Royal Guard Mare Thread #36

Ah, got to love the smell of a fresh new thread in the morning...or afternoon depending on where you are.

If given the choice, would you rather have a unicorn or a pegasus guard mare? I don't mean in the usual way of 'peggysasses can move clouds and make them rain while unicorns are good at fine manipulation', I mean more as in, 'which would be more adept at protecting you'? A unicorn guardsmare would be much better at sword and general weapon wielding- that's a given- but the main factor is that they just can't fly. A pegasus guardsmare could move faster, anticipate and react to threats more quickly, and they'd likely be able to realize a potential threat far before a unicorn could just because, I dunno, they can fly above the rooftops and stuff. Their bones are probably more fragile, though. Maybe they have less actual muscle mass too.

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>>30653471
Ahem

>>30653471
The Vigilant Shield link is broken.

>>30653255
I'd barely call it deception. Especially compared to Joker attacking Sparks wings and never mind the whole thing was setup by Val for less than honorable reasons.

>>30653520
I would have to go with an Earth Pone for this one. Good endurance and unlike the other two, could reasonably carry me away in case of injury, while also having good reaction time and strength. Look at Applejack and Pinkie. Getting a guard that can hold a candle to either of them would be extremely useful. Plus its easier to go around incognito as a buff earth pone than it is as a buff unicorn, pegasai have a excuse for being athletes, but that kind of cover might not work all the time. And unlike both of the other two if there is an anti magic field an earth pone would be the least affected. Therefore I can have consistent protection at all times. Unicorns might be more flexible in ability to respond to situations, but mana burn and other issues can and will arise. While pegasai can be extremely limited in inside areas, which lets face it, most of us getting a guard...or any contact for that matter, would be staying inside. Thereby hampering a Pegasus's ability to do their job indoors. Earth pones also have the thiiicest asses, on top of their consistent performance. Ergo Earth pone guardmares are best guardmares.

>>30653541
I somehow got an extra letter at the end of it.

>>30653471
Vigilant Shield - https://pastebin.com/F5gGbMqi

>>30653557
>mudponies
>reasoning is 'they strong'
Unicorn magic is stronger and pegasi still trump over earth poners in closed spaces. They can still outrun them on hoof.

>>30653673
True, but they cant go the distance an earthpone can. Endurance is key here.
>pegasi still trump over earth poners in closed spaces.
are you fucking high or trolling me?
>Unicorn magic is stronger
True, and I said as much already, but there is still a noticeable upper limit that if past, they wont even be able to pic up objects around them, let alone defend me or themselves.

No link to the previous thread?

>>30653761
>>30653471
>>30653541
>>30653605
>>30653527

I'm glad to see OP continuing RGM's time-honoured tradition of being so eager to start a new thread that you fuck it up. It's good to know the cock-gargling industry is so well-supplied with such an industrious worker.

>>30551203 is the previous thread btw.

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>>30653520
If possible, "One of each" would be the ideal, they can cover each others weaknesses and equestrians probably get a flat bonus to all stats when in a squad.

Other than that, preference would depend on the situation.
High level hazards, unicorn.
Majority of the time outside or on the move, pegasus.
Generic guard duty, earth pony.

>>30653520
If you can only have one, the question then becomes the skill range.

Every pegasus can fly and most of them can do so pretty well. In the Guard, you'd imagine that they have minimum flight standards, so even the worst pegasus is still going to be a decent flying fighter.

But there's a broader range of unicorn magical abilities. Some, probably lots, of them can just do basic telekinetic stuff. Others have that plus a handful of other talents. A rare few have enough skill in magic to teleport places, mind-control creatures, or even bring down the goddamn sky. And the Guard can make use of ponies with the whole range, so they've got all of them.

There's a certain skill beyond which the unicorn wins every time. It's probably somewhere around the "handful of other talents" level.

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>>30653520
Pegasus so I can tease her wings.

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>>30653860
this. get all the pegasi mares in my home when word spreads of my wing massages

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>>30653876
My nigga

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>>30653520
Nigga, I just want a nice thicc earth mare I can cuddle with every night.

>>30653808
>dat pic
Sweet Baby Jesus, please tell me this minx has a name

>>30653520
Well, let's look at the facts according to the most recent fight in one of this thread's greentexts:

earth pony > pegasus
unicorn > pegasus
pegasus > pegasus

In conclusion: I dunno.

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>>30653881
No idea, part of their charity sketches apparently, they have a caduceus symbol on their chest, so possibly a field medic.

>>30653982
Let's not forget that the earth pony only beat the pegasus because he got impatient and made a mistake. Up till then the earth pony was completely at a disadvantage.
But yeah, I think ultimately it comes down to personal skill.

first green update of the new thread
>>30649961
>Finally, you’re inside the Academy of Natural Philosophy and out of the cold and oh fuck, what is that smell?
>You are nearly blinded by the tears rising to your eyes, and you slap a hoof over your muzzle to force back the vomit already climbing your throat.
>Squinting through your burning eyes, you see a dimly lit storeroom stacked high with strange shapes covered in tarps.
>The dull thud of a metal door opening grabs your attention, and you realize that you are still silhouetted against the open window.
>You bolt to a ventilation duct hanging in a dark corner of the room, with just enough room between the pipe and the ceiling for you to squeeze.
>Blinking away tears, you watch as two ponies wearing goggles and respirators, clad in oilskin coats, descend from a stairway on the opposite wall.
>“You are certain the new shipment arrived last night, Mister Coin?” comes the stern voice of an older mare.
>“Yes, Doctor Salvia, one of the River Patrol came and alerted me when it was brought in.” an exasperated sounding young stallion replies.
>“Oafs, the lot of them. The sooner this pestilential Plague is over, the sooner we can send them and those City Watch colts out front away.”
>The stallion mumbles something in agreement as the two ponies make their below you and toward a covered object near the loading doors.
>Heart pounding in your ears, you allow yourself a strangled breath, the horrendous, sour odor of the room nearly making you gag.
>Glancing to the exit, you bolt to the floor and creep up the stairs, finding the door closed.
>Fortunately, it’s not locked, and you gently nudge the latch upward, wincing as it clicks.
>“Oh, Void’s sake!”
>You freeze as the mare – Doctor Salvia, you presume – cries out in anger.

>>30654287
>You freeze as the mare – Doctor Salvia, you presume – cries out in anger.
>“It’s already rotten! I told those idiots at the slaughterhouse that the hearts need to be put in a formaldehyde solution BEFORE shipment to the Academy, but do they ever listen?”
>As the rant continues, you pull the door open and slip through, barely getting a look at your surroundings before ducking into an alcove behind a nearby curtain.
>Gasping heavily, you fill your lungs with fresh air, wiping your streaming eyes and regaining some composure.
>Peering from behind the curtain, you are met with a long hallway filled with similar alcoves, with glowing electric lamps casting a yellow pallor over the scene.
>The hallway takes a sharp right turn out of sight about ten meters away, and you slip out of your alcove and bolt to one closer to the end.
>A metallic groaning from behind forces you to take cover once again, pressing yourself into the darkness of the alcove and hoping the curtain obscures you from view.
>“What should we do with this heart then, Doctor?”
>“I don’t care! Have the River Patrol toss it over the pier or something. I’m going to be writing a tersely-worded letter to Rothwither about this.”
>The pair of hoofsteps pass by your hideout and fade up the hall.
>Leaning around the corner, you watch the two masked ponies ascend another flight of stairs and disappear.
>Trotting after them, you skid to a halt beside a sign bolted to the stone passageway.
>Academy of Natural Philosophy floorplan, very helpful.
>Apparently you are in one of the basements, the one closest to the river.
>Your eyes dance over the map, taking in the details as your heart sinks.
>It’s a maze, seven floors and countless laboratories, observatories, classrooms and study halls filling its passages.
>You narrow your search to the third floor, the one labeled “Tenured Faculty Offices.”
>Even then, the labyrinth of hallways and labeled rooms makes your head spin.

>>30654296
>Would Anonymous’s office even be labeled still?
>A plan comes to mind.
>Several of the offices are left blank, no names of professor’s or doctors filling their space.
>It’s a fair guess that one of them once belonged to Anonymous, so you take note of the numbers.
>314, 334, and 341.
>Saying the numbers several times under your breath to commit them to memory, you start up the stairs and into the Academy proper.
>The main atrium is awe inspiring.
>Its vaulted ceiling rises all the way through the Academy to the roof far above, with wrought iron skylights letting in the gray morning light.
>Weak beams of sunlight filter through the Academy’s depths, aided by the yellow glow of electric chandeliers hanging from each floor.
>The atrium appears to be a monument to the achievements of the Academy.
>Great brass telescopes and glass cases of bizarre medical equipment line its walls and dot the floor, along with old texts and their authors immortalized in stone alongside them.
>Above it all, a massive whale skeleton looms between the second and third levels, suspended by an intricate spider web of wires.
>The scene is a little overwhelming, and it takes you some time to make out a stairway between all the displays.
>The elaborate carved stairway spirals up the far end of the atrium, providing access to each floor with its well-worn steps.
>An elevator shaft rises next to the stairs, as if an afterthought to the original architecture.
>Given the age of the Academy, you realize it is one, though care has obviously been taken to match its decoration with its surroundings.
>From the relative safety of the basement doorway, you warily scan the atrium for signs of movement.
>Strangely, however, it’s quiet as a tomb.
>Shouldn’t the Academy of Natural Philosophy be a little more, academic?
>Well, you won’t get a better chance to cross the atrium unseen, so you begin to slink around the edge of the main floor, closing on the staircase.

>>30654304
>Suddenly, it seems as though every clock in the Academy chimes noon simultaneously.
>The sound of dozens of doors being flung open echoes around the atrium, accompanied with the murmur of dozens more voices.
>Shit, shit, shit!
>Your eyes frantically dart for a hiding place.
>No, the display cases won’t work, too much glass.
>Under a table?
>No, too much light.
>Passing over the elevator, you snap back to it.
>Above its gate is a maintenance hatch with a small platform underneath.
>You sprint into range of the hatch before bolting up to it, and not a moment too soon.
>A throng of ponies in stuffy clothes emerge from countless doorways and begin making their way to a large set of double doors labeled “Dining Hall,” and you can hear more of them flocking to the stairs above.
>Realizing you are still completely in view despite your elevated perch, you turn to the hatch and slide it open, seeing the roof of the elevator beyond.

That's it for now, more later tonight.

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>>30654309
good shit

>>30654309
Very nice descriptions. I could visualize it well.

>>30654440
>>30654461
i lied about the update again
Time ran out and I gotta be up early tomorrow, but I've got the next few steps laid out already and should have something knocked out in a day or two. Thanks for the feedback.

>>30655547
Alrighty mate. Thankya kindly.

>>30654061
That pic is amazing

>>30654309
10/10

>>30653520
Fact is, this is super-dependent on the talents of the guard in question.
> Most unicorns seem to be able to do a basic magic beam, maybe a few other spells, and something specifically related to their talent
> Most Pegasi don't actually seem to be that fast, in the lower double-digits miles-per-hour while flying
> Most Earth ponies don't seem to have any well-defined magic at all, aside maybe from strength/hardiness
Outliers exist for all three, though, which could potentially turn them into ferocious guards when called upon:
> Some Unicorns can summon magic shields, telekinesis multiple objects at once, or teleport you away from danger
> Some Pegasi can go easily triple-digit speeds, with a rare few approaching the sound barrier, to quickly intercept attackers
> Some Earth Ponies can carry ridiculously heavy armor or punch through rock with bare hooves

A lot of this also depends on what exactly you're doing: If you travel a lot, a pegasus that can take a position at altitude to scope out unfamiliar areas would be a huge boon. Conversely, if you spend a lot of your time in an enclosed but familiar space mobility loses an advantage, but the ability to quickly unleash a magic blast takes precedence.

updated the bin

>>30656484
Awesome! Thanks CW.

>>30653520
see >>30653881

last thread >>30551203

>>30642980
>Another silence.
>You can hear Anon and Careful chatting in the next room.
>You force yourself not to eavesdrop.

>"So," asks Moondancer. "Any plans now that you're on break?"
"Anon and I will talk to Honey Hive. See if we can get names, tie up loose ends."
>"So, guard work? On your time off?"

>In the other room, Anon and Careful's conversation goes up a notch in volume.
>It's harder to ignore, but... you guess it's natural, since they've been apart.
>They're excited to see each other.
>That makes sense.

>You give Moondancer a smile.
"Guard work is my habit. Habits require work to break. But the point of my civ time is to relax, so..."
>She chuckles.
>"Can't argue with that."

>"... *my* safety? I'm five times your weight, Care, is that really..."
>Anon's exclamation drifts in from the other room.
>It's not angry, you think, but it's hardly calm.
>Then, in drifts Careful's voice.
>You hear only bits and pieces.
>"...love you. But ... just ... space ... dust settles. Don't know ..."
>"But I... I..."
>"Anon, you know I ... it's..."

>The voices are coming closer.
>"If that's what you want," concedes Anon.

>"-the Hoof Socks? Personally I don't they have a chance. Go Canterlot Chargers! Ha-ha. Am I right? Ha-ha... ha," you notice Moondancer saying, as Careful and Anon enter.
>She's speaking oddly loudly.
>Has she been talking the whole time you were distracted by them?
"I don't follow hoofball."
>"Ah. Uh, right. Right. Not for... not for everypony."
>She's blushing heavily.
>You wonder what prompted her sudden change of topic.

>>30656567
>"Girls?" asks Anon. "I'm actually gonna take off. Sorry to ditch you so soon. Have some errands. Moon, I'll come by the shop later, try to help with the clean-up."
>Moondancer nods. "Sure. I'll see you later."
>But you're confused.
>Did he forget your plans?
"Anon, have you changed your mind about seeing Honey?"
>"I... no, Safe. Let's just postpone to tomorrow. That work?"
"Uh, okay. Sorry you have to go so soon."
>"Yeah."
>He hurriedly puts on his coat and leaves.

>That was less than expected.
>With how incessant he was about tying up loose threads from the other day, you didn't think anything could put him off it.
>It must be something really important.
>At least you have backup plans.

"Careful, since I won't be busy today, shall we-?"
>"One sec, Safe."
>She plods over to the fridge, pours herself a glass of orange juice, and nurses it, her back to you and Moondancer, who finally brings you to the next room and quietly fills you in on what you're missing.
"They... fought?"
>"Not explosively, but I think this ordeal's been tough on them. Just keep in mind it'll be a sensitive subject."
>You nod.

>"So, Moon," remarks Careful, as you both re-enter. "Safe and I were talking. And she suggested... uh."
"Maybe start from the top?"
>"...right. So... I've had dreams. Since the break in. And... Anon. Bad ones."
"Worse than bad."
>"Yeah."
>She downs the rest of her orange juice in one swig, about half the glass.
>She grimaces at the acid taste.
>"Like she says. So, we're thinking-"

>>30656582
You bastard I'm supposed to be sleeping and you've got me on the edge of my figurative seat

>>30656582
I'm glad Moon was able to explain what was happening to Safe. I do hope Anon and Careful can get through this.

Great update as always. Thanks CW!

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Damn, I wish I had a guardmare to call my own.
Shit, she doesn't even have to be a pone.

>>30656582
Great. Now i'm sad.

This is the "going to bed since I'm falling asleep at the keyboard" bump

>>30657204
I'm up, I'm up, I'm up. Top o' the morning, Anon's.

>>30656582
Ah, the passing of the Anon. An honored tradition among mares.

>>30656879
Thought: Does the Equestrian Royal Guard have auxiliaries? Are there Griffons, Dragons, Minotaurs, etc. in the service? As individuals or maybe even as entire auxiliary companies?

>>30658859
Would there be enough living in Equestria to form an entire company? Individuals certainly; I've seen a couple of "Anon joins the Royal Guard" fics.

>>30653471
>It's another people can't talk about royal guards unless they're females only thread
>Not a single hint of homo allowed, but flaming carpet munching lesbians are ok
Pretty stupid since all of the royal guards in the show are stallions. So in other words, this is a RGRE thread.

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Knight armor is my jam, can i get some guardmares in uniform?
I wish spiral knights wasnt dead.

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reminder not to fall for terrible bait

>>30659476
>It's terrible bait to say that the guards we've seen in the show are stallions
???

I want to pin down, rape, and forcefully impregnate a guardsmare while she grunts futilely tries to kick me off

>>30659456
>>30660308
>multiple stories in this thread feature multiple stallion guards
???

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>>30660515
>Not beating a guardsmare in battle and taking her as spoils of war
>Not keeping her in your hut, leaving her to first fear then fantasize about being raped while you go off and pillage some more
>Not doing that everyday for a month
>Not making her so sexually frustrated from you not raping her that she demands your hot monkey dick

Guardmares are for loving, hugging, cuddling and hoof-holding.
They ARE NOTE for rape, sexual violence or other extreme fetishes.

>>30661050
>sigh
They ARE *NOT for rape, sexual violence or other extreme fetishes.

>>30661050
>They ARE... for rape, sexual violence or other extreme fetishes.
Noted

>>30660980
Never got this
The part that's hot about rape is the 'forceful' part
Having them want your dick, no matter if it's brainwashing or hypnosis or stockholm syndrome, is consent in essence
Get a good fetish you stupid faggot

>>30654309
>An easy, short-range bolt places you on top of the elevator car just as it lurches into motion, rumbling upward.
>You stay off to one side, giving the spinning gears and pulleys of the lifting mechanism a wide berth.
>The interior of the elevator shaft slides past, and you quickly pass the second and third floors with no sign of slowing.
>To your dismay, the car climbs to the very top floor before halting, its scissor gate creaking open.
>Crouching low affords you a glimpse through the roof-mounted hatch, and you watch as several elderly ponies board the elevator.
>At least two stallions and a mare, all jackets, ties, and spectacles with unkempt and wild manes.
>“This infernal contraption, I tell you,” grumbles one stallion.
>“Every blasted day it’s the same thing. Lunchtime rings, and it’s a stampede to the elevator like a herd of so many sheep. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve arrived at my table, only to find the stew has gone cold!”
>The elevator closes and jerks into motion and begins to descend.
>“Yes, but Anonymous’s sequencing device was a stroke of genius! Even if the button on every floor is pressed, the elevator goes to the top first and foremost, working its way down and picking up passengers along the way!” the mare chimes in, sounding enthusiastic in her praise of Anonymous.
>“Hush, Mayflower, you know we’re not to talk of that. I miss him as much as any of the old guard, but those uppity newcomers would be all too eager to have us shuffled off to Coltridge for sympathizing with an enemy of the state.”
>The third stallion snorts derisively as he continues.
>“How they’d love it. The great minds of the empire out of the picture, nothing to measure their own work against and find it wanting. Of course, that’s the same reason they couldn’t stand him, the hypocritical slackers. He outshone them all, and oh, did they talk behind his back.”

>>30661182
>As the elevator arrives at another floor, the stallion shifts the topic back to the coming meal.
>“Still, the problem could be solved altogether if the Academy didn’t insist on serving communal meals at the same time. Sure, it’s more efficient for the cooks, but this is an institute of knowledge, not a soup kitchen! What do you think, Mister Brook?”
>Mister Brook – or what you can see of him through the narrow gap in the hatch – is a younger stallion, his slicked golden mane and dusky red coat clashing with a checkered green jacket.
>“I suppose,” he replies noncommittally, barely seeming to acknowledge the older ponies as he takes his place in the elevator.
>“Suppose’, he says,” the old stallion whispers conversationally to his companions, drawing jolly chuckles from them and a sneer from Brooke.
>Before the elevator starts moving again, you shift quickly to the maintenance hatch on this floor, opening it and crawling onto its platform just as the elevator sinks away beneath you.
>Communal meals, huh?
>Shouldn’t be many, if any, ponies up here then.
>You wait for the elevator to disappear to the floor below before dropping from the platform and scanning your surroundings.
>The bright halls are empty and quiet, and a pony skeleton stretched in a rearing pose dominates the foyer.
>Fifth floor, anatomical research.
>Not exactly something you’ve got the stomach to explore, you think as you round the stairs, hearing the elevator chime several levels down.
>So Anonymous had opponents even in the Academy.
>Could be useful information, maybe something to jog his memory, though they obviously kept it to themselves.
>Still, even if they didn’t like him, do you really think a few disgruntled academics could frame him for murdering the Empress?
>On top of it all, the new revelations still don’t answer who the real assassin might be, or why.

>>30661197
>Maybe he’s leading you on a wild goose chase, drawing the Watch off his scent while he escapes for good.
>But why would he tell you where he was hiding, then?
>You realize you’ve been standing in the open on the staircase, absorbed in your thoughts.
>Now’s not the time for this, Solemn.
>Find Anonymous’s office, get what clues you can from it, and you can think this all over later.
>Your stomach growls noisily enough for you to glance around and see if anyone else might have overheard.
>Lunch actually sounds pretty good right now.
>Sooner you find that office the sooner you can think, and eat.
>Right, to the third floor then.

That's all for tonight, as the plot continues to thicken.

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>>30661178
>is consent in essence
If you're going to shittalk a fetish at least understand it first.
You are literally raping their mind with those methods.
They're not giving consent, you're forcing them to give consent.

>>30661238
> you're forcing them to give consent
Yes. They are giving consent, that's my entire point. It completely removes the attractive element when they're giving consent. "Forcing" them to give consent or not it's still them giving consent.

>>30661375
Bullshit.

You're saying it's not hot watching her face scrunch up in barely restrained tears as she anguishes over the fact she's about to give you permission to rape her?

I want to break her. I want to hear it from her mouth. I want her to know she brought it upon herself. Knowing she doesn't actually want it is just as good as her pleading for it to stop. I am literally forcing her to speak against her own self-interests, to betray the sanctity of her body.

I'm the motherfucking Sith that makes the Jedi go against their moral code, having them kill in cold blood to forever taint their soul and then give them no chance of redemption as I declare them an agent of the dark side right before striking them down. THAT is power.

It is the ultimate defeat of the soul. Is that an edgy enough rape to get your blood pumping, Anon?

>>30661468
But what you described isn't consent, mate
That is legitimate rape, you're forcefully raping them, they're not actually giving consent. Making them say that is a domination thing, not them consenting.

>>30661536
>"Forcing" them to give consent or not it's still them giving consent
>Making them say that is a domination thing, not them consenting
I'm not understanding something here.

>>30661553
Okay
A woman has said she 'gives consent'
Was she forced to "give consent"? If yes, that is not consent you stupid nigger. You can't force someone to give consent.

>>30661608
I understand forced consent is not consent, but are you really just going to completely ignore the statement -you- made that consent is consent whether it's forced or not?

>>30661641
Typo, my bad
>"Forcing" them to give consent or not, it's still not them giving consent

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>>30661220
Nice update. can't wait to find out what you have in store for us.

>>30659402
Well, I mean, just because the SHOW didn't show them, doesn't mean they aren't out there. There could be a whole division of Griffon mercenary auxiliaries out there in theory.

>>30661814
Neat pic

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>>30653471
First time on thread.

What read?

>>30663720
Only lewd we got is in "Brave and Vannie". There may also be some in the "random" section

>>30663740
Well, which are your best non-lewds then?

>>30663748
Brave and Vannie if Blu ever comes back to us
Careful Watch
And Whiskey and Cigars.

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>>30616605
>You find a small group of scientist pones, crowded around an island covered in familiar sets of armor and other assorted tactical gear
>All of them are nursing their temples, ears, or eyes, groaning or rolling on the floor
>You note the scorch mark on top of a clearing in the island
>On the tiled floor is the metal remains of, what you assume to be, a flashbang
>As the ponies start to shake off the effects, a deep voice calls out frantically from the side aisles
>”Gisela?! Gisela!”
>The little griffon perks up at the voice, calling out, “I’m here, Greg!”
>Greg?
>You all hear the fast rhythm of talons against tile
>From the maze of machinery rushes in a much larger griffon with clothing only European medieval big wigs would have
>His mass and heavily scarred head, missing many brown feathers, denotes his occupation as a soldier, and an experienced one at that
>His wide grey eyes immediately find Gisela beside Trooper Blender, making him stop and relax
>Rushing up behind the griffon, well out of breath, is a familiar grey-coated unicorn scientist
>Aged silver hair in a bun, the blue-eyed Doctor Aluminum Tinker takes several deep breathes, gloved hoof against her chest

>Little Gisela suddenly prances past you, eagerly coming to /Greg’s/ side
>At the same time, Tinker finally notices you and smiles, trotting past the two seemingly familial griffons to come face to face with you
>"Anonymous! Good to see you again!"
"Likewise, Doctor Tinker."
>You glance at the crowd of scientists trying to clean up the mess the flashbang made
"I see you're still on a roll with the inventions."
>The smile becomes wider
>"Oh you have no idea, Anon! I haven't been this excited for so long since my internships."
>That's evident with her fidgeting in place, unable to keep still
>You can't help but give her a modest smile
"Well, I'm glad I've been able to make you feel younger, Doctor."

>>30663927
>A little rude to say in front of everybody, but you've learned from your first meeting weeks ago that Aluminum takes her age in stride
>Her grey cheeks gain a small blush, but your conversation is cut short by the bigger griffon striding up to you two
>His voice is low, clear, and confident

>"So you're the advisor. Many around the castle have been talking about you."
>Now starting to force your smile, you turn squarely to the griffon
"I'm sure they all have, mister..."
>The scarred hybrid stares at your outstretched hand for a moment
>You later would suspect he was seeing something else
>He snaps out of his trance quickly, though, and shakes your hand once
>"Gregario, Greatclaw and Watcher of Lady Gisela."
>So a veteran bodyguard, by the sound of those titles
"Anonymous, Advisor of the Canterlot Guard and leader of the Equestrain First."
>The griffon soldier gives you an inquisitive look, "Equestrian First?"
>You nod and take a step back
"Hopefully, the first of many teams that will be utilizing these high-tech pieces of equipment here."
>You gesture to the cluttered table with your watch hand, then casually flick your wrist to check the time
>6:07 am
"Shi-"
>You catch yourself from cursing in front of young royalty
>"-ip."
>Everyone but the few pones cleaning up is now looking at you
>Some are glaring, others are curious
>Little Gisela is simply confused
"Sunrise's at six-thirty, and I need to speak with the Princess before the day court swamps her."
>You turn to Doctor Tinker and the other pony scientists and jab a thumb over your shoulder

"Sorry for leaving before you can show us anything, but can we at least take the autocannon?"
>Doctor Tinker blinked once, then answered
>"Sure, go right ahead. That cannon and a few other pieces have been sitting there for a week or so."
>A full week of an autocannon gathering dust?!
>Jesus, you need to improve your communication with these ponies down here
>But first, you need to get to Sun Horse pronto

>>30663761
>Not mentioning Everyday Life with guardsmares

>>30663748
Look for The man from another time in the OP, his green is great and lacks all the wish fulfillment of Brave and Vannie /Careful Watch. I don't know about whisky, I never got around to reading that one.

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>>30663938
"Thank you, ma'am... What do you mean by 'other pieces'?"
>"Just other small gadgets you suggested, like flares, vox casters, micro-beads..."
>Hot damn, she has been working
>But Sun Horse, gotta get out of here
"I see. Thank you so much, Doctor. We'll be putting all of these to good use soon."
>You start to back away, making sure to give a look of acknowledgement to everyone
>It has to look awkward as fuck, but you just want to get going
>But not before giving your two troopers here some orders
===
https://pastebin.com/ruhuxiA6

>>30663761
>mfw not in best non-lewds
Just about to get to Blender/Iron conversation before transitioning to the first mission. Hopefully writing down actual physical notes will help me out with this.

>>30663964
Your green is interesting and very well written, but some are just here for the escape from reality, and "wish fulfillment"

>>30663952
He asked for big stories, so I went with the literal largest we got here.
>>30663964
Well, we did think you were dead for awhile now. And you only just got started again.

>>30661172
kek

>>30664254
> He asked for big stories

Where do you even see that?

When did careful become such a cold hearted bitch?

>>30666605
look so cute and innocent, when in reality they're asking to be bred in maid outfits.

>>30666605
>>30666759
So adoralewd

>>30668004
Please resist the urge to boop oneself when on duty.

>>30668782
Just do it in the shower like everyone else. Make sure to clean it up though, I don't like stepping in everyone else's showerboops.

>>30656582
>"You can't mean it," interjects Moondancer. "She's only been back a few years. Ponies still hardly ever see Her. We don't know that she's..."
>'Sane,' you think she may have finished, if she had allowed herself to.
>She collects herself and lowers her voice, seeming like she's trying very hard to be polite, not to condescend.
>"Aren't the stories about Her, about the dreams, just rumors?"
>"More than rumors.", says Careful, matter-of-factly. "The RG extends all the way from the top to the bottom of Canterlot. And word travels more reliably through out it than it does through the general population."
>"Can you explain?"
>"Force of habit. There's a stickler inside every gruff detective, and they won't put one letter out of place reciting a three-page loitering law while they escort you off the market past six on leap-year solstices."
>She nods over at you and winks.
>"Case in point."
>She means it as a compliment, of course.
>You fluff your feathers happily.

>"So, you have the gist of it," finishes Careful. "Would you, uh, like to come with us?"
>She had been speaking earnestly and confidently about the guard, but as the topic comes back to mundane matters, her tone drifts back to the tired one it's been since she was in the hospital.
>"I would... but I can't. Sorry. The shop."
>"Oh!" replies Careful, raising her hoof to her face. "I forgot."
>"No worries."
>You bid her farewell as she bundles up and steps out.
>Careful shrugs at you.
>"'syou and me, then."
>You can think of worse arrangements.

>>30670275
>First stop: your place.
>Mail needs checking, birds need feeding.
>You have trouble herding the squabbling finches back into their cage afterward.
>Careful giggles at the spectacle.
>You ham it up a bit. Let a few of them go and insist she help.
>They eventually cooperate, but not before you both collapse into a giggling heap from the effort.
>You show her to Mareseilles Maelee's for lunch.
>Maelee is absent; she usually is, this time of day.

>After that, a long walk through the streets and up the hundreds of steps to the higher districts finds you on the street to the Palace.
>It dominates the skyline. The central tower is taller from top to bottom than the rest of the city from the highest tier to the lowest.
>"I'm having second thoughts," says Careful, examining it.
"We're guards. They'll let us in."
>"That doesn't mean we have to."
"I-"
>She looks at you, her head cocked.
>Maybe she didn't expect you to object.
"It's the only way I know how to help you."

>She'll understand, you hope.
>That you can recognize her difficulties, but you can't feel them yourself; you can't empathize, you can't support her.
>That you can only help her seek a remedy, not be it.
>You're surprised when she places an arm around your shoulders.
>"You help more than you think."
>She walks ahead.
>You stand in wonder, the heat from her body still radiating where she hugged you.

>>30670281
>she places an arm around your shoulder
>>arm

My editor fucked up. Pretend that says "foreleg."

I'm the editor

>>30642807

And now, back to "Everyday Life With Guardsmares".

"Reporting back for duty, sir."
> "Hello again, Corporal. Enjoy your lunch?"
"Yes, sir."
> Shutting the door as you take up your appointed position in front of it, you are Corporal Honour Bound, bodyguard to the Very Important Pony (who isn't actually a pony), Anonymous, By Appointment To Their Majesties Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, Royal Engineer of Equestria.
> It's a little after one o'clock on Sunday, and you've just returned from your lunch break.
> Anonymous is sitting in the sofa, his back to the door, with a glass of water in one hand and today's newspaper in the other.
> And there's something that's been gnawing at your mind ever since the battle at Newstirrup Bridge yesterday.
"Could I have a moment of your time, sir?"
> Your VIP twists around again to face you.
> "Yes, Corporal? Is there a problem?"
> You take a deep breath.
"I wanted to apologize for my actions yesterday..."
> Anonymous lifts an eyebrow as you go on.
"... You relied on me to make the correct decision regarding the 'Pas de Sabots', and I let you down by making the wrong choice. I want to apologize for the incident; it won't happen again."
> Anonymous lets the paper drop into his lap and turns around even more, draping his arm on the back of the sofa.
> "Are you second-guessing yourself, Corporal, just as I was doing yesterday? That's a slippery slope to fall down."
> You shake your head.
"It's not a guess, sir. Opting to fight was the wrong decision. Without your intervention, we would have lost the battle."
> "What makes you so certain?"
"My own observations during the fight. Both Specialist Sparkshower and Specialist Glamerspear have said so as well."
> "I see. I take it there was some discussion that occurred upstairs, after we returned to the palace last night?"

>>30670438
> 'Some discussion' was a technically correct summary of, 'Sparkshower and Glamerspear yammering away at each other about the battle until the early hours of the morning'.
"There was, sir."
> "Well, Corporal, I'm afraid I can't accept your apology..."
> The Royal Engineer puts his drink down and stands up, facing you.
> Shrugging his shoulders, he casually slips his hands into the pockets of his trousers.
> "... Because I don't understand what you're apologizing for. You won, just like you said you would. Where's the failure?"
> It doesn't come as a surprise to you that the Royal Engineer would want to dig into the root of the matter.
"Sir, I made the decision to fight without taking into account the fact that Sparkshower had no experience in one-on-one aerial duels, or the fact that Glamerspear was not trained as a solo anti-aircraft unit."
> Anonymous steps around from behind the couch and walks up in front of you.
> "When you made the decision, did you even *know* those facts, Corporal?"
"I did not, sir. I realized them only afterwards."
> Your VIP shrugs his shoulders again and shakes his head.
> "Then what are you apologizing for? You made a decision with incomplete information; it's only natural that the decision might have been wrong."
"As the leader of your bodyguard detail, sir, it's my job to know the abilities of the soldiers under my leadership. I failed you in that duty."
> "You've known Glamerspear and Sparkshower a long time, then?"
"No, sir. We met just before Lieutenant Violetta presented us all to you."
> Your mind drifts back to less than a week ago when this assignment started.
> It was just supposed to involve guarding a colt who sits in his office and does paperwork all day.
> Not squaring off against Equestria's finest air duellists.

>>30670443
> "That doesn't seem to me like very long at all, but if you think you should have known, then I'll accept your apology for that."
"I would, sir, thank you."
> Anonymous nods.
> "All right, then it's settled. Apology accepted."
> You nod back in thanks, and the Royal Engineer steps away from you, over to the wall mirror beside the doors, leaning in to inspect himself.
> Brushing some crumbs off of his cuffs, he adjusts his cravat.
> "I should apologize as well, Corporal Bound..."
> Satisfied with his appearance, he glances over at you.
> "... Perhaps I made it seem like your choice was between fighting or handing over a hostage. But if you'd said 'no' to battle, my next question was going to be whether you thought Sparkshower would be safe. And if you'd answered 'no' once again, we would have simply turned around and come back..."
> The Royal Engineer turns and looks over at the large lighthouse clock in the centre of the room.
> Inside its glass bell, it's marking the time as a quarter after two.
> "... I wasn't going to hoof over one pony for abuse, while trying to investigate another for corruption."
> He turns to face you once more.
> "... If I made you think otherwise, then I apologize, and shall endeavour to be clearer in the future."
"That's good to hear, sir. Thank you."
> As he walks back towards the sofa, there's a quiet knock on the door behind you.
> You turn and pull open one of the doors just a crack.
> A colt dressed in an elegant red jacket and wearing a stern expression stands facing you on the other side.
> "Mister Mustang is here to see the Royal Engineer."
> You nod, and shut the door to address your VIP.
"Sir? Mr. Mustang is here to see you."
> Anonymous, halfway into sitting back down, stands up again.
> "Ah, good; please let him in."
> Back to the door, you depress the handles and allow both doors to swing open wide.

>>30670450
> The same colt comes walking in, accompanied by two mares and another colt, all wearing the same uniforms that made them look like bellhops at a fancy hotel.
> But their heavy sabots and the soft clinking off metal bands sewn into their clothing made it clear they were the bodyguards of somepony *very* important.
> Not unlike yesterday, you get the feeling like you've just been ambushed by this imposing force.
> Wait... 'Mr. Mustang'?
> "Ah, Anonymous, it is good to see you again!"
> "Mr. Mustang, it's been too long!"
> The bodyguards part to allow in a large, well-dressed colt with a big moustache hanging under a large nose that supports a pair of pince-nez glasses.
> "Come now, since you're our 'Royal Engineer', I told you to call me 'JP'."
> The Royal Engineer walks up and bends over to casually shake the hoof of one of Equestria's richest citizens.
> JP Mustang.
> Financier, investor, property magnate, and more.
> "Sorry, JP. Old habits die hard."
> "They certainly do. But that's why you're here, after all: to kill off some old habits."
> Anonymous smiles and beckons towards the sofa and chairs, and the two of them step away from the doorway.
> Without even looking in your direction, JP Mustang's escort close the doors and impose themselves in front of and beside them.
> You're forced to take a position further off to one side.
> "I prefer to think of it as introducing new ones, JP."
> "Call it as you please, Anon. Either way it's an exciting prospect for the future."
> Pouring it himself from the carafe, Anonymous offers a glass of water to the pony who owns a sizable chunk of the whole country.
> 'JP' takes it with a smile, then pulls out a cigar from a vest pocket and places it in his mouth.
> As Anonymous sits down, the financier starts to fish around in his pocket for some matches, before stopping, embarrassed.
> "Oh, I forgot; you asked me not to smoke in here, didn't you."

>>30670459
> "I don't want to deny you your creature comforts, JP, but I'd appreciate it."
> JP grins with his teeth and bats a hoof in the air.
> "Ah, well, it tastes fine unlit, and anyways I'm just stopping in for a quick visit, so you won't be denying me for very long, ha-ha!"
> His laugh is quick and brusque, more of a 'huh-huh' than a 'ha-ha'.
> Anonymous just smiles and leans back in the chair, folding his hands.
> "So, what business brings you to Canterlot this weekend?"
> The colt chews on the cigar a bit; having it in his mouth makes his Manehattan straight accent sound more like an Appleloosa drawl.
> "Business itself, that's all. There's deals to be made and papers to be signed that can't be done over in Manehattan. Sometimes you just have to go to the head of matters..."
> Leaning back, he pulls the cigar out of his mouth and licks his lips.
> "... But there is something I wanted to bring up with you. It's about Galloway Bitsmount."
> He pauses briefly, watching Anonymous' reaction.
> "... I understand you paid him a little visit yesterday."
> The Royal Engineer unfolds his hands.
> "When I heard about the mine collapse, I decided to make an inspection, yes."
> JP puts the cigar back in his mouth.
> "Don't mince words with me, son. You did more than just inspect."
> Your VIP rubs his hands together, his elbows on his knees.
> "Well, when I determined he wasn't following standards for safe mine operation, I served him with a warrant to show himself at Day Court."
> There's a long pause.
> JP Mustang turns the cigar over, moving it to the other side of his mouth.
> Finally, he takes a deep breath.
> "It is a real shame, you know. Risking pony lives trying to save some bits on timber. These young fellows sometimes..."
> JP Mustang closes his eyes and shakes his head, leaning forward.
> "... They think money amounts to everything in life. But it is the loss of life that counts. It is that frightful death."
> He opens his eyes.

>>30670464
> Anonymous says nothing, so the colt settles back into his chair again.
> "... I'm not here to tell you he is innocent. But he *is* a friend of mine, and since you are, too, I'm here to ask you to give him a second chance."
> Anonymous rubs his chin.
> "JP, he's been treating the Equestrian Rescue 'Wonderbirds' as his private clean-up squad for so long, they considered stationing a permanent detachment in Bitsmount town. And he could have gotten somepony *killed* with his bit-pinching."
> The financier raises his eyebrows and pulls the cigar out of his mouth to point at Anonymous with it.
> "I know that. And he knows it, too..."
> Replacing the cigar, he composes himself once more.
> "... Believe me, you got to him right and proper when you served him with that warrant. He wrote me a letter that sounded like he was going to burst into tears. So I'm not here to get him off the hook, Anon; I'm here to ask you to hoof over his correction to *me*."
> JP puts one hoof to his chest.
> "... You know I don't care much for the public stage. Well, he's the same way, and I can appreciate what it means to him. If you can keep him out of the day court, then I'll make sure there's never another incident at Bitsmount mine."
> Anonymous sighs and shakes his head.
> "I can't, JP. That warrant really did come from directly from Her Majesty. If he doesn't show up, then she'll ask me if his mines all right after all, and what will I tell Her Royal Highness, then?"
> The colt raises his eyebrows and his voice.
> "I'm not suggesting that you *lie* to Equestria's divine ruler, Anonymous. Go ahead and tell Her Royal Highness that Bitsmount is a scoundrel. I'm just asking that you do it in private, rather than let him be dragged through the mud. Believe me, I am going to put some very tight reins on him for a long time. He'll be chomping at the bit."

>>30670471
> The Royal Engineer gestures with his hands.
> "But it's not just about punishment, JP. It's about sending a message -- he's not the only mine-owner who was doing this, he's just the one who was doing it the most fragrantly. Putting his misdeed out there in public tells anypony else trying to trade safety for bits that they'll be facing real consequences. When we start getting steel production up, there are going to be hundreds of mines opening up across Equestria; hundreds of would-be-Galloway-Bitsmounts thinking about cutting corners in order to cut out their competition. We've got to stamp it early and hard."
> Staring at the Royal Engineer, JP Mustang licks his lips and shifts his cigar around, chewing on it for a few tense moments.
> "You're set on this, then, are you?"
> Anonymous looks apologetic.
> "You know I owe you my position, JP. You're the reason I'm here doing this work. I can appreciate you want to do a favour for a friend, and I want to do you a favour as well, but I just think this has to be done."
> The financier pulls the cigar out of his mouth and stares at it, turning it over in his hoof.
> "Well..."
> Sighing, he puts it back in and chews on it some more.
> "... I suppose you are right. An example has to be made. I just wish it was somepony else."
> Anonymous reaches for his own water-glass and picks it up.
> "I'm sorry, JP. I want to help you out, but I can't betray Celestia's trust."
> After the Royal Engineer takes a sip of water, JP waves dismissively with one hoof.
> "Don't apologize for following your conscience, son. The first thing in business is character; before money or anything else. Celestia's not the only one who trusts you to do the right thing."
> "Thank you, Mr. Mustang."

>>30670479
> That regression to formality seems to amuse the millionaire.
> "Oh, so now it's 'Mr. Mustang' again, hmm? Alright, I suppose it's deserved..."
> Slowly getting to his hooves, he nods at his bodyguards, who instantly form up and open the doors for him.
> "... Well, as I said, I'm in Canterlot for some unrelated business, and just wanted to stop in quickly to say hello."
> Anonymous stands up with him.
> "My doors are always open for you, JP."
> JP Mustang smiles, and they shake once again.
> "Likewise, son."
> Yawning, the financier heads for the door.
> "... Excuse me. It's been a long train ride from Manehattan, and I came to you straight from the station. I'll take my leave and let you get back to your work."
> "Of course. It was my pleasure."
> With a final nod, JP Mustang leaves the room, his escort preceding him.
> After they've left, Anonymous sits back down in his chair and puts one hand up to his chin.
> His visitors' hoofsteps echo down the hallway as you quietly shut the double doors.
> That was a strange encounter.
> The Royal Engineer seems to be deep in thought.
> Even though it seemed to end amiably, JP Mustang obviously did not get what he wanted.
> And saying 'no' to a millionaire could have consequences...
> Finally, Anonymous snaps out of his reflection and gets to his feet, so you pipe up.
"Sir?"
> "Yes, Corporal?"
"Did you know that Mr. Mustang would be visiting you this afternoon?"
> The Royal Engineer reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small piece of white card-stock.
> "Yes, he had his calling-card sent to me just after you left for lunch."
> So it wasn't just an ambush.
"In the future, sir, you should appraise you bodyguard detail of any such major visits."
> "I should? Why, are you worried something might go wrong?"
"No, sir. Something *did* go wrong..."
> Now you have his full attention.
"... You allowed yourself to be outnumbered."

>>30670488
Pastebin updated: https://pastebin.com/RHkvDaAw

Continuation should come on Monday.

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>>30670320
>>30670497
Wow. two nice sized updates to start my day off with a bang.


Have this questionable armor design I found, as my thanks.

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>>30670497
I just wanted to tell you that I love this green, and that this thread is my favourite right now

And I want to remind you all that Solemn and Rewind are pure valkyries who deserve hapiness and all the cuddles.

>>30670281
It's going to be interesting to see how your ponies deal with royalty. I almost imagine it being like a cop talking to the president. But maybe they rotate guards so maybe they have actually spent time guarding them personally. Either way, looking forward to it.

>>30670497
Very cautious pony.

>>30663964
Interesting development there. I'm glad Anon decided to visit Dr. Tinker. Thanks for the update. I'm looking forward to seeing where this leads.

>>30670320
I don't want to just assume but I'm guessing they're talking about seeing Luna. Not a bad idea actually. I was about to ask why she hasn't visited Careful in the dream realm. Perhaps she's not comfortable going into other pony's dreams again and this is what will get her to start again?

>Careful x Anon
Saddens me a bit that Careful isn't bringing Anon in on this. He loves her and wants to help in anyway he can. I wouldn't be surprised if he thinks she's pushing him away. Also, I'm getting an un-easy feeling about Safety's intentions. Not malicious or anything but it almost seems she wants to steal Careful away from Anon. IDK, I'm probably just worrying to much.

Thanks for the update CW. Great as usual!

>>30670497
Oh boy. Reading the interaction between JP and Anon has me a bit worried; "Birds of a feather" you know. That and the fact that JP likely financed Bitsmount and Anon's inspection could interfere with the reaping of profits.

Bound makes a very good point and I doubt Anon even considered 'something going wrong' a remote possibility. Does JP always travel with 3 guards or was he trying to intimidate Anon. If JP was trying to intimidate Anon it probably didn't work since Anon was only just made aware of the potential danger he could have found himself in.

Great update and good character development. Thanks TMFAT!

>>30670488
Nice.

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Still alive, but found the pony creators. Learning the rgb and hsv system real well. Will probably figure out hex numbers along the way too.

>>30675552
kek
>>30676190
>cream blender
I'd like to blend her cream

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>>30676190
Sorry for the lack of green, but I've fleshing out everyone's backstory some more.

Whenever you're feeling up to it.

>>30676190
>>30677449
No worries. It's good to have your characters fleshed out even if it's in notes to yourself. Helps you write with the their motivations in mind.

Thanks for the pony creator references. Helps guide the picture of them in my mind. Blender looks almost exactly as my mind's eye sees her.

>captcha text: CAMP STRADA
Sounds like the name of a possible FOB.

>>30653471
So if Brave and Vannie is dead why is it still under ongoing, why must you constantly give me false hope?

>>30677449
Thanks for bringing more green IG Anon. I humbly offer a bad haiku.

Equestrian First
The old guard afraid of change
Just humoring them

>>30680550
Anon is a grunt in the Royal Guard, meets up with kid sister who proceeds to embarrass him in front of his hot superior.

>>30439561

not worth the month ive been gone, but starting now, im gonna stop being an unproductive faggot

>...
>Once again, you underestimated the degree of seriousness ponies put their feelings in here.
>Not that you're against talking kids or anything, but it's just odd.
>A good odd.
>You mean, when you first showed up here, just having a pony girlfriend was nowhere near your mind.
>And now you have two of them.
>Now one is talking about having a family already, and...
>Well, it actually sounds pretty nice.
>Judging by the huge smile on Brave's face, she definitely thinks so, too.
>These two clearly trust the hell out of you, so loyal to the point of even offering up their lives.
>-If they can genuinely look at you and see father material, life long commitment and everything, then who the hell are you to deny them that?
>Though, the longer the thought lingers in your head, the more doubts you feel rising up to the surface.
>After all, this kind of stuff IS uncharted territory for you.
>Brave saunters her way over to you and starts nuzzling you, brushing her head under your chin and against your neck.
>And she's REALLY brushing.
>You can hear her coo, and feel the heat of her cheeks on your skin.
>Almost reminds you of a cat, the way she's doing it.
>Those same thoughts die down, though you know it'll take a lot of thinking before you can completely disregard them.
>Noticing Vannie just lying there, presenting and breathing slowly, you pick her up and flip her around, so that her face is towards you.
>She looks like she's high, with that half-lidded gaze and dopey smile on her face.
"What about you? What do YOU think about all this foal business?"
>Brave doesn't stop her vicious cuddling, but her ears perk up.
>"-If you want foals, I want foals..."
>Well then.
>Guess you were right after all.
>Brave nuzzles her cheek against yours, getting a smile out of you.
>It quickly kills some more of the doubts in your mind.

>>30681059
>If Vannie is on board with this too...
>Well, when in Rome, right?
>Going with the flow has kept you from going crazy as it is.
>If kids are the next big thing... well, so be it.
>...So be it.
>Without any warning, you feel her push up against you, little Anon resting just against her entrance.
>She scrunches, and a blush quickly spreads across her cheeks.
>Brave takes to just resting soundly on your shoulder, ears flicking every so often.
>Holding her breath, Vannie takes the plunge, her marehood tightly hugging around you.
>You can feel her wink, her clit rubbing against Jr. on the way down.
>Her breath hitches, and you watch as her flanks slowly make their way down to hug your sides.
>You hold her midsection with both hands, and she comes in for a small, passionate kiss.
>"Hmmm, I love you Anon..."
>Her words quickly put a smile back on your face, and she focuses on you with that half-lidded gaze.
"I love you too, Vannie."
>Saying and hearing those words makes your heart flutter.
>You'll never get used to it.
>And you're glad.
>Young Jr. asks for attention again, so you slowly pull out of her a little, before sliding back in.
>Despite the pace, you still get a small squelching sound out of it.
>And if it weren't for her being so excited, you doubt you'd be able to move so easily.
>She lets out a small whine, and moves her hips around in a few small circles.
>Her clit rubs up against you again as you do so, eliciting a small, squeaky moan out of her.
>That, paired up with the outfit she's got on, cranks the cuteness up to eleven.
>You get a slow, gentle rhythm going between you, simply enjoying the hot, slick feeling of her sex against yours.
>Reaching lower, you move your hands under the frilly lower part of her dress, pushing your palms into her soft, plush rump.
>This too, will never get old.

>>30681061
>Trailing across her flanks, a hand finds her dock, which brings her tail further up at the contact.
>You massage the sensitive little part, getting another cute squeak out of her.
>And while you're doing that, you brush all around her rump with your other hand, squeezing, feeling her soft, silky fluff up.
>She winks, prompting you to continue your little adventure with Jr.
>Once you're pushed all the way into her, with your thighs touching her coat, a content feeling washes over you.
>The heat of her marehood is just so great, so inviting.
>The slight resistance you get, the way Vannie's eyes close slightly every time you hilt...
>Nothing will ever compare.
>Not even Brave, because she's a whole other ballgame.
>Equally as amazing, but like comparing apples to oranges.
>With each push, she exhales softly, her breathing becoming heavy.
>She fixes on you with a soft, lusty smile, looking into your eyes as you do your thing.
>She winks, moaning as her clit rubs you.
>Walls hugging tightly, a whine and a heavy pant escapes her.
>Noticing the signs, you pick up the pace slightly, bringing her in for another kiss.
>Her teeth graze your tongue lightly, and she focuses on fighting it with hers.
>A throaty moan comes out of her, and she shares another breath with you.
>"Ahn-Anon, I-I'm gonna..."
>Her sex hugs you tighter, and you feel a bunch of fluids gush out, coating your member in it.
>"Ohhh, mmm, th-that's it..."
>Her ears pin against her head as she rides the first climax out, humming while you grind against her.
>Ears coming back up again halfway, she keeps the kiss going, making good work of mixing her saliva with yours.
>She presses her muzzle against your nose, scrunching in the process.
>Bringing her flanks down onto you, she grinds you back and forth, before gaining enough energy to get her own thing going.
>You pull your hands back, and slink under the dress to rub her inner thighs.

>>30681067
>Every so often, you brush right up against these two little nubs of hers, where you give extra attention to the top of them.
>One of her legs twitches under your touch, and she starts to pant.
>You alternate between rubbing them and her thighs, watching her legs spread slightly every time they reach over there.
>The pace still slow, you try to go as deep into her as you can with every push.
>"Unfff, hmmm."
>You pull out entirely, then hilt back inside her, getting another moan in the process.
>With all these sensations flooding your mind, you can feel yourself already nearing the end.
>You move both your hands in rhythm, rubbing those little mounds of hers first, then slowly dipping towards her marehood, massaging all the soft fluff around it.
>When you do, you can also feel most of the sticky mess you've made, matted down on her coat.
>She picks herself up, tucking her forehooves towards her chest and adjusting her hindlegs.
>Now, you can feel her puffy vulva, pressed right up against your crotch.
>Not only that, but you can SEE the mess that you've made, now.
>You bring your hands over and rub her flanks again, brushing towards those socks of hers and groping what you can.
>Without a word, she picks herself, and grinds in a circle.
>You move up to her midsection, holding tightly and giving her support.
>So she starts to ride you.
>Slow, but deep- much deeper than before.
>Her plush rump claps against your thighs softly, just adding to the high you're already feeling.
>"Ahn!"
>She steadily picks up the pace, and you get that muffled, heavy clopping noise of hilting inside of her.
>Her winks become more frequent, taking only a few seconds in between each one.
>The pressure becomes more intense, building up quickly at the moderate, hard pace she has going.
>Her own panting quickens, and her speed picks up again.
"Oh, V-Vannie..."
>-Didn't mean for that to slip out.

>>30681074
>Your own breathing becomes labored, and the finish line nears.
>Clutching onto her, an overwhelming sense of bliss takes hold as you feel Jr. twitch, sending spurt after spurt right into her.
>But once you're all out, she continues, milking everything she can out of you and nearing her own climax.
>You grit your teeth, and she lets out a loud, quick gasp.
>She tightens around you, and more of her own fluids add to the mix, while she keeps moving, pressing against you with another circle of her hips.
>"A-Anooon!"
>One of her legs twitch, and she holds her breath, riding out the rest of her orgasm.
>The pleasure keeps on for a few more seconds, until she moves back onto you, bringing you in for one last kiss.
>She moans into your mouth while you keep up the grinding, getting as much as you can out of it.
>But soon enough, the feeling dies down, and you're both just left panting, tasting and licking each other.
>She breaks slowly, and kisses your nose.
>"That... that was amazing..."
>She moves under your chin, and makes herself comfortable.
>"Mmm, I love you, Anon... More than anything..."
>You brush her mane and rub her ears as she starts to purr on top of you.
"I love you too, Vannie. More than anything."
>You can see Brave's ear flick next to you, and you turn to her.
"AnyTHING, not anyONE, Brave."
>You wrap an arm around her and pull her in.
"In fact, it wouldn't be fair to say that you both mean the world to me... You both ARE my world, and I hope to never see it without you."
>"-Woah woah woah, save all the mushy end of the night stuff, I'm still owed a little something!"
>Vannie's ears perk up.
>"Oh yeah, that's right! She still needs HER special treatment!"
>You pause for a moment while her words come back to you.
"Right, forgot about that."
>You turn to her and rub her ears, too.
"Well, what did you have in mind?"
>Her smile grows, her eyes start sparkling.
>"Oh, I'm glad you asked~"

>>30681059
>but starting now, im gonna stop being an unproductive faggot
I want to believe you blu, but you've already hurt me so much

>>30670497
Jumping right back in to Corporal Honour Bound's POV in "Everyday Life With Guardsmares"

> Anonymous seems confusingly amused by your suggestion.
> "Outnumbered? Corporal, it was a one-on-one conversation."
> You want to express frustration with his ignorance, but you keep your proper place.
> You're Anonymous' bodyguard, after all, not his fussy aunt.
"I'm referring to his escort, sir. He brought *four* bodyguards to this meeting. You only had one. That's a breach of social contract."
> Turning the calling card over in his hands, Anonymous furrows his brow and looks it over, then glances up at you.
> "Could you elaborate on that, Corporal? My knowledge of Equestrian social customs is limited."
> That much was obvious.
> Since this was likely to come up repeatedly during your term of service, you decide to give him the big picture.
"The right to a retinue of bodyguards, and the size of that retinue, is tied to a pony's social standing. A VIP with fleeting fame or a minor accomplishment under their hat, like a champion of the Games, a moderately successful artist, a general or war hero, or a wealthy patrician such as Mr. Bitsmount, is permitted to have one guard at a time. More notable VIPs are granted two or three; most members of the Court have at least three. Four at a time is the maximum escort size for anypony not wearing an actual crown..."
> The Royal Engineer listens attentively as you lay it all out.
"... A pony may employ more than that number, of course, in order for their retinue to keep reasonable shifts, and they may have as many as they like serving in their own household, but when in public or with another member of society, those are the limits."

>>30681290
> You nod your head back at the door.
"... Mr. Mustang isn't a member of the Court, but he's wealthy and recognized enough to have earned the right to the full complement of four bodyguards, referred to as a 'quaternion'. But you're a member of the highest advisory court to the Crowns -- the privy council. Despite Mr. Mustang's accomplishments, you therefore outrank him in society, and it is considered improper for you two to meet except on equal terms, or with you holding the advantage."
> Anonymous holds up the calling-card.
> "But how would we know the size of his escort on a given day? There's nothing on this but his name and the requested time of the meeting."
> You shrug.
"The exact number doesn't matter. The important thing is to show up with either your full retinue or at least as many as he *could* have. You may then dismiss your bodyguard detail, as desired, after he arrives. Lieutenant Violetta will be able to find out how many somepony is permitted; allocations are done in formal ceremonies and written records are kept by the Heralds of the College of Arms."
> The Royal Engineer smiles at you.
> "All right, I understand. But then there's another problem: even if I'd called you all down here for the meeting, there are only *three* of you."
> You tilt your head slightly.
"Yes, sir, there are. Yet you should be eligible for four; even the guards' quarters upstairs is set up for a full quaternion."
> You shrug.
"... To be honest, sir, I don't know why you were only allocated three of us. Perhaps whoever made that decision didn't think you would be conducting private meetings with the elite of Equestrian society."

>>30681292
> Anonymous sighs and walks over to a small card-cabinet beside his set of large bookshelves.
> "Up until now, I suppose they would have been right. But that's all going to be changing with the first book entering publication."
> This statement piques your curiosity, and you crane your head to the left to follow him into his office-area.
"Sir?"
> The Royal Engineer quickly files away the calling-card, then leans back to look over at you.
> "Oh, I thought you knew? Well, come over and I'll show you."
> Stepping away from your post, you join Anonymous at the angled reading-table in front of and perpendicular to his main bureau.
> He gestures at an enormous cursive-script manuscript sits open on it, its binding loose.
> "... This is it, Corporal Bound: the first major step in bringing about an industrial revolution to Equestria, and the sum total of my accomplishments here so far."
> At his invitation, you lean forward and skim the text.
> It seems to be describing something referred to as a "steam injector", with a number of mathematical formulae describing its properties.
> A diagram on the opposite page shows some kind of strange plumbing apparatus.
"I'm not sure what I'm looking at, sir."
> Your VIP chuckles amiably.
> "Well, it's a lot easier if you start from the beginning..."
> Standing next to you, the Royal Engineer delicately flips back through a few hundred sheets of paper to get to the title page.
> 'SCIENCE & INDUSTRY, PART 1: THEORY'

>>30681297
> "... I assure you, I've written the text such that anypony should be able to understand it if they really put their mind to the job. What you see before you is the handwritten manuscript I produced; the accepted final draft is at the publishers', being printed and duplicated. By summer, there'll be two dozen available at the Canterlot Royal Library for whoever wants them."
> You look up at Anonymous as he continues.
> "... This is what I've been doing for the last eight months: writing down every single scrap I know about scientific and industrial advancements in my world. It was my business back where I come from, but there's gaps in what I can recall, and the theory alone isn't enough: we need to start building the devices described in these pages, validating the theories and establishing the rules of engineering for each of them."
> You turn back to the book, feeling a little more reverence for its contents.
> The book is easily over a thousand pages long -- and large pages at that, with what must be hundreds of diagrams accompanying considerable amounts of text.
> "... So, yes, for the most part I've been secluded in these chambers, meeting with others only occasionally. It's only in the last month, going back and forth with the publishing house and dealing with edits and revisions that can take days to be prepared, that I've found the time to start socializing more. I suppose that was the impetus for assigning me an escort in the first place."
> Anonymous turns around and steps over to one of his bookshelves.
> "... Here, it looks much nicer in real binding."
> He reaches down an enormous tome and lays it on the reading-desk beside the manuscript.
> "... This is last week's pre-production draft; there were only a few minor typesetting errors, which I've noted in the margins."

>>30681301
> Printed on thicker paper and properly case-bound, with a stiff elegantly-decorated leather cover wrap, it doesn't just look nicer, it looks even more impressive than the already-mighty manuscript alone.
> And this is just 'part 1'?
> The librarians at Royal Library must have balked at trying to find space for two dozen copies on their shelves.
"I had no idea, sir. It looks fascinating."
> "Well, if you're interested, by all means take it with you at the end of your shift. Subject to a few rules for safety, everything in here is being published publicly for the benefit of all Equestrians, after all."
"Thank you, sir. I'd like to give it a try, at least..."
> You reach up and open the cover, seeing the same title-page inside, accompanied with a signed note from the Royal Engineer.
> 'Reviewed March 22. See corrections pp. 83, 201, 204, 232, 253, 297, 302, 382, 787, 858, 923, 933, 1063, 1064, 1172'
> Closing it again, you look back up at your VIP.
"... And as for your social situation, sir, I'm sure if you asked Lieutenant Violetta for a full quaternion, pointing out today's meeting, then one will be provided for you."
> The Royal Engineer shoots a glance towards the lighthouse clock in the middle of the room.
> "Well, perhaps we might get the ball rolling immediately, then. It's not even three o'clock yet, and the Lieutenant told me she keeps office hours on Sundays until three-thirty."
"Yes, sir."
> Nodding, you make your way back over to the door.
> After quickly checking himself in the mirror and finishing his glass of water, he walks over.
> You open the door, allow him through, shut the door behind him, and then quickly trot up so as to walk slightly in front of and to the side of your charge.
> As you both proceed down the carpeted corridor, towards the barracks, there's just one question in your mind:

>>30681304
> Who will Lieutenant Vi assign as the fourth member of your quaternion?
> So far, you have a hyperactive war-hero unicorn anti-air cannon, an armoured pegasus with plenty of skill but still a bit wet behind the ears, and yourself: a veteran soldier who was feeling disenchanted with the Royal Guard as a career choice.
> But you had to admit, that disenchantment had been seriously challenged these last two days.
> And it seems you won't be protecting a paper-pushing bureaucrat after all.
> Hopefully, the fourth member will have plenty of experience with formal society.
> You could really use somepony who could help discreetly guide your fish-out-of-water VIP through Equestrian customs.
> Right now it was really just you and Glamerspear who understood Canterlot society.
> Sparkshower was a fast learner, but she just didn't know what was going on.
> A soldier from a respectable Canterlot family, with good breeding and an effortless grace in public society: that's what Anonymous needed.
> You'll send a message to Lt. Vi after your shift to make sure it happened.
> Then the next meeting with JP Mustang won't see you being metaphorically shoved aside by the tycoon's armoured bellhops.

>>30681333
Pastebin updated: https://pastebin.com/RHkvDaAw

I'm probably going to continue writing tonight, but I won't be posting the next scene until it's actually done, which could take until Thursday.

>>30681087
That was really good Blu. Heart and Lewd boners were had. Thanks and welcome back.

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>>30681059
>gonna stop being an unproductive faggot

WOOOOHH

If i had any party poppers they so would be popped right now.

>>30681290
>So much good green to get though this lunch break.

Today is a good day.

>>30681336
Nice world building TMFAT. You packed some good stuff in that update. Thanks.

>>30681059
>>30681590
Party poppers popped
Sound of Anons rejoicing
The Return of Blu

>>30681087
hehe. Anon having to keep the balancing act was a nice. No idea how them crazy mormons do it, but I imagine it's far easier with innocent little ponies. Still makes me feel a little wrong that anon has to share his love, but if they are cool with it I wouldn't complain.
>>30681336
It was a good update. Always nice to learn more about their society. But i'd be lying if i said i wasn't hoping for maybe a little romance in the future.

>>30681087
AND WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN

>>30681619
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.

>>30681878
Thanks. To answer your question: It is going to come, but slowly.

what if anon was a filthy NEET, and he got a guardpone?

>>30682556
I think we've had greens like that. Maybe not even in this thread.

If I remember correctly they were kinda hard to read because Anon was 110% autism speaks.

>>30682576
well we need moar, and i want to read them

Got a big update I've been working on for the past few days, should have the last scene polished up and out by tomorrow sometime.
>>30681087
>Blu's back with a shit ton of lewd
Holy fugg

>>30681336
Nigga I like your green.
Nice update.
'Preciate you

>>30681917
>slow inbound romance
hmm, do we have enough info to begin speculation?

>captcha: zona harmonia
Basically translates to Harmony Zone. Does captcha know something we don't?

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>>30681059
>>"-If you want foals, I want foals..."
hhhngggg

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>>30681087
Good to see you back

>>30681333
>New guardmare incoming
>But does it have to be pone?

>>30681059
oh my god i had just about stored this green in my never-to-be finished folder... its a happy day

>>30681059
Fuck yeah, he is back to breed those mares.

>>30681333
It's gonna be a batpone, isn't it?

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>>30685273
hopefully

>>30685273
>>30685429
I too cast my vote for bat pony.

>>30685273
>>30685429
Or could the new guard come from an auxiliary unit? A gryphon perhaps? Or maybe a Minotauress?

>>30686927
>Minotauress
>Glamerspear huffs
>"The Royal Engineer never stares at OUR teats like that!"

>>30686927
If he's getting it for Equestrian custom purposes, I doubt that'd be the case.
bat pone, however…
I imagine having guards from both Luna AND Celestia would really send a damn strong message.

>>30687723
>"He's important enough to warrant a night detail stationed outside his door? Just who is this Anonymous, really?"

>You wake up in the middle of the night
"Sgt. Neckbiter?"
>"Mm?"
"What are you doing?"
>"Bitin' yer neck."
"I can see that. The question is why?"
>"Hungry. Makin' blood p'sketti."
"Huh. Didn't know I had any noodles in my kitchenette."
>"You didn't, I found some in your pockets."
>Not your pocket spaghetti!
>You needed that for crucial greentext moments!

>>30687777
>This kills the Anon.

>>30687777
glorious quads and a mighty kek

>>30661220
>After giving the elevator enough time to pick up its passengers, you descend past the fourth floor – alchemical research, vats and decanters of strange fluids glowing behind every window – and arrive at the Tenured Faculty Offices.
>The electric lamps here have been turned to a lower power setting, casting the halls in a shadowy, yellow tinted gloom.
>313, 334, 341.
>13, 34, 41.
>On the chance that there might be some diligent mind hard at work up here, you take it slow, slinking in a lowered stance past doors and windowed offices, hugging whichever wall is most poorly lit.
>Room 313 comes up first.
>Nothing seems at all unusual about it, the wooden door blank aside from the brass number embossed on it.
>The placard on the frame indicating the room’s occupant is empty, and you try the handle.
>It clicks open easily, the door swinging inward to reveal a small, completely empty office, save the heavy desk in the middle.
>Ensuring the hallway is empty, you round the desk and make a quick search of its drawers, coming up with nothing.
>Anonymous said to check for a safe under the desk, so you look there.
>The tiled floor is bare, not even a trace of something hidden.
>Just a vacated office; on to the next one.
>The short, single hallway leading away from the elevator splits into two, wrapping around the massive central gallery.
>You take a left, heading for Room 334.
>330, 332, and…
>Oh yeah, this has to be the place.
>In addition to the simple wooden door that every other office uses, Room 334 has an additional metal barricade erected over the top.
>The barrier is hinged on one side, with an impressive padlock and chain strangling the handle.
>“Off limits, by order of the Lord Regent,” is stenciled onto the door in blood red paint, leaving little room for doubt.
>A small piece of parchment is pinned in the wooden frame beside the door, and you lean in to read the messy hoofwriting.

>>30688032
>‘Andrei; the Abbey is sending an Overseer later this week to investigate this office for signs of heresy. Bunch of horse apples, I know, but they’ll be coming up here with a Watch officer from the front gate, who’ll bring the key. I want you to escort them, keep them from straying into our work and out of our manes as best you can. Oh, and toss this letter once you read it.’
>Well damn it.
>No time to go all the way back to the front gate for the key; lunch will be over soon.
>You pace up and down the hallway, hoping to spot another way in.
>You try a door to the right of the barricade, sliding into the office behind it.
>The desk is buried under a mountain of papers and books, as are the walls, but your attention is drawn to the picture window at the back of the room.
>Room 334, like the others on this side of the hall, back onto atrium, large windows providing a view of the displays below.
>Unfortunately, the windows don’t open, and you’re back to square one.
>Set into the rooms’ ceiling is a ventilation grille, covering the duct recessed into the space above.
>It looks to be just big enough.
>You close the office door and climb onto the desk, careful not to rearrange the mess of documents on top of it.
>Balancing on your hindlegs, you can just reach the grille, undoing the latch and allowing it to swing down on its hinges.
>Even from here it looks like a tight squeeze, so you decide not to risk bolting into a place you might get stuck.
>Hooking your forehooves over the ledge, you hoist yourself upward.
>The ventilation duct is tiny, even for you, the tight metal walls not allowing your ribs to expand far enough to draw a full breath.
>It is also dusty, columns of light dancing from another vent grille up ahead.
>You shimmy backwards and over the open grille beneath you, grabbing and locking it in place.
>Although you’re hoping to have this wrapped up before anyone comes back, it’s better to not leave evidence anyway.

>>30687777
A well deserved quads right there. Toppest kek.

>>30688044
>Looking around the gloomy vent, you realize it is not connected directly to Anonymous’s room, instead leading out into the hallway, and snaking away in both directions.
>Damn.
>You crawl forward, moving slowly and testing the metal ahead before putting your weight on it.
>Two right turns will get you to Room 334.
>Just a short crawl, Solemn, nothing too bad.
>By the time you reach the hallway intersection, you are drenched in sweat.
>The heating is on apparently, thanks to the cold weather, and you can attest to its functionality.
>The corner is tight, requiring you to flip on your side to squeeze around it.
>Just a little… bit… more…
>Are those hoofsteps?
>*POP*
>The flexing of the metal is as loud as a gunshot to you, and you freeze halfway around the bend, contorted in an extremely indecent and uncomfortable position.
>The hoofsteps approach, and you glance downward through the vent just under your left cheek.
>A pony appears, dressed in a green checkered jacket.
>Mister Brook.
>Finished with lunch already, are we?
>Brook’s eyes are narrowed, and his head bobs this way and that as he scans the hallway suspiciously.
>What is he doing up here?
>You watch him unblinkingly, terrified of moving even a fraction of an inch.
>Every drop of sweat feels like a river as it trickles slowly down your body.
>Brooke doesn’t move, ears swiveling, and it is so quiet that you can hear his breathing coming slow and steady.
>Dust tickles your nostrils as you inhale, and you feel a familiar lightheadedness coming on.
>Oh shit.
>You hold your breath, the urge to sneeze neither increasing nor abating.
>Scrunching your muzzle and screwing your eyes shut, you plead with your brain not to do it.
>Mercifully, your mind steps back from the edge, the building explosion fading into nothing.
>You open your watery eyes, blinking, only to see an empty hallway beneath you.

>>30688119
>Out of sight, the sound of tumblers turning and the rattling of a chain echoes dully through the vent, followed by the faint squeal of hinges swinging open.
>Around the corner of the duct, in the direction of Anon’s room, you hear a quiet rifling of papers and shuffling of other small objects, interspersed with an occasional curse.
>Risking more noise, you shift around the bend and squeeze toward the light rising from the grille over Room 334.
>Below, Brook is sifting through an office that looks as though a whirlwind tore through it.
>Papers are scattered all over the floor, along with books that have been carelessly tossed, their spines cracked and torn.
>A fine looking chair is turned on its side behind a vast, ornate desk, the drawers of which are being pulled out, looked at and slammed back in by an increasingly frustrated Brook.
>The stallion finally relents, standing from the desk and pushing his bedraggled mane back with a huff of anger.
>“Those Watch morons,” he mutters to himself.
>“Tore the damned place apart looking for their precious evidence, no thought at all to preserving anything of academic worth.”
>He catches his breath for a moment before grabbing a key from the desktop, stalking angrily to the door and out of sight.
>You hear the inner door click shut, followed by the thud of the heavy metal barricade and another clinking of chains and locks.
>Through the duct behind you, you hear Brook’s hoofsteps fade into nothing.
>Waiting until you’re certain he’s gone, you reach for the grille, pushing its latch downward and dropping the grille to one side.
>You drop your rear end through first, balancing on the desk before bringing your forelegs down and relishing the ability to breathe normally.
>You crouch under the desk, pushing stray papers aside and looking for the floor safe.
>Nothing but wooden floorboards greet you, not even creases or indentations that might mark a secret panel.

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>>30688044
>solemn's back end hanging out of the air duct
nice

>>30688123
>Remembering your experience at the abandoned dress shop with the Blinders’ secret passage, you put a shoulder against the desk and begin to push.
>The wooden monstrosity doesn’t even shift; it’s anchored somewhere.
>Circling the desk, you find no nails or screws holding it to the floor, and move on to the drawers.
>They are empty save for the large right-side cabinet, in which is an audiograph that appears to be a permanent feature of the desk.
>Looking on the desktop, you notice a speaker grille recessed into the surface.
>Anon must have liked music while he worked.
>You go back to the cabinet, studying the audiograph machine.
>Several knobs and levers adorn its face, controlling volume and power, and a recording card is still inserted into its slot.
>‘Traditional Tyvian folk songs’ the card reads.
>You reach in and adjust the volume knob, twisting it down to the minimum and achieving nothing.
>Going the opposite direction, the knob stops again, but this time you feel it flex a little.
>You twist a little harder, the knob giving way with a quiet click, a slightly louder one emanating from under the desk.
>There we go.
>Pressing against the desk once more, you slide it forward on a set of hidden rails, hearing papers crumpling on the other side.
>The crunching noise covers up the activation of the audiograph, and suddenly your ears are assaulted with the voices of dozens of stallions singing boisterously in Old Tyvian.
https://youtu.be/26cr_rBQu74
>You nearly jump to the ceiling, frantically, flicking the audiograph’s power lever to ‘off.’
>Nothing happens, and the Tyvians continue to sing merrily.
“Fuck!”
>The volume knob refuses to move, likely because you’ve already pushed the desk forward.
>Finally, you reach for the recording card as it slides methodically in and out of the machine, tearing the top portion off but failing to remove it entirely.

>>30688197
>The volume of the singing doesn’t change, but the stallions are now limited to abruptly repeating two or three words.
>Out of options, you resort to punching the machine repeatedly, and as it collapses blow by blow, the voices finally fade out into silence.
>Your ears stand forward at attention, eyes staring at the office door.
>No sound comes from the hallway, and the only sound in the room is the rapid-fire pounding of your heart.
>Best to get out of here as quickly as possible, in any case.
>Looking down, you take in the space beneath the desk.
>Sunk into the office floor is a small safe door, three number dials positioned on its right side near a handle.
“Four two seven.”
>You repeat Anon’s combination as you enter it, the safe giving a soft click as the lock disengages.
>The handle turns easily, and you lift the door open.
>Inside the safe are two small, unmarked books, each tied shut with a length of cord.
>You hastily grab the books, and lacking any pockets, tuck one away in the top of each foreleg sock.
>With that, you close the safe and pull the desk backward, switching the shattered remains of the audiograph’s volume switch to the lowest setting and hearing the desk lock firmly in place.
>Some time later…
>You are Anonymous.
>Your factory hideout has a decent selection of tools, and you’ve been hard at work.
>An impressive array of tripwires and noisemakers surround the place, enough to keep most would-be intruders away.
>And enough to stave off boredom.
>With your arm healing up, and the immediate threat of arrest having passed, sitting around in this old place has been mind-numbing.
>Additionally, with the factory abandoned and power no longer running, you are left with hand – hoof – tools to conduct your work.
>Currently, you are seated at a workbench and finishing up some filing work, smoothing a few joints to fit just so.
>Although, something doesn’t feel right just now.

>>30688207
>The hairs on your neck prickle, right as something hefty thuds into your back.
“What the-”
>Your heartrate skyrockets as you spin around pistol in hand.
>Only an empty factory greets you, the light wind whistling through broken panes and drafty catwalks.
>“It’s just me. Can you put the gun down, please?”
>The guard mare’s voice sounds close, but you can’t see her anywhere.
>You comply, laying the pistol to one side on the bench and stooping to a small cloth sack on the ground, obviously the item that struck you.
>Undoing the laces at the top, you reach inside, coming out with two familiar books.
>Your project notes and personal journal.
>“They were in your safe, just like you said.”
>The guard mare is right next to you, no jacket this time, a pair of socks being her only concession to the chilly afternoon.
“Could you please stop sneaking up on me like that? Bad enough I have a bum arm, I don’t need a heart attack to go with it.”
>“Speaking of which,” the mare replies, motioning for you to check the sack again.
>You fish inside it once more, this time finding a package of bandages, gauze wrap and antiseptic ointment.
>“I figured it’d be better than strips of clothing and alcohol,” the mare offers, her voice coming flatly and without much remorse or apology to it.
>Best you’re gonna get, you suppose, and definitely unexpected.
“Wow, I uh, thanks.”
>The mare doesn’t respond, simply staring at you.
>She doesn’t look afraid, or worried, simply… appraising?
>It’s starting to get on your nerves.
“So um, I trust it wasn’t too difficult to find?”
>“Not particularly, though the audiograph was a bit of trouble.”
“Oh yeah, that! Worked as intended I guess. What happened to the recording card?”
>“I had to destroy it, to shut the thing up.”
>Damn.
“Huh, I had hoped to return it to Andrei someday. It was one of his favorites.”

>>30688213
>“What was the point of that, anyway? You’d only hear if someone was tampering with your desk if you were within a few dozen meters of the room, not particularly helpful if you’re out of earshot.”
“The reasoning was that it would alert me if I was nearby, and hopefully startle any would-be intruders into giving up and fleeing. I got the idea from car alarms back in my own world. Although, dedicated intruders would always just break in and smash the alarm anyway, kinda like what you did. Maybe it wasn’t that – never mind, what I mean is, thank you.”
>The mare nods slightly at you, and you untie your books and begin to leaf through them.
>“Did you know a pony by the name of Brook?”
“What? Oh, Brook. Hmm, yeah the name is familiar. Stallion, golden mane, kinda cunty looking?”
>You catch yourself at the end.
>Is that a swear here?
“Sorry.”
>“Yeah, ‘kinda cunty looking.’ He was snooping around your office shortly before I got there. Didn’t find anything useful, but from the look of it, he was searching for your notes.”
>The mare finishes, watching you carefully.
>She’s judging your reactions, seeing how you respond to certain memories or ponies, you can tell.
>Hooked on the mystery; that’s good.
>Maybe you really might have an ally in her.
“Well that figures, I guess. He was always a bit of a prick to me, didn’t seem to respect my work, though I caught him drinking in every detail whenever I explained something I was working on over mealtime.”
>“You think he might have a reason to frame you?” the mare inquires.
>You snort.

>>30688219
“What, Meadow Brook? Yeah he was a jealous coworker, but that was it. He’s a scientist. Not a very bright one, mind you, but a scientist nonetheless, from a fairly wealthy earth pony family. He hasn’t got the brains or the means to do something like that, besides, how would he pull off assassinating an empress and framing me?”
>The mare shakes her head as if to brush off your question.
>“I wasn’t implying he did, I was trying to figure out if he might have played a role somehow. Political assassinations aren’t something that a single pony just dreams up and commits, especially not against the most powerful pony in the Empire.”
“Well I’m glad you think so, could you convince the rest of the damn city of it was well?”
>Silence falls between the two of you, and you venture a little further.
“So does this mean you don’t think I’m the killer?”
>The guard mare looks you up and down once more, as if coming to a conclusion.
>“I’ve done some thinking about it. From what I’ve seen of you, and now what I’ve read as well,” she starts, pointing to your journal.
>“I’m not sure you have the ability or the motive to stab an empress to death in her own garden.”
“What a relief, glad you’re finally convinced th – wait, you read my journal?”
>“You thought I wouldn’t?”
>A hot flush rises to your face.
“What the fuck dude? A man’s journal is his sanctuary, you can’t just go nosing through it like it’s no big deal!”
>The mare takes a step toward you, her own face going a light shade of red as her eyes flash with anger.

>>30688283
>“As far as this city knows, you murdered the Empress! Whether you did or not, I don’t care, because the only reason I’m even here is because I thought I could get to the bottom of this whole fucking mess! So get pissy about it if you like, because I don’t give a damn!”
>The mare finishes and takes a step back, chest heaving as she breathes heavily, her ears pinned and nostrils flaring.
>You haven’t heard her this loud before, not even when she was ordering you around in the abandoned apartment.
>Taking a step back, you hold your hands out placatingly.
>Despite the anger in her eyes, you see tears welling up as well.
>She’s fucking pissed, and you get the feeling it doesn’t have anything to do with your attitude.
“Okay, so is there something else going on I should know about?”
>Your question is rewarded by the sensation of a giant haymaker slamming into your entire body, accompanied by a hurricane of wind.
>The concussion blasts you into the workbench, and you tumble over it, slamming to the floor on the far side of the room.
>Struggling to blink away the stars in your vision, you try and fail to gather your feet beneath you.
>Fucking hell!
>Your right hand brushes against something cold and smooth, and you recognize the pistol.
>Before you can wrap your fingers around it, however, a hoof swings between the two, bruising your digits and sending the weapon flying out of reach.
>“It’s all your fucking fault!”
>The mare is standing over you now, towering despite her diminutive stature.
>You roll over clumsily, scrambling away, but she follows.
>Unrestrained fury burns in her eyes, tears streaming freely down her cheeks as she explodes at you.
>“You put that stupid shrine up, prayed to that black-eyed monster, got his attention, and now he’s tearing my life apart!”
>Your back thumps into the wall, the end of your retreat, and you try to shrink into it as best you can.

>>30688304
>The mare struggles with her left sock, ripping it as she pulls it away to reveal a familiar glowing symbol.
>“Look at it. FUCKING LOOK AT IT! You know what it means here? What could happen to me, MY FAMILY, if anyone ever found out about it!?”
>You knew it; she was marked.
>The Outsider’s Mark glows brighter, and soon it’s burning white hot as the mare’s voice cracks under the strain of her rage.
>“And it’s all because YOU! You had it perfect back in Equestria, didn’t you? A comfy room in the palace, dinner with the royalty, anything you wanted, but it wasn’t enough! You read about some rainy little islands on the other side of the world, and their stupid folk stories, and you just had to come ‘investigate,’ as you call it.”
>You try to interject.
>You have to make her understand.
“Look, the similarities between our two worlds were too many to be simple coincidence, you can’t expect me to just – ”
>“SHUT UP! I don’t care what you were ‘investigating.’ Whatever it was, you’ve fucked with MY life now! And for what? Curiosity’s sake?”
>Her mark seems to smoke as her hoof begins to tremble, her breathing coming in short gasps, near hyperventilation.
>“I don’t know why I ever thought of helping you! What does it matter if you’re guilty or not, the Empress is dead, everything’s going to shit and – ”
“I’M SORRY, ALRIGHT?”
>You didn’t even notice that you had squeezed your eyes shut against the verbal onslaught.
>When only silence greets you, you slowly crack them open again.
>The mare’s marked hoof is pointing at you, but the Outsider’s Mark is slowly dimming, and she gradually lowers the hoof back to the floor.
>Her bloodshot eyes simply glare into your own as she tries to bring her breathing under control.

>>30688313
“Whatever you believe, I didn’t start all this chaos. I loved Damwall the moment I arrived. The streets, the minds at the Academy, the sense of discovery and newness to everything. I thought I could help, leave my mark on the growth. The Empress thought so too, so she gave me what I needed.”
>The mare says nothing, so you venture to continue.
“Hell, I didn’t believe in the Outsider when I got here. I read the stories, but like everyone else, never saw anything to convince me they were anything other than folk tales, aside from the Abbey, of course.
>She keeps listening, so you keep talking.
>Saying it all now, actually giving voice to the thoughts, it weighs heavy as you get to the end.
“When the Plague started, I felt so powerless. Not only was I useless in finding a cure, but it was another similarity, building towards something I saw as increasingly inevitable.”
>You remember your efforts, how they came to nothing, the bitter taste turning your mouth to a grim line as your head sags.
“I warned the Spymaster, the Empress herself, that I feared something terrible would happen. They wouldn’t listen. Well, the Spymaster did; he placed a more careful watch on me, the foreigner at court. And then… well, there she was, blood spilled all over the marble, and only me to find her.”
>You look up at the mare, praying you’re doing a good enough job at explaining it all.
“So you see, when I escaped, I was desperate. I’d lost everything I could have possibly used to help; my resources at the Academy, my connections, even my freedom. I turned to the only thing I had left, on the insane chance he would listen. And he did, just not in the way I imagined.”
>The anger as mostly subsided from the Mare’s face, replaced with tired indifference.
>Maybe she believes you, maybe she doesn’t; you can’t read her.
“I think, maybe, that you are the one. The one to solve this mystery, and bring this city out of the dark.”

>>30688324
>Finally, the mare responds.
>Just, not in the way you hoped.
>She takes a half-hearted step back, shaking her head almost imperceptibly.
>“I’m not some savior,” she mutters quietly.
>“I’m just a guard pony in over hear head.”
>She begins to turn away, trudging into the factory’s gloom.
“Wait.”
>She nearly doesn’t, but halts after a couple of seconds.
“I’ve uh, been working on something.”
>You look around the floor, trying to figure out where the mare’s void blast might have knocked your creation.
>Finding it, you turn it over in inspection and approach her, offering it up.
>The mare slowly reaches out, accepting the fold of cloth and metal fixings.
“I figured you might want to keep yourself a little more incognito while you’re out and about, so I put together a hood and mask. Clasps to a jacket, I thought it might look good with that one you were wearing last time.”
>The mare inspects the work, the intricate stitching and fine, sturdy metalwork, before replying.
>“Not sure if I’ll need it. I’ve done my part.”
>Shit.
“What? You’ve got powers beyond anyone else in this city, you can go anywhere, reach anyone! We can figure entire mess out!”
>The mare cuts you off.
>“You, not we,” she responds as she paces away.
“So where are you going, then?”
>“Home.”
>The answer is matter of fact, as if it was obvious.
>And you guess it was, for her, as you watch your last best hope walk out the door.
“Well, I guess you know where to find me, if you need to.”
>One last thing occurs to you before she disappears entirely.
“What do I call you?”
>The mare pauses once more, only for a second, tugging your hood on as an afterthought and pulling the mask over her muzzle, before slipping into the gathering dusk.
“Solemn. Solemn Rain.”

>>30688334
And that's all for tonight, updating the pastebin now.

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>>30688334
what a cute little badass

>>30670281
>...

>Over the Moon.
>That's where you'll go.
>Nothing special at home.
>You've kept it tidy, and it's stayed familiar.
>Too familiar.
>At the shop, there's things you can do even if you aren't a magic horse.
>Books, magazines, and articles intact on the floor near the back and front, filing cards to store and organize.
>You can even just housekeep around the half-kitchen and the back room.
>Anything to keep yourself out of the house, productive, happy.
>The worse thing you could do right now is put yourself in some hole, to stop living the new and exciting life you have been the past few weeks only because you've run into the first problems you've ever had in it.

>Fundamentally, you agree with Careful.
>Back there, she wasn't angry and she wasn't panicked.
>You're not even sure you can call the conversation you had with her a fight.
>She had calmly discussed her point of view on the matter, allowing your interjections when you had them, conceding to some, addressing others.
>You went over it all until you found a common ground, and it was roughly this:
>A situation like what's happened the past few days would be an obstacle even for an old and tested couple to go through.
>You were each hurt by the break-in at the shop, and if more crime like this happens in the near future, then Care can not, as a guard, guarantee you'll always be safe when you're close to her.

>She didn't have to tell you what your getting hurt under her watch was like for her, either.
>You had known until now, in a purely intellectual sense, what it meant for her to be a guard, to keep ponies safe, to keep you safe.
>But you hadn't understood, not fully, until you had seen her today, for the first time after the break-in.
>The shadows around her eyes alone told you much.
>She's been a heavy sleeper as long as you've known her.
>To see her on the edge of exhaustion from chronic lack of sleep put a knot of worry in your stomach enough to double you over.

>>30688365
>You had taken your recovery for granted: magic ponies, magic pills.
>Simplicity itself, you figured.
>Not so for Careful.
>You'd had the luxury of unconsciousness during your injury.
>You didn't see how close you were to bleeding out on the spot.
>And if you had... no.
>No, you can't think about that.
>For your own sake, and because to even imagine what it would have done to Careful is too much.

>You both need time to heal, and a little time apart is not the worst solution to that.
>You both have it in you to be part of each other's support system - but a little later on.
>Something this big, this soon after you met, you can't keep lounging around her place 24/7 and pretend things will get immediately better through mere proximity.
>You're not cutting contact.
>On the contrary, you want to stay in touch, see each other once a day or every other day, watch each other's progress.
>And in a week or two, once you're both healed enough you can afford to be vulnerable with each other again, you can face the rest of the recovery together, head-on.
>Until then, you'll keep your status as a proper couple on hold.
>Take time to think things out while you heal.

>This is reasonable, you think.
>What if her PTSD had been worse? If your mere presence could now have permanently sent her back to her darkest memories? If she could never have beared to see you again?
>Sure, that's an extreme case, but it was plausible, and until you saw her, it had worried you.
>This is infinitely better.
>And it still feels like you've been punched in the gut.

>>30686973
kek

>>30687723
I conceed on both points.

>>30687777
Batponies are ok but please, no vampire ponies.

>>30688627
>"Silly Anon, I'm not a vampire bat! I only feed on insects."
"So why are you biting me?"
>"Because you look like a huge green faggot!"
"Maggot."
>"I know what I said, Anon."

>>30688344
Further peeks behind the solemn mask she wears. Good suspense and character development Whiskey. Thanks for the update.

>>30688368
Anon is processing the effect the break-in had on Careful and what it means for their relationship. Great character development CW.

>...a proper couple on hold.
Are they Ross and Rachel now?
Is he going to feel 'free enough' to help Moonie "take the edge off" now?

>>30688627
Going Bump in the Night is good, vamps can be alright, it just takes a half decent author to actually handle it well rather than playing it up to 11 and making it their only character trait.

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>>30688344
Pretty big update there. After all the details about getting in to the academy. I was kinda surprised you skipped her getting out. looking forward to see what you have planned for getting her involved with Anon's quest. what ever it is I just hope you don't do anything really mean to what's left of her family

>>30689281
I felt it would be a lot of the same detail that I explained on the way in, and in relation to what >>30688730 said, I wanted her reading of anon's journal and thoughts on the way to his hideout to be a bit of a secret, to build up to the breakdown. She's juggling a few big things right now and made the decision to at least she hopes leave one behind and try to get back to normal, and we'll see how that works out for her in the future.

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>>30688368
The depth of emotion and psychological details you give have a lasting impact on me. I can't help but empathize and get all worked up, and it sure is nice to feel things I don't normally, even if only sympathetically.

>>30689331
I could not have said that better myself. The sympathetic 'tugs' are strong overall with "Careful's Charge" and with this chapter particularly. A mark of good writing.

>>30689106
I'm not into the vampire thing in general. The handful of fics I started I never finished because they'd go overboard on it. A couple of other Anons mentioned that GBITN was one that presents the topic well and I've given it a shot. I like the story so far and it hasn't gone overboard for me yet.

>>30685273
>>30685429
>>30686141
>>30686927
>>30687723
I don't want to spoil my own story, but I have dropped some hints previously about this.

>>30688627
If I do bring batponies into this story, they won't be vampires. I have some ideas of my own about how they could work that I don't think have been done before in a greentext (could certainly be wrong on that front, though).

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i like this pic. i want a big pegasus pone assigned to me

>>30692414
>A wild, unarmored guard pone appears!
>She stops her preening and stares you right in the eye!
>Before she can pick up her sword and react, you dive!
>You commence to cuddling in her fluff as feathers go everywhere!
>This is highly inappropriate conduct!

>>30692459
> All the guardponies hate being assigned to Anonymous-duty
> It's something they draw straws to avoid, on a similar tier to latrine duty when the Minotaur delegation is in town
> Not that he's hostile or anything
> Or does dangerous things, or puts his guards at unnecessary risk
> Anything but, actually
> He cuddles
> Every
> Single
> One
> It doesn't matter how hard you try, how disciplined you are, how careful you are
> Guards try being rude, brusque, or even refusing to speak with him altogether
> Wearing full-body suits of plate armor
> Nothing helps
> He will find you
> And he will cuddle you
> Take off your helmet for just a second?
> He's there, arms wrapped around your neck and hands running through your mane
> Stretch your wings?
> When they come back down, he'll be ensconced beneath one feathery blanket
> One poor guardsmare managed to avoid him all day
> Until she returned to her quarters post-shift
> The second she shed her armor, he struck
> She was only found the next morning

>>30692571
No mare escapes Anon The Snuggler!

>>30691378
>dropped hints
Actually had a busy day today and haven't had the time to go back a read again for those 'hints'.

>no vampires
whew, that's good to hear. I look forward to the next update.

>>30692571
Kek, the only reason Anon is sent so many poor guardmares is because Celestia is grooming him to be her tactical snugglesassin. To be sent into the hardest and rudest of official guests in the hopes of....taming them to her side. And Anon likes to snuggle, so that helps too.

>>30693335
"i dont really know what im doing, but everyone is super serious, and im getting paid to snuggle them. this is the happiest ive ever been with a job."

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>>30693335
>Griffin ambassador has her own counter-snuggle-assassin
>The guards are alerted by the combined sounds of non-sexual moans of contentment and loud purring

>>30693546
Celestia walks by with a "Clever Girl", while going off to see the Griffon ambassador.

>>30693555
Checked

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we need more art of these 3

>>30688368
>...

>Even from several blocks away, Canterlot Palace seems to nearly soar above you.
>The central tower alone casts a shadow along the whole length of the street until around ten.
>As the daughter of a locksmith, you still have a sense of the material.
>It tells you that mere stone couldn't possibly hold it up.
>There's magic in those towers.
>Not the kind a unicorn uses to hold her coffee mug.
>No: it's built into the palace itself just as much as the marble and metal, you suspect.
>It's magic that has persisted for a thousand years.
>It could probably go a million more.
>There's little room for error in mountainside architecture.

>Careful snickers beside you.
>You turn to her.
>"Phallus Palace," she says out of the corner of her mouth, through her teeth.
>It's the first you're seen her mood improve today.

>As you reach the main square before the palace, the so-called "Entry," though no part of it lies between walls or under a ceiling, an object which from a distance appeared to be a gilded, gleaming walkway through its center separates into a hundred golden dots, then into the individual, stylized crests worn by the palace guard.
>Most of them, you know, are only ceremonial.
>They're Royal Guard are sure as you and Careful are, and their function is the same: keep the ponies of Canterlot feeling safe.
>But their function is mostly the "feeling" part.
>They receive the 101-level combat training every recruit gets, but beyond that, their training is mostly of a ceremonial nature.
>A few of them, though -- perhaps five out of the hundred -- have gone through that as well as far more than you or Careful have ever done.
>It's their expertise that's called upon when real dangers meet the palace's first organized line of defense: the foe samples their strength and assumes it is shared by the rest.
>It is a psychological barrier as well as a physical one.

>>30694536
>And you've gotten here just in time to see the guard change.
>"ABOUT! FACE!" bellows one guard toward the center, so loudly you can hear him before you've even distinguished which one he is.
>"FORWARD! MARCH! ONE, TWO! THREE, FOUR! ONE, TWO...!"
>From the far side comes a new line of guards, marching in synchronization with those departing and staggered such that each guard departing passes through two coming, and vice-versa.
>The line splits in the middle, and from the middle guards march alternatingly forward and back until they've formed two borders to a patch leading from the front of the Entry to the palace's front entrance.
>"INWARD! FACE!" bellows the conductor, and the guards on either side turn to face the other, completing the formation.
>Its meaning is clear from its structure: visitors are welcome, but a hundred pairs of eyes are upon you.

>Through the tall, arched doorway, in the atrium, there are only three guards, flanking the great stairway and keeping watch over the front door and the reception desk.
>These guards are the real deal: Palace Interior.
>The Entry Guard is an army to repel individuals, but the PI are individuals to repel armies.
>The halls inside the palace are not small, but they are not wide enough to accomodate groups as large as the entry guard.
>Such a force could only file through the doorway four or so at a time.
>Three of the PI are more than a match for four ponies.
>And they are not known to tire.
>They guard in squads of three: pegasus, unicorn, earth pony, making advantage of each pony's innate ability to the greatest possible extent.
>There are perhaps a dozen squads of them total.
>And they only guard the parts of the palace visitors can access.
>Whoever guards the most secluded and secure parts of the castle -- that's something you don't know even as part of the RG.
>You don't even know which rank you need to learn how deep the palace goes into the mountain.

>"Miss? Can I help you?"

>>30694561
Kinda sad we didn't get a Full Metal Jacket joke.

>>30694561

>learn they outrank most but will never work there because of gender.

Aww man. I hope they don't find out the princesses are sexist as fuck or something.

>>30681336
I've got bad news and good news:
Bad news is, I've caught a cold and feel like shit.
Good news is, since I'm at home from work, I finished work on the next scene of "Everyday Life With Guardsmares", and here it is:

> "After all that, he refused to do anything? Some help you were, you old goat!"
> You are George Zerofear, bodyguard to Mr. J. P. Mustang, and you, along with three of your compatriots, are watching Galloway Bitsmount's lone escort sweat heavily.
> Probably because she's worried Mr. Mustang is going to slap her idiot charge right in the muzzle.
> After delivering his latest insult, the brash young wastrel turns around and crosses in front of Mr. Mustang's desk once more.
> Your boss just leans back in his desk-chair, puffing calmly away at his cigar.
> "... Well? Are you just going to sit there, JP? Or are you going to pull on the reigns of this 'friend' of yours?"
> Slowly, Mr. Mustang pulls the cigar out of his mouth and gently rolls its tip against the inside edge of his ashtray.
> "Your grandfather called me JP when I was a young colt, because my father financed the opening of his first shaft in Bitsmount..."
> The charred end neatly pops off the end and slides into the curved base.
> "... and your father called me JP when *I* financed the expansion that turned it into the most productive silver mine in Equestria..."
> He replaces the cigar in his mouth, takes a slow puff, then pulls it back out again.
> You remember how he instructed you in proper cigar etiquette, as he gave a box of his favourite brand to each of his bodyguards on Hearth's Warming Day.
> 'Pull it out of your mouth between puffs. If the cap becomes wet then it'll get bitter.'
> Looking the younger colt right in the eye, Mr. Mustang makes his pronouncement.
> "... You've done nothing."

>>30697015
> That's obviously not just an indictment of Galloway's business acumen.
> Everypony knows he spends all his time throwing wild parties at his villa.
> The scandalous photos from said events practically had their own section in 'Canterlot Match'.
> Galloway Bitsmount sneers like a wet cigar-cap, but he keeps his gob shut.
> Beside you, his bodyguard sneaks up a hoof to wipe the sweat from her brow.
> She's got a nice flank, though.
> And Galloway's got her in a get-up that's like a cross between a pirate wench and a Prench maid's uniform.
> Really shows off her plot-lines.
> Maybe if Mr. Mustang doesn't go ballistic on this upstart, you can take her out for a drink afterwards.
> You bet she has some stories to tell about his parties.
> Maybe she's even the partying type herself.
> Heck, if Mr. Mustang *does* go ballistic and things go South, then she'll really need a shot of cider afterwards, heh.
> Finally, Bitsmount stops his pacing in front of the financier's desk, grits his teeth, and tosses himself into a chair.
> Your boss just sits silently, smoking his cigar and waiting for the younger colt to burn out his embers.
> Galloway looks around the luxurious study in the Royal Suite of the Triumph Hotel, as if the paintings on the walls or the gold-trimmed book-cases are going to tell him what to do.
> Maybe they did, because he catches his breath, licks his lips, and brushes one hoof through his mane.
> When he opens his mouth, he speaks slowly and respectfully, but his self-restraint is obviously stretched to the limit.
> "Mr. Mustang, I do apologize, but this 'Royal Engineer' is dragging my name through the mud!"
> "You dragged it yourself, Galloway. He's just pointing out the tracks for everyone else."

>>30697026
> Yowch.
> Talk about keeping a hoof-slap in your pocket.
> You shoot a glance over at Gustav, your drinking-buddy standing by the grandfather clock.
> He manages to sneak out a smirk to you.
> Mr. Mustang puts the cigar back in his mouth and opens the top-left drawer of his desk, revealing a card-file.
> "... But since you are a friend of my family, and since I still have investments in your mine, I'll tell you what you're gonna do..."
> Pulling out a business card, he hoofs it over to Galloway Bitsmount.
> "... You're going to visit my lawyer, give him the writ, and hire him to represent you at Court. And while he's using every trick in his book to get you off the hook, you're going to go speak to the one pony in Equestria who can get you out of this, and convince them to help you."
> Bitsmount scrunches up his face.
> "You want me to talk to Princess Celestia?"
> Mr. Mustang arches his eyebrows and blinks.
> "Is that a joke, son? If you had the persuasive skills to sweet-talk Princess Celestia, then you probably wouldn't be in this mess in the first place."
> Having learned his lesson from earlier, Galloway takes the insult quietly, though he rolls his head and gnashes his teeth.
> "... You're going to go talk to the Royal Engineer, of course."
> That's too much for him.
> "The Royal Engineer? Is *that* a joke? Why would *he* help *me*?"
> Mr. Mustang takes a puff and dismissively exhales the smoke through his nostrils.
> "Because you're going to convince him that you're just an ignorant fool who wasn't paying attention to the goings-on at his mine, rather than a scoundrel who deliberately put his workponies in danger for his own profit."
> Bitsmount flings one hoof in the air, dismissively.
> "And how am I going to do that?"
> His cigar finished, your boss puts it out in the ashtray.

>>30697033
> Beside you, Bitsmount's battle-maid discreetly tugs down on where her uniform was riding up her plot a little too high for decency.
> Did she catch you reading the inside of her dust-cover?
> "Maybe you've been spending too much time hosting parties up at your father's mansion, that you've forgotten how things worked around here..."
> Placing his hooves together on the desk and leaning in for emphasis, your boss seems to loom over the smaller pony.
> "... You made a mistake, but nopony died or even got seriously hurt. In today's Equestria, those sorts of mistakes get resolved with some mutual tears, a big group hug, and maybe a song about how sorry you are, how your eyes are open now, and how you won't do it ever again..."
> Leaning back again, he puts one hoof up to his moustache, brushing it softly.
> "... All you have to do is show contrition. The Royal Engineer wants to make an example out of you; well, a remorseful example is better than a defiant one. So, give him what he wants and you can get back to your banqueting and carousing."
> Bitsmount growls.
> "Can't you just get rid of him? Didn't you help put that hairless monkey into this position?"
> Mr. Mustang licks the inside of his lips, like he's still savouring the last cigar -- and probably considering lighting up another one.
> "I helped, yes; but I can't get him kicked out now, even if I wanted to. Do you know why Princess Celestia made him Royal Engineer?"
> Galloway gives a quick shake of his head, still sneering and staring at his financier.
> "No."
> "That's because nopony does, outside of just the eight ponies and one 'hairless monkey' who sat down in the Blue Chamber almost nine months ago. And as much as I hear about what the Privy Council discusses, I've never had a satisfactory answer to that question."

>>30697015
>J.P. Mustang
Perfect

>>30697039
> Galloway Bitsmount springs back to his hooves, rearing his forehooves up in the air in anger.
> "That's absurd! We raised some alien to a high position just like that, no questions asked?"
> Despite the outburst, your boss remains calm and collected.
> Ducking over to one side, he opens a drawer and pulls out a fresh cigar, giving it a long sniff while Bitsmount just stands there like an idiot.
> You glance down at Galloway's guardsmare.
> She's not sweating quite so much any more.
> But there is a rosy tint on her teal cheeks.
> You start to grin as your boss continues his lecture.
> "Questions *were* asked. When Anonymous was first presented at Day Court, he gave a brief summary of what he'd like to bring to Equestria, seeing as how he found himself here with no way home. Princess Celestia asked him a few questions, and she must have liked what she heard, because she asked him to come back in a few days with a longer presentation for a formal assembly to judge."
> Sitting upright, he dips the cigar-cap in a small glass snifter of brandy to moisten it.
> "... He came back and impressed everypony, myself included. She'd asked me to come, since I make investments in the sort of things he was talking about."
> Bending forwards, Mr. Mustang puts the head of his cigar in the end of a small gold-plated guillotine on the desk, and presses down to chop it off with a quiet 'snick'.
> "... Her Royal Highness kept peppering him with questions, and you could tell he was a bit nervous, but he held up. Her Highness asked me what I thought, and I said I was convinced enough to want to invest in him. So she asked him to take another week and come back with another presentation going into even more detail, but this time it would just be to herself, Princess Luna, and the rest of the Privy Council."

>>30697045
> Bitsmount lays his forehooves on the desk, bending over forwards.
> "She even dragged her sister out of bed for that ape?!"
> Your boss pays no attention to him and casually lights his cigar with a bulbous marble-bodied table-lighter.
> You're not even sure why Bitsmount even bothered asking that question.
> Whenever Princess Celestia asked Princess Luna to be present for something during day court, the exact same rumours would go flying around.
> The most common was that she's just trying to get Princess Luna more involved in the day-to-day workings of the Court, so that maybe Celestia can take a day off now and then.
> More conspiratorially, some suggest that she's asked her sister to read somepony's dreams and then act as a truth-sayer.
> The last is that she just wants a second opinion, and she has deep trust in her sister.
> It doesn't matter what the situation is; it's the same three rumours every time.
> But as far as anypony actually knew, it might as well be all three.
> The same rumours even set tongues wagging all the way over in Manehattan, where Mr. Mustang normally resided.
> "They spent all day locked up in the Blue Chamber, in private without any guards. I know that Princess Celestia spent a lot of time asking questions, and Anonymous must have given Her Royal Highness some good answers, because at the end of it they all came out proclaiming that a new seat would be added to the Blue Chamber, and that he would be Equestria's new Royal Engineer."
> But all it really does is jiggle her plot around.
> Oh, this little paperback is giving you naughty-eye, alright.
> Mr. Mustang pulls the cigar out of his mouth, blowing smoke up towards the ceiling.

>>30697053
> "... So, no. If I wanted him removed, which I don't particularly want at the moment, it would take quite a lot of work. Which means you've got to go to him, act respectful, apologize, beg his forgiveness, and take every scrap of advice he offers you like it's the very word of Her Majesty Herself."
> Bitsmount turns around with a laugh, and starts to pace in a circle around his chair.
> "Hah! Take his advice like I took it yesterday?"
> Stopping behind his chair, he hooks his hooves on the back.
> "... That bastard 'suggested' that I avoid Newstirrup bridge on my way in to Canterlot today. So I had my driver take an extra hour and divert to Oldstirrup bridge, only to find what?"
> He flings one hoof to the side.
> "... Some bloody guardsponies had declared a 'Pas de Sabots' and were holding up anypony with noble credentials. So of course, I had to turn around *again*, and wasted another hour for my trouble. I think he did it on purpose, sending me to Oldstirrup bridge to get ambushed! Maybe he even had a deal going on with those guards to humiliate me even more!"
> Behind the desk, Mr. Mustang is enjoying his second cigar of the evening far too much to give two clops about this 'Pas de Sabots' nonsense Galloway was spewing.
> Heh, and speaking of clop, you take a moment to enjoy the sight of Galloway's bodyguard once more.
> "I don't know what that was about, Galloway, but I suggest you put it behind you. You asked for my help, and I've done what I can for now."
> Bitsmount nods his head sarcastically.
> "And what a fat lot of good it does me. Well, thanks 'Mr. Mustang', but from over here it sure looks like I'm on my own for this one."
> Still in a snit, he turns around and makes for the door.
> With his cigar back in his mouth, your boss calls out after him.
> "Don't do anything foolish, Galloway, or you'll just make things worse for yourself. Get a lawyer and do what they tell you to -- it'll be the same things I just said."

>>30697059
> Bitsmount just waves a hoof dismissively as he storms your way.
> Instantly, you push open one of the double-doors while his own guardsmare opens the other.
> The wealthy young spendthrift just brushes straight past and makes for the coat-rack and hat-stand by the entry doors.
> As the two of you go to follow after him, she leans over and whispers.
> "I get off at ten."
> Straight to the point; you liked that.
> Names could always come later.
> With a smile on your face, you whisper back.
"Servant's entrance at ten-fifteen."
> She gives a flirtatious smile and then trots off to escort her employer back to his own suite, leaving you to close the doors behind them.
> It was always a good time when Mr. Mustang travelled to Canterlot.
> The mares around here really did run loose in their tack.

>>30697070
Pastebin updated: https://pastebin.com/RHkvDaAw

This cold has thrown a monkey wrench in my schedule, so I'm not as sure about when I'll have the next update. Probably I should have something by at least Sunday night.

>>30697076
>>30694561
thanks guys

>>30697076
An interesting update. Something tells me Galloway is going to do something stupid, and not a fan of that Manehattan guard putting down our more free spirited royal guard mares.

"work is making me earn the bits today so I'm going to have to read this later" bump 8

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>>30692571
and i would be that anon

>>30697076
I really hope that Galloway gets screwed over, whether he takes Mustang's advice or does something stupid, I just really want this fuck disgraced
loving the story so far

I don't feel like lurking, pls tell me what these threads are about.

>>30698871
It's not complicated. Female pony soldiers, sometimes interacting with Anonymous, sometimes just doing soldiery stuff on their own.

>>30698871
To add on to what >>30698902 said, many stories with Anon involve him either getting bodyguards or being in the Equestrian army himself.

We've even got a WH40K crossover fiction in "Anon's Regiment" and a Dishonoured crossover in "Whiskey and Cigars".

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>>30696018
>that pic
Goddamn, that general was so long ago. I wish 1024 finished his green so I could have finished mine. That green is still the longest I have written and it will never be finished.

>>30699302
>1024
i miss the /war/ thread
can you share your pastebin? i never saved any of the links to any of the stories in that thread and i want to have them/re-read them
do you have any of the others?

>>30697076
What a disrespectful little cunt he is. I can already tell with that attitude he's going to end up putting a hoof in his mouth at the wrong time in front of the wrong authority.

>>30699684
He reminds me of Blueblood without the charm.

>>30696449
gender is important anon

they have different traits and abilities

>>30697076
Good worldbuilding and character intros TMFAT.

>oldstirup bridge
Wasn't the agreement that the 1st Air would clear out the bridge if they were swept? Did they setup on both bridges or were the rest a-hole enough to move to the old bridge?

>>30697076
Waiting to punch out that shitstain.

>>30694561
Anon needs to dump Careful. Safety is a better choice as a rutting mate and showing it. He can also plow moonie.

He has pussy potential without drama attached. He dont need it.

>>30653471
Mares don't belong in the guard. They should be at home in the kitchen, barehoof and pregnant as Celestia intended.

>>30700906
Nah, I think it's more that Care and Anon haven't been together long enough to know how to work through something as serious as this. I get the sense that Safety isn't into Anon romantically. As to Moon; well, we've known there's an attraction there for awhile. Possibly between all three of them judging from Care's and Anon's conversation way back when. Anon and Moon left little doubt between them that they like each other more than just friends. I'm glad they set some boundaries the night before. Hopefully they all can become something more once things have been cleared up.

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>>30700941
then you got a small ass army on your hands
you know, like the one that gets rekt all the time, even in different universes?
teach the pony girls to fight, dont just let them all be captured when every dude is dead

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>>30700906
it aint all about rutting, anon. its like dont even want a loving pone wife, how dare you

>>30701178
Exactly. This Anon gets it.
>pic
wow, it did not take long for one of those to get made. Looking at the filename and I'm not surprised. Scraggle has done a pretty good job with her.

>>30701178
>marriage fetish
Well that relationship ended sooner than it began.

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>>30701306
and a good couple can overcome stuff like this, nigga
you just afraid of commitment or what?