Chapter 34 - New Associates
BOOK TWO – "FURTHER OFF THE MARK"
I was finishing my morning ablutions, brushing the tangles out of my mane, when I paused to look at myself in the mirror. I mean really look at myself. After nearly eleven months in Equestria, I realized that I could barely remember what my human reflection looked like. The pony that stared back at me was far more familiar by this time and, to be truthful with myself, the person that I identified with now. While I had been shocked and dismayed at becoming a small equine with a green pelt of all things when I had first arrived in Equestria, that seemed totally normal to me now. When you live among a species that comes in all the colors of the rainbow, it’s very hard to stand out. Green ponies were less common though, and I liked that. In fact, I liked everything about my body now, right down to the wings that I was finally starting to master. Still figuring out my butt mark though.
On the face of it, I wasn’t a particularly outstanding pony, but somehow I had won the affection of several mares, one of whom also won my heart and was now pretty much my fiancée. I had a position of prestige and power, and the respect of a large portion of the population. I even had an alternate form with more amazing abilities. I grinned at my reflection. “Mark Wells – you are one lucky sonofabitch.”
“Are you going to stand there admiring yourself all morning, or will you be ready to be dressed soon?” Steady Flight asked drolly.
I nearly jumped out of my skin at the unexpected voice. With my heart pounding in my chest, I turned to my smirking valet/best friend and glared at him. “Can’t a handsome pony admire himself once in a while?” I complained.
“Yeah, but only if he likes to keep his marefriend waiting,” he retorted.
Right. My Great and Powerful Special Somepony was not known for her patience. “Good point. Be there in a moment.”
I hastily completed my mane brushing and went to see what outfit Steady had chosen for me today. Trixie liked to see her stallion well-attired, and I rather liked the appreciative looks and kisses she gave me at the breakfast table in the mornings. No more snacking in the nude up in my room anymore. Hmmm. Actually, maybe I could interest Trixie in coming up to my room for dinner consisting of a couple of pizzas, perhaps some wine, and snuggles on the balcony while watching the stars. We’d been “Special Someponies” for a few days now and I reckoned that we were past due for a date night.
Later that day, I was sitting in my office preparing for the afternoon session of Day Court when my door burst open and somepony hurtled through and came to a crash-landing on my desk. I found myself staring into a face with fangs and slit eyes, a knife at my throat. I gulped nervously.
“Bad date last night, Penumbra?” I asked.
The thestral mare with flying fox coloration grinned and put away the knife. “Great date, actually. Heard you needed a new personal bodyguard. Thought I’d see if the position is still open.”
“And the reason for scaring a year off my life is why?”
“To show you how unprepared you are and how much you need me.”
“And what would you have done about them?” I pointed to the doorway.
Penumbra looked around and saw my two regular Royal Guards, Easy Breeze and Far Sight, glaring at her, one with a crossbow aimed and the other with a sword held in his magic, ready to swing in an instant. The mare shrugged. “Bad plan if I intended to escape, but great plan if I was a suicidal assassin. You’d be dead already.”
“Good point. Now, unless you wish to be perforated and/or filleted, I suggest that you get off my desk.”
The thestral back-winged and came to a soft landing in front of the desk. I dismissed the Guards with a wave of my hoof.
“Okay, you’ve gotten my attention. Why do you want to be my personal bodyguard?”
“Ooh, I could say that I have ambition and it would be true. The prestige would be nice too. I might be after the pay raise – I could use a few more bits each week. But the truth is that I’m bored.”
I cocked my head and raised an eyebrow. “Bored?”
“Yeah. Since Princess Luna disappeared, we Night Guard have had next to nothing to do but dull patrols. I want to get where the action is, and that seems to be around you most of the time nowadays.”
“A bit too often lately, actually,” I grumbled. “I’d prefer a bit of peace and quiet. Ironically, you’d be charged with giving me that.”
Penumbra smiled confidently. “The best bodyguards make sure to hog all the fun.”
I grinned. I liked the thestral when she was introduced to me by her weightlifter friend the other day, and she certainly was more interesting than the two admittedly competent stiffs that were outside the door. I had blown off attempts to assign me a new personal bodyguard since I dismissed Crimson Boulder, settling for several Royal Guards if I left the palace. I would have done without them too except Trixie would have a fit if I went out without protection. As she was in the right this time, I only griped a little. The fact was – I just didn’t want anypony getting that personally involved with me after being let down by someone that I had considered a friend. Seemed I had let my guard down in more than one way though because Penumbra was growing on me. However…
“The majority of the trips are made during the day – won’t that be a problem for you?”
“Pfft!” She waved a wing dismissively. “I have some cool shades and I actually like the feel of the sun on my fur.”
I pictured the bat-pony in Ray-Ban sunglasses, giving a fang-filled sneer at some poor wretch who dared to accost me. Sounded awesome, actually. “Alright – you’ve intrigued me and I’m prepared to give you a trial. You just have to convince Princess Trixie to approve you. I suggest that you don’t try the same stunt that you pulled on me though.”
“Why does the Princess have to approve the appointment?”
“She might not like the… ah… competition,” I replied.
Penumbra grinned. “Hey, you know who I went out on a date with last night, so no problems there, right?”
“You’d be surprised,” I replied, not willing to tell the lesbian mare any more than that. “Now shoo! I have work to do before Court starts.”
“Okay. Catch you later!” she replied confidently.
I smirked after the retreating thestral. Terrible personality for a professional Royal Guard but I could see why Luna had liked the mare. Her weightlifter friend, Maximum ‘Maxi’ Lift, had told me a lot about her stint in Luna’s personal squad, and now I realized that she’d been laying the groundwork for today’s impromptu interview. I reckoned that Penumbra had a lot of potential. Now if only Trixie didn’t screw this up for me. While my marefriend had indicated that she was willing to share her stallion, the number included in that concession was exactly two others right now. The fact that I could become a mare only made things worse. Thank God I didn’t turn into a copy of Luna! Anyway, that was a complication that I would deal with later. It would be worth it to be able to get out of the palace without a damn retinue!
I wrapped up my work and put the files relevant to this afternoon’s needs into a folder which I tucked under a wing. I then headed for the dining hall to have the lunchtime meal. Never go into a court session on an empty stomach! I had learned the hard way how some had gone overtime due to urgency requiring an immediate resolution, and my stomach was a growling cavern by the time it was done.
Trixie arrived at the same time as I did and I gave her a quick kiss before we entered the room. While we expected to find Raven Inkwell there, surprisingly, Twilight Sparkle was present also. Not that she wasn’t entitled to lunch after her morning court session, but that she usually wasn’t that prompt. Very frequently, she would hang around the throne room just chatting with somepony as befitted the Princess of Friendship. The fact that she wasn’t alone might have something to do with it though.
Twilight smiled when she saw us enter and greeted us. Then she looked over to her companion – a unicorn mare with a light yellowish-gray coat, and red mane and tail with purple highlights which strongly reminded me of Twilight’s own mane-style. Only the short topknot was significantly different. She had purple eyes seen through large black-rimmed spectacles, and a cutie mark of a crescent moon and three stars. She also wore a very dowdy turtleneck jumper.
“I’d like you to meet my friend, Moon Dancer. I invited her to have lunch with me. I hope you don’t mind.”
We didn’t mind, but company always put Trixie into Princess mode, and I valued our semi-informal lunchtimes with Raven. Still, it wasn’t as if we didn’t have guests occasionally, and Twilight had an equal right to do so.
Trixie smiled benevolently at Moon Dancer. “It’s always a pleasure for us to meet one of our little ponies. Princess Twilight hasn't mentioned your name before, as far as Trixie knows.”
“We… ah… recently reconnected, Your Highness,” Moon Dancer replied.
Twilight said, “I’m embarrassed to admit that I let my old friendships slip while I was concerned with other matters, and my move to Ponyville took me away from regular contact. I had some bridges to re-build, but Moonie and I are getting to know each other once again. I invited her to spend a morning in Day Court to see what I do and to meet you too.”
“The Great and Wise Trixie is pleased that you show such interest in our endeavors, Moon Dancer. Can you really spare this much time from your work though?”
Moon Dancer licked her lips and hesitated. “I am a scholar, actually. I make my own hours.”
“I see. What subjects do you study?”
“Everything, Your Highness.”
“Everything? Trixie was not aware that any university offered such a course,” she said with a small smirk.
“Oh, no. I graduated from Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns the same year as Twilight. I’ve just continued studying on my own.”
Trixie frowned. “If you are not a registered student nor employed, how do you earn money to pay for food or shelter?”
“I get a stipend from the Royal Treasury.”
“I see. And what do you do in return for this stipend?”
“I… do research.”
“For whom?”
“No one, Your Highness. I seek knowledge for its own sake.”
Trixie walked up to Moon Dancer and regarded her for a long, uncomfortable moment. “So – correct Trixie if she misunderstands the situation. You are paid to read books all day and you do nothing else?”
Twilight’s eyes widened and her ears folded back. “Hey! You make that sound like a crime!”
Trixie held up a hoof in a wordless demand for silence. “Princess Twilight, hold your peace. Trixie is not finished.” The faux alicorn returned her attention to the unicorn. “Please answer Trixie’s question.”
Moon Dancer seemed to wither a bit under Trixie’s stern gaze. “That is… ah… essentially true.”
Trixie nodded, turned away, and headed for her chair. “Trixie sees why she is your friend, Princess Twilight. Nevertheless, while Trixie understands the value of a good education, having been an alumnus of Celestia’s school too, we also expect that knowledge to be put to good use.”
“Yeah, like you did with your traveling magic act,” Twilight muttered almost inaudibly.
Trixie shot her a sharp glance before continuing. “Your stipend will be terminated as of now.”
Moon Dancer gasped, and I was not a little surprised too, but I suspected my marefriend was up to something so I held my tongue. Twilight wasn’t quite so restrained.
“You can’t do that! Moon Dancer does valuable work!”
“Valuable to whom?” Trixie asked snidely.
“Well… to me, anyway.”
Trixie grinned like a shark that had caught its prey. “Exactly. It’s time to put that knowledge and ability to use. Raven Inkwell has been barely coping with the workload after the backlog from the Season. It’s time that she was given an assistant. Raven will continue to attend to Trixie’s Court sessions, but Moon Dancer will now fulfill that role for you, Princess Twilight. She will be paid a wage commensurate with that position, and she can continue her studies when not required in Court.” She smiled smugly and looked at Moon Dancer. “Unless you would prefer to find a job as a shop assistant or foalsitter, perhaps?”
Moon Dancer looked stunned. “I… that is… it sounds fair to me, Your Highness.”
Twilight’s mood flipped to enthusiastic excitement. “That’s a great idea, Trixie! That’ll give Moonie and me more time together as well as giving her meaningful employment.”
“Sounds good to me too,” I said. “But can we get on with lunch now? I’m starving!”
# # #
After the food was served up, conversation mostly devolved upon discussion of how Moon Dancer would take up her new responsibilities. It was agreed that Raven would coach her through the first few times and henceforth report to Raven after each Court session for a probationary period until she got into the swing of things.
Trixie said, “Oh, and one other thing. Have Moon Dancer see the Royal Seamstress to find something more suitable than… that to wear.” She glared disdainfully at the unicorn’s jumper. “She must present a certain standard in the throne room lest she be mocked by the nobles and cast Princess Twilight in a poor light.”
I had to agree with Trixie on that one – presentation was everything, especially to the nobles.
Now that Moon Dancer was officially assigned to be Twilight’s assistant, there was no reason to put off my question. “Would you mind putting up a privacy bubble please, Twilight? Just over the five of us.”
She nodded and her horn glowed. A translucent hemisphere covered Raven, Trixie, Moon Dancer, Twilight, and myself, rendering us inaudible to the wait-staff.
“Moon Dancer, everything we will discuss here is protected at the highest level of Equestrian security. It will not be written down or talked about without security measures comparable to this.”
The yellow unicorn nodded. “I understand. Thank you for including me in this discussion.”
I smiled. “Scheduling related to these topics will certainly fall within your responsibilities, so welcome aboard!” I turned back to Twilight. “How is progress going with your teams of researchers investigating ways to counter threats to Equestria?”
Moon Dancer raised an eyebrow but didn’t interrupt. Twilight grinned and started dancing on her hooves. “Oh, it’s going great! I have nine teams working under me now. I limit my input to ten minutes per day for each team when I’m here in town or a one scroll status update with the same space restriction for the guidance I return. All but two members of the Guild of Mages are now involved, and not always as team leaders. Some are just born researchers and not good at project management, which is fine.”
She waved a forehoof as she frowned. “We kept having problems with getting upgrades and gadgets accepted by the military, so I ordered that no research team move on to the next project until all problems found in the initial field checkouts had been solved to the brass’ and non-coms’ satisfaction. In return, the military agreed not to allow the project scope to evolve unless a Level One or Level Two critical vulnerability was discovered. If they want more changes, they need to submit the upgrades as a separate project for evaluation and scheduling.”
“So far, twenty-two projects have been completed with another five in various stages of testing. Eight finished projects are related to the changeling threat, which is in line with a third of the teams dedicated to those issues.” Twilight smiled. “I swear the teams are getting more efficient, too! They just don’t need as much supervision and are getting better at working their way through problems on their own. And I love the Cost-Benefit Analysis tool. I use it for my other research as well.”
Twilight’s eyes widened for a moment. “Oh! I almost forgot. Your care package came in.” She opened her saddlebags and a familiar wide blister pack levitated out. The packaging broke apart in her magic, leaving ten glorious ballpoint pens floating in the air—two each of five different colors. The imminent end of months of sharpening quills and getting ink stains all over my hooves made me hop up and down once in joy.
That got a snort of laughter out of Trixie. “And these trinkets are?”
The purple alicorn glanced at me and then to her co-ruler. “The world that Sunset Shimmer now calls home has these ‘ballpoint pens.’ Mark saw one that Sunset sent through the portal to me and asked for a supply. They act like a quill with an internal ink well that lasts for many hours.”
“May I try one?” asked Raven.
I frowned as a green pen floated to Raven and she set to work on her clipboard. Trixie leaned on the arm of her chair to watch her assistant scribble away. Actually, that was fine. Raven probably needed one even more than I did. She certainly took more notes.
I turned back to see Moon Dancer pulling a black pen out of Twilight’s field, pulling off the cap and placing it on the blunt end at Twilight’s suggestion. This was followed by a minute or so of pen scratching noises in stereo. “Having trouble getting the letters to look right,” I heard Raven grumble.
Twilight looked up at me apologetically. “I’m sorry, Mark, but I used up mine then disassembled it for study. I’ll need one for personal use, and there are two projects regarding quick messaging between the troops that need to use a pen as well. These might be just the special trick needed to make them work.” Three of the ballpoint pens—one blue, one red, and one green—floated back into her saddlebag, leaving five.
“Got it!” declared Raven proudly. Everypony gathered around to look at her notepad.
I blinked. My mind was blown. “But… you can’t change the width of a stroke with a ballpoint pen.”
“And how would you know?” asked Raven.
I thought quickly. “Twilight let me use hers quite a bit. It just makes an even-width line. That’s how it’s designed to work. How did you…?”
Rather than answering my question, she flipped to a new page and continued writing.
She sighed. “A bit rough, but I’m sure I’ll get better with practice. Just takes regulating the amount of pressure and a steady horn. Oh, and I’ll need this one and three other colors for my special project of looking for clues in Celestia’s diaries; plus one for my work in Day Court.”
Twilight levitated four more over to the white unicorn, leaving me aghast. Only a single blue pen remained floating in front of the alicorn as she spoke. “Oh, that’s right. How is that going? Any solid leads?”
I interrupted. “Wait a minute. Why do you need five pens exactly?”
“Starting from the last diary entry, I’ve been working backward in time, creating two items as I go. The synopsis stays in chronological order and uses four colors of ink to summarize the entries into four categories: Personal, Magic, Equestria, and Foreign Affairs. The reference cards give the volume number and date for every time Celestia used key phrases or referred to an individual or topic. I’ve just started the eleventh volume, number fifty-four, but progress is starting to slow with the increasing number of entries on each card that have to be checked for patterns.”
Trixie said. “And what patterns have you detected?”
“Celestia was an absolute master at manipulating world events. Time and time again potential threats were dealt with proactively and not allowed to fester. Everything from overt bribes to assassination or as she called them ‘liberation missions.’ I’ve given relevant details to the Foreign Relations department, but with each passing day, the information grows more stale.”
Her ears drooped. “Celestia’s agents around Equis would report to her directly, often because of obligations or friendships that spanned generations. They owed their allegiance to her, not to Equestria. Having a pony contact them to try to re-establish that connection would be very dangerous for all involved, and the few times we have tried, our government’s pony was turned down flat. Add to that the scroll delivery system is somehow tied to the magic of the sun itself. One of Twilight’s projects is to try to recreate this mechanism so we can use it as an alternative to dragonfire.”
Twilight’s body stiffened, then she took a deep breath. “Any clues where they might have gone?”
Raven shook her head sadly. “I’ve found exactly zero references to other dimensions or traveling through the mirror portals. As soon as I find anything, I’ll let everypony know right away.”
I looked down and frowned. That answer I could have guessed. I had heard some of the rest from an earlier summary. Anything that important would have been brought to our immediate attention.
While I was distracted, Trixie leaned forward and grabbed the last pen with her hoof.
“Hey! Those are my pens! Sunset gave them to me and I need at least one of them.”
Trixie shrugged as the other three mares tried to hide their smiles. “And you can doubtless ask for many more. But for right now, I need one for my magic homework assignments and royal correspondence. Everypony else here has a job or task with a higher priority than your note-taking in court, even if only slightly. I must compliment your initiative though.” She examined her pen closely. “This is indeed superior in many ways to a quill and ink bottle, so thank you for these.”
There was a chorus of “Thank-yous” all around as I flattened my ears. I couldn’t fault Trixie’s logic, but I suspected this had just a little to do with the fact I was the only stallion in the group. “Can… no, may I please borrow one of those pens, Raven?”
Twilight held up a forehoof to stop Raven from answering. “Hmm… Perhaps we should put this to a vote? I don’t want him accidentally losing one.” That got a laugh from Trixie and a quick chuckle from Raven and Moon Dancer. I think the fact I was grinding my teeth had something to do with their amusement.
“I’ll sweeten the deal,” I said. “Loan me a pen and I’ll not bite each of you on the flank.”
That caused Moon Dancer to stare at me with wide eyes. “You wouldn’t!”
I grinned as wide as I could. “I would start with yours.”
“Meep!” The yellow unicorn’s magic winked out and she dropped her pen.
Trixie scoffed. “Pay him no mind. He is ‘all bark and no bite’.”
I turned to smile at my marefriend. “That’s not what you said last night.”
This time it was Trixie’s turn to have her magic cut out, followed by her entire face turning red.
Twilight howled with laughter. When she had calmed down, she tossed one of her pens my way. “Here. You can use this for the rest of Day Court… which has a brand new meaning now.” She poked me in the side. “Congratulations to you both, by the way. It’s about time you two woke up and smelled each other… or perhaps it was—”
“Yes, yes, you are very clever, Princess Sparkle.” Trixie had regained some of her composure and glared at me. “There will be a reckoning for your actions today.”
I grinned without shame. “Sooner rather than later, I hope. That sounds like fun!” Trixie rolled her eyes but couldn’t stop herself from smiling.
Moon Dancer picked up her pen and pointed it towards Trixie. “Is it too late to change my mind? I had no idea this was such a pit of lunacy.”
“Tragically, yes, Miss Moon Dancer. We all must endure our burdens.” She narrowed her eyes at me, leaving little doubt who she was referring to.
I picked up Trixie’s pen and offered it to her. She paused, then carefully took it with her hoof, perhaps thinking I had one more trick I was going to play on her.
Twilight cleared her throat. “I’m going to drop the privacy bubble if everypony is ready.” Trixie spent a few moments composing herself, then nodded.
After her purple field dissipated, Twilight pranced away, “I’ll be in my lab if you need me. See you two starry-eyed foals at dinner!”
Moon Dancer trotted close behind. “I don’t think so. According to the schedule Raven gave me, you have a parade inspection, two department meetings, your horseshoe fitting…”
As they left the dining hall, I heard the alicorn groan and saw her ears fold backward in annoyance.
“Sergeant Penumbra of the Night Guard!” the Sergeant-at-Arms announced.
I felt my eyebrows rise in surprise. I knew I’d told Penumbra to check with Trixie, but I didn’t expect her to do so in the middle of Day Court. Just getting onto the list for today meant that she must have planned to do so at least a day in advance. I was beginning to get even more impressed with her foresight.
The thestral marched up to the throne dressed in full formal Guard armor and bowed to Trixie.
The faux alicorn gave me a glance before addressing Penumbra. “This is most unusual, Sergeant Penumbra. What is so important that you need petition the Great and Powerful Trixie instead of working through normal channels?”
“Your Highness, I am seeking the position of personal bodyguard to the Grand Vizier. He has given his conditional acceptance pending your approval.”
“Is that so?” Trixie asked, raising a curious eyebrow as she turned to me for clarification.
I said, “Sergeant Penumbra gave a convincing argument for assuming the post. She has the necessary skills and the personality to fit the job. Given how closely she will need to work with me, I felt it desirable to give you the final blessing.” Or to paraphrase, I wanted to cover my ass and let my marefriend know that I wanted a female to be my bodyguard.
Trixie gave me a flat look. “Do you think a mare is better suited to watch over you?”
“She would be better qualified to pull unwanted ponies off of me, at least,” I reminded her quietly.
She whispered back, “A point, but will Trixie need to pull her off of you?”
“Penumbra prefers mares.”
“Not a compelling argument in your case.”
“Would you prefer trying to pull a stallion off Marklestia?” I inquired archly.
My marefriend shuddered. “Trixie did not need that image in her head.” She turned back to Penumbra and raised her voice back to a normal level. “The Great and Wise Trixie grants your petition. Your duties begin immediately.”
Penumbra bowed again to Trixie. “Thank you, Princess.” She then moved to a position at the side of dais near to me. She flashed me a grin before putting on her stoic Royal Guard face.
I gave her a wink before turning my attention back to the court.
Penumbra was present during the remainder of Day Court. That suited me fine because I needed to go shopping for a horn ring tomorrow – one suitable for a princess and the mare who made me realize that bachelorhood wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. I made my new bodyguard aware of my plans when the session concluded before Trixie and I headed up to my room. Pizza waited for nopony!
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Just want to say, this story has been one of the main reasons I check this site every day. I'm not sure what it is, but I just love Mark and his clumsiness, both physically and socially.
(Whelp, time to forgo sleep and read this chapter!)
Twists and turns? But, Discord is....
Foxy bat is fun! May her viewpoint be clear.
Trixie is getting more cunning, she hesitated not one bit with that opportunity!
Why did Sunset send a single package? Pens aren't expensive... We believe a trolling is in progress!
Using excess pressure to emulate a wider stroke is very bad for the pen. Their explanation is flawed, or they're going to have ruined units in short order.
Keep going! ;)
Raven might get better results from a fountain pen. A good-quality kit would do everything she wants it to, and still be far more convenient than quills.
Mark forgot or might not ever thought about the negative side to the modern disposable world.. Ball point pens are continent but what do you do when they run out of ink or become damaged
ROFLMAO!
Looks like the fur is about to start flying!
Most wonderful chapter, Goldfur!
(stays on floor hugging a curious cat)
Pizza does not in fact wait for no one
9402692
Suspect it is more of a matter of using gradually less pressure than normal for the thinning lines and the main lines would be the standard pen thickness. It would require very fine control but probably possible, also the paper they'd be using would likely be much thicker than what we use so it would act as a padding for the ball point allowing more variation in pen pressure.
9402698
Yup, a simple modern disposable or cartridge fountain pen would be the easiest solution. Even better though, a classic Parker Volumatic or a 'cheaper' modern Sheaffer Prelude with piston conversion would solve the need for cartridges and could easily last 50 years with care and maintenance... heck, I know someone who still uses a Volumatic that was made in 1936.
Interesting turn of events
That reminds me of
https://m.Tactfully done, Trixie. Well played.
vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/mlp/images/f/f5/FANMADE_Clap._Clap._Clap.gif/revision/latest?cb=20130921060433
9402792
The main trick is to write on a pad of paper rather than on a single sheet on a hard surface. You need that springiness underneath the sheet to get the desired effect and to not subject the pen to undue wear.
Oh, and smooth paper. I tried using linen paper with its tiny ribs running vertically and horizontally and the results were terrible.
I am just loving the hell out of this story
This chapter in particular stood out as being particularly fun. Love it!
9402692
It's probably more that she was asked to send some pens for Mark, and figured (not unreasonably) that a package of them would be enough for one person.
this is starting out super strong.
loving it.
and some vary nice calligraphy.
Looks like I have some competition on the stylized letter front.
The fun continues! I can't wait to see what you have in store for us!
I wonder what Penumbras cutie mark is?
Foxy bat is gorgeous, but where's her Cutie Mark?
Ok so Mark has brought new thinking into the guard, introduced the concept of the Cost-Benefit Analysis tool, and given how this went probably going to begin a rush on development of a local ball point pen research and development project.
But what else is he potentially going to introduce to Equestria? The only thing that comes to my mind is environmentalism, as I think they sort of have an industrial revolution going, the concept of how industrial Equestria is has always been a little fuzzy for me. So I figure pointing out the dangers before they learn them the hard way about pollution could happen.
Either that or Goldfur has him review the education system to get a leg up on the last season, I mean heat season just past talk of children and child rearing one would think would soon follow which would bring the topic to his attention for review. Either that or Rarity in given with the cyclical nature of fashion has him modeling maternity wear in their next fashion show.
In a sense its an offshoot of re-training the guard, just going further back to where their knowledge base comes from.
9402716
Reverse-engineer them, of course. They're not exactly complex technology.
I can't wait until they have to go on a great quest to free the sisters. I imagine that the end of this arc will reveal things and arc 3 will be the epic quest.
Hmm. Maybe avoid using Poison Joke anytime in the future at all now, Mark? Because after a crack like that... joke'd be on you, hm?
Yes. Stick to your magic shapeshifting method. And pray somepony doesn't decide you need to be pranked in retribution for something again.
9404628 already tried that according to Twilight the metal of the ball is beyond their tech
9404796
Tungsten carbide gets used a lot these days, but brass and steel are also still used and serve just fine. I doubt they'd be up to mass-producing disposable ones, at least not immediately, but as "high-end" items they should be easily within their capabilities. Heck, given the goofy capabilities of magic they could probably produce diamond ballpoints.
9404819 Maybe but I am only going by whats in the story itself
With the revelation in regards to Moondancer use of royal stipend, I wonder if Trixie and Mark will begin a process of checking to see what government provided funds are being used for and what progress has been made in regards to various projects. It’s a common enough practice when a new government comes into power, review what the previous one was endorsing and either continue it or pull the plug.
So the diaries have proven that Celetia is literally a world class manipulator. Makes you wonder how much of the world is the way it is because she desires it and how much of that Mark with his innovations is changing.
For example is the technological level of Equestria the way it is because Celestia didn’t want it to advance, or at least not advance quickly, of course some of the motivation for that could be conservatism or her not wanting things to advance to far before Luna had a chance to come back.
The state of the Griffon Kingdom is also a question mark given the manipulation revelation.
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Cutie mark has now been added.
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Here is the post that inspired me to try out ballpoint pen calligraphy, and here (NSFW wording) is a video of how he made the letters.
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Well, THAT’s different.
Elsewhere:
Fitz: "What about this one?"
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Fitz: "It shows promise."
Simons: "Forget it. It has a Level One critical vulnerability. Since it was invented by three blankflank fillies from Ponyville, we can't find a way to make it foal-proof."
Fitz: "oooh! Right! We'd better put it in stasis containment and jettison it off planet, then."
They're Mark's pens, but the mares claimed them like money. What a dick move.
Your story get better with eatch chapters. Very spicey
Oy, don't jinx it. Being copy of Tia is already quite enough. ^_^
Damn fine chapter with excellent humor and nice turn of events
Though it is mild in this story, I really dislike the trend that guys, especially human turned ponies, can only be treated like a simp while seemingly accepting the sexist treatment by any female as par for the course. That when they try to act masculine in any amount they are treated as being "toxic" and quickly "put in their place". It strikes me as gender shaming of males.
The one Guard to change Marks future by filling it with puns and sass ♡
'Yeah, like you did with your traveling magic act'
She's a entertainer so her magic is beneficial to other's. Just studying does nothing.
And was we going to just ignore Ravins announcement that Celestia has pony's that are born and raised to personal spys and hitmen(hitmare?). That she has had untold amounts of lives snuffed out because they could cause problems? No? It's just me?
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I doubt she would kill recklessly. As for spies everyone is keeping an eye on everyone else because they may have gotten peace to a degree with the un but that doesn't mean someone can't cause trouble and making sure that doesn't happen is part of the spy job.