Steel Wings and I sat in my office going through more interviews. They were going better than I’d anticipated.
My brow arched. “Are you certain you don’t want to hear more before you make up your mind?”
The dark blue pegasus shook his head, his close-cropped silver mane barely moving. “No, sir. That armsmaster pin and Celestia Cross tell me all I need to know. Count me in.”
Silver Flare was, to put it bluntly, a brawler. He’d spent his whole career volunteering for anything dangerous or where there might be a fight. As such, he’d be in more fights in seven years than most ponies saw in a thirty-year career. He was good in that regard. His other skills, unfortunately, weren’t as sharp, so he’d never advanced past guard first class.
Steel Wings shrugged. “Works for me. You’re in for a whole mess of trouble, son.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time, Chief,” Silver replied with a very cavalier tone.
“Alright, you’re in,” I said. “You’ll coordinate with Chief Wings. Return to your normal duties. You know the drill.”
“Yes, sir!” he replied before stiffening to attention. We exchanged salutes and he left.
“I like that one,” Chief said.
I snorted. “I’m sure you do.”
“Alright, that is a weather pony, a medic, a fighter, two scouts, an armsmaster, and you. What’s left?”
“Acrobatic flyer,” I replied.
Chief frowned at me. “Are you ever going to share all the details of this plan with me?”
“As soon as I have my flyer. Otherwise the plan is a wash.”
Chief nodded and then looked at the files piling up. “What about these? I thought you were going to fix this.”
I waved a hoof. “I am. I have a plan for that, too. Don’t worry about it. Just worry about getting those ponies safely in peak condition.”
“Yes, sir,” he replied.
After several less successful interviews, I was hoping I had finally found the right pony. Blur, the stark white pony sitting across from us, had suspicion written all over his face. He would, most likely, end up on a Wonderbolts team someday, providing I didn’t get him injured or killed.
“I’m not sure why intelligence would want me,” Blur said.
“We’re not intelligence,” I corrected.
He shrugged. “The point still stands, sir. I’m not sure why whatever this is would want me.”
“You’re one of the best flyers the Navy has,” I explained. “You also have experience as a trainer. I’m looking to leverage that knowledge and talent.”
“I don’t know, sir. This looks like a rough deal. I’m not one of those guys who are all bravado. I went through the training, but I’m not much of a fighter. That one dust-up was just a fluke.”
That dust-up was between him and three gryphons. He’d out-thought and out-flown them. Blur had used the terrain to his advantage and ultimately took out all three. That wasn’t a fluke. It wasn’t hoof-to-claw fighting, but it was well executed.
“I don’t really buy that, sailor,” I said.
Chief grunted. “Me neither.”
Blur shifted and broke form to rub behind his neck. “It isn’t like I beat them or anything.”
“You used your natural advantages to subdue them. We don’t care if you can’t swing a sword, nor would we ask you to. We’ll be playing to your strengths, not trying to make you into a soldier.”
“I don’t know, sir. I’m looking forwards to a career as a Wonderbolt, and you’ve already said this could ruin those chances.”
“Yes, I’m afraid that is true,” I replied. Then I set my hooves on the desk.
This was not who I wanted to be, but I was running out of time and I needed a flyer. Desperate times, desperate measures.
My voice lowered with careful precision. “But is that really all you want to do? Be a show pony? Don’t get me wrong, I respect the Wonderbolts, but at the end of the day, you need to ask yourself what is going to make the most difference. We’ve got a legitimate threat to Equestria in our borders.”
I saw Chief’s eyes twitch ever so slightly in surprise. We hadn’t tried to convince anypony to join us.
“I… uh… well, sir.” Blur swallowed. “I suppose if you’re mostly looking for a trainer and a flyer, I could spare the time. If you really mean the bit about no swords and such.”
“I do. I can say you won’t be out of a fight but you won’t be in the thick of it. We’ve got ponies for that.”
Blur nodded and then replied, “Alright, sir. Count me in, I guess. When do we get started?”
“Tomorrow night. Chief will give you the details.”
After the door closed behind Blur, Chief looked at me. “So, you have your team, then. Now, what’s the plan?”
I tucked Blur’s folder back into the file cabinet and locked it. “I promise I’ll give you all the details soon. I have one more thing to take care of.”
He snorted and one ear flicked. “You make a lot of promises, Lieutenant. I just hope you’re able to make good on them. For your sake.”
I straightened up to look at him. “Are you threatening me, Chief?”
“Me? Threatening? Never.” He stepped forwards to crowd me and lowered his face to mine. “Just hoping you remember that this is bigger than you.”
A part of me wanted to clock him right in his smug face. The other part of me was afraid he knew I was having doubts.
I shoved past him to wait at the door. “See you tomorrow night, Chief.”
I could feel his stare boring into the side of my head. I didn’t look at him. Finally, he snorted and trudged out of my office.
“Better be good,” he muttered as he passed me.
Once he was gone, I locked my office and hurried to leave the palace. I had to secure an important piece of the puzzle and hope it didn’t arouse suspicion.
As normal, when I walked into the Phial and Filly, Rossby was behind the front desk reading a book. He regarded me with complete indifference. I nodded to acknowledge his lack of acknowledgement. It was our thing.
I almost went to the drop location on pure instinct but navigated my hooves to the backroom door instead. Strangely, I was met with only darkness.
“Runic?” I called.
“I’m here,” he replied.
“Where is here?”
“I’m not sure. Is it dark or did I blind myself?”
Just one time, I’d like to come back there and have it be normal. “It’s dark, but I can’t promise you that you haven’t blinded yourself.”
“Fair enough. Flip the switch.”
After a pause, I said, “I’m not embarrassed to say I’m too afraid to do that.”
There was some movement in the darkness. Something glass fell over and shattered. “Oops. Hope that was empty! Don’t worry, it’s totally safe. I fixed that wire.”
Take a deep breath, close your eyes, and go. My hoof found the switch and flipped it up. The main lights didn’t come on. Instead, a bunch of red ones along the back wall lit up.
“Close enough,” Runic said from the back corner of the workshop. “How did I get all the way over here?”
Rossby leaned in from the storefront. “Even odds say when you blew up whatever it was near this side, it threw you back there.”
“Ah, that makes sense,” Runic replied before heading my way. “Welcome back, Silent Knight!”
Briefly, Rossby and I exchanged glances, and then I turned back to my cousin. “Thank you.”
Runic smiled. “How did it go? Was she surprised?”
“Completely. I was afraid for a moment she was going to say no. She was just stunned is all, I guess.”
Runic grabbed me in a tight hug. “Yay! Congratulations!”
I was more than happy to return the hug just as tight. “Thank you, I couldn’t have done it without you.”
He let go and shrugged. “I doubt that, but still. Are you ready for our big day tomorrow?”
What was happening tomorrow? Was it his birthday? No, not yet. My birthday? “Tomorrow?”
“Yeah, the entitling of the Harmony. Remember?”
The airship! I’d completely forgotten. That was my last possible priority. “I—” When I looked at Runic, his eyes were filled with glee. I really didn’t have time, but this might be our last—No, focus. I could spare an afternoon for family. “I am. Should we meet here?”
“That works for me.”
“Great. I’ll be here. Say, do you have any more of those immolation potions Miley used over in Nordanver?”
Runic nodded and went over to the shelf. “Absolutely. I don’t think we should bring them, though. I wouldn’t want to mix airships and immolation potions.”
It took a lot of effort to keep my expression and tone even. “Oh, no, I don’t want them for that. They were extremely useful, so I thought they should be part of my kit. Can I have some? Twenty or so?”
My alchemist cousin dumped out one of his shampoo crates and filled it with potions, then repeated the process with a second. “Here you are!”
As I pondered how concerned I should be with how easy this was, I instead shifted my focus to something more important than my cousin’s naivety. “Random question.”
He beamed. “My favorite kind!”
“Would these still burn in the rain? Not like a little rain. I’m talking torrential downpours.”
Runic nodded proudly. “You bet! Not forever, mind you, and not as long as if things were dry, but yeah. They’ll absolutely burn in the rain. Oh, do you need them to burn underwater?”
“What?”
“Do you need them to burn underwater? Is that a requirement?”
I shook my head. “No, that’s okay.”
“Okay good, because they probably won’t burn underwater. I mean, they definitely won’t.”
“Good to know. See you tomorrow?”
“You bet!”
Next on my agenda was the Canterlot University Research Library, which thankfully was only a short flight away. When I touched down on campus, there were still a few students coming and going. The building never closed but the pony I was looking for wasn’t there all hours of the day.
The library was quiet, as per usual. For an institute as busy as Canterlot University, the building was almost always empty. That suited me fine. I approached the circulation desk and spotted Ley Lines flipping through a magazine with mild disinterest.
“Pardon me,” I said softly.
The unicorn mare looked up, her green and blue mane falling to the side. “Lieutenant? What can I do for you?”
“How is your early Equestrian?” I asked.
She looked at me, her brow arched. “Extremely good. Why?”
I flipped my saddlebag’s flap open and pulled out the first Knights of the Moon tome, setting it on the counter. “This is an ancient warrior text. To my knowledge, only one exists and its value is immeasurable. I need it hoofcopied. No spells.”
Ley Line’s eyes went big. Carefully, she took the blue, silkbound book and opened it to read the first page. “Where did you get it?”
“A town called Haven.”
She glanced up at me. “I’ve never heard of it.”
I smiled. “And perhaps someday you will. Can you help me?”
“Well… hoofcopying isn’t what we normally do…” She grinned wide. “But this seems like a stellar opportunity. I can do it for you.”
“Thank you,” I replied. Then I set my hoof on the book. “I must emphasize that it is the only one. Can I trust you with this?”
She pulled it closer to her almost protectively. “You can count on me, Lieutenant! I promise. You’ll get it back in exactly the same condition. Although…”
“Although?” I repeated.
“I feel a fee is in order.”
Of course. “Name it.”
“When you come to pick it up, you tell me about Haven.”
Was that all? I could do that. Ponies needed to start learning about Haven, anyway. “Agreed. How long will it take?”
She looked at the book and seemed to judge it by size. “Probably a while. I’ll find you.”
☾
Early in the morning, Runic and I flew together to the airship yards north of Canterlot. I’d seen them at a distance, but I’d never spent any time near them. The sheer scale was impressive. Jet Ventures operated three massive construction berths, several medium ones, and tons of small ones.
Airship construction was the perfect example of pony collaboration: earth pony technology, pegasus cloud manipulation, and unicorn magic. It was one of the things that made Equestria so strong.
“Would you look at her,” Runic said, awestruck as we approached. “She is a beauty.”
“Yes, she is,” I replied as my eyes drifted over the ship.
The Harmony floated effortlessly in berth one. For her hull, the designer had chosen a dark wood that had been stained and then polished to a high-gloss sheen. Airship hulls are typically not shaped like their ocean-going cousins. The bow is tapered for better wind resistance, but the rest of the hull is often far more angular with only the slightest curve at the bottom.
While still retaining some semblance of masts, they also trade their sails for one massive primary balloon and a number of smaller rescue balloons. The Harmony had eight to ensure that, if the main failed, the massive vessel would slowly descend while staying level.
The primary balloon was long and cylindrical in shape. It rested gently atop three masts and was held in place by thousands of yards of rigging.
Last, but not least, the keel of the ship bore two giant propellers that would push the Harmony forwards, though I imagined not very fast.
Runic looked at the grandstands near the side of the vessel and asked, “Do you want to get a seat down there or go for a pegasus special?”
“I bet the pegasus special will be better. What do you think?”
“We’ll need to be fairly close to hear, but yeah, let’s see if we can find a cooperative cloud.”
Together, we scoured the area for a cloud big enough to hold us both. Runic eventually found one and together we awkwardly maneuvered it into a good vantage point. Never underestimate how hard it is to move a cloud. Weather ponies make it look easy. It isn’t. By the time we’d gotten the disobedient thing settled, the entitling ceremony was starting.
A pony stepped up onto the grandstand and made his way over to the podium. “Ladies and gentleponies, on behalf of Jet Ventures and Eminence Enterprizes I want to thank you for being here today. Please give a warm welcome to the Chairpony of Jet Ventures, Mr. Jet Ship.”
The crowd broke out into loud but very polite stomps. This was, after all, a classy affair and seemed to be geared towards the elite. After all, the average pony couldn’t afford to just cruise around in a stateroom.
The original pony stepped out of the way and another joined him on the podium. He was in a pristine tuxedo, had a smooth, ‘all business’ mane, and a short-cropped tail, both a faded blue with aged, greying streaks. His coat was light slate grey and even at a distance, I could see his piercing orange eyes.
“Friends, I am so thrilled to be here today. When my father started this company so long ago, most ponies thought the skies were the domain of the pegasi only. He went from building small, single-pony airships to many of the designs we know as standard today. This, however, he could have never imagined!”
Jet Ship motioned to the Harmony and the crowd once again stomped politely.
Once the noise had died down, he continued on, “This new class of airship is the most modern, the most safe, and the most luxurious in existence. With a capacity to comfortably transport two thousand guests and seven hundred crew, more ponies than ever will know the joys of this kind of entertainment.”
He then smiled, leaned across the podium, and added, “And as chairpony of the board, I am obligated to mention that we’re starting to book for the maiden flight today. Be sure to see your travel agent.”
The crowd chuckled. Runic rolled his eyes.
“Now, without further ado, I want to invite to the stage a pony that had a huge hoof in making this possible. In fact, without him, I doubt we’d be here today. Ladies and gentleponies, President of Eminence Enterprizes, Mr. Eminence!”
A unicorn rose from the front of the crowd and made his way up and onto the grandstand. He was tall, lean, and wore a perfectly tailored tuxedo. Beneath it, his coat seemed to have been made of spun gold. His mane was perfectly groomed and light blue. He walked with confidence.
“That’s Iridescence’s dad,” I said absently.
Runic looked over. “Oh yeah? She sure doesn’t act like the daughter of one of the richest ponies in the world.”
“No, she doesn’t.”
When Eminence reached the podium, he shook hooves with Jet Ship. “Thank you, Mr. Ship. You’re too kind. I am just so happy that I can be a part of such a monumental moment in pony history. I’ve always believed very strongly in reaching for the heavens, and you have not disappointed. It is an honor to stand here next to you.”
Jet Ship nodded and motioned to where the Harmony floated mere feet from them. “Then shall we entitle this ship together and set off into the heavens?”
“By all means,” Eminence replied.
Together, the two ponies walked to the edge of the grandstand where an attendant offered them a bottle of champagne attached to a ceremonial ribbon. They each set a hoof on it and pushed it together. The bottle hit the hull, burst open, and the crowd went wild.
Eminence spoke up, “We entitle you TMS Harmony. May you sail the skies for many years to come.”
“I really want to get onto that ship,” Runic said, standing up.
My hooves got hold of his tail. “You’ll have to buy a ticket like everypony else.”
“Just a peek!” He started tugging me across the cloud.
I held firm. “No, I do not want to have to explain to Miley how you got arrested with me right here.”
Runic stopped and looked back at me. “She’d be very angry.”
“I bet!”
“Mostly at you. You should have stopped me,” he said.
“I am stopping you!”
Runic peered. “Are you?”
“Yes!”
“Aww… fine.”
☾
Night had fallen and I stood on a cloud, looking at the line of ponies standing at attention. It was an odd bunch for sure. They were the right ones for what I had in mind, though.
“Thank you all for coming. Tonight is our first dry run. We’re going to practice this plan over and over until we know it without thinking. Every night, every day of the week. We will have the element of surprise on our side. We also have a lot of other advantages.”
I turned and looked down at the small, white ring Chief and I had painted on the grass far below us. From up here, it looked no bigger than a bit. It was large enough to hold three ponies in reality.
“Each of you has a special talent that made you suitable for this mission. We’re going to play to each of your strengths. Our target tonight is that ring below. For now, Blur, this is your show.”
Blur cleared his throat, looking a little uncomfortable. “Yes, sir. So, I brought everypony some goggles, you’re really going to need them.” He started handing the pairs out and the team put them on.
Nova’s head tilted. “Why goggles?”
“Well, and I mean this delicately, the LT is somewhat crazy but I think this part of the plan is really going to work. The goggles are for safety and that is what we’re all about. Safety first. Right?” He looked over at me uncertainly.
I nodded. “Right. Alright, Nightwatch, put the goggles on and come to the edge of the cloud here. Blur is going to run us through a few maneuvers, but it is the last one I want you to pay the closest attention to.”
Tranquil’s black-feathered wings flapped and she bounced to the edge of the cloud. “I think this is going to be fun.”
It seemed wrong to think of this as fun. We were preparing for taking lives. My stomach twisted at the thought, but I didn’t correct her. Perhaps that was a mistake. One of many.
Every night, we got together and went through the drills. My body would scream with aches at the end of it, but it was one heck of a workout. Nova kept us all in check, but Blur had a way with instruction that motivated everypony to keep going.
The only real problem was the impact it was having on my personal life. Once again, after training, I arrived at Crystal’s condo… late for dinner. The physical strain I could deal with. The looks she’d give me like she was the one in pain, however, were a different story.
A shower would have been nice, but I thought less late and smelly was better than really late and clean. We’d see how that played out. I knocked at her door three times.
The door opened, revealing Crystal in her bathrobe. “Wow, to be honest I expected you later.”
Well, she didn’t look mad or sad tonight. That was a good sign. “I didn’t want to be that late this time.”
She smiled. “The work of a royal guard is never done. You look a mess. Should I be concerned you’re cheating on me?”
My ears shot up. “Never! This sweat was earned the natural way. Through exercise.”
“Well then, come on in. I’ll heat up dinner. You have to eat if you’ve been working out that much.”
I walked inside. “That is true. Although, I’d love a shower. You could join me.”
Crystal softly giggled and gave me a shove. “Most nights I’d say yes, mister, but you’re on your own tonight. I’m in my pajamas.”
“Fair enough. I won’t be long,” I replied before hurrying off to her bathroom.
True to my word, I took as quick of a shower as I could. When I settled down to eat, a thought struck me and I looked around. “Where is Velvet?”
Crystal blinked and looked around as well. “You know, I’m not sure. She’ll turn up.”
I shrugged. That was true. Velvet tended to do her own thing. “Do you have any plans this Wednesday? That play you were talking about is going to be stopping through town on a road show. I thought you’d like to go.”
“Three Stallions and a Foal?”
“The other one,” I replied.
“Swift Times at Manehatten High?”
I shook my head. “No, the other, other one.”
“Flankspeare in Love?”
“That is the one! Would you like to go?”
Crystal nibbled on her lower lip. “Wednesday? They’re not here any other days?”
“One day only. We could drop everything and go,” I said hopefully.
“I’ve got Fancy Pants’s fall line showing. Only a few ponies were invited. It’s a sneak peek at what he’ll be debuting later his year. I’m already committed, I’m sorry.”
“That’s fine. We’ll just make some time another day,” I replied, turning back to my dinner.
This was the second time in as many weeks that some of Crystal’s events had taken her from me. Of course, I could never say anything. I was usually coming in late. Although, my stuff was mostly work related. Hers was just—
“My mother has pretty much demanded to meet you.”
“Pardon?” I looked up.
Crystal idly tapped her hooves together. “My parents. We’re getting married at some point. They want to meet you before the wedding.”
“Oh, well sure. That seems reasonable. You’ve met my mom. When?”
The unicorn grinned sheepishly. “Tomorrow?”
I looked up at her.
Her grin fell and she looked guilty. “I’m sorry, you’ve just been so busy at work, I put off telling you. If we cancel, she’ll think I’m hiding you.”
“No, tomorrow is fine. After work at least?”
She nodded. “Yes, but your regular hours.”
“Yes, dear,” I replied before looking back down to the food.
Well, this was going to be interesting.
Oh boy, I'm curious how jet set and upper crust will react.
That's right Soarin, you are a silly piece of fluff that looks pretty.
Ah Silent Knight, drawing away from everything while becoming more sure in your mind that yours is the one true righteous cause. I wonder if he will be able to step away from the power base he is building after he is 'done'.
Is anyone else getting the impression that once this mission is over an done with. It's going to be revealed the princesses knew all along, and Knight is going to get another promotion as a Black Ops commander.
'Depends on the color of the uniform, Lieutenant.' ~WP
Another great chapter. :P
Sounds painful!
6385172 I can swear it will be interesting :D I've had it written for months. I've been eager to get to the point to share it.
6385190 Poor Soarin. Azurite likes him though :D We'll just have to see what the fates have in store for him.
6385219 I can neither confirm nor deny.
6385224 Haha ;D
6385281 For real, he glared at the screen. lol
6385280 Agreed
Which will be more deadly, I wonder? An assassination mission, or meeting future in-laws?
It feels like he's the lone pony in charge all over again. Go there and do a thing, then over there, then there, next there, and there, and... He's working too hard (has Mass Effect 2 flashback). Er. He's a workaholic? That'll work.
I wonder how Jet Set feels about Jet Ship.
A little nitpick, but stain gives the wood a color and a clear topcoat gives it a sheen. If the stain is giving the sheen, then the stain is so thick that it's sitting on top of the wood, and it's likely to crack and chip on impact (say, a bottle of champagne striking it). There are stain and finish in ones, but they're horribly finicky and not quite as protective as a system using separate products.
P.S.
I'm strangely excited. And also disappointed that Silent won't be there...
Wohooo, airships! I like the idea of balloons and propellers, many authors get pretty wild ideas to make it as unique as possible and most of the time it just comes out wierd.
6385295 definitely the in-laws.
That was fun, may I have another? Looking forward to more.
Keep up the good work. Deus tecum.
6385406
We'll keep count of the bodies and see...
And they come off more as a married couple. Next thing you know they'll be talking about what they think their foals will be like, hopefully not in front of any parental figures that aren't the princesses.
Well, he's got the first part down for his future marriage with Crystal. Now that second part is most assuredly going to be a vast understatement.
Yes, where is she? I wonder who might know.
Interested to see how SK interacts with Crystal's parents.
I am much excite
6386127
He honestly shouldn't have much trouble with the mother at the least. His coaching from Crystal plus all the off the books activities he has been doing recently should allow him to easily throw up a polite mask and get away with it.
His internal dialogue though might be more amusing.
I love Runic and how he does things. This cracked me up.
I have to say I actually am amused at the team Silent has put together. The Immolation potions will be a nice touch. They may just pull it off. Also, Im curious about Silent getting the Knight books transcribed secretly, but then again Tranquil's mom never said he couldn't. This was a nice chapter, and I feel for Silent Knight about to meet Crystal's parents. Im just waiting to see what Upper Crust say's to make things akward.
Oh, right. That's why that name sounded super important.
Silent Knight, I mean this in the best possible way, but when it comes to deciding who you should keep company with, you seem to generally make very poor decisions.
Luckily, a late-night raid on Crystal's apartment is definitely not one of them, so get to enforcing!
"Hooves in the air! You have the right to remain sexy as hell! Anything you wear can and will be thrown off of you in a court of law! And by 'court of law,' I mean, 'your bedroom.'"
6387857 Which name? :)
6387042 Yup! Not going to lie, I really enjoyed writing that Runic bit. How his mind works is a lot of fun for me. And yup! He clearly has a plan for that book.
6386254 Me too! Next week will be VERY entertaining in both stories. I promise.
6386127 Where is she INDEED! Although we'll mostly find out in her story.
6386124 SK knows his place. Mares are the boss!
6386033 Yes indeed. They function mostly like a married couple for sure.
6385388 I tried to have it be slightly realistic. I'm also a big fan of Final Fantasy's early airships. It is loosely based around there.
6385352 One step at a time for sure. He's certainly out on a limb. I don't think we'll see any Jet Set / Jet Ship interaction in this particular story. Crystal, however, may be sharing something :D
6385295 The first time? Future in laws. Trust me!
6388258
Yeah, you're right. The second time it's actually the assassination mission that includes more mayhem.
Can't wait to see SK and and Crystal's parents meet. This'll be good.
6388838 Oh. thank you ^^~
This makes me nervous. SK's plan seems more and more solid, not to mention interesting, but what he's trying to do is still going to be a huge deal. The story, and SK himself, seem caught up in the details of the planning now and aren't looking at the end picture. I hope Silent makes it through this in one piece and without ruining his entire life
Hmn. It would be an odd direction to go, possibly, but Soarin? With the recent, er, issues in the side story I could see him being angry enough to join in on something questionable like this. Maybe not.
Yikes. That kind of makes me nervous about Runic and his experiments. Getting blown across the room by an explosion isn't too far off from getting injured or killed by one.
Ahh, okay, so not Soarin. Probably for the best, assuming the Wonderbolts are military in this 'verse, Soarin might just have the rank that he could look into what Silent is up to and either be able to get answers or to get the ponies who can to start asking.
Silent, I'm looking at you with the strongest air of disapproval that I can muster.
Ooooo, that description of the Harmony. Awesome.
Pegasus special, I like that.
Crystal and Iridescence's families working together, that's an interesting combination.
Hmn. Part of the Nightguard plan?
*whistle*
Haha, yeah that meeting should be interesting. It might not go too badly, though, I've felt for a while that Silent (absent certain foolhardy plans) probably matches very nicely with her parents' plans for Crystal.
6389676
Agreed but I can ease your worries! I view Runic as largely indestructible. He is an archor of comedy, sweetness, and shenanigans. That is a pillar I'll never change. So... while he might get blown up, electrocuted, polymorphed, and such, he'll always be Runic ;D
They are indeed. Navy aviators specifically. Soarin outranks Silent Knight quite a bit. :D
Thank you! Descriptions are one of my weaker skills and I really wanted to give a good mental image of what the Harmony looks like.
Isn't it though!
6389673 I think a solid plan is a very fair statement. All things aside, we know he is very good at his job.
more members of the party, a book translation, and a meeting; oh boy.
erm...
I too, like to spear flanks
can we see a combat capable airship? because that would be sweet af
I'm thinking about the TMS Harmony and the way it was described, you know, "The biggest and safest ship yet" just makes the liiiiiittle voice in the back of my head scream TITANIC! WE HAVE A TITANIC SITUATION OVER HERE!
If my suspicions are correct (And I pray that they aren't) PLEASE do not let Runic on board that ship! PLEASE! I LIKE HIM! THIS IS NOT GAME OF THRONES!
6397410
cinema sins is the best.
fanfiction (usually) has to be even more carefull with their execution, people are even more critical of it because the massive amounts of it, kinda sad really
6395242 Ponies know what hands are. Anyone who thinks otherwise is just being contrary for fun.
Dragons have hands, gryphons have hands, and, most importantly, Iron Will most certainly has hands.
Plus it is in the narrative ;D
Funny image though!
6401984 ohh... never thought of that
I've been lying on the floor all of bio and history classes catching up with Q&B stories on my phone. #noregrets (I mean, it's picture day. No one's got lesson plans. )
6397025 Part of me really wants this to happen (sans dying), and the other part wants that to not happen.
6385295 This.
6389673 Right there with ya. It'd be a shame if that's how it ends. Anzel wouldn't do such a thing, though... right..?
for a ship named after the Elements I thought it would be more Rainbowy
well i WAS planning to stop and go do something else but....since i have read Crystal's pov I have been wondering what her dad said to Silent Knight so i JUST HAVE to know...One more!
6636458 Ah yes, Jet Set and Silent had a very serious talk! Super serious!
Ohhhh yes. I've been waiting for Silent's side of that one.
I'm calling Chekhov's gun: That airship is going to crash and burn. Or do something.
Silent might well avenge the dead, but I notice he thinks of them less and himself more.
He might avenge them. He might provide them with fresh companions. Either. Neither. Both. All are options.
Immolation potions are not the tools of a quiet job. They're a weapon of anarchy. A quiet assassination is what's called for to put Alistair down. A lone griffon dies on a sea voyage, seeming it's something he ate. He drinks too much and falls in the water one night. Sad, but oh well and the followup interests noone and goes nowhere.
What Silent's driving for is all the less precise and all the more personal. The plan, I expect, is not founded on making Alistair die. The plan is founded on making him die with as much pain, defeat, and declaration as possible.
If Silent was given the magic "stop Alistair's heartbeat this instant from the comfort of your own home" button, he'd come up with every rationalization for still going in with a strike team that - no matter how much training they do - will be green and unblooded as the spring's first baby cabbage - because here's the clincher about the magic button: Alistair wouldn't know it was him. Silent Knight. It wouldn't prove anything, either.
At its deepest, that's what he really wants, isn't it? To take what Alistair has done and do it better.
And Maya should know all this. It makes me suspect why she ever enabled Silent to begin with.