Striving for Perfection

I was once again awakened by a knock on the door. With a groan, I got up very slowly, gathering my thoughts along the way. Surprisingly, I didn't dream of anything at all. I hope this trend will continue. When the constant knocking on the door began to annoy me, I still got to my feet and, guided in the dark, went to the door. Opening the door, I saw Luna in front of me holding my outfit in her magical grip. She handed it to me without saying anything and let me enjoy it in silence.

The family coat of arms was embroidered on the back of the coat. The coat of arms depicted an arrow flying out of a bow and breaking chains. All this was depicted on the shield, which was held by a colorful pattern similar to a ribbon and on top of which was depicted a hunting hat. The bow looked like it was made of branches and had some protruding parts. At the same time, the arrow looks perfectly straight and even something similar to a glare was depicted on it. The broken chain looked so rusted as if it had existed for decades. Only after taking a closer look, I noticed that the colorful ribbon depicted two bears who were directly holding the shield. At the very bottom was depicted something similar to the motto. "Freedom can be defended by force."

Luna cleared her throat and started saying, "Well, what do you think?"

After a little thought, I replied, "Everything is fine, but I don't like the motto. It sounds too one-sided."

For a second it seemed to me that she was surprised by this comment, but this feeling quickly stopped. Surprisingly, she turned around and said goodbye, "You will be informed when you need to come."

She had already taken the first step outside the door, but stopped at the last moment "We have a request for you."

I mumbled as if saying "What request?"

Luna took this as an agreement and began to explain, "Our request is that you play along at the ceremony and feast. When you take an oath, just give your consent. At the feast, please do not start a showdown with the nobles. "

I did not hesitate to ask the question "Where is my benefit? "

It seems that Luna was ready for this "Believe me, you don't want to have problems with the nobles. Knowing your character, if you are not polite to them, you will find yourself a lot of enemies. So it will be better for you if you agree. "

I had already started to put on my coat slowly and, out of politeness, I replied to Luna, "I'll think about your offer."

Fortunately, Luna was satisfied with this answer and decided to leave. As soon as Luna closed the door, I continued to put on my coat and trousers. While I was getting dressed, I looked out the window and realized that it was already night. Damn, I sleep too much. After putting on my coat and trousers, I sat down on a chair and continued to study local physics using my free time. Turning on the desk lamp, I started reading and simultaneously remembering what I could learn earlier. Unfortunately, over the past three months I have not been able to learn anything important and different from the laws of physics that I am familiar with. I'm afraid the plan to "get off this planet as quickly as possible" may take a long time. In any case, sooner or later I will be able to achieve my goal. It can't be any other way.

Concentrating on the book, I did not immediately notice someone knocking on the door. After a while, I was about to get up to open the door, but changed my mind. Instead, I decided to shout from my seat.

"Come in!"

The door opened and three guards in golden armor appeared in front of me. I put the book on the table, turning off the lamp along the way, and went to the guards. The first one in the column of the guards was about to say something, but I beat him to it.

"I know why you're here. Go, I'll be right behind you."

He seemed to expect something like this from me, so he just turned around with two other guards. I followed him and closed the door behind me on the way out. Tonight the castle turned out to be well lit with something similar to lamps. I don't know where they came from, but I hope it's not forever. I can only look at this castle without tears at night, but if these lamps are left, then even at night being here will be hell. I slightly shook my head so that it was not visible to the guards walking nearby and decided to focus on walking.

After making several turns along the corridors and almost crashing into the guards, I was able to get to a huge, colossal double door. While I was trying to find the top of this door, it had already started to open. Focusing on the view in front of me, I saw that the guards parted, giving me a passage straight ahead. I started walking straight ahead on the red carpet. At the end of the way, Luna was waiting for me with an impenetrable face and a sword clenched in a magical grip. There were a lot of ponies of different colors on either side of me. As a result, I approached Luna point-blank and she started talking loudly so that everyone in the room could hear her.

"Daniel Ctumer get down on one knee."

Knowing that under the contract I had to follow orders, I silently got down on one knee. Luna continued her speech.

"Do you swear, Daniel Ctumer, to take the solemn oath of Equestria? To protect the princesses of Equestria without sparing even their own lives, to defend the well-being of the Equestrian people, strictly comply with the requirements of the higher authorities? If you break the oath you have given, may the corresponding severe punishment befall you. Do you take the oath, Daniel Ctumer?"

I was going to just agree, but part of me actively resisted. It feels like by taking this oath I'm selling myself out. Besides, playing an obedient puppet of princesses in public is a huge blow to pride. I will recoup at every opportunity.

"I am taking a solemn oath."

I felt how smoothly, without making a single unnecessary movement, Luna touched my shoulders with the sword. I could barely resist the urge to pull away from the sword and remained on my knees. Judging by the following words, the ceremony is over.

"You can stand up, the captain of the night watch Daniel Ctumer."

Despite the desire to ask a question, I decided to postpone it for later and stood up to my full height. Judging by the whispers among the ponies, I wasn't the only one surprised by the instantaneous promotion. It looks like Luna planned it all perfectly and therefore continued to speak as if nothing had happened.

"Now everyone present must follow us to get to the feast."

With just one small flash, Luna made the sword disappear. After getting rid of the sword, she started walking and I decided to follow her. Following Luna and trying not to be distracted by the footsteps of many ponies, I plunged into my thoughts.

What does she want from me? From the very beginning, I assumed that I was being used somehow, but what scares me is that I still haven't been able to figure out exactly how. I need to sort out all the available information on the shelves. Two princesses are involved in manipulating me, but a third party is not excluded. Knowing the characteristics of both princesses, it is clear that the organizer is Celestia, whom I have not seen for a long time, but Luna is the brain of the operation. Than in general from the point of view I can be beneficial to them? Hell, I deliberately didn't give them specific information about humanity except for small pieces of the big picture, but it looks like they were able to find out something they needed. No, this is nonsense. They wouldn't have given me the phone knowing about the level of technology involved in it. But what if they deliberately misled me by giving me the phone. They tried to gain trust. No, then Twilight would have tried to ask something personal. It's all fucking pointless! Nothing fits!

Immersed in my thoughts, I did not immediately realize that following Luna I had already reached the dining room. Apparently, rearrangements in the dining room were made especially for this event. At the head of the table were two chairs with a long back and carved in the shape of the sun and the moon. Next to each of them stood one high throne, but slightly smaller. And so it went on until there were chairs with a very short back on the opposite side of the table.

Luna made an obvious move and sat down on a long-backed chair. I sat down next to her and began to examine the rest of those present. Shining, who was already familiar to me, was sitting in front of me. A little to the left sat an unfamiliar white unicorn with a golden mane and something similar to a blue bow tie. When he saw me, he lifted his nose up disdainfully. I turned away from him and began to wait for the moment when the food would be brought.

When everyone sat down at a very long table, Celestia entered the room. At the sight of her, everyone except Luna stood up and briefly bowed. I continued to sit with my head propped on my hand. Again, I heard a disapproving whisper in the crowd, but I didn't dwell on it. Celestia took her place next to Luna. After a couple of seconds, a lot of ponies came into the room and began to lay out food on the table. When the turn came to me, there was a Caesar salad with hay in front of me and in addition a golden cup with wine. Fuck.

Unfortunately, I couldn't move on to food because Luna started saying, "Do you Daniel Ctumer as a captain have any ideas about the Equestrian Army?"

I put down the fork and after thinking a little, I answered, trying to get away from the answer, "In the beginning, I would like to know the military budget, who produces weapons and of course the size of the army."

Luna continued to push, "But still you must have some ideas."

I sighed, assuming that I would not be able to get out of this situation normally and began to say, "First of all, we need to improve the armor. Make belly protection and improve face protection."

I wanted to continue, but I was interrupted by Shining "It won't work. If you introduce such changes to the armor, then the Pegasus simply will not be able to take off normally and besides, such changes will be too expensive. More than one blacksmith would not agree to make such armor for a small cost."

"Well, I have an addition. What if the Pegasus will work without armor? -"Shining was about to object, but I stopped him with a gesture of my hand"-I suggest using the Pegasus as a mobile force for sudden attacks to the rear and conducting reconnaissance. The main fighting force should be heavily armored Earth ponies that will be almost invulnerable to enemy attacks. On my system, unicorns will take the place of distant forces that disorganize the enemy before the offensive with regular shelling. "

Despite the quality of my idea, Shining still objected, "Even if you stop making armor for Pegasus, it will be too expensive to make indestructible armor for Earth ponies. In addition, most unicorns do not know combat spells, so this is also a miss."

"Okay, if it's all about budget and preparation, then I have a great idea. Just take and mobilize everyone into the army without exception. Children, women, government figures and commanders. And this multi-million horde to take over the whole world. Cheap? Yes! Does it require special training? No! This is an ideal option if you are not ready to make the same radical changes as me. "

There was silence in the hall from my idea, but after a couple of minutes the voice was given by a white unicorn "Get out of here, you idiot! "

I turned to him and pierced him with a look, "Who are you to command?"

He seemed offended by my attitude and replied with contempt, "Know that I am the Prince Blueblood nephew of Princess Celestia."

I grinned and continued to speak without making adjustments to his status, "You still haven't answered my question. I'll say it as simple as possible. Why are you, dirt from under the nails, ordering me around? "

He was already shaking with rage, "Don't you have any brains at all, idiot? I'm a prince! "

"I'm not a fan of the monarchy. I prefer authoritarianism with the appointment of an heir."

He has already begun to boil with anger, as if steam will soon come out of his ears, "How dare you, a commoner, flattery into politics. It's none of your business."

I started making a quiet "hush, hush" to calm Blueblood like a child and after a couple of seconds I started saying "Calm down Bluby. What's wrong with you? Or maybe you have a problem? For example, low female attention associated with the small size of the penis?"

Everyone in the room fell into a stupor from this answer, but after a while I heard Luna giggling and followed by laughter throughout the hall. I couldn't help but grin at my success.

Unfortunately, the laughter soon subsided and Blueblood, who was already at the peak of his rage, decided to continue the conversation "How dare you! I'm a nobleman, you're a commoner. I am by definition smarter and generally better than you. "

His words provoked something in me and I decided to use a different style of conversation: "Very well, Prince, I will play by your rules. Since you are smarter than me, you will be able to understand me if I speak the way I feel comfortable."

I cleared my throat in preparation for a long speech and began to speak steadily, turning the fork in my hands, "Following your theory, we can conclude that an individual's intellectual abilities depend on his social status received from birth. In fact, I note that in a certain sense you are right, but not completely. The problem with your stupid and shortsighted point of view is that it does not take into account small probabilities. Prodigies, mentally retarded, having mental disorders and of course, just the characteristics of an individual. For those whom you called "commoners" are trite more, respectively, they have a numerical preponderance of outstanding personalities for which you will not be able to find justice. You yourself have made a serious mistake by taking such a position. But I must note your small share of the truth. The place occupied in society from birth has a positive effect on the individual as a whole. This can be described by the phrase with which I describe my view of the problem of being and consciousness. Consciousness determines being, but only after being determines consciousness."

At the end of my speech, it seemed that almost no one could understand the meaning of my words. I shook my head in disappointment, "I repeat for the stupid. You, Blueblood idiot materialist who does not see what is under his nose. But you just poked the sky and could be one hundredth right. "

Blueblood started to look like it was about to pounce on me. I picked up a fork in response, preparing to throw it at him. Unfortunately, the growing conflict was stopped by Celestia with a thunderous roar of "Calm down, you two!"

Blueblood quickly calmed down and calmed down until I decided to start eating. Taking a fork, I began to slowly eat the salad, simultaneously separating pieces of hay from the total mass. After Celestia's shout, silence fell in the room. Judging by the sounds nearby, the ponies began to take an example from me and started eating. Continuing to eat, I thought.

I miss normal meat. I really miss the feeling when you come home, cook meat with the last of your strength and eat with unimaginable pleasure. I hope I won't become anorexic from such a diet. What if these are also actions against me to weaken me? No, this is just my paranoia.

During the time of reflection, I managed to finish my meal and when I saw it, I decided to go to my room. Before I could even get up, the Moon approached me and whispered softly, "Wait outside." I nodded almost imperceptibly, got up and walked towards the exit.

I didn't have time to take a dozen steps when I heard Blueblood's voice, "You didn't finish your wine."

Without even turning to him, I replied, "Why are you worried about the condition of the drink? If you are so addicted to alcohol, then I will gladly give you my drink."

Blueblood didn't have time to form a decent answer so I was able to calmly leave the room. After leaving the room, I leaned against the nearest wall, waiting for Luna. After a while, Luna came out of the hall and looked at me with a mixture of rage and disappointment.

"What was that just now?"

"A complete success."

"If you call success that you have made an enemy in the form of one of the most influential nobles in Equestria, then you have achieved it. We had big plans for this part, but you completely ruined them."

"If that's all you wanted to say, then I'm off." I said, turning around and starting to move towards my room.

Luna seemed to calm down slightly and asked a more rational question, "What guided you in making such a stupid decision?"

I turned around to look Luna straight in the eye and said, "I think it's better to show myself than to grovel in front of all sorts of jerks. And by the way, you should remember the following words. The first thing I will do as soon as I achieve my goal is to make sure that not one individual is not condemned for words with material damage. Total freedom of speech. "

I was about to leave nicely, but Luna gave her answer: "If we do not touch on the complete impossibility of implementing this law, then there is still a problem. If a group of ponies morally injures one, then this law will not apply to them. In fact, your law will not help you in any way to achieve whatever you want there. Regardless of what you want. If you arrest this group of people, then it turns out that the states under your rule are violating their own laws."

I was about to answer, but realized that nothing came to mind. After a little thought, I headed towards my room, giving Luna a thumbs up "You're a good, princess. As always, you find objective problems even in the highest quality ideas."

Fortunately, Luna didn't say anything in response and I was able to walk safely to my room. After entering the room and closing the door behind me, I turned on the lamp again and continued reading the physics book. Before finally plunging into the current, a feeling began to form in my head, which I quickly dismissed.

A sense of approaching danger.