Mighty lords chart the course of their people, for better or worse, through good times and bad. Their decisions have ramifications that echo across continents and generations. It is in the light of those decisions that the stories of heroes are ultimately defined, whatever side of the lord's reign they may fall upon.
Books are written about those decisions and their consequences critiqued long after most of those lords are gone to dust. A few even consider the personal cost of those heavy choices.
Rose Meadow was the sort who would be all but forgotten by the relentless march of history, save perhaps as set decoration. She was a guard, a professional whose main job was to stand outside an office door and make sure documents weren't stolen and the occupant wasn't unduly interrupted. That said occupant happened to be a head of state didn't matter much, except perhaps so far as to give her a vague sense of pride in her work.
Yet for all their unimportance on the grand stage of history, a guard overhears much, especially when the office door isn't closed properly...
This is a short story set in the world of the acclaimed Hearts of Iron 4 mod, Equestria at War. It is the first entry in the Quenta Roccolië and has been reviewed by Clarke Otterton.
Rated teen for discussion of war and death.
Written for the Fourth Annual Equestria at War Writing Contest with the prompt "A normal being's point of view and life amidst global events."
Thanks to Clear Skies-Roan for betaing.
Cover image is a crop of 'Palace Hallway' by plainoasis
An interesting fic, and I assume certainly a departure from writing in a setting as disparate from it as LOTR. An interesting touch as well with the foot notes.
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Thanks!
Yes, it was quite a jump to be sure. Doing the research for it highlighted a surprising number of equivalences, which I might explore in a blog at some point. I was worried the footnotes might not come off well, so I'm glad for the feedback!
Great Story. Also, I recognized a bit of Neville Chamberlain's speech on Germany's attack on Poland there in the princesses speech (nice).
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Thanks, I was wondering if anyone would pick up on the reference!
Hello there, we have finished a review for this story over on My Little Reviews & Feedback. I hope you find it helpful!
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Thank you so very much, it has been incredibly heartening to receive such feedback!
That was a interesting story.
Per the calendar.
The S9 episode Point Of No Return, it is specified that all months are 28 days.
You assume 13 months a year is 28×13 = 364 days in a year. If you assume 1 intercalary day/year (the Summer Sun Celebration, perhaps) the year would be 365. There is no in show reference that this is so, it just makes the year closer to an Earth year (365.25 days).
Thus, an EQ year is either 0.25 or 1.25 days shorter than an Earth year. The song Winter Wrap Up specifies Winter as 90 days. It would technically be 91. Poetic license.
If you want the seasons to be reasonably close to Earth seasons & you assume the Summer Sun Celebration to be June 21 (longest day of the year), then Winter Wrap is around an early Easter & Hearts and Hooves Day would be around a late Easter to Mother's Day.
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Oh? If so then I have some reworking of dates to do for the main books!
Looking through the episode transcript however, it only seems to mention a late return fee capping at one month late and 28 Bits cost. There's no mention of the actual rate of increase of the fee prior to that point (what with Twilight's statements being proven wrong at the end and seemingly working by the minute), so assuming the transcript was complete and the information was not shown visually rather than audibly (I have yet to have a chance to watch the episode), the leap that there are 28 days in the year assumes no subdenominations of coinage and/or that there is no fixed base rate that then goes up.
If for theoretical example there was a base late fee of 8 Bits and a further charge of 2/3 Bits a day after that, then you get to the 28 Bits total with a thirty day month. This might be less intuitive than a Bit a day, but fits at least with my own experience with library late fees.
Please, if there is a mention of the rate of increase anywhere that I've missed, that would be most useful since I'm approaching the point of no return (pun absolutely intended
) when it comes to fixing timing problems caused by an error in calendar work. In fact as it is, one error I made early on has already caused months of delay in releasing book one due to a character not being able to be present in a scene.
As for how I have things set up at present, every month in the Princess' Reckoning calendar is thirty days and the Summer Sun Celebration is one of five intercalary days in every year, with a further intercalary added between Hearth's Warming and New Year's Day once every four years unless the year is divisible by 100 to account for drift. Hearth's Warming and leap days have no weekday attached to them, which prevents drift in weeks.
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Well, historically, that's the Mayan calendar so that's got precedent. Uhm....per what I've heard those 5 days were considered unlucky.
No, the transcript is accurate as best I remember (been a few years since I've watched the show) & your method is as valid as any + makes the song "Winter Wrap Up" 100% accurate.
I also remember that 1 year they had 1 hour with 61 minutes to balance the year. (ICR which but some comedian joked "That's enough time for Tyson to have a title defense." so late 1980s?)
The show Tanks For The Memories (S5) shows Dash interfering with the start up of winter. It makes sense for that to be The Shortest Day of the year & 6 months from Summer Sun Celebration.
One further point The Pilot.
The prophecy
".....the stars will aid in her escape
and she will bring about nighttime eternal."
Look at Twilight's cutie mark
Remember that more than one her escaped (including Mayor Mare & half or more of Ponyville.)
Nobles often have a poetic but basically meaningless title or 2.
If you assume that one of Luna's titles was "Nox Aeterna" then that could be translated as "The Eternal Night" or "...Nighttime".
That makes "she" = "Twilight" & the prophecy 100% accurate.
About Starlight Glimmer.
She could be listed as "Missing In Action"
Historically, after the Battle of Little Bighorn, every cavalry regiment in the US Army listed Company D as MIA in their honor.
PS the song "Winter's * Up" is funny IF you don't mind a LOT of the F bomb. Also recommend "The Cost Of The Crown".
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Ah, thanks anyway, might have a look at the latter recommended music. Speaking of Starlight though, as per EaW canon (which largely diverges from FiM from series 6 onward) she's reformed but gone a separate way from the mane six. One could thus perhaps make claims toward her being MIA on a meta level, at least for now.