Noble Guide was paradoxically both in a good and a bad mood.
The good news was the most capable analyst in the RGIS was now out. She apparently now was little more than a plaything for Luna.
The bad news was the nobles he was trying to manipulate had dragged him along to their impromptu celebration of getting that abomination out of Celestia’s Solarguard.
At least he managed to direct them to somewhere where there would not be ponies to tell tales about him being here. With his contacts with the papers, he could control any rumours that the press tried to capitalise on.
He was playing with the idea about if he should try and sabotage the approval process for the wedding between Twilight and Luna or if he should help them.
If he hindered them, then he could turn public opinion against them and cause lots of minor hassles for all of the princesses to deal with. Yet if he helped them, he could get them both out of his way for at least a month, and that could be a golden opportunity.
If there were a way he could make it seem like Celestia was delaying things, he would. He had heard about the shouting match that happened in Ponyville even if none of the papers dared to publish anything about it. It only took one printing press being reduced to slag to convince the rest of the press to not go anywhere near that story.
Twilight was still an unknown. She had not done anything to demonstrate the full extent of her blood magic. If he could not turn her against Celestia then it would be safer to keep a master of forbidden magic as far away as possible during the final moments of his plan.
Blueblood said something dumb. Of course he did. That snivelling brat of a noble only thought he had power. The only thing he had was a now nearly pointless title hoofed down to him because he happened to be a direct relative of Princess Platinum. Oh, how he wished he could clean up some of the nobility. But alas their corruption and distraction were far too useful to his plans.
Another noble raised his glass to Noble Guide. He idly clinked it as the said nobel mentioned satisfaction in getting the hybrid out, but lamented that he didn’t manage to get the demand to have her wings removed through.
He would have rather studied her. Sure her wings may have been removed in the process, but it would have been for the benefit of knowledge, not just the mutilation for the sake of humiliating the poor mare.
He could not fathom why Celestia kept these useless ponies around, let alone in power, it must be some sort of trick, some kind of trap for the worst sorts. The only alternative was that she was simply lazy, and you would not have total control of a country for over a thousand years by being lazy.
They are ruled by an Alicorn, the most perfect of Hybrids. Yet they seem to have no problem conveniently forgetting that fact when wanting to torment all hybrids as the least of the lesser ponies. He could only imagine what the nobility would think or do if she managed to get to a position of actual power over them. Probably assassination attempts or even open rebellion. Maybe I should arrange it for the distraction. I’ll need to keep an eye out for the opportunity.
One of the other nobility was sucking up to Blueblood. It was almost sickening. This Jet Set and his wife Upper Crust were two of the main ponies that were so against any power for anypony that wasn’t a unicorn. They at least had the sense to not let their beliefs be known to the public. If I succeed in my plans, then you two are going to be some of the first ones to go. Consideration of that helped him make up his mind about whether to help Twilight and Luna. It would be too much of an advantage to have her out of the picture for the month. The fact that it would help him identify what nobles to discard after he took power was also a benefit.
After a few hours of letting this ‘celebration’ ramble on Noble Guide excused himself. He needed to plan more. He said his lines just as he would if he were an actor on stage, then excused himself back to his home.
9962232
Thank you for your kind words, they mean a lot to me, I am glad you are enjoying the story.
Also, thank you very much for all the corrections they have been very helpful.
All the best.
9963585
Will her story be revealed?
The chapters you write tend to have very personal narrations, whoever is the focus making the description, here that makes it a bit fuzzy, does "Noble Guide" really believe this or is it the nobles opinion?
Otherwise I'm really enjoying this style of fragmentary passages where a bunch of characters each give an incomplete version of events chronologically. It leaves enough mystery where you know what's going on but you can't ever really make a judgement call on whose ethics are right, among the alicorns anyway, Noble Guide is clearly nuts.
Tis a good story and all, but this has strayed pretty far from what attracted me to it in the first place. I read for a story about Nightmare Moon taking over Twilight in her hour of need, and the consequences that follow, not a romance trifecta with a child that's starting to focus on a now lunar guard. Instead of story progression, some chapters are the same events from a different perspective, and while that isn't bad, it's a bit stagnant.
I'm also nitpicking douchebag so meh.
9963609
If you are talking about Candice, yes, more about her will come. There is also going to be a companion story for her sometime in the coming months that starts at her first memories and details things that happen off camera in this story.
9963645
Thanks!
9963853
You are seriously flying through these chapters. I hope you are enjoying the story as much as it seems that you are.
Also, thank you for the help with the editing. Having an extra eye out for those is very helpful.
I find myself liking 'Noble Guild' more and more with every new revelation
Huh. That new cover's already working well, Super Special Seekrit Agent Candice!
Who says a cover story can't have some honest feeling behind it?
Why did you have to do it? Why did you have to make the bad guy have good intentions? If he was a racist it'd be way easier to hate him thoroughly.
9965669
Most villains are doing what they believe is right, just in an evil way.
I love it when the bad guy is more a lawful evil that a true evil. He would be such a great pony if he didn't have a psychopathic need to disect and understand hybrids. I feel that if he wasn't influenced by sombra(?) He would be able to manage it.
He is being influenced by the dark lord right? I've seen it in the other cultists, but I don't remember it in him.
Glad to see more proof we are dealing with a higher level of evil thought. Ignorant evil is to close to home these days.
9963946
You do know he’s the rat-bastard who nuked an entire city just so he could capture Twilight and dissect/torture her to death in order to turn himself into an alicorn, yes?
10045783
*tried to nuke
10045783
The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
At this point, I am viewing Noble Guide as an extremist...
10394497
He is a Conqueror, plain and simple. He has a Belief - and that belief is himself. He is a Mastermind, a Chessmaster. A King, if you will. He will tear the world down and remake it in his own image.
It will, of course, be lesser than what it currently is - if he could bring more about, he'd be able to depose the princesses directly. Alas, he cannot, and so the world will be lesser for it.
Still, it will be his world. He will stop at nothing to achieve it. He will sacrifice everything and everyone, except himself, to achieve it.
He's not a terrorist. He's a well-intentioned* omnicidal maniac.
I mean, if you can convince yourself to raise your hoof with such cynical coldness against a personification of the world's balance, a royal no less, loved by many and revered by most... my, you could do anything.
* at least in his own head, anyway
10394497
Agreed. He’s the type you deal with permanently.
10560739
He said extremist, not terrorist. Blurred, the definition may be at times. But there is still a difference.
10580229
I could say that I never said he was called that, but an argument could well be made that he in fact is a terrorist. The populace's reaction has not been explored up to this point, but I would expect many view the events with fear for their well-being, no? Certes, the existence of refugees would imply that quite strongly.
I could then argue that the key difference here is that he's not producing terror per se - it is, at best, a useful side-effect. He's not trying to exert political pressure through these attacks, and potentially could do without the terror aspect altogether. Difference in intent, not outcome - as it were.
What I will say, though, is that I used a rhetorical device.
11019445
Ah, rhetoric. Yeah, Language Arts ain’t my strong suit. Apologies.