43. A Social Call In Haven
For as much as I hadn’t wanted to do so, I’d left Crystal’s side, took care of my errands, and met up with the princess and the rest of my team to head to Haven. It was a journey that had lost any sense of mystery and wonder for me.
The Royal Guard outposts between the two cities were starting to look less rugged and more established. A few ponies had even started to settle around them. What once had been lands too wild to risk were now relatively safe, at least within view of the towers.
When we arrived on the mountaintop and descended to the city proper, Dream Dancer took me aside and said softly, “I know I’m here, but I hardly believe this place is real. Look at these ponies! Do you do this sort of thing often?”
With a wink, I replied, “The first time I came here, I was alone and hoped they weren’t going to attack me. They’re good ponies, though. You’ll get somewhat used to living in the dark, but if it starts to bother you, don’t hesitate to go topside. Just make sure you see to your guards.”
“Yes, sir!”
Princess Luna and I headed into the local inn. It was previously the only inn, but a new, smaller one had recently been built right near the town’s entrance. Some enterprising nox ponies wanted to make room for future tourists.
“Are you prepared for another month of study, Princess?” I asked her as she unpacked her things.
“I am. It seems never ending. A month is hardly enough time. I have no idea how Celestia ruled by herself and spent time with Star Swirl the Bearded.”
“Necessity, I suppose.”
The princess looked over her shoulder at me and then nodded. “Perhaps so. What do you intend to do while we’re here?”
“Keep an eye on Dream Dancer, but I expect her to do all of the work. I need to know she is reliable. Other than that, I’ll keep an eye on you and read my books.”
“Ah yes, your books by… his name was Moonglaive, yes?”
“Yes, Princess.”
She looked at me. “High Marshal Moonglaive?”
I guess she remembered the name after all. “Yes, Princess.”
“He was a great knight. I wasn’t aware he was a writer,” she said plainly before turning back to her tasks.
My ear gave a flick and I came over to assist her. “He was an exceptional writer and organizer. Based on what he wrote, I’m not surprised you’d know him as a great knight. Did you actually know him?”
She shook her head. “No, his prominence was before my time. My alicorn time but even then, he was a legend. A powerful light in the darkness and a great ally to Nocturna. How fitting that you should learn of him.”
What did that mean? I set aside a few more of her personal effects and then pulled a t-shirt out of her bag. “Really, Princess? You’re going to wear this here?” It was the Blame My Sister shirt.
“Too soon?” she asked.
I folded it back up and stuffed it in the bag. “Too soon. Come on, Willowy can do this. Let’s go over to the library.”
The princess snorted softly at that and then turned. “Alright, alright. You seem eager to get started.”
“The sooner we get started the sooner I get back to my mare. Her mother is helping her plan the wedding. Helping or supervising or antagonizing. I don’t know which. Either way, I want to make sure there isn’t an equicide.”
“Oh my,” she said softly and then peered down at me. “Where will I be sat?”
“On my side, I’d hope. I knew you before Crystal did.”
The princess smirked softly. “Jealous of your own wife-to-be?”
“Perhaps.”
“Well, I assumed your side, too. I more meant where. The first row? The second? Further back?” Her tone was playful, but there was also a serious edge to it.
What was she getting at? Crystal was planning the wedding, but I understood that seating was a big deal. Didn’t parents go in the first row?
She was staring at me. I swallowed. “I need to discuss it with Crystal, but my instinct tells me, with my family?”
The princess nodded. “Very well. Let’s go to the library.”
I hoped that was the right answer. It was at least correct enough to be left alone as we made our way to the stone library that was built directly into the mountain’s interior. The watchponies that were keeping vigil let us in.
The Haven Library, as always, had not changed. Everything was perfectly kept and in its place, including the books written by Moonglaive. That was where I settled in after the Princess and Moonlit Star had begun their work.
I’d returned the first and fifth books I’d borrowed. After all, I had a copy of the first one now. The original could be left here in the safety that Haven provided.
I settled my hoof on the sixth book. It was one of only three left, at least for the main series. There were several other smaller books, but these were the most important ones. These were the ones that were opening my eyes to knighthood. I slipped it free and settled it on the floor to start reading, where it landed by a pair of grey hooves.
“Silent Knight,” Moonlit Star said down to me.
Our eyes met, I stood and then bowed politely. “Matriarch. I expected you to be training the princess.”
Her head inclined in a bare minimum nod. “She is taking a break and I knew I’d find you here.”
“Am I that predictable?” I chuckled.
“I suppose you are. You always linger near when she is training, and these books call to you.” Her eyes softened. “What news of my grandchildren?”
Well, we were getting right to it then. “Crimson Dawn has decided to join the Royal Guard. He wishes to be a city guard, however. They do work like the Haven watch and it was his desire to help ponies.”
She sighed and nodded. “I suppose that was inevitable. At least it doesn’t sound that dangerous of a role.”
“It isn’t. I swear, it isn’t.”
“And Tranquil Dusk?”
“She has taken up residence within the Unicorn Temple. She is studying with the exemplar… er, the oracle, as you call her.”
Moonlit Star’s eyebrows briefly lifted. “Truly?”
“Truly. They seem to be getting on quite well, actually.”
She nodded. “Then they are well?”
“Well enough, yes. There have been… mistakes made, and adjustments to living outside of Haven. They seem to be fitting in, though. I do not fear for their safety.”
Moonlit Star continued to nod as she listened, then sighed. “And they did not wish to return here? Even for a visit?”
Idly I brushed one hoof along the other. “I am sorry, Matriarch, no. I offered to both and both declined.”
“Why are young ponies so frustrating?”
“We sometimes don’t think about the long-term consequences of our actions?”
She softly huffed at that and then turned. “Enjoy your book. I’ll go look after the princess. Before you leave, I’d like you to pick up some letters I’ve written to my grandchildren. Perhaps old-fashioned familial guilt will motivate them.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I replied. Then I waited for her to leave before I settled down with the sixth book. I had two weeks to get through my first reading. Then it hit me. “Matriarch,” I called after her, getting back up.
Moonlit Star stopped and turned back to me. “Yes?”
“There is a young scholar in Canterlot named Ley Lines. She is fascinated by your culture and what little information has been released about Haven. Would you open to having her as a guest and potentially giving her access to the library? Limited, of course, to what you are comfortable with.”
The matriarch’s brow arched. “A day pony? In this library?”
“It is bound to happen sooner or later. Why not one that will be respectful of all that is Haven’s culture?”
The mare did not immediately reply. She simply fell into thought. The silence lingered on a bit before she replied, “She may come, but I will not agree to any library access until I’ve met and gotten to know her.”
“That’s fair. She’ll be extremely excited. I’ll be sure to send a carrier immediately so that she visits while there are still house guards here.”
“Very well. Anything else?”
I shook my head and settled back to my book. The matriarch nodded and headed back to, I assume, attend Princess Luna.
Two weeks of secret practice was in order. That and keeping an eye on Dream Dancer. It was going to be weird not going to therapy for that long. It wasn’t that I was enjoying it, but Mindful Soul was very, very good. She was helping me with the guilt and the anger.
That wasn’t to say I was over them; I was just dealing with them better. Better than putting a hoof through plaster, anyway. The real trick was to focus on other things and talk about what I was feeling when it made sense. I still had to keep my mouth shut about my mission as preserving my career a bit longer was necessary. At least until I found a replacement. It wouldn’t matter after that. Then they could bust me down to guard 3rd class.
Of course, Mindful Soul didn’t like that kind of thinking. Negative thinking was what got me into this situation, she’d said. She had also pointed out that mitigating circumstances might save my career since I had a legitimate mental health issue, apparently.
Truthfully, in either situation, as long as I wasn’t discharged, I’d be fine. I’ve never minded standing guard, and I doubted Crystal would mind being married to a dishonored former officer.
I shifted my attention back to the book in front of me. Guard or officer, dishonored or not, I still had a duty to protect Princess Luna. Exemplar Ferrel had made it clear that there would be more bloodshed for me, and I needed to be prepared. High Marshal Moonglaive would see that I was.
☾
Dream Dancer and I were sitting in the tavern having lunch. I hadn’t said much, but she’d said a lot. She was the kind of pony that just got along with other ponies, the kind that talked to anypony and had never met a stranger.
“And that is pretty much how I met my stallionfriend. If it wasn’t for that seagull, who knows who I’d be with!”
What seagull? Had I zoned out? I’d zoned out. “Well… lucky seagull, then.”
“Other than it dying,” she said, her tone dropping a little.
Oops. “I mean… lucky seagull for you. I’m sorry, that sounded better in my head.”
She waved a hoof and smiled. “I get the sentiment, sir. Lucky for me it happened so I met my stallion.”
“Exactly!”
Dream Dancer chuckled and shook her head. There was a pause as she looked around. “I’ve noticed the ponies here are extremely respectful of us and Princess Luna. They give us a lot of space, too. It seems easy to get complacent.”
“That means we have to work all the harder,” I explained. “You’re right, though. They see her as their one ruler and are very protective over her. I never anticipate problems here, but we do have to be vigilant as always. Especially with only a squad.”
“Yes, sir. Don’t worry, I’m on top of it. Celestia knows I have a ton of free time to check on my guards. How do you keep busy here?”
My ear flicked. “Personally, I just read a lot. When you’re not on duty, you could head topside and fly around the mountain a bit. Get some of that energy out.”
“That isn’t a bad idea. I’m not used to all of this darkness and seeing through… well, whatever this is.” She lightly touched the amulet that hung around her neck.
“Dark vision enchantment. Princess Luna did that herself.”
“You and her don’t wear one though.”
Observant pony. I tapped my breastplate. “Mine is built in. As far as she goes, I’m pretty sure she can just see in the dark, or maybe she casts the spell on herself. I try not to question magic that much. It seems like there are rules and whenever you want to break one, you just scream ‘magic’ and flail your forelegs.”
Dream Dancer giggled. “I don’t know why Lieutenant Day said you were sour. I think you’re pretty funny, sir.”
I glared. “Sour? She called me sour?”
“Yup!”
“And you didn’t keep her confidence on that?”
“I changed teams, sir. New loyalties! I’m a mercenary.”
I snorted. “Well, I am known to occasionally be too serious, especially compared to Sunny. I’ll keep your loyalties in mind in case I ever let you move to another team.”
“You better, sir. I’ll sell you out too… for the right price.”
“You’re not instilling a lot of confidence here, Sergeant.”
She laughed and shook her head. “Don’t worry, it’s only with the silly things.” Then she stood up. “I need to go check on my guards, though. If you’ll excuse me, sir?”
“Dismissed,” I replied.
She left, and I returned to my lunch. My lunch… our lunches… She’d just left me with the bill! Oh, Dream Dancer, I see how it is going to be.
☾
Sunlight is a wonderful thing. The lack of it didn’t bother me as much as the rest of the guards, but even I had to step outside of Haven a few times to see natural light.
When I came up and out, Night Frost and Rose Mary were standing guard at the main entrance. It was a wholly unnecessary post, but it was one of the tricks we used to ensure each pony got plenty of daylight.
As summer started to fade away, the air around the peak was getting particularly cold, but it was better than being inside all of the time, cooped up in a cavern. I decided to take flight and patrol the sky, which was really just an excuse to stretch my wings. There was never any danger way up here.
In the distance, I caught sight of a large chariot approaching and a change of course set me on a path to intercept it. The distance closed quickly between us and it wasn’t long before I could make out Lightning Flash and Thunder Tumble pulling it. Had it already been two weeks?
Iridescence waved from the back. “Hello, sir! We’re here!”
Miley poked her head up. “I’m here, too!”
“Where is your mask!” I shouted at Miley.
“I’m better, sir!”
I shook my head. “Do not bring your plague to these nox ponies. You put the mask on!”
She huffed and asked Iridescence, “Is he ever going to let that go?”
“You sneezed in his face…” she said before covering Miley’s muzzle with a mask.
“Follow me in,” I said before turning back towards Haven. They didn’t really need an escort, but appearances should be kept. We all landed together and, as soon as we did, Ley Lines hopped out of the back.
“Wow! I can’t believe it! This cave is huge,” she exclaimed before trotting towards it.
Iridescence watched and looked over at me. “If it isn’t obvious, I got your letter. She was ecstatic, dropped everything, and came with us immediately.”
I nodded and leaned in close. “Please keep her out of trouble.”
“Will do. Speaking of that, please keep an eye on Winterspear and Dot. You remember what happened last time.”
I frowned. “Yes… my place almost burned down.”
Iridescence’s brow shot up and she looked at me with mock horror. “Your sister almost burned down!”
“Yeah… that, too.” I gave a playfully nonchalant shrug. “Come on, let’s get everypony inside. Dream Dancer and I won’t be leaving until tomorrow.”
Iridescence nodded and motioned at Blackblade. “Please act as an escort and wrangler for Miss Ley Lines.”
“Yes, Sergeant.” He trotted after the unicorn who had already invited herself through the city gate.
“How was the trip?” I asked as we all started to head into the cavern.
“Boring!” Miley chimed.
Iridescence glared at the small mare and said, “It wasn’t bad. I’m sorry I’m not as entertaining as your stallionfriend. We can’t all blow things up and turn topiaries into fruit-eating plant monsters.”
“Pardon?” I said.
“Runic managed to give some plants a higher sense of intelligence and they went cannibal. No real harm was done,” Iridescence explained.
Miley added, “The fines were minimal, and I don’t think there will be any lawsuits.”
“Of course. I’ll have to have a word with him about giving mundane objects sentience,” I said with a sigh.
“Don’t spoil his fun!” Miley said and then squeaked, “Sir!”
“She’s getting mouthy,” I told Iridescence.
“Yes, sir, I’ll take care of that.”
“Good.”
As soon as we made it into the city, I saw Moonlit Star there waiting. Or, rather, she would have been waiting if she weren’t already being bombarded by questions from Ley Lines.
“Matriarch,” I interrupted as I hurriedly approached. “This is Ley Lines, the scholar I told you of.”
“I presumed as much,” the matriarch said, her expression giving none of her thoughts away. Then she smiled. “Would you care to join me for lunch, Scholar?”
Ley Lines beamed. “Ley is fine, and yes, please!”
Before I knew it, Ley Lines, Blackblade, and I were sitting at the table in the matriarch’s house, much in the same way I’d been on my first visit. Ley Lines didn’t know it, but this was her one chance to either stay and study or be sent home by the ponies of her curiosity.
Moonlit Star had set out a spread of jams, bread, and fresh fruits. She looked at the younger mare and asked, “So, you are a scholar in Canterlot? Is that what you do to earn your way in the world?”
Ley Lines eagerly nodded. “Yes, ma’am! It doesn’t pay much, but it has never been about money. Learning, exploring, and researching is all that matters! Pushing the knowledge of all ponies forwards is reward enough for me. That’s why, when I learned about Haven, I knew I had to come here.”
“To learn?” Moonlit Star asked.
“Yes! To learn and to share. Ponies are so flippant with history. We barely have good records from a hundred years ago, much less longer. They all seem content to just live their lives happy and ignorant of the past. Sure, there are some ponies that are scholarly but, I mean, we didn’t even know you existed! Your kind was little more than a foal tale.”
My ears shot up at the words ‘your kind,’ but I doubted Moonlit Star would take offense.
The older unicorn chuckled and nodded. “I see. You feel like we’ve done a better job of keeping history alive?”
“Yes, ma’am. Well, your history, anyway. I guess if you’ve been isolated you won’t know about our history. Either way, a comparative would be huge. Plus, your magic! How your magic has grown or changed compared to ours. Think of the possibilities of sharing back and forth.”
Moonlit Star repeated softly, “Yes, think of the possibilities, indeed.” She then fell silent and started to nibble on her lunch.
“So… if, you know…” Ley Lines shifted in her seat. “I could stay here and study at your libraries or schools for a little while that would be great. I was told I could remain as long as there were house guards here.”
Moonlit Star looked my way. I lightly cleared my throat and said, “If approved, you could stay as long as we were here, yes.”
“If, when, whichever!” the unicorn retorted.
“Yes, if.” I peered at her. “Remember, our host is being very gracious.”
Ley Lines’s ears shot up and her gaze shifted my way as if to argue. She then caught sight of Moonlit Star and smiled. “Of course. I’m sorry. I get… a little overzealous sometimes when it comes to learning. I’m glad to be here regardless.”
The matriarch nodded. “I understand. Why don’t we finish lunch and we can discuss more about you and what you hope to learn?”
“That would be great,” the unicorn replied before setting her sights on the food.
☾
“Be sure all of the invitations go out,” Luna said as she stared down at me.
“Yes, Princess,” I replied.
“For both events.”
“Yes, Princess, of course.”
“Willowy won’t be there to do it. It has to be you,” Princess Luna pushed.
I looked up at the alicorn with a flat stare. “Princess, do you think I’m not capable of sending out a bunch of invitations to ponies? I was your aide before Willow.”
The princess’s ears twitched, and she lightly set a hoof on my shoulder. “My apologies, Silent Knight. I just want both events to be perfect. They are very important to me.”
“I understand. I won’t let you down, Princess.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. I’ll see you in two weeks,” she said before hugging me.
I returned the embrace and lingered for a moment. It was impossible to stay mad at her. I’d given that up. Now, I was just sad I wouldn’t be able to lead her House Guard for too much longer.
We slowly parted and I said, “I’ll see you soon. Have a safe trip back.”
“You as well. Please give my regards to Crystal Wishes. You have a lot of wedding to plan in a very short time.”
“Of course, Princess. Take care.”
I left the suite and found Willowy in the hall. After a brief nod, I made my way around her to head to the stairs, but she turned and started to walk with me.
“So, you have to send out all the invitations on the list for the Nightmare Night party,” she started.
“Yes, I will do that.”
“And all the ones on the list for the shower,” she continued.
“Yes.”
“They have to go out as soon as you get back. And you can’t mix the lists up.”
I peered over at her. “Have I given you any cause to believe I can’t tell the lists apart?”
Her coat bristled around her shoulders. “It’s a lot of names!”
“It isn’t. Neither have a lot of names.”
“For you, they do.”
I stopped walking to glare at her. “What does that mean?”
She returned the glare. “You’re not an assistant! You’re a royal guard. Planning parties isn’t in your skillset.”
“This isn’t planning parties! This is sending out letters. I know how to read a list! I know how to send letters! You do realize I went to school, right?”
Willowy sighed and begrudgingly nodded. “Fine, fine. Just don’t screw this up. She’s really serious about this.”
“Willowy…”
“Yes?” She raised one brow at me.
Condescending little mare. My nose wrinkled, and I just huffed, “I’ll see you when you get back.”
“Okay, bye!” She waved a hoof.
I trotted down to the center square where our chariot was waiting. Dream Dancer looked up and asked, “Ready to go, sir?”
“Extremely,” I muttered. “Let’s get home.”
“Aye, sir!” she chimed before pointing a hoof up the street. “To home, girls!”
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A mercenary is the only reliable soldier in my opinion. People with a sense of honour and loyalty do funny things. Never mind people who have a cause to fight for, they are downright dangerous.
Totally shipping ley lines and blackblade. #leyblade
6617431
A point well made. Makes one wonder what kind of dangers shall Silent evoke with his approach...
At least his loyalties lie with the correct pony.
Another great chapter! :3
The mirror pool. This is when Princess Celestia also learned about the joys of trolling. It has kept her sane for many years.
I do believe that Silent Knight might be considered a fanatic at this point.
Even with safeties in place, deploying your bio-weapon into a friendly population seems rude to say the least.
+1 to the enemy list for Silent Knight. She certainly doesn't like him even after the bribe from Crystal.
I don't like hero silent is thinking. 1. He is going to fall down in rank. 2. More blood will soon be spilt.
It's really concerning that Silent thinks he's on the verge of having his post taken away.
SK already said it, but I'll repeat just to be sure: Too soon, Luna.
And I can already tell SK is going to mess up with the invitations. He's being reminded of it so much, that it just can't go smoothly
OK, so the Matriarch knows, and Luna knows... But how do they feel about Silent reading that particular series - what do they think about this? Gah! I want to know so badly!
It seems like the days of real open-ness between Silent and Luna are over, and that makes me a sad panda. (But I'll settle for a
)
Miley should be nicknamed Bio-weapon at this point. Also, is it weird that I don't see why Silent would lose his commission?
6617766
That is a really good question. Silent Knights internal struggle seems to be based on what would happen under our systems. However based on what we've seen of this setting he is the Right Hoof of one of two supreme warlords who can do whatever they want. Given the amount of love Luna gives him it would probably take about 2 seconds and a hug for her to simply retroactively allow his actions assuming a legal system even exists beyond either of the princesses.
6617431 upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4f/Mercenaries_-_Playground_of_Destruction_Coverart.png You probably have heard of this game then yes? If not, based on your statement, you would like this game, and to a lesser extent, its sequel.
6617980
Actually I haven't but I must give it a spin if what you say is true.
6617766 Take your pick:
-misappropriation of military personnel
-misappropriation of military hardware
-theft of confidential documents
-lying to superior officers (lies of omission count)
-murder
-Alistair was apparently Griffon royalty so there is also regicide
-Not reporting some of the stuff that went down probably makes him an accomplice to several other crimes
Why do I have a bad feeling for what is to come for Silent Knight?
That was fun, may I have another? Looking forward to more.
Keep up the good work. Deus tecum.
6618008 It's an open world 3rd person shooter. "GTA North Korea" if you will. Just to give you an idea of gameplay.
6617766
This is a fair question. I'll go ahead and work with this and what others have said.
6617938
I think part of the issue here is that there is one thing that is unclear. This isn't one size fit all. Silent Knight has two struggles here: 1. Law and 2. Regulation.
They are absolute rulers, yes, but they have a parliament and respect it. Although that isn't to say that if said body of ponies passed a law to kill all unicorns they wouldn't just veto it.
Legally, yes, she could pardon him of crimes just like our President can. That isn't that irregular.
From the regulation perspective, however, he violated several regulations that could all result in disciplinary action. Could the Princess step in there too? Sure... would it work well? Not really. She can't be everywhere at all times watching his career. He either would get "special pony status" and they'd just nepotism him like crazy OR they'd find ways to sabotage him. It would make his career excessively hard regardless and, regardless of how we may feel about SK, he wouldn't be a guard just because Mamma Luna said he could be.
That isn't him. If he was stripped of his commission he'd accepted it.
6618011
Yes. Violation of policy.
He had clearance to have the ones he took. It isn't theft. Just mishandling. Minor at best.
Yes, but also minor. Mostly because command did a poor job of supervising and he didn't have a lot of interaction with superiors once SA was gone.
Not under the law in this universe, no. Alastair was an enemy combatant and their version of a "terrorist." SK killed another soldier. That isn't murder under their law. Unauthorized opp, sure!
Meh. That would piss off the gryphons but no ponies have a lot of sympathy for an assassin.
Again, violations of regulations. Not really law.
6617431 That is an interesting point. The only problem with the mercenary is that they can be brought off.
6617464 Fair enough ;D
6617479 Yes indeed!
6617553 Thank you!
6617591 Multiple Celestias in the mirror pool... hmm...
6617619 Well, he has a reasonable thought about it. And unfortunately Ferrel seemed to be pretty sure about the second one.
6617680 Indeed it can be. We'll see how it plays out.
6617708 I love the idea of the shirt there.
6617724 Well, Moonlit Star flat out showed the books too him. She seems alright with it.
6618021 It is a valid point for sure. We'll just have to see since we're almost there.
6618032 More to come!
Still don't see why he feels that he has to leave the House Guard. Still bit of foreshadowing, but SK is totally going to mess up the lists. Gotta wonder if somepony like Runic is responsible for the Timberwolves, well at least partially. I can empathize with Miley. I know from experience that once you sneeze in someone's face they will never forgive you. In my 20s and I still get lip about from being around 10 or 11 years old.
6618161
Anyone can be bought off, if the price is right. Mercenaries are just up front about it so it's less shocking when it does happen.
6618161 Mercenaries who turn on their employers mid-contract soon find themselves with no employers. The true professionals are smart enough to know this.
Of course established professional's with a good reputation tend to be quite expensive.
As with all things "buyer beware," and "you get what you pay for," apply.
He's gonna screw up the lists.
I felt like this chapter was filler more than anything. It didn't feel like anything really happened.
6618138
Was that brought up previously? I honestly don't remember any mentions about the style of government other than some out of story questions when you indicated that it was still a time of kingdoms.
6618264
You must have glossed over this part. I wouldn't consider the placement of a secret bio-weapon in the Nox home by Silent Knight in case they need to be convinced of something 'filler'.
I wonder how much of a connection Luna will put together between what she knows of Moonglaive from her own studies and memories and what Silent himself is studying now that she knows the source of the material, and if she does if it'll have any impact on the story.
I'm not sure it'll ever not be too soon where that shirt and the idea of wearing it in Haven of all places is concerned. I'm not sure they'd take the right message.
Maybe she doesn't view Luna's guard as counting as day ponies, but there's already been a few dozen or so counting them.
Progress!
That's an interesting possibility that had not occured to me.
Dream Dancer is fun.
You know, Silent, that's kind of tribalist.
Ahh, Ley Lines, should be fun.
I like Ley Lines' attitude.
Ooo, and it seems that the Matriarch does, too.
Ahh, the eternal party planning competition between the qualified and the unqualified.
6618318
cdn.hitfix.com/photos/5621843/Grumpy-Cat.jpg
Ya know something tells me that Luna ain't gonna be happy when she hears about SK's plan. The funny part is that SK thinks he's actually going to leave the lunar house guard. Did he forget that he pledged to be Luna's personal knight as well as her friend?
Miley!
So in regards to the invitation scene with Luna and Willow/y, my personal experience is:
1) it's very annoying and possibly condescending and rude (depending on who is doing it and the context - I would say Willow/y fits it) to do to someone - at least someone who hasn't proven themselves to be incapable of doing the job.
2) When you go over and over something like this, you tend to make a person overthink a job and actually contribute to that person actually making a mistake where they probably wouldn't have done so before. That is - SK would probably have handled the job with no issues if Luna and Willow/y had told him what to do... and then stfu. Now, though they have him annoyed because he thinks they don't trust him with a simple task and will probably actually make a mistake for which he will probably never hear the end of (especially from Willow/y).
Just going by personal experience of course.
It could turn out alright for SK, but I will go on record now that if SK messes up, I blame Luna and Willow/y and won't side with them if they go after SK for it.
Ho I so loved Miley in this chapter x)
CaptainSand/Scarlet Blade does an Awesome job at the readings
Silly Luna, we all know you won't get a seat at the wedding. You'll be performing the ceremony.
Oh, Mr Chekov! It's so wonderful to see you again, sir!
6619173 Perhaps so! Perhaps not. You never know with me. I'm squirrely.
6619167 That is certainly a possibility! Of course we all know Crystal and Upper Crust are making all of the wedding decisions.
6618768 Agreed.
6618509 Miley is a very entertaining pony for sure. She's been mouthy though!
6618475 I also find that extremely annoying and condescending. Come after me when/if I screw up, not before. Willow is, of course, Silent's nemesis.
6618343 That is the trick when it comes to doing what is best for the princess. Silent is trying to make sure she doesn't risk herself for him.
6618327 The shirt still cracks me up in general. Seemed fun to have her think it was funny.
I do think the "day pony" PLHGs get a pass as night ponies. At least in the eyes of the Haven ponies. They're all sworn to Luna's protection.
6618264 You never know with me and what I'm going to reach back to :D Every chapter, even "filler" ones serve a purpose.
6618253 He might!
6618164 The issue is we know Luna is making an effort to protect her own bodyguard. Silent Knight is wisely concerned that now that he and Luna are even closer, should an event like the train occur again, Princess Luna may act irrationally and try to save him. He can't protect her if she is trying to protect him.
6618318 Not expressly or in detail. We occasionally have heard about the princesses meeting with the representatives and such. Normally it is just off the cuff little bits since it has never been plot relevant. The only major thing we hear about is Cadence being elected governor and Princess Celestia favoring that style of rule.
6619346 I'm not saying that it didn't continue the plot, but it still felt like filler to me. Oh well *shrug*.
6619346 That may be so, but from what I've gathered of this stories Luna, she doesn't take promises lightly, does she? Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't SK vow to always protect Luna, to be her Knight? Again, I could be wrong, but that's what I recall.
6619346 That's a very good point. There's no way Upper Crust is going to let her daughter be married by anyone other than a princess if she can manage it. Of course, it is possible that they could manage to rope in Celestia as well, but I feel like she would insist that Luna be the one to conduct the ceremony given her relationship with Silent and Crystal.
6619346
I actually find this part the funniest about the whole Silent Knight issue. Honestly he is practically if not already at the stage when he wouldn't even be going out in the field anyway. I know that the setup is extremely wonky (being a super small guard), but it is like the head of the secret service also being a field agent at the same time.
Hi, I am Silent Knight, Guard, Commander of Princess Luna's House Guard, Commander of Night Watch, Head Diplomat for the Nox, Dragon Whisperer, Warrior of the Old Ways, Leash Holder to the Plaguebringer, Confidant of Princess Luna, Aide to Princess Luna.
I vaguely remember that term coming up, however it is a generic term and I assumed it meant representatives for say a business, town, or organization that wanted some of the princess's time, not government.
The most accurate thing about Magic and the whole MLP Series in general. Im not gonna lie.
Oh lord. Why do I have a feeling Silent is gonna have Luna come home early with the Miley Disease cause she sneezed in the princess's face. Im curious to see how the Scholar's gonna see all the history, and how she is gonna bring it to play. She aint to far into the know as Silent is, and she may find some.. disturbing information. Either way it is nice to see Haven again. and I like the new Sgt. She seems fun. Anyway cant wait for the next chapter!
The end is approaching, Silent is a pessimist, and you really need to reign Chekov in. Someone's going to get their eye shot out. I only hope things will not end as badly as things seem to be building up to be.
Very much looking forward to seeing how this plays out.
That would be amusing, but I think you meant "invitations".
6620158 Me too :D We'll find out pretty soon.
6619884 I don't disagree in general but, in this case, he might be a realist when it comes to some things!
6619766 Yeah, that is half of the fun. We have a problem... WELL I just read about this exact spell to solve this problem! GREAT!
6619426 In a way, absolutely. The issue is, like you mentioned, the security detail is pretty small. The head of the SS is responsible for every VIP they protect. He's just responsible for one and he got too close. Ended up with all of those other hats. From what we've seen now though he is still in the line of fire most of the time.
Yeah, they're members of the government. It just wasn't plot relevant to what SK was seeing/doing so he never really brings it up. All of the pony towns and such have representatives though. The princesses can't be everywhere!
6619400 Upper Crust would have to make sure appearances are kept! We'll have to see what sort of wedding they end up with :D
6619379 Silent Knight doesn't take promises lightly either but it isn't that simple. If he truly believes she'd risk her life to save his, than he could still fulfill his oath by being away from her and ensuring she has the appropriate security.
6620339 OK I can see that. Just, if SK does leave the house guard are they at least going to stay in contact as friends? I feel like Luna wouldn't want that connection to be severed completely, but in the end I'm not the writer of the story
. Just keep doing like you have been and you'll continue to have me as a reader 
.
6620339 Yeah, that's what I'm worried about.
6621331 It's also possible that Luna could create some sort of special aide position for him. He has more than enough other hats to justify it, especially if she decides she wants him to train the others up with the knight manuals he has been studying from.
6622288 That...could work
. That sounds awesome for keeping SK with Luna and keeps him from being worried she'll throw herself in front of him, if *cough* when *cough* (Hmm sorry what was that? 
) they get attacked
6622606 Yeah, it would definitely be a good solution to the problem, but we'll have to see what winds up happening. I can definitely see Silent Knight being too stubborn to stay with Luna, although she definitely has the power to make it happen if she wants to and thinks of it.
You have two different spellings. The second is the correct one, so please correct the first.
Whenever they are talking about Miley, I imagine a smaller, more adorable Derpy in armor. Is this normal?
Luna gets seated in the back for the wedding. Tallest in the back so the short ones can see ;P
I thought it said “Marshmallow Moonglaive”