39. Diplomacy in Force
Shining Armor, Russet Rook, and I stood around the table, looking at piles of paperwork.
“This is going to take a lot of planning,” I said.
Lieutenant Rook nodded. “Yes, and perfect execution. Help won’t be within hooves’ reach.”
“If any two ponies can figure it out, it will be you two,” Shining Armor said.
I tapped the large roster sheet with a hoof. “Twenty total ponies in the House Guard plus twenty palace guards. That is pretty slim should anything go wrong.”
“True, but moving with too many more will become a liability as well. I’d rather not have to figure out the logistics for that. Princess Luna is also pretty formidable on her own. Plus, every one of our ponies is worth at least two regular guards,” the lieutenant said.
I shifted a document to the captain. “How about we drop four palace guards for these ponies? The gryphons wouldn’t be able to tell the difference and in a fight, their protection magic would give us a huge advantage.”
Shining Armor’s brow lifted and he asked, “Unicorn Temple guards?”
“Unicorn Temple guards,” I confirmed.
The lieutenant tapped the paper. “I love that idea. They may not be good fighters but if we can defend them they can shield us and maybe even tend our wounds. If we employ them the way the sergeant is suggesting, they’re a real force multiplier.”
Shining Armor nodded. “Unicorn Temple guards it is.”
Princess Luna cleared her throat and the three of us turned to face her. “Ye three realize this is a diplomatic meeting, not an attack, yes?”
“Of course, Princess,” Shining Armor said and then hedged. “But with you being in their kingdom and across the waters, we just want to be sure we could protect you. Consider us being foolishly overcautious.”
The alicorn rose from her seat and approached. “Thou mayest be as cautious as thou likest, as long as everypony remembers this is a peaceful mission. We will not have the gryphons misunderstanding our security precautions as a sign of distrust.”
Lieutenant Rook looked at me. “I want you to spend extra time with the unit to make sure they understand Princess Luna’s wishes. I’ve heard the stories about the gryphons trying to provoke a fight when they were here. That same behavior won’t be tolerated when we are their guests. We should be the bigger ponies.”
“Aye, sir,” I replied and made a note to discuss that very thing with my ponies. Especially Thunder Tumble.
☾
“We’re going where, Sergeant?” Miley Hooves asked me.
“Princess Luna has been dispatched to conduct diplomacy with the ruler of Nordanver, the northern gryphon kingdom,” I replied, keeping my tone even. “We, of course, will be accompanying her. That is no small task. In fact, it is the largest challenge for us yet. That is a huge vote of confidence for this unit and we now have the opportunity to truly prove we are peers to Princess Celestia’s House Guard.
“Our journey will begin with a train ride to Baltimare. From there, we’ll set sail and cross the sea to the capital city of Margull. We’ll establish a safe dwelling for the princess and see that she can go to and from her meetings without incident. This isn’t going to be easy. A lot of the resources we take for granted won’t be available to us. There is little room for error, but I have every confidence in you.” I paused and looked at all of my ponies as they were mustered. I wasn’t just paying them lip service. I trusted them.
“The lieutenant and I do not expect any hostility, but that is no reason to be unprepared. We need to treat this situation as if it were the most danger Princess Luna has ever been in. At the same time, we do not want our hosts to feel as if they are not trusted. It will be a delicate balance.
“Finally, and most important of all, there can be no incidents created by us. No fights with the gryphons. No violations of their laws. No name calling. We are the bigger ponies and I expect you all to remember that. Do not start a fight. Do not let them goad you into one.”
I stamped a hoof. “But by Celestia, if some feathered troublemaker takes a swing at you, put him down and out cold. Don’t overdo it, but make it clear we won’t tolerate such immaturity. Have I made myself clear?”
The group shouted in unison, “Yes, Sergeant!”
“Good,” I said before starting to pass out rosters, schedules, and travel plans. “Memorize these. Do not take them outside of the palace. Once you know them by heart, destroy them. We leave in two weeks. If there is anything you need to do here, be sure you get it done soon. I’m counting on everypony to be ready. Do not disappointment me. Dismissed.”
☾
I stood on my hindhooves and used my wings to keep me upright. It was a skill I was getting quite good at. My forehooves peppered the heavy bag with blows, working on my boxing skills and getting my workout in.
“That was one heck of a speech. If I didn’t know any better I’d think you were sending us off to war,” Iridescence said as she approached. It was the first time we’d spoken outside of work in a while. She reared up and held onto the other side of the bag so that it wouldn’t sway so much. I continued to pummel it.
“Maybe I am,” I grunted as I threw another jab. “I don’t trust gryphons and we’re walking right into their roost. If something goes wrong, we’ll be right in the middle of it.”
I hit the bag hard and Iridescence slid back with it. Her head poked around the side and she asked, “Are you angry? You’re never angry. What is going on?”
I eased up a bit to ensure she wouldn’t go flying while I thumped the bag with my hooves. “No.” Thump. “Maybe.” Thump, thump. “I don’t know.” I huffed. I dropped and walked over to the bucking targets and started in on them without further explanation.
Iridescence came over to watch me. “Are you mad at me? You’ve been almost all business since… well, since we broke up. Even more since you found out about Winterspear and—” Her eyes went wide as I bucked one of the targets so hard I broke it in half. “Alright then.”
“I’m not mad at you,” I said, inspecting the broken target.
“You really look mad at me,” she replied.
“I’m not mad at you,” I repeated.
“The target disagrees,” she prodded.
“I’m not mad!” I shouted at her. My ears fell.
“Well… maybe you should be,” Iridescence said flatly. She approached me. “I broke up with you and ran off. As soon as you came to get me, I got cozy with your sister. On top of that, we both hid it from you. If somepony did that to me, I’d be real angry. You haven’t done anything.”
Clenching my teeth, I growled, “What am I supposed to do, then?”
Iridescence poked me with a hoof. “Get angry. Tell me off. Tell Winterspear off.”
I did not like being poked but I kept my cool and replied, “Tell off my best friend and my sister? That doesn’t sound like something a good friend would do. Do you know how heartbroken she was?”
Iridescence poked me with a hoof again. “Oh yeah? And good friends just lie to each other? Huh?” she taunted before punctuating it with another hoof poke.
That was enough of that. She went to poke me again and I stepped in close, letting her hoof go by me. I bumped her with my chest and bowled her over.
“There you go,” she said, looking up at me.
“What do you want me to say?”
“Anything! You just sat there and took it all. You’ve got it all bottled up inside and now you’re telling the section to finish fights. You’re preparing for a war! If you keep this up, you won’t have to worry about us starting a fight with the gryphons. It will be you. So why don’t you just be the bigger stallion and get it out of your system right now?” She reached up to lightly poke me on the cheek with her hoof.
That set me off. The gates flew open and my hoof came down hard beside her. “You never should have left! I could have taken it! You just assumed I couldn’t. You never should have lied, either! Winterspear had her reasons, but what was your excuse? Aren’t we best friends? You sure haven’t acted like it lately. I try to be myself and you say it isn’t enough. I try to meet you halfway and it's too far. I’m tired of being wrong and I’m tired of everypony treating me like a fragile foal.”
My voice dropped to the normal tone. “I’m tired of being a third wheel. I was just starting to feel right again and then there you are in bed with my sister. Now everypony has somepony but me. When I was with you, I got used to the idea that there was more to life than the job. Now that I know that, if I think about it, I get muddled. It is just easier to focus on my work than worry about what I’m missing.”
Iridescence poked me in the cheek with her hoof and said, “Boop.”
I slumped down to rest against her. “I see.” The anger subsided. Now I was just exhausted.
She rolled over and looped her hooves around me in a tight hug. “I’m not going to make any excuses for my behavior. I didn’t treat you like a friend nor did I give you the respect I should have. When you didn’t get angry, I questioned whether or not you even cared but watching you lately had shown me otherwise. I owed it to you to help you express that anger.”
“By picking a fight?” I asked. “That was pretty risky. That target could have been you.”
Iridescence buried her nose into my mane and snuffled. “Honestly, I’d have deserved it. I’ve been a gryphon’s butt. I’ve been acting really selfish. Seeing what it did to you really opened my eyes. I couldn’t let it go on. Especially not with this big mission coming up. Now I don’t want you to just say you forgive me and that we’re fine. You obviously got some of it out there but if you feel a need to yell some more, we can do that.”
I really didn’t feel like yelling. In fact, I was hoping she’d just hug me like that a while longer. It was nice, even if it was just platonic. What was important was that we really hadn’t been close since she got back. We were just pretending and going through the motions. This was an actual love. The love of one friend for another.
“Okay,” I said.
“Uh… should we leave?” one pony in a small group asked from the other side of the room. How long had they been there?
“Yes!” we shouted in unison.
☾
“Hey, Sergeant, did you say something to Runic?” Miley asked pointedly.
I inhaled some of the water I was drinking and started coughing. Lieutenant Rook, the coward, immediately fled my office.
When I started breathing again, I looked at Miley and asked, “Why do you ask?”
“He has been acting a little off lately. At least off for him, anyway. He is paying more attention to me and asking me about things I like instead of just science.”
“And that is a bad thing?” I asked.
Miley Hooves lightly stomped. “No, it isn’t bad. Just weird. You told him, didn’t you?”
I set my hoof on the desk and nodded. “I did. I wanted to see where he was mentally. He thought you were taking him to a show about rocks and I wanted to be certain he didn’t miss an amazing opportunity.
She tilted her head. “Amazing opportunity?”
“To find love. To do something other than invent alone in that back room. You’re an amazing pony, Miley, and if he never saw that, it would have been sad. No, maybe even a tragedy. I know I shouldn’t have meddled but I couldn’t help it. I care about you both, you just seem good together, and you can’t stand there and tell me you weren’t looking at him like that.”
Miley muttered, “Maybe.”
“Maybe?”
“Okay… yes,” she said but then looked up at me again, fire in her eyes. All mares, including petite ones, can be frightening. “But you still shouldn’t have meddled!”
Holding up my hooves, I quickly agreed, “You’re right and I won’t again. I promise. It is all you two from here on out.”
“Okay then…” she said, eyeing me as she walked out. Once she was beyond the door, she poked her head back in, looking every bit her normal, cute self. “Thanks, boss!”
I just winked and counted my blessings that I had gotten that one right.
Remember that invitation to visit the Gryphon Kingdom? Princess Luna is calling it in! Diplomacy in Force starts a very large arc! I'm excited to share it with everyone and see what you think about it.
If you are enjoying this story, please consider taking a look at Crystal and my's website QuillnBlade.com for extra content such as mini stories, an Ask Us form to submit questions, responses to said questions, and special rewards for the awesome folks who support our Patreon.
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Ahh, another glorious chapter.
Do not disappointment me. <-- probably want disappoint there, though. :P
Our little boy is learning!
And in that regard, Iridescence, Silent sounds a lot like me. Some ponies don't want to lash out, they don't want outbursts, they don't want to get angry because those kinds of reactions are losses of control, and they've learned that losing control does more damage than holding in and moving on. Silent is very right, you may not want to poke him because he's probably the kind of pony who would take forced loss of control even worse.
You see how restrained he was even so? Yeah, pay attention to his desires and don't push your luck too hard.
Reminded me of this
Miley is adorable <3, the next arc is going to be awesome \o/
Yes! Another mission. There really aren't enough group missions for the guard.
Well, it looks like Silent will be out of town when Canterlot riots, so that's probably for the best. Though it does mean his ships will be delayed, unless Velvet happens to be performing in the griffin kingdom while he's there.
And now I need to go back and reread the story, cause I can't tell if that choppy sentences thing is new, or if it's been there the whole time and I just didn't notice it. Bleh... I need more free time...
5690244
Well, Iridescence has proven over and over that she's really bad at understanding Silent Knight. It's one of the biggest reasons I wasn't sad at all when thy broke up. She was really pretty awful for him as a girlfriend.
5690660 We'll have to see how it goes with Velvet ;) More on that Friday! I might be able to help, could you give an example of a sentence that seemed choppy to you?
5690646 This is a big one too!
5690457 Miley is one of my favorites! She may get her own spin-off someday.
5690391 Pretty close to that exactly.
5690244 Your description is pretty much dead on what I was going for.
Well I guess Silent is going to learn about himself during this trip. By the time he gets back, he may be able to help with the Crystal Empire or star the Star or Friendship house guard. I don't think so really.
5690717
I'm looking forward to it, cause Silent really needs to get laid at this point.
As for the sentences thing, it's not so much any one sentence in particular as it is just the repetition of short, simple sentences giving an overall impression of choppiness. In this chapter it was really only the very end of Silent's "talk" with Iridescence, but the most obvious place I've seen it so far was the very beginning of the chapter where Silent went to the second cave.
It doesn't happen all the time, but when it does it just pulls me out of the story completely. I dunno, maybe it's just me.
my reaction:
img.pandawhale.com/post-15538-Doctor-Who-At-first-I-lol-d-th-peqF.gif
flickfilosopher.com/wptest/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/doctorwhofacepalm.gif
but I still ship Silent and Iridescence
meimi132.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/i-dont-wanna-go-pre-1.png
Now, get them back together....
fangirlsarewe.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/doctor-who-series-eight-trailer-deep-breath-2.jpg
Anyways, great story man, I am excited to see what you have planned, regardless of my feelings.
No, I would say that was a wise decision.
Found this story last night and read up through the previous chapter and was delighted to see a new one pop up. The story has gotten better as it goes. The character development and writing has improved. It pleases me to see a writer grow as they go along.
Okay, I am absolutely looking forward to this Gryphon Kingdom stuff. Every time we get closer to it, I'm a bit more on the edge of my seat. So what I'm trying to say is quit being a tease and let's get gryphoning! ... You know if that's okay with you I wouldn't dream of telling the author how to write the story I'll be in the corner sorry
... You know, most stories I only comment on when I have something very specific I really want to address. Doesn't really seem to be the case here, for some reason? I comment on most chapters since I started reading. For this story, commenting is... I don't know, part of the fun? Which isn't how I usually feel. Very unusual. That's just something I noticed recently that I thought I'd share.
Eager to see where this goes! Thinking of starting a pool on who starts the international incident.
At first, I thought they were preparing for Princess Luna's birthday party.
I have yet to see any evidence that said party would not have near identical preparations.
Heh, SK's brief reminded me of how soldiers do a pre mission brief before going out on an op or a convoy. Oh yeah this arc is going to get really good. I like how SK had to vent. I know he is calm and collected almost all the time, but a guy can only take so much shit thrown at him before he starts throwing shit back. Iri was good to come and confess how wrong she felt and allowed him to take it out on her (as long as she didnt get hurt of course). It also undeniably helped repair their already shaky friendship.
Still think Iridescence has been/still is a lousy friend......little-kiss-and-make-up notwithstanding....but then again....that's coming from someone who doesn't trust easily.
'shrug'
so, a mission. that should be interesting. the officers are preparing for an escort op deep into enemy territory. i get the feeling luna doesn't feel that this is entirely necessary.
i think i finally forgave iridesence somewhere in this chapter. probably when she snuffled into silent's mane. or this:
i get the feeling silent didn't really let go when he vented. it still felt like he was holding back. i don't know why, it just did.
5691133 *places some bits into the pool* let the fireworks begin.
Well its good to see Silent get some of it off his chest about his sister and his ex. That sorta emotional turmoil can cause alot of problems. Maybe now he can move on and find love. mainly with a certain unicorn author or something i dont know. Anyway cant wait to see how things go in the gryphon courts.
I like how it ended. I also like how it started. And I like everything in the middle too. I must say, Good Sir, you have never let me down with this brilliant story. I can voice for my friend, I got her into this story. Keep going, bro! You're doing just fine.
Loved this one :3
Aww, so the batpony arc is fizzling out.
Poopy.
Also. Do not disappoint me...
We will be watching
One thing im sorta wondering about here is well,
How bad is the gender imbalance to stallions mares?
I sorta see it potentially as a gynocentric focused world in some places. Though yes, stallions are there, it seems with such a more common design that they are an afterthought roughly, outside perhaps certain fields. I was curious is if in your thoughts of this world you had this same design? Or more so that the characters were to in terms of the roles that fit more so.
I don't aim it as an offensive nature. I don't. But it hit me, this seemed heavily to focus on some issues that would or could be atypical in a more even split of genders. Thank you for any answers you can give on this.
A reminder to all! Three of Hearts will update on Wednesday and the second chapter of Memoirs this week will be on Friday. The same goes for next week too.
5692633 The show itself focuses heavily on mares and fillies. There are very few male stallions and they typically play background roles. All of the rulers and almost all of the lesser nobles are mares. It is very much matriarchal and I follow that pattern in Memoirs. Positions of high authority are frequently female dominated.
With that said, I don't push ponies into traditional "gender roles" in the story. There are more mare guards than stallions for example. Also, even though I'm sure it isn't the intention of the show, it feels like there are 75% females and 25% males. When you see a lot of males they're just background ponies. Winter Wrap Up is about the most I can think of seeing in one place. I try to match that as best I can.
5692469 The lost ponies arc won't be going anywhere ;) I don't leave any thread unwoven.
5692127 I'm pleased to hear that!
5692064 Hurray! It is great that this chapter resonated with you.
5692037 Something certainly had to be said ;D
5691925 I didn't want Iridescence to become a "villain" of sorts. She's made some bad choices though. They'll have to work through it
5691865 It isn't necessarily a total get out of jail free card. They're just trying to find their footing again.
5691779 Agreed!
5691290 LOL I could actually see that too!
5691133 We'll find out soon!
5691115 I'm glad =D Half the fun of reading a serial is interacting with the author and what not! I enjoy it a lot too. That is partially why I maintain this story instead of writing shorts that end.
5690991 Welcome to Memoirs! I'm truly happy to have you along.
5690975 Thank you kindly!
5692842 cant wait to see them. anyway I never understood why there was such a uneven gender balance on the show or in most fanfics. to me it would seem like 75/25 would be borderline population collapse, while say a 65/45 would be a possibly better balance to it. but then again this is just me rambling i guess.
5693085 Very valid point. Gender imbalance is dangerous but the humor is, if you were going to have it, you'd want it 75% female to male. This is an odd conversation to be having on this site but why not!
Biologically speaking females are "more important" to reproduction. They can only carry so many offspring per term. So 10 males to 1 female doesn't do a lot of good for ensuring the survival of the species.
At the same time 1 male could very much provide DNA for 10 females. That just gets into some weird pony territory though. It is a matriarchal society but genetic wise it suggests polygamy and not polyandry.
Obviously I think the real intent is that there are near equal amounts of males to females but the males just don't play as important of a role in the stories.
5693101 Hmmm good point. Didnt think about it that way, and your right it is for the humor anyway loving the story either way.
5693139 I'm glad you're enjoying it! I'm happy to have you reading and commenting. It is always fun to get into the random details about how pony society might be. I typically see them mostly like us although I think they grow up faster and then are "young adults" for a long time.
5692842
Male stallions, Anzel? You should know better than that.
5693202 Yeah yeah ;)
5693150 glad to see i aint the only one.
That was fun. Looking forward to more.
Keep up the good work. Deus tecum.
Oooo, there's those harsh words I was so proud of Silent for not letting out last chapter. Since Iridescence was literally begging him to let out some stress it's not nearly as bad as it could have been in the heat of the moment last chapter. There's a big difference between having zero self control and having exactly enough.
Discretion is the better part of valor, after all. Rook is working out quite well as the lieutenant.
This upcoming Gryphon arc ought to be fun. Too much build-up for it to end up nothing more than a purely routine diplomatic visit.
Picked up this series this morning. Enjoying it immensely! Am tracking now.
5693764 I'm glad you found the story. Thank you for reading along!
5693846 Glad you're writing it!
Am now fully caught up with the story! Only took a day.
I saw Iridescence and Winterspear pairing up all the way back when Irid first returned and Winterspear scolded her for doing what she did to Silent Knight. I believe the dialogue which tipped me off was along the lines of, 'but I like her more,'; it seemed strange to me that it had been said and I held my suspicions. I merely brushed it off until it became really obvious with the things such as Winterspear smelling like Iridescence.
Glad to finally be following a story which updates bi-weekly! Sucks getting into a story that updates once every month or few!
Keep up the fantastic work!
It's very impressive how you're balancing Knight's decisions with what happens to him and actually reconciling the two. He should feel frustrated, and the his failed relationship is actually having an effect on his outlook and actions while still being true to his initial character. Quite above par for an OC.
ACK!
I don't think you're aware of what that actually means!!!!
The normal saying in human world about "handling something with kid gloves"? That's not referring to children--it's referring to young goats, called kids. The gloves are made out of kid skin. Given that knowledge, he just said he was tired of everyone treating him with foal-skin gloves
That...came out as horrific
5973382 Pinkie Pie can't bake everything into the cupcakes.
This is exactly what happened between me and my best friend when in a similar situation... But instead, I broke a controller.
Iuckily I had four...
But yeah, good chapter. Reading on.
Unicorn Temple Guards?
6040574 I'd be very afraid if she took that as a challenge
6724189 You should be
I could't do that. I couldn't keep my cool if I caught my ex in bed with my sister. Now, granted, my sister is like 11. Buuuuuut... you get my drift.
I have made it a point to remember that even though this is a story narrated by Silent himself, his narration is not a be all and end all summary report on his state of mind and being. This is only the latest and greatest example of things being omitted from narrative that only reveal themselves to exist at all through other avenues than open acknowledgment.
Silent keeps some thoughts to himself, even from us. Some of those, even from himself.
An apt statement on the human condition.
Gives me a newfound respect for Iri. Not necssarily because she makes the right choices, just that she makes choices. And this is, if I'm not mistaken, the very first time, she has purposefully gone out of her way to involve herself in Silent's problems. I don't know if I agree with her approach here, but this was the certainly the braver option to choose. That's to be respected.
Iridescence is kind of an ass for just... ghosting him essentially
Honestly? Not sure I like her at this point, a little kiss and make up doesn't quite fix this. Given, silent is far more logical than most, and would probably take more time to process things. But it was really left field and very sudden. At least from silents perspective.
I know my first break up sucked, still not sure what I should've done, but I was ready to throw hands with anything that looked at me wrong.
5690975
Wow, I really left that comment, here in public, for all to see. ._.
*Disappoint