For his hard work to the Crown, the Royal Engineer of Equestria has been honored with a retinue of VIP bodyguards who protect him everywhere he goes. Their ordinary, everyday adventures together wind up being anything but ordinary.
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Hmmmm, interesting...
Georgia Armstrong is rather blunt, to say the least, when it comes to her political manoeuvring, but it's rather comforting, because she sounds pretty reasonable.
And she definitely sounds in charge and savvy, like she's had less than conciliatory "customers" before...
A very nice chapter.
Hoofstrong seems to have overlooked one little detail. It was Kilfeather who had been tossing her name around like it was her personal seal of approval for everything he did, no matter how underhanded or dishonorable. If she was willing to send her goons to out to ruffle the feathers of the nobility for the sake of giving them a political bloody nose, she has no right to complain about getting a little blowback when the ones who beat said goons enjoy a few well deserved bragging rights.
If anything she should be more annoyed at Kilfeather for flaunting her name every chance he got.
Celestias chariote is a deathtrap
At least Anon have... Seatbelts?
Interessting to hear/read em train together.
Interessting chapter. A lot of events to look forward to. Or rather dread em? Well be waiting to find out
Armstrong is a blunt instrument, but you can get a lot of finesse out of a blunt instrument.
As to why Anonymous is a lord, I would guess that Celestia knows a good thing when she sees it, wants him to be able to operate with as few obstacles as possible, and is a good enough judge of character to know that he wouldn't even think of abusing his newfound station.
I really like Major-General Hoofstrong. She's pretty blunt with what she is looking for and her questions, no political sidestepping, however she seems to be very competent both with her generalship and in political maneuvering. I think she and Anon could potentially become solid political allies since Anon is an example of a merit based individual rising to the highest ranks. Which I assume Hoofstrong's main political goal is.
Edit: I think Kilfeather’s ultimate downfall will be his belief that Hoofstrong needs him. Atleast from this conversation it seems that Hoofstrong got her use out of him and frankly doesn’t really care what happens to him because of his poor choices at the pas-de-sabots. When he first met Anon about his helmet he made it sound like Hoofstrong would do everything in her power to prevent him from being court-martialed. I doubt that’s actually the case looks like that might cost him big time.
Wow Hoofstrong is a lot more levelheaded and calm than I thought. This chapter has completely changed my perception of her. She's smart and knows when force or diplomacy is needed. I'm glad that even though she doesn't trust the batponies she doesn't immediately jump to conclusions and is willing to hear Anon's story.
I can also understand why she is confused on how Anon got the princesses to trust him as much as they do. It would seem weird to anyone honestly. I wonder if this sentiment is also held by those not as honorable or levelheaded as her. I wouldn't be surprised if another noble accuses Anon of mind control or something like that because of how fast he rose in political power.
10652831
Keep any potential problems close at hoof. If he did have any malicious intentions, they would be far harder to manifest in the position he was granted than they would as an outsider. It is a win-win. You gain the respect and fealty of the alien, and you are able to closely watch him and learn about him as well. You also manage to keep him away from the Bitsmouths of the world who could use what he knows for ill.
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It might be that she IS annoyed with Kilfeather.
After all, she knows whats going down with him, and doesn't sound like she's going to try and leverage the Court Martial. She's gonna let him hang by his own merits.
I certainly hope not!
I want to see more of her.
I understand there must be challenges when writing a character like Hoofstrong, and I'm glad you wrote her in spite of them.
I'm sure there must be yet more challenges just engineering situations where she would interact directly with our POV characters, and I'm glad this chapter set up a few for the future.
"Now it was "Hohnour’s" turn to blurt out in surprise. "You don't? Ma'am?".
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She didn't necessarily forget. I get the impression that she's being a good commander here. There's a rule of thumb when dealing with subordinates in the military: Praise in public, punish in private. There's nothing here that makes me believe Hoofstrong isn't raking Killfeather over the coals every chance she gets, but a good leader is unlikely to ever let it be known how or even if she's administering punishment.
Another rule for the military: Any problem caused by your troops is your problem. The commander is to blame for every action of their command. No matter whether they had any control or even ability to affect it. This is shown quite well when Hoofstrong says that she's the but of the joke.
Hmm, this sounds like she Major-General intentionally let Killfeather run around doing his thing, and now that he has served his purpose she is going to jettison him, presenting an image that "we commoners at least know how to take out the trash."
Clever, albeit risky a move, and with a big risk of collateral damage.
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I can imagine that from Celestia's perspective, even if he was exaggerating, if just half, heck even just a quarter of the stories he told them about his homeworld were true, that's a treasure trove of technological and scientific advances. Worth giving a chance, at the very least.
10652896
It's called command responsibility for a reason
Damn, is it weird I find myself reading this in my mid day break from work? I enjoy this story allot.
I feel this short red mare will be a good allie for our beloved 5 main characters. I think Hoofstrong is feeling up the waters in turns of trust. I think she feels she has a possibility at trusting Anon and that she is genuinly curious as to wgat kind of "gem" anonimous is to warrant such positives vibes from both of the Princesses.
10652890
It seems I missed the final editorial pass import before I posted today's chapter. I've updated it to the final revision.
Loved it! All of it! Major Hoofstrong is my kind of mare!
Observant, smart, blunt, honest, attractive and understanding.
Also loved that, Anon praised his Guardmares, and how Gleamerspear stood up for herself and Sparks, and her actions! You go mares!
Hope to see more of Hoofstrong, in the near future.
10652896
Hooftstrong saying that she was the butt of Glammerspear’s jokes was not her assuming responsibility for her subordinate, it was her expressing displeasure at having to deal with the unexpected blowback of having her useful idiots beaten at their own game which she herself set up.
And let’s not forget the way Kilfeather all but sauntered his way into the Royal Engineer’s private chambers, demanding that he either return his missing helmet or face potential consequences, and practically gloating about how he’ll never face a court martial because of his supposed connections in the military.
A lowly captain, even a popular one, wouldn’t have the prairie-oysters to pull that sort of dick-move with a member of Princess Celestia’s Privy Council; not unless they thought someone like General Major Hoofstrong was backing his play.
I'm sure it's easy to climb if you have a yeti with a reflect ring equipped, so you can bounce spells off him and not worry about foes reflecting spells back at you if you cast at them directly. Until you reach the top and get caught off guard by the Magic Master's final attack and curse up a storm over having to do the entire climb from the bottom all over again.
At least they didn't have to listen to
on loop the whole climb.
orignal character do not steal?
10652970
Already fixed.
This was a strong chapter. I liked all of it. The interaction between The Royal Engineer and Major General Hoofstrong very good. She seems like a straight shooter and I'm glad Celestia has someone like her in her command cadre. Instead of doing the political hankypanky she requested to be able to witness the Anti Air Weapon in action. It shows her priorities are in order.
Is
correct?
10653028
No it is not. Those double-words are insidious. Fixed!
10652800
I don't think that Killfeather mentioning Hoofstrong as much as he did would've changed anything. It really is no secret that Killfeather reports directly to Hoofstrong, considering he's the leader of the 1st Superiority Air Wing, which is part of the 1st Canterlot Air Division that Hoofstrong commands.
While Killfeather is the figurehead of Hoofstrong's political machinations against the Equestrian noble ponies in favour of the purchase of commissions, all of these noble ponies know that the real force pushing against the purchase of commissions is Hoofstrong. It was Hoofstrong who came up with the idea of the Pas-De-Sabots in the first place, and it was she who ordered Killfeather implement it and allowed to do so at his discretion. It's Hoofstrong who's their real political enemy in the large scale of things, not Killfeather. Even if it might not look so at first glance, any joke at the expense of the Lieutenant for an action he did at the behest of her commanding officer is a joke at the expense of the commanding officer in question, this time the Mayor-General.
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I wouldn't be so sure. As Hoofstrong pointed out here since Killfeather is one of her chesspieces any political embarrassments that might happen to him will directly reflect on her as his commanding officer, and therefore, on Hoofstrong's political goals. Even if she doesn't personally care what happens to Killfeather, which might or might not be the case, it's in her own best interest and that of her goals to protect him from any downfall that might result from his actions at the Pas-De-Sabots.
10652896
This.
Typo!
10653170
Reload the chapter page.
10653177
It takes me 10-15 minutes (due to gaming) to read the chapter. >:c You can't blame me for catching a typo that popped up during it you unknown green display picture person.
10653186
But, I fixed it three hours ago...
10653189
??? How? I clicked on it 30 minutes(ish) ago. What is this delayed chicanery?
10652896
On point
"If it make you feel better, Major General, the tank I'm working on will cut down earth ponies & unicorns so fast that it'll make that flak car look like a straw & spitballs."
Hoofstrong continues to impress me as the antidote to the "Guard is a pushover" meme.
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She just threw away the easiest chance she had to shield Killfeather though. If she got Anon to agree to throw the case, things would have been settled quietly, out of court and -most importantly- out of the public view. The moment this goes to court the press is going to smell blood and pounce on the entire ordeal. And given that one of the charges includes trying to take a mare hostage with questionable intentions, Killfeather's public reputation is going to be stained regardless of the conviction.
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Maybe, but then she wouldn't have been able to attend to the presentation of the Royal Engineer's vehicle, and she certainly seemed to have a genuine interest in an anti-air weapon if her division was entirely composed of air wings. Maybe she has another Ace up her sleeve, to secure the resolution of Killfeather's trial in his favour, or maybe she knows something or knows the right ponies that would allow him to avoid trial entirely.
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Her Majesty’s carriage. Now with extra royalty.
Yes now this is what I want! A long-ish chapter, no cliffhanger, we know Anons to do list but what will happen next? I love it.
10653488
exactly, its probably her way to knock him down a view peg's ^^
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Or she doesn't care if he gets hemmed up since he brought it on himself
Hmm. She's up to something, I don't trust her. Just because she's being blunt doesn't mean she's being honest or telling the whole truth.
I have a feeling she didn't try to get Killfeather off the hook because she wants a trial. What better soapbox for her machinations than a public circus with her highly decorated hero of the people commoner soldier being brought before the courts by a noble? Worse yet, an up-jumped non-pony noble raised to one of the highest stations in the land on a whim! Perfect scapegoat. Plus if they actually bring the court around and get the charges dismissed that's a huge win for her.
Allowing the test to go ahead also accomplishes two things; she gets intel on new tech and also gets to lord her station over our Lord Anonymous. He needed her permission and now she wants to have babysitters present. What seemed like apathy or her being reasonable might have been some 7000IQ big brained politicking.
Whatever the truth may be, she is definitely dangerous!
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Ya I agree. Something definitely doesn't feel right with her.
Everything went better than expected.
At this rate, Anon is going to be workingon the Sherman next, or whichever one uses the onepiece rigid build stressed engine, gearbox, transmission core used in tractors?
Next would be the blast assist turbocharged faster railway locomotive?
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That's a possibility too, yeah, but there's a danger to that as well: if she pulls rank or influence to have the case dismissed, that leaves a question as to why hanging. Given how she bluntly pointed out Anon's authority can go over her head, she is as well aware of the political game as she is the military one. She would know that bluntly shielding Killfeather like that would be as good as a public declaration that she supports his activities, which would include the whole "attempted to hold a mare hostage for questionable activities" part. If her entire goal behind shielding Killfeather is to prevent a damaged reputation to her forces, that would be the worst way to go about it. And that's on top of how she would potentially be making an enemy out of a member of the Blue Chamber, the second highest authority in Equestria.
Politically speaking, letting Killfeather burn would the best thing to do now that she dropped the idea of settling the case out of court with Anon himself. Yes, her unit's reputation will receive a slight dent when things go to court, but that's made up for by Hoofstrong's non-interference sending a message that she is not afraid to purge elements within her own forces who go about abusing their power. Given that the nobility have a reputation of exactly that kind of abuse of power, that could even out, perhaps even boost the image she has with the common pony.
The fact that she pretty much threw Killfeather under the bus over an act she herself approved would be a minor detail for most.
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Hard as steel nails and sharp as a blade... That mare is a seriouse ally or enemy to have. Better stay on the side she dont point the blade towards...
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She used his as a sharp tool and until the tool is used up i doubt she discard it. Better two have him in her arsenal then missing a pony like him. Hes worth the trouble until now.
10652831
More like a one sided blade. Universal to use for blunt hits or sharp cuts.
Indeed. Celestias seems potencial and until its used up she will aid his progress. Afterward a reward is in order and one moves to the next sharp tool in the box.
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One can hope so. Eatch outcome has its ups and downs after all.
10652851
That would indirectly acuse Celestia to be not strong enough to fall for it. I doubt that... But Canterlot nobels sometimes talk before there brain realise there mistake ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
10652859
Celestia is a clever mare
10652902
If his current plan success is archived they jump centuries in development! Every civilization would want to get that if the strings attached are acceptable.
10652918
Very fine chapter indeed ♡
10652933
I hope he overestimated his worth and crash hard vs the ground of reality
10653323
*evil laughter from readers growintensiver *
10653488
Perhaps that why she keeps her hooves clean of this. Why get em more stained?
Pros and cons for both sided of the coins...
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Spoilers ~♡
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Got to love it
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Science nerdgasm incoming ♡
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For that comment alone i would get a follow/watch status on you. But cant double follow you... Stalker archivment is a no-no
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See, the trick of it is to let him assume he has her imprimatur, without ever doing or saying anything official on the matter. Arrogant people like Killfeather make stupid decisions when they think they're untouchable, she just needs to give him that little bit of extra rope.
Then, when he does whatever he does, she'll cut him loose in the name of justice and even dealings, all that jazz. She can set quite a few precedents really, if she handles it right, she can appear conciliatory to the nobility by canning the pony who so recently embarrassed them, she can simultaneously embarrass said nobles by refusing to honor the "old boys network" that usually protects idiots like him, she can reinforce her reputation as an honest officer of unimpeachable character, she can take steps towards eliminating other less well-established idiots who are doing the same thing, she can take the opportunity to promote her own people into the newly-vacated positions, and so on.
A magnificent opportunity really.
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That seems to be what's going on, yeah. She already admitted Killfeather embarrassing nobles was an active goal she pursued when she approved that Pas de Sabot, so all that;s left is to see if she lets Killfeather burn without pulling him out of the fire.
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Frankly, Killfeather is the downside of the meritocratic mustang, so much raw ability that he's very difficult to get rid of, and he's not beholden to the social expectations that theoretically keep noble officers in check. If she doesn't get rid of him, his excesses will be used as an example as to why they can't simply let anypony into the officers corps.
wait... hold on.. hes LORD of the blue chamber... or is he A lord of the blue chamber. i think that needs a little more explaining
Hurm... That went well. Maybe even too well. Hurm... or maybe just well.
In the world of politics, everyone has something to gain or lose. On some occasions though, you can find someone in that world you can genuinely like and agree with.
I like Major-General Hoofstrong; she is a tough cookie. And so long as Anon doesn't make any "disagreeable" decisions in the future, I don't think the Lord Engineer and Major-General will have a problem.