as she examined a particularly impressive suit of runecraft armor, the enchanted plating ready to increase its wearer’s strength fivefold with just a touch of magic. “This is incredible!”
“Isn’t it?” Professor Dewey cackled in glee. “I’ve spent the last three years developing this collection, and come fall, it will be on display for the world to see. But you get to see it first.”
“There’s just so much to take in,” Twilight breathed, even giddier as Pinkie Pie at the thought of free candy on Nightmare Night. “Where should I start?”
“Well, we could take a look at the recordings of Colonel Trebuchet, who kept a remarkably detailed record of the Battle of Appleloosa. Or, we could take a look at the paintings of the first alliance between Equestria and the Griffon Imperium. But if you ask me, the most fascinating display by far is the complete collection of military service medals.”
“Ooh, that sounds fun!" she beamed. "Let’s go see that!”
Following the professor, Twilight found herself in front of a long crystal display case where rows upon rows of medallions glittered. Pinned to an inside lining of soft, black velvet, several medals shone in gold and silver while others were cast in sturdy metals like bronze and iron and still more glittered with multitudes of precious stones.
“Wow,” the young lady said again, now suffering from an uncommon loss of vocabulary. “There’s so many of them. What do they all mean?”
“All sorts of things, really. Take this one for example.” Opening the case with a flick of his wand, his gnarled fingers pulled out the medal at the center of the display. It was a magnificent eight pointed star, the four larger cardinal points shining gold, the four minor points shimmering in silver, with a rather large and impressive looking diamond glittering in the center. “This is the Equestrian Star," he explained, "a medal for ‘conspicuous gallantry at the risk of life above and beyond any call of duty.’ It is without a doubt the highest award a soldier can achieve. Very rare for this to be given out. In fact, the last recorded issuance went to a fellow named…”
The professor continued his explanation, but surprisingly, Twilight for once wasn’t paying attention. As she’d panned her view over the display case, one particular medal had caught her eyes. Tucked into the top leftmost corner was a peculiar medal that’d she’d almost missed. Resembling a stylized dragon’s head, the emblem was carved from a mysterious, translucent black crystal that almost blended in with the jet black velvet underneath.
“Professor, what’s that one called?” the lady scholar asked as she pointed, a faint sense of deja vu tickling the back of her mind. Though she couldn't quite figure out why, that medal in particular seemed oddly familiar.
“Ah, this one?” the professor asked as he replaced the star and picked up the object in question. “Yes, the Dragonslayer’s Mark. A most curious specimen indeed.”
“Really?” the young scholar inquired. “Why’s it so curious?”
“See, here’s the thing,” the elderly academic began, his voice dropping into a hush as if he’d begun speaking of something restricted. “First, this is what you would call a campaign medal.”
“A campaign medal?”
“One crafted to commemorate a specific event, such as a single battle, or a particular campaign that had been concluded. Unlike the Equestrian Star or the Crescent of Luna, which have been consistently given throughout the years, these are only given to specific individuals who were involved in the event in question.”
“Okay,” Twilight nodded. “So what’s so curious about this one in particular?”
“Well, from my research,” the old man continued, “there are approximately thirty or so official campaign medals in Equestrian history, though the exact number is debatable as some were transitioned into consistent use. Regardless of the number, each one stemmed from a very important conflict, and none of the events in question had fewer than one hundred and thirty eight listed recipients. But this one,” he said, staring at the little piece of stone like it were a complex puzzle, “this Dragonslayer’s Mark? The number who received it was only five.”
“... What?” the young lady blinked. “Five?”
"Just five,” Professor Dewey affirmed. “What’s even stranger is that none of the names are recorded. For every single other medal, there are detailed records listing every recipient, full with rank, branch of service, and role in the event. For this one, the only information recorded is that there were five medals commission for some conflagration called Operation Elder.”
“That really is curious," Twilight replied with a bemused nod. "So what’s Operation Elder?”
“Once again, no idea,” the elderly academic shrugged. “I searched high and low, but beyond the original commission, I couldn’t find a single record that mentioned that name. The only fact I could confirm was whatever this operation was, it must have been something of extraordinary import.”
“Really? Why’s that?”
“Because the originals?” Professor Dewey said, hefting up the small medal. “The originals were carved from pure dragon heartstone.”
Twilight just blinked.
“But… but that’s impossible!” the young librarian scoffed. “Dragon heartstone comes from the last drop of a dragon’s lifeblood and is incredibly hard to find. I mean, it’s so rare that if that medal really were made of the stuff, it could probably buy out half of Ponyville!”
“Precisely!” Professor Dewey exclaimed. “And that's what makes it all so mysterious! Think about it. An incredibly small number of unnamed soldiers were engaged in some unknown battle important enough to warrant medals crafted of the most valuable substance in the world. But there are no records of it. None! I’ve scoured every corner of the library, every report, every scrap of paper, and still, I’ve found absolutely nothing!”
“… Wow.” Twilight breathed once more. What else could she really say? It was rare that Professor Dewey didn’t know anything off the top of his head; he was almost as good as a walking encyclopedia. But for him to actively try to find out something and turn up nothing? It was as easy to imagine as Fluttershy punting a puppy.
“It’s so strange though,” the young scholar continued, her voice dropping to a murmur as she thought aloud. “I could have sworn I’ve seen this before.”
“Really?” the Professor asked, eyes lighting up in excitement. “Where? Was it in a reference book? Something that I may have overlooked?”
“I’m not sure,” she frowned. “It was something… something not too long ago… Ooh, what was it, where did I see it…?”
“…”
“I’ve got it!” Twilight exclaimed as the memory hit her like a blast from the party cannon. “It wasn’t a book, I actually saw the real thing!”
“You… saw the real thing?” Professor Dewey asked in wide-eyed shock. “How?
“Because it was in Ponyville! See, there’s this new guy in town, a marshal named–”
Her statement was cut off by a loud burst of dusty, coughing laughter from the Professor.
“Hey, what’s so funny?” she demanded, a little miffed that her explanation had been cut off by his wheezing guffaws.
“Oh, I’m sorry my dear,” the elderly academic apologized as he wiped a tear from his eye. “But hearing you say you saw one of these incredibly rare medals in someone’s possession, and in Ponyville of all places–”
“I did see one there,” she insisted.
“Except that’s impossible,” the old man stated simply with another dry laugh.
"What do you mean ‘impossible’?” Twilight asked, her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Why couldn’t I have seen it there?”
“Well…” here the elderly librarian paused, as if unsure of whether he should continue. “There was one last piece of information regarding this medal, but I didn’t want to bring it up; not exactly something a young lady like yourself would likely want to hear, you see.”
“What is it?” she pressed. “Tell me.”
“... Very well,” he sighed. “Though records don’t say who got the medals, they do state all the original medals were locked away in the royal vault for safekeeping after their... posthumous presentation.”
“…”
“…”
“… Posthumous?” she repeated faintly. “You mean…”
“I’m afraid so,” the professor nodded slowly. “Nobody currently possesses any, because the only people who’ve ever earned this medal are already dead.”
**********
Great chapter. Sounds to me like the powers that be are trying to keep a tight lid on whatever it was that Graves did....
Dun dun Dah! This is getting good.
Wat...
Why doth I get the feeling Graves is an undead spirit lingering on beyond his time?
DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:O im waiting with eager anticipation! :O
Dear, I assume you know what happens later, but I feel like sharing my theory. Graves and four of his compatriots killed a dragon, the medals were made from the last drop of blood from the dragon they defeated. Can't wait to see how this turns out.
Ciao darling
soooooo, is that why his name is graves?
please enlighten us mr GENTLEMAN.....does that make any sense?
1320716
The name GRAVES pretty much screams "DEAD GUY HERE."
so, ghoulification by dragon fire anybody?
Graves' past is getting more and more interesting, can't wait till we find out the full details.
Ohh, what happens next?
Shit is about to hit the fan!
I have some theory's on how he got the badge:
Either someone rewrote the papers the Professor was reading, A.K.A a conspiracy theory.
Graves used to be Sly Cooper and stole it.
or he did something so insane that the highest honor they could have given him was the medal.
Or he's Immortal.
Hooray! Mysterious back story/cliffhanger! Mmmm! Tastes like anticipation!
This chapter...I like it! *Smash!* Another!.............please.
... Well duh. Graves said all of his companions died, right? So it was the five of them, the 'regular' group, and after that, with only Graves surviving... Either that, or his father or relative won it, and it got passed on to him somehow... Anyways...
*Tries to wait patiently for another chapter*
Well, there are a few possibilities, here.
1. Graves is a ghost/immortal
2. The medals were said to have been awarded posthumously, but in reality all the recipients were forced to live undercover.
a) Graves is one of those recipients
b) Graves killed one of the recipients and is living his life (meaning that he isn't actually Graves at all)
3. Graves stole the medal
Of all these, I'd say 2a would be most likely. oh well, we just have to wait and see, i guess
1320688 1320892
I'm just confused as you both are.
1320967
Man, tell me about it.
Suddenly I feel that "Graves" wasn't Graves's original name.
They probably listed his original identity as dead due to him getting amnesia or something, make life easier on him.
He did mention that the job was all he knew.
...WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTT???????????????
UPDATE!!!! NOW GIVE ME MORE
1320747 Dunno...a nickname he took on?
My guess is, Graves feels that he caused the deaths of his Comrades (willingly or no, people will assume it's your fault if you have a name like that, AND you're the only one to come back alive), and it was a top-secret failure.
Or maybe he's really a grim reaper....who knows?
1320978 Some odd reason,
(LOL SEE WHAT I /l\ DID?)
I reply to this listening to giraffes in the air.
We'll find out next chapter.
Conspiracy theory time!
from what I remember: Marshals travel in squads, and Graves' original squad mates all died in a mission and he has not had them replaced. Graves is in his twenties (I don't recall the exact age) and attended the academy with Shining Armor. we know he has a dragonslayer mark, we know five were commissioned so we can trust there are only 5 in existence, awarded for operation Elder. and Graves is bad ass enough to have earned it.
What we don't know: when these original five were given.
the inconsistency comes when Dewey states that all five were given posthumously and that they are all in the royal vault.
- is Graves a zombie/ghost/immortal? possible but doesn't explain why his medal is in his possession and not at the royal vault
- is Graves who he says he is? yes we have people who have known him from before his marshal career to present.
-is Twilight simply mistaken and that wasn't a dragonslayer mark at Grave's? possible but I feel that would make for bad story telling
-is the record wrong so Dewey is mistaken? we're missing a very important point of when the medals were given and without that nothing can be made of Dewey's remark. I mean Dewey could be talking about medals given hundreds of years ago and Graves' medal would be something off record completely which leads to it's own line of questioning
so if everything is true the question that needs solving first is simply how is a dragonslayer mark in Graves possession and not at the vault?
then why does the record state Graves' medal was given posthumously?
Reading the comments.. I'm willing to bet that Gentleman is currently reading this, laughing his ass off. Well played sir..
DUN DUN DUNNN. THE PLOT THICKENS.
Several possibilities. Either:
1. Graves is an undead spirit lingering in the material world
2. Conspiracy theory, all of them survived but are living undercover for plausible deniability. They might not even know their comrades are alive.
3. Graves is the sole survivor and is living undercover due to having to keep the event under wraps as a matter of national security
4. Graves inherited the medal from a family member/squadmate who actually earned it, and he's keeping it as a momento.
Personally I think the last possibility is the likeliest - and makes for the best storytelling. I mean come on, Graves is an undead spirit lingering in the world of the living? That's so freakin Final Fantasy X!
... Holy shit. GRAVES IS AURON IN DISGUISE!!!
Either way, awaiting the next chapter eagerly!!!
I'm listening.
But Graves... Graves! I get it now! GRAVES IS A ZOMBIE!!
Zombies.
How did I not see this?
I was going to make some sort of zombie/unsent/Auron joke, but that's been done a few dozen times already, and apparently seriously.
And people who are surprised by this haven't been paying attention, because it's been obvious the Graves was a Sole Survivor for a long time now.
I'm just surprised Twilight didn't latch onto that star one first, since I was pretty sure Graves had one of those too.
...
Do the mane six have any medals? They should TOTALLY have campaign medals for Discord!
1322534
"... since I was pretty sure Graves had one of those too."
For those who were thinking this, heading back to Trouble Meets Disaster and giving the beginning another read through might be informative. Just saying.
I knew it! Graves IS a Master Chief level badass.
1322614
Right. K.
More importantly...is Dash about to get laid?!
Oh, please oh pleaseohpleaseohplease tell me Dash and Spitfire bang after this.
Moar chapters! PLEAZE! MOAR!!!!!!!!! If u make chapter soon, i give cookie to you! along with a spikestache
...This fic is going to be perfect.
Graves, fighting for Equestrian even through death.
Pretty badass if he did die and come back.
OO OO OO OO I have an idea, now stick with me on this maybe Graves is....................................................................... wait for it........................................................... , related to derpy
Oh god, this is getting good
WHAT?!?
Undead Graves? Time-traveller Graves? Resurrected by the Elements of Magic Graves? Maybe that odd name is more significant than I thought!
Of course, as the medal was handed out for a classified operation (there are special forces decorations in our world that can be like that), then Professor Dewey likely only knows of the medals that High Command wanted people to know were issued. Others may have been issued to living veterans of the operation but this was kept secret as the Princess didn't want anyone asking any inconvenient and impertinent questions. The other explanation is that Graves is the heir of one of the dead veterans of Operation Elder and, as is customary, he received his father or mother's medal in their place.
Of all the options, the one I prefer is that Graves is the only survivor of a six-man squad and that Celestia, recognising that no young man wishes to become a mass-media celebrity for not dying with his friends, has hushed it up. Of course, Twilight knows and, if she has one defining characteristic, it is curiosity. She'll probably ask him about it, likely ask directly and, what is more, she's not exactly the sort of person who is necessarily tactful when she's confronting a mystery.
The real fascinating question is; "What was Operation Elder"? Taking down a dark wizard? Hunting the Queens of the Changeling Hives? Going into Tartarus itself? Assassinating the King of the Dragons (or, more interestingly, assassinating the King's most likely heir, who would be no friend of Equestria should he succeed to the Great Hoard)?
1320985
You know this theory makes a lot of sense. It would also explain his creepy level of determination to do his job. But, I guess we need to wait for Shining Armor to reveal his big secret about Graves before we can see what holds up and what... fades into the afterlife.
I believe it went down like this:
Some immensely powerful dragon, like, Alduin levels of power, is threatening Equestria. In order to prevent outright war with the dragons Celestia puts together the most elite team in the history of the Equestrian Military in order to assassinate this major leader. Now, this mission must remain the epitome of top secret missions, as Celestia does not want to stir up the dragons against her or her people. The mission either goes completely right or completely wrong, but at some point Graves becomes the only survivor, and by consequence develops a case of "survivor's remorse." This is why he never takes days off and pursues his work with almost religious fervor. In order to keep the mission a secret the government hides all the evidence and burns all the files.
TL;DR: Graves is the sole survivor of one of the most harrowing and influential missions in military history.
Also: Occam's Razor. (Google it)
...they're all dead? ...so... then how does... THE PLOT THICKENS!...I'd give some feedback but... I should be heading to bed! xD
1322534
I agree, there totally needs to be a Discord, Nightmare Moon, and Changling invasion campaign medals, and give em' to all the Guards that had to deal with all the Horseapples.
-Delta-
My guess is that Graves is immortal. It was stated that he had many possessions from his travels
As far as the theory that Graves inherited the medal from a squadmate or family member goes... People seem to forget that General Ironside talked about Graves' participation in Operation Elder, which pretty much scraps that theory. Why would he keep someone else's medal when he knows he's got one coming to him? My guess, the record has been Censored. Because that's just how government works.
From 'Trouble Meets Disaster' :
Now:
When I reread both parts several times, I remember in TMD that when Twilight looked in the box, it stated that there were a vast assortment of medals. This could've hinted at Graves being older than he looks (?). He must've been in service longer than most thought or expected. It's still unclear as to when the Dragonslayer's Mark was given out. The fact that the 5 recorded were KIA(?)/dead, several ideas came to mind.
One, was that the deaths could've been a coverup due to some serious event (no idea why I though of that).
Two, is that Graves was MIA when the campaign was ended, and the five recipients earned their medals. He may have returned when the other four have died. It's hard to guess what happened since there wasn't really a time period or date as to when the 'Dragonslayer's Campaign' started and finished.
Three, is that Graves could've TIME TRAVELED INTO THE FUTURE WHEN/AFTER HE GOT HIS AWARD, AND CHANGED HIS IDENTITY SO NO ONE WOULD KNOW WHO HE WAS!!!.....what?
So yeah, that's all I could really think of, I mean, I was tired when I thought of this. Anyway, can't wait for more!
1320892
In regards to 2b...GRAVES IS A CHANGELING!?
1363063
Ooh, didn't think of that!
1362529 Don't forget, Graves also had an Equestrian Star in there as well. (As I remember, which I should, since I just read through the entire thing.)
Minor typo:
GentlemanJ, human ponyfics aren't generally my thing, but your writing is of a high enough quality that it doesn't matter what the subjects of your stories are, I'll still read them. Well done.
Right, I don't think he is "undead",I think they completed their mission,
retrieved and believed dead, and then made a miraculous recovery!!
And Shining knows all about it.