Samuel spun around instinctively as he felt something grabbed hold of his pant leg, deftly swiveling on his feet he was met with an old mare and a young filly standing behind him.

Both had orange fur though the older pony’s seemed a bit faded, the filly who only came up to his waist stood closest to him and must have been the one who touched him. She had a nervous look on her face and her hands fidgeted as his alarmed eyes landed on her.

The older mare placed a frail hand on the filly’s shoulder and gave her a reassuring squeeze,”It’s okay honey, go ahead.” Her voice was crackly and bogged with an uncomfortable raspiness.

He watched the little pony take a deep breath and step forward, she lifted up an arm,”I’m Frizzle Top.”

Reaching out he gently grabbed hold of her little hand and shook it,”I’m Sam, it’s nice to meet you.”

She gripped at his hand the best she could before letting go, with their arms lowered she stepped back again,”I, uh, just wanted to thank you. You saved my sister from those monster dogs.”

“Diamond dogs sweetie.” The mare corrected.

“Uh Yeah, diamond dogs, thank you mister Sam.” Her eyes looked down,”We didn’t know where she’d gone for awhile... but you brought her back.”

Sam nodded and forced a small smile onto his face,”I’m glad I could help you get her back.”

She suddenly looked back up with a scrunched up mouth, her nervousness from before fading away,”She’s not really the same though, she likes to look at things like there’s something there but there’s not. She doesn’t talk much anymore either. But that’s okay, at least she’s back and I know she’ll get better.”

Sam swallowed thickly at the young filly’s words, he drew a breath and opened his mouth to answer. Almost immediately he was cut off by the old pony’s voice,”Now I think that’s enough there Frizzle, I’m certain he’s a busy stallion and has a lot to do so why don’t we let him go?”

Frizzle looked down again, her already sad expression downturned even more,“Okay grandma. Thanks again mister.”

She silently turned around and started to walk off down the street, the mare sighed,”I’m sorry about that, she always says too much. I just wanted to thank you for bringing us back my granddaughter sir, you did a good thing for us.”

He let out a breath,“Of course ma’am, I know there’s still a long road ahead for you and everyone else who’s lives were pulled apart by this. I can’t help anymore, but at least I could get her back for you.” He held out a hand which she took,”Good luck to you and your family.”

She gave a small smile in response to his kindness, wordlessly she turned about and Sam watched as the grandmother tried her best to run trying to catch up with her granddaughter.

He let out a heavy breath and looked up at the bright blue early morning sky, little wispy clouds flowed slowly northwards in an unfelt wind.

Ever since he’d left the hospital Samuel had been inundated with ponies approaching him to say thank you, from victims families to ponies who had seen the story in the newspaper and as much as he appreciated the gesture half of them reminded the man of just how bad the state of those he saved was.

The majority of them had a bleak future, the stallions were beyond physically impaired after being beaten and forced to mine in such harsh conditions and almost all of the mares had psychological issues that would persist until the moment they died.

They used to have normal lives with jobs they had worked all their lifetimes for, they had huge families all across Equestria and hobbies that they enjoyed in their free time. Were it not for the monsters that took them and the unspeakable things they did these ponies would still be in their previous state of ignorant bliss.

Thinking about what had happened to them and what their future looked like only served to form a pit in his stomach, making him feel a sort of dizzying sickness. The dogs that had taken them were truly monsters, he’d finally been able to fully come to that conclusion.

The impact of their actions hadn’t totally hit him before but now that he had some direct contact with their victims it was a whole different story. Those savages had destroyed and manipulated the minds of their victims into an almost irreparable state.

They really did deserve nothing but the end of his sword and whatever god had in store for them after death.

Still a small voice at the back of his mind continuously asked if every diamond dog really was a soulless marauder and no amount of logic seemed to quiet it.

Swallowing he gave his head a shake and continued onwards, he would eventually get to Twilight, no matter how many ponies stopped him.

~

Celestia’s magenta eyes shone brightly in the flickering candle light, crossing her arms she turned her attention away from her younger sibling and to the entrance of the small dark room.

She focused on the rough wooden boards, a sheen of transparent purple flowed over the surface of the door. The product of a small spell designed to keep attentive ears and prying eyes away, it never failed to do its job.

The pony matriarch mashed her lips together and narrowed her focused pupils at a small knot in the wood, with a heavy breath she flared her nostrils,”The choice will be entirely up to him correct?”

Luna nodded,“Of course, he will make the decision for himself as the others before him did. Though I doubt there’s any chance he’ll turn it down.”

“No, he probably won’t...” Celestia conceded with a sigh,”I want him aware of everything being an Equestrian knight entails sister, before he decides on it he deserves to know all of his responsibilities and duties before taking them on.”

The lunar princess smiled,”You need fear nothing Celestia, the whole ordeal will be completely transparent to him. I will make sure of it.”

Nodding the princess gave in,“Alright, you have my blessing to go ahead with this. I know you want to do this all on your own but if there’s anything I can do, please ask.”

“Excellent!” Luna exclaimed and clapped her hands together,”I doubt I’ll need you for anything so that won’t be a problem.” She stated confidently,”I will begin preparing immediately, the quicker this is done the better.” Her chair squealed as she pushed herself back from the table.

Celestia leaned back and crossed her arms,”I understand your urgency Luna but remember, this all has to be done elegantly, it’s the first time we will have held a knighting in centuries and it’s purpose must be met.”

Luna scoffed,”Please sister do not worry, I want to see this action achieve it’s goal as well and if you’ll kindly remember I helped create the ceremony too.” She gave a grand sweeping gesture with her hands,”We need to wow the nobility, inspire the lower classes and create an effective agent who will carry out our will. As long as those objectives are completed it will be a success.”

Celestia rolled her eyes,“I know, I know, it’s just, the food, invitations, decorations, entertainment, etcetera, they all have to be done perfectly. It’s a lot to remember for something that’s not been done in so long, especially for you considering your... long absence.” Her eyes shot wide as the words left her mouth, she hadn’t intended to say that.

A glossy sheen passed over Luna’s eyes, she swallowed thickly as she stood up,”I understand your worries but trust me, I can handle this, it’s my idea after all and I want to see it through.” She let out a shallow breath,”I know you’re worried about me and you have every right to be but I need to do this, if you ever want me to truly get over what that evil did to me you need to allow me be independent sometimes.”

Celestia opened her mouth to answer then paused, letting out a breath she nodded and gave a small smile,”You’re right, I’m sorry, it’s just... I’m so used to being your big sister. I don’t want to see anything bad happen to you. You’ll do fine I’m sure.”

The monarch of the sun knew there was nothing else to be said on the matter.

Luna looked back to her sister with a blank face,“Of course I will, now, since this business is handled we should return to our duties don’t you think?”

She watched her sibling roughly push the chair back into place against the table, as Luna walked away in Celestia’s eyes flickered with a sudden thought,”You will be the one who asks him if he wants to be a knight in our service right?”

Luna stopped mid stride, slowly turning around she looked at her sister with confusion.

“It’s only proper after all that you address him with the position and it’s duties personally. Beyond simple manners it’s also tradition, a tradition that you helped create.”

Luna’s eyes narrowed in annoyance,”Surely you cannot expect me to talk to him personally, I may recognize his potential uses to us but... that does not mean I trust him in any sense. I still see him for what he is, an unnatural occurrence that should not be here.”

Celestia tilted her head and raised an eyebrow,”You want to knight and arm Samuel so that he may carry out our will yet you won’t even talk to him or abandon that foolish notion?”

Luna lowered her brow, her eyes narrowed and she clenched her fists,“Acknowledgement of the truth is not foolish, this action will put him under our control thus keeping a leash around his neck and stopping him from taking any sort of action against us while also allowing us to sic him on our foes!” She explained with fury.

“Besides I don’t need to communicate with him, you can relay everything he needs to know just fine on your own can’t you?” She retorted.

Celestia frowned as her sisters faults began grating on her,“I not only think that is illogical but impractical too. Look at what simply talking to him would do, it could smooth out your unfortunate relationship and maybe even show you who he really is. For him it would appear a good gesture and may make him even more inclined to follow us both.”

Luna bared her teeth for a second, yet as usual the logical framework of her sisters words emerged through the vale of anger. Tightening her lips and glaring daggers at her sister she gave way,”Your logic is impeccable as always.” Her voice came out laced with disdain.

“So should I take that response as a form of acceptance?” Celestia’s frown became a hopeful smile and her ears perked up.

“Yes.” Luna responded with anger in her voice before promptly turning about for the door, her hooves came down heavily, stomping on the stone as she went.

The solar princess allowed to herself a small pat on the back and relaxed in her chair, the door slammed as Luna exerted her strength on it yet it did nothing to Celestia’s composure.

~

The noise of Samuel’s knuckles resounded loudly across the hall as he rapped them upon the entrance of Twilight’s map room.

Seconds later the large double doors swung inwards revealing two guards in the distinctive purple armor of Twilight’s retinue. Sam gave a smile at the surprised equines,”The ponies at the front said Twilight was in here, can I see her?”

“Of course sir, she said to let you in if you came by. The princess is just over there.” The left hand guard stepped back and pointed at a group of his fellows around the map table. Twilight stood at the head of said table briefing her officers.

He gave the soldier a nod and stepped through.

The man watched from afar as the princess pointed to locations on the map and threw orders at her subordinates,”I want a contingent of guards to patrol this edge of the Everfree forest, dogs have been spotted here and we need them intercepted before they do any damage.”

“I also want an officer, with some chosen stallions to investigate here.” She moved her finger up to a small marshland in the forest’s interior.

“This is the second biggest water source in the forest, any remaining raiders that have chosen to hide till the pressure is off are likely to be surviving somewhere in or around here. We already searched and cleared the river so the procedure here should be the same.”

The purple princess looked up,“You all know we can’t let any of them escape to exact revenge so as always I expect thorough and efficient work.”

She continued on about the landscapes they would be traversing and how to prepare for them as Samuel came up alongside the table. He listened for awhile as she worked out the details of her orders to the various captains and lieutenants.

As the meeting came to a close he gave a polite yet noticeable clearing of his throat. Twilight turned her head, her eyes shone for a moment as she recognized his presence before clearing her own throat and going onwards.

Looking back to her guards she continued,”You have your orders now, you may go.” She narrowed her eyes and pointed a nagging finger at them,”But remember, I want exact reports of everything that happens, the past few have been... lacking in detail at best. You’re all dismissed now.”

A chorus of salutes and yes ma’am’s sounded around the table, with discipline the mares and stallions filed away from the table. Before long they had all vanished through the doors and with a boom the entrance swung shut behind them.

“You’re looking scruffy Samuel.” The Princess flashed a quick toothy smile at him from across the table,”It’s most unbecoming of you.”

Sam smiled slightly, leaning forward on the table he shrugged carelessly,”I haven’t shaved in a while.” Sam’s smile grew,”Guess I just haven’t found the time to.”

“Well, I suppose that makes sense all things considered, I think I might be just able to forgive you for it.” With a little laugh she made her way around the corner of the table and headed for him,”Now tell me seriously, are you okay?” Her tone came out compassionate and caring.

He ran a hand through his hair pushing it back as he nodded,“I’m completely fine, all I had was a few bruises and some dehydration. The worst part in all honesty was how tired I was afterwards.”

“That’s what you'll come to expect from debacles like that, trust me.” Twilight gave him a wink, looking down to the map she scanned the area of the forest once again, reaching out she pointed to a spot in the middle of it all,”You see that ruined castle there?”

Looking down he followed her finger until he spotted it,”Yeah, why?”

“That’s where my friends and I faced down Nightmare Moon, those eight years ago. That was our first real adventure and despite how dangerous it all was I don’t think any of us could ever forget it.”

Her eyes softened and she stared at the miniature structure like an old woman looking upon a photo of a long lost love one,”It wasn’t nearly as bloody as your first outing but it left me with the same feeling.” She shook her head with a smile,”I had a bit of dehydration and exhaustion myself, plus quite a collection of bruises to show off.”

She let out a small chuckle and returned her attention to her human visitor,“You know believe it or not I was really quite worried about you Samuel.”

His face became slightly strained,”I know, I’m... well I’m sorry for doing that to you.” He slipped his thumbs through his belt loops,”I have had a lot of time in the hospital to go over everything that’s happened and reflect on my actions.”

His eyes narrowed as his lips parted,”I admit I don’t regret killing the diamond dogs, for awhile now I’ve known that much about myself. But I do know that I regret how irrationally I acted, because of me you have been thrown into the spotlight and have had to handle the local fallout of this fight.”

“I mean if anything happens like a dog killing an innocent townspony you’re the one who will be blamed, that’s a responsibility you didn’t ask for and I more or less threw it on top of you.” His head began to droop downwards,”I also feel terrible for the terrible vulgar things I said to you.”

Looking back up he bore into her eyes throwing her off guard,”You are not a weak willed coward Twilight, you’re the farthest thing from it in fact and I’m beyond sorry for saying it in the first place. Being angry isn't an excuse and I hope you’ll forgive me for it all.”

Taken completely aback at his sudden heartfelt outburst the alicorn found herself almost speechless, staring into his blue eyes with her own wide magenta ones she swallowed,”I-I... I don’t really know what to say Sam, I forgive you of course.” With an effort she looked away from his gaze,”Look, you’re my friend and friends often don’t agree on things, this was just another one of those times.”

“And please don’t think you’re the one to blame for the diamond dog issue I’m dealing with, no matter what this would have happened anyway, whether it was you going in and rooting them out or a contingent of royal soldiers. There still would have been cleanup.”

Reaching out and looking back at Samuel she grabbed hold of his shoulder and smiled,”You’re a great friend Sam, one of the best a pony could ask for and you know what, I said some horrific things to you as well. Both of us did some foolish things and I think we learned from them.”

She pulled him in and wrapped her arms around his shoulders in a hug, he paused for a moment before returning the gesture. After a few seconds they parted.

Shaking his head his face lit up,”Thank you Twilight.”

She gave a small nod and so ended the topic.

“Anyway, I see your doing a pretty good job cleaning up the mess I created.” He looked back to the map and crossed his arms over his stomach,”Has there been a lot of trouble since the fight?”

She shook her head,”No, at this point it looks like we’ve managed to capture most of the dogs that fled and there’s been no real incidents outside of the forest. Just a few supposed sightings from paranoid ponies.” She gave a prideful nod,”Overall it seems like everything’s going to be okay.”

”That’s great to hear, you've got this figured out!” He shifted his weight as he continued studying the different detailed portions of her map,”So then what are you doing with the ones you catch?”

Twilight leaned against the side of the table,”Well for now they’re just being put into holding cells below the castle, I’ve still got to decide what to do when this excitement is over.”

From there the two talked for a while longer about the situation and what seemed to be its foreseeable conclusion before heading on to lunch together.

~

She ignored the chilly bite of the wind as it stung sharply through her thick armor. Flaring her nostrils she gave a growl and pushed onwards gaining speed with each flap of her wings. She would not allow her stealthy advantage to be compromised because of a little discomfort, she had suffered far worse than this before.

The beast’s hawk like eyes flitted back and forth as she scanned the ground below, looking through the thin vapors of the clouds she kept on trying to regain sight of the ants that she had lost track of. The thin line of the road appeared dark and bogged with mud so they couldn’t be far, especially with the cargo they were pulling.

It wasn’t long before they were in sight again, a few miles ahead a full twenty of them marched forward at a slow pace. Nearly half of this company busied themselves with pulling along three different baggage carts while the other kept themselves in a circle around the cargo.

They must have hired more guards to keep an eye out and protect their trade goods, it seemed the intruders were getting wise to her presence.

“But not wise enough..” she muttered to herself with a hiss.

The landscape below was flat, small clumps of sycamore trees dotted the tall grass plains and small streams of water ran across the land feeding mid sized pools scattered here and there. To the east a range of strong tall mountains stood imposingly with snow tipped tops and to west ran the remains of what was once a mighty range of its own, all that was left now was a series of foothills checkered with small lonely peaks.

This valley was beautiful, she truly appreciated that and was glad to now call it home. The area also provided plenty of water as well as food in the form of wild deer and horse herds. Perhaps the best part of it all was the dozens of caves in the mountains that she could use as dens in the winter.

There was only one part of this whole valley that she was having trouble with, the constant flow of pony trading parties. Caravans traveled too and fro with ease through the routes carved into the soft soil of the valley, it seemed this was a major shortcut from Vanhoover to the wealthy north western settlements.

Since she had arrived four months ago she had started nipping this problem in the butt and the frequency of trading parties had slowed significantly. Though some still attempted to push through, it seemed they thought hiring a few guards would be enough to keep her at bay like this one she was stalking right now.

Unfortunately for them, the presence of guards only served to make her angrier.

She followed the caravan for the remainder of the day, the cold wind and the rain it brought only served to exhilarate the powerful dark mistress. Like a cat hunting a rodent she patiently waited for a chance to pounce, which came as the sun began to set behind the clouds.

The ants slowed as darkness crept across the land, they went left off of the road and towards a patch of trees that rested on a small hill. She circled far above watching as a campsite was erected beneath the trees, two small fires popped up and around them the figures gathered.

A few stood around the perimeter to keep watch as the others ate, though she knew from experience that they must distracted by hunger and exhaustion at this point. They wouldn’t be able to focus well enough to pay attention.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the monster floated downwards while continuing to circle the camp, the lack of stars made her approach harder to spot and the constant rain kept any sound she made all but silent. Fortune seemed to be more in her favor than usual.

Before long she was skimming along the tops of the trees, the leaves bending softly under her strong belly. With a breath she plunged downwards underneath the canopy.

Beneath the trees she landed, her strong claws digging into the wet dirt with ease like a heavy plow. She lowered her whole body to the ground like a feline. Stepping forward she kept her head low in the grass, carefully passing through the tree trunks she went steadily up the gentle slope of the hill.

It wasn’t long before the sounds of the caravan members became intelligible, she was closer to the camp than she had realized.

Cups clanked loudly, forks hit plates, ponies talked and laughed over different stories. Her lips parted in a predator smile revealing a set of terrible yellow fangs, they had no idea she was there. Step by step she went forward and soon found herself at the camps perimeter.

Without a sound she settled down into the grass, her orange eyes glinting in the firelight. She watched her prey go about their nightly routine and in time the amount of them thinned as they went to their tents to sleep. One of the fires was even put out and with that the night seemed ever darker.

The ponies that remained around the fire had slowly become abnormally quiet, she observed from the side of the hill as they ate and drank in near silence. Not a single one looked up from their spot, instead focusing on their food or looking into the fire like they were anticipating something unpleasant.

She began to feel a heavy pit form in her stomach, a sudden anxiety gripped her mind and she felt a sense of panic rising upwards. It was at that moment that it occurred to her, she had not seen a single one of the caravan guards among the others of the camp.

A sudden series of cries erupted from all sides, out of the darkness the whole of the guard company charged. She panicked, shakily lifting herself up she flared her wings and let out a terrifying roar, a few of the charging soldiers faltered.

Despite her display though the warriors continued on, she felt several spear points bounce off of her sides in attempted stabs, they obviously hadn’t considered the strength of her armor. Letting out another roar she swept a clawed hand to the left, a few terrified screams sounded as she slapped a portion of her attackers away.

Their bodies landed down the hill, broken and mangled.

Suddenly leaping forward she brought her left forearm up in the air, extending her claws she brought them down on a pony that had been running away from her. She slashed through his armor like fire through paper and rended the flesh beneath, he wasn’t even able to scream as he was eviscerated in front of his companions.

She turned to the bulk of her opponents and slammed her front legs against the ground smashing the body to pulp, blood and viscera was thrown in all directions.

The reptilian beast growled as her enemies looked upon her in the soft glow of the fire.

A sudden cry erupted from her mighty jaws as one lucky spear from behind managed to find it’s mark between the plates of her scaly hide, it’s cold metal tip dug into the vulnerable flesh of her hind leg.

Spinning around she flung her tail wildly in the air toward the origin of the pain, it connected with a few spearmen who had managed to get behind her and sent them flying to presumably instantaneous deaths.

The gust created by her tail swiftly extinguished the fire plunging the camp into complete darkness.

Coming to a stop she grunted at the pain in her back, she felt an intense anger take control amen she charged at the first pony that appeared before her. Huge chunks of dirt were thrown at least a dozen feet up from the viciousness of her grasping claws.

He simply stood as she came at him, his senses seized in fear. He was barely able to scream as she opened her mouth and slammed it shut over his head.

Her fangs tore his entire torso from his body leaving his legs to fall backwards on their own. With a jerky motion she let the body in her mouth go flying off into the dark night.

Looking back to where the rest of the fighters had gathered she was met with a horrifying sight, all of the stallions had come together. They had attempted to form a rather sloppy spear wall and had begun advancing towards her in a mock phalanx.

Her tail flicked back and forth as she once again smiled in delight.

Lowering her rear end she raised her upper body, adopting a regal and noble pose, this bringer of death flashed her fangs at this glorious mistake. Clumping together was exactly what she wanted them to do, lowering her snout she drew in a huge breath.

Her chest puffed outwards and a few of the ponies realized what was going to happen,”Fucking run!”

It was already too late though, her jaws exploded open and a torrent of molten fire shot straight into the mob of bodies. She held her mouth open for a full five seconds before snapping it shut, lowering her head she happily studied her handiwork.

In those terrible seconds their armor, weapons and even jewelry had been completely melted. Their bodies if that’s what they could still be called were charred beyond recognition, blackened bones stuck out from a pile of ash and that was all that could be seen of what was once a group of brothers in arms.

She let out a deep gravely purr in delight.

The sudden noise of fear coming from the other side of the camp now drew her attention, she turned to watch a few of the unarmed ponies that had been pulling the carts run from their tents and out into the surrounding trees.

Narrowing her slitted eyes she barred her fangs,“You came into my land... now you will die.”

~

Applejack looked at Sam in a display of pure determination.

Her brow was lowered, hands laid firmly on her hips and she was leaning forward ever so slightly in an intimidating manner,”Yer not doing any work till Ah decide yer fit for it, ya hear me?”

“B-but Applejack that’s completely unreasonable, I can at least help out a little!” He sputtered in frustration.

She shook her head,“No, yer gonna rest for a few more days till Ah’m satisfied that you ain’t hurt.”

Looking to Mac who stood quietly by the kitchen sink Sam silently asked for support in his expression to which Mac just shook his head no and went back to cleaning his glass.

Sam turned back to the strong willed Apple mare who flared her nostrils as she stared him down, ”Come on AJ, I’m fine, the doctor said so and I’ve gotten around all day just fine too.” He reasoned,”I won’t do anything difficult, just help carry things and whatever else you say I can do.”

“Give it up Sam, she ain’t giving an inch.” Mac stated as he went about his business.

“Yeah I know, but that doesn’t mean I can’t try at least.” He sighed and lowered his head,”Fine I know when I’m defeated, I’ll take it easy around here and get some rest. Is that satisfactory Applejack?”

She nodded as a smirk formed across her face, bringing her arms up over her chest she responded,“Good, now get on to yer room, I don’t wanna see you out and about till dinner time ya hear?”

“Yes mom.” His tone breathed sarcasm, without another word he made his way out of the kitchen and into the living room.

In less than a minute he was opening the door to his bedroom, as he stepped inside he found his gear had been laid out on the newly made bed. Mac or Applejack must have cleaned it off as everything was devoid of the blood and dirt he knew it had gathered.

Upon closer inspection he realized none of it had actually been that badly damaged, he’d just have to sharpen the sword and polish where the dog had scratched his helmet. He was more than happy now that he had the the knowledge that repairs were going to be easy and simple.

Moving his gear over to the desk he sat down on the edge of the bed and took off his shoes, laying back he let himself smile as his body relaxed into the soft mattress below. Sunlight from the outside world poured through the window onto his face and the bed filling him with a pleasant warmth rather than the usual sweat inducing heat.

Reaching over to his bedside table he grabbed hold of a book he was in the middle of and resumed where he had left off, if he was going to relax he would do it the way he wanted...

...Shifting to the left Sam grunted as he stretched his right leg out beneath the blanket, sliding his hands back underneath the pillow he sighed contentedly.

The chilly air of the room felt good on his exposed face and his mind wandered back and forth as it ebbed ever closer to the reenergizing darkness of sleep.

A sudden knocking on the door interrupted his drifting mind, he sighed despondently.

His eyes cracked open and with a groan he forced himself up into a sitting position,”Just, give me a second to get a shirt on.” He let out a slew of grunt like noises as he forced his tired body to wake back up, sliding off the mattress and to the floor he shakily walked over to the dresser.

With a clumsy haste he pulled open the top drawer and took out a shirt, quickly sliding it on over his head he walked back over to the bed and sat down,”You can come in now.”

The door creaked inwards and Sam looked up only to have his eyes shoot open in shock, his previous dreariness dissipating in a fraction of a second. Before him stood the princess of the moon, none of her usual royal regalia was on and she appeared to be alone.

“I see you’re reading Bleaker’s Brief History of Battle Tactics.” Princess Luna nodded in approval from the entryway,”I don’t agree with some of his dissertations but he does cover most of what I consider the important points. Which volume are you reading?”

He sat motionless with his mouth slightly ajar, looking up at the co monarch of Equestria with a complete lack of understanding he sputtered,”Wha... what?”

She raised an eyebrow and pursed her lips before cocking her head,”What volume of the book are you reading?”

“I...” he paused, looking over to his bedside table where said writing laid he began,”Well the one on Zebra and Griffon warfare. I uh, already read the one on Equestrian tactics and liked it so I figured I’d continue.”

“Bleaker would have been glad to hear that, he really was one of the best lieutenants I have ever had under my command.” She looked down,”Are you particularly interested in military history?”

“Yes, history is my favorite thing to talk about or study. Has your sister told you nothing about me at all?”

She shook her head,”Not much, though I don’t ask much.” She leaned against the doorway,”Its good to see you at least have an interest in something that matters though. I can’t say I’m happy with my modern subjects lack of respect for the past.”

He just nodded.

Looking back up she sighed,”I'm going to venture out now and guess you want to know why I’m here yes?”

“Yeah, I would, especially considering we aren’t exactly on spontaneous visiting terms.” He scrunched his mouth and raised his brow,”Unless you just wanted to ask me about my books and hobbies.”

Luna looked past him into the room,”May I come in then? I’m here because I have something I wish to discuss with you, it’s an important matter I assure you.”

Narrowing his eyes he nodded slowly,”Sure, you can sit down at the desk.” Luna passed in wordlessly, when she reached the desk she pulled out the chair and took a seat,“So what is it you’re here to talk about?”

Luna cleared her throat,”I will be frank with you, we both know that we don’t like each other.”

“Yes.” He nodded with a scoff.

She narrowed her eyes in annoyance,“I don’t trust you and you don’t trust me.” Crossing her legs she leaned back,”I want nothing to do with you and I imagine you with me.” She blew out a heavy breath,”However, concerning recent events I am forced to admit that you are quite the talented fighter and for that reason we may not be able to get what we want.”

Luna frowned to herself,“At first the news of your diamond dog slaughter worried me, I thought if you could do that then what could you do to my subjects? Eventually I came to terms with the fact that I was wrong, obviously you hold no animosity towards the citizens of this land.”

He scoffed,”Well I’m glad that’s cleared up.”

Ignoring his comment she continued,”It then occurred to me, your skills being as impressive as they are, might be extremely useful. The good they have already been used for is great, I’m not of the opinion that Celestia holds, I think your storming of that cave was not only a good thing but is the greatest warrior feat I have seen since my return.”

She shook her head,”With this idea I consulted my sister, I decided that it would be beneficial to all the kingdom that you should be made a knight of Equestria with all of the duties and responsibilities that office holds.” She looked to his face, gauging his reaction,”Celestia agreed and has given her blessing as well as her support of the idea.”

“So, what say you Samuel?”

“You want me... to be a knight?” His face remained unreadable.

She nodded,”Yes, I do. I am confident that you can complete everything my sister and I ask of you.”

He went to ask another question before pausing, hesitating he looked down and closed his mouth,”Are you serious?”

“Perfectly.”

“What kind of duties am I accepting if I agree?”

The corner of Luna’s mouth turned upwards,”Duties? Well you will serve Celestia and I meaning you will be obligated to carry out any requests we may make. That includes anything from assisting in upholding the law to being called upon for military service in war time.”

Samuel looked back up,”Alright, I accept.”

Luna cocked her head, her smile getting wider,”Just like that?”

“Yes, just like that.” He placed his hands on his knees,”You’re right, if I can do more good with my abilities then I should. If the only challenge is getting over our dislike of one another then I can do that.”

Luna’s smile now showed pearly white teeth, she knew he would accept but this was even easier than she thought it would be. Now he was on a leash, a leash she had control of and he could be reliably used for a great many tasks,”Excellent, I’m glad to hear it Sam, it seems you are far smarter then I have previously given you credit for.”

She quickly stood up from the chair,”Becoming a knight means you have to go through a dubbing ceremony in Canterlot, I plan on having it all ready to go by the end of the month.” She walked by the young man and stopped at the door,”I will send you a letter detailing the appropriate attire and other instructions soon. Now I will bid you goodnight.”

“Princess wait.”

Stopping she turned back with a smile, which faltered as his serious face met hers,”Yes?”

He swallowed thickly,“I want you to know that am aware of your past, all of it.” He stood up and looked into her eyes,”No I don’t mean the Nightmare Moon thing either, I mean all the way back before that. I’ve read a lot about you since I appeared here and I want you to know that despite our personal feelings I respect you deeply.”

“You’re an amazing leader, one of the best I have ever learned about and I’m beyond flattered to have earned your respect.”

Her eyes widened as he finished, a slight guilty weight formed in her chest,”I... thank you, that’s very kind of you to say. I hope you manage to get some decent rest tonight Samuel, you deserve it.” And with that she shut the door leaving the man alone to mull over what exactly he had just agreed to.

Author's Note

So, I’m not dead but my classes and work are making me feel like it. I hope you guys can forgive me for the huge gap since the last chapter, I’m going to try and get another one out in a timely fashion but I can’t promise anything.