Chapter 5
Graves was aware that he was moving, but only just. Like the murky consciousness that comes right after sleep and just before waking, the marshal was only dimly aware that he sailed through a black sea of stars. One in particular drew him close, a lodestone pulling him like a tiny bit of iron dust. He quickly approached, the twinkling spot of light growing larger and brighter until…
Graves found himself at the royal palace, the explosions of fireworks ringing through the air and the shrieks of nobles milling around in panicked confusion. For a moment, he wondered how he’d gotten there, why everything seemed so familiar, but those thoughts quickly receded into the back of his mind. After all, there were far more pressing matters for him to deal with.
*****
Moving with swift, but directionless energy, Graves wandered aimlessly through the palace corridors as his mind churned over the events of the last half hour. Half of him was convinced it had all been a dream. I mean, he was just a soldier, a common, rough around the edges normal sort of guy. There was no way, absolutely no bucking way that the most beautifully, charmingly, amazingly perfect woman he’d ever seen had actually come up and kissed him.
Sure, they say that the Grand Galloping Gala was a night of magic and miracles, but even miracles could only go so far. He knew he must be dreaming; he just had to be. But, no the cheek that still ached from the half dozen slaps he'd served upon himself confirmed that this was not the machinations of his subconscious, but the real, waking world. This kiss had irrefutably, undeniably happened.
...
Now what the hay was he supposed to do?
His pace picked up as his mind furiously worried away at the problem. He knew he really liked her, and he did mean really, really liked her. At least, he think he did. Graves didn't exactly have much experience with these kinds of emotions, what with his colored past and odd set of life experiences. Fortunately, he’d overheard more than enough from other soldiers - who seemed to talk of nothing else when out in the field - to make a somewhat educated guess about his own somewhat misunderstood, yet undeniable feelings. And since she’d been the one to initiate, it was safe to assume the feeling was mutual.
So where did it go from here? Suppose they did... get together, or whatever it is people called it; how long would it last? General Ironside had already told him he’d been posted there for R&R, so what would happen when it was time to leave? He supposed he could just break up with her then, but that just didn’t seem right. He could come back and visit, but honestly, how often would that be? It wasn’t like he could stop by every weekend or anything: Rarity might end up waiting for months on end, if not years, and that certainly wasn’t fair to her. No matter how he sliced it, his duties as a marshal made the situation impossible.
Or was it? If he wanted to consider every option, he could request a permanent post in Ponyville. With his current service record and the Right of Petition still in effect, the chances of getting such a post would be almost guaranteed. He could stay in Ponyville, live in the town he’d come to think of almost as home. He could stay close to Rarity.
The marshal paused in midstep, his body reacting to the thought as it would in approaching the edge of a yawning canyon.
Could he really do that? To ask for a permanent post would be tantamount to retiring as a marshal, giving up the fight and handing in his gun. Granted, he’d always be there to protect the town where he lived, but it just wouldn’t be the same. His duty was to fight, and staying in Ponyville meant he’d have to give up that fight. He really did want to be with Rarity, but how could he just walk away from what he knew he had to do? What he knew was right?
Graves sighed and reached over his shoulder, rubbing his neck before sliding his hand down to the marking on his back. He’d always known who he was and what he was supposed to do. But what was he supposed to do when for the first time in his life, he wanted something else?
In his musing wanderings, the young marshal found himself in a large, empty courtyard of flat marble tiles, the wide expanse surrounded by a border of low trimmed hedges. In the open space, Graves had an unobstructed view the starry night sky above. Here, with the moon shining bright and the din of festivities but a faint rumble in the distance, the atmosphere was soothingly tranquil and quietly serene, the perfect place for a man who needed time to think.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
Turning around, the marshal caught sight of Shining Armor striding up, his crimson coat only slightly rumpled and his bright smile undiminished whatsoever. Graves arched an eyebrow in question.
“Aren’t you supposed to be getting things under control?” he asked suspiciously. The guard captain just grinned in response.
“Already did. A few mages with fire suppression spells here, a few enchanters with sleep charms there, and we got that mess cleared out in like, ten minutes tops. Engineering corp’s getting things patched up even as we speak.”
Graves nodded, sufficiently impressed as always. Despite his happy-go-lucky attitude, Shining Armor hadn’t come to his post by accident. In fact, Graves suspected the reason that the guard captain could act so footloose and fancy-free was that his skill gave him time to do so. In a position as demanding as a military officer, that was definitely saying something.
“So,” Shining Armor continued, joining Graves out in the courtyard to gaze up at the moon, “what’s on your mind?”
“What makes you think I have something on my mind?” the marshal countered. The guard captain shrugged.
“Just a hunch. You’ve got this look on your face like you don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Maybe both.”
Graves looked over at the young officer, who simply continued gazing up at the moon. Truth be told, that was sort of how he was feeling. There was no doubt that what had just happened ranked in the top three best things that had ever happened to him, but the crossroads that formed as a result of it...
“You married Princess Cadance,” Graves blurted out before he could help himself. “How’d that happen?” Shining Armor gave his companion a funny look.
“Well that’s kind of an odd question. Why would you be interested... in.... that... ” He froze, his aquamarine eyes growing very large and round indeed as the corners of his lips trembled in barely contained glee. “No. Freaking. Way. Graves, are you... I mean, did you....?”
“Just answer the question,” the marshal mumbled, already feeling the heat rising in his face. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all. It wasn't like the guard captain was exactly known for his sensitivity...
But amazingly, Shining Armor actually had the courtesy not to press the issue, for once in his mischievous life. Granted, it took him a while to fully suppress the shivers of mirth wracking his body, but he did nothing else to add to Graves's already considerable discomfort.
“It was kind of simple really,” the azure-haired captain said, an amused smile still playing across his lips as he turned his attention to the starry sky above. “Cadance was Twiley’s babysitter ever since she became Celestia’s pupil, which was right around the same time I joined you at the Academy. Mom and dad wanted me to check in on her, make sure she was doing okay and everything-”
“So that’s where you kept disappearing off to,” Graves replied, now enlightened. “I always thought it was to raid the cafeteria.”
“Hey, that only happened once,” his friend retorted with an indignant grunt, “... or twice... Anyways, that’s where I met Cadance. First time I saw her, I was so nervous, I introduced myself as Aiming Sharmor, or something equally stupid.”
“Smooth,” the marshal smirked.
“Yeah, “Shining Armor grimaced. “Fortunately, she thought it was cute. I’d stick around and play with Twiley, and then, you know, after a while... we started hanging out when Twiley wasn’t around either.”
“So when’d it turn... you know...”
“Not till after we graduated,” the guardsman nodded. “I didn’t want to move forward till things finally got settled. Once I finished officer's training and got assigned to Canterlot, I felt like it was a good time to go ahead and ask her out. Lucky for me, she said yes.”
Graves fell silent, his grey eyes growing cloudy as his brow furrowed in thought.
“So...” he began, thumbing his nose awkwardly, unsure of how exactly to word his next inquiry. “What would you have done if you hadn’t been able to stay in the same place?”
“You mean if I were posted elsewhere?”
“Yeah.”
“Hmm...” Shining Armor paused and cupped his chin as he considered. “Guess... I would have done the same thing.” Graves blinked.
“Hold on. You just said you waited for things to get settled.”
“True, but that doesn’t mean I had to settle here.”
Graves blinked again.
“That makes no sense.”
“Guess it doesn’t,” Shining Armor laughed. “How do I put this? It’s like... whether I stayed in Canterlot or not, I knew that Cadance was important to me. If I got to stay, that’d be great. But if I had to leave, well...” he shrugged. “I would have found a way to make it work.”
“Sounds awfully convenient,” Graves muttered, and the guard captain just laughed again.
“Maybe,” he admitted. “I guess I’m just lucky that things worked out for me. You, however,” he continued, giving Graves a somewhat sad smile, “aren’t that lucky, are you?”
“So it would seem,” the marshal flatly intoned.
The two stood silent for a moment, the only sound a faint whistling of wind as it rustled through the hedges around them.
“Ever thought about quitting the marshals?” Shining Armor asked. “Don’t get me wrong, you’re good. Really good. But it’s not exactly the easiest lifestyle, is it?”
“No, it’s not,” Graves sighed wearily. “But I still know it's where I need to be. Until that changes, I’m staying put.”
“I see,” the young captain nodded. “Then, what are you going to do about... this?”
“... I-”
Before the marshal could answer, a series of clattering footsteps sounded as three guardsmen trotted forth from the covered walkway.
“Captain, thank goodness we found you,” the leader said as he threw a quick salute. “Your presence is required at the west gate. It seem we have some problems there.”
“West gate?” Shining Armor repeated puzzledly. “I wasn’t aware the issue had spread that far.”
“Apparently it has sir,” the second soldier nodded. “If you don’t hurry, things could escalate really quickly. We need to go now.” Turning to Graves, he gave him a quick bow. “Begging your pardon sir, but we’ll need to escort you to where the other civilians are gathered.”
“Really?” Graves asked, eyebrow arched curiously.
“I’m afraid so,” the third guardsman agreed. “Captain, if you would go ahead, we’ll catch up with you as soon as we can.”
Shining Armor looked over to Graves, who simply thumbed his right earlobe with an idle nod. The guard captain scratched his nose, then nodded as well.
“Alright, I’ll go on ahead,” he said, immediately turning to head off. “I’ll catch you later Graves, alright?”
“Sounds good,” the marshal nodded. “Good luck.”
Graves watched as Shining Armor jogged off further down the walkway before turning at a fountain and disappearing from sight. As soon as he was gone, the three guardsmen turned to the remaining man.
“Sir, if you would?” the asked, hands gesturing towards the other direction.
“Alright, let’s go,” the marshal nodded, turning and walking back towards the palace.
He never even felt the knife sink into his back.
**********
Annnd flashback! I am pleased. More information on the past is needed to figure out the present situation.
What!?
sploosh.
I think I'm beginning to understand a little.
Blueblood asked Rarity to marry him. -->Rarity rejected him.-->Blueblood saw Graves dance with Rarity.-->He then thought "If I can't have her, no-one can!!".
-->He then went to some of the Royal Guard, perhaps maybe some friends.-->Graves got a knife in his back.-->???Discord keeping him alive???-->?????
Blueblood is still a dick.
M4A1.....check.
M56DL...check.
USP........check.
I'm on my way. Time to teach the "prince" a lesson!!!
Uhm...Changelings?
Typo, just switch settles's "s" with a "d".
As for the chapter itself, I like that you're clearing up on how Graves made the decision to move in with Rarity.
And so I will be waiting patiently for the next installment.
Cheers.
1676408
Damn it, why do you make so much sense now!
1676435 Because I've been drinking!!!
But seriously, I don't know, it just seems to fit. I'm not too sure about the Discord bit (if it even is Discord).
But I'm sure Mr J has it all figured out, and won't disappoint. I know I haven't been since I started reading it.
WHAT THE FUUUUUCK!!?
1676465
I'm pretty sure it is Discord, I mean illusions, teleporting, random Alice in Wonderland-esque reference. Sounds like still-in-stone Discord magic if you ask me. Also calling himself D sound/feels like a Star Trek reference that's directing to Q (which further implies that he is are pleasantly maniacal God of Chaos) But then again J might have a twist in his sleeve.
Conspiracy time!
I think that everything before this chapter is pure imagination, he is probably in a coma, where discord might have a bigger jurisdiction than in reality, since he is still stoned from season 2.
Wait, why are nobles shrieking in confusion?
do I need to re-read the previous story to know what was happening in the background? or this is just some more mindscrewiness?
That ending...Fuck, just Fuck...I mean...WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK!?
1676668
See Return to the Gala. The wonderful trio of Luna, Applejack and Fluttershy rile up a whole heap of critters and Rainbow Dash instigates a drunken riot.
For your edification.
1676782 Thank you kind GentlemanJ, My memory is not like it used to be...
1676858 And thank you too Mr. Space
1676668
I believe it was Luna, AJ, Fluttershy, and the garden animals, all drunk off their asses, setting off all the fireworks at once right next to the ballroom. And the Spitfire barged in, also super drunk, and asked Soarin' why he didn't love her, with Dash egging her on. I don't remember what Pinkie was doing, though, but I'm pretty sure it added to the chaos.
Yeah, I can't tell if he blacked out after the kiss or something during the chaos and he had a very compressed dream, if he's now in a coma and just jumped back to memories rather than a fantasy, or if it's some other scenario, but Discord's drink is making him remember what happened to him, and we're just jumping in where the last story left off or whatever.
Moar plz, if only so our theories can become slightly more concrete before you smash them with your sledgehammer of Explosition. (Explosive Exposition, where info is conveyed during ACTION rather than boring talky scenes, TM Mann Co.)
1676418 Uh... Might want to read the whole chapter before you comment there, champ
Oh yeah shit just real! Poor Rarity she finally finds her soul mate he gets shanked. See that you made Rarity cry, you proud of yourself? All joking aside another great chapter with an awesome cliffhanger. Now for a recap of the ever growing list of questions. Ahem, who's out to get Graves? Could this have something to do with Operation Elder? What stake does Discord have in this and why is he helping Graves? Most importantly who is Luna crushing on? All these questions might be answered so keep reading for your questions to be/not be answered. That is how you do a recap, nailed it.
Kweheheheheheheh... All is going according to plan...
Ehh, he survived death apparently, I'm sure he can take a knife wound.
wat
I don't even know
WHAT THE FUCK
So reading the other comments, I have to agree that Blueblood pulled some kind of strings to have Graves attacked. However I want to try and guess a possible scenario are what happened in the missing time between stories.
-Graves is sent to ER for his wound, blade probably poisoned.
-Rarity shows up concerned and stays by his bedside until he wakes
-At some point Graves gets a message to stay away from Rarity and his marshall instincts of protection kick in.
-She helps take care of him as much as she can and here is where Graves finds his feeling for the seamstress
-Graves gets better and they begin dating; things go amazingly well and the relationship is fantastic.
-They get married and we get to the point we were at at the end of the last chapter.
Meta plot though is that Discord is going to show Graves just enough and only the scenes from his memory that vilify Rarity as the reason for the Graves being distracted from life; reason? Because chaos. Graves then does just as Discord wants and gets angry at Rarity. And this is where our next set of heart-wrecking drama kicks in. Things fall start to fall apart in the marriage and...I have no idea where to go from here.
Who knows though, this is just my prediction. I could be waaaaaay off base.
Judging by how the story has gone so far and reading some of the comments here's my little prediction. First I do think Blueblood is behind it being a rich snob he's use to getting what he wants and Rarity turning him down for Graves most likely caused some ire. So he bribed some crooked guards to take Graves out but not kill him. Blueblood is to much of a coward to have anyone killed so instead he paid them to injure Graves and then use a spell to put Graves in some coma like state. While Graves is in the hospital he moves in to console a devastated Rarity. As for Discord being completely unpredictable I can only assume that he saw some an opportunity for some chaos and what better way than exposing Blueblood as a total asshole. That would cause some trouble in the Noble Classes. I'm most likely way off but since everyone else is posting there own predictions I thought I'd join in the fun.
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Awesome, a long awaited flashback. This is a good start to seeing exactly what happened. I still don't know what's going on with Graves and I'm not entirely confident who this villainous guy is (as much as I want to guess he's Discord like everyone else). But that's good. You've still got me waiting for more.
Here's my one criticism for this chapter. The ending was a big trip and stumble for me, but not for reasons the other commentators have stated. I don't know how relevant to the plot this is either but:
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One does not simply not feel a knife go into their back.
I don't know about you, but whenever I've been stabbed, I felt it...a lot. So I'm very curious; did he not feel it for something being done to him before actually being stabbed? Was it a type of knife, enchantment or poison that numbed the pain? Was the lack of feeling part of the illusion or flashback that Graves is going through? It'd be out on a limb but I could believe it if it were a case of shock and adrenaline numbing the pain. Sometimes cuts up to a certain depth and/or length can be acquired unnoticed to the victim for a little while. That's happened to me a couple of times as well. Was it a simple case of unclear wording? Or was this a trip from the author being fortunate enough to never get the wrong end of a blade?
As big of a "Wait, what?" moment that was for me, at least it was at the very end so it didn't really ruin anything.
So.....much....joy....from update....but so...much....RAGE!!! AT A CLIFFHANGER!!! *Cries*
Something tells me that it's...
GROUNDHOG DAY!!!
Seriously, I think Discord is going to have Graves repeating the night of the Gala until he gets it 'right', whatever that means in the God of Chaos's twisted mind. Probably he wants Graves to remember the truth of his own history in the mistaken belief that it will make him miserable and cause the Mane Six pain.
1679442
In regards to your question, the wording is exactly as I intended. Now, I personally have never been shanked myself, so I can't say I'm an expert on the subject, but rest assured, I have a very, very coherent explanation coming up. I can't say anymore because it would ruin the surprise, but I'm sure it'll all make sense in the next chapter.
1680112
All very good news. Keep up the good work. I can't wait.
Mr. J... if you look in Twi's flashback in A Canterlot Wedding Part 1, you'll see that she does not have her cutiemark, which she only obtained shortly before becoming Celestia's pupil. Therefore, Twilight becoming Celestia's pupil and Cadance being her baby/foalsitter can't be related... OR CAN THEY?!?!?!?!
1682966
Huh. This may be a slight oversight on my part. I always figured that Cadance, being some kind of emissary from the Crystal Empire, became Twilight's foalsitter after she came to the palace for her studies. If it's canon that Cadance was already a foalsitter prior to enrollment, then all I can say is I dun goofed.
1683240
That's the problem with writing for characters with vague backstories. You never know what the writers are gonna do with them.
Also, in my headcanon, Cadance doesn't know anything about herself being the "crystal princess." But that's just my headcanon, and it could be proved wrong later.
Say, how did you like the wallpaper I PM'd to you?
1683307
I give it a 3+ on the double five scale.
Wonderful atmosphere and superb composition over all, but the style isn't my favorite, and the background seems a little too dingy/untidy for someone like Rarity. In short, I like it and put way, way too much thought into it.
Readin' along readin' along when WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK!?!?!
1676538
You do realize that Discord is voiced by the guy that played Q, right?
Anyway, this was a wonderful chapter, and I had what I think to be the expected reaction to the last line: What?
Have a nice day!
--Not a brony
I am now more confused than ever
1695452
Nice
1690318
I did know. Guess the way I said it must of implied I didn't know John played both parts.
1696955
Ah, okay. That makes more sense.
Oh, somebody better pick up the phone, cause I fucking CALLED IT!!!
Okay, seriously, I could be wrong, but it sure looks like it.
(And yeah, a sharp enough blade you could totally not feel at first)
Well shit
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1708839 what he/she said.
Woah woah woah woah woah! WTF m8 why plot twists and I also called it. Death dream. But anyways, this going to get confusing. Better read more.
D'aaw.
...well then.
Horseapples.......