Striving for Perfection

"So now let me summarize. We don't have a band name or pseudonyms, and we don't even have lyrics. You only have an instrumental and one without a name. And my task is to come up with all this. Did I understand correctly?" I asked the centaur after he explained the position of the group. Before that, we had a simple conversation for the sake of acquaintance. The centaur guitarist's name is Kozim and the Minotaur drummer is Konstantinos, although his friend calls him Kon for short. The conversation was conducted mainly by Kozim while his friend sat and looked into nowhere. In a short conversation, we were able to come up with a plan that suited me, him and was silently supported by Konstantinos and Rising. When we get off the train, I will give Cosimo the money so that he can rent a place for himself and then later in the night we will meet at the town hall.

"Well, yes." replied Kozim with obvious awkwardness in his voice. Obviously, it is not pleasant when you, as a musician, have a fantasy that ends immediately after creating the instrumental part.

I took a deep breath and exhaled through my nose to calm down. Then I turned to the window and let my mind create random ideas. In principle, I don't want to steal something from already existing musical bands, so I need to come up with my own, perfect one. Go.

Make the name of the band, right? We'll figure something out now. Enameled parts of head systems? No, it's too long. Fanatical Backfire of Ideology? FBI? The reference is good, but I'm afraid few people here will understand it. Hunting grounds? Some kind of fuse is missing. We need something stronger. Something crushing and appealing to the masses. I have an idea.

I turned to Kozim and without a second thought expressed my idea: "Well, I have an idea. Our common name is the civil offensive. You will now be a proletarian, you will be a concept and I will be a philosopher. These are our pseudonyms." I said, pointing my index finger first at Kozim, then at Konstantinos, and finally pointing my thumb at myself.

"A civilian offensive?" Kozim asked, being both confused and interested at the same time.

Now is the most difficult. You need to explain the idea to him.

"Yes, a civil offensive. Like, as you know, history is created only by freeloaders born in a wealthy family and hardworking revolutionaries. Since you and I are hard workers, we have only a revolutionary path. Just imagine a single impulse of the people for the purpose of global change, a march on the castle of a government that has forgotten about the needs of the people, dropping and lowering the old flag to install a new one. All this is as a civil offensive. " I said, trying to give my thought as much emotion and artistry as possible. He's a musician, right? So I have to appreciate it.

"Damn, man, the idea is really cool! But why is pseudonym Kon`s is a concept?" Kozim asked as if he was worried about such a choice of words.

Do I have to say how do you have to answer?

"A concept is a thing that, if desired, can be changed and twisted as you want. The revolution begins because working people or proletarians unite around the concept that the philosopher came up with. And please let's not talk now about the fact that we badly reflect the idea of pseudonyms. I tried to connect personality traits and ideas as best I could. " I replied, hoping that Kozim would just calmly accept the idea.

"What do you think Kon? " Asked Kozim after a long silence, turning to his silent friend as if he needed consent to make a decision.

"Kozim . . . don't you think. . . this is too much. . . for us . . .?" Konstantinos asked, periodically making long intervals between words. I raised my gaze to the Minotaur and began to drill with my gaze.

If you don't have ambitions, then say so.

"Kon, we're making history, you know? We were born for this, we met for this and we will do it. Kon is our destiny, you know?" Said Kozim, turning to his friend and seeming to reveal his soul. This is not a joke, not a method of pressure, as I thought at first, but exactly what he believes in. Well, it's nice to see a person who says what he really believes.

Konstantinos stared at the floor for a while as if ashamed and strained his eyebrows in thought. After a few seconds, he sighed and nodded uncertainly. I couldn't help but smile a little at the sight of it. Another problem has been solved and I didn't even have to do anything.

Kozim smiled broadly when he saw this and said loudly, raising his fist in the air: "So it's decided! Our group is now called the Civil Offensive."

"Yes, yes, whatever you say. Are there any other problems that need to be solved urgently?" I asked out of the corner of my eye, noticing that Rising was sitting next to me and trying to ask something, but could not because of the current conversation.

"Well, in principle, we will find housing, so there are no problems, dude." Kozim answered, pressing his friend to him with his hand. I nodded and turned to Rising, looking at him like a child.

"What happened?" I asked carefully looking down at Rising. I hope it's something serious.

Rising shrank a little into his chair as if looking down from high scares him, but quickly straightened up and began to speak cautiously: "Mr. Sir boss, yesterday when I dissuaded you, you said that you would give me a reward."

"What exactly do you want?" I asked, sighing and hoping that he would want something simple and cheap.

"Um, I thought I didn't have a choice in this matter." Rising replied confusedly, surprising me a little, but not too much.

"Well, it turns out it's your choice. Tell me when you think of it." I said before turning away from Rising and looking out the window. The sun was already sinking below the horizon, turning the sky scarlet. All the greenery has gone from the trees and bushes and only lifeless shells covered with snow remain. The wind carrying snow howled outside the train reminding that you cannot wait for any heat on the street. It was already possible to see Ponyville before arriving in which there were only a few minutes left. Above all, this towered a mountain on which a city with the most disgusting structure in general was installed. Canterlot and its castle. I took a deep breath and a slow exhale to calm down a little and think about something else. For example, about how to organize my first day in Ponyville.

Ideally, this should be done quickly. First you need to find your soldiers and the garrison of the Solar Guard. I will inform them that they are no longer needed by the city and I will deal with everything with my soldiers. They leave the city, we take the place where they were located, releasing the musicians along the way and distributing the guard throughout the city. I don't think my direct command will be needed for a simple patrol, so I will have free time. I will come to the musician, solve the main problems, maybe write some lyrics in advance and I will have a lot of time to study. Everything is simple and easy.

I sighed contentedly, causing the mirror to fog up from my breath. I felt someone touching my right hand. Turning in the direction of the one who disturbed me, I saw Rising who was looking at me with determination but at the same time nervous.

I looked at him as if he was an annoying little kid and asked without much enthusiasm: "What have you decided?"

"I need an answer to one question. How did you become like this?" I asked Rising without coming up with a better wording of the question, but I understood it.

A very stupid request.

I took a deep breath to think about how to say and formulate all this. It's one thing to live through this period personally and quite another to explain it all in a way that is understandable to someone else. If you don't explain all the small details, then the picture just won't work out. I have to give him a perfect and complete report, but at the same time short enough to make it before the train arrives in Ponyville.

You don't owe anyone anything! In a good way, such a stupid request should be rejected.

After what seemed like an eternity, the whole mosaic formed and I began to say: "Believe it or not, but I had a grandfather with whom I had a really good relationship. I spent most of the summer and winter with him and engaged in hunting. He even taught me how to hunt and butcher animals. In general, you can consider that this was the closest person to me. But like all good things, it had to end sometime.

"On the first of April, he died at the age of seventy-two. Good laugh day, huh? When this news reached me, I lost any support. My father always said that I should bend under his line and forget the old man. Of course, he didn't say it directly, but it was obvious. Other people didn't provide support either, and do you know what I think? It's even good because I figured it out myself.

"For a few days or even weeks, I just dragged out my existence and endured all the bullying. Yes, it's hard to believe, but I used to be a fat patient on whom everyone spat from a high bell tower. Well, maybe not very fat, but compared to his peers he was full, which caused ridicule. When I politely asked one of the hooligans to stop, he said something from the category of "Or what? Will you call your father for help? Or maybe you can call your grandfather to give me a lecture? " Then he made a fatal mistake.

"I remember right now how I pierced my own hand with a pen to contain at least some of the rage. It didn't work out. Then I suddenly hit the nearest bully. I remember that feeling when the knuckles are buzzing from the force invested in the blow. Since the lesson could start at any moment, I challenged him and his friends to a fight at a distance from the school. They agreed, probably thought they could beat me together. And what can I say? They were wrong.

"I remember the euphoria I experienced then. Something stronger and smarter than an animal loses to me. To me! A man who has always been considered slow, a fat guy who is only suitable as a toy that you can mock and not get an answer. Then, of course, I couldn't help but get wounded. I remember that for about a month after that I was in hellish pain and couldn't walk properly. But at the moment when I won, I didn't care. After the fight, I felt something akin to rebirth. Do you know what I did when I came home covered in bruises and blood? I went up to my father and told him to fuck off with his ambitions and desires to raise me the way he needs. Of course, then I didn't become the same as now, but it was a push to change. Here is the result of the push that occurred at the age of fourteen. " I said, spreading my arms to the sides and smiling a little, thus ending the monologue.

At the end of my monologue, there was complete silence in the train car. Rising looked down as if such a story turned out to be more than he could swallow. I noticed that both musicians also heard my monologue and were thinking. Because of their sunglasses, I couldn't tell their emotions by the look. I sighed wearily at how much effort it took to form individual thoughts and emotions into a coherent and understandable story.

Tell me, does anyone here deserve this level of effort?

"It's hard for me to believe that." Rising squeezed out after a long silence. Somewhere in the depths of me, there was irritation that he dares to doubt the veracity of my words for at least a second.

"Well, you'll have to believe it." I said, exhaling and shrugging my shoulders. Such a small thing is not worth my nerves. After my words, silence hung in the train again, but this time it was quickly interrupted by the screeching of brakes. I took my bag, hung it over my shoulder and waved my head and signaled that it was time to go. My attention was attracted by the fact that everyone was barely noticeably surprised that I acted as if there was no soul-revealing conversation.

But it's obvious to us that a person as close to Perfection as you have nothing to be ashamed of, right? You just told a life story, nothing more.

Fortunately, all my companions quickly recovered from this and got up from their seats. Except for me, because the exit to the corridor was blocked by Rising. I gave him a little nudge in the side so that he would make way for me from his seat. He quickly took the hint and stood up so that I could be the first to get out into the corridor of the train. I nodded and took a few careful steps forward so as not to disturb the invisible lines too much. Already now I felt that there are a huge number of people at the station, especially by the standards of evening time.

Great, you won't have to wait for anyone.

I walked to the exit of the train and got out of the car with a small jump. My head was pierced by a headache from such a sudden movement, but I was able to refrain from screaming. After looking around the station, I saw a large group of thestrals occupying several benches to my right and looking intently in one direction. Looking in the direction of their gaze, that is, to the left, I saw exactly the same gesture being copied by a much smaller group of the Solar Guard.

"Kozim, take it." I said, unbuttoning the bag and showing the bag of money that was in it.

"Just everything? Isn't that a lot, dude?" Kozim asked as if he couldn't believe that I was giving everything.

"I do not know how much local housing costs, so it's better to be safe. Take the money and don't show off." I said, starting to lose patience. After a few seconds of reflection, Kozim silently took the bag with his hands and was barely able to put it on his shoulder.

"Well, it turns out we'll meet later, dude?" Kozim asked, offering his fist for a friendly farewell. I sighed and without looking weakly hit his fist. He was satisfied with this and went ahead with a lot of money around the city in the company of his friend.

Giving all the money to him is too stupid an idea even for you, crybaby.

My attention was drawn to a group of thestrals who was sitting on benches. I started to approach them and noticed that the thestrals one by one were distracted from their solar colleagues and looking at me. By the time I stood right in front of them, everyone seemed to have forgotten about their opponents. Before I started talking, I quickly counted everyone in front of me. Surprisingly, I noticed Flying. Probably then he will have to be asked about where he disappeared. Forty-nine plus Rising is behind me. Fifty in total.

"Well, everyone is assembled. We all ended up here for a very boring purpose. Those guys who are opposite you have been beaten for a long time, but they did not give you a good rest. And now, when they managed to recover and maybe forget about that case, we appear. We will carry out the tasks of the garrison in this city for some time. This is good news for you because I most likely, but not the fact, will not teach you during this time. You will only guard and bypass the points that I say. " I said, pointing with my thumb at the Solar Guards behind me. I saw in the eyes of the thestrals that they were obviously pleased that I would not train them. But they forget that I can change my mind.

"So it wasn't a joke." Said a male voice behind me. I realized from the lines that the voice belonged to an Earth pony and that it was approaching me. I turned my head to him and looked up. Looking closely at him, I did not find any similarities with someone I had seen before. Although I don't really distinguish the faces of ponies very well.

"Listen, let's do this quickly. You tell me where the headquarters, the base, the garrison or something like that and we will disperse." I said, wanting to do all the necessary procedures as soon as possible.

He stared at me and began to drill with his eyes as if he was expecting something. After a few seconds, he snorted, gave me a single key and said: "Turn right from the town hall, there will be a pastry shop. Turn left from it and go through the market. That's the whole route. The doors are not closed so hurry up."

"Understood, accepted. Come on! " I said, waving my hand to signal my soldiers to move out. I heard them all get up on their hooves and get ready to follow me. I sighed contentedly and walked with a calm but firm step towards the town hall. Along the way, I looked around and remembered my first appearance. On a distant hill with a lone tree, I made an explosion and smashed a group of guards. In the garden, which is not really visible from here, there was also success and paranoia began. Crossing this bridge, I defeated the last remnants of the guard. Right in front of this town hall, I was defeated by Princess Luna.

The latter were not worth remembering.

I sighed distracting myself from these thoughts and turned right from the town hall. I continued walking through a part of the city that I hadn't been in yet. And just like the last one, I noticed that there was no one on the street. Judging by the fact that the sun will soon set over the horizon, they just went to their homes. My hypothesis was confirmed by invisible lines that took the forms of different ponies. But one group stood out among them all. To the left in front, a few yards away from me, I felt six ponies that were around the corner. Two Pegasus, two unicorns and two ordinary ponies. The silhouette of one of the unicorns is much larger than the others, as if the lines avoid it. One of the Pegasi, unlike his comrades, squatted down. My brain quickly puts everything together.

These are everyone's favorite national heroes. Well, I don't know what they need, but they don't pose a threat anyway. Judging by the posture of one of the Pegasus, they have a wounded one. Or just a coward. Just focus on the road.

I continued to walk along the designated route, but to be sure, I clenched my hands into fists. While walking, I focused on the lines in order to react quickly to their aggression in case of something. Already from here I could see the silhouette of a special terrifying building. Many yards away from me is a two-story building decorated like a big gingerbread house. Judging by the sign on which the cupcake is painted, this is the same confectionery. Seeing this, I froze for a second.

Calm down, Daniel, it's just a dummy. This is not a real gingerbread house. There is no sugar in it. Just breathe, it's okay.

I slowly took a few breaths and exhaled and was able to continue the way forward. Although the closer I got to the pastry shop, the stronger the desire to turn around and leave became. I wanted to continue on my way and restrain my fear, but I felt a group of six ponies come out of the alley to my left.

"Uh, hello?" One of the ponies asked uncertainly. I turned around and quickly examined them. A lilac unicorn in the center of the group, a white unicorn to her right, a Pegasus with a rainbow mane and an orange pony are paired behind her, and a pink pony and a yellow Pegasus who hid behind his friends are standing in the rear. Hid, by the way, very clumsily.

"In case you haven't noticed, I have soldiers to command, so I hope you have something important." I said with indifference in my voice, pointing my thumb at the soldiers behind me. I noticed that the Pegasus with the rainbow mane was already getting angry because of this attitude.

"That's not very polite. But I should point out that your new clothes look interesting." The white unicorn said, seemingly distracted by my clothes.. A plan of confrontation began to form in my head. The contract with Discord suggests that I will be more restrained towards them. So no offensive today. Only impenetrable defense.

"Yes, it's not polite to admit it. And I admit that lying is very, very bad. Therefore, no matter how much you like it, I do not feel guilty and, accordingly, I am not going to apologize for my behavior. Do you have any specific business with me or did you come here just to express indignation? " I asked, trying to sound helpful. According to my personal impressions, it turned out badly. And judging by the teeth of a Pegasus with a rainbow mane clenched with anger, I was not mistaken.

"A lot of time has passed since we first crossed paths and we had time to think." The lilac unicorn said uncertainly, rubbing his front hooves to relieve the tension.

"So what?" I asked, really not understanding what it leads to. Oh, my God, don't tell me. . .

"We have to start all over again. Hi, my name is on Twilight Sparkle and these are my friends: Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. Nice to meet you. " Twilight said, closing the distance and extending her hoof to get acquainted. Yes, the worst and most disgusting thing happened. These bitches thought they had the right to just take and discard everything they had done.

Take her hoof. Shake politely and smile broadly. Offer to have a little party. And poison the punch with something lethal. It will be funny if they drink punch and after that you say in a calm voice: "I put cyanide in there."

I put my hand to my face to hide it and restrain my rage. I gritted my teeth trying to calm my desires. No matter how good the prospect is, the contract with the princesses interferes. And it will be difficult to keep the lie intact for long enough. Not to mention the search for cyanide. Just hold the line.

"I refuse. I find it disgusting that instead of learning from your mistakes and improving, you just go the easy way. In my understanding, you either deal with your problems completely or let them ruin you. But running away from problems like you? It's pathetic and disgusting. Get out of my sight, worms. " I said before turning away from the group of ponies and signaling my soldiers to follow me. They hesitated for a second, but still began to follow me. I felt like all six ponies were numb from my speech and were afraid to take even a breath. After a few seconds, I felt one of the Pegasus take off into the air and begin to dive at me like a fighter.

Attention anecdote! Pegasus swooped down on his enemy. The enemy's response killed:

At the last moment I took a big step forward and heard a crash behind me. Turning my head back, I saw Rainbow Dash burrowing her head into the ground, breaking through a layer of snow and trying to get out using her hooves. My ears caught, how several soldiers collectively hissed as if they were experiencing the same pain as the stupid Pegasus. I grinned when I saw this picture and continued to walk along the set route. Fortunately, no one lingered on Rainbow and everyone just kept following me.

When we got to the candy store, I turned my head to the left so as not to look at her and focus my attention on the rest of the way. There was a long road ahead with empty stalls and my destination was in the distance. Due to the long distance, it is not possible to see the two buildings in more detail. Unfortunately for myself, I felt how Rainbow dash was able to get up from the ground and started walking towards me with a modest step. This is definitely some kind of trick. I sighed in disappointment and quickly began to think about the possibilities.

If the situation gets out of control, this place will become a convenient battlefield. But it would be better if no one is around. Judging by her speed, it will take her less than a minute to get to me.

"Rising." I said loudly in a commanding and firm voice.

"Yes, sir?" Rising asked nervously, taking a step out of the mass of soldiers so I could see him. It looks like another conflict makes him very nervous.

"Do you see two buildings there? I need to sort something out, so you go ahead. Can you handle it? " I asked, putting one hand on his back and pointing out the final destination to the other.

"Yes, of course! " Rising said loudly, trying to look confident. In fact, it makes him even more nervous. I slapped him on the back and turned my whole body towards the stupid Pegasus. Everyone quickly gathered and followed Rising, which eventually left the street empty. Along with a light breeze, I saw a yellow Pegasus in the distance. Wait what?

It seems that this flair or new feeling is not as useful as it seemed earlier. I can at most distinguish a Pegasus from a unicorn, but representatives of the same species in this way I will not be able to distinguish from each other. How sad.

I saw a yellow Pegasus called Fluttershy coming towards me. As she approached, I could see that she was coming at me with great fear. But it keeps going. I nodded to myself when I saw it and tensed a little when I looked into her eyes. Goosebumps went through my body at the sight of such a level of condemnation. I took a deep breath, mentally taking a defensive position.

"How dare you!?" Fluttershy said, closing the distance and piercing me with her gaze. It seemed like she wanted to make me feel guilty and overwhelm me with a look so that I wouldn't resist.

Don't get your hopes up, manipulator.

"What exactly dared? If I. . ." I tried to answer, but I was abruptly interrupted.

"Just because you are bigger and stronger than us does not give you the right to offend us. We even apologized to you and offered to start all over again. But you, as the last hooligan, refused and insulted us. Maybe you have barbs, phrases and big paws, but you can't, I repeat, you can't offend us. Do you understand that? " She asked in a voice that did not imply refusal. She even took to the air with the help of her wings to towering over me.

A real manipulator.

At first I felt like a tiny part of me broke under this pressure and capitulated. But everyone else was furious. Logic has discovered fictitious facts. They didn't say sorry or anything like that, so there was no apology. Muscles tensed and prepared for battle in response to such false testimony. Philosophy and rhetoric have found millions of ways to break her empty order. The warlord has already figured out how to get rid of all of them most effectively. I looked away for a second and looked at the sky. Calm winter twilight, rare snow-white clouds and barely noticeable stars.

"No, I didn't understand." I calmly replied, returning my gaze to Fluttershy. It seemed that this answer puts her in a stupor and she just didn't know what to say in response. Looking up a little higher, I saw the other ponies standing behind Fluttershy and watching. There was silence in the air for several seconds, which no one could break with their answer. Seeing that no one had come up with a sensible answer, I went on a soft offensive.

"I don't understand why your opinion is more important than mine. If you don't care about my opinion, then why should I listen to yours? I have already said that I think about you and my opinion does not tend to change every second. If you hate me, then just leave and I'll go about my business. You don't have to worry about me, your hatred doesn't matter to me. If it's bad for you to live with the fact that I don't respect you, then you need to change. Stop running away from problems, shifting blame to others, manipulating others and many many other things. I know it sounds difficult for you. I won't hide it, I can't always meet a personal requirement for myself either, but I'm trying at least. I just keep trying and wish you the same. " I said pointing my finger at the group of ponies to emphasize that the appeal was made only for them. For a few seconds I waited for some kind of answer, but I was met only by silence. I sighed in frustration and turned around to get to my destination.

It was not to be expected that such stupid and pathetic creatures would be able to compete normally in a dispute. They can only have a conversation by hiding behind the plural and trying to manipulate. They don't stand a chance against me.

I could feel that the group of ponies stood still for a very long time and could not find the strength to take at least one step. I focused on what was in front of me, and as I got closer I could see the details of the garrison. It looks like a square separated from the rest of the city by red paint. Yes, only red paint and nothing more substantial. In the allocated area, there are not the most spacious barracks, judging by the appearance of a warehouse and a strange tower. If the old tower that I burned looked like an observation tower, then this one looks more like a fairy princess tower. All the soldiers stopped in the center of the square and seemed to be waiting for me. When I reached the waiting crowd, I stood in front of them and began to give the first instructions.

"The task is simple for you. Come to that warehouse and get the equipment. While you are doing this, I will look for a map of the city there." I said, first pointing my finger at the warehouse and then pointing at the tower behind me. The soldiers calmly obeyed and began to randomly make their way to the warehouse. I turned away from them and focused my attention on the tower.

I started walking slowly towards the entrance to the tower, which was made in the form of a simple oak door. I easily pushed the door with my hand and entered the room and closed it behind me. Before me appeared a room in which there was a table littered with papers, stairs to the top and many lockers. All this is illuminated by several lamps attached to the walls. Interested in the papers, I went to the table and took the first one that came to hand. I peered and squinted for a long time trying to make out the handwriting. As a result, I was able to grasp the basic information. In short, all sorts of forest animals stagger on the outskirts of the apple orchard and strain the owner. I sighed in disappointment, returning the paper to its place and taking a few steps back to assess how much I would have to sort out small business. Counting offhand, if you divide the work, you can manage in a few days. If you hurry up, you can manage in a day. If I make everyone work without a break.

In principle, I can deal with the animals in the vicinity myself. We need to quickly break down all these cases into those that can be assigned to the soldiers and those that are better handled by me.

I walked around the table from the side and sat down on the chair that stood next to him. I looked at the stacks for a few seconds thinking about how to sort them as quickly and efficiently as possible. Mentally, I began to imagine the trajectory of my movements. As soon as I take the paper, I will read it, put it in the chosen place and proceed to the next one. I took a deep breath and, together with a quick exhalation, began to quickly sort through the papers. In a matter of seconds, my eyes scanned the entire text on one piece of paper and my brain determined where to put them in order to free up my hands for the next candidates. Over time, I noticed that most of the papers contain complaints about the same personalities. Rainbow Dash damages private property, Twilight Sparkle makes noise and Pinkie Pie invades other people's homes without permission. Of course, there is something out of this, but this is rather an exception to the rule. The question is why were these papers allowed to accumulate at all?

They are national heroes. The hero is a person who fits perfectly into the social framework and who is gleefully given the right to use violence. A hero with the prefix national means that he or she enjoys the favor of the government. As you know, heroes are above all laws and in general they should be worshipped so? So the heroes can do everything because the whole world owes them. No one can encroach on their rank and purity.

"Except me." I said with a big smile on my face and interrupted sorting through the papers for a second. I thought about it for a second, but decided to postpone this idea a bit for later. It would be better if I first deal with outside matters, get a good reputation in the city and then strike at the heroes. As a result, I will help myself and tarnish the image of national heroes. Nothing personal. If you push it, you can prepare everything in a day or two. And I can start working on it right now.

I took another breath and continued sorting through the papers. It was a little difficult because of the still unaccustomed feeling of ubiquitous lines. Each of my movements caused the lines to smoothly but quickly change their shape to look like my handprint. An additional strain on my perception was the fact that I could feel all the soldiers who were doing their business. Although gradually and very slowly I get used to this feeling. Maybe someday I'll be able to get used to it completely. It would be nice to speed up this process somehow.

After what felt like a few minutes, I felt someone walking towards the building in which I am. Hearing the creak of the door, I raised my eyes above another sheet of paper and saw Rising in front of me. He had already managed to put on his armor and hang his sword on his side.

I asked, hoping to get either a negative answer or to meet with a minor request.

"Everyone has already managed to put on armor and take weapons. And I thought that you forgot to give the following order. No, that's not what I meant! " Rising said loudly as if he thought he had accidentally insulted me. I gestured to Rising to stop panicking and listen to me.

"Calm down. It's even good that you thought that way. See this stack of papers? These are the cases that the Solar Guards kindly left us. And to be precise, the cases that I think you soldiers can handle. " I said, pointing with my finger at a small stack of papers to my left, in which there were slightly less than twenty cases. To my right was a much larger stack of papers that had yet to be sorted. To her left was a tiny stack of cases that I take on myself. And finally, right in front of me was a stack of papers dedicated to the crimes of national heroes.

"There's a lot to do here." Said Rising, looking at all the papers I have to sort out. I exhaled and nodded in agreement before continuing to sort through the papers. By this point, the process has become almost completely automated. Do you see the hero's name? To the center. Do you see the story about wild animals? You take it upon yourself. Do you see something even more unimportant from the category of reprimanding kids? You leave it to the soldiers. While I was going through all the papers and felt that Rising was not going away, my brain fell into thinking.

There are just an awful lot of things and plans. Affairs in the army, the development of a civil offensive, a plan to discredit national heroes and the continuation of the study of magic. There's a lot to do. It would be nice to get support. Yes, pride hurts a little, but we have endured more than that.

"Rising, if you have nothing to do, then collect these papers and distribute them to the soldiers. Now there are exactly twenty cases here, so listen to my order. Take the papers, give them to those who can cope alone and tell them to do it. Fortunately, there are direct requests from citizens and addresses there, so they will somehow orient themselves. It's evening now, so if someone who asked is already asleep, let the lucky ones return to the garrison. The remaining ones will be a reserve in case something goes wrong. " I said, pointing my finger at the leftmost stack of papers. I felt Rising begin to shake with tension almost imperceptibly in the eye. I sighed, restraining my irritation.

"Are you going to work or are you just going to be idle? " I asked, tilting my head to the side and closing my eyes. Closing my eyes, I felt a small but constant headache subside and allowed me to enjoy a blissful painless second.

"Of course the first one! " Rising said with a nod, gaining confidence from something. What exactly is not important to me. I nodded back and went back to sorting through the papers. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Rising taking the papers in his wings and leaving the room. I stopped sorting through the papers to re-evaluate how much work was left. Seeing an almost unchanged stack of papers, I sighed and continued sorting through the papers.

I put the last paper in the right place and leaned back in my chair. Under all these papers was a map of the city that I originally wanted. My head is splitting from so much processed information, even taking into account the fact that the work was done almost automatically. The eyes slowly close, no longer wanting to stay awake. Realizing this, I sharply slapped my cheek with the palm of my hand to bring myself to my senses. Having recovered myself, I quickly picked up the card from the table and got to my feet. My legs felt sluggish from sitting for so long, so I had to stand for a couple of seconds leaning on the table to bring them to their senses. After a short rest, I stepped back from the table and in a few careful steps left the room.

I was greeted by a cold night wind and the moon already hanging high in the sky. My eyes caught the light coming from the barracks and the distant sounds of conversations. As proof that someone is there, I felt that there were a lot of ponies in the barracks. I started walking towards the barracks on the way looking at the map and planning where to place the soldiers. Such important points as the hospital, the mayor's office, the garrison and so on were marked on the map. In addition, the beginning of the forest and what no hills were noted. As I walked to the barracks, a plan for the distribution of soldiers began to form in my head.

I can put a group of people on the hill so that they watch everything around. Several pairs will make a detour along a certain route. And the symbolic remainder will remain in the garrison as a reserve.

I nodded to myself and reached the barracks and entered them. There I saw how many thestrals abruptly fell silent and turned to me expecting something. I looked around in search of some table, but seeing nothing like that, I spread the map on the floor and began to explain.

"Well, I looked at the map and figured out where to put you all. You eight will go to this hill. You, the first couple, will follow the route from the City Hall to the gardens. You, the second couple, will follow the route from the City Hall to the bridge. You, the third couple, will follow the route from the City Hall to the hospital. You, the fourth couple, will follow the route from the City Hall to the garrison. Get to work. Come back in twelve hours and you will have free time. If I find out that you are shirking work, you will not be able to help. " I said first showing all the marches on the map and pointing to those who will perform them, and at the end of my speech I threatened the soldiers with my fist. My eyes and ears caught the obvious dissatisfaction of the chosen soldiers that they would work twelve hours. The look I gave them was enough to make them quickly nod and go out. There are several thestrals left in the barracks, among which I was able to single out Rising and Flying.

"I have things to do, so while I'm gone, Rising will be in charge. You just need to place soldiers on guard within the garrison and no more. Nothing complicated." I said, folding the card and holding it out in front of Rising's face so that he would take it. He hesitated for a second, but to my satisfaction he grabbed the card with his wing. I was about to turn around to go about my business, but I heard the hoarse indignation of Flying.

"Why him? I'm obviously better suited for this role." Flying was indignant, putting a hoof to his chest in a defiant manner.

"You obviously left without any explanation. And I put your managerial skills in great doubt. So until you bring your super-negative reputation to the plus in my eyes, you will remain unfit for leadership positions." I answered harshly stating the fact.

"I just have an explanation. I just..." Flying started to justify himself, but I abruptly interrupted him.

"I have more important things to do right now, so put off your excuse for later," I said sharply before turning around and heading out of the barracks. I heard Flying take a breath to say something, but by turning around sharply and drilling him with my gaze, I was able to silence him. With a sigh, I left the barracks and slammed the door behind me. Looking around the area around me, I saw that all the groups of soldiers that I had gathered had already left my field of vision.

At least they bothered to pretend they were working. Okay, let's imagine that they really will work all twelve hours without my supervision. No matter how unrealistic it is.

I mentally scrolled through my to-do list and plans before settling on the next item. Go to the town hall and wait for the arrival of the musicians. I took a breath in preparation for a headache and started walking towards the town hall. My vision slowly adapted to the darkness, so I could see in the distance a pastry shop that served as a guide for me. In the dark, it becomes less frightening. Quite a bit.

Passing through the market, I saw the dark outline of a pastry shop. I tried my best to ignore him and continue walking on, but I felt someone boring into me with a look. I closed my eyes to reduce the headache and focused on feeling the invisible lines. There are two small silhouettes in the pastry shop. One belongs to a unicorn, the other to a Pegasus. Judging by the shape of the silhouette, they are either just lying or sleeping. Not far from them are two adult Earth ponies who are also most likely sleeping. With each silhouette I focused on, my tension increased. Not one of those creatures that I can feel cannot look at me because of the banal fact that they are sleeping. But the feeling of a gaze boring into me is still present.

Just go ahead and if something happens, hit in all directions. And most importantly, do not look at this terrible house called an even more terrible word confectionery.

I turned away from the building and started hurriedly walking towards the town hall. For my benefit, the moonlight was bright enough to allow me to see the road and not trip over my own feet. I felt and heard a couple of thestrals pass by me. I managed to catch that when they saw my figure, the thestrals froze, clearly not expecting me here. I didn't focus on it and continued walking towards the town hall, barely visible in such darkness. After walking a few yards further, I felt that the Thestrals shrugged their shoulders and continued their patrol. The best solution on their part.

As a result, I was able to get to the town hall and leaned on one of its columns. I started waiting for the musicians to come and preferably return the rest of the money. While waiting, my gaze fell on the empty city and buildings surrounding me. In the distance there was a library in which the light was still on despite the time of day. There is not a single trace of the fact that I interacted with her at the town hall, as if I had never been in this city. It would be nice if that were the case.

Let's think about more important things. For example, where are the musicians and how long are we going to wait for them. In any case, we still have plans to look for something useful in an abandoned castle.

I sighed and looked around again, hoping to find the musicians. Without seeing or feeling them, I made a decision. Count the seconds until I get to nine hundred, or if translated into minutes, fifteen. My eyes started wandering around the city around me again while I was keeping score. On a distant hill next to a tree, I could make out eight silhouettes of thestrals. One minute. I felt that the thestrals did not want to approach the town hall and turned around before reaching it, most likely because of my presence. Four minutes. I heard a distant sound as two children started screaming almost simultaneously. Seven minutes. Turning to the sound and seeing that the light was on in the pastry shop, I realized that the sound was coming from there. I wish I cared. Ten minutes. There is no wind, which is why there is complete silence in the city and only distant footsteps and my breathing is heard. Fifteen minutes.

That's it, let's go to the forest. We'll spend six hours on books and six on sleep. By the time we get back to the city, the first shift will have finished its work.

I sighed in disappointment and pushed off from the column of the town hall and headed towards the forest. I hope the Thestrals don't start asking too many questions. While my heart was full of hope, my legs slowly carried me towards the forest. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that the thestrals on the hill were looking at me intently. In response to this, I straightened up and walked with a more confident and relaxed gait, as if everything should be like this. By the time I found myself right in front of the entrance to the forest, I felt like they stopped watching me. Exhaling, I took a step into the forest.

I started moving quickly through the forest, not wanting to spend a lot of time on the road. Fortunately, there was nothing big nearby, so the headache from the lines almost disappeared. As I moved in one direction, I noticed with my eyes the moss on the trees that grew on the side facing Ponyville. In case I can't find the castle, I'll just go north by identifying it by the moss on the trees. Great plan.

Excellent the minimum level of perfection is returned. Now you can move forward and

My stream of thoughts was interrupted by a sharp break that I noticed at the last moment. My feet were at the very edge and began to lose balance. I grabbed a branch of a nearby tree to steady myself. After that, curiosity overcame me and forced me to look down. There I saw a river flowing below, which was frozen under the influence of cold. The distance to it is difficult to calculate, but one thing is for sure. It will take a long time to fall. Looking at the frozen river, my mind was in a trance. I looked at the ice covering the river without a specific purpose, rather just fascinated.

If you don't get to Perfection, you'll fall there. At least mentally, but most likely physically. Don't screw up and keep working.

I quickly shook my head and took a step away from the cliff. After several deep breaths and slow exhalations, I walked along the cliff hoping to find the castle. As I advanced, I could feel the wolves hanging around. But surprisingly, they avoided me as if they understood that they would not be able to fight back. Surprisingly good conclusion for animals.

While I was pondering the question of wolves, I managed to get to the bridge. Raising my eyes higher, I saw a familiar abandoned castle from which a shaky bridge separated me. I smiled a little and started walking across the bridge trying to ignore its shakiness. My ears picked up the creaking of the boards at every step, but the desire to get to the knowledge forced me to keep going. After crossing the bridge, I took a breath, preparing for the arrays of information that I was going to process, and entered the castle.

After wandering through the dark corridors of the castle, I got to the library so familiar to me. Looking around the room, I saw a map of the forest and books that were located in front of the stained glass window. After looking at the stained glass window, I realized one problem. There are no light sources in the library. Realizing this, I began to inspect the room trying to come up with a solution to the problem.

The bookcases are made of wood. The tree is burning and quite well. Fire gives light.

Quickly coming up with a solution, I began to approach the nearest bookcase. Pulling out all the books from it so as not to damage them, I began to create a fireball rune. As soon as a burning ball appeared in my hand, I put it in the closet. I hissed from the pain caused by the warmth of the ball and as soon as the flames began to spread through the closet, I threw the ball into the stained glass window. I heard the sound of glass breaking but was more interested in the condition of my suffering right hand. Fortunately, the hand received only severe redness and no more. Releasing a restrained sigh, I lowered my hand and looked at the closet. Slowly, the flames began to spread across the bookcase devoid of any books. While it was burning, I started walking around the library in search of books. This time my main goal was all kinds of books about runes. The arsenal of arrows, balls, time bombs and a puny shield is not very impressive. I need to assemble something more solid.

As I walked through the library, I felt a tiny, barely noticeable curvature among the lines. With every step, it became more noticeable and irritated. Turning my head in the direction of the curvature, I saw an ordinary stone wall. When I got closer to the wall, I felt that the curvature was behind the wall. Without thinking, my fist struck the wall. I felt my fist break through the wall without any problems, but then I ran into something strange. Crouching slightly and looking through the hole from my fist, I saw something dark. Following my curiosity, I put two explosion runes on the wall. After the runes were installed, I took many steps back to avoid being hit by an explosion. I started counting down expecting an explosion in five seconds. One, two, three

A couple of explosions rang out loudly two seconds earlier than I expected. I really need to figure out a way to determine how much time is left before the explosion, depending on the magic spent. Shaking my head, I focused on what was left of the explosion. The wall was completely demolished and behind it was a dome consisting of black material. Very similar to the material that was used for the medallion that Chrysalis gave me. In any case, there was something on the hemisphere that looked like a silver rod with a blue crystal in the middle and a golden crystal on top.

There must be something valuable underneath it. Punch through.

I tried to approach the dome, but I felt that I bumped into something. I slammed my fist into an invisible barrier and immediately realized that I had not achieved the result. Deciding to apply more pressure, I began to strike blow after blow in the hope of breaking through the shield. When sweat broke out on my forehead and the number of blows exceeded a hundred and the barrier remained, I realized that I was clearly doing something wrong. Choosing my last option, I tried to install the explosion rune on the barrier. And the rune just fell apart as if it couldn't catch on the barrier. Seeing the ineffectiveness of my methods, I leaned against the nearest cabinet and began to think.

What can be hidden behind a wall, perhaps an impenetrable magical barrier and an unknown strength black barrier? Obviously something valuable or at least interesting. Who knows maybe there will be some kind of sheer heart attack rune? On the one hand, you can focus on ways to break through the barrier but suspend the expansion of the arsenal. On the other hand, you can send this barrier to hell and start expanding the arsenal.

After weighing all the pros and cons, I began to wander around the library in search of a way to break through the barrier. Carefully examining each book on each bookshelf, I found several books that might help me. Among them are two thick books with the titles "Mechanics of magical barriers" and "Breaking seals, curses, barriers and other things." I hope this helps me.

I got to the already burned-out closet by a quarter and went to the wall. Sitting next to the wall so that the light illuminated my books, I opened "Breaking seals, curses, barriers and other things" in the hope that I would get a solution to my problem with it.