//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Just use the pen and paper // Story: Numbered Days // by Im a B O X //------------------------------// Canterlot University of Sciences and Sorcery, three days after Bold Ideals’ death…   Shifting through each book as fast as physically possible, Solemn Vow skimmed through as many pages of documents relating to the trial. From names to evidence, to even other branches of possible links. And he still couldn’t get over the fact that he overlooked such information. After a short moment of increasing frantic shifting, his eyes finally landed on what he was searching for: Bold Ideals’ dying will. Doing another quick skim to make sure he landed on the right papers, he was suddenly interrupted by a knock on his office door. “Come in!” he responded, never taking the need to look up to whoever entered. “Um… are you by any chance the Doctor around here?” The voice asked him. Looking up, he saw, what was to him, a fairly young-looking orange dragon that had entered his office. “Young one, there are plenty of doctors around the campus grounds alone, so do me a favor and tell me if you need the physician or physicist?” He asked in a monotone voice as if he’d been asked the same old question over and over again throughout his life. “The physician,” the voice adamantly replied. He looked up as he left a bookmark on the last page of the documents he skimmed over, closing it as he stood up. “Hoho, for a moment there I thought you needed Dr. Hooves.” He took his moment to look over the new face of a fairly young dragon(ess). “So! Since I’m the one you’re looking for, follow me to the other room, and do tell me a bit about yourself and the reason as to why you’d come to me at this time of day. Solemn Vow is the name, and a pleasure to meet you…” Leaving the statement to hang, he made his way to a different room outside of his office, his head held up high as he listened in on what she would say, who trailed closely behind. “I’m Smolder, and I’ve kinda been wanting to meet ya. Headmare Starlight said that you’d be the pony who would know more about Bold Ideals.” Thinking over it, he found the first choice of topic to be quite peculiar. “Is it for a history project?” He asked, never fully processing the name of who he was speaking with. “More or less, I’m part of a group sent to look after and make his obituary. Call it ‘community service’ of sorts. After that, I’d probably get started on my constellation projects.” Entering the room, he reached a stop as he looked around the fairly livid room, promptly taking a seat at the nearest chair to his side. “Make yourself at home and find yourself a seat, we’ll talk more once you get settled in.” He said. His invitation was soon answered and after a short while, the pair got settled down, the two started to talk once again from where their conversation ended earlier. “So you want to create a ‘first-rate obituary’ containing and outlining Ideals’ entire life and will, correct?” he asked, trying to wrap his head around the huge task this dragoness has put herself through. “More or less,” she shrugged, “And as I said, Headmare Starlight pointed to you, she was hesitant to even help with its completion… despite it being a multi-school effort...” She drew closer to him as if she were about to tell a secret. “But between you and me, I think she’s avoiding it altogether.” She whispered in a comedic sense. Still unable to wrap his head around what he was about to get himself into. “Well, I can tell you this, you’d likely need access to the restricted section of the Royal Canterlot Library, rumor has it that his books were locked away there… somewhere.” He lied. He knew exactly where the nine books were and knew damn well that righting an obituary surrounding Ideals was going to be a pain. So, he opted to try and dissuade the young dragon by telling her what should be an impossible task for her to accomplish without connections. What he didn’t expect was her casual response. “I’ll deal with the library and books when the time comes, but by then, you and I should be done halfway through with the entire thing, besides, it’s bound to be simple with just a pen and paper.” “Wait, what…” he asked, taken aback all of a sudden as he slowly started to process the situation. “You’re… insane. Do you have the slightest idea as to how difficult it is to even try and write a paper about his books!? Let alone his entire life!” “I mean, it can’t be that hard... right?” The real weight and monument of the task she had unknowingly placed upon herself slowly unfolded before her. “NO! Of course, it ain’t as bloody simple as that! Writing an obituary is hard, so some cunts job would have been made easier if there was just a… I dunno, recording of themselves in their final moments, with a crystal or something. ” “And the point is that..?” she asked, leaving it hanging in an attempt to make it seem like she didn’t understand the full extent of what she was about to partake in. Thinking over it, Vow decided that he shouldn’t be beating around the bush any longer than he needed to. “Ugh, listen, kid, you seem like a nice gal, but unless you got some real deep, like, shit deep connections with Twilight, you might as well get another source or make shit up.” And as she heard that, confidence entered her soul upon that remark as she gave a sly smirk. “Well if that’s the case, you should have just told me! I’m sure Headmare Starlight and Princess Twilight could make those arrangements, after all… I was one of her students.” At first, he was in disbelief at what she said, and rightfully so, considering how thorough Twilight is with those she trust, but then, he remembered who he was, he was Solemn Vow, a dear friend to Bold Ideals and an associate of Twilight Sparkle. And he knew he could probably spin this opportunity to his favor, after all, that’s what his friend would have done, “… You don’t say…” he remarked aloud, now processing the possible connections and leeway she had with Twilight. “Well, in that case, we better get started somewhere.” He said, trusting the word of the dragoness and hoping that this could bring him a good opportunity later down the line. “How about on Ideals’ history? I think that’s a good start.” She suggested. For moments he thought over it, trying to remember anything of note, and eventually, he found a narrative. “Well, according to some ‘old’ documents, Ideals had some connections with the Labor Union in Stalliongrad,” “That’s common knowledge about him at this point.” She responded. “What isn’t, is the connections he made with a mare in Marelin, the same party as him but allegedly they ‘ran a second party’ of sorts. Well, according to some old colleagues of mine and his, the group name was called ‘The Divided Order of Five Hands’, they were primarily hired to export things, and ‘unique’ ones at that.” “Hands? As in, those ancient symbols?” She asked intriguingly. “Well, that’s interesting…” Agreeing with the remark, he further explained. “All that, and it’s still the tip of the iceberg. His last book… ‘The Changing Winds’, was supposed to be his tenth book and the grand finale before his death. It would outline where the world stage would shift away from pony kind, the dominant nation, whoever it would be, should have a proper lock on sea trade and have a decently large army and air force to pair. Something along the lines of, who would have ruled the world, a sort of reincarnation of the empires of old, there are finer details, but those aren’t important.” “So all of that and the amount of unholy stacks of paper works scattered throughout this entire continent… and it’s only a fraction of what’s required to make an obituary on him?” “When compared to other ponies and creatures this influential, yes… we tend to make it a bit too detailed.” He said, his tone finally drilling the facts into her head.  “Well, with our case set, we’d have to go on a round trip to get some missing files, and It’ll only be a few missing, I’m sure of that,” he said. “Speaking of which,” she began to switch the subject, “since I heard that you and Ideals were of noble blood, tell me a bit about that, it might bring an interesting spin.” Thinking over it, he initially relented but eventually complied. “Well, we did always exchange a bit of banter back then, and one of the things that set us both apart from our fellow nobility was our passion. He primarily focused and poured his time on social science while I took a medical course and majored in psychiatrists... that said, I did branch out into law later down the line. Where most nobles would likely try and maintain a balance in being ‘civil’ and well-rounded in talent, or simply try and excel on as many fields as possible. That, and where he and I differed between ourselves was our contested views on magic, in general.” “And why is that?” Smolder asked, “Doesn’t magic course through all of us, where magic could be created and dissipated, it could also be transferred to influence and overcome through mastery.” “Oh please, him? He understood that line clearly, better than anyone else,” he remarked. “It’s just that his belief was so detailed and finely written that it practically put him at odds with the entire world, even Canterlot had a tense run-in with him while he was still alive.” Looking around to avoid eye contact, his voice faltered as he spoke, despite the sensitivity of the topic to him. “Well again… some of us would like to believe in the prospect of something greater.” “And so I’ve heard,” she remarked. “So! The papers, when shall we get started?” Solemn asked, bringing in a new tone to shift that mood. Adjusting quickly to the change, Smolder smiled. “How does next week sound?” He returned the smile with one of his own. “Sounds wonderful to me.” With that, their first discussion had ended, standing up, and both have their regards as they parted ways. Although, while they would pursue this little journey, a larger endeavor is about to play out. They just haven’t realized that they are going to play a bigger part in the ticking clock of a new world.